The HUB was there!
FCCH was at this year’s Mini Maker Faire
It was in the ‘dark room’ because we were running a snake game projection on he wall that kept getting interrupted by the booth next to us that was demonstrating a Tesla Coil! Damn you, Nikola !
…but I put a large bowl of candy out and the kids found their way to our booth. This year’s event was not as exciting as last year, but it was still fun.
With a special guest at the Creator HUB:
Brian Dickman from Deep Space
OK, Brian’s not from the DEEP SPACE that astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson comes from. This Deep Space is an educational environment that likes things like autonomous vehicles (robots) and the computer game MineCraft. FYI, it’s in Parker, Colorado. Look HERE for details.
It was a STEM fest… Lot of that going around lately
And the Creator Hub was there
We were helping kids make paper rockets for this air pressure rocket launcher I built last week out of PVC pipe and a lawn sprinkler valve. (Purchased cheap from the Habitat resale store)
Pumping up at the launch pad
We used a standard bicycle pump to get the right amount of compressed air (about 20 psi)
The Guard Dog
Not Duncan Madog as he won’t go anywhere near the rocket launcher, this dog just wanted some shade on this sunny day in the parking lot at the Promenade Shops, Centerra, Loveland, Colorado, USA.
It was called the Day for Kids STEMfest
And it was a great time for kids. Organized by the Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County, there was plenty to do and I think the kids may have learned some things as well.
Wow, that lab coat still fits!
Or just an update..
An O’scope and a function generator
Maybe antiques by now, these two units were on my basement shelf for >20 years.Still, they might become useful to someone?
Hanging of heads
The heads from last halloween are now stored at the HUB in the “Art” section of the space.People notice them, so that’s a good thing.
Laser cuter
Steve W. loaned his new laser cutter to the space so now we can cut plastic and wood into various shapes!
Must.Make.3D.Parts.Now.
Playin’ banjo while waiting for the part to finish printing
If you ever have the opportunity to print your own part on a 3D printer, be prepared to wait for the results (think: 300 baud current loop teleprinters from the 1950’s).
Parts is parts
My first parts to be printed on a 3D printer were not your typical downloaded models of Yoda or octopi. No sir! I used a simple CAD/CAM program called Sketchup to produce models of the following (from left to right) two experimental arrow nocks, a part for a small robot, and a table flange for a patio table. The size relationships seemed to work out well… just not sure if the material will be right for the intended purpose.
Hey, someone in the neighborhood has a ZAP CAR!
The Zap Zebra
I would have expected to see these things in California, but not here. It looks like a brand new Zap Zebra with optional “sun roof” or bank of photovoltaic cells on the top. And don’t believe the article in Wired Magazine about how bad this company is, if you have a spare $200K around, you should get yourself a dealership franchise now. They are now part of a company in China called possiblly Zap Jonway and according to their website: 作为新能源汽车的行业先驱，ZAP 永源公司以设计、研发新能源汽车技术见长。我们与子公司共同致力于生产制造物美价优的各类汽油车与电动汽车，包括SUV越野车、面包车、轻型货车、摩托 车、轿车、滑板车、三轮车、车辆集成、充电站和相关的电动汽车基础设施技术。作为符合国际ISO 9000质量认证体系的汽车制造商之一，在中国，ZAP 永源已建立了一套自己的生产与制造、研究与开发、销售与客服的体系。ZAP永源公司已定位在同时向国际市场提供汽油与纯电动车辆。设立在美国加利福尼亚州 的公司总部，将侧重于研制与开发。目前我们正在子公司中国浙江永源汽车有限公司批量生产A380汽油车SUV以及开发中的100% 纯电动A380SUV
Good luck!
What can I say about printers? You know– the computer printers that totally screwed up the concept of the “paperless office”? Seems EVERYBODY had to have a freaking printer with their computer so they could “Print that out”, whatever it was. And they need paper to make it happen. Stupid, dumb printers. Only thing good about them was that IT professionals made good money helping office workers make sure the “ON-LINE” button was pressed.
I DON’T LIKE PRINTERS and I stay away from them as much as possible!
Now there is a new kind of printer out there: They call it a 3-D Printer. Why? I hate printers! Call it something else other than a PRINTER! Please.
The output of the so-called 3-D Printer
I don’t really know what these are, but they were made by one or more of the devices on this page, these things that are not printers but perhaps RAPID PROTOTYPING UNITS. The title of this post is WWGCD, and it means: What Would George Carlin Do? He (George Carlin) once said: “Have you ever noticed that their stuff is shit and your shit is stuff?” Exactly!
The Afinia 3D
For maybe around $1600 you could get an Afinia 3D prototype unit that feeds ABS or PLA plastic filament from a spool and extrudes the plastic from the working end (heated to 260 deg C) to make a customized bobble head doll, perhaps.
The Etec Ultra
Using a light-activated liquid polymer, the Etec Ultra can build your project optimizing the DLP projection concept from TI (maybe you’ve seen a DLP projection in your local movie theater?). This model has optional scanning capabilities so you could make clones! Don’t know how much this one costs.
The Lulzbot AO 101
You might have been able to get your hands on a new one of these for $1700, but Aleph Objects, Inc. out of Loveland no longer makes this model. Check out the TAZ below.
The Lulzbot TAZ
The latest model, the TAZ-2 can be purchased for $2400 and according to Aleph Objects, Inc., the software AND the hardware is OPEN SOURCE! On one of their websites they say that this 3D movement will have a monumental game-changer effect similar to what Gutenberg had done around 1450 or so (sigh! Yet another printer ref).
The Objet 30 Pro
Here’s what they call a desktop model but this company has other models available including the Fortus series that uses Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) maybe starting at $10,000.
Just the Quick Stats, please
In case you were wondering, these printers are available for ordinary citizens to use (might be a waiting list) at the I2P lab at CSU. So, what would George Carlin Do or say? He might continue with his routine about STUFF:
A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff. If you happen to get a 3D printer, you first have to move some of your stuff to a different location so you can put the damn printer on your table. And then what does it do? IT MAKES MORE STUFF!
The place for incredible stuff and unbelievable prices:
With military surplus you can’t get anywhere else! (I didn’t ask how much a used one cost)
Go to American Science & Surplus stores! I’ve been going since 1960 and it’s always been a real trip. If you can’t get there from here then just order online at sciplus.com !
You never know when you might need a blowup female torso or some big assed bomb to blowup.
Thousands of novelty items with an emphasis on science and education.
Just look at some of the awesome stuff you can get here! No wonder this was my favorite place to visit when I was 13 years old.
Telescopes? You want telescopes? They have them!
How about periscopes? They got ’em.
Weird military hardware from strange countries?
Weird bugs and other things from strange countries?
How about plasma bulbs? They are pretty cool.
Or maybe some high voltage static electric generators?
Yep, anything from build-it-yourself catapults
To squirrel underpants can be yours.
If you order something from this store, make sure you get the catalog— It’s a real hoot!
In the lagoon at FoCO’s City Park:
A rather large RC boat
Powered by Nickel metal hydride batteries, this little boat was being tested by the U.S. Geological Survey for use in determining water depth in Colorado rivers. It’s about 5 feet in length and maybe 3 feet wide. At the top of the mast is a 360 degree prism target for a theodolite tracking measurement system.
Launching the toy boat
What kind of job lets you play in the water with a remote control boat? In the above picture, the nice young lady from the USGS is launching the boat by the edge of the lagoon. In this picture, the mast on the boat has been changed over to a GPS satellite dome antenna.
The USGS lady with the 360 degree prism
She was out on this nice day to make sure the equipment was working properly before traveling out near Grand Junction to do some work of some geological nature. Remember Grand Junction? It’s near Otto’s Monument.
The “Total Station”
Not just a Total Station mind you, but one of those newfangled ROBOTIC Total Stations that can be remotely activated to track the remotely activated toy boat as it goes down the river.
In back of yet another Colorado brew fest:
A Green One
A Red One
A Blue One
Batteries and hydraulic valves in the trunk
Switch box on the front seat
… Apparently to control at least 10 different lifting mechanisms under the car. I don’t see many of these cars on the streets and I don’t think that they would especially be good driving on snow. I wonder if anyone has thought of putting in a computerized controller to replace the switch box?