Regina HackerSpace Meet-up
Attention all you hackers, Makers and folks who like to tinker with technology: a hackerspace is being formed in Regina!
CrashBangLabs is looking for people who are interested in helping get this off the ground. The inception meeting will take place Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at The Owl.
This is something I support and I urge anyone in the Regina area who is interested to surf over to CBL’s facebook page and sign up.
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Don’t Leave Out the Good Parts!
Newark Element14
I would like to say thanks to the good folks over at Newark/Element 14 for their outstanding customer service. Newark is by far our biggest supplier and have great prices and a large product line. We are now buying most of our electronic parts from them: switches, wire, heat-shrink and more.
Although we offer a complete parts kit, you are welcome to check out our free open-source plans for the original Useless Machine over at instructables. It lists the Newark part numbers and you are welcome to buy them from Newark/Element 14.
CadSoft Online
We’ve also just purchased from Newark a commercial license for CadSoft Eagle Professional, the industry standard in CAD software for designing printed circuit boards. Our first official project using Eagle will be an upgrade of our current PCB design from a single-sided to double. Nothing more frivolous than using cutting edge software to design one of the simplest circuits I’ve ever worked with! But this is just the start and we have many more ideas to try out.
Eagle PCB Version 6
And I would like to say that the single-sided design isn’t being shelved. We’re going to release this design as part of the complete open source plans for the Ultimate Useless Machine. If you’re going to etch your own pcb, double-sided boards are kind of complicated, but just about anyone can make their own single-sided board.
But for production, we want the best boards we can make and double sided is the way to go.
If you’re interested in pcb design, download the latest version of Eagle and try it out for free.
And yes, many visitors to Frivolous Engineering have never before picked up a soldering iron, let alone designed a printed circuit board. So I’ll let these folks in on a little secret: this stuff isn’t all that complicated or hard to learn. And nothing is more enjoyable than making something for yourself.
Thank you Newark/Element 14 and CadSoft, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you!
-Brett
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We Listen, We Learn!
Version 2 of the Useless Machine has not been without problems. Fortunately nothing major has cropped up but we have made several changes to the design as feedback came in. Most of the mechanical improvements were made early January.
In addition to improving the mechanical design we’ve also made a big change to the text on the top plate. The old text wasn’t raster-engraved, it was just a vector-cut outline of the text. This not only was visually less than optimal, it also made removing the protective film a big pain.
Raster Engraved Uselessness
In the last week, we’ve begun shipping out machines and kits with new and greatly improved raster text as show above. The rastered text is not only visually better, it’s made removing the protective film very easy.
And for those folks who prefer a blank ‘mystery’ box, the plate can be flipped over so the blank bottom side is on top.
For a limited time, we will be happy to replace the original top plates free of charge. Please fill out our contact form and be sure to use the email address with which you purchased the kit.
If it was a gift, please let me know the email of the purchaser, or send a me photo of your machine!
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I Can’t Believe It’s Not Useless
Posted by Brett in Kit, Other Uselessness, Store, Useless, YouTube Videos on February 6, 2012
I Can't Believe It's Not Useless
The Useless Parts Kits that we sell are not only meant to be installed in fancy wooden cases; just about anything can be turned into a useless machine with this parts kit.
A very good customer of ours, Will L. has installed his kit in a unique container as you can see from the frame grab above and the video below. I would like to point out that none of the kits we sell contain ANY trans fats other than the grease that is used in the gearbox!
For letting us show off his creative recycling efforts, we’re sending Will a couple of free kits! Thanks Will!
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My Shipping Manager Needs Help
Not sure* what’s going on but today there have been a BUNCH of orders. I’m real happy about this but my shipping manager Blase is not liking it one bit.
Good thing we’ve stocked up on materials, parts and most important for Blase, 2000 custom shipping cartons. Nothing frivolous when I order stuff, and we pass the savings on to YOU!
Why does everyone want one?
Shipping is sexy!
* Edit: I think it may be due to +Jeri Ryan, she mentioned me and added me to her G+ circles.
Thanks Jeri! Blase will not like this, but please let us know where she should send your machine!
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