The spring university semester is coming to an end, and the Infotronic course closed with a Sumo robot challenge. Great challenge, new technologies, innovative approaches and funny designs 🙂
Groot
2017 Spring Semester Sumo Challenge
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Category Archives: 3D Printing
3D Printed Sumo ToF Blade
ToF (Time-of-Flight, see “Tutorial: STMicroelectronics VL6180X Time-of-Flight LIDAR Sensor“) sensors are fun: they measure the time the light takes to travel to an object and back again. That way they can measure the distance to object with a millimeter accuracy. An ideal sensor for a battle robot: 🙂
Front Blade attached
DIY IKEA Wireless Qi Charging for the Hexiwear
The Achilles Heel of the Mikroelektronika Hexiwear is its charging: the charging and USB connector are only designed for a limited number of plug-unplug cycles, and it does not have a wireless charging capability like the Apple iWatch. Until now! I have built a DIY wireless charging system for the Hexiwear 🙂 :
Wireless Qi Charging the Hexiwear
Qi Wireless Charging Transmitter with 3D Printed Enclosure
For my Hexiwear university research project I’m exploring wireless charing options. I have built a DIY Qi charging station and created a 3D printed enclosure for it:
Qi Charging Transmitter
Prototype of tiny Hexiwear Docking Station
For a research project we are using Hexiwear to measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The Hexiwear is used as a networking sensor device in that project. For that project we needed a docking station with wireless capabilities:
Mini Docking Station for Hexiwear
Making-Of Sea Shell Sand Clock
The year is coming to an end, the Holiday season is approaching. In case you are looking for a nice present: I have completed my version of a sand clock: a clock writing the time into sand:
Sandclock
If you are interested to build your own version, I have documented the different steps with tips and tricks…
Failure with Solder Points and Mechanical Pressure
The good thing with failure is: it is an opportunity to learn :-).
So here is a case: For a STEM roadshow (see “MINTomat: World’s Most Complicated Bubble Gum Automata?“), we have produced in a rush an autonomous robot with a shiny printed 3D cover:
Prototyp with LED Effects
MINTomat: World’s Most Complicated Bubble Gum Automata?
How to fascinate kids for technology? Show them that engineering is fun :-). At the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts we have created the ‘MINTomat’: a robotics system for STEM activities rewarding interaction with bubble gums:
MINTomat
Yes, pretty over engineered compared to a normal bubble gum automata, but that’s part of the fun :-).
3D Printed Adafruit NeoPixel LED Frames
I’m experimenting with different 3D printed LED frames printed with ABS (see “Avoid Warping ABS on Ultimaker 2“). I frame multiple Adadfruit 8×8 NeoPixel WS2812B LED modules with 3D printed diffuser and frames to create color effects:
Diffuser with Frame Effect
Avoid Warping ABS on Ultimaker 2
3D printing is like cooking or like BBQ: It is more about barometric pressure, humidity and temperature than you might think of. To me, printing (and cooking) is a combination of art and science. And as with cooking, sometimes the result is not usable.
I’m very happy with the Ultimaker 2 printing PLA material. For a LED matrix project I have to use ABS as this material is suitable for higher temperature: PLA simply will not stand the heat produced by the LEDs I’m going to use. And here the joy ended: printing using ABS was definitely no fun. While the first small test print came out OK, I produced afterwards a pile of unusable parts because of warping :-(.
Pile of bad ABS Parts
MCU on Eclipse 