September Update
Welcome back! Despite the holidays, we've still got a bumper edition. As always, we've got a bunch of videos, some interesting links and another long form post. Read on and enjoy!
this edition was edited by: @atomic14
Things to Watch
Episode 44 of Makercast!
If you watch any live show on YouTube, make sure it’s this one! You’ll get to see a bunch of makers in their native environments. It’s completely unscripted banter and very entertaining. Plus there are normally a bunch of makers in the audience so the live chat is almost as good as the live show!
Luni Solves the Energy Crisis
There’s no shortage of energy when bitluni gets involved! He’s charging his electric car for free.
Can You Solder in a Toaster?
Don’t try this at home - the Maker News team accepts no liability for house fires, electrocutions, loss of limb, time travel paradoxes etc…
Splitting the Oreo
It’s the Manhattan Project of biscuits, Ian Charnas attempts to split the Oreo!
DIY Sonar Scanner
If you haven't been following this series of videos you really need to take a look.
Upcycling a Broken PS4 Controller
Got a broken PS4 controller lying around? Becky shows how you can do something useful with it.
Mickey Mouse NeoPixel Ears
These light-up Mickey Mouse Ears show Neopixel animations and sync with other ear hats nearby, for the ultimate Disney group attire!
Multi-Spectrum UV Resin Curing
Clem is staying on topic with the energy crisis and asking “how to get the fastest curing time with the least amount of energy?”
Things to Read
ATM Skimmers Are Going on a Diet
You’ve got to admire the design skills - these ATM skimmers are only 0.68mm high and include a battery (the yellow rectangle). There are some interesting examples of different versions in the article.
Steam Powered Pi
With the current energy prices, this may not be as mad as it first appears…
Dual-Core ARM M0+ on a Postage Stamp!
It’s tiny! An RP2040 board that’s the size of a postage stamp. Pretty impressive.
Rust is Good for Your Car!
Fascinating interview with an embedded engineer at Volvo - they are using Rust. I’ve been meaning to have a play with Rust on the ESP32 as I think it’s got to be an improvement on C/C++
The Long Read
Exhibition Survival Guide
Hardware meetups and exhibitions such as various maker fairs, conferences or camps are great fun and a great way of harvesting motivation and energy for continuing your projects, but they can also turn into a logistic nightmare. Below are some ideas I have about how you can design your projects to make them more exhibition-friendly and reduce your stress.
Power
Most electronic projects need to be powered to work. For exhibitions, it's best if you can just power them from USB all the time. Even if they are portable devices with a battery, it's much easier to just have them lie on the table with that USB plug connected, than to have to worry about recharging the battery. Using a standard connector and voltage, like USB, makes it also easier to swap them, or to find emergency replacements for your power source if anything goes wrong.
If you are going to a different country, it's a good idea to check what plugs are in use there, and what voltage, and to take the USB power adapters appropriate for that. It's usually also a good idea to bring a power strip with you, to connect all those power adapters, and perhaps also some beefy power bank so that you can even go independent of the power for a while.
If the device really needs to rely on battery power (for example because it's a robot that moves around un-tethered), make sure the battery is removable and easily accessible, and bring spare batteries and an external charger (even if the device has a built-in charger). This way you can recharge one battery while the device runs on the other.
Size
Desktop-sized projects are the most convenient for exhibitions because you can travel with them easily, and they easily fit on the table. If your project needs to be larger, it's good to make it modular, so that you can disassemble it into easy-to-transport parts. Also, if there are any fragile parts or parts that stick out, it may be a good idea to make them detachable, so that you can transport them separately in a way that is safer for them.
Another advantage of smaller projects is that you can bring several copies of the same thing (or different versions), so that you have a backup if one of them breaks. However, in my experience, bringing more than two for a two-day event is not necessary.
On the other hand, things that are too small, and don't move or emit light, are very easy to miss and will not work well to attract spectators. It's good to have at least one large or blinking project, to get people to come to the booth and then smaller projects that they can see once they get there.
Parts
Avoid parts that cannot be replaced. Avoid designs that require you to disassemble the device completely just to access a single part. Ideally use off-the-shelf parts without modifications, have them attached by standardized screws, and connected with sockets and plugs. You can solder or glue things together as long as they constitute a single logical part, that you will always replace as a whole, otherwise, avoid permanent assemblies.
Bring a screwdriver that matches the screws you are using, and any other tools required to replace the parts of your device. If certain parts tend to break more often (servos, fuses, light bulbs), bring spares.
Descriptions
I highly recommend preparing and printing descriptions of your various projects, either on A4 sheets of paper or on business card-sized cards (if you choose the latter, bring two-sided tape to tape them to the table, otherwise people will take them). This saves you some talking and lets the more shy spectators also understand what your projects are about. Include links to more information, possibly also QR codes (but a URL in a text form survives on photos better).
Interactions
It's always nice when the spectators can interact with your projects, but try to keep it simple. Press a (large) button, wave a hand, or touch something. Very few people will have time for any more complex interactions, such as playing video games, composing a piece of music or drawing something, especially if it requires concentration. And explaining to everyone how to play a given game gets tiring very fast. If an interaction takes more time than a few moments, you might have a problem with people queuing up for it, and then getting bored and leaving, unless it's also interesting to watch.
Health
Never go alone. You will not even have time to go to the toilet – join with some friends and man the booth together, so you can stand in for each other, and if someone has more advanced questions, tell them to come later when the other person is present. Make sure to always have something to drink. Even if you drink and speak quietly, you will get a sore throat after a whole day, so it's good to have some kind of syrup of pastilles for that. Take breaks and make sure to eat properly. Sit down whenever you can.
Final Thoughts
I’ve had my holidays. I hope you’ve also managed to get a break. I don’t know about you, but I’ve now got a pile of bits and half-completed projects that are crying out for my attention. So, there’s going to be no shortage of fun things to entertain me during the winter months. As always, thanks for reading the newsletter, let us know what you think in the comments and if you enjoyed the post then please share it with your friends.
Brilliant update, Chris! Possibly the best edition yet - keep up the good work!