Blog 2022

What we have been doing at Little House

Previous years blogs are available from the Main Page

2022-12-20 Tuesday

• Andrew was quietly coding, and had seen the 'New RML HQ' update on the wiki
• Ian M brought Stollen to share. Also fitted carbide tips to the lathe tools and started working out what shims would be required for each one
• Matt came in and discussed C programming with Ian B
• Martin L drilled holes in two steel plates
• Carl brought 4 donated roll-up banners. Each one of these are 2m wide and 3m high. We stored them, not being certain what purpose they will be put to. Too good to just throw away, which was the alternative.
• Attendance tonight = 5

2022-12-13 Tuesday

• Mark W printed the second file to complete the case for the bat detector. It came out really well
• Dan needed to test a wide-screen monitor he had picked up on Gumtree, free. It worked to his complete satisfaction
• Ben S made a model wind-power generator. The model uses magnets for bearings and Ben is having difficulty in finding the right adhesive for magnet-to-wood.
• David N did some laser cutting. He might be experimenting with lino-cutting on the laser now
• Ian M was useful giving help to people who asked
• Hi to Alexis, fashion designer, first visit here. Alexis got a laser induction and might find the laser cutter a useful tool
• Panos made better progress this week with cutting holes in the stainless steel pipe
• Andrew did some 3D printing
• Attendance tonight = 8

2022-12-06 Tuesday

A busy evening

• IanM brought his Atmel Dev kit but didn't get much time with it
• Matt called in for a chat
• Mark W brought an STL file to make a case for a bat detector. He got the lid printed and will come back to print the base.
• Steve discussed electronics with Ian M, and helped Sidone
• Welcome to Heavenly, who recently found our web page. She brought a design with her which could be 3D printed. IanM gave advice on improving the structure to make it more easily printed
• Hello also to Erdem. He came to take a look at our facilities and seemed to like what he saw
• Dan brought some memory to add to our i-Mac. He fitted it and it works! Thanks Dan. Matt and Dan then viewed Space-X achievements and some spectacular failures, on the i-Mac screen
• Andrew spent some time coding, but also gave assistance when asked
• Yinsyuan came along to use the laser cutter, with two sheets of acrylic and some .dxf files. As often happens it didn't go very smoothly but fortunately David N was on hand to help sort it out.
• David N had some laser cutting of his own to do. He's been exhibiting his laser-cut wood-block prints at the RHACC place in Parkshot, Richmond.
• Sidone came in to assemble the woodwork project she had been cutting out. Steve gave some assistance. It was fixed together with panel pins and PVA wood-glue, then it was clamped until the glue set.
• Panos and Jan brought a huge stainless steel pipe, which they marked out for a pattern of drill holes. Ian M gave some advice on marking out. The intention is to drill a number of 20mm holes, and the pipe will then be part of a rocket engine. However, drilling of stainless steel is not a simple process and 20mm holes are big, in drill terms. Not much progress was made, but there's always next time.
• Martin L needed help in identifying the size and thread of a particular screw, which was achieved. He also needed to get a nut off a damaged 18mm thread. This took a deal of care, oil and a big spanner. It was achieved eventually.

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• Attendance tonight = 14

2022-11-29 Tuesday

• IanM has got an old Atmel development board going. He's currently programming a device using assembler code. See: Running Atmel Studio 4 on Win10
• Matt looked in for a chat
• Felix dropped in, looking for a 50mm hole saw. He's making a system for hydroponic crop growing. IanM advised how to mark out the plasic box before cutting, and Matt gave advice on how to use the hole saw. It all turned out very well.
• Dan looked in to see our workshop facilities. His ambition is to make a camper van. Dan's got experience of attending the local hackspace in Kraków, Poland.
• Joe came back to use the laser cutter. He made some little Christmas trees.
• Garrett came in for a chat.
• Attendance tonight = 6 (well it was England vs Wales night, so English and Welsh members stayed away)

2022-11-22 Tuesday

• MattB came in for a chat
• IanM did some work on a laptop and gave assistance to Steve
• Panos came along to see the workshop. Interested in woodworking, but we don't have very good facilities for that.
• PaulMcD returned to use the 3D printer, to make another window strike. The one he made two weeks ago was good, but he had made some small tweaks to the design, like you do.
• IanB had a chat to Matt
• DavidN continues to make wood printing blocks on the laser cutter. Having an exhibition soon, at the Richmond Adult Ed College, in Parkshott
• Steve brought a microwave oven in, in need to repair. The lights go on, the table goes round, but nothing gets cooked. IanM helped with diagnosis. Steve found a fuse gone and a diode gone. He will replace them and then can see whether another fault exists.
• Sidonie continued cutting wooden panels, for a box she's constructing.
• Attendance tonight = 7

2022-11-15 Tuesday

• Andrew had some coding to do, but also was on the lookout for a disk drive with parallel interface. He found one but wasn't able to test it, as we seem to have no USB adaptor.
• DavidN used the laser cutter to produce another wood print block
• Matt used the laser cutter to make a front panel with push-button cutout. He also did some development on the active speaker box he's making
• Chris N came in to say Hi and have a look around. He's looking for a well-equipped workshop where he can make a musical instrument and other woodwork. Although we have no machines large enough for his needs, we may yet see Chris again.
• Hello also to Muhammed who came to see us and see what can be done. He said he will be back for a laser induction.
• Sidonie first met us in September, and Steve outlined how to build a wooden box. Now she's back with some wood panels ready to cut. Sidonie measured and marked up the work, and cut out a couple of pieces for a start. Next visit, more sawing.
• MartinL brought in the Isetta door panel and worked on removing the protective plastic sheet from the window. It doesn't come away easily.
• Attendance tonight = 7

2022-11-8 Tuesday

• Hello to Shaq, who came to visit, looking for a workshop for woodworking in. We showed our limited resources, but it's probably not as extensive as he would like. Still, we hope to see you come back and have a go.
• PaulMcD brought in a small plastic part, a window strike. He needs three more and can't get them as spares. IanB showed him how to measure the part and to use 'OnShape' to create an image. Then he downloaded the file as an STL, and sliced it for the Flashforge printer. By the end of the evening, Paul had produced a printed replica window strike.
• Andrew was coding
• MartinL is laying down plans for exhibiting his e-Iset electric car at the London EV show in ExCel, 29th Nov - 1st Dec. Get a free visitor pass from https://londonevshow.com/register
• Steve brought in an electric toaster that was in need of repair. The fix required a small length of piano wire or similar, which we don't have. But Steve might be able to find something.
• IanM spent time on the lathe and gave Steve some help with the toaster.
• DavidN did some useful work on the laser cutter.
• Attendance tonight = 7

2022-11-01 Tuesday

• Welcome to Lee. He brought in some cables and sensors, that would otherwise have been thrown away. These have been put on the shelf for members to hack as and when required.
• PaulE spent some time fault-finding his large LED matrix display
• Andrew coding as usual
• Matt had a laser cut job, which didn't go as well as hoped-for. Maybe the material was too thick and dense
• William arrived with an odd musical instrument that didn't work. After some investigation, it came to life and made unmusical noises.
• IanM divided his time between electronics advice and further investigation of the lathe
• Jane spent her time on a rock-based light fitting.
• DavidN did more laser cutting, making a printing block
• MartinL has a Roland synthesiser that needs to be tested, but we have no midi source for it.
• Raphael started a 3D print job, and brought back a NVIDIA card
• Attendance tonight = 11

2022-10-25 Tuesday

• Hi to Pablo, visiting us for the first time. Pablo ordered pizza to share between us. Good guy!
• Andrew was busy coding
• IanM continued attending to the lathe, and recommended we get some additional carbide tool bits.
• AndyH tinkered with the CNC mill
• MartinL had work to do on parts for the e-Iset car
• Welcome to Dorian and Lincoln. Dorian was given a laser induction and produced a mini shelf unit all in one day
• Yaroslav looked in, to have a word with MartinL
• Attendance tonight = 8

2022-10-18 Tuesday

• IanM continued to improve the accuracy of the lathe, and turned a test piece
• Haysam brought an LCD screen with bad connections. He used a heat gun to reflow the solder and made a great improvement.
• Aidan started soldering components to a circuit board
• Charlie continued with CAD, but the software was not quite up to his requirements
• Hi to Joseph, Max and James. They brought in a hand-held food blender which was no longer working. Like many appliances, it didn't come apart easily. Once it was opened up, the consensus was that it was beyond repair, so it went into the electrical recycling bin.
• Andrew remained busy coding for an air quality monitor
• David N produced some designs on the laser cutter
• Daija spoke to (almost) everybody, picking up information to feature RML in the next issue of the Ham and Petersham magazine
• Attendance tonight = 10

2022-10-11 Tuesday

• IanB laser cut a plywood box
• Hassan had a laser cut job to do
• IanM had come in on the previous Thursday to produce a tool which will assist lathe gear changes
• Andrew is coding an air quality monitor
• MartinL wants to laser cut ply panels that will help in forming resin matting to make the door of the eIzet bubble car. As a test of the concept he laser cut some card which he glued together later.
• Steve has built a successful joule thief (running a LED for weeks from an empty battery), and he took a look at a radio direction finder that has seen better days.
• Dan repaired a chair which had a broken arm, and discussed coding.
• Spencer dropped by to collect a bluetooth microphone which had left to see if there was any way we could repair it. We couldn't.
• Attendance tonight = 8

2022-10-04 Tuesday

• Hassan had to remake a laser cut design, cos of a mess-up
• Andrew is working on an air purity monitor
• IanM is putting some order into the lathe room, improving the lathe performance and on top of that he gave a donation towards lathe materials. Thanks!
• Birgit came along with a doorbell problem. One of the little metal spring contacts had broken off. It was fixed by soldering on a springy contact pulled from a 5V relay. It seemed to do the trick and Birgit left us a donation to the funds.
• Steve is making a joule thief. This week he wound the toroid. No LEDs were lit this week.
• Mateo and Seb came in for a look round. Seb could have an interest in Arduino or 3D printing.
• Jane: triangular pieces of wood. Transformed. Answers on a postcard, please.
• MartinL is looking at using a piece of software called "Slicer for Fusion 360" as it could be just the job for making a form for a fibreglass mould. Next week he will try laser cutting a 33% size model, using card and the laser cutter.
• Dan was busy, but my notes just say "print out". He did much more than that.
• Spencer came in to pick up the battery charger, left with us last week. We had managed to fix it, so now Spencer can cut not only his own grass, but the grass of neighbours who are too frail to do it themselves. Another boost for the community, and a kind donation towards our funds.
• Attendance tonight = 10

2022-09-27 Tuesday

• Ian M suggested that we add LTSpice and Sigrok to the Mac by the electronics bench
• Aiden had another look at electronics for line following car
• Hassan did another laser cut
• Andrew came back. Nice to see you again
• Matt looked in, offering to help Steve
• Steve has decided to build a joule thief circuit and started by unwinding a toroid
• Raff set up some 3D printing
• Alfia got the winch separated from the sunshade, using our new circlip pliers
• Charlie had some wood cutting to do
• Sidonie came along and wants to learn everything. Steve will show how to make a wooden box
• David N was back at the laser cutter
• Ian B replaced the heater in the Zombie 3D printer, but carelessly used a 24V item instead of 12V. No good.
• Martin L's 80V 3-phase drive seems to be in trouble. He took it apart but it looked OK in there. Also Martin introduced the Fusion 360 Slicer software for creating 3D objects from 2D cut-outs
• MattM Tried cutting 9mm MDF using the laser cutter, but the laser cutter couldn't hack it
• Dan brought in a speaker system, and took much of it apart to discover the magic within. Unless anybody wants it, the kit is heading for recycling
• Spencer dropped in later on, having been recommended to see us. He has a lawnmower battery and charger that no longer charges. There wasn't much to go on, and IanM wondered whether it might be the battery that's stopping the charger from going. IanB thought it was probably something unfathomable in the DC-DC converter. Spencer left the charger and battery with us.
• Attendance tonight = 16

2022-09-20 Tuesday

• Hassan has a new design for lasercutting
• Raph had previously 3D printed a rocket fuel mixer, and proceeded to test it. There was a good blue flame. Matt suggested adding the nozzle from a 3D printer, and that gave an improved result.
• Alfia has a giant sunshade, but a cast part of the crank is broken, so it won't wind up or down. We need circlip pliers to open up the winch section, so we will get some. I hear that Toolstation has a set at a reasonable price.
• David N had laser cutting to do, and he waited until Hassan had finished.
• Steve wants to learn how to do things with electronics, so we will take him through some of the Arduino example scripts. We got the Arduino IDE installed on several desktop computers in the workshop. It's a start.
• Matt chatted to IanB and to Steve. Matt also make a substantial donation to funds, to commemorate help and support given to him in the past.
• Jane transformed some miscellaneous wood off-cuts into miniature houses.
• MartinL's Electro-Isetta bubble car is still making good progress.
• Nigel and dog brought in a hard disk drive with a broken connector. This might be fixable if the connector can be removed from another disk drive of similar type. To be continued
• Ian M helped out generally and became an expert on changing the drive ratios on the metal lathe.
• Attendance tonight = 10

2022-09-13 Tuesday

• Andy did a repair to the laser cutter, replacing wiring to the red light
• Hassan cut another design on the laser cutter. This time, it's a tea-light holder.
• Dan brought some donations for electronics recycling. Also donated a Samsung laptop, needing a plug-in power supply
• Ian M made himself useful in a number of ways
• Daija donated an old laptop, but Andy found it could not be brought back to life, so donated it to the recycling box
• Charlie would have done some 3D printing but couldn't find a working 3D printer
• Archie tested some LEDs
• Martin L is making steady progress with his build. This week he sharpened drills using the grinder and an estimated angle.
• Graham dropped in to meet us, with Fiona. Graham makes box carts for cub scouts to race with. He's got some tools for this, but would be keen to use the drill press and the lathe. Very welcome!
• Attendance tonight = 9

2022-09-06 Tuesday

• Hassan prepared a new design during the week, and cut out a mirror frame
• Ed came in to have a look around. He has an interest in electronics, DIY and more or less everything. Hope to see you again soon!
• LeoNerd needed to de-solder parts from a LED graphic display, to repair the other LED graphic display. A tricky job which he managed with his usual skill (and sharp eyesight).
• Raph checked out the 3D printed part for his rifle. He rewired a vibrator motor and got it going. He also got some advice on how to power it up and how to actuate it by computer, using a USB link. Putting it all together might take a little time.
• Alfia has a steel bike rack that is lacking the screw-holes necessary to assemble it. She made a start on it, and will probably complete the job at home.
• Martin L needed to identify a screw thread. It turned out to be Metric 10 Fine. Martin ordered some nuts of that size, and looked for advice on fitting a window gasket to a GRP roof shell. It's not easy, even before you've added the glue. IanM came up with a brand of adhesive which would almost certainly be the most suitable.
• Dan thought about donating some screwdriver hex bits and offered some useful metal scrap. Having a bit of a clear-out, he also disposed of some plug-top power supplies in our direction. The most promising ones went into the power supply store, the others went into Electrical Waste. But IanM identified some would have transformers in, which he might be able to make use of, so he retrieved a few.
• IanM had prepared a laser-cutting DXF which made 10 parallel cuts in a piece of wood to make slideable tiles in a frame. This allows the width of the laser cut (the kerf) to be accurately measured. It turned out to be 0.12mm. But the focussed beam is conical, and the cut width at the top surface of the wood is 0.155mm. If you want to laser-cut a piece of precise dimension, add or subtract half the kerf from each edge. The test was done using a piece of 4mm ply, at 70% power and a speed of 8mm/sec. It would be interesting to repeat the investigation using other materials and other speed settings. See: Kerf Measurement Jig
• Attendance tonight = 8

2022-08-30 Tuesday

• Hassan arrived early to use the laser cutter
• IanM settled in
• Nigel and his dog Conway dropped in to say hello. MartinL had fixed Nigel's computer during the previous week.
• Jane was extracting springs from hand lotion bottles. Not such an easy job as it may sound. Those bottles don't want to give up their springs too readily.
• DavidN came to do a little laser cutting, and chatted to Dan
• Dan is still reviewing his options on the air quality detector.
• Hello and welcome to IainS. He's interested in the lathe, CNC mill and laser cutter, as well as 3D printing. Go for it!
• MartinL had a steel construction with 2.5mm thick steel bars which needed a little bit of bending. IanB said it was impossible, but Martin and the outside vice between them achieved it!
• Attendance tonight = 8 (9 if you count the dog)

2022-08-23 Tuesday

• Hassan did more laser cutting
• IanM brought a 3D printed screw-on nose cap for the Dremel. It fitted perfectly.
• Steve chatted with Andy, showed Hassan how to do 30 degree bevel using a hand-plane
• DavidN has contributed some of his work to an exhibition at The Barbican
• Dan has extended his plan for the CO2 sensor. It's a question of how to package the whole thing.
• Jane has a very nice pencil box. It looks like a pirate's treasure chest.
• Tom started a 3D print to make a case for his very small synthesiser. Half was completed, and fitted well. The second half had to be left printing, as time had run out.
• Tom also had a compact digital tape-cassette videocam which wouldn't work because of a faulty humidity sensor. The challenge was to get a soldering iron inside it, without melting the plastic parts or wrecking the tape head. It was achieved, and the cam came back to life.

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• MartinL sorted out the hardware fault on the computer of a local resident
• Lincoln dropped in for a look round. His speciality is audio electronics, and repair. But he'd like to get up to speed with the CNC and the laser cutter. Of course! See you again soon.
• Attendance tonight = 9

2022-08-16 Tuesday

• Matt came to see what goes on and received a laser induction
• IanM was on hand to give help and advice
• Glenn had a laser cut job to do
• Hassan used the laser cutter. Also looked at ways of achieving the 30 degree bevel. He was using the electric sander (outside) until a local resident advised him the noise was becoming problematical.
• PaulB dropped in and watched peoples progress
• MartinL had taken a look at Nigel's computer, and wondered how to make a mould for producing doors from fibreglass. The best suggestion came from IanM, and it involved boat-builders.
• Dan pondered the challenge of adding an SD card logging feature to his CO2 monitor
• Jane drilled fixing holes in a wooden thing for wall hooks, and prepared a wooden fixing for a hat shelf. This was a more exciting process than it sounds, as Jane has understood wood and acquired drill skill during her time with Richmond MakerLabs.
• Steve made his first visit here. He has woodworking knowledge and would be happy to share this. In a fairly short time he developed a means of cutting a 30 degree bevel for Hassan, using a woodplane. This can hopefully be checked out during Hassan's next visit.
• Attendance tonight = 9

2022-08-09 Tuesday

• Joe dropped in to see what we do. Hope he comes back soon.
• Dan has put the 3D hand-held pen on hold. Maybe forever. Dan is now working out how to package his CO2 sensor prototype.
• IanM gave advice to Dan
• LeoNerd brought his LED matrix display and his high-bandwidth current monitor.
• MartinL had some choc ices, which he shared out. Thanks Mart!
• Jane brought, as promised, some netting to protect the lathe motor from absorbing swarf.
• Will & Emily came along with prepared files for the laser cutter. IanB gave them a speedy induction, and they cut a piece of acrylic as planned. It came out well.
• Attendance tonight = 8

2022-08-02 Tuesday

• Hassan had prepared some files for the laser cutter. The job came out well. Some edges need to be mitred at 30 degrees. For now that was done by sanding, but a better method is needed.
• Dan spent his time re-assembling the hand-held 3D model-maker. Everything went together but there was inevitably one complicated white plastic moulding left over. After some head-scratching and tweezer-work, it became evident that the white thing should have been fitted as the first step, not the last step. Per ardua ad astra, as some might say.
• IanM gave useful advice to IanB on the ongoing lathe repair, and told Jane all he knew about replacement clock movements.
• Jane had a clock with some of the hands not moving. What's the time? Time to give up on it, maybe.
• Raph continued to make an attachment for the air-rifle. This time, IanM got a bit involved with it and recommended a new 3D print with precise dimensions and a means of securing the device to the barrel. To be continued
• Pei created a number of wooden disks, with engraved designs, using the laser cutter.
• Attendance tonight = 6

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2022-07-26 Tuesday

• Cutty dropped in to see what we do. Recommended by DavidN. Hopes to come back and use the laser cutter.
• Glenn needed to do some soldering, and was putting together a hardware prototype
• Jane heated up shrink sleeving and watched it shrink. Another string to her bow of engineering techniques.
• IanM gave advice on a heating device that could be a hot air gun or a soldering iron
• Pei came a great distance to see us, and learned to use the laser cutter.
• Tom hasn't been in for a while. He also had laser cutter work to do.
• MartinL helped by sharing his knowledge of the Dremel tool
• Raph had some rifle work. He needed to enlarge the inner diameter of a 3D printed part.
• Alfia repaired a strimmer. At first it wouldn't come apart, but a good deal of force, carefully applied, was the solution
• Attendance tonight = 8

2022-07-19 Tuesday

• Nicholas completed a lathe induction.
• Glenn started a lathe induction. His project needed to use the 4-jaw chuck, so we changed it over.

Then the lathe blew a 10A fuse.

• IanM gave help investigating the trouble with the lathe. Could be that brass swarf has found its way into the motor housing and shorted one side to chassis ground. This may have damaged the electronic motor drive. A job to look into on another day
• MartinL continues with the Isetta Electric Car project. He has a source for the body shell now.
• Andy was around giving a helping hand with visitors
• Mark was a visitor helped by Andy. Mark has a model racing car with a broken gear wheel. Could a replacement be 3D printed? Not a satisfactory solution, reckoned Andy. He gave a bit more advice to put Mark on the right track to find a replacement.
• Attendance tonight = 6

2022-07-12 Tuesday

• Charlie used the FlashForge 3D printer to produce a headphone storage hook. There's a picture.
• Glenn was first in at the laser cutter. He made a drawer tidy, pictured.
• Ed then used the laser cutter to produce stencils for custom T-shirts. He uses spray paint through the stencils direct to the fabric, and the results last quite well. See the stencil pictures
• DavidN engraved some more plates for printing, using the laser cutter. Some of his work will be included in an exhibition at the Barbican shortly.
• Thanks to IanM and to Andy for being around, helping with advice and biscuits.
• Attendance tonight = 6

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2022-07-05 Tuesday

• Aiden wanted to assemble a circuit board for car control, but IanB provided the wrong circuit diagram. Will be corrected next week
• Archie cut the sides of a wooden box and started to glue them together, using the hot melt glue gun
• IanM had more OpenSCAD work, adapting parameters to make a clamp for Jane and promoting the use of an OpenSCAD library to create cut patterns for box construction
• Lucia came to see us and to see what we do. Lucia is currently a bee-keeper but has an interest in making props for film and theatre.
• Jane has a bulkhead light, which needed interior illumination. Fortunately, there was something left over from last week's Fax dissection which served the purpose.
• DavidN laser cut a box
• MartinL has a need to make an animated video showing how parts get fitted together. IanB recommended the use of Blender
• Hi to Nathan who made an introductory visit. He's an electronics engineer who enjoys making high-voltage things using Tesla coils. Hope to see you again soon.
• Attendance tonight = 8

2022-06-28 Tuesday

• Archie, Charlie and Ed came, used the scroll saw and the 3D printers
• IanW donated some 4mm croc clips to add to our collection of 4mm patch cables, and he discovered a couple of strain gauges which he popped into the 'Electronics Misc' box
• LeoNerd helped with hosting the evening and pored over his LED message board
• David L brought back the lawnmower from last week, and fitted the control lever which we had repaired during the past week. The ABS weld held and the lawnmower worked again. There's no knowing how long before it cracks again, maybe some weeks, maybe never.
• Julie looked in with an elderly laptop that needed the Hard Disk cleared, or removed, before it could be scrapped. Julie also had a tree-branch lopper which had become stuck. IanW disassembled it sufficiently to bring the spring back into its step.
• Nicholas (& Tom) made a first visit. They had a good look at the laser cutter, while DavidN was doing some cutting, and they took a self-guided tour of the makerspace. Nicholas would like to learn about the lathe, and booked an induction session.
• DavidN had some laser cutting to do, including some experimental pieces to test scan speed and power settings for laser-etched prints
• Jane brought a fax machine (remember them?) and proceeded to take it apart to find the many and diverse treasures hidden within, including a "long mirror". Jane was assisted by IanM, who knows about how things come apart.
• Happy to see PaulB and Katy, who were interested to watch the various activities in Little House
• MartinL took away something that he had not been able to sell on eBay, with a view to offering it on Freecycle. Anything to save it from Recycle.
• Attendance tonight = 12

2022-06-21 Tuesday

• Glenn did some laser-cutting
• IanM took another look at our Arduino resources
• Charlie practised a bit more on LibreCAD, and collected some wood sheet for the vehicle
• David brought a lawnmower which didn't run. IanM and IanB discovered a cracked plastic lever causing the problem. There was no chance of replacing it, so an attempt was made to glue it up using a mix of ABS and Acetone. Next week we will see it re-assembled and find out if the fix is a success
• Attendance tonight = 4

2022-06-14 Tuesday

• Andy looked in
• Jane spent some time bending metal, and learned how to open a heat-staked plastic case
• LeoNerd assembled a 3-line large-pixel display
• IanM sorted the box marked 'Funduino', and it now contains an Arduino Uno with a selection of sensors and devices
• Steampunk Peter used the laser cutter to produce a number of hex-shaped game tokens
• Charlie started to learn LibreCAD for creating DXF format files for the laser cutter
• Aiden is making progress on his car and is thinking about the electronics to drive it
• Archie kept busy planning his next 3D print
• PaulB produced a model plane on the 3D printer
• MartinL exercised GarageBand on the Mac
• Hello and welcome to Luka who came after Ham Fair, to see what was going on
• Kevin brought an electric drill that he was expecting to mend, but it already was working.
• Attendance tonight = 12

2022-06-11 Saturday

• Ham Fair !!
• Andres, Andy, PaulB and Dan helped with setting up the marquee
• Glenn brought exhibits and leaflets from Little House
• IanB arrived with the Moon Shot high striker
• The high striker was put through performance testing by a team of under-15s, and it broke.
• Repairs were done in time for the 11.00am opening
• It was a glorious sunny day, plenty of visitors to our stand, lots of interest
• The Moon Shot high striker got broken twice more. IanM did some effective repairs
• The Buzz Wire challenge had been put together by PaulB a week before the fair. It was a success with visitors and never broke once. Dan modified it so the buzzer wasn't quite so deafening.
• MartinL turned up with the working chassis for the electric Isetta car, and took it for a trundle around Ham Common before parking it at the side of the RML stand
• Thanks to Jane, PeterH, MartinC, Andres, Andy, Glenn, Dan and others who helped operate the stand during the day
• Shaun (the architect for the replacement to Little House) came over and said he might visit to use the laser cutter
• Several other people said they would visit Little House in the coming weeks.
• Finally we took down the marquee, and put everything away for next year.

2022-06-07 Tuesday

• Glenn had some laser cutting to do
• Raph got the 3D print he had left running from last week, and assembled the parts
• IanM gave advice on OpenSCAD and BOSL2
• Jane hand-painted the moon-rocket that would be part of the High Striker item for Ham Fair
• MartinL engaged in noisy drilling
• DavidN laser-etched more "woodcut" printing plates
• Charlie had a problem with the 3D printer
• Archie needed to re-print the TicTac gun, with a higher density infill
• Leo is preparing an autonomous dumper truck for Pi Wars. He brought it along to show it to us.
• Andy was busy with CNC maintenance
• William had a battery that needed to be taken apart
• Attendance tonight = 11

2022-05-31 Tuesday

• Raph and Arthur investigated air/butane gas mixtures, leading to two loud explosions. No windows were shattered.
• Jane spent some of her time painting the high striker in high-striker-red, for Ham Fair. Jane still found time to take apart a high-tech telephone, for the treasures within.
• David N had a question about electronics
• Paul investigated a Hall-Effect sensor on a small circuit board. It claimed to give an analogue output but Paul couldn't find it.
• Ian M provided advice and observations as the opportunities arose.
• Martin L wanted to drill a 16mm hole, but could find only a 12mm drill.
• Garret wanted to get a bit more sense from the Badger board
• Dan and the 3D pen. It came apart even more than last week, I think, and may now be a lost cause
• Leo needed to cut some pieces from acrylic. David N assisted by reminding Leo of the process.
• Attendance tonight = 10

2022-05-24 Tuesday

• Early start for Tanjawi on intricate laser cutting of coloured acrylic
• DavidN also had a job for the laser cutter
• Raph wanted to design and make a clamp, using 3D printing. IanM gave a lot of help
• Hi to Colin, who dropped in for a look-round
• Aiden soldered wires on to a motor. The more soldering he does, the better he gets at it
• Archie needed some narrow strips of wood cut out. DavidN and Tanjawi used the laser cutter to make them
• Charlie started a 3D print and had to leave it running, to pick up next week
• IanM gave Raph a swift OpenSCAD tutorial, and explained about batteries to Charlie
• Dan brought back the 3D pen which was blocked. This time it was taken further apart. The blockage was cleared but the pen motor wouldn't run, so it's still not completely fixed.
• MartinL considered his options and concluded that in the absence of transport, the e-Izet would not appear on Sunday for a trial run.
• Attendance tonight = 10

2022-05-17 Tuesday

• Will came in with a robot and a combination lock. The robot must have forgotten the code number.
• DavidN did some laser cutting and instructed Tom in how it all works
• Charlie printed a 3D shark, and got started on a truck design for laser cutting
• IanM gave help with operating the 3D printer
• Jane did some "woodwork", mainly destructive, and salvaged springs from water sprays
• Dan started to investigate a 3D pen with an apparent blockage.
• Hi to Will and Emily who looked in to say Hi and see what we do
• Tom had a sheet of polystyrene needing the laser cutter treatment. DavidN helped out and it all turned out OK
• Tom is also thinking about making a GPS position locator, in time for an upcoming West London festival
• Raph had a thing needing drilling out. He also managed to find the right screws for fixing a rifle.
• Attendance tonight = 12

2022-05-12 Thursday

• Steven did laser cutting
• David did laser cutting
• IanB tested a 3D printer
• A few other people were about

2022-05-10 Tuesday

• DavidN produced another two wooden printing plates, using the laser cutter
• Glenn had Arduino coding to do
• Archie assembled the Tic-tac gun, using M3 screws
• Welcome to MattM who came to see what we do and maybe pick up tips for repairing Gameboy circuit boards
• Raph is going to modify the gas fuelled rocket burner, and needs to 3D print an attachment for fixing a laser sight to a rifle.
• MartinL has a lot of web interest in his electric Isetta car. He needs to 3D print the door.
• Will has a Sony VR headset with the cable chewed through by a cat (maybe cats find VR to be disturbing). There must be 2 dozen tiny wires to be stripped, tinned, soldered and insulated. We need to build a robot to do this kind of microsurgery. Or maybe Will can buy a replacement cable? To be continued.
• Attendance tonight = 7

2022-05-05 Thursday

• Hassan did laser cutting
• Petr did some sanding and drilling
• Peter H fixed a fan stand and radio
• Jon diagnosed the angle grinder as terminal
• Chris R opened up early
• Kevin was around

2022-05-03 Tuesday

• This was a busy evening!
• David did a couple more printing plates on the laser cutter
• Aiden, Charlie and Archie kept busy
• Andy gave a hand with 3D prints
• Kenza came to discuss the build of a puppet theatre
• Raph continued to mix pressurized gas and air, and started to plan remote controls
• Michael has a wooden table and chair in need of renovation, but today it was a headphone cable that needed attention
• LeoNerd's first visit for a long time. He helped with puppet theatre design, helped Michael with headphone cable repair, helped Raph test a servo drive.
• Georgina glued together the table tennis net support, for which a splint had been designed last week.
• Martin L is well into planning the first complete Electric Isetta, the e-Izet.
• Welcome to Ahsan, who's looking for a place where he can do woodwork. He might be able to help Kenza with the puppet theatre frame, and help Michael with his woodwork renovation, before he's able to start a project of his own.
• Kevin brought a bike that needed a little attention
• Chris R fixed the grinding wheel to the worktop in the kitchen, a job that was long overdue to be done. Thanks Chris.
• Attendance tonight = 15

2022-04-26 Tuesday

• ChrisR bolted the bench grinder to the bench
• David continued engraving images on ply, using the laser cutter. He plans to ink them and put them in an old style printing press.
• Charlie has done a drawing of the motorised vehicle, but there wasn't time to move forward with it this week.
• Archie continued with improvements to the Tic-tac gun.
• Aiden is getting good at operating the 3D printer.
• Raph did another test firing of the gas jet engine. He's now thinking of a new way to mix the gases and went looking for a resin printer. We had two but they are pretty much out of order.
• Hello and welcome to Michael, who came to have a look round. He has an antique desk and chair in need of renovation and re-upholstery. We can't offer any advice or very much space, but it's a great project. Maybe Glenn can offer some help with wood repairs. And upholstery can't be too difficult, can it?
• Dan has adopted Blender as his 3D modelling software. He made an STL file from his design and printed it using the FlashForge. It came out perfectly right. Result! What next? An enclosure for a CO2 monitor.
• Georgina brought a tennis table net with one of the plastic posts snapped into two parts. The challenge was to repair or replace it. Simply gluing the two parts together wouldn't be strong enough. Designing a file to 3D print a whole new post would be a major job. The compromise was to 3D print a splint to fit inside the two parts and hold them together with epoxy adhesive. We got to print the splint. Hopefully next week we will apply the glue.

2011-04-21 Thursday

• Chris R made a part to adapt a bike trailer for 7 yr old Eliza
• Attendance tonight = 1

2022-04-19 Tuesday

• Charlie is beginning to think about a 4-wheeled vehicle with line-following capability
• Archie decided to re-print part of the Tictac gun. He was also looking for a stronger firing spring
• Aiden is planning a 3D print
• Glenn continued to glue wood together, but also had found two interesting monitors that no-one wanted any more. He took one apart but it gave up no secrets.
• Hassan came for a look round, and liked what he saw. Hope to see you again soon!
• Dan is using Blender for creating 3D print files. It's a very capable application, but there's a lot of learning to do first.
• Kevin brought a vacuum cleaner to test. He wanted to open it, but we have no security Torx screwdrivers. Maybe next week.
• MartinL continues to prepare his e-vehicle. It was unable to trundle round the car park here yesterday due to transport problems (a roof rack that broke under the weight).
• Raph created a metal guard for the gas burner, to better protect himself during test burns. He's also interested in making an electronic counter.
• David came along and used the laser cutter, but didn't get very good results this time.
• Attendance tonight = 10

2022-04-12 Tuesday

• Glenn started to glue up his woodwork project
• Archie got the Tic-tac gun working, but needs a stronger 4mm spring
• Charlie is still cutting wood for model car body. IanB might help by laser-cutting some of it, next week.
• MartinL cut a metal pipe to make a seat for the electric Izet, and he sorted out some Dexion pieces to make the uprights.
• Dan had prepared a better keyboard foot (from last time) using Blender, but ran into some difficulty with the Blender render.
• Kevin returned the angle grinder, having cut some concrete and covered his local neighbourhood in white dust.
• Attendance tonight = 6

2022-04-05 Tuesday

• Archie had to do a lot of filing on the 3D-printed TicTac gun, to make the parts fit properly
• Leo had something that needed precision soldering. He also discovered that our powered solder sucker isn't up to much.
• Glenn had found some abandoned wood and is re-assembling it into something useful
• Henry had a Pi Zero that needed the pins to be soldered on. With a minimum of tuition, he started making excellent solder joints.
• Dan needed a replacement leg for a computer keyboard. He copied an existing one, using AutoSCAD, and it was soon 3D printed.
• Kevin borrowed the angle grinder, logging it correctly in the 'borrowed tools' book.
• Attendance tonight = 6

2022-03-29 Tuesday

• Charlie worked on making a wooden chassis for a motor car
• Archie tidied up the 3D prints he had done from last week - a mobile phone holder and a gun to fire Tic-tacs
• DavidN used the laser cutter
• MartinL used the angle grinder and the drill press
• Dan had cables to repair and spent time soldering
• Raph modified the gas burner and considered changes to the design.
• Attendance tonight = 6

2022-03-22 Tuesday

• Good to have Raph back, modifying his combustion chamber and still experimenting with the burning of air and gas mixtures. There was also a discussion with MartinL on solid fuel rocketry.
• Charlie, Aiden and Archie did some 3D printing and two of them have started on making robot cars.
• Henry came to see what we do. Hi to you! Henry has a Raspberry Pi that needs things soldering to it.
• Glenn was back for a second visit. We discussed software for producing DXFs for laser cutting. IanB recommended LibreCAD.
• MartinL is still working on the full-size electric car (not a model car by any means). He drilled a hole or two in some steel pipe. It made plenty of noise, but the job got done, which is the main thing.
• Attendance tonight = 7

2022-03-15 Tuesday

• New member Giggles came along and introduced himself. He has an interest in CNC and Laser cutting, so IanB gave instant training on use of the laser cutter.
• Jane had an ancient door lock, which she skilfully took apart and repurposed. Now it looks nothing like a door lock.
• Archie, Charlie and Aiden started a couple of 3D prints, completed a backscratcher, and at least one started to build a robot car.
• Erling made real progress on repairing broken printed circuit track, by cutting some impossibly small strips of copper foil,ready for epoxy glueing to the board. Erling and IanB used the oscilloscope to investigate a bike front light. We measured the rate of flashing and connected a capacitor to see if it could be changed. It couldn't be altered and it doesn't meet UK regulations for rate of flashing.
• Dan came to do more work on the Bluetooth linked CO2 sensor, and had an interesting talk with Erling.
• Attendance tonight = 7

2022-03-08 Tuesday

• Today we removed the restriction of only 6 people to a meeting. The evening was open to all who wanted to come along.
• Hi to Reuben, who is making a chair from wood and leather. Not just any old chair either. Reuben came looking for a pillar drill, to be able to create perfectly vertical holes. Fortunately we have such a machine and Reuben drilled the chair frame successfully.
• Erling has a difficult repair to do, concerning a surface mount component and some peeled-off PCB pads. Perhaps someone can give advice.
• Rhys, Carmela and Dan came all at once to see what the RML facilities look like. They were shown round, and maybe some will return. At least one was a keen 3D printer, with two machines at home.
• George brought along his Creality Ender 3 3D printer. It was well-adjusted but it just couldn't get filament to stick to the print bed. George had tried all variations of print temperature and bed temperature, nothing seemed to help. We got it printing very well on decorators blue tape and IanB suggested getting a sheet of PEI to use as a print surface.
• Charlie, Aiden and Archie continued to discover things to do in a makerspace. Charlie made a wooden indicator as used on railways, and Aiden connected a bench power supply to a 3V motor. He found what happens when you increase the supply to about 20V. There's some plan to introduce these guys to the art of design and build small electric cars.
• Garret has improved his off-grid food cooker, made from nested tin cans. He lit it (outside) and flames were created at the right place. After a while it had efficiently burned all the wood fuel with no wastage. WIN!
• Attendance tonight = 10

2022-03-01 Tuesday

• Hi to Glenn who came along to have a look round. We hope to see you back here again soon
• Archie 3D printed a logo
• Charlie 3D printed a small model Tesla car
• Aiden did a bit of woodwork, making a back scratcher
• Dan continued with the CO2 monitor
• Jane re-appeared and had a good root around in the scrap metal bin. Her plans are a mystery, as usual
• Kevin had a piece of tree that needed a sizeable hole cut in it
• MartinL used a 12mm drill to make a couple of holes in a piece of steel
• Garret needed to drill some tin cans, but eventually decided to leave it until Thursday.
• Attendance tonight = 9

2022-02-22 Tuesday

• Dan is looking at ways of creating an app linking to the CO2 monitor
• Andy did some work on the CNC router.
• We met Archie, Charlie and Aiden who were interested in getting hands-on experience with all our tools and equipment. Aiden learned how to solder, someone tried using the scroll-saw, Charlie and Archie had a go at learning how to use a 3D printer. Both were introduced to AutoSCAD and quickly picked up the principle of writing a script to create a shape.
• Attendance tonight = 5

2022-02-15 Tuesday

• Dan is now looking at writing an app for showing CO2 levels, transmitted by Bluetooth
• David tried experimenting with making wood blocks (for printing) using the laser cutter.
• Garret started to build an 'air gas' burner, using tin cans.
• Attendance tonight = 3

2022-02-08 Tuesday

• David was in, using the laser cutter.
• Dan spent some time on Bluetooth connectivity. Every year there's a new layer of Bluetooth complexity, it's not an easy subject.
• IanB got the Geeetech 3D printer running again. Print quality isn't good enough yet.
• Attendance tonight = 3

2022-02-01 Tuesday

• Here we are again, new year new possibilities
• Dan came along to modify a Roland pedal. A flexible plastic part was getting less flexible with age, as we do, so Dan hacksawed three grooves in it, with good results
• Dan also brought the CO2 monitor he had put together at the end of last year, and plotted the air quality over the whole evening. The good news is that we are within the WHO limits.
• Nick brought his bluetooth keyboard with missing keytops, along with the replacement tops he had ordered from the USA. As there was no-one around with prior knowledge of how to fit the tops on the keys, Nick had a go and got perfect results! Go guy!
• Nick had a 3-driver loudspeaker with a built-in crossover unit. The crossover needs attention or upgrade, or at least needs new capacitors. Martin L gave some beneficial advice, and Nick will obtain some spare parts.
• The aforementioned Martin L has a preference for Mac systems and is happy to see there's now a permanent Mac on one of the benches, thanks to Darko's earlier work. Martin always has his eye open for anything we are not using, with a view to selling it on eBay to boost our finances.
• Sarah and Alan came in with a large sheet of 18mm ply. This they marked out and cut, as the first step to building a Pachinko machine (look it up if you don't know). Sarah has already prepared the scoring using Arduino. This looks like a very interesting project.
• Frank has some synthesiser boards, some of which need repair. He was busy on the electronics bench but I don't know whether he got the repairs done, or not.
• Attendance tonight = 6