This week we are visiting the Bay Area Maker Faire, so here is a video to explain how we prepare for Maker Faires. You can also check out our Maker Faire tips post, or the wiki version. We’ll have regular updates form the Faire on our blog, and Twitter feed. Stuff to bring to a […]
Tag Archives: Workshop Video
WORKSHOP VIDEO #58: Visit to Switch-Science open hardware offices in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan
Yoshi, who you may remember from the New York Trip video, takes us on a tour of the Switch-Science.com open hardware design, manufacturing, and shipping office. The office is on the edge of Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronic component market. Check out our video report of Akihabara we made last year. Switch Science is open source hardware […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #57: TM220A pick and place loading reels and stack setup
This week we explain the process of loading reels into the inexpensive TM220A pick and place machine. We also share the stack of components we’ll have permanently mounted on the machine.
WORKSHOP VIDEO #56: TM220A table top pick and place overview
Today we take a look at an inexpensive pick ‘n’ place machine found on the Chinese auction site Taobao for 22800RMB (about $3,600). A pick and place is a machine that puts electronic components onto a circuit board that has been coated with solder paste. To complete the prototype you just place the populated PCB […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #55: Infrared reflow oven Qinsi QS-5100
After you’ve dispensed solder paste it’s time to reflow all that solder. This is where the reflow oven comes in. It seems like reflow hot plates are a more popular choice in most small shops because they’re smaller, cheaper, and it’s easier to monitor the reflow process. A reflow oven is a lot more convenient […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #54: 983A/986A Solder paste dispenser
Without a doubt the solder paste dispenser is a cool tool. Compressed air hisses and solenoids crackle while precise amounts of solder paste extrude into beautiful droplets on a PCB. A few minutes with a paste dispenser saves $15-$25 (or more) on stencils, a life saver if you want to pick and place a one-off […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #53: Unboxing reflow oven, hot plate, and test rig
Unboxing a shipment of tools we sent back from hua qiang bei electronics market in Shenzhen, China. We got a test rig which will help us standardize manufacture testing for our boards. We got two tools for solderpaste reflowing, one is a digitally controlled hot plate, and the other is a reflow oven with programmable […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #52: Bus Pirate educational kit, VFD tube module
This week some musing over a Bus Pirate educational/learning kit, and we received the PCBs for the VFD tube module of the Nixie Tube thing. ARDX is an extremely popular electronics learning kit based on the Arduino. It has an Arduino, breadboard, motors, servos, ICs, and jumper wires. Enough bits and pieces for 11 experiments […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #51: Fake flash drive, QFP protoboards, 1 year of workshop video retrospective
Teardown of a fake USB flash drive from India and a USB charger from China. A look at the new xQFP protoboard v2 PCB, and a new filing system for free PCBs. We’ve been doing workshop videos for more than a year now, so we look back on the evolution of the weekly updates. While […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO: Beers in Akiba’s Workshop
Akiba at FreakLabs brings wireless tech to the open hardware community. Recent geek credits include the Safecast radiation measurement project, and designing wireless EL wire controllers for Wrecking Crew Orchestra. You also saw him in our tour of Akihabara parts market last year. Recently he welcomed us into his Tokyo workshop for a tour and […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO: Tokyo Hackerspace new Shibuya location tour
Tayken, from the forum and the Akihabara video, takes us on a tour of Tokyo Hackerspace’s new location. The shop was in a frenzy preparing for the Tokyo Maker Faire during our filming.
WORKSHOP VIDEO: Interview with Dimitri from Smartduino
Last week we met with Dimitri, designer of the Smartduino, in Shenzhen, China. Dimitri is a 6 year veteran of the Huaqiangbei electronics wholesale market. He first arrived 6 years ago, and quickly opened his own stand because it seemed like the best way to make deals in the market is to become part of […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO: rhydoLABZ open hardware tour in Kochi
Our Global Geek Tour of India ends in Kochi where we visit India’s largest open hardware manufacturer rhydoLABZ. Thushar takes us on a tour of the company’s offices and production lines. rhydoLABZ started as distributors for SparkFun and Arduino, but now produce mostly their own custom open hardware designs. During a recent visit, their innovative […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO: Mumbai’s Manish and Lamington Road markets
Sorry: the post went live before we finished the video…Should be working in a second. Originally we weren’t going to tour Mumbai, but some scheduling issues left us there for an extra day. This gave us this amazing opportunity to visit Manish and Lamington Road electronics markets in Mumbai. Manish market has replacement parts for […]
Workshop Video #44: Bus Blaster v3 design overview
Bus Blaster v3 design overview, programming and self-test. We also thank Microchip for sending us 2 tubes of scratch ‘n’ dent 23LC1024 marked 23K1024. Read about the Bus Blaster v3 and how it came to be, below. Update: new video with correct sound mixing
VIDEO #41: New York Trip OHS, Geek Tour, Maker Faire 2012
New York Global Geek Tour 2012 is presented in the video above. We follow our fearless leader as he finds his place in the Big Apple. There’s food, toys, and geeks aplenty. The tour starts with the East Village food crawl. Watch a merry band of hackers battle good food and drinks. We hit Oh! […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #40: Nixie tube and logic analyzer demo for Maker Faire
We’re getting ready for the Global Geek Tour of New York. For those of you who can’t join us at the World Maker Faire, here’s a quick logic analyzer demo using a single block of the Magnificent Nixie Thing we’re tinkering with. Each nixie module has 2 tubes and control circuitry based on new old […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #39: Magnificent Nixie tube thing
This week we try out the IN12 Nixie tube blocks we’ve been working on. They’ll be on display in the new workshop studio and at Maker Faire New York. We also light up a mini VFD we scored in Akihabara in Tokyo last year. Sorry about the poor lighting, new workshop will be up and […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #38: TFT display with USB control in Sjaak’s workshop
Today we visit Sjaak’s workshop and talk about a USB 1.8″ TFT Backpack he’s been working on, as well as some history behind the popular ATX Breakout Board. Sjaak describes the USB 1.8” TFT Backpack which features: 1.8” 160×128 pixel TFT, with 18bit color depth Micro SD card holder Small footprint designed to fit into […]
Workshop Video #37: USB and Open Source presentation 2012 first run through
This workshop video is an absolute first run-through of our USB & Open Source presentation for the Open Hardware Summit 2012. All comments are off the cuff. The final presentation needs to be just under 10 minutes. Don’t worry, there will be many changes: Explain the USB Implementers Forum with a line (via Twitter) Slide […]