@PKL@mastodon.social
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

PKL

@PKL@mastodon.social

Hi, I'm Phil. One half of Ploopy Corporation. Open Source Hardware enthusiast.

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PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

Sometimes I have to design the weirdest looking stuff, and I can feel myself losing my grip on reality a bit.

Today's project was a vacuum jig for screen printing, and if we're being honest, it's just a box with many, many (carefully considered) holes in it. If I stare at it long enough, I start wondering if I'm in a simulation.

jacqueline, to random
@jacqueline@chaos.social avatar

as promised, i will be delighting my customers with spot uv

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@jacqueline spot UV is to printing house add-ons as drop shadow is to novice Photoshop users

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6jZVsr7q-tE&pp=ygUhbmV2ZXIgZW5vdWdoIHRoZSBncmVhdGVzdCBzaG93bWFu

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@jacqueline just run your fingers over it, over and over and over

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

My little misadventure in tooling has reminded me of the One Rule of Buying Electrical Things From Chinese Marketplaces (and, increasingly, Amazon), which I have included below as a PSA:

Thou shalt open and inspect every tool that cometh from Overseas. Chief among thy concerns shall be lapses in electrical safety, followed by fire hazards.

Every tool shall be inspected, regardless of how cute it is.

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

By the by, SHOW THE STYLE OF MASTER is its own special kind of slogan genius. Colour me low-key jealous.

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

I'm on a bit of a tool hunt to improve the speed and quality of rework, and I found this tiny hot plateOHMYGODITSSOCUTE!!!!!

Seriously though, it's surprisingly effective when paired with a good hot air tool.

Also, I've already burned myself quite badly. Useful, yes. Safe, no.

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@jacqueline oh hell no. This is totally an XT30 connector meant for 12VDC being used for 110VAC.

Perfectly safe, mhm.

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@jacqueline omg it was so cute I skipped my normal Chinese tool safety checks.

It does low-key look like the only thing standing between me and electrocution is a few microns of blue anodization...

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

Sometimes I read an application note for a component or system and it says something I don't understand. Usually, I reach for another app note to get more detail, or maybe a paper.

Then, the next note (and the next) will say something contradictory, or just as confusing. At that point, I propose one ought assume nobody knows what they're doing, and it's time to start looking for pennies to rub together in the R&D budget.

mdekstrand, to random
@mdekstrand@hci.social avatar

If a blind student wants to do a CS undergrad specifically to work in assistive technology, what schools would be particularly good for that? (Feel free to boost for reach.)

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@mdekstrand I'll bet my friend Dan would have a thing or two to say about that if you email him: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/math-cs-stats/people/daniel-zingaro

Natanox, to diy
@Natanox@chaos.social avatar

Is there some term for ultrabright LEDs? Talking about those you most likely need a cooling solution for, that output 50+ lumen (around 200.000+ mcd) on a tiny surface. Ebay isn't helpful with its search right now. Need something to attach next to the webcam so the OctoPrint cam can actually see stuff.

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@Natanox you're looking for a COB, or chip-on-board LED. Basically, it's lots of little LEDs combined on an aluminum PCB to make one big one.

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

I've murdered a usb port on most of the computers I've had. I'm starting to think it's a kind of mark of the trade.

Also, an interesting anecdote: most computers can sink surprisingly large ground currents through USB. I've accidentally passed >10A (for a short time) this way without damaging equipment.

Finally, wisdom: are you debugging something high powered by plugging a PC into it? Run it off the battery if you don't have isolation.

bear_lab, to 3DPrinting
@bear_lab@fosstodon.org avatar

I wish we could find a better solution than grub screws for attaching pulleys to shafts in 3D printing. Small-scale requirements make it difficult to use other industrial systems.

Grub screws often loosen under the effect of vibration even with Loctite. They also introduce eccentricity. And the tip of the grub screws marks the shaft, making it difficult to remove the pulley.

Any idea how we could improve this?

@3dprinting

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@bear_lab @3dprinting If you're cool with mating the pulley to the shaft forever, there are adhesives like Loctite 638 that are designed to bond them together.

I've also found that there are big differences in how the various threadlockers work. Some are much better than others for this application.

Finally, I've never seen a grub screw work long term in a driven application without a flat (or better yet, a slot) on the mating shaft.

AlanSill, to random
@AlanSill@mast.hpc.social avatar

Question for the USB-C cognoscenti if any out there: how can I take a raw 12V source and feed it correctly into a board that expects 12V on its USB-C power connector? Is this possible?

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@AlanSill if the board has a USB-C controller, you need a "smart" power supply with a controller, too. Basically, a real USB-C connection starts at 5V and then negotiates up from there. So you can't use straight 12V.

If your device is dumb (no USB controller), then just give it 12V on the power rails on the board. But try to avoid making a USB-C cable with 12V on it; that's a good way to break a lot of things with USB-C connectors that are expecting only 5V.

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

Working on a reflow oven is an exercise in thinking deeply about the fundamental secrets of the universe.

Like, what is temperature anyway? How do you measure it? How do you measure it accurately? Why can't I measure temperature accurately? Or repeatably, for that matter?

Ow, it's hot.

PKL, (edited ) to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

Coming soon? A #ploopy #trackball but also a Palantir.

norootcause, to random
@norootcause@hachyderm.io avatar

Get your paper accepted with no revisions at top venues with this one weird trick (reviewers hate this!).

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@norootcause Dangit, I knew better and I still clicked to see if there was anything in the (zero) replies.

mhoye, to random
@mhoye@mastodon.social avatar

Hey, @PKL - a question - what ball bearings does the Ploopy nano use? I'm hoping buy some identical ones to use in a separate project.

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@mhoye look for MR63 bearings. Good luck!

jallan1013, to random

@PKL has there been any development on a mmo style version of the ploopy?

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@jallan1013 not that I know of, but perhaps that's a project for you! 😁

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@jallan1013 This kind of design work is multifaceted, so you can start in a lot of different places. If you want to get a sense of the process and maybe some inspiration to get going, here's someone very good at work: https://www.youtube.com/@PyottDesign

emarktaylor, to Canada
@emarktaylor@thecanadian.social avatar

Via Lauren Boothby @laurby
·
17h
Alberta rules

Super Value Liquor in Mill Woods, Edmonton

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@emarktaylor ...this is a late April Fools joke, right? Cuz I laughed, and enjoyed it.

On a related note, is that even inexpensive?

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

I'm working on a schematic and letting Will and Grace play in the background.

I just realized it's 2003 in the show and there is hardly a computer to be seen anywhere. Life is just like...weirdly analog?

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

Hey, check this video on plastic filament durability out. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vg-FcCrVrZY?feature=oembed

Aside from the results being neat, I think we should normalize the idea of publishing videos alongside papers for the physical sciences. And engineering. And maybe other disciplines, too?

ValerieSonh, to ads
@ValerieSonh@masto.ai avatar

Study: Most Americans now use ad blockers https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/27/america_ad_blocker/ Notably, 66% of advertising professionals use ad blockers vs. 52% of the general public. #AdBlocker #ads #privacy

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@ValerieSonh Yeah, this tracks. We're now a month or two into turning off all paid advertising for and literally none of the traffic data we can audit directly has registered meaningful negative change.

It's almost as if our users (mostly people who know their way around technology) have effective ways of avoiding ads altogether?!

PKL, to random
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

Doing some experiments with new driver designs. This one uses kapton as the suspension for the driver instead of foam. It's about 11dB more sensitive, which is a great step forward.

PKL,
@PKL@mastodon.social avatar

@hardcoreufo So many projects, so little time. But the design is based on the public source files, so you're welcome to take a crack at it. :)

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