Somewhere I got motivated for the minute. One of those oddities about me is that I’m cheap. Seriously cheap. I also like to know how things work, to the point that most of the things I use, I want to know how it works.
True story: I was with a group from work getting a demo on a copier. This was for a very specific project, so we brought our own files and paper, to make sure everything would work to our satisfaction. Their technical person for demoing stuff prints one of the files and it prints out jacked and I’m explaining to my boss what settings they had assed up. While the vendor was dicking around in an attempt to not look like idiots, my boss noticed all these little shiny dots in the white areas. This absolutely confused everyone, they were checking the paper for a weird finish, looking at the file, the works. I then pointed out that colour copier in the US prints a yellow dot pattern that the Secret Service can then use to look up the serial number of the copier forged currency was printed on. No one in the room knew that.
Back to the point. So I’m looking at building my handsaw, which I think I’ll dub AndSaw, and thinking of getting back on task, and I realize I have some nice stepper motors. I also have all sorts of other odds and ends. Maybe I should get building a 3D printer I think. If at first I just get down the 2D motion, I’m cool with that. I then get thinking of how I could also something together all ghetto. I think I can do it. First its get it to draw a picture with a pen. Replace the pen with a glue gun. Replace a glue gun with an extruder.
So now I’m getting all looking at stuff online during break. I see an article about a home electron microscope, which is totally out of my price range (and foot print). But I want one. So I think, hey, how hard is it, so doing more research and saw the most basic description of the physics in play. The actual concept basically sounds like a deconstructed CRT. In a vacuum chamber. So tempted…
Saw
Cat tree
Automated picture of work space
…
Peter's stuff.