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We've been working most of the summer on an exiting new project with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, one of the world's leading coding education charities. Together we built an in-browser emulator for the Sense HAT device, which adds sensors, gyroscopes, and color LEDs to their inexpensive Raspberry Pi computers. Here's what the finished product looks like:

Here's what the Sense HAT and Raspberry Pi look like in real life. The Raspberry Foundation's designers provided us with the cool image that we modified to use in the emulator- not bad, huh?

What's The Sense HAT Do?

Like all Raspberry Pi devices, the Sense HAT is cool enough to have developed a huge base of hobbyists who love it but really shines for students learning to code in the classroom. The Sense HAT is one of the best devices for connecting code to the real world by allowing students to see their code read temperature and make LEDs light up with relatively little overhead or boilerplate. Raspberry Pi wanted to build an in-browser emulator to bring this neat tool to as many students as they could around the world. We were excited and honored when they reached out to us about submitting a proposal for the project this past Spring.

Why Raspberry Pi Picked Us

If you're a reader of this blog you probably know that Trinket is all about quick, easy, in-browser coding. Luckily for us, the Raspberry Pi folks had heard about us too. They recently merged with another amazing UK-based charity, Code Club, who's been using embedded trinkets in their free HTML and CSS projects for about two years now. The Code Club staff made sure that the Sense HAT project team knew about us and the rest, as they say, is history.

To Space - And Beyond!

So what are the Foundation's plans for the new emulator? If you haven't hear about it, the Foundation has been running one of the coolest coding projects we've ever seen, called Astro Pi. They sent two Raspberry Pi computers up to the International Space Station with British ESA astronaut Tim Peake in 2015. This Spring, they held several contests for students to submit Sense HAT programs for a chance to have Tim run them in Space. Amazing! The new emulator will allow thousands more students to participate in upcoming contests as Raspberry Pi looks to expand it to other space programs around the world.

Doing More With The Sense HAT

But regardless of whether you're a student with an astronaut on the ISS, the new emulator will let you experience the fun of a Sense HAT equipped Raspberry Pi for free. And while students in Science class will likely be writing programs using the environmental sensors, the Sense HAT can do a whole lot more. For instance, here's a clone of the popular Flappy Bird game:

To play, make sure the Sense HAT window is active by clicking on it, then use the 'up' key to fly your bird with the virtual joystick. How many points can you get?

The new technology is available from all of our Python trinkets- just import sense_hat and you're off! To see more example programs, check out our new demo page for the project. And if you already own a Sense HAT, a special Download button in the left-hand menu will let you download everything you need to run these programs on your Pi.

We can't wait to see what our awesome users come up with! If you write a cool program, tweet it to @trinketapp and @Raspberry_Pi for a chance to get featured!

A Little Help From Our Friends

A project like this is the work of many hands, so I'll end a few words of thanks. Raspberry Pi Team Members Dave Honnes, Ben Nuttall, Helen Lynn, Philip Colligan, Rik Cross, and the others who worked behind the scenes on this project made it a success. Thanks to all of the awesome beta testers who tested the emulator as we built it and provided helpful suggestions. Dave Jones did amazing work with the sense_hat module's new SenseStick API that we were able to implement in Skulpt. Speaking of Skulpt, open source developers Michael Ebert and Albert Jan Nijburg were a key part of the Trinket team for the project. Their expertise and diligence really shows clearly in the final product. The rest of the great Skulpt development community continues to make improvements to Skulpt, which is a key part of our in-browser Python interpreter, and we're extremely grateful for their efforts. Finally, thank YOU, our users, for teaching and learning code using our tools every day. Together we're making the world a better, more hackable place!

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We've been working most of the summer on an exiting new project with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, one of the world's leading coding education charities. Together we built an in-browser emulator for the Sense HAT device, which adds sensors, gyroscopes, and color LEDs to their inexpensive Raspberry Pi computers.

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Check out this amazing 3D printed watch with a tourbillon, created by Swiss maker Christoph Laimer. For those not up on their horology, a tourbillon is "an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement... A tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage, negating the effect of gravity when the timepiece (thus the escapement) is stuck in a certain position. By continuously rotating the entire balance wheel/escapement assembly at a slow rate (typically about one revolution per minute), positional errors are averaged out...Originally an attempt to improve accuracy, tourbillons are still included in some expensive modern watches as a novelty and demonstration of watchmaking virtuosity. The mechanism is usually exposed on the watch's face to show it off. []

Christoph created his tourbillon watch to test the limits of modern consumer 3D printing. He designed the watch in Autodesk Fusion 360 and printed on an Ultimaker 2. He used a combination of PETG and PLA filaments, depending on whether he wanted bendability/shock absorption or strength/durability in the part. On the Thingiverse page for the project, he writes (and concludes):

This is a mechanical watch with tourbillon driven by a 3D-printed mainspring. The watch has a Swiss lever escapement. The mainspring inside the going barrel keeps the watch running for approximately 30 minutes. Accuracy is roughly one second deviation within one minute (depending on print settings). The project demonstrates that the 3D printing technology is developing. Compared with earlier generations of printers, the process works more reliable and more accurately. However it's still a very advanced project, with printing inaccuracies needing to be trimmed manually using some watchmaker skills, or the watch won't tick.

Here is an animation showing the components and the watch going together.

Besides making the print files available on Thingiverse so that you can print your own, Christoph is also selling printed copies of the watch on his website.

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Check out this amazing 3D printed watch with a tourbillon, created by Swiss maker Christoph Laimer. For those not up on their horology, a tourbillon is "an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement...

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To become a 3D design expert, let's get you thinking like one. Drew Lentz, a 3D design expert on the MakerBot Learning Team, is hosting a webinar where he'll share his time-honored tips and tricks on how to prepare files for 3D printing.

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Python in the browser. No installation required.

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Underwater ROV

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MATE - Marine Advanced Technology Education :: Home

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The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is a national partnership of organizations working to improve marine technical education and in this way help to prepare America's future workforce for ocean occupations. Headquartered at Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) in Monterey, California, the MATE Center has been funded as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center of Excellence since 1997.

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Application for UC/CSU elective ("g") credit

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Application for UC/CSU elective ("g") credit

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No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to over 2,000 open source components and widgets, SparkFun offers curriculum, training and online tutorials designed to help demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics. We're here to help you start something.

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Put a Sign on the Door for each Maker Challenge

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Put a Sign on the Door for each Maker Challenge

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25% Classwork
25% Communication
25% Skills Based Mastery Quizzes
25% Project Quality

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What do you want to learn about and how do you want to share it with the class

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What do you want to learn about and how do you want to share it with the class

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spaghetti Tower Challenge with marshmellows

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spaghetti Tower Challenge with marshmellows

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Alice - Tell Stories. Build Games. Learn to Program.

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Alice is used to teach students how to code.

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Guest Speaker - Equal number of White Collar to Blue Collar

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Guest Speaker - Equal number of White Collar to Blue Collar

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Dan Clieburn - dcliburn@pacific.edu
Elizabeth Basha
Jim Hetrick
Regina Pastore
Brandan Kelso
Vic Castillo
Julie Fukunaga
Mike Cardenas

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Oculus Rift VR Development

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Unity is the ultimate game development platform. Use Unity to build high-quality 3D and 2D games, deploy them across mobile, desktop, VR/AR, consoles or the Web, and connect with loyal and enthusiastic players and customers.

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3D Print Project - Printing hands for people

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3D Print Project - Printing hands for people

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Enablingthefuture.org

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A Global Network Of Passionate Volunteers Using 3D Printing To Give The World A “Helping Hand.”

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Spark Fun watch batteries, cell phone vibration motors, paper, Tape,

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Choose from our selection of affordable robot kits with soldering or without soldering. We have various beginner-level robot kits as well as advanced walking robots, robotic arms, and our high-performance wheeled and tracked robots.

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Making is fun. More important it is a gateway to learning about science, math, and technology. The catch is that everything costs money. In the interest of keeping down costs here are several projects that should run under $10 per team in total. Diagrams and code are included The goal is to improve upon the presented code.

Color Cycler

Bright colors are fun innately.
This project is simple and cheap and is designed to program the colors of the rainbow. It starts with flashing the three primary colors of light. It then moves on to the three subtractive primary colors. Here is the necessary code.

The assignment for students is to change the program to be in the correct order for increasing energy. (This is of course assuming the the colors presented were single wavelengths and not additive.)

Color Adder

Lets do some work with adding colors. We can make buttons to receive input and then turn on lights depending on whether the button is activated.This lesson works great for
You can place play dough at each of the digital input wires and then to turn the button on, connect the play dough with the 5V wire. Students can then wire the playdough to make all the colors.

MS-PS4-2. Students use the code, but don't need to edit it. their manipulation is purely tactile. The standard deals with understanding the wave model of light and how it explains color.

Binary Counter

Now for something extremely mathematical: we're going to deal with binary numbers. (For a little bit of help understanding alternate number systems, feel free to visit the lesson I've written on HTLM Color Coding and Binary Numbers.) Computers think in a base two system because of the ease of dealing with a high or low signal, while we think in a base 10 number system because we have 10 fingers, which make counting that way easy for us. Both ways work just fine and produce the same results. They also work on the same principals of place value. The first place for binary is 1's, just like in base 10. That's because 2 ⁰=10 ⁰=1. After that we have the 10 place for us and the 2 place for compters. After that is the 100's (10 ²) for humans, and the 4's (2 ²) for computers. It goes on like that. Therefore 3 bits can represent up to the number 7. We we would need another place to represent more, just like we can represent 999, with three place values, but need a fourth to represent 1000. You can build a binary counter by following this setup:
You can use playdough to create a button. Here is the program to control the device:

The logical next step for students is to code the program to have an extra diode and count up to 15. (The State Standard this addresses is Practicing with the color coding lesson would definitely help with understanding this.)
HS-PS4-2 which deals with digital transmission of information vs. analog. Understanding how 1's and zero's can represent all types of information is critical to the standard. Also, not to belabor the point, but using the Color Coding Lesson is critical to explaining the point since it focuses on using numbers to represent colors (a different type of information.)

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Making is fun. More important it is a gateway to learning about science, math, and technology. The catch is that everything costs money. In the interest of keeping down costs here are several projects that should run under $10 per team in total. Diagrams and code are included The goal is to improve upon the presented code.

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This binary release has been built and tested under Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Distros for other flavors of linux can be found at openSUSE's repository, at Heinervdm's openSUSE repo; including a one-click download for openSUSE. Search our forum for even more. Fedora users can install Fritzing with 'yum install fritzing'.

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Carvey
Razor Knife x 8
rechargeable batteries
batteries
Vinyl Cutter/ Heat Press Vinyl Master Cut 4.0
Laser Cutter - Inkscape program

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JAM's Engineering course for kids 8 and up. An inventor will show you engineering skills using everyday materials. You'll build catapults, mechanical arms, and mazes for your own Rube Goldberg machine.

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Wearables | Tutorials - learn.sparkfun.com

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No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to over 2,000 open source components and widgets, SparkFun offers curriculum, training and online tutorials designed to help demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics. We're here to help you start something.

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With MESH, anything can become a smart device!| Sony

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MESH is a tool that let you explore the world of IoT (Internet of things) using everyday objects. Just attach your MESH tag to any physical object, and connect it with various devices and services on the MESH app.

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wrecking crew orchestra - Yahoo Search Results

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Wrecking Crew Orchestra was a light-up dance crew act from Season 1 of JayGT. They were eliminated in 6th place. WRECKING CREW ORCHESTRA is the most highly skilled dance artist group in the world, composted of eight members: YOKIO, DOMINIQUE, HANAI, TAKE, SHOHEI, BON, SAWADA< and U.U.

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In recent years, 3D printing has helped transform the face of manufacturing, leading some to call the technology a sign of the Third Industrial Revolution. Consumer-level printers are capable of printing sculptures, gadgets, and even parts for firearms. Meanwhile, industrial machines can churn out objects as sophisticated as unmanned airplanes.

But all that printing requires filament, the "ink" for 3D printers, and much of that filament is made of plastic, which the world is riddled with in the form of waste. With this in mind, an Amsterdam-based company called Reflow has launched a Kickstarter campaign to develop filament from plastic trash gathered by waste collectors in developing countries.

When co-founder Jasper Middendorp visited recycling centers in Nairobi, Kenya last year, he witnessed how the waste collection, trade, and recycling system works in that country. "Waste collectors collect kilograms and kilograms of plastic per day and receive very money little for it," he told Digital Trends. "They may receive 10-15 cents per kilogram and, for many, that's their only income stream. Meanwhile, a kilogram of filament may cost around $30 per kilogram. There's a huge disparity."

After meeting folks from the UK charity techfortrade, who've developed an open source extruders that make filaments from recycled plastics, Middendorp was inspired to use 3D printing for social well-being. He and his team at Reflow partnered with techfortrade and local initiatives in developing countries (including SticLab in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and AB3D in Nairobi, Kenya) who build 3D printers out of waste materials.

Reflow's socio-economic goal is two-fold: support waste collectors by establishing a market for recycled plastics, and also develop an infrastructure in which communities can use 3D printing to become more self-sufficient. To this end the company has pledged to invest 25 percent of their profits into local manufacturing initiatives. Their first production facility was built in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

"The exciting thing is the impact the technology can have in these countries." Middendorp said. "Imagine if they could go from import reliance to strong local economies able to locally supply people with the products they actually need. Imagine what this can do for distributing transportation in a place like Nairobi where you may be stuck in traffic for hours each day."

Due to the quality of filament from recycled plastics - which is less than that of "virgin" material - Reflow's filament is intended for home use, though Middendorp sees applications in university maker groups and art projects as well. In fact, Reflow has teamed up with a number of artists and designers to create rewards for people who want to support the campaign but have no need for filament. Special rewards include a 3D-printed bauhaus chess set, Pokemon-like figurines, and a model stealth fighter jet.

Middendorp admits he and his team face hurdles up ahead. For one, Reflow and its partnered communities will have to scale up their collection, recycling, and distribution practices as volume increases. The company also hasn't quite mastered the consistency needed for consumer grade filament, and there are tremendous logistics behind monitoring the actual impact of their social goals.

Nonetheless, Reflow hopes to address all these issues through its Kickstarter campaign, dedicating a large portion of their funds to exploring and solving these problems. "We can propel this Kickstarter into kickstarting 3D printing in developing countries," he said. And Middendorp thinks his company can overcome the low oil and plastic prices which have pushed a number of recycling companies out of business. If all goes well, Reflow aims to ship their first orders by early 2017.

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Reflow turns plastic waste into 3D print filament, sends profits back to waste pickers

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In recent years, 3D printing has helped transform the face of manufacturing, leading some to call the technology a sign of the Third Industrial Revolution. Consumer-level printers are capable of printing sculptures, gadgets, and even parts for firearms. Meanwhile, industrial machines can churn out objects as sophisticated as unmanned airplanes.

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Projects Archive | Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers

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Make: is the voice of the Maker Movement, empowering, inspiring, and connecting Makers worldwide to tinker and hack. Subscribe to Make Magazine Today!

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irrigation system using a microntroller to control watering times

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Potential project to build a solar heated and powered portable green house.

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So what's ahead? What course corrections might ensure smooth sailing through the rest of the school year? What will we keep or discard? And can we somehow finish stronger than we started?

Silos Are Bad

We knew from the start that for this program to live up to its full potential, our energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and innovations needed to spread to the rest of the school. We're starting to see that happen:

Takeaway: Keep pushing in new directions, and do whatever is necessary to support colleagues as they experiment with and embrace the innovations and methods we're pioneering.

Rough Sledding

One thing we have to work on is expecting the unexpected:

Mrs. Stephanie Terista's seventh-grade students have been patient, hardworking angels as we've fought our way through a super-cool project based on the article "Creating book-based video games using Raspberry Pis" -- which is about an 11th-grade AP literature class. No worries! Press on! Sure, it turns out that the latest version of Scratch isn't compatible with the Raspberry Pi -- but it's just a minor setback when these kids have to rewrite their code! Sure, we've got weeks to get this project done. (Whoops, there goes the marking period!) Yet we're still in the hunt and we will prevail -- it's just taking waaaaaaaay longer than we anticipated.

Is 3D printing for you? Sure it is -- if you have nights and weekends to spare, endless patience, mechanical aptitude, and the ability to reassure (and teach) crestfallen students when their prints fail. No, seriously, 3D printing is crazy awesome and in my opinion has the greatest potential of any educational technology available today (outside of laser cutting) to completely capture student imaginations. Your classes will immediately become cooler as kids think up designs relevant to your curriculum. Just be prepared to spend quite a bit of time watching, maintaining, and caring for your 3D printer, which isn't plug-and-play technology yet. Even the best 3D printers (such as our beloved Lulzbot Minis) need lots of TLC.

Takeaway: Everything is awesome, until it's not. Power through. It will be awesome again.

Too Much Is Never Enough

Planning my Design Experience (DE) lessons is the hardest work I've ever done as an educator. In fact, I ran out of weekend recently in the process of designing about 30 Challenge Cards (introductory maker activities) that students got to choose from in DE.2.

I started with a list of technologies that my kids needed to know and use later during our capstones, and then scaffolded them to three levels: Apprentice, Craftsman, and Master. Just some of the activities:

As hard as it is to plan these experiences, actually leading them -- especially the first time through -- is pretty harrowing. Imagine playing multi-dimensional chess in the middle of an earthquake while your house is on fire. Imagine 20+ kids, all working on different projects simultaneously, some needing assistance, but most not, with all manner of gleeful sounds, clicks, and scampering around the room. Imagine kids collaborating, helping each other, exclaiming when something works, getting help when it doesn't. It's exhilarating, terrifying, and awesome.

Takeaway: Choice is great, but too much choice is counterproductive and overwhelming. I need to limit the number of activities, and ensure that the highest-level projects are challenging but still attainable.

Curriculum Arc and Capstones

So far, we've found that building this ship while we're flying it requires a special combination of experience and curiosity; comfort with extreme levels of ambiguity and pedagogical chaos; a powerful personal learning network; and relentless, continual introspection. We are striving to make each Design Experience meaningful, effective, and personal.

DE.0 was an introduction to our program, learning space, and philosophy of education. Here I told the students that they have greatness within them, that they matter, and that they can change the world.

DE.1 was a two-phase deep dive into design thinking. Students learned design by doing design in both highly compressed (one session) and more relaxed (four session) time horizons.

DE.2 (where we are now) focuses on tools and is intended to give students experience with a range of technologies that they may decide to use in their capstones. Every student doesn't have to master every tool, but enough students in each group need to be proficient with enough tools so that the team can execute any idea it has.

DE.3 and DE.4 have yet to be envisioned.

DE.5 and DE.6 will be devoted to the capstones.

So far, I've planned these grade-level capstone projects:

Fifth grade: This design study centers around one of our second-grade students who wears a hearing aid and has difficulty playing sports without it. (Added bonus: His older brother is in fifth grade, and his mom wears a hearing aid and is active athletically as well.)

Sixth grade: This design study involves one of our staff members who has multiple sclerosis and could use some help carrying her belongings into school every day.

Seventh grade: They don't have a capstone. Yet.

Eighth grade: They'll be designing, customizing, 3D printing, and assembling robotic prosthetic hands for approximately 26 different individuals worldwide.

These capstones will push students to apply and use their skills acquired through mindful exploration and purposeful engagement in an authentic experience that will change the world. It's all in The Manifesto.

Takeaway: Think global, but act local by tying the capstones to our communities whenever possible.

So there you have it. Things really are going pretty well. We must have overlooked something. But what? Next month, we'll focus on assessment. Thanks for reading!

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Middle School Maker Journey: Everything's Going Well . . . We Think | Edutopia

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So what's ahead? What course corrections might ensure smooth sailing through the rest of the school year? What will we keep or discard? And can we somehow finish stronger than we started? We knew from the start that for this program to live up to its full potential, our energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and innovations needed to spread to the rest of the school.

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Playlist TED Talks

"I make paper interactive," says Kate Stone in today's talk, given at TED2013.

Kate Stone: DJ decks made of ... paperBecause this description of her work "really confuses most people," the best way to understand it is to see it in action. So in this talk, Stone demonstrates some of her very cool creations - like a poster that can pick the perfect slice of cake for you, a newspaper that plays audio and video snippets attached to stories, and a poster that changes its imagery to show you your energy usage levels. In the grand finale of the talk, Stone plays two paper DJ decks and a kit of drums embedded on a poster. It's the last item that's perhaps most thrilling: as Stone touches a cymbal or kick drum on the poster, it resounds through the theater. Stone has taken to Kickstarter to raise money to produce this for consumers.

All of these things were created with an ordinary printing press, printing conductive ink onto the paper and letting thousands of electrons flow through it. From there, all it takes is a small circuit board and wireless software to make it work.

"It's not even about the technology," says Stone, wrapping it up. "I just want to create great experiences."

Below, find five more talks from speakers who similarly want to make electronic design a lot more fun.

Leah Buechley: How to "sketch" with electronics
Leah Buechley: How to "sketch" with electronics
Instead of coloring with regular crayons, imagine a drawing session with special paper and pens that let you create light-up circuits out of doodles. And instead of old-fashioned construction paper cut-outs, imagine creating pop-up books with working lights. In this talk from TEDYouth 2011, electrical engineer Leah Buechley describes how she and her team at the MIT Media Lab often feel bored by the process of designing circuit boards, that almost always come out looking the same. Their idea? To make designing electronics more like child's play. In this talk, Buechley shares two especially fun projects, showing how drawn squiggles can become a playable musical instrument, and how a cut-out cityscape can glow and twinkle like a real skyline.

Jay Silver: Hack a banana, make a keyboard!
Jay Silver: Hack a banana, make a keyboard!
Inventor Jay Silver has a deep-seated urge to play with the world around him. In this madcap talk, given in TED's New York office after hours, Silver shows how squirts of ketchup can make music and how two slices of pizza can be wired to be used as a slide clicker. His MaKey MaKey kit lets you turn everyday objects into computer interfaces - allowing you to play your stairs, or even your pet.

Kate Hartman: The art of wearable communication
Kate Hartman: The art of wearable communication
Kate Hartman is both an artist and technologist, and her wearable projects explore the bounds of human communication. What does that mean, exactly? Well, she's created a hat that lets the wearer talk to themselves and an inflatable heart that shows the outside world what the wearer is feeling. Using simple electronics and clever designs, Hartman makes amusing creations focused on the human body and how it relates to others.

Ayah Bdeir: Building blocks that blink, beep and teach
Ayah Bdeir: Building blocks that blink, beep and teach
TED Fellow Ayah Bdeir introduced us to the next generation of LEGOs at TED2012. Called littleBits, these interchangeable blocks contain transistors that let kids build projects that buzz, blink, dim, pulse and sense - all while learning about programming at the same time. Since her talk, littleBits have gone on to be featured in the windows of MoMA Design Stores and, just weeks after Hurricane Sandy left downtown Manhattan without electricity, Bdeir held a workshop for kids called "Why did the lights go out ?" Bdeir tells the TED Blog, "LittleBits' mission is to make people understand electronics and electricity in a world that is governed by it."

Neil Harbisson: I listen to color
Neil Harbisson: I listen to color
Artist Neil Harbisson wears an electronic eye. Born with a visual condition called achromatopsia, which only lets him see shades of grey, this eye converts the colors of the world into sounds, allowing him to hear them. In this talk from TEDGlobal 2012, Harbisson explains how this piece of electronic equipment renders the sound of orange and, in a hilarious moment, lets it slip that going to the supermarket sounds a bit like strolling through a nightclub.

This post originally ran on November 15, 2012. It was updated on July 23, 2013, with several new talks added.

Kate Stone's journey to the TED stage began, of all places, in a London bar. In 2012, TED Curator Chris Anderson and Content Director Kelly Stoetzel embarked on a worldwide talent search, traveling to 14 cities on six continents. In each city, they hosted live events to find amazing speakers, and 34 of them ended [...]

When creative scientist Kate Stone gave her talk at TED2013, her biggest worry was whether her paper DJ decks would work onstage. Something she didn't think twice about: being "outed" as transgender. She didn't want to detract from her work, and figured that her gender identity was her own personal business. But now, one year later, [...]

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Playlist TED Talks "I make paper interactive," says Kate Stone in today's talk, given at TED2013. Kate Stone: DJ decks made of ... paperBecause this description of her work "really confuses most people," the best way to understand it is to see it in action.

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Search our world-wide directory and join us in the democratization of design, engineering, fabrication, and education

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March is for Makers - A month-long celebration of hardware

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March Is For Makers: A month-long celebration of hardware and the power of making, brought to you by CodeNewbie and Hanselminutes.

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How to build  a basic portable solar power system -camping,boating,off grid living-

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WARNING: This video is intended for information purposes only, working with electricity can be dangerous, If you are not qualified, please consult an electrician before attempting any tasks shown in this video. Useful info for those thinking about leaving their power bills behind. This detailed video shows how to build a basic solar powered set-up.

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Discovered in the 1880s, solar photovoltaic (PV) electric power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Modern PV cells are capable of converting up to 15% of the sun's energy into DC electric power. Sunlight provides roughly 100 watts per square foot to the earth's surface, so on a clear day a 1-square foot PV panel can produce about 15 watts. A 10 square foot panel therefore can produce about 150 watts in ideal conditions.

The Photovoltaic Cell

There are two main types of silicon cells commonly sold; monocrystalline and polycrystalline. Monocrystalline is slightly more efficient and therefore is slightly more expensive. Both types are very good.

The electrical terms shown above are important to understand. They are used to describe performance at the PV cell, PV panel, and PV system levels. The basic point however is to realize that a PV cell acts very much like a battery when the sun is shining on it. It has a fairly steady voltage (Vdc) but the current (Idc) varies based on the intensity of the light. Voltage and current are needed to produce power.

The Photovoltaic Panel

A PV panel is made up of a series of PV cells. The term "series" means that the cells are connected in a way that allows the voltage to increase at a desired operating level, much like connecting multiple batteries together for a radio. If you took apart a 9V battery you would see they are made up of six small 1.5V batteries wired in "series." The same method is used for PV panels.

There are basically 4 classes of PV panels

Less than 12V - used for powering or charging small devices like radios and cell phones

12V panels/36 cells - used mainly to charge 12V battery systems (as above)

24V panels/72 cells - used mainly to charge 24V battery systems

Greater that 24V - used for large battery systems and grid-tied systems

Modern PV panels use a standard connector called MC4. These are a 4th generation connector that allows easy interconnects between PV panels. There is a POSITIVE and a NEGATIVE connector, and lead for each from each panel. Hobbyists can buy MC4s and put them together themselves.

A typical OFF-GRID Solar Photovoltaic system

Let's examine a case in which there are four 12V solar panels. There are three main configurations possible:

1. 12V system for 12V battery charging - Place all four panels in parallel

2. 24V system for 24V battery charging - Place two panels in series and connect this set in parallel with an identical second set of two panels in series

3. 48V system for 48V battery charging - Place all four panels in series

Note that for all three configurations the wattage is the same but the voltage and current are different. The choice of which voltage to operate at mainly involves the investment you will make in a DC-to-AC inverter. If you need a lot of power inverted, the higher voltage configurations are likely what you need as 12V inverters are limited in their wattage capability.

The other consideration is line losses. The higher the amps the more losses there will be, so operating at 24 or 48 volts is smart in order to minimize your line losses (This will be discussed in more detail later). The discussion will focus on a 24V system.

Next, we need a Charge Controller. A charge controller's job is to charge the battery bank but not allow it to become overcharged. Overcharging a battery bank can result in damage to the battery bank as well as introduce a safety hazard.

There are three basic charge controller types:

1. Direct connect controllers - Feed the raw current from the PV panels to the battery and simply disconnect the PV panels once the charge controller determines the battery bank is full. The main disadvantage of this type is that it limits the PV to operate at a voltage just a bit higher than the battery level rather than at the optimum voltage (Vmp) the panels are designed for. As a result, the panels only produce about 75% of what they are capable of. The main advantage is that they are low cost. A typical direct connect controller is the Coleman C40.

2. Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) Controllers- These vary greatly in capability, but generally they provide a degree of smart charging over what a direct charger provides. They still have the problem of not allowing the maximum power the PV panels have available to be used. A typical PWM charge controller is the Xantrex C40.

3. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) - These units not only permit the PV panels to operate at maximum capability, but also manage the battery charging and maintenance processes more effectively. Typical MPPT charge controllers include: the Blue Sky Solar Boost, the Morningstar Tristar 60 MPPT, and the Outback Flexmax 60. Some advanced MPPT charge controllers also connect to the grid or to a generator to charge the battery bank if the batteries get too low due to weak sun or heavy battery use.

To generate AC, an off-grid system uses one or more DC-to-AC power inverters connected to the battery bank. These tend to be on all the time to run the home. Typical quality ones are from AIMS and XANTREX, which you can read about separately.

A typical ON-GRID Solar PV system

The goal of an ON-GRID PV system is to slow down, stop, or reverse the utility meter by feeding all of the PV watts through a device called a Grid Tie Inverter (GTI). There are mainly 2 types of GTIs:

1. Centralized - One unit that grid ties the power from an entire PV array.

2. Distributed (microinverters) - One unit per PV panel or pair of PV panels.

Because we are feeding high voltage AC into the grid, it is important to use an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certified unit. These can be expensive, but are required by local building codes.

The main advantage of the centralized system is the ability to add panels more economically. The disadvantage is that if any one panel is weak or shaded it will significantly reduce the power sent to the grid.

The main advantage of the distributed/microinverter system is that each panel or pair of panels are managed independently, and are not impacted by shading that might be happening with other panels. The disadvantage is that a single microinverter can cost the same as a PV panel making the overall cost higher.

Hybrid ON/Off-GRID Solar PV system

A hybrid system involves a combination of the two systems described above. The goal of a Hybrid system is to keep a bank of batteries fully charged for use as back-up power in case a grid power outage occurs, while also feeding the grid in normal conditions to lower the overall energy costs for the home. This type system will not be described here.

Introduction Summary

The above information and diagrams describe the very basic aspects and layouts of PV systems. There are many details that need to be understood as well as many more components that are required in order to make a safe and complete system. The following sections will address many of these areas.

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Discovered in the 1880s, solar photovoltaic (PV) electric power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Modern PV cells are capable of converting up to 15% of the sun's energy into DC electric power. Sunlight provides roughly 100 watts per square foot to the earth's surface, so on a clear day a 1-square foot PV panel can produce about 15 watts.

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Come learn how to make this amazing project from start-to-finish with other like-minded makers in the area! No skills needed!

Completely FREE for HexLab monthly members! (This workshop is only $10/person if you are not a paid monthly HexLab Makerspace member)

Come on in this Saturday from 12noon until 2pm or so, a group of us will be making 3D light-up Marquee Letters! HexLab will be providing the materials to make these on our laser cutting machine (the only item we are not providing is the the light string with bulbs, however, we have samples on hand to demo and will let you know where to buy them cost effectively if you would like to do so!) If you just want to learn and not make your own sign then you can help make the letters for our HexLab sign.

Each person will be making 1-2 marquee letters each during the workshop, if you would like to make more you can do so at home or in our MakerSpace. We can let you know where to buy the basic materials for extra letters!

Note: this project can be done at home using a regular printer and Exacto knife or you could use a laser cutter like we will be doing the day of the workshop!

Best of all this is absolutely free for HexLab paid members (A $45 month membership) and only $10 for non-members and walk-ins. Please note membership on the meet up does not constitute a HexLab paid monthly membership. Click here for more info! ( http://hexlabmakerspace.com/membership-info/) Bring along your computer or tablet if you plan to use a different font for your sign. We will be choosing 1 font to use the day of the class.

Age:

All ages are welcome, please note: attendees must be 15 or over to be in the lab by themselves (age 14 and below are welcome if they meet 2 requirements: a) a parent must be present at all times, and b) only if you are confident the youth is responsible and mature enough to be in the lab with all of our heavy machinery / makers being active)

Price:

- FREE for HexLab paid monthly members (our Mentor Nights, BBQ socials, and many monthly classes are now included with the HexLab monthly membership)!

- $10 for non-members (if you do not pay for a HexLab monthly membership then the cost to participate would be $10 for the workshop). Each person will be making 1-2 marquee letter each during the workshop, if you would like to make more you can do so at home or in our MakerSpace. We can let you know where to buy the basic materials for extra letters!

Includes:

- Great networking opportunity with like-minded Makers

- Materials to make 1 large size letter each, the letters will be about 18" tall (the workshop will cover all aspects of making and painting our projects, if you would like to make more letters we will let you know where to get your cost-effective supplies to make more!)

Hope to see you there!!

Parking:

We have 3 parking spots directly in front of our HexCorp Makerspace front entrance/window (suite #303), a large private parking lot behind our building and also free street parking.

http://www.hexlabmakerspace.com/

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Make your own Light-up 3D Marquee Letters Workshop! (free for HexLab members)

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Come learn how to make this amazing project from start-to-finish with other like-minded makers in the area! No skills needed! Completely FREE for HexLab monthly members! (This workshop is only $10/person if you are not a paid monthly HexLab Makerspace member) Come on in this Saturday from 12noon until 2pm or so, a group of us will be making 3D light-up Marquee Letters!

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Make your own Light-up 3D Marquee Letters Workshop! (free for HexLab members)

Saturday, Apr 11, 2015, 12:00 PM

HexLab Makerspace
9408 Owensmouth Ave Chatsworth, CA
16 Makers Went

Come learn how to make this amazing project from start-to-finish with other like-minded makers in the area!  No skills needed! Completely FREE for HexLab monthly members!  (This workshop is only $10/person if you are not a paid monthly HexLab Makerspace member) Come on in this Saturday from 12noon until 2pm or so, a group of us will be making 3D li...

Check out this Meetup →

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Building a Voltage regulator for the newbie (solar panel input)

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Using a 5 watt solar panel or any other solar panel without a voltage regulator actually helps ruin a battery.

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These are the projects which work successfully based on the solar energy. Solar power projects are the most interesting projects and we are all well aware of the way that they are helpful in our real life also. Solar water heater, solar cooker, sun tracking solar panel, solar powered refrigerator, etc. are some of the best examples for solar energy projects.

Here, we are listing out some of the best solar energy projects especially collected for engineering students. So, if you are interested, you may check this list of projects ideas based on solar energy and write your comments, suggestions and new ideas in the contact us page.

EH Solar Projects

Solar Arduino Projects

1. Solar Arduino Snake: This is fun project ,which utilises arduino board and solar panel.Step wise procedure is shown here for construction of snake.

2. Telemetry with Solar Cell: Telemetry with solar cells is being expalined here.It uses zigbee modules and arduino for transmitting and receiving the data.

3. Arduino Solar Charge Controller: Arduino is the main heart of the charge controller.It senses the voltages from solar panel and the battery. Accordingly it charges the battery and control the load.

4. Development of Dual-Axis Solar Tracking using Arduino with Lab VIEW: This project aims to track the sun and maximize the output produced by a solar panel using Arduino uno controller and LabVIEW HMI. This uses a set of light depend resistors to detect the maximum light source location.

5. Flashlight Controlled Solar Powered Robot using Arduino: This project implements a light gradient sensitive robotic vehicle which is powered by solar energy. This project can be useful for controlling the robot based on flash light sensing by using Arduino controller.

Solar Wireless Projects

1. Wireless Solar Charger: This project shows a wireless solar charger that can charge the mobile phones.

2. Solar Based Advanced Water Quality Monitoring System Using Wireless Sensor Network: This project monitors the quality of water using solar powered underwater wireless sensor network technology. The parameters like pH, oxygen level and turbidity at every node (powered by solar panel) of a wireless sensor network is sent to the base station.

3. Forest Fire Detection Using Optimized Solar Powered Wireless Sensor Networks: There is no availability of electricity in forests. Therefore, this projects implements solar powered Zigbee wireless sensor network with appropriate microcontroller based circuit to detect the forest fires.

4. Solar Based Wireless Power Transfer: This project presents the transfer of power wirelessly using a renewable energy resource i.e., solar power. Solar panels convert the light energy into electrical energy which will be stored in the batteries. Further this energy is transmitted to the receiving end in the form of electromagnetic waves.

Solar Battery Projects

1. Solar Lipoly Charger:This project shows the charging of a lithium polymer battery uisng a 5v or 6v solar panel.

2. Effective Battery Charging System by Solar Energy using C Programming and Microcontroller: This project shows the battery charging system which regulates the electricity flowing between storage battery and charging output.

3. Solar Powered Fans: This article shows the conversion of battery powered fans into solar powere fans.

4. Solar Lantern: This latern utilises solar energy to charge NiMH battery which can lit up 1 watt white LED in the night.

5. Battery Charger For Wind And Solar Energy Conversion Conversion System Using Buck Converter: The present paper proposes a basic method of improving the charging of battery banks.

6. FPGA Based Battery Energy Storage System Using Solar Cells: This paper explains a FPGA based battery energy storing system using solar cells.

7. Solar Battery Charging Indicator: This article shows the circuit that monitors the solar battery charging.It doesnot tell the state of solar panel.

8. Solar Window Charger Circuit: The window charger proposed here can be used to charge a LI ion battery.It can stick to glass window by placing the panel outside the window and a usb cable can be used to charge the battery.

9. DIY Solar Boost Converter with MPPT Charge Controller: Here is a simple solar boost converter & voltage limiter that charges a 12V battery from a 6V solar panel.

10. Design of Simple Solar Charger Circuit for Mobiles: This project aims to design a simple solar charger for mobiles by utilizing the solar energy from the sun. It uses simple regulator circuit with basic electronic components in order to supply the constant voltage to the battery.

11. Solar Charging Handbag: This project allows to charge electronic gadgets like mobile phones, ipods, etc. by a solar battery charger which is attached to the handbag or backpack.

12. Lead-Acid-Battery Regulator For Solar Panel Systems: This simple project design develops a circuit which regulates the power supplied from solar collector in order to divert the surplus energy in the event of much sunshine.

Solar LED Projects

Solar Inverter Projects

Solar IoT Projects

1. Solar Tracker with Live Data Feed - Windows IoT: This project is a solar tracker with live data feed which is powered by windows IOT running on raspberry pi-2.

2. Solar Panel Dual Management System: This project proposes an Iot based solar panel management system.Mainly the dust accumalation on the solar panel will reduce its efficiency,theft of soalr panels is also increasing these days.These two aspects were considered in this project.

Solar Microcontroller Projects

Other Projects

1. SCR Based SSS Solar Charge Control:An SCR based solar charger circuit is proposed in this circuit.

2. Off Grid Solar System:The off grid solar system shows the installation of solar panel system at home.

3. Solar Radio:This is the simple project where the radio is powered by a solar panel.

4. Solar Powered Air Conditioning Unit:Here is the project that uses solar power for air conditioning unit.

5. How to Make A Solar iPod/iPhone Charger:This project shows the solar charger that can charge iPod/iPhone.This is a portable charger

6. Solar Plane: This DIY article shows the Construction of a plane that uses solar energy.

7. Design and Cost Analysis of PV System Using Nano Solar Cell: This paper shows the designing of PV system using nano solar cells.As the generation of electricity from light is very costly ,this paper also presents the cost analysis of PV system using nano technology.

8. Fabrication of Embedded System for Dust Removal on Solar Photo Voltaic Cell:Many factors effect the solar panel from producing maximum energy.One of such factors I shadowing or dust on the panel.This project shows the designing of an embedded system for for dust removal on solar panel.

9. Soil Erosion Prevention by Sustainable Phytoremediation Process using Solar Irrigation and Fertilisation System: This paper proposes a system which monitors the PH level and soil moisture using soalr panel as power source.Thus it protects the soil errosion.

10. Electric Energy Management and Engineering in Solar Cell System:This paper on electrical energy management in solar cell system discusses about two topics i.e how to keep the system sustainable to supply electrical load and sustainability to deliver energy perspective.

11. Fresh Water Production by Desalination Of Sea Water Using Solar Energy: This paper shows the production of fresh water from the sea water desalination using solar energy.

12. Remote Village Electrification Through Renewable Solar Energy: This paper shows the case study of electrification of the village using renewable solar energy.

13. Solar Energy as a Primary Source of Energy for a Cloud Server: The aim of this paper is to offer and scientifically confirm a proposal of an accessibility solution of cloud by implementing of solar energy as a primary source.

14. Virtual Prototyping of The Solar Tracking Systems: A research in the field of improving the efficiency of the solar energy conversion by using tracking systems is presented here.Main aim is to change the position of the solar panel correlated to the sun position for maximising the radiation degree of use.

15. Storing Thermal Energy from Solar Collectors for the Needs of a Detached House: This paper evaluates the possibility of meeting a single family need for hot water and heat round the year using only solar energy.

16. Design of Energy Efficient Sensors: This paper focuses on generation of electricity through photo voltaic cells using dual axis system.

17. DIY Solar Air Heater Boxes: This Article shows step by step procedure of building a solar heater box for a home.

18. Solar Bag: This is simple Solar bag project.Using this bag one can charge all the devices with a removable power bank.

19. Parabolic Solar Oven: A parabolic shaped Solar voen is constructed here.It can boil one liter of water in 15-20 minutes and can cook for 3 people in 50 minutes.A step by step procedure for construction of this oven is hsown here.

20. Programmable Smart Solar Oven: A proggramable smart oven is shown here.It can turn towards the sun fro certain amount of time until the food is cooked.Then it turns away from the sun.

21. Solar Lawn Mower: This lawn mower proposed here uses solar energy for mowing the lawn grass.

22. Solar Cockroach Virbobot: This is simple DIY project that uses a vibrator and a solar cell.The are arranged in the shape of a cock roach.

23. Solar Night Light: Solar night lamp uses the solar energy to power up the night lamp.

24. How To Make a Solar Car: This project shows the making of a simple solar car.

25. Solar Bug: This project utilises a super capcitor and a solar cell for the bug

26. Solar Roller: This solar roller is a fun project which stores the power and discharges it with a movement.

27. How To Build A Basic Portable Solar Power System: In this video a basic portbale solar power system is shown which can be used for camping,boats,motor-homes etc.

28. Solar UPS Controller/ Automatic Transfer Switch: This project shows a small box which can utilise the solar energy in a small scale.I t has wifi and hooks into home automation.

29. Study Of Solar Air Heater Energy And Efficiency Using Computational Fluid Dynamics: Solar air heater a collection of solar energy from the sun and which in turn heats the room.This paper studies and analyse the details of flow field using computational fluid dynamics.

30. Solar Power Water Pumping System: Solar water pumping system consists of PV array,DC motor,helical rotor.This paper analyses the performance of this water pumping system.

31. Efficient Conversion of Solar Energy to Biomass and Electricity: The solar energy can be converted into biomass and electricity.The two methods were combined and full solar spectrum is utilised for producing the micro algae systems.

32. Plasmonic Conversion of Solar Energy: The plasmonic conversion of solar energy is proposed in this paper.This finds an efficient way of converting the solar energy into electricity.

33. Application of Solar Energy for Lighting in Opencast Mines: This paper explains about lighting system using solar panel in opencast mines. Illumination in mines is a major requirement but the there is a rapid increase in the price of fossil fuels and diesel.So this paper helps in improving the lighting system.

34. Solar Light For A Portable Toilet: This project shows the circuit of solar light for portable toilet.

35. Solar Compass with Oled Display: Here is the solar compass circuit with Oled display.This is not influenced by the magnetic field unlike regular magnetic compass.

36. Solar Array Design: This video shows the design of solar array design where mini solar panels are used.

37. Portable Solar Tracker: Here is the DIY project explaining the portable solar tracker.

38. DIY Solar Birdhouse Light: The circuit presented here is a mini solar based lighting system and is economical.

39. Solar Powered Auto Irrigation System: The proposed irrigation system uses photo-voltaic cell to produce the electrical energy by converting the solar energy from sun. This derived energy is further utilized for controlling the pump sets based on the soil moisture content.

40. Solar Powered Coir Provostor: The concept behind this design is to reduce the fuel required by heavy vehicles to dry the coir obtained from coconut. This project uses solar panel with MPPT controller to energize the DC motor in order to drive the vehicle.

41. GSM Based Flexible Calling System for Coal Mining Workers: The aim of this project is to help the coal mine workers in emergency situations to be able to contact with centralized control room even at power failure conditions due to the solar energy utilization for circuit working.

42. Farmer Friendly Solar Based Electric Fence for Rural Agriculture: Electric fences are practical as well as economical solutions for maximized field production. This idea of the project helps the farmers so that their fields, farmlands, etc are safeguarded. This project uses solar panels to charge the batteries.

43. Beam Circuit Solar Engine: This is a simple type of robot design that uses solar energy to drive the actuator system. The mounted solar panel charges the set of capacitor by utilizing energy from the sun and then capacitors discharge their energy to drive the robot or simply an actuator.

44. Portable Solar Powered Radio: This simple DIY project helps to build simple solar power circuit for operating the radio with use of small solar panel instead of replacing discharged batteries every time.

45. Self-Powered Solar Data Logger: In this project, solar insulation levels and temperature levels are continuously measured by the respective sensor and stored in flash memory. This logged data can be useful for future analysis.

46. A Hybrid Wind-Solar Energy System: This project allows two sources to supply load power depending on the availability of the source i.e., either solar or wind source. This circuit also implements MPPT algorithm for maximum power.

47. Wearable Solar Based Cool Cap: The main aim of this design is to prevent sunstrokes and to lower the temperature by attaching small fans to the wearable caps with small solar panel in order to supply the power to circuit.

48. A Project on Solar Chimney: The natural way of keeping the building cool is the usage of solar chimney. Until the sunlight availability, this chimney naturally keeps ventilation to fill the cold air inside of chimney.

49. Solar powered Induction Motor Driven Water Pump Operating on a Desert Well: This project uses a photovoltaic fed water pumping system which delivers the water from desert well by employing induction motor pump.

50. Solar Based High Efficient Vacuum Cleaner: This is an energy efficient model of vacuum cleaner which uses solar energy to create a partial vacuum in order to suck the dirt and dust particles.

51. Solar Powered Path Finding Vehicle: The main idea of this project is to implement a path finding robot which follows the desired path by avoiding obstacles in that path.

52. Solar Power Based Industrial Boiler Controller: This project controls the heating element of industrial boiler by sensing the temperature based on the requirement. Solar panels provide the necessary heating requirement of boiling.

53. High Efficiency Photovoltaic Source Simulator with Fast Response Time: This study presents the simulator tool for maximum power point tracking algorithms and solar power conditioning systems by a high efficient photovoltaic source simulator.

54. Solar Powered Automated Fertigation Control System for Cultivation in Green House: This developed system turns the ON/OFF injector for fertilizer mixing and also controls the irrigation pumps for setting regular irrigation frequency by using the power from solar panels.

55. Sunlight Powered Steam Engine: The concept of this project is to design a reciprocating engine powered with solar energy. The sunlight energy with sufficient heat fallen on to metal tube converts the water into steam.

56. Design of Solar Energy Meter: It is a simple project which determines the energy generated by the solar panel. If the solar power generated is sufficient to drive the load, this circuit doesn't allow the power from AC line otherwise remaining amount (in case of less power from PV cells) will be drawn from AC load.

57. Series & Parallel Solar Circuit Modeling and Analysis: The purpose of this theory is to perform the detailed analysis on dynamic behavior of the solar cells using simulations methods.

58. Solar Powered Fans: This article shows the conversion of battery powered fans into solar powere fans.

59. Solar Lantern: This latern utilises solar energy to charge NiMH battery which can lit up 1 watt white LED in the night.

60. Solar-Powered Pedestal Lighting System: The solar powered pedestial lighting system uses high powered LEDs.The solar energy is stored in the battery and used at night for pedestal lighting system.

61. Turn Off Battery Charging from Solar Panel at Nightfall: When the battery connected to the solar panel is charged in day time it starts discharging partially at night.The proposed circuit protects the panel from this voltage.

62. Solar Powered LED Street Light with Auto Intensity Control: This is an energy efficient method of street lighting which uses solar energy to power-up the LED Street light by storing electrical energy in battery during the day time. During nights the stored energy supplied to LED Street lights with auto intensity control based on timings.

63. Design of Solar Powered Night Lamp Circuit: This project implements a simple solar powered night lamp that turns OFF and ON automatically during sunset and sunrise respectively. During the day time it charges the battery and at night time it utilizes the stored energy to power the lamp (LED).

64. Design of Solar Electric Bicycle: The solar panel attached to the bicycle helps to charge the battery. So this project charges the battery from the solar panel, further this battery power can be utilized for glow-up the lamps, horns, etc.

65. Solar Powered Automatic Rain Operated Wiper: The main aim of this project is to operate the wiper of any vehicle by automatically sensing the rain. It uses a solar panel to charge the battery so that entire circuit is supplied with battery power.

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خرید ساعت هوشمند

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100+ Solar Energy Projects for Engineering Students

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These are the projects which work successfully based on the solar energy. Solar power projects are the most interesting projects and we are all well aware of the way that they are helpful in our real life also. Solar water heater, solar cooker, sun tracking solar panel, solar powered refrigerator, etc.

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Solar Panel Systems for Beginners - Pt 1 How It Works & How To Set Up

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In this video, I will show you in layman's terms how a solar panel system works and how to set one up in 2 different types of systems. This video is intended for beginners so obviously there is a lot more involved than I am explaining but this covers the basics to get started.

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Introduction: DIY (Drone It Yourself) Kit V1.0

The DIY (Drone It Yourself) v1.0 kit offers you the opportunity to turn any object into a drone (or technically, an UAV). The kit consists of multiple parts that are easy to assemble and can be attached to a wide range of different objects.

For more advanced uses, you can take the original designs and alter the kit by making your own custom clamps or add-ons as needed.

The plastic parts have been 3D printed in ABS. The control unit contains a receiver, four ESCs, a bluetooth module and an Flight Controller. I've provided a list of the hardware and electronic parts I've been using, but feel free to try your own combination.

Watch a video of the kit in action below or continue to the next step.

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Step 3: Assembling the Clamps

After removing any excess material left over from printing, assemble the clamp by putting the M6 nut in the hole at the bottom and glue it in place. Next, slide the bolt_handle over the M6 bolt and glue it in place as well. When the glue has dried you can screw the bolt in, and put the clamp_bar on top of the bolt.
Don't worry if the clamp_bar can rotate: this will actually make it easier for you to attach the clamp to an object.

Next step: connecting the motors to the motor mounts.

Step 4: Attaching the Motors to the Motor Mounts

Use the M3 bolts and washers to connect the motors to the motor_mount. Pay attention to the position of the holes: at first glance all the holes seem to be spaced out evenly, but actually the distance between the holes differs.

The motor mount has a small indentation next to the motor which you can use for an 8mm spiritlevel (check ebay). I left them out in the end, because I found out the orientation of the motors isn't that important as long as they are somewhat pointing upward.

Next step: the electronics.

Step 7: Go!

Now that everything is in place, use some tie wraps to fix the box and do the same with the battery!

Depending on the flight controller you might have to adjust some settings or level the controller. This is where the bluetooth module comes in handy. You can also limit the object you're flying to things that are flat, so the box is already level.

So now that you are all done: go outside and fly! Or go to the next step to make a case for your kit.

Step 8: The Case

I used a simpel aluminium and wooden case to store the kit. First I took out the thin rubber that was already inside and then took all of the needed measurements. I stacked multiple layers of thick foam - which I cut to size with a lasercutter - to be able to fill the whole case.
The top two layers (both of 20 milimeters thick) had some extra shapes cut out that let me put in all of the 3D printed objects.

In this case all of the holes are about 1 millimeter smaller than the actual printed parts, this ensures they won't fall out. You might want to change this offset depending on the foam / laser you might be using.

Step 9: List of Electronics

Apart from the parts below you will need a flight controller. I've been using the opensource OpenPilot CC3D. More info on the OpenPilot project can be found on openpilot.org - especially in the forums. At this moment OpenPilot doesn't sell the CC3D themselves anymore, but there are some 3rd party companies that sell clones - with permission. Some of the options are discussed in this thread: http://forums.openpilot.org/topic/30603-cc3d-availability/

For the rest of the kit, I've tried to keep costs down and used parts that are easy to order online, but I shouldn't be any problem to use some other types.

Motor:
NTM Prop Drive Series 28-26A 1200kv / 250w
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17345__NTM_Prop_Drive_Series_28_26A_1200kv_250w.html

Propellers:
10x4.5 SF Props 2pc Standard Rotation/2 pc RH Rotation (Black)
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__25824__10x4_5_SF_Props_2pc_Standard_Rotation_2_pc_RH_Rotation_Black_.html

Prop accessory pack:
NTM Prop Drive 28 Series Accessory Pack
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__16719__NTM_Prop_Drive_28_Series_Accessory_Pack.html

ESC:
TURNIGY Plush 30amp Speed Controller
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=2164

Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter w/ Module & 8ch Receiver (Mode 2) (v2 Firmware)
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__8992__Turnigy_9X_9Ch_Transmitter_w_Module_8ch_Receiver_Mode_2_v2_Firmware_.html

Turnigy nano-tech 3000mah 3S 25~50C Lipo Pack
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11919__Turnigy_nano_tech_3000mah_3S_25_50C_Lipo_Pack.html

Turnigy Accucel-8 150W 7A Balancer/Charger
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__7523__Turnigy_Accucel_8_150W_7A_Balancer_Charger.html

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The DIY (Drone It Yourself) v1.0 kit offers you the opportunity to turn any object into a drone (or technically, an UAV). The kit consists of multiple parts that are easy to assemble and can be attached to a wide range of different objects.

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Whether you're just getting into the world of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) because you want to take awesome video of your community, do some neighborhood mapping, or just fly something cool looking through the skies, you have tons of great options. This week we're looking at some of the best, based on your nominations.

Last week we asked you which drones you thought were the best -and by "drone," we're using the popular term for any remote controlled flier, from simple plastic R/C helicopters to more advanced quadcopters and hexcopters that are powerful enough to fly for miles with HD cameras strapped to their bodies. You offered up tons of nominations, most serious and some silly, but there are still plenty of great choices. Here are your top five, in no particular order:

Whether you're just looking to have a little R/C fun, maybe map your neighborhood, or just make...
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The Lumenier QAV250 may not be a beginner's drone, but if you're a hobbyist, a DIY-er, love FPV (first-person view) flying, or just like to get hands on, you'll love this. This the the kind of UAV that encourages you to make your own modifications to the equipment you buy to tweak it for exactly what you need it to do. The QAV250 is a unibody quadcopter frame that you can buy either on its own, or as part of a kit with everything else you'll need to get it flying. Depending on the type of flying you want to do, you can buy different components and parts to get your custom model to handle the way you want it to-whether you're interested in acrobatic, trick flying, pure speed, long range, or beautiful video. The frame can fully support an HD camera too-in fact, the QAV250 has multiple camera mounts, so you can choose. It's also a light airframe, at less than a half-pound before you start loading it up with gear, and only about a pound or so after that. It has its own landing gear, LED strips to help keep your oriented, and more. The base kit will set you back $130 from Amazon or $150 for a carbon fiber version. An "almost ready to fly" version will cost you $310 direct (it's more expensive on Amazon) and a fully flight capable model (you just need to supply a receiver) ill set you back $520 direct (also more expensive on Amazon, so buy direct.)

Those of you who nominated the QAV250 supported it because it's the perfect frame for DIY enthusiasts, but people who don't necessarily want to start from scratch (although you can if you want to.) You mentioned that you'll want to spend some time tweaking your build to fly the way you want it to, but once you do, you have a UAV that's a blast to fly, and if you're not sure what to do, the community behind it is large enough that you can learn from other people's example. This model also makes it easy to do things like swap out for bigger rotors or a different power system. You also praised the QAV250 for being exceptionally durable, and up to the task of flying even after a few punishing landings. Then, once you've learned your way around, some subtle tweaks in the included software can give you a completely new flying experience. You can read more in its nomination thread here, or check out this awesome flight video for more.

The DJI Phantom 2 Vision and Vision+ are also probably not the most beginner-friendly drones, but they are the ones you'll probably see in photos and videos when people start talking about the category. The Vision+ earned The Wirecutter's "Best Drone" pick, mostly because of its range and battery power, stability and learning curve, mobile app support (so you can mount your phone right on the receiver and see what the Phantom sees, FPV style) for flying and for customization, and for durability. All of those fancy HD videos you see on blogs of city skylines and such? Probably shot with one of these. They're not cheap though. The Vision+, the most recent model, will set you back $1169 at Amazon ( or direct) for a bundle with an extra battery, which you'll probably want, just to extend your flying time. The older Vision starts at $769 at Amazon, and can be purchased with extras like a second battery and spare rotors, along with a carrying case for the whole unit. Both models give you up to a half-hour of flying time on your first battery, great range and speed, built-in camera stabilization, the ability to plot a "flight path" using your smartphone and receiver, fine control over the camera while you fly, and the ability to grab photos and videos from your Phantom as soon as it lands, via Wi-Fi.

Those of you who nominated the Phantom 2 Vision+ praised it for being an amazing quadcopter, praising its battery life but also praising its ability to take incredible video and photos. Our own Shep McAllister owns one, and noted that it's pretty difficult to not take great video with the thing, and shared one of his own, which looks pretty good to us. Shep wasn't the only one to share his video either, Jordan posted this one, which also looks amazing. Beyond all of that, many of you pointed out that even though you do have to really learn how to handle it, the money you drop on this model will get you up and flying, right out of the box, with little to no additional customization required. You can read more in its nomination thread here.

BLADE's Nano QX is an simple, affordable quadcopter that many people point out is a great beginner's drone if you're interested in getting into the hobby with a durable, tough-to-break by easy-to-master model. The Wirecutter suggested it for beginners in their article on the best drones, and Tom's Guide says it's the best for the money. Part of the reason it's so beginner-friendly is that BLADE has integrated automatic stability controls (in the form of their "Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope" or "SAFE" technology) along with a light, tough airframe and prop guards to help keep it sturdy and in good flying condition regardless of what you do with it. The Nano QX is also a tiny drone-about palm-sized, so you can fly it indoors or outside, whichever you prefer. It'll set you back $90 direct or from Amazon.

Those of you who nominated it also pointed out that it's a great trainer to work with. It doesn't have swappable batteries, or a fancy rig for a camera or anything, but after you spend some time with it, you'll be ready to control and fly larger, heavier, and more complicated models without crashing them into things on your first flight. Others of you pointed out that it's easily upgradable with an FPV kit and LEDs and other mods, although you have to be careful not to weigh its frame down too much. You can read more in its nomination thread here.

Parrot's maker of some of the most recognizable drones (like the Parrot AR Drone, for example) recently released the Parrot Bebop, a medium-sized drone with an integrated camera that's easy to fly and versatile, but also offers FPV piloting and support for Parrot's own SkyController unit or using your smartphone or tablet to pilot the Bebop while you fly. It's small enough to fly indoors, and the 14MP integrated fisheye HD camera on the front captures great detail of anything you pass over (or through.) It's a lightweight drone, built for stability, not necessarily agility, and the discrete controls allow you to pan your camera view while keeping the drone itself level and steady. The drone even generates its own Wi-Fi hotspot, which is a fairly impressive feat. If you want one, it'll set you back $500 at Amazon for the unit, ready to fly, but if you want the SkyController custom receiver, you'll need to grab the $900 bundle instead. Despite its price, the Bebop is designed to be a nice middle ground between more expensive, high-end models that take skill to pilot, and the lower-end plastic models for beginners. If you have the cash to blow, this could be a solid beginner's model, albeit pricey for an entry point.

Those of you who nominated it praised the Bebop's attention to durability and safety (in an emergency, the drone can land itself and in any collision, it stops its rotors automatically) along with its ease of use and stability. It's relatively new, and you also praised it for getting up to 2km of range when you use the SkyController unit along with it. At the same time, its size and all that onboard equipment mean you take a hit in battery life, with some people reporting as little as ten minutes on a charge, depending on what you're doing. You can read all about both issues in its nomination thread here.

DIY

If ready-to-fly options don't appeal to you, or you're concerned with things like battery life or electronics, or the kind of camera you'd mount on your UAV, or if you look at some of these expensive options and wonder if you can do it yourself, you really can-the Lumenier above is a good example of an airframe you can buy as a DIY kit or as a RTF model, but it's just at the surface of the DIY drone building world. With some elbow grease, the right tools, and the help of a massive community of enthusiasts, you can build your own to do whatever you want-whether you're interested in racing and agility, long distance and range, carrying capacity, or beautiful HD video. Once you start researching DIY drones and models you can assemble yourself, you quickly dive into a world of custom motors and rotors, electrical systems, lightweight batteries and durable airframes, and cameras and gimbals to help you capture video while you fly.

DIY Drones is a good place to start-one we've mentioned a few times in the past, in passing, as is the DIYDrones subreddit. Those of you who nominated the DIY option pointed out that going DIY gives you total control, and can get you connected with people who have built different types of UAVs you may not see on the market, like planes, hexcopters, octocopters capable of carrying great camera gear, and other multirotors that aren't quadcopters. You can read a great case for going DIY in this nomination thread.

Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all out vote to decide the community favorite:

No honorable mentions this week, as the nominees fell off pretty quickly from there-but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other options! Make sure to check out the call for contenders thread to see more choices.

Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Don't just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is-and make your case for it-in the discussions below.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!

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Whether you're just getting into the world of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) because you want to take awesome video of your community, do some neighborhood mapping, or just fly something cool looking through the skies, you have tons of great options. This week we're looking at some of the best, based on your nominations.

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10 Makey Makey 10 x 50 = 500

Arduino x 10 x 35. = 350

copper tape.  100

drones x 10 = 2000

10 solar panels
Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit  150 x 10 = 1500

mbot car
10 x 100 = 1000

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Bring ideas to life with free online Arduino simulator and PCB apps | Autodesk Circuits

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Update your browser to view this website correctly.

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Cheap, powerful, and available almost everywhere-solar energy is a truly great thing. With these 10 sun-powered projects, you can turn a sunny day off into some brag-worthy, possibly money-saving backyard tech.
Photo by david.nikonvscanon.
Leave them alone long enough, and nearly every kid will investigate, or at least hear about, the devastating effects of magnifying glasses and clear, sunny weather on insects. Route that fascination with concentrated sunlight into some wood engraving. Aluminum foil (or, preferably, foil tape), sunglasses, a razor blade, and a magnifying glass are all you need to get creative with an old piece of wood or other dark objects. You'll need to provide supervision, lest bad aim turn into a kindling incident, but it's a great project for kids, as well as a unique way to leave your mark with style. ( Original post)

It's not an efficient way to keep your hot tub filled, but the kind of solar-powered water heater detailed at the Instructables link above can get a big batch of water up to 170F without requiring any work from your water heater, and the kit costs around $5 with the right parts suppliers. Even if you pay a bit more, think about how often the backyard grill, deck, or pool could use a little cleaning with some hot, soapy water. This project gets you a free source of ever-ready cleaning water, and at a pretty neat price. ( Original post)

This little project is the most reliant on a strong bit of sunlight, but totally worth the effort when you pull it off. The chocolate polishes the bottom of a soda can, which better focuses and intensifies sunlight reflections, creating a cone of fire-starting power that leaves your fellow campers impressed-or the other attendees at the park picnic grateful you were there when they forgot the matches. ( Original post)

If you've got a small-ish lawn, a battery-powered mower is much easier on your and your neighbors' ears, and it saves you the hassle and cost of gas refills. Take those eco-benefits to the next level by converting a gas-guzzling push mower to use a solar-charged battery. Appropedia's version is a definite weekend project for an older model, but if you've got a newer battery mower, it's not too hard to simply start charging it with a solar panel instead of your wall socket, and this guide will help get you there. ( Original post)

A solar-powered house sounds like a neat idea in abstract, but how would you know if your house's roof could really sustain worthwhile energy? Luckily, a big search company has overhead images of just about every house out there, and mashup tool RoofRay can use that image, plus your location's average sunlight and some roof details, to get a starting estimate on whether you can use the sun to push back on your power meter a bit. ( Original post)

Probably the least practical and most expensive of the projects listed here, the solar-powered Wi-Fi extender is definitely the most rewarding from a geek cred and green power perspective. Popular Science explains in great detail how to solder and network together a semi-standard Linksys Wi-Fi router, range extender, solar panel, battery, and higher-powered antenna, and then set it up to grab Wi-Fi from your household's main network and expand it to the great outdoors-or, at least, the outdoors behind your house. That leaves you with regular web access anywhere around your property, without having to worry about running cables across the lawn. ( Original post)

There's an entire realm of recipes and cookbooks that purport to help you get cooking done in the summer without turning on your oven. Skip the gazpacho and the house-warming heat with an oven built from aluminum foil, construction paper, plastic, and a few other household items, including a firm cardboard box. It's great for saving energy, saving time, and feeling like you really made the most of a warm, sunny day. Want to get a bit more efficient and physics-y with your outdoor oven? Try a parabolic solar cooker. Photo by thescarletmanuka. ( Original post)

If you're lucky enough to live where plants and food grow all year, you already know the power of photosynthesis. For those who could use a little more prep time for their seedlings, a longer growing season, or just a buffer against the occasional plant-punching dry spell, The Door Garden explains how to take some light construction materials-$50 if you happen to have most of it lying around, about $150 purchased new-and build a greenhouse that will withstand most winters and thrive in every other season. Just got a few plants you want to get started with condensed solar power? Try the mini-greenhouse made from a window. ( Original post)

We're big fans of the MintyBoost DIY USB charger kit, a great project for electronic beginners and pros alike. It was only a matter of time, then, until someone switched the power source from AA batteries in an Altoids case to a lithium-ion battery with solar charging capabilities. Completing the modified kit isn't a great leap more difficult than the original, and once you do, you'll be glad to get a lot more use out of your windowsills, and hand over a lot less money at the grocery store every few weeks. It's not necessarily the most effective method of charging, but it's undeniably cool. ( Original post)

The solar-powered outdoor lights they sell at your local garden/home improvement store can be subtle or original-looking-if you want to pay a premium. Otherwise, you're stuck with painted plastic and models that hold a pretty weak charge. The sun jars constructed by our own Jason, on the other hand, cost only about $11 each-less if you have jars or batteries on hand-and give off a pretty neat glow, powered entirely by solar energy from earlier that day.

What sun-powered projects are in your mental queue for some sunny weekend? What great solar hacks have you pulled off already? Tell us all about them in the comments.

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Top 10 DIY Projects that Harness the Power of the Sun

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Cheap, powerful, and available almost everywhere-solar energy is a truly great thing. With these 10 sun-powered projects, you can turn a sunny day off into some brag-worthy, possibly money-saving backyard tech. Photo by david.nikonvscanon. Leave them alone long enough, and nearly every kid will investigate, or at least hear about, the devastating effects of magnifying glasses and clear, sunny weather on insects.

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Introduction

Soldering is one of the most fundamental skills needed to dabble in the world of electronics. The two go together like peas and carrots. And, although it is possible to learn about and build electronics without needing to pick up a soldering iron, you'll soon discover that a whole new world is opened with this one simple skill. We here at SparkFun believe that soldering should be a skill in everyone's arsenal. In a world of increasing technological surroundings, we believe it is important that people everywhere be able to not only understand the technologies they use everyday but also be able to build, alter, and fix them as well. Soldering is one of many skills that will empower you to do just that.

In this tutorial we will go over the basics of through-hole soldering - also known as plated through-hole soldering (PTH), discuss the tools needed, go over techniques for proper soldering, and show you where you can go from there. We will also discuss rework as it pertains to through-hole soldering and give you some tips and tricks that will make fixing any piece of electronics a breeze. This guide will be for beginners and experts alike. Whether you've never touched an iron before or are looking for a little refresher, this tutorial has a little something for everyone.

Suggested Reading

As stated earlier, you can learn about and build electronics without touching a soldering iron. If you would like to learn more about electronics theory before learning to solder, we recommend starting with some of these tutorials:

If you would like to know more about building circuits without needing to pick up a soldering iron, check out our solderless breadboard tutorial:

Lastly, we will be building upon some previous tutorials, so it is suggested that you read about and understand these subjects before moving forward in this tutorial:

If you're all caught up on the above reading, let's dive right in!

What is Solder?

Before learning how to solder, it's always wise to learn a little bit about solder, its history, and the terminology that will be used while discussing it.

, as a word, can be used in two different ways. Solder, the noun, refers to the alloy (a substance composed of two or more metals) that typically comes as a long, thin wire in spools or tubes. Solder, the verb, means to join together two pieces of metal in what is called a solder joint. So, we solder with solder!

Solder wire sold as a spool (left) and in a tube (right). These come in both leaded and lead-free varieties.
Leaded vs. Lead-free Solder - A Brief History

One of the most important things to be aware of when it comes to solder is that, traditionally, solder was composed of mostly lead (Pb), tin (Sn), and a few other trace metals. This solder is known as leaded solder. As it has come to be known, lead is harmful to humans and can lead to lead poisoning when exposed to large amounts. Unfortunately, lead is also a very useful metal, and it was chosen as the go-to metal for soldering because of its low melting point and ability to create great solder joints.

With the adverse effects of leaded soldering known, some key individuals and countries decided it was best to not use leaded solder anymore. In 2006, the European Union adopted the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive ( RoHS). This directive, stated simply, restricts the use of leaded solder (amongst other materials) in electronics and electrical equipment. With that, the use of lead-free solder became the norm in electronics manufacturing.

Lead-free solder is very similar to its leaded counterpart, except, as the name states, it contains no lead. Instead it is made up of mostly tin and other trace metals, such as silver and copper. This solder is usually marked with the RoHS symbol to let potential buyers know it conforms to the standard.

Choosing the Right Solder for the Job

When it comes to manufacturing electronics, it's best to use lead-free solder to ensure the safety of your products. However, when it comes to you and your electronics, the choice of solder is yours to make. Many people still prefer the use of leaded solder on account of its superb ability to act as a joining agent. Still, others prefer safety over functionality and opt for the lead-free. SparkFun sells both varieties to allow individuals to make that choice for themselves.

Lead-free solder is not without its downfalls. As mentioned, lead was chosen because it performs the best in a situation such as soldering. When you take away the lead, you also take away some of the properties of solder that make it ideal for what it was intended - joining two pieces of metal. One such property is the melting point. Tin has a higher melting point than lead resulting in more heat needed to achieve flow. And, although tin gets the job done, it sometimes needs a little help. Many lead-free solder variants have what's called a flux core. For now, just know that flux is a chemical agent that aids in the flowing of lead-free solder. While it is possible to use lead-free solder without flux, it makes it much easier to achieve the same effects as with leaded solder. Also, because of the added cost in making lead-free solder, it can sometimes be more expensive than leaded solder.

Aside from choosing leaded or lead-free solder, there are a number of other factors to consider when picking out solder. First, there are tons of other solder compositions out there aside from lead and tin. Check out the Wikipedia solder page for an extensive list of the different types. Second, solder comes in a variety of gauges, or widths. When working with small components, it's often better to use a very thin piece of solder - the larger then number, the smaller the gauge. For large components, thicker wire is recommended. Last, solder comes in other forms besides wire. When getting into surface-mount soldering, you'll see that solder paste is the form of choice. However, since this is a through-hole soldering tutorial, solder paste will not be discussed in detail.

Purchasing Solder

SparkFun offers many sizes of spools of solder in both leaded and lead-free varieties. Whether you just need enough for one project or are stocking up for the coming winter, SparkFun has what you need.

You can visit the Soldering category of the SparkFun catalog for more solder options as well.

Now that you know how to choose the best solder for the job, let's move on to tools and more terminology.

Soldering Irons

There are many tools that aid in soldering, but none are more important than the soldering iron. If nothing else, you need at least an iron and some solder to accomplish the task at hand. Soldering irons come in a variety of from factors and range from simple to complex, but they all function roughly the same. Here, we'll discuss the parts of an iron and the different types of irons.

Soldering Iron Anatomy

Here are the basic parts that make up a soldering iron.

Several types of tips. From left to right, the bevel tip (aka hoof tip), two conical tips with varying widths, and the chisel tip.
Changing the tip is a simple process that consists of either unscrewing the wand or simply pushing in and pulling out the tip

Wand - The wand is the part of the iron that holds the tip. This is also the part that is handled by the user. Wands are usually made of a variety of insulating materials (such as rubber) to prevent the heat of the tip from transferring to the outside of the wand, but they also house wires and metal contacts that transfer heat from the base or outlet to the tip. This dual role of heating and preventing burns makes a high quality wand much appreciated.

Two varieties of wands. Notice how the tips screw into the wand allowing for interchangeability. Some wands have tips that simply push in and pull out without any attaching mechanism.
Some irons consist of just a wand that plugs into a wall outlet. These irons are as simple as they come, and they do not have any controls to vary the temperature. In these irons, the heating element is built directly into the wand.

A simple soldering iron that consists of just the wand. Some of these irons do not offer interchangeable tips.

Base - The base of the soldering iron is the control box that allows the adjusting of temperatures. The wand attaches to the base and receives its heat from the electronics inside. There are analog bases, which have a dial that controls the temperature, and there are digital bases, which have buttons to set the temperature and a display that tells you the current temperature. Some bases even have extra features such as heat profiles that allow you to quickly change the amount of heat provided to the tip for soldering a variety of components.

Two variations of a soldering iron base. On the left, a digital base, complete with control buttons and a digital display. On the right, an analog base that uses a dial to control the temperature.
The base typically is comprised of a large transformer and several other control electronics that safely allow you to vary the heat of your tip.

The insides of a soldering iron base

Different types of iron cradles. Notice some allow for a regular sponge while others hold a brass sponge.

Brass Sponge - As you solder, your tip will tend to oxidize, which means it will turn black and not want to accept solder. Especially with lead-free solder, there are impurities in the solder that tend to build up on the tip of your iron, which causes this oxidization. This is where the sponge comes in. Every so often you should give your tip a good cleaning by wiping off this build-up. Traditionally, an actual wet sponge was used to accomplish this. However, using a wet sponge can drastically reduce the lifespan of your tip. By wiping your tip on a cool, wet sponge, the tip tends to expand and contract from the change in temperature. This expansion and contraction will wear out your tip and can sometime cause a hole to develop in the side of the tip. Once a tip has a hole, it is no good for soldering. Thus, brass sponges have become the standard for tip cleaning. Brass sponges pull the excess solder from your tip while allowing the tip to maintain its current heat level. If you do not have a brass sponge, a regular sponge is better than nothing.

A brass sponge. If your iron stand doesn't have a spot for a brass sponge, you can get one with its own base.
Purchasing a Soldering Iron

Whether you're just beginning or a seasoned pro we've got a soldering iron for you!

Our recommendations:

Soldering Accessories

Now that you know the ins and outs of a soldering iron, it's time to discuss the other tools that will aid you on your soldering adventure.

Water Soluble Flux Pen - Flux is a chemical agent that aids in the flowing of lead-free solder. Flux pens allow you to dab stubborn components with liquid flux to create better looking solder joints. It is recommended to clean and remove any remaining water soluble flux residue on the board.

Other Suggested Tools

These tools aren't necessary, but they sure do make soldering easier at times.

Soldering Your First Component

Let's put all these tools into action. This first video will go over the basics of soldering your first component - headers!

Check out the Vimeo version here.

Recap

It's really that easy! Follow Dave's simple rules to make every solder connection a good one.

Be cautious when handling hot irons

Use third hands or vices to hold boards while you solder

Set your iron at a good medium heat (325-375 degrees C)

If you see smoke coming from your solder, turn down the heat

Tin your tip with solder before each connection to help prep the joint

Use the side of the tip (aka the sweet spot), not the very tip of the iron

Heat both the pad and the part you want to solder evenly and at the same time

Pull the solder away, then the iron

A good solder joint should look like a volcano or Hersey kiss, not a ball or clump

We've also put together this digram to help you better understand what makes a good solder joint.

Click for a larger image.
Advanced Techniques and Troubleshooting

Advanced PTH

Once you get the basics of creating good solder joints, it's time to learn some of the more advanced PTH techniques that you can utilize. This video goes over using flux, removing solder jumpers, desoldering components, along with some other tips and tricks.

Here are some other tips for PTH soldering:

Desoldering can often be the best way to learn how to solder. There are many reasons to desolder a part: repair, upgrade, salvage, etc. Many of the techniques used in the video aid in the desoldering process.

There is another method of removing solder from through-holes that we refer to as the slap method.

If you're ever unsure if the solder joint you created is making an electrical connection, you can use a multimeter to test for continuity.

Advanced SMD

Looking for more tips and tricks? Check out these advanced techniques to rework SMD components according to Pete.

Cleaning

When working with lead-free solder, flux tends to get everywhere, be it from the flux in the solder or from external flux applied by the user. Flux can corrode the PCB and components over time, thus it's good to know how to clean your PCBs so they're free of any flux residue. The simplest way to clean a board is to use a small brush (toothbrushes work great) and some isopropyl alcohol. If you are soldering more than a few boards, it may be necessary to clean them in batches. For this, we recommend a crock pot filled with distilled water. The distilled water keeps other impurities and contaminants away from your circuit.

It's not 100% necessary to clean your board, however, it will increase the life of your circuit tremendously. For more information on PCB cleaning, click here.

Resources and Going Further

We've only just begun to travel down the soldering rabbit hole. Once you have mastered PTH soldering, you can try your hand at these other skills and tutorials.

And, of course, what's a soldering tutorial without something to solder. SparkFun sells a variety of kits that are great for honing your soldering skills. There's even a Learn to Solder series of kits that have all the tools necessary to get started.

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Soldering is one of the most fundamental skills needed to dabble in the world of electronics. The two go together like peas and carrots. And, although it is possible to learn about and build electronics without needing to pick up a soldering iron, you'll soon discover that a whole new world is opened with this one simple skill.

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I've got moves like you've never even seen before. Check out my dance visual #madewithcode project.

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Being makers, we all love being shown new skills to learn. So it's no surprise that the skill builders and tips pieces we publish are some of Make:'s most popular content. Here are ten of the best skill builder articles that we published in 2015. If you want to browse through all of the skills pieces that we've published, here's that .

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Bearings can be used to create rotating motion in your projects. In this tutorial, we run through which bearings will work best for you.

How to Choose, Cut, and Bend Sheet Metal

Sheet metal comes in many varieties and sizes. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get that shiny sheet into your desired shape.

Getting Started with Virtual Reality: An Introduction to Unity

In this piece, we cover the basics of how you can build virtual worlds in Unity and bring them to life in VR.

Acrylic Cheat Sheet: How to Cut, Glue, Bend, and More

Learn about the types of acrylic and the best practices for using it so that you can make the most of this material in your projects.

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Top Skill Builders on Make: in 2015 | Make:

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Being makers, we all love being shown new skills to learn. So it's no surprise that the skill builders and tips pieces we publish are some of Make:'s most popular content. Here are ten of the best skill builder articles that we published in 2015.

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-Arduino
Tetris

-Laser
Music

-Automatic
Plant Waterer

-Wind-powered
Bike Phone Charger

-Nickel
Keyboard

-Remote-control
Car Soccer

-Self-made
Gameboy

-and
more...

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-Arduino
Tetris

-Laser
Music

-Automatic
Plant Waterer

-Wind-powered
Bike Phone Charger

-Nickel
Keyboard

-Remote-control
Car Soccer

-Self-made
Gameboy

-and
more...

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Congratulations! You got a drone this holiday. Now what?

First things first: Learn how to safely and responsibly pilot your new aircraft. Follow these essential rules, guidelines, and checklists - excerpted and updated from our new Make: book, Getting Started with Drones - and let the FAA (and the neighbors) worry about someone else while you enjoy your flights. Our book shows you how to build and fly a Little Dipper quadcoptor, a perfect starter kit for aspiring aerialists!

Above All Is Safety

There's a reason we hear the term "safety first" so often in our daily lives: doing what you can to protect the wellbeing of yourself and others is more important than any piece of equipment or task to be completed. Building and flying your hand-built small UAV safely and responsibly will ensure your continued ability to take part in this endeavor for a long time. Those who persevere in building and flying small UAVs understand the importance of taking safety seriously. By doing so, they are respecting and representing the model aircraft and UAV community as a whole.

With these concepts in mind, taking part in aerial robotics is an outstanding way to learn or gain discipline. You must dedicate yourself to being mindful of consistently doing all that is needed to best produce successful and safe results in all possible ways.

Training and Education

A big part of staying safe while exploring multirotors is learning as much as possible about their technology and potential risks. New advances in small UAV technology in the areas of autonomous control and safety are being developed all the time, and staying up-to-date on these developments can keep your flights safe. However, we do not recommend relying on automated flight control modes. GPS locking and stabilization mode are fantastic features, but should any equipment fail to send or receive commands, a responsible operator knows how to take over manual flight of their aircraft. There's no substitute for building your own level of content knowledge, experience, and practice time "on the sticks."

Key Flight Safety Rules

Safe and responsible flight should always be your No. 1 concern when preparing to take to the air. Become familiar with the following items, and you will be well on your way to sharing the skies with those around you:

Always fly below 400 feet. Full-scale aircraft fly above 500 feet. This creates a 100-foot buffer zone in the airspace between manned and unmanned aircraft.

Fly your aircraft within line of sight (LOS). This means you are constantly able to see your aircraft while operating it. From our experience, looking at your aircraft in the same direction as the sun can make visibility difficult. Think about the time of day and desired direction where you will be stationed. Colored landing gear or LED lights help identify the front and back of the multirotor, which assists in maintaining your orientation. See the note below this section on safely flying using FPV goggles.

Join a local club for UAV or model aircraft enthusiasts. If that is not possible in your area, create your own MeetUp group to discuss safe and responsible developments on best practices of UAV flight.

Never fly within five miles of any airport, within three miles of large stadiums between an hour before and after events, and not at all in national parks or military bases. Check out this interactive map that identifies the no-fly zones.

Take a flight lesson. This will help to reinforce the principles of flight, and it will let you experience navigating the airspace from a full-scale pilot's point of view. You may also be able to find a local course on operating small unmanned aircraft.

Always inspect your equipment to make sure every component is in proper working order prior to every flight.

Do it for fun! Don't fly for commercial purposes without authorization from the FAA. You should have years of experience before this should be a concern, anyway. Insurance on your aircraft is not required for recreational use, but having it is a great idea. If you join the AMA flying club, limited insurance coverage is included in the membership. Insurance is a requirement for commercial use.

Never fly recklessly. Not only is it dangerous, and disrespectful to the people and property in the area, but you may be issued a citation and a hefty fine. Fly safely.

First-Person View

Many multirotor enthusiasts love to fly first-person view (FPV) using video goggles that give the pilot the sense of sitting in the cockpit. A small camera mounted to the front of the UAV allows for a real-time view from the perspective of the drone. FPV flight is growing fast in popularity thanks to organized, competitive minidrone racing. Here are some tips:

Bring a friend with you to act as a spotter. You need someone to be your second set of eyes to keep the copter within line of sight and alert you to anything that may interfere with your flight path.

Clearly communicate what video channel/frequency you are using with any other FPV flyers nearby to avoid interference in your reception and visibility.

Go to a wide-open, secluded location away from people, property, roads, and power lines.

Avoid bringing children or pets out to the FPV flying field area because they may unknowingly enter your flight path.

Follow all of the other safety guidelines outlined in the previous section.

Where and When to Fly

Planning is a critical step in safe, successful flight. There is a saying: Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. There are many things to consider before your maiden flight and every takeoff thereafter. We use a preflight checklist to be certain that we have gone over all functions necessary for our planned mission. You can use your favorite productivity app to generate your own preflight checklist. Many are available in the online app stores. The to-do list app we have enjoyed using is Wunderlist. It syncs easily across multiple platforms. It's also free, which is nice. See the next section for specific points of information you may want to include in your preflight checklist.

We also like to use the 3D feature in Apple Maps to plan our missions. You can view a perspective very close to what you are trying to achieve while in flight. Time of day and lighting features may also be important to you, if for no other reason than to ensure you're not looking directly into the sun while visually tracking your UAV.

The best way to identify potential risks is in person. We like to visit a location in advance to see if there is enough space, and if the location presents any possible hazards. Develop a plan to best mitigate risks to such a degree that is tolerable to all involved with the flight area. You likely need to get a permit or at least permission to fly in an area, even if it appears to be an empty field. If you own your own very large yard, you have the ideal setup for stress-free, regular practice space, as long as it is five or more nautical miles from any major airport. Finally, U.S. national parks are (at the time of this writing) considered no-fly zones. We hope this changes at some point in the future. At the very least, we would hope to see procedures put in place for aerial photographers to obtain a permit to access national parks under the rules of the National Park Service.

Preflight Checklist and Flight Log Information

Just as in full-size aircraft, preflight checklists and flight logs are essential to maintaining a safe aircraft and flying environment. Be certain to note:

Date and time.

Location and safe takeoff/landing area established.

Operator and any flight team members such as spotters or camera operators.

All wiring and hardware connections are secure.

Aircraft, radio and channel, flight modes/settings.

Propellers and batteries used. We like to label and track each battery's usage.

GPS: Number of satellites locked in.

Weather, sun direction, wind direction, and speed. Maximum safe wind speeds depend on the weight and design of your aircraft. For example, the Little Dipper is very light at two pounds, so it is best to fly it below 10 miles per hour. Heavier multirotors can handle stronger wind. Also, avoid precipitation. Water and electronics do not mix well.

Purpose/subject, mission, and contact person.

Potential dangers and plan for handling each.

Elevation/speed reached.

Payload secure - best to start off payload-free.

Camera settings and memory card with available space.

Flight length and observations - did anything irregular occur regarding the equipment or experience?

Try your absolute best to fly away from anyone, but avoiding every person can sometimes be difficult. If any spectators are present during a flight, establish a safe takeoff and landing zone. We keep a minimum of 30 feet between our UAV and any person or thing. We like to use safety cones to mark our safe zone perimeter. You could also use an extra large tarp with cones weighing down the corners. A tarp can keep dirt out of your UAV's sensitive electronics too. Creating a physical line of safety using rope, poles, paint, or field-lining powder is a great way to keep spectators at bay.

If you have a spotter with you, have her talk to anyone nearby to let them know what you are doing, to direct spectators to stay away from the flight zone, and to always be aware of where the UAV is. Remember, flying near large stadiums with crowds in the stands is prohibited by the FAA an hour before and an hour after an event is scheduled (as well as during the event itself, of course).

Actively look out for any cables in the flight area. Power lines in the air, and even loose cables on the ground, can be very dangerous while flying. Outstretched tree branches, light poles, and architectural features can also pose a threat. Keeping your distance and avoiding them entirely is the only way to completely avoid the risk associated with these types of things.

Aircraft Inspection

Making assumptions can lead to making a big mistake. Never assume that everything on your multirotor is working great simply because you saw it fly flawlessly yesterday. Always do a systems check before each flight. Testing is certainly a constant in this hobby. A more thorough inspection with regular routine maintenance, along with the accompanying documentation, is a good idea as well.

Test the motors and settings without the propellers. Lastly, add the propellers, stand back, and do a prop-directional test. If you notice anything wrong, or had to repair/alter anything, document it on the spot.

Review your battery procedures, including their age, how they are handled and stored, and whether they are intact or have unused charge, which can all have an effect on LiPo batteries. Take it upon yourself to know how to use, store, and dispose of them responsibly. Locate your local drop-off center able to accept used LiPo batteries. Understand that LiPo battery usage can be dangerous and requires your disciplined attention. You should have a fire extinguisher on hand just in case.

Flight and Maintenance Logs

Much of the same information from the preflight checklist can be used to generate your flight log. It is important to document each of your flights. This helps you improve your UAV build and flight performance, by recognizing patterns in data you collect. An added benefit of keeping a flight log is that if you are able to show consistent proactive effort on your part to always fly with safety as a priority, you are much better off should your motives while flying ever be questioned.

Besides a flight log, we also recommend keeping a separate maintenance log for your UAV build(s). This may be as simple as using paper and a binder or as sophisticated as a detailed file kept digitally in whatever mobile electronic device you prefer. Record each repair or improvement you make, and when you did it. Answer the questions, "What caused the problem?" and "Why was the repair or replacement necessary?" Complete any relevant testing following the completion of the work, and record the observations. Of course, using quality components helps cut down on head-scratching as well as repair and documentation time. For example, metal versus plastic mechanisms will naturally be more durable and hold up longer.

Record your decision-making process throughout your drone build, especially if it is your first aerial robotics experience. Describe what factors led you to make each component selection throughout your build. Compare parts or brands you considered and what the result of each decision turned out to be. It may seem like an excessive exercise, but later on you will be glad to have even half of such information on hand.

Resources

It is your responsibility to build and fly UAVs safely and responsibly, but you are not alone. If you are uncertain about any part of the design, build, or flight of your craft, it is okay to ask for help. There are many resources and online forums available to small UAV developers, where you can get advice and information on the best practices for UAV safety and technology.

Three such groups worked closely with the United States Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to agree on policy statements and best practices for safely flying small UAVs. These groups - the Association for Unmanned Vehicles International (AUVSI), the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), and the Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Coalition (SUAVC) - compiled a concise list of the dos and don'ts of piloting small UAVs that they call "The Rules of the Air."

Their suggested safety guidelines are a fine place to start, but we recommend that you actively and regularly look into the rules for yourself as they continue to evolve. We have summarized their list in the safety section above, and have elaborated on them with some additional ideas for knowledgeable, responsible small UAV flight.

Laws and Regulations

In many countries, hobbyists have enjoyed model flight for nearly 100 years. Throughout the 20th century, the rules of common sense guided the model aircraft community as it typically policed itself with little to no incident.

Recently, the capabilities of these aircraft have increased tremendously, and this has attracted the interest of lawmakers, especially in the United States. We strongly advise anyone just getting into the hobby of model aircraft to check for local and national laws regarding the technology. If you live in the United States, the FAA or AMA websites are the best places to start. You'll need to register yourself with the FAA and display your associated registration number on everything you'd like to fly that weighs .55 pounds or more.

Important Links

Important links for the main SUAS resource groups include:

In addition, check out our list of comprehensive safety procedures.

The AMA has a one-page PDF of best practices for flying R/C aircraft as well. This list of sites from a few of the countries that have enacted comprehensive policies for small UAVs can help you get started in finding the laws that apply to your area (the distinction between commercial and noncommercial applications is the main common factor around the world to determine which set of rules you should follow):
United States
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)
Canada
Canadian Aviation Administration (CAA)
United Kingdom
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Australia
Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
Germany
Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA), or Federal Aviation Office

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Flight Manual: Do's and Don'ts for the New Drone Pilot | Make:

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Congratulations! You got a drone this holiday. Now what? First things first: Learn how to safely and responsibly pilot your new aircraft. Follow these essential rules, guidelines, and checklists - excerpted and updated from our new Make: book, Getting Started with Drones - and let the FAA (and the neighbors) worry about someone else while you enjoy your flights.

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Consider a bucket (or a beer glass if you prefer). What part makes it useful? The inside of course. The negative space embodies the function of such an object. So why not separate the negative space and with it . . . the functionality. That is the idea of a boolean punch.

Boolean refers to how it is applied, by using a boolean function to add a negative space to an object. It is a punch because a punch is a tool which makes a functional hole (if the cut-out piece is the part you want the tool which makes it is properly called a blanking die).

I have created punches to make anything hang from a drywall screw, glow with LED light, store or conceal an SD card, or function like a switch cover plate. There is a punch posted by poweruser cymon which turns anything into a recorder! Search the thingiverse for the tag "boolean punch" to see some of the options available. If you upload your own please tag them as "boolean punch" so you can add to the collection of modular functions.

It is kind of ironic that in their native form (as positive solid objects) boolean punches are without any function at all. It is only when they are embodied as a negative space that they have utility.

To use one, open your target object in Blender, or a similar program. Import the appropriate boolean punch (or punches). Align the punch with the object making sure it fits they way you want (wireframe view is great for this). The boolean modifier usually works more smoothly if the two objects do not coincide too closely, so it is best to have the back end of the punch protrude slightly from the object. If all goes well you will select the object and take a boolean difference of the punch. But given the nature of booleans and Blender you may need to try a number of options before getting the right one. The punches that I make all have as simple a geometry as possible. This makes them more likely to work right. Lots of curves makes for a beautiful geometry, but are much more challenging to boolean successfully.

As with any boolean in Blender you want to start with as clean model as possible. Remove doubled vertices, recalc normals, and fix any non-manifold issues. This routine solves most blender boolean problems before they start. If you still have problems try adjusting the position of the punch slightly while watching the output of the boolean. Sometimes there is a boundary problem which can be resolved by moving the punch ever so slightly out of the object. As last ditch effort if you are faced with truly nasty geometry which just won't boolean you can try a remesh modifier, or exporting to netfabb and running a repair.

Unlike 123d catch and other photo based scanning systems Sense3d captures things to a specific scale. Theoretically your scans appear life size. I made a couple of scans to test this. The first test was an empty ABS filament box it is about 165mm square and 123mm

high. The scanner couldn't track well enough to get around the whole box. It kept making ghost boxes off the end and in the end I gave up. A famous scientist once said the the two most important words in the laboratory are "that's funny. . .". This was one of those moments. It seems the Sense3d is unhappy with simple geometries. It looks like it doesn't have enough data to track and assemble the model. This is a bit counter intuitive. To test this I decided to increase the complexity with the first scan

worthy object at hand. Which happened to be a pumpkin. The resulting scan was effortless. The Sense tracked perfectly and captured all sides of the object effortlessly. So it seems the trick is to increase the geometric complexity and give it something to sink its invisible laser teeth into.

I imported the scan into Blender and inserted a cube which I sized to be identical to the box which I scanned. As you can see they are extremely close. The degree of inaccuracy here could be explained by the irregularity of the cardboard box. I would like to repeat the test with an object of more accurate geometry like a machinist's 1-2-3 block which is perfectly square, and perhaps a zucchini . . .

In case you came in late this tutorial starts here

In Accutrans3d click File>Open DEM As>USGS 1-degree ASCII (*.dem) This will import your data as a colored 3d map. Click Dem>Convert to 3d (less water) to convert your data to a 3d mesh.

The dialog gives you the option to thin your data which is very handy if you have a large file. Experiment with changing the vertex interval and see how it changes your vertex count. 1-200,000 vertices makes a nice model. Fewer and you won't have all the detail you might like. Too many more and it can really bog down your machine. I can render meshes up to about 500000 vertices before AccuTrans gets into memory problems. It is worth noting here that much of AccuTrans lacks an undo option which can be a hassle. It isn't too bad because you can always just reload the original file and start again. Click OK and your mesh is made.

First lets go to Tools>Adjust Object. This tool allows you to Scale your mesh so it will fit on your printer. You canScale each axis independently so you can exaggerate the height if you feel it makes a more interesting model. I also like to apply the Center XY and Z No Change button which centers the mesh on the origin but leaves the height unchanged. This places your model in the center of the printer resting on the build platform.

Go to Tools>Extrude Pseudo 2d Surface. This tool will allow you to solidify the mesh so it can be printed. The min and max values for Z correspond pretty well to the min and max elevation in your model expressed in meters. You can check this against the actual height of the mountain to confirm. If you want your base to start at sea level (like a collectible mountain) then enter the Zmin value for Thickness, select Flat Bottom then Extrude. This tool is one of the few places in AccuTrans you can Undo something which is very convenient for trying out variations. If you just want the mountain and don't care about the roots then set Thickness to a minimum value so your lowest points won't be impossibly thin. This makes your model faster to print although you can't compare it to other mountains as readily. If you are planning to send your file to Shapeways then select Normal and enter a small number which meets the minimum thickness rule for the material you plan to print. This way you get the shape of the mountain at minimum cost. If you extrude a full sea level root on the model you will be astonished at how much it will cost to print.

When everything is wrapped up nicely and ready to go take one last swing by

Tools>Adjust Object on your way to the door. If you extruded a minimum base click Snap to Ground. Select Rotate about origin and click X 90 this will orient your model to print flat in the printer. Some people prefer to print the model standing on its side reasoning that the vertical resolution of most printers is higher than their horizontal resolution so a sideways print will be smoother and more detailed. I print lying flat in their real world orientation. This has the effect that the visible layers which are a pain in most 3d prints actually form tiny contour lines which is really cool.

In case you came in late this tutorial starts here

3dem provides the useful service of translating our .tif file to a .dem file. You simply select File>Load Terrain Model choose GeoTiff DEM and select your file. If you can't find your file check the folder with Explorer. You probably didn't give it the requisite .tif extension.

Once your file opens you will see a beautiful color 3d topo of your data. If this image looks cool your data will probably make a good model. If this image is boring you might want to pick another location.

Next click File>Save as USGS ASCII DEM and you are ready for AccuTrans3d.

In case you came in late this tutorial starts here

The first step in processing the DEM data is to import it into QGIS. QGIS is a fairly imposing program which can do anything to GIS data except show you how to fold the map back the way it came. I will show the process step by step so we don't get lost in its murkier depths which are crawling with pythons (actually written in python).

After you have QGIS open and a blank project staring you in the face click the checkerboard Add Raster Layer button you will be prompted to select your DEM data file to import. DEM data downloads consist of a zipped folder with a dozen or so files. One file is huge compared to the others. This is the actual data so import this file. The other files are important and must be in place in the folder because they tell QGIS how to

interpret the data and where to locate

it. We will use the Raster>Extraction>Clipper tool to trim our data. You can enter coordinates or click and drag a box around the area you want to extract. The numerical entry method is necessary for making collectible mountain models, but usually I just click and drag framing the area I want for the model.

When you name the output file be sure to add the extension .tif to the name. QGIS doesn't care, but 3DEM won't recognize a file without the extension. After you extract the area it is automatically saved as a GeoTiff with the name and location you specified. Notice how the extracted areas have higher contrast than the rest of the image. The DEM data is a 32bit greyscale file, but your eyes, aren't up to the task of discerning all that depth. QGIS renders the image with the greyscale values scaled to the selected area so the selected areas are much clearer. If you right click on the raster layer's name and select properties you can manually change the rendering of the image.

In case you came in late this tutorial starts

Digital Elevation Model data is a set of numbers which represent the elevations of various points on earth (and other planets too). The resolution of the survey determines how closely the data points are spaced.

We usually visualize this data as a greyscale image with black the lowest point and white the highest. This shows lower end of Zion Canyon with its surrounding plateau.

Over the course of 11 days in 2000 the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) obtained an elevation map of almost the whole earth. The data has some holes in it so it is better to work with a cleaned copy rather than the raw data.

You can access worldwide data at http://www.imagico.de/map/demsearch.php . The resolution is mostly 3 arc-second (or 3″ for short) which equates to about 90meter

resolution. This is about the length of a soccer field. At this resolution you can get a nice

model of mountains, but they aren't as detailed as we might like.

For locations inside the United States there is much more accurate data in the form of the

NED, the National Elevation Dataset. The almost the whole country is mapped at 1/3″ or 10 meter resolution. Some parts of the country are available at an astonishing 1/9″

or 3 meter resolution. At this resolution buildings can be seen. In this example the infield and even the pitcher's mound at San Francisco's AT&T Park is clearly visible.

For locations within the US the best source for data is the National Map . The interface is a little cumbersome in that you must "order" data by placing it in your shopping cart and then entering your e-mail address and "checking out". There is no cost and you are e-mailed a link to download your data. The e-mail can be instantaneous or several minutes delayed depending on server load.

This is a technique I picked up from Gregor Luetolf (gluetolf on Thingiverse). He details a very nice workflow for creating STL files from DEM data, but unfortunately (for some of us at least) Gregor, who lives in Switzerland, wrote in German. Google translate helps somewhat, but I thought I would explain this technique for the English speaking world along with a few refinements of my own.

The basic workflow is as follows:

1Acquire the DEM data

2Use QGIS to assemble, crop and convert the data to a .tif file

3Use 3DEM to convert the .tif file to a .dem file

4Use AccuTrans3d to convert the .dem to a STL file

5You can then use AccuTrans3d to solidify the mesh to facilitate printing, or you can do that later in Blender (or a similar modeler)

There are other ways of doing this, but this workflow works well and produces amazingly detailed maps. The great thing is that all of the software is free except for AccuTrans3d which is old-school honor system shareware with a $20 price tag. You get a 30 day clean conscience trial. The free trial never ends, but your clean conscience should. I bought it as soon as I saw everything it does.

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Consider a bucket (or a beer glass if you prefer). What part makes it useful? The inside of course. The negative space embodies the function of such an object. So why not separate the negative space and with it . . . the functionality. That is the idea of a boolean punch.

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Play pranks on your friends. With 7-segment there are so many great things you can do. Make a prop bom for your You-tube move about Mr.Evil. Build a fake cryocooler with styrofoam and tin foil. Put the Doomsday clock on it as a High tech temperature display. Put it in your living room.

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Use Weebly or KidBlog Website to document all student projects

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Use Weebly or KidBlog Website to document all student projects

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Students each create their own Weebly site showing the engineering process for each major project that they work on.

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Quadcopter Racing in 60 Seconds - Onboard with FPV Explorers, Berkeley CA

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Clip reel from the March 8th meetup of the SF Bay Area FPV Racers and Explorers. Aircraft: RC-Logger Eye One Xtreme, PFG CarbonQuad Frame, T-Motor 1306-10, T-Motor CF 6020 Props, LemonRX PPM, 250mW 5.8G VTX, FatShark 600TVL, Spironet RHCP, Mobius

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Maker Faire/STEM Fair

1. SJCOE STEM Fair

2. Synopsis Sac STEM Fair

3. San Mateo Maker Faire

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Robotics

1. Drones

2. Robotics (Competitions?)

3. Noodle Quadcopter (pg 42 Make 44)

Drone Race Obstacle Course

FPV Explorers and Racers

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Solar Powered Solutions

1. Developing World Project

Project Ideas: Determine voltage output, current, power, optimal conditions of solar panel, Using solar panels with rechargeable batteries, Smart Phone Microscope (pg 46 Make 44)

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3D Printing

1. Tinkercad, Google Sketch Up

2. Team works together to build each component of a project and then assembles them to make an fully assembled object.

3. Musical Instrument

Project Ideas: Figurines,

Skippy Do, 3D printed Clock, build your own toy, Barbie Armor (Make 48), Print your own RC car (Make 48),

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Wearable Electronics Unit

1. Arduinos

2. Ada Fruit Lily Pad

3. Circuits

4. Soldering

5. Multimeter

6. Breadboards

7. Sensors

8. Chibitz electronic notebooking

Project Ideas: Ugly Sweater LED, Blink and LED (Programming Arduino Getting Started With Sketches pg 32) , Build your own lamp, breadboards, sewing machine, Incorporate a sensor into a design, How to use a breadboard (Make 43)

Ch. 6 of Programming Arduino shows how to use a multimeter to measure analog and digital voltage outputs from varying pins in the arduino.

Bare Conductive Electronic Paint. makershed.com/electricpaint

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Coding and Logic

Weebly website for all students

1. Scratch and Hour of Code

2. Makey Makey Projects

3. NetLogo

4. Notebooking

5. Tinkering

6. Engineering Cycle

Project Ideas:  Build the tallest tower with a piece of newspaper and 12 inches of tape, PVC marshmallow launcher, Scratch powered arcade, keyboard refrigerator magnets (Make 43)