hsmag.

cc March 2024 Issue #76

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SPACE,

WHATEVER THE SIZE

PRUSA XL LEATHER WORK CYBERDECK

The multi-extruder Get started with this Building a portable
printer on test hardy material RF workstation

Mar. 2024
Issue #76 £6
76

514006
9 772515

PCBS DINOSAURS MUSIC POWER

 WELCOME EDITORIAL
Editor
Ben Everard
[email protected]
Features Editor
Andrew Gregory
[email protected]
Sub Editors
David Higgs, Nicola King

ADVERTISING
Charlotte Milligan
[email protected]
+44 (0)7725 368887

DESIGN
Head of Design

Welcome to Jack Willis

Designers
Sara Parodi, Natalie Turner

HackSpace magazine
Illustrator
Sam Alder
Photographer
Brian O Halloran

Workshop is a flexible term. A workshop can be a chunk CONTRIBUTORS

of a former warehouse packed with photogenic industrial Marc de Vinck, Andrew Lewis,
Jo Hinchliffe, Rob Miles, Nicola King,
machinery – you know, the sort of thing that half of YouTube Tom Mladenov, Phil King
seems to have – or it can be a corner of a room in your house
PUBLISHING
with space for a few drawers, a soldering iron, and maybe a Publishing Director
Brian Jepson
3D printer. It can even be a temporary space – for years, I had [email protected]

to get the kids off to nursery and then set up the workshop on Director of Communications
Liz Upton
the kitchen table. CEO
Eben Upton
This month, we’re looking at how to set up your workshop
to be as good as it can be. That doesn’t mean drooling over DISTRIBUTION
Seymour Distribution Ltd
some fantasy list of features, but real steps to optimise 2 East Poultry Ave,
London EC1A 9PT
your space. Whether it’s in your bedroom, shed, garage, or +44 (0)207 429 4000
mountain lair, we’ll help you stress less and make more.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Unit 6 The Enterprise Centre
BEN EVERARD Kelvin Lane, Manor Royal,
Got a comment, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9PE
question, or thought
Editor [email protected] +44 (0)1293 312193

26
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ISSN: 2515-5148.

3
Contents
Cover Feature
06

17 LENS
18 Ultimate Workshop
Get the most out of your space

28 How I Made: RF Analyser

The ultimate portable radio workstation

34 Interview: Tom Ranson

Scanning animals under a museum

42 Objet 3d’art
Print-in-place (nearly) waterproof boxes

44 Letters
Crouch, pause, touch, engage

Tutorial
18 Music

28 62 What on earth could this jumble of wires

be doing?

4
 CONTENTS

Interview
Tom Ranson

82
Review
Prusa XL

34 Bringing the Natural History Museum’s awesome

collection to you, wherever you are

47 FORGE 90 You too can spend a lot of money and effort to

make this adorable lizard

48 SoM Leather-work
Like sewing, but with skin

52 Tutorial Mecanum Robot

Forwards, backwards, sideways
81 FIELD TEST
56 Tutorial Smart motor 82 Best of Breed
Strap an RP2040 directly to a stepper motor Machine learning development boards

62 Tutorial Make noise 88 Review xTool S1

Carefully crafted waves with Raspberry Pi Pico Squeezing a lot of lasers into a small box

68 Tutorial I’ve got the power 90 Review Prusa XL

Ditch the sockets – get your electrons from batteries The most unusual 3D printer released in years

74 Tutorial Colour printing 96 Crowdfunding BullseyeBore and Print-a-Kit

Create beautiful pictures with your 3D printer How much?!

Some of the tools and techniques shown in HackSpace Magazine are dangerous unless used with skill, experience and appropriate personal protection equipment. While we attempt to guide the reader, ultimately you
are responsible for your own safety and understanding the limits of yourself and your equipment. HackSpace Magazine is intended for an adult audience and some projects may be dangerous for children. Raspberry
Pi Ltd does not accept responsibility for any injuries, damage to equipment, or costs incurred from projects, tutorials or suggestions in HackSpace Magazine. Laws and regulations covering many of the topics in
HackSpace Magazine are different between countries, and are always subject to change. You are responsible for understanding the requirements in your jurisdiction and ensuring that you comply with them. Some
manufacturers place limits on the use of their hardware which some projects or suggestions in HackSpace Magazine may go beyond. It is your responsibility to understand the manufacturer’s limits. HackSpace
magazine is published monthly by Raspberry Pi Ltd, 194 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, England, CB4 0AB, United Kingdom. Publishers Service Associates, 2406 Reach Road, Williamsport, PA,
17701, is the mailing agent for copies distributed in the US and Canada. Application to mail at Periodicals prices is pending at Williamsport, PA. Postmaster please send address changes to HackSpace magazine c/o
Publishers Service Associates, 2406 Reach Road, Williamsport, PA, 17701.

5
Top Projects

REGULAR

Geneva Above
On the clock,
the three driven

drive clock
wheels all rotate
around the same
drive wheel which
remains stationary
in the middle (image
by Booyabazooka
CC-BY-SA)

By Greg Zumwalt hsmag.cc/geneva

C
locks, they’re pretty simple, right? Spin hands
around at three different speeds, pop some numbers
on the outside, and you’re done, right? Well, that
would do for most people, but not Greg Zumwalt.
When his youngest son showed him a video of a
watch with an unusual mechanism and asked if he
knew how it worked, Greg didn’t just explain it, he designed and
3D-printed a replica.
The strip of numbers along the top represent the minutes,
and the number inside this strip is the hour. Despite it rotating
in four different axes, it’s powered by just a single motor and a
Geneva drive.
Not only does it look undeniably cool but, unlike most clocks
that redesign the mechanical system, it’s actually easy to tell the
time on this one.

Right
The clock showing
the transition from
11.59 to 12.00

6
 SPARK

ULN2003 stepper
motor driver

28BYJ-48 Unipolar
stepper motor

Adafruit Feather
HUZZAH32

7
Top Projects

REGULAR

Mini PC
By David Li hsmag.cc/RetroDesktop

I
f there are two things that we love, they’re big
versions of little things and little versions of big
things. In both cases, they’re made twice as cool if
the new version works as the original does.
Here, we’ve got a tiny version of a desktop PC, and
it actually works exactly like the original. Well, almost.
The original was a 286 from David’s childhood, while this version
is based on a Raspberry Pi. That obviously means that the CPUs
run completely different instruction sets but, thanks to the magic
of emulation, this tiny PC still runs old DOS programs.
Cool-factor alone is enough to make this project worthwhile
but, to David, nostalgia was also a motivator. “A big driver in my
personal projects is the connection I have with the subject matter
I’m working with. While retro-themed toys are nothing new
(pun intended), I wanted to create something that was a close
representation of an item that was a major part of my childhood.
For me, building something like this was more than just a gaming
nostalgia trip; it’s also a physical representation of other memories
from that time, like school, the house that we lived in, and family.
It’s also amusing knowing that the Raspberry Pi running it is about
7500% more powerful than the original 286 PC it’s pretending
to be.”

Above
A dual speaker
expansion board fits
in the base to
provide sound

8
 SPARK

Above
We particularly love
how the SD card
slots in the
floppy drive

Left
Graphics come
out via a 3.5-inch
Waveshare HDMI
screen

9
Top Projects

REGULAR

Solder Sustainer
By Justin Atkins hsmag.cc/solderer

S
oldering is one of those key maker skills.
Typically, you take a soldering iron in one hand, some
solder in your other hand, then hold a part with …
hang on, we’ve run out of hands. Sometimes you
can use clips or vices to hold wires and components
together, but wouldn’t it be very handy if you had a
spare hand?
The Solder Sustainer gives you this extra hand, not by increasing
the number of appendages you have, but by letting you control
both the soldering iron and the solder wire with a single hand.
Solder is fed out of a tube next to the soldering iron itself. Crucially,
this tube is slightly flexible so you can bend it with one finger to
direct it where you want to.
We’re not sure if this is really the ultimate solution for all things
solder-related, but it’s great to see people creating tools to help
them make stuff. Justin says that the Solder Sustainer works
well for through-hole and larger surface-mount soldering, but he’s
working on version 2, which he hopes will be better for smaller
surface-mount parts.

Right
It might look a little
cumbersome, but
freeing up a hand
when soldering
can make things
quicker and easier

10
 SPARK

Left
The stepper motor
feeds solder
forwards and
backwards so you
can get just the
right amount of
solder in your joint

5 V power supply
for ESP32

12 V power supply
for motor

NEMA stepper motor

Mains-powered
soldering iron

ESP32
microcontroller

Motor driver

11
Top Projects

REGULAR

Ocreeb MK2
Above
These edge
connectors allow
you to join
different modules
together easily

Right
By Salim Benbouziyane hsmag.cc/ocreebmk2 Add whatever
combination of
modules you need
for your workflow

M
ost people in the modern world use
computers for their job – we spend hours
every day interacting with our machines via
a QWERTY keyboard – a Victorian design
that was never meant to be used to program
computers, control robots, manipulate
enterprise resource planning software, or any of the myriad
of other uses that we give it. Why do we stick with this input
system designed in the time before computers?
Salim, for one, isn’t going to. He’s designed an adaptable system
of modules that you can plug together to create whatever layout
you want. You can add buttons, twiddly knobs, turn-y-handles,
sliders, and more. Ocreeb MK2 runs the KMK keyboard firmware,
so you can map whatever actions you want to the various buttons,
knobs, and dials.
The Instructable guides you through how to assemble your own
macropad, but it is quite an involved build including some surface-
mount soldering. Nothing that should put off an experienced
solderer, but probably not ideal for your first project.
We love the idea of having a reconfigurable workstation setup,
and it helps that this one just looks gorgeous.

12
 SPARK

Left
This project does
involve some surface-
mount soldering

13
Top Projects

REGULAR

Stained glass
succulent
By Jason Satira hsmag.cc/succulent

S
tained glass work might sound like an exotic
form of making, but when you get down to it, it’s
really just fancy soldering. Once you’ve formed the
glass into appropriately shaped pieces, you pop some
copper tape on the edges, then solder them together.
Yes, we’re glossing over the details a bit here, but the
basic technique isn’t too complex.
Jason’s been experimenting with stained glass and noticed that
plant designs are common at the moment. However, he couldn’t
find a suitable downloadable design to start with, so he decided to
create one and share it on the Instructables website.
The design is based on a succulent – a type of plant that grows
in arid regions and its drought tolerance makes it popular with
people who forget to water their plants. The succulent’s leaves sit Below
in concentric rings, getting gradually smaller. To assemble it, you After you cut the
leaves out of glass,
just have to start with the largest (bottom) ring of leaves and work you need to tape the
upwards. The final result is a stunning plant that shimmers and edges with copper
tape before soldering
shines in the light. them together

14
 SPARK

Above
Develop your
soldering skills and
decorate your home
at the same time

Right
Jason used piles
of coins to hold the
leaves in place while
he soldered them

15
Free eBook!

Download your copy from

hsmag.cc/freecadbook
LENS
HACK MAKE BUILD
Uncover the technology that’s powering the future
CREATE

PG

28 PG
18
HOW I MADE:
RF CYBERDECK
The perfect radio workstation
didn’t exist, so Tom Mladenov
built it

Turn your space into

a maker paradise
PG

34
INTERVIEW:
TOM RANSON
An army of scientists live under
the museum. We caught one and
found out about 3D scanning
Ultimate Workshop

FEATURE

E
By ANDREW LEWIS very maker dreams of having their own You’d typically see this type of workspace in an old,
workshop. Even those fortunate enough established firm producing handmade goods. It’s the
to already have a space of their own wish sort of workspace where you don’t touch anything,
that they could change a few things to and you can’t find anything unless it’s your space.
make it perfect. It turns out that a perfect It can be a comfortable way to work, but it’s almost
workshop isn’t a static thing. It’s a living impossible to move to a different space if you need to,
space that changes as your skills advance, and as the and it’s impossible to work with someone else because
focus of your projects evolve. Even though a leather- you’ll have to keep finding the tools for them because
working studio is going to look a lot different to a only you know where everything is. Chances are, safe
metalworking space or an electronics lab, there are working practices in a space like this involve squinting
areas of overlap between the tools and methodologies when you’re welding, and pouring a cold cup of tea
employed by almost every maker, and that’s what this over any fires that break out. Alternatively, you can
article is about. take a more structured approach to your workshop
There are two ways to get the perfect workshop – design, take a look at other people’s workshops, think
you can do it by accident or by design. In the former about how you want to work, decide on the tools that
case, you start with a largely empty space and, as you you need, and then design a workshop accordingly.
complete projects, the space fills with the tools and This is by far the most sensible approach to creating
materials that are most useful to you. a workshop.

18
 FORGE

BUILD A MODEL
Assuming you have acquired a suitably sized space to you are absolutely sure you will need them in the near
work in, the most important thing you should do is make future. It’s helpful to remember that empty space costs
a 3D model. It doesn’t matter if the model is made from money, and disposal doesn’t mean destruction. It might be
cardboard, 3D-printed plastic, or is modelled virtually. possible to sell or recycle any leftovers from a project, or
Getting an accurate feel for the empty space will let you even store them off-site if you have space somewhere else.
make good decisions about layout in a way that a 2D
map can’t.
The most valuable commodity in a workshop is space. It’s QUICK TIP
very easy to fill your workshop with tools and equipment to Put wheels on
the extent that you don’t actually have any space to work everything.
in – so think of the largest item you’re likely to want to Your needs
might change
make, and make sure that you leave enough space to move
in the future, so
around that object with any equipment you need. Consider put wheels on
dividing your space into virtual zones or work areas so that everything that you
you know what sort of task will happen in a particular place. can. Being able to
That way, you’ll be able to make better decisions about the move a surface or
routing of cables, ventilation, and storage for that zone. storage wall easily
can be very useful.
Your 3D model can be very helpful for this.
Do not keep infrequently used specialist tools or large
amounts of scrap materials in your workshop. Either rent
Above
tools as you need them, or store them off-site. If you have Splitting your workshop into clean and dirty zones can help
leftover materials from a project, dispose of them unless prevent contamination of sensitive equipment with dirt or oil.
Some tasks, like grinding or welding, should never be done
in a workshop with a clean area – they should only be done
outdoors or inside a dedicated workshop

CONTROL THE POWER

Most people with a home workshop have a list in their laser printers and computers can be given their own UPS
head of what pieces of equipment they can use together (uninterruptible power supply) so that jobs won’t fail if the
without tripping the breaker or blowing a fuse. It’s not power breaker does trip.
unusual for a shed or outbuilding to have a single 16 A In the case of something like an air compressor, a larger
circuit for the electrical sockets and lights, and that isn’t tank will mean that the motor needs to run less often. A
a lot to work with when you consider things like electric large tank makes it possible to complete a job with the
heaters or kettles, laser cutters, compressors, and welders. compressor motor turned off, then refill the tank at a later
Ideally, you’ll have an electrician connect 30- or 40-amp date. This can also reduce noise levels if you’re forced to
circuits to your workshop with a choice of single- and work late.
three-phase power, and you won’t have to worry about
what tools you run. However, unlimited control over your
power delivery isn’t always possible, and there are a couple
of things that you can do if you’re struggling.
Fit larger tools with soft-start circuits if possible. For
a lot of large machines like air compressors, the biggest
power draw occurs when the machine first starts, as
motors overcome inertia and friction in the system. Once
QUICK TIP the machine is running, the power draw is less intense.
Always have A soft-start module slowly ramps up the power delivery
emergency lights to the machine, avoiding the initial spike that might trip
in a workshop. You your power breaker. You can separate out non-essential
don’t want to be electrical devices like electric heaters and wire them all Above
stuck in the dark In the UK, messing with your consumer box or electrical
onto a circuit with an isolator switch. That way, you can systems isn’t acceptable and will probably invalidate your
with potentially
dangerous temporarily switch off all of the non-essential devices household insurance unless you’re a qualified professional.
If you have to run wires to your workshop, get a professional
equipment all at once, maximising the amount of available power for to check the work and connect it to the consumer unit
around you. other machines in the workshop. Critical machines like

19
Ultimate Workshop

FEATURE

Above
You can make a fume cupboard using an extractor hood and
some plastic sheeting. Using carbon filters in the hood will
filter the extracted air. A fume cupboard is an enclosed-
enough space that it can be temperature-controlled using a
small heater or even the hot bed of a 3D printer. Cameras and
temperature sensors inside the fume cupboard can let you
see exactly what’s going on even when the hood is closed.

LET THE ROOM BREATHE

A workshop should be a comfortable space for you reduce the need to empty the shop-vac by adding a
to work in, but it should also be comfortable for your cyclonic filter or dust separator. The cyclonic filter
equipment and consumables. Air quality, temperature, sits between the vacuum cleaner and the machine
and humidity are all important and need to be controlled you’re using, and separates larger particulates into a
in a workshop. The amount of volatile organic chemicals sealed container. While they’re more suited to built-in
(VOCs), dust, and other particulates must be kept to vacuum systems, it is possible to add them to portable
a minimum to reduce the chance of long-term health vacuum cleaners. To reduce particulates even further, a
problems like uncontrolled explosive defenestration, dedicated filtration system like the Scheppach 100W
nausea, headache, and death. (hsmag.cc/Scheppach) can filter the air. If you’re working
Use a dedicated fume cupboard with active extraction regularly with MDF or powdered materials, a filter system
for hazardous jobs, and use extractor fans with ducts like this is essential.
to remove dust, smoke, and fumes while you work. Be A workshop should always be kept near room
QUICK TIP careful about venting your fumes into the open air. temperature. Letting some equipment/consumables get
Lighting is one Fit activated carbon filters in your system and change down near freezing temperatures can spoil them. Pipes can
environmental them regularly to reduce airborne pollutants. Check crack, oil will thicken, and paint will separate. Laser tubes
factor that gets that the extraction system is working effectively with an can shatter if they are started too cold, and metal rails can
ignored. You need anemometer, and regularly check the VOC levels inside buckle. A radiator with a frost setting should be enough
more light. Good
and outside your workshop. to keep most insulated spaces out of the danger zone.
overhead lighting,
desk lamps, and A shop-vac is a good way to reduce airborne An active temperature controller can keep the coolant
work lights make a particulates, and many power tools have adapters in a laser at a preset temperature, ensuring that the tube
huge difference. that allow you to fit a vacuum hose to them. You can won’t freeze.

20
 FORGE

LET’S PLAY:
KEEP, STORE, DISPOSE
There’s an old saying about storage in the workshop: There is no one-size-fits-all solution for materials
“A workshop isn’t a storeroom, and a workbench isn’t storage, but the Stanley Fatmax Waterproof Pro
a shelf.” While it’s OK to store some commonly used Organisers (hsmag.cc/SF_Organiser) are great for
tools and consumables in your workshop, don’t make smaller components, and the ‘deep’ versions of the
the mistake of letting the space become something organiser can hold larger items like stepper motors
that it isn’t supposed to be. The more things you store and batteries. The Recycled versions of the Really
in the workshop, the less space you’ll have to work. Useful Box (hsmag.cc/UsefulBox) are great for
Adam Savage talks about storage in his Tested series, large items, and can be labelled easily with a DYMO
specifically the idea of “first-order retrievability” – labeller. For portable storage, the Hobbycraft three-tier
where the tools and materials you need to complete a storage trolley is excellent (hsmag.cc/StorageTrolley)
task are visible and easily retrieved. To paraphrase Adam and is low enough to slide under most desks when it’s
further: “drawers are where tools go to die.” not in use.
This is true, but can also be thought of as “If you can’t
find it, you don’t have it.” In a smaller workshop, it’s
necessary to hide things from view to maximise your
available space. It isn’t a big problem if you indicate
clearly where things are stored using labels.
Storing tools vertically is a great strategy in
a workshop, provided it doesn’t cause a safety
problem. Having tools on hooks above chemical
tanks or machine tools is an industrial accident
waiting to happen.

QUICK TIP
If you don’t want to
use a tool because
it’s too difficult to
get to, then you
might as well get
rid of it.

21
Ultimate Workshop

FEATURE

PLAY IT SAFE
The most important part of every workshop is safety. extinguishers, fire blankets, sand, absorbent pads or
Even if the workshop is designed entirely for one sawdust to handle fires and chemical spills. Important
person to use, you still need to consider the safety of safety equipment needs to be easily accessible from the
others when you are working. The use of goggles, gloves, place that it will be used, and you should have spare items
earplugs, and machine guards is well described elsewhere to cover breakages and possible visitors.
and doesn’t need to be repeated here. Hopefully most Something often overlooked in the workshop is the idea
readers will understand that working alone is dangerous, of keyed access or interlocks to larger machines. If you
and remember to tell someone when you should be add an electronic key to a machine, you can effectively
finished working. There are other considerations that you control who can start and use that machine, and you can
should make to improve the safety of your workshop. also use physical locks to mechanically isolate the start
Adding a door alarm or a bell to your workshop door will buttons of a machine. Adding a key to a machine isn’t
let you know if someone comes in unexpectedly, and usually difficult, and the safety benefits you will get from
adding a warning light outside the door will warn people the addition are enormous.
when you’re doing something dangerous and probably Danger signs are an important defence against injury
shouldn’t be disturbed. Adding a lock to the door is a risky through ignorance. If you have dangerous tools or
proposition if you are the only person inside the workshop materials, make sure that you use the appropriate signs
that can unlock the door. If you are injured, help might to warn people of potential dangers. Remember that
not be able to get to you through a locked door. signs and other safety features aren’t just there for your
You should always have a well-stocked first aid kit safety. They are there for the safety of anyone who
with an eye-wash kit, and there should be enough fire enters the workshop.

TOOLS GLORIOUS TOOLS

It’s almost impossible to recommend the perfect
toolkit, because different interests require different
tools, and there are many ways to get the same
result with different tools. However, there are quite
a few tools that should be considered as essentials for
everyone’s workshop and a few that are considered as
‘nice to have.’
As a general rule, having two sets of every important
tool is good for several reasons. If you break a common
tool, you’ve got a spare of that tool to work with and
you can carry on. You can also keep a ‘dirty set’ of
tools that you use for messy jobs, while the other set
remains clean.

22
 FORGE

Above
Not every power tool is a battery tool. Don’t discount the
idea of air tools – they can be cheaper, faster, more powerful,
and quieter than their electric equivalents if you already have
a compressor

YOU’VE GOT THE POWER

A basic set of power tools in combination with the right use to do the majority of your making. If you do more QUICK TIP
sort of jigs can duplicate most of the capabilities of a metalworking, an angle grinder and portable bandsaw A hot-glue gun is a
workshop full of large-scale machine tools. Note that will be useful. If you do more woodworking, a router power tool, and it
the key word here is capability, and not capacity. If you and circular saw will probably be more useful. It’s worth deserves more love
are running a factory making wooden benches, it makes noting that tools like routers and circular saws can often than it receives. Get
a hot-glue gun, and
sense to have a floor-mounted thicknesser and jointer be used to cut aluminium with the appropriate blades.
thank yourself for
because they can process industrial quantities of material Cutting steel usually requires a separate saw with a years to come.
very quickly. For general making, simple power tools are lower‑speed motor.
usually enough. Belt and orbital sanders are good for shaping
It’s good to get tools that share a common branding and finishing materials quickly, and can often be
so that batteries can be interchanged without needing bench‑mounted, giving them a similar functionality
an adapter and multiple chargers. Every maker will to a belt sander. Additional power tools will give you
have their own favourite range of tools, with Triton, very specific advantages in certain situations but
Milwaukee, Bosch, and DeWalt being popular names probably aren’t necessary for everyday working. An
in the field. DeWalt kits usually represent good value, impact driver is a common power tool these days,
and spare parts are easy to get. With batteries that slide and it’s excellent for driving in screws. However, a
onto the bottom of the tool’s grip, many DeWalt tools drill can do the same job and, in certain materials like
have slightly smaller and better-contoured handles than concrete, the impact driver would shatter the material.
their competitors. This makes them a more comfortable Right-angle drills are very useful if you’re working in a
choice for makers with smaller hands. For the average tight space, but are unwieldy in normal use. The same
workshop, a drill with a reverse and hammer function, a applies to other tools like die grinders and mouse-style
jig-saw, and a multi-tool will be the essential kit that you’ll electric sanders.

23
Ultimate Workshop

FEATURE

LEFTY LOOSEY, RIGHTY TIGHTY

When it comes to screwdrivers, there are a mind-
boggling number of choices to make. For electrical
screwdrivers, it’s difficult to fault Wera’s offerings.
Its Kraftform fixed (hsmag.cc/KraftformFixed)
and interchangeable (hsmag.cc/KraftformChange)
screwdrivers are precise, strong, and ideal for
general workshop use.
› For smaller items, Wera offers a basic Kraftform
Micro Precision set (hsmag.cc/KraftformMicro),
although for the serious maker who’s looking to
repair modern electronic devices, it’s difficult to
ignore the excellent iFixit Manta Precision set
(hsmag.cc/iFixitBitSet).
› Spanners are another tool where there are literally
thousands of options, but for general open spanners,
the Draper Expert series (hsmag.cc/DraperExpert)
offers a reliable spanner with a handy coloured finish
that makes it easy to identify different sizes.
› Wera’s Allen keys (hsmag.cc/WeraAllen), socket
sets, and Torx wrenches have a similar colour-coding
scheme that makes it very easy to pick the right tool
when you have several on the desk.

Above
It’s often said that you should buy the cheaper version of a tool
first to see whether it suits your workflow, then get the higher-
quality tool if you find it useful. This might be true for unfamiliar
tools, but for ubiquitous items like screwdrivers and spanners, go
for the expensive tool first. These are tools you’ll always have a
use for, and buying quality pays off

24
 FORGE

ELECTRONIC DREAMS
A lot of nonsense and snobbery exists in the
electronics world about which tools you should be
using – especially when it comes to multimeters.
If you’re working in an industry where a tenth
of a volt is enough to ruin your plans for global
domination, then you should really look into buying
a very expensive set of calibrated tools. If you’re an
enthusiastic tinkerer or working on general repairs,
a basic multimeter is going to be absolutely fine. › If you’re likely to be working on battery packs,
Thirty years ago, the first item to land a battery welder (hsmag.cc/SeesiiWelder) is
on an electronics workbench after the absolutely necessary. It might appear to be
soldering iron and multimeter would be a CRT a niche product, but it offers a solution that
oscilloscope. These days, an oscilloscope is nothing else can really achieve. Trying to solder
much smaller, much less expensive, and works a LiPo cell with a conventional soldering iron will
over a USB connection. For a basic unit, damage it, so mechanical contacts or welding are
something like the Hantek USB oscilloscope the only real choices you have for joining cells
(hsmag.cc/HantekOscilloscope) is fine for into a pack.
everyday use. › For soldering, an SMD rework station that
combines a heat gun and a soldering iron
(hsmag.cc/KatsuWelder) is great for desktop use.
The air gun is an extremely useful tool to have on
the desktop, making fast work of small jobs like
applying heat-shrink tubing or bending plastic
pieces to shape.
› A USB microscope and borescope are useful
additions to a soldering station, particularly if
your eyes aren’t as sharp as they used to be.
Seeing clearly into confined spaces can make all
the difference to a soldering job.

TOMORROW’S TECHNOLOGY TODAY

We are fortunate enough to have access to a few Laser cutters are similarly useful for creating
tools that simply didn’t exist when our parents short batches of repeated shapes, engraved designs,
or grandparents would have been building their or accurate cuts on flat sheets. If you have a need
workshops. An obvious example of this is the 3D to do this sort of activity on a regular basis, a laser
printer, which is one of the most versatile workshop cutter is a superb (although very expensive) addition
tools if you know how to use it correctly. While to your workshop.
desktop 3D printers typically produce plastic or resin Lastly, the often overlooked workhorse of many
parts, their strength isn’t really in the production of workshops is the computer. Having reliable computers in
finished parts. Their true strength lies in their ability your space to control machinery and do general work on
to create jigs, frames, supports, temporary tooling, is incredibly important. The best advice about computers
and moulds for other parts that radically simplify the is to keep multiple off-site backups of important data,
processing of other materials. You can create moulds and don’t put all of your effort into building a single
for casting, jigs and templates for accurate drilling and computer that does everything. Keep your computers
cutting, or even just shims and spacers to keep parts separate so that a single failure doesn’t take down the
accurately positioned. whole workshop.

25
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How I Made: The Raspberry Pi SDR Cyberdeck

FEATURE

HOW
I By TOM MLADENOV

MADE W
hether it is tracking
stratospheric
weather balloons,
mapping out radio
beacons or receiving

SOFTWARE
weather images
from satellites, RF (radio frequency)
continues to fascinate me. What seems

DEFINED
so far is always within reach. Many of my
activities in this field require dedicated
setups and separate equipment, which
adds some logistical overhead, and hence

RADIO
I started pondering the idea of having an
all-in-one tool that I can use to navigate the
RF spectrum for any possible application

CYBERDECK
and use it in the field. It would make use
of software-defined radio (SDR) to allow
using it for different purposes, ranging
from listening to voice transmissions from
the International Space Station and other
satellites, to worldwide amateur radio
traffic on the short-wave (SW) frequencies
between 2 and 30MHz, for instance.

28
 LENS

“THE UNIT NEEDED TO HAVE BASIC I/O

FEATURES THAT ANY MODERN SIGNALS Above
The Raspberry Pi

INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM WOULD HAVE”

SDR Cyberdeck

The unit would use a Raspberry Pi and would have. It needed to be

host a suite of interesting SW applications waterproof, able to be taken
to allow browsing the RF spectrum with it airborne, run on internal or
and decode various digital signals, including external power, and have both
weather balloon beacons, ship or aircraft internal and external antenna
transponders, and Automatic Packet connections. The latter would
Reporting System (APRS) signals used by allow usage in a wide variety
radio amateurs to bounce radio packets of deployments.
around nationwide repeater networks. With For the enclosure, I decided it should fit
that initial idea, I set out to create what easily in a backpack and should be smaller
was to become my Swiss Army knife for than a shoebox. I settled on the Peli 1200
the RF spectrum. Protector Case, which measures 241 × 185
× 105 mm, offers IP67 rating, and has a
ENCLOSURE AND pressure relief valve. The ‘Pelicase’ is fitted
POWER SOURCE with a front panel frame holder from Peli,
As with many of my projects that I use in which is held in with self-tapping screws
the field, it needs to be sturdy, resilient, from the inside. This frame will support the
and have a high degree of autonomy. The user panel that will house the screen and
unit needed to have basic I/O features that control panel. The front panel holder frame
any modern signals intelligence system is fitted with brass inserts to allow

29
How I Made: The Raspberry Pi SDR Cyberdeck

FEATURE

Left
Front panel bus
switches and indicators

“THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS

TO LINE THE WALLS OF THE PELICASE
WITH ALUMINIUM TAPE”
bolting the front panel to it. Since the unit FRONT PANEL
will be used for RF operations, the first The major components that needed to be
order of business was to line the walls of accommodated on the front panel were
the Pelicase with aluminium tape to shield the touchscreen, I/O ports, switches,
the sensitive external antennas from noisy and speakers. Since all electronics of
components inside the cyberdeck, as well the cyberdeck unit needed to be easily
as to not reveal the unit’s RF signature in accessible from all angles, I decided to
covert operations. For the battery pack, an build the internals in such a way that the
Anker PowerCore 20100 power bank was whole system stack would be attached
used as it is a well-known and reliable to the back of the front panel, much like
power bank, ideal for this application. how the avionics in cockpits of aircraft
Two DS18B20 digital sensors were also are done. This way, when you pull off
fitted to the battery pack with thermal the front panel, the whole system comes
silicone. Two clamps were made to fit out and can easily be worked on, rather
around the battery pack, which each had than it being inside the box and difficult
Below a lug that attached it to threaded inserts to access. This also meant that this front
Power bank fitted in the
aluminium-lined Pelicase on the front panel holder. panel needed to be sturdy and not flex
under the weight of an electronics stack
that it is supporting.
I therefore settled on a 3 mm thick
sheet of aluminium that my friend kindly
CNC’d for me with all the required
fittings. I drew the front panel in
Inkscape and exported as SVG. The
front panel measured 237.5 × 182.9 mm
and was finished with a matte black
anodization along with some white
markings. The main rectangular cutout is
for the 7-inch touchscreen.
The top section of the front panel
shows a number of markings that depict

30
 LENS

Left
Side view of the finished
stack showing the two
RTL-SDR receivers on
the top

the external connections on the top side THE STACK

of the unit. Later on, however, the external As previously mentioned, the electronics
layout would change a bit, leaving some stack is a big sandwich that is attached
markings inaccurate, but nevertheless, I to the front panel. The stack starts with
left them this way. The bottom section the Raspberry Pi 7-inch touchscreen
of the control panel houses the speakers mounted on the back of the panel. It
and main power bus controls, as well as has four convenient M3 threaded points
two USB ports. The control panel looks to further build the stack using brass
complicated, but it’s really not that bad. standoffs. Due to mounting the capacitive
The RC switch controls the power source, touchscreen to a big slab of aluminium,
which is set to either J1 for external power the touchscreen needed quite a bit of
or INT for internal power. The switch recalibration later on in the software
marked J1 selects which external power configuration and setup process. On top
is used, either A, which is the regulated of the screen sits the Raspberry Pi Model
5 V DC input via USB or B, an unregulated 3B with, attached to it, another DS18B20
9–36 V DC input. digital temperature sensor, like the ones
The switch marked CHG is to select fitted to the battery pack. The Raspberry
which external power source (A or B) Pi has been fitted with a common
to charge the internal power bank from. heatsink. I decided to completely drill
The final two switches on the right are to through the holes in the heatsink and
power up the on-board computer, marked then mount the Raspberry Pi to the
OBC. And finally, the switch to power on standoffs that are attached to the back
the monitor is on the far right and marked of the touchscreen. On the cover plate
MON. Several power indicators show if that tops off the stack are two RTL-SDR
the main bus has power, if the battery receivers mounted with brackets. The
is charging, and which external power two SDR receivers each have a coax
sources are detected. A headphone jack connector going to an external
is available to connect a headset. N connector for attaching antennas.
The front panel is mounted using M4 On the side of the stack is a DC-to-DC
nuts in marked locations, and since this converter that converts the externally
front panel has to be detached many times, supplied unregulated 9–36 V DC to 5 V DC
I decided to use hex nuts to lessen the for all subsystems. When using internal
chance of damaging them over time. Two power, this unit is not used, as the power
rack handles are mounted to the front panel bank already provides a clean 5 V DC. The
to make it easy to detach from the unit. electronics of the stack are connected

31
How I Made: The Raspberry Pi SDR Cyberdeck

FEATURE

Above Right to the rest of the unit, with one big cable unit between the two N-style connectors.
Side panel for power
and Ethernet connections harness going to the unit’s enclosure and For power, I found these multi-pin
battery pack. military-style connectors online which are
quite nice as they feature a bayonet-style
CONNECTIONS connect and disconnection method. This
Since RF is at the heart of the operations multi-pin connector serves as external
of the unit, several external RF power input, but has some unused pins
connections have been added. The top to allow connecting external control units
side of the unit features two N-style or even sensors to the I2C bus of the
RF connectors which are bolted to the Raspberry Pi. Finally, a chassis mount
chassis with four screws, making them RJ45 connector allows us to connect
very rugged. The right side of the unit a network cable which passes through
features two SMA connectors: one is to the Raspberry Pi’s Ethernet adapter.
currently used for attaching a WLAN The external connectors feature caps to
antenna to the Raspberry Pi, and the protect them when not in use – they also
other is unused and available for future have two rack handles mounted on either
Below Right
Usage in headless
use. The last RF connection is also side to protect them further.
mode located on the right side of the unit and
provides a way to attach an external SOFTWARE
Below active GPS antenna. If no external GPS I wanted to be able to operate the unit
Main panel showing
all subsystem data antenna is connected, the unit relies on in mainly two modes: a desktop mode,
and status
its internal ceramic GPS patch antenna, where the user controls the opened
which is located on the top side of the unit using the front panel, and secondly,
a headless mode, where the unit’s
touchscreen would be off altogether,
and the closed unit would be operated
remotely via RJ45 hardline or a phone.
Headless mode would, for instance, be
used when the unit is inside a backpack
or in the trunk of a car. From the software
point of view, I also wanted the unit to
run a control server that would expose
an API over HTTPS via endpoints to allow
easy integration with other systems. I
created a server and client application
with Python and FastAPI that runs locally
on the Raspberry Pi.
 LENS

“THE FRONT PANEL NEEDED

TO BE STURDY AND NOT FLEX
The GUI features all actions that
the user can perform and talks to the
control server using HTTP requests. For
remote connectivity from a phone, the
Raspberry Pi runs a VNC server to which
UNDER THE WEIGHT OF AN
ELECTRONICS STACK”
the phone connects over Wi-Fi, allowing
control over the same screen session
from a phone or other computer in the
network. Various applications can be
Above
started from the GUI, which all use the way to power off the Raspberry Pi’s USB FIrst signals on short-
RTL-SDRs to browse the RF spectrum. hub using a piece of software called wave radio bands

The popular gqrx software is used as a uhubctl, which reduces the DC power
Above Left
general radio spectrum browser, allowing consumption by around 100mA. The unit Field operations
demodulation of various analogue and has an autonomy of between 7 and 18
digital signals as well as viewing them hours with the Anker PowerCore 20100
on the spectrum waterfall. For tracking power bank.
radio stations, the unit uses the Xastir
software, which is able to take positional THE FIRST SIGNALS IN THE FIELD
information from various sources and plot I took the unit out on a field trip to test
them on a map for situational awareness, the various functions. The gqrx software
as well as plot the GPS position of the reads the baseband I/Q stream from the
unit. The Xastir software is primarily dual RTL-SDR receivers and performs
used for APRS information display a fast Fourier transform (FFT) which it
from radio amateur stations. Since all plots on the screen in function of time
these applications run in the same VNC in the form of an RF waterfall. I attached
session, I can connect to it from my a longwire high-frequency (HF) antenna
phone and use it in the same way as to test the short-wave reception. Tuning
I would use the front panel, which is to the amateur radio bands, we can
handy when using the unit in headless see various signals ranging from Morse
mode, as mentioned earlier. Other basic code to voice transmissions and listen
functions that are directly accessible to them. Far away from human-made
from the GUI are the backlight level, interference, the unit shows very clean
volume level, on-screen keyboard, and spectrograms with crisp and clear
rapid unit shutdown. A series of coloured reception. Since there are two radio
indicators show the status of the various receivers in the cyberdeck, I can
subsystems. To reduce the system monitor two entirely different bands at
power consumption, I found a smart the same time.

33
Tom Ranson

m
INTERVIEW

o
T ns
HackSpace magazine meets…

Tom Ranson
Bringing dinosaurs back to life, digitally

T
om Ranson is a 3D visualisation

a
specialist at the Natural
History Museum in London.
This means that it is his job to
scan anything that is or was
part of the natural world, from

R
dinosaurs to herring ear bones, and many,
many things in between. Most of these scans
are for researchers, but that doesn’t mean
they’re locked away in digital ivory towers.
Tom shares some of the Natural History
Museum’s digital treasure-trove on Sketchfab
at sketchfab.com/NHM_Imaging. There,
you can find scans of some of the museum’s
most iconic animals, including Dippy the
diplodocus and Hope the whale.
We got in touch with Tom to find out what
goes on in the vaults under the Natural
History Museum, and to learn what it takes
to digitally preserve some of the rarest
natural specimens around.

34
m on
LENS

ns
Above
A Diplodocus skull
doesn’t fit easily on
most 3D printers, but
that doesn’t mean
you can’t print it

35
Tom Ranson

m
INTERVIEW

o
T ns
HackSpace Thanks for talking with So, I can do anything, from tiny If we can reduce the number of times
us, Tom. Can you tell us a bit about to a massive whale. And that just that objects like that have to come out of
your setup? encompasses everything that’s in my lab. collections, then we can cut down on risk
and do more with what we have.
Tom Ranson I’ve got three different HS That’s epic! What happens next?
scanners in my lab. Presumably you don’t generate 3D files HS Wow. Obviously, you don’t need .01 of
We’ve got two scanners from a just for the sake of it? a millimetre when you’re scanning a blue
company called Creaform: the Go!SCAN whale, right?
20, and the Go!SCAN Spark is a brand- TR From there, we can either send the
new one that just turned up this month. data to researchers, or we use it in- TR No, it completely depends on what
They are basically just flashing a house for our own research. My room the data is being used for. A lot of stuff
pattern at an object and then reading is sort of split in two: one half is my big that comes through my lab are teeth, to
that pattern something like 30 times a staging area where I teach and I scan. study the micro-wear on them. And it’s
second, so the deformation in the pattern And then the other half is just where the to try and work out whatever this animal
gives the machine the information it 3D printers are. So I’ve got a Formlabs might have eaten; you can analyse the
needs to know about what’s going on Form 3+. I’ve got two Prusa MK3S. I’ve wear on the tooth, and then match that
on the surface. That plugs into a laptop, got an Elegoo, a £200 SLA printer, and up to likely wear from greenery and
and the scanner plugs into a battery an UltiMaker. whatnot, and take a guess as to what

a
pack I can wear. So as long as I can get I’ve got a stone slab here, with some they ate.
to every part of an object, I can just carry fossilised footprints in it. The idea was I only started working here in August
on walking. I could just scan a massive that I scanned it and printed it, and then 2022, and one of the things that I quickly
object just by walking around it. We’ve it goes to production, who can make a realised is that this is the Natural History
used these objects to scan, for example, mount for it without ever having to touch Museum, and it’s all of natural history.

R
Hope the whale, the massive blue whale the actual specimen. So it saves it from It’s not just a bunch of dinosaurs: we’ve
skeleton that’s in the Hintze Hall. coming in and out of [storage] all the got everything. We’ve got an entire tower
The next thing up accuracy-wise, is time. And, of course, if they drop this, I that’s just skulls and skins, of every
a laser scanner, which is attached to just print another one. species that has existed.
a granite table. It’s technically mobile, We’ve got a lot of things that we call
because the table has wheels, but it’s a bit HS So, rather than having this priceless, holotypes, which is the reference object
difficult to move around. That’s accurate 500 million-year-old piece of fossil on that people would come to us for. And
down to .01 of a millimetre, so 10 microns. someone’s workbench, they can make a you go in there – it’s just floor after floor
So, I scanned, for example, an Iguanodon copy and make their mistakes with that, of floor-to-ceiling cabinets, like rows and
femur which is probably just over a metre until they’re ready to use the real thing? rows and rows, and you pull one open.
in length. And I can image that And there’s just the skin of the
whole thing in about 15 minutes. animal and a skull of the animal,

”
And then the next thing down, for cabinet after cabinet.
which can scan even smaller I’m trying to We’ve got the holotypes for a lot
objects with higher accuracy, is of Australian species. One of the
something called the Alicona
make the world cool things that I get to do with
Infinite Focus microscope, which that little bit that is that a lot of Australian
is basically just a microscope with smaller and researchers will get in touch with
a bunch of lenses. And it takes a me and say ‘I need to analyse
make science a

”
whole ton of images, like 2–300 this particular taxonomy, can you
images in the Z-axis, the up and little bit bigger help?’ and then I scan it to .01 of a
down, and then stitches together, millimetre, make the data into a
gets rid of everything that’s out of lovely high-definition mesh, and
focus, keeps everything that is in focus, then send it to them. I can do that all
and then it can stitch that as a 3D object. TR Exactly. Amongst our specimens within a day, and it saves their 18-hour
I used that microscope to scan a herring in the collections, we’ve got stuff, for flight from Australia to come and visit
otolith, which is the ear bone. That’s example, Charles Darwin’s personal fossil our collections. I’m trying to make the
about 3 mm in length, and I scanned it collection, which is insured for millions world that little bit smaller and make
and then printed a 15-centimetre copy. and millions of pounds. science a little bit bigger.

36
m on
LENS

Below

s
When looking at the
scan, Tom realised
that there’s a tiny
Abraham Lincoln
sitting on a USA
one cent coin

nAbove
The 3D model is
generated as you
scan, so you can see
if there are any
bits missing

Right
The blue laser line
is scanning the 3D
shape of this
printed dinosaur

37
Tom Ranson

m
INTERVIEW

o
T ns
Ra
38
Above
Unlike the laser
scanner, this scanner
can create full-colour
models of whatever
it’s scanning
m on
LENS

HS That’s awesome. That reminds if someone watched me do surface

me of the coronavirus, when the scanning, I think that in itself is a really
researchers working on the first mRNA interesting process. It just looks cool.
vaccines hadn’t actually looked at the
virus itself – they just got a copy of its HS You mentioned the Creaform
gene sequence in an email. scanner. How different is that to, say,
Are you trying to scan everything in the scanning capability you might get
the collection? out of an iPhone? I don’t want people
to think, ‘Oh this is very cool, but you

s
TR I would love to scan everything in need a massive budget to do it.’
the collection, but we’ve got hundreds of
millions of specimens. I don’t think it’ll TR The difference is the speed and
happen in my lifetime! I would love to the accuracy of the tiny area that
do that sort of thing. it’s scanning. So the Creaform hand

n
What I want to try and do is let scanner is a £30,000 scanner. And
everybody know about the science that it’s accurate to .1 of a millimetre. The
we’re doing. Millions of people come FaroArm is the one that goes a bit
through these doors every year. And it’s further. And it’s designed specifically to Above
This portable scanner can be taken to scan
definitely not something that I realised, track small objects. objects wherever they are in the museum
but the footprint of the museum, there The wonderful thing about all of
is that [amount of space] again in the the hardware that I have is that I’m model and stitch all of those together.
basement full of labs. not using them in the way that the The iPhones have lidar scanning
We do so much science here that I designers have intended at all. So, sensors in their camera setups now
just never realised. I’d love to be able to when we ask for help with scanning anyway. So you could do a pretty decent
get out to the public with the stuff that specific things, their engineers have no room-scale scan with an iPhone in a
I’m doing. There are a couple of things idea how to help us. So we have a lot of standard room. [With] the accuracy
that we’ve got coming up. For example, back and forth between them to help that an iPhone can afford you, the room
some of our researchers want some of optimise their streams. would look quite nice. But when you
the data of the Triceratops and start to try and scan, for example,

”
the T. rex skulls that we have out something down to like the sort of
on display. And the conservation tiny sizes, the Creaform is tuned to
team were going backwards I would love to be able to pick something up like
and forwards for like a month, scan everything in that. Whereas the iPhone starts to
trying to solve problems like, lose the detail of what you’ve got.
how do we get them down?
the collection, but The FaroArm is a £90,000
How do we get the data off of we’ve got hundreds scanner, that’s like another step
them, they’re very fragile. If we of millions up. The advantage of a scanner

”
move them, they might break.
of specimens like that is that the laser is
And then, I randomly got looped attached to an arm with a whole
into the email chain sort of late bunch of encoders in it. So the
on and I just said, ‘Give me a software has a couple of streams
cherry picker. And I’ll go up there with So the Creaform scanner uses these of information: the software knows
my laser scanner. And I’ll just scan it.’ little tiny reflective dots that you put a exactly where the scanner is in 3D
And then they’re like, ‘Ah, but it’ll have bunch of them around the object and space, because the scanner is bolted to
to happen before we open because we then the scanner is watching those and the table. And then you’ve got all of its
open at 10am every day.’ tracking where it is in 3D space, while encoders telling you where the scanner
I could feasibly have done it before it’s being moved around. It’s running at is. So then it doesn’t have to worry
we opened, but I wanted to rope the 30 or so frames per second, and taking about positioning any of the images
area off and have some people from a photo and looking at what it can see that it takes, because it already knows
the public side of things, talking to as a model and seeing what dots it can where it’s looking. All it needs to worry
the public about what I’m doing. I’ll see. So, then it can use what dots it can about is a blue laser line, and there are
answer questions, and we’ll do it all out see to understand where on the model about 2000 points across the line that
in front of the public. Because I think that is, and then use the colour of the it measures.

39
Tom Ranson

m
INTERVIEW

o
T ns
And it’s measuring those at about HS At the moment, virtual reality, out into the world virtually, and give
25 times a second. So, you’re getting sorry, I mean spatial computing, is people the opportunity to play with
hundreds of thousands of points very much in the tech news following without risking the specimen.
coming into the software. It’s accurate the release of the Apple Vision Pro.
to .01 of a millimetre. Do you expect that to change the work HS Is there much difference in the way
I always have little handling models you’re doing? you scan an object if it’s for VR vs if it’s
in my lab. When you look at the for 3D printing vs if it’s for research?
collections we have and the hardware TR It’s another tool that just sort
we have in the labs, that combination of augments what we can do. It’s TR Not in the way that we approach
makes us probably the best in the world something that I’m really passionate the scanning. The only difference is
at what we do. Because you can come about. Before I worked here, I worked the degree that I would go to with the
to our labs and get access to almost at the University of Suffolk and I built post-processing of the model. With
any species that you want, through a Virtual University for the university the scanning that’s happening here,
all of mankind’s history, and get an staff. We had DK1 Oculus headsets, so because the accuracy is all the way
incredibly detailed look at the surface, that was right at the beginning. down to .01 of a millimetre at its highest

a
the internal structure. resolution, Joe Public would never

”
need that out of a mesh. And
HS What are your top three to be honest, the polygon count
models in the museum’s You can come to of a mesh that I produce would
collection for 3D printing? our labs and get immediately crash any game if

R
you tried to play it.
TR There are a few things that
access to almost So, if it were for a researcher,
I’ve scanned that are coming to any species that you they would want measurements
light that haven’t gone on to the want, through all of down to fractions of a millimetre.

”
Sketchfab yet that I really like. One
mankind’s history If it were to go into a game engine,
of the ones that I’ve just scanned, then I would have a polygon limit
simply because it’s such a vast slab that I’d work to or the complexity
– because fossil is rock, so it’s huge of the geometry.
and it’s just immovable. And the surface is This data that we’re scanning in the
actually fossilised dinosaur skin. We think lab can be used with VR, because at the HS You release some of your models
that it was a very keratin-rich animal to end of the day, I’m making an STL, or an on Sketchfab. How do you decide what
have its skin fossilised like that, but it’s OBJ file. to release?
the most well-preserved bit of dinosaur Before I did any of this, my actual
skin that has ever been uncovered. That degree was in digital film production TR Up to this point, it’s been kind of ad
will be going on to the Sketchfab at some – animation and suchlike. So I’m very hoc. What I would love to do is to have a
point, and it’s one of my favourites. The familiar with building those sort of point where I’m obviously doing custom
model is kind of nice; it’s very tactile environments that you can plug into – scanning jobs for people and requests
to run your finger across. The idea that you’ll notice the HTC VIVE headset in the that come in, but also just have a constant
it’s dinosaur skin blows my mind. But I corner of the room. So it’s something that working with the curators for interesting
would say my absolute favourite, because we’re looking towards because it’s really models just coming through the lab. I
it’s my favourite animal, and it’s one of easy. I’ve got terabytes of surface data can digitise them, and then they go off on
the most complete specimens that exist of models and skeletons and stuff and I Sketchfab. Because, unless it’s owned by
in the world, is Sophie the Stegosaurus. could just drop it into Unity. somebody who specifically doesn’t want
We’ve got all of the data for Sophie. She’s Within 20 minutes, you could make a the data to get out or department-sensitive
the most complete Stegosaurus fossil VR experience of picking up specimens. research, there’s no reason. I have a
skeleton in the world. And that is very It would be incredible to take all vision that, in the future, there will be just
satisfying to print out. It’s a nightmare to the objects, 18 million specimens or thousands and thousands of specimens
do it successfully, and you have to do it in something on site here, to be able to take – just stick a headset on and go and play
tiny pieces. a fraction of the locked-away specimens around.

40
m on
LENS

ns
Left
Download your own
virtual dinosaur from
sketchfab.com/
NHM_Imaging

Below
This mammoth tooth
was scanned to
identify wear on the
teeth so researchers
can work out what
it ate

Above
This snake skull
was CT scanned
while still inside the
snake. This way,
researchers can
handle the skull
without damaging
the specimen

41
Objet 3d’art

REGULAR

Objet 3d’art
3D-printed artwork to bring more beauty into your life

42
 SPARK
LENS

T
here’s nothing new about the concept of print-
in-place. You print a mechanism in one go so that it
moves in the way you want it to, straight off the build
plate. These boxes have print-in-place latches for
holding them shut, but there’s also another trick – the
red band around the top is a flexible filament that provides a
seal when it’s shut. These are joined to the PETG (for the box
with orange latches) and PLA (for the box with white latches).
Both of these boxes are exactly as they came off the print bed,
with no post-processing or assembly. They’re not water-tight,
but it’s a lot more sealed than most 3D-printed boxes that we
have made.
We printed this on the Prusa XL. Turn to page 90 for details of
our in-depth review of this new printer.

hsmag.cc/pipbox

43
Letters

COLUMN

Letters ATTENTION
ALL MAKERS!
If you have something you’d
like to get off your chest (or
even throw a word of praise
in our direction), let us know at
hsmag.cc/hello

AUTOMATIC MAKING
I’m just getting started on my journey as a maker and I can’t decide what my
first ‘big’ machine should be – a laser cutter or a 3D printer. I know 3D printers
are much more common, but I’ve seen some cheap laser cutters online, and
they look like they can do some impressive work. Any advice?

Anuj
Birmingham

Ben says: Laser cutters are much more serious than 3D printers.
We’re pretty concerned about the huge number of unenclosed
laser cutters that are on the market at the moment. The laser
beams that come off these can blind instantly. Yes, they usually
come with goggles, but these typically leave gaps around the
eye. Not only that, but anyone passing by a window is at risk.
And this is before we consider the risk of fumes and smoke
coming off them. It’s not impossible to add these features
yourself if you have the skills and experience, but it’s not
something you should do lightly.
A laser cutter might be cheap, but a safe laser cutter is
going to cost a bit more and needs some thought into its set
up (particularly with ventilation).
As to what you should get – they are very different machines
with different pay-offs, so it’s hard to say without more
information on what you want to do. 3D printers can be slow,
but they can do an awful lot. Laser cutters are much
more limited, but they’re much faster. There
are also far more downloadable designs for
3D printers.
Our general advice, though, would be that
if you can do what you want to with a 3D
printer rather than a laser cutter, then a 3D
printer is probably the best choice.
They’re safer, easier, and have a bigger
community behind them.

44
 SPARK

TURN UP THE VOLUME

When I was a lowly undergrad in computer science, we
learned about volumetric displays. They seemed like the
future, and I was pretty sure that in a few years we’d see them
everywhere. Fast-forward 20 years, and I haven’t seen one until
flipping through the top projects section in issue 75. They still
look like the future, while also looking a bit like the past.

Mary
Warwick

Ben says: Retro-futurism is the style of art – or perhaps

design – of things in the past that were meant to look like
an imagined future that never came. Think of space-inspired
architecture, or perhaps The Jetsons. Here we are in 2024 –
our cars don’t fly, we eat food not pills, and our houses are
still mostly made of bricks and mortar.
I can’t tell you if volumetric displays are an idea whose time
is about to come or an unsuccessful branch on the technology
family tree. I can tell you that they look awesome and fully
deserve their moment in the spotlight. Perhaps if we all spend ELECTRONIC SPORT
the next few weeks searching for volumetric displays on our Rob Miles talks of robot rugby. I
favourite search engine, some tech executive will notice the really hope this is going to include
trend and commission some awesome-looking hardware. Ellis Genge facing down a Boston
Dynamics-inspired cyberman. Come to
think of it, a Doctor Who / Six Nations
crossover is probably what we need to
cheer us up this spring.
Dave
Bristol

Ben says: One thing I really like

about rugby is that to make a great
team, you need a lot of different
players. You need different skill sets
and different body shapes. A team of
huge, strong people can be given the
runaround by a team that also has
some faster (but less strong) players.
But likewise, a team of fast players
crumple beneath a team that also
includes some strong players. In order
to be a good rugby player, you have
to learn to play to your strengths,
whatever they are, and play alongside
people who have different strengths.
I think this makes it an interesting
discipline for engineering.

45
 200 PAGES OF RASPBERRY PI
QuickStart guide to setting up The very best projects built by
your Raspberry Pi computer your Raspberry Pi community

Updated with Raspberry Pi Pico Discover incredible kit and

and all the latest kit tutorials for your projects

Buy online: magpi.cc/store

FORGE
HACK MAKE BUILD CREATE
Improve your skills, learn something new, or just have fun
tinkering – we hope you enjoy these hand-picked projects

PG

52
OMNI-BOT
Go forwards, backwards,
sideways, diagonally
PG
48
SCHOOL OF
56
PG

MAKING
SMART MOTOR Start your journey to craftsmanship
with these essential skills
Strap an RP2040
to a stepper motor 48 Leather-work

PG

62
MAKE MUSIC
WITH PICO
Beep beep BEEEEEEEPPPPPP

PG

68 74
PG

BATTERY COLOUR PRINTING

POWER Get the most out of a multi-filament
Make your projects portable 3D printer
Leather craft – an entry-level exploration

TUTORIAL

Leather craft –
an entry-level exploration
If you have a resolution to try something new,
why not consider experimenting with leather craft?

Y
ou won’t be at all surprised to learn we will be making useful accessories using leather
that leather-work is an ancient craft, scraps, offcuts from other people’s leather projects/
possibly one of the oldest known production if you will, which is an easy, cheap,
to humankind. We talk a little later and arguably eco-friendly way of sourcing these
about its extraordinary history, but crafting materials. We procured a box of leather
the purpose of this tutorial is to show scraps for an unbelievably (for the huge amount that
Nicola King how easy it is to take some tentative steps into arrived) cheap price of £10.99 online (e.g. hsmag.
the world of leather handling and manipulation. It’s cc/LeatherScraps), but also be aware that you can
Nicola King is a
freelance writer and one of those skills that is reasonably inexpensive to come by similar remnants and snippets from local
sub-editor. She’s looking experiment with too – it has its own set of tools and leather goods stores, upholstery shops, or even
forward to the new techniques, of course, but once these are purchased shoe factories or handbag and belt manufacturers.
year, new possibilities,
new opportunities… and mastered, leather craft is an engaging and unique We really don’t want or need to be buying large
and plenty of making, kind of pastime. pieces of expensive leather to get underway, and it’s
creating, and hacking!
We’ll take you through some very basic leather much better for leather scraps to be recycled into
crafting, using a reasonably thin and, therefore, easy- something useful than to end up in landfill, so do
to-work-with leather, and we’ll be making a bookmark some local research and see what may be available
and simple key fob. The beauty of this project is that in your area.

A (VERY) CONDENSED HISTORY OF LEATHER-WORK

The timeless tradition of leather-work will arguably be Through the centuries, leather started appearing
just as popular in centuries to come as it has been over in bags, belts, harnesses, saddles, and so on. In 17th-
thousands of years already gone by. In its earliest form, century Italy, it was used as wallpaper! Aside from
the basic needs for protection from the elements and just tanning leather using fats and oils and tree bark,
clothing drove our ancestors to think about how animal to name but a handful of the early tanning options,
QUICK TIP skins and hides could be best utilised. From Egypt, to craftspeople started to paint, dye, mould, carve, and
Greece to Rome, where Romans utilised leather to make stamp leather, as the material’s uses evolved. During
Be aware that too sails for their boats, leather was employed for multiple the Enlightenment, furniture, hats, and fancier shoes
much exposure purposes as people recognised just how versatile it could emerged, while the Industrial Revolution, and the
to direct sunlight be. The oldest leather shoe that’s been discovered thus consequent forms of machinery that advanced with
can affect natural far is reputedly 5500 years old, and was unearthed in an that, transformed the leather production process in
leather, potentially Armenian cave (hsmag.cc/OldestLeatherShoe). There’s leaps and bounds. Specifically, chromium tanning
damaging it, as also evidence that our Stone Age forebears used bone was introduced in the mid-19th century, and this
can extremes scrapers to make leather and pelts. It’s safe to say, used a tanning agent called chromium sulphate, as
in temperature. therefore… this is a very old craft! During the Bronze Age opposed to the older vegetable tanning processes.
Just try to keep and the Iron Age, people continued to look for new uses This new, much cheaper, take on tanning vastly sped
your leathers at a for leather, and jewellery and protective shields started to up the process and made the finished leather much
constant, stable include this natural textile. more flexible and supple.
temperature and
you’re good to go.

48
 FORGE

YOU’LL NEED
A self-healing
cutting mat

Scrap pieces of
leather

A craft knife /
rotary cutter
PROJECT ONE: DON’T FOB ME OFF
Above Below
This key fob is an uncomplicated and almost Our finished We used a rivet Awl, leather
effortless project, and would make a great gift. The bookmark and key to fasten the end of needle, and
fob – definitely only the key fob, and it waxed thread
thicker the piece of leather that you use, obviously a dip of the toe in the worked a treat. For (hsmag.cc/
world of leather craft, a first effort, we were
the sturdier the key fob will be, but it really depends but an enjoyable one pretty pleased
LeatherKit)
on the types of scraps you have been able to source.
A steel ruler
Our leather piece was thinner and, therefore, easy to
cut with a rotary cutter. First of all, decide how long Cutting
templates
you want the fob to be. We cut a piece of leather
(optional)
22 cm in length by 1.5 cm wide on our cutting mat,
as we’ll be folding the piece in half eventually, and Scissors
the width needs to fit neatly through our keyring. Strong glue
Use your steel ruler to measure and cut against, e.g. a superglue,
or one specified
being careful to cut away from yourself at all times for leather
for safety reasons. If your mat has a grid, use that to
help you keep your lines straight. Rivets / hole
punch / hammer
Once you have your piece of leather, you can (optional)
neaten the sides using some sandpaper, and just keep
sanding until the edge is smooth. Once you become Keyring

a little more advanced, you can use something called Sandpaper

an edge shave / edger to gently cut shave away the
Edger
edge to help round it off. You can also purchase some (optional)
tools to gently burnish the edges, which adds a very
Leather punch
professional look on thicker pieces of leather.
pricking tool
This helpful video gives more insight into the (optional)
technique: hsmag.cc/EdgeBurnishing.
Lacing/stitching
When you're ready, fold your piece in half, turn
punch and
over one end so that you can place the keyring on, hammer
and then you can glue the ends on top of each other. (optional)
Hold in place while the glue sets, and you’re ready Die-cuts, as a
to attach some keys. Alternatively, make some holes trimming
and use a rivet to tightly secure the pieces together. (optional)

49
Leather craft – an entry-level exploration

TUTORIAL

TYPES OF LEATHER YOU CAN WORK WITH

There is a wide spectrum of leathers to choose from, Faux leathers can look incredibly like the real
so let’s examine some options: thing, and come in a very convenient wide range
of colours, which is also a plus point. This author
• Genuine leather (from an animal hide) can come has also found that it goes through her die-cutting
in various different ‘grains’, and this refers to the machine pretty easily with her dies that use
composition and appearance of the hide, the layers steel rule technology (such as Sizzix ‘Bigz’ dies),
of hide included in a piece of leather. Generally, and is very easy to cut with just a regular pair
full-grain leather from the top layer of the hide is of scissors. The major downsides are that PVC,
the best-quality leather. Depending on the quality of which is usually what this is made from, is not as
the leather, items made from real leather can last a tough or durable as genuine leather, so will peel
lifetime. Proper care and maintenance can help to and crack much faster, it’s not breathable, and it is
keep the attributes of leather intact, so conditioning also not eco-sustainable as it is made with plastic
it with an oil or conditioner wipe when it becomes materials derived from the petroleum industry.
dry, and keeping it clean and away from direct • In addition, you could also consider vegan leather,
sunlight and salt water are important for it to stand which tends to be made from cork, leaves, or other
the tests of time. organic compound materials. Like faux leather, it
• Faux, or plastic, leather (sometimes called pleather) has poor durability and workability, can have high
is a much cheaper alternative to genuine leather, production costs, and its feel and quality can
and perhaps a more acceptable material for use by fall short. However, it comes down to personal
anyone who does not want to utilise natural leather, choice at the end of the day, so follow your own
for maybe their own personal or ethical reasons. convictions and instincts.

PROJECT TWO: BOOKMARK THIS ONE a stitching punch tool, and then we’ll add a few
Below Left
These pronged stitching The dimensions that we chose for this piece were stitches. If you are going to do the same, make
punches are a useful 5 cm by 20 cm. Cut your piece on your mat using sure you have a thick mat under your work so that
toolbox addition. The
choice of which to use will your knife or rotary cutter, again using your steel your surface doesn’t get damaged. Choose your
depend on the look you
are trying to achieve but,
ruler to cut against. You may find, when cutting punch, hold it where you want the holes to be (we
for information, these have leather, that it takes a few passes to cut through it chose to place a line at the top which we drew with
a spacing between each
prong of 3 mm depending on its thickness. This is fine, just take a pencil first), and then tap the top with a hammer
even strokes and take your time to cut out your – one swift tap should be all you need to pierce the
Below Right shape, as we want a nice clean edge if possible. leather, but thicker leather may take more work.
A colourful selection of
leather scraps of various Once cut, you can sand the edges if you wish or We then sewed through those holes for decorative
thicknesses, many of which burnish them. purposes with our durable thick waxed thread,
are a really good size for
creating small accessories Next, let’s think about adding some decoration. which is easy to sew with as the wax causes less
with. Inexpensive, they are
also great to practise your
One really useful tool for budding leather crafters friction as you sew, so it glides through the fabric
leather craft techniques on is an edge stitching groove tool, which you can use very easily. Next, we die-cut some leather pieces
to create a groove in your leather in which you can and hot-glued them as an embellishment, but you
then make stitching holes with your awl/punching could sew those too. Finally, we also decided to
tool, or you can just use it to make grooves along add a tasselled bottom to the bookmark, so just
edges simply as a decorative feature on your made some 5 cm length cuts to the end.
piece (hsmag.cc/GrooveTool). We’re just actually So, treat yourself to some basic tools and some
going to make some holes in our bookmark with leather scraps and see where it takes you.

QUICK TIP
Edge marking pens
are a great way
to apply an edge
colouring or dye to
the sides of your
leather project to
give it that finished,
pro leather-
worker look!

50
 FORGE

Above
Faux leather on the left and real on the right – the texture of real WHAT TO MAKE WITH
leather is coarser and not uniform, and it also has a much more
distinct smell. If you press real leather with your finger, it will LEATHER SCRAPS
stretch like skin, unlike the faux alternative

Let’s be honest, we have to paddle in the shallow end when we first start a new craft.
You can even sew scraps together to make a larger There is absolutely no point in trying anything too challenging, as failure is a sure-fire
piece that you could make a bag from, for example. way to lead to you throwing your attempted makes out of the window, while vowing
You can hand-sew the pieces, or use a more heavy- never to bother trying to create anything again. So, let’s consider some simple starter
projects and designs which can do nothing but further inspire you to continue your
duty sewing machine to attach them together, if the
leisurely leather activity. Plus, they use small scraps of leather, thus using up your
leather is soft enough and not too thick.
precious resource in the most effectual way possible:
Making such accessories is a great way of
recycling leather offcuts and, if you don’t want to • Simple jewellery – for example, rustic bracelets, necklaces, and earrings
use real leather for whatever reason, faux leather • Luggage tags (it’s useful to know that you can purchase templates for all of these
is always an option. You can also investigate kind of makes, such as hsmag.cc/LeatherTemplates – just make a search online)
embellishing your makes once you become a little • Credit/debit/business card wallet, or small purse
• Phone case
more advanced – stamping is one route. Or, you
• Double-layer leather coasters (stitching two layers together)
could paint your leather or apply some leather dye • Glasses case
to it before you cut your shape out. Go ahead and • Scissors case
make some accessories that can last a lifetime.

QUICK TIP
Join a leather-work
community forum,
Left
or find a local
A small selection of maker space where
must-have leather craft others are having a
tools, including waxed
thread and an awl which go at leather-work.
you can use to make Speaking to other
small holes in your fabric. keen makers for
Inexpensive leather sewing
kits can be found online useful tips is
(hsmag.cc/LeatherSewing) always worthwhile.

51
 Raspberry Pi: Mecanum robot with sensors

TUTORIAL

Raspberry Pi:
Part 02

Mecanum robot
with sensors
Expanding on our mecanum robot project, add a distance
sensor to avoid crashing into obstacles. Learn how
collision avoidance is used to make driving safer

T
he mecanum robot in the earlier tutorial taken between the signal being transmitted and
Stewart
MAKER

(MagPi issue #135, magpi.cc/135) could be the response received can be used to work out
Watkiss
controlled with a gamepad. If you didn’t the distance to an object.
Also known as react fast enough, then it was quite easy to crash Figure 1 shows the HC-SR04 sensor used for
Penguin Tutor. A the robot. Adding an ultrasonic distance sensor this project. There are different models of the
Maker and YouTuber
means that the robot can automatically stop HC-SR04, some of which can work down to 3.3V.
who loves all things
Raspberry Pi. Author before colliding with a wall or other object. This circuit is based around the 5V version for
of Learn Electronics The sensor used is similar to those found in car maximum compatibility.
with Raspberry Pi. parking sensors. The robot senses the distance to
penguintutor. objects in front and automatically stops forward
com movement when an object is too close. With
Sensor signals
@stewartwatkiss additional code, this could be used as the basis of
a robot that could navigate a maze.
02 In addition to the power supply, the
HC-SR04 semsor module has two pins for an
input and output signal. The trigger needs to be
You’ll Need sent a short 10µS pulse to start the measurement.
Ultrasonic distance sensors
> H
 C-SR04 Ultrasonic 01 There are various different sensors that
The transmitter then sends eight sonic bursts and
the reciever listens for an echo.
distance sensor
can be used to detect distance. The one used here After determining how long it took to receive
magpi.cc/hcsr04
is based on ultrasonic distance measurement, a response at the receiver, the echo pin is then
> 3
 30 ohm resistor and works by emitting an ultrasound signal and raised high for a length of time proportional
magpi.cc/330r
then listening for an echo response. The time to the distance. This is shown in Figure 2.
> 4
 70 ohm resistor The output from the echo pin is 5V, which is
magpi.cc/470r too high for the GPIO pins. Therefore a resistor
voltage divider can be used to drop the signal to
approximately 3.3V.

Wiring the distance sensor

Figure 1. The HC-
SR04 module has 03 The distance sensor needs a 5V power
a transmitter and
receiver. It sends out supply. As the robot can have up to 6V, this is
ultrasonic pulses connected after the diode used to connect to the
and detects an
echo response 5V pin on your Raspberry Pi.

52
 FORGE

An ultrasonic distance
sensor is used to detect
the distance of objects
in front of the robot

A resistor voltage divider

is used to protect the GPIO
pins from the 5V signal

The distance sensor needs to be connected V x (R2 / (R1+R2))

to two GPIO ports. The chosen pins are GPIO
5 (physical pin 29) for the trigger, and GPIO 6 … which is approximately 3V. This is the signal
(physical pin 31) for the echo. that is passed to GPIO 6.
The trigger pin works with a 3.3V input signal
so is connected directly to the GPIO pin. To drop
the echo signal from 5V to 3.3V you need two
Using PiGPIO
resistors. If using USB for power then there is not
much space for these, but they can be squeezed
05 GPIO Zero is used to control the motor
into the gap between the USB connector and the driver and can also be used for the ultrasonic
motor drivers as shown in Figure 3. sensor. Using its default native pin configuration
GPIO Zero can communicate with most sensors
Figure 2. Waveforms
with acceptable performance. For the ultrasonic showing signals
used to trigger the
ultrasonic sensor
Resistor voltage divider
04 The breadboard diagram shows the
and the received
distance signal

resistors with long leads, which are needed to

get them to fit into such a tight space. This
makes it difficult to see how it is wired, so the
schematic diagram of the voltage diagram is
also shown in Figure 4.
The output is from pin 3 of the HC-SR04, which
goes through a voltage divider created by R1 and
R2. The voltage is shared across these resistors
proportional to their resistance. The voltage
across R2 will be:

53
Raspberry Pi: Mecanum robot with sensors

TUTORIAL

dist_sensor.distance

The returned value is in meters. The maximum

distance set in the code is 0.09, which works out
as 9cm.

Using Pygame Zero

08 The earlier version of the robot software
was written as a command-line Python program.
One issue with that is that the code would stop
Figure 3. Wiring running whilst waiting for the next key press.
diagram with the This means it is not possible to check for a
resistor voltage
divider squeezed in potential collision whilst the robot is moving.
between the motor
An alternative is to use Pygame Zero, which
driver and the USB
power connector can create a GUI application which can respond
to keyboard presses as well as regularly checking
sensor the timing is critical, and using the native the value from the distance sensor. It also
THE MAGPI library can give incorrect results. Instead, you provides a way to create a graphical screen
can use PiGPIO. This allows direct memory access which can be controlled using a mouse or
(DMA), which reduces the requirement on the touchscreen. A screenshot is included in
processor. To use PiGPIO the PiGPIO daemon first Figure 5.
needs to be run as root, and then the appropriate
pin_factory needs to be set in your Python
program. The daemon is started using
How to code for Pygame Zero
sudo pigpiod
09 The main difference with Pygame Zero is
that instead of running the program in sequence
This tutorial is the code is event-driven. The main way that
from The MagPi, code is run is through two functions draw() and
the official update() which are each called approximately
Raspberry Pi
Using Python Pin Factory
magazine. Each
issue includes a
06 With the pigpiod daemon running, then
60 times per second (depending upon computer
performance). The draw() function is used for
huge variety of the device factory can be set within the Python displaying the interface on the screen and the
projects, tutorials, code. First, you need to import the PiGPIOFactory update() function normally handles any other
tips and tricks to library from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import code that needs to be run.
help you get the PiGPIOFactory. Then set the pin_factory using: It is also possible to set code that runs when an
most out of your
event occurs which in this example is the on_key_
Raspberry Pi.
Device.pin_factory = PiGPIOFactory()
Find out more at
Figure 4. Schematic diagram showing the wiring between the
magpi.cc GPIO pins and the ultrasonic sensor. The two resistors form a
This will then use PiGPIO for all devices that voltage divider reducing the voltage
use the GPIO pins from GPIO Zero.

Measuring the distance

07 To measure the distance first create a
DistanceSensor object:

dist_sensor = DistanceSensor(echo=6,
trigger=5)

The distance can then be queried by looking at

the distance property:

54
 FORGE

down(key) function which is called each time that

a key is pressed on the keyboard.

The update function

10 The collision avoidance code is included
in the update function. The code detects if the
distance is less than the minimum distance. If
it is then it also checks that the robot is going
forward, otherwise you would end up with a robot
that couldn’t reverse either. included on the module PCB to allow mounting, Figure 5. A very
basic GUI display
The code includes error handling by placing but due to their small size compared to the has been created
checks for the sensor inside a try block. If the resolution of the 3D printer these were not used, using Pygame Zero.
This allows the
code in the try block has an exception, then and the board can be held with a small amount sensor code to run
regularly to check for
instead of crashing the program it will ignore of tape or adhesive putty. The bracket is shown a possible collision
the rest of that block and call the except block in Figure 6. You can download the code and 3D
instead. In this case, if the sensor isn’t detected, designs from magpi.cc/robotmecanum.
then it prints out an error message. For a different chassis, it may be possible
to drill holes for the sensor or make your own
bracket using thick cardboard.

Running the code

11 To run the code then it needs to be run
using pgzrun. This can be done using Pygame
Zero mode in the Thonny editor, or by running on
the command line using:

pgzrun mecanum-pgz.py

The program can still be used with

AntiMicroX to allow the robot to be controlled
using a gamepad.
If you get an error, then make sure you started
pigpiod first, as mentioned earlier.

Mounting the sensor

12 Finally, you will need somewhere to mount
the sensor. If you are using the 3D-printed
chassis then there are mounting holes included
for a printable bracket. There are small holes

Figure 6. The bracket is designed to screw to the front of the

chassis to mount the ultrasonic sensor
KiCad: Making a smart stepper motor

TUTORIAL

KiCad: making a
smart stepper motor
In this section of the KiCad series, we adapt our earlier minimal RP2040 design
to create an ‘Urumbu’-style stepper motor control board

U
rumbu is a mechanical concept motors (or theoretically other actuators) that have
created by Neil Gershenfeld of MIT, been adapted with an embedded microcontroller
which concerns creating multi-axis to run directly via USB connectivity. This means
machines simply, sidestepping that, potentially, we can sidestep using G-code, and
some common approaches, and perhaps even avoid CAM altogether. Imagine building
leveraging the development of a machine where you perhaps parametrically define
Jo Hinchcliffe computers. The go-to standard for many machines the output object and the script, or perhaps Python
Jo Hinchliffe (AKA for many years is to feed them G-code line by line, application, directly calculates the geometry of the
Concretedog) is a constant using some kind of G-code sending application to form and directly controls the rapid prototyping
tinkerer and is passionate stream the lines into a controller. This, in turn, drives machine connected to a convenient USB hub. This
about all things DIY space.
He loves designing and the individual stepper motors to move the relevant article won’t cover all that, but it’s well worth reading
scratch-building both axis. It’s a solid system, but it harks from an era the article Minimal Machine Building, which you can
model and high-power
where parallel processing capabilities were rare and download from hsmag.cc/urumbu.
rockets, and releases the
designs and components incredibly expensive. You can also look around the Fab Lab depository,
as open-source. He also Urumbu is interested in streamlining the making of where you can find projects that have used the
has a shed full of lathes
and milling machines machines, reducing both the cost and the complexity. Urumbu approach, like this excellent pointing
and CNC kit! In simplified terms, it essentially uses stepper machine: hsmag.cc/point.

56
 FORGE

A NEW START
Let’s create a separate copy of a KiCad project to work
on. Open the Minimal RP2040 project we created, and
then simply click File > Save As. We can then create
another folder on our system and save the project into
it with a new name. If you then open this folder in a
file management application, you will see that all the
KiCad-generated project files (the .sch and .pcb etc.)
have been renamed to the new project name. We can
also tidy and delete files which are specific to the old
project and not relevant to the new project. For example,
we won’t be using the Gerbers, the CSV position and
BOM files, as these will be different for the new project.
Similarly, the edge-cut SVG that we created in Inkscape
for the Minimal RP2040 project won’t be used, so can be
deleted. It’s worth mentioning: make sure that you are in
the right project folder before you start deleting files!

As the concept for Urumbu stepper motors is

to use USB for control, the RP2040 IC is a great
candidate for powering a driver board. There have
been examples in the Urumbu community using

”
NEMA 14 motors, which are convenient in the
fact that they can often be controlled and powered
by USB 2.0 and above. However, most small Potentially, we can Left (opposite page)
The finished PCB
experimental rapid prototyping machines tend to sidestep using G-code, attached to a NEMA 17
stepper motor
use the larger NEMA 17 class of stepper motor.
Check out any smaller home- or office-use 3D printer,
and perhaps even avoid Above

”
smaller desktop CNC router, or hobby pen plotter and CAM altogether An Urumbu-style
smaller NEMA 14
you’ll find NEMA 17. motor with a CNC-
milled, SAMD11-
With NEMA 17 as our target, the first port of call is based board attached
to find some mechanical dimensions and make some
fundamental decisions. Looking at datasheets for
NEMA 17, we find that the outer dimensions of the
package are 42 by 42 mm, and that they have a set

57
KiCad: Making a smart stepper motor

TUTORIAL

Figure 1
A NEMA 17 outline
graphic laid out in
Inkscape is imported
as an SVG into the
minimal RP2040
example to see what
area we are
playing with

Below Right of M3 bolts through the assembly in the corners In the schematic editor, we first deleted all the
Creating a custom
symbol for any of the of a 31 mm square. As we plan to use the minimal GPIO breakout header sections as they weren’t
various similar form- RP2040 circuit example as the basis of this project, needed. We then used the symbol editor to create
factor stepper motor
driver modules it was a good starting point to draw up a NEMA 17 a custom symbol for our motor driver module (we
footprint and drop it into the minimal RP2040 design covered creating symbols in the early parts of this
to see how things look (Figure 1). KiCad series). With the symbol created, we then
We drew up a quick NEMA 17 footprint in Inkscape connected it to the RP2040 using labels to keep the
and imported it to the edge cuts layer in KiCad using general schematic sections easier to read.
File > Import > Graphics. It was obvious that we
would have to reduce the size of some aspects of
the minimal RP2040 layout, but not unreasonably. We
wouldn’t need all the GPIO pins broken out, so there
were some easy space-savings to be had. There was
probably just about enough room to also lay a motor
driver IC and peripheral components on the board, but
an early decision was made to actually use a module
for the motor driver section as then the board would be
compatible with a range of motor drivers. This meant
it was necessary to expand the board dimensions in
one axis. With this basic feasibility worked out, we set
about editing the schematic to create our new project.

58
 FORGE

Figure 2
KiCad’s workflow
means that we can
often simply add
generic component
symbols to a schematic
and worry about which
actual component each
one will be later

One difference with running a NEMA 17 rather

than a NEMA 14 is that although you could, in a STARTING A WAREHOUSE
slightly limited fashion, run the motor at 5 V from
One way to avoid some of the component problems we have had in these projects is to
a beefy USB supply, it’s likely you might want to
pre-order components to be held ready for use in your project. This is sometimes referred
run it from a larger external voltage. Most of the to as a ‘virtual warehouse’, where you can buy an inventory of component stock and hold
common stepper driver modules have the ability them until you are ready to place them onto a PCB assembly. This functionality is already
to do this, and have a ‘VM’ pin into which you can built into your JLCPCB account and you can simply, once signed in to your account, move
connect an external supply. We wanted to retain the to the ‘Parts Manager’ page. On this page, you can use the ‘My Parts Lib’ to view and to
ability to use either USB or VM, so we needed to add to your personal parts library. You can buy both Basic and Extended parts, and you
add a connector for an external supply and a diode can also pre-order out-of-stock extended parts for when they are hopefully restocked. For
Basic parts from the JLCPCB parts warehouse, you have a minimum order requirement.
to protect the USB side of the system when the
However, basic parts are much less likely to go out of stock and, if they do, they are likely
external supply was used. One of the great things to have an alternate similar part available. One thing you need to know, though, is that
about KiCad, that we may have mentioned before, is these pre-purchased parts are only for use in assembly services – you can’t suddenly have
that the workflow of separate schematic symbols to your library of parts mailed to you as a component order.
which you then assign a component footprint means If you are creating a project and you think you are going to have a long development
that we don’t have to work out exactly which diode time where component stock might be an issue, this can be a great option for your peace
of mind.
we are going to use at this part of the process. We
can simply place a diode symbol and wire it into the
schematic and consider the package later (Figure 2).
In addition to our motor driver, we wanted to add
two header sockets connected to GPIO and ground
to which we could attach switches to act potentially
as limit switches to provide feedback and control
options for any machines that we might develop
with these motors. Again, we simply added these to
the schematic.
With our adapted schematic largely complete,
we set about making decisions on component
choices and we also began to check previously used
components were available. This is where things
can get very tricky and time-consuming when using
PCBA services. We were glad to see

59
KiCad: Making a smart stepper motor

TUTORIAL

that the RP2040, the Winbond flash chip, and the socket required a different footprint, and we used
Figure 3
A new USB connector 12MHz crystal were still in stock with JLCPCB. the approach of downloading the JLCPCB EasyEDA
has been identified We also took the time to check that the smaller footprint and uploading it to the Wokwi EasyEDA to
and the footprint
created by converting components, the capacitors and resistors, were all KiCad converter site, which again worked flawlessly
the EasyEDA example
on the product page
also in stock. (Figure 3). See earlier sections of this series for more
However, the USB socket and the 3V3 voltage examples of this in use.
regulator we had used previously were no longer in The new USB connector had some through-hole
stock. Both of these are high turnover items and, chassis components, but was listed as an SMD. This
at one point in this process, we couldn’t identify concerned us, as the PCB assembly service charges
any 3V3 voltage regulators in any package that quite a bit more for through-hole than surface-mount,
were suitable for our project. We also found some but the part was attached via the single side surface-
challenges in that there would be a regulator listed, mount services without problems.
but not enough information available either in the Having struggled to identify a suitable voltage
listing or sometimes in the specific component's regulator in any package at one point, having left
datasheet to actually make a decision on whether to the project for a couple of days we then found
include the part. With items like voltage regulators, different stock available in the JLCPCB parts library
it’s fair to say that LCSC, the company that is the and managed to find a drop-in replacement regulator
back end of the JLCPCB component warehouse, is which would sit on the same SOT23 footprint. It’s
continually changing and adding items and stock. definitely worth triple-checking the footprint and
What can appear a huge problem one day in your pinout of any swapped components to ensure that
search results can suddenly have half a dozen more your wiring still works.
options in a couple of days' time. With most of the problems solved with regards
We eventually found replacements for all our to components, we set about editing the PCB
non-stock components. The replacement USB layout. We needed to make the minimal RP2040

60
 FORGE

Left Below
When trying to
minimise redesigns
and faced with
component changes,
you’ll spend a lot of
time using the
search options!

Left Above
The complete
Urumbu RP2040
PCB layout

WHOOPS-A-DAISY
In the spirit of failing out loud, we’d like to share a huge error we made in the
production of this PCB. As you’ll read in the main text, we decided to use motor driver
modules rather than designing around a particular motor driver IC, as this meant we
have lots of flexibility and redundancy with regard to motor drivers potentially going out
of stock. The motor driver boards like the TMC2208 module, the DRV8833 module, and
the A4988 module all share a common footprint with 16 pins, in two rows of eight pins in
2.54 mm spacing.
We didn’t have the spacing between the rows, but a friend had a module on their desk
and we messaged them for some dimensions. They sent me a collection of pictures with
callipers held to the board, and also the module placed into a breadboard. We quickly
counted across the breadboard to see how many columns wide the module was. It’s six
layout more compact to fit within the NEMA 17 columns wide across the pin rows. When laying out the simple footprint for the module,
we set the grid to 2.54 mm in the footprint editor and then drew one column of eight pins.
footprint, and so we moved the actual RP2040 and
We then counted across six rows and laid out the second column. Of course, that is an
crystal upwards, decreasing somewhat the distance error: counting six rows across makes a module that would span seven columns of a
between it and the USB socket. Sometimes, in breadboard, and is therefore 2.54 mm too wide. The simplest things are often the worst!
reworking a PCB like this, the grab function is quite The challenge with this sort of error is that they are not the kind of errors that can be
handy, where you can select a track, or a selection detected by the DRC system, as connectivity to this simple footprint looks correct to
of tracks and components, and then use the ‘G’ the system. Only when the assembled PCBs arrived did we realise the error. Of course,
this has been revised in the repository, so if you download this project, the footprint is
hot key rather than ‘M’ and, instead of simply
correct. For the small number of boards we had manufactured, the horrid workaround is
moving the objects, they are grabbed and the track
to slightly angle in the header sockets to bring them close to correct and then insert the
connectivity remains which the tracks can move. module. Crude, but allows us to use the boards. We think it’s fair to say that everyone
This rarely results in a neat set of tracks in our will make mistakes; if and when it happens to you, try not to beat yourself up too much!
experience, but it can be useful to create a quick
new routing which you can then manually edit
to neaten.
With the PCB design complete, it was the usual
case of creating the Gerbers, BOM, and positional
files for the project and uploading to JLCPCB. After
a short production and delivery of the assembled
PCBs, we created a standoff design for 3D printing
using FreeCAD, and then the boards simply attach
to a NEMA 17 using some longer M3 bolts. If you
are interested in replicating these boards or playing
with RP2040 Urumbu-style approaches, download
this project from hsmag.cc/issue76.

61
Building a modular Synth part 4: Enveloping

TUTORIAL

Building a modular
Synth part 4: Enveloping
Getting softer edges on our notes

I
n this article, we really hit the first big In order to do this, we will have a multiplier that
problem of the series. So far, we’ve looked we apply to the input audio signal to get it to the
at generating tones and control voltages. right volume for this section of the envelope.
These are fairly straightforward problems We need to read in the current value of the audio
on a microcontroller. In this issue, however, channel, apply the multiplier to it, and then output it.
we are going to read in an audio signal, This is the same basic way any audio effect can be
Ben Everard manipulate it, and then output it. applied. Instead of multiplying it, we could filter it,
The particular module we’re going to look at this delay it, or do something else entirely.
Having given up learning
the trombone in school, month is an enveloper – this takes an audio input There are two basic ways we could try to perform
Ben has very little and a trigger. When the trigger is activated, it lets this on the Pico.
musical skill. However,
the audio signal through. However, it’s not just an
he very much enjoys
making noise. on/off. It attempts to mimic the volume profile of a 1. Batch processing. We could use the direct memory
real instrument, where the volume varies over time. access (DMA) feature of the RP2040 microcontroller
Most envelopers follow a similar four-phase profile: to read in a set number of data points at a set timing
interval, then process them all, and then output
1. Attack, where the sound quickly ramps up to them, again using DMA to time the outputs.
Above
Each potentiometer its maximum value
also needs a small 2. We could put everything in a tight loop where we
hole for a prong that
stops it rotating 2. Decay, where it drops down to the sustain level read in one value, process it, and then output it.

3. Sustain, where the sound keeps playing at a Option 1 is theoretically much higher performance.
constant level as long as the trigger is active The DMA allows us to do the processing while
the capture is going on, so all three (reading data
4. Release, where the trigger is removed and the in, processing, and sending data out) can all go on
sound drops away completely in parallel.

62
 FORGE

Option 2, however, is much easier, but it’s only

MCP3008
worth it if we can run the read-process-output loop
fast enough. We used a stand-alone MCP3008 ADC. These don’t need supporting circuitry, and we
connected ours dead-bug-style by gluing it upside down and soldering wires directly onto
HARDWARE the pins. You do have to be a bit careful to make sure you get the right pins.
Before we can work out which option we want to We need four of the eight analogue channels. Each one needs to be connected to a
potentiometer. Each potentiometer should have three pins. The pin on one end should
use, we need to select our hardware.
go to 3.3 V, the other end should go to ground, and the middle should go to the input pin
For the audio input, we want the fastest analogue- on the MCP3008.
to-digital (ADC) converter we can use, and this is the When looking down on the MCP3008 from the top, the left hand row of pins are the input
on-board ADC. channels 0 to 7 (with 0 being closest to the notch). On the right hand side, from the notch,
For audio output, we’ve been experimenting there are two power pins that go to 3.3V, ground, clock, data out, data in, NOT chip select
with two options. The 8-bit resistor ladder is really and ground. Clock, data out, data in and NOT chip select go to Pico pins 10, 12, 11 and 13.
fast, but the lack of bit-depth will mean the audio
is distorted at low levels. The MCP4725 I2C DAC
we’ve used previously will give us better quality but I/O pins to program your own peripherals, and are
Below Left
will be slower to output. We’ll see if we can output capable of implementing I2C at the full high-speed This is the messiest
data fast enough. (3.4MHz) data rate. Fortunately, there’s a library to build of all the
modules so far – it
We also need to add some user inputs to control help us do it: hsmag.cc/PIOI2C. might be time to
create a PCB
the shape of the envelope. We want them to be able This gives us a few ways of writing out data, but
to define the length of the attack, decay, and release using the simplest option (a blocking write), we can
phase as well as the volume of the sustain phase. get a data rate of around 24kHz. This isn’t great for
This means we need four additional analogue inputs. audio, but it’s fast enough to prove the concept.
We could use the on-board ADCs for two of these, Most of the time is taken up with overheads around
but this would slow down the speed at which we’re starting and stopping the transfer, so we suspect
able to read in the main audio input, so we’ll use a we can get some significant speed-ups here if we
separate SPI ADC – the MCP3008. need to in the future, but for now, we’ll crank along
This module depends entirely on our ability to at this speed.
output data from the DAC quickly enough. The good All the code for this module and the rest of the
news is that the MCP4725 supports the high-speed Pico modular project is in the GitHub repository:
version of I2C which runs at 3.4MHz. The bad github.com/benevpi/PicoModular.
news is that the I2C controller on the RP2040 only At its heart, the program is really simple. We’re
supports the fast version which runs at 400kHz. just modifying the data and sending it out as fast as
400kHz might sound like a lot, but it takes 30 data we can. The main loop that does the enveloping is:
points to output a single value, so that meant the
maximum speed we could output data was about while(true) {
13kHz. And it would be slower than this because adc_raw = adc_read();
there would be additional overheads. output = (uint16_t)(adc_
The RP2040 has a trick for speedy I/O: raw*multiplier);
Programmed input/output (PIO). These are i2c_buff[1] = output >> 4;
programmable bits of logic that you can attach to i2c_buff[2] = output << 4;
err = pio_i2c_write_
blocking(pio, sm, PIN_HS_ENABLE, 0x62, i2c_buff,
3);
}

This reads in the value from the audio input and

puts it in the appropriate place in the three-byte buffer
for the I2C write (the 0th byte is the write-to-output
command). We need to change the 12-bit number
into a number split across two 8-bit sections, so we
first shift it back by four bits in the first byte, and then
shift the remaining four bits up four places for the
second byte. Since i2c_buff is uint8_t, any leftover
bits get lost, and we only keep the ones we need.

63
Building a modular Synth part 4: Enveloping

TUTORIAL

MULTIPLIER //sustain stage

Above
You can solder onto The only thing left to do is calculate the multiplier. while(true) {
the pins of an upside- We need to do this without impinging on the main if (gpio_get(PIN_TRIGGER) == 0) {
down chip, but you do
have to be careful not loop at all. Fortunately, with RP2040, we can do this sleep_ms(50);
to snap them off
easily by running it on the other core. if (gpio_get(PIN_TRIGGER) ==0) {
break;
void core_one_loop() { }
int attack; }
int decay; sleep_ms(50);
int sustain;
int release; }
while(true) {
//read trigger //release stage
if(gpio_get(PIN_TRIGGER) ==1) { for(int i=1;i<100;i++) {
//really simple debounce multiplier = (((float)sustain/
sleep_ms(50); (float)1024)/(float)100) * (float)(100-i);
if (gpio_get(PIN_TRIGGER) ==1) { sleep_ms(release/100);
trigger_state = 1; }
//let's get the state of all the pins multiplier = 0;
attack = read_analogue(ATTACK_CHANNEL); }
decay = read_analogue(DECAY_CHANNEL);
sustain = read_analogue(SUSTAIN_CHANNEL); }
release = read_analogue(RELEASE_CHANNEL);
}
multiplier = 0; // it should already be }

printf("multiplier: %f \n", multiplier); This loops around continuously, waiting for the
trigger pin to go high. There’s a very rudimentary
//attack stage debouncing system where it pauses for 50
for(int i=1;i<100;i++) { milliseconds, and if it’s still high, it triggers the
multiplier += 0.01; enveloper. While this is very rudimentary, it has the
sleep_ms(attack/100); advantage of being very predictable timewise. It
} shouldn’t need much debouncing because this won’t
be triggered by a mechanical switch, and it’s unlikely
multiplier = 1.0; this could be triggered by accident, but we thought
we’d put it in just to be safe.
//decay stage First, we have to call the read_analogue function
for(int i=1;i<100;i++) { which pulls the current values from the external
multiplier -= (1024-sustain)/(1024*100); analogue inputs. These should return a value
sleep_ms(decay/100); between 0 and 1024.
} The attack, decay, and release sections are all
quite similar. We loop through 100 times and change
the multiplier appropriately each time, and just add a

64
 FORGE

suitable delay. It could be done a bit more regularly,

I2S Below
but of all the accuracy issues with this enveloper, Each potentiometer
this isn’t huge. needs power to one
We’ve used an I2C DAC for this project that was never side, ground to the
The sustain section holds the current multiplier really intended to stream a signal in the way we’re other, and the signal
is the middle pin
until the trigger is released. Again, it has a simple using it. There is a different type of DAC designed for
debouncer. exactly this type of situation, which uses a protocol Below Left
We now need to assemble everything and plug called I2S. I2S is designed to take precisely timed We used an Adafruit
module for the
samples and output them at the right time.
it together. Once the DAC (see image caption) and MCP4725 DAC. To
The problem we have with this is that most hobbyist- hook this up, you
the ADC (see box) are wired up, you just need to level I2S DACs come paired with a class-D amplifier. need to connect
connect the audio to GPIO 27. You should now VIN to 3.3 V, GND to
Class D amplifiers output a PWM signal, so we can’t ground, SCL to GPIO
be able to connect it up with the rest of the Pico then feed the output of them into a new module. 1, SDA to GPIO 0,
This might be an area that we’ll look at again in the and VOUT to output
modular system.
An example setup would be to use Pico future, especially if we find a DAC that would be a good
fit for this project.
MIDI to generate sound. The CV of this should
go to PicoVCOGateless, and the Gate should
go to PicoEnveloper Trigger. The output of
PicoVCOGateless should go to the audio input of current form, this enveloper is dredging the
PicoEnveloper, and the output of PicoEnveloper bottom of that bucket. As far as we can tell, it
should go to your amplifier. is all asking a bit too much of the power supply
Throughout this series, we’ve said that and this is introducing unwanted artefacts into
we are not looking to make a high-end synthesizer. the audio. So, next issue, we’ll see if we can
We are aiming to make an affordable modular synth smooth that out a little and work on improving
to use as the basis for experiments. However, in its the audio quality.

65
 PLAY
& CODE
GAMES!
RETRO GAMING WITH

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BUY ONLINE: magpi.cc/store

Don’t forget the batteries!

TUTORIAL

Don’t forget
the batteries!
How to power a single-board computer or microcontroller with a battery pack

Phil King
Phil King is a freelance
writer and sub-editor
specialising in technology.
The former books editor
for Raspberry Pi, he
is also the author of
Chromebooks In
Easy Steps.

W
hile you would typically
power a single-board
computer or microcontroller A common use case is when you want to supply
through its USB socket power from some sort of battery source, which
(whatever the type), it is could be standard alkaline or rechargeable NiMH
also possible to power batteries (typically AA size), Li-ion cells, or a LiPo
most boards from a source wired directly to battery (see ‘Battery types’ box, overleaf).
their 5 V power and GND (ground) pins. This For instance, you can power a Raspberry Pi SBC
includes all the Raspberry Pi SBC models, along with using a power HAT or SHIM to connect a LiPo
microcontrollers such as Arduino, Pico, and ESP32/ battery. You could even use a coin cell if space is
ESP8266 boards. That’s what we are going to explore really tight.
in this tutorial, looking at the pros and cons, including The direct-to-pins route may also be appropriate
Above Right
It’s advisable to use the risks – you don’t want to see that magic smoke! if you want to power multiple parts of a project,
a voltage regulator such as motors and servos in a robot, from a single
between the power
source and board. WHY DO IT? source – which could be higher voltage than you
Here, we’re using Depending on your project, there may be various need for the board, in which case you’ll need a buck
a Pololu S7V8F5 to
maintain a steady reasons why you would want to power the main (or step-down) converter to regulate the voltage.
output voltage of controller board directly via the pins instead of the We’ll take a look at some options for that later, but
5 V to a Raspberry
Pi Zero main USB power port. first we’re going to do the ‘wrong thing’!

68
 FORGE

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

Figure 1
Yes, in most cases, you really can just wire up a Wiring diagram for
suitably rated battery source to your board’s 5 V connecting a battery
pack directly to Pico’s
and GND pins to power it. This basic method is not VSYS and GND pins –
not ideal, but it
without its risks, however. does work
For one, unlike when using a USB power port,
Below
there is typically no power regulation or fuse A small selection of
protection on the GPIO pins of a board such as regulator boards.
From left to right,
a Raspberry Pi to protect it from overvoltage or a Pololu S7V8F5,
current spikes which may damage or even destroy it. Adafruit PowerBoost
500C, and DiP-Pi PIoT
You have been warned! You also need to ensure you for Raspberry Pi Pico
connect the pins the correct way around – reverse
polarity is not good.
VOLTAGE REGULATORS
Still, for starters, we’re going to try powering
a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller and then a While you could always build your own DIY regulator circuit, using resistors in series as
Raspberry Pi Zero SBC using this method, just to a ‘voltage divider’, it’s more convenient to buy an off-the-shelf voltage regulator board.
check that it works. There’s a wide range available, suitable for almost every need.
The lower power requirements of these two A step-down (or buck) converter will reduce an input voltage to produce a lower output
boards do make it easier to supply them from a voltage; for instance, 5 V to 3.3 V. Conversely, a step-up (or boost) converter will increase
an input voltage to produce a higher output voltage. Due to Ohm’s law, this affects the
battery source, compared to larger, more power-
relative current level of the input and output; in a step-up converter, the output current
hungry boards like the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5. level will be reduced. Also, as no converter is 100% efficient, you should expect to lose
Using a standard 3 × AA battery holder (available some of the overall power level in the process.
from most electronics suppliers) with three 1.5 V There are versatile boards, such as the Pololu S7V8F5 regulator that we used, that can
alkaline batteries, we used a digital multimeter to step an input voltage up or down to maintain a set output voltage. Lower-cost regulators
measure the output voltage at a shade under 4.5 V, are available, but a key factor to consider is the tolerance of their output voltage – if it’s
10% on a 5 V output, it could creep up to 5.5 V, which is above the maximum 5.25 V input
but this may vary according to the newness and type
voltage for a Raspberry Pi SBC (the Pico is more tolerant).
of batteries. If you use rechargeable NiMH batteries,
you may well find the voltage is lower, around 3.6 V
– so if you really want 5 V, you’ll need to use a 4 ×
AA battery pack instead (don’t do that with alkaline
ones, unless you’re using a buck converter to reduce
the voltage).
We will then connect the battery pack’s (red) power
line to the Pico’s VSYS (5 V) pin, then the (black) ground
line to a GND pin (Figure 1). We’re using standard
jumper wires for this basic test, but there will be a
slight voltage drop depending on the thickness and
length. Ideally, thicker 18AWG wires should be used.
With the wires connected to the correct pins, Pico
should power up. An easy way to check is to first
install a simple script to blink its on-board LED. With
the Pico loaded with MicroPython and connected to a
computer, save the following code as main.py (so it
autoruns when powered up).

69
Don’t forget the batteries!

TUTORIAL

from machine import Pin

from utime import sleep

led = Pin('LED', Pin.OUT)

while True:
led.toggle()
sleep(1)

You should then see the Pico’s green LED blinking

Figure 2
Wiring diagram when you connect your battery power source.
of a battery pack Since the Pico can work from a supply as small as
connected to
Pico’s pins via a 1.8 V, there should be no issues getting it working
voltage regulator
from even fairly low-capacity batteries. A board such A HIGHER POWER
as a Raspberry Pi single-board computer or Arduino
is a different prospect, as it has a narrower voltage If you need to supply a more demanding board such as
a Raspberry Pi 3B/B+, 4 or 5, you’ll need a 5 V step-down
tolerance range – typically from 4.75 to 5.25 V. Any
converter and a higher-powered source in order to
lower and it may well not stay powered for long, if at maintain the current necessary to keep it running. For
all, in particular under a heavy workload or with any instance, a Raspberry Pi 4 requires at least 700 mA just
peripherals connected. to boot up, but typically more (around 1.25 A) when
running any workload with peripherals attached.
THE BUCK CONVERTER STOPS HERE The situation with the Raspberry Pi 5 is complicated
by its use of PD (Power Delivery) to deliver more current
To obtain a more reliable battery power supply to
to its USB ports. It normally requires a 27 W mains power
the device, it’s advisable to use some sort of voltage supply to be able to run at full pelt. You’re unlikely to
regulator. A buck converter is able to take a higher need this for a portable, battery-powered project, but
DC voltage and convert it to a lower one while then you might be be better off instead using a Raspberry
increasing the current. This is typically used with a Pi Zero 2 W, which has a typical bare-board active
higher-voltage battery source than needed, so long current consumption of 350 mA.
as it’s within the converter’s input range. This is a
good option when powering the board and other
parts of a project separately from a single higher- battery pack wires to the appropriate inner pins (VIN
voltage source. and GND) and then the outer 5 V pin and inner GND
Since our 3 × AA battery pack is supplying (again) via jumper wires to VSYS and GND pins on
less than 5 V, we opted to use a Pololu S7V8F5 our Raspberry Pi Pico (Figure 2). You can ignore the
5 V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator outer SHDN (shutdown) pin, which is only used to
(hsmag.cc/PololuS7V8F5). As its name implies, put the S7V8F5 into low-power mode.
this tiny board can also ‘step up’ (i.e. increase) a As you’d expect, the fairly voltage-tolerant Pico
lower voltage to 5 V, with a slight loss of current powered up without any problems. Now to try it with
– you don’t get anything for free. Based around a Raspberry Pi Zero. With a steady 5 V supply from
the TI TPS63060 regulator, the S7V8F5 can accept the Pololu S7V8F5, it powered up successfully. With
voltage in the range 2.7 V to 11.8 V, making it very the generally low power draw of the Raspberry Pi
useful for supplying a regular 5 V output to boards Zero, you can get away with a relatively low current
and other components in a project. (typically 80 to 120 mA).
After soldering some header pins to the S7V8F5 With more demanding Raspberry Pi models,
and plugging it into a breadboard, we connected the however, the maximum level of current supplied

70
 FORGE

may not be enough. In which case, you can simply

connect a beefier battery pack to the S7V8F5 – up to
11.8 V, although you still need to beware of possible
LC (inductor-capacitor) voltage spikes caused by
an initial rush of current when first connecting it. If
the supply is 9 V or more, Pololu advises keeping
connections short and/or connecting a 33 μF or larger
BATTERY TYPES
electrolytic capacitor close to the regulator between
VIN and GND. See pololu.com/docs/0J16 for more Let’s take a look at some of the most common battery technology types:
information on LC voltage spikes.
Alkaline: Standard batteries that are designed to be single-use, so don’t try charging them
LIPO SUCTION – it can be dangerous!
Next, we thought we’d try powering our boards using
a LiPo (lithium polymer) battery cell, which offers NiMH: Rechargeable batteries that come in the same standard sizes as alkaline ones. The
a compact, more convenient alternative to regular downside is that they typically have a slightly lower voltage output: 1.2 V compared to 1.5 V
for AA batteries.
batteries. Now, most LiPo cells output 3.7 V, so
unless you’re using a Pico or another board that isn’t
LiPo: Lithium polymer cells that can be recharged. Their slimline nature makes them ideal
too fussy about the input voltage, you’ll need a buck for tight spaces. They typically output 3.7 V, so you’ll need a step-up regulator to get 5 V.
converter to step it up to 5 V. Most LiPo cells have built-in circuitry to prevent overcharging and to shut off the output
There are two key factors to consider when when the voltage drops too low, to avoid damage to the battery.
choosing a LiPo battery: the capacity, in mAh
(milliamp hours), which shows how much power can Li-ion: Lithium ion cells that are rechargeable and come in a range of shapes and sizes,
including coin cells. Cylindrical sizes include the popular 18650, along with AA and AAA.
be stored when it’s fully charged; and the ‘C’ rating,
They have a higher power density than LiPo batteries and don’t suffer from the ‘memory
which signifies the maximum continuous output effect’ that makes cells harder to charge over time. There are versatile boards, such as the
that the battery can maintain. To find the maximum Pololu S7V8F5 regulator we used, that can step an input voltage up or down to maintain
discharge current level, multiply the capacity by the a set output voltage. Lower-cost regulators are available, but a key factor to consider is
C rating: for instance, a 2000 mAh battery with a the tolerance of their output voltage – if it’s 10% on a 5 V output, it could creep up to 5.5 V,
1C rating can output a maximum 2 A for one hour, which is above the maximum 5.25 V input voltage for a Raspberry Pi SBC.
although this current level may be reduced if using a
buck converter to boost the voltage.

” You will need a special charger

module to recharge your

”
LiPo cell

Naturally, the bigger the power requirement

of your device, the quicker the battery will drain.
Another thing to note is that as it drains, the output
voltage will typically drop – another good reason to
use a voltage regulator.
Most modern LiPo cells have a built-in protection
circuit to prevent overcharge, overdischarge, and
overcurrent, as well as offering short circuit and
over-temperature protection. Make sure yours does.
Above
You then won’t have to worry about it. You will need Clockwise from top left: LiPo cell, 18650 Li-ion pack,
a special charger module to recharge your LiPo alkaline batteries, NiMH rechargeables
cell, however.

71
Don’t forget the batteries!

TUTORIAL

”
When it comes to connecting it up, most standard
Above
LiPo batteries are a LiPo cells have a JST 2-pin or Deans connector (the There is typically
good, slimline option for
portable power. Here,
latter type mainly used for RC vehicles and drones) – no power regulation
we’ve connected one you can either plug male jumper wire ends into this
directly to a Pico
for your connection or chop the connector off and tin
or fuse protection…
the wire ends, perhaps for use in a screw terminal to protect the board from
block on a buck converter.
With a fully charged 1000 mAh LiPo battery
overvoltage or current
connected via a Pololu S7V8F5 regulator to a Pico W, spikes which may damage

”
we measured the output voltage at a stable 5.11 V,
or even destroy it
while the current level was around 60 mA with the
on-board LED blinking. At this discharge level, the
battery could in theory last for up to 16.5 hours, but
in reality it will be less due to inefficiencies and the Even in the event of a power outage, they will stay
battery automatically shutting off power when it powered up.
reaches a low level. For this, you’ll need a UPS board that can instantly
Other devices may draw more (or less) power. A switch the supply from mains to battery backup
Raspberry Pi Zero W typically draws between 80 and when required. Various such boards are available,
120 mA, depending on whether it’s run headless or including the Adafruit PowerBoost 1000C which
not and whether Wi-Fi is used, so a 1000 mAh battery doubles as a voltage regulator.
should in theory be able to power it for up to 12.5 We tried out a Waveshare UPS HAT for Raspberry
hours (1000/80), although it’s likely to be shorter due Pi Zero W/WH (hsmag.cc/WSZeroUPS), which is
to inefficiencies. mounted on the underside of the latter, connecting
with springy pogo pins – thus leaving the GPIO pins
UNINTERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY free. It also comes with a 1000 mAh LiPo battery
As we’ve seen, batteries can be used to power which can be charged when the HAT is plugged into
a portable project for a limited period. While this the mains. It supplies a regular 5 V supply to the
may be fine for many projects, such as robots or a Raspberry Pi Zero, on which you can run a Python
handheld games console, it’s not suitable for those script to show useful battery info such as the real-
that need to be kept powered up for long periods, time load voltage, current (negative if battery power
or continuously. In that case, your battery power is being used), power, and percentage.
can be used as a backup for a mains supply – or Other UPS boards may offer even more detailed
even another portable power source – to provide an battery data and features. A good option for Pico,
uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This is ideal for the DiP-Pi range (hsmag.cc/DiP-Pi) offers multiple
projects that need to be kept online continuously to power inputs from 6 V to 18 V, battery charging and
log sensor data, such as a weather station. monitoring, and various extra features. For Raspberry

72
 FORGE

Pi SBCs, the PiJuice HAT (hsmag.cc/PiJuice) offers If you don’t want to run the risk, you’re much better
Above
advanced power management features including a off using some form of power regulator to ensure a Schematic (left) for
‘watchdog’ timer that monitors a software ‘heartbeat’ constant voltage and offer protection against spikes connecting a battery
pack directly to
and, if it’s not heard for a certain period, automatically and other issues. Some of these boards offer advanced Pico, and schematic
(right) for connecting
resets the Raspberry Pi. features, too, enabling you to monitor the battery level it via a voltage
A UPS board is also ideal for connecting alternative and output, and in some cases even run custom scripts regulator board
power sources such as solar panels, enabling you to when certain events are triggered.
charge a connected battery to maintain a continuous In addition, a UPS board will ensure an uninterrupted
supply for remote projects away from a mains power power supply backed up by the battery and can be used
source, such as a weather station or wildlife camera. with renewable power sources such as solar panels so
that you can maintain a power supply to critical projects
PORTABLE POWER OPTIONS that need to keep running continuously – for example,
In conclusion, yes, you can power a Raspberry Pi to gather sensor data over a long period of time.
or other board directly from batteries to the GPIO
pins and it should work, providing suitable voltage
and adequate current are supplied. However, there’s USEFUL RESOURCES
nothing to protect against issues such as voltage
spikes and dropouts which may damage the device • Raspberry Pi power requirements:
hsmag.cc/RPiPower
or even the battery (if it lacks on-board circuit
• Raspberry Pi Pico power: hsmag.cc/PicoPower
protection). For an inexpensive microcontroller, you • Battery University: batteryuniversity.com
may not be too bothered about that, and many of • Circuit Journal Arduino power guide:
them can take a wide range of input voltages – hsmag.cc/ArduinoPower
from 1.8 to 5.5 V in the case of a Pico.

73
Adventures in Multi-Coloured Printing

TUTORIAL

Adventures in
multicoloured printing
Use your plastic squirter to make impressive pictures

I
n this article, we are going to look at how that the dark areas of the image are thicker than the
you can add colour to your 3D prints. lighter ones. It’s funny how such a low-quality print
We’ll start with a look at lithophanes and can look so good as an image.
them move onto tools you can use to create
impressive 3D artwork. You can find the MAKING YOUR OWN LITHOPHANES
source images and the 3D printable files for If you have a 3D printer, you should have a go at
Rob Miles this article here: hsmag.cc/Colour3D. printing at least one lithophane. They make nice
personalised gifts. Lithophane panels are created by
Rob has been playing
with hardware and LITHOPHANES software that converts light levels in an image into
software since almost Lithophanes are a great answer to the frequently thickness values in a 3D-printed panel. The darker
before there was asked question: ‘Why did you get a 3D printer?’ You the image, the thicker the panel, so that less light
hardware and software.
You can find out more can reply: ‘To make these’ and hold a thin piece of gets through. You can create curved or spherical
about his so-called life at printed plastic up to the light to reveal a neat image. lithophanes which you can make into great lights.
robmiles.com.
The next question that is asked is usually: ‘Can you The Lithophane Maker at lithophanemaker.com
make me one of those?’ is a good place to start. You load an image into the
Figure 1 below shows a lithophane panel made web page and the software generates an STL (an
Figure 1 by the author a few years ago of his then-new abbreviation of STereoLithography) file which you
This lithophane was car. On the left, you can see the surface of the then slice and print in white PLA. There are also
printed on standard
white PLA filament 3D-printed panel and, on the right, you can see how designs available for lights into which the lithophane
using a Creality Ender the lithophane looks when light is shone through can be mounted. We’ll now consider a few things
3. It took a few hours
to complete it. If you look at the panel on the left, you can see that you need to remember.

YOU’LL NEED
A 3D printer
(preferably one
that can switch
between different
filaments)

For coloured
lithophanes
you will need some
cyan, magenta,
yellow, and
white filament

For drawing
plaques
you can use
any filaments
you happen to
have around

74
 FORGE

PRINTER POOP

Each time the printer switches to a different filament colour, it purges the previous colour
out of the print head and replaces it with the new one. The remnants of each colour
change are ejected from the back of the printer so, after printing for a while, you get a
Figure 2 little pile of ‘printer poop’. These plastic fragments give you an interesting record of your
The selector has been loaded with cyan, magenta,
yellow, and white filaments to make a colour lithophane
printing history and are not without artistic merit, as the picture above shows.

LAYERS AND NOZZLES is the hole where the extruded plastic comes out
A 3D print is created as a series of layers stacked on of the printer to be added to the printed object.
top of each other. The printer is sent a file telling it Most consumer 3D printers have a nozzle which is
where to put the filament that makes up each layer. 0.4 mm in diameter, but, with many models, you can
The printer file is produced by a program called a switch the nozzle for one which is smaller – usually
‘slicer’ which takes an object design and converts 0.2 mm. This lets the printer produce more detailed
it into a series of horizontal slices (or layers) to be objects (useful for things like gears and the like) at
printed. When a design is ‘sliced’, you need to tell the expense of a huge increase in printing time. The
the printer the ‘layer height’ which gives the height author has found that he is quite happy with the
of each slice to be printed. When slicing a lithophane, images produced by the 0.4 mm nozzle. There are
some samples of each size later in this article.

” The darker the image,

the thicker the panel
DIGGING INFILL
A slicer has an ‘infill’ setting that determines the
amount of filament extruded inside the object being QUICK TIP
so that less light printed. It is expressed as a percentage. An object The first

”
printed with an infill of 0% would be completely lithophanes were
gets through hollow (and not very strong). An object printed with an
produced in the
18th century.
infill of 100% would be completely solid. The normal They were made
setting for infill is 20%. This is fine for most objects from porcelain. An
unless we want them to be particularly robust. For a artist would carve
the smaller the layer height, the more levels of ‘grey’ lithophane, we need the interior areas to be solid to a ‘master’ image
you will get in the image. In Figure 1, you can see stop all the light, so the infill for the slicer should be in wax that would
be used to make
noticeable banding in the sky where the brightness set to 100%. This also has the effect of increasing the
moulds into which
changes from light to dark. If I had used a lower layer printing time.
liquid porcelain
height for the print, this banding would have been (a type of clay)
less pronounced. Most printers regard ‘normal quality’ COLOUR LITHOPHANES would be poured.
as 0.2 mm layer height (five layers per mm), but The first 3D printers printed one colour. You could only When the porcelain
for a better-looking lithophane, you can reduce the print different colours by swapping the filament during hardens and is fired
height to 0.1 mm – although this will double the the print. However, today, you can get printers which in a kiln, it becomes
translucent, with
time the lithophane takes to print as the printer can automatically switch between filaments during a
the thicker areas
must now produce twice as many layers. print job. Figure 2 above shows the AMS (automatic stopping more light,
You can also improve the resolution of the image by media selector) used with the author’s Bambu Lab just like 3D-printed
reducing the size of the printer nozzle. The nozzle P1S printer (bambulab.com). lithophanes.

75
Adventures in Multi-Coloured Printing

TUTORIAL

Figure 3
You can preview the
expected image on
the web page, but
this view is not as
impressive as the
final printed one
will be

Figure 5
The magenta filament is being selected for the
magenta layer of the print

The AMS is connected to the printer which tells the Producing the lithophane files is the same as
AMS which filament is required during the printing for monochrome, although the web address for
process. When the printer needs to change filaments, the generator site is very slightly different:
the current filament is wound back onto the roll and hsmag.cc/ColourLithophane.
the new one is loaded into the print head. The printer Figure 3 shows an image being prepared for
then pushes the new filament through the head conversion into a lithophane. The image being used
to purge out any remaining pieces of the previous to create the lithophane is a slightly processed
filament before resuming printing with the new colour. photograph of the Melbourne skyline. The output
If your printer can print multiple colours (or you from the generator is a zip archive which contains six
are prepared to manually switch filaments during the STL files: two for white (the bottom and the top of
print job) you can make coloured lithophanes. These the lithophane) and one each for the cyan, magenta,
work in the same way as black and white ones, but and yellow layers.
instead of a single layer representing the light and Figure 4 shows how the layers work together
Figure 4 dark areas of the image, you now use four colours: to create a coloured picture. The colour layers are
In the actual cyan, magenta, yellow, and white. sandwiched between the two white layers.
lithophane object,
these images are
all directly on top
of each other. In
the picture, they’ve
been separated so
that we can see how
they work

QUICK TIP
Using a media
selector makes it
easier to print right
up to the end of a
roll of filament. You
can load a full roll
into the selector
and tell the printer
to switch to that
when the current
roll runs out.

76
 FORGE

Figure 6
This print took less than two hours to complete

Figure 7
This print took over eight hours to complete commands to the printer to switch filaments at the
Figure 8
appropriate times. There are also tools
Light travelling through the layers is filtered so that in Bambu Studio that
can embed text into
only the required colours are visible. The STL files LITHOPHANE QUALITY objects and make
coloured signs
are loaded into the slicer program which will produce Figure 6 shows the kind of results you can expect
the control file for the printer. The author uses the if you use standard printer settings. There is a
Bambu Studio slicer program. This can produce print reasonable amount of detail, but the banding on
files for a wide range of different 3D printers, not the sky is quite pronounced.
just ones made by Bambu Lab. You can download Figure 7 shows the results achieved by reducing
it from here: hsmag.cc/BambuLab. the layer height and using a 0.2 mm nozzle. The
sky looks a lot better and there is much more detail,
QUICK TIP

”
particularly in the buildings on the right of
the picture. Whether the improvement in detail is When adding colour
You can improve the worth an extra six hours of print time is something to a print, remember
resolution of the image worth thinking about though. that filaments may
have to be changed
by reducing the size of COLOURED PRINTS in many layers.

”
The slicer will
the printer nozzle Lithophanes are great fun and produce very
usually tell you
impressive results, but they are not the only way
how many filament
of making coloured prints. Lithophanes also need changes are
a light behind them, which restricts where you can required for a given
Figure 5 shows the Melbourne lithophane use them. However, we can also use a 3D printer print.
being prepared for slicing. Each colour layer STL to produce coloured prints simply by taking an You can greatly
has been imported as one element of a composite existing print and ‘colouring it in’. reduce print time
by adjusting the
object. This means that the layer objects will be Figure 8 shows how the Bambu Studio paint tool
colours in your
printed on top of each other, rather than being lets you use the mouse to paint primitive messages design to minimise
distributed around the print bed as different objects. into a 3D model. You can also use the tool to select the number of
The printer control file that is produced will contain parts of an object and colourise them – for example, colour changes.

77
Adventures in Multi-Coloured Printing

TUTORIAL

you could colour in features of an animal model. As you can see above, the black filament has been
When the object is saved from the slicer, the colour mapped onto the darker colour, the blue onto a range
changes are saved as well, and when the object is of colours that match the blue parts of the image,
sliced, it will contain colour change commands to be and the grey and white filaments onto brighter parts.
used during printing. HueForge produces an STL file which describes the
Object painting is useful for adding colour to object to be printed. Before you slice the object, you
existing models, but it would also be nice to be able need to configure the slicer to change the filament at
to take an image and prepare it to be ‘rendered’ by a particular layers. HueForge creates a text file which
3D printer as an object. It turns out that there is a tool tells you what to do:
available to do just that, and it is called HueForge.
Figure 9 Swap Instructions:
The background HUEFORGE Start with Black
removal tool at
‘remove.bg’ was HueForge is a tool that takes 2D images and makes At layer #5 (0.48mm) swap to Aqua Blue
used to remove them into 3D-printable plaques. You can find it here: At layer #6 (0.56mm) swap to Silver Smoke
the car from the
source picture shop.thehueforge.com. Figure 9 shows it being Grey
used to create a printable car picture. The program At layer #10 (0.88mm) swap to Jade White
QUICK TIP imports a colour image and maps colour or intensity for the rest.
values onto filaments that will be used to create a
You might think
3D-printable picture. You select the filament colours Above, you can see the layer colour instructions
that you would use
red, green, and you want to use and drag them onto the sliders at for the car picture. The first four layers are black,
blue filaments for the bottom left of the program. In Figure 9, the followed by blue, grey, and white. Bambu Studio
colour lithophanes, filament colours have been set to black, blue, grey, allows you to select a layer and specify the filament
but, like printing on and white, which were loaded into the printer before colour for that layer.
paper, the print will the print. You can see these sliders at the bottom You can have a lot of fun experimenting with
work by filtering
left of Figure 9. different filament colours and adjusting the sliders
out the colours we
don’t want rather You adjust the sliders for each filament to select to generate different ‘looks’ for your finished image.
than lighting up the the light intensity level in the source image that you HueForge works even better if you spend some time
colours we do. want to map that filament colour onto. preparing an image to be processed.

78
 FORGE

The author of HueForge has made some useful

Figure 10
videos exploring how to do this. You can find them The panel at the top
here: hsmag.cc/HueForgeFAQ. right of the print is the
‘purge tower’. This is
used by the printer
to make sure that all

”
of a previous colour
is removed from the
When adding colour to a print nozzle before it
is used on the print.
print, remember that
filaments may have to be

”
changed in many layers

Figure 10 shows the first HueForge print made by

the author. It turned out very well and shows the
level of detail that can be achieved. There is a very
impressive 3D effect on the door handles and the QUICK TIP
panel lines on the car. With a bit more work, it is
By picking a
hoped that the blue elements could be made to source image
stand out more. with little detail
It turns out that a 3D printer is not just for boxes and large areas
and mechanisms but also has artistic merit too. of solid colour,
Figure 11 shows the kind of fun you can have. you will find that
you can produce
Modern printers can print large, flat objects much
good-looking colour
more quickly than previous ones, so you can turn out lithophanes even
Figure 11
artwork quickly. The author hopes you have as much This print uses just three colours: black, white, and grey with low-resolution
fun doing this as he has. printer settings.

79
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Learning via your 3D printer
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AI development boards
Artificial intelligence boards, kits, and accessories

By Marc de Vinck

A
rtificial Intelligence is all the rage can help you make the plunge into AI. Some are
these days. It’s a very polarising expensive, and some are incredibly affordable.
subject for many people. There are I’ve looked at AI products in the past, but since
those who are worried about losing then there are many more options.
their jobs to it, and then there are So, let’s look at some AI-related
those people who look to the new electronics to inspire you to
jobs being created out of AI. To some extent, I think join the revolution.
they are both correct. In my day job at Deep Sentinel,
I work with developers every day on new AI models
and technology. And although I’ll never match the
skills of my colleagues, it has sparked my interest
in playing around with the technology and seeing if
Left
I can come up with a few fun projects for myself. You don't have to
And that’s where this Best of Breed comes in. I’ll have specialist
hardware.
be looking at some of the accessible technologies A Raspberry Pi is
and accessories related to AI and edge computing. a great starting
point for a machine
It’s amazing how many products are out there that learning adventure

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 FIELD TEST

reTerminal CM4104032 –
AI vs reComputer J2021-
Edge AI Device
SEEEDSTUDIO $209 seeedstudio.com SEEEDSTUDIO $659 seeedstudio.com

T
he reTerminal from Seeed Studio
is a complete Raspberry Pi system
in a nice enclosure just waiting to
be integrated into your project.
Powered by a Raspberry Pi Compute
Module 4 and featuring an integrated
multi-touch screen, it makes for a nice little system
to get up and running quickly. The reTerminal also
features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, pre-installed Linux,
4GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC.
With all those features, and some good
documentation, you can get TensorFlow Lite up
and running with little effort. Now you can run
object detection, image classifications, semantic
segmentation, or a bunch of different facial
recognition demos. This kit features a lot more, so
for full details, be sure to head over to the product
page to learn more about the details of what the
reTerminal can do.

T
he reComputer J2021 is a powerful
and compact intelligent edge VERDICT
computing box that brings up to 21
reTerminal
TOPS of modern AI performance.
CM4104032 - AI
At its core is a Jetson Xavier NX 8GB
Production Module featuring 384 An AI terminal
ready to go.

10 / 10
Nvidia CUDA cores, packed into the diminutive form
factor of 130 mm × 120 mm × 50 mm. In addition
to the Jetson Xavier, there is an integrated carrier
board featuring Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 3.1
ports, an HDMI port, and DP port. Having so much
reComputer
power all integrated together will help simplify your
J2021-Edge
development process. If you are looking to deploy AI Device
an edge AI solution around video analytics, object
An all-in-one
detection, natural language processing, medical
powerful AI
imaging, or robotics, this is something you must processor for
consider. It’s designed for more advanced users, and advanced users!

9 / 10
with all that power comes a higher price point than,
say, some single-board computers, but you also get
some amazing specs!

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Machine learning and AI development boards

BEST OF BREED

Adafruit BrainCraft HAT

ADAFRUIT $44.95 adafruit.com

A
ccording to Adafruit, the speaker output, and three RGB LEDs. And, to
BrainCraft HAT "allows make building up your circuit simple without the
you to “craft brains” for need to solder, they even included two 3-pin VERDICT
machine learning on the edge, STEMMA connectors. Just add your Raspberry Adafruit
with microcontrollers and Pi and you’ll be off to the races. There are a few BrainCraft HAT
microcomputers", and we really more well-thought-out features of the BrainCraft Brains for your
like that description. The board features a 240 HAT, like the ability to add a fan under the HAT Raspberry Pi.

9 / 10
× 240 TFT IPS display for inference output, a to keep your Raspberry Pi cool when running AI
camera connection slot, joystick, button, left and inferencing. Head over to the Adafruit website to
right microphones, stereo headphone out, a 1-watt learn more about this very capable little HAT.

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OpenMV Cam H7 R1
ADAFRUIT $84.95 adafruit.com

T
he OpenMV Cam, available
at Adafruit, is a powerful
microcontroller board coupled to
a camera that is programmable
via MicroPython. It allows for object
recognition, face detection, and more,
and all those features are embedded, meaning you
don’t need to fiddle with them – you can just access VERDICT
the data that the OpenMV Cam sends out. At its OpenMV Cam
core is an STM32H743VI Arm Cortex-M7 processor H7 R1
running at 480MHz with 1MB of RAM and 2MB of A powerful
flash. You also get a full speed connection to your and smart
computer, a microSD card slot, RGB LED, access camera module.

8 / 10
to an SPI and I2C bus, 12-bit ADC and a 12-bit DAC,
and even three I/O pins for servo control. It’s a great
camera with a lot of on-board power.

SenseCAP A1101
SEEEDSTUDIO $79 seeedstudio.com

T
he SenseCAP A1101 – LoRaWAN
Vision AI Sensor from Seeed Studio
is a TinyML Edge AI-enabled smart
image sensor. It can run a variety
of different AI, allowing it to perform
image recognition, people counting,
target detection, and more. And for the more VERDICT
adventurous DIYers out there, you can also roll your SenseCAP A1101
own training model as it supports TensorFlow Lite. Program your
The SenseCAP A1101 features an ultra-low-power own smart
Himax camera running at 60 fps at a resolution of It’s an interesting device with a lot of good camera.

9 / 10
640 × 480. It can do local inferencing and transmit the documentation and additional features. Be sure to
data up to several miles under ideal conditions thanks head over to the website to learn more about this AI
to the integrated Wio-E5 LoRaWAN module. vision sensor.

85
Machine learning and AI development boards

BEST OF BREED

SenseCAP K1100 – The Sensor

Prototype Kit with LoRa and AI
SEEEDSTUDIO $49 seeedstudio.com

W
ant to build an IoT project in hub for connecting it all together. The Wio Terminal
only three minutes? That’s features an ATSAMD51-based microcontroller
what Seeed Studio claims with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that is powered by
you can do with its SenseCAP a Realtek RTL8720DN module. The unit also has
K1100 Sensor Prototype Kit. built-in 2.4” LCD screen, on-board IMU, microphone,
And after going over Seeed’s buzzer, light sensor, infrared emitter, and microSD
tutorial, it does look like a simple project would be card slot. It’s a robust kit that allows you to do a lot of
possible in about that time. This kit includes a vision remote monitoring and run simple object detection.
sensor, temperature and humidity sensor, air sensor, It’s also compatible with the 400+ modules of Seeed
and soil moisture sensor. Most importantly, it has a Studios' Grove ecosystem, which enables you to add
Wio Terminal for the brains, display, and as a central an almost endless array of sensors and add-ons.

VERDICT
SenseCAP
K1100
A great place
to start with AI.

10 / 10
AI & MACHINE LEARNING

RASPBERRY PI FOUNDATION FREE raspberrypi.org

Now, here is something that isn’t typically found in my Best of Breed roundups.
A great product, and it’s free! The Raspberry Pi Foundation has a nice
Introduction to Machine Learning programme that is free to take. To complete
the course, you should be able to dedicate 2–4 hours per week, for about four
weeks. It’s a self-paced programme that dives into various machine learning
models and their applications. If you are looking to get started, be sure to head
over to the Raspberry Pi Foundation website and check out this course.

86
 Learn coding SUBSCRIPTION

Discover how computers work

Build amazing things!

magpi.cc/beginnersguide
87
xTool S1

REVIEW

xTool S1
A little laser with a lot of features

XTOOL £1799 hsmag.cc/xtools1

By Ben Everard

L
aser cutters are great tools for makers. No tool is perfectly safe, but the xTool S1 comes
They let you cut shapes out of – or engrave packed with a lot of safety features. It’s fully
images into – sheet material quickly and enclosed, so it should be impossible for any lasers
accurately. By piecing together different to leak out. If you open the door while it’s in use, it’ll
shapes, you can build up 3D objects much automatically stop.
faster than you can with a 3D printer.
If you’re after a laser cutter, there are a few things FLAME OFF
to consider. Let’s take a look at some of the key things Another significant safety risk when using a laser
you have to think about, and take a look at how the cutter is fire. The S1 has a flame detector which
xTool S1 stacks up. will stop it if what you’re cutting catches fire. You
The first big decision to make is safety. Many can also plumb in a fire extinguishing system, but
budget machines aimed at makers are unenclosed. we didn’t have a suitable system to test this with.
That means there is nothing to stop the laser beam Finally, you need to consider the fumes given off by
from being reflected back towards the operator. the material as it burns or vaporises away. Being fully
Exposed lasers are dangerous. Very dangerous. A enclosed, the S1 catches the fumes but it will need
beam powerful enough to cut wood is easily powerful to vent them. There’s a hose that you can poke out of
enough to blind you instantly. Yes, you can wear laser a window or plumb into an extraction system. If this
goggles, but this isn’t a good solution, and when your isn’t possible, an air filter is available separately.
Below sight (and the sight of anyone else who might happen Once you’ve looked at safety, you might want
The enclosure keeps to open a door) is at stake, then we want the best to consider power. Laser power isn’t completely
fumes and laser
beams contained possible protection. comparable between different systems: a diode
laser will cut materials differently to a CO2 laser of
the same wattage; different wavelengths of light are
absorbed by materials differently; and a laser cutter
that requires mirrors will lose some power as the light
is reflected.
The xTool S1 has a choice of three different power
options: 2 W infrared laser, and 20 W and 40 W blue
laser modules are available. We tested the 20 W
version and found that it worked well with wood (both
MDF and construction plywood) up to about 10 mm

88
 FIELD TEST

thick, and worked excellently with laser ply. when connected to the laser cutter over USB (you
Above Left
This cutting power is comparable with CO2 lasers can connect over Wi-Fi). We can’t see why this is This pin is used to
autofocus the laser
that we’ve used. For wood and plastics, the S1 the case, and it does make us concerned about what
should serve hobbyists well. would happen if xTool went out of business, or shut Above Right
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the S1 is its down this particular service. You can quickly and
easily swap between
ease of use, and on this, it really is excellent. There’s xTool Creative Space has a few features, both different laser modules
autofocusing (with adjustable depth offset for cutting useful and odd. It can automatically generate QR
through thick materials) and a system for locating codes for you. It also has an AI system for generating
your objects on the print bed. Both of these work in artwork that we’re still getting our heads around.
slightly unusual ways. The autofocusing works with On this, you have to pay for each set of generated
a rod attached to the side of the laser. This then images using credits. You get a set of credits
probes the surface. Once it’s probed, the print head when you create your account, but after that, you
whizzes off to the side to push it up and out of the have to generate more by sharing projects on the
way so it doesn’t interfere with any of the engraving. xTool website.
Should the probe hit something, it’s magnetically The S1 is also compatible with LightBurn, but not
attached, so it can pop off without damage. all of the features are available in this software.
Overall, we’ve been really impressed with the xTool
LASER LOCATOR S1. However, there are two areas that are potential
The system for locating your items uses a visible pitfalls. The first is size. It can only cut 498 × 319 mm.
laser that’s in the same place as the laser cutter. You You can fit material up to 600 × 400 mm, which might
physically place the laser head in one point, then be useful if you don’t have a good saw for cutting up
press the button to mark the point, then move it to sheet material, but you won’t be able to cut against
another point, press the button, and so on until you’ve the edge of the sheet which, depending on what
marked out the necessary points. The software then you’re cutting, might mean material waste. The other VERDICT
converts these points to a rectangle, circle, polygon, thing we can’t ignore is the price. The setup we An easy-to-use,
or other shape that lets you place your work in the tested cost £1799. You can get laser cutters cheaper fully enclosed
correct position relative to this shape. than this, and you can get bigger, more powerful laser laser cutter at a
All of this needs software to support it, and in the cutters for around the same price. However, given the reasonable price.

9 / 10
case of the S1, that’s xTool Creative Space. full range of what’s on offer with this machine – the
Our only gripe with the software is that it needs safety features, ease of use, and the power – we
an internet connection to work. This is the case even think it represents excellent value.

89
Prusa XL

REVIEW

Prusa XL
A big printer with big potential

PRUSA RESEARCH £1798.80 prusa3d.com

By Ben Everard

T
he XL is Prusa’s first large format The vast majority of multicolour 3D printers work
core XY printer, and this alone would by loading and unloading filament into one nozzle.
Below be enough to make this a special This works to an extent, but it has a few limitations:
This print is based printer. However, the XL has a much it’s slow, wastes a lot of filament, and only works
on a CT scan of a
wrist. The bones are bigger feature tucked away at the back well if all the filament is the same type of plastic. You
printed in PLA and of the bed: a five-tool tool changer. can also get printers with more than one extruder
they’re joined by
sections of flexible Let’s take a step back and look at what a tool that moves about the bed on the gantry. Sometimes
filament. The result changer is in general, before looking at this printer in these extruders are fixed together and sometimes
is a print that moves
like a real wrist more detail. they can move independently, in which case they’re
known as independent dual extruder or IDEX. These
can print different filaments but, again, they have
limitations. In this case, it’s that you’re mostly limited
to two extruders because otherwise it gets very
crowded. The final option for multi-material printing
is tool changers. With these, there are multiple
extruders, but only one extruder is engaged by the
moving gantry at a time – the others are parked out
of the way. The gantry should be able to quickly
and automatically change to a different extruder. On
paper, these are the most powerful option because
they can print more different filaments faster than
the alternatives. However, historically, they’ve been
the least common because they are significantly
more complex than the other options.
Let’s get back to the Prusa XL, then. You can
load it with up to five extruders (also known as
tool heads).
One problem testing out this printer is that it
has capabilities that no other printer on the market
has, so you can get caught between two problems.
Firstly, it’s very easy to get caught up in hype about
things that later turn out to be just gimmicks. And

90
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secondly, it can be hard to see the full value in models from Prusa with which to try this out. One
Above
features until a wide range of people have had the was a print-in-place box that included a flexible, You need quite a bit
of desk space for the
chance to flex their creative muscles and really find water-resistant seal. The other was a CT scan of XL – the spools mount
great uses for them. someone’s wrist with on the sides, and you

”
need to be able to
We’ll do our best to the bones printed in reach the top of the
steer a path between PLA and the bones
It is probably the most
printer to access
the tool heads
these two issues. joined with flexible
The five extruders expensive printer tendon-like rods
can each be loaded we’d still consider printed in TPE. Both
up with a different of these prints printed
filament. These can fitting in the ‘prosumer’ excellently, and have
be different colours hobbyist category a wow factor that,

”
of the same filament, honestly, we’ve not
in which case they seen in 3D prints for a
can print multicolour long time.
objects in a very While the test
similar way to other multicolour printers. However, prints designed by Prusa are undeniably impressive,
it can do more. Because each extruder is entirely we wanted to see how hard it was to conceive and
separate, you can use different types of plastic. design something ourselves that made use of this
There are some limitations – for example, the print mixture of materials. The two things that we came
bed will be the same temperature, which might up with are a keyboard support with integrated
cause a problem for some mixtures of filament. rubber feet, and a phone case. Both turned out
The XL can mix rigid plastics, such as PETG, with well, though we would like some more powerful
softer plastics like TPU. We got a couple of test tools in PrusaSlicer for placing filament.

91
Prusa XL

REVIEW

” The Prusa XL can print our

multicolour cube about
eight times faster than the

”
Bambu Lab X1-Carbon

The keyboard support could, we’ll be honest, have

been a print entirely in rigid plastic with rubber feet
glued on. This would have worked perfectly well, but
we wouldn’t have been able to get feet in the shape
of a lizard this way.
The phone case is another matter. We’ve tried
Above
3D-printed phone cases a few times on other printers Multicolour prints use far less material than traditional
colour-changers
and never had much success. We’ve found that
any filament that is flexible enough to provide some
impact resistance is also stretchy enough to fall off 3D-printed phone case that we have had.
the phone. We combined rigid and flexible material Another option is to mix different materials for
so that there was a sturdy frame around which we supports and the main print. This can be as simple
put soft flexible filament (40D on the Shore hardness as using a cheaper material for supports – or more
scale). The result is a case that fits securely and advanced like using two plastics that don’t stick, to
snugly, while still providing a lot of impact resistance. create supports that are easier to remove (such as
We think there’s still a little way to go before we’ve PETG and PLA). There’s even the option of using
nailed this case design, but it’s already by far the best a soluble material such as PVA for supports that
just wash away. This isn’t currently well-supported
by the slicer, as it causes a problem we don’t fully
understand with the wipe tower. Hopefully, a future
version of PrusaSlicer can help with this.

FUNCTION
Right
Most prints came off Tool changers are fundamentally complex
clean, but of the few
messy prints we had, this
mechanisms. There’s a reason that there have been
was by far the worst so few available to buy over the years. While they
are conceptually simple, there is a lot of detail to get
right. To get the layers consistent, each tool change
has to be accurate to within a tenth of a millimetre or
so, otherwise the layers will be at slightly different
heights, and it has to do this over and over again. In
the worst case, there could be 20,000 tool changes
in a print and every one has to be spot on. The
machine also has to be able to keep doing it print
after print. That’s a big ask.

92
 FIELD TEST

Initially, we did have a little difficulty with the reasonable, but not spectacular. There’s a lot working
Above
different extruders having slightly mismatched against it. Frames with larger print volumes inevitably The Core XY motion
system has two
Z-heights, which resulted in some filaments being have less rigidity, and the tool changer both increases drive belts, both of
too squashed into the print bed on the first layer, and the mass of the print head and places it further away which are needed to
move the print head
others being too far away. We followed the calibration from the axis. The end result is a single-colour speed in either the X or Y
guide and still had the problem. We solved it by that’s slightly slower than the MK4. direction

both lubricating the tool changer, and unloading the A Benchy is probably about the worst case for
filament before doing the tool head calibration. speed on the Prusa XL, as it contains a lot of small
The only other issue we’ve had is getting some moves that benefit smaller machines that won’t flex
large blobs of filament protruding above the top of the as much under high accelerations. The best case is
wipe tower. This seems to happen when the extruder something that has a lot of colours on every layer
primes but doesn’t move, so squirts a blob in place. because the tool changer can switch filaments far
The next time it uses the wipe tower, it then has to quicker than most other printers.
bump over this blob. It makes a bit of a clatter as it For an example of this, we took a one-inch cube
does so. At first, we were so paranoid about this that and coloured each face differently (other than the top
we kept checking on the printer and snipping off any and bottom). The Prusa MK4 isn’t yet compatible with
big blobs with a pair of side cutters. However, after a the colour changer (though it is in the works), so we’ll
while, we just got used to them being there. It looks use the Bambu Lab X1-Carbon as a comparison. This
pretty horrible, but it’s on the wipe tower and doesn’t printer is no slouch and is probably the fastest off-
seem to cause any problems. the-shelf hobbyist printer. However, the XL can print
our multicolour cube over eight times faster than the
SPEED X1 with the same layer height. This is a phenomenal
It felt like 2023 was the year that 3D printing speed-up, but even this is understating it – we limited
became fast. Almost every 3D printer was judged it to four colours because that’s as many as the X1
on its ability to create a Benchy in minimal time. The can do. The XL can do an additional colour.
XL is actually a really hard printer to judge on speed. The only honest answer we can give about
When it comes to straight one-filament speed, it’s speed on the XL, compared to other fast high-end

93
Prusa XL

REVIEW

Above
The print bed is made up of 16 sections and, to save power,
only those that are being used are heated

hobbyist machines, is that it’s somewhere between filament in the wrong place. This is due to a bit of
slightly slower and eight or more times faster, stringing, or a blob from the wipe tower, being picked
depending on what you want to create. Therefore, up by the nozzle. It doesn’t happen much, and most
if you want a printer for speed alone, it’s really of the time it’s easy to clean up.
important to look at the actual models you intend
to print, not just isolated benchmarks cooked up by SOFTWARE SUPPORT
reviewers. However, we can say that if you do plan Overall, we’d say that the Prusa XL is as well-
on printing with multiple colours, you are likely to get supported by the slicing software as most existing
a significant speed-up, particularly if there are a lot of printers. However, the tool changer opens up some
colours on each layer. whole new possibilities that we’re only just getting
Another significant speed-related issue is the our heads around. For example, embedding text or
ability to print lots of things at the same time. While a logo in one colour onto a surface of another colour
the time to print one Benchy on the Prusa XL is looks great, and you can do this in PrusaSlicer, but
about the same as printing it on the MK4, you can fit it’s a bit clunky as it involves creating a new part and
nearly three times as many on the print plate. This merging them. It’d be far easier if you could just do
might seem a bit surprising, because a 36 by 36 cm this in the same way you can emboss text or SVGs
print bed doesn’t seem that much larger than a 25 onto a part.
by 21 cm print bed, but it really is. The speed-up here We also had an issue in one print where we used
isn’t from the printer taking less time per Benchy, the colour paint tool to apply colour to the surface of
but from you, the user, not having to come and take an object but, on a curved surface, the colour didn’t
things off the print bed as often. go deep enough and the underneath colour shone
Obviously, this does come with the risk of one through a light-coloured upper layer.
failed object on the print bed damaging all the others, Another minor problem encountered was when an
but you can cancel an individual item within the print object is made of multiple different parts in CAD and
without having to cancel the entire lot. then merged, it can become impossible to properly
select some of the parts to paint them.
QUALITY In all these cases, the problem can be solved by
The quality of prints we’ve had from the Prusa XL going back to the original CAD files and manipulating
is good, but not perfect. It’s not uncommon for them there before going into the slicer. However,
multicolour prints to get a bit of the wrong colour we’ve gradually moved away from CAD to the

94
 FIELD TEST

”
PrusaSlicer as it has been upgraded with more and
more powerful tools for manipulating 3D shapes, and We did have a little
we’d like to keep moving in this direction.
These are all relatively minor issues, but we’d difficulty with the
hope that the colour and filament selection options in different extruders
PrusaSlicer get some attention soon, as it feels like
there are some improvements that could really help
having slightly

”
people get to grips with this printer. mismatched Z-heights

WASTE
We can’t ignore the fact that 3D printers use plastic,
and plastic pollution is a major source of pollution a classic multicolour printer, when considering the
for the planet. Despite some claims to the contrary, saving in filament over the life of the printer.
PLA is not biodegradable in any realistic way. It is The Prusa XL is a hard printer to review, because
possible to recycle it (and other 3D printer filaments), there’s so little to compare it against, especially now
but it’s not particularly easy and few recycling centres the E3D tool changer has been discontinued. The
will accept it. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy 3D large print volume and weight of the tool changer Above
printing as a hobby, but we need to think about our slow it down, so it’s not the best for large, single- The Prusa XL has
the same control
impact on the world. colour prints, and it is probably the most expensive interface as the
The Prusa XL uses dramatically less plastic when printer we’d still consider fitting in the ‘prosumer’ Prusa MK4. We
found it reliable
printing in multiple colours than traditional multicolour hobbyist category. However, it can create prints and easy to use
printers. The exact amount will depend on the model, that no other printer can. This will probably prove
but it can easily end up using less than a quarter of true in ways we can’t yet predict as people get VERDICT
the filament, especially for small models and those their hands on the machine and start experimenting Pushing the
with lots of colours. Potentially the savings are even with creative ways to use the capabilities. On top boundaries
greater if you don’t use the wipe tower, (though this of this, for multicolour prints, it’s massively faster of what 3D
option relies on having very dry filament). Not only than the competition, and the lack of waste is both printers can do.

10 / 10
does this save plastic, but it also saves you money. an environmental win and a money saver. This isn’t
A heavy user of multi-material prints could easily find a printer for everyone, but for some people, it’s
that the XL is actually a cheaper option compared to absolutely the perfect printer.

95
Crowdfunding now

REGULAR

CROWDFUNDING
NOW
BullseyeBore Core
Perpendicular drilling every time

From $129 hsmag.cc/bebore Delivery: July 2024

T
he problem this is attempting to solve
is certainly a real one – to ensure
that when you’re drilling a hole with
a handheld power drill, you’ll drill it
straight. Although we’ve not been able to
test it out, it looks like it could solve it well – it projects
a set of circles onto the workpiece and, as long as
those circles are concentric, you’re going straight.
Our concern with this is in one area only – the
price. The cheapest option at the time of writing
was $129 (not including shipping). Perhaps other
people have more difficulty than we do getting
straight enough holes, but that seems so far beyond
what we’d pay to solve this problem.
It would, perhaps, be justifiable if it were the
only solution to the problem, but it’s not. Search for
‘Drill Guide’ online, and you’ll see a raft of potential
solutions, from blocks with holes that you can slot
the drill through to frames that allow a drill to slide
through at 90 degrees. Most of these are far cheaper
and also help you place and hold the bit accurately
to minimise wandering. There are even some
3D-printable designs that you can run off for just a
few grams of filament.
Perhaps we’re just too tight, but this looks like
an interesting product that is made irrelevant by
its price.

96
 BUYER
BEWARE
!
When backing a crowdfunding
campaign, you are not purchasing
a finished product, but supporting
a project working on something
new. There is a very real chance
that the product will never ship
and you’ll lose your money. It’s
a great way to support projects
you like and get some cheap
hardware in the process, but if
you use it purely as a chance to
snag cheap stuff, you may find
that you get burned.

Print-a-Kit
3D-print your own lessons

From $74 hsmag.cc/pkit Delivery: Mar 2024

D
o you have a 3D printer? Do you want to
learn about engineering? Then this could
be for you. For about $74, this Kickstarter
will provide five sets of engineering
lessons. Each lesson includes
3D-printable models (and a 3D-printable box to store
them in) and videos to help you understand what’s
going on.
While it’s hard for us to properly evaluate this as
we’ve not seen the actual models or the videos, we
really like the idea behind it. 3D-printable objects
can be excellent learning tools. Provided you already
have a 3D printer, they’re cheap and easy to create.
This writer has two young children and knows first-
hand how physical objects can capture people’s
imagination more than videos and pictures.
With 3D printers becoming more popular every
year, hopefully we’ll see more initiatives like this that
help people gain more value from their 3D printers.

97
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28 MARCH

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 Lithophanes
We might be living in the 21st century, but our brains are still basically the
same as they were when we chased prey across the savannah. Our squelchy
bundle of neurons reacts differently to things that it can poke and prod.
3D printing makes physical objects: things you can hold and touch, and these
give us a different reaction to the same image on a screen or on paper. We
understand them in a different way, and feel differently about them. This issue,
we take a look at making pictures with a 3D printer. In some ways, these
pictures are much lower quality than even a basic home printer can manage
– there are few colours and the resolution's terrible. However, in another way,
they’re far better because we can feel them and experience them.
If you’ve got access to a 3D printer, give it a go and see how it feels to touch
an image, not just see it.
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