Our CNC Machine’s First Cuts

The CNC machine’s construction has advanced to the point where we can begin to cut items. Being a bunch of teenagers trapped in adult bodies, someone decided that we should cut a throwing star from sheet aluminum. One copy of CamBam and 6 minutes later and the star was ready to be cut! After a few adjustments and a bit snapped in half from being dragged through the metal too fast, the cutting was underway. The star took about 10 minutes to cut and was an excellent first attempt at metal production. The next step is to use the CNC to cut more precise parts for itself and help bring about the Robot Armageddon. Special thanks to our newest sponsor, CamBam, for supplying us with a free copy of their most excellent software. Note: The soundtrack to this video may change at any time as we are experimenting with YouTube’s AudioSwap feature.

Robonova-1′s First Steps

Very quick video documenting our Robonova’s first steps, warts and all… A bit rough since he has yet to be properly calibrated or balanced and his battery pack is still hanging off of his back.

Robonova-1 Construction

HaHa member bsom acquired a Robonova-1 bi-ped robot kit for his day job and brought it to the space for us to assemble, configure and generally play with. So far, the robot is about 85% done, requiring its wires to be properly tucked and its motors to be centered. Then we can dig in and learn some hardcore RoboBasic. :-) Videos of the finished bot will be posted once he is up and running.

Cornstarch Monster Video

A while ago, HaHa member bsom introduced us to non-Newtonian fluids and the idea of using cornstarch and water in conjunction with a speaker/amp and function generator to produce what he called a “Cornstarch Monster.” The video below is an excellent representation of what can be done with this simple yet captivating recipe.

Also, keep an eye on our new YouTube Channel, available here, for more videos, tutorials and technology dissections.

Our space has been upgraded!

I know we have been pretty bad with updating our blog. However, I can assure you we are a very active hackerspace and have been building like of fun things in our Baltimore space. Over the last few weeks we received a Schlage Link Z-Wave keyless entry kit and installed it with no problems. Miles has been leading the construction of a hovercraft made from laser cut wood parts, some bolts, and a motorcycle inner tube. It works very well! Jason has brought in several little gadgets for show and tell and the CNC Machine is just about complete. It just needs a few finishing touches.

Check out the photos for a little motivation. You could be here having fun with us. info@harfordhackerspace.org