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Saskatoon TechWorks is now the proud licensee of VCarve Pro Makerspace Edition.  What does this mean to you?  As a TechWorks member, you can download the trial version of VCarve Pro and enter our Makerspace ID. (Ask us for it.)  After entering our Makerspace ID, you can prepare your CNC job.  That version will not save your toolpaths but you can do everything else to get your files ready for the CNC router.  Save your project and bring your .crv file to the space, load it up in our “Master” copy, export the gcode, and you’re ready to make your masterpiece on our CNC router!

For more information, please visit https://www.vectric.com/makerspace.html.

(Note: Our license says that the toolpath files are only for use on the CNC equipment at our space.  I’m not sure how they or we would enforce that, but you should know that that is the rules.)

Have you checked out the TechWorks Store recently?  Everything is back in stock and we have added a dozen new items recently.

The new space is really coming together.  The drywall and vinyl door are up in the dirty room.

 

As of September 1, 2016, we will be located at 412 44th St E., just North of Circle Drive and East of Faithful Ave. Our new location will be over twice as large, including a much larger shop area and dedicated office space available for members to rent. We will remember our old location at 509A Gray Ave. fondly, but with every end comes a new beginning, and we are excited for the opportunities this presents to our members and to the community.

We need your help!

Continue reading TechWorks is moving!

Just a reminder that Saturday July 16th is the Retro Video game day at Techworks. 509 Gray Ave.

Come out and have some fun.

Event page

So, years ago my daughter used an old briefcase of mine to keep some of her stuff in.  Today she asked me if I remembered the combination… yeah, right.

So, I tried all sorts of bits of old phone numbers, but no joy.

But… apparently, there is a visual difference in the gap beside the wheel when you’re on the correct number.  So:

And… Voila!

And, yeah, it was only a pad of construction paper and some dried up markers.

 

(Submitted by Andrew Wright aka Bun-Bun)

After acquiring a used Cubex Duo 3D printer, I discovered the heated-bed did not actually heat. The PID controller for the unit appeared to be functional and the relay could be heard actuating, however upon testing with a DMM I found the relay to not be contacting. Opening the PID controller revealed a cheapo chinese relay which made me think if there was a better way: an SSR would be quieter (silent) and more reliable than a mechanical relay in the given application. With the help of Scott Walde I sourced an SSR and tested the PID output with a resistor and LED to prove an SSR would work. I drilled and tapped a hole to attach the SSR to the PID enclosure and applied thermal paste; the enclosure is the heatsink for the SSR. I bypassed what was the chinese relay and used the PID connections to wire up the now externally mounted SSR. It works perfectly and any concern on heat dissipation of the SSR is nullified in practice: the heat from the SSR is only enough to take the chill off the metal enclosure, not warm it up.

 

In addition to his obsession with obsolete display technology, John has also recently become obsessed with these insects.  Last night he spent some time mounting his new acquisitions in a shadow box.

I just spent the past two days helping out at our booth at Spectrum 2016. Spectrum is a triennual show put on by the U of S College of Engineering students.  The people attending on Thursday and Friday tend to be predominantly school field trips.  It was great to meet kids who were enthusiastic about making things.

The show continues on Saturday and Sunday, so please come visit our booth and chat with us about making things and maker culture.

Our display consists of a variety of projects that Techworks members have made.

Of course, there is a ton of other cool stuff to see, so budget at least a couple of hours to look around.  Kilobots XXXII will also be holding their event in the Hardy Lab on Saturday and Sunday, so if that’s your thing, make sure to budget even more time to watch the mayhem.

We had five soap-makers and two helpers (plus me) at the soap workshop last night.  This was a very good size, I think.  We had a variety of ingredients. In addition to the usual coconut oil and olive oil, we used lard, cocoa butter, flaxseed oil, lanolin, and perhaps a few more I’ve forgotten.  I’m looking forward to hearing reports on how the soaps turned out.