This is a really impressive project put together by one of our members, Rylan Grayston. It’s a motion camera rig that is fully controlled using Blender 3D, an open-source 3d modeling and animation software. If the video below isn’t enough for you, you can read more about it here or here.
MoSo Recap
Big thanks to the organizers of MoSo for letting us set up a display and show off our creations this past weekend. We love getting out to events like this, it’s a great way to let the community know we’re here and show them a little bit of what we do. Check out a couple photos from the event below:
Soap Making Workshop Recap
Last night’s soap making workshop was a great success! Check below for some photos from the workshop and a link to our wiki that explains the soap making process in detail.
http://wiki.sktechworks.ca/doku.php?id=soapmaking
Meeting Announcement: May 14th @ 7pm
Just a reminder we’ll be having our monthly general meeting on Tuesday May 14th @ 7pm at 422 44th St E. All are welcome to attend.
Robot combat event May 18-19!
Do you remember the television shows Robot Wars and BattleBots from about a decade ago? Ever wanted to see that kind of robot mayhem in person? Well now’s your chance! On May 18th & 19th at The Centre Mall, the Saskatoon Combat Robotics Club (aka Kilobots) is hosting its 25th event.
I know what you’re thinking – how is it that something this awesome has been going on for so many years and I haven’t heard about it? Well, once you’re done beating yourself up over it, clear your schedule for May long weekend. The combat arena will be set up in front of North Shore Outfitters and fights will be taking place every hour on the hour. And, if you’re so inclined, it’s not too late to start building your own bot to enter in the event! Head on over to the Kilobots site for more details.
Project Showcase: Laser Cutter Water Cooling System
Last year, one of our members purchased a laser cutter of questionable quality off of eBay. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by what the machine is able to do, and over the last year we’ve been constantly improving the machine. Our latest improvement is that of a proper water cooling system for the laser to replace the “snow cooled” system we’d been using all winter.
For more details on this project, head over to our forum.
Project Showcase: Buzzer Relay
Over the weekend, a couple of our members put together this Raspberry Pi powered relay whose purpose will be to trigger a buzzer in a shop with highly regimented work times. The Pi will keep time using NTP to stay in sync with the shop’s timeclock.
For more details on this project, head to our forum.
Meeting Announcement: Tuesday, April 9th @ 7PM
Our next regular meeting will be held on at 7pm on Tuesday April 9th in our space at 422 44th St E.
Yet another thing TechWorks is good for…
This week, one of our members is using the shop to install a new engine in his daughter’s junior dragster. Very cool! Some interesting facts:
- Chassis: 2009 Martin Components Jr. Dragster
- Engine (2012): Briggs Raptor 3 (13 cu in) with 28mm Mikuni Carb
- Best time (2012): 12.002s @ 52mph (1/8th mile)
- New Engine: Blockzilla 3×3 (21 cu in) with 40mm Mikuni Carb
- Expected time: 9s @ 70mph
- Fuel: Methanol
- Driver: Rachel (age 11)
SCRC Kilobots Exhibition at Techworks
The Saskatoon Combat Robotics club is having an exhibition tournament at Saskatoon Techworks this Saturday and Sunday (March 23 and 24). Members are encouraged to come check it out. This event is open to the general public as well and are welcome to come check out the robots and the space.