This week on Maker Update, a shelf clock, making a difference with COVID-19, a face tracking robot head, an illuminated book nook, and the MagPi goes half off.

++Show Notes++

-=Project of the Week=-

How to build a Hidden Shelf Edge Clock by DIY Machines
https://youtu.be/8E0SeycTzHw

-=News=-

How Fast Can We Design And Deploy An Open Source Ventilator?
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/12/ultimate-medical-hackathon-how-fast-can-we-design-and-deploy-an-open-source-ventilator/

FB group forms to open-source development of coronavirus-related medical hardware
https://boingboing.net/2020/03/14/fb-group-forms-to-open-source.html

Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/670932227050506/

Project Open Air / Helpful Engineering
https://www.projectopenair.org/

-=More Projects=-

The Watchman robot head by Graham Jessup
https://grahamjessup.com/watchman/

How I Made an Illuminated Booknook By Ajaxjones
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-I-Made-an-Illuminated-Booknook/

See also: Sculptures by Monde
https://twitter.com/monde55212068

-=Tools/Tips=-

The MagPi magazine half-off US subscriptions
https://magpi.cc/mpl

Adam Savage’s Nailer and Stapler Storage Rack
https://www.tested.com/art/makers/904354-adam-savages-nailer-and-stapler-storage-rack/

BBC micro:bit Go Bundle review by Ryan Jenkins
https://youtu.be/KCmYfRvIjgI

Folding at Home
https://foldingathome.org/

-=Digi-Key Spotlight=-

Motors & Motor Control – Tech Basics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbTFu__LW_A

Transcript

This week on Maker Update, a shelf clock, making a difference with COVID-19, a face tracking robot head, an illuminated book nook, and the MagPi goes half off.

Hey I’m Donald Bell and welcome back to another Maker Update. It feels a little silly to host this little maker show with the whole pandemic thing going on, but I figure we could all use the distraction, right? It also looks like our DIY skills could be put to good use right now. I’ll have more on that in a minute, but first, the project of the week.

You’re trapped at home, you’ve over-binged on Netflix, and now you’re staring at the wall thinking, “This room could use some shelving, and maybe a clock.”

Well, Lewis from DIY Machines has you covered with this hidden shelf-edge clock. It’s lit up with addressable Neopixel LEDs. An Arduino Nano and a real-time-clock module update the LED strips with the time. 

What I love most about this design is that all the shelving sections and framework are 3D printed. There are channels to exactly fit each strip of LEDs. There’s a section that perfectly fits the Arduino and power adapter. It’s all been thought out.

What’s particularly cool is that the sleeves that go over each shelf and create the display are 3D printed in white for the first few layers to create the diffuser for the LEDs at the edge of each shelf. The rest of the sleeve was printed in a wood-infused PLA for a more natural look.

Lewis goes over each step of the process, from assembly, to code. You’ll need to sink a lot of time into 3D printing, but it’s a great payoff that looks really cool.

Alright, now for some news. One of the fears associated with the Coronavirus outbreak is that medical facilities won’t have enough ventilation machines to accommodate the predicted demand. Many online maker communities are already busy working on DIY ventilator systems that could be made locally to fill the gap.

Articles on Hackaday and Boing Boing both point to a Facebook group led by MegaBot’s Gui Cavalcanti. The group is called Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies. They’re looking for all kinds of volunteer help, not just engineering, but also writing and project management — skills a lot of us can lend. I encourage you to join and see what you can do to help.

There’s another online community of engineers out there you can check out and join called Project Open Air and a slack group called Helpful Engineering. 

On the 3D printing Media Network, I read how Italian hospitals urgently needed low-flow breathing valves that were in short supply. Local makers and 3D printing firms donated their time and material to create 3D printed replacements just in time. 

There are some copyright and patent issues to consider, but in the event of a shortage, it seems unethical to let that stand in the way.

Now for more projects to distract you from the apocalypse. Graham Jessup made this awesome update to the Doorman project by Frederik Van Melle. 

For Graham’s version he borrowed the animatronic eye mechanism from Will Cogley. He’s replaced the forehead PIR sensor from the original design with a Raspberry Pi camera. That camera goes into a Google AIY vision hat, connected to a Raspberry Pi Zero.

The Zero picks up the face locations from the feed and translates them into servo positions. Those get sent to an Arduino Uno up above the eyes using a USB serial connection. 

Finally, a servo shield on the Arduino drives the six different servos used to move the eyes and eyelids around. 

One funny, though potentially blinding aspect of this design is that to dial in the accuracy of the face tracking, Graham created a version of theyeballs that he could mount laser diodes in. This way he could see exactly where the eyes were looking. 

He used a 3D print of his head as a stand-in so that he wouldn’t get lasered in the face. But in the process, he’s given us a weaponized, face tracking robot head. What could go wrong?

For something more cozy than creepy, check out this 3D printed, illuminated book nook by Ajax Jones. 

Inspired by the bookshelf dioramas by Japanese designer Monde, this medieval fantasy take on the idea is meant to sneak into your shelf and feel like you’re peeking into another world. 

This design comes as two 3D printed halves that you prime and paint for just the look you want. The split design also lets you add some LEDs and circuitry to give your little world a little flickering glow. It looks like a fun project with lots of opportunity for different designs and styles.

Now for some tips and tools. First, just like it’s sister publication Hackspace, The MagPi magazine has also cut it’s US subscription prices in half. A 12-issue subscription is now just $60 and includes a Raspberry Pi and some accessories. You can find a link for it down in the description.

On Tested, Adam Savage has a video showing how he created a storage rack for his favorite nailers and staplers. What’s refreshing is that it’s a video where Adam talks openly about how he screwed up the design and had to remake it. It’s a cautionary tale with a nice payoff, and worth a watch.

On the Cool Tools channel, I’ve got an interview up with Ryan Jenkins of Wonderful Idea Co. He talks about why the micro:bit board has become his go-to for creative prototyping with kids and professional development workshops for teachers. 

Sophy Wong and Kim Pimmel told me about a distributed computing project called Folding at Home. By installing some software, your computer can help crunch some numbers on scientific models for how proteins fold. They’re currently simulating the dynamics of COVID-19 proteins, looking for druggable sites on the protein that could lead to a cure. So if you have a computer that you can put to work, this is a way you can help.

For this week’s Digi-Key spotlight, check out their latest Tech Basics video on motors and motor control. Brushed, brushless, AC, DC, stepper motors, servos, motor controller features. At just under 5 minutes, the video packs in a lot of useful information. Give it a look.

That does it for this week’s show. Be sure to subscribe, leave a comment or leave a thumbs up. There’s an email list. There’s a Patreon. Just be safe out there. Be kind to each other. And I’ll see you next week.