Freeside Atlanta

I've been running Sprinter on a RAMPS 1.4 control board for my MendelMax since I built it a few weeks ago. This is the most common firmware in use, with the most community support. However there are other firmware options that are faster and more cutting edge, at the expense of having more bugs and a smaller user base. Today I switched to Marlin because I read that it handles acceleration between moves more smoothly, and can draw smooth arcs as well (a much more experimental feature). I chose this funnel as my test print because the cone and cylinders comprising it cover a range of arc sizes. On the left we have a print with Sprinter. There is a strong ridge at the layer change point near the left side, and additional ridges on every edge around the model. This print took about 40 minutes. In the middle is the exact same gcode run by Marlin. The edge ridges are gone, but the layer change ridge is more pronounced, especially on the cylinder at the top. This is much closer to wh

Zane, a member of the 7Hills Makerspace (http://www.7hillsmake.org/) to the north of us, has made this great light display for in front of his house. "...powered by a bluetooth enabled Arduino..." About $30 in parts and many hours with Zane's brain. http://zanecochran.com/entry.php?blog_id=335 Check out their group at http://www.7hillsmake.org/ and tell them Freeside says "Hello."

Our Dr. Glass and Sparr fight it out on who can create the fastest. From Dr. Glass: This was part of a "Day Project" at FreesideAtlanta.org In all fairness, Sparr and I became challenged in a Speed-Modeling contest. Me on Lightwave 3D and he on OpenSCAD. Sparr was victorious, but agreed to let me upload my model anyways. Thanks bud. I'm including this original as well as the Freeside Atlanta emboss.

Now that winter is coming to the northern hemisphere, getting up for work means getting out of bed before the sun comes up. In order to help the natural waking mechanism of light, I've decided to hack together a sunrise alarm clock on a shoestring budget. Part List: Arduino Real Time Clock Module ( http://www.sparkfun.com/products/99 ) 24xAssorted LEDs (In my case: 3UV, 2 Blue, 4 Red, 3 Yellow, 12 White) 24xResistors, 220ohm Solderless Breadboard Assorted wires 3x74HC595 shift registers A Shadow Display Box Frosting Spray To put this thing together I used Elco's ShiftPWM Library to control the 24 LEDs. You could go bigger, but I wanted this to all fit into the box. Personally, I had some PCBs from a previous project that I could fashion to make the LEDs easier to mount. Everything is hooked up like in the schematic: The "To SCL" and "To SDA" lines go to the Real Time Clock Module. The parts are all mounted to the backing board of the shadow display box lik

I am coming to freeside tonight. I should be there around 7.30pm I finished the hardware build of the new dual extruders from makerbot. Also their new interface kit build. I'll be installing them and doing the software work, calibration and hopefully a print or new design for the dual extruders before the night is up. Since I am going to be in the space anyway, I am going to open this to anyone who wants to attend. If you are bored or free try to stop by... Anyone interested in our progress on this is welcome to come read about it at http://www.linkreincarnate.com/

We will have some free freeside (free^2side?) keychains at our 3d printing presentation at Dragon*Con. In the meantime you can download the stl of the keychain here and a few of our logo stl files as well.

Here's a new video walkthrough of our space. Enjoy! Thanks to Engunneer and PeterP for hosting!

We will be having an open house/mini 3d printer meetup this Friday (August 19) from 4-8 pm. All are welcome to attend. We will be taking apart an UP printer for documentation/reverse engineering as well as tweaking a few others. Come on by and get your geek on!

Freeside Atlanta would like to invite everyone in the Atlanta area to a free introduction level class on open source 3D printing. Topics will include: Basic Printer Operation Various 3D printer designs including reprap and MakerBot OpenSCAD modeling software Common print materials So if you an just getting interested in 3D printing, or are already involved in 3D printing, stop by Freeside this Thursday night at 7:30pm. People already familiar with open source 3D printing are also encouraged to come and help teach or just meet fellow enthusiasts.

One of the costs of running an inkjet based 3D printer is that the cartridges have to be replaced on a regular basis. The Z400 and Z402 use Canon BC-20 ink cartridges which are readily available. There are currently two known ways of making these cartridges ready for the printer. The first method is to cut the cartridge in half, remove the foam inside, cut a Blue Falcon BD-50 Centrifuge tube in half, and epoxy it and a small O ring to the reservoir at the bottom of the cartridge. This is how the cartridges that are sold by Z Corp are made. An alternative method is two drill two holes in the cartridge, epoxy down some type of barb, and flush the cartridge. This is the method I am currently using in my Z402. Click below for full instructions and a few pictures of the process.

Hey, this is Pepper! We got a lot of clean up work today! We painted the kitchen and the back hallway. Work was done, accomplishments made! We also painted the back hallway wall a lovely chartruese (bwahaha) and took care some of the less seemly graffiti. Next buildout will be scheduled in the near future! :D

Miss all those Tuesday meetings because you don't live close and hate downtown traffic? Here's your chance to come check us out on a weekend! There will be plenty of members hanging out at the space doing stuff that interests us. (3D printing, metal pouring, etc). Stop by and hang out. All day Saturday (11Jun). Bring projects to show off, or projects you'd like some advice on. Bring friends and friends of friends! Weather permitting, there will be grilling. This event is FREE and OPEN to the public. Like all of our events, donations are appreciated. Children must bring their parents in order to attend. Add this event to your Calendar! Or, Upvote our reddit post. RSVP on Facebook

Freeside is a great space, but our kitchen could be charitably described as "needs work". The countertops are old, difficult to keep clean, and just generally bad. What the heck, we're a hacker space, right? Lets hack some countertops.

Freeside Atlanta will be hosting an Open Source 3D Printing meetup. Like most events at Freeside this will be free and open to the public. We will have a number of 3D printers on hand to show off and will be building a new one during the meetup. This is a great opportunity for people to learn more about 3D printing and to see some printers in action. There will also be a special guest who operates ultimachine.com and has built a successful business around this emerging technology. Hope to see you there! When: December 4th 2010 @ 10am Where: Freeside Atlanta http://wiki.freesideatlanta.org/the-space Full Event Details: http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?121,66570 More Info on Open Source 3D printing: http://reprap.org http://makerbot.com/ http://ultimachine.com/blog Add to your Calender:

I finally had some time (around 2 hours or so) to sit down with the Egg Bot and work with straighting everything up and finally getting a good egg out of it. Trying to go to high or low on the egg just stretches the image out and makes the design on the egg look terrible. (see our first try of the FreeSide Logo on an egg ) Different colors are done by creating layers in your image (like in photoshop), The software allows you to print one layer, change the color marker and then print the next layer, while remembering where it's at on the egg. As you can see in the above video, it works pretty well.

I came across this lovely bit of lost knowledge while cleaning out the space last week: Wire recorders were a big deal in the 40's and 50's. They work by storing sound magnetically on a thin steel wire. The sound is great. The recording playing in the clip was taken off WSB radio almost 70 years ago and recorded to the wire. It sounds as if it was fresh off the air. So why did this interesting spinning box go away? Several reasons. First, when you can cheaply make tape or vinyl, who wants to sell the latest top 40 hits in several hundred feet of steel wire? No one. Next, hear that recording? Good, because that is the last time that particular wire will ever play. On the rewind it became tangled and unusable. Further research shows that this was a typical issue for users. Finally, newer, better, and cheaper tech came out that spelled death for the wire recorders. Sure it survived a little while as a dict-a-phone or in radio studios, but in the end wire lost to tape.

The Freeside Calender is full of great classes this weekend including: * MakerBot Operation @ 1pm-3pm Sat. 9/25/2010 * Python 101 @ 4pm-6pm Sat. 9/25/2010 * Welding (Full) @ 11:30am Sunday 9/26/2010. This weekend's welding class is already full, but if you are interested in attending a future welding class just show up to our weekly meeting on Tuesdays @ 7:30pm to register. The MakerBot and Python classes are both free and open to the public, so feel free to show up and bring a friend. Please keep in mind that your donations are what allow us to keep doing these classes for free.

A representative from Geeks Without Borders will be visiting Freeside at 7:00pm, September 19th. From http://gwob.org/ : GWOBorg is an international coalition of passionate problem solvers working together to assist people whose survival is threatened by lack of access to technology or communications due to violence, neglect, or catastrophe.

Electronics 101 - Mk II This Thursday, September 16, 2010 @ 6:30pm Repeats bi-weekly Learn how to design, build, and modify electronic circuits, starting from the ground up. Current topics include basics, transistors, and op-amps. 653 Metropolitan Pkwy, Suite 6066 Atlanta, GA 30310 Free w/ $10 suggested donation.

Dragon*Con is this coming up this weekend and it's been a regular topic of conversation around Freeside. A lot of Freeside members regularly attend Dragon*Con and this year some of us are even participating. At least three Freeside Memebers will be participating in a panel about 3D printing and rapid prototyping on the EFF Track . We plan to give an overview of the current state of DIY 3D printing, the future, and discuss some intellectuality property issues. We will have a MakerBot and RepRap Mendel for demonstrations. This panel is scheduled for 2:30pm on Friday 9/3. You can also look for a few Freesiders in the parade driving a Delorean . So if this is you first year attending Dragon*Con, or if you are a seasoned pro, you are sure to have a good time. If you see someone a Freeside shirt, don't be afraid to strike up a conversation!

On Thursday, we acquired Freesides very own Busy Bee Lathe. Our good neighbor Walt helped me move it over the weekend as this sucker weighs in at over 1800 lbs. We will hopefully have this up and running soon and available for use by members. Walt has offered to help train us on how to use this in exchange that he can come over and drool on it from time to time.

Electronics 101 This Thursday, August 26, 2010 @ 6:30pm Repeats bi-weekly Learn how to design, build, and modify electronic circuits, starting from the ground up. Expect egregious amounts of science. 653 Metropolitan Pkwy, Suite 6066 Atlanta, GA 30310 Free w/ $5-$10 suggested donation.

Our Opening / Anniversary party and Open House are happening this Saturday! All are invited to come by our space, see some goings on, and learn more about freeside. The doors open at noon, and the space will be open until 9pm. After that, a members (and their guests) only party for those who make Freeside great! Please bring cash for the grill or donations to help keep Freeside running smoothly!

Coming soon! Freeside welcomes the world into our space for our Anniversary party / the launch party we never had! (We've been way too busy building the space out to throw a party, but it's time to change that!) Details are forthcoming, but for now, you should: - Start building a Bar bot of some sort. If we have enough entries, there will be a bar bot contest! The rules are simple - no open flames, nothing dangerous, judges opinions are final. 21+ only are allowed to participate. You will need to supply your own mixers and spirits, so keep that in mind! - Contribute! If you have a project you'd like to show off, let us know! We would love to have a mini-fair during the day. LIkewise, if you know any artists, musicians, or DJs that you think might want to come out, put them in touch with us! More details are forthcoming. This will be an open house during the day, and a party during the evening. We can provide crash space for visiting hackerspace members if needed! For more d

Check back for our Welding Workshop dates and times.

Attention all Noise Makers, DIYers, Hackers, and Punks, Wednesday June 30th will be Freeside Atlanta's next Circuit Bending WorkShop. The Workshop is free and open to the public. Instruments can be provided for a donation. Electronic Kits are also available for purchase. Please RSVP if you are planning on purchasing a kit or need a toy. You can RSVP via our EventBrite page .

This Sunday Matt will be teaching us Oxy/acetylene welding. OFW is nearly "obsolete" welding process but it teaches the basic hand motions & filler rod manipulation skills necessary to learn TIG. We can handle 3 people at most because We only have one rig and you'll have to take turns using it. (plan on spending at least 4 hours at the space). If you want to learn TIG, this is your ticket in. Anyone who can show proficiency in O/A welding on thin sheet is welcome to use the Dynasty. In order to keep the class available at no fee, We ask that you please bring your own materials - clean 12,14,or 16 gauge mild steel sheet or tubing is preferred (scrap is fine, clean sheet is available in small qty at any Lowes or Home Depot).RG45 filler rod will be provided. Same dress requirements as last class: Cotton/ flame retardant clothing (no nylon, polypropylene, rayon etc.) One Tee shirt One long sleeve shirt or welding jacket Long pants (no shorts, kilts, dresses, Speedo thongs

F3 June is live and streaming on USTREAM. Enjoy!

If you are looking for something to do tonight (6/4) in Atlanta, then consider stopping by Freeside for the June edition of our Flash talks. Topics so far include: "Coffee Roasting 101" "Tying Your Shoes - You're Doing it Wrong" "Patents - Using and Abusing" "Digital Design" There is always room for last minute talks, so if you have something that you would like to talk about for 5 minutes show up and share the knowledge. The talks will start around 7:30pm but feel free to show up early to checkout Freeside and meet some members if it is your first time.

Another round of snapshots of interesting things happening at Freeside. Meetings, projects, space improvement, and more! Click through to Flickr for details and notes.

The Living Walls Conference is an exhibition and conference focused on street art and its role in engaging public space. The Conference will run from August 13th-15th. International street artists will make use of Atlanta's streets to showcase their work. Friday August 13th, the event will consist of a lecture series held at Georgia Tech. On Saturday August 14th, the event will consist of an exhibition and Pecha Kucha style presentations held at Eyedrum's . An exhibition of poster art, wall painting, and wheat-paste will be open in Eyedrum's galleries from August 13 through the end of September. Please check out the Living Walls Conference website as well as donate to this cause so Atlanta can host this great event.

A couple weeks ago I'd seen an online image of a lamp that was created using iron pipes and pipe fittings. The lamp was very industrial looking but it had a price of $250.00. So for last weekends Synchronous Hackathon #7, I bought $50.00 worth of parts at the local Home Depot, used a switch we received in one of the Electronic Mystery Boxes and had some soldering help from Sparr. 2 Hours later, we had a working lamp and it saved me $200.00.

Courtesy of Justin Leggett

We are now broadcasting on UStream, for about the next 50 hours. The synchronous hackathon is ongoing, and the West End Tours event will be going on tomorrow during the day. Watch Now!

This weekend is a bustle of activity here at Freeside, and we welcome anyone to come and join us in hacking and festivities! Starting this evening is the premier run of 48 Hour Startup. Come this evening to mingle with other people, bounce ideas and create teams that will last for the duration of the weekend. Create a web Startup, software, or a viable hardware prototype using our rapid prototyping technologies available at the space. Create your marketing materials and a business plan, and you're successfully completed 48 Hour Startup. For more information on how this has been done before check out Atlanta Startup Weekend . Come at 7pm to mingle and create your teams, and the clock starts at midnight Friday. Second, starting May 15 is Atlanta's West End WE Tour , which includes venues such as the Metropolitan, the B Complex, and the Wren's Nest. Come take a tour of the space and watch people work on their projects, or simply come and relax with us and talk to us about what