HackSpace #56

The truth is that there’s a lot more to making something that sells than just a good idea. It takes a good idea and a lot of hard work to productise it Got a comment, question, or thought about HackSpace magazine? get in touch at hsmag.cc/hello GET IN TOUCH hackspace@ raspberrypi.com hackspacemag hackspacemag ONLINE hsmag.cc Almost all of us have daydreamed about turning one of our projects into a product and selling it. The truth is that there’s a lot more to making something that sells than just a good idea. It takes a good idea and a lot of hard work to productise it. This means making sure that it can be manufactured, tested, and properly packaged. And doing all that in a way that lets you hit a…

hsmag.cc/EnigmaLamp This beautiful build looks like it’s come from the bridge of a WW2 U-boat, but it’s actually a completely new build. It’s also a Eurorack module, albeit one that doesn’t make any sound. It’s a voltage-controlled character display, which means that when you plug it into your extensive modular synth setup and start playing the keyboard, different characters will light up when you play different notes. That’s it! A brilliant, beautiful adornment, and an exploration of computing history.…

hsmag.cc/BinaryWatch We love the aesthetic of surface-mount LEDs on a bare PCB, so we were fascinated when we found this watch. Even more so when we realised it uses binary-coded decimal – a system of counting that we’re unfamiliar with. The watch is available to buy on Tindie, or you can download the design files from the author’s GitHub page and make your own.…

hsmag.cc/RobotHeadInAJar We’ve featured the work of Jack Spiggle, aka NanoRobotGeek, a couple of times in past issues. And we’re very proud to be able to say that he’ll be writing a How I Made for our next issue, unveiling some of the thought processes behind this free-form, solar-powered kinetic sculpture. Like a lot of his work, this uses solar power stored in capacitors, which triggers an action when a certain amount of charge is reached. And like all of his work, it’s absolutely beautiful.…

lewis-workshop.com Here’s another preview from the next issue: an enhanced welding helmet by Andrew Lewis. While it’s possible to spend loads of money on a top-of-the-range welding helmet, for most weekend welders, it’s just not worth it. If you spend more time grinding off messy welds than you do actually welding, there’s no way you’re going to spend money on luxuries like a fan – but you might follow Andrew’s example and enhance a lower-end model. Look out for step-by-step instructions in issue 57.…

hsmag.cc/LoopieLamp The most frustrating thing in woodworking is things that are supposed to be square but aren’t square. Give us a nice right angle any day. Our mass-produced world likes order, tessellation, and right angles. For ease of design, construction, and transportation, right angles make sense. So why has the maker of this WS2812B RGB LED-powered lamp chosen the way of the loop for this design? Refreshingly, the answer is that it’s better for the user. Rounded shapes are more common in nature, and so the theory is that they’re easier on the eye and the brain. The circle also represents eternity, as it has no beginning and no end. Either way, this is an impressive build, achieved with simple tools, simple electronics, and a few bits of MDF.…