The Premier Cincinnati Hackerspace

nnnIt is official. HIVE13 has won a Shapeoko2 CNC machine kit in the Inventables 50 States 3D Carving Machine Giveaway contest! Yes, it is for real!nnThe gang at Inventables (the hardware store for designers) is igniting the digital manufacturing revolution by launching this outreach program to get open-source CNC milling into (almost) every makerspace in the US. HIVE13 responded and is one of the 50 winners (and the only one in Ohio).nnShapeoko is an Open Hardware project started by Edward Ford in Dixon, IL. The name comes from a combination of the Shapeways and Ponoko laser cutting service names. The initial design (pre-kickstarter) was based around services provided by both companies. On July 26, 2011, 125 backers pledged $11,078 toward Project Shapeoko, far exceeding the funding goal of $1,500.nnThe ShapeOko is a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine which in its default configuration uses a light-duty rotary tool as the spindle. It is a 3-axis machine; able to move the mounted tool up/down, left/right, and forward/backward under computer control with some measure of repeatable precision. The giveaway includes beta access to Inventable’s Easel free cloud based app for design and fabrication, which goes full public later this summer.nnStay tuned for further announcements and visit the HIVE13 wiki ShapeOko project page for further details on the (to be scheduled) upcoming build nights and ongoing related developments.nnn

nRyan 2.0 (a.k.a. Ryan Hesse) will finish his summer co-op term at GE here in Cincinnati and will return to Montana next week.  Before he goes, he will follow through and conduct four MIG welding classes at HIVE13 this weekend.nnFriday, August 9 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm (limit 6 hands-on students)nnSaturday, August 10 from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm (limit 6 hands-on students)nnSaturday, August 10 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm (limit 6 hands-on students)nnSunday, August 11 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm (limit 6 hands-on students)nnClasses are $15.00 each for Elite and non-members, and $5.00 for Full and Student members collected at the door.  The fees cover material costs.  Classes are limited to six hands-on participants in each session, first come first served.  An EventBrite (click here) has been created to reserve class seats.  Fees will be collected at the door.nnn

nMember Matt Starbuck bravely displays the “Magic Blue Smoke” merit badge awarded to him for his efforts at HIVE13 yesterday afternoon.nnHis promotion into the Benevolent Order of the Magic Blue Smoke (BOMBS) was made possible through the ultimate sacrifice of the ATMEGA32U4 chip on the Teensy 2.0 board in the LED persistence of vision staff he was developing.  In his own words, “VCC was not connected to anything, GND was connected, and I put 3.7V or so directly into one of the ADC pins with the Teensy powered off.  That pin is a direct short to ground in powered-down mode.  I failed to add the 4.7Mohm in line with it, which would have prevented the meltdown.”nnThe release of MBS was confirmed by two full-member eye witnesses at the time of the occurrence. “Yep, smells like MBS to me,” said one.  “I love the smell of MBS in the afternoon,” said the other, with a tear in her eye.nnHIVE13 congratulates Matt for the new found knowledge that he has acquired.  In the trial-and-error development world, we all know there is no gain without pain.  We celebrate failures because we learn from them and they are just the stepping stones that come before the final victory.nnFull disclosure and shameless plug – HIVE13 acquired a seed quantity of MBS merit badges via a grant marketing initiative by our friends at Adafruit (link), where you can also get more Teensy boards.  Imagine that.nnn

n

This Saturday, July 13th, married members Michael and (recent Bock Fest Moerlein Special Release award-winning brewer) Tiffany Bell-Horwath will host an all-grain brewout at the HIVE! Plans include brewing a 10 gallon batch of a brown ale (a clone of the beer moosedrool if anyone has had it).

n It’s like Christmas in July!  The HIVE’s new MIG welder has arrived.  DaveB trucked it over and set it up on the cart just today.nnHIVE13 is the proud owner of  a brand-new Millermatic 211 Auto-Set w/MVP (link) with the M-100 Gun (link).nnThis is serious equipment.  Electric shock can kill.  Hot parts can burn.  Fumes and gases can be hazardous.  Arc rays can burn eyes and skin.  Welding can cause fire or explosion.  Flying metal or dirt can injure eyes.  Build-up of gas can injure or kill.  Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) can affect implanted medical devices.  Noise can damage hearing.  Cylinders can explode if damaged, etc.   Only qualified persons should install, operate, maintain, and repair this unit.nnDoes this new tool sound like as much fun to you as it does to us?nnStay tuned and drop by to see developments progress as the experienced HIVE welders and prudently cautious implementers make preparations to enable eager newbies to learn to weld safely with appropriate precautions.nnHIVE13 is the place to join to learn new skills and use new equipment to make things.nnn