We have no idea if the background story is true or not, but we’re not going to let something like “truth” get in the way of a good story. The way [Kwan3217] tells it, first there were hours on sundials. Then when these were divided into sixty minute sections, they were called “minutes”. “Seconds” comes…
via [Kwan]’s Clock Displays Seconds, and Thirds — Hackaday
Andrew Sowa writes about the PCB he designed in KiCad to surprise Brian Benchoff last weekend at the Hackaday Unconference in Chicago:
I thought of making the Benchoff nickel after I saw Brian’s Hackaday,io profile. He has a hi-res image of the center a Benchoff Buck which is well suited to being converted to a PCB. There is only a few colors and they have sharp edges. Bitmap2Component in Kicad, can easily detect these transitions and convert them into a footprint file. With the help of a text editor, I was able to manually layer everything into one complete image.
The KiCad design files are available on GitHub:
Junes-PhD/Benchoff-Nickel
Junes-PhD has shared the project on OSH Park:
We are always surprised how much useful hacking gear is in the typical craft store. You just have to think outside the box. Need a hot air gun? Think embossing tool. A soldering iron? Check the stained glass section. Magnification gear? Sewing department. We’ve figured out that people who deal with beads use lots of fine…
via [Dave’s] Not Just a Member of the Air Club for Tweezers — Hackaday
On Saturday the Hackaday community turned out in force to try something new. The first Hackaday Unconference was held in three places at the same time, and I was in Chicago and was amazed at the turnout and variety of presentations. The image above sums up the concept quite well, everyone shows up ready to…
via The Think Tank at the Chicago Unconference — Hackaday
Brian Benchoff of Hackaday writes about a surprise PCB he received at the Hackady Unconference in Chicago last weekend:
For the last few years, Hackaday has really been stepping up our game with marketing materials. Our t-shirts and swag are second to none, and last year we introduced the ‘Benchoff Buck’ [..]
Andrew Sowa created the Benchoff Nickel. It’s a visage of yours truly emblazoned on a PCB, rendered in FR4, silkscreen, gold, and OSHPark’s royal purple.
The Benchoff Nickel was created in KiCad using the Bitmap2Component functionality. Planning this required a little bit of work; there are only five colors you can get on an OSH Park PCB, from white to gold to beige to purple (soldermask on top of copper) to black (soldermask with no copper). Luckily, the best picture we have of me renders very well in five colors.
Today the 2017 Hackaday Prize begins! This is Hackaday’s global engineering initiative that encourages people to direct their skill and energy to make the world a better place. We call it the Hackaday Prize, but it’s far more than that. Join a community of talented people who enrich their own lives by seeking out new challenges and new…
I’ve been soldering for a long time, and I take pride in my abilities. I won’t say that I’m the best solder-slinger around, but I’m pretty good at this essential shop skill — at least for through-hole and “traditional” soldering; I haven’t had much practice at SMD stuff yet. I’m confident that I could make a…
Every year, sometime in March, the world’s preeminent 3D printing enthusiasts gather in the middle of nowhere This is MRRF, the Midwest RepRap Festival. It’s only two weeks away. You need to come. Get your (free) tickets here. I’ll be there, and Hackaday is proud to once again sponsor the festival. I need to backtrack a…
via Two Weeks Until The Greatest 3D Printer Meetup On The Planet — Hackaday
We’re excited to announce that Chicago will play host to the Hackaday Unconference on March 18th. We are happy to expand our unconference plans to include this event at Pumping Station One from 1-8pm on 3/18. Astute readers will notice that this is the second location we have announced this week.
We want you to make the next Hackaday live event great. This is an Unconference in San Francisco on Saturday, March 18th and it depends completely on you. Get signed up now! You’re in Control of the Hackaday Unconference An unconference is a live event where you decide the topic, guide the discussion, and generally make it an…
via San Francisco Tapped for Hackaday Unconference on March 18th — Hackaday
OSH Park 