code, circuits, & construction

Lots of people are into mechanical generation of electrical power these days, so here’s a nice tip from the guys at Uncommon Projects: dynohubs.  I had a note in my inbox for months that just said “dynohubs, Tarikh.”  So I wrote, and he offered a lovely explanation, and a link:

Dynohubs are cool. They are sort of stepper motors in reverse,
actually sealed in a bicycle hub. They generate AC current which can be
easily rectified and smoothed to DC and (mine anyway) generates nearly 400mA
without significant speed. There’s some minor friction from the magnets but
they’re much better than the old style “bottle” hubs (which are
significantly cheaper).

Dynohub in Uncommon Action!

Perhaps you were asking me because I’ve been meaning to make an instructible
for months about how to power or charge your iphone/device from your bike?

They’re not necessarily cheap. A quick google search for the Shimano 3N71 that Tarikh mentions comes up with prices ranging from $99 - $150.  3W at 6V, that’s half an amp. Not a bad start.

Mike Olson likes to move heavy things.  So when he says something like this:

Hands down the best site for finding cheap powerful motors is:

www.surpluscenter.com

You can’t search by torque, but they usually have an excellent seclection of powerful gearheads and linear actuators.

I had great results with one of these guys a while back. Probably bigger than what you need, but produces huge torque with very little current. The only problem is that it’s very heavy.

I believe him.  So if you’re looking for motors that can lift heavy stuff, follow Mike’s lead.

Kate Hartman turned me on to the nifitiest place ever: the Big Button.

This is the information center for the Fashion District. You need to know where to get something there, they’ll tell you. It’s located at the corner of 39th St. and Seventh Ave.and well worth a visit.

Christopher Palmer’s got a couple of nice sites dedicated to mechanics for artists. Check out kineticworld.com, his blog on mechanical art, and the ROMFA (Rudiments of Mechanics for Artists) wiki as well. Thanks to CTP for the links.

From Mouna Andraos, some notes on thermochromic inks:
“Basically, the main company in the US seems to be Chromatic Technologies. They have the widest product line and appear to provide some of the smaller resellers as well (they sell minimum by the 1/2 gallon i think). The stuff we have right now is from: Matsui. It’s for screen-printing on fabrics. They also have products specifically for dying and plastics.
“The problem is that all of the products we have come across start with a color and go to clear or to a lighter color when activated with heat (or cold).”

Technorati Tags: thermochromic, wearables

Amazing Magnets sells rare earth magnets, ferrofluid, and other magnet products. Thanks to Zach Layton for the link.

Mettrix is an upstate NY company that does PCB fab and assembly. Their work is recommended by Todd Polenberg, and apparently they can do Ball grid array parts too.
Thanks to Todd Polenberg for the link.

Technorati Tags: CNC, electronics, PCB

Sasha Harris-Cronin gave a talk at O’Reilly’s Maker Faire on DIY touchpanels. Her notes are online here.
She also sent these links on multitouch, because she’s a peach.

http://multitouch.nl/documents/multitouchdisplay_howto_070523_v02.pdf
http://nuigroup.com/wiki/Touchlib/

Thanks to Sash for the link.

Technorati Tags: displays, multitouch, sensors, touch panels

You know that place on Canal St. that sells used motors from A/C units, refrigerators, and so forth? It’s called Electric Trading Company, and the URL is blowerwheel.com. 313 Canal St. Thanks to Lesley Flanagan for the link.

Technorati Tags: mechanics, motors, New York Suppliers

LEah Buechley sent a note about Tinsel Trading Company:

“I got a lovely package from Tinsel Trading company today & this reminded me to email you about them. They’re on 38th St in manhattan & they have an amazing cache of vintage metal fabrics, threads, & trimmings, many breathtaking. Most threads are too delicate for machine stitching, but perfect for couture. calling out to be put to use in some beautiful itp project ;-)”

Technorati Tags: buechley, conductive thread, New York Suppliers, wearables