Fab Academy 2016

Yogi Kulkarni

 

This is my journey through Fab Academy 2016 at Fab Lab Trivandrum, India.

Fab Academy is a 20-week course in digital fabrication. It has its roots in MIT’s course on How to make (almost) anything, which was started by Prof. Neil Gershenfeld... read more


Final Project


Weekly Assignments

Principles & Practices

Final Project Sketch

This week I sketched out a possible final project, called Hi! Time - a gesture sensing clock.


Computer-Aided Design

This week we explored a variety of 2D, 3D, image and video processing tools. I designed a logo for Hi! Time in Inkscape and created a 3D model of its back panel in Antimony.


Computer-Controlled Cutting

This week we worked on the laser-cutter and the vinyl-cutter. I created a press-fit geodesic hemisphere out of cardboard and a craft-plywood box with flexured hinges.


Electronics Production

FabISP

This week we created an in-circuit programmer using an ATtiny45 microcontroller, milled it on the Modella and soldered all the components.


3D Printing & Scanning

The goal was to create something that would be difficult, if not impossible, to create with a subtractive process. I designed nested spheres in OpenSCAD and 3D printed it on the Ultimaker. I also 3D scanned some objects using an Xbox Kinect and Skanect.


Electronics Design

Board with LED + Button

This week I designed a board's schematic and layout in Eagle, milled it and soldered the components.


Computer-Controlled Machining

This week we had to make something big on the Shopbot CNC router. I designed and made a table out of 18mm plywood.


Embedded Programming

This week I programmed the LED + Button board using Arduino, C, and AVR Assembly language.


Mechanical & Machine Design

Over 2 weeks we built a 2-axis plotter in a group.


Input Devices

Ambient Light Sensor

I created a board with a phototransistor + LED to detect ambient and reflected light.


Molding & Casting

Spirograph Gear

This week I created a wax mold from which I cast a silicone mold from which I cast a spirograph gear.


Output Devices

7-Segment LED Board

This week I created a 7-segment LED board which can display digits. It uses a technique called Charlieplexing to minimize the number of pins needed to drive the LEDs.


Composites

To be done.


Networking & Communications

I2C Network

This week I created a I2C network connecting 2 microcontrollers - 1 master and 1 slave.


Interface & Application Programming

Light Sensor Game Input

I translated the ambient light sensor's readings into up & down movements to control an airplane in a 3D Javascript game running in the browser.


Applications & Implications

This week was about planning the final project.



Final Project Development

Hi! Time - Gesture Sensing Clock