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3D Printing

3 posts with the tag “3D Printing”

Turning a Bluetooth Caliper into a FreeCAD Input Device

Steffen Vogel
Steffen Vogel
code poet, bit juggler & logic wizard
FreeCAD + Sylvac = InstrumentInput

When I spotted a used Sylvac S_Cal EVO caliper on eBay for €90, I jumped on it. Swiss-made precision instruments don’t usually fall into hobby budgets, but here was my chance: a Bluetooth-enabled digital caliper that normally costs 3-4× as much. I thought I was buying a better measuring tool. I didn’t realize I was buying a new FreeCAD input device.

TL;DR

Section titled “TL;DR”

I’ve developed a Python library, sylvac-measure, that can read measurements from the S_Cal EVO over Bluetooth. Using that library, I created a FreeCAD addon called InstrumentInput which allows you to click on any dimension field in FreeCAD, take a measurement with the caliper, and have the value appear instantly in the field with proper units. This eliminates the need for manual transcription, reduces errors, and creates a seamless workflow between physical measurement and digital modeling.

Take a look at my video below to see it in action.

A 3D-printed wall mount for Netgear Nighthawk mobile 5G/LTE routers

Steffen Vogel
Steffen Vogel
code poet, bit juggler & logic wizard

I have recently designed and printed a wall mount for Netgear’s Nighthawk mobile 5G/LTE routers. More specifically a Nighthawk M5 (MR5200).

I have been inspired by an existing commercial wall mount for the Nighthawk M-series routers by FTS Hennig GmbH:

My inspiration: the wall-mount and antenna adapter from FTS Hennig
My inspiration: the wall-mount and antenna adapter from FTS Hennig.

Unfortunately, the mount is with a price tag of around 50 € rather expensive. So I decided to use our new lab 3D-printer and try do design it myself usings AutoDesk’s Fusion 360 software.

My own 3D printed holder is released under a creative commons license at Codeberg: /stv0g/3d-printing/netgear-m5-wall-mount

Seminar: Camera-based PCB Analysis for Solder Paste Dispensing

Steffen Vogel
Steffen Vogel
code poet, bit juggler & logic wizard
Featured
Mini Kossel 3D Printer
Mini Kossel 3D Printer.

The lectures during my last semester were largely focused on digital image processing. Combining this with the inspiration for 3D printing, I gathered through my trip though South Korea, resulted in the following seminar paper. Seminars are a compulsory part of our curriculum which I like due the self-contained work and the ability to pick an individual topic.

Over the past year, I’ve built my own Kossel 3D printer. The Mini Kossel is based on a novel parallel delta kinematic which was developed by Johann C. Rocholl, a Google engineer from Germany.

This paper is targeting the automation of solder paste dispensing onto printed circuit boards by using computer vision and RepRap robots.

Download:Presentation Slides
Download:Full Paper
Source Code