HaHa member bsom acquired a Robonova-1 bi-ped robot kit for his day job and brought it to the space for us to assemble, configure and generally play with.  So far, the robot is about 85% done, requiring its wires to be properly tucked and its motors to be centered.  Then we can dig in and learn some hardcore RoboBasic.   Videos of the finished bot will be posted once he is up and running.

[View with PicLens]

12►

A while ago, HaHa member bsom introduced us to non-Newtonian fluids and the idea of using cornstarch and water in conjunction with a speaker/amp and function generator to produce what he called a “Cornstarch Monster.”  The video below is an excellent representation of what can be done with this simple yet captivating recipe.

Also, keep an eye on our new YouTube Channel, available here, for more videos, tutorials and technology dissections.

Tonight our CNC showed signs of life. We attached a pen and drew images of circuits, skulls, and Road Runner. The CNC Router was the first project we started working on and it has taken many nights of team work to get to this point. There is still a lot more to do. We started working on the Z-Axis tonight and once that is finished we will have to take most of the machine apart and make fine adjustments to make it as precise as possible. After that there is the long process of mastering the 3D Software.

[View with PicLens]

The awesome guys from the Two Hands Projects unexpectedly dropped into Harford Hackerspace last night. The organizer, Bilal, was full of energy and really pumped everyone up. You’ll have to wait for the video to see what happened. Hopefully we will make the cut. In a nutshell they interviewed us and we showed off our space and our projects. Here are a few photos of them getting ready to record.

[View with PicLens]

Harford Hackerspace will have a table at Electronica Fest 2009. Check the official website for details. http://www.nem-electronicafest.com/

First, we would like to thank Loyala College in Maryland for their generous donation of a IBM Laptop.

We were all very excited to learn that the IBM laptop came with a built in parallel port. However, after a few hours of hacking and puting the stepper motor on the CNC we found out that the laptops port is not compatible with our CNC. So we will need to resort to a desktop for now. We loaded the laptop with Windows and Linux and I’m sure we will find a million other uses for it.

[View with PicLens]

I could not help but smile really big during yesterdays meeting. There was the real feeling of a hackerspace with Miles building a prop gun, all of us pitching in on the CNC Machine and a few of us tearing into a work related project of mine. Then to top it all off Logan from Baltimore SDIY stoped by and demonstrated his projects. We all had a great time.

Now we need to take th CNC apart and paint it.

[View with PicLens]

123►

We are really starting to look like a team now. Last night we built the base for the CNC Machine and accurately measured and drilled the holes for our linear bearings. I’m am happy to say we got the bearings marked and drilled correctly the first time. Here are some more photos of the progress.

[View with PicLens]

In April we were at RobotFest demonstrating Chris Cockrums CNC Machine. At our last meeting we decided that we would build one as a group which meets the needs of our members. Future projects ideas included etching circuit boards and milling knife handles and guitar necks.

Last Thursday we met in superfro’s garage where we gathered our tools and spare parts and started getting organized. You can find more details about the project on wiki.harfordhackerspace.org or www.harfordhackerspace.org/forum under the Projects section. Since I know everyone loves photos here are a few snap shots from Thursdays meeting.

[View with PicLens]

This week on Thursday – June 18th, 2009 at 7:30pm we will be gathering at superfro’s garage which he has kindly offered to let us use as a temporary hackerspace. We will be working on our first project which is a CNC Machine capable of etching circuit boards and routing small objects from wood and soft metals. At this meeting we will be discussing the design of the CNC Machine as well as start setting up tools and gathering materials which the members will be donating from their personal stash.

In other news… Our bank account is now setup. Also, we would really like to see some new faces at our meetings. We currently have 6 members which come to every meeting. So,  if you are in the area and you would like to come check out the club please e-mail us at info@harfordhackerspace.org for directions.