Sheffield Hackspace

Month updates - September & October 2024

by alifeee

What have members of Sheffield Hackspace been up to this month?

Let’s find out!

  1. A guided tour of the NAMRC
  2. Dave - big connectors
  3. Nik - interference waves
  4. Nik - pen plotter
  5. Stuart - relay
  6. new blinds and new stairs
  7. Alfie - a vinyl cut sign
  8. Richard - straightening wires
  9. Alex H - new zip
  10. Alex K - the bionic man

A guided tour of the NAMRC

A visit to the University of Sheffield’s Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre was hosted by Ben and Robin, with around seven other hackspace members attending. They had a tour around the workshop which hosts a number of very large bits of precision manufacturing kit.


The NAMRC, View Larger Map

Dave - big connectors

Dave has been making some big connectors for the back of a CNC machine.

picture a 3D printed CNC connector picture of two very large 40-pin plugs picture of two very large 40-pin plugs

Nik - interference waves

Nik has been making impressive visual art for a projection mapping showcase.

Interference Waves is a 1 minute experimental audiovisual animation created for the Minute MAPP Monreal projection mapping showcase, part of the annual MAPP festival in Montreal, screened on 26 Sept 2024.

Read more about it here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/projection-mapping-case-study-mapp-festival-nikola-nenov-lti5e, and watch a video of the event here:

Nik - pen plotter

Nik has also been experimenting with a new (to him) pen plotter, a Roland CAMM-1 PNC-1000.

Read more in Nik’s Mastodon thread https://mastodon.social/@nnenov/112993543103726333.

picture of an abstract drawing of a person by a pen plotter picture of several abstract drawings of people by a pen plotter

Stuart - relay

This is a prototype of a device to count attendance at a non-league football ground. The relay is to control the turnstile and let people in.

Here’s a video with the relay working and the LED display showing a count of how many times the button has been pressed, i.e., how many people are inside.

new blinds and new stairs

New stairs have been put in place between the engine room and main room. As well, the blinds in the main room are now controllable automatically.

There are 5 blinds, there are 5 sliders. Push a corresponding slider up, the blind goes up; push a slider down, the blind goes down.

Above the sliders is a secret red button, push it and see what happens.

picture of the stairs between the main room and engine room in Sheffield hackspace

Alfie - a vinyl cut sign

This month I had my first go on the vinyl cutter, to make a sign for me and my housemate. It’s very satisfying to use, so much that I took a timelapse of it cutting my sign.

picture of computer screen showing vinyl cutting software, showing text "alfie ! tania &" picture of a vinyl sign stuck to a wall that says "tania & alfie!"

Richard - straightening wires

Richard made a video about how to straighten cables that has gained an impressive amount of popularity online for being useful and to-the-point.

Alex H - new zip

Alex has been learning how to put new zips into old clothes, and has replaced zips in a few different items at this month’s craft nights.

picture of a pink jacket with zip attached

Alex K - the bionic man

Alex has been experimenting with robotic arms.

Read more here: https://alexkelly.world/posts/2024-10-03_robotics/robot.html

That’s all

That’s all for this month! Remember, you can:

Until next time :)