tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28740832700183945202024-03-10T12:14:13.838-07:00Deep Thoughts by Dylan FairbanksA place to put some projects, pictures, and interesting things.Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-19150867036599258102016-12-30T22:30:00.002-08:002017-01-05T17:49:41.791-08:00R/C Radio Hack: Adding Head Tracking to 3 Channel Surface Transmitter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When building a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQWX9JG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanfairbank-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00KQWX9JG&linkId=31fa7611667f2d19a78e01294b17a22a">SCX10</a> R/C rock crawler, I purchased a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FS2UAHS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanfairbank-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00FS2UAHS&linkId=60837a23cfd363927f9c27cea3fc4874">FS-GT3B</a> transmitter from FlyKsy because it was cheap ($38) and I had seen <a href="http://www.rctech.net/forum/radio-electronics/538922-flysky-gt3b-hack-tech-thread.html">this</a> hack for controlling up to 8 channels. I wanted to have extra channels to transmit head-tracking for a camera gimbal. At the time there were no surface radios (steering wheel and gun throttle) that could send more than 3 channels that I could find.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivr2YsU8R35vPsp4w1W3GCIoxBCfHZOQTd8LFKtEa7Xpu-6X-5t1qgKBxyRsB5s0c4iIsf0c_GV5X1MgmqsyHtCcIVNhQuWd8x0guTL1q1Jg_Y_RrKUzUs_BlG1zsjYgtyLnUduVe_p6nF/s1600/scx10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivr2YsU8R35vPsp4w1W3GCIoxBCfHZOQTd8LFKtEa7Xpu-6X-5t1qgKBxyRsB5s0c4iIsf0c_GV5X1MgmqsyHtCcIVNhQuWd8x0guTL1q1Jg_Y_RrKUzUs_BlG1zsjYgtyLnUduVe_p6nF/s640/scx10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1. Axial SCX10 Rock Crawler</td></tr>
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As it turns out, the above mentioned hack did not actually explain how to add more channels, so I decided to add the channels by mixing PPM signals. The FS-GT3B radio normally transmits 3 channels by PPM, which is normally high (3.3V). The head tracker I used, a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LZV7HI6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanfairbank-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00LZV7HI6&linkId=583a539c1a32be2a6a911d478b10cc05">Fat Shark Trinity External</a>, transmits 8 channels by PPM, also normally high (3.3V). Only channels 5, 6, and 7 carry the tracking data. See diagram below. I bought a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URCLNKW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanfairbank-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00URCLNKW&linkId=56cdfce8f42c9c16fc101ba3becd54f4">Turnigy 9X8C v2</a> eight channel receiver, so there is room for extra data. The Trinity came with an 1/8" cable so I added a new <a href="http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/switchcraft-inc/35PM1/SC1455-ND/1288859">jack</a> to my radio:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sbEADj275LK7Exh8XkbdueDQ87C6ayxBFsOT18vxjPbssOO0F1PMlu3S1GjJfLtxVlsic_zomYVXZo_DfkUw5ivNq74Ql-8lxj4ZS7CiOM4fwTCltUWjSWGSls27AQJ2-ed7VVR88qgV/s1600/added+jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sbEADj275LK7Exh8XkbdueDQ87C6ayxBFsOT18vxjPbssOO0F1PMlu3S1GjJfLtxVlsic_zomYVXZo_DfkUw5ivNq74Ql-8lxj4ZS7CiOM4fwTCltUWjSWGSls27AQJ2-ed7VVR88qgV/s640/added+jack.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2. FS-GT3B with Added 1/8" Jack</td></tr>
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Here's how the Fat Shark tracker works:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u4ERBtK0sb8Z_XCTl1BpP-7MwQMr_7V80US2r6Q1fOklnxOk4XKiBdTBAgl9DO22GR6CysHR2Ebuunz_pQMw476cBo2l-kQAUIKcukI8y9sNXcjargMaAIB1XnkFGUAP_jYqYCkSXlg_/s1600/GT3B+hack_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u4ERBtK0sb8Z_XCTl1BpP-7MwQMr_7V80US2r6Q1fOklnxOk4XKiBdTBAgl9DO22GR6CysHR2Ebuunz_pQMw476cBo2l-kQAUIKcukI8y9sNXcjargMaAIB1XnkFGUAP_jYqYCkSXlg_/s640/GT3B+hack_1.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3. Fat Shark Trinity External Tracker Pinout and Cable Diagram</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1UH2i31mQ9lMc1Y665gVSHrj2NGeo4o4wmm11_Z0Sysb2TTe-ISVFVSyCTzf1kTrAX0E-F5ChasfURXB-nLHIAm6iV3mYT1g2wN9sG5yionDAcyP0LTfqCMpvmVJqBgVn-W-AFT1zBxq/s1600/fat+shark+PPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1UH2i31mQ9lMc1Y665gVSHrj2NGeo4o4wmm11_Z0Sysb2TTe-ISVFVSyCTzf1kTrAX0E-F5ChasfURXB-nLHIAm6iV3mYT1g2wN9sG5yionDAcyP0LTfqCMpvmVJqBgVn-W-AFT1zBxq/s640/fat+shark+PPM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4. Tracker PPM Output</td></tr>
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I tried the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N76BO5C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanfairbank-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01N76BO5C&linkId=6794f5c75f1c060f4b3ca2ba851f6e33">HKPPM-Mix</a> but did not find it to work. Maybe it requires normally low PPM? <a href="https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21792517&postcount=3605">This </a>forum mentions a similar setup working, but the tracker is different.<br />
<br />
So then I added a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015M3K5NG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanfairbank-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B015M3K5NG&linkId=c535f39c8e0d30ad8d484ef63f766919">Teensy 3.2</a> and found the totally awesome <a href="https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_libs_PulsePosition.html">PulsePosition library</a> by Paul Stroffregen at <a href="http://www.pjrc.com/">PJRC</a>, which makes the mixing code very simple:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;">#include "PulsePosition.h" // blogger won't let me show carats so using quotes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: monospace;">PulsePositionInput RadioIn(FALLING);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;">PulsePositionInput TrackerIn(FALLING);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;">PulsePositionOutput MixOut(FALLING);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: monospace;">// Library allowable inputs are pins 5,6,9,10,20,21,22,23</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: monospace;">const uint8_t RADIO_INPUT_PIN = 22;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;">const uint8_t TRACKER_INPUT_PIN = 23;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;">const uint8_t MIX_OUT_PIN = 20;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"></span>
<span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: monospace;">void setup() {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> RadioIn.begin(RADIO_INPUT_PIN);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> TrackerIn.begin(TRACKER_INPUT_PIN);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> MixOut.begin(MIX_OUT_PIN);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;">}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: monospace;">void loop() {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> int i, num;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> int j = 0;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> // Check if Radio signals need updating</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> num = RadioIn.available();</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> if (num > 0) {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> for (i=1; i >= num; i++) {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> float val = RadioIn.read(i);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> MixOut.write(i, val);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> }</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> }</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> // Check if Tracker signals need updating and Map 5,6,7 to 4,5,6</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> num = TrackerIn.available(); </span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> if (num > 0) {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> for (i=1; i >= num; i++) {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> float val = TrackerIn.read(i);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> switch (i) {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> case 5:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> j = 4;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> break;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> case 6:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> j = 5;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> break;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> case 7:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> j = 6;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> break;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> case 8:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> j = 0;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> break;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> default:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> break;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> }</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> if (j != 0) {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> MixOut.write(j, val);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> }</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> }</span><br />
<span style="font-family: monospace;"> }</span><br />
<code>
</code>
<span style="font-family: monospace;">}</span><br />
<br />
The RF transmitter inside the FS-GT3B radio is nicely labeled with GND, +5V, and PPM, so it was easy to connect the microcontroller. There is just enough room on the radio PCB to cut the PPM trace, so that it can re-route into the mixer.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6oGxOVwlPuNvBtJtMEapaSPoCfHFhxMZH1WlccZOdox8r3FlGoPSEbi2rn_CfI0y83UxvyZO2YXQJHNJOjn4hvCw7hS9bwPg-s6QCGhJ0_DozTskELFxMUJl1YPHSo-XCJhqYW54SEOS/s1600/GT3B+hack_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6oGxOVwlPuNvBtJtMEapaSPoCfHFhxMZH1WlccZOdox8r3FlGoPSEbi2rn_CfI0y83UxvyZO2YXQJHNJOjn4hvCw7hS9bwPg-s6QCGhJ0_DozTskELFxMUJl1YPHSo-XCJhqYW54SEOS/s640/GT3B+hack_2.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5. Schematic for FS-GT3B to Teensy 3.2 with Fat Shark Trinity External Tracker</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOij3vzc5TzOgHPFXVUIoFQAw_FeFuSiCBAuKtphHZIt77IsmjV5jzme0QN7FVx1T4WXtHssXWYQkcq5Se90Ar-oj7mgri6HZ3-us6WuC4QRRXBQs0zXo-BdTmx_vKyCzovGz_Y4egawdC/s640/ppm+hookup.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6. RF Transmitter Connections and Test Point Connection (see schematic)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOij3vzc5TzOgHPFXVUIoFQAw_FeFuSiCBAuKtphHZIt77IsmjV5jzme0QN7FVx1T4WXtHssXWYQkcq5Se90Ar-oj7mgri6HZ3-us6WuC4QRRXBQs0zXo-BdTmx_vKyCzovGz_Y4egawdC/s1600/ppm+hookup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6YrPy9_jBNVZJWpHNPEIcGwqueqFwfrAcABApdU81-D6AQCLMGJMU0SNewAOKbvC10-oF7BHBQQ4K63Ukw1gAoKXW2IiEU4NQ7J-pnioemaDDFhmI6xxAih4RsmqFm9XWKMatkwHdumx/s1600/ppm+trace+cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6YrPy9_jBNVZJWpHNPEIcGwqueqFwfrAcABApdU81-D6AQCLMGJMU0SNewAOKbvC10-oF7BHBQQ4K63Ukw1gAoKXW2IiEU4NQ7J-pnioemaDDFhmI6xxAih4RsmqFm9XWKMatkwHdumx/s640/ppm+trace+cut.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7. PPM Trace Cut on PCB Top Side</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_81O6czGV5xxgQF60M2nQbqBG4lLLbnHsHEE-IcQ_cj2bbsmqb6p2RqvUqAv7R0BAIK1YsECKIXa8NxsSDmDSO4uuPJROBBKur0JtOCujoFS59-QTcVlz1cYxVR3VaTKqMNTL6IL6nGO/s1600/Teensy+Tucked+In.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_81O6czGV5xxgQF60M2nQbqBG4lLLbnHsHEE-IcQ_cj2bbsmqb6p2RqvUqAv7R0BAIK1YsECKIXa8NxsSDmDSO4uuPJROBBKur0JtOCujoFS59-QTcVlz1cYxVR3VaTKqMNTL6IL6nGO/s640/Teensy+Tucked+In.jpg" width="606" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8. Teensy Installed Under Main PCB Near Power Switch</td></tr>
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<br />
Here's a video of the finished setup working:<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XMoNmDK4cZU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XMoNmDK4cZU?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I tried using a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXKR295/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanfairbank-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01MXKR295&linkId=d313d6ade0c410eeff895c25d9c571dd">Teensy LC</a> for lower cost, but wasn't getting any output yet. To be continued...<br />
<br />
And up next, build the camera gimbal...</div>
Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-82089119510906697302016-08-25T14:58:00.000-07:002016-08-25T14:58:16.236-07:00Shaper Origin CNC Router Stool<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here are a few photos of astool I made with the <a href="https://shapertools.com/">Shaper Origin</a> CNC router. Copyright <a href="http://rapidwhale.com/">Rapid Whale</a> 2016, used here with permission.</div>
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I spent about 20 hours building this stool and learning how to use the tool.</div>
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Also check out my time lapse <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33njjw498fI">here</a>.</div>
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Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-52785442373374243872015-12-05T10:51:00.000-08:002015-12-05T15:09:59.978-08:00Bike Crank Spin-Art Machine for Alameda Arts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkcXvgAR-sD44FkPLyTaxWDRbVGJ0tLVyVx4XeVssjIxczvrQcAhK5WAYodveaokPa5DKe96QLOGDePTn9hODXMVU0qnJI8YoxlRQfUqC_79lgS1n20_ENF-iu2BsdSm4DJtP3wYlVznu/s1600/Spin-Art+Machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkcXvgAR-sD44FkPLyTaxWDRbVGJ0tLVyVx4XeVssjIxczvrQcAhK5WAYodveaokPa5DKe96QLOGDePTn9hODXMVU0qnJI8YoxlRQfUqC_79lgS1n20_ENF-iu2BsdSm4DJtP3wYlVznu/s320/Spin-Art+Machine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I built this spin-art machine for my daughter's after-school arts program. It's build from nearly all found materials. The main structure is solid polystyrene sheet material that came from a lab sink. It's easy to cut and bend, but you need sharp tools with big teeth because the melting temperature is quite low so it can easy clog tools. </div>
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The base is from a discarded retail display. It has four nice, small, locking castor wheels. One drawback is the small wheelbase makes it a little easy to tip over.</div>
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The bike crank drives a 3:1 right angle gear-box that I found in some bushes near my work. It had a big lead screw that I cut down and ground the end to fit a ball bearing and the square bike crank hole. The gear box has a chain-ring on the output that connects to a road-bike cassette by a small bike chain ($10). The spinning wheel is mounted to a used bike hub ($10), cantilevered from the bottom. </div>
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Not shown in the pictures, there is now an additional bike handle and a bike brake used to counter the crank forces and stop the spinning wheel.</div>
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Here's a sample of the kind of art that you can make with it:</div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RhGYnq6jUlg/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RhGYnq6jUlg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrq3RluRvLsniRvxgJNZjouqm10YhGatKca_fEkaFNA-6j5Lsf1MpYo0m3dHGWRkr21OsMq1EO_bQEDQHDFTWwLM6pqD3mx4A7qB72NVky5biLnwhlvQLm3sji59C7idDYZnPEOcPT15K/s1600/IMAG2385_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzLgBtjh1Vqu1GN-ugJ0SP4h6SiYaTmcrAa6SNXysssuU3XyyiZvKu1OtjIoUO7Z13XOIvIOmwm34cWL0kOmYB2me-B6m0OonE3iKWTQdAQtIhJw6RSs0M9JjlS6QbupHY64FSG4vZbd8/s1600/IMAG2382_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzLgBtjh1Vqu1GN-ugJ0SP4h6SiYaTmcrAa6SNXysssuU3XyyiZvKu1OtjIoUO7Z13XOIvIOmwm34cWL0kOmYB2me-B6m0OonE3iKWTQdAQtIhJw6RSs0M9JjlS6QbupHY64FSG4vZbd8/s200/IMAG2382_1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkcXvgAR-sD44FkPLyTaxWDRbVGJ0tLVyVx4XeVssjIxczvrQcAhK5WAYodveaokPa5DKe96QLOGDePTn9hODXMVU0qnJI8YoxlRQfUqC_79lgS1n20_ENF-iu2BsdSm4DJtP3wYlVznu/s1600/Spin-Art+Machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-55998224476719102702015-08-26T10:15:00.001-07:002015-08-26T10:15:08.451-07:0070% Shade Cloth Horizontal Structure: 24' x 48', 16' height.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Trying it out at burningman this year...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_ypngzwJEu3SLUY1wsOPnwmgsWK2jz9dSeasYsyYZ96Bw0OJ-P6mdMNc1u_uyKZpc3b0WeaqLKGJ90C6dAVUh2NU94UQ0Cpad8vghXZttSXjXE05NzPmluS0q-qLniYYXtiHsMpLSr4K/s1600/24x48x16_ShadeStructure2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_ypngzwJEu3SLUY1wsOPnwmgsWK2jz9dSeasYsyYZ96Bw0OJ-P6mdMNc1u_uyKZpc3b0WeaqLKGJ90C6dAVUh2NU94UQ0Cpad8vghXZttSXjXE05NzPmluS0q-qLniYYXtiHsMpLSr4K/s640/24x48x16_ShadeStructure2015.png" width="542" /></a></div>
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Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-31213503354833427872014-06-25T22:20:00.002-07:002014-06-25T22:28:22.536-07:00Need a public green image for http://strix.org.uk/ransom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-54412301967970702192012-12-16T21:45:00.001-08:002012-12-16T21:46:08.236-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Update to <a href="http://dylanfairbanks.blogspot.com/2012/12/skateboard-lights.html">Skateboard Lights</a>: I got a short video clip riding with the lights on at night. There is one point-light slightly behind each front wheel, which casts an interesting shadow. Not quite the nice even glow as in Firefly. They have a "making of" video <a href="https://vimeo.com/55094977">here</a>, where you can see the LED strip lighting they used.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07wE-aNrFIUOCQMETU4joMNArS2w6_ssS3l0ALGa58zFb6nzIuzoLFClXIQ2CA9d0seOfwDEG3v8wq0IKclHfTPdrFqkoiwdxMORxpvFiWO242TsLTIPJ3_eT2IgIkyxRW7zz8uU_d4Xq/s1600/Skateboard+Lights+On+Riding+0.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07wE-aNrFIUOCQMETU4joMNArS2w6_ssS3l0ALGa58zFb6nzIuzoLFClXIQ2CA9d0seOfwDEG3v8wq0IKclHfTPdrFqkoiwdxMORxpvFiWO242TsLTIPJ3_eT2IgIkyxRW7zz8uU_d4Xq/s320/Skateboard+Lights+On+Riding+0.1.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a still shot that looks to me like I'm floating.</td></tr>
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Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-90538769562876305732012-12-13T22:27:00.000-08:002012-12-13T22:54:31.716-08:00Skateboard Lights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here it is with the lights on.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">A friend of mine sent me a link to this YouTube</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfCfowUMUPM" style="text-align: left;">video</a>,<span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">so I thought I would try some lighting on my skateboard. Here is the first version. All of the parts are from HuaQiangBei in ShenZhen, China. The lights are green 1W star LEDs. The batteries are 1200mAh Li-Po cells with under/over voltage protection built in. Each LED has it's own battery, switch and driver. The driver is a 1W, 1-3V boost circuit with 300mA constant output.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The components are tucked under the truck for protection.</td></tr>
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Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-89133194521700554932009-10-06T22:49:00.000-07:002009-10-06T22:49:40.443-07:00LED Juggling ClubsThere are a small number of clubs for sale commercially that have lighting, but they're not very impressive to say the least and they all seem to have translucent lighting, which has limited appeal to me. I wanted to have point lights and would eventually like to try some persistence of vision in a juggling club. I probably wouldn't spell out words like on a <a href="http://www.ladyada.net/make/spokepov/">Spoke POV</a> or <a href="http://www.ladyada.net/make/minipov/index.html">Mini POV</a>, but you could do some interesting streaking and patterns, especially with an accelerometer/gyro.<br />
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I've thought a bunch about how to make a robust juggling club with good illumination and it's no easy task. Just looking at a basic juggling club, it's not much more that a plastic body, a wood dowel depending on the type, some tape, a couple staples or screws, some glue, and decorations. And even these simple designs last somewhere around a year or so depending on how much you juggle and how much you abuse them. Now add batteries, wires, solder joints, circuit boards--and without making it too heavy--it's a really hard.<br />
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To get started, I bought a set of unassembled (by request) <a href="http://www.renegadejuggling.com/">Renegade</a> clubs and put in a bunch of green LEDs. I drilled some tight fitting holes for 5mm diodes, soldered wires on, and hot glued everything in place, which makes good strain relief. The LEDs stuck out a bit so I ground them down, being careful not to hit the little lead wire coming out the center of the die. I put a big a hole in the side of the body where the battery pack and drive circuit fit through and snap into place on the dowel. Originally I imagined taping on the cut out piece like a door, but that quickly became annoying for switching the clubs on and off so now I just leave the doors off. <br />
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I like high efficiency circuits for long battery life, so I used a <a href="http://www.leddynamics.com/LuxDrive/micropuck.php">MicroPuck</a> to drive 15 high brightness LEDs in series. It's a very small boost converter with lots of battery configuration options.<br />
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This first picture shows the wiring, the door, and the driver/batter pack. The wiring is on the outside for solder, but later I put everything on the inside.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP9JxH4WyXxvOAHN1EGex4rjR02TFuYQeBVL3hUOGK_cSXVTF0ktub0f3Xp_9_hEYuX78nbuuiZSo1fJWRJXFOVoCsax5ECBajhWwfHgbE4ft8OCwfv-HDDzmv8XG4b-BOr-NsjL_fUEM/s1600-h/LED+Club+wiring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP9JxH4WyXxvOAHN1EGex4rjR02TFuYQeBVL3hUOGK_cSXVTF0ktub0f3Xp_9_hEYuX78nbuuiZSo1fJWRJXFOVoCsax5ECBajhWwfHgbE4ft8OCwfv-HDDzmv8XG4b-BOr-NsjL_fUEM/s400/LED+Club+wiring.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>This is a close-up of the driver and battery pack, including the power switch. I cut a plastic tube into a C shape that snaps over the dowel to stay centered in the club. It has three AAA holders and the driver all glued on.<br />
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</div>Here's an early test of the club illumination. I added three red LEDs pointed down the handle because it was too hard to see the handle when juggling in the dark.<br />
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</div>This is a close-up of the LEDs for the handle. They each have their own current limiting resistor because they don't run on the boost converter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFQ5DTO2Nljl1CBtg00y5HU_d95SQ0uvcUrrnzuJ5k69s86tdw_fKhDu8Nx1EuGsH_5_1Ra2_YSXZomcENzXsxsCyw2ZeXeoMDXVy65N1iCOQgwQuhjRV0DZj0FRm4n59y-vEPe9mrKUR/s1600-h/LED+Club+Handle+lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFQ5DTO2Nljl1CBtg00y5HU_d95SQ0uvcUrrnzuJ5k69s86tdw_fKhDu8Nx1EuGsH_5_1Ra2_YSXZomcENzXsxsCyw2ZeXeoMDXVy65N1iCOQgwQuhjRV0DZj0FRm4n59y-vEPe9mrKUR/s320/LED+Club+Handle+lights.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>The LEDs are very bright, which make them a difficult to juggle in the dark, but the point illumination effect is nice. In future versions I'd like to incorporate dimming, especially as ambient light gets darker. Here are a couple examples of what you can do with a long exposure:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2ocwYZeZEFlQraaxlrjzDbDNtutMAJhoIpr-k0qN7spmF3UcbTA9sbCKbhx4wuyaEFtMQOBTthyNmkNZwr-oL11SuFK6iHQH4WVh2RPO9984zw0wcI-WUInRKf581QQ0Rtyfm1MRmXpU/s1600-h/LED+Clube+Streaks1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2ocwYZeZEFlQraaxlrjzDbDNtutMAJhoIpr-k0qN7spmF3UcbTA9sbCKbhx4wuyaEFtMQOBTthyNmkNZwr-oL11SuFK6iHQH4WVh2RPO9984zw0wcI-WUInRKf581QQ0Rtyfm1MRmXpU/s320/LED+Clube+Streaks1.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">LED Juggling Clubs</div><div style="text-align: center;">D300, f/3.5, 4s, ISO-100, AF-S Nikkor18-135mm at 18m </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6MuYy3ldjkf2NVVdpHWRISs3-z5Dm7BTB2Pt0-3GOVqxe7wfzmIhyhEKLO1oKNnPuhIu9lFr0h7OXML7GNypEZvWVJOXOZLlJE-vBcQpv12a3wnfU4y4YBsBLm4PRq0Mbc_zRK7OFLPI/s1600-h/LED+Club+long+exposure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6MuYy3ldjkf2NVVdpHWRISs3-z5Dm7BTB2Pt0-3GOVqxe7wfzmIhyhEKLO1oKNnPuhIu9lFr0h7OXML7GNypEZvWVJOXOZLlJE-vBcQpv12a3wnfU4y4YBsBLm4PRq0Mbc_zRK7OFLPI/s320/LED+Club+long+exposure.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">LED Juggling Clubs</div><div style="text-align: center;">D300, f/3.5, 13s, ISO-100, AF-S Nikkor18-135mm at 18m </div>Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-19603301404869532672009-10-01T23:08:00.000-07:002009-10-02T00:29:49.338-07:00Slackline Diagram<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqvESd426qVdQboCTEiszQ8S48l7lZRIpcnLNc_CCcmDw0gp9YH4Q-JyAu2JNxPnMjqee5ZREL4_rAYfRczSjjOc0RwWbo14TD0DYLhxwwHfRY50Ixrc-KYzyywG76tvSCKy013F7w-FS/s1600-h/SlackLine2sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqvESd426qVdQboCTEiszQ8S48l7lZRIpcnLNc_CCcmDw0gp9YH4Q-JyAu2JNxPnMjqee5ZREL4_rAYfRczSjjOc0RwWbo14TD0DYLhxwwHfRY50Ixrc-KYzyywG76tvSCKy013F7w-FS/s400/SlackLine2sm.jpg" /></a> Two years ago, at <a href="http://www.burningman.com/">burningman</a>, I tried out a slackline and thought it was a blast. So I went and bought some webbing and started playing with it on my own. After some trial and error and watching some bad youtube videos, I managed to be get it setup and taught with the help of about five people pulling on it. Then I met a fellow juggler, <a href="http://natewilliams.us/">Nate Williams</a>, at the 4th annual <a href="http://berkeleyjuggling.org/">Berkeley Juggling & Unicycle</a> Festival who gave me some good tips for easy slackline setup. I liked it enough to draw out a diagram so that I could remember how to do it. The best part is the line locker, which is just a 3/8" chain link. It's easy to setup, holds the line flat, and comes out easy with no tight knots to fight with later. Also, I now use only friction to hold the line as shown in the diagram, whereas I used to tie it off. One other nice thing is the 3x multiplier which makes it so that I can pull the line tight by myself.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> My friends and I decided to build a theme camp (<a href="http://www.curiouslife.net/circusbootcamp/">Circus Bootcamp</a>) at burningman in 2008, so I built a wood frame for the slackline. I set set it up at ocean beach to test out the anchors, which are the screw type from <a href="http://www.mcmaster.com/">McMaster-Carr</a>. It worked fine, but the anchors were very difficult to install and remove in the playa.<br />
</div><br />
<br />
Slackline setup at Ocean Beach, San Francisco:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR21vGTDYEfJdF64Ek2edRkYcWHZTECDQC0eCsoaTXZziDu1TMwSFM2GZ8EdBy_FgdYYMgL4pCVLOBLQ92guIhGG5s4tz33ZLi-qiSn_di-7rhu04wrm_dNlYxD4DA-U_k1fY9AvVm2XF/s1600-h/0712081951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR21vGTDYEfJdF64Ek2edRkYcWHZTECDQC0eCsoaTXZziDu1TMwSFM2GZ8EdBy_FgdYYMgL4pCVLOBLQ92guIhGG5s4tz33ZLi-qiSn_di-7rhu04wrm_dNlYxD4DA-U_k1fY9AvVm2XF/s400/0712081951.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Slackline at Circus Bootcamp, 2008:<br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iMLu8HimDHGILzWAhhu-qaA-h4oGL7S0A0mHi-1Og9ATPcbURR0mXxecyMJM5Xr-nh54pH_fs_9ZY7E5mwsBktgDO3yPmkTrTZKq7W_t4gB6XPs_n9kq78iPemhj_hDww8kqVvP8dOs2/s1600-h/Slackline+at+Burningman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iMLu8HimDHGILzWAhhu-qaA-h4oGL7S0A0mHi-1Og9ATPcbURR0mXxecyMJM5Xr-nh54pH_fs_9ZY7E5mwsBktgDO3yPmkTrTZKq7W_t4gB6XPs_n9kq78iPemhj_hDww8kqVvP8dOs2/s400/Slackline+at+Burningman.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here's a great photo of a burner jumping on my line:<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/3100248429_3f7fc6350d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/3100248429_3f7fc6350d.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-12657588489508546672009-09-29T01:25:00.000-07:002009-09-29T01:33:45.587-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">I love taking photos at night. This one was at <a href="http://www.shinneyboocreek.com/">Shinneyboo</a> Creek Cabins near Tahoe, California. I used the camera raw tools in photoshop to pull the image out of a very dark exposure.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz4zRpEzNlV9TPW40mZkdtvxK1zkezh_1mINpkF3oQMVVR0ED7eBSLCQxQlCPlQfvhKycX_8clACht7B4oP4j8KoPq6ACG1hh4I5KGuzNcofqIFDD1TMdzybdqEFwVBJ8IMEICpdXateq/s1600-h/DMF_6752med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz4zRpEzNlV9TPW40mZkdtvxK1zkezh_1mINpkF3oQMVVR0ED7eBSLCQxQlCPlQfvhKycX_8clACht7B4oP4j8KoPq6ACG1hh4I5KGuzNcofqIFDD1TMdzybdqEFwVBJ8IMEICpdXateq/s400/DMF_6752med.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>D300, f/1.8, 10s, ISO-200, AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8<br />
</div>Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2874083270018394520.post-4844882227089332602009-09-29T00:41:00.000-07:002009-09-29T01:28:23.582-07:00Fiber Optic Ring Flash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAZU6SFJPp8zLFQhecsvS4hyphenhyphenW_KR9hECCCeWQSWDdLIShKiYmbTFW_3xkIY6lrW8ciSjEL2i0_yZAcVpwQcaL89pIMBCE52gxvaEZk11HCUqpAdyYrgOY5JnPo8okqEDnWRDVUJkLDSb4/s1600-h/IMG_0993sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAZU6SFJPp8zLFQhecsvS4hyphenhyphenW_KR9hECCCeWQSWDdLIShKiYmbTFW_3xkIY6lrW8ciSjEL2i0_yZAcVpwQcaL89pIMBCE52gxvaEZk11HCUqpAdyYrgOY5JnPo8okqEDnWRDVUJkLDSb4/s200/IMG_0993sm.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>I was inspired by Joris van den Heuvel over at <a href="http://fuzzcraft.com/ringlight4-0.html">Fuzzcraft</a> with his experiments building fiber optic ring lights, so I decided to make one myself. It's made completly from parts and materials that I had laying around:<br />
<br />
* main ring -- 3" ABS pipe<br />
* fibers from a toy lamp<br />
* 4-40 screws <br />
* cardboard forms made from a cereal box<br />
* epoxy to hold the fibers in place.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH1VsR3i5rl4Z10A9DTpkj2D0FB7QJpjP03qNF2hZZAAguzSzhnotJzj_StCjeGVAsZ_IYT3-0Hpoj6PXJgcl3FNxW-0ukvo2caRnB57oc7lT4U5Eg-J58msrBtN88gtT-lrZ_vg-kDnX/s1600-h/DMF_6419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH1VsR3i5rl4Z10A9DTpkj2D0FB7QJpjP03qNF2hZZAAguzSzhnotJzj_StCjeGVAsZ_IYT3-0Hpoj6PXJgcl3FNxW-0ukvo2caRnB57oc7lT4U5Eg-J58msrBtN88gtT-lrZ_vg-kDnX/s320/DMF_6419.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66jRVNH-_ygjmhjNrmwT45fhlX_i3z43IYlf8IXx3tfDz3d8LtPf6K8cqKBq0GTegIiU1IYcvphEVy4ewghrOlWJ754i2IwxXYh5uQKbazf_VQv-zAvMETdSNPArzGmQPW-oWnCrXEOuB/s1600-h/DMF_6428sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66jRVNH-_ygjmhjNrmwT45fhlX_i3z43IYlf8IXx3tfDz3d8LtPf6K8cqKBq0GTegIiU1IYcvphEVy4ewghrOlWJ754i2IwxXYh5uQKbazf_VQv-zAvMETdSNPArzGmQPW-oWnCrXEOuB/s200/DMF_6428sm.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>The hardest part was drilling all the little holes in the ABS pipe for the fibers. They're only about 0.5mm, and if you've every tried to drill small holes in plastic, you know how easy it is to melt the plastic and mess up the hole. I ended up drilling slowly, clearing chips often, and with lots of water for cooling/lubrication. Once I got I the holes drilled, I discovered that the fibers varied greatly in size. Since the holes varied a bunch, this worked out fine, but it took some time to match fiber size to hole size and made for an uneven light pattern, as you can see in the reflection in my sister's pupil:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA2ALVJPyO0LZ3UE9PvnnMnQoH6PhCOkJ24Gks7bVm_htxR_EzAzV0HsMjdaajFUoL4Btcsz5GYk1PL-o7xumsfMFvfzSUhXbsUkojsdpFLa26yEmF8wIYaGjHErPSezUMbAzlYbq94T6/s1600-h/DMF_6641sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA2ALVJPyO0LZ3UE9PvnnMnQoH6PhCOkJ24Gks7bVm_htxR_EzAzV0HsMjdaajFUoL4Btcsz5GYk1PL-o7xumsfMFvfzSUhXbsUkojsdpFLa26yEmF8wIYaGjHErPSezUMbAzlYbq94T6/s320/DMF_6641sm.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">My sister's eye -- hand held, daytime, indoors <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">D300, f/10, 1/60s, ISO-400, AF Micro Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Once the fibers were in place, I poured on epoxy to hold it all together. This worked fine, but was a bit messy. Once the epoxy was all cured, I ran both ends of the fibers on a belt sander to flatten them out. They still need polishing for best results. Even so, it's functional, at least for macro photography. It's not currently bright enough for more than a few inches away, so it's not great for portraits yet. And, the fibers definitely do not all transmit the same amount of light. Some are too small, while others are either bent too tightly or were damaged in construction. Nonetheless, it's working, and I'm happy to be able to take hand held macro shots in low light:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgop0rcXTyBivCDuW_pjxpv2sTDESJRsN5w6kRdOYx8YWK13MUkBVqlK05ERsG4K3YeT5_mgWQwxalZZSjS5TFcIp8uuwn5jPPxZMi5YVu6XGkcRYZ01YSeMLa2AudilHE19ODgtXHv1-3S/s1600-h/DMF_6592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgop0rcXTyBivCDuW_pjxpv2sTDESJRsN5w6kRdOYx8YWK13MUkBVqlK05ERsG4K3YeT5_mgWQwxalZZSjS5TFcIp8uuwn5jPPxZMi5YVu6XGkcRYZ01YSeMLa2AudilHE19ODgtXHv1-3S/s320/DMF_6592.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Garden spider -- hand held at night<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">D300, f/10, 1/60s, ISO-200, AF Micro Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon4TZUOPV7w7cbTbawoTh3Aw91b_XN_vzPrkxD8LM_xIJ7o6s0zNB5kJvoGRON69_A80HRHWaLFpdIUV-AG027IWEjbK24B0Xe6BOkjaC1FdjckNXN9trHtUg6TxyuNffHDksq7k7nP_q/s1600-h/DMF_6605sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon4TZUOPV7w7cbTbawoTh3Aw91b_XN_vzPrkxD8LM_xIJ7o6s0zNB5kJvoGRON69_A80HRHWaLFpdIUV-AG027IWEjbK24B0Xe6BOkjaC1FdjckNXN9trHtUg6TxyuNffHDksq7k7nP_q/s320/DMF_6605sm.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Crested gecko -- low light, indoors<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">D300, f/16, 1/60s, ISO-800, AF Micro Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Other than needing polishing that I mentioned above, I'd like to paint it -- maybe silver underneath with a flat-black top coat. Currently, I use a piece of aluminum foil over the top to help get light into the fibers and keep it from going straight through and washing out the top half of the shot.<br />
<br />
Next time, I'd use higher quality fibers, position the holes better, and try to get more even light.<br />
</div>Dylan Fairbankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368391044057032128noreply@blogger.com9