Lost in Hackerspace: Lemonade Day

. I'm taking the opportunity of this unplanned time off to connect with the many artists and creators in this wonderful city that I love. Come with me on my 100-day odyssey of art and creativity in Long Beach. I call it .

I've been talking a lot about Makerspaces.  Places that facilitate making by providing equipment and community.  Access to equipment that you might not normally be able to use.  It could be something as simple as a sewing machine, or as complicated as a 3D printer.  Something as expensive as laser cutting equipment.  Today I thought a bit about Hackerspaces.

August 13th was Day 43.  I'm writing about hackerspaces, because I visited one yesterday.

Actually, this started waaayyyy back on August 11th.  How does one fit in a meeting with the Robotics Society of Southern California (RSSC), test all on the same day?  That is a very good question.

I visited the RSSC meeting at CSU Long Beach.  I was there long enough to find out a little about Robot Operating System (ROS).  ROS is the open source robot operating system. There are others, but ROS is designed for robots with multiple articulations all moving in sync and contributing to the final movement.  As with all open source projects, it's a work in progress.

The trail led to the LA Robotics Society meeting the next day.  I searched for it on Meetup and I got the last spot.  Spot #60 of 60.  Karma?  You betcha!  The topic?  Open Lab and Quadcopters.  How does one , and go to the LA Robotics Society meeting all in the same day?  That, too, is a very good question.

I didn't know what to expect, but was thrilled to find a high school student with a project of his own, a research physicist working on a GPS tracking device for his bicycle, and a group of quadcopter enthusiasts all in the same place!

Wyatt, the high school student, is working on his second weather balloon project.  He is designing a solar powered payload for a personal weather balloon.  It will log altitude, temperature and  atmospheric pressure as the balloon rises.  The first experiment took HD video, and the card was filled when the experiment was only 1/2 over.  I had a few questions.  Here are the answers.  At 100K feet, the balloon popped.  The project only cost $300.00 start to finish.  It uses an Arduino board that cost a mere $20.  A weather balloon starts at about 6' in diameter, but by the time it reaches 100K feet, it can be 30' in diameter. (Visions of the movie Up come to mind.) It only takes about 1/3 of a tall tank of helium.  No he'd never tried to hitch his equipment onto a NOAA weather balloon.  They're inexpensive enough for him to launch his own.

David Kamkar has a degree in physics.  Electronics wasn't part of his degree program, but he's determined to learn so that he can make a GPS/GSM tracking device for his bicycle.  He knows a lot of the theory, applying it is a different matter.  You see, David had a really nice bicycle, made by his friend who owns Predator Cycling in Santa Monica.  It was a... how shall we say it... really nice bike with a super-light, carbon fiber frame.  So nice that it was stolen while he was at the library.  He isn't planning on having a second one stolen.  So he's going to protect it with a tracking device.  But first he needs to make it.  It happens when you make things and when you want to make things.  You find a reason to make something.

That was just two folks I sat next to.  Everyone there had a project they were trying to do.  Some knew what they needed to know, but wanted to do it in the company of a community.  Some didn't know what they needed, and came for advice.  Perhaps, like me, they came to meet the people who want to make and learn.

Or, perhaps they came to show off their quadcopter and see what others had to show.  In fact, Wyatt had one of his own too!  What is a quadcopter?  An aircraft that is lifted and propelled by four rotors.  Looks like a flying saucer.

As I write this, it occurs to me that I found a neat Hackerspace.

Tips, Things, Trails

• Lemonade day 43 was a big day for me.  It was the day that , Mr. Robot of Lemonade Day 12 fame, delivered a 3D design session (the first of a 2 part 3D design and 3D print session).
• Looking for the movie Up, I find there are many who have tried to recreate the lifting of a house with balloons... At least one with people inside!
• This from Walter Martinez, president of the RSSC.  "One of our members made a great four legged walker kit and curriculum for kids. I am not sure if he sells the kits, but is of great quality and I am sure kids can get a lot out of it plus is already being used in a teaching environment."
• In connecting with the folks from the RSSC, I "met" as best as email can do, the founder of the Riverside Robotics Society.

Want more lemonade?       

And Tomorrow...

I'm curious about the flowers in my garden.

Need to contact me?  info@handmadepenguin.com

Trish Tsoiasue writes as herself about creative and maker topics for and as Handmade Penguin for the Handmade Penguin Blog.