Category: Learn

How Servo Motors Work

Date: December 24, 2019 Category: Electronics, Learn Tags: , , , , , , Comments: 0

"See here? Someone has tampered with the servo. They switched the ground to the negative, so when he put the key in the lock...""He completed the circuit."Ghost in the Machine (1993) First of all, what exactly is a servo? A servomechanism is technically any automatic device that can correct its own position based on negative feedback. Negative feedback is the process by which electrical signals are fed back in a manner that ultimately reduces further fluctuations. Servo motors can rotate or push components with amazing accuracy using this method. Servos are very widely used in a vast array of electronics. Volume knobs, gas pedals, even…

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Types of Wire Strippers/Cutters

Date: December 17, 2019 Category: Electronics, Learn, Tools Tags: , , , , , , Comments: 0

"Mickey, you're gonna get in there, start stripping wires, and you're gonna ---- everything up!"The Battery (2012) Choosing the right tool for the job is arguably the most important step in the planning process of any project. While it may not seem like something you really need to plan for, having a good pair of wire strippers at the ready will save you a lot of hassle when the time comes that you actually need them. There are a few different types of wire strippers on the market, ranging from very basic to pretty ingenious. First, let's take a look at the most basic of…

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What Kind of Nail is Right For My Project?

Date: December 10, 2019 Category: Learn, Tools, Woodworking Tags: , , , Comments: 0

You know, Sean, the Japanese have a saying... 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered.'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) So, you're about to start a project. You have your materials list and you're following it by the letter. But when you get down to the bottom of the checklist, all it says is "nails." Before you start to panic and hit the forums, take a deep breath and check out this quick guide to some common questions about nails. Don't worry, it's never as hard as you think it will be. Before we cover a few of the vast array of nails…

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Cosplay Foams

Date: December 3, 2019 Category: Crafts, Geek, Learn, Props Tags: , , , , , Comments: 0

"This is just... This is just soft foam and duct tape. It can't harm anyone."Role Models (2008) Choosing the right foam for your costume/prop is probably the first big choice you'll make in the process. It's important to know what you want your piece to look like and how you want it to behave when worn/used. If your foam is too thick, you lose that super important flexibility that most armor pieces need. If it's too thin, it just looks like lame painted foam. Luckily, there is a plethora of different kinds of foam available to cosplayers. Most of them come in various sizes, colors,…

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Reading Bolt Heads

Date: November 26, 2019 Category: Learn, Workshop Tags: , , , , Comments: 0

"Do you think I'm a fool? That the Commander doesn't know every bolt- every weld- in his ship?"Galaxy Quest (1999) Did you know you can get a general idea of how strong a bolt it just by looking at the head? It may not apply to every bolt, but it does apply to most. Depending on whether you go by American or metric standards, the process can range from arbitrarily complicated (American) to actually pretty straight forward (metric). SAE The Society of Automotive Engineers created a standard called SAE J429 Mechanical And Material Requirements for Mechanical Fasteners. This applies certain rules and regulations to the…

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A Guide To Buying Used Tools

Date: November 19, 2019 Category: Learn, Tools Tags: , , , , , Comments: 0

"They're secondhand weapons, but they're still okay."Lord of War (2005) Buying anything used can be a hassle. Unless you are one of those people who loves buying and flipping other peoples' junk, you probably aren't looking forward to the process. But, then you remember how much money you'll probably save and the hunt begins. Before you jump into the wild world of secondhand tools, let's take a crash course is buying used! Planning, Planning, Planning The first and most important step before buying a used tool is knowing its value. Research prices- brand new retail prices, used prices on eBay, knock-off brand prices on Amazon,…

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Reading Axial Resistors

Date: November 12, 2019 Category: Electronics, Learn Tags: , , , Comments: 0

"Resistance is useless."Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Resistors are a necessary part of any electrical system. They provide the ability to limit current and signal flow, among many other uses. There are numerous different types of resistors, all varying in size and power, but we're going to take a closer look at arguably the most common type- axial resistors. Axial resistors are pretty easily recognizable, even to people who know little about electronics. Chances are you've seen these tiny little dumbbell-shaped components around. You may have also noticed a lot of them have different colored bands going around them. These colors actually indicate just how…

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Know What Wood is Right For Your Project

Date: November 5, 2019 Category: Learn Tags: , , , , , Comments: 0

"A guy who came to Fight Club for the first time, his ass was a wad of cookie dough. After a few weeks, he was carved out of wood." Fight Club (1999) Woodworking is one of the oldest skilled trades in human history. Along with stone, clay, and animal renderings, wood was one of the most important materials for developing homo erectus. Of course, they didn't have the benefits of world trade and large-scale transportation back then, so most early human ancestors just used what was available. Today, we have access to any type of wood we please, delivered to our door. Since we have…

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Arduino Vs. Raspberry Pi

Date: October 29, 2019 Category: Electronics, Learn Tags: , , , , , Comments: 0

"You do understand the circuits cannot be cut locally?" Die Hard (1988) Arduino vs. Raspberry Pi: a battle as old as... a few years. Though it isn't really much of a battle since both interfaces provide vastly different experiences. We're going to take a look at some of the similarities and differences between the two and hopefully help you decide which one (or both) is the right fit for your project. What Are the Big Differences? First, let's look at the key differences between the two systems. Arduino is a microCONTROLLER, while Raspberry Pi is a microPROCESSOR. Microcontrollers require hardware to control. Microprocessors are essentially…

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Finding the Center of a Circle

Date: October 22, 2019 Category: Learn Tags: , , , , , Comments: 0

"Just relax. Find your center." Caddyshack (1980) It seems like a pretty simple task, doesn't it? I bet a lot of people (myself included) are confident that they can eyeball a good center point. But eyeballing isn't exact and sometimes you need to be exact. So how does one find an exact center on an existing circle? It's actually not very difficult and there are multiple ways to do it. Here are a few of the simplest methods. Method 1: Chords First, let's define a "chord." A chord is any straight line whose endpoints are both on a circle. (The infinite line extension of a…

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