Replicator RSS – Atoms & Electrons

Thanks to a tweet by the scientists at @EMSL I came across a fantastic blog called Atoms & Electrons. It is written by an unnamed mystery engineer who seems to work in software, but has recently taken up hardware hacking and provided and explanation as to why:

“In recent months I’ve become interested in making things…not software programs or other abstractions but real things that you can touch, feel and explain to the elderly. In so doing I’ve become more aware of the utility of things like washers and springs, and the rarity of things like gears and a good timing belt. The other day I came across an aluminum angle bracket in a junk drawer and my delight was as if I found $20 in the pocket of an old pair of pants. In fact, such treasures are legion once you start looking for them and they can accumulate rather quickly.”

The blog was started recently and there are just a few posts, but it is packed full of cool projects and lessons for people making the jump from digital to physical production. The CNC Etch-A-Sketch below is a great example of the kind of project the author works on, but he has documented cool work with LED’s and a plotter. The Etch-A-Sketch (or Robosketch) is interesting on it’s own, but the description of the process clearly conveys the excitement of making things. The author geeks out on laser cutters and the passion is infectious.

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Tagged as: Blog, Custom Manufacturing, Hacker, Twitter