Maker Faire: A good candidate for "The Greatest Show on Earth."
On October 7th and 8th, 2017, we exhibited at the San Diego Maker Faire in Balboa Park.
"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."
– Thomas Edison –
We were of course only one of many exhibits.
Because my "booth babe" was kind enough to go with me one of the days, I was able to check out a few other exhibits.
What's this, a computer on breadboards?
Built entirely with TTL logic, this 8-bit computer has only five instructions.
Breadboard Computer by http://wolfdenelectronics.com/
Original Image by @creatr
The instructions are encoded in four bits,
and the storage is addressed by the remaining four. Cool!
Not a whole lot more than a Turing machine, but impressive in its own way. You can read about it at http://wolfdenelectronics.com under the "Projects" tab.
I really liked this Steampunk Airship.
Original Image by @creatr
I really liked this model airship.
Built in a "Steampunk" style, most of its parts were cut out with a Muse laser cutter.
I'm rather fond of Steampunk styling. I find it interesting and entertaining.
Perhaps we should begin a "Steempunk" group here on Steemit?
The "Muse" Laser Cutter.
Original Image by @creatr
This is the "Muse" laser cutter.
It is the machine used to create most of the components in the Steampunk airship.
It was also used to create the lovely miniature ferris wheel below. You can visit the Full Spectrum Laser website here.
Laser-Cut Ferris Wheel
Original Image by @creatr
The ferris wheel was cut from sheets of very thin plywood.
Parts is parts.
I was able to see some laser-cut parts, visible through the plexiglass lid of a prototype laser printer. I think these are cardboard parts for kid-built "battle-bots."
Peeking at some laser-cut parts...
Original Image by @creatr
Maker Faire is a great place for kids.
I find it exciting to see young people excited about making and doing creative things. If you can find an upcoming Maker Faire anywhere near your neighborhood, go for it and take your kids and grandkids. You won't be sorry.
Stay tuned,
I'll be sharing more photos and stories from the Faire in upcoming articles.
FIN
Introducing: The SILVERengines proton - Image by @creatr
You are why I'm here on Steemit!
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about them all.