Introduction To FABLAB

Francisco Initiated me to the wonderful world of Fablab. He gave an overview of the working principles that are followed in the Fablabs across the globe. We were also briefed about the practices in MIT. Francisco gave us a birds eye view on the various apllications people across the world has developed using the Fablab facility.

The principles of digital and analog revolution were discussed, how the analog to digital conversion helps to restore a signal burried in noise and so on..

An introduction to Digital Fabrication was also given and how does it promise a better proccess in fabrication than the the existing techniques..

Francisco also briefed us about the idea behind Pre Academy, How it is different from the conventional Fab Academy course.. and its for,

People who wants to do Fab Academy later

How it fills Missing gaps

Distributed education

Personal Research

Discussed also also the following..

What is Fab Academy

How is it diffenert from a traditional education

Tutors vs teachers

How it works

The 1 week cycle. Why is it important. Time x effort = constant

19 - 20 weeks, 1 week break

Wednesdays 9am in Boston. Global Assignment reviews and Lecture (small bits of info)

Assignment

Documentation

Learn + make + share. Every week different topic.

Graduation: Diploma vs Learning

He also made us reccall about the following online resources..

edX

Youtube

Instructables

Links to previous years archives and important docs (manual, grading sheets etc.)

Inaguration of FABLAB TRIVANDRUM

Prof. Neil Gershenfeld, the Director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms Inagurating the Fablab Trivandrum. I was fortunate to be a part of this special event and meet the brain behind our FABLABS!! .

Preparing Notebook for The Academy

Francisco recommended that each student uses a A4 paper notebook with no detachable sheets and not to use sheets so as to avoid loosing the sheets. He explained

What to write down

Date

Machine used

Material (thickness, type, color…)

Settings (speeds, feed rates...)

Results (what worked, what didn’t)

Debugging

Assignment: Document what you do every day.

Preparing Laptops and Lab Computers

The tasks for the day is follows..

Creating Backups

Backup data to USB

Backup data to Cloud

Install latest Ubuntu Desktop LTS (currently 14.04)

Learn how to install software using Ubuntu software center

How to install software using apt-get

How to compile software

How to install windows software using wine

Basic command line for ubuntu

Assignment For the Day : Installing the Following Softwares

1. Installing “Terminal here” addon for Nautilus.

Command to install " Terminal here "

$ sudo apt-get install nautilus-open-terminal

$ sudo nautilus -q

Restart nautilus. After the restart, right click from the folder we waant to open terminal from.. thats it !!..

2. Fab Modules Compiled Version

The fab modules provide a set of software tools for personal fabrication, intended for use with machines common to fab labs.

It includes

Tools to design 2D and 3D objects

Functions to generate 2D and 3D toolpaths

GUIs workflow from design files to machine commands

Follow the Instructions in kokompe web site given below

 http://kokompe.cba.mit.edu/

3. kokopelli retro (editing Neil’s circuit boards)

Install dependencies from kokompe web site

http://kokompe.cba.mit.edu/

Unzip the Folder and Open the folder in Terminal

make fab

cd bin

./kokopelli -r

4. Antimony

Antimony is a computer-aided design (CAD) tool from a parallel universe in which CAD software evolved from Lisp machines rather than drafting tables. Installing antimony has been a tedious process. To install antimony, we have to install all the dependencies.I had a tough time searching for the correct way to do it, bening a novice to linux it took a while for me to get it done after several attemts.

Download and Install Qt

Note : After downloading Qt, right click on the downloaded file and set permision to run as executable file before attempting to install the same.

Install the reqiured dependencies

$   sudo apt-get install build-essential libpng-dev python3-dev libboost-all-dev libgl1-mesa-dev lemon flex

Update the gcc compiler.

 sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-toolchain-r/test

 sudo apt-get update

 sudo apt-get install gcc-4.9 g++-4.9

 sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-4.9 60 --slave /usr/bin/g++ g++ /usr/bin/g++-4.9

Clone the Github repository

$   git clone https://github.com/mkeeter/antimony

Open the Antimony Directory

$  cd antimony

Make Directory Build

$  mkdir build

Open the Build Directory

$   cd build

change the link appropriately for qmake

$   ~/Qt/5.5/gcc_64/bin/qmake ../sb.pro

do Make , here -j8 , refers to the cores the Processor has got, for example if the installed CPU is having 4 cores use -j4

$   make -j8

Now do the Install, remember to add sudo

$   sudo make install

The sfotware should be properly installed if you can reach till this step, to open the software go to the installed folder , open in terminal and follow as shown below

$   ./app/antimony

Note :

I experice certain problems while using Antimony. The laptop hangs when ever an extrusion of solid objects are tried. I am yet to find a fix for this.

To learn More about Antimony

 http://www.mattkeeter.com/projects/antimony/3/

5. Inkscape.

Inkscape is a professional vector graphics editor for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It's free and open source.

Install using Ubuntu software center.

To learn More about Inkscape

 https://inkscape.org/en/

6. OpenSCAD

OpenSCAD is a software for creating solid 3D CAD objects.Unlike most free software for creating 3D models (such as the well-known application Blender), OpenSCAD does not focus on the artistic aspects of 3D modelling, but instead focuses on the CAD aspects.OpenSCAD, unlike many CAD products, is not an interactive modeler. Instead it is something like a 2D/3D-compiler that reads in a program file that describes the object and renders the model from this file. This gives you (the designer) full control over the modelling process. This enables you to easily change any step in the modelling process. This enables you to make designs that are defined by configurable parameters.

Install using Ubuntu software center.

To learn More about OpenSCAD

 https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual

7. GIMP

GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.

GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.

Install using Ubuntu software center.

To learn More about GIMP

http://www.gimp.org/about/introduction.html

8. Cura

Cura is the companion software for Ultimaker, the 3D Printer.

Download the latest version from

https://ultimaker.com/en/cura-software/list

9. Arduino IDE.

Download the version 1.5.5 IDE and install.

To Run the software

 sudo ./arduino

ATTINY addon for arduino IDE.

Follow the Instructions in tutorial section of Hi Lo Tech MIT Media Lab

http://highlowtech.org/?p=1695

10. Qcad.

QCAD is a free, open source application for computer aided drafting (CAD) in two dimensions (2D). With QCAD you can create technical drawings such as plans for buildings, interiors, mechanical parts or schematics and diagrams. QCAD works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The source code of QCAD is released under the GPL version 3 (GPLv3), a popular Open Source license.QCAD was designed with modularity, extensibility and portability in mind. But what people notice most often about QCAD is its intuitive user interface. QCAD is an easy to use but powerful 2D CAD system for everyone. You don't need any CAD experience to get started with QCAD immediately. You can download QCAD today for free!

Download the latest version from

http://www.qcad.org/en/

11. Git

Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.

Git is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance. It outclasses SCM tools like Subversion, CVS, Perforce, and ClearCase with features like cheap local branching, convenient staging areas, and multiple workflows.

Follow the commands to Install Git

$ apt-get install git

12. Eagle

EAGLE, the Easy Applicable Graphical Layout Editor is a powerful PCB design software tailored to meet the needs of professional engineers, makers and those at school! For more than 25 years, EAGLE has been the PCB design tool of choice for hundreds of thousands of electronic design engineers and developers worldwide. With a large and active engineering and support community and an extensive ecosystem, EAGLE offers much more than pure circuit design.

Install using Ubuntu software center.

To learn More about EAGLE

http://www.cadsoftusa.com/eagle-pcb-design-software/about-eagle/

13. KiCad EDA

A Cross Platform and Open Source Electronics Design Automation Suite. KiCad is an open source software suite for Electronic Design Automation (EDA). The programs handle Schematic Capture, and PCB Layout with Gerber output. The suite runs on Windows, Linux and OS X and is licensed under GNU GPL v2.

Install using Ubuntu software center.

To learn More about KiCad EDA

http://kicad-pcb.org/about/kicad/

14. Wine

Wine is a free and open source compatibility layer software application that aims to allow applications designed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like systems.It duplicates functions of Windows by providing alternative implementations of the DLLs that Windows programs call,and a process to substitute for the Windows NT kernel. This method of duplication differs from other methods that might also be considered emulation, where Windows programs run in a virtual machine. Wine is predominantly written using black-box testing reverse-engineering, to avoid copyright issues.

Install using Ubuntu software center.

To learn More about Wine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)

15. Text Editor

GEDIT that comes preinstalled with Ubuntu is used as the default text editor.

Install using Ubuntu software center.

To learn More about Wine

https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Gedit

Creating Accounts

Todays task Franscisco gave us is to create the following accounts.This is for the proper organization and storage of our data and files and to keep the activities in sync.

Fablabs.io Account

git.fabcloud.io Account

Google account

Youtube and/or Vimeo account

Dropbox account

Sketchfab.com account

My Fab Cloud Account

http://git.fabcloud.io/u/sarathsm

My Fablabs.io Account

 https://www.fablabs.io/users/4694

My Sketchfab Account

 https://sketchfab.com/sarathsm

Creating Github Repositories

Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.

Follow the commands to Install Git

$ apt-get install git

Configuring username to Git

git config --global user.name "username"

Configuring email to Git

 git config --global user.email email@email.com

Verify the git configuration information as shown below.

 $ git config --list

Create repository in Github for personal website

Head over to GitHub and create a new repository named username.github.io, where username is your username (or organization name) on GitHub. If the first part of the repository doesn’t exactly match your username, it won’t work, so make sure to get it right.

Clone the created repo to our PC.

$ git clone https://github.com/username/username.github.io

Open the folder and create index.html and create the first "Hello World!!" page. Let us see how to push this Add, commit, and push your changes

To add files

$ git add --all

To Commit

$ git commit -m "Initial commit"

To Push

$ git push -u origin master

Reference links..

https://pages.github.com/

HTTPS link vs SSH link

Creating SSH keys

https://help.github.com/articles/generating-ssh-keys/

Change from HTTPS to SSH

 https://help.github.com/articles/changing-a-remote-s-url/

Documenting Fab Academy and Pre Academy

Francisco emphasised the Importance of documenting while you work.

Our Temporary documentation Index page: http://thebeachlab.github.io

Reference links to Learning HTML

 https://www.edx.org/course/html5-part-1-html5-coding-essentials-w3cx-html5-1x

Links to some HTML templates

 http://startbootstrap.com/template-categories/all/

Photography

Great care has to be taken while taking pictures for documentation,some of the key aspects to be considered to get the best pictures are,

Size (web size)

Avoid Blurred images

Scale

Backgrounds

Composition: Rule of thirds

Lighting Conditions

Preparation of the scene

Time Management

The following points were discussed for the effective management of TIME..

Supply vs Demand-based time

serial vs parallel development

Spiral development

bottom-up vs top-down debugging (solve the problem or the cause)

Preparing the lab

Cleaning up - Not someone’s else task

Inventory Management

Access control to the Lab

Facility know how

Sensitive items Storage

Effective Management of Machines

Lab Cleanup & Inventory Management

Stock details of important lab items were taken and was documented

Rest of the Time was utilised to cleanup the lab and organize the invntory