This is my first experience with FPGA programming, and so I made this video to show how easy it is to get started. Many of the tutorials on the web and the DE1 manual make the process seem more difficult than it actually is (as usual).
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
CNC milling glass plates and mirrors
I've been cutting glass plates and mirrors with my CNC milling machine machine for years. In this video, I describe a few tips and the general technique that I use.
Clamping the glass plate to the table is the critical part of the process, and so I built a jig that allows the glass to be held laterally with shims, but does not require a high clamping force, which would crack the glass.
Cutting parameters:
.085" dia diamond burr
3000 RPM
1-3 inches per minute feed
Cut depth .130" (full material thickness)
Flood coolant with soluble oil cutting fluid
Older post: http://benkrasnow.blogspot.com/2008/08/cnc-milling-glass-plates-and-mirrors.html
Clamping the glass plate to the table is the critical part of the process, and so I built a jig that allows the glass to be held laterally with shims, but does not require a high clamping force, which would crack the glass.
Cutting parameters:
.085" dia diamond burr
3000 RPM
1-3 inches per minute feed
Cut depth .130" (full material thickness)
Flood coolant with soluble oil cutting fluid
Older post: http://benkrasnow.blogspot.com/2008/08/cnc-milling-glass-plates-and-mirrors.html
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Effect of acetone vapor on thermal printer paper
I am not sure of the chemistry involved, but I have found that acetone and isopropanol vapor will darken the ink in thermal printer paper. There is also a strange reversible blanking effect, where continued vapor application will cause the dye to temporarily become colorless. Do you know the chemistry involved?
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Water vortex display from SJ City Hall exhibition -- repair and upgrade
I built this project a few years ago with a friend to help get him interested in mechanical design. Later, the project was adapted for display at a "tech and art" exhibition at San Jose City Hall. After 8 months, the painted steel impeller began to rust and discolor the water in the tube. I took the device back to my shop and replaced the original aluminum shaft with a stainless steel shaft, replaced the shaft seal, and changed the impeller to an all-plastic design. If I were designing the device again, I would opt for a spring-loaded PTFE (Teflon) shaft seal, which I have used with great success in other applications.
Drill motor control:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yEABsNyRfo
Original video showing the WiFi-controlled watering can and vortex tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKrlRJ-GJms
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