Metrix Create:Space

Inkscape for the Laser Engraver

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:58:00 -0400

Have you always wanted to cut on the laser, but don’t know how to use a program that allows you to create the right kind of file? Inkscape for the Laser Engraver is happening this Tuesday, May 22 from 7-9:30PM.

This class is for beginners who have never used Inkscape before. I will be teaching you all the basics of this free vector imaging program so you can create your own laser cut projects. At the end of the class, you will receive a 3”x5” piece of birch wood and cutting time to practice your new skills. Call us (206 357 9406) or come by the shop to register. This workshop is $50. Please bring a laptop with the latest version of Inkscape installed and a mouse with a scroll wheel. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Soldering Workshop

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:18:23 -0400

Tired of looking at schematics on the Internet or printed in a magazine that you want to build but don’t even know where to start? Its time to get your projects off your valuable breadboard and make them into something more permanent. In just a few hours you can learn the fundamentals of soldering! Nothing beats being able to look at a schematic and turn it into a functional layout on a standard proto board. Take your prototyping to the next level by making a durable device that can be handled and incorporated into an actual project.

Here at Metrix we have enough silicon and tools to make anything your heart desires. Reserve your seat at our soldering workshop and we can show you how to make a simple yet expandable binary counter out of a few items we have in the shop. At only $50 the workshop will fill up quick. Space is limited so be sure to call or give us a visit before the next scheduled class on May 27th at 7pm.

It helps to have a small background knowledge of electronics but if you are lacking one of our labcoats will be more than happy to get you into one of our “Introduction To Electronics” workshops and give you the head start you need. We know your up for it, all you need is yourself, steady hands and some ambition.

3D Printing Hearts

Sun, 13 May 2012 04:35:37 -0400

The print on the right is Emmett’s Screwless Heart Gears, downloaded from Thingiverse, one of our favorite sources of models and the best place on the Internet to share 3D models for printing. The print on the left is a right ventricle, scanned from a live human heart. A ventricle is an uncommon thing to print, not very romantic or novel on its face, but perhaps one of the most *interesting* uses of our printers to date. Perhaps one of the most important for our collective health as well.

Ventripoint, one of Seattle’s awesome medical startups needed to test some of its technology, and they came to us for this print. Ventripoint, using technology from the University of Washington creates anatomically accurate reconstructions and corresponding measurements of the right and left ventricles of the heart using ultrasound and knowledge based reconstruction rather than MRI. By printing this model, submerging it in saltwater, and scanning it, they can test their hardware and software setup without using an actual organ. From what I gathered in our brief conversation, ultrasound is tricky, and by being able to quickly 3D print problem shapes, they can regression test their hardware and make sure that anomalies that get caught stay caught. The thin walled model in PLA holds up, is accurate enough to get a detailed reading, and would be hard to create in any other way.

Testing for pulmonary hypertension in the conventional way using MRI is an expensive procedure and limited to those that have the equipment. By using a combination of Ventripoint software and a traditional ultrasound, this procedure can be brought down considerably, and made accessible to many more people.

Its nice to know that we can be a small part of this.

Flat Rate Laser Cutting - Limited Time Deal!

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:59:24 -0400

Have you always had a really awesome laser cut design you’ve wanted to do but were worried about the price? Are you new to laser cutting and engraving and want to try it out without having to think about cost?

Take advantage of our incredible flat rate deal !

We have a small supply of 3mm birch plywood planks (5”x12”) and for a limited time you can purchase them for $15 each and laser cut, etch, or engrave anything you want on them no matter how long the design takes. However the job must be completed in one run, i.e. you can’t bring the same plank multiple times for different small jobs. There is no restriction on when you use your plank. Get one for yourself or get it as a gift for a friend who needs a project. No limit on quantity.

The laser cutter operational hours are still 8PM-12AM but you can always purchase your flat rate plank during the day and leave it with your design for us to cut in the evening.

Inkscape for the Laser Engraver

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:29:11 -0400

Intro to Arduino

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:26:00 -0400

Small things hold much power for making awesome things. Come learn about microcontrollers and how you can use them at the Intro to Arduino workshop which will be held Tuesday, May 15, 7-9:30 PM at Metrix Create: Space.

The workshop uses the Arduino board platform to teach the basics of microcontrollers, inputs and outputs, sensors and actuators, and simple ways to program them. The workshop focuses both on developing an understanding of the hardware involved in making the microcontroller board work as well as of the software needed to communicate with it. This beginner workshop will allow you to get started on whatever exciting robotics projects you have in mind, both small and large in scale. No previous programming experience necessary. Basic electronics experience will be helpful but not necessary. The workshop fee of ($60) covers 2.5 hours of instruction and all materials, including an Arduino board. To sign up give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to the Metrix Create: Space shop on Broadway.

Intro to Electronics

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:04:09 -0400

Need some mood lighting at home? Come learn about the many useful applications of a potentiometer as well as other essential electronics components.

The Intro to Electronics workshop covers basic electronics theory and teaches you about electronics components and how to properly connect them through hands-on circuit building exercises. At the end of the workshop you will have the building blocks to begin your own electronics projects, both small and large in scale. The workshop is great for complete beginners as well as those in need of an electronics refresher.

The workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 8, 7-9:30 PM at our shop on Broadway East. The $50 workshop fee includes 2.5 hours of instruction and all materials. Call (206 357 9406) or come by Metrix Create: Space to sign up.

MINI BOOMBOX

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:57:24 -0400

Miles took his favorite mono Ipod speakers and fused the wires together to make a mini boom box in stereo. A fairly simple thing to do at Metrix, but seriously cool! “Its the little things”

DIY SLIDE SCANNER Lets say you have a large body of work on...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:08:00 -0400

DIY SLIDE SCANNER

Lets say you have a large body of work on slide film, and are in need of quality & high resolution scans. Getting it professionally done is out of the budget and well, let’s face it, time is always of the essence. If you were uber resourceful, you might take what you had and just build yourself a high res, batch slide scanning robot!

That’s in fact, exactly what Andrew Filer did. Using an old slide projector, his digital SLR camera, and an ever useful arduino, he assembled a contraption that can scan an entire slide tray with out any operator assistance.

You put the slides in the projector, push a button, and walk away. In about 30 minutes you’ll have a set of digital files at as high a resolution as the given SLR is capable of. You can also take your time, and have as much control over exposure and color balance as you would when taking a normal photograph.

If you’d like to keep up with further developments, stay tuned for Filer’s Kickstarter project coming soon. If you can’t wait that long, then head on over to Metrix, and learn how to make one of your very own!

Inkscape for the Laser Engraver

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:06:51 -0400

It’s finally spring! The season of natural creation- flowers, baby animals, and sunshine. Come celebrate by learning to create something of your own on the laser cutter at Metrix.

The Inkscape for the Laser Engraver workshop is happening Thursday, March 29, 7-9:30PM. This class is for beginners who have never used Inkscape before. I will be teaching you all the basics of this free vector imaging program so you can create your own laser cut projects. At the end of the class, you will receive a 3”x5” piece of birch wood and cutting time to practice your new skills. Call us (206 357 9406) or come by the shop to register. This workshop is $50. Please bring a laptop with the latest version of Inkscape installed and a mouse with a scroll wheel. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Intro to Arduino-April

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:03:07 -0400

Make your electronics come to life with microcontrollers. Come to the Intro to Arduino workshop and learn how you can start to integrate hardware and software for all kinds of exciting projects. The workshop uses an Arduino microcontroller board to go over the concept of using inputs and outputs as ways to both understand and control your environment or different elements within it.

We will be going over the hardware of the board itself as well as the software platform used to write programs that control the board and create its functionality. No previous software/code writing experience necessary. Basic understanding of electronics is helpful but not required.

The workshop will be held on April 17, 7-9:30 PM at Metrix Create: Space. Call us (206 357 9406) or come by the shop to register. The fee ($60) includes 2.5 hours of instruction as well as all the materials (including Arduino board). All you need to bring is your laptop and some awesome project ideas.

Intro to Electronics-April

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:00:34 -0400

You’re just a workshop away from building your own computer…well probably more than just one workshop away, but you have to start somewhere, so you might as well start with the basics.

Take the Intro to Electronics workshop and learn about current and voltage, diodes, resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits and how to start connecting all of these pieces to make things that actually work. The workshop is designed to teach you the basics of electronics through a series of hands-on circuit building exercises that cover theory as well as practical elements of electronics design.

The Intro to Electronics workshop will be held on April 3rd, 7-9:30 PM at Metrix Create: Space on Capitol Hill. To sign up call ((206)357-9406) or drop by the shop. The fee ($50) covers 2.5 hours of instruction and all of the materials.

Metrix Create: Space Box-ing Contest

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:36:08 -0500

We have cool boxes that need a new life and you have awesome ideas about how to do that.

Come up with the best idea, make it happen, show it to us, and WIN a super awesome prize that will be announced at a later date.

There are two box sizes.

Some have foam in them.

And some don’t.

Fill them up with anything, cut them, paint them, distress them in any way you want, add electronics, make them part of a larger project…anything goes.

Each box is $5 and you can enter more than one in the contest. The deadline for submitting your design either in person or by photo is March 31. You can come down to Metrix Create: Space and pick up your box any time up to the deadline. Limited quantity available.

Intro to Electronics

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:45:37 -0500

Voltage: It’s not just for making pretty graphs!

Come learn about voltage, current, the various elements it runs through, and how you can make them work for you and your awesome projects.

The Intro to Electronics workshop will cover the basics of building and understanding circuits through a series of hands on exercises that include reading schematics and working with LEDs, resistors, capacitors, buttons, and Integrated Circuits. All materials are included, just come ready to learn!

Tuesday, March 6th: 7-9:30 PM at Metrix Create: Space

To reserve a space call us or come down to the shop.

Soldering Workshop!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:15:32 -0500

Even though I didn’t post about it on the blog, last month’s soldering workshop was a hit! It was the first soldering class we’ve held in a while, and it sold out days in advance. So, I’m going to teach it again! The next soldering workshop will be on the evening of Tuesday, March 20 from 7pm to 9:30pm.

Just like last time, we’re going to be making a simple audio amplifier (with loudspeaker) that you can plug into a cellphone, on perfboard. Assembling a circuit on perfboard is a good way to permanentize it — a soldered circuit has most of the sturdiness of a printed circuit board, but can be made from scratch in almost no time flat. I’ll go over many of the shortcuts and techniques that can make perfboarding simple and fun!

(A working knowledge of electronics is recommended. If you want to learn electronics, I suggest taking our Intro to Electronics class, which according to the calendar is scheduled for March 6th.)

As always, you can reserve your spot in this class either over the phone (+1 206 357-9406) or by visiting the shop in person.

Snolon wants you to learn Arduino

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:36:00 -0500

I know you don’t want to disappoint Snolon. Come learn about microcontrollers at our Intro to Arduino Workshop on Tuesday, February 7th at 7 PM.

The workshop will cover the basics of microcontrollers through the Arduino platform. You can learn to make your own happy Snowlon, or any number of other fun, useful, quirky projects. The Arduino platform is versatile and lends itself to many applications, both small and large in scale.

In the workshop we will go over both the hardware involved in an Arduino board and peripheral electronics as well as the software and programming to make it all work. No previous knowledge or experience in either electronics or programming necessary. The workshop fee ($60) includes two and a half hours of instruction, an Arduino board, and electronic components for the hands-on exercises. All you need to bring is a computer and your exciting project ideas.

To reserve your spot call Metrix Create: Space or stop by our shop on Broadway.

The first Intro to Electronics Workshop of 2012!

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:27:26 -0500

Besides being fun an colorful, resistors are a very useful electronics component found pretty much in every electrically powered device we use. Want to learn how they work? Been itching to trick-out your old phone/toaster oven/lighting fixture?Interested in building your own electronics devices?

Come to the Intro to Electronics Workshop on Tuesday, January 31 at 7 PM.

You’ll get to learn about voltage and current, diodes, resistors, capacitors, and more. Through building a variety of circuits, you’ll learn how the basic elements of electronics work and interact with each other. You’ll walk away with some very useful knowledge and a box full of components for you to start your own projects.

No previous knowledge or experience necessary. Call Metrix Create: Space to reserve your spot in the workshop or come by to sign up. $50 gets you two and a half hours of instruction and all the materials for the workshop.

Laser precision time[pieces]

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:47:00 -0500

Recently, Metrix has lent its tools to some interesting time piece projects. They both use the sky to get their time readings and they both use high-tech fabrication methods, but they couldn’t be more different in their functionality. One [top] is a digital LED clock that is run by a microcontroller and gets GPS readings through a GPS module for its time calibration while the other [bottom] is the newest addition to the ancient tradition of sundials. Read on to learn a bit more about how these timepieces were made…

GPS-set ticking digital clock

This clever little device, designed by Andy Filer, brings together the precision of 21st century technology with the best of old-school grandfather clocks-that soothing tick-tock that gently reminds us of time’s passing. Hear it go: http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrixcreate/6682336961/in/photostream

The main components that make this digital clock run are an Arduino board, which executes the code written by Andy, a TTL serial GPS module, so that the clock can set the time according to GPS data, and a relay in order to get the audible ticking sound. The rest of the electronics components are LED displays, resistors for each of the LED segments, a TIP120 darlington transistor to trigger the relay, and some wires. The real magic happens in the code uploaded to the Arduino board. Andy has been generous enough to make the code available at https://github.com/afiler/AutoClock

For the digital clock enclosure, he used 5mm-thick cherry veneer pieces. The joinery was created through a box-generator software that accounts for the amount of material taken out by the laser and adjusts the width of the tongue-and-groove pattern based on the desired tightness of fit. In Andy’s design, all the joints are press-fit, eliminating the need for messy glues. The laser cut box pieces are finished with tung oil, which gives them a nice polished sheen.

Old-fashioned polar sundial

Compared to Andy’s digital clock, this sundial is quite simple in how it “runs”. Align properly and just add sunlight. Its assembly on the other hand was quite the process.

It took over 70 piece to put together the sundial and its box, which also serves as its base. All the joinery is pressfit, including the layered elements. Aligning square openings were cut into the pieces that layer, then laser cut pegs were driven through those openings to attach everything tightly without the use of glue.

First, the sundial altitude setting hinge is assembled. The sundial is designed to be able to work anywhere in the world.

In order to fit all the pieces in the box, a system of sliding joints was devised that allows the larger elements to break down into smaller components.

The storage box doubles as the base of the sundial. The timepiece attaches to the lid with a sliding joint.

The lid is then secured to the rest of the box with a set of dowels that slide into each other and lock.

The final steps are to place the dial-numbering plates in their slot and to place the assembled dial plate onto the sundial base by sliding it onto the copper shadow-casting plate[gnomon].

In order to align the sundial properly with the North-South axis, a compass slides out of the box lid and then stows away when not needed.

All of the sundial components were laser cut from 3mm and 6 mm birch plywood. It took a total of about 110 minutes of laser cutting including numerous test for fit and several re-cuts. All the pieces are finished with several layers of tung oil. This design can easily be scaled down or modified.

Do you have a fun timepiece you’ve been dying to make? Come down to Metrix and take advantage of all the great tools available. Send us and e-mail if you’d like to know more about either of these project or about the services and tools offered at Metrix Create: Space.

LEARN TO WORK WITH LOGIC

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:00:00 -0500

New workshop time!

Prompted by the shop’s collection of 7400-series integrated circuits, I’m going to be teaching a workshop on digital logic design on Saturday, January 14 2011. Digital logic is the sort of thing that makes up a computer at the deepest, darkest level — we’re talking trues and falses, ands, ors, and nots.

(Wikimedia Commons,
K-map 6,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 anti-race.svg)

You might have used an Arduino to control a simple circuit before, and thought to yourself “there’s got to be a simpler way”. For many things, there is! If you’re triggering a set of operations in a row, or waiting for certain conditions to be satisfied before another action will happen, then a simple digital logic circuit is probably all you need to use.

In this workshop, we’ll be making a few different things, such as a push-on-push-off switch and a bar-graph display. We’ll go over design techniques like truth tables and Karnaugh maps, which let you design logic circuits with just a pencil and paper.

You should be familiar with electronics before taking this workshop. If you’ve taken the Intro to Electronics workshop, you should be all set!

Like all of our workshops, you’ll walk away with some fun things. You’ll get a breadboard and a selection of ICs, LEDs and buttons ~~and a textbook with information on how each and every 7400-series IC works internally~~.

Inkscape Workshop Dec. 13th, 7-9:30

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:34:42 -0500

Did you miss November’s Inkscape for the Laser Cutter workshop?
Well good news for you, the next one is happening tomorrow, December 13th, from 7-9:30!! You still have time to make all those amazing gifts and cards before the end of the month!
Learn how to use Inkscape to cut a variety of materials- wood, acrylic, paper, leather & more!

Want to make the perfect gingerbread house? Cut it on the laser cutter. (Yes, this has happened!!) The laser cutter is also great for cards and other gifts. (You can still use the laser for cutting out the chassis of your robot too, don’t worry. :) )
Remember, if you can’t make it tomorrow, it’s okay. Contact me for questions regarding individual lessons- allison@sweetium.com