Makerlab Guides
On this page, we collect selected HOWTOs.
Basics
3D Printing
- 3D Design and Printing (in German)
- Tutorial Videos for ViaCad
- ISO 273-1979 specifies the recommended dimensions for holes / cut-outs for threads, bolts and nuts.
- Thread Diameter: fine / medium /coarse fit
- M3: 3.2 / 3.4 / 3.6 mm
- M4: 4.3 / 4.5 / 4.8 mm
- M5: 5.3 / 5.5 / 5.8 mm
- M6: 6.4. / 6.6 / 7 mm
- M7: 7.4 / 7.6 / 8 mm
- M8: 8.4. / 9 / 10 mm
- For 3D printed cutouts, it is better to be a bit generous, because the material tends to flow a tiny bit to the inside of the cutouts and thus reduces the effective diameter.
CNC Milling
- CNC Mill (in German)
Open Hardware
- The Open Hardware Repository
- Legal Aspects: Licensing, Patents, Trademarks
- [CERN Open Hardware License http://www.ohwr.org/projects/cernohl/wiki]
- [TAPR Open Hardware License http://www.tapr.org/OHL]
- Example of a very good Open Hardware project: VESC by Benjamin Vedder
- Skeleton for an Open Hardware Project on Github (for KiCad + arbitrary software)
Electronics Design
- Basics: Logic Levels, Basic Components, Resistance, Impedance, Reactance; Kirchoffs's Law, Voltage Dividers
- Microcontroller Interfacing: Elegant solutions for saving GPIO pins: http://www.technoblogy.com/show?LSE
- Overview of I/O devices and their interfacing to a microcontroller: https://developer.mbed.org/users/4180_1/notebook/relays1/
- ATtiny Low Power Design:
- Kemet K-SIM Tool for Simulating ESR and Impedance of Capacitors
PCB Design and Production
- PCB Production Services
- Circuit Diagrams and PCB Design with Eagle and Fritzing
- KiCad EDA Resources
- KiCad, the great open source EDA package; we have recently started to migrate from Eagle to KiCad for schematics and PCB design in all new projects
- http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/4.0.6/en/getting_started_in_kicad.html
- Great video tutorials series: https://contextualelectronics.com/getting-to-blinky-4-0/
- PCB Design Aspects
- Zoltan Frasch: High Speed and RF Design Considerations
- Doug Brooks' Articles on PCB Design
- Ground layout aspects article series ("Masseführung auf Platinen mit gemischten Chips", in German):
- Parts Management, BOMs, and Ordering with KiCad
Measuring and Testing
Basics
Oscilloscope
Multimeter
- Using a digital multimeter (tbd)
Logic Analyzer
- Tectronix Logic Analyzer Tutorials
Spectrum Analyzer and Tracking Generator
- Agilent Spectrum Analysis Basics, Application Note 150
- Using a spectrum analyzer
- Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube Basics
- Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube Basic Tracking Generator
- Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube Measuring Filters, Saving, Markers, Normalization
- Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube PEP and Bandwidth
- Rigol-related playlist on Youtube
Automation
Specific Topics
- RF Crimp Connector Assembly
- [http://www.wimo.com/download/kabelmasze_steckermontage.pdf| Dimensions for BNC, SMA, etc. from WIMO] (in German)
- [http://www.reichelt.de/reicheltpedia/index.php5/Crimp_Anleitungen| Instructions from reichelt.de] (in German)
Single-board Computer, Microcontroller, and Software Development
- Raspberry Pi
- MicroPython
- Arduino/AVR