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Build Your Robot Online
An anonymous reader writes "Ever needed a custom part for a robot, case mod or hardware hack but
lacked the tools or a machineshop to make one for you? Ever needed a custom circuit board? Well, PC Magazine's Bill Machrone writes about a few websites, Emachineshop and Pad2Pad, where you use their free software to design, price, and order anything you can design with the software. This is more useful to
slashdotters than 3D 'printing' technologies like rapid prototyping since you get real working parts. It looks like they support a number of machines and fabrication techniques beyond traditional machining, like plastic injection molding and waterjet. As Machrone says, this is empowering stuff. This is something that should ignite a creative spark to all you hardware tinkerers out there in Slashdot land."
I have used emachineshop on a few occasions. Mostly for machined aluminum parts for a motorcycle. Its a great service. Easy to design and order. I am surprised /.ers didnt come across this a long time ago.
:-{
Well maybe its my fault, I found them about a year a go, and didnt tell anyone here
Sorry
JBoyce
System Requirements for Pad2Pad: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
eMachineShop: Requires Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT, or XP. 6 mb.
This is free (free beer) but not open source.
I have used emachineshop on a few occasions. ... I found them about a year a go
January 8, 2004 eMachineShop today announced the pre-opening of their new online service
See also: Robot Builder's Bonanza. Lists where you can actually get your hands on stuff.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
Their pricing drops dramatically for more parts. It's not much more expensive to get them in quantities >100.
The software is buggy, however. Crashes whenever I try to do file->open. I can't seem to figure out how to create objects, either, heh.
What I want is something like this, but with the Rhino interface. eMachineShop is supposed to be able to import a "universal format" (dxf I think?) that Rhino can write, but as stated before, file->open doesn't work so I can't test it.
Windows only, deal with it.
// TODO: fix sig
Their multiple item prices are pretty reasonable. Remember - these aren't production items or prices - they're R&D. I imagine that aside from the occasional well heeled hobbyist, small companies who need to prototype something rapidly and relatively cheaply would have a field day with this service.
That said, if they were to drop thier prices to where the "mass" of hobbyist robotics fans / modelers / Star Trek freaks could just play with creating fun things, they could get awfully busy.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
For the lazy ones...
Clickable.
Martin
I work in the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) industry, and I've looked at the Pad2pad website before. The problem with them is this - they give you software to create a board in, but it only outputs in their proprietary format. That means your design can only be fabricated by pad2pad, not by anyone else. So, once you've designed in their software, you are locked into ordering boards from them. You cannot order them anywhere else unless you re-design it in another software package.
/. people like that sort of thing). This means that you can send your design to any PCB shop in the world, and they can read it as easily as you can work with a *.bmp.
There are older DOS freeware PCB layout packages called easytrax and autotrax available from Protel , as well as a free 30 day demo of their latest. There is also a Linux PCB layout package available. These packages output gerber data, which is the industry standard data format for circuit boards. It is also an open format (rumor has it
You can even send your gerber data to pad2pad, and they can make your board from that, though they would prefer if you used their software. After all, if you don't, you'll be able to get the boards make somewhere else if you don't like their service.
And that would be so unfashionable - doncha know proprietary lock-in is all the rage these days?
You can buy "blank" boards, covered completely in copper on one side. I did the design in Illustrator, printed it out on a laser printer, and transferred the laser ink to the copper. The ink works as a good resist for the ferric chloride etching solution, which is also cheap and easy to buy.
Then you get a shallow dish that you're not planning on using again (some old tupperware, e.g.), and swish the board around until the extra copper's gone. A 100-watt lamp keeps the ferric warm and makes everything go a little faster.
The etching doesn't take more than half an hour, and the projects I've built have worked well.
If only it were real.
I downloaded their program and tried it. Unfortunately, the list of available parts is a joke. There are only a few ICs. It's just a sample. I'd thought the idea was that you could order anything in the Digi-Key catalog, but no. You're limited to one pull-down menu of parts. They don't even have a consistent range of resistor values; there are wierd gaps.
They're expensive, too. I laid out a tiny board with two connectors and a voltage regulator. They want about $100 for the blank board, $50 extra to mount the voltage regulator.
One of my favorite things in grad school was the laser cutter in the mech E dept. I was happy when i found Pololu which does laser cutting for $2.50 per minute. Actually having a CAD system like this is brilliant, though.
I'll second this. I bought this book series, and got as far as making the charcoal foundry. It's cool to be able to make my own aluminum castings, but it requires a lot of sweat and patience.
Your design to a real part online: Big Blue Saw
Emachineshop seems to be a bit limited in the parts they can make. I prefer to use the services of the fellow robot builders at Team Whyachi. They don't mind handling small quantities and have great prices.
Your design to a real part online: Big Blue Saw
CustomPCB http://www.custompcb.com/ does not have their own software, but has some of the lowest prices for low volume PCBs that I have seen.
Cadsoft Eagle - With free as in beer version
A ton of boardhouses that do small runs
http://www.pcb-pool.com/ recommended by my electronic engineer colleague.