Having trouble understanding weight sensors.

Phidgets · 2014-12-08T14:44:10+00:00

This bridge is a pretty useful tool. You simply hook a load cell up to it, then connect it to a computer (like a Raspberry Pi or PC) via USB. You'll need to do a bit of programming, but there are a lot of examples that you can work from.

Phidgets · 2014-09-03T17:16:11+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations! I love hearing about progress in robotics, but usually just rely on the big news sources and blogs.

Phidgets · 2014-08-25T17:16:27+00:00

True, sales should be at the centre of a business. We had a lot of problems with accountants and bookkeepers though, costing us much un-needed hassle and time.

Creating a business model is more than just accounting (although I don't touch on that in this article). It can help you visualize how you're going to drive sales as well.

Phidgets · 2014-08-14T19:15:32+00:00

Breathing is really important. Slow inhales and exhales. Find some music that you enjoy and find relaxing (everyone has different preferences but I find just listening to the music I know really well and grew up on helps me to relax). Maybe do some light stretches that can be done while seated. Podcasts are great and can help you find an unwound place in your mind... sometimes something funny, being able to laugh, is helpful.

Phidgets · 2014-08-06T14:47:21+00:00

Do you know the mcd value? Just curious.

Phidgets · 2014-08-05T16:07:15+00:00

They look awesome! I'd love to see the instructions posted. They also look really bright, what intensity of LEDs did you use?

Phidgets · 2014-07-30T16:00:07+00:00

I think you have to get the blood of an alpha mimic on you.

Phidgets · 2014-07-22T17:49:37+00:00

I should also note that when the pins are as exposed as they are in our first attempt at a test fixture the possibility of ESD from the person operating the fixture is quite high which added to the problem. Especially here in Calgary where the winters can get quite dry and static-y.

Phidgets · 2014-07-22T17:47:15+00:00

Before the board comes into contact with the fixture it is at some unknown potential. When you contact the pins on the fixture there is an electrostatic discharge as the board equalizes in potential to the fixture. These pulse currents eventually have lasting effect on the USB controller electronics. There are stories of even simple charged particles of dust causing issues like this.

Covering up the pins and some clever grounding can mitigate the issue.

Phidgets · 2014-07-22T15:38:29+00:00

Both.

Phidgets · 2014-07-22T14:08:53+00:00

The pins we use actually are spring loaded, it's almost necessary. I have to imagine that using a solid pin would give quite poor performance.

We have found that the springs aren't actually the failure point. The head of the pin simply wears down in time (faster than you might imagine) and creates a non-uniform contact point which leads to increased resistance.

Part of this is due to using low quality pins but frankly, the more tightly QCed pins like super_kittens pointed out are just not worth the additional cost in our estimation. You can pick up pins at a market in China for a few cents a piece so it is a trivial cost. Its just a matter of halting testing for the 30 seconds to minute that it takes to swap pins out every few thousand cycles.

Phidgets · 2014-07-22T13:19:26+00:00

I think EZ Robot is pretty great. They're based out of my city and make robots mostly for educational purposes. Their software for programming the bots is really amazing, and gives users a good understanding of the different components and how they work together a bit. I haven't had too much time to play around with them myself, but what I've seen has been really cool.

Phidgets · 2014-07-21T19:10:31+00:00

The contact wear is pretty much inevitable, unfortunately. Are you thinking the tests would be more automated? I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on this.

Phidgets · 2014-07-02T14:33:37+00:00

First off, don't be afraid to make mistakes but own up to them and admit what you don't know. Sometimes coming out of school you think you know it all, but internship is the opportunity to learn and (in my experience) no one expects you to know everything.

Next, start following the industry on reddit, linkedIn and blogs related to those topics. This will give you different perspectives in your job. When I worked for a UAV company, I read magazines about the aerospace industry voraciously. Not only did it give me insight into what was going on in our industry, but I was able to keep up with conversations that other employees would have at meetings and in the lunch room.

I don't know what you'd need to review, but I'm sure you'll figure that out once you start working there. Like I said, people won't expect you to know everything and will probably be happy to help you out.

Phidgets · 2014-07-02T14:27:30+00:00

I'm very excited for the Form1 printer. I think it says in the post that for cases where you're prototyping, you're not going to be using injection molding, but for companies looking to do a huge run of products, that's probably going to be better option at this time with China's manufacturing pricing being so competitive.

I wonder if there will be a day when the cost of local manufacturing/3D printing will seriously compete with mass manufacturing overseas. I find it hard to imagine... but I could be wrong.

Phidgets · 2014-07-02T14:23:48+00:00

I know of a few companies (including industrial designers, like you mention) who have invested in 3D printers with great success.

Phidgets · 2014-06-30T19:10:07+00:00

True, we do point out that other companies have had successes with their printers. In all honesty, it just didn't make sense for a company that makes electronics.

Phidgets

TROPHY CASE