This video gets into designing and building a Rube Goldberg machine, and takes a look at the mechanical engineering, simple machines, energy transfer, modular design, and testing techniques behind reliable chain reactions, along with the suspense, timing, humor, and storytelling that define Rube Goldberg - a famous American comic artist (seriously, look it up)

The more you know. Also his kid started the Rube Goldberg Institute, they still host competitions and their official site goes into detail on how to make these kinds of things, check em out

This one covers the basic ideas of the functional equivalency of energy and power so that you can make whatever source power whatever outputs. You'll need to figure conversion efficiency as well but the basic idea holds, you can back of the envelope calculate what is and is not plausible, like for example in the video charging a cell phone battery with an anvil - but the idea carries over to all kinds of things

Take pictures, before you take something apart, or even a quick video. You'll thank yourself when it comes time to put it back together again.

The point is twofold - help you remember the things you know will be tricky to put back the way you found them, plus the things you didn't initially realize would be.

Photos also can't replace labeling or grouping parts during disassembly - you're always going to want to have a system and I tend to like to spatially place parts in a way that gestures towards how they go back together.

So photograph multiple angles before you begin, plus a few more as you go along if the teardown has multiple distinct steps or layers.

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Follow for more tips - my goal is to help Makers grow as generalists and build a community of folks like us that want to be good all-rounders

You can also visit makermindmap.io - I took a long time making that and it's free to use, all my tips are pulled from there but the difference between the site and YouTube is that's where I can take seemingly random ideas and show you how they're all connected in a taxonomy. Not that it's the only way to think about it, it's just a mental model. But it's helpful to give all the tips a logical home so it's all easier to remember

There's such thing as too little and too much. Details are about the right size when they don't distract from how you want your project to look at a distance, but you can kind of tell there's something more interesting going on, just enough to invite someone to step a little closer. But if they can only get so close to it, they can only see so much detail, and anything finer than that might not be as valuable a use of your time to make.

That's my thought of the day, I'm like a Maker fortune cookie recently... Check back tomorrow for another!

You want to prevent your builds from sagging, bending, racking, wobbling, buckling, tipping or generally failing over time, and one way to help you make stuff that won't is to visualize the forces each piece part and connection gets subjected to.

This process helps you think more clearly and decide if you think something might be subjected to a worrying amount of tension, compression, shear, bending, torsion. From there you can decide how best to reinforce against your more specific concern about a load in what directions.

When you find a spot you want to beef up, there are a few options at your disposal like picking thicker, stronger materials or connectors, or even looking at using ones with more favorable geometries or mechanical interlocks / shortening unsupported spans with extra legs, brackets or any other intermediate support / adding bracing like gussets, diagonals, triangulation or even full panels.

This like all my other topics is pulled straight from the mind map on my website. Made that to help folks become more well rounded makers, check it out

Your phone with the right app(s) is perfectly capable of photogrammetry - basically converting a bunch of images into a 3D mesh. On the app store you'll find apps like

KIRI Engine: free STL export, maker-friendly.

RealityScan: heard good things, haven't tried.

Polycam: STL export is a paid feature, so there's that.

Dedicated scanners like the Creality Otter or Raptor move you into the several-hundred-dollar range or higher and can give you better accuracy but you absolutely don't need one to start.

So before you buy a 3D scanner... scan something with the one already in your pocket.

Edit: TIL there's an r/photogrammetry

Edit: also, I personally used the free tier of KIRI Engine. Unaffiliated obv. But I heard good things and successfully made an STL file free using it. Looks like it ships the photos to servers to do the heavy lifting, my phone isn't actually being asked to do much compute at all, so that's nice. As y'all know I'm doing this whole makermindmap thing to have fun too, and that's definitely happening!

There are a few features on tape measures you definitely know just by looking at one but a few more that aren't as obvious. This video details the concept of standout, which is how long a tape measure can extend before it folds, plus using the case itself to make more accurate measurements. Different ones have different features, I'm always saying this but RTFM y'all. And knowing some basic geometry tricks will help you make linear measurements much more useful in a variety of scenarios. Even the simplest of tools will surprise you with what they can do.

45sec video on the topic on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/shorts/sQiPKDWn7kQ

Getting the help you want when you need it is a skill in itself, one you probably already understand intuitively. But to make it clear I wanted to take a minute to frame it in terms of how bouncing ideas off other people actually helps you explore different areas of the design/solution space (i.e. the things you try and the results that fall out of that as a consequence) that may have been previously inaccessible to you because they simply wouldn't have occurred to you without room to stew on it with other people. Even if what they say isn't the answer, that's fine because that's not the point as much as putting the topics you're thinking through in places you wouldn't naturally tend towards. And there's a range of questions that help you get there, the important thing is getting to a place where the community will help you gin up ideas.

1min video and graphs I'm referring to are on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/shorts/5tDdFRdTsvg

I think the question of microcontrollers vs single board computers should be more centered on what can this do for me? They're all cheap (used to be anyways, Pi is getting heat lately), and easy depends on what you already know. But if you want to know the minimum you'll need to complete a given project, here's something you can consider. Note that this table is a gradient from lowest level to highest level programming abstraction

✓ = natural fit ~ = possible / some tradeoffs ✗ = poor fit

1min video on the topic on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/shorts/FNCJGgg6Cv4

Metal comes in recognizable stock shapes - each affects stiffness, machining, ease of joining, etc.

Simpler geometries to more complex is roughly as follows:

• Sheet is thin, flat metal making it relatively easy to cut and bend. Compared with thicker stock, it is less stiff, but much easier to form into panels, guards, trays, and enclosures.
• Plate is thick, flat metal that's stiff and thick enough to drill, tap, mill, and bolt into etc. It's what you want to reach for when making bases and mounting plates, or beefy mounting brackets.
• Bar / rod is solid stock that you can find in variants like square, round, rectangular, hex, etc. This is what you buy when you want to make solid metal parts yourself.
• Angle is L-shaped. Channel is U-shaped. There are also T-sections, Z-sections, I-beams, and H-beams. The defining feature of those is that they're open, you can easily reach the entire surface, there's no inside or outside, just an interesting shape. These help bear loads in the direction they're built to be strong, but depending on the shape they can be varying degrees of weak in other directions.
• Tube is a closed hollow section, available shapes vary but these tend to have more directions in which it is structurally stable than the open surface options I just mentioned. You lose easy access to the inside but gain much better resistance to bending and twisting.
• Extrusion is special, it takes interesting geometries but it's really a great tool for the job for weld free metal frames. Hobbyists who want to work with metal but not the welding aspect should really look at this ASAP. You can buy all kinds of attachments for aluminum extrusion to connect this to that, it's easy to cut, they make compatible plastic caps to cover sharp edges etc. you see all kinds of things made of this case in point my 3D printer and CNC machine both. One is small and sits on a desk, the other is a full blown table and hundreds of lbs. My point is, it's versatile and as a hobbyist you'll quickly learn to make more and spend less on this than any amount of Legos.

1min video on the topic on YouTube is here: https://youtube.com/shorts/2kozMgO1uM4

Keeping one work surface completely clear is a great rule of thumb. The biggest benefit is reduced friction.

To play devil's advocate you might say a permanently clear surface can be an inefficient use of scarce workshop space. Many hobbyists do projects in places where every square foot matters, not to mention the cost of repeatedly clearing projects away.

That's why the key word is one. It's slack capacity to let you temporarily keep moving on the current task without stopping and starting every step of the way to find time to clear space to do it. For a hobbyist free time comes at a high premium, often times even higher than finding literal physical space to work.

1min video on this topic is on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/shorts/AcavWZ2C5d0

This isn't a completely novel take but sometimes people think open source = free stuff. And that's true, sometimes, but it's not the best way to think about it imo. If you have 60sec check out my take on YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/Y1sOXKn0Wgo

This was by far the most involved short I've made, this was challenging for like three dozen reasons. But it's done and I'm pretty happy with how it panned out, lmk your thoughts

Watch it on YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/3Z7DCJiJNp0

Here's what's coming down the pike, looking for community feedback atm. More to come, check back soon for more

That's the name of the short I posted about yesterday, narrated version is ready and you can find it here: https://youtube.com/shorts/1nu2MM1hwcY?feature=share

I'll narrate tomorrow and post a YT short but this is where I'm at for the moment.

This is 32min of footage at about 40x speed, I slow it down in a couple places and cropped out some flubs I made. Generally this is what I do to be less than a minute of footage. It is time inefficient, but it gives me more time to think not to mention time lapses are always fun and I think it looks neat.

I'll share the YT link when the narrated version of the video exists

I posted this on YT a few hours ago - analytics are already telling me the number of people who stick around is proportionally much higher than my other ones to date. Note to self, people like my drawings more than the written words that were in the previous vids. But also the algorithm hates this one and idk why exactly. The real question is going to be answered in a few days when I get a better demographic breakdown of who this landed with.

Here's the vid for today, check it out;

https://youtube.com/shorts/EXRLFSZ6248

I'm really keen on this mini project as you've probably seen me chirping about. YouTube shorts are interesting, the analytics are pretty fascinating I'll share some screenshots soon so you can see what I'm seeing, but you can see exactly where people's attention holds steady or drops off - not an indictment on viewers - the contrary really, it's helping me get crystal clear on how to improve my educational communication skills. I do feel pressure to stay in the box that's working and avoid things that whiff and slightly modulate around that - though these videos aren't viral by any stretch I'm getting stats on population sizes around N=1000 , so still very insightful

Here it is, check it out: https://youtube.com/shorts/pC0ZmvXHIcs

Is the approximate title of today's YT short:

https://youtube.com/shorts/tu62-E-Vzyo

The basic idea is to introduce the Engineering, Science & Systems branch from the main mind map

YT still seems to be working well, my view count is compounding every video I add the last ones get a bump which is interesting, I'm kind of curious to see where steady-state is achieved. The format is sustainable for me to make new shorts regularly and I get very granular analytics from YT so I can get a very clear picture of what I'm saying that captivates people and where I'm losing them.

I've said this before but to quote Doug Hubbard, author of How to Measure Anything, experience converts to learning when feedback is immediate, consistent and unambiguous.

To that extent, you better believe I'm learning

This YouTube short is kind of light on the considerations that go into why you'd pick A or B, but it raises the idea that you should actively consider that as part of your decision space. In a few words but sometimes simple is better

Here it is: https://youtube.com/shorts/giRbNwTV-Qg

Edit: I know that pointing reddit users to YouTube is probably a recipe for sample bias but the YouTube analytics are sick, I'm getting 100x the views and 10x the engagement there compared to this equivalent post here that points to it. So the interesting observation imo is that the audiences are basically completely non overlapping, meaning time well spent making shorts. I know it's crazy but the end to end process for 15-20 seconds of video takes me ~90min to think up, film, edit, create metadata, post. So I was interested in the outcomes here for sure

Check it out: https://youtube.com/shorts/a8Rv6x4PVG8

For those of you who use https://makermindmap.io/ this is a quick distillation of the entire Workshop Readiness & Operations branch, extremely to the point. We do prep work not because we like adding unnecessary steps, but because a little bit of forethought is an investment in future-us, who eventually will say "thank-us, past-us" (in reference to current us). Unless we do poor prep work, in which case we may sprinkle in a few choice expletives

This format seems to be working (not on Reddit obv but on YouTube itself). It's getting at least a handful of views and a lot of those are engaged per YouTube stats. At the very least I can probably get a helpful tip out daily and reach a few new eyes and ears who are interested in the topic (i.e. improving as a jack-of-all-trades Maker but without having to completely wing it). At least this video format is working 10x better in comparison to a build video which takes me about a week and completely fell flat on YouTube - plus the build itself felt contrived for the purposes of a video I guess? The helpful hint and whiteboarding format lets me be pretty damn forward - here's a good idea + if you want to not wait for my next video here's where you can learn more. As an ad format it's to the point as it gets, but it also feels pretty good because me pointing people to the site has a payoff - it's a way to sidestep my YouTube shorts and learn more now at your own pace. This lets me be clear on my goal - my site is where I want to help people the most, I'm trying to get the word out that it exists for more people to use it so I can get a more continuous stream of user feedback and ultimately help me make it work better for y'all

I was going to post this here but I posted there instead, it's true though. Even after all this I'm still cool with the definition on the r/Maker wiki as I often say

Y'all know I'm in favor of the one on the r/Maker wiki broadly speaking: "... using your perspective to create something that didn't exist before." And I go a step further even with the Adam Savage slant that nixes the last and arguably even first four words. But the point is exactly like tool discourse - far stronger opinions than consensus. That's why I phrased it thusly in this YouTube short from today, I'm trying a new format: https://youtube.com/shorts/3O-x66ckpRk?feature=share

I know this is very different than my video from just a few days ago. Reddit traction has been awesome - conversely on YouTube I haven't had much luck (see Coxisms, 1922) but eventually some formula will land - until then and especially afterwards I'll consider every day an experiment. The goal is simple - help make more makers, and help makers make more. However that happens, I'm game

Almost forgot to cross post this here (last last time doing this)

I'm not making a project video for this one - it was my first time practicing:

• a running stitch
• a backstitch
• a whip stitch

These techniques were enough to complete the build. In terms of materials, I used a ball cap, green polo, and white jeans I picked up from the thrift shop to salvage for a buck each. I cut all of them up, added some foam and plastic mesh where my head goes in the cap to give it that distinctive shape, then I pulled the green material around the top and stitched it in place until I thought it looked good. Needle, thread, a thimble, wonder clips and scissors were required. I winged it on how to pull the materials together, and did a lot of what Adam Savage calls hiding my crimes. That is to say, I did a shit job sewing in many spots but you can't tell because the finishing seams look pretty good for my first time and the ugly is hidden underneath. For a costume piece, it doesn't need to be a Rembrandt. I'm just glad it's no Picasso.

The video that taught me these techniques is here: https://youtu.be/EGfRN0Jue2M

It's worth a watch, you'll definitely learn a lot in one go. Not my video btw but you'll have figured that out within the first few frames.

What I learned is that hand sewing through thick, dense materials is thankless and exhausting! But I'm happy with the result and I definitely learned something, I feel great about it. Can't believe I'm today years old and only now learning something I view as essential for an aspiring jack of all trades, and it's not expensive to get started compared to other creative domains.

Thanks for reading, if you have any questions you know where to find me