MightyOhm » Electronics

A glimpse at Electronics Workbenches around the world…

Jeff — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:45:00 +0000

Since creating the Electronics Workbench Flickr group last November, I have received lots and lots of really amazing submissions from electronics hobbyists and professionals around the world.

My two biggest takeaways so far? I do not own nearly enough test equipment, and my shop is not nearly as well-organized or space-efficient as it could be (I need to use all available wall space and build up).

Here are a few of my favorite images from the group:

Click any of these images for a larger version!

Joe Grand (of Prototype This! and Grand Idea Studio) and his awesome electronics workshop:

(Nice scope, Joe!)

blalor turned his BMW into a temporary workshop, and his passenger seat is the electronics workbench (note the laptop perched on the dash):

eschlaep (Eric Schlaepfer of tubetime.us) submitted this moody shot of a CRT project in progress:

Senke2 has a nice home lab with a lofty feel:

Looks like *someone* has a Tektronix fetish. Beautiful setup by Alan (W2AEW):

More scope envy, of both the oscillo- and micro- kinds (Thanks Mgburr!):

embeddederic sent in this picture of his workbench. Note the Tek 491 spectrum analyzer up top, 10MHz – 12GHz with 1950s(?) technology:

And lastly, check out this awesome workbench panorama by anachrocomputer (best viewed large):

See if you can spot the Tektronix 575 curve tracer!

There are lots more great photos in the group photo pool.

Do you have an electronics workbench that you’re proud of? Snap a photo and share it with the group!

New Flickr Group for your Electronics Workbench

Att Löda Är Lätt! (Soldering is Easy – Swedish (Svensk) Translation)

Jeff — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:07:31 +0000

Christopher Eriksson sent in this Swedish translation of the Soldering is Easy comic book. Thanks, Christopher!

Soldering is Easy Comic Book now available for the Kindle

Jeff — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:38:29 +0000

bloo just posted a Kindle version of the Soldering is Easy Comic Book on the forums. You can upload this file to your kindle with the send to kindle application or by e-mailing it to your Kindle’s e-mail address (unverified).

Cool! Thanks bloo!

Edit: Direct link to the Kindle version.

Saldare E’ Semplice (Soldering is Easy: Italian Translation)

Jeff — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:13:31 +0000

Michele Maffucci sent in this Italian translation of the Soldering is Easy comic book. Thanks, Michele!

Det Er Enkelt Å Lodde (Soldering is Easy: Norwegian translation)

Jeff — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:33:24 +0000

HSPalm sent in this Norwegian translation of the Soldering is Easy comic book. Thanks, Henrik!

New Flickr Group for your Electronics Workbench

Jeff — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:03:44 +0000

Ahh, the electronics workbench – shrine to the electron, the diode, the transistor, the soldering pencil and flux pen.

You can learn a lot about someone by looking at their workspace. Note the way that they store components (in pullout drawers or plastic organizers?), hang test leads (on hooks or wire racks, or on a nail?), and keep spools of wire at the ready for repairs and new projects.

A look at someone’s electronics workbench gives you a small glimpse into what is usually a fairly personal space – a space where visions become reality and electronics projects are brought to life.

While there are quite a few electronics workbenches on flickr, I determined after a quick search that there had been no attempt to bring all of these glimpses into a hobbyist or engineer’s soul together into one place.

And thus was born the Electronics Workbench flickr group:

Have a photo of your bench? Add it to the group!

No? Then go downstairs into your basement, out into your garage, or up into the attic and take one!

And don’t spend too much time cleaning it up first – noone will believe you that your workbench is that clean when we’re not looking.

Also, a shoutout: This group was inspired in part by the Workbench of the Week (WOTW) page over at The Amp Hour. I don’t think WOTW has been a feature on the show for several months. Maybe we can get Chris and Dave to bring it back??

Happy soldering!

- Jeff

www.flickr.com

Geiger Counter Kits are now for sale in the Maker Shed

Jeff — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:35:04 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that Geiger Counter Kits are now for sale in the Maker Shed!

In this video, Make’s Michael Castor shows how he used the kit to find several radioactive objects around his home. Check it out!

Resellers: If you are interested in carrying my Geiger Counter kit in your store, please contact me.

Nothing Labs review of the MightyOhm Geiger Counter Kit

Jeff — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:55:24 +0000

Rich Olsen, creator of the Electronic Cloud Chamber and proprietor of Nothing Labs, just posted a video review of the MightyOhm Geiger Counter kit on YouTube:

If you didn’t get to see Rich’s cloud chamber at the NY Maker Faire, you’ll definitely want to check it out. This thing is awesome! (And he has kits and test sources for sale!)

Here’s a video that shows it in operation. I can personally attest that it looks just as good (if not better) in person.

If you can’t afford one of his (very nicely put together) cloud chamber kits, Rich also wrote an instructable that will show you how to make your own cloud chamber with an ATX power supply and two Peltier coolers.

Thanks for the review, Rich!

Geiger Counter Kits are (finally) in stock!

Jeff — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:50:31 +0000

Geiger Counter kits are now in stock! You can order one below or go visit the Geiger Counter kit page to learn more.

There are currently three ordering options:

You can buy the complete Geiger Counter kit with a tested, known good SBM-20 Geiger-Muller tube included (recommended).
You can buy the same kit with all parts except the Geiger tube (in case you already have one).
Or, you can purchase a bare PCB only (for experimenters).

You can select one of these options below:

Shipping is via USPS Priority Mail. Allow 1-2 weeks for order processing and delivery.

Geiger Kit Demo

Jeff — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:10:14 +0000

Follow these links for more information about the workshop at Chaos Camp, and the Geiger Kit itself.

Radioactive Gauges at Chaos Camp

Jeff — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:31:06 +0000

Sorry for the poor quality of the video – this is a camp, after all.

Geiger Counter Kit for Chaos Camp 2011

Jeff — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 08:05:51 +0000

Look! A new kit!

I admit that I’ve been working on this one for a while. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I have been far too busy doing everything last minute and fixing bugs to post here!

I designed this Geiger Counter kit specifically so I could give a workshop at Chaos Communication Camp 2011. I just couldn’t fly halfway around the world only to show up at a hacker conference empty-handed!

My workshops are tentatively scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. I’m not bringing very many kits, so if you’re coming to Camp, sign up early!

More information about the kit is here. I’ll be adding more documentation over the next couple weeks.

Hopefully I’ll also be showing off this kit next month at the OSHW Summit and the NY Maker Faire.

Soldering is Easy – Traditional Chinese Translation

Jeff — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:19:19 +0000

Another translation! I present to you Traditional Chinese, by Shanghai’s XinCheJian hackerspace.

Souder c’est Facile (Soldering is Easy – French Translation)

Jeff — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:32:17 +0000

Lionel of Snootlab sent us this French translation of the Soldering is Easy comic book. Thanks, Lionel!

LÖTEN IST EINFACH (Soldering is Easy: German Translation)

Jeff — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:58:17 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that we finally have a very nicely done German translation of the Soldering is Easy comic book.

A huge thanks to Alexander Bodora and Richard Meinsen for volunteering to do the translation!

I also updated the original comic to include a link to the Soldering is Easy comic book download page (http://mightyohm.com/soldercomic). I heard a couple requests for this at the Maker Faire last weekend – so there it is.