Navarre Bartz – Page 12 – WindowsTechs.com

Open Source Residential Energy Storage

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

An L-shaped orange mounting structure with two white reservoirs on top, a set of pumps on the outer bottom edges, and a membrane cell bolted together in the center. The parts are connected by a series of transparent tubes.

Battery news typically covers the latest, greatest laboratory or industry breakthroughs to push modern devices further and faster. Could you build your own flow battery stationary storage for home-built solar …read more Continue reading Open Source Residential Energy Storage→

Internet Appliance to Portable Terminal

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A black device with a monochrome LCD sits on a wooden table. It's keyboard extends below the frame. On the screen is the "Level 29" BBS service login.

Few processors have found themselves in so many different devices as the venerable Z80. While it isn’t powerful by modern standards, you can still use devices like this Cidco MailStation …read more Continue reading Internet Appliance to Portable Terminal→

1000 Picks Make for a Weird Guitar

Posted on August 7, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A black guitar with red rings on its body is held by a man in a black shirt. Text pointing to the red ring of guitar picks says, "This spins."

String instruments have a long history in civilization, helping humans make more complex and beautiful music. We wonder what our forebears would think of this guitar strummed with 1000 picks? …read more Continue reading 1000 Picks Make for a Weird Guitar→

Cisco Ball is the Tumbleweed Opposite of a Disco Ball

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A rough cut piece of wood sits on a workbench. A light and a tumbleweed are mounted on top so that the light shines through the tumbleweed. A woman in a ball cap and white tank top is crouched in the background smiling.

Inspiration can strike a maker at any moment. For [Laura Kampf], it happened in the desert when she saw a tumbleweed. Tumbleweeds roll through the western United States, hitting cars …read more Continue reading Cisco Ball is the Tumbleweed Opposite of a Disco Ball→

A Robot Face with Human Skin

Posted on July 26, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

On the left, a transluscent yellowy-tan android head with eyes set behind holes in the face. On the right, a bright pink circle with small green eyes. It is manipulated into the image of a smiling face via its topography.

Many scifi robots have taken the form of their creators. In the increasingly blurry space between the biological and the mechanical, researchers have found a way to affix human skin …read more Continue reading A Robot Face with Human Skin→

Workholding Options for the Beginner CNC Operator

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A person putting a screw into a CNC spoil board on the left of the image. Their drill is chartreuse and black. Clamps hold a rectangular board down at all four corners. The spindle of the CNC is just visible on the right hand side of the image.

Designing a file to cut on a CNC is only part of the process. You also have to keep it in place while the machine does its work. [Garrett Fromme] …read more Continue reading Workholding Options for the Beginner CNC Operator→

Bluetooth Printer works with AppleTalk

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A small, white thermal printer with a cartoon cat face above the paper outlet. It is sitting on a black mat on top of a pale wooden table. A Raspberry Pi sits nearby.

For retrocomputing enthusiasts, getting old computers to work with newer peripherals can be an exciting challenge or horrible headache. If you need to print out receipts from an old Mac, …read more Continue reading Bluetooth Printer works with AppleTalk→

Powering Biology with Batteries

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A cartoon of the Sun above a windmill and a solar panel with a lightning bolt going to a big grey gear with "AAAp" written on it. A small "e-" on a circle is next to it, indicating electricity transfer. Further to the right is an ADP molecule connected to a curved arrow going through the AAAp gear to turn into ATP. Three cartoon shapes, presumably illustrating biological processes are on the right with arrows pointing from the ATP.

We’ve all been there — you forgot your lunch, but there are AC outlets galore. Wouldn’t it be so much simpler if you could just plug in like your phone? …read more Continue reading Powering Biology with Batteries→

Supercon 2023: [Pierce Nichols] is Teaching Robots To Sail

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

An image of a man in glasses in a circle placed on a black background. The title "Pierce Nichols: Teaching Robots to Sail" is on white lettering in the bottom left corner.

Sailing the high seas with the wind conjures a romantic notion of grizzled sailors fending off pirates and sea monsters, but until the 1920s, wind-powered vessels were the primary way …read more Continue reading Supercon 2023: [Pierce Nichols] is Teaching Robots To Sail→

Print Wave Metal Casting

Posted on July 14, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

Direct 3D printing of metal remains out of reach for the hobbyist at the moment, so casting is often the next best thing, particularly given the limitations of 3D printed …read more Continue reading Print Wave Metal Casting→