THERO is a privacy project developed by Román Torre and Ángeles Angulo, that uses a Raspberry Pi with TOR routing. By moving the front panel you change your connection to the external Internet and your privacy. It uses 3d printing to make the full enclosure and mold for the concrete encased version.
Here are two videos showing how the project was developed:
Brian Benchoff developed a 3d printable DIY parabolic reflector WiFi antenna for a very popular ESP8266 module. The reflector is s a 19-inch diameter dish, with an F/D ratio of 0.5 and took some 10 hours to print.
It is covered with thick adhesive backed aluminum foil. The real "duct tape".
It has a gain of some 16 to 17 dBi.
Project description:
Recently, I was asked to come up with a futuristic, space-ey prop for an upcoming video for the 2017 Hackaday Prize. My custom-built, easily transportable parabolic antenna immediately sprang to mind. The idea of a three-meter diameter parabolic dish was rejected for something that isn't insane, but I did go so far as to do a few more calculations, open up a CAD program and start work on the actual design. As a test, I decided to 3D print a small model of this dish. In creating this model, I inadvertently created the perfect WiFi antenna for an ESP8266 module using nothing but 3D printed parts, a bit of epoxy, and duct tape.
Source article posted on Hackaday with in-depth description and the entire process documented:
If you are interested in astrophotography and you want to make a low cost DIY setup here is a great project. Greg Holloway developed a Raspberry Pi Zero based wireless camera for a 1.25" telescope eyepiece receptacle with 3d printed casing. It is battery powered so you can take it in the wilderness to observe the stars.
Full project description, all the files and software can be found at:
Hristo Borisov developed and published a set of 3D printable socket and switch modules that are controlled by ESP8266. ESP8266 is very interesting piece of electronics since it is very small, affordable (some 4 USD) and powerful since it has WiFi and can be used as Arduino. With this project you can control your electric devices via WiFi remotely and setup a simple DIY smart home project for a fraction of a price of commercial proprietary solutions.
Sockets are fully 3D printable and are of standard European "Schuko" type, designed in Autodesk Fusion 360. Design is modular so you could probably easily change it to any other socket standard.
There is even an iOS app for remote control of modules. Project is also open source so they get extra pints in my book.
Project homepage with all the code and instructions:
A team of scientists at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam demonstrated how robots can evolve and reproduce. The first robot baby is a big step towards robotic ecosystems that can evolve in challenging environments. Two parent robots meet and exchange robotic DNA over WiFi which makes the baby in a 3d printer.
Original article in Dutch (Chrome Translate is your friend):
I'm not a Microsoft fan but it looks like their IoT Core on a Raspberry Pi can get easy WiFi connectivity and network sharing for many popular 3D printers with simple app install.
Here is the video explaining the setup:
It currently supports the following printers:
Lulzbot Taz 6
Makergear M2
Printrbot Play, Plus and Simple
Prusa i3 and i3 Mk2
Ultimaker Original and Original+
Ultimaker 2 and 2+
Ultimaker 2 Extended and Extended+
... but more will surely be added in the future ...
Get all the information needed to do it yourself at:
MeshPoint is a great project developed by some of my friends which should help people endangered in emergency situations and emergency services staff to get rugged and reliable internet access point.
It is developed extensively with help of 3d printers (Ultimaker 2) and I will post a more detailed article soon. This technology is currently being used to provide internet access to refugees in Croatia. There will be several versions of rugged enclosure with batteries, 4G access and mash WiFi.
Since I'm getting more involved with communal WiFi mash networks and open source smart city project in my town, I decided to research and make a small knowledge base on 3d printed antennas. This post will be updated as I gather new information.
Basically, there are two main areas of 3d printed antenna development: High-tech industrial and DIY. The main difference is in type of machines and purpose. Industrial 3d printers are very diverse with applications ranging from aerospace to consumer electronics, while DIY printers use mostly FDM and are used in hobby projects, drones, HAM etc.
High-tech industrial and commercial 3D printed antennas
Optomec Aerosol Jet Antenna 3D printing
Optomec is an industry leader and they integrate their antennas in wide variety of products.
Here is the summary from process homepage:
Mobile device antennas including LTE, NFC, GPS, Wifi, WLAN, and BT have been printed using the Aerosol Jet process and independently tested by a leading cell phone component supplier.
Measured antenna performance is comparable to other production methods. The Aerosol Jet printing process is scalable – antennas can be printed on up to 4 cases simultaneously on a single machine. Machine throughput for a typical antenna pattern measuring ~300 mm2 averages 30,000 units per week.
The Aerosol Jet printer lower manufacturing costs for antennas used in mobile devices. The process works with standard injection molded plastics – no special additives or coatings are required. Based on Aerosol Jet technology, the digital process prints conformal antennas using conductive nanoparticle silver inks.
The printing process accurately controls the location, geometry and thickness of the deposit and produces a smooth mirror-like surface finish to insure optimum antenna performance. No plating or environmentally harmful materials are used in the process.
3D Printing antennas on curved surfaces with nanomaterials
From the source:
“Omnidirectional printing of metallic nanoparticle inks offers an attractive alternative for meeting the demanding form factors of 3D electrically small antennas (ESAs),” stated Jennifer A. Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at Illinois.
Fractal Antenna Systems is a company that has been working for some 20 years in creating specialized antennas for military and civilian sector based on fractal patterns. They recently published that they also use 3d printers to make some designs.
3D PRINTED ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES FABRICATED ON A SINGLE PLATFORM USING ADVANCED PROCESS INTEGRATION TECHNIQUES PAUL ISAAC DEFFENBAUGH, M.S.E.E. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (doctoral dissertation)
Matt Defenthaler had an old junked Netgear router and he remembered that it could run OctoPrint since it is based on Python. Most modern routers are actually quite capable small computers that can be upgraded by various open source firmwares to do many things. Matt made it work and documented the process.
Matt used the following setup:
Device: Netgear WNDR3700v1 (it is probably possible to use most OpenWRT compatibele routers but check it)
I participate in project called "Open Network" aka "OtvorenaMreza" where we deploy local mash networks open to public and we mostly use cheap and discarded routers running. The mashing software runs on OpenWRT and some members use them to run sensors, cameras and other interesting stuff, Now there is a new thing we could implement. Kudos Matt!
MatterHackers present their Android based touch screen controller: the MatterControl Touch. It is compatible with most (probably all) G-code 3d printers.
Some basic technical specifications:
RAM: 1GB
GPU: Quad Core 4x1.4GHz
Internal Storage: 8GB
External Storage: SD Card
USB interface
Camera Included
Voice Capable
Touchscreen
Wifi-Connectivity
Standalone Control
Web Monitoring
Price: 299 USD
Key features from the product page:
Simple Setup - Preloaded configurations make setting up your 3D printer a snap - plug it in and start printing in minutes.
Integrated Slicing - Give your printer the ability to directly generate print files from 3D models using MatterSlice.
Remote Print Monitoring - Keep an eye on your 3D prints from afar using your phone or any web-enabled device.
Automatic Print Leveling - Use software-based leveling to achieve printing excellence.
SMS / Email Notifications - Have your printer send a text message or email alert with a photo of your finished part.
Onboard Camera - Take a picture of your finished print or check on the status while printing.
Free Updates - MatterControl is a continuously improving platform and staying up to date with the latest developments is just a simple click away.
Open Source Software - MatterControl Touch is powered by open source software and libraries, including MatterControl, MatterSlice, the agg-sharp graphics engine, and the Android operating system.
Wifi Enabled, Not Required - Enjoy a fully standalone experience or connect your printer to the web to take advantage of cloud features
Send Files over the Web - Send models to your printer from anywhere, or transfer models between printers. SD Cards not required.
Model Editing Tools - Make simple changes to your 3D model quickly and easily prior to printing. Rotate, scale, mirror and position your models for the perfect print.
Full Preview - Preview and interact with 3D models prior to printing. Use the layer-by-layer preview to see exactly how your print will turn out.
Customizable Settings - Create and customize your own, or use built-in presets for material and quality settings to make switching filaments simple and convenient. No more failed prints because you forgot to change a setting.
Design Plugins - Get add-ons to make simple parts right on your printer.
Dual Extrusion / Multi-Material - Assigning different materials is a snap so you can take full advantage of any multi-extruder equipped 3D printer.
Mid-print Tuning and Adjustment - Fine tune your prints with on-the-fly adjustments to speed and extrusion rates.
Print History - Keep a record of your favorite prints so you can reprint your most impressive parts with the click of a button.
Design Library - Organize all of your 3D printable models in one searchable location for easy access.
Advanced Features - MatterControl Touch puts the full capability of 3D printing into the hands of power users. So if you want to adjust eeprom settings, create custom macros, or send terminal commands directly to your machine - you can.
Future improvements: Secure Cloud-based Control, Support for .x3g and .s3g 3D Printers, More Camera Integration (time lapse videos, streaming prints, etc), Voice Command, Developer API
Here is a video presentation of MatterControl Touch, it sure looks easy and powerfull :
Is this machine worth your money? Well it depends. If you are able to use open source software and a cheap Android tablet, maybe you can get the most of functionality (but not all) for no cost. You could also use paid Android software like gCodePrintr to get some extra functionality. You decide! Independent test and reviews are not yet available. We will se what will be user experiences in the future.
German RepRap just released their stand-alone 3d print server control unit. It can be used from web interface from any computer or smartphone, it connects to the internet via WiFi or LAN cable and with three USB ports to the controlled 3d printer. Web camera monitoring is also available via USB ports.
It is priced at 149 euro.
Is it too much? Maybe ... you can make something similar with Raspberry Pi and other similar devices from less money. I would like to see more test to see if there are any advantages like in stability, processing or reliability.
Fully 3d printable self balancing robot powered by with Arduino, controlled by smartphone via Wifi. Designed and made by Jose Julio. GitHub B-robot repository with all files and code
WLan Slovenia is initiative that develops and deploys community open access mesh wifi networks. KORUZA is their project of low-cost laser data transmission system that should form backbone for high bandwidth networks. When developing prototype system they used 3d printing for kinematic mount development. Currently it reaches 1Gbps data transfer at 100 meters and it is safe for eyes.
Infrared laser source and detector
Kinematic mount for aligning the source to the lens (3D printed)
Plano-convex lens in the kinematic mount for aligning it to the source
Linear translation stage for adjusting focus/collimation
Mounting bracket (3D printed)
Visible laser for alignment purpose
Rotational mount for aligning the unit to its pair at a distance
High-speed communication extension
DIY 3d printing - it prints more then just coat hangers.
Great idea from iphands: he designed and printed parabolic WiFi antenna signal amplification dish. Foil was glued on. He notes that the signal was amplified from 1200-1500KBps (~12mbps) to 2000-2500KBps (~20mbps) on an old WRT54G.
