Electronic and Technical Arts

The Electronic and Technical Arts (ETA) studio at BARN is generally modeled after a “makerspace” or “hackerspace”.

We are interested in rapid prototyping and fabrication, 3D printing, laser cutting and etching, embedded electronics, and software. Members of the studio are enthusiastic experimenters with the Raspberry Pi, Arduino and related micocomputers and microcontrollers. You’ll find the ETA Studio an ideal environment to experiment, try new things and spur your creative thinking.

Some of the equipment we have:

• 135 Watt large CO2 laser cutter
• 45 Watt small CO2 laser cutter
• Ultimaker 2+ 3D printer
• Prusa I3 3D printers (multiple) including MMU2
• Four-channel Digital Oscilloscope (Rigol DS1104Z)
• Microscope and hot air soldering station
• Lots of miscellaneous electronic tools, hand tools, electronic parts, etc.

Come to one of our monthly orientation sessions to check out the studio and ask questions. These are free and open to the public on the first Saturday of each month.

You can contact us with questions here.

Open Studio

Open studio times are a great opportunity to stop by and check things out as a non-member.  A studio monitor is available to answer any questions you might have or to help reinforce the information gained at an orientation.

• Tuesday, 10:00am to 2:00pm
• Thurday, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
• Sunday, 2:00pm to 5:00pm

For non-members, there is a $20 drop-in fee to use tools. Please bring cash or check made out to BARN.

Monthly Schedule

Our monthly recurring events are either free or for a nominal charge.

• 1st Saturday, 10:00am      Orientation to Studio
• 2nd Saturday, 10:00am     Introduction to 3D Printers
• 2nd Sunday, 1:00pm         Tech Talks
• 3rd Saturday, 9:00am        Introduction to Laser Cutter

Be sure to verify event in the calendar and enroll if requested.

 

Laser Cutter

Our large laser “Big Red” generally capable of cutting wood products 1/4″ thick and beyond. It can also mark many other materials. It will cut over an area of  1000 x 600 mm. The small laser can reliably cut wood products 1/8″ thick. Both lasers also cut acrylic well. For more info, consult our approved materials list: Laserable Materials

The Laser is available for use during open studio times, by BARN members who have attended the Introduction to Laser Cutting monthly orientation class.

Laser Policy: Laser Policy

We usually use the free program Inkscape to design for the laser.

Makercase is a tool for generating box plans.

 

3D Printers

ETA currently has the following types of printers:

• Ultimaker 2+  (uses 2.85 mm filament)
• Prusa I3  (uses 1.75 mm filament)

The majority of printing is done using PLA filament. It is easy to work with, gives off no fumes or harmful particulates, is widely available and is inexpensive. PETG and nylon filaments are approved for use, though both are more difficult to work with than PLA.

We have had good results with PLA from MeltInk, eSun, MakerGeeks.com and filament found on Amazon. Check with a studio monitor before purchasing if you have any questions.

Use Prusa Slicer software to slice your model for printing. The default profiles are mostly good, but you may be asked to increase the bed temperature to 60C. This will give you better results and fewer print fails.

gcode.ws is a helpful site to for  visualization and analysis of your gcode file.

 

Electronics

The studio has a soldering station complete with microscopic assist for very fine soldering activities. Refer to How To Solder.

A Rigol DS1104Z 4 channel digital oscilloscope is available. A fairly comprehensive guide is XYZs of Oscilloscopes.

Multimeters, variable voltage supplies, electronic components, bread-boarding supplies, and salvaged computer components are available
for a wide range of electronic projects. Here is a handy multimeter tutorial from SparkFun.