Test Driving the Photon UV Resin DLP 3D Printer

A liquid-resin 3D printer offers much higher resolution than a filament 3D printer. The Photon-S printer from Anycubic we tried out features a layer thickness of the order of 10 microns. Besides being very precise, it's very affordable as well.

With the compliments of the Elektor Editorial and Labs teams, here is a 'fresh' article presented free of charge to all Elektor e-zine subscribers. This time we have author Willem Tak discuss an upgrade to an earlier project publication. Willem was prompted by non-availability of a few, let's say, key components. We really like reader's contributions describing how published projects get enhanced, updated and tweaked so here goes with suggestions for new components, and software to put in the 2018 "Multi-Timer".

Techniques that used to be available for multi-million defence projects only are becoming more affordable. Take lidar, short for Light Detection And Ranging, a 3D laser scanning method for mapping the environment. Initially intended for satellite tracking, today you can buy a miniature lidar for under €100. Add the software from this project and away you go (your robot, of course).

No worries, it's happened to everyone: you switch on an electrical device and the mains fuse blows. In most cases that does not mean the equipment in question is faulty; the cause is usually much more prosaic: the switch-on current surge made the fuse melt prematurely. This inrush current (or surge current) occurs in traditional power transformers as well as in switch-mode power supplies, although it has different causes in either type of power supply.

This control circuit will provide the correct rotational speed and direction of a 12-V DC motor. Nothing special in that? But there is definitely, when you consider the multitude of potential options for actuating the motor. You can adjust the speed manually with a potentiometer (‘pot’), using a DC voltage level between 0 and 5 (or 10 V) or even digitally using I2C.

Today it has become almost impossible to build electronics projects without running into those tiny surface mount parts better known as SMDs. Even though reputedly hard to solder, many people have come up with ways of using them for prototyping anyway. Here is one trick. If you have another, feel free to add it as a comment to the project and let the world know about it.

A proportional radio control is ideal for controlling the speed and direction of model cars, planes or boats. Unfortunately, there are often very few facilities for switches on such controllers. With the help of this circuit you can control five switches using just a single channel. The switching is effected by relays at the receiver side.

Electric motors are everywhere and drivers are needed to make them spin in a controlled way. At Elektor Labs we frequently test and try motor drivers and we also roll our own. Here is a short overview of what we are currently looking at.

What do you pick when you want to design “something” with a vintage or modern display? A clock of course! This is our first design with ’RGBDigits’ multi-color 7-segment display devices. With a BME280 breakout board (BoB) attached, the project will also cheerfully display temperature, humidity and air pressure.

To get us through the hot European summer of 2019 we asked you to show us your home lab by posting one or more photographs at Elektor Labs. Of course, taste is personal and all that, but we made Elektor staffers vote and obtained a unanimous winner. Read on quickly to find out if it is you…