Maniacal Labs

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The End of an Era

It’s hard to believe, but all things come to an end and the same is unfortunately true for Maniacal Labs. At least as a purveyor of open source electronics. It was certainly a tough decision but, in the end, the right one for both of us.

CyberPlotter

Earlier this year we released designs for the Engravinator and while designing that, I caught the CNC bug… hard. I’ve been using all sorts of CNC-type machines for years, of course, already owning multiple 3D printers, lasers, and CNC routers.

Engravinator for Sale on Tindie!

It’s been a long journey since we initially announced the Engravinator and showed it off at the East Coast RepRap festival. The response was more than we could have hoped for. We’ve been spending the time since then doing our due diligence to make sure that if and when we brought full kits to market, they would exceed expectations.

Introducing the Platypus Laser Controller!

A little while ago we launched the Engravinator, a compact and open source diode laser engraver. Sometimes one project leads to another. So, while researching the Grbl control board options, we were left a little underwhelmed with the feature set and specifications of the control boards available. So, as XKCD describes so perfectly: So, we would like to introduce you to our contribution to the pool of 2-axis Grbl boards, the Platypus!

Introducing The Engravinator

Nearly a year ago, friend of Maniacal Labs Patrick Connelly (or pcon as we call him) came to me with a question: “Are there any cheap and compact laser engravers that are meant to be brought to the workpiece instead of the other way around?” It was a good question. While the answer was technically “yes”, there was really only one design (that was clearly cloned under a dozen different names) but it was lackluster at best.

FormBot 3D Printer - Go Big or Go Home

A bit over a year ago I posted a YouTube video review of the T-Rex 2+ 3D printer that included a handful of modifications I had made to it. But then, recently, I was made aware of an official upgrade kit to turn the v2+ I had into a v3.0. Some of my mods even seemed to provide a little inspiration for the v3.0 :) So I got the kit and got to work installing it.

CNC Adventures - Episode 1

After getting the CNC router dust free and able to hold down anything it was time to play. Aside from simple tests anyways… Being an avid user of Fusion 360 I’ve, of course, been learning as much as I can about the CAM process using that.

Death Clock - Part 1

I have a morbid sense of humor. And I’m also a firm believer in not wasting any time in life; choosing to focus making the most of the time I have, creating new and interesting things. But even I need a reminder sometimes, and that’s where the “Death Clock” comes in. No, not the cartoon metal band. What I’m talking about is a giant clock counting down until the day I’ll (likely, based on life expectancy averages) die.

Excellent Video From A User

A few weeks back we got an email from Steve Mulanax letting us know about a video he had made, explaining how to create some awesome animated stars using BiblioPixel and the AllPixel Mini. We were astounded by the amount of time and effort put into the video, as well as how clearly he went through his entire process. Being a good open source citizen, he of course includes links to source code and CAD models in the video description.

Meter Clock Part 2

A while back…an embarrassingly long while back…the Meter Clock made an appearance. We left that project back in 2014 intending to “either print or build from wood a case of some kind”. And as sometimes happens, projects get put on the back burner. Well I was hungry to finally finish this project, so I brought it to the front burner to finish cooking. Kitchen analogies aside, I did want to put some finishing touches on this project.