If you hand me something, I'm probably going to take it apart. Don't worry though,
I'll put it back together, if I didn't break it.
I am an aerospace engineer by degree with experience in control engineering in nuclear power plants. In my free time, I tinker. I enjoy trying to do more with less and
repurposing/resuing material.
This project was a group effort that involved the design of a 2-stroke combustion engine in SolidWorks modeled from the engine from a Poulan PL-25 trimmer. The CAD model was then subjected to motion and structural analyses.
My involvement was producing CAD models of the crankcase and crankshaft and then performing a structural analysis on the final assembly. The model produced was very accurate–within 5% of the actual mass of the engine.
This project was completed in 2015, while I was in school. For this project, a CAD model was created of a pair of locking pliers in Siemens NX and a static structural analysis was performed.
This was a project I did around 2011 for the fun of it, but realized the utility later on. The PirateBox is a project by David Darts which uses a router and USB drive to make a portable local peer-to-peer network. One benefit of the Piratebox is security. Often, a lot of people need a file. Instead of risking USB drive sharing, everyone can connect and download the files from the PirateBox.
A defining feature of makers/hackers/diyers is having a junk pile—a collection of items they’ve saved from the landfill because they tell themselves “I might use this one day.” The maker lives for the day that their junk pile has utility.
My moment arrived when my wife (who’s a pediatric occupational therapist) was talking to me about one of her patients. To achieve therapeutic goals with the kids, she has to find activities to motivate them.
This post describes the first revision of the Cause and Effect Toy I made. To see the original, go here.
After using the original toy a while, my wife had a few suggestions for improvement. These included the ability to easily switch between different videos, an enclosure to hide the wires and make it easier to carry, and a different power source. I also wanted to make it out of something less brittle than acrylic.
To get in touch with me, my email is my first name [at] davidshamblin.com.