Open source equipment

[sweetts]

A recent post showed a shirt catching / stacking  contraption. This started a discussion about providing print industry devices as open source kits. I figured it would be interesting to get some of your views on this as we have a good cross section of the industry here. Think everything from registration units and laser systems to shirt stackers. So what's your thoughts.

[Binkspot]

Im all for it, got note books full of stuff I think would make life easier.

[Gilligan]

Arduino's and Raspberry Pi's can help with control mechanisms.

[Binkspot]

Curse you Gilly, that's one cat out of the bag.

[ebscreen]

I've got a box of twenty arduino clones on my desk here. Gear Best has ridiculous prices on the coolest stuff
though it literally takes a slow boat from the Netherlands.

I made a motion detector that texts me if someone moves in the shop after hours. Sends me the link
to an infrared webcam so I can view it on my phone. If you have a Fry's electronics locally you can buy
all the parts for under $30.

Plans in the works for an arduino controlled dog toy.

Arduino is the chit.

[sweetts]

I have been playing with the arduino for a couple months and it really gets you thinking of all the stuff you can make. It seems like every day I get more and more ideas. Maybe we can get the boys to start a section for open source inventions pertaining to screen printing on the forum. We could very easily start bring our ideas to life, the old way of thinking can be very restrictive and can slow progress of new ideas. Already we have several of us with ideas just waiting for someone to move on them. this is good feed back.

[Gilligan]

Curse you Gilly, that's one cat out of the bag.

You must not have heard when he said OPEN source. :p

[sweetts]

We should try to get a call together share ideas brainstorm

[IntegrityShirts]

I think an open source DIY DTS kit to mod a specific Epson model would be frickin' sweet...

[Gilligan]

I use Retens (old Hix style) and there for my screen sizes technically change a bit.  I've thought of various ways to use air cylinders to push the screen against stops.  Haven't gone much past concept in head though and it's certainly not complicated to pump air into regulators and air toggles.

[sweetts]

That would be cool
I was thinking various dryer controls a temp reader from the shirt not the oven counters, stackers, automatic fresh air venting regulated by the dryers exhaust all really simple to make stuff. Then on the press I have like 6 platen ideas with various probes and automation devices. Add in rf id's for tracking inventory and hand offs to other departments. No questions no lost paper  each setup cart has one, scan with phone, tablet whatever and there is the info and job tracking scan at the end and production manager gets email and invoice goes out.

[Gilligan]

I tried to disassemble a cheap IR temp gun from Harbor Freight to put the sensor part in the dryer tunnel pointing down at where the shirt would pass and wiring the display outside the dryer.

The whole assembly was kind of clumsy once apart and the lens wouldn't really stay together very well.  Didn't really work.

[Gilligan]

Coincidentally I started a Facebook group for inventors and tinkerers just about a week ago.

Feel free to join up, I have a few engineer friends on there as well as your regular out the box thinkers... we are small now but hopefully that will change as the word gets out.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Inventors.Unite/

[sweetts]

Yeah I played with some  sensors from adafruit they seemed to work good but didn't put them in the dryer yet. They are a great source for parts

[TCT]

I think an open source DIY DTS kit to mod a specific Epson model would be frickin' sweet...

Yes please!!! I thought this could be done a while ago. Probably why I have 4 or 5 Epsons sitting in my basement.
I've just never had the time to take tinker with them. I made 2 DIY DTGs years ago, and thought to a point, a CTS could be made somewhat similarly.