A Finnish LUG

Could you add a finnish user group page...

Ok. Tell me if you want one for your city as well.

How do you say "Finnish RepRap User Group" in Finnish, by the way?

The population is little over 5 million, and about a fifth live in the capital area, so I'm not expecting much. If someone should post here some day, they will have to understand enough english to find here, and I'm too lazy to come up with a proper translation

Hi,

I'm from Finland also (Espoo).

My profession is software engineering, and my hobbies include game programming and ceramics. Long ago I did a bit of electronics too.

I did some experimentation with air muscles / solenoid valves before xmas (it's one area that would be interesting to experiment in when we can print with elastic silicone or similar). [zzorn.nfshost.com]

I haven't done much RepRap related things since, other than following the project on the web. I plan to start building an own reprap eventually, when I get time from other things, and maybe when the design matures a bit.

Anyway, nice to see someone else from Finland too, looking forward to exchanging experiences.

Let's hope that I'll be printing darwin parts by the time you get to building your reprap. That should start happening before the end of this year...

Elmo

Just got hooked to this idea for good,
after following from some links
from Arduino-site [sanguino.cc]
and from [openfarmtech.org]

I think this will be really BIG and SIGNIFICANT,
at least as significant as was MITS Altair 8800,
Stallman's manifesto and the first Linux kernel.

So, now I start collecting money to obtain my first RepRap.

Something from myself:

I have a strong background in software,
but have also wasted a lots of time with too abstract stuff (mathematics
& linguistics), have been dabbling a little with electronics,
e.g. making a few Solarbotics-style "pre-robots", but also have played
with FPGA, on hobby-basis, see e.g.:
[www.iki.fi]
And I'm not afraid of challenges.


But one practical question:

I have collected many stepper motors from scanners, printers and fax-machines.
Do you reckon they would be suitable for RepRap, or is something more heavy-duty
or with higher precision movements needed?

Another question: Which one of you, if any, was at the last Alt-party (at Kaapelitehdas,
October 24-26 2008) with his brand-new RepRap?


Terveisin,

Antti

Hello and welcome Antti!

Agree on the significance of the RepRap / a replicating 3D printer.

About the stepper motors, I'm no expert, but they could be okay for some purposes. The standard Darwin steppers are quite big and heavy though, much bigger than a typical scanner (or printter) stepper.

As for the alt-party, that was me
(a friend just posted a picture from there btw: [www.flickr.com] and here's one of my own grainy phone cam pictures: [wiki.piraattipuolue.fi] )

My RepRap is still sitting on my desk waiting for tuning, I got a bit sidetracked with the Pirate Party and an open source project of mine ( [www.flowpaint.org] ), but I'm planning to get back to the RepRap sometime during the spring.

Cheers,

-- zzorn

Hi! I've been quiet, but I have progressed with my repstrap, and should have something come out of it finally in a month. I'm only missing the plastic rod...

Do you feel as strongly about the work at openfarmtech.org? I'm so hooked that I'll be following their plans when I have the space (a big piece of land to build upon has been a dream for long). I've also subscribed to the 10$ per month funding program!

I've been wondering if there are any places or communities that that resemble hacker spaces (expensive tools usable by the general public) here in finland. I' know there are a couple in Sweden at least. What about places where private persons or contractors can dump their excess material (sometimes called waste) and/or get recycled material for cheap. And the same for tools? I've been to a shop that buys and sells used tools.

Elmo

Btw. where are you based and do you have tools or a place for dusty work at your disposal? I live in Helsinki near Malmi and go to lectures at the Kumpula campus. I'm building a foldable tent for my dusty (and smelly) activities...

Cheers Zzorn, Cheers Elmom!

I'm writing this right now at Kumpula Campus. You can meet me here,
at least when I'm attending "Solmuteoriaa kombinatorisesti" course
by Vadim Kulikov (it's the room D1XX-something in the Exactum), at Tuesdays (16-17) and Thursdays (14-16). (K

About Hacker Spaces:

I participated between something like 1986-1994
in "Intsu"/"Monttu"/"Luola" scene, first as a "satellite", and for
some years as a paying member. (Well, I almost lived there sometimes).
Timo V

And of course you can mail me. Follow the FPGA-link I gave above
and you will find the directions there, at the bottom of the page.

.. Antti

I'm usually home much earlier, so we'll see.

About forming a hacker space. My ambitions and plans tend to "travel", and I need to restrict my time usage to get more (any) homework done (sadly my income depends on it). I'm very much interested (and I don't play much or drink booze), but my attention will be divided among many and irregular.

S. Set

Elmo:

Nyt ois tiedossa hyvä hakkeritila, joka vieläpä lähtisi hyvin
halvalla, jos sen vaan sais karilta irti. Toinen ongelma on
siinä, ettei sitä saa ankkuroida Helsingin vesille.

Kerro lisää!

Elmo: Anna mailiosoitteesi, niin kerron yksityiskohdat!

Siis oma mailiosoitteeni on mun-etunimi.mun-sukunimi@gmail.com

Sukunimi muodostetaan handlestäni poistamalla -ri ja lisäämällä yleisin
suomalainen sukunimen pääte.
Löytyy myös jos seuraat tuota FPGA-linkkiäni (www.iki.fi) tuolla
jossain ylemmässä mailissa.

Terveisin,

Antti

Vaihdoimme muutaman mailin Kartturin kanssa hakkeritila-ajatuksesta. Jos saataisiin kasaan 4-5 tyyppiä jotka kokevat idean suhteen jonkinlaista enthusiasmia, niin voitaisiin lähteä mielestäni miettimään asiaa tarkemmin.

Jottei menisi ihan off-topiciksi täällä voi kommentteja, ideoita ja kiinnostusta asian suhteen ilmaista esim:
[wiki.hhamalai.net]

Cheers,
Harri

Jonkinlaista kiinnostusta on, riippuu siitä paljonko tila maksaisi.

Lisäsin meiliosoitteeni wikiin.

Terveisin,
-- zzorn