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The Vortex Lamp

December 21, 2011 by · 1 Comment 

Yet another electro-mechanical lamp/light project. A vortex lamp for your desktop, living room or as a night light.

The lamp produces a spinning water vortex inside a glass, that is then illuminated with LEDs.

Another look (sorry for the poor photo quality)

Similar to how a magnetic stirrer works, a motor will spin a permanent magnet creating a spinning magnetic field. Placing a ferromagnetic metal within that field will cause it to spin as well. The metal spins without making any physical contact with the magnet or motor. The spinning motion of the metal stirs the water in the glass, creating a twister/vortex effect.

The stirrer used is a paperclip, coated with epoxy (to prevent rusting)


Parts are pretty basic. The (somewhat) difficult thing is sourcing for the Neodymium magnet . Any kind of magnet won’t do, especially those ferrite fridge magnets. It has be a neodymium magnet for it to work. Or at least the old school samarium cobalt magnet (if you can find one). I got mine from a dead hard drive. Other source of these magnets would be those magnet therapy bracelets (though the price is an utter rip-off). If not, you’re going to have to shop online as neodymium can’t really be purchased off the shelf (at least in this part of the world).
Magnet stuck to the middle of a standard PC cooling fan. The blades were cut off.
A tall drinking glass as the vortex cylinder.
The thickness of the bottom of the glass is very important. If it’s too thick, then the magnetic field that reaches the stirrer will be too weak. If you’re stuck with a thick bottomed glass, put a lid on it and use it upside down like I did.
The shape and depth or the vortex is more dependant on the shape and size of the stirrer (paperclip) used. Fiddle around with different sizes to get your preferred vortex.
The fins house the LEDs, while limiting the light into a narrow vertical beam. I found that the beam, being perpendicular to the vortex, produces the best illumination effect compared to other placements. The fins were cut from old DVD case.
Final touch, light diffuser added on the fin’s opening. It is made of clear transparency plastics layered with double sided tape. These tapes make quite good light diffuser.
So that’s it, happy hacking/ making.

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HSKL Meeting Notes for 17/12/2011

December 17, 2011 by · 1 Comment 

Attendance

  • Kakeman
  • Mel
  • Marcus
  • Tinker
  • Syed
  • Tracey
  • sweemeng

About

Financial

  1. Balance in account: Negative RM2290.51
  2. RM350 From HITB Booth
  3. Members That Paid, 7
  4. Members That Haven’t Paid, 6
  5. Total owed by unpaid,  RM1850 until Dec
  6. Moving Forward:Actively Sending Reminder to Members for the membership dues
  7. To remind members of payment dues
  8. Per Members Payment, and dues record, and automated reminder.
  9. Building lease continue until end of 2012

Membership

  1. There will not be increase in fees,
  2. There will be a optional extra contribution, for members that want to contribute more money.
  3. Add donation button i.e paypal and alternative in blogs. Get help from sniffit
  4. Money from donation use mel’s paypal account.
  5. Suggestion: Add a centralized bank account for HSKL under mel.
  6. Test run on ads on blogs. Ads format, make it relevant to community.

HSKL Direction 2012

  1. Group Study for Stanford Machine Learning and Crypto class on weekend, depend class schedule
  2. Monthly electronic project, with kits, one friday for one month.
  • We prepare the kit
  • The participant will pay for the kit, the price shall include some contribution to the space
  • Anyone can start joining
  1. We should start Workshops,
  • no tentative schedule.
  • Anyone with participate with donation.
  • Not formal.
  • It will depends on those that want to coordinate it
  1. Security meet up,
  • first Tuesday of the month, tentative.
  • Get OWasp to get involved.
  • We provide a space, and reserved for Security Meetup.
  • Member do not need pay
  1. We offer a space to other community
  • Members come in for free. If payment ever needed
  • Standard Rule apply Read the wiki
  1. Google spreadsheet for events
  2. AGM in 2012, so need item, action item, who is responsible.
  3. Update google calendar

AOB

  1. EShop, is a go.
  2. Accept electronics junks
  3. Help the space button, with donation for both money and toys

The note is online in https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSHLZFhxYC1EAR4LW4ZB3-K7pSOtpECI8JOjYKRJSFE/edit?hl=en_US

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Board Game Event Cancelled

December 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Due to our host, Chee Leong, have last minute issue crops out. The board game saturday event is cancelled. REPEAT CANCELLED.

The meeting is still on, this have nothing to do with the meeting, happening the same day.

I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

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Boardgame Saturday

December 14, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

We going to have a boardgame session this Saturday, we have game brought in by Chee Leong, one of our geeky friend.

Event: Boardgame Saturday

Date: 17 December 2011

Time: 11:00 – Before sun down, maybe

Agenda:  we will play the game below;

  • Battlestar Gallectica the Board Game (it’s a game of surviving and betrayal)
  • Bang! The Bullet (western shootout with some suspense element)
  • Power Grid (management and mathematics)

 

Anyone is welcome to join. And we will continue until we decide to done. Interested in these game. JOIN US ON THIS SATURDAY!!!!

p.s I have posted there event on facebook for sometime, I just forget to put it here. sorry
https://www.facebook.com/events/295891067105754/

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