This Week in Making: LiPo Battery Tips, MakerBot Downsizes, and Table Saw Projectiles

Maker News Workshop
This Week in Making: LiPo Battery Tips, MakerBot Downsizes, and Table Saw Projectiles

 

If you’ve ever messed with radio controlled cars or planes, you’ve probably dealt with LiPo batteries. Getting the most out of them involves a bit of science and Erik Eekhof has written this giant compendium of information to help you out.

Without LiPo batteries, quadcopters and drones probably wouldn’t exist.

Why?

Because no other battery provides as much energy while delivering high amounts of current in so small of a package.  This means: longer flight times, better maneuverability, and faster flying.  In other words, more fun.

However, there is a lot of confusion about what terms mean, how to properly charge batteries, and how to be safe when using batteries.

In this article, you’ll get:

An in-depth explanation of battery specs – Nominal and cut-off voltage, capacity, C-rating, internal resistance and more

How to increase the life of your battery

What to look for in a battery charger

How to use a battery charger

Why balance charging is important

The difference between different types of battery connector

Proper battery safety and care

A glossary of common battery terms

so go to his page and read the whole article


 

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Donald Bell’s Maker Project Lab is as enjoyable as always, and is quickly becoming something I look forward to each week.


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This is an amusing demonstration of one of the most common injuries that can happen with a table saw. While yes, many people cut themselves on the blade, many other people have fallen victim to the wood being launched at them when it is grabbed by the saw. It has happened to me and I had a giant bruise on my belly for weeks afterward.


MakerBot CEO Nadav Goshen announced another round of layoffs in a blog post this week.

The leadership team and I have further focused our roadmap on the essential products that are most relevant to our core customers in order to achieve our strategic goals. We have to reorganize in small groups around these offerings, then execute in the most efficient and agile ways. I’d like to thank those who are parting ways with us today for their dedication, hard work and friendship. MakerBot will be providing severance pay and will be offering career services to parting staff.

As part of these changes, we will further integrate our hardware and software product development under one team. Our VP of Engineering, Dave Veisz, will now oversee all hardware and software R&D, and we’re promoting current Director of Digital Products, Lucas Levin, to VP of Product, leading product management across hardware and software.

Stratasys remains committed to MakerBot, and will continue to support its unique culture, and products. The Stratasys leadership team believes in the core achievements and strengths of MakerBot and supports it in making the hard steps, it has the utmost confidence in our collective ability to deliver industry leading 3D printing solutions.

Go read the entire post to see the rest.

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I get ridiculously excited seeing people make things. I just want to revel in the creativity I see in makers. My favorite thing in the world is sharing a maker's story. find me at CalebKraft.com

View more articles by Caleb Kraft

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