Where ideas become reality through engineering and craft
"The joy of building is in the journey from concept to reality, solving problems along the way, and creating something that didn't exist before."
Major builds and technical endeavors
Converting a traditional sailboat to electric propulsion, combining marine engineering, electrical systems, and sustainable technology.
Key Challenges:
ā¢ Battery system design and integration ā¢ Motor selection and installation ā¢ Power management and monitoring ā¢ Marine-grade weatherproofing ā¢ Weight distribution and balance
Acquiring, restoring (if needed), and learning to play a Hammond Electric Organ, exploring the intersection of vintage electronics and music.
Focus Areas:
ā¢ Understanding tone wheel technology ā¢ Leslie speaker integration ā¢ Music theory and practice ā¢ Jazz and gospel styles
What's in the workshop
Planning to develop small web-based games, combining love of gaming with web development skills. Inspired by classics like RollerCoaster Tycoon.
Future plans to learn theremin (the electronic touch-free instrument) and hurdy gurdy (medieval string instrument with a crank).
Contributing to open source projects in AI/ML, developer tools, and educational technology.
Approach to building and making
The best way to understand how something works is to build it yourself. Each project is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with new technologies, materials, and techniques.
Projects should consider environmental impact. The electric sailboat conversion exemplifies this principle - taking existing equipment and making it more sustainable.
While learning is valuable for its own sake, projects should aim to solve real problems or create genuine value, whether functional utility or artistic expression.
Documenting projects helps others learn from successes and failures. The maker community thrives on shared knowledge and collaborative problem-solving.
Tools and techniques in the workshop
ā¢ Circuit design ā¢ Power systems ā¢ Sensor integration ā¢ Battery management
ā¢ Marine engineering ā¢ Fabrication ā¢ System integration ā¢ Structural design
ā¢ Embedded systems ā¢ IoT devices ā¢ Control systems ā¢ Web development