Video roundup!

This is what happens when real life is busy, I forget to post videos!

So, first off I started filming chemistry videos again on a semi-regular basis. First video is on solvent distillation, and the next about bioplastics.

Next up is a video about the Toronto Mini Maker Faire which happened not so long ago.

Anyway, real life is busy, so perhaps I’ll get around to making more videos!

Digital Oscilloscopes, Capacitor Banks, and Loud Bangs – Oh my.

I just finished my entry for the Tektronix Oscilloscope Video Contest and uploaded it to youtube, the premise being that measuring a 10kA pulse power discharge is (as you would imagine) challenging. Having a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) makes it much easier.

You can view my video entry on my channel on youtube below, but once you do, please do vote for my entry daily at http://www.mytektronixscope.com – help me win a primo DSO so that I can further my capabilities for research.

Video: Inductive Current Sensing – The 10kA Challenge (Tektronix Scope Contest Submission, HD version)

Hacklab Toronto!

So I’ve been a member of a hackerspace for about a year now, unofficially for near 2 years. The hackerspace in question is hacklab.to, a hackerspace in Toronto, Canada. We decided to film a promotional video to help show people what we are about and that its a cool space to hang out at. I helped with the conception and editing to a degree, so without further delay, here is the video (best viewed in 1080).

If you are interested as to where you can find a hackerspace near you, just visit hackerspaces.org for a listing of cool places like this near you!

Mission: Workbench Resurfacing

So you may have seen my old workbench that I built a few years ago in a variety of videos, blog posts, and other bits of projects documented here. I recently decided that in order to not only resume filming videos, but to increase the production value behind them and make them look better.

Image: before (left) and after (right)

Read on for a detailed, image heavy post about the entire process.

Explained absense, and more news!

So, its been a long time since my last sign of activity both on this blog and on youtube and I apologize for anyone that has subscribed to this blog. I’ve been in a bit of a funk recently with work, life, and drama. But, I’m over that now and I’ll stop whining! To tease you the reader, I have a bunch of good news:

Most of my personal project time over the past few months has been spent working on a academic project which will (hopefully) be published in J. Chem Ed. in near future. My major contribution to the project is now complete, so now I have some more time to focus on my own projects. And even while I was in my dry spell, I was still working to design in CAD several electronics projects which need to be fabricated ASAP to meet some deadlines.

Now that I’m ramping back up for high gear on my own personal projects, I’m going to resume my normal blogging habits and attempt at least a weekly update to keep everyone interested in cool happenings. Its not my usual style to blog on topical stuff vs showcasing a project (or progress thereof), but I’ll give it my best shot.

Next on the chopping block: sprucing up my workbench so that it looks cleaner on video, and that leads me to my next point, hopefully weekly videos. I have a nice long list of chemistry technique videos as well as experiments that I’ve wanted to showcase on video for some time now, but been primarily discouraged by the unprofessional look of the bench. Soon enough that will change! I’m refinishing my benchtop surface and adding a back to the bench to clean up the look.

On top of the upgrades to the workspace, I’ve got a new computer to edit videos faster, more lighting in the basement for clearer videos, and a more streamlined workflow. Stay tuned…