Lately I have been fascinated with Android’s built-in support for USB hardware devices.  Provided you have the right adapter, you can plug in a keyboard, mouse, gaming controller, or USB drive and it will just work.  This is due to a USB specification called USB On-The-Go (OTG) and it’s pretty amazing.

I had an older Nexus 9 tablet laying around and I wanted to see if I could extend its functionality with some bolt-on upgrades.  This is a small project that I had been thinking about for awhile and I thought adding a USB hub to a tablet would be the key to its upgrade potential.

First and foremost, I think many tablets are limited in their hand free usability – you either have to hold them or prop them up in some sort of folding case, a tenuous solution that provides limited viewing angles.  Adding a proper tripod base is a little unorthodox but provides a very stable base with a lot of flexibility.

The tripod will be the legs of this project but a silicone case will be the backbone.  An inexpensive case will allow me to easily attach things to the tablet without ruining it.  I can always remove the tablet and switch it to another case if I need to travel with it.

A USB hub glued to the back will be the key to extending usability and will support all sorts of USB devices.  At a minimum I planned to use a USB drive, a mouse, and a USB microscope with the tablet on a regular basis.

I went searching on Amazon and found all of my key ingredients.

Started off with a nice silicone case.  I like the blue color, it’s nice and grippy, and seemed rugged enough to take some tumbles off the work bench.

Next was the tripod.  This was a cheap bendy tripod made for phones.  The selling point here was the orientation of the phone mount, it was a perfect match for the layout I had planned.

There were plenty of USB hubs to choose from.  This one was inexpensive and I liked the yellow color to contrast with the case.

Last was this right angle USB adapter I found.  This would allow for a low profile connection between the hub and tablet.  I’m amazed I found the exact adapter I wanted, I guess the market for USB connectivity is pretty saturated.

Once I had all of the parts in hand the next step was to lay everything out on the case.  The tripod mounting piece was slated for the lower-center of the case and I wanted to make sure the USB hub could reach the adapter on the side.  Everything seemed to fit well.

Used some silicone adhesive on the back of the USB hub and tripod mount.  A little bit goes a long way.  The grooves on the case did a good job of meshing with the adhesive.  I let everything cure overnight.

The moment of truth!  I attached the tripod and it held the tablet well.  The legs took some adjustment to support the tablet’s center of gravity but worked very well.  I was pleasantly surprised with the stability and the flexibility of the tablet’s viewing angle.

I then rushed to plug in as many USB devices as possible!

A nice shot of the populated USB hub.  Of the all of the devices plugged in, the Lexar USB drive and the mouse are by far the most useful.  It’s a little strange to use a mouse with Android to start but it provides so much more precision than my fat fingers.  Web browsing is so much easier when you can finely locate and click links.

I’m a little concerned long term about the USB connection with the right angle connector.  I would love to find a better way to protect the adapter so the tablet port doesn’t take the full brunt of a fall.  The adapter is nice and low profile but it is a weak part of the layout.

The best use case for the tablet will be in the workshop.  The tripod base frees up table space and improves screen viewing angles substantially.  Perfect for viewing manuals, diagrams, or other reference material.

Add a USB borescope or microscope and you have a multi-functional shop tool!

Overall I’m happy with this project.  The concept seems sound and I’m pleased with the execution.

If I had to do it again I would pick a better tripod, the bendy one I selected is just OK.  I also need to find a better way to protect or strain relief the USB connection to the tablet.

At worst I now have a more stable platform for watching Netflix.  At best I have a very utilitarian computer for use in the workshop!

I loved Lego as kid, it’s one of the primary reasons I’m a mechanical engineer.  The Technic line really ignited a mechanical interest in me and I have many fond memories of assembling complicated sets in record time on Christmas Day.  My interest in Lego took a nose dive sometime early in high school.

It’s been over 10 years since I’ve touched a Lego, let alone purchase a set.  I thought it would be interesting (and fun) to build a Lego set as a grown-ass man.  I figured it would be a fun exercise for the blog now that I have a different perspective on things as an actual engineer.  I thought that was a pretty good excuse to purchase something I saw a children’s toy.

I took a few minutes looking at the selection on Amazon and settled on a Technic Tracked Loader (set 42032) that looked interesting and wasn’t too expensive.  Two days later the set was on my desk and ready to go.

Here are my reflections on building a Lego set as an adult engineer:

• The box does a very nice job of selling the product.  Premium glossy packaging!
• I forgot about the 2-sets-in-1 bonus of the Technic line, they include a second set of instructions to build something different with the same parts.
• Weren’t these boxes noisier?  I remember a distinct Lego rattling sound from my childhood that only comes from unopened Lego boxes
• Box is jammed full of stuff, that may have dampened the noise
• What is this red thing? They changed the color on a lot of the smaller connector pieces to make them easier to identify and differentiate.  There are unique parts with red, blue, and tan colors that I remember as only being black.
• What are these shafts with end stops?  That doesn’t seem convenient, this is definitely a new part.
• These instructions are still excellent.  Very clear steps for assembly sequences with no written descriptions!
• Assembling a set is really about the journey.  The picture on the box tells me where I’m going but I have no idea where I started from.  It’s interesting to start with a tiny piece of the machine with no context and then build out from there.
• These 1:1 scales on the page for measuring shaft lengths are great.  I think these existed back in the day but I can’t remember.
• Building these sets from the instructions was always a lot of fun but a completely different kind of fun than the creative building when using the same pieces.  Interesting the same set can really exercise both halves of your brain.
• Lego taught me what a subassembly is before I knew anything about assemblies
• These tracks are very tedious to assemble
• Done!  Took about 90 minutes.

The tracker loader is pretty neat.  It uses a worm gear in the back to lift the bucket and two four bar linkages to actuate the bucket tilt and front jaw piece.

Building the set was fun and a nice burst of nostalgia but it’s not something I need to do again soon.  I thought it was a little tedious towards the end and I was slightly underwhelmed with the finished loader.  I am looking forward to tearing this thing apart and messing around with the pieces though!

 

I recently upgraded and replaced my Canon T1i with a 70D. The primary impetus for the upgrade was the terrible viewfinder on the T1i which was small, dark, and made manual focus close to impossible. Overall the viewfinder made the camera frustrating to deal with and I neglected proper photography for a few years. The T1i sat in a drawer and was only occasionally pulled out to grab an interesting shot around the house.

The 70D has been amazing in comparison. I learned photography on similar camera, the 40D which has a similar sized body. The body is only slightly larger than the T1i but feels much more solid. Overall I’ve been very happy with the upgrade and I wanted to share my thoughts.

• The viewfinder on the 70D is an amazing upgrade.  Having the 70D side by side with the T1i is like night and day.  The 70D viewfinder is bright and clear and makes manually focusing much easier.  Physically the viewfinder is larger and relies on a pentaprism which is much brighter than the T1i
• The shutter on the 70D can actuate as quickly as 1/8000 sec which is double the T1i shutter 1/4000 sec.  This is great for photgraphing splashing water or birds.
• The 70D has built in wifi which can be used as a remote viewing tool and remote shutter when paired with a cell phone.  I’ve only played around with it a little bit but it should make wildlife photography a little easier.  The range seemed short though, even with a clear line of site.
• I found a 70D with the included STM 18-55 kit lens.  The lens is pretty amazing in autofocus, mostly because it’s completely silent.  The dual-pixel autofocus overall is pretty amazing in the camera.
• The articulating touch screen on the camera is a great upgrade from my T1i.  I though it was a bit of a gimmick but it’s very utilitarian.  The articulation is great for shooting video and the touch screen makes adjusting settings a breeze.

Check out these amazing macro shots of US currency.  The patterned security features and microprinting are impressive.