Kwartzlab, two weeks ago:
A screeching noise spews out of Ravi’s BattleBot. The last kinks in what appears to be a spinning blade of doom are being hammered out. Upstairs, Jim has set up Kwartzlab TV, a cornered green screen setup with all the tech. I’m on the main floor working with Ben troubleshooting the last tech element for the Inflatinator. Paul is on Skype also assisting. Tomorrow Ravi leaves to compete. I leave for Rochester to build a massive balloon structure with Airigami.
It’s another normal night at Kwartzlab. And it’s awesome.
When I joined Kwartzlab, I thought it was for the space and the tools. WRONG! Tools are handy, and so is space, but the value is in the community of supportive makers and hackers. For the past year, Larry, of Airigami, and I have been working on a custom built inflating machine. This inflating machine needed to fill an equipment gap for when we build giant balloon structures (by giant, think of 50 000 balloons).
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Larry created the first version in a Tupperware box. While awkward and a little fragile, the first three built a 1/3 space shuttle. From that experience, he and I created Version 2. A unit enclosed in a laser cut box and solder down for stability. They were better, more stable, and more reliable. Those units went to England and built a giant Lego Man out of balloons.
There were still issues to solve, the LCD screen had occasional issues, and the board seemed to be running hot. It was time for Version 3, the professional unit, fully debugged. We had a much large project planned, and we knew that unlike the last build two build volunteers were likely to be using these machines without us nearby.
To manufacture 10 Inflatinators was no small task. The units had to work well, look great, and be bug free. This is where lab members stepped in the critical points. Paul jumped onboard the design team and changed the breadboard to an actual PCB. He also cleaned up the design beautifully. Ryan taught me how to use the Milling and Drilling machine, essential for creating the container of each unit. Ben, at the last minute, solved communication issues between the board and my computer. Neil and MANY other lab members (often to great amusement) provided feedback during testing.
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I’m sure I went through 1000 balloons at the lab testing each unit for function and consistency. My apologies to lab members for the left over balloons that ended lodged in the ceiling when my hands slipped…. Or the balloon bits that scattered at the speed of sound when I set the compressor to high (note: don’t inflate balloons at 120 psi).
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The end result of all of the dedication was, a machine that worked beautifully. We didn’t have a single complaint about the machines breaking down or overheating. The Inflatinators were the only electric machine we used to build the 2015 Airigami Undersea Balloon Manor.
40 000 balloons.
60 volunteers.
Daily work hours: 12 to 20
6 constantly operating Inflatinators
The photos really don’t do this project justice, please check out the Tour and the Song to see the full 5 story project!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
