Factor E Farm Blog

Last year, we have begun work on the automatic, open source chicken incubator – Hexahatch. It did not work well, primarily because the big rotor was too heavy. This year’s design – Hexahatch v2.0 – was changed to a simpler, still-air design, with a flat disk as the rotor for turning the eggs. We finally have a working prototype, after replacing a faulty thermostat and after upgrading the motor to a stronger one. See the incubator in action:

Here is an explanation of the build and issues involved: (more…)

Last year, we have begun work on the automatic, open source chicken incubator - Hexahatch. It did not work well, primarily because the big rotor was too heavy. This year's design - Hexahatch v2.0 - was changed to a simpler, still-air design, with a flat disk as the rotor for turning the eggs. We ...

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The CEB automation for the Liberator Beta 2.0 open source CEB press builds on other open source projects. We are using: (1), power drivers from the RepRap project for driving the solenoid valves; (2), Arduino as the controller-brain for the brick-pressing logic; and (3), a Ubuntu 8.04 Linux laptop for programming the logic. The advantage of this approach is that utilizing existing modules builds on mountains of prior work and documentation. In the limit of an open source economy – one would in principle be able to take well-documented and available parts, components, and modules to become a Maker of all the surrounding world. This is a deep part of autonomy and of evolution to freedom.

Here is a video on how the different modules are used in the prototype 2 electronics for the CEB press. You can buy the Arduino and the driver from Makerbot Industries. We use Hall effect sensors to detect the position of the hydraulic cylinders.

These electronics are then packaged in a waterproof electrical box:

The drivers are red, and the Arduino is attached below the green breakout board. The design is transparent and modular, and allows for easy access and disconnection of components for trouble-shooting. We will test this in the field shortly, so that our first CEB press product can move out the door.

The CEB automation for the Liberator Beta 2.0 open source CEB press builds on other open source projects. We are using: (1), power drivers from the RepRap project for driving the solenoid valves; (2), Arduino as the controller-brain for the brick-pressing logic; and (3), a Ubuntu 8.04 Linux laptop for programming the logic. The ...

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Currently, we are still working on getting our first order of The Liberator high performance, open source, Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) press out the door. We are now upgrading the automatic controls.

We have published a technical paper on the automation problem statement. We are managing the project at the Open+Pario project management site, where you can download a copy of this paper under the Documents tab. The paper outlines the technical issues surrounding effective automation, based on our previous results. It provides the necessary background if you want to collaborate on the project or build upon it – in the name of open source development. Here is the abstract:

Abstract: There are several considerations for the successful implementation of automatic controls on The Liberator^*, the world’s first, high performance, open source, Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) press. Considerations include: (1), brick production work flow design; (2), simplicity of control logic; (3), brick thickness adjustability and uniformity; (4), modular, lifetime design; (5), performance optimization; (6), cost, (7), interchangeability of hydraulic power units¹; (8) open source standards; and (9), simple user interface. This technical paper documents these issues for the development team and the greater community as part of the open source process. The greater context for this work is promoting the creation of post-scarcity, resilient communities. This paper promotes the greater context by contributing to the solution of one of the most basic needs of humanity – housing – under the assumption that earth construction is the most robust and most widely-used method of housing worldwide². Revisions of this work are found at Open+Pario³. (more…)

Currently, we are still working on getting our first order of The Liberator high performance, open source, Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) press out the door. We are now upgrading the automatic controls. We have published a technical paper on the automation problem statement. We are managing the project at the Open+Pario project management site, where ...

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The FSCONS conference was awesome, discussion on RepLab is evolving, and I have a feeling we haven’t seen anything yet. At the same time – the core of building a pattern for replicable, post-scarcity, resilient communities is actually building it. Today we get back to the CEB automation question – and we present encouraging initial results.

The summary of results to date and calculated predictions is captured in this brick production rate table, featuring manual and automatic control runs for The Liberator Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) Press.

(note: cylinder sizes in the table refer to the soil-loading drawer cylinder, not to the main cylinder)

At about 9 bricks/minute realized (second result) and 12-18 bricks per minute calculated, this is very encouraging. I haven’t found any 12 brick per minute machines for less than $50k. It looks like a factor of 10 in cost reduction for us. This sets the mind spinning on prospects of open source enterprise replication, and transformative economics resulting from this.

Explanations of the table are found below. Here is a 1 minute video showing the automated motion of the machine – performed without soil for testing purposes, demonstrating the 6 brick per minute result in the table above. Look, mom – no hands:

Click To Play

Here are further details of the entire Arduino-controlled setup.
(more…)

The FSCONS conference was awesome, discussion on RepLab is evolving, and I have a feeling we haven't seen anything yet. At the same time - the core of building a pattern for replicable, post-scarcity, resilient communities is actually building it. Today we get back to the CEB automation question - and we present encouraging ...

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Arduino is an open source electronic microcontroller. We are using it to automate our Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) press – for automatic control that doesn’t require a human operator to runthe machine. The RepRap open source 3D printer also uses Arduino to handle its controls.

Arduino is based on the C++ programming language. Our present work is programming the Arduno, and we already have code to run the machine.

Where could we find the best primer on Arduino programming? Arduino is an important entry level platform for controls and automation – and it’s open source. It’s worthwhile to learn to use it as a point of entry to automation technologies – which is relevant to any modern, post-scarcity community.

Here’s what I would describe as an ideal primer. It a heavily annotated sample code, perhaps 5 pages of text, that goes through as many of the most relevant, simplest examples of C++ and Arduino control – structures, variables, input/output, data types, objects, and so forth. In principle, this sample code would go through many simple examples – sufficient but not complete or optimized – for getting something accomplished in the Arduino programming environment. I think that by using principles of information architecture, such a one-stop-shop primer is possible to create. It would be a great contribution for many people down the road – to lower their entry barriers to Arduino controls.

Does this Best Arduino Programming Primer in the World exist already? If not, who is volunteering to write it, and publish it on the OSE wiki?

Arduino is an open source electronic microcontroller. We are using it to automate our Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) press - for automatic control that doesn't require a human operator to runthe machine. The RepRap open source 3D printer also uses Arduino to handle its controls. Arduino is based on the C++ programming language. Our present ...

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The last remaining step of our open source CEB Press Prototype II development is installation of automatic controls. This means that instead of a person actuating the hydraulic cylinders in the proper sequence as seen before, we will do this with electric solenoid valves sequenced by a computer. We have succeeded in building a controller using the open source Arduino controller platform, and we programmed it for the pressing sequence. Now we can connect the solenoids to run the CEB press.

Here is a short video describing the controller. It’s the Arduino driving power transistors (MOSFETS), where the lights are just indicators of which solenoid is turned on, based on this brick-pressing sequence. The actual solenoids will be connected to the 4 red wires (4 solenoids on 2 valves, where each valve can move the cylinder in 2 directions). You can see the CEB Automation source code v1.01, and you can follow further details of the development process on the wiki.

CEB Machine Controller v1.0 from Marcin Jakubowski on Vimeo.

One could say that this is a historic moment for Factor e Farm. We are releasing our first authentic open source code of any type. The present work also marks a decisive transition, along with Lawrence’s Torch Table – from mechanical devices to electromechanical devices and automation as the present state of technical development at Factor e Farm. Future technical steps include building of power sources, melting metal, producing components, and producing fuels and other materials from raw feedstocks. These are some of the technical milestones, discussed in a previous post, which we propose as the foundations for building any future resilient community. (more…)

The last remaining step of our open source CEB Press Prototype II development is installation of automatic controls. This means that instead of a person actuating the hydraulic cylinders in the proper sequence as seen before, we will do this with electric solenoid valves sequenced by a computer. We have succeeded in building a ...

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The next phase of CEB development is automation, and October is the month to do it. We’ll be publishing video of the manual CEB II in action with Soil Pulverizer and Slurry Mixer in operation – within a week. We will try this with stack-as-you go on a sample shed structure. Our experiment will involve building a 12×12 structure in one day.

Last year we’ve shown proof of principle of very ineffective CEB production and building. The 12×12 shed aims to be proof of principle of very effective CEB production and building.

The next step is automation, which we will add to the CEB II prototype, so we can compare performance improvement from the manual CEB II. We plan on Prototype III by end of October, with Product Release by Nov. 1. This will be a historic day for Factor e Farm.

There are some practical questions on CEB automation. (more…)

The next phase of CEB development is automation, and October is the month to do it. We'll be publishing video of the manual CEB II in action with Soil Pulverizer and Slurry Mixer in operation - within a week. We will try this with stack-as-you go on a sample shed structure. Our experiment will ...

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