ok so thank you to wim for prompting me about FOSDEM 2018, i've applied for a stand there and also put in 3 talks in the "hardware track".
now, here's the thing: taking 50kg of equipment to Shenzhen Maker Faire was... well... it wasn't fun. the actual faire, fine, but decanting that much equipment FORTY TIMES on international plane flights, taxis, buses, trains and walking around 3km in total, definitely wasn't.
so a heads-up: this time i'll be bringing around 30kg on a 10,000km *international* overnight flight: if i'm going to FOSDEM 2018 i will definitely, definitely need some assistance getting to and from brussels airport to the hostel, and from there to the university.
also, if anyone is already attending or is planning to attend, i'll need help covering the stand. last time another person named wim helped out, which was amazing of him, he just happened to be the person at the stand next door :)
_also_.... what would really make it worth-while would be, if anyone's interested, to do a BoF: discuss and plan what needs to be done and so on.
any thoughts and assistance appreciated.
l.
I’m experimenting with lightweight diy shipping boxes.
Using Aluminium Plastic Composite / Sandwich Panel [1] or Corrugated Plastic aka correx [2].
Not used to make the boxes yet. I’ve got old sheets of the sandwich panel for sign shops from when they remove old signs from customers. They leave them by the bins and ask long as your dont leave printed signs dumped on the side of the road and de brand the sheets or hide the brand on the inside of the box, they dont mind.
The sheets have a few mounting holes but other wise excellent source free-of-feebies :) sandwich panels or corrugated plastic sheets. To recycle for a very cheap strong, lighter than plywood, box :)
Would be nice to go to fossdem for once and meet ya :) ... not sure how to manage travel... we see heh
[1] * a picture (16KB) of what a sheets construction looks like http://www.china-manufacturer-directory.com/picture/fireproof-aluminum-plast... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich_panel
[2] https://www.theplasticshop.co.uk/correx-sheet-index.html
On Sun, Dec 3, 2017 at 8:33 PM, Alexander Ross maillist_arm-netbook@aross.me wrote:
I’m experimenting with lightweight diy shipping boxes.
nice! .... do they have wheels? :)
Would be nice to go to fossdem for once and meet ya :) ... not sure how to manage travel... we see heh
see how it goes.
l.
@ Mr Ross -- around here, that corrugated plastic sign stuff is called "Coroplast". It's handy.
@ Luke -- Might I suggest one or two of these? They're also sold in eg Staples / Office Max type stores, if you can't/won't wait for eBay or Amazon --> https://www.ebay.com/itm/122831738441 I have one, it's my third, actually -- I have the remnants of the two predecessors around for spare parts. (They were abused to pieces lol.) Don't get me wrong, they're dang sturdy -- I'm just overly demanding of them ;) An Internet friend of mine who lives in Washington State helped me put together a custom axle and some lawnmower wheels on mine, so that it actually has ground clearance. I take it on the local public transit system (I'm kind of rural, so it's a mixture of handicap vans and Chevy Sprinters and hotel-type shuttlebuses) when I go shopping, because it beats the absolute heck out of hauling 10 bags of groceries.
Recently, I found a little tub with a lid, at the local Wal-Mart, that I can bungee-cord on over top of the bin, and get even more capacity out of it. The bin itself (I'm not sure about the tub and I'm too lazy to go measure it right now... probably about fourteen inches by sixteen on the inside)) is about a sixteen-inch cube on the inside, unfolded -- it can fold flat, about three inches thick plus wheels and handle -- and they're generally rated to about seventy pounds capacity. (That's a lot of potatoes! or anything else, really... unless you're a traveling cinderblock salesman, lol) I can vouch for this being the actual capacity... fifteen old laptops in a stack is heavy enough to cause problems, as is adding a 25lb box of cat litter to the usual grocery payload... my particular example has a half-inch wooden dowel, wrapped in electrical tape, across the front handle at the inside top... it holds things together nicely ;)
On Sun, Dec 3, 2017 at 9:03 PM, Christopher Havel laserhawk64@gmail.com wrote:
@ Luke -- Might I suggest one or two of these? They're also sold in eg Staples / Office Max type stores, if you can't/won't wait for eBay or Amazon --> https://www.ebay.com/itm/122831738441
they're quite nice. not as big as the large 4-wheeled luggage thingies which are what.... 20in x 15in x 30in? i'm packing everthing into 2 of those, the 3D printer strips down to an X-Y gantry with tons of bits of foam, plastic bags and so on stuffed around it, other frame parts stuffed in at the other end, it works really well, just a pain in the neck 2 hours assembly time. disassembly's fast though: 20 mins.
components and so on.... yyeahhh... the only thing being, how would it fare as airport luggage? the wheels look great - far more sturdy than standard luggage, but open-top? mm...
l.
On 03/12/17 20:35, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
On Sun, Dec 3, 2017 at 8:33 PM, Alexander Ross maillist_arm-netbook@aross.me wrote:
I’m experimenting with lightweight diy shipping boxes.
nice! .... do they have wheels? :)
not yet worked out how to do that. i wanted to use them to post gear to events using cheap 15-25KG shipping services. so can’t have wheels sticking out. Not yet worked out what system/invention that enables the option of having easy to add/remove wheels.
Would be nice to go to fossdem for once and meet ya :) ... not sure how to manage travel... we see heh
see how it goes.
thanks Wish ya well with your travels.
On 03/12/17 21:03, Christopher Havel wrote:
@ Mr Ross -- around here, that corrugated plastic sign stuff is called "Coroplast". It's handy.
Thanks for the tip :)
The most common use I've heard of for Coroplast -- not that I've done this, it sounds a bit rickety for the task, TBH -- is to use it for the body of a homemade velomobile.
For those not in the know -- a velomobile, more common in Europe than USA by far, is basically an enclosed bike or trike. Some have electric motors or other pedal-assist equipment, some do not. Google Images is your friend here ;)
2017-12-03 20:09 GMT+01:00 Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton lkcl@lkcl.net:
if i'm going to FOSDEM 2018 i will definitely, definitely need some assistance getting to and from brussels airport to the hostel, and from there to the university.
I live in Brussels, I have a car, and I would be glad to help you transporting things arround, as long as I'm available. The thing is I'm on holiday until February 2 (friday), and I return back in Brussels only the 2 in the afternoon. So depending on when your flight arrives in Brussels, I may or may not be able to help you going to your hostel. After that, I have nothing else planned but going to the event so if you need to bring things to and from the university, I can help you. I don't know how far we could get into the university by car, but it will always be better than by taxi or any public transport. Also, I'm not related with the Fosdem but I went to the university for two years and I know the place so I may help.
also, if anyone is already attending or is planning to attend, i'll need help covering the stand.
This would be more difficult for me. As english is not my native language I would have trouble to explain anything technical about the project.
On Sat, Dec 9, 2017 at 12:10 PM, Raphaël Mélotte raphael.melotte@gmail.com wrote:
2017-12-03 20:09 GMT+01:00 Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton lkcl@lkcl.net:
if i'm going to FOSDEM 2018 i will definitely, definitely need some assistance getting to and from brussels airport to the hostel, and from there to the university.
I live in Brussels, I have a car, and I would be glad to help you transporting things arround, as long as I'm available. The thing is I'm on holiday until February 2 (friday), and I return back in Brussels only the 2 in the afternoon.
ok, well that would be a huge help just getting equipment from the hostel to the university. i'm planning to arrive at least a few DAYS early as i am on GMT+8
So depending on when your flight arrives in Brussels, I may or may not be able to help you going to your hostel. After that, I have nothing else planned but going to the event so if you need to bring things to and from the university, I can help you. I don't know how far we could get into the university by car, but it will always be better than by taxi or any public transport.
yehyeh. at least to near the admin office would be fantastic.
Also, I'm not related with the Fosdem but I went to the university for two years and I know the place so I may help.
cool
also, if anyone is already attending or is planning to attend, i'll need help covering the stand.
This would be more difficult for me. As english is not my native language I would have trouble to explain anything technical about the project.
that's ok: as long as someone's there, and the equipment doesn't have to be moved it'll be cool.
btw we have one extra person who's volunteered to help cover on sunday (thank you, wim).
l.
arm-netbook@lists.phcomp.co.uk
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Alexander Ross -
Christopher Havel -
Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton -
Raphaël Mélotte