Desktop blocks concept

Microsoft Windows desktop full of icons usually means that you have some suspended tasks related to these files on desktop that you want to keep them in front of you to remember them or you didn't decide in which folder will you place these files.

Personally, I always have tens of files and shortcut icons on my desktop. I usually want to group them and put them in blocks so I can reach them easily and quickly. For sure, I don't want to group them by type, size, date modified, or name. I was inspired by a desktop that is divided into cells like MS Excel in a way you can merge these cells to create your blocks. 

You can create your own blocks and put a group of files in certain block. You can re-size blocks, switch files between blocks, move file from block to another, and re-size icons in each block. You can apply the desktop commands for each block individually like "Refresh", "Show", "View", ... etc.

Each block may be scroll-able by mouse, has its own wallpaper, or have a title. The concept looks like a set of folders opened in cascaded view.

Here is an impression for the concept that I hope that one day Microsoft will apply

How to copy MS Visio drawing to MS Excel

For those who are looking usually for scalable vector drawings (best quality) in their documents like me :), the following is the easiest way - I guess- that you can copy MS Visio drawing to MS Excel. Just 3 steps:

(1) First of all, copy your drawing from MS Visio (Ctrl. + C)

(2) Open a blank MS Word file, then paste the drawing in it (Ctrl. + V)

(3) Finally, copy the drawing from the word file and paste in Excel.... It is done

Note: Copying drawing from MS Visio to MS Excel will copy it as a picture.

Multi-layer thickness | distance gauge (accelerometer) concept

I was always looking for a thickness or distance gauge that can measure thickness (in millimeters) of multi-layered (different materials) objects having relatively large span that can't be measured using rulers, vernier calipers, micrometers, or other traditional tools used for measuring thickness or distance.

To give a clear example of what I needed precisely, I was interested in measuring local thickness of fridge insulation at some points. Refrigerators don't have uniform insulation thickness in all points. A traditional ultrasonic gauge can't be used because there are at least three materials that it have to consider in measuring thickness: plastic liner, foam, and steel sheet. 

Therefore, I thought about a thickness gauge using accelerometer concept which was initially adopted by Russian navy as Inertial Navigation System INS to track ship location on offline maps (before using GPS). Modern smart phones have accelerometers in three directions that are used in speedometer applications.

My idea of multi-layer thickness gauge is to use the previously mentioned concept, but this require very accurate high-speed accelerometers and a well formulated double integrator. The idea simply is a pen, that will be referenced at the start point by pressing start button, then it will be moved to the end point and the displacement in three directions will be calculated. The following image shows the simple concept of the pen multi-layer thickness gauge. The pen gauge should be capable of calculating displacements for any random shaped paths.

I hope if this application will come true to the real world.

Fatek PLC simulation (simulator)

I am not a PLC programmer, but I was interested in programming PLC. I had Fatek PLC programmer software, so I was looking for simulating code before burning it on PLC. Actually, there are no tutorials over internet on how to make simulation in this software. Therefore, in this post I will show how to make a simulation, just follow the few steps below:

- Open WinProLadder software of Fatek PLC and create a new file.

- Write your ladder diagram

- Go to menu bar -> PLC -> Simulation and click it.

- When simulation is active, press the button "Run PLC"

- Now, you will be able to simulate the PLC and you can interactively configure the status of contacts and relays.

3D printing processes, concepts, and methods

3D printing is a fascinating technology to produce objects by building them up instead of machining them out. It saves material and can produce complex shapes that may require 6-axis CNC machines to be produced. The following are some concepts that used or may be used in 3D printing.

Thermoelectric water cooling

The following are some ways to cool water using thermoelectric cooler without ice formulation on the cold side of the thermoelectric module which acts as a thermal insulator:

- Using a direct cooling heat exchanger with a circulating pump with flow control to reduce residence time which may lead to ice formation and flow path blockage. A temperature sensor placed on heat exchanger output will be used to control the flow.

- Using thermoelectric module with magnetic stirring (see the proposed design below)

- Using swirling jets generated  by a small circulating pump

- Using more than one thermoelectric cooler with duty cycling (on and off control) to enable cold side deicing 

- Using stirring impeller

Thermoelectric cooler TEC1-12706

The following is just a schematic photo showing the size of thermoelectric cooler module TEC1-12706 .

Android stroboscope tachometer app concept

The following is a GUI concept for flash light stroboscope tachometer app which I think it is more easy and reliable than the design using scroll bars to control frequency. Each digit can be incremented and decremented separately.

Methods to detect magnet poles

The following are some methods to detect magnetic poles of a magnet:

- Hang a magnet with a string in area free of metals or magnetic fields. This method is not practical to implement.

- Using sizzling magnet on a flat horizontal glass surface as compass

- Using known magnet: this is the simplest way. If one magnet pole attract to the north pole of the known magnet, then it is the south pole and vise verse.

-  Using compass: the same as the previous method.

- Using electromagnet connected to DC power supply. When current passes through the coil, a magnetic field is generated and will have a magnetic field determined by right hand rule.

- Using clamp meter

- Using Cathode Ray Tube CRT screen (available in TV or oscilloscope): moving(1) electrons are deflected based on the direction of magnetic field(2) lines following Lorentz low (left hand rule). The direction of electrons movement is perpendicular to screen and pointing outward. Using MS Paint program, draw a horizontal line in the center of the canvas and display the image on full screen. Place the magnet parallel to the drawn line.  

- Using hall effect sensor.

- Using smart phone magnetic sensor: in my case, I am using Samsung Galaxy S3 mini. Just open the dial screen and write down the following secret code *#0*#, then press "Sensor" button. I claim that the location of the three-dimensional magnetic sensor is located at the center of the dial circle.

Counting number of semiconductor elements inside thermoelectric module

If you have a thermoelectric module (Peltier module) that you don't know how many semiconductor elements inside, all you have to do is to place it over a bright light source and count the elements. The following image shows the array of semiconductor elements (8 rows x 16 column).