Designs
These are some designs I've been working on:First, a turntable design:
The turntable is patterned after this one from Altmann Micro Machines. I intend to build mine from MDF for less resonance. Also, notice that armboard is completely separate from the rest of the turntable. I decided to do that to further isolate the arm from vibration, both from the motor and from the platter bearing. I feel like this is often overlooked, since most manufacturers put the arm on the same surface as the platter. This approach means it is necessary to go to great lengths to build the 'perfect' bearing. My approach means I can concentrate on building a good bearing, and can afford some of the compromises inherent in bearing design. The arm is made from carbon fiber from an arrow shaft. Both the arm bearing and the headshell will be made from lightweight balsa wood to damp resonance.
A laptop design
I designed the laptop after reading an article describing how the widescreen laptops that are fashionable today can cause more strain on a user's neck. The first step was to raise the screen by means of two brackets. The brackets are adjustable and allow the user to position the screen for the most comfort. This created another problem; how to move the cables to the screen. So, I decided to move the motherboard to the back side of the screen.That decision came with some other advantages. Because screens are usually in an upright position when a laptop is in use, it meant that more of the cooling could be passive. The back plate is made of tough, lightweight, and heat conductive aluminum. There is also a heat sink channel over the cpu, which has a fan for forced air cooling.
Next, a Knife design
I came up with this design for a research report I wrote a few years ago. The idea is to have a 'pistol grip' handle to keep the user's wrist at the proper angle. The rubberized grip in front of the bolster encourages users to move the thumb and forefinger onto the blade, for greater control. Overall this design should maximize control and ease of use, relative to a classic knife style.
