Battery-powered USB chargers made with Altoids tins
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Altoids tin for MintiBoost workshop
Altoids tin for MintiBoost workshop
ntMembers of Let Them Tweet Cake, a female-only group in Louisville, KY that meets to discuss tech and geek-related stuff, were invited to LVL1 Hackerspace for a workshop on how to make MintiBoosts, battery-powered USB chargers made with Altoids tins. Check out this gallery to see images of yours truly trying to learn some geek skills and build my own MintiBoost!
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ntIt all starts with an Altoids tin.
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ntPhoto courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)
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ntFor more details about the project, read my Geekend post MintiBoost workshop for geek women at LVL1 Hackerspace.
MintiBoost project workstation
MintiBoost project workstation
ntEach workstation had a soldering iron, a magnifying glass with attached clamps, and a bright light.
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ntPhoto credit: Nicole Bremer Nash
Underside of the motherboard
Underside of the motherboard
ntThis is the underside of the tiny motherboard. Each transistor has metal “legs” that are inserted in particular order and direction into holes on the motherboard. The soldering is done on this back side, and then the long wires are snipped short.
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ntPhoto credit: Nicole Bremer Nash
Front of the motherboard
Front of the motherboard
ntThe front of the motherboard with four transistors mounted.
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ntPhoto credit: Nicole Bremer Nash
Soldering
Soldering
ntSome Tweeps are fast learners and took to soldering very quickly.
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ntPhoto credit: Nicole Bremer Nash
Motherboard for MintiBoost project
Motherboard for MintiBoost project
ntThe board gets increasingly full, and by the end it is difficult to squeeze everything in.
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ntPhoto credit: Nicole Bremer Nash
MintiBoost performance test
MintiBoost performance test
ntEach completed MintiBoost was tested for performance. Can you guess which attendee didn’t do hers right? It seems this geek has difficulty with dry solder sockets. Lesson: don’t skimp on the solder.
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ntPhoto credit: Nicole Bremer Nash
MintiBoost project at LVL1
MintiBoost project at LVL1
ntI had to get some help with the soldering, and I never did get the hang of it.
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ntPhoto credit: Nicole Bremer Nash
USB charger in an Altoids tin
USB charger in an Altoids tin
ntWhen it was all done, it gets nested inside an Altoids tin.
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ntPhoto courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)
Completed MintiBoost
Completed MintiBoost
ntThe battery pack covers part of the motherboard, and the motherboard attaches to a USB port that sits in a cut-out slot on the side of the tin. With the lid closed, the user just plugs any USB device in, and it charges right up.
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ntI think a good hack on this project would be to use a small photovoltaic pack, like the ones used in making sun jars, and thereby eliminating the need for the batteries.
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ntPhoto courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)
