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This summer has been even busier than the previous, if that is even possible. Because I didn't have to take any classes this summer, I took the opportunity to do some work in the real world. I split my time between working for a new Fort Collins company called RideKick building electronics for a power-assisted bike trailer and CEMML (Center For Environmental Management Of Military Lands), where I developed a browser based mapping system for military installations. As if that wasn't enough, I decided to take on a side project of designing and building my own CNC machine.

This picture is from Interbike 2010 in Las Vegas, where we introduced the Ridekick to the world. The idea is simple; take a bike trailer, add a battery, motor and controller and out pops a motorized trailer. The Ridekick is capable of pushing a bike at 18-20 MPH for up to 12 miles without the rider ever having to pedal. The first units should hit stores by Spring 2011. Here are a few of the media reports from Interbike:

• Kinetic Shift
• Roadbike Review
• BikePortland.org
• mtbr.com

This is the CNC router that I built this summer. It is a 3 Axis machine but I designed it so I can later modifiy it for a 4th axis. It is built entirely of aluminum to ensure rigidity. The travel capabilities are: X-12", Y-18", Z-8". The current spindle is a 1-1/4 HP PorterCable router. All the screws are extremely low backlash ballscrews with a 2mm pitch. It is controlled using the open source software EMC2.

This is a closeup of the machine head. The precision rails and ball screws for the X axis can be clearly seen, as well as the belt drive. My CNC machine should have it's own page shortly.

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