Skiddle Skedaddle. Return of the Skiddler. Well, arrival of the Skiddler, at least. This is going to be my big 2026 project. After world domination, of course.
(What the hell are Skiddles? Or Frankenbricks?)
Skiddle Plates (Frankenblocks)
These are nothing special, just a kind of somewhat Lego compatible plates, that make it easier to experiment with technology.
Think of a base plate that you place other plates on top of.
Those other plates could be an Adafruit board, a micro controller, a piece of Lego Mindstorm, some DIY electronics, or any other electronic or mechanical contraption you can think of. A kind of modular home lab, that's it.
Similar systems / products:
So, why invent something new? Because I can?
Skiddle posts
I'll be documenting my journey in this blog, and will tag all relevant posts as 'Skiddle'. No, wait. Frankenbricks (tagged as 'bricks'). Because, frankly (no pun intended) is what they are...
Why something new?
I first tried to adopt something existing, but couldn't find anything easy that could bridge the gap between mechanical and electrical, that was cheap, and that I could combine with other products.
There is some very nice stuff already out there. I want to be able to use all of it, and not be restricted to one single product or line.
I also want to go beyond the kiddie stuff, with a bigger focus on electronics with microcontrollers etc.
Why Lego?
Frankenbricks plates are not identical to Lego, but I've tried to make them in such a way that they are (somewhat) compatible with Lego. The reason is simple: there's tons of Lego around. You'll find it in every home, and it simply works.
So, by using the same dimensions and 'stud' approach I hope to be able to reuse what I already have.
Skiddle?
Just a word I coined up. Wasting time, like the Scottish 'Skiddling'. Colorful (as in 'Skittles') because it's 3D printed. And I needed a name that wasn't too common - something short, compact, easy to remember. So, Skiddle it is. It was. Whatever. And the basic Skiddle plates and a Skiddle base are what I'm going to work on next.
Skiddle dictionary
- a skiddler - Someone who skiddles
- to skiddle - play with skiddle plates, electronics, Lego, and in general waste time
- a skiddle - a design, a build, an evening well spend
- Skiddle plate - basic building block
- Skiddle base - base plate for Skiddle plates
- Frankenbrick - any of this stuff
- Frankenblock - same thing, spelled differently 🤔
- me - a complete idiot
Let's go!
With that out of the way, it is time to get started...
My first goal is to print some (almost) compatible Lego bricks, and derive the proper dimensions from that for my base plates. I'll start with PETG, then work my way to ABS. The designs are ready...
Logo
Oh! I still need a logo! Every good project needs a logo... I cannot start without a logo, can I? Hmmm.... This might work...
No comments:
Post a Comment