Finalists from Innovate Ghana‘s 2015 Design Challenge around problem areas of Water & Sanitation participated in a prototype design workshop at the Makerspace @Impact Hub Accra (December 19, 2015):
Then @kabsseidu & @afrocyberpunk showed up from Nubian VR and prototyped a VR camera rig:
The AMP makers collective has run over 35 workshops to date around the theme of transforming the Agbogbloshie scrap and recycling ecosystem into a network for distributed manufacturing and digital fabrication.
Here is a list of the main events held as part of the AMP series of informal maker workshops to build the future of Agbogbloshie:
Mild steel angle bar is liable to twist or bend before the truss is triangulated; to ensure that each octet truss you make is straight (±1 mm) use a straight and square metal jig with wood board forming welding bed (will burn over time, flip over before replacing). Use clamps to secure 2d truss frame to jig, and push metal against wood plate of jig with a nonconductive pipe or wood stick.
Welding: Tack weld first throughout to assemble octet truss, then complete full weld once all metal elements are held in contact. Usually a small amount of grinding required to clear sharp edges. Apply hardener coat to seal and spray 3-6 coats of automotive paint. Paint damage possible (e.g. scratches) during transport and assembly; paint touch-up work may be done after assembly.
2-module & spacecraft erected at edge of Agbogbloshie scrapyard in 3 to 3-1/2 hour period, with a crew of six people.
Use a template for drilling holes in octet truss, to ensure that all holes are the same and identically located. Print on paper first,then trace or laminate onto cardboard and punch hole centers per template guides. Provided octet truss welding work is standard, dimensional tolerance of ±1 mm is achievable. Square face bolted connection is 20×20 cm, with holes of sufficient tolerance for no. 17 bolts. Drill templates are here in PDF: octet truss face joint, octet truss face joint -alt (print to A4 size sheet).
Fabrication of a semi-octet truss using 1 or 1-1/2 inch mild steel angle bar requires use of several jigs: 2d truss jig, square pyramid jig, and spacers for setting flat bar and holding string line to gauge top angle bar when welding. Each truss comprises 16 square pyramids of 4 pcs 10 or 12 mm by 16.85 cm iron rods welded to a linear array of 19.6 cm flat bar straps set in a 1 or 1-1/2 inch ms angle bar frame 20 cm wide by 282.5 cm long.
Welding: Tack weld first throughout to assemble octet truss, then complete full weld once all metal elements are held in contact. Usually a small amount of grinding required to clear sharp edges. Apply hardener coat to seal and spray 3-6 coats of automotive paint. Paint damage possible (e.g. scratches) during transport and assembly; paint touch-up work may be done after assembly.
To assembly a semi-octet truss, you will need: 2d truss jig and square pyramid jig.
The two outermost square faces of semi-octet trusses join in a bolted connection to form an octehedron. Holes for bolts should be pre-drilled for easy assembly, using this drill template or similar.
AMP 