#686 – A Benchtop Pick and Place with Stephen Hawes

Welcome, Stephen Hawes!

• Chris interviewed Stephen back in 2020 for his second episode of The Contextual Electronics Podcast. It was when Stephen was still working at Formlabs and the Lumen/Opulo were a glimmer in his eye.


• The Lumen v4 is a Benchtop Pick and Place machine that works with OpenPNP


• Where are we in relation to reprap?


• Powered feeders


• Videos about eeprom


• KiCad pos file


• Can reliably place 0402


• Lumen v4 product page


• Motherboard of v4


• Running Marlin FW


• Head has two heads/nozzles


• Compare the Lumen to other methods (hand placed, paying for assembly)


• OHM (Open Hardware Manufacturing) podcast


• What industries are open?


• Thea Flowers (of Winterbloom synth fame) just joined the team


• Microscope


• Other tools


• Space constraints


• Stephen does a great job talking through many experiments and upcoming features on his youtube channel


• Prototyping PCBs with a fiber laser 


• Micronix


• Making PCBs on a 3D printer (hack session with Stephen’s former employer)


• Timon (Skerutsch) makes double sided PCBs by inserting enameled wire through drilled holes

Is this the year you should get a Pick and Place? Stephen won’t say yes (but I will)