People who know Johann Zipperer never doubt his fanaticism about electronics. Just visit his garden full of lighting and see the built-in remotely adjustable LED light fence that Johann has designed and built over the years. His enthusiasm and hard work on inventions can be seen.
If you are lucky enough to step into his studio, you will also see a conspicuous homemade 3D printer. This printer was mainly used by Johann to make custom tools to transform his DIY smart home. In addition, the most striking thing is the touch-screen central control unit that hangs on the wall like art.
During his 25 years at TI, Johann spent most of his time in the office in Freising, Germany. He has always wanted to develop an adaptable lighting system that will illuminate his garden without affecting neighbors. It took several years for the project to be completed.
In the first phase of the project, Johann designed and built a stainless steel fence about 40 meters long. Subsequently, he added 17 fence posts with integrated LED lights, 2.5 meters apart between the columns, connected to the power supply through the cable built into the fence.
Since the optical brakes on each fence post are controlled by an MSP430TM microcontroller, these LEDs can be independently controlled to mix red, green and blue signals and adjust the brightness and hue of the light. For example, in the case of snow on the ground, the light brake can dim the light to reduce the glare of the snow; during the holiday season, the light brake can change the color of the light or enhance the brightness to set off the festive atmosphere.
Johann originally designed the system to be controlled by a PC, but recently he developed a framed touch screen central control unit that has replaced the original PC.
Through his efforts in the project, Johann not only developed several new processes, but also several new patents are being applied for. These patents include data transfer in a 230V power line for lighting and the use of a system bus and MSP430TM microcontroller for real-time regulation of the luminaire.
Home 3D printing
Johann's other DIY project is a home-made 3D printer that he uses to model and modify plastic parts and showcased the design to the visitors at the DIY with TI event in Freising, Germany, in 2014. .
Like the fence lighting system, the 3D printer also uses the MSP430TM microcontroller and distance sensors and switches for mechanical and optical pickups.
Johann said that one of the key challenges in using 3D printers is choosing materials that flow and hold in the right way. After a series of experiments, he selected green bioplastics such as polylactide.
Johann also used the 3D printer to create some useful tools. The need for such non-standard home-made tools was realized when he remodeled his house, especially when installing solar thermal exchangers for heating and supplying hot water. Different sizes of wrenches (42mm, 60mm, and 65mm) are often required for different types of tasks, such as the size of the wrench required to tighten the heater outlet or cut the thread.
“Building a wrench of your own is not as complicated as rocket science,†Johann said, although NASA is also working on the 3D printing manufacturing method for the aerospace industry, he joked.
In addition, Johann used a 3D printer to make a grid cover for fans installed around the house. The smart room in the home is equipped with humidity and temperature sensors that work with the MSP430TM microcontroller to activate the fan when needed. However, although the activated fan brings coolness to the interior, it also creates a double problem of appearance and practicality - they look a little unattractive, and worse, the curtains are often rolled up in the fan.
The solution is this seemingly simple grid cover, which prevents the curtains from being caught in the fan and optimizes the appearance of the fan.
Solve customer problems with maker thinkingJohann's DIY gizmo enabled him to jump out of the thinking of everyday work and look at engineering design from a broader perspective, he said, which in turn helped him to work with deeper insights when solving customer challenges. For example, Johann does not need fluid mechanics in his daily work, but his knowledge of fluid mechanics acquired through the DIY project may have enabled him to gain support and inspiration in developing water meters.
Johann is proud of his DIY ingenuity and his hands-on ability to solve common problems. He is committed to creating a list of documents and materials that can be shared so that colleagues can learn from his projects. His enthusiasm for invention has not diminished.
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