An Interview with Zach Hoeken Smith - Creative China Commorant

Welcome, Zach “Hoeken” Smith!

• Thanks to our sponsor, Club Jameco. Be sure to check out ClubJameco.com/TheAmpHour to check out the featured kit and to support the show.
• Zach is currently living in Shenzhen, "the factory of the world".
• After a college education in software, he got interested in electronics as part of the RepRap Project.
• The RRRF was developed to help purchase components in bulk.
• This eventually became MakerBot, along with Bre and Adam.
• Zach has since departed with the company. While he cannot discuss detail, he has written about a little about MakerBot since his departure.
• These days, he's working with the HAXLR8R program, helping develop connections at the factories in the area and at the SEG market.
• Dangerous Prototype's video of the SEG market http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBtRJc-z05k
• He's also developing test rigs for stepper motor drivers, brilliantly discussed on the Hoektronics site.
• The CNC drilling of PCBs was also very impressive. As is Zach's SMT tutorial.
• The first round of HAXLR8R went well, including a very successful kickstarter project for the Nomiku
• Zach's choice for Chip Of The Week is the TB6564, similar to this TB6560, but with more step resolution (1/64)
• One of Zach's other projects is to network hundreds or thousands of 3D printers together with BotQueue.
• In the midst of learning Mandarin, Zach has captured some of the funnier signs he has seen on his Tumblr blog, Engr.sh.
• A good tip for sourcing parts (even from the states) is to go on TaoBao with Google Translate.
• Are you interested in applying for the HAXLR8R program? There's still time, though not much! Apply here now!