Just another build log
Forewarning: Bit of a plug for PCBWay in here, but they deserve it. They re a rad company, and I always like working with them. Premise: This project is a reasonably straightforward keyboard / Bluetooth project, that touches a few neat features, without getting too into the weeds. Really the idea is to do a simple… Read More: T9
As with most of my projects lately, I m finding that I m playing catch up with the documentation, so this is an old one. This project is a bit of a twofer, because it was the demo project for Stretch, my Kicad plugin. Did I say I have a backlog? Stretch was a pandemic project, initially… Read More: Jet
As of next week, KiCad 9 should be about to release. One of the many exciting features, to me, is that it now includes a footprint generator that I contributed, for capacitive scrollwheels. It s based on the Atmel (now Microchip) appnote AN294 Self-Capacitance Sensors. Interestingly, the image displayed in the appnote does not actually… Read More: Capacitive Scrollwheels in KiCad
Simulation has always been the dream of PCB design. In most cases, it hasn t been practical Either in the domain of expensive or esoteric tools that are compute-cycle hungry and limited in scope. But we re at a turning point. This is the process for current carrying / voltage potential simulations with KiCad and ElmerFEM.… Read More: Open-Source Thermal Simulation of PCBs
This post is about three years late, but I m catching up. Combat robots like Battlebots are seeing something of a revival right now. The ones on the Battlebots show are 250lbs, and cost tens of thousands of dollars most of that in batteries. Much more accessibly, there are a bunch of regional competitions,… Read More: 1 Pound Combat Robot
Tampermonkey, the successor to Greasemonkey, allows on-the-fly modifications to webpages. Things like adding buttons, or modifying text on a page. Facebook Marketplace is fast becoming the only viable used item listing in my area. Which is annoying It s inferior to Craigslist in any way, but the latter is clearly dying a slow death.… Read More: Adding a hide button to Facebook Marketplace with…
Instead of a TV at home, I use a projector. It s on my ceiling, with the buttons inaccessible. The remote for it also isn t really working anymore. Problem. There s nothing on the remote control s PCB except for an obscure microcontroller (TTR013), IR LED and driving transistors, and some carbon contacts for the buttons. The intermittent… Read More: Very Remote Control
I m on a home improvement kick. When I walking my home, there s a long, featureless hallway with kitchen at the end of it. I was using a tray on my kitchen counter to toss keys onto when I walked in the door. This takes up valuable kitchen counterspace, and being at the end of the… Read More: Key Storage
Quite some time ago now, I wanted to make some of remote control car. And, also, eventually turn it into an autonomous sumobot or similar. This project was done a few years ago, but I m writing it up now. In the interest of getting something into my hands that I can iterate on, I did… Read More: The Worst RC Car in the World
I ve been wanting to play around with concrete for a while, as a project material. I m not sure what the end goal will be, but once I m familiar with the material, I ll be able to shoehorn it into other projects in unexpected ways. Concrete (actually cement, as I don t intend to add aggregate) is different… Read More: Rock Planters Rock