It's finally here! Watch Episode 1 now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMe1U0gJa9o
Author: Chewbode
Hot dogs!
Tough Week
Last week found me putting over 60 hours in at work, leaving me no time to really get any of my projects done. That was mainly due to the fact I had an employee resign and also had an employee on PTO, so we were very short-handed. I'm currently developing a schedule for this coming week for my personal time, and hope to be more effective.
Upgrades
A few days ago, I attempted to upgrade my Ender 3 3D printer from the stock motherboard from Creality to a new revision of the board. The original one doesn't have a bootloader or the ability to easily flash the firmware, but a newer rev does. So back in October of 2019 I picked up a v1.1.5 board (mine was v1.1.4) and finally installed it this past weekend. After installing it, I realized the printer's Z-axis was "broken", in that the carriage with the nozzle/extruder would go up but not come down. I did a bunch of troubleshooting and thought it was the new board. So, I ordered another board, but this time, decided to upgrade to a 32-bit processor and move from the Arduino-based platform from Creality. So, I got a BigTree Tech SKR Mini E3 v2.0. That arrived last night and I installed it, and the Z axis...
Closing Out the Time Off
Well, day 10 is coming to a close and I feel like I truly was able to rest and also be productive over this break. Today I completed several small tasks/projects around the house. I wrote some code and a couple of short scripts. Now it’s time to stop thinking while I sit and watch Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
New Equipment, Continued Building
As I was building out some electronics over the past few days, I realized that my setup was lacking, so I ordered some new tools. I started off getting a Hakko FA-400 fume extractor to remove the solder smoke. For some reason I've never had an extractor, and I decided this week I needed one. I researched the cost and time it would take to 3D print and build my own, and the effort just wasn't worth it to me. Next up is the Kaisi Silicone Repair Mat. These things are great as it prevents parts from rolling off the workbench onto the floor and from getting mixed together with its built-in trays. Also, since it's silicone, the parts that you place on it don't slide around a lot. Lastly is a two-piece system. I saw a great review on the QuadHands Workbench Mount over at The Makers Workbench YouTube...
Switcheroo
I fixed the vertical blind in the living room, but I forgot that the lawn service usually comes on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, so I've postponed applying the fertilizer until after they've come. Instead, I spent some time cleaning up my desk and organizing. I still have a stack of magazines to go through, so I'm going to go take a shower and then spend the rest of the day reading. Since this is vacation day 4 of 10, I feel I need to be somewhat productive in a relaxing way. I've also gone through HackerBox #57, "Safe Mode", I may start working on that too today or tomorrow. The contents of HackerBox 57 "Safe Mode".
All Taped Up
This morning I finished capturing all of the DV tapes. In total there was about 17.5 hours of footage. The next step will be to figure out how to also capture the roughly ten or so 8mm/Hi-8 tapes, of which I don't have a camcorder or deck for that format. I've ordered a capture card and need to get my hands on a playback device. Next up is doing some work around the house. Going to go apply fertilizer to the lawn and then I need to fix one of the vertical blind blades. Added to the movie library today: Capote
Archiving In Progress
Yesterday I was able to capture and archive 11 DV tapes. There are 29 tapes in total. Some are full, some aren't, but in either case capturing the video is tedious as I have to capture in realtime (a 45 minute tape takes 45 minutes to capture). Lucikly, the new computer was powerful enough to also let me archive a slew of old video game CD-ROMs and DVDs, some old software on disc, and an archive of old projects. These, plus some personal tapes were additional archives I decided to create to elimiate the possibility of loosing the data due to tape and disc degradation. Today, I continue to archive. I'm hoping everything will be finished by end of day tomorrow. I'm also going to start researching how to properly insulate the garage doors today, which is the next house project.
Some Rest and Some Fun Work
Tonight I begin a 10-day time off stretch. I need the downtime from the craziness of the day job this year. I bunch of rest is in store for me over the next few days but that doesn't mean I'm doing nothing. Tonight I installed an inexpensive Vantec Firewire 400/800 card in the new computer and hauled the old Panasonic PV-GS150 out of retirement so I can re-capture a ton of old footage back onto the computer. The project in question was shot in 2005 and 2006 and, if I recall correctly, was about 12 total hours of footage. I mainly want to recapture so I can make sure that all of the tapes are in a digital format in case they deteriorate, etc.
Buildup to PCB
Now that the Weather Station ISD prototype is breadboarded and working, I've decided to start designing v1.0 of the printed circuit board. The Fritzing drawing, and schematic are complete. These will be used as reference for transferring into Eagle. Weather Station ISD Fritzing drawing.Weather Station ISD Fritzing schematic.Weather Station ISD Fritzing part design (Illustrator). All new work was added to the internal GitLab server with commit SHA fad61e9e.
