Thanks to Justin’s hard work we have an internet party line link to two teletypes at NYCResistor.
Here’s some video of us watching the live feed of teletype traffic coming in from the internets.
I take *tons* of documentation photos as I build the electronics I design for RepRap, and sometimes I get a bit bored and like to take random macro shots. Sometimes they turn out really neat, showing you a perspective or detail you just cant get as a human. Today was one of those days:
and
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all turned out pretty well. make sure you click through for the big versions!
I’m happy to release the v1.3 of the Sanguino software. This is a compatibility update for the Sanguino. I’ve fixed some minor compatibility issues with some of the core Arduino libraries.
I’ve tested and fixed the following libraries:
* LiquidCrystal – for controlling LCD displays
* Servo – for controlling servo motors
I’ve fixed, but not tested the following libraries (need circuits to test on):
* Wire – for talking i2c to various things
* Ethernet – for doing ethernet communication
Anyway, you can download it from SourceForge or check out the Sanguino homepage.
After attending the first Processing study group, I set out to use Processing to generate files for my favorite thing… laser cutting.
I needed something to package my Tinysaurs in, and got tired of having to manually draw out the box template every time I wanted different dimensions. So I wrote a program to take the dimensions I want and spit out a box. They end up looking like this:
Processing has a PDF export library which I use to generate the template in PDF format, which Corel Draw is able to read. Processing also has an SVG export library, but I didn’t have much luck getting it to work. I’m looking into using Python instead of Processing, because it apparently has a nice DXF library, but so far Processing is working pretty well.
If you want to check it out, the box generating program is available in the NYC Resistor SVN repository. Which is public, hooray! The code is only vaguely commented, but it should be pretty clear what it’s doing. Maybe. Leave questions in the comments if you have any!
Of course you don’t need a laser to cut these out, and xacto knife would work just fine. But… I have a laser so I use it. You can get the pre-generated PDFs of boxes in various sizes on my blog, http://www.kellbot.com
Several of the Resistors made it out to Bug Labs for Alicia’s Open Haus.
Zach (and Jen,) Max, Bill (and Melody,) and Alicia, of course (she’s a Resistor) made it over to Bug Labs for their open haus. Alicia has arranged a delightful little space with excellent hardware (oh, the joy of corporate sponsorship and a Sparkfun account!) If you want to go hack there, just contact them and set up some time. They have all sorts of goodies, like Zigbee boards, Bluetooth transceivers, motion sensors, distance sensors, wire, breadboards, Arduinos, Gumstix, Beagles… Lots of toys!
We had a good time hanging with the Bug Labs kids! It’s a fun group and if you’re in New York City it would be worth stopping by.
Now if we can just convince Alicia that Bug Labs really wants Resistor to do a “review” of the stuff. You know. That would be real cool… you know… Alicia? Hellooooo???
Calling all Processing peeps! It’s time for another meeting. This time it’ll be on Wednesday, October 22nd at 7PM @ NYC Resistor HQ. Everyone bring your projects to share.
I’ll be showing off the state of the Spooky Box, walking through how it works, and encouraging you all to get involved. It may be your last chance to get in on the spooky action before the big Halloween Party.
Hope to see you there!
Two for two. Stay tuned for another exciting meeting photo next week.
SLED in Cyan color with diffuser
The “SLED” or, Second Life LED (just one L for clarity) is available as an open source, CC’ed design. It is a USB-attached, Arduino-based RGB “lamp” which can be used to indicate various information from the PC, or simply used to brighten a room with a little color.
My goal in building this device, in conjunction with my friend and colleague Andy Fundinger, was to provide a visual indication of activities within the popular 3D online world of Second Life. Many of our friends and peers had business activities within Second Life and wanted a convenient way of keeping an eye on trends or specific events without remaining logged in or while they were away from their desk. While SMS and e-mail notifications are easy to do, none were so reassuring as simply having a blinky light to tell them when something needed attending – such as a vendor or a shop proximity sensor.
The code for the Second Life component is under construction, but you can build this device today! Either grab the Arduino sketch below and load in your own Arduino developer board, or for a smaller design, run off a few of these customized PCBs and enjoy a little SMD soldering. In the future, I intend to build a batch of these for my less technically-inclined Second Life friends, but for now, I’d like to share it with the community. I’ll flesh out the information as time progresses, but the files provided should allow anyone familiar with Eagle, Atmega and Arduino to get their own done for whatever purpose.
SLED circuit boards in the nude
The design is released under a Creative Commons license.
The schematic, board, and bill of materials are here.
The Arduino sketch is here.
(This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Arduino team, but they’re awesome!)
An NYCR Minute from Matt Joyce on Vimeo.
Life at a hacklab is pretty crazy, and from time to time you need to poke your head up and smell the roses so to speak. So here is one minute of NYCResistor. Taken Sunday night just before 11pm. After a hard day of hacking away.
Yeah, life in a hackerspace is pretty much candycanes and unicorns.
Lemon Battery - With Real Lemons
I had enough with all this making-lemonade-from-lemons chatter and instead just made some light. It’s so freaking easy (provided you remember to grab the wire strippers before you head to the kitchen). Copper and zinc etching plates are probably $7 at your local art supply store. If you want some detailed instructions, check Danger’s Closet, but the better way to proceed is (a) look at picture, (b) implement.