What’s your favorite family tradition?
AdaBoxes 8 & 10
More catching up on electronics stuff that was piled on my desk. Here I unboxed AdaBoxes 8 and 10. Then I assembled 10, which is a sweet device, and loaded some of the code examples. Skip ahead to 17:23 if you only want to check out the demos.
In the past I mentioned I might cancel my AdaBox subscription, which I did after box #8. On social media and in their YouTube shows Adafruit has been pretty much telling you what’s in the next box, which has been nice. I knew #9, based on their HalloWing board, didn’t interest me. Then when I realized #10 was going to be the NeoTrellis and subscriptions were still open late in the quarter I jumped in. I plan to make a game-time decision each quarter from here on out.
Frames with a Friend
The new fence and proper alignment of my miter saw was just in time. My buddy Casey asked if I could help him create some frames last weekend. He didn’t know what he was getting into doing a project with me. 🙂 Probably took longer than it should have, but we were using pre-finished trim/moulding so I wanted to make sure the result looked nice.
This was the first time I used a strap clamp and it was by far the easiest of the 3 clamping methods we used. The blue tape on the large frame actually worked well too. I was worried when none of my clamping options would fit that frame since it was so large and the trim was over 3 inches wide.
This really gives a sense for how big this frame is, a little over 3′ x 4′! Below is a shot of it installed in the play room. The wall is painted and has vinyl stickers.
The 2′ x 3′ frames got magnetic chalk boards mounted in them.
They went above each boy’s desk.
The frames turned out better than I expected and it was fun to have someone else in the shop for a project.
Link Dump – 2018/12/22
- Everything I Wish I knew About Stock Options 15 Years Ago ⇒
Great info in Dave’s post. Still a good idea to consult with an accountant though. - If You Have a Speed Square You Have a Level ⇒
The speed square is such a versatile tool. I hadn’t seen this use before. - This Is How We Weigh A Plane
…if an aircraft has not been weighed within the last four years, it is not allowed into the air.
- Beginner Training ⇒
Looks like a pretty good indoor rowing program. - ElectroMage Pixelblaze V2 – WiFi LED Controller ⇒
This board would be great to use when putting LED strips in a frame or other project around the house. - Richey Richer With CrossFit and YouTube
Great story. I subscribed to their channel a couple of months ago and really enjoy their banter and sense of humor. I’ll have to order something from their next apparel launch. - Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap ⇒
This is amazing! Don’t steal packages people. - Logitech’s stance on local APIs
This was a terrible response to a security incident. I was ready to sell my remote and hub and never buy another of their products again. They’ve listened to the communities and are going to open up a local API. - Puma brings back fitness-tracking shoe considered ‘useless’ in 1986 ⇒
1986!!
Boldport Club Projects #25-30
I fell way behind on electronics projects over the summer and my hobby desk turned into a huge mess. Last weekend I caught up on the Boldport Club projects and took a bunch of time-lapses.
Making a Better Jig for the General Tools Adjustable Pocket Hole Jig
Last year I bought the General Tools Adjustable Pocket Hole Jig (#854). I paid about $35 at Home Depot.
I’ve found it a pain in the ass having to screw/unscrew the clamping mechanism. Without any dust collection, it makes a mess too. I figured I could come up with something similar to the pocket hole systems that run $100 or more. So I made a jig for the jig.
I bought a toggle clamp at an estate sale (maybe $3?), which has been sitting on a shelf begging to be used. The other material was scrap wood and a $1 can of white spray paint I wanted to get rid of. The build was sloppy, but I wanted something quick and dirty.
The toggle clamp isn’t perfect but it seemed to work fine in my quick tests. I can’t believe how well the dust port works though. At the end of the video you can see a comparison between the original and my improved version.
The video is a really rough cut just like the build.
Time for a Fresh Gym Notebook
Time to retire another Field Notes: Expedition, which is my favorite notebook for the gym. Looks like it took almost exactly a year to fill this one.
The new one is almost too clean to use.
SparkFun Dumpster Dive
About once a year SparkFun does a special sale to sell off “customer returns, damaged products (physical or cosmetic), overstock, production samples, or anything that’s not selling well enough on the site to keep around.” Fittingly, they call it the Dumpster Dive. I missed out on it last year, but was near a computer and able to place an order this year. It costs $15 for a box of what could literally be all trash and came out to $25.32 after tax and shipping. Here’s what I got…
- Random wires and shrink tubes ($0.50)
- Slide Pot – X-Large – 10k Linear Taper ($2.95)
- 30-LED Bargraph – PCB only ($3)
- Load Cell Amp ($1.95)
- Mini Photocell (2X $1.50)
- Toggle Switch ($1.95)
- LinkSprite JPEG Color Camera TTL Interface – 2MP ($27.50)
- Retired product but I was able to find what might be a newer model for $55 in several places, so took 50% of that price
- Some kind of display with a connector I’ve never seen
- I couldn’t find out what this was and 99.9% sure I’ll never use it, so won’t give it a price.
- 6 terminal block ($2.95)
- Cracked in one corner, but completely useable
- LED Mixed Pack ($8)
- They sell a 26 pack for $10.60
- Force Sensitive Resistor – Long ($20.95)
- 4 AA battery holder ($1.95)
- 2 AAA battery holders (2x $1.95)
- Gearbox Wheel ($1.50)
Total comes out to about $80, so I’d say I did well with my box. I’ll actually use quite a few of these things.
Confusing Reflections
After getting a Ring doorbell camera, I moved the Nest camera that had been directed at the front door to the back door and finally signed up for Nest Aware. Once or twice a week, it’ll alert me that it sees a person, when in fact it’s seeing a reflection of me. Here’s an example.
The camera sits on a table in my sunroom. Due to the sliding door leading out to the sun room, the sunroom windows, and the night lighting it looks like I’m on the other side of the dining room sliding door. Very confusing to a camera.
1994 Black & White TV
This five inch black and white TV from 1994 will make a fun upcycle project. I always wanted a portable TV when I was a kid, so I couldn’t pass this up for $6. A few ideas floating around my head are:
- Portable retro gaming arcade
- Monitor for security cameras
- Picture box that rotates through images
Leave a comment if you have any ideas or have seen any neat projects using an old TV monitor.
Nick Momrik 