Let there be light - 2022-02-14

... so it started with I couldn't get the gate open. The lock box wouldn't budge so I couldn't get the key to open the gate. Fortunately Joe Wilkes showed up to unlock the gate. Since he's no longer on the CDL board he gave me the keys. I can now get in much easier, yea!

So once inside Joe, Pat and I were shooting the breeze. I remembered that someone donated a few fluorescent bulbs so I attempted to replace the dead bulbs. We now have a bit more lights working. I need at least 4 more T8 bulbs then all the light fixtures will have working lights.

While I futzed with the bulbs Pat was busy with the telescope. He did done some searching online and noted that we seemed to be missing a part but not an important part. While disassembling the transmission he discovered that our scope had a bearing that popped out which allowed the axle to flop around inside the transmission. He put the bearing back and gave it a quick test. Huge improvement, this time I got it on video. After some more adjustments Pat thinks he has it working as well as can be expected. There's a kit online that may be able to improve it's operation some more so we'll probably invest in that. Next week we might be able to take the scope outside and give it a go.

After the telescope Joe and Pat were asking questions about the 3D printers. Where to start, what software etc. That turned into a bit of a discussion on everything 3D. We closed up shop a bit earlier this week (10PM instead of 11PM). Pat will share with me his photos, Joe will send me his CNC Notes and I'll work on the 3D Printer Notes. I'll also work on a set of PI, Arduino and RP2040 notes. The makerspace is coming together quite well. Now it's time to bring up dues. We have to have a way of paying for this stuff.

Man on the moon ...

Just a quick note that CDL will be attending the VCF Swap Meet at Infoage on Saturday, February 26^th, InfoAge's Maker's Day on March 26^th, and we'll have our Learn to Solder at VCF East on Saturday and Sunday, April 23^rd & 24^th.

Last week (2/7) the CDL crew spent part of the night working on the 3D printer. So far we've managed to clean it up some (a ton of saw dust covers it). The heating bed has a scratch in it. Might cover it with some glass. We ran a few quick tests and found it needs bed leveling. And then we got distracted by the Meade LX200GPS Telescope. This is a monster telescope that we decide to clean up and test. Testing went well but we ran into a snag. The horizontal drive skips when the scope rotates and the weight gets out of balance. We found some notes on the scope that suggest it needs to be balanced but we found that it seems to skip at the slightest touch. So we're looking into that issue.

Tonight I'll be preparing for the VCF Swap Meet and testing the voltage on the DIY 3D printers as I have a new power supply to replace the PC power supply. Dan Jacobs spent part of the last week cleaning up the lab. Martin, Jeff, Doug and myself worked on more network infrastructure for Infoage.

CDL and MicroPython

As if I needed an excuse to play with different technologies (twist my pinky) ... A new person has asked if he can join the Computer Deconstruction Lab and learn about Python, HTML, CSS, Javascript and Linux. I said "Yes", basically this is one of our missions, teaching technology. We have an intro class for Python from Linux, Mac or Windows. But I also picked up a couple of RP2040's and a Adafruit Feather RP2040. The Feather already has MicroPython. I intend to use it to teach that programming and MicroPython isn't always in a resource rich environment like a desktop, laptop or Pi computer. It also looks like another member is interested in a Python class. So I'll work one up based on Joe Wilkes excellent class. I really should add some new classes, Joe did an Arduino (C/C++) class but we also need a Linux basics class. Additionally an HTML/CSS/JS class, that's a hard one as I'll need to get DOM straight in my head.

On the lines of Micropython (and C++, perhaps Rust) and the RP2040 boards, WIZnet invited me to a contest for their Raspberry Pi Pico or RP2040 based projects along with WIZnet’s hardwired TCP/IP technology boards. With all the projects I have TCF, CDL, and family, I'm going to be quite busy for some time so I decided to buy some boards rather than register for the contest. I'll now be able to play with the boards when I get some time. I have 2 Ethernet Hats for my 2 RP2040s and 2 WIZnet W5100S-EVB-Pico (Pico and Ethernet on one board). I also have a PIC32 Fubarino with the W5500 board (Temperature & Humidity sensing traffic light). A quick look at the reference project and I see that they have projects using MicroPython. Very cool!