he oversee production at a food factory (and want to still be hands-on in his leisure time) and they only got 1 robot to handle a part where they actually had casualties because they had a lot of accidents over the year so in their case they use a robot to make the whole thing safer
#general-chat
dusty citrus
rapid geode
depends what you mean by custom. most factory kit is custom, and it doesnt necessarily cost more
often you do it cause its less
dusty citrus
When I mean robots I don't mean like automation but things with pickers/arms/etc that can manipulate stuff with actuators
dusty citrus
automation for me is basically like hand-holding a dumb machine where a robot can make decisions
dusty citrus
you know what I mean, no ?
rapid geode
not really, haha
dusty citrus
Like when they use AI/fuzzy logic/machine vision etc
rapid geode
k
dusty citrus
like the robots that take pictures of food to bin the ones that looks wrong etc
rapid geode
like to scan for bad potato chips and blo them off the line
dusty citrus
or the robots that place parts on cars at porsche/etc
and that can detect errors like the part is already there or there is a human in the security perimeter
rapid geode
yeah but that (in the porsche case) is just a few sensors
some fo the food and packing stuff is more advanced
anyhow
robots are the future
like in terminator
dusty citrus
or wall-e 🤣
rapid geode
ha
dusty citrus
did you see the short movies about robots on netflix ?
rapid geode
no
dusty citrus
I prefer my things to not have chips and their short film about a cleaning robot that goes crazy while you hold with customer service on the phone for 10 hours shows exactly why
dusty citrus
Like the robot goes crazy and because the human kick it to stop it from attacking it goes into combat mode and call out other cleaning robots for backup
and follow the other inter-state 🤣
I mean most countries consider military/transport etc strategic
I consider my weight scale, fridge and access points strategic
so I can't allow them to be too smart or speak to each other
rapid geode
hahahaha
dusty citrus
My scale telling my fridge I'm too fat then refusing to open so I can't eat to "help" then the door/window refusing to open to escape while I starve to death doesn't seem far-fetched to me
rapid geode
there are questionable smart items out there for sure
my oven will soon detect the 4th pizza of the week and refuse to cook it
then the fridge will only open the door with the lettuce
and my bike will shift to harder gears
dusty citrus
of course it will be the lettuce past expiry date with bugs for the "protein"
rapid geode
apparently the office has rented an ice cream truck for a canada day party
haha
mmmm
dusty citrus
scary movie alien invasion scene with the bicycle/skate getting disabled after an EMP burst is the other issue 🤣
rapid geode
my bike only has electric gears, so it should still work after an emp
as long as i left it in the middle
ha
dusty citrus
Also I envision it kinda like a govt form where the govt has been trying to robotize govt interaction for the last 300 years
with all their protocols/guidance to their employees
and instead of explaining your situation to a human you have a boolean checkbox to explain it
I expect robots to interact with humans in the most unempathetic & efficient way
rapid geode
"please press 1 for heart surgury, press 2 for grs" DOH, fat fingered the phone!!
hah
dusty citrus
Like if expect hospitals to turn into factory-like one-day and you are put on a high speed conveyor belt for says vaccines
like 10k peoples in the hospital for a vaccine on a sealed conveyor belt they can't escape getting prickled one by one
or for a surgery etc
rapid geode
ha
see when i go to the hospital i get a team hovering over me
which is weird
ha
dusty citrus
at mine anesthesia is optional like I have to ask for it
so now I ask ahead of time
but on a coveyor belt I'd probably learn about it along the way and try to escape and that scare the h** out of me
rapid geode
when your doctor says "congrats, your in a textbook" you worry
actually, no, when the doctor says "best case its a brain tumour" you worry
dusty citrus
For me it's when they have students that observe me like livestock
arctic folio
I read through https://featherlessbipeds.substack.com/p/why-didnt-gandalf-own-a-colt-45
the other night and it references a (rather reasonable, to my mind) claim that the reason the industrial revolution happened in the UK of all places is because it was the only place in the world where coal was cheaper than labor
which I think is kind of interesting
but when robots become cheaper than labor
well
industrial revolution v2
dusty citrus
pesky medical students
yeah but I learned the last time they are also backups in case it goes badly and they need to put you on a stretcher really quickly and bring you to intensive care
and it doesn't worry the person to be told they are medical students
rapid geode
maybe. right now, if you want a guitar, the expensive ones are cnc'd and robot painted. the cheap ones are hand made in china or india
so at least for that, humans are cheaper
for now
dusty citrus
speaking of UK peoples often fail to realize the british empire was like 100 years ahead in technology
they already had 10kw steam power plants in the 18th century
rapid geode
one of the claims on that is because of wine.
dusty citrus
where as france/italy/germany wouldn't get such things until the 1860s/1870s
rapid geode
which lead to inventing glass. then lenses, etc
this is europe in general, not just uk
dusty citrus
the british empire already had a concept of ohm/volt by 1810 and could probably figure out/power modern devices in a time travel scenario
the steam machines/etc were state secrets which is why it was delayed in other countries and there was the over-supply of coal that helped
and expensive wires was the big problem the plant had to be next to the machine using it
rapid geode
same goes for early development. when people moved north they were forced to make clothes, build houses, etc.
dusty citrus
but usa/germany caught up really quickly in the 1850s
rapid geode
and then weve now all merged back together
dusty citrus
and most big inventors in the 19th century/early 20th were canadians/americans/germans
rapid geode
canada was the british empire
dusty citrus
as a canadian that's a big insulting, we were independant since 1867
rapid geode
til, um. 1982?
dusty citrus
yet I often hear this from americans...
rapid geode
independentish
dusty citrus
the dominion thing stopped in 1867, we just voluntarily stayed in the commonwealth and other countries decided not to
dusty citrus
and the commonwealth came with some privileges' and rights in exchange for certain control like the constitution
rapid geode
most people i know dont even realise we have a queen. haha
we are still in the commonwealth now
dusty citrus
like my father could have voted in UK elections or emigrated to the UK with almost no controls until that went away in 1982 as a commonwealth citizen
rapid geode
mostly, none of this ever actually mattered
dusty citrus
but in 1983 canada decided to leave that part as well
could have been useful when the UK was in the EU 😦
dusty citrus
if my grandfather or father had registred for a UK commonwealth citizenship I could have emigrated there for a 5 years stay for vacation/work etc
lot of canadian could freely play in the premier league as well as "citizen" slot
rapid geode
canada is responsible for video cards, and computer animation, and all sorts of other crap 🙂
dusty citrus
if my grandfather or father had registred for a UK commonwealth citizenship I co...
source for this is the UK embassy that told me about that obscure knowledge...
From wikipedia: "At first, all Commonwealth citizens held the automatic right to settle in the United Kingdom.[8] This was first restricted by Parliament with the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962, which imposed immigration controls on subjects originating from outside the British Islands.[9] The Immigration Act 1971 relaxed controls on patrials, those whose parents or grandparents were born in the United Kingdom,[10] and effectively gave preferential treatment to Commonwealth citizens...
Outside the United Kingdom, in some member states Commonwealth citizens also initially retained eligibility to vote in elections, to preferred paths to citizenship, and to welfare benefits. These privileges were removed on independence in most countries but retained in some. British subjects/Commonwealth citizens were eligible to vote in New Zealand until 1975,[12] Canada at the federal level until 1975 (not fully phased out in provinces until 2006),[13] and Australia until 1984 (though subjects on the electoral roll in that year are still eligible).[14]"
my father/grandfather part is that if they had taken advantage of it before June 1982 I would have inherited it by blood
rapid geode
my cousins are nz citizens
cause why not?
ha
their dad was from there
in any case, im acadian, and the emprie can bite me 😛
dusty citrus
I have a friend who inherited it as his father worked in UK from canada several months a year in cooking
and he'd always enter europe from the UK back when it was in the EU
and he could stay in for 5 years and vote even for work/starting a business which usually get you refused as soon as you mention it as a non-citizen
the voting part was always a bit weird to me
rapid geode
puts pinapple on their pizza
dusty citrus
It's like if I was told I could vote in japan, I never set foot there, I don't even know the name of the candidates or the issues 🤣
rapid geode
candidates are speedy, guido and poly, and the issues are pizza delivery
dusty citrus
Like once in the university I met peoples from monaco who said they'd be willing to host me and I could study for free at the university in monaco because they are actual citizens (whereas the rich peoples are kind of "licensed visitors") and there is a contest where citizens can refer peoples and if I win the tuition is free because of bilateral treaties with canada.
But 1. Monaco is way too hot for me 2. I never set foot in europe and I have to fly over an endless deadly body of water and cultural shock/language issues
rapid geode
hahahaha
dusty citrus
And you are probably going to say monaco is too expensive like I thought as well
rapid geode
monaco is more north than toronto
dusty citrus
yeah but it's above 20oC average and year-long cultivation...
meanwhile in canada I melt when it's over 35oC all july and august
dusty citrus
Monaco is kinda special as in the rich peoples fund stuff for the normal peoples who are citizens by blood (66000 of them)
and the prince mostly care about them, when a building make 15000$/month rooms they have to reserve 1/3 of the building as cheap units for the actual citizens etc
In most projects there is that 1/3 quota
instead of having taxes they have stuff like that
You may see the expensive hotels/building/hospitals in media but if you are a citizen you pay much less than in other western countries because of that quota
And besides that it has a feodal feel, like these students had to personally meet the prince and pass selection to be sent on a foreign study exchange in Canada
and they do these qualification testing to figure out what the best job is for you and most jobs are govt jobs
even the police will be harder on you on you are a foreign rich person because you are supposed to set an example whereas they have duties to the actual citizens
if you ever lived in small town where everyone know each other it's kinda like that except with the prince as the top guy that has to OK most things
rapid geode
but do they have pineapple on pizza
dusty citrus
yeah they do food events with a different country several times a year
even inviting chefs from these countries to make it traditional, usually it's free/very lost cost for the citizens
dusty citrus
but do they have pineapple on pizza
and the country is like 1km so delivery is very quick 😄
rapid geode
rapid geode
canada has moose, which are like giant evil bambi's
dusty citrus
If I had the choice and had enough money to buy security and water delivery i'd probably live in Cuenca, Ecuador
since it's at the equator it has 2 seasons and cover all possible climates and they vary very little
so you can go from guayaquil riyadh-like hot desert climate, the cuenca eternal spring, to medittearean like climate near esmeralda and do skying at the mountains in the center that has winters like canada
the #1 thing I can't stand in canada is going from extreme winter from artic to extreme summer with extreme humidity like in asian jungles in 6 months every year...
In Ecuador if I'm sick of how warm it is I can just drive 200km and completely change climate
whereas in Canada it's only half the distance between ottawa and north bay
rapid geode
north bay is warm
dusty citrus
I had great fun simulating vancouver average temperature and NY average temperature in rimworld before 😄
even if it's a few degrees of difference it make a lot of difference over the years especially vs the extremes
and both are kinda balanced by the ocean
i've never seen the oceans 😦
My brother was stationned at a bunch of places in Canada and victoria was best according to him for weather
rapid geode
dusty citrus
but it's still a fridge most of a the year
rapid geode
north bay in july
we filmed that show for 5 years there. ugh
haha
a lot on the frozen lake
dusty citrus
I mean, that's why it's called north bay 😄
rapid geode
theres a reason you can buy a house for $30k there.
dusty citrus
or for 500$ in volkuta russia
same sort of reasons
And instead of wasps you have polar bears
rapid geode
north bay doesnt have wasps, or any life at all. hahaha
dusty citrus
when I see places like cochrane or timmins or prince albert I can't believe peoples can live this far north in Canada
rapid geode
thats the job you want to send the juniors out to do.
"here, stand on this lake for 45 minutes with no gloves running a scanner
ill go get some hot chocolate while you work
:x
dusty citrus
You know how in Toronto you have a lot of homeless peoples and they occupy a space/sleep on the curb?
Ecuador is like that but with a lot of dogs
So in a car you need to wait for them to cross, or there might be 5-6 of them on the curb and you have to walk around them
wanton thistle
thats not cool to say
real falcon
wow yeah
wanton thistle
I'll let those above me take care of it, but I just want to ask this one question: "To what do we owe to each other?" If such action is acceptable, would you really want to live in such a world where justless acts of violence are OK? And if *you * were that homeless person, wouldnt you see such acts as unjust to your way of life, thereby removing your own autonomy to live peacefully?
rapid geode
just a bad joke
rapid geode
is there a sensor that can test soil acidity and hook up to an MCU?
thick wind
is there a sensor that can test soil acidity and hook up to an MCU?
Not sure how credible this company is, but they look like they have a variety of soil sensors? https://www.renkeer.com/product/soil-ph-sensor/
rapid geode
ooh neat, thanks
just analogue. seems viable. print a little box tp with wifi feather of some sort and battery.
night crescent
dusty citrus
it's part of their business plan
be free and all fancy, exploit the 3d printing hype, get an user base, and then start to limit the application and increase the price
honest jolt
doing stuff like this really benefits from insert because you will overwrite the chars/spaces if needed lol
https://imgflip.com/gif/6l754i
also do you all have any suggestions on reliably reseting my esp32
after it uploads sometimes i'm lucky and it will reset, but most of the time i'm trying to double-click the en button to reset and it doesn't want to work
ebon dew
this is very true, ran into that with the esp32 v2 lately
ebon dew
@rapid geode GTX 1630 just launched. Says it'll retail for about $150. Finally a good budget card for workstations?
blissful roost
If it were less, I'd get one just for NVENC
ebon dew
that's what pcper article i read claims.
it's PCIE powered, seems like a reboot of the 750 Ti I was just talking about with you the other day.
first PCIE card with any appreciable power since the 1050 Ti but the 1630 can't hold up to the 1050 in benchmarks either.
so it's more like a 4gb 750 Ti
which is perfect for a general business workstation.
dusty citrus
some books or resources or something about rf?
dusty citrus
only mobile game I played for years since 2015 is shutting down in september 😢
rapid geode
WoW?
indigo furnace
Be me in the wierd world of linux:
- accidentally enable pixel doubling
- reboot to a massively blown up section of my desktop image
- can't get back to the settings because my mouse can't get to the menu
- can't launch raspbian apps from command line (or I don't know how)
- Google = "sudo raspi-config and choose option seven"
- the menu:
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9 - nervous breakdown
- ARE YOU TROLLING ME LINUS?
- screw around in the menus out of curiosity
- pixel doubling = in menu option 3
- Yay computers.
ebon dew
so just an average day on linux then
rapid geode
stop breaking it
wanton thistle
I just gotta say, I love having PPS on a chip (pins that you can select the function)
It makes layouts SO Much easier
ebon dew
agreed, makes life so much easier when you can do things through software without worry about breaking out the soldering iron.
edgy apex
It's getting busier at the food pantry and there are some other recent challenges, the good news is we are getting a generator to cover the part of the building with our refrigeration equipment but unfortunately not the modem so I'm gonna get a ups or something.
ebon dew
a modem is like 10 watts. just run an extension cord to it.
sounds more like they don't want to more than can they do it.
UPS's honestly don't last long if you're thinking about a PC style ups. they only last about 5 minutes. if you really want the modem running long term without power you'll find you wasted money on a ups instead of an extension cord to the generator.
rapid geode
mine failed last week and then tripped the breaker and took out 4 other machines
sigh
haha
arctic folio
UPS's honestly don't last long if you're thinking about a PC style ups. they only last about 5 minutes.
What kinda wimpy UPS do you have
mine is 45m on my desktop
rapid geode
i think ours normally last 30 mins
they arent very big either.
almost every machine has its own
arctic folio
mine's a 1500va unit
ran me 150$
I wonder what va means as a unit
anyone want a gaming UPS
(it is rgb)
rapid geode
va is volt amp.
usually used as the input rating of a devices, vs its output rating in watts (also volt amps)
tardy badger
Basically a watt
frigid tiger
Basically a watt
woah
tardy badger
Yeah
rapid geode
theres probably a technical reason they dont say watts, but i dont know it
tardy badger
I think it’s because it’s makes visualizing the translation between the voltage and amperage
Units cancel out more clearly
And one is RMS valued (volt-amps) is
So VA is valuable for sizing circuitry like wires and breakers
late fulcrum
Watts is real power, volt-amps is apparent power. If things are in phase (resistive loads), they're the same. If they're out of phase, they can differ.
whole jacinth
VA is also used if there's non-sinusoidal currents like from cheap switching power supplies (which are less common now that power factor correction is required in more places)
ebon dew
@arctic folio yeah the wimpy cyber power with a 6v battery. just enough to save work and shut down or prevent work from being lost during a storm.
soft hound
dang, a lot of places could take some pointers from Adafruit when it comes to orders, my most recent order was just placed before I went to sleep last night and USPS already has it in-hand and has been moving it around for the last several hours now
ebon dew
probably going to be a rush on shipping to get as much out by friday with the long weekend coming up.
raven thunder
honest jolt
😮 so cheap as well 😍
cosmic oasis
ooh, RP2040W https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-pico-w?variant=4005...
Of course, right after I just ordered OG Picos 
it always seems to happen that way 
oh well, I’ll probably order some if I don’t find wireless board that fit. Although wireless on the board is cheaper than buying more components, plus the RP2040 that comes with it
thick wind
Oooh, if I didn't already have a small pile of ESP32 devkits I'd have grabbed a few of those too....
Er, wait, its thinking like that that caused the shortage in the first place. Bad me. No.
Just one. ONE.
static flare
I wonder how compatible the pinout is
wait apparently from the website they're pin compatible?
woah
arctic folio
That's hot
Hm, commenter on HaD notes that these wifi modules come with a non-commercial note for dev boards usually
But the pi distribution specifically allows it
Interesting
raven thunder
Of course, right after I just ordered OG Picos <a:kekw2:845422281933062144> it a...
I mean, returning things is possible 😉
Though is it just me sad that the foundation couldn't be bothered to put a stemma QT on there?
arctic folio
Still no reset button- sad!
cosmic oasis
I mean, returning things is possible 😉
I’m keepin’em. You never know when they’ll go out of stock 
raven thunder
The whole thing where the antenna is built inside the PCB itself continues to be very cool though
as much as I quite like the little block ones UM and others use
cosmic oasis
Just wanted to say I’m working with the electronics stuff right now and just made my first circuit. It’s just the motor, some wires, and two AA batteries, but it worked. I think I have enough motivation to definitely go too far with the LEDs. #ImGonnaWreckIt
rapid geode
your one step away from making a tesla
arctic folio
re:pico
funky headers
thick wind
Mold your own custom pin headers to reduce costs at volume? If that works, that's brilliant.
arctic folio
I confess I'm dubious that could ever price beat the standard strips
Though it does solve the problem of pins being canted or something like so often happens on Chinese boards I get
rapid geode
i assume it only makes it more fool proof to instal
whole jacinth
in large enough quantity, reduced defect count and QA costs probably make up for the custom molding
shadow siren
buy the boards without headers installed and install yourself use a solder less breadboard to align the headers
ebon dew
@rapid geode don't underestimate people, they'll find a way
bright veldt
where can you buy really good lenses? lithography grade stuff
bright veldt
also co2 lasers
whole jacinth
what kind of lithography?
also, ordinary optical lenses won't work with CO2 laser wavelengths
rapid geode
laser lenses ive seen but i dont really know whats "good"
whole jacinth
do you have more specific specs in mind?
lusty fossil
usually depends on what you want to do
bright veldt
what kind of lithography?
DUV 193nm
bright veldt
laser lenses ive seen but i dont really know whats "good"
the ones that can withstand 193nm. Maybe have to use specialised mirrors instead
rapid geode
laser cutters mostly use mirrors, but the heads have lenses
whole jacinth
193nm is at the opposite side of the optical spectrum from CO2. what are you thinking of doing?
shortwave UV needs fused silica or quartz; ordinary optical glass absorbs it too well. CO2 laser is 10.6 microns; needs nasty toxic stuff like zinc selenide for lenses
rapid geode
1093 maybe he meant?
whole jacinth
1093nm is near infrared, not UV
rapid geode
hm
whole jacinth
this is all sounding very cryptic
vestal pier
yeah, lithography wants shorter and shorter wavelengths, I'm not sure fused silica works at 193nm
eh, looking at it looks like you can get UV fused silica that works down to about 175nm
that's ArF eximer laser territory
rapid geode
so this is for things like chip making?
bright veldt
eh, looking at it looks like you can get UV fused silica that works down to abou...
i found one at 180nm
bright veldt
193nm is at the opposite side of the optical spectrum from CO2. what are you thi...
its two different things. CO2 laser to excite tin droplets to make EUV. Or an ArF laser at 193nm
bright veldt
so this is for things like chip making?
yea
vestal pier
you realize that chip fabs cost like a billion dollars, right? 🙂
real falcon
we really need somehow have homebrew chip prod
rapid geode
i bet you could do it for 900m. bargain
vestal pier
just set up a class 5 cleanroom in your garage
rapid geode
i cant even keep dust out of paint
i think if you made a little chip fab youd then have the issue of your rpi 4 costing $4000
you could maybe do the ultimate retro console though and replicate chips from the original atari 😛
rapid geode
(not trying to be discouraging here, i dont know enough about this to know what is really needed or viable)
whole jacinth
you could try reading stuff by people who have actually homebrewed semiconductor fabs
rapid geode
what's the cliffs notes? viable or not?
rapid geode
kw? ha
lusty fossil
PG&E will either love or hate that
bright veldt
you realize that chip fabs cost like a billion dollars, right? 🙂
yea
rapid geode
i get things made on a 3kw laser, and id need a larger house to fit that in. haha
haha
i want to send something to space
nah, on my own. micro satelite or something. send it to the moon maybe and live feed video
just for the fun of it (although i have no clue how id get it up there and then propel it)
i remember we did all the math for the Expanse ships and how they should behaved and i compared it to the current ion engine tech we have... "yeah no"
haha
whole jacinth
one guideline i've heard is that anything you send into Earth orbit costs at least its weight in gold to get there
rapid geode
sounds plausible
lusty fossil
Someone attempted that. They didn't survive and their town is now an epa superfund site.
frigid tiger
Someone attempted that. They didn't survive and their town is now an epa superfu...
Oof
rapid geode
There's a section of things that really cant be diy'd. nuclear energy seems to be one
drywalling a ceiling is another
:x
haha
late fulcrum
drywalling a ceiling is another
I've done that, it's not that tough.
late fulcrum
I seem to rotate between software development, hardware development, and real hands-on stuff (car repair, gardening, carpentry).
rapid geode
i rotate between picking projects that are unreasonable and then not finishing them
😛
hazy dune
Why is the immediate solution that I think of to most problems I encounter a gantry
Too lazy to hold my phone: gantry
rapid geode
haha
hazy dune
Why don’t you have any fish
rapid geode
mining accident in the 80's
hazy dune
That makes no sense but I’ll take it
rapid geode
🙂
hazy dune
🙂
wooden schooner
i rotate between picking projects that are unreasonable and then not finishing t...
Between that and what? 😛
rapid geode
:x
need to actually finish this tomorrow
then the neighbours wont yell at me no more
haha
soft oyster
Hi! Is there a channel for Feather/FeatherWing boards?
I'm specifically wondering about the compatibility of particular boards with each other.
tardy badger
I'm specifically wondering about the compatibility of particular boards with eac...
This or #general-tech is probably a good place to start
soft oyster
@tardy badger thank you!
Are https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3229 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3133 and https://www.adafruit.com/product/326 compatible, and how many pins will be left over if so?
(I know the last one isn't a FeatherWing)
I also want to connect part number 3844 (4x4 matrix keypad, requires 8 pins). I would post a link, but a bot keeps stopping me
There, it worked
tardy badger
So the feather wings are designed to be compatible with all Feathers that Adafruit makes
The feather RP2040 should easily connect to the display with the Stemma qt connector
4x4 matrix would probably work. Only issues I see is if devices use the same pins, you might have conflicts
soft oyster
Thank you! Would using two FeatherWings be a problem?
static flare
only if the pins they use conflict (such as regular GPIO, or CS on SPI); or if they're I2C, if their addresses clash
soft oyster
Is there a way to determine that before buying the boards?
tardy badger
Is there a way to determine that before buying the boards?
Yes, there is a learn guide that tells you what pins are used
There is one on each product page
soft oyster
Thank you!
late fulcrum
Note that multiple devices can share the SPI and I2C buses (with the provisos mentioned above).
ebon dew
@soft oyster I have a triple featherwing stack and it works fine. You have to figure out which pins to use a chip select and data command for each device but definitely doable.
though i'm using a bluefruit sense with airlift featherwing, 3.5" TFT featherwing, and ultimate gps featherwing. get the stacking headers when you order parts, all of those boards come with breadboard headers. Stacking headers are not included and must be purchased separately. Add 1 set of stacking headers for each featherwing.
blazing valley
Everything ok over at Adafruit? The team has been super quiet around the PicoW launch. Not like Adafruit to skip out on a new product from the Pi Foundation…
jolly ether
there's a lot of cool stuff coming out in regards to that RP2040
people are even sticking RP2040 chips on M.2 compatible boards no bigger than a US quarter... basically a micro compute module
ebon dew
i mean it just launched yesterday, i'm sure it'll be covered in an NPI (new products) video when adafruit stocks them. i'm sure it'll make it to the circuit python newsletter at least.
rapid geode
also its july 4th weekend, let them take a nap
static flare
oh yeah i forgot y'all do that
blazing valley
Ahhhh that might explain it. Long holiday weekend. We don’t do “independence” in Europe 😂
jolly ether
anyone know of an existing USB-C lipo charger that has a built in buck to 3.3v?
preferably that can be switched off not only to save battery life but also to cut power to the device it outputs to
late fulcrum
It's probably easier to find a small separate buck converter with an enable input (Pololu offers some)
jolly ether
a cheap step-down voltage regulator to supply a stable 3.3v off a lipo is easy enough.. as is getting a USB-C lipo charger.. I'm just wondering how I can integrate this to save the most amount of power and not needing multiple power switches
basically, I don't want the charging circuitry itself to continuously drain power
late fulcrum
I'm probably missing something, but a simple battery disconnect would remove all power drains
dusty citrus
dumb question, I can't really get mcu/modules, with a different package under low volumes (b2c)
?
hazy dune
i cant find the forum to post this in but when you change the page you're looking at in the search results, it resets the filters you put in on the right
late fulcrum
dumb question, I can't really get mcu/modules, with a different package under lo...
Most manufacturers offer their chips in a variety of package options. However, if you're looking for a package they don't offer, they're unlikely to make a special run unless you're ordering large quantities. However, there are a bunch of clever offerings to adapt one package to another.
crystal ore
Sometimes you can also buy bare dies from the chipmaker and get them packaged yourself, but that's likely an expensive headache for low volumes too.
rapid geode
how would you even package a die yourself?
crystal ore
Well by "yourself", I mean going to a chip-packaging house. They'd do the wire-bonding and encapsulation, etc.
arctic folio
Or blob it on the PCB
rapid geode
ah
fair summit
Are https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3229 ...
The GPS uses the TX/RX serial pins. The RFM uses the standard SPI pins, plus three more (you wire up the pins of your choice). The display can use the I2C pins or SPI, but using I2C will keep it away. Then you need 4+4 more pins for the matrix.
The "Pinouts" pages in the guides for the addons explain this in detail
I see this was answered before as well, sorry for the repetition.
ebon dew
actually kind of relevant. i just turned on my soldering iron about to solder stacking headers onto my gps featherwing. dealing with the SPI bus is honestly the most complicated thing about adding a GPS module, especially in a quad stack.
frigid tiger
Are you sure using GPS is such a good idea, you don’t own those satellites. Why not try dead reckoning instead?
ebon dew
Because this isn’t the 1800’s? 😃
fair summit
actually kind of relevant. i just turned on my soldering iron about to solder st...
the GPS uses serial, not SPI, not sure what you mean?
weary fiber
Because this isn’t the 1800’s? 😃
this > gps
ebon dew
can't even type that name because the naughty filter deletes my comment 😛
stray wind
can't even type that name because the naughty filter deletes my comment 😛
Oof sorry. The bot's not smart enough to know the difference between part of a word and an entirely different whole word.
fair summit
hmm should i do uart or i2c?
the GPS I2C is kind of wonky. Serial is eaiser
the GPS I2C is basically serial over I2C.
rapid geode
i have the stemma gps. is that wonky?
havent tried it yet
i have it for use with the clue
woo rocks.
so tired now haha
i need an arduino watering syestem
ha
ebon dew
they have soil sensors and relays, doable
unsure if they have electronic water valves, that would make a watering system really easy or sprinklers.
just the fact that we can talk about GPS one second and a sprinkler system the next... i love adafruit
quaint swan
ohh reset button is even easier placed onto the Pico W ^^
did not even needed a wire 
arctic folio
Someone here just jumped to the pin next to it
There's also a commercially available reset button lmao
Really feels pretty egregious they don't include one
rapid geode
everyone and their reset buttons hehe
arctic folio
Though I guess these things are also marketed at being embedded in final production hardware
quaint swan
Someone here just jumped to the pin next to it
oh tried that on the normal pico first but my buttons contacts are some mm too short for that
quaint swan
everyone and their reset buttons hehe
yo, getting old from re-plugging it 
rapid geode
dumb question (thinking about pies in a mac pro case) what happens if you stack them with the headers? i assume there isnt any form of high speed communications in there?
google says it is as dumb as i though it would be
haha
lapis bluff
i need an arduino watering syestem
I highly recommend against watering your Arduino. 🙂
ebon dew
ohhhh do want
soft hound
google says it is as dumb as i though it would be
yeah that probably wouldn't end very well at all if you mean what i think you mean lol
lusty fossil
I just saw a Geo for the first time in probably 15 years. It made all the noises I remembered too. Wild
I wonder where she, the driver, gets service these days
rapid geode
a geo is a GM product
so, id assume at a gm service center
same with suzuki (geo and suzuki were the same cars)
after those brands died they just branded them chevy
lusty fossil
Yeah
tardy badger
Only four major car manufacturing conglomerates
rapid geode
nah, theres about a dozen, but still not much
tardy badger
I’m being hyperbolic
rapid geode
hehe
tardy badger
FCA, GM, Toyota + Subaru America joint venture, and Ford are the top car companies in the US
FCA is called something else now
lusty fossil
Speaking of cars, there's a real good chance I'm going to get a Chevy Bolt.
rapid geode
oh dear
lusty fossil
It's the lamest electric car but it does what I want.
rapid geode
bolt is tenuous for long term support. thats really the issue
lusty fossil
It will save me 350 dollars per month in gas
tardy badger
Great range and tiny car so.. you can park most anywhere
I want one of the new Subaru electric cars
lusty fossil
Bolt is the cheapest too
rapid geode
i like the new volvo electrics
tardy badger
I’ve driven Subarus for the better part of a decade
lusty fossil
bolt is tenuous for long term support. thats really the issue
We'll see
My mom has a Volt and still gets service
rapid geode
everyone i know has an audi vw porsche product. do not recomend
haha
(for service)
lusty fossil
Haha I can't afford more than a bolt. A bolt is stretching it
tardy badger
Cars are so expensive these days
lusty fossil
It is bad
tardy badger
Just base model cars are ridiculous
rapid geode
with a vw (in theory) youll repair it less, but when you have to it will cost more than the car.
tardy badger
Most electric cars are like that. Generally low maintenance until you have to replace the battery
lusty fossil
Which is usually what, nearly 10 years in?
rapid geode
depeneds how much you drive. i have a friend that would wear out the battery in 2 years
ha
lusty fossil
Ouch
rapid geode
he does like 60000km a year at least
lusty fossil
I would just be commuting 70 miles a day
- incidental driving, less than 10 miles a day
rapid geode
my other friend (especially since covid) does about 100km a month now
i dont have a car. i ride my bike mostly
tardy badger
I have a car but I’ve mostly worked remote
rapid geode
yeah i rarely have anywehre to go more than a few km away
tardy badger
Took me over a year to put 10k miles on it
I think I’m just shy of 12k miles right now
Need to get it serviced this month
rapid geode
i wouldnt mind an electric motorcycle (not an e scooter, a real motorcycle)
but what ive seen it really expensive so far
tardy badger
Yeahhhh
Electric vehicles are by and large out of the price range of the average consumer
Electric scooters are fairly economical
But very theft prone
Anyone having issues using the Digi-Key mobile app?
Trying to build a cart but it keeps erroring out
lusty fossil
Anyone having issues using the Digi-Key mobile app?
I for real do not like the app but I haven't had your specific issue
I don't like how it does filtering
tardy badger
I use it when I’m too lazy to get my MacBook
And to research parts
I’ve gotten pretty good at using the filters reliably
But not being able to add parts to a cart is definitely new
I found a reasonable samd51 in stock that I wanted to make a board for lol
It’s BGA but not a hard package to work with
This TFBGA package
It’s pretty reasonable with 0.5mm pitch and 0.25mm pad size recommended which means safely doing via in pad to break out the tucked corners if needed
Am I insane? Probably. Is it in stock and will I order it? Also probably
quartz wren
I'm almost ready to test my 6507 dev board
hazy dune
nice
rapid geode
i was gonna go 70s but yeah. i cant really see whats going on but everythign about it says "not 2022"
hehe
ok, except the lcd
arctic folio
the 3d printed parts would rhave risen some eyebrows then too
rapid geode
nah, they have had those since 1986
arctic folio
was definitely a rare thing then
whole jacinth
at least laser-sintered metal, i think?
rapid geode
FDM was made in the 80s as was SLA. sintering i think early 90's?
but yeah, none of it was really viable til much later
agressivly putting down competition with suspect patents didnt help
tardy badger
I love metal powder bed printing
Super neat way to work with explosive metal powders lol
rapid geode
yeah, if i could have a printing tech it would be that. sadly they are not very easy to reduce in cost
arctic folio
mix some aluminum dust into the steel dust 
rapid geode
lets not
arctic folio
tardy badger
It’s a great way to fuse railroad ties
arctic folio
thermite welding is pretty neat
rapid geode
ive seen that (well ish, they put a big cover over it)
they replaced all the street car tracks in front of my old shop
lots of thermit
e
arctic folio
I read into the military grade thermite a while back
super duper fine super mixed stuff
pretty neat
rapid geode
i hear it makes good blimp paint
arctic folio
hadn't really considered the difficulty in mixing up dusts of different weight perfectly
rapid geode
yeah, its not really something you can do by accident that easily
someone tried it to open a safe (might have been mythbusters) and it just incinerated all the contents haha
rapid geode
hd's are all aluminium and mag. just melt em
arctic folio
turns out that's hard!
when they used thermite to try and melt em the aluminum just sunk the heat
arctic folio
you would get slag on the disks but they were recoverable
part of the goal here is that it could fit within a 1u server rack
arctic folio
the best option ended up being oil well penetrator shaped charges
rapid geode
haha
arctic folio
really interesting talk overall
I think I would have just pointed a couple rifle rounds at it
rapid geode
all we do is delete them.
but our contents arent realy sensitive
like if somoene recoverd an image, who cares
this is how you get rid of cpus
arctic folio
big chunka copper probably useful for something or other
probably high quality copper too
rapid geode
it is nickel plated copper i think. at least on the xeons
arctic folio
sandblaster go sssss
arctic folio
come to think
I bet hdd surfaces are stupid flat
I bet they'd work great for times when I need to align stuff
rapid geode
yes
they are very precise for balance not just flatness
i couldnt think of any use for them though
so they went in the bin (all the old 100-200gb ones)
arctic folio
yeah I was thinking of a reason I shouldn't just use one for a bit of target practice fun
rapid geode
ha. they dont break. they are magnesium or aluminium
i think cause they are mirror shiny people think they are glass
arctic folio
they have historically been I think
rapid geode
no never
arctic folio
Iunnooooo
rapid geode
well, i wont say never
arctic folio
I remember this from the old deathstar issue
rapid geode
ooh, seems they do use glass in new laptop drives
1990 was the first glass one.
fancy
arctic folio
when you need flat stuff hard to beat glass
I have a "whetstone" that's a pane of glass that you tape down 3m lapping sheets on
use it for knife sharpening :D
rapid geode
granites is what you want for flat things
arctic folio
ya if you need durability
rapid geode
no, not durability, stability
my granite plate is a cheap low grade one and it is still flat to 0.001mm across 600mm. and if the temp changes in the room it doesn't shift.
with glass, or especially metal, just breathing on them will "warp" them
arctic folio
this seems a suspect claim but I can't seem to find the right keywords to research it
rapid geode
ha
search for granite surface plate thermal expansion
that will cover it
starrett probably has an article
or 12
actually i know they have one talking about large plates, where just the lights in the room will warm one side and warp it 0.0005mm over 8 feet
metrology is fun
haha
im happy to measure anything accuratly with 5 microns
real falcon
theres grinate plates classes. B, A and AA
AA is insane, rock must be in room thats very airflow controlled and temperate controlled
real falcon
usually is.
rapid geode
datron used to just make their cncs right one a granite plate.
arctic folio
oh thermal expansion duh
rapid geode
yeah. the thing everyone forgets about. haha. "i made this round thing on the lathe and measured it to be 2.000" and now it says 1.994" whats wrong with my mic?
rapid geode
this is one of the more precise things i've had made. (i mean my cnc machine itself is precise too of course, but this is finer)
arctic folio
everything I've worked on is accurate enough for handfiles
arctic folio
just go slow
ez
I did manage a concentric hole within like .003" with a 3d printed jig and this awful harbor freight drillpress
which I was pretty pleased with
rapid geode
ha
late fulcrum
We needed to install a mu-metal magnetic shield in a stainless steel frame in a way that was high vacuum compatible (no glue, screws, etc.). Finally we machined them to an interference fit of .002 or so, then put the mu-metal bit in liquid nitrogen and heated the steel. Dropped in the shield and let things thermally equalize. That shield is solidly in place now.
arctic folio
something that was funny to me is the fitting process for 1911 handguns
for the slide-frame
you use a cutting tool to shave off bits of the slide
and then when it's juuuust too tight to really go on you slather it up in lapping compound and hammer it on
late fulcrum
Seems like a Fred Flintstone approach
dusty citrus
As we will probably run into some power outages this winter (Europe), I plan to use solar panels and inverters to charge and run my laptop. I tested it and my MacBook will flawlessly accept any USB-C PD source up to 100W. Most solar powered power sources/batteries I have provide 12V output. The simplest solution I found are car adapters for usb-c charging - yet I wonder if there is some breakout board that accept 12V and has a USB-C port with PD. Does anyone know something like this?
lusty fossil
That's an interesting problem. Aren't you using inverters tho?
rapid geode
whats the power outages? i get a lot of them here, 6-8 hours at a time, 4 times last year. they broke something a few blocks down and never fixed it correctly
dusty citrus
@lusty fossil Yes I do, but I like to use the simpler solar power banks with 12V output.
So I can charge these power banks using the solar panels and use the 12V output to run/charge my laptop. This is more power efficient as converting the power to 240V/AC then back to DC.
dusty citrus
@rapid geode Most likely countries will run low on gas and oil, and this will be a problem to generate enough power when the demand is at its peak. In the winter months, when most people use power for heating and light, it will most likely be a problem. So it is very likely there will be extended power outages.
rapid geode
oh, that type of outage
yuk
solar is not very useful here, not much sunlight in the months youd actually need it
and on the opposite, it is TOO windy for wind power.
haha
real falcon
wouldnt it mean you increase minium torque to generate power?
rapid geode
me?
dusty citrus
@rapid geode You are absolutely right there, but it's enough to run a laptop for a day, and I can also charge these power banks when there is power available. 😀
rapid geode
yeah computer i guess is useful. i need 2kw for heat though hahaha
ebon dew
Sheesh
rapid geode
our power here is from a little waterfall mostly. and some nuclear plants
hehe
feel the power
dusty citrus
@real falcon Most power is delivered from nuclear power plants, coal, barrier lakes, wind and solar. These power sources will deliver sufficient power for most situations. But if there are high demand spikes - like e.g. a large number of people start to cook and turn on electric stoves - there are gas turbines that can be quickly started to generate this little extra power which is required to bridge these spikes. This usually happens several times in winter.
real falcon
<@448217356418809857> Most power is delivered from nuclear power plants, coal, b...
I hope in future iron batteries can take up such peaks
its very large, heavy, but land dont care
iron is extremely cheap also
more stuff https://youtu.be/Ui6wWzxCrQ8
rapid geode
i hesitate to call these batteries. same as the aluminium. they are more "fuels".
real falcon
it recharges
its a rechargable batteries
in order to charge it, you just feed it power and it de-rustifies
thats it
lusty fossil
Does the iron deplete?
Or is it in like liquid form
Actually let me read the article
real falcon
nope. rust, derust, rust, its near immortal
rapid geode
yes, with a set power loss. i guess that makes it a battery
real falcon
unlike many batteries, its very stable. very little power leak
rapid geode
thats why i sorta call it fuel. just toss in an iron bar, get a sack of rust out.
i do like that you can probably alocate a finite supply or iron or aluminium on site and just keep cycling over and over
topping up once in a while.
real falcon
if I recall right, their test batteries have been ran for decade so far
no problems at all
rapid geode
famous last words. no problems haha. why dont i have one then? hmmm? hmmmmmm?
seriously, i want one
ha
i need somethign that can give me 2kw for like 12 hours
backup
real falcon
from what I see, it dont appear to be too complex a design
some hidden tech on dealing with hyrogen
rapid geode
pesky hydrogen
real falcon
video shows some of it. animation looks bit different than actual demo batteries shown
zinc gate
I need to know which micro computer is raspberry pi compatible and has the lowest standby power consumption. Any suggestions?
rapid geode
the way they showed aluminium ones for cars was you chuck in the bar stock, drive, dump the sand at the next fuel up. repeat.
as in pi with linux?
blissful roost
feel the power
Unlimited.. (water).. POWAA!
rapid geode
yes
blissful roost
I continue to neglect my solar kit..
real falcon
I do want to try small wind power fan and solar panels
but I really isnt up to it for now
rapid geode
id need a turbine that can work in 100kph wind
the big ones do not like it
maybe the little ones are actually better
real falcon
well would be interesting
quartz wren
ok, except the lcd
Don't worry I got it off a time traveler... Also set me up with a time machine to get from the '70s to now
🤣
I accidentally went down a rabbit hole of figuring out what I need for a standard library and "factory" reset mode instead of just making a simple blink program to test that it works
I've got one port of one of the VIAs used as the high address bits for a RAM and a ROM chip so I can page out memory using the VIA, then at the bottom quarter of memory is a 2k RAM chip with no paging, then the second 2k section is the IO space
Then I've got a custom address decode logic setup for selecting the VIAs
Then I have 3 8 bit ports left to do whatever with
I'm thinking of using the second port on the memory controller VIA to do a third paged segment and replace the IO space with that page (which would have 19 bits of address space) then to use the second VIA ports as a data bus, then an address and control bus for hardware (screen, sound chip, USART, etc.)
Then move the IO space down into the lowest page, use only 256B of RAM at the very lowest for zero page, then have a 64k RAM for the stack with a custom PLD that detects the stack pointer rolling over or under and appropriately increments or decrements an external counter that behaves as the extended stack address, and put the VIAs and other IO at the top of the lowest 2k
quartz wren
Not sure if this will make anyone here happy, but some of the protoboard on this project is actually from adafruit 😄
obsidian raft
i have some questions about the rp2040 fully built version's oled screen, which chat should i post that in?
ebon dew
@obsidian raft which programming language are you planning on coding your project in? that's generally the difference in which chat either adruino or circuit python.
obsidian raft
python
ebon dew
go with circuit python topic then, plenty of people there use python too
due to it being 2am in the us it might take a while for your question to get a response.
dusty citrus
some library that does allow me to recognize persons in specific?
hoary wraith
Anyone have any idea why my order, placed on the 30th, is showing VOIDED in the order history?
with no communication and no refund
since they don't work on weekends, and certainly not on holiday weekends, does that mean they cancelled my order several days ago and didn't even send me an email?
hoary wraith
Amazing, I guess I am being accused of making automated purchases because I bought a Pi last month and tried to buy another.
whole jacinth
there are very strict quantity limits on some products. enforcement seems to not be done in a very informative way
rapid geode
one pi for you!'
no, they are one per person right now
in the past it was often one per order
hoary wraith
That's strange but understandable. What isn't understandable is the total lack of communication about my order being cancelled, and more so, the lack of a refund.
rapid geode
refund im sure is coming, will take a bit of time
they are trying not to have scalpers buy everything up. not ideal, but better than having to buy them on ebay for $60
hoary wraith
Yes I understand that
I would be more than happy to show them what I'm doing with the Pis and why I need another. but lol I must be a robot scalper because I added things to my cart in advance and then literally ran to my desk to place the order when I got the tweet notification from rpilocator
rapid geode
ha. unfortunately when you automate thse things it doesnt always go right
hoary wraith
nothing was automated
rapid geode
no, i mean on their end. checking buyers etc
hoary wraith
well they don't seem to be interested in my business, which is a shame
hoary wraith
i had other things in the order. but the whole order is cancelled. i could still get those other items: but not when I haven't gotten a refund. this experience has left a bad taste in my mouth.
whole jacinth
i suspect that's due to some limitations in their automation, some parts of which they might not have full control over
hoary wraith
I don't think the goal of this one-per-person-slash-location is "alienating existing customers" but that's the effect when the policy is not made crystal clear at point of sale
whole jacinth
i think the quantity limit is in the FAQ
rapid geode
ah ok
dusty citrus
They would probably state the limit in the base ad.
They always did that before the bot thing came up. They'd just say limit 1 to a customer or 2 to a customer iirc.
You would know before you tried to buy it.
It's nice to have a backup, so if it's functionally unique, getting two is usually a good idea.
static flare
my Pico W order from my local reseller got cancelled
hazy dune
oh wow yay today is the day that America became America and that means having to go to my grandpa's house for bad hotdogs and annoying fireworks when im trying to sleep
great
rapid geode
on july 4th we celebrate the invention of pineapple pizza
hazy dune
ok i had this discussion in a different server already
its good in theory but ive never tried it
rapid geode
haha
late fulcrum
I went to a celebration at a neighboring town on the 29th and the town I live in celebrated yesterday.
onyx wyvern
dusty citrus
I need something that keeps those sticks at a variable distance between each other, but the distance should be the same, someone has any suggestions?
velvet pelican
Has anyone here ever made an induction furnace?
rapid geode
no, but i looked into it before a fiar bit
velvet pelican
Ive skimmed but i need to relearn to read the schematics
rapid geode
i remember it being non trivial (compared to the little zvs things you get on ebay)
velvet pelican
Took apart a couple microwaves and got alot of the parts i should need i think. Also could probably make that tube amp i talked with @late fulcrum abaout months ago. Got a big coil that will be an extra
rapid geode
furnaces usually use water cooled coils (holow)
as they run high loads for long times
velvet pelican
Ive seen some done with microwave parts
The one large one i have is s 4000 volt
Maybe i can put it on a heat sink
rapid geode
depends if you are making a furnace or a toy. when you say furnace i envision multi KW melting larger amounts of metals in a crucible
velvet pelican
Im not looking to go industrial
rapid geode
ha, just googled a bit and man they are getting cheap. $500-$1500 for a little furnace.
velvet pelican
Just small amounts. Cleaning up metals such as aluminum copper and brass. And knife making provided it will melt enough steel for it
rapid geode
(when i looked in the past they were many thousands)
rapid geode
to melt enough steel for a knife youll need a lot of power.
velvet pelican
I have a really large coil too. Not sure of the voltage but it’s about 4x larger than the 4000 volt one
dusty citrus
You mean maybe a variable proportional distance?
yes, thanks
can I ask you how did you find it?
I mean google lately is being unfriendly
velvet pelican
Ive also thought about getting a prism and using the sun. Ive seen that before on the king of random
rapid geode
those tools are filed under traditional graphic design and drafting i think.
whole jacinth
they're sometimes called pantographs
velvet pelican
yes, thanks
can I ask you how did you find it?
I mean google lately is being u...
Scissor lift scissors extend at the same lengths
Make something of the same criss cross scissor pattern with metal plastic or whatever and the holes at the equal distances and you got your equal extensions
rapid geode
any recursive parallelogram will do that type of thing.
panto graphs use that for sure
often with a reduction though
for micro engraving on things like coins
velvet pelican
to melt enough steel for a knife youll need a lot of power.
So what size coil would you use?
rapid geode
not sure, im not an expert, i just know the furnaces used for that are high power, 1-5kw (real output, not input)
thats usually a good place to start. find out which furnace youd need to buy to do it, then work out whats inside of it
velvet pelican
Hmm I mean ive seen a microwave conversion melt steel ill have to look into it more tho
rapid geode
melting some steel, and melting it in a cntrolled manner at the exact pouring temp is a different toppic
velvet pelican
Thats what a topped crucible is for tho. Holds the heat to keep it molten long enough for a pour
rapid geode
you also run into trouble beyond just the induction part. steel is ok, but stainless for eample most funcaces wont do because it melts above the temp crucibles and pyrometers can handle
rapid geode
on its own yes but it catalises at high temps
thats why for titanium they just arc it in a vacuum
whole jacinth
don't you have to deal with tricky atmosphere stuff if you're melting steel?
velvet pelican
Well titanium burns when it hits melting point unless its in a vacuum
Looked into that alot
rapid geode
steel not really. stainless its recomended in argon. for titanium vacuum is mandatory
velvet pelican
Yeah cuz it burns
Was figuring i would just use standard steel and then later on maybe add some chromium to the mix to help with rust aversion
rapid geode
if you know how to weld, it kinda follows a lot of the same rules
rapid geode
mild steel isnt super fussy. 4130 is more fussy, stainess mmm.... ti need a full backpurge
etc
etc
so sorta the same on casting
sensitivity to atmospehre
velvet pelican
Facw and mig are the two ive done the most but I haven’t done anything bus steel
No stainless and titanium isn’t something i would even bother. Im not kitted enough for it
Could do stainless
I have the tig welder for it but just haven’t
Also could mig it but ive heard its ugly
rapid geode
mig and stick for stainless is iffy, cause they only really sheild the direct pool. you should be purging the area as it cools.
"works" but not ideal basically
velvet pelican
Yeah thats what ive heard
I need to play with tig welding more to get proficient in it
rapid geode
my issue on a project i want to do is heat treatment opst weld
velvet pelican
Only messed with it a tad and haven’t had the time since i got it
velvet pelican
Like annealing?
rapid geode
not really diy
velvet pelican
Yeah there is special stuff for that
rapid geode
with aluminium its called normalising. bring to temp, dunk in glycol
then you age (temper)
if you weld 6061 aluminium, you need to heat treat after welding or it will be butter soft
like chewing gum but with less flavour
eager frigate
Happy July 4th!
velvet pelican
like chewing gum but with less flavour
😂 and no smell
rapid geode
traditional canadian pizza for 4th of july 😛 (had no pineapple, but had bacon, mmm)
vagrant wolf
Hi yall wanted to ask something - if you needed 1 capacitor for a project and online it was £0.10 but it was £2.99 for a 10 pack what would you choose
Delivery is like £2.99
frigid tiger
If you anticipate a future need for 9 of those caps I’d get the latter
vagrant wolf
Ah but let's say if you don't need a future need/ don't have plans
arctic folio
If it's a standard capacitor I might just get one of the capacitor kits that come with a variety
I got one for like 20$ and it should cover most of your capacitance needs for a long while
rapid geode
so, its cheaper to buy one, but they shipping cost makes it more than just buying 10?
late fulcrum
I'd totally buy the 10 unless it was a particularly oddball value.
rapid geode
assuming its also 2.9 shipping on the 10, i would buy at least 2, to have a spare, if i knew i didnt need 10
late fulcrum
Buying extra parts is how I ended up like this.
late fulcrum
I only have 2 bicycles (well technically, one bicycle and one tricycle)
arctic folio
Consider the following:
https://www.amazon.com/EEEEE-0-1uF－2200uF-capacitors-Individual-Electrolytic/dp/B08V5815K7/
rapid geode
until the pandemic (when i wanted to buy a house) i never sold any bikes when i bought news ones, so i had all my vintage racing gear. came in handy, people pey a lot for old broken bike parts hahaha
arctic folio
Good time to sell bike stuff lel
late fulcrum
I'm looking for a couple of old bike frames and associated parts, to carve up and build into a vehicle for the Kinetic Sculpture Race
rapid geode
i sent stuff to japan, reunion, germany, brazil, all over the place
late fulcrum
A 0.1µF electrolytic capacitor seems a little silly to me, but that could just be me.
rapid geode
doesnt know
mostly what i know about capacitors is that they seem to go pop after 30 years in a cnc machine haha
the oil/paper types
late fulcrum
That's electrolytic capacitors. Their main advantage is large capacity in a small volume, their main disadvantages are short life, being polarized, and low Q factor. So for a small value like 0.1µF (100nF), it seems like a peculiar choice. Although these days there are other options like MLC and polymer electrolytics that last a lot longer.
rapid geode
smiles and nods
late fulcrum
Paper-in-oil capacitors generally fail either because the paper breaks down or they get overheated.
rapid geode
in this case, it was i think fed 380v instead of 208
arctic folio
Yeah that is a bit funky but I just brought it up for the guy paying 3$ for 10
When he could pay 10$ for a lot
rapid geode
and several large ish ones went poof
late fulcrum
Some in air conditioning units fail due to overvoltage too, when the back EMF from the motor raises the voltage on the capacitor above the line voltage.
Generally I wouldn't buy capacitors (or anything else, really) from spamazon anyway.
rapid geode
these caps were in a 4kw servo drive. about, uh, 40mm diam
scary pop
ha
then i had to sniff around
to see where the burning was
haha
i also blew an old transformer
again, just age i think, shorted and poof. 380v to 19v 3 phase
(this is how they made 24vdc back then)
my later machines had the more typical switchings psus we see today
gusty pilot
That's electrolytic capacitors. Their main advantage is large capacity in a sma...
Is being polarized inherently a disadvantage, or does it depend on application? (Can you swap a failed polarized capacitor with a non-polarized equivalent?)
whole jacinth
being polarized is a side effect of how electrolytic capacitors work and can get such high capacitance. the dielectric is a thin film of oxide formed by electrolytic effects. it's not actually a feature. there are non-polarized electrolytics, but they're basically two polarized electrolytics back to back as i understand it, and more expensive
quaint swan
I always feel a bit bad asking micropython questions here, so i wonder, does micropython has a discord beside the forums? Or are there any cool Discord servers you could recommend me (via DM if it's not gladly seen here)
rotund acorn
Happy 4th! Question for folks - looking to do 30min chats with people working on PCB designs (hobby, professional, any environment). I had some ideas for electronic design automation but I am mostly a software-focus. Would love to learn how people do their work in this space! Replies/DMs appreciated, looking forward to connecting!
ebon dew
You’ll find a lot of people here use eagle or ki cad. I actually prefer easy eda online though I’ve never successfully created a PCB more complicated than a few buttons and basic traces.
rotund acorn
You’ll find a lot of people here use eagle or ki cad. I actually prefer easy eda...
That’s great! Was it a solo product you built or with a team? Did you go through manufacturing for it?
ebon dew
solo, i made a few pcbs, 10 i think.
but you can break apart the individual pcb's to create up to 4 buttons per pcb.
super simple 😛
was for a project where i needed to add some more buttons to the front of a PC case.
rapid geode
cute
thats about out my kind of lvel. haha.
my friend made this one for me
we need a revision though casuse it needs a safety feature i didnt think of
goes inside of this
ebon dew
also designed a bluetooth classic audio board with 3w amplifier. had some made but never got the parts to test it out. the design downfall was due to using parts that had a 2 year lead time and that was back in 2017. i've since learned that sourcing parts that are in stock is a very important design consideration. 😛 that was the last pcb project i did, wasting $50 on pretty paperweights isn't my idea of a good time.
rotund acorn
also designed a bluetooth classic audio board with 3w amplifier. had some made b...
That's cool! Yeah, I could see a 2 year lead time being a dealbreaker 😄 How long ago did you work on the button boards? It a recent project?
rapid geode
time flies when you cant go outside
doh
my friend is really fast with boards. it takes me a few hours just to figure out how to find the templates
haha
(chip pad layout drawings)
rotund acorn
@rapid geode What type of things do you and your friend build with boards?
rapid geode
space stations
ok, no
whatever random thing comes up basically. the one in the pic i showed is a sensor that detects motion over 500nm
rapid geode
no i design dumb things and then usually make other people do the work
hahahah
eventually ill learn enough not to need so much help, but it often boils down to "i need this done, i can spend 6 months leanring how, or pay someone $700 and its ready friday"
That tool (boards included) I made 5 sets. so it was acceptable to me.
other projects arent viable to pay other people
ones that are large amounts of labour or machine time.
rotund acorn
That's really interesting, is this part of your professional/work, or are you a hobbyist?
rotund acorn
😄
rapid geode
like so
actually we sent that out, but i did the prep work
anyhow, thats boring (or so the viewers claimed). pcbs are more fun
i need an open cnc control panel. i could probably learn the hardware part, but the software is way beyond me
what would be the step above a pi, but not a full fledged PC? thats still costs like $100 or less
edison?
discontinued. well thats not nice
---- (break haha) so someone mentioned PIO configurable io on the pico. could that theoretically be made to take in a signal (ethercat for example) and then spit out 1mhz pulses and read quadrature encoders? basically convert an older servo into a networked format.
or is it not powerful enough for that
crystal ore
---- (break haha) so someone mentioned PIO configurable io on the pico. could ...
They're pretty flexible for low-level bit-banging, but the Ethercat side of that would be where I'd worry... I don't have a good feel for how complicated that is, especially since it would need an intermediate PHY with its own interface, I think.
rapid geode
hmm
ethercat is a can bus protocol over ethernet phy
daisy chainable
normally you buy a beckhoff chip
but they are of course a little expensive ($20?)
maybe we need an ethercat featherwing hehe
on the master side (pc etc) it uses an intel 10/100 compatible ethernet card
they were using it with the pi4 for machinekit
i think thats officially abandoned now
the beckhoff slave chip is typically an SPI bus to the device functions (io, servos, displays, sensors etc)
"expected 2023" wow.
nevermind
cries
rapid geode
well the guy that makes the linuxcnc fpga boards (mesa) has been saying he wont have much to sell til 2023. hes redesigned a few boards to try and get around certain chips
ebon dew
Happy 4th of July everyone. 🎆