general-chat

[fair summit]

This is not an official support mechanism. You can use [e-mail] or the forums.

[dusty citrus]

thanks

sorry about that then

[fair summit]

np

[honest moth]

Ok, so

emulating Windows 10 on QEMU, inside of Ubuntu.

With late 2000's hardware.
Possible? Yeah. Practical? not without a lot of setup.

...bad for the thermals? you have no idea. 50 to 60 degrees celsius.

...i got some more work to do.

...wait, only 60 degrees?

[tardy badger]

Now that the 4th of July has passed, I guess it’s time to prepare for Spooky season

[crystal ore]

Almost 4 months between holidays... we need a new one in the middle somewhere...

I nominate August 24 (8-bit / 24-bit) as RGB Day, where people compete to create the most outlandish LED and laser light shows.

[tardy badger]

I concur

I also realized I have the hardware to start an Agrotech startup

I have a love for growing plants and whatnot and a love for hardware. And the name is so perfect for hardware I already have developed. Treehouse Terminal

The hardware is mostly validated too, I’d just need a few small additions but completely feasible I think.

Basically would just need to write firmware

[rapid geode]

we have a holiday almost every month here

rgb day is xmas. pi day is thanksgiving.

im growing pumpkins for pi day

😛

[tardy girder]

Does anyone know of any synthesizer diy groups on discord?

[dusty citrus]

what's up with those assessment tests that are assigned to candidates for any x job?

I don't normally do them, because they are a waste of time, and it looks like they either collect data or put in stuff for work, so they can get free workforce

but now I do see that like 3/4 of the people that do contact me, do give off those extremely long and timewasting crap

[rapid geode]

i see this a bit, i flag it as attempting to steal work usually. ive onl;y been asked once and i submitted it with basically a watermark making it impossible to use and they got mad

kinda proving my point

[real falcon]

I remember one where company tried to get free "contractor" by "interviewing" guy by "how would you solve this?"

guy typed a very nice summary but left out conclusion and solutions

they could see high quality but couldnt use it as free work

[rapid geode]

tests are sometimes valid, but if you haven't already discussed salaries, and other details, definitely a no go.

tests are a "last detail" to me. not an up front thing.

[lusty fossil]

I have to say, I haven't been much more frustrated than I have lately when googling Cam design in <program> and getting only Computer Aided Machining results.

[rapid geode]

cam is comuter aided machining. you want CAD

unless you mean actual cams

haha

[hazy dune]

Computer assisted design

Or aided

[rapid geode]

yes

for all it's "are you sure you didnt mean..." prompts, google is still dumb as a rock

speaking of cad, autodesk just sent me an invite to the acad beta. a program i have not used in like 15 years.

they wont put me on the fusion beta cause ill make the devs cry

muhaha

[lusty fossil]

I did mean actual cams

[rapid geode]

ahh

[whole jacinth]

"cam lobe" might get you better search results than just "cam"?

[rapid geode]

camshaft, yeah, maybe get more specific with the application

[lusty fossil]

I'm looking for design of cams specifically

it's a whole sub-discipline

[elder mountain]

What chat is the best chat to ask for help on STEMMA QT? I need help figuring out which thing to buy. I keep getting confused lol

[rapid geode]

what is the device?

that will help

[elder mountain]

https://www.adafruit.com/product/5046#description

Idk which Stemma QT board to buy with it

I need enough plugs for a battery and require a battery as well

Thanks Mr No fish 🙂

[arctic folio]

are you asking what microcontrollers will work with this?

[rapid geode]

so you want an mcu board then, with a stemma port

or 2

[elder mountain]

Yes

[arctic folio]

all of them

pretty much

[rapid geode]

ha

[elder mountain]

Oh

Perhaps i was over thinking

Do you have a favorite?

[arctic folio]

I suspect so

[rapid geode]

well what else do you need. wifi, bluetooth, etc etc

[elder mountain]

Just Wifi yeah

[arctic folio]

"stemma" is adafruit branding for an i2c port pinout standard

[rapid geode]

arduino or circuit python?

[arctic folio]

but nearly every microcontroller has hardware i2c support- some just don't have that header

[elder mountain]

Arduino

[arctic folio]

the esp32 based boards have an arduino port

s2/s3 unsure about later reivisions

[elder mountain]

I was looking at this one. But it doesnt have a secont i2c port. https://www.adafruit.com/product/5400

[arctic folio]

you don't need more than one

i2c just chains together

additionally you can solder onto other pins and use i2c off them

(personally I'd get an s2+ due to security enhancements)

[elder mountain]

OH i ZEEEEEE

So i am dramatically overthinking

Thank you sir @arctic folio

[arctic folio]

@elder mountain as a note I didn't mention each device on the bus needs a distinct address otherwise you need to involve multiplexers etc

[elder mountain]

I think i should be fine on this one cuz its so simple. But if it happens ill figure it out then. Its only 1 device and a battery so i think ill be fine

Unless you disagree D:

[arctic folio]

can't imagine why you'd have a problem

[ebon dew]

@elder mountain Keep in mind the ESP32 V2 is micropython not circuit python, it doesn't show up as a USB drive.

you have to use putty or thonny to program it. tannewt and the web flow team are working on getting it integrated into web flow but that could be a while.

Like Vex said, I'd get an ESP32 S2 or S3. It'll make you life much easier.

The S3 has been out of stock and selling quick, so you can only get the S2 currently.

[elder mountain]

Can you link the S2? So I don’t buy the wrong thing! Thanks so much

[ebon dew]

https://www.adafruit.com/product/5000

If you don't mind the lack of GPIO the QT Py S3 is still in stock. It's the only S3 in stock. https://www.adafruit.com/product/5426

The QT Py has a stemma I2C connector. If you need a lot of pins for stuff other than sensors then go with the S2. If you only intend to add a few sensors and also want bluetooth then the QT Py is a better idea. I have a QT Py S3 and it works great with a BMP390 temp & humidity sensor.

[elder mountain]

Thank you so much!!

[fair summit]

I would suggest the S2 over the S3 right now anyway. The S3 has some I2C issues with certain sensors.

though the BME688 is probably ok with the S3.

[arctic folio]

what's special about some sensors?

[fair summit]

some do something called clock stretching which the S3 is having some trouble with at the moment

I don't think the BME/BMP have an issue, though. I can test right now.

[arctic folio]

I've seen clock stretching mentioned in a handful of areas but I don't know what it is

[elder mountain]

Well I already ordered this one. Is there any way I can change my order to the correct S2? https://www.adafruit.com/product/5400?gclid=CjwKCAjwwo-WBhAMEiwAV4dybacNR8pN3ANtEjU59IPDpPv-ieeia5g7JMPzhFH5GMZTdKlgjJMxBRoCnNkQAvD_BwE

[arctic folio]

method for any I2C device to slow down the bus.

[ebon dew]

That's the V2 not the S2

[fair summit]

is this for Arduino or CircuitPython?

[elder mountain]

I just need WiFi, a battery connection and the bme 688 to work.

[elder mountain]

Arduino library

[fair summit]

that plain ESP32 will work with Arduino. It will have CircuitPython support eventually (I am working on it now), but it does not have native USB so it will not have the CIRCUITPY drive via USB.

so you are fine with your current requirements. But it is not an S2, as noted

[elder mountain]

Will it work with WiFi?

Or do I need to go S2?

[fair summit]

yes, that's it's point. It does wifi. It has a battery connection for a LiPo battery, and an onboard charger

do not connect a non-lipo battery to the battery connector

[elder mountain]

Perfect okay so I’m not completely on glue hahaha

[fair summit]

you are fine: Feather ESP32 V2 + BME688 + a STEMMA cable + LiPo battery is what you need. Make sure you have an appropriate USB-C cable or adapter as well

[elder mountain]

Thank you all for your help! I appreciate it! Cheers and happy 4th!

[fair summit]

if you do make an incorrect order, you can sometimes cancel it if you send an email to [e-mail] immediately (may be answered in the morning if overnight)

no guarantees, but it's not impossible

[ebon dew]

if you're doing Arduino then the V2 is fine. the major difference is more apparent if you planned on programming it with circuit python because there is no circuit python on the V2, only micropython and arduino.

[quaint swan]

man, so sad, the shortage will never end https://rpilocator.com/

harder to find than gpus 😦

[real falcon]

yeah

[quaint swan]

just glad i've my toilet paper back

[real falcon]

only rpi 3 512 mb ram on sale lol

out of all rpi stuff

[quaint swan]

isn't the zero 2 w faster than the rpi 3?

at least i saw the pico w video just in time to get some from my local electronics store, when i came home and checked again, his website already said out of stock ._.

[real falcon]

nah similiar stats, though its rpi 3 A+ 512 mb ram so I doubt it have much oomph lol

[frigid tiger]

will they ever make an rpi that can clock 3.4ghz

[blissful roost]

Probably never, as it's a singular metric which doesn't mean an awful lot.

[late fulcrum]

The CPU clock myth is persistant, even though it doesn't mean much. It's like rating cars by engine RPM instead of horsepower or torque.

[rapid geode]

usually the things we do are not cpu bound on these as well. not like you are rendering or the like. more cores to spread around processes is more beneficial i think

[tardy badger]

It’s all about memory and bus speed 🙂

[thick wind]

Faster, not by any significant amount. It does boast similar speed at a far lower power consumption rate, though.

[rapid geode]

how would a pi 2 zero rate vs say, a core 2 duo?

ok, wow, a pi 4 is kinda almost equal to a core 2 duo. that is hilarious

[tardy badger]

I’d look at CoreMark scores

It’s a fairly consistent way to see how CPUs perform certain kinds of tasks

[late fulcrum]

And CPU architecture. A register-rich CPU running tight code needs fairly little access to memory or bus.

[tardy badger]

Yeah, this is valid as well. Local cache is king

[stiff bane]

Hi people, does anyone know where i could buy a mapple mini (stm32f103c8t6)?.
I ve been looking everywhere and I couldn’t find it.

[thin relic]

Hiho, does anyone know when Circuitpython will be available for the RPI Pico W ? Sorry if it´s an irrelevant question.

[stray wind]

It's not at all irrelevant! At the moment, we have no ETA on Pico W support.

[wanton thistle]

This is a question for those who are older but I am trying to find an older mac game, so like early 90s/late 2000's maybe. The game in question is basically a game where you have to hit a space bar to get this "bar" to connect to dots as it rotates. It gets harder as you go along, since you have to avoid exploding dots or walls.

Does this jog anyones memory?

[hazy dune]

No but I want to play it

[wanton thistle]

I honestly cant remember the name

but it was on our old mac

[rapid geode]

i think that was just mac os's progress bar

[ebon dew]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Macintosh_games

[wanton thistle]

Yea.....Im going through that lol

its gonna take all night

I might have to take to reddit to ask this

Someone ALWAYS knows

[vestal pier]

spindoctor?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEfBkL8NJj8

[ebon dew]

Nice find, sounds about right based on his description

[night crescent]

WE ARE LIVE! SHOW AND TELL! https://youtu.be/3jaZUCVeW3s

[night crescent]

ASK AN ENGINEER 7/6/2022 LIVE! https://youtu.be/21SsSb8rnEc

[wanton thistle]

YES

you know you've made it when you can emulate an old mac in a browser lol

[rapid geode]

pretty sure you can emulate an old mac with a stick of chewing gum

i mean... i love mac, they are great

runs

[dusty citrus]

I have a request regarding the YouTube programs. As a retired television broadcast engineer, I am quite sensitive to audio and video issues. Recently, with "New Products", "Show and Tell", and "Ask an Engineer", there are numerous occasions where the audio level reaches the clipping point in the digital audio. This causes a very loud pop at the receiving end. What I am requesting is that you lower your master audio level by at least 2dB, but 3dB or more would be better, but obviously not too much. Thanks for these very valuable programs!

[rapid geode]

youtube levels are all over the place lately. (not just adafruit and not just live streams). i'm not sure if its a youtube problem or there are just so many people that do not know how to set up their audio.

[dusty citrus]

any battery distrubutors with filters? I still don't know for what exactly I'm looking for, so using filters for filtering out their stock, would be useful
google and alibaba isn't that helpfull, while stores like digikey, don't have like a wide selection for batteries

[hazy dune]

Silk is boiled worm guts. Have a nice day.

[crystal ore]

I mean, not really... it's the fibers from the silkworm cocoons.

[viscid folio]

FYI https://www.adafruit.com/product/5526 is in stock

[rapid geode]

O_O

how many minutes til they will be gone hehe.

🙂

[static flare]

if only i had more money haha

[rapid geode]

i have to order from digikey, so, not good for me. (shipping/duties make the site not viable)

[arctic folio]

they're one per customer so they should last a bit

[whole jacinth]

oh is the Pico W included in the "1 Pi of any kind, per customer/location, until further notice" quantity limit?

[arctic folio]

I would assume/hope not....

be kinda sucky to get a pico w and then whoops no pi

[whole jacinth]

yeah, that would be helpful to have clarification on (whether Pico W is in a separate quantity limit bin from Pi SBCs)

[arctic folio]

whoops
found a bug in the adafruit 2fa requirement that led to a double charge

do not hit pay with paypal in the checkout if you haven't logged in and out

Ah, looks like it's still pending on my CC but not showing on paypal's site so I guess paypal might just be eager?

[harsh goblet]

That was quick haha

[stuck moth]

please don't spam with anything that suggest bringing it to another discord

[hazy dune]

ok sorry

Jerry chill tho

[stuck moth]

I'm wary of anything that says "pass this on"

thanks for removing it

[hazy dune]

np

[rapid geode]

O_o

[arctic folio]

https://www.instructables.com/Arbitrary-Wave-Generator-With-the-Raspberry-Pi-Pic/

[rapid geode]

ooh, feather sense in stock

[arctic folio]

The last zachtronics game has released.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1511780/Last_Call_BBS/
has a new version of one of their earliest puzzle games which is kind of fun

[dusty citrus]

probably not the best place where to ask, but idk what to do, I feel like cooking in a oven, the floor is also hot
no air does pass in the window
using a fan on myself often it throws at you hot air, and doesn't cool the ambient
by context this is what my windows do look like

[late fulcrum]

Up to now, I hadn't usually bothered putting anything in the "customer reference" field when ordering parts from DigiKey, but I did this time around and belatedly noticed they print the reference on the label, which is pretty handy.

[tardy badger]

Neat!

[tardy badger]

I try to name carts on Digi-Key to make it easier to look for parts. I forget most of the time but I remember when it matters lol

[late fulcrum]

I wonder if I can do that for previous orders...

[wanton thistle]

I do this alot. Problem is, is when you have bags of components that say "R1" on them lol. Ive put non special resistors in a bin with writing on the back, and special ones go in a place. Generally I'll also keep them in bags for that specific project, in case I need to build it again.

[wanton thistle]

I tried 😦 they wont let you rename past carts either since I order project by project.

[late fulcrum]

That's inconvenient. I keep the invoice PDFs and name the files by project

[lusty fossil]

lists are where it's at

[wanton thistle]

Hows the humidity where you are? You can probably use a swamp cooler

[dusty citrus]

high, I can't tell how much, but I can feel it

[wanton thistle]

Swamp cooler might not do much. You could try blowing air over ice, but the ice will melt

[lusty fossil]

yeah without a way to put work into a system that removes heat and moisture... you have limited options

The Egyptians did a good bit with passive cooling but they used architectural mechanisms to do it. Hard to do in a home

*Ancient Egyptians. Egyptians now just use AC I think

[late fulcrum]

The principles for passive cooling are well understood and not hard to do in a house.

[lusty fossil]

I can do it in my low moisture environment but high moisture is harder

[dusty citrus]

what if I do mount like some giants fans in the windows? though dunno what cheap motor to pick, since I doubt that cheap fans that big do exist

[wanton thistle]

Window fan is what you want then. Theres plenty of options there. They dont cool down the room but they get the air moving. Measure your window and find one that fits, but they should be universal, at least in the US

I personally have thought of using the 140mm PC fans, but they are expensive and you are better off using the correct fan

There was an idea I thought of and its not really a swamp cooler, but rather it cools down the air using a giant radiator. If you are familiar with how water cooling systems work for a PC, its kind of like that, except your reservoir is a giant cooler with ice water and salt.

Ahh I saved some of the stuff in my amazon wish list

[dusty citrus]

the problem is that melts, and I do not have like a big refrigerator for all of that ice

though if you can, it would be nice, thanks

[lusty fossil]

also swamp coolers will cool an area of the house, IIRC, but actually heat up the rest of the house

could be wrong

but if you do a window fan, put it 4-6 inches out from the window, into the room. This actually greatly improves airflow

[wanton thistle]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPBSFQC/?coliid=I15NG8ZC2NB8V&colid=2NQ6ABX4BJX9E&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H29LGXM/?coliid=I1339E0NUK9IJ9&colid=2NQ6ABX4BJX9E&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FNY3YRT/?coliid=IU03FXP0N74P8&colid=2NQ6ABX4BJX9E&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Basically, the idea is this: Your pump would be pumping cooled/chilled water through the radiator. The fans would blow the chilled air around the room, cooling you off. The magic is that water takes A TON of energy to warm back up, and since its in a cooler, it should last a while before melting. Salt is added to cool down the water more, however, it adds in a corrosion factor.

I mean if you dont have access to cheap AC, even a small unit (US $299 for a 8k BTU unit, or less), this will probably do. You COULD get fancy and add in a Peltier but then...you have to deal with more heat and you cant break the laws of physics.

at that point, Id look into hacking a freezer or something tbh

[lusty fossil]

how big of a space is this?

[wanton thistle]

There was a video I found where I got the idea from. I'll see if I can find it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLspmypEqhM

[lusty fossil]

keep in mind, if your source of cold for the water/ice is your in-house freezer/fridge, then you are working at cross purposes

[wanton thistle]

Yes, unless you buy the ice.

[lusty fossil]

Yeah that's how you have to do it

force someone else to take the heat! muahaha

[wanton thistle]

If you dont want to be fancy you can do this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiPLJEFRBnM

But like I said, you run into the problem of ice/water heating up eventually

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSA1OGhB-WI&t=0s
Around 7:25 he shows actual temps

Again, you can make a project out of it and add an arduino temp controller 😉 vary fan speed and/or pump speed while monitoring Ambient temp and chiller temp

I hope this gives you an idea to cool down. It is probably more affordable than a AC unit depending on where you are.

[dusty citrus]

thanks

[wanton thistle]

np if you have any other ideas just ask. I havent built such a thing myself, it was an idea. But it seems sound.

[late fulcrum]

On the other hand, if you do want to be fancy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_g4nT4a28U

[wanton thistle]

"it is not an oil refinery"

[rapid geode]

you know air conditioners cost like $129?

[wanton thistle]

depends on where drk lives

[rapid geode]

it is definitely an oil refinery

[wanton thistle]

he may not have access to such cheap things

[rapid geode]

fair

my little AC was a champ last year when we were pretending we could sympathise with BC's 49c

:x

(only got to maybe 38 here)

[dusty citrus]

at that price all I've seen are those small portable things
which do suck,

otherwise do you have like a link? I might be able to import it

[wanton thistle]

You dont want those internal stand alone units, they do suck because the heat eventually enters the room you are trying to cool.

[wanton thistle]

where are you located?

[dusty citrus]

Italy

[wanton thistle]

Makes sense. I heard ya'll have extreme heat now

[dusty citrus]

idk man, I'm even tired of people, I think that I might migrate to greenland or something if it continues
or get a tend and live as an homeless

[wanton thistle]

https://www.amazon.com/FRIGIDAIRE-Window-Mounted-Mini-Compact-Conditioner-Mechanical/dp/B07RGM11L5/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=frigidaire+air+conditioner&qid=1657234890&sprefix=frigidare+air+con%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-3

162, but remember it has a US plug.

[rapid geode]

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/toshiba-5-000-btu-115v-window-air-conditioner/1001510605

this is the cheapest one here. mine was $229cdn (160-170usd)

the one i have is 8000btu and cools a 350sqft room well

oh, italy

thats unfortunate

i hear getting things sent there can be a nightmare

customs etc

also 240v, also these units might not meet standards there.

[dusty citrus]

about the customs dunno, I can get the worst things out of AliExpress, but I heard that they do give issues with branded stuff, I can try with some sort of adapter I guess, thanks

the problem I think is if you're a business, they have nightmarish legislations to keep competition away excused under safety concerns, end of the day the economy here is worse than mexico

[rapid geode]

i just know a lot of sellers that have a blanket "we ship worldwide - except italy"

also remember none of our prices include tax.

[dusty citrus]

oh idk, another reason added on why I want to leave italy then

[rapid geode]

ha

one of my coworkers got deported back to italy

(screwed up her visa) i think she was torn between wanting to stay here and be at home

theres an irony here in that i am always buying things from england and spain cause it costs way less.

ha

but i guess not for AC

[dusty citrus]

oh it sucks
could I ask you if you know how did she endup there? I mean unless you do work like a freelancer, if I were to hire someone, I would hire someone who lives around rather than an expat

[rapid geode]

ended up where, here?

she met some girl on the internet....

thats how it always starts

hahaha

but no, we have shortages so we are allowed to bring people in with specific skills

cause we cant find enough locally

most of them intend to stay here and be citizens, but some just hop countries

[real falcon]

how do that thing work? cant watch it because of shaky cam

[rapid geode]

it requires a PHD to explain

[dusty citrus]

(and it's like an half of hour long)

[rapid geode]

nah, its a multi episodic series, several hours

[dusty citrus]

jeez

[rapid geode]

it is worth watching (for real)

[wanton thistle]

From what I can gather, he uses a desiccant to cool the air.

[rapid geode]

the act of desicating drops the temps or something of that nature. at its core it is a heat pumping system. just weird

[wanton thistle]

I actually wonder if its worth making a large stirling engine and running it backwards. The are technically more efficient than AC's but you need some serious skill to make them large enough machining wise

Would be a fun thought exercise though

[rapid geode]

no, complete opposite. they would be horrible

they are the most efficient heat to motion systerms. they are 5-10 times less efficient than an AC

[real falcon]

ok thanks guys

watched maybe 5 minuyes of it before I was overwealmed

[rapid geode]

haha

[tardy badger]

Quick look! An STM32 M4 chip available! https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/STM32L4P5CGT6P/11591225

In a usable package for hobbyist that is

And a bargain for just $15

[rapid geode]

i have some stm32 m4 nucleo boards

i take it they are in shortage then like pi's

[tardy badger]

Yeah, STM32 were the poster child of the chip shortage for the longest time

Even some variants now still are

There was $5 STM32 chips going for 20-30x retail

[rapid geode]

ahh

i have an m7 nucleo as well

i never did use them.

above my pay grade for knowing how to program them haha

[tardy badger]

It’s fairly easy to follow the tutorials STM includes for them with their proprietary IDE

Blinking an LED

[rapid geode]

cnc control seems like what i should focus on for now 🙂 a thing i actually need. haha.

[rapid geode]

9" display. 2 encoder wheels.

just need to allocate the keyboard space

[ebon dew]

just needs a keyboard and you could turn it into a speak n spell

[rapid geode]

how dare you, its shiny metal like a mac, not some toy... oh, wait...

half of canada has no internet or phone yay

sigh

[dusty citrus]

that was such a good game

i'm surprised someone else knows it\

[thick wind]

https://snapmaker.com/snapmaker-artisan looks pretty neat. Any Snapmaker fans?

[boreal breach]

After watching the great search episode on "A good beginner oscilloscope" I wanted to ask someone more experienced about their use of 4 channels. The two scopes I'm looking at are 2ch + 200MHz bandwidth, vs 4ch + 100MHz bandwidth.

My initial idea (I haven't used an oscilloscope in a long while) was that I'd feel limited if I had 2ch only, and that 100MHz was plenty for my uses; so I'm leaning towards 4ch 100Mhz.

I wanted to read some of your opinions to inform my purchase a bit more before I press the checkout button.

I do own a logic analyzer (cheap one that works over USB), so perhaps it'd be OK-ish to go with 2ch, but I don't know yet.

The scopes I'm contrasting are Siglent SDS1202X-E, and the Rigol DS1054Z (the Rigol says 50MHz but I plan to upgrade it to 100MHz)

[thick wind]

Even at work, I find I rarely ever need 4 channels, but it's also true that you're not likely going to need 100+ MHz unless you're into radio or something.

I guess the best way to make that decision would be to imagine your most common use case, as for an "educational tool" 2ch 100MHz is more than sufficient.

[boreal breach]

Yeah, I think in the future I'll want to dip my toes into radio projects (I'm a licensed HAM, General License), but I still have to work myself up to it. Immediate use cases don't include radio

[rapid geode]

panel progress. black lower patch is the mechanical side of the keyboard insert. 5"x6". should fit 60ish keys nicely.

[boreal breach]

and yes, this is mostly an educational tool, this is to augment my capabilities in my electronics lab as a hobbyist, and learning about these things

@thick wind Thank you for the input, going by that, it'd seem that both would be pretty much a great tool I would be happy with 99% of the time. Now I think I have to assign a value to the extra 2ch vs the extra bandwidth. But it'd seem like both of them are a good choice.

one thing that confused me a bit, was when LadyAda said that one could easily get 5-6y of use from a scope she was looking at; do oscilloscopes need to be cycled because of degradation from use after a while?

I thought it was a thing I could use until the end of time given proper maintenance, but now I'm not so sure. I'd appreciate clarification, perhaps I misheard/misinterpreted.

[whole jacinth]

one thing extra channels are great for is differential measurements. 4-ch gives you 2 differential channels. i guess you could buy differential probes and use them on a 2-ch scope, but those probes are $$$

[boreal breach]

as in introspecting differential pairs of signal lines? Like USB D+ and D- which behave mostly like a differential pair?

sorry if it's a basic question, I'm a noob still

[whole jacinth]

or measuring non-isolated AC line-powered stuff. high-power switching power supplies rectify the AC mains directly, so you need to measure stuff like control loops differentially (or "float" the scope, which is more dangerous) because the signal "ground" reference is actually floating at 120VAC

[arctic folio]

allegedly this thing sends back a load of telemetry to the company

[rapid geode]

in the case of a 3d printer, does that matter much? as long as they cant see what you are printing

[boreal breach]

Thanks, I ended up purchasing the Rigol DS1054Z, I think the things it brings to the table vs the other option I was considering will be better suited for my proqects; and am fully aware that on 99% of the cases the differences between them will not come into play; now the waiting game begins

[arctic folio]

it does

🚮

[rapid geode]

hmmm

yeah a bit sweeping

[arctic folio]

any printer doing any telemetry goes in the crapper bin

end of story t ee e bee heeeth

Mind you I'm on the "rasppi os is spyware because it includes Microsoft repos which mean Microsoft knows when you have one" camp

[rapid geode]

ha

[quaint swan]

wow i found a shop which has Pico W in stock and if you buy 36 shipping is free ._.

48 in stock

i'll check again in 1h

[rapid geode]

added some keys. now i need to figure out the key mechanism (magnetic or otherwise).

[untold bobcat]

https://github.com/AndrewSae/Pi-Pico-Simon-Game

[quaint swan]

help me to find something like this simple for esp32's

Only found this pcd design but isn't there anything ready to buy? :/

[late fulcrum]

Many ESP32 carrier boards can be plugged into a breadboard as-is. A converter one like that to a narrow pinout would depend on which board you're using (which isn't specified). However, you could also roll your own, Cobbler style, by using IDC connectors and ribbon cable.

[dusty citrus]

what are you doing?

[rapid geode]

making a speak and spell

i mean, cnc control panel

[quaint swan]

oh well i just use 2 small breadboards atm, but i just like the idea of such an adapter when you work with multiple boards

just wonder why i can't find any, but instead i find threads where people share pictures of their breadboards they've cut in half xD

[tardy badger]

I am amused by the details people will nitpick on PCBs that are clearly from a prototype service

[rapid geode]

i nitpick everything

[tardy badger]

Someone commented on this photo I posted on LinkedIn about how there’s some hanging plating on the mounting half holes like it’s some indication of abysmally poor PCB quality.

OSHPARK doesn’t cleanly polish the boards they get from Royal Circuits

They break them off and send them to the maker

[rapid geode]

yeah this i fil under "woo they cut them out, isnt that awesome, i dont have to do that myself"

[tardy badger]

And you order with that understanding that it won’t be perfect around the edges, especially castellated holes. For me, it’s not a quality issue, it’s a “I didn’t pay for it to be completely burr free”

[rapid geode]

yeah

[whole jacinth]

it's a totally expected outcome of milling through a plated part of the board, isn't it?

[tardy badger]

Yeah

Super large PCB fabs like JLCPCB clean the edges but only because it’s part of the larger services they provide from the same form you order prototypes from

And it takes like 3 seconds to trim the excess of anyway

It’s just amusing that someone would try to make a big deal about it. Lol.

Presumably because they want to sell you their service lol

[rapid geode]

thats often it. not necessarily selling, but being a fanboy type person

[tardy badger]

Huh weird..

[rapid geode]

censorbot doesn not like your service

haha

[tardy badger]

Trying to say a completely normal sentence and it’s censoring it

Yup the first day of the weekend is a censored word

[static flare]

monday?

wait

weekend

huh

the day of saturn is a bad word

[tardy badger]

I think it’s because it has another term for bowel movement production in it

[static flare]

a h

[rapid geode]

haha

[tardy badger]

Lol..

[rapid geode]

thats soo weird

[static flare]

so i kinda understand it

[tardy badger]

Yeah

My guess because the T and the u and the r and the d together make a banned word, it deletes messages with words that contain it

[whole jacinth]

it seems like a common problem with string matches that aren't matching on word boundaries

[rapid geode]

so no tur duckens for xmas?

[tardy badger]

My guess is they have wildcards attached to it

Moderation is kind of a tricky thing

[rapid geode]

yeah its overall not a very advanced filter but oh well

[tardy badger]

Because there is no clear cut way to do it without running over common words

[whole jacinth]

yeah, you want to match some amount of variants…

[tardy badger]

Exactly. Discord should build an exceptions list for situations like this

[late fulcrum]

I suppose you can't find any because nobody has bothered to make one. It wouldn't be that hard to lay out such a board.

[tardy badger]

I feel like moderation tools could be a lot smarter considering how advanced computing, ML, and AI tech is

Which funny thing about AI, most of it is just Machine Learning 😛

[rapid geode]

its pretty easy to do, but most likely would be too much computer power for anything other than search and strike a short list of words (vs cross referencing a full dictionary etc)

[tardy badger]

Maps and dictionaries are so fast though O(1) runtime and just O(n^2) worst case storage needs loool

[quaint swan]

oh right i jumped into kicad tutorials now 😂

[dusty citrus]

something smaller than an esp32 pico d4?
I need something extremely small, but in the other side the rage can be pretty small too

[tardy badger]

I’m convinced that some of PCB fab reps on LinkedIn do not understand being nice and courteous. I feel less inclined to use their company if you attack the quality of boards I’ve ordered from a service that has always provided great and functional boards to me..

[static flare]

:/

[tardy badger]

Most of them are nice and say “nice design, if you need PCB please email us” and I appreciate those comments. It’s an honest hustle

[tardy badger]

In other news I applied again to graduate school

This time somewhere cheaper

Originally I was going to go to NC State but it was just going to be too expensive

Going to do Arizona State University Online Masters of Electrical Engineering part time

This assuming I get accepted

Need to send transcripts still

[rapid geode]

the sky?

runs

[hazy dune]

The top of the #welcome stuff says the server is 24/7/365 but that makes no sense. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 weeks a year? It should be 24/7/52 or 24/365

Or just 24/7 because it implies 52 weeks a year

[rapid geode]

...

my brain hurts now

thanks

[hazy dune]

Your welcome

[blissful roost]

24/7/365 makes perfect sense already.

[tardy badger]

24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The 7 days a week part is a little redundant

[blissful roost]

None of it is redundant.

Sadly, precise specifics are often necessary, to avoid misunderstandings.

[rapid geode]

no need to be precise about anything, noone ever misunderstands. just look at twitter

[blissful roost]

Lel

[rapid geode]

speaking of twitter, i need to make some chicken parmesan tonight

mmmm

[ebon dew]

24/7 should be sufficient as 365 days a year is redundant. 7 days a week isn't redundant as you could be open 24 hours only on certain days but if you're open 24 hours every day of the week that takes care of every day in the future and the loop is complete. no need to specify a year.

[vestal pier]

well, by that same logic (24 hours on certain days) you could argue that the 7 days a week only applies to certain weeks, no?

[crystal ore]

Yep, "24/7" could mean "we're open all day every day, except for Christmas", whereas "24/7/365" means no exceptions, except maybe in a leap year. 😉

[ebon dew]

by that logic it could keep going to decades and millenias, gotta stop somewhere 😛

hmm they forgot a leap year, i think a leap day should be a holiday and not counted then. it would make all 365 signs wrong.

[crystal ore]

(As a total random aside, one of my projects is a clock to display the time since the Big Bang, so as part of that I worked out an extended leap-year schedule to figure out the calendar back then...)

[vestal pier]

not counted? as in not an actual date?

[ebon dew]

not counted as a workday so that 365 is still correct 😛

or yeah not counted as day works too, like the next day everyone just forgets that day ever happened.

since the big bang in what format? seconds?

[crystal ore]

Yes, 18 digits is just enough for that.

[ebon dew]

when will there be a 19th digit?

[crystal ore]

Not for another 15 billion years or so. It's year 13,801,202,022 right now, if you're curious. 😉

[rapid geode]

** we think**

someone will use a beter telescope to find something more distant... or figure out the expansion math is wrong.

🙂

[hazy dune]

its 13.8 billion years since the big bang so you misplaced a digit or two

[hazy dune]

the most distant thing we have seen is the CMB (cosmic microwave background) which was the second visible thing in the entire universe. the first is when the singularity collapsed releasing TONS of energy and basic particles

[rapid geode]

sure, but someone will open the microwave door on the other side eventually to get their lunch out

[hazy dune]

the CMB appeared about 1 minute (not accounting for relativity from all of the mass) after the big bang

[rapid geode]

we think

[hazy dune]

Fun Fact 1: The term "Big Bang" was coined by a radio show host who did not actually believe the theory

Fun Fact 2: This server is lacking a fun fact channel

[rapid geode]

hahaha

yes

[hazy dune]

well of course you say yes because Fun Fact 3: It wouldn't be Fun Fact if it was a Fun Opinion

[rapid geode]

fun fact: making mac n cheese from scratch takes less time than the blue box crap. mmmmmmmm

nom

[hazy dune]

that looks amazing

[rapid geode]

the chicken also tool less time than cooking frozen nuggets

[hazy dune]

can i go to ur house for some chicken parmagiana

[rapid geode]

actually, the cost isnt even much more.

[hazy dune]

thats not true

[rapid geode]

hahaha

frozen nuggest take 18 mins in the oven (no microwave nonsense here)

heating the oil and frying these too maybe 15

[hazy dune]

Actually good chicken nuggets take about an hour because of the 30 minute brine session.

then you season and bread

[rapid geode]

ahh, yes, if you go real fancy it can take a while

[hazy dune]

and drop in the fryer

[rapid geode]

let it rest in the dredge etc

[hazy dune]

wdym "real fancy" brining pork and chicken is standard

[hazy dune]

letting it rest makes it tender

[rapid geode]

but these are basic. flour, fresh herbs from the garden, cracked pepper, panko crumbs

[hazy dune]

and dredging is just how you bread

[rapid geode]

my pizza dough takes 24 hours.

brioche buns take ages too, 3 hours or so

but pasta, thats so easy and fast

[hazy dune]

you get 3 shallow dishes. one has seasoned flour, the next has panko (because its the best) and the last has an egg or two. The process is flour to egg to breadcrumbs to holding dish.

that is how you properly bread anything

[rapid geode]

yes, that what i do

i just dont brine / marinate

[crystal ore]

Good catch, typo fixed above.

[hazy dune]

pizza dough takes 6 hours minimum. we have pizza night every so often here and the dough takes about 4-6 hours. also sometimes we make extra dough and use it for cinnamon buns

we did maple pecan buns last time

[hazy dune]

i know my stuff

[rapid geode]

technically the pizza dough can be cooked after 45 minutes, but my particular crust i find tastes better the next day.

ill make some next week. i make about 4 pizzas worth

mmmm

[hazy dune]

usually after the dough is made, we proof at 100F till POOFY, push it down then rest till dinner time just in the open

[rapid geode]

nom

[hazy dune]

nom

[rapid geode]

mine is knead, proof at 90 for an hour, split into balls, set in fridge overnight. then take one and roll out, let rest, stretch to shape, rest again, and cook.

my crust is fluffy type, not thin

originally i meant it to be like pizza hut, but it wound up different, but better (origianlly done in a skillet)

[hazy dune]

yea our crust ends up like fluffy but also thin and crispy. its like perfectly chewy too

[rapid geode]

mine are chewy or soft depending how you preheat the skillet. in the bbq on the stone they are i guess a bit in between.

alright, now im hungry.

[hazy dune]

we bake them at 550f (the highest the oven can go) on a pizza stone

[rapid geode]

that was the chicken parm last time

[hazy dune]

the new one looks better

[tardy badger]

Ugh, wildfire season is in full force here where I live

[rapid geode]

yay fires

where my dad lived it was super bad a few years back

[tardy badger]

A fire started around 3 hours ago at around 4 acres but is now well over 100 acres.

[rapid geode]

ugh

[tardy badger]

I can see the plume from where I live

[rapid geode]

the new one is mac n cheese, chicken parm is tomato.

[hazy dune]

oh

the mac and cheese looks great

[tardy badger]

Air quality is going to be terrible tomorrow when the winds change overnight

[rapid geode]

i had that a few days back. gotta switch it up

air is overrated.

[tardy badger]

Right now it’s blowing north east

[rapid geode]

gonna do this one again soon. hand made pasta, sauce is the butter/herbs the shrimp was cooked in, a little cream and pasta water.

i need a restaurant, but no customers. all the food is for me. hahaha

[tardy badger]

Lol hire a personal chef?

[rapid geode]

wheres the fun in that?

[hazy dune]

decorate your kitchen like a restaurant

https://tenor.com/view/big-brain-markiplier-gif-14835823

[rapid geode]

haha

[lapis bluff]

There are at least two restaurants around here for sale.

[rapid geode]

doesnt help if they are more than 10 feet from my house ahahaha

😛

[lusty fossil]

The solution is clearly to live above a restaurant

[sweet sinew]

Where do you think I could ask about the Trinket ? Its basically an Attiny85

[ebon dew]

@sweet sinew Since the Trinket can only run as an Arduino ask your question in the help-with-arduino topic.

@rapid geode So you want to run a restaurant that serves no one else and must be close to home... hmm this is called home. This is a weird way of saying "I want a bigger kitchen". 😛

[sweet sinew]

Thank u, i asked in there

[honest jolt]

Definitely did not just spend 15 minutes in Microcenter looking for a $2 switch 🥲

[quaint swan]

my very first PCB with 4 layers, it took me so long

could have been easy but i wanted to keep original pin sequence, so routing was pure horror for the beginner i am ._.

was not sure if burried and blind vias are a common thing for this PCB maker services, so i only used through holes which looks meeeh

[quaint swan]

if somebody wants it: https://github.com/WaGi-Coding/ESP32-Breadboard-Adapter-25mmBoardPinDistance

[hollow flint]

Why does Adafruit only carry two products from a certain brand that manufactures dozens of products? Namely, Kitronik.

[tardy badger]

Usually they’ll carry items that people request if there is adequate interest or if it falls in line with products their interested in selling

Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to carry all of another brands products

[night crescent]

The Desk of Ladyada -Stemma Sunday! MMC5603 breakout and code + Co-Pilot for libraries? https://youtu.be/0IhSMpJg9RQ

[sweet sinew]

Is there a way to prevent my attin85 from automaticall starting the bootloader in the start ?
Because its annoying since it takes 10 seconds to turn off

[fathom dome]

https://www.elfadistrelec.no/en/sk6812-flexible-rgb-led-strip-500mm-m5stack-a035/p/30180745

hmmm the end plugs here :S where can i buy these? :S

[dusty citrus]

someone can tell me how did they got those results?

[lusty fossil]

Empirical testing

[whole jacinth]

best way to determine that is to look up the citation and read the research

[ebon dew]

they hooked a bunch of humans up to a power grid and used them as capacitors to get the resistance values. electric chairs, for science.

i'm kidding of course.

i'm sure some myoelectric study figured it out.

[rapid geode]

oooh, new space pictures in a few minutes from the webb telescope

[lusty fossil]

Ooooh

Can't wait

at 3?

[rapid geode]

any minute now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg

[thick wind]

Cadavers?

[wanton thistle]

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/main_image_deep_field_smacs0723-5mb.jpg

this is amazin

Reminds me of No Mans Sky

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2022/038/01G7JGTH21B5GN9VCYAHBXKSD1?news=true
The full source 😄

[late fulcrum]

That's an awesome approach to a part you want: make it yourself! I think you chose well with the vias, the fancy ones cost more.

[rapid geode]

so pretty

i guess thats a black hole wapring things, middle of a galaxy? (didnt have audio on)

[crystal ore]

You don't need a black hole for gravitational lensing. Any big mass, like a galaxy or a cluster of galaxies, will also do it.

[lusty fossil]

Or my intellect

*kidding*

[crystal ore]

Don't be so hard on yourself. You're not THAT mentally dense... 😉

[lusty fossil]

heheheh

[rapid geode]

ouch

maybe its a cloaked space ship

wants there to be space ships out there

[ebon dew]

if you stitch enough of them together you could probably create a skybox in a game with real nasa images. Hmm why isn't this a feature of Google Earth? Instead of looking inward it's nice to look outward.

[rapid geode]

i dont know what that is

[crystal ore]

They do have Google Sky: https://www.google.com/sky/

[weary fiber]

installed new USB ports because I wanted a left-hand phone mount!

[lapis bluff]

No. The conductance of living tissue is much different than dead tissue. You need to hook your VOM up to living test subjects. "Always remember to mount a scratch monkey." 🙂

[sleek moth]

👀

[wanton thistle]

I wanna do this to my car so I dont have a long cord traveling across the steering wheel

[outer jasper]

Hii

Anyone from government polytechnic ratnagiri???

Or doing diploma in computer engineering??

[sleek moth]

No

[lapis bluff]

My diploma is in CS. I got it in 1982, is that relevant?

[nimble ice]

wait..... no that is a window suction cup right? that usb isn't one of those bendy mounts right? that would put too much strain on the port it goes in D:

[rapid geode]

thats a good question, is it? as in, do you find what you learned back then still applies and is useful to working with hardware now?

[weary fiber]

wha?

it's a phone mount that's locked in place, and a loose cable running from a rigid usb port to the phone mount

[rapid geode]

almost looks like a thing

:x

[ebon dew]

instead of the dials how about the ANO rotary encoder instead? https://www.adafruit.com/product/5221 though that rotary encoder is quite large.

i got one recently for a new project and found out the hard way the actual encoder and breakout board are sold separately 😛

[rapid geode]

needs to be dials

lower one is the mpg, upper is feed override

you need to be able to use them by feel when looking at the tool

[ebon dew]

the rotary encoder has a dial, just saying it would be more flush mounted.

[rapid geode]

ideally the mpg has 100 detents

[ebon dew]

ah

[rapid geode]

i do not want flush mounted, i want the opposite. a big dial.

below the dials in the empty space will be a big emergency stop button as well

[ebon dew]

yeah depends on your use. it looks really slick. nice design.

making a custom pcb or using something that already exists?

for the keyboard i mean

[rapid geode]

will have to be a custom one, like that othr guys hall effect one

the keypad insert will pop out for cleaning

[ebon dew]

what are you going to use for the display?

[rapid geode]

display in this is a 9" qled from waveshare

[ebon dew]

ohh snazzy

i have a 7" on the way from digikey though its purpose pales in comparison to yours

[rapid geode]

yeah, hypothetical budget is $500, so, screen, pi compute, pcb, and then whatever the caseing costs

i made this as big as my cnc can machine in one go, haha

[ebon dew]

that's why you wanted the compute, makes sense now.

[rapid geode]

so we wound up with the 9

i also have a lot of 25mm mic6 (ground aluminium plate) so that plays into it as well.

hehe

[ebon dew]

ahh you can machine your own case for it. going to look amazing.

it's stuff like this that makes me think self-replicating robots are just a matter of time.

[rapid geode]

should look pretty industrial on the proto, shiny ish. not all apple looking like the render. but a retail version would be bead blasted and anodised

[ebon dew]

anodized.. the fingerprints, a good problem to have.

[rapid geode]

the raw one will be very finger printy, haha

filthy really after a few uses

you could print it too in abs and paint it

[ebon dew]

i'm excited to see how it turns out. keep us updated. beautiful project.

[rapid geode]

little handle

hm

i dont like the alarm leds on the side.

annoying and kinda hard to make

[ebon dew]

cherry mx keycaps? could just flash an led under a key as a warning.

[rapid geode]

the keys will have leds. but i need a 'beacon". something you can see across the shop "oh its flashing red, it must have crashed"

[ebon dew]

well not necessarily cherry, maybe a lower profile keycap.

[rapid geode]

or flashing green, part finished

keys are custom

[ebon dew]

kinda like kattni's post light

[rapid geode]

yeah, big machines have a 3 light tower on the top of the machine.

[ebon dew]

https://learn.adafruit.com/github-actions-status-tower-light

[rapid geode]

adafruit had a real one as well

mini one

[ebon dew]

i've seen them. a bit expensive.

[rapid geode]

was lik $27

i think

[whole jacinth]

probably more expensive if you need it to be OSHA compliant or something

[ebon dew]

true

[rapid geode]

https://www.adafruit.com/product/2993

[ebon dew]

yeah that's the one i was thinking of

[rapid geode]

osha compliance will be the job of whoever makes the machine

what i want in the panel is some sort of indication. datron has basically and led stripp all thw way round

and on the machine iself

whole thing lights up

[ebon dew]

there are a lot more pi compute variants than i expected.

im guessing you're going to use a model 4 with wifi.

[rapid geode]

no wifi

just the base model

my main pcb will have an M.2 slot, and an ethernet port

[ebon dew]

that thing is a beast.

everything out of stock even including the compute modules...

[rapid geode]

yup

im in no rush on that

[ebon dew]

i can understand the regular pi being out of stock everywhere for whatever reason but the compute module too...

[rapid geode]

my proto / V1 can have that part blank for now. and just run out as a USB keyboard / touch with hdmi monitor

and a few special IO

[ebon dew]

are bitcoin miners switching to these or something to offset power draw and electricity use?

[rapid geode]

i have no idea. i expect they are using their gpu's as tissues

[ebon dew]

lol

[rapid geode]

took the beacon off. meh

this is neat

they just put a disply in the upper left corner of the door

but that machine is 9 ft tall.

ooh, i know, i can make a beacon that mounts to the side as an option.

[lapis bluff]

Well, not as relevant as the 40 years of experience that followed.

But, I was actually asking (somewhat facetiously) if it was relevant to the OP's query about if anyone persues computer degrees.

[rapid geode]

yes i know, but i am just curious how much as really changed.

[rapid geode]

last tweak for today. need to figure out he key mechanics next i think.

[nimble ice]

while a lot of the old stuff doesn't disappear, better design principles and approaches emerged, new technology and component options arise, better computer hardware means more forgiving options for code written and systems code runs on new manufacturing options arise, more tools are available to make the tasks easier came to be but you need to learn them to use them.. More widespread knowledge on algorithms and security issues, math has advanced etc... 40 years in computers is a ton

honestly, 40 years on earth changes a lot of things for every type of job

so while you could approach something the same way as 40 years ago in some cases you would be opening up security flaws or doing a ton of extra work for no reason

although there will be things that are at the core and don't change much, don't ever shirk the impact of new technology. Computer engineering has had massive changes, computer science as has had massive changes as well.

[late fulcrum]

There are side-emitting LEDs available, maybe something like a row of them on the edge of the board, behind a diffuser in the housing would work

[late fulcrum]

However, all the popular CPUs these days (ARM, PowerPC, X86) date from the 1900s. There is RISC-V, which is newer, but it's more of an academic demonstrator.

[frigid tiger]

How do they make light diffusers, they work really well

[late fulcrum]

Basically textured clear material (like frosted glass/plastic) or translucent material.

You can use a lot of existing products, or purpose-made diffusion material (e.g. Lee Zircon 810, 811, or 812)

[rapid geode]

if you pull apart a broke lcd monitor youll see some really high end diffuser materials plus a fresnel lens layer. amazing how those 3 little layers can smoother out light with minimal loss

[rapid geode]

problem is theres not really any room left for a "slot" on the edges of the housing. hmmm

[dusty citrus]

I'm sorry, how much would a contractor a guy would cost?
basically I need a drawing and firmware for something that's relatively small
I don't have time for that, and there's a lot in the documentation about a particular thing that I don't understand

[thick wind]

Depends on the specialty and scale? Everyone has different rates, so you'll probably have to have your requirements written down and just ask around...

Someone who's done it before might charge 100/hr and be done in a day, while a less-experienced guy could charge a third of that but require 10 times the hours. Picking the right guy isn't easy, so identifying exactly what you need will help you a lot in narrowing down the best fit for your application.

For a small enough job, you could also post a listing with what you're willing to pay and see who's interested in taking it up?

[late fulcrum]

Just make the housing out of translucent plastic, put the LEDs on the edge of the board inside, and it should work

[rapid geode]

oh, that's what was in the prevous render. a little bulge out. dont like the look.

i did have an idea though. i can make the housing a little wider, just not taller (machine limits). so if i add about 6mm to each side i could put a light bar next to the screen

[late fulcrum]

I don't understand. How does changing the housing material cause a bulge?

[rapid geode]

oh, i see. no housing is metal

has to be metal. plastic will get destroyed

from heat, solvents, impact

thats why the keys are replacable. when (not if) they get ruined you can toss em in the bin and put new ones in

on a woodworking machine plastic might be ok, but im trying to make this universal

[late fulcrum]

That is an issue. There are exotic approaches, but you're probably better off with your light bars.

[rapid geode]

i also need a sealed hatch for a operator accessible usb key ideally.

and a literal key

so each staff member gets a little key, kinda like a door key fob. then you know who broke the machine 😛

[spice moss]

watching ESA Vega-C launch and interesting device on it as payload with cubesats

[rapid geode]

but not rfid

light bar can indicate spindle torque while running and status and alarms when stopped or errored

[late fulcrum]

There are USB drives available with non-standard connectors so users can't just swap them with ordinary thumb drives.

[rapid geode]

id worry usb wouldnt be durable enough. not sure what else there is though.

(for the user key)

for storage usb is fine

as long as its in a little compartment

and not just poked in the side

weirdly a lot of cnc's use compact flash

probably jsut cause they are old tech though

cf is pretty durable though

[late fulcrum]

I've seen ordinary PCs with their drives replaced with CF cards, so the vibration won't affect rotating media. The interface is electrically compatible, so you just need an adapter to plug a CF card into an IDE controller.

You could use anything you want for the user key. I've seen some made with a simple TRRS plug carrying I2C traffic.

[rapid geode]

yeah, only downside was in the past cf had write limit. but now its a non issue

googles trrs

[late fulcrum]

Most of those machines didn't need to write, so wearout wasn't an issue.

[rapid geode]

oh

is there a non contact interface that isnt rf? inductive? the worry with rf is too much interference from motors

[late fulcrum]

My guess is that RF would be more resistant to motor interference than an inductive interface

[rapid geode]

ah, maybe true

[ebon dew]

Oh I like that design better

[rapid geode]

blah, all i do is pointless meetings in the morning

haha

'is it done yet' 'no' 'ok'

hmm. maybe rfid will be fine. if the key slots in or is held in place with magnets or something, it shouldnt be too susceptible to interference

[vestal pier]

optical?

[rapid geode]

hmm

downside there is it needs a battery

i think ill do rf for now, since adafruit has everything needed to make it

[ebon dew]

Meetings are the adult version of a road-trip with kids asking “are we there yet”

[late fulcrum]

You could do inductive power transfer and optical communication, but that's likely more complex than warranted.

[rapid geode]

yeah

[ebon dew]

the new motorized slide potentiometer is basically what I'm trying to do for an automated curtain project, wish it was like 4 feet longer. 😛

[rapid geode]

ha

[rapid geode]

emergency stop posed some problems so i shuffled things around a little. also made it fatter full 24mm of the plate i have now. i was trying to keep it thinner but the e stops are all really huge

so now the key. i see 2 issues.

1, you want the person to put the key in and have it stay there, but also you dont want the person to lose the key.

[rapid geode]

there, a little pad for rfid key, with an indicator led

made the handle bigger too. i always get yelled at for that cause my hands are small and other peoples dont fit haha

for reference, the entire panel is the size of a 15" lcd screen, so it is not very big

[arctic folio]

I feel somehow like that's a really awful spot for the e-stop

[whole jacinth]

yeah, it seems like it would be better for the e-stop to be on the front panel, ideally somewhere it can be hit with some force without breaking or twisting mounts

[rapid geode]

it is good there, IF the panel is arm mounted. easy to hit without hitting anything else.

if you flat mount the panel to the machine, it is a problem

also really annoying to machine the mounting area

i had it on the front, but it was too crowded by everything else

also the switches are like 50mm tall, so it would poke out the back of the panel

most machines have the e stop on a second separate custom panel with mechanical buttons and switches for power, coolant door interlocks etc.

but im trying to cram it all into one

[rapid geode]

is there a free easy lens design app that i could try to make buttons with? idea being to get somethign like the stream deck - lcd behind the buttons.

[night crescent]

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[fathom dome]

so i just read about if else statements! and they stated that it is more cleaner and better to just use if statements and drop the else and else if is this true? anyone in here do that? 🙂

[spice moss]

as all the space news lately yesterday was ESA launch and interesting science experiment with it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWJs2aonpBY

[fathom dome]

erh why does FastLED not support SK6812 RGBW 😭

[dusty citrus]

I don't get it
SIM7600G-H-M.2
is designed to be plugged into something specific (like any board with m2)
or can be used for other applications?
if so how are you supposed to control it? don't exist like libraries or idk?

basically what I wanted to do is a tracker to be mounted on my bike
I can't use sim800 because 2/3g here doesn't exist anymore

[fathom dome]

does neopixel library support SK6812 RGBW ? i soooo hate that FastLED does not and probably never will 😦 so im looking into switching to neopixel if it supports SK6812 RGBW and have more or less the same helper functions as FastLED has?

[thick wind]

Because it's independently supported by an individual who developed the library long before RGBW gained popularity. Plenty of forks have since been created to do exactly that, though.

There are advantages and disadvantages to switching to a Neopixel-based implementation, but certainly will not be an easy transition in comparison.

[rapid geode]

adafruit neopixel strips are sk6812 so id assume they work with that

[tardy badger]

Only half true, they can’t guarantee if they get sk6812 or wb2812 variety

They mention this in the product pages

[rapid geode]

sure, but i mean, thats a chip they use

[tardy badger]

But they are functionally the same

Sk6812 are just better for power consumption and have less issues with 3.3V data lines

[thick wind]

Actually, some strips, namely the higher-density silicone-encased ones, actually do promise the sk6812 variety.

[fathom dome]

i see there is a branch on FastLED called RGBWexpress is that for RGBW? 🤔 i see it also is downgraded from 3.5 to 3.3 so it is a lower version of FastLED

[tardy badger]

Do they? I ordered a 1m strip and the listing said it may be either

[thick wind]

In any case, RGBW is a big chunk of functionality that the original FastLED library lacks.

[tardy badger]

Unless it’s changed since I ordered a few months ago

[thick wind]

It does depend on which product. Not all of them come with the either-or condition.

[fathom dome]

i have tried the "FastLED hack" for RGBW SK6812 while it works on the basic level!! none of the helper functions work 😦 so im stuck

[tardy badger]

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1461?length=1

[thick wind]

For example, https://www.adafruit.com/product/2970 specifically calls out SK6812, while https://www.adafruit.com/product/1506 ships with one of the two.

[tardy badger]

This was what I ordered so this particular strip can be either

[thick wind]

Correct.

[tardy badger]

That’s neat that they can guarantee sk6812 on some of these strips

[tardy badger]

While fast LED might be idea because it’s faster, I believe the Adafruit neopixel library supports RGBW

[thick wind]

It's more common on the newer, higher-density strips where power efficiency probably matters more.

[tardy badger]

Yeah, on the 3535 size, there is nearly a 20mA per LED peak current consumption difference

I personally prefer the sk6812

[thick wind]

The hack, if it's the same one I'm thinking of, does say it doesn't offer complete compatibility with all of the helper functions due to how the bytes are cyclically iterated. I haven't explored the FastLED forks, but there are a couple different ones with differing levels of support. I can't guarantee any of them are perfect, but it's pretty likely one of them will have what you're looking for.

It does come down to whether you're more comfortable searching GitHub for a fork that has what you want, or buckling down for a migration to Adafruit_Neopixel...

[crystal ore]

Personally I consider that kind of a silly rule. Although many nested levels of if-else statements can definitely get confusing.

[hazy dune]

About how long would it take to transfer about 140gb with a 32GB and 16gb drive (I have a 32GB sd but the new computer doesn’t have an sd card slot. I need to get a microsd to USB adapter but i can’t rn)

[thick wind]

There are a lot of variables when considering data transfer rates. Typically, you're limited by the write speeds of the target disk, but drive read speeds, data transfer protocol, fragmentation, and individual filesizes all factor into transferring data.

Depending on what I'm doing, sometimes I'll instead opt to physically remove the drive from the old PC and connect it to the new one for file transferring.

[hazy dune]

That’s too much for me I’m just gonna do it how is was gonna however long it takes

[thick wind]

If you have a wired connection or a strong wifi router, direct network transfer might also be an option.

[molten pine]

Im considering building a remote controlled fountain/waterfall type thing, and I have a feeling I should use some sort of microcontroller but idek if thats necessary

how would you guys go about building one?

[whole jacinth]

wired or wireless? how far away? what kind of surroundings? (including whether you want to operate it from indoors while it's outside)

[molten pine]

well i do want it to be able to plug into the wall so you dont need to keep charging it

it would definitely be a mini-indoor type of thing. Something that you have on your desk or on a shelf

I considered an IR remote which seems like the easier option, but being able to control it with your phone sounds cooler

that would probably require like WiFi or BT

[whole jacinth]

you can probably buy a BLE-activated on/off switch off the shelf

[static flare]

I see them on eBay for like, $10

[molten pine]

my first choice was an IR remote like this but i can never find batteries for any of them lol

[thick wind]

That all depends on the scope of your project. If you only need wireless control to turn parts of it on/off, something like https://www.adafruit.com/product/1097 would do.
For more integrated control, WiFi or bluetooth controllers like an ESP32 or NRF52 would probably be a better match for what you're looking for.

[molten pine]

this sounds like a feasible option

[molten pine]

oh I completely forgot RF even exists 💀

ngl that seems convenient too

[molten pine]

seems like i can buy a transmitter/receiver set for less than a dollar where I live

[thick wind]

There are also smart plugs that basically just turn a power socket on/off, but they're controllable from your phone or PC over some IoT network.

[molten pine]

that works too, but ideally I would also want the fountain to feature some LEDs or something so the RF module actually seems better

[whole jacinth]

microcontroller with built-in BLE support seems like a good option if you want to do something more complicated than simple on/off

[molten pine]

huh I see, I mean I was just thinking you should be able to switch the LEDs between like a breathing mode and solid on and solid off, and it seems like I can do that with RF

but using a microcontroller would help me learn 🤔

[thick wind]

That's all stuff you should choose based on project goals and budget, but they're all great ideas.

[ebon dew]

depends if your microcontroller has wifi, if it doesn't then the RF receiver becomes much more appealing.

because with wifi you can use adafruitio with ifttt

[thick wind]

An ESP32 running off of a smart plug would be my personal choice, but there are plenty of options to choose from.

[molten pine]

I want it to be more of a learning experience and just having a cool deskpiece to show for it

idk what kind of microcontrollers I would need since Ive never worked with one before

[thick wind]

Oh, a small deskpiece? For some reason I was imagining like a garden koi pond kinda project LOL

[molten pine]

LMAO I wish I had a house that big 💀

[thick wind]

Pico W would be the way to go for a low-budget, but you could use whatever controller you want.

[ebon dew]

ah, the Qt Py S3 is one of the latest and most powerful in a small package. great product to start with. has wifi and bluetooth so you can build a bluetooth app on your phone and just use the phone to enable/disable things.

Pico W isn't currently available. Qt Py S3 is.

JP is live ❤️

[whole jacinth]

S3 is still beta-ish, i think?

[thick wind]

An ESP32-devkit is also pretty cheap these days, but a bit harder to use.

I'd personally +1 the QTPY S2 if they're in stock.

[molten pine]

I dont wanna use WiFi I think because the WiFi situation at home is a bit dicey and all spots dont get great coverage, I dont wanna buy a switch just for my water fountain

BLE sounds good though

[thick wind]

BLE is a bit more expensive and a bit more difficult IIRC?

[molten pine]

wow, the S3 is tiny

[whole jacinth]

BLE is less fussy than WiFi with configuring stuff (passwords, etc)

[thick wind]

NRF52 is a bit on the pricier side, S3 or even the first-gen ESP32 if you don't need Circuitpython...

[molten pine]

I dont mind writing C, although circuitpython would definitely make everything much less of a headache

[molten pine]

I shall keep that in mind

[ebon dew]

@thick wind circuit python is coming to the ESP32 and ESP32-V2 soon 😉 better late than never.

[thick wind]

By that point, I'll probably be looking at the C3/C6, though.

[ebon dew]

yeah NRF52840 is pricey compared to most other boards because of all the on-board sensors. The new ESP32-S3 is a better board, more of everything except sensors which are easy enough to add externally with stemma anyway.

[thick wind]

I already use ESP32 in Arduino so I'm not super desperate for CP

And I have an S2 and S3 already so I'm not exactly waiting for the ESP

[whole jacinth]

https://www.adafruit.com/product/4062 nRF52840 Feather without the sensors is a little less expensive

[ebon dew]

true and putting CP on an older ESP32 that has smaller flash and ram won't get you far vs the new s2 or s3.

though i don't think it's a huge difference in the case of an ESP32, they only added a little bit

[whole jacinth]

ItsyBitsy nRF52840 is even less expensive, but no battery charging (probably not a big deal if you're planning to plug in the fountain https://www.adafruit.com/product/4481

[thick wind]

I would like to eventually get an easier way to connect a dot-clock tft to an esp32-S3 because I wanted to play with that stuff, but if CP never supports it I'll probably just get over myself and setup a proper ESP-IDF

[ebon dew]

the clue is also almost identical to a feather sense but also as expensive.

esp32-s3 is a new flagship board, i'm sure they'll get everything in there eventually. they're pretty busy with major projects involving web workflow and wippersnapper currently.

[whole jacinth]

i wouldn't recommend ESP32-S3 for starting out, given all the difficulties i've been hearing about

[thick wind]

Even if they did, my application is a bit too specialized to see CPy support haha

[rapid geode]

clue has no battery charging

[thick wind]

The S2 is still the way to go if you can get one.

[ebon dew]

yeah it's probably overwhelming as a first board. i'd recommend starting out with arduino ATMega or feather M0

[whole jacinth]

ESP32-S2 has WiFi but no BLE, i think, but tends to be cheaper than the nRF52 chips

[ebon dew]

ESP32-V2 has wifi and ble but no circuit python (yet)

every board has it's own ups and downs

[lusty fossil]

was having a hard day, but then remembered I bought an Arizona Green "Tea" today

Sugar water to the rescue

[thick wind]

Isn't ESP32-V2 is just the old chipset on a refreshed board layout?

[ebon dew]

yes

it's esp32 classic rev 2

[rapid geode]

i have mango pinapple sugar water

mmm

[lusty fossil]

Such delish

[rapid geode]

the clue is nice i think as a first board cause its all in one. (except charging). screen included.

[ebon dew]

true and getting familiar playing with onboard sensors is easier than I2C

[rapid geode]

yeah

ready to go toy

[whole jacinth]

yeah, the Clue is pretty nice, if a bit expensive

[ebon dew]

sensors add cost

[rapid geode]

price is relative i suppose. its only a little more than the feather sense

[whole jacinth]

i wouldn't recommend ATmega boards for starting on anymore, unless you have to be compatible with Arduino Uno, etc

feather sense is still a bit pricey (and was out of stock for a long time)

[ebon dew]

it's harder but also more convenient to use external I2C sensors, you can add what you want. for example i never use the gyro or accelerometer on my feather sense.

[rapid geode]

yeah i got the clue cause the sense was out, but, im kinda glad

[ebon dew]

so that additional cost for those sensors is wasted

[lusty fossil]

How much harder though? Adafruit in CP and arduino makes I2C pretty painless. The guides lay out the trip hazards pretty clearly

[ebon dew]

oh it's not much harder at all, just saying from an absolute beginners perspective it might be a little more daunting to get involved with I2C bus out of the gate.

[rapid geode]

not "harder" but rather more work, getting all the parts, cables, etc

[lusty fossil]

Fair enough, I just think it's not suuuper hard

[rapid geode]

knowing which ones work

and do what

[lusty fossil]

maybe I'm just underestimating because I've done it a bunch

[rapid geode]

why are they 40 accelerometer options, etc

[ebon dew]

used to be much harder but with stemma, not much more involved. stemma is a game changer.

[rapid geode]

clue comes loaded with a working example using everything on it too.

[lusty fossil]

whoever thought of stemma better have gotten a raise!

[ebon dew]

yeah so does the sense, esp default example is a wifi sketch. they're really geared towards different uses.

[rapid geode]

although it beleives it is 24C in here. i is definitely not

haha

[ebon dew]

i think it was lady ada herself

[lusty fossil]

oh nice!

Not surprised

[rapid geode]

its almost like she is smart or something

haha

[lusty fossil]

rul smort

[ebon dew]

her intelligence never ceases to amaze, she really is brilliant.

and so is phil for that matter, they're a powerhouse of unlimited ideas.

[rapid geode]

im no good at this stuff generally, but, im good at some thing (my job) so i can imagine someone like her just knows and understands how everything works straight off

[whole jacinth]

Stemma won't help you with I2C address conflicts, though, so having a big pile of I2C sensors on-board that have been pre-selected to not conflict (like Clue and Feather Sense) is really great for beginners, i think

[ebon dew]

oh she's top shelf at what she does... which is pretty much anything she sets her mind to.

[thick wind]

For non-wifi, RP2040 is probably the new gold standard for entry level tinkerers.

[rapid geode]

feather sense rp2040? ha

[thick wind]

It's not common to have a lot of address conflicts to begin with. Usually that's more common when you start adding multiples of the same device.

[ebon dew]

that's true argon, i wonder how many boards they have that actually have conflicts.

[rapid geode]

when/if i actually make my cnc panel i think ill use the rp2040

[ebon dew]

i imagine they probably have a database somewhere with every board address so they can avoid them

[whole jacinth]

i might get some RP2040 boards just to play with the PIO. it looks really nifty

[thick wind]

https://learn.adafruit.com/i2c-addresses/the-list gives you a pretty good idea, though it might not have all the latest stuff...

[whole jacinth]

it's a bit out of date, but i think they recently moved the database to GitHub so it'll be easier to update

[rapid geode]

the PIO seems like it would be good for the leds (neopixel)

[thick wind]

If cost is a concern, Pi Pico can't be beat haha

[ebon dew]

bookmarked. that's super handy for picking out boards that won't conflict... though i assume most have jumper pads you can use to avoid a conflict but no telling if you jumper it won't be on another address with another board 😛

[thick wind]

For everything else, there's probably a better form-fit board for that.

[whole jacinth]

LOL Pico is a 100Msamp/s logic analyzer for USD 4.00 if you can wrangle the software into usable shape

[ebon dew]

Raspberry Pi said they're shipping 2 million Pi's by the end of the year. how do you get rid of price fixing scalpers? flood the market with so many boards they can't afford to snatch them all up.

[rapid geode]

can it run a sizable display?

i assume probably not

[thick wind]

What's a sizeable display?

[rapid geode]

vga

[ebon dew]

I thought most Pi's could do HDMI and 1080p or at least 720p.

[rapid geode]

640x480

[whole jacinth]

like original VGA? analog? (might be tricky)

[rapid geode]

no, i mean just the res

[ebon dew]

pico's can't do hdmi?

[rapid geode]

pico doesnt have a gpu no?

oh, can they?

[ebon dew]

ohh i was reading about someone that converted vga to hdmi

might have been a pi zero? i could be wrong.

but pi zero has hdmi out so that doesn't make sense.

[rapid geode]

well im not converting, im thinking of the stream deck idea, an lcd behind the keys

[ebon dew]

same!

i keep ordering so much stuff i have 2 free rp2040 keeboars now.

[rapid geode]

haha

[ebon dew]

and i have an extra 3.5" tft so i'm like... it's gonna happen.

[rapid geode]

i tried to order a tft from waveshare on amazon and it got "lost"

sigh

[ebon dew]

lol

oh thought you meant you got lost in their store

[rapid geode]

at least amazon refuns with no fuss

[ebon dew]

😦

yeah they're pretty good about that

[rapid geode]

ill need to get that 9"

but, not sure about something behind the keys

i guess it could be run from the host as well

[thick wind]

Guys, Pi Pico is a microcontroller, not a Linux SBC.

[rapid geode]

yes

thats why i asked

[ebon dew]

i have a 7" from digikey, just arrived today 🙂

[thick wind]

It can with a few resistors.

https://vanhunteradams.com/Pico/VGA/VGA.html

[ebon dew]

and the 40 pin driver is on the way from adafruit. compatible with circuit python. will be powering it with an ultimaker S3

since that's the only S3 feather in stock.

[thick wind]

RP2040 has 264kb of ram, so not enough for a 640x480 display.

[ebon dew]

lady ada said the S3 feather production should ramp back up this week or next week.

[rapid geode]

youre replacing the screen on the printeR? or somethign else

[rapid geode]

ah, ok

[thick wind]

at least for a conventional framebuffer.

[rapid geode]

so id need something else to drive the screen

[thick wind]

You could manage it with some creative DMA access or downscaling, but it's a bit tough.

[rapid geode]

it is not a "live" screen though. like it will refresh on demand for button presses. a few fps at most

[thick wind]

Driving the screen itself is fine, as long as you have the memory interface

[ebon dew]

the unexpected maker feather S3 has 16MB of flash and 8MB of PSRAM 😉

[rapid geode]

O_o

maybe its better to drive it from the host pc. the pi computer can do dual hdmi

as can most external pcs

[ebon dew]

yeah any display bigger than 480x320 is probably best run on a Pi

[rapid geode]

could also do a mounted pi zero too, they are cheaper than an hdmi cable

ha

[ebon dew]

but the 5" and 7" displays come with a driver board that claims it can get the job done on 640x480

[rapid geode]

yeah, some displays effectively have a cpu on them than can load from SD cars

but i dont think thats what i want here

hmm

is there a non wifi pi zero 2?

[ebon dew]

how big is your display? can always rip out a laptop screen (or buy one individually with a universal controller board)

[rapid geode]

or do i just get the old one.

[ebon dew]

oh if you have the choice i'd go for a zero 2 over a zero. if wifi isn't required, you can just leave it disconnected.

[rapid geode]

laptops screens have no controller at all. just lvds or dp

[ebon dew]

sure they do if you get a universal controller.

[rapid geode]

anyhow, the sceen behind the keys is like 7-8"

a waveshare dsi model would work, socket the pi zero into it

hmm

[ebon dew]

i had a laptop die and i ripped the screen out, found a universal controller, and voila. it has buttons on the control board that act more like a monitor display with buttons for display settings.

[rapid geode]

every laptop ive ever had is raw lvds

oh, i see, buy a controller

[ebon dew]

something like this https://www.amazon.com/Controller-LP173WD1-N173FGE-1600x900-Backlight/dp/B06X9P824L

[rapid geode]

yeah but thast basically what waveshare is doing anyway

[ebon dew]

ah

[rapid geode]

waveshare is just tablet and phone screens mostly with a driver board

mostly hdmi, some with dsi and dpi

special for pi

[ebon dew]

oh

well i ended up hooking up the repurposed laptop screen to a pi 3b

[rapid geode]

gorilla glass touch panels

cool

they also have a 6" flex oled. from a galaxy fold or a similar phone

neat, but expensive and too small for the key area

[ebon dew]

i want to use one of those flexible oleds to make an arm deck like the predator had but more steam punk like a cyber deck on the arm you can wear under a long sleeved shirt.

[rapid geode]

haha

https://www.waveshare.com/product/raspberry-pi/displays/lcd-oled/6inch-hdmi-amoled.htm

2:1 aspect

[ebon dew]

do want

that looks perfect. could unsolder most of the plugs for hardwiring and make it lower profile.