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Pretty Quiet Here Lately — Parallax Forums

Pretty Quiet Here Lately

ercoerco Posts: 20,255
edited 2013-12-06 14:25 in Robotics
Must be a dearth of projects lately because everyone's busy gearing up for the Christmas frenzy. I'm looking forward to building some cool stuff over Christmas break, I'll post more then. Hope others get time to do amd share their projects as well. Heck, I'll settle for a few more figure 8 submissions!

@Parallax: Hack the halls contest, Yea or Nay? Don't make us go rogue on you!

Comments

  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-12-04 09:08
    I received my encoder PCBs back a few days ago. The first one I plugged in emitted a little puff of smoke. And they say IR is invisible to naked eye.

    I'm pretty sure the problem was some solder sorted out the current limiting resistor to the LED.

    Hopefully I'll have some project updates soon.

    Did you see Xanadu's latest robot? Pretty cool IMO.

    Hack the Halls or not, I'm working on some Christmas lights (RGB of course).

    So what's up your sleeve?
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2013-12-04 09:15
    Quiet? Not if you are the P2 threads. :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,255
    edited 2013-12-04 10:26
    Duane Degn wrote: »
    The first one I plugged in emitted a little puff of smoke.

    THAT you should have Youtubed. :) JK, save the fireworks for the July Fourth.

    Duane Degn wrote: »
    So what's up your sleeve?

    Finish Spiderbot, make it do a figure 8, some more laser sensor experiments, test lots of new Ebay parts piling up on my bench, incl this new speech module: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Speech-Synthesizer-Bee-speech-synthesis-module-compatible-Arduino-xbee-/380746234947?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a63e7c43#ht_2120wt_712

    I also just got this TAB Robot Kit for $10. I think I'll be the first to do a figure 8 using one of those after I slap a Stamp into it.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/161159821495?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_845wt_913

    And also some kind of interactive holiday music project. Ultrasonic sensor/thermin somethingortheother. And maybe teach Jinglebot a new song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inM04mo9D8Q

    And make a video of my Robot Room. I keep getting requests for that.
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    edited 2013-12-04 10:27
    erco wrote: »
    Must be a dearth of projects lately because everyone's busy gearing up for the Christmas frenzy. I'm looking forward to building some cool stuff over Christmas break, I'll post more then. Hope others get time to do amd share their projects as well. Heck, I'll settle for a few more figure 8 submissions!

    @Parallax: Hack the halls contest, Yea or Nay? Don't make us go rogue on you!

    Going to be a pretty short contest! We may have to start our own, probably without cool Parallax prizes though.
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    edited 2013-12-04 10:28
    Duane Degn wrote: »
    I received my encoder PCBs back a few days ago. The first one I plugged in emitted a little puff of smoke. And they say IR is invisible to naked eye.

    I'm pretty sure the problem was some solder sorted out the current limiting resistor to the LED.

    Hopefully I'll have some project updates soon.

    Did you see Xanadu's latest robot? Pretty cool IMO.

    Hack the Halls or not, I'm working on some Christmas lights (RGB of course).

    So what's up your sleeve?

    Thanks Duane!
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2013-12-04 10:31
    I'm trying to find a new job before I get laid off. Ho! Ho! Ho!
    (Might have a lot of free project time in 2014!!)
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2013-12-04 10:35
    Publison beat me to it...
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2013-12-04 10:38
    mindrobots wrote: »
    I'm trying to find a new job before I get laid off. Ho! Ho! Ho!

    Maybe your new job will be the answer you've been looking for, even if the pecuniary compensation sucks for a while. :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,255
    edited 2013-12-04 10:40
    xanadu wrote: »
    Going to be a pretty short contest! We may have to start our own, probably without cool Parallax prizes though.

    SOMEONE has got to MAN UP and use a Snuggie (blanket w/sleeves) in a holiday project. :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xZp-GLMMJ0

    Even better would be the Forever Lazy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S2p7AiNX9g
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2013-12-04 11:14
    Well last night I installed my new Spring RC continuous rotation servos into my Boe-bot. But I didn't think it was worth starting a thread over. They make a really nice whirring sound and are more powerful than Parallax CR servos. Although they are less powerful than Power HD CR servos, but Power HD servos are too much of a good thing. I have a pair of standard Power HD servos and they draw so much current they'll reset a microcontroller if it don't have its own power supply.

    As far as Snuggies go. We were given one (hopefully as a joke) a few years back, and our dog loves it.
  • blittledblittled Posts: 681
    edited 2013-12-04 11:25
    This weekend I'm picking up a smart TV. The only thing I heard bad about it is that the remote stinks when using an onscreen keyboard. They do sell a blue tooth keyboard but the apps have to be blue tooth aware to use it which my Amazon Prime Instant Video is not. So I was thinking about using a Propeller to read a PS2 keyboard then translating it to the proper cursor moves to place the tv cursor over the correct key then send the proper IR code out to move the cursor and enter the onscreen key.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-12-04 17:32
    I have been out of the loop for almost two weeks due to some devastating news. My brother ( one year older than I am) was recently diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. It is a very rapid moving form of cancer and had covered most of his body and his brain by the time it was found. The doctors did radiation on his brain and back to try and reduce the swelling. Once the biopsy was back and they knew what it was they started the Chemo. Apparently although this type of cancer spreads rapidly, it also is killed somewhat easily with the Chemo. The problem is that it was so wide spread throughout his body that it is almost certain to come back. I have spent the better part of the past 2 weeks at the hospital with him. They are hoping to move him to Rehab in the next day or two and he will spend a couple weeks there. Once he is released we are not sure what is going to happen. He lives by himself and due to the economy he lost his job last year and has no insurance. I plan to list a bunch of items in the Classifieds so I can raise money to help him out a bit. It may take a week or so but stay tuned. I have a whole bunch of Basic Stamp related items I can part with.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2013-12-04 18:49
    Andy, I'm really sorry to hear that, my condolences to you and your brother.
  • shimniokshimniok Posts: 177
    edited 2013-12-04 20:07
    Well, I'm working on a robot that will take the trash cans to the curb for me. ServoCity sent me a bunch of cool Actobotics parts to evaluate and I'd been wanting to do a trash robot for a couple years now. I figure I'll apply lessons learned from Data Bus / AVC for navigation.

    Also working with some folks on diyrovers group (not DIYdrones) to look at porting APM:Rover2 to a custom rover autopilot board for AVC and tweaking it so each of us can more easily experiment with our own unique algorithms. The rover autopilot board will probably be based on my evolving Data Bus designs. There's also been talk of porting to Teensy and also STM32 Discovery boards. Direction is still evolving.

    I'm still slogging away at my concept for an embeddable, cheap board for small, dedicated tasks. Think DigiSpark/Trinket, but with mounting holes and more GPIO pins and no USB bootloader taking up precious flash. I think it's time for a small board that's built to be embedded.
  • shimniokshimniok Posts: 177
    edited 2013-12-04 20:09
    @Andy just saw the post, really sorry to hear the news. Hoping for the best outcome
  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,129
    edited 2013-12-04 23:38
    With our "slow season" approaching, my part-time job has become a little less "part-time". I began working as an inventory supervisor a month or so ago then last week I was asked if I would mind learning the position of Area Recruiting and Training Manager. Saturday will be the 7th consecutive day at work... <sigh>.

    Projects? Many! Time? Not so much. There are Wally and Scooter the two walking 'bots, my tracked beastie Ted, Clyde the clear stepper 'bot, Wilson the two-wheeler, Bob the Boe Bot and many uC/sensor experiments all demanding time that's becoming increasingly hard to find. :frown:

    @
  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,129
    edited 2013-12-04 23:50
    @Andy So sorry to hear this. I'll light a Lavender candle for him.

    Amanda
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,255
    edited 2013-12-05 01:29
    Sorry to hear that news, Andy. God bless your family at this very difficult time. We're praying for the best possible outcome.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-12-06 14:25
    NWCCTV wrote: »
    I have been out of the loop for almost two weeks due to some devastating news. My brother ( one year older than I am) was recently diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. It is a very rapid moving form of cancer and had covered most of his body and his brain by the time it was found. The doctors did radiation on his brain and back to try and reduce the swelling. Once the biopsy was back and they knew what it was they started the Chemo. Apparently although this type of cancer spreads rapidly, it also is killed somewhat easily with the Chemo. The problem is that it was so wide spread throughout his body that it is almost certain to come back. I have spent the better part of the past 2 weeks at the hospital with him. They are hoping to move him to Rehab in the next day or two and he will spend a couple weeks there. Once he is released we are not sure what is going to happen. He lives by himself and due to the economy he lost his job last year and has no insurance. I plan to list a bunch of items in the Classifieds so I can raise money to help him out a bit. It may take a week or so but stay tuned. I have a whole bunch of Basic Stamp related items I can part with.

    Sorry to hear that..my prayers are with your brother and family.
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