Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category.

AirDeck at Mojo’s Dojo

hey, check out what my friend Joel has been up to using a wiimote and infrared LEDs: a virtual theremin with DJ scratching ability!

http://bit.ly/9i0a3z

Bridge City Tools zero-electricty precision saw

I can’t even begin to tell you how big the puddle of drool is in front of me after watching this video. But, ouch, that pricetag!

planning for logging primary fermenter airlock activity with an arduino

I’m beginning to formulate how I would implement a data logger for airlock bubbling activity in a primary fermentation vessel. I’m not exactly sure how I will take a sensor reading from an airlock yet. In a 1 piece double chamber airlock, I could try putting a photo interrupt sensor where the carbon dioxide blows into the second chamber… not sure if that’ll work at all. In a 3-piece airlock, I could try to record up and down movement of the internal piece by bouncing a light beam or something off the top? I dunno exactly what to do. Something tells me I may end up fabricating something else. Simpler is better, so I’ll have to think long and hard about it. In the meantime, I think this is the workflow of data capture and reporting, using an Async Labs WiShield:

remote_sensor_logging_and_reporting_logic

fader/slider common platform idea

I just went to reorder sliders I had *very* expensively and carefully vetted out of a small crowd of contenders only to discover that mouser.com had run out of their on-hand stock of over 1200 pieces. I think it would be totally insane to try to keep vetting new hardware and redesigning my circuit boards based around an inconsistent supply of components. So, I’m thinking about moving to a modular “sled” kind of design for sliders so that I can keep my circuit board in a static configuration and be able to plug and play whatever sliders I’m able to get my hands on when I need to replicate my project. Here’s a preliminary sketch:

slider_sled_idea_sketch