Category Archives: Electronics

Alexa, please turn on game room

Posted on January 14, 2018 by jimbo

After a kind Christmas gift from R, to get me started, (how did you know?

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CNC Build – Back in the game!

Posted on July 28, 2017 by jimbo

I decided that I was going to figure out the sensor cable today, once and for all, one way or the other. And, spoiler alert, I did. I cut the zip ties and looked at the way the port is … Continue reading →

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CNC Build – Stupid cables

Posted on July 24, 2017 by jimbo

Connecting the new sensor cable is tough — it’s a “real” RS232 cable, so the female end has two protruding female studs, so that two cables can be bolted together. This totally doesn’t work with the way I attached the … Continue reading →

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CNC Build – Courage is the first virtue

Posted on July 23, 2017 by jimbo

Well, as per normal in the way my life and hobbies go, it took two months to get back to the CNC once I’d determined that the cables fit properly. I decided that I was going to push forward today, … Continue reading →

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PCB – The sun is the thing

Posted on March 4, 2013 by jimbo

I finally got back on the PCB fabrication horse. I printed out v1.1 of the 74HC595 LCD backpack, and v1.0 of the MCP23008 version. I chopped up the transparencies and mounted them up on Saturday, then worked on getting the … Continue reading →

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Breadboard works

Posted on February 27, 2013 by jimbo

With my initial hubris about circuit construction dulled by a couple of nasty bugs and failures, I decided to construct my next circuit the old fashioned way — I bread boarded it first. I wanted to do an I2C version … Continue reading →

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PCB Fab – Breadboard first!

Posted on February 26, 2013 by jimbo

After failing to get the 74LS174 board working, I decided to go with the flow and build a 74HC595-based LCD driver board instead. There are plenty of examples online, from Adafruit to Steve Hobley to Rowan Simms — this will … Continue reading →

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PCB Fabrication – OK, I over-reached

Posted on February 10, 2013 by jimbo

I decided to tackle my first circuit that includes an IC. I picked an old standby, the Myke Predko 2-wire LCD backpack, where he uses a Hex Buffer (74LS174), wires it as a shift register, and then uses a diode/resistor … Continue reading →

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CNC – At last!

Posted on February 5, 2013 by jimbo

The CNC machine is functional. I had been on a bit of a mission lately, to get the machine up and running. Among things that needed to be fixed, replaced, or installed: – The router bearings were going out, so … Continue reading →

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PCB Fabrication – Getting the hang of it

Posted on February 3, 2013 by jimbo

With my first PCB under my belt, I was ready to etch a board for something I really need. I took the lessons learned last week, and was able to produce a really nice result this time. This is a … Continue reading →

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