(Before Geek was Cool)
Since the clerks at work do me a lot of favors I wanted to something nice for them. Build a desktop flower, controlled either by the computer or sensors in the flower or flower pot. For this I looked into the Teensy 2.0, costing less than $15, it is with our companies restriction on gift prices ($25).
Basically the Teensy, is a tiny Arduino. Easy to program and wire into projects. Allowing for smart projects.
I had high hopes for printing in 3D, maybe too high.
A few years back I purchased a MakerBot Kit, from MakerBot. Which took almost a week to build, align and get working. But it did a fair job at printing 3d objects. But we wanted better.
So I order a Solidoodle 2nd Generation printing. Much sturdier I thought, will work much better. First day the extruder broke, mostly due to a different method of loading filament than the MakerBot. My fault. I purchase parts to repair the head, and even a replacement head. IT NEVER printed a 3D model as good as the MakerBot, which is sad.
Then last year Solidoodle introduced the Press, a self leveling, unibody 3D printer. Ordered, and waiting 5 months. At first look the printer is impressive. large 8x8x8 print area, filament holder inside the case. I was excited.
Went through the calibration test run, hopes quickly died.
Filament doesn’t adhere to the print surface at all, but it holds on to the extruder very well.. Prints one big blob of plastic.
On top of that the print bed rises to meet the extruder, when printing completed or it stopped, I fully expected the bed to lower. The print bed didn’t lower. So for big handed users like myself getting in the printer to clean the blob is difficult.
So, in no way can I recommend this printer. I’ll detract this if Solidoodle support gets back to me with fixes.
[UPDATE #1]
After getting the standard, set temp higher for both extruder and build plate, and spraying the build plate with hair spray. I finally got what has to be my best print ever.
HOWEVER!!
When I attempted to print a second box today, in greater detail, the extruder was clogged. I attempted to increase the temperature to the extruder, extruding 100mm of filament and retracting the filament. However all I got was a thumping noise out of extruder head. Emailed tech support, AGAIN. And of course they are closed on weekends.
~David
Ok..
I’m not an engineer or anything but WTF!
A few years ago I purchased a IRTrans from IRTrans (http://www.irtrans.com/en/index.php). Back when I was using an Apple Cube (tells you how long ago that was). Well I got out the IRTrans module the other day to start working on a new project, that I hadn’t started on yet. Every time I put my phone on my desk, the LED would blink. Didn’t think anything about it.
Then I noticed it only blinked when one of the cameras were facing the IRTrans. Odd. Of course I had to purchase and upgrade to the software, iRed2. Once I got it started I monitored IR activity and Dang it starting getting signals, repeatable signals from the iPhone.
Received one type of signal when the screen was locked, another unlocked, then another when I opened a app.. OMG!!!
Please someone else say they see that! Can Apple make their iPhone (iOS devices) into full fledge IR controllers!..
Note, You heard it here first!
~David
Wow, been a busy month, almost non-stop.
However I am now able to catch up with projects I wanna do. One was fix an issue with PyConnect.
PyConnect is a great system to connect Plex Server to the families three AppleTV boxes. Long and short it changes the Trailers channel into your Plex Server Channel. And it is easy enough for everyone to use.
However when the power goes out (normal here during rainy season), the kids would have to wait till I get home and re-run the script. The script would asked for admin password. Not something I am willing to hand over to the kids yet.
So after some googling this is what I came up with:
set sshPasswd to “supergeek1”
try
tell application “Terminal”
quit
end tell
on error
end try
tell application “Terminal”
activate
my execCmd(“cd /Applications/PlexConnect-Master”, 1)
my execCmd(“set timeout 30”, 1)
my execCmd(“expect -c ‘spawn sudo ./PlexConnect.py; expect \”*?assword:*\”; send \”&sshPassword&\”; interact’;”, 1)
end tell
on execCmd(cmd, pause)
tell application “System Events”
tell application process “Terminal”
set frontmost totrue
keystroke cmd
keystroke return
end tell
end tell
delay pause
end execCmd
This was written in Applescript, saved as an Application bundle, and added to the startup items. Noticed if I didn’t quit terminal first, all the system would do is make a few clicking noises and pyconnect wouldn’t start.
It also has the added bonus of not displaying the password, and you still get the terminal activity window to monitor usage.
Not bad for an afternoon’s playing.
Enjoy
~David
After two days of attempting to get Cron to execute tasks (in this case shell scripts) on a Raspberry PI, I finally got it working.
I must have read at least three dozen sites and all my Raspberry Pi books in my attempts, nothing work..
Here are some of the suggestions I found.
This one states it will edit the users cron file:
pi@raspberry ~ $ crontab -e
This one states it will display all the users schedule cron tasks:
pi@raspberry ~ $ crontab -l
I did find these useful:
pi@raspberry ~ $ /etc/init.d/cron stop
pi@raspberry ~ $ /etc/init.d/cron start
pi@raspberry ~ $ /etc/init.d/cron restart
But none triggered my script to run, then in my notes, from a past project I found:
pi@raspberry ~ $ sudo nano /etc/crontab
This allowed me to edit the system cron task list..
———————————————–
# /etc/crontab: system-wide crontab
# Unlike any other crontab you don’t have to run the `crontab’
# command to install the new version when you edit this file
# and files in /etc/cron.d. These files also have username fields,
# that none of the other crontabs do.
SHELL=/bin/sh
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
# m h dom mon dow user command
17 * * * * root cd / && run-parts –report /etc/cron.hourly
25 6 * * * root test -x /usr/sbin/anacron || ( cd / && run-parts –repo$
47 6 * * 7 root test -x /usr/sbin/anacron || ( cd / && run-parts –repo$
52 6 1 * * root test -x /usr/sbin/anacron || ( cd / && run-parts –repo$
10 * * * * pi cd /home/pi && ./jabberfix.sh
#
———————————————–
The last task, which runs at 10 minutes after the hour, for user pi, fixes my jabber connection.
Honestly, I have no clue what the other tasks are doing. More research! But I am very happy I now know how to add my own tasks to cron.
Enjoy
~David
Opps Sorry.
Figured this out the solution a while ago, didn’t posted as promised.
The solution to the PlexConnect, connecting to my existing Plex Server, was. Is it WOULD NOT work. Plex has to be running on the same box as PlexConnect. And you can’t run PlexConnect on a SERVER because the server already uses the ports that PlexConnect wants to use. Solution, install both on another box, then connect the new Plex system to the existing Plex server. Yes, it is messy, but it worked.
We still have the problem when the power goes out, that someone manually has to start PlexConnect. But we still have plans to create a small LiveCode program that will handle that. So keep checking back.
~David
Over the last couple of years my family has ripped every movie we own and stored it on a Mac Mini Server with a 4th drive attached. Using Plex and a number of plugins and add-ins, almost every device brought into the house can connect. It has been fantastic. Except.
Plex, do not work on the AppleTV. Until now! We were finally able to install PlexConnect and can now watch our movies on TV’s with AppleTVs connected. There are a couple of short falls.
1) the PlexConnect is started up using Terminal, not everyone in the house is tech savvy.
2) PlexConnect can’t easily be restarted if the system is restarted due to power loss.
Obstacles had to be overcome included, we have been running Plex on a Mac mini server, PlexConnect won’t run on a server since the ports are already in use. We had to install another copy of Plex on an old iMac, connect that copy of Plex it to the PlexServer on the Mac Mini. then installed PlexConnect on the Mini everything worked fine. Oh and you need to install Certificates. There are so many different ‘instructions blogs” on how to install Plexconnect it was difficult to work out the proper install. Basically I just put down all the other instructions and tried to figure out what the end result was and why it didn’t work. Two plex servers, linked to the same data, install certificates and DON’T use a server. Bingo!
Then I wanted to find a way to restore PlexConnect in case of power loss while I was away from home. Due to bandwidths limits (by at&t) it is better for everyone if we are going to watch movies we already own, that we use local copies. (Rather than downloading it AGAIN and AGAIN.. Say ‘Frozen’ for a two year old!)
So started to work out writing a startup program in LiveCode, and ran across a program called OpenPlex. Spent a couple of hours playing with it, but it needed a lot of ‘support’ software installed. I am using an older model iMac running 10.6, and it was getting to be more of a pain to use OpenPlex than to write my own program that would just work..
I’ll keep everyone up-to-date on my progress and provide a link to the finished product when completed.
Have a great day.
Over the last couple of months I’ve been playing with a new web development system, WebIOPi.
Nice system, I’ve been reading wonderful projects that people have built using the system, most duplicates of the same projects. Temperature sensors and garage door opener.
I was able to get two temperature sensors up and working on the system, fairly easy. However when I attempted to develop my own ‘programs’ for the system, I ran into a minor, well major problem. No where in the documentation does it tell you where WebIOPi gets installed. So I search the Raspberry Pi for known code, find the html part but not the python. So I posted a question on the developers site, which was passed over with a boiler plate answer, that it wasn’t within the realm of the site. Oh! Great help. Great place to send students for help. Seems the program was written for engineers for engineers.
Feel free to check out their site above, read the instructions completely before trying to use this system. As easily as it installs, it not how easily it is to use!
Well, if your need extend beyond what they have fed you.
—–
My ‘out there’ goal was to have my raspberry pi send me a text message when a GPO changes state, basically an alarm. I have a remote connected to one GPO that it will monitor to arm and disarm the system (when disarmed don’t send text messages). Seems simple enough.
—–
Haven’t given up hope, still working on the project. Will post if I figure it out.
In Memory of a Dear Friend
Todd (The Modifier) Clatterbuck
09/1963 – 01/2014
A Friend of over 30 years. Through thick and thin. Always willing to lend a hand.
May you find your logic!
New project in the works. Push a Raspberry Pi to its breaking point.
We want to develop a mobile web server to host communications between both the PIFACE and Arduino that would grant access to users from either a closed network or the Internet. Act as a Mobile Media Server using PLEX, a Mobile WIFI hot spot, serving shared files and lastly a Mobile Web Camera using a Raspberry Pi Camera Module.
Specs so far:
Planned Additions:
Services Already working:
