Arduino and Other Electronics Projects

Miscellaneous electronics and microcontroller projects:

Make and RadioShack's Drawdio:

Initial test of this 20x4 character screen.  Notice the Haiku

Small Screen Blues

Screens 20 by 4

Focus encoded messag

As haiku does

 First fully custom project.  Writing a 'guessing' game that uses a RadioShack RGB LED Strip, the screen, LEDs, and 6 buttons.  Already maxed out the memory of the little chip on the Uno R3.

 Moving my dev environment to Raspberry Pi.  The borrowed laptop I was using is going to be repurposed and will live in an inaccessible place.  Here is the Pi running the Arduino IDE.

 Used Google, and knowledge from a class at SYN Shop, the local Hackerspace, to remove and troubleshoot this module.  It is a Blower Motor Speed Controller from my car's AC.  I found out the transistor in it is bad, but replacing it would take more effort than it is worth.

Table Saw Rehab Results

Executed the checklist from a previous post.  Here are before and after picks of the absolutely filthy top.  Ended up going at it with Krud Kutter, then a palm sander with WD-40, then razor blades.  It is sealed using Minwax Paste Wax and is as smooth as glass.

These stains were caused by paint and primer used for preparing Warhammer miniatures:

 I may have abused the garage lights to maximize shininess:

I still need to fabricate something to choke off the cabinet and force more dust through the vacuum hose.  Also, the router table needs some work to make sure the melamine has all residue removed.

Random Board Gaming Shots

Jenga: 32 levels with my son

Alea Lacta Est - Press your luck game with a Roman theme.  Translation: The Die is Cast.  Very fun!

Kremlin, a reprinted Avalon Hill game.  Note the prototype OFBC illuminating the board

Forbidden Desert with Ethan.  He loves this game, and it is awesome to see him strategize.

Telestrations with Ethan and my Grandparents.  Considerably less innuendo than usual.

Dominion Case from Hobby Lobby Box and Baltic Birch 6 Ply, 5/16ths

Build

Box is a generic Wooden Artist Case from Hobby Lobby.  The case fits Dominion and all expansions.  Walls are Baltic Birch 6 ply.  The exterior walls are glued in place, but the interior ones are not.  It is designed to hold at least 3000 cards.  The card separators are sized for sports cards and will get labels eventually.

To add detail to the cover, I used a Harbor Freight Wood Burning Kit similar to this one from Amazon and a blown up card back image.  I taped the image in place and traced over it with a ballpoint pen.  After going over the trace lines with the wood burner's pointed tip, I shaded it with the wedge tip.

I still need to put finish on the cover of the case.  I'm worried about the burning rubbing off over time.  I also need to add labels to the card dividers.

Take Aways

• I would make the outside edge of the exterior walls come below the edge of the box.  This would allow the box to close more easily.  Right now, it is a tight fit.
• I would sand off the finish from the cover before wood burning.  I probably will get lung cancer from the fumes I breathed in while doing this.

Bonus Shots

Bookshelf with Custom Doors from Oak Plywood, Solid Oak

Bookshelf I finished recently.  7ft by 30 inches by 11 inches deep.

Started in the (now closed) woodshop at Durango High School thanks to Cooperative Extension classes through CSN.  These are now happening at a private business in North Las Vegas about a block from where I used to live as a child.

It is in place upstairs and is filled with Dungeons and Dragons books.

Gluing on the molding:

 Dry fit before sanding:

 Sanded and stained:

 All done:

I would make a shelf for the cabinet section as well.  This is something I might add in the future.  Right now, it holds D&D miniatures, so the space is full regardless.

Table Saw Tune-up Checklist

Tools Needed

• Wrench to remove blade
• Dial Indicator
• Ruler
• Vacuum
• Compressor
• Dry Lubricant
• Top Cleaner
• Scouring Pad
• Top Wax (Paste Wax)
• Emery cloth
• Center punch and hammer\

Steps

• UNPLUG SAW
• Blow out the motor
• Clean out the inside of the saw.  You’ll thank me later.
• Check the stability of the stand and any table extensions.  Tighten or replace
• Arbor: Sideways movement (Bearings)
• Arbor: Rotate and check with Dial Indicator
• Arbor Washer: burrs, bends, blemishes
• Blade: Good fit on Arbor, hole is centered, doesn’t wobble
• Pulley and Belt: High Spots, fraying, worn spots, cuts, cracks
• Plug in saw
• Belt while saw is on: Doesn’t climb the pulleys, straight travel
• UNPLUG SAW
• If Belt Replacement suggested, Segmented belt?
• Pulleys: Aligned on center? Ruler runs between?
• Pulleys: If cast, is the hole drilled on center?
• Square the fence to the table
• Square the blade to the table using the fence:
• Raise the blade
• Move the fence to the blade: Front and back blade tips should touch
• If not, loosen trunnions underneath table
• Move blade into alignment
• Clamp blade between fence and some wood
• Apply loctite and tighten trunnions
• While underneath table, clean out worm gears of blade elevator and pitch or angle set
• Lubricate worm gears with dry grease
• Tune Mitre Gauge:
• Polish down tight spots with emery cloth
• Dimple the guide bar with a center punch to solve loose spots
• Clean the top to remove paint, stains and finishes
• Apply a paste wax to the top and leave overnight
• Clean the blade with a specialty blade cleaner to remove pitch and other residue.

Repeat Regularly

• Clean blade
• Blow out motor
• Wax the top
• Check for vibration

Distilled from a doc that mentions http://thesawshop.com/

February Infosec Links

Security

The PCI Council is delusional: claims the standard is solid when breach after breach confirms it is not.  Blames the victims for poor architecture.
http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/interviews/pci-council-responds-to-critics-i-2175

Good overview of the security landscape.  Good tools with easy configuration will be key.
https://securosis.com/blog/securitys-future-six-trends-changing-the-face-of-security

Cryptography

Privacy

Training

A hackable iOS App used to teach the OWASP Top Ten Mobile App Vulnerabilities.  Great tool to catch up with mobile security and secure application design.

http://damnvulnerableiosapp.com/