Category Archives: Engineering Life

Using ‘ownCloud’ on Raspberry Pi to Take Back Control of Data

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Last month I lost what could have been a beautiful night laying out a PCB while at a secluded cottage because Google Drive didn’t sync a couple of my board files.  I switched to Microsoft Skydrive for my cloud-based storage since Windows Mesh worked so well for me over the years before it was discontinued.  At the same time, I also created my ownCloud data storage server by using my Raspberry Pi and an external 2TB drive.  I think the future will have most technically-apt people hosting their own data as cost goes down and privacy concerns go up.  Here’s to hoping that I can eventually transition all service-based services to my own servers soon.  Below is a link to an article I wrote on Element14 detailing the build — check it out!

Read The Full Article Here!

EntConnect: A Conference For Those Who Make Things Happen

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Last month I attended the EntConnect Conference to give it some coverage from Element14.  I like entrepreneurship/engineering, and they had a bunch of fun events like Skiing at Vail which really drew me in.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, with an attendee list of ~30 people how much of a conference could it be?  When I interviewed the conference organizer, John Gaudio, he said that the best way to describe what goes on is serendipity.  Looking back his description was accurate, however I had no idea what he meant at the time.

By attending I found that I had a chance to walk into a group of entrepreneurs who have been getting together every year for the past 20 to discuss their goals, companies, lessons, successes, and failures.  They have known each other for a long time, and the honesty that each presenter offered was amazing.  People giving hard numbers about their acquisitions, business deals, and company acquisitions presented a level of detail that I would never expect.  The simple honest nature of their responses made for some of the best lessons I’ve ever had in the business world.    Here’s an excerpt from my Element14 article:

The trouble with the mass-produced approach is the shallow nature of the connections made. A casual relationship is perfect for a sales person who only needs to have one meeting per year to get the order right.  Normal conferences are remarkable at connecting people who are in a specific industry.  Suppliers meet clients, new technology is unveiled, and an expo is setup as a trading floor for business cards.  Keynote speakers often deliver whitewashed talks scrubbed of anything that could be seen as embarrassing or harmful, at the expense offering the whole truth.

But if a business person wants to make an actual connection where real stories are shared honestly, an entirely different approach is required.  A forum where trust can be established over hours and days, with the same people returning year after year to tell their raw stories and set the candid tone.

EntConnect does exactly that.  It is made of a group of engineers and entrepreneurs who have been getting together for the past 20 years bound not only by their interest in entrepreneurship, technology, and building their companies, but also their friendships.

Read the Full Article Here!

LED Bulb Teardown

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I, like most EE’s love LEDs.  They are such a great solution to lighting since they get away from the idea that something must be inefficiently burned (filament on incandescent), or nasty chemicals used (Mercury in CFLs) in order to generate lighting.  And although no reasonably-priced lighting solution can come close to the human appeal of an instant-on, ambiance-creating, warm ‘soft white’ bulb, the efficiency-crazed side of me draws me to the new technology.

I got a few LED bulbs from Newegg last month and posted a tear-down on the Lighting blog of Element14 which shows the construction to be pretty solid.  Sadly, the performance still isn’t there and I’d even prefer my CFL’s turn-on-delay and color to the new LED, but at $5 a pop, who’s complaining?

LED Bulb Teardown

Read the full article HERE!

MSP430 Project Helps Disabled Kids Learn, Play

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Young Circuit Designs has long been a supporter of RePlay For Kids, a Cleveland, OH based charity that modifies mainstream toys for children with disabilities. Since many electronic toys utilize activation switches that require a level of dexterity that not all children have, Replay modifies the toy to add a more accessible switch in parallel.  This not only provides local organizations with toys for disabled kids at no cost, but the toys are not limited to the few that are specifically designed for special needs use.  A child can have the same popular “Tickle Me Elmo” toy that other kids rave about thanks to Replay’s customization.

Recently, YCD helped develop a universal switch controller to expand the number of toys that can be modified.  While not a complex project, this simple device is intended to be a starting point for exploring how microcontrollers might help the cause.  Here are the requirements for this first run of prototypes:

  • Small size (~1 sqin.).
  • Single Input, 8 outputs.
  • Outputs are high or low true, depending on where wires are plugged in.
  • Low power consumption for battery-powered toys.
  • Can operate from 3-9V input power.
  • Control of switches can be customized by loading different firmware

We posted all design files on the RePlay website for anyone that might want to recreate or build on the work.  Currently the boards and firmware are being tested, so keep an eye on the ReePlay site for updates!

YCD Attends 2012 BLUR Conference!

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I LOVE sensors.  Which is probably why I got into analog electronics.  The idea of taking something that is in the real world and making it interact with a computer is amazing.  As computing continues to become more powerful and ubiquitous, the possibilities for sensors gets more and more fun.

With that in mind, I signed up for BLUR conference on a whim thanks to a suggestion from the Boulder is for Robots group.  I was certainly not disappointed.  The way people are thinking about Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is getting more people focused, and less technology focused.  It’s an exciting time for the industry, as my latest Element14 article describes:

 After the conference I came back to my favorite keyboard, mouse, and dual 23” monitors for the first time with a sense of archaic workflow.  It is clear that these technologies are gearing up to reach mainstream adoption in the next decade when we will all look back at the keyboard/mouse combo, and laugh.

Read the full article HERE!

A Raspberry Pi First Project: Dog Kennel Status Webpage

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I recently got my hands on a Raspberry Pi with the goal of writing an article on how suitable the platform is for an education program like BlueStamp Engineering.  However once I got rolling, I simply had to make something of my own.  I’m not very experienced with Linux, Apache, or Python so I thought a simple project would be a great way to get the ball rolling on all three.

My wife and I recently adopted Penny, a wonderful dog from the Denver Dumb Friends League shelter.  She’s been a dream in terms of behavior and disposition, however as dads everywhere say, “A dog is a huge responsibility.”  I often have meetings and need to leave her in her kennel while I’m gone.  My wife may want to know how quickly she has to come home to prevent Penny from being locked in her kennel for too long, and sometimes I turn my phone off for meetings.  The solution?  An automated web page that records the status of the kennel, and if closed, when the door was closed.

Project Goal:

  • Use the Raspberry Pi running the ‘Raspian’ OS to automatically sense a switch on the dog kennel door.
  • Use a Python script to read the switch and write the status to an HTML file.
  • Run an Apacahe Server on the Pi to make the HTML file.
  • Setup port forwarding on my home router to allow other networks to see the html file.
  • Use the simplest method to get something running quickly.

The project went really well!  I am lucky enough to me a member of Denver’s hackerspace, Denhac, where I tinkered with things and learned from some experienced folks on the weekly Tuesday night hangout.  I had some problems with the IP address of the system, but after a restart the issue seemed to go away.

Here is the python script and some notes I took along the way to help anyone looking to recreate my work: raspberrypidogdoorprogram

I took the server down for a few reasons:  First, I don’t understand network security enough, and I’ve read that the setup I used isn’t very secure when forwarding ports from the outside world.  And second, I get curious occasionally and prefer to have the system on my desk for more tinkering.  Finally, the wife seemed to think that this is like taking a sledge hammer solution to a thumb tack problem, which is probably true.  But it’s still cool that it works!

 

A Double-Kettle All-Electric Brewing System with MSP-430

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For those who know me, beer isn’t just about the drinking.  It’s also about the brewing.  I’ve casually brewed beer for years, only getting serious with my own setup a year ago.  However brewing in front of a stove can be annoying  especially when trying to brew 2 different batches at once.  To make the experience better, I created a system that meets the following goals:

  • A pair of electric kettles based on the system that The Electric Brewery creates, running off a dryer outlet.
  • Variable power set with a knob, similar to a stovetop interface
  • The ability to shut one side off for only brewing one batch
  • Kettles that unplug from the system as to not disturb the other batch
  • Running off a microcontroller that allows for future design improvements
  • A quick and easy design, enabling fast development and implementation

I’ve got the entire system up and running, and it works great!  I’ve already brewed one batch and I have plans for friends to come over this weekend to continue the fun.  I’ve posted all of the design files at Element14, including a BOM (Bill of Materials) so anyone else can build, enjoy, and improve upon the system.  Here’s a video of me showing it in operation:

Check out the complete system HERE!