It's been a while since I last updated this blog. Starting a new (now not so new job) and having two kids does tend to make you prioritise things differently. I have also found with the current job it gives me more than enough of a chance to work on …
Articles by john
A model train set in a suitcase - a seemingly never ending project
Over the past two years I've been working on my largest and most complicated electronics project yet. My work on the project has ebbed and flowed, but it's mostly finished. So I thought I'd start writing up some notes on it.
The initial inspiration was seeing Jeff Faust's Arduino controlled …
A couple of ATtiny projects (ARC reactor + lighthouse)
Here are a couple of the other ATtiny projects I've worked on. Only now just writing them up. They are both pretty simple.
The first was an Iron Man style "ARC reactor" (the circle light in his chest) that I made to go with my son's (shop bought) Iron Man …
Re-configuring the HC-06 (cheap) bluetooth serial module
I picked up a cheap bluetooth serial (rs232) module from Amazon. As it didn't cost too much, I thought I'd take a chance. The module arrived fine, though (unsurprisingly) without any documentation. Initially I'd tried following the documentation for configuring a HC-05 module, but after I while I realised it …
LeChuck from Monkey Island cross-stitch with animated LEDs driven by an ATtiny
After acquiring some aida and a set of fairly cheap embroidery silks, I decided to try my hand at cross-stitch. As with a lot of craft related activities cross-stitch and embroidery are having a resurgence. The fact that cross-stitch is essentially the first form of pixel-art makes it perfect for …
A small monobox speaker (LM386 amp + speaker in a box)
Fimo dinosaurs
I've been having a little Fimo renaissance lately. Partly due to using some Fimo for the nightlights I've made, but also from seeing some of the other wonderful things people like Joo Joo have made.
I saw a little guide on making photo stands out of plastic toy dinosaurs and …
ATtiny85 RGB nightlight using Fimo and a piece of salvaged wood
I recently created a second nightlight for my nephew's first birthday. For this one I opted to use an ATtiny85 instead of an Arduino. As when I made the robot santa I used the Arduino environment for programming the ATtiny85 chip, as well as for prototyping the code.
For the …
Configuring an Edimax EW-7811UN on a Raspberry Pi for WiFi
I was given a Raspberry Pi last year. I quickly got hold of an SD card, keyboard, mouse and a ten metre ethernet cable (to connect it to the router on the other side of the room). I installed the version of Raspbian released in July and set to work …
Making a musical Robot Santa ornament using an ATtiny 85
In what is threatening to become a tradition, I made a Christmas ornament again this year. Last year I just made simple tree ornaments using sculpey and fimo.
This year things got a bit more involved, as I decided to make a musical model of the Robot Santa from Futurama …