Here’s an idea…  How about connecting REAPER to Kinect via ReaScript.

This might be a starting point…Shinect

I have connected a Digi Connectport X4 and several sensors (Temp, humidity, light) to pachube.

This gives me the ability to generate graphs and provide current and historical measurements to other applications in the cloud.  I used the iDigi DIA and implemented a pachube post presentation to get the data into the cloud.  It has been working pretty well, however I need to add some more robust error recovery code to make it more reliable.  Unfortunately the data stream has been offline for a while, so I have some work to do.  By the time anyone reads this hopefully it will be back online.

The full pachube feed page is here.

Products used:

• Digi ConnectPort X4
• Digi Light/Temperature/Humidity sensors
• iDigi DIA
• Python

Do I start with the raw materials and decide what to build, or do I decide what to build and determine what I need?

If I start with the end in mind, I will probably go for a Quadcopter build.  Not easy, but well defined, lots of docs, lots of community support, probably easy to get help and generate interest at TCMaker.

If I start with the raw materials the possibilities are a bit overwhelming, but I think some sort of  evolving interactive art/music/automation idea is forming in my mind.  More on that later as it becomes more defined.

Maybe I ought to do both…

It has an awesome 4-5 inch long insulator on the back for the input connection.  Inside its basically a balance scale that reads the force of attraction between two plates and is mostly empty space inside to air gap the workings from the case.  I will have to post a better picture that really shows the size of it.  I bought it just because it looks awesome, but I really want to actually measure some serious KVs! So…

I want to build a Wimhurst machine because it also looks cool and it makes huge arcs when you turn the crank.

Steampunk Workshop has a nice how-to on building your own Wimhurst influence machine if you care to give it a try!

I am working on a animatronics type project and needed to find just the right type of servo.   After a bit of web stumbling I found ServoDatabase.com which helped me find just the right one!

Hack a day posted this link yesterday and I though this was great! 

How about making a decent approximation for some function using limited operators. using only +,-,/,* and abs()? Might be useful on a micro with limited math capabilities…

Some first expirements after the break….

Here is what it did with a SIN(x) dataset x from 0..360 in 0.1 degree increments. y=(4.88622 + 0.0126778*x*abs(0.0114593*x – 1.59466) – 2.90379*abs(0.0114593*x – 1.59466) – 0.0245189*x)/(0.999628 + 53.4167/(58.2545 + x*abs(0.0114593*x – 1.59466))) – 0.134694

Kind of complex but pretty accurate.

This one is not as hairy but a little less accurate around 180: y=4.2249 + 0.0119223*x*abs(1.95332 – 0.0109327*x) – 2.1621*abs(1.98645 – 0.0109327*x) – 0.0234713*x

Might be useful if you don’t have a native sin function and might be smaller than a lookup table in code.

I am also thinking it would be great for determining the transfer function of a temp sensor for fast conversions, finding a function to make an LED brightness sweep linear, etc. There are probably a bunch of functions that could be found based on your specific configuration to make robots move smoother, and stuff just work better. I guess a real engineer would derive these functions from the design, but this hacker probably has to build then observe…

The software can be downloaded for free from their website.

Hack a Day

This is great!  I wonder how much track it would take to run Windows 7….

Somewhere at the junction of modern open-source hardware and early 80′s Russia lives a beautiful new DIY kit from the Maker Shed called the Ice Tube Clock. The centerpiece of this old-meets-new clock is a Russian-made, 9-digit, vacuum florescent display (VFD). Included in the kit is everything you need to build a complete VFD clock.

Make: Online : New in the Maker Shed: Ice Tube Clock kit

A while ago I created a simple RGB illuminator using a BlinkM RGB module an IKEA lamp and a 5v regulated wall power supply.  I removed the existing lamp and cord from the enclosure, put a 4 pin header on the 5v power supply cord and affixed the blinkM inside the enclosure using poster tack.  The pins on the blinkM were bent over to make for a better fit. I replaced the glass, plugged in an enjoyed the lightshow.

Here are some pics of the build: