I design a hit counter for smbaker.com using a Nixie Tube display module and a parallax propeller microcontroller.
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A python API for the Nest Learning Thermostat
I installed one of the nest Nest Thermostats (http://www.nest.com) not so long ago, but there are several things I wanted to automate. In particular, I wanted to be able to schedule the fan to turn on and off periodically to circulate the air in my house. The nest doesn’t have a way to do this, …
Read MoreScott’s iPad digital audio optical receiver / amplifier
Unhappy with existing receiver options, I decided to build my own digital-audio receiver. I used IN-13 nixie bar graphs, a MiniDSP/MiniAmp stack, and an airport express. I even added an Alps MotorPot controller by a parallax propeller microcontroller so the volume can be changed from a web browser. Eventually modified this project to play Pandora using a raspberry pi.
Read MoreWhy Health Savings Accounts are Not a Good Idea
Today I did some research on Health Savings Accounts. It’s difficult to get decent real-world insurance information for self-employed persons so I thought I’d share some of my conclusions in the hopes that someone can educate me as to why these HSAs are a good thing. To me, they seem like a pretty raw deal. …
Read MoreInsteon Home Automation
This post covers some installation tips about setting up automation products that use the popular Insteon technology marketed by a company called Smarthome. One of the reason for this tutorial is that I plan on creating some Insteon-related software products, and it makes sense to document a typical Insteon home installation that can be used …
Read MoreInterfacing Dekatron Tubes to a Microcontroller
Everything you ever wanted to know about interfacing an old soviet dekatron tube to a microcontroller. I use a parallax propeller and some MPSA42 transistors.
Read MoreThe Packetron 9000
My favorite dekatron project. Using a parallax propeller to query my cisco router, I visualize my Internet throughput using old Russian dekatron tubes.
Read MoreSandrail conversion to Bus 002 Transaxle
This article describes how to convert a Sandrail from an swingaxle suspension to an IRS bug suspension. There are several reasons for doing this. First of all, let’s look at how the camber of the tires changes from a swingaxle to an IRS: The excessive camber of the swingaxle can lead to a number of …
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