Author: Peter Jones

It was weird. Asher fucking the Wif into bed tonight, I did my nightly first diem to the Den to game. I didn’t though. Well, for a couple minutes, but not to, you know, game. Just enough to mane a plan of action.
So I was getting to get the Pi for free, which, while I had shady done a different order through them to get it to begin with, but did the order…
Sidebar. If I’m at a bar, and they being me the wrong drink, and they’re like still give this one to you for free, I still insist on tipping as of I got the right drink (plus usually 50% of the drink price), assuming it’s something drinkable and everyone is chill. Mistakes Hagen, and no one needs to be a dick.
So I’m not going to pay only shipping. I’m going to buy stuff, explore services, and then, get the Pi for free. That’s the way I roll. Now I want to get doing surface mount soldering and stuff, up my game kinda things. Thinking of that I decide to get a stack of 555 chips, which I’ll pair with a bigger stack of LEDs. Now if you have LEDs, you need resistors, so I get a pays thing of those add the Pi, checkout… nope. Turns out there is a maximum dollar value for the cart for the promotion, so I have to remove the resistors top get under the dollar amount. Confused the daylights out of me. A maximum value? Whatever, placed the order.
While prepping the coffee pot for the morning I realize the dollar amount is a couple under two Pi’s.
As in, someone figured out how to game the website and that’s why they did what they did. Clever solution.
But back to adulthood.
While I was looking up promo codes, I see that GOG has a sale going on right now. I didn’t but anything. I thought about it, but didn’t. Thus, adulthood? Or maybe I’m just on a manic kick, because that’s never happened before.

So I totally missed the boat on the free Raspberry Pi 3, but I figured, heck, I want it, I bought it.
Just got an email with a code for a free Pi 3. Thanks Arrow! As long as I’m doing another order though, I should do another order for reals. I think I have everything I need for my phone, so that means it’s learning to surface mount. So… I should probably find a stack of parts that I could use all over the placeand order a hundred or so each. Then it’s time to learn how to make my own PCBs. I’m leaning towards photo resist, as I’ve done that silkscreening before. But I’m still on the fence if you will.

That didn’t happen for me. New me didn’t want to wait Amy liner so I ordered stuff last night. For the phone that is. So I should have a couple shipments over the next two weeks, and I’ll get going on this again.
In the meantime, I think its time to get the Den of Inequity cleaned. I need a better workspace for doing this and other stuff. The Wif is already talking about cat tree improvements, so I’ll need to start planning out those as well.
So. Today while she’s at clinical, it’s time for me to work on cleaning the Den. One that cleaned, it’ll be time to start making space better again. I’ve been thinking for a while now that I want to move my book case for feet or so from the external wall. This isn’t a small undertaking. This is potentially on the short list though.maybe I should build a work table for the center instead. I’m really not sure yet.

Do I order a FONA in the belief that there’s something going off with the RePhone or a burner to make sure the SIM is working. If I get a burner then Asher I verify the SIM, it’s, well, burned as I need a featureless phone about as much add I need a chin on my elbow. If I order FONA, it’s about three times as expensive and I’ll want to buy other things as well. On the other hand if I get the FONA and then get the RePhone working right at a later date, I could totes turn out into a smart watch or something similar. The audio and LCD work fine, so I’m assuming it’s either the antenna or the SIM. Barring that, I could make a dope as shit watch. I should check the BLE. If that works, then… well I’d still need to make some hasty guesses. I’ll order FONA. Of course, Arrow has a horribly timed deal tomorrow. I’ll want to make a decision before then.
This is also when I want to get 3d printing at the same time. I want to do all the things, but I don’t want to spend that much at once.
I do need a phone. That’s a given. This pos is inching away at shucking free it’s inductive coil if you will. The screen has more cracks then Washington DC. More errors than the late season Mariners.
The things I want to print though, I think might outweigh that. I’ve worked with POS’s before. The last time I really broke a phone, I went all old-school and that phone lasted me until I had the scratch to spare.
The major push for the 3d printer is shoes, and the Wif picked me up a spare pair for my birthday.
So, is it a push? Should I do both and screw the consequences? I don’t want to all other people’s opinion, as that never goes right.
So, I should sleep on it. I’ll get all…

Derp. Forgot to post.
(Multiple hours have passed.)
Screw it. Doing the phone. Doing it now (or in the AM as free stuff is free). With that being said…
I talked to the Wif, and while talking to get I realized something. One of the reasons why I like building stuff is the knowledge I gain from building it, which allows me to make improved on the stuff I use, build more, wash, rinse, repeat. It’s not boot strapping as a person.
I want to build a 3d printer, so I have a 3d printer that’s optimized for my purposes. Hint: 12x4x2 is plenty build volume which is totally not standard. An 8x8x8 cube might work, but it works require a lot of supports. So the main costs of a printer are: 75+ dollars of stepper motors, one hot end, whatever mechanical supports, and in what I was planning, roughly 135 in an all-in-one phenomenal controller. I don’t need all it’s features though. I don’t need both USB and Ethernet. I really don’t need an SD card. I’m sure there’s some other parts I don’t need. I’d like one power supply coming in.
So why don’t I build my own.
I’d have to design and produce circuit boards.
I’d probably need to learn to do surface-mount soldering.
I’d have to plan shit out.
Doing this.

Cat tree is done. Ish. It’s good enough, but quite honestly is so rickety I’d only consider putting a cat on it. Anything more delicate than one of those feline demons is straight out.
Phone. Yeah. That shit is starting to piss me off. I’ve got a SIM card loaded. I can see a screen. Everything else is jacked though.
Is it the SIM, or is it the module, or is it the code. (Or a combination of any of the above)

So I was able to jump pop the Wif’s laptop. It was able to upload the test SMS code without going into a death spiral. What it wasn’t able to do though was send our receive a text.
Next steps:
Touch base with Ting’s customer service, and make sure my SIM card is for reals activated.
If so, get a burner on Amazon, and make sure SIM card works.
If that passes, get a FONA from Adafruit, and see if that works. If it does, start looking at make the RePhone into BLE slave to the FONA powered my phone.

I have the firmware update on the RePhone now. I’m getting the serial line to work, right until I try to do anything phone related. Then it just goes to shit. This is under Linux, which deff isn’t supported (what?) so next will be trying it under Windows.
In the meantime, I did get the newest image of Raspbian downloaded and thrown on an SD card I spaced even having. So while the Wif is at school tomorrow, unless she takes with her, it looks like I’ll be trying to get shit working under Windows. Otherwise, I need to relook at the RePhone as this is getting redickulous (spelling retentional).
If it works and I can send and receive stuffs, it’ll be time to hookup the mini hookup board, and get the Pi Zero acting as the brains of the bunch.

Smoothie (x4 or whatever) I the extra stepper controller.
Motors from Sparkfun (assuming I don’t have any lying around, that will work, I think)
Hardware like pulley and timing belts from Sparkfun
Hot end from?
Starter filament from?

So, I’m getting closer to doing this. At the money I’m willing to pay, I can get a kit that’s a cheap knockoff. Which I’m cool with, but it’s not what I really want.
On the other hand, I could build my own. Assuming I’m going that route, I’m currently looking at what to buy. Not counting the mechanicals yet, I need:
Stepper motors
Control board
Motor drivers
Hot end

I’m probably going to go with a Shapeoko or a Smoothie board as they both have the stuff I want. I think. I only just thought about a second look at the Shapeoko while showering. Open hardware, software, and extensibility ate the key.
That’ll put me back 100 to 150. Throw on a minimum of 3 stepper motors, and a hotend, and I’m rocking close to 200.
Plans.

I was bsing with a co-worker about this. He was stoked and then he got into wanting to mod discs for disc golf night play. I’m currently brainstorming ideas. Accelerometer, pov, Wi-Fi? Yes please.