Category: Uncategorized

Problem solved. Of course, now I’m thinking of other problems like the pesky…
A grolsch bottle?
Right. Pesky problems, like water flow potential. New idea.
Bottle upside down.
On a gasket, at the end of a trough.
Kicker tips bottle pouring water down the trough.

I just realized the problem with the auto garden. Sealed glass bottle going on a spout with a solenoid valve. Where does the air enter enter into the system?
Right. I’ll probably want to look at the reservoir system. Maybe do a tank with an agitator? Once/if I get back on the hydroponic kick, it won’t be as big of a deal but for now I need to account for algae and other filth. Now I could use two valves, one high to accept air, one low to release water…
I’ll look at my plug. Hell, I might just need to add an air line that sits next to the water line. Maybe find a rubber stopper and still two holes..?

A more elegant solution?
As the DC motor encounters resistance, read as tension, it should be drawing more current. This is me spit balling… V=IR. (I think). I could put a 10k our so resistor in parallel with the motor. As the resistance down the motor increased, the voltage drop on the resistor should increase. I think.

Right. Roll fed small thermal printer. Output is desired to be tightly rolled.
I think it’s a fairly straight forward challenge. Slit a dowel. Maybe PVC pipe. Whatever. Have that turned by a motor. Little DC motor should be fine.
How to make it know to turn..?
Easiest way would be (wire?) switches that would trigger whenever the output buckled. Not very exact, and fragile due to the potential to knock the switch out of position.
-more later-

FPGA should be here on Thursday, sounds like it’s project time. Really though, it sounds like I need to get back on the cleaning train. Maybe I should convince the Wif to go to Swanson’s (nursery) this weekend so we can start her an island herb garden for the kitchen.
Right, soil moisture sensor. Email sending. Thing. Also, I do have those solenoid valves… I could get around to building the reservoir based self watering setup.
I’d need to look at reducing contaminates. So, low enough volume that it never has time to go full stagnate. Sealed to keep out the crawlers. I could use a 22 bottle, it’s not like I don’t have a lot of those. Then it’s just a matter of building fittings. I could add LEDs a at the base to prettify it. Just made up the word prettify and added it to my dictionary. Ask if this is based in me not being a slacker.
First, moisture sensor.

The Hack-A-Day store had one on sale at 24% off, and we just got tax returns. I’ll have an FPGA soon. Beyond the obvious of learning to program it, I already have a project idea. I think it’ll work. I’m kinda excited about the possibilities.

Been thinking that the JDF format sounds a while lot like JSON. Based on the Java examples I was looking at, I think I’m right.

I think Europa Univeralis is helping me be a better person. I’m trying not to over extend myself. I’m trying not to aggressively expand. I’m trying to make any new skill set, or province, whichever, into a core.
Today though… Today’s just not playing nice. Today is like my usual playthrough as England. I’m in all the wars.

Make a GIF
Somebody calls for me
Head pops up
I’ll be there in a GIF

Lolololol

I don’t talk about my job except in the most oblique terms. This won’t be acute either.
I spend a few hours a week in meetings. They are at least half the time rehashing a meeting from the week before. Today, while showering in preparation for another day of work, I got thinking about this. We don’t have minutes. This would never occur to me, except it means we have no documentation for the following up on decisions. Really, it’s not a meeting, it’s people talking on a room. I’m tempted to start taking my own minutes for comedy value if nothing else. I just fear what of they me to keep doing it.