One of the many productivity-boosters my nerd friends look to is text expanders and keyboard shortcuts. You know, enter a combination of keypresses, and out pops a signature, particular animated gif, or an often-used regular expression. I was about to launch into setting something like this up, and then Amazon Prime Day reminded me of […]
Best K40 Laser Upgrades – Upgrading my Laser Engraver Part 3
I am on a mission to make my Chinese K40 Laser Engraver work like a much more expensive USA name-brand machine. Update to Part 2 – Brain Boosting Previously, I bought and installed a new mainboard of electronics, and a filter for the pungent smoke. I am happy to say, while the filter still feels […]
Modify STL CAD files for CNC or 3D Print using Python Programming
We are pretty familiar at this point with the 3D design creation workflow. Drawing, dragging and dropping CAD files using a mouse and a package such as Fusion 360, or a browser-based application, such as Onshape. What, though, if you have to create a whole bunch of personalised objects? Opening, editing, exporting doesn’t take long […]
Upgrading a Chinese K40 Laser Cutter to USA Brand-Name Quality
Previously I mentioned my Chinese K40 40w laser and how I was planning some upgrades. This is the first follow up – this weekend I fitted a couple of them and did some test cuts! Smoothie board replacement for the main GRBL controller board Activated Carbon filter Lightburn software Can the upgraded machine achieve USA […]
Upgrading my K40 for quality and abilities!
My K40 laser is the most humble of its kind, having analog dial and controls, and basic optics. Even so, the results are fine. Now my mission is to take this little Chinese laser and bring it up to the 21st Century. 1. Optics The default mirrors and lenses are built to a price point, […]
Announce Your Entry with Raspberry Pi, Python and Bluetooth
Did you ever want to have your return to your office or home announced with a fanfare? Probably not, but let’s do this anyway 😉 This script will use Bluetooth (built into the Raspberry Pi 3) to detect when your phone is nearby, and if detected will play the MP3 of your choice!
Linux Automation Tip: How to Send Messages from Python to Your Slack Channels
Slack is a hugely popular live group chat system. While a lot of my notifications now go to Discord, as I wrote about here, Slack is still more popular with development teams, and it is what we use in my day job. Being able to notify your team when something happens programmatically can be very […]
EZ-Robot IoTiny
While Arduino and Raspberry Pi dominate, there are other boards out there for robot builders. One of the best for rapid robot development is IoTiny from EZ-Robot.
DJI/Ryze Tello Mini-Drone Review
DJI/Ryze Tello Mini-Drone is, as the name suggests, a new and tiny drone from the people who created my lovely DJI Mavic Pro. The important differences are, however, compelling:
Running Raspberry Pi AND Arduino for the Best of Both Worlds
I have been writing a lot more about Raspberry Pi than Arduino lately, but don’t get the impression I am leaving the Arduino world behind. Both devices have their benefits, and in fact, I believe they work really well together. Let’s take a look at the easiest way to do that!
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