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Public Key

npub1x70q7w05ramc0mz3r34n8rjmkmrktmuwynmt3lxprq9t8untp7ysx2qqwa

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsr08s0886p7au8a3g3c6en3edmd3m9a78zfa4clnq3sz4n7f4slzgprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntqyqq5kwwep

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Last Notes

2026-08-31 11:23:52 CEST

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Revisited this idea today and topped off the cube-jar with an M12-1.75 thread, modeled with #BoltGen in #Rhino3D and then physically cut into the correct geometry using the M12 die from my cheap metric tap-and-die set. That seems to have worked, so next up is a matching lid with a thread to be cut with the same kit.
This was also printed with random seam placement and scarf joint seams - that seems to work well these days, leaving an interesting but not undesirable texture. #3DPrinting
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/117/189/383/958/710/225/original/2c7f07485b61c10a.jpg
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/117/189/385/368/847/112/original/8800145640828a14.jpg

2026-08-30 01:35:47 CEST

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sometimes, nanny is right

2026-08-27 00:21:23 CEST

Hey, #FountainPen folks of fedi. I've had the idea to get someone a purple pen of some kind for a birthday in about a month. I don't know if I do or don't want a fountain pen specifically (and I barely do any handwriting myself these days, I've never bought anything other than cheap supermarket pens), but what terms should I be searching for / reading up on to start learning and making a decision?

2026-08-24 04:55:55 CEST

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Three bits of data to add to this thread today:
1. A Hyundai Kona's windscreen washer bottle will take exactly four litres of water before it starts to rush up the filler tube.
2. ACDelco Optikleen mixes at 10mL per L of water, so the litre of it I bought will give me 25 full refills in my Kona.
3. While putting the Optikleen away in the garage I found a full, unopened 1L bottle of Bar's Bugs I have zero memory of acquiring, so I now have approximately a lifetime supply of washer fluid.

2026-08-19 03:17:59 CEST

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Also the "Company Portal" (which is the Intune equivalent to SCCM's Software Center) is A) not actually any kind of portal specific to my company, just software; B) at least four times slower than Software Center; C) makes it weirdly impossible to see a summary of software I've installed using it, which seems like an obvious feature to have?; and D) so out of sync I literally cannot trust it saying it is installing or updating, or has installed, an app, which feels like a fundamental failure.

2026-08-18 04:11:02 CEST

So much of my life right now is spent clicking around screens trying to dismiss the "one new message" notifications for new messages that are already on my screen and which I read before I saw the notification for them.
The inventor of the Red Circle With A Number In It should've taken the day off instead.

2026-08-17 02:21:53 CEST

Whoever decided that Ctrl+W (keyboard shortcut to close a browser tab) should exit a Teams meeting should have stayed home that day.
Of course, nobody wrote that as a requirement. Everything is just websites now and that's probably just Edge sitting under five layers of frameworks and some slop going "oh! He wants to close a tab! I'm a browser!!! *click*".
Not the absolute earliest I've sworn at my work computer on a Monday morning but it's a contender.

2026-08-13 02:58:20 CEST

Hey, #retrogaming and #car folks of #AskFedi, I have a strange theory to test.
If you have a strong opinion about whether you like playing Sonic the Hedgehog or Mario Bros better, AND a strong opinion about whether you prefer driving an automatic or manual transmission car, I would very much like to know the combination of those opinions.
Will explain after the poll closes.
#SEGA #Nintendo #boost4reach

2026-08-12 06:38:27 CEST

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I've got a mate who's been 3D printing moulds for ceramic casting, I've seen a few silicone parts with layer lines and it's certainly cool and interesting but definitely not the finish I'd want out of my parts, hence thinking about CNC machining for accuracy.

2026-08-12 06:00:05 CEST

Anyone used JLCCNC or similar for making silicone moulds, or have any relation opinions or advice or specific things I should read in order to learn more about doing so? I've never done mouldmaking before, but have a lot of 3D modeling, #3DPrinting and epoxy pouring under my belt, so it's a not-too-distantly related field of interest. #maker #AskFedi

2026-07-26 07:30:39 CEST

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I propose a new kind of time-keeping device: once a minute, it asks 100 random people on Fedi how they pronounce scone, and uses the ratio of 'gone' to 'cone' answers (and its trend over time) to figure out the ratio of Americans vs Brits and Australians who are awake and online and thus what the likely time is.
Also, this scone may be the single most photogenic bit of food I've ever made. #baking
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/984/625/105/591/954/original/9c2523a43625ca66.jpg

2026-07-26 05:50:16 CEST

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Important question: does 'scone' - as in the baked treat - rhyme with 'gone' or 'cone' for you? Bonus: roughly where are you from, because I expect some stark regional differences?

2026-07-09 04:59:39 CEST

"...connection issues were mostly being reported in Australia's eastern states". Is this not simply a map of #Australia's population density? #Telstra
(Article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-09/telstra-outage-still-impacting-triple-zero-calls/106895430?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other)
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/887/762/741/495/561/original/d9d082189498ab21.png

2026-07-02 13:55:15 CEST

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oh, 100% - I've seen others from hot climates chime in and say "actually 40 degrees is nothing, it's the humidity that kills ya" without actually understanding the different climate and how your houses tend to be built.

2026-07-02 13:32:27 CEST

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I spent one of Sydney's hotter summers in a barren concrete block of apartments with windows that tilted out like in the photo. They're really not suited for portable aircon units, you could rig it up and seal it with tape against airflow but it'll be terrible at insulating against heat. You'll end up with a cool spot in the room in front of the A/C and it'll be super loud the whole time but if you have nowhere else to go it might be worth it to be vaguely comfortable at home.

2026-07-02 03:15:07 CEST

Today's keyboard is an unusual one. It's a Chicony KB-2931, and while it's "modern" enough to have Windows keys, it also has a 5-pin DIN plug - so I'm using it with a tinkerBOY 5-pin to USB adapter: https://www.tinkerboy.xyz/product/tinkerboy-ibm-terminal-keyboard240-degree-5-pin-din-to-usb-converter-with-soarers-converter-firmware/
I've been after a board with approximately the shape and layout of a proper IBM model M for a while - I won't have the time to properly test that aspect for a little bit, but for now, I'm having fun actually using this board for work today.
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/847/728/320/472/132/original/485ac855ef857fd8.jpg

2026-06-25 05:26:25 CEST

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how different a climate is it where you are? Here we might see a week of -7C mornings in the middle of winter, and 40+ days in summer.

2026-06-24 04:56:49 CEST

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There's also unexpectedly some minor repairs to make before new blinds can be installed - the old curtains were screwed into the architraves over the windows, and on bigger ones, that's pulled them away from the wall in places.
I've recently had a guy come in and do some bathroom ceiling work; I have a couple of other boxes he could tick if he came back, so I'll get him to look at those as well. That'll be 100% my cost (strata paid for the bathroom stuff) so I hope he's feeling generous.

2026-06-24 04:46:17 CEST

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tl;dr: poking holes in buildings so you can have windows is a terrible idea in every way because they are so hard to engineer and insulate. You can spend thousands on them and they'll still let more cold or heat in than your walls. It's a shame we like looking outside so often.

2026-06-24 04:43:01 CEST

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Haven't bothered with actual quotes for double glazing but it would be 1.5-2x as much as the cost of putting these blinds in everywhere. I'll use up my NSW scheme money on insulation and solar, so I'd still be out of pocket paying full price for DG and THEN still need to do something about my shitty curtains on top of that.
The advantage of having skinny 90s windows is that I can fit most of the rollerblinds next to them within the reveal rather than outside, which makes them a bit cheaper.

2026-06-24 04:38:34 CEST

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Got quotes for window blinds - roughly AU$200-300 each for roller shades, $800-1300 each for the insulated blockouts that run in side tracks and have an enclosed top to stop air moving between the window glass and the room. Price tracks linearly with size, small windows are cheaper, big glass sliding doors are obviously more expensive. Total approaches $10k to refit my place. Motorising any of them would be an extra $500ish each.

2026-06-23 12:40:23 CEST

Is there anyone in my network here associated with the #QUT School of Design who could put me in touch with a particular lecturer there (or at least tell me if he's still around)? There's a thing I need to discuss with the guy specifically and I haven't been able to connect with him so far.

2026-06-19 07:15:54 CEST

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Ha. Two days ago, NSW annouced $15k for green energy upgrades: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/nsw-government-interest-free-renewable-energy-loans-subsidies/106805702
Details here: https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-06/NSW_Home_Energy_Saver_Loans_guidelines.pdf
Edit: this *beats* the ACT's offering as it's no interest vs 3%. Although the ACT is still bumping the amount up to $20k from July.
This does actually matter, because it means I'll be able to do solar + battery this year no matter what happens jobwise. And I'll be better off in the long run with immediate savings on energy costs.

2026-06-19 04:00:13 CEST

#Linux #Apple #iMac folks - what Linux distro and age am I likely to get running on a 2009-era Intel iMac? A guide written last year suggested Ubuntu Budgie but it's giving me UVD errors and graphics glitches trying to run a live environment from a USB drive.
Edit: Hoping for "I used X on my Y iMac and it definitely worked", not just "distro F should work fine"

2026-06-15 02:35:08 CEST

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I don't quit hobbies, they're waiting for me to come back with the time, energy or knowledge that I was missing to progress them further

2026-06-12 13:50:48 CEST

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Of course, not replacing my windows means keeping the old ones, which are (again) original to the house, and a bit beaten up. Many of the sashes no longer stay up on their own, and I will have to repair these.
Fortunately, information about that is easier to come by. This video demonstrates how to replace spiral balances in sash windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se-YGNegpOo
And Whitco, the Aussie-made spiral balances Bunnings carry, have a product spec and selection guide here: https://www.whitco.com.au/au/en/documents/catalogue-pdf/whitco-window-balance-systems-catalogue/Whitco%20Window%20Balance%20Systems%20Catalogue.pdf

2026-06-12 13:50:35 CEST

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I was not expecting to find window upgrades at the bottom of my list, but for what I might have spent on that, I'm getting more effective upgrades that will start saving me money from day one. That may become more affordable over time as glaziers and fitters replace ageing equipment with modern gear and double-glazing becomes more standard, but for now, I will focus my attention elsewhere.

2026-06-12 13:50:19 CEST

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Is it worth getting one done if you don't know much about this stuff? If you have cash to throw at some home improvements to make your place more comfortable to live in and/or be more energy efficient, you could get an assessment, do the top two or three things it suggests, and be very happy with the results.
What if you've already turned this topic into your hobby and personality for a month? Yes, because it'll give you advice specific to your situation without trying to profit from you.

2026-06-12 13:50:06 CEST

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Note that most of the information you find casually online about window insulation, blinds and coverings is going to be marketing info on manufacturers' websites, and SEO-tweaked florid prose and worthless AI-generated diagrams on installers' sites. You can get more personal opinions by searching Reddit and other forums, but those aren't any more immune to corporate influence and astroturfing.
This is why you should pay for an independent assessment and a NatHERS Home Energy Rating Certificate.

2026-06-12 13:49:53 CEST

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The apparent go-to is honeycomb blinds, which offer one or two layers of fabric-small gap-fabric. Good ones work well - one supplier says theirs are rated R2 to R4, matching or besting basic double-glazing significantly - but real-world reviews pan their looks and their tendency to collect dust like nobody's business. I don't need that in my life, so I'm getting quotes for boxed-in roller blinds that run in tracks on their side, and have a closed-in top to tick the pelmet box.

2026-06-12 13:49:37 CEST

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I'm already taking my ceiling closer to R5, and my walls R2.5. Getting double paned windows will bring those into line with the walls, but at significant cost - I'm yet to get actual quotes, but I've had back-of-laptop estimates of over $10k for my place. So with the ceiling and walls improved significantly, the value proposition of bumping a much smaller surface area up as well becomes much harder to justify.
So, I'm looking in a different direction: engineered windowblinds.

2026-06-12 13:49:14 CEST

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Phase 3 is my other gas appliances - the oven, and the cooktop. I will absolutely relish the sight of my tenant-grade oven leaving the house for good, not least because it takes 20 minutes to preheat and still manages to cook everything unevenly. The stovetop I hate less, but once it's the last gas thing left, it's gotta go - it's an estimated 10% of my household energy usage, not even counting the ~$220/year I pay to have gas piped in before I start using it.

2026-06-12 13:48:06 CEST

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Ceiling, walls and floor are the biggest heat saps in Australian winters. Adding insulation where I can (not much I can do about the concrete slab without ripping up my entire ground floor), plus finding and blocking air gaps, will be an unexpectedly afforable phase one of my plan.
I'm also getting quotes for insulated window blinds. I'm not thinking practically about double glazed windows anymore, I will explain why later on in the thread.

2026-06-12 13:47:26 CEST

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My place was built in the mid 90s, and while there is *some* insulation in the ceiling, it's not enough - it doesn't look like it was great to begin with, and there's lots of gaps from being carelessly shoved out of place and not shoved back again. Even small gaps make a huge difference.
The recommended minimum R value for ceiling insulation is now R5. Mine's about half that, and will likely get improved by topping it up with a second layer at a 90 degree angle to minimise through-holes.

2026-06-12 13:46:40 CEST

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So, the #NatHERS report grades both your home's building for insulation (this is a star rating, out of 10), and the efficiency of your major appliances (a rating out of 100). I'll avoid giving specific numbers out of my report for privacy reasons, but I can talk about some general results, what I've learned from the process, its value, my plan for making upgrades and why it's proceeding in this particular order.

2026-06-12 07:07:38 CEST

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The report progresses (I may receive it today) but we are 100% in the "double-check every detail, everywhere, in every document ever"-ocene era.
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/735/397/106/213/370/original/2886f36aa8243351.png

2026-06-09 12:48:17 CEST

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Electrifying the hot water situation leaves the cooktop and oven as my only remaining gas appliances. I would need to have more power circuits run for possibly all of the above, which should probably all be done before I fill every wall cavity with insulation, which will also de-rate my current wiring.
That will pump up the cost of the insulation work without immediate benefit, so the right perspective for that is enabling my future dream kitchen upgrades.

2026-06-09 12:41:40 CEST

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After insulation, solar power and maybe a battery are next. With what I spent to heat and cool the place, solar panels on the roof would pay off very quickly indeed, and a battery to run heating or cooling overnight would be a huge quality of life improvement in the gap before doing thicker, thermally broken windows.
That would also mean I could replace my ageing gas HWS with a resistive electric tank, rather than a pricey heat pump system, because I don't need to maximise the HWS's efficiency.

2026-06-09 12:38:48 CEST

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I'd need quotes to verify, but it sounds like my estimate for retrofitting double glazed windows was low by an order of magnitude. The current ones aren't in *terrible* condition, but they would need some repairs and servicing if I chose to keep them long-term. So here I might instead look into insulated roller blinds, or at the very least curtain pelmets that aren't decorative (mine are open at the top for some reason and actually thermally useless).

2026-06-09 12:35:20 CEST

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(And for anyone suddenly shrinking back and going "eww, a landlord!": I rent a room under very favourable conditions to someone who urgently needed a place to stay when fleeing a DV situation, then ended up staying long-term as they settled in. I am deeply respectful of the circumstance of providing a place for someone to live and do not view it as an investment or an opportunity to profit.)

2026-06-09 12:25:41 CEST

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It looks like the first priority is actually insulation - the wood framing inside walls apparently has an R value of one, and there's currently just air in between them in my place. So getting insulation pumped into the gaps should make a significant difference to the inside temperature.
The stuff in the ceiling isn't completely terrible, but it's laid badly and there's plenty of gaps. So probably it'll end up with a second layer over the top, at right angles to minimise thermal holes.

2026-06-09 12:23:59 CEST

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So, step one of the NatHERS report process done. Had a guy here for 3 hours (he estimated 1.5-2, but it was his first one for NSW), I've had tons of information and advice and will get an official certificate telling me how terribly insulated my house is in a day or two.
This wasn't mandatory to get done (yet), but it was discounted thanks to the NSW scheme and I now have a better informed and re-arranged set of priorities for improving the livability of my house in summer and winter.

2026-06-06 04:41:43 CEST

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the whole thing is just so completely "the Russians used a pencil" to me. We've probably spent more money as a species making typing on flat screens bearable than we would have making phones with physical keyboards instead. Just give me the faster horse please

2026-06-06 04:15:04 CEST

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The way I type on my phone causes so many consistent mistakes and it's always a battle with the spell checker as to what kinds of mistakes it'll actually recognise. Like hitting 'v' instead of spacebar to separate words? It figures that out. But hitting backspace instead of M, and missing "m*" from the middle of a word? It can't comprehend that. But if it saw that, and made the M key a little wider on the right for me, it could adapt to my typical errors and make my typing more reliable.

2026-06-03 05:36:59 CEST

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How it started / how it's going:
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/684/081/572/099/199/original/488cbdcc2bde9a5c.jpg
https://digipres-club.s3.bhs.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/684/082/012/162/982/original/7f48d5269be9c50b.jpg

2026-06-03 04:49:08 CEST

Do you live in #NSW, #Australia? As part of the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS), NSW is trialling a home energy rating scheme like they have in the ACT, where a place must have a valid report if you're renting or selling. It's currently discounted, I'm getting someone to come and do an inspection for my place for about $250 through here: https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/action/initiatives/home-energy-ratings
I'm about to go through the process and start improving my house, and will report costs and results in a thread here.

2026-05-19 09:42:42 CEST

"Get out of that cupboard, I've told you before you are not Tupperware" and other completely normal sentences spoken in households with cats

2026-04-14 04:54:05 CEST

⚠️ Heads up - there's a #Mastodon #scam bot doing the rounds. Mastodon does not "temporarily restrict your visibility" - that is simply not a thing here.
If you see a DM or post to that effect begging you to click a link to restore anything, do not click it - report it instead.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/116/400/796/687/719/076/original/227cd420b98bedc2.png

2026-03-23 01:07:40 CET

Just had a bizarro Bluetooth keyboard thing happen - I was trying to type the word "date" and it kept coming up as "ate". I backspaced it and tried typing it again a few times before realising I wasn't missing the D key, it just wasn't typing anything... then a moment later, with my hands off the keyboard, "ddd" appeared on the screen.
I guess wireless packets containing the letter 'd' are particularly laggy today?
It's gonna be another "we should never have taught sand to think" day, isn't it

2026-02-25 02:14:10 CET

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Maybe there's a pickup that gives you the temporary ability to lean left or right in 3D to shoot at stuff behind other stuff. Some kind of side-perspective minimap that helps you navigate because it'd be hell otherwise. Picking up and carrying large items completely blocks your view until you put them down again. There's definitely a jetpack, Halloween Harry-style. Maybe a Mirror's Edge or Talos Principle style movement aid that helps you jump to particular platforms.

2026-02-01 09:19:52 CET

I managed to pocket dial 000 today (the Australian equivalent of 911). Apparently if you tap my phone screen to wake it up, slide up to reveal the pattern screen and an "emergency" button, then tap that button, an #Android Pixel 8a will call for help... And it's entirely possible to do the entirety of this with it inside your pocket.
Anyway, here's the photo I was trying to take of a kangaroo (the Australian equivalent of a bison, I guess).
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/994/381/605/885/298/original/fd70392ed9540e1c.jpg

2026-01-31 23:50:20 CET

WhatsApp: Use AI to summarise these 1 unread messages!
The message: "Good morning"

2026-01-16 06:15:04 CET

It's been 20 years since I did anything at all in Pascal and I still sometimes type writeln instead of println and can't figure out why my Arduino code won't compile and upload.

2025-12-30 00:31:31 CET

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Oh sure, it's getting old and tired and the keys don't all sit at the same height anymore, and I keep reaching for a volume control that isn't there. And it's big and heavy and displaces my mousing a bit to the right because it's not a TKL. And the left alt key isn't where my fingers want it to be.
But those aren't failures. It's not obsolete. It's just not new, and that's okay. It still works fine, even on a completely different system to the one it was intended to work with. #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/805/451/876/746/221/original/dfceddd323d62b83.jpg

2025-12-30 00:29:02 CET

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So I fully expected to put my G915 TKL back on the desk almost immediately, but I've actually been using the #Apple Extended Keyboard II unironically for a couple of days now. Keyboards have barely changed in decades - certainly not enough to make older ones *obsolete*, this one's merely *incompatible* without the right adapter - and unless I was working, or programming, and needed my keyboard to be as finely tuned an instrument as Mitutoyo calipers, it's a completely adequate input device.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/805/446/205/732/565/original/7cb43736fe01ea6f.jpg

2025-12-28 02:42:42 CET

Today in "things that make me grin like an idiot": finally getting around to trying out the beautiful old Apple Extended II that I bought from @npub1e4d…gw2l back in July.
It came with the Griffin iMate USB adapter he rescued from unplanned obsolescence by modding it to work without a coin cell battery: https://www.projectgus.com/2023/04/griffin-imate/
Mine was never an Apple household, so this feels like an alien technology rather than nostalgia to me, but I still have a deep appreciation for this beast. #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/794/623/200/260/333/original/a03a8c738b0c825f.jpg

2025-12-18 02:39:27 CET

Getting two separate rejection notices for the same job application weeks apart feels very public service

2025-12-15 11:42:05 CET

Cool thing I just learned about 4-wire stepper motors: If you don't have documentation telling you which wires are paired, try turning the motor by hand to get a feel for how hard it is, then hold two of the wires together and see if it gets harder to turn - if it does, the wires you're holding together are a coil pair.
Source: https://buildbotics.com/wiring-stepper-motors/

2025-10-24 23:25:26 CEST

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what a good smush

2025-10-13 08:12:54 CEST

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🔹 There might be some ebook apps for Android that let you use the volume keys to flip pages. That at least potentially opens up the market to generally any old tablet, but volume controls on Android devices generally aren't intended to be used constantly (my phone's ones are definitely too stiff to want to press 40 times an hour). That then becomes a search for ereader-duty-suitable tablets with extremely variable results.
🔹 Some people use Bluetooth remotes to get physical buttons.

2025-10-13 07:56:14 CEST

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Things I have learned so far:
🔹 Every modern ereader is actually just an Android tablet with a touch-capable eink screen and nobody bothers putting physical buttons on them anymore because touch is the few-chah
🔹 People would still rather ones with physical buttons enough that even the most coffee-stained button-encrusted specimens are listed for equally filthy money on eBay
🔹 The Kindle 4 she already has might actually be the least shit option and I should just show her how to use Calibre?

2025-10-13 06:34:10 CEST

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And the plain old breakout board as well. These connectors are spaced correctly for dual-plug devices like the Four Score and Satellite receiver, so you can build your own adapter that also supports those.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/364/987/275/589/618/original/567a97c6785f778e.jpg

2025-10-13 03:41:47 CEST

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And the finished assembly! This is all the electrical parts for my NES dual socket adapter - the next step is designing the 3D printed enclosure to surround it.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/364/299/031/165/642/original/ffeebaea69140411.jpg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/364/299/315/227/025/original/a6e1cfbf64f49727.jpg

2025-10-13 03:23:14 CEST

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Second soldering jig for the last part of assembly - this one holds the NES socket daughterboard to the Pro Micro mainboard so it can be soldered together at a precise 90 degree angle.
It's being held conveniently aloft by my #SolderingStation, which immediately became an integral part of my workshop infrastructure the moment it came together.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/364/227/948/217/337/original/a40d55c222cee7f2.jpg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/364/235/450/227/550/original/1e5570e2dba484fb.jpg

2025-10-12 13:13:59 CEST

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With the angled header and the Arduino soldered to the mainboard, assembly step 3 is getting the NES sockets onto the daughterboard.
The sockets I'm using have lots of little plastic gubbins around them, including the remains of the plastic push-pins I've already clipped off, and it took five iterations to nail the cutouts to suit them. The sixth and final print tomorrow will get the height right, so the sockets sit flush in the production case - which I'll start designing from this part.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/360/861/669/317/596/original/13e0ced372c3317f.jpg

2025-10-12 09:22:34 CEST

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I'll be installing and walking her through Calibre on her PC so she can copy stuff to it outside of the capitalist-approved ecosystems. Would also be interested in third party/jailbroken firmware for a Kindle 4 as the hardware is otherwise alright.

2025-10-12 09:21:31 CEST

Hey #AskFedi, please recommend me an ebook reader for an Australian teenager. She has a Kindle that's almost as old as she is and the Amazon integration is either not working anymore or is too complex to be practical. The only really hard requirement is physical buttons to flip pages - anything that's pure touchscreen is a definite no. An older model is fine/ideal if I can likely still find one new or in decent condition used. I have a few weeks to hook this up so give me your best suggestions!

2025-10-09 01:24:39 CEST

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This little one-off part is a jig to help me solder right-angle headers to my NES adapter PCB. Won't have time today to actually do anything further with it, but at least this is here for when I do.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/341/036/215/674/201/original/4f828bc27154b864.jpg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/341/036/420/892/233/original/b1817bc43d77cf26.jpg

2025-10-08 03:40:10 CEST

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Yes... ha ha ha... yes!
Now to find a couple of hours of time to do some soldering and some 3D printing.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/335/979/367/130/699/original/3a5805c6f65deca7.jpg

2025-10-01 03:14:28 CEST

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Boards have arrived! We have the two-part arrangement for my NES controller to USB adapter, and a more general-use NES breakout.
I'm completely out of straight sockets, and my next batch is currently sitting in the backrooms at an airport in China, so it'll probably be a week or two before I can resume this one again.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/296/241/980/735/443/original/ac4224ac9beb4088.jpg

2025-09-28 03:48:38 CEST

Fuck I hate check-in kiosks. At the doctor, at hotels, everywhere.
I can kind of rationalise them at airports - makes sense in a high volume environment to have that kind of efficiency built in - but even then it's silly when you get a text to virtually check in 24 hours before a flight.
The BEST outcome I ever see from kiosks is being told to go to reception and talk to the human sitting there bored anyway, and have a faster, less dehumanising interaction.

2025-09-28 02:12:27 CEST

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Actually I've just gone back to it and found a tab open with a seller who has 1400 of them for AU$1.48 each, and an even cheaper supplier with a smaller quantity. The only other one I found at first is AU$44ish for ten. AliExpress's search function is fucking terrible but I guess that's the price you pay instead?

2025-09-26 12:24:03 CEST

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Y'know, I don't hate it.
This is what my dual NES adapter could look like in the end - a USB socket at one end, and two NES sockets at the other.
Designing this while trying to keep in mind a consistent design language for other future adapters is hard. I *think* this is large and general enough that I can modify it for other sizes without hugely changing the design language (and to be fair I've picked the biggest, most complex one to try to start with).
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/270/077/537/790/716/original/e263e2d6386a1ef8.jpg

2025-09-26 10:12:24 CEST

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Simultaneously committing crimes against imperial AND metric schools of thought tonight.
If I create a 2D array of points on a 2.54mm pitch, I can use them to space and group together a set of through-hole components, then drag and align them to wherever on a metric grid I want them. I can then export the footprints to SVG and line things up as I like in Fritzing.
This workflow is certifiably awful but it works in my brain shut up don't tell me I'm doing it wrong I'm having fun making stuffs
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/115/269/573/615/950/194/original/bbd32bc406e313c1.jpg

2025-07-28 02:58:10 CEST

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I think I've entered a new phase with my #PCB design skills. Being able to sketch the layout in #Rhino3D where I'm relatively skilled, then export as SVG and then just line up the handful of actual components just so in Fritzing has been great.
Today I've discovered the existence of "single line" or "single stroke" fonts - apparently used in engraving, but also useful for text on PCBs. The one I'm using here is "MecSoft" from the Rhino people themselves: https://wiki.mcneel.com/rhino/engravingfonts
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/114/928/129/186/565/404/original/3cabb70a99387fd7.jpg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/114/928/129/781/162/020/original/4c086557f36ca266.jpg

2025-07-27 13:27:47 CEST

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This is the 3D modelling equivalent of a cluttered, untidy desk, but I have at least a V1 print-worthy design for the CD drive mount and the bracket for the fans. That will need some cutouts for the fan wiring to escape, but I'll wait for the fans to arrive so I know exactly what I'm dealing with before I do that.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/114/924/936/219/574/474/original/466f957b5b5f33a4.jpg

2025-07-27 12:14:14 CEST

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My plan to work on the internal structure has led me straight back to the CD drive again - I have a plan to attach the front, back and bottom panels together, but I want to get the front stuff fitting before I can print a full front panel. This kerjigger will screw into the front panel from the inside.
Modelling off this beat-up, second-hand, slightly bent in places drive probably delayed the project a couple of days due to wasting a few iterations on its own eccentricities.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/114/924/650/057/466/981/original/c3157892e390f616.jpg

2025-07-23 06:42:03 CEST

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How's it possible that I can just *make* my own buttons? Well, these exist - these are momentary tactile switches with a square nub on top, meant to have these colourful tops click on to them. I can make a simple circuit board with two of these, and two LEDs, 3D print some bits with my power and reset symbols to pop on, and then it's just two wires from each LED and button to the motherboard. That's functionally all that you're pressing on your own PC case to turn your computer on.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/114/900/708/251/896/146/original/d4e81b056cb4ca38.jpg

2025-07-17 03:31:57 CEST

I'm sick with another cold or something, so I'm idly sketching out a 3D printable case for an ITX retro gaming rig, the primary feature of which will be a 15-pin gameport socket up front.
I've started a few projects like this, but never run them right through to the end - if you've ever wondered what designing a PC case is like, just draw a whole bunch of differently shaped rectangles and try putting them neatly in a box. Dunno yet if this one will see the light of day beyond this screenshot.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/114/865/980/244/020/908/original/49c361219645aca0.jpg

2024-11-14 05:59:40 CET

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it looks like a party on your desk! I love it.