Here's the finished product. It turned out pretty good. It would be even better, if we had some trick or treaters. We still haven't even had one yet, and it's after 7 o'clock. Oh well it was a fun project anyway.
Happy Halloween!
The boards work! Well at least the first 3 work. Hopefully I can finish assembling the 5 remaining boards and get this coding done before Halloween. So far I've got a smooth cycle through the colors and a cool lightning effect. Just a bit more work code wise and that part should be good. The deadline is fast approaching though...
Here are pictures of the completed PCB layout and the etched circuit board. I used PCBArtist to create the schematic and board layout for free. Then I just printed the layout on the press'n peel sheets to form the top and bottom layers.
Ironing the prints on to the bare copper board makes the toner from the printer transfer to the copper creating an etch resist.
Then using some Ferric Chloride (nasty stuff) I removed all the excess copper leaving me with the picture on the right.
Next step, cut the boards from the panel and populate them. After all this work I hope my circuit is correct...
In an effort to stay current with everything I learned in school I decided to start a Halloween project. I'm building boards to do some cool lighting effects outside so we can scare the kiddies.
Basically I'm using a serial to parallel constant current led driver to drive 3 high output RGB LED's from Osram. I'll have eight of these boards connected in series all driven by the Luminary micro Arm 7 micro-controller development kit that I got for Christmas.
Since I'm cheap I'm manufacturing the PCB myself using Press'n Peel for the etch resist. It won't be as good as having it manufactured somewhere, but it'll be much cheaper.
Results too follow...
On my way to the ECC lab to get my lab write worked on, and I got this at UNR near the engineering building. Pretty good snow storm for the beginning of October. Sign of a good ski season I hope. By the way, the ski resort webcam page on my site is down. Still working on getting things updated and working in expression web. Probably won't happen until later possibly winter break.
For some reason lately I've had this idea of riding my motorcycle across the country. I was thinking I could load up the bike with camping gear and just hit campsites the whole way. It'd be rough, and I'd probably be tired of it after 3 or 4 days, but what better way to see the country? The SV650S leaves much to be desired for storage, so I'd have to test and see if I could even fit everything.
I mapped out a potential course just to see how far and how long it might take. Here's a map. Assuming I could average at least 363 miles a day I could do the whole thing in 3 weeks. Maybe that's reasonable I'm not really sure. It seems like a daunting task, but I'm sure it would be quite the adventure.
It's been awhile since I've taken time to write anything in here so I thought I ought to do a little update. I got a new motorcycle to replace the old tired 250 Ninja. It's an 02' SV650S, way more power than the little Ninja, and tons of fun. After searching around town trying to find one, we ended up driving to Santa Rosa to pick it up and haul it back home in the truck. You'll see me riding it around South Reno most days.
I took my mom to mothers day dinner at the melting pot in Reno. The food was good, but the company was better :)
I also went and did some fishing at Lahontan reservoir with my dad for fathers day, we caught our limits in only a couple hours using either a spinner or worm with a little power bait. It was an awesome day of fishing. Since then I've gotten one of those float tubes, and the wifey and I have gone to Boca a couple times and I've been to the Sparks Marina with it once with no luck. Maybe I'll give the Marina another try this week.
The latest thing was our trip to Pebble Beach/Santa Cruz for the 4th of July. We saw this cool rock formation on teh coast during the 17-mile drive around pebble beach. It reminds me of those big foam #1 hands you see at ball games. The trip was tons of fun even though there were tons of people in Santa Cruz. There was a fight at the funnel cake stand on the boardwalk, we're not sure if it was over the funnel cake or not, but the line for that funnel cake was really long (but oh so worth it).
We saw the Easter bunny in our backyard Saturday. He must have been on his way to someone else's house cause we didn't find any Easter eggs. I hope he doesn't decided he likes our plants, or we might have to call in Elmer Fud.
Yep I'm selling my 1995 Kawasaki Ninja 250. I've had this bike since 2001 and put almost 12,000 miles on it since then. I've made trips up to Tahoe, up to Virginia city, and all around town. My biggest trip was from Reno to Vallejo and on to Bodega Bay and back to Reno. That' s a long ride on a 250, and the airs so thin at the summit I wasn't sure the bike would make it over the hill but it did, and it was an awesome ride. For the last couple years I really haven't been riding it much and every time insurance or registration is due I tell myself I need to sell it. So finally, here it is, ready for the next person to take it where ever they want to go and have some fun. If you're interested check it out http://yougottahaveskills.no-ip.org/1995ninja250.htm
Sorry folks it's sold.
I got to do some more skiing up at Mt. Rose Friday. It was a great day. Not too windy at the top (some people like to call it Mt. Blows) and not too cold either. I decided to try one of the double black diamond runs (jackpot was the name) in the chutes area. I wasn't sure what to expect since this would be my first double black diamond run. I kept inching closer and closer to the edge, and I still couldn't see the slope. Eventually, when it was too late to turn back, I could see the slope, and it was definitely the steepest run I've ever been on. Adding another level of difficulty, it was in the shadows which made it hard to see the terrain. Needless to say I made it down in one piece without falling and I got this picture with my camera phone from the bottom.
Just got back from our trip to Maui. We had a great relaxing time as you might expect. We left town the same day as, what we've heard, was one of the worst snow storms in years. Perfect timing if you ask me. We had a great time hiking, snorkeling, sport fishing, and relaxing. We stayed at the Mahana on the West side of the island. It was a great place right on the water. For some more pictures check out our Maui pictures.
We found out Fernely had flooded when we got to our hotel. Since we have family there we were a little concerned. After checking the local papers website and looking at the map of affected houses we found everything was OK.
I managed to get some skiing in before the year ended. Mt. Rose still hasn't gotten much snow this year, but there's still enough to have good time. Hopefully I can get at least one more day of skiing in before the season ends. There is supposed to be some big storms coming this week. At least that's what the weather man says.
Since this is a new golf course and they don't have their own website yet I thought I might post a little something about it. Hey maybe they'll find the post and give me a round or 2 of free golf. The Links at Kiley Ranch as it's called is a 9 hole par 3 executive course. The day we went the greens were nice while the fairways were decent. Looks like a few patches need some work, but it wasn't terrible. We got there around 4:30 and we had the place basically to ourselves. It's 15 dollars and that includes a pull cart. They are planning on having motorized carts by the end of August, but they're really not necessary. It was a good time and there wasn't the pressure that comes with a busy golf course. Here's the address and phone number in case you're interested: 5800 Kiley Links Dr Sparks, NV 89436, 775-354-2100. Oh yeah, for now the latest time you can get out there with a pull cart is 6:30, but if you don't mind carrying your bag just get there before 8 and they'll let you on.
I finally finished building my RC plane. I got the kit in February of 06' for Valentines day so it's been about a year and a half to make it. Now let's hope I don't crash it the first time out.
For those interested, it's a Great Planes 40 size Cap 232 kit. It came out a little tail heavy so I ended up adding 4oz in the cowl to compensate. I'm using an OS .46AX engine and Futaba electronics.
Just a picture from the Hawken fire I thought was cool. The fires not cool, but the picture is. You get the idea.
A picture from the roller derby in Reno on Saturday. The Battle Born Derby Demons won by a fairly slim margin which kept it exciting the whole time. Who knew Reno had it's own roller derby team? Who knew roller derby is something people are doing? Having never gone before it was a pretty good time. 10 dollars to get in wasn't a bad price. Tasha cookies (they all have funky names) seemed to be the biggest points earner for the team. There were definitely some hard falls and good hits, but no brawls or anything, they are a tough bunch of ladies though. We expected a pretty rowdy crowd, but for the most part it was a family event. The next bout is in July, and they practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at the rink on the river. Check it out sometime.
Check out the pic from the Stead airport. Saturday was a pylon racing seminar for the Reno Air Races. I've never been to the actual air races, but I know the line of cars trying to make there way to the Stead airport gets pretty long. This Saturday it was the show without the thousands of people around. Well there were no stunt planes either, but there were some jets and a few other planes. Maybe we'll go to the actual races this year.
The wife and I made our way to the Chocolate Bar in Reno yesterday www.thechocbar.com. It was our anniversary so we needed a nice place to go have some desert after our dinner at Johnny's. The Chocolate Bar is a pretty cool bar/cafe kind of place. We made a reservation for 7:30 although we probably could have just walked in.
We decide to go with a chocolate fondue (like in the picture), and the wife got a cotton candy martini. Both things were definitely tasty, strawberries and chocolate are the best. It's an interesting place, along the bar they had little 5 or 6 inch TV's playing old black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons. The seating area has a long bench seat along the wall and ottoman like seats on the opposite side of the tables. A little expensive, but good for an anniversary desert.
Yep time for finals, and not a moment too soon. I took one today and I can already feel the weight coming off my shoulders. I have one more tomorrow and then I'm done... until next semester. This was one of the tougher semesters for sure (well they're all tough), but at least this semester I feel like I learned something that I'll be able to use to make some money.
All this time and I finally learned something useful. Just my opinion but college is a joke, and it's not very funny.
Aloha from Maui!! Yep we spent the second week of January in Maui. It was super nice, although it's not hard to beat a cold winter in Reno. It was a little more rainy than we would have liked, but we were still able to put the top down on our convertible quite often.
Snorkeling was awesome. I had never done it before so we just walked into the water from the beach and in the first 5 minutes I saw 3 or 4 fish and an eel tried to eat me. Definitely worth the 10 dollars we spent for snorkel gear.
Roads there are pretty crazy too. If you get out on the road to Hana or try and go around the smaller mountain in Maui be prepared for a very narrow one lane roads with traffic going both ways and very few turnouts to let people pass. There are signs at most of the blind corners saying "Blow Horn" so people know you're coming. We had tons of fun and Lindy already wants to go back.
That's right folks back by popular demand (and after a lot of whining from my competitor) I have added game stats back to this page. Since my employer got rid of the bubble hockey game, someone at work decided to bring a foosball table to work (thank you whoever you are). Seems as though Big C has some practice with foosball but I ain't scared. Watch the stats to see who the foosball champ will be.
The wifey and I went to a concert at Bartley Ranch (Hawkins Amphitheater) last Friday. The artists were Big Head Todd & The Monsters and Toad The Wet Sprocket. Both sounded good although I thought that Big Head Todd & The Monsters was better. There music is just a little more exciting and that guy can really play the guitar. Toad the Wet Sprocket was good too, but they are a little more mellow than what I expected. All and all it was fun, and Hawkins Amphitheater is a great venue even if you get lawn seats.
Well it looks like the bubble hockey stats will be no longer. It would seem that the company for which I work so dilligently, has removed all of the games and taken them to an undisclosed location. It would therefore appear that I am once and for all the Bubble Hockey champion with a final score of 62 to 59 against Big C. It was a close final score, but I believe the true champion came out the winner. Well Big C, better luck next time.
After cooking the perfect (notice how it is perfectly golden over 85% of the bread surface) grilled cheese sandwich this afternoon for lunch, I was sooo hungry I almost didn't notice.
No it's not the Virgin Mary, or Jesus. It's the Walmart happy face. Funny thing is we didn't buy our bread from Walmart. I was too hungry to save it, so this is the only proof I have that it ever existed. Look out, Walmart is everywhere.
Mt. Rose finally got with the program and put up a Webcam. It's on my Site so go check it out.
I've recently gotten back into RC planes again. About 5 or 6 years ago I bought one and learned to fly it, but the field I learned at required you pay for insurance to fly there without an instructor. Without a good place to fly, the plane was left laying around for a few years. I finally decided to get back into it after going with a few guys from work. The old plane still works even though as you can tell it's had a few ruff landings.
I went and got the insurance from the AMA and now I can fly out there whenever I want. This is way better and safer than trying to find road without traffic or a place smooth enough to takeoff and land from without being too close to houses.
My first post in 06'. No I didn't make any New Years resolutions, but I did go skiing yeasterday. That's right I played hooky from work (well I had to take some vacation time, but it was worth it). It was a nice day up at Mt. Rose as you can see.
Usually it's pretty windy up there, but yesterday was awesome. My legs are a little sore today, maybe I need to make a new years resolution about working out... Nah that would never last.
Wanna see conditions for a bunch of Reno-Tahoe resorts. Check out my Ski resort webcam page.
So my birthday was last month. Yeah I'm a bum and haven't done much here for a while. Maybe if I didn't have so much work to do I'd have more time to update this. Anyway, about my birthday. The little wifey had big plans for us. All she would tell me for months in advance was that we were going somewhere around the Las Vegas area. We flew into Las Vegas on Friday night. It was a good Southwest flight (which means it was mediocre at best, but at least we got to sit together). We arrived around rush hour, and got our rental car. She had made plans for us to eat at the Melting Pot.
We were able to check in at the hotel (The Hilton Las Vegas) before making our way to dinner. Dinner was really cool. Having never done Fondue before I wasn't sure what to expect, but everything tasted great. We had the Fondue for 2. It was a full on 3 course meal. It was a little pricey, and our server was a little slow at times, but we had a good time and the Desert was awesome. You should eat there sometime (just know that it took us about 3 hours). It was there that she finally gave in and told me what the big surprise was (don't worry you'll see what it was, I have to leave you in suspense like she left me in suspense).
After that it was off to the Wynn.
The only thing it really has going for it is the Ferrari dealership (which costs $10 to even see a few cars...LAME) otherwise I'd rather go to Ceasars palace and walk around.
Then it was back to the Hilton. We got up the next morning and decided to try the Star Trek Experience. It was pretty good, although I'm not sure it was worth the 30 something dollars per person we paid. We decided it would be more fun if we had a few drinks, so we said we'd come back that evening with a few drinks in us and try again (we ended up being to tired at the end of the day to do it, but it would have been hilarious).
From there it was to Ceasars for lunch before our trip to the Big Surprise.
The Surprise was a ride in and indy style race car around The Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but not only a ride, I got to drive. It was pretty cool. It was six laps of follow the leader. Each person got to follow an instructor car for six laps around the track, with each lap faster than the last. My top speed was 150.54 Miles an hour. It was over before I knew it, but it was quite an adrenaline rush.
Here's some pictures from Halloween. We definitely scared some little kids with the skeloton guy sitting in the chair. We only had 7 or 8 groups of kids this year, so we have a ton of candy left over. We even had full size candy bars. Oh well I'm sure we can take care of the left overs.
Woohooo!! The Snow is coming the Snow is coming! I got all my new gear and I'm ready to go, so let it snow.
We'll probably have to wait another month before they start opening the resorts, but I'm ready.
100% cotton Yoda. Made of yarn he is. Soft and cuddly he must be. Make one yourself you can. Strange you are if you do.
So last winter I went on a little Ski trip with a couple of friends. Yeah, yeah I know it’s been almost a year. Just be happy I even got the film developed. Anyway, we went to Heavenly at Tahoe. It was a great day to go. The mountain is too big to explore every run in one day (unlike
I bought a new set of ski’s boots and poles for this year, so I’m ready to go as soon as the snow falls.
The craziest thing happened the other day. I’m talking to my boss just outside of my cube when out of the corner of my eye I notice this girl walking toward us. Deep in conversation I didn’t think anything of it until I glanced back again and she said hi. It took a second to register, but sure enough it was Jess (a.k.a. sister, there is a story here, but I won’t go into it). The first thing out of my mouth was “what are you doing here?” It probably sounded pretty rude, but I didn’t mean it that way, (it was quite the welcome I must say, especially to someone I knew for such a long time and haven’t seen for years). I was definitely caught off guard. What are the chances in a city of around 200,000 people; in a company of 2000 people she would get a job in the same department as me? Anyway, it’s great getting to see her again, and catching up on everything that has been going on with her. Jess and her family were always great to me (except for the incident with her uncle and a bat, but that’s another story and it isn’t as bad as it sounds). It’s nice to have you around Jess.
Here is a video of the up and coming replacment to Windows XP, Windows Vista. Doesn't look that great maybe some cool graphical stuff, but they don't show any new utilites or anything. There are beta releases available.
Here are some pictures of our trip to Santa Cruz. It was nice there, only thing that kinda sucked is we went to late in the year and the Boardwalk closed at 7. It was still fun though.
My wifey's soooo cool she sent me a candy bouquet (the picture already has some candy bars missing). Jealous aren't you. Want some chocolate too don't you. Well too bad, get your own wifey. Thank you dear!
Yes school is starting again, and with that comes crazy professors (see photo) and rediculous class work. This is just a part of my EE 291 syllabus from Hyunjeong Lee. I am concerned about my "Pop-up quiz". Does this mean the quiz will magically appear from under my desk, scaring me in turn causing all of my books and my big gulp to spill on the floor? Let's hope not. Quizzes are bad enough without them popping up.
Here's a cool tutorial on how the GPS system works (I say cool, but it'll probably only be cool if you're a geek). I've been trying to find a cell phone that has a GPS reciever in it, and it looks like Nokia and Motorola have a couple, but nothing too great yet. Hopefully some day soon. GPS technology seems like a good thing to invest in since there are so many things the system could be used for.
Unclaimed Money Search
Here's a link for you. Supposedly I have 3,000 dollar just lying around somewhere. If you try this and you actually are able to claim some cash let me know. Also I think I should get like 10% since I helped you find it. Whatever you think is fair will be ok too (let your conscience be your guide).
Here's some pictures of a morning at the trap and skeet range. The place is just south of Reno. http://sagehillclaysportsweb.com/ is their website if you want to find out pricing and stuff. You can even rent a shotgun if you just want to try it out. I shot a 17 (out of 25) that day. It was the first time in at least a year (probably more) since I 've been there.
MilkandCookies - Triumph at the Michael Jackson Trial
That dog is too flip'n funny!
Check out The page for Triumps trip to Star Wars movie line. That one is funny too. Here's a link: STARWARS NERDS
I haven't talked about this yet, but I have a thing for the old Shelby Cobra roadsters. The wife and I just openned a savings account for one. Right now there's only a couple hundred dollars in there, but slowly we'll continue to add to it. Below is a link and a blurb on the kit that I am currently most interested in. It seems to be the most complete for the best price, I'm sure other people have different opinions. I will have my on going cost list up at my website soon, as well as an up to date total for the Cobra account balance.
If you'd like to donate to my cause (I think it's a worthy cause) that would be sweet, knowledge and cash are both welcome. Your donation cannot however be used for a tax right off, sorry. Just post a comment and we'll get in touch.
Unique Motorcars
Unique Motorcars offers replicas of both the 289 Model and the 427 Model. We have a reputation of providing one of finest kits in the business, and a track record of over twenty years. You will see why this is a fact as you review the kit information presented here. Our most popular kit is the 'Deluxe Pallet Kit'. This consists of a powder coated chassis with all 4 wheel independent suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, rack & pinion steering, radiator, fuel tank, with brake and fuel lines installed at the factory. The body is bolted onto the chassis, and all doors, hood and the trunk lid have been installed, hinged and properly fitted. The lights, windshield and dashboard are installed, and the seats leather upholstered, and all pre-cut & edged rug pieces and door panels are finished ready for installation. The roll bar is installed, and the side pipes are bolted in-place. The custom headers for your choice of engine are included with the kit as well.
For anyone who is using no-ip to link there dynamic ip address to a constant url here is a little tip.
5 minutes is the shortest time you can have between updates to no-ip's servers. This means if your ip changes very frequently, or if it changes right after an update is sent to their servers your site will be inaccessable for 5 minutes.
I have SBC Yahoo DSL and it changes soooo frequently that half of the time when I would try to access my site it wouldn't work.
To make the time between updates shorter than 5 minutes all you need to do is find the appropriate registry key. Find the Vitalwerks folder under localcomputer/software (use the search function if you want) there's a key that says something like extern.... and has a value in milli seconds for the update time. I set mine to 60000 (1 minute). It works much better now, and so far NO-ip has not blocked my account.
If you ever change any settings in the no-ip client you will have to re-update the registry value.
I just learned how to host my own web page from my home PC. I'm still learning how to use MS Front Page, but it's coming along. Not quite sure what I'll do with it yet, but it was fun too set up. Only a true geek would enjoy setting up there pc and network to host a web page. Oh well, so be it. If you're looking for information on getting your own set up: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1774&page=1
My site (not yet complete): http://yougottahaveskills.no-ip.org (excuse the reference to Napolean Dynamite)
Here is the fish tank stand I built. Mostly 1/2 in. MDF I believe the top is 3/8in. I built it with just a table saw, some screws, and some laquer paint. I used SolidWorks to create a CAD model and just went from there. Not too shabby for my first fish tank stand. Solidworks is awesome you should check it out. www.solidworks.com I'll try and post the solid model later.
My Solidmodel is now posted at my web site
If you'd like to purchase one of these stands let me know. We can do different colors or you could finish it yourself. Just leave a comment with your E-mail address and I'll get back to you.
