Author Archives: Skye Sweeney

Sailboat start timer revisited

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Skye Sweeney

I have been stalled in my work on my robot. Current bug just seems insurmountable. I would come home and avoid the thing like the plague. So I decided to purposefully work on something else for a while.

Posted in PIC, Sailboat Race Timer | Comments Off on Sailboat start timer revisited

Microscope (AmScope SM-3T)

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Skye Sweeney

My eyes are getting old. I can no longer focus on close items. For the last few years I used a magnification visor for close up work. But in recent time, even that is not good enough. To get close enough to … Continue reading →

Posted in AmScope | 3 Comments

Radio Shack is dead to me

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Skye Sweeney

I know it is not news, but Radio Shack is dead. My local store did not shutter when they went bankrupt. It has now been remodeled to bring in a cell phone store in a good 1/4 of the store. … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

Saleae Logic-8

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Skye Sweeney

I just was given a Saleae Logic-8 logic analyzer probe as a birthday gift. I am in love with not only the giver (my wife), but the unit itself. Admittedly I have only had it for an hour, but everything … Continue reading →

Posted in Product reviews | 2 Comments

First 3D printed part

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Skye Sweeney

My employeer has graciously allowed employees to use their top of the line 3D printer for personal projects subject to a bunch of conditions. My SUNDAR project falls within the guidlines for using minimal amount of materials and time. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on First 3D printed part

Dealing with angles (and averaging them)

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Skye Sweeney

The nasty thing about angle measurements is the fact that they roll over. That is to say if you add 10 degrees to 355 degrees you get 365, but what you really want is 5. So after every addition or … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Dealing with angles (and averaging them)

On stepper motors

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Skye Sweeney

I have never designed a system with stepper motors in them, but I have used such systems in the past. After my first experiments with the SUNDAR, it became apparent that the best solution would be to replace the RC … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on On stepper motors

Complimentary filter

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Skye Sweeney

I have been struggling with how to fuse all the data into one cohesive mess. In the case of heading I have several source. I have a magnetometer, the heading from GPS, the integrated value from the gyro, and if I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Complimentary filter

SUNDAR light sensor experiment

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Skye Sweeney

I have been sidelined for a very long time due to work. I have only had a few days off from work in the last 2 months. Makes working on my AVC robot difficult if not impossible. But I have … Continue reading →

Posted in SUNDAR | Comments Off on SUNDAR light sensor experiment

Interesting bugs

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Skye Sweeney

Over the last few months, I have been sending to my software group at work a puzzle/quiz in the form of a bug I have found in my robot code. They seem to get a kick out of especialy since … Continue reading →

Posted in AVC, Personal, Software | 4 Comments