Bug in Backup Software

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

I recently went to backup a laptop drive that is in an USB chassis. The drive was an old backup drive. I connected it to my Linux box and mounted the drive. I then configured my backup software to perform a backup. It estimated 13 DVDs and burned several before it barfed. Continue reading →

Posted in Projects, Robotic DVD burner | Comments Off on Bug in Backup Software

Meetings on a Saturday

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

Went in to work to catch up on a project that my company is behind schedule on. With an empty building, all the distractions and gone and I can dig into the issues and get twice the work done. Should have worked except the telephone calls I got and two one hour teleconferences I got sucked into. So I lost a Saturday and have very little to show for it.

Note to self; Do not answer phone on weekend when you are at work.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Meetings on a Saturday

Home Energy Monitor (Furnace Editition)

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

Over the weekend I started building an interface for an Arduino to monitor my heating system as part of the whole house energy monitoring project. I happen to have a rather strange heating system. The house was built using all electric heat. Over the years it was remodeled to be baseboard hot water in the basement, high velocity forced air using a boiler on the first floor (along with a pellet stove), and it remains electric on the second. My immediate interest is just to monitor when the three hot water zones called for heat and when the furnace actually was running. Later I want to add the pellet stove and A/C during the summer. The electric heat on the second floor will be monitored from the circuit panel. Continue reading →

Posted in Home Energy Monitor, Projects | 2 Comments

Music CD Database

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

In keeping with my new saying “If you stumble on a barcode reader in the attic, then everything needs to be barcoded and/or scanned” I scanned in all my CD music library. Why? Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Comments Off on Music CD Database

A Confusing Question

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

A few days ago I was talking with a co worker about my electronic parts cataloging project. Explained the bar code reader (CueCat) neutering procedure and my issues with printing barcodes. I was feeling pretty proud of the project when he asked me one simple questions that through me for a loop. Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Comments Off on A Confusing Question

Parts Inventory

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

I have lots of electronic part. Have not counted yet, but certainly many thousands. Of these parts I have many hundred unique parts. These parts are scattered around my home. Some are in the garage, some in the attic, some in my home office, and the rest in my electronics lab. It has gotten to the point that I find it difficult to known what I have and where it is. Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | 4 Comments

Python

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

I have been learning some Python here and there over the last few months. It is an interesting language and I think it has many great advantages for some applications. Without offending the Python diehards, I do not think it would be useful for high speed processing of data or graphics. For these tasks a compiled languge like C or C++ is the way to go. But for test or throwaway code it is great. Continue reading →

Posted in Projects, Software | 3 Comments

Converting the lightning detector over to RS-485

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

During the precessing of getting the RS-232 communication working with the lightning detector and my Linux box, I learned the advantages of RS-485. RS-232 sends over its signals as a single ended voltage. RS-485 uses a differential signal. This has many advantages and at least one draw back. Continue reading →

Posted in Lightning detector, Projects | Comments Off on Converting the lightning detector over to RS-485

Just neutered my first CueCat

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

Long time ago, Radio Shack was providing free barcode scanners called CueCats. They looked like cats (to attack your mouse?). In any case the idea was that you could scan a special barcode from a magazine article and it would take you right to the proper website. But the company that provided the barcode readers was harvesting the data for consumer monitoring purposes. Pretty soon, the whole thing crashed and the CueCat never caught on. But a million barcode readers still are in the wild. Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Comments Off on Just neutered my first CueCat

Good Bye Irene, good bye Irene, …

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Skye Sweeney

Irene left this small mess in my neighbor’s yard. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Good Bye Irene, good bye Irene, …