Busy hands | Disquiet mind

The last project was stressful, so that means it's time for another Seamwork's Lex!

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Seamwork Lex, finished, front view
Photo by chebe

Divoom Pixoo Slingbag is nice looking bag, with a 16x16 RGB LED screen in it. I was curious and wanted to look inside. (I must caution you if you buy one for yourself; there are always discounts, don't pay full price. And their after-sales marketing is often overwhelming.)

The bag is constructed well, of decent quality materials. The LED grid works very well. The app for it, on the other hand, is absolute hell. Other people have made alternative clients for them, like the DivoomClient for ESP32, Divoom Timebox Evo, but the only one I personally tried out was the Windows Diwoom client. Which worked pretty well, but made me realise the bluetooth communication isn't protected at all. If there isn't a client currently connected to the bag, there's nothing stopping anyone else from connecting and changing the displayed image. So clearly the hardware had to come out.

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Outside view of the bag, new display in place, running Rainbow example
Photo by chebe

This bag is quite eye-catching, and people have asked me questions about it whenever I've brought it out. I look forward to customising the animations, eventually. There are repos that will decode the actual animations from the app, but there doesn't seem to be a ready library for implementing them in MicroPython (I saw a promising one for CircuitPython, which alas is not MircroPython), but I'll keep investigating. Also, the original display is still functional, so that might find a use somewhere that isn't public.

After a project as tricky as that last one I need something simple as a palette cleanser. Remember Seamwork's Lex? Last time went so smoothly, and I want that energy again.

Same size 16 Curvy as last time, but with the Front and Back shortened by 10cms for a slight crop. I found a fun Fleece Backed Sweatshirting, Smiley Face Print, 65% Polyester, 35% Cotton, 275gsm that I want to use. With the same black knit cuff ribbing, 95% cotton 5% spandex, 285gsm, and black thread.

Seams are finished with the overlocker/serger, but I was feeling cheeky and used only straight stitch everywhere for construction, with only a single row of top-stitching at neckline and hem for a less sporty look.

I adore this jumper. With the cropped length I don't find the print overwhelming, it's colourful, but dark. It's cheery, but a bit cynical. The fabric is really comfortable, and the cropped length feels less casual. I'm in danger of making a million of these tops.

Seamwork Lex, finished, front view
Photo by chebe

The Bush KCS-317 cassette recorder/player is a recent, budget, device for playing, and recording, audio cassette tapes. I picked it up during lockdown when I wanted to digitise old tapes I'd found, but discovered that my existing players were no longer functional. If I recall correctly I had exactly two options; a portable player, or this one, which I chose for the mains power plug. It has a bunch of other features, like playing from usb sticks, none of which I'd needed. But the sound quality was never good.

I recently fell down the Steve's Electronic Repair Shop rabbit-hole, and the 'Cassette Tape Player. How it works and how to repair.' video in particular emboldened me to sort out that player. So I found a speed calibration test tape which has 15mins of 3,000Hz sine wave (actually 3,010-3,020Hz), and instructions on how to use it. The tape showed the player to be running fast, and as if I needed more encouragement, the buttons, the big chunky physical plastic buttons got stuck in play. It had to be opened up.

(I couldn't find any photos, or manuals, online for this player, so I'm including more than is necessary here in case anyone ever needs them.)

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With the top case removed I could plug in the player, play the speed test tape, and ever so gently adjust the motor speed with immediate feedback. It is a horrible sound, but a very effective test. After I got the frequency to between 3,010-3,020Hz I closed it back up properly, and tested it with a well known tape. The in-built speaker is not good. The in-built microphone is not good. Considering it has a mono tape head, and doesn't have Dolby Noise Reduction, there is a limit to what I can expect from this player. But with the correct speed setting it sounds okay, on headphones at least.

Adjusting the motor speed
Photo by chebe

My office/workshop is not meant to be a photography set. The lighting isn't suited to product beauty shots, yet photos still happen in here. Part of this is that I'm more photosensitive than your average maker and will happily work away in my dark cave. But I want better photos, so I decided to try and improve the lighting situation without splashing out hundreds on professional gear (that won't fit in here anyway).

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Diffusion ring fitted to lamp
Photo by chebe

( Before and After )