Busy hands | Disquiet mind

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.

( Details )

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.

There are a lot of brands of sewing needles, and they come in many different types of packages. This makes storing them neatly a challenge. Unable to keep track of which ones I had, and which ones I needed, I cracked and measured all the different types I have. The card packaging of the Organ needles is the widest (John James is the tallest), so wide that I realised that if I make the width just a little bigger I could fit two of the more standardised plastic packs side by side. It came out to each slot being 72mm x 8mm X 30mm.

Which fits;
Klasse
Prym
Schmetz
John James
Organ
Lapwing

In 3D Builder I made ten of this shape, arranged in a grid with 4mm walls between and around each, and subtracted them from a larger block (maintaining the wall widths). Then I printed the result. I had massive problems with the PLA filament I was trying to use. In the end I scrapped* the entire roll and went back to my reliable black PETG.

(* scrapped in that, I'm going to find a way to use it outside of my printer, probably following these ideas; 'Can 3D Printing WASTE be Recycled at Home?' by the Brothers Make)

Finished sewing needle caddy
Photo by chebe

Hello readers! Last time I got my Adafruit HalloWing badge working with the SD Card Shield under Arduino. But that's a lot of naked electronics to have dangling around my neck. Let's make a case for it!

Someone already remixed the Hallowing badge case to fit a battery, so I had a go at remixing it further. I brought the model into Windows 3D Builder, cut, and extruded the depth of the case to 2cm. Which it turns out fits everything nicely! Except, the SD card is a bit squished against the edge of the case (you might need to put the SD card in after fitting the badge into the case). If I do this again next time I'd widen that bottom opening just a smidgen.

( Slight complication )

Finished badge case
Photo by chebe

This project was absolutely an exercise in persistence.

I had previously restored my parents' old turntable, but the plastic hinges on the lid were broken, which made it awkward to use long term. Even the stereo system in that post got shuffled around and packed away in the shed as not-strictly-necessary.

Fast-forward a few years into a more dystopian future and an ongoing pandemic, and we find me, spending a lot of time at home, looking for projects to distract myself. I had recently gotten a 3D printer for the first time, and I came across a kickstarter for the SongBird turntable kit. They would supply the hardware, electronics, acrylic, and 3D models, which you then print yourself at home. This seemed ideal to me, because if anything ever broke I would (or at least should) be able to replace just that part easily. I backed it in May.

The kickstarter campaign fulfilment was a bit delayed (by the creators catching covid), but not for long as all the parts went up on MyMiniFactory in October, followed by a few updates (that resulted in a naming schema I could not follow). I read the instructions, and decided to not make things difficult for myself and to simply use PETG like they do. I'd never used PETG before, so I did a bit of research and ordered some filament (ROSA3D PETG Standard Light Green and ROSA3D PETG Standard Black) and a Spring Steel Sheet applied PEI Flex Plate for my printer. They arrive, and I print out all the parts before the end of the year.

( Parts list )

But we all know a turntable cannot be used on its own, it needs speakers, and a preamp, so I have to dig out, and clean up, my old stereo system and preamp. I found my old Cambridge Audio 640P preamp, and couldn't find the power plug. So I order a replacement. All this takes a while. June rolls around and I, at least, finally get all the parts assembled into a turntable!

All parts assembled
Photo by chebe

I also needed furniture to fit the stereo into my office, which had to be found, ordered, stained, and assembled. Which required rearranging other things, changing power strip layouts, and then I get covid. This takes a while.

In the instructions they say we need a 'Rega Baerwald alignment protractor V2', and they provide a link to a forum, that is shutting down leaving the file inaccessible. I bought an alignment protractor, but I'm glad backers are sharing copies of the file in the comments now (not least because the place I got my alignment protractor no longer seems to be stocking them).

I finally get enough energy to do the rearranging and I realise I do not have two sets of phono-to-phono cables, and that I really need two sets of phono-to-phono cables. I also find out that I have to order them, because nowhere locally physically stocks them?!

Everything arrives, and I'm setting it all up, going through the fiddly calibration guide, and, it's not working. I get the multimeter out and take the turntable apart. But everything seems okay. I try the stereo system AUX with a portable CD player, and that's working. I even test the brand new cables. That leaves the preamp. The power light comes on, but there's no sound coming through. So I order a replacement, the Behringer PP400 Phono Preamp that they mention in the instructions. Which means I can also print the preamp mount part (pa1mk3-1), to tuck the preamp under the metal arm.

Printed in black;
- pa1mk3-1, at fast quality (3 hours), doesn't look great, but does the job. (Slicer also complained model had problems that it repaired.)

A month later the new preamp arrives, which I attach with two M3 x 5mm screws, and I wire everything up. Finally I can listen to some vinyl.

( Pictures )

Close up of needle, just because
Photo by chebe

Clip of turntable in action
Video by chebe