3D Printing on All About Jake

Stratux Case for RY836AI

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 01:29:29 +0000

Stratux is a project to provide ADS-B data to ‘electronic flight bag’ apps. It can receive “next gen” transponder information, as well as weather and advisories from ground stations. A GPS module provides location, and gyros, accelerometers, magnetometers, and pressure transducers can even provide limited attitude and heading reference (AHRS)

I took some time to design a nice case that holds all the components. I designed a “HAT” for the Raspberry Pi that holds the GPS module and provides fan control. (Originally this Pi Hat had GPIO 4 controlling the fan. I’ve updated the design to use GPIO18, which is used by other Stratux fan controllers and by the software. I have not made or tested this revision.)

3D Printed Port Cover

Tue, 22 Dec 2015 21:10:00 +0000

Since the MP2x00 did not come with an internal modem (and one was never sold), each MessagePad came installed with a little plastic cover that fills the space where the RJ-11 jack would be.

This is the same cover where apple would place a “2100” sticker indicating that a MP2000 was upgraded to a 2100.

Due to an oversight, the WiFi card extended into the area where this plastic cover would sit. (I’m not sure this could have been avoided, even if I had planned ahead)

Alternate UART for Sailfish

Sun, 04 May 2014 01:50:31 +0000

UART0, otherwise known as the Mightyboard’s primary serial port, is connected to the USB hardware and used for communicating with Replicator G. Both RevE and RevG Mightyboards have an unpopulated header that contains for the 2nd serial port, UART1. Normally unused on modern hardware, this second serial port was originally used for the RS485 chain for slave tools.

I wanted to use this UART1 for something useful, so I added some code to Sailfish that allows you to swap the primary UART0 traffic to UART1. This allows you to connect a serial device to UART1, such as a bluetooth serial module, or a network-to-TTL-serial adapter. Bluetooth serial modules should work pretty easily, but with a little coaxing, you can even get ReplicatorG to connect over the network.

Experimental Replacement for FlashAir Web User Interface

Mon, 24 Feb 2014 20:03:12 +0000

This is an experimental replacement for the FlashAir user interface. I use on my v2 card. I’m not if it’ll work with a v1 card, but it should.
This replacement UI for the FlashAir gives you a few more features on the web interface:

Delete files from file list
File upload progress
Verify file size of upload to insure that it matches what’s on the FlashAir. (not a full diff like I do with the python script, due to javascript limitations)
Drag and drop on browser window to upload.

Dropzone for FlashAir Uploads

Fri, 17 Jan 2014 20:07:55 +0000

I recently acquired Dropzone in as part of a discount software bundle. It essentially an enhanced “droplet” app that allows you to take action on files that you drag and drop to an icon.

I liked that it has a scriptable API in Ruby, and thought it might be a nice way to upload .X3G files to the FlashAir card in my Makerbot.

$32 Network Print Server for Makerbot

Sun, 18 Aug 2013 17:25:57 +0000

Information on taking a LPC1768 and turning into a print server for the Makerbot. Use a Toshiba FlashAir to load your X3G file to the SD card, then use this to send the build command and start the print. The Mini-DK2 development board is $32 on eBay, or for $8 more you can have one with an LCD display. An mbed LPC1768 module from mbed.org works as well, but you’ll need a carrier board that has ethernet and a USB host port. This is built with the mbed.org toolchain, so you need to own at least one mbed module (LPC1768 of course) in order to access their online compiler and toolchain.

Hi-flex Cable Upgrade for Rep 2/2X X-Axis Harness

Tue, 09 Jul 2013 16:24:25 +0000

Upgrading the X-axis wiring harness to a “continuous flex” rated cable.

Sailfish P-Stop for Replicator 2/2X

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:19:06 +0000

If you’re interested in a P-stop (Pause/Stop) for your Replicator 2 or 2X, click read more for the details.

Toshiba FlashAir WiFi-Enabled SD Card

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 01:55:16 +0000

On the Makerbot Operator’s Group there was a discussion on network control of the Makerbot. A few options were discussed, including the EyeFi and the Toshiba FlashAir.

I decided to buy a FlashAir and see if I could get it to work. The ability to both download from and upload to the card is listed as a feature, and mentioned in many reviews. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the upload feature in the documentation or in the card’s UI.

Out of the box, the card broadcasts as a WiFi base station. When you connect to the card’s SSID, you then get a web server that allows you to read the files on the card. That’s about it. Settings are configured by a text file stored in a directory on the SD card.

Luckily, it seems like there is a trove of undocumented features on the card, including upload ability, and the ability to join an existing network. I posted to the Google Group with some information on how to use this card in a Makerbot. I’ve found a lot of information, so rather than multiple posts to the Google Group, I figured I’d post the info here.