Your workshop :)

[tbowmo]

just grabbed a quick image of the secret den here :)

and yes, it does need a bit of cleanup, so I have a space for my laptop there, but I have a couple of other higher priority projects.. So cleaning must come later (at least I have space for building pcb's whenever I have time for it..).

The following tools are in use:

• Weller dual digital soldering station
• Old digital multimeter (had it for 15+ years)
• Tektronix 60Mhz oscilloscope
• 30V/5A power supply
• Homemade vices for holding pcb's.

[Samuel235]

May I ask you guys how you generate 'stock' of components so you don't need to order parts to design and test circuitry ideas? Did you specifically order parts, if so what should i order to generate a 'versatile component library' that i can breadboard anything that pops into my head? or did you just order more than you need for each part and store them for future needs?

[bjacobse]

@Samuel235
I usually always order more than I need. And as soon as I wonder do I need this - I order from ebay or aliexpress :-)
so I am staring to sort out stuff. I bought a box from Biltema for my electronic stuff

[AWI]

Just cleaned...

Street view

Multimeter fetish

Storage for components of my Chinese (and European) friends. I order large amounts ..

Built 35 years ago and still unbeatable..

My latest - a universal component tester 11 Euro... kudo's for the one that designed this

[Yveaux]

@AWI said:

a universal component tester 11 Euro..

And click ;-)

[AWI]

@Yveaux Looks like we occupy a very similar workshop... top of the stairs with IKEA furniture... :confused:

[Yveaux]

@AWI Are we neighbors? :smirk:

[bjacobse]

@Yveaux said:

@AWI Are we neighbors? :smirk:

It looks like you rare sharing same toolshop :-)

[Yveaux]

@bjacobse More like 'all houses in The Netherlands look the same'... :zzz:

[TRS-80]

@Samuel235 said:

I think we should get a tooling topic going, what major testing equipment we all have and what we wish to gather in the future (if any) and then recommended tooling for new comers to purchase to help get their hobby off to a good start. Yes, I'm in that later category.

I was actually wondering if there was enough of this type of content to justify a new "Tools" forum?

Then we could have different threads for each tool (multimeter, scope, etc.) as well as this thread of course.

Or perhaps call it Tools and Methods, or Tools and Resources. For instance I just found a really good beginner's guide to the C programming language. I never understood what void main bla bla really meant, but now after only few minutes, I do! So I would like to share that.

But perhaps best to collect all these things in one place, instead of the general forum?

EDIT: I just had a look round and I don't see anything like a wiki either. Has it been decided against for "reasons" lol? Or have I just missed it (I am on mobile at the moment)?

[Samuel235]

@TRS-80, I too would like the idea of a separate forum category for tools/workshop. The trouble is, this community forum is based around home automation and 'sensoring' our lives, not becoming master electronic engineers. While most of us here are also becoming that, i'm not sure if having a separate forum category for this would be within the interest of the rest of the community, i would like to see it implemented though i must say.

I do feel that having a separate tooling forum would be helpful for us hardware guys, however i just doubt how much content would go there. I support your idea for said discussions regarding separate tools to allow reviews and suggestions. Just wondering how much the hardware category was intended for this when made by the admins.

Maybe a topic to discuss with Hek, we will see :)

[TRS-80]

@Samuel235

My opinion is that it would be great for community building. I think all men like to talk about tools, look at the success of Garage Journal, an entire forum about garage and tools. lol

Besides that, there are certainly all levels of ability here, but I think to use MySensors require you to be at least minimally into hacking your own things together, otherwise you would be using some other solution. And I think many of us always looking to learn more and thinking about eventually adding, upgrading related tools, methods, knowledge.

Of course it is hek decision, I am just making suggestion to collect all these in one place to keep them more organized. Those who are interested in such discussion can go to that forum, and those who aren't don't have to.

[Damme]

Hello everyone!

It's fun seeing this thread alive again!

Sorry I havn't been here for a long while, in the picture you'll see what have been keeping me occupied.. (the orange lawn mower, I'm reverse-engineering it!) and I also moved over from Arduino, atmega328p to esp8266 devices and more advanced cpu's (arm, cortex etc) and 'real' build enviroments..

If there is any interest in my project, https://hackaday.io/project/6717-landlord

The picture pretty much explains how my brain works.. I really need to clean up, might add another picture after that. Behind the mower two rigol devices are hiding, a scope and a p-psu.

[Samuel235]

@Damme, may i ask if you're planning on bringing this mower over to the MySensors world? I'm very interested in this project dude!

[Damme]

@Samuel235 It would be possible, I am planning to implement a GPS, and wireless information would be really nice, 'Hi! I'm stuck at XXXX' :)

There is a small problem though, not enough IO's, so we probobly need to hack and add one more CPU (atmega? ;) that uses the 8 io to the keypad and send data serially between the cpu's (decoding keypad in atmega, send seriell, and tada 7 free io's! :) Plenty enough for wireless chips!

regarding GPS I think I can use the built in USB in the battery compartment, no major mod required for it. :)

[Samuel235]

@Damme, you're the guy with the 'Code Contributor' title. If anyone can allow the program i'm sure you can. You have worked out how to add more IO's, its all down to the software now ;)

I would really like to see GPS implemented into this and get it working with MySensors controllers. This would be an awesome addition! Once you have it all working, who knows, we could get a board made up for it to be housed all in one. I'm following with great interest. Might be worth making a separate thread for this.

[GertSanders]

@Damme

For more IO you could use an I2C based I/O extender chip.
There is also MCP23017 (also available in DIL format) which is a 16-Bit I/O Expander with Serial Interface (exists in SPI and I2C versions). This gives an atmega328 an extra 16 digital pins with just SDA and SCL !

PCA9685 is also an I2C driven expander which has 16 channels which can be used for PWM (driving servo's) or as normal digital Input or Output pins. Each channel can be set in it's own way, independent from the other channels. There is no DIL version of this chip, but a breakout exists on Aliexpres (quite cheap).

So there are some options if an extra cpu is not desirable.

[Samuel235]

@Damme, there is also the 74HC238 IC too. I was doing some educational reading this morning and stumbled across this little fella for some reason while looking at 555 timers. I just remembered what it was when Gert mentioned the use of his suggested ICs. However it is only a 3-8 IO decoder.

[Yveaux]

@Damme Only the chair and Weller iron seem to be identical to your opening picture at the top of this thread ;-)
Everything else seems to have changed (including location of your desk) :+1:
Good to see you're back man!

[Samuel235]

And in full swing of prototyping, as promissed: