Learning React and a real world example
I've decided to learn React and I now have a quest to create a real world example app.
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The Flatcap Dev Blog
Recent articles
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My first 5 gallon batch
Embarking on the adventure of brewing my first batch of beer was a journey filled with excitement, challenges, and ultimately, a sense of accomplishment.
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From image to part with Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is renowned for its versatility and ability to streamline the design process. I'm working on a project where I needed to duplicate a part from an old object so I can modify it to fit my needs. This part is irregularly shaped, with lots of curves, so just breaking out the calipers and taking measurements isn't really an option. At least not for me. Back in the day, I remember using SketchUp and an image to recreate an object. I was sure Fusion 360 could do it too. Using an image as a reference can be a game-changer. By harnessing the power of Fusion 360's image-based workflow, I was able to recreate the complex geometries with precision and accuracy. Here's how I was able to leverage Fusion 360's tools and techniques to duplicate the part, using an image as a guiding blueprint.
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A little catch-up
There's a lot to catch up on since my last post. WebThings is dead, I've abandoned my custom ESP32/ESP8266 firmware and I've discovered ESPHome
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I had an idea...
Last night, as I was testing some new Christmas updates to my programmable LED lights, I was thinking about how the sets I have installed above our cabinets and the ones on the pourch outside (yeah, I have two installs now) are great with more solid patterns, but the patterns that are more like chasers really loose their effect when they are reflected light. You really need to be able to see the LEDs to get the most of the effect. That got me thinking about how I could display some of the lights where you could actually see the LEDs. Then it hit me. I could make a colapsable spiral tree!
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Winking Blinking Flashing Lights INSTALLED
After a little shift in platform mentioned before and a bit of learning when it comes to Home Assistant, I have my RGB LEDs installed in my kitchen!
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Trouble in Paradise
Well, I guess it's true, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. That's kinda how I feel about WebThings. That's probably not fair. It's a nice, easy to use platform, but I just ran into the limitations of it much quicker than I expected. But it's young, I'm sure it will grow.
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Winking Blinking Flashing Lights
The title of this post is a little throwback to my childhood. My family would go to the Shrine Circus when it was in the area. One year the featured toy was this brightly colored plastic gun that, when you pulled the trigger, was basically a flashlight. The barker wanted everybody to "make sure you get your winking blinking flashing light!" It's funny what things stick with you from your childhood!
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A little progress
I found this cool little ESP32 with a built in color LCD. It's a nice little launching platform for my Webthings controlled WS2812b LED lights. I've spent a little time with it and it's really pretty easy to use. However, this little project is reminding me of how much I have forgotten about C++.
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Another Swing at Home Automation
The bug of home automation has bit me again. I've half played with home automation several times over the years. It started out with X10 (which I still think I have in a box somewhere). Then, a few years ago, I attempted to look at Home Assistant. At the time, I was just dabbling, and it was over my head. Then, just recently, I stumbled across WebThings by Mozilla.
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Dev on a Mac with Cosmos DB
A recent project for my day job seemed like a good fit for a document database. As we are hosted in Azure, it seemed like I should check out Cosmos DB. And why not? They have a free tier (although rather limited) as well as an emulator for local development. That's great, except I primarily develop from a Macbook Pro. The emulator is Windows only.
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Covering things up
I found another quick project I could do on the enclosed trailer I'm going to be using. Although it involves the electrical system, it's not really an electrical project. It's more of a 3d printing project.
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It's all about grounding
I recently had to fix the wiring in a utility trailer that had spent the better part of the last 15 years in a field. Apparently, mice find wiring fairly tasty. Some of the wires were chewed through completely
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