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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 3h

#project_ufo
The fine folks at Adafruit don’t know of any reason why the speaker should get hot, but suggest that I go with the 5W speaker (as opposed to the 3W.)

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 1d

Nope. After running it for a few minutes, the speaker started to smell. It's a 3W speaker, and I think I'm pumping too much current into it.

Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 1d

A tone of 7 Hz pumped through a small speaker produces a soft rumble not too different from an idling automobile. I've figured out how to change up tuples that control the colors of the NeoPixels and add lines to produce different chase effects.

I think this part of the project is done.

3/

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 1d

The Adafruit programs showed me how to initialize board.EXTERNAL_NEOPIXELS and audiobusio.I2SOut, and fix the AI-generated code. I learned which modules to include and which I could delete.

Tinkering with the code let me generate different colors, speeds, and tones. I think I have it.

2/

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 1d

#project_ufo
I took a look at a light saber program from Adafruit, plus the AI-generated chase lights and tone generating programs. I gained insight in looking at the Adafruit RP2040 Propmaker Feather software, and how it differed from other Feather microcontrollers.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 2d

#ufo_project
Well, this is interesting. I fixed the AI-generated tone program and produced a tone. After a few minutes, I started smelling a familar scent - hot electronics! Not quite sure what was getting hot, but I'm thinking it may have been the speaker.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 2d

Is it cheating to have an AI "write" a chase light program?

The AI isn't perfect. I had to fix a few lines because the AI didn't completely understand what differences an Adafruit RP2040 Propmaker Feather had.

But, once I had an example of code, I could start modifying and adding to it.

Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 3d

#ufo_project
I have the lights working in the demo light program. The program from MS Co-Pilot didn’t turn on the external_power nor load the digitalio module. I figured out what the problem was and fixed the code.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 4d

More parts for projects. On the left, 3.7V LIPO batteries, 150mAh and 105mAh. Adafruit.com On the right, hollow hexagonal box with spacer. Measured 4 inches vertex-to-vertex, 3-1/2 inches side-to-side, 1-1/8 inches tall with middle third spacer installed. For hiding electronics. Newtype.us

LIPO batteries- 3.7V. Left: 150mAh, Right: 105mAh. From Adafruit.com

Hollow Hexagonal Base. Four inches vertex-to-vertex, 3.5 inches side-to-side, 1-1/8 inches high with middle third in place. From newtype.us

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 5d

The main reason I could never get through Dune, Foundation, and Tolkien - the names of all the characters.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 5d

E-books on a tablet? Maybe the Lenovo tablet from Barnes & Noble.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 5d

Mounting the speaker may be a bit of a challenge. There are no ears to the speaker 🔈. We think we can cut acrylic sheet with the laser cutter and fashion something. We will know better once me cut out the iris and install the speaker grille.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 5d

#project_ufo
Some parts came in. I plan on cutting a hole in the iris on the bottom of the UFO model, and adding a speaker grill. On the inside, I plan on placing a speaker to emit an ambient UFO hum.

Bottom of UFO model showing placement of speaker grille.

Inside view. Model of UFO model showing placement of speaker.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 9d

I was hoping that you two knew each other.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 10d

#project_ufo
I've ordered a 40mm speaker for the UFO. It has to have a better bass response than what I was using.

I've also ordered a 100mAh and a 150mAh battery for the ACS mecha carrier.

Work on building models has been suspended until mid-month, as other projects have priority.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 10d

If I remember right, it's a deep-fried burrito.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 11d

Who told him that we have nukes?

Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 13d

After all, it *IS* Hurricane Season.

I wonder, if a hurricane threatens South Florida, do you think they'll test his weather theory over The Bahamas?

Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 14d

I did not know that this was going to be on the test.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 15d

Using the program unedited, and I can indeed light the single NeoPixel. I have yet to wire up a NeoPixel ring for testing.

For the sound, I was thinking of a low pitched hum, say around 40 Hz. The "toy" speakers I have don't do well that low. I'm looking at a 1.5 inch speaker for that.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 15d

#project_ufo
The MS Co-Pilot generated chase program wasn't perfect. There is a single NeoPixel mounted on the board called board.NEOPIXEL. There is also terminal strip on the board for connecting NeoPIxels. That connection is called board.EXTERNAL_NEOPIXELS.

Co-Pilot incorrectly used the former.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 16d

I managed to go down some rabbithole that told me that I needed to upgrade pip, VisualStudio and ... I kept getting an error.

I need to figure out where I was, but I think I was trying to crate a wheel for simpleio. Whatever that means.

7/end for now

Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 16d

The spectrum is the wrong effect. With the green dome and clerestory windows, I need something green. I ask MS Co-Pilot for a chase light program for NeoPixels.

Cool. I have something I can work with.

Now, I'm trying to remember what I was working last night at midnight.

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 16d

I research it. I'm thinking

pixel_pin = board.EXTERNAL_NEOPIXEL

is looking like it should be right.

And num_pixels = 12 should match what ever NeoPixel device I use.

5/

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Hart Kallen @hartkallen.bsky.social · 16d

I try running the program. ERROR. I don't have the neopixel.mpy module loaded. I research and I remedy that.

Now, I need to set-up the Neopixel with these two lines:

pixel_pin = board.D6 # Change to the pin you're using
num_pixels = 12

pixel_pin = board.D6 is wrong.

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