Cool Tools
Gar's Tips & Tools - Issue #154 Gar’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here. I was thrilled to discover this shout-out from Kevin Kelly in a recent Recomendo. Maker tips: I continue to be impressed by Gar’s Tips & Tools, a newsletter that we co-publish with Gareth Branwyn. I got a big bump in subscribers after this. For years, I saw other people, like my pal Kent Barnes, recommending alignment dots for mindlessly mating a jack to a plug without having to align the exact location or figure out the plug orientation. One of the most-requested projects I get asked about are DIY rolly cabinets for storing portable parts organizer cases, popular among makers. Several weeks ago, I got a message from a subscriber saying that they couldn’t believe I hadn’t written about Tim Hunkin’s latest series, The Secret Life of Components. In this thorough video and written guide, Erin St. Reader Chuck writes:
GNU Radio - WikiStart - gnuradio.org
Introduction¶ GNU Radio is a free & open-source software development toolkit that provides signal processing blocks to implement software radios. It can be used with readily-available low-cost external RF hardware to create software-defined radios, or without hardware in a simulation-like environment. It is widely used in hobbyist, academic and commercial environments to support both wireless communications research and real-world radio systems. GNU Radio is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3 or later. All of the code is copyright of the Free Software Foundation. Content¶ 0. Registration for GRCon16 is now open! I. If you've never touched GNU Radio before, these pages will get you started with a running installation of GNU Radio and will show you how to take your first steps with this software radio tool. II. GNU Radio has two manuals: one for the C++ API and another for the Python API. Documentation on this wiki: III. IV. V. VI. Related projects¶ Other Languages¶
Products
HiTechnic is creating new and exciting NXT model designs for the LEGO MINDSTORMS kit. Complete step by step building instructions are available can be downloaded for free together with example programs. NXT Model Building Instructions Requirements: LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Set 2.0 HiTechnic Rotacaster Wheels (3 wheels) Download files Building Instructions HiTechnic RotaBot Building Instructions HiTechnic Sin/Cos Block HiTechnic Limit Number Block NXT-G Program For LEGO Mindstorms 2.0 This holonomic robot uses three Rotacaster wheel and can drive in any direction independent of the direction it is facing and can even turn while driving. LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Set 1.0 or LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Set 2.0 HiTechnic IRReceiver Sensor LEGO Power Functions IR Remote Control (8885 recommended but also works with 8879) HiTechnic IR RC Kart Building Instructions Handheld Remote Building Instructions (for LEGO #8885) HiTechnic IR Receiver Sensor Block HiTechnic Motor PID Block NXT-G Program For LEGO Mindstorms 1.0 Update!
First third-party “Steam Machine” could already be a console-beater
When Valve laid out a range of performance tiers for the 300 Steam Machine prototypes it would be sending to beta testers, the company was clear that other hardware makers would be revealing their own designs for SteamOS-powered gaming rigs in the future. Custom PC maker iBuyPower has now become the first company to unveil a prototype for one of those designs, laying out a $499 white box with a GPU that’s comparable or slightly better than those found in the recently launched PS4 and Xbox One. The Verge reports that iBuyPower’s console-sized prototype box ("bigger than a PlayStation 4 but smaller than Microsoft's Xbox One"), which it plans to sell next year, includes an AMD Radeon R9 270 graphics card. That card was launched earlier this month at a starting price of $179, and it's intended to replace AMD’s 7850 and 7870 GPUs—close architectural relatives to those inside Microsoft's and Sony’s nearest consoles.
Satellite Tracking System: Orbitron by Sebastian Stoff / Satellite tracking easiest ever!
The first artificial satellite was put in the space on October 4, 1957 by the Russians. It was named Sputnik 1, and spent 92 days in Earth orbit. Since then man has launched thousands of rockets, and put thousands of satellites in orbit. There are more than 8000 objects in orbit now, including operational, non-operational, rocket bodies, and debris. They are orbiting at an altitude from 150, up to several thousands kilometers. For more than ten years people have been able to track satellites on a computer using satellite tracking software like Orbitron. Due to predictable conditions of satellite movement in space (lack of atmosphere) computer software can calculate a satellite's position for given moment. To keep tracking software working precisely, one should update elements periodically. You must remember that TLE data for an object that has maneuvered since the last elset is no longer any good. Why do we track satellites?
Welcome to Linux From Scratch!
