We’ll do a pre-run for the VicPiMakers Open House on 13 April. We’ll share the Capstone Projects, as well as others are invited to share projects (15-30 minutes).
Why just run your own video conferencing server, when you can simultaneously run that AND mail, calendaring, contacts, calls, IM, file sharing, remote backup, and a web-based office suite, all in one intimidating package. Get your own thrift-store Google G Suite going with the open source Nextcloud platform on a tiny Raspberry Pi! Great for the privacy-conscious, the independent, and masochists. We’ll do it the hard way and make configuring Jitsi look like recess at kindergarten (and then do it the easy way). Warning: the hard way will race through dependencies including Apache, PHP, MySQL/MariaDB and openSSL, so expect some mild suffering.
Craig will give an introduction to Codon, yet another Python compiler. He will cover the basics, the good, the bad, and what it is good for, and what Codon is missing. Read the HTML here.
NetSIG is a Special Interest Group focused on computer networking. Building networks for Today and Tomorrow!
Last month we explored MACVLAN interfaces, and how it makes it easier for Linux Containers (LXD).
This month, BRING YOUR PI, and a 32 GB SD Card, and we’ll do a Linux Containers INSTALL FEST on your Pi.
We will be meeting in-person at Quality Foods (small boardroom upstairs), bring a laptop and have Wireshark installed. This will be hands on. PLEASE BRING an ETHERNET dongle/port as we will be ssh-ing into your Pi, and configuring Linux Containers.
After using Linux Containers (LXD) for a couple of years, Craig will share how to easily get your containers connected to the internet using a MACVLAN interface. No reconfiguration of the host is required. This technique can be used on Pi’s as well as other hosts.
We will set up containers using the MACVLAN network attachment, discuss limitations, and even run LXDware, a web-based GUI for LXD on a Pi.
We will be holding a Hybrid meeting (in-person & Jitsi).
IrDA Infrared communication Infrared Emitting Diode • Angle of half intensity: ϕ, • Relative radian power vs wave length Infrared Receiver • Series for remote control • Automatic gain control (AGC) • Data format compatibility Data Encoding Methods • Pulse distance encoding, Pulse width encoding, Manchester bi-phase encoding Basic IR System –IR emitter/receiver • External components/software • Generating Pulses • With PSoC PWM interrupts • Raspberry Pi Pico State Machine • Receiving Pulse • Raspberry Pi Pico using interrupts Single Pulse Application Example IR Receiver for Continuous Data Communication • What works for RS-232 data transmission and why? Project Utilising IR emitters/Receivers using RS-232 Communication Reference
Intro to Pi & Others Discussion. We will review the course materials, and discuss improvements, and getting the word out.
Intro to Pi & Others is a four part series with each session building on the previous sessions, where Pi basics of software and hardware will be explored.
Overview of IDEs for programming your embedded devices.
Be sure to BRING a LAPTOP, as these are hands-on sessions.
QCollege has graciously offered to use their campus for our fall meetings. This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person & on Jitsi). Seating is limited, please indicate if you intend to attend in person post to this event on meetup.
And Jim will introduce Programming Challenge 2. Download the challenge here.
Be sure to HAVE a LAPTOP, as these are hands on sessions.
QCollege has graciously offered to use their campus for our fall meetings. This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person & on Jitsi). Seating is limited, please indicate if you intend to attend in person (post to the event on meetup here).
Learn the basics of Computer Languages: c, PHP, Python, Bash
All four languages will be covered, where it will be apparent the similarities and differences of each.
Be sure to BRING a LAPTOP, as these are hands on sessions.
This session: Libraries
QCollege has graciously offered to use their campus for our fall meetings. This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person & on Jitsi). Seating is limited, please indicate if you intend to attend in person (post to this event).
Interested in feeding your data to more than just Flightradar24 or Flight Aware? Unsure which feeder to install first? Confused by which dump1090 fork to install?
This presentation will demonstrate installing one feeder on your Raspberry Pi and then discuss the quirks to setting up the additional feeders (ADS-B Exchange, AirNav RadarBox, OpenSky Network, and Plane Finder) so that they all play nice together.
We will be conducting Virtual Meetings for the next few weeks using Jitsi, a free video-conferencing system. Please use Chrome or Chromium for the best experience, or download one of the pre-built clients: https://jitsi.org/downloads
Due to the current situation @ March 14, 2020, in-person meetings have been suspended until further notice. Please do join us on Slack or at our online learning sessions using Jitsi. Write to hello at vicpimakers.ca for invitations and information.
Q-CollegeSuite 303 771 Vernon Ave · Victoria, BC – 10am
1) Hack Challenge, by George Modify a window alarm to be a useful or entertaining device. Window alarms to be supplied free March 14th, one per attendee.
3) … bring projects that you want to share or need help with… If you like, email a description to be added to this page.
It is fun to repurpose battery powered consumer products. For instance, here is a Leak Detector made from a window alarm. The article includes the window alarm schematic.
And George made a bike theft deterrent alarm with remote radio alerting from the same window alarm.
In normal operation, the window alarm senses separation from its external magnet via its internal reed switch and feeds its piezo disk with an oscillation. The window alarm runs on 3 button cells and draws no current when the reed switch is open. There is also a slide switch to enable/disable the alarm.
Here is a photo of the circuit board: The OUT signal from the 8 pin oscillator chip is a 10V DC wave, pumped up by the inductor from 5 volts. A voltage divider can be added to lower this chip output signal to less than 5v to feed another device.
Deid successfully connected a 50 light string of addressable LEDs to an ESP8266 to cause the lights to light and change colour and move and …
Deid created the following patterns:
Primary
Random
Web Safe
Follow
Lead
Random On ***
All On
All Off
Rainbow
Moving
Colour
Christmas
Rainbow Group
Dual Colour *** *** Shown in the images
The ESP8266 C code to do this can be found here. Deid makes no representation that the existing code is good. In fact he knows some of it is not. Feel free to fix.
The challenge is to add more patterns and the code to implement the patterns. If you send Deid the code he will load and try the code. Unless someone comes up with a better way for folks to test remotely.
This is a Virtual meeting using Jitsi. Join the meeting at: https://meet.jit.si/vicpimakers
Interested in the basics of computer networking? Want to know how your packets get from here to there? Don’t miss this Introduction to networking presentation which will answer the following:
Why do we need Ethernet anyway?
The basics of IPv4 & IPv6
What happens when a packet is routed
Some basic SOHO network topologies
Bring your own coffee, and we’ll see you on Jitsi on Saturday!