Eek - sometimes when you repair your Famicom with a vamp you detect a strange and annoying noise, but you are in luck, more often than not it's the microphone on the second controller! You clean the controller, replace the cap, but its STILL THERE! Lets bin this nuisance once and for all!
Best thing about this mod - its totally FREE!
Like many people, despite the increase in mobile phone key locks, remote unlocking and other wizardry I seem to have an ever increasing number of keys and access tokens (RFIDs, dongle etc) I need to carry about.
Normally this would not be a problem, however, as hotdesking and travel is starting to come back, I do find myself occasionally in the lurch by forgetting to have the appropriate token on me at the time.
The primary offenders are the office RFID, office key and business banking dongle. These used to all live on their own bunch of keys, and loved to get tangled in the house and car keys and to top it off the RFID and bank dongle are relatively fragile. Frustrated with these I decided to combine all that jiggly goodness into one single- easy to pocket- brick!
A quick jump into Autodesk Fusion 360 and a fiddle with a ruler soon produced a design that could be 3D printed and tested. You can see this below:
Although functional, it required a few alterations. Its squared sides felt very chunky in the hand, the buttons on the dongle were not particularly easy to press and aesthetically, it was a bit boring. It was time to jump back into Fusion:
You will note I added some snazzy features to this - honestly, It is the biggest difference to something that feels ‘homemade’ as compared to a ‘product’. Happy with these mods I printed it again:
I have to say I am quite pleased with the final result! I may incorporate a magnet into a future version so the key relies less on an interference fit. I would pop that in the centre of the circle feature I added on the back.
End result a very pocketable thing! STL models and Fusion 360 Project available here [link]
Edit - owing to uncertainty in the supply chain I have taken orders down for the moment. All orders and pre-orders of the first batch have been sent out.
Getting your retro computer and retroNET onto your network is as easy as typing wifi connect SSID PASSWORD.
Do you have the craving to get your retro console onto the internet and start accessing those retro themed online services?
Then you could be interested in a WiFi interface designed precisely to give your microcomputer the modern communications it needs!
The third incarnation of the retroNET boasts a feature list based on your requests including an easy to use UI, both telnet client and server modes, a fully loaded and customisable phonebook with dialler and is hardware modifiable for those users looking to add a screen, LEDs or button controls!
Interested in learning about it? Head over to the store for more information!
Ok, you are stuck at home with the kids and feeling helpless to the issues going on outside your front door. Well take control and a few minutes with a scissors you can make something that will actually be beneficial.
Download the printable PDF here - for best results print in A4 or similar
Clearly this is not a medical mask, but serves to remind you not to absently mindedly touch your face and mouth. The WHO (at least at time of press) reported that the main way to spread the disease is through contaminated droplets being introduced into your mouth. Wash those hands kids!
This facemask template is easily printed onto A4 paper and only takes a few minutes to make.
Tools needed:
Printer (or copy the design)
Pen / Felt marker (sharpie)
Scissors
Needle and Thread
Stretchy Fabric - Jeans with lycra etc..
Method:
Transfer the template design onto your fabric using your marker and carefully cut out 2 pieces. Using your needle and thread sew the seam at the front. You can use whatever stitch you prefer - obviously the strength of the mask will depend on this.
Sizing:
If you want a smaller variant to suit a child etc, simply reduce all dimensions.
Ideas:
Consider making a few so you have a set to wear while your other set is in the wash - wash daily.
If you can find a piece of cloth with a seam in it you should be able to avoid having to stitch!
Google for research on material types, some may actually be able to give protection against airborne pathogens.
Ultimately, something is better than nothing, but make sure you keep your creations hygienic by washing them regularly!
Please post your designs to social media - I am on twitter @backofficeshow I would love to see what you come up with!
Stay safe
Dr A
I admit it, at times it can be a little overwhelming with work, family, travel, all my projects and various social media pings to keep focused and update my blog, but here I am, finally getting around to it!
It has been an interesting summer so far, with a lot of things on the go, however, I am going to call it the summer of electronics as I have made not one, not two, but three new boards and a new batch of the RetroNets and ODroid Go DAC Hats are underway!
It seems a good time to introduce my latest gadget, the Ultimate Joystick Interface v2.0! That is double the goodness and fun and allows you to build your own joysticks, flight-sticks, retro interfaces with pinpoint precision and response times!
If you are interested, head on over to: https://backofficeshow.com/shop/ultimate-joystick-interface and you will find not only a description, but a downloadable reference to get you going!
Also if you have noticed a slower pace in videos, do not worry, I am not giving up on YouTube, quite the opposite, I have been clearing out The Backoffice to give me more cat swinging room. Although I am not in any position (or want) to fill the space back up with more junk I am still enjoying being able to move around without things falling on me. I was starting to be like one of those hoarders you see on TV, albeit with less old paint pots filled with wee and poo.
Hooray! The delays owing you Chinese New Year have been overcome and I am beavering away at the first half-batch of the worlds favourite Odroid-go headphone solution! :)
Mouser have promised me that our DAC chips will be send soon to finish up the boards awaiting their Brains but the first 8 are going onto soak-test and shipping soon! The PCBs and everything else in the BOM are great and they are working as expected.
I expect the balance to be shipped in the expected timeframe (mid-march) - as soon as all pre-orders have been shipped (you will get an email alerting you when this happens) I will offer the balance on the store for immediate purchase.
You can watch Neil over at the Retro Man Cave and get his custom build up and running on one of hist Mac LCs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvC7K5DRSDA #RetroNET
You can buy yours here: SHOP
The BACKOFFICE has teamed up with teespring to get to you the iconic BACKOFFICE retro engineering T shirts, hoodies and tank tops! Be the envy of your friends in the original Royal Blue (as worn by Dr Andy himself!) or a work chic Navy! (do not worry other colours are available too!)
Click here to TAKE ME TO THE MERCH!
This weekend I had a smashing time at the Play Expo event in the Norbreck, I did so much and got to chat to so many awesome people (including the Legendary Jeff Minter!) that it will take me time to write it all up!
In the mean time, have a look at the snaps and let me know what you think!
Odroid Magazine thought me worthy enough to publish an interview with me (haha fooled them!), if you are interested in checking it out you can find the story here:
https://magazine.odroid.com/article/meet-an-odroidian-andrew-armstrong/
** EDIT ** We are in back order again, sorry!
** EDIT ** Late September units are shipping soon!
** EDIT ** Please find these excellent youtube resources on how to setup your odroid-go to using external DACs. If you have any problems please join us on the DISCORD channel (details below)
Watch and follow the steps here: https://youtu.be/2LD-BfR9-MI and once you have the new firmware the hat will work.
This demonstrates how to switch to the external DAC from the internal Speaker: https://youtu.be/cKPM9KuZo8E
Want to 3D print an enclosure? - then this will help you https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3110057
Just what you have all been waiting for, another batch of your favourite Odroid-Go Headphone adaptor and headphone jack, but now with NEW AND IMPROVED features!
Not only have you the option of permanently mounting your Odroid-go Audio DAC in two ways, you have the option of securing a 3D printed case (see my discord).
If you like soldering projects you have the audio connections available on the top of the board, perfect for when you want to get your droid to drive an Oscilloscope to play Vectex games (someone PLEASE do this!!)
Head over to the shop to buy yours before they are all gone again! Ping me on twitter when yours arrives as you soak in the amazing high-fidlity sounds of Megaman 2!
UPDATE (02/08/2018) - I have been busy this weekend hand soldering literally thousands of connections and I am happy to say that all Pre-orders are built and ready to be shipped next week.
UPDATE (23/08/2018) - The boards are currently being manufactured!
Ok, so in the space of less than an hour the initial batch of odroid-go hats sold out. I am kinda surprised at that! So I am switching the store to a pre-order, so you can just go ahead and order it now and I will endeavour to start shipping them out by mid-September 2018!
Head over to the store to grab one! https://backofficeshow.com/shop/
While this project certainly is not unique, it was one of the earliest incarnations of Steve White's fabulous pi1541 Disk Emulator project and we designed it live on youTube.
For those of you that missed the stream, you can watch it here: Circuit Stream
As a result of this and the chats on Discord the design has gone through a few iterations, but suffice to say, its easy to make, drives external displays and soon .... well .... that would be spoiling the surprise!
If you want to make your own, head over to github and grab the files:
https://github.com/backofficeshow/Commodore-1541-emulator-pi-Hat
Feel free to Join us on Discord to chat about this project, ask questions and maybe pickup a pcb or two!
Web sites are fun, but all the real action is happening in the Backoffice Discord Server these days!
So if you are curious why not head on over and chat to us!
Here is your special invite link: https://discord.gg/ZsvS7C3
I have bought a lot of dash cameras over the last few years for myself and family, some complicated, some with WIFI and all sorts of fancy features. I have to say the use case for anyone I know needs to be plug and play and that is exactly what you get with this setup. It just works. No silly features, just useful ones that are easy to setup and operate.
The kit contains everything you need in the box to get going, you really do not need anything, perhaps only an old credit card or spludger if you want to poke the wires behind your headlining and trim.
The camera is available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2M3aGer
The main unit itself is well finished and importantly, quite light - as it fits over your existing rear-view mirror. At first I was surprised that there was a tint to the glass, but I got used to it very quickly and enjoyed the larger viewing area than my factory unit. this would be a nice upgrade for any car with a small pokey rear view mirror.
The unit itself requires a micro SD card to record the video or still images, so buy one to the manufacturers recommendations, you tend to need a reasonable speed card for dash-cam use and this is not one application where you want to skimp as they record continuously over the card for many cycles and you do not want to discover data loss if you have an accident.
The camera also has an internal battery, this allows it to run for a short while when power is disconnected, important to allow it to shut down gracefully and close any open files on the SD card.
Fitting the camera is easy with the attached rubber mounts, these just lash around your rear view mirror and clip to the camera, its an obvious and simple approach. Power is provided by a mini USB connector terminating in a standard 12v lighter socket. If you have an existing camera fitted it is likely you can use its power feed if it uses the same connector, good for upgrading and old setup.
There is an external AV input into the unit and this is primarily targeted for the rear view camera. This is a little more fiddly in terms of installation as you need to run a wire to a suitable (possibly external) location on the back of the vehicle. The camera itself is self-illuminated and weatherproof. I would advise hooking the wires up temporarily so you can test the best location. There is a red-wire at the camera end, this is hooked up to your reversing lamp. As far as I can tell this powers up the camera which in turn switches the display to reverse mode.
The interface is super simple, modes really only vary from video record, still record and playback. There is an option to capture or mute sound during recordings. Like most dash cameras recordings are chopped into little chunks, here it is around 3 minutes. The SD card is a little inaccessible once fitted but its easy to feel for it to pop it out if you need to take the recording to a PC.
All in all a nice little setup - By the way this model has no GPS, which is certainly a nice to have but for the money takes reasonable video and provides peace of mind at a very reasonable budget!
Footnote
The reversing camera I received in my set was better than the one in the picture and featured illumination, YMMV but I think its a nice undocumented upgrade.
I saw a few negative comments about this camera, but having owned many of these in my time I have to say for the price it really is a good piece of kit. As with all dash cameras you need to make sure you have an adequately fast and error free micro SD card. Unfortunately in my experience micro SD cards tend to have a high failure rate in general operation so check them in a suitable PC as an initial diagnostic step.
