Written by Instructor Paul
A few people brought another interesting week of applications to Thursday’s meetup. First were three new meetup visitors: a tech retiree looking for some new challenges, a custom builder who specializes in copying complex structures big and small, and a Maker who is curious about how the infrared remote works in his mini-split system.
Infrared (IR) codes are an older but still interesting topic since most of us still have TVs, heaters, fans, and other devices with inexpensive IR remotes. He wants to back up some of these codes to another device so we discussed a couple of microcontroller-based DIY options like this one. But if you’re really into “hacking” digital devices, the $199 Flipper Zero can’t be beat. Besides IR codes, it can record and replay signals from sensors, doorbells, RFID tags, and read/write NFC tags.
The custom builder had an interest in Make’s 3D scanner, the Sermoon S1. This incredible $2,300 device can scan objects smaller than a dime and larger than a car with sub-millimeter accuracy. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to use it but over the next half hour, we were able to get it to perform a simple scan wirelessly. Learning this device is at the top of my to-do list for the next quiet meetup.
Finally, the younger Maker came in again. This time, his father had purchased a $20 kit for his speedometer project and we got the first prototype working! The photo shows an early version but in the final version, turning the knob (the throttle) displays a value from zero to 200 “miles per hour.” You can see in the photo that we took a couple of detours along the way controlling LEDs. The kit also includes a temperature/humidity sensor, relays, and a light sensor, so if he returns, we definitely have more to explore.