Review – Dexter Industries – DI Thermal Series Sensor Roundup (Updated)

I recently had the chance to test out a set of Dexter Industries Thermal Sensors produced for the NXT. For those that are not aware, Dexter Industries has entered the market of producing LEGO Mindstorms NXT-compatible sensors and has come up with some pretty cool ideas such as the dSwitch (allows you to switch in-home devices on/off using the NXT) and some cool new ideas such as solar charging for the NXT as well as…
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dSwitch Aquasaurs Temp Monitor

We recently picked up one of those Aquasaurs kits for the kids - which lets you hatch and care for some neat little aquatic fish (or shrimp) that date back to pre-historic times.   After reading the instructions we got everything set-up and all was good,  until we read the part about the temp of the water needing to remain between 72 - 80F.   Problem is, we tend to keep our house around 70ish, and…
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Autonomous

DualGrip-NXT Rover

Sometimes I build robots that attempt to solve real world challenges.  Other times, robots are built based on random ideas. This robot is a case of solving a LEGO challenge - specifically, with their Technic tracks/treads #575518.  At no fault of theirs, these plastic tracks are slippery on many surfaces.  Great for carpets, flat areas, dirt (if you dare) - and great for turning as well.  However, when you try to climb with them, they…
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Fun with PHP, MySQL on Windows 2000 Advanced Server

I recently decided that it is about time to replace my old P4 server in the interest of speed, space and power reductions. Even with a P4, this sever is heavily underused.  My choice was a mini-ITX form factor system running the Intel Atom N330 Dual Core processor.  Although there is little improvement over CPU speed, I also migrated to an OCZ Indilinx SSD.  That's a little background for you.  Now, my existing machine is…
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Sumovore Sumo Bot & Accessories – For Sale

A very slightly used, never competed Solarbotics Mini Sumovore Kit. When I bought this, I purchased the sumovore kit, the stamp stack microcontroller as well as the brainboard as I thought I needed all of them. I assembled the Sumovore, programmed and tested it and it works fine, but it has been sitting on a shelf for months not getting any use. So, it's time for it to go. I am selling all three items…
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Solar Charger Project

At some point I would like to use solar energy to supplement our home power usage.   Of course I was not going to jump into a full-out solar power array on my roof and out myself thousands of dollars without fully knowing the risks and potentials of photovoltaic solar power in my area.   Instead, I decided on a proof-of-concept project - a small 10Watt 12V solar charger. (more…)
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Cleaning Microsoft Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000

So, since I find myself constantly taking things apart because they are broken, needing repair and cleaning, I figured why not post about them on my blog!  Surely someone out there will take on the same task at some point in time.  That said, here is a DIY cleaning for the Microsoft wireless notebook laser mouse 6000. (more…)
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Welcome to my place…

Welcome to my new blog.  I was beginning to tire of my old site and found that I needed a better way to manage the content of my projects as I diversify my portfolio of LEGO robotics,  electronics work, mods, instructables and other hacks. Over the years I have had many great comments and questions primarily related to my LEGO robots.  When I did my Apple MightyMouse mod to my Asus EEE 901 (which I…
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BrickSorter

What better way to test a colour sensor then to create a brick sorting robot! After getting my hands on a HiTechnic colour sensor, I first took a stab at creating a robot that could navigate a room and detect colour. There was only one problem, it could not really do what I was hoping for. I was nieve in thinking that I could build this robot and it could detect colours from a distance.…
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UNV

April 2007: Your first question is probably "what does UNV stand for?". Well, its nothing special - I simply could not come up with a name for it, so what better way to tag it then simply unnamed vehicle. After receiving a bunch of the new tread links, I wanted to create something grand with them. Scouting the web, I came across these multi-purpose robots (see below) that can be outfitted for police / bomb…
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