Pulito – Featuring DFlex
Over the summer we installed hardwood flooring - which needs constant sweeping and cleaning . What to What to Well, most of us would just sweep it, right? Some of us might even go buy a Roomba. But, then again, some of us build something to do it for them. Why? Because we Pulito (Italian for 'clean') is simply put, a sweeper robot. Much like a Swiffer and Roomba combined. The intent was…
Pulito – Beacon (Version 1) Internals
OLD Version Details: (see new version here): The following is a picture of the charging beacon. Although it looks quite plain from the outside, it is what is inside that resulted in this being a 5 month build (well that and things like kids! :-) ) From the top there is a cutout for the LCD. The purpose of the LCD is to display the change from 1200 to 600 Hz. The gray axle on…
Old School Touch Sensor Multiplexing on the NXT
I find that I am often using this approach for getting more touch sensors on my NXT without using multiple ports. So, for the sake of prosperity, I wanted to keep a record of the setup. If you are have a set of Cybermaster Touch Sensors hanging around, you can multiplex them for use on the NXT. Years ago, these sensors were quite rare, but now they can be readily found on Bricklink for…
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…
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…
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…
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…