Unfinished Projects
Suddenly, here we are, 2021! And what a hideous year 2020 was what with coronavirus, insane politics both sides of the Atlantic, a climate emergency and a world turned upside down. I could use all that as an excuse for seemingly abandoning Planet Keef, but that would be too easy. I was actually very busy in the shed in 2020 and started many projects. I just didn't manage to finish any of them as videos. Here's a little rundown of some of the videos that I started but haven't (yet) finished.
A SMALL LED VIDEO LIGHT
I actually built this project 3 years ago and I have a lot of footage of it happening. Unfortunately I don't have any footage of the very early stages, so I'll have to make something up - animations etc. It will get done and it might well be a mini-series, because I am very proud of the thing and I want to show it off!
We have a little Bluetooth speaker but it's not very good - no bass, very harsh sound and I have to use a cable to connect my phone. I wanted a powerful replacement but didn't want to spend £100 and upwards for a name-brand one. I gathered together the components, including a full-range Dayton Audio driver unit (so no need for woofers, tweeters etc) and quickly put together a working prototype. I designed and 3D printed a case for it and managed to cram all the components in. But there's a problem with the on/off switch and that's where I left it. I will undoubtedly return to this project if only because the amplifier and speaker are fabulous quality and deserve to be used.
When the UK first went into lockdown (March 2020), we decided to do a livestream for a couple of hours every Sunday, mainly to entertain ourselves and folks who dropped into the stream. But we were having audio problems so I decided to buy a USB microphone that would permanently live in the office. I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but figured that £50 should buy a reasonable bit of kit. In the end, I spent £45 on this and was quite disappointed. The sound was thin and toppy, a leg fell off the little stand, controls on the back were badly-positioned. In short, I didn't like it and I sent it back.
Having sent the previous mic back, I still needed a new one an I decided to up the budget to £100+. This price level offers a lot of well-known options but mostly they were out of stock because people working at home wanted better webcams and microphones for online meeting. The new Rode NT-USB Mini was available at about £99, so I bought one. It's a lovely, hefty piece of kit and I will shortly finish my video review of it!
For as long as I've been using a second camera for detail shots in my cooking videos, I've wanted a remote-controlled pan and tilt mount for it. These things are very expensive to buy, so I started to think about making one myself. As you do. I came across one guy on YouTube who had created an incredible one and published all of his source files and Arduino code, so I made a start on adapting it. In retrospect, it's too big and bulky, and I really don't need 360° rotation on two axes. So, back to the drawing board for that one, but it's definitely something I still want!
Again, this is another device I would like to have but am reluctant to spend the money required for a good quality one. To start with, I connected the components required for the receiver part - power supply, Bluetooth receiver board with the audio outputs wired to a 3.5mm jack. I plugged this jack into the line-in socket of my Zoom H1 digital audio recorder, and then used my phone to connect to the Bluetooth board and transmit some music. I was able to record this on the audio recorder. I then printed a case for the receiver elements but it was a bit clunky and didn't fit the space available on my camera. As far as the transmitter module goes, I have bought a circuit board that should do that, but haven't played with it yet.
You can never have too many Bluetooth speakers! This one came about because I was having a little tidy-up in the shed - yes really! - and came across an old sound bar. I took it apart and rescued 2 tiny speakers. I thought I could reuse them in a little speaker enclosure that would suit the kitchen or living room - Mrs Planet likes to listen to music and radio on her phone but the sound quality isn't good - so this should be better. It's a 'work in progress'.
Some muddled thinking went on with this purchase. My previous action cam was being problematic because the battery was unable to hold a charge for very long. Replacement batteries were about £15. This DragonTouch comes with 2 batteries (apparently exactly the same as my old action cam) and it cost £32. So maybe I would get a useful new action cam, or I would get 2 new batteries with a virtually free but useless action cam. I've not really tested the new cam except for trying to use it as a webcam. It works, but occasional flickering makes it useless. I changed the frequency from 60MHz to 50MHz, reduced the resolution to 1080p but there's no setting available for 25/50 fps, only 30/60fps. It's another 'work in progress'.
As you may know, I'm a bit of an eco-warrior and I hate waste, especially plastic. So there's a bit of a conflict there given that most of what I produce with my 3D printer is waste plastic. I've always saved it though, because it is possible to melt down PLA to make new filament, and it can also be composted using a special hot composter. Neither of these solution are likely to end up in my house, but I'm keeping my eyes open in case anyone starts offering some kind of solution. But I thought I might be able to make some kind of art with all of these bits and pieces. I tried making a kind of streetscape, but found myself wanting to modify pieces to fit better, or maybe to design and print new pieces because I really want a bridge or some lampposts. In short, it wasn't working, so it's abandoned.
And that's it. Have a look at the video above for footage of these projects. There's much more stuff coming your way, so Happy New Year, and Stay Safe!
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