Blog de Joe Freeman

Protect your eyes. Stop rolling your head up and down. Get glasses fit for your work environment. Even if you don't wear glasses when you are young, you will probably be in glasses as you get older. It starts with single-vision readers and moves onto multi-focal (distance) lenses. The standard prescriptions for multifocal, bifocals or progressives, optimized distance, and reading with narrow FOV support for the midrange. Office and computer work is all about the midrange so we want a different prescription mix when we spend a lot of time on a computer or dashboard type environment. Single-vision mid-distance glasses are relatively inexpensive. In my case, I have a couple. One in my travel bag and one on my desk. Single vision glasses are limited though in that they are only good at one range, in my case monitor distance. Opticians can provide a multifocal prescription that optimizes monitor use and reading instead of distance and reading. I've got a pair of 45D bifo...

The PicoMate is a well-thought-out experimenter's kit that provides 11 devices that can be attached and used by a Raspberry Pico 2040. It is a breadboard / clip-apart type of configuration.  The sensors and outputs come attached to the Pico as part of a snap-apart experimenter board. You can use the board as-is or break off the sensors and emitters and use them connected via JST cables.  They normally cost $40-$60.  I found mine for $15 on closeout at Microcenter. I should have bought more. This rest of this page is more of a Reference and less of User Guide The PicoMate The PicoMate includes these devices and features. All modules are pre-wired, no soldering and wiring are required and out-of-box 12 detachable and easy-to-use modules: Push Button WS2812 RGB LED Rotary Encoder Buzzer Digital Microphone (ZTS6531S) Digital PIR Sensor (AS312) 6-Axis IMU Sensor (LSM6DS3TR-C) Digital Optical Sensor (LTR-381RGB-01) 3-Axis Magnetometer (MMC5603NJ) Temperature & Humidity Sens...

Simon Painter built a visual communication tool to help neurodivergent children express their emotional state using the Pimoroni Badger2040 e-ink display. This assistive technology allows children to easily indicate and communicate their current emotional state through a combination of text and images. The low power single purpose device serves as an emotional communication aid, helping children who may struggle to express their feelings verbally. I didn't build this. I'm posting it because it is a great example of how "making things" can help people. Video of the device Creating your own Badger 2040 mood device Acquire a Micropython-compatible device like the Pimoroni Badger2040 . Load the Badger Micropython firmware for the Badger pimoroni-badger2040-v0.0.5-Micropython.uf2 Clone or download the files from this MoodBadger GitHub repository Copy the files to the Badger 2040 E-ink badge probably using mpremote Press reset on the Badger.  Mood should show on ...

Extend your PC into the microcontroller sensor and control realm with Desktop Python Adafruit Blinka and an RP2040 Pico running U2IF firmware. This setup gives you access to the microcontroller component libraries without writing code on the microcontroller itself. No code-download-run cycle is required! Normally, when you want to run some motors, read some sensors, or talk to some small displays, attach those elements to a microcontroller running your custom software. Adafruit has made it so that their libraries work with a couple of non-programmable port expanders.  You run standard Python on your PC using their libraries.  The Adafruit Blinka software has embedded drivers for boards that present the correct USB HID interfaces.  Two examples are the MCP2221A and FTDI breakout expander boards. There is open-source U2IF Pico 2040 firmware that turns an RP2040 into an appliance that can be talked to as a HID device.  You can use the same Adafruit Blinka software to ta...