{"id":30668,"date":"2025-06-22T21:42:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T07:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?p=30668"},"modified":"2025-06-22T21:49:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T07:49:16","slug":"a-productive-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?p=30668","title":{"rendered":"A Productive Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I usually try to accomplish something each weekend, something I can look back upon and tell myself I did not waste my days off.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-96-25173-DC-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"A pot roast assembled and starting to simmer\" class=\"wp-image-30675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pot roast assembled and starting to simmer, dinner in eight hours!!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>This weekend I accomplished a bit more than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I did start the weekend with a fairly long todo list, one that still has unfinished business despite a good run at it. And, of course, a couple more items got added to the list as the weekend progressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>I just had to type out the list, a simple act of celebration and a sense of accomplishment when it was all said and done&#8230; <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=30671\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-97-25173-DC-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"A refurbished flow sensor with a custom built signal conditioning interface\" class=\"wp-image-30671\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A refurbished flow sensor with a custom built signal conditioning interface<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>I spent a couple hours in the Saturday dawn fiddling with a telescope, including fixing a problem with a power connector, then a few photos before the sun rose.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Designed, built, and tested an interface circuit for a Signet in-pipe flow meter.  This involved reverse engineering and figuring out the signal from the flow meter, then designing a circuit to convert that signal into a logic level signal indicating there is flow in the pipe using a quad op-amp and some clever circuitry.  Calculator?  Nope, just guessing component values from expereince.  After breadboarding and testing the circuit was re-built on perfboard then encapsulated in epoxy to make it field rugged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rigged the flow meter into a PVC adapter to put it into a pipe.  A couple hacked PVC fittings and a bit of 3D printing are used to create a watertight housing that holds the flow meter at the right position inside the pipe. To modify one of the PVC fittings I 3D printed a mandrel to chuck the fitting into a cordless drill then spun it and filed it down just enough to fit into the tee fitting.   <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wrote a small Arduino sketch to control a stepper motor for a gal in Tennessee.  The code controls the RA drive on a hand made telescope, creating an accurate pulse train to drive a stepper motor.  A couple hours of composing code and testing it before e-mailing it off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assembled and tested a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pifinder.io\/\">PiFinder<\/a> kit, this is a Raspberry Pi with a camera that takes a photo of the sky, plate solves the stars in the image, then tells you exatly where your telescope is pointed.  The boards <a href=\"https:\/\/pifinder.readthedocs.io\/en\/release\/build_guide.html\">had to be soldered<\/a>, then a bunch of fiddly parts assembled and sometimes &#8220;adjusted&#8221; to fit properly.  I like the computer, camera, and software.  The 3D printed case sucks a bit, not impressed.  I could, and just might, design a better one, surprised no one has done so already.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Removed the rear wheel from the e-bike, replaced the inner tube with a new tube, patched all four new holes in the old one which will become the spare.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Washed, folded and put away three loads of laundry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cooked a pot roast that provided Sunday dinner and will provide more meals into the week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A quick shopping trip to get ingredients for said pot roast&#8230;  And epoxy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test the PiFinder on-sky.  It works!!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Solved three Wordles and Spelling Bee puzzles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And not to be forgotten&#8230; Feed the cat&#8230;  Again.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As I consider the last two days here on a Sunday eve I have to admit I got a bit done.  It was not a relaxing weekend, time to go back to work to rest?  Nope, it looks like a busy day tomorrow.  Tuesday?  Maybe a bit of a break&#8230;  I have jury duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=30675\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" data-id=\"30675\"  src=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-96-25173-DC.jpg\" alt=\"A pot roast assembled and starting to simmer\" class=\"wp-image-30675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-96-25173-DC.jpg 900w, https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-96-25173-DC-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pot roast assembled and starting to simmer, dinner in eight hours!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=30674\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" data-id=\"30674\"  src=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-95-25173-DC.jpg\" alt=\"A hand made flow sensor interface curcuit\" class=\"wp-image-30674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-95-25173-DC.jpg 900w, https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-95-25173-DC-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A hand made flow sensor interface curcuit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=30673\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"675\" height=\"900\" data-id=\"30673\"  src=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL84-05-25173-DC.jpg\" alt=\"An assembled and operational PiFinder kit ready for use on the 6&quot; RFT\" class=\"wp-image-30673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL84-05-25173-DC.jpg 675w, https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL84-05-25173-DC-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An assembled and operational PiFinder kit ready for use on the 6&#8243; RFT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=30672\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"675\" height=\"900\" data-id=\"30672\"  src=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-99-25173-DC.jpg\" alt=\"Adding a few more patches to an inner tube\" class=\"wp-image-30672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-99-25173-DC.jpg 675w, https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-99-25173-DC-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The new tube has been put in the tire, the old tube has been patched up and will be carried as the spare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=30671\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" data-id=\"30671\"  src=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-97-25173-DC.jpg\" alt=\"A refurbished flow sensor with a custom built signal conditioning interface\" class=\"wp-image-30671\" srcset=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-97-25173-DC.jpg 900w, https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CL83-97-25173-DC-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A refurbished flow sensor with a custom built signal conditioning interface<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I usually try to accomplish something each weekend, something I can look back upon and tell myself I did not waste my days off. This weekend I accomplished a bit more than usual. I did start the weekend with a fairly long todo list, one that still has unfinished business despite a good run at &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?p=30668\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;A Productive Weekend&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[20],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30668"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30668"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30677,"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30668\/revisions\/30677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}