059 Introducing and Testing the final version of the Zoomie - maybe...

It it time again for another round of testing.  We will look at the assembly of the newest gadgets and take the Zoomie for a test drive.  Hopes are high but reality has a way of knocking optimism out!  Take a look to see what the latest discovery is.

Cheers!
Chris

If you have any interest in making PCBs, I have a new series for you!

Starting March 15 2025, a 12 part series will begin airing on my YouTube channel.  Each video will provide a variety of information pertaining to the complete process from Design to engraving the letters.  

Cheers!
Chris

058-B Remote Motion Tracking Latency Issue RESOLVED

 In the last episode (058), we found a problem with a strange delay during the remote tracking.  It appeared to be a problem of the data being delayed during transmission or something else like that.  In this episode I share what I think was the problem and how I resolved it.  Also demonstrated in this video a short trip that demonstrates all the maneuvers the Zoomie can perform.  Reliability is greatly improved!

Cheers!

Chris

058 Tracking The Zoomie Remotely

 A primary factor in rewriting the Zoomie's control program was to improve remote tracking for the Zoomie (robot).  We will explore what was changed and how it affected (Good or Bad) the tracking by the Zcheduler software.  Somethings get better, somethings get worse, you will have to watch to get the results.

Cheers!
Chris

02/2025 Channel Update, some good, some bad

 Sometimes life has a way of causing unintended changes.  This update video will be about upcoming changes for my YouTube channel.

Cheers!

Chris

How to Efficiently Make PCBs With CNC Router & Panelizing

Most of the time our needs are to make just one PCB at any given time.  However, if you need to make several at the same time, try this technique to save you a lot of time.  This short video walks you through the process.

This process uses Sprint Layout software to design the PCB which also allows the exporting of Isolation Milling and Drilling data.  Next, a program written in Python takes that data and creates the CNC program which is what is used to provide instructions to the CNC machine.

A DIY CNC router is then used to mill the traces by a process called Isolation milling. The machine also drills all the holes, and mills the peripheral edge of the PCB to free it from the stock.  

For legends, the top side is painted a dark color, then the PCB is put back on the machine and the lettering is engraved.

Cheers!

Chris

057 Lets Test All The Zoomies Maneuvers

With a complete rewrite of the program for the Raspberry Pi PICO controlled robot (Zoomie), it is time to test the maneuvers again to make sure they are more reliable, robust, and accurate.  A lot of explanation is provided about the change of the program to using classes and how that affected everything involved.  This is a good example of why some larger MicroPython programs benefit greatly from Classes.   

Cheers!

Chris