Author: Ed
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Ray Diagram: Now with Measurements
I’ve continued to work on the optical ray diagram tool prototype. I added a way to measure the effective focal length (EFL) of the lens system. It isn’t automatic, but by adjusting the parameters you can align an intersection at the optical axis and read off the EFL. Obviously this should be a one button…
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Early 90s Camera Teardown
Over the weekend I tore down an old RCA Super8 camcorder. It came with a power supply but it had already been damaged in the past. The viewfinder showed text over static and the tape mechanism just made a horrible squealing sound. I was interested in perhaps using the imager somehow but it seems to…
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Prototype Eurorack Frequency Modulation Synth Module
I have a few prototype Eurorack modular synth modules in the works. I tend to get them working well enough to be musically interesting and then move to work on the next prototype. It’s not because I don’t plan on finishing them – it’s more that all the biggest questions are answered and I want…
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Z80 Single Board Computer
Because the first assembly language I learned was for my TI graphing calculator, I’ve have a soft spot for the Z80 CPU. It’s a nice 8 bit architecture and widely used in pre-MSDOS machines. The Apple II used a 6502 but more or less all the “business class” machines ran CP/M on a Z80. It…
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Recommendation: “Citizen 13660” by Miné Okubo
The American internment of Japanese Americans during WWII is one of the many shameful things in my country‘s past that I didn’t really learn about growing up. Only when I moved near a park in Seattle that was on land taken from interned people did I begin to grasp the horror of it. Miné Okubo…
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Analog meter synth module
I haven’t shared much about my modular synth, but I really should. I’ve created several custom synth modules – even designing PCBs and custom 3D printed faceplates for them. The circuit design is also my own although heavily inspired by the very helpful synth DIY community. There’s only so many ways to build an Arduino-based…
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More ray diagrams
I’ve dug into this ray diagram sketch on CodePen because it’s pretty satisfying to twiddle the properties of the simulation and see how things change. I’ve added some sliders, but beware of the code – it isn’t pretty. I’d say it’s about reached the point of unmaintainability. The UI is a total wreck, but you…
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Book recommendation: Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel by Frances & Joseph Gies
If you’re interested in know “How did we get here?” then I highly recommend Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel by Frances and Joseph Gies. It dispels the myth that Europe of 500 – 1500 CE was some mud-filled backwater just waiting for some brilliant Renaissance thinkers to come along. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t…
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WIP: Ray diagram in Javascript
During lunch I whipped up a software sketch based on that notebook entry I posted earlier. I thought I’d start with actually drawing the shapes required for a ray diagram, and then make it more data-driven over time. I should be able to then make a clean seam in the code where the diagram is…