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Category: Hobbies

  • More ray diagrams

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    Ed
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    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…

  • Basic geometry reminder

    Basic geometry reminder

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    Ed
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    I needed a remedial class in math today. Chalk it up to a really long week.

  • WIP: Ray diagram in Javascript

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    Ed
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    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…

  • From my notebooks: optical ray tracer

    From my notebooks: optical ray tracer

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    Ed
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    Once my optics bench is finished, I plan on measuring all the lenses I have on hand and building something with them. To do that, I’ll have to try out designs using software. But since the design space is limited by what I actually have on hand, I have the opportunity to write a tool…

  • Console Mandelbrot in FORTH

    Console Mandelbrot in FORTH

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    Ed
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    I really like to play around with FORTH. It’s a “weird” programming language compared to all the other ones I’ve learned over time. There are already many articles out there about why you should give it a try, the best probably being this one at Hackaday. One little program that is often demonstrate on old…

  • WIP: Optical Bench

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    Ed
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    I’ve always wanted my own optical bench sense working in an ellipsometry lab in undergrad. After getting into photography, I increasingly wanted to design my own photo lenses, so I even had a use for an optical bench eventually. My Prusa Mini+ has unlocked so many projects and this is one of them. But the…

  • OPL2 FM Synth Module, part 2 – Prototype

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    Ed
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    I wrote earlier about a new eurorack synth module I’m working on. I left off having made a test bed that made some sort of sound but wasn’t integrated with the synth. This weekend, I built out the test bed to a full prototype and really got to take it for a spin. Guess what?…

  • OPL2 FM Synth Module

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    Ed
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    The OPL2, aka the Yamaha YM3812, is a multi-voice FM synthesis sound chip. It was used in early PC sound cards such as the Adlib and a variety of other arcade machines and computers of the late 80s and early 90s. It operates completely digitally and produces sound via a specific DAC chip, the YM3014.…

  • Eisenhower Method for Hobby Projects

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    Ed
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    If you’re like me, you have a zillion unfinished projects sitting around. One of my goals in 2020 is to get some completed. But where do I start? In this post I describe an adaptation of a popular time management technique I’ve created to help complete my stack of projects.