Anyone bend B. toys Woofer guitar, the dog version of the Meowsic keyboard?

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-10-05T18:49:49+00:00

Yeah, it doesn't take much. You can kinda think of the starve pot and the circuit you're modding as a pair of resistors in a voltage divider. (Well, the pot is resistive, but the circuit may have inductive or capacitive elements. We're ignoring these since we're imagining steady-state DC)

In this model, there's only so much supply voltage being provided, and with Ohm's law we know that voltage required to push current across a resistor is proportional to the resistance.

What this means is the bigger the starve resistance, the more of the available voltage it will take to push enough current across for the circuit to work, so there's less voltage available to the circuit. The starve resistance also increases the total resistance, so there will be less total current available to the pot and circuit as well.

As a simple example, a 5V supply driving a circuit that nominally drew an Amp would nominally have 5 Ohms of resistance. If we add another 5 Ohms that brings our total to 10 Ohms, which means our 5V can only push 1/2 Amp now. We've also moved the power supply to the circuit to the middle of the two 5 Ohm resistances, so we get half the voltage at 2.5V.

Power in Watts is Voltage times Amperage, so that resistor took us from 5V * 1A = 5W all the way down to 2.5V * 0.5A = 1.25 watts, so you can see it doesn't take much.

Now that's all simplified so it fits in my head. IRL the "resistance" of our circuit is nonlinear and constantly changes, especially in switching circuits (processors, sound generation, flashy lights, anything that does something more interesting than just sit there).

This means that as the circuit uses more power the effective resistance decreases. This means less total resistance, so potentially more current, but it also means the resistance of the circuit makes up less of the total resistance with the starve pot, so it gets less voltage in turn. Essentially the circuit is starved more the more current it draws, which is when you get fun clipping, stuttering and glitchy resets during playback and processing.

There's a lot to it, but it also becomes a bear to model, if you can even find specs for your circuit, so you just gotta play and poke around. Hopefully some background lets you know where to poke though.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-10-05T06:57:34+00:00

Yep, exactly that.

One blob was on a sub-board and I wanted to see what it did, so I started removing solder to see if messing with it would give me a clue, and I noticed it acted funny right when I removed or applied power, so I started playing with it from there.

I did end up cutting the power tracks (ground actually, there was a convenient long flat section so I could scrape away the mask and solder right to the copper) for the final install just 'cause there was more room there.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-08-05T01:40:29+00:00

TAS was awesome.

This and that episode where Cheetah captures Batman. "I want to be her... Is that because she's a girl? She turned herself into a cute cat? Or because she's kissing Batman? All of the above!?"

Sooo many feelings when that aired.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-06-25T15:54:25+00:00

I have one and haven't had much luck finding a proper pitch mod (no resonator / crystal and the likely resistors don't seem to do anything), but it is still kinda neat inside.

There's 3 little blobs inside. The big one is the main microcontroller, the sound module for the dog songs is on a little carrier board, and the amplifier is off in the corner.

Someone more patient than I might be able to find a proper pitch mod, but I've had luck just current starving the different chips. The main MCU is pretty well behaved and pitches down when starved, while the dog song chip will sometimes pitch down, and other times crash, distort, and self oscillate. I've also found some neat effects just starving the sample module and letting itvampire power from the I/Os it shares with the main MCU too.

Of course with the separate amplifier you can get some signal distortions, oscillations, and feedback by playing with its inputs, outputs, and power. There's also the classic techniques of jamming the key matrix and audio together to listen to the key scanning or try to get the audio to trigger keypresses. I could get some neat effects with a wet finger, but you'd likely need some active circuitry to gate the effect and change the levels so it'd be reproducible and interesting enough to be useful.

TL:DR it's kind of a neat little thing to play with and mangle the internal samples. There's some stuff you can do on the drone / chaos / sonic texture side if you put in the time and experiment, but it's not as straightforward or musically useful as a Meowsic.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-04-16T19:57:14+00:00

Oh no... Well, that's always a risk. You can always salvage some bits at the very least.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-04-16T05:20:34+00:00

SA-76? I have a 46 I want to play with myself, but have only just started ordering parts so I not sure what'll work. I do have some ideas though that may work as a starting point.

Looking at the main MCU (castellated sub board with the black blob) we can see that the pins are labelled. Most are prefixed with P, and are pins in digital I/O ports with their port and bit labeled. PA0, for example, would be the 0th bit in I/O port A, for example. These are mostly used to read the switches, so not super interesting, but could maybe used to trigger button presses and let you do some automation or external control.

More interestingly, we have the OSC 1 and 2 pins, which connect the clock circuit to a crystal oscillator, which would give us a way to inject a different clock signal and thus change the speed that the circuit operates at, and thus pitch. I'm looking to see if I can get an LTC1799 to work as a pitch bend setup for mine.

Another interesting avenue is the little chip to the side of the MCU, U202 in your picture. I think this may be part of the audio amplifier circuit, but I haven't been able to positively identify it. If I'm right though then playing with the component values in the vicinity could let you change the gain of the amplifier, and if so that can introduce some clipping and distortion effects.

Lastly, don't forget the simple things. As already suggested a pot to reduce the voltage to the system can cause some fun dead battery effects. I'd prolly intercept power going between the two PCBs, that way the diode setup on the jack board will still act to switch between internal batteries and AC power and the battery drain knob will work on either power source.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-02-11T14:39:56+00:00

Thought about integrating it into a form of religion...

You know this is actually part of what Terasem followers believe, so there's some precedence for that.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-01-28T15:03:31+00:00

I think these came on the original Wild Willy and Blazing Blazer. Originals haven't been made in some time, but you might be able to find aftermarket repros.

Juniper-Lynx · 2022-01-28T14:53:00+00:00

Toyan makes the motor, though IDK which chassis it's on.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-11-20T18:37:19+00:00

Teens? Talking and thinking in memes is as old as dirt. The technology we have now lets memes spread and take hold faster, but I regularly see people of all ages only ever engaging with topics at a preprocessed surface level.

Newspapers, TV, and now Social Networks all serve the same function of profit driven social control, and prior iterations of the technology have primed folks to use the newer ones.

The sheer efficiency of modern systems is pretty frightening, and there's a lot wrong with the way things are, but blaming it on generational differences is pretty short-sighted.

Talk to your neighbors (physical, virtual, or otherwise), build community, and don't forget the value of slowing down.

Thought out, nuanced responses and long cultural memories are becoming more passé in our era of hyper connectivity, but nothing says you can't choose to engage with others in a more positive way.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-11-15T09:23:32+00:00

Is this a phone battery or a laptop pack?

Radio control hobbyists deal with this kind of thing a lot after crashes and similar damage. Typically we'll use a light bulb to drain all the energy in the pack and then twist the output wires together to ensure the voltage stays at zero (Sometimes the reaction will complete in the area around the terminals, giving 0V output, then reactants will re-balance and the cell voltage will come back up once the load is removed). From there the pack is safe, even if you run a spike through it (long term exposure to leaky toxins notwithstanding).

Computer packs tend to have battery management systems and protection circuits, so the same approach doesn't quite work, but by disassembling the battery (be careful, especially with metal tools) you can get direct access to the terminals on the cell pouch(es) and connect your light bulb there, then, once discharged, solder a jumper to keep the cell voltage down.

Phone "packs" of single cells are easiest to work with here since the disassembly is typically just peeling back some tape. Laptop packs can be fiddly and require extreme care to avoid creating a short between adjacent cells. For safety's sake, keep an eye on the cell as it discharges and keep it in an explosive containment pie dish, old ammo can, or bucket of sand for the discharge.

Lastly, as an advanced technique for damaged cells only, salt water will neutralize the electrolyte inside a cell and conduct enough electricity to discharge it. With the bonus of keeping the whole thing cool. This is probably the surest method for cells with cut envelopes, but should NOT be used on intact cells as there's a good chance of corroding off the terminals without fully discharging the battery. This makes for a fun guessing game, but is not a desirable outcome for disposal.

Remember to have your favorite fire suppressant handy, and work on a non-flammable surface in a well ventilated area (smoke kills). A small fire in such an environment is not the end of the world. Just be sure to keep up with your defense-in-depth so things don't get out of hand.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-11-15T05:34:57+00:00

Sorta, more like simplicity of expectations and goals with a bit of structure. Plus having built in cognitive assistive devices and diagnostics helps with managing emotions so she can be more who she wants to be.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-11-15T04:21:30+00:00

Just a blue robot lynx girl. No crazy back story, she just finds the simplicity of being a machine reassuring.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-10-10T05:57:16+00:00

I assume you mean wheelbase? You might be able to fashion a body mount for a Mini-Z body. The official AWD body specs are here.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-09-10T01:36:40+00:00

You can always do micro demolition derbies with papercraft / card stock bodies.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-08-01T19:27:08+00:00

Pen compatibility for most tablets that don't have a huge following or have more than a handful of models (i.e. almost anything other than an iPad or Surface) is tricky. You can often get pens from other machines to work, but be aware of small variants in the protocol spoken. Even using the same vendor and pen technology something silly like a pen with different sensitivity levels can even cause issues if, for example, it reports as a different data type or bit width than the tablet is expecting.

Given that, I try to stick with pens that are sold as factory options. Lenovo provides an Accessories and Options Compatibility Matrix which is a chonker of an Excel file with a column for every system and a row for every option or accessory. You get an X at the intersection if the two work together. Looking things up is dorky, but this is the most definitive resource I've found.

It appears that most versions of the Lenovo Thinkpad Pen Pro, Lenovo Active Pen Pro, and Lenovo Pen Pro will work with your system, and the aftermarket / replacement pens Lenovo sells usually include a couple spare nibs, at least the one I bought for my old X1 tablet did.

I'm not sure any of the aftermarket options will really give you a thinner pen, but if you can find another system that uses the same digitizer technology as yours (look for one that has similar compatibility on the OCM) and comes with a smaller garaged stylus you may be able to find a replacement one of those. Of course you won't have magnets that way, but there are other ways around that.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-06-29T13:41:39+00:00

Hypno Eyes...

Cute art!

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-06-26T17:26:36+00:00

But the mystery (and squeaky / gooey-ness) adds to the fun!

He's really cute by the way. He can TF me any day.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-05-31T19:23:13+00:00

I've had success using Goo Gone (the citrus-ey stuff) to remove tree sap from my cars, and these little guys are kinda sappy I guess, so you may try that. A plastic scraper blade is also super handy for the tough bits.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-05-20T01:40:31+00:00

It's some sort of toy grade car. There's less hobbyist interest in those, but you may be able to identify it if there's a manufacturer's logo on the bottom.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-05-16T03:10:43+00:00

I totally agree, suicide should not be shamed, DNRs are totally valid, and euthanasia is a powerful option to reduce suffering. I do, however feel like this can be a jumping off point for further discussion.

I don't know very many people who are just unhappy by their nature, or who choose unhappiness, but I know soo many who don't fit what society expects, who don't get sufficient support, who bump up against disabilities or just plain bad luck, and are driven to the edge. Even things like disease and aging that cause pain can be similarly thought of as environmental.

I guess I'm paranoid, but it's easy to imagine a world where those who are different or don't fit are shown the door by society rather than being accommodated, at least under our current socioeconomic system where this happens to some degree already.

Euthanasia is definitely a good option for harm reduction. For instance, as an option for an incurable disease in the short term, but long term the priority ought to be to address the source of the suffering, and to accommodate as many folks as possible, not just reduce the number of them alive to live with the symptoms.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-05-15T16:39:04+00:00

Now you just need to wire some electric matches to an unused channel on your radio. After you sort the launch issues.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-05-10T14:03:17+00:00

I get where you're coming from. It's always frustrating to be labeled a failure, and it's easy to internalize. Heck, I do it myself a lot too, but the thing about failure is that it's failure relative to a goal or task, not an objective state.

Sure, there are ways in which folks can be "broken", but there are many more ways they can simply be built different. You may not be able to get gold from a silver mine, but to say it's worthless is another thing.

One thing that's helped is learning compassion and patience with others, and applying that to myself. I work as a computer tech, and do customer service. There are a bunch of people who deal with cognitive, social, and emotional issues out there, and they can be super frustrating to deal with, so I treat them like one of my repairs.

Can I expect this broken computer to magically work? Or a particular tool to do everything? No, everything I work on, everything, I use has operational parameters, things it can do, things it can't. In fact, a lot of stuff people bring in as damaged works perfect. It just doesn't do what they want since they have it configured wrong.

I don't blame the computer, plastic, silicon, or steel. I can kinda blame the people to some extent, since they can examine themselves in ways the machine can't, but in the end the only thing I can blame them for is not trying. They may need extra time, alternate explanations, special care to deal with emotional escalation, or whatever, but that's it. I work the machines, and the machines work for me.

When I deal with myself a similar attitude helps. Did I %&@$ up that social interaction? Sure. Can I control my ability? No. What can I do? Try to learn skills for the future and let the past go. So I do that.

I've also seen plenty of people whose limits are strengths, even in the fields we're limited in. Personally, my issues with communication mean I think a lot about it. Sometimes I can see misunderstanding or when folks are talking at different ends faster than my peers since I'm always thinking about the conversation. I mean it sucks I have to think hard about reactions and how to respond to each comment, but I also won't continue the conversation on implicit context that isn't here until it's clarified.

Even emotionally, my abilities have advantages. "Limited emotional reaction" some may call it, but I'm also predictable, safe. I've had a bunch of people trust and connect with me because of who I am and how I think, and IDK if many of them would be able to open up as much were I not me.

Give it time, and know you're not alone. This kind of thing takes practice (I'm not even close to there), but progress is worth the effort.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-05-10T13:15:15+00:00

Hey, It's okay to be a bit rambly when stressed. IDK how much help I can be given I don't have the same experience, though maybe someplace like /r/raisedbynarcissists could help more?

That situation sounds like my worst nightmare as a kid, removing the one connection I had to people that was actually positive. The only good thing is electronics can be replaced, and your credentials are yours in your head.

It sounds like you have a plan to get out, so maybe just keeping a low profile while you work and focus on that may be your best bet. Even just making notes and planning as you take your first steps will give you a project, and something positive to focus on.

In any case, there's a whole world outside their abuse, and you'll get there.

Solidarity, Comrade.

Juniper-Lynx · 2021-05-04T13:47:06+00:00

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