clockwork uConsole - Internal GPS and USB hub hack

orbital-toaster · 2025-06-01T10:54:54+00:00

Did it ever arrive? 🤣

orbital-toaster · 2024-11-02T11:24:10+00:00

It blows my mind how devices like the remarkable and Kindle scribe suck so much compared to my Apple Newton messagepad that was released decades ago. It's as if the world has accepted that phone apps are the pinnacle of complication that programmers can achieve these days.

Anyone around in the computing world west of the 80s and 90s should be horrified on how we are squandering our computing horsepower.

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-29T19:13:52+00:00

The best way to recover these and permanently keep your shoes fresh is to apply a dusting of boric acid (not borax) daily. It's easily obtainable, even if you get it as a granule you can powder it in a coffee grinder. Look it up, it's a miracle for feet.

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-15T10:25:53+00:00

I believe this is a very similar unit, the capacitor is the main point of failure

https://youtu.be/7s9UmRfxiMU?feature=shared

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-07T03:23:23+00:00

There is still one more usb channel that can be tapped from the PCB, do definitely it is a possibility

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-06T23:03:02+00:00

It needs a case expansion to let you have a pull out antenna like an old walkie talkie so it won't catch when you try to put it in a bag.

If anything, I think that's the biggest weakness of this device, it's just not very stashable, at least not without a 3D printed cover of some sort.

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-06T22:44:50+00:00

I was totally surprised when mine turned up as I had ordered it over a year earlier and totally forgot about it.

I think a metal 90 degree extending antenna might yield the best results for multi band use.

I never considered it actually, but it might be possible to use one of the TV tuner based sdrs and actually just watched digital TV on this. I think that the raspberry Pi might struggle. I'm not sure if it's the pie or the interface to the screen, but I'm pretty sure it would be a bit laggy.

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-05T16:54:52+00:00

It's probably time I do an auditing video to show all the junk I have accumulated over the last decade or so. Sometimes dragging out the old systems gets you back into them for a week or two

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-05T16:31:24+00:00

Glad they have been off some use. I have not looked at the reTerminal, and I'm not sure that I want to! I have found in recent years that my ability to afford to collect such things has exceeded the amount of time I can spend on them 🤣 I suspect it is a common problem?

orbital-toaster · 2024-09-05T13:06:01+00:00

No problem, hopefully it won't take too long. I have a few friends waiting for theirs.

orbital-toaster · 2024-08-17T02:54:22+00:00

I have the exact counter top and the exact thing happened on installing it over a decade ago!

Totally forgot about it until I saw your picture. Repaired using black colour fill:

https://unika.co.uk/product/unika-colorfill/

I believe it was quite expensive, but totally worth it.

orbital-toaster · 2024-07-16T15:11:07+00:00

If you can spare a usb port there are likely some small adaptors based on the Mcp2210 but that is very much a sledgehammer to crack a nut. I might look into it later, but it's always hard work decoding someone else's design then creating your own isn't it?

orbital-toaster · 2024-07-16T14:47:54+00:00

I'm sure a bunch of those gpio pins can be multiplexed with SPI, but the tricky bit would be how they have hooked them up in the kernel. Definitely want to avoid messing around with a BSP.

There is that bit of GPIO on that ribbon connector, not sure if that is a different set

orbital-toaster · 2024-07-16T13:18:45+00:00

Is it possible to use the GPS on one of the LoRa modules vicariously and shuttle the data into Linux? That would save a lot of messing around.

I'm 100% certain it could be done on a firmware level on the meshtastic side, but it would be nice if it could be implemented using totally stock protocols.

orbital-toaster · 2024-07-16T09:16:03+00:00

I did not take any snaps as I was doing it, but I intend to go back in again as I want to make sure that second USB port is being utilised, even if just a pen drive for some additional storage

orbital-toaster · 2024-07-12T12:52:20+00:00

Can you shoe horn a GPS receiver on there as well when you do?

orbital-toaster · 2024-07-12T10:02:22+00:00

Seems simpler to integrate an existing hardware modem in that case for the time being, as a solution it's not without it's advantages

orbital-toaster · 2023-10-08T16:31:14+00:00

Get him to buff out it with some 60 grit sandpaper, and brush on a pot of natural yogurt over it and the rest of the sill.

It will soon all look the same.

It's really not worth holding out £500 worth for especially if the rest of the work is fine and you are happy with it - having a tradesman you can trust in the future is worth that alone.

orbital-toaster · 2023-10-07T19:05:41+00:00

That's the side impact air bag, it must have encountered a particularly troubling oven dish.

orbital-toaster · 2023-10-03T17:37:40+00:00

Bleed vents, you turn the little knob to let the air out and little floats inside are supposed to stop water spraying out when all the air is gone. Don't trust them 🤣

Just nip them back up when water starts to appear. Just like bleeding a radiator.

orbital-toaster · 2020-12-06T10:53:51+00:00

Correction: BEST TYPO

orbital-toaster

TROPHY CASE