Author: Ed

Monthly Image: Turkey Vulture Sunning

This must feel soooo good:

Turkey Vulture atop utility pole – alert

Just close your eyes and soak up the warmth of the sun:

Turkey Vulture atop utility pole – snoozing

Turkey vultures look imposing, even with all that flight hardware tucked away:

Turkey Vulture on branch

However, I think this is a low-status bird, because those splashes on the left wing look a lot like bird crap…

Taken with the DSC-H5, zoomed all the way tight with the 1.7× teleadapter, handheld on a lovely sunny day.

Update: Because I write these posts a few days in advance of their appearance, I didn’t know yesterday’s weather would look like this:

Driveway clearing – 2017-03-14

That’s a screenshot from a Raspberry Pi streaming camera I set up so a friend in North Carolina could gloat.

I suppose the vultures huddle in a tree, as do the turkeys, and await better flying conditions.

Enjoy the sun while it shines!

2017-03-15

SK2812 RGBW LED: Test Fixture

[Edit: The SK2812 in the title and elsewhere should be SK6812. If I change the title, then all the other links break. So it goes.]

An envelope of RGBW LEDs, allegedly with SK6812 controllers, arrived from halfway around the planet:

SK2812RGBW LEDs - as received — SK2812RGBW LEDs – as received

The yellow phosphor sauce poured atop the blue LED on the left that makes it glow white leaves the upper loop of two wire bonds sticking out, but I can’t fault ’em for that. The overall build quality looks better than the ill-fated WS2812 LEDs, although it’s hard to tell by looking.

I conjured a test stand from the vasty digital deep by tweaking the WS2812 mount:

SK6812 LED Array Test Fixture - Slic3r preview — SK6812 LED Array Test Fixture – Slic3r preview

Wiring up a 5×5 panel went as before:

SK2812RGBW test fixture - rear — SK2812RGBW test fixture – rear

The array test code adds another pixel channel and runs another raised sine wave with another random period, accomplished without much hackage.

With the warm-white LED at full throttle (MaxPWM = 255), the panel tends toward the pallid end of HSV space:

SK2812RGBW test fixture - front - W PWM255 — SK2812RGBW test fixture – front – W PWM255

Dialing the white MaxPWM back to 32 crisps things a bit:

SK2812RGBW test fixture - front - W PWM32 — SK2812RGBW test fixture – front – W PWM32

Of course, the RGBW data stream isn’t compatible with the RGB data stream, so vacuum tubes with SK6812 chips require a slightly different driver and I can’t mix the two chips on a single tube.

The Arduino source code as a GitHub Gist:

	// SK6812 RGBW LED array exerciser
	// Ed Nisley – KE4ANU – February 2017

	#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>

	//———-
	// Pin assignments

	const byte PIN_NEO = A3; // DO – data out to first Neopixel

	const byte PIN_HEARTBEAT = 13; // DO – Arduino LED

	//———-
	// Constants

	#define UPDATEINTERVAL 20ul
	const unsigned long UpdateMS = UPDATEINTERVAL – 1ul; // update LEDs only this many ms apart minus loop() overhead

	// number of steps per cycle, before applying prime factors
	#define RESOLUTION 100

	// phase difference between LEDs for slowest color
	#define BASEPHASE (PI/16.0)

	// LEDs in each row
	#define NUMCOLS 5

	// number of rows
	#define NUMROWS 5

	#define NUMPIXELS (NUMCOLS * NUMROWS)

	#define PINDEX(row,col) (row*NUMCOLS + col)

	//———-
	// Globals

	// instantiate the Neopixel buffer array

	Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(NUMPIXELS, PIN_NEO, NEO_GRBW + NEO_KHZ800);

	uint32_t FullWhite = strip.Color(255,255,255,255);
	uint32_t FullOff = strip.Color(0,0,0,0);

	struct pixcolor_t {
	byte Prime;
	unsigned int NumSteps;
	unsigned int Step;
	float StepSize;
	float TubePhase;
	byte MaxPWM;
	};

	// colors in each LED
	enum pixcolors {RED, GREEN, BLUE, WHITE, PIXELSIZE};

	struct pixcolor_t Pixels[PIXELSIZE]; // all the data for each pixel color intensity

	unsigned long MillisNow;
	unsigned long MillisThen;

	//– Figure PWM based on current state

	byte StepColor(byte Color, float Phi) {

	byte Value;

	Value = (Pixels[Color].MaxPWM / 2.0) * (1.0 + sin(Pixels[Color].Step * Pixels[Color].StepSize + Phi));

	// Value = (Value) ? Value : Pixels[Color].MaxPWM; // flash at dimmest points
	// printf("C: %d Phi: %d Value: %d\r\n",Color,(int)(Phi*180.0/PI),Value);

	return Value;
	}


	//– Helper routine for printf()

	int s_putc(char c, FILE *t) {
	Serial.write(c);
	}

	//——————
	// Set the mood

	void setup() {

	pinMode(PIN_HEARTBEAT,OUTPUT);
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,LOW); // show we arrived

	Serial.begin(57600);
	fdevopen(&s_putc,0); // set up serial output for printf()

	printf("WS2812 / SK6812 array exerciser\r\nEd Nisley – KE4ZNU – February 2017\r\n");

	/// set up Neopixels

	strip.begin();
	strip.show();

	// lamp test: run a brilliant white dot along the length of the strip

	printf("Lamp test: walking white\r\n");

	strip.setPixelColor(0,FullWhite);
	strip.show();
	delay(250);

	for (int i=1; i<NUMPIXELS; i++) {
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,HIGH);
	strip.setPixelColor(i-1,FullOff);
	strip.setPixelColor(i,FullWhite);
	strip.show();
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,LOW);
	delay(250);
	}

	strip.setPixelColor(NUMPIXELS – 1,FullOff);
	strip.show();
	delay(250);

	// fill the array, row by row

	printf(" … fill\r\n");

	for (int i=NUMROWS-1; i>=0; i–) { // for each row
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,HIGH);
	for (int j=NUMCOLS-1; j>=0 ; j–) {
	strip.setPixelColor(PINDEX(i,j),FullWhite);
	strip.show();
	delay(100);
	}
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,LOW);
	}

	// clear to black, column by column

	printf(" … clear\r\n");

	for (int j=NUMCOLS-1; j>=0; j–) { // for each column
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,HIGH);
	for (int i=NUMROWS-1; i>=0; i–) {
	strip.setPixelColor(PINDEX(i,j),FullOff);
	strip.show();
	delay(100);
	}
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,LOW);
	}

	delay(1000);

	// set up the color generators

	MillisNow = MillisThen = millis();
	printf("First random number: %ld\r\n",random(10));

	Pixels[RED].Prime = 3;
	Pixels[GREEN].Prime = 5;
	Pixels[BLUE].Prime = 7;
	Pixels[WHITE].Prime = 11;
	printf("Primes: (%d,%d,%d,%d)\r\n",
	Pixels[RED].Prime,Pixels[GREEN].Prime,Pixels[BLUE].Prime,Pixels[WHITE].Prime);

	unsigned int PixelSteps = (unsigned int) ((BASEPHASE / TWO_PI) *
	RESOLUTION * (unsigned int) max(max(max(Pixels[RED].Prime,Pixels[GREEN].Prime),Pixels[BLUE].Prime),Pixels[WHITE].Prime));
	printf("Pixel phase offset: %d deg = %d steps\r\n",(int)(BASEPHASE*(360.0/TWO_PI)),PixelSteps);

	Pixels[RED].MaxPWM = 255;
	Pixels[GREEN].MaxPWM = 255;
	Pixels[BLUE].MaxPWM = 255;
	Pixels[WHITE].MaxPWM = 32;

	for (byte c=0; c < PIXELSIZE; c++) {
	Pixels[c].NumSteps = RESOLUTION * (unsigned int) Pixels[c].Prime;
	Pixels[c].Step = (3*Pixels[c].NumSteps)/4;
	Pixels[c].StepSize = TWO_PI / Pixels[c].NumSteps; // in radians per step
	Pixels[c].TubePhase = PixelSteps * Pixels[c].StepSize; // radians per tube

	printf("c: %d Steps: %5d Init: %5d",c,Pixels[c].NumSteps,Pixels[c].Step);
	printf(" PWM: %3d Phi %3d deg\r\n",Pixels[c].MaxPWM,(int)(Pixels[c].TubePhase*(360.0/TWO_PI)));
	}


	}

	//——————
	// Run the mood

	void loop() {

	MillisNow = millis();
	if ((MillisNow – MillisThen) > UpdateMS) {
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,HIGH);

	unsigned int AllSteps = 0;
	for (byte c=0; c < PIXELSIZE; c++) { // step to next increment in each color
	if (++Pixels[c].Step >= Pixels[c].NumSteps) {
	Pixels[c].Step = 0;
	printf("Color %d steps %5d at %8ld delta %ld ms\r\n",c,Pixels[c].NumSteps,MillisNow,(MillisNow – MillisThen));
	}
	AllSteps += Pixels[c].Step; // will be zero only when all wrap at once
	}

	if (0 == AllSteps) {
	printf("Grand cycle at: %ld\r\n",MillisNow);
	}

	for (int k=0; k < NUMPIXELS; k++) { // for each pixel
	byte Value[PIXELSIZE];
	for (byte c=0; c < PIXELSIZE; c++) { // … for each color
	Value[c] = StepColor(c,-k*Pixels[c].TubePhase); // figure new PWM value
	// Value[c] = (c == RED && Value[c] == 0) ? Pixels[c].MaxPWM : Value[c]; // flash highlight for tracking
	}
	uint32_t UniColor = strip.Color(Value[RED],Value[GREEN],Value[BLUE],Value[WHITE]);
	strip.setPixelColor(k,UniColor);
	}
	strip.show();

	MillisThen = MillisNow;
	digitalWrite(PIN_HEARTBEAT,LOW);
	}

	}

view raw ArrayTest-RGBW.ino hosted with ❤ by GitHub

2017-03-14

Kenmore Electric Clothes Dryer Rebuild

Our ancient Kenmore clothes dryer (Model 110.96282100 for maximal SEO goodness) developed symptoms suggesting the heater and overtemperature cutouts were in fine shape: it continued to turn and heat, but didn’t completely dry the clothes. In addition, it emitted a horrible whine that sounded like a bad bearing.

The wiring diagram pasted on the back panel shows how it works (clicky for more dots):

Kenmore clothes dryer 110.96282100 – wiring diagram

Obviously, it’s not a firmware problem…

The motor ran just fine, so Thermal Fuse 2 had never blown at 196 °F.

The Operating Thermostat (along the bottom edge of the diagram) switches the 240 VAC heater off when the clothes temperature (actually, the drum exhaust temperature) exceeds 155 °F. It’s in series with the non-resettable 350 °F thermal cutoff and the resettable 250 °F high limit thermostat, both of which were intact, as shown by the fact that the heater still worked.

We generally run the dryer in Auto mode, with the Temperature Selector in the middle position. The Selector varies the resistance in series with the Operating Thermostat heater (near the middle of the diagram), controlled by Timer Switch 1: increasing resistance reduces the heater current and requires hotter clothes before the Thermostat trips. For the first part of the cycle, the BK-BU contact closes to allow the Selector to affect the current. The BK-V contact also closes during the last part of the cycle, cutting out the Selector and letting the Thermostat hold the clothes at 155 °F by cycling the drum heater.

So I installed a new Operating Thermostat (plus the accompanying thermal fuse I didn’t need):

Kenmore clothes dryer – operating thermostat

You can do that from the back of the dryer without dismantling it, by removing the rear cover.

For whatever it’s worth, the replacement Operating Thermostat heater has a 74 kΩ resistance, not the 5.6 to 8.4 kΩ range shown on the wiring diagram. Preliminary testing suggests it does what it’s supposed to, so maybe they’ve improved (and, surely, cheapnified) its guts to work with 1% of the original power. More likely, the Temperature Selector now doesn’t do anything, as its (minimum) 10 kΩ resistance on the High setting doesn’t amount to squat compared with the new thermostat heater, but we don’t have enough experience to say anything definite.

In an attempt to fix the whine, I took the whole thing apart to replace the idler wheels supporting the drum, the drum drive belt, and the belt tensioner pulley. The interior of the dryer is filled with sharp edges and hatred, so expect some bloodshed.

Removing and installing the triangular wheel retainers requires a small flat-blade screwdriver and considerable muttering. Here’s the old wheel to the left of the motor, before replacement:

Kenmore clothes dryer – tub support wheel

After reassembling the dryer, the heater worked fine.

The whine also worked fine, much to my dismay.

So I took it all apart again, removed the plate covering the duct from the drum exhaust port to the blower wheel on the motor, removed a generous handful of lint from the middle of the blower wheel, extracted a pile of debris from the bottom of the duct below the wheel, vacuumed everything in sight, reassembled the dryer, and it now sounds great.

Along the way, a small square brass (?) rod fell out of the debris, sporting one shiny end, well-worn to a diagonal slope. I think the rod got trapped between the duct and the back of the blower wheel, where it would produce the whine only when the motor got up to speed (thus, sounding OK while hand-turning the motor). The accumulated debris & lint held it in place, so flipping the dryer on its face and rotating the motor in both directions had no effect: turning the dryer upright simply let it fall back into the same position.

No pictures, alas. We did the second teardown in a white-hot frenzy to Get It Done and swept the brass rod away with all the other debris.

Whew!

2017-03-13
Credit Union Email: Phishing or Not?

The Credit Union recommends we practice “Safe Computing” with this helpful advice (clicky for more dots):

HVFCU – Safe Computing – sketchy URL

The link leading to that page was on their website, but the page is on trabian.com, whoever they are. Should I trust the links on that page to return me to the credit union site or not?

Here’s their definition of “phishing”:

HVFCU – Phishing description

Having just switched to “paperless statements” at the Credit Union, a recent email prompted me to look at my statement. Let’s start by seeing where the email came from:

HVFCU – Statement email – From address

Huh.

It claims to be from the credit union, but does its actual address (insofar as anything concerning email can be actual) of statement2web.com sound a little phishy to you, too?

Well, let’s look at the full headers, which I can do because, yo, 1337 H4X0R. Here’s a snippet from the bottom of the stack:

HVFCU – Email detail header

Huh.

So the email started from statement2web.com and bankshotted off kbmla.com. Further up, the headers show it rattled through pobox.com and eventually arrived in my inbox. As far as I can tell, it never touched its alleged starting point of hvfcu.org at any point in its journey.

Quick: phish or no phish?

Of course, it’s a perfectly innocent message from the credit union, but it contains every single warning sign we’re supposed to notice in spam or phishing emails, complete with a clicky link!

[heavy sigh]

2017-03-12
Cheap WS2812 LEDs: Another Failure

A few days after epoxying a replacement WS2812 RGB LED into the base of the 21HB5A and, en passant, soldering a 3.5 mm plug-and-jack into the plate lead for EZ removal, the top LED failed.

21HB5A – Audio plug cable

In this case, it also failed the Josh Sharpie test with bad encapsulation sealing:

WS2812 LED failure – ink test patterns

Here’s a view from another angle, with a warm-white desk lamp for a bit of color:

WS2812 LED failure – ink test patterns – 2

Those patterns took a few days to appear and also showed up in some, but not all, of the previous failing LEDs.

Although I have no idea what’s going on, it’s certainly distinctive!

An envelope of RGBW LEDs, allegedly with SK2812 controllers, has arrived from a different eBay supplier, so it’s time for an upgrade.

2017-03-11

ShopVac Hose Barb Adapter

A small ShopVac arrived with a ribbed hose carrying an absurdly long wand, so I conjured a barbed adapter with a much shorter tapered snout for the machine tools:

Vacuum hose fittings - hose barb to nozzle — Vacuum hose fittings – hose barb to nozzle

Trimming the hose end at one of the ribs makes a tidy fit:

Vacuum hose fittings - ribbed hose barb — Vacuum hose fittings – ribbed hose barb

Now I need not trip over the vacuum hose between the bandsaw bench and the sander bench…

The OpenSCAD code as a GitHub Gist:

	// Vacuum Hose Fittings
	// Ed Nisley KE4ZNU July 2016
	// March 2017

	Layout = "HoseBarb"; // PVCtoHose ExpandRing PipeToPort FVacPipe FVacFitting HoseBarb

	//- Extrusion parameters must match reality!
	// Print with 2 shells and 3 solid layers

	ThreadThick = 0.25;
	ThreadWidth = 0.40;

	HoleWindage = 0.2;

	Protrusion = 0.1; // make holes end cleanly

	//———————-
	// Dimensions

	ID = 0;
	OD = 1;
	LENGTH = 2;

	VacNozzle = [30.1,31.8,30.0]; // nozzle on vacuum hose (taper ID to OD over length)

	MINOR = 0;
	MAJOR = 1;
	PITCH = 2;
	FORM_OD = 3;

	HoseThread = [32.0,(37.0 + HoleWindage),4.25,(1.8 + 0.20)]; // vacuum hose thread

	NumSegments = 64; // .. number of cylinder approximations per turn
	$fn = NumSegments;

	ThreadLength = 4 * HoseThread[PITCH];
	ScrewOAL = ThreadLength + HoseThread[PITCH];

	WallThick = 2.5;

	echo(str("Pitch dia: ",HoseThread[MAJOR]));
	echo(str("Root dia: ",HoseThread[MAJOR] – HoseThread[FORM_OD]));
	echo(str("Crest dia: ",HoseThread[MAJOR] + HoseThread[FORM_OD]));


	//———————-
	// Wrap cylindrical thread segments around larger plug cylinder

	module CylinderThread(Pitch,Length,PitchDia,ThreadOD,PerTurn,Chirality = "Left") {

	CylFudge = 1.02; // force overlap
	ThreadSides = 6;

	RotIncr = 1/PerTurn;
	PitchRad = PitchDia/2;

	Turns = Length/Pitch;
	NumCyls = Turns*PerTurn;

	ZStep = Pitch / PerTurn;

	HelixAngle = ((Chirality == "Left") ? -1 : 1) * atan(Pitch/(PI*PitchDia));
	CylLength = CylFudge * (PI*(PitchDia + ThreadOD) / PerTurn) / cos(HelixAngle);

	for (i = [0:NumCyls-1]) {
	Angle = ((Chirality == "Left") ? -1 : 1) * 360*i/PerTurn;
	translate([PitchRadcos(Angle),PitchRadsin(Angle),i*ZStep])
	rotate([90+HelixAngle,0,Angle]) rotate(180/ThreadSides)
	cylinder(r1=ThreadOD/2,
	r2=ThreadOD/(2*CylFudge),
	h=CylLength,
	center=true,$fn=ThreadSides);
	}
	}

	//– PVC fitting to vacuum hose

	module PVCtoHose() {

	Fitting = [34.0,41.0,16.0]; // 1 inch PVC elbow
	Adapter = [HoseThread[MAJOR],(Fitting[OD] + 2*WallThick + HoleWindage),(ScrewOAL + Fitting[LENGTH])]; // dimensions for entire fitting

	union() {
	difference() {
	cylinder(d=Adapter[OD],h=Adapter[LENGTH]); // overall fitting
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion]) // remove thread pitch dia
	cylinder(d=HoseThread[MAJOR],h=(ScrewOAL + 2*Protrusion));
	translate([0,0,(ScrewOAL – Protrusion)]) // remove PVC fitting dia
	cylinder(d=(Fitting[OD] + HoleWindage),h=(Fitting[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion));
	}

	translate([0,0,HoseThread[PITCH]/2]) // add the thread form
	CylinderThread(HoseThread[PITCH],ThreadLength,HoseThread[MAJOR],HoseThread[FORM_OD],NumSegments,"Left");
	}
	}

	//– Expander ring from small OD to large ID PVC fittings
	// So a small elbow on the bandsaw fits into the hose adapter, which may not be long-term useful

	module ExpandRing() {

	Fitting_L = [34.0,41.0,16.0]; // 1 inch PVC pipe elbow
	Fitting_S = [26.8,32.8,17]; // 3/4 inch PVC elbow

	difference() {
	cylinder(d1=Fitting_L[OD],d2=(Fitting_L[OD] – HoleWindage),h=Fitting_L[LENGTH]); // overall fitting
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	cylinder(d=(Fitting_S[OD] + HoleWindage),h=(Fitting_L[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion));
	}
	}

	//– 1 inch PVC pipe into vacuum port
	// Stick this in the port, then plug a fitting onto the pipe section

	module PipeToPort() {

	Pipe = [26.5,33.5,20.0]; // 1 inch Schedule 40 PVC pipe

	difference() {
	union() {
	cylinder(d=Pipe[OD],h=(Pipe[LENGTH] + Protrusion));
	translate([0,0,(Pipe[LENGTH] – Protrusion)])
	cylinder(d1=VacNozzle[OD],d2=VacNozzle[ID],h=VacNozzle[LENGTH]);
	}
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	cylinder(d=Pipe[ID],h=(Pipe[LENGTH] + VacNozzle[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion));
	}
	}

	//– Female Vac outlet inside PVC pipe
	// Plug this into PVC fitting, then plug hose + nozzle into outlet

	module FVacPipe() {

	VacPort = [30.0,31.3,25]; // vacuum port on belt sander (taper ID to OD over length)
	Pipe = [26.5,33.5,20.0]; // 1 inch Schedule 40 PVC pipe

	difference() {
	cylinder(d=Pipe[OD],h=VacPort[LENGTH]);
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	cylinder(d1=VacPort[ID],d2=VacPort[OD],h=(VacPort[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion));
	}
	}


	//– Female Vac outlet on 3/4 inch fitting OD
	// Jam this onto OD of fitting, plug hose + nozzle into outlet

	module FVacFitting() {

	Adapter = [26.5,(33.5 + 2*WallThick),17.0]; // overall adapter
	//VacPort = [30.0,31.3,25]; // vacuum port on belt sander (taper ID to OD over length)
	VacPort = [30.1,31.8,30.0]; // vacuum port for bandsaw = inverse of hose nozzle
	Fitting = [26.8,32.8,17]; // 3/4 inch PVC elbow

	TaperLength = 5.0; // inner taper to avoid overhang

	difference() {
	cylinder(d=Adapter[OD],h=Adapter[LENGTH]); // overall fitting
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	cylinder(d=(Fitting[OD] + HoleWindage),h=(Adapter[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion));
	}

	translate([0,0,Adapter[LENGTH]])
	difference() {
	cylinder(d=Adapter[OD],h=TaperLength);
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	cylinder(d1=(Fitting[OD] + HoleWindage),d2=VacPort[ID],h=(TaperLength + 2*Protrusion));
	}

	translate([0,0,(TaperLength + Adapter[LENGTH])]) // vac fitting
	difference() {
	cylinder(d=Adapter[OD],h=VacPort[LENGTH]);
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	cylinder(d1=VacPort[ID],d2=VacPort[OD],h=(VacPort[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion));
	}
	}

	//– Hose barb to male vacuum taper

	module HoseBarb() {

	HoseFitting = [29.0,32.2,38.5];

	Barb = [HoseFitting[OD],35.5,4.0];
	BarbOffset = 17.0;

	Seat = [HoseFitting[OD],36.0,5.0];
	SeatSupport = [HoseFitting[OD],Seat[OD],(Seat[OD] – HoseFitting[OD])/2];

	OAL = HoseFitting[LENGTH] + SeatSupport[LENGTH] + Seat[LENGTH] + VacNozzle[LENGTH];

	NumSides = 4*8;

	difference() {
	union() {
	cylinder(d=HoseFitting[OD],h=HoseFitting[LENGTH],$fn=NumSides);
	translate([0,0,BarbOffset])
	cylinder(d1=Barb[ID],d2=Barb[OD],h=Barb[LENGTH],$fn=NumSides);
	translate([0,0,HoseFitting[LENGTH]])
	cylinder(d1=SeatSupport[ID],d2=SeatSupport[OD],h=SeatSupport[LENGTH],$fn=NumSides);
	translate([0,0,HoseFitting[LENGTH] + SeatSupport[LENGTH]])
	cylinder(d=Seat[OD],h=Seat[LENGTH],$fn=NumSides);
	translate([0,0,HoseFitting[LENGTH] + SeatSupport[LENGTH] + Seat[LENGTH]])
	cylinder(d1=VacNozzle[OD],d2=VacNozzle[ID],h=VacNozzle[LENGTH],$fn=NumSides);
	}
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	cylinder(d1=HoseFitting[ID],d2=(VacNozzle[ID] – 10ThreadWidth),h=OAL + 2Protrusion,$fn=NumSides);
	}

	}


	//———-
	// Build things

	if (Layout == "PVCtoHose")
	PVCtoHose();

	if (Layout == "ExpandRing") {
	ExpandRing();
	}

	if (Layout == "PipeToPort") {
	PipeToPort();
	}

	if (Layout == "FVacPipe") {
	FVacPipe();
	}

	if (Layout == "FVacFitting") {
	FVacFitting();
	}

	if (Layout == "HoseBarb") {
	HoseBarb();
	}

view raw Vacuum Hose Fittings.scad hosted with ❤ by GitHub

2017-03-10

Streaming Radio Advertisements: Carpet Bombing

After a protracted silence in a Radionomy stream, the Raspberry Pi player offered this log:

2017-03-05 11:17:07,890 INFO: Starting mplayer on Plenitude -> /home/pi/Playlists/Radio-PLENITUDE.m3u
2017-03-05 11:17:13,651 INFO: Track name: []
2017-03-05 11:44:02,296 INFO: Track name: [David Wahler - Whispers from Eternity]
2017-03-05 11:46:36,995 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 11:47:07,117 INFO: Track name: []
2017-03-05 11:49:07,080 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Extro Publicité]
2017-03-05 11:49:10,079 INFO: Track name: [Jef Mounet & Danièle Mounet - L'ancre musicale Natures d'Eau]
2017-03-05 12:02:02,271 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:02:32,424 INFO: Track name: []
2017-03-05 12:04:32,243 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:05:01,925 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:07:02,276 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:07:31,968 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:09:32,262 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:10:02,192 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:12:02,311 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:12:32,184 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:14:32,085 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:15:02,217 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:17:02,057 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:17:32,445 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:19:32,083 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Extro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:19:35,171 INFO: Track name: [Jean-Marc Staehle - Bercé par tant de beauté]
2017-03-05 12:23:42,410 INFO: Track name: [Francesco - Sur le chemin]
2017-03-05 12:29:50,265 INFO: Track name: [Michel Pépé - Pacifica]
2017-03-05 12:35:07,493 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:35:37,377 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:37:37,478 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Extro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:37:41,476 INFO: Track name: [Music And Wellness (Musique Et Bien Etre) - Absolute Winner]
2017-03-05 12:46:36,742 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:47:06,668 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 12:49:06,538 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Extro Publicité]
2017-03-05 12:49:10,270 INFO: Track name: [Patrick Vuillaume &Nicole Bally - Pearls of Light (Instrumental by Nicole Bally)]
2017-03-05 12:53:45,357 INFO: Track name: [Trine Opsahl - Sister moon]
2017-03-05 12:54:58,596 INFO: Track name: [Peter Kater - Rebirth]
2017-03-05 13:04:52,726 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 13:05:22,665 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 13:07:21,561 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Extro Publicité]
2017-03-05 13:07:25,808 INFO: Track name: [Deuter - Flowing]
2017-03-05 13:12:55,970 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 13:13:25,859 INFO: Track name: []
2017-03-05 13:15:26,449 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Extro Publicité]
2017-03-05 13:15:33,022 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Intro Publicité]
2017-03-05 13:15:59,437 INFO: Track name: [Targetspot - TargetSpot]
2017-03-05 13:17:59,559 INFO: Track name: [Radio PLENITUDE - Jingle Extro Publicité]
2017-03-05 13:18:06,133 INFO: Track name: [O - Part I]

The Jingle lines introduce a short interlude of chimes separating music from advertisements. The Intro chimes play for 30 seconds and the Extro chimes play for three to five seconds. Some stations have similar interludes, others do not; apparently the station gets to choose the format.

The [Targetspot - TargetSpot] lines mark two minutes of TargetSpot insertion: either advertisements (if you’re in their target market) or generic musical interludes similar to the station’s genre (if you’re out-of-market). The ads and music often lack volume-matching with the streaming music, rarely have lower volume, and the ads are incomprehensible to my ears. The musical interludes seem to be randomly chosen from a small set of candidate tracks that, along with the chimes, become annoyingly familiar in short order.

The [] lines (yes, an empty string) mark two minutes of Public Service Announcements, advertisements, or generic musical interludes. I’m uncertain how they differ from the [Targetspot - TargetSpot] insertions.

At a minimum, Radionomy inserts two minutes of TargetSpot / PSAs after every 12 to 15 minutes of music. Adding in the Jingle markers, ads occupy just under 20% of the total “airtime” for this station.

However, bizarre events like the 17 nonstop minutes of jingles and ads inserted just after noon occur with inexplicable frequency. I’ve noticed half an hour of similar back-to-back-to-back ads on other stations, so it’s not a rare event.

To quote the TargetSpot website:

TargetSpot serves ads in real time to each listener’s personalized stream, creating a one-to-one relationship between the advertiser and the listener. The result is a dramatic increase in message relevancy and campaign effectiveness

Those keyword markers turn out to be incredibly convenient. Just sayin’…

2017-03-09

Author: Ed

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