Notebook - page 3

Snowspeeder flying over Hoth diorama

I was really happy with the snowspeeder model I have built, but I was unhappy with the stand included in the kit. I decided to try to build a piece of terrain and create simple scenery.

Star Wars snowspeeder 1:48 model build log

Because I enjoyed my last scale model build a lot I have quickly started working on another one. This time I picked a Star Wars snowspeeder kit by Bandai. I always liked the aesthetics of Star Wars and I am more interested in building sci-fi and space-related models rather than historic planes and tanks.

Bandai kits have a great reputation and since I was hugely disappointed with the quality of the shuttle model made by Revell as I wrote in the build log, I wanted to try a kit with a very good reputation to have some comparison.

And just to make to context clear: this is the second scale model I am building after I got back to the hobby after more than 20 years long break. It’s the 3rd plastic model I am going to paint ever. And it is the first one I’ll attempt to weather.

DIY 3D printed photography turntable

This project an example of how one project can lead to another. I have recently revisited an old hobby of mine - building and painting scale models. Even though the resulting model is a work of a beginner with many flaws I still wanted to have some nice pictures of the result. And it wasn’t for the first time it crossed my mind that it would be nice to have an automatic rotating turntable so I could easily make a 360 video of something I made.

Self-balancing stories, EP 2: Developing first firmware

Would you believe this was my first project with ESP32? So far I had some experience only with ESP8266. I must admit I fell in love with ESP32 and I am never going back.

Note: I had this article in my draft folder for several months and forgot about it. So I am giving it just a quick polish and publishing it now.

Revisiting an old hobby - building a plastic model kit: Space Shuttle Atlantis

Somehow, I have got an idea to revisit one of the former hobbies of mine.

When I was a kid I was quite interested in planes. Apart from reading books and visiting air shows I also ended up building few scale model kits. I have never really got good at it. If I remember correctly, I managed to paint only one of them. Somehow I didn’t have enough patience to learn more and pass through the true beginner phase.

It might be interesting to try again now, a few decades later, maybe I am patient enough? I bought a cheap Revell model kit of Space shuttle Atlantis, glue, paints and other accessories and this is my experience.

Sofle Keyboard evolution: slow and not really steady

It’s been half a year since I published my articles telling a story why and how I modified an existing design for a split DIY keyboard (Lilly58) and created one tailored to my preferences - SofleKeyboard. I already started to experiment with more modifications.

Self-balancing stories, EP 1: How to not start a project made from parts I already have

It was early pandemic when my employer switched to the work-from-home mode and I realized I have a bit more free time since my commute times dropped to zero. Apart from keyboard stuff, I had no nice project in progress that wouldn’t involve waiting for PCB manufacturing or parts. So, what could I build from things I have at home? What about those 2 cheap geared DC motors, those 2 wheels, some micro, IMU unit. Hmm. I see a 2-wheeled self-balancing robot here. I always wanted to build one and learn how they work.

SofleKeyboard build log/guide

Update: for an up-to-date and improved build guide go to the SofleKeyboard’s website.

This article is partly a build log and partly a build guide for SofleKeyboard (introduced in the previous article) ~~since there’s no build guide for the keyboard yet and there are already people who would like to build it. ~~

Let me introduce you SofleKeyboard - a split keyboard based on Lily58 and Crkbd

In the first article, I explained my experience with custom keyboards and my requirements regarding a layout for my next DIY keyboard. I have also promised there will be another article featuring a custom keyboard with such a layout.

Behold, this is SofleKeyboard - a 6×4+5 keys column-staggered split keyboard with encoder support. Based on Lily58, Corne, and Helix keyboards.

ESP8266 based room-conditions monitor, part 2: PCB

In the previous post in this series, I wrote about several prototyping steps for this project. In this article, I am going to describe the final version.