Clear-Com Headset Repairs

Replacement parts for the CC-95 and CC-260 headsets. 

Ear Pads 

Windscreens 

Cut half height and use Gorilla Glue 

Headband 

Now those eBay auctions are going to go up in price. Sorry!

Point In Polygon node.js function

How to determine if a point coordinate lies within a 2D polygon defined by multiple coordinates.

Of several approaches to this problem I used Dan Sunday's Winding Number method.

Serverless Discord Bot using AWS Lambda

A Discord admin friend of mine mentioned how an old Bot he really liked was no longer working, website down, developer out of contact, etc.  I'd always been curious about Discord Bot development, but never had a reason to give it a shot.  

One of my concerns was performance vs. hosting costs.  While poking around on the internet I came across a few articles talking about a serverless approach using AWS Lambda and DynamoDB.  This interested me as I have used a variety of AWS offerings in the past but had not yet learned Lambda or DynamoDB.  

Use Google Apps Script to post Gmail messages in a Discord channel

While helping a friend set up a Discord server and Patreon account we discovered that the Patreon Bot does not post any notifications about new patrons.  The only thing it does is assign Discord roles associated with Patreon tiers if configured by the creator AND the user has their Patreon account linked with their Discord account, which is rare.

Moderators need to receive a notification for each new patron so they can verify the member receives the roles and benefits they are entitled to even if their Patreon account is not linked to their Discord account.

DayZ Safe Zone Maker

I didn't see a tool for this out there, so I thought I'd write this as a mobile-friendly web page hosted on GitHub pages that can be used from a browser.  100% JavaScript.

DayZ community server admins sometimes create "safe zones" on the map where players can go to trade or buy a house.  Admins often want to remove all the hostile spawns from that safe zone but there is no easy way to find all the edits that need to be made.

Raspberry Pi for your home network

The Raspberry Pi can provide a great deal of functionality to your home network.  Here are some uses I recommend:

1. Encrypted DNS
   So your ISP can't log what sites you visit and sell this data to marketers
2. Ad Blocking
   Significantly speed up browsing for all your home devices
3. Encrypted FTP
   Securely send and receive large files with friends and business partners
4. Route 53 Dynamic DNS
   So your FTP address (ftp.domain.tld) always points to your public IP

Raspberry Pi Security Camera Viewer

Most high-definition televisions have a "Picture-in-Picture" feature that is useless; if you are watching a HD input the PIP window can only display a low-resolution input such as RF or Composite SDTV.  Furthermore the sole Composite video input is often combined with the Component video input which may already be used by your older video game console. 

What's left?  I'll show you how to use your HDTV's coaxial cable TV RF input to view up to four network security cameras in the PIP window so you can keep an eye on your perimeter while watching something else.

Raspberry Pi 3 initial configuration

Here are the steps I use when setting up a new Raspberry Pi 3.

Trashcan Monster, Part 2

Moving to 1/2" tubing and fittings definitely sped up the prop.  I think as a general rule of thumb you should go up a size or two on the fittings and tubing.  Even though the cylinder, valve and accumulator all have 1/4" NPT connections, look at the difference between these two fittings:

Halloween Yard Haunt Sound System

I have always had sound for my yard haunts.  Even going back to my childhood I had a basic system - a Halloween record playing through an outdoor speaker.  Over the years it has evolved. 

Trashcan Monster, Part 1

For Halloween 2016 I'm going to try to build a "trashcan monster" shock prop, using a metal trash can from Home Depot.

After getting tired of hooking up a laptop to my Jack in the Box prop to tweak settings, I decided to see what I could do with a small backlit 16x2 display and a pushbutton menu design.  Anything that needs to be adjustable could be done through this interface, simplifying things.

Use C-weighting to monitor levels in live sound

I continue to encounter live sound "professionals" who have not fully educated themselves on the science of sound and the frequency response of the human ear.  The topic evokes responses of borderline religious or political fervor, where discussion invariably devolves into personal attacks when defenders cannot produce technically accurate rebuttals. It's understandable that someone who has been doing sound for a long time would become defensive when learning they may have been doing something wrong the entire time.

Big Blue Clear-Com Call Light

Rather than flashing every time a station presses their CALL button, this light only comes on when a CALL button has been pressed four times quickly. It starts out solid, then after a while starts blinking.

Perfect for getting a specific person's attention and ONLY when you need that specific person. I use this for the conductor in the orchestra pit. They just can't see the little call light on their intercom station.

This project uses a couple of modules and minimal soldering.

Understanding Art-Net

While Artistic License publishes a detailed specification on the Art-Net protocol, I found very little additional documentation on the internet - including YouTube, to help configure an Art-Net fixture and light board to talk to one another.  So here is some info I'd like to share.

The light board we are using in this example is an ETC ION.  The fixture is an Elation SIXBAR 500.

QLab cue variety based on day of month

Let's say you have a production where you want some of the sound or video design to be slightly different each show.

You can do this with AppleScript using a script cue in QLab.

QLab serial projector control with AppleScript

If you are using QLab for video cues, I suggest having it triggered by the light board as most projections need to be synchronized with lighting. That way projected scenery will fade in and out with area lighting during scene changes. It is fairly easy to connect a USB MIDI interface between the Mac and the "MIDI OUT" of your light board.

Wired remote volume control for ClearOne Gentner AP800 matrix mixer

How to use the Arduino microcontroller to remotely control this matrix mixer.

Pneumatic Jack in the Box, Part 3

To support the mask I built a frame out of perforated metal tape. I basically fit each piece into the mask from the inside, then attached the pieces together with small nuts and bolts. The frame was then screwed into a stand made of three pieces of 1x2 wood left over from the torsion box coffin lid project.

Pneumatic Jack in the Box, Part 2

Make sure you view all the videos posted in Part 1 before continuing.

The ELK-120 sound board can pull up to 2A@12VDC and the mouth servo may require more current @5VDC than the Arduino's voltage regulator can support, so I went with a dual-output power supply that provides 12VDC and 5VDC outputs.

However, the Arduino and the DF Robot Relay boards all need 9VDC.

Pneumatic Jack in the Box, Part 1

This year's new prop is a large Jack in the Box - a two foot cube, powered by the Arduino microcontroller. It will have an Insteon InlineLinc relay module inside so that the prop can be controlled with a hand-held remote or an Insteon motion sensor. When the Arduino sees that the InlineLinc has been activated, it will execute the following sequence of actions:

1. Turn on a spotlight aimed at the prop so people pay attention to it
2. Spin crank handle (powered by motor) while playing a sound effect
3. Open the top lid
4. Pop up a large scary clown head
5. Play a sound effect while moving the clown's lips with a servo
6. Lower the head
7. Close the lid
8. Turn off the light