Category Archives: chatops

Building E-Vehicle/Robot for Son!

I am building a robot (named aptly: Kill Switch) from old parts I had laying around, and it is powered by hub motors from a ‘hover-board’.  The stats were pretty strong for small kids; so I am building a lot of safety into it.

This will include software, and hardware measures to ‘take over’ the device, and even limit speed.  Eventually I will be able to return him back to a certain spot with playtime is over.  I hope to automated charging as well eventually.  There are a lot of features I have ready; however I am still building out the hardware.

This can be difficult to do and keep extremely safe.  So for starters I am testing it only; and I have 2 kill switches I am putting in to ensure safety.  One the person will have to keep his foot on constantly for the buggy to run.  The other is a simple quick kill switch.  (Eventually these will be automated).

The Device already has an RPI3 with a small motor-controller for future automation’s.  This will control other aspects of the vehicle via software.  Such as speed limitations, power usage, GPS, WIFI, BT.  I will also be using a pico router to establish a LAN around the device.  This is for media, as the vehicle will have speakers/screen to watch/host media on the LAN.

Hardware Safety Features:

  • Dash Kill Switch
  • Foot Kill Switch
  • Flip/Tilt Sensor
  • Lights
  • Front
  • Rear

Once testing is completed, and it works; I will go through how I set it up.  However, this will be piece by piece as I do it.  I have even considered some youtube videos.  However, that will depend on my success in doing this on a budget.  I am also using completely reclaimed parts, minus a couple bolts I bought.  So its been free so far.

On that note, I have been building the chassis, but if anyone in the Dallas, TX area has an old go-cart frame that rolls/steers, I am looking.  I think it would make it a lot lighter.  Shoot me a message, info is on my contact me page.

 

MUCH More to come… Please keep an eye on the series…

-M

Don’t forget! Linux Learning Resources

This is kept under the Linux Learning Project and Learning Resources section of the site, and is updated occasionally with new links.  Feel free to suggest one by contacting me directly.


LEARNING RESOURCES

Help/Chat:

Resources:

Need DevOps Help?

  • Had issues with your DevOps pipeline?
  • Need help streamlining automation or configuration management?
  • Need to green field or “lift and shift” applications into the cloud?

If you are trying to do any of these, and running into issues please contact me.  I am now open to consulting directly.  Fixing even a few small inefficiencies can have a huge impact on the bottom line.  Not only that, if the DevOps philosophies are really taken up, its likely that the employee base will also be happier, and proud of their accomplishments as a team.

As far as technologies I support, please take a look at my Technologies page.  (Updated often)  I am also happy to take on new ones for a project if needed.

Creating an efficient pipeline is what I do; and a fully functional system that is working well can be an amazing thing.

 

Matthew Curry
MattCurry.Com

 

Thank you to all… Jasper v1.6 Image News!

First, I would like to say thank you to the community members for helping out. I have gotten a lot of input on the new image.  This has also given me better feel for what the community wanted in an image. Which leads me to the next bit of news.


Some of you are undoubtedly wondering why I have not released my Jasper v1.6 image as of yet.  Well, I can assure you there are very good reasons.

Firstly,  I have had some severe family/health issues come up as of late which take priority.  I am also in the middle of moving a family of 5.  Combine that with the other reasons below, and I feel that most will feel the wait to be worth it.

This leads me to the next bit of news, however shocking it may be.

  1.  There will be no version 1.6 image.
    1. There will be no image at all…
  2.  Instead, there will be a full installer.
    1. This is one of the reasons for the delay.
  3.   The installer will work with a full GUI, and on the desktop.
    1. Examples:
      1. Full ubuntu Install.
      2. Fresh RPI install with GUI.
  4. The installer will be iterated on by feature going forward.
    1. We can add community approved features one at a time.
      1. Example:
        1. Change Jaspers Name
        2. Change STT after setup
        3. Etc.

FAQ (COMING SOON)

  • So whats that mean for me?
  • What do I do if I am running Jasper v.15?
  • Where do I get the installer?
  • Do I need to upgrade?

 

Google Disables Hangouts API…breaking many services.

I have seen much FUD around this, and I wanted to clarify so people are aware what Google’s Intentions are for Hangouts.  As I am a heavy user of the product, I was very surprised to see this.  It appears that Google will still keep Hangouts around, but for the ‘normal’ user demographic only.  They will be disabling their API on April 25.  This however, should not be a complete surprise.  Google has made it clear that with the arrival of their new products Allo and Duo that they are switching to an enterprise vision for many of their products.  However, they will NOT BE REMOVING IT COMPLETELY, as mentioned in the linked engadget.com article.

What does this mean for you? The ‘End User’, if just using the services at face value may not even see a difference.  However, services and sites that use the integration features will likely be affected.  They (google) have allowed for an exception, and that is if they site/service qualifies as an “Enterprise Communication Tool”, slack for example.  There won’t be many of those I expect.

Basically it comes down to this, they are ending the Hangouts API integration (publicly) on April 25th.

 

Hope that helps,

Matthew Curry

NEW Jasper Documentation!

Hello All,

First, I want to thank everyone that has been patient with me so far in getting these things done one at a time…

I know it is not easy to get some of these things completed without good documentation.  So, with the help of a few community members, I have started what is a very rough draft of our documentation.  It is neither complete, or ready….  However, we are adding information as we go, so keep a close eye.  Even feel free to clone it, and contribute.  There will be documentation on how to do both of those coming as well.  Feel free to watch here, the repository, or the Support Forums/Slack for updates.  I update them all.

If you have items you would like to see added to the documentation, I would run it by myself, or d34dman first.  If we have not already written it (there are some not committed yet); then we will just let you know to put in a PR (aka Pull Request).  Once we have both reviewed it and give it a thumbs up.  We will merge it.

Alright, all that said… Here is the link to the documentation!

 

Thanks,

Matthew Curry