Nick Reynolds (he/him)
@ncmreynolds.bsky.social
Onetime network admin, recreational technologist,
Essex Hackspace Trustee, LARPer, TTRPGer, lapsed motorcyclist and overenthusiastic volunteer.
linktr.ee/ncmreynolds
Essex Hackspace Trustee, LARPer, TTRPGer, lapsed motorcyclist and overenthusiastic volunteer.
linktr.ee/ncmreynolds
After yet more faff though I got one motor spinning nicely. Sadly the second one immediately crowbars the PSU if I try to calibrate it. We think the second channel on the ODrive is dead, so we're now waiting for _another_ clone to show up before more progress can be made.
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
After yet more faff though I got one motor spinning nicely. Sadly the second one immediately crowbars the PSU if I try to calibrate it. We think the second channel on the ODrive is dead, so we're now waiting for _another_ clone to show up before more progress can be made.
This is where I discovered configuring the ODrive is quite involved. Which I sort of knew but hadn't full appreciated. I'm impressed with how configurable and failsafe the thing is but merely getting it to spin the motor was a real drag of mushing example configurations together.
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This is where I discovered configuring the ODrive is quite involved. Which I sort of knew but hadn't full appreciated. I'm impressed with how configurable and failsafe the thing is but merely getting it to spin the motor was a real drag of mushing example configurations together.
He also had an old dual ODrive that seemed a good fit for controlling the two motors but it had never been used. After much faff it was declared dead: it can be programmed but we've not managed to configure it over USB or UART. So we ordered a replacement Makerbase ODrive clone from Aliexpress.
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
He also had an old dual ODrive that seemed a good fit for controlling the two motors but it had never been used. After much faff it was declared dead: it can be programmed but we've not managed to configure it over USB or UART. So we ordered a replacement Makerbase ODrive clone from Aliexpress.
Have had a couple of frustrating days trying to sort out motive power for our Hacky Racer. We used to have a differential taken from a mobility scooter at the rear but Andy has machined a gearbox that allows us to run twin motors, partly "because it's there" and also we broke two diffs.
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Have had a couple of frustrating days trying to sort out motive power for our Hacky Racer. We used to have a differential taken from a mobility scooter at the rear but Andy has machined a gearbox that allows us to run twin motors, partly "because it's there" and also we broke two diffs.
Laying out that LiPo charger board I've been meaning to make for ages. I'd like to start using the BQ25186 instead of the usual cheap charger ICs because it has power path management and I2C control, which is desirable to me. So I'm making a more widely usable board with USB D+/D- broken out too.
November 2, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Laying out that LiPo charger board I've been meaning to make for ages. I'd like to start using the BQ25186 instead of the usual cheap charger ICs because it has power path management and I2C control, which is desirable to me. So I'm making a more widely usable board with USB D+/D- broken out too.
I fixed my certificate problem and updated HA. Now after much yak shaving, including building another node for my Proxmox cluster because that is still on v7.40, I am attempting to move off the Pi to a VM. I assume that after 50 minutes this onboarding attempt isn't actually going to finish is it.
October 30, 2025 at 5:57 PM
I fixed my certificate problem and updated HA. Now after much yak shaving, including building another node for my Proxmox cluster because that is still on v7.40, I am attempting to move off the Pi to a VM. I assume that after 50 minutes this onboarding attempt isn't actually going to finish is it.
I'm only reliant on Home Assistant for my central heating as winter begins to take hold in the UK. This is fine.
Oh well I was planning to migrate it off the ancient Raspberry Pi it was running on and I think I have a backup of the current configuration.
Maybe.
Oh well I was planning to migrate it off the ancient Raspberry Pi it was running on and I think I have a backup of the current configuration.
Maybe.
October 27, 2025 at 9:07 PM
I'm only reliant on Home Assistant for my central heating as winter begins to take hold in the UK. This is fine.
Oh well I was planning to migrate it off the ancient Raspberry Pi it was running on and I think I have a backup of the current configuration.
Maybe.
Oh well I was planning to migrate it off the ancient Raspberry Pi it was running on and I think I have a backup of the current configuration.
Maybe.
The GMs for our Cyberpunk LARP got together and planned things out this weekend.
We're still 48 weeks away but one thing we have actually been good at is "little and often" planning. This small wall of post-its is the first run at a high level "things that need to get done" and more will be added.
We're still 48 weeks away but one thing we have actually been good at is "little and often" planning. This small wall of post-its is the first run at a high level "things that need to get done" and more will be added.
October 26, 2025 at 2:06 PM
The GMs for our Cyberpunk LARP got together and planned things out this weekend.
We're still 48 weeks away but one thing we have actually been good at is "little and often" planning. This small wall of post-its is the first run at a high level "things that need to get done" and more will be added.
We're still 48 weeks away but one thing we have actually been good at is "little and often" planning. This small wall of post-its is the first run at a high level "things that need to get done" and more will be added.
This weekend I was back at Deamlands for my final LARP of the year. I'm still enjoying this: it's giving me a little bit of almost-fantasy LARP without being too caught up in a huge world as each episode is largely self-contained.
October 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
This weekend I was back at Deamlands for my final LARP of the year. I'm still enjoying this: it's giving me a little bit of almost-fantasy LARP without being too caught up in a huge world as each episode is largely self-contained.
So that's it, after starting work in 2019 we just finished the final part of our LARP "quadrilogy" High Frontier: Gods and Monsters. Our first part got postponed until 2022 for obvious reasons but we really have been at this six years.
October 6, 2025 at 12:45 PM
So that's it, after starting work in 2019 we just finished the final part of our LARP "quadrilogy" High Frontier: Gods and Monsters. Our first part got postponed until 2022 for obvious reasons but we really have been at this six years.
It's not been touched for maybe seven years but Lightburn just worked with my cheap old diode laser engraver and barring some dull faff with homing it manually I'm good to burn some props once I've done the designs. I'll take it outside for that though because it's going to make nasty fumes.
September 28, 2025 at 1:13 PM
It's not been touched for maybe seven years but Lightburn just worked with my cheap old diode laser engraver and barring some dull faff with homing it manually I'm good to burn some props once I've done the designs. I'll take it outside for that though because it's going to make nasty fumes.
ORAC has let himself go somewhat.
September 19, 2025 at 12:10 PM
ORAC has let himself go somewhat.
Wish me luck everybody. It is of course a piece of a LARP prop that would be better made another way, but big printer go brrrrr (very slowly).
September 18, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Wish me luck everybody. It is of course a piece of a LARP prop that would be better made another way, but big printer go brrrrr (very slowly).
Well I'm finally properly home from Eclipse LARP and I have some very initial thoughts about it.
The game was heavily structured/scheduled but responsive with an attentive crew and staff.
The game was heavily structured/scheduled but responsive with an attentive crew and staff.
September 13, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Well I'm finally properly home from Eclipse LARP and I have some very initial thoughts about it.
The game was heavily structured/scheduled but responsive with an attentive crew and staff.
The game was heavily structured/scheduled but responsive with an attentive crew and staff.
I'm at the debrief for Eclipse LARP which has been my most emotional LARP ever. Hard to post many photos without spoilers but here's one that brought some levity every time you pushed the door button.
September 8, 2025 at 9:17 AM
I'm at the debrief for Eclipse LARP which has been my most emotional LARP ever. Hard to post many photos without spoilers but here's one that brought some levity every time you pushed the door button.
This is the face of a man on his way to Poland for Eclipse LARP.
September 4, 2025 at 6:34 AM
This is the face of a man on his way to Poland for Eclipse LARP.
"No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence."
August 10, 2025 at 12:04 PM
"No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence."
I've booked in to see "Weapons" tomorrow so I thought I'd rewatch "Barbarian" tonight. Still great because so much of it is believable people in an awkward situation before the horror starts. My first trip to the new cinema near me, I dislike the nearby Vue to the extent it deters me from the cinema
August 6, 2025 at 9:56 PM
I've booked in to see "Weapons" tomorrow so I thought I'd rewatch "Barbarian" tonight. Still great because so much of it is believable people in an awkward situation before the horror starts. My first trip to the new cinema near me, I dislike the nearby Vue to the extent it deters me from the cinema
Still going and we've sort of moved with the times (on code of conduct & inclusivity) but also not in that we're still playing at shooting Xenomorphs in the dark and er, running UNIT games. This was from Dropzone in May. Yes there's a person in this costume and they were VERY good at staying still.
August 3, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Still going and we've sort of moved with the times (on code of conduct & inclusivity) but also not in that we're still playing at shooting Xenomorphs in the dark and er, running UNIT games. This was from Dropzone in May. Yes there's a person in this costume and they were VERY good at staying still.
August 1, 2025 at 10:56 AM
After much faff indeed I have four painted examples to assemble tomorrow. The code for the control panel with keypad, scroll wheel and buttons is kind of there but I suspect this bug in the ESP-IDF, or something very like it is causing trouble when the tablet sleeps. Grr. github.com/espressif/ar...
July 24, 2025 at 12:51 AM
After much faff indeed I have four painted examples to assemble tomorrow. The code for the control panel with keypad, scroll wheel and buttons is kind of there but I suspect this bug in the ESP-IDF, or something very like it is causing trouble when the tablet sleeps. Grr. github.com/espressif/ar...
Note to self: check the real world orientation of that part you modelled in CAD 3-5 years ago. No I can't just rotate it, the fascia includes the USB socket mount for the bottom edge.
July 21, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Note to self: check the real world orientation of that part you modelled in CAD 3-5 years ago. No I can't just rotate it, the fascia includes the USB socket mount for the bottom edge.
This has been progressing oh so slowly for various reasons. Anyway here's the proposed control panel. I've added a couple of buttons, function yet to be determined, a scroll wheel, piezo transducer for beeps and a switch for swapping manually from charging to USB OTG. Also a gap for the keypad.
July 21, 2025 at 3:46 PM
This has been progressing oh so slowly for various reasons. Anyway here's the proposed control panel. I've added a couple of buttons, function yet to be determined, a scroll wheel, piezo transducer for beeps and a switch for swapping manually from charging to USB OTG. Also a gap for the keypad.
First time I've ever had this from Octoprint, but good to see it works on my specific printer.
It wasn't a serious thermal runaway it's just not keeping a very consistent temperature during the first few layers and has been on my unconscious "must look at that" list for a while.
It wasn't a serious thermal runaway it's just not keeping a very consistent temperature during the first few layers and has been on my unconscious "must look at that" list for a while.
July 16, 2025 at 12:30 PM
First time I've ever had this from Octoprint, but good to see it works on my specific printer.
It wasn't a serious thermal runaway it's just not keeping a very consistent temperature during the first few layers and has been on my unconscious "must look at that" list for a while.
It wasn't a serious thermal runaway it's just not keeping a very consistent temperature during the first few layers and has been on my unconscious "must look at that" list for a while.