DC540 Defcon Group

I’ve been staring at this tab that I’ve left open on my browser for days now. Do I really need another project? I mean you guys don’t know half the projects I’ve got going on already.

I try to push it out of my mind, each time there’s a new amazing project on the table, but my FOMO kicks in, and tells me, “BUT I NEED IT!”

I really don’t.

I didn’t need the VIC-20.

I didn’t need Project GoCube.

I didn’t need the Project MF Blue Box.

I didn’t need the Altairduino or the PiDP8/i.

Nor do I need this. BUT I NEED IT!

https://back7.co/home/raspberry-pi-recovery-kit?fbclid=IwAR2LUJ-xywP6IGLfai3GQk88Qt2MHkmunbk4tQ4ZduYxbJCiI5X36f7gM6M

Thanks to 801Labs @_bashNinja for a wonderful holiday gift idea.

I’d love to do this at the November meeting, but I sincerely don’t believe the parts will be here in time. 801Labs announced they are doing this project as a December group build, and they are offering the kits for $10. I thought I’d play along and do it through our group as well.

I couldn’t justify sourcing enough to get the price QUITE that low. I can do them for $15/each. If there’s enough interest.prepayment I’ll order more. Like 801, this is a group build in person, I’m not doing shipping for these.

So if anyone wants to participate in the group build for these, I should have all the parts in time for the December meeting. Any leftovers will be held for future meeting attendees.

It’s a simple but elegant LED marquee display in a 3d-printed case using a Wemos D1 mini Wifi IOT module and a 4-in-1 dot matrix LED module. I ordered them in white PLA and red LEDs, just like the photo. By default it will display time, bitcoin price, random advice, weather, maybe a few other configurable things, but once you get it in place, you can likely make it do display anything you want. I was thinking it might be fun to add in a display when someone logs into the DC540 Citadel BBS.

Getting the Altair-duino working was such a rush that I’ve decided to hang onto the momentum and get the PiDP8/I going next.