Projects
PulsarRGB
For this project, I created a low cost controller board that turns a regular RGB CPU fan into a stroboscope that can be controlled as if it were a ARGB LED light strip!
Compost Companion
With the rise in popularity of Van Life, Sailing, and a societal shift in mindset to environmental sustainability, there’s been an explosion in the use of composting toilets. To make composting toilets an easier option, I started work on automating the most popular model, nature’s head. My device should decrease the size and footprint of the toilet by eliminating the spindle, as well as increase the composting performance by turning compost on a regular schedule.
Sailboat Restoration
I had an interest in sailing for years, but always thought it was something that would have to wait until retirement. I was thrilled to learn there’s an active sailing community just 40 minutes away. In 2020 my wife and I decided to buy a boat and begin the journey. I found an old 1976 Windrose 24 that was ready to sail, but needed a little bit of polishing.
After restoring the Windrose 24 with my wife Kristen, sailing became a big part our lives. We crew on a Santana 20 every Thursday and sail our boat on the weekends, April through September. After boat camping at both Waldo, Paulina, and Detroit Lake, we knew we wanted a bigger boat but needed a shallow draft. When a swing keel 1978 Chrysler 26 got posted to Craigslist we jumped at the opportunity despite it’s need for some TLC.
Low Power LoRa PIR Motion Detection
For this project I created an extremely low power LoRa enabled PIR motion sensor that could last years on a single battery.
BLE Enabled 100w Boost Driver
LED’s have gotten incredibly bright and inexpensive, but they’re not always easy to drive.
This project can take anywhere from 8-30v and boosts up to 40v to drive a controlled current through a power LED, all in a very small form-factor. There’s also a nRF52 BLE module on board.
RC Plane Projects
Over the years I’ve enjoyed flying RC planes as a hobby. Unfortunately flying comes with crashing, and with crashing comes re-work and repair.
Old Electronics
I’ve enjoyed electronics and bread-boarding circuits since I was a kid and I eventually started etching my own PCB’s in high school.
Unfortunately I didn’t document most of my projects, but here’s some of the pictures and information I do still have.
ATV Engine Rebuild
Growing up, one of my families main hobbies was riding ATV’s on the Oregon sand dunes. When the bearing between my ATV’s crank-shaft and connecting rod seized, I decided to split the case and rebuild the engine myself. It was a fun and rewarding experience which also gave me the opportunity to learn more about engines.
Brewing
My parents have an Orchard with 20-30 trees, a good portion of which are apple trees. I decided to give brewing a shot, and my family quickly jumped in on the fun, including my Aunts and Uncles. It became a bit of a family tradition to take a weekend each year to pick and press apples while drinking the cider from the previous year.
