Rotary/Quadrature Encoder Hi-Res and Vector patterns

Hey all,

I designed these Optical Encoders a few years back for a project I was doing. you can print these on transparency sheets and depending on the pulse rate and accuracy that you need you can cut the outer grids off. for printing use the PDFs or Adobe Illustrator vector file below.

=====>> Here are the High Resolution and source files <<=====

To read these properly you will need to use an Optical (phase) Encoder. OE will let you do single and double precision count as well as detecting the direction of rotation.

I originally intended to use them with photo-interrupt type sensor. while it worked it was not very accurate and had no direction information available, and that sometimes is good enough.
With a slit window and good amplification you can use them with reflection type sensors as well, in which case you might want to print them on white sheets.

Kitchen Island? "yes, we can!"

So, decided to make a hardwood (merbau) kitchen table/island for additional storage and work surface, because why the hell not! :p . garage wasn't the best work space but at the end it worked out.
I can't be bothered with drawing a model of it as it's already done but if you want information or a model drop me a line, I should be able to put something together. (this table is made from off the shelf items sold at  Bunnings)

UPDATE:

Now there are two of these in existence and the original is holding up great after almost 3 years :p 

One of those days....

One of those days (more like everyday nowadays)

Phone backdrops #01

Here are a few backdrops I put together a while ago for my android phone, really simple and abstract

Link for files

Colouring pages #01

Did a bunch of paint bucket colouring out of boredom, nothing spectacular, they need a home so gonna leave them here (blank images are from the interwebz, credit goes to the original artists)

Link for files

Mechwarrior Online (MWO) controler options

Hey guys,

So I have been playing MWO in the past few months and figured I should share my somewhat uncommon setup

so I use four different inputs:

1. Keyboard
   obviously comes handy for in-game chat
   keypad for weapon groups management
     (2 down,4 left,6 right,8 up, 5 select, 0 sequence)
2. Mouse
   targeting
   mouse one and two for weapon groups one and two
   scroll for zoom and mouse 3 for zoom reset
3. Joystick for flight and fire controls
   Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick $70AUD, seen them for $30 on ebay
   B1: weapon group 3
   B2: team IDs
   B3: UAV
   B4: target lock
   B5: air strike
   B6: ECM mode
   Hat up: map
   Hat down: scoreboard
   Hat left: thermal vision
   Hat right: night vision
   Y axis: forward and back movements
   Z axis: torso turn
   also mapped a few rarely used controls to side keys
4. Footswitch for very common control functions
   3 switch foot pedal $37AUD
   S1: jump jets
   S2: arms unlock
   S3: advance zoom

I use the mouse on right hand, joystick on the left hand and both feet on foot pedals. also I replaced the left armrest of my chair with a flat base that lets me put the joystick in it's place. very comfy for long sessions.

considering the number of controls expect a steep learning curve. that said, once you get comfortable it's very nice. don't expect miracles!, these would not improve your gameplay by much, however they did gave me a more natural feel and better sense of immersion. "real" mechs are piloted by joysticks and foot controls afterall! :P