Communicating with BMI088 using I2C and SPI

In my continued work with inertial sensors, specifically IMU’s for use in autonomous navigation systems, the latest sensor I’ve been using is the BMI088 from Bosch. It’s well regarded for it’s ability to handle vibrations and is supposed to be well suited for robotics and drones. Onboard is a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyro. While […]

High Power Rocket Build: LOC IV

Building a modified LOC IV kit for the goal of Level 1 certification. I’ll build this with the intent of flying conservatively, including ejection deployment of the chute. The fins on this rocket have been an area of conern for many others, so I’m also going to swap these out with my own laser-cut fins. […]

Robotic Tortoise – Part 2

It’s time to go BIG! The robotic tortoise is getting super-sized and will use full-size servos instead of the micro servos. It will be getting a “head” with an ultrasonic sensor for depth perception. This should be a fun one! I’ll continue to update this post as this phase of the project progresses. 1/29/2023 – […]

Robotic Tortoise

I’m always looking for another project to build. My most recent project was initialized by my son, who had an idea to build a robotic tortoise. Sounds fun! Though with no solid idea yet how I’d get a four legged creature to walk, I jumped in. Step 1: Leg design Fundamental to a walking turtle […]

Boeing 502-10C Project

It’s been nearly 10 years since I last owned a turbine engine, so I’m quite excited to have taken ownership of this Boeing 502-10C engine. I shall now embark on another adventure of getting a Boeing 502 up and running. Let the fun begin!

Coolant Flush: Chevy Silverado 1500 – 2005 5.3

  My new farm-fresh 2005 Chevy Silverado has got 130k miles and is in need of some coolant system TLC. I decided to go ahead and do a coolant flush. After some online reading, I found that about 2 gallons of fluid is recovered after draining (which then also needs to be replenished). This formed […]

4’x8′ CNC Plasma Table – Design

We’re working on a new CNC machine, a 4’x8′ CNC plasma table. This post is more for our own personal use while we piece together our design, but it’s also here for anyone else to use as well. It will be updated as the project progresses.   General research and information   Drive: Rack and […]