Day 34: Saturday with Migraine

So just a short note for today.

I had trouble sleeping, and using computers causes pain. The bright screen causes pain. I have turned down the brightness for this writing.

I went slow this morning and worked on my robot project. I managed to get the infrared control working on a Playground Express coded in Python. I used the Christmas Ornament project. The Playground Express has eight bright neo-pixels that you can control. I used the code that turned the neo-pixels on when you point a remote at it and press a number. Press a different number on the remote and point at the microcontroller for different colors.

I was not happy with the infrared as the range was too short. It is easy to code, and putting a Playground Express on the boat would be easy. Just attach to a mast or a funnel on the model. It could then talk to the main microcontroller by a few wires using standard serial communication. The range made it a poor choice.

I noticed that I have purchased a lot of LoRa boards. This is the networking for DIY projects that need networked devices. It is a lot more than a few commands that I need for my robot boat that I was thinking of. I load up all the enhancements to my development software for Arduino including manually loading various libraries. The hardware can use Python for coding too. I manage to get one of the boards working. My headache stops me from going on.

I tried to watch another “Inspector Morse” episode. I have three that are free on Amazon Prime. This is a crime show from the 1980s that I really like–I like the books that the show is based on too by Colin Dexter. My migraine returned, so I got about halfway.

I made chili for dinner. I ordered lunch from La Providence, delivered about noon. I went with a corned-beef hash with poached eggs and a croissant (it was still warm). It was perfect, as usual. I opened a bottle of Purple Cow Vinyard’s Marechal Foch to help the cooking go easier. This is a drier red wine locally made from our Oregon grapes.

I saw that The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall 25th Anniversary was now free on Youtube. So I watch that–a favorite. Slightly re-staged, but nearly perfectly done. It was a free stay-home concert.

Masquerade – Phantom of the Opera 25th at the Royal Albert Hall

I received a new radio and speaker from my sister and mother for my birthday. It is made to look like a pocket version of an old tube radio. It plays with great sound.