Busy times

I've been quiet for the past few weeks. Changes with my work life have demanded all my attention, but I'm looking forward to regaining a routine that permits time for marvelous pursuits.

One thing that should kick things off is the arrival of a replacement 3d printer. My current printer is packed away and ready for re-sale/donation. It served me well for several years after I build it from the kit, but something happened with the motors where it started creating a painful noise for my dog. She would beg me to make it stop each time I used it. Apparently this is a known issue with that type of printer. So, hopefully someone without a dog will extend it's useful life, but meanwhile I've been waiting on the arrival of a different kind of printer. The new one was discounted because it was a pre-order, but is expected to arrive late this month. At this point, the new on has several generations of improvements over the last one, including being enclosed - so it should be a bit of an upgrade.

My intention is to pick back up where I left off with the media player project. It's a simple mp3 player board with some extra boards to support LiPo battery power, charging, and an on/off switch. I left that project with a good electrical circuit I was happy with, but it lacked a solution for the enclosure. With a 3d prointer, I should be able to start prototyping ideas for the enclosure. There are also a lot of other miscellaneous needs/uses around the house that I can solve with the 3d printer, which have been on hold for months.

I also have another project that's been brewing in my head forever. I'm excited to start it and share about it, but I'll focus on finishing the media player first.