Something I should’ve done long ago – enabling OTA (Over The Air) firmware updates so I don’t have to disassemble the project box and move the tree every time I want to change its code.
struct ChristmasTree: View {
var body: some View {
ZStack {
// draw the tree trunk
Rectangle()
.fill(Color.brown)
.frame(width: 20, height: 100)
// draw the tree branches
ForEach(0..<5) { i in
HStack(spacing: 5) {
ForEach(0..<5-i) { j in
Triangle()
.fill(Color.green)
.frame(width: 10, height: 10)
}
}
.offset(x: 0, y: -10 * CGFloat(i))
}
// draw the star on top of the tree
Circle()
.fill(Color.yellow)
.frame(width: 10, height: 10)
.offset(x: 0, y: -50)
}
}
}
The only major issue syntax-wise is that Triangle() isn’t defined – where did it get that?
A quick visit to Hacking with Swift had this nice snippet, which I dropped in.
This weekend the NeoPixel tree got many much-needed updates!
Though I have more ideas to implement, the basics of what I wanted to do are complete, like sending commands remotely.
What we can currently do:
Set the brightness
Change the color
Turn the pixels off
Run some built-in sequences, like a nice rainbow
Set repeating color patterns
Set individual pixels
I also threw together a really quick iOS app to set the color with SwiftUI’s built-in ColorPicker view. Thanks to the Rover project (another one that’s been neglected), I had some UDP client code I could borrow to speed up development.
Connect it wirelessly to the network (it has an ESP8266, after all)
Run a UDP server on it
Respond to various commands
Write a client that sends UDP packets to it
It’s fun to design UX for limited hardware. In this case, the tree starts with an orange pattern that rotates until a WiFi connection is successful. If it fails the tree will go red, otherwise the tree briefly goes green to let the end user know all is well before starting its first sequence.
I have lots to post about related to my recent vintage / retro computing adventures, but in the meantime here’s iPadOS on a CRT.
It’s actually kind of nice! The biggest downside, however, is that the CRT only ran at 1280×1024@60Hz. The resolution is fine, but the refresh rate is quite low for a CRT – my eyes wouldn’t be able to handle it very long. I’ve always been sensitive to rates lower than 85Hz on CRTs.
The hardware to make it work:
A CRT.
An iPad.
An Apple Digital AV adapter which has HDMI output, such as this USB-C one.
An active HDMI -> VGA adapter such as this one (it has to have external power).
A USB hub is nice for wired peripherals, but optional. I have a wired Microsoft Optical mouse with a Keychron C1 (reds) connected in this video.
I’ve played with the Shortcuts app a few times and although their power is impressive, I haven’t found a need for any in my day-to-day workflow. This Shortcut may finally change that.
Here’s the problem
Our dog literally can’t handle the heat. She’s a Miniature Schnauzer born with a microtrachea so she struggles to regulate her body temperature. If she gets overheated it’s bad news.
I typically let her out multiple times a day while working from home. All I have to do is open up our back door, let her out into her fenced doggie area, and let her back in when it’s time.
That last item is trickier than it sounds – if I don’t set a timer I risk getting into the zone at work and losing track of the world. That could be disastrous, so up until now I’ve set a timer and altered the duration depending on the temperature outside. I wondered if I could improve that with a Shortcut.