I got invited to help with a fun boat project that I think illustrates some of the uses of parametric/generative design (and 3D printing and laser cutting). The initial call described a challenge with installing a RayMarine rotary rudder position sensor (for an autopilot) that might need an …

Summary: I created a small electronic device that detects the presence of AC power running a large dust collection system. The device then waits and follows a few rules to determine when to turn on relays to run a related dust filter cleaning system. The user can intervene to run the system manually …

I was talking to a doctor recently and he mentioned the challenges of creating an effective finger splint for certain types of injuries. I considered it a bit and thought it might be interesting to try to come up with a solution in Grasshopper. I started by creating a basic finger model (and then …

The Port Townsend Web Developers (PTWD) monthly meeting is a great forum for getting together with techies that have a wide range of experience and interests. On 1/15/25, I gave a presentation on Rhino3D/Grasshopper/Python. This combination is an amazing toolkit for building 3D designs for almost …

It is fun to develop physical products using software development tools. In software, we expect to take well defined inputs and do transformations until we have the desired outputs. Designing and building things in the real world is subject to a lot of different constraints than software, but in …

With a return to taking independent projects, it seemed like it was time to have a website to share things that I’m thinking about and working on. Website requirements and approach: Easy to update. I decided to use Github Pages hosting a Hugo generated static site. Look good! I used the Hugo …

I really enjoy working with electronics. In High School I came across a trove of electronics books. I really tried to make sense of them with mixed results. In college, my degree included some Electrical Engineering and then after college when working in software it finally struck me that I probably …

I’ve worked on a variety of LED lighting projects, custom 3D printed LED matrix displays, art pieces, and product prototypes. My favorite project so far has been creating a 3D printable LED Matrix. The lights are driven by the very fun to use Pixelblaze LED controller. The LED Matrix is …

I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of boating. Some of the most fun boat adventures have been in a boat I built that was designed by my friend, Matt of Hermitcoveboats.com. Red Zep is a 13 foot Pacific Loon Row Camper. It is designed to carry everything you need for multi-day sea adventures. …

When I first moved to Portland, I switched careers from manufacturing to software and moved from a rural area to the big city. I was surprised by all of the bike commuters in the office and immediately followed their lead. Like boats, bicycles are an excellent moving engineering challenge. Extended …