Nearing the time for Advent of Code 2024 thinking of using Node NPM again this year.

Hopefully will complete more this year than before.

https://github.com/alastairhm/adventofcode

Learning Node JS

I’ve started playing about with Node JS to learn it enough to modify some legacy Lambda code.

One of the tasks I set myself was to write a Joke bot for Mastodon, which work out to be fairly easy with a couple of packages got and masto.

Dad Joke Bot the code is only 32 lines long, looking to expand it to be able to post images as well.

Icecream Debug

Do you ever use print() or log() to debug your code? Of course you do. IceCream, or ic for short, makes print debugging a little sweeter.

ic() is like print(), but better.

https://github.com/gruns/icecream

I got a cheap SPI TFT ST7735 Display module with SD Card reader off ebay, it had an unusual number of pins on the back.

It took a while searching about on the internet and some head scratching to find a library and work out what connected to what on the Pico.

This is what I found, and worked out.

Using that information I was able to put together this library based on a few others I found and a few test programs.

Something I did a few (8) years ago on the Arduino to display two-digit numbers on a 8x8 LED matrix, this is an update to do the same in Micropthon.

Numbers have been defined to 3x5 pixels, so for a two-digit number it fits into 8x5 LED grid with spacing, saving some LED Matrix space.

The code for this can be found here numbers.py

Just a short bit of code to test a DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor module.

This version has just three pins VCC, GND and data, so easy to connect and use with the DHT library.

dht11.py.

Found a LED Matrix with a Max7219 in my parts bin (box of random electronics in the garage) so looked into getting it working with the Pico and MicroPython.

This is an example why I love open source. The original library I found was functional but sparse, last committed to 4 years ago. There were a few forks, most not much activity. One had been active recently and had some major improvements in functionality so switched over to that fork. https://github.com/enchant97/micropython-max7219

Stumbled across a Python script to run a Mandelbrot set in ASCII in Python so I thought I would see how it ran on the RaspberryPi Pico.

After tweaking it slightly from the source it ended up like this mandelbrot.py

This results in the following;

                             ...................................................................................................
                           .....................................................................................................
                         .......................................................................................................
                       .........................................................................................................
                     ...................................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.......................................................
                    ..........................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.............................................
                  .....................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,......................................
                 .................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,----------,,,,,,,,,,,,.................................
               ...............,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------:i;;::::-------,,,,,,,,,.............................
              .............,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,----------:::;ih$+;;::::-------,,,,,,,,,..........................
             ...........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,------------::::;;+# hiiii :---------,,,,,,,,,.......................
            .........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,-------------:::::;;i+hM MM #+;;:---------,,,,,,,,,,....................
          .........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,--------------::::::;;ii+hH* $H+ii;:::---------,,,,,,,,,,..................
         ........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------------::::::;i+HhH     *h++;;::::---------,,,,,,,,,,................
        .......,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------------::::::;;;+           *@ +i;::::::-------,,,,,,,,,,,..............
        .....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------------::::;;;;;ii+hM@          $hii;;:::::::------,,,,,,,,,,,............
       .....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,--------------:::;;;;;;iiii++h            *h+ii;;;;:::::::----,,,,,,,,,,,...........
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      ....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,-------------::::;ii++ ++++++hhHH$@         @MHhh++ii;;;;;ihi;:---,,,,,,,,,,,,.........
       .....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,--------------:::;;;;;;iiii++h            *h+ii;;;;:::::::----,,,,,,,,,,,...........
        .....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------------::::;;;;;ii+hM@          $hii;;:::::::------,,,,,,,,,,,............
        .......,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------------::::::;;;+           *@ +i;::::::-------,,,,,,,,,,,..............
         ........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------------::::::;i+HhH     *h++;;::::---------,,,,,,,,,,................
          .........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,--------------::::::;;ii+hH* $H+ii;:::---------,,,,,,,,,,..................
            .........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,-------------:::::;;i+hM MM #+;;:---------,,,,,,,,,,....................
             ...........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,------------::::;;+# hiiii :---------,,,,,,,,,.......................
              .............,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,----------:::;ih$+;;::::-------,,,,,,,,,..........................
               ...............,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,---------:i;;::::-------,,,,,,,,,.............................
                 .................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,----------,,,,,,,,,,,,.................................
                  .....................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,......................................
                    ..........................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.............................................
                     ...................................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.......................................................
                       .........................................................................................................
                         .......................................................................................................
                           .....................................................................................................

I amended the code to update the OLED I was using in the temperature sensor tests mand_oled.

Have been tinkering with temperature measurement using the Raspberry Pi Pico.

First with the internal temperature sensor and then using a TMP36 temperature sensor externally.

I wrote two classes to access these and return the reading.

• Internal Temperature
• External Temperature

Here is an example using the two sensors together temps.py

You will need to upload the two classes to the Pico first in a library sub-directory.

Here is how you would wire it up on a breadboard tmp36.fzz

Some components arrived from AliExpress recently so been able to play with an I2C OLED display with my Pico W.

Hello World Test

Code of this is here https://github.com/alastairhm/pico_w/blob/main/i2c_scan.py

And also used here to display the IP address after connected to the wifi https://github.com/alastairhm/pico_w/blob/main/wifi_oled.py

Next thing I’ve been playing with is internal and external temperature sensors, I will post about that soon.

Just before Christmas I got a Raspberry Pi Pico W to have a play with.

Looking forward to using MicroPython to do some LED flashing and other things.

Started a repo on Github for it Pico W Repo

A simple Python script to allow you to quickly search from the command line that I’ve been playing with on and off for a while.

https://github.com/alastairhm/searchit

It uses the Python Library Fire to automatically generate the command line interface which is something I stumbled across recently.

You either pass it a paramater for the search term or if one it not passed it used whatever is in your clipboard buffet.

Updating the parameter file you can add other search engines and pick which one to use as your default.

Came across this article of ways to Learn C on Linux which took me back to my 3rd real programming job.

It was with a software house mainly working with C/C++ on Linux/ Unix and embedded systems.

My first real experience use C/C++ in a professional environment, happy days with a good bunch of geeks.

If you’ve never tried it before it would be a good change from more recent languages to learn C for a challenge.

Been trying to relearn 6502 assembly language for fun, its a lot faster and easier than the first time on actual hardware when I was a teenager.

Been using a book I picked up from eBay Discovering BBC Micro Machine Code by A.P. Stephenson

Using BeebAsm assembler on my Mac with a BBC Micro emulator, rather than build in BBC BASIC one.

You can find my code at Github https://github.com/alastairhm/beebasm

This example draws a line of zeros to Mode 7, see screenshot below.

Interest video about modding the Acorn Electron.

After watching Speed Cubers documentary on NetFlix decided to start back trying to learn to solve the cube from memory rather than following the instructions.

So far I can get upto the middle layer without refering to the online walk through instructions.

Cubes

With WFH since March I have been finding myself fidgetting more while on video calls.

Usually with a lump of Blu-Tak (other options are available), but got this delivered yesterday to keep my fingers busy.