RubyCaribe: Ruby Gets Hotter in January

RubyCaribe (pronounced ka-REEB) is a conference for intermediate and advanced software developers who use Ruby. The conference will be held January 27 - 31, 2015 in Barbados. January is a beautiful time to visit the Caribbean, especially if you’re coming from a colder part of the planet.

Intermediate and advanced software developers will find RubyCaribe valuable because…

• Each RubyCaribe session features a 30- to 45-minute presentation followed by a 2-hour deep-dive lab. Learning is reinforced throughout.
• The venue, Hilton Barbados Resort, sits right on the ocean. Need a stretch break? Take a walk on the beach!

Manage That OpenROV Tether, Or Else

Note: This article has been updated with more photos and details describing slip ring installation.

Youthful exuberance drove me to pilot my OpenROV before I built a good tether management system. Bad idea! It’s better to have a tether management plan (any plan) before you pilot your OpenROV.

This article describes a tether management system that works for me. Other OpenROVers have devices that work, too. Take a look at a few and eventually you will find one that fits you.

Off-the-Shelf Parts

This tether management system is constructed entirely from off-the-shelf parts. The main component is an extension cord reel sold by Home Depot for about $14.00. Buy it, gut it, add the slip ring using three screws (also from Home Depot) and you’re good to go.

Solar Powered Parallella

This article describes a simple hardware hack: Making the Parallella run on solar energy.

Motivation: The fastest computers in the world gulp electricity at an alarming rate. For example, Tianhe-2 at the National Super Computer Center in Guangzhou, China uses 17.8 megawatts of energy per year. In dollars, that’s roughly $17 million spent on electricity spent each year, depending on how the electricity is sourced.

Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories estimate that the earth’s surface absorbs enough solar energy in ninety minutes to power every electrical device on the planet for a full year. A year’s worth of energy in ninety minutes! Surely we can use some of that energy to power our supercomputers.

OpenROV Meets Chicago's Lake Michigan

OpenROV #1227 went for a spin in Lake Michigan this week. Success! Here are a few first-voyage observations:

ESC Programming and Calibration for OpenROV

ESCs: New Experience for Me

Electronic speed controllers (ESCs) were completely new to me when I first assembled my OpenROV. This article documents my initial misunderstanding (and eventual understanding) of ESCs so that future builders can move forward with fewer glitches.