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.

OpenROV Assembly Challenges

I know this problem can be solved. I just haven’t figured it out yet, and I need help from the OpenROV community to do so.

Update: The OpenROV community delivered. Solution: ESC Programming and Calibration for OpenROV.

Parts That Work

Software image updates on the Beaglebone Black work flawlessly thanks to scripts written by Brian Adams and Dominick Fretz. The cockpit software shows a real-time image from the camera, the LED lights are super-bright, and the lasers hold steady at 10cm apart. My fully assembled OpenROV passes the water submersion test. Yes, it’s waterproof, thanks to O-rings and silicon-based lubricant!

What about the motors? The motors work, almost. Could it be the electronic speed control (ESC) settings, calibration, or less than perfect soldering? That’s where I need help.

Be Awesome. Tackle Big League Problems at WindyCityRails

Do you see yourself in any of these scenarios?

• You have already built a successful Rails app. Now that you’re “done”, you know you can make it better, but you’re not sure how. You want to take your skills to the next level.

• You recently graduated from Dev Bootcamp, Starter League, Mobile Makers or another school. You’re ready to meet and interact with your next generation of mentors.

• You are no longer a beginner. You have seen advanced developers in action, and you are determined to get there yourself.

• Software development is relatively new to you, and you built a successful track record in another profession. You want to meet people who can help you accelerate through the beginner phase so you can launch something useful.

Common thread: It’s time to unleash the awesomeness in your bones. You want to take your skills to the next level, and you are ready to tackle Big League Problems. WindyCityRails is for you.