Things I Want to Try: DD-WRT, Romo SDK, OpenMVS, Reflow Oven

Notes on interesting things I haven't gotten around to trying yet — a personal reference for whenever the mood strikes.

DD-WRT

http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

"Flashing a Buffalo WHR-300HP2 to DD-WRT"
http://eco.senritu.net/buffalo_whr-300hp2_dd-wrt/

An open-source router firmware that unlocks extra features on cheap off-the-shelf wireless routers.
VPN, Wake-on-LAN, and more. Linux-based, so you can even SSH into the router.
That said, with embedded CPUs and no storage, SSH access probably just lets you edit routing config by hand — and not much else.

My wireless router (Buffalo WHR-AMG54) recently gave up after 7–8 years of service, so I figure I'll try modding the old one when I get a chance.

Side note: flashing a router firmware in Japan and running it at full wireless power may technically run afoul of technical certification (技適) regulations. You'd probably need to use it as a wired router only. Or maybe not. (Hmm?)

Romo SDK / Scratch2Romo

Romo — an unlucky little device that lost critical iOS 9 compatibility right after its domestic release, and became physically unmountable when the iPhone 6 changed dimensions.

The manufacturer has since taken down their website and vanished, yet overpriced grey-import units are still being sold on Amazon — which is barely distinguishable from a scam.

The last hope for this unfortunate robot lies in open-source alternatives.
Scratch2Romo lets you control Romo (via an iPhone mounted on it) from Scratch on a PC or iPad.
The Romo SDK is a framework for building custom iPhone apps that directly control Romo.

Unfortunately, the Romo SDK appears to have been collateral damage when the company took their website down — though someone has apparently salvaged it and posted it on GitHub. Strangely, there's also an Android version, which makes no sense.

For what it's worth: I convinced my son to accept a Romo as an "elementary school entrance gift" by telling him "this is a game too" when he asked for a 3DS. I feel I owe it to him to make this actually work somehow.

"Scratch2Romo"
http://www.scratch2romo.com/

"Romo SDK"
http://www.scratch2romo.com/

"Robot fun with Romo × iPhone"
http://gihyo.jp/dev/serial/01/romo/0002

OpenMVS

A remarkable library that takes multiple still images from different angles, generates a 3D model, and adds proper surface texturing — not just point clouds.
The sample images are nosebleed-inducing quality, and I can't imagine what kind of input data would be needed to get results that good.

Put a webcam on a turntable, automatically photograph and model the subject, then automatically send to the 3D printer — it would basically be a replicator!?
It would definitely not work (at the very least the base would have a hole in it), but still.

"OpenMVS"
http://cdcseacave.github.io/openMVS/

"3D reconstruction library OpenMVS via Multi-View Stereo"
http://blog.negativemind.com/2016/06/03/openmvs/

Turning a toaster oven into a reflow oven for PCBs with Arduino

Check on Amazon
In surface-mount PCB assembly, solder paste is applied to the board, components are placed on top, and then it passes through a heated tunnel called a reflow oven to melt the solder.

The idea here is to build a desktop reflow oven from a toaster oven.

Incidentally, when I replaced an old toaster I held onto it rather than throwing it away. My family's patience with this decision is wearing thin.

MaBeee

Check on Amazon
A gadget that puts an AA battery in an AA-sized case with a AAA battery inside — filling the extra space with a Bluetooth module.

IR-controlled battery adapters have existed for a while, but MaBeee pairs it with a well-designed smartphone app that gives it a much more polished feel.

Still — it's pretty pricey for what it is.

"MaBeee"
http://mabeee.mobi/

Receiving weather satellite images with a one-segment USB tuner

Check on Amazon
The chips in USB one-seg TV tuner dongles are actually capable of digitizing frequencies beyond the one-seg band.

Feed the raw RF signal into a PC via USB and run it through a software decoder, and you can receive aircraft radio communications and even weather satellite imagery.

The catch: the built-in antenna can't receive these signals — you'd need to build a custom antenna.

I got a one-seg tuner and tried receiving weather satellite images with my son, but the antenna wasn't working and decoding failed.

In the end, my son was satisfied with a website where you can listen to air traffic control from around the world online, and the tuner has been gathering dust ever since.

"LiveATC" (listen to aviation radio from around the world online)
http://www.liveatc.net/

"Using a ~1,000-yen PC one-seg tuner as a high-performance receiver"
http://trashbox.homeip.net/nownow/20130316/