Building 45 Part 10: *Barely* Back Online!
More Downtime Then I Wanted
Software changes fast and my previous methods were broken
A combination of hardware and software made it difficult to get the server back up. The server I put together for the demo only ran the AI server and the website. I built this server to replace my R720 so I needed it to also run the VDI and storage server. It took a lot of reworking but now the server is running 4 VDI PCs, a webserver, a storage server, and the AI API simultaneously. I haven’t fully restored the AI server yet but all the backend software seems to be working well.
I’m still working through some hardware issues though. The 3D printed GPU mount ended up melting from the heat so I will need to reprint it in ABS and add some metal supports. I also need to work out my cooling situation but other then that things are going well.
Using the UART port on the Raspberry Pi fixes these issues as it lets me see the output without needing to be on the same network. This will let me program the tile at school over the summer.
Plans for the V2 Model
The first model ended up being too heavy but I think the V2 design can be different
I still really want to get the V1 model talking correctly so that I have something to show for all that effort. I’ll work on getting the server back up for that before I work on building the second model. I was planning to use some code I found online to get everything working but I ended up just programming everything myself. This resulted in the slow 12 second response times. I have the code to make the response times much quicker but I need to implement it into my setup.
Good news is that the V2 design will be much simpler to build. I need to keep the weight to a minimum so there aren’t very many pieces involved. I will still need to design the circuit board and gearbox but most of the design work is offloaded to the hydrolysis reactor. The appearance of the tile will mostly stay the same because it gives me places to route wires and store electronics.
The tile will be based on the ESP32-S3 which should have enough horsepower to send audio and possibly images over to my server. The module has a camera and microphone onboard which will make the design easy. I’ll just need to add the LEDs, range sensors, and motor control MOSFETs.
It's Safe I Promise!
I’ll generate hydrogen in the glass dome and use it when I need it
This design came from a video by Hyperspace Pirate on Youtube. I like it because it allows me to store hydrogen in the glass dome until I need to use it. I’ll likely refill the balloon every night to make sure I’m getting good performance. I’m using titanium electrodes because they should last forever. I’m using Sodium hydroxide as my electrolyte because that is what the base design used and it isn’t hard to find online.
Failing as Fast as Possible
I strapped some helicopter parts to the balloon to see what issues came up
From all my projects I’ve learned that failing fast is extremely important for motivation. Getting something together so you can see what the final product could be can make all the difference in whether a project is finished or not.
By the time I got everything worked out the balloon was already on its third day. I tried a dual rotor assembly from an RC helicopter and a smaller propeller. Both were able to fly if I have them enough power but they were unstable. I found that most of the weight needs to be at the bottom for stable flight. Another issue is that the balloon seemed to amplify the motor noise. I’ll need a way of removing vibrations in the final model.
This Week's Gallery:
Getting back to weekly posts (Mondays)
These posts help keep me motivated so more will come
I have all the motors in and I’m still waiting on the reactor parts. I’m not sure what the main propeller will be yet so I might dedicate another post for just testing. Now that the server is up I’ll try to get working on the tile V1 programming again. I’ll post on Monday with my progress because the campus library is closed on the weekends.
Next week the plan is to:
- Restore the AI server to full functionality
- Make some repairs to the Tile V1 hardware
- Try to implement the voice streaming code I found on the internet
- Emotion display coming soon