Ramsayworks

        Indoor plants are great, until you forget to water them, or you are standing there trying to guess if the soil is actually dry. I wanted something simple that answered that question without an app, notifications, or a smart home setup. This project is a small smart flowerpot base that monitors soil moisture and shows outdoor weather on a small display. I built it through a Colorado School of Mines Labriola Innovation Hub mini-grant , using campus spaces and materials. It came together slowly, moving back and forth between electronics, design, and fabrication. The electronics were the starting point. I knew I wanted something compact and WiFi-enabled, which pushed me toward an ESP32. Once that decision was made, the project naturally moved toward a custom PCB. Even though the circuit is simple, getting off a breadboard made everything feel more deliberate and less temporary. Early PCB versions were designed in EasyEDA and milled in Labriola using the Banta...

In amateur radio, portability isn’t just a convenience, it’s essential. Whether you're supporting emergency communications, volunteering at a public service event, or deploying to a remote site, you need a setup that’s quick to deploy, built to last, and easy to move. That’s where the GoBox comes in.  A ham radio GoBox is a self-contained communications unit. It’s pre-wired, compact, and designed to operate reliably under real-world conditions. It’s the difference between showing up with a mess of tangled cables and showing up ready to transmit.  But if you’ve ever looked into buying one, you’ve likely faced the same challenge many operators do: either settle for a flimsy DIY kit, or pay thousands for a custom rig that’s bulky and overbuilt.     I chose a different path. I built my own GoBox from the ground up, focused on function, affordability, and clean design. After building several for myself and other hams,   I’ve wanted to build a proper Ham Radio...

Project Overview The Dual Wing Claw Mechanism was developed to automate the controlled release of a 2024 FTC game element, known as a pixel , onto a designated scoring area during the autonomous period . This mechanism emphasized  mechanical simplicity  and field consistency , enabling reliable scoring and improved autonomous performance.       Functional Description   The Dual Wing Claw features two pivoting arms (“wings”) that grasp the pixel internally. The wings are driven by a servo-actuated linkage system mounted on the robot. As the servo rotates, the slot geometry in the bottom plate allows the servo hub screw to travel, smoothly translating rotation into outward wing motion , thus releasing the pixel.     Operating Sequence Raise Arm: Elevate the arm to position the claw above the drop zone. Extend Wings: Activate the servo to open the claw. Position Robot: Drive the robot into alignment using the drive-train. Release Pixel...