Ding Dang Trevor Flowers

I make tiny art machines.
Tiny dogs run my life and I'm OK with it.
#machining #electronics #miniatures
#neurospicy #anxiety
#seattle #retrocomputing
#cadcam #3Dprinting #CNC #lathe #mill

pronouns: generally avoided, but they or he work
store: https://store.transmutable.com
patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tiny_art_machines
email list: https://buttondown.email/trevor-flowers

Public Key

npub12jw9fwazhnyztwfju87nv8y6v06suvumh6fl26klgr7jw4hatt6qghdhed

NIP-05 Address

trevorflowers_at_machines.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9f8z5hw3tejp9hyewrlfkrjdx8agwxwdmayl4dt05plf82m744aqxngk0l

Author Public Key

npub12jw9fwazhnyztwfju87nv8y6v06suvumh6fl26klgr7jw4hatt6qghdhed

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Last Notes

2024-08-27 18:39:15

While we're talking inventory, I also have a few of these smol friends in stock. They have ESP-32 S3 boards inside with wifi and bluetooth so I've made mine into a clock set via nntp.
https://store.transmutable.com/l/e-trs-80-model-iii
#trs80 #restock #miniatures #retrocomputing
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/035/420/777/061/156/original/04fa7856d1607cc3.png

2024-08-25 18:19:17

Thinking about the phrase "seize the means of production" lately, it seems like we should invest in benchtop chip and PCB fab tools more than handing bazillions of dollars to Intel and friends to drive down feature size on the mainland.
Almost nothing except war and oligarchy needs new chip designs. Even fewer things need chips with smaller features.

2024-07-09 12:56:28

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A slack group I used to frequent had a "#scream" channel where every post was some variant of AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. Surprisingly helpful.

2024-07-09 08:07:11

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If (when?) the Linux desktops start integrating with cloud LLMs I may be forced to retreat to HaikuOS.

2024-06-19 18:21:10

In 2014 the kid and I built a full sized Memex based on the Time illustrations, "As We May Think", and books on the topic. Then, in the 2020 pandemic lock-downs I built a series of miniature Memex which led me to making full sized Alto displays for Dr. Kay which then led to the current series of miniature retrocomputers.
So, I'm happy to see more people recognize that Dr. Bush was an important figure for more than the Manhattan Project.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/vannevar-bush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW4SS_9nXyo
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/644/663/107/790/890/original/9cb784d5fa1b4c6c.jpg
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/644/663/529/384/455/original/d4650c56471cc95b.jpg

2024-06-14 13:51:35

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As usual, I'm working on 1:3 scale retrocomputers, this time a #VT100 keyboard that works as a regular USB-C keyboard. Most of the parts are 3D printed but for some layers I export a FreeCAD sketch to SVG to laser cut sheets of silicone rubber. The keys have resin printed shafts and molded polymer clay caps.
The KiCAD integration is handy for checking fit between a PCB and other parts
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/615/277/180/890/197/original/085f2dfa58bae216.jpg
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/615/278/057/675/081/original/90f6ab588c3c5943.jpg

2024-06-13 16:52:49

Hey, #retrocomputing folks. Is there a common name for this category of wedge-shaped toggle switch, as found on the PDP-11/70 and other machines of that era?
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/610/343/384/412/345/original/d83268f55e6ca69f.png

2024-06-07 19:38:29

🧑‍🎤 : 🎶 12345, 678910, 11! 12! 🎶
(forever embedded in my brain)
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/577/023/293/301/974/original/8b176d6332d0f426.png

2024-06-06 02:18:07

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I don't know, I regularly see you sharing the knowledge and being generally friendly around these parts.

2024-06-06 02:12:56

How does @npub1qnu…hzwk have only $35 patreon payers?! I feel like every time I turn around I find out about another cool project they've shared.
https://www.patreon.com/Studio8502

2024-06-04 14:41:14

It's funny when people using the most common units believe that people in the US don't understand their units.
I can assure you that ~every nerd in the US converts between units on the regular. If we care about your measurements then we will convert them.
The people complaining about your units are either ignorant, performing outrage, or both. Feel free to ignore them.

2024-05-27 20:51:45

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🤤 I want one sooooo bad.

2024-05-21 21:36:23

405nm light printers are amazing EOM
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/481/216/126/649/050/original/12d811d86d231d0f.jpg
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/481/226/926/829/823/original/41fcfa45b8ffa00f.jpg

2024-05-19 21:12:03

- Up at 02:30, might as well do a few hits of CAD
- Back in bed at 04:45
- Up at 06:00, how about a dram of soldering?
- Optimistically return to bed at 09:45 but ha ha ha, no
- So at 11:00 it's time for a casserole of vinyl cutting
- Aaaaaand zombie mode arrives at 14:00
😠

2024-05-17 15:04:19

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Yeah, things I want to keep I tend to make with no dependencies other than small libs I wrote for myself. Corporate web dev is now an entirely different beast than personal web dev.

2024-05-14 23:39:14

Adorbs!
https://www.tindie.com/products/questwise-ventures/retroprompt-miniature-crt-monitor-ms-dos-prompt/

2024-05-14 14:52:20

I kind of love how people post that FreeCAD is unlearnable and unusable and then on the same page of my timeline are posts about amazing projects made with FreeCAD.
I'm not pointing fingers or drawing any conclusions other than it's a funny situation.
Use whatever software works for you.

2024-05-12 17:24:58

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Kondo's book "Joy at Work" should be titled "Joy at an Office" as it assumes we're all sitting at desks all day.
I think there's an opportunity to make a joy+tidying book about workshops. There are many books and videos about workshop organization and factory processes like lean manufacturing but I haven't seen a Kondo-esque approach to small shops.

2024-05-10 17:02:46

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One interesting aspect of #KonMari is the idea that her process is a once in a lifetime event. For some reason that idea makes it easier inside my head to allocate the time and resources needed to properly prep the house and my head.
I performed a big KonMari style discard a few years ago but I didn't followed up with her extreme tidying/storage phase where everything has a place and a put away state like shirts that have an open closet bin and are always folded.

2024-05-10 01:37:30

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Thank goodness! 😹

2024-05-10 01:02:53

Current status: Watching Eurorack tutorials and fighting the urge to pick up a new hobby. For science! 😸

2024-05-09 18:10:35

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So, how do people with anhedonia decide whether an item sparks joy?
🤷
Asking for a friend.

2024-05-08 14:13:37

The Konmari tidying method breaks the initial discard into phases by categories: clothes, books, papers, misc, and sentimental items. I wonder what the categories are for a home workshop because it can't all be misc.
#konmari #shopLife

2024-05-07 17:30:59

You know that thing where you order something online without understanding its size? Well, my new mill vice came in. 😉
#machining #shopLife
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/400/990/362/643/975/original/b39eaad00022e998.jpg

2024-05-06 16:32:18

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I could happily spend a bit of time making art web sites that appear to sell these impossible machines but the sales process is behind-the-scenes a choose your own adventure story or a sort of "play by mail" game.

2024-05-06 16:27:28

I kind of love the messed up mechanisms spit out by Midjourney.
How many hairsprings and escapement wheels does this thing have?!
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/395/074/453/487/313/original/e58c92ecad356765.png

2024-05-03 18:55:56

Y'all, shipping small objects over national borders is ridiculous in both process and cost. I feel like I need a week-long course on how to get it done without losing my mind.

2024-04-20 02:22:46

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How cute would it be to print smol parts on a smol printer and then assemble them into smol retrocomputers?! 😻

2024-04-20 02:21:05

I have a small-ish resin printer that I use to create tiny detailed parts (like the wee logo badge on the 1:6 scale Model III: https://store.transmutable.com/l/e-trs-80-model-iii) but it's still way too big for my work. I'm really tempted by the Lite3DP Gen 2 which has a print volume of just 36 x 48 x 80 mm. It is OSHW, runs on an ESP32, and seems pretty hackable.
https://www.crowdsupply.com/lite3dp/lite3dp-gen-2
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/301/151/541/858/184/original/b4949ed08fb9cae9.png

2024-04-18 02:12:45

I've been daydreaming a bit about how to mod my Tangara when it arrives. I could mill a metal case, of course, maybe out of something fun like a tellurium copper or something silly like cast iron. Or I guess I could cast a case from the brass I have in stock. Hmmm. Maybe this is the project that I use as an excuse to practice scrollwork and engraving?
https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara

2024-04-17 14:33:28

Today #OnTheBench are piles of parts for the 1:10 scale VT100 bonus mini going out to pre-sale backers of the 1:3 scale version.
#VT100 #buildLog #miniatures #3DPrinting
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/287/041/040/848/650/original/93a7b69c3c908309.jpg

2024-04-11 22:26:49

Today #OnTheBench is a tiny Cray 1 ordered with a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme.
https://communitymedia.video/w/bmMHGEv3JtRqb6Wzuj86os

2024-04-09 01:23:35

Photoelectric encoding isn't a good fit for full sized keyboards but it might be a good technology for miniatures where the usual grid of switches and diodes won't fit and rollover isn't crucial. I don't need to resort to anything that complex for 1:3 scale but below that things get pretty tight.
Anyway, if you're interested in historical tech for keyboard input then here you go:
https://kbd.news/A-brief-history-of-keyboard-encoding-2199.html
https://machines.social/system/media_attachments/files/112/238/631/974/111/692/original/64f77f50967f8c4f.png

2024-04-09 00:03:30

TIL about the IBM Aquarius prototype PC. That's a lovely bit of kit.
https://retrocomputingforum.com/t/custom-retro-computer-enclosure-project/4004/12

2024-04-07 15:38:57

Heads up: The VT100 pre-sale will close in a couple of hours.
🖥️
Don't fret if you miss it or choose to wait, though. Once production is up and running and I fill the pre-sale orders I'll list more in the store as I normally do with my other models.
https://store.transmutable.com/l/vt100-pre-sale

2024-04-06 21:31:29

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Yes, I would worry a lot more about failure to deliver if I hadn't spent five months figuring out the tricky bits. Now it's all final polish and tooling. Also, it helped my anxiety to make it super clear that it was a pre-sale and to expect a delay. For some reason offering the mini as a "thank you for waiting" helped me feel better about it, too.
Brains are funny things.

2024-04-06 18:20:24

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Thank you again for your advice. Yeah, I'm well pleased and grateful that the sale worked out and I don't need to sell a kidney or something.

2024-04-06 18:00:36

Y'all. The VT100 pre-sale has been exactly what I hoped it would be as now I have the funds to complete development and spin up production. I don't even have to sell my little dogs to the circus!
😺
In case anyone else wants to get in early and receive the bonus mini VT100 I'll leave the pre-sale open until tomorrow but I'm very happy to say that thanks to early supporters the sale has already done what it needed to do.
❤️
https://store.transmutable.com/l/vt100-pre-sale