[chbot] Robotics Group meeting, 5 Idris Rd, 630pm, Monday 18 Sept 2023 report ** BIRTHDAY SPECIAL **

[Mark Atherton]

Hello everyone,

*** HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY ***

Good turnout with 26 attendees, and lots of huddles-of tech-talk. $28 + 
change (in gold, and flat-money) collected and transferred into the 
robotics loose-change jar (for later banking).

All sales from the trading table should go into the brown box on the 
wall, and are directly for the benefit of our host club, Christchurch 
Amateur Radio Club, NZART Branch 05.

Equipment donations are welcome for the trading table, but no CRT based 
product, printers, toner or items that are likely to be a disposal burden.

With thanks on behalf of the group,

Mark Atherton


Mark opened the evening with a discussion about a couple of interesting 
YouTube videos: Ronald Rider/CHM; designer of the original ball mouse as 
well as a ton of other stuff while at Xerox PARC. Also on YouTube, a 
Haptic Knob design (scottbez1), with LCD top, haptic feedback from a 
stepper motor, and push button function implemented using strain gauges 
integrated as part of the PCB design. Position determined using an 
electronic compass(!) under the knob. Amazing piece of work.

Mark continued with a technical discussion about Enable’s dark PONFAS 
(Passive Optical Network Fibre Access Service), as well as experience 
with his recent trailing-edge fibre installation. Finally he touched on 
a workaround required to forward a port on an internet router which had 
a bug associated with creating ARP table entries for a static IP while 
implementing a small HTTP server.

David Bourke talked about his new electric-van; a mobile workshop 
capable of mechanical, electrical, SMD repair and servicing. Quite an 
extraordinary venture.

Darren talked about the YouTube video tour of JLCPCB, and their flexible 
PCB technology.

Andrew Errington, our founding father mentioned that our group has 
celebrated 20 years of meetings with himself,  Richard Jones and Mark 
Atherton as administrators. He also talked about creation of 
high-quality front-panels by selective ablation of layered paint. Very 
impressive.