zoroa's recent activity

  1. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    zoroa
    Link
    Foot Pedal (This is more a basic electronics project than a software development one) Problem I'd been thinking about getting a foot pedal to use with my PC for a couple months, but I wasn't...

    Foot Pedal

    (This is more a basic electronics project than a software development one)

    Problem

    I'd been thinking about getting a foot pedal to use with my PC for a couple months, but I wasn't particularly enthused by the selection I saw for purchase:

    • It looked like most of my options used proprietary configuration software - I don't have much faith in the continued availability of the configuration software, especially from the lesser known companies that produce the cheaper pedals.
    • Wasn't a huge fan of the build quality I was seeing, which made me concerned about repairability.

    Requirements

    • Configurable with open-source software - I generally trust that open source software will be kept available and functional in the long term.
    • Repairable - I expect that the foot pedal itself would be the primary point of failure, so I want to be able to swap it out.

    Plan

    My idea was to approach this like building a mechanical keyboard:

    • There's a ton of resources available for building or buying keyboards in a ton of different form factors.
    • Via is a popular open source keyboard configuration software that I already use for my current keyboard.
    • Repairability is part of the culture of the hobby (replacing switches), so there might be a way I can tap into this to make it easy to swap out the pedal.

    This approach reduces the hard part of the project to "How do I connect a pedal to a mechanical keyboard?". My insight was that pedals for digital pianos and mechanical keyboard switches work exactly the same way: it's a basic electrical switch. So I just needed to get a keyboard switch, remove the stem and the spring, and then solder a connection from the metal leaf inside the switch to a female TS jack . This would give me a "Keyboard Switch to Female TS Jack" connector that lets me connect any digital piano pedal to any mechanical keyboard.

    I expected the solder joint to be a weak point, so I hoped that filling the keyboard switch with epoxy afterwards would reinforce the solder joint.

    Materials

    • 1/4 inch Female TS to Banana Plug Speaker Cable
      • The banana plugs are irrelevant, I cut them off to expose the metal wire. I got this to make my life easier by having 2 discrete wires I could work with.
    • Compact Sustain Pedal with Polarity Switch
    • Epoxy (Never ended up using)
    • One Mechanical Keyboard Switch
      • Any switch should work, so long as you have access to the metal leaf when you open the switch, and the switch is compatible with the keyboard you want to put the switch on.
    • 9 Key Macropad, Via Compatible, Hotswappable Switches
      • This would work with a single key macropad, but the 9 key I found was very close in price to the single-key keyboards I saw with similar features.

    Challenges

    • Wires were WAY too big - I didn't put much thought into the wires of the female TS jack I bought, and ended up with wires with a low gauge (=thick wires).
      • I had to remove some of the plastic inside the keyboard switch to make space.
      • The TS jack's wires barely fit through the opening for the keyboard switch's stem.
        • I had planned to pour epoxy through that opening to reinforce the soldering I did, but the thickness of the wires left little space to make that happen. I abandoned the idea since it seemed like more trouble than it was worth at that point.
      • The wires were stranded , so I had to be careful that a rogue strand didn't cause a short circuit.
      • The wires were so thick that it was difficult to maneuver them in place for soldering.
    • I had poor soldering equipment - My soldering iron is super old, has a tip that needs to be replaced, no temperature control, etc...
      • I was constantly having issues just getting the solder to melt

    Improvements for next time

    • Use thinner wires
    • Get better tools
      • A better soldering iron (or at least better maintained) would have made a world of difference.
      • I might've been able to completely avoid soldering if I used something like solder seal connectors or even just heat shrink.
    • Aesthetics of the "Keyboard Switch to Female TS Jack" connector
      • Getting rid of the stem of the keyboard switch means that you'll have a switch on a keyboard without a keycap
        • It might be worth using a keyboard switch with opaque housing. Both to color match with the rest of the keyboard, and hide the soldering.
        • Filling the switch with an opaque/colored epoxy would also help hide the soldering
      • It might be worth leveraging some techniques used to build DIY keyboard cables to make the wire connecting the switch to the Female TS Jack look more premium.

    Miscellaneous Notes

    • You probably want to get a piano pedal with a polarity switch. There isn't any standardization on whether digital pianos expect a pedal that is "normally open" (actuating the switch lets electricity flow) or "normally closed" (actuating the switch prevents electricity flow). Polarity Switches let you swap between both modes, so that you can be sure that you can make the switch behave as you'd expect.
    • The "Keyboard Switch to Female TS Jack" connector feels like an idea that someone could refine and commercialize.
      • This may be a use for "defective" keyboard switch housings, since you don't need a spring or a stem.
      • It's a straightforward sell to mechanical keyboard users, since they can just add it onto their current keyboard in lieu of a key they seldom use.
      • Could be sold alongside a more complete kit that includes a keyboard PCB, the "Keyboard Switch to Female TS Jack" connector, a housing for the PCB, and a piano pedal.
    8 votes

  2. Comment on 1 bug, $50,000+ in bounties, how Zendesk intentionally left a backdoor in hundreds of Fortune 500 companies in ~tech

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    Zendesk characterizing the people the researcher contacted as "third parties" feels disingenuous too. They're the potential victims of the exploit that Zendesk was refusing to remediate.

    Zendesk characterizing the people the researcher contacted as "third parties" feels disingenuous too.

    They're the potential victims of the exploit that Zendesk was refusing to remediate.

    23 votes

  3. Comment on X exempt from gatekeeper obligations in EU's Digital Markets Act in ~tech

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    In the same vein, the only times I've voluntarily engaged with Twitter in the last 5 years are have been to use it as an intermediary between myself and a business. For example, the most reliable...

    In the same vein, the only times I've voluntarily engaged with Twitter in the last 5 years are have been to use it as an intermediary between myself and a business.

    For example, the most reliable way for me to diagnose whether an internet issue was my fault or my provider's fault has been to go to Twitter and search for tweets that mention their support handle. I can only remember a single time when a service issue with my ISP was marked on their outage map when I went to check.

    8 votes

  4. Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music

  5. Comment on IFixit introduces USB-C portable soldering iron in ~tech

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    Well that's my reminder to scrutinize things I read on the internet. I'd never seen a tip with a 3.5mm jack before, and read a comment somewhere else claiming that the tip was proprietary. I let...

    Well that's my reminder to scrutinize things I read on the internet.

    I'd never seen a tip with a 3.5mm jack before, and read a comment somewhere else claiming that the tip was proprietary. I let confirmation bias get the better of me.

    My bad!

    2 votes

  6. Comment on IFixit introduces USB-C portable soldering iron in ~tech

    zoroa
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I was initially really interested when I read the verge article, but that interest waned the further down I got: Needing a computer, or a ~$200 add on to control the settings is a non starter. The...

    I was initially really interested when I read the verge article, but that interest waned the further down I got:

    • Needing a computer, or a ~$200 add on to control the settings is a non starter.
    • The tips are expensive ($20 for 1 vs $25 for 4 pinecil tips), and prorietary

    edit: Tips may not be prioprietary

    10 votes

  7. Comment on NHTSA proposes new vehicle safety standard to better protect pedestrians in ~transport

    zoroa
    Link

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is advancing pedestrian safety by proposing a new rule to reduce fatalities and serious injuries among pedestrians struck by vehicles. The proposed rule would establish a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requiring new passenger vehicles be designed to reduce the risk of serious-to-fatal injuries in child and adult pedestrian crashes.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    I was under 8, and I think I just wasn't connecting the dots haha

    I was under 8, and I think I just wasn't connecting the dots haha

    1 vote

  10. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    Yeah! I still have it in on a cartridge of a DS pokemon game!

    Yeah! I still have it in on a cartridge of a DS pokemon game!

    1 vote

  11. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    This hit me with a wave of nostalgia. I think Emerald was one of the pokemon games I've played the most, and I have a core memory of spending most of a 10+ hour roadtrip soft-resetting my game so...

    This hit me with a wave of nostalgia. I think Emerald was one of the pokemon games I've played the most, and I have a core memory of spending most of a 10+ hour roadtrip soft-resetting my game so I could get a shiny Mudkip.

    That being said, this feels like the most accurate description of a pokemon game I've ever read:

    It's fine. A bit boring, but there are numbers getting bigger, so that part of my brain is happy.

    If you end up liking Emerald enough that you want to keep playing pokemon, consider trying gen 2 (Gold/Silver, or the remakes Heart Gold and Soul Silver). It's still my favorite generation, because it does something that no other pokemon game has done to date:

    Post-Elite Four spoiler for Pokemon Second Gen. You can visit the Kanto region from Gen 1, and challenge all eight gym leaders from that region

    It took me a couple years as a kid to figure this out, and it blew my mind.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Did your car witness a crime? Bay Area police may be coming for your Tesla — and they might tow it. in ~transport

    zoroa
    Link
    I thought this article was worth sharing, since I was once again surprised by new (to me) avenue law enforcement leverages personal products purchased by the public to surveil and/or further their...

    In Oakland and beyond, police called to crime scenes are increasingly looking for more than shell casings and fingerprints. They’re scanning for Teslas parked nearby, hoping their unique outward-facing cameras captured key evidence. And, the Chronicle has found, they’re even resorting to obtaining warrants to tow the cars to ensure they don’t lose the video.

    I thought this article was worth sharing, since I was once again surprised by new (to me) avenue law enforcement leverages personal products purchased by the public to surveil and/or further their investigations.

    One detail I found interesting was that this felt like a rare instance where the product owner is made aware of law enforcement's attempts at the data a priori (either from being asked for consent, or their vehicle being towed after a warrant is granted).

    My myopic understanding is that law enforcement often have other avenues that don't require asking an individual for their data:

    17 votes

  14. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    Journey is probably one of my favorite games I've ever played. No skill required, no difficult puzzles to solve. Just experiences meant to wash over you during its 2 hour runtime. If you're into...

    Journey is probably one of my favorite games I've ever played. No skill required, no difficult puzzles to solve. Just experiences meant to wash over you during its 2 hour runtime.

    If you're into experiences like this, you might enjoy Gris.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st | Announcement trailer in ~games

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    Nihon Falcom posted another trailer with a bit more footage, and a section where they compare the original graphics to the remake's graphics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmMaTcluNo The end...

    Nihon Falcom posted another trailer with a bit more footage, and a section where they compare the original graphics to the remake's graphics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmMaTcluNo

    The end card only shows the Nintendo Switch symbol, so there's a chance this is a switch exclusive :(

    1 vote

  16. Comment on The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st | Announcement trailer in ~games

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    I think I read a comment somewhere that this remake is being done in the Trails into Daybreak's engine. I haven't played it, but my understanding is the combat in that game has two phases:...

    Something interesting I noticed in the trailer is that there's multiple times where, despite the player just running around, the UI shows all of the battle options (Arts, Crafts, Attack, and Defend). [...] My initial theory is that you can press any of the four buttons to trigger turn-based combat mode, with your first turn being the selected option, perhaps? But in that case, would there be any real-time combat at all, since it looks like all the major buttons would be dedicated to that! So weird!

    I think I read a comment somewhere that this remake is being done in the Trails into Daybreak's engine. I haven't played it, but my understanding is the combat in that game has two phases: realtime action combat that leads into turn based combat (Article, Video).

    This might be how it works in Trails in the Sky the 1st. At 0:27, we can see Estelle dodging a ranged attack from an enemy on the field. But at 0:32, we see UI that looks like an Arts menu during turn-based combat.

    Absolutely LOVE the stylization here, it totally fits the tone and atmosphere of Trails in the Sky, and just looks great!

    This is what I'm the most iffy about. I really like sprite-based artstyles in JRPGs, and the art from the Liberl arc especially grew on me.

    But at the same time, I can only imagine how much better this'll make the in-game cutscenes and the anime cutscenes. I was wowed by Cassius and Julia's duel even when it was just a bunch of goofy looking sprites.

    Clearly, they'll have to make a remake of SC as well... but Trails in the Sky the 3rd is kinda the oddball, and I'm left wondering what they'll do with that.

    I'm guessing they'll probably do all three. Remaking the original trilogy makes it an easy recommend to people new to the franchise. And the Liberl Arc is currently only playable on PC, so getting it to Switch would be a big win given the JRPG audience on that platform.

    Weirdly, the thing that initially struck me about the remake was the name. "Trails in the Sky the 1st" feels like it's borrowing from "Trails in the Sky the 3rd"'s naming scheme... So what do you call the remake of the 3rd?

    1 vote

  17. Comment on The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st | Announcement trailer in ~games

    zoroa
    Link
    Nihon Falcom announced a remake of Trails of the Sky: First Chapter (FC), the first game of the Trails sub-series of The Legend of Heroes franchise: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the...

    Nihon Falcom announced a remake of Trails of the Sky: First Chapter (FC), the first game of the Trails sub-series of The Legend of Heroes franchise: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st.

    I really loved the original game. Suspension of disbelief is hard for me in narrative-heavy games. There's something about the quality of the dialogue and the story telling in Trails of the Sky FC that broke through that wall for me in the introductory hours of the game. And my buy-in carried me all the way to ending cliffhanger that was so strong I had to immediately buy the sequel.

    That being said, Trails in the Sky FC isn't the easiest recommend. Even though they eventually grow on you, the graphics look like they're from 2004 (because they are). And I'd have to assume that most people prefer action-based combat over turn-based combat, given how many more games are action based.

    The remake looks like it addresses those concerns. The graphics are fully 3D, in line with recent entries in the series. And the combat looks like it incorporates some realtime elements.

    (I linked to a Japanese announcement trailer, since the English announcement was only 5 seconds of footage during a montage).

    6 votes

  19. Comment on The Plucky Squire | Release date trailer in ~games

    zoroa
    Link Parent
    It's not an exclusive. It releases on Switch, PS5, Xbox and PC. It's not uncommon for trailers released through a platform holder's (e.g. Xbox's) marketing channels to only highlight that a game...

    It's not an exclusive. It releases on Switch, PS5, Xbox and PC.

    It's not uncommon for trailers released through a platform holder's (e.g. Xbox's) marketing channels to only highlight that a game is coming to their platform.

    3 votes

  20. Comment on Sex trafficker on FBI Most Wanted list captured in Barcelona pleads not guilty in ~news