You know you live in a small town when ...

you go to the post office to pick up a pacakge and when the clerk asks what you want, and she is in the back, and you tell her, she goes to pick up the correct package without even looking at the slip that was left in your mail box. :=3

Also, when you get a letter in two days that does not have the correct street addy (missing the "4" of "48") and the wrong zip code. :=3


I do love living in Malaga because of things like that. ;=3

Well, so much for me going into work today. :={

As I was going down the steps from the kitchen door to the lower deck I slipped and fell down two steps. This resulted in me severely twisting my left ankle. 8=0

I knew I wasn't going to go to work, as it hurt pretty bad. I also thought it might be severe enough for a trip to the ER. Fortunately after a moment or two the pain subsided and is now a dull throb. With all the walking I do, and as much as I'm on my feet, at work, work is a no go for me today.

It is also fortunate that Teri was still here, as she helped me back into the house and called work for me.

I'm okay, just a bit sore. :=/

Home, but not idle. ;=3

Well, After getting the mask from lion_of_the_sun I noticed something.

When charging the battery packs for the visor there is a built in indicator to let you know what is happening, charging or fully charged. But the main battery pack, for the cameras, had none.

Being I'm into electronics I like to know what is going on with batteries that are being charged. Also there was no indicator to show how much charge was left in said battery.

I got to thinking, and I decided a small box with both a ammeter and voltmeter would be just what I needed.

So after hitting Radio Shack for the project box and connectors, Newark Electronics for the meters, raiding scrap pile for LED and wire, and using left over pieces from home for the switch and circuit board, viola:


and close up


I had wanted to use a 1-0-1 ammeter, but I couldn't find any. That is the reason for the switch. In the position that it is in, in the photos, it will let the ammeter read current to battery from charger. Thrown to the right and then I can read current from battery to cameras.

The LED, in the upper left corner, is just a quick visual indicator that something is supplying power to the box.

The voltmeter has to go to 15V as the charger puts out 11.6V. It is wired to the battery side of the ammeter so I can read charge status without going through the ammeter.

Other than one small scratch, made when enlarging the switch hole, I think it looks like it was professionally done. It almost looks like I know what I'm doing. :=3