Principle of the intersective pulse width modulation (PWM). Created with maxima. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve been soldering again.

I developed an aversion after the massive amount of soldering required by the reconstruction of “Astral Convertible” — ‘Astral Converted’ —, but this has passed.

I started this summer by completing a Knight Kit that Dad had started sometime in the fifties. I added a phono preamp so that I could use it with the Presto 6N.

Then I tackled the Weird Sound Generator kit which was purchased around the time of ‘Astral,’ but fell victim to the aversion. To the weird sound generator, I added the mods. One set of these mods involves voltage control, which led me to think of innovative ways to generate voltages.

PWM from an imbedded Linux board? Why not? I bought a Beaglebone Black at Radio Shack and worked through a book of Python Script examples. In the end, I bought a second BBB, and then an Arduino Yun. The Yun is now putting out sensor data from my workshop to a webpage on Xively.

 So is/was one of the BBBs.

And both are displayed together on this Github site.

Here’s an interesting article on The Internet of Things. It pulls together many of the threads (with numerous links) of this burgeoning field.

It is a field. You can stand in it and look at the horizon. The horizon may not be limitless, but there are so far only sketchy maps to this territory and that stirs the explorer in me. So…

Sensors today, soundscapes tomorrow.