Adam K0FFY

I assure you, the door is latched.

“Dad’s hot wiring the dishwasher again!!”

I have one of these! It doesn’t stick on the breadbin like that without an adhesive pad (dried up decades ago). If you hold this in your hand, the joystick is surprisingly smooth and responsive, like the analog stick on a modern controller. The button position sucks though—too close to the stick.

Raspberry Pi Cluster

Serial HAT for Raspberry Pi

Oh man, I could have bolted a DIN rail to my butcher block desk! I just have my cluster sitting on the desk top. I built this during the summer, and it has been a great home tiny lab. I just got this serial communications HAT to play with next.

Hornets’ nest hanging in a tree.

The hornets DID return this summer! My daughter found their nest today in a new tree. I’ve been walking under this branch all summer, oblivious to the fact that a hornets’ nest was only 18” above my head! I need to figure out how to preserve the nest this winter. Anyone know how?

Family at Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park

Biking in Acadia National Park (2025)

Biking in Acadia National Park (2006)

Biking in Acadia National Park, 19 years apart.

Kids fishing in canoe at sunset.

Three summers in, and the return on investment from this secondhand canoe is sky high! 😁 🎣 🛶 ☀️

My teenager is on day 7 of 11 of his backpacking trek in the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico with his Scout troop at Philmont. I got a single “all is well” message with this photo on Wednesday. It looks like a fantastic adventure and I can’t wait to hear the stories! 😊

A complete mystery that is impossible to ever solve. 😊

Homemade banner reading: “Rob Sand for Governor”

Dot matrix printer in action making a banner.

Rob, I was very excited to see your announcement this week I’ve got the dot matrix printer on standby if you need any more banners. 😁

While earlier versions of Raspberry Pi were not camera shy, Upton said that the issue relates to a photoelectric effect on the device's U16 processor core power regulator. The bare silicon die is hit by the high-intensity light and the semiconductor material emits electrons, causing the device to power down. "Silicon junctions (the types that are responsible for making diodes and transistors and other such electronic miracles function) can be 'upset' by this photoelectric effect if it is large enough (i.e. if enough light of the right energy [i.e. colour] is fired at them),"

This is fascinating!

Commander LaForge, speaking via meme, says that if there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed.

Muscle. Grit. Week 2 of getting back to my immortality plan. 😊

That looks great for a first light shot!

Pour one out today.

But you’re not complaining, right? 😁

Let us know how the scope works out! 25 years ago, I used to dream about this Astroscan tabletop telescope. Couldn’t afford one at the time. Every once in a while I go on a trip where I’d love to have a travel telescope. Was on top of Haleakalā recently and I’d love to take a scope there next time.

Hoping for clear skies during your trip!

Here’s a great idea from a favorite book I used to read to my kids. 😊

Oscilloscope on desk.

This should be 12V DC?!

A working 12.8V DC power supply for comparison.

My internet stopped working today. I power-cycled the cable modem, but it didn’t work and I noticed a periodic high pitch whine coming from the modem. I tried a different power supply, and the problem was fixed. Curious, I put the scope on the bad supply. Whoa, that’s not right for 12V DC!!

Windows 98 Disk Defrag Simulator A simulator of the classic Microsoft Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter tool. Relive the nostalgia of defragmenting different disk drives!

God I love the internet. defrag98.com

Annaly Tide Pools on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

The hike to the Annaly Tide Pools on St. Croix is fantastic. We were there when tide was rising but it’s so amazing we didn’t want to leave, even if we had to wade back through the surf.

I found the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope on St. Croix! I have been wanting to see all of these sites since I saw the VLA in Socorro, New Mexico in 2002 and the VLBA telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii in 2008.

I did it! This old hot tub may survive the Minnesota winter after all! It has held temperature for 12 hours without the dreaded OHH error. I replaced a pump, slice valve and PVC section, the heater, and the heater relays on the control board.

It hit 45°F today, so I pulled the hot tub control board out for repair. Man, this board had a really bad day at some point, and it’s amazing it was still working. I’ve got the two new heater relays soldered in. I am worried about the power connections, though. We’ll see tomorrow if it works or not.

“New” floppy disks and a Commodore 1541 disk drive.

Heads up, everyone! It appears that 3M has a deal going on where you get a free 11th floppy disk when you buy a new box of 10! #Commodore64

Sunday afternoon black magic. Writing a D64 disk image to a physical floppy disk using a ZoomFloppy board and a RaspberryPi. #Commodore64

Working satellites from warm climates.

Who needs KP2 on satellite? 🏝️ 🛰️ I’m traveling there February 9 through 12. If I can remember how to use my radios, I’m going to bounce some RF off the birds. #amsat

Winter sunset in the Twin Cities.

There are times when I walk by my living room window, glance outside, and my jaw drops. Last night was one them. #MinnesotaBeauty