Posts

It Passed

I forgot to update that my car passed its MOT. Emissions still need some work, they could be better. However I have VETuner to help me out with that :)

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CANBus on VETuner

VETuner

VETuner now supports connecting to a second ECU over CANBus. Typically this is a Microsquirt running the Trans firmware to control an automatic gearbox. As I don’t have any of that hardware, development was somewhat problematic.

A very stoic user called Jochen put up with me pushing out builds for him to test and send me log files so I could rummage through the carnage. Ultimately, I wrote a simulator with enough fidelity to convince Tuner Studio that it was talking to a MS3/Trans combo, and then worked VETuner against that. This should put me in good stead for other odd comms options when they crop up in the future.

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MOT Looms

/ Car

MOT for The Stupid Car is booked for 11am on Wednesday. I better put the wheels back on it :)

To be continued……

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Kindle, KOReader, Oh My!

/ Tech

I spent 14 years commuting into London and I read a lot of books. I had shelves of books that I basically read once and then put away. I bought a Kindle (around 2010 maybe) to cut down on the clutter.

I’ve ended up with many many books on it. Earlier Amazon announced that they were removing the ability to download copies of purchased books so I fired up Calibre, installed some plug ins, ran some scripts, and got them for posterity.

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I Made A Thing

ESP32 / Tech

My family has a fascination with airliners. Living close to Luton airport a game has developed of trying to guess where an airliner is going. I had seen ESP32 Plane Radar and had bought a different circular display with an ESP32 on the back 3 years ago.

A bit of sleuthing to get the pins right and add the touch screen interface, and a bit of FreeCAD to print a base and protective cover (photo also shows one designed for side exit) and job was done. I surprised Kate with it yesterday, I can be a nice Dad sometimes :)

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Pinch, punch

Car

Small progress on the car. The cracks are all welded up, gussetted and painted. The bonnet frame and the radiator is in.

I started work on rewiring the fan, the start of the recent shenanigans and I came to remember how much I dislike un-insulated crimp connectors. I’m struggling to get a reliable crimp on the large diameter wire I’m using. I suspect I may have to resort to soldering.

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It Was Very Tasty

/ Personal

With respect to my last 2 posts I can report that it was very tasty.

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A Little Context

Recipe / AI / MH / Personal

That last post probably needs a little context. I lost my job earlier this year so I now stay at home whilst my wife goes off to work. I’ve never enjoyed cooking, but it is now my responsibility.

My main problem with cooking (apart from a near phobia of handling raw meat) is the timing and sequencing really stresses me out. I worry constantly about getting it wrong and over/under-cooking some component. It takes any pleasure out of cooking. I see other people enjoy it but for me unless it is something I know really well, I’d rather sit an exam.

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Sweet & Sour Sausage Stir Fry

/ Recipe

Smooth Pineapple Sweet & Sour Sausage Stir-Fry

A rich, savoury-sweet stir-fry with a blitzed pineapple sauce that coats every slice of sausage and vegetable evenly.

Prep: 15 min | Cook: 20 min | Active: 22–26 min | Servings: 4

Timeline

gantt
    title Cooking Timeline (serving at 19:00)
    dateFormat  HH:mm
    axisFormat  %H:%M

    1. Blitz the Pineapple & Whisk the Sauce :s1, 18:34, 5m
    2. Brown the Sausages :s2, 18:39, 10m
    3. Sauté the Firm Vegetables :s3, 18:49, 5m
    4. Add Mushrooms, Broccoli & Garlic :s4, 18:54, 3m
    5. Simmer with Sauce & Bok Choi :s5, 18:57, 3m

Ingredients

  • Base & Meat:
    • 8 good-quality sausages (sliced into bite-sized coins)
    • 1 tin pineapple chunks in juice (chunks AND juice blitzed smooth)
    • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • Vegetable Mix:
    • 1 onion (sliced)
    • 1-2 bell peppers (sliced)
    • 1 carrot (sliced into thin coins or matchsticks)
    • 150g mushrooms (quartered or sliced)
    • 100g tenderstem broccoli (halved lengthwise)
    • 2 heads bok choi (stems sliced, leaves left large)
    • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • Smooth Sweet & Sour Sauce:
    • Blitzed pineapple puree (from the entire tin)
    • 2 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste)
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 2.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
    • 2 tbsp brown sugar or honey (adjust slightly to taste)
    • 1 tbsp cornstarch (slurried in 2 tbsp cold water)

Steps

  1. Blitz the Pineapple & Whisk the Sauce (5 min)

    Start: T-26 to T-22 min before serving

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Why My Bonnet Is In The Garden

/ Car / VETuner / AI

(long post ahead)

A Roundabout Story

For a while now, my car gets grumpy when it gets hot. In stationary traffic it gets hot, the fan kicks in and it becomes a bit of a struggle to keep it running at idle as the engine goes lean. I assumed it was to do with the engine ingesting hot air coming out of the radiator as under bonnet temperatures get quite high when the fan is running1

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