Technology on Camping Coder

Maxing out the Mini Delta 3D printer

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0500

It’s been a bit since the last post as we’ve been adventuring a lot lately. We’re getting ready for Halloween by printing out ghost decorations on the Monoprice Mini Delta and we’re maxing out the build volume in the process. Follow along and check out how to get the most out of the little printer.

With Halloween around the corner, I was feeling a little behind the curve when it came to all the cool stuff that I could print out for the holiday found on Thingiverse. I looked at dozens of spooky items, but kept coming back to the same will it be big enough thought. This is mainly because the Mini Delta can only print 110mm (4.33") in diameter, but I typically only go to 90mm (3.54") just so I have a little give. About the time I was going to give up the search I found it - a PacMan Ghost Lantern!

Scaling woes with 3D Printing

Wed, 11 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Overall

If you’ve been following along with the 3D printing series you’ll know that it’s fairly easy to use a Chromebook to print to your 3D printer using an AstroBox Gateway Raspberry Pi 3 Kit. For a while now it’s been perfect while learning the ropes of 3D printing, but now I’ve moved into an area where I want pre-existing parts to integrate into my projects and that’s where the problem is. With the current setup of a Monoprice Mini Delta and the Astrobox there is no easy way to adjust for your machine’s particulars. Follow along to see how I’ve mitigated the issue for myself and you can leverage the same solution too!

3D Printing with Astroprint

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0500

If you read any of the other posts in the 3D printing series you’ll know that after reading The MagPi issue 69 I think that the itch of 3D printing had solidly re-emerged in me. Additionally, if you’ve looked around Camping Coder you’ll also know that I’m a huge fan of Chromebooks in general. That’s where the AstroBox Gateway Raspberry Pi 3 Kit comes into play. It’s an awesome little tool which will allow you to easily print to your Monoprice Mini Delta from your Chromebook.

Monoprice Mini Delta

Wed, 06 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0500

After reading The MagPi issue 69 I think that the itch of 3D printing had solidly re-emerged in me. About five years ago, I was very close to building one from scratch, but cost really kept me away. In the issue, MagPi shows off a $100 kit printer, and lets face it - for $100 you really can’t go wrong.

Like any good nerd I started learning everything that I could about that one. Two of the major barriers were that it was on a multi month back order, which I really don’t have patience for and the other was the eight plus hour build time - between all of the other things in this season of life there really isn’t eight hours to build a printer to be had.

3D Printing from a Chromebook

Wed, 30 May 2018 00:00:00 -0500

If you’ve been following us for any length of time you probably already noticed that we huge fans of Chrome OS. With that there are often issues that need to be worked around or dealt with when working with a highly secured OS, with a semi limited app ecosystem. One of them is that you cannot simply go install an application to run your 3D printer. With restrictions though sometimes better more innovative processes can flourish. Follow along with us as we show you how we got into 3D printing for only a few hundred dollars and a Chromebook!

Hugo and droppy, Chromebook friends

Wed, 16 May 2018 00:00:00 -0500

droppy logo

If you read the post on Hugo + gulp = Chromebook awesomeness then you know that there are a lot of steps in it, and a lot of parts moving to make the solution work. While it does meet the need I noticed that it’s a little much for daily use. That’s really where droppy comes into the picture. It runs on Raspberry Pi’s, so its light weight, and has a great interface - best of all it has a code editor built right in!

Hugo + SHH - gulp = a new workflow

Thu, 03 May 2018 00:00:00 -0500

If you ready the post on Hugo + gulp = Chromebook awesomeness you’ll know that I’ve been adjusting my workflow to get Hugo to live reload on Chrome OS. While that solution worked okay, there were a few issues with it.

First off, the process required that a gulp task be setup to sync the files with the Termux. This isn’t a big deal, but as a project grows there’s more to sync, which causes the process to slow down. Additionally, it stores a duplicate of the files, which digs into the precious limited space on many Chromebooks.

git stash and pop

Thu, 26 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Sometimes you’re in such a rush to write code that you forget to switch branches and only realize later that oops… wrong branch! What do you do then? Some might even be tempted to copy their code elsewhere, switch branches and then copy it back. Well, there’s a better, more graceful way called stash and pop that comes into play. Not only do they give you a way to temporarily store your code on a branch, but they let you move it to other branches as well.

Adding search to Hugo with elasticlunr

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Well, it finally happened. Shortly after our 50th post, we realized without using google or in current post links it was becoming harder to find articles that had been written in the past. It’s not a secret that we use Hugo, and it is a great platform for static sites, just not for search. After searching on search for Hugo we’ve finally implemented a solution that works for us without the need for outside services.

How to use git flow

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500

git flow is among one of my favorite ways to teach git, and frankly one of my favorite ways to use git. It’s a pattern to follow and one of the best parts about git flow is that it makes automation on top of git very simple. Additionally, most of the graphical user interfaces already have it built in, so you can’t lose.

What is it really?

git flow is nothing except a git branching model. If you already read git branches simply explained and git Merges Demystified in our git series, then you have all the tools needed to start using git flow. Initially published by Vincent Driessen, the git flow model has been a welcomed pattern for git branching and from there the tie ins to it have been just flowing.

Themeing gisty

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0500

gisty logo

Refactoring gisty~

When I initially wrote gisty~ it was a quickly put together application, and I even waited a bit to promote the application. Not to say that it was bad, but function was its primary goal. Ascetics was fairly low on the priority list at the time. At that time, it was all about the GitHub Application programming interface (API) calls to accurately pull the data needed, and to do it the same every time. Now six months later after using the application, some much needed attention has been given to the user interface (UI).

Running Tmux for Termux on a Chromebook

Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0500

It’s the little things that make writing code much more enjoyable. While I have been extremely happy since resetting my Chromebook back to stock, since I can run all the applications that I need - I really wanted multi window for Termux. While Chrome OS will not let you run multiple copies of Termux there is an application called tmux which will allow you to split up the one window into many regions.

Scheduling code deployment with Bitbucket

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Having a deployment pipeline is an awesome thing, it eliminates the mundane task of deploying changes. Really let’s face it, if a task is boring or mundane, then there’s likely a chance where a mistake could happen. Sometime though there’s a need to re-deploy, or at least deploy code at a certain time, and that’s where an overlooked feature in Bitbucket pipeline comes in which is simply called Schedules.

Schedule button

Serverless dynamic content with Hugo and JavaScript

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Wow that’s a $10 title, but it’s really the goal of this post - to show you how you can use Hugo and still retain all of the JavaScript goodies for dynamic content. For those who don’t know, in general for dynamic content you will typically require having a server with a database somewhere which allows you to request data. With Hugo there is no database, or place to pull the content, at least at first glance.

git Merges Demystified

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 01:00:00 -0500

Last time in our git series, we looked into branching and merging - setting the ground work for how to merge code when your working by yourself. While that is all well and good, the real power is in collaborating with a team. In this post, we discuss the dreaded merge conflict, what they are, and how to resolve them.

Setting the stage

To explain a merge conflict, it is easier to tell the story of two developers - in out case Dev A and Dev B. They are both awesome developers and always branch from the right branch, check in their code, and write great commit messages. They have both been assigned to different features on our project.

git branches simply explained

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 01:00:00 -0500

So far in our git series, we’ve taken a look at all the steps needed to start using git to track and store your code. We haven’t looked into one of the most powerful parts of git which is branches. Branches solves the problem where you might be working on X at the moment, but Y needs attention now. Branches additionally help when working with other people on projects. For example, when I first started writing code this seemed so easy and my steps usually included something like:

Hugo + gulp = Chromebook awesomeness

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0500

One of my favorite things about writing code is that you can learn or fail fast - typically the failures teach you a lot more too. The quick iterations really are fun and when they make your day just an increment better, you get a sense of accomplishment. If you’ve read my initial running Hugo on a Chromebook post which was followed by the Hugo on 100% stock Chromebook you’ll get a sense of how the little iterations make a difference.

Resetting My Chromebook Back to Stock

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0500

With all the news coverage of the Meltdown, Spectre and whatever name exploits in the media, when I received the chance to upgrade to the newest version of Chrome OS, I jumped on it. This particular version for my ThinkPad Chromebook also included a firmware upgrade, which to me meant something new - I have not seen a firmware update in Chrome OS until then. The downside of the update is that it required a ‘Power wash’ of Chrome OS, essentially resetting the machine back to stock. I thought about it for a little and decided to take it a step further and take the machine out of developer mode and see if with Android apps if I could mitigate the need for the elevated permissions on Chrome OS.

Introducing gisty

Fri, 19 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0500

gisty logo

Over the years I’ve come to save snippets of code that solve my problems from my projects or the various places on the internet. Doing so has allowed me to be able to quickly reference a block of code from months or years ago. Not only does this save me time, but allows me to continuously update how I’m writing code and apply best practices in a consistent manner.

Automated code deployment with Bitbucket and Docker

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0500

You’ve probably heard of Docker, but don’t have the time needed to learn or implement it - you probably also want to start automating your builds, because who likes to deploy code? In this post, we’ll cover using Docker to deploy code using Bitbucket Pipelines. It will be high level on what docker is and enough to either use someone else’s Docker image or build your own - without needing to install Docker on your machine. We will then use that image to deploy our projects source code using Bitbucket Pipelines.

What's a remote in git

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0500

git logo

In the last installment of the Learning git series we took a look at how to start using git to version code. Now that we know how to commit our code, we need to know how to share it, or at least back it up. This is where the remote command comes into play with git.

In general, a remote is literally a remote from your current machine. You can set it up a few different ways, but I’ll cover the central repository pattern here. With that pattern you can think of a remote as just a big cloud data store -it’s more than that, but let’s move on for now.

Initializing git

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500

git logo

Thus far in our Learning git series, we talked about an awful lot of theory and configuration, but haven’t actually used git for what git does. In this post we are going to discuss what we need to do in order to start tracking files with git. Additionally, we will review the scope of git on your files as well.

Like everything in the git-verse there’s more than one way to start using it. We will first look at a few graphical user interfaces, and then move onto the command line. For most folks the user interface is the route to go while learning git, but the command line really is easy too - it just take a little more when you’re learning.

Setting up git

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 05:00:00 -0500

git logo

In the last two post in our Learning git series, we talked about why to use git and the basic pattern you’ll find yourself using most often. In this post we are going to walk through the steps needed to get git setup and functioning on both Windows and Chrome OS. It’s becoming easier and easier to do this, and hopefully this guide will get you on the right path.

Thinkpad Chromebook a year later

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 05:00:00 -0500

Ratings
Link to product
Would we buy it again?	Yes
Value	High
Ease of use	Super Easy

I’ve been using my ThinkPad Chromebook 13 for a little over a year for multiple development activities. It all started with a an itch to try out Chrome OS and to get a half decent development machine. This is my second personal ThinkPad - the last one I actually ended up physically destroying the hard drive for because it had just become too old, but would not die. There have been ups and downs on this little experiment of mine and I hope to put out a little information for those whom might be looking at doing the same.

The git cycle

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 05:00:00 -0500

git logo

I like rocket ships - one of the best things about living where we do in Florida is that we get to watch the launches from our front porch. So I got to thinking, is git like a rocket ship? I busted out the doodling pad and realized yes it is - even more like one of the new reusable rockets, but that’s aside the point.

Intro to git - Part 1

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 05:00:00 -0500

git logo

I’ve been using git for quite a few years now for version control on my software projects. It’s pretty popular and easy to use but I continue to meet programmers who have tried it but just can’t seem to grasp it. While it’s sad to see a colleague struggling with something, it’s worst when you have them ’learning’ on a live project - no one has fun there. I’ve been lucky enough to have presented sessions on git in the past at Orlando .Net Code Camp, and figured that having a series of posts breaking down those sessions could have some value.

Running Hugo on Chromebook

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 14:00:00 -0500

Update: I’ve made a few adjustments to the process in my Resetting My Chromebook Back to Stock post. Mainly script cleanup and a way to do this without being in developer mode. This post still has the basics and a lot of good info not covered in the new post.

Termux and hugo

If you read any of my post on Android apps on on Thinkpad Chromebook then you know that my primary machine is a Thinkpad 13 Chromebook. This was an artificially imposed restriction on my end, to make me do more with less. While the experience has be very pleasant there have been a few places where a ’little’ more power or options would be welcomed - that’s where Termux comes into play.

Android Apps arrive on ThinkPad Chromebook 13

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 12:00:00 -0500

Finally…

Proof!

After about a year of waiting for Android Apps on my ThinkPad Chromebook 13 they finally arrived in last night’s update. I was overly excited because just earlier that day I had been on the ‘chat’ with Lenovo asking when this would happen. The answer that I had been given at noon was that the sales team did not know when they would be enabling the feature, but then that evening poof Android apps.

PASS Summit 2017

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 15:03:27 -0500

PASS Conference Entrance

I’ve been a member of Professional Association of SQL Server or PASS for quite a few years now and am excited to be attending the 2017 PASS Summit starting on Halloween. This year’s sessions seem to be pretty exciting.

If you cannot attend this year they have a live stream of some of the sessions and the key notes.

As one could imagine Microsoft has a huge presence here - its an association of their software after all, but the other sponsors also have had quite a presence in the past. Sometimes I feel like one of the main reasons to go is just to chat with sponsor booths because they typically have products that you don’t see in your day to day. Even the other big players in cloud services like Google and Amazon Web Services are sponsors this year for the 2017 PASS Summit.