Logbook of Captain Emiliano Bruni

For those who do not know, for over five years, I have a computer as a car radio to listen to music and do other things. If I fall from the clouds at this news, before I suggest you look at the article that discusses the construction of my carputer I call "NeoBox" inside my old Fiat Brava in 1994 and, subsequently, the transfer the same in my new Lancia Musa in 1995.

In fact from that article a few things had changed. He had temporarily replaced Windows 98 with Linux for reasons of stability while losing the ability to use the radio, GPS and more. Additionally, using Amarok as the interface for music, I had earned it the ability to search specific songs, but I lost the convenient interface with buttons of the huge software developed by me.

Subsequently, tempted by the stability of Windows XP, have returned successfully to my software under Windows XP. But there was to say that, for example, the radio card, removed in the transition to Linux, had never been reinstated and the GPS was then left unused for lack of software and updated maps for the PC.

E 'at this point that we come in there to tell you briefly about a leap forward in the use of my computer from auto. Long abandoned the hope of change and broaden my management software for reasons of time, I recently decided to try one of the software available on the market.

And it is indeed about a month that I was testing the 2.0 version of software for CarPC seemed well done. Sunday saw the release of version 3.0, I downloaded and I decided to buy it.

The software in question is called Centrafuse and it cost me to change them € 54.00 but is worth it.

In the video below and see the use that I do as a MP3 player which allows not only to listen, of course my collection of MP3 music but also search by title, author, album and so on.

It allows me to see the videos, the images on your PC and what is fantastic, as you plug in my iPhone and the headset allows me to use the speakerphone with a microphone connected to the PC sound card automatically lowering the sound of music. Also successfully imported the entire list of contacts already on my iPhone.

Allows me to finally listen to the radio in the car but not all. Flipped by the various possibilities of this software, I connected my PC to the Creative Live Motion spare and so now I also drive a rear chamber that helps me in parking lots.

Moreover, as shown in the video, since I can move the motorized webcam at will to reach the hidden points back.

Lack the speech GPS navigator but, for this argument, I invite you to another article on this blog.

I was really disappointed in my attempt to make a softbox that is a light with a diffuser in front so as to reduce the point source of light and thus make more "soft" shadows.

Finally, after several attempts I came to use the loudspeaker shown in my previous post with a halogen lamp on a tripod to those found in various shopping malls but that did not satisfy me because I had to adjust the structure "X" that held the speaker fixing it with the bolts in the rear of the lamp, and even so, the structure was far from stable, however, tend to bend downwards.

Today, armed with a new plate in polionda, I tried to find alternatives and eventually abbandonado the structure of the skeleton to X, I managed to make the tree under

that in addition to them very stable and resistant is also easily removable by unscrewing the central pivot

The two white bands that are visible in the lower left, in the first picture, they serve only to reduce to zero the downward deflection of the slab, but to remain at the center of the lamp enough without them.

All photos of that and previous softbox on Google Picasa

Another achievement, this time quite quickly, and for the series "the magical world of plexiglass.

This time we have two small trinkets, an LCD display and a relay which must be connected to a sensor access at Micso. Except that you can not find a place to rest those two components.

The idea is to get a small Plexiglas ornament to place next to the monitor of our secretary so that she can always see who is entering Micso.

The result is this here

simple and easy realization. The end two hours well spent for a useful, functional and impressive.

Historic phrase of my wife

This time no

We may not even believe I saw that quite often projects longer than a few days of work are hopelessly teleported in "MondoDeiSeEDeiMai", but this time it looks as if I've done it. Here is the object of my desire

green screen. Obviously the desire to install everything was great and I immediately set to work to fill the skeleton of wood with green screen

The end result is this here

Obviously, no one could miss two experiments, one photo

and another film

Obviously there is still much work to do. As you can see there are still adequate lighting to make the background sufficiently uniform to eliminate, in post-production, all green pixels, but we are on track.

Continue the implementation of SoftBox. I finally added the rings and connected to multionda all

The end result is very good aesthetically and structurally speaking, but unfortunately the use is not satisfactory because multionda is still too opaque

I tried to use a reflective plate but not the same satisfactory.

However I think the 25W lamp, which should shed light on how a 130W is not enough and I think then turn back to the classics halogen spotlights, more powerful, but because they produce much more heat will be to understand how the SoftBox Hangers around.

Time will tell.

Waiting for the "green screen" what better time to build a SoftBox?

The SoftBox is essentially a tool photographic or video production to achieve the soft lights. E 'is usually formed by a point light source enclosed within a box covered with reflective material while at an opening of considerable size, there is an opaque material but that lets the light source inside.

I said, what is the best time, if not this, and especially after seeing this very nice hacking.

So armed with holy courage, let's spend a little money in the usual Obi.

Here below the material taken today.

Start with the small panel frontal white and let's polionda four holes at the top. The idea was to use those rings used to make holes in the fences. So 'to have them at home as well as the forceps. The clamp I found at once, the rings, no trace.

They are then passed to thread the threaded metal rods inside the round box and, once fixed inside

I tied the sides so that they match the holes in the multionda.

Let stand for 24 hours.

I was left with the doubt of how to attack the third section to the other two so that the whole is ripegasse inward so they do not then have pieces of cloth to the outside.

Fortunately the idea was given me by our graphic Pierluigi. Attach two strips on one another and use two hinges to make the strip thickness is needed to allow to fold the third section on the other two.

As you can see the idea had by Pierluigi was really clever and it worked perfectly.

That's because the skeleton of GreenScreen in extension

and here it folded.

Now I just have to find the GreenScreen.

Ok, as I mentioned obliquely in a high post, I want a green screen and saw that on e-bay Italy I could not find and spend 50 euros shipment from the United States did not take me, I'll build.

First is a GreenScreen.

The GreenScreen is in itself a technique of video production. Pre or post production, you delete a color, instead of that color you put something else.

You know the guy that the weather moves across the map with expectations. He is actually confronted with a background in color, usually green or blue, but before sending the images in the ether, the tools of video production remove that color and replace it with the image of the map.

The effect is precisely what the presenter in front of the map

I think that finding a green cloth is not a big problem. Just a moment free I'm going to one of the many markets in the area to see if my optimism about it has paid off.

But what interests me now is the structure on which to mount the green screen. Not having the possibility of placing the cloth permanently to some wall, I have to build something mobile and folding on request.

I thought to organize wood. Let's see what I did before. Here's the equipment purchased today by Obi

I took strips of wood 17 × 17mm square and two meters high, in addition to metal plates and hinges to fold the structure.

Since the 2 × 2 square feet seems excessive to me, I cut in half some boards to build sections one meter by two.

Finally, the construction of this facility has allowed me to use one of those tools bought and never used. The manufacturer of the frame.

Once costruitene two, I joined with hinges purchased. Here below the result standing.

Now remains for me to understand how to add an additional section is also folded structure created so far and find the blessed green screen.

Beware of other photos on Picasa

See you later.

I finally had a moment to make the holes for the protruding parts of the motherboard to fit inside the RoundBox.

Nothing exceptional, but given the nature of this achievement test, acceptable overall

Furthermore, I have also made the holes for the attachment of the lower floor and the dome above using a threaded bolt and more difficult to avoid inclusion in the realization. In this way, with four individual screws, I fixed the two sides

As you will see, among the four sides bent hot, I chose as the front, that completed first and then the one with more bubbles as I was still in the process of adjusting the temperature of the phone to make bends without bubbles.

Oh well, it will be for next time. Overall, I deserve adequate.

Let us realize the base of RoundBox. First, segnamo on a piece of plexiglass the basis of our cover

step is to use the jigsaw to cut the base. The result is this

which we are going to score points where to insert shims to fix the motherboard.

We go then to insert the shims with the help of a tip of a soldering iron to fix permanently the thickness

and screw the motherboard. The result is this.

At the next turn of the screw holes will do for the Ethernet ports and the serial port.