[Swlug] It's another glorious cock-up

[Rhys Sage]

I just installed my roof-top blue LED morse-transmitting phallus after I managed to get 3 x 20 foot LED ropes for half price in the after Christmas sales. I had the last 3 Walmart had.

Then I had to control 120v from my Pi Pico. I started with a solid-state relay but that was no good at all. It put a 20 second delay in between switch off and switch on for the power. In the end I found I had a relay capable of 120v, 5A with a 12v coil. So far the Pico uses an Adafruit relay board running 12v to power the 120v relay. I do have some power transistors on order but they're coming from China. I ordered in December and they're allegedly due to arrive in March. 

Here's what I have so far and that God-awful clicking noise is the 120v relay.
https://youtu.be/cC8r47zpoUo

Latest news - I've ordered an Arduino Metro from Adafruit because I am now heading toward a solar-tracking gizmo. That's going to track the sun while focussing a magnifying glass on a 1 cent coin suitably insulated with the hope that over the day, the heat might make some impression on the coin. I heard you can melt coins with sufficiently powerful magnifying glasses.

I might catch the last of tonight's meeting from work via my in-car laptop.

Rhys Sage