The Great Geekery

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Ontario Internet

Since Teksavvy and Acanac Cable have finally come to my area (West Ottawa) I have compiled a spreadsheet comparing prices of the options available to me (Bell, Rogers, Teksavvy, Acanac)

I used the raw data to calculate some interesting results;

Assumptions:
- Where possible Modem Purchase was chosen (as to not inflate monthly expenses with rental fees)
- Bundling or other promotions are not taken into consideration(bundling enters you in to long term contracts whether you're told or not)

Services Compared:
Bell Fibe (Not Fiber Optic; VDSL2 I think)
- Not sure if this is available to me; it seems to be about the worst overall in terms of price / performance

Specs:

Downlink Speed (Mbps) UplinkSpeed (kbps) Usage Allowance (GB)
Fibe 6 6 1024 25
Fibe 12 12 1024 50
Fibe 16 16 1024 75
Fibe 25 25 7168 75

Monthly Fees:
Monthly Cost Modem Rent Monthly Cost Over. Charge/GB Max Overage Charge

Fibe 6 $44.95 $3.95 $44.95 $2.00 $60.00

Fibe 12 $54.95 $3.95 $54.95 $1.50 $60.00

Fibe 16 $64.95 $3.95 $64.95 $1.00 $60.00

Fibe 25 $70.95 $6.95 $70.95 $1.00 $60.00

Startup Fees:

Bell Activation Fee Modem Purchase Price

Fibe 6 $29.95 N/A

Fibe 12 $29.95 N/A

Fibe 16 $29.95 N/A

Fibe 25 $29.95 N/A

Rogers Cable Internet (DOCSIS 3.0)

- Rogers offers the highest performance internet in my area (up to 50MBps) however it couples them with low caps (you will reach the Cap within 8 hours)!

Specs:

Downlink Speed (Mbps) UplinkSpeed (kbps) Usage Allowance (GB)
Ultralite 0.5 256 2
lite 3 256 15
express 10 512 60
extreme 15 1024 80
extreme plus 25 1024 125
ultimate 50 2048 175

Monthly Fees:

Monthly Cost Modem Rental Monthly Cost Overage / GB Max Overage

Ultralite $27.99 $0.00 $27.99 $5.00 $50.00

lite $35.99 $0.00 $35.99 $4.00 $50.00

express $46.99 $0.00 $46.99 $2.00 $50.00

extreme $59.99 $0.00 $59.99 $1.50 $50.00

extreme plus $69.99 $0.00 $69.99 $1.25 $50.00

ultimate $99.99 $0.00 $99.99 $0.50 $50.00

Startup Fees:

Rogers Activation Fee Modem Purchase Price

Ultralite $14.95 $99.99

lite $14.95 $99.99

express $14.95 $200.00

extreme $14.95 $200.00

extreme plus $14.95 $200.00

ultimate $14.95 $200.00

Teksavvy Cable Internet (DOCSIS 3.0)

- Just started reselling rogers cable internet a couple of weeks ago in my area

Specs:

Teksavvy Downlink Speed (Mbps) UplinkSpeed (kbps) Usage Allowance (GB)
Cable (Lite) 3 256 300
Cable (Express) 10 512 300
Cable (Extreme) 15 1024 300
Cable (Pro) 15 1024 Unlimited

Monthly Fees:

Teksavvy Monthly Cost Modem Rental Monthly Cost Overage Charge per GB Max Overage Charge

Cable (Lite) $27.95 $0.00 $27.95 $0.50 Unlimited

Cable (Express) $36.95 $0.00 $36.95 $0.50 Unlimited

Cable (Extreme) $42.95 $0.00 $42.95 $0.50 Unlimited

Cable (Pro) $54.95 $0.00 $54.95 $0.00 N/A

Startup Fees:

Teksavvy Activation Fee Modem Purchase Price

Cable (Lite) $44.95 $65.00

Cable (Express) $44.95 $65.00

Cable (Extreme) $44.95 $65.00

Cable (Pro) $44.95 $65.00

Acanac Cable Internet (DOCSIS 3.0)

- Just started reselling rogers cable internet a couple of weeks ago in my area

- Prices based on length of sign up; I prices both by the month and by the year

Acanac (Monthly Payment) Downlink Speed (Mbps) UplinkSpeed (kbps) Usage Allowance (GB)
Cable 7.5 (Capped) 7.5 800 40
Cable 10 (Capped) 10 1024 60
Cable 10 (Unlimited) 10 512 Unlimited
Cable 15 (Unlimited) 15 1024 Unlimited

Acanac (Monthly Payment) Monthly Cost Modem Rental Monthly Cost Overage Charge per GB Max Overage Charge

Cable 7.5 (Capped) $37.95 $0.00 $37.95 $4.50 $50.00

Cable 10 (Capped) $58.95 $0.00 $58.95 $1.65 Unlimited

Cable 10 (Unlimited) $44.95 $0.00 $44.95 $0.00 N/A

Cable 15 (Unlimited) $48.95 $0.00 $48.95 $0.00 N/A

Acanac (Monthly Payment) Activation Fee Modem Purchase Price

Cable 7.5 (Capped) $29.95 $50.00

Cable 10 (Capped) $29.95 $50.00

Cable 10 (Unlimited) $29.95 $50.00

Cable 15 (Unlimited) $29.95 $50.00

Acanac (Yearly Payment) Downlink Speed (Mbps) UplinkSpeed (kbps) Usage Allowance (GB)
Cable 7.5 (Capped) 7.5 800 40
Cable 10 (Capped) 10 1024 60
Cable 10 (Unlimited) 10 512 Unlimited
Cable 15 (Unlimited) 15 1024 Unlimited

Acanac (Yearly Payment) Monthly Cost Modem Rental Monthly Cost Overage Charge per GB Max Overage Charge
Cable 7.5 (Capped) $37.95 $0.00 $37.95 $4.50 $50.00
Cable 10 (Capped) $58.95 $0.00 $58.95 $1.65 Unlimited
Cable 10 (Unlimited) $35.95 $0.00 $35.95 $0.00 N/A
Cable 15 (Unlimited) $39.95 $0.00 $39.95 $0.00 N/A

Acanac (Yearly Payment) Activation Fee Modem Purchase Price
Cable 7.5 (Capped) $29.95 $50.00
Cable 10 (Capped) $29.95 $50.00
Cable 10 (Unlimited) $29.95 $50.00
Cable 15 (Unlimited) $29.95 $50.00

Cost Per Gigabyte (without overage charges):

Bell Cost / GB (without exceeding plan)
Fibe 6 $1.96
Fibe 12 $1.18
Fibe 16 $0.92
Fibe 25 $1.04

Rogers Cost / GB (without exceeding plan)
Ultralite $16.00
lite $2.67
express $0.90
extreme $0.84
extreme plus $0.62
ultimate $0.61

Teksavvy Cost / GB (without exceeding plan)
Cable (Lite) $0.09
Cable (Express) $0.12
Cable (Extreme) $0.14
Cable (Pro) $0.00

Acanac (Monthly) Cost / GB (without exceeding plan)
Cable 7.5 (Capped) $0.95
Cable 10 (Capped) $0.98
Cable 10 (Unlimited) $0.00
Cable 15 (Unlimited) $0.00

Acanac (Yearly) Cost / GB (without exceeding plan)
Cable 7.5 (Capped) $0.95
Cable 10 (Capped) $0.98
Cable 10 (Unlimited) $0.00
Cable 15 (Unlimited) $0.00

Hours of Download at Max Rate
How many hours you can download at your maximum rate before you get charged overage fees:
Unlimited internet shows at 720 hours (30 days * 24 hours)

Bell Hours to reach cap
Fibe 6 9
Fibe 12 9
Fibe 16 11
Fibe 25 7

Rogers Hours to reach cap
Ultralite 9
lite 11
express 14
extreme 12
extreme plus 11
ultimate 8

Teksavvy Hours to reach cap
Cable (Lite) 228
Cable (Express) 68
Cable (Extreme) 46
Cable (Pro) 720

Acanac (Monthly) Hours to reach cap
Cable 7.5 (Capped) 12
Cable 10 (Capped) 14
Cable 10 (Unlimited) 720
Cable 15 (Unlimited) 720

Acanac (Yearly) Hours to reach cap
Cable 7.5 (Capped) 12
Cable 10 (Capped) 14
Cable 10 (Unlimited) 720
Cable 15 (Unlimited) 720

Cost Per Hour Of Netflix

Bell Cost Per Hour (default) Cost Per Hour (HD)
Fibe 6 $0.59 $1.96
Fibe 12 $0.35 $1.18
Fibe 16 $0.28 $0.92
Fibe 25 $0.31 $1.04

Rogers Cost Per Hour (default) Cost Per Hour (HD)
Ultralite $4.80 $16.00
lite $0.80 $2.67
express $0.27 $0.90
extreme $0.25 $0.84
extreme plus $0.18 $0.62
ultimate $0.18 $0.61

Teksavvy Cost Per Hour (default) Cost Per Hour (HD)
Cable (Lite) $0.03 $0.09
Cable (Express) $0.04 $0.12
Cable (Extreme) $0.04 $0.14
Cable (Pro) $0.08 $0.08

Acanac (Monthly) Cost Per Hour (default) Cost Per Hour (HD)
Cable 7.5 (Capped) $0.28 $0.95
Cable 10 (Capped) $0.29 $0.98
Cable 10 (Unlimited) $0.06 $0.06
Cable 15 (Unlimited) $0.07 $0.07

Acanac (Yearly) Cost Per Hour (default) Cost Per Hour (HD)
Cable 7.5 (Capped) $0.28 $0.95
Cable 10 (Capped) $0.29 $0.98
Cable 10 (Unlimited) $0.05 $0.05
Cable 15 (Unlimited) $0.06 $0.06

All The Data!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Pressure Cooker Vacuum Chamber

Some pics of my pressure cooker to vacuum chamber conversion. I used a $6 aluminum pressure cooker I found at the salvation army.

I removed the pressure release and tapped a 1/4" NPT hole for a hose barb connection. I then milled a flat area and window to mount some lexan.

Setting up the lid for milling

Milling the window on my drill press and X/Y table

Completed Result:

I used RTV silicone to mount the lexan window

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Auto Macro Stacker

Intro:
This project is some hardware and software which allow precise positioning of a camera for taking multiple macro shots at fixed positions such that the images can be "stacked" in software to obtain a an image which is fully in focus.

When shooting with a macro lens typically the depth of focus is very small (1-2mm), so to take an image of something you need to combine multiple pictures.

So with this project; I specifies how many shots I want to take; and how many millimeters the shots are to be and the rest is automatic. The hardware moves the camera the right distance and controls the shutter of the camera; and repeats for all the shots. Check out the videos at the bottom of the post.

Here is the latest video:

Mechanical - Initial Prototype
- The hardware is essentially a threaded rod with a stepper attached which allows for precise positioning of the camera.
I used mostly recycled materials for the first build:

Plywood ($0 scraps lying around from other projects)
3/8" steel rods ($0; taken from some old printers from the trash)
Stepper Motor and gears($0; again taken from old printers from the trash)
Plastic slider; surplus UHMW (similar to delrin/acetal), bought for $4 a pound, I used about $1's worth
1/2" ACME threaded rod, left over from another project; though you can use regular cheap threaded rod from the hardware store
Brass Bushings; not really necessary; I used a single 3/8" brass bushing cut in two ($3)

Building the linear rail:
Frame:
I sized the frame such that the stepper could sit inside, I made the length long enough to fit my left over section of threaded rod (8")

Drilling:
This is the trickiest part of the build; the holes have to be well aligned for the slide not to bind. I did this by clamping both end pieces and the slider together and drilling the three holes at the same time.

I laid out the two parallel rods such that they were 4" apart with the threaded rod running down the middle.

Threading the rod through the slider:
To do this I filed some slots in the end of a scrap of ACME lead screw, I then heated up the screw a bit and tapped the hole. It a few passes until it became smooth.

I turned a 1/2" from the ends of the lead screw such that they would fit in the brass bushings; this is probably overkill for this situation; since its not a CNC machine there is minimal load on the screw; I'm pretty sure it would be fine just running the threads through a larger hole in the plywood.

Results turned out ok; but it really needs brass sliders instead of just using the UHMW directly on the rail. The UHMW plastic seemed to bind on the rail occastionally which made the motion less smooth.

I've moved on to MK-II since I scored a great little linear rail from a friend of mine; The initial prototype works its just not as cool looking :)

Mechanical MK-II:
For MK-II I machined some brackets from UHMW-PE and used a Z-axis a friend of mine provided. He got three of the Z-axis on e-bay cheap. The white bits are the brackets I machined on my drill press.

Electronics:
To keep it simple I decided on a simple USB interface (could easily have done a microcontroller based solution (I may do this in the future); I used the FTDI FT232R since it supports bit-banged mode; I paired this with a standard stepper driver from pololu. I also added shutter control.

Pretty basic stuff here:
- FTDI FT232R USB interface
- Alegro A4983 stepper driver
- NPN transistor for the shutter control

Schematic is a bit of a work in progress:

I assembled it on protoboard; but I'm in the process of building some PCBs; let me know if you're interested in one once they're made; I'll have some extras.

Software:
The software is pretty straight forward; I put the source up on github:

Its currently just a command line utility; still a work in progress; but its working.

https://github.com/scottjgibson/camera-motion-controls

Stacking Software:

Check this out for a comparison of software:
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Stacking_Software
I ended up using Helicon Focus

Results:

Setup:
- I'm using a standard kit Canon 18-55 mounted backwards; makes for a pretty sharp macro lens.

Here is one of the images from the first set I took; as you can see only a small area is in focus.

I did a run and stacked the 30 images together to obtain the following result; not great but I'm happy with it for a first try.

Here is are some videos of the rig in action:

The macro stacking software can generate a 3D model based on the stack of photos:

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Stepper Wiring

Tek-flex and adhesive lined heat shink tubing; connectors are Molex C-Grid series.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Workshop

Some pics from the share your workspace thread on hackaday

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Audio Amp Build

Finally getting around to building a chassis for my latest amp; its based on this design (http://www.tech-diy.com/LM4780_bridgedamp.htm) I had most of the parts kicking around; so I'm finally going to build a decent amp for my Mission V62 speakers. Nothing too crazy +-30VDC Rails; 33000uF cap bank; running the LM4780 in bridged mode to keep distortion low. Gives 120W RMS per channel while keeping distortion under 0.01% across the spectrum at full power(at least according to the guys at tech-diy.com)

I got the heatsinks and main chassis supports cut; I'm going to get some sheet metal cut and powdercoat it some fancy color.