You're still there? Great! It has been almost two years since I've wrote my last blogpost. Time for an update. Not only in the form of a new post. Time for a full blog revamp! Time for a new makerspace! Time for a new beginning!
In my last post I wrote about my new house. As mentioned it needed a bit of work. Which was a major ... major understatement. As a matter of fact: we're not even done yet. The first floor is fully renovated, but the rest of house still needs a lot of work. Luckily my makerspace is located at the first floor. So ready to be used. Or even better: it's already used for multiple projects in the past year. So time to revamp my blog and time to give you an update on the projects I've been working on.
Since I started my blog seven years ago, I've been using Tumblr as my blogging platform. And although it did what it needed to do, it wasn't very flexible. It also started to feel a bit outdated. So before I continued writing about my tinkering, it felt the need to set up a new blogging software solution.
A new solution
As a day job, I do a lot of full stack software development. So rolling out my own software solution isn't a complicated deal for me. But with the 20 years of experience in professional software development, I know that maintenance is more difficult than the initial build. Therefore I opted to go for a solution that doesn't require any server side code. No code means no server side bugs. No server side security risks. And thus less maintenance.
Frontend wise I'm a big fan of Vue, a javascript framework. And luckily the Vue community managed to develop Nuxt and Nuxt content. A solution that quickly allows me to convert static markdown (text) files into statically rendered websites. If you have no idea what I'm talking about: just know it allows me to write blogs easier and more powerfull.
When setting up my new blog, I had a few things on my wish list:
- An improved design. Which looks beautyfull on both desktop and mobile.
- The option to switch between light and dark themes.
- A way to create series. For example, a MagicMirror or ElectroCard series.
- Higher quality images.
- Clean Typography.
- Better syntax highlighting.
With Nuxt, Nuxt Content, Tailwind CSS and a sprinkle of my own code, I've managed to check all of those boxes. Of course there is still room for improvement, but for now it allows me to continue blogging about my maker journey.
What's coming up?
So in the coming months year I'll give you an update about all the project I've been working on. And to keep you interested, here are some teasers:
My self designed and self built CNC machine
A CNC machine was on my wish list for a long time, and now that I finally have a dedicated maker space, it was time to design and built one.
My office door light
To make sure my kids didn't interrupt one of my unavoidable COVID Zoom meetings, I built a remote controllable door 'traffic' light.
A new train controller
My dad still does a lot of great model train building, so he asked me to built a new shuttle controller.
A SCARA robot arm
Something that always stays in the back of my mind: building a robot arm.
A TV cabinet
I wanted a specific TV cabinet in my new living room. So in stead of buying one, I built one myself.
If these teasers sparkle any interest, make sure to keep an eye on my blog. And if you like spoilers, check out my Instagram to get some previews of these projects.
PS. If you see any issues on this new blog, please let me know in the comments down below, or by sending me a tweet.
Hope to see you soon!