Oh noes, the red light is on!

This is how it looks before things get really bad. The build was fixed before the lamp was running at full speed though. :)

Lava lamps - up and running!

One picture, 1k words, etc:



We've also added a timer to turn them off during the night, along with the status monitor (which you can't see), to be nice to the environment.

Again, the USB board can be bought from Active Robots who were very friendly and helpful shipping the package to me, in spite of the efforts of our local post office. ;)

Lava lamp USB board assembly pictures

Here's some pictures of the assembly process. It went reasonably well, but making sure you have big enough drills beforehand helps a bit. :)

Here's how the board looks before assembly:



First, check that the circuit board fix in plastic box. Tight fit. :)



Drill holes for 230V mains (in/out) and USB cable: (Had to use a knife to make the hole for the USB-B connector fit, as it is slightly asymmetric. Luckily, the plastic was very easy to work with.)



Drilled for circuit board with USB connector in place (avoids misalignment):



Prepare cables:



Do the wiring (and remember to pull the cables through the holes in the box first):



Fit the wired circuit board in the box, make sure all cables go inside and put tie-wraps on the cables to secure against mechanical stress:



Here's the box with the lid on:



Ta-daaa. :)

As you can see, I currently only use one relay. It's of course possible to use all four, but that requires more drilling and wiring, and more lava lamp shelf space. :)

Always leave room for upgrades, I say. ;)

Lava lamp - 99.5%

Here's a tech-porn picture. :)

It's connected at office and it works, but I didn't have time for lavalamps.

Instead, I connected it to my office stereo system and set the computer to constantly play something from Tribute to Vengaboys when the build has failed.

Forget the carrot, it's all about the stick. :)

Lava lamps - 99% there

The usb-board and wiring is finally connected and safely encased inside in a box!

I'll go shop for lamps tomorrow and have pics up in a week or so. (Got much to do this weekend, as it's Midsummer holiday in Sweden.)