Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- PCB (Printed Circuit Board)
The SteamDex is a simple electronic Steampunk device. It works similarly to a rolodex, but it can display nearly any textual data the user desires, so long as it is in chunks that will fit on the screen. It may be able to display small images, however, this will depend on available resources. In short, it will be a small, hand held, Steampunk device that can do something useful.
The SteamDex does not yet exist as a physical device. It is currently a figment of my imagination. Of course, I already have most of the parts necessary to construct one, and I have the required knowledge to program the device to do the things stated above. The only thing I am missing is time and a little bit of money for the few parts I do not already have.
SteamDex is a Kickstarter project that will be launched sometime within the next week. The project goal of $10,000 will provide enough funding to pay for the rewards, some extra parts to make up what I am missing, and the time required to create the software and design the hardware necessary to build a working SteamDex device.
How far along is the project currently? Well, I already have substantial experience with the MSP430 microcontroller that will be the heart of the device. I also have some experience interfacing the MSP430 with an LCD screen very similar to the one used by the project. Perhaps most importantly (because it is so time consuming), I have already coded a simple 8x8 ASCII font (extended ASCII range included) to use with the device.
What is left to complete the project? The first thing I will have to do is write a driver for the LCD screen. I have done this before, for a very similar screen, and I already have some sample code for the initialization phase. In other words, this will be fairly easy. The second part will be creating a user interface. This will include arranging the visuals and figuring out how the buttons (there will be six of them) will interact with them. The third part will be writing a driver for communicating with the microSD card, where the data set will be stored. Somewhere in there I will also have to design a printed circuit board for the device (this will be trivial). Once these are finished, if enough funding is raised to give me the time, I will add an image loader that will be able to display small images on the screen. This will allow images to be added to the data (you could even make a data set that turns the device into a Pokedex).
What is the point? Did I mention that the SteamDex is a fully functional, useful Steampunk device? I have done a lot of research involving looking at pictures and descriptions of Steampunk devices. There are some really awesome Steampunk things out there. A few of them even do what they look like they should do. Most, however, are just non-functional props and art objects. While this is probably acceptable for most Steampunk weapons, I want to see more Steampunk devices that have real value outside of conventions and other Steampunk gatherings. The SteamDex is my first offering of Steampunk devices that actually work. The SteamDex will be a fusion of art and function that you might just want to use in real life.
What is in it for backers? Well, first and foremost, backers get the good feeling you get when you contribute to an open source project that could benefit millions of people. For backers that contribute more than a few dollars, there are plenty of other rewards. The rewards include a preprogrammed MSP430 microcontroller that can be used to build your own SteamDex (or you can just use it as a conversation piece for bragging rights), a printed circuit board that can be used in constructing a SteamDex, an entire kit for constructing a SteamDex, a partially constructed SteamDex device, and a fully constructed SteamDex device. Also, all backers will receive the source code for the software and the design documents for the hardware for the SteamDex, as well as assembly instructions.
Is there some way I can help other than contributing money? Oh yes there is! Do you have friends that might be interested in contributing money? Maybe you subscribe to a popular Steampunk blog, magazine, or other publication. If you can find contact information for anyone that publishes anything about Steampunk stuff, please tell them about the Kickstarter. If you have followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook, post links to here and to the Kickstarter project once it launches. Even if you cannot provide funding, you can help by spreading awareness, and you can even still benefit because the project is open source and its success will benefit anyone who wants to take advantage of the information.
Once it has launched, the SteamDex Kickstarter will last only 30 days. At minimum funding, the project will probably be finished January or February 2015, with the last rewards shipping April 2015. With higher funding, some parts of the project can go much faster (I can cut my hours at my current job if the funding provides enough to pay the difference). I cannot predict exactly how fast the project will get done for a specific amount of funding above the goal, but I can say that some parts, for instance the LCD screen driver, could be finished in less than half the allotted time if I can spend even a few more hours a week on them. (Programming is funny that way. If there are fewer distractions and you can spend longer runs of time on it, you can increase productivity by far more than the proportion of time added.)
I sincerely hope this project is well funded, because any leftover funding at the end will give me time to work on other Technium Adeptus projects. While I am very excited about this project, I have other projects for Technium Adeptus that will do far more for helping its goals than this project will. When this project is completed, I hope to be able to put another Technium Adeptus project on Kickstarter and another after that, all with the goal of making modern technology more accessible to normal people and of increasing the rate of technological progress by supporting and producing open source software and hardware.
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