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The
original was so much fun, I decided
to build a second (I have a whole box of powerbook parts sitting
in the lab). But this one's a little different - aside from
being color (oooh), it's designed to be hung on a wall like
a picture as opposed to sitting on a desk. There's a picture
of it to the right (click for a larger version).
Again, like the original, it's an old powerbook 520(c), with
the screen and driving electronics mounted to a lucite sheet.
On the other side of the sheet is the logic board and the
hard drive with ribon cables connecting everything. Cables
(keyboard, power, and a serial cable) then hook up from the
bottom.
The
only question was what to do with it? Well, it just so happens
that we have a refrigerated keg and a tap in the basement,
usually filled with Red Hook ESB or something equally nice.
Of course maintaing the proper conditions for optimal taste
can be tricky, and that's where some sort of monitoring system
can be very handy - and that's the job of this computer. It's
hooked to a temperature probe via an A/D converter box - if
you look closely at the picture to the left, you 'll see it's
currently displaying a plot/history of keg temperature. A
sensor to monitor line pressure is scheduled to be added during
the next line-cleaning.
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