|
38883
|
Pelican case cyber deck by @SamC15 | Stardance
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SamC15
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Pelican case cyber deck by @SamC15 | Starda Title: Pelican case cyber deck by @SamC15 | Stardance...
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1792810185.2923338
|
1793414985.2923338
|
|
3102
|
My first slack bot! by @jojo20000 | Stardance
|
jojo20000
|
0
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0.0
|
0
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[]
|
[]
|
Title: My first slack bot! by @jojo20000 | Stardan Title: My first slack bot! by @jojo20000 | Stardance...
|
1792810183.697168
|
1793414983.697168
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|
25022
|
PuzzlezforDayz by @sal2x | Stardance
|
sal2x
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: PuzzlezforDayz by @sal2x | Stardance
|
1792810182.86773
|
1793414982.86773
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|
26004
|
Haptic Metronome by @WilGulf | Stardance
|
WilGulf
|
0
|
3.51
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0
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[]
|
[{"post_id": 16021, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 16021, "ts": "2026-06-26T00:28:22Z", "hours": 1.9053, "text": "Settings, yay! Had to learn how swifts UserDefaults to store the chosen haptic. I had a really hard time to get the menu to show the correct one when entering the settings. Somehow it would always default to start. Turns out all i needed was to update the selected one on appear. But now we are done with the settings and just some final touches left and we’ll see if I can maybe make this look better."}, {"post_id": 15954, "ts": "2026-06-25T22:23:33Z", "hours": 1.6006, "text": "The basics done! The core function is done, you get the slider to choose the bpm and a button start and stop. The haptics also works, right now using the ‘start’ haptic. You may have noticed the settings button. I am working on letting you choose which haptic type the metronome uses. But that page is not ready to be shown yet."}]...
|
Title: Haptic Metronome by @WilGulf | Stardance
D Title: Haptic Metronome by @WilGulf | Stardance
Devlogs:
The basics done! The core function is done, you get the slider to choose the bpm and a button start and stop. The haptics also works, right now using the ‘start’ haptic. You may have noticed the settings button. I am working on letting you choose which haptic type the metronome uses. But that page is not ready to be shown yet.
Settings, yay! Had to learn how swifts UserDefaults to store the chosen haptic. I had a really hard time to get the menu to show the correct one when entering the settings. Somehow it would always default to start. Turns out all i needed was to update the selected one on appear. But now we are done with the settings and just some final touches left and we’ll see if I can maybe make this look better....
|
1792810182.0001793
|
1793414982.0001793
|
|
29854
|
Pro Gaming Controller by @Reapz | Stardance
|
Reapz
|
0
|
4.62
|
0
|
[]
|
[{"post_id": 21157, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 21157, "ts": "2026-07-02T23:24:25Z", "hours": 3.3333, "text": "Finished the initial design of the base controller. The next step is to add the joystick, buttons, and triggers, then I’ll start with the mechanics and internal design. - - Also I want to name the controller, looking for suggestions :)"}, {"post_id": 21012, "ts": "2026-07-02T19:20:04Z", "hours": 1.2833, "text": "Started with the CAD model of the controller, I choose the xbox design as its mostly used by pro controllers also it will provide more space for the eletronics. and for the layout it will be symetric like the playstion controllers as I’ve been accustomed to the layout"}]...
|
Title: Pro Gaming Controller by @Reapz | Stardance Title: Pro Gaming Controller by @Reapz | Stardance
Devlogs:
Started with the CAD model of the controller, I choose the xbox design as its mostly used by pro controllers also it will provide more space for the eletronics. and for the layout it will be symetric like the playstion controllers as I’ve been accustomed to the layout
Finished the initial design of the base controller. The next step is to add the joystick, buttons, and triggers, then I’ll start with the mechanics and internal design. - - Also I want to name the controller, looking for suggestions :)...
|
1792810181.1567106
|
1793414981.1567106
|
|
18284
|
Self Watering Bot by @Harug | Stardance
|
Harug
|
1
|
0.0
|
0
|
[{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-0 [{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-06-20T07:06:50Z", "hours": 0.0, "multiplier": null, "payout": 0, "blessing": "neutral", "text": "This is a bot that waters your plants for you! You put the sensor into your potting soil, and either put a tube for your pump, or just put it facing at your pot, put in a 9v, and plug in the cable and you are good to go! This is my first project so I was very nervous, shorted the esp32 a couple of times (Whoops!), so it took much longer as well. A couple of hours were spent offline figuring out how the code and all worked but I was not allowed to put it in the final shipped time, so this took more around 7-8 hours. Either way, this was a great first project, that made me a lot more fond so I hope on doing better in the future and keep building. Thank you Stardance for making this opportunity possible!!", "repo": "https://github.com/Haru-10/Self-Watering-System", "demo": ""}]...
|
[{"post_id": 12385, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 12385, "ts": "2026-06-20T06:54:11Z", "hours": 0.4356, "text": "Project completed! For some reason 1 hr was taken off of my time? Not sure why, however it has been completed. The only thing that would finish this up would be to use a tube instead of a bottle, however budget restraints stop that, and I am not really going to bother Stardance with a single pipe. This was my first project and I feel great. I learned all about esp mechanics, how to use a relat module, how to read analog and digital signals, and how to code. I am deeply appreciative at this time, and plan on pursuing other projects. It is quite simplistic, however very nice!"}, {"post_id": 9490, "ts": "2026-06-15T20:50:03Z", "hours": 3.3261, "text": "Very fun work so far, was able to get the pump to work well, almost fried my esp32, but was eventualy able to get my relay system working. I also got the code to work, so now I have to wire everything, and finish up the code. For a first project so far, it has been very fulfilling, however very challenging."}]...
|
Title: Self Watering Bot by @Harug | Stardance
De Title: Self Watering Bot by @Harug | Stardance
Devlogs:
Very fun work so far, was able to get the pump to work well, almost fried my esp32, but was eventualy able to get my relay system working. I also got the code to work, so now I have to wire everything, and finish up the code. For a first project so far, it has been very fulfilling, however very challenging.
Project completed! For some reason 1 hr was taken off of my time? Not sure why, however it has been completed. The only thing that would finish this up would be to use a tube instead of a bottle, however budget restraints stop that, and I am not really going to bother Stardance with a single pipe. This was my first project and I feel great. I learned all about esp mechanics, how to use a relat module, how to read analog and digital signals, and how to code. I am deeply appreciative at this time, and plan on pursuing other projects. It is quite simplistic, however very nice!
Ships:
This is a bot that waters your plants for you! You put the sensor into your potting soil, and either put a tube for your pump, or just put it facing at your pot, put in a 9v, and plug in the cable and you are good to go! This is my first project so I was very nervous, shorted the esp32 a couple of times (Whoops!), so it took much longer as well. A couple of hours were spent offline figuring out how the code and all worked but I was not allowed to put it in the final shipped time, so this took more around 7-8 hours. Either way, this was a great first project, that made me a lot more fond so I hope on doing better in the future and keep building. Thank you Stardance for making this opportunity possible!!...
|
1793328580.4331877
|
1793414980.4331877
|
|
17383
|
Electromagnet by @ElijahMax | Stardance
|
ElijahMax
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Electromagnet by @ElijahMax | Stardance
|
1792810180.299586
|
1793414980.299586
|
|
31791
|
My awesome macropad! by @MrExpl | Stardance
|
MrExpl
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @MrExpl | Stardance
|
1792810179.4621062
|
1793414979.4621062
|
|
6289
|
Gravity Simulator by @lyra_stiglitz | Stardance
|
lyra_stiglitz
|
0
|
1.25
|
0
|
[]
|
[{"post_id": 9475, "ts": "2026 [{"post_id": 9475, "ts": "2026-06-15T20:36:46Z", "hours": 1.25, "text": "Hi! Welcome to my project GravitySimulator and my first devlog. Right now the project will likely be a little boring to watch since I’m working on stage 1 (learning basic 2D graphics in java). Learned how to create a java canvas, draw basic shapes, text, and import images."}]...
|
Title: Gravity Simulator by @lyra_stiglitz | Stard Title: Gravity Simulator by @lyra_stiglitz | Stardance
Devlogs:
Hi! Welcome to my project GravitySimulator and my first devlog. Right now the project will likely be a little boring to watch since I’m working on stage 1 (learning basic 2D graphics in java). Learned how to create a java canvas, draw basic shapes, text, and import images....
|
1792810178.6120698
|
1793414978.6120698
|
|
28350
|
WALL -E Powered by Mac mini(Local Ai) by @rosikur WALL -E Powered by Mac mini(Local Ai) by @rosikur | Stardance...
|
rosikur
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0
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0.0
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0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: WALL -E Powered by Mac mini(Local Ai) by @r Title: WALL -E Powered by Mac mini(Local Ai) by @rosikur | Stardance...
|
1792810177.7776296
|
1793414977.7776296
|
|
18330
|
Personal Modular Website by @youfoundted | Stardan Personal Modular Website by @youfoundted | Stardance...
|
youfoundted
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Personal Modular Website by @youfoundted | Title: Personal Modular Website by @youfoundted | Stardance...
|
1792810176.941525
|
1793414976.941525
|
|
16624
|
My awesome macropad! by @zouken | Stardance
|
zouken
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @zouken | Stardance
|
1792810176.095376
|
1793414976.095376
|
|
32989
|
Untitled by @4nz35 | Stardance
|
4nz35
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Untitled by @4nz35 | Stardance
|
1792810175.2600846
|
1793414975.2600846
|
|
33574
|
A Neural ODE to Model the Dynamics of Planes in St A Neural ODE to Model the Dynamics of Planes in Stiff Environments by @wshao36 | Stardance...
|
wshao36
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: A Neural ODE to Model the Dynamics of Plane Title: A Neural ODE to Model the Dynamics of Planes in Stiff Environments by @wshao36 | Stardance...
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1792810174.4146347
|
1793414974.4146347
|
|
22133
|
Dream Simulator by @zarthy1155 | Stardance
|
zarthy1155
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Dream Simulator by @zarthy1155 | Stardance
|
1792810173.5743086
|
1793414973.5743086
|
|
4282
|
My first slack bot! by @DimensionLess | Stardance
|
DimensionLess
|
1
|
2.25
|
4
|
[{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-0 [{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-06-29T14:42:50Z", "hours": 2.0, "multiplier": 3.03, "payout": 4, "blessing": "neutral", "text": "Zenith is Live! 🚀 It’s done. After spending the whole day building and debugging, Zenith is now live 24/7 on Hack Club Nest. What I Built A Slack bot that tracks what’s happening in space in real time. It has 11 slash commands powered by NASA, SpaceX, and ISS APIs. I also added: A daily space digest posted automatically every morning SpaceX launch alerts sent one hour before liftoff The Journey I started by setting up the Slack app and implementing all the slash commands. I hit a wall early when GitHub blocked my pushes because I accidentally committed my .env file containing my API tokens. I had to rewrite the entire Git history to remove it. Lesson learned. After deploying to Hack Club Nest, most of the commands just… didn’t work. It turned out that Nest blocks outbound HTTPS requests, so all of my NASA and SpaceX API calls were silently failing. Changing every https:// URL to http:// fixed everything instantly. One of those bugs that takes hours to find and five seconds to fix. After that, everything clicked into place. Commands /zenith-apod — NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day /zenith-iss — Live ISS location with a Google Maps link /zenith-spacex — Latest SpaceX launch information /zenith-nextlaunch — Next upcoming launch with countdown /zenith-mars — Latest Mars rover photo /zenith-astronauts — Who’s in space right now /zenith-asteroids — Near-Earth asteroids for today /zenith-space-report — Quick daily space summary /zenith-planet [name] — Facts about any planet /zenith-help — List all available commands I’m really happy with how this turned out. This was my first time deploying something to a real Linux server and keeping it running with systemd . It feels great to see it running 24/7.", "repo": "https://github.com/6255127/Slack-bot", "demo": "https://app.slack.com/client/E09V59WQY1E/C0P5NE354?entry_point=default_oauth&geocode=en-gb"}]...
|
[{"post_id": 19148, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 19148, "ts": "2026-06-30T12:04:18Z", "hours": 0.2528, "text": "/zenith-mars, /zenith-spacex and a couple others just stopped responding and i couldnt figure out why for a bit. turns out it wasnt my code at all. the SpaceX API got archived on GitHub back on June 6th, its basically dead now. NASA’s Mars Photos endpoint was down too, separate issue entirely. so i just pulled both out. replaced them with two new commands that use NASA’s APIs that are actually still alive: /zenith-earth — latest photo of Earth from the EPIC camera on the DSCOVR satellite /zenith-neo-week — biggest asteroid passing by Earth this week one thing to know — dont fire commands back to back without waiting for a reply first, you’ll hit NASA’s rate limit and the second one fails silently. took me way too long to realize this was also why APOD was acting weird earlier, not an actual bug."}, {"post_id": 18373, "ts": "2026-06-29T14:37:56Z", "hours": 0.9917, "text": "ok so yesterday i deployed the bot and was hyped to test it… and half the commands just didn’t work. spent today figuring out why. what was broken? turns out the server still had the old code even though i pushed to GitHub. git pull was failing quietly because of file conflicts so nothing actually updated. force reset it and it finally synced. then i hit another wall — Hack Club Nest blocks outbound HTTPS. every NASA and SpaceX API call was dying with SSL error 525. the commands that used plain HTTP like /zenith-iss worked perfectly the whole time, i just didn’t notice. switched all the URLs from https:// to http:// and everything came back to life. NASA API commands working now: /zenith-apod — NASA astronomy picture of the day /zenith-mars — latest Mars rover photo /zenith-asteroids` — near Earth asteroids today /zenith-spacex — latest SpaceX launch info /zenith-nextlaunch — next upcoming launch + countdown /zenith-space-report — quick space summary daily dashboard added: a morning digest that posts to #space-alerts every day at 8am. hits NASA, SpaceX, and Open Notify all at once and wraps it into one message — photo of the day, latest launch, and how many people are floating in space right now. pretty happy with how it turned out. —"}, {"post_id": 18289, "ts": "2026-06-29T12:02:11Z", "hours": 0.8522, "text": "so i wanted to build something that combined two things i actually care about — coding and space. ended up making a slack bot called Zenith that pulls live data from NASA and SpaceX through slash commands. commands i built /zenith-ping — check if bot is alive /zenith-apod — NASA astronomy picture of the day /zenith-iss — live ISS location with google maps link /zenith-spacex — latest SpaceX launch info /zenith-nextlaunch — next upcoming launch + countdown /zenith-mars — latest Mars rover photo /zenith-astronauts — who is in space right now /zenith-asteroids — near Earth asteroids today /zenith-space-report — quick space summary /zenith-planet [name] — facts about any planet /zenith-help — show all commands"}, {"post_id": 18243, "ts": "2026-06-29T09:57:33Z", "hours": 0.6122, "text": "Started working on my slack bot called zenith which would tell u about some fun facts about space"}]...
|
Title: My first slack bot! by @DimensionLess | Sta Title: My first slack bot! by @DimensionLess | Stardance
Devlogs:
Started working on my slack bot called zenith which would tell u about some fun facts about space
so i wanted to build something that combined two things i actually care about — coding and space. ended up making a slack bot called Zenith that pulls live data from NASA and SpaceX through slash commands. commands i built /zenith-ping — check if bot is alive /zenith-apod — NASA astronomy picture of the day /zenith-iss — live ISS location with google maps link /zenith-spacex — latest SpaceX launch info /zenith-nextlaunch — next upcoming launch + countdown /zenith-mars — latest Mars rover photo /zenith-astronauts — who is in space right now /zenith-asteroids — near Earth asteroids today /zenith-space-report — quick space summary /zenith-planet [name] — facts about any planet /zenith-help — show all commands
ok so yesterday i deployed the bot and was hyped to test it… and half the commands just didn’t work. spent today figuring out why. what was broken? turns out the server still had the old code even though i pushed to GitHub. git pull was failing quietly because of file conflicts so nothing actually updated. force reset it and it finally synced. then i hit another wall — Hack Club Nest blocks outbound HTTPS. every NASA and SpaceX API call was dying with SSL error 525. the commands that used plain HTTP like /zenith-iss worked perfectly the whole time, i just didn’t notice. switched all the URLs from https:// to http:// and everything came back to life. NASA API commands working now: /zenith-apod — NASA astronomy picture of the day /zenith-mars — latest Mars rover photo /zenith-asteroids` — near Earth asteroids today /zenith-spacex — latest SpaceX launch info /zenith-nextlaunch — next upcoming launch + countdown /zenith-space-report — quick space summary daily dashboard added: a morning digest that posts to #space-alerts every day at 8am. hits NASA, SpaceX, and Open Notify all at once and wraps it into one message — photo of the day, latest launch, and how many people are floating in space right now. pretty happy with how it turned out. —
/zenith-mars, /zenith-spacex and a couple others just stopped responding and i couldnt figure out why for a bit. turns out it wasnt my code at all. the SpaceX API got archived on GitHub back on June 6th, its basically dead now. NASA’s Mars Photos endpoint was down too, separate issue entirely. so i just pulled both out. replaced them with two new commands that use NASA’s APIs that are actually still alive: /zenith-earth — latest photo of Earth from the EPIC camera on the DSCOVR satellite /zenith-neo-week — biggest asteroid passing by Earth this week one thing to know — dont fire commands back to back without waiting for a reply first, you’ll hit NASA’s rate limit and the second one fails silently. took me way too long to realize this was also why APOD was acting weird earlier, not an actual bug.
Ships:
Zenith is Live! 🚀 It’s done. After spending the whole day building and debugging, Zenith is now live 24/7 on Hack Club Nest. What I Built A Slack bot that tracks what’s happening in space in real time. It has 11 slash commands powered by NASA, SpaceX, and ISS APIs. I also added: A daily space digest posted automatically every morning SpaceX launch alerts sent one hour before liftoff The Journey I started by setting up the Slack app and implementing all the slash commands. I hit a wall early when GitHub blocked my pushes because I accidentally committed my .env file containing my API tokens. I had to rewrite the entire Git history to remove it. Lesson learned. After deploying to Hack Club Nest, most of the commands just… didn’t work. It turned out that Nest blocks outbound HTTPS requests, so all of my NASA and SpaceX API calls were silently failing. Changing every https:// URL to http:// fixed everything instantly. One of those bugs that takes hours to find and five seconds to fix. After that, everything clicked into place. Commands /zenith-apod — NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day /zenith-iss — Live ISS location with a Google Maps link /zenith-spacex — Latest SpaceX launch information /zenith-nextlaunch — Next upcoming launch with countdown /zenith-mars — Latest Mars rover photo /zenith-astronauts — Who’s in space right now /zenith-asteroids — Near-Earth asteroids for today /zenith-space-report — Quick daily space summary /zenith-planet [name] — Facts about any planet /zenith-help — List all available commands I’m really happy with how this turned out. This was my first time deploying something to a real Linux server and keeping it running with systemd . It feels great to see it running 24/7....
|
1793328573.5539784
|
1793414973.5539784
|
|
26320
|
WarioWare Game by @camankaan | Stardance
|
camankaan
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: WarioWare Game by @camankaan | Stardance
|
1792810172.7177575
|
1793414972.7177575
|
|
4662
|
My first slack bot! by @En | Stardance
|
En
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My first slack bot! by @En | Stardance
|
1792810171.8805165
|
1793414971.8805165
|
|
31764
|
My awesome macropad! by @Mountico | Stardance
|
Mountico
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @Mountico | Stardan Title: My awesome macropad! by @Mountico | Stardance...
|
1792810171.0349383
|
1793414971.0349383
|
|
53343
|
PDEDM by @jamessonani | Stardance
|
jamessonani
|
1
|
1.0
|
0
|
[{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-0 [{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-08-24T11:20:45Z", "hours": 1.0, "multiplier": null, "payout": 0, "blessing": "neutral", "text": "When I first discovered that NASA publishes live asteroid tracking data through their public APIs, I noticed a gap — the data existed, but there was no accessible way for everyday people to actually understand it. Scientists could parse the raw JSON, but a student, a teacher, or a curious parent had no way to quickly answer: “Is anything dangerous passing by Earth this week?” That question became the foundation of PDEDM — the Planetary Defense & Ephemeris Data Manager. PDEDM is a full-stack, real-time dashboard that connects directly to NASA’s Near Earth Object Web Service (NeoWs) and the JPL Horizons system. It pulls live orbital telemetry for every asteroid scheduled to pass Earth within a 7-day forecast window and presents it through two distinct interfaces: The first is the NEO Operations Dashboard, designed for users with a scientific background. It displays raw metrics — relative velocity, miss distance in Lunar units, estimated diameter ranges, and orbital parameters — through sortable data tables, velocity distribution charts, and an interactive ephemeris calculator. The second is the Public Briefing portal, built specifically for non-technical audiences. This page takes the same dataset and automatically translates the numbers into real-world analogies. A 140-meter asteroid becomes “the size of a football stadium.” A velocity of 23 km/s becomes “30 times faster than a speeding bullet.” A simple threat banner system — Condition Green for safe, Condition Yellow for hazardous — lets anyone, including children, immediately understand the current state of near-Earth activity. The biggest technical challenge was working within NASA’s API constraints. Their feed endpoint enforces a strict 7-day maximum per request and a rolling quota of 1,000 requests per hour. I built a server-side proxy layer to securely handle authentication, forward rate-limit headers to the frontend, and ensure the API key never gets exposed to the browser. This project pushed me to learn things I had never touched before — server-side API routing, real-time state management, orbital mechanics terminology, and building interfaces that make complex scientific data feel approachable. It was frustrating at times, but seeing the final result pull live data from NASA and present it in a way that anyone can understand made every broken build worth it.", "repo": "https://github.com/jamessonani1020-web/PDEDM", "demo": "https://pdedm.netlify.app/"}]...
|
[{"post_id": 53688, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 53688, "ts": "2026-08-24T11:15:42Z", "hours": 0.4406, "text": "Retyped page.tx to fix a massive amount of error."}, {"post_id": 53261, "ts": "2026-08-23T18:25:25Z", "hours": 0.2697, "text": "Doesn’t know why whole code is tagged re, dont know where i have made an error."}, {"post_id": 53194, "ts": "2026-08-23T17:10:28Z", "hours": 0.5856, "text": "I am building a live Planetary Defense & Ephemeris Data Manager (PDEDM). It hooks directly into NASA’s servers in real-time to track every single asteroid passing by Earth. For scientists, it’s a high-tech dashboard to monitor orbital trajectories and isolate hazardous threats. But I also built a ‘Public Briefing’ portal for kids and everyday adults—it takes all that terrifying, complex NASA math and automatically translates it into plain English (like telling you an asteroid is ‘the size of a school bus’ or ‘traveling 30x faster than a bullet’) so everyone can easily understand what’s happening in space right now"}]...
|
Title: PDEDM by @jamessonani | Stardance
Devlogs: Title: PDEDM by @jamessonani | Stardance
Devlogs:
I am building a live Planetary Defense & Ephemeris Data Manager (PDEDM). It hooks directly into NASA’s servers in real-time to track every single asteroid passing by Earth. For scientists, it’s a high-tech dashboard to monitor orbital trajectories and isolate hazardous threats. But I also built a ‘Public Briefing’ portal for kids and everyday adults—it takes all that terrifying, complex NASA math and automatically translates it into plain English (like telling you an asteroid is ‘the size of a school bus’ or ‘traveling 30x faster than a bullet’) so everyone can easily understand what’s happening in space right now
Doesn’t know why whole code is tagged re, dont know where i have made an error.
Retyped page.tx to fix a massive amount of error.
Ships:
When I first discovered that NASA publishes live asteroid tracking data through their public APIs, I noticed a gap — the data existed, but there was no accessible way for everyday people to actually understand it. Scientists could parse the raw JSON, but a student, a teacher, or a curious parent had no way to quickly answer: “Is anything dangerous passing by Earth this week?” That question became the foundation of PDEDM — the Planetary Defense & Ephemeris Data Manager. PDEDM is a full-stack, real-time dashboard that connects directly to NASA’s Near Earth Object Web Service (NeoWs) and the JPL Horizons system. It pulls live orbital telemetry for every asteroid scheduled to pass Earth within a 7-day forecast window and presents it through two distinct interfaces: The first is the NEO Operations Dashboard, designed for users with a scientific background. It displays raw metrics — relative velocity, miss distance in Lunar units, estimated diameter ranges, and orbital parameters — through sortable data tables, velocity distribution charts, and an interactive ephemeris calculator. The second is the Public Briefing portal, built specifically for non-technical audiences. This page takes the same dataset and automatically translates the numbers into real-world analogies. A 140-meter asteroid becomes “the size of a football stadium.” A velocity of 23 km/s becomes “30 times faster than a speeding bullet.” A simple threat banner system — Condition Green for safe, Condition Yellow for hazardous — lets anyone, including children, immediately understand the current state of near-Earth activity. The biggest technical challenge was working within NASA’s API constraints. Their feed endpoint enforces a strict 7-day maximum per request and a rolling quota of 1,000 requests per hour. I built a server-side proxy layer to securely handle authentication, forward rate-limit headers to the frontend, and ensure the API key never gets exposed to the browser. This project pushed me to learn things I had never touched before — server-side API routing, real-time state management, orbital mechanics terminology, and building interfaces that make complex scientific data feel approachable. It was frustrating at times, but seeing the final result pull live data from NASA and present it in a way that anyone can understand made every broken build worth it....
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1793328570.414643
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1793414970.414643
|
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26023
|
Fringe Event - 187g Fairyweight combat robot by @X Fringe Event - 187g Fairyweight combat robot by @XC_Robots | Stardance...
|
XC_Robots
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0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Fringe Event - 187g Fairyweight combat robo Title: Fringe Event - 187g Fairyweight combat robot by @XC_Robots | Stardance...
|
1792810170.1911209
|
1793414970.1911209
|
|
27426
|
My awesome macropad! by @ryankhieu | Stardance
|
ryankhieu
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @ryankhieu | Starda Title: My awesome macropad! by @ryankhieu | Stardance...
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1792810169.3550851
|
1793414969.3550851
|
|
22014
|
5 DOF Robot Arm by @Ronyboxer | Stardance
|
Ronyboxer
|
0
|
4.15
|
0
|
[]
|
[{"post_id": 14729, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 14729, "ts": "2026-06-23T22:50:32Z", "hours": 1.02, "text": "Today I worked on the swiveling section of the robotic arm that mounts onto the stepper motor at the base. I decided to redesign it from the previous version because the original design felt too large and bulky and didn’t match the look I had in mind for the project. I changed the shape to a more circular design to give the arm a cleaner and more realistic appearance while keeping it compact. I also added a dedicated pathway for the servo wires so they can be routed into the Raspberry Pi inside the base, which should improve cable management and make the overall assembly cleaner and easier to work with."}, {"post_id": 14006, "ts": "2026-06-22T23:52:34Z", "hours": 0.9297, "text": "I finished designing the first link and lower section of the robotic arm. I gave it a circular design inspired by industrial robotic arms used in factories because I wanted the arm to have a more realistic and clean appearance rather than just focusing on functionality. I also created a dedicated channel for servo wiring so the cables can be routed through the arm more neatly and stay protected during movement. I added the servo into the assembly to test the fit and make sure the dimensions align correctly with the design. For this joint, I’m planning to use an MG996R servo because it provides a good amount of torque for supporting movement and load. I also designed mounting points so the servo can be securely attached to the rotating section with screws, making the assembly stronger and easier to build later on."}, {"post_id": 13505, "ts": "2026-06-22T03:10:19Z", "hours": 0.7842, "text": "I designed and modeled a topper for the base of the robotic arm in Onshape. I split the topper into two separate parts so that when I eventually build the physical version, I’ll be able to access the Raspberry Pi and wiring easily without needing to take apart the entire arm. This should make maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting much simpler in the future. One of the more difficult parts of this process was matching the topper precisely to the shape of the base while keeping all of the dimensions accurate. I spent a lot of time adjusting measurements and positioning the screw holes so everything would line up correctly and fit together properly. It took quite a bit of trial and error, but getting the alignment right is important because small dimension errors can create major issues later in the assembly."}, {"post_id": 12887, "ts": "2026-06-21T03:30:39Z", "hours": 0.5092, "text": "I added holes to the base to connect the covering layer of the base. I also started the assembly where I added a NEMA 17 stepper motor and a “Pi 5” with exact dimensions to replicate it to show how it would be placed in the real build."}, {"post_id": 12822, "ts": "2026-06-21T00:04:40Z", "hours": 0.9044, "text": "I designed a dedicated mounting space for a Raspberry Pi 5 so the onboard computer can be integrated directly into the structure rather than attached externally. Keeping the Pi inside the base should help with cable management, make the build cleaner, and protect the electronics. I also added space for a NEMA 17 stepper motor, which will be responsible for driving the rotational movement of the arm. Since the base is the first major structural component, I wanted to make sure there was enough room for future mounting hardware and motion components while keeping the overall size of the arm compact."}]...
|
Title: 5 DOF Robot Arm by @Ronyboxer | Stardance
Title: 5 DOF Robot Arm by @Ronyboxer | Stardance
Devlogs:
I designed a dedicated mounting space for a Raspberry Pi 5 so the onboard computer can be integrated directly into the structure rather than attached externally. Keeping the Pi inside the base should help with cable management, make the build cleaner, and protect the electronics. I also added space for a NEMA 17 stepper motor, which will be responsible for driving the rotational movement of the arm. Since the base is the first major structural component, I wanted to make sure there was enough room for future mounting hardware and motion components while keeping the overall size of the arm compact.
I added holes to the base to connect the covering layer of the base. I also started the assembly where I added a NEMA 17 stepper motor and a “Pi 5” with exact dimensions to replicate it to show how it would be placed in the real build.
I designed and modeled a topper for the base of the robotic arm in Onshape. I split the topper into two separate parts so that when I eventually build the physical version, I’ll be able to access the Raspberry Pi and wiring easily without needing to take apart the entire arm. This should make maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting much simpler in the future. One of the more difficult parts of this process was matching the topper precisely to the shape of the base while keeping all of the dimensions accurate. I spent a lot of time adjusting measurements and positioning the screw holes so everything would line up correctly and fit together properly. It took quite a bit of trial and error, but getting the alignment right is important because small dimension errors can create major issues later in the assembly.
I finished designing the first link and lower section of the robotic arm. I gave it a circular design inspired by industrial robotic arms used in factories because I wanted the arm to have a more realistic and clean appearance rather than just focusing on functionality. I also created a dedicated channel for servo wiring so the cables can be routed through the arm more neatly and stay protected during movement. I added the servo into the assembly to test the fit and make sure the dimensions align correctly with the design. For this joint, I’m planning to use an MG996R servo because it provides a good amount of torque for supporting movement and load. I also designed mounting points so the servo can be securely attached to the rotating section with screws, making the assembly stronger and easier to build later on.
Today I worked on the swiveling section of the robotic arm that mounts onto the stepper motor at the base. I decided to redesign it from the previous version because the original design felt too large and bulky and didn’t match the look I had in mind for the project. I changed the shape to a more circular design to give the arm a cleaner and more realistic appearance while keeping it compact. I also added a dedicated pathway for the servo wires so they can be routed into the Raspberry Pi inside the base, which should improve cable management and make the overall assembly cleaner and easier to work with....
|
1792810168.4730418
|
1793414968.4730418
|
|
15044
|
My very own WebOS by @haazim | Stardance
|
haazim
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My very own WebOS by @haazim | Stardance
|
1792810167.6201024
|
1793414967.6201024
|
|
24079
|
My first slack bot! by @mazz0377 | Stardance
|
mazz0377
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My first slack bot! by @mazz0377 | Stardanc Title: My first slack bot! by @mazz0377 | Stardance...
|
1792810166.771035
|
1793414966.771035
|
|
27970
|
My very own WebOS by @haniyahh_ | Stardance
|
haniyahh_
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My very own WebOS by @haniyahh_ | Stardance
|
1792810165.9217708
|
1793414965.9217708
|
|
26100
|
My awesome macropad! by @HP_oso | Stardance
|
HP_oso
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @HP_oso | Stardance
|
1792810165.0788243
|
1793414965.0788243
|
|
29268
|
My awesome macropad! by @andrewp_silker | Stardanc My awesome macropad! by @andrewp_silker | Stardance...
|
andrewp_silker
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @andrewp_silker | S Title: My awesome macropad! by @andrewp_silker | Stardance...
|
1792810164.2303689
|
1793414964.2303689
|
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53342
|
Git Finder by @RajanKC | Stardance
|
RajanKC
|
1
|
3.0
|
15
|
[{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-0 [{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-08-23T17:35:10Z", "hours": 3.0, "multiplier": 4.67, "payout": 15, "blessing": "neutral", "text": "Completed the project I made this project without any Ai Please rate this project good", "repo": "https://github.com/RajanKCKC/Git-Finer", "demo": "https://rajankckc.github.io/Git-Finer/"}]...
|
[{"post_id": 53204, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 53204, "ts": "2026-08-23T17:17:52Z", "hours": 0.2556, "text": "Update README.md to include detailed project description, features, and usage instructions"}, {"post_id": 53171, "ts": "2026-08-23T16:45:08Z", "hours": 0.7875, "text": "Add main functionality for GitHub User Finder; implement user search and repository display"}, {"post_id": 53136, "ts": "2026-08-23T15:49:28Z", "hours": 1.3044, "text": "Update index.html title and structure; add initial style.css for layout and design"}, {"post_id": 53081, "ts": "2026-08-23T14:29:42Z", "hours": 0.9025, "text": "Add initial HTML structure for GitHub User Finder"}]...
|
Title: Git Finder by @RajanKC | Stardance
Devlogs Title: Git Finder by @RajanKC | Stardance
Devlogs:
Add initial HTML structure for GitHub User Finder
Update index.html title and structure; add initial style.css for layout and design
Add main functionality for GitHub User Finder; implement user search and repository display
Update README.md to include detailed project description, features, and usage instructions
Ships:
Completed the project I made this project without any Ai Please rate this project good...
|
1793328564.1331224
|
1793414964.1331224
|
|
40379
|
Open Tabs by @amiya | Stardance
|
amiya
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Open Tabs by @amiya | Stardance
|
1792810163.400947
|
1793414963.400947
|
|
32186
|
taskbar-pet by @luannzin | Stardance
|
luannzin
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: taskbar-pet by @luannzin | Stardance
|
1792810162.56045
|
1793414962.56045
|
|
12452
|
My awesome macropad! by @Shreyansh-T | Stardance
|
Shreyansh-T
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @Shreyansh-T | Star Title: My awesome macropad! by @Shreyansh-T | Stardance...
|
1792810161.6821575
|
1793414961.6821575
|
|
31930
|
SimpleTimer by @sandrp | Stardance
|
sandrp
|
0
|
2.42
|
0
|
[]
|
[{"post_id": 24024, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 24024, "ts": "2026-07-07T09:38:08Z", "hours": 2.4186, "text": "added a new script to help upload everything to modrinth"}]...
|
Title: SimpleTimer by @sandrp | Stardance
Devlogs Title: SimpleTimer by @sandrp | Stardance
Devlogs:
added a new script to help upload everything to modrinth...
|
1792810158.8277206
|
1793414958.8277206
|
|
31834
|
Untitled project by @BChrisB240 | Stardance
|
BChrisB240
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Untitled project by @BChrisB240 | Stardance
|
1792810157.9946334
|
1793414957.9946334
|
|
37548
|
Untitled project by @tovicheung | Stardance
|
tovicheung
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Untitled project by @tovicheung | Stardance
|
1792810157.1491387
|
1793414957.1491387
|
|
22746
|
What A N.E.R.D. by @rushmore | Stardance
|
rushmore
|
0
|
1.07
|
0
|
[]
|
[{"post_id": 25553, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 25553, "ts": "2026-07-09T21:23:30Z", "hours": 0.7239, "text": "more work on the shell, including text ideas and formatting. have a general theme in mind that i want."}, {"post_id": 25506, "ts": "2026-07-09T20:28:26Z", "hours": 0.3458, "text": "just basic stuff for the time being; i was setting up the shell of the website. not much to show yet, but i’m finally able to continue working on it. i selected my color palette as well(though it’s invisible), and opted for something ‘winter-y’, as i wanted to place emphasis on the idea of transition, of spring coming soon."}]...
|
Title: What A N.E.R.D. by @rushmore | Stardance
D Title: What A N.E.R.D. by @rushmore | Stardance
Devlogs:
just basic stuff for the time being; i was setting up the shell of the website. not much to show yet, but i’m finally able to continue working on it. i selected my color palette as well(though it’s invisible), and opted for something ‘winter-y’, as i wanted to place emphasis on the idea of transition, of spring coming soon.
more work on the shell, including text ideas and formatting. have a general theme in mind that i want....
|
1792810156.2983327
|
1793414956.2983327
|
|
18613
|
My first slack bot! by @ISMY53 | Stardance
|
ISMY53
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My first slack bot! by @ISMY53 | Stardance
|
1792810155.443163
|
1793414955.443163
|
|
14965
|
My first slack bot! by @9kashvi | Stardance
|
9kashvi
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My first slack bot! by @9kashvi | Stardance
|
1792810154.5844264
|
1793414954.5844264
|
|
11735
|
James's 3D Printer by @james2009329 | Stardanc James's 3D Printer by @james2009329 | Stardance...
|
james2009329
|
0
|
5.45
|
0
|
[]
|
[{"post_id": 12126, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 12126, "ts": "2026-06-19T20:15:54Z", "hours": 0.9964, "text": "Alright I just colored in everything, I will be working on organizing the docs next"}, {"post_id": 11080, "ts": "2026-06-18T03:39:58Z", "hours": 1.7592, "text": "I tried working on the belts today but I had trouble getting the routing correct, and the tool keeps breaking on me. Heres where I got so far"}, {"post_id": 10050, "ts": "2026-06-16T16:55:42Z", "hours": 0.5094, "text": "Alright so I realized that this piece would be way to big to print on my 3D printer, so i divided it up into 3 pieces and added screw holes. Now, it should fit well within my 180 by 180 bed!"}, {"post_id": 10028, "ts": "2026-06-16T16:21:26Z", "hours": 1.3742, "text": "I part-lightened the gantry and I added in linear bearings. I also worked on continuing to fix the assembly and I started to print out pieces of the printer!"}, {"post_id": 6301, "ts": "2026-06-10T16:30:50Z", "hours": 0.8139, "text": "Heres the 3D printer so far, I still need to work on the bed, electronics, and the Z-axis. I want this project to be mostly 3D printed. I worked to part-lighten the top and bottom frame pieces just so it looks cooler. I tried to make the leadscrew more 3D printable by increasing the diameter and changing the thread pitch. I think the Z-axis rods need a bit of work though, I’m still not sure if I should use metal ones or make them 3D printable as well."}]...
|
Title: James's 3D Printer by @james2009329 | S Title: James's 3D Printer by @james2009329 | Stardance
Devlogs:
Heres the 3D printer so far, I still need to work on the bed, electronics, and the Z-axis. I want this project to be mostly 3D printed. I worked to part-lighten the top and bottom frame pieces just so it looks cooler. I tried to make the leadscrew more 3D printable by increasing the diameter and changing the thread pitch. I think the Z-axis rods need a bit of work though, I’m still not sure if I should use metal ones or make them 3D printable as well.
I part-lightened the gantry and I added in linear bearings. I also worked on continuing to fix the assembly and I started to print out pieces of the printer!
Alright so I realized that this piece would be way to big to print on my 3D printer, so i divided it up into 3 pieces and added screw holes. Now, it should fit well within my 180 by 180 bed!
I tried working on the belts today but I had trouble getting the routing correct, and the tool keeps breaking on me. Heres where I got so far
Alright I just colored in everything, I will be working on organizing the docs next...
|
1792810153.7110186
|
1793414953.7110186
|
|
27957
|
The Carthyan Chronicles by @AK_90 | Stardance
|
AK_90
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: The Carthyan Chronicles by @AK_90 | Stardan Title: The Carthyan Chronicles by @AK_90 | Stardance...
|
1792810152.874266
|
1793414952.874266
|
|
25002
|
My awesome macropad! by @kotabharathkumar6 | Stard My awesome macropad! by @kotabharathkumar6 | Stardance...
|
kotabharathkumar6
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My awesome macropad! by @kotabharathkumar6 Title: My awesome macropad! by @kotabharathkumar6 | Stardance...
|
1792810152.0322437
|
1793414952.0322437
|
|
16758
|
My first slack bot! by @Tarannum | Stardance
|
Tarannum
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My first slack bot! by @Tarannum | Stardanc Title: My first slack bot! by @Tarannum | Stardance...
|
1792810150.5227745
|
1793414950.5227745
|
|
53315
|
My Epic site by @Tyo | Stardance
|
Tyo
|
2
|
5.0
|
0
|
[{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-1 [{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-10-28T07:25:23Z", "hours": 3.0, "multiplier": null, "payout": 0, "blessing": "neutral", "text": "Woah! Update!~ I got some more time left so let’s blaze all my projects until I’m satisfied with all of them!~ For this one, I added an npc right there to explore the portfolio with you!~ and some HUGE backend changes like how it uses a json file instead of being hardcoded in! I think that’s all, cya!~", "repo": "https://github.com/SteelyxEpic/My-Epic-Website/", "demo": "https://steelyxepic.github.io/My-Epic-Website/"}, {"ship_num": 2, "ts": "2026-08-24T13:58:55Z", "hours": 2.0, "multiplier": null, "payout": 0, "blessing": "neutral", "text": "I made a website where you control a lil fella to find out who I am and what I have done~ (ok it’s not actually that epic). It’s a personal website and all the websites I’ve seen online have their own flare to it (I’ve seen one where they made it a window for each item and I thought that look so cool and another one had it all in an 80s style popup with even the mouse being customized!!! ) so I wanted mine to be the same. That’s when I decided to make it feel like it’s a game to fit with the fact that I’m primary a game programmer I think the end product turned out great and would be my proudest website to date!~", "repo": "https://github.com/SteelyxEpic/My-Epic-Website/", "demo": "https://steelyxepic.github.io/My-Epic-Website/"}]...
|
[{"post_id": 83600, "ts": "202 [{"post_id": 83600, "ts": "2026-10-28T07:21:59Z", "hours": 0.6494, "text": "You knows what’s better than words? Music!!!~ Hehe~"}, {"post_id": 83590, "ts": "2026-10-28T06:29:02Z", "hours": 1.4131, "text": "Another day another update! Here we got my lil Imaginary Bot (MIBot!~) Here to assist you in traversing the lands 00ooooo"}, {"post_id": 82954, "ts": "2026-10-26T11:20:52Z", "hours": 1.0158, "text": "Woah! I’m here again!~ I decided to make some improvements in this by adding some kewl stuff like it pulling data from a json file instead!"}, {"post_id": 53774, "ts": "2026-08-24T13:52:19Z", "hours": 1.6308, "text": "My! Very! Own! Website!~ I really want my website to have that specialty in it that I always see in personal websites, so I decided to make it more like a game. You control a simple character in a canvas and there’s options you can choose to interact with like my projects or about me! (It would be kewl if you guys wanna learn more about me :3). Well I did had to use AI to learn how to use the canvas but honestly I think it was worth it. <3"}]...
|
Title: My Epic site by @Tyo | Stardance
Devlogs:
Title: My Epic site by @Tyo | Stardance
Devlogs:
My! Very! Own! Website!~ I really want my website to have that specialty in it that I always see in personal websites, so I decided to make it more like a game. You control a simple character in a canvas and there’s options you can choose to interact with like my projects or about me! (It would be kewl if you guys wanna learn more about me :3). Well I did had to use AI to learn how to use the canvas but honestly I think it was worth it. <3
Woah! I’m here again!~ I decided to make some improvements in this by adding some kewl stuff like it pulling data from a json file instead!
Another day another update! Here we got my lil Imaginary Bot (MIBot!~) Here to assist you in traversing the lands 00ooooo
You knows what’s better than words? Music!!!~ Hehe~
Ships:
I made a website where you control a lil fella to find out who I am and what I have done~ (ok it’s not actually that epic). It’s a personal website and all the websites I’ve seen online have their own flare to it (I’ve seen one where they made it a window for each item and I thought that look so cool and another one had it all in an 80s style popup with even the mouse being customized!!! ) so I wanted mine to be the same. That’s when I decided to make it feel like it’s a game to fit with the fact that I’m primary a game programmer I think the end product turned out great and would be my proudest website to date!~
Woah! Update!~ I got some more time left so let’s blaze all my projects until I’m satisfied with all of them!~ For this one, I added an npc right there to explore the portfolio with you!~ and some HUGE backend changes like how it uses a json file instead of being hardcoded in! I think that’s all, cya!~...
|
1793328549.8076782
|
1793414949.8076782
|
|
28222
|
My own site! by @youtham | Stardance
|
youtham
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: My own site! by @youtham | Stardance
|
1792810149.6770627
|
1793414949.6770627
|
|
15606
|
Untitled project by @konnermoss09 | Stardance
|
konnermoss09
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Untitled project by @konnermoss09 | Stardan Title: Untitled project by @konnermoss09 | Stardance...
|
1792810148.8456202
|
1793414948.8456202
|
|
899
|
Travelly by @youfoundted | Stardance
|
youfoundted
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
[]
|
[]
|
Title: Travelly by @youfoundted | Stardance
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1792810148.0192914
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1793414948.0192914
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7589
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Self-Balancing Robot - Gary by @benMakesStuff | St Self-Balancing Robot - Gary by @benMakesStuff | Stardance...
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benMakesStuff
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1
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2.0
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[{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-0 [{"ship_num": 1, "ts": "2026-06-16T22:05:51Z", "hours": 2.0, "multiplier": null, "payout": 0, "blessing": "neutral", "text": "I made a self-balancing robot. That works through a PID control loop. I have not yet finished the design or the code because the IMU sensor does not have a stable connection. Therefore it can stop giving data to the Pico at any time, so it is not working perfectly yet. I think I could solve this either by soldering the IMU sensor to the cables (its not soldered yet) or by getting a custom PCB but I don’t have any soldering iron to do that yet.", "repo": "https://github.com/benvelzul/Balancing-robot", "demo": ""}]...
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[{"post_id": 8454, "ts": "2026 [{"post_id": 8454, "ts": "2026-06-14T01:48:40Z", "hours": 1.5022, "text": "Building For this phase of the project, the primary goal was to construct a stable chassis for Gary (the robot’s name). I designed and fabricated a new, updated base intended to improve structural integrity. However, during the assembly phase, I ran into a clearance issue—the motors did not fit properly into the new mounts. As a result, I had to pivot and revert back to the previous design iteration. Figure 1: The first version of the base (successful fit). Figure 2: The second version of the base that unfortunately did not work due to motor clearance. Because my immediate goal was to establish a quick Proof of Concept (PoC) and test the self-balancing algorithms, I decided not to let the chassis setback halt my momentum. To secure the electronics, I temporary mounted all the internal components, sensors, and the battery pack directly onto the older chassis using hot glue. While not the final aesthetic design, this kept the center of gravity fixed and robust enough for testing. With the physical structure secured, Gary was officially ready to move on to the wiring stage. Wiring The wiring phase presented several hardware limitations that required creative, temporary solutions, many of which became valuable learning experiences later in the project. Power Supply & Connections Because a dedicated 4xAA battery pack wasn’t available, I engineered a solution by combining two separate smaller battery packs to supply the necessary voltage. Furthermore, because I did not have access to a soldering iron, I had to secure the spliced power wires together using hot glue. While this worked initially to establish a connection, the lack of a proper mechanical bond introduced intermittent power issues down the line. Microcontroller & Motor Protection Before connecting any components, I had to research safe wiring configurations to ensure the high-voltage motor circuits wouldn’t back-feed and destroy the Raspberry Pi Pico. To safely bridge the Pico, the dual battery packs, and the motor outputs without soldering, I mapped the entire circuit out on a standard breadboard. [Battery Packs] —> [Motor Driver] <—> [Raspberry Pi Pico] | [DC Motors] The Breadboard & Sensor Bottleneck While the breadboard was essential for a solderless prototype, it quickly became a primary source of instability. The most critical issue occurred with the ADXL345 accelerometer: Because the header pins couldn’t be permanently soldered, I had to rely on friction and physical pressure to keep the jumper wires connected to the sensor. This poor connection meant that as soon as the robot’s motors spun up, the physical vibrations shook the loose wires. This resulted in erratic sensor readings, momentary ‘’‘OSError’’’ crashes, and distorted tilt data, proving that a reliable mechanical connection is vital for self-balancing robotics. Coding Sensor Integration & Debugging The coding phase began by reading raw 6-byte chunks from the ADXL345 register 0x32. These data points were converted into integers and printed out as a tuple ‘’’(x, y, z)’’’ so they could be monitored and visualized inside the Thonny Plotter. Implementing the PID Control Loop A PID framework was written to determine how Gary reacts to falling: K_p (Proportional): Pushes back against the present error based on how far the robot is currently tilting. K_d (Derivative): Counteracts future error by assessing how fast the robot is falling, which dampens shaking. K_i (Integral): Tracks past error over time to eliminate minor, steady leaning issues. Figure 3: Assembled robot"}, {"post_id": 4038, "ts": "2026-06-07T06:51:05Z", "hours": 0.5064, "text": "I have designed the first version of the base for the robot (the thing holder for the motors)"}]...
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Title: Self-Balancing Robot - Gary by @benMakesStu Title: Self-Balancing Robot - Gary by @benMakesStuff | Stardance
Devlogs:
I have designed the first version of the base for the robot (the thing holder for the motors)
Building For this phase of the project, the primary goal was to construct a stable chassis for Gary (the robot’s name). I designed and fabricated a new, updated base intended to improve structural integrity. However, during the assembly phase, I ran into a clearance issue—the motors did not fit properly into the new mounts. As a result, I had to pivot and revert back to the previous design iteration. Figure 1: The first version of the base (successful fit). Figure 2: The second version of the base that unfortunately did not work due to motor clearance. Because my immediate goal was to establish a quick Proof of Concept (PoC) and test the self-balancing algorithms, I decided not to let the chassis setback halt my momentum. To secure the electronics, I temporary mounted all the internal components, sensors, and the battery pack directly onto the older chassis using hot glue. While not the final aesthetic design, this kept the center of gravity fixed and robust enough for testing. With the physical structure secured, Gary was officially ready to move on to the wiring stage. Wiring The wiring phase presented several hardware limitations that required creative, temporary solutions, many of which became valuable learning experiences later in the project. Power Supply & Connections Because a dedicated 4xAA battery pack wasn’t available, I engineered a solution by combining two separate smaller battery packs to supply the necessary voltage. Furthermore, because I did not have access to a soldering iron, I had to secure the spliced power wires together using hot glue. While this worked initially to establish a connection, the lack of a proper mechanical bond introduced intermittent power issues down the line. Microcontroller & Motor Protection Before connecting any components, I had to research safe wiring configurations to ensure the high-voltage motor circuits wouldn’t back-feed and destroy the Raspberry Pi Pico. To safely bridge the Pico, the dual battery packs, and the motor outputs without soldering, I mapped the entire circuit out on a standard breadboard. [Battery Packs] —> [Motor Driver] <—> [Raspberry Pi Pico] | [DC Motors] The Breadboard & Sensor Bottleneck While the breadboard was essential for a solderless prototype, it quickly became a primary source of instability. The most critical issue occurred with the ADXL345 accelerometer: Because the header pins couldn’t be permanently soldered, I had to rely on friction and physical pressure to keep the jumper wires connected to the sensor. This poor connection meant that as soon as the robot’s motors spun up, the physical vibrations shook the loose wires. This resulted in erratic sensor readings, momentary ‘’‘OSError’’’ crashes, and distorted tilt data, proving that a reliable mechanical connection is vital for self-balancing robotics. Coding Sensor Integration & Debugging The coding phase began by reading raw 6-byte chunks from the ADXL345 register 0x32. These data points were converted into integers and printed out as a tuple ‘’’(x, y, z)’’’ so they could be monitored and visualized inside the Thonny Plotter. Implementing the PID Control Loop A PID framework was written to determine how Gary reacts to falling: K_p (Proportional): Pushes back against the present error based on how far the robot is currently tilting. K_d (Derivative): Counteracts future error by assessing how fast the robot is falling, which dampens shaking. K_i (Integral): Tracks past error over time to eliminate minor, steady leaning issues. Figure 3: Assembled robot
Ships:
I made a self-balancing robot. That works through a PID control loop. I have not yet finished the design or the code because the IMU sensor does not have a stable connection. Therefore it can stop giving data to the Pico at any time, so it is not working perfectly yet. I think I could solve this either by soldering the IMU sensor to the cables (its not soldered yet) or by getting a custom PCB but I don’t have any soldering iron to do that yet....
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1793328547.6327202
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1793414947.6327202
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15050
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Untitled by @amal | Stardance
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amal
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0
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0.0
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0
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Title: Untitled by @amal | Stardance
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1792810146.6207333
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1793414946.6207333
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3377
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My awesome macropad! by @stefq | Stardance
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stefq
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0
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0.0
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0
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Title: My awesome macropad! by @stefq | Stardance
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1792810145.480207
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1793414945.480207
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34475
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Untitled project by @nitinrk177 | Stardance
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nitinrk177
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0.0
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0
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Title: Untitled project by @nitinrk177 | Stardance
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1792810144.6309788
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1793414944.6309788
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