Two weeks have pasted since the engineering firm Coastal Controls decided to give me a sneak preview into the 9 to 5 lifestyle my studies will inevitably lead me to. And I have to say I like it. Unlike in the class room setting where theory is smashed into my brain and then regurgitated in lab. This place actually puts all the theory straight into practice.

Coastal Controls specializes in control systems. Specifically those for running motors which control some type of robotic process. My first project, which I’m finding the most interesting does exactly that. A 500 pound robotic arm has been sitting in their machine shop for about a year now, lifeless. I was told to “make it do something”. I haven’t decided what something I want it to do yet because I have only been able to turn the servo brakes off. The real problem so far has been making the cables. Each motor on the robot has it’s own pair of control cables that connected to some kind of bus; the robot is from the 90’s so it’s an older type of relay, probably custom. Before I can send control signals to the robot’s six servo motors, the cables have to be taken apart then re-soldered to fit the Delta Tau controller, which sends data out over a 15 pin serial cable to a smart amp.

Over The last two days I have burned my fingers raw soldering the six cables’ 12 internal wires to their new 15 pin serial cable home. Hopefully my horrific soldering skills doesn’t bridge any of the internal connections — that are only a few millimeters apart — and I can finally start programing the controller. Allowing me to move on to the next step of “making it do something”.

The second project I was assigned to, utilizes my knowledge of web development. While I can’t go into detail about what the end product will actually do. I can say I’m essentially building a content management system from scratch, which can preform complex calculations on user supplied data automatically in MATLAB or a similar program. It’s too bad I can’t go into specifics because this project has really expanded my development expertise.

Today, I officially enter the blogosphere. This being my first post, I would like to explain what I plan on doing with this site. Before this incarnation of my personal site my previous was used strictly as a portfolio. Obviously being a portfolio website I displayed my latest work, unfortunately after years of neglect it was no where close to being current. This is where this site comes into play. I will still be treating this site like a portfolio — displaying my latest website and design jobs for the world to see — but, I will also be posting about my general interests as well as combining my personal project “error18.com” which is now the wallpapers section of the site.

Also, I’m not exactly an english major. I find comfort in mathematical equations, computer science algorithms, and motion control systems. Not Shakespeare and the intricacies of the human language.  When you come across an english grammatical or syntax error, please don’t freak out and go grammar nazi on me. I’ll find it eventually, or one of my friends will and then I’ll correct it.

Stay tuned and enjoy,
Jonathan H Logan