GOSHtastic - Game shows, Options, Software, & Hardware!

There are several ways to configure Maven to run designated tests separately in a Java project.  Usually, people want to distinguish between unit tests and other types of automated tests during a build.  Unit tests are fast because you are mocking all the external services that the particular code under test is relying upon.  They’re also typically smaller than functional tests, since they are (supposed to be ;) testing a unit of code rather than an entire feature . However, functional tests are also critical to the success of your project.  You or your managers are probably interested in seeing automated end-to-end usage of your application running constantly without errors, but how is this possible without annoying the developers as they wait for all the tests to finish? The Maven Failsafe plugin is most helpful in separating unit from functional tests.  By default, it focuses on tests whose filename follows the specific pattern: **/IT*.java *...

I could have just asked around to see if anyone had an EPROM validator, but why ask when you can spend several hours doing it yourself, and then several more hours writing in pedantic detail about it?  Of course, I must have the DIY bone... Who still uses EPROMs, anyway? While working on old solid-state pinball machines from the 1980s and late '70s, you might run into a situation where a dead ROM chip needs to be replaced.  Certain types of machines (I'm looking at you, all you Gottlieb System 80's) suffer a problem where coils can get locked on due to bad grounding design throughout the system, and then cause transistors and all sorts of other things on the driver board and even possibly the main board to fry themselves.  In other cases, battery corrosion might leech into the ROM chip and possibly compromise it.  No matter what the case is, you might find yourself in need of new ROMs at some point. Now I could easily go and find new ROMs for my game, order ...

Since last time I wrote in, I have been extremely busy preparing for Texas Pinball Fest 2016 -- tried to get four machines ready, then three, and then... oh well... only the two I had working to begin with were actually working by showtime.  Meanwhile, I had started to investigate a couple other projects, but never got something going nice enough to warrant writing a blog post on. Now that Texas Pinball Fest is over, and I swear my games are acting like rabbits (if you know what I mean ;), I'm trying to step back and work on some of the projects I had going before this massive push to restore a bunch of pinball machines happened.  However, I have another great big push for this weekend to get prepared for the North Dallas Area Retrocomputing meetup.  I've had vintage computers hanging around me since they were new, but have acquired some "new" stuff since around Thanksgiving (especially from Fred's "Warehouse of Wonder"), and need to get all the new ac...

In my quest to get certified to use the MultiCam CNC router table at the local Makerspace, I need to create some kind of part that requires use of at least a couple different types of end mills, plus do various cuts such as pockets, profiles, V-carves, engraving, and so on. First, a bit about the Makerspace movement, in case you haven’t heard: Makerspaces (or Hackerspaces) are places set up for community good that allow people to share knowledge, resources, and tools to help further DIY activities such as programming, electronics, 3D printing, machining, or other activities where people make something.  Makerspaces come in various flavors: some are set up as startup incubators, others as for-profit centers where paid employees build things for people, and still others where members mostly come to work on something completely different from work.  The tools one would find at a makerspace were traditionally owned by companies or by individuals who have spent a long time ho...

Are you looking to make a program that requires a bunch of interrupts using an ATmega328 or ATmega168 chip (such as on the Arduino Uno, Nano, or Mini platforms)?  If so, you may have been disappointed by the  basic documentation  you can find on this matter, and tempted to buy a more advanced Arduino such as the Mega2560, Zero, or even Due.  But have you seen how much their chips  cost  on Mouser?  If you're looking to do a small run of boards with what you ultimately produce, you will be taken aback to find that ATmega2560-16AU chips cost over 5x more than ATmega168A-AU chips!  In fact, I just recently bought an Arduino Mega2560 for less than what you can buy its chip for.  Having seen this, I knew there had to be a better way to leverage a cheaper chip. The Problem, In Short I need an application that can read from multiple sensor inputs, each of which will pulse with a high-frequency square wave (i.e.  toggle on & off ve...