Sp4rkler 3rickson

@sp4rkler3rickson
64 Followers
63 Following
392 Posts

United Methodist; Asexual; INFP; Complex neurodivergent

Digital artist; aspiring YouTuber


Primary Characters:
Spark E. - anthro border collie, adopted little brother of Lam E. (representing my ego)

Lam E. - anthro sheep, adopted older sister of Spark E. (representing my superego)

Tom E. - feral demon cat (representing my intrusive thoughts, inner doubt, and self-deprecation)

I sometimes block prompters. #SayNoToAIArt

My Other Socials:https://linktr.ee/sp4rkler3rickson
Sp4rkler 3rickson3m ago

Critter at lunchtime.

#cat #kitty #caturday

Sp4rkler 3rickson4m ago
sjar@itsmesjarlie13h ago
#dogs #dogsofmastodon
Show threadSp4rkler 3rickson42m ago
@strayhorse "No, no, Papa, this is biscuits!"
Sp4rkler 3rickson51m ago

Bear with me a moment; I'm about to be spicy:

People who complain that paper straws don't hold up to two-hours' use...

are like people who say, "You're out of paper towel in the restroom"...

when in reality you can't locate the motion sensor that dispenses the towel.

It's not a product issue, it's a skill issue.

It's saliva that unravels the straw; your lips should just lightly rest on the end of the straw.

Try it and see!

#hottakes #spicytakes #paperstraws

Sp4rkler 3rickson1d ago

It occurs to me that D*n*ld Tr*mp might just be three kobolds in a trenchcoat.

It also occurs to me that I'm most likely not the first person to make that joke.

#3koboldsinatrenchcoat #threekoboldsinatrenchcoat #theAbominableOrange

Sp4rkler 3rickson1d ago
Discord really lays on the insults when you try to upload an image file that's too large...
Sp4rkler 3rickson1d ago

I woke Critter up to take a picture of her to send to my mother, who is currently out of town.

#kitty #cat #kittycat #cutekitty #cutecat #feline #cute

Show threadSp4rkler 3rickson2d ago
@WriterOfMinds I've already tipped over a trashcan.... sorry.🥺🐾
Sp4rkler 3rickson2d ago

Dear YouTube,

You have a very bad track record for recommending videos I want to see.

And when you ask me if I would like any of the videos you queue up to improve my recommended page, I have no way of knowing for sure whether I will like a video until I click it...

...And in doing so, I know you will take that as an endorsement for my recommended page.

Screw your algorithm! Give us filters we can program ourselves! Put the power of recommendation back in our hands!

Very mad,
Sp4rk 3.

Sp4rkler 3rickson3d ago

Critter the cat, Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

#cat #kitty #meow #cute #cute at #cutekitty

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Show threadKen ShirriffJun 14
Hopefully this orange will clarify how the FDAI's mechanism works :-). Rotating my hand would rotate the ball around the roll axis (red). The ball can pivot forward or back for the pitch axis (yellow). If you imagine a hollow hemisphere sitting on top, spinning the hemisphere is the yaw axis (green). 3/N
Show threadKen ShirriffJun 14
Removing the hollow hemispheres from the ball shows the complicated mechanism inside the ball, including the pitch and yaw motors. The pitch motor causes the entire mechanism to rotate, while the yaw motor spins the hemispheres.
Show threadKen ShirriffJun 14
Here's a video of the FDAI in motion. I removed the hemispheres so you can see what happens inside the ball.
Show threadKen ShirriffJun 14
Why don't the wires get tangled when the ball spins? There are two slip rings that provide electrical contact as the ball rotates around the roll and pitch axes. This closeup shows how stationary brushes contact metal rings on the rotating shaft, allowing 23 connections.
Show threadKen ShirriffJun 14
The FDAI instrument that we examined was built in 1968, before the Moon landing, and was then repurposed for a Space Shuttle simulator. The red arrow in this photo shows an FDAI in a Shuttle simulator. When the Shuttle (and simulators) moved to digital screens, the old instruments were scrapped.
Show threadKen ShirriffJun 14
For more details on the FDAI, including the servo loops and electronic amplifiers (powered by germanium transistors), see my blog post: https://www.righto.com/2025/06/inside-apollo-fdai.html
Inside the Apollo "8-Ball" FDAI (Flight Director / Attitude Indicator)

During the Apollo flights to the Moon, the astronauts observed the spacecraft's orientation on a special instrument called the FDAI (Flight ...

Show threadKen ShirriffJun 14
Credits: thanks to Richard for providing the FDAI. I worked on this with @CuriousMarc, @tubetime, and Mike Stewart.
Simulator photo from "Introduction to Shuttle Mission Simulation": https://ia804505.us.archive.org/8/items/intro-to-sms/intro%20to%20sms.pdf#page=22
Show threadrogerggbr6d ago
@kenshirriff @CuriousMarc @tubetime brilliant images and great explanation, thanks.
Show threadgudenauJun 14
@kenshirriff I want someone to design one I could build that doesn't gimble lock. That would be so cool.
Show threadF4GRX SébastienJun 14
@kenshirriff this slip ring is insane.
Show threadAndrew ZonenbergJun 14
@f4grx @kenshirriff 23 channel slip ring, wow...
Show threadROTOPE~1 Jun 14
@f4grx @kenshirriff *Picture of a seraphic host, but instead of eyes it is covered in ears. It is wearing headphones specifically made for its p̶h̶y̶s̶i̶o̶l̶o̶g̶y̶ mythology(?), and plugging this exact headphone plug into its mp3 player.*
Show threadMarsh RayJun 14
@kenshirriff The brushes seem to disappear into the rings?
Is there another angle?
Show threadgroffJun 14
@marshray @kenshirriff
Looks like the insulating material protrudes out beyond the diameter of the rings and obscures the view of the wires. Presumably to stop any axial load or vibration causing the wires to contact the wrong ring.
Show threadKen Shirriff6d ago
@geoffl @marshray Yes, I think you're right that the insulators protrude, forcing the wires into channels. Here's a view from the other side.
Show threadMarsh Ray6d ago
@kenshirriff @geoffl It looks like there’s a V-channel in the rings, thanks!
Show threadPhilip CrawleyJun 14
@kenshirriff Similar arrangement to the slip-rings in the rotating head-drums of broadcast VTRs - although the signals from the heads left the drum via rotating transformers control signals and power (esp. the high voltage variable signals used to deflect the dynamic tracking heads) entered via slip-rings.
Show threadROTOPE~1 Jun 14
@kenshirriff damn, it's got a whole hellraiser cube hiding in there.
Show threadBen Brockert6d ago

@kenshirriff I imagine that if you see it do that while operational, you will not be landing on the moon that day.

What a cool mechanism! I wonder if somewhere there was an engineer arguing for a fourth axis to avoid gimbal lock.