Posts on Diogo Sergio

Plotyx: Open-Source CoreXY Plotter

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 11:31:09 +0000

I’ve always been interested in CNC machines, 3D printers and plotters, so I decided to build my own drawing plotter based on the CoreXY design. The goal was something that works well and is open source, so others could build it or change it for their own projects. At the time, the alternatives were all quite expensive.

Why a CoreXY Plotter?

After looking at different plotter designs, I settled on CoreXY because it has some nice advantages. Its belt system keeps both motors still, which means less moving weight and potentially faster, more accurate movement. That seemed ideal for a drawing plotter, where precision matters, and I also wanted to use linear rails.

Building a Custom Trading Keypad: Cryptowatch 4k20k

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 09:13:00 +0000

This project started with a random conversation on our company Slack. Someone mentioned building a custom keyboard for trading with our Cryptowatch Desktop product, like those Bloomberg terminal keypads. I thought it would be a fun side project.

The Concept: 4k20 Keypad

I wanted to build a small companion keypad with 4 rows and 5 columns of keys (20 in total), plus 4 rotary encoders for extra control. The plan was to use a Teensy LC as the brains, with the keypad as a shield that plugs into it.

Discovering the Twitter API through a Raspberry Pi Project

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 12:33:19 +0000

I’d been curious about the Twitter API for a while, so I finally spent a weekend playing with it, on a fun little project that mixes three things I like: programming, photography and Raspberry Pis.

Raspberry Pi Twitter Bot

The idea was a Twitter bot running on a Raspberry Pi – a Pi Zero with a Picamera – taking photos of Richmond Riverside from my living room window and tweeting them. It would take a photo every three hours between 8am and 5pm, and anyone could ask for a live photo by tweeting a keyword at it.

Helias: Generative Art Experiment with p5.js

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 22:47:09 +0000

I’ve been curious about generative art for a while, but never really got into it until recently, when I started experimenting with p5.js. Helias is my first attempt: a fun little project that uses noise to make a different abstract piece every time it runs.

What is Helias?

Helias is a generative art experiment I built using p5.js. It creates these colourful, blobby organic shapes arranged in a grid-like pattern, but with enough randomness to make each generation unique. The name doesn’t really mean anything – I just thought it sounded cool, and it reminded me a bit of flowers.

My Journey with Drones and FPV Flying

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 16:24:05 +0000

I’ve always been really into drones. I think it started with Charpu’s freestyle videos on YouTube – I was completely amazed by his flying. I didn’t build one until recently, but at one point I was so into it that I designed and 3D printed a drone frame, which I published on Thingiverse back in 2016.

Sayha - X FPV Quadcopter 4" 5" 6"

This frame was my first real go at 3D modelling and 3D printing. I used it as a way to make myself learn Autodesk 123D Design (sadly discontinued now). It was based on the ImpulseRC Alien and the Lumenier QAV-R, with removable arms in an X around the centre, and I made versions for 4", 5" and 6" propellers. Working out how to design it was great fun, and it got me hooked on 3D modelling in general. The funny part is that I never built a working version of it myself.

Learning to Fly Airplanes with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 21:16:53 +0000

This summer my fiancé gave me a flight experience for my birthday. It was an amazing surprise and I loved it, but it left me wanting more. I didn’t necessarily want to go through proper flight training and get a licence, but I wanted to know the ins and outs of flying a plane well enough to know what to do if I ever had to fly the real thing.

Flight Simulators

There are a bunch of flight sims out there, but for graphics, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is hands down the best. I remember watching videos from E3 2019 while it was still in development and being amazed by how life-like it looked, so I went straight to Steam to check it out. It looked even better than I remembered. Using photogrammetry and Bing Maps imagery, it recreates the entire planet. The world looks incredible, and the ground has so much detail that you can fly over your hometown and recognise it from above.

Building Chappie's Head: My Most Complex 3D Printing Project

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 16:32:07 +0000

Chappie is another great film from Neill Blomkamp, grown out of his early short, Tetra Vaal. As soon as I watched it, I knew I had to build something from it. Going through the Replica Prop Forum (RPF) threads, I found someone had already designed the files for Chappie’s head, so I had to give them a try.

The Start of the Project

I got the files from RPF member Razmataz, then added and changed some pieces to my liking, or to make them more accurate. It was a big project that took several months and taught me a lot along the way: my first time doing electronics, my first time using an airbrush, and my first time building something this complex.

Creating Officer K's Blaster from Blade Runner 2049

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 21:47:09 +0000

After the Star Wars lightsabers, I wanted to keep challenging myself with more complex props. So I took on Officer K’s blaster from Blade Runner 2049, which would sit nicely next to the Tomenosuke replica of Deckard’s original blaster I’d recently added to my collection.

The Harrison Ford Trifecta

Part of the motivation was a goal to one day complete what Adam Savage calls the “Harrison Ford trifecta”: his weapons from three big roles – Deckard’s blaster from Blade Runner, Han Solo’s DL-44 from Star Wars, and Indiana Jones’s Smith & Wesson revolver.

Learning Fusion 360 through Star Wars Lightsaber Props

Wed, 01 Feb 2017 21:47:09 +0000

I’ve always been a Star Wars fan, so I decided to try making some lightsaber replicas with Fusion 360 and my 3D printer. They were the first props I modelled in 3D, and they turned out to be a really fun project!

Why Lightsabers?

Lightsabers are iconic, and they have a nice mix of simple and complex shapes that makes them interesting to model. They seemed like a good way to learn Fusion 360, since they need a few different modelling techniques.

Adventure Time: Finn's Golden Sword of Battle

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:03:21 +0000

I’ve been watching Adventure Time for a while now, and since I started the show I’ve wanted to make a prop from it. So here it is – my very first handmade prop: Finn’s Golden Sword of Battle!

The Golden Sword of Battle (also known as Scarlet) is Finn’s go-to weapon through most of seasons one and two. The blade is dented, chipped and worn, with a black hilt, weathered leather grip straps and a red gemstone in the pommel. In “Business Time,” the Business Men polish and sharpen the sword, making it the only episode where the golden sword looks brand new.