Like many of us, Frank Delporte has been busy working from his home workspace during the past few months. Recently, when he was not focused on software projects, he was working on his book, Getting Started with Java on the Raspberry Pi, which is now available from Elektor. Let’s learn about Delporte’s interests and take a look at his electronics workspace where he tackles DIY projects.   

 
Delporte's nice and neat home workspace. You can see his upcoming Elektor book, Getting started with Java on the Raspberry Pi, on his screen!
What do you do for work?
I work fulltime at Televic Rail in Izegem, Belgium, as a Java developer and technical lead. But since the Corona lockdown, I'm staying home and not working for the company full-time. So, I had to reclaim my desk from my son who used it as a Lego table! He got another smaller one, and I now have my working spot back at home in the spare bedroom.

As I do mainly software, there is not a lot of hardware stuff on my desk, but two types of Pis (3 and 4) and an Arduino to do some experimenting. The Pis, breadboard, and small screen are glued on a recycled cheese plate (yeah, really!) so I can easily take them with me. And I do have a lot of drawers filled with other goodies.

Tell us about the book on Java and Raspberry Pi that you are working on for Elektor.
Since September last year, I've been working on a book Getting started with Java on the Raspberry Pi. Today, I was working on the final review so Elektor can start printing! Very exciting! So, that's what you see on the screen. 
Delporte designed a drum booth controller with Java, JavaFX, Raspberry Pi, and Arduino
Tell us about one of your favorite design projects.
Based on the examples from my book, I created a drum booth controller for my son. The code is shared on GitHub, and here is a video:
 

Do you plan to add something to your space?
I would love to add a 3D printer and laser cutter to my workspace; but there is already too much stuff unused, so let's first focus on those.

What sort of equipment and tools do you have in your workspace? Do you have a favorite?
I really love the Pi 4 and use the version with 4GB memory for programming and experimenting with a 4K display. It's not as powerful of course as my work-laptop (Dell Latitude), but I was really amazed of the power and speed of this very inexpensive device! Next to that, I have a Solomon SL-20 soldering station, which I can't even remember when I bought it, but it's still very good! 
 
Smart storage solutions keep things tidy! Is that a copy of the Elektor book, Learning Python with Raspberry Pi?
Do you have a dream project?
As I'm a CoderDojo coach, I had the idea of building some kind of portable airplane-like dashboard with many-many buttons, LEDs, displays. And some way to attach this to a bunch of Raspberry Pis all with their own small display to learn the kids to program with Python or Java. I have all the materials, but time is a problem, even in Corona times.
 
Have any tips for other developers, engineers, or makers who are thinking about setting up an electronics workspace?
If you want to start your own workspace, start with a good organization! I've lost hours and hours of valuable time to search for the right resistor, cable, component. By finally putting everything in a logical place, I still have to search, but not as long anymore.

You can interact with Frank and learn about his projects? Follow him on Twitter and check out his blog.
 

Check out these other electronics workspaces.
 
Intetested in DIY Projects? Show Us Your Electronics Workspace!
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