Bob Alexander of Galactic Studios made this bluetooth serial monitor for embedded microcontroller projects, the Blueprintf: One way of debugging microcontroller-based projects is to send messages out the UART serial port. Then, a UART-to-USB interface can feed the messages into your PC for display. But I wanted a small, portable device for viewing serial data without […]
Author Archives: DP
Bus Blaster v4 back in stock
Bus Blaster v4 JTAG debugger is back in stock at Seeed Studio.The cool thing about the Bus Blaster is that it uses a programmable logic chip as a buffer. It can imitate different types of programming hardware with a simple USB update. You can get a Bus Blaster v4 for $45.
3D printing pen
Jason Poel Smith posted a tutorial on 3D printing pens and how to use them, instructable here: How Does it Work? Like all 3D printing devices, a 3D printing pen works by heating a plastic filament to its melting point and forcing it through an extruder tip. This is very similar to how a hot glue […]
PCB printer
You can now print your own circuit boards. Check out this cool Voltera, a circuit board rapid prototyping platform: Circuit Board Printer Print dual layer PCBs on FR4 with 10mil space/trace. Our 20mΩ/sq sheet resistance and conventional soldering makes prototyping a breeze Solder Paste Dispenser Forget stencils. Pop your board in and dispense solder paste onto printed […]
Portable VCR Raspberry Pi
MisterM wrote this instructable detailing his 1981 portable VCR Raspberry PI media centre: This is an early ’80s Sharp VC-2300H portable VCR that I’ve converted – it now has a Raspberry Pi at its heart, running the excellent Raspbmc media centre software. Other upgrades include a snazzy arduino-based clock and an EL wire “tape” that ejects […]
#FreePCB via Twitter to 2 random RTs
Every Tuesday we give away two coupons for the free PCB drawer via Twitter. This post was announced on Twitter, and in 24 hours we’ll send coupon codes to two random retweeters. Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times a every week: Hate Twitter and Facebook? Free PCB Sunday is the classic PCB giveaway. Catch […]
USB IR Toy free PCB assembly cheatsheet
@psmay tweeted this picture of his USB IR Toy free PCB assembly cheatsheet. With the USB IR Toy you can use a remote control with your computer, view infrared signals on a logic analyzer, capture and replay remote control buttons. You can get IR Toy v2 for $22.05, including world wide shipping.
LeCroy HDO8000 power demo
Sebastian over at KF5OBS has published a video that demos the LeCroy HDO8000 power: Teledyne LeCroy’s Ken Johnson shows us some of the possibilities of the HDO8000 and the Power Measurement app
Tiny NFC reader with a TRF7970A
Limpkin wrote this blog article about his tiny NFC Reader with a TRF7970A build, and he will be giving a few of them away: The main components are: – the USB-enabled ATMega32U4 – a connector for the NRF24L01 – a Lithium-Ion battery charger – an NFC transceiver – a proximity sensor The main idea of this platform […]
App note: Does your op amp oscillate?
All about Op Amp stability app note from Linear Technology. Well, it shouldn’t. We analog designers take great pains to make our amplifiers stable when we design them, but there are many situations that cause them to oscillate in the real world. Various types of loads can make them sing. Improperly designed feedback networks can […]
Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB
We go through a lot of prototype PCBs, and end up with lots of extras that we’ll never use. Every Sunday we give away a few PCBs from one of our past or future projects, or a related prototype. Our PCBs are made through Seeed Studio’s Fusion board service. This week two random commenters will […]
App note: FlexConnect applications
An app note (PDF!) on Microchips’ FlexConnect: The USB protocol calls for rigid system roles to maintain order. One processor acts as the Host which issues commands to the Device. In turn, the Devices respond to the Host’s commands. This implementation operates well where there is one central processor controlling a wide variety of support devices. […]
Homebrew audio signal generator
Dilshan Jayakody writes: Audio Signal Generator (or AF Signal Generator) is often used in RF and AF base designing and experiments. In this article we introduce less complex AF signal generator based on commonly available electronic components. The heart of this AF signal generator is Intersil ICL8038 precision waveform generator/voltage controlled oscillator IC. ICL8038 is […]
ATX breakout board bench power supply back in stock
The ATX breakout board bench power supply is back in stock at Seeed Studio. This board recycles an old computer PSU into a handy bench tool with 3.3/5/12/-12 volt supplies. You can get one for $14 at Seeed Studio. You can also get a Sick of Beige case for your ATX breakout board for $4 […]
Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters
Every Friday we give away some extra PCBs via Facebook. This post was announced on Facebook, and on Monday we’ll send coupon codes to two random commenters. The coupon code usually go to Facebook ‘Other’ Messages Folder . More PCBs via Twitter on Tuesday and the blog every Sunday. Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times every […]
Week in (p)review January 09, 2015
Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week. Free PCB Friday is coming up soon. Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build Getting started with an I2C LCD using a Bus Pirate Laser cut chassis for ATX PSU board A boatload of Bus Blasters by @joegrand Coming up: Free PCBs via Facebook on Friday App notes […]
Open source Android IMSI-Catcher Detector
The crew from SecUpwN wrote in to tell us about their free and open source project to detect IMSI-Catchers and Silent SMS attacks with your Android smartphone: The Android IMSI-Catcher Detector Starting out on XDA Developers, our small team and me has been working on an open-source security-related Android App since the end of 2013 called the […]
A boatload of Bus Blasters
@joegrand tweeted this picture, “A boatload of Bus Blasters” The Bus Blaster is a high-speed JTAG debugger for ARM processors, FPGAs, CPLDs, flash, and more. You can get a Bus Blaster v3 for $34.95 and a Bus Blaster v4 for $45 at Seeed.
Beer Pong robot
Here’s a cool VERSABALL Beer Pong robot by Empire Robotics: The core principle behind VERSABALL is the jamming phase transition of granular materials. The green ball is filled with a sand like material. When air is pumped into the ball, the ball softens. The ball is then pushed against the target object. Pulling air out of […]
Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build
@ced2k tweeted picture of his free Bus Pirate v3.8 PCB build. The Bus Pirate is an open source hacker multi-tool that talks to electronic stuff. If you build a free PCB we’ll send you another one! Blog about it, post a picture on Flicker, whatever – we’ll send you a coupon code for the free PCB […]