Author Archives: Ian

IR or RF remote control design

There’s been talk of adapting the USB Infrared Toy to transmit AM radio frequencies as well as infrared light. Today we noticed a similar project by Peter Jakab. Peter’s DIY remote control based on PIC can emit IR or RF, depending on the output device. With an IR LED and it outputs normal remote control […]

IRScope open source remote control visualizer

rct tipped us to the open source IRScope software from the hifi-remote forums. IRScope captures and visualizes infrared signals with the IR Widget, but it could be adapted for the USB IR toy IRIO mode or SUMP logic analyzer mode. You can get a USB IR Toy for $20, including worldwide shipping. Seeed Studio currently has […]

USB IR Toy transmit frequency

Most infrared remote controls emit modulated light pulses to activate an infrared receiver. Using modulated IR light helps prevent stray light from messing with reception. Pulses at around 38kHz and 56kHz are common, but many values are used. The USB IR Toy’s transmitting LED is driven by a pulse-width modulator (PWM) that can be adjusted […]

Infrared remote control extender

s3c tipped us to an infrared remote extender at Electronics Lab. A 555 timer IC is set to oscillate at 38kHz. Each IR pulse from a remote control, detected by a TSOP1738 IR receiver module, activates the timer. The timer blinks several IR LEDs through a transistor at 38kHz, recreating the input signal. Handy little […]

Play WAV audio files with AD5330 and Arduino

SparkFun has a tutorial about playing WAV files with an 8-bit AD5330 Digital Analog Converter (DAC). The AD5330 has an 8-bit parallel interface and operates from 2.5v to 5.5v. SparkFun uses an Arduino, micro SD shield, and AD5330 breakout board to play WAV files. The Arduino reads uncompressed WAV files from a FAT formatted SD […]

Open Logic Sniffer preorder update

This is the manufacturing prototype of the Open Logic Sniffer logic analyzer. Parts are all in-house at Seeed Studio. Procurement is usually the most hazardous and delay-fraught phase of a preorder. Assembly, which will begin by Monday, is usually pretty quick. After assembly, the boards will be inspected, programmed, tested, and shipped to preorder participants. […]

Bus Blaster: High speed USB to JTAG, SPI, UART

The Bus Pirate can program flash chips with flashrom and debug JTAG devices with OpenOCD, but it doesn’t do these things very fast. It was designed for human-speed interaction. The Bus Pirate is a good way to learn an EEPROM chip, but you eventually integrate the chip in a real circuit with actual code. In […]

Ril3y’s laser cut Bus Pirate case available

Back in January we posted about Ril3y’s laser cut Bus Pirate case. Due to a Paypal issue it wasn’t possible to complete an order, but now it seems to be working. Synthetos Laboratories (Ril3y’s store) now lists them in clear ($12.99), translucent red, and translucent black (both $14.99). Up to three cases can be shipped […]

Web platform server firmware update

The web platform EEPROM and SD card server firmwares have stability problems at full speed, we encountered this bug with the @tweet_tree. Markus Gritsch posted test firmwares that have now been running for over 72hours without interruption. They even work when the PIC and SPI interface are overclocked beyond the datasheet specifications. A single edit […]

Sigrok: Open source logic analyzer client

Bert tipped us to the Sigrok open source logic analyzer client. Sigrok is a multi-platform client that aims to support most common logic analyzer hardware. It currently only supports the Saleae Logic, but Open Logic Sniffer support is in progress. Preorder an Open Logic Sniffer for $45, including worldwide shipping. The OLS should start shipping […]