Tronixstuff has released Part 2 their tutorial series on using a GSM cellular modem with the Arduino. In this part they cover how to use the telephone network to control an Arduino board via a SM5100B Cellular Shield. This segment is the latest is a series of Arduino tutorials posted by Tronixstuff.
Author Archives: the machinegeek
Microstick dev board for dsPIC33F and PIC24H
The Microchip Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H is a DIP socketed development environment for the dsPIC33FJ64MC802 and PIC24HJ64GP502 16-bit digital signal controller and microcontroller. The board is USB powered with an integrated programmer/debugger, an onboard debug LED, utility LED and reset switch. Pin header spacing is 0.025″. List price is $24.99 from Microchip Direct. Check […]
Packet radio and the Arduino Radio Shield
Packet radio is a means of sending data wirelessly over radio channels, and is often used by Amateur Radio Operators. (One form is APRS, described in our earlier post.) In the video following the break you get some idea of how packet radio communications are conducted. The video uses a piece of hardware known as […]
APRS homebrew digital radio interface
Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) is a digital data communications system often used by amateur radio operators in the 2-Meter FM band. You may hear such data transmissions on 144.390 MHz FM and other frequencies. DK7IN has published an interesting project which promises to let you transmit APRS data when connected to a licensed amateur […]
Wireless sniffing and jamming
Recently Travis Goodspeed posted an article about using goodfet.cc to sniff radio traffic from the Chronos watch by TI and the iClicker handheld classroom remote. In addition to the sniffing capabilities, the project can also be used to jam RF signals as well using the IM-ME device illustrated above. Via Hack a Day.
Arduino-Processing-RFID sandwich game
Here’s a description by joshuajnoble of thefactoryfactory of his efforts in developing a simple “sandwich” game using Arduino, Processing and a Parallax RFID reader. Interesting for newcomers to the hobby as it illustrates the considerations which go into developing even a simple game using Arduino and Processing.
Vote in the BeagleBoard open source design challenge
Texas Instruments is conducting a design challenge for students at the University of Texas at Austin to determine the most innovative idea implemented on a BeagleBoard ARM Cortex-A8 processor-based system in the form of a practical application. Ti.com has posted the entries and wants you to vote for your favorite! Voting is open through February […]
OpenServo project
The OpenServo Project is an open community project with the goal of creating a low-cost servo for robotics. Check out their step by step instructions, which include using the familiar Atmega168 in the servo controller board. Via Hack a Day.
AVR decapping
Here are some examples by manekinen of what can happen when an apparently high reverse voltage is applied to several AVRs. Via Hack a Day.
picoBAT: ultrasonic bat detector
Think you have bats in the belfry? If you have a PIC 12F683, ultrasonic piezo receiver and piezo speaker, micro-examples has a project that purports to detect the presence of bats and sound a piezo alarm. The schematic and C source are available for download. We can envision a modification which would transmit an alert […]
Portable Hackintosh on a USB thumb drive
People put linux on their flash drives all the time. They also get hackintosh on their hard drives quite often. However, it’d be nice to be able to get the same live experience we get with Linux using OS X. With a distribution of OS X 10.6.2 called iPortable Snow, we can. Will Fancher at […]
App Note: CAN basics
The popularity of the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol has grown exponentially since its introduction in the mid-1980s. Today it’s used in automotive monitoring and control systems, medical equipment and industrial automation. Also, more microcontrollers are supporting this protocol. Here’s a Microchip Application Note covering the basics of the CAN protocol.
Arduino + Jeep = JEEPuter
Ed Zarick has released details on his Arduino vehicular control system known as JEEPuter. Combining an Arduino UNO, shift registers, LCD display, pushbuttons and a relay board, Ed interfaced this controller to his Wrangler’s ignition, garage door opener, lighting systems (with light-sensitivity control), radios and more. The JEEPuter also includes a time and temperature display. […]
DEFCON 16: hardware trojans using FPGA
At the DEFCON 16 hacker conference, Fouad Kiamilev and Ryan Hoover gave a presentation on the security threat presented by hardware Trojans, extra circuitry illicitly added to hardware during its manufacture. When triggered, the hardware Trojan performs an illicit action such as leaking secret information, allowing attackers clandestine access or control, or disabling or reducing […]
STMicroelectronics debuts single-chip positioning device for multiple global navigation systems
STMicroelectronics announces the impending release of Teseo II, a new generation of single-chip stand-alone positioning receivers for Portable Navigation Devices, in-car navigation and telematics applications. These Systems-on-Chips are monolithic devices capable of receiving signals from multiple satellite navigation systems, including GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS and QZSS. Listed features include 3rd generation positioning receiver with 32 tracking […]
Microchip expands 32-bit PIC(R) microcontroller line
Microchip Technology Inc. has a new, six-member family of 32-bit PIC32MX5/6/7 microcontrollers that provide performance specs of 1.56 DMIPS/MHz, and integrating Ethernet, CAN, USB and multiple serial communication channels, while offering more cost-effective memory options. Specifically, the family offers 32 Kbytes of RAM and up to 140 Kbytes of Flash. Additionally, design enhancements have been […]
OpenSPARC on FPGA
In March 2006, the complete design of Sun Microsystems’ UltraSPARC T1 microprocessor was released in open source form, named OpenSPARC T1. In early 2008, its successor, OpenSPARC T2, was also released in open source form. These were the first (and still only) 64-bit microprocessors ever open sourced. They were also the first (and still only) […]
555 Circuit Design Contest
Jeri Ellsworth and company have begun the 555 Contest, billed as the “biggest, newest, most-independently conceived 555 timer design contest the world has ever seen!” They’re searching for original circuits and application using the venerable 555 timer IC. Deadline for submissions is March 1, 2011, and a little bird just told us there over $1,600 […]
Dice Puzzle Box
Deddies Lab has a puzzle box project based on the an Atmega328, an accelerometer and a servo controlled locking system. The object is to get inside a dice-labeled box by tilting it in the correct sequence thereby entering the secret code. When the correct code has been detected by the accelerometer a servo unlocks the […]
RBox: DIY 32-bit game console
Rossum has released the schematic and the code for a 32-bit video game console. This prototype was constructed using a LPCXpresso devkit available at Digikey. You’ll need to replace the stock 12mhz with a very common 14.318mhz crystal. The analog joystick is a replacement part from a PSP. Features include 320×240 composite or s-video output […]