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 […]
Category Archives: documentation
Altera CPLD/FPGA Quartus II design tutorials
If you have an Altera development board, such as the MAX V CPLD board or the UP1, UP2 or DE series of board, Altera has a collection of free video tutorials covering many aspects of CPLD/FPGA circuit design and programming of devices using their Quartus II design software.
Hacking passive automotive entry/starting systems
The Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich presents a paper documenting hacking techniques on Passive Keyless Entry and Start Systems (PKES). The hardware setup seems simple enough. The group states: The cable relay was performed with off-the-shelf coaxial cables. We built two 30 m cables that we combined for the 60 m relay tests. […]
Propeller game tutorial
The Gadget Gangster has released part one of a three part tutorial on Propeller game development. With these 8-core chips going from less than $1 per core it’s worth a look.
ADUCRF101: precision analog microcontroller with ISM band transceiver
Analog Devices, Inc. announces the release of the ADuCRF101, a fully integrated System On Chip (SOC) solution designed for low power wireless applications. The ADuCRF101 integrates a low power Cortex-M3 core from ARM. It is a 32-bit RISC machine, offering up to 1.25 DMIPS peak performance. The Cortex-M3 MCU also has a flexible 14-channel DMA […]
Experimental Security Analysis of a Modern Automobile
The Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security (CAESS) published a very detailed paper outlining the use, and potential for abuse of modern automotive embedded electronic control systems. Central to their work was the development of Carshark, a software tool for hacking the CAN bus on modern vehicles. (No, we do not know of site where […]
Xilinx free FPGA/CPLD design tutorials
The Arduino platform and bare microcontrollers are good ways to get started in developing embedded systems. But the way of the future is clearly CPLD and FPGA architecture. These devices are not simply a new type of chip, but a new and interesting design and development frontier. Their programs are developed using several methods, including […]
Amarino: Android meets Arduino
Several recent posts have dealt with the topic of interfacing Arduino with devices using the Android operating system. Here’s another approach: Amarino. “Android meets Arduino” is a toolkit, basically consisting of an Android application and an Arduino library which will help you to interface with your phone in a new dimension. You can build your […]
Arduino: the Documentary released
Arduino: the Documentary has been released! This CC licensed movie features interviews with many Arduino enthusiasts, developers, and users.
Handling exceptions in Processing
Here’s some interesting information from the MAKE Codebox about how to handle errors and exceptions which appear in the Processing IDE. A good look at what causes exceptions along with suggestions on how to deal with them.
Searchable schematic symbol library
Did you ever wonder what an obscure schematic symbol represents? Electrical What?! is a site that answers this question and more. It’s an intuitive, easily accessible, free and open library of symbols searchable by name or shape and attributes.
Nimbits
Nimbits is a free, social and open source data logging system. It provides a mechanism for recording time series data, such as a changing temperature or stock price, into a data channel called a “Data Point”. Your data is stored on a global cloud computing infrastructure that provides remarkable uptime and scalability. You can download […]
BYTE Magazine downloads
As the year comes to a close we all become nostalgic for the old days. For some of us, the old days included a publication known as BYTE Magazine. BYTE was published from 1975-1998. While original issues can be costly and hard to find, thanks to ThumpNugget there is a growing PDF library of downloadable […]
Purdue ECE477 projects
Chris writes: I stumbled upon this large collection of senior projects at Purdue and thought that there might be something you might like. These are great because they are fully documented projects. Its good to use to get a fresh idea or new outlook on a current project. Via the contact form.
FPGAs and Apples
One area of FPGA development involves the emulation of retro computers. AppleLogic is a site for hobbyists who develop FPGA cores of early Apple Computer models. Their collection of early Apple user manuals, schematics and documentation is quite impressive.
Dynamic radio spectrum utilization
Here’s an interesting paper from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia detailing Dynamic Spectrum Access Management using Cognitive Radio System. The concepts highlighted in this presentation will become increasingly important as regulators in the US and throughout the world deal with competing needs for radio spectrum, with a corresponding impact on developers and users of RF devices.
UPDATE: FCC releases net neutrality Report and Order
The Federal Communications Commission today released the full text of the Report and Order containing the official net neutrality rules. What does this have to do with hacking, experimentation or embedded systems? With the move toward increased networking of the devices we develop and experiment with, it is important to know our rights to use […]
Vehicle data collection and processing system
As you travel this holiday weekend you may notice these IR devices mounted on police vehicles, at turnpike toll plazas and elsewhere along highways. They are designed to automatically read license plate numbers and check them against a database. Here’s an abstract describing how these systems work.
FCC passes net neutrality rules
Here’s the PDF of the FCC’s official summary of their action December 21, 2010 approving net neutrality rules.
Microcontroller used to monitor photocopier, circa 1998
If you think the idea of remote monitoring of photocopiers and other office equipment is new, check out U S Patent number 5,822,221. The part about using a DTMF to ASCII converter for communications over a telephone line is really old school.