Push button toggle switch, old style

switchtoggle-inverter

Bertho of Vagrearg writes:

I recently answered a question about how a specific circuit worked and I was so intrigued that I just needed to write down my findings and share it.
The circuit uses a single (cheap) push-button to make the output toggle with debouncing and no-delay switching. The circuit used originally two NOR-gates and was embedded in a mixer-table. I boiled the circuit down a bit to get to the bottom and this is the result
The original NOR-gates were used to be able to do predictable power-up behavior as well as global set/reset functionality. The elegance of the circuit is brilliant IMO.

A full write-down and timing-diagram is on my homepage at Vagrearg.org Have fun looking and enjoying pre-microcontroller era ingenuity.

Via the forum.

BLDC motor control using Atmega328

BLDC
Nich Fugal from Makeatronics is working on a BLDC motor controller.

I call it a smart BLDC commutator. In a nutshell it’s a dedicated atmega328 that monitors the hall effect sensors on a brushless DC motor and takes care of the commutating and driver circuitry.

It’s smart because it has the ability to extract and keep track of motor position while monitoring the hall sensors. There’s also an option to plug in a quadrature encoder for higher resolution. The position can be sampled via a sample and hold input and communicated to a host controller via SPI.

I designed it to be an easy to use black box for interfacing with BLDC motors. All the host controller has to do is feed it direction (high/low) and PWM and the rest is done for you.

More build information is available from Makeatronics.

Via the contact form.

Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB

buspiratev38

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 get a coupon code for the free PCB drawer tomorrow morning. Pick your own PCB. You get unlimited free PCBs now – finish one and we’ll send you another! Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times every week:

Continue reading “Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB”

App note: PCB Design Guidelines for QFN and DQFN Packages

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Efficiently design your PCB involving QFN or DQFN packages with this App note from Microchip.

Successful implementation of QFN and DQFN packages requires special consideration for printed circuit board (PCB) layout and solderpaste stencil production. This application note describes the important items to consider.

QFN packages are physically robust, thermally efficient, and occupy much less PCB space than equivalent QFP packages. They generally have superior lead inductance characteristics. They also present some particular design constraints. QFN packages generally have a row (QFN) or two (DQFN) of perimeter pads (“pads”) around a larger central pad (“flag” or “Epad”) encapsulated in a plastic body. These packages are surface-mounted to the target system PCB by a solder reflow process.

App note: USB Battery Charging with the Microchip/SMSC USB2534 Hub Controller

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USB2534 Hub Controller Chip provides various battery charging protocols built-in. App note here.

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the most used computer interface in the world. It started as an expansion bus for personal computers, but has proliferated quickly due to its flexibility, performance, and hot plug capability. It is used by most portable electronic devices that require PC connectivity for file transfers. These devices include MP3 players, digital cameras, cellphones, and tablets. Since a standard USB bus downstream port can provide at least 500 mA of current, it was convenient to use it for charging these devices. This document describes how this current limit can be increased and how the SMSC USB2534 Hub Controller with RapidCharge™ can be used to implement a system solution to efficiently charge portable devices.

App note – Distribution automation and the smart grid: Coming of age with a new set of challenges

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Another good app note from Maxim – Distribution automation and the smart grid: Coming of age with a new set of challenges

The combination of aging electricity grid infrastructure and renewable portfolio standards present new challenges in the distribution automation space worldwide. In this application note, we review three key areas: asset protection, security, and asset management. In each area, device-level silicon provides benefits to ease the transition to a complete smart grid.

A similar version of this article appears on EDN, October 2013.

App note: Ensuring the complete life-cycle security of smart meters

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Solutions to security threats faced by smart meters through their entire life cycle from Maxim, app note here:

This application note explores the various potential points of attack in the life cycle of smart meters: during manufacturing, installation, operation, and post-installation. The application note then discusses real solutions to these security vulnerabilities, such as the use of secure bootloaders during manufacturing, metrology boards during installation, asymmetric encryption in the hardware rather than the software during operation, and possibly a cumulative attestation kernel (CAK) for forward-looking security. Maxim’s ZEUS™ system-on-chip (SoC) is presented as a robust design solution for smart meter security.

A similar version of this article was published June 26, 2013 Elektronik Journal.

NOT-A-CAMERA, the 2D camera that shoots JPGs and HD video

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Olivia Barr writes about her latest project, the NOT-A-CAMERA:

Introducing my latest creation, the NOT-A-CAMERA! It’s a REAL camera designed to look like a fake 2D camera etched into wood that shoots HD video and 3.5mb jpgs. Yep, it’s a functional camera, a spy camera laser cut in solid walnut and only half an inch thick. There is also a mirror front version for snapping a selfie.

I originally made NOT-A-CAMERA as a gift for my grandma, Olivia Barr, who is 101 years old. I’m named after her and the third generation Olivia in my family. She started taking photos in her 90s and I wanted to make her a camera that was light and easy to use.
I am currently inviting individual artists to work with NOT-A-CAMERA. Check out images and video from the ongoing project on tumblr

Arduino pro mini undershield

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Bajdi blogged about his Arduino pro mini undershield:

I’ve designed another PCB :) This time it’s a simple undershield for the Arduino pro mini. I received the PCB’s from Electrodragon (12$ for 10PCB’s) last week. The PCB has a schottky diode and a 5V linear regulator, I’m using an LM2940 5V regulator. For the rest there are just 2 rows of female headers to plug the pro mini in and 3 rows of male pins on each side.
The reason I’ve had this PCB made is that pro mini’s are dirt cheap these days, you can find them on Ebay or Chinese shops for mess then 4$. That makes them the cheapest Arduino on the internet. It’s cheaper and easier to buy a pro mini and integrate it in to your own project then to design your own PCB with an ATmega328.

Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build

2014-04-29 22.55.56

Olivier Chatelain posted 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 drawer.

Get your own handy Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.

Via the contact form. Continue reading “Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build”

Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters

STICKERS

Every Friday we giveaway some extra PCBs via Facebook. This post was announced on Facebook, and on Monday we’ll send coupon codes to two random commenters. More PCBs via Twitter on Tuesday and the blog every Sunday. Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times every week:

Continue reading “Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters”

Week in (p)review May 02, 2014

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Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week. Free PCB Friday is coming up soon.

Coming up:

  • Free PCBs via Facebook on Friday
  • App notes on the weekend
  • Free PCB Sunday
  • Free PCBs via Twitter on Tuesday
  • Weekly roundup and preview every Friday

Bay Area Maker Faire May 17th & 18th, taco crawl

We’ll be at the Bay Area Maker Faire on the 17th, and 18th of May this year. This is the big one and it’s a ton of fun. If you’re there please drop by and say hi. On the blog we’ll have our usual Maker Faire coverage.

If you’re in San Francisco early please join us for the Dangerous taco crawl from Noise Bridge hacker space through the Mission District on Thursday the 16 15th. We’ll meet at Noise Bridge on the corner of 17th and Mission Street at about 6pm. The first year we were two, the following year there were 12, and last year something near 40 people joined the crawl at one point or another. It is always a ton of fun. If you can make it please give us a shout via the contact form.

Check out our previous Maker Faire coverages.

Defcon 21: secret life of SIM cards

PHd student Karl Koscher and software engineer Eric Butler have teamed up to research phone SIM cards and how they are used to run small apps. At the DEFCON 21 conference they presented their methodology and results. “This talk, based on our experience building SIM apps for the Toorcamp GSM network, explains what (U)SIM Toolkit Applications are, how they work, and how to develop them. If you need to access the internet using your mobile phone, you may need eSIM Plus services. Understanding prepaid and postpaid services can help you manage your phone bills more effectively.

We will explain the various pieces of technology involved, including the Java Card standard, which lets you write smart card applications using a subset of Java, and the GlobalPlatform standard, which is used to load and manage applications on a card. We will also talk about how these applications can be silently loaded, updated, and interacted with remotely over-the-air.”

The PDF of presentation slides is available for download.

Why we need a CNC pick-n-place

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Chris Holden of Nerd Club has been working on a CNC pick-n-place machine and wrote a post on his blog detailing it’s assembly:

Hand-soldering SMT components is slow going. And almost an hour per board section is pretty woeful. So it’s time to start seriously thinking about this CNC pick-n-place machine. Steve is going to go beserk.
I went down to BuildBrighton for a few hours this evening, with Grumpy Paul (he doesn’t have a G+ link). Over a few hours, we cobbled together a basic x/y axis, using some 12mm linear bearings and stainless steel rods that have been lying around for ages. We’ve mounted the steppers onto the y-axis carriage – one on each side rather than a single long belt down the middle, as we need to keep the middle clear for placing components. Also, because we’re expecting the head to travel to the edge(s) to pick up components from a tape reel, we couldn’t really use the moving y-axis bed approach we implemented in our CNC drill from about 18 months ago.

Arduino command-line tool “MiniPirate”

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Olivier writes:

This command-line enables “Quick” Arduino prototyping without compilation. Reading analog values, dis-/enabling ports and even I2C register manipulations are done in seconds instead of minutes. I will shows you how to set the time of a “DS1207” I2C realtime clock as well as executing some basic operations.
The impatients of you just download the sketch here: [GitHub] and enter the test sequence “\a2/a3ir10” into the Arduino serial monitor.

The MiniPirate is heavily inspired by the much small and powerful “Bus Pirate” of Ian Lesnet and even uses a small part of it’s code.

Continue reading “Arduino command-line tool “MiniPirate””

Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build

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Chris McKernan 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 drawer.

Get your own handy Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.

GTP-USB-Lite programmer re-flashed as USBPICProg

usb-pic_prog

Oakkar7 writes:

At the last weekend, I try to flash my GTP-USB-Lite programmer with new firmware and to use new software. The procedure is very simple.
– GTP-USB-Lite and USBPICProg are very identical hardwares, USB interface, PIC18F2550, the same charge pump, same programming header’s pin.

– The difference are;
* GTB-USB lite used 8MHz crystal and USBPICProg uses 12 MHz crystal
* LEDs are connected at PIC pins 11,12 and 13 in USBPICProg and pins 27,28 at GTP-USB-Lite.

NEW PROJECT: BGA Reballing Practice Kit, removal, reballing, soldering exercise

BGA Reballing Kit

At Hacker Camp Shenzhen we learned to reball BGA chips at a mobile phone repair school. This technique was developed to repair cell phones with little to no equipment. That means no expensive reballing rigs, no collection of tiny replacement BGA balls. Just simple hand tools.

We thought it was so cool we bought all the exact same equipment used at the school and put it into a kit. In a few weeks we’ll post the video from the soldering workshop (don’t miss day 2’s lectures today). If you order the BGA kit now you can have it in time to follow along with the BGA rework video! How cool is that?

A kit with (almost) everything you need to reball your first BGA chip! Includes the exact brands and tools used by Hacker Camp Shenzhen to teach BGA reballing at a mobile phone repair school. Accompanies the Hacker Camp Shenzhen 2014 BGA workshop video from Dangerous Prototypes.

What’s in the box:

  1. Recycled mobile phone (chip donor)
  2. Solder paste
  3. Flux
  4. Spatula
  5. Tweezers right angle (ST-15)
  6. Tweezers sharp (ST-11)
  7. Knife and flat blade
  8. BGA stencil
  9. PCB holder
  10. Screw driver
  11. Phone opening tools
  12. Cotton sticks
  13. Dangerous Prototypes stickers

You will need to bring your own (B.Y.O.):

  1. Soldering iron (any will work)
  2. Hot air rework station
  3. Acetone (or nail polish remover)
  4. Tissues

More resources and instructions available here.

Get your own kit for $79 at Seeed. Remember this includes the EXACT tools used at the hacker camp so it will be easy to follow the tutorial videos we post in a few weeks. If you couldn’t make the camp, here’s your chance to follow along at home!

Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 2 Video: Export, Import, Shipping, Sourcing Agents

Connie @ Arcbotics discusses import and export from China, Lily and Ben talk about sourcing agents, and Tully @ Factory For All covers shipping. Morning discussions from Hacker Camp Shenzhen 2014, Friday April 4th.

The three speaker and presentations, and all the day 2 picture posts.