Courtney Lancaster gave this talk at Shmoocon 2014 outlining the types of information available from vehicle infotainment systems “This talk will take an in-depth look at infotainment technologies and how to forensically acquire the data associated with the functionalities that exist across various manufacturers. Furthermore, we will cover the challenges of conducting digital forensics on an actual car, both physically and logistically.”
Serial audio player with amplifier
Chris Holden writes:
Steve Carpenter wants some wav playing boards, so I redesigned the circuit to use an integrated op-amp, so they just require power and a speaker. I’ve no idea which op-amp works best, a TL072 or an LM386 (I’ve not had much luck with the LM386 in the past, and Steve really rates the TL072 that is used in early versions of the Arduino wavshield) so here’s a circuit that can use either. This version also includes a low-pass filter, hopefully to eliminate that annoying clicking you can hear when it first starts up!
Sensor stick project
Elpis of Embedded Day shared his sensor stick in the project log forum:
I just finish the assembly process of my latest super mini project! It’s nothing amazing… but its a very handy sensor module!
On board there are three commonly used sensors: SHT10, BMP085 and MPU6050. I was constantly using those ones over my last projects and I thought it will be a good idea to make a simple module with all of those. They are communicating over I2C and the module can accept voltages from 3V to 6V.
Via the forum.
ChipStomp, a digital effects pedal with a ChipKit DP32 and Stompshield
Catmacey has been working on a digital guitar effects processor based on a PIC32MX, the ChipStomp:
Here’s another “Guitar stomp box” project…
This one combines a Chipkit DP32 (PIC32MX) with an Open music labs Stomp Shield to sample audio, mess with it and squirt it back out at 44Khz.It uses the built-in 10bit ADC for input and two 8bit PWM DACs to provide a 16bit output. It’s a clever solution to use two “small” high speed PWMs mixed like that, thank you Open Music Labs.
Via the project log forum.
Arduino GPS distance calculator
GPS distance calculator created by a group of students from Indiana University, built as a final project:
As sports fans building for golfers, we kept the design anchored to real courses in Indiana, where players care about precise yardage from tee to landing. The handheld logs latitude and longitude at impact and at rest, then reports the distance in yards so club selection feels honest. Because markers can vary, the tool helps verify a course’s numbers and track average distances by club. We also scanned Indiana online casino chatter where weekend golfers share gear routines, which pushed us to keep the interface fast: tap at the hit, tap at the ball, and your yardage is saved.
Check out the video after the break. This device found here can also help improve your golf game experience. If you’re looking for high-quality golf products and equipment, you may visit sites like BirdieBall. Continue reading “Arduino GPS distance calculator”
#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 it every Sunday, right here on the blog
- Tweet-a-PCB Tuesday. Follow us and get boards in 144 characters or less
- Facebook PCB Friday. Free PCBs will be your friend for the weekend
Some stuff:
- Yes, we’ll mail it anywhere in the world!
- Check out how we mail PCBs worldwide video.
- We’ll contact you via Twitter with a coupon code for the PCB drawer.
- Limit one PCB per address per month please.
- Like everything else on this site, PCBs are offered without warranty.
We try to stagger free PCB posts so every time zone has a chance to participate, but the best way to see it first is to subscribe to the RSS feed, follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook.
Easy WebSockets with Flask and Gevent
Miguel Grinberg writes:
This weekend I decided to take a short vacation from my book writing effort and spend time on a project I wanted to work on for a long time. The result of this effort is a brand new Flask extension that I think is pretty cool.
I’m happy to introduce Flask-SocketIO, a very easy to use extension that enables WebSocket communications in Flask applications.WebSocket is a new communication protocol introduced with HTML5, mainly to be implemented by web clients and servers, though it can also be implemented outside of the web.
Unlike HTTP connections, a WebSocket connection is a permanent, bi-directional communication channel between a client and the server, where either one can initiate an exchange. Once established, the connection remains available until one of the parties disconnects from it.
WebSocket connections are useful for games or web sites that need to display live information with very low latency. Before this protocol existed there were other much less efficient approaches to achieve the same result such as Comet.
Thermal camera project
In this video Avery demonstrates his thermal camera project that he is working on:
The code does technically work. I put my hand over the sensor, and LEDs light up. In the video, they appear to get brighter because the led on/off decision is made by basically taking the image and converting it to on/off based on a threshold. The threshold is very close to the ambient temperature of the room, so it flickers on and off. Putting my hand over it makes it more likely to be on, so the display gets brighter.
However, there is some work to be done. The first thing to do is add ambient temperature compensation. The grid-eye has an internal temperature register that can provide a baseline value for what pixels are actually at ambient temperature. This could be sampled on boot or reset. Ideally, the brightness of each pixel would be proportional to the temperature (to some extent), instead of just thresholded.
Simplest and cheapest foot-controlled telepromter ever
Giorgos from PCBheaven wrote a post detailing the build of his DIY foot-controlled telepromter:
I’m preparing a whole new set of theory videos. I’ve set almost everything up, new camera, light fixtures, microphones and everything. I even used my old laptop as an telepromter to narrate the script. But i did not want to hand any remote control and i do want my hands to be free. I will be shooting the videos alone therefore i need some sort of control over the telepromter scroll, something to pause and restart the scrolling.
So i made this extremely simple foot switch USB remote controller.
Check out the video after the break. Continue reading “Simplest and cheapest foot-controlled telepromter ever”
DIY acrylic skeleton clock
Benmurton posted a step by step guide of his DIY acrylic skeleton clock build:
This is a clock made fully out of acrylic!
This was originally was my year 13 mechanical engineering college project, we had to research, design and build a project for a stakeholder, this including lots of recording so there is no shortage of photos.
the use of acrylic for a main building material was decided to make a new feature piece, it also is a simpler material to work with, with the limited machinery you find in a college workshop. The clock is fully my design and took about 13 weeks with about 16 hours a fortnight. I wanted something a bit different from the standard clock with three hands and circular design, i wanted to included the look and mechanical workings in the old grandfather and skeleton clock. This is where the open design comes from so all workings are visible so you can see how it operates.
Via Hacked Gadgets.
Check out the video after the break.
Interactive LED beer pong table
Jeff wrote this Instructable detailing the build of his LED beer pong table project:
This instructable will guide you through all of the steps to in order to create a one-of-a-kind beer pong table complete with cup detecting RGB pods, automatic ball washers, a 32×12 ping pong ball LED grid, side LED rings for spectators and an RF interface to communicate wirelessly with a PC! It will teach you everything from theory of operation to modifying the table to suit your needs. First, I will take you through the modification and wiring of the table before we dive into the software side of things.
Check out the video after the break.
app note: High-Side Switch Using LDO Regulator Controller
An old but good app note from Micrel using LDO Regulator as High Side switch controller.
The Micrel MIC5158 Super LDO™ Voltage Regulator Controller can be used as a high-side switch driver that features a relatively accurate current limit. The part is normally intended for driving the MOSFET pass device of a voltage regulator. It also has constant-current output limiting. The similarity that this circuit shares with high-side MOSFET drivers is that it includes a charge-pump for driving N-channel MOSFETs. An advantage is that its current limit is more accurate than that of most high-side drivers.
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 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:
- Tweet-a-PCB Tuesday. Follow us and get boards in 144 characters or less
- Facebook PCB Friday. Free PCBs while you wait for the weekend
- Free PCB Sunday, right here on the blog
- Check out how we mail PCBs worldwide
app note: Simple Current-Limiting Power Supply
A simple current-limiting power supply from Micrel, app note here.
Just three ICs are required to build this adjustable-voltage, adjustable-current-limit power supply that operates like a laboratory supply. It offers an output voltage range of 0V to 25V and a current limit range of about 10mA to 1.5A. The Micrel MIC29152 LDO Regulator has a ground-referred bandgap (reference) voltage. Other adjustable regulators with ground-based reference voltages should also work.
Free online course: Introduction to Linux
“The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux and collaborative development, has announced it is building a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) program with edX, the nonprofit online learning platform launched in 2012 by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). More than 31 universities have partnered with edX and nearly two million people have accessed its courses online since it launched just 18 months ago.
The Linux Foundation and edX are partnering to develop a MOOC program that will help address this issue by making basic Linux training materials available to all for free. Previously a $2,400 course, Introduction to Linux will be the first class available as a MOOC and will be free to anyone, anywhere. The Linux Foundation is among a new group of member organizations edX announced who will contribute courses to the platform.”
More more information and to sign up to audit this course for free visit The Linux Foundation page at edX.
App note: Getting the most out of the MAX14920/MAX14921 high-accuracy battery-measurement AFEs
An application note from Maxim on getting the most out of the MAX14920/MAX14921 high-accuracy battery-measurement AFEs:
The MAX14920/MAX14921 is a high-accuracy battery-measurement analog front-end (AFE) ideal for cell balancing and battery-measurement applications. The performance of the system in which the MAX14920/MAX14921 is used, however, depends highly on the components that support and surround it. This application note provides a framework for, and examples of, selecting system architectures and building blocks that meet diverse accuracy and cost requirements.
A similar version of this article appears on EDN, November 19, 2013.
Magnetically actuated micro-robots
Magnetically actuated micro-robots for advanced manipulation applications:
SRI is developing new technology to reliably control thousands of micro-robots for smart manufacturing of macro-scale products in compact, integrated systems.
Via Hacked Gadgets.
Hi-Fi audio power amplifier for experiments and general use
Dilshan Jayakody writes:
This is high quality audio power amplifier which we constructed for our audio related experiments. This amplifier is based on NXP’s TDA1521A integrated circuit and it is capable to deliver 2 × 6W audio output power with 20V – 25V asymmetrical power source. The design of this power amplifier is heavily based on the schematic provided in the TDA1521A datasheet. As an addition we incorporate headphone output option to this design.
Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters
eEvery 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:
- Free PCB Sunday. The classic. Every week, get free PCBs right here on the blog comments
- Tweet-a-PCB Tuesday. Follow us and get boards in 144 characters or less
- Facebook PCB Friday. Free PCBs while you wait for the weekend
- Check out our video on how we mail PCBs worldwide.
Continue reading “Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters”
Week in (p)review April 25, 2014
Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week. Free PCB Friday is coming up soon.
- Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 1: Surviving Shenzhen, Chinese Lesson, Market
- Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 2: Export, Import, Shipping, Sourcing Agents
- Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 2: Soldering workshop
- Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 2: BBQ dinner
- Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 3: Soldering workshop
- Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 3: Big Hacker Shaokao (BBQ)
- Hacker Camp Shenzhen Day 3: Office Hunting, Labor Supply, Starting a Business
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