TI offering FRAM Experimenter’s Board + SimpleLink CC3000 WiFi module for $57

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TI is offering the FRAM Experimenter’s Board + SimpleLink CC3000 WiFi Evaluation Module as a bundle for a limited time for $57.

The FRAM Experimenter’s Board is The MSP-EXP430FR5739 Experimenter Board is a development platform for the MSP430FR57xx devices. It supports this new generation of MSP430 microcontroller devices with integrated Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FRAM).

The SimpleLink CC3000 WiFi EM is a self-contained wireless network processor that simplifies the process of implementing Internet connectivity and contains the CC3000 module, and standard RF1 and RF2 headers to connect to many TI platforms including MSP430, Stellaris, and C5000.

This offer is available for a limited time at the TI estore. This combo normally costs $70.

(Want to know more about FRAM? TI and Mouser are offering a limited number of hardcopies of FRAM for Dummies. to those willing to provide their name, shipping address and email.)

Energia Library : Interfacing to a Mifare RC522 RFID

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Eelcor over at the 430h forum shared his Energia library for the Milfare RC522 RFID card:

I wanted to share my results with the MF RC522 RFID reader. I found an article from Grant Gibson where he used a cheap reader from eBay to read Mifare cards.
The command set and technical aspects of the MFRC522 chip can be found in the datasheet
I have ported the example to Energia. Very simple by removing all Chinese comments and replacing uchar with unsigned chars.
After these changes it works like a charm.

Via 430h.

Arduino video overlay shield free guest PCB build

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Rubi blogged about his free LowVoltageLabs’ Video Overlay Shield PCB build:

In 2011 I won a free pcb from Dangerous Prototypes, a Arduino shield you can use to overlay and display data on a video stream.
The Arduino Video Overlay Shield is based on the MAX7456 on screen display chip.
The Arduino compatible shield board overlays text on analog video, therefore
it allows easy overlay of text onto an analog video signal, NTSC or PAL.
Just plug it on an Arduino processor board to get started.
The shield is created by Lowvoltage Labs.
I wanted to use it to display the subject line and address  of incoming emails while watching tv.
Another use could be a osd system to display flight data on rc planes.

Via the forum.

Interfacing the DAC7564 to an MSP430

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Juan has written an article detailing how to use an MSP430 with a DAC7564:

The DAC7564 is a low-power, voltage-output, four-channel, 12-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The device includes a 2.5V, 2ppm/°C internal reference. The device is monotonic, provides very good linearity, and minimizes undesired code-to-code transient voltages (glitch).

Shaizi (liars’ dice), street BBQ, and beer: guanxi the easy way

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Guanxi means “face”, which is basically a Chinese system of respect in business and life. If a friend does you a favor, you owe them one back. If you do good business with a vendor, they treat you well. Westerners, especially, I think blow this way out of proportion. Maybe in the past it was a live-or-die kind of thing, but in modern Shenzhen it seems no different than doing business anywhere else. Good customers and vendors get respect, bad vendors selling bad parts don’t get your business again.

Navigating the Huaqiangbei electronics markets is not without peril, especially for foreigners. There are bad parts, low quality stuff, recycled stuff, and even fake stuff. If you have a good relationship (“face”) with a vendor, they will direct you away from the bad stuff and give you great prices on even small quantities.

Building this relationship is challenging, especially for non-Chinese speaking foreigners. You can be introduced by a trusted existing customer who loans you “face”, but most buyers are stuck building a relationship over time by ordering large quantities and being easy to get along with. I didn’t do that… I snuck in the back door.

Continue reading “Shaizi (liars’ dice), street BBQ, and beer: guanxi the easy way”

#FreePCB via Twitter to 2 random RTs

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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.

Line follower robot project

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exapod shared his line-follower robot in the project log forum:

I’m planning of building a robot with a dspic33fj128mc804 and two encoders for implement some dead reckoning algorithms so for learn something on the dspics i build a line-follower, it uses 6 analog sensors that are read with the auto-scan capability of the chip, the pwm is 12 bit and the control loop runs at almost 30 kHz (it only calculates the line position and the do a very simple PD routine that use fixed point math).

Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading “Line follower robot project”

Ford Mustang haptic feedback shift knob using OpenXC

The Haptic Feedback Shift Knob is a replacement for a manual transmission shift knob that adds haptic and visual feedback to help drivers shift appropriately. An Android application monitors the vehicle’s speed, RPM and accelerator pedal position. Based on this information, the application calculates and then indicates to the driver when he or she should shift by vibrating the shift knob. After feeling the haptic “pulse” the driver can then appropriately respond. The embedded electronics in the shift knob are based on the Arduino Pro Mini with an on-board FTDI chip and USB connector. The Shift Knob was originally designed and developed by Zac Nelson at Ford.

Project details, including photos, code links and 3d printer files can be found on the OpenXC webpage.

BeagleBone GamingCape

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Max Thrun has written a detailed article on his hand-held gaming console based around the beaglebone black. It covers everything from custom PCBs, to a 3D printed prototype enclosure, to a final enclosure laser cut from delrin:

Older brother of the LaunchPad GamingPack, the BeagleBone GamingCape transforms your BeagleBone into a full fledged hand-held gaming console capable of watching media and browsing the internet for everything including free onlyfans accounts – as well as for playing all the classics such as NES, Gameboy, Sega GameGear, and even Doom. Just drop in 4 AAA batteries and you’ll be playing your favourite games discretely at work in no time.

Wearable LED heart simulator pendant

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Here’s a cool heart simulation project by Addie over on @tymkrs:

This wearable LED heart simulator pendant was inspired by my work as a cardiovascular surgical nurse as well as my love of electronics.  It simulates the electrical activity of 17 different rhythms and when paired with the heart backplane, it becomes an audio and pulse simulator as well.

Via Hacked Gadgets.

XT-IDE Adapter free PCB build

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Mobilewill blogged about his free XT-IDE Adapter v1b PCB build:

 A few months ago I redeemed my free PCB coupon for the XT IDE Controller. It took some time to get the PCB and to order all of the needed parts, but finally everything was ready for assembly. I have to say this project was anything but cooperative but I finally finished the build. I decided to use a syringe of solder paste and re-flow it, which can be tricky without a stencil. Hence the uncooperative part.

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.

Measuring microamps & milliamps at 3 MHz bandwidth

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Paul over at Dorkbotpdx writes:

Recently I needed to actually “see” a current waveform in the 100 uA to 5 mA range with at least a couple MHz bandwidth.  This extremely expensive probe would have been perfect, but instead I built something similar for about $30 using the amazing Analog Devices AD8428 amplifier.

DEFCON XXI online contest

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With DEF CON XXI scheduled for August 1-4, 2013 in Las Vegas, NV, the conference crew has posted an online Human Badge Challenge. The challenge consists of a word search puzzle contaning contest names, along with a hidden puzzle element. Download their Contest PDF for contest and entry rules, puzzle hints and links to submit your entry. Successful answers to the contest will be entered into the drawing for a free DEF CON 21 T-shirt, and if you enter the correct answer to the second stage you are entered in the drawing to win a DEF CON 21 T-shirt and a Human Badge!” (Unfortunately, the rules require that you attend DEF CON in order to actually pickup your prize, but contests are fun even if you’re not attending this year.)

RIP: Barnaby Jack, hacker


Reuters is reporting the sudden and untimely death of New Zealand-born hacker Barnaby Jack. Barnaby was scheduled to appear at this week’s BlackHat conference in Las Vegas, NV, with a presentation entitled Implantable Medical Devices: Hacking Humans.

His body was reportedly found at an apartment in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood, according to a police spokesman, who would not say what caused Jack’s death but said police had ruled out foul play.

His most notable presentation (depicted in the above video) was at BlackHat in 2010, entitled Jackpotting Automatic Teller Machines.

Barnaby Jack was 35.

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.

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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:

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App Note: Adding intelligence to LED lighting

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Here’s a tutorial from Maxim on how to design smarter LED lighting.

How smart is your LED lighting system? While LED lighting holds the promise of reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs, smart LED lighting designs improve system performance in both areas, achieving higher performance per watt and reducing cost in the long term. Energy measurement, ambient light sensing, and communication serve as the cornerstones of smart LED lighting design. Energy measurement provides system health and consumption information. Ambient light sensing reduces an LED’s on-time, conserving energy and extending diode lifetime. Communication links together each luminaire for identification of maintenance and system level coordination. The contribution of components to the overall system performance will be explored.

App note: Using the A/D Amplifier on AT90PWM

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Here’s an application note from Atmel for using the 10-bit ADC amplified conversion on AT90PWM (PDF!):

ADC features on Atmel® AVR® AT90PWM devices:
– 10-bit ADC amplified conversion with differential inputs
– Programmable gain
– Internal voltage reference

The AT90PWM devices feature a 10-bit successive approximation ADC. The ADC
is connected to an analog multiplexer which provides:
• Eight or eleven single-ended inputs which are referenced to 0V (GND)
• One or two amplified ADC channels with differential inputs (AMPx)

Video: Blackbox JTAG Reverse Engineering


Felix Domke has been working on reverse engineering blackbox devices using the JTAG interface and presented this talk at the 26C3 Chaos Communications Congress conference.

JTAG is an industry standard for accessing testmode functionality in almost any complex microchip. While the basics of JTAG are standardized, the exact implementation details are usually undocumented. Nevertheless, JTAG often allows you to interact with the chip very deeply, which makes it very interesting since it is often easily accessible thanks to the small pincount. This talk covers reverse engineering of JTAG interfaces when no or only limited documentation is available.

The short PDF paper accompanying this presentation is available from the Chaos Communication Congress. [Note: the documentation for the reference to the “JTAG Finder” program in the paper’s footnote has been moved here.]

Ken Gracey Quadcopter Build

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Ken Gracey Quadcopter build:

Ken Gracey, the President of Parallax is building a huge quadcopter.  In the picture above it might not look that big but when you realize that the propellers are 14 inches that might put things into perspective! There are 2 X 4 amp hour 18 volt batteries feeding the 770 KV motors. You can see the first flight below, after getting some kinks worked out it seems to fly very well.

Via Hacked Gadgets.

Check out the video after the break.

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Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters

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Every Friday we give away 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”