Limpkin informs us that he recently finished work on his open source project: Turning on/off lights by whistling
Basically, it is an ARM Cortex M4 running 80FFTs per second to detect a whistling sequence. The project is obviously open hardware/source
Via the forum.
Check out the video after the break.
Continue reading “Turning on/off lights by whistling (Cortex M4 @ 80FFTs/sec)”
If you’re interested in experimenting with a tiny CPU implemented in an FPGA, we found this interesting article on using the Zylin Tiny CPU. AMR wanted a really small CPU core to handle things like loading ROMs from SD card. It had to take up a minimal number of logic elements and be easy to program using C. AMR finally settled on the Zylin CPU (ZPU), implemented in a DE1 board. He explains, “The ZPU is an interesting design. There’s no register file: instead, it’s stack based, and the instruction set is split into compulsory and optional instructions which allows an implementation to trade speed for resource usage. Unimplemented instructions are emulated by way of an exception table stored in low memory, and if any particular emulated instruction turns out to be a performance killer for your particular application it’s easy to add support for just that one instruction to the CPU implementation.”
You can find the code for this project and details at RetroRamblings. Visit Zylin for information on the official open source Zylin CPU design.
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:
Some stuff:
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.
Asgard posted a case design for the BLiVIT project we covered earlier:
This photo is a rendering of the new case design for the BLiVIT. It should have enough vertical clearance for the entire BLiVIT maximum assembly, that being the BLiVIT board, the P01-114 POQiRX transmitter daughter board, the Li+ cell, and the POQiRX transmitter coil assembly. There should also be sufficient airflow vertically through the enclosure since the Li+ cell and coil assemblies need to be regulated thermally.
Via the forum.
Today we worked on some part documentation. We made CAD drawings (pictured above) of 0.1” female connectors, and 3D models to go along with them.
Kerry Wong fixed his LCD monitor (Westinghouse L2410NM). He documented the whole process on his blog.
My seven year old 24 inch LCD monitor (Westinghouse L2410NM) started to flicker recently, so I decided to take a look inside to see what was wrong. Even before I opened it up, I had a pretty good idea of what might be the culprit. These older LCDs use CCFLs for back-lighting. CCFLs are typically quite robust. While it is not totally impossible, it is rather rare to see a failed CCFL. So most likely the issue is related to the power supply module.
Peter used a Shapeoko to cut a solder stencil for a Sick of Beige Bus Pirate v4:
I purchased two Sick of Beige Bus Pirate v4 from schazamp on the DangerousPrototypes forums a couple of months ago and have been dragging my feet assembling them. I used hand soldering for the SMD parts on my DIY Bus Pirate v3 bur for v4, I wanted to try making a solder stencil and reflow using a hot air rework station. There have been several articles recently about etching copper and aluminum stencils and also a recent article about using a Cricut to cut a stencil out of overhead transparencies.
Via the contact form.
Check out the video after the break.
Cody R. Wilson is a 25-year-old University of Texas law student working to build semiautomatic weapons using 3D printers. As depicted in this video, his efforts thusfar have concentrated on the part of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle known as the lower receiver (the part whose sale and possession is regulated federally in the USA.)
Recently Cody’s company Defense Distributed has focused on the production of a 3D printable pistol. Dubbed The Liberator, they report having produced a working model and have released the CAD files. A short video as well as CAD files for The Liberator can be found at DEFCAD.
Via Motherboard.
Here’s an Instructable by ASCAS: Phone macro photography (HQ – using LED lens)
You can purchase some macro lenses for your phone camera but with a bit of work and a spare LED lens you can make your own. Only thing to make sure is that the LED lens is high quality so that there aren’t any bubbles or other imperfections in it which would cause image distortion. ASCAS shows us how it is done in his LED Lens converted to Macro Photography Lens Instructable.
Via Hacked Gadgets.
When it comes to photo editing, there are tools powered by AI that can help you achieve various effects. An AI Clothes Remover, for instance, can create copies of portrait photos and create their more more sensual versions. Check out the best OFs here.
The OpenWrt Release Team has announced the final Attitude Adjustment Release (12.09)
OpenWrt is a famous Linux distribution for embedded devices. It was started as a replacement for the original firmware of routers and access points.
On April 25, they announced the new version, named Attitude Adjustment (12.09), that adds the new brcm2708 target, that is the Broadcom chip used by Raspberry Pi
Via Lucadentella.
Here’s an application note from Atmel: ASF – USB Composite Device (PDF!)
The aim of this document is to provide an easy way to integrate a USB composite device application on a new or existing project.
This document is associated to USB device class Atmel® application notes
AVR4903 to AVR4909.
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:
An application note from Microchip: Precision RTD instrumentation for temperature sensing (PDF!)
Precision RTD (Resistive Temperature Detector) instrumentation is key for high performance thermal management applications. This application note shows how to use a high resolution Delta-Sigma Analog-to-Digital converter, and two resistors to measure RTD resistance ratiometrically. A ±0.1°C accuracy and ±0.01°C measurement resolution can be achieved across the RTD temperature range of -200°C to +800°C with a single point calibration.
Ryan Fanelli and David Hartino, students in Cornell University’s Electrical and Computer Engineering program, have written a detailed explanation of their ATmega 644 based VGA adapter. The pair developed this “homemade video card” as their final project in the program, pushing the envelope on MCU clock cycle optimization using only a handful of TTL logic chips and discrete components in addition to the 644.
Visit their project page at Cornell for the detailed project log, including explanations of the VGA standard, schematics and source code.
Via Pyro-Electro.
RTL-SDR enthusiasts who use Windows are familiar with the need for a virtual audio device to connect the SDR output to decoder programs such as dsd. The hangup is that you need to purchase Virtual Audio Cable software to the tune of $25 (more than the cost of the SDR dongle itself.)
Now there’s a donationware alternative to VAC for Windows known as VB-Audio software. VB-Audio installs drivers on your Windows box giving you a VB-Audio cable choice among you audio devices. This allows you to pipe the SDR output to the decoding program of your choice for free. Of course, the VB-Audio developers appreciate a donation, and in exchange for a donation of any amount you get the ability to unlock two additional virtual audio devices, helpful if you’re using a multiple-SDR setup.
Via RTL-SDR.com.
Here’s an application note from Maxim: Process high-voltage input levels into a low-voltage ADC without losing much SNR
It is often difficult to find an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that aligns with the analog input range, but also has the appropriate number of inputs, the needed size, and the correct sample speed. Especially for system designers working with wide voltage swings, there is a concern that scaling down the input signal to drive an ADC’s full-scale range can significantly degrade the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This application note discusses what affects this SNR loss, how it can be quantified, and more importantly, how it can be minimized.
In relation to the previously posted nrf24L01+ wireless module, Kehribar shared his CR2032 powered node board in the forum:
I also designed a 30.8 x 30.8 mm CR2032 powered node board for these modules. I’m waiting for my prototypes from OSHPark, but in the meantime here are the layout and schematic images.
Here’s a Bus Pirate console by x893, that is available at github.
Get an assembled Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.
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”
Forum member ph1ph1l0u reports success rescuing his Asus laptop from a bad bios flash using flashrom and the buspirate.
Get your own Bus Pirate for $30, including worldwide shipping.
