What to learn more about controlling the common FTDI FT232 and FT2232 chips from a PC? Daniel shows how to drive a shift register with the FT2232H breakout board under Linux. This basic app can expand to control large projects that need lots of computer scripted outputs.
Control an 8bit shift register over 3 pins from an FT2232H device: DATA, CLOCK, LATCH. Whilst LATCH is low, high/low DATA and CLOCK 8 times, then raise LATCH to high – pins change state.
This week the flux-off solder flux comparison returns. Our everyday Edsyn FL-22 goes head to head with two AMTECH syringe fluxes in the TQFP arena. Just for fun, we also tried to solder with shards from a solid rosin block. Find out which flux reigns supreme.
Special thanks to Sjaak for the AMTECH “China” flux.
Check out our previous Flux comparison video, and all our previous workshop videos.
A test buffer for the CPLD on the experimental Bus Blaster v3 is now available in the forum. The self test passed, but it needs more real-world testing. If you built a Bus Blaster v3 free PCB please give it a try and report how it went.
Bus Blaster v3 is a small update to fit a case, and has the same basic features as v2. This is the very first test of the first prototype, we don’t expect to make a batch until next year.
Ashley blogged about his free Bus Pirate Demo board v5b PCB build. This board is used to emulate a bunch of real world ICs that use the various protocols supported by the Bus Pirate.
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.
Ferdinand added a dc/dc converter circuit to the transistor tester, allowing it to be powered from 2 AA batteries instead of a single 9volt. This project is similar to our Part Ninja, it’s designed to test various electronic components like transistors, diodes, resistors, etc, and display their pin out and basic specifications.
I built my own version of this handy tool last weekend. I replaced the linear regulator with a small boost-converter. Now the circuit can be powered with two AA batteries.
The PCB is sandwiched between the battery holder and LCD, so to provide a handy device without need for a case. I had a lot of fun designing and building the circuit, so thank you DP for highlighting this project.
Be sure to check out our video describing the Part Ninja project.
Via the forum.
Ante Vukorepa draws our attention to this video of Claude Paillard, a French radio amateur (F2FO), making his own tubes (also known as thermionic valves) from scratch. “The video depicts the whole process, from winding the filament through making the glassware, assembly and vacuuming, to testing. Pretty awesome!”
For more information on Claude’s activities as well as links to articles on vintage radio topics, go to Claude’s website. (In French; if English is needed, click on the Google translate link at the top of Claude’s webpage.)
Via the contact form.
Hak8or got his hand on an X-ray bone mineral density assessment machine someone dumped. It seems the only problem is a faulty temperature sensor, but Hak80r decided to break it down and share the pictures with us. For an in-depth gallery check out the forum (56K warning).
MickM build a single layer version of the Little Wire project. He uploaded the source files for the board in the forum. Little wire is am ATtiny-based open source AVR programer that’s packed full of features:
kehribar is working with Seeed Studio to produce this project, look for it soon!
Via the forum.
See the latest version of this tutorial on the wiki.
Overview
Kerkythea is an open source rendering application that makes life-like images. A community developed plugin can import Google SketchUp 3D models into Kerkythea, so we can use it to render boards make with EagleUp.
Since Kerkythea is open source there are no restrictions at all, unlike the Maxwell plugin for SketchUp. You can render images at any quality or resolution, though it is somewhat more complicated to work with. The goal of this tutorial is to help you make your first lifelike PCB rendering with Kerkythea.
Continue reading “HOW-TO: Advanced circuit board rendering with SketchUp and Kerkythea”
A new test firmware is available for the USB and Serial LCD Backpack. This update fixes some compatibility problems with the LCDproc software, and integrates the separate USB and serial mode firmwares.
Grab the beta from the forum, update instructions are available here. Any test reports are greatly appreciated.
Get your own USB LCD Backpack for $16.95 at Seeed Studio.
Via the forum.
Arnd built a free Bus Blaster v2.1a PCB. Bus Blaster is a high-speed JTAG debugger for ARM processors, FPGAs, CPLDs, flash memory, and more. Version 3 is a small update to v2/v2.5 with symmetrical connector placement to make it fit a case.
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.
According to Phil Torrone’s exclusive interview with Andrew (bunnie) Huang for MAKE, the age of Chumby is pretty much over, at least as far as official manufacturing and support are concerned.
Chumby is the open source WiFi web app platform developed in 2006, before the release of the iPhone. It was one of the few OSHW products to be sold by big box retailers, such as Best Buy (where it was sold under their Insignia house brand.) When checked today the Chumby store is marked temporarily closed.
Continue reading “RIP Chumby”
Ezflyr’s GPS-based clock uses the GlobalSat EM-406 module to show the time with around 1 second accuracy.
Here is a photo of the completed GPS Display Time Standard I intend to use for setting a variety of clock projects I’ve made, or am working on. This GPS module, the GlobalSat EM-406, has excellent sensitivity as I’ve been able to lock onto the necessary satellites inside my home without any difficulty!
Via the forum.
Here’s a followup to our 30x Bus Pirate v4 build workshop post. You can check out the pics and videos of the group build on Google+:
There were four of us involved in the planning and running of the build. We put a fairly large amount of effort into planning the event, particularly with respect to how to kit up the SMD parts and organize the build process with close to 30 people attending.
Thanks again to Ian for his enthusiasm for the build and for sending Dangerous Prototype stickers for everyone who participated!
Thanks Scott! Via the comments.
The Bus Pirate is a hacking multi-tool that can talk to many common electronic chips. Get the Bus Pirate DIY edition PCB from the PCB drawer for $3.95. Get an assembled Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.
Google sold the popular SketchUp 3D modeling software to Trimble Navigation. Both parties assure users that the free versions will remain available. Google will maintain the 3D Warehouse for the foreseeable future.
We’re cautiously optimistic that the free version will remain free, though we’re concerned about monkey business with the licensing. For example they could limit the free version to personal, non-commercial use and still call it free.
You can check out our 3D model posts, or download the models from our 3D Warehouse collection, or our SVN.
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.
This week we have a guest PCB, the Reprap Gen ‘L’ v2.0. Use your coupon to pick this PCB, or any other in the free PCB drawer.
Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times a every week:
Starting next week we’re going to try a new weekly feature called PCB review Tuesday. In a five minute video we’ll look at a PCB and talk about what we would change before producing the board.
PCB routing is an art. There’s lots of styles, and ours isn’t the right one or the best. Our goal is to start a dialog that helps everyone make better PCBs.
If you would like to have your board reviewed next week, please post the Cadsoft Eagle files in the forum.
Arhi is designing a 10 MHz Rubidium frequency standard output driver:
Frequency standards have stable frequency output but they usually have 50 R impedance sine output with some low Vpp values (100 mV or 400 mV or in best cases 1 V). Most devices that require frequency standard (frequency counters, frequency generators etc etc) have input that can cope with this low power low level analog signal but if you want to drive few devices from same frequency standard things tend to get weird as often the output from a standard can’t handle it…
Via the forum.
The Binary Burst clock shows the time with LEDs:
The clock uses 3 LEDs on each spire to count up to 5 in binary. The hours are displayed by the middle LED in RED (Its a Red/Blue bicolor, the others are just blue). Video, and links to the board and code repository are included in the post
Check out a demonstration video below. There’s also a time-lapse soldering video of build.
Via the contact form.
Continue reading “Binary Burst clock ticks away the time with LEDs”
O’Reilly is presenting a free webcast by Jonathan Zdziarski on the topic of Hacking and Securing iOS Applications on May 3, 2012, at 1 PM PT. Jonathan is the author of the O’Reilly book by the same title.
In this webcast, Jonathan will demonstrate a number of ways to manipulate the runtime of App Store applications using free, open source tools. You’ll see how application security is breached, how application logic is changed, and how, as a developer, to better secure your code through demonstration and discussion.
We’ll be demonstrating attacks against a popular picture vault application in the App Store, how Pandora is attacked to obtain free skips, and how a virus can be written to infect applications to steal user credentials as the owner of a device is using their favorite financial applications. Don’t miss this informative presentation.
Register now at O’Reilly for what looks to be a promising presentation.
