MSPGCC Uniarch install tutorial


Sergio Campama has written this tutorial on installing MSPGCC Uniarch. “Uniarch is an initiative to unify all the work left behind by mspgcc3 and mspgcc4, while also separating the boundaries between the compiler and TI header files. This ‘branch’ of mspgcc is the most advanced one, having over 300 supported MSP430 devices.”

Sergio writes:

I think it’s somewhat difficult to get functional code in the internet, so I want to do my part by creating simple projects using various techniques. These projects are tested on the mspgcc uniarch releases. With this guide and a $4.30 Launchpad, there’s no excuse not to try out embedded coding!

Via 43Oh.

Reflow soldering toaster oven

Frank wrote an instructable about a solder reflow oven made from a toaster:

As I get more serious into my electronics hobby, I need to work with more SMD components. Some component packages are very difficult or impossible to solder with a traditional soldering iron. To solve this problem, I decided to hack a toaster oven to become a reflow soldering oven

Temperature is read using a thermocouple temperature sensor and the AD595AQ TC amplifier. The heater is switched on and off using a solid state relay, and the temperature profiles are displayed on a graphic LCD. All of this is controlled with a ATmega32U4 microcontroller, which also provides USB firmware updates and data logging capability.

Via the forum.

EagleUp v4.3 released

EagleUp is a combination of export/import scripts that export your Eagle PCB to a SketchUp 3D model. Here’s what you get in version V4.3:

  • fixed curved board outlines (see below the note on outline curves)
  • eagleUp now supports 1:1 scaling as well
  • eagleUp also includes functions for scaling and measuring the final circuit
  • automatic resizing of models during import, you can mix scale indifferently 1:1 and 1000:1 objects
  • add support for sub folder ! keep your work folder clean, all eup, png, log files can be placed in a user defined sub folder. Check the settings window.
  • add an option for simplified vias (no drill) for faster import of large models.
  • add a board thickness unit selection, you can enter 1.6mm as well as 60 mils
  • add a log file of the missing parts during the import in Sketchup, the log file is saved next to the eup file
  • add support for an attribute-defined part name (see below)
  • add possibility of minor modifications of the part (rotation, board side) directly from the Board
  • added option to create top and bottom images as jpg files (necessary for some renderers, do not use otherwise)
  • Eagle installation < 5.9 (including 4.xx) should use a simplified legacy exporter available here. It keeps most of the features of the full version.
  • new PCB colors available, like a white solder mask (Winter is coming !)

Via NBitWonder.

Energy Micro EFM32 low-power development kit giveaway

A few weeks ago we posted Pedantite and Viswesr’s reviews of the Energy Micro Gecko development board. It uses Energy Micro’s own EFM line of low-power ARM Cortex M3 microcontrollers. Low power is the emphasis, and the development boards show the current consumed by each line of code.

This week we have three EMF32 dev-boards to give away:

Leave a comment on this post with a project idea, and one of the boards could be yours on Thursday.

Special thanks to Viswesr for arranging this giveaway with Energy Micro.

Continue reading “Energy Micro EFM32 low-power development kit giveaway”

Hakko tip temperature readings

Arhi continues his quest for soldering iron driver perfection. In the latest development, he attached a temperature sensor to the tip of his Hakko soldering iron, and compared the temperature between the tip and the sensor inside the heater. The readings on the graph he posted are almost identical below 50C, but there is a lot of noise coming from the heater sensor above that temperature. He is currently trouble-shooting this issue.

Via the forum.

Defcon 19: build your own radar system


At the Defcon 19 (2011) conference Michael Scarito demonstrated how to construct your own radar system. The project is based on a design by Dr. Greg Charvat from MIT and uses synthetic aperture techniques to generate a two- or three-dimensional image. (You can read Dr. Charvat’s research paper here.)
The hardware operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM band (shared with WiFi.)

For a further detailed explanation of this technology, see the dissertation of Manh Hung V. Le, Dimitris Saragas and Nathan Webb from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute here.

A free MIT course on this topic is available through their Opencourseware presentation “Build a Small Radar System Capable of Sensing Range, Doppler, and Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging.”

Join us at Make Tokyo Meeting, Akihabara, tokyohackerspace

We’ll be at the Make Tokyo Meeting 07 on December 3 & 4 as guests of tokyohackerspace. Make Meeting is Japan’s version of a Maker Faire. Ian, Sjaak, and Tayken will be hacking at the tokyohackerspace table, please stop by and give us a shout. On one of the days Ian will discuss manufacturing open source hardware, the date won’t be set until next week.

We’ll be at tokyohackerspace throughout the trip, and Sjaak will give a Bus Pirate demo at the weekly meeting on Tuesday December 6th.  Tayken is leading a tour of the Akihabara electronics market, probably on Monday the 5th. Please contact us via the forum or contact form if you’d like to join.

As always, we’ll have complete coverage of the Make Meeting on the blog.

High precision decade frequency generator

Jbeale designed a high precision decade frequency generator based on a 26Mhz ovenized oscillator with stability of +-1 part-per-billion, or +-0.0000001%. The generator is controlled with a PIC16f1823 microcontroller, which provides interface and frequency division.

Firmware, PCB and schematic are uploaded on his site. He also provided a link to Tom V.B. impressive site that could best be described as:

…one man’s quest for the most accurate clock…

Via the forum.

XC95144XL breakout boards

Jason decided to make breakout boards for the XC95144XL CPLD. A voltage regulator along with bypass capacitors are placed on-board. He provided a oscillator, connected to a global clock pin as well.

The board is built with a single row header so it can be used with a standard bread-board. There are two additional dual row headers breaking out all the remaining pins of the CPLD.

We think this is a great compliment to the CPLD breakout boards,  so we’ve been working on our own version as well. We’ll post our design in a few days.

Via the forum.

App note: 1000VA Digital pure sine UPS

Here’s a reference design from Microchip for a 1000VA pure sine uninterpretable uninterruptible power supply. UPS usually use 3 circuits to function. A charger for battery, a inverter to convert DC battery power to mains AC, and a controller that switches from mains to battery when the power is interrupted. This design utilizes a single dsPIC digital signal controller to handle all three functions.

A flyback switch mode dc/dc converter charges and maintains battery voltage. The inverter requires 380V DC to create the 220V AC output, the 12V DC battery supply is bootsed to 380V using another DC/DC converter in push/pull configuration. The dsPIC monitors the battery charge and directly drives the MOSFETs in both DC/DC converters.

A full bridge inverter with an LC filter creates AC output, and a simple DPDT relay switches between battery power and mains. The time from mains failure to battery switchover is 10ms.

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

Continue reading “Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB”

App note: Battery/charger load switch approximates ideal diode

Portable devices require a circuit that switches the power supply between battery and charger. This is usually done by using a diode on the battery line – when the charger is plugged in, the diode is reversely polarized and disconnects the battery from the rest of the circuit. This method however has drawbacks, namely power dissipation and voltage drop across the diode.

This app note from Maxim provides two examples which eliminate both of these drawbacks. They are considerably more complex, but the trade off is longer battery life

Thanks Rsdio!

App note: Acoustic thermometry

Orcinus tiped us about this interesting app note on acoustic thermometry from Linear Technology:

People usually measure temperature in order to correct the distance determined using ultrasonic transducers. Acoustic thermometry takes the opposite approach – the distance is fixed and the time it takes for an acoustic pulse to make a round trip is used to calculate the deviation from a standard and, indirectly, the temperature.

Why would anyone want to do that? The app note lists a number of reasons, including:
– resistance to environmental extremes (temperature, radiation)
– very quick response
– does not require iso-thermal measurement path
– almost entirely insensitive to pressure and humidity
– makes for an interesting exercise in signal conditioning

Thanks Orcinus! Via the forum

App note: Inductive and capacitive Li-ion cell balancing methods.

No two lithium ion battery cells can ever be the same. There are variations in state of charge, capacity, impedance, and temperature characteristics. These slight differences lead to cells being disproportionately charged or discharged when they are connected in series. This shortens battery life, and even total breakdown of cells is possible.

To solve these issues a balancing circuit is required. This app note from Atmel provides a balancing circuit for lithium ion batteries using inductive or capacitive methods. It is based on the ATA6870 battery management IC.

Active balancing with capacitors is used when charging currents are below 50mA, while the Inductive method is used for currents of up to 1A and more.