Joe Grand of Grand Idea Studio has released the code and complete design files for his open source Laser Position Sensor (LPS) project. The project is based on the Freescale MC9S08JM8CLC and several Linear Technology LT1491ACS op amps. (Despite the references to Parallax in the LPS project documentation, this device is an open source project […]
Tag Archives: Freescale
Trends: microcontrollers outsource interrupt handling
In this article, Chris Edwards highlights the reasons behind moving interrupt handling from the main microcontroller onto to low power companion chips. In order to conserve electricity and processor power, the growing practice is to have the bulk of the microcontroller powered down most of the time, only waking up for brief periods for necessary […]
Sensor + microcontroller = smart sensor
Sensors are commonly used in conjunction with microcontrollers which read the sensor’s output and make decisions based on it. Now a new class of smart sensors is being introduced which will integrate the sensor and microcontroller in one unit. One example is the Freescale MMA9550L, the industry’s first intelligent high precision motion sensing platform that […]
Making of the Defcon 18 badge
Joe Grand of Grand Idea Studio presents the backstory to his design of the Defcon 18 conference badge. (Joe’s talk actually begins at 09:05.) The badge is based around a Freescale MC56F8006 16-bit digital signal controller and a Kent Displays 128-by-32 pixel reflective cholesteric liquid crystal display (ChLCD). Other functionality includes USB connectivity, seamless power […]