I've just found DangerousPrototypes, and was reading your WebPlatform post, which was pretty neat.
However, I've got 2 cents to chip in here... The WebPlatform that I'd really like to see (but am not capable enough to create my own plans for) and haven't seen anywhere would be:
* An ethernet-enabled (small) LCD panel with, say, four buttons.
In essence, "twatch", but with an LCD of the sort that ends up in mobile phones or my Nokia n800 (ie, graphic display instead of character display), plus some buttons.
If this could be done cheaply enough (web platform and twatch are good close examples), it would be incredibly useful (I love the thought of ubiquitous computing)!
Hi,
Ummm, you mean like this suggestion: http://whereisian.com/forum/index.php?topic=174.0 (http://whereisian.com/forum/index.php?topic=174.0)
I have a working prototype of my idea now. As I refine the project I'll probably make a PCB, and some sort of a bezel for wall mounting. I'd also like to use a color screen, but so far I haven't found anything that I think would work.....
John
Yes, PRECISELY like that!
I'll be watching eagerly!
I really like this idea, and have worked on it in the past. It could be a really slick design because the screens are serial interfaced, so a small uC can drive it with pretty simple routing.
In my experience the color screens can be a pain though. The real problem, from a hobby manufacturing point of view, is that they tend to be different between batches. SparkFun's Nokia-clone LCDs vary widely in configuration command set and features. If you look at dangerous prototypes in the 'confessions' category, you'll find a small web device I make with one of these screens. I never published it because the difference in drivers was really annoying, and it meant every user might need a custom display driver.
something that might be worth looking into is i have noticed that Oled screens seem to have dropped in price.
I have seem multiple color screen about the 1.5" size for about the $20-$30 aus mark.
ideally for me though i would like to see something a little bigger (2.5"?) .
it might be worth asking seeed what they can source in a display.
but yes i like the idea as well. Adding a LCD interface and some buttons to the web board or similar device would be a great idea.
what about a wifi radio? like the logitech squeeze box (without the fancy LCD)?
I would be a great project!!!
There's an application note on Microchip's website about playing MP3 with dsPIC, so I may be investigating that! It uses an external VLSI MP3 decoder, and a serial RAM chip for a buffer.
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/A ... 01128b.pdf (http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/AppNotes/01128b.pdf)
excelent Will!
i will check, maybe buy a development board although i think that with some modifications the web server could be a good platform.... we have to ask the big Chief Ian.... :-)
[quote author="will_j"]
There's an application note on Microchip's website about playing MP3 with dsPIC, so I may be investigating that! It uses an external VLSI MP3 decoder, and a serial RAM chip for a buffer.
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/A ... 01128b.pdf (http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/AppNotes/01128b.pdf)
[/quote]
that app note uses an 18f series chip and an external IC for the audio decode.
It wouldnt surprise me if the 30f chip was capable of audio decode by itself. i know they have app notes for voip type stuff.
either way. i would love the internet radio to be a upcoming project . either from this board or a standalone one. I would add an sd card to the board for mp3 playback if i was going to design one myself.
Yes, I agree - although I think there is not enough RAM to build enough buffering, so an external SPI RAM chip my be required still.
A nice application would be to hook the web platform to a 433MHz / 868MHz receiver to receive & decode data from standard (read 'cheap') weather sensors such as Lacrosse or Oregon Scientific. Then using a LCD you could display the data, store it on the SD card, and also send it (over UDP packets, or using SNMP ?) over the network. Some sort of standalone generic weather receiver. There are also home power meters which use 433MHz transmitters, the possibilities are actually quite large. I just got a Noritake semi-graphical VFD as well, to do some limited trend graphing on the screen (140x32 pixels).
I have done some work with a tiny PIC to decode Lacrosse sensors, works absolutely great using Aurel 433MHz receivers: good range, very reliable. A more generic and versatile networked version would be awesome.
Ed
Would a CC1101 based approach for 433MHz / 868MHz reception be not much more powerfull?
E.g. like http://busware.de/tiki-index.php?page=CUN (http://busware.de/tiki-index.php?page=CUN)
Or http://wiki.msp430.com/index.php/EZ430-Chronos (http://wiki.msp430.com/index.php/EZ430-Chronos)
(just ordered one ;)
@elagargue
I have lacrosse 868 'instant transmission' based sensors.
Do you know if the 868 protocol is the same as the 433?
AFAIK the 868MHz sensors have the same protocol. You can look up my pages on the subject @ https://www.lafargue.name/ (https://www.lafargue.name/) for more details.
@elagargue
thanks for the link. Wil try...
I think it would be nice if I could use the WebPlatform in combination with DMX devices! It would be so cool if you could send a sequence through a webpage and the WebPlatform connected to a few LedStrips would display that sequence.
So this: http://spritesmods.com/?art=rgbwall&page=5 (http://http://spritesmods.com/?art=rgbwall&page=5) but than driven by the WebPlatform through RS485.
What do you guys think?