JCNC - CNC G-Code Viewer and GRBL PC Terminal Software www.jtronics.de/software/jcnc-cnc-steuerung.html

Mock-up of an Arduino shield using some Veroboard and some M3 nylon spacers.

Microchip expanded its eXtreme Low Power (XLP) PIC® microcontroller (MCU) portfolio. Features of the new PIC24F “GB4” family include an integrated hardware crypto engine with both OTP and Key RAM options for secure key storage, up to 256 KB of Flash memory and a direct drive for segmented LCD displays, in 64-, 100- or 121-pin packages. Dual-partition Flash with Live Update capability allows the devices to hold two independent software applications, and permits the simultaneous programming of one partition while executing application code from the other. These advanced features make the PIC24F “GB4” family ideal for designers of industrial, computer, medical/fitness and portable applications that require secure data transfer and storage, and a long battery life. To learn more about Microchip’s PIC24F “GB4” family of MCUs, visit www.microchip.com/PIC24FJ256GB410-082415a.

Microchip announced the industry’s most comprehensive 32-bit microcontroller firmware development framework—MPLAB® Harmony. This framework is the first to integrate the licensing, resale and support of both Microchip and third-party middleware, drivers, libraries and real-time operating systems. Currently, Harmony includes third-party offerings from Interniche, freeRTOS, wolfSSL and OpenRTOS, with many more on the way. The result is that developers can greatly simplify their PIC32 MCU code development process by reducing common integration bugs, thus accelerating time to market. For more info, visit www.microchip.com/get/V2PJ.

Jeremie, the brains behind the SB-FireFly, has been hard at work on some hacks for it that incorporate a Piezo buzzer. Get the details here.

Electronic Pornography - The "business side" of my Peak Electronics ESR60 Capacitor Analyser

People who are clever at programming microcontrollers - in this case a PIC can really make them sing and dance and jump through hoops.

This instrument is a very good example of that skill (or is it art?!)

I'm also becoming increasingly impressed with the little Canon Powershot SX260 camera I used to take this picture.

Hand held macro zoom built-in flash cropped in Paintshop Pro 5 -simples!

The manufacturer has recently (Jan 2014) upgraded the firmware and probe set at a very reasonable cost. One little gripe I had with the operating convenience of this unit was that sometimes three hands were required - two to hold the test leads onto the component, and a third to operate the "test" button. This has been addressed with the later version of the firmware. The company also turned the unit around extremely quickly, and were an absolute pleasure to deal with.

Microchip announced the industry’s most comprehensive 32-bit microcontroller firmware development framework—MPLAB® Harmony. This framework is the first to integrate the licensing, resale and support of both Microchip and third-party middleware, drivers, libraries and real-time operating systems. Currently, Harmony includes third-party offerings from Interniche, freeRTOS, wolfSSL and OpenRTOS, with many more on the way. The result is that developers can greatly simplify their PIC32 MCU code development process by reducing common integration bugs, thus accelerating time to market. For more info, visit www.microchip.com/get/V2PJ.

For more details have a look at the project Website.

alan-parekh.com/projects/gear-clock/

For more details have a look at the project Website.

alan-parekh.com/projects/gear-clock/

This is the microphone preamp for my simple circuit to display music on a VGA monitor like on an oscilloscope.

It is worth to note that this is not mounted on a PCB, rather I glued some red paper on the perfboard then opened the holes necessary with a needle.

For more details go to :

www.5volt.eu

Testing out an ADXL330 accelerometer, and interfacing it to an AVR microcontroller. Read more here

Dorkbot Bristol, December 2008: Richard's Arduino controlling a pair of micro servos (intended for radio-controlled aircraft) as a walking robot. It's simply two servos linked together with cable ties, plus some bent wire for legs. The program in the Arduino sends pulses to the servos that make them walk.

Exploring micro-controllers with the Arduino NG development system. Seen here running in standalone mode with a 9v battery. Arduino makes embedded programming fun and easy by bringing together a clean and simple hardware and software development environment.

Here, I'm messing with reading analog input from a 10k potentiometer and PWM (pulse width modulation) of leds to produce variable brightness.

Link to my RFID tagged blog entries, with video of the setup above in action: stevenandsarah.com/category/rfid/

www.arduino.cc/ - "Arduino is an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple i/o board, and a development environment for writing Arduino software. The Arduino programming language is an implementation of Wiring, itself built on Processing."

A homebrew receiver for power usage data from TED.

Blog post:

scanwidget.livejournal.com/36469.html

Sanguino is an open source Arduino-compatible microcontroller board that is based on the Arduino, and inspired by the Boarduino form-factor. It uses the atmega644P chip which has 4x the memory, ram and 12 more GPIO pins than the Arduino's atmega168.

More info: make.sanguino.cc/1.0

16kByte EPROM, 256Byte RAM

Microchip announced a new family of PIC32MX3/4 microcontrollers (MCUs) in 64/16 KB, 256/64 KB and 512/128 KB Flash/Ram configurations. These new MCUs are coupled with comprehensive software and tools from Microchip for designs in connectivity, graphics, digital audio and general-purpose embedded control. The MCUs are an expansion to the popular PIC32MX3/4 series of high-performance 32-bit microcontrollers. They offer higher RAM memory options and higher integration of peripherals at a lower cost. The PIC32MX3/4 feature 28 x 10-bit ADCs and 5 UARTS, 105 DMIPS performance, serial peripherals, graphic-display, capacitive-touch, connectivity and digital audio support. For more info, visit: www.microchip.com/get/EPAQ

Arduino microcontroller -- arduino.cc/

A large batch of kits on their way to the post office. Yay priority mail!

Available at Adafruit!

JCNC - CNC G-Code Viewer and GRBL PC Terminal Software www.jtronics.de/software/jcnc-cnc-steuerung.html

FPGAs at the Command Line

by Bob Smith

The problem with using Field Programmable Gate Arrays is that you have to learn a design language and then set up a fairly complex development environment to write programs in. That problem is addressed here. Page 49

Power MOSFETs Part 2

by Gerard Fonte

This time, we'll build two projects. The first is a transformerless voltage doubler that takes a DC voltage from 12 to 30 volts and doubles it. Unlike most other voltage doubler circuits, this design can supply amps of current. The second project uses a power MOSFET in a linear (rather than switching) application. Page 54

A Touch of Spice Part 3

by Peter Stonard

In this final part, take a look at oscillator circuits that create their own signal during simulation. Page 60

How To: A Guide to Soldering

by James Antonakos

Never soldered before? Now you can learn how! Page 64

Projects

Garage Access Goes Digital

Digital Electronics

by Jay Carter

Keypad access is a great convenience and with this unit you can trigger activiation of up to two Page 36

High Resolution Time-Lapse Movies Using a Still Camera

Digital Electronics

by Balakumar Balasubramaniam

CamTim is a digital hack to convert your camera into a high-res time-lapse camcorder. Page 41

Makin’ MIDI with mistrIXG

Computer Related

by Steve Russell

mistaIXG is a USB connected, PIC-basd synthesizer that will help you turn your computer into a music machine. Page 44

Columns

Techknowledgey

by Jeff Eckert

TechKnowledgey 2009

DNA analysis, owning a Cray, Navaztags explained, plus more. Page 12

PICAXE Primer

by Ron Hackett

Implementing a serial data link with the IR multi-board

This month, we're going to resolve the problem of the missing keypresses that we had last time with our SIRC system and then move on to accomplishing our final goal for the IR Multi-Board: Page 16

Open Communication

by Louis E. Frenzel

Converting To Digital TV

Fun with converter boxes and antennas. Page 24

Q&A

by Russell Kincaid

Q&A

CO2 laser power supply, a cycling circuit, LED replacement of incandescent bulbs, more. Page 27

The Design Cycle

by Fred Eady

A Reasonable Replacement For RS-232

I'm going to include USB interfaces on subsequent Design Cycle projects that require serial communications with a personal computer. Page 68

Smiley’s Workshop

by Joe Pardue

Smileys Workshop: An AVR C Programming Series (Part 7)

Last month, we learned about both of those binary 10 kinds of people. This month, we will apply it to understanding Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) to use in code for a wearable Butterfly Alarm Clock. Page 74

Near Space

by L. Paul Verhage

The Great Plains Super Launch 2008

GPSL - or The Great Plains Super Launch - is the largest annual amateur near space launch, and takes place every summer. This year, Near Space Ventures and CAP'n'Space hosted GPSL in Liberty, MO on August 1-2. Page 78

Personal Robotics

by Vern Graner

Pneumatics In Robotics

Let's dip our toe into some possibly unfamiliar waters as we explore the world of electronically controlled pneumatic actuators for hobby robotic and animatronic mechanisms. Page 81

Departments

Developing Perspectives

by Bryan Bergeron

Please visit our Developing Perspectives blog to read the full article and comment. Page 8

Sometimes we need to extend or add more I/O ports to our microcontroller based project; the question is how fast the response we need for these new I/O ports. Because usually we only have a limited I/O port left than the logical choice is to use the serial data transfer method; which usually only required maximum one to four ports for doing the data transfer.

Currently there is few type of modern embedded system serial data transfer interface widely supported by most of the chip’s manufactures such as I2C (read as I square C), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), 1-Wire (One Wire), Controller Area Network (CAN), USB (Universal Serial Bus) and the RS-232 families (RS-423, RS-422 and RS-485).

Hard drive clock is showing time and date.

For more details have a look at the project Website.

alan-parekh.com/projects/gear-clock/

sigrok.org/wiki/Microchip_PICkit2

Picture of the Arduino made out of the faces of the members of the Arduino Playground group on LinkedIn.

Read more about the picture at www.mosaicyourself.com/ArduinoFaces

I'm getting a Lily Pad wearable open source arduino microcontroller in the mail soon and i can't wait to get going with it!

These are the Images of My GSM based robotic project that I created in Dec. 2013.

www.rotorbrain.com/foote/follies/mro/index.htm

Microchip announced an expansion of its eXtreme Low Power (XLP) PIC® microcontrollers (MCUs) with the PIC24F “GB2” family. This new family features an integrated hardware crypto engine, a Random Number Generator (RNG) and One-Time-Programmable (OTP) key storage for protecting data in embedded applications. The PIC24F “GB2” devices offer up to 128 KB Flash and 8 KB RAM in small 28- or 44-pin packages, for battery-operated or portable applications such as “Internet of Things” (IoT) sensor nodes, access control systems and door locks. For more info, visit: www.microchip.com/get/GNUT

For more details have a look at the project Website.

alan-parekh.com/projects/gear-clock/

BLIFNAR. Blinky Bug. LED-thingy. These all describe the SB-Firefly. This coin-cell powered microcontroller runs three LEDs through button selectable light blinking sequences with smooth transitions. Use the Firefly to teach soldering, have a late night blinky party, or hack into your own creation! This tiny application board comes with everything you need for a super small microcontroller project, battery included!

A state-of-the-80s bootloader programmer for the Motorola 68705 microcontroller.

The uC (left) feeds itself with the content of an EPROM (right)

Fun to build this in 2010

LOTS of bypassing. tantalum caps (orange) paralleled with .1uF (blue).

this is closely following the manuf recommended layout. I hope it was worth all this extra effort ;)

This is the schematic (part 1, microprocessor ) of my simple circuit to display music on a VGA monitor like on an oscilloscope.

For more details go to :

www.5volt.eu

Note the different die size of old HMOS/ modern CMOS

A homebrew receiver for power usage data from TED.

Blog post:

scanwidget.livejournal.com/36469.html

The TSL1401 line-scan image sensor chip, in 8-pin DIL package -- transparent of course.

These are the Images of My GSM based robotic project that I created in Dec. 2013.

Sometimes we need to extend or add more I/O ports to our microcontroller based project; the question is how fast the response we need for these new I/O ports. Because usually we only have a limited I/O port left than the logical choice is to use the serial data transfer method; which usually only required maximum one to four ports for doing the data transfer.

Currently there is few type of modern embedded system serial data transfer interface widely supported by most of the chip’s manufactures such as I2C (read as I square C), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), 1-Wire (One Wire), Controller Area Network (CAN), USB (Universal Serial Bus) and the RS-232 families (RS-423, RS-422 and RS-485).

Microchip's Mobile Product Selector application for iPhone®, iPad® and Android™ smart phones and tablets, as well as a version of its Web site for mobile browsers, are all available today at the following links…

Apple® Application Available at App Store: itunes.apple.com/us/app/microchip-mobile-product-selector...

Android Application Available at Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microchip.andri...

Mobile Web Site Available Online: www.microchip.com/mobile

The low-cost, low pin count PIC12LF1552 is Microchip’s smallest (2x3 mm UDFN package) and lowest-cost PIC® MCU with hardware I2C™ support, and includes a four channel 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) with hardware Capacitive Voltage Divider (CVD) support for capacitive touch sensing. Additionally, this new MCU features 3.5 KB Flash program memory, 256 Bytes RAM, a 32 MHz internal oscillator, low-voltage operation from 1.8V to 3.6V, and low power consumption for active and sleep currents of 50 µA/MHz and 20 nA, respectively. For more info visit, www.microchip.com/get/LFWT

These are the Images of My GSM based robotic project that I created in Dec. 2013.