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Archive: Electronics
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August 20, 2007
HOW TO - Make an H-bridge
Randofo writes -
An H-bridge is a type of circuit that you can use to get a reversible DC motor to spin both clockwise and counterclockwise.How to make an H-bridge - Instructables - [via] Link.In other words, this circuit allows you to quickly reverse the direction a motor is spinning by using a switch or controller chip to change its direction.
I'm going to show you how to make the simplest and most reliable form of H-bridge that I know how to make. I must warn you that this is by no means the best H-bridge design and, in fact, it has a couple shortcoming which I will explain later.
Although, should you never have made an H-bridge before or simply need a circuit that can reverse the direction of a motor's spin, then this circuit is a quick and easy solution.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 20, 2007 08:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables |
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HOW TO - Make a a wind-up headboard reading light
Peter writes -
I love to read in bed. This is one of the true pleasures in my life, and I begin and end every day doing it. One day, I was reading an article about living off-the-grid, which seemed like a neat idea, but also a real stretch for a production home suburbanite like myself. But then the author suggested taking just one room off the grid, as a small start, a way to act, a way to learn.HOW TO - Make a a wind-up headboard reading light - Link.I realized that the bedroom was the best candidate here. We plug in only an alarm clock and a reading lamp in here. What's more, I frequently fall asleep while reading, shutting the lamp off only the next morning.
I first tried a battery-operated book light, but was underwhelmed. It kept getting in the way and the light fell inconsistently on the page. Call me crazy (and I'm sure you will) but the best place for a reading lamp is about a foot up and over your left or right shoulder.
My next attempt was tape-mounting a wind-up flashlight up and above my right shoulder, but it was a graceless attempt and prone to falling. Also, you had to un-tape the flashlight to wind it up. I'm not even going to repeat here what my wife said when she saw it.
So I decided to combine the two ideas - wind-up power with a headboard mounted reading light. A form factor change that uses zero electricity from the grid (and in Ohio, our electricity is still, inexplicably, coal-fired) and had the added benefit of shutting itself off after 30 minutes or so.
This instructable is how I built my wind-up headboard reading lamp. Be forewarned: I'm not an engineer, nor a designer. I'm not even particularly handy. I'm just a guy in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio who wants to do right by the Earth and still read in bed every night.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 20, 2007 05:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables |
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AVR based GPS tracker...
Here's a neat AVR - GPS - cell phone tracker project...
This project is about GPS tracing. it works as follows:GPS-TRACE - Link.
- GPS traces the position of the device via satelite
- Somebody (who wants to know the position) calls the number of the GSM-Module
- The Microcontroller noticed the call and ask the position which is stored in a global var
- The Microcontroller sends a command to the GSM-Module to send a SMS with position information back to the caller.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 20, 2007 02:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, GPS |
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| Comments (1)
August 18, 2007
Mini UAV using Parallax Propeller chip
Here's a work-in-progress, from a guy who's building a mini UAV, using a Blade CX2 R/C helicopter and the awesome Parallax Propeller Chip. He writes of the build:
The CX2 controller has 4 potentiometers into which I spliced a breadboard. A Parallax Propeller (prop chip) is used to read the control stick voltages through a simple Delta - Sigma ADC... receive live data from another prop-based system resident on the heli, some control laws are (will be) applied, and the new voltages are output using a PWM based DAC (couplea caps, couplea resistors...). The prop also can talk to a laptop thru its USB port. I have some java code which displays various outputs (very much a work in progress and not currently a high priority).
From the pages of MAKE:
Propeller Chip. BASIC Stamp's Chip Gracey puts a new spin on microcontrollers. Read this article in MAKE: 10: Home Electronics, Page 76. To get MAKE, subscribe or purchase single volumes. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition!
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 18, 2007 05:32 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Flying |
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August 17, 2007
Revenge by gadget
WSJ on the effort to combat some of the annoying things out there about technology (my FM hack was in there)... -
Attention loud cellphone talkers, overzealous horn honkers, inconsiderate cab drivers and other everyday pests. Your days may be numbered.Revenge by gadget - Link.Thanks to the falling cost of microcontroller chips and the lure of easy online sales, inventors are turning out record numbers of gadgets. One growing subset of these inventions: products that help people neutralize antisocial behavior at the push of a button.
Debate in the comments!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 17, 2007 05:00 PM
Electronics |
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More VEXplorer details
Our buds over at Robot Magazine have an online exclusive, with lots of photos, of the forthcoming new VEX Robotics Design System, dubbed the Revell VEXPlorer. As you probably know, the VEX system, first sold by Radio Shack, was sold to Revell Monogram. The Robot mag piece has details about the content, pics of the components, and details of the partnership with SolidWorks, who's developing a Student Design Kit (3D CAD and mechanical design software) to go with the VEX system. And as far as I can tell, all of the previous VEX components are compatible. The VEXPlorer is available for pre-order on Amazon. It'll retail for $199. The Amazon page also has a goofy Ronco-esque Flash commercial that's worth the click-through.
Vexplorer Update! - Link
Related:
- The Vex Robotics Design System - Versatile, powerful design raises the bot in prefab robotics construction kits. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition!
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 17, 2007 06:00 AM
Computers, Electronics, Robotics, Toys and Games |
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Fonera internet controlled switch
cryptonoid writes -
First thing i did was flash dd-wrt firmware on it. Since FONera router has gpio pins i decided to use one of those pins to control AC loads or turn a switch ON/OFF remotely. There's a similar/better way of controlling AC loads - check out dd-wrt wiki. However, i only had one NPN transistor some resistors and leds. So i decided to build a small circuit that will turn a switch ON and OFF thru the Router's Web Interface. Now i can turn anything ON/OFF from anywhere in the world.....cryptonoid: f.i.c.s. - Fonera Internet Controlled Switch - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 17, 2007 03:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Telecommunications, Wireless |
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$100 DIY preamp
Ruel Oquindo writes about his DIY preamp for under $100 -
$100 DIY preamp - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 17, 2007 01:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Music |
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August 16, 2007
Cobbling together broken solar panels
In this well-written how to, the builder shows you how he collects broken photovoltaic (PV) cells and panels (sold on the cheap at places like Electronic Goldmine and Silicon Solar) and then wires them up and re-cases them to create new PV panels.
How to MAKE PV Solar Panels - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 16, 2007 08:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Green, Instructables |
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Scope clock
MAKE Flickr photo pool member eschlaep uploaded some nice scope clock photos! -
My oscilloscope clock displays the current time. The buttons on the front access the menu system (which I have not completed at this time). The knobs on the side control the CRT brightness, focus, size, and position. The row of buttons navigates through the menu system (incomplete). The knobs on the side adjust all the CRT parameters. The metal nametag directly below the screen is inscribed with '3GP1,' which is the type number of the CRT.Scope clock - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 16, 2007 05:00 PM
Electronics |
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Nao bot chosen as AIBO RoboCup replacement
In a rather strange move, French start-up Aldebaran, and their Nao humanoid robot, has been chosen as the replacement competitor for the discontinued Sony AIBO. The two-legged Nao will replace the four-legged AIBO in the Standard Platform League (formerly the Four-Legged League) of RoboCup, the popular robotic soccer competition. It seems something of a curious choice, given the fact that Aldebaran hasn't even shipped a product yet.
NAO Humanoid Robot Selected to Replace AIBO for RoboCup! - Link
Aldebaran Robotics - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 16, 2007 04:10 PM
Electronics, Events, Robotics |
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Battery charger - it paid for itself
Paul writes -
I got one of those battery extenders the other week and have been working through several years worth of "dead" batteries. At $40 for the device, if these all get used just once more, it paid for itself. And I assume I can get more than one re-use out of each one. Admittedly, each additional use cycle will be shorter, but if offered a 90¢ return on each dollar, then 75¢, then 60¢, then 50¢ etc. who wouldn't take it?Battery charger - it paid for itself - Link.
From the pages of MAKE:
Everything you need to know about batteries, and then some. MAKE 11 - page 151. View it now or subscribe!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 16, 2007 03:00 PM
Electronics |
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LCD mystery
The Hacker's bench needs your help, they want to interface with these LCDs... These look like the Nokia LCDs we've covered here (links in the comment) - so lend a hand and they'll send you some...
So, quite some time ago I won a box of LCD displays on an ebay auction. Turns out there were more than a hundred of them, they we're brand new, and in the manufacturers original packaging. Cool! If I can get them work at all it'll be the deal of the century, and if not, I'm not out all that much. I started searching for data and after burning up MANY hours on the web, pretty much came up blank. I've decided that probably someone out there has the info I need, and maybe this little contest will motivate them to share the info with me.Hacker's Bench Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 16, 2007 09:00 AM
Electronics |
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A poorman's oscilloscope
Ronald writes -
The oscilloscope is still one of the most important measurement tools of the electronic engineer. With the advent of the often very reasonably priced USB scopes, such an instrument is now within reach of every body. Twenty five years ago that was quite a different story. A (good) oscilloscope was then a very expensive instrument available only to a happy few. As a result many electronics hobbyist made their own scope. The popular electronics magazines in the sixties and seventies were full of scope designs almost always based on vacuum tubes. This period was closed in 1975 when the Dutch electronics magazine Elektuur (in the rest of the world known as Elektor) published their fully transistorised "Elektorscoop". Despite all this, the purchase of the expensive cathode ray tube and Special high voltage transformer remained too expensive for many people.A poorman's oscilloscope - Link.In an effort to lower the price for a scope even further, Elektuur published in 1978 the "Videoscope". The Videoscope sampled the analog input signal and stored the samples in a bucket brigade (CCD) memory. Next the data in the CCD was converted into an ordinary (black and white) video signal which could be displayed on an ordinary TV. In order to view the signal in the normal way the TV had to be put on his side, but nobody minded that. All in all it was still a rather complex design comprising a few dozen of ICs and several printed circuit boards.
These days this obviously can be done much simpler...
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 16, 2007 07:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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16 servo controller
Here's a USB servo controller of controlling up to 16 servos! The API is provided and according to the maker who sent this in, many open source projects have already been released... Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 16, 2007 06:00 AM
Electronics |
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| Comments (3)
OpenTracker project
The OpenTracker project now has kits! -
The OpenTracker is an APRS unit that transmits data via amateur radio Packet. Usually the OpenTracker is connected to the microphone input of a radio (generally a 2-meter handheld or mobile.) Data from a GPS receiver gets encoded and transmitted in APRS format, and in many parts of the world there's an extensive digipeater and gateway network that'll get the data onto the Internet. From there you can access it through websites like OpenAPRS, APRS World and Findu.com.OpenTracker project - Link.It has onboard temperature and voltage sensors, and it'll also connect to a number of different weather stations, including the 1-Wire weather instrument from AAG.
The OpenTracker is a transmit-only device. It can't receive or decode any data itself. If you're using the APRS network and you've got Internet access, you don't even need to decode anything off the air - IGate stations will do that for you. For other applications, the simplest way to start receiving data is to install a soundcard modem program like AGWPE, and simply connect a scanner or radio to your computer's audio input.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 16, 2007 04:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Kits |
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August 15, 2007
Physical Interactions over IP
My friend Thomas Edwards, who's the alpha geek behind Dorkbot DC, has put up a new project wiki for his (and presumably other techno-artist's) work in what he calls Phy2Phy, or "Physical Interactions over IP." This YouTube vid shows progress-to-date on his "Touch" project, which allows two people to touch each other over a Net connection, using force-sensitive resistors. There's a lot of cool hardware here, including the Comfile CUBLOC CB220 microprocessor, the Pololu micro serial servo controller, the Lantronix Xport, and the force sensors. All details and links are on the Touch Project page on Phy2Phy. Thomas will be showing off his progress at the next Dorkbot DC, on Sept. 10.
Physical Interactions over IP - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 15, 2007 08:00 PM
Arts, DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Antique adding machines as objets d'art
Brass Goggles points us to the work of Andy Aaron, who crafts very steampunky, work-worn "antique calculators." Too bad there isn't more info on his site about how he makes them. They obviously contain modern electronics. As someone points out in Brass Goggles comments, he needs to do one with a nixie tube display.
Aaron Adding Machines - [via] Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 15, 2007 06:00 PM
Electronics, Gadgets, Retro |
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A "mixed-signal" LED clock
Ronald writes -
The term "mixed-signal" is usually reserved for circuits and ICs that process both analog and digital signals. In that sense the title "A mixed-signal LED clock" is perhaps misleading since this is a digital clock from beginning to end. However, the readout is analog and since the beast had to be given a name, I a called it my "mixed-signal" clock.A "mixed-signal" LED clock (source and schematics included) - Link.Somewhere in the middle of the eighties, when I was studying, I joined the ECA: the Eindhoven Computer Association, a microcomputer club in Eindhoven. Although I am not a member anymore, they still exist and have now been active for more than 25 years [1]. Being situated in Eindhoven, the club obviously had close links with Philips, and regularly obtained surplus supplies of components of various kinds. I remember that these components could be bought for fl 0.10 (10 guider cents) a piece on every Tuesday evening. At one time they had a batch of LEDs in various shapes and colors. In those days a LED was not quite the common component it is today. The availability of these LEDs in these beautiful colors and nice shapes suggested the idea for a clock with an analog clock face...
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 15, 2007 03:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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PicoBotz- Build-it-yourself programmable robot
Dirkus writes -
Edmund Scientific is running a sale on the PicoBotz robot kit. They're knocking it down from $99 to $77, which isn't bad. The kit, once assembled, operates in three modes: obstacle avoidance, sound control, and line following. With the addition of a Windows PC, you can use the included serial cable and software to program the robot for other tasks with a set of 180 instructions. Sounds like a good gift for the robotics geek in your life, available for only $77 while stock holds out.PicoBotz- Build-it-yourself programmable robot - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Aug 15, 2007 10:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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| Comments (0)
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