Circuit Cellar Ink 112
November 1999

Table of Contents

6


Elizabeth Laurencot

Task Manager

Household Variable = Steady Work

8


Harv Weiner

New Product News

  • SGM5600EK GPS evaluation kit from SiGEM, Inc.
  • DFA 5 differential amplifier from Allison Technology Corp.
  • CP-908 68HC908 single-board computer from Allen Systems
  • OP6100 operator interface from Z-World.

12


Bill Dudley

Build a MIDI Sustain Pedal

Bill set out to take care of the shortcomings of his wife's electronic keyboard by building a MIDI sustain pedal using a 68HC11 and C. Sit back and enjoy the performance as he gets the hardware and software in tune.

Download: Dudley.ZIP

20


Richard Lao

PDF Working with a Dual-Slope ADC

With its good noise immunity and notable filtering action over the digitization interval,a dual-slope ADC was Richard's first choice when designing a prototype of a system to measure stresses in a beam. And there's more to the story than that...

Download: Lao.ZIP

26


Mike Baptiste

PDF, PDF HTML, HTML Embedded Living

Tuning into the HA Channel

A channel devoted to Home Automation may be a stretch, but in this month's column Mike shows us how to display HCS-II information via television with a little help from a PIC16C63A and an onscreen display module named BOB-II.

36


Stuart Ball

What's the Count?

Build an AVR-Controlled Frequency Counter

If you've ever needed a simple, inexpensive frequency counter, the Count-4 may be just what you're looking for. Pay attention as Stuart recounts building this microprocessor-controlled autoranging frequency counter.

Download: Ball.ZIP

Embedded PC

44


Harv Weiner

Nouveau PC

  • Elan-104 Windows CE development kit from Arcom Control Systems
  • PIO-32.PCI 32-channel digital I/O card from Sealevel Systems, Inc.
  • uFlashTCP web server module from JK microsystems, Inc.

Embedded PC

46


Ingo Cyliax

Real-Time PC

Serial Port Interfacing

Having worked on plenty of projects that use this common interface, sure, Ingo can give us the full scoop on serial port interfacing in general. But he'll also focus on the software required to talk to the serial port under (surprise!) Linux.

Download: Cyliax.ZIP

Embedded PC

52


Fred Eady

Applied PCs

Sending a DOS Stamp Airmail

Ever wonder why the air inside airplanes is so dry? Neither did Fred, until he was asked to design a system to increase the humidity in the cockpit of a 737. Fortunately, a DOS Stamp gets this embedded system off the ground.

60


Hari Ramachandran

IrDA Technology

Part 2: Protocol Layers

In the second half of this series, Hari explains, what he feels, is the most daunting step of working with Infrared Data Association (IrDA) solutions -- implementing the protocols. Pack your bags, you're on your way to understanding IrDA.

Download: Ramachandran.zip

66


Mark Balch

MicroSeries

High-Definition TV, Part 1: Video Formats and Transport

You may still be watching "Seinfeld" reruns in 2006, but according to the FCC, you won't be watching them via analog NTSC signals. Stay tuned as Mark kicks off this series on HDTV formats and signal transportation.

74


Jeff Bachiochi

From the Bench

Without Acceleration, Part 1: All We Have Left is Velocity

Sensor technology now packages sensors and signal conditioning in small surface-mount chips. Here's a way to design an accelerometer data-acquisition system using a sensor on a chip.

78


Tom Cantrell

Silicon Update

LPC -- The Little Processor that Could

LPC may stand for "low pin count" or "low price chip" or any number of things, but this new family of '51s from Philips offers much more than fun with words. Tom has the all the info on this new microcontroller.

83

HTML Test Your EQ

95

Advertiser's Index / December Preview

96


Steve Ciarcia

HTML Priority Interrupt

Another Typical Trip

Circuit Cellar Online


Duane Perkins

PDF HTML A PIC-Based Digital VOM

Today's digital volt-ohm meters are great for measuring DC volts. But, try measuring AC volts and you'll find more than a few problems. To make life easier, Duane used an MCU to calculate the root-mean-square of any waveform that's being measured and display the true RMS voltage.

Download: c119dpc1.zip Perkins.zip

Circuit Cellar Online


Todd Rytting

PDF HTML Dispensing the Goods, Embedded Style

According to Todd, the wave of embedded Internet will be no more than a ripple unless we find an appropriate hardware/software solution for the millions of devices with 8- and 16-bit micros. Faced with the challenge of designing an Internet-enabled vending machine, emWare's engineers are on the right track.

Circuit Cellar Online


Daniel Mann

PDF HTML Helping the Environment

Embedded Software Development

Although embedded microprocessor applications are on the rise, the tools used for developing embedded software are having a hard time keeping up. ICEs can't equal the complexity of today's processors, so Daniel shows us why manufacturers like AMD are moving to on-chip support.

Circuit Cellar Online


Ingo Cyliax

PDF HTML Learning the Ropes -- FPGA & CPLD

The FPGA Tour

With FPGAs becoming more commonplace, we decided it was time to introduce a bimonthly column to cover the ins and outs of working with FPGAs and CPLDs. Who better to provide this information than Circuit Cellar columnist Ingo Cyliax, who discovered the benefits of FPGAs long before they were considered mainstream?

Circuit Cellar Online


Bob Perrin

PDF HTML Considering the Details

Getting Started with Embedded PCs

Sure, embedded 'x86 products are flooding the embedded-systems market, but Bob still had a few questions about embedded PCs, so he took the beginner's route and ordered the Flashlite V25+ development system from JK Microsystems. This month, Bob considers the details of getting started with an embedded PC.

Circuit Cellar Online


George Martin

PDF HTML Lessons from the Trenches

Graphing the Data

In the July issue of Circuit Cellar Online, George was working on a data-logging project using Visual Basic. It took him a while to get the bugs worked out, but now he's ready to show us how to finish up this data logger.

Download: c119ltc1.zip Martin.zip

Circuit Cellar Online


Tom Cantrell

PDF HTML Silicon Update Online

Embedded I-Way Explosion

Get your modem running, head out on the I-way... If you're looking for adventure, then you might want to consider making your next product web-ready. According to Tom, this year's Embedded Internet Workshop made it clear that big things are coming soon.

Circuit Cellar Online


Jeff Bachiochi

HTML Ask Us, The Engineer's Tech-Help Resource

Let us help keep your project on track or simplify your design decision. Put your tough technical questions in front of the ASK US team. In an engineering predicament? Read questions & answers from other engineers.

Circuit Cellar Online


Bob Perrin

What's Your Engineering Quotient?

Test Your EQ presents some basic engineering problems for you to test your engineering quotient.

Circuit Cellar Online


Bob Paddock

Resource Links

Each month Circuit Cellar's Resource Links provide helpful links and information on a variety of featured topics.

Circuit Cellar Online


Harv Weiner

New Product News

New Product submissions may be sent to Harv Weiner, 4 Park St., Vernon, CT 06066.
FTP Directory for INK 112
Follow this link to order a copy of INK 112

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