Circuit Cellar Ink 136
November 2001

Table of Contents

4


Ingo Cyliax

Task Manager

One Man's Trash...

6

Reader I/O

Letters to the Editor

8


Rick Prescott

New Product News

  • PIC Millennium Starter Kit from OKWelectronics
  • DM2218A CompactFlash sound board from Eletech Electronics
  • TSOP2 OM-Adapt SMD prototyping adapters from Saelig Company

10


Pete Cross

An RF Lap-Scoring System

Trying to determine which mud-covered vehicle is the first across the finish line can be a messy task. If you can't buy a scoring unit, it's time to find a better solution. Pete considered a variety of technologies to keep the information flowing. In the end, RF came out on top.

20


Daniel Ramirez

Robot Sensor Controller Board

Part 2: How the Brain Works

Like many electronics enthusiasts, Daniel cut his teeth on a Heathkit project. Building the Hero I was a learning experience the first time around, now he's going back to upgrade the robot and update the hardware. With his board, some IR sensors, and a PIC, he limits the intrusion.

Download: ramirez136.zip

34


Jerry Wasinger

HTML Build a Wireless Weather Station

Whether mother nature sends you running for the root cellar regularly or you just like knowing what's happening in your backyard, Jerry's weather station can help. With a PIC micro, sensors for temperature, humidity, and pressure, and a VB program, you're all set.

Download: wasinger136.zip

44


SE Nickols

Measuring RF Field Strength

With RF techniques being used in more and more embedded products, often developers need to be able to measure RF field strength. With less than $100 in the budget, building your own direct decibel-reading device just might be the best way to monitor the situation.

Embedded PC

50


Fred Eady

Applied PCs

PICing a Place on the LAN

The buzz is that Ethernet capability is creeping into everything. If you've tried to join the trend but hit a wall when trying to collect the necessary documentation, you're not alone. Equally frustrated, Fred trekked across the 'Net to dig up what you need, and compiled a guide book.

Download: Eady-136.zip

58


Bruce Reynolds

Successfully Choosing IR Technology

When looking for a wireless communication solution, the IR route can be your best bet. However, you're challenged to make sure your device meets the current requirements and restrictions. As Bruce shows us, finding the right IR solutions is well worth the effort.

68


Jeff Bachiochi

From the Bench

Probe This

Jeff learned to make due without an oscilloscope. But when he saw an affordable, pen-type 'scope, the offer was too good to pass up. With his new osziFOX, he went to troubleshoot circuits.

74


Tom Cantrell

Silicon Update

The Last Micro?

Back when rumors of doom for 8-bit micros were rampant, Tom held his tongue and waited to see what would really happen. After looking at an offering from Xemics, he noticed enough new perks to defy the rumors.

82


David Tweed

HTML Test Your EQ

94

Advertiser's Index / December Preview

96


Steve Ciarcia

HTML, HTML Priority Interrupt

Moving Forward

Circuit Cellar Online


Michael Moore

PDF HTML Speeding Up Your Backplane

Designing for High Performance with PSI

In this article, Michael describes some issues involved in designing high-performance backplanes and their solutions. With his examples of how the PSI device can provide innovative solutions to challenging backplane designs, you'll be convinced that PSI is the way to go for designing highly developed optical solutions.

Circuit Cellar Online


Fred Eady

PDF HTML Introducing the Packet Whacker

Part 2: Setting a Course with Code

Zigzagging his way through the code, Fred finally gets the Packet Whacker and the PIC to play nice together. Stepping us through each facet of the firmware, he gives us enough information to apply his code with ours. The final destination on this journey -- success.

Download: c1101fecode.zip whacky.exe

Circuit Cellar Online


James Antonakos

PDF HTML Image Processing Fundamentals

Part 1: Playing with the Pixels

A beautiful landscape or a bunch of horizontal and vertical lines with varying shades of light and color? Both. Your brain and eyes work together to instantly process these lines and shades into a visual scene, and in this series of articles, James shows us how to get a microprocessor to do the same thing, transforming pixels into portraits.

Download: eet275

Circuit Cellar Online


George Martin

PDF HTML Lessons from the Trenches

Manufacturing Testing

When producing a large quantity of products, you can easily justify investing in the testing equipment that is needed. But, what if you're only producing a small quantity? Is the cost really justified? This month, George finds himself in such a situation and explores the option of writing his own test software.

Circuit Cellar Online


Tom Cantrell

PDF HTML Silicon Update Online

Core War

Infringing patents, pressing the advantage, slinging mud. Welcome to the world of trench warfare, Xilinx and Altera style. Reaching near-religious heights, the architecture battle is one for the books, or at least Tom's article for this month. The soft-core combat will eventually bring you to NIOS and MicroBlaze, but neither player is down for the count.

Circuit Cellar Online


David Tweed

HTML What's Your Engineering Quotient?

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

Circuit Cellar Online


Jenn Belmonte

Resource Links

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

Circuit Cellar Online


Rick Prescott

New Product News

New Product submissions may be sent to Rick Prescott, 4 Park St., Vernon, CT 06066.
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