Circuit Cellar Ink 214
May 2008

Table of Contents

4 CJ Abate	HTML Task Manager DIY Measurement AndSensing Projects
8 John Gorsky	New Product News ADA4857 low-power voltage-feedback amplifier from Analog Devices, Inc. LTC2309 12-bit ADC with I2C-compatible interface from Linear Technology Corp. TrineX CW27 self-contained GPS receiver module from NavSync OPA454 precision power op-amp from Texas Instruments, Inc. SGAU strain gauge amplifier module from Industrologic, Inc. iLoad Mini miniature load cell from Loadstar Sensors, Inc. TSEV01P digital infrared temperature sensor from Measurement Specialties, Inc. uC/Probe embedded simulation environment from Micrium 78K0R/Ix3 line of 16-bit all-flash microcontrollers from NEC Electronics Corp. USB-AI Series of low-cost USB analog input modules from ACCES I/O Products, Inc.
15 David Tweed	HTML Test Your EQ
16 Gerhard Oberforcher	Depth Measurement Construct An Ultrasonic Snow Depth Sensor Gerhard used the sonar components from an autofocus camera, a Microchip PIC18F452 microcontroller, and several off-the-shelf parts to construct an ultrasonic snow depth sensor system.The low-power design provides accurate snow depth measurements and is easy to integrate into other weather station systems. Download: Oberforcher-214.zip
30 CJ Abate	HTML 2007 WIZnet iEthernet Design Contest Winners Announcement The WIZnet iEthernet Design Contest 2007 gave engineers throughout the embedded design community a chance to join the Ethernet revolution while competing for a share of $15,000 in cash prizes and international recognition. Designers from around the world quickly stepped up to the challenge by incorporating WIZnet's W5100 hardwired TCP/IP Ethernet controller in innovative embedded projects. Within weeks of the contest launch, designers began submitting their exciting, next-generation, Ethernet-enabled embedded systems. After spending many long days and nights closely studying the entries and judging them on their technical merit, originality, usefulness, cost-effectiveness, and design optimization, the judges presented their scores to the contest administrator. The results are now final, and we're proud to announce the winners.
34 Miguel Rusch	Where Analog And Digital Collide An Easy-To-Use LCR Meter Miguel's portable LCR meter makes it easy to analyze the analog performance of virtually any device under test, whether in the lab or on the job. The dsPIC30F4012-based meter uses DDS techniques and DSP methods to condition the resulting voltage and current signals. Its handy user interface and graphic LCD make it easy to operate and read. Download: Rusch-214.zip
41 Steve Lubbers	Electronic Data Logging And Analysis A How-To Guide For Building A Seizure-Monitoring System Steve's electronic monitoring system enables pet owners and vets to monitor the patterns of epileptic seizures in dogs. The real-time, ATmega32-based system logs the number of seizures and measures the time between them. Download: Lubbers-214.zip
52 David Lynch	Embedded Linux Development Part 2: Create An Embedded Development Environment David finishes describing his coLinux cross-development platform that runs on Windows. You can create an embedded development environment with him on coLinux or other versions of Linux.
60 Wolfgang Matthes	Advanced Technology Attachment I/O Use ATA Interfaces For General-Purpose I/O Applications Using modern PC interfaces for connecting application-specific hardware can create a wide range of problems for embedded designers (e.g., slow communication and long latencies). In this article, Wolfgang describes a viable alternative: an ATA interface. Employing ATA as the low-latency embedded interface allows you to apply miniaturized motherboards instead of typical industrial platforms, which are considerably more expensive. Download: Matthes-214.zip
From the Bench 70 Jeff Bachiochi	Control Circuitry Advances in video game technologies and controllers are changing the ways we interact with gaming consoles. If you don't want to buy expensive power pads and controllers, you can follow Jeff's lead and build your own controllers with much of the same circuitry. Download: Bachiochi-214.zip
Silicon Update 76 Tom Cantrell	Designer's Best Friend The roots of Altera's MAX II go back about 30 years to the programmable array logic (PAL) device. This month, Tom covers the history of programmable logic chips and introduces you to MAX II technology. Say hello to his little friend.
Lessons from the Trenches 83 George Martin	Making Changes A Look Into The C Compiler Guess what happened after George recently made a few simple changes to a product for a customer and then recompiled the code? Compiler errors! In this column, he describes how he addressed the problem. Download: Martain-214.zip
93	Crossword Puzzle
94	Advertiser's Index / June Preview
96 Steve Ciarcia	HTML Priority Interrupt Who Said Variety Is Good?

FTP Directory for INK 214
Follow this link to order a copy of INK 214
<<< Ink 213	Ink 215 >>>
Main Index	Author Index