Circuit Cellar Ink 215
June 2008

Table of Contents

4 CJ Abate	HTML Task Manager Communications Hub
8 John Gorsky	New Product News The JN5139-EK020 IEEE802.15.4/JenNet wireless connectivity starter kit from Jennic Catalyst Atom Z500-based processor module from Eurotech, Inc. IIEVB-PIC-2128-110/220 secure Internet evaluation board from Connect One SEL-2725 rugged unmanaged Ethernet switch from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. R-GAGE QT50R advanced radar-based sensor from Banner Engineering Corp. Matrix ZigBee radio module from California Eastern Laboratories Parani-ESD1000 Class 1-type embedded Bluetooth serial module from Lemos International DS8113 low-power, low-cost, smart card interface from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. FFTP and FMTP series of twisted-pair IDC cable assemblies from Samtec, Inc. LA-BGA88D-FLASH-PSRAM-01 logic analyzer adapter from Ironwood Electronics InspirationLEDs -- pink, purple, and turquoise -- from Lumex,Inc.
14 Peter Csaszar Monica Flores	Message Acquisition Ring Signal Detection And Interpretation You'll never miss another voicemail message with Peter and Monica's voicemail monitoring system. Their device monitors the signal from an analog phone line, analyzes it, tracks the number of calls and messages, and displays the number on a VFD. Download: Csaszar-215.zip
20 Richard Wotiz	Pump Control Build A Variable-Speed Drive For Motors Richard's single-phase, variable-speed drive for AC induction motors is an excellent device for powerful, yet quiet, pump operation. Designed for use with a capacitor-start/capacitor-run motor, it includes active power factor correction (PFC) and inrush current limiting. Download: Wotiz-215.zip
Above the Ground Plane 30 Ed Nisley	Resistance Soldering In his last two columns, Ed discussed transformer action and the simulated triac control of an inductive load. This month, he describes a real-world application: circuitry connected directly to an AC power line. Download: Nisley-215.zip
36 Scott Bingham Yunfan Donald Zhang	Ray Tracing Made Simple A Ray Tracer Implemented On An FPGA Scott and Yunfan implemented a ray tracer on an FPGA. The ray tracer can draw spheres and planes with reflections, shadows, Lambertian lighting, patterns on planes, and antialiasing. Download: Bingham_Zhang-215.zip
46 Peter Baston	AIS Transmission Decoding Peter created a system that receives and decodes data transmissions from ships and other vessels via the Universal Automatic Identification System. Built around a Luminary Micro LM3S811 evaluation board, the decoder displays a "virtual" radar screen, showing the position of vessels in the area. Download: Baston-215.zip
54 Andrew March	MCU-Based Game System A Dot-Matrix Game That Targets C Coding Efficiency Andrew built a hand-held, dot-matrix video game that features scrolling scores and sound effects. You can implement an Atmel AT90S2313 and the C programming language to build a similar system. This project proves that you can use a modern CPU architecture and an efficient compiler to produce compact code without having to resort to assembly language to achieve your desired functionality. Download: March-215.zip
From the Bench 62 Jeff Bachiochi	Self-Destructive Behavior Processor Action Requires Power Supply Removal Fed up with corrosion? Eliminate the contacts. Jeff replaced his old doorbell switch with a capacitive touch pad using only the pair of wires available at the door. If you are not in the market for a new doorbell, this solution could work well in a different project. Download: Bachiochi-215.zip
The Darker Side 70 Robert Lacoste	Let's Be Crystal Clear Many electronic devices are enhanced by crystals, but do you know why? Robert explains why there are usually small capacitors around a crystal, the difference between "series" and "parallel" crystals, and more.
Silicon Update 78 Tom Cantrell	Touch Me If you haven't used touch sensors in your designs, you will soon. Tom explores the new touch sensors from Cypress Semiconductor and Silicon Laboratories. Traditional keypads and touchscreens beware!
93	Crossword Puzzle
94	Advertiser's Index / July Preview
96 Steve Ciarcia	HTML Priority Interrupt It's All In The Whiskers

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