Circuit Cellar Ink 226
May 2009

Table of Contents

4


CJ Abate

HTML Task Manager

Old Tech, New App

8


John Gorsky

HTML New Product News

13


David Tweed

HTML Test Your EQ

16


Dale Wheat

Smart Lead-Acid Battery Meter

An MCU-Based "Gauge" for SLA Batteries

Think sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries are a thing of the past? Think again. They are bound to be around for years to come. Dale designed a state-of-charge meter for his SLA batteries. His multicolored LED meter simplifies battery charge testing.

Download: Wheat-226.zip

24


DJ Delorie

Construct a USB GPIO Pod

Part 2: USB JTAG Module

In the first part of this article series, DJ presented a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pod that can plug into a USB port. Now he describes how to download a JTAG programming application and program a CPLD circuit.

36


Andrew Mitz
Jon Daley

DOS in the 21st Century

A USB Flash Drive Reader for MCUs Works for DOS

With a little effort, you can turn DOS into a handy real-time operating system. As Andrew and Jon explain, it can be the perfect fit for embedded applications that may require too many resources for a single-board microcontroller. Read on to learn how this USB flash drive reader for DOS can enhance your future embedded applications.

Download: Mitz_Daley-226.zip

44


Tom Struzik

Transformerless Power Supply

Instead of buying expensive transformers or converters to run your simple circuits, try using a transformerless power supply. Tom used one to construct a switch that controls lights in a pantry. When the door is opened, a processor senses a reed relay and powers up the outlet. Three minutes later, if the door is not closed, the outlet shuts off.

Download: Struzik-226.zip

From the Bench

52


Jeff Bachiochi

A World Without NTSC

Bridge the Gap Between NTSC and VGA

NTSC will soon be a thing of the past. So, what will you do in a world without the NTSC? Jeff answers that question and more. Read on to learn how he is using a chip to bridge the gap between the NTSC and VGA formats.

Lessons from the Trenches

60


George Martin

FAT File System Review

Part 2: C Code for the File System

Now that you're familiar with the FAT file system, George approaches the subject from a different angle. By presenting you with a general-purpose FAT file system, he challenges you to remove the features you don't need and customize your application.

Download: Martin-226.zip

Silicon Update

65


Tom Cantrell

Whistle While You Work

A Look at a Modern DSP

Remember your father's DSP? Well, the Texas Instruments Piccolo isn't it. Tom presents this "DSP in disguise" and describes how you can use it to handle signal-processing applications such as switcher power supplies and other handy applications.

79

Advertiser's Index / June Preview

80


Steve Ciarcia

HTML Priority Interrupt

It's All Aboutthe Content, Stupid!

Bonus Article


Michael R. Smith
Lizie Dunling-Smith

Time-Triggered Systems

Part 2: A Tool for Automating Analysis

Now that you're familiar with the topic of co-operative scheduling, it's time to move on to the topic of adding a GUI to a co-operative scheduler. The end goal is the development of an interesting multitask audio device, a modern Theremin.
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