Circuit Cellar Ink 241
August 2010

Table of Contents

4 CJ Abate	HTML Task Manager Proactive Engineering
Questions & Answers 8 CJ Abate	Custom Instrumentation Engineering An Interview with Brian Millier Brian Millier is an instrumentation engineer in the Department of Chemistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. He also runs Computer Interface Consultants. Circuit Cellar published 39 of Brian's articles between 1994 and March 2010. In June 2010, I interviewed him about topics ranging from his first experience with an MCU to his most current project.
12 John Gorsky	HTML New Product News FilterPro v5.0 design tool software from Texas Instruments, Inc. DB9-USB-RS232 range of serial-to-USB modules from Future Technology Devices International Limited PSoC Creator 1.0 Beta 4.1 design software from Cypress Semiconductor Corp. SM3320 SolarMagic in-panel chipset from National Semiconductor, Inc.
13 David Tweed	HTML Test Your EQ - Answers for Issue 240
The Consummate Engineer 16 George Novacek	Embedded Safety Components fail. It's your duty as a competent engineer to ensure the effects of failure are predictable and benign. Here you'll learn to develop and implement basic failure mode analysis.
20 Colin O'Flynn	Advanced USB Design Debugging As USB becomes more and more ubiquitous, you must have a solid understanding of how the technology works and how you can use it in your designs. Start by studying the advanced features of USB and then move on to working with a USB MCU.
28 Aubrey Kagan	The 4-to-20-mA Current Loop The 4-to-20-mA current loop has been around for a long time, and it isn't going anywhere despite a wide range of fieldbus options. If you design applications for industrial electronics, you're destined to use a 4-to-20-mA interface (if you haven't already). Download: Kagan-241.zip
36 Devlin Gualtieri	Build an X10 Controller Part 2: The Controller Program and Utility You have a circuit design for your X10 controller. Now it's time to address the firmware. This is a review of a controller program and a utility to convert a human-readable event file into serial data the X10 controller understands. Download: Gualtieri-241.zip
Above the Ground Plane 42 Ed Nisley	Crystal Properties Circuit Models, Measurement, and Conversion Understanding a crystal's properties is key to getting oscillators working. Here you learn about a crystal's circuit model, how to measure a crystal's properties, and how to convert the values into parameters for the model. Download: Nisley-241.zip
The Darker Side 50 Robert Lacoste	A Tour of the Lab Part 1: Time Domain Measurement Equipment Building a design lab is an exhilarating experience. It's exciting to shop for parts, set up new equipment, and begin planning new projects. But it also can be a stressful endeavor, especially when you're working on a tight budget. Here are some tips for choosing the right test equipment given your design needs and resources.
From the Bench 58 Jeff Bachiochi	Application Communication with USB Part 3: Assembly Code Finale Ready for the last installment in this articles series about USB communication? You understand the enumeration process and you're familiar with the standard device descriptor. Here you learn about the two interactions that take place through the configured device's established endpoints (EP1 and EP2). Download: Bachiochi-241.zip
Silicon Update 66 Tom Cantrell	MIPS and More When it comes to 32-bit MCUs, no doubt ARM-based parts are on a roll. So, is the story over? Not so fast, say major players. Microchip Technology, for one, is going all-in with chips based on the MIPS architecture. Their latest parts are a reminder there's more to a successful embedded design than an instruction set.
74	Crossword Puzzle
78	Crossword Puzzle - Answers for Issue 240
79	Advertiser's Index / September Preview
80 Steve Ciarcia	HTML Priority Interrupt Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber?

FTP Directory for INK 241
Follow this link to order a copy of INK 241
<<< Ink 240
Main Index	Author Index