TI eZ430 chronos unpacking

Von technology-guerilla, 14. Januar 2010 21:16

Lucky me, the TI eZ430 chronos arrived with Fedex.

TI eZ430 Chronos development platform and sport watch

Von technology-guerilla, 26. November 2009 09:56

For just $49 you can start with mobile development. And yes the watch shows the time out of the box.

“Overview

The eZ430-Chronos is a highly integrated, wireless development system based for the CC430 in a sports watch. It may be used as a reference platform for watch systems, a personal display for personal area networks, or as a wireless sensor node for remote data collection.

Based on the CC430F6137 <1 GHz RF SoC, the eZ430-Chronos is a complete CC430-based development system contained in a watch. This tool features a 96 segment LCD display and provides an integrated pressure sensor and 3-axis accelerometer for motion sensitive control. The integrated wireless feature allows the Chronos to act as a central hub for nearby wireless sensors such as pedometers and heart rate monitors. The eZ430-Chronos offers temperatureand battery voltage measurement and is complete with a USB-based CC1111 wireless interface to a PC.

The eZ430-Chronos watch may be disassembled to be reprogrammed with a custom application and includes an eZ430 USB programming interface.

What’s Included:

  • eZ430-Chronos wireless watch
  • eZ430 USB programming and debugging interface
  • CC1111 USB RF access point
  • Mini Phillips screwdriver
  • CD containing documentation and development software”

http://www.ti-estore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=EZ430-Chronos-868

http://wiki.msp430.com/index.php/EZ430-Chronos?DCMP=Chronos&HQS=Other+OT+chronoswiki

eZ430-Chronos

Back from India

Von technology-guerilla, 13. November 2009 17:59

We’re back and enjoyed india very much, even because I was able to find business contacts.

India is a great place to find IT partner companies. So I can offer more performance with my company without hireing employees here.

I packed my bag for india – daypack bag

Von technology-guerilla, 22. Oktober 2009 16:58

I packed my bag and in it I put …

First of all I needed a new daypack bag.

My choose is the VentureSafe 25l Daypack from pac-safe.com. It’s a really good looking bag with Anti-Theft features and an extra laptop sleeve for the netbook.

It’s very ergonomic and comfortable to wear. I orderd the bag from my favorite outdoor specialist www.globetrotter.de. Only one day after placing the order online the package arrived. I hope that I don’t need to test the Anti-Theft features in real situations, but it’s good to know that it has it.

3065_108_PA020BK_Venturesafe25L

Video: The Rejected Windows Marketplace Apps (Humor)

Von technology-guerilla, 22. Oktober 2009 11:29

found via http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/20/video-the-rejected-windows-marketplace-apps-humor/

Train your jedi force

Von technology-guerilla, 22. Oktober 2009 10:26

http://www.zibri.org/ describes how to connect a Mattel Jedi Force Trainer to the pc via a TTL/RS232 interface.

Samsung’s flexible OLED prototype

Von technology-guerilla, 16. Oktober 2009 16:20

that’s really a nice piece of hardware. I hope we can buy it soon, because I want to build more than one project with it.

Robot platform – Stingray Robot

Von technology-guerilla, 7. Oktober 2009 09:40

“The Stingray robot from Parallax Inc. provides a mid-size platform for a wide range of robotics projects and experiments. The Propeller Robot Control Board is the brains of the system providing a multiprocessor control system capable of performing multiple tasks at the same time. The Propeller chip provides eight 32- bit processors each with two counters, its own 2 KB local memory and 32 KB shared memory. This makes the Propeller a perfect choice for advanced robotics and the Stingray robot.

Features:

  • Multicore Propeller chip based control board
  • Extra large EEPROM (64 KB) for storing additional data
  • On-board 3.3 V & 5V switching power supply
  • 5 V I/O translators to simplify interfacing to 5 V sensors/devices
  • Integrated dual full bridge driver
  • Two DC spur gear motors
  • Two-wheel differential drive system with rear omnidirectional wheel
  • Multiple mounting locations for sensors, add-ons, etc.
  • Free online Propeller Tool programming software for Windows and example Stingray source code (requires Win2K/XP/Vista, IE7 or higher, and USB port)

Key Specifications:

  • Power requirements: 6 AA 1.2 V Rechargeable Batteries (not included)
  • Communication: USB A to Mini B Cable (included)
  • Operating temperature: +32 to +158 °F (0 to +70 °C)
  • Dimensions, assembled: 13 x 10.9 x 5.5 in (330 x 277 x 140 mm)”

http://www.parallax.com/Store/Robots/AllRobots/tabid/755/ProductID/601/List/0/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName

For just 299$, it looks like the perfect base for own roboter projects. We’ll see how good it’s when my kit arrive.

Near Space Photography for $150

Von technology-guerilla, 25. September 2009 16:57

“We are a group of MIT students seeking to share the artistic aspects of science with others. On Sept. 2, 2009, we launched a digital camera into near-space to take photographs of the earth from high up above.”

http://space.1337arts.com/?page_id=47

Free Arduino Programming Notebook for download

Von technology-guerilla, 11. September 2009 13:14

A beginner’s reference to the programming syntax of the Arduino microcontroller.Includes information on program structure, variables, datatypes, arithmetic, constants, flow control, and most of the common functions of the core library. Also includes an appendix with schematics and simple programs for several common tasks.

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/arduino-programming-notebook/1108699

Arduino-controlled IKEA Lamp

Von technology-guerilla, 11. September 2009 13:06

http://www.arkadian.eu/pages/219/arduino-controlled-ikea-lamp build a mood light with a lamp from ikea. He uses 20 led’s and a arduino for the RGB color changing of the led’s. Wth the sourcecode for the arduino you can easily build one by yourself.

20_leds

combination

The Dunning–Kruger effect

Von technology-guerilla, 7. September 2009 15:52

Ok, it has even a name:

“The Dunning–Kruger effect is an example of cognitive bias in which “people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it”.[1] They therefore suffer an illusory superiority, rating their own ability as above average. This leads to a perverse result where less competent people will rate their own ability higher than relatively more competent people. It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence because competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. “Thus, the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

found via http://www.rackblogger.de/2009/08/20/dunning-kruger-effekt/

Toshiba JournE Touch – 7″ tablet for the ultimative multimedia living room experience

Von technology-guerilla, 4. September 2009 17:03

Toshiba presents on the IFA in berlin the JournE Touch, a 7″ Display tab with Wlan ARM CPU and Windows CE (why windows ce and not linux ?) Will this device be the missing link between pc and smartphone / pda ? At the end of this year, right for christmas time we’ll see if it’s a must have for 249 EUR.

http://www.zdnet.de/news/wirtschaft_investition_hardware_ifa_toshiba_zeigt_touchscreen_tablet_journe_touch_story-39001021-41502227-1.htm

toshiba_journe_touch-v6

The mircrosoft windows editor diary

Von technology-guerilla, 31. August 2009 12:32

The windows editor can do a few things more than just writing plain text. When you write .LOG in the first line and save as *.txt, on the next startup the editor inserts an timestamp.

editor

http://www.basicthinking.de/blog/2009/08/31/der-windows-editor-als-tagebuch/



klarmobil.de

Iphone – Yeah – there’s an App even for that [SATIRE]

Von technology-guerilla, 28. August 2009 16:22

found via http://www.mac-essentials.de/index.php/mac/article/20528/

DIY – The cheapest dual trace scope in the galaxy

Von technology-guerilla, 26. August 2009 11:33

It has 2 analog inputs and can supply 5V ont the 4 pins header on the right. One of the inputs can be scaled down with the trim pot.
The firmware in the Tiny45 is written in C and compiled with Winavr and usb source code from obdev. As you can see, there is no crystal , the software sync the internal 16.5Mhz pll clock with the USB clock.

The cost with a home made pcb is around 5€.
Of course, do not expect 1Gs/s HID does not alow that data rate !
But it is using a 10bits AD.”

http://yveslebrac.blogspot.com/2008/10/cheapest-dual-trace-scope-in-galaxy.html

How’s a USB Flash Drive Made? Trip to the Kingston Production Plant

Von technology-guerilla, 24. August 2009 18:09

LEGO Mindstorms Sudoku Solver

Von technology-guerilla, 24. August 2009 17:34

A very great work, which shows the abilities of the Lego Mindstorms. The building instructions aren’t online yet, but hopefully follow soon.

http://tiltedtwister.com/sudokusolver.html

DIY Apple I clone – replica I

Von technology-guerilla, 17. August 2009 16:57

For those who’re to young for an original apple bought in the shop, here is the ultimative chance to get their own one

The replica 1 is a functional clone of the apple 1 computer created by Steve Wozniak in 1976. This was the computer that Steve Jobs and Woz used to start Apple Computers in 1976. The latest version of the replica 1 is labeled SE for Second Edition. The replica 1 functions exactly like the apple 1 with many of the same components like a 6502 CPU and 6821 PIA. It comes with 32K RAM and 8K EEPROM. Addtional features like a ps/2 port, serial, USB port, ATX and DC wall power supply connectors makes the replica 1 a fully functional computer system for todays collector or hobby builder. Available as a kit or assembled, the replica 1 is sure to give you hours of fun and excitement as you relive the glory days of computing. As a new feature, a full blown assembler called Krusader written by Ken Wessen was added to the EPROM space giving the user the ability to assembler 6502 programs right on the replica 1 without a PC. Write 6502 machine code programs using mnemonics instead of just programming hex code into the memory. This added programming tool makes the repica 1 not only a nostalgic computer but a great learning tool and introduction to microprocessors.”

http://www.brielcomputers.com/replica1.html

replica1d

Or the non-hardware alternative, the apple I emulator:

“Pom1 is an Apple 1 emulator and is being ported to C from the original Java version. It uses the Simple DirectMedia Layer library and works on most platforms”

http://pom1.sourceforge.net/?page=about

apple emulator

DIY arduino based CNC for 100$

Von technology-guerilla, 17. August 2009 15:23

CNC machine v2.0 – aka “Valkyrie”

http://letsmakerobots.com/node/9006

p1050967

Travelling to india 2nd try

Von technology-guerilla, 5. August 2009 18:04

The first try to travel to India in December 2008 wasn’t successful, because of the event of terrorist attacks. For our own safety we decided not to fly, the alternative was a nice and enjoyable trip to Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia.  A few things need more than one try, so we booked tickets for October 2009 again. We hope that nothing unusual happens. On the plus side, we know the address of the embassy in Hamburg this time. It will be my first flight with THY – Turkish Airlines, because they had a excellent offer via opodo.de.

800px-Turkish_Airlines_Logo.svg

150px-flag_of_indiasvg



Singapore Airlines - A great way to fly

DSL Doppelflat

Von technology-guerilla, 5. August 2009 17:38



1&1 DSL

Connecting a Bronkhorst MV-306 via RS232

Von technology-guerilla, 3. August 2009 09:19

Connecting a Bronkhorst MV-306 via RS232 to the computer is a easy thing, when you don’t forget to set the rs232 signal ground to ground. All you’ve to do is connect PIN 2 (RxD Receive Data), PIN 3 (TxD Transmit Data) and PIN 5 (Signal Ground) with the Pins of the MV-306. The pinout of the MV-306 is 1 Tx-RS232, 6 Rx-RS232 and PIN 4 and 8 are ground.

Use this setup and the things works just fine:

RS232 PIN 2  <–RxD–> MV-306 PIN 4

RS232 PIN 3 <–TxD–> MV-306 PIN 1

RS232 PIN 5 <–Ground–> MV-306 PIN 4,8

This works right for me, i’m not responsable for any damage happens to you or your equipment.

MV-304-306

http://www.massflow-online.com/mass-viewr-series/

DIY Z80 microcomputer from scratch

Von technology-guerilla, 29. Juli 2009 14:10

“My Z80 microcomputer is hand wired using the wire-wrap prototyping technique. This method uses thin 30 gauge wire, a special wire-wrap tool, and wire-wrap sockets. The sockets have 1/2 inch long square posts, which you use the tool to wrap (or twist) the wire onto the post. As long as you have 5 or more wraps on the post for a single wire, the connection is semi-perminant. This method was used because it’s easy to change connections and is faster than soldering each wire. Wire-wrapping was a popular method used in building early computers. In fact, the AGC computer used for the NASA Apollo missions were completely wire-wrapped! After I finished my computer, I went through more than 350 feet of wire!”

http://www.derivedlogic.com/Z80%20Microcomputer/z80micro.html

DIY 40 MHz Frequency meter

Von technology-guerilla, 28. Juli 2009 15:43

This article shows how to build a small, cheap and simple frequency meter, without any fancy, out of reach components. The simple proposed design can measure frequencies up to 40 Mhz with errors below 1%! This degree of precision will be more than enough to debug most of your analog and digital circuits, and will give you the ability to analyze many aspects that you were unable to see before.”

http://www.ikalogic.com/freq_meter_2.php

probes_2

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