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Issue #226 May 2009
Old Tech, New App
by C. J. Abate
At first glance, this issue looks more like one you would’ve read in the mid-’90s rather than in mid-2009. The topics of DOS, sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries, NTSC, C code, digital signal processing, DIY power supplies, and JTAG don’t really scream “cutting-edge technology!” But when presented by Circuit Cellar authors who spend their days and nights dreaming up innovative embedded apps, they don’t scream “old school ideas” either. Yes, we’re up to something here.
Basically, we’ve assembled a group of articles about new ways of developing and tweaking proven older technologies to meet modern design goals. For instance, on page 16, Dale Wheat describes an MCU-based meter he built for SLA battery charge testing. DJ Delorie finishes his USB GPIO pod series with information about downloading a JTAG programming application to program a CPLD circuit (p. 24). In “DOS in the 21st Century,” Andrew Mitz and Jon Daley explain how they use DOS as an operating system for embedded applications (p. 36). Turn to Tom Struzik’s article on page 44 to learn how he saved money by using a transformerless power supply, rather than expensive transformers or converters, in a recent light switch design project. On page 52, Jeff Bachiochi describes how he uses a Propeller to live in a world without NTSC. After saying farewell to NTSC, check out George Martin’s article about C code for the FAT file system (p. 60). Tom Cantrell ends the issue with an article about new ways for tackling DSP apps (p. 65). The part he presents “isn’t your father’s DSP.”
Just so I don’t feel left out, let me describe a new twist on an old technology. It is called Circuit Cellar Digital Plus, which is the newest version of Circuit Cellar’s ever-evolving electronic edition. I encourage all Circuit Cellar readers to give Digital Plus a try! Here’s a short intro to Digital Plus:
1. Digital Plus is a replica of the print magazine in digital form, “plus” it includes digital-only extras like bonus articles, tutorials, videos, photos, advertisements, interviews, and more.
2. You can easily view Digital Plus in two ways. One, view it through an online flip book reader, which does not require special software downloads. Click on the “?” icon to get instructions about using the flip reader. Two, download each issue as an easy-to-print PDF. Simply click on the “Adobe Acrobat” icon to download the PDF.
3. An e-mail will notify Digital Plus subscribers when a new issue is available. New issues (and some old) are posted at www.circuitcellar.com/DP/.
If you want to subscribe to Digital Plus, renew a subscription, or update your information, feel free to visit www.circuitcellar.com/DP at any time. Enjoy!
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