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Issue #241 August 2010 — Embedded Development

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Task Manager
Proactive Engineering, by C. J. Abate

Priority Interrupt
Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber?, by Steve Ciarcia

New Product News, edited by John Gorsky

FEATURE ARTICLES
Advanced USB Design Debugging
by Colin O’Flynn (Canada)
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. p. 20

Keywords: USB, debugging, Beagle 480, AT90USBKEY, class, HID, OTG, MCU, analyzer

 

The 4-to-20-mA Current Loop
by Aubrey Kagan (Canada)
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). p. 28

Keywords: 4-to-20-ma, current loop, voltage drop, offset, transmitter, receiver, three-wire, two-wire, HART protocol

 

Build an X10 Controller (Part 2)
The Controller Program and Utility
by Devlin Gualtieri (USA)
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. p. 36

Keywords: X10, C, PICBasic Pro, data structure, PIC16F877, terminal, compiler, events, PL513

 

COLUMNS

THE CONSUMMATE ENGINEER
Embedded Safety
by George Novacek (Canada)
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. p. 16

Keywords: Safety, failure mode analysis, black box, white box, functionality, WDT, watchdog

 

ABOVE THE GROUND PLANE
Crystal Properties
Circuit Models, Measurement, and Conversion
by Ed Nisley (USA)
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. p. 42

Keywords: Crystals, modelling, capacitance, properties, motional inductance, spectrum analyzer, K8IQY, L/C meter

 

THE DARKER SIDE
A Tour of the Lab (Part 1)
Time Domain Measurement Equipment
by Robert Lacoste (France)
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. p. 50

Keywords: Test equipment, time domain, power supply, signal generator, oscilloscope, logic analyzer, counter

 

FROM THE BENCH
Application Communication with USB (Part 3)
Assembly Code Finale
by Jeff Bachiochi (USA)
Ready for the last installment in this article 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). p. 58

Keywords: USB, assembly code, SIE, end point, token, packet, interrupt, I2C, PIC184450, PIC18F14K50, LED, Beagle 480

 

SILICON UPDATE
MIPS and More
by Tom Cantrell (USA)
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. p. 66

Keywords: MIPS, PIC32, ARM, memory, peripheral, CAN, USB, Ethernet, UART, PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit, MPLAB, GCC, OTG, microMIPS

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You can purchase full issues of Circuit Cellar in Print or Digital formats, single articles, and archive CDs in the webshop. Click Here

 

PREVIEW
Issue #242 September 2010 — Data Acquisition
Rapid Prototyping: Build a Scrolling LED Message Board with mbed/NXP LPC Platform
Mesh Telephony System: The Mesh Potato Project from an Embedded Designer’s POV
Precision Temperature Control Circuitry
THE CONSUMMATE ENGINEER Is the Door Closed?: Why Designing Safety-Critical Systems Is Essential
LESSONS FROM THE TRENCHES State Machines Revisited: Addressing Real-World Word Problems
FROM THE BENCH Data Transmission and Decoding: Design and Implement a Keyfob Decoder
SILICON UPDATE Once More, With Feeling: An MCU + FPGA Without the Compromises


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