#147 October 2002 Data Acquistion

Table of Contents Task Manager Be a Contender—by Jennifer Huber Priority Interrupt Linguini with Clam Sauce— by Steve Ciarcia New Product News—edited by John Gorsky 2-D or Not 2-D by Martin Courtney If you’re at that point where 2-D surface images just aren’t doing the job anymore, then it’s time for you to move on to more sophisticated 3-D surfaces. In this article, Martin walks us step-by-step through a project to create 3-D surfaces that can be oriented in real time. p.12 Keywords: 3-D, surface, map, orthagonal coordinate, axes, normalization, scaling, vector, rendering   High-Frequency Job Frequency Counter and VFO Controller by Richard Hosking If you’re looking for a way to stabilize a free-running local oscillator and obtain a frequency readout in one fell swoop, then Richard has the solution for you. How about a board that’s comprised of an AT90S1200, a gate/prescaler circuit, and a loop filter/VCO control circuit? . p.20 Keywords: Frequency counter, VFO, receiver, transmitter, LCD, PLL, AT90S1200, HD44780   ROBOTIC CORNER SOPHOCLES A Solar-Powered MSP430 Robot by Jens Altenburg Worried about the side effects of that presumably noxious gas that’s lingering in your basement? Rather than trying to waft samples into an empty jar for your local health department to assay, try following Jens’ lead by building your own gas-detecting robot. p.24 Keywords: Robot, MSP430, air quality, camera, wireless, power supply, radio, motors, gas detector Light the Way An LED-Based Alternative by Philip Ching & Bruce Land Actors get paid big bucks to feign abstractions such as happiness. But when it comes to imitating the physical world, Hollywood looks to engineers. Philip and Bruce describe how they faked a flame and illuminated an audience with a real-time LED-based candle. p.30 Keywords: Robot, MSP430, air quality, camera, wireless, power supply, radio, motors, gas detector   Convert Your PC Sound Card Make a DC-Coupled Arbitrary Waveform Generator by David Prutchi & Michael Norris Many consumer-grade sound cards are insufficient for inducing signals that have low-frequency or DC components. However, with the right software, a PLL circuit, and a little know-how, you can convert your PC sound card into a precision DC-coupled arbitrary waveform generator. p.36 Keywords: Arbitrary waveform generator, arb, sound card, PLL, NE565C, modulator, .wav, RIFF, datastream conversion, demodulator, MAX280, filter, IRIG   Choosing Your LCD by Roberto Ferrabone Choosing the right LCD and controller can be difficult, especially when their signal names don’t match up. But, as Roberto explains, it doesn’t have to be a major problem. In this article, he will show you how to pick the appropriate devices for your own applications. p.44 Keywords: LCD, SED133x, SP14Q002, FPGA, XCS10, command set ABOVE THE GROUND PLANE Audio Transformation by Ed Nisley If you’ve ever had a problem connecting your PCs to a sound system, and chances are you have, then listen up. In this article, Ed shows us how he took the mystery out of audio transformation by building an isolated mixer for PC sound card audio. So, get ready to connect. p.50 Keywords: Transformers, audio, isolation, mixer, LF411, MAX4520   —Sponsored Article— Read it Now! APPLIED PCs Design with STKxxx Parts—Build an Ethernet Controller by Fred Eady Fred first introduced us to the STK500 starter kit. Now he’s back with the newest tool in his Atmel toolbox, the STK501. In this project, he combines the STK501 daughterboard with the STK500 and ASIX Ax88796 to build a 10/100-Mbps Ethernet controller. p.54 Keywords: Ethernet controller, STK501, AX88796, ATmega128, AVR Studio, ICCAVR Professional C Sponsored by ImageCraft Creations Inc. —Feature Article of the Month— 12,16,18, Hike! Dashing for Flash Cash Read it Now! FROM THE BENCH by Jeff Bachiochi Whether you’re gearing up to participate in the Microchip 2002 design contest or getting ready to follow the action from your favorite recliner, now is the perfect time to tune in for Jeff’s pre-game analysis. p.62 Keywords: Design contest, PIC18Fxxx, PIC18F252, memory, addressing, instruction set, interrupts, clock, ports, timer,CCP, ADC, WDT, programming, boot loaderEthernet controller, STK501, AX88796, ATmega128, AVR Studio, ICCAVR Professional C   —Sponcored Article — Watch Me Pull A Rabbit Out of My Hat Read it Now! SILICON UPDATE by Tom Cantrell It’s clear that the Rabbit 3000 is an improved 8-bit micro. But how “new” is it? In this article, Tom takes a look at the micro’s history, focusing on the evolutionary track leading up to its current features. p.76 Keywords: Rabbit 3000, Z80/180, compatibility, peripherals, spread-spectrum clocking Sponsored by Rabbit Semiconductor   Test Your EQ Advertisers Index PREVIEW November #148 Embedded Development MCS-51 SBC for the Classroom—Part 1 The Air Data Computer Embedded Real-Time Java in an MPU Efficient, Practical Adders for FPGAs A Low-Power Embedded Thermal Sensor System Robotics Corner: Ultrasonic Homing Device Applied PCs: Geckodriving Your Motor Control Applications From the Bench: Don’t Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket—Smart RF Silicon Update: Sensors and Sensibility Cover Photography by Meadows Marketing