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Issue #212 March 2008 — Robotics
Task Manager
Design, Program, & Prosper, by C. J. Abate
Priority Interrupt
What Happened to Performance?, by Steve Ciarcia
New Product News, edited by John Gorsky
FEATURE ARTICLES
Robotics with Ada95 — Read
it now!
by Daniel Ramirez
Ada95 is a standardized object-oriented programming language that was developed in the late 1970s by the U.S. Department of Defense. Today, engineers like Daniel use the highly structured language to increase the safety and reliability of their new robotics applications. p. 14
Keywords: Robotics, Ada95, Ada, OOP, object oriented,
GNAT, accelerometer, XBee-PRO, wireless, USB, Ethernet, W5100
Vertical Plotter System
by Miguel Sanchez
Miguel explains how to build a vertical plotter system that can draw on canvas with a pencil or charcoal stick. The compact, portable system consists of a pen holder hanging from pulleys on two stepper motors. In this article, he describes the entire process, from hardware development to programming the system. p. 30
Keywords: Plotter, pen, stepper,hang, belt, pulley, ULN2803, USB, Visual Basic, Bezier, LB1656, Hecktor
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Flight Control
A Communications System for an RC Helicopter
by Michael Ghazi, Stefan Kaban, Scott Morken,
Carl Philippsen, & Kyle Wong
Whether you are looking to control an RC helicopter or a full-sized car, this system will work for you. By facilitating communication between a base station and a vehicle, the system enables an operator to process commands and receive data. p. 36
Keywords: Communications, helicopter, RC, mapping, GUI,
dsPIC30F3011, ER900 TRS transceiver, DLP-USB232, C#, .NET, Visual Studio
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Do-It-Yourself Motion-Controlled Gaming (Part 1)
Get Started with a Simple Application
by Chris Coulston
The Nintendo Wii gaming system features a motion-sensing remote that translates hand movements and gestures into actual moves in its games. In this series of articles, Chris describes how you can build your own motion-sensing controller that can interact with a variety of graphics programs running on a PC. p. 43
Keywords: Wii remote, motion sensing, accelerometer, PIC18F4520, ADXL330, LCD, MCP1252, SMD soldering, reflow skillet, C18
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Robotics Made Easy
A Peripheral Chip for Low-Level Functions
by Monte Dalrymple
Robotics and motion control applications typically require specialized hardware and software. Monte introduces a simple peripheral chip that can take care of all of the low-level functions. p. 52
Keywords: Robotics, peripheral, Rabbit RIO, I/O, parallel, serial, RabbitNet, motor, H-bridge, position, encoder, servo, PWM
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Efficient Micro Mathematics
Multiplication and Division Techniques for MCUs
by Kripasagar Venkat
Most inexpensive microcontrollers don’t have a hardware multiplier module and typically require numerous instruction cycles to perform multiplication and division operations. Kripasagar describes techniques based on Horner’s method for performing efficient multiplication and division in the absence of a hardware multiplier. p. 60
Keywords: Mathematics, technique, multiplication, division, Horner's algorithm, filtering, MAC, FIR, IIR, ADC, multipliers, MSP430, CSD, efficiency
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
COLUMNS
FROM THE BENCH
Navigating the Heavens
by Jeff Bachiochi
With Celestron’s SkyScout, you can explore outer space without leaving your backyard. The handheld device gives you point-and-click convenience to identify thousands of stars, planets, constellations, and deep-space objects. You don’t even need instructions. Just turn it on and follow the directions on the LCD. ARM processor power brings the heavens to you. p. 69
Keywords: Star gazing, SkyScout, navigation, space, tracking, identification, LCD, GPS
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
LESSONS FROM THE TRENCHES
Do You Want to Do a Design? — Read
it now!
Linked Lists
by George Martin
After months of learning C, it’s time to apply what you’ve learned in a real-world application. George explains how to tackle a real design problem from start to finish. p. 76
For more about C language and writing code, visit George Martin's blog, "CCI C Programming Design Review," at http://ccidesignreview.wordpress.com/.
Keywords: C, linked lists, database, data structure,
UML, BuilderX, code review
SILICON UPDATE
More Bits, Less Filling
by Tom Cantrell
Tom is a proponent of the 32-bit MCU revolution. This month, he covers several respectable 32-bit chips that deliver performance at a reasonable price. Exciting new applications are on your horizon. p. 80
Keywords: 32-bit, MCU, MPU, ARM, Cortex, LPC2900, LPC3180, soft core, FPGA, Microblaze, Nios II, ColdFire, STM32, PIC32
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
PREVIEW
Issue #213 April 2008 — Embedded Programming
◊ Simple Hardware Development
◊ Programmable Power: Build a Simple USB DAC
◊ Do-It-Yourself Motion-Controlled Gaming (Part 2): Manipulate 3-D Graphics
◊ Video Stamp: A Video Display for Debugging Programs
◊ Embedded Linux Development (Part 1): A Virtual Linux Environment on a Windows System
◊ THE DARKER SIDE Low-Power Techniques: Build Better Energy-Saving Electronic Systems
◊ ABOVE THE GROUND PLANE Triac Control Meets An Inductive Load
◊ FROM THE BENCH Digital Touch: A Potentiometer with No Moving Parts
◊ SILICON UPDATE More than a Core
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