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Issue #219 October 2008 — Signal Processing
Task Manager
What Makes an Engineer Tick?, by C. J. Abate
Priority Interrupt
Horses and Hard Drives, by Steve Ciarcia
New Product News, edited by John Gorsky
FEATURE ARTICLES
DIY Signal Generation
Create a Signal Source for a Variety of RF Applications
by Neal Martini
Neal describes how he built an inexpensive and accurate variable-frequency signal generator on a two-sided PCB. The system delivers frequencies from 0 to 3 GHz with a frequency accuracy of less than 200 Hz. p. 12
Keywords: Signal, generation, RF, variable frequency, DDS, PLL, VCO, LCD, keypad, phase, dsPIC30F3010A, MAX5026, AD9851, ADF4113, board layoutZX05-43LH, V600ME10-LF
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
SPECIAL FEATURE
Get Started with PIC USB Connectivity
by Jeff Bachiochi
You can add USB to your next project with Microchip Technology’s new array of parts. The 8-, 24-, and 32-bit microcontrollers will complement your designs with USB peripheral support, embedded hosting, and dual-role and OTG capabilities. p. 24
Keywords: PIC, USB, OTG, On-The-Go, dual role, HNP protocol, TPL, class, DM164127, DM320003, DV163025, PICkit 2
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Dynamic Animatronic Remote (Part 2)
Software and Menuing Code
by Peter Montgomery
Peter continues describing how he built an easy-to-use remote for his animatronic systems. This month, he describes the software and menuing code. p. 42
Keywords: Animatronics, remote, menu, Delphi, Z8
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Automated Data Mining
Build an Embedded Server Application
Honorable Mention WIZnet iEthernet Design Contest 2007 — Read
it now!
by Matt Pennell and Aaron Thomas
This well-designed embedded server application enables you to find airfare deals on the ’Net. The WIZnet W5100-based system uses Kayak, an online travel search engine, to search for flights. The data is then graphed to show you the best time of year to travel. p. 50
Keywords: Embedded Server, W5100, travel search,
Kayak, PIC24FJ128, WIZ810MJ, TCP/IP, stack, XML
Universal Machine Control
How Hardware Emulation Leads to Prototype Development
by Phil Laird and Jeff Shewan
Hardware emulation is an effective phase of the prototyping process. The purpose of this project was to build a robust hardware platform to run the rule sets for old pinball machines. Using the PinMAME program, the design emulates the hardware for almost 500 pinball machines and runs the rule sets. p. 62
Keywords: Pinball, PinMAME, rule set, controller, TCP/IP,
hardware emulation, RIOT 6532, solenoid, switch matrix, display, ENC28J60,
PIC18F2620
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
COLUMNS
ABOVE THE GROUND PLANE
HT Audio, GPS for APRS, and What Works
by Ed Nisley
Several years ago, Ed built a system that enabled him to communicate with a fellow rider via an electret microphone connected to an amateur radio during bicycle rides. This month, he explains how he rebuilt the interface and combined it with a GPS tracking system. p. 34
Keywords: Audio, electret microphone, amateur radio, bicycle, GPS, 2m, MAX4468, MAX4544, power, cabling, failure
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
FROM THE BENCH
Serial Terminal Solution
by Jeff Bachiochi
Jeff used to keep an old laptop in his lab just because it had a real RS-232 port. But he found himself in the lurch recently when the laptop broke in the middle of a design project that required an RS-232 port for operational verification. Fortunately, Jeff had another work in progress that involved the hardware he needed to fix the problem. In this article, he describes his serial terminal solution. p. 58
Keywords: Serial terminal, RS-232, PIC24FJ64, LCD, UART, formatting, ring buffer
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
THE DARKER SIDE
Cable Shielding Experiments
by Robert Lacoste
Robert recently came across an old book about electronic design. After reading about the topic of noise coupling with various cables and wiring setups, he reproduced the cable shielding experiments described in the book. This month, he shares the results. p. 70
Keywords: Cable, sheilding, noise reduction, capacitve coupling, filter, mutual inductance, grounding, signal source
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
SILICON UPDATE
Hot Enough for You?
Seeing Red (Infrared, That Is)
by Tom Cantrell
As Tom explains, having all the MIPS and megahertz in the world means nothing unless your design has some meaningful real-world data to process. To gather such meaningful data, you need innovative sensors. This month, Tom introduces a handy option you should consider for your next temperature-sensing design—an infrared noncontact IC thermometer. p. 78
Keywords: Sensor, tempurature, infrared noncontact, MLX90614, ADC, DSP, thermopile, state machine, PWM, SMBus, BASIC Stamp
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
PREVIEW
Issue #220 November 2008 — Analog Techniques
◊ Radiation Detection: Digital and Analog Pulses Measurement
◊ Embedded Cause and Effect: A Lighting System That Responds to Audio Stimuli
◊ Time Server Design: Synchronization with the WWVB Time Code Signal
◊ Low-Cost Serial-to-USB Migration
◊ Digital Stompboxing: An Easy-to-Use Digital Signal Processing Platform
◊ Weather-Monitoring Circuitry: A Design for Indoor-Outdoor Use
◊ LESSONS FROM THE TRENCHES What Can C Structures Do for You?
◊ FROM THE BENCH Drive by Wire: A Look at Noncontact Sensing
◊ SILICON UPDATE It’s the Sensors, Stupid: A Review of New Sensor Technology
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