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Issue #223 February 2009 — Wireless Communications
Task Manager
PV Technology, Microstrips, and More, by C. J. Abate
Priority Interrupt
Are We Dumb Enough Yet?, by Steve Ciarcia
New Product News, edited by John Gorsky
FEATURE ARTICLES
Wireless Module Control — Read
it now!
An MCU-Based Irrigation Control System
by Tom Kibalo
Tom describes a PIC-based prototype design for a wireless water control system for EarthBoxes, which are gardening boxes with water reservoirs and fertilizer strips for cultivating plants and vegetables. The scalable design can accommodate various multiple-box configurations. p. 14
Keywords: Irrigation, control, EarthBox, RF, PIC24F, 802.15
ZigBee, LCD, sensor
Processor Modification
Put Soft-Core Processors to Work
by Larry Standage
Want to change your processor? No problem. Larry explains how to use the flexibility of soft-core processors to make the processor you want. p. 30
Keywords: Soft-core processor, modify, VHDL, GCC, OpenRISC1200, miniMIPS, S3BOARD, XC3S200, FPGA, registers, interrupts
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Power Switching in the Real World (Part 2)
Practical Switching Arrangements
by Steve Hendrix
Steve continues his explanation of solid-state power switching by describing how to use a logic design to control real-world power. You can use his practical switching arrangements in your upcoming designs. p. 43
Keywords: Power switching, solid state, safety, driver circuits, FET, charge pump, optocoupler, capacitive coupling, current sensing
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
COLUMNS
ABOVE THE GROUND PLANE - INTELLIGENT ENERGY SOLUTIONS
Solar Measurements
Techniques for Evaluating Panels
by Ed Nisley
Is designing a photovoltaic system in your future? Ed describes how to model and measure the characteristics of a small panel. In doing so, he covers photovoltaic fundamentals, circuit modeling, and instrumentation. p. 24
Keywords: Solar panel, photovoltaic, evaluation, modeling, testing, power, efficiency, charging, Powermonkey
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
SILICON UPDATE
Here Come the Wadgets
by Tom Cantrell
As the catalog of wireless hardware options grows, so does the range of potential applications. This month, Tom introduces you to three new wireless gadgets, or “wadgets.” There’s something for everyone, from a mini-me Java machine to a wireless wire and everything in between. p. 50
Keywords: Wireless gadget, mote, JCreate, MPS430, 802.15.4, CC2420, JVM, SunSpot, Perk, FirstTouch, CyFi, RideMaxx, Bluetooth, EmbedRF
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.
FROM THE BENCH
Access SD Memory Cards (Part 2)
Use the FAT File Format to Move Data
by Jeff Bachiochi
Jeff concludes his introduction to SD technology with information about using the FAT file format to move data. He also describes how to create directories and file entries, and delete, save, and append data using ring buffers. p. 57
Keywords: FAT, SD memory, root directory, regions, SPI, cluster, LBA, LCD, ring buffer, serial, PIC24FJ64
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
THE DARKER SIDE
Microstrip Techniques
by Robert Lacoste
What are microstrips and how are they used in PCB designs? Robert sheds some light on the topic of microstrips and describes microstripping techniques that you can use at your workbench. p. 64
Keywords: Microstrip, PCB, impedance matching, transmission, CAD, SMT, filter
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
PREVIEW
Issue #224 March 2009 — Robotics
◊ Vision-Guided Robotics: Build a Next-Generation Balancing Robot
◊ Wireless Mobile Robotics
◊ Robot Navigation and Control (Part 1): Construct a Navigation Control Subsystem
◊ Network Timing: Build a Timer with Advanced Planning Tools
◊ LESSONS FROM THE TRENCHES FAT File System Review (Part 1): Open Files & Perform Operations
◊ FROM THE BENCH Programmable Robotics (Part 1): Build on an Existing Robot Platform
◊ SILICON UPDATE A Really Simple Plan: The “8-Bits” Saga Continues
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