#130 May—2001
Measurement and Sensors
FEATURES
Measurement and Sensing with the MPC565—Andrew Lillie
There’s no question that the automotive industry has benefited from the growth and
development of the microcontroller. Engine control is one of the main automotive
applications for today’s micros, so Andrew shows us how controllers like the MPC565
do it. p.10
Keywords
: MPC565, microcontroller, automotive, MIOS, waveform measurement, MDASM, PWM, PowerPC, MMCSM, frequency, capture
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| Part 1: Constructing the Platform by Ed Sutter Beginning his series this month, Ed addresses the lack of enthusiasm for monitors. Whether you’re a monitor champion or resister, you will benefit from looking at both sides of the equation in this article. Bootroms may be overrunning the monitors, but you can come up with a design that enhances the embedded system and endures for years to come. The reward is improvement in your current implementation, or renewed interest in monitor use. May 2001 |
The Yard-Stick—David Penrose
With gardening season approaching, David needed a way to find out just how much space the
flower beds took up. With a little help from a Philips LPC microcontroller, there was
still plenty of time to measure the gardens and order the mulch before snowfall. pg.16
Keywords: Measuring wheel, LCD, 87LPC764, I2C, RS-232, PC, Vector 2x, distance, direction, timer, interrupt, EEPROM, 24C65, MAX202, compass
Frequency Meter Metal Detector—Andrei Chtchedrine & Yuri Kolokolov
Finding hidden treasure might not be what Andrei and Yuri had in mind for this metal
detector project, but whether you’re looking for the hardware to start a salvage
company or just looking for an interesting project to build, this design is worth more
than its weight in gold. pg.26
Keywords: Metal detector, frequency, meter, BFO, measurement, oscillator, conductivity, AT90S2313, coil, ADC
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Part 2: All of the Details
by Walter Krawec Picking up where he left off last month, Walter now takes on the task of building the full file manager. Taking us through the ins and outs of managing the development of projects on the processor and then sharing procedures among projects, you quickly realize how useful this project really is. It’s always a good idea to get "all the details" before plunging in. May 2001 |
Ultrasonic Anemometry Anyone?—Gordon Dick
When Gordon leaves extra space in a design for “future improvements” you’d
better believe that additional features are on the way, it’s only a matter of time.
All it took was the mention of ultrasonic anemometry and he was ready to update his
weather station project. pg.30
Keywords: Anemometer, weather, wind, speed, ultrasonic, 68HC11, transducer, temperature, op-amp
DDS-GEN
Part 2: The Generator—Robert Lacoste
Lucky for us it was a cloudy night in France when Robert was scheduled to write the second
part of the article on his DDS-GEN project! Don’t miss out as he covers everything
from hardware selection to software design to prototype construction this month. pg.50
Keywords: DDS, signal, generator, interface, AD9852, Nyquist, modulation, DAC, 87LPC764, power, SPI, filter, AD8002, EMC, SDCC, I2C
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| by
George Novacek
Airplanes are like one big computer network. To have a multitude of embedded controllers communicate with each other, what you need in the air is the same as what you need on land—throughput and reliability. Still running strong after 30 years, ARINC 429 is the most popular communications protocol. Take your pick of any number of reasons for this, because it is well-defined, reliable, easy to implement, and inexpensive. May 2001 |
Behavioral Plant
Simulation for Testing a Control Algorithm—Kenneth
Baker
Simulation can be a great tool for analyzing performance. However, unless you follow some
basic principles, your model can become too simple to reflect real-world behaviors or too
complex to be practical. As you’ll see, somewhere in between is just right.. pg.60
Keywords: Control, algorithm, simulation, round-off, quantization, time, sensitive, dependence, variable, model, measurement, accuracy
COLUMNS
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| Knock! Knock! "Who’s There?" |
| Using UPnP to Respond to Inquiries by Edward Steinfeld UPnP is an architecture of peer-to-peer networking of intelligent machines, appliances, wireless devices, and computers of varying form factors. Edward shows us that UPnP succeeds in answering such questions as what machines are on the Internet, how are operations controlled, and will the machines notify when they have a significant event? With the power of UPnP and the right tools, it can only be easy times ahead. May 2001 |
From the Bench
Taking a Cue from a Cat—Hardware Cleanup with :CueCat—Jeff Bachiochi
Fact or fiction—nothing is free and the Internet is getting harder to navigate. Jeff
found a device that’s freely distributed and can make navigating the Internet as easy
as scanning a bar code. pg.70
Keywords: :CueCat, bar code, scanner, :CRQ, PC, keyboard, serial, data, 16F84, MAX232
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| by George Martin George likes poking fun at Windows98, comparing it to a challenging computer game, but this month he turns his attention to an analog design project involving a custom car. Transducer interfaces and thermocouples became the topic of discussion for his article, along with noise and filtering. Get set for another analog endeavor as he takes us through the many considerations that come with the territory. May 2001 |
Silicon
Update
The Company Formerly Known as Scenix—Tom Cantrell
What’s in a name? In showbusiness a name (or at least what people call you) can be
the catalyst for success, or disaster. This month, Tom peels off the Ubicom label to see
how much Scenix is left underneath. pg.80
Keywords: SX, IP2022, Scenix, Ubicom, memory, interrupt, flash, speed, I/O, ADC, SerDes, Ethernet, USB, GNU
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| by Tom Cantrell As Tom describes it, L.A. is the epitome of "sun and fun overdone." Still, the heart of the entertainment industry sells a lot of hardware. Sponsoring a group of local college students for the Robotica competition and supplying them with the necessary snacks, Tom goes behind the scenes to follow the trials and tribulations of "Noll." A steady stream of M&Ms can only help foster a kid’s imagination. May 2001 |
EMBEDDED PC
Applied PCs
Return of the SBC—Multitasking
Applications with SBC-386EX-S—Fred Eady
Once again Fred is digging into an SBC offering from Arcom and once again he shows us that
embedded doesn’t have to be difficult. This performance has a cast that includes
Borland C++, SuperTask!, Treck TCP/IP, and Paradigm’s Remote Debugger. pg. 40
Keywords: SBC-386EX-S, SuperTask!, multitasking, executive, C, UDP, TCP, C++
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| Test Your EQ presents some basic engineering problems for you to test
your engineering quotient. Each month Circuit Cellar's Resource Links provide helpful links and information on a variety of featured topics. New Product News |
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