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dangerousprototypes.com writes:
The Microtouch is a lightweight AVR based open source touch screen device powered by the Atmega32u4. It features a 320×240 pixel touchscreen, an accelerometer, full speed USB, a micro-SD card reader and support for a lithium ion battery. It is supported by an application framework of sorts and it is possible to run a variety of applications with varying degrees of utility.
Introducing the Microtouch – [Link]
YouTube user Ben Krasnow gives us a disassembly and explanation of the cathode ray tube found in older oscilloscopes. [via]
Oscilloscope CRT Disassembly and Explanation – [Link]
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories writes: [via]
One of our all-time favorite chips is the ATtiny2313.
It’s a little 20-pin AVR microcontroller that we’ve used in dozens of projects, including our high tech holiday decorations, some of our coolest pumpkins, our (digital) Larson Scanner, and some wacky papercraft– to name a few. It’s one of those few chips that we used often enough to justify a custom breakout board.
But… if there’s one thing that the ‘2313 is short on, it’s memory. With 2 kB of flash (program) memory and 128 bytes of RAM, it’s perfect for tiny single-purpose projects. But, it’s oh-so-easy to run up against that memory limit. And, that’s why we were so excited when Atmel began to announce their then-forthcoming ATtiny4313 in late 2009.
The 4313 has landed – [Link]
ZF did a review of the FTDI Vinculum board: [via]
I just got hold of FTDI chip’s new Vinculo developing platform, so here’s a quick review for you!
Vinculo is a 25€ development platform for the FTDI Vinculum II (VNC2) dual USB host/slave microcontroller. The board design has been copied from Arduino, and they even advertise it as Arduino-inspired and Arduino shield compatible. FTDI seems to have realized the potential that comes when having a large hobbyist userbase…
Vinculo Arduino clone with USB slave – [Link]
Simon Inns created a secure USB time stamp device: [via]
This project implements a USB device which provides a real-time clock for the purpose of time-stamping events in an non-networked embedded computer environment. For embedded applications where a periodic time-stamp is required (such as entry-system logs, configuration audit logs, etc.) it is necessary to have a fairly accurate real-time clock (better than that typically provided by a PC’s motherboard) to generate time-stamps in logging and audit trails. Furthermore, it is preferable to have a method of confirming that the log/audit files have not been tampered with in anyway. The secure USB time-stamp device solves many of these issues in a very small form factor using minimal components .
Secure usb time stamp – [Link]
I-Swarm robot is a fully-integrated and functional micro robot. What makes these robots so impressive is the level of integration; they possess a micro-step locomotion mechanism, a solar cell, custom IR communication modules, and an ASIC (custom silicon circuitry) all in a very compact package.
The locomotion unit consists of a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) with three legs that have a piezoelectric polymer actuator multilayer film on top.
I-Swarm Micro Robots Realized – [Link]
Tronixstuff has released Part 2 (for part 1 click here) of their tutorial series on using a GSM cellular modem with the Arduino. In this part they cover how to use the telephone network to control an Arduino board via a SM5100B Cellular Shield. [via]
Tutorial: Arduino and GSM Cellular – Part2 - [Link]
The Microchip Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H is a DIP socketed development environment for the dsPIC33FJ64MC802 and PIC24HJ64GP502 16-bit digital signal controller and microcontroller. The board is USB powered with an integrated programmer/debugger, an onboard debug LED, utility LED and reset switch. Pin header spacing is 0.025″. List price is $24.99 from Microchip Direct. [via]
Microstick dev board for dsPIC33F and PIC24H – [Link]
