[Sprite_tm] sent us his latest project. He has found a way to display custom messages on a laserjet printer without a computer. He’s using an ATTiny2313 to send signals through a parallel port. This project is so cheap and quick to install it could be disposable. Just program your message before hand, pop it on and walk away.
Remember those guys who used treadmills to run in World of Warcraft? They have posted an instructable on how to build the treadmill input device yourself. We know that all you World of Warcraft players are just dying to try to do all your running in the real world.
Disposable cameras are quite cheap, and include circuitry that produces very high voltages. Because of this, they have been harvested for many projects. We’ve seen them used for coil guns and large high voltage power supplies, even for fixing rechargeable batteries that won’t charge. The latest in the long list of uses is to create nixie tube drivers. [the_don125] shows us how to use a single disposable camera to power 2 to 3 medium sized Nixie tubes. Be careful, as we said before, this project deals with high voltage.
[Corey Menscher] built the Kickbee while attending ITP this Fall. It monitors his pregnant wife’s belly and updates Twitter, a microblogging service, every time the baby kicks. The device makes everyone aware of the baby’s movement, not just the expectant mother. It can also log the baby’s activity to monitor development. The sensors are piezos held in place with an elastic band. They’re connected to an Arduino Mini which connects to a host computer using a BlueSMIRF bluetooth module. The host Mac does the logging and twittering.
This is one of the many projects on display at the ITP Winter Show.
[Thanks, @readiness via Boing Boing]
Complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) contain the building blocks for hundreds of 7400-serries logic ICs. Complete circuits can be designed on a PC and then uploaded to a CPLD for instant implementation. A microcontroller connected to a CPLD is like a microcontroller paired with a reprogrammable circuit board and a fully stocked electronics store.
At first we weren’t sure of the wide appeal and application of CPLDs in hobbyist projects, but we’ve been convinced. A custom logic device can eliminate days of reading datasheets, finding the ideal logic IC combination, and then waiting for chips to arrive. Circuit boards are simpler with CPLDs because a single chip with programmable pin placement can replace 100s of individual logic ICs. Circuit mistakes can be corrected by uploading a new design, rather than etching and stuffing a new circuit board. CPLDs are fast, with reaction times starting at 100MHz. Despite their extreme versatility, CPLDs are a mature technology with chips starting at $1.
We’ve got a home-etchable, self programming development board to get you started. Don’t worry, this board has a serial port interface for working with the CPLD, and doesn’t require a separate (usually parallel port) JTAG programmer.
Continue reading “How-to: Programmable Logic Devices (CPLD)”
[Ben Heck] has written up what he calls a “super unboxing” of the new jasper Xbox 360. The “jasper” refers to a new graphics processor that is supposed to be smaller and more reliable. They have been hard to find, but [Ben] shows us how to spot them. Simply look at the sticker on the back of the unit that shows voltage/current. If it uses 12.1 Amps instead of 14.2, it has the jasper.
This hulking monster was created by the Mutoid Waste Company because, well, why not? Part dog, part motorcycle it walks/drives and breathes fire. Constructed from all salvaged parts, this thing is a testament to recycling. Either that or it is the harbinger of the robot apocalypse. Regardless of the possibility of it enslaving all mankind, we want one. Be sure to watch the video.
