Circuit Cellar Ink 119
June 2000

Table of Contents

6


Rob Walker

Task Manager

What's It Worth?

8


Harv Weiner

New Product News

  • DigiDrive II family of motor controllers from Anacon Systems, Inc.
  • Linux Planet embedded Linux develpment platform from Embedded Planet

11

Reader I/O

Letters to the Editor

12


Bonnie Baker

PDF Get It Right the First Time

Tips and Tricks for Designing with Single-Supply Analog Amplifiers

You can learn from your own experience (mistakes), or you can learn from someone else's. Bonnie makes the choice easy by sharing some of the insight she's gained in her years of analog design. Pay attention now or pay the price later.

18


Mel Bartels

Keep Up with the Stars

Motorized Telescope Control

Looking at the stars is one thing, but according to Mel, tracking them is much more interesting, which is why he designed a computer-controlled motorized telescope mount. Build this project and you'll be seeing stars in no time at all.

26


Brian Millier

Back to the BasicX

Part 1: NetMedia's Development System

If you're a creature of habit when it comes to programming languages, you may want to listen to what Brian has to say. With a design project at hand, he realized it was time to break the shackles of tradition and take a look at NetMedia's BasicX.

Download: millier1.zip millier2.zip

Note: Correction to URL in INK 121 Reader I/O.

34


George Novacek

PDF Right on Time

Quartz Crystals and Oscillators

In the pre-microprocessor era, quartz crystals were something most engineers had only heard about, and most had heard very little at that. As George points out, even today many people still don't understand exactly what makes crystals tick.

Embedded PC

40


Harv Weiner

Nouveau PC

  • DA104 IDE disk adapter for PC/104 from Tri-M Systems
  • DV-104 PC/104 video digitizer from Adastra

Embedded PC

42


Ingo Cyliax

Real-Time PC

Real-Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems, Part 2: Running i386 RTEMS Applications

Having explained some of the background details of RTEMS last month, Ingo figured it would be a good idea to provide a practical application before people started setting up their own backyard missile command centers.

Embedded PC

48


Fred Eady

Applied PCs

Picking Some ExacTicks, Keeping Precise Time

They say timing is everything, so Fred decided to take a look at the details of ExacTicks. If you need high-precision timing for delays, timers, or alarms, you might want to listen up. Of course, it all started with a blue box ...

Note: Source of the ExacTicks library is given in INK 121 Reader I/O.

54


Shawn Arnold

Implementing a RAS Server Port

In the February and March issues of Circuit Cellar Online, Shawn covered the background information on designing a DSP-based RAS server. This month he enlightens us on the basic but critical issues regarding RAS port choice.

64


Joe DiBartolomeo

PDF MicroSeries

Op-Amp Specifications, Part 3: Input/Output Stages

For Joe, putting this Microseries together has been a lot like working with op-amps -- there's a lot more decisions to make than you would think. Just looking at the input and output stages reveals a host of options to consider.

70


Jeff Bachiochi

PDF, PDF HTML, HTML From the Bench

The Chips are Alive with the Sound of Music, Imitating the Dead Melody IC

The von Trapp family may have made some great music, but try fitting them all into a birthday card and you'll see why Holtek's Melody Generator ICs were such a hit.

76


Tom Cantrell

PDF HTML Silicon Update

On the Road Again, Part 2: Taking Silicon for a Test Drive

What exactly is it that makes the car business tick? Tom's not sure, but he did take a look under the hood to see just how challenging it can be to service a car that's loaded with silicon.

84


David Tweed

HTML Test Your EQ

95

Advertiser's Index / July Preview

96


Steve Ciarcia

HTML, HTML Priority Interrupt

Choice Versus Default

Circuit Cellar Online


Armin Eberlein
Dale Fukami
Wonh Chieh Lam

PDF HTML Using an Expert System

These guys show us the benefit of using an expert system for applying advanced techniques to system design and the steps they took in discovering the advantage of using computer-aided software tools to manage complex system requirements.

Circuit Cellar Online


Robert Kondner

PDF HTML Debunking Engineering Myths

Robert takes us through several areas of engineering that people often have misconceptions about. He divides the black-and-white from the gray and shows us that engineering and engineering management should not be mistaken as the same.

Circuit Cellar Online


Ernesto Gradin
Aubrey Kagan

PDF HTML Developing an AC Current Generator

Although it took them a long time with many stops and starts and even an integrated circuit going obsolete in the process, Aubrey and Ernesto take us through the ins and outs of an AC current generator and show us that it was definitely worth the wait.

Download: accg_src.zip accg_vb.zip

Circuit Cellar Online


Tracy Thomas

PDF HTML A Practical Guide to TCP/IP Protocols

Tracy gives us a brief introduction to some of the issues involved in using TCP/IP protocols and tells us what information is most often misunderstood by programmers who are new to the networking world.

Circuit Cellar Online


George Martin

PDF HTML Lessons from the Trenches

A Primer for Product Testing

Although he admits that product testing isn't exactly the most exciting area of engineering, George makes it interesting by covering the basics and then opens the doors of communication by inviting you to write to him with your testing issues.

Circuit Cellar Online


Tom Cantrell

PDF HTML Silicon Update Online

News Flash! Motorola Reorganizes!

We all know that old news is really no news at all, and when it comes to a company reorganizing, well... In this article, Tom takes a look at Motorola and shows us why it's so important to do away with the old and bring in the new.

Circuit Cellar Online


Jeff Bachiochi

HTML Ask Us, The Engineer's Tech-Help Resource

Let us help keep your project on track or simplify your design decision. Put your tough technical questions in front of the ASK US team. In an engineering predicament? Read questions & answers from other engineers.

Circuit Cellar Online


David Tweed

What's Your Engineering Quotient?

Test Your EQ presents some basic engineering problems for you to test your engineering quotient.

Circuit Cellar Online


Bob Paddock

Resource Links

Each month Circuit Cellar's Resource Links provide helpful links and information on a variety of featured topics.

Circuit Cellar Online


Harv Weiner

New Product News

New Product submissions may be sent to Harv Weiner, 4 Park St., Vernon, CT 06066.
FTP Directory for INK 119
Follow this link to order a copy of INK 119

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