Circuit Cellar Ink 201
April 2007

Table of Contents

4


CJ Abate

HTML Task Manager

The Cruelest Month?

8


John Gorsky

New Product News

  • C6808 Code Development System from Byte Craft Limited
  • IAR0018 KickStart kit for R8C/M16C/M32C microcontrollers from IAR Systems
  • ezVGA Graphics Controller and ezVGA Serial Module from Multilabs
  • embOS small footprint RTOS from SEGGER Microcontroller Systems, LLC
  • techFX controller board from The Silicon Horizon

12


Steven Savage

ATir Keyboard Interface

Steven's well-designed ATtiny45-based ATir interface device is a convenient cross-platform solution to interface an IR remote control to type keyboard macros to a PC.The system features an infrared receiver/demodulator and a few discrete components.

Download: Savage-201.zip

20


Tom Kibalo

Java-Based EarthBox Watering System

Tom was tired of watering his plants by hand, so he built a Java-based 1-Wire distributed watering system.The expandable system can water six EarthBoxes.

28


Gordon Dick

Build a Three-Axis CNC Mill Machine

Gordon shows you how to design and build a computer-controlled wood mill machine.The system includes an old medical X-ray machine, a Galil DMC-2133 three-axis intelligent motion controller, and an old 386 laptop.

Download: dick-201.zip

38


Miguel Sanchez

Reverse-Engineered ECP Bus

Miguel wanted to build a system to simulate strokes on a keypad so he could trigger modes on an alarm system. But first he had to learn about ECP buses.In this article, he explains what he learned.

Download: Sanchez-201.zip

45


Fred Eady

Uncomplicated RF Communication

You don't have to build or run an official ZigBee stack to use the new 900-MHz and 2.4-GHz transceiver ICs. However, knowing what the radio is capable of and how to use its features will enable you to easily understand what a ZigBee stack is doing. This month, Fred teaches you all about ZigBee stacks.

Download: Eady-201.zip

Above the Ground Plane

56


Ed Nisley

Battery Capacity

Charge

Occasionally, paying attention to datasheet footnotes can make the difference between a successful charger and a fire hazard. This month, Ed takes a look at why NiCD and NiMH automatic battery chargers occasionally goof up.

Download: Nisley-201.zip

60


Aubrey Kagan

Generic Modbus Simulator

Part 2: Create a Modbus Master Using Visual Basic 2005

This month, Aubrey continues with the topic of a Modbus implementation on a PC.He covers creating the user interface to realize communication with Modbus slave units.

Download: Kagan-201.zip

From the Bench

70


Jeff Bachiochi

Local Interconnect Network

Instead of a controller area network (CAN), try a local interconnect network (LIN) the next time you need to control a limited area within a machine. Jeff gets you working with a low-cost LIN system.

Silicon Update

78


Tom Cantrell

USB: (Wire)Less is More

Tom covers new developments in wireless power technology, tells the story of ultra-wideband technology, and cuts through all of the "wireless" USB hoopla. Will you be the next designer to bring wireless power to the masses?

93

Crossword Puzzle

94

Advertiser's Index / May Preview

96


Steve Ciarcia

HTML Priority Interrupt

Only Real Events Lead to Real Trends

FTP Directory for INK 201
Follow this link to order a copy of INK 201

<<< Ink 200

Ink 202 >>>

Main Index

Author Index