Circuit Cellar Ink 242
September 2010

Table of Contents

4


CJ Abate

HTML Task Manager

Design Inspiration

8


John Gorsky

HTML New Product News

17


David Tweed

HTML Test Your EQ

Questions & Answers

18


CJ Abate

Interdisciplinary Engineering & Research

An Interview With Bruce Land

Bruce Land is a Senior Lecturer in Electronics and Computer Engineering at Cornell University (www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/land/). This year he's teaching two courses: one covering microcontrollers as components in electronic designs, and one dealing with designing FPGA circuits for embedded applications. Bruce is also co-director of the Masters of Engineering Program in the Cornell School of ECE. Since 2002, seven of Bruce's articles have appeared in Circuit Cellar. In July 2010, I interviewed Bruce about his background, work, and many interests, which range from electronics to neurobiology to programming to physics.

The Consummate Engineer

22


George Novacek

Is the Door Closed?

Why Every Safety-Critical Decision Matters

Part of developing a "robust" system involves ensuring your design is safe and secure. Whether you're building a small embedded app or a complicated door-opening control system for a plane's landing gear bay, you must protect both your design and the end users by choosing the proper parts and design techniques.

26


David Ludington

Precision Temperature Control Circuitry

This precision temperature controller was designed for a calorimeter. The unique system controls the temperature of an outer metal box surrounding an inner calorimeter base plate. It maintains the box's temperature and controls temperature variations around the setpoint with an STD of less than 0.01 degrees C.

Download: Ludington_242.zip

36


David Rowe

Mesh Telephony System

The Mesh Potato Project from an Embedded Designer's POV

You might have heard about The Mesh Potato, a key component in The Village Telco project aimed at giving people in developing countries a low-cost alternative to mobile phones. This article focuses on the "embedded development" aspects of the project, such as the Wi-Fi SoC and interface design.

44


Clemens Valens

Rapid Prototyping

Build a Scrolling LED Message Board with an mbed/NXP LPC Platform

Embedded development is becoming easier. With an mbed/NXP MCU development kit, you'll be prototyping an exciting new design in no time. For instance, you can build an LED message board in just one day.

Download: Valens_242.zip

Lessons from the Trenches

50


George Martin

State Machines Revisited

Real-World Word Problems

If you aren't using a real-time operating system (RTOS) but want to, take some time to revisit the topic of state machines. It's the perfect foundation for the complex applications you'll build in the near future.

From the Bench

56


Jeff Bachiochi

Transmit and Decode Data

Design and Implement a Keyfob Decoder

Data transmission technology has come a long way during the past few decades. Today, wireless technology is everywhere. In this article you learn how to design and implement a keyfob decoder.

Download: Bachiochi-242.zip

Silicon Update

64


Tom Cantrell

Once More, With Feeling

An MCU + FPGA Without the Compromises

The idea of combining an MCU and FPGA on the same chip isn't new. Although it looks good on paper, there have been as many misses as hits. What's the difference that separates winners from losers? Now, Actel is taking a shot at it. Do they have the answer?

74

Crossword Puzzle

78

Crossword Puzzle - Answers for Issue 241

79

Advertiser's Index / October Preview

80


Steve Ciarcia

HTML Priority Interrupt

Mobile Metamorphosis

FTP Directory for INK 242

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