Circuit Cellar Ink 268
November 2012

Table of Contents

2 CJ Abate	HTML Task Manager A History of Improvement
10 CJ Abate	HTML New Product News LPC408X and LPC407X microcontrollers with advanced signal-processing capabilities and connectivity options from NXP Semiconductors TrueStudio v3.2 integrated development environment (IDE) for embedded microcontroller designs from Atollic ST23ZR family of secure smart-card microcontrollers from STMicroelectronics LTC6431-15 50-ohm, 15.5-dB gain block with 20 MHz to 1 GHz high dynamic range from Linear Technology Corp. PIC16F145x, PIC18F2x/4xK50 and PIC18F97J94 families of crystal-free USB microcontrollers from Microchip Technology, Inc. SafeTI-61508 design packages with Hercules RM4x ARM Cortex-R4 safety microcontrollers and complementary TPS65381-Q1 multi-rail power supply from Texas Instruments, Inc. Express-HR high-performance COM.0 R2.0 Type 6 module from ADLINK Technology, Inc.
15 David Tweed	HTML Test Your EQ
16 Scott Weber	Time Broadcasting A GPS-Based Time Server for the RS-485 Network If you're interested in automating a home or building, you'll need to construct and install light controllers. Once you do, you'll need an automated way to keep accurate time. Instead of manually setting the time on each device, you can use a microcontroller to extract the time from GPS data and forward the time to other devices. This keeps all the devices synchronized and helps them recover from power outages. This article explains how the GPS data is read and how it is used to correctly automate a set of light timers.
26 Thiadmer Riemersma	DIY Automated Component Dispenser Would you like to build an automated component storage and dispensing system for your workbench? The design detailed in this article will be a welcome addition to any serious designer's workspace. It includes small bins for surface-mount components and custom PC software that simplifies the task of hand-assembling PCBs. Download: 268-Riemersma.zip
30 Jan Axelson	Debugging USB Firmware Tips and Tricks for Developing USB Devices After writing firmware for a USB device, you must be prepared to debug it. But how? The process will go more smoothly if you have an understanding of USB's layered communications, data transfer types, device classes, and enumeration.
36 Richard Lord	Digital Camera Controller Part 2: Code, User Interface, and Timing The microcontroller-based Photo-Pal system is an electronic flash-trigger camera controller with four modes of operation. This article details the project's code, six-button user interface, and internal timing.
Questions & Answers 44 Nan Price	Hands-On Innovation An Interview with David Penrose For David Penrose, the best way to investigate a new technology is to start working with it. From the first time he assembled a transistor radio kit to his more recent work with MCU-based development kits, he has always taken a hand-ons approach to learning and innovation. David and I recently discussed his background in the aerospace industry and his creative approach to microprocessor design.
52 Patrick Schaumont	True Random Number Generation A true random number generator implements the equivalent of a coin flip in hardware. The design challenge is to ensure the coins are unbiased and the coin flips are unpredictable. This article demonstrates a hardware implementation using ring oscillators. The Random Number Generator has a built-in self-test to check the quality of the randomness. Download: 268-Schaumont.zip
The Consummate Engineer 60 George Novacek	Product Reliability Part 1: Reliability Prediction Reliability, maintainability, and safety (RM&S) are important activities during product development. This article focuses on the critical task of reliability prediction. Without reliability prediction, the other RM&S activities cannot be performed.
Lessons from the Trenches 64 George Martin	Tachometer Design A tachometer is a handy device if you're interested in machining parts with a lathe and a mill. It enables you to determine revolutions per minute (RPM) and better manage cutting speeds. This article details the process of building a tachometer and provides tips on choosing proper sensors, incorporating a microcontroller, developing software, and more.
From the Bench 70 Jeff Bachiochi	Mechanical Gyroscope Replacement Part 2: Gravity and Acceleration In the first part of this series, I introduced a quadcopter that featured a mechanical gyro as an input device to keep the flying platform level with the ground. Due to the gyro's limitations, it can become unstable and deliver faulty data to the vehicle's motor controller. This article covers the topics of gravity, acceleration, velocity, and bearing. Download: 268-Bachiochi.zip
76	Crossword Puzzle
79	Crossword Puzzle - Answers for Issue 267
80 Steve Ciarcia	HTML Priority Interrupt An Internet Education

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