Circuit Cellar Ink 275
June 2013

Table of Contents

2


Mary Wilson

HTML Editor's Letter

Shape the Future

10


CJ Abate

HTML New Product News

17


David Tweed

HTML Test Your EQ - Answers for Issue 274

11

Reader I/O

Letters to the Editor

22


James Lyman

DIY Surface-Mount Circuit Boards

Tips and Tricks for Building SMD Prototypes

Making the transition from building circuits with traditional components to using surface-mount devices (SMDs) may seem daunting. This article provides advice and workarounds to help get your SMD prototype up and running.

28


George Adamidis

Build a Signal Frequency Counter

You can build an LCD frequency counter for your workbench. This design is based on an 8-bit microcontroller, but its creative modifications enable you to use the device as a 28-bit counter.

Download: 275-Adamidis.zip

34


Chris Coulston

"Smart" Electronic Accessories

Design an RGB LED Pendant

You can use USB-to-USART bridge technology and RGB LED transceivers to connect small pendant-style devices. Each pendant's compact design includes 5-mm LEDs, a tiny IC, and a lithium polymer battery.

Download: 275-Coulston.zip

The Consummate Engineer

42


George Novacek

Testing and Testability

Part 2: PCB Testing

Most modern electronic devices contain a PCB holding their components. To ensure efficient final product assembly, the boards must be tested during their manufacturing process. This article details some common PCB testing methods.

Questions & Answers

46


Mary Wilson

Engineering a Way to Clean Solar Mirrors

An Interview with Scott Potter

Designer and technology executive Scott Potter won first prize in the 2012 RL78 Green Energy Challenge, presented by Renesas Electronics in partnership with Circuit Cellar and Elektor magazines. The global contest called on participants to develop green energy designs utilizing Renesas's RL78 microcontrollers. Scott won with his solar-powered electrostatic cleaning robot, which removes dust and debris from the tracking mirrors of large-scale concentrating solar power plants.

The Darker Side

50


Robert Lacoste

UML State Machines

You can use Unified Modeling Language (UML), which is a standardized software specification language, to represent state machines. This article provides an understanding of state machines -- both basic and enhanced -- and how you can implement them in your software.

Download: 275-Lacoste.zip

Embedded in Thin Slices

58


Bob Japenga

Concurrency in Embedded Systems

Part 7: Software Signals Explained

What are software signals and how can you use them to effectively communicate between a software system's concurrent operations? This article explains how and when to use signals. It also explores using signals vs. message queues or FIFOs and the difference between standard and real-time signals.

From the Archives

62


Dhananjay Gadre
Anurag Chugh
Parag Shah
Sneha Lele

Network of Keypads

This integrated voting system includes several keypads that feature an ATmega8, a MAX485, a few LEDs, and push buttons. The keypads communicate over the RS-485 bus. A Java application runs on a PC that generates a bar graph similar to the one seen on TV game shows.

From the Bench

70


Jeff Bachiochi

Real-Time Fuel Consumption Monitor

Data Collection and an On-Board Display

You can design a system that gathers real-time data about your vehicle's fuel economy. This design utilizes a microcontroller chip and features an on-board diagnostics display.

Download: 275-Bachiochi.zip

76

Crossword Puzzle

79

Crossword Puzzle - Answers for Issue 274

80


Brian Douglas

Tech the Future

The Growing Importance of Control Theory for DIYers

FTP Directory for INK 275

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