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Old and New at Sci-Fi London 2012

10/05/2012
- Analogue
- Arduino
- ARM
- ARM11
- Development Kits - Electronics
- Display & Lighting
- FLASH
- H8
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- Manufacture
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- Programming
- Raspberry Pi
- Research Phase
- Robots
- Sensors
- SERIAL
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
A major highlight of a week of activity at the Sci-Fi London festival was the Horizon Spectrum event at the BFI Southbank celebrating 30 years of the Sinclair Spectrum 'home' computer. I attended the
TI LaunchPad

28/10/2010
Welcome to the new blog theme on the TI Launchpad.I just received mine today and am looking forward to getting it fired up. I would like to invite all who get their hands on one of these boards to sha
Embedded development with EDP

01/02/2011
The RS Embedded Development Platform offers an alternative path to the engineering prototype stage of a project allowing quick and easy changes of processor at the time of initial design or for upgrad
Electronics design - First steps are getting smaller

10/12/2010
For anyone wishing to take their first steps into electronics design, things have never been easier. Technologies such as Arduino, mbed and TI's LaunchPad have made serious engineering accessibl
Turning an £8 child's toy into a spectrum analyser

13/07/2012
- Batteries
- Display & Lighting
- DSP
- FLASH
- GSM
- Human Machine Interface
- LCD
- Microcontrollers
- MSP430
- PIC
- Power
- Research Phase
- Solder
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- Wired
- Wireless
This posts looks at how a child's toy can be reprogrammed to provide a simple spectrum analyser that may be useful when working with licence-free wireless technologies.Like so many great open source h
Fun, Forth and FIGnition

23/05/2012
- ARM
- Assembly
- Development Kits - Electronics
- FLASH
- Interconnect
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- Programming
- Raspberry Pi
- Robots
- RX
- SERIAL
- Solder
- Test
This post is not about Raspberry Pi. Sorry about that; I thought I'd take a break from all that heady stuff about HD graphics and ARM processors to look at a similar sized and priced beginners' computer board, but located towards the Arduino end of the processor power spectrum. It comes as a kit of parts and you have to solder it together yourself.
FTDI Morph-IC-II FPGA Development Module - Review

09/08/2011
Among the low cost FPGA development tools sits one name that we are all familiar with. FTDI who are well known for their range of interface chips, from USB to just about anything they are true a leade
Mobile Robots - the (New) Learning Tool

28/11/2010
There seems to a rash of small mobile robots on the market at the moment. There have always been kits from small specialist suppliers, but now the big boys have got involved, It's been recognised for
terasic DE2 Development and Education Board - Review

01/04/2012
- Development Kits - Electronics
- Display & Lighting
- DRAM
- Enclosures
- Ethernet
- FLASH
- FPGA
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- LCD
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- PIC
- Power
- RS232
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- SRAM
- Switches
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- Verilog
- VHDL
I was very excited some time back when I got my hand on the new DE2 Development and Education Board from Terasic. Following my review of the DE0-nano back in July last year I have been playing with lo
Embedded Debugging, like catching a black cat in a dark room

29/11/2010
- Display & Lighting
- FLASH
- FRAM
- Human Machine Interface
- Mbed
- Memory
- PIC
- RS232
- Scientific Applications
- SERIAL
- Test
- Wireless
Each year the ESC survey, LinkedIn discussions and papers such Cravotta, R., Shedding light on embedded debugging, 2008, show statements such as “test and debug continues to consume the largest slic
Papilio Gives You Wings | Review of the Papilio One Dev Platform

24/10/2011
- Arduino
- Development Kits - Electronics
- EEPROM
- FLASH
- FPGA
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- Memory
- PIC
- Power
- Programming
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- Verilog
- VHDL
Over the last few months I’ve been trying out a number of low cost FPGA development boards with the view to how easy new people can get involved. FPGAs and the languages like VHDL and Verilog are no
A Practical intro to programming an open source SoC

30/03/2012
A post-event report from Open Source Hardware User Group meeting No. 17.At the seventeenth OSHUG meeting we were given an introduction to the practicalities of programming your own open source system-
DE0-NANO FPGA Development Kit Review - Terasic

31/07/2011
- 740
- Accelerometers
- Circuit Design
- Development Kits - Electronics
- Display & Lighting
- DRAM
- EEPROM
- Enclosures
- FLASH
- FPGA
- Human Machine Interface
- Mbed
- PIC
- Power
- Programming
- Switches
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- VHDL
When it come to most Dev Kits people can normally find one that fits their needs. However when entering the world for FPGA’s people are always asking which kit to buy. Why? Well they have always
Use your Cortex in the ARM jungle

15/12/2011
- ARM
- Batteries
- Communication
- Cortex-A
- Cortex-M
- Cortex-R
- Development Kits - Electronics
- DSP
- Enclosures
- FLASH
- Freescale
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- Microprocessors
- MIPS
- PIC
- PIC32
- Power
- Reliability Testing
- Research Phase
- Robots
- Test
There was a time when deciding which microprocessor to use for a new project was pretty easy: there weren’t that many to choose from. Who remembers the Intel 8080, Motorola 6800 or the CBM 6502? The
The Changing Role of the Development kit

04/05/2012
Roughly ten years ago, the embedded world was a simpler place (or at least it seemed to be), and the development kit off ered an excellent starting point for an embedded design project. Like the prove
BoardX Review - from Upgrade Industries

12/02/2012
Many of us sit and complain about how well products work, point out there issues and bad point but few spend time doing something about it. In this review I look at just such a product, designed by en
FORTHdsPIC gets its compiler & more ‘Bare-Metal’

03/05/2013
In a previous post I introduced my latest project which started out as an exercise in familiarisation of PIC24/dsPIC assembly language programming but morphed into the development of a FORTH interpreter/compiler. Version 0.1 saw a working interpreter with a limited number of FORTH ‘words’. The compiler and a fairly standard word set are now operational with Version 0.2.
mbed NXP LPC11U24 Review

06/02/2012
- Arduino
- ARM
- Cortex-M
- Development Kits - Electronics
- Display & Lighting
- Ethernet
- FLASH
- Mbed
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- Robots
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
There can’t be many people who don't know about the ARM mbed. This has been right up there with the Arduino as the standard for development boards for some time now. However over the last year we ha
Hands on with a 144 core processor

16/07/2012
The GA144 from GreenArrays is a highly novel 144 core processor that combines high performance with low power consumption. This post covers initial experiences with breadboarding the GA144 and using t
Microchip Motor Control Starter Kit Review - DM330015

16/01/2012
At ebm-papst are well known as a fan manufacture so I was keen to see the latest development kit from Microchip, the Motor Control Starter kit. So I was interested to see how easy it is to setup and u
NetWorker - an advanced web server with a microcrontroller

13/04/2011
- Analogue
- Capacitors
- Circuit Design
- Communication
- Display & Lighting
- DSP
- dsPIC
- EEPROM
- Ethernet
- FLASH
- Functional Test
- GAL
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- PIC24
- PIC32
- Power
- Programming
- Research Phase
- Resistors
- RS232
- RX
- SERIAL
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Solder
- Test
- Trial & Evaluation
An Internet connection would be a valuable addition to many projects, but often designers are put off by the complexities involved. The ‘NetWorker’, which consists of a small printed circuit board
TAUTIC - CPLD Development Board Review

14/04/2012
- Arduino
- Circuit Design
- Circuit Simulation
- Development Kits - Electronics
- FLASH
- FPGA
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- Mbed
- PIC
- PLD
- Power
- Programmable Logic
- Programming
- SERIAL
- Solder
- Test
- Verilog
- VHDL
There seems to be more and more people getting into FPGA design and development. There are some very cheap, sorry, low cost kits out there too. Right down in the low end starter kits is one new kit th
HD Audio from ground up (Part 1)

18/05/2011
- Analogue
- ARM
- Capacitors
- Circuit Design
- Communication
- Cortex-M
- DSP
- FLASH
- Functional Test
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- LCD
- Mbed
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- Programming
- Research Phase
- Resistors
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
- Trial & Evaluation
There are different ways for a system to interact with the real world. Starting with the use of a simple LED that describes the state of a process and going all the way down to complicated graphic LCD
FRAM Dev Kit MSP-EXP430FR5739 Review

04/10/2011
There has been a lot of buzz and stories going around about the first micro to have FRAM (Ferroelectric memory). FRAM has been talk about it not only here on DesignSpark but on element14 and was comme
Will FRAM’s ultra low power, faster speed and better data Integrity see the demise of flash?

27/07/2011
What’s the difference between, FRAM, F-RAM and FeRAM?, Well it’s the same thing!, it's Ferroelectic RAM. Texas Instruments (TI) are among the first to offer a family of Microcontrollers with
Hacking the TP-Link TL-WR703N

02/08/2012
- Beagle
- Capacitors
- Display & Lighting
- Ethernet
- FLASH
- Human Machine Interface
- MIPS
- PIC
- Power
- Programming
- Raspberry Pi
- RX
- SERIAL
- Solder
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- Wired
- Wireless
The TL-WR703N is a 3G travel router that has become a hit with the hacking community due its low cost, compact size and the ease at which it can be re-purposed. This post covers initial experiences wi
MBED Workshops!

03/11/2010
Rapid Prototyping with 32-bit MicrocontrollersThese workshops brought to you by the ESP KTN Electronics Knowledge Centre in partnership with RS Components and ARM/NXP, are aimed at demonst
Microcontrollers for Medicine - Part I

16/03/2011
- Analogue
- ARM
- Display & Lighting
- EEPROM
- FLASH
- Mbed
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
Healthcare is becoming more demanding by the hour.... probably by the minute. Natural calamities and resultant man-made disasters contribute heavily to those diseases which were unheard of in the past
Femtoduino - the tiny Arduino

18/02/2011
- Arduino
- Development Kits - Electronics
- FLASH
- Mbed
- PIC
- Power
With the same computing power (Atmel ATmega 328) as the Duemilanove but a board smaller than my thumbnail, this tiny dev kit is sure to be a winner.
Learn electronics with an Arduino and Raspberry Pi on an old Philips TV

22/06/2012
- Arduino
- Circuit Design
- FLASH
- GPS
- LCD
- Microcontrollers
- Programming
- Raspberry Pi
- Research Phase
- Robots
- Solder
- Test
- WiFi
- Wireless
If you are not familiar with Arduino, it is an OpenSource hardware platform for electronics projects, tinkering, robotics, home automation etc etc etc. The blue board above is the heart of it.
Power over ethernet: simplifying the equation

21/04/2011
- Display & Lighting
- DSP
- Ethernet
- Human Machine Interface
- LCD
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- Powerline
- Switches
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
Power over Ethernet started out as a proprietary technology developed by network equipment vendors such as Cisco, to deliver power to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones without using separate
Gas Guzzlers and Green Chips

03/07/2012
- Analogue
- ARM
- Batteries
- Communication
- Cortex-M
- Development Kits - Electronics
- Display & Lighting
- Enclosures
- Mbed
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- RENESAS
- Research Phase
- RL78
- Robots
- Sensors
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
- Wireless
The socially responsible among us wishing to save the planet from a carbon dioxide doom should quickly move on to the next blog post now, as I have a confession to make: I own and occasionally get to
VCNL4000 Proximity / Ambient light sensor Demo Kit Review

17/07/2012
Having played with a lot of FPGA development kits in the past few years, it was nice to be given a completely different product to test and review. So what do you get?The kit comes in a mini DVD
PiGo Sneak Preview

22/03/2013
A first look at the upcoming modular expansion system for Raspberry Pi.
The Arduino Effect

09/11/2011
- Arduino
- ARM
- AVR
- Beagle
- Chipkit
- Cortex-A
- Cortex-M
- Development Kits - Electronics
- DSP
- FRAM
- Freescale
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Microcontrollers
- MSP430
- PIC
- PIC32
- Power
- Programming
- Research Phase
- Robots
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
I’ve noticed an interesting trend recently. Forgive my lack of awareness if this has all been said before, but here it is: microcontroller chip manufacturers are making/supporting some very cheap development kits nowadays.
Going FORTH - Some 'Bare-Metal' Bashing

14/03/2013
My posts last year on the old Jupiter Ace computer and the more recent FIGnition kit provoked some interesting reactions to their use of the Forth programming language. Some loved it, others hated it. I dug out a version I wrote many years ago for the 8085 microprocessor and overcome with nostalgia decided to port it to a more modern platform. This post covers the initial stage of this less-than-logical process involving processor selection and first attempts at programming. For that authentic 'vintage' feel note the Toshiba Tecra laptop running the terminal emulator under Windows 3.11.
A Playful Internet of Things Futures

09/11/2012
A report from the IoT futures unconference hosted by BBC R&D on 7th November 2012.
A Weekend Introduction to FPGA Programming

26/04/2013
Chip Hack was a two day workshop that ran over the weekend of 20th and 21st April and provided an introduction to FPGA programming for complete beginners.
Make your own walking, talking, living….robot

29/02/2012
- Accelerometers
- ARM
- Beagle
- Coldfire
- Communication
- Cortex-M
- Development Kits - Electronics
- DSP
- dsPIC
- Freescale
- Interconnect
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Memory
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- PIC32
- Power
- Programming
- Raspberry Pi
- Research Phase
- Robots
- Sensors
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
As I wrote this blog Raspberry Pi exploded on the scene taking everyone by surprise with the sheer volume of people wanting to buy it. Many readers will have to wait a while to get their hands on one so why not use the time to investigate rather more interesting projects than just writing games? How about giving a humanoid walking robot some Artificial Intelligence…
Learning how to be Smarter with Energy

08/12/2010
RS hosts Microchip seminars.
The Birth of the Engineering Renaissance

15/07/2011
- Analogue
- Arduino
- Communication
- Designspark PCB
- Display & Lighting
- FLASH
- GAL
- LASER
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- Research Phase
- Safety Testing
- Solder
- Standards
- Test
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
Developments in recent years suggest that we may be on the cusp of an engineering renaissance. Significant advances are being made in key areas such as tools, technology, principles and methodologies,
Review of *new* Renesas RL78/G13 Promotion Board

27/10/2012
- Microcontrollers
- RENESAS
- RL78
- Test
Renesas have produced a whole new range of chips, the RL78’s. A new range of low power high performance microcontrollers. Last week I got my hands on the RL78/G13 promotion board to give it a test run - so lets see how good it is!
Please - Do you speak the I2C?

05/05/2011
- Arduino
- Communication
- Display & Lighting
- EEPROM
- Human Machine Interface
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Resistors
- RS232
- RX
- Sensors
- SERIAL
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
There are many ways in which devices can talk to each other. There is good old RS232 or use TTL serial RX/TX, or SPI and even parallel communications. However when I started on a project nearly t
National Electronics Week 2011

19/04/2011
- ARM
- Development Kits - Electronics
- Display & Lighting
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- PIC
- Power
- Robots
- Solder
- Switches
- Test
- WiFi
So last week if you have been following me on Twitter you will have seen I attended the National Electronics Week (aka NEW). So what did I see and who did I meet? Was it worth the 3 hour drive and
Arduino 101

31/03/2010
mbed Multipurpose Display Board (Part 1)

24/06/2011
- Capacitors
- Circuit Design
- Communication
- Display & Lighting
- Ethernet
- Functional Test
- Human Machine Interface
- Interconnect
- LCD
- Manufacture
- Mbed
- Microcontrollers
- PIC
- Power
- Resistors
- Test
As the title suggests, this post is all about the creation of a multipurpose display board, powered by an mbed. The display board has exposes many of the GPIO functions of mbed and so can be used for
Raspberry Pi and Custard - Engineers first hands on Review.

10/04/2012
The Raspberry Pi (aka Raspi) was released back at the end of February but here we are weeks later with no real hardware. We engineers are only interested in the guts of this product.
STM8S-Discovery Kit Review

23/01/2011
“The STM8S-DISCOVERY helps you to discover the STM8S features and to develop and share your own application. Even though the STM8S-DISCOVERY is built around an STM8S105C6T6, it allows evaluation of
An RTOS for EDP - Part 2

16/05/2011
- Communication
- Development Kits - Electronics
- Display & Lighting
- DSP
- dsPIC
- FLASH
- LCD
- Mbed
- PIC
- Programming
- Research Phase
- Resistors
- SERIAL
- Serial Peripheral Interface
- Test
In a previous post on this subject I described how I had got as far as running a FreeRTOS demo program on Microchip Explorer 16 development board. The next phase involved getting the same demo to work
Sensors & Energy Harvesting on the Renesas/Eco Solar Breizh Solar Car

08/12/2012
- Automotive Applications
- Batteries
- Design Phase
- FLASH
- Microcontrollers
- Power
- R8C
- RENESAS
- RL78
- Sensors
The next World Solar Challenge car race takes place in October 2013. The race involves purpose-built vehicles being driven from the north to the south coast of Australia powered by energy which must come from the sun or be recovered from the kinetic energy of the vehicle itself. Here is the second post in a series charting the development of one entrant sponsored by Renesas Electronics.