Multiplex EasyStar
I recently purchased a $24 ArduPilot circuit board from Sparkfun. I have tried to document my early experience using this unique Open Source Autopilot. The board comes from Sparkfun without any 0.1″ header pins so it is up to the end user to do some soldering.
ArduPilot Circuit Board
50MHz DS1052E Rigol Oscilloscope First Impressions
50MHz DS1052E Rigol Oscilloscope
I recently purchased a 50MHz DS1052E Rigol Oscilloscope and have been impressed with how many features Rigol has packed into this device! The knobs and buttons have a nice feeling to them and I like the LCD screen and the user interface. I have used the oscilloscope to look at R/C PPM Signals, audio waveforms, NTSC video signals, and done a few custom micro-controller projects with it. The oscilloscope has worked flawlessly and is a joy to use. I like how you can save the data externally as a BMP or as a CSV onto a USB memory stick. You can also save your current setup to a file and the device will recall all of your settings. I haven’t done anything with the USB or Serial PC link or used the Windows software yet. (more…)
The free Digi-Key app provides a quick and easy way to search for electronics parts while on the go. You can search for in-stock items, browse categories, find prices, and even view PDF datasheets. This app is like having the entire 3 inch thick Digi-Key catalog in your pocket.
The ability to find the datasheet for a component right on your iPod or iPhone can really come in handy. I like how they have photos for parts so you can see what something looks like. It can sometimes be bewildering figuring out what connector you need to connect to a device if you don’t know the name for the part beforehand.
Digi-Key
I just finished dissecting an old Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse. The mouse uses a CMOS image sensor with a 22 x 22 pixel sensor with a total resolution of 484 pixels. The CMOS Sensor IC (Integrated Circuit) is cased in a clear 32 pin tqfp package that allows you to see inside it. The mouse was a wireless model and had two RF coils on the circuit board.
I used Depth-of-Field stacking to enhance the clarity of the two images taken under a microscope. This involves taking about 15 pictures under the microscope at different levels of focus and then using a DOF stacking program to merge the focused part of each image into one ultra clear image. Helicon Focus or Adobe Photoshop are two good DOF Stacking programs. There is a GIF-A-Mation at the bottom of this post that shows the RF Coil image at different levels of focus.
Microsoft Optical Mouse CMOS Sensor
Recently my old Canon ZR-60 Camcorder died. It was used mainly as an analog to dv converter and portable recorder. Most of its life was spent capturing underwater ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) footage. I took the camera apart mainly to figure out how to get my dv tape back that was stuck in the tape drive. I took apart the imager module and put the Zr-60’s CCD under my microscope. At the highest magnification you can jut barely make out the individual photosites. HowStuffWorks has an interesting article about CCD imagers.
Canon ZR-60 Imager
Ubiquiti Ministation AP Board
I have been interested in the Ubiquiti Ministation Wifi AP for a while now and recently purchased one. It is marketed as “The World’s Smallest 802.11 AP Development Platform with a full Linux SDK available”. I have had a chance to play with it for a few weeks now and must say that the hardware and the bundled router operating system called “Air OS” is excellent. The web based user interface is easy to use and works well. All of the settings a normal user would want are available and quick to setup. There is even a dialog and special mode that helps with antenna pointing that has onscreen colored signal strength bars and configurable LEDs on the AP board that give you an idea on the signal strength of the link at a glance.