electronics · MaisonBisson

A smaller microcontroller for smaller jobs

I’ve been thinking a bit about how overkill a full Arduino is for Shutterfingers, and feeling a bit sheepish about how lazy I am about learning to use some other microcontroller. Then I found this guide talking about the ATtiny85: If you’re just blinking a few LEDs, and reading a single sensor, you can get […] » about 300 words

If I did it over again, I’d make Shutterfingers smaller

Shutterfingers is my simple servo controller that presses the shutter on cameras that don’t support remote control. My first attempt was in a sweet looking, but big aluminum case and incorporates a 6600 mAh battery to power the Arduino, servo, and external power for the camera. Well, it all works, but I’m not sure why I […] » about 400 words

Carry-On Restrictions To Carry On?

The Mercury News’ QA on carry-on restrictions answered a big question I had: Q Can I still carry my laptop, cell phone and iPod on board? A Those items are still OK as long as you’re not traveling to or through the United Kingdom. But a Reuters story posted at C|Net suggests the restriction on […] » about 200 words

Spark Fun’s GPS Data Logger

Engadget alerted me to this GPS data logger from Spark Fun Electronics.

The device records up to 440 hours of data to a 256MB SD card in either a simple text file or KML-compatible format that you can display in Google Earth.

I like it, I want one (actually, I want three, and I’ll eventually post about why), but the ad copy tweaked me a bit:

Pull the SD card, insert it into a card reader, […] and wammo–you can see what Casey did over lunch with a satellite image overlay. Take a look at the example screen shot. You can see what lane Casey was in! When he stopped at the light, his data points piled up. Fancy. Real fancy. Speed is also datalogged – it’s like Big Brother in the palm of your hand…

Gizmos For Geeks

Colin pointed out Spark Fun Electronics as a source for all manner of geeky components, like component level GPSs and accelerometers. Thing is, they also sell the components in kits with custom PC boards, some with USB interfaces.

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