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[Reply #390 on:]

HackaDay seem to be going down hill at a rate of knots!

yea ... I really should start writing for them again, then it will go down 3x as fast hehe

[Reply #391 on:]

today i get my 68332 cpu

Isn't that a bit old?  Shouldn't you be looking at ColdFire microcontrollers instead? 

well, i do not like coldfire, too complicated, while the 332 is perfect for my hobbies
i have realized a tiny 332 board with 1Mbyte nvram instead of flash and i am having a lot of fun

I have a 68331 development board around somewhere.  It's left over from an actual 68331 development project that I was pretty deeply involved in (the cisco-500 Terminal Server!)

tiny robotic stuff here with the 332 =P

[Reply #392 on:]

A total steer by wire would be pretty scary for me

Well, now now you can find out if it really would.

Japan's Nissan Motor Co plans to equip some of its luxury cars with a system to control steering electronically, rather than mechanically, the first time so-called "steer-by-wire" technology will be used in mass-produced vehicles.

And, in theory, you could hook an Arduino into that too! 

[Reply #393 on:]

I broke down and bought a lamp/magnifier that has 36 white LED's rather than a weird circular flouro tube.
It seems whiter than my last illuminated magnifier, maybe a tad brighter as well.

Certainly runs cooler than a flouro one!

Beginning to realise I need glasses!

[Reply #394 on:]

Beginning to realise I need glasses!

Sad fact of life I'm afraid

Try one of the head-mounted magnifiers, they are great, a bit cumbersome but you can really see the small stuff clearly.

______
Rob

[Reply #395 on:]

Japan's Nissan Motor Co plans to equip some of its luxury cars with a system to control steering electronically, rather than mechanically, the first time so-called "steer-by-wire" technology will be used in mass-produced vehicles.

And, in theory, you could hook an Arduino into that too! 

They may be doing it to cut cost, like replacing tactile buttons with touch screens. By the way, I tested the MPG for my car. On highway if I use cruise control I can get the advertized 38MPG at 75MPH. I was on the other hand trying my best but only got 24MPG on local roads. They promised 27MPG. I was driving like a senior citizen.

I think the CVT is very good at high speed. It shifts to a gear ratio that optimizes engine efficiency. My engine is running at 2,000 RPM or less at 75MPH. You want to always drive with cruise control otherwise if you step on the gas, the RPM goes up and ruins your MPG. But the same CVT is horrible at low speed, especially at stop to go. It easily revs at 2,000 when I was trying to get from 0 to 20MPH and then shifts down to 1,250RPM when I hit 30PMH. Maybe I need a tune-up.

[Reply #396 on:]

Beginning to realise I need glasses!

Sad fact of life I'm afraid

Try one of the head-mounted magnifiers, they are great, a bit cumbersome but you can really see the small stuff clearly.

______
Rob

After getting the same advice from Grumpy Mike last year I went to Harbor Freight and checked theirs out. The one to get is the most expensive, almost $10 before the discount coupon -- I paid $7. It's got a light and has a box with 4 different double-lenses and clips on the visor I expect to hold the lens at 2 distances though you can put 2 lenses in at once (gets heavy) and maybe see germs with.

The lens flips up or down, the visor does too (and occasionally needs tightening), it's always in the right position as you move your head and it leaves both hands free. I was using a magnifier with base but the visor is so much easier to work with I won't go back. It's well worth the money or even 2x-3x what I paid.

This is the item, compare to the next cheaper one if you go there:
http://www.harborfreight.com/head-strap-magnifier-with-work-light-95890.html

[Reply #397 on:]

Beginning to realise I need glasses!

Sad fact of life I'm afraid

Try one of the head-mounted magnifiers, they are great, a bit cumbersome but you can really see the small stuff clearly.

______
Rob

After getting the same advice from Grumpy Mike last year I went to Harbor Freight and checked theirs out. The one to get is the most expensive, almost $10 before the discount coupon -- I paid $7. It's got a light and has a box with 4 different double-lenses and clips on the visor I expect to hold the lens at 2 distances though you can put 2 lenses in at once (gets heavy) and maybe see germs with.

The lens flips up or down, the visor does too (and occasionally needs tightening), it's always in the right position as you move your head and it leaves both hands free. I was using a magnifier with base but the visor is so much easier to work with I won't go back. It's well worth the money or even 2x-3x what I paid.

This is the item, compare to the next cheaper one if you go there:
http://www.harborfreight.com/head-strap-magnifier-with-work-light-95890.html

Based on comments on another thread I posted about working with surface mount parts, I bought this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015IP380

More expensive than Harbor Freight but hopefully it is worth it.

[Reply #398 on:]

If it isn't, try the other as 4 different strength lenses to choose from is really nice.

[Reply #399 on:]

Last night Adafruit had 10 Arduino Dues available.  I got mine.  All gone now, sorry.

They just shipped!  WHOOT

Order Confirmation from Adafruit Industries

Thanks for shopping with us today!

The following are the details of your order.
------------------------------------------------------
Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x Arduino Due - assembled (Due) [ID:1076] = $49.95
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $49.95
Sales Tax: $0.00
United States Postal Service (0.19lbs) (First-Class Mail incl. $0.75 insurance): $3.87
Total: $53.82

[Reply #400 on:]

I got 100 18mm piezos for $10.40.

They work but not so well as the ones I paid more for and they are flimsy, not suited for hard use but okay as vibration/touch sensors.

I haven't tried yet but I'm not sure they'd last as buzzers either, not after how one came apart.

As buttons, I think a diode will serve to debounce (real fast touch read) but maybe need 4 as a bridge to keep pin-safe?

I also got some CR2025 batteries for a remote and note DealExtreme shipped a 5 pack as ordered but with 1 missing. I won't raise hell over it (maybe 25 cents) but it's not a good sign at all.

Still waiting on 3 bare-board MP3 players with SD adapter and 3 breadboard-ready SD adapters.

[Reply #401 on:]

I got my SD Modules and MP3 players (which were not quite what I thought) and went looking for docs on the SD modules. But there's none posted so I emailed LC China Tech and they say they will datasheets on whatever they make.

I'd like to get opinions of the things they do make, some of the modules psych me up a bit. Like the two that look like they can do USB hosting, and the nice MP3 module and others that should take care of those "Arduino hasn't got the speed" projects.

http://www.lctech-inc.com/Hardware/

I bought the SD modules through DealExtreme, $2.60 each for 3. So far it looks like all it will take to connect to an UNO is 8 female-to-male jumper wires. If I can work them out then just about anyone should be able to use them. 

LC tells me they will beat the price on 1 or many without asking what I paid. Also they tell me they take PayPal. However their site looks like it needs help if it's to become hobby-friendly.

Of course soldering up an SD adapter is probably even cheaper.




 

[Reply #402 on:]

eh i dunno in single quantities I spent 2.90 for a socket, 52 cents on a level shifter, + board + time + header

[Reply #403 on:]

Hey I -have- the SD modules. They did cost me $2.60 each though shipping on the total $48 order did run almost $2. What are the chances that China subsidizes electronics, like they do solar panels?

[Reply #404 on:]

its not a matter of being subsidized, its a matter of bulk

just order 10 of something save 30 cents a unit, now order 100,000 of them ...