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Last week was a very interesting week for me. I had to opportunity to visit Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited R&D factory in Melbourne that produce prototype Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for stationary combined heat and power (micro CHP) units.
Wayne's Week AwayThe 19th of August was a busy day for the Embedtronics web server. It looks like www.hackaday.com linked to my FTDI RS232 page. It interesting part is just how many computer and electronics geeks now use Firefox as thier browser. Below is this single days stats that shows over 50% of people used Firefox to access my page on that day. This has been the highest level of Firefox users on one day. A normal day 25% of vistors use Firefox.
Due to the large number of support emails regarding personal F-Bus projects etc, replies can take 2 weeks or longer and some will NOT be answered. Emails from *@hotmail.com and *@yahoo.com may be blocked.
DO NOT ask me to write your university project! You need to learn to program, not copy!
NOTE: All emails asking for sales information and support of my products will be answered quickly
These pages have been updated: Interesting Links
A I/O level converter board to interface the 3.3V lassen SQ GPS module with 5V microcontrollers. The bottom PCB contains a CR2032 Lithium backup battery for the GPS. A on-board 3.3 volt regulator powers the GPS module. Just supply 5V @ 50ma and connect you microcontroller to the TXD and RXD pins. A 5V CMOS level 1 PPS (pulse per second) output is included on the 2 pin connector.
Do you need to move you projects to USB? This very simple board converts 5V CMOS serial TXD and RXD signals to USB. Just 4 wires are required, GND, 5V and the serial signals, RXD and TXD. Limited boards available now. Contains the FTDI FT232BM.
Currently setup as a clock, this board displays the time from a Lassen GPS so you never have to set the time again. The GPS module can be mounted behind the clock for a standalone system or in a seperate box for a multidrop system using one GPS to sync the time on multiple clock units. Also on offer is a network based unit that gets the time from a NTP server on your network. Just plug the clock into your wired network. For a extra cost 802.11 wireless could be added, just plug the clock into a power point and hang it on the wall.
This very versatile 1" high 7 segment display can be used for just about anything. Just connect a few DS1820 temperature sensors for a temperature readout unit. It is based on a AT90S8535, so 8 analog inputs could be used to monitor voltages etc.
It’s currently raining and your still at work and at least 1 hour from home, wouldn’t it be great to turn on your heater or disable the watering system while at work or across the other side of the state. Well you can with this Nokia based Interface module. If you need to turn pumps, lights etc. on remotely or need to remotely monitor equipment alarms then this project is for you. There are thousands of uses, from turning on remote pumps, lights, monitoring cool room temperatures, open doors etc.
With production of mobile phones topping 600 million, world wide in a year, I thought it be great to find a use for that old mobile phone, that still works fine but just not up with the latest gizmos. There are commercial SMS units around, however they contain an embedded modem and are very costly. This board contains four relays, two optos and 8 analog to digital channels or general logic level input/output pins. When the correct SMS message is sent to the phone connected to this board, a relay can be turned on or off. These relays can used to switch mains equipment of a few amps. The two opto-isolated inputs are for alarm condition inputs. When a voltage is applied to these inputs, a changeable alarm message is sent to the nominated phone number. A extra 8 pin can be used as analog to digital input sampling or just standard logic level inputs and outputs.
An optional 2x 40-character LCD panel can be added to give instant status of the unit. The unit runs from a 12 volt supply and is portable so it can be used in moving equipment like portable generators and farm equipment.
The systems can work in many ways, however you will need you own mobile phone plus a spare one to connect to the Nokia PLC board. If you need to turn on a Pump connected to Relay 2 you just setup the message string for relay2 to ‘pump’ using the terminal port on the Nokia PLC. All settings are stored in the Mega128’s internal EEPROM so none are lossed during a period of power loss. Once this is done, just type ‘pump on’ into you phone and send a SMS to the phone connected to the system. The relay should then turn on. To turn it off, just use your phone to SMS ‘Pump off’ to the Nokia PLC. If enabled the Nokia PLC will send a reply back to you phone, to say the command was successful. As anyone who has sent a message on new years eve will know, there can be big delays or even message loss when the network is overworked.
If one of the Opto-isolated inputs become active the Mega128 will send a programmed SMS message to the phone who’s number is programmed into the Nokia PLC. This message can be anything like ‘over temperature alarm’ etc. For the more advanced projects the temperature reading could be sent.
Well this is the circuit board for my new GPS based car tracker. If your car gets stolen, just SMS this board inside your car and it will SMS it's position back! It can also SMS you once the cars moves over a set speed. Complete with inbuilt data logger to log your position with car temperature. Just the thing you need if you run a fleet of cars.
These pages have been updated:
Nokia F-Bus Protocol made simpleThese pages have been updated:
Lassen GPS units Embedded Ethernet Boards Embedtronic's Where to buy & Sales PageI now have a production run of printed circuit boards for the USB GPS project and the Lassen Prototype Board coming in a few weeks. Please email me if you are interested. I will be selling bare boards and complete kits. Prices at Embedtronics GPS units
I also have a production run of RTL8019AS prototype board due in two weeks. These have be modified and now have an interrupt line out.
It's been a busy few months here and this site will have major updates in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!
Just finished designing the printed circuit boards for my new GPS based car tracker. If your car gets stolen, just SMS it and it will SMS it's position back! It can also SMS you once the cars moves over a set speed. Complete with inbuilt data logger to log your position with car temperature. Just the thing you need if you run a fleet of cars.
Do you have any use for a GPS Network Time Protocol server? This one is based on the lassen SQ and is very small. Also I now have a Network Time Protocol (NTP) clock with 1 inch 7 segment displays. Just connect it to your network with the 10-100Base-T connection.
FTDI has their 3rd generation chip out, the FT2232C. This has two UARTs in the one chip. Just perfect for a dual serial to USB converter.
Our gold fish have been busy over Christmas and now we have over 20 micro gold fish!
Mars Exploration Rover Mission Status from the JPL, California Institute of Technology.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a very exciting & great safe New Year. Hope to see you all back in the New Year! Regards Wayne
Mars Exploration 2004 - Worth A look over the christmas break.
Geodyamics has completed stage two of Hydraulic Stimulation at the Habanero #1 Well in the Cooper Basin. This is one more step closer to producing emission free geothermal electricity from hot dry rocks (HDR). The results from Hydraulic Stimulation exceeds expectations in modeling by 17%. More at Geodynamics Web Site
The Marion Megaplex cinema complex opened in November 1997 and is the largest cinema complex in the world with 30 screens, one single 225 metre long projection room and a seating capacity of 5676 seats, not bad for little Adelaide! Have a look at a view of the Foyer! The foyer is the size of two olympic swimming pools!
The AMC South Barrington Megaplex is another 30 screen cinema complex in Chicago, USA. It was opened in March 1998 and was the first theatre in Chicago to use DLP (Digital Light Projection) on one screen. This projector uses a LCD panel in place of film, just like a large version of a data projector used in meetings etc.
The bottom left photo shows the Audio processing equipment. The left rack houses the 6 Audio Amplifiers for the 6 channel surround sound. The right rack houses the Dolby Digital CP500-D processors for decoding the Dolby audio from the optical data blocks between sprocket holes on the film. For movies decoded in DTS audio, a portable DTS decoder is used. Audio is played from the CD's and synced by tracks on the film. More at Dolby's Website
The bottom right photo shows Andrew at the cinema's computer system that runs everything from diming the lights, opening the curtains and starting the projectors. Just if it could load the film! The only thing that has too be manually completed is loading the film! BTW: The guy on the right is Craig Peacock from BeyondLogic.org
Wayne's USB GPS. Well this page is finally up due to large interest in the project. Build your own in-car navigation system
Coming soon - The Ring Tone doorbell. Play all you favorite ringtones on your doorbell. Also generate ISO-8201 Evacuation & warning Tones on the Embedtronics AVR tone generator!
Check out the 3rd Generation Dual USB UART chip from FTDI. The FT2232C will be released in early 2004 and is the first FTDI chip to have two serial ports. This will be a great chip for all todays PC's with no serial ports!
Just starting work on my Trimble Lassen SQ GPS module page. The Lassen SQ is one very nice module that measures just 26x26x6mm. I have made a little adaptor board for prototyping and rapid development with the Lassen SQ. As some will know, the Lassen SQ has a very small SMD 8pin connector for connecting to the module.
Embedtronics is now selling Realtek RTL8019AS ethernet chips and FTDI FT232BM USB to serial chips. Check out our sales page at Embedtronics sales I have been working on lots of new projects over the last few months and hope to add a few of them to my site over the christmas break. First is the SHT11 Humidity & Temperature Unit. This is a project that was built a few months ago and has been waiting inclusion to this site.
Australia's largest wind farm was open to the public on the weekend and we went a long for a look. Pictured below is the Challicum Hills wind farm near Ararat in Victoria. The farm has 35, 1.5MW NEG-Micron wind turbines generating a peak 52.5 megawatts of power. The bottom two photos show Pacific Hydro's first wind farm at Codrington. This farm is not far from Portland on Victoria's coast.
More information can be found at Pacific Hydro's Web Site or at Blue Wind Energy. The electricity has been sold to Origin Energy via a 15 year Power Purchase Agreement. Contact Origin Energy for Green Electricity.
Embedtronics.com has a new purpose. It's now my new business web site as well. It's a little unprofessional but I will be keeping all the free project and personal information on this site, with my new business information. I am hoping to have some nice projects up soon with sales information. I have had a lot of interest in my embedded ethernet board, and my USB GPS receiver that is not even published. I will try and publish my GPS unit soon.
Please note my email address wpeacock@senet.com.au is no longer used, due to the large volumes of spam I get through Senet.
It's a big day here! Wayne's Embedded Life is moving to it own domain 'www.embedtronics.com'. Over the next few weeks I will be moving all my pages from Senet to www.embedtronics.com. After a few months my pages at Senet will no longer exist, so please update your links now. Stay tuned for more updates.
Updated the page Wayne's Embedded Ethernet Module with a schematic and PCB layout that can be downloaded in pdf format.
Updated the page AVR's - Where to buy?? with new sources for AVR's and other parts. Just been playing with a Trimble Lassen SQ GPS module. What a great device!
The end is coming for another financial year. My happy plant at work is ready to come out in flower for the second time. Last year I missed the flower due to travel and this year could be the same. I hope to get some pictures soon. See my page plants.html for more photos. My SMS system is coming along very nicely. I can now toggle 8 I/O pins by sending SMS messages to it. The compare strings are now stored in EEPROM and can be reprogrammed using a nice serial interface. The board has 4 alarm inputs that will send SMS messages to a stored phone number. These alarm messages are also stored in EEPROM and can be reprogrammed through the serial port.
Well I'm back from one very enjoyable trip in the Bonaparte Gulf west of Darwin. It was a windy trip, but we have one great time. Lots of great sunsets, dolpins to see.
I have included firmware and schematics online for the NTP Time Clock. Happy Downloading Andrew & Mark!
Yes that's right, I have been able to toggle an LED on and off by SMS! I send the message 'Led1 on' and the LED comes on and then send the message 'Led1 off' and the LED goes off. Very crude, but the basis of all my SMS projects. I hope to have a very simple relay board to toggle up to 8 mains powered appliances on and off my SMS.
Well I am leaving for Darwin on the 10th of June (Next Tuesday) for 10 great days on the RV Southern Surveyor owned by CSIRO. So not a lot will be done here in the next month.
Well I am going away again so my Happy Plant at work is due to flower again. So the question is 'Will I see it this time?' As it is only just starting to grow a steem, I should have plenty of time. As a flowering happy plant is suppose to give the owner good luck, I will hopefully find someone to take some good photos if it, if I'm away!!
When I get back to Adelaide, I hope to post some source code for my SMS project. Must run, I have to watch my favorite '24'.
I have sent my first SMS message from my Mega128 Prototype. The code is very thin, with very little error checking but it is working very well. I can get SMS centre, software and hardware versions and the IMEI data from the phone. Just writing code to receive a SMS message, compare it to a string and toggle a I/O pin, if the string matches. Things are going a little slow here, due to the introduction of a new cat, Jimmy. Baby sitting cats are taking a lot of my time!
The Nokia SMS Project is comming along very well. The first hardware prototype board is up and running and can be seen here in Part 3.
I have now moved into growing staghorns now, afterall they can't be too hard to grow! My two new StagHorns can be seen on my plants page.
Part 2, How to send SMS messages over F-Bus is now near completion and has been posted here. After studying this site and the links, you should have a good understanding of how to send a SMS message. For most applications the whole F-Bus string can be set in Flash with a message and when a condition comes true (i.e. alarm input), the string is sent to the phone.
I have just purchase the full 'standard version' of HP Infotech's Codevision AVR C compiler. This is one excellent C compiler with lots of great features. It has a wizard for rapid programming of functions like LCD panels, RTC's, DS1820 etc. You can download a size limited freeware version from HP Infotech's Web Site or Dontronics Web Site.
BTW: Happy Easter everyone!
By very popular demand, I have included firmware and schematics online for the DS1820 Temperature Display Unit with RTC. Happy Downloading!
Wayne's Embedded Life is now a member of the AVR Webring. Site ID is 184. Thank you to everyone for all their support over the last year. As of Sunday 30th of March 2003 my hit counter sits at 1779 and this site now brings in over 350 hits per month. I am currently working very hard on my new project, sending SMS messages via F-Bus. The first part of the series has been added today. Check out the Nokia F-Bus Protocol made simple (Part 1 : The Basics). In the coming weeks I hope to add the second part on sending SMS messages using F-Bus. The third part of the series will be an AVR project to send SMS messages when alarm conditions are triggered. The project will also receive SMS strings to turn relays on and off. This part of the site should be a big hit from the requests I already have.
PS: Beyond Logic (My Brother) wants to rip off these F-Bus pages....
Do you wish to stay up to date with the latest developments here at Wayne's Embedded Life? Email me at news@embedtronics.com to be added to the email list and the next time something new pops up you will be emailed! Please sent your comments about the site while your at it!
Quote of the Day
From the 'Food for Thought' EasySlim calendar
I'm currently in Sydney on a weeks holidays. That's why nothing new is happening around here. But I have some great photos of the Blue Mountains, Bondi Beach, Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Sydney Observatory and all the other great sites in Sydney.
Just added the link Where to buy AVR's
I'm back and like all designers, I am looking at a new project before finishing all the others I have running. The common saying is all projects only get to a 90% finished stage. Just brought myself a download cable for a Nokia 3310 mobile phone. I have been playing with Nokia's F-Bus protocols to send SMS messages from a PC. This is great, however I would like to send alarm messages from an AVR mircocontroller, not a PC. What I need is the F-Bus protocol specifications. If anyone has them please contact me. The Linux Gnokii Project - Great source of information LogoManager - A programme to send SMS, edit ringtones, graphics etc (For Microsoft Windows)
By popular demand, I have included Firmware, Schematics and PCB files online for the DS1820 Temperature Sensor High-resolution Readout Demo.
As the cool thing in electronics over the last two years is embedded ethernet on an AVR, PIC or any 8/16 bit microprocessor etc, I have designed an Ethernet Module around the RTL8019 from Realek. (Nothing New!!) This can be used on just about any microcontroller/microprocessor with enough pins and memory. I am currently working on a processor board that will fit under this ethernet module. This board has a serial port, LCD interface and I/O pins that can be used to control a range of stuff.
Christmas is only weeks away and to make life just take little more interesting I'm moving house again! So I don't think I will be updating this page before Christmas. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all and I will see you in the New Year! Wayne
Well a lot has happen over the last few months, so I haven't had a lot of time to update this site. I am currently on a week's holiday and because it is raining, this site is getting updated. I have just completed the page on The DS1820 High Resolution Demo Board.
Below is my old desk revamped, cost me $150 a few years ago for the desk and side bench. I built the hutch on top for my test equipment. Two months ago now I decided to belt sand the desktop and coat it with a satin polyurethane finish. It was the best thing I did as the black finished was well worn. The previous black finish as seeped into the wood grain, enhancing the finish. It matches the polished floorboard in the rest of the house and I just love it! The only problem is the desk is too good to use as a workbench and will it fit into our next house?
Here is my 1995 VS Commodore that a bought in August, only done 75000Km's and in immaculate condition! Got some nice electronics in it!! Just gotta learn what it all does. Does anyone have a schematic of the lot?
Just updated the software for the NTP clock. It's about time!! Have a look at The NTP network Clock
Just been playing with the idea of a 4 or 8 port DS1820 Temperature logger based on an Atmel 90S1200 or 90S2313. I have the design working in a 90S1200 currently, with just one sensor. The hardware has a LCD display that shows the temperature in both the low-resolution (0.5C) and high-resolution modes. There is just no room to hold ROM search codes in the AT90S1200, therefore the 90S2313 will be used for the multi-drop system.
PS: The Happy plant has not flowered yet ;-(
Well it's time to start updating this site, after all it's been sitting here dormant for months while I move house once again! I have my first ever flowering Corn Plant on my desk at work. They do flower after all! It's currently at stage one, just about ready to flower. I have posted the first pictures to my plant section of this site plants.html. I hope to post photos once it flowers and produces fruit, so stay tuned for more pics.
As always, A hobbyist or engineer can never work on one project and finish it. All projects never get pass 90% complete. Once again I have changed direction after a good idea came to mind (Not always, but normally just at the start of the last project). I think I should just get a job as project dreamer. Dream up all these great projects and have a team of 50 staff to complete them and market them to the world.
The new project is a very cheap 8-channel USB data logger. It fits into a very small enclosure and contains a FTDI FT232AM and an Atmel 90S8535. Just finished writing the software in Borland builder for the PC interface.
I hope to have the PCB finished for it in a few weeks, as it's currently running on breadboard.
Wayne