MightyOhm » Microcontrollers

Alternative software for the HV Rescue Shield

Jeff — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:18:08 +0000

Dennis writes…

I thought I’d share with other users of the HV Rescue shield an enhanced Arduino script I have written, based on Jeff’s original software v212.

…

The new software retains the look and feel of the original, it can still be run in interactive and non interactive mode and starts by requesting the AVR family as before. The existing fuse settings are then printed along with the device signature and lock bits. After this the user is presented with a menu of functions.

The E command allows the user to erase the AVR.

The F command allows the fuses to be set as before. OK or fail will be printed depending on the success of the operation.

The R command allows a block of the flash memory to be dumped to screen. The user has to input the required start address in hex.

The P command is similar to the R command but operates on the EEPROM

The W command performs a simple test of the flash by writing a small block of data to it and checking it programs correctly. The user has to input the required start address in hex, which must be the first byte of a page (see device datasheet for details about page size). The user can view the test pattern written by using the R command to read it back.

The T command performs a similar test on the EEPROM but with a different shorter 4 byte pattern as EEPROM page sizes are smaller.

…

Dennis posted a link to his alternative software in the HV Rescue Shield support forum.

Thanks, Dennis!

Geiger Counter and HV Rescue Shield kits are back in stock!

Geiger Counter Kits are (finally) in stock!

Jeff — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:50:31 +0000

Geiger Counter kits are now in stock! You can order one below or go visit the Geiger Counter kit page to learn more.

There are currently three ordering options:

You can buy the complete Geiger Counter kit with a tested, known good SBM-20 Geiger-Muller tube included (recommended).
You can buy the same kit with all parts except the Geiger tube (in case you already have one).
Or, you can purchase a bare PCB only (for experimenters).

You can select one of these options below:

Shipping is via USPS Priority Mail. Allow 1-2 weeks for order processing and delivery.

The Amp Hour #43

Jeff — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:58:04 +0000

The Amp Hour #43 — Audacious Arduino Arguments

Our first four-way podcast! Listen to me, Chris, Dave, and Jeremy chat about Arduino, high altitude balloons, hackerspaces in universities, the Google ADK, and the Maker Faire Bay Area.

Kudos to Skype for enabling us to actually pull this off!

Sign up to be notified when my book is published!

Jeff — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:59:14 +0000

The “Soldering is Easy” comic book that was released on Monday will be included in a cool book that Mitch Altman (@maltman23) and I are writing about How to Make Cool Things with Microcontrollers (For People Who Know Nothing). It will be published by No Starch Press later this year.

If you would like to be notified when the book is published, please submit your e-mail address below.

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Best book to learn C?

Jeff — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 06:14:27 +0000

If you could recommend one book to a total beginner who wants to learn how to program in C, what would it be?

It shouldn’t be microcontroller-specific (more general is better), but it does need to make sense to someone with zero programming experience (in any language).

(Myself, I started with K&R, although I had some experience with BASIC (on the C64 and Apple II), Logo, and shell programming before that.)

Jan’s Wifi Radio has a modern look

Jeff — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:16:25 +0000

Jan Wante made this gorgeous Wifi Radio with a modern look. It is based on my original Wifi Radio tutorials.

Not content to simply duplicate my work, he added a few creative twists of his own, including a custom handmade case made of alucobond, MDF, and real wood veneer that gives his finished radio a nice, modern look. Inside, a hacked WL-520gU wireless router running OpenWrt runs the show and an ATmega microcontroller programmed with BASCOM interfaces with a rotary encoder and graphical LCD display.

The very impressive result is shown in this video:

Nice work, Jan!

HV Rescue Shield now works with the Arduino Mega

Jeff — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:38:38 +0000

Thanks to John, of the ATX Hackerspace, who loaned me his Arduino for testing, the HV Rescue Shield now works with the Arduino Mega.

I had to create new byte read/write functions for digital lines 0-7 because they are implemented very “differently” (and I don’t mean that in a good way) in the hardware for the Mega. If you’re interested in how I did this, check out the new version 2.12 Arduino sketch and the new mega_data_read and mega_data_write functions.

To use the HV Rescue Shield with the Arduino, first download the revised sketch here. Set the MEGA #define to 1 and compile/upload the sketch to your board. Make sure you have the Arduino Mega selected in the Arduino Board menu, or the sketch won’t compile.

The Mega has more pin headers than the Rescue Shield, so be sure to install the shield all the way to the left, as shown here:

If you experience any problems with the HV Rescue Shield and the Arduino Mega, please report them in the support forum.

The Amp Hour Episode 29

Jeff — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:37:37 +0000

I’m happy to announce that I have again been given the privilege of co-hosting The Amp Hour, this time with Dave Jones of the EEVblog! Chris Gammell is away this week recruiting bright young engineers ~~into slavery~~ to join his company, so I was given the guest spot. This is my third time on the show.

If you haven’t heard of it before, The Amp Hour is “an off-the-cuff radio show and podcast for electronics enthusiasts and professionals.” I listen most every week and would recommend it to anyone who wants to hear a humorous and off-beat take on electronics engineering.

Check out Episode 29 – DJ and Jazzy Jeff and all the rest of the episodes at The Amp Hour.

HV Rescue Shield 2.1 Now Shipping

Jeff — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:27:20 +0000

I have good news. The latest and greatest version of the HV Rescue Shield is now available!

Version 2.1 contains a new and improved 12V switching circuit that resolves an issue reading/writing to parts with certain startup timer settings. This issue affects all previous versions of the Rescue Shield kit.

I have kits in stock and ready to ship this week. If you have been waiting for the new release, you can place an order now.

Note to HV Rescue Shield 2.0 customers: Because the startup timer issue was identified so quickly after version 2.0 was released, I am offering a free upgrade for all customers who purchased a version 2.0 kit. Please contact me to arrange for a replacement. This offer only applies to HV Rescue Shield 2.0 customers.

HV Rescue Shield Update #3

Jeff — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:46:15 +0000

A quick update on the HV Rescue Shield:

About a week ago, I completed testing on a new switching circuit that allows me to leave the DC-DC converter on full-time and switch the RESET signal very quickly (risetimes in the microseconds). Now there shouldn’t be any more issues getting parts with zero SUT to enter HVSP/HVPP mode.

It’s taken a lot longer than I expected to get to this point, but the results look very good. I have had 100% success reading/writing all parts I have tested.

PCBs are on order and due to ship by the end of the week. Assuming the layout is good and I didn’t just order a large batch of stylish (but small) coasters, I should have kits in stock again by the end of next week.

Watch here for updates, and my apologies to everyone who has been waiting on a kit – new and improved kits should be available soon.

Update 2/1: PCBs came in while I was away last week, and are currently being held at my local Fedex office, which is closed due to the power outages that are affecting Austin today. Apparently Austin does not handle prolonged sub-freezing temperatures very well. As soon as I can get my hands on the boards, it should only be a day or two before kits are available again.