Once upon a time on a bright and sunny afternoon, I decided to interact with some photons from that big burst of energy we revolve around. I had ordered a 6V 3.5W solar panel from Amazon awhile back but I never got around to trying it. I also had an Adafruit Solar LiPo Charger that I hadn’t used. Part of this is research of using solar with home automation nodes that are near a window. Currently, I use AA batteries but I see them as wasteful since eventually you have to replace them. Of course you can get rechargeable AA batteries but they usually put out a tad less voltage, 1.2V vs 1.5V and still uses energy from an outlet …
Arduino Zero Has Arrived!
The long awaited Arduino Zero has arrived! This is the version from CC not SRL. Looks like some retailers such as Adafruit has/had the SRL version already. Wonder if they will switch, perhaps since they began manufacturing for Arduino in the U.S.? Shipping via USPS with regular mail was painstakingly slow, especially since they are rolling out phase two of their plan. It arrived five days later than scheduled, but alas, that is my error for not choosing USPS priority mail. I could go on and on about their delivery times and dealings, but it would mean writing another post about it. Anyway, now that rant is out of the way, I can rant about the poor packaging. This is …
STM32 Nucleo and DFU USB Bootloading
Over the last few months I have been playing with the Nucleo development boards from STMicroelectronics. If you’re unfamiliar with them, they are fast, mbed and Arduino (headers) compatible. This makes it easy like an Arduino to program and use. What sets them apart is that they are 32bit and have, depending on the model, tons of memory and flash. The Nucleo boards maintain the Arduino footprint but also have headers for the extra pins which gives this board plenty of GPIO for your projects. In turn, you end up with multiple buses such as SPI, I2C, and UARTs for your consumption. They are priced very well and come in different flavors based on your needs. Each flavor is based …
Wizkers.io Is Live!
Happy New Year! Begin 2015 with Wizkers.io – an easy to use Open Source application that is great for makers and programmers alike. It was designed and is managed by Edouard Lafargue, a fellow maker who has greatly contributed to the USB Tester, which is supported by Wizkers.io. Now that’s Open Source in action! //We look forward to posting projects using Wizkers.io and the USB Tester! Here is his press release: “We are live! After about two years of work, I am very happy to announce the launch of Wizkers.io.What is Wizkers? Wizkers is an Open Source application that gives a web interface to your instruments. And much more. What’s in it for you ? Your measurement instruments often have …
USB Tester Firmware and Java App Update
It’s been awhile since there has been an update to the firmware or the Java app. I have been working on them on and off for a few months now and I am finally at point for a release. Both the firmware and the Java app have some significant and important changes. I hope this brings some useful changes and lays the groundwork for future updates. Now onto the details… Arduino Yun booting and running OLED Adafruit Test Sketch – USB data not connected to PC Java App: https://github.com/FriedCircuits/FC-USB-Tester-Data-Logger-App Start of changelog Uses temp file instead of memory for better long term logging Able to resume unsaved session Remote control of USB Tester display Option to stop updating graph for …
USB Tester and the DigiSpark Pro
After supporting the DigiX on Kickstarter, I have become a fan of DigiStump. So what better way to support them than buy stuff? I supported their new Kickstarter this year for the DigiSpark Pro. I got the beta kit which they made at their office and it came with the extras along with being shipped sooner. I posted about the details earlier: http://www.mobilewill.us/2014/06/digispark-pro.html. I finally got around to doing some basic power testing with the USB Tester. I took this picture just before our vacation. Running the basic blink sketch its using about 22mA. Which is less then an Arduino Uno.
Live Raspberry Pi Power Usage!
Since the release of the Raspberry Pi, I have had one on my desk powered up. It’s my go to Pi that is always available on the network. It’s mostly running Python stuff and eXtplorer. After all this time, I have always wondered what it really costs to keep a Pi powered up 24/7/365. Then one evening, it dawned on me, I have the USB Tester why not use that? Doh! One thing lead to another and I realized why not log the serial output to the Pi itself. Using my existing Python code for logging motion to CosmXiviely, in one night, I could easily set it up to log the RPi power usage to the cloud. Pretty freaking sweet, …
Arduino Yún – Power Usage
Last year during Black Friday weekend, I broke down and bought an Arduino Yún from Pololu. They had some great sales and I just couldn’t pass it up. If you haven’t heard of Pololu, go check them out right now. I’ll wait till you get back. See? They have great electronics and tons of robot stuff. I love their power boards, boostbuck boards and ones that do it at the same time. Anything you need they have it. Arduino Yún with USB Tester Now that you are back, the Arduino Yún is a Leonardo and Linux all in one. It’s basically like a WiFi router running Linino based on OpenWRT. This thing has an Atheros 9331 processor and the ATmega32u4 (same …
USB Tester Backpack 2.0 Review
Thanks to aerodynes, for the great review of our new USB Tester and Backpack 2.0. “This is a test and review of the new version of the FriedCircuits USB tester and backpack. If you read my previous articles on the backpack and its extensions, you already know that I am a big fan of this simple and very useful tool. …” Read the complete review here:http://www.aerodynes.fr/2014/02/05/friedcircuits-usb-tester-and-backpack-reloaded/
New Product: USB Tester 2.0 Bundle!
After months of development, the USB Tester 2.0 Bundle has arrived! Currently available on Tindie and soon on Friedcircuits.us USB Tester Bundle 2.0USB Tester Backpack 2.0 The bundle includes both a new version of the Backpack and USB Tester. At this time, the new USB Tester is only available with the bundle. New on Backpack Micro USB Button Location on the front left 128×64 OLED Display (Double height of the 1.x version, easier to source) Voltage monitoring of the USB Data lines Easier access to almost all the extra GPIO’s New on USB Tester Micro USB Separated voltage test points (Easier to attach test clips and avoid misplacing jumper) Better labeling Standard Dual Banana spacing 0.75in Standard test probe sized …
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