Embedded Computing Design

I'd had my eyes open for components to use in the new design, and when Mellbell gave me one of their tiny HID-capable PICO boards, using it on a new custom controller came to mind almost immediately.

When set up correctly, these devices can produce precisely targeted computational power when needed, while still maintaining a low power budget.

RISC-V is an open instruction set computing architecture. It has its roots in academia, and is based on the RISC, or Reduced Instruction Set Computer paradigm.

You may wonder why wheels that roll at 90degrees to their traditional axis, and their 45 degree Mecanum cousins, aren't more commonly used in industry and high-end robotics. For one thing, they're expensive.

This development/evaluation board features Wi-Fi connectivity, an ATmega4808 processor, and an ATECC608A cryptographic co-processor to restrict data to authorized users and systems.

While Arduino compatible programming-wise, this board isn?t actually made by Arduino, and can instead be found on SparkFun in both a 3.3V and 5V variants.

If you?ve been using Arduino boards?or, more generally programming in the Arduino IDE?you already know the basics of programming in Processing.

This stack light is made with six polycarbonate disks surrounding RGBW LED strips. It?s powered by an Arduino Nano, and receives input from an electret microphone, as well as four DIP switches.

Earlier this year, Ikalogic sent me one of their IkaScope handheld WiFi oscilloscopes to try out. For this mini review, I?ll list the device?s characteristics first, and give my thoughts after.

This September I had the pleasure of attending the World Maker Faire in New York, where a wide variety of people, robots, and equipment come together to show off what they do and have made.

When working with dev boards, such as those made by Arduino and the like, working with hobby style servos is quite straightforward.

While I won?t go into specifics, on average I?ve been able to make what I consider a reasonable living writing about technology as well as the occasional engineering/DIY project. The key is average.

As an engineer who graduated knowing how to use a mill and lathe, I?ve mostly viewed this technology as a curiosity with potential to be an amazing tool sometime far in the future.

I decided to make an 8-bit themed heart container from Zelda that people can switch on or off via Twitter.

Interestingly, the basics of router ?G-code? isn?t that complicated, simply telling your cutting head to move from one place to another. In fact, it?s possible?and very tedious?to write it by hand.

Inexpensive Bluetooth serial modules can accomplish serial control and feedback wirelessly, or even program it without a physical connection.

As I write this, the Fourth of July is coming up, a time when Americans are encouraged to light and observe pyrotechnic devices in abundance.

While you undoubtedly have some familiarity with computer vision, normally these systems come packaged as either an expensive industrial setup.

So you?ve been experimenting with the Raspberry Pi single-board computer for years, and you've finally come up with an application that others would be willing to pay for.

Machine vision has been around in practical terms since the early 1980s, with experiments in this technology dating back even earlier. In the beginning, even reading a single letter took many seconds.