Frickel

OpenSID

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:21:43 GMT

I'd like to introduce Dirk's and mine little DIY Audio project.

The OpenSID - a MOS658x/MOS8580-based MIDI-Synthesizer.

Full hardware (schematics, PCB layout, ..) and software is completely open-source.

Controlling things using a watch

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:17:07 GMT

I've bought a TI eZ430-Chronos 868MHz watch. The watch is MSP430 based, which is a very low-power µC - ideal for embedded battery applications. The hi-lights on the board (that's at least my opinion) are the accelerometer and the RF-Transceiver. The whole kit is shipped including a programming/debugging interface and a RF-Transceiver for the USB port.

I've been working on a remote control application which uses the RF-Transceiver module (USB) to control a music player. It works nearly perfect. The second step was: Make a LUFA- (Lightweight USB for AVRs)-based USB host mode controller for the RF-Transceiver in order to allow stand-alone applications without using a computer. I've already announced this project on TI's Wiki page, so stay tuned.

New project: Sidrosis

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:08:28 GMT

I'd like to introduce a new project - The Sidrosis.

Sidrosis is a MOS6581 (also known as SID) based MIDI synthesizer.
The base-board is small enough to fit on circa 3.9 x 3.9" (10 x 10cm).
The project is inspired by the MidiBox project, which is actually using a PIC microcontroller instead of an AVR 8-Bit microcontroller.
The goal is building a synthesizer with a unique sound, open source firmware and full schematics available on-line.

RSS feed fixed

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:00:06 GMT

Just a quick update: The RSS feeds are fixed now.

Mailinglist subscription

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:41:43 GMT

Unfortunately there is no automatic mailing list management software for the frickel mailing list.

If you want to join the frickel mailinglist write an e-mail to: <frickel-subscription (at) ext.no-route.org> and I'll add you as soon as possible.

3310 SPI LCD library for the Xmega MCUs

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:34:12 GMT

I'm just working on a LCD library for the 3310 LC-Display. One big advantage of this display is the simple communication interface (SPI in this case). It can be easily interfaced with ATmega MCUs but the ATxmega are a bit different. It's able to display 1-bit (black and white) graphics on a resolution of 48 x 84 pixels.

The current code is really dirty and partially based on a source code I've found at mikrocontroller.net. The final (public) version will be completely different with much more functionality (like small, normal, big, bigger fonts, basic shape drawing..).

RSS feed is currently broken (Update)

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:52:54 GMT

Unfortunately the RSS feed is currently broken. Technical background: We're using nginx as HTTP and HTTPS reverse proxy for the Wiki.

For that reason, we're just binding to 127.0.0.1 instead binding to 0.0.0.0 and using a packet filter to disallow direct access to the backends.

That means that "Host: 127.0.0.1" is passed to our backend server process and the corresponding trac plugin for the BlogRSS breaks the links (they used absolute links instead of relative).

I'm going to make a custom code rewrite as I got some more time. Sorry. Stay tuned.

Project announcement - HomeController v0.1 prototype

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:09:17 GMT

I've been working on a minimal home automation project. I've already finished the schematics and PCB layout. The project is AVR-based (ATMega32) and is fully stackable via a 2-Wire Interface. The ~28 I/O Ports (including analog inputs) are controlled via RS232. The software being developed is designed for Unix-like Operating System, but it should work on MinGW.

Well, there is one tiny bug in the prototype (Murphy's Law). The RxD-Line of the ATMega isn't connected to the MAX3232. This has to be fixed with a wire. Unfortunately this can't be fixed in the PCB layout in a nice way, because KiCad (The Open Source EDA suite I'm using) doesn't support moving traces.

I've already sent the Gerber-files to BatchPCB. Unfortunately the prototype PCB will be about $69. For that reason I'll make a re-design (SMD) soon.

What does it do?

You can control lights and other stuff with it using your PC or a Microcontroller. It's also suitable for playing around with AVR Microcontrollers. Nearly all pins of the Microcontroller are located on a screw terminal, so it's perfectly suited for quick deployment.

We've got an english translation.

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:09:48 GMT

I'm just translating the whole wiki to english.

As I'm not a native english speaker I'd be glad if someone could take
a look at the new articles.

Wiki and weblog accounts

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:40:41 GMT

In order to contribute to the Frickel wiki or write a comment,
you'll need an account. Please send an E-Mail
to blorgaccount {at} ext.no-route.org and I'll send you your login credentials.

Sorry for the circumstances, but we want to keep the blog and wiki
spam free and don't have enough time to do manual moderation.

About frickel

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:35:48 GMT

Frickel is the electronics group of Toppoint e.V. and ChaosKueste.
We develop free, open-source hard- and software.

Typically we meet every Friday at 7 PM CEST in the Toppoint e.V.

Our Address:
Toppoint e.V.
Eckernfoerder Str. 20
24-103 Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
Germany