Pi Zero Print Server

I can't believe it! I actually finished a project the same day that I started it. A while back I won a Raspberry Pi Zero W in a promotional competition for Zipcar, and today I set it up as a wireless print server.

Valentine's Day Wearable

Recommended attire for Valentine's Day. Please note the electronic accessory, held in place with a barrette ;)

Magic Mote MSP430G2553 Wireless Sensor Node With NRF24L01+ Module

Proto Cape For BeagleBone

This add-on board for the BeagleBone or BeagleBone Black allows easy prototyping using through-hole components. More than 300 sold on Tindie!

Hacked Wall Clock (after Lord Vetinari)

This clock ticks erratically but still keeps accurate time. Its mechanism has been replaced by a programmable chip that emits 64 randomly spaced ticks every 64 seconds.

February Swag Bag: Noritake VFD

Noritake recently offered samples of these impressively bright 16 x 122 pixel graphical vacuum fluorescent displays. Their GU7000 Arduino library is easy to set up and use: it took just a couple of minutes to get out this message. I like!

Daisy Chainable I2C Level Shifter

An improved I2C level shifter PCB compatible with the daisy chainable I2C splitter.

Lo Fi Blinky Card

Snow day project with 4 year old Rachel: a greetings card with flashing illuminated LEDs.

Daisy Chainable I2C Splitter PCB

One of a series of modular expansion boards for the I2C bus: a 1-3 splitter for branching I2C signals.

Valentine LED Chaser

The object of your desire will not be able to resist this heart shaped kitsch-o-tron, lovingly hand-crafted on perfboard with a CD4017B decade counter and 555 astable. But you probably can't go wrong with flowers and chocolates as well. Just to be on the safe side. Kits now available from Tindie!

$1 Lithium Coin Cell Charger

Got a buck? Make a charger for LiR2032 coin cells. It could hardly be cheaper or easier.

Magic Mote Thermostat and Wireless Temperature Sensor

A homemade thermostat up in the basement rafters controls the heating in my home. The smart bit is the radio frequency communication that connects it to a remote temperature sensor.

Magic Mote Wireless Sensor Node

This compact PCB interfaces a low power MSP430G2553 microcontroller with a Nordic NRF24L01+ 2.4 GHz radio frequency transceiver module. It's well adapted to serve as a wireless sensor node, but has enough I/O options to be put to use wherever a small microcontroller is required. PCBs now available from Tindie!

12mm Rotary Encoder Breakout

0.925" x 0.925" breakout board for 12mm rotary encoder with switch. The PCB has enlarged holes to fit generic encoders.

Stirplate Hot Fix

A digital stirring hotplate in decent used condition will set you back about $250. I paid a fraction of that for one with a broken heating function. The problem turned out to be nothing more than a duff switch.

Homemade MSP430 Launchpads

When I ordered some NRF24L01+ boosterpacks from the 43oh store, I asked for a couple of MSP430 Launchpad v1.4 PCBs. These are legacy boards kindly provided by TI (thanks LariSan!) It was fiddly soldering to the tiny 0402 pads since my components were all 0805. The LEDs were especially tricky. But they both turned out OK as you can see. Here they are (alongside a genuine Launchpad on the left) running the breathing LED demo from the OSX Launchpad toolchain.

A Little Something To Be Thankful For

Thanks Elecrow for a $10 voucher in their Black Friday giveaway. I have heard good reports about their PCB prototyping service, especially the free color option, and I am keen to give it a try.

Twin Triac AC Switch on DP5050 PCB

Two triacs switched by zero-crossing optocoupled drivers act as solid state relays on a Dangerous Prototypes standard size PCB.

Twin Relay Control Board on DP5050 PCB

Just for good measure, a breakout board for twin Songle SRD series relays to fit the Dangerous Prototypes standard PCB size DP5050.

Relay Control Board on DP5031 PCB

Here's a breakout board for those Songle SRD series relays that are so cheap on Ebay. It fits nicely on the Dangerous Prototypes standard PCB size DP5031.