Wise Steve K has contacted the blog with a link to an amazing video, filmed in zero gravity, with no camera tricks or CGI. Here it is, and it is well worth a look – I am so impressed with the organisation and talent of these people. US radio station NPR – think Radio 4 …
Learn from a shrimp that communicates with polarisation
Mantis shrimp communicate using the polarisation of light through polarising reflectors. “Most eavesdroppers can’t see this type of light information and so animals that use it are less likely to attract the attention of predators or unwelcomed competition” said the University of Bristol. According to the University, using a combination of anatomy, light measurements and …
AVR programming book
I am enjoying reading John Morton’s 2002 book ‘AVR and introductory course’, published by Newnes. It is a book on creating software rather than hardware. and paced just the right for me – someone who once programmed 6800 and 6809, and more recently played with PICs, and can mostly do hardware. So far, and I …
The largest steam engines ever, some claim
Wise SteveK has brought to my attention a video about the Big Boy steam locomotives, the largest ever made. I found it fascinating – nice use of cartoons to show why some parts are like they are. Ps, why only single expansion and not compound? It is called Last of the Giants, by RailFilm Productions, …
Protect your sanity
Just a note for anyone climbing the walls at work*. The British Safety Council is thinking about mental health this week – supporting ‘Time to Talk Day’. This also applies to any psychopaths amongst you – who could make more profit and your boss might pay you more. Read this BSC statement: “In the UK …
Want a fast PWM quickly? – consider Arduino
I have been discussing control algorithms for a power supply and idly looking for some easy hardware on which to try the technique – hardware small enough to build into a prototype. My default tends to be to 8bit PICs, but someone in the discussion pointed to the ATtiny25/45/85 family as a source of PWM …
Weller doesn’t seem to make it easy
After many years of loyal service, my Weller TCP 24 soldering iron needs a new bit – I think Pb-free solder has got the better of it. So I thought I would get help choosing a new bit from Weller’s website. Now, and it is probably me rather than Weller, I can’t find anything that …
Ricoh voltage regulator has dual-voltage level output
Ricoh has launched a voltage regulator, the RP155Z, with a special pin-selectable dual-voltage level output set within a range of 1.6V and 3.6V. The capability to shift voltage levels between one of the two preset output voltage levels makes it ideal for battery-powered applications with SD memory and SIM cards as well as devices requiring …
Digital IP blocks process analogue signals
Canadian IP developer InventionShare has developed a number of digital IP blocks which process analogue signals. The company calls its IP ‘Circuit Seed’ and says they deliver ‘unprecedented precision without precision parts; ultra-linear operation over an extreme dynamic range (>106); low noise, ultrahigh speed (analog at logic speed) and extreme low voltage (down to ~0.1V …
Arrow uses Renesas Synergy to speed IoT development
Arrow Electronics is selling a hardware and software platform for developing IoT applications, which is based on the Renesas Synergy development framework. Arrow developed the ARIS board with the Italian design house Reloc. The Renesas Synergy Platform offers developers the benefit of qualified hardware and software, and Arrow said the aim with the ARIS board …