Category Archives: Uncategorized

Just received my BT eframe 1000 this afternoon; set it up in the office to play with a bit 🙂 Anyway, first order of work when I got home was to open the thing and have a look. This guy has already done this, but it wasn’t thorough enough for my purposes unfortunately. (the chipContinue reading “BT eFrame 1000”

Finally got round to updating the style on my journal; I think it looks much cleaner now. I also enabled non-LJ-user comments etc. More documentation added to pypickit, including some nice diagrams: I’m having to wait before I can make any progress though; I managed to fry the power MOSFET on the pickit when IContinue reading “Style update”

I’ve just created a project on google code so my python pickit code is in a public place for others to use. Currently it supports the Microchip PicKit2 ICD device, and has libraries for talking to Cambridge Silicon Radio Bluetooth devices, Elantech EKT8210 touchpads, and SPI flashes. The wiki is not completed yet; I’ll fillContinue reading “pypickit”

First order of work is to interface onto the BT module for reprogramming purposes. Its an SPI device, and you’re meant to use an expensive development kit to program it. However, I don’t see why that should be the case when I’ve already got an SPI interface on my pickit. All I have to doContinue reading “Bzzzz XBees arrived”

After recovering earlier today, I’ve been reading up on these XBee RF Modules. Effectively you can hook two of them up and get a point to point wireless serial link between them at a fairly reasonable distance. They also support some form of mesh networking, so I assume you could have loads of them scatteredContinue reading “XBee wireless point to point link project ideas…”

Now, this sounds both cool and scary: it comes with four types of Uranium ore, a Geiger counter, and a booklet on “prospecting for Uranium”. There’s Uranium in them thar hills! Just noticed the text on the box: “Exciting! Safe!”.. ish! Its not quite as scary as the descrption of an X ray tube inContinue reading “Gilbert U238 Atomic Energy Lab Kit (1950s)”

My friend Colin was round last night for a tech session… among other things, we looked at my Python PicKit source, and between us, we finally figured out how the hell JTAG works from the hardware interface upwards. All this hardware interfacing has made me think about digging out the FPGA kit I have inContinue reading “Geektalk”

I’ve recently upgraded my media box PC to a new funky shiny one. During the course of this, I upgraded the BIOS on the new motherboard, and it decided to fail halfway through. Result: Brick!! However, I didn’t let that stop me. The manual described a special “debug port” on the BIOS. Closer examination revealedContinue reading “Motherboard SPI bios recovery”

Near the end of the pierOriginally uploaded by adq_uk I decided to go for a walk to Granton Harbour today, as it seemed to be quite sunny. However, as I got further along this pier, the wind got stronger and stronger; about 3/4 of the way, I could feel it starting to lift me withContinue reading “Granton harbour”

Look at the size of this crab; it can crack coconuts in its claws!