tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23222910480424531512024-03-14T01:05:03.383-07:00Hands On - ArduinoJames Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-34033441385026308502013-07-09T12:35:00.001-07:002013-07-09T12:39:39.588-07:00Update and Signing Off...Okay, first off... BIG apologies to anyone still checking in here occasionally. As you can see, it's been some time since I posted anything for Hands-On Arduino, and an explanation is in order. So, here are some details (and excuses mixed in).<br />
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1. I lost interest. That's the most honest statement I can make. I still wire up circuits and do some Arduino programming, but at some point I just hit a wall and the remaining experiments left in the book were interesting but I had so much else going on in my life that time was a rarity and I had to pick and choose carefully where I spent it.<br />
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2. Two young boys. Given a free hour to spend at my desk tinkering with the Arduino or outside (or inside) with my boys playing... I chose my family. Believe it or not, performing all these experiments, debugging, wiring up, tearing down, photographing, and writing each project up... takes a lot of time. When I started the Hands-On Electronics blog (handsonelectronics.blogspot.com), my oldest boy was my only boy... and he was 3. Took lots of naps and went to bed really early. Now I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old and my time is even more valuable.<br />
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3. My writing career took off. This is a good thing, but it also means that 6-8 hour of my day I'm sitting in front of a computer (or a laptop) typing away like mad. I try to write 5-6 books per year (now) and that means starting and finishing a book every two months (on average). And writing is only half of it... I'm a technology writer, so a lot more of my time is spent researching, teaching myself, and basically testing whatever subject I'm writing about. At the end of each day, I began to find less and less interest in going back to my desk and doing MORE writing.<br />
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So, Hands-On Arduino made it about halfway and then sputtered. For a while, I felt really guilty. I felt like I'd let my readers down, especially anyone following along and teaching themself the Arduino. I'm not a person to start a project and then not finish it... just ask my wife. But this one has bugged me and bugged me for some time now... but now I'm okay saying goodbye to it and moving on.<br />
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I did actually finish most of the book (Beginning Arduino), but I just didn't document it. I had some personal projects that required me to get a bit deeper with Arduino so I finished up about 85-90% of the book before closing it and nodding to myself that I had gotten what I needed from the book. Hopefully those of you teaching yourself have done the same. The Arduino is still immensely popular, and I think there must be about 10x as many books out there on the subject as when I first started.<br />
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So, please accept my apology for an unfinished blog and consider this a signing-off (of sorts). If you're looking to teach yourself how to program and use an Arduino, you cannot beat this book. (Maybe you'll even start a blog and finish all the projects!)<br />
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I do have two final books to recommend to you (one was sent to me very recently) -- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593274483/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593274483&linkCode=as2&tag=jamesfloydkel-20" target="_blank">Arduino Workshop</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007178277X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=007178277X&linkCode=as2&tag=jamesfloydkel-20" target="_blank">Arduino Robot Bonanza</a>.<br />
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The first book (Arduino Workshop) has 65 projects... I've not worked through them all, but I've read most of the book and it's another outstanding resource for novices wanting to teach themselves.<br />
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The Arduino Robot Bonanza book is also a great book to have on the shelf. I read it all and am blown away by the amount of information on integrating Arduino with robotics. I've even been asked to teach a camp next summer (2014) that would teach kids (ages 8 and up) to build a robot with an Arduino microcontroller. Nothing final yet, but this book will be my Go-To-Book for ideas and tech support. <br />
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Thanks to all my readers who followed along as I worked on the Arduino projects. Maybe one day I'll be able to update this blog if one of my boys shows an interest and wants to learn Arduino. But that's a few years away...<br />
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James Floyd Kelly<br />
Atlanta, GA<br />
July 2013<br />
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ps. What's next? Well, I'll totally understand if people are gun-shy about following me again on any future projects, but yes... I do have a couple special projects that I've been asked to consider blogging about. That's one of the reasons I found this blog and chose to update it and sign off and turn off the lights -- I had just about forgotten about it, but it is quite possible I will be doing a new blog on a very interesting subject soon. If it gets the green light, I'll update this blog and Hands-On Electronics to point the way. James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-6400446905094334972011-05-04T13:21:00.000-07:002011-05-04T13:32:14.851-07:00Back to work...Sorry for the delay in getting to the next project but I can now share with you why I've been a little tardy. I was asked by Make: to host <a href="http://blog.makezine.com/tag/LatestInArduino">a new video series called "The Latest in Arduino,"</a> and it's taken a bit of my free time to get it rolling, but now that <a href="http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/05/the-latest-in-arduino-01.html">episode 1</a> is out (and raw video for episode 2 is submitted) I can get back to the Beginning Arduino projects.<br /><br />Before I move on to the robot project, I needed to solder up the <a href="http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKAD7">MotorShield</a>. It wasn't difficult, but look close and you may see an error I made... it's not critical and I can still work with it, but it'll always stick with me as a reminder to go EVEN SLOWER when soldering up these shields!<br /><br />Now that the MotorShield is done, I need to solder some wires to the motors on the robot base... so I'll try and tackle that tonight so I can get another project completed before Friday.<br /><br />I'm also going to be attending Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, in a few weeks... if you're going to be there, come by the MakerShed tent - that's where you'll find me. I've been asked to tag team between my own booth (showing off the 3D Printer that goes with my new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Printing-Plastic-Printer-Technology-Action/dp/1430234431">"Printing in Plastic: Build Your Own 3D Printer"</a> with my co-author Patrick Hood-Daniel) and a booth where visitors can test out the MintDuino and wire up a few cool things. Should be fun.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FpE0RAfFPsE?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FpE0RAfFPsE?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-53854171940062860332011-05-01T16:59:00.000-07:002011-05-01T17:30:00.786-07:00Learning Processing BlogIt's always nice to find a fellow blogger working his or her way through a book and documenting results, good and bad. Related to the Arduino, I'd like to point you to <a href="http://willprice94.blogspot.com/">Will Price's blog</a> where he's currently working through both the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740">Make: Electronics</a> book and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Processing-Beginners-Programming-Interaction/dp/0123736021">Learning Processing</a>, a book certain to be of interest to all of us just learning to code for the Arduino.James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-12818912861695096572011-04-26T05:18:00.000-07:002011-04-26T05:20:23.769-07:00Arduino Books - 50% One DayO'Reilly has a one-day 50% eBook sale for its Arduino titles... you can find more information <a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zokb1q16f424kons58cudrogj6aepe5qao0elpl0">here</a>. I've been going through the Arduino Cookbook, myself... it's a worthy title for your bookshelf, and at 600+ page and tons of sample code, it's well worth the $16 price today.James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-4041637723640186432011-04-20T18:17:00.001-07:002011-04-20T18:17:25.364-07:00Stepper IssuesThis stepper motor is driving me crazy... I've tried all the iterations (I think) and it gets power, the axle won't rotate, it buzzes... but no rotation. I'm going to spend a few more minutes with it tonight... maybe tomorrow... and then move on to the robot project which is next.<br /><br />I've checked my wiring... double-check it... it's not the wiring. I'm pretty certain something weird is going on with this motor. I have a LOT of stepper motors (4 for my 3D printer and 3 for my CNC machine) but they have unique connectors that I'd have to cut and I'm not going to do that for this project... these are BIG steppers and not cheapies at all.<br /><br />In the meantime, I've got to solder up a MotorShield that I'll be using for Project 29... will try to get to that tomorrow...James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-588711798815147172011-04-16T18:33:00.001-07:002011-04-16T19:07:34.044-07:00Project 28 - Need Some Help - UPDATEFor those of you with access to the book and/or a better understanding of the Uno, I have a question - Figure 10-1 shows a wire running from what appears to be a numeral 9 near the 5V and GND wires at the bottom left corner of the figure. This wire goes into the positive power column/row at the top of the breadboard which then connects to the stepper motor.<br /><br />On my Uno, this is labeled Vin (I think) - the author says to use external DC power for this project so I'm wondering if that's how power is being applied to the motor. It's just never been mentioned in the previous projects so I'm a bit confused.<br /><br />Also... a bit of checking online reveals that the Uno wants a 9V AC-to-DC power supply adapter which I don't have... but I do have a variable one that can be set to 9V. The only problem is I cut off the end to expose the wires for the Make: Electronics book (so it can be plugged directly into the V and GND breadboard rows). I'm thinking I should be able to just plug in the Arduino to the USB for its own power needs and, while still running the 5V and GND wires from the Arduino to the breadboard for the chip's power needs (5v or less I'm guessing) I can just skip the "9" or whatever that is and provide power to the motor with my variable adapter's leads... right?<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Update: And wouldn't you know </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/SMT-108/STEPPER-MOTOR-6-WIRE/1.html">I'd buy the one stepper motor</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> that doesn't seem to have any kind of help in terms of data sheet when it comes to sorting out the six wires and what goes where! Argh...</span>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-4160025376146573862011-04-15T06:18:00.000-07:002011-04-15T06:26:47.595-07:00While I Wait Some More...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLgHiWCkbCKJfNtqevBs7SW8YPMfrcJk548sXwIXeZO9WCAB1CLe4q1Cs-DpI5yKsUKfEYDPPJh-lUHHklnXeSTEXhFBBGSBx3V7q7OxboVCRSz7y7oMVjaLWO-IVmJ376dVq2vNLSrBg/s1600/P1030434.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLgHiWCkbCKJfNtqevBs7SW8YPMfrcJk548sXwIXeZO9WCAB1CLe4q1Cs-DpI5yKsUKfEYDPPJh-lUHHklnXeSTEXhFBBGSBx3V7q7OxboVCRSz7y7oMVjaLWO-IVmJ376dVq2vNLSrBg/s320/P1030434.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595800307529990146" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X75Geji-NLs9-rYWUlKP6d1AYz6dty9ZYwl3Ua3066jFrcIK_tKYgTYnUoVyNWJYKznCu4OsHyxDsKb8K2rmQoSmghkpgamlEk6xlshBCvDslH174_g5e4CdcQReKhD1cpcfCr8gjF7V/s1600/P1030435.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X75Geji-NLs9-rYWUlKP6d1AYz6dty9ZYwl3Ua3066jFrcIK_tKYgTYnUoVyNWJYKznCu4OsHyxDsKb8K2rmQoSmghkpgamlEk6xlshBCvDslH174_g5e4CdcQReKhD1cpcfCr8gjF7V/s320/P1030435.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595800308285423074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Still waiting on the servo so in anticipation of an upcoming project involving building a line following robot, I decided to go ahead and put together the <a href="http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSEEED8">4-Wheel robot base that was loaned to me by MakerShed...</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-jN6yEL9-FASDQ00lv0oZNtOkiSaYASjkPkaR33l9yzy0FyaBs6drVBFT8fxF0LRpRcdOmLJnILZPrPeOipL_Weyz65GGfdzisFrPD-GoZE-yNly83czC_WLqtx9JashFRRbQqPnhF3V/s1600/P1030438.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-jN6yEL9-FASDQ00lv0oZNtOkiSaYASjkPkaR33l9yzy0FyaBs6drVBFT8fxF0LRpRcdOmLJnILZPrPeOipL_Weyz65GGfdzisFrPD-GoZE-yNly83czC_WLqtx9JashFRRbQqPnhF3V/s320/P1030438.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595800313561012082" border="0" /></a>It's a solid base... this thing is designed well. I did find that the <a href="http://www.dfrobot.com/wiki/index.php?title=Arduino_powered_4WD_Mobile_Platform_%28SKU:ROB0003%29">online instructions</a> for building it didn't match up exactly to the parts I have (the black metal frame pieces are slightly different in the number of holes but that wasn't a problem) and the photos don't really show the motors being held to the frame with the long machine screws that came in my kit... but it's not difficult to figure out anyway.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu9boCEpIyFBXPcECE1iDei0YsmT22Fd3vwqEkiQTzv_IovcEaiH6jTVnR9oiBK-2rcyrhT5UdO0emwK2d72Oweu1quDbLfAPXdjDXqhv_v207ATZ0ulQTzgWFQcPo56Sl8f-DklmjLIf/s1600/P1030439.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu9boCEpIyFBXPcECE1iDei0YsmT22Fd3vwqEkiQTzv_IovcEaiH6jTVnR9oiBK-2rcyrhT5UdO0emwK2d72Oweu1quDbLfAPXdjDXqhv_v207ATZ0ulQTzgWFQcPo56Sl8f-DklmjLIf/s320/P1030439.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595800317029301746" border="0" /></a>The upcoming project uses a 2-wheel robot frame along with a caster, but since I have a 4-wheel version I'll probably have to modify the code a bit to control 4 wheels... or just hike the base up on a home-made caster of some sort... will cross that bridge later... I may actually break down and buy this thing from MakerShed as I can see it being a really nice base to have for future projects... BTW, there's a bunch of small add-on parts for holding sensors and such that I haven't attached in the final image here.James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-85650872654479072212011-04-13T16:30:00.000-07:002011-04-13T16:41:11.838-07:00While I Wait...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh2Cek0LrxdVVdo-lho5j1i1CB_e44ePhm83Fo9Tz3ezAXVg7fURbV0FbN0DwUQsBuB9s_gkPFaiC6JuK2kE8cTfZU0vGblHMigXuFkLDTNjwG7koBf_xns2EHbVr20XGL2wi8ITtb2yK/s1600/P1030433.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh2Cek0LrxdVVdo-lho5j1i1CB_e44ePhm83Fo9Tz3ezAXVg7fURbV0FbN0DwUQsBuB9s_gkPFaiC6JuK2kE8cTfZU0vGblHMigXuFkLDTNjwG7koBf_xns2EHbVr20XGL2wi8ITtb2yK/s320/P1030433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595217341416204546" border="0" /></a>While I wait for a little cheap-o stepper motor to arrive for the next project, I thought I'd share with you something Arduino-related that I just got my hands on - it's the <a href="http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MSTIN3">MintDuino </a>from MakerShed... and it's totally cool... and really fun to build.<br /><br />Everything you see there on that little breadboard fits in that tin. The breadboard actually folds up - the power/GND columns fold back and then up to snap into place, making it fit nicely in the tin, too. It took me about 20 minutes to assemble using <a href="http://makeprojects.com/Project/How-to-build-a-Mintronics-MintDuino/608/1">the instructions over at MakerShed</a>, and it's not as "user friendly" as a real Arduino due to the lack of labeling... but that, to me, is where the fun begins.<br /><br />I took the MintDuino and began comparing it to the Uno... I used the circuit tracing that you can see on the surface (front and back) of the Uno and was able to determine which pins are which on the Atmel chip. If you want to gain a little better understanding of the Uno's circuitboard, build your own MintDuino and things start to click. (Not everything... I'm still learning and figuring things out - there's a lot more I don't know than what I do know...)James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-8205243993304742132011-04-13T05:23:00.000-07:002011-04-13T16:14:42.117-07:00Blocked Comments - UPDATEI've received word that commenting may have been disabled on this Arduino blog... not sure what happened there, but I've made a change to the rules to allow registered users (and OpenID users) to post comments.<br /><br />The old setting was "Anyone" and one day I woke up to find the same spam comment posted on every post in this blog... that's what forced me to change it to Google account users... that may have been the problem.<br /><br />I hope this fixes the issue, and I apologize if anyone has posted comments that didn't make it... I'll watch this for a few days, but if a few readers reading this will try to post a simple comment to this post just so I can verify it's working, I'd appreciate it.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">UPDATE: I got a lot of comments today so I think it's working again... I'm going to flip it over to accepting comments from EVERYONE (no special accounts needed) but I'm going to turn on moderation so I approve comments first... that way I don't wake up to 50 comments appearing from spammers! Thanks, all, for your understanding and patience as I worked this out.</span>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-36538643645454264802011-04-07T19:43:00.000-07:002011-04-07T19:58:24.608-07:00Project 27 - Joystick Servo Control Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzz9O7q3Z0VkYBA1IWR62z4IVd-I76RSBdh92GBfVw70t6iZkHArz3E6VrbPc2XDsOBtnSutVTG1vhQzqJp-4AVpAGDWO93G6PyryE6ngvRDrksRAijjbZdNn4tvGq68wLZx8f859hY9_G/s1600/P1030343.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzz9O7q3Z0VkYBA1IWR62z4IVd-I76RSBdh92GBfVw70t6iZkHArz3E6VrbPc2XDsOBtnSutVTG1vhQzqJp-4AVpAGDWO93G6PyryE6ngvRDrksRAijjbZdNn4tvGq68wLZx8f859hY9_G/s320/P1030343.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593040066407835026" border="0" /></a><br />It didn't take me that long to solder the six wires to the joystick, so I went ahead and plugged it in to the circuit I made in Project 26... pushing the joystick forward or backward causes one of the servo motors to rotate ... pushing the joystick left or right causes the other servo to rotate.<br /><br />The code is also fairly straightforward and easy to understand... I can totally see how you can create remote control devices using a couple of joysticks and servos. (Notice I said devices, not robots - I'm still in that group that believes any device that is tethered to a remote control is NOT a robot... a debate for another day.)<br /><br />Now - a question - in the code each potentiometer has a value that is read between 0 and 1023... that's a 10 bit number if I'm correct. This number is then "mapped" to a value between 0 and 180 for the number of degrees to rotate. So... why 1023? Do the potentiometers send a 10bit signal that represents direction and rotation? I'm still trying to understand that little bit of code... any help out there?<br /><br />Two videos below... first shows a closeup of the joystick I soldered up... second shows Project 27 in action.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_tZNGK7Nz_k?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_tZNGK7Nz_k?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n3f__mTOz9w?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n3f__mTOz9w?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-72054431012097142072011-04-07T17:05:00.000-07:002011-04-07T17:11:37.122-07:00Project 27 - Joystick Servo Control<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIlOtIf1PeG-57w-2g57Iw9yGc6z7FZKQzkzM2UwiG_kmKnBIGsWrPdX5tbAufK5o1QsSEMVoG9sqzDKAsYMf5-zP57-Vnn6u6E1fZqTqOBms9LR-LcYQcxK53Co8nVL1YnHRejI7Or3l/s1600/joysticks.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIlOtIf1PeG-57w-2g57Iw9yGc6z7FZKQzkzM2UwiG_kmKnBIGsWrPdX5tbAufK5o1QsSEMVoG9sqzDKAsYMf5-zP57-Vnn6u6E1fZqTqOBms9LR-LcYQcxK53Co8nVL1YnHRejI7Or3l/s320/joysticks.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592998513326268994" border="0" /></a>I purchased two of the COM-09032 joysticks from Sparkfun for Project 27... they were only $4.00 each and looked like they'd be fun for a future project so I grabbed them. (I just hope they work - reading through the feedback on Sparkfun seems to indicate a lot of folks are finding them to be broken.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.p3america.com/pp/802.htm">Here's a data sheet for the joystick</a>. But it's really quite simple if you examine the undersides... the two I bought have a pushbutton switch which is easy to find and easy to figure out which pins belong to it... that leaves six other pins (2 pairs of 3) - and knowing these things work like potentiometers, it's also easy to see how the 3 pins for each potentiometer (each pot is an axis for a joystick) work. Of course, I now need to solder some lead wires onto the ends so I can make them work with the breadboard... so I'll do that tonight and try to get to Project 27 tomorrow.James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-56033649591330972002011-04-06T17:00:00.000-07:002011-04-06T17:12:03.942-07:00Project 26 - Dual Servo Control<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k1fuf663WV5UbbO322OT1uzpAhENe_9j4tauiz-cttPZCxnM06DPPDFGtroaGUvF-0_Oe2jiUaeNNdMGmSnk6dWCJ5ig6WTwfSO2U97oNTrflKHdUIOCoMsb6ouBvoXMJqIFWEkQ5YoY/s1600/P1030342.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k1fuf663WV5UbbO322OT1uzpAhENe_9j4tauiz-cttPZCxnM06DPPDFGtroaGUvF-0_Oe2jiUaeNNdMGmSnk6dWCJ5ig6WTwfSO2U97oNTrflKHdUIOCoMsb6ouBvoXMJqIFWEkQ5YoY/s320/P1030342.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592626657182998146" border="0" /></a>This is an extremely simple project to put together - and I love it. I've had this idea in my head for a while to build my own humanoid robot with servo motors and now that I see what's involved in terms of programming I'm not so worried... I think now I'll be able to focus on the design and how the servo's are mounted and interact.<br /><br />One thing I like about all these servo motors I'm seeing is how much standardization there is with wiring and mounting options (screw sizes and such).<br /><br />I've got another project I'm working on right now - co-authoring a book titled "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Printing-Plastic-Printer-Technology-Action/dp/1430234431/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302134832&sr=8-1">Printing in Plastic: Build Your Own 3D Printer</a>" with Patrick Hood-Daniel. The book should be out in mid-May (just in time for Maker Faire in California where Patrick and I will be demo'ing the 3DP and showing off copies of the book... maybe selling copies if MFaire lets us) and I can't wait to start using it to prototype mounting brackets for my own robot...<br /><br />Anyway... Project 26 worked - the video will show you how you use the Serial Monitor to send L and R (left and right motors) values, 0 to 180, to rotate the servos. Fun stuff.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FLDZZFgxUdE?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FLDZZFgxUdE?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-26211838299098199652011-04-04T17:31:00.000-07:002011-04-04T17:45:08.164-07:00Half Way!Well... I just finished Project 25 which puts me at the halfway mark. Plenty more left to do, but I'm happy to say that I'm learning a lot, especially when it comes to programming. I certainly don't expect this book to teach me every aspect of coding with this language, but I'm amazed at what I'm picking up from the author's explanations of the code - I have to give the author large praises for taking the time to really go over the code - so many books (not just Arduino ones) that I've used in the past simply give you the code and you're just to trust that it works and not get curious about diving into it.<br /><br />Project 25 is an interesting halfway point for me, as well... I like humanoid robots like the Robonova-1 and I have this itch to design my own one of these days using servos... I could totally see building a custom robot using an Arduino and servos... could be fun.<br /><br />So, thumbing through the book I see I have some more interesting projects ahead - the RFID and Ethernet chapters are of interest, too, as I have some ideas for some home monitoring activities that I'd like to investigate.<br /><br />So... thanks for sticking with me as I continue to work through the book. I haven't heard from very many of you about whether you've got the book and are working your way through the projects... let me know if you are and where you are! If you're ahead of me, I think it might be nice to have some guest commentary for some of the later projects... just a thought.<br /><br />(And, well... because it's just my way... I'm already hard at work trying to figure out what to do next when I finish this book - what can my next hands-on project be? There are some front-runner ideas, but I'm open to suggestions, too...)James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-8554415249182446272011-04-04T17:14:00.001-07:002011-04-04T17:29:00.253-07:00Project 25 - Servo Control<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cb1znpELXXqFHp5PEr9G9rzDFLnMVDtGu3Jnig84tZ8gPQ0NJ2wfaYIbpVxdYZ4GV2XEjUzH1EjYTn18lpNbW2AT3b8y05CujvGBVFfDLgZV0knlNXqFX1dYxr4FJCzoU7OUEpifeGR0/s1600/P1030340.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cb1znpELXXqFHp5PEr9G9rzDFLnMVDtGu3Jnig84tZ8gPQ0NJ2wfaYIbpVxdYZ4GV2XEjUzH1EjYTn18lpNbW2AT3b8y05CujvGBVFfDLgZV0knlNXqFX1dYxr4FJCzoU7OUEpifeGR0/s320/P1030340.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591887650112297618" border="0" /></a>Project 25 was fairly easy to wire up and the code is extremely easy to follow. I'm really beginning to appreciate libraries... they make programming the Arduino so much easier. Calling functions by associating them with an object you've created is starting to sink in...<br /><br />With the delay set to 15ms, the response of the servo turning is almost simultaneous with the turning of the potentiometer. In a second video I set the delay to 1000ms (1sec) and the delay is noticeable... turning the potentiometer in small increments can cause large jumps in the rotation of the servo... not sure when this would be beneficial, so I understand why the author chose a short delay. (But why not a 0 second delay? Hmmm....)<br /><br />I have a very small servo that has a see-through plastic case... it has the same size motors I used back in Chapter 5 but it has gears that increase the power (or torque?) substantially... pretty cool to see gearing this small driven by such a small motor.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uw6DPHG-c7c?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uw6DPHG-c7c?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tdMZB-TzuPs?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tdMZB-TzuPs?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-17001490787806500052011-04-04T08:13:00.000-07:002011-04-04T08:33:03.538-07:00Project 24 - LCD Temperature Display<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93eSbCPGyCe8lj97LfHPkAHOVdcS2uPpZ4GMW1oXFDx3wDcTGlrnOG5AuNyS3206g6DmL5w7acQOUdUZMSKj21a-UYBnzY19jqxEwA17tvkevgTxXTwfa0P0ZyKWp78W2FFwRJYM2Avyx/s1600/P1030338.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93eSbCPGyCe8lj97LfHPkAHOVdcS2uPpZ4GMW1oXFDx3wDcTGlrnOG5AuNyS3206g6DmL5w7acQOUdUZMSKj21a-UYBnzY19jqxEwA17tvkevgTxXTwfa0P0ZyKWp78W2FFwRJYM2Avyx/s320/P1030338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591749450722074930" border="0" /></a>I added in the pushbutton and temperature sensor to the circuit I built for Project 23... after powering it up, I do get the readings on the screen for both Celsius and Fahrenheit but the numeric values are obviously incorrect. <br /><br />I consulted the data sheet for the temp sensor but the calibration instructions are confusing and also they're for the "can" version of the sensor and not this extremely tiny sensor I purchased from Sparkfun... not sure if the sensor is defective but I know it's not 211F in my house.<br /><br />I'd like to figure out why it's not working but without a way to verify the accuracy of the sensor, I'd rather move on to the next project. I'm going to leave the circuit alone for a day and see if anyone has any suggestions... I may also consult the data sheet again to see if I missed anything.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5dDg9-GOC6M?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5dDg9-GOC6M?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-58314722576105299162011-04-03T20:12:00.001-07:002011-04-03T20:24:12.108-07:00Project 23 - Basic LCD Control - Error in Book - FixedAfter some frustrating time spent looking over this circuit, I finally figured out the problem. Figure 8-1 does NOT show pin5 on the LCD being connected to GND. I'll take partial blame for this, however, because on page 172 Table 8-1 clearly shows to connect pin5 (R/W) to GND. I had to consult the data sheet to confirm that pin5 was R/W, but after doing that it was a simple matter of using a jumper wire to get it connected to GND.<br /><br />Video is below - as you can see, I got the contrast to work by adding in the recommended potentiometer. That's a 5k, btw, not a 10k. Also the resistor for pin16 on the LCD is brown-black-black - a 10 ohm resistor. <a href="http://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=LCD-09054&what=products"> I got this 16x2 from Sparkfun, part # LCD 09054</a><br /><br />So... Project 23 works... which gives me hope for Project 24 since it simply builds on this circuit a bit.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B-jn3sF_I1E?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B-jn3sF_I1E?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-67530306205591073352011-04-02T11:41:00.000-07:002011-04-02T11:50:57.657-07:00Project 23 - Basic LCD ControlApologies for the long delay in posting... I'm currently writing 3 books and all of them seem to have had major chapters due on the same day this past week... and before you say "Are ya crazy?! 3 Books!" - I've got a fourth book that started yesterday and a fifth book looking to start in a month. It's insane. (Fortunately 2 of my current books are looking like they'll finish in the next week or two... but still...)<br /><br />I've also been working on a "very special project" - Arduino-related, of course - but I can't talk about it just yet... probably will be able to announce something in a week or so, but you'll understand why I've been slow to getting to Project 23.<br /><br />And I've been looking forward to this project! I have various ideas for Arduino projects of my own, and many of them involve being able to read text on a screen. I read over the code for this project and it makes sense... I really like being able to use an existing library to call on functions rather than code them...<br /><br />In a previous project, the code was provide for scrolling text on the 8x8 LED display... that's a lot of code to sift through, and I understand it (sort of)... that's what makes this library so useful - rather than have to code the part myself for moving text left to right ... or right to left... the LiquidCrystal library has functions you can call on that take your text and perform these same operations, but you don't have to reinvent the wheel.<br /><br />One thing you need to know about Project 23 - if you buy a similar 16x2 LCD you'll need to solder some wires onto the open hole leads in order to make it work with your breadboard. I soldered only the wires I needed (to match Figure 8-1) and left the rest open...<br /><br />That said... I still can't get the project to work! Learning electronics has likely taken at least 1 year off my life expectancy... it can be SO frustrating. I've gotten good at not getting stressed after the first time running a project... over time, I've figured out that 90% of the time it's an error on my part. And it may very well still be an error I'm overlooking, but I just cannot get text to display on the 16x2... it's getting power... the backlight is lit, and I've played with half a dozen resistor configurations trying to find the right contrast... but no luck.<br /><br />Suggestions are always welcome! Video below showing my circuit and the lack of progress... I'll keep messing with it for a day or two before moving on...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Seamdro3mhY?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Seamdro3mhY?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-17126313892952734742011-03-22T18:35:00.000-07:002011-03-22T18:48:25.804-07:00Project 22 - LED Dot Matrix Display - Pong Game<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0inrE7EFOARLdQAkrJxr2mUpm9AYs81EnmBS5uN0MK_95pm3HkgODvnk3tJhnOwy-1In1ePNuzXepO63w1a0gYeouyPgDwkQKRsw47xECSmdmMeE47ej-JrMSyy2Art-6BJlri3p7ips/s1600/P1030257.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0inrE7EFOARLdQAkrJxr2mUpm9AYs81EnmBS5uN0MK_95pm3HkgODvnk3tJhnOwy-1In1ePNuzXepO63w1a0gYeouyPgDwkQKRsw47xECSmdmMeE47ej-JrMSyy2Art-6BJlri3p7ips/s320/P1030257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587085394534438482" border="0" /></a>After downloading the LedControl library and extracting it into the Arduino library folder, I uploaded the very simple program for project 22 to my Arduino. The only modification I made to the circuit built in Project 21 was adding the single potentiometer... mine is a 5k instead of the 10k specified which seems to make the response a little bit less reliable... no big deal as I totally understand the program and how it works.<br /><br />I really have a new appreciation for those old-time programmers who had to code up all this stuff with limited memory, limited video controls, etc... makes all those years play Atari 2600 games seem even more fun.<br /><br />An 8x8 LED is definitely going to limit what you can do in terms of games, but you can see how a larger display such as the LoL Shield expands your opportunities. I'm now looking forward to learning more about the LCD screen in the next chapter as it has a higher resolution and, apparently, less wiring and coding to get stuff displayed properly. (Reading ahead, I'm hoping that my 16x2 LCD is compatible with the HD44780 driver the author mentions in Chapter 8. Will find out shortly)<br /><br />Below is a video of the Pong Game... trying to control the paddle with one hand while holding the camera is difficult, so don't laugh at the results!<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fn1mai_jxXE?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fn1mai_jxXE?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-82441727271797637522011-03-18T14:50:00.000-07:002011-03-18T14:54:27.392-07:00Project 21 - LED Dot Matrix Display - Scrolling Message FIXEDThis project's been driving me crazy... the code makes total sense and I couldn't find any errors with my wiring. <br /><br />So I just knew it had to be a bad chip or a bad 8x8 display... because there's simply no way it could be my mistake, right?<br /><br />Well, if I'd looked at the very small writing on the side of the 8x8 display I would have seen the letters TA15... on the other 8x8 are the letters TC15... I wonder what those letters mean?<br /><br />This project calls for a Common Cathode... with a C. Earlier projects used a Common Anode 8x8... with an A. Hand. Hits. Head. Hard.<br /><br />So, here it is... with the proper 8x8 display installed... and working fine.<br /><br />I'm going to go to bed early tonight.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uSyJdAD_2MA?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uSyJdAD_2MA?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-22163176867284603192011-03-16T07:43:00.000-07:002011-03-16T10:12:54.574-07:00Project 21 - LED Dot Matrix Display - Scrolling Message<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYH2Ud_d5YYvmccHDcA8gaedlDNCWh0jkOk4Kfl7H9vW8KeSnV6ozKDHgtqq1vL1MCuQFHsjmBMNY-B_S6OGh7EWV9tghllgbUxWaSPx7Y9isMl-PKzx9G9r2fz_D81dbXIpdZQOw7c9i/s1600/P1030167.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYH2Ud_d5YYvmccHDcA8gaedlDNCWh0jkOk4Kfl7H9vW8KeSnV6ozKDHgtqq1vL1MCuQFHsjmBMNY-B_S6OGh7EWV9tghllgbUxWaSPx7Y9isMl-PKzx9G9r2fz_D81dbXIpdZQOw7c9i/s320/P1030167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584690159346193986" border="0" /></a>In the continuing story of 8x8 LED displays not working for me, Project 21 is no different. I've checked, double-checked, and triple-checked my wiring and can find nothing wrong with it.<br /><br />I'm using the C- display as specified, but all I can manage is to get a nice little light display on the 8x8. There is something going on... just not sure what it is.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OOgVBe3uU8iD1vgo09En_-ZY0nxneD8KL_0_mHfwL1Tx_oNDAjlhfAAksIL4kv0sgo-yDQFbsXnzk0xrYlvEHr0YR554ECJjGjdxzoQ_jHhbIKM8duK56hGzXjv4paMA2klMTTlPPYnc/s1600/P1030168.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OOgVBe3uU8iD1vgo09En_-ZY0nxneD8KL_0_mHfwL1Tx_oNDAjlhfAAksIL4kv0sgo-yDQFbsXnzk0xrYlvEHr0YR554ECJjGjdxzoQ_jHhbIKM8duK56hGzXjv4paMA2klMTTlPPYnc/s320/P1030168.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584690165227605378" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyUsi4lQqZJ0miEmL1WQl6a8mrvtjyr_rARoSQRqPJ93XozCAjX1iYyvORCkqp9kzKKi-rCgyRrcFA63ncMBm2Hxk7SoLwTQi8RYSsKFYv7qaSmiRPtc3zhNv3b1KBSkihHHYJclgbgjZ/s1600/code_error.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyUsi4lQqZJ0miEmL1WQl6a8mrvtjyr_rARoSQRqPJ93XozCAjX1iYyvORCkqp9kzKKi-rCgyRrcFA63ncMBm2Hxk7SoLwTQi8RYSsKFYv7qaSmiRPtc3zhNv3b1KBSkihHHYJclgbgjZ/s320/code_error.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584726916708969154" border="0" /></a>There also was a little bit of extra code in the program that I had to remove and fix in order to even upload the program to the Arduino. I'm including a screen capture here - there's a small symbol indicating wrap-around of the code... remove it, hit the delete key to pull the little bit of wrap-around code back to the previous line... and the program at least uploads properly.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcD9TDXtokwQ_pAIjeIpPvmJRZvnXBbttSg00BM66WSH8VO2llSXS0buM414C6M_XfzbNiqDD3fdyRnAO8rxkkM3bGqRf0zl4Z33mf0XEFPxN60nV25apFRNAjeEhT_3wI6PF93aBn_gUp/s1600/8x8.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcD9TDXtokwQ_pAIjeIpPvmJRZvnXBbttSg00BM66WSH8VO2llSXS0buM414C6M_XfzbNiqDD3fdyRnAO8rxkkM3bGqRf0zl4Z33mf0XEFPxN60nV25apFRNAjeEhT_3wI6PF93aBn_gUp/s320/8x8.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584726341953883042" border="0" /></a>I also did a side by side comparison of the data sheet for my 8x8... compared it to the author's and it's identical (see screen capture). You can view my data sheet <a href="http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/119323/KINGBRIGHT/TA15-11EWA.html">here</a>.<br /><br />I'm using the small 8-pin headers to raise the display off the breadboard - I've made certain that all the pins are connecting properly but given that all the LEDs light up, I don't think there's an issue with the headers. My best guess is a wiring problem that I'm just not seeing or maybe a damaged IC, although I was very careful when handling the MAX7219 chip.<br /><br />I'm going to play around with the wiring a bit and take a more detailed look at the data sheet as I think that may be my issue.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bxrvaqADpGQ?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bxrvaqADpGQ?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-9662581426569102312011-03-08T09:21:00.000-08:002011-03-08T09:36:57.436-08:00Project 20 - LED Dot Matrix Display - Scrolling Sprite<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidY50M-aIK4yWs6g57lROi67MF43QaZatO2Z74Dots-yQypwB9jtNkGtXGDXWu1iCSGJXJDH3b1O7-FZcGGWYnbQySy19iBCsIHoiqhIAwotzypWzHOn3JFoAa7idD6OOat-AMr6wKI-B1/s1600/P1030165.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidY50M-aIK4yWs6g57lROi67MF43QaZatO2Z74Dots-yQypwB9jtNkGtXGDXWu1iCSGJXJDH3b1O7-FZcGGWYnbQySy19iBCsIHoiqhIAwotzypWzHOn3JFoAa7idD6OOat-AMr6wKI-B1/s320/P1030165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581761984724312258" border="0" /></a>Well, I feel much better today - I was able to rule out my wiring, chips, and 8x8 display as the problem. I was reading ahead into Project 20 that uses the same wiring setup as Project 19. I took a chance and loaded the Project 20 program and - BAM - it works! (See first video below.)<br /><br />Next, I copied a fresh version of the Project 19 code from the zip file containing all the book's programs (just in case I'd accidentally modified the code or something)... after loading it, I got the same error - a single flashing row along the top of the 8x8 display (see second video).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSLTobsBd4kR51iiICZ9SowQ-WiArQZLQ1iQtEfCWHQf-0UaESPlX69f_EyrbxuYU9kHeA7DC1q6E62tfxJBG-5mURyoTkpwonCT5bCE7OFh-NCUb-3KWn1vW8TJGRgRvyRlvQOA62Ydx/s1600/P1030166.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSLTobsBd4kR51iiICZ9SowQ-WiArQZLQ1iQtEfCWHQf-0UaESPlX69f_EyrbxuYU9kHeA7DC1q6E62tfxJBG-5mURyoTkpwonCT5bCE7OFh-NCUb-3KWn1vW8TJGRgRvyRlvQOA62Ydx/s320/P1030166.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581761983403221410" border="0" /></a>means that the program for Project 19 definitely has an error... but I've gone over and over it and cannot find the mistake. Maybe a reader can spot it?<br /><br />Either way... I'm happy that Project 20 is working and it's a fun little exercise to go over. I've always wondered about "sprites" and "multiplexing" when it comes to game design (I've heard the terms often) and I think my understanding just increased a good bit.<br /><br />BTW - Project 19 text describes the program as displaying a heart and then inverting it (page 132, 3rd paragraph under "Enter the Code") - but if you look at the actual program, the sprite stored is just a box in a box... the ones represent solid lines so you'll see there's an outer box made up of the outer LEDs and then a smaller inner box. Not sure if this is a major error in the book and means that the actual working program for Project 19 wasn't included (heart) but this box-in-a-box program was inserted in its place.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_soJb98n_Pg?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_soJb98n_Pg?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mXbZubLU318?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mXbZubLU318?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-49944517119643131572011-03-06T16:04:00.000-08:002011-03-06T17:26:39.559-08:00Project 19 - LED dot Matrix Display - Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqcFYdQ8TWHhW8-GjkGxO60on8vYGkWY2kqn9cAQoJtFcvolpdUTj7reHrhqfsn4yEo2qOOXcMApHNchNPggpHpk0dUJzbMR8DFaik-mmnZ4JRrt79vBtKWiYYrU_i105WVY25xsDNoRn/s1600/P1030163.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqcFYdQ8TWHhW8-GjkGxO60on8vYGkWY2kqn9cAQoJtFcvolpdUTj7reHrhqfsn4yEo2qOOXcMApHNchNPggpHpk0dUJzbMR8DFaik-mmnZ4JRrt79vBtKWiYYrU_i105WVY25xsDNoRn/s320/P1030163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581129027495542082" border="0" /></a>I ended up using a set of headers to raise the 8x8 display about .5cm off the breadboard... it was just enough to allow me to use my jumper wires (the non-flexible ones).<br /><br />My next task was to upload the Project 19 code... I did that and only the top row of the display lit up... and it was very faint. Not sure what was going on, I took off the display and went to work checking all my wiring. The next time testing the display... still no luck.<br /><br />It occurred to me that the only difference between Project 19 and the previous Project 18 was I was simply dealing with more LEDs. I had a hunch, so I loaded up the Project 18 code and wouldn't you know it... the display worked great! Watch the video - just pay attention to the top row and nothing else... you can see that it starts out with all LEDs lit up (value 255) and then counts down in binary to 0...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5cvkFL2aBnpl72G7dEi6Bq9nlnmJm3T8WJgYsOqRNcOL7-bdrQ_arIP5TlPqpbdTC8neNcGPaZK5S1o5R_5jOsPJijrK0qLo24xxqpiFbGD6iNJFqG3B7qLFcTsGAlWzW2KxfndLc1mD/s1600/P1030164.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5cvkFL2aBnpl72G7dEi6Bq9nlnmJm3T8WJgYsOqRNcOL7-bdrQ_arIP5TlPqpbdTC8neNcGPaZK5S1o5R_5jOsPJijrK0qLo24xxqpiFbGD6iNJFqG3B7qLFcTsGAlWzW2KxfndLc1mD/s320/P1030164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581129028357548002" border="0" /></a>So, a few things here - (1) my wiring must be at least partially correct or I wouldn't have that kind of behavior and (2) because you can almost see the pattern in the vertical (column) orientation as well (watch the last column in the video - farthest from the left), I believe that both 595 chips are working properly.<br /><br />So... why isn't the code for Project 19 working? Not sure... I downloaded the TimerOne library, created the TimerOne folder, and put the files in it... no errors found when the code downloads, so it must be finding the library, right?<br /><br />I'm not sure where to go here - I'm wondering if there might be something wrong with the author's code... I doubt it, because so far all the programs appear to have been well tested and I can't imagine a tech editor for this book not verifying all the programs and that they work. One issue I did have was that the author uses TimerOne for the library name but you can see "Timer1.xxxx" in the code... I'm not thinking this is an issue, but I can't say for certain.<br /><br />Any ideas? I'm going to go and check my wiring one more time, but I just can't see that being the issue.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eHcKkX_j2kk?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eHcKkX_j2kk?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-66737889130302985982011-03-04T17:24:00.001-08:002011-03-04T17:53:30.832-08:00Project 19 - LED dot Matrix Display - Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsHiAIIu05OLiJXFDhn7g678B36mjeAG2y_zAhOImev9NuIYn-tvSp5jPvQw2KBNqzsI9GO4j5kKtOnRbyeUBCIPPxZTlpOQiobZ0Rij9w8IDgfRYbe35imH8jFofQL9KgFY3GfwNMq6N/s1600/LED_datasheet.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsHiAIIu05OLiJXFDhn7g678B36mjeAG2y_zAhOImev9NuIYn-tvSp5jPvQw2KBNqzsI9GO4j5kKtOnRbyeUBCIPPxZTlpOQiobZ0Rij9w8IDgfRYbe35imH8jFofQL9KgFY3GfwNMq6N/s320/LED_datasheet.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580407721034424578" border="0" /></a>I'm quickly learning that when you work with electronics it's best to do so when your frustration level is low...<br /><br />Thankfully, when I opened up my new box of goodies from SparkFun (who, once again, managed to package 10 items in a 4"x5" box - love it), I was in a good mood. Here's what happened from there...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmoRXl-8V1UsdkcpqXHi6eF2AT9pvgVceceihTJwgeOputv6eG3z3NqzbfqWyaMbb5-go9fRquPCCOOO7LNGeBg1HtFgeAdgI0FS_W0nuXGN87Z-3Q2K7I3oX2bDbrB56KzgOGIJrWto6/s1600/LED_datasheet.2JPG.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmoRXl-8V1UsdkcpqXHi6eF2AT9pvgVceceihTJwgeOputv6eG3z3NqzbfqWyaMbb5-go9fRquPCCOOO7LNGeBg1HtFgeAdgI0FS_W0nuXGN87Z-3Q2K7I3oX2bDbrB56KzgOGIJrWto6/s320/LED_datasheet.2JPG.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580407727270461778" border="0" /></a>First, I found the data sheet for my 8x8 Dot Matrix Display (C+) - feel free to take a look at it <a href="http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/233252/KINGBRIGHT/TC15-11SRWA.html">here</a>. I'm including a few screen caps here of the data sheet to show you that the pin layout matches exactly the one that the author provides on page 132 in Figure 7-2. Woo Hoo... I won't have to worry about modifying the code due to pin differences.<br /><br />Next, the data sheet was very clear on how to find pins 1-8 and 9-16... the small display has two notches that are raised and two notches that are recessed. If you turn the display so that the two raised notches are on the S and W edges, pins 1-8 are on bottom and 9-16 are on top.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbf-4_AXu5A1roYfZUwDuQ3OhKwp1Qkj5LQUX4hF6nCUk3dDtRFVxDNYhkyqwlaYIYVebomSyXZ_bBajJcwFloE69khjCEqWOYnaHW3p8bjhrnjws746mFwEDgOTpsuVtWU9m9nu7tkIJJ/s1600/P1030153.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbf-4_AXu5A1roYfZUwDuQ3OhKwp1Qkj5LQUX4hF6nCUk3dDtRFVxDNYhkyqwlaYIYVebomSyXZ_bBajJcwFloE69khjCEqWOYnaHW3p8bjhrnjws746mFwEDgOTpsuVtWU9m9nu7tkIJJ/s320/P1030153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580407627703193010" border="0" /></a>Once I figured that out, that's when I hit the bump in the road... as you can see from one of my photos here, when you insert the display on the breadboard, the pins are inserted at the topmost set of pin holes and the bottom-most set of pin holes, leaving no holes for jumper wires. Figure 130 shows the display with two rows of free pins below the display and one row of free pins above the display... and that's my problem. Not sure if the author actually had an 8x8 display that didn't come in a shell like mine or if the display found in the program, Fritzing, doesn't take the shell into account when it comes to proper spacing... either way, I'm unable to wire up Project 19 until I find a work around...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_JAQy5tbz4vSCPvHKAJKN9XhTe4Q3j28gfYwTlI-R3R7JQ3o3ICN_Bmj3BYFM1OpVvOEwR-FODWNAEj3A4oZKNzLVIfiwkea-aEW0CBJRfSxJ7BujxdSq8Ooj2YfYnXAoekiayzXGk40/s1600/P1030154.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_JAQy5tbz4vSCPvHKAJKN9XhTe4Q3j28gfYwTlI-R3R7JQ3o3ICN_Bmj3BYFM1OpVvOEwR-FODWNAEj3A4oZKNzLVIfiwkea-aEW0CBJRfSxJ7BujxdSq8Ooj2YfYnXAoekiayzXGk40/s320/P1030154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580407622536181970" border="0" /></a>One option is to solder some longer wires to each of the pins on the display and then I can insert these and leave the display free-floating off of the breadboard.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSIG6F_bS4JMBF2oEIS42HAK7jvjAQnMdWSK9RwcSi46_W-fe1CwoL7d_7kAEbG4ZK-k3AXLwcqgixPJhRz1NTieTMaAO3XvccfBjJweY30JUPiZkWwMAcXUgj_BNkIz5F1ojopiRZy1j/s1600/P1030155.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSIG6F_bS4JMBF2oEIS42HAK7jvjAQnMdWSK9RwcSi46_W-fe1CwoL7d_7kAEbG4ZK-k3AXLwcqgixPJhRz1NTieTMaAO3XvccfBjJweY30JUPiZkWwMAcXUgj_BNkIz5F1ojopiRZy1j/s320/P1030155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580407623066383682" border="0" /></a>Another option I'm considering is using headers (I have a bunch from the Make: Electronics book project) and solder wires onto those - this would save my display's pins and leave them unaltered.<br /><br />Thoughts from my readers? Any other suggestions?James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-77032429771155546192011-02-26T13:32:00.000-08:002011-02-26T13:39:47.541-08:00Shopping List - Feb 26A quick check of <a href="http://acksupply.com/">ACK</a>'s online catalog revealed they are out of stock on the HC595 chips. So, online shopping I go...<br /><br />I figured I'd try and spread out the cost of shipping by buying additional items needed later in the book. Sparkfun seemed to have quite a bit of the missing components (many of them high $ - bleh). So, I've updated the <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AgnF1xz0QNy8dGRLQjYzYVJydlF4WnpsSGlyZjRBVEE&hl=en&pli=1#gid=0">Projects Spreadsheet </a>with a list of the items I've purchased along with costs.<br /><br />When I'm done with this blog, I'm hoping to be able to offer up potential readers some sort of ballpark price for what they'll spend to do everything... still not certain if I'll break down and buy the Arduino Mega needed for Project 31 and 32. The author states that the standard Arduino can be used and explains how, but it's a bit beyond me right now and I'll cross that bridge when I get closer to Project 31.<br /><br />In the meantime, as I wait for UPS Ground to deliver my goods, I'll probably go ahead and solder up the <a href="http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKJR3">LoL Shield</a> and the <a href="http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKAD7">MotorShield </a>that MakerShed sent me on loan... and document the work in one or two upcoming posts. Project 19 is temporarily on hold until then...James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322291048042453151.post-52033011356809285292011-02-26T12:37:00.000-08:002011-02-26T12:49:39.029-08:00Project 18 - Dual 8-Bit Binary Counters<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKc5joDpQvfGVrq8qZep3rBDeuho_sTWLJHvpQhSI5dsV2e9PjSdueGFdhyjACdxSfTghxEUPVlOMH2rJyekYO0sSH9qE2cZqLD89qKRB5J8jp1vyammHZpeLvJaCRFf_5VFa0epes2TD/s1600/P1030147.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKc5joDpQvfGVrq8qZep3rBDeuho_sTWLJHvpQhSI5dsV2e9PjSdueGFdhyjACdxSfTghxEUPVlOMH2rJyekYO0sSH9qE2cZqLD89qKRB5J8jp1vyammHZpeLvJaCRFf_5VFa0epes2TD/s320/P1030147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578103087147967202" border="0" /></a>Looks like I'll be paying a visit to my local electronics store on Monday... I believe that one of my 595 chips is damaged. Let me explain.<br /><br />I wired up the circuit as shown in Figure 6-4... it's a fairly logical layout if you understand Project 17. When I fired it up, I could get the LEDs on the left (sorry, I had to use all red LEDs) to start counting down from 255... but the LEDs on the right (connected to new 595 chip) weren't lighting up.<br /><br />I tried quite a few things:<br /><br />1. I switched out the LEDs with a few random ones (green, yellow, red mix) but no luck.<br />2. I switched out the LEDs on the left (that I knew worked) with the ones on the right... no luck.<br />3. I reversed the two 595 chips and the LEDs on left stopped working but ones on right did work.<br /><br />Bingo.<br /><br />Then I went back to my wiring... just in case. The wiring was fine, but given that swapping the 2 chips also reversed the LEDs lighting up, I'm fairly certain I've got a damaged HC595. But it's my fault... when I was inserting the 2nd HC595, one of the pins got bent... I used my small pliers to fix it. But after removing the chips numerous times with small bends in various pins, I'm certain that one of the 595s has died at my hands.<br /><br />RIP HC595 #2...<br /><br />This also means that Project 19 is on hold until I can get a replacement. Scratch that - if I can find them locally, I'll likely buy 3 or 4 to have extras. And I'm going to invest in a chip puller.<br /><br />On a different note... my wife got me a Hakko 936 solder station for Valentine's Day (yes, she's pretty awesome) that I've been playing with and loving. It's got a dial-in temp gauge on front, however, that's been tricky for me as the documentation came with nothing related to finding the proper temps for solder.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ESAdjhYaD0kPfF_9R1zidQuFV1QUYxBxlDj07-RM3o6zurwnuTOEQCjsHflQj-SRRam7JS3qnqzW6EzrQNZkDZXHmWsWUJpDUfNzTb5eai41Ei3jx5L548oJa8btNnVKCgjW0GSkv1K1/s1600/P1030150.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ESAdjhYaD0kPfF_9R1zidQuFV1QUYxBxlDj07-RM3o6zurwnuTOEQCjsHflQj-SRRam7JS3qnqzW6EzrQNZkDZXHmWsWUJpDUfNzTb5eai41Ei3jx5L548oJa8btNnVKCgjW0GSkv1K1/s320/P1030150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578103086754018354" border="0" /></a>I was in ACK Electronics last week to get a few spare tips (should have bought some spare 595s!) and mentioned the issue to Scott who works there... he pulled out this great little card (from 1977) that, among other things, has a sliding scale that allows you to find the melting temp in C and F for different mixes of solder. Look at one of the photos and you can see that I've selected a 60/40 mix of tin/lead and the guide gives me a range of 361-374F for the melting temp. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvAQ6w8O_INZmJ9uIYOO7NRUGuwjnFflmp7Ez_Ex3WFh1Hzck2LF5yCpxjJkoRfzCszCV2TZmBkgO30spmJkG_v9fnu49MS-ROnzH7Ly8pdpj_CnHgod0Bl1GFqQVtX6kqnC6ZLsszwpi/s1600/P1030148.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvAQ6w8O_INZmJ9uIYOO7NRUGuwjnFflmp7Ez_Ex3WFh1Hzck2LF5yCpxjJkoRfzCszCV2TZmBkgO30spmJkG_v9fnu49MS-ROnzH7Ly8pdpj_CnHgod0Bl1GFqQVtX6kqnC6ZLsszwpi/s320/P1030148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578103089645431010" border="0" /></a>Scott gave me the card to keep and it's now sitting next to my 936.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ygHPfXwUV7U?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ygHPfXwUV7U?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>James Floyd Kelly (Jim)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13876934942928389738noreply@blogger.com0