Silverlink clone resurrects pre-USB calculators

The Silverlink of yore connected TI calculators without USB ports to PCs, facilitating the easy transfer of files, screenshots and operating systems.

As KermMartian of Cemetech notes, Silverlink was first introduced about 15 years ago, so it doesn’t comes as much of a surprise that a number of units are starting to show their age by failing over time.

“We anticipate that the rest will gradually lose their firmwares (with no way of repairing them) in the next decade or two,” writes KermMartian.

“To fill this gap, ideas for a community-coded Silverlink clone have been kicking around for several years. Tim ‘geekboy1011’ Keller has taken the initiative in creating Silverlink clone software for the Arduino Leonardo (Atmel ATmega32U4) microcontroller development board.”

Keller kicked off his clone project by leveraging KermMartian’s Arduino to TI calculator linking routines, which he ported from Arduino “C” to bare-AVR C. He then deduced the relevant file transfer protocols using USB sniffing, the TI Link Protocol & File Format Guide and checking against the TILP repository.

“Tim is using the LUFA library for AVRs to handle USB; the flexibility of the library lets his Silverlink clone appear to be an original Silverlink to the host computer, and thus requires no new drivers,” KermMartian explains.

“Since it appears to be a regular Silverlink to computer-side software, Tim’s clone works with both TI-Connect and TiLP, the two popular software options for linking TI calculators and computers.”

Interested in learning more about Tim’s initiative? Additional information is available on the Cemetech forums here.

FTDI’s VM800P HMI dev board packs an ATmega328P

FTDI Chip has expanded its lineup of development platforms with the Atmel-equipped VM800P series.

According to Paul Huang, Display Product Line Manager at FTDI Chip, the VM800 family offers engineers a comprehensive platform to implement more effective human machine interfaces (HMIs) with display, audio and touch elements, as well as data processing aspects.

“These units can be programmed via the Arduino IDE (using a pre-programmed Arduino-compatible bootloader), thereby taking advantage of the popularity that this open source development ecosystem now has amongst the global electronic engineering community,” Huang explained.

“With comprehensive support for various Arduino libraries provided, every VM800P incorporates an FTDI Chip FT800 EVE graphic controller IC and its FT232R USB interface IC, as well as an ATmega328P 8-bit RISC-based microcontroller (running at 16MHz).”

Additional key specs include:

• Touch-enabled display LCD panel
• 
Backlight LED driver
• Audio power amplifier + micro speaker
• 
3.5-inch, 4.3-inch or 5.0-inch display form factor
• USB serial port for firmware upload and app comms
• Battery-backed real time clock (RTC)
• Micro-SD socket + 4GByte SD card with pre-loaded sample apps
• 
Runs off a standard 5V via micro-USB cable or direct external supply

“[The] PLUS boards are complete stand-alone display sub- systems based on Arduino with all the attributes necessary to create game- changing HMIs – from the initial conception phase right through to final deployment,” Huang added.

“They can be utilized solely for development purposes or alternatively they will be easy for engineering teams to integrate into end product designs if this is preferred.”

Unit pricing for the VM800P series begins at $89, with Arduino libraries, software and support documentation provided free of charge. Interested? You can check out the product’s official page here.

Drag & drop programming with Pepino

The recently unveiled Project Pepino is a comprehensive drag and drop development environment for Makers.

Created by Tovi Levis, the open source Pepino comprises both a hardware platform and software layer.

On the hardware side, Pepino boasts a custom-designed board powered by Atmel’s popular ATmega328 microcontroller (MCU).

Additional key hardware specs include:

• 8 digital inputs/outputs
• 4 LEGO sensors
• 2 analog inputs
• 2 Motors
• I2C Bus
• LCD Display
• 3D Printed Case

Meanwhile, the software environment is hosted on a Raspberry Pi (model B) that connects to the Atmel-powered board.

Levis says he created Pepino as a final project for his degree at the Afeka College of Engineering in Israel, with source code and installation instructions expected to go live at some point in the near future.

Although additional details are still scarce at this point, you can check out Project Pepino’s official page here.

ATmega328 powers open source WatchDuino

---

Watch-a got on your wrist?

---

The WatchDuino is an open source project that combines inexpensive electronic parts with complex Arduino (C++) code.

Key project components include Atmel’s versatile ATmega328 microcontroller (MCU), a crystal oscillator, LiPo battery and Nokia’s 5110 LCD screen.

“WatchDuino is not only programmable, it’s fully hackable from hardware to software. You can build your own out of [inexpensive] components [available] at a local electronics store,” a WatchDuino rep explained.

“[Plus], you have the full source code of the watch’s operative system at your disposal. The ability to build the whole thing from scratch and being able to hack at every level of it will greatly appeal to electronics hobbyists and Makers.”

Currently, primary WatchDuino features include:

• 

Time and date (analog and digital output)
• Alarm / countdown (with custom music)
• Games (Pong & Snake)
• Rechargeable battery (via USB) and meter
• Low-battery mode (lasts up to two years with a 240mAh battery)
• Integrated screen light
• Compact design
• Framework-like architecture to easily program custom screens

On the software side, the WatchDuino can be programmed via two methods: hacking the system itself or simply customizing various features and apps.

“Since WatchDuino’s software is open source, you have the full source code at your disposal to make any modifications you like,” the rep added.

The WatchDuino will likely hit Kickstarter at some point in the near future as a fully assembled device. In the meantime, you can check out the project’s official page here.

Atmel-based ChronosMEGA measures time

A Maker by the name of N.fletch has debuted the ChronosMEGA, a beautifully designed wristwatch powered by Atmel’s versatile ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU).

“I’ve always loved watches; not only are they aesthetic and beautiful, but they are functional, precise and useful. An elegant fusion between engineering and art; two normally opposed perspectives, now joined in harmonic unison,” N.fletch explained in a recent Instructables post.

“However, all technologies like the dial-up internet, the CVT monitor and the abacus, inevitably will become relics of our past with the advent of advancing technology and have since become less pragmatic for the typical person to own. Unlike these archaic technologies, the wrist watch still thrives on the wrists of many, standing forever as a testament to one of mankind’s greatest inventions: the measurement of time.”

Aside from Atmel’s ATmega328P, key ChronosMEGA specs include binary time encoding (via 10 Blue 1206 LEDs), a slew of buttons to control time, sleep mode and display, a 32.768kHz external crystal and an 8MHz internal clock source.

Additional key features?

• Micro-USB and charge management controller (for 400mAh Li-ion battery)
• Draws 4uA in its Deep Sleep mode to last up to 11 years on a single charge
• Battery indicator 0603 LED
• Boost TI switching regulator for power regulation
• Low loss PowerPath controller IC for power source selection
• Total form factor of 10mm x 40mm x 53mm
• Custom 3D designed case cast in pure polished silver
• Genuine crocodile leather watch band

As you can see in the videos above, the layout of the watch configured in a circular array of 10 LEDs. Four of the LEDs account for hours, while six of the LEDs account for minutes.

“The LEDs count in binary to display the time on the watch face. By utilizing a combination of the 10 LEDs, the watch can display any possible time accurate to the minute,” N.fletch continued.

“This is a very clean and elegant way to display time. I also really like this technique because of its esoteric and mysterious nature.”

In terms of the MCU, the ATmega328P is wired in a straight-forward manner, connected to power and ground, with a pull up resistor on the RESET pin. Essentially, the AVR is tasked with driving all the LEDs from its GPIO, although one of the MCU’s AVR’s ADC pin is connected to the battery to detect the voltage level. As such, the watch is equipped with a small red status LED to indicate when battery power is low.

“The AVR has a 32.768 kHz crystal wired to its XTAL pins. It uses the 32.768 kHz crystal to drive its Timer2 module asynchronously for counting the seconds, [while] its internal 1MHz RC clock drives the SW,” N.fletch added.

“32.768 kHz is a very common frequency to drive Real Time Clock (RTC) systems because 32,768 in decimal is equal to 8000 in hex. Therefore, 32,768 can be evenly divided by multiple powers of 2 including 1024. Dividing 32,768 by 1024 yields 32, so configuring the timer to count to 32 with a 1024 pre-scaler will equal an exact second.”

Interested in learning more about the Atmel-based ChronosMEGA? You can check out the project’s official Instructables page here.

ATMega32U4 drives vacuum florescent display clock

Hobbyist electronic shop Akafugu is selling a slick Atmel-powered vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) clock.

“A VFD display is typically green or blue and emits a bright light with high contrast. A VFD display tube looks like an old Vacuum Tube, the predecessor to the transistor. The inside of the tube contains segments that can be lit up to form numbers and letters,” an Akafugu rep explained in an official product description.

“Most tubes contain segments for one digit and several must be stacked together to make a complete display. [However, our] clock is modular, it comes with a base board, which is powered by [Atmel’s] ATmega32U4 microcontroller (MCU) and contains a high-voltage VFD driver used to light up the display shield that sits on the top board.”

Aside from the ATmega32U4 MCU packing an Arduino Leonardo bootloader, key product features and specs include:

• Swappable display tube shields.
• HV5812 VFD driver with 20 outputs.
• Capable of driving up to four 16-segment alphanumeric displays or twelve 7-segment numerical displays.
• Open source firmware (available at GitHub).
• DS3231M Real Time Clock (RTC) with battery backup.

Akafugu is also selling several different display shields, each coded with a three-bit numerical identifier.

“This allows the firmware to automatically recognize the shield that is plugged in and it will adjust the display automatically. Support for shields added in the future will be released as firmware upgrades,” the rep added.

Interested in learning more about Akafugu’s VFD Modular Clock (mkII – IV-4 – 6 digit)? You can check out the product’s official page here.

IViny is an ATtiny85-powered DAQ

The Ivmech crew was recently in need of a small, inexpensive device capable of sensing analog values and toggling a few digital pins – all while logging everything to a PC.

Ultimately, the team decided to build the IViny DAQ, a mini data acquisition device powered by Atmel’s ATtiny85 microcontroller (MCU).

Aside from Atmel’s versatile ATtiny85 MCU, key project components include:

• 2 channels 0 – 5V ve 0 – 3V digital input/output
• 2 channels 0 – 5V 10 bit analog input
• Channel maximum current 20 mA
• USB power supply
• V-USB based comms
• PC user interface (UI)
• 150 S/s (set to increase with future firmware upgrades)
• 50 mm x 33 mm x 17 mm

“The IViny features two digital channels and two 10 bit analog channels, just like you’d find in any ATtiny85 project,” writes HackADay’s Brian Benchoff.

“Power is supplied over USB, and a connection to a computer is provided by V-USB. There’s also a pretty cool Python app that goes along with the project able to plot the analog inputs and control the digital I/O on the device.”

As Benchoff notes, the device doesn’t exactly run at light speed, with the firmware currently supporting 100 samples per second.

“[However], an upcoming firmware upgrade will improve that. Still, if you ever need to read some analog values or toggle a few pins on the cheap, it’s a nice little USB Swiss army knife to have,” he adds.

Interested in learning more about IViny, the ATtiny85-powered DAQ? You can check out the project’s GitHub page here.

Building the IoT with Mentor Graphics and Atmel

Atmel has joined Mentor’s Embedded Nucleus Innovate Program, an embedded initiative that helps promote development of the rapidly evolving Internet of Thing (IoT).

Specifically, the Mentor Graphics Corporation is offering businesses earning under $1M (in annual revenue) a free license for the Embedded Nucleus RTOS and Sourcery CodeBench toolset. Both software packages run on Atmel’s ARM-based SAM3x and SAM4x microcontrollers (MCU).

Mentor Graphics’ collaboration with Atmel is expected to accelerate the development of medical, industrial, smart energy and consumer applications – helping to power the next generation of devices for the IoT.

“We see tremendous value in the Nucleus Innovate Program with our high-performance MCUs which provide optimized connectivity for IoT development,” explained Atmel VP Steve Pancoast. 
”Mentor’s Nucleus RTOS and Sourcery CodeBench tools supporting our advanced devices will help small businesses realize the potential of their innovative ideas.”

According to Pancoast, a board support package (BSP) will be available for Atmel’s SAM3X ARM Cortex M3 MCUs and SAM4X Cortex-M4 MCUs in the context of Mentor’s initiative. Indeed, Atmel’s device families, combined with the Mentor Embedded RTOS and tools, are ideal for applications that require high-performance connectivity, power efficiency and high memory densities. To be sure, the program offers devs a complete embedded environment for Atmel-based system designs.

“Our Nucleus Innovate Program with Atmel will give small businesses a competitive edge in developing leading-edge products, including applications for IoT,” said Scot Morrison, general manager of runtime solutions, Mentor Graphics Embedded Software division. “We want to be at the forefront of helping these businesses realize their design ideas without having to worry about the capital required to use best-in-class MCUs, RTOS and embedded software development tools.”

According to Morrison, the Nucleus Innovate Program is ideal for applications where small footprint, high-performance and low power are critical.

“Easy-to-use demonstrations and configurations help shorten development time for medical, industrial, automotive and consumer applications—from days to minutes. The Nucleus Innovate Program for Atmel MCUs is a one-year license agreement and includes one BSP,” he added.

Interested in learning more about Mentor Graphics? You can check out the company’s official embedded software page here.

Retro gaming DuinoCube goes live on Kickstarter

Developed by Simon Que, DuinoCube is described as a portable platform that allows Makers and gamers to develop their own retro titles using the popular open-source Arduino environment.

Essentially, DuinoCube comprises two shields: GFX (audio and graphics) and the Atmel-based UI (file system, extra memory, on-board controller chip). Currently, DuinoCube is compatible with the Arduino Uno, Mega and Esplora.

“When you combine a GFX shield and UI shield with an Arduino board, you get a DuinoCube. The UI Shield goes on top of the Arduino and the GFX Shield goes on top of the UI Shield,” Que explained in a recent Kickstarter post.

“With DuinoCube, your Arduino becomes a retro gaming system with the capabilities of classic game systems like the SNES and Gameboy Advance. DuinoCube is highly portable so you can show your friends the games you’ve made.”

Key platform technical specs include:

• 

320×240 VGA graphics (higher resolutions expected soon).
• 256 independent objects (sprites).
• 4 independent tiled layers.
• 18-bit color in four palettes, each with 256 colors.
• Hardware scrolling.
• Hardware collision detection.
• Stereo audio output.
• MicroSD card file system.
• USB gamepad support.

Powered by Atmel’s ATmega328P microcontroller, the UI shield for the Uno/Mega is equipped with an SD card, extra RAM, USB host and controller chip.

Similarly, the UI shield for the Esplora features Atmel’s ATmega328P, SD card, extra RAM, controller chip and Uno-style headers.

“The UI Shields can [also] be used as a generic file system, or as a USB host controller for the Arduino Uno/Mega version,” Que confirmed. “[Plus], the GFX Shield can be used as a generic FPGA shield [by] reprogramming the FPGA with an Altera USB Blaster cable.”

Interested in learning more? You can check out DuinoCube’s official Kickstarter page here.

Video: Interactive m!Qbe redefines lighting

The Atmel-powered m!Qbe is an intuitive, interactive platform that allows users to easily control multiple lights. The system comprises a number of components, including the m!Qbe (central) module, m!base, m!charger and WiFi.

The m!Qbe is designed to be used in one room with an m!Base and should, depending on the layout, cover a circle with a diameter of 20 meters.

“Just flip it and switch to the suitable lighting situation for your current activity such as low yellowish light to relax on the couch, bright white light to read the newspaper or different colors for your birthday party,” an m!Qbe rep explained in a recent Indiegogo post.

“Use it in everyday life with many more possibilities than a traditional light switch and much faster than manual control on a mobile device.”

Indeed, the m!Qbe’s three faces, or sides, are designed to “memorize” specific settings.

“You predefine them once and recall them whenever you like,” said the rep.

“In addition, you can add a delay on every favorite. So you can go to bed or leave your home in bright light for instance. The m!Qbe [will] automatically turn off all your [lights] after a while.”

As you can see in the video above, the m!Qbe can be rotated to manually change color or brightness, while a brief touch on the icon switches from one light to another, allowing the user to easily select and adjust specific fixtures.

So, how does the platform work?

 Essentially, the m!Base component communicates with the m!Qbe and the network of lights.

“It converts the detected motion into lighting situations and provides access to the settings of the m!Qbe,” the rep continued.

“The installation of the m!Base is a plug and play solution. In its standard configuration you connect the m!Base with a cable to your network. If you want to connect it wirelessly, please order the WiFi option.”

As noted above, the m!Qbe is built around an Atmel 8-bit microcontroller (MCU), which uses data generated from a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor to precisely calculate motion.

“Additionally on each of the two manual faces, a capacitive touch sensor is integrated and allows to detect touch actions of different lengths. In the m!Base a Linux system transfers the commands received via bluetooth from the m!Qbe to commands for every single lamp in the network,” the rep added.

“For the configuration of this transfer and to read out statistical information a web interface is implemented. If you want to extend the functions of the m!Qbe the easiest way is to modify the software of the m!Base.”

Last, but certainly not least, m!Qbe supports the Philips Hue system that includes not only the connected bulbs but also Friends of Hue such as LightStrips and LivingColors Bloom, along with dimming plugs for more traditional lamps.

Interested in learning more? You can check out the official m!Qbe page on Indiegogo here.