Neo Modern version of Comic Sans typestyle font

Comic Sans Count Zero has been modified to differentiate "zero" and capital "Z".



#ComicSansCZ

Tips about PCBs

That would be Printed Circuit Boards

This guy is really a nice guy.
Oyvind Dahl, Båhusveien 14, Oslo, Oslo 0573, NORWAY 
http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/
Oyvind suggested using a PCB shopping application.
http://www.pcbshopper.com



tags:  99guspuppet     #PCBtips
99PCB

PufferMobile

PufferMobile
Thieves steal unattended running cars... especially in cold weather since the exhaust is visible.  Learn how to set up a "HoneyTrap".  A HoneyTrap is a fake opportunity for crime that attracts crooks and you catch them in the act by using video from a safe distance.

Help your neighbors   Put a "bait" puffer out on the street and sit back in your house to video the antics.  Question: What time of the day do these "puffer thefts" occur ?

Puffer should be older car you don't care about the finish as frustrated jerk may bang on it.  If you have a remote start.... that is ideal... securely lock the puffer.  Do not leave keys in the car.  Do not leave the car running if you are not watching.  Watch from a distance on the driver side of the car.
It is best to have a loud alarm you can trigger remotely.

How to make a PufferTrap
If you have a remote start and a remote alarm horn.... you are all set.  Otherwise you will have to make or buy one.  It is also great to have a video camera with sound ( one that you can control remotely ) situated in the car or hidden nearby.

More coming soon........   2014m11d18

Allowing short drive increases evidence ( less than 50 feet while going slow )
Disable Spark
Disable fuel
Do not trap or threaten thief



tags:   #PufferMobileHoneyTrap   #PufferHoneyTrap  #DIYPuffer  #DIYpufferTrap 99guspuppet

OpenMono WIOT Module

The OM ( OpenMono ) is a module set to look for funding at the end of November 2104. ( Update:  the kickstarter campaign is underway ).  This is a great little module suitable for WIOT ( Wearable IOT ) applications.  the project looks like it will be very much OpenIP.  I encourage them to share news every day and use input from their supporters to make the product even better.  I encourage them to share the preliminary schematics, CAD , and software as they go along.

I plan to buy some and turn them into SmartWatches as part of my iBod project.  ( I have bought one so far )   I plan to add 915MHz radio capability.

there may be 3 versions:
Plain
with BLE
with WiFi

I have told Mono that I will supply help for gratis.  Design , testing , writing , ... you name it.

Things I desire:
On-board tethered ForthLang Forth language
Full hardware documentation …. PCB , etc.
Shrinkage of size
Anchor points for watch band
Quality 3.5mm connector ( 4 contacts ) seems good for serial data
Resistive touch screen
Does it matter whether touch display is resistive or capacitive ?
     Do  you plan to have multi-touch features ?
Use community to help accelerate the design
Really good connector selection for external add-ons
   small ,  robust , mag-safe
Sound/audio ...... both output and input

My Interest
My interest in Mono is to use it as a watch/wristband
that will talk to my waist-mounted iBod computer.
Because it will be on the wrist , I want to make it as
small as possible. Because of my use, I want to interface
a 915 MHz transceiver to the OpenMono.  I appreciate having
the Arduino-like connections.  I am afraid they will be
large and awkward. 
Is there a link where I can look at CAD drawings of
the OpenMono ?  What is the pitch of the 50 pin connector ?
Can I saw off the Arduino connectors ?
I want to add the Forth Language to the development options...... 
Conversation
Would you look into supporting the 6lowpan protocol ?
Would you look into supporting the 915MHz frequency and personal area networks ?

Mono has both Wifi (802.11b/g) and Bluetooth LE built in. Unfortunately we do not include a 915 MHz antenna, that could serve as a carrier wave for 6LoWPAN. Our goal is mono should be able to communicate with standard household technologies. Without any bridges that translate between 915MHz and 2.4GHz based antennas.

You could certainly extend mono yourself with custom transmitters, to enable communication on other network standards. We will provide the same pinout headers as Arduino Uno. Using these you can connect any type of custom antenna to mono.

http://openmono.com/developer/hardware-extensions/

3.5 mm jack with 4 connections   GND, data1 , data2 , Power or I/O
50 pin pitch ???
from the photo I estimate the OpenMono to be 46 by 67 mm




Ideas I want to share with OpenMono =========
change website
   front page is too bland      all of your photos are too big      avoid becoming too cluttered …. please add more detail
   options at top of landing page should include …….
developers/DIY        buy/invest in Mono        consumer uses        ideas live @monokiosk

Forum   Kiosk
add a general forum  called openmono forum
tell the world what you are doing each day   daily news will keep you honest and motiovated

monokiosk   monoKiosk  seems not to be a sharing site   please add forum
Is the online store where we share/sell mono applications – or tasks as we call them ?

why call it a store ?  perhaps call it a repository ?
call tasks something more unique … such as monotasks or monoApps or monoMagics  or monoides or  monoplugs or  ???

Booting Mono using MacIntosh 64 bit
After installing bootloader on Mac

Check if Mono is listed as Mac device

3. I press and hold the reset switch with a clips
4. I press and hold down the user button on the side
5. I release the reset switch
6. I release the user button

tags:  99guspuppet   #OpenMono   #iBodOpenMono  #OpenMonoFan    99mono   777mono  #777mono    7777777mono  

Sugru / oogoo / expandingFoam

Here are some great materials for making out of the ordinary objects.

Sugru                            moldable silicone
Oogoo                          DIY Sugru
Expanding Foam          great filler , lightweight anchor material

Sugru

Oogoo


Expanding Foam  ( EF)

Important:  keep it off your hands and other nice surfaces.  It is very sticky.
EF sets by absorbing water.  Spraying surfaces improves adhesion.  Spraying water on the foam accelerates the setting process.  Don't layer it too thick.  Water cannot penetrate center of EF and foam will stay soft and sticky.





Make it or buy it ?


Links:
Sugru


tags:  99guspuppet   oooogoo   eeexpandingfoam   diysugru   diyoogoo   dddiy

Producing a product

Here are some things that are central to a project focused on creating a new product.

Functional Specification
    This is the description of what the product does.  What is the User Experience ( UX ) ?   What are the advantages to the user of this product ?  What environment will this product be used in ?  How long lasting will it be ? 

UX    buttons ? dials ? display ?  sound ?  weight ?  dimensions ?  enclosure ?

Design Specification
    This is the description of how the product will designed and built.  What kind of chips ?  What kind of protocols ?  What kind of power source ?

Testing Specification
   This is the description of how the product will be tested.

Collaboration Website
    This is the website that supports the efforts of the those who are designing , producing and supporting the product.  How ill design decisions be shared ? How will customer feedback be collected ?

IP considerations 
    What will be the approach to OpenIP versus Proprietary IP.  What will be the philosophy about patents and copyright ?   How will the product be protected from patent trolls ?

Business Model
    How will this product be supported financially ?

Tools
   Collaboration
   Organization
   Design
   Testing
   Marketing




#HowToProduceAProduct   #ProductSpecifications

AppleWatch

I think Apple ( which controls it's closed environment ) is either holding back or has no real long term vision.  but hey , I hope I am wrong.  My perspective / POV is very geeky.

Does it require an iPhone ?
??
What can it talk to ?
??
What does it say about the future ?
  Not much




99guspuppet   tags:     #AppleWatch   AppleWatch      #AppleAfterSteveJobs   AppleAfterSteveJobs   #AppleMinusSteveJobs   AppleMinusSteveJobs

WickedWIOT

Broadcom appears to becoming more friendly to small developer companies.

WICED    pronounced "WICKED"
I have just learned about a $20 device for experimenting with tethered Bluetooth.
WICED Sensor  will be carried by Mouser
Product Brief  

Description:
Bluetooth / 802.15.1 Development Tools WICEDSENSE BT SMART Sensor Kit 

• Includes multiple low-power MEMS sensors and Bluetooth Smart radio, powered by a single coin cell battery
• Includes gyroscope, accelerometer, eCompass, pressure, humidity and temperature sensors
• No embedded software design knowledge or compiler required 

The red enclosure is about the size of a credit card.

There are other development offerings as well.
                                      

Time will reveal if this a real effort by Broadcom to get hot in the IOT & WIOT areas.

More info:
http://iot.sys-con.com/node/3178691

tags: WickedIOT   WickedWIOT         #WickedIOT   #WickedWIOT     99guspuppet

Nifty $4 Cypress Dev board

Cypress Semiconductor has offered a really great looking development board in the $4 CY8CKIT-049-42xx.  I really like this board because it is actually two boards in one.  The two sections snap apart.










 


Section 1 ========
The first section has a CY7C65211 chip.  This is a USB to serial interface bridge chip.  It is possible to make this into a
USB to UART bridge
USB to I2c       bridge
USB to SPI      bridge
Plus the chip has CapSense ( capacitive switches ), battery handling features , & GPIO
You can get chips with one or two serial channels.
Section2 ========
This section has an ARM^® 32-bit Cortex-M0™ to allow playing with the CY8C42xx device families.    The product selector is pretty nifty.  I had trouble discovering exactly which 42xx chip was on the dev board.  I could not find it in the documentation.  I had to use a magnifying glass which reveled a CY8C4245AXI-483 .  Company engineers sometimes forget that not everyone is as smart as they are.   Or as immersed in the corporate lingo and design culture.

ARM chip
Here is some data on the CY8C4245AXI-483 ARM chip.
32KB Flash , 4KB SRAM , 36 GPIOs , 12bit ADC....
http://www.cypress.com/?mpn=CY8C4245AXI-483


http://www.cypress.com/?docID=47877
www.cypress.com/CY8CKIT-049-42xx
http://www.cypress.com/?rID=92146


http://www.cypress.com/USBSerial/
CY7C65211

Drivers
http://www.cypress.com/?rID=83110


My Plans =============
I like to develop using a MacIntosh.  In this case I think I am going to be forced to use a Windows computer.  

I have hooked up with a Maker Space in Longmont Colorado ( Tinkermill.org ) which is a fantastic group.   I am working on a project to control access to doors and maker machinery in the two locations they have.   A bunch of sub-$50 Android tablets will be distributed around the spaces.  The tablets will use their cameras to read QT codes that identify users.  The CY8CKIT will connect to the tablet via the USB OTG port on the tablet and allow the tablet to control GPIO that is connected to power relays and door locks.
There is more about this at the Tinkermill site... but at present I do not know how to link to the TM site.

Comments to Cypress  ===========
( I recommend you donate some CYC8KITS to TinkerMill.org )

Make it easier to hit the ground running.  I feel the relevant information could be gathered in one place. ( At least the links to useful info )  It may just be me being brain-dead.... I have struggled to get going with this $4 board.

things I would like from Cypress....
Make the PCB layout in a format Eagle can read.
Make the schematic a little easier to decipher as far as labeling is concerned.
have more examples of 42xx projects.  ( more elaborate projects )
publish the source code for configuring the bridge chip.
publish the protocol for configuring the bridge chip.
publish code for controlling the GPIO on the bridge chip.


things I would like to value add
install the Forth Language in the ARM processor.
install Phratch on the ARM processor.


I am not yet a member of Tinkermill.org    I plan to join.  I am physically located 1 hour away.
I will correct any errors I have have made in this document.  Just let me know about them.



tags : xxCypress   xxPSOC