What is It

Python Jumpstart by Building 10 Apps is a course designed as an introduction to Python. This course is not your typical introduction found on Coursera or EDX, which are usually designed around some weeks-long introduction that get you to objects around week 8. This course - which you …

Load Cell Amplifier

I was browsing Sparkfun a few days ago and came across their OpenScale board. The board is basically a load-cell amplifier with a microcontroller interface which will output data - via an FTDI chip - to the PC or other UART at a fixed interval. The microcontroller also has …

Hardware

Hardware was received and built up quickly in the past couple of days. In fact, all has progressed more quickly that I initially imagined. Osh Park - those loveable guys - bumped my order up to the 'premium' panel, so I received the boards a week earlier than anticipated!

Rework

That …

Oscilloscope XY Outputs are Working!

Using two PWM outputs and using a couple of simple RC circuits on the board, we have managed to get the XY outputs working well enough to display on any oscilloscope! I now feel that the hardware is feature-complete!

Status

The hardware in github is …

Sorry that it has been so long since our last post. I have been out on vacation for a bit with some family and am just getting back into the swing.

PC Fan Controller

I recently wished to add a fan to my PC and I realized that I only …

Intro

In this article, I am going to guide you through an easy way to transfer your SolidWorks design into Inkscape in preparation for laser cutting. There is already some information out there, but the guides appear incomplete, so I'm tossing in my $0.02.

This will not be a …

Modeling Software

I am a big fan of SolidWorks as a 3D design package. I am completely untrained, yet with a few hours of practice, anyone can pick up the software and do something useful. After a while, you can start to do some really nice things with it!

The …

Repository Adjustments

As the hardware is at the point of initial release, but the firmware and GUI aren't quite there yet, I decided that it would be prudent to split off the firmware and GUI components into their own GIT repositories. Tracking all files in the same repository was convenient …

Design Refinement

There have been a couple more patch wires and a bit of scope creep, but no show-stoppers and a fair amount of added functionality.

Since the last post, we have:

• Added an offset calibration mode which removes any voltage offset that may exist
• Added a three-terminal mode which …

Current Board Status

The board is currently working and working well, but there were a few bumps along the way. There always are, but - in this case - they were slightly more than expected.

Surprises

After the last revision, we thought that the kinks were worked out of the schematic. There …