Internet & Connectivity
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Cover - 228.qxp 6/10/2009 8:42 AM Page 1 Battery-in-a-Chip Technology p. 62 • Up & Running With C Language p. 70 www.circuitcellar.com CIRCUITTHE MAGAZINE FOR COMPUTER CELLAR APPLICATIONS #228 July 2009 INTERNET & CONNECTIVITY Internet-Based Weather Data Acquisition A Compact Webcam Design From Start to Finish Ethernet-Controlled HERMS Text Library for Real-Time Translation I2C Master Bus Controller $5.95 U.S. ($6.95 Canada) C2.qxp 1/29/2009 10:42 AM Page 1 1.qxp 4/3/2009 10:20 AM Page 1 25.qxp 4/27/2009 8:36 PM Page 1 3.qxp 6/2/2009 1:42 PM Page 1 Let your geek shine. Meet Vanessa Carpenter and Diesel Møbius, SparkFun customers and developers of the Critical Corset. Using a Polar heart rate monitor, an Arduino, and a cleverly hidden air pump system, Vanessa and Diesel designed a corset that explores the rules of attraction. As the user’s heart rate increases, the corset gently tightens, creating a more confident posture. Whether you need a heart rate monitor or just a handful of LEDs, the tools are out there. Create a project you’ll love, and let your geek shine too. Sharing Ingenuity WWW.SPARKFUN.COM ©2009 SparkFun Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. For more info on Vanessa and Diesel’s project visit www.illutron.dk. SFE-0015-PrintAd05-CircuitCellar.indd 1 5/19/09 4:49 PM Task_Masthead_228.qxp 6/12/2009 8:46 AM Page 4 ASK ® TMANAGER CIRCUIT CELLAR THE MAGAZINE FOR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS ’Net Tech and You FOUNDER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Steve Ciarcia CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Jeannette Ciarcia MANAGING EDITOR With each passing year, we receive more and more arti- C. J. Abate MEDIA CONSULTANT Dan Rodrigues cle submissions about projects in which Internet and WEST COAST EDITOR Ethernet technologies figure prominently. Why is that? Tom Cantrell CUSTOMER SERVICE Debbie Lavoie Perhaps all you designers out there are constantly hard at CONTRIBUTING EDITORS work trying to develop the next big thing in ’Net-connected Jeff Bachiochi CONTROLLER technology. There’s a lot of money to be made designing inno- Ingo Cyliax Jeff Yanco Robert Lacoste vative ’Net-related hardware and software. Or maybe you’re George Martin ART DIRECTOR KC Prescott just so connected that the majority of your designs are linked Ed Nisley to the ’Net out of sheer necessity? NEW PRODUCTS EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS John Gorsky Grace Chen The answer is that it’s probably a bit of both. Carey Penney We begin this issue with three examples of such projects. PROJECT EDITORS STAFF ENGINEER Perhaps one of theses articles will provide you with just the Gary Bodley Ken Davidson John Gorsky right info to start your next exciting ’Net-connected design. David Tweed On page 16, Steven Nickels presents his Internet Weather Display design. Many people have weather stations, but this one is unique in that it doesn’t require external sensors. The design gathers weather data and alerts from the Internet and ADVERTISING displays it on a color monitor. 860.875.2199 • Fax: 860.871.0411 • www.circuitcellar.com/advertise Turn to page 26 to learn how Minas Kalarakis combined PUBLISHER his interest in embedded design, cameras, and the Internet to Sean Donnelly build his own webcam. The compact design pans the camera Direct: 860.872.3064, Cell: 860.930.4326, E-mail: [email protected] horizontally and vertically, and it can change its IP and gate- ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE way address to match a network. An Ethernet module trans- Shannon Barraclough Direct: 860.872.3064, E-mail: [email protected] mits the packets over the Internet. ADVERTISING COORDINATOR We’ve run articles about HERMS projects in the past, and Valerie Luster Kirt Weakman took notes. In “iMash,” he describes how he E-mail: [email protected] updated his own Ethernet-controlled heat exchange recirculat- ing mash system (p. 38). This project required Kirt to imple- Cover photography by Chris Rakoczy—Rakoczy Photography ment skills ranging from metal-bending and welding to work- www.rakoczyphoto.com ing with embedded Linux and VB.NET code. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES In previous Circuit Cellar articles, Enoch Hwang covered the CONTACTS topics of ALU chip design and VGA monitor control. In this SUBSCRIPTIONS Information: www.circuitcellar.com/subscribe, E-mail: [email protected] 2 issue he tackles a new topic: implementing an I C master bus Subscribe: 800.269.6301, www.circuitcellar.com/subscribe, Circuit Cellar Subscriptions, P.O. Box 5650, controller using an FPGA. Turn to page 46 to learn how to build Hanover, NH 03755-5650 Address Changes/Problems: E-mail: [email protected] the controller using VHDL or Verilog code. GENERAL INFORMATION If you’re thinking about adding text-to-speech capability to a 860.875.2199, Fax: 860.871.0411, E-mail: [email protected] Editorial Office: Editor, Circuit Cellar, 4 Park St., Vernon, CT 06066, E-mail: [email protected] project, check out “Embedded Speak” on page 56. Jeff Bachiochi New Products: New Products, Circuit Cellar, 4 Park St., Vernon, CT 06066, E-mail: [email protected] AUTHORIZED REPRINTS INFORMATION explains how to build a design’s vocabulary by developing a text 860.875.2199, E-mail: [email protected] library for real-time translation. AUTHORS Authors’ e-mail addresses (when available) are included at the end of each article. In “LiOn King,” Tom Cantrell presents an exciting new devel- opment in “Green” technology: a battery-in-a-chip (p. 62). This CIRCUIT CELLAR®, THE MAGAZINE FOR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS (ISSN 1528-0608) is published monthly by Circuit Cellar is truly an advance in embedded energy harvesting. Incorporated, 4 Park Street, Vernon, CT 06066. Periodical rates paid at Vernon, CT and additional offices. One-year (12 issues) subscription rate USA and possessions $23.95, Canada/Mexico $34.95, all other countries $49.95.Two-year (24 issues) sub- George Martin wraps up the issue with some useful informa- scription rate USA and possessions $43.95, Canada/Mexico $59.95, all other countries $85. All subscription orders payable in tion about C language (p. 70). This time around he explains how U.S. funds only via Visa, MasterCard, international postal money order, or check drawn on U.S. bank. Direct subscription orders and subscription-related questions to Circuit Cellar Subscriptions, P.O. Box 5650, Hanover, NH 03755-5650 or call to get a C program up and running on an embedded system. 800.269.6301. All of this exciting new content should keep you busy well Postmaster: Send address changes to Circuit Cellar, Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 5650, Hanover, NH 03755-5650. into August! Let me know how it goes. Circuit Cellar® makes no warranties and assumes no responsibility or liability of any kind for errors in these programs or schematics or for the consequences of any such errors. Furthermore, because of possible variation in the quality and condition of materials and workmanship of read- er-assembled projects, Circuit Cellar® disclaims any responsibility for the safe and proper function of reader-assembled projects based upon or from plans, descriptions, or information published by Circuit Cellar®. [email protected] The information provided by Circuit Cellar® is for educational purposes. Circuit Cellar® makes no claims or warrants that readers have a right to build things based upon these ideas under patent or other relevant intellectual property law in their jurisdiction, or that readers have a right to Note: Some background graphics on this issue’s cover were made construct or operate any of the devices described herein under the relevant patent or other intellectual property law of the reader’s jurisdiction. The reader assumes any risk of infringement liability for constructing or operating such devices. 2009 – Issue 228 available courtesy of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Entire contents copyright © 2009 by Circuit Cellar, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Circuit Cellar is a registered trademark of Circuit Cellar, Inc. Administration (NOAA, www.noaa.gov). Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without written consent from Circuit Cellar Inc. is prohibited. July 4 CIRCUIT CELLAR® • www.circuitcellar.com 5.qxp 5/27/2009 4:52 PM Page 1 The Newest Interconnects Micro USB New Products from: Industrial Ethernet Hard Metric Variosub Push-Pull Ethernet and Power Connectors www.mouser.com/phoenix_ Fiber Optic pushpullconnectors/ MicroTCA HIROSE ELECTRIC CO., LTD. SMT Coaxial Connector: HDMI U.FL Series www.mouser.com/ SFP hiroseconnector/a HDMI Cable Assemblies Mini SAS www.mouser.com/molex/a DisplayPort™ Connectors www.mouser.com/ SATA amphenolcommercial/a QSFP SFP+ The ONLY New Catalog Every 90 Days Displayport Experience Mouser’s time-to-market advantage with no minimums and same-day shipping of the newest products from more than 390 leading suppliers. SFP+ Cable Assembly www.mouser.com/TycoAmp_sfpcable Mini SAS / SATA4x External Cable Assembly The Newest Products www.mouser.com/FCI_Cable_Assembly For Your Newest Designs www.mouser.com (800) 346-6873 Over A Million Products Online Mouser_CircuitCellar_7-1.indd 1 5/15/09 3:54:44 PM TOC_228-DP.qxp 6/19/2009 10:51 AM Page 6 INSIDE ISSUE BONUS CONTENT NimbleSig III— A New and Improved DDS RF Generator Sound Synthesis Made Simple— • 2July 20092Internet &Connectivity8 A Multi-MIPS Music Box 16 Internet Weather DIsplay Steven Nickels 26 Web Camera Design Minas Kalarakis 38 iMash An Ethernet-Controlled HERMS Kirt Weakman 46 Master Control 2 p. 16 Gather ’Net-Based Implement an I C Master Bus Controller in an FPGA Weather Info Enoch Hwang p. 26 Webcam Design p. 38 Homebrewed HERMS TASK MANAGER FROM THE BENCH 4 56 ’Net Tech and You Embedded Speak C.