cover1.qxp 11/2/2006 9:13 AM Page 1 #197 December 2006 w w w . c i r c u i t c e CIRCUIT® l l a r . c o m CELLARTHE MAGAZINE FOR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS ANALOG TECHNIQUES Analog Oscilloscope Companion Digital Instrument Panel Design Build a Modular Security System PortableWWW.GiURUMELE.Hi2.RO Lightning Detection 12> 7925274 75349 $4.95 U.S. ($5.95 Canada) C2.qxp 11/1/2006 10:32 AM Page 1 WWW.GiURUMELE.Hi2.RO 1.qxp 9/5/2006 2:33 PM Page 1 WWW.GiURUMELE.Hi2.RO 39.qxp 10/2/2006 8:41 AM Page 1 CONTROL MADE EASY Need to monitor or control the small sensors and actuators in your control network? Or make your machine more reliable, easy to assemble and remotely accessed? Use the Pyxos™ platform, the embedded control networking solution that installs with push-button simplicity. Pyxos chips are small enough for nearly any sensor or actuator, and includes a digital I/O and SPI port to use with existing microcontrollers. 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Pyxos is a trademark of Echelon Corporation. 3.qxp 8/14/2006 11:04 AM Page 1 WWW.GiURUMELE.Hi2.RO 197_masthead.qxp 11/2/2006 9:16 AM Page 4 TASK MANAGER st The 21 -Century Designer FOUNDER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Steve Ciarcia Jeannette Ciarcia He’s a 29-year-old hardware designer tweaking a snippet of code as he MANAGING EDITOR MEDIA CONSULTANT waits for a bus in downtown Bangalore. She’s a 38-year-old conservationist C.J. Abate Dan Rodrigues sitting at a Tokyo sushi bar and editing a hardcopy of a low-power lighting WEST COAST EDITOR CUSTOMER SERVICE system. He’s a 30-year-old, London-based professor listening to Thom Yorke Tom Cantrell Debbie Lavoie on his MP3 player while soldering a new circuit. He’s a 65-year-old retiree fin- CONTRIBUTING EDITORS CONTROLLER Jeff Bachiochi Jeff Yanco gering through the part bins at a Radio Shack in Palo Alto while his grand- Ingo Cyliax son toys with a new satellite radio receiver in the front of the store. Fred Eady ART DIRECTOR KC Prescott What do all of these seemingly different people have in common? They’re George Martin Ed Nisley all contemporary embedded designers, and they’re all part of the Circuit GRAPHIC DESIGNER Mary Turek Cellar community. NEW PRODUCTS EDITOR John Gorsky Since the initial development of the silicon chip, the face, habits, and work STAFF ENGINEER John Gorsky ethic of the embedded engineer have changed. The community is no longer PROJECT EDITORS Steve Bedford populated by a select group of middle-class, culturally homogenous, univer- Ken Davidson sity-trained, predominantly male, electrical engineers. Today, young coders David Tweed are branching out into the field of embedded design, and retired hardware designers are starting second careers as software gurus who blog about code languages in their spare time. This trend knows no borders. It’s hap- pening in North America, Europe, and beyond. ADVERTISING This excites us. Not only does it make for a more diverse magazine that 860.875.2199 • Fax: 860.871.0411 • www.circuitcellar.com/advertise features compelling articles written by an interesting group of designers, but PUBLISHER it also bodes well for the future of our increasingly interconnected global com- Sean Donnelly munity. Can anyone deny that we’re on the verge of some major break- Direct: 860.872.3064, Cell: 860.930.4326, E-mail: [email protected] throughs in the fields of microcomputing, wireless communication, and robot- ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Shannon Barraclough ics design? Picture thousands of enthusiastic designers from culturally Direct: 860.872.3064, E-mail: [email protected] diverse backgrounds developing the groundbreaking technologies of tomor- ADVERTISING COORDINATOR row. If that’s not exciting, I don’t know what is. Valerie Luster Nowhere are the skills of contemporary embedded designers displayed E-mail: [email protected] more prominently than in our magazine and on our web site. Read through our articles and study the hundreds of designs posted on our various con- Cover photography by Chris Rakoczy—Rakoczy Photography test sites. If after doing so you come to only one conclusion, it should be www.rakoczyphoto.com this: there’s a heck of a lot of high-level designing going on. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES Circuit Cellar magazine is always a great place to start your search for CONTACTS information about new projects. This month, Greg Cloutier describes how he SUBSCRIPTIONS Information: www.circuitcellar.com/subscribe, E-mail: [email protected] a built a handy analog oscilloscope companion (p. 14). The LPC2138-based Subscribe: 800.269.6301, www.circuitcellar.com/subscribe, Circuit Cellar Subscriptions, P.O. Box 5650, system ensures the precise calibration of his oscilloscope. Hanover, NH 03755-5650 Address Changes/Problems: E-mail: [email protected] On page 22, Samir Lohani walks you through the process of designing a GENERAL INFORMATION 860.875.2199, Fax: 860.871.0411, E-mail: [email protected] digital instrument panel for a diesel engine. The system enables you to view Editorial Office: Editor, Circuit Cellar, 4 Park St., Vernon, CT 06066, E-mail: [email protected] essential engine-related data on your PC or any portable Bluetooth-enabled New Products: New Products, Circuit Cellar, 4 Park St., Vernon, CT 06066, E-mail: [email protected] AUTHORIZED REPRINTS INFORMATION system. 860.875.2199, E-mail: [email protected] Do you want to know what it takes to build a modular security system? Take AUTHORS Authors’ e-mail addresses (when available) are included at the end of each article. a look at the PIC18F4580-based multitiered design developed by the team of Camosun College students on page 32. It’s an innovative upgrade for any basic WWW.GiURUMELE.Hi2.ROCIRCUIT CELLAR®, THE MAGAZINE FOR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS (ISSN 1528-0608) is published monthly by Circuit Cellar home or office monitoring system. 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- I know that after reading this issue you’ll still be hungry for more, so you scription rate USA and possessions $43.95, Canada/Mexico $59.95, all other countries $85. All subscription orders payable in U.S. funds only via Visa, MasterCard, international postal money order, or check drawn on U.S. bank. Direct subscription orders should also check out the amazing systems developed by the winners of the and subscription-related questions to Circuit Cellar Subscriptions, P.O. Box 5650, Hanover, NH 03755-5650 or call Atmel AVR 2006 design contest (www.circuitcellar.com/avr2006/). It’s won- 800.269.6301. derful to see the wide variety of cutting-edge systems from such a diverse Postmaster: Send address changes to Circuit Cellar, Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 5650, Hanover, NH 03755-5650. group of designers. 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 Do you have what it takes to design, build, and run a system? If you’re from plans, descriptions, or information published by Circuit Cellar®. looking to put your skills to the test, check out our newest contest sponsored 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 construct or operate any of the devices described herein under the relevant patent or other intellectual property law of the reader’s jurisdiction. by Luminary Micro (www.circuitcellar.com/designstellaris2006/). The reader assumes any risk of infringement liability for constructing or operating such devices. Entire contents copyright © 2006 by Circuit Cellar, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Circuit Cellar is a registered trademark of Circuit Cellar, Inc. [email protected] Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without written consent from Circuit Cellar Inc. is prohibited. 4 Issue 197 December 2006 CIRCUIT CELLAR® www.circuitcellar.com 5.qxp 10/26/2006 11:22 AM Page 1 PC Oscilloscopes & Analyzers DSO Test Instrument Software for BitScope Mixed Signal Oscilloscopes DSO 2.0 4 Channel BitScope 2 Channel BitScope Pocket Analyzer Digital Storage Oscilloscope BitScope DSO Software for Windows and Linux Up to 4 analog channels using industry standard probes or POD connected analog inputs.