Inventor's Life

I was in the lab last week and we got onto the topic of seven segment displays. Someone then proposed the challenge of driving it using only 4 I/Os without a driver. A very interesting challenge indeed. After much deliberation they finally shared the secret of Charlieplexing. This is a basic way to control large arrays of LEDs using just a few pins. In fact the equation works out as follows: L = n^2 - n Where L is the number of LEDs controlled and n is the number of pins that are used. Personally, I love this. I love LEDs and I love controlling them. Some possible project include using this method for larger LED cubes, 7-segment driving, and other fantastical inventions. Anyway, The circuit is actually pretty simple and available at the end of the video above. As for the code, it is just a matter of reassigning the pins to output or input on the fly and then changing the state of the other outputs. This goes into how it works. With a 3 pin setup, one pin must be changed to an inpu...

Hallo Freunde aus Deutschland! Es scheint, als ob ich hatte einige Besucher aus diesem Teil der Welt. Derzeit ist mein Deutsch schlecht, so verwende ich einen Übersetzer bin. Sorry, ich werde daran arbeiten. Dieser Beitrag ist meist nur ein kurzes Hallo und ein kleines Snippet von dem, was mein Blog über. Hier werde ich für elektronische Führungen Bewertungen und Erfindungen, die ich arbeite. Danka, Jacob

Got my Raspberry Pi the other day.. Here's how I set it up for the first time. Check out the video. It's a pretty straight forward setup actually. Most of the instructions can be found on their website.   Some possible projects? Well my next installment will show you how to hook an Arduino up to it and operate it from python. We could look at hardware considerations, make the platform MORE portable. I'd like to get a small screen for it, maybe see if it has bluetooth support? Anything really, Suggestions?

Today has been a Day. A day which will stick in memory for a long time.  Pushing beyond that, Moving forward if you will, I would like to present you all this. A small compilation I created that covers the basic assembly of the Adafruit Protoboard Shield. A very impressive bit of hardware if you ask me, Highly recommended. You can pick one up here . While you're there check out their other wares and let me know if you find anything interesting. Oh, side note, Comments are now enabled for people without accounts. Share your thoughts!

Here at the University I got a fairly large shipment in today and boy does it feel it Christmas! Here's a photo of the mystical brown boxes that contain magical wonders and dreams. What could they contain? Where did they come from? What fabulous creations will come of this? Ok, ok, calm down. We got this and I will be updating you all soon as to what mysteries they contain.

Oh, we made it hot!!! In all seriousness though, we would most likely be considered second out of four. Not two shabby for two Mechanical Engineering students with no software background! Needless to say, the event was a success and I look forward to the next time I can lend my talents and ideas. I met new faces and Many, many movers and shakers in the Lincoln community. Hopefully some of these contacts can get an idea or two off the ground and into a nice start-up. Many Congratulations were to be had and even a few people seeking out advice for their firms projects. Fascinating stuff really. Here's to Blue Sky Doing, Cheers.

I think that a good way to start this one off is with a little story. Back in December of 2012 I had a little project with Christmas lights. Of course with any project there are fail, success, and "I wish I did this." moments. I failed in that the system was complicated and cumbersome. This was an easy fix with more funds to buy extension cords and maybe some wireless transmitters (see XBee). The success? It worked! I also only got electrocuted once. :P As for the innovative, great, and "I wish I did this." moment. There's no outlet on my porch and I had to leave my door cracked in the dead of winter. It was cold, Very cold. This got me thinking, INDUCTIVE CHARGING! I emphasize the idea because it was a little bit of a eureka moment. The Problem: No power outlet outside. The Boundary: Glass window. The Solution: Wireless Power Transmission So the design would be really simple actually. Two coils opposite each other with magnetics to hold the two plates i...