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OLED Surgery/Preperation
08/24/2014 at 16:21 • 0 commentsFor its incorporation into my smart watch, the OLED module from Mike Rankin on Tindie needed to be modified and prepared for my use. For one, the removable tabs in the corners for mounting were scored and snapped off with pliers. The adhesive gel/foam that secures the glass of the display to the PCB was sliced, and in doing so, the glass sacrificed and removed. The PCB was cleaned of its adhesive, and a new screen was carefully soldered on (A very, very difficult task due to the tiny ribbon cable and very fine pitch). I placed an NFC Tec Tile on the back of the glass, and using very thin but super strong double sided tape, re-stuck the screen back onto the PCB. Upon testing it after it was all reassembled, since the PCB behind the screen is one big ground plane, the NFC sticker doesn't work where it's placed, but when modeling the case and band for 3d printing, I'll include a spot on the band to the side of the screen where the tag can be placed away from all the metal and interference of the watch itself. Apart from that, it's fully functional again, and fits the dimensions of my PCB exactly for a perfect display in my open source smart watch.
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v6.1 PCBs Are Here!
08/15/2014 at 17:14 • 0 commentsAfter about a week of anxious waiting, 30, I repeat 30, perfect and glistening .8mm PCBs arrived on my doorstep from Bay Area Circuits out of you guessed it, San Francisco. The material is strong and uniform and perfectly cut, the traces are heavy and sharp, and the soldermask is incredibly detailed. These are by far the nicest PCBs I've ever seen next to OSHPark and I'm incredibly happy with the results. Customer service was beyond helpful in offering me a steep student discount and the custom thickness, and to receive 30 units on top makes my experience with this fab a very pleasurable experience. Using the offset holes in some of the header rows on the OLED and IMUduinoBTLE, I'll press fit them both in and run a test to make sure the connections will work. After that I'll film my entry video showing the demo and finish my Hackaday Prize entry before the deadline! Here are the PCBs!
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GUI + Form Factor Test
08/14/2014 at 03:00 • 0 commentsIn an effort to see what the GUI on the finished watch could look like, I formatted the default screen image of the iPod Nano that my OLED Watch v4.2 sits in a case for that is seen in this test to see what kind of detail and color I could get out of a set of Icons, the time, and a background image. I'm amazed at the results, and with a GUI of my own design, this watch will not only be functional and sport many cool hardware features, but also have a smooth, easy to use GUI to go along with it. Even crudely fitted into this wrist case, it clearly resembles a sleek and beautiful smart watch, and in its own 3d modeled and printed case, it will look just as good as it will perform. This test has made me even more excited to assemble my first prototype as early as this weekend when the latest revision's pcbs arrive from Bay Area Circuits.
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New Revision
08/03/2014 at 19:36 • 0 commentsAfter talking with Alex of Femtoduino.com, I realized some critical errors in the 6.0 design due to the fact that the IMUduinoBTLE regulates to and has a logic level of 3.3v, which isn't enough to charge the lithium battery with. The watch now charges straight from USB in, which is perfect, and while I was there, I enabled the option for another power source to be added such as a wireless inductive charging ring to provide the battery charger with its charging power. The IMUduino has been moved over a bit to allow the watch to go together several mm thinner, and with some more tweaks added here and there, the new revision of the PCB is far superior to the last. After this PCB is manufactured, I'll have a functional and much better equipped smart watch that's thinner and more feature loaded. Here's what it looks like!
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MAKE: ARTICLE!
07/18/2014 at 04:07 • 0 commentsA fantastic article about the smart watch project, the previous OLED watch, and my story as a Maker, was written for Make: by Nathan Hurst after an interview I gave last week. I'm amazed at how it turned out, and you can check it out for yourself here!
The Open-Source Smartwatch Built by a Teenager: http://wp.me/p22K2I-1KIc
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Walltech Connect App
07/11/2014 at 14:26 • 1 commentI've started work on the pairing and host app for the smart watch, and at this stage, it scans for bluetooth devices, connects, and display's the device data. I tested it on an old femtoduinoBLE which doesn't support the UART this project needs from the new IMUduinoBTLE, but it let me test the functionality of the app. My first stab at android development is looking good so far!
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THE IMUDUINO BTLE IS ALIVE!
07/11/2014 at 14:19 • 0 commentsRevision 1 of the IMUduino BTLE works flawlessly! I'll be receiving one of the first hot out from the hot air gun on Tuesday and then I can get to assembling the smart watch! I'm so excited!
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The PCBs Have Arrived!
07/08/2014 at 18:00 • 0 commentsThe PCBs from Elecrow.com have arrived, and apart from a few cracks/misprints. the majority of them seem to have turned out very well! They are very thin at .8mm, perfect for use in a thin smart watch, and all of the components sit perfectly aligned with each other with great clearance! The only part I don't have now is the imuduinoBTLE, which is still in development but should be completed by the end of this week. Then I'll be able to assemble prototype #1 and test out my first smart watch!
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Femtoduino IMU's Barometer!
06/30/2014 at 15:14 • 0 commentsThe new FemtoduinoBTLE will have a full IMU on board, but I've just learned that a highly accurate barometer will be included as well! Pressure/altitude measurement and maybe some weather prediction functionality too! This watch project only gets better!
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Meet the FemtoduinoBTLE!
06/29/2014 at 22:55 • 0 commentsThe Femtoduino redesign is complete! The new Bluetooth system has been integrated successfully and quick turnaround boards have been ordered! In an awesome turn of events, Alex has said he's adding an IMU (Accelerometer/gyroscope/magnetometer) to the boards underside in a different version of the board, and if that works out too, the watch will have full IMU capability to track the exact orientation and inertial forces acting upon the watch! Say hello to tap interfaces, wrist-flick wakeups, G-force measurements, and a whole lot of amazing new features! This is too awesome!