• General status and tools

    01/20/2015 at 22:40 • 0 comments

    List of projects started or TODO:

    - Arduino Blindshutter (half made but then left it because it was boring, may get done it one day)

    - ESP8266 boards. Problem at the moment with USB-RS232 adapters. Lack of power shouldn't be the issue. CP2102 chip couldn't just get to work for some reason. No "AT" and "OK" for that message. Responses are just "AT" and then "AT" when power is taken from external 3v3 source.

    Embedded devices owned:

    - Embedded Linux computers (and accessories):

    1. Raspberry Pi rev B (512 MB), Found out to be reliable and robust when system is on USB 3.0 drive (SanDisk Nano). Can be "maltreated" every day with power disconnection etc. so far no flaw with that solution. Boot sector only on SD-card. Will use that setup for my purposes. May consume more power but is really reliable and has not corrupted under "maltreating power-offs".
    2. 3.2" LCD touch screen with SPI-interface. Not yet used that but will do. Kiosk mode of a small sensor etc. data web page could be driven already on the screen I think.

    - Arduino boards owned: (clones)

    1. Arduino nano *2 (5 V, 16 MHz) (AtMega 328P), one modified for the blindshutter.
    2. Arduino pro micro (5 V, 16 MHz), same model as in the sparkfun. Uses AtMega32.

    - ESP8266 models owned:

    1. ESP-03,
    2. ESP-04,
    3. ESP pin lead out (white 4 x in size of the bare ESP-04 module, but ready breakout and brilliant PCB layout)

    ESP-03 and -04 were soldered on: (http://www.ebay.com/itm/270720154575?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) 0.5/0.8mm TQFP QFP/FQFP/TQFP32,44,64,80,100 to DIP Adapter PCB SMD convert

    * ESP pin lead out (http://www.ebay.com/itm/391003246162?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT). That is really handy.

    Sensors:

    1. Dallas DS18B20 (1-wire sensor, temperature, Really good and reliable!)
    2. DHT22 (humidity+temperature sensor, not yet tested)
    3. LD-resistors for light intensity measurement stuff (works as should)

    Other tools available:

    • "Dremel" with extra accessory set
    • Crocodile clip holder with LED-magnifier glass and soldering tip holder.
    • Cheap but still quite good adjustable soldering station. Lead tin used so far.
    • Wide set of SMD-resistors
    • Double-sided protoboards
    • Shrink tube
    • Female and male headers, male headers also with 90 degree bending.
    • DC-DC Buck converters (mini360 and bigger LM-series one). Using old incompatible cell phone chargers as general purpose PSU with buck converter.
    • USB-RS232 adapters: CP2102, more to come.
    • Extensive (7) set of ESD-tweezers. Really handy when soldering SMD-components or bending motherboard CPU socket pins (yes Xeon to LGA 775 mod is done. E5440 running well)
    • RGB-leds (standard LED-size), Common cathode if I remember right.
    • One small but not tiny size continuous rotation servo. Soldered to blindshutter project