Based on a question from Andrew on the initial Multitasking with millis() tutorial, this example shows how to create a Police-Light like strobe effect. The following code uses no calls to delay().
Creating PCBs in Eagle is a straight-forward process once you understand how EAGLE works. In fact, most users can get up to speed enough to draw a Schematic and then layout a simple PCB. Making the connections between components is not only fun but can be a form of artwork.
Often overlooked is how much space is left wide open. For example, a board might look like this:
The area in black will have no copper. For circuits that don’t require a ground plane, this may not be an issue. However, it rarely hurts to fill in empty area with a ground plane. EAGLE makes it very easy to do this, after your circuit design is complete.
Did you know it is possible to toggle the state of a Arduino OUTPUT pin using a single line of code? It’s true! It’s also possible to use digitalRead() on an OUTPUT pin. Assuming pin 13 was set to output, this single line of code will cause the LED to change state (or flash) each time it is called:
digitalWrite(13, !digitalRead(13));
Do you know who Paul Falstad is? If not, you really need to get to know him, or at least, his web site. He’s a Geocacher, a Java programmer, and a Math nerd. [Editor’s Note: I don’t know Paul, I just read his web site.] The easiest book mark I can access in my web browser is a link to one of Falstad’s applets: A Circuit Simulation written in Java. A very functional simulator, at that.
Cathode from Secret Geometry is, hands down, my favorite Terminal Emulator for OSX. It is, in my opinion, (near?) perfect emulation of classic computer terminals from the 1980s. When using it, it reminds me of how far computers really have come. It is also one of the funnest ways to ssh into a remote host to edit a CSS file real quick.
I like keeping mine set to 14.4k baud emulation. The screen blur, when running Full Screen in Lion, almost makes me forget I’m using an LCD!
What truly amazes me is all of the little bits of polish that go into the emulation. For example, remember hitting the side of a CRT and getting a little bit of jitter? Move the terminal window around and the same thing happens. There’s even an option to take a picture from an iSight, which appears as a reflective image.
Below is a YouTube Video I put together to show it off a little bit compared to the boring regular Terminal.app. Head over to Secret Geometry’s web site to download Cathode and enjoy nostalgic terminal emulation.
