Saturday, July 30, 2011

PC bootloader app bug

I just noticed that there's a major bug in the PC bootloader application I released a couple of weeks ago. I have fixed the bug, and you can get the latest version here.

Monday, July 25, 2011

New product added to store...

So we now have an FT232R USB-to-serial breakout board. You can use it to connect your project's UART to your computer over USB, and it looks just like a serial port!

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Sunday, July 17, 2011

New PC-side bootloader version...

So I wanted to let everybody know I've released a new version of the PC-side bootloader. The new version adds a terminal, so now you don't have to keep switching back and forth to program the device. Also, the code works natively in Linux (tested with Ubuntu 11.04). You just have to run the executable with mono (not wine, it doesn't work this way for me...this is how it gets run if you just double click it). You can download it here.

Check out a screen shot here:


EDIT: After typing the post, I thought about a few things to add. First, you can leave the terminal open while you program the device (you don't have to close the terminal first to program the device). The app will handle opening/closing the serial port automatically.

Also, I have a very small shell script in the bin directory that Linux (and Mac OS, I would presume) users can use to run the executable with mono. To run the command, open up a terminal and then cd to //nrf24lu1_bootloader_pc/nrf24lu1_programmer/bin/Debug and run the script nrf24lu1_programmer (*NOT* nrf24lu1_programmer.exe).

Finally, if for some reason you have to forcibly kill the program in Linux, you will have to manually delete the lock file for the serial port you are using. The lock file location and name will be listed in the output box of the programmer app.

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Monday, July 11, 2011

New products

Yes, I know that I'm not terribly prolific in postings. But here are a few new products to tickle your fancy!



This is a breakout of Nordic's nRF24Z1 audio streamer IC. It allows inputs up to 24 bits at 96 kHz, and can output up to 16 bits at 48 kHz (which is still higher than CD quality). It can handle both S/PDIF and I2S input and output, and doesn't actually require a microcontroller to work (it can read its settings from an external EEPROM).



And the obligatory RP-SMA version, too!



For those interested in capacitive touch sensors, this one should fit the bill! It has a built-in sensor "button", and it only needs 4 pins to work - VCC, GND, a mode pin, and an output (to your microcontroller, LED, etc.)!