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The Quest For A Simple Level Converter
Sometimes the simplest things give me the most trouble. I’ve been working on a downloader cable adapter for the Backwoods Logger, with the goal of supporting both 5V and 3.3V FTDI cables. Because the...
View ArticleFCC Testing For Open Hardware
What do small scale open hardware projects do about RF interference compliance testing? I’ve been looking into selling assembled versions of a few of my projects like the Backwoods Logger, to people...
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Soldering Self-Confidence
I don’t like to solder. Nor am I very good at it, despite having soldered loads of boards. The temperamental solder never seems to flow where I want it. Surface-mount soldering in particular used to...
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Extreme Product Testing
Have you always wondered what would happen to a Backwoods Logger Mini if it were crushed under your own body? No, neither have I, but today I found out anyway. I took out one of the newly-assembled...
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Procrastinating the Future
Frequent BMOW readers have doubtless noticed the lack of project progress lately. I could claim I’ve been trapped under a piece of heavy furniture, but the truth is I’ve been procrastinating while...
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A New Kind of Video Game Console
A few months ago I posted a long essay on my professional future. Should I try to make a career of BMOW blogging? Find an electronics industry job? Return to video game development? Launch a start-up...
View ArticleRaspberry Pi
A friend from work gifted me a Raspberry Pi Model B. I was generally familiar with the RPi, but hadn’t had a chance to look at it in detail before now. The specs are impressive: a 700MHz 32-bit ARM...
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Inside Vintage Electronic Toys – How Speak & Spell Works
The 1970s were a great time to be a geeky kid, thanks to the introduction of the first digital electronic toys. With their beeping songs and blinking lights, who could resist them? Recently I decided...
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Entry-Level Oscilloscopes
It’s time to shop for a new oscilloscope. My trusty HP1631d has served me well, but it’s almost 30 years old, and it’s not even really an oscilloscope but a logic analyzer. This boat anchor is big,...
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What Is The Bus Pirate?
I’ve been aware of the Bus Pirate for several years, but never had a clear understanding of precisely what it is, beyond being a serial adapter of some sort. Its name suggests a black-hat hacking...
View ArticleInternational Shipping Hurts!
I’ve been looking at options for shipping to locations outside the United States. Wow, the choices are terrible! For comparison purposes, I’m assuming an 8 x 4 x 3 package that weighs 4.5 ounces (about...
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No-Connector AVR Programming
Here’s a handy trick I developed while searching for ways to reduce the cost and assembly time of Floppy Emu boards. The board has space for a 3 x 2 shrouded IDC header, where the AVR ISP cable should...
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Mastermind Game Rules, and Nibbler Near-Death Experience
And here’s why all your circuits should have some kind of reverse-polarity or over-voltage protection: I nearly killed Nibbler yesterday. I brought the hardware to a friend’s house for a nerdfest...
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Fixing Electronics with a Wooden Stick
I’m feeling pleased with myself today after fixing a dead hot air rework station. My technique? Whacking things with a wooden stick! I used the same method a few months ago to fix a dead Mac Plus, so...
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Building the Blinky POV
My oldest daughter Alice has an occasional interest in electronics, and as her dad I try to encourage her without becoming too annoying. We’ve done some past projects like Snap Circuits experiments,...
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Making a Difference
It’s time for a change. I’ve made a lot of interesting software in my life, and built some fun hardware projects, but none of it was especially useful in the big scheme of things. The past year has...
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Drag Soldering for Surface Mount Chips
I’ve seen many people look at surface mount chips, with their tiny sub-millimeter pin spacing, and assume it’s impossible to hand solder them without special tools and equipment. I used to believe it...
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International Shipping Meltdown
US Post Office, what are you doing to me? The USPS Click-n-Ship service has always been cumbersome, but it’s the only practical way to mail packages outside the USA via First Class Mail, which is the...
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BMOW on RetroMacCast Show
Burning through my 15 minutes of fame, I was the featured guest on this week’s episode of the RetroMacCast show – listen to it here. RetroMacCast is a weekly podcast about vintage Macintosh systems,...
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Moar Floppy Emu!
With the missing parts finally on hand, I was able put in some quality soldering time this weekend and build a whole pile of Floppy Emus. If you’ve been waiting, then wait no longer: they’re available...
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