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4 November 2014
08 Q&A
Reader Questions Answered Here
Read about solutions to fix a broken laptop, a VCR
that eats tapes, and sound system hum.
12 PICAXE Primer
Sharpening Your Tools
of Creativity
Introducing the RazzPi PCBs.
Learn about two new printed circuit boards
you can use in either PICAXE-Pi projects
or pure PICAXE applications.
52 The Design Cycle
Advanced Techniques for
Design Engineers
PICs and a Stick Pack Big
Computing Power in a Small Package.
The Rapid USB prototyping stick is powered by
an enhanced PIC16 microcontroller that can do
the work normally relegated to PIC32 silicon. The
PIC16F1459 under the USB stick's hood can spout
USB lingo at one end and spit RS-232 bits out of the
other. No external clock crystal is required to utilize
the stick's ADC, comparators, DAC, SPI module,
and timers. This installment will show you how to
take advantage of the tremendous amount of
computation power stuffed into a very small
package.
59 Smiley’s Workshop
Programming • Hardware • Projects
The Arduino Classroom.
Arduino 101/Chapter 10: Sensing Light
and Temperature.
Expand what you can sense with an Arduino
utilizing light and temperature values as data.
68 Open Communication
The Latest in Networking and
Wireless Technologies
Video Monitoring Over the Internet.
Video has gotten so good and cheap lately,
everyone seems to be using it. One growing trend
in this area has been video monitoring or
surveillance, and with the Internet of Things
movement, what used to be expensive and tricky is
now common place and affordable.
24 Zener Diode Tester
It’s very time-consuming to set up a power supply
and voltmeter, and then select a series resistor to
limit current just to measure the voltage of diodes.
The unit described here is a simple two-transistor
circuit that needs nothing more than a multimeter
to build, test, and use it.
■ By Gordon Hoffman
32 Three-Axis Hockey Puck Accelerometer Data Logger
Accelerometers can be used in many applications,
and this unique device is no exception — especially
when it’s combined with our poor man’s
seismometer from a previous issue.
■ By Ron Newton
40 Toss the Toggle
Don’t let your
projects be
embarrassed by their
old-school toggles
and slide switches!
Upgrade them to
the power of
pushbuttons!
■ By Jürgen G. Schmidt
46 Tools of the Trade
Whether you’re a professional or hobbyist
(or both!), having the right equipment to accomplish
what you’re doing makes all the difference in the
world. Here’s a look at some of the “must-have”
tools for a workbench.
■ By Chris Savage Columns
November 2014
06 DEVELOPING
PERSPECTIVES
The Internet of Things
07 READER FEEDBACK
20 NEW PRODUCTS
23 SHOWCASE
66 ELECTRO-NET
74 NV WEBSTORE
77 CLASSIFIEDS
78 TECH FORUM
81 AD INDEX
Departments
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