Let's play pirate

So here we go again. Looking at the schematic. I see there is two ten pin blugs. one is labled "module debug flash" has a 'reset p2.2 and a p2.1, gnd and 3v3. X3 however has quite a bit including uart pins. That seems to go to the FTDI chip. Now P2.2 is E2 on the pan, and P2.1 E1. On the cross reference looks like this is /dd/dc some sort of programming interface. This connects to the debug interface so I looked up the a051 cpu core to see what I could find. that is quite the rabbit hole

getting back to them

Had to take care of some other things. But I have an opportunity to get back to " work "

I still have no documentation to go along with these, but it claims to run an 8051 Micro-controller. I did get a hold of some useful information so I tried registering for the forum again. Sneaking a look at the other reviews, I find that they had the same issue I do. No documentation. Well we know what to do with no documentation issues... Makerspace.

Back at MakeICT, I plug them back in to the windoze machine and pull up the given software. Somehow this time there seems to be much more in the zip file. A whole lot more, I'll have to shoot a link to the original. one thing that seems new is the eBMU SPP Toolbox, seems promising giving access to settings and commands and scripts, as well as GPIO. I haven't gotten it to work yet but perhaps it just needs some tinkering. another is HCL lite... I don't think either of these are actually for this dev board, just red herrings. eBMU spp Test, wanted a manual reset... wasn't a button, I may see if I can short a pin to ground or vcc and get it to work... later. There is an aardvark programming with different eeproms, I don't have an aardvark but I have a Bus Pirate, so that is worth a shot. A different eeprom may get those tools start working. They did give us the schematic and layout of the dongle. I may do some bus sniffing as well.

carp.... well due to a slight typo, the link I downloaded earlier is 186ext.zip... not 168ext.zip... I was so excited too... nope... nothing new here... so sad. That's what I expected in documentation though... some actual ability to access the goodies hidden inside the module. Programs, and other eeproms...

So The dongle demo (LOL) has a hard time disconnecting the connection. I did find out it was the ++++ button. I've never  worked with AT command sets before. This should be interesting. However, I've got to get home. But expect more soon. I have until Jan 10 to finish this, and I may need every minute.

Hey it works!

So it says to click module type and that one is slave and one master. Neither of mine are either. But I did get them to connect and send back and forth. Green test is from, and the blue is recieved. So it's basic functionality is working. Now to find some documentation. It would be easier if they just gave it too me.

Rejected.

So I've been rejected from blueradios fourm. So I have no access to the "full documentation". What kind of crap is that? I sent a terse reply asking for at least something till then we will just have to carry on.

Documentation...

     So for the road test I wanted the documentation (being the EE that I am that is what I like to read anyway.) The magic paper on the inside said to register with blueradios.com. Which requires a weird number, and approval. fine whatever I'm going on without you documentation. Against my better judgement I might add.
     Next I downloaded the zip file and opened it. Glory be.. a quick start guide and a demo program! Time to see what they WANT me to see. It's a good read despite one or two Ger-lish mistakes I lived in Germany for awhile so it just made me hungry for a donner kepab.) The quickstart guide simply takes you through setting up a connection and verifying it. That's it. I was sure there was MUCH more to play with then that. What about the buttons, the LEDs... Well let's at least do this.
     I'm down at MakeICT with my laptop and am going to fire the program up on one of the PCs down at the space.  Which is a great idea, except I am getting the The semaphore timeout period has expired. error on mine. My USB sometimes gets a little finiky so I moved it over to the same computer as the other one. What I found is I can querry on one but not the other. So while I have control over one with the default program, I don't with the other... Yet.

Its not wife proof..

Unboxing porn pan1720-br

So begins my roadtest of the Bluetooth modules. First impression is nifty case! Open it up and a nice pair of usb dongles and a paper telling me to go to a website. It's in German. This may be a long road to test...

Laser spirograph

I wanted to build a project that would increase my experence with non microcontroller chips. So I picked one I know pretty well (555) one I faile with in the past (h bridge) and a new one (not gate.)
The h bridge and I had words once or twice and I have some projects I want done that use motors. So I set up two 555 timers to provide pwm and fed that to the enable pins for the h bridge. The direction pins are tide via the not gate and have switches. Motors are driven by 9v, and the mirrors are mounted on the end of the shaft.

Which reminds me,  don't cut CDs in the laser cutter.

I wired it all up and fired it up and blamn... it worked. Some call me presumptuous,  some a genius,  you can call me hip.

AM modulation with transistors.

So I'm an engineering student and I'm taking a communication class. (Not public speaking) and we were learning AM modulation. What does a maker do? Makes one.

I based it on the NJM#1496D. Since I was wanting a general idea of how it workes, I used general values for the resistors, and a handful of npn transistors (likely 3906 but defiantly npn)

The fundamental way it works is this, a differential amplifier is driven by the carrier. This is switched by a transistor with the message signal driving it and they are limited by a current mirror. The actual circuit is a bit more complex and is capable of biasing and such but that's the basics.