Want to give some Texas Instruments MSP430 firmware to a friend who doesn’t have an IDE like CCS or IAR installed? All they need is a Binary file you create, an MSP430 Launchpad, and a small program called LITE FET-Pro430. If you’re trying to update firmware without being there in the flesh, this is a [...]
Young Circuit Designs has long been a supporter of RePlay For Kids, a Cleveland, OH based charity that modifies mainstream toys for children with disabilities. Since many electronic toys utilize activation switches that require a level of dexterity that not all children have, Replay modifies the toy to add a more accessible switch in parallel. This [...]
I recently got my hands on a Raspberry Pi with the goal of writing an article on how suitable the platform is for an education program like BlueStamp Engineering. However once I got rolling, I simply had to make something of my own. I’m not very experienced with Linux, Apache, or Python so I thought [...]
I love the experience of cracking open a new design platform and seeing what it can do, and how it can be used. However there are so many out there! What about the individual options are the best for attacking a project? How can one ensure that the experience will be the best possible, preventing [...]
One of the harder things about teaching kids to be adults is how to ween them off of the protection that adults provide. In my most recent E14 article, I talk about the ways I’ve seen high schools censor the internet while operating the BlueStamp Engineering program. While there’s no ‘best’ solution for everyone, I [...]
I’m just coming off of BlueStamp Engineering’s 2012 season, and I thought I’d write about some of the things I’ve observed while teaching students new to coding with microcontrollers. It can be tough getting a project started when one doesn’t know what is going on, so this article should help someone understand at least a [...]
This last weekend Sparkfun showed once again their commitment to their customers and community. They setup a course and organized an excellent competition for hobbyists and engineers to race autonomous vehicles — both cars and planes…. Sporting many barrels (which were light enough to be pushed all over the place) and a hoop that gave [...]
Another Denhac talk is all set for Saturday 4/28/12 1:30pm at 975 E 58th Ave, Unit N Denver, CO 80216! I wrote all about what I’m planning to talk about in my lastest Element14 article: …..We decided that it would be fun to keep it going with more talks on electronics! While everyone seemed to [...]
As many of you know, I love electronics, and I love teaching. Probably why I’m so keen on BlueStamp Engineering. And anytime there is something going on at Denhac while I’m in town, I try my best to make it. I’ve finally decided to get off the bench and into the game! When hanging out [...]
My latest Element14 article is based directly on my experience as a new engineer at Keithley. Anyone will tell you how tough an error budget can be to work out, but I was amazed at all of the things it did for my job there and my career for years to come. After all, if [...]