RE: using breadboards
- From: "Ken Perry" <whistler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:55:47 -0500
True enough and I was looking at some of the stuff coming out for the Google
phone did you know a lot of the gaming companies are coming out with games
like Guitar Hero on the Android platform? What I see in the next 3 years is
a blurring of the lines of what is a desktop and what is a PDA. The IPhone
has games showing up like F-18 fighter. I mention games because they are
the heavy weight applications. What I see coming is the day when you carry
your Personal computing Device with you in the form of a USB stick or Flash
drive component. Then you just slap it into your home stereo for speakers
or Flat screen TV for Monitor or if you're at school you will not need
desktops you will just slap your personal unit into your work station and
your off and running. Already the IPhone is starting to become accessible
and so is the Android phone. It has some ways to go but it is getting there
fast. Microsoft is rolling out Windows 7 which will work on those net books
and if Jaws and Window-eyes don't go with the flow System access will.
System access is selling a version for net books right now with xp for only
$150 so the truth is the way to go is to develop for a platform that exists
and just make it better accessible.
In fact a better way to do a Braille plus like device is to get one of the
new atom net books from dell for $349 that has a 32gb flash drive and 2gb of
ram and put Orca on it and go nuts. Now I am not saying get away from
things like the Braille plus or victor stream or Icon for the end device but
you can create everything you need using the hardware and OS that exist then
have one of these companies create a smaller device for you. Of course if
you go with the Android phone which I have on my desk at the moment you
don't really need to get smaller just more accessible.
Ken
-----Original Message-----
From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Alex Hall
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 7:28 PM
To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: using breadboards
I have no experience here, but I would just like to say that you
are right about developing things from scratch and foregoing the
already invented wheel for your own. Look at the braillenote:
this March will mark the very first time a braillenote is able to
use any sort of instant messenger. A year and a half ago was the
first time SSL was supported, and we have yet to see a reliable
bluetooth stack or G wifi that does not require very specific
settings to work smoothly. All this, and the bn is based on
Windows, but it has a special program called keysoft on it that
completely hides Windows functionality and implements that
functionality only when necessary; some things are built into
keysoft itself, like the bluetooth stack, and some are based in
Windows, like javascript support; keysoft is what slows down the
development of new features on the bn family of products. The
Braille Plus has none of these problems because it is just an
adapted Linux box with special hardware and a rewritten
interface, which is how users can run command-line apps (sorry, I
am a Windows user) on a Plus or Icon. Just my 2 cents.
Have a great day,
Alex
> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Ken Perry" <whistler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Date sent: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:57:18 -0500
>Subject: RE: using breadboards
>I think you again are barking up the wrong tree. So you write
your own
>shell. (I have done this ) What then? To make it useful you
need
>applications for it. You will have to write them all. You would
be better
>off getting involved in something like the Google Android
operating system
>or OE Linux at the ground level. If you do something like that
you're in on
>the low level of both devices and software and you can make a
large
>difference. The Android operating system is made for all mobile
devices so
>you could both start from scratch and get the support of a
community. The
>problem is in the past a lot of blind or disability companies
have created
>things from scratch and when you are all done you end up with a
device that
>is so behind the times no one wants to use it. Same goes for
software you
>will spend more time making your shell interact with things that
are out
>there because your users will want to chat with his friend on Msn
or print
>her papers to that usb printer. So look more into getting
involved with
>things like OE Linux or Android or things of that sort and you
will learn
>the same amount your thinking of while making a huge difference.
>Ken
>From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>[mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tyler
>Littlefield
>Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 5:40 PM
>To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: using breadboards
>I graduate this may, I believe.
>Maybe I won't go that route. I'm interested in OS design, making
something
>work.
>I really want to just write a basic shell, though I doubt my OS
will be the
>next windows on the market, I want to get things working.
>I started playing with something, but after I got it to boot up
and
>everything I wasn't able to find a way to test what I wanted to
see if it
>works.
>Basically I'm looking for another solution besides just windows
and linux
>dev. I want to start playing with new technologies learning how
things work,
>making things go bang, etc.
>Any other ideas would be great. I won't give up on learning
about circuitry,
>but it's hardly a career option for me.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Ken Perry <mailto:whistler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 3:34 PM
>Subject: RE: using breadboards
>You are looking at the wrong place for making a PDA even if it
was just for
>you personally. I said 274 for the development board after you
design the
>software on that and decide what components you want for example
the 274$
>development board I spoke of came with y-fi, 2 usb ports, blue
tooth, and
>some other things like keyboard input which you would have to
design. Of
>course a finished product would not need all of those or it would
be a Pac
>mate. Anyway the thing is you buy one dev board and develop your
PDA idea.
>When you're done you get the company who made the dev board to
make you 5000
>of them and your off and running with the next Victor stream.
Now I am not
>talking from left field. I would suggest you call Marc at
Levelstar and
>talk to him. He developed the brail plus and Icon hardware and
he will be
>able to explain it much better when I was talking to him the
other day he
>said and I quote, "you may think you want to get into hardware
design but
>you don't believe me you don't." You really need to talk to
people already
>in the industry.
>I also know of another device that was a Linux pda that never
made it to
>market because it took 6 months to get a bread board working for
it because
>you have to match up the daughter boards and get all the
polarities and
>voltages right and in this case it was a sighted person doing it
and he
>smoked a few components just getting it to work. After that he
had to get
>some kind of software to actually compile and work on it. Why
would you
>want to go through that kind of hell when you can purchase a
development
>board from either Samsung or hell there are lots of companies
that you can
>get atom dev boards from and I am not even sure my $274 is the
lowest cost I
>did see one that was $1000 for a dev board and it was a 4 inch by
3 inch
>board that was pretty much a laptop in a tiny box. These dev
boards come
>with an operating system that works on them, heck most of them
come with
>both windows CE and Linux so you can choose
>Shrug do what you want but the work you will have to put into a
PDA is not
>worth it. This is the last I will say, without any other
questions,
>because if you want to fight with it more power to you just know
you are in
>for a long hard road to get nowhere and by the time you get there
your
>device will be so far behind the times it won't be worth having.
For
>example if you are planning on making this for more than yourself
it costs
>in around $2000 to $5000 just to get your power supply tested and
passed all
>the regulations. That's just one of the things you will have to
do with
>your own design.
>By the way as a side note, Tylor when do you graduate from High
school?
>This has nothing to do with what you're doing I am just
interested.
>Ken
>From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>[mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tyler
>Littlefield
>Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 4:43 PM
>To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: using breadboards
>I figured I was totally scrued up.
>It's just something I want to do.
>I have an idea for a PDA I would like to build that sounds fun,
just my
>personal little PDA. I could totally customize it, and it would
be cheaper
>than anything I could buy more than likely.
>I also want to just learn how these things work. I've often
found them
>interesting.
>I have been digging around for some electronics tutorials, but
haven't found
>all that much that doesn't consist of a ton of pictures, etc etc.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: The Elf <mailto:inthaneelf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 2:34 PM
>Subject: Re: using breadboards
>lol, odd list to send this to, but I used to do modular
electronics, so your
>in luck.
>firstly, that setup will not do the job, you need to find a basic
>electronics tutorial and read it, smile, not ragging on you, just
the truth.
>there are basic principles that you haven't grasped yet.
>for a battery charger, you need the 110 volt (wall) plug, a
transformer,
>you need a full wave rectifier (I'll explain in a minute) and
you may want
>some filter capacitors, though there not really needed for a bat
charger.
>now then, your first mistake is that your setup would have put
wall type
>current, called AC for alternating current, into resisters and
batteries
>which are DC (direct current) devices , that's a large shocking
flam buoy
>recipe.
>number two, you said resisters to bring the current down, yes
resisters will
>drop current, but not in the way you need it to, this kind and
type of
>current step down is done with a transformer (that's why so many
things with
>removable wall plugs have that large box either at the wall end,
or in the
>middle of the cord, the box is mostly the transformer that
reduces the
>voltage and changes the amperage of the wall current.
> and without the full or half wave bridge rectifier I mentioned
before, your
>still plugging DC parts into an ac circuit, another flam buoy!
>the full wave bridge rectifier I have been mentioning is the
component that
>changes the AC current coming out of the transformer into DC
current for the
>batteries to charge off of.
>here is the correct series of components for a simple power
supply:
>1. 110 volt power plug, which you attach to a specific set of
contacts on a
>110 AC to... (output voltage equals the number of batteries
going into the
>battery holder, times 1.5 volts) so if you have a battery clip
for 2
>batteries, then its 3 volts, if its four then it's six volts) AC
transformer
>(note here, all the transformer does is change the voltage and
amperage of
>the power, not its type, at this point you still have AC current
running
>through the thing).
>3. to the output side of the transformer you attach the input
leads off the
>full wave bridge rectifier (this is the device that changes the
power from
>AC, to DC so its the same type of current as your batteries).
>4. to the output side of the FWBR you can either:
>4-1. insert two filter capacitors to screen out noise the
circuitry
>generates, but this is not needed in a simple charger(*note,! the
filter
>capacitors have to be hooked up the correct way, one end is
positive one
>negative).
>or,
>4-2. attach your battery holder, making sure you get the
polarity of the
>wires correct to the battery holder , or your making a loud bang
and a lot
>of stink and a hazard out of your batteries.
>another point, this simple setup has no way, like many chargers
you buy do
>now a days, to tell when the batteries are fully charged, and
stop trying to
>charge them, and this will heat up, and eventually give you
another ka boom.
>the circuitry for a regulator is not to hard, but I can't pull it
out of my
>head like I can a simple power supply.
>that is the basics of a power supply and it will work as a
charger. and it
>will not cost much, but why reinvent the wheel, unless your going
to try for
>some work in the electronics field? which I would not advise,
some of the
>stuff is extremely complex, and some of it quite delicate, and
none of it is
>marked in a method that can be read with our current tech
abilities.
>laters,
>inthane
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Tyler Littlefield <mailto:tyler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 12:06 PM
>Subject: using breadboards
>Hello,
>I'm looking to start using breadboards to create some small
things.
>I'd like to start off with something small, possibly a battery
charger or
>something similar.
>I found a small tutorial on instructables, but not totally sure
how to get
>going.
>It explained how things work somewhat, but not accurately enough
for me.
>It mainly used pictures to explain, which didn't do me a whole
lot of good.
>Any ideas on how I can set this up?
>I understand the polarity--hooking one negative end to the
positive etc so
>that the circuit forms a loop, I'm just not sure how to do what I
want.
>So, here's my idea.
>If I figure out the layout, I can set up a power cable going from
the outlet
>to the breadboard.
>Then I can place in jumpers to bridge the gap.
>I can take the 120 volts down to 9 with some resisters (?) and
hook a
>battery pack to the other end that will charge the batteries.
>I'm thinking I'm way off, but... ideas would be great.
>If I could, I'd like to set it up so it'd charge like 4 at once,
then I
>could cut down the 120 to 36. Possibly put in a heat sink to
keep it from
>getting really hot.
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