If you are using your Arduino’s PRNG (Pseudo-Random Number Generator) for anything more serious than flashing random lights for your Christmas decorations, there’s a chance you might run into some unexpected issues, as the random() function in Arduino seems to be somewhat broken. Why? Let me explain. Background Most basic random number generators in programming libraries and platforms are based on what is called […]
Not long ago I purchased this neat and compact DC to DC Buck Boost converter that performs reasonably well. It has a maximum output of 38V, 6A and has more than enough flexibility and features to be a secondary power supply in my lab. I recently found a review of this product by Julian Ilett on his channel (which […]
For a few months now (and after successfully using a cheap USB analyzer with my Pocket C.H.I.P) I’ve wanted to make a sort of standalone Logic Analyzer / mini linux machine that I could have on my bench. I originally wanted to use one of my C.H.I.P boards, but I soon stumbled upon a bit of a difficulty: It’s […]
A recent discussion on the Pocket C.H.I.P forums made me dig up memories of my time with DJGPP (a wonderful DOS port of GCC), and its quite functional text-based IDE; RHIDE. I thought that it would be great to have RHIDE running on my Pocket CHIP for doing simple C/C++ development on the go, as […]
I have a very simple “audio/video” setup in my room. My main computer display doubles as my “TV” for playing videogames and watching movies. Technically speaking is just a 22″ HDTV with a bunch of input options, which I have connected to all of my devices, mostly through an HDMI hub, so I use the same screen […]
This is the second part of my adventure building a UV Exposure box, in which as you can see, I actually finished the build. In the first part I made the structure and planned the electronics. This part covers a whole lot more, distributed over many weeks doing small things here and there.
Like a year ago I made myself a nice little desk clock that has worked fine since then. But recently I revisited the project to do certain improvements. For starters I wanted a smaller board so I could fit it inside an enclosure. I also wanted to power the clock from a rechargeable 18650 battery and add […]
I love DIY/soldering kits, and thanks to online marketplaces like eBay I’ve been able to purchase and assemble a number of them for the past few months. One of the last ones I got was a very basic but useful function/signal generator, whose only problem was that it required a power supply with +12V/+5V/-12V rails (it also arrived already assembled despite being […]