HACK A WEEK

Here we are with yet another module from Parallax Electronics! The MS5607 Altimeter Module. The Altimeter Module is a high resolution (20 cm) altimeter sensor with SPI and I2C bus interface.

The module includes a high linearity barometric pressure sensor and a high resolution temperature output, allowing implementation of an altimeter/thermometer without any additional sensors. Different operation modes allow the user to optimize for conversion speed or current consumption. The module is designed for use with a large variety of microcontrollers with different voltage requirements.

For this project I connected it to the Parallax Board Of Education with a Parallax serial LCD as shown in the image below. It can send data to a computer in a serial terminal window or to and LCD as you’ll see in the video.

I used three different versions of Spin code to display the data which can be downloaded here:

Altitude readout on LCD:
Altimeter_Propeller_LCD.spin

Temperature readout on LCD:
Temp_Propeller_LCD.spin

Altitude and temperature readout on LCD:
Altimeter_Temp_Propeller_LCD.spin

Connection diagram for Board Of Education:

This module is ideal for use on hobby aircraft or for data logging on a robot.

Enjoy the video and… keep on hackin!

I was on Bald Head Island over the Thanksgiving weekend and while I was there I did a bit of sand casting with Plaster of Paris. Plaster of Paris is easy to obtain and work with. It’s available at most hardware stores. All you need is water and a mixing bucket and you’re good to go! The mix ratio is one part water to two parts plaster. Here’s a bit about the chemistry of Plaster, which comes from the cooking of Gypsum at 300 degrees F. This takes away some of the water and leaves a white powder. Adding water back to the powder re-hydrates it and it crystallizes into a solid again.

I used some sea shells I found at the beach and pressed them into some moist sand. After removing them from the sand they left an impression which I then poured the mixed plaster into. After about an hour the plaster hardened and could be lifted from the sand. Below are some pictures of some of the castings and a how to video.

This is a great project to do with kids at the beach! Have fun and…
keep on hackin!

Here’s a few sea shells and some driftwood.

These are small sea bird tracks that were left in the sand.

Lisa asked me a few months ago about installing French doors in her house. She has a nice sun room just off from the living/dining area and she’s always wanted French doors in the pass through. Since we’ll be living together soon we decided the time was right to get them installed. My two dogs Fritz and Sophie need a room they can be in during the day that’s separate from the rest of the house and the sun room is the perfect choice. It has lots of light, hardwood floors and there’s a sliding door that leads to the outside deck and the back yard where we can easily install a dog door.

The entire cost of this project is less than $700 with all the materials coming from a big box home improvement center nearby. In the video you’ll see just what kind of tools, materials and planning it takes to install French doors and you’ll also learn how to hang doors in general. It’s a full 30 minutes of how-to so get comfortable, sit back and enjoy.

Keep on hackin, and Happy Thanksgiving!

This week I’m working with some more products from Parallax Electronics. I’ve spent several hours at the bench figuring out how to get the Compass Module to display it’s readings to 2 x 16 LCD. I started out with the demo code for the compass module and modified it to output to the LCD instead of the serial terminal window. It took quite a bit of trial and error as I learned just what the demo code did and how it needed to be modified for the LCD. In the video you’ll see just what I changed to get it to work!

This is the board as I had it set up for this project:

This is the wiring diagram for the project:

You can download the code here:
compass with LCD V3.spin

Here are the links to the Parallax products used in this week’s project:
Propeller Board Of Education
Parallax HMC5883L Compass Module
Parallax # 27977 2 x 16 Backlit LCD with Piezo Speaker

Enjoy the video and… Keep On Hackin!

This week I completed a hack I’ve been working on for a few weeks. It all started with Ben Heck’s automatic sunglasses hack. He used an MCU and a photocell to flip down some shades in front of his glasses using some mini servos. I figured I could come up with something simpler and indeed I have.
These automatic sunglasses are based on active shutter 3D glasses used for viewing 3D TV and video. I found a couple of pairs on ebay for about $13 each. I opened them up and started hackin! What you see in the pics and video below are the results. I built a light detector circuit with a photocell and a transistor which allows voltage to flow to the LCD which turns it dark. A 1K ohm resistor serves to discharge the LCD and make it go back to clear quickly.

NOTE! If you decide to build these you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! These glasses are made of thin glass and if broken while wearing them could cause damage to your eye or even blind you. I also make no claim that they actually filter out harmful UV rays. That said, this is a proof of concept hack that can teach you about a light detector circuit and how to use an LM317T voltage regulator.

Be safe, have fun and…
keep on hackin!