AVR Low Power

My RC airplane Lost Model Alarm (LMA) runs off a tiny CR1225 50mAH battery so low power operation was a must. Here's how to save power with your AVR or Arduino project.

XV-11 Imaging Sensor Revealed!

Image from Random Workshop,
blog of XV-11 Hacking Guru  Hash79

The XV-11 LIDAR has finally been completely cracked open.

Hobby roboticists are on the cusp of DIY, sophisticated, low cost, obstacle detection.

The XV-11 uses a laser-based "radar" that can map out the environment allowing the vacuum cleaner to navigate its environment avoiding obstacles like chair legs, sofas, cats, and more. With this kind of sensor your robot can also detect which room it's in.

Well, thanks to the winner of the Open Lidar Project, XV-11 hacking contest, now we can build our own: all the chips including the imager are known. Follow the link to find the details.

A Review of Free Windows Gerber File Viewers

When you send off your latest PCB design to a PCB fabrication shop you'll typically send Gerber files. You probably want to perform a final proof-read of your design, so you'll need a Gerber file viewer to view your files graphically. If you're cheap like me you want a free Gerber viewer. Here's a brief review of truly free Gerber file viewers for Windows.