Ball Balancing Table Can Catch

dsPIC + touch screen + 2 servos. Perhaps even more interesting is how Evidence generated the code for this demo app. An open-source matlab / simulink called SciLab lets you graphically model the control system and then automatically generate C code (with Evidence’s toolbar). Unfortunately, the generated code only works on their real-time embedded OS ($$$$). No free lunch.

Keep Clipped Leads from Flying

This is a small but useful tip we got from talking to David at uCHobby about lead trimming. When leads are clipped they usually go flying off and are a pain to clean up as well as an eye hazard. By resting a finger on the tip of the lead while clipping, the lead just falls to the table. It’s faster than grabbing the sides of the lead, although with thicker leads (voltage regulators, some diodes, etc.), grabbing the sides is more prudent unless you don’t mind a lead hanging out of your finger.

 

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CuriousInventor launched in late 2006 (pre-arduino era!) as a place to enable hobbyists, students, and musicians to create their own technology. We sold open-source kits and tools, and offered numerous guides & videos on things like soldering, metal working, screws, electronics, and more. 

The store is now mostly empty, but we’ve kept the product pages and guides up since they have useful information. Many of our guides and videos still rank on the first page of google searches and have been seen millions of times. Content on this site and the CuriousInventor YouTube channel produced by Scott Driscoll.

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