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The Quest For A Simple Level Converter

Sometimes the simplest things give me the most trouble. I’ve been working on a downloader cable adapter for the Backwoods Logger, with the goal of supporting both 5V and 3.3V FTDI cables. Because the...

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FCC Testing For Open Hardware

What do small scale open hardware projects do about RF interference compliance testing? I’ve been looking into selling assembled versions of a few of my projects like the Backwoods Logger, to people...

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Soldering Self-Confidence

I don’t like to solder. Nor am I very good at it, despite having soldered loads of boards. The temperamental solder never seems to flow where I want it. Surface-mount soldering in particular used to...

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Extreme Product Testing

Have you always wondered what would happen to a Backwoods Logger Mini if it were crushed under your own body? No, neither have I, but today I found out anyway. I took out one of the newly-assembled...

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Procrastinating the Future

Frequent BMOW readers have doubtless noticed the lack of project progress  lately. I could claim I’ve been trapped under a piece of heavy furniture, but the truth is I’ve been procrastinating while...

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A New Kind of Video Game Console

A few months ago I posted a long essay on my professional future. Should I try to make a career of BMOW blogging? Find an electronics industry job? Return to video game development? Launch a start-up...

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Raspberry Pi

A friend from work gifted me a Raspberry Pi Model B. I was generally familiar with the RPi, but hadn’t had a chance to look at it in detail before now. The specs are impressive: a 700MHz 32-bit ARM...

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Inside Vintage Electronic Toys – How Speak & Spell Works

The 1970s were a great time to be a geeky kid, thanks to the introduction of the first digital electronic toys. With their beeping songs and blinking lights, who could resist them? Recently I decided...

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Entry-Level Oscilloscopes

It’s time to shop for a new oscilloscope. My trusty HP1631d has served me well, but it’s almost 30 years old, and it’s not even really an oscilloscope but a logic analyzer. This boat anchor is big,...

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What Is The Bus Pirate?

I’ve been aware of the Bus Pirate for several years, but never had a clear understanding of precisely what it is, beyond being a serial adapter of some sort. Its name suggests a black-hat hacking...

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International Shipping Hurts!

I’ve been looking at options for shipping to locations outside the United States. Wow, the choices are terrible! For comparison purposes, I’m assuming an 8 x 4 x 3 package that weighs 4.5 ounces (about...

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No-Connector AVR Programming

Here’s a handy trick I developed while searching for ways to reduce the cost and assembly time of Floppy Emu boards. The board has space for a 3 x 2 shrouded IDC header, where the AVR ISP cable should...

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Mastermind Game Rules, and Nibbler Near-Death Experience

And here’s why all your circuits should have some kind of reverse-polarity or over-voltage protection: I nearly killed Nibbler yesterday. I brought the hardware to a friend’s house for a nerdfest...

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Fixing Electronics with a Wooden Stick

I’m feeling pleased with myself today after fixing a dead hot air rework station. My technique? Whacking things with a wooden stick! I used the same method a few months ago to fix a dead Mac Plus, so...

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Building the Blinky POV

My oldest daughter Alice has an occasional interest in electronics, and as her dad I try to encourage her without becoming too annoying. We’ve done some past projects like Snap Circuits experiments,...

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Making a Difference

It’s time for a change. I’ve made a lot of interesting software in my life, and built some fun hardware projects, but none of it was especially useful in the big scheme of things. The past year has...

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Drag Soldering for Surface Mount Chips

I’ve seen many people look at surface mount chips, with their tiny sub-millimeter pin spacing, and assume it’s impossible to hand solder them without special tools and equipment. I used to believe it...

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International Shipping Meltdown

US Post Office, what are you doing to me? The USPS Click-n-Ship service has always been cumbersome, but it’s the only practical way to mail packages outside the USA via First Class Mail, which is the...

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BMOW on RetroMacCast Show

Burning through my 15 minutes of fame, I was the featured guest on this week’s episode of the RetroMacCast show – listen to it here. RetroMacCast is a weekly podcast about vintage Macintosh systems,...

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Moar Floppy Emu!

With the missing parts finally on hand, I was able put in some quality soldering time this weekend and build a whole pile of Floppy Emus. If you’ve been waiting, then wait no longer: they’re available...

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