Kewel Article

[kd8dey]

http://www.riccibitti.com/pcb/pcb.htm
Now if I only had a laser printer and can find something cheap to do the artwork (to scale) with :lol:

[NQ6U]

I bought a brand new Brother laser printer for $59. How much ham gear can you buy for that little?

Slick PCB-making technique, though---I bookmarked the page.

[NQ6U]

Hey, did you see this on the same guy's site?

http://www.riccibitti.com/nut_home.htm

Looks like a very cool option for simple stuff when you don't need the power of a full-blown PIC or Amtel AVR microcontroller.

[KG4CGC]

Neet Technique.
I bought one of those Radio Shack etching kits back in the day. I flipped the design and surface mounted through hole components. That was 1980. I was a bit ahead of the times. lulz.
These days I buy those premade pegboard looking boards that they sell in various sizes. Of note, the also sell round ones. Is that cool or what!

[NQ6U]

Neet Technique.
I bought one of those Radio Shack etching kits back in the day. I flipped the design and surface mounted through hole components. That was 1980. I was a bit ahead of the times. lulz.

Of course, that was back when your eyesight was still good enough that you could have seen SMDs, if they had existed at the time.

[KG4CGC]

I had a subscription to Science 80 magazine at the time. Some company was in a write up about miniature caps made from magnesium plus composites. In my case, I would have preferred to have a drill press to drill a bazillion holes.

[KA5PIU]

Hey, did you see this on the same guy's site?

http://www.riccibitti.com/nut_home.htm

Looks like a very cool option for simple stuff when you don't need the power of a full-blown PIC or Amtel AVR microcontroller.

Hello.

What does it do that a Basic Stamp does not do?
http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/BASICStampModules/tabid/134/CategoryID/9/List/0/SortField/0/Level/a/ProductID/3/Default.aspx
Remember to pit apples to apples, the BS1 chip has everything on board, right down to the voltage regulator.
And what is the cost per unit? all things being equal.

[NQ6U]

Hello.

What does it do that a Basic Stamp does not do?

Uh, nothing? They are less capable than a Basic Stamp but they are cheaper for embedded purposes and easier to program.

[KA5PIU]

Uh, nothing? They are less capable than a Basic Stamp but they are cheaper for embedded purposes and easier to program.

Hello.

Cheap?
http://www.nerdkits.com/store/
The chips themselves are $6/7, depending on the one you pick.
And it is on a par with the basic stamp in function, just not as complete or compact.

[NQ6U]

I said cheaper than a Basic Stamp.

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&pa=130892&productId=130892&keyCode=WSF&CID=GMC

And that does not address the programming issue. A PIC or AVR must be programmed using ANSI C. The Nut Chip uses a much simpler, although less capable, truth table method of programming. If you don't need the full power of a PIC, AVR or Basic Stamp or don't know C, the Nut Chip seems like a good alternative for hobbyists.

[N2CHX]

I said cheaper than a Basic Stamp.

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&pa=130892&productId=130892&keyCode=WSF&CID=GMC

Hello.

If Roodee didn't suggest it then it's worthless. Don't you know that?

[KA5PIU]

I said cheaper than a Basic Stamp.

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&pa=130892&productId=130892&keyCode=WSF&CID=GMC

And that does not address the programming issue. A PIC or AVR must be programmed using ANSI C. The Nut Chip uses a much simpler, although less capable, truth table method of programming. If you don't need the full power of a PIC, AVR or Basic Stamp or don't know C, the Nut Chip seems like a good alternative for hobbyists.

Hello.

Yes, but this is $6 for the cheap chip.
http://www.nerdkits.com/store/
This is in contrast to over $21 for the Nutchip.
http://www.homotix.it/prodotti.cfm?IdProdotto=292
And, no, everyone has valid arguments.
I feel that by looking at all the options people are better informed.
This is why I asked what the nutchip does in reference to the Basic Stamp, something I have already worked with.
I have not used the Nerdkits device but plan on trying it.

[NQ6U]

Nice try, Rudy, but you're dodging--I said that the Nutchip was cheaper than a BasicStamp, not an Amtel AVR microcontroller. And, BTW, I have three or four of those AVR microcontrollers on my workbench and this very computer has the proper compiler for them installed.

[KA5PIU]

Nice try, Rudy, but you're dodging--I said that the Nutchip was cheaper than a BasicStamp, not an Amtel AVR microcontroller. And, BTW, I have three or four of those AVR microcontrollers on my workbench and this very computer has the proper compiler for them installed.

Hello.

Do you have the Nerdkit version or something else?
I use the Basic stamp to do simple cryptography, it sends an address string to the PLL of a CB radio in place of the channel selector.
The radios in question are normally only used to receive, a very simple task but the data rate must be quite fast as there needs to be a lookup table that is addressed and this sent to the PLL as well as all 16 digits of DTMF must be decoded as well as CTCSS.
Right now this is packaged just like a "noise toy", it looks like any other illegal radio, except it runs a really clean signal.
Smaller is better!