Circuit Break Podcast #61

Internet of Teddies

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March 31, 2017, Episode #61

Stephen and Parker talk about teddy bears, Raspberry Pi LVDS, and relays that last till the end of time.
  • We would love to hear from our listeners. Tell us what you think, your current projects, any topics you would like us to cover, or just say “hello”. To reach us follow us on Twitter or send us an email at podcast@macrofab.com.
  • MacroFab and Mouser Electronics have teamed up to create a free monthly meetup in Houston (April 26th) for anyone involved with hardware & electronics engineering or manufacturing. Hosted on the last Wednesday of every month, these meetups are designed to build a community of professionals who want to learn from one another, gain new insights on emerging electronics technologies, and expand their network.
    • Sign up here!
    • What to expect
      •  Networking
      • Fireside chats with Q&A
      • Individual project sharing and discussion
      • Door prizes
      • Refreshments
  • Parker
    • Spooky Pinball LVDS controller for the Raspberry Pi 3
      • As mentioned it uses DS90C365A LVDS converter
      • Current 5V regulator was a bit weak on power so Parker is upgrading to a LM1085ISX-5.0/NOPB which can handle 3A.
      • LCD is a LP156WH4-TLN2-LG. Single Channel LVDS 1366×786 resolution.
      • See Figure 1.
    • Started work on a RPI Compute Module board with the LVDS on board.
    • If anyone is interested, Parker is thinking of doing a kickstarter for it.
  • Stephen
    • Science museum project is underway. Full test to be running after the podcast.
    • Synth is coming along. 50% complete! See Figure 2.
  • Rapid Fire Opinion
    • Cuddle Cub
      • IoT Teddy Bear? Internet of Teddies.
      • Tracks kids movement and helps get your kids to bed?
      • “Not only is Cuddle Cub great for kids, but great for parents as well! Be in control and in the loop for every night’s bedtime adventure, giving you the extra time you deserve!”
    • Google Patent for Creepy Teddy Bear
    • SpaceX is breaking space flight history as we record
      • First orbital class rocket to be relaunched a second time
    • Tooth Tunes by Joe Grand
      • Replaces the original Tooth Tunes electronics with a custom audio player circuit, empowering the user to play any song of their choosing.
      • Video of it in action.
Figure 1: Parker’s LVDS converter board for the Raspberry Pi 3 in action!

Figure 1: Parker’s LVDS converter board for the Raspberry Pi 3 in action!

Figure 2: Front panel for the Synth.

Figure 2: Front panel for the Synth.

About the Hosts

Parker Dillmann
  Parker Dillmann

Parker is an Electrical Engineer with backgrounds in Embedded System Design and Digital Signal Processing. He got his start in 2005 by hacking Nintendo consoles into portable gaming units. The following year he designed and produced an Atari 2600 video mod to allow the Atari to display a crisp, RF fuzz free picture on newer TVs. Over a thousand Atari video mods where produced by Parker from 2006 to 2011 and the mod is still made by other enthusiasts in the Atari community.

In 2006, Parker enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin as a Petroleum Engineer. After realizing electronics was his passion he switched majors in 2007 to Electrical and Computer Engineering. Following his previous background in making the Atari 2600 video mod, Parker decided to take more board layout classes and circuit design classes. Other areas of study include robotics, microcontroller theory and design, FPGA development with VHDL and Verilog, and image and signal processing with DSPs. In 2010, Parker won a Ti sponsored Launchpad programming and design contest that was held by the IEEE CS chapter at the University. Parker graduated with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Spring of 2012.

In the Summer of 2012, Parker was hired on as an Electrical Engineer at Dynamic Perception to design and prototype new electronic products. Here, Parker learned about full product development cycles and honed his board layout skills. Seeing the difficulties in managing operations and FCC/CE compliance testing, Parker thought there had to be a better way for small electronic companies to get their product out in customer's hands.

Parker also runs the blog, longhornengineer.com, where he posts his personal projects, technical guides, and appnotes about board layout design and components.

Stephen Kraig
  Stephen Kraig

Stephen Kraig is a component engineer working in the aerospace industry. He has applied his electrical engineering knowledge in a variety of contexts previously, including oil and gas, contract manufacturing, audio electronic repair, and synthesizer design. A graduate of Texas A&M, Stephen has lived his adult life in the Houston, TX, and Denver, CO, areas.

Stephen has never said no to a project. From building guitar amps (starting when he was 17) to designing and building his own CNC table to fine-tuning the mineral composition of the water he uses to brew beer, he thrives on testing, experimentation, and problem-solving. Tune into the podcast to learn more about the wacky stuff Stephen gets up to.

Special thanks to whixr over at Tymkrs for the intro and outro!

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