ePanorama.net » Make and prototype

Radio gaga: Techies fear EU directive to stop RF device tinkering will do more harm than good • The Register

Tomi Engdahl — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 20:22:42 +0000

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/11/eu_directive_ban_rf_radio_firmware_tinkering/
EU plans to ban the sale of user-moddable radio frequency devices – like phones and routers.
The controversy centres on Article 3(3)(i) of the EU Radio Equipment Directive, which was passed into law back in 2014.

Picking the Right Arduino – Hackster Blog

Tomi Engdahl — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 11:02:15 +0000

https://blog.hackster.io/picking-the-right-arduino-341a0a9550c7

Arduino started with just few boards, but now ten years later, there is an Arduino board type for (practically) every application or project.
The choice can be overwhelming when selecting. This article gives overview if what to consider and what is available. Many of the latest boards are aimed fot IoT applications.

Makerspaces could be the secret to making smart cities smart | World Economic Forum

Tomi Engdahl — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 03:45:58 +0000

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/03/makerspaces-smart-sustainable-cities-thomas-ermacora/
The suite of new technologies now coming online – from low-cost complex sensors to big data and machine learning – have the ability to map the inflows and outflows of goods and services, allowing cities to precision-track patterns of consumption and waste production.
As we speak, maker communities around the world are helping to create blueprints for a new generation of nimble public services at a lower cost.

When the maker movement burst on to the scene in the early 2000s, it was widely seen as a DIY phenomenon.

Over the past decade, though, the movement has morphed into a global ecosystem for prototyping software-hardware integration. It is rapidly becoming the place where next-generation technologists – who can both code and build sophisticated electronics – are honing their skills.

Perf+ prototyping board

Tomi Engdahl — Wed, 18 May 2016 05:31:53 +0000

Stripboard is the generic name (also known as Veroboard) for a widely used type of electronics prototyping board characterized by a 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) regular (rectangular) grid of holes, with wide parallel strips of copper cladding running in one direction all the way across one side of the board. Stripboard is available from many vendors. Stripboards have evolved over time into several variants and related products.

Yesterday I got to my hands one Perf+. It is a re-invented version of stripboard prototyping circuit board. Perf+: The Perfboard Reinvented run a successful Kickstarter campaign for what it calls a “Perf+ is a revolutionary prototyping board designed for ease of use and flexibility“. And they were so successful that they even made improved version Perf+ 2. Products are available from Perf+ Store.

Perf+ is a jumper wire free electronic prototyping board designed for electronics enthusiasts to make electronic prototyping hassle free, easier and faster. Perf+ has the advantage of not requiring any jumper cables over traditional prototyping methods such as stripboards and veroboards. Perf+ is a double sided circuit board with perpendicular traces on each side. The holes are through-planted but they are not connected to the traces. You can connect the component holes to the races as needed with a little bit of solder between hole and trace. This allows signal routing in many ways. There is Windows/.NET editor for Perf+ prototyping perboards that should help you to make the right connections.

Here is Perf+ Concept video

I think this could be a good idea – I think I might try it some day – but I have some fear that anything too complicated it would get ridiculously complicated and hard to debug.