Monthly Archives: January 2009

The Compact ATtiny Breadboard Headers

  By ScienceProg | 27 January, 2009 - 12:24 am |
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If you have to spending endless times to start prototyping with an AVR ATtiny, then you can make it becoming easier. Yep, all you need to do is build the headers that can carry the 8 and 20 pin chips, where it can be plugged directly into breadboards.

Technically, these controller boards are building to provide a quick start for projects with 8 and 20 pin AVR microcontrollers, such as ATtiny13, ATtiny45 and ATtiny2313. Since they didn’t include any fancy stuff, and they keep it as simple as possible.

By using this cute yet compact ATtiny breadboard headers, the Arduino projects becoming much easier.

attiny-breadboard-headers

As you can see from the above figure, this little breadboard headers is very handy, where it occupy only one more row on each side as a controller would need. This breadboard headers already included the following components:

6 pin ISP header;

8 MHz resonator;

Reset pull-up resistor and reset switch;

Blocking capacitors;

Serial connection header.

These ATtiny Breadboard headers not only small and compact, but it’s equipped with all the basic electronic components that you’re needed. Just plug them in your breadboard and connect your programmer with it! Voila, it works like a magic…

DIY a Realtime Web Based Power Charting By Yourself!

  By ScienceProg | 26 January, 2009 - 12:22 am |
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Since the recession has becoming even worse in this year, it’s time to cut off the unnecessary spending in our daily life! You might think that it’s easier said than done? Well, if you have the wills to do it, you can surely carry out the saving plan very well.

Do you know that nearly 50% of the U.S households have been reported that they have an excessive high electrical consumption? The biggest cause of this problem is the lacking of electrical conservation knowledge.

One of the most significant ways out for the following matter is by tracking and understanding power usage real-time. You can do it by turning off and unplug everything in the house, then went outside and counted how long it takes the power meter’s wheel to make one complete revolution/circulation.

After it, you can turn on all the household appliances one at a time and re-timed a power meter wheel revolution. By this way, you’ll be able to convert the time differences into watts and get to know the power consumption of every appliance better!

realtime-web-based-power-charting

This realtime web based power charting is quite an easy task, where you can get it done less than one day!

Caution: Remember do not touch anything inside the breaker box during the project, or you might get electric shock and toast like BBQ!

It’s Time to Boost Up Your Memory with Memory Pill!

  By ScienceProg | 25 January, 2009 - 12:36 am |
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When we’re getting older, our brain activity will begin to decrease, especially after 25-year-old. That is why the aged people mostly have some memory loss problem.

In order to get rid of this problem, AstraZeneca, a multinational company is developing a brand new “memory enhancing pill”!

According to Steven Ferris, a neurologist and former committee member of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that a milder version of memory pill will soon be available on the market. This kind of pill could help the user to concentrate on their exam revision or help people from forgetting any important days, such as wedding anniversary, birthday, wedding invitations and much more.

memory-pill

Ferris told the Telegraph that the memory pill was designed to treat Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s now can be adapted and licensed for sale in a weaker form in the near future.

According to the news, there is evidence that some mind-improving pills are currently being sold in Britain and it has the function similar with the memory pill.

However, some said it’s better to avoid this type of pill, as it might cause some side effects to the user. [source]

The Advance Snow Lab Can Predict More Accurate Avalanches

  By ScienceProg | 25 January, 2009 - 12:03 am |
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If you’re being offered to do some researches, by studying the nature of avalanches, would you mind to risk your life on it? Well, you might say, “Why should I do it?”

Do you know, Ed Adams, a 58 years old civil engineering professor has traded in his dynamite for a more challenging approach! He has used a $2 million new snow lab, where it’s aimed at gaining a better understanding of how avalanches occur.

avalanches

The National Science Foundation and the Murdock Charitable Trust funded the snow lab, where it has been named as “Subzero Research Facility”.

According to Adams, this lab will help the experts getting to know the avalanches and more importantly, the best and more accurate ways to predict them.

Avalanches are difficult to understand and hard to predict comparing to earthquakes, as they can be suddenly happened without even an early warning on it. According to the New York Times, there are totally 31 winter ski resorts should be pay attention with, 16 in the United States and 15 in Canada.

The new snow lab will allow Adams and his colleagues to set the artificial sun at varying conditions to form different structures of snow crystals. Beside that, they have carried out endless avalanches simulation tests inside the snow lab as well! [source]