Comments for ShareBrained Technology http://www.sharebrained.com Electronics for Curious Brains Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:42:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 Comment on ADF4350 VCO+PLL Breakout Board by jboone http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/10/25/adf4350-vcopll-breakout-board/comment-page-1/#comment-5514 jboone Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:42:29 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=698#comment-5514 @cmgrisp: Sorry for the delay. I have extracted the ADF4350 out of my larger library of (untested) symbols and footprints. You can find it here: https://github.com/sharebrained/pcb Let me know what you do with it! I'm always eager to hear about RF projects... @cmgrisp: Sorry for the delay. I have extracted the ADF4350 out of my larger library of (untested) symbols and footprints. You can find it here:

https://github.com/sharebrained/pcb

Let me know what you do with it! I’m always eager to hear about RF projects…

]]> Comment on ADF4350 VCO+PLL Breakout Board by cmgrisp http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/10/25/adf4350-vcopll-breakout-board/comment-page-1/#comment-5508 cmgrisp Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:02:46 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=698#comment-5508 great board! Could you upload your EAGLE library file that has the package + symbol for the adf4350? great board! Could you upload your EAGLE library file that has the package + symbol for the adf4350?

]]> Comment on ADF4350 VCO+PLL Breakout Board by jboone http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/10/25/adf4350-vcopll-breakout-board/comment-page-1/#comment-5504 jboone Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:46:14 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=698#comment-5504 @anabar: Thanks. I am using my Bus Pirate to do the SPI configuration of the ADF4350. I have Python code that will write the registers in the correct order. I use the ADF4350 register tool (Windows application) from Analog Devices to compute register values, then I put them into the Python code. It would be fairly simple to modify my code to assume a certain reference frequency and configuration, and have the code calculate the appropriate PLL settings. I can post the code to my GitHub repository if you're interested in building on it. @anabar: Thanks. I am using my Bus Pirate to do the SPI configuration of the ADF4350. I have Python code that will write the registers in the correct order. I use the ADF4350 register tool (Windows application) from Analog Devices to compute register values, then I put them into the Python code. It would be fairly simple to modify my code to assume a certain reference frequency and configuration, and have the code calculate the appropriate PLL settings. I can post the code to my GitHub repository if you’re interested in building on it.

]]> Comment on ADF4350 VCO+PLL Breakout Board by anabar http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/10/25/adf4350-vcopll-breakout-board/comment-page-1/#comment-5503 anabar Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:55:02 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=698#comment-5503 Very nice board, how about programing the registers ? Any particular software ? Regards Very nice board, how about programing the registers ?
Any particular software ?

Regards

]]> Comment on Track The ISS Yourself Using PyEphem by Philip http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/10/18/track-the-iss-pyephem/comment-page-1/#comment-5496 Philip Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:20:34 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=670#comment-5496 Cool that you're using pyephem. I've been using it lately for a sundial project I'm working on, generating the tables of sun position data for a particular lat/lon. Cool that you’re using pyephem. I’ve been using it lately for a sundial project I’m working on, generating the tables of sun position data for a particular lat/lon.

]]> Comment on Software-Defined Radio Receiver: first signals! by Joel http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/08/03/software-defined-radio-receiver-first-signals/comment-page-1/#comment-5436 Joel Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:42:28 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=495#comment-5436 I think Digikey's stock count isn't quite live, because I'd already bought those two at great expense :( I've never quite trusted their shipping dates - when Spartan-6 FPGAs were not yet released, their ETA on them was perpetually a few weeks in the future! All other distributors are a bit less optimistic, giving 12 weeks. I've ordered another couple of samples for now as well, so that should be enough to give me one and a half working prototypes (each has four chips). I suspect your series of articles has whipped up strong world-wide demand for these parts :D I think Digikey’s stock count isn’t quite live, because I’d already bought those two at great expense :( I’ve never quite trusted their shipping dates – when Spartan-6 FPGAs were not yet released, their ETA on them was perpetually a few weeks in the future! All other distributors are a bit less optimistic, giving 12 weeks. I’ve ordered another couple of samples for now as well, so that should be enough to give me one and a half working prototypes (each has four chips).

I suspect your series of articles has whipped up strong world-wide demand for these parts :D

]]> Comment on Software-Defined Radio Receiver: first signals! by Jared http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/08/03/software-defined-radio-receiver-first-signals/comment-page-1/#comment-5431 Jared Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:17:47 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=495#comment-5431 @Joel: That's no good. I see Digi-Key has *two*. I might have one or two samples laying around that I may not use (in the near term, at least). And you should also know that Digi-Key may say "out of stock" or even "non-stock" for some stuff, but you can still order it, and they'll still get it for you. The date Digi-Key states for ordering more ADRF6850s is December 6th. So if you order now, you can have 'em in two weeks, maybe? @Joel: That’s no good. I see Digi-Key has *two*. I might have one or two samples laying around that I may not use (in the near term, at least). And you should also know that Digi-Key may say “out of stock” or even “non-stock” for some stuff, but you can still order it, and they’ll still get it for you. The date Digi-Key states for ordering more ADRF6850s is December 6th. So if you order now, you can have ‘em in two weeks, maybe?

]]> Comment on Software-Defined Radio Receiver: first signals! by Joel http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/08/03/software-defined-radio-receiver-first-signals/comment-page-1/#comment-5430 Joel Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:14:48 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=495#comment-5430 Yikes, I'm half-way through building a few prototype receivers and the ADRF6850 is practically out of stock everywhere but directly from Analog, who have a 100 part minimum! Yikes, I’m half-way through building a few prototype receivers and the ADRF6850 is practically out of stock everywhere but directly from Analog, who have a 100 part minimum!

]]> Comment on PCB stencils on the cheap (kinda) by Jared http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/01/11/pcb-stencils-on-the-cheap-kinda/comment-page-1/#comment-5429 Jared Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:11:24 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=273#comment-5429 @Peter: It's an interesting thought. I see a couple of challenges, though. First, you'd want to be sure not to damage the solder paste you'd applied. For many components, the solder paste extends past the edges of the components by a significant margin. So you'd need to enlarge the apertures for the components to not smash the solder paste. Secondly, it seems like you might wind up soldering the component template in place if the flux and solder takes too well to the template. It sure would be nice, though, if you could figure out a way to make it work... @Peter: It’s an interesting thought. I see a couple of challenges, though. First, you’d want to be sure not to damage the solder paste you’d applied. For many components, the solder paste extends past the edges of the components by a significant margin. So you’d need to enlarge the apertures for the components to not smash the solder paste. Secondly, it seems like you might wind up soldering the component template in place if the flux and solder takes too well to the template. It sure would be nice, though, if you could figure out a way to make it work…

]]> Comment on PCB stencils on the cheap (kinda) by Peter http://www.sharebrained.com/2011/01/11/pcb-stencils-on-the-cheap-kinda/comment-page-1/#comment-5427 Peter Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:19:07 +0000 http://www.sharebrained.com/?p=273#comment-5427 Great stuff- i will contact my lcoal laser cutters and see if they will rip me off or not But i was thinking- if my local laser guys could cut me some steel sheet- Would it be a good idea to make a stencil that holds the IC's SMD's in the correct place by clamping the other stencil onto the pcb and just popping the SMD's/IC's in the correct place without applying force- pop into the oven for a while and let it do its thing. When it coold remove the placing stencil.. and viola? Ja of Not Ja? Great stuff- i will contact my lcoal laser cutters and see if they will rip me off or not

But i was thinking- if my local laser guys could cut me some steel sheet- Would it be a good idea to make a stencil that holds the IC’s SMD’s in the correct place by clamping the other stencil onto the pcb and just popping the SMD’s/IC’s in the correct place without applying force- pop into the oven for a while and let it do its thing. When it coold remove the placing stencil.. and viola? Ja of Not Ja?

]]>