Noisebridge - User contributions [en]

User:Miloh

2011-10-30T10:33:31Z

70.36.143.152: whatever

<h2>Ronald Miloh Alexander</h2>
I'm aka 'ftoad' or whatever whatever on the Noisebridge [[IRC|irc]] channel.
 
or email miloh at froggytoad pünct net
 
There are some entries by me on the [http://blog.noisebridge.net/author/rmiloh/ noiseblog]
 
Printing objects at [http://thingiverse.com/miloh thingiverse] and some github hosted [https://github.com/miloh/scad_stl scad files]
 
At Noisebridge, I know where things are, and try to know who's around.
 
==Ongoing==
*Still around on most Mondays helping people learn to solder
*[[reprap class | reprap with your cupcake]]
*build out: facilities closet.
*still working on boards for noisebridge: noise punk console
*a manifesto of media ideas and conclusions drawn from noisebridge events. [[VLC_notes | Freestreaming]].
*evergreen: would [http://www.open-ils.org/ evergreen] work as a Noisebridge integrated library system (ILS)? I want to be able to find out what we have, and where one is if it's in the space.
*soda fountain for noisebridge soda jerks.
*doorbell-be-gone
*laser projector. pushing a [http://www.appliedplatonics.com/volksduino/index.html volkdsuino] by turning it into a lzr projector. Thanks to the Noisebridge [[laser]] order and xek for this!
*Markov bathroom. Our original boring bathroom should be upgraded to a 'Markov' bathroom.
==Semicomplete==
*Porthole. Found a porthole and installed it in the front door.
*kit samples and programming.
*#built samples of most kits available at Circuit Hacking Mondays
*#make a system available for programming the avr and arduinos with Linux ([quagga])
*#document the toolchain process for MS/apple os's as well
*fast 'upcb' (unprinted pcb) construction from scratch, with paper, perfboard, sewing needles, copper clad board, and a dremel.
*solid state bulbs. replace mini 120v incandescants with home made solid state bulbs using 'upcb' above. Lost documentaion! Need to make more.
*Build out
*#Ada bathroom. This is kind of finished.
*#Lots of plumbing, painting, mudding, sanding tile, electrical, and clean up
*#door hanging. Hanging more portals around the space
*#Shelves. More user shelves at Noisebridge built from found material
*electronics work benchs. made something like a ~$500 [http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/EDSAL-Electronic-Workbench-7D174?Pid=search granger bench] for $85
*elevator test plan: what the hell is up with our janky elevator? Test it monthly with a friend.
*learning bellows construction for the [[SEM]] camera attachment
*Darkroom sink table, plumbing. Built a sink for the darkroom vinyl sink. Lots more to do: sinkcover and faucet hookup
*Electronics or 'EE' area. Adopting the EE afinity area, sorting equipment, and improving organisation[sic].
*[[Sudo_pop |$sudo pop]] Yerba Mate Gingerpop, robo grease, and unicorn pee.

==vimrc==
My [[miloh_.vimrc |.vimrc ]] (that I got from Denniscollective). its kind of rubyist, among other things.

==SSH PubKey==
<pre style="overflow: auto; padding: .5em;">
ssh-dss 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 miloh at froggytoad punct net

==adduser stanza==
# adduser --shell /bin/bash --uid 31513 --gecos 'Ronald Miloh Alexander' rmiloh
</pre>

Resources/Library/Dead Tree

2011-10-18T01:00:05Z

70.36.143.152: /* Possible Solutions */

[[Image:library.jpg|thumb|right|Our excellent library]]

==Books!==
Noisebridge has a lot of them, they're mostly sorted, mostly sitting on our South wall shelf.

==Sorting==
The books are currently for the most part sorted thanks to Al. Proposed systems to help keep the books mostly organized:

* Color code or number shelves and books. Books that belong on the "Yellow" shelf will have a yellow sticker on it.
* Leave it chaos
* bar codes or QR codes or library of congress index numbers

==Library Catalog==
A library catalog system for Noisebridge would be awesome! Here are some requirements, adding items to this list doesn't actually mean anything.

Cataloging and checkout are separable problems.

====High Priority====
* Open source software with a nice license that wont fuck us over in the future.
* Web based.
* Quickly add books to the library via ISBN or bar code scan.
* Book search returns the last known location of a book (such as "Green Shelf" or "Book Case 8").
* Books can have a checked out status in addition to its last known location, date of check out should be displayed.
* Users can check out books without the need to register, as in when they check out a book it'll ask for a name and email, blank entries should be allowed as anonymous.
* Users who leave an email address will get a reminder email with a list of books they have checked out once a week.

====Low Priority====
* Integration with [http://openlibrary.org http://openlibrary.org].
* Book search returns results with descriptions and a cover scraped from some other part of the internet.
* Library database in an open format to easily export later on.
* Ability to use a barcode scanner.

===Possible Solutions===
* Writing it ourselves
* [http://koha.org/ Koha] Currently being used at [http://www.hackerbotlabs.com/ Hackerbot Labs]
* [http://www.librarything.com/ Librarything]
* Evergreen? http://open-ils.org/

Noisebridge

2011-10-18T00:58:08Z

70.36.143.152: removed 'submit a talk' from hackmeet blurb

__NOTOC__ __NOEDITSECTION__

{| width="800px" cellpadding="0" style="color:#000000;border:solid 1px #990000;background-color:#f1f1f1;padding:6px 6px 0px 6px; margin:6px auto 6px auto"
|-valign="top"
|width="100%"|<big>We Are Noisebridge</big>''Noisebridge is an infrastructure provider for technical-creative projects, collaboratively run by its members. We are [[Incorporation|incorporated]] as a non-profit educational corporation for public benefit. We operate primarily in a 5,600 square-foot space located in the heart of San Francisco. We teach, we learn, we share.'' [[Noisebridge_Vision|Read more about Noisebridge]] or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wamwklXWK4M watch a short video]...
|}


{| width="800px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:6px auto 6px auto;padding:0px;font-size:100%;background-color:#f1f1f1;"
|style="border-left:1px solid #990000;border-top:1px solid #990000;border-right:1px solid #990000;"|[[File:Wikibanner-goto-2169.png|link=Getting_Here]]||width="16px" style="background:#ffffff;"| ||style="border-left:1px solid #990000;border-top:1px solid #990000;border-right:1px solid #990000;"|[[File:Wikibanner-get-involved.png|link=:Category:Events]]||width="16px" style="background:#ffffff;"| ||style="border-left:1px solid #990000;border-top:1px solid #990000;border-right:1px solid #990000;"|[[File:Wikibanner-help-out.png|link=Donate_or_Pay_Dues]]
|-valign="top"
|style="padding:0px 6px 3px 6px;border-left:1px solid #990000;border-bottom:1px solid #990000;border-right:1px solid #990000;"|We're located at: <center>'''[[Getting Here|2169 Mission St]], San Francisco''' [http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=37.762352&mlon=-122.419372&zoom=16 OpenStreetMap] - [http://maps.google.com/?q=2169+Mission+Street,+94110 Google Maps] 2 blocks South of [[Getting_Here#Getting_Here_by_BART | 16th & Mission BART]]</center><ul><li>[[Getting_In | How to get into the space]]</li><li>[[Visitor advice]]</li></ul>||width="16px" style="background:#ffffff;"| ||style="padding:0px 6px 3px 6px;border-left:1px solid #990000;border-bottom:1px solid #990000;border-right:1px solid #990000;"|<ul><li>[[Resources|What we offer]]</li><li>[[:Category:Events|Events and classes]]</li><li>[[Hosting an Event|Host an event]]</li><li>[[Noisebridge Vision | Learn about our vision]]</li><li>[[Mailinglist|Join one of our mailing lists]]</li><li>[[#Get_in_Touch|Contact us]]</li></ul>||width="16px" style="background:#ffffff;"| ||style="padding:0px 6px 3px 6px;border-left:1px solid #990000;border-bottom:1px solid #990000;border-right:1px solid #990000;"|<ul><li>[[Noisebridge Membership|Become a member]]! [[Membership/FAQ|FAQ]]! Pay monthly sub: [https://www.paypal.com/subscriptions/business=treasurer@noisebridge.net&item_name=Noisebridge%20Monthly%20Dues%20%28Starving%20Hacker%29&cy_code=USD&a3=40&p3=1&t3=M&src=1 $40/mo] [https://www.paypal.com/subscriptions/business=treasurer@noisebridge.net&item_name=Noisebridge%20Monthly%20Dues%20%28Standard%29&cy_code=USD&a3=80&p3=1&t3=M&src=1 $80/mo] [https://www.paypal.com/subscriptions/business=treasurer@noisebridge.net&item_name=Noisebridge%20Monthly%20Dues%20%28Doing%20well%29&cy_code=USD&a3=160&p3=1&t3=M&src=1 $160/mo]</li><li>[[Donate or Pay Dues|Make a monthly donation]]! [https://www.paypal.com/subscriptions/business=treasurer@noisebridge.net&item_name=Noisebridge%20Monthly%20Donation%20%28Affiliate%20Member%29&cy_code=USD&a3=10&p3=1&t3=M&src=1 $10/mo] [https://www.paypal.com/subscriptions/business=treasurer@noisebridge.net&item_name=Noisebridge%20Monthly%20Donation%20%28Affiliate%20Member%29&cy_code=USD&a3=20&p3=1&t3=M&src=1 $20/mo][https://www.paypal.com/subscriptions/business=treasurer@noisebridge.net&item_name=Noisebridge%20Monthly%20Donation%20%28Affiliate%20Hacker%29&cy_code=USD&a3=40&p3=1&t3=M&src=1 $40/mo][https://www.paypal.com/subscriptions/business=treasurer@noisebridge.net&item_name=Noisebridge%20Monthly%20Donation%20%28Affiliate%29&cy_code=USD&a3=80&p3=1&t3=M&src=1 $80/mo]</li><li>[[Donate or Pay Dues|'''Other ways to donate!''']]</li></ul>
|}


{| width="800px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:6px auto 6px auto;padding:0px;font-size:100%;background-color:#f1f1f1;"
|-valign="top"
|style="padding:6px;border-left:1px solid #990000;border:1px solid #990000;width:390px;"|<big><center>[https://hackmeet.org/ Hackmeet 2011]</center></big>Hackmeet 2011 was a two-day unconference and skillshare that happened at Noisebridge on October 15th and 16th. Thanks for all who came by!!||width="16px" style="background:#ffffff;"| ||style="padding:6px;border:1px solid #990000;width:390px;"|<big><center>[[Five Minutes of Fame]]</center></big>Ten 5 minute talks within an hour. Talks can be shorter, but not longer, than five minutes. October 20th, 20:00.
|}


{| width="800px" cellpadding="0" style="color:#000000;border:solid 1px #990000;background-color:#f1f1f1;padding:6px 6px 0px 6px;margin:6px auto 6px auto;"
|-valign="top"
|width="100%"|<big>Create With Us!</big>Our [[2169_Mission|5,200 square-foot space]] contains an [[Electronics_Lab|electronics lab]], [[Shop|machine shop]], [[Sewing|sewing/crafting supplies]], [[Classrooms|two classrooms]], [[Conference_Area|conference area]], [[library|library]], [[Darkroom|darkroom]], and [[Kitchen|kitchen]]. [[Diversity|Everyone]] is welcome to use [[Resources|our many resources]]. Find others to create with. Find help with your projects. Help others with their projects. Learn, teach, share. Come to Noisebridge and create! Noisebridge's [[Hours|hours]] are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. New visitors are welcome any time (all ages, all skill levels), but it's best to visit in the evenings or during an event to make sure we have a volunteer to show you around and make introductions.
|}


[[Image:2169mission.jpg|thumb|right|Front door to our space at 2169 Mission]]
[[Image:Arduinos For Total Newbies workshop.jpg|thumb|right|Arduino for Total Newbies Workshop at Noisebridge]]
[[Image:Noisebridge tools.jpg|thumb|right|A space to learn and create neat things]]
[[Image:Noisebridge_Soldering_Workshop.jpg|thumb|right|Soldering Workshop at Noisebridge]]
[[Image:Noisebridge air.jpg|thumb|right|Members at Noisebridge]]
[[Image:Skittlevodka.jpg|thumb|right|Hacking, it's more than just electronics]]
[[Image:Starfive - q's noisebridge project.jpg|thumb|right|Craft hacking]]

== Events and Classes ==
'''[[:Category:Events|Full Event Listing]]''' | '''[http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=vo3i3c0qtjnkjr2ojasd0ftt8s%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles Unofficial Google Calendar]'''
{{:Category:Events}}

'''Want to host your event at Noisebridge?''' We like seeing classes and talks on interesting things pertaining to wide subject of hacking. Most of all we like seeing familiar faces, please participate in the space and our [[Meetings|weekly Tuesday meetings]] to see if we're the right audience for what you want to share before announcing a new event. Additionally here are some [[Hosting an Event]] tips.

== Info ==

[[Intro Poster]]: How we explain ourselves to new visitors.

[[Resources]]: Stuff in the space -- computer network & servers, project areas, tools, bulk orders from Digikey/McMaster/Mouser.

[[Safety|Safety in the Space]]: What to do in case of an emergency.

[[Press Coverage]]: mentions of Noisebridge in the media (both blog and dead tree).

[[Hackerspace Infos]]: Howtos, Background, and friendly Hackerspaces elsewhere.

== Get in Touch ==
* '''Press: Please see our [[Press Kit]] - Includes press contacts, pictures, background info, etc.'''
* [[Contacts]] - General contact details for the space
* [[Mailinglist]] - Best way to keep informed of upcoming events
* [[People]]
* [https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=100998755576 Facebook group]
* [[Twitter]]
* [[IRC|IRC channel]] - irc://chat.freenode.net/#noisebridge
* [[Payphone|Call the red payphone]] +1 415 494 2858
* [[MemoryHole|Legal Requests (information removal, etc)]]
* Here is our '''mailing address''' (different from our physical address): 
          '''Noisebridge''' 
          '''2261 Market Street #235-A''' 
          '''San Francisco, CA 94114'''

* Or just [[Getting Here|drop by the space]]. We're open almost all the time (24/7), and everyone is welcome -- ''all ages, all skill levels'': 
          [[Getting Here|'''2169 Mission St, 3rd floor''']] 
          '''San Francisco, CA 94103'''

== Status ==
'''Noisebridge is up!''' We began building Noisebridge in February 2007. Since December 2007 we've had regular Tuesday meetings, and rented our first physical space as of October 1st 2008. We quickly outgrew our first space and have been at our much larger 5,200 square-foot second location since October 1st 2009. We are a [[Incorporation|tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization]] as of July 2009, retroactive to October 2008.

Meeting Notes 2011 10 11

2011-10-12T03:43:29Z

70.36.143.152: /* Discussion Items */

== HOWTO run a meeting. ==

Pick a moderator, and a note-taker. The note-taker should:

* write notes in this page, put them back up online when they're done,
* edit the [[Current_Consensus_Items|Current Consensus Items]] if anything is decided to be up for consensus next week (stuff raised for consensus this week should be publicised for a final decision next week)
* edit the [[Consensus_Items_History|Consensus Items History]] if anything was consensed or failed to consense this week.
* tell treasurer@noisebridge.net and secretary@noisebridge.net if there are new members.

Moderator should:
* make sure everyone gets a chance to speak
* speak minimally themselves
* keep the meeting moving! you're in charge of summarising the consensus, and/or suggesting things that need to be done!
* get the membership binders and ensure they are returned to the black desk

== Agenda ==

[https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Category:Meeting_Notes The XXXth Meeting of Noisebridge]

Note-taker: FIXME YOUR NAME HERE

Moderator: FIXME THEIR NAME HERE

=== Introduction and Names ===
* [[Noisebridge_Vision|What Noisebridge is about]]: "Noisebridge is a 501c3 nonprofit that provides a space for creation, collaboration, and learning about technology and creative projects. Noisebridge provides space, power tools, and infrastructure to help the public learn new skills and create cool things. Noisebridge continues to exist through and depends entirely on membership fees and donations. Our code of conduct is 'Be excellent to each other'."
* Round of introductions: What's your name, what do you do, and if you are new, how did you hear about Noisebridge? Start with the moderator and go left.
* [[Consensus Process|A brief primer on consensus process]]: We agree and so should you! Only paid-up members can block consensus.

=== Short Announcements ===

Cool new projects? Something you'd like people to know? Say now, but keep it short!

=== New or Stale Events ===

Is there anything new happening at the space?
Is there anything that has stopped happening at the space?

* '''October 12th 19:30 - [http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotsf/archive/201110/ dorkbot]''' - People doing strange things with electricity

Dorkbot needs Noisebridge volunteers, anyone want to help? Talk to VonGuard or Rubin.

* '''October 15th - 16th - [https://hackmeet.org/ Hackmeet]''' - A two-day unconference and skillshare
* '''October 16th 14:00 to 17:00 - [https://tooolsf.org/ TOOOL SF]''' - The San Francisco chapter of The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers
* '''October 20th 20:00 to 22:00 - [https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Five_Minutes_of_Fame 5 Minutes of Fame!]'''

=== Financial Report ===
Funds in bank:

=== Membership Binder ===
* Read off any names from the binder for the past month. Write a check on every open application.
* Anyone up for joining this week (ie have four checks by their name + have two sponsors) should introduce themselves then leave the area in search of gifts (traditionally beer and a lime) for the rest of the group. The rest of the meeting should consense on whether they may join.

=== Consensus items ===

''(Add any new items for consensus to the [[Current_Consensus_Items|Current Consensus Items]] page.)''

* To ban Rob 2.0 from entering Noisebridge or participating in the community.

=== Discussion Items ===

Mushroom growers please award good noisebridgers with special 'mushroom logs of honor'

=== End of Meeting ===
* [[PGP|PGP Key Signing]] could happen now, check the [[PGP|list]] to see who wants in on the action.
* Put back the membership binder in the black desk.
* Save the meeting notes to the wiki.
* Send a copy of the meeting notes to the discussion list.
* Copy the [[Meeting Notes Template]] for next week's agenda and update the main wiki page's link to it.
* Enjoy a cocktail with your fellow hacker or robot.

[[Category:Meeting Notes]]

Big LED Screen

2011-08-31T15:33:47Z

70.36.143.152: /* Programming the xbee */ some links for programming xbees

= The Big LED Screen =

=== Overview ===

* Dimensions (in pixels) are 128 by 48
* The buffer board stores data into a couple memory chips, which are then accessible to the daughterboards which drive the actual LEDs.
* There are four daughterboards, in two chains of length two. Each of these daughterboards is connected to a single "section" of LEDs (ie: there are four big "sections" of LEDs). Each daughterboard runs a section of 32 by 48 pixels.

=== History ===

* Originally controlled by a 386; mobo is shot.
* The 386 connects via ISA to a "buffer board" which looks to be a memory buffer and power conditioner.
* The "buffer board" has most traces terminating to a socket with a missing chip, so we don't know what happened here.

==== Buffer board ====

Tonight (2008-12-30) Josh worked from the backend up a bit, but eventually gave up. He then moved to the ISA frontside and worked down, which was far more productive.

The device appears to sit at ISA IO ports 0x180 through 0x183. The addresses are decoded by U51 (74688 comparator), which then hits the OE2 on U52-19 (74541 driver iirc). This is then used to feed U53 and U54 (both 74574 D-flip-flops). These appear to be there to combat fan-out. He's not entirely certain where these go, but it seemed like they were going into the RAMs.

The low bits of the ISA address selection sit on the rightmost two pins on the top row of the header, SA1 and SA0, in that order (Just hook the connector up and use the multimeter if that's nonsensical). I haven't traced them through yet; I was in the middle of it when my time ran out. They look to run over to the empty chip socket on the right side of the board. Most traces tend to terminate at this chip socket, so most likely we won't be able to use the display logic on the buffer board.

==== Daughterboards ====

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31848713@N00/3430719610/ Picture of a daughterboard]

The daughterboards each have qty 3 UCN5832A ([[Image:Ucn5832.pdf]]) 32-bit shift registers (for a total of 96 bits) which drive an array of 32 by 48 pixels (for a total of 1536). The theory is the other end of the LEDs are connected to 16 different power sources, making all the LEDs addressable (96 * 16 = 1536). (The shift register does a current sink)

The daughterboards receive serial based on the following:

* The long 10-pin pigtails are as follows:
1 - UCN-40 CLK (serial clock)
2 - GND
3 - UCN-4 STROBE (latch driver)
4 - GND
5 - UCN-2 SIN (serial in)
6 - GND
7 - UCN-3 GND
8 - GND
9 - GND

Pin 1 is marked red. When looking into the end of the connector, when the red-marked wire is on the left, odd pins are on top. The keyed edge of the connector is also on top. The top left pin is pin 1.

Per Josh, the grounds do not need to be connected for now.

The serial is daisy chained together. There are two sets of two daughterboards (four daughterboards total) with 3 shift registers on each daughterboard. So, each chain of shift registers includes 6 shift registers for a total of 192 bits per chain.

* The 10-pin ports between the daughterboards (J3 and J2) are wired differently. J3 is:
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 - ground
6 -
7 - clock
8 -
9 - serial out (j2) / serial in (j3)
10 -

(The existing logic shifts out 200 bits instead of 192; we don't know why).

Looking at the sign doing STROBE: sequences 130us apart, within each sequence, 5 peaks @+5V, 4us each high, otherwise the signal is low.

Looking at CLK: We do a bunch of lcokign, the strobe, etc. 8 CLKs in 5us, entire process takes 125us, appx 200CLKs. This gives an input rate of 1.6MHz(!)

The shift register is rated for 3.3Mhz, so we could conceivably drive it faster than the 1.5Mhz that it's currently running.

== Current Operation ==

=== Overview ===

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31848713@N00/3430728760/in/photostream/ Overview of the inside of the screen (picture)]

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31848713@N00/3429916211/in/photostream/ Detail of our breadboard (picture)]

==== LED Hardware ====

The sign is currently driven by two boarduinos on a solderless breadboard. One controls the left half of the sign, and the other controls the right half.

The old hardware buffer board has 16 power sources that it cycles through in sequence. It goes through each cycle of 16 power sources at about 500 Hz. (So it changes power sources every 1/8000th of a second).

Each boarduino shifts bits out along a serial line controlling 192 shift registers. These shift registers act as controllable current-limited drains.

The LEDs on the display have their anodes connected to the power sources. Each anode is shared by 192 LEDs.

The LEDs on the display have their cathodes connected to the shift registers. Each shift register pin is shared by 16 LEDs.

This gives us 3072 LEDs per half of the display, which are arranged into an array 64 LEDs wide by 48 LEDs tall.

The boarduinos have connections to the preexisting circuitry to tell which power source is in use at any time, and send the respective data to the shift registers for display.

We also have an xbee series 1 (802.15.4) wireless chip onboard so we don't have to open up the sign to talk to it.

==== Software ====

Though we are using arduino compatible hardware, we are using AVR-GCC to compile native code directly for the atmel mega168 chip on the boarduino. The arduino framework does not perform well enough nor allow us good access to the atmega168 integrated chip features such as SPI and TWI.

We are using lady ada's arduino bootloader. This acts like an atmel stk500 programmer, and allows us to upload software over the wireless connection.

The XBEE wireless chip has virtual transparenet pins configured so we can control the reset pins of the two boarduinos independently, and upload new code to each half of the sign at a time.

The two halves talk to each other using the TWI interface on the atmega168.

=== Pin connections ===

[[Image:ledscreen-schematic.png|500px]]

Here are the pins that need to be connected other than power and ground:

* MOSI (PB3) - this sends serial data to the daughterboard
* SCK (PB5) - this sends lcock signal to the daughterboard
* PB1 - this should be connected to the latch/strobe signal from the old buffer board
* PB0 - this should be connected to the latch/strobe signal going to the daughterboard
* PD7 - this should be hooked up to the left side of one of the power sources on the buffer board through a voltage divider (and small capacitor to stabilize the signal) to bring the 15 volts down to 5 volts. Do not use the output of the power source, since it's not nearly as stable.

It uses the existing STROBE (latch) signal from the buffer board for timing, and reads the state of one of the buffer board's output powers to synchronize where in the sequence of 16 power sources. It captures the latch signal and re-emits it to the daughterboard.

It ignores the serial clock and serial data from the buffer board.

Unfortunately this has very little processor time to spare since it's spending all its time clocking out the serial data. We're probably limited to very basic patterns on here.

== Usage ==

=== Getting the source ===

The source is in a mercurial repository on [[pony]]. Point your mercurial client at http://pony.local/d3/nils/bigledscreen to pull down a copy of it.

=== Programming the xbee ===

To control the sign wirelessly, you will want to program an xbee chip to interface with it. I recommend the "xbee explorer" from sparkfun. To program your new xbee, you will need to make sure your xbee has a recent enough firmware (10A5 is recommended). Unfortunately firmware upgrade must be done using Digi/MaxStream's "X-CTU" application which runs under windows. This can be performed with wine and linux. See [http://paparazzi.enac.fr/wiki/XBee_configuration paparazzi's]xbee config page and [http://www.libelium.com/squidbee/upload/3/31/Data-sheet-max-stream.pdf digi's xbee AT command set] for information about using x-ctu or minicom with your xbee.

The Xbee on the computer side needs to have a small hardware modification to work: pins AD0 and AD1 need to be shorted, and pins AD2 and AD3 need to be shorted. This is because the xbee connected to your computer toggles pins 0 and 2 to control the state of pins 1 and 3, and pins 1 and 3 are mirrored by the xbee connected to the sign. If you use a stock xbee, you'll still be able to talk to the sign with it but you won't be able to flash new firmware.

Once you have your xbee connected to your computer, you can use xbee-pgm.pl to set it up to talk to the sign such as the following:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 program-computer-side

where /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 is the serial port for your xbee.

If your xbee was configured to use the original 9600 baud rate, you will need to run this twice to actually write the new baud rate to flash. Your xbee will now talk at 19200 baud, and is now configured to talk to the sign.

=== Uploading new sign code ===

To compile new sign code, simply "make" in the bigledscreen directory. This will produce a "ledlife.hex" file that you can upload to the sign. If you are unfamiliar with AVR programming and avrdude, you should go through one of the tutorials on the internet first. This is not a good first project.

To upload new sign code, you must upload to each half of the sign separately. First, activate the reset pins on both halves of the sign:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 all-high

Now, release the reset pin on half of the sign. This allows the left half of the sign to boot up:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 3-high

The atmega168 will now start the Lady Ada's bootloader, which acts just like a stk500.

Immediately, start your "avrdude" to upload code. If you do not do this fast enough, you will need to toggle the reset pin again.

avrdude -F -b 19200 -c stk500v1 -p m168 -P /dev/cu.usbserial-A12345 -e -U flash:w:ledlife.hex

Sometimes this will fail. If it fails repeatedly, reposition your xbee closer to the sign, or reorient it, and try again.

Once this half is done, you can upload the right half:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 1-high
avrdude -F -b 19200 -c stk500v1 -p m168 -P /dev/cu.usbserial-A12345 -e -U flash:w:ledlife.hex

Then you can release the reset pin on the left half so it can boot up, and both halves can run:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 all-low

=== Controlling a running sign ===

You can use the "sendcmd.pl" script to send bytes to the sign. The usage is similar to xbee-pgm.pl:

./sendcmd.pl <serial port> <byte code>

<byte code> is the decimal value of the byte to send. You should not send bytes too fast, and sometimes bytes get missed. Hopefully this will change in the future.

You can address one or both of the halves by sending one of the following values:

0 - address left
1 - address right
2 - address both

If you want to send a data value from 0 to 3 (inclusive) and don't want to address a screen, you can first send a "3", which indicates that the next byte should be treated as a data byte instead of an address byte.

Immediately after you address a screen, you send a command:

64 - Turn on life, and randomly occasionally reset
65 - Turn on life without the periodic random reset
66 - Run test pattern
67 - Act as single-buffered framebuffer
68 - Act as double-buffered framebuffer

70 - clear framebuffer, home cursor
71 - set x coordinate of cursor
72 - set y coordinate of cursor
73 - for double-buffered framebuffer, swap front and back buffers
74 - for double-buffered framebuffer, do a single round of life and swap front and back buffers

When setting an x or y coordinate of the cursor, follow the command with the cursor position added to 128. The cursor is 8 pixels wide horozontally and 1 pixel tall. Valid values for setting the X cursor coordinate are 128 through 135. Valid values for setting the Y cursor coordinate are 128 through 175.

After you have issued attention and a command, any further bytes you send will be placed on the screen at the cursor, and then the cursor will go to the next 8 pixels. It scans in the standard left-to-right, top-to-bottom order.

An example script, "gliders.sh", will place a bunch of gliders on the display. (You may need to change the "port" variable to match your local serial port). Note that it has several times where it stops and asks you if everything is ok; use ctrl-c to abort if any bytes got missed in transit, and then start over.

For further information, UTSL.

Big LED Screen

2011-08-31T15:27:00Z

70.36.143.152: /* Programming the xbee */

= The Big LED Screen =

=== Overview ===

* Dimensions (in pixels) are 128 by 48
* The buffer board stores data into a couple memory chips, which are then accessible to the daughterboards which drive the actual LEDs.
* There are four daughterboards, in two chains of length two. Each of these daughterboards is connected to a single "section" of LEDs (ie: there are four big "sections" of LEDs). Each daughterboard runs a section of 32 by 48 pixels.

=== History ===

* Originally controlled by a 386; mobo is shot.
* The 386 connects via ISA to a "buffer board" which looks to be a memory buffer and power conditioner.
* The "buffer board" has most traces terminating to a socket with a missing chip, so we don't know what happened here.

==== Buffer board ====

Tonight (2008-12-30) Josh worked from the backend up a bit, but eventually gave up. He then moved to the ISA frontside and worked down, which was far more productive.

The device appears to sit at ISA IO ports 0x180 through 0x183. The addresses are decoded by U51 (74688 comparator), which then hits the OE2 on U52-19 (74541 driver iirc). This is then used to feed U53 and U54 (both 74574 D-flip-flops). These appear to be there to combat fan-out. He's not entirely certain where these go, but it seemed like they were going into the RAMs.

The low bits of the ISA address selection sit on the rightmost two pins on the top row of the header, SA1 and SA0, in that order (Just hook the connector up and use the multimeter if that's nonsensical). I haven't traced them through yet; I was in the middle of it when my time ran out. They look to run over to the empty chip socket on the right side of the board. Most traces tend to terminate at this chip socket, so most likely we won't be able to use the display logic on the buffer board.

==== Daughterboards ====

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31848713@N00/3430719610/ Picture of a daughterboard]

The daughterboards each have qty 3 UCN5832A ([[Image:Ucn5832.pdf]]) 32-bit shift registers (for a total of 96 bits) which drive an array of 32 by 48 pixels (for a total of 1536). The theory is the other end of the LEDs are connected to 16 different power sources, making all the LEDs addressable (96 * 16 = 1536). (The shift register does a current sink)

The daughterboards receive serial based on the following:

* The long 10-pin pigtails are as follows:
1 - UCN-40 CLK (serial clock)
2 - GND
3 - UCN-4 STROBE (latch driver)
4 - GND
5 - UCN-2 SIN (serial in)
6 - GND
7 - UCN-3 GND
8 - GND
9 - GND

Pin 1 is marked red. When looking into the end of the connector, when the red-marked wire is on the left, odd pins are on top. The keyed edge of the connector is also on top. The top left pin is pin 1.

Per Josh, the grounds do not need to be connected for now.

The serial is daisy chained together. There are two sets of two daughterboards (four daughterboards total) with 3 shift registers on each daughterboard. So, each chain of shift registers includes 6 shift registers for a total of 192 bits per chain.

* The 10-pin ports between the daughterboards (J3 and J2) are wired differently. J3 is:
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 - ground
6 -
7 - clock
8 -
9 - serial out (j2) / serial in (j3)
10 -

(The existing logic shifts out 200 bits instead of 192; we don't know why).

Looking at the sign doing STROBE: sequences 130us apart, within each sequence, 5 peaks @+5V, 4us each high, otherwise the signal is low.

Looking at CLK: We do a bunch of lcokign, the strobe, etc. 8 CLKs in 5us, entire process takes 125us, appx 200CLKs. This gives an input rate of 1.6MHz(!)

The shift register is rated for 3.3Mhz, so we could conceivably drive it faster than the 1.5Mhz that it's currently running.

== Current Operation ==

=== Overview ===

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31848713@N00/3430728760/in/photostream/ Overview of the inside of the screen (picture)]

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31848713@N00/3429916211/in/photostream/ Detail of our breadboard (picture)]

==== LED Hardware ====

The sign is currently driven by two boarduinos on a solderless breadboard. One controls the left half of the sign, and the other controls the right half.

The old hardware buffer board has 16 power sources that it cycles through in sequence. It goes through each cycle of 16 power sources at about 500 Hz. (So it changes power sources every 1/8000th of a second).

Each boarduino shifts bits out along a serial line controlling 192 shift registers. These shift registers act as controllable current-limited drains.

The LEDs on the display have their anodes connected to the power sources. Each anode is shared by 192 LEDs.

The LEDs on the display have their cathodes connected to the shift registers. Each shift register pin is shared by 16 LEDs.

This gives us 3072 LEDs per half of the display, which are arranged into an array 64 LEDs wide by 48 LEDs tall.

The boarduinos have connections to the preexisting circuitry to tell which power source is in use at any time, and send the respective data to the shift registers for display.

We also have an xbee series 1 (802.15.4) wireless chip onboard so we don't have to open up the sign to talk to it.

==== Software ====

Though we are using arduino compatible hardware, we are using AVR-GCC to compile native code directly for the atmel mega168 chip on the boarduino. The arduino framework does not perform well enough nor allow us good access to the atmega168 integrated chip features such as SPI and TWI.

We are using lady ada's arduino bootloader. This acts like an atmel stk500 programmer, and allows us to upload software over the wireless connection.

The XBEE wireless chip has virtual transparenet pins configured so we can control the reset pins of the two boarduinos independently, and upload new code to each half of the sign at a time.

The two halves talk to each other using the TWI interface on the atmega168.

=== Pin connections ===

[[Image:ledscreen-schematic.png|500px]]

Here are the pins that need to be connected other than power and ground:

* MOSI (PB3) - this sends serial data to the daughterboard
* SCK (PB5) - this sends lcock signal to the daughterboard
* PB1 - this should be connected to the latch/strobe signal from the old buffer board
* PB0 - this should be connected to the latch/strobe signal going to the daughterboard
* PD7 - this should be hooked up to the left side of one of the power sources on the buffer board through a voltage divider (and small capacitor to stabilize the signal) to bring the 15 volts down to 5 volts. Do not use the output of the power source, since it's not nearly as stable.

It uses the existing STROBE (latch) signal from the buffer board for timing, and reads the state of one of the buffer board's output powers to synchronize where in the sequence of 16 power sources. It captures the latch signal and re-emits it to the daughterboard.

It ignores the serial clock and serial data from the buffer board.

Unfortunately this has very little processor time to spare since it's spending all its time clocking out the serial data. We're probably limited to very basic patterns on here.

== Usage ==

=== Getting the source ===

The source is in a mercurial repository on [[pony]]. Point your mercurial client at http://pony.local/d3/nils/bigledscreen to pull down a copy of it.

=== Programming the xbee ===

To control the sign wirelessly, you will want to program an xbee chip to interface with it. I recommend the "xbee explorer" from sparkfun. To program your new xbee, you will need to make sure your xbee has a recent enough firmware (10A5 is recommended). Unfortunately firmware upgrade must be done using Digi/MaxStream's "X-CTU" application which runs under windows. This can be performed with wine and linux. See [http://paparazzi.enac.fr/wiki/XBee_configuration paparazzi's]xbee config page and [http://www.digi.com/support/kbase/kbaseresultdetl.jsp?id=2182 digi's xbee support page] for information about using x-ctu or minicom with your xbee.

The Xbee on the computer side needs to have a small hardware modification to work: pins AD0 and AD1 need to be shorted, and pins AD2 and AD3 need to be shorted. This is because the xbee connected to your computer toggles pins 0 and 2 to control the state of pins 1 and 3, and pins 1 and 3 are mirrored by the xbee connected to the sign. If you use a stock xbee, you'll still be able to talk to the sign with it but you won't be able to flash new firmware.

Once you have your xbee connected to your computer, you can use xbee-pgm.pl to set it up to talk to the sign such as the following:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 program-computer-side

where /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 is the serial port for your xbee.

If your xbee was configured to use the original 9600 baud rate, you will need to run this twice to actually write the new baud rate to flash. Your xbee will now talk at 19200 baud, and is now configured to talk to the sign.

=== Uploading new sign code ===

To compile new sign code, simply "make" in the bigledscreen directory. This will produce a "ledlife.hex" file that you can upload to the sign. If you are unfamiliar with AVR programming and avrdude, you should go through one of the tutorials on the internet first. This is not a good first project.

To upload new sign code, you must upload to each half of the sign separately. First, activate the reset pins on both halves of the sign:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 all-high

Now, release the reset pin on half of the sign. This allows the left half of the sign to boot up:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 3-high

The atmega168 will now start the Lady Ada's bootloader, which acts just like a stk500.

Immediately, start your "avrdude" to upload code. If you do not do this fast enough, you will need to toggle the reset pin again.

avrdude -F -b 19200 -c stk500v1 -p m168 -P /dev/cu.usbserial-A12345 -e -U flash:w:ledlife.hex

Sometimes this will fail. If it fails repeatedly, reposition your xbee closer to the sign, or reorient it, and try again.

Once this half is done, you can upload the right half:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 1-high
avrdude -F -b 19200 -c stk500v1 -p m168 -P /dev/cu.usbserial-A12345 -e -U flash:w:ledlife.hex

Then you can release the reset pin on the left half so it can boot up, and both halves can run:

./xbee-pgm.pl /dev/cu.usbserial.A12345 all-low

=== Controlling a running sign ===

You can use the "sendcmd.pl" script to send bytes to the sign. The usage is similar to xbee-pgm.pl:

./sendcmd.pl <serial port> <byte code>

<byte code> is the decimal value of the byte to send. You should not send bytes too fast, and sometimes bytes get missed. Hopefully this will change in the future.

You can address one or both of the halves by sending one of the following values:

0 - address left
1 - address right
2 - address both

If you want to send a data value from 0 to 3 (inclusive) and don't want to address a screen, you can first send a "3", which indicates that the next byte should be treated as a data byte instead of an address byte.

Immediately after you address a screen, you send a command:

64 - Turn on life, and randomly occasionally reset
65 - Turn on life without the periodic random reset
66 - Run test pattern
67 - Act as single-buffered framebuffer
68 - Act as double-buffered framebuffer

70 - clear framebuffer, home cursor
71 - set x coordinate of cursor
72 - set y coordinate of cursor
73 - for double-buffered framebuffer, swap front and back buffers
74 - for double-buffered framebuffer, do a single round of life and swap front and back buffers

When setting an x or y coordinate of the cursor, follow the command with the cursor position added to 128. The cursor is 8 pixels wide horozontally and 1 pixel tall. Valid values for setting the X cursor coordinate are 128 through 135. Valid values for setting the Y cursor coordinate are 128 through 175.

After you have issued attention and a command, any further bytes you send will be placed on the screen at the cursor, and then the cursor will go to the next 8 pixels. It scans in the standard left-to-right, top-to-bottom order.

An example script, "gliders.sh", will place a bunch of gliders on the display. (You may need to change the "port" variable to match your local serial port). Note that it has several times where it stops and asks you if everything is ok; use ctrl-c to abort if any bytes got missed in transit, and then start over.

For further information, UTSL.

Meeting Notes 2011 04 05

2011-08-30T22:44:55Z

70.36.143.152: ugh fix meeting number date

== Agenda ==

[https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Category:Meeting_Notes The 154th Meeting of Noisebridge]

Note-taker:[[User:ben]]

Moderator: [[User:Zed]]

=== Introduction and Names ===

Names:

* Zed
* Chris
* Shannen
* Aestetix
* James
* Jean
* John who is [not!] an alcoholic also his introduction was conjunctive and not two sentences
* A wanderer & drifter - computers, programming & infrastructure
* Miloh
* Mike
* Josh
* Rachel - Apple products
* Cynthia (question about spot; TAKE SPOT BY FORCE)
* Kelly - Neuroscience
* Ben
* Alison - Librarian - NEW?
* Franchesca - NEW
* Jamil - NEW
* Chris

=== Introduction ===

* [[Noisebridge_Vision|What Noisebridge is about]]: "Noisebridge is a 501c3 nonprofit that provides a space for creation, collaboration, and learning about technology and creative projects. Noisebridge provides space, power tools, and infrastructure to help the public learn new skills and create cool things. Noisebridge continues to exist through and depends entirely on membership fees and donations. Our code of conduct is 'Be excellent to each other'."
* Round of introductions: What's your name, what do you do, and if you are new, how did you hear about Noisebridge? Start with the moderator and go left.
* [[Consensus Process|A brief primer on consensus process]]: We agree and so should you! Only paid-up members can block consensus. (THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT OK, BUT BECOME A MEMBER AND TRY IT ON FOR SIZE. Become a part of the meta-community!)

=== Announcements ===

Lost in the hand-written mess of notes

===== Weekly =====

Mondays:
* Circuit Hacking Mondays: Mitch and Miloh.
* [[iPhone OS developer weekly meetup]]
* Python class -- still ongoing according to reports.
* Garbage Night (THIS IS REALLY FUN AND YOU SHOULD COME PARTICIPATE)

Tuesdays:
* [[Django_Study_Group]] on Tuesday
* [[Linux_System_Administration_Study_Group]] on Tuesday
* [[Cooking_Classes |Tastebridge cooking class]]
* [[Probability]] class on Tuesdays

Wednesday:
* [[Linux_Discussion_Group]]
* [[Unityversity |GameDevelopment]]
* [[SCoW]] Sewing and Crafting
* [[Machine_Learning]] – did not meet last week

Thursday:
* Noisebridge: In-Depth - 7pm: "Anarchism & Technology: An unbridgeable chasm". Aragorn! (aka Aragorn Bang

Sundays:
* Spacebridge is starting back up on Sundays
* Knots, [[Go]], and [[Locks!]]
* Go playing
* 2nd Sunday of each month - BAHA @ 2pm

===== Non-weekly =====
* [[Second Saturdays]] are Noisebridge buildout days.
* 3rd Thursday of Month: [[Five Minutes of Fame]] -- 5Mof.net is still open, so you can submit talks and be famous for five minutes.
* 2nd Sunday of Month [[Bay Area Hacker's Association]]

Note: Pwn Your Own is cancelled – person who organized it is in San Diego.

Note: BASE is no longer on our checkin list, what happened to them? Praveen knows about BASE, we should ask him.

=== Financial Report ===
* Funds in bank: $15,917.89
* Rent has been paid.
* We would like to keep 10k in savings
* Working 5k expense buffer
* Have 5k cushion, get 3-4k more

=== Membership Binder ===

* Zed notes there are currently zero 4 week old membership applications. (perceive inference this is not good, see meta-community above)

=== What's Going On at Noisebridge ===

=== Project Updates ===

=== Consensus items ===

Three, NO, ONE! T-Shirts. How many? 200. Stickers would be nice. Stickers are discussion item for 11.04.12 meeting #151

=== Discussion Items ===

Stickers are discussion item for 11.04.12 meeting #151

=== End of Meeting ===

End of meeting: NOISEBRIDGE IS AWESOME.

[[Category:Meeting Notes]]

Meeting Notes 2011 08 30

2011-08-30T22:42:33Z

70.36.143.152: /* Agenda */ add in meeting number

== HOWTO run a meeting. ==

Pick a moderator, and a note-taker. The note-taker should:

* write notes in this page, put them back up online when they're done,
* edit the frontpage so that it points to this weeks and next week's meeting notes in the meeting bit,
* edit the [[Current_Consensus_Items|Current Consensus Items]] if anything is decided to be up for consensus next week (stuff raised for consensus this week should be publicised for a final decision next week)
* edit the [[Consensus_Items_History|Consensus Items History]] if anything was consensed or failed to consense this week.
* tell treasurer@noisebridge.net and secretary@noisebridge.net if there are new members.

Moderator should:
* make sure everyone gets a chance to speak
* speak minimally themselves
* keep the meeting moving! you're in charge of summarising the consensus, and/or suggesting things that need to be done!
* get the membership binders and ensure they are returned to the black desk

== Agenda ==

[https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Category:Meeting_Notes The 176th Meeting of Noisebridge]

Note-taker: FIXME YOUR NAME HERE

Moderator: FIXME THEIR NAME HERE

=== Introduction and Names ===
* [[Noisebridge_Vision|What Noisebridge is about]]: "Noisebridge is a 501c3 nonprofit that provides a space for creation, collaboration, and learning about technology and creative projects. Noisebridge provides space, power tools, and infrastructure to help the public learn new skills and create cool things. Noisebridge continues to exist through and depends entirely on membership fees and donations. Our code of conduct is 'Be excellent to each other'."
* Round of introductions: What's your name, what do you do, and if you are new, how did you hear about Noisebridge? Start with the moderator and go left.
* [[Consensus Process|A brief primer on consensus process]]: We agree and so should you! Only paid-up members can block consensus.

=== Short Announcements ===

Cool new projects? Something you'd like people to know? Say now, but keep it short!

=== New or Stale Events ===

Is there anything new happening at the space?
Is there anything that has stopped happening at the space?

* Noisebridge 3 Year Anniversary and Hacker Prom, October 1st

=== Financial Report ===
Funds in bank:

=== Membership Binder ===
* Read off any names from the binder for the past month. Write a check on every open application.
* Anyone up for joining this week (ie have four checks by their name + have two sponsors) should introduce themselves then leave the area in search of gifts (traditionally beer and a lime) for the rest of the group. The rest of the meeting should consense on whether they may join.

=== Consensus items ===

''(Add any new items for consensus to the [[Current_Consensus_Items|Current Consensus Items]] page.)''

=== Discussion Items ===

=== End of Meeting ===
* [[PGP|PGP Key Signing]] could happen now, check the [[PGP|list]] to see who wants in on the action.
* Put back the membership binder in the black desk.
* Save the meeting notes to the wiki.
* Send a copy of the meeting notes to the discussion list.
* Copy the [[Meeting Notes Template]] for next week's agenda and update the main wiki page's link to it.
* Enjoy a cocktail with your fellow hacker or robot.

[[Category:Meeting Notes]]