Archive for March, 2012

Saving settings to XML Configuration Files

Posted by Marco Minerva in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 25, 2012

Posted by Marco Minerva Some times ago I published a class that allows to read XML Configurtion Files (.config) in the standard .NET format. Now, I am asked how to change and save these settings back to file. So, I have updated the ConfigurationManager class to support these new features. There are two new methods: […]

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.NET Gadgeteer Relay Actuator via REST Web Service

Posted by Michael Dodaro in Embedded Microcontrollers, REST Web Services on March 23, 2012

The .NET Gadgeteer Relay Module from Seeed Studio can be used to activate devices that are designed to run on common household electrical circuits of 120 volts AC or higher if necessary.  The four relays on the Seeed Relay Module are switches with the options, normally open or normally closed. You can power on or power off […]

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.NET Gadgeteer Motor Driver with Two Motors and Potentiometer

Posted by Michael Dodaro in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 21, 2012

An earlier post describes how to use a potentiometer with the GHI Electronics Motor Driver L298 module.  This example connects two motors to the motor controller, and the motors run simple mechanical parts, as shown in the following video. There are two buttons that start and stop the separate motors, and a potentiometer controls the speed of […]

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.NET Gadgeteer Motor Control with Potentiometer

Posted by Michael Dodaro in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 19, 2012

The GHI Electronics Motor Driver L298 Module provides a method for setting the speed of the two motors it can operate concurrently: MoveMotor(Gadgeteer.Modules.GHIElectronics.MotorControllerL298.Motor _motorSide, int _newSpeed). There is also a method that will ramp up the speed over a time interval: MoveMotorRampNB(Gadgeteer.Modules.GHIElectronics.MotorControllerL298.Motor _motorSide, int _newSpeed, int _rampingDelayMilli). These methods work pretty much as you would expect after […]

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Vijay Kumar on Flying Robots

Posted by Michael Dodaro in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 16, 2012

Here’s a TED talk and demo that could help us imagine some exciting .NET Gadgeteer projects. Link to original video on TED. See also Devhammer’s Den (infrared) LED array used with .NET Gadgeteer to control an IR remote control helicopter.

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Saving Sensor Data as Comma Separated Values (csv) on the SD Card

Posted by Michael Dodaro in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 15, 2012

Data is often persisted in text files as comma separated values. This kind of data can be viewed and analyzed by Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software.  Applications based on the .NET Micro Framework and .NET Gadgeteer can easily save data in this format using a module such as the GHI Electronics SD Card module. […]

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Controlling Text-To-Speech from a client application

Posted by Marco Minerva in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 11, 2012

Posted by Marco Minerva Some times ago I talked about my library that allows to add Text-To-Speech capabilities to a .NET Gadgeteer application. In that occasion, we saw an example in which the text to speak was directly included into the application. But we can do something more interesting. Using the network features of .NET […]

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Controllare il Text-To-Speech da un’applicazione client (Italiano)

Posted by Marco Minerva in Articoli in Italiano on March 11, 2012

Inviato da Marco Minerva Qualche tempo fa ho presentato la mia libreria che permette di aggiungere funzionalità di Text-To-Speech in un’applicazione .NET Gadgeteer. In tale occasione, abbiamo visto un esempio in cui il testo da riprodurre era incluso direttamente nell’applicazione. Ma possiamo fare qualcosa di più interessante. Sfruttando il supporto al networking incluso nella piattaforma […]

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Posture Regulator with LED Alert – Silent

Posted by Michael Dodaro in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 10, 2012

This is a second iteration on the device using a Seeed accelerometer as posture sensor that sends alerts when the user’s posture lapses from the position desirable for working extended periods in the seated position.  The previous version used a buzzer on a relay circuit as an alert.  It produced a sound that could drive one to distraction.  This version uses a LED that simply […]

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Posture Regulator using .NET Gadgeteer Accelerometer from Seeed Studio

Posted by Michael Dodaro in Embedded Microcontrollers on March 9, 2012

People who work in technology often spend many hours at the computer, which can make it difficult to maintain good posture.  I’ve been advised by a physical therapist to keep my chest high with my head and neck upright.  The problem is that fatigue tends to make me slouch. Then my neck is out of alignment, […]

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