CMiYC Labs, Inc.

Open Source Hardware (OSH) means not only releasing devices, but all of the documentation associated with them. For some projects, this may include the actual CAD files used to produce the device. For example, the Arduino team produces not only schematics but the Eagle PCB CAD files for each of their boards. The great thing about such disclosure is that one can easily tweak the existing design for their own purposes. The downside is that nearly anyone can submit the exact same files to their own production house and have immediate clones.

Even when some people choose to do this, as have some eBay (and now Amazon) sellers, differences crop up from “real” boards and the clones (aka “fakes”). Click on the above photo for a Flickr-based “spot the differences” game!

On the Janurary 15, 2011 edition of Adafruit’s “Ask An Engineer” live video chat, I heard LadyAda mention something about “Arduino Amnesia.”  After investing the situation a little further, it turns out there are some Issues with the new Arduino UNO Smd edition.

A bug in the new bootloader can be triggered on power-cycle causing the SMD version of the board to not load the previously stored sketch.  The good news is there is already a fix for the bug.  Either return the board to your Official Distributor or use a ISP to program the new bootloader.

Issues (if I could even use that word) like this makes Open Source Hardware fun!

After a long time posting to cmiyc.com, an upgrade to WordPress, and two physical moves I just wanted to make sure the blog still works….

Download: maccaching_build_97.zip(5.3mb)

Minor change in how uploads are handled (to correctly support USB). This is the only different from 96.

Just testing the upgrade to 2.2…

geocaching.com uses LOC files for its caches. If you are a premium member, then you have access to the GPX files. MacCaching was made around the GPX files. You can load a single cache or you import a pocket query. Initially, MacCaching didn’t support LOC files, so I created this wrapper around gpsbabel.

It is now a standalone LOC to GPX Converter for OS X (2.7mb).
Simply drop your LOC file onto the program’s window and a GPX will be generated.

The other day I had some time between client visits, so I set out to look for a couple of caches. The cache, GCPA29, was listed as a nano cache. This was my first one. Right before giving up on it, I accidently moved it. I thought the nano cache was a rubber screw head cover. Imagine my surprise!

The cache originally had no name, so I suggested “Ticker Tape!” (You’ll notice that it is now named, Ticker Tape…)

My first nano cache and the first cache I’ve named!