Category > Part III Project

Embedded RSS

I have recently been asked several times about the code details for my Arduino RSS Reader. I have been freely handing this out, so it is now posted here for everybody to download: Download RSS Reader Sketch This zip archive contains the Arduino sketch and a few custom libraries (including the RSS parser). The amount [...]

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A Better Real-time Library for Arduino

For my project I required a simple timer library for the Arduino development environment, something with a simple-but-powerful interface to schedule tasks to complete in the future or at regular intervals. There doesn’t really seem to be anything suitable online – a host of over-complicated APIs that use several classes, structs and rely heavily on [...]

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Reading RSS on the AVR

Last February, I saw an RSS Reader implemented on an AVR ATmega8, which seemed impressive but was, in reality, just a serial-controlled LCD terminal. The general consensus was that it’d be cool if this were done without the requirement for the PC – this was the topic of my third-year project at university. My Embedded [...]

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Another Step Forward

I now have all the component parts in place for my Embedded RSS reader, Ethernet, TCP and the liquid crystal display (who knew the pin-out was backwards?). The software is almost complete too, just a morning of integration and a little testing then there should be something to post here in the form of a [...]

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Downloading RSS to the AVR

I have finally managed to fix a nasty little bug with my AVR-powered RSS reader (more details coming here shortly). Basically, it would get half-way through downloading the RSS document, pause for a second and the AVR would restart itself. I thought it was an issue with the network connection, but trying to diagnose over [...]

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AVR Development on the Arduino

I have just started using an Arduino for my project. I hadn’t considered it as a platform before, but I am starting to love it for rapid development. It is so usable – no loose wiring to connect up programmers or power supplies – it’s all integrated into a single unit. I very nearly have [...]

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Pointers on the Atmel AVR

I have just resolved a rather weird bug in a 3rd party library for the Atmel AVR. Compiling under OS X the code runs perfectly, but on the AVR it runs like a dog. The secret is, apparently, in the heavy use of C pointers and pointer arithmetic to manage complex data structures within the [...]

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Good Documentation

I am not one for providing copious documentation within source code – especially when it is totally unnecessary. However, I do like to see complex structures and crazy little hacks statements are given a little qualification. Today, whilst trying to port a software library to the AVR family of microprocessors I came across a good [...]

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