Thursday, 25 September 2014

Xtrinsic Mems Sensor Board

The Xtrinsic Sensor Board from Freescale Semiconductor is an external add-on board for the Raspberry Pi. It was designed initially for the 26-pin GPIO Raspberry Model B, but recently added the support for the new Raspberry Pi B+.

The board is designed mainly for the Raspberry Pi and the BeagleBone Black, and some forums said that it has support for Arduino. However, looking for online tutorials for Arduino on using the sensor was extremely limited and I've made little progress on it since.

The board features 3 main sensors:

  • MPL 3115 - A high precision pressure sensor (returns X, Y, Z value)
  • MAG3110 - A 3D Magnetometer 
  • MMA8491 - A 3 axis accelerometer

Getting started with the sensor is fairly simple, since there are already downloadable Python, PHP and HTML scripts written online to make use of the sensor on the Raspberry Pi. It has even tutorials on how to use the scripts to create your web server that hosts the data collected from your sensor to the web. 

Although it works like a charm, the new layout of the Raspberry Pi B+ made it impossible to access the HDMI port of the Raspberry Pi when the sensor board is attached to the Pi. It worked for me since I used Remote Desktop to access the Pi, and other alternative solutions to use it when the sensor is attached, is to use SSH or connecting it to the Analog TV using the 3.5mm port of the Raspberry Pi. Apart from these methods, it is impossible to make use of the HDMI port of the Pi.

Do share this post to your friends who are getting this board for their new Raspberry Pi since there are little articles online explaining the inability to access the HDMI board on the new Raspberry Pi. I gladly appreciate it!       :-)

Link to purchase the sensor: http://sg.element14.com/freescale-semiconductor/xtrinsic-sense-board/add-on-board-freescale-xtrinsic/dp/2365353


The images below shows that the 3 pins on the Xtrinsic board blocks the HDMI port access of the Raspberry Pi board:












Wednesday, 27 August 2014

How to get started with Raspberry Pi!

In this post, I will show you how to get started from scratch with Raspberry Pi.

Please ensure that you have the following items to get started (All items are in the Amazon links below for easy purchase and checkout)

1) Raspberry Pi B+

2) Micro-USB Charger 5V-2Amp

3) 8GB Micro-SD Card (Class 4 and above) (4GB or more) OR NOOBS SD Card (see link below)

4) HDMI TV / Monitor OR DVI/VGA Monitors with relevant adapters

5) USB Keyboard

6) USB Mouse

Optional:

7) Wireless Dongle (WiPi) OR Ethernet cable

8) Raspberry Pi B+ enclosure


All items are down in the Amazon Link and is within USD$100 (excluding Monitor & Casing) which is highly suitable for people with tight budget:

http://astore.amazon.com/tecgadgee-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=4



Steps to begin:

1) Prepare your Micro-SD card with NOOBS. (Click on NOOBS to download)

2) Extract the contents of NOOBS and drag into your Micro-SD card.

3) After the copying is complete, remove the card from the computer and insert it to the underside of your Raspberry Pi.

4) Now, plug in the HDMI cable that is connected to your monitor to the HDMI port of your Raspberry Pi.

5) Plug in your USB keyboard and mouse.

6) Plug in your Ethernet cable if you have any.

7) Plug in your Micro-USB charger to your Raspberry Pi and connect it to your wall outlet.

8) Turn on your power source and you should see your Raspberry Pi booting up for the first time. If everything is successful, you should see a long list of command lines appearing on your screen. If you do not see anything, please check that all your cable connections are connected correctly, and also check that the contents of the Micro-SD card contains the files of the extracted NOOBS folder.

9) You will be prompted to make some changes in the utility setup for the first boot up. Make the correct changes (eg Date, time, region) in the utility settings. Once you're done, you see your Desktop of the Raspberry Pi.

10) You have now successfully completed setting up your very first Raspberry Pi! Congratulations!







Tuesday, 26 August 2014

Raspberry Pi B+ is here!

Just got the Raspberry Pi B+ from element14!

Transitioning from the Model B to the new B+ poses new challenges.

1) Memory card type is different. My old SD card that I'm using for the Model B could not be used, since the new model only uses Micro-SD card. Migrating data over from one storage card to another is time consuming.

2) Due to the new 40 pin GPIO, the Adafruit Cobbler Kit for the Model B cannot work with the new model. Adafruit has introduced the new Cobbler Kit Plus that is dedicated to the new 40-pin layout of the B+ and has brand new layout with new schematics and functionality.

However, for users who still owns the old Cobbler Kit, Adafruit provides a way to resolve this. They introduced a special GPIO cable that downgrades the 40-pin connection to the 26 pin connection so that they can connect to the old 26 pin Cobbler Kit.

For those out there interested in knowing the difference between the old and new Cobbler Kit schematics, the pictures are down below: (Top is New) (Bottom is old)


Links to purchase the new accessories: (Click on the links / Amazon Links)

1) Downgrade Cable

2) Cobbler Kit Plus (New)
Download Datasheet for Raspberry Pi B+




Friday, 25 July 2014

FlightLocator for Windows Phone 8

Just a month after submitting my Flight Locater app on the Pebble App Store, I've written exactly the same app for the Windows Phone platform. With the capabilities of Windows Phone 8 tools, I'm able to validate input entries and handle exceptions if the flight detail cease to exist. This is the first stage of my submission, so in less than a week time, I will be uploading my 1.1 version of the app. Let me hint at some interesting features that I will add on:

- Handling no network exception
- Displaying logos of popular airlines
- Much more elegant UI

As such, please remember to like and share the app if you think that it is useful. Do review and rate it as well :)

However, please be warned that the information displayed may be inaccurate, so DO NOT use this app as your primary source for your flight details. Instead, refer to the information provided to you by your ticket provider or airline in case of any last minute flight changes. Always cross check information from watch with the information from your ticket provider/airline!

Update: As of 26/7/2014, I have released version 1.1.0.0 of the App! If you have downloaded, you can get the update absolutely free!

New Features included:

- Handling no network exception
- Displaying logos of popular airlines

Update: As of 27/7/2014, I have released version 1.1.1.0 of the App! If you have downloaded, you can get the update absolutely free!

New Features included:

- In-App Advertisements
- Bug Fixes

Update: As of 31/7/2014, I have released version 1.2.1.0 of the App! If you have downloaded, you can get the update absolutely free!

New Features included:

- Brand New UI
- Bug Fixes

Update: As of 6/8/2014, I have released version 1.2.2.0 of the App! If you have downloaded, you can get the update absolutely free!

New Features included:

- Live Tiles Support
- Bug Fixes

Link to Windows Phone Store:
http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=c267924d-2e81-418f-b30f-8559b070bf9b

Screenshots of my app:

Saturday, 19 July 2014

Raspberry Pi Model B+

After 2 years since the launch of the Raspberry Pi Model B, the affordable and fun computer is back with another new model: Model B+. For the same price as the previous model at US$35, is it worth the upgrade from your existing Model B?

The processor on the new B+ is still the same (700MHz Broadcom processor) with the same amount of RAM (512MB). What has really changed is the addition of 14 more GPIO pins, making up a total of 40 GPIO pins on the board. They have re-invented the power supply on the Pi to be much more energy efficient, saving up to 0.5 to 1 W of energy. They included 2 more USB 2.0 ports to a total of 4 USB ports on the Pi which is definitely a plus for users who wants to connect more devices to their Pi. Traditionally, users need to purchase their own external powered USB hubs to connect their peripherals and thus making their setup messy with dangling cables. Finally the noticeable change is to the onboard storage card re-design. In the past, the Raspberry Pi will only work with SD cards or Micro-SD cards with an adapter for its main storage, resulting in the extended area of the Pi due to the exposed area of the SD card. With the adoption of Micro-SD card slots, the Pi is able to have its own main storage card sit within the structure of the Pi, with no exposed area of the storage card.

The changes this time round focus more on the design rather than the hardware specs of the computer, thus I don't really see a need to upgrade from my existing Model B. But the new Model B+ is definitely worth getting for users who have yet to try out the Raspberry Pi.

Want to learn how to get started with Programming on the Raspberry Pi? Click on the Course Brochure from Learn2Develop.net for more information on the upcoming Raspberry Pi course in Singapore! You will also get to bring home your very own Raspberry Pi Model B+, Official Raspberry Pi Micro-USB charger and Sandisk 8GB Micro-SD card with SD Adapter!

Course Brochure (8 Sep 2014)

Feeling interested to get your very own Raspberry Pi B+?  Use the link down below!





Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Flight Locater on Pebble

To all Pebble users out there! I've just written a cool application that allows you to display your flight information on your Pebble smartwatch! Enter your flight detail in the configuration page on your phone and your watch will display all the important information.

Ever wanted to view your flight details at your fingertips without the constant need to refer to your phone? This app will solve that problem! It provides past flight details (up to 4 days from current day) and future flight details (up to 4 days from current day), so its easy to check the flight that you're about to board.

To developers out there who are curious on how my app works, my code simply requests flight information from Flightstats' JSON web service using Javascript, and displaying the information using C code on the Pebble.

Use the link below to download my app.

As of 5/7/2014, the app on the iOS platform is not yet ready due to some issues with Apple and I seek your understanding for the delay and inconvenience caused.

As of 10/7/2014, the app on the iOS platform is finally approved! Thank you for your patience!

As of 25/12/2014, I have released version 1.1 of the app. It brings an improved Flight Configuration Utility page as well as support for flights up to year 2020. I have changed the file hosting of the utility page to my personal web server, therefore it should perform more efficiently.

As of 1/2/2015, I have released version 1.2 of the app, which I moved the Flight Configuration Utility to Amazon's Web Servers, which assures little downtimes and maximum performance.


Please also leave your feedback down in the comments below to let me know what I should improve on in the future update for the app. Do let me know what you think!

Do review it and share it with your friends if you find the app useful. Also, if you enjoyed using the app, give it a like on the Pebble store so that more people can notice this useful app! However, please be warned that the information displayed may be inaccurate, so DO NOT use this app as your primary source for your flight details. Instead, refer to the information provided to you by your ticket provider or airline in case of any last minute flight changes. Always cross check information from watch with the information from your ticket provider/airline!

If you find any errors or any problems with the app, please do not hesitate to write an email to support@clarencechng.com, and I will get back to you ASAP. Thanks!





Link to Pebble Appstore (web):
https://apps.getpebble.com/applications/53b40643e15ac85ce6000256

Link to install Application (only for iOS and Android users):
pebble://appstore/53b40643e15ac85ce6000256

Saturday, 21 June 2014

Amazon Prime Instant Video

Signup for Amazon Prime Instant Video and enjoy 30 days free trial using this link now: Signup here!

Monday, 16 June 2014

Brother Printer Wireless Monochrome Printer, Dark Grey (HL2280DW)


Looking for a simple to use, affordable and easy-to-manage printer? Brother HL2280DW is the answer! It is one of the best monochrome printers out there in the market and has a good review of 4.5 stars on Amazon! It features automatic duplex, high speed printing of 27 pages per minute as well as wireless printing from local machines. Having used a similar model like the HL2280DW from Brother, the toner refill isn't too expensive as compared to an inkjet printer that I've used prior to my existing one. A toner for 2600 pages is about $45 now on Amazon.

Use the link below from Amazon to purchase it:

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Signup for DVLUP

What is DVLUP?

A post from +Chanse Arrington  (@ChanseArrington) should explain it all. In short, DVLUP is a website that motivates mobile application developer (specifically Nokia and Windows Phone Developers) to write great apps through incentives where you can earn points, and challenge yourself to write great quality apps for the Windows Store!

Blog Post : http://blog.dvlup.com/2012/11/07/welcome-to-dvlup-so-what-is-it-2/

I got to know DVLUP from writing Windows Phone Apps using App Studio, which I have written a simple application not long ago. App Studio is a fantastic and simple to use web development tool that provides hassle free experience for non-programmers to kick off app development with zero programming knowledge. I will leave a link down below to my app if you are interested to see how amazing apps can be created with App Studio.

My Application created using App Studio : http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/official-tech-gadget-geek-app/b6bc5711-ac65-45bd-a647-c38867147077

Are you motivated to write great apps? Stop waiting and get started! To be a part of DVLUP, you can simply use my referral link down below and it should get you up and running in no time!

Referral Link to DVLUP : www.dvlup.com/mrclarencechng/invite


Sunday, 25 May 2014

What I Want OSX 10.10 To Have

WWDC 2014 is coming soon! Are you excited? Extremely eager to upgrade to their upcoming OS!

1) What I wanted is simultaneous audio output! I am really hoping that Apple would allow users to output audio from both the Built-In speakers as well as the headphone audio jack. This would help me a ton in keeping my desk neat as I have a 2.1 Speaker System, which consists of the subwoofer as well as 2 satellite speakers, and having the entire speaker set on my table is extremely messy. Instead, with Apple enabling such features allows me to connect the subwoofer through the audio jack without connecting the satellite speakers to the subwoofer, and simultaneously project sound through the Mac's Built-In speaker, keeping things simple and with great awesome sound quality!

2) Airplay your iOS devices on your Mac. This is a greatly demanded feature for iOS and Mac users who simply wants to mirror their iOS display on the Mac during a presentation. This is a feature that Apple seemed to have missed in previous versions of OSX. The only way to do this is to purchase Air Server, which is a third party software that performs iOS screen mirroring on your Macs real-time. It will cost you about USD$15 for a consumer license which I find it pretty expensive.