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A few design changes in rev4
There are not really that many changes from rev3 to rev4 of the JeeNode Zero. The main one was to extend the main header by one more pin, and to move the radio module to other pins so that all of...
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Making the silkscreen useful
The JeeNode Zero takes a different approach from most other boards: components are placed on what is considered the bottom of the PCB, with the top free for extensive silk screen labels.Here is the...
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Various JNZ developments
While waiting for the next JeeNode Zero revision, I’ve started on some examples and documentation for this new fun ecosystem.So there’s a bit of everything this week:Analog over wireless - WedSending...
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Analog over wireless
Let’s put the JeeNode Zero to work a bit, i.e. let’s repeatedly measure an analog voltage through its ADC, send the results over to another node via the radio, and display the received readings.We’re...
View ArticleSending multiple values
The previous article showed how to send a value wirelessly from one node to another, as text.While it’s a good example to start off with due to the simplicity, this doesn’t really scale. It’s tedious...
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A new documentation site
There’s quite a bit of new Forth code in the embello repository on GitHub, and more being added all the time - so it’ll become increasingly important that this code gets documented.There are many tools...
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The JNZ rev4 PCBs are in!
The PCB panels are in! They are produced by PCBcart, and arranged as 10 x 3 units:With a nice blue soldermask + gold plating, just like all the other official boards from JeeLabs.And here’s a close-up...
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The JeeNode Zero rev4
It’s official: the first batch of JeeNode Zero rev4’s has been assembled, pre-loaded with software, and tested. Currently in transit from NL to the UK shop. It’s real now:There are a number of articles...
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Getting started with a JNZ
One of the features of the JeeNode Zero, is that it takes minimal effort to get started: hook it up via any USB serial interface, using any terminal emulator you like, and you’re all set to go.Here’s a...
View ArticleInstalling more drivers in flash
An application written in Mecrisp Forth consists of a number of different parts:The Mecrisp kernel itself: this is 20 KB of Matthias Koch’s hand-craftedassembly code, turning a µC into a Forth compiler...
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Setting up a remote node
To try out RF communications, we need to go through a number of steps:hook up two JeeNode Zero boards, so we can develop on both in parallelwork out the code needed for the receive and send nodeslower...
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How all those JNZs are tested
One of the requirements of the JeeNode Zero rev4, is that each one has to be tested and then end up with the proper software loaded onto it. The obvious way to do this is to connect each board over...
View ArticlePost-mortem of a bug
As everyone knows, the later a bug shows up in production, the more trouble it is to fix…A few weeks ago, a batch of fresh JeeNode Zero rev4 boards was assembled, in itself the result of quite a bit of...
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A wireless rotary encoder
This week, I’ll be playing around a bit with a rotary encoder, wireless, and an OLED:But first, a brief tale of a belated little bug which caused a few surprises…Post-mortem of a bug - WedConnecting a...
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Connecting a rotary encoder
This exploration is about connecting a rotary encoder switch for use as an infinitely adustable up/down controller. The basic idea is that there are two switches inside, which generate pulses. In the...
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Cutting the rotary cord
Before moving on to the topic of this article, let’s figure out the problem that came up in the previous one, where adding an OLED display made the rotary encoder readout unreliable.The problem is...
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Making an always-on device
It’s all nice and well, but a JeeNode Zero which needs to remain tethered to a host to set it up after each reset is not very useful. Fortunately, this can be fixed using a simple recipe:add these two...
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Several years on a coin cell?
So far, the power consumption of the rotary encoder node has been optimised by taking the current draw from 5.0 mA to 45 µA - that’s an estimated coin cell battery life of 6 months.Unfortunately, this...
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Faster uploads through SPI
It turns out that a ROM-based serial upload with Folie takes about 22 seconds for a standard Embello install (Mecrisp + always/board/core). While this is fine for occasional re-flashing, it adds quite...
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