USB cables: size matters

By martinm, in Electronics, july 27,2012.

One may think that USB cables are quite equivalent. Why spend tens of dollars on a so-called "top quality" cable while cheap cables are available from Internet. Well, that's a good question.

Yocto-Box : family portrait

By martinm, in New stuff, july 20,2012.

Great news! the whole range of Yocto-Devices enclosures is now available on our shop. It's probably time for a recap on those enclosure specs, so you can choose the one that fits your need.

MIDI-driven light show

By martinm, in DIY, july 12,2012.

The MIDI protocol, well known from all musicians, exists for almost thirty years. Although it was originally thought for keyboards, there are now all kinds of MIDI instruments: guitar, saxo, drums, etc. Most of the time, MIDI is used to record or drive an instrument, but would it be possible as well to use MIDI to drive a light show? Let's try...

Using the MK802 as an home automation controller

By mvuilleu, in Reviews and Tiny PC, july 06,2012.

Given the tremendous interest around the Raspberry Pi, it is surprising how few people speak about the Rikomagic MK802. Similarly to the Raspberry Pi, the MK802 is a small and cheap computer based on an ARM processor. At first sight, the MK802 seems to be a bit more expensive (around 80$, instead of 30$ for the Raspberry Pi). But this price includes a tiny enclosure, a power supply, wireless networking and required cables and adapters. So, beyond the price, what can you do with it?

Email controlled home

By martinm, in Internet of Things, june 28,2012.

In Europe, most of the roof windows are produced by Velux, to the point that in current language Velux has become a common noun like frigidaire was a while back. Well, now Velux produces motorized windows. The obvious questions is what do we need to add to be able to control such a window from a computer?