[NJARC] Technoweenie Stocking Stuffer

[Al Klase]

Gang,

I just took delivery of this component tester.


You don't even have to know what component.  Just stick something in the 
zero-insertion-force socket, push the button, and the tin brain inside 
figures it out.  Does resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, and 
bipolar and FET transistors.

The best part:  It's 15 bucks shipped from Duluth, GA. -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221961865013?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

There are a bunch of these floating around on E-bay, but this appears to 
be the latest revision, with a really nice display and rugged battery 
holder.  You'll likely want to install in in some sort of box to carry 
around.

All this is made possible by a modern microcontroller that has analog 
inputs and outputs built in, so it can make the appropriate measurements.
uC data sheet here: ATmega48A, ATmega48PA, ATmega88A, ATmega88PA, 
ATmega168A, ATmega1688PA, ATmega328, ATmega328P datasheet - 
atmel-8271-8-bit-avr-microcontroller-atmega48a-48pa-88a-88pa-168a-168pa-328-328p_datasheet_complete.pdf 
<http://www.atmel.com/images/atmel-8271-8-bit-avr-microcontroller-atmega48a-48pa-88a-88pa-168a-168pa-328-328p_datasheet_complete.pdf>

Not much on the circuit board except the processor and an 8MHz crystal.  
Everything else in SMOP. (Simply a Matter Of Programming) Welcome to the 
21st Century!

Thanks to Robert Forte for making me aware of these things, and Joe Cro 
for kicking my butt to actually get one.

My apologies for the freak out,
Al

-- 
Al Klase -- N3FRQ
Jersey City, NJ
http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/private/njarc/attachments/20151217/5bb9c03a/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: s-l1600.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 153135 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/private/njarc/attachments/20151217/5bb9c03a/attachment-0001.jpg>