Monthly Archives: January 2011

FPGA Stereo Vision Project

Posted on 2011-01-24 by Dan

As alluded to in a few of my other posts, I’m working on developing an open-source FPGA-accelerated vision platform. This post is a detailed overview of the project’s architecture and general development methodology. Future (and past) posts will elaborate on … Continue reading →

Posted in FPGAs, Robots, Technical | Tagged FPGA, Linux, MT9V032, OpenCV, PCIe, ROS, Spartan-6, Verilog, vision, Xilinx | 16 Comments

Spartan-6 BGA test board

Posted on 2011-01-16 by Dan

Eventually, when my FPGA stereo-vision project nears its terminus, I’m going to want to produce a refined sensor board that combines the image sensors and FPGA onto a single board. In preparation for that, this board is a test vehicle … Continue reading →

Posted in FPGAs, Microcontrollers, PCBs, Technical | Tagged BGA, EAGLE, FPGA, microcontroller, PCB, Spartan-6, Xilinx | 27 Comments

Reflow oven controller

Posted on 2011-01-15 by Dan

Reflow soldering is not new. The electronics industry has been using it forever. Hobbyists have been flocking to it in droves. Many use toaster ovens. A growing contingent use skillets. A few do it open-loop. Some use integrated PID controllers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Microcontrollers, Technical, Tools | Tagged AVR, GUI, MAX6675, microcontroller, Python, Qt, reflow oven, soldering, solid-state relay, thermocouple | 8 Comments

MT9V032 LVDS camera board

Posted on 2011-01-14 by Dan

Another piece of my ongoing FPGA stereo-vision project. This board is, as the name suggests, a breakout board for Aptina’s excellent MT9V032 1/3″ VGA image sensor. The board’s main purpose in life is to connect the LVDS output of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Microcontrollers, PCBs, Technical | Tagged AVR, EAGLE, microcontroller, MT9V032, PCB, sensor, vision | 24 Comments

Brushless DC motor controller board

Posted on 2011-01-12 by Dan

Here’s a board I designed back in 2008. It’s an excessively feature-packed brushless DC motor (BLDC) controller. Bullet points: Can drive brushed and brushless (3-phase) DC motors 15~30V input voltage Single-supply operation (onboard LT3470 SMPS) 10+A per-phase current handling (Si4456DY … Continue reading →