Introduction

Welcome to my projects web site and blog. I'm a hacker, not just a hacker of software, but also a hacker of hardware too. I majored in physics and have some training in electronics but I am mostly self taught. This doesn't stop me having ago at electronics design and frabrication. Below is a list of my projects and a little bit about each one. New projects will appear at the top. Enjoy ...

Beebthernet

Beebthernet

This is an attempt to develop an ethernet interface for a BBC Microcomputer. The interface is based around the WIZ812MJ part which itself is based on the W5100 chip. The chip is an ethernet adapter micrcontroller which includes an embedded TCP/IP stack. The board is access via bit-banged SPI on the BBC's parallel port. The board also includes power regulation, address decoding, a socket for one of Microchip's SPI EEPROMs and expansion connections (the SPI bus together with power and to address lines).

See the Beebthernet page for more details.

Programmable Earrings

Programmable earrings

I make beaded jewelery using tradition materials (mainly glass beads from my favourite bead shop, YumYum Beads). One day I was soldering up an electronics project and I thought it would be great to make earrings out of electronic components as they look neat. Then I wondered if I could actually make earrings that did something. After some experimentation I chose a circuit and then worked out how to turn this in to wearable jewelery. I wanted the PCB to be aestheticly pleasing as well as functional. This required me to learn circuit board design and surface mount soldering. The earrings produce a light pattern on the RGB LED which changes with the ambient light intensity. They aren't perfect but I'm pleased with what I developed.

See the Programmable Earrings page for more details.

Vivarium Temperature Monitor

Vivarium Temperature Monitor

I keep snakes. I was looking to get a new python and I had a vivarium that I thought might be suitable for a young python but wasn't sure whether its heating system would keep the temperature at a level which would be suitable. So using prototyping parts I put together a web enabled vivarium temperature monitor.

See the Vivarium Temperature Monitor page for more details.