This post covers the theory of using a graphic LCD based on the ST7565 controller. These are widely available with popular sizes of 132×32 and 128×64, a number cost below £10.

(Image © Electronic Assembly, lcd-module.de)

The tutorial follows the same path I took whilst developing a simple library for a screen I had bought. I set myself the challenge of doing this from scratch, rather than using code from the internet.

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I found a neat plastic enclosure with a battery compartment that I plan on using for a current project. It is made by Evatron and comes from the PC00 series (I picked a PC003N).

Below is a ZIP file containing the case drawn in Eagle to measurements from the datasheet. A dimension layer is included that makes the most of the internal space.

Download the Eagle board file – free for any use (but credit is nice)

I have previously raved about BatchPCB, a low cost prototyping service run by SparkFun out of the USA. However, it seems that you now can’t select shipping to the UK (and perhaps other parts of Europe) and they don’t seem to be doing too much about it.

I emailed a few weeks ago and have received no reply, so all I have to go on is a few posts on their forums which confirm I’m not the only one experiencing the issue.

So BatchPCB, unless you can get this fixed I’m afraid I’ll be seeking an alternative. Comments suggesting other cheap PCB fabrication houses welcome, I’ll probably try DorkbotPDX first.

One of the circuit boards I’m developing would benefit from an onboard antenna, so I started hunting for design tips.  The following three PDF documents do a great job of explaining the basics:

• Freescale “Compact Integrated Antennas“

• Kent Smith “Antennas for low power applications“

• Ingecom “V / UHF Antenna Design“

I will update the blog once the circuit board is designed and I have managed to test range and effectiveness.

It has been ages since I have updated this site. I have started to document some of the PCBs I have created

The first is an 8×8 LED matrix, with code for some whizzy effects. More information and downloads on this page.

If anybody wants to see the code, I could tidy it up a bit and post with some explanation.

My first bunch of boards arrived back from BatchPCB and I’m really impressed.  Great printing for the silkscreen and a really professional looking product.  One of the boards I ordered was a breakout board for the SMD PIC 18F2321, the first surface mount board I have tried.
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This post looks at what is needed to get a serial connectiong working with BoostC using a PIC with a hardware USART. A later post will cover the BoostC software implementation, when I have finished figuring it out.

By the end of this post there will be a PIC uC talking to Hyperterminal on the PC using less than 50 lines of code.
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A very short note to say that I have (finally) published my Eagle components library on this site. Right now it doesn’t contain many parts, but I will add to it as I make more boards.

After getting back into electronics recently, I decided to have a go at making a PCB.  A friend pointed me to Pulsar Pro FX, a special toner release paper.

I learned a few things along the way Read the rest of this entry »