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FROM THE ARCHIVE: FREE ARTICLE DOWNLOAD
A Real-World Look at Lightning
By Steve Ciarcia & Jeff Bachiochi
Living on a granite hill during a thunderstorm gave Circuit Cellar founder Steve Ciarcia new respect for Mother Nature. In a classic 1998 article, Steve described how he worked with Circuit Cellar columnist Jeff Bachiochi on a solution to automatically unhook their appliances when large storms hit.
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An optically isolated pulse transmitter is connected to a low-cost lightning sensor mounted on a grounded pole on the roof.
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Steve writes:
Without a source for a reasonably priced "thunderstorm switch," Jeff and I decided to make one. Conceivably, all it would take is a lightning sensor, decision logic, and a means to connect and disconnect the attached equipment ...
The energy propagated from the current flow of a lightning strike contains wideband energy. Everything from 100 Hz to 100 MHz is produced. Emissions below 100 kHz travel along the wave guide formed by the earth's surface and the lower ionosphere. With respect to the earth (ground), the air around the strike becomes charged, and there is a direct relationship between the amount of charge and the distance from the strike. Read the Article
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FORMULA ALLCODE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
Sponsored by Matrix TSL
Matrix TSL has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its Formula AllCode robotics course, which features a high-specification, Bluetooth-enabled robot. Formula AllCode is a platform for both novice or advanced electronics enthusiasts to learn and test their robotics skills. You can program the robot via Python, AppBuilder, Flowcode, Matlab, LabVIEW, C, and more. It is compatible with Raspberry Pi, Android, iPhone, and Windows devices.
The funds raised from this Kickstarter project will allow Matrix to take the current prototype development shown in the project videos to the next level with a technical specification to beat any other like-for-like robot buggy and subsequent manufacture of 1000 units to be launched world-wide.
By backing the Kickstarter campaign, you are supporting a project which allows users to develop their robotics understanding on a platform of their choice. Whether your starting out with your first robotics project or you're a fully fledged robotics developer, the Formula AllCode will work for you. The project must be funded by Sunday, September 6, 2015.
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Circuit Cellar #301
August 2015
Simple Embedded Serial Communications | Recording .3GPP Files | Image Processing for Security | Wearable Tech Innovation | Ground Loops 101 | PSoC Programmable Logic | Embedded Wireless Systems | Vintage Electronic Calculators | Laser Sensor Exploration | Custom Peripheral Cores for Digital Sensor Interfaces | And More
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