Adventures in DIY – Page 19

Add Automatic Reset to Your FTDI-232R Cable

June 18, 2013March 31, 2010 by Adam@SheekGeek

I’ve had a FTDI cable for a while for testing serial communications between my microprocessors and my computer and for that job, it works great. However, I recently grabbed a couple Ardweenies from Solarbotics and decided to use my FTDI cable to program them. The FTDI cable doesn’t have an automatic reset, so you have to push the reset button on the board at exactly the right time when trying to program it from your computer. This causes tons of frustration.

Oddly, a few days of experimenting with the arduinos, my cable got a short in it. While fixing the short, I was surprised to find out that the FTDI cable uses the same chip as the Sparkfun Programmer (which has automatic reset) so I went about modifying my cable to include this feature.

Modifying the cable is much easier said than done, but since I got it working, I figured I’d do a write-up on it in case anyone else wants to give it a shot.

Tips on Getting into Grad School: Part 2

June 18, 2013February 3, 2010 by Adam@SheekGeek

In the first part of this two-part series, I went over some of the basics of graduate school applications. In this part, I’ll go over some more detailed aspects you should consider when choosing a program and tell you some tips that might help you get in even if you don’t fully meet the requirements.

After each detailed section, there’s a “TLDR” notice. This stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read” and gives just the basics of the section.

Tips on Getting into Grad School: Part 1

June 18, 2013January 29, 2010 by Adam@SheekGeek

From time to time, people ask my advice for how to get accepted into Graduate school. Reading the school websites, and talking to professors and administrators isn’t enough. Not to mention you need people skills to get in. In this, the first of a two-part series, I’ll break down the very basics of what many programs require, and give you tips and tricks to help out. The second half will be advanced tips, that show that you really want in the program.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not an expert on this subject. I don’t have the best people skills, and I don’t know all there is to know about Grad school, but I do know what worked for me, and my advice has helped a few people to get accepted so far.

I’ll begin with some general questions I get asked. The second part of this series will go into more advanced aspects of Grad school selection and even some tips that may help you get in even if you don’t meet the requirements.

After each detailed section, there’s a “TLDR” notice. This stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read” and gives just the basics of the section.

My Review of Viovio

April 30, 2011August 31, 2009 by Jessica@SheekGeek

This summer I had an AMAZING wedding that happened very much in part because of my dad – who also happens to be my source of inspiration for this post. Of course I wanted to thank my dad in a special way, so I decided to create a personalized scrapbook, cataloging all of his visits and of course, my wedding. This post will serve to overview my experience with viovio, from uploading my book, placing my order, to receiving my order and beyond…

Large Floor Bookshelf Part 2

June 18, 2013August 11, 2009 by Adam@SheekGeek

This is the second part in a two part series about how to design, build, and finish a simple woodworking project. Please read Part 1 for more info and background on the project. This section will mainly focus on finishing the bookshelf.

Staining wood projects is a hassle and you can quickly get in over your head. When I first started looking for methods to stain my projects, I was bombarded with choices:

Oil or water based?
Which color should I use?
How long should the stain be left on the wood?

All of these variables left me confused on what I should do. With a good bit of research, I found the answers to my questions. My solution may not be best for everyone, but I do have justification for my choice.