[Alex] of tinkerlog created a set of 64 RGB fireflies that synchronize to blink all at once. We covered the kit earlier, but he has assembled a set of 64. Each firefly is independently controlled by an ATtiny13 that reads a phototransistor and lights up an RGB LED. The fireflies are programmed to blink a certain rate, but blink faster if they detect other blinks. After a few cycles, the fireflies begin to blink in unison. When the fireflies are arranged in different configurations, different patterns emerge. He is selling kits and has instructions for building your own. Videos of the fireflies after the jump.

Related: Jar of fireflies

[Jay] hacked a Blu-Ray laser diode into a keychain enclosure. He found a heavy brass keychain light from Lowe’s and stuffed the diode and a larger battery inside. The existing batteries weren’t powerful enough, so he drilled out the endcap to fit a 200mAh 3.6v lithium battery inside. He also modded the power button to only momentarily turn on the diode. With the larger battery, the laser can run for about an hour between charges. In addition to a Blu-Ray lasers, he also has versions with a 200mW red diode.

Related: Laser projector zippo

With a user interface consisting of two buttons and a three digit display, the GPS finder guides the user back to a saved location. Nine locations can be saved for navigation recall. Press a button to save location and press another button to recall. Each switch has a secondary function, for management purposes such as memory indexes and power features. An AarLogic GPS 3A module and AVR microcontroller make up the guts. With the popularity of Geocaching, this would make an impressive trinket; Leading the hunter to an undocumented treasure.

Firmware v0g for all Bus Pirate revisions is now available. Updates in this release include a bootloader, frequency generator/pulse-width modulator, SPI bus sniffer, MIDI library, configuration reports, improved user interface, and bug fixes. v0g is also the first firmware to fully support the v2 hardware branch.

We’re really proud of this release as it brings a much more consistent structure to the internal operation of the Bus Pirate. It lays the foundation for future CAN, LIN, and OBDII libraries, and it supports localization and translations. Install and upgrade instructions are included with the firmware. Report bugs on the project issue tracker.

We document the new features after the break.

Bootloader

Firmware v0g includes a bootloader. After the bootloader is installed, firmware updates can be done over the serial or USB connection, instead of using a proper ICSP programmer. Install and update instructions are included in the firmware archive.

Frequency generator/pulse-width modulator

1-WIRE>g <–frequency generator/PWM setup command
1KHz-4,000KHz frequency generator/PWM (beta)
FREQUENCY in KHz (50) >50 <–enter frequency in KHz
PRESCALE:8 <–calculated prescaler
PR2:39 <–calculated PR2 value
DUTY CYCLE in % (50) >50 <–enter percent duty cycle
PWM ACTIVE
1-WIRE>f <–frequency measurement command
PWM ACTIVE: DISABLE PWM <–not available when PWM is active
1-WIRE>g <–g again to disable PWM
PWM DISABLED
1-WIRE>

A 1Hz-4MHz frequency generator/pulse-width modulator function is available on the auxiliary pin using menu option ‘g’. This feature is still in development, but v0g has the essential functionality. The frequency generator and frequency measurement features can not be used at the same time. We also squashed a small bug in the frequency measurement code for hardware v1+.

SPI bus sniffer

SPI>(1) <–sniffer macro
Sniff when:
1. CS low
2. CS high
3. All traffic
(1) >3 <–when to sniff bus
SPI BUS SNIFFER, PRESS ANY KEY TO EXIT
0×10(0×00) 0xC6(0×00) <–displays data as MOSI(MISO)
SPI>

The PIC24F’s SPI slave mode made it easy to add an SPI bus sniffer. It works fine on slow or intermittent data transmissions, but it needs additional output buffering for better performance at high speeds. For the best performance, change the Bus Pirate display mode to ‘raw output’.

MIDI library

MIDI, a popular interface for musical instruments, is simply a 33.2K baud/8/N/1 UART. The MIDI library has the same functions as the asynchronous serial port library, with the settings fixed for MIDI communications. MIDI devices require an isolated transceiver, we’re working on one but need a MIDI connector footprint and part number.

Bus Pirate status report

RAW3WIRE>i <– status report command
Hack a Day Bus Pirate v2g0
http://www.buspirate.com
Firmware v0g
*———-*
POWER SUPPLIES ON
VOLTAGE MONITOR: 5V: 5.0 | 3.3V: 3.3 | VPULLUP: 5.0 |
AUX: DEFAULT SETTING (AUX PIN)
High-Z outputs (H=input, L=GND)
PULLUP RESISTORS OFF
MSB SET: MOST SIG BIT FIRST
*———-*
RAW3WIRE>

A new in-terminal status report lists the features available in the active protocol library, and the current settings.

User prompts with defaults

HiZ>m
1. HiZ
2. 1-WIRE
3. UART
4. I2C
5. SPI
6. JTAG
7. RAW2WIRE
8. RAW3WIRE
9. PC KEYBOARD
10. MIDI
(1) > <–press enter for default option (1/HiZ)
MODE SET
HiZ>

The user prompt has been updated to accept multiple-digit values. Enter without any input selects the default value shown in parentheses before the prompt. All user input is now handled by this single user prompt function.

User value input format

SPI>r:0×02 <–repeat in hex format
BULK READ 0×02 BYTES:
0×00 0×00
SPI>(0b0) <–macro command in binary format
0.Macro menu
1.SPI bus sniffer
SPI>

All user prompts now support input values in binary, hexadecimal, or decimal. Previously, menu and macro prompts only supported decimal formatted input.

Localization, translations

A lot of the text used in the program has been moved to a translation file, which is defined in base.h.

If you make a translation, please share it with us. We’ll host the translation in SVN and compile a localized firmware for anyone that might be interested.

Test the v0h beta

If you like to live on the edge, try the v0h nightlies. These features are already implemented in v0h nightlies:

• I2C sniffer,
• HD44780 character LCD test library.
• Keyboard library I/O timeout.
• Improved syntax parser.
• Software reset command.

Check the issue tracker for future features, or to make feature requests.

For those that have them, the ATC2K action camera is a decent little piece of equipment. It is waterproof and can save video for roughly 30 minutes on a flash card. The viewing angle of the lens leaves something to be desired though. This has been remedied in newer models. [raalst] shows us how to modify the ATC2K to install a new, wider angle lens, while retaining the waterproof seal. He also takes us through a necessary mod to ensure clear video under water since the new lens was not initially intended for it. Just in case you are curious, he’s using his for hobby radio controlled submarine dives.

[Mike] really liked the thought of the Monome, especially the green aspect of their construction. He felt he could take it a step further. After 40 years of electronics tinkering, he had quite a spare parts box. He constructed his monome clone from stuff he just had laying around. All of his pieces were either rejected samples from his company or outdated parts destined for the trash bin. Great job [Mike]. If you are planning to build one and don’t have the buttons laying around, you can get a more typical monome look and feel by going with the sparkfun RGB pads, like we did back in March.

[via Makezine]