Funcube with HSM upconverter

notes

After months away from this project I am at this moment listening to 40 meter cw signals via  the High Sierra Microwave (HSM) upconverter into the funcube via Max/MSP.

The Max funcube external doesn’t provide a way to turn on the bias tee current which powers the HSM device, so… I am using this version of the FCHid software to turn on bias tee, and set LNA to 0db, while using Max to tune the funcube. This is on windows and both programs can run at the same time.

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/FCDevelopment/files/FCHID/

Prior versions of FCHid don’t have the checkbox for bias tee.

Next on the agenda will be to make this work in Mac OS.

First impressions: signals seem a bit weak, although it could be atmospheric conditions. Filtering isn’t great but its adequate – it just doesn’t have the ‘punch’ you get with a good selective receiver… Which is why nobody in their right might would actually design a shortwave receiver this way.

Update: got it working on mac os using version 3.2 of QtHid to toggle the bias-t – this version is the latest as of the time of this post and was bundled with the dmg.

 

Arduino pull-up, pull-down resistors

notes

If you are hooking up a switch of some kind, you can eaily make use of the internal pull up resistor.  Usually we use a switch to turn on the electricity.  You push the button and the line goes high.  and you would need a pull down resistor to tie the input low.  But we also make the electricity go the other way.  You use the pull up resistor to tie the input high.  You hook one end of the switch to the input and the other end to ground, then when you push the switch the input goes low.  Then in your software you look for the input to go low when the button is pushed versus high.

from this thread: http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1205614794

 

Using Arduino MIDI shields/library

notes

To connect the Sparkfun MIDI shield, all you need connect is rx, tx, gnd, and 5v

Here is documentation for MIDI library:

http://arduinomidilib.sourceforge.net/a00001.html

Midi thru is enabled by default and can be disabled by MIDI.turnThruOff()

There were problems running MIDI library on an arduino UNO with the USB cable hooked up.  So I’m not sure what interaction is happening with the Serial comm stuff in that case, but everything works fine with external power source.

(Update) tried running the shield with minimal connection as above and had no problem using USB power connection.

MIDI out via USB

cable converter:

 http://shiftmore.blogspot.com/2010/01/quick-and-dirty-arduino-midi-over-usb.html

Midi In via USB Host shield (for MIDI devices that normally hook into a computer via USB)

http://www.circuitsathome.com/mcu/interfacing-midi-devices-with-arduino-using-usb-host-shield

http://www.circuitsathome.com/products-page/arduino-shields/usb-host-shield-2-0-for-arduino/

Processing/Twitter examples

Note: these examples are outdated and have not been tested 2/2014

notes

sending a tweet

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1152794/sendingTweet.zip

interaction design story

http://www.myrobbie.com/blog/?tag=twitter4j

simple processing twitter

http://robotgrrl.com/blog/2011/02/21/simple-processing-twitter/comment-page-1/#comment-114471

simple tweet processing/python

http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=21606

world map

http://www.tyler-johnson.com/Tutorials

Hyemi Song Design lab

http://catsong311.tistory.com/category/Study