Arduino project - Morse code

Thanks to my brother for giving me an Arduino I've been playing around with it ever since Christmas. It took me a bit to figure out a first 'real' project to start with but I think I found an interesting one.

So having a GPRS radio (like an FRS but stronger and requires a license) I always hear quick blips of morse code coming across the channels. It probably has to do with being near a few air fields but I'm interested in what it is saying. So without becoming an expert in morse code I'm writing a program for the arduino to decode it :)

There's a few things that need to work for this:
1. Sample rate: the arduino needs to sample the analog signal fast enough to convert it into dots and dashes. This can be accomplished by counting the milliseconds that the tone is active and storing it for each 'bit'. A completed phrase will have a significant pause when done. I'll take this array and send it to the decoder for processing.
2. Decoding: Assuming this is a computer transmitting it makes it somewhat easier since the dot and dashes will be consistent. For instance I could assume a dash is 2x the time of a dot. If I wanted to decode a human operated control I would need to dynamically detect time segments between each beep as they can vary.
3. Text interface: Since I dont have a LCD display yet I'll just dump it to the serial port and require a computer to communicate.
4. Transmitter/receiver: I have a few GPRS radios around and will interface with the headphone port to get what I need for input/output. I will need to find a way to convert the tone into a semi-digital signal but that can be done with a bridge and a very small cap. For the output I will need to make a tone generator of around 700Hz (maybe faster for a quick transmit) which will be controlled by a pule form the arduino**.
5. Interface: I need to come up with some key words to control the transmission rate and other variables. I.E. typing "rate=60" in the com console to set the time on-off for a dot. That way if I'm talking to someone manually operating (highly unlikely) they can decode it.

**I don't plan on transmitting/responding to those signals I'm hearing since it could be the military base near by! HAHA, I wouldn't want an invasion in the middle of the night :)

EDIT: I've noticed a lot of hits for this project and thought I would link part 2:
http://davidgrundmann.blogspot.com/2010/06/arduino-project-morse-code-part-2.html

Camera Grip

I got a new toy for the camera :) It's a battery grip and hodler for my camera that allows me to take many, many more shots on a single charge. It's designed to not only contain 2 standard batteries in parallel (double the capacity) but it also contains an emergency AA cartarage and buttons on the grop for when the camera is rotated. I already am enjoying this grip with my T1i since it tends to chew battery fairly quick with 1080p movie and the IS lens I have!

WRX airbags

So yesterday I had fun driving around in my 05 WRX and the airbag dummy light on. At first I thought this was an issue with the actual airbag so I plugged in my code reader (computer) and nothing... blah, so much for that. I took apart the steering column covers but couldn't find any loose wires anywhere and taking off the wheel would have been a disaster.
After spending a few hours searching online I found out the STI has this issue every now and then where the airbag light would turn on. Turns out it's a simple fix -- seat sensors! It all of a sudden made perfect sense to me, I carried a large load over the weekend after installing a floor and must have push on that connector. Crawling under the seat (more of my hands) I tightened the connector and voala! Sooooo glad that it wasn't the airbag, that would have been at least $$$ just for the popper (not accounting for which one of the two)!
I'll keep this in mind for a long time if that connector comes out again.

Some neat things I found out after doing this: the WRX seat would be an awesome racing seat for games :) time to go to the junk yard and get one.. too bad the nearest one is, well not near. (Yeah I had to take the seat out eventually so I can make sure the wires didn't get cut though). Also if I need lots of space I can remove that seat ;)

Lens tests

I did a comparison of all my lenses that I have and the new 17-55 F2.8 is FAR superior than anything I have, even my base 50mm F1.8 which I considered as my ideal.

The setup:

Camera on tripod @ ISO100, AF point is in a specific section and the light source is a single 60w (equiv) CFL (temp around 2800). It's probably not the ideal setup but it would show the most ideal scenario under the same light source.

Camera is the Rebel XT set on priority in RAW mode. Images are edited using GIMP and UFRaw

Surprisingly the 28-200 is actually almost as good as my 50mm, but since it's lowest aperture is 3.5 it doesn't work well in low light. The kit 18-55 that came with my original Rebel performed about as well as can be expected for a $80 lens, no spectacular details but sharp enough.

You may need to click on the image to see the detail but the top left (17-55) has a very crisp detail of the rug. In general the crop window is near the bottom middle of the full frame and is not greater than 100% zoom.

All lenses have a sweet spot and it's possible that the 28-200 has a much better one (for instance I know macro is around 130mm and I can be very close -- 72mm cap can over fill the frame). But as far as this test goes it compares the avg range of the set I have.

My new lens

A few days ago I decided it's time to get a new lens for my dSLR. It's been quite some time (since the original Canon Rebel 6.3mp came out) since I got a lens. My 28-200 is a great lens but lacked the crisp quality indoor and low-light shots. When outdoor I will probably default to that but recently I've been inside quite a bit when I take my pictures.

So you may be saying.. for crying out loud, what did you get?? Thought I would write a boring entry again huh? :) OK, so what I got is a new Canon 17-55 F2.8 IS from B&H. It's about 1" longer than my 28-200, heavier and wider (77mm window instead of 72mm) but it's amazing -- and puts the kit 18-55 to shame. My first picture is of course Sam, our cat.

Image is slightly cropped but that's it. The only thing blurry from this 1/15 shot is the whiskers from him moving. IS is awesome!

So now when I want to get some very nice shots I don't need to snap on my 50mm f1.8 anymore :) Down side to this new lens is that I need a new camera bag!

Star wars: Force unleashed

So I played this game one last time on "Sith" mode (Aka "you got to be kidding/me crazy hard") after doing the previous 2 difficulties earlier. I ended up dying quite a few times as expected, most of the time it was due to blaster fire coming in from all directions and those darn Purge Troopers. I found a lot of new force powers that work MUCH better than the other difficulties. Some of which makes boss levels very easy if done correctly. At the end I almost had all of my stats completely full which is a first, probably because most levels I re-started and it carried over points from last death.

The most difficult parts were defeating Proxy (the trusty robot) and the Emperor. With Proxy I finally defeated, when he goes into his final stage, with using a specific combo, S-S-S-O (PS3: s=square, o=O) which force slams the ground and sends Proxy to the ground where he is most vulnerable. I didnt get hit once I got into that combo sequence.
Darth Vader was a pain, but using dash and push to stun and saber slam (lightning saber attack) I was able to get him quickly.
The emperor I probably spent > 2 hours trying to figure out how to defeat, I finally went online and read "attack with Saber after he does his power attacks" which I did but it had a serious side effect... once he puts on a shield and you cant catch it quickly (or you're in a middle of a combo) your life goes from >80% to <10% instantly. After trying this multiple times, since it was suggested, I gave up on it and tried different things (like lightning attacks as that worked in the past) but without success. I finally found the perfect combo, lightning attack and defense! No joke. Lightning attack does a little damage (using that strictly gets him to 50% before getting roasted) but the next step is critical to surviving and is very simple. When he attacks with the lightning let it hit you for a brief time, then block. The block will raise the saber up and capture the lightning (taking the damage away from you) and feedback it to the Emperor. Repeat this as soon as the feedback gets to him, let lightning hit you and then block... repeat. I usually got 3 of these backfires before he starts to throw stuff or send in help. My life never went below 80% when I did this. Key is never attack directly with the saber like they say online when in Sith mode or you will never "defeat" him.

Desk Building completion

So the desk is done... well a while ago actually. I got a nice good coat of stain and polyurethane to make the surfaces dark and smooth.
I had to make a last minute extension since I got a measurement wrong (or read it wrong) for the new 24ch mixer (which we have not picked up yet). Either way everything seems to fit rather well. The only minor setback that I noticed once installed was that the cabinet door didnt close properly, but that could be due to the floor sloping or something under the carpet that is pushing up somewhere.
What's not showing here is the lid that closes on top of the mixer, this keeps wondering hands from adjusting things.