みなさま、こんにちは。今回は、NFCタグのDesign Navigatorをご紹介します。

昨年12月にリリースして以来、進化し続けているNFCデザインナビゲーターでは、NFCタグのアンテナ設計と通信距離のシミュレーションが、WEB上で実現できます。

それでは、どのようなツールか、実際に使いながらみていきましょう。（推奨ブラウザ：Chrome）
↓　　　↓　　　↓　　　↓ 　　  ↓
■□■　NFC Design Navigator　■□■　はこちら
　をクリックすると、実際に設定する画面が表示されます。

 ●高機能版を使って設計してみます。

①タグアンテナ設計
　　スライダを使って条件を設定します。　今回、TLx50mm、ＴＬy40mm、Width0.5mm、　　Gap0.3mm、Thickness60μm、N　3turnで設定しました。　微調整は「←」「→」キーが便利です。

②リーダ・ライタの機種設定
　　現在、「オリジナルR/W」のみの対応です。　　特定機種を用いたシミュレーションをご希望の場合は、別途≪お問い合わせ≫下さい。

③磁界／通信距離の確認
　通信距離（＝タグアンテナ中心高さ）は、2種類ISO14443/TypeBとFeliCaの結果が出ます。
   ≪さらに3D描画で！≫
　　　オフセット、回転角（α、β、γ）を設定して、通信距離への影響が確認できます。　　　さらに、アンテナ近傍の磁界強度分布が3Dイメージ図で確認できます。

最初は、何から手をつければいいか戸惑いましたが、上記の順序で1つずつ操作していくうちに意外と簡単に操作でき、様々な条件を設定できる便利なツールだと実感しました。

今回だけでは、まだまだ便利な機能をご紹介できていませんので、次回続編として“もっと便利に！実はこんな機能もあるのです！”　でご紹介いたします。　お楽しみに！

▼NFCタグLSI製品について　はこちら

＜ご質問・お問い合わせ＞
大変申し訳ございませんが、ブログにご記入いただいたコメントには回答できかねますので▼本ツールに関するお問い合わせ　まで、お願いいたします。

皆さま、こんにちは。

当社は、計測器No1メーカとして、製品をご活用いただくための資料も豊富にご用意しています。今日はその中から、ロジック・アナライザの基礎解説講座を1冊にまとめたカタログをご紹介します。

正しい測定をするために、その測定器の基礎を理解しておくことは必要です。無償でPDFをダウンロード頂けますので、ぜひお役立てください。

■■いまさら聞けないロジック・アナライザ入門　■■

アジレント・テクノロジーの日本国内エキスパートエンジニアが、アイティメディア社の「モノづくりスペシャリストのための情報ポータル」である
MONOistに連載したロジック・アナライザの基礎解説講座です。全5回。

目次より：
1.デジタルデバッグにはなぜロジアナ？仕組みと歴史

2.ロジアナとMSO、違いと使い分け：
　オシロやMSOとロジアナを比較しながらそれぞれの解析モードについて紹介

3.使いこなせば便利な今どきのロジック・アナライザ機能と、
　ロジック・アナライザを接続するためのプローブについて紹介

4.オシロスコープはよく使うけどロジアナはできれば使いたくない、という
　技術者をターゲットに使いこなしのポイントを紹介

5.FPGA、DDRも怖くない！ロジアナによる簡単デバッグ：
　ロジック・アナライザの用途として最近よく使用されているFPGAやDDRメモリのデバッグ解析例を紹介

無料ダウンロードはこちらから

＜ご質問・お問い合わせは＞
大変申し訳ございませんがこちらにご記入いただいたコメントにはご回答できないため、
下記窓口までお願いいたします。

　【アジレント計測お客様窓口】
　Tel 0120-421-345(042-656-7832)
　Fax 0120-421-678(042-656-7840)
　Email contact_japan@agilent.com
　Web www.agilent.co.jp

　受付時間：9:00-18:00（土・日・祭日を除く)

みなさん、こんにちは。

今回はガーバーファイルをフリーのGerver Viewerで確認する方法をご紹介します。使用したツールのダウンロードはこちらから。DesignSparkPCBでのガーバー出力方法はこちら。

まず、出力したファイルを1つのフォルダにまとめてください。この際、ファイルのパスに日本語が入らないようにしてください。

例：
○ C:\user\public\DesignSparkPCB\~
× C:\ユーザー\public\DesignSparkPCB\~

続いてGerver Viewerを起動してください。

画面左下の「＋」マークをクリックしてファイルを読み込みます。DSPCBで出力された".gbr"ファイルと".drl"ファイルを全て選択してください。

すると結果が表示されます。レイヤータブで各レイヤーを確認することができます。

以上です。

MITS DesignProでの制作方法はこちらをご覧ください。

（本記事は慶應義塾大学ロボット技術研究会から提供頂きました。）

• DesignSpark PCBのデザインをガーバ出力

  1. Output＞Manufacturing Plotsをクリックしてください。

  2. プロットの設定

     Settings for plotはDrill Data-Through Hole以外はすべてGerberにします。
     

     Drill Data-Through HoleはExcellonを選択してください。
     

     Layers、Settings、Positionタブの設定はいじらないで大丈夫です。
     ただし、1つのレイヤに基板外形を入れる必要があります。

     1つレイヤを選択し（画像ではBottom Silkscreen）、Layersタブの[Board Outline]をYに、SettingsタブのUnplated Board Outlinesのチェックを入れます。

     この作業は一つのレイヤだけで大丈夫です。
     
     

  3. Gerberのセットアップ

     Drill Data以外のレイヤを選択した状態でDevice Setupをクリック。
     Plotting Areaは10 x 10cm以内の基板ならTo:　6.000　6.000などで。

     FormatのDecimalは4にしましょう。3だと細かい配線とかがずれる場合があります。

  4. Excellonのセットアップ

     Drill Dataレイヤを選択し、Device Setupをクリックしてください。

     Drill TableはExcellonの設定と同じ範囲にします。
     UnitsのDecimalも4にしましょう。
     OKを押して閉じたらSettingsタブのPlated Board OutlinesとUnplated Board Outlinesのチェックを外します。
     このチェックを入れとくと基板の外形情報がDrill Dataの中に入り、ソフトによってはNC DrillではなくNC Routeと認識されてしまうためです。

     
     以上の設定がすべて終了したらRunをクリック。

• 出力ファイルの確認

  デザインファイルと同じフォルダ内にガーバファイルが出力されているはずです。

  ガーバファイルはガーバビューワーで確認できます。

  これで問題なく回路が表示されれば発注しても大丈夫でしょう。

• ファイル名の変更

  DesignSparkで出力した状態での拡張子は.gbrと.drlの2種類ですが、Fusion PCBへ発注する際はファイル名と拡張子を変更します。

  以下のように変更してください。
  Bottom Copper.gbr -> pcbname.GBL
  Bottom Silkscreen.gbr -> pcbname.GBO
  Bottom Solder Mask.gbr -> pcbname.GBS
  Drill Data – Through Hole.drl -> pcbname.TXT
  Top Copper.gbr -> pcbname.GTL
  Top Silkscreen.gbr -> pcbname.GTO
  Top Solder Mask.gbr -> pcbname.GTS

  pcbnameは以前は注文番号でしたが、最近はなんでもいいと思います。

• 発注

  名前と拡張子を変更したファイルをまとめてZIPファイルにします。

  以前はメールでデータを出しましたが、最近は変わったらしいです。
  注文時にファイルを選択しアップロードします。

  詳しくはFusionPCBのサイトを参照してください。

みなさん、こんにちは。


この記事ではMITS社のCAM 「Design Pro」でのガーバーデータインポートから加工データ作成までの流れについて御説明します。

1. ガーバーデータの出力
   ガーバー出力に関してはこちらの記事をご覧ください。必要なファイルは以下の通りです。
   ・表パターン
   ・裏パターン
   ・外形
   ・ドリル
   
   
2. Design Proの起動
   Design Pro を起動し、アプリケーションは"Converter"を選択してください。
   
   
3. ガーバーデータインポート
   1.のファイルをドラック&ドロップすると、自動的に各条件を設定し、データを読み込みます。
   
   同様に、裏パターン、外形、ドリルデータも読み込みます。
   
   
4. 加工データ作成
   ドリルデータを加工用に置き換えます。
   
   パターンの輪郭線を抽出します。この輪郭線が加工データになります。
   
   外形に沿って外形加工データを作成します。
   基盤が完全に切り離されないようにミシン目を入れることができます。
   
   
5. 加工
   加工用のデータを完成しました。
   アプリケーションをCAMに切り替えると加工することができます。
   
   
6. 工作
   基盤製作機に基盤を設置します。
   銅でない方の面に両面テープを張り、しっかりと台に固定してください。
   位置合わせ
   続行を押したら、「位置合わせ」をクリックし、P1（回路図右下）の位置を指定します。
   ボタンを押してドリルを移動し、P1にふさわしい場所まで来たらHOMEボタンを押します。
   これで完了ですが、P2（回路図左上）がはみ出ないことを確認するため、P2ボタンを押してみましょう。
   移動した位置が基盤上であれば大丈夫です。
   ドリルの高さ合わせ
   次にミリングカッターをドリルにセットして、基盤抑えの位置をダイヤルで変えながら、ちょうどいい高さに調整します。
   P1~P2を対角とした長方形よりも外側で、ドリルONボタン+DOWNボタン+移動ボタンを用いて試行します。
   うまくいったらマニュアル操作を終了し、続行を押します。
   ドリルの付け替えと高さ合わせを繰り返して完成となります。
   穴あけの際にはドリルの径をきちんと計算して、合うものをセットしましょう。
   
   

This page lists the DesignSpark PCB video tutorials created by Republic Polytechnic in Singapore.

>> Scroll down the page to view the video tutorials <<

About Republic Polytechnic

^{Republic Polytechnic is one of the five polytechnics in Singapore. It is also the first and by far, the only institution in Singapore that implements true Problem Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy and is famous for its One-Day-One-Problem PBL approach. Their teaching staff is more commonly known as facilitators instead of lecturers. School of Engineering (SEG) is one of the largest school in Republic Polytechnic, and it offers various engineering diplomas. Currently, students from SEG’s Diploma in Biomedical Electronics, Diploma in Digital and Electronics Entertainment and Diploma in Aerospace Avionics takes a PCB related module and need to learn EDA software. The school has chosen DesignSpark PCB as the EDA software to be used for the module. Republic Polytechnic hence becomes the first institution in Singapore to use DesignSpark for curriculum.}

About Eugene Tham

^{Eugene graduated from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University with First Class Honors in Applied Science (Computer Engineering). Upon his graduation, He continued his full time post-graduate Master’s degree with the same university. Following the completion of his studies, Eugene worked in a local R&D institution as an Embedded Systems Engineer for a few years before leaving the company to join Republic Polytechnic. Eugene has been with Republic Polytechnic since 2006 and is now a Senior Academic Staff with the polytechnic. Eugene has done various projects in the polytechnic and a few innovative staff projects implemented by him revolve around Brain-Controlled Interfaces, and have been reported in various media.}

^{Eugene has been teaching PCB modules for a few years and is familiar with various EDA software. Being one of the pioneers in Singapore in using DesignSpark PCB, Eugene has been advocating its use for projects, competitions, and curriculum. The videos created by Eugene is originally targeted at the newer generation of learners in the polytechnic, that prefers watching and learning from a video “walk-through” rather than learning from guidebooks or demonstration. With the encouragement and help from RS Components, Eugene hope that these videos could also reach out to and benefit more users beyond Republic Polyechnic.}

#1 DesignSpark PCB - Intro Video

<<< back to videos list

#2 DesignSpark PCB - How To Create Components

<<< back to videos list

#3 DesignSpark PCB - Forward Design Changes

<<< back to videos list

#4 DesignSpark PCB - Back Annotation

<<< back to videos list

#5 DesignSpark PCB - Unrouting

<<< back to videos list

#6 DesignSpark PCB - Using Schemas

<<< back to videos list

#7 DesignSpark PCB - Routing Two Layer PCB Board

<<< back to videos list

#8 DesignSpark PCB - Using Four Layer Board

<<< back to videos list

#9 ...coming soon!

<<< back to videos list

This week marks the 3rd Birthday of DesignSpark and my 2nd birthday with RS. We now have over 140,000 members across the globe and are on our 5th release of our award winning PCB Tool. RS Components also celebrated its 75th birthday in September last year!

Back in October we launched the new look DesignSpark website in conjunction with DesignSpark PCB v 4 that included our new ModelSource feature, an extensive online database of FREE engineering models that hosts Schematic and PCB component libraries and 2D & 3D CAD models.

Last month we launched our exciting new DesignShare section. We created DesignShare for the DesignSpark Community and our Partners to create, collaborate, share and download open source projects. It’s also a place where our members can submit project ideas that they’d like to see us adopt and design.

We also revamped our Raspberry Pi Design Centre that collates everything Pi as well as introducing new Design Centres, such as the one for the world of Open Source Hardware and Software.

In the coming months we have some great things coming up, including a the next release of DesignSpark PCB and a great new complementary Design Tool that we will be launching in September.

We had lots of blogs of the last year, so i’ve picked out a few favourites of mine to share with you all.

Earthrover

Paul Clarke launched the concept of his Earth Rover project. His plan is to gather a group of people to help him make his dream a reality. Paul wants to build an open source rover and then find a suitable location here on Earth for it to explore and communicate back to base. You can read more about Pauls Project in his blog, and also follow the progress on Facebook and Twitter.

Andrew Back has posted a whole host a blogs over the last year. Andrew lives and breathes everything open source and has also done some really cool things with Raspberry Pi’s, Arduino’s and mbeds.

Here’s some of my favourite posts from Andrew.

Starting a HackSpace in a small town



Hackspaces create an environment that bring together people with common interests in things like electronics. Andrew lives in a small sleepy town in the North of England and tells his story of how he has set up a hackspace in the town hall.

Open Relief

OpenRelief is an open source hardware and software initiative created to help map, collate data and help with relief efforts in disaster zones. A true open source program that makes a real difference to the lives and well being of all of us. Andrew is part of this initiative and shares with us his design for a low cost radiation sensor.

Raspberry Pi Time-Lapse Camera

We have had lots of post around Raspberry Pi this last year. One of my favourite posts from Andrew was his timelapse camera. He’s also posted it as a project in our new DesignShare Project section, so you can now build this yourself.

Here's a video Andrew put together usingthe timelapse images.  Watch out for the double rainbow at 2.39 mins!

Jude Pullen is a card modelling guru and shows us in this post how to create your own Raspberry Pi case using everyday objects.

He has also created a home made open source device called “Solder Buddy” that makes soldering a much easier task. 

In the spirit of hardware hacking, here’s a post I wrote featuring Jude in the Dyson Ball Challenge

We have some great new things we are working on with Jude, so keep an eye out for this in the coming months.

Finally, a big thanks to all our Bloggers, Partners and other members for their contributions, and look forward to seeing more fantastic content over the next year.  I'd also like to give a special thanks to some of our more regular Bloggers, Andrew Back, Paul Clarke, Jude Pullen, JK Vassan, Bill Marshall and Chris Swan for your contributions over the last year.  

I look forward to seeing more fantastic content over the next year.

Pete
DesignSpark Community Manager
twitter @petenwood

Using a Raspberry Pi with an FPGA development board for a first foray into Bitcoin mining.

With a performance of only 0.2 million hashes per second (MH/s) a Raspberry Pi alone is a non-starter for Bitcoin mining. However, the low cost and low energy consumption computer makes the perfect platform for coordinating mining across more capable hardware.

In the mining rig described here an FPGA does all the hard work (SHA-256 hashing) and communicates over a serial link with a Raspberry Pi. The latter requesting new work from, and submitting proof of work done to, a Bitcoin mining pool.

DE0-Nano Bitcoin Miner

The Open Source FPGA Bitcoin Miner port for DE0-Nano was created by GitHub user kramble, who has published a repository containing the HDL along with software for use with Raspberry Pi.

In order to compile the Verilog design it's necessary to install the Altera Quartus II software (the free-of-charge Web Edition version will suffice).

Building the miner design

The GitHub repo contains various different Bitcoin miner HDL designs and the one that was used here is located in the Hashers22_serial folder.

In order to compile this we start Quartus II, browse to the Hashers22_serial directory and open fpgaminer.qpf. Upon selecting compile you may want to go and make a cup of tea, as on my laptop this took around 20 minutes!

At this stage it would be possible to download the compiled design to the FPGA, but it would be lost as soon as power to the board is removed. To make it permanent we must convert the SOF file to a JIC file which can be used to program the configuration device, an EPCS16 flash memory IC.

From the File menu select Convert Programming Files and set the following parameters:

Programming file type: JTAG Indirect Configuration File

Configuration device: EPCS16

File name: fpgaminer.jic

Then highlight Flash Loader and select Add Device→ Cyclone IV E→ EP4CE22. Next highlight SOF Data and select Add File and browse to fpgaminer.sof.

Finally, select Generate to create the JIC file.

Next open up the programmer by selecting Tools→ Programmer. If there is an entry for the .SOF file delete this, then add the JIC file, ensure Program/Configure is ticked, and then select Start.

Setting up the Raspberry Pi

By default the Raspberry Pi UART is set up as a hardware console and since here it will be used for communicating with the DE0-Nano, some configuration is required. This is straightforward enough and covered in the provided instructions.

The Raspberry Pi software lives in the serial_solo directory. Running make builds the mine application, but for some reason not the send_json binary which is also required. This can be compiled with:

$gcc -g -c -o send_json send_json.c

$gcc -o send_json send_json.o

Mining pool account details are then set in config-live2.tcl.

Connecting the two together

The DE0-Nano and Raspberry Pi both use 3v3 logic levels, however, the instructions still recommend using optoisolators between the two.

I went for a much more direct connection between the boards, placing 1K resistors in series with TX and RX just to give some measure of protection. Since this was my first attempt at Bitcoin mining I also added LEDs so that I could at least confirm when data was being exchanged.

Starting mining

The DE0-Nano miner powers up in a halted state and is started by pressing KEY0. Following which the minelive2.sh script is executed on the Raspberry Pi.

With any luck after a little while it should then be reported that a sha256 match was found and the “GOLD number” will be incremented by 1.

After a few successful matches we can then check the mining pool dashboard to see that these have been registered.

The estimated speed shown in the dashboard screenshot above should be disregarded as the miner hadn't been running for very long and this is based on insufficient data.

Final thoughts

I left the DE0-Nano clock speed set at the fpgaminer default of 40MHz, which supposedly gives a performance of 6.67 MH/s. The BTC Guild performance charts showed that in practice the miner varied between around 5 and 10 MH/s on average.

I find Bitcoin fascinating and although I have no intention of trying to make a fortune with the cryptocurrency, there is something strangely compelling about Bitcoin mining. When starting out I didn't give a second thought to increasing the FPGA clock speed, but now I find I'm tempted to put a heatsink on the FPGA, double the clock speed or more and try out higher performing designs.

If money is not the motivation, then what is? Well, simple geeky fun, the pursuit of amassing a volatile stash of what may amount to absolutely nothing, and playing a very small part in what is very likely to be a fun ride however it turns out.

— Andrew Back

code::XtremeApps:: is a 24-hour programming competition taking place in Singapore on 2 and 3 August.

Organised by the Information Technology Standards Committee (ITSC) of Singapore, this year's competition challenges participants to develop innovative and creative solutions based on the theme "Smart Living - Build. Code. Play." by using either Arduino Uno or Raspberry Pi.

Participants will be challenged to develop innovative, new applications by creatively integrating software and hardware in their solutions. Through this stimulating, hands-on experience of creating applications, participants will also get to discover the interesting standards behind the various IT technology platforms. 

The code::XtremeApps:: 2013 Competition comprises two categories:

• Junior Category

  • Kids 12 years and below - here is YOUR chance to program and build wacky stories or applications using the Scratch programming language, MaKey MaKey invention kits, and household objects such as food or plants. The Junior Category competition will be held on 3 August 2013 at the Singapore Management University. On top of an exciting experience, participants stand to win cool gadgets!

• Open Category

  • The Open Category competition is open to programming-enthusiasts of all ages. You will be required to develop your own innovative applications using Raspberry Pi and Arduino Uno. One can take part on an individual basis or in teams comprising 2 - 3 members. This 24-hour competition will be held from 2 - 3 August 2013 at the Singapore Management University. Participants stand to win prizes of up to S$9,000 per team.

For more information, visit www.codextremeapps.org

Forum: http://www.designspark.com/discuss/viewforum.php?f=66

今週、DESIGN SPARKは生誕3周年を迎えました。いつもDESIGN SPARKをご覧いただきありがとうございます。
DESIGN SPARKは現在世界で１４万人以上のメンバーを有し、PCBツールは5回の受賞歴を記録しています。また、RSコンポーネンツも昨年9月に75周年を迎えました。

(続きはこちらをご覧ください！)

Beagleboards are low-cost, fan-less single-board computers based on low-power Texas Instruments processors featuring the ARM Cortex-A series core with all of the expandability of today's desktop machines, but without the bulk, expense, or noise.

• + About Beagleboard
• + BeagleBone Black
• + BeagleBone White
• + Forums
• + BeagleBone on the Web

About Beagleboard

The BeagleBoard.org Foundation is a US-based non-profit corporation existing to provide education in and promotion of the design and use of open-source software and hardware in embedded computing. BeagleBoard.org provides a forum for the owners and developers of open-source software and hardware to exchange ideas, knowledge and experience. 

BeagleBone Black

The open-hardware computer BeagleBone Black is the newest member of the BeagleBoard family and is a high-expansion focused BeagleBoard using a Sitara AM335x Cortex A8 ARM processor from Texas Instruments.

On board HDMI to connect directly to TVs and monitors
Sitara AM335x 1GHz Processor
Fast SDRAM memory 512MB DDR3L
2GB eMMC onboard microSD
PMIC regulator and one additional LDO
Power - miniUSB, USB or DC Jack
5VDC External via expansion header
Indicators - Power,2 x Ethernet, 4 User Controllable LEDs
HS USB 2.0 Client Port and HS USB 2.0 Host Port
Serial Port via 6 pin header, Ethernet RJ45, and SD/MMC Connector(microSD)
92-pin header cape compatible
Board size: 3.4 x 2.1 inches

BUY NOW

BeagleBone White

The BeagleBone is the low-cost, high-expansion hardware-hacker focused BeagleBoard. It is a bare-bones BeagleBoard that acts as a USB or Ethernet connected expansion companion for your current BeagleBoard and BeagleBoard-xM or works stand-alone.
The BeagleBone uses a Texas Instruments AM3358 ARM Cortex-A8-based microprocessor + 3D graphics acceleration with SGX.
At over 1.5 billion Dhrystone operations per second and vector floating point arithmetic operations, the BeagleBone is capable of not just interfacing to all of your robotics motor drivers, location or pressure sensors and 2D or 3D cameras, but also running OpenCV, OpenNI and other image collection and analysis software to recognize the objects around your robot and the gestures you might make to control it.

Board size: 3.4 x 2.1 inches
Shipped with 4GB microSD card with the Angstrom Distribution with node.js and Cloud9 IDE
Single cable development environment with built-in FTDI-based serial/JTAG and on-board hub to give the same cable simultaneous access to a USB device port on the target processor
Industry standard 3.3V I/Os on the expansion headers with easy-to-use 0.1in spacing 
On-chip Ethernet, not off of USB
Easier to clone thanks to larger pitch on BGA devices (0.8mm vs. 0.4mm), no package-on-package memories, standard DDR2 vs. LPDDR, integrated USB PHYs and more

BUY NOW

Forums

The DesignSpark forums are a great place to discuss projects, tools and coding with other Beaglebone users

• + DesignSpark Forums

Beaglebone on the Web

• + BeagleBoard.org

• + BeagleBigTrak - Controlling a BigTrak using a Beaglebone over WiFi

• + BeagleBoard 101 - What's BeagleBone all about?

• + Making the BeagleBone Black

• + BeagleBone SNES - Turn your Beaglebone into a Super Nintendo Entertainment System