Nuts & Volts

ecorded message and various data about its mission
over ham radio frequencies. The message and broadcast are
controlled by three boards integrated by Microchip.
Microchip built the controller board using a PICC
microcontroller unit and a switchbox board. The company
then integrated those two with the translator box, according
to Steven Bible, an applications engineer at Microchip
and a ham radio enthusiast.
The devices will play back recorded greetings from children
in several languages and also the suit’s temperature,
battery voltage, and the mission’s elapsed time in a nineminute
sequence that will be repeated over and over. The
message will be broadcast at ham radio frequencies so classrooms
around the world can listen to it, Bible said.
“The purpose of the mission is mainly educational,”
he said, adding that the organization in charge of
including the radio was ARISS or the Amateur Radio on
International Space Station. The chairman of that
organization is Frank Bauer, a NASA engineer. Bible was
personally contacted by a friend and asked if he and his
company could participate.
“What this organization does is plan ham radio activities
from the International Space Station,” said Bible.
“There is a ham radio station on board. Astronauts use it
to talk to schools around the world. They do this once a
week.” NV
Microprocessor
Hands-On Training
The PRIMER Trainer is now New & Improved
and even easier to use. The PRIMER is
a flexible instructional tool featured
in Prentice Hall textbooks and used
by colleges and universities
around the world. Ruggedly
designed to resist wear, the
PRIMER supports several
different programming
languages. A comprehensive
Self Instruction Manual and an
Applications Manual provides
lessons, theory, and sample code
for a number of Hands-On lab projects.
Application
Projects
Include:
Since 1985
OVER
20
YEARS OF
SINGLE BOARD
SOLUTIONS
Primer
Training
Kit starting
at $120.00 USD
Scan Keypad Input & Write to a Display
Detect Light Levels with a Photocell
Control Motor Speed using Back EMF
Design a Waveform Generator
Measure Temperature
Program EPROMs
Bus Interface an 8255 PPI
Construct a Capacitance Meter
Interface and Control Stepper Motors
Design a DTMF Autodialer / Controller
Programming a Reaction Time Tester
Phone 618-529-4525 Fax 618-457-0110
2390 EMAC Way, Carbondale, IL 62901
World Wide Web: www.emacinc.com
March 2006 65