DigiKey has some devices called DC to DC converters/power supplies. Something like that. The 25W one (most powerful one they have) outputs 5 and 12 volts. I'm not sure if 25W will be enough, but its more than IC's tipically can handle, and you could use more than one unit.
Or, you could try voltage regulators and capacitors connected to computer style power connectors.
I'm making an embedded system for my car. It'll have a HUD using bright LEDs. It will perform data aquisition on the car using analog to digital converters, counters, and other gizmos. There will be a microcontroller that runs autonomously, communicates with many ICs over a serial bus, sends data to a PC (when installed) over a serial link, and stores its code in ROM. Most of the components will have an industrial temperature range (from -40C to 125C, or -20C to 70C depending on the part). For power, a 7805 voltage regulator and some capacitors will do.
I'll have this thing attached to my car, on top of my dash. When the car is running, the system will be running (no boot period). And when the PC finally come up (a circut will prevent it when the temp is to cold or hot, then it has to boot) it can get the car's data in real time, and process it for whatever purpose.
I've started working on it. Its quite feasable. I hope to have a test system that will tell me about the pulses going to my spedometer and tachometer (there is no tachometer in my car, but the pulses do make it to the dash).
To make this project possible, I had to get documentation on my car. I connacted Helm to get the service and electrical manuals for my 1989 Honda Civic. I got nice new books that tell me everything I could ever ask about my car -- every electrical circut is fully documented, along with info on how to replace axles and engines (everything is there).
I've already wired up my dash (nothing connected to yet), and made a few test circuts. I'm having way too much fun with this!! So much, that I haven't documented any of it on my web site -- no time!
Anyone else intrested in this microcontroller approach?
I think this proves my point quite nicely. Sony wants to maintain its monopoly over its PlayStation microcosm. Too many incursions that go too far into that mircocosm threaten Sony's monopoly.
Circumvent copy protection so games can be copied, circulate knowlege gained through emulation on how the system works, etc . . . and no one needs Sony anymore to have PlayStations and new PlayStation games. Some of Sony's income is threatened. The goal of a capitolist society, like the one Sony exists in, is to accumulate wealth. Sony sees that it will lose its ability to gain wealth from the PlayStation if its monopoly over the PlayStation is lost. Sony makes the *logical* move to prevent others from taking away its monoploy.
After all, their business is greed. Accept it and move on.
Sony made the PlayStation to make money. It is their proprietary system. They may make money from selling the system. They do make money from selling the rights and information to make games for the system.
They new Connectix thing endangers how Sony is making money from the PlayStation. Now, someone else knows how the games work and could inform game makers so that these game makers could make PlayStation games without the blessing of or payment to Sony. Furthermore, as Timur mentioned, the emulator does not honor the copy protection encoding. This endangers the profits of all those game makers who have the blessing of and pay Sony.
So, Sony is taking legal action to ensure their profits by maintaning tight control of the PlayStation system. Their tight control is very common in the video game market.
If Sony loses, all video game systems will become more expensive to make because of the ability to make ganmes without the help of the vendor, and the ability to copy some games. The whole market has been threatend by Connectix. Nintendo, Atari, and several other companies could find themseleves in great trouble through lack of profits if Sony loses.
The company that makes the DataGlove (VR input device) owns a patent on the *concept* of a VR style glove. Patents are not supposed to be for concepts, but they got one.
That patent, however, has not stopped other companies from making their own gloves. There hasn't been any, or at least any sucessful, legal actions taken for patent infringment.
I think Sightsound.com will lose any patent infringment legal action over their patent being a concept, or some other technicallity.
Its being worked on in the US. The problem is the price of the barcode scanner. That will make it take longer to get into the hands of the consumer, but it will speed up the delevery process.
For more info (nothing on barcode readers yet), check out www.netran.com.
I like the idea of an MP3 player for my car (with ftpd & ethernet), but I would rather have a HUD (Heads Up Display) with realtime data on the car's condition. I'm working on one now.:-)
Although "The Machine Stops", by E. M. Forster, doesn't have a bio-mechanical species, it does depict a society ruled by machines. People are so immersed in technology that they worship machines as people now worship god(s).
"The Machine Stops" is a cool cautionary tale. I don't think "The Age of Spiritual Machines" is suggesting the same course of events, since it has machines merging with people, but the message in "The Machine Stops" shouldn't be ignored.
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DigiKey has some devices called DC to DC converters/power supplies. Something like that. The 25W one (most powerful one they have) outputs 5 and 12 volts. I'm not sure if 25W will be enough, but its more than IC's tipically can handle, and you could use more than one unit.
Or, you could try voltage regulators and capacitors connected to computer style power connectors.
I'm making an embedded system for my car. It'll have a HUD using bright LEDs. It will perform data aquisition on the car using analog to digital converters, counters, and other gizmos. There will be a microcontroller that runs autonomously, communicates with many ICs over a serial bus, sends data to a PC (when installed) over a serial link, and stores its code in ROM. Most of the components will have an industrial temperature range (from -40C to 125C, or -20C to 70C depending on the part). For power, a 7805 voltage regulator and some capacitors will do.
I'll have this thing attached to my car, on top of my dash. When the car is running, the system will be running (no boot period). And when the PC finally come up (a circut will prevent it when the temp is to cold or hot, then it has to boot) it can get the car's data in real time, and process it for whatever purpose.
I've started working on it. Its quite feasable. I hope to have a test system that will tell me about the pulses going to my spedometer and tachometer (there is no tachometer in my car, but the pulses do make it to the dash).
To make this project possible, I had to get documentation on my car. I connacted Helm to get the service and electrical manuals for my 1989 Honda Civic. I got nice new books that tell me everything I could ever ask about my car -- every electrical circut is fully documented, along with info on how to replace axles and engines (everything is there).
I've already wired up my dash (nothing connected to yet), and made a few test circuts. I'm having way too much fun with this!! So much, that I haven't documented any of it on my web site -- no time!
Anyone else intrested in this microcontroller approach?
I think this proves my point quite nicely. Sony wants to maintain its monopoly over its PlayStation microcosm. Too many incursions that go too far into that mircocosm threaten Sony's monopoly.
Circumvent copy protection so games can be copied, circulate knowlege gained through emulation on how the system works, etc . . . and no one needs Sony anymore to have PlayStations and new PlayStation games. Some of Sony's income is threatened. The goal of a capitolist society, like the one Sony exists in, is to accumulate wealth. Sony sees that it will lose its ability to gain wealth from the PlayStation if its monopoly over the PlayStation is lost. Sony makes the *logical* move to prevent others from taking away its monoploy.
After all, their business is greed. Accept it and move on.
Sony made the PlayStation to make money. It is their proprietary system. They may make money from selling the system. They do make money from selling the rights and information to make games for the system.
They new Connectix thing endangers how Sony is making money from the PlayStation. Now, someone else knows how the games work and could inform game makers so that these game makers could make PlayStation games without the blessing of or payment to Sony. Furthermore, as Timur mentioned, the emulator does not honor the copy protection encoding. This endangers the profits of all those game makers who have the blessing of and pay Sony.
So, Sony is taking legal action to ensure their profits by maintaning tight control of the PlayStation system. Their tight control is very common in the video game market.
If Sony loses, all video game systems will become more expensive to make because of the ability to make ganmes without the help of the vendor, and the ability to copy some games. The whole market has been threatend by Connectix. Nintendo, Atari, and several other companies could find themseleves in great trouble through lack of profits if Sony loses.
Its happend before.
The company that makes the DataGlove (VR input device) owns a patent on the *concept* of a VR style glove. Patents are not supposed to be for concepts, but they got one.
That patent, however, has not stopped other companies from making their own gloves. There hasn't been any, or at least any sucessful, legal actions taken for patent infringment.
I think Sightsound.com will lose any patent infringment legal action over their patent being a concept, or some other technicallity.
Its being worked on in the US. The problem is the price of the barcode scanner. That will make it take longer to get into the hands of the consumer, but it will speed up the delevery process.
For more info (nothing on barcode readers yet), check out www.netran.com.
I like the idea of an MP3 player for my car (with ftpd & ethernet), but I would rather have a HUD (Heads Up Display) with realtime data on the car's condition. I'm working on one now. :-)
Although "The Machine Stops", by E. M. Forster, doesn't have a bio-mechanical species, it does depict a society ruled by machines. People are so immersed in technology that they worship machines as people now worship god(s).
"The Machine Stops" is a cool cautionary tale. I don't think "The Age of Spiritual Machines" is suggesting the same course of events, since it has machines merging with people, but the message in "The Machine Stops" shouldn't be ignored.