The PowerBlock is an add-on board for the Raspberry Pi (version 1, 2, and 3) models A+ and B+. It provides a microcontroller-based power-switch functionality. This article describes the PowerBlock itself, as well as how to connect a power switch and how to install the driver.
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ControlBlock: Power Switch, Game Controllers, and I/O for the Raspberry Pi
First: What is a simple solution for turning the Raspberry Pi on and off with a power switch in a smarter way than cutting the power supply and risk data loss? Second: What is a simple way for connecting arbitrary arcade controllers to the RPi? In the following we present the ControlBlock, a Raspberry Pi (TM) Add-On that solves both problems.
Read More »Review: T962A Reflow Oven Controller Upgrade Package
A while ago I posted a review about the reflow-flow oven T-962A. As written in that post the T-962A has certain flaws: The heat is generated by IR heaters that do not distribute the heat evenly within the oven. This made the results of the soldering processes unreliable. Also, the responsiveness of the user-interface is not that good: Tuning the reflow …
Read More »The RetroPie GPIO Adapter
UPDATE: The RetroPie GPIO Adapter is replaced by the ControlBlock, which supports more controller types and provides even a power switch functionality. The ControlBlock is has its own page here. If you want to use your Raspberry Pi for gaming you certainly want to attach some sort of controller(s) to it. Since the Raspberry comes with two USB ports one …
Read More »Connecting SNES sockets to the Raspberry Pi: An assembly guide
UPDATE: For connecting original controllers from game consoles or arcade machines, there is now the ControlBlock. It supported various controller types and provides even a power switch functionality. The ControlBlock is has its own page here. In a previous post, I described my idea of a universal console with the Raspberry Pi. I presented, what I called, the SNESDev-RPi, which is …
Read More »Pancake Board: Arduino-Compatible Minimum Configuration Board for ATMEGA168/328 with USB Connector
In my last post, I described a minimum configuration for an ATMEGA microcontroller, which is also used in the earlier Arduino boards, and I also explained how to program that microcontroller with an ISP. Here, I present a small all-purpose board that contains exactly that minimum configuration together with an USB-B connector. The USB connector has two purposes: First, it …
Read More »From Arduino to Breadboard with a Minimum Configuration
After having finished my first projects with an Arduino I started to look for ways, which would allow me to port my project to an Arduino-compatible minimum configuration board. Ideally, I wanted it to be much cheaper than a new Arduino board. In this post, I describe how to put together a working protoype on a breadboard that can easily …
Read More »PCB for SNES-iCade-Adapter
Previously, I presented my SNES-to-USB-Adapter. The adapter emulates a USB keyboard with which it is also possible to play iCade games on the iPad. Now, my ambition is to give it a more professional and solid look and one thing to do would be to put most of the wiring into a printed-circuit board (PCB).
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