Mobile Technology Service

More information on the following website:

http://digital.ni.com/worldwide/bwcontent.nsf/web/all/11C...

I have just published an tutorial on howto implement the xilkernel (sometimes called XMK) v4.0 on the Xilinx Spartan 3E Starter board. This xilkernel is a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)

have fun...

you can also find an Round Robin Application in the rar files that is included with the tutorial...

http://pwo.fpga.be/RTOS/

Today I posted my 1-wire driver on the NI forum. This 1-wire driver is designed to be used on a LabVIEW FPGA hardware target.

I developed it on the Xilinx Spartan3E board that I may use since I am a university user.

I try to write a lab for using this driver and also a small article in the next few days to get some more exposure in the world of LabVIEW FPGA for Xilinx board because in the future I maybe want to become a consultant in this area.

http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-2196

This week I am working on my first steps to program a MSP430 microcontroller. I use the eZ430-RF2500 kit I which I get from the MSP430 day.

 I have tried to install the mspgcc compiler. I download the code I do a spi-bi-wire. When I try to debug and type C (continue for program on MSP430) the code is nog running. There is a problem that I have to figure out the following days. I keep you updated and will maybe soon publish a tutorial for programming the MSP430 eZ430-RF2500 kit with mspgcc when my problems are solved :-)

Link: http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/7154

More information: http://pwo.fpga.be/

I found some companies that have openings in the world of embedded systems (FPGA, C programming, Firmware, ...):

• http://www.topic.nl/index.php
• http://www.cenat.be/index.html
• http://www.quicksand.be/
• http://www.redetronics.be/
• http://www.vector-international.be/
• http://www.c-cam.be/
• http://mind.be/
• http://www.twindev.be/
• http://www.skylogic.be/html/contact_info.html
• http://www.dekimo.be/job_03.php
• http://www.cenaero.be/
• http://www.cetic.be/rubrique23.html
• http://www.deltatec.be/Global/GL_Main.asp?Resolve=/Techno...

Enjoy.

I would like to share some options in the world of G-programming with you.

Here is my list (feel free to add some...)

• National Instruments LabVIEW (http://www.ni.com/labview)
• Scratch from MIT (http://scratch.mit.edu/)
• Agilent VEE Pro 8.0 (http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/product.jspx?nid=-536900532.425703.00&cc=US&lc=eng)
• Agentsheets (http://www.agentsheets.com/)
• Microsoft Robotics Studio (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/robotics/default.aspx)
• Stagecast (http://www.stagecast.com/)
• Matlab Simulink (http://www.mathworks.com/products/simulink/)
• Microchip Flowcode (http://microcontrollershop.com/product_info.php?cPath=148&products_id=527)

Some of them are targetting for children other are more for bachelor / master students and other are real professional tools to use in measurement and automation industry.

This Application show an LabVIEW VI that is working as a driver for a 7-segment display.

project weblink: ... alle » http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-1407;jsessionid=82a40f1930d9ca4239899c184ad6a899bef577ef252d.e38MaNyPaNePaO0Lch8Lax8Kc38Le6fznA5Pp7e

code weblink: http://decibel.ni.com/content/servlet/JiveServlet/download/1407-2-1586/FPGA%20VI%207%20SEGMENT.zip

Requirements: Application Software: LabVIEW Professional Development System 8.5 Addon Software: LabVIEW FPGA Module 8.5

I developed this Application on my Xilinx SPARTAN3E Starter Board. I used a Kingbright SA52-11 7-segment display.

Enjoy

I hope I have this weekend some time to go to FOSDEM. I am especially interested in the Embedded Developer Room (http://www.fosdem.org/2008/schedule/devroom/embedded)

I think I will try to go on sunday the full day!!

You all may want to search a consultant in an particular area. Now it is very easy for you because I have setup a webpage to find quick a consultant for you!

http://www.mobile-it.be/SearchConsultant.php

Enjoy it! 

Yesterday I did an upgrade of my ubuntu linux box. I have seen there the pidgin messenger included.

 I like this messenger very much so I decided to give it also a try on my "bluescreen" Microsoft windows XP box. The first thing I did was download it to my data drive... I tried to run the exe but it didn't work... it took me 2 minutes to figure out how this error happens. It is because I did run it on my E: drive and not on my C: drive.

 So I downloaded the IM again on my desktop and tried the installer a second time. thistime it was succesfull.

I removed my MSN client because now I can even use my GMAIL account to do a Google talk with my buddies .

Pidgin can work with:

• AIM
• Bonjour
• Gadu-Gadu
• Google Talk
• Groupwise
• ICQ

• IRC
• MSN
• MySpaceIM
• QQ
• SILC

• SIMPLE
• Sametime
• XMPP
• Yahoo!
• Zephyr

Have fun.

here is the link: http://www.pidgin.im/

http://www.pidgin.im/download/

You can download an example project for the SPARTAN3E starter board on this website: http://www.mobile-it.be/projects.php

Direct link: http://pwo.fpga.be/IP/Mobile_it_be_VGA_driver.rar

I just wrote a 6 slides long introduction to Bash Scripting.

This introduction is only for people who already know how to power on and off a computer :-)

 Read it and let me know what you think.

 http://www.3galist.com/2007winners.html

http://www.qualcomm.com/enterprise/pdf/alist07_BelgianRed...

The product was a composition of:

• Compaq Laptops
• Option Globetrotter 3G Wireless Cards
• Proximus 3G Network

For more information you can read the pdf

I just started to create my own FPGA Mindmap; if you would like to contribute just contact me! 

Ok, I just created a next example for the Spartan3E starter board. It is a running binary counter that I send to the LED's.

 Screenshots:

Just try to rebuild it; if you are not able to rebuild I am willing to send my bitfile to you.

Happy LabVIEW FPGA coding!

Here you can see the screenshot of a project I created to show how easy it is to create interaction between a PC and a XILINX SPARTAN3E starter board:

Project Managment  View:

HOST VI:

FPGA VI:

Download the full project here

Be sure to read the full disclaimer of LabVIEW FPGA before starting to develop applications.

I just created an example for the SPARTAN3E starter board in LabVIEW FPGA. I connected the SW0 and SW1 with LD0 and LD1. So you see if the corresponding switch is on or off.

Enjoy the example

You can download the created bitfile here.

Today I experimented with LabVIEW FPGA targetting the Spartan3E University board. I worked all the projects out that where included in the pdf file you can get on the academic website of NI (National Instruments - http://www.ni.com ).

I have made:

* the LED example

* the LCD example

* the Switch example where you start from a empty project

* including an Xilinx ISE generated FIR filter (IP core integrating into LabVIEW FPGA) with this example I had some problems because the value of the signal that I sended to the ADC was not the correct value that was shown on my PC screen.

Links that could be handy:

* Spartan3E user guide of the starter board:

http://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/boards_and_ki...

* download Spartan3E LabVIEW FPGA driver

http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/spartan3e

* WORD version of the LabVIEW FPGA tutorial for the Spartan3E starter university board (for easy copy/pasting of the VHDL code for the IP core that has to be implemented :-) )

http://etidweb.tamu.edu/ftp/ENTC219/LabView/Getting%20Sta...

enjoy!

Today something else;

soon we all have some vacation; so I give you now some tips to enjoy your time in the vacation without paying to much :-)

I present you 3 games that will also have a presentation on FOSDEM 2008:

• Globulation 2
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globulation_2
  • http://globulation2.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Nexuiz
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexuiz
  • http://alientrap.org/nexuiz/index.php
• The battle of Wesnoth
  • http://www.wesnoth.org/

They are all free to download for Windows and/or Linux platforms.

Enjoy them!

Hi FPGA World,

ready for a new sensation that will in the next years rule the world of ESL (electronic system-level ) FPGA programming?

I just received my Academic Newsletter from NI.com (National Instruments the makers of LabVIEW and LabVIEW FPGA).

They introduced recently a driver for using LabVIEW to program your FPGA Silicon on the Xilinx Spartan 3E starter board.

 In this document they describe a way to program the FPGA boards LED's, LCD and a custom made Xilinx Spartan 3E LabVIEW project. They even show you how to integrate VHDL code into a Spartan 3E LabVIEW Project.

For people who can't wait and want to start graphically programming their FPGA's you can download everything here: http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/spartan3e

Be sure that the people who download this driver and tutorial are all academic people .... read the license...

I just foud a good website I would like to share with the visitors of my blog for learning LabVIEW.

here it is:

http://learnlabview.blogspot.com

enjoy reading the tutorials.

Just found a good blog for anyone starting with Xilinx FPGA's (EDK,...)

check out:

http://svenand.blogdrive.com/archive/40.html

enjoy!

I just found and interesting post on a blog on Reconfigurable Computing that I would like to share with you (visitors of this blog).

The future of FPGA programming will be C-based. You program the hardware in C (systemC, handel-C,...) and the software in C (HW/SW codesign).

enjoy reading

here is the link:

http://asic-soc.blogspot.com/2007/11/advanced-tools-in-re...

I just found an article on howto beat the security of GSM. Read the story and watch the video on howto crack the GSM security with a Software Defined Radio. This technology let you listen and see every voice/sms on the GSM network.

http://swik.net/User:stinkyworld/hackszine/Decrypting+GSM...

Just heard a good tune on the radio (80's livestream on http://www.977music.com/ ) here are the lyrics of the song:

Oh the night is my world
City light painted girls
In the day nothing matters
It's the night time that flatters
In the night no control
Through the wall something breaking
Wearing white as you're walking
Down the street of my soul

You take myself you take my self control
You got me living only for the night
Before the morning comes
A story's told
You take myself you take my self control
Another night, another day goes by
I never stop myself to wonder why
You help me to forget to play my role
You take myself you take my self control

I, I live among the creatures of the night
I haven't got the will to try and fight
Against a new tomorrow
So I guess I'll just believe it
That tomorrow never comes

I say night I'm living in the forest of my dream
I know the night is not as it would seem
I must believe in something
So I'll make myself believe it
That this night will never go
Ohoho, ohoho,ohoho, ohoho Ohoho...

Oh the night is my world
City light painted girls
In the day nothing matters
It's the night time that flatters

I, I live among the creatures of the night
I haven't got the will to try and fight...
Against a new tomorrow
So I guess I'll just believe it
That tomorrow never knows

I say night I'm living in the forest of my dream
I know the night is not as it would seem
I must believe in something
So I'll make myself believe it
That this night will never go
Ohoho, ohoho, ohoho, ohoho Ohoho...

You take my self, you take my self control
[Fade out]

When you compile this project don't forget to include the libxml2.dll in the map where you compile or to add it to your project!

It shows the tags their are in for instance an HTML file and the contents of it.. Please be aware that for instance when I show you the HTML tag he puts the whole content of the site in your standard output (console).

/**
 * section: Tree
 * synopsis: Navigates a tree to print element names
 * purpose: Parse a file to a tree, use xmlDocGetRootElement() to
 *          get the root element, then walk the document and print
 *          all the element name in document order.
 * usage: tree1 filename_or_URL
 * test: tree1 test2.xml > tree1.tmp ; diff tree1.tmp tree1.res ; rm tree1.tmp
 * author: Dodji Seketeli
 * copy: see Copyright for the status of this software.
 */
#include <stdio.h>
#include <libxml/parser.h>
#include <libxml/tree.h>

#ifdef LIBXML_TREE_ENABLED

/*
 *To compile this file using gcc you can type
 *gcc `xml2-config --cflags --libs` -o xmlexample libxml2-example.c
 */

/**
 * print_element_names:
 * @a_node: the initial xml node to consider.
 *
 * Prints the names of the all the xml elements
 * that are siblings or children of a given xml node.
 */
static void print_element_names(xmlNode * a_node)
{
    xmlNode *cur_node = NULL;
    xmlChar *fieldContent;

    for (cur_node = a_node; cur_node; cur_node = cur_node->next) {
       if (cur_node->type == XML_ELEMENT_NODE) {
                          fieldContent=xmlNodeGetContent(cur_node);
        printf("Tagname: %s ttTagcontent: %sn", cur_node->name,fieldContent);
       }
        print_element_names(cur_node->children);
    }
}

/**
 * Simple example to parse a file called "file.xml",
 * walk down the DOM, and print the name of the
 * xml elements nodes.
 */
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
    xmlDoc *doc = NULL;
    xmlNode *root_element = NULL;

    if (argc != 2)
        return(1);

    /*
     * this initialize the library and check potential ABI mismatches
     * between the version it was compiled for and the actual shared
     * library used.
     */
    LIBXML_TEST_VERSION

    /*parse the file and get the DOM */
    doc = xmlReadFile(argv[1], NULL, 0);

    if (doc == NULL) {
        printf("error: could not parse file %sn", argv[1]);
    }

    /*Get the root element node */
    root_element = xmlDocGetRootElement(doc);

    print_element_names(root_element);

    /*free the document */
    xmlFreeDoc(doc);

    /*
     *Free the global variables that may
     *have been allocated by the parser.
     */
    xmlCleanupParser();

    return 0;
}
#else
int main(void) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Tree support not compiled inn");
    exit(1);
}
#endif

I just heard on the radio the Song of Maria Mckee - Show me heaven (see below).

Lyrics:

There you go
Flashing fever from your eyes
Hey baby, come over here
And shut them tight

I'm not denyin'
We're flying above it all
Hold my hand, don't let me fall
You've such amazing grace
I've never felt this way

Oh, show me heaven
Cover me
Leave me breathless
Oh, show me heaven, babe

Here I go
I'm shakin' just like the reeds
Hey baby,
I need your hand to steady me

I'm not denyin'
I'm frightened as much as you
Though I'm barely touching you
I've shivers down my spine
And it feels divine

Oh, show me heaven
Cover me
Leave me breathless
Oh, show me heaven, babe

If you know what it's like
To dream a dream
Baby hold me tight
And let this be

Oh, heaven
Cover me
Leave me breathless
Oh, show me heaven, please
Leave me breathless
Leave me breathless
Cover me

For those who are interested I hereby post some links of IMEC websites related to SDR (Software Defined Radio). SDR is the hottest topic on earth (so also in the air :-) ) at the moment.

 Software-defined radio front-ends

http://www.imec.be/wwwinter/mediacenter/en/SR2006/681523....

 Software defined radio flexible air interface

http://www.imec.be/wwwinter/mediacenter/en/SR2006/681524....

 Enjoy the readings!

Feel free to post links that are related to SDR as a comment in this post... I am searching to learn on this topic.

I just found 2 nice projects for everyone related to software or hardware projects:

http://wiki.openbeacon.org/wiki/OpenBeacon_USB

http://www.openbeacon.org/ --> RfID receiver !!!

http://lekernel.lya.eu/ula.html --> Logic Analyzer USB2.0 and FPGA based!

Check them out dudes, they are really cool!