Scrap Heap of Obsolete Technology Articles

If you’re like most machinists, electronic hobbyists, amateur roboticists, or computer enthusiasts, you can’t throw anything away. That old scrap of metal, pile of wires, appliance, or Apple ][e source code may still be useful one day.

I’m no different.

These articles are kept online out of nostalgia or in hopes that someone somewhere will find the details of an obscure old part still helpful. The information is no longer reviewed or kept current. It may no longer reflect my current practices, favorite parts, or learned experiences.

N-size rechargeable battery N-Size Rechargeable Battery
Information about an N-size nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable battery. The small size and ability to be recharged makes this cell perfect for a very small robot.
AMP hexadecimal (16-position) rotary DIP switch, #54792-1 AMP Hexadecimal Switch
Details and a sample schematic for a rotary switch with 16 positions that encodes its output as 4 SPDT switches.
32.768 kHz Crystal PLL Clock Generation
The 68HC08 family of microcontrollers has a built-in phase-locked loop that can generate various bus clock speeds from an inexpensive 32.768 kHz crystal. This project shows you how to build the oscillator and connect it to an MC68HC908GP32. Includes schematics and source code.
Bugs with PE Microcomputer Systems assembler Bugs With P&E Microcomputer Systems ICS08GP Assembler
I’ve encountered a few bugs with the free assembler for the 68HC08GP20 and 68HC08GP32 microcontrollers. Here are the emails and source code I sent to the developers and the workarounds I’m using.
Mystery part Mystery Parts
A selection of unknown parts that turned out to be inductors and private label semiconductor ICs.
Old ChiBots logo Early ChiBots Archive
I was the author and webmaster of the ChiBots website in the first couple of years. The photos and descriptions from the meetings were worth keeping around for posterity.
Old Robot Room logo Early Robot Room Archive
Parts of the Robot Room home page from the first couple of months (July/August 2000).
Twofold 68HC908 Robot Twofold I - 68HC908GP32 Robot
A peek at one of my incomplete robots. Designed around an MC68HC908GP32 microcontroller and featuring a 4-line 20-character LCD display.
Eye M ooking @ U Searching for Cool Stuff
Help David find components and tools for various projects. Currently searching for an oscilloscope, normally-closed and dual-action tactile buttons, and well as test lead hooks.