Douglas Wong's Blog

  • Creating a Maker Wish List

    dougw
    For me accumulating a complete set of tools, software, instrumentation and stock to permit building electronics projects has been a long slow process (decades) and it is still going on. This list is my idea of the most effective order in which to acq...

  • Some Highlights From 2016

    dougw
    Every December I try to summarize my participation on element14 over the year. This year I will keep it short and just link a few highlights. I was fortunate to be successful on 4 road test proposals and participate in 2 design challenges. I also ent...

  • BBC micro:bit Power Supply Analysis

    dougw
    This blog investigates how the BBC micro:bit power supply circuitry works.I have been trying to interface the micro:bit with different peripherals and planned to run it off a 4.2 volt lithium-polymer battery, however it was not clear if it is safe to...

  • Open Heart

    dougw
     #ShareTheScare this HalloweenVisit our Halloween space and find out how to win one of two Cel Robox 3D Printers. There are two ways to win:Build and document your past or present Halloween projects.Tweet your best engineering spook with #ShareT...

  • Brandi

    dougw
    I just got back from spending some time in cottage country ... decompressing. Not watching TV or computer screens, just hiking, canoeing and wading through 4 real paper books. I did make a new friend though, and thought I would give her a little air ...

  • BBC micro:bit - Big Idea Challenge

    dougw
    Project BackgroundThis is my second project with a BBC micro:bit. Normally I wouldn't apply for 2 projects with the same device but in this case the first road test got derailed by delays in releasing the micro:bit. Nine months after “winning” the fi...

  • Tech To Do List

    dougw
    I like to try new technologies and see what there is to learn and get a first hand feel for their potential. When I see some interesting new technology, I immediately start thinking of ways it might be used and often conceptualize little projects in ...

  • Stylish Stylus (Touch Pen)

    dougw
    I thought I would share a little discovery I made while trying to make a better touch stylus for capacitive screens. I like to use a stylus to achieve more precise control and reduce finger smudges on the screen, however most conductive stylus tips a...

  • CHIP Computer - they are shipping

    dougw
    This is a quick unboxing and power up of a $9 CHIP computer in case anyone had doubts about the Kickstarter promises....For some reason I cannot insert a video in a blog since the site upgrade, so you will have to follow this link:CHIP Computer is Sh...

  • Fingerprint Viewer - Party Trick Blog

    dougw
    I recently published a blog on how to scientifically interpret what different fingerprint patterns indicate in terms of personality traits.You can check that blog out here: Intimate ScienceA question came up about how to view fingerprints, so here is...

  • Intimate Science

    dougw
    In honour of Valentine's DayIf you want a non-threatening but intimate activity, try the science of reading fingerprints.Few people can resist an offer to scientifically "read" their fingerprints. And you get to hold hands.Back in the e...

  • My 2015 Projects and Activities

    dougw
    This summary is a quick tribute to element14 and the forum members who have enabled this forum and this year to be most enriching and enjoyable. This review is a reminder of just how much e14 activity I was privileged to participate in. Simple measu...

  • My 2014 Project Collage

    dougw
    These images are quick links to over a dozen projects I worked on in 2014, although some of them are indirect links. Unfortunately I only managed to publish blogs on about half of the circuit boards I designed in 2014, but there is a time trade-off b...

  • Project Hall of Fame

    dougw
    I like all the efforts to reward individual contribution and participation, but how about also highlighting excellent content?I think everyone would benefit if a Hall of Fame was created for excellent projects.This would be a place that really showca...