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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Raspberry Pi Wireless Display Using a Cheap Parrot LCD Photo Frame

This Project is just what I wish I could do with my Raspberry Pi... If I had one, that is;)

Don

Sunday, 24 June 2012

cjb.im:

Raspberry Pi Wireless Display Using a Cheap Parrot LCD Photo Frame

One of the first things I've tried with my Raspberry Pi is to get it to use the low cost Parrot DF3120 320x240 picture frame as a wireless display over Bluetooth. These little frames are available on Amazon for under £15!

This builds on the sterling work done here https://sites.google.com/site/repurposelinux/df3120 to hack Linux onto the DF3120. When I first saw this post, I bought a few of the frames as they looked like they might come in handy for something.

The basic idea is to set up Bluetooth networking with the Pi, and use SDL VNC viewer to display the X screen on the Parrot.

Bluetooth Network Setup

The first thing we need to do is get Bluetooth networking set up between the two devices.

To start off with, on the Pi side, I'm using the standard Debian squeeze image and an Atheros Communications, Inc. AR3011 Bluetooth USB dongle. Install the bluetooth package, and for my atheros dongle, I installed the firmware-atheros package:

Read More...
http://www.cjb.im/2012/06/raspberry-pi-wireless-display-using.html

Raspberry Pi Wireless Display Using a Cheap Parrot LCD Photo Frame: Linux picture frame serves as wireless Raspberry Pi display - Hack a Day; cjb.im: Raspberry Pi Wireless Display Using a Cheap Parrot LCD Photo Frame; This digital picture frame runs Linux better than you might think - Hack a Day; Using an HD44780 character LCD with the Raspberry Pi - Hack a Day

Running Linux on a Digital Picture Frame

This digital picture frame runs Linux better than you might think - Hack a Day

DF3120 + Wiimote - YouTube

Parrot DF3120 320x240 Bluetooth/SD/USB Picture Frame - repurpose_linux

Picasa Web Albums - Michel Pollet

DonsDeals: Running Linux on a Digital Picture Frame

Parrot DF3120 photo frame running a plasma demo - YouTube

This digital picture frame runs Linux better than you might think - Hack a Day

run linux on a picture frame - Google Search

Still Yet Another Digital Picture Frame (Linux)

Parrot DF3120 320x240 Bluetooth/SD/USB Picture Frame - repurpose_linux

Amusings » Linux-powered digital picture frames

Public Git Hosting - u-boot-openmoko/parrot-frames.git/summary

install u-boot on a picture frame - Google Search

editing uboot and unbricking after a ram upgrade - repurpose_linux

install_minifs - repurpose_linux

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Getting Started With RTL-SDR - Software Defined Radios and Antennas

"Now, anyone with about $20 USD to spare can tune into everything from police and fire transmissions to the International Space Station." That's the Part that got me interested... Well, ok, even more interested;)

Don

Getting Started With RTL-SDR

Tom Nardi June 25, 2012 5

The last few months have seen an explosion of activity in the field of Software Defined Radio (SDR), after it was discovered that cheap USB TV tuners based on the Realtek RTL2832U chip could be dialed into frequencies well outside their advertised ranges. What was designed and sold as a simple device for watching TV on your computer could be turned into a radio capable of receiving anything between 64 MHz to 1700 MHz with open source software.

Now, anyone with about $20 USD to spare can tune into everything from police and fire transmissions to the International Space Station.

Tuner Hardware

Before you can start exploring the airwaves, you’ll need a USB tuner supported by RTL-SDR, the software used to unlock the full potential of the Realtek RTL2832U chip. For best results, you’ll also want to get one that uses the Elonics E4000 tuner, as that will give you the broadest frequency response. The RTL-SDR project maintains a short compatibility list which can help narrow things down a bit:

Compatibility list from RTL-SDR project

I purchased the Ezcap EZTV668 from DealExtreme and can confirm it works perfectly with the latest RTL-SDR build. The only downside when ordering from DealExtreme is that shipping can often take a very long time; it was well over a month before the device arrived. You can try your luck on eBay, though it looks like the prices have gone up a bit since sellers are now realizing the market for these devices has just expanded considerably.

Antenna Upgrade

Read More...
http://www.thepowerbase.com/2012/06/getting-started-with-rtl-sdr/

GNU Radio!

Introduction¶

GNU Radio is a free & open-source software development toolkit that provides signal processing blocks to implement software radios. It can be used with readily-available low-cost external RF hardware to create software-defined radios, or without hardware in a simulation-like environment. It is widely used in hobbyist, academic and commercial environments to support both wireless communications research and real-world radio systems.

Read More and Download (Note, my Fedora 14 Repo's have GNURadio and several other Ham Radio Apps too. Don)...
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki

VE3SQB ANTENNA DESIGN PROGRAMS EN82NE

Antenna Design Programs--With surface mount technology and micro circuitry, most hams no longer build their own equipment. One area that is still open to amateurs is in antenna building. For a hundred years the amateurs have made more breakthroughs in antenna design than the professionals. We do not know all the rules so we go ahead and build the antennas anyways, Some work, some don't. We are still looking for that PERFECT antenna that is small, easy to build and is super efficient. You may be that designer. If not, you will still have the satisfaction of working that DX with a home brew antenna.

Read More and Download Apps...
http://www.ve3sqb.com/

Software Defined Radios and Antennas: Getting started with software defined radio - Hack a Day; Getting Started With RTL-SDR; GNU Radio - WikiStart - gnuradio.org; Getting Started With RTL-SDR; Ezcap EZTV668 DVB-T Digital TV USB 2.0 Dongle with FM/DAB/Remote Controller - Worldwide Free Shipping - DX; Budget TV Antenna : TV Antennas | RadioShack.com; Improving a software defined radio with a few bits of wire - Hack a Day; helix.air.net.au :: D.I.Y. Discone for RTLSDR; Discone antenna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; Antenna, VE3SQB Ham radio antenna design software programs and sstv,qha, amateur radio,sstv,antennas,j-pole,quad,dipole,discone,antenna program, super scanner, pdl, omni, rhcp, bazooka, coaxial dipole,skyhopper); Gqrx SDR receiver; Degen Designs

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Five free wireless networking tools for Windows - TechRepublic

Five free wireless networking tools

By Brien Posey

June 25, 2012, 10:40 AM PDT

Takeaway: Monitor, secure, and optimize your Wi-Fi network with the help of these handy apps.

Wi-Fi is relatively easy to configure, but optimizing, securing, and diagnosing problems with a wireless network can be a challenge. Here are five free tools that can help.
Note: This list is also available as a photo gallery.
Read More...
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-free-wireless-networking-tools/1450?tag=nl.e103

The Most interesting App to me is, number 5: WeFi WeFi helps you locate free wireless hotspots throughout the world.