Sorry for the Long pause in my project logs. To make it up, I’ll post a long project log from then until the day of this project log so you can catch up.

Seeing that I'm running out of space on my breadboard, I’ve decided to take a look into wire wrapping. Interestingly, The DSKY on the Apollo mission also used wire wrap for the back panel. Wire wrapping this project would be a pay a great tribute to the DSKY. I've considered producing a one off custom PCB but wasn't viable in its current situation because of its early stage. After going to a ham fest in Orlando, I picked up one of these babies for $20.

Not a bad deal considering the current value of these items if I were to purchase them off eBay used. Here are some additional photos showing the contents of the box.

Wire wrapping tools are nice and all, but it's useless if I don't have wire wrapping sockets for IC's. I purchased a grab bag of Wire wrap IC's for $15 from a friend of mine.

He also threw in some connectors he found at last minute prior to shipping which I find. There may be a possibly planning on implementing them in the near future. Based on what I've research it is to be used along with a back panel connector. My second theory is that it could be used with ribbon cables.

Internal Clocking Issues:

I'm having issues with the Internal KL25Z RTC. After trying several times to getting the internal clock working, I've decided to purchase an inexpensive RTC clock. After looking at a few RTC modules, I specifically chose the DS1302 since the libraries were already available on the Mbed official site. After spending an hour or two, I managed to get it working and was able to integrate it along with the keypad. Here’s some picture of the RTC, the micro-controller, and the keypad.

I placed an order at Newark on 4/22/14 to complete the R2, R3, Verb and Noun Displays I also brought a Vector Electronics 8016-1 prototype board so I can use it along with my Wire wrapping IC. Total amount came up to 77.14. Eventually in the near future I do plan on having it properly mounted on a wooden board so I can move it around without fearing the wires coming loose.

DSKY Software:

A lot of progress has been made with the software end of this project. I personally feel that I’ve learned more programming by applying it to a project then what I learned in school/college (Cplusplus and Mbed helps out too.). For those who wanted the source code to replicate this project. It is available here: http://mbed.org/users/VivaPenguinos/code/DSKY/ I’ll eventually add more content into that page since I have yet to fiddle around with the platform. The project is FAR from being done. But I’ll continue releasing new revision from time to time.

DSKY Case:

I brought some foam boards for $1 at a local store. My Intention for the foam board is to replicate the original DSKY as close as possible. Here’s the screenshot of the progress so far. It’s in it’s 2nd revision and I still plan on having much more revisions.

I wasn’t originally intending on posting this considering that I’m using proprietary software. But the only CAD program I’ve ever used that I personally enjoyed is AutoCAD. I’ve been using AutoCAD on and off for the past 8 years. I do not intend to switch to software that isn’t an Autodesk product. I still intend on trying release my drawings in a format that are compatible with most Open Source CAD software (If not, PDF format with proper measurement). But I personally enjoy working with AutoCAD and will continue using them. /end small rant

The Hackaday Prize Contest:

With the recent news about Hackday's Contest, I've decided to join in with the competition. I truly wish the best for everyone who applies to this contest. I'll be keeping an eye on a few projects; as I've truly enjoyed reading many of them.

Conclusion:

Hopefully this project log makes up for the long pause in project logs. This project has slowly been getting more followers. I want to thank everyone for following my project. If you want to contribute on this project, feel free to leave a message on the project. If you’re dying to contact me feel free to contact me on my Mbed’s profile. Link: http://mbed.org/users/VivaPenguinos/