Hobbyist LCD screens
Why are all the hobbyist LCD screens so expensive? Even the dinky little HD44780-driven character displays seem like a high-margin item for all the usual suspects. It seems to me that there are devices everywhere with these screens in them, so these screens must be available from somewhere.
The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
Here's a Kickstarter project I'd like to see
On Kickstarter, the "please-donate-to-me-because-I-have-an-idea" website, one popular and recurring theme is to provide the "next Arduino" platform. In nearly all cases, this involves an ARM Cortex-M* microcontroller on a small breakout board. ARM breakout boards, however, are a dime a dozen. Any fool (yours truly first in line) can whip one up from a datasheet and a little Google-time. There are enough frighteningly powerful Cortex microcontrollers out there that it's time someone did something about it.
Better late than never
I've got a couple modules produced that I now need to sell off before the wife makes me throw them out, and I thought I'd put a couple other convenient items there that people might need. There are currently only the two modules, but look for a couple other little things in the coming days.
The end has come
My second daughter, eighth child overall, and final addition to the family, was born one week ago, August 21. She weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Everyone is happy and healthy (though sleep is now much more difficult to come by), and I am quite glad that this will be the last time. I don't know how much longer my luck could hold out.
Update on the OneWire board
I used 4P4C (so-called "RJ-9") jacks, which was a big mistake, because they're much harder to find, and the associated cables are not commonly available in junk boxes. 4P4C is what is commonly used for handset cords (the curly ones). I updated the design to use 6P4C (so-called RJ-11/14/25) jacks (the commonly-used wall-to-phone cable), and also made the board Gadgeteer compliant, and the result is much more satisfactory. There's also a footprint for a DS18B20 temperature sensor onboard. This solves the most common use case all in one solution.