Sydney PC User Group Incorporated Helping Members for 32 Years Visitors are always welcome
1st Floor Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts 280 Pitt Street, Sydney http://www.sydneypc.com Sydney PCUG's Blog 14- 19 March 2016 Tuesday Forum Family History Web Design SIG Will your SSD last for ever? Read some results of the research conducted by Google here. The new Raspberry Pi 3 It is reviewed here. ASCCA ASCCA's March newsletter is available here.	Hello and Welcome, Details of next week's meetings are below. *Tuesday 8 March - Programming - N Hoffman - 5:30pm - 8:30pm* At the February meeting we reviewed a development relating to the solderless breadboard, that ingenious arrangement of metal conductors in a perforated plastic card that has been the starting point of PCB layouts for many years. By pushing component pins and the ends of wires into it you soon have a working test circuit of your concept. Recently a program has been developed to create a virtual solderless breadboard, humorously called Fritzing by its originators in a university in Germany. It shows an image of a breadboard on the computer screen, and you can drag images of components and wires on to it, copying the arrangement you have tested on the breadboard. A schematic layout and a PCB layout can be derived automatically by mouse clicks. The library of components is large, and includes surface mount components. We discussed the Arduino, a breakout board for the ATMega328P 32 pin microcontroller. All its pins are brought out to connectors so you can attach components. The micro comes preloaded with a bootloader that allows it to be programmed in place from a PC. Prewritten programs can be selected from a large library and simply pasted in, saving much programming effort. We saw how a microprocessor can be used by itself on a small PCB, separate from the Arduino board, after you've added the bootloader and a program. This is done by wiring the micro on a breadboard in parallel with the active pins of an Arduino. A smaller micro can be used, such as the 8 pin ATTiny45, when fewer pins are sufficient. An internet video called Shrinkify showed how to do this. Summaries of many of the previous meetings can be seen at: http://www.sesame.com.au/picclub The members will have some new microprocessor applications and programming examples at Tuesday's meeting. Neville Hoffman *Friday 11 March - Friday Forum - 9:30am - 12:30pm* The Internet is a great source of help when you encounter a computer problem or a difficulty with a piece of software. However, it is not always easy to know which help site to explore. Roger Foulds plans to make this task easier for you when he reviews the best help sites that can be found on the Internet at this meeting. There will also be a question and answer session and a general discussion of items of interest at the meeting. *Friday 11 March - Communications - J Lucke - 12:30pm - 3:30pm* John Lucke will discuss all things relating to modems and routers at this meeting including: - whether you should purchase a separate modem and router or a single combined unit; - how you should set up your modem/router and establish the level of security when access is shared; and - how you can change passkeys or retrieve forgotten ones. There will also be a general discussion and question and answer session at the meeting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Mathews
Information for Members and Visitors: All Meetings, unless specifically stated above, are held on the 1st Floor, Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. Sydney PC User Group's FREE newsletter: Subscribe Un-subscribe Go to Sydney PC User Group's: Website Events Calendar Changing your e-mail address? Please e-mail your new address to newsletter@sydneypc.com DISCLAIMER: This Newsletter is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind. Each user or reader of this Newsletter assumes complete risk as to the accuracy and subsequent use of its contents.

Sydney PC User Group Incorporated

Helping Members for 32 Years

Visitors are always welcome

1st Floor
Sydney Mechanics'
School of Arts
280 Pitt Street, Sydney
http://www.sydneypc.com

Sydney PCUG's Blog

14- 19 March 2016

Tuesday Forum
Family History
Web Design SIG

Will your SSD last for ever?

Read some results of the research conducted by Google here.

The new Raspberry Pi 3

It is reviewed here.

ASCCA

ASCCA's March newsletter is available here.

Hello and Welcome,

Details of next week's meetings are below.

Tuesday 8 March - Programming - N Hoffman - 5:30pm - 8:30pm

At the February meeting we reviewed a development relating to the solderless breadboard, that ingenious arrangement of metal conductors in a perforated plastic card that has been the starting point of PCB layouts for many years.
By pushing component pins and the ends of wires into it you soon have a working test circuit of your concept.

Recently a program has been developed to create a virtual solderless breadboard, humorously called Fritzing by its originators in a university in Germany. It shows an image of a breadboard on the computer screen, and you can drag images of components and wires on to it, copying the arrangement you have tested on the breadboard. A schematic layout and a PCB layout can be derived automatically by mouse clicks. The library of components is large, and includes surface mount components.

We discussed the Arduino, a breakout board for the ATMega328P 32 pin microcontroller. All its pins are brought out to connectors so you can attach components. The micro comes preloaded with a bootloader that allows it to be programmed in place from a PC.

Prewritten programs can be selected from a large library and simply pasted in, saving much programming effort. We saw how a microprocessor can be used by itself on a small PCB, separate from the Arduino board, after you've added the bootloader and a program. This is done by wiring the micro on a breadboard in parallel with the active pins of an Arduino. A smaller micro can be used, such as the 8 pin ATTiny45, when fewer pins are sufficient. An internet video called Shrinkify showed how to do this.

Summaries of many of the previous meetings can be seen at: http://www.sesame.com.au/picclub

The members will have some new microprocessor applications and programming examples at Tuesday's meeting. Neville Hoffman

Friday 11 March - Friday Forum - 9:30am - 12:30pm

The Internet is a great source of help when you encounter a computer problem or a difficulty with a piece of software.

However, it is not always easy to know which help site to explore.

Roger Foulds plans to make this task easier for you when he reviews the best help sites that can be found on the Internet at this meeting.

There will also be a question and answer session and a general discussion of items of interest at the meeting.

Friday 11 March - Communications - J Lucke - 12:30pm - 3:30pm

John Lucke will discuss all things relating to modems and routers at this meeting including:
- whether you should purchase a separate modem and router or a single combined unit;
- how you should set up your modem/router and establish the level of security when access is shared; and
- how you can change passkeys or retrieve forgotten ones.

There will also be a general discussion and question and answer session at the meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John Mathews

Information for Members and Visitors:

All Meetings, unless specifically stated above, are held on the
1st Floor, Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.

Sydney PC User Group's FREE newsletter: Subscribe Un-subscribe

Go to Sydney PC User Group's: Website Events Calendar

Changing your e-mail address? Please e-mail your new address to newsletter@sydneypc.com

DISCLAIMER: This Newsletter is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.

Each user or reader of this Newsletter assumes complete risk as to the accuracy and subsequent use of its contents.