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Lance Strate
Jewish Standard Daily
Musings on Jewish Identity at Christmastime
Adam Sandler performed an update of his "Chanukah Song" last month at the New York Comedy Festival, with a second performance in San Diego available on YouTube. The new rendition is the fourth version of the song he debuted in 1994 on "Saturday Night Live," a song that is as much about Jewish identity as it is about the holiday.
https://youtu.be/6YSOZP_M6eM
Sandler's "Chanukah Song" is not without its critics, however. In an editorial published in the New Jersey Jewish News last month, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Andrew Silow-Carroll of Teaneck, expresses much ambivalence about Sandler's listing of Jewish celebrities. He worries that while it reflects a sense that it is cool to be Jewish, that coolness is a shallow expression of ethnic pride, lacking the depth of religious commitment.
In my view, Silow-Carroll sells Sandler short.
But first let me note that I agree with the general argument that Jewish identity ought to be based on something more than ethnic pride. If Jewish identity is reduced to ethnicity alone, it eventually will be lost within the great American melting pot. Think of how many Americans today claim to have a Native American great grandparent. But the key to understanding "The Chanukah Song" is not in the list of Jewish celebrities, even though that constitutes the main part of the song.
Steve Allen once observed that the comedian is usually a person with a grievance, and Sandler explained the grievance behind "The Chanukah Song" when he first introduced it on December 3, 1994. "When I was a kid, this time of year always made me feel a little left out, because in school there were so many Christmas songs, and all us Jewish kids had was the song, 'Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,'" he said then. And while Sandler goes on to say that he "wrote a brand new Chanukah song for you Jewish kids to sing," in actuality the song actually has very little to do with the holiday.
Sandler does begin with a reference to religious tradition, as the first line of the song tells us to "put on your yarmulke," and goes on to identify the holiday as the festival of lights. But for the most part, the connection to Chanukah is tangential, a list of famous people who are more or less Jewish, motivated by the mostly unstated implication that they also celebrate Chanukah instead of Christmas. In other words, the song is not about Chanukah itself, but rather about not celebrating Christmas, about feeling like "the only kid in town without a Christmas tree." About feeling left out.
Certainly, the song's appeal to ethnic pride is an effort to compensate for that sense of alienation, and there is something very Jewish about taking note when a prominent person is a member of the tribe. Indeed, doing so constitutes a link to our tribal roots, an expression of a group-centered communal sensibility, one that stands in marked contrast to the extreme individualism of American society. Moreover, it can serve not only as an expression of shared pride, but also of collective shame. For example, in the new version of the song Sandler expresses his disapproval of former Subway spokesperson and convicted sex offender Jared Fogle, and his disappointment that Fogle is Jewish.
To understand the peculiarity of American-Jewish life over the past century or more, it is helpful to consider how the equivalent of "The Chanukah Song" would work for other groups. A song pointing out the identity of African-Americans or Asian-Americans, for example, would seem pointless; it simply would state what is obvious to all. The same would be true, to a large extent, for a song about Italian-Americans naming Pacino, DeNiro, Stallone, DiCaprio, etc.; or for Hispanics naming Lopez, Garcia, Longoria, Montalban, etc. And yes, we have our Levines, Shapiros, and Cohens, but then there are also names like Gyllenhaal, Johansson, and LaBeouf, all named in Sandler's recent update.
That Jewish identity is often not immediately apparent goes hand-in-hand with the fact that for most of the time, Jewish-Americans are privileged to feel and function as if we are part of mainstream American society. Even when we take off for Jewish holidays, fast on Yom Kippur, and avoid chametz on Passover, we may be diverging from the mainstream, but we do so by taking an alternate path, a detour, rather than running counter to its current. It is only at Christmastime that we find ourselves at odds with the vast majority of Americans and can feel like strangers in our native land.
And let's be honest, generic phrases like "holiday season" and "season's greetings" are essentially euphemisms for Christmas. The attempt to acknowledge that there is more than one holiday at this time of year essentially translates to "Christmas and others," or more accurately "Christmases and others," by which I mean not only the Orthodox Church's Christmas that falls during the first week of January, but more importantly the distinction between the religious observance of the Christian holy day and what has become, for many, a secularized American holiday.
It is pointless to deny the power of secularized Christmas, whose elements include Christmas trees, magic snowmen and reindeer, elves, and of course Santa Claus as a figure akin to the tooth fairy. And Sandler doesn't mention the fact that in an effort to avoid feeling left out, some Jews actually do celebrate some form of secularized Christmas.
While I don't believe that Santa Claus ever can be fully separated from his origins as the Christian Saint Nicholas, or that Christmas ever can be the kind of pluralistic national holiday that Thanksgiving is, my point is not to criticize attempts to create a kosher Christmas. Rather, what I want to emphasize is that if it is possible for us to celebrate some form of secularized Christmas, then the decision not to celebrate Christmas becomes a conscious choice that we have to make, an act of resistance to the dominant culture, an affirmation of our group identity as a people, and most importantly, an affirmation of our faith.
The decision not to celebrate Christmas is much more than a matter of ethnic pride. It must be based on religion, and this is the underlying assumption of Sandler's "Chanukah Song," and the point that Silow-Carroll misses. We are defined by what we are not, as well as by what we are. Admittedly, it is not enough to define ourselves against others. We also have to define ourselves positively, by our beliefs and practices. But we should understand the hidden ground of faith behind Sandler's humor.
We should also understand the grievance behind the song, stemming from a sense of isolation that may be felt only or much more acutely at this time of year. Sandler's song counters isolation through the creation of a sense of connection, achieved by naming others who are "just like you and me." What he gives us is an imaginary community of people who are known to us, but who do not know us in return. In doing so, he points the way to the real solution, which is to seek out a real sense of community, something we can only find through our Jewish congregations, synagogues, and community centers.
Lance Strate is a past president of Congregation Adas Emuno of Leonia, New Jersey and Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City. He is the author of Media Ecology: An Approach to Understanding the Human Condition; Amazing Ourselves to Death: Neil Postman's Brave New World Revisited; On the Binding Biases of Time and Other Essays on General Semantics and Media Ecology; Echoes and Reflections: On Media Ecology as a Field of Study; and Thunder at Darwin Station.
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"The Real" Captain Hook
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has has a rating of 2, a status of 6 and record of 10-10-0 (10/4) and is currently M . His record in world title fights is 0-0-0 (0/0)


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Ben Hogan Award down to 10 Semifinalists
by Golf Coaches Association of America
FORT WORTH, TX (April 12, 2018) – The Hogan Trophy Award Foundation, Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) have announced the 10 semifinalists for the 2018 Ben Hogan Award presented by Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta). The semifinalist group is comprised of four seniors, four juniors and two sophomores.
2018 Ben Hogan Award Semifinalists
Shintaro Ban, UNLV, Sr., San Jose, Calif.
Zach Bauchou, Oklahoma State, Jr., Forest, Va.
Doug Ghim, Texas, Sr., Arlington Heights, Ill.
Viktor Hovland, Oklahoma State, So., Oslo, Norway
Theo Humphrey, Vanderbilt, Sr., Greenwich, Conn.
Collin Morikawa, California, Jr., La Cañada Flintridge, Calif.
Fredrik Nilehn, Texas Tech, Sr., Goteborg, Sweden
Justin Suh, Southern California, Jr., San Jose, Calif.
Braden Thornberry, Ole Miss, Jr., Olive Branch, Miss.
Norman Xiong, Oregon, So., Canyon Lake, Calif.
Each semifinalist's school receives a scholarship grant for its men's golf program. Since 2002, the Hogan Trophy Award Foundation has awarded over $700,000 in scholarships to more than two dozen universities.
The Ben Hogan Award is issued annually in May to the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period. The award's selection committee, which votes during each stage of the process, is made up of nearly two dozen leaders and experts in professional, amateur and collegiate golf.
On Wednesday, May 2, the group of semifinalists will be pared down to three finalists. The three finalists will then travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to attend a black-tie banquet where the winner will be crowned at Colonial Country Club on Monday, May 21, prior to the start of the PGA TOUR's Fort Worth Invitational.
The Ben Hogan Trophy was first issued in 1990 at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles and also included academic achievement in its original list of standards. In 2002, the Ben Hogan Award moved to Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Hogan's hometown and the site of five of his PGA TOUR victories. At that time, it revised its criteria to its current standard of honoring the outstanding amateur collegiate golfer. In 2005, the tradition of inviting the three finalists began.
Winners of the Ben Hogan Award include seven golfers currently ranked in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings—Jon Rahm (2015, 2016), Rickie Fowler (2008), Patrick Cantlay (2012), Kyle Stanley (2009), Peter Uihlein (2011), Bill Haas (2004) and Ryan Moore (2005). Other recipients include: Ricky Barnes (2003), Matt Every (2006), Chris Kirk (2007), Hunter Mahan (2003), Maverick McNealy (2017), Patrick Rodgers (2014), Nick Taylor (2010), D.J. Trahan (2002) and Chris Williams (2013).
Some notable semifinalists over the years include: Jonas Blixt (Florida State), Bud Cauley (Alabama), Kevin Chappell (UCLA), Bryson Dechambeau (SMU), Harris English (Georgia), Brian Harman (Georgia), Russell Henley (Georgia), Beau Hossler (Texas), Dustin Johnson (Coastal Carolina), Michael Kim (California), Scott Langley (Illinois), Spencer Levin (New Mexico), Cheng-Tsung Pan (Washington), Patrick Reed (Augusta State), Ollie Schneiderjans (Georgia Tech), Webb Simpson (Wake Forest), Jordan Spieth (Texas), Justin Thomas (Alabama), Michael Thompson (Alabama), Camilo Villegas (Florida) and Nick Watney (Fresno State).
Semifinalist Notes
• For the second consecutive year, the Ben Hogan Award semifinalist group includes four seniors, four juniors and two sophomores.
• Four leagues are represented on the list, led by the Big 12 Conference with four players. The other leagues include the Pac-12 Conference (3), Southeastern Conference (2) and Mountain West Conference (1).
• Morikawa (2017) is the lone player ever to previously appear as a semifinalist.
• Oklahoma State teammates Zach Bauchou and Viktor Hovland are semifinalists, meaning for the second straight year, one school has multiple semifinalists. They are the 17th teammates to be semifinalists since 2002.
• The longest active semifinalist streak by any school belongs to Oregon (3), after Stanford had its semifinalist streak of eight years snapped. Schools with active streaks include California (2), Southern California (2) and Vanderbilt (2).
• Two universities with semifinalists are home to Ben Hogan Award winners since 2002. Those schools are: Oklahoma State (Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler and Peter Uihlein) and UNLV (Ryan Moore).
• Two golfers (Fredrik Nilehn of Texas Tech and Braden Thornberry of Ole Miss) are the first-ever semifinalists from their respective schools.


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Home Contests Interview With September Monthly Theme Contest Winner Tzen Xing
Interview With September Monthly Theme Contest Winner Tzen Xing
by Andrew Sweigart - Apr 15, 2018
As Fall arrived in September of 2017, the temperatures started to cool, but the competition in our Monthly Theme Contests surely did not. The previous eight months had given us outstanding work from winners Roy Rozanski, Kristof Vande Velde, Christoph Wuzella, Sreejith Kaviyil, Zlatko Vickovic, Svilen Nachev, Constantinos Arvanitis and Jasmin Gendron. The quality of the work has made choosing a victor all the more challenging, and left us anxious to see what the next month's theme would yield.
September marked the end of our five-month long run on color themes. The harvest month's theme was perhaps the most challenging color yet… pink! How would this passionate color feature in a winning shot? Again, we were awash in a sea of spectacular color and the selection process was gloriously arduous. After the voting, it was the wildly talented Tzen Xing who captured the title for the month!
Tzen Xing, Street Photographer
The street photographer Tzen Xing, winner of the Streethunters.net September Theme Contest.
Tzen, who hails from the United States, is an editor at www.streetcorephotography.com and an Administrator for Fine Photography Viewpoints. She has had her work published in Street Core Photography eZines and has one of her images published in the World Street Photography 2015 book. When you're done checking out the interview, do yourself a favor and check out Tzen's excellent Flickr photostream!. Before that, dig into the interview and read how Tzen made her superb September shot and, more importantly, what it's like to being a woman photographer in the boy's club that is street photography.
Here at Street Hunters, we're awarding the winners of each Monthly Theme Contest with all the exposure we can deliver! The exposure comes in three ways. First, the announcement post, which proclaims the winner of the contest and showcases their winning image. Second, an interview feature with the photographer. And third, a YouTube slideshow of their work. The feature posts will remain on the web for as long as Street Hunters exists!
First, can you provide us with some background information about yourself? For instance, where you're from. How long have you been shooting? Are you a member of any photo collectives, groups or communities? Have you had any work published, shown in galleries, etc.?
As a Diaspora Chinese, I've lived most of my life in America. I became interested in street photography about 4 years ago. Initially, I joined many photo groups on social media, but after spending too much time on the internet, I decided to limit myself to just a few. My work has been shown only in cyber galleries and on several Flickr sites. Some of my images have been published in Street Core Photography eZines. One of my images was published in World Street Photography 2015 book.
Tzen Xing's winning photo for the September Monthly Theme Contest, "The Colour Pink"
Tell us about this shot! It's a perfect intersection of pink! How did it come together? Did you come across this scene as is, or did you spot the pink strings/ropes and wait for a subject to come into the frame?
It all appeared before me like a vision. Luckily, my instincts reacted faster than my brain, because she was gone in a flash! This image represents my feelings about China. I have come to realize that for me, China will forever remain a mystery. As an outsider, I have only been able to scratch the surface of this fascinating country, with over 5,000 years of history. This image represents a mystery that I can never solve. Who is this woman, and what is she doing? Why are there pink strings attached to the trees? What do the words mean? Questions with no answers, just an enigmatic moment to experience.
How did you get into street photography? How long have you been shooting street and whose work influenced you the most?
I'm a very curious person, and I've always been fascinated by people and places, especially big cities. I'm also a visual junkie who loves movies, TV, books, etc. So picking up a camera and discovering how to create images was just the next intuitive step to take. Walking in the streets feeds my curiosity, and the pulsating energy, sights and sounds, and the feelings that they evoke make me feel more alive.
There have been so many great photographers who have inspired me. To name a few, Helen Levitt, Mary Ellen Mark, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, Josef Koudelka, Harry Gruyaert, Alex Webb, Bruce Davidson, Sebastiao Salgado. I think it's also important to read critical writings about photography, because our images reflect not only what we see, but also what we think and feel. The writings of Susan Sontag, Charles Harbutt, John Szarkowski and Michail Moscholios have influenced me greatly on what makes photography so unique, compelling and challenging, and how it has impacted us in this modern age, in a society obsessed with the spectacle.
What gear do you use? What focal length is your favorite to work with and why?
I like to walk for hours in the streets, to be quick and invisible like a ninja when I'm photographing. So the perfect camera for me is a small and light Ricoh GR. I love shooting wide angle because I find the environment or context just as interesting as the people in it. What's more, shooting with a wide angle proves without a doubt that the camera can see more than me. I love the surprises when I look at my images and find all those gestures, body parts or flying objects that I wasn't aware of when I pressed the shutter! (laughs)
Looking through your Flickr photostream, you seem to be equally comfortable working with both black and white and color. Do you prefer one to other? What carries more weight when deciding between working in either, your mood or the elements within the image (color, shadow, etc)?
I like both black and white and color. A good artist can use either one to create complexity, emotional depth and mood. Many photographers associate the "film noir" look with black and white. Yet there have been many great movies and paintings with the film noir aesthetics that were made in color, like some of the films of David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' and Edward Hopper's 'Nighthawks'. I can't imagine what "Nighthawks" would look like in black and white. All I can do is to trust my instincts to use either one to create the kind of mood and emotional intensity that I'm after.
A few of your images are wonderfully surreal. You say you like to search for these moments where illusion intersects with reality. How hard is it to find surreal moments on the street?
Charles Harbutt said, "Photography is a reality high." For me, surrealism is a double high. I love the tension between what is seen and what is evoked or provoked. I'm always searching for it, but as we all know, street photography is unpredictable and full of surprises. Sometimes I'll find it around the next mundane corner, other times there's nothing.
You're an editor with Street Core Photography. Do you find looking at so much work ever puts stress or pressure on yourself with your street photography? Or, do you find that it's more inspirational, sparking creativity?
I really appreciate the admins with Street Core Photography, who spend endless hours and energy looking at so much work. However, as an editor, I don't have to do that. Michail asked me to become an editor, and you know it's hard to say No to Michail (chuckles). What I do is keep my eyes open for work that is unusual, exciting and inspiring, then contact the photographer for an interview to share her or his work on SCP. It's a great opportunity for me and others to get inspired by other exceptionally talented photographers. But that's just the icing on the cake. I want to give a shout out to what a remarkable group SCP is, a quirky, liberating place where you'll find many unique photographers. Most of all, I'm immensely appreciative of Michail Moscholios' writings, an astonishing flow of brilliant insights, visionary thoughts and passion. He is a fierce advocate for creating art as an act of rebellion, and he has deep empathy for artists in their existential struggle against an increasingly oppressive, alienating and prison-like world. His influence has made me a better photographer, and I'm deeply thankful to him for his efforts. His book "Anti-manual on Street Photography" is a must read for any artist/photographer who wants to challenge their limitations and to think/create outside the box. For the "starving artist," it's a free book that will set you free, and make you hungrier.
As a woman shooting street photography, do you believe that the genre is a "boy's club"?
I'm so glad for this opportunity to identify myself as a woman. For years on FB, many photographers thought I was a man, and called me "bro" (laughs). Patriarchy has dominated the world for thousands of years, and although some progress has been accomplished through the long, hard struggles by women fighting for more autonomy and equality, I don't see patriarchy losing its grip anytime soon. So unfortunately, the "boys' clubs" will continue to rule in many social areas, including photography.
Your work has been shared on Her Side Of The Street and Women In Street. What else do you think can be done to level the playing field for women and exposure to their work in street photography?
I'm so thankful that Casey Meshbesher and Tuti Soler Susana founded Her Side of the Street, and Nicole Struppert started Women in Photography. They have created a safe and supportive shelter for women to share their images, experiences and stories, away from the intrusive "male gaze." Fortunately In these women-only groups, you won't find cliched images of women bending over, eating a banana, or sucking on a bottle that seem to drive men crazy, eliciting hundreds of "likes" in many social media groups. It's great that more and more women are showing their work on social media as well as galleries and workshops, and participating as admins, curators, judges and/or professional photographers. But we are still a minority in a male-dominated field. We are living in an imperfect world with so much social injustices everywhere; all we can do is to be persistent, resilient and fight back for what we really care about. But after so many years of blood, sweat and tears, we're not gonna knock politely on patriarchy's doors anymore, we're gonna break them down! Furthermore, I don't think only women should be responsible for dismantling this toxic, man-made system. Patriarchy oppresses both women and men, so ultimately, we have to work together to change it.
What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Any projects, exhibitions or publications in the works?
Perhaps it is my happy or unhappy fate to make further journeys to China in pursuit of deeper meanings. Along the way, I hope to make a few intriguing photographs of what I'll see, think and feel in this vast and complex country. In the long run, I hope to keep evolving not only as an artist, but as a human being. In the end, is it worth it to become a great photographer, yet remain an asshole?
Where you can see Tzen Xing's work
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tzenxing/
https://www.streetcorephotography.com/editors.html
The Colour Pink
Tzen Xing
PRESS RELEASE: Roza Vulf's "Floating World" exhibition
Inside Yannis Fragakis' Camera Bag - Bag No. 154
Andrew Sweigart has pursued creative endeavors as a writer and a musician, but street photography has captured his soul. He enjoys finding the beauty in the routines and mundane of everyday life. If you would like to see his work you can also visit his Street Hunters Profile. He is co-founder of Street Hunters.


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This should be an easy one... I googled the hell out of this issue and looked around here without any luck, but I'm sure this has been touched on before. Sorry for the redundant post, ahead of time.
I have a desktop running two hard drives. I installed Debian on the first one (a mix of Sarge and Sid with a custom kernel 2.4.21.030708) where hda1 is /boot, hda2 is swap, hda3 is /, and hda4 is /home. I installed RH9 on the second one (kernel 2.4.20-8) where hdb1 is /boot, hdb2 is /, hdb3 is swap, and hdb4 is /home.
Error 13: Invalid or unsupported executible format.
If need be, I'll post the grub.conf file. I'm sure there is a simple solution, but I didn't want to monkey with it any more after I've gotten my desktop almost completely like I like it.
Last edited by General_Tso; 07-08-2003 at 10:16 PM.
and how can both drives be named hda?
where hda = drive with debian, and hdb = drive with rh, and bzImage is the kernel you compiled and vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 is the kernel anaconda gave you in rh.
You were right. RH9 was on hdb--sorry for the confusion. Also, GRUB was installed on the MBR. Here is grub.conf.
I made the following changes to my bootloader after screwing around with it for a while and I managed to get Debian to boot. However, when I try apt-get update or apt-get install, all the sources "do something wicked," or something to that affect. I think I messed up my permissions somehow when Debian boots by omitting something in GRUB--but your guess is as good as mine. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm stumped.


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This four square Victorian is classic S. Orange. High ceilings, large windows and hardwood floors throughout. First floor features Foyer, LR, DR, EIK, Family Room, Sunroom and updated powder room. 2nd floor has 4 BR and 2 full baths. Master has 2 closets. 3rd floor with 5th BR, full bath and plenty of storage space. Detached 2 car garage w/ loft storage. Easy stroll to S. Mountain elementary and .7 mil or 13 min walk to SO train station.
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Normally we provide some tasting notes but you really have to taste this cigar for yourself to appreciate it. It offers those smooth and naturally sweet flavors that you can only get from good aged tobacco. If you can fork up the cash, I highly suggest adding this limited edition to your collection.
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All known boundary clauses, together with their variant versions, have been checked against manuscript sources and input into the LangScape database, together with accompanying metadata. However, through constraints of time, not all these texts have been marked up in XML (see Completed Archives). Similarly, for each boundary text, we have in the database fields containing the (usually Latin) clause introducing the Boundary Section of the charter, the dispositive clause (describing what unit is being granted), details of appurtenances which follow the boundary texts, and endorsements and rubrics relating to the charters containing the boundaries. We have not had the time to present or exploit this material, and it is the intention of the project to seek funding specifically to bring this phase of the project to completion.
The resource then potentially forms a platform for wider development: for example, increasing accessibility to the general public and developing schools use. The main area for this development lies in the analysis of each boundary clause on the ground using GIS techniques. A key component of this phase is the establishment of a Feedback Forum where those working on any aspect of the boundaries could share and discuss their findings. This second stage could be the subject of wider collaboration and funding.


At Colley Lane Primary Academy, we appreciate the contribution of PE to the health and well-being of our children. We also acknowledge that a broad, balanced, high quality curriculum and extra-curricular activities have a positive impact on concentration, attitude, achievement and most importantly, enjoyment.
We are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive a minimum of 2 hours of PE per week, delivered by well-trained and enthusiastic teachers.
We run an extensive sports programme over the year, which includes a huge variety of sport clubs such as boys and girls Football, Netball, Hockey, Basketball, Athletics, Rounders and Multi-skills just to name a few. Our clubs take place before school, during lunch break and after school.
Colley Lane has been awarded with the Sainsbury's Gold Mark Award for Sports for the past few years.
The government provided funding of £323 million for the 2017/2018 academic year to provide substantial primary school sport funding. The funding has been jointly provided by the Departments for Education, Health and Culture, Media and Sport and is ring-fenced for primary schools to spend on improving the quality of sport and PE for all their children. Colley Lane Primary Academy received £20,940 for the 2017/2018 academic year.


text:
package com.epam.catgenome.entity.vcf;

import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Set;

import com.epam.catgenome.entity.track.Block;
import lombok.Getter;
import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;
import lombok.Setter;

/**
 * Represents VCF track block, parsed from a VCF file, the structure of this class is
 * similar to the VCF file line.
 */
@Getter
@Setter
@NoArgsConstructor
public class Variation extends Block {

    private String identifier;
    private String referenceAllele;
    private List<String> alternativeAlleles;
    private Double quality;
    private List<Filter> failedFilters;
    private VariationType type;
    private Map<String, GenotypeData> genotypeData;
    private Map<String, InfoField> info;
    private Map<String, Object> bindInfo;
    private boolean structural = false;
    private Set<String> geneNames;

    /**
     * On smaller scales defines that a certain number of variations is present in this pixel
     */
    private Integer variationsCount;

    /**
     * @param startIndex border of a block
     * @param endIndex border of a block
     * @param referenceAllele reference sequence
     * @param alternativeAlleles {@code List} of variation sequences present at the block
     */
    public Variation(int startIndex, int endIndex, String referenceAllele, List<String> alternativeAlleles) {
        this.referenceAllele = referenceAllele;
        this.alternativeAlleles = alternativeAlleles;

        setStartIndex(startIndex);
        setEndIndex(endIndex);
    }

    @Getter
    @Setter
    @NoArgsConstructor
    public static class InfoField {
        private String description;
        private Object value;
        private InfoFieldTypes type = InfoFieldTypes.TRIVIAL;
        private List<String> header;

        public InfoField(String description, Object value) {
            this.description = description;
            this.value = value;
        }
    }

    public enum InfoFieldTypes {
        TRIVIAL, TABLE
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Whatever life event you're celebrating, from proms to a family reunion, renting a party bus is a great way to keep everyone together, safe, and having a great time. One of the best things about party buses or a limousine is the freedom to make your ride as unique as your event. A party bus also gives you the chance to keep the party going long after the last lights have gone out. If you want to make the most out of your party bus rental, follow these tips for an event you'll never forget.
Baltimore is the heart of Maryland, and with so much to do in a city of just over 600,000 people, you need a precisely planned itinerary for your day. Although the city is on the smaller side for a metropolitan area–Baltimore is the 26th largest city in the United States–a limousine rental or sedan service for the day will simplify your travel needs and add an extra bit of comfort to your day.


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Home » Chatham: East-facing Ocean Beaches closed due to white shark activity
Chatham: East-facing Ocean Beaches closed due to white shark activity
LOCAL NOTICE TO MARINERS & SWIMMERS
5:00 p.m. E.S.T. August 29, 2012
Over the last several days, the Town of Chatham has received information from private parties, state division of marine fisheries and commercial fishermen that has led us to conclude that white shark activity has apparently increased in the vicinity of Chatham's eastern, ocean facing beaches. These reports include the video posted on YouTube of a shark attacking a seal in the area of the South Tip of Monomoy (see here). Further, several fishermen have reported white sharks in their nets off-shore and the Division of Marine Fisheries while attempting to tag a shark in the vicinity of South Beach, reported white sharks close to shore in the vicinity of swimmers. Additionally, while the Division of Marine Fisheries was attempting to tag this shark, the spotter plane witnessed a white shark leaving Chatham Harbor through the 1987 inlet in North Beach east of the Chatham Lighthouse.
Given these latest reported developments, East facing ocean beaches will be closed from the Orleans/Chatham line south along Nauset Beach to Monomoy until further notice. People should be aware of their surroundings and not swim within 300 feet of seals. If a shark is sighted, exit the water and contact the appropriate department as listed below.
All other public beaches remain open to swimming, including Hardings Beach, Ridgevale Beach, Cockle Cove Beach, Forest Street Beach and Pleasant Street Beach along Nantucket Sound.
Media inquiries should be directed to the Dept. of Energy & Environmental Affairs at – (617) 626-1052 –
Reggie Zimmerman
Harbormaster — (508) 945-5185 (for shark sighting reports)
Parks & Recreation – (508) 945-5158 (for swimming and beach information)
Dan Tobin, Director of Parks & Recreation
Stuart Smith, Harbormaster


Keeping manufacturers and similar enterprises running smoothly is a multi-billion-dollar industry. The myriad products used every day as part of normal operations – everything from gloves, cutting tools and safety equipment to abrasives and lubricants – must be available when and where they're needed. It's a complex business, where efficiency, productivity and strong supplier relationships are critical.
To gain a premier position in this market, Sonepar, a privately held $25 billion global electrical supplier, purchased Hagemeyer North America and IDG. The opportunity lay in combining the two well-established and respected companies to create a single, North American supply solutions leader with unmatched geographic scope, scale and manufacturer partnerships. In 2014, that's what Sonepar did.
A single name was only the beginning step to building a brand that brought together two organizations.
Hagemeyer / IDG had been operating under its two existing brands while working to integrate the company through operations, personnel and finance. But to demonstrate their intention of having one company to their customers—and send a message to associates of both companies—what was needed was a single defining name. Searching through the Sonepar portfolio, the company opted to use a name they already owned, a name that had strong recognition and reputation. The two companies now had the start of their brand identity and would be called Vallen.
As we've done for many merged companies, Tenet worked to forge unity for Vallen – one team, one company, across all levels, with shared strengths.
Leveraging earlier internal work to frame a brand platform for the combined companies, Tenet quickly became an integral part of the rebranding process. Tenet operated as a valued extension of the company's internal resources, with the skills needed to fully develop and launch the new brand. Working with Vallen's team, Tenet launched a robust, multi-front program that spanned everything from brand strategy extension and articulation, to customer journey mapping, service principles, brand personality, tagline development, brand launch planning and support, sales enablement and employee engagement. Many of these activities ran on parallel paths to get the brand launched on an aggressive timeline.
The process was highly collaborative, with multidisciplinary teams working closely together. This allowed findings and experiences to be shared and new ideas to be validated, which proved critical in creating a cohesive brand expression.
The common goal was to bring dimension and meaning to Vallen, both internally and externally. Tenet researchers engaged extensively with customers and executives spanning both legacy companies, in one-on-one interviews and workshops.
What the team found were areas of competitive advantage, a powerful set of emerging personality attributes and a core set of values in common. In addition, a deep understanding of customers based on listening and collaboration, an innovative, flexible, solutions-oriented approach, and an unmatched commitment to customer success marked the organization.
Vallen's flexible, solution-led thinking and dedication to customer success – even to the extent of having "skin in the game" regarding results – came out in the tagline: Innovation. Proven value.
One of the most important – and impactful – parts of the entire project was building employee engagement and excitement in the run-up to brand launch. This was seen as vitally important, because the rebranding project had been in the works for some time and Vallen associates were eager to see it completed.
To help educate and engage with all associates, Tenet worked closely with the management team to lead a spirit of unity in supporting the brand training. Tenet helped create a "train the trainer" approach, with live workshop training of a select cadre of Vallen associates who would then go on to train their colleagues. They were exposed to the personality attributes and asked to express how those attributes unfold as brand behaviors – making the training very "real" for each person's job.
Those same attributes were the basis of a powerful set of service principles that also became part of the training and served as a guide for all Vallen associates going forward. To reinforce the brand behaviors and service principles – and thereby build the strength of the brand over time – there are plans to incorporate them into recognition and reward programs that will keep an ongoing focus on the brand into the future.
The brand training was an overwhelming success. It resulted in a true sense of community – for the first time, associates from both of the legacy companies could clearly see how much they had in common.
Heralding the new brand in a dramatic announcement was made a bit difficult because the name had to be revealed well beforehand for legal reasons. That required careful coordination of brand communications, including informing the press, associates and suppliers of the new name without exposing the brand strategy and identity. The name announcement in August 2016 put a stake in the ground with an announcement from the CEO: "We are now Vallen." With that, everyone knew the rebranding was finally real, and was coming soon.
This created a unique opportunity to build momentum. Learning the name and receiving brand training on the brand values and attributes were peeks behind the curtain, with the anticipation of much more to come.
To capture that sense of excitement and make it grow, Tenet created the Vallen Launchpad – an internal website that, week by week, unveiled more and more of the brand, with a clock counting down to the October 11, 2016 launch day.
The Launchpad featured interactive games, brand education, and communications from management. It also revealed, step-by-step, the vibrant and contemporary Vallen visual system, culminating in the logo, tagline and wordmark on launch day, all brought to life with a powerful corporate video and supported by well-orchestrated local events involving all associates and a National Leadership Conference addressing company managers and major suppliers.
The new logo symbolizes several key Vallen characteristics. It is multi-faceted, representing breadth of products and solutions. The precision of the shapes speaks to being a perfect fit for our customers, and the creative way the shapes come to life in communications supports Vallen's flexible and adaptable approach to tackling customers' challenges.
Throughout the entire rebranding process, Tenet supported senior management's wish to respectfully retire the legacy brands of Hagemeyer and IDG, so that all associates and management could move forward under the unified Vallen name. They became one company, one brand, moving forward together.
With a successful brand launch behind them, Vallen continues to partner with Tenet. We're developing sales collateral that uses an approach not seen before to highlight the company's unique approach to value, honing sales tools, building a messaging platform and exploring new opportunities to reinforce brand behaviors and empower Vallen's sales force.


text:
Q: inverse of a covariance matrix Is the inverse of a covariance matrix also guaranteed to be symmetric. A valid covariance matrix is symmetric PSD and all the matlab tests I have done seem to indicate that the inverse is also symmetric (Is it also PD?) but I wanted to confirm it.

A: Since it is a covariance matrix I suppose we are working over the real field. So then since the matrix is symmetric it is orthogonally diagonalizable. So, all you have to do, to prove that the inverse is also symmetric is the following: suppose the matrix of interest is $S$, then write $S$ in terms of a product of the diagonal matrix it is similar to and the orthogonal matrix $P$ and its inverse $P^T$ consisting of eigenvectors. Then just write out $S^{-1}$ and $(S^{-1})^T$ in terms of these factors, manipulate, and see if they are the same. This is of course assuming the matrix is PD; if it has $0$ as eigenvalue it is not invertible.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Rudder Position Indicator For Power Boats - July 2011
Publisher's Letter: The quest for ultra-low distortion
Feature: Australia Hears . . . And So Do I by Ross Tester
Feature: Control Your World Using Linux by Nenad Stojadinovic
Project: Ultra-LD Mk.3 200W Amplifier Module by Nicholas Vinen
Project: A Portable Lightning Detector by John Clarke
Project: Rudder Position Indicator For Power Boats by Nicholas Vinen
Feature: A Look At Amplifier Stability & Compensation by Nicholas Vinen
Project: Build A Voice-Activated Relay (VOX) by John Clarke
Vintage Radio: Hotpoint Bandmaster J35DE console radio, Pt.1 by Maurie Findlay
Computer Bits (October 1994)
Computer Bits (November 1994)
Computer Bits (December 1994)
Computer Bits (January 1995)
Computer Bits (February 1995)
Computer Bits (March 1995)
Computer Bits (April 1995)
CMOS Memory Settings - What To Do When The Battery Goes Flat (May 1995)
Computer Bits (July 1995)
Computer Bits (September 1995)
Computer Bits: Connecting To The Internet With WIndows 95 (October 1995)
Computer Bits (May 1996)
Computer Bits (June 1996)
Computer Bits (August 1996)
Windows 95: The Hardware That's Required (May 1997)
Turning Up Your Hard Disc Drive (June 1997)
Computer Bits: The Ins & Outs Of Sound Cards (August 1997)
Control Your World Using Linux (July 2011)
Items relevant to "Ultra-LD Mk.3 200W Amplifier Module":
Ultra-LD Mk3 200W Amplifier Module PCB [01107111] (AUD $20.00)
Ultra-LD Mk.3 200W Amplifier Module (July 2011)
Ultra-LD Mk.3 200W Amplifier Module, Pt.2 (August 2011)
Ultra-LD Mk.3 200W Amplifier Module, Pt.3 (September 2011)
Items relevant to "A Portable Lightning Detector":
Portable Lightning Detector PCB [04107111] (AUD $15.00)
Portable Lightning Detector PCB pattern (PDF download) [04107111] (AUD $3.00)
Portable Lightning Detector front and top panel artwork (PDF download) (AUD $3.00)
Items relevant to "Rudder Position Indicator For Power Boats":
Rudder Position Indicator PCB Set [20107111/2/3/4] (AUD $80.00)
ATtiny861 programmed for the Rudder Position Indicator Sensor/Transmitter [2010711A.HEX] (Programmed Microcontroller, AUD $15.00)
ATtiny861 programmed for the Rudder Position Indicator Receiver/Display [2010711B.HEX] (Programmed Microcontroller, AUD $15.00)
Firmware (HEX) files and C source code for the Rudder Position Indicator [2010711A/B] (Software, Free)
Rudder Position Indictor PCB patterns (PDF download) [20107111/2/3/4] (AUD $3.00)
Rudder Position Indicator For Power Boats (July 2011)
Rudder Position Indicator For Power Boats, Pt.2 (August 2011)
Items relevant to "A Look At Amplifier Stability & Compensation":
SPICE simulation data for Amplifier Stability & Compensation article (Software, Free)
Items relevant to "Build A Voice-Activated Relay (VOX)":
VOX PCB [01207111] (AUD $15.00)
VOX (Voice Activated Relay) PCB pattern (PDF download) [01207111] (AUD $3.00)
A Rudder Indicator For Power Boats, Pt.1 By NICHOLAS VINEN Manoeuvring a medium-sized or large boat at low speeds can be very difficult and it is even more difficult if you don't know where the rudder(s) is pointing before putting the engine(s) into gear. Trouble is, in most boats, after swinging the wheel back and forth several times, you have no idea. Take the guesswork out of steering with this Rudder Position Indicator. H ERE IS A typical scenario. You are reversing your flybridge twinengined cruiser into a berth (doesn't everyone have one of these?). You must do it at low speed (pretty obvious!) and you can't use the rudder to steer with since rudders don't work at low speeds. The only way to steer is to use the motors. Normally, in a twin-engined boat, you make sure the rudders are centred and then you manoeuvre the boat by nudging the motors into and out of gear and using very judicious (tiny!) amounts of throttle or none at all. For example, if you are going forward, you can steer to port (left, if you're a landlubber) by putting the port engine into reverse and the starboard engine into forward gear. Or you might just leave 62 Silicon Chip the starboard engine in neutral while nudging the port engine in and out of reverse gear. Going in reverse is a whole different ball-game. Now you are looking at the rear of the boat while you manoeuvre it into a narrow berth. In this case, if you want to steer to the left going backwards, you put the starboard engine into reverse and the port engine into forward . . . or combinations of those settings. All the while, you have to cope with the effects of currents and wind. It can be a nightmare. It can be even harder in a singleengined boat. The rudder still doesn't work at low speeds and you don't have the luxury of two motors to do the steering. In this case, you do have to use the rudder but in order to get the boat to respond to the rudder, you have swing it hard over, in one direction or the other, and give the motor a quick stab of power in forward or reverse gear to push the stern of the boat in the required direction. Sounds tricky, doesn't it? Well, it is. Going back to the twin-engined boat for a moment, before you can start these low-speed manoeuvres, you must have the rudder centred. But since typical boats require many turns from lock-to-lock, it is almost impossible to know when the rudder is centred. The practical way to do it, is count the turns from lock-to-lock and then halve it, to centre the rudder. So if it is six turns from lock to lock, you turn the wheel fully to port or starboard and then wind the wheel siliconchip.com.au back by three turns. Trouble is, it's easy to lose count when you're winding the wheel back and forth. How much easier it would be if you had an electronic rudder indicator! Commercial rudder indicators are fitted to some boats but they are very expensive. So that was the brief. The skipper of SILICON CHIP can't steer his boat (hope I won't get into too much trouble for this . . .) and he wanted an electronic indicator. Being the autocratic type that he is, who was I to argue? His justification is that the project would have other applications, so here is the result. This Rudder Position Indicator consists of two units, each of which mounts in a small sealed box with a transparent lid. The sensor unit monitors the movement of the rudder arm and transmits information to a receiver unit via a UHF radio link at 433MHz. The receiver display unit is portable so that it can be moved from the flybridge driving position to the helm inside the cabin. It shows the rudder position using an array of high brightness LEDs, with adjustable brightness to suit indoor and outdoor use. Features The rudder display can show one of seven positions: three steps to port, three to starboard and one when it is centred. The port, starboard and centre positions use different LED colours to Specifications & Performance Rudder Position Resolution................................................. seven steps, plus centre indication Sensor Type ...........................................................................................magnet and reed switch Communication Method ..........................................433MHz UHF digital wireless transmission (Amplitude Shift Keying) Range ...........................approximately 20m (depending on antenna orientation and obstacles) Power source ..................................................................... 4 x AAA cells or external 12V supply Battery life (sensor unit) ........................................approximately two years with 4 x AAA cells Battery life (receiver) .....approximately two years on standby or 2-8 hours in use, depending on LED brightness Size (each unit) ..................................105 x 75 x 40mm with a protruding 15cm whip antenna make the direction more obvious at a glance. For extra precision in setting the rudder straight ahead, the middle LEDs flash when the rudder arm is directly over the central sensor. Both the sensor and receiver units are fitted with short whip antennas (about 15cm) to provide sufficient range for use on larger boats. In most boats, the hydraulic steering arms are located in a compartment called a "lazarette" and this may or may not be lined with aluminium foil coated insulation, to cut down noise and heat. In this case, it may be necessary to run a coaxial cable from the sensor unit to a whip antenna mounted outside this compartment, to allow the signal to reach the helm position(s). The same comment applies if the boat has an aluminium or steel hull. Both the sensor and receiver units can be powered from an internal battery (which can be rechargeable) or from an external 12V power source. An external power source can also be used to trickle charge the internal batteries. The approximate charge state of both batteries is indicated on the display unit. The sensor unit is always powered, so you don't have to switch it on and off each time. Even so, its low current drain means that it will run for at least a year on four AAA cells. Just how long depends on how often you use it and the cell type used. If you use goodquality alkaline cells, the transmitter battery could last two years or more. Many boats have a 12V lead-acid battery in the lazarette and in that case, you can omit the sender unit's The sender unit (left) uses seven reed switches to detect the rudder position. It transmits data to the receiver unit (right) via a 433MHz wireless link. siliconchip.com.au July 2011 63 ACTUATOR PIVOT HYDRAULIC RAM RUDDER ARM ADDED ARM S1 MAGNET (UNDER ARM) S2 S3 © 2011 S4 CON5 SC RUDDER BEARING S5 CON6 S6 SENSOR UNIT S7 (HORIZONTAL PLATFORM) RUDDER So for the final design, each unit is based around a microcontroller which does virtually all the work, in combination with a wireless transmitter or receiver module. Most of the time, the micros are in a low-power sleep mode, keeping the battery drain down to about 15µA (including current for the regulator). When active, the micro wakes up and performs the necessary tasks before going back to sleep. Each unit comprises two PCBs: a lower control board which hosts the battery, micro and most other components, and an upper board which hosts either the reed switches (sender unit) or the display LEDs (receiver unit). All boards are the same shape and size and fit snugly into the sealed boxes, so only the top board is visible through the clear lid. Basic operation Fig.1: how the sensor unit is arranged. It's mounted on a platform and is activated by a magnet on the underside of an arm that's attached to the rudder shaft. internal battery and use that as a power source instead. The UHF link makes installation easy; there is no need to run wires from the rudder to the helm which can be a major task in a typical large power boat. Design concept The first aspect we considered was how to sense the rudder position. There are four obvious sensor types to choose from: a rotary switch, a potentiometer, an optical sensor or reed switches. In each case, either the sensor needs to be attached to the rudder shaft or an arm must be attached to the shaft with the sensors arranged in an arc above or below it, so that the arm triggers one at a time. Rotary switches and potentiometers tend to wear out fairly quickly with continuous use and they can also be fouled by water, grease or dirt in a marine environment, unless they are fully sealed. An optical sensor is a better choice but is the most power-hungry 64 Silicon Chip option and it also requires the most complicated wiring, as both the light source(s) and sensor(s) require power. So we settled on reed switches, with a magnet attached to a cranked arm that is mounted on the rudder shaft. Seven reed switches are arranged in an arc below the arm so that as the arm moves, the magnet passes over them, closing each reed switch in turn. Fig.1 illustrates this arrangement. While it is possible to design these circuits using discrete logic and special-purpose ICs (in fact, we initially tried to do just that), there are several advantages to a microcontroller-based solution. First, if we use a microcontroller in each unit, fewer parts are required. Since we want to fit the display unit into a small box with an internal battery (so it's easily portable), this is important. Also, because the microcontroller in the sensor unit can drive current through the reed switches intermittently, the battery drain can be kept very low. For an overview of how the two units are configured, refer to Fig.2, the block diagram. The sensor unit (left) contains the reed switches for rudder position sensing and the microcontroller to monitor them. When the switch state changes, the micro powers up the 433MHz transmitter module and sends a data packet containing the new position. This packet is amplitude shift keyed (ASK) and bi-phase encoded. The receiver/display unit (right) is portable and only listens for packets when it is switched on. When it receives a valid packet, the microcontroller decodes it and extracts the new rudder position. It then displays this position by determining which row of high-brightness LEDs is lit. The display unit incorporates a boost regulator. This is necessary to drive the series strings of five LEDs that form the main display. With a typical forward voltage of around 2V, at least 10V is required to drive each string (slightly more due to the 100Ω series current limiting resistor they share). The boost regulator develops roughly 12V at 20mA when the LEDs are lit, from a nominal 6V battery (it can operate down to about 3V). It can also run off an external 12V supply, in which case very little or no boosting is needed. In this case, a series resistor in the power supply input ensures that the LED voltage doesn't exceed 12V, even if the supply voltage is up to 14.8V (eg, when a lead-acid battery is on charge). Note that while the wireless modsiliconchip.com.au LED DISPLAY RUDDER ARM WITH MAGNET S N MICROCONTROLLER (IC1) REED SWITCHES MICROCONTROLLER (IC2) 433MHz RECEIVER BATTERY DECODER/ DRIVER (IC3) BATTERY 433MHz TRANSMITTER BOOST REGULATOR Fig.2: this block diagram shows how the sensor and receiver units are configured. The reed switch outputs are processed by microcontroller (IC1) which then powers up the 433MHz transmitter module to send a 16-bit data packet on the new rudder position. This signal is picked up by receiver and processed by another microcontroller (IC2). This then drives a LED display (consisting of series LED strings) via decoder/driver IC3. ules are referred to as operating at 433MHz, the actual frequency band used is 433.05-434.79MHz. Sensor unit details The micro in the sensor unit is in low-power "sleep" mode almost all the time. Its 32kHz watchdog timer (WDT) is continuously running and this "wakes it up" several times a second (maybe it sleeps quite poorly!) to check the reed switch state. To do so, it turns on an internal pull-up current source for each input and checks the voltage. The current sources are then immediately disabled and remain off until the next time, to conserve power. Further action is only taken if the switch states differ from the previous reading. Otherwise, the period the micro spends running is very short and the power consumed during these periods is negligible. When a change in reed switch state is detected, the 433MHz transmitter module is powered up. Several 16bit packet pairs are transmitted with a short delay between each, in case interference corrupts one or more of the packets. Each packet pair encodes the updated rudder position, battery charge state and a unique identifier number, which is randomly generated when the battery is inserted. Once five complete packets have been sent, the transmitter is shut down and the device goes back to sleep until another rudder movement occurs. Packet protocol The format of the 16-bit data packets is shown in Fig.3. The bi-phase data is encoded by the microcontroller before being sent to the transmitter module, which modulates the amplitude of its 433MHz RF output accordingly. Each packet contains 14 bits of data siliconchip.com.au along with two start bits. With bi-phase encoding, a zero is encoded with one level change between bits (low-to-high or high-to-low) while a one is encoded the same way but with an additional level change in the middle of the bit. The advantage of bi-phase encoding is that the bit timing and the data are encoded together, so the transmitter and receiver can re-synchronise the timing for each bit. The receiver records the signal level one quarter and three quarters of the way through each encoded bit and if they differ, it records the bit as a one. It also times the level changes before and after this, to determine when to sample the next bit. The first data bit value determines the meaning of the following three bits. If this first bit is a zero then the next three encode the rudder position, with 0-6 indicating one of the seven possible positions and seven indicating that the centre reed switch has opened but no other switches have closed. This is used to indicate whether the rudder is precisely centred. If the first data bit is instead one, then the following three bits encode the transmitter's battery state. Zero means that it is fully discharged, while PACKET RUDDER START TYPE POS. OR BITS 0 or 1 BATTERY RAW DATA BIPHASEENCODED DATA TO TRANSMITTER MODULE seven indicates full charge. In either case, the next eight bits contain the transmitter's unique identifier (ID), which is generated based on random noise sampled by the ADC module. This number does not change unless the battery is removed. The receiver remembers the transmitter's ID and ignores any packets from transmitters with different IDs, until it too is power cycled. Finally, there are two checksum bits which are the bottom two bits of the total number of ones in the transmission (ignoring the start bits and the checksum). This is similar to parity and it allows the receiver to detect if any single data bit has been scrambled during transmission (or in some cases, when multiple bits are affected). If the checksum does not match the received data, the packet is ignored. This reduces the chance of an incorrect display as the result of interference or marginal reception. Display unit details When it is not in use, the micro in the display unit is in low-power sleep mode and so the drain on the battery is minimal. When the single pushbutton TRANSMITTER UNIQUE ID (8 bits, 256 combinations) CRC-2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 32 x 200ms = 6.4ms Fig.3: the 16-bit data packet format. The data is bi-phase encoded and each packet contains two start bits and 14 bits of data. Bits 4-6 encode either the rudder position or the battery state, depending the state of the first data bit (0 = rudder position, 1 = battery state). July 2011 65 Table 1: Battery Voltage Jumper Options Battery type........................................................................................................ JP1 pins shorted Four non-rechargeable AAA (nominal 6.0V)........................................................................1&2 Four rechargeable AAA (nominal 4.8V)................................................................................3&4 12V lead-acid (nominal 12.9V).............................................................................none (or 2&3) is pressed, the micro wakes up and activates the boost regulator, which it controls via software. This generates power for the LEDs (12V) and the 433MHz receiver module (5V, derived from the 12V rail via a linear regulator). Initially, only the battery state LED(s) are lit (indicating the unit's own battery voltage) and it waits for a data packet. Upon reception, assuming that it is valid, the display is updated to show the new rudder position. The display remains in this state until the rudder moves again and a new packet is received, or the unit is shut off (either manually or through a long period of inactivity). Since the transmitter's battery state is sent at the same time as the updated rudder position, this can be shown on the display unit. It is distinguished by the micro flashing the battery level LEDs while it is being displayed. After a few seconds, the flashing ceases and the display unit's own battery state is once again shown instead. If no new packets are received for 10 minutes and the button has not been pressed, the unit automatically shuts down to conserve battery power. It can also be turned off by holding down the pushbutton for about one second. Short presses on the button cycle through three possible LED brightness settings, which suit indoor use and outdoor use, with and without direct sunlight. On the lower brightness settings, the battery lasts longer. One additional feature we have hinted at helps you to tell whether the rudder is dead centre. When the magnet is moved away from the centre, the middle reed switch opens before any of the adjacent switches close. In this case, we don't know which way the rudder has moved, only that it is no longer centred. Taking advantage of this, the middle (yellow) row of LEDs initially flashes when the central reed switch is closed. When it opens, a packet is transmitted which causes the flashing to cease. If the rudder is moved back to the centre 66 Silicon Chip again, the middle switch closes and so the flashing resumes. Power supply options As stated, both units can be operated without external power connections, using their internal battery only (four AAA cells). These can be rechargeable and with an appropriate connector, can be recharged without having to open the unit up. Since the transmitter unit's battery should last more than a year, alkaline cells are a practical proposition and the unit can be opened to replace them. However, the batteries in the display unit only last a few hours if it is used at maximum LED brightness. So in this case, either external power or low self-discharge NiMH batteries recharged from 12V are the most practical options. External power is practical for the transmitter, since it does not move and is usually located near a 12V lead-acid battery (its load on that battery would be minimal). On a boat with a single helm position, the receiver unit could be hard-wired too, although it's more flexible to run it from its internal battery. If a charge connector is used for either unit, it should ideally be a sealed type, to prevent moisture ingress. If you use a regular connector, we recommend applying silicone sealant on the inside once it has been installed, to reduce the chance of water entering the enclosure. The sensor unit has provision for a PCB-mount DC connector. If this is used, a hole must be cut into the side of the box. This is not recommended if there is any possibility of water being present where it is mounted. Battery life For either module, when the micro is in sleep mode, the continuous 15µA current draw works out to around 473mAh/year. At this rate, four 900mAh NiMH AAA batteries should last about two years. Rechargeable cells must be low self-discharge types or else their own internal discharge will be much higher than this and they will go flat if left uncharged for more than a few weeks. Good-quality alkaline cells generally contain more energy than NiMHs so they should last even longer than two years. The sensor unit's current increases to 15mA for about 100ms when the rudder position changes. This equates to an energy consumption of around 1mAh for every 2400 rudder position changes. If you take two trips a week and each trip involves 1000 position updates, that means a drain of just 43mAh/year, so rudder movements don't really figure into the battery life. For the display unit, the situation is more complicated. Driving the highbrightness LEDs can consume 100mA or more continuously, depending on battery voltage and brightness setting. At this rate, with similar cells as we have described above, we would expect 6-9 hours of use per charge. Due to internal resistance and falling battery voltage, the battery life at full LED brightness will be more like 2-3 hours. As you would normally only turn the unit on when leaving the marina (or dock) or returning to it, that should be more than enough for a single trip. It's probably a good idea to recharge the cells after each outing. It can be kept on trickle charge when it is not in use, so it's always ready to go. When the display unit is switched off, the micro consumes about the same power as the sensor unit does. So a fully-charged battery will lose about half its charge per year if left untouched. Sensor circuit description The circuit for the sensor unit is shown in Fig.4 and the highlighted section shows the reed switches on the upper board. The battery holder for the four AAA cells is on the lower board. They can be trickle charged from 12V via CON1 or CON2, depending on which is installed. CON1 is a 2-way terminal block which can be wired to a separate chassis power connector, while CON2 is a PCB-mount DC connector. The same connectors can be used for permanent power if the unit is hardwired. When trickle charging the battery, the 390Ω resistor limits the charge siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au K A LED 1.5k 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 K 2011 SC Ó REED SWITCHES ON UPPER BOARD *CHANGE VALUE TO 220W 0.5W IF HIGH CAPACITY NiMH AAA CELLS ARE USED, OR TO 100W 0.5W IF 12V EXTERNAL POWER IS USED PERMANENTLY. S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1 CON2 RUDDER POSITION INDICATOR SENSOR UNIT 1 2 1 2 CON3 A CON5 100nF K ZD1 16V BATTERY B1 (6V) CON1 A 16 1N5819 AGND 6 A 1.5k 11 PA7 GND IC1 ATTiny861 PB4 8 PB5 9 PB6 PB1 PB2 PB3 1 2 3 4 7 PB0 PA4/ADC3 14 20 19 PA1 17 PA3/AREF 18 PA2 13 PA5 12 PA6 PA0 K l LED1 2V 82k B A E ZD1 K Q1 BC547 C B 1.5k E C 12k Q2 BC327 2 VR1 5k TP1 100nF 10 5 15 RESET Vcc AVcc 100nF 100mF GND OUT IN A (FAST BLOW) Fig.4: the sensor circuit is based on microcontroller IC1, an ATTiny861. It decodes the reed switch outputs on its PB0-PB6 ports, powers up the 433MHz transmitter module from its PA0 & PA1 outputs and sends data to the transmitter from port PA2. A 3V rail to power IC1 is derived via 3-terminal regulator REG1, while PA7 turns on transistors Q1 & Q2 as required to sample the battery voltage at port PA4/ADC3. JP1 is used to select the battery type. OUT GND IN E 1 4 433MHz TX MODULE 3 100nF LM2936Z B C BC327, BC547 1 4 3 BATTERY 2 VOLTAGE JP1 CON4 ANTENNA WIRE +3V 100W Vcc REG1 LM2936Z-3.0 K D1 1N5819 F1 500mA 390W* 12V + DC IN – current to about 20mA. Its value can be reduced if high-capacity cells are used, allowing them to charge faster. For example, if 900mAh AAA cells are used, a 220Ω 0.5W resistor increases the charge current to around 40mA. In either case, the charge time for a completely flat battery is around 24 hours. In practice, the battery will normally be only partially discharged so eight hours should be sufficient. If the module is to be powered permanently from a 12V supply (eg, an external lead-acid battery), use a 100Ω resistor instead. A 500mA fuse protects the power source from a board fault. Schottky diode D1 provides reverse polarity protection (it drops less voltage than a standard diode). Zener diode ZD1 protects the circuit from voltage spikes which may occur when a lead-acid battery is on charge (due to load dumps and so on). If the spike is particularly bad, the fuse will blow, protecting the unit from damage. REG1 regulates the incoming voltage down to 3V (or 3.3V depending on the exact type used). Microcontroller IC1 and the 433MHz transmitter module run off this voltage. The LM2936Z regulator specified is designed for automotive use, so it is robust enough for a marine application. It has a quiescent current of below 15µA with a light load such as a micro in sleep mode. The micro draws less than 1µA in sleep mode, hence the low current drain when the device is idle. Regulator stability is ensured by a 100nF input bypass capacitor and a 100µF output filter capacitor. While low drop-out regulators require capacitors with an ESR value within a certain range, the range in this case is very large (0.01-8Ω) so virtually any 100µF electrolytic capacitor is suitable. REG1's 3-3.3V output is also bypassed with a 100nF capacitor. The microcontroller (IC1) is an ATTiny861. These are easy to obtain at a reasonable price and have all the necessary features for this application: low power consumption in sleep mode, plenty of program (flash) memory, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for battery voltage monitoring and enough digital I/O pins for our purposes. The micro consumes less current at 3V or 3.3V than at 5V. Its ADC power supply (AVcc) is filtered with a 100Ω resistor and 100nF capacitor, removing July 2011 67 68 Silicon Chip siliconchip.com.au (FAST BLOW) F2 500mA A ZD2 16V K D2 1N5819 A K 100nF Vcc 1 2 3 7 14 433MHz RX MODULE 4 47mF IN 16 15 1.5k 12k +12V K C E Q5 BC337 A D3 1N4148 B 1.5k L1 100mH C Q4 BC327 E C 1.5k 1k E Q3 BC547 12k B 4 82k 100mF JP2 B 2.2k 1 BATTERY 3 VOLTAGE 2 GND OUT RUDDER POSITION INDICATOR DISPLAY UNIT CON9 ANTENNA WIRE 100nF 100mF GND OUT REG3 78L05 +12V +5V IN REG2 LM2936Z-3.0 11 9 8 13 12 IC2 ATTiny861 PB3 PB2 PB1 PB0 PB4 A K 6 ZD1 16 GND PA7 ADC9/PB6 AGND OC1D/PB5 ADC4/PA5 PA6 18 PA2 20 PA0 14 PA4 PA1 PA3/AREF 2V TP2 15 13 12 3 4 A A 14 2 D3 D2 P3 P2 P1 P0 K K 8 GND +12V +5V O9 O8 O7 O6 O5 O3 O2 O1 O0 IC3 O4 74LS145 16 Vcc TO POWER SWITCH CON8 VR2 5k +5V 1 7 17 19 100nF 100W 10 5 15 RESET Vcc AVcc 100nF +3V 1 E 11 10 9 7 6 5 4 3 2 B C BC327, BC337, BC547 100W 100W IN OUT GND LM2936Z 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 TO LEDS CON7 Fig.5: the receiver circuit also uses an ATTiny861 microcontroller (IC2). The data from the 433MHz receiver module is fed to its PA7 port and processed, with the decoded binary data appearing at ports PB0-PB3. These drive a 74LS145 4-to-10 binary decoder with open collector outputs which in turn drive the LEDs on the display board (see Fig.5) via connector CON7. Inductor L1, diode D3, transistor Q5 and the 47μF capacitor at D3's cathode form a boost converter which is controlled from IC2's PA6 port using transistors Q3 & Q4. This provides a +12V rail for the LED display and drives REG3 to derive a +5V rail for IC3. SC Ó2011 BATTERY B2 (6V) 390W* *CHANGE VALUE TO 220W 0.5W IF HIGH CAPACITY NiMH AAA CELLS ARE USED, OR TO 100W 0.5W IF 12V EXTERNAL POWER IS USED PERMANENTLY. CON6 12V + DC IN – A LED1 l A l LED19 LED14 l K A LED2 l A LED3 l K LED4 A CON10 1 2 3 A LED8 A K A LED12 A A LED15 K l A LED16 LED17 K A K A l LED22 A A LED26 LED28 l A LED29 A A K A l A l LED31 K K l K l LED30 LED27 K A K l K K l l LED25 A l LED23 K K l K K A l LED24 LED21 A l l LED18 LED20 K l K A l l LED13 K A l K K K l LED11 A l LED9 LED10 K l K K l l LED7 A l LED5 LED6 K K A A tive divider and then to IC1's ADC3 pin. When PA7 is high it also drives a high-brightness LED (LED1), indicating that the transmitter is active. Ports PA0 & PA1 also supply power to the 433MHz transmitter (Tx) module. With a 3V supply, the transmitter module receives at least 2.8V (0.2V is lost due to the internal resistance of the micro's output transistors). When the transmitter is powered up, output PA2 is used to send the data burst to the transmitter module. When the transmitter is not powered, PA2 is kept low. The antenna is a ¼-wavelength whip, measuring about 164mm and soldered to a PC pin on the lower board. This gives a useful range of approximately 20 metres, even with the user's body between the transmitter and the receiver. This can vary somewhat, depending on the obstacles between the two units and the relative antenna orientation. A K l K 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A LED32 11 l K 12 A LED33 l A LED34 K FROM CONTROL BOARD SC Ó2011 l K Display unit (+2V) (+10V) RUDDER POSITION INDICATOR LED ARRAY PCB CATHODE DOT LEDS K A Fig.6: the LED array board consists of seven strings of series LEDs (LEDs1-31) to give a visual indication of rudder position plus three LEDs (LEDs32-34) to indicate the battery condition. It's driven from CON7 of the receiver board. digital switching noise injected by the other circuitry and hence improving ADC conversion stability. The reed switch sensors are connected to the PORTB pins PB0-PB6 (pins 1-4 & 7-9), via pin header socket CON5 on the upper board. IC1 has internal current sources for each reed switch which can be turned on and off by software. Each has a source impedance of 20-50kΩ, sourcing 60-150µA when enabled. IC1's PA0, PA1, AREF, ADC3 and PA5-7 (pins 11-14, 17 & 20) are used to monitor the battery voltage. A jumper shunt placed on pin header JP1 tells the micro what type of battery is being used, so that it knows what voltage range to expect. There are three possible options, indicated by the different combinations shown in Table 1. The microcontroller (IC1) reads the jumper position using pins PA5 and PA6. PA0-1 and trimpot VR1 provide the ADC reference voltage (AREF). This siliconchip.com.au is set to 2V. No current flows through VR1 unless PA0 and PA1 are sourcing current (ie, they are driven high to +3V), saving power when the ADC is not in use. The ADC is only used for brief periods so the circuitry to supply AREF is only active during this time (and for one minute after power is applied, allowing VR1 to be trimmed). The battery/supply voltage is sampled at the ADC3 pin, via a 12kΩ/1.5kΩ divider. This converts the battery voltage (0-18V) into a range which can be handled by the ADC (0-2V). As with the AREF divider, current does not flow through it unless the battery voltage is actually being read, to save power, as controlled by pin PA7. This is driven high while ADC3 is being sampled, turning on NPN transistor Q1 and sinking current from the base of PNP transistor Q2, turning it on as well. This allows current to flow from the battery (after the fuse and diode D1) into the 12kΩ/1.5kΩ resis- Figs.5 & 6 show the circuit for the receiver unit. Fig.5 depicts the lower board circuitry, while Fig.6 shows the LED array circuit on the top board. The power supply for the receiver unit is identical to that used in the sensor unit, except there is no provision for an on-board DC connector. That's because this unit is more likely to be exposed to spray and such a connector would be too likely to allow water ingress. As for the sensor unit, the 390Ω resistor in series with CON6 should be changed for use with high-capacity cells or permanent 12V power. This is important, since the receiver unit can draw significantly more current than the sensor unit. This resistor must not be omitted, otherwise the LEDs could be over-driven if the 12V battery supply is on charge. Microcontroller IC2 is the same type as before but its role is a little different. The PORTB pins PB0-PB3 drive IC3, a 74LS145 4-to-10 binary decoder with open collector outputs. This in effect gives IC2 10 open-collector outputs, one of which can be driven low at any given time (or they can all be turned off). The binary decoder's outputs can handle voltages up to 15V (although the off-state leakage current can be significant even at 10V; enough to dimly light LEDs). Each output can sink up July 2011 69 Parts List: Rudder Position Indicator SENSOR UNIT 1 PCB, code 20107111, 98.5 x 68mm 1 PCB, code 20107112, 98.5 x 68mm 1 sealed ABS box with clear lid, 105 x 75 x 40mm (Altronics H0321) 1 433MHz transmitter module (Jaycar ZW3100, Altronics Z6900) 1 2-way mini terminal block, 5.08mm pitch (CON1) 1 PCB-mount DC connector (optional*) (CON2) 2 M205 fuse clips 1 M205 500mA fast-blow fuse 1 5kΩ sealed horizontal trimpot (VR1) 1 4 x AAA PCB-mount battery holder (Jaycar PH9270) 2 M2 x 6mm machine screws and nuts (Element14 507118/1419445) 4 AAA cells (Alkaline or NiMH) (optional*) 1 4-way pin header (JP1) 1 jumper shunt (for JP1) 1 40-pin header socket, 2.54mm pitch (cut down to 12-way [CON3] & 4-way sockets) 1 20-pin DIL socket 2 PC pins 1 200mm length 1.5mm diameter enamelled copper wire 1 300mm length 0.7mm diameter tinned copper wire 7 glass-encapsulated NO reed switches (Jaycar SM1002, Altronics S5150A) 1 reed switch trigger magnet 2 15mm tapped Nylon spacers 2 M3 x 20mm machine screws 2 M3 nuts 1 small crimp wire joiner 1 small IP67-rated chassis connector* Semiconductors 1 ATTiny861 microcontroller programmed with 2010711A.hex (IC1) (Altronics Z5110 or Futur lec ATTINY861-20PU) 1 LM2936Z-3 ultra-low quiescent current linear regulator (REG1) (Digikey**) 70 Silicon Chip 1 BC547 NPN transistor (Q1) 1 BC327 PNP transistor (Q2) 1 1N5819 Schottky diode (D1) 1 16V 1W zener diode (ZD1) 1 high-brightness red LED (LED1) Capacitors 1 100µF 16V electrolytic 4 100nF MKT Resistors (0.25W, 1%) 1 82kΩ	1 220Ω 0.5W* 1 12kΩ	1 100Ω 0.5W* 3 1.5kΩ	1 100Ω 1 390Ω* * Depends on power supply chosen, see text ** Alternative part LM2936Z-3.3 (Element14 1564641) DISPLAY UNIT 1 PCB, code 20107113, 98.5 x 68mm 1 PCB, code 20107114, 98.5 x 68mm 1 sealed ABS box with clear lid, 105 x 75 x 40mm (Altronics H0321) 1 433MHz receiver module (Jaycar ZW3102, Altronics Z6905) 1 2-way mini terminal block, 5.08mm pitch (optional*) (CON6) 2 M205 fuse clips 1 M205 500mA fast-blow fuse 1 5kΩ sealed horizontal trimpot (VR1) 1 100µH 250mA axial RF inductor 1 4 x AAA PCB-mount battery holder (Jaycar PH9270) 2 M2 x 6mm machine screws & nuts (Element14 507118/1419445) 4 AAA cells (alkaline or NiMH) 1 4-way pin header (JP2) 1 jumper shunt (JP2) 1 12-way header socket, 2.54mm pitch (or cut down a 40-way socket) (CON7) 1 20-pin DIL socket 1 16-pin DIL socket 2 PC pins 2 15mm tapped Nylon spacers 2 M3 x 20mm machine screws 2 M3 nuts 1 small IP67-rated chassis connector* 1 small IP67-rated momentary pushbutton switch (Jaycar SP0656, Altronics S0961) 14 ultra-bright 1206 or 1210 SMD red LEDs (Digikey 754-1165-1ND) 14 ultra-bright 1206 or 1210 SMD green LEDs (Digikey 754-11621-ND) 6 ultra-bright 1206 or 1210 SMD yellow LEDs (Digikey 754-11661-ND) 1 200mm length 1.5mm diameter enamelled copper wire 1 300mm length 0.7mm diameter tinned copper wire 1 50mm length red light duty hookup wire 1 50mm length black light duty hookup wire 1 100mm length blue light duty hookup wire 1 small crimp wire joiner Semiconductors 1 ATTiny861 microcontroller programmed with 2010711B.hex (IC2) (Altronics Z5110 or Futur lec ATTINY861-20PU) 1 74LS145 4-to-10 binary decoder (IC3) 1 LM2936Z-3 ultra-low quiescent current linear regulator (REG2) (Digikey**) 1 78L05 5V linear regulator (REG3) 1 BC547 NPN transistor (Q3) 1 BC327 PNP transistor (Q4) 1 BC337 NPN transistor (Q5) 1 1N5819 Schottky diode (D2) 1 1N4148 small signal diode (D3) 1 16V 1W zener diode (ZD2) Capacitors 2 100µF 16V electrolytic 1 47µF 16V electrolytic 4 100nF MKT Resistors (0.25W, 1%) 1 82kΩ	1 390Ω* 2 12kΩ	1 220Ω 0.5W* 1 2.2kΩ	1 100Ω 0.5W* 3 1.5kΩ	3 100Ω 1 1kΩ * Depends on power supply, see text ** Alternative part LM2936Z-3.3 (Element14 1564641) siliconchip.com.au to 80mA. Seven of the outputs (pins 1-7) are used to drive 5-LEDs strings, to indicate the rudder position, while the three remaining outputs (pins 8-10) drive individual LEDs to form a simple battery meter. The series LED strings have a common anode which is connected to the 12V rail via a 100Ω current-limiting resistor. The total forward voltage for each string is around 10V (5 x 2V), so the maximum DC current per LED is around (12V - 10V) ÷ 100Ω = 20mA. In practice, due to additional loss es, such as the saturation voltage of the 74LS145's output transistors, the LEDs run at a slightly lower current than this. However, because we have specified very efficient LEDs, they are still very bright. It's a compromise because we if we ran them at a higher current, they would dim somewhat as the battery discharged. That's because the boost regulator generating the 12V rail becomes less effective as the boost ratio increases. A 5V rail is derived from the 12V supply using regulator REG3. This rail powers both IC3 and the 433MHz receiver module. This is a little wasteful of energy (its efficiency is 5/12 = 42%) but it allows us to operate the receiver even if the battery voltage is well below 5V. That can easily be the case with four standard cells, especially if they are rechargeable. Note that REG3 has a 100µF output filter capacitor and this doubles as a bypass capacitor for IC3. The battery indicator LEDs run off the 5V rail, since they are not connected in series. A second 100Ω current limiting resistor is shared between them; they run at a higher current of around (5V - 2V) ÷ 100Ω = 30mA. Because only one of IC3's outputs can be active at any time, the battery LEDs must be multiplexed with the rudder display LEDs. Running them at a higher current allows them to be driven at a low duty cycle, keeping the rudder position LEDs as bright as possible with a high duty cycle. ADC9. This allows closed loop control. Transistor Q5 is driven with a 187.5kHz PWM signal from output pin OC1D (pin 8) via a 1kΩ resistor. If the 12V rail is too low, IC2 increases the PWM duty cycle to bring it up and vice versa. PNP transistor Q4 allows the boost regulator to be switched off by interrupting the battery current to it. This is important since a boost regulator's output voltage can never be less than one diode drop below its input voltage and we need to turn the 12V rail fully off to conserve power in sleep mode. Q4 is driven by NPN transistor Q3 via a 2.2kΩ resistor, with Q3 in turn driven from output pin PA6 of IC2 via an 82kΩ current-limiting resistor. When PA6 is low, Q3 is off and so is Q4, so no voltage is applied to the boost regulator. Q3 and Q4 also control the current flow through the resistive divider which is used to monitor the battery voltage. This involves another 12kΩ/1.5kΩ divider, the output of which is monitored by the ADC4 port of IC2. This is done so that the power consumption is reduced when the unit is not operating. Boosted supply Battery monitoring The boost regulator which develops the 12V supply consists primarily of inductor L1, NPN transistor Q5, diode D3 and a 47µF capacitor (at D3's cathode). The voltage across the 47µF capacitor is fed back to the micro via a 12kΩ/1.5kΩ resistive divider, to pin The display unit has similar battery monitoring circuity to the sensor unit. The connections are slightly different though; for example, the trimpot (VR2) to set AREF (VR2) is now permanently connected to +3V rather than ground, so the other end must be pulled to siliconchip.com.au This photo shows the lower board used in the sensor unit. It carries the microcontroller and its support circuitry plus the 433MHz transmitter module (top right). ground by IC2's PA1 port to allow the ADC to operate. PA1 also serves as a digital input to detect presses of the pushbutton switch wired to CON8. In this role, VR2 acts as a pull-up resistor and pressing the button pulls PA1 low, which is detected by the microcontroller. If the power is off, this triggers an interrupt which wakes the micro up. If it is already awake, it uses an internal timer to determine the length of the press; longer presses send it to sleep while shorter presses step through the LED brightness settings. As with the sensor unit, a jumper shunt on 4-pin header JP1 determines the expected battery voltage – see Table 1. When the 433MHz receiver (Rx) has power (ie, when the boost regulator is switched on), data is fed through to PA7 (pin 11) of IC2. Since the receiver runs off 5V and the micro off 3V, the receiver's digital output can swing up above IC2's power supply voltage. This causes PA7's clamp diode to conduct and the 1.5kΩ series resistor limits the current which flows under this condition. As with the transmitter, the receiver's antenna is soldered to a PCB pin on the lower board. It is orientated so that the unit can be held with the LEDs facing the user while it is operating. That's it for this month. Next month, we will give the full assembly details and explain how to set up and test the two units. We will also give instructions on installing them in a boat. SC July 2011 71


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text:
Rock Band 3's keyboard and 7-player mode revealed
By Justin Towell 2010-06-10T18:36:46.16Z News
Working prototype shown off in new video
Rock Band 3 and its keyboard peripheral have finally been unveiled in a video by USA Today. But while the game's improved story mode and new DLC organisation sound good, it's the keyboard that everyone's craning to see. And how good does it look? Judging by its keytar-style 'stand up or sit down' design, we wouldn't be surprised if we get a Jean Michel Jarre spin-off title real soon. Check out the video here:
One thing that's really crept up on everyone is that the game now supports seven players at once. Three-part harmony on vocals, plus guitar, drums, bass and keyboard. Sounds like a party if you ask us.
But how will the keyboard player be tinking those ivories? The prototype is much more professional looking than many expected, with two octaves' worth of keys. If you look closely at the unit, you'll notice the notes have coloured strips over them. We'd wager the easy setting will let you play any note within that range to trigger that colour's note on the screen.
Above: Senior Designer, Silvain Dubrofsky, with the prototype keyboard
As you move through the difficulty levels, you'll soon be switching octaves as you follow the on-screen colour prompts, until you're basically playing the actual keyboard part. In a way, it's a pity the peripheral has only 25 keys - an expert mode that lets you play the actual song, note for note would probably sell a few thousand copies on its own from professional keyboard players who want a bit of excitement in their daily practice routines. Maybe there'll be support for full-size USB MIDI keyboards for the pros?
The keyboard has so many more applications than just playing along with songs in Rock Band. We can imagine a lot of devs looking very closely at how they could use it, if Harmonix allow it to be used outside of Rock Band circles. Imagine using it to easily create your own soundtracks in LittleBigPlanet2 or ModNation Racers. A multi-track MIDI-based music studio should be incredibly easy to implement in any creation-based game, even as DLC, and keyboard input is clearly the simplest method for MIDI creation.
This one might be bigger than we thought...


Sarfa bus leaves from Estació Nord. Check sarfa.com for departure times, Journey time approximately two hours.
To get to the best beaches on the Costa Brava – small sandy coves, crystal clear waters, and dramatic cliffs – you'll need wheels of your own although a bus service can get you to some of the villages from where you can explore the area by foot.
Of these, Calella de Palafrugell (not to be confused with Calella de Mar) and neighbouring Llafranc are among the most picturesque. Both retain the feel of small fishing villages and offer sandy beaches, decent restaurants and photogenic old fishing boats. Walk south along the coastal path and you'll find more secluded spots but be aware that most of those beaches and coves have rocks and pebbles rather than sand.