Gadget Factory

Jack Gassett

  • First release of RetroCade Synth Windows Installer!

    We just put the first version of the Windows installer for RetroCade Synth in the download area. This new installer groups all RetroCade resources together and makes them easily accessible from the Start menu. The RetroCade Synth is made by Gadget Factory and was started on Kickstarter: Welcome to the R-R-R-R-RetroCade Synth from Gadget Factory. …

  • Use a Xilinx Programming Cable with the Papilio!

    If you want to use the Xilinx tools such as EDK, Chipscope, or Impact with the Papilio you need a way to use a Xilinx programming cable. This screencast shows how to setup the Papilio to use a Xilinx programming cable.   The Papilio has a Xilinx JTAG header but the problem is that in…

  • Jeri Ellsworth shows off homemade touch controller – Papilio spotted in video!

    The incredible Jeri Ellsworth just uploaded another Youtube video, this time she makes a touchpad from scratch! Its very good information to tuck in the back of your mind in case you ever need to hack up a touchpad. The best part is there is a Papilio running the demo that she put together. 🙂

  • SoundPuddle: Help Support a Papilio based Art Installation on Kickstarter.

    John English, of Boulder Engineering Studio, has put together an amazing art installation the uses a Papilio to drive 1664 RGB LED’s! The SoundPuddle uses the ZPUino Soft Processor to implement 16 SPI masters, a 1024 point FFT, and a VGA like framebuffer interface to drive it all from a sketch! An ADC connected to…

  • Quadrature encoders on the ZPUino.

    Papilio user IvanJH made a “simple” quadrature interface for the ZPU, using the standard HD44780 code in the ZPUino IDE install, and a sketch to read the quad counter and write to the LCD. I created my own “simple” quadrature interface for the ZPU, and using the standard HD44780 code in the ZPUino IDE install,…

  • Papilio: The Untold Story

    Chris Taylor, over at Sparkfun, recently introduced us to the All Programmable Planet blog. There have been some great Papilio related blog posts there and in a conversation with Max Maxfield, the editor in Chief, he asked me about my background and motivation to make the Papilio. I promised him an email with the Papilio…

  • 1st RetroCade Synth Prototypes! RetroCade MegaWing, Arcade MegaWing 2.0, and Papilio Pro!

    The PCB’s for the RetroCade Synth prototypes arrived early this week which was way faster then expected. I put together a bill of materials (BOM) this week and put in a parts order to verify everything. The parts arrived last night and I built the first prototypes this morning! Here is a video showing the…

  • The Increasing Prevalence of FPGAs in the DIY Realm

    Chris Taylor, one of the awesome Engineers over at Sparkfun just posted a great article over at the new Programmable Planet blog. It’s a great read about the emergence of FPGA based DIY projects, and there is a good comment thread with a discussion about the best ways to help FPGA beginners get up to…