Samuel A Clarke.com

I got FREE Coke!

If you are a Canadian Coca Cola ™ drinker then there is a good chance you already know about iCoke ‘s™ online rewards program. I myself have just discovered it recently, and wanted to share with you just what I have learned. When you register on Coca Cola’s ™ website, iCoke.ca ™, you can enter ‘PIN’ codes found on specially marked Coca Cola ™ and Sprite ™ products. These codes are converted into virtual ‘points’ which can be redeemed for rewards and contest entries. Sometimes the Coca Cola ™ site will even tip you off as to where you can get special ‘PIN’s found on fountain cups and scratch cards!

The rewards and contests offered at iCoke ™ change frequently, but some of the current ones are: a coupon for a free Coca Cola ™ product, $5 or $10 Wagjag bucks, $5 Pizza Pizza gift card, a day pass to Canada’s Wonderland, music and ringtone downloads and much much more! You can also enter contests to win a trip to Costa Rica or concert tickets to great shows for you and three friends (including airfare and accommodations for three nights).

My favorite iCoke ™ ‘reward’ is the buy one get one free coupon for a case of Coke ™ that is available to members for 0 points! You can request the coupon once a week per member which, in the end, can add up to a lot of free Coke ™!

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Just ‘a buck’ 😉

Difference between Microcontroller , Microprocessor and Microchip

I know I promised to talk about the individual PICAXE microcontrollers from Revolution Education Ltd., and to go into detail on the features of each of their products, and I will… However, it was brought to my attention that there is some confusion about the differences between these three terms; microcontroller , microprocessor , and microchip ,… what they each mean,… and if they are interchangeable terms. This was Something I was confused about when I first started down this exciting road of robotics and electronics. It is easy to forget back then, (Not that I am an expert by any sense of the word) but we all have different levels of experience. The best advice I was given in the beginning was to just ask questions and not be afraid. There is always someone who knows more than you, just as there probably is someone who knows less than you. Most forums are great and the people more than willing to help out a newbie. 😉

So what is the difference between these three terms; microcontroller , microprocessor , and microchip?

Well, to be quick and to the point a microchip is a small piece of semiconductor material carrying many integrated circuits. Basically ANY ‘Chip’, or ‘IC’, is a Microchip. It is the broad category that describes and encompasses these devices. For example an Op-Amp, Memory chip, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a timer such as the popular 555, and many more. They come in many different packages, such as SMD (surface mount device), MSOP (Micro Small Outline Package), SOIC (Small Outline IC Package), SIP (Single-In-Line Package), and many, many, MANY, more! The most popular package however is the DIP, or Dual-In-Line Package. This is the kind you see in the main picture of this article. It is breadboad friendly, sockets for the different pin sizes are cheap and readily available, and generally, at least in my own opinion, the easiest to use. I use DIP microchips almost exclusively. I always look for a microchip (or commonly called ‘chip’ or ‘IC’) in this package type first before settling on an other package type.

So if both microcontrollers and microprocessors can be called microchips, what is the difference between them? Well, basically, microprocessors are CPUs (Central Processing Units), and they can process data. That’s it. Whereas microcontrollers (sometimes abbreviated µC, uC or MCU) are much more in that they are a combination of a CPU, with memory (RAM, ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM), and programmable input/output peripherals, all in one neat single package or device. Basically an entire computer on a chip! Refer to my article ‘Robotics -Intro To Microcontrollers’ for more info. These Peripherals are devices that also have other functions that allow for interfacing between the microcontroller and other devices, such as; input/output pins, analog to digital converters, digital to analog converters, and more. In my blog posts and articles I’ll be focusing on microcontrollers, and just what all we can do with them. For more info on the PICAXE microcontroller refer to my article ‘Robotics – Intro To PICAXE’.

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Just ‘a buck’ 😉

What is better than a yummy Mr Big chocolate bar? A FREE Mr Big chocolate bar! Mr Big bars are huge here in Canada, no pun intended. 😉 But for those of you who aren’t familiar with them, Mr Big is the largest sized chocolate bar produced by Cadbury, hence the name. It’s actually the length of two “standard”-sized bars end-to-end – around 20 centimetres long, and hey, I’m all for more chocolate!!

Now you are about to get your chance to get your own FREE Mr Big bar as Cadbury is having a giveaway sometime in the next two weeks, as rumour has it. When the giveaway begins you simply have to ‘like’ their Facebook page and then you will be able to get your freebie Mr. Big chocolate bar. I suggest visiting the Mr Big page on Facebook and adding it to your favourites so that you can check back frequently for news as to when the giveaway goes live. Thanks Cadbury!

Mr Big Chocolate Bar Giveaway:Free Mr Big

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Just a Buck… Help me to keep finding GREAT deals! 😉

I used to hate going and getting the mail. Who wants to open a mailbox full of bills and junk mail? Now I LOVE getting it! I have to confess that sometimes after two days without mail delivery I can start to get a little anxious. I can’t wait for Monday afternoon to come so I can see just what goodies await me in my mail box.

What goodies will be waiting for me? Well, not only can you request coupons on-line, but I have found you can get free samples of almost ANYTHING: soap, shampoo, perfume, cereal, coffee, protein bars, health supplements, dental floss, mugs, packing supplies, pet food… Its unbelievable! Also, the best thing about free samples is not necessarily the free sample itself; But most of the time the free sample is accompanied by a coupon for the product. That coupon can often turn into a free – full sized – item when combined with a sale! Just check out my post on Purex laundry soap here. It can take a lot of time, energy, and ‘footwork’ to hunt down some of these offers, but It will be well worth it. In order to assist you and get you started, I have assembled some current free sample links for you to check out.

Just follow this link right here on Samuel A Clarke.com to my new page of Free Samples, Deals, Coupons, Giveaways and Contests!

Here are examples some of the Great Deals I have had on My Deals Page…

Happy Sampling everyone! Remember to register for this site so you can leave a comment for me. Also, don’t forget to +1 on Google and ‘like’ my post on Facebook. Thanks

Just a Buck…