e2V’s application note about dithering, adding noise to improve the dynamic range of ADCs. Link here (PDF) High-speed ADCs today offer higher dynamic performances and every effort is made to push these state-of-the art performance through design improvements and also through innovative solutions at the system level. For applications where the performance of the high-speed […]
Author Archives: DP
App note: Power MOSFET in high-side operating modes, possible failure modes, and failure signatures
App note from Vishay on high-side MOSFET failures investigation leads to one of the following modes of operation: (a) High-impedance gate drive (b) Electro-static discharge (ESD) exposure (c) Electrical over-stressed (EOS) operation More on it here (PDF) Power MOSFET failures in high-side applications can often be attributed to a high-impedance gate drive creating a virtual […]
App note: Power MOSFET Basics: Understanding the Turn-On Process
More to know about MOSFET gate threshold voltages, an application note from Vishay. Link here (PDF) The question of how to turn on a MOSFET might sound trivial, since ease of switching is a major advantage of field-effect transistors. Unlike bipolar junction transistors, these are majority carrier devices. One does not have to worry about […]
Reverse engineering the ESP8266 WIFI-to-Serial port adapter
Here’s a video from electronupdate on reverse engineering the ESP8266 WIFI-to-Serial port adapter: Another very interesting bit of technology. The combination of so much functionality into such a small part is a real touch-stone as to where things are heading. A quick look at the antenna design to see if I could sort down the […]
INA219 current sensor DIY Breakout board
A INA219 current sensor DIY Breakout board project from Juan Ignacio: Another small board, this time for a INA219. The INA219 is a high-side current shunt and power monitor with an I2C interface. For testing I used Rei VILO library with a MSP430G2553 and Energia, and I measured the power consumption for this simple circuit. Project info […]
Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters
Every Friday we give away some extra PCBs via Facebook. This post was announced on Facebook, and on Monday we’ll send coupon codes to two random commenters. The coupon code usually go to Facebook ‘Other’ Messages Folder . More PCBs via Twitter on Tuesday and the blog every Sunday. Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three […]
Happy New Year 2016 from Dangerous Prototypes
Happy New Year! Thank you for reading the blog and being part of our community in 2015! We’re looking forward to more open hardware projects, more how-tos, more videos, more free PCBs, and more hacking in 2016.
Creating high resolution integrated circuit die photos with Hugin or ICE
Ken Shirriff has written an article describing a technique he used for making high resolution integrated circuit die photos: Have you ever wanted to take a bunch of photos of an integrated circuit die and combine them into a high-res image? The stitching software can be difficult, so I’ve written a guide to the process […]
Single OpAmp window comparators
In this video Craig shows how to build a window comparator with a single Op-Amp: A recent question on the Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange site got me thinking about some interesting window comparator circuits. Here’s how to detect three different input voltage levels with just one op-amp! More info at Analog Zoo site.
Ultimate classic game console joystick to USB adapter
Matthew Heironimus posted a step by step guide of his “ultimate” classic game console joystick to USB adapter build: This article describes how to use an Arduino Leonardo or Arduino Micro to make up to three classic console joysticks (e.g. Atari 2600, ColecoVision, and possibly others) available to a modern computer (e.g. Windows PC, Mac, or […]
Over the top UCload
Sjaak has published a new build, uC controlled dummy load: I’m mostly a digital guy, but I’m wanting to design my own power supply. If I’m wanting to test that i need a dummy load. I got inspired by the re:load (www.arachnidlabs.com/reload ). I added a microcontroller, rotary switch, external powersupply input and the obligatory […]
ESP8266 WiFI LED controller hack
Andreas Hölldorfer of ChaozLabs wrote an article detailing how he hacked the cheap WiFi LED controller: This pictures show the PCB. As you can see there are pins labeled as RX,TX,GND,3.3V. I simply connected an USB-Serial converter to the pins. The two other pins are GND and GPIO0. If you set a jumper between this two pins, […]
DirtySLA first impressions
new299 tried out dirtySLA and did a quick video review.
#FreePCB via Twitter to 2 random RTs
Every Tuesday we give away two coupons for the free PCB drawer via Twitter. This post was announced on Twitter, and in 24 hours we’ll send coupon codes to two random retweeters. Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times a every week: Hate Twitter and Facebook? Free PCB Sunday is the classic PCB giveaway. Catch […]
Adding a USB power port to a switch for IoT
Jesus Echavarria wrote a how-to on adding a USB power port to a switch: I want to start some projects with Arduino and IoT, so the first things I need is an Arduino board, an Ethernet shield and a switch to connect it to the net. Also I need a power supply for the Arduino board, […]
Keysight EXA Signal Analyzer/Spectrum Analyzer review, teardown & experiments
Another video review from TheSignalPath, Keysight EXA Signal Analyzer/Spectrum analyzer: In this episode Shahriar reviews the Keysight EXA Signal Analyzer / Spectrum Analyzer (N9010A). The X-Series Signal Analyzers and Spectrum analyzers from Keysight are compared against each other. The EXA is a general purpose spectrum analyzer with extensive applications. The full instrument block diagram is […]
Arduino Zero using a xQFP80 +50 Protoboard
Tom Keddie shared his Zero project using a xQFP80 +50 Protoboard: I need more processing power than an AVR for an upcoming project so I ordered an Arduino Zero to take a look at the SAMD ARM processors. Unfortunately my son coveted the box it came in, once the two were separated the Zero was […]
App note: High speed data line protection
Bridge diode works as transient voltage clamp to protect data lines. Here’s Vishay’s app note, link here (PDF) Local Area Network (LAN) data lines require protection against direct and induced transient over voltages on the lines. Protecting these lines and the associated network is not a trivial task. The power range is somewhere between static […]
Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB
We go through a lot of prototype PCBs, and end up with lots of extras that we’ll never use. Every Sunday we give away a few PCBs from one of our past or future projects, or a related prototype. Our PCBs are made through Seeed Studio’s Fusion board service. This week two random commenters will […]
App note: Temperature dependency of zener voltage
Vishay’s application note on zener diode voltage stability. Link here (PDF) The Zener voltage (VZ) of a Zener or avalanche diode depends on the diode’s junction temperature. Any current running through the p/n junction barrier generates the electrical power of: P = IZ * VZ. This electrical power is equivalent to the thermal power applied […]