An Alpha and Omega Semiconductor app note for their AOZ101X buck controller using peak current mode control. Link here (PDF) A Buck converter consists of the power stage and feedback control circuit. The power stage includes power switch and output filter. It converts a higher input voltage to a lower output voltage. The feedback control […]
Author Archives: DP
App note: Understanding high speed ADC testing and evaluation
App note on understanding high speed ADC testing and evaluation (PDF!) from Analog Devices: This document describes both the characterization and production test methods used by the High Speed Converter Group of Analog Devices, Inc., to evaluate high speed analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). While this application note should be considered a reference, it is not a substitute […]
App note: Power gain stages for monolithic amplifiers
Application note (PDF!) on power gain stages for monolithic amplifiers from Linear: The type of circuitry used in an output stage varies with the application, which can be quite diverse. Current and voltage boosting are common requirements, although both are often simultaneously required. Voltage gain stages are usually associated with the need for high voltage […]
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 […]
Sniffing BLE With The TI SensorTag CC2650
Jan Clumps over at Element14 turns his CC2650 SimpleLink SensorTag into a BLE sniffer. He writes: In a previous post I connected the Texas Instruments SensorTag talk to a Cypress CySmart USB Dongle and made the dongle sniff Bluetooth traffic. This time I’ll switch this around. We’ll turn the SensorTag into a BLE sniffer, and let […]
14 GHz Ku Band Block UpConverter
Sebastian (a.k.a KF5OBS) writes, “A quick look at what it takes to make a Block UpConverter (BUC) for the 14 GHz Ku-Band satellite uplink band work. A BUC is used in professional Broadcast TV environments to convert a video signal from a L-Band intermediate frequency to the 14 GHz range to be received by broadcast […]
Audio multiplexer with integrated amplifier
Audio multiplexer with integrated amplifier project by Matt Winslow, built as a capstone project for his masters in EE: This project is to act as a central hub for switching between audio sources and listening devices. Multiple audio sources can include a phone, computer, TV, etc. The listening devices can include different sets of speakers, […]
A DIY A4 laser engraver made from a scanner and a printer on ATmega328
In this video Davide Gironi demonstrates his DIY A4 laser engraver made from a scanner and a printer on ATmega328: This “Get Ready For Win98” Laser Engraving Machine it’s built using an old scanner, and an old printer. A laser engraving machine is a tool that uses lasers to engrave an object. Project info at Davide Gironi […]
DroidScript, Bus Pirate helper app for your Android device
JamesNewton writes, “I finally managed to write a USB OTG helper script for talking to the Bus Pirate. The biggest problem I have with the Bus Pirate is that on the human side it speaks in very terse, hard to remember, codes. The point of this script is to make that easy by providing a […]
X-Carve CNC mill build log & review
Jeremy Blum writes: A few months ago, I built and reviewed the Shapeoko2 CNC mill from Inventables. Now, I’m back to review its successor, the X-Carve. The X-Carve features new-and-improved mechanics, a much sturdier spindle mounting system, and a myriad of other improvements that make it easier than ever to venture into the world of […]
ESP8266 weather station
Dani Eichhorn’s weather station project, that is available at Github: Several ESP8266 hackers contacted me to finally publish the new WeatherStation code. Here it is. It is not yet working as smoothly as I want it to work but maybe some of you can help me getting rid of the nasty issues that were bugging me for […]
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: Selection of three locations of current sense resistor in buck converter
Sensing current utilizing MOSFET’s Rds(on) and Inductor’s DCR in different location discussed in this app note from Alpha and Omega semiconductor. Link here (PDF) In current mode converters, current sense resistor can be placed in three locations: input loop, output loop and freewheeling loop. The pros and cons are discussed in details. The principles and […]
App note: Paralleling power MOSFETs in switching applications
Application note from Alpha and Omega semiconductor on proper design of circuit and PCB layout to balance parallel MOSFETs. Link here (PDF) This paper discusses issues involved in paralleling MOSFETs in high-power, high-frequency switching applications. It investigates root cause problems such as unbalanced voltage and current by taking a closer examination of PCB layouts and […]
App note: Introduction to hearing aids and important design considerations
Introduction to hearing aids app note (PDF!) from Maxim: This application note introduces the styles of hearing aids, including behind the ear (BTE), in the ear (ITE), in the canal (ITC), and completely in the canal (CIC), as well as a brief summary of both analog and digital hearing aid technologies. Also discussed is the […]
DIY ez-FET lite…ghetto style
Juan Ignacio has published a new build, a DIY ez-FET lite: I have a few MSP430G2955 around but non of my Launchpads are capable of programming this MCU. Texas Instruments released a while back all the informtation needed to build the new ez-FET lite. The eZ-FET lite is a low cost USB-based on-board emulation solution for […]
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 […]
ZFM-20 fingerprint capture library
Dilshan Jayakody writes: This ZFM-20 fingerprint library is developed to capture and retrieve fingerprint images from the above sensor module. The main purpose of this library is to use ZFM-20 sensor with PC as low cost fingerprint capture unit and because of that, in-module fingerprint processing and verification functions are not implemented in this library. […]
A homebrew Simpleceiver project
Pete Juliano, N6QW, has been working on a DIY Simple-ceiver project. He writes: Today I finished what I call the main board which is comprised of the Mixer stage (SBL-1) followed by the 1st IF Amplifier which is a 12 MHz design consisting of two J310 JFETS configured as a Dual Gate MOSFET. The board also […]
Macbook charger teardown: The surprising complexity inside Apple’s power adapter
A teardown of a Macbook charger by Ken Shirriff: Have you ever wondered what’s inside your Macbook’s charger? There’s a lot more circuitry crammed into the compact power adapter than you’d expect, including a surprisingly capable microprocessor. This charger teardown looks at the numerous internal components and explains how they work together to keep your laptop […]