The Logic Sniffer is back in stock at Seeed Studio. The Open Bench Logic Sniffer is an open source logic analyzer. It’s designed to support the SUMP logic analyzer software at the lowest possible cost. Get a Logic Sniffer for $50, with free worldwide shipping.
Author Archives: DP
Bypass capacitor tutorial
Electro Labs has posted a detailed tutorial on why and how to use bypass capacitors: You may have heard about the phenomenon of bypassing in circuits, however, we may not have sufficient knowledge of how to apply this technique in real circuits. In this tutorial, we will discuss about the bypass capacitors, why we need to use […]
PSoC3/4/5 built-in waveform generator
Xykon writes: I haven’t used my PSoC board in a while so I checked what’s new and found a new ready to use waveform generator component that makes use of the built-in 8bit dac. I went straight ahead to check it out… Beside the standard sine/square/triangle/sawtooth forms you can either draw your own pattern directly […]
Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build
Andrew Rohne blogged about his free Bus Pirate v3.8 PCB build. The Bus Pirate is an open source hacker multi-tool that talks to electronic stuff. If you build a free PCB we’ll send you another one! Blog about it, post a picture on Flicker, whatever – we’ll send you a coupon code for the free PCB drawer. Get […]
Simple DIY JBC soldering station
jry shared his simple DIY JBC soldering station in the project log forum: Current status: transformer inside old PSU housing as temporary solution. I don’t want to mess with mains on my desk. For now battery powered (3.2V LiFePO4) logic part. Opamp, Atmega328p, three buttons, LCD (waiting for b&w OLED instead of this one for […]
Precise analog voltage from PWM
Destate9 writes: So I’ve been trying to make a constant current H-bridge circuit for a project, and I’m running into trouble with PWM. Right now, all I have connected to the Output compare pin of my PIC32MX microcontroller is a 330uF capacitor (Max ESR of 1.4 ohms according to datasheet). I assumed a 50% duty […]
PIC32MZ / MEB2 (LCC solution, custom software)
herpderp writes: Just few words for those who are interested by the new PIC32MZ (200MHz, 2MB flash, 512KB RAM) and the LCC solution (Low Cost Controllerless): a FEA from Microchip provided me a development board based on this new microcontroller. After some adaptations, software of the smart TFT module partially works on this board (by […]
Open source hardware GPIB USB adapter update
Steven Casagrande posted an update on his open source hardware GPIB USB adapter: After many days, I just finished off firmware version 5 for my adapter. This is probably my biggest update yet. A lot of people asked for compatibility with the Prologix commands so that’s what I focused on. Here is an overview of the […]
NXP ARM Cortex M0/M3 LQFP-48 Breakout board free PCB build and a swag bag revival
Ricros posted his free NXP ARM Cortex M0/M3 LQFP-48 Breakout board PCB build: A long time ago I’ve received a NXP ARM Cortex M0/M3 breakout board free pcb and I got a Open Bench Logic Sniffer out of a swag bag, I only had time to solder the free pcb last week. The MCU is a LPC1313, the […]
App note: Solar-LED streetlight controller with 25 W LED lamp driver and 85 W battery charger based on the STM32F101Rx
A great app note from STMicroelectronics on Solar lighting application. The solar-LED streetlight controller described in this application note is designed to achieve an 85 W solar energy battery charger and a 25 W LED lamp driver. During the daytime the controller preserves the electricity energy gathered by the solar module (PV module), then stores […]
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: STM32F0/F1/ F2/F4/L1/F30xC/Bx/F358xC/F37x timer overview
Get yourself familiar on STM32Fxxx Timer peripherals with this app note from STMicroelectronics This document: • presents an overview of the timer peripherals in the STM32F0, STM32F1, STM32F2, STM32F4 and STM32L1 microcontroller series, STM32F30xC/Bx, STM32F358xC, STM32F37x microcontrollers lines. • describes the various modes and specific features of the timers, such as clock sources, • explains […]
App note: Debugging stand-alone real-time clock/calendar-based applications
Here’s an application note from Microchip: Debugging stand-alone real-time clock/calendar-based applications (PDF!) An increasing number of applications require Real-Time Clock/Calendar (RTCC) devices. Microchip’s RTCC’s (I2C™ and SPI) are feature-rich devices that incorporate EEPROM, Time/Date registers, Time-Stamp registers, alarm modules, SRAM, a watchdog timer, and event detect modules, making them useful in many timekeeping applications. This application […]
App note: Direct-sampling DACs in theory and application
An application note from Maxim: Direct-sampling DACs in theory and application High-speed digital-to-analog converters (DACs) with high resolution in the 12- to 14-bit range enable new types of transmitter designs that employ a direct modulation scheme. In such designs, the modulated transmission signal is generated directly on the base frequency. This application note explains how […]
Using REST with Arduino Yun
Boris Landoni from Open Electronics writes: With this short guide we release today, we will explain you how to use your Arduino Yun to do something that was never accomplished before with a board of such family. We’ll face a real embedded project, with its set of sensors and management and control applications. Thanks to […]
Fast PWM and electromagnetic interference
Marios Andreopoulos writes: A few days ago I wrote a blog post about Arduino and EMI. By using fast PWM and a plain breadboard wire, I was able to detect electromagnetic interference using a usb TV tuner, with its antenna near my circuit. Not only that, but by manipulating duty cycle to create a primitive […]
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. More PCBs via Twitter on Tuesday and the blog every Sunday. Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times every week: Free PCB Sunday. The classic. Every week, get […]
Simple 6x USB charger with current monitor
Frank Zhao shared his simple 6x USB charger with current monitor in the project log forum: This is a simple 6 port USB device charger with a individual current monitor on each port. The charging current is indicated using RGB LEDs. Blue means slow charge (under 250mA), green means 250mA to 750mA, red means over 750mA, and purple […]
Week in (p)review March 14, 2014
Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week. Free PCB Friday is coming up soon. Hacker Camp Shenzhen – BGA chips: remove, reball, replace the easy way Hacker Camp Shenzhen – Last minute chance to join us at soldering school this week Hacker Camp Shenzhen – Getting a data SIM card in Shenzhen Rob informs us […]
Hauksbee Generator
In this video Rick Crammond demonstrates his Hauksbee Generator: The idea is that a triboelectric (electrostatic) effect occurs from sliding hands on glass. The voltage generated ionizes the gases in the globe, creating a blue plasma glow inside. Our rotating globe is a pyrex lab flask containing air under a partial vacuum, is mounted on a bicycle […]