Author Archives: DP

GIVEAWAY: 2 Little Wire USB controlled multi-tool

Little Wire is multi-featured USB controlled open source hardware tool packed in a minimal form factor designed by ihsan Kehribar. Even though it has minimal form factor, and packed with full of features, there aren’t any SMT components involved, therefore it is very suitable for beginners to assemble. This tool has to take instructions at […]

Sabernetics I2C OLED display with the Bus Pirate

Glitch did some tests for his Sabernetics I2C OLED display using the Bus Pirate: The Sabernetics OLED module was definitely worth the $24.95 and just goes to show that funding for neat electronics projects is possible for hobbyists — even ambitious ones, like the compact session-tracking handhelds that enthusiasts have been building to monitor play statistics […]

Interfacing the LTC2440 24bit ADC with the Arduino

Jbeale shows how to interface the LTC2440 24bit analog to digital converter with the Arduino. He provided the pin connections, a small sketch, as well as some advice to get it up and running. I should add: to reach the specified noise performance of this part (200 nV RMS) you must have an absolutely clean […]

Eagle Monday: Easier way to make parts in Eagle

Chuck wrote to us with a short tutorial on a simpler way to make footprints in Cadsoft Eagle. See our tutorial here. Hello, my name is Chuck and I’ve been following your site for several months now. I was reading through the Eagle “How to make parts” tutorial and noticed you guys are making the […]

Tutorial on modifying servos for continuous operation

How to modify standard servos for continuous operation. This hack involves opening up the servo, removing the limit mechanics, and modifying the feedback pot. In his second tutorial Andrey shows how to add a rotatory encoder to the servo, for position feedback. It will stand still with control pulse of around 1,5ms (mine likes 1515us; […]

App note: Full-duplex software UART for LPC111x and LPC13xx

Here is an app note with source code describing how to implement a full-duplex software UART interface on LPC111x and LPC13xx microcontrollers. However, some applications require more UARTs than are available on the device. While the addition of an external stand-alone UART IC could be used in some of these situations, software based UARTs result […]

App note: Multiple time-bases from a single timer module in MPS430 devices

Here is an app note from Texas Instruments describing how to implement multiple time-base outputs from a single timer module on a MSP430 microcontroller. The timer modules on MSP430™ ultra-low power microcontrollers often base several different outputs off of a single time base – a single timer period. This is especially true for the typical […]

App note: Low power design guide for PICs

Here is a design guide from Microchip describing low power design with PIC microcontrollers. The document provides theory behind some low power designs, and examples on how to implement them in your projects. Low-power applications represent a significant portion of the future market for embedded systems. Every year, more designers are required to make designs […]

Designing multilayer PCBs in Cadsoft Eagle

Rik shows how to design PCBs with more than two layers  in Cadsoft Eagle. The tutorial covers the basics, as well as some advanced subjects like BGA escape routing. Keep in mind you’ll need a standard or pro version of Eagle, as the free version doesn’t support designs with more then 2 layers. Via the […]