Author Archives: DP

Complete energy-harvesting and power-management chip

An app note on a MAX17710 energy-harvesting charger and protector: Maxim Integrated Products introduces the MAX17710, the industry’s first IC to integrate all of the power-management functions for ambient energy harvesting, as well as for charging and protecting micro-energy cells (MECs), a form of solid-state battery. Operating at an ultra-low current level, the MAX17710 accepts […]

Open source USB stack ported to ORbit16

Hexapod ported the open source USB stack to his ORbit16 USB development board. The board supports both PIC32 and PIC24 microcontrollers. All the pins are broken out to two female headers, with each pin having 2 connections. In this example we’ll use the Open Source USB CDC Stack from Dangerous Prototypes. ORbit16™ will be recognized as a […]

Half Ohm adapter for multimeters measures small resistances

Half Ohm is a adapter for multimeters that allows you to measure resistance in the milliohm range. The project is open source, the design files are available in KiCad. Half Ohm milliohm adapter is ready! Multimeter adapter that transforms any multimeter into a precision milliohm meter and debugging device. Notice that your multimeter is useless […]

App note: Using High-Side NMOS drivers

Here is an app note describing how and why to use NMOS transistors for high-side switching operations, and how to implement it using associated drivers. At first glance, P-channel MOSFETs appear to be the natural choice for high side switching. Unfortunately, the RDS(ON) exhibited by most P-channels is prohibitively high.(Mother Nature has decreed that electron […]

App note: MSP430 based USB Li-Ion battery charger with fuel gauge

An MSP430-based USB Li-Ion battery charger with a fuel gauge: The example cases discussed in this application report provide a basic understanding of what needs to be done at production, as well as on the application level, to achieve the aforementioned goals. The associated software provides library functions to interface and communicate with the bq27410 […]

App note: One serial EEPROM footprint to rule them all

Microchip describes how to make CAD footprints that fit several different sizes of serial EEPROM data storage chips. This gives your project flexibility in case the larger footprints can no longer be sourced: For many years, the 8-lead SOIC package has been the most popular package for serial EEPROMs, but now smaller packages are becoming […]

Workshop Update for June 22nd, 2012

Today we soldered some of the latest PCBs that arrived. We organized some bug reports on the new tracker. Ran some IR Toy remote recordings with a logic analyzer attached to see if there are intermittent errors, none found yet. We continued working on the secret project firmware. Today we implemented a buffer, it is […]

MPLABX v1.2 has been released

Microchip released version 1.2 of MPLABX. We tested it over the last week and didn’t have any issues, but we’re reluctant to move big projects like the Bus Pirate over and find unexpected surprises. MPLABX IDE Features Provides a new Call Graph for navigating complex code Supports Multiple Configurations within your projects Supports Multiple Versions […]

Visualize and analyzing serial data in real time

SerialChart is an open source Windows app for charting incoming data over the serial port in real time. The incoming data should be in CSV format, with each point on a separate line. The first value in the data stream should be the horizontal coordinate, a comma, then the vertical coordinates and a line feed. […]

Week in (p)review June 22, 2012

Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week. Free PCB Friday is coming up soon. WORKSHOP VIDEO: The flashback episode 3D Model: XC95144XL Breakout Board HOW-TO: Crude ways of making plated slots in Eagle PARTS LIBRARY: 2×07 0.1″ pitch shrouded pin header Open source USB echo demo ported to the PIC18F2550 Breakout Board […]

Dorkbot PDX PCB Order evolved into OSH Park automated PCB service

The Dorkbot PDX PCB order has evolved into the OSH Park automated PCB service. Same as before, a bunch of people get their boards assembled together on a single PCB fab panel, and get lower costs for manufacturing them. Only now there is an online interface that allows you to upload your Eagle source files, […]

Another aluminum CNC milled Bus Pirate case

A few days ago we wrote about Mmattice’s milled aluminum case, here’s another design, a CNC milled case from Epninety. Drawn in CamBam, and cut on a CNC converted Taig micromill with Mach3. I didn’t have any engraving tools, so abused a cheap 45degree spot drill instead. No screws holding the case together, there is […]

Simplecortex v1.3 Cortex M3 dev-board winner

Today we announce the winner of the Simplecortex v1.3 Cortex M3 Dev Board with onboard debugger!  There were lots of great ideas, thanks for your submissions. Congratulations to Ruiner, his idea for a network music player scored him the Simplecortex v1.3: I’ll add a high quality DAC and build a network music player. A small touchscreen would allow […]

Parallax Propeller based quadrocopter

Here is a Propeller based quadrocopter, well isn’t that a play on words. The control board is a Parallax Propeller protoboard (a quick prototyping board you can buy for about $20). The only sensor currently in use is a single 3-axis gyroscope (an ITG-3200). I have an ADXL-345 accelerometer mounted as well, but it’s not […]