Kenneth Finnegan shared a tip on using 0603 SMDs on the .1″ perf board: As a quick little tip, when I’m prototyping circuits on 0.1″ perf board, I like using 0603 surface mount components for all of my passives and LEDs, since they nicely fit between the pads. This way I don’t need to bother with any […]
Author Archives: DP
App note: Intelligent lighting controller measures ambient light and tracks time
Implementation on ambient light and time tracking luminaires controller from MAXIM Integrated, Link here This reference design explains how to design an intelligent lighting controller that senses and measures the ambient light level with an ambient light sensor (ALS). Equipped with a real-time clock (RTC), the controller also knows when to turn lighting on or […]
App note: Selecting the right CMOS analog switch
App note from MAXIM Integrated digging on the basics of CMOS analog switches and the latest improvement on them from the standard one. Link here Integrated analog switches often form the interface between analog signals and a digital controller. With the large number of analog switches on the market today, there are many performance criteria […]
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 […]
New NXP MCUXpresso Eclipse IDE v11.0
New NXP MCUXpresso Eclipse IDE v11: The V11 of the MCUXpresso IDE is again a big step forward: new Eclipse version and 64bit, updated ARM toolchain, extended debugging support for P&E and Segger in addition to the LinkServer connection. The Global Variables view now supports live variables and graphing for P&E and SEGGER in addition […]
Building your own 555 timer IC
The classic 555 timer on a breadboard: Here, I will show how you can make your own version of the 555 timer using just NAND gates, opamps , a transistor and a few resistors! Now, you may think what is the purpose of building this when you can buy the IC at very cheap rates. […]
#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 […]
Fuzz Factory replica
Adam Zeloof made his own guitar pedal based on the Zvex Fuzz Factory: The Z.VEX Fuzz Factory is an amazing little fuzz pedal designed by musical and electrical wizard Zachary Vex. I was introduced to it through Matt Bellamy‘s unique guitar style, and fell in love with its out-of-this-world sound. While I was tempted to […]
App note: Gate-source voltage behaviour in a bridge configuration
App note from ROHM semiconductor on MOSFETS and IGBTs. Link here (PDF) Power switching devices such as MOSFETs and IGBTs are used for various kinds of power supply applications, power supply line switching components, and other power applications. In addition, the circuit topologies used are diverse, parallel and series connections are widely used, not to […]
App note: Board level application notes for DFN and QFN packages
Board mounting an DFN/QFN (Dual/Quad Flat-Pack No lead) application note from ON Semiconductor. Link here (PDF) The DFN/QFN platform offers a versatility which allows either a single or multiple semiconductor devices to be connected together within a leadless package. These guidelines include printed circuit board mounting pads, solder mask and stencil pattern and assembly process […]
Simple digital clock with PIC16F628A and DS1307 and 7-segment LED display
A simple digital clock with PIC16F628A + DS1307: In this new project I am again using PIC16F628A microcontroller. The goal is simple digital clock with 7-segment LED display and the clock will have no additional functionality – no alarm, no seconds digits, no date. The latter can be added in the software though. For the […]
Phase-locked inverter
Here’s a great write-up on building a phase-locked inverter from mitxela.com: The input is at 50Hz and the output is at 60Hz. So for every 5 input cycles, we want to generate 6 output cycles. We will be synthesizing a sine wave in software, and there’s no reason not to go with a conventional lookup […]
#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 […]
PortL2 – Portable electric vehicle charger
Here’s a project log covering the build of a portable level 2 electric vehicle charger by Andrew Rossignol: This is a battery-powered EV charger that allows destination charging where L2 charging is not ordinarily available. This can be used as a range extender for electric vehicles with smaller batteries. This system has a ~7kWh battery […]
AF5HD’s L-Match tuner build
Ryan Flowers writes, “A fun project for every QRP enthusiast is an L-match tuner. We’ve built a couple here at MiscDotGeek and our latest build inspired Billy Dunn (AF5HD) to build a similar tuner. We have to say, this one turned out better than ours did!” More details on MiscDotGeek blog.
App note: Why honest weigh scales are application specific
App note from Maxim Integrated discussing strain gauge and accompanying circuit are used in today’s weight measurement applications. Link here (PDF) Current laws and regulations require honesty, tolerance, and accuracy in weigh scales. The most commonly used weight-measurement element is the strain gauge. This application note explains how strain gauges are useful in multiple applications […]
App note: How to shrink your USB Type-C battery charger
Maxim’s app note on a highly compact Type-C charger solution. Link here (PDF) A highly integrated solution, as seen with the MAX77860 USB Type-C 3A switch-mode charger, dramatically reduces system complexity by integrating the charger, the power path, the Safeout LDO, ADC, and the USB-C CC and BC 1.2 detection in a small 3.9mm x […]
App note: Overture series high power solutions
This application note (PDF) from TI discusses the different aspects of the Overture series high-power solutions, and discusses three application circuits: parallel, bridged, and bridged/parallel configurations The objective is to provide simple high-power solutions that are conservatively designed, highly reliable and have low part count. This document provides three specific, but not unique, application circuits […]
D01: 2*15W guitar amplifier built using salvaged parts
Davide Gironi writes, “The D01, litterally Discarica 01, is a guitar solid state amplifier build from salvaged parts.” See the full post on his blog. Check out the video after the break.
USB mini media keyboard
Sven Krasser built a small USB keyboard input device for media control and wrote a post on his blog detailing its assembly: The project is based on a Pro Micro, an Arduino-compatible ATmega 32u4 board (the 32u4 allowing to easily create USB devices). For iteration 1, I added a couple of buttons and a rotary […]