Jbeale connected the MAX11209 18 bit ADC to his Seeeduino board and wrote up some test firmware. The MAX11209 can do 18 bits at sample rates up to 120 Hz (true) or 480 Hz (4x oversampled). It has both external analog and internal digital scaling. There is +Vref and -Vref, as well as +Vin and […]
Author Archives: DP
DIY high precision clock synchronized with an atomic clock
Here is a DIY high precision clock that is synced to the DCF77 atomic clock long wave radio signal. The radio signal is broadcast form Frankfurt at 77.5 KHz and has a reach of about 2000 Km. DCF77 is the name of a german radio station on 77.5 KHz, which gives official time and date from […]
Linear Technology staff Scientist Jim Williams remembered
Drone followed up on our App note: Thermocouple measurement post: Yes, this app note is written by the venerable Jim Williams who passed away last year. Mr. Williams was the author of many famous application notes at both National Semiconductor (now owned by Texas Instruments) and Linear Technology Corp. (LTC). There is a very nice […]
Debuging Android on the Aura Design Life Pad via the Bus Pirate
Adam unboxes the Aura Design Life Pad, and immediately proceeds to tear-it-down. After soldering some wires to the UART port on the board he explains how to debug this Android Tabled with the Bus Pirate. Via the forum.
Unbrick the Bullet2 with the Bus Pirate update
Unbrick the Bullet2 outdoor radio network node with the Bus Pirate: I had the Bullet2 archived and i decided to update the firmware but i bricked it. The bootloader did not work from the lan so I proceeded to open the Bullet2 and connect it to an interface Bus-Pirate , which is capable of emulating […]
Part Ninja v1 free PCB build
Ginpb built a free Part Ninja v1 PCB. After some initial issues with crystal load capacitors he was able to get his board to run. The Part Ninja is a electronic component testing tool. It identifies electronic components like transistors and FETs, determines the pinout, and measures basic specifications. Several SMD footprints are included so surface […]
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: Selecting and testing 32kHz crystal oscillators
Atmel describes how to select and test 32.768 kHz quartz crystals [PDF!] for real-time clocks. The basic tips on layout apply to any microcontroller project, not just those with AVRs. This application note summarizes the crystal basics, PCB layout considerations, and how to test a crystal in your application. A crystal selection guide shows recommended […]
App note: Find the right battery for your project
Maxim describes how to select the batteries best suited to a specific project. The main performance metric for batteries is, of course, battery life. On the surface, this is a simple spec, but in truth it has many dimensions. These include the system’s load profile (how much of the time it spends using full load […]
App note: Frequently asked questions about chip capacitor cracking
TDK Components describes how to handle chip capacitors to avoid cracking. Multilayer ceramic capacitors are very brittle components, and can be damaged if proper care isn’t taken. Multilayer ceramic capacitors should be handled very carefully during mounting, soldering, and handling. Any damage incurred during these processes, no matter how small, can contribute to premature component […]
Soldering Iron Driver v1.5 Mouser order
S7726 shared his Mouser part order for the Soldering Iron Driver v1.5. This board is still under development so we haven’t yet decided on all the parts we will use. One thing to note is to follow the partlist on the project page, as the schematic has some errors in component values that will be […]
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 a every week: Free PCB Sunday. The classic. Every week, […]
Bus Blaster v3 free PCB build
Erdabyz built a free Bus Blaster v3 PCB, a high-speed JTAG debugger for ARM processors, FPGAs, CPLDs, flash, and more. v3 is a small update to v2/v2.5 with symmetrical connector placement to make it fit a case. If you build a free PCB we’ll send you another one! Blog about it, post a picture on […]
Week in (p)review: March 23, 2012
Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week. Free PCB Friday is coming up soon: WORKSHOP VIDEO: New Dangerous Prototypes workshop HOW-TO: Make realistic 3D renderings of PCB designs HOW-TO: Build 3D models from Eagle files 3D Model: Bus Pirate v4.0 Updated Bus Pirate v3.5a DIY edition partlist Bus Pirate v3.5a-SOIC DIY build […]
Updated Bus Pirate v3.5a DIY edition partlist
Bob shared a new Mouser shopping cart for the Bus Pirate v3.5 DIY edition. The Bus Pirate is an open source hacker multi-tool that talks to electronic stuff. Get the Bus Pirate DIY edition PCB from the PCB drawer for $3.95. Get an assembled Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our […]
Digitaly enhanced vintage music box
A digitally-enhanced vintage music box: “Digital Enhancement” is an interactive sound installation consisting of an electrified Symphonion Brevet No. 28, a synthesizer, an amplifier and four headphones. The Symphonion musical box dates back to the beginning of the last century and its mechanical workings are combined with digital technology to convert it into a MIDI […]
Make a supercapacitor with a DVD writer
Professor Kaner from UCLA demonstrates how to build a high-performance graphene-based supercapacitor with a DVD writer [PDF!]. The process uses a DVD writer to burn a pattern onto a plastic film coated with graphene. The resulting supercapacitor is flexible, and capable of storing enough energy to drive an LED for a few minutes. There has been […]
Bus Pirate 802.15.4 ZigBee sniffer tools
Bruno hacked his Bus Pirate to be a ZigBee sniffer. He built a small protoboard adapter that connects the Microchip MRF24J40 module to the Bus Pirate IO header. He also wrote custom firmware that captures IEEE 802.15.4 traffic, and passes it on to a custom client app over USB. Check out his wiki page for […]
Bus Pirate v3.5a-SOIC DIY build
Tofutie posted his Bus Pirate v3.5a SOIC PCB build. These boards were designed with the larger SOIC PIC microcontrollers, making them easier to solder for beginners. You can get your own DIY Edition Bus Pirate in the free PCB drawer for $3.95. Get an assembled Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from […]
Build a low speed scope with a PIC18F2550 and a graphical LCD
Steve build a low speed scope from a PIC18F2550 microcontroller and a graphical LCD. The MCU takes 60k samples per second from it’s analog-to-digital converter. It proceeds to process the signal and display it and some basic information on the screen. Steve left the source code, and the schematic on his site. Using the PIC18F2550 […]