Cosminnci posted pictures of his free Bus Pirate v4 LCD adapter v2a PCB build. These boards are designed to let you quickly test 44780 compatible LCDs with your Bus Pirate v4. 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 […]
Author Archives: DP
Bus Pirate PIC programming adapter back in stock
The Bus Pirate PIC programming adapter is back in stock at Seeed. It enables a Bus Pirate v3 (only!) to program PIC 12/16/18Fs that need a 13volt hit on MCLR to enter programming mode. You can program PIC 18FxxJ/24/30/33F without an adapter, and some experimental PIC32 support is also available in the forum. At this […]
Contiki on the web platform documentation update
Shuckc ported Contiki OS 2.5 to run on the web platform. Now some additional documentation is available to help get you started with this port. Contiki is an open source operating system for embedded devices. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6 internet protocols, and is not too taxing on memory, usually taking around 40KB of […]
Box of new PCBs
A box of PCBs just arrived from Seeed Studio’s Fusion PCB service. The XT-IDE adapter V2 board is now available in our Free PCB drawer. The board was designed to allow XT type vintage computers to use newer IDE type hard drives. XT-IDE Adapter v2 is available now in the free PCB drawer.
Microchip TQFP-100 breakout board free PCB built
Ginpb built a free TQFP-100 breakout board. This board was designed to provide essential discrete components to a Microchip microcontroller in a TQFP-100 (0.4mm pitch, PT designation) package. A 3.3V power supply, decoupling capacitors, 2 crystals, USB, and a programming header are on the board. If you build a free PCB we’ll send you another […]
#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 […]
Home automation using power line signaling protocols
Darco is evaluating home automation systems for his new house. Devices will be controlled over a power line signaling protocol like X10 or UPB power-line signaling. He seems set to use the more advanced, well documented, and more expensive UPB protocol. To circumvent the hefty price-tags of UPB equipment, he is designing his own device […]
Demiduino, another tiny Arduino compatible board
Wade made a tiny Arduino compatible board. It has 8 Digital I/O pins, 4 Analog pins, and an on-board lipo charger. The ATmega32U4 microcontroller has more memory than the original Arduino. Digital pins 0-7, Analog 2-5, and a RST, V+, and GND pin are broken out to two rows of pins, maintaining about half the […]
Reciprocal frequency counter
Alan built a reciprocal frequency counter. What sets reciprocal counters apart is that they adjust to the signal measured, sort of an auto-ranging feature. It is AVR based and automatically enables or disables a prescaler to handle frequencies from 0.5 Hz to 100 MHz. It can give the same precision whether the signal is fast […]
Hacking an infrared cooker for pcb reflow
SadE is exploring the possibility of building a reflow oven from an IR cooker. He was able to implement a simple switching temperature control and get some initial temperature response results. A graph of his first run is below. I received my oven 2 days ago and modified it in order to get temperature over […]
Box of new PCBs: Part Ninja v1
A box of PCBs just arrived from Seeed Studio’s Fusion PCB service. The latest addition to our PCB drawer is the prototype PCB for the Part Ninja V1. We got inspired by the AVR transistor tester and decided to make our own version with a few add-ons. The Part Ninja features: Determines pinouts and key […]
How-to assemble the StripInvaders LED system
Michu made instructions on how to assemble StripInvaders. All that is needed is a few wire splices, other then the already required Arduino Ethernet, and the Grove – Base Shield. This video shows you how to assemble the StripInvaders LED System. It’s really easy, take a look! Via the forum.
teho Labs’ Cygni free PCB build
Fcobcn built a free Cygni PCB from teho Labs. This was a guest PCB from our Free PCB drawer. Cygni is a Cortex M3 development board based on the LM3S3N26 microcontroller. 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 […]
App note: PC fan control using an ATtiny13
Dumb PC fans come with 3 pin jacks, and have no PWM control. This app note explains how to make a “smart” fan from a “dumb” one by implementing PWM control using an ATtiny13 microcontroller. This application note describes the operation of 12 volt DC cooling fans typically used to supply cooling air to electronic […]
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: Touch-screen technologies roundup
Common touch-screen types are resistive, capacitive, or haptic. This app note describes each: Touch screens are not a new concept. Where previously touch screens were merely designed to replace keyboards and mice, today they convey a completely new operating experience. Featuring greater interaction between the user and device, this new “touch” experience has been achieved […]
App note: An applications guide for operational amplifiers
Here is a application guide from Texas Instruments is an overview of operational amplifier-related circuits, theory, and formulas. Inverting amplifiers, buffers, analog adders, filters, and many more are covered. The general utility of the operational amplifier is derived from the fact that it is intended for use in a feedback loop whose feedback properties determine […]
App note: Tips ‘n tricks for comparators in PIC microcontrollers
A collection of tips and tricks from Microchip for using the comparator module on PIC12F and PIC16F microcontrollers. These peripherals usually have high propagation delays, but many applications don’t require high response times from the microcontroller. This app note outlines 20 different applications where integrated comparators might come in handy, such as low battery detection, […]
Built your own helping hand
Victor made a DIY helping hand from some Multi Direction Plastic pipe. All you need is the before-mentioned pipes, a piece of wood, and alligator clips. “A good technician has 3 hands – it is the fourth one that’s missing sometimes.” I think the famous proverb sums it up: Many times there are many, […]
Octopart on standardizing partlist data
An engineer from Octopart asks about standardizing the format for partlists for easier automated processing and quotes. They are designing a new part information API and would like help with suggestions and ideas: If we can all come up with a good general purpose structured data format, it could be used for interchange between EDA […]