Kerry Wong did a teardown of an MVMT dual USB port wall outlet adapter: Specification wise, the adapter is rated to provide 2.1A for its USB output. I did some load testing with an electronic load I built before and it appeared that the 2.1A is rated for the combined output from both USB ports. You […]
Author Archives: DP
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: How to maintain USB signal integrity when adding ESD protection
Introducing the eye diagram method in this app note from ON Semiconductors in determining signal integrity of USB lines. Link here (PDF) The Universal Serial Bus (USB) has become a popular feature of PCs, cell phones and other electronic devices. USB makes data transfer between electronic devices faster and easier. USB 2.0 transfers data at […]
App note: Low-side self-protected MOSFET
Integrated fault protected MOSFET app note from ON Semiconductors. Link here (PDF) The ever increasing density and complexity of automotive and industrial control electronics requires integration of components, wherever possible, so as to conserve space, reduce cost, and improve reliability. Integration of protection features with power switches continues to drive new product development. The often […]
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 […]
Building a USB bootloader for an STM32
Kevin Cuzner writes: As my final installment for the posts about my LED Wristwatch project I wanted to write about the self-programming bootloader I made for an STM32L052 and describe how it works. So far it has shown itself to be fairly robust and I haven’t had to get out my STLink to reprogram the watch […]
Building a DIY SMT pick & place machine with OpenPnP
Erich Styger has a nice write-up about building a DIY pick & place machine based on OpenPnP: This article is about a project I have started back in January 2018. As for many of my projects, it took longer than anticipated.But now it is working, and the result is looking very good: a DIY automated pick and […]
Silicon die analysis: Inside an op amp with interesting “butterfly” transistors
An excellent in-depth look at theTL084 op amp by Ken Shirriff: Some integrated circuits have very interesting dies under a microscope, like the chip below with designs that look kind of like butterflies. These patterns are special JFET input transistors that improved the chip’s performance. This chip is a Texas Instruments TL084 quad op amp and […]
#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 […]
DIY Arduino FM radio
Nick over at educ8s.tv shared detailed instructions of how to build this DIY Art Deco style FM Radio project using Arduino: Let’s see what we are going to build today! As you can see, we are going to build an Art Deco style FM radio receiver. The design of this radio is based on this […]
Hard disk drive head assembly teardown
A look at a head assembly for a hard disk drive. See the full post on Electronupdate blog. Check out the video after the break.
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: Capacitive sensing: Direct vs remote liquid-level sensing performance analysis
Capacitive liquid level sensing method comparison discussed in this app note from Texas Instruments. Link here (PDF) Capacitive-based liquid level sensing is making its way into the consumer, industrial, and automotive markets due to its system sensitivity, flexibility, and low cost. With using TI’s capacitive sensing technology, the system flexibility allows designers to have the […]
App note: Measuring liquid levels using hall effect sensors
App note from Infineon on methods used in liquid level measurement and how contactless hall effect sensors are the right choice for the job. Link here (PDF) This application note is dedicated to liquid level sensing using non-contacting magnetic sensor technology. First, an overview of some liquid level sensor application requirements are given. Next, we […]
3D printed stirling engine gas burner and flywheel
The 3D printed Stirling Engine with its new gas burner and heavier flywheel from Do It Yourself Gadgets: Take a look at my upgraded Stirling Engine with its new gas burner and flywheel! If you take a look at my previous post you’ll see how I built a 3D printed holder for my Stirling Engine […]
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 […]
LoraDunchy Arduino Nano pin-compatibile LoRa module with power management
Mare writes: Lora board with Arduino nano compatibile pinout and simple battery management Small board with arduino nano compatibile pinout with power management and Murata ABZ LoRa module with STM32L0 microcontroller Features: -LoRa module: Murata ABZ -Single cell LiPo cell charger on-board with charging signal internally connected to PA11 (via jumper) -Buck/Boost switching power supply […]
A touch numeric keyboard for Arduino or Teensy
Giovanni Carrera blogged about his touch numeric keyboard for Arduino or Teensy: Very often, for our programs, we need a system to set parameters, usually of a numerical type. A 4×4 keyboard requires some space and then we also need a display. Here is the idea of using a touchscreen display to do both. I […]
Ethernet Relay board
Boris Landoni from Open Electronics writes about a new open source project Ethernet Relay board: The project we are introducing in this article wants on to take on that task by creating, through dedicated connections, the possibility to remotely control your entrance gate, your fish tank, the garden lights, the watering system and so on, […]
EEPROM rotation for ESP8266 and ESP32
Xose Pérez over at Tinkerman writes: The Arduino Core for ESP8266 and ESP32 uses one SPI flash memory sector to emulate an EEPROM. When you initialize the EEPROM object (calling begin) it reads the contents of the sector into a memory buffer. Reading a writing is done over that in-memory buffer. Whenever you call commit […]