Teardown and analysis of a Peaktech 6225A power supply from ElectroBob: I got a Peaktech 6225A power supply to power some things, as it seemed like a good deal, going beyond what one might find normally in these types of supplies: more display resolution and supposedly, lower noise. For this price, this supply is a good […]
Author Archives: DP
HC 508 update
An update on mc68k’s HC508 project we covered previously: Good news, some components have arrived today, so I have completed a few 50 MHz boards. More details at Amiga projects blog.
App note: Choose the right voltage regulator to extend battery life in wearables
App note from Maxim Integrated on wearable devices demanding reduced quiescent and shut down currents when in idle and in sleep mode in a voltage regulator. Link here Wearable devices have emerged as the next big market opportunity in the electronics industry. Smart watches are among the most popular wearable items today. The healthcare market, […]
App note: Voltage reference long-term stability reduces industrial process control calibration costs
Application note from Maxim Integrated about improved long term stability of their voltage references. Link here (PDF) Large industrial plants such as those in the oil, gas, electricity, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries rely on electronic instrumentation to provide accurate, stable measurements to control their processes. The stability of an instrument very much depends […]
A look at the Neopixel: Controller die teardown
A look at the Neopixel from Electronupdate: A WorldSemi WS2812B, a.k.a. “NeoPixel”. This little device can be easily controlled by a Arduino and can be used in all sorts of neat things. More details, and a truly excellent Arduino Library may be found at Adafruit. Three LEDs and a controller bonded into a single package. Let’s take […]
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 […]
4-20ma panel meter teardown
Teardown of a 4-20ma panel meter from SteelCity Electronics: Below is a panel meter that has been used in some sort of industrial process. It was manufactured in 1980 and I’m not quite sure who the manufacturer was – the company’s logo is not easy to read but it might say, “Aumano”. What caught my attention with […]
DIY Heng Lamp
Martin Raynsford shared detailed instructions of how to make a DIY Heng Lamp, project instructables here: The HENG Balance lamp just successfully funded on Kickstarter, the design is pretty cool and unique so we decided to make a copy of it. At it’s heart it’s just an LED lamp with a simple micro switch to turn it on […]
#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 […]
PSU burner
Bob writes: What does one do when designing a power supply? Well, build a power supply tester, of course. One of the simplest things to build is a constant current load. This will allow for testing of the endurance of the power supply, as most of the designs out there are using slow components. However, […]
App note: Designing reliable drones using proper circuit protection
Littelfuse’s application note on drone circuitry protection, offering guard against overcharging its batteries, I/O and ESD protection. Link here (PDF) No doubt “pilot losing control” is behind many drone incidents and crashes. But what’s behind that “loss of control?” After all, even small recreational drones depend on a host of subsystems – GPS, receiver antennae, […]
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: Magnetic sensors’ and reed switches’ capacitive Loads
An application note from Littelfuse on peak current considerations when reed switches and magnetic sensors are handling capacitive loads. Link here (PDF) When there is significant capacitance in a reed sensor, reed relay or reed switch circuit, the peak current and energy switched by the reed contacts should be considered. However, if the capacitance is […]
App note: Simple Switcher PCB layout guidelines
Simple Switcher PCB layout guidelines from Texas Instruments, app note here (PDF!) One problem with writing an application report on PCB layout is that the people who read it are usually not the ones who are going to use it. Even if the designer has struggled through electromagnetic fields, EMC, EMI, board parasitics, transmission line […]
Teardown, repair and experiments with a Tektronix RSA 6114A real-time spectrum analyzer
Tektronix RSA real-time spectrum analyzer teardown from The Signal Path: In this episode Shahriar attempts a difficult repair of a Tektronix RSA real-time spectrum analyzer. This well-equipped instrument reports several error messages during startup POST including LO Unlock as well as Signal Path failures. The service manual of the instrument does not provide any detailed […]
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 […]
Remapcro: A hardware keyboard macro recorder
Anthony Lieuallen has published new build, a hardware keyboard macro recorder: Remapcro I posted once recently about the prototype of this project, but as of today I’ve finished the first real one. The name Remapcro is a portmanteau of remap and macro, because that’s what it does. It’s an array of extra keys onto which macros can be […]
An A/B battery replacement for the Zenith TransOceanic H-500 radio with filament regulation
KA7OEI built a battery pack to replace the obsolete “A/B” battery for Zenith TransOceanic (ZTO) H-500 and wrote a post on his blog detailing its assembly: There are several things that I decided that this voltage converter should do: Automatically power up and shut down when the radio is turned on and then off Cause […]
An open source Rain Sensor and controller
Boris Landoni from Open Electronics writes about a new open source Rain Sensor and controller: Designed to be coupled to an irrigation controller, a weather station or motorized curtains and rolling shutters, it shuts down a relay when rain is detected. Full details at Open Electronics project page.
A high current power supply built around a server voltage regulator
Andy Brown designed and built a power supply controller board for the Artesyn NXA66: I decided that the best way to exploit the results of the reverse engineering effort was to design a controller board that would host the NXA66 and expose its functionality via a front panel. I’d throw in a few simple extras […]