The basics of how to get your firmware into your PIC microcontroller. App note can be found here. For more than a decade, Microchip has published a lot of information about programming its 8-bit microcontrollers. There is now so much information out there, in fact, that it’s sometimes hard for engineers and technicians who are […]
Category Archives: app notes
App note: EMC design considerations
Ever wonder why your project acts funny and sometimes causes unexpected outcome then one of these reasons are interference and how they inject into or emit from your designs. Learn more about EMC from Atmel’s design consideration notes. The electromagnetic environment is getting tougher. High-frequency radio transmitters, like mobile telephones, are found everywhere. More and […]
App note: EMI noise protection on electronic equipment
This application manual from Murata packs a lot of information about noises generated from most electronics equipment and what are the right filters to suppress these. To make effective noise suppression in electronic equipment it is necessary for design engineers to have a good understanding of the various types of EMI suppression filters available and […]
App note: Application of optical sensors – Reflective
The second type of optical sensor, here’s Vishay app note on how do they operate and their considerations when using one of these on your projects. These sensors integrate an infrared emitter and photo detector in a single package. The most common types of optical sensors are transmissive and reflective sensors. Both types detect the […]
App note: Application of optical sensors – Transmissive
Optical sensor basics and its considering factors of these type of contactless switches, learn more from Vishay’s app note on transmissive optical sensor. These sensors integrate an infrared emitter and photo detector in a single package. The most common types of optical sensors are transmissive and reflective sensors. Both types detect the presence of an […]
App note: VCO enables a hands-free car kit for cell phones
Locally broadcast your cell phone through FM band using MAX2606 from Maxim. App note can be found here. This design idea presents an integrated IF voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that can retransmit the audio signal from a cell phone to the FM broadcast band. By placing the cell phone’s speaker near the microphone, the user can […]
App note: Biasing and decoupling op amps in single supply applications
Op amps needs dual supply in order to get a full output swing from its input fed signal, here’s a good app note from Analog Devices on powering op amps using only a single supply. Battery-powered op amp applications such as those found in automotive and marine equipment have only a single available power source. […]
App note: Power supply layout and EMI
Reduce EMI by determining large alternating currents carrying areas and making them compact, this minimizes radiation and spilling of unwanted signal to other part of your PCB. More of these methods are shown from Linear Technology’s app note. PC-board layout determines the success or failure of every power supply project. It sets functional, electromagnetic interference […]
App note: Measuring temperature with PIC16F84A WDT
Here’s an app note from Microchip on how you can use the watch dog timer of an old trusty PIC16F84A as temperature sensor. Almost all temperature sensor circuits use some form of discrete component (such as a thermistor or a solid-state sensor) to actually measure the environment?s temperature. It is left to the microcontroller to […]
App note: Selecting the Optimum Voltage Reference
An application note from Maxim giving you hints when selecting voltage references on your designs. What could be more basic than a voltage reference—a simple, constant reference voltage? As with all design topics, there are tradeoffs. This article discusses the different types of voltage references, their key specifications, and the design tradeoffs, including accuracy, temperature-independence, […]
App note: Low-Cost Shunt Energy Meter using MCP3909 and PIC18F25K20
Here’s a low-cost single phase energy metering solution using Microchip’s MCP3909 metering ADC and PIC18F25K20 8-bit microcontroller. App note can be found here. The meter was tested for a range of current from 0.1A to 20A using the Fluke 6100A Electrical Power Standard. Measurement results are visible on the LCD or on the Pulse Output. […]
App note: Long Delay Generation Using the AVR Microcontroller
Here’s an app note from ATMEL presenting a solution for microcontroller long delays. The solution presented here shows how the AVR AT90 series microcontrollers (AT90S2313, AT90S4414 and AT90S8515) generate and handle long delays. On-chip timers are used without any software intervention, thus allowing the core to be in a low-power mode during the delay. Since […]
App note: Capacitive Multibutton Configurations
A capacitive mutibutton configuration application note from Microchip describing how to scan and detect button presses on more than 4 capacitive buttons. This application note will discuss three different approaches to implementing multiple touch buttons using Microchip microcontrollers. The first approach creates a simple 4 sensor system using the on-chip 4-to-1 analog multiplexers tied to […]
Inductor saturation tester
In relation to the previously posted Power inductor checker, Lindsay refers us to Alan Yates’ article on inductor saturation tester: As a result of recent work on switchmode power converters I needed the ability to measure the saturation properties of inductors. This simple instrument was built to allow visualisation of the current ramp as an inductor charges from […]
TI glass breakage detector design and sample kit offer
TI is making samples available of of components used in their new glass breakage detector. This simple glass-breakage detector solution describes a simple glass breakage detector using the MSP430F2274 and was developed to operate at low power, allowing long battery life. The algorithm is based on the spectral analysis of a typical glass breakage signal […]
App note: Implementing an Isolated 1-Wire Bus
An app note from Maxim: Implementing an Isolated 1-Wire Bus The 1-Wire® bus has become increasingly popular for the authentication and calibration of sensors and consumables in medical equipment, where galvanic isolation is required. Building on application note 4206, “Choosing the Right 1-Wire Master for Embedded Applications,” this article explains how to modify existing 1-Wire […]
App note: Propeller communication with a PC app
Abstract: Many embedded applications share information with external devices, and the preferred connection between devices is asynchronous serial communications. The multicore architecture of the P8X32A enables the designer to create and deploy device-to-device communications strategies with no impact on the primary application code. In this example a deployed communications support cog manages data between the […]
App note: Lithium-Ion battery recycling made easy
An app note from Maxim: Lithium-Ion battery recycling made easy This application note describes how to recycle lithium-ion (Li+) batteries from older devices for use in other electronic devices, such as toys. This can all be done without the need for a microcontroller (or the required software). One challenge is that the battery charger in these […]
App note: Hardware security ICs offer large security returns at a low cost
An application note from Maxim: Hardware security ICs offer large security returns at a low cost In the face of security vulnerabilities in health and safety applications, governments and industry leaders have focused on security weaknesses in the design and protection of electronic devices. This article explains how using hardware security ICs dramatically reduces the risk […]
App note: Low-power design guide
An application note from Microchip: Lowering power consumption on PIC microcontrollers Low-power applications represent a significant portion of the future market for embedded systems. Every year, more designers are required to make designs portable, wireless and energy efficient. This document seeks to simplify the transition to low-power applications by providing a single location for the […]