Category Archives: app notes

App note: Process high-voltage input levels into a low-voltage ADC without losing much SNR

Here’s an application note from Maxim: Process high-voltage input levels into a low-voltage ADC without losing much SNR It is often difficult to find an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that aligns with the analog input range, but also has the appropriate number of inputs, the needed size, and the correct sample speed. Especially for system designers working […]

App note: Basic switching-regulator-layout techniques

Here’s an application note from Maxim on basic switching-regulator-layout techniques: This article addresses some of the fundamentals of laying out a switching-regulator board. Although it focuses on a step-up switching-regulator, the concepts it covers are also useful when working with other types of switching regulators. The article talks about the importance of ground schemes, component […]

App note: USB High speed device mass storage on SD/MMC card with optional AES

Here’s an application note from Atmel:  USB High speed device mass storage on SD/MMC card with optional AES (PDF!) This application note is a description of a USB Mass Storage device, using High Speed USB for communication and a SD/MMC-card for storage. By default the code is compiled to run at the EVK1104 reference design […]

App note: IC temperature sensor accuracy compensation with a PICmicro microcontroller

An application note from Microchip: IC temperature sensor accuracy compensation with a PIC microcontroller This application note is based on the analog output MCP9700/MCP9701 and serial output MCP9800 temperature sensors.

Interfacing a 4×4 Matrix keypad with an 8-Bit GPIO expander

An application note from Microchip: Interfacing a 4×4 Matrix keypad with an 8-Bit GPIO expander This application note discusses interfacing a 4×4 matrix keypad with MCP23X08 8-Bit GPIO Expander. This application note references the MCP23X08/17 GPIO Expander Keypad/LCD Demo Board (GPIODM-KPLCD). GPIO Expanders provide easy I/O expansion using standard serial interfaces such as I2C and […]

App note: Guidelines for reliable long line 1-wire networks

Here’s a guidelines for reliable 1-Wire Network from Maxim: The 1-Wire protocol was originally designed to facilitate communication with nearby devices on a short connection. 1-Wire was also a way to add auxiliary memory on a single microprocessor port pin. Methods were later developed to extend the 1-Wire protocol to network applications well beyond the […]

A digital constant current power LED driver

Here is an application note from Microchip describing how a PIC12HV615 MCU can be used to implement a digital current control loop for power LEDs: This document describes a power LED driver solution using the PIC12HV615 microcontroller (MCU). The PIC12HV615 is an 8-pin MCU with many integrated analog features. The LED driver circuit is a […]

App note: Tin whiskers are real and complex

This app note discusses the problems caused by the removal of lead from electronics and ways to mitigate tin whiskers: “Tin whiskers” is not an imaginative, fanciful term for some aspect of electronics manufacturing. Tin whiskers are real. They are microscopic conductive fibers emanating from pure tin surfaces, and they pose a serious problem to […]

Ubiquity of NFC-enabled phones leads to strong brand protection

Here’s an app note from Maxim: Ubiquity of NFC-enabled phones leads to strong brand protection Counterfeiting has grown tremendously over the last decade. Fortunately, there are several anticounterfeiting solutions. Of these, an authentication based on challenge-response allows a much stronger protection than secure printing or unique ID RF tags. This application note presents the benefits […]

App note: USB OTG like connector implementation

USB OTG like connector implementation (PDF!): The USB OTG (On-The-Go) is an interface to communicate with portable USB devices. In the SAM9x5 Series (SAM9G15/G25/G35/X25/X35) and SAMA5D3x products, the USB host and device share one transceiver. The shared USB transceiver can be controlled either by the USB Host Port Controller or by the USB Device Controller. […]

App Note: Adding intelligence to LED lighting

Here’s a tutorial from Maxim on how to design smarter LED lighting.   How smart is your LED lighting system? While LED lighting holds the promise of reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs, smart LED lighting designs improve system performance in both areas, achieving higher performance per watt and reducing cost in the long term. […]

App Note: Get the maximum power out of a solar panel

Here is an application note from Microchip describing how to get maximum power out of a solar panel. The focus of this application note is to identify how to get the maximum power out of a solar panel to power a remote application. The Maximum Power Point Converter is essentially a DC-to-DC converter, where the […]

App note: Adding edge-sensitive transition detection to GPIO devices

Adding edge-sensitive transition detection to GPIO devices: Although many GPIO devices can detect the rising and falling edge of a signal-level change, some applications only need to capture the leading edge and not monitor the falling edge. These GPIO devices can be enhanced to detect edge-sensitive signal transitions. A simple circuit provides the transition detection.