Raj inform us that he recently finished writing a step-by-step guide for setting up the Code Composer Studio v4 build and debug environment for TI MSP430 Launchpad. You can read Raj’s tutorial at Embedded lab. Via the contact form.
Category Archives: tutorials
Get up to speed with First Spin podcast
If you are new to the Parallax Propeller MCU you may want to check out First Spin. It’s an audio podcast for that teaches how to use the Parallax Propeller to persons with no prior programming experience. You can listen to or download the pilot cast here, and follow the ongoing lineup of episodes at […]
DE0 Nano intro programming tutorial
Chris from PyroElectro has written an intro tutorial on programming the Altera DE0 Nano FGPA board. His article examines installing Altera’s IDE: Quartus II on your computer and using it to make an FPGA program, compile it and get it onto the DE0 Nano’s Cyclone IV FPGA.
Using Fixed Voltage Reference (FVR) for ADC in the PIC16F1827
Raj writes to inform us of his Embedded Lab tutorial with tips on using the Fixed Voltage Reference (FVR) module in enhanced mid-range 8-bit PIC microcontrollers for a precise and accurate A/D conversion. Raj demos how to use the built-in module of the PIC16F1827 that generates a stable reference voltage internally known as the FVR. […]
Nicolas Collins’ original hardware hacking manual
If you want to read an irreverent and unorthodox hardware hacking manual check out Nicolas Collins’ Original Hacking Manual. Weighing in at 128 PDF pages, this book is geared toward motivating beginning electronics experimenters to explore uses and abuses for common electronic components. Topics include basic electronics through integrated circuits and circuit bending of all […]
Tutorial: using ChibiOS on Altera FPGA
Kiran writes: There is a great tutorial on how to use ChibiOS on Altera FPGA board by Michael Fischer. I tried and it works great. This tutorial covers how to use ChibiOS/RT on a Nios II cpu based on an Altera DE1 Board. Via the contact form.
Arduino Morse Code generator
Denver writes that he has created a Morse Code generator, and posted a tutorial in my blog about how it is done. His tutorial begins with an explanation of how Morse Code is organized and proceeds to explain the process of writing an Arduino sketch to produce the sequences of “dits” and “dahs” corresponding to […]
Parallax KickStart tutorials
Anticipating an increase in interest in their products now carried at Radio Shack and other retailers, Parallax has posted a number of useful tutorials on their Getting Started with Parallax Wiki Google code site. Designed to bring beginners up to speed with coding and interfacing peripherals with the Propeller multi-core MCU, the Basic Stamp module […]
Microcontrollers for newbies
If you’re at that stage as a beginner where you wonder what’s going on behind the scenes on an Arduino board you should check out jumperone’s tutorial on using microcontrollers. There you’ll learn what’s needed to take a bare microcontroller and load your own program onto it. Both PIC and Atmel chips are covered, with […]
AnalogDemo: plot data and upload to Pachube in C#
Luca Dentella has written a tutorial outlining the process of receiving data over a PC serial port, plotting it on a chart and sending to Pachube. You can download Luca’s code from the project’s Github repository page. Via the contact form.
Tutorial: driving shift registers with AVR hardware SPI
Mike Szczys has written a tutorial on driving shift registers with SPI (AVR). He writes: The thing is, the sample code in the datasheet won’t work by itself. Atmel didn’t address the fact that you must drive SS low (the latch pin) to start the SPI transfer. I wrote this post to help get folks […]
Irongeek’s Teensy based SD keylogger
Adrian Crenshaw (“Irongeek”) has released the project details and code for his latest hardware keylogger. If you have a Teensy board and ever thought about experimenting with keyloggers you’ll find everything you need in Adrian’s project description. You simple connect the Teensy between a female PS/2 connector and an SD card adapter and grab the […]
Decoupling capacitors explained
Bertho, winner of the 7400 contest with his Capacitive Sensing, the Hard Way entry, made an excellent tutorial on the use of decoupling capacitors: While enjoying the 7400 contest, it occurred to me that many of the submitted logic designs lacked some of the most elementary safeties to ensure a working result. One of the […]
Light sequencing and decoding DMX with Arduino
Akiba of Freaklabs and the Tokyo Hackerspace has written an excellent tutorial on using the Arduino to decode the DMX protocol, a standard protocol for stage lighting displays. It includes a three-part video presentation (Part I, above) and a link to the source code. As Akiba notes, these techniques could be used in developing some […]