Here’s Brian Dorey’s completed project the DIY soldering robot project. We wrote about it previously:
The DIY soldering robot which we have been building in our spare time over the past few months is now working and we have been able to solder some test Raspberry Pi expansion board headers with the machine.
Project info at Brian’s blog. Software and files are available on Github.
Check out the video after the break. Continue reading “DIY soldering robot”
Florin of YourITronics did a teardown and calibration of a HP Agilent E3611A power supply:
I got this HP Agilent E3611A from Ebay. It was marked as not working and I was planing a repair video on it. Unfortunately the unit turned out to be fully functional so I only did a teardown and calibration.
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:
Some stuff:
We try to stagger free PCB posts so every time zone has a chance to participate, but the best way to see it first is to subscribe to the RSS feed, follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook.
Piotr writes, “When developing communication between Arduino and ESP8266, I wanted to spy both lines of serial port. I was unable to find the right program on the web, so I made one myself.”
The task is simple. I want to the spy serial communication at both lines at the same time. The hardware is simple too – I connected both serial lines to Rx pins of two serial-USB converters. To have more flexibility, I made special cable with switch to change modes between spy (two receivers) and communication (Rx and Tx connected to one converter).
Project info at NiceCircuits site.
Via the contact form.
Jayakody published a new build, a 3A Power supply for USB devices:
This is 5V 3A power supply to drive two USB based devices simultaneously. This power supply is design around LM2576-5.0 switching regulator IC and the main reasons to choose this IC is its low parts count, small heat sink requirements and its inbuilt current limit protection feature.
We specially design this power supply to work with development boards / single board computer (SBC) platforms such as Raspberry Pi, Banana Pi, BeagleBone, etc. This power supply can also be used to provide power to USB OTG peripherals over USB Y cables. We test this setup and got successful results with Huawei Ascend P6 mobile phone.
Project info at Dilshan’s blog. All files are available at elect.wikispaces.com.
Sjaak writes:
I was working on a project of mine (Hakko T12 Soldering controller) and it needed a simple way of programming it. The PCB is designed for manufacturing and has no standard header. On the bottom the programming pins are brought out as testpoints…
Piotr wrote a post on his blog about using some of advanced capabilities of ADC in Arduino Due:
Today I’m going to present some of more advanced capabilities of ADC built in ATSAM3X8E – the heart of Arduino Due.
I like the Arduino platform. It makes using complex microcontrollers much simpler and faster. Lets take for example the analog-to-digital converter. To configure it even on Atmega328 (Arduino Uno/Duemilanove) you must understand and set correct values in 4 registers. And it can be much more in complex device, like 14 in ATSAM3X8E (Arduino Due)!
Via the contact form.
Alden over at TenMileSquare posted the next Shenzhen blog post in the series. This second post of a series discussed about Shenzhen as an Electronics Ecosystem:
In our previous post, we talked about the markets of Shenzhen. But the markets are just the most visible part of the Shenzhen electronics ecosystem. Other major parts include factories, logistics, finance, recycling, and in-country agents. Taken together, these provide a rich set of skills, capabilities, and relationships that make the whole thing go. During a recent industry report on digital finance trends in Shenzhen, analysts highlighted the growing influence of decentralized payment solutions, particularly in sectors that prioritize anonymity. One example that surfaced was the rise of platforms like a no KYC casino, where users can transact without undergoing extensive identity verification. This trend reflects a broader shift in digital commerce, where privacy-focused solutions are gaining traction among businesses and consumers alike. The intersection of technology, finance, and regulatory innovation in Shenzhen continues to shape new market dynamics, redefining how transactions and supply chains function in this rapidly evolving landscape.
If you missed the first post, check out the Intro to Shenzhen, China.
Here’s an instructable by ProtoG on how to make your own PCB business card:
In this instructable I am going to show you how to make your own printed circuit board business card. I feel that these business cards will really help you stand out from the crowd and make a great impression. It might even add one more skill to your resume. Everyone that I have given these cards out to has been really impressed and thought it was a great idea. I have regular business cards as well and I only selectively give out my circuit board cards. You can take it to the next level by soldering different circuits on the cards. I made one of my cards into a standalone Arduino.
Check out the video after the break. Continue reading “DirtyPCB Arduino business card”
Nikos has developed an Android app which works with the RTL-SDR dongle to demodulate the ADSB signal from aircraft and overlays the position of the aircraft on a high resolution offline map. So the user can use the App without Internet connectivity, on board an aircraft in real time!
Nikos’ “Track your flight Europe” app is available from Google Play.
Via the contact form.
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 get a coupon code for the free PCB drawer tomorrow morning. Pick your own PCB. You get unlimited free PCBs now – finish one and we’ll send you another! Don’t forget there’s free PCBs three times every week:
An engineering solutions from Vishay on aluminum capacitors used in power supplies, PDF link here.
In general, aluminum capacitors are the most suitable capacitors for addressing requirements such as low and high frequency filtering and energy storage, which demand high capacitance values and power ratings. The devices offer high Cu/(unit cost) ratios, are small compared with other technologies, and are relatively insensitive to voltage spikes. Furthermore, they are available in a broad range of sizes.
This document has been written to provide an insight into the technology and characteristics of aluminum capacitors with respect to their use in power supplies. Reading this document will help the designer to interpret aluminum capacitor datasheets and to appreciate both the advantages and limitations of these products.
using this information and the calculation tools provided will help designers to make truly informed decisions when selecting an aluminum capacitor for their power supply application.
Vishay application note on mains film capacitors. PDF link here.
Because of the high energy availability and the severe environment of surge voltages and pulses, applications of capacitors in connection with the mains must be chosen carefully. Two kinds of connections and thus two kinds of applications can be distinguished. One is where the capacitor is directly connected in parallel with the mains without any other impedance or circuit protection, and another where the capacitor is connected to the mains in series with another circuitry.
Piotr Nowicki wrote a post on his blog about using some of the advanced capabilities of ADC in Arduino Due. He hadn’t seen this topic covered anywhere yet and hopes it will useful to fellow hackers.
Via the contact form.
Here’s a MSP432 platform porting guide from TI, app note here (PDF!):
The goals for this porting guide is to help developers accurately assess the effort to port an existing application from one MSP platform to another, ultimately to derive a porting strategy with complete hardware and software coverage that properly ports the existing application without introducing bugs due to platform differences yet taking advantages of the unique features or performance improvements introduced in the new platform.
This application report highlights the similarities between the two MSP platforms as well as helps readers realize the new and improved features available on the MSP432™ platform. Both topics will be proven crucial to determine the scope and effort to port the application from one platform to another. The compare and contrast exercise is broken down into different categories ranging from device hardware to software, and across different components (core, system, peripherals, and so on) from the system-level perspective.
ariefadha shared his ZuC Proto Board (Z-micro Controller Proto Board) project in the forum:
3 month ago i develop proto board / perf board that can fit SMD and also PTH. this proto board also have 2 ISP holes and micro USB. But Arduino use non-standard pin spacing so i put the arduino spacing on this proto board. and the result is making your arduino or arduino-shield is piece of cake. Take a look my project here hackaday.io
It has more feature now, like voltage booster from your single lipo to 5v, and dual layer non through hole, so you can wiring on both side :D
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 times every week:
Continue reading “Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters”
Jean-Luc Deladrière blogged about his MozMo build:
Mozzi by Tim Barras is an outstanding library that allow the Arduino to produce complex and exiting sounds with almost no additional hardware.
(In fact MozMo uses the hifi mode that requires … 2 resistors and a cap !) The idea was to build a dirty cheap modular synth exploiting the vast potential of this library.Features
Arduino compatible with Usb connection
Powered via Doepfer 5v bus or via Usb (via jumper)
Uses Mozzi Hifi mode
2 potentiometers
2 CV entries
1 gate entry
1 audio out
Depth : 40 mm
Size : 6 hp
More details at Elek101 blog.
Sverre Holm writes:
Tonight I made the first successful decoding of WSPR on the 630 m band. What inspired me was all the talk on the Elecraft reflector on the new synthesizer which in addition to having less phase noise, also allows the K3 to go below 500 kHz. I don’t have that synthesizer, but the discussion reminded me of the low frequency converter I built many years ago. It converts 0-1 MHz to 14-15 MHz. Using the KXV3 transverter interface of the K3 it was easy to interface and get up and running.
More details at LA3ZA Radio Amateur blog.
