Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters

buspiratev383

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:

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Unbrick FT232 counterfeit chip

Fake_FTDI232_breakout

j3tstream writes:

Like many people, i buy, time to time, some chips or shield from Chinese (dx, aliexpress, ebay) vendors, unfortunately my FTDI FT232 breakout was a fake chip, here he is a interesting thread about that.
Jordi Binefa , (thank, you made my day), describe a quickly and easy method to recover a bricked chip, you need have Linux, you can use a live cd/usb instead installed version if you prefer. run terminal, then

ARM PRO MINI, an open source ARM M0 microcontroller board

arm_pro_mini

Zapta designed this open source ARM M0 microcontroller board, that is available at Github:

ARM PRO MINI is a small barebone open source ARM M0 microcontroller board that is great for quick prototyping and as a starting point for your own ARM based custom designs. It was designed and named after the venerable Arduino Pro Mini and it is an excellent stepping stone for makers and hobbyists ‘graduating’ from Arduino to the ARM architecture.

Via the contact form.

 

#FreePCB via Twitter to 2 random RTs

KHOS-2-3-4-5-6P 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 it every Sunday, right here on the blog
  • Tweet-a-PCB Tuesday. Follow us and get boards in 144 characters or less
  • Facebook PCB Friday. Free PCBs will be your friend for the weekend

Some stuff:

  • Yes, we’ll mail it anywhere in the world!
  • Check out how we mail PCBs worldwide video.
  • We’ll contact you via Twitter with a coupon code for the PCB drawer.
  • Limit one PCB per address per month please.
  • Like everything else on this site, PCBs are offered without warranty.

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.

Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build

20150126_183420_s

xStouf built a free Bus Pirate v3.8 PCB.  The Bus Pirate is an open source hacker multi-tool that talks to electronic stuff.

If you build a free PCB we’ll send you another one! Blog about it, post a picture on Flicker, whatever – we’ll send you a coupon code for the free PCB drawer.

Get your own handy Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.

Homebrew wireless security system

jnodesecurity

In a previous post we covered the security node that Ken from OverEngineered was building to replace the proprietary home security system in his house. Ken has updated us on the project’s status. “I finally got the final version of that node installed and running my home’s security system. It’s all working pretty well now, and here’s a post from my blog that tells all about it.

Via the contact form.

Driving a DC motor using PWM with AVR ATmega

pwm_dc_motor_driver_atmega

Davide Gironi writes:

The PWM frequency have to be selected in the way that the switch frequency is much higher than the dynamics of the motor.
To avoid noise from the motor, the choosen PWM frequency is 20Khz. Which is a know to know frequency.
So, with this one, you can drive up to 4 motors independently controlling:
*speed
*direction
*slow start / stop
Setup parameters are contained in dcmotorpwm.h

This library was developed on Eclipse, built with avr-gcc on Atmega8 @ 8MHz.

Check out the video after the break.

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Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB

irtoyv3-600x369

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:

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App note: Common-Mode transients in current sense applications

an_ad_an1321

Transient considerations in current sensing especially in motor and solenoids, app note(PDF) from Analog Devices.

Current sense amplifiers are used in a variety of applications, such as motor or solenoid control, load current monitoring, and fault detection. In such applications, it is typical for the input common-mode voltage to swing from ground to a certain highside supply. However, while a user may work with the assumption that the input common-mode swings are limited to this highside supply, there are transient voltages that must be considered. The result of these transients is that a supposed low voltage application tends to appear as a high voltage application, and the current sense amplifier must be robust enough to handle these occurrences.

App note: FPGA configuration from SPI Flash memory using a Microprocessor

1

From Xilinx application note on FPGA configuration method:

This application note describes a simple and efficient FPGA configuration method that utilizes a microprocessor to configure an FPGA device from a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) flash memory. This method reduces hardware components, board space, and costs. Reference hardware design and firmware are included to illustrate the methodology.

Simple 3D gesture control IC by Microchip

Simple-3D-Gesture-Control-IC-by-Microchip_2

Microchip simplifies 3D gesture IC:

Housed in an easy-to-manufacture SSOP28 package, the MGC3030 expands the use of highly sought after 3D gesture control features to high-volume cost-sensitive applications such as toys, audio and lighting.
The simplicity of gesture-detection integration offered by the MGC3030 is also achieved through the company’s free, downloadable AUREA Graphical User Interface (GUI) and easily configurable general-purpose IO ports that even allow for host MCU/processor-free usage. An on-chip 32-bit digital signal processor executes real-time gesture processing, eliminating the need for external cameras or controllers for host processing, and allowing for faster and more natural user interaction with devices.

Via Hackedgadgets.

 

 

Free PCB coupon via Facebook to 2 random commenters

buspiratev383

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”

3DRacers, a 3D printed indoor racing game based on Arduino

3dracerside

3DRacers, the open source 3D printed racing game that you control with a smartphone:

3DRacers are 3D printed race cars that you can customize for free with their online editor. Once you have downloaded and printed your design, the electronics are a snap. The 3DRacer team has created an Arduino compatible control board that fits into your racer, allowing it to be driven with your smart phone using the on board BTLE radio. In the future, your 3DRacers will need to make pit stops for virtual tire changes and fuel ups as additional features are added to the control apps. You’ll also be able to upload your racing stats and prowess to the web, tracking lap counts and race times.

Via Make.

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Simple I2C SSD1306 driver for AVR

simulator1

Jean THOMAS of TiBounise writes:

I wrote a small SSD1306 library for AVR, with a framebuffer.
It even features a small simulator to let you have a preview of what it’ll look like on the OLED screen without having to upload again and again code to your development board.

The library is released under a very permissive license, to allow people to integrate it without any constraints.

Available on Github.

Via the contact form.

Basic Experimenter Board for rapid prototyping of electronic circuits

ExperimentersBoard_6

Raj of Embedded Lab has published new project the Basic Experimenter Board for easy prototyping of electronics circuits:

Most electronics projects require some common stuff like regulated power supply, input tact switches, and output LEDs during prototyping and testing phase. Wiring these things on a breadboard for every new project could be time consuming and boring. We introduce you the Basic Experimenter Board, a general purpose develoment tool that will not only reduce the prototyping time for your next project but also free up plenty of space on the breadboard. It features regulated 3.3V and 5.0V power supply on board along with four output LEDs, four input tact switches, one output buzzer with driver circuit, a potentiometer for simulating analog input, and a 480-point breadboard for rapidly prototyping and testing your electronic circuits.

Using the Bus Pirate to see if it’s alive- TI HDC1000

buspirate

Inderpreet of EmbeddedCode writes:

This mini article is part of a larger project an I will link to it at the end. For this project, I was required to use the TI HDC1000 and instead of buying a module, I decided to get samples and a make a PCB of my own. This would be great except I had to create the footprints which are almost microscopic! Anyways I got it made from SeeedStudios and I bought one of those ultra cheap hot air stations with no indications about temperature or airflow and some paste and got started. The reflow happened painlessly and I was pretty happy with myself. Before I move on to mounting any other parts, I decided to see if the HDC1000 was alive or had kicked the bucked in my hotair experiment.
So I started with soldering the header as well as power test pins and I hooked up the BusPirate. Har har har! I think I can explain the rest via a video and so…

Check out the video after the break.

Get an assembled Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.

Continue reading “Using the Bus Pirate to see if it’s alive- TI HDC1000”

GPS clock assembly, part III

gpsclockv1-1final_0022

An update on Kevin Rye’s GPS clock project we covered previously:

I’ve been working on this clock for a long time, and a lot of effort has been put into it. I’ve learned so much from this project. I do have to admit some parts of the code aren’t as elegant as they should be, but it works. With the code complete, all that’s left to do is try my hand at designing a 3D printed joystick for the 5-way switch.

Simple DIY lab power supply

diy-lab-psu-front

Bajdi  made this DIY lab power supply and wrote a post on his blog detailing its assembly:

My DIY lab PSU has 10 binding posts in total. The ones on the left provide 12V, 5V and 3V3. The 12V output comes straight from the laptop power supply. The 5V and 3V3 are provided by a KIM055L and a KIM035L module. These can output 5A of current. The other 4 are the outputs of a LM2596-adjustable and a XL4015 regulator. The LM2596 is a simple adjustable voltage regulator board. I desoldered the trimpot and soldered a regular potentiometer to it.
The XL4015 breakout board is setup as a constant current regulator. It has 2 trimpots to set voltage and current. I again desoldered the little trimpots from the board and soldered 2 potentiometers to it. I fitted the 3 potentiometers to the front plate and added 3 nice buttons so I can easily adjust them.
The left panel meter shows the output voltage of the LM2596, the right panel meter displays the voltage and current of the XL4015 output.