Solar powered WiFi weather station

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A detailed instructions of how to build this weather station project by Open Green Energy:

This Instructable is a continuation to my earlier weather station project. It was quite popular on the web, people around the globe made their own by following it and given valuable feedbacks for improvement.By taking consideration in to the comments and Q&A section of my earlier project, I decided to make this new version Weather Station.I also made a custom PCB for this project, so any one with little knowledge on electronics circuit can be made this project. My V-2.0 PCB can also be used for many application in Arduino platform. Following are the salient features of new weather station

Project instructables here.

App note: Driving LEDs with a PIC Microcontroller

An App note from OSRAM on an Intelligent control circuitry example using a PIC Microcontroller. Link here (PDF)

Nowadays, applications increasingly make use of LEDs as a replacement for traditional light bulbs. For example, LEDs are frequently used in the design of automobile tail lights, signal lights, traffic signals, and variable message signs.

LEDs provide several advantages over traditional light bulbs, such as smaller size and longer life. In many applications, the LEDs must be driven with intelligent control circuitry. According to the task at hand, this control circuitry must be able to fulfill various functions and tasks.

App note: Package-related thermal resistance of LEDs

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App note from OSRAM on thermal resistance for LEDs and IREDs (IR emitting diodes). Link here (PDF)

In order to achieve the expected reliability, lifetime and optimal performance of LEDs, especially for high-power LEDs, appropriate thermal management is of the utmost importance. One of the key parameters for good thermal management is the temperature of the active semiconductor layer designated as the junction temperature. The manufacturer’s recommended maximum junction temperature should therefore not be exceeded during operation, in order to prevent damage to the component. Ideally, the junction temperature should be kept as low as possible for the given application.

Due to the design principle of the LEDs, the junction temperature of the LED can not be measured directly.

Tutorial: Booting the NXP i.MX RT from Micro SD card

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Erich Styger has written an article on how to boot the NXP i.MX RT from Micro SD card:

It is a common thing to boot a Linux system (see the Raspberry Pi) from a micro SD card. It is not that common for a microcontroller. The NXP i.MX RT ARM Cortex-M7 fills that gap between these two worlds. No surprise that it features a ROM bootloader which can boot from a micro SD card.
Booting from a SD card is kind of cool: load a new software to the card, insert it and boot from it. In some applications this can be very useful: in my configuration the processor starts the ROM bootloader, then loads the image from the SD card into RAM and then runs it. In that configuration no internal or external FLASH memory would be needed.

Via MCU on Eclipse.

App note: Increasing accuracy in feedback circuits and voltage dividers with thin film chip resistor arrays

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App note from Vishay on using chip resistors to achieve long-term stability. Link here (PDF)

Thin film chip resistor arrays consist of several resistors of equal or different values combined in one package. During the manufacturing processes and the device’s lifecycle, all the particular resistors virtually experience identical conditions, which allow the specification of their relative tolerances, relative temperature coefficients, and even a relative resistance drift. These relative parameters provide precise and stable resistance ratios and far better long-term stability of feedback circuits and voltage dividers compared to discrete resistors.

App note: Custom magnetics – What are they and when do you need them?

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Consideration factors before going to custom magnetic request from manufacturer, an app note from Vishay. Link here (PDF)

There are many manufacturers that claim they build custom magnetics. However, there is often confusion as to what constitutes custom magnetics and whether or not a designer actually needs them or can afford them. This article will clarify what custom magnetics are, help designers determine if they are needed, and explain how to engage with a custom magnetics supplier.

The Boris Beacon – A 1mW solar powered hifer beacon

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Dave Richards (AA7EE) has written an article detailing his 1mW solar-powered HiFER beacon project, the Boris Beacon:

In this post from May of last year, I detailed the construction of a 1mW solar-powered HiFER beacon. I named it the Boris Beacon, in tribute to my neighbor’s cat. The beacon was never mounted permanently outside. I kept it indoors, powered from a small solar panel in the window, and feeding an “antenna” of sorts, consisting of the original dipole wires folded up into two small bundles. Obviously, I had no serious intention of it being heard by anyone; I just liked having it come on every day when the sun came up, and transmitting until later in the day, when the light was too low to sustain operation.

See the full post on his blog.

Viewing ARM CPU activity in real time

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Jeremy Bentham writes:

In previous blog posts, I have described how an FTDI USB device can be programmed in Python to access the SWD bus of an ARM microprocessor. This allows the internals of the CPU to be accessed, without disrupting the currently running program.
In this blog I take the process one step further, and add a graphical front-end, that shows the CPU activity in real time

More details on Iosoft blog. Source files are available on GitHub.

#FreePCB via Twitter to 2 random RTs

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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.

DIY Arduino based RC transmitter

 

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Dejan over at HowToMechatronics posted a detailed how-to on building DIY Arduino RC transmitter:

Now I can wirelessly control any Arduino project with just some small adjustments at the receiver side. This transmitter can be also used as any commercial RC transmitter for controlling RC toys, cars, drones and so on. For that purpose it just needs a simple Arduino receiver which then generates the appropriate signals for controlling those commercial RC devices. I will explain how everything works in this video through few examples of controlling an Arduino robot car, controlling the Arduino Ant Robot from my previous video and controlling a brushless DC motor using an ESC and some servo motors.

More details on HowToMechatronics’ project page.

Check out the video after the break. Continue reading “DIY Arduino based RC transmitter”

PLA dielectric strength measurement

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Kerry Wong did some experiment measuring the dielectric breakdown voltage of PLA:

In my previous post, I designed and 3D printed a high voltage connector for my Bertan 225-20R high voltage power supply. The silicone high voltage wire I ordered had finally arrived so I made a couple of cables using the connectors I printed. A few of my viewers had questioned the suitability of using PLA as printing material in high voltage applications so I decided to measure the dielectric breakdown voltage of PLA and gather some real-world data.

See the full post on his blog here.

Check out the video after the break. Continue reading “PLA dielectric strength measurement”

App note: Simplify home audio systems With the PCM9211 – A versatile audio interface transceiver

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A digital interface PCM9211 from Texas Instruments app note. Link here (PDF)

Large-screen HDTVs are selling in huge volumes over last few years, primarily driven by amazing improvements in picture quality & form factor (thinner screens). The form factor constraints from having skinny screens result in tiny built-in speakers that are undersized, under-powered and are typically aimed at wrong direction. Hence sound bars have exploded in popularity as complementary audio system by providing a sound experience that more closely matches the TV’s life-like pictures. In addition, with release of HDMI 2.1 specification we finally have a nocompromise audio solution for HDMI as part of the eARC [enhanced Audio Return Channel]. This tech note reviews eARC and simplified Sound Bar design using PCM9211 and how to interface eARC signals with PCM9211.

App note: Noise suppression for wireless headphones

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Wireless headphone interference investigation from muRata. Link here

Recently, the popularity of wireless headsets has been growing as the number of situations where people “play sports while listening to music” increases.

Bluetooth is frequently used for communication between smartphones and headsets. However, audio can skip due to communication errors, so countermeasures are required.

This is an extremely important point of user evaluation and a difficult issue to resolve.
Here we depict an actual case to explain the interference mechanism in the device which causes the audio to skip, and key points for improvement to introduce useful countermeasures for solving the problem.
We hope that you will use it as a guide to help your design work proceed more smoothly.

MusiCubes project

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Michael Teeuw published a new build:

Now that the MusiCubes tray is assembled and the RFID-sensor and LEDs are working as expected, It’s time to add the last feature of the original concept: invisible capacitive touch sensors to control the volume of the music.

See the full post on Xonay Labs blog. Be sure to see Part 1 and 2.

Check out the video after the break. Continue reading “MusiCubes project”

App note: The Phytochrome system – Why use far-red?

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App note from Würth Elektronik on why plants evolved to use far-red wavelengths and why it is essential for them. Link here (PDF)

The light requirement of plants is now known to be far more complex than originally thought leading to the development of numerous LED technologies that produce a variety of different light spectra, both monochromatic and polychromatic.

Far-red encompasses wavelengths 700 – 800 nm, a region of light that is on the edge of visibility in humans. However, these wavelengths have been proven to result in faster growth, increased biomass and better sensory characteristics (e.g. smell, taste, texture, color).

Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB

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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:

Continue reading “Free PCB Sunday: Pick your PCB”

App note: CeraLink® Capacitors

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Compact and high capacitance ceramic capacitors from TDK electronics. Link here (PDF)

CeraLink is a family of very compact capacitors for stabilizing voltages in the DC link. They are therefore suitable for use as either snubber or DC link capacitors. These products are based on PLZT ceramics and are designed to provide engineers with compact components optimized for fast switching converters, converters with very tight space requirements and converters that need to withstand high operating temperatures. The basic component is a ceramic chip which either is manufactured with lead frames or which can be combined modularly to form capacitors with higher capacitance values.

Regaining debug access of NXP i.MX RT1064-EVK executing WFI

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Erich Styger writes:

Working with low power modes can be challenging. It can severely affect debugging capabilities of a microprocessor or microcontroller. I ported a FreeRTOS application using the Tickless Idle Mode to the NXP i.MX RT1064 board, and all of a sudden, the board was unresponsive to any debugger connection. Luckily the board was not really bricked, but it took me while to find a way to recover it. So for when you end up in a situation with a ‘bricked’ i.MX RT1064 board, this article might be helpful for you to recover it.

More details on MCU on Eclipse blog.

Polar Coaster drawing machine

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Barton Dring designed and built a Polar Coaster drawing machine to draw custom, round drink coasters:

I recently decided to update the Polar Coaster project. The primary reason was to update the controller to use Grbl_ESP32 firmware. I also thought I could make it smaller, lighter and remove a little cost.
The old controller was not custom made and just sort of tacked onto the back. This increased the size and didn’t look very good. It had a Bluetooth module, but you still had to stream the gcode. You could use an Android app, but that was still a little awkward.
The controller runs Grbl_ESP32. This was recently updated to include pen machine features. This allows precise control and calibration of the pen servo. You can control the speed, timing and endpoints of the servo travel.

Project info at Buildlog.Net blog.

Check out the video after the break. Continue reading “Polar Coaster drawing machine”