App note: Using the MAX35101 in a heat meter application

Here’s an app note from MAXIM integrated on using the time-to-digital converter chip MAX35101 for heat meters. Link is here Heating and cooling a living space is often the greatest contributor to energy consumption in both commercial and residential applications. It is for this reason that many conservation efforts focus on adding insulation and sealing […]

App note: FT800 Example with 8-bit MCU

App note from FTDI on interfacing the FT800 to an 8-bit MCU. Link is here The FTDI FT800 video controller offers a low cost solution for embedded graphics requirements.  In addition to the graphics, resistive touch inputs and an audio output provide a complete human machine interface to the outside world. This application note will […]

App note: Capacitors for reduced microphonics and sound emission

Capacitors are sensitive to audio frequency and can pick-up and emit said energy. Here’s an app note from KEMET about these. Link is here Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC), made with class 2 or class 3 dielectrics, typically exhibit a piezoelectric effect when placed under electric field.  The piezoelectric effect results in a physical distortion with […]

App note: Why that 47 uF capacitor drops to 37 uF, 30 uF, or lower

App note from KEMET about the decreasing value of capacitance with respect to its rated value. Link is here There are a couple of reasons why the capacitance value marked on the device you have, may not read anywhere near that value in the circuit application in which it is intended.  The two major contributors […]

App note: EMC tests and PCB guidelines for automotive linear regulators

PCB design guidelines from ON Semiconductors on minimizing electromagnetic interference (EMI) on automotive linear regulators. Link is here Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is important for the functionality and security of electronic devices. Today’s designers must deal with steadily increasing system frequencies, changing power limits, high-density layouts required by more complex systems, and the ever-present need for […]

App note: Chameleon™ technology enables low cost smart passive sensors

A self-calibrating sensor app note from ON Semiconductors. Link is here ON Semiconductor’s Smart Passive Sensors powered by a Magnus®−S integrated circuit (IC) family offers the industry’s only self-tuning capability, called Chameleon technology. Implemented in an on-chip analog signal processing circuit, Chameleon technology automatically adjusts the input impedance of the IC to optimally tune the […]

App note: Miniature motor driver resource

Here’s a great resources of motor drivers from Precision Microdrives. Link is here. Whilst most DC motors are essentially driven with the same principle (by applying a DC voltage), these chips boast a host of different features. Some accept analogue inputs, others PWM or I2C, H-bridges will enable you to easily change the direction of […]

App note: Introductory gear equations

In using motors, we may tackle on coupling these little mechanical devices to something to move or maybe we might need more torque but paying for speed, Precision Microdrives’ app note gives us basics in gear calculation. Link is here. For quickly experimenting or prototyping, you may wish to build your own cheap gear chain. […]

App note: Advanced vibration alerting waveforms

Here’s an app note from Precision Microdrives on different techniques of motor vibration that can be used as haptic feedback. Link can be found here Advanced signal waveforms are predominantly used in haptic feedback, but in fact the effects of simple vibration alerting can be greatly improved with relative ease. With vibration alerting the output […]

App note: Discrete driver circuits for vibration motors

Simple solution in driving vibration motors, an app note from Precision Microdrives. Link can be found here This bulletin covers the circuitry required to drive vibration motors from a high impedance signal source (for example an output pin of a micro controller / digital device). There are several integrated IC’s that can do this job, […]

App note: Aluminum capacitors in power supplies

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 […]

App note: AC film capacitors in connection with the mains

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 […]

App note: DC leakage failure mode in solid tantalum capacitor

An application note from Vishay on the causes of increased DC leakage current on solid chip tantalum capacitors. PDF link Here. This paper is submitted as an educational medium for use by anyone who has interest in solid tantalum chip capacitor performance.  It represents technical phenomena that are generic to all solid tantalum chip capacitors. […]

App note: Charge and discharge application of electrolytic capacitor

An application note from Rubycon about what causes electrolytic capacitors to deteriorate. PDF link is Here. Performance deterioration of aluminum electrolytic capacitor is accelerated by repeated charge and discharge. The speed of deterioration is determined by operating conditions. For example, the higher the voltage and smaller the discharge resistance, the tougher it is on the […]

App note: Magnetic stripe reader

Application note(PDF) from Silicon Labs on Magnetic stripe reader (MSR) implementation. Magnetic stripe readers (MSRs) are widely used in many different applications such as point-of-sale terminals and key card readers. The C8051F330 is capable of integrating MSR functionality in a very small space with few external components. The high-speed, high-resolution ADC, coupled with a fast […]

App note: SMBus communication for small form factor device families

SMBus specifications and example implementation on Silabs’ C8051F3xx and C8051F41x. App note here(PDF) This   application   note   describes   the   SMBus specification,  how  to  configure  and  use  the  on-chip SMBus  interface,  and  SMBus  debugging  techniques. Code  examples  written  in  C  provide  the  general framework  for  most  SM Bus  Master  and  Slave implementations. An example that interfaces to […]

App note: Tracking/Sequence for point-of-load DC/DC converters

Another app note (PDF) for power sequencing from Murata Whereas in the old days, one master switch simultaneously turned on the power for all parts of a system, many modern systems require multiple supply voltages for different on-board sections. Typically the CPU or microcontroller needs 1.8 Volts or lower. Memory (particularly DDR) may use 1.8 […]

App note: Green LED replaces LDO regulator

App note(PDF) from MAXIM using a green LED as LDO for low power application Insystems in which a microcontroller must communicate with peripheral devices that operate at different supply voltages, a level translator may be necessary. This design idea explains how for lowpower loads, a single green LED can replace a 1.8V LDO regulator in […]

App note: Output capacitive load considerations

App note(PDF) from Murata on output capacitors loading when in a switch mode power supply There are numerous factors to consider when adding external capacitors to switched-mode power supplies (SMPS). This article will discuss noise, startup, ESR, stability, pre-bias applications, Sense inputs, On/Off (remote enable) controls and other topics. Many real-world DC/DC applications require external […]