Battery charger using NXP’s LPC845 through SMBus communication. Link here (PDF) Batteries are used everywhere, such as smart phones, notebook computers, wearable devices, handheld electronic products, smart small appliances, etc. Users always want to know the battery temperature, voltage, current, capacity, how long it can be fully charged, and how long the battery will be […]
Tag Archives: app notes
App note: Lifetime of DC vibration motors (MTTF & FIT)
DC vibration motors failure analysis by Precision Microdrives. Link here Reliability is an important consideration for engineers and product designers. It is also very context specific. For example consider a car, which is made from lots of individual components. If the radio antenna should fail, the car still operates. However this is not the case […]
App note: LCD fundamentals and the LCD driver module of 8-Bit PIC microcontrollers
An app note going back to LCD display basics from Microchip. This application note provides an introduction to the basics of LCD: its construction, physics behind its operation, and the different factors affecting its properties and performance.
App note: Using PIC32 MCUs to develop low-cost controllerless (LCC) graphics solutions
Adding a low-cost virtual graphics on embedded application, app note from Microchip. This application note describes the LCC Graphics Board that enables the implementation of a low-cost controllerless graphic method using a PIC32 microcontroller.
App note: Surface mount LEDs- applications
How to use SMD LEDs to replace through hole LEDs, this app note (PDF) from OSRAM discusses about light guides/pipes, backlighting and lenses to channel its display efficiently. The use of SMT-TOPLED varies greatly from the use of traditional through hole LEDs. Historically through hole LEDs have been incorporated directly into front panels using the […]
App note: Unique and novel uses for ON Semiconductor’s new One-Gate family
One-gate logic uses and their benefits application note (PDF) from ON Semiconductor. One–Gate logic devices have been in use for several years, and are nothing more than single–gate derivatives of their multi–gate cousins. Traditional ICs were packaged in 14 and 16 pin Dual–in–line Packages (DIPs), and the goal of the IC manufacturer was to get […]
App note: microcontrollers and triacs easily connected
Here’s an application note from NXP on how to easily connect main triacs and microcontrollers. This application note describes the easy connection of NXP LPC microcontrollers and three – quadrant (Hi-Com) triacs to control any resistive or inductive load at mains voltage. A one-for-all control method is presented that uses an innovative, patented, current zero-crossing […]
App note: USB on the go (OTG) basics
Here’s a tutorial from Maxim describing the basics of USB on the go (OTG). OTG gives, devices that support it, the capability to act as hosts to other devices. But OTG concept doesn’t end just there, it also allows for on the fly role reversal, and gives the peripheral the ability to request power from […]
App note: SEPIC-Ćuk Converter gives split rails from a single supply
Analog Devices describes the SEPIC-Ćuk Converter. This type of DC/DC converter is used to create two outputs with the same voltage, but different polarities. This is particularly useful for powering the two rails of op-amp based circuits. A better solution is a SEPIC-Ćuk converter. This topology consists of an unregulated Ćuk converter tied to the […]
Developing FFT applications with low-power microcontrollers
Squank provided some links for developers who’d like to use the Fast Fourier Transform in low-power MCUs. FFT is an algorithm used in DSPs to quickly convert time-based functions to spectrum-based function, and vice versa. Via the forum.
Workshop Update for June 29th, 2012
Today we finalized the partkit list. W e contacted all the suppliers and received wholesale quotes from them. We also verified some Bus Pirate bug fixes. We searched for, and wrote about 4 app notes for the weekend. They come from Microchip, Texas Instruments, NXP, and Linear Technology.
App note: Control a USB Host-enabled AVR from an Android device
Atmel describes how to control an AVR chip from an Android device. This document introduces the Android Open Accessory Protocol for Atmel® microcontrollers. The library and examples are included in the Atmel AVR® Software Framework (ASF) to provide the customer with a quick and easy way to get started with developing an Android accessory. The […]
App note: USB Host stack programmer’s guide
A guide to Microchip’s USB Host stack. USB Host hardware lets a small chip like a PIC use USB hardware like flash drives, printers, or in this case any type of custom hardware. This document is an in-depth programmer’s guide for those customers who need to implement their own driver to allow an embedded host […]
App note: Driving analog inputs of SAR analog to digital converters
Here is an app note from Microchip describing how to drive analog inputs of Successive Approximation Register analog to digital converters. Driving any A/D Converter (ADC) can be challenging if all issues and trade-offs are not well understood from the beginning. With Successive Approximation Register (SAR) ADCs, the sampling speed and source impedance should be […]
App note: Powering portable media players
Here is an app note from Texas Instruments on how to power various systems required for portable media players. These devices require several different voltages, multiple power sources, as well as integrated battery charging. The article describes each individual section in detail.
App note: Driving capacitive loads with op amps
How to drive capacitive loads with op amps. Operational amplifiers that drive large capacitive loads can have problems like oscillation and peaking. This article describes how to anticipate and limit theses problems: Other problems include: reduced bandwidth, lower output slew rate, and higher power consumption. This application note explains why these problems occur, how to […]
App note: Calculating the error budget in precision DACs
How to chose a voltage reference and digital to analog converter chips to get the precision and stability you need: This application note focuses on Maxim’s 3-terminal voltage references and precision DACs. To design a system, one must first understand how the parts are specified and then how their performance characteristics interact. Voltage references and […]
App note: Voltage reference circuit collection
Here is a voltage reference circuit collection from Linear Technology. This is a 32 page article with a ton of reference designs and specifications for each. How to select passive components for best performance is also covered.
App note: Soft-Start in LED lighting
Using constant current to drive LEDs is a good practice, but turning them on instantly can be dangerous for both the LED and the LED driver. Harmful spikes are generated when large currents are instantaneously turned on. This app note from Maxim describes how to soft start LEDs to increase overall lifetime and performance. An […]
App note: Tips ‘n tricks for comparators in PIC microcontrollers
A collection of tips and tricks from Microchip for using the comparator module on PIC12F and PIC16F microcontrollers. These peripherals usually have high propagation delays, but many applications don’t require high response times from the microcontroller. This app note outlines 20 different applications where integrated comparators might come in handy, such as low battery detection, […]