Tag Archives: DIY

Re-purposing an LCD from a cheap picture-frame key chain

Here is a hack to extract, and use the LCD from a cheap picture-frame key chain. The project involved desoldering the LCD from its mainboard and building a breakout for it. With the help of a DSO it was possible to find out the pin-out for the LCD. The AVR library used to drive this […]

Using stepper motors as generators

Dino played around with some stepper motors by using them to generate electricity. The output is AC so he used a full-bridge rectifier, sometimes refereed to as the Graetz rectifier, to get a single direction signal, basically the absolute value of the sine wave. Check out the video to see it power LEDs, drive a […]

Converting an infrared cooker for reflow soldering

SadE and Rubu are trying to convert an infrared cooker into an oven for reflow soldering. This is a different than a normal toaster over, and claims to heat very quickly. The idea is to add a PID controller to the oven for temperature control, and slow down the convection fan so parts don’t fly […]

Roundup of tips and tricks for breadboards

Breadboards are a really helpful tool for quick prototyping. Boseji made a roundup of breadboard tips and tricks available online. His article includes useful tips like how to breadboard a power supply, and even how to build one yourself. We have all used breadboards, or those who plan to jump into the fascinating world of […]

Electrochemically plated vias for homemade PCBs

By electrochemically plating vias, Bearmos takes home-etched PCBs to the next level. His constant current source, with we covered earlier, is used in the process. I just finished writing up some of the details on DIY plated through holes. This is what the simple constant current source was designed for. This process was slightly adapted […]

DIY EzPSoC3 development board built and tested

Kartik tested the DIY EzPSoc3 development board. After fighting with some annoying short-circuits, he was able to get the board up and running. The MiniProg3 programmer-debugger recognized it right away. He was able to program a bootloader and a small “blink-LED” demo. You can download the source files from his site. Via the forum.

DIY double sided PCB with soldermask

Retromaster has honed his PCB making skills to get professional quality boards at home. He’s successfully made double sided PCBs with 8 mil trace width, with 6 mil clearance. In his guide he describes how to etch the PCB with toner transfer, how to use mechanical vias, and hot to apply soldermask paint.

Breakout board for 18pin PIC16F microcontrollers

Raj made a breakout board for 18pin PIC16F microcontrollers. There are two tact switches on the board: one for reset and other for user input. Similarly, there are two LEDs: one for power-on indicator and the other for user output. The input tact switch and the output LED can be connected to RB0 and RB1 […]

AVR-based PIC24FJ programmer uploads Bus Pirate firmware

Fezoj made an AVR-based PIC24FJ programmer to upload the firmware on his homemade Bus Pirate. The circuit consist of an ATmega8, a MAX232 serial port IC, and a few passives. He succeeded in programing his Bus Pirate and has released his source files on github. Via the forum. Get your own handy Bus Pirate for […]

DIY PIC16F883 breakout board

Phil made a DIY breakout board for the PIC16F883 microcontroller. The board uses a surface-mount single-layer design, and the parts are nicely spaced.  It’s an easy board to make at home using the DIY toner-transfer method of PCB etching. You can download the source files and other design data from his site. Via Jumperone.

Bus Pirate PIC programmer through-hole version

MickM decided to rework our PIC programing adapter to a through-hole version. He made two versions of the board. One for both Bus Pirate V2go and V3, and one that supports only V3. I got very confused reading the schematic, and had to redraw it. One thing led to another and I laid it out […]

Homemade Bus Pirate and AVR-based PIC24F programmer

Josef built this homemade version of the Bus Pirate. Unfortunately he didn’t have a programer to upload the firmware, so being a good hacker he designed and built his own. The programer is AVR based and uses a MAX232 IC to interface with the computer. He promised to post the AVR firmware, and the programing […]

Handheld 2.4 GHz Spectrum analyzer

Here is a 2.4GHz spectrum analyzer Miguel built into a Nokia 3410 case. His design is based on the CYWM6935 2.4 GHz radio module. It’s controlled by the ATMega8 microcontroller. This project scans the 2.4 GHz range and displays the bands currently used on an LCD. The really cool thing about this project is that […]