Tag Archives: tutorial

Using mikroC libraries to drive graphic LCDs

Raj made another tutorial on interfacing graphic LCDs with PIC microcontrollers. In his earlier post he covered how to setup the hardware and write your own firmware to drive these LCDs. This post covers how to use mikroC compiler libraries to do the same and more. Today’s discussion will focus more on using the built-in […]

Move pins on the fly on the Papilio FPGA board

Gadget Factory started a weekly series of tutorials for their Papilio FPGA development boards. This week they cover how to move IO pins around and change their assignments. Possibly the most exciting feature of the Papilio is the ability to shift peripheral functionality to any pin at any time, completely on the fly. Shifting SPI […]

First steps in designing projects with AVR microcontrollers

Pete made a nice tutorial on the fist steps of designing projects with AVR microcontrollers. He covers choosing the right uC for your project, finding datasheets, getting a programmer/debugger, and setting up the AVRStudio 5.1 for developing and debugging. In the wee hours of the night, I’ve been continuing to learn how to develop for […]

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.

Weekly tutorials on the Papilio FPGA development boards

Gadget Factory started a weekly series of tutorials for their Papilio FPGA development boards. First tutorial covers the board’s interface headers. The first topic? How the Papilio Wing Slot scheme works, did you know that you can address the Papilio pins using several different referencing schemes? If you are writing sketches you can address the […]

KS0108-based Graphic LCD overview

Raj shows how to interface GLCDs with KS0108 controllers to PIC uCs. He covers the protocol used, LCD memory mapping, and how to write up the firmware using microC compiler. The use of a graphical LCD (GLCD) drastically changes the look of your project. It provides more freedom for presenting data than the HD44870 based […]

Tutorial: driving shift registers with AVR hardware SPI

Mike Szczys has written a tutorial on driving shift registers with SPI (AVR). He writes: The thing is, the sample code in the datasheet won’t work by itself. Atmel didn’t address the fact that you must drive SS low (the latch pin) to start the SPI transfer. I wrote this post to help get folks […]

CSR bluetooth tutorials

Implementing bluetooth into your project, amongst other things, allows you to get wireless interface for your design. We think it’s really cool to built devices that have the ability to talk to mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc. Byron is blogging about his experiences interfacing with CSR bluecore4 chips. There are instructions on how to build […]

Voice controlled robotic arm tutorial

Algorhythmic has posted a multi-part tutorial at aonsquared describing how to build a voice controlled robotic arm. While recovering from a wrist injury he decided to assemble and experiment with a robotic arm controlled by USB using notbrainsurgery’s protocol. After getting accustomed to the interface he decided to take it one step further and add […]

LCD-MCU interface tutorial

Rickey’s World has an interesting collection of information on interfacing LCDs to MCUs. Beginners will find a lot of information here on the use of standard HD44780 LCD displays, including the basics as well as the generation of custom characters. If you’re already familiar with LCD interfacing this can serve as a handy reference.

Tutorial: Using SD/micro SD cards with an Arduino

Our friends at Adafruit have posted this tutorial on using SD and Micro SD cards with Arduino. This is a great resource for beginners looking to expand their knowledge as well as advanced users who want to brush up on microcontroller interfacing skills. They use the latest version of the Adafruit SD Card library available […]

Bus Pirate MCP9800 temperature sensor tutorial

Nexus used the Bus Pirate with an MCP9800 temperature sensor and documented it on the wiki: The MCP9800 is an inexpensive, high-accuracy, 2-wire (I2C) temperature sensor. It features selectable 9/10/11/12 bit resolution with a typical accuracy of ±0.5°c at 25°c, programmable alarms, and low power consumption. We sent a free PCB code to say thanks! […]