April 18, 2013, 6:21 pm
I did a teardown of a BK Precision 4011 5MHz function generator a few weeks ago. Like most of basic function generators in old days, BK 4011 does not offer frequency sweep as an option. What it does include is a VCG (Voltage controlled Generator) input, which essentially is just a VCO and it can be used in conjunction with an external sweep generator to generate frequency sweeps. Continue reading ‘Building a Sweep Generator for BK 4011’ »
March 21, 2013, 2:10 pm
Last week, I discussed the construction of a network-capable temperature and humidity sensor using SHT21 and ENC28J60 with an ATmega328P microcontroller. In this post, I will show the results obtained so far and the techniques used to chart the data. Continue reading ‘Temperature and Humidity Logging Over Ethernet — II’ »
March 15, 2013, 9:09 am
I did a project on temperature/humidity logging a couple of years ago. In that project I logged the temperature and humidity readings in my basement lab over the course of a year. One issue with the approach I took back then was that the data could not be observed in real time because the logged data were written to an SD card and could only be retrieved once the logging process was done. Continue reading ‘Temperature and Humidity Logging Over Ethernet — I’ »
December 24, 2012, 6:05 pm
ADS1224 is a 24-bit delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter with 4-channel differential inputs multiplexer. This ADC chip offers a 20-bit effective resolution (6 to 7 digits of resolution in full scale), which makes it ideal in high-resolution voltage measurement applications. Continue reading ‘Interfacing ADS1224 With Arduino’ »
November 6, 2012, 8:18 pm
I picked up an AD9850 DDS module on eBay an couple of weeks ago and decided to build a MCU controlled DDS function generator with it to replace my crude frequency generator I built earlier. Continue reading ‘DDS Function Generator Build’ »
October 8, 2012, 8:00 pm
I built an I2C multiplexer shield using an Arduino prototyping shield from SchmartBoard a couple of weeks ago. The shield uses a PCA9548A I2C multiplexer and switch chip from Taxes Instruments. Continue reading ‘I2C Multiplexer Shield Testing’ »
August 27, 2012, 10:59 am
I got a Syma S107G IR controlled helicopter for my son a while ago. This tiny remote control helicopter is a rather amazing toy. Not only its movement is very stable, but the rotor speed, forward backward movements and turning can be all proportionally controlled as well. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at its control protocol to see how things are done. And yes, I do have a video at the very end showing controlling the S107G using the reverse engineered remote control. Continue reading ‘Reverse Engineering the Syma S107G IR Protocol’ »
July 25, 2012, 8:46 pm
Microchip‘s MCP4821/MCP4822 is a low budget 12-bit digital-to-analog converter. MCP4821 is the single channel version whereas MCP4822 has two channels that can be latched simultaneously. Both chips have internal band gap references and can be controlled via SPI. Continue reading ‘Code For MCP4821/MCP4822’ »
June 21, 2012, 6:39 pm
Last year, I wrote about a simple digital metronome project. While the device worked pretty well there are a few changes that are to be desired. Continue reading ‘Digital Metronome — Revisited’ »
May 23, 2012, 8:39 pm
Last time, I discussed how to interface TI’s ADS1112 16-bit delta-sigma A/D converter with Arduino. Today I am going to introduce you to a set of easy-to-program A/D chips from Microchip. MCP3246/7/8 are a family of 16-bit Delta-Sigma A/D converters with an I2C interface. MCP3426 and MCP3427 both have two differential input channels, while MCP3429 has four differential input channels. The programming for all three devices are essentially the same, except for the number of available channels. Continue reading ‘Arduino Library For MCP342X’ »
May 14, 2012, 8:00 pm
ADS1112 is a 16-bit delta-sigma A/D converter. This A/D chip has an I2C interface, a 2.048V internal voltage reference and performs a self-calibration on each conversion. These characteristics make it very easy to work with an MCU such as ATmega328p. Continue reading ‘Interfacing ADS1112 With Arduino’ »
April 30, 2012, 9:26 pm
I got a used 250VA power transformer that was removed from equipment a couple of weeks ago. The transformer has a dual 10V AC output and a few auxiliary voltage outputs. The 10V winding is rated at 10A, I thought it would be perfect for a high current power supply project. Continue reading ‘5A Lab Power Supply With Digital Readout’ »
April 18, 2012, 6:10 pm
About a year ago, I wrote a simple library for interfacing AD7705/AD7706 with Arduino. The library works, but it requires some decent knowledge of the underlying chip, which had made it somewhat difficult to use. Most issues users reported can be resolved by adjusting the timing in user code, but I admit that it is somewhat difficult for users who are not familiar with the chip. For a library, I should have made it easier to use to begin with. So, I decided to add a few long-awaited features and hopefully these tweaks will make the library easier to use. Continue reading ‘AD7705/AD7706 Library Revisited’ »
March 21, 2012, 8:43 pm
In part one, I went over the theory behind the self-balancing robot and in part two, I showed you my build using a modified toy truck. In this post, I will walk you through the code and show you the finished balancing robot. If you are impatient, you can scroll to the end for the demostration video and the source code. Continue reading ‘A Self-Balancing Robot – III’ »
March 14, 2012, 9:55 am
In my previous post, I explained the theory behind the self-balancing robot at a high level. Here, I will discuss the actual build in more details. Continue reading ‘A Self-Balancing Robot – II’ »