Electronics explained in a simple way
As some of you know, I’ve been into mini-radars for a long time.
Not sure what a mini-radar can do?
Check out some of my radar circuit examples.
On my GitHub repository, I’vGitHub hosting an Arduino library for the XeThru Radar Sensors.
Novelda, the company behind the XeThru radar, has created their own GitHub repository now, so I’ve moved the code there and made some updates.
[Read more…] about The Arduino Radar project has been moved
The astable multivibrator circuit is a classic circuit for flashing two LEDs. It doesn’t have to flash two LEDs though. It can blink just one LED. Or it can create a tone to play on a speaker.
First, let me show you the circuit in action:
Want to know the theory behind how the circuit works?
There have been many attempts to explain this circuit. Most have failed to explain it to other than those already beyond the beginner level.
So here’s my humble attempt.
Do you want a fun and easy-to-build circuit? Here’s the simple, but fun Atari Punk Console – with schematics and parts list. It’s a quick build, so you can easily build it during an evening.
It takes its name from the old Atari computers of the 80s because it makes similar sounds.
And after my (not-so-intense) research (I basically just read about it on Wikipedia), I’ve come to learn that the circuit was first published in a Radioshack magazine in 1980.
Here’s a short clip of me playing with the circuit I built:
A circuit simulator is a tool for “seeing” what a circuit does. In comparison to mechanical machines such as a bicycle and a lever, electronics cannot be easily inspected by the naked eye.
When you look at a bicycle you can observe it and see that stepping on the pedals makes a chain turn, and that this chain moves the bicycle wheels.
In contrast, if you open up an audio amplifier, it will be really hard to tell what it does if you don’t have previous experience in designing and building electronic circuits.
[Read more…] about How a circuit simulator can help you understand any circuit
A common decision to make for hobbyists and inventors is Kicad vs Eagle.
Both of them are decent programs for designing your own Printed Circuit Boards (PCB).
And both are very popular.
But if you’re just starting out, which one should you choose?
After six months of testing, I am finally ready to give you the result.
[Read more…] about Kicad vs Eagle – Which one is best? [2018 comparison]
Texas Instruments sponsored me to do a challenge and write this post.
What would it be like to not have access to power plugs?
That’s what Texas Instruments challenged me to try.
They’ve built some really nice resources that you can use in your next power supply design, and now they want to spread the word: www.ti.com/power
In the challenge, I could not use any device that was plugged in for a whole day.
So, to prepare for the day, I charged up my two most important devices: My mobile phone and my laptop.
At 6.30 my alarm clock wakes me up. (It’s an app on my phone, so it’s allowed ;) )
