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Building Out the RISC-V Ecosystem

Building Out the RISC-V Ecosystem

What is an ecosystem and what is not? How does the term ecosystem apply to RISC-V and it's open-source architecture? Markus Levy nad Robert Oshana weigh in on RISC-V as an ecosystem, where that ecosystem is today, and discusses new developments in RISC-V.


A Hardware Company in a Software World: STMicroelectronics’ Move to Embedded and IoT

A Hardware Company in a Software World: STMicroelectronics’ Move to Embedded and IoT

The recent software acquisitions from leading MCU suppliers show how the hardware and software worlds are converging and colliding in the rapidly changing IoT design landscape.


News Dec 19, 2018 by Majeed Ahmad
Embedded System Design: Build from Scratch or Use an SBC?

Embedded System Design: Build from Scratch or Use an SBC?

This article explores the pros and cons of either designing embedded systems from scratch or utilizing pre-made single-board computers.


Newest Dialog Semiconductor PMIC Tackles Big IoT Design Issue: Extending Battery Life for Wearables

Newest Dialog Semiconductor PMIC Tackles Big IoT Design Issue: Extending Battery Life for Wearables

Dialog Semiconductor's newest PMIC (power management IC) aims to help solve the battery life issue with wearables and other small, portable applications.


News Nov 20, 2018 by Kate Smith
Power Integrations Introduces New Family of Brushless DC Motor Drive ICs

Power Integrations Introduces New Family of Brushless DC Motor Drive ICs

Power Integrations’ BridgeSwitch™ family of ICs achieve conversion efficiency of up to 98.5% in brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive applications of up to 300 W.


News Nov 16, 2018 by Gary Elinoff
Simplifying Hardware Security Implementation for IoT Nodes

Simplifying Hardware Security Implementation for IoT Nodes

This article provides an overview of what an IoT node needs for a faster and simpler implementation of robust security.


NXP Semiconductors LPC8N04 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU | New Product Brief

NXP Semiconductors LPC8N04 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU | New Product Brief

NXP’s LPC8N04 is an MCU with integrated NFC connectivity and energy harvesting capabilities.


How to Design a Super Simple Sensor System for Industrial Monitoring Applications

How to Design a Super Simple Sensor System for Industrial Monitoring Applications

This article describes an Ethernet-connected subsystem of a larger modular sensor system designed for industrial or smart home sensing and monitoring. We will discuss a custom sensor subsystem developed for this application.


Projects Sep 12, 2018 by Mark Hughes
The Electrical Engineer’s Guide to Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs)

The Electrical Engineer’s Guide to Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs)

This article explores some important details related to the design and functionality of processors.


What Is an FPGA? An Introduction to Programmable Logic

What Is an FPGA? An Introduction to Programmable Logic

Learn about a hardware-based approach to performing calculations, routing digital signals, and controlling embedded systems using programmable logic and FPGAs.


What Is Embedded System Design? Defining an Electrical Engineering Field

What Is Embedded System Design? Defining an Electrical Engineering Field

Could you concisely define "embedded system design" off the top of your head? This article looks at the essential characteristics of an increasingly prominent specialization within the field of electrical engineering.


Microchip Introduces New Line of Microcontrollers with Dual Core Functionality: The dsPIC33CH Family

Microchip Introduces New Line of Microcontrollers with Dual Core Functionality: The dsPIC33CH Family

In the world of power, control monitoring is incredibly important for functional as well as safety reasons. And with the demand rising for GUIs in even the most basic products, it comes as no surprise that current microcontrollers are struggling to meet this demand. Microchip has announced its latest family of devices, the dsPIC33CH, that aims to tackle this!


News Jun 25, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
PCB Layout for a Photovoltaic Power Supply for Microcontroller Circuits

PCB Layout for a Photovoltaic Power Supply for Microcontroller Circuits

This article discusses the PCB layout for a power-supply circuit that generates a regulated 3.3 V rail from a small solar cell.


Schematic Design for a Solar-Powered Charge-Pump Power Supply Circuit

Schematic Design for a Solar-Powered Charge-Pump Power Supply Circuit

This article discusses a 3.3 V power-supply circuit that is built around an inductorless DC/DC converter and a solar cell.


New Library from Microchip Brings Touch and Gesture Functionalities to Familiar Microcontrollers

New Library from Microchip Brings Touch and Gesture Functionalities to Familiar Microcontrollers

Touch displays often require specialized touch controllers to drive displays, which can bump up the cost of final products. To mitigate cost increases, Microchip has just released a free touch library for use with most PIC, AVR, and SAM microcontrollers.


News May 31, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
Exactly How Schmitt Trigger Oscillators Work

Exactly How Schmitt Trigger Oscillators Work

This article is intended to help readers understand the good and the bad traits of Schmitt Trigger RC oscillators, which are especially important because they are present in the internal oscillator in popular MCUs.


Teardown Tuesday: BB-8 by Sphero

Teardown Tuesday: BB-8 by Sphero

In this teardown, we dismantle a BB-8 droid (or, at least, an RC toy version) to see what's inside.


News May 15, 2018 by Mark Hughes
NXP Semiconductors OM40002 Development Board for LPC8N04 MCU | New Product Brief

NXP Semiconductors OM40002 Development Board for LPC8N04 MCU | New Product Brief

NXP’s OM40002 is a development board for the NFC-enabled LPC8N04 Arm Cortex-M0+-based MCU.


MCUs Eye Software Add-Ons to Boost IoT Security

MCUs Eye Software Add-Ons to Boost IoT Security

Security is becoming a key beneficiary in the evolution of software development kits (SDKs) in the IoT era.


News May 14, 2018 by Majeed Ahmad
Save for Your Own Royal Wedding (of Sorts) with the Gentleman Maker’s Savings Incentivizer

Save for Your Own Royal Wedding (of Sorts) with the Gentleman Maker’s Savings Incentivizer

In this project, we'll use a Raspberry Pi to create a responsive piggy bank that belittles you when you slack on your savings!


Projects May 10, 2018 by Robin Mitchell