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Hack a Mousetrap with a 433MHz RF Module

Hack a Mousetrap with a 433MHz RF Module

You can buy cheap 433MHz RF modules from Mouser and DigiKey. This article will show you how to use them with a PICAXE microcontroller to hack your own mousetraps.


Raspberry Pi Project: Control a DC Fan

Raspberry Pi Project: Control a DC Fan

Control a fan based on the current temperature with a Raspberry Pi!


Light Bar “Relative Comfort” Thermometer with NodeMCU

Light Bar “Relative Comfort” Thermometer with NodeMCU

Create a wireless "relative comfort" light bar thermometer by broadcasting temperature data across multiple ESP8266 modules running NodeMCU using MQTT.


Projects Sep 28, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
How to Add Bluetooth to a Ceiling Fan

How to Add Bluetooth to a Ceiling Fan

How to add BLE capabilities to a wireless ceiling fan by incorporating the nRF51 in the remote control. Part of our series on the nRF51.


Introduction to FreeRTOS on the nRF51

Introduction to FreeRTOS on the nRF51

This article demonstrates porting FreeRTOS to the nRF51 with a softdevice so you can use an RTOS with the BLE functionality.


How to Use RTC with Arduino and LCD

How to Use RTC with Arduino and LCD

This article will show you one way of making an accurate clock by using the Real Time Clock IC DS1307. The time will be shown on a LCD display.


An LCD for Your Microcontroller Using a Single I/O

An LCD for Your Microcontroller Using a Single I/O

LCDs are great for showing info from your microcontroller. A serial adapter is inexpensive, uses only one I/O, and is easy to connect and to use.


Writing PICAXE BASIC Code - Part 4

Writing PICAXE BASIC Code - Part 4

Part 4 introduces the readadc, select, case, and endselect PICAXE BASIC commands. It is the fourth article in a multi-part series on writing PICAXE code.


Introduction to the MQTT Protocol on NodeMCU

Introduction to the MQTT Protocol on NodeMCU

MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) is a popular low-overhead messaging protocol used by many IoT devices to communicate. This tutorial will show the user how to to set up a basic MQTT network using Python on his or her computer and an ESP8266 running the NodeMCU firmware.


Projects Sep 15, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
EFM8 Sound Synthesizer: From Square Wave to Sine Wave

EFM8 Sound Synthesizer: From Square Wave to Sine Wave

Part 1 in the “How to Make an EFM8-Based Sound Synthesizer” series, which will design a sound synthesizer that can play standard musical notes. We will accomplish this using a low-cost, small-form-factor EFM8 microcontroller in conjunction with a few external components and a speaker.


Projects Sep 04, 2015 by Robert Keim
Switch Bounce and How to Deal with It

Switch Bounce and How to Deal with It

In this article I will discuss what switch bounce is and some ways to deal with it. First I will take you through the theory, and later I will show you some ways to handle it in both hardware and in software.


Ambient Light Monitor: Using a Triac to Adjust Lamp Brightness

Ambient Light Monitor: Using a Triac to Adjust Lamp Brightness

Part 5 in the “How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor” series.


Projects Sep 01, 2015 by Robert Keim
Getting Started with PSoC®

Getting Started with PSoC®

Getting started with PSoC®, the Programmable-System-on-Chip by Cypress Semiconductor for developing and testing embedded systems.


How to Use the Digital I/O on a BeagleBone

How to Use the Digital I/O on a BeagleBone

Beaglebone Black is the most recent incarnation of the Beaglebone open source hardware platform. For less than $50, the board includes Ethernet, graphics processing, 4Gb of nonvolatile storage, and ports supporting USB, HDMI, and Beaglebone's custom I/O add-ons, called "capes". Here's how to run some simple commands to toggle digital I/O on the board!


Projects Aug 17, 2015 by Nash Reilly
How to Use MAX232 to Communicate Between a PIC and a PC

How to Use MAX232 to Communicate Between a PIC and a PC

This is one simple way to control a LED, fan, relay or solenoid with a computer and a PIC.


How to Use a DHT11 with a PIC16F628A and LCD

How to Use a DHT11 with a PIC16F628A and LCD

How to read humidity and temperature from a DHT11 and display it on a LCD with a PIC microcontroller. In this example we're going to use a PIC16F628A.


Ambient Light Monitor: Understanding and Implementing the ADC

Ambient Light Monitor: Understanding and Implementing the ADC

Part 2 in the "How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor" Series. Our smart ambient light monitor will need to digitize and analyze signals from an optical detector, so it is time to explore the EFM8’s integrated analog-to-digital conversion functionality.


Projects Aug 05, 2015 by Robert Keim
Introducing the PICAXE System

Introducing the PICAXE System

This introduction to the PICAXE microcontroller overviews the economical, versatile, and fun-to-use MCU family with which all designers should become familiar.


Ambient Light Monitor: Display Measurements on an LCD

Ambient Light Monitor: Display Measurements on an LCD

Learn how to use an EFM8 microcontroller to convert current and voltage measurements to digits that can be displayed on an LCD. We'll discuss a convenient way to report analog-to-digital conversion values that represent current and voltage amplitudes.


Projects Jul 26, 2015 by Robert Keim
How to Display an Image on an LCD using an EFM8 Microcontroller

How to Display an Image on an LCD using an EFM8 Microcontroller

Use the EFM8’s USB functionality to transfer an image from your PC to an LCD.


Projects Jul 24, 2015 by Robert Keim