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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
How to Make an Interactive TCP Server with NodeMCU on the ESP8266

How to Make an Interactive TCP Server with NodeMCU on the ESP8266

Learn how to connect your device with Linux Screen using the built-in Lua interpreter to set up the file system and connect to the network. Then, learn how to automate the scripting process with Luatool and put it all together with a basic TCP server that can interact with a pulse-width modulated LED, a potentiometer, and a switch.


Projects Jul 22, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
8-bit MCUs get a Boost From Microchip

8-bit MCUs get a Boost From Microchip

The new 8-bit families have Core-Independent Peripherals, which allow the MCUs to be used in a much larger variety of interconnected CIPs that don't require a core to perform. The CIPs increase system performance with simple design and a 1.8 to 5.5V operating range.


News Jul 20, 2015 by Jennifer A. Diffley
Guts of the IoT: Building NodeMCU from Source for the ESP8266

Guts of the IoT: Building NodeMCU from Source for the ESP8266

Compile and install NodeMCU on the ESP8266 IoT chip using Linux tools and the ESP Open Source SDK


Projects Jul 18, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
Introduction to Arduino SPI Library with LTC1286 and DAC714

Introduction to Arduino SPI Library with LTC1286 and DAC714

Introduction to the Arduino SPI Library with example sketch for the LTC1286 12 Bit ADC and the DAC714 16 bit DAC.


Projects Jul 17, 2015 by Aaron Dennis
Communicating with an EFM8 Microcontroller via USB

Communicating with an EFM8 Microcontroller via USB

Many embedded applications benefit from a communications interface that allows for convenient data transfer between a PC and a microcontroller. This article explains how to use the virtual COM port library from Silicon Laboratories to send data from a Windows application to an EFM8 microcontroller.


Projects Jul 17, 2015 by Robert Keim
Use a PICAXE Microcontroller to Read and Display Temperature

Use a PICAXE Microcontroller to Read and Display Temperature

The 08M2 is the smallest member of the PICAXE family of microcontrollers; it is inexpensive, versatile, and easy to program using free software.


Displaying Characters on an LCD with an EFM8 Microcontroller

Displaying Characters on an LCD with an EFM8 Microcontroller

Learn how to design characters using an image editor and display them on an LCD controlled by an EFM8 microcontroller.


Projects Jul 13, 2015 by Robert Keim
Controlling an LCD via SPI: An Introduction to Project Development with an EFM8 Microcontroller

Controlling an LCD via SPI: An Introduction to Project Development with an EFM8 Microcontroller

A simple LCD control project with an EFM8 evaluation board demonstrates basic principles of embedded development.


Projects Jul 08, 2015 by Robert Keim
The Five Best Hardware Kickstarters (That Need Your Money)

The Five Best Hardware Kickstarters (That Need Your Money)

Five of the coolest hardware Kickstarters!


News Jun 30, 2015 by Jennifer A. Diffley
Beginner’s Guide to the Arduino

Beginner’s Guide to the Arduino

This project will help you get started with the Arduino, including a description of the different types of Arduinos, how to download the Arduino software development environment, and describe the different shields that are available for the Arduino along with the accessories you will need to develop Arduino projects.


Projects Jun 12, 2015 by Tim Youngblood
Industry’s First NFC Sensor Transponder

Industry’s First NFC Sensor Transponder

Texas Instruments (TI) released today the industry’s first Near Field Communication (NFC) sensor transponder family. The RF430RL25xH system-on-chip (SoC) device is equipped with a fully programmable low power microcontroller (MCU), non-volatile FRAM, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and supports an ISO 15693-compliant NFC interface as well as Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) and Inter Integrated Circuit (I2C). The high frequency13.56-MHz sensor transponder can operate on full passive (battery-less) or semi-active modes for optimal battery life in portable and wireless sensing applications.


News Apr 06, 2015 by Tim Youngblood