Latest Optoelectronics Articles and Videos

Use the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) feature of LaunchPad to build a laser tripwire alarm. This is a great way to…

Use the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) feature of LaunchPad to build a laser tripwire alarm. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with LaunchPad while simultaneously making something cool.

Connecting a PICAXE to the IoT through an ESP8266 module is easy once you know the process. Here are the details you need!

Connecting a PICAXE to the IoT through an ESP8266 module is easy once you know the process. Here are the details you need!

A thorough explanation of OLED technology and its applications. Like an LED, an OLED is a solid semiconductor device that…

A thorough explanation of OLED technology and its applications. Like an LED, an OLED is a solid semiconductor device that is 100 to 500 nanometers in length or 200 times smaller than a human hair!

No more expensive replacements for your inevitably-busted smartphone screen? Motorola has just made our dreams come true.

No more expensive replacements for your inevitably-busted smartphone screen? Motorola has just made our dreams come true.

This analog design allows your LEDs to respond to your music. Just plug your music source into this which sends a channel…

This analog design allows your LEDs to respond to your music. Just plug your music source into this which sends a channel to your sound system and some LEDs.

Use a laser and a photo resistor to build a laser based point-to-point communication system. The best part? It's under $10.

Use a laser and a photo resistor to build a laser based point-to-point communication system. The best part? It's under $10.

An inexpensive PICAXE microcontroller makes it easy to read a temperature sensor, compare the temperature to a setpoint,…

An inexpensive PICAXE microcontroller makes it easy to read a temperature sensor, compare the temperature to a setpoint, and turn a heater or cooler circuit on or off.

Use a WS2812 RGB LED strip to visualize the pose of an MPU-6050 6-degree-of-freedom IMU in three dimensional space.

Use a WS2812 RGB LED strip to visualize the pose of an MPU-6050 6-degree-of-freedom IMU in three dimensional space.

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

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.

This article reviews the basics of finding Thevenin and Norton equivalents and discusses how to apply Thevenin's theorem…

This article reviews the basics of finding Thevenin and Norton equivalents and discusses how to apply Thevenin's theorem to a practical circuit.

Using an LCD increases the versatility of any microcontroller by displaying data outputs and memory contents. This serial…

Using an LCD increases the versatility of any microcontroller by displaying data outputs and memory contents. This serial adapter uses only one I/O.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

This is the first in a multi-part series on writing PICAXE BASIC code. This article covers how to read PICAXE pin-out…

This is the first in a multi-part series on writing PICAXE BASIC code. This article covers how to read PICAXE pin-out diagrams, a circuit for coding practice, and the general program format.

This article is part 2 of a two-part series that introduces the tools and techniques for programming PICAXE…

This article is part 2 of a two-part series that introduces the tools and techniques for programming PICAXE microcontrollers. Part 1 focused on construction of a test circuit and the AXEpad IDE; part 2 covers the PICAXE Editor 6 IDE.

Part 4 in the “How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor” series

Part 4 in the “How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor” series

How to read humidity and temperature from a DHT11 and display it on a LCD with a PIC microcontroller. In this example…

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.

Part 2 in the "How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor" Series. Our smart ambient light monitor will need to digitize and…

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.