Latest Assembly Projects

Design a Custom Microcontroller Programming and Testing Board

In this article we’ll discuss the design for a custom microcontroller programming/debug/extension PCB and we’ll look at an example project.

February 25, 2018 by Robert Keim

Building a Capacitive Touch Interface with the Texas Instruments MSP430FR2633

The MSP430FR2633 is a low-power microcontroller with multiple GPIOs and capacitive touch pins. This project creates a circuit that supports a custom capacitive touch panel with LED and haptic feedback.

January 12, 2018 by Mark Hughes

The FitByte: How to Make an ATtiny85 Powered Activity Tracking Wearable

This is a protoype of a fitness wearable device designed to vibrate when it detects stagnation.

December 13, 2017 by Demsey Kirkwood

Tools and Techniques for Hot Air Soldering Surface-Mount Components

The best way to solder surface mount devices (SMDs) onto printed circuit boards (PCBs) is with a reflow oven, but when that's not possible, a hot-air station can be successfully used.

April 06, 2017 by Charles R. Hampton

How to Flash ESP-01 Firmware to the Improved SDK v2.0.0

Learn about SKD v2.0.0 and how flashing your ESP-01's firmware just got easier.

March 17, 2017 by Charles R. Hampton

The Punxsutawney 5000! A Sensirion Temperature Device

No more waiting around for the groundhog. The Punxsutawney 5000 is here to keep you inside until springtime arrives!

February 27, 2017 by Ryan Jones

Build Your Own LED Photography Ring Light

LED ring flashes and lights can be a valuable tool for photographers. In this tutorial, we are going to build our own ring light out of LEDs!

January 26, 2017 by Alex Udanis

Building an Infrared Tracker with a PICAXE 14M2 and a Stepper Motor

Tracking an infrared light source is not as difficult as you might think; a 14-pin PICAXE, a stepper motor with a driver IC, three phototransistors, and a few other components will do the trick.

January 17, 2017 by Charles R. Hampton

Controlling a Servo with a PICAXE and an IR Sensor

A PICAXE 08M2 can be used to read the amount of IR (infrared) light falling on a phototransistor and respond by moving a servo to a predetermined position.

December 29, 2016 by Charles R. Hampton

C-BISCUIT: Layout and Assembly for the Robot Control Board

We’ll discuss some important layout and manufacturing concepts as we look at the PCB for the Robot Control Board.

October 25, 2016 by Robert Keim

C-BISCUIT: Schematic Design for the RCB—Power, Stepper

We’ll continue our discussion of the C-BISCUIT demo bot by looking at portions of the RCB schematic that weren’t covered in the previous article.

October 07, 2016 by Robert Keim

Build an Arduino BLE-Enabled Indoor Air Quality Monitor

Use an Arduino/Genuino 101 with iAQ-Core air quality and HIH-6131 temperature/humidity sensors to make an Indoor Air Quality Monitor with Bluetooth low energy (BLE) connectivity.

September 16, 2016 by Raymond Genovese

Build a Wireless “Tipping Bucket” Rain Gauge, Part 2—Adding the Transmitter

A tipping bucket rain gauge is a clever way to measure rainfall. Learn how to add wireless capability, a PICAXE microcontroller, and an LCD display to your weather station.

August 16, 2016 by Charles R. Hampton

Build a Wireless “Tipping Bucket” Rain Gauge, Part 1—Assembling the Bucket

A tipping bucket rain gauge, an RF transmitter and receiver, a PICAXE microcontroller, and an LCD can make a great addition to your weather station.

August 09, 2016 by Charles R. Hampton

Reflow Soldering? It’s So Much Easier with a Solder Paste Stencil

In spite of their convenience, the cost of solder paste stencils has prevented many hobbyists from using them. But the use of polyimide film has brought the prices within reach... if you know how and where to get them.

June 02, 2016 by Charles R. Hampton

C-BISCUIT Power: Assembly and Testing of Regulator and Crowbar Circuits

Continuing the C-BISCUIT series, this article outlines how to populate and test the surface mount PCBs designed in a previous article using a hot air rework station and other various electronics tools.

May 31, 2016 by Patrick Lloyd