Latest Technical Articles

Adding variable speed control and battery monitoring to a Power Wheels truck!

Adding variable speed control and battery monitoring to a Power Wheels truck!

Part 2 in the “How to Make an EFM8-Based Sound Synthesizer” series.

Part 2 in the “How to Make an EFM8-Based Sound Synthesizer” series.

Part 3 introduces the if...then, endif, gosub, and return PICAXE BASIC commands. It is the third article in a multi-part…

Part 3 introduces the if...then, endif, gosub, and return PICAXE BASIC commands. It is the third article in a multi-part series on writing PICAXE code.

ZigBee, Bluetooth and the newer Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE/Smart) are all communication protocols for Wireless Personal…

ZigBee, Bluetooth and the newer Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE/Smart) are all communication protocols for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs), but they are optimized for different applications.

This is the second article in a multi-part series on writing PICAXE BASIC code. It introduces the for...next command, the…

This is the second article in a multi-part series on writing PICAXE BASIC code. It introduces the for...next command, the wait command, general purpose variables, the symbol command, and the #no_data directive.

All of our previous circuits dealt with opamps using resistors in the feedback loop. What happens when we start swapping…

All of our previous circuits dealt with opamps using resistors in the feedback loop. What happens when we start swapping out resistors for other passive components?

Part 1 in the “How to Make an EFM8-Based Sound Synthesizer” series, which will design a sound synthesizer that can…

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.

In this article I will discuss what switch bounce is and some ways to deal with it. First I will take you through the…

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.

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 article walks through SCADA systems used to automate various power systems used in numerous industries. It also…

This article walks through SCADA systems used to automate various power systems used in numerous industries. It also details what the system is made up of, how they optimize performance in large-scale systems, and how these systems still poses a threat to a company's vulnerability to data and resources.

Learn how to set up the Wunderbar platform to begin building your own IoT apps. This will demonstrate the "Can't Touch…

Learn how to set up the Wunderbar platform to begin building your own IoT apps. This will demonstrate the "Can't Touch This" and "Tell Me When" demo applications to measure WunderBar sensors and perform actions based on them. Some of the major bugs are discussed.

Basic refresher on instrumentation amplifiers, followed by a several real world applications in which an engineer would…

Basic refresher on instrumentation amplifiers, followed by a several real world applications in which an engineer would find this circuit.

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

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

A guideline for proper considerations when making electrical platforms that can be easily, cheaply, and quickly…

A guideline for proper considerations when making electrical platforms that can be easily, cheaply, and quickly manufactured. The purpose and methods of proper board design, validation, testing, and technical support is discussed, from small to large scale production.

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.

Handling heat in electronics. Which components create heat, which components suffer from heat. Basics of heatsinking.

Handling heat in electronics. Which components create heat, which components suffer from heat. Basics of heatsinking.

This article will go into a bit of the background of FSK and demonstrate writing a simulator in Python.

This article will go into a bit of the background of FSK and demonstrate writing a simulator in Python.

Create a smart home by displaying the current salt level of your water softener with the CC3200 and a proximity sensor.

Create a smart home by displaying the current salt level of your water softener with the CC3200 and a proximity sensor.

Control systems engineering requires knowledge of at least two basic components of a system: the plant, which describes…

Control systems engineering requires knowledge of at least two basic components of a system: the plant, which describes the mathematically described behavior of your system, and the output, which is the goal you are trying to reach.