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Put an End to Stockings Full of Coal with the Raspberry Pi Santa Detector

Put an End to Stockings Full of Coal with the Raspberry Pi Santa Detector

For most, the name "Father Christmas" conjures images of toys and gadgets. But for this gentleman maker, the name brings misery. Be sure to stockpile your Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Particle Photons; it's time to catch Saint Nick red-handed.


Projects Dec 21, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
How to Make Your Umbrella into a Weather Station with a Particle Photon

How to Make Your Umbrella into a Weather Station with a Particle Photon

Want to get to-the-minute, location-specific weather information delivered right to your own Adafruit IO dashboard? It's time to assemble your very own SmartBrella.


Projects Dec 13, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
Guide to USB-C Pinout and Features

Guide to USB-C Pinout and Features

This introductory article will look at some of the most important features of the USB-C standard.


Make Your Own Home Brewing Sensor Kit with the Gentleman Maker’s Adafruit IO SmartBrewer

Make Your Own Home Brewing Sensor Kit with the Gentleman Maker’s Adafruit IO SmartBrewer

Have a party coming up in the next few weeks that you want to make extra posh? Try making your own extra-special brew with the Gentleman Maker's SmartBrewer! Make sure you have an Adafruit IO account ready to go and your Particle Photon on hand.


Projects Dec 06, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
Protect Your Summer Harvest with the Gentleman Maker’s Raspberry Pi and Arduino Dog Corrector

Protect Your Summer Harvest with the Gentleman Maker’s Raspberry Pi and Arduino Dog Corrector

In this episode of the Gentleman Maker, we're using a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino Uno to stave off the onslaught of dogs trying to eat every single plant in our garden.


Projects Aug 09, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
What Is Embedded System Design? Defining an Electrical Engineering Field

What Is Embedded System Design? Defining an Electrical Engineering Field

Could you concisely define "embedded system design" off the top of your head? This article looks at the essential characteristics of an increasingly prominent specialization within the field of electrical engineering.


Feeling Flashy? Tone It Down with the Gentleman Maker’s Raspberry Pi Colorboringizer

Feeling Flashy? Tone It Down with the Gentleman Maker’s Raspberry Pi Colorboringizer

In this episode of the Gentleman Maker, we'll use a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, an Arduino Nano, and an Arduino Uno to create a handy system to rid ourselves of overly-colorful fashion choices.


Projects Jul 05, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
A Simple, Compact Power Supply for Analog and Mixed-Signal Systems

A Simple, Compact Power Supply for Analog and Mixed-Signal Systems

This project demonstrates and discusses the performance and functionality of an inductorless ±5 V power-supply circuit.


Projects Jun 18, 2018 by Robert Keim
PCB Layout for a Photovoltaic Power Supply for Microcontroller Circuits

PCB Layout for a Photovoltaic Power Supply for Microcontroller Circuits

This article discusses the PCB layout for a power-supply circuit that generates a regulated 3.3 V rail from a small solar cell.


Schematic Design for a Solar-Powered Charge-Pump Power Supply Circuit

Schematic Design for a Solar-Powered Charge-Pump Power Supply Circuit

This article discusses a 3.3 V power-supply circuit that is built around an inductorless DC/DC converter and a solar cell.


Hardware Evaluation of a Custom Programmable Wi-Fi Controller: The WiCard

Hardware Evaluation of a Custom Programmable Wi-Fi Controller: The WiCard

This article explores the schematic design and basic features of a smart programmable wireless controller module I designed: the WiCard.


Selecting and Implementing Photovoltaic Cells for Solar-Powered Devices

Selecting and Implementing Photovoltaic Cells for Solar-Powered Devices

This article discusses details that will help you choose the right kind of solar cell and successfully incorporate it into your next project.


The Circuit Designer’s Guide to Photovoltaic Cells for Solar-Powered Devices

The Circuit Designer’s Guide to Photovoltaic Cells for Solar-Powered Devices

This article presents the equivalent circuit for a solar cell and discusses some implementation details.


PCB Layout for a Charge-Pump Bipolar Power Supply

PCB Layout for a Charge-Pump Bipolar Power Supply

In this article we’ll look at the PCB design for a low-noise ±5 V inductorless power supply.


Designing a Charge-Pump Bipolar Power Supply

Designing a Charge-Pump Bipolar Power Supply

This article presents and discusses a schematic design for a ±5 V inductorless power supply.


Boosting and Inverting without Inductors: Charge-Pump Power Supplies

Boosting and Inverting without Inductors: Charge-Pump Power Supplies

This article discusses charge-pump DC/DC converters and introduces a design for an inductorless bipolar power-supply circuit.


Save for Your Own Royal Wedding (of Sorts) with the Gentleman Maker’s Savings Incentivizer

Save for Your Own Royal Wedding (of Sorts) with the Gentleman Maker’s Savings Incentivizer

In this project, we'll use a Raspberry Pi to create a responsive piggy bank that belittles you when you slack on your savings!


Projects May 10, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
Hardware Evaluation for the Cypress S6AE102A/S6AE103A Eval Kit for Energy Harvesting Applications

Hardware Evaluation for the Cypress S6AE102A/S6AE103A Eval Kit for Energy Harvesting Applications

In this article, we will assess and characterize the hardware of two power management IC development boards from Cypress Semiconductor, designed for energy-harvesting applications.


The Gentleman Maker’s Sun Informer Lets Homebodies Safely Enjoy Intermittent Sunshine

The Gentleman Maker’s Sun Informer Lets Homebodies Safely Enjoy Intermittent Sunshine

In this project, we will create the Sun Informer, a device that will alert us when the sun comes out and then alert us when we have been out for too long.


Projects Apr 26, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
How to Stream Sensor Data from Bosch’s XDK110 Evaluation Board to the MQTT Messaging Service

How to Stream Sensor Data from Bosch’s XDK110 Evaluation Board to the MQTT Messaging Service

In this article, we will take a look at the XDK110 rapid prototyping kit, characterize its hardware, explore its software environment, and demonstrate connecting the device to the MQTT messaging service.


Projects Apr 12, 2018 by Mark Hughes