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Building Raspberry Pi Controllers Part 6: Displaying Messages on a LCD with a RPi

Building Raspberry Pi Controllers Part 6: Displaying Messages on a LCD with a RPi

Readers will learn how to wire a standard 16x2 LCD (liquid crystal display) to a Raspberry Pi to display messages.


Projects Mar 04, 2016 by Don Wilcher
Program a PIC Microcontroller as an I2C Slave Device for Custom Sensor and I/O Interfacing

Program a PIC Microcontroller as an I2C Slave Device for Custom Sensor and I/O Interfacing

No I2C interface with that sensor? No problem. Program a PIC chip as an I2C slave device for custom sensor and I/O interfacing. Here, we use three DHT22 sensors on a single I2C interface.


Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 5: Adjusting Gains

Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 5: Adjusting Gains

We will explore how P, I, and D gain influences system performance, and in the process we will find a gain configuration that works well for our temperature controller.


Projects Feb 29, 2016 by Robert Keim
C-BISCUIT Power: 5V 3A Buck Regulator for Wandboard

C-BISCUIT Power: 5V 3A Buck Regulator for Wandboard

Design and theory behind the 5V-3A buck regulator based on the LM25575 to be used in the C-BISCUIT robot project.


Projects Feb 26, 2016 by Patrick Lloyd
Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 4: The Scilab GUI

Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 4: The Scilab GUI

With USB communications and a Scilab graphical user interface, we can really see what the PID controller is doing.


Projects Feb 19, 2016 by Robert Keim
Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 3: Implementation and Visualization

Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 3: Implementation and Visualization

We will implement a basic PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controller in firmware and observe the results using an oscope and LEDs.


Projects Feb 15, 2016 by Robert Keim
C-BISCUIT: Design Choices and Justification

C-BISCUIT: Design Choices and Justification

While the C-BISCUIT project is far from complete, it's already come a long way, seeing numerous ideas and design goals in the process. This article will discuss some of these.


Projects Feb 10, 2016 by Trevor Gamblin
Controlling a Toaster Oven with a PICAXE - Part 2

Controlling a Toaster Oven with a PICAXE - Part 2

Soldering surface mount components by hand can be done, but reflow soldering in an oven is much quicker and produces more consistent results. Building a microprocessor controlled reflow oven is well within the abilities and budget of many hobbyists.


Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 2: Board-Level Integration

Embedded PID Temperature Control, Part 2: Board-Level Integration

This article covers the firmware that allows the EFM8 microcontroller to communicate with the DAC and the MAX31855.


Projects Feb 03, 2016 by Robert Keim
Controlling a Toaster Oven with a PICAXE - Part 1

Controlling a Toaster Oven with a PICAXE - Part 1

A toaster oven can do more than just make toast; guided by a PICAXE microcontroller, it can make a sweet reflow soldering station.


C-BISCUIT: A Robotics Platform for the Hacker and Hobbyist

C-BISCUIT: A Robotics Platform for the Hacker and Hobbyist

This is the beginning of a multi-part, multi-author series on how to build your own robotics platform called C-BISCUIT, an acronym for Collaborative Bot with Integrated System Core, Unmanned Interactivity, and Telemetry -- based on the Wandboard Quad computer.


Projects Jan 25, 2016 by Patrick Lloyd
Design a Color Sensor with Measurements Displayed via an RGB LED Module, Part 2

Design a Color Sensor with Measurements Displayed via an RGB LED Module, Part 2

Learn how to collect and process RGB data generated by the BH1745NUC color sensor IC.


Projects Jan 23, 2016 by Robert Keim
Design a Color Sensor with Measurements Displayed via an RGB LED Module

Design a Color Sensor with Measurements Displayed via an RGB LED Module

Display colors by precisely controlling the intensity of red, green, and blue LEDs.


Projects Jan 22, 2016 by Robert Keim
Building Raspberry Pi Controllers: IR Remote Event Counter

Building Raspberry Pi Controllers: IR Remote Event Counter

In part 4 of this Build Raspberry Pi Controllers series, the reader will learn how to build an IR Remote Event counter using littleBits.


Projects Jan 19, 2016 by Don Wilcher
Custom PCB Design with an EFM8 Microcontroller

Custom PCB Design with an EFM8 Microcontroller

Tips and techniques for incorporating EFM8 microcontrollers into your custom hardware.


Projects Jan 18, 2016 by Robert Keim
Measure Thermocouple Temperature with the MAX31855 and a PICAXE

Measure Thermocouple Temperature with the MAX31855 and a PICAXE

Whether for cooking or reflow soldering, a thermocouple is often the best choice for a high temperature sensor. The MAX31855, a PICAXE-08M2, a serial LCD, and a few lines of code will do the trick.


LED Chaser… With a Twist!

LED Chaser… With a Twist!

Build an LED chaser with a little twist: we'll be using a microcontroller and an LCD along with the usual 4017 counters.


Hack Your Toaster Oven to Become a Thermocouple Measurement System

Hack Your Toaster Oven to Become a Thermocouple Measurement System

The intuitive, step-by-step procedure presented in this article will help you to successfully perform reflow soldering in your toaster oven.


Projects Dec 18, 2015 by Robert Keim
Download Your First Program Using ARM mbed and KEIL MDK V5

Download Your First Program Using ARM mbed and KEIL MDK V5

The FRDM-K64F is a development platform which utilises the MK64FN1M0VLL12 microcontroller. This tutorial includes how to download a simple blinky example onto the FRDM-K64F using the ARM mbed online IDE and KEIL MDK. Details of the GPIO module configuration are included.


Projects Dec 17, 2015 by Elliott Smith
Build a PICAXE ESP-01 Wi-Fi Communicator

Build a PICAXE ESP-01 Wi-Fi Communicator

A PCB for a Wi-Fi communicator using a PICAXE 08M2 and an ESP-01 module driven by interactive code makes a handy setup for data collection and IoT reporting.