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Sinusoidal Steady-State Power Calculations

Sinusoidal Steady-State Power Calculations

Let's delve into AC power concepts, how to calculate instantaneous power, average power, reactive power, complex power, and the power factor. We'll also talk about the relationship each concept has to one another.


Convert a Vintage Thermostat into a Modern Energy Saver

Convert a Vintage Thermostat into a Modern Energy Saver

Programmable thermostats can save a lot of energy and money. But you don't have to buy one- you can convert an old mechanical thermostat into a programmable thermostat using an Arduino and a servo.


Buck Converters and Their Cool Applications

Buck Converters and Their Cool Applications

The buck converter is a ubiquitous DC-DC converter that efficiently converts a high voltage to a low voltage efficiently. Efficient power conversion extends battery life, reduces heat, and allows for smaller gadgets to be built. The buck converter can be used in lots of cool applications.


Navigating the Boost Converter’s Vulnerability with Alternative Power Conversion Topologies

Navigating the Boost Converter’s Vulnerability with Alternative Power Conversion Topologies

Here are some great power conversion topologies that can be used as alternatives to the boost converter; they are much less vulnerable to short circuit load conditions.


Negative Feedback, Part 5: Gain Margin and Phase Margin

Negative Feedback, Part 5: Gain Margin and Phase Margin

How to use frequency-domain simulations to analyze loop gain and evaluate the stability of your amplifier circuit. We need a way to determine whether a circuit is sufficiently stable—in other words, stable enough to ensure that the circuit will perform properly despite part-to-part variations and environmental or operational conditions that affect the characteristics of the open-loop gain or the feedback network. There is where gain margin and phase margin come into play.


Use LTspice to Understand the LM741 OpAmp: Part 2

Use LTspice to Understand the LM741 OpAmp: Part 2

How an op amp works with LTspice simulation. We left off last time finishing up how the input stage of an op-amp works. The next important stage is made up by transistors Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7.


Understanding Analog-to-Digital Converters: Deciphering Resolution and Sampling Rate

Understanding Analog-to-Digital Converters: Deciphering Resolution and Sampling Rate

Resolution and sampling rate are two important factors to consider when selecting an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). In order to understand these fully, concepts such as quantisation, and the Nyquist Criterion must be understood to a certain degree.


Add Short Circuit Protection to Your Boost Converter

Add Short Circuit Protection to Your Boost Converter

The boost converter is a DC-DC converter used to created an output voltage that is higher than the input voltage. Boost converters are also used to drive LEDs placed in series in products like LED flashlights. The boost converter suffers from vulnerability to a short circuit load. Learn how to protect them from shorts!


Negative Feedback, Part 4: Introduction to Stability

Negative Feedback, Part 4: Introduction to Stability

Why are negative-feedback amplifiers susceptible to oscillation? What is the fundamental criterion for stability? Let’s find out.


Mastering the Boost Converter’s Vulnerability with Alternative Power Conversion Topologies

Mastering the Boost Converter’s Vulnerability with Alternative Power Conversion Topologies

This article discusses power conversion topologies that can be used as alternatives to the boost converter that are less vulnerable to short circuit load conditions.


Connect a PICAXE to the Internet of Things

Connect a PICAXE to the Internet of Things

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


Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis

Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis

Delve into phasor concepts and transforming a circuit with circuit analysis techniques to solve a given circuit in the frequency domain.


Negative Feedback Part 3: Improving Noise, Linearity, and Impedance

Negative Feedback Part 3: Improving Noise, Linearity, and Impedance

Use negative feedback to increase your amplifier’s signal-to-noise ratio, reduce its nonlinear distortion, and improve its input- and output-impedance characteristics.


Understanding Electricity with Hydraulics

Understanding Electricity with Hydraulics

An overview of how the concepts of electron flow and the role of individual circuit components can be related to the flow of fluid in pipe networks. The analogy between hydraulics and electricity is a useful tool for teaching and for those who are struggling to understand how circuits work.


What is a Transmission Line?

What is a Transmission Line?

Explanation of what a transmission line is, and the conditions under which it exists. Uses lumped element model to derive differential equations and manipulates the equations to get telegraph equations. Uses solutions to telegraph equations to get characteristic impedance and propagation constant and looks at matched and unmatched load cases.


Control Your AC Mains with a Microcontroller

Control Your AC Mains with a Microcontroller

Learn how to put together your own toaster oven controller with a handful of inexpensive, through-hole parts. The emphasis is on safety, low price, and minimal modification of the toaster oven.


Projects Nov 09, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
Create Your First Application with TI’s LaunchPad

Create Your First Application with TI’s LaunchPad

Texas Instruments' LaunchPad makes developing applications with MSP430 microcontrollers easy and fast. Learn all about it and create your first application.


Projects Nov 08, 2015 by Tim Youngblood
Negative Feedback, Part 1: General Structure and Essential Concepts

Negative Feedback, Part 1: General Structure and Essential Concepts

This article, the first in a series, will introduce you to the fundamental concepts required for understanding and analyzing negative feedback amplifiers.


Introduction to the RFM69HW Transceiver

Introduction to the RFM69HW Transceiver

This handy introduction teaches you all about the RFM69HW transceiver module using two circuits running a wireless version of the "blinky" code.


Build 9 Simple, Low-noise Linear Voltage Regulators Using the Same PCB

Build 9 Simple, Low-noise Linear Voltage Regulators Using the Same PCB

What linear voltage regulator circuits lack in efficiency, they make up in simplicity and low noise. Here's a scheme for 9 voltages from 2.5V to 15V on the same PCB design.