Arduino Digital Thermometer

This Digital Thermometer based on famous Arduino board and LM35DZ as temperature sensor. The sensor component has three pins, +5V, ground and a variable voltage output to indicate the temperature. This simple project wired the sensor output straight to the Arduino's analogue input 0. As display, it use two line LCD (a Displaytech 162B).

Tags : Temperature Measurement, Digital Thermometer, Arduino project src

PIC LCD Oscilloscope for Spectrum Analyzers

This is simple and inexpensive LCD oscilloscope for spectrum analyzer display. The project use PIC 16F876A as main processor. Although a small LCD screen is not as good as analog oscilloscope, a LCD oscilloscope may be very useful in field measurements, for battery operation or you need different measurement at the same time along with oscilloscope.

The 80dB scale of this LCD oscilloscope can be adjusted with the two trimmers providing the reference voltages to the A/D converter. The operation of the LCD oscilloscope is slightly different between the 80dB mode and the 40dB mode. In the 80dB mode, the trace is always visible and saturates on the bottom or top of screen. In the 40dB mode, the trace runs out of the screen and only the central part of the original 80dB scale is displayed. This project designed by Matjaz Vidmar.

Download
Source code, documentation and schematic

AVR Project Wii Conductor

This AVR project is a simplified implementation of Wii-Music, utilizing a Nintendo Wii Remote (“Wiimote”) to play a gesture-based music game with the player as a virtual music conductor. The project exploited two of the Wiimote’s features: its wand-like shape and the embedded 3-D accelerometers. By interfacing between Microcontroller AVR ATmega 644 and Wiimote, the project able wirelessly transmit motion gestures and button pushes to the MCU. The MCU uses these inputs to create sound by means of Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS).

Tags: Wii Conductor, Simplified Wii Music, Microcontroller AVR project src

PICTalker - Low Cost PIC Speech Synthesizer

PICTalker is a low cost allophone-based system for synthesis speech. The system use PIC16F628 microcontroller as main processor. You need a PIC development system and programmer, and Microsoft QBasic to program the microcontroller and EEPROMs to build this poject.

Speech quality is somewhat inferior to that from an SPO256 system. Most people immediately understand most or all of the speech it produces provided sufficient care is taken when constructing words from the component allophones. The speech is significantly easier to understand if the loudspeaker used has poor base response.

Download
Documentation and source code

Simple AVR USB Temperature Probe

This simple USB temperature probe uses the AVR USB library by Objective Development. The included ruby script reads the temperature and optionally logs it using RRDTool. The EasyLogger would send the data values over a keyboard interface. The project uses a custom device class and reads values using the ruby-usb library. The project primarily intended to be used in Linux, although it is possible to get it to work in XP with a bit of hassle involved.
Download
USB Temperature Probe Documentation

I2C Bus Analyzer with USB link to PC

I2C-bus analyzer is a electronic project that has function to capture all transmissions via I2C/TWI bus, decode it and send to PC via virtual RS-232 port. Received data can be displayed by any terminal program on PC computer. The project use ATTiny2313 microcontroller with 20MHz crystal as main part. Link to PC are realized by FTDI FT245RL on UM245R module.

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Schematic
PCB bottom layer
PCB top layer (wire jumpers)
PCB top overlay
Firmware
link

Digital Clock using Classic LED 7 Segment Displays

This is a simple digital clock project using PIC16F887 and classic LED 7-Segment from HP 5082-7414 created by punkky. The displays are bright red and sun light viewable. Each clock consumes about 0.25W (50mA, 5V) when the PIC16F887 operates at 250kHz (display refresh rate is about 61Hz).

Tag: digital clock, 7 segment display, PIC project src

PIC Debugging Tool

In-Circuit-Debugger is handy and easy PIC debugging tool for PIC programmers that interface to the target PIC placed- board. The device comes with MPLAB plug-ins that provides a full rich set of commands and functions in order to debug your code in real time. The project created by Electrical Engineer Atanasios Melimopoulos.

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In-Circuit-debugger

tag : PIC debugger, PIC programmer tools, PIC project src

Parallel Interface AVR Programmer

With this project you can program an AVR microcontroler ATMEL (ATmega8, ATMega32, ...) from a parallel printer LPT1 using ISP functionality In System Programming. This programming type can program and/or configure microcontroler directly on the target board without removing device and put it on a separate programmer. This board is compatible with programming software "PonyProg".

Download :
Schematic and Source Code

tag : AVR programmer, Microcontroller Project, Parallel Interface

AVR Based Diode Temperature Meter

This is Multi channel diode temperature meter project with Microcontroller AVR AT90S2333 as main controller. It can be use to replace thermister temperature meter.

Front end of the temperature sensor and amplifier circuit consists of constant current. Approximately a constant current of 63µA sensor (diode) in the sink, a diode voltage drop of 3-fold amplification and A / D converter (10bit, 3.3V/fs) type. Drift in this block is the main cause of measurement error, the components must be selected as the low temperature drift.

Where an adjustment is not analog, EEPROM calibration parameters are calculated from the temperature to make sure that you store in it. The calibration process is required for proper equipment such as computer terminals instead of the driver. Some cases, ISP via cable (N81, 38.4kbps) has been to enter the calibration mode is turned on and connected.

Download:
Schematic and source code

Tag: Temperature Meter, Microcontroller AVR project, electronic project (src)

ARM USB Data Acquisition

This project shows you how to build a simple data acquisition device around an LPC2138, ARM-based microcontroller. The system features a simple GUI that allows you to view graphed data instead of the streaming serial data in a terminal emulator session. In this project, Bruce gives example by collects temperature data from an analog temperature sensor and graphs it via a PC GUI.

Download
Source and PDF

Pin Diagram

	OSC1/CLKIN	:	Oscillator crystal input. External clock source input.
	OSC2/CLKOUT	:	Oscillator crystal output. Connects to crystal or resonator in crystal oscillator mode.
	MCLR(inv)	:	Master clear(reset)input. Programming voltage input. This pin is an active low reset to the device.
	RA0 - RA3	:	Bi-directional I/O port.
	RA4/T0CKI	:	Bi-directional I/O port. Clock input to the TMR0 timer/counter.
	RB0/INT	:	Bi-directional I/O port. External interrupt pin.
	RB1 - RB7	:	Bi-directional I/O port.
	VSS	:	Ground
	VDD	:	Positive supply(+2.0V to +5.5V)

The PIC is the small computer

The PIC, like the CPU, has calculation functions and memory, and is controlled by the software.
However, the throughput and the memory capacity are low. Depending on the kind of PIC, the maximum clock operating frequency is about 20 MHz and the memory capacity (to write the program) is about 1K to 4K words.
The clock frequency determines the speed at which a program is read and an instruction is executed. The throughput cannot be judged with the clock frequency alone. It changes with the processor architecture. However within the same architecture, the one with the highest clock frequency has the highest throughput.
I use a 14-bit WORD for program memory capacity. An instruction is a word long. Program memory is measured in BYTES, one byte is 8 bits. The bit is the smallest unit, and can have the value of 1 or 0. The instruction word of the PIC16F84A is composed of 14 bits. 1K words is equal to 1 x 1,024 x 14 = 14,336 bits. To convert this to bytes divide it by 8 x 1024, (14,336 / 8 x 1024 = 1.75K bytes).

A memory capacity of 1G bytes = 1,024M bytes, 1M bytes = 1,024K bytes, 1K bytes = 1,024 bytes. 1K bytes is not equal to 1000 bytes. This is because the calculation is in binary (2 to the tenth power = 1,024).

Basic Control

Microchip provide flexible products and solutions to take care of the basic control needs: Data storage ( Flash, EEPROM), Math functions ( up to DSP capabilities), timers, communication channels ( USART, LIN, I2C, SPI, USB, Ethernet, RF). Our products and solutions are tailored to support multiple types of appliances: – White Goods and Kitchen Appliances like Refrigerators, Ovens and Laundry – Residential Thermostats, and HVAC – Portable Kitchen Appliances like mixers and blenders Only Microchip provides everything a design engineer needs: – Low Risk product development – Lower total system cost – Faster time to market – Outstanding technical support – Dependable delivery and quality

Ethernet

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Microchip Ethernet Application Design Center.

Ethernet solutions are gaining popularity in the embedded connectivity space. There are several key reasons that drive such adoption. Ethernet is ubiquitous and it is the most widely deployed network in many offices and industrial buildings. It is based on IEEE802.3 that ensures reliability of network connections and data transmission. Moreover, the networks are scalable from the simplest to most complex networks. Finally, once equipment is connected to the network, it can be monitored or controlled through the internet.

Microchip addresses the growing demand for a small and low-cost embedded Ethernet solution by offering the following:

■	10/100 Base-T ENC624J600 standalone Ethernet controllers which are IEEE 802.3 compliant, integrated with hardware cryptographic security engines and factory preprogrammed unique MAC address. This family is fully compatible with 10/100/1000 Base-T networks
■	10 Base-T ENC28J60 standalone Ethernet controller and the PIC18F97J60 family, which are IEEE 802.3 compliant and fully compatible with 10/100/1000 Base-T networks
■	Free licensed and robust TCP/IP stack, which is optimized for the PIC18, PIC24 and PIC32 microcontroller and dsPIC digital signal controller families
■	EUI-48™ and EUI-64™ enabled MAC address chips along with Serial EEPROM functionality
■	A broad range of development tools to enhance the user’s experience

With Microchip’s scalable development environment and free TCP/IP stack, you can quickly integrate Ethernet functions into your existing application, thus reducing development risk, total system cost and time to market.

Automotive Design Center

Innovative Electronic Solutions Driving Faster Time to Market
Microchip Technology provides more than just embedded control silicon solutions that feature the industry^’s best price/performance value. We provide a low-risk product development environment, lower total system cost and faster time to market. Our innovative solutions for the ever-expanding spectrum of electronic control units in the vehicle give our customers a competitive advantage. Our commitment to quality and innovation coupled with world-class development tools, dependable delivery and outstanding technical support set us apart. Put Microchip in control of your next embedded design.

Add voice or audio features to your application

Voice continues to be a popular and natural medium of communication and human interface. Interfacing embedded applications using voice in local languages can help cater products to regional needs. Audio can also help interfacing electronics to the visually impaired. Microchip analog, memory, MCU & DSC products, software and tools enable simple applications to system-on-chip implementations.

The PIC was developed as a peripheral controller

PIC(Peripheral Interface Controller) is the IC which was developed to control peripheral devices, alleviating the load from the main CPU.
Compared to a human being, the brain is the main CPU and the PIC is equivalent to the autonomic nervous system.

GPIB to USB converter Using PIC

PIC-plot now goes to USB! A perfect low cost solution to quickly get screen plots of your GPIB instrument on your laptop PC without complex software. It emulates the HP7470A operation on the GPIB side, and outputs the HP-GL data at the USB port to be read and stored on the PC by any capturing software. GPIB addresses and other set-and-forget parameters can be configured by a simple Setup menu, then no Dip-switches are used. Power is taken from the USB port to simplify cabling and get rid of a DC adaptor.

The operation of this interface is not just limited to digital plotter emulation: any data intended to be received by a GPIB Device (addressable or listener only) can be captured from the instrument and brought out to the USB port, including raw measurement arrays or rasterized data for a graphic printer. It is based on a PIC16F628 microcontroller and an FT232R chip. PCB size is just 57x64mm.

USB Audio Digital to Analog Converter

I want to build high quality preamplifier with built-in DAC from SPDIF or USB for my power amplifier Leachamp. I tried to design DAC from USB with this circuit on one-sided PCB and I was successful.

Schematics is from datasheet of PCM2902. Circuit includes DAC and ADC, SPDIF output and input and HID part with 3 buttons for MUTE, VOL+ and VOL-. I used only DAC part. Other parts are not used. For high quality playback is needed to use external low-drop voltage stabiliser for DAC part. I used LP2951CM which was available at local store. Output voltage is set to about 3.7V with two resistors. Circuit board is designed regarding to good ground placement and separating of analog and digital ground. These ground are connected in one point at USB connector.

New MicroChip Runs on Body Heat

These days, microchips make the world go around. They are in mobile phones, computers, refrigerators, microwaves and pretty much any other electrical device you care to name. But there’s a new microchip on the horizon now that is so efficient, it can be powered by only body heat and movement.

Wired.com is reporting that the new microchip, developed by MIT in Massachusetts, uses 70% less power than current chips. MIT researchers believe it could dramatically increase the energy efficiency of electronic devices within the next five years. The development is especially exciting in the field of medical electronics. Anantha Chandrakasan, an MIT professor of electrical engineering says, “when you look at the digital processor, the fact is that we may be able to reduce the energy needed by 10 times.”

Extending the battery time of medical or military devices is particularly important, as time is often critical in these situations, and changing a battery could mean the difference between life and death. In fact, the US military is so interested in the new technology that it partially funded the MIT research that led to the new microchip design.

But industry is taking note of the innovation as well. Cell phones and notebook computers, in particular, could benefit greatly from the more efficient chips. Computer processor manufacturer Intel already has their own low-power chip research department investigating the uses of the technology.

Current microchips suffer from a problem when used at low voltages. The reduction in power tends to cause errors in the memory area of the chip. But the new low-power microchips have been completely reengineered to handle fluctuations in voltage, and function without error at very low levels of power.

To put the innovation of the new chip in perspective, just consider the current low level microchip leaders: Intel has developed a mobile microchip that reduces power consumption to two watts in notebook computer. That amounts to less than 1/5 the voltage of most current microprocessors.

The new MIT microchip, however, uses in the range of one to 100 micro-watts, resulting in longer life, and a cooler running processor. Of course, saving a few watts of energy may not be significant to consumers, but for mobile devices, such as those used by the military, this is a tremendous innovation.

Using the new microchip, battlefield communication devices could potentially function up to 10 times longer without needing a recharge or a new battery, a prospect that is very appealing to the US military.