FTDI.FT-X series USB to serial bridges can be still reasonable option even for today. Microcontrollers with USB interface are common nowadays. Manufacturers provide source codes for USB device classes like CDC, HID, Mass storage and DFU. . Even in this case, programming USB...

mcs.uwsuper.edu has build a contactless thermometer based on MLX90614 sensor and MSP430 mcu. The device is designed for contactless measuring and monitoring temperature of objects. It is built on Melexis MLX90614 sensor and can measure temperatures in the range from -70°C to +380°C...

moty22.co.uk has a PIC16F628A based thermometer using DS18B20 digital sensor. Counter based on PIC16F628A . Included C code and circuit diagram. Displays -55 to 125 centigrade. The temperature is read every 15 seconds, can be changed in the code. The math is using integers to...

Ken Shirriff @ righto.com has a detailed teardown of a macbook charger explaining the various components used in it: Have you ever wondered what's inside your Macbook's charger? There's a lot more circuitry crammed into the compact power adapter than you'd expect, including a...

William Dudley @ dudley.nu has designed a motorcycle headlight modulator based on 555 timer IC and photoresistor. A headlight modulator will make the headlight to pulse during the day and be steady at night. He writes: Unhappy with a headlight modulator I purchased, I decided to...

Bertus Kruger @ Protoneer.co.nz has tipped us with an image showing the Raspberry Pi Zero footprint and dimensions. Specs are: Dimensions : 65 mm by 30 mm 4 mounting holes for M2.5 screws Mini-HDMI Two Micro USB ports – One OTG USB and One Power USB One Micro SD...

mcs.uwsuper.edu has build a big LCD clock based on MSP430 mcu and DS3231 RTC clock chip. They write: The clock is built on a 4" (101 mm) LCD displays OD-103 manufactured by Orient Display. The LCD provides high contrast of digits and easy reading from a large distance. The unit runs...

Raspberry Pi has announced a really cheap micro computer priced at only 5$. You can even get it for free with the December issue of MagPi magazine. Raspberry Pi  Zero runs Raspbian and main features are: A Broadcom BCM2835 application processor 1GHz ARM11 core (40% faster...