Are you an embedded system programmer? Checkout the rank of your favorite programming language according to IEEE Spectrum ranking. C language is in the first place for programming devices controllers, followed by C++, Arduino, then Assembly. IEEE Spectrum has special methods to figure...

Here is a fun project, created from start to finish by Matthias Koch: In itself, this is no big deal. The generated pattern is a 16x16 expanded pixel image, and 640x480 displays are pretty basic by now - although they’re fine for presenting text-mode information and retro...

Scott Harden built his own opto-isolated laser controller and wrote a post on his blog detailing its assembly: My goal was to utilize a free hardware output line to signal to a device that I build to modulate the laser in a special way. This way there would be no modification to any...

Solid-state relays introduction from Vishay, (PDF) MOSFET SSRs feature an optocoupler construction, but have a pair of MOSFETs on the output instead of a phototransistor. A pair of source-coupled MOSFETs emulate an electromechanical relay by providing bidirectional switch capability...

by Len Sherman @ edn.com: The June 23, 1988 issue of EDN included a Maxim Design News insert where we asked "Who in their right mind would choose a computer interface standard that uses ±12V supplies, requires expensive connectors, works over a limited distance, is error prone,...

FarmBot is an open-source CNC farming machine designed for small-scale precision food production. Similar to any CNC milling machine, FarmBot hardware employs linear guides in the X, Y and Z directions for tooling. FarmBot tools include: seeder, watering nozzle, camera, weeder and...

Alvaro Villoslada designed an open-source muscle-machine to control any kind of electronic device through the myoelectric (EMG) signals. The name of this project is Mumai and it is published on hackaday.io. “The Professional EMG systems are very expensive, cumbersome and...

Barry Tigner @ edn.com has a design idea on how to power a LED from a 1.5V battery using two easily available transistors. A previous Design Idea describes a circuit that uses an astable multivibrator to drive an LED (Reference 1). The circuit in Figure 1 uses a simpler alternative...