Page 963 – Electronics-Lab.com

Capacitance Meter

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by mixos

by ThomasVDD @ instructables.com:

Capacitors are vital components in electronics, but sometimes they are broken, or the value printed on the cap has become unreadable. Because my multi-meter does not have a capacitance measurement, I decided to make one!

The principle of measuring capacitance is quite simple. The voltage of a capacitor charging through a resistor increases with time T. The time it takes to reach a certain voltage, is related to the values of the resistor and capacitor. In this project, we’ll use a 555 timer circuit as a monostable multivibrator. If that sounds like some dark magic to you, don’t worry, it’s quite straightforward. I’ll refer to the the Wikipedia page for the details, as we’ll focus on the things we really need: the schematic and formula. The time in which the capacitor C charges through the resistor R is given by: T = ln(3) x R x C = 1.1 RC. If we know the value of the resistor and the time, we can calculate the capacitance: C = T / 1.1R.

Capacitance Meter – [Link]

How to Control Your ESP8266 From Anywhere in the World

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by mixos

by Rui Santos @ randomnerdtutorials.com:

The most common questions I get about the ESP8266 WiFi Modules are: “Is it possible to control my ESP8266 from anywhere in the world?” and “How can I control my ESP8266 from anywhere?”.

I’m happy to announce today that I have a solution for that problem.

With the new version of Home Automation Server you can add an ESP8266 to your dashboard and control your ESP8266 GPIOs from anywhere in less than 5 minutes!

How to Control Your ESP8266 From Anywhere in the World – [Link]

Get a constant +5V output by switching between a +5V input and a single-cell LI+ rechargeable cell

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by mixos

App note from Maxim Integrated on providing smooth power from two sources. Link here (PDF)

Design provides a simple method for maintaining an uninterrupted +5V even while switching between the external +5V supply and a rechargeable single-cell Li+ battery.

Get a constant +5V output by switching between a +5V input and a single-cell LI+ rechargeable cell – [Link]

Posting a Tweet with the ESP8266

Posted on 24 August, 201524 August, 2015 by mixos

by Rui Santos @ randomnerdtutorials.com:

In this project you’re going to post a Tweet with an ESP8266. The goal of this project is to show the endless possibilities that this $4 WiFi module offers when integrates with a free platform that I’m about to show you.

In order to accomplish this task you have to sign up for one free service called IFTTT which stands for “If This Then That”.

Posting a Tweet with the ESP8266 – [Link]

4 x 4 mm GPS module for wearables, portables, in distribution

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by mixos

by Graham Prophet @ edn-europe.com:

Distributor Acal BFi has the Nano Spider from OriginGPS; the miniature module makes it possible for manufacturers to bring accurate GPS to tiny devices.

Claimed as the world’s smallest GPS module, Nano Spider is a fully integrated, sensitive GPS receiver module. Measuring 4.1 x 4.1 x 2.1 mm and with low power consumption, it is suitable for smart watches, wearable devices, trackers, and digital cameras. A double-sided circuit design reduces footprint size and makes the Nano Spider 47% smaller than previous solutions.

4 x 4 mm GPS module for wearables, portables, in distribution – [Link]

Energy-harvesting power management ICs for wireless sensor nodes

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by mixos

by Graham Prophet @ edn-europe.com:

Cypress Semiconductor has introduced what it believes to be the lowest-available-power PMICs that enable an integrated module size of 1 cm² for solar-powered wireless sensor node (WSN) designs.

Intended to manage solar-powered wireless sensors for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, these parts are said to be the lowest-power, single-chip Energy Harvesting PMICs, and can be used with solar cells as small as 1 cm². Cypress offers a complete, battery-free energy harvesting solution that pairs the S6AE101A PMIC, the first device in the new family, with the EZ-BLE PRoC module for Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity, along with supporting software, in a $49 kit.

Energy-harvesting power management ICs for wireless sensor nodes – [Link]

DHT22 Humidity datalogger

Posted on 22 August, 2015 by mixos

by luckyresistor.me:

There is a large cellar where I could store unused items and documents, but the catch is the humidity there. It is a root cellar near a small brook and the humidity varies between 75% up to 90%.

Archived material should never be exposed to humidity greater than 65%, therefore I have to isolate all documents in boxes from the air of the cellar. But are this boxes safe? Do they keep the humidity away from the documents – even for years?

To have a look into the box environment, I need a data logger. It would be simple to buy one, but much more fun to build one. So a new project is born: I call it the “Data Logger” project.

DHT22 Humidity datalogger – [Link]

How to control LM2596 buck-converter with microcontroller

Posted on 22 August, 2015 by mixos

by hugatry @ hackvlog.com:

Every now and then someone asks on different forums if there is an way to control cheap LM2596 modules with an Arduino or another microcontroller. I decided to demonstrate one solution that might be basic electronics for some, but still many don’t know about.

Those buck converters will change the output voltage to make the feedback pin, connected to the output via a voltage divider, become 1.25V or so. If feedback is higher, output gets lower and vice versa. If one changes the ratio of resistors in voltage divider, output voltage will change. This is usually done by turning a trimmer resistor with a screwdriver. That is good enough for many applications where voltage will be set only once, but sometimes there is a need to adjust the output voltage more frequently.

How to control LM2596 buck-converter with microcontroller – [Link]

How to build a simple laser tachometer

Posted on 22 August, 2015 by mixos

Did you know you can use an LED as a light sensor? In this video I show you how to use this phenomenon to build a laser tachometer capable of measuring the RPM of mechanical devices.

How to build a simple laser tachometer – [Link]

Kristall 511 solder wire won´t dirt your PCB

Posted on 18 August, 2015 by mixos

Innovative flux and a high qualty alloy provide to Stannol Kristall 511 solder wire excellent processing properties with a minimum of clean transprarent residues.

You, who are at production of electronic devices, know, how important is a choice of a suitable solder. A designer of a given device might not focus on a solder used at soldering of the first protoype, bu tin a production it will manifest itself – sooner or later. Not that some solder would be miraculous and otherone unusable, but each one is suitable for something else.Similarly lie in other segments, even here are some exceptions, when by using the newest materials and know-how from development of solders exist types suitable for multiple applications. One of them is solder Kristall511 Ecoloy with an innovative flux based on synthetic resins. The result is a small spatter and clean, transparent residues, which don´t influence electrical properties of a PCB, i.e. they belong to a “No clean” category – they can stay on a PCB withot cleaning. Kristall 511 is a considerably active solder and it shows its strength even at surfaces with not that optimal solderability and also there, where it´s necessary to solder quickly (for example components that are exceptionally sensitive to temperature). KRISTALL 511 was developed for automated soldering of SMT components, as well as for hand soldering and rework.

This way Stannol, as a producer with rich experience in development of solders (from 1920), produced a combinatio of an alloy+flux with properties meeting majority of requirements of production:

small amount of transparent residues
excellent spreading even at poorly solderable sorfaces (copper, brass, nickel,…)
highly active
electrically safe residues
low spitting
mild odour and small amount of fumes

On stock we have two novelties KRISTALL 511 Sn95,5Ag3,8Cu0,7 (593132) (diameter 1mm, 500g) and KRISTALL 511 Sn96,5Ag3,0Cu0,5 (810050) (diameter 1mm, 500g) solder wires. Technical details can be found in the Kristall_511 datasheet.

Kristall 511 solder wire won’t dirt your PCB – [Link]