Page 315 – Electronics-Lab.com

1.2V to 35V @ 3A Adjustable Step-down Regulator using LM2596

This is a highly efficient and compact project that is capable of driving a 3A load with excellent line and load regulation and adjustable output of 1.2V to 35V DC. The project is built around the LM2596-ADJ regulator which is ideally suited for easy and convenient design of step-down switching regulator using buck converter topology. The adjustable output version of LM2596 is internally compensated to minimize the number of external components to simplify the power supply design.

LM2596 – 3.0 A, Step-Down Switching Regulator

The LM2596 regulator is a monolithic integrated circuit ideally suited for easy and convenient design of a step−down switching regulator (buck converter). It is capable of driving a 3.0 A load with excellent line and load regulation. This device is available in adjustable output version and it is internally compensated to minimize the number of external components to simplify the power supply design. Since LM2596 converter is a switch−mode power supply, its efficiency is significantly higher in comparison with popular three−terminal linear regulators, especially with higher input voltages. The LM2596 operates at a switching frequency of 150 kHz thus allowing smaller sized filter components than what would be needed with lower frequency switching regulators. Available in a standard5−lead TO−220 package with several different lead bend options, and D2PAK surface-mount package. The other features include a guaranteed 4% tolerance on output voltage within specified input voltages and output load conditions, and +/-15% on the oscillator frequency. External shutdown is included, featuring 80 uA (typical) standby current. Self-protection features include switch cycle−by−cycle current limit for the output switch, as well as thermal shutdown for complete protection under fault conditions.

Features

Adjustable Output Voltage Range 1.23 V to 35 V
Guaranteed 3 A Output Load Current
Wide Input Voltage Range 3.2V to 40 V
Input must be >1.5V higher than the output
High Efficiency Up to 92%
150 kHz Fixed Frequency Internal Oscillator
Thermal Shutdown and Current Limit Protection
Internal Loop Compensation
Precise potentiometer for voltage adjustment
Output Ripple: ≤100mV
PCB dimensions 57.15 x 44.34 mm

Schematic

Block Diagram

Pin Out

Parts List

Part	Value	Package	LCSC.com
R1	50k ±10% Precision Pot	TH	C118911
R2	1.21K 1%	SMD 0805	C228373
R3	4k7	SMD 0805	C229219
L1	33uH/5A	SMD 12MM INDUCTOR	C439422
C2 C3	220uF/50V	SMD ELECTROLYTIC	C3358
C1	100uF/50V	SMD ELECTROLYTIC	C249588
IC1	LM2596-ADJ	TO263 SMD	C29781
D1	MBRS340T3	SMC	C40326
D2	RED LED	SMD 0805	C192318
CN1 CN2	2 PIN SCREW TERMINALS	TH	C409161

Connections

Gerber View

Measurements

CH1: Output Voltage ripple with 30V Input and 12V @ 1A output – 277 mVpp

CH1: Output Voltage ripple with 30V Input and 12V @ 1A output – 277mVpp – CH2: Output at PIN 2 of IC – 156kHz switching frequency

CH1: Output Voltage ripple with 30V Input and 12V @ 3A output – 233 mVpp

CH1: Output Voltage ripple with 30V Input and 12V @ 3A output – CH2: Output at PIN 2 of IC – 147kHz switching frequency

Thermal Performance

30V Input and 12V @ 1A output -reaches close to 50 Celsius

30V Input and 12V @ 3A output – reaches close to 90 Celsius

Photos

Video

LM2596-ADJ Datasheet

TinyDecoder – Cool IR Receiver and NEC Decoder with Arduino

Posted on 14 January, 202114 January, 2021 by Micael Coutinho

Infrared has been around for a long while. It has proven to be reliable enough so that basically almost everything remote and short range, that came before home automation was cool enough to be considered a thing, and battled its place fairly with RF technologies, so it deserves some love and affection from us. Besides that, it still has its own place, because our remotes and (specially) the old devices we like to hack still use it as a means for communication. Hence, understanding its internals is very useful, even to this day, and can be a good gateway for you into the IR world. Today, we will take a small glance at one of the most popular IR communication protocols and a device that will help you hack the IR devices all around you, the TinyDecoder!

Starting with the NEC, it is a standard protocol for sending and receiving data, used in IR remotes. It consists of 32-bit messages, with the address, its complement, the command and its complement, with each occupying 8 bits. Each message sent has the following sequence: 13.5 ms pulse, a 4.5 ms space and the message, with a 562.5 us pulse in the end of the transmission. The logical ‘0’ is represented by a 562.5 us pulse and another 562.5 us space, and the logical ‘1’ by a 562.5 us pulse and a 1.6875 ms space. Lastly, there are already tabulated values for the usual remote functions (changing channels, play, pause, numbers, etc).

NEC protocol message format

Now that you know how it works, let us have a look at the star of the show, the TinyDecoder. It consists of an IR remote receiver and decoder for the NEC protocol, using the ATtiny13A. On Wagiminator’s project (hosted on GitHub), which receives an IR signal via the TSOP4838 IR sensor, decodes the NEC protocol (including its extended version) and displays its address and command in an SSD1306 OLED display. It is powered by a small coin cell battery and everything about it is open-source, so you have access to the PCB files and the Arduino code. It can be a very useful tool if you intend to hack some devices.

Lastly, there is a small limitation: NEC is not the only IR protocol you may want to tap into. There are other major protocols, such as the SIRC (Sony Infrared Remote Control) and RC-5, that you should learn about, and the 1 kB of Flash is deemed too small for that experience. So, you can switch to another ATtiny in the same package (such as the ATtiny85) and tap into them too, and there is already software support for it. So, why not give it all a try?

TinyDecoder GitHub link: https://github.com/wagiminator/ATtiny13-TinyDecoder

Downsize Your Bench Power Supply With the R4K-36 Series

Posted on 14 January, 202115 January, 2021 by Micael Coutinho

In a time where we spend all our time at home, we start looking for ways to enhance our productivity. You may believe that nothing will ever beat your lab at work or college, and let me tell you, you are dead wrong! Today we will take a look at a very convenient palm-sized variable DC power supply, which has the potential to make your work at home more enjoyable!

The R4K-36 product, developed by Matsusada Precision, is a lab bench power supply series with the features you expect from one, but with a simple characteristic that makes a world of difference: it is incredibly compact. If you recall, these power supplies usually take up more space than almost any other appliance in the lab, and with this one, the space problem simply goes away, you can just tuck it anywhere and it will blend with the environment.

But of course, a power supply is not just made of its size, so what is there that may deserve my attention (and money)? We will see:

Multi setting function, to memorize 3 different voltage and current settings
Delay trigger function, to delay the output in a range of 0.0 to 99.9 seconds
Two different locking modes, to avoid mis-operation and those accidental knob-bumbs
Sink current + sink current prevention function
Connection of up to 16 PSU’s in series (if you have them, you probably just need 2, one for positive and the other for negative rails)
Dual tracking, with multiple outputs
Digital interfaces available
Remote on-off control and remote sensing
Pulse and ramp sequences + master follow function (optional)

Besides these “nice to have” features, there are some technical details we should get into:

Voltage range from 2 to 40 V (with 1 mV resolution)
Maximum output power from 0.2 to 36 W
Maximum current from 0.1 to 4 A (with 0.1 mA resolution)
Four-digit meter
Dimensions: small enough to fit on your hand, do you need more detail?

A very important caveat, these features do not relate to all products in the series. There are many products in this series and they may not fill all the voltages, currents and power specifications stated here.

So, from what we have seen, we are looking at a small product capable of doing big things. It has most of the features you would need in a power supply for your lab and would suit you well. Regarding the price, it is only available through quote, which is a bummer, considering it is a critical factor when choosing a product. Just as a reminder, there are a lot of different variants to choose from, so if you go forward and actually buy one, take some time to analyze and choose the one that will work best for you.

R4K-36 series link: https://www.matsusada.com/product/dcps/handy/r4k36/

Rtlduino RTL8720DN Dual-Band WiFi Board With 2.4/5GHz Wireless MCU Sells for $6

Posted on 14 January, 202114 January, 2021 by Emmanuel Odunlade

Before now, most of the WiFi modules that we come across in the IoT space are the ones that work at only 2.4GHz. But things are fast-changing and we are beginning to see a number of them offering dual-band (2.4GHz and 5Ghz) WiFi, one of which is the B&T BW16 dual-band IoT module.

The B&T BW16 module is based on the Realtek RTL8720DN wireless MCU and sells for $3.90 minus shipping fees. If you like how cheap it is and you are interested in it but do not feel like soldering wires or creating your own baseboard, then you will be glad to further meet the new dual-band IoT board called Rtlduino RTL8720DN.

The Rtlduino RTL8720DN in a compact form factor is fitted with a B&T BW16 module and offers an easy way to evaluate the RTL8720DN dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth LE 5.0 microcontroller. The Rtlduino RTL8720DN board is also affordable and sells for only $6 plus shipping.

Here are some of the key features and specifications that the Rtlduino RTL8720DN board has:

B&T BW16 wireless module with:
- Realtek RTL8720DN MCU with KM4 Arm Cortex-M4 core @ 200 MHz and KM0 Arm Cortex-M0 core @ 20 MHz
- WiFi 2.4G and WiFi 5G with protocol 802.11 a/b/g/n 1×1 from 20/40 MHz up to MCS7
- WiFi low power mode support
- Bluetooth 5.0 LE support with a frequency range of 2.402GHz – 2.480GHz; Receiver sensitivity of -92 dBm; Transmit Power of +7 dBm
- IPEX connector or PCB Antenna
- 16x castellated holes with GPIO, 2x UART, 1x I2C, 1x SPI, 4x PWM, 1x ADC, 3.3V, GND, and,
- 3.3 ±5% supply voltage.
- Temperature Range: From -20°C to 85°C (operating); from -40°C to 125°C (storage)
- Relative Humidity: 10% ~ 90%
- Dimensions: 24 mm x 16 mm x 3 mm
- Certifications: FCC, CE, RoHS, and, SRRC
1x Micro USB port
2x 15-pin headers with BW16 I/Os
Reset button
Burn button
RGB LED
5V power supply via Micro USB port
Dimensions: 49 mm x 26 mm

If you’re interested in getting one, the Rtlduino RTL8720DN board is currently available and can be purchased at $6 (with shipping) on Aliexpress.

You will find the SDK and a getting started guide that explains how to get started in Windows or Linux here, but if you want a detailed explanation on how to use the board with Arduino IDE plus sample codes for blinking an LED, you can check Arduino China forum or the ambd_arduino repo on Github if you prefer English. Thanks to the person nicknamed “a2302004040” for helping out with most of the explanations.

tKINO-ULT6: A Thin Mini-ITX Tiger Lake SBC With Dual 2.5GbE and USB 4.0

Posted on 14 January, 2021 by Emmanuel Odunlade

IEI has launched a thin Mini-ITX SBC with the latest 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors that offer improved performance, power efficiency, and DDR4-3200 memory support.

The new board named tKINO-ULT6 seeks to break the boundaries of performance by bringing cutting edge features and ultimate performance to designs. It is among the first set of thin mini-ITX boards to be based on Intel’s 10nm fabricated 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors and also the second Tiger Lake SBC to come with a USB 4 port following Aaeon’s UP Xtreme i11.

The tKINO-ULT6 offers up to four simultaneous 4K displays, dual 2.5GbE ports, 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen2 ports on the coastline, and a USB 4 that has a minimum of 20Gbps throughput and a maximum of 40Gbps.

The board also supports the more embedded Tiger Lake ULP “E” Core and Celeron variants. These “E” models are known to have an extended purchase availability and lower base and Turbo frequencies than other named ULP3 siblings without the “E” suffix.

tKINO-ULT6 can be used in a wide variety of applications like smart retail stores, surveillance systems, digital signage, etc.

KEY FEATURES:

Has a thin Mini-ITX form factor with support for 11th Gen. Intel® Tiger Lake-UP3 processor
Supports a wide DC input range of 9V to 36V
Supports up to four independent displays (HDMI, DP, eDP/LVDS, USB4)
Has a dual Intel® 2.5GbE LAN
M.2 A key for WiFi+Bluetooth
M.2 M key for Storage (PCIe x2/SATA), and,
PCIe x8 Gen 4.0 slot

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: 11th Gen. Intel® mobile Tiger Lake-UP3 on-board processor
2x SO-DIMM DDR4 3200MHz up to 64GB
1x M.2(NGFF)
2x SATA
1x CPU Cooler
1x DisplayPort; 1x HDMI; 1x LVDS; Type-C DP
2x 2.5GbE LAN powered by Intel I225V controllers
1x Front Audio
Realtek ALC888S HD audio codec
1 x M.2 2230 A key (PCIe x1/USB 2.0); 1 x M.2 2242/2280 M key (PCIe x2/SATA)
PCIe x8 Gen 4.0 slot (x4 signal)
1x 8-bit Digital I/O
5x External USB 3.2; 4x USB 3.2; 1x USB 4.0
4x Internal RS-232; 1x Internal RS-232/422/485; 1x Internal RS-422/485
4x Internal USB 2.0
1x TPM 2.0 connector
Power Input: 9~36V DC input; 1x Internal power connector; Ø5.5mm External DC power Jack
Power Consumption: 12V @ 6.48A
Form Factor: Mini-ITX Motherboard
Dimensions: 170mm x 170mm
Operating Temperature: -20°C to 60°C
Storage Temperature: -30°C to 70°C
Humidity: 5% to 95% (non-condensing)
Certifications: CE/FCC compliant

The company did not say anything about the operating system but Linux and Windows will most likely be supported.

Further details including datasheet and file downloads may be found on their announcement page or product page.

+/-18V Isolated DC-DC Converter Dual Supply Output from USB 5V Power Input

Posted on 13 January, 2021 by mixos

This is a mini DC-DC converter with dual output from single 5V DC supply or USB power source (e.g., +/-18V from 5V/USB). The mini board will fit into small space and perform with high efficiency. Basically, the circuit transfers power from 5V/USB to the output side +/-18V with high isolation, without a direct connection between 5V/USB power and output. The power isolation prevents ground loops and provides high noise immunity between input and output. The project is based on SN6501 chip, which is oscillator/power-driver, is specifically designed for small factor devices. The device drives a low profile, center-tapped transformer primary from 5V/USB power and secondary side provides unregulated dual output which can be further regulated as per requirement (e.g., +/-5V, +/-12V). Project is a very easy and simple tool to test and run industrial, scientific project, PLC and I/O modules which require dual output from single input. D2 power LED, CN1 USB A type connector for USB power input, CN3 No isolated 3.3V and 5V DC output, CN2 unregulated dual 18V Output.

+/-18V Isolated DC-DC Converter Dual Supply Output from USB 5V Power Input – [Link]

ESP32-S3 Dual-Core WiFi And Bluetooth LE 5 SoC Adds AI Features For AIoT Applications

Posted on 13 January, 2021 by Emmanuel Odunlade

Espressif Systems has officially announced the arrival of the new SoC that adds AI features for AIoT applications.

“Responding to the ever growing significance of AI, we are delighted to announce the newest addition to Espressif’s series of MCUs, ESP32-S3, which has been specifically designed to address the needs of the AIoT market,” writes Espressif Systems.

The ESP32-S3 includes an updated dual-core MCU, extended I/O, AI-related instructions, and reliable security features. It is “the result of an overall optimization in terms of connectivity, AI computing power, security, IO availability, and peripheral interfaces.”

The ESP32-S3 will provide developers with an AIoT solution platform that is not only cost-effective but also easy to develop. It is fast, smart, and flexible with up to 44 programmable GPIOs for a host of commonly-used peripherals like SPI, I2S, I2C, PWM, RMT, ADC, DAC, UART, TWAI and SD/MMC host. It is also equipped with a ULP core that handles multiple low-power modes in such use-cases.

Key Features and Specifications of the ESP32-S3 include:

32-bit dual-core Tensilica LX7 processor running @ up to 240 MHz with additional vector instructions support for AI acceleration
Additional vector instructions support for AI acceleration
512KB SRAM
384 KB of ROM
Octal SPI flash and PSRAM support
2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4; 40 MHz bandwidth
Bluetooth LE 5.0 with long-range support and up to 2Mbps data rate
44x programmable GPIOs
SD/MMC host, SPI, I2C, PWM, UART, RMT, TWAI, ADC, DAC, I2S
USB OTG
Security Features:
- Digital signature peripheral (for hardware-accelerated message signing)
- HMAC module (for message authentication)
- RSA-based secure boot (verifies the RSA-PSS signature of an application image before executing it).
- AES-XTS-based flash encryption (for off-chip flash memory)
- “World Controller” peripheral with two fully-isolated execution environments and one trusted-execution environment (Isolates security-sensitive data tasks from the rest of the application)

The ESP32-S3 is more comparable with ESP32 dual-core LX6 WiSoC since it is also a dual-core WiFi and Bluetooth LE SoC.

Here are some of the major differences between the two:

ESP32-S3 is faster than the ESP32 because it has a 240 MHz stock frequency while the ESP32 has 160 MHz.
Vector extension in ESP32-S3 makes it specifically faster for AI applications.
ESP32-S3 has larger capacity and higher-speed SPI flash and PSRAM chips.
I/O are more in ESP32-S3 than in ESP32
ESP32-S3 has more security features
Ethernet MAC interface is absent in ESP32-S3 but present in ESP32

What’s more? The new SoC is supported through the popular ESP-IDF platform that offers unparalleled support policy and regular updates. Developers can easily build new applications or move the ones they have built to the ESP32-S3 platform to continue with the ESP-IDF tools and APIs.

More details on the ESP32-S3 may be found on the company’s news page.

Atomstack Cambrian, The Worlds Most Advanced 3D Printer For TPR

Posted on 13 January, 202115 April, 2021 by Tope Oluyemi

Atomstack Technologies has launched a campaign on Kickstarter for their Atomstack Cambrian 3D printer. Explaining the reason behind their 3D printer, the company says:

“3D printing is innovative technology that is changing the way products are created. Many of us have purchased a 3D printer hoping to print gadgets for daily use. Unfortunately, achieving useful prints for everyday objects is difficult due to the lack of elasticity and durability of the printing filament, ultimately making the 3d printer nothing more than a fun but expensive toy. That’s why we invented the Atomstack Cambrian 3D printer.”

The Atomstack Cambrian 3D printer is very different from the 3D printer so available on the market. It is equipped with two swappable extruders that enables it the power to print virtually anything. One of the extruder is 1.75mm, and it is for common filament materials, and the other is a specially designed 2.85mm extruder for TPR (Thermo Plastic Rubber) filament. The highlight of the Atomstack 3D printer is its Thermo Plastic Rubber printing ability, which avails a user create durable end-use products for real world applications. With the Atomstack, there is endless possibilities of what you can print. Printing rubber-like filament is quite difficult due to the fact that the elastic material has a very high possibility of becoming stuck in the nozzle. Atomstack’s 2.85mm extruder takes care of this problem. The extruder is designed to avoid the nozzle jam problem. This enables it perform excellently in printing rubber products such as shoes, lattices, and balls, or components of other products that require elasticity and resiliency.

Application of the TPR filament includes sports equipment, auto parts, electronic devices, medical devices, industrial design, etc. The TPR features properties that makes it perfect for 3D printing. With high elasticity (50-70A hardness) and resiliency ( >50%), you can use the TPR filaments to print any end-use rubber products. You can swap out the extruder for either TPR printing (2.85mm rubber direct extruder) or traditional printing (1.75mm extruder), and they are easy to swap out in seconds. What makes Cambrian efficient and effective is that the direct extruder design makes the extruder close to the nozzle; therefore, it quickly react to the filament and start printing. Also, the 1.75mm & 2.85mm extruders enables better extrusion, faster retraction, and a wider filaments range. The two different extruders makes Cambrian compatible with a wide range of filaments.

The Cambrian has a patterned glass hotbed platform which helps improve printing quality by keeping the extruded filament warm and thus preventing warping. It also enables the printout removal easier. Cambrian features a silent TMC2225 built-in chip, which enables the printer print fast, precise and quiet and won’t disturb you while working. For ease of use, the company developed the control system & user interface with a capacitive touch screen that enables users enjoy their printing experience. Its 4.3″ touchscreen LCD is easy to use. The touchscreen enables you to precisely control the temperature of the hotbed & extruder, set printing parameters, and see print previews. Its UI system enables an efficient and enjoyable user experience. It enables you manage your tasks directly from the system, and also adjust operating temperature, dimensions, and leveling. The Cambrian is durable. All modules and major components are housed in a high strength aluminum alloy which provides the rigidity and stability for accurate printing.

The project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by Fri, February 19 2021 2:59 PM CET. You can find more information about the project on Kickstarter.

Pocket Op Amp Lab powered by AVR128DB28

Posted on 13 January, 2021 by mixos

This is a self-contained tool to allow you to experiment with the configurable op amps provided in the new AVR DB-series processors from Microchip. It shows the configuration as a circuit diagram on the display, and lets you reconfigure it by selecting options from on-screen menus. The display is dynamically updated to reflect the configuration you have selected. by David Johnson-Davies:

It’s based on an Adafruit 240×135 colour TFT display, and an AVR128DB28 microcontroller. This provides two configurable op amps, each of which can be used to amplify low-level signals up to logic levels, or to process the output from the chip’s DAC output. As you press the buttons to change a menu option, the op amp settings are also updated dynamically. So, for example, if you’re using an op amp to amplify an audio signal you’ll hear the volume change as you step between the MUXWIP options, which determine the op amp gain.

In a future article I plan to feature an Op Amp Cookbook, describing a series of projects based on the Pocket Op Amp Lab to demonstrate some interesting applications of the configurable op amps in the AVR DB series.

Pocket Op Amp Lab powered by AVR128DB28 – [Link]

Kontron AI Platform based on Google Coral Edge TPU for Artificial Intelligence

Posted on 12 January, 2021 by Saumitra Jagdale

Kontron AI platform based on NXP i.MX8 M & Google Coral Edge TPU allows easy integration of all Google TensorFlow-Lite applications for Artificial Intelligence. The applications of TensorFlow Lite and pre-trained models can be downloaded for free of cost. It also comes with the feature of quick simple development of neural networks with machine learning and deep learning applications and thus has an optimized TTM (Time To Market).

The Google Coral Edge TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) enhances the AI platform, performing 4 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second) for high-speed image and video data processing. This enables the development of industrial AI applications such as object recognition and classification and other image processing-based applications.

“Compared to an application with simple USB-cameras without TPU at approx. 6 frames/s, the TPU accelerates to a speed of 30 frames/s, therefore five times faster.”

The software is an open-source custom Linux-based system with Yocto based Linux image in eMMC Kernel 4.18. Kontron AI platform is compatible with the TensorFlow Lite framework with Python and C++ as the primary programming languages. Models of the framework feature compactness for more efficiency, through quantization. This converts 32-bit parameter data into 8-bit representations which are suitable for TPU. This enables Edge Computing for low latency and improves the performance significantly.

Technical Specifications of the AI Platform

NXP processor – iMX8 M Quad 1.3 GHz Arm Cortex-A53 CPU cores
Google Coral Edge TPU
4 GB RAM
64 GB eMMC
2x USB 3.0 I/O, 1x USB 2.0 internal, 1x USB OTG internal
2x 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LVDS Dual Channel LVDS
8x GPIO internal header
1x SPDIF internal headers, 1x Line-In, Line-Out, and Microphone-In internal header
TPM 2.0 Infineon for security
12 V DC/1x Locking barrel-type DC Power Jack, 1x Internal 4-pin power connector
pico ITX family with 100 mm x 72 mm

Kontron AI Platform has the option of a USB camera that supports real-time video capture based on v4l2, which is a Linux-based collection of device drivers and API. However, the camera is not available with the package.

“The platform is also suitable for use in harsh environments with extended temperatures ranging from -40° to + 85° C and supports Yocto Linux with the latest kernel.”

To sum up the Kontron AI Platform, the company says:

“The new compact Kontron AI platform consists of an M.2 module with the Google Coral accelerator chip for the software ecosystem TensorFlow Lite on a 2.5-inch pITX SBC from Kontron with an NXP i.MX8M processor.”

There is no exact information about the time of product release at this point in time as the product page says “coming soon.” However, the official press release of the company says:

“The platform will also be available on other Kontron systems within the first quarter of 2021.”

Images and technical specifications have been taken from the official product page and datasheet.