Learn Electronics & Microcontrollers
If you’re an electronics hobbyist of any sort or even just the curios type, you may wonder how LCDs work. The LCD screen is ubiquitous. From our big screen TVs to our computers and “smart” devices like watches and phones to small displays we use in our projects, the LCD is now truly the go-to display for hobbyists and manufacturers alike. [Read more…] about How LCDs Work
What a time to be an electronics enthusiast! These days there is no shortage of communication standards and protocols for microcontrollers and other electronic devices. In addition to the I2C specification — the topic of this article, we have SPI, UART, RS-232, CAN, LIN, 1-wire, the ubiquitous USB interface and more.
And these are just wired serial communications. If we throw in wireless and parallel specifications and protocols, the list grows much bigger.
Each of the above have their own pros, cons, and are suitable for different purposes. This article will be an introduction to the I2C specification. You will see I2C written as I2C in many instances and both are technically correct. However, to keep things easy and consistent, we’ll refer to the protocol as I2C in the rest of this article.
Be sure to go until the end for a nice summary on I2C communications and an I2C specifications chart!
[Read more…] about All About I2C
What is an LED? How do LEDs work?
Many of us take the humble LED, or light emitting diode, for granted despite their ubiquity.
LEDs not only show up in many of your projects, they find a home in a myriad of consumer and commercial products and are now making headway into lighting, driving incandescent and fluorescent lighting into obsolescence.
Before we answer the question what is an LED or delve into how LEDs work, let’s do a quick history lesson on a few common types of light emitting devices you’re probably familiar with. After that, we’ll talk about what LEDs are made of and how they work. Then, we’ll get into the practical side of LEDs and how to use LEDs in your projects and designs.
[Read more…] about How LEDs Work
C Programming Tutorial 5: Functions in C gives a short introduction to functions and also quickly glosses over function definitions and writing functions in C.
While this is alright, I realize that there are many people new to C programming and that a better, more in-depth treatment of writing functions in C is in order. Enter this article, which goes into a bit more detail on writing your own C functions.
[Read more…] about C Programming Tutorial 9: Writing Functions in C
If your project involves any sort of movement, you’re most likely going to use some sort of DC motor to accomplish said movement. And if you’re into building or experimenting with robots, the use of DC motors is a necessity.
There is a lot to say about DC motors and complete books exist on this exciting subject. This post is going to cover the ones that are most likely to cross your bench. Also, this will be an introductory article where we’ll take a look at each type of DC motor from a bird’s eye view and cover the basics.
The various DC motors will get a more in-depth treatment each with their own article in the future.
Enough said, let’s acclimate ourselves with some common DC motors!
[Read more…] about Intro to DC Motors
Pointers in C are one of the most difficult things for many programmers to wrap their minds around and understand. I’m no exception, so this C tutorial on pointers was a re-learning experience for me.
Pointers are a powerful mechanism to work on any array data type. They are also one of the most dangerous tools a programmer can use and a source of a large share of frustrating programming bugs.
In fact, some languages, like Java, have banned their use altogether.
Also, arrays and pointers in C share many similarities, and can be used interchangeably in a lot of instances, as we’ll soon see.
In spite of all this, once you learn how to use pointers you’ll be glad you took the time to do so.
[Read more…] about An Intro to Pointers in C
