LEAP#407 AC-powered DPS3005 Bench Supply
The DPS3005 is one of a range of popular DC power supply modules; this one is designed for up to 32V/5A DC output. For this project, I am mounting the module in a project case, and adding a rectified step-down transformer so the unit is powered from mains AC.
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub
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LEAP#406 CH340G USB to Serial on a Breadboard
The CH340G is a USB to UART Interface chip. It is often used as a cheap alternative to more established brands. I have some CH340G chips, and with only a few extra components one can build a perfectly serviceable USB to TTL-level serial on a breadboard. I test it out by using it to program an ATmega328 on a breadboard over the serial link.
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub
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mV Meter Battery and Protection Mod
The ATmega328-based millivolt meter based on a design by Scullcom Hobby Electronics has been serving well on my bench. But time for a couple of mods:
- adding a 9V internal battery that can be used when not connected to external supply - great for when the bench is crowded
- simple reverse-polarity protection (inline rectifier), particularly to avoid any confusion over centre-negative/centre-positive power connectors
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub
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LEAP#405 Bootloaders and Arduino Serial Programming
The Arduino IDE makes programming AVR-based microcontrollers so easy that many quite simple concepts get lost in the fog. I confess to having been hazy for the longest time concerning the role of the bootloader and what exactly was going on when you click the “Upload Sketch” button. There are actually some great resources around the net and on YouTube, but they can also mislead a little because they might focus on just one aspect, so I decided to try and pull together a comprehensive soup-to-nuts story. It covers:
- How to check what bootloader (if any) is on a chip
- What bootloaders are available?
- How to burn a bootloader with the Arduino IDE
- How to burn a bootloader with Nick Gammon’s incredibly useful Arduino utility sketches
- Breadboard Setup for Programming over USB-Serial (FTDI and CH340 veriants)
- Programming over USB-Serial with the Arduino IDE
- Programming over USB-Serial with avrdude and gcc toolchain
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub
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