LEAP#220 Arduino gcc toolchain
The Arduino IDE is the most convenient way to get started with Arduino, but it does obscure the underlying mechanics of building software for an Arduino.
How to do it from scratch? This is my experiement and guide to building software for an Arduino from the command line. I use a Mac and homebrew, so it is somewhat MacOSX-specific.
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub.
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LEAP#219 DS18S20 1-Wire Reading
Another way to measure temperatures, this time the DS18S20 - an inexpensive 1-Wire digital thermometer with a range of -55°C to +125°C, at ±0.5°C accuracy from -10°C to +85°C.
It comes in TO-92 packaging and may be powered directly (using three pins), or take parasitic power from the data line (using two pins). This makes it ideal for pin-starved microcontrollers that need a decent ambient temperature reading. In this project, I'm just exercising the sensor with a simple Arduino sketch.
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub.
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LEAP#218 MPU-6050 3-Axes Accelerometer Gyroscope Module
I'm planning to build a controller that needs motion detection, so got hold of an Invensense MPU-6050 3-Axes Accelerometer Gyroscope Module to see if it would do the trick. The module conveniently operates on 3-5V. All I've done so far is a simple sketch to confirm I can read raw values from the MPU-6050 using the Arduino Wire library.
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub.
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LEAP#217 Basic AVR-controlled Buck Converter
Buck converters are switching power supplies configured such that the output voltage is lower than the input voltage.
Since the primary components (inductor and capacitor) ideally consume no power, high conversion efficiencies are possible. In practice of course, components are not ideal and there is some power loss. More significant however is any power consumed in the control and feedback circuits.
This circuit is a demonstration and exploration of the basic buck configuration with a fixed load. Since the load is fixed, I have not implemented any feedback control system. Of course there are plenty of buck converter chips and modules on the market and these are so cheap you'd be crazy (or have such precise and unusual requirements) to build your own for a real application. But it's nice to see how they work!
My inspiration for this circuit was DIY Buck Converter by GreatScott! - IMHO the "missing lab" to accompany very good but dry courses such as the Power Electronics Specialisation from University of Colorado Boulder.
As always, all notes, schematics and code are in the Little Electronics & Arduino Projects repo on GitHub.
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