Like many folks, I got introduced to microcontrollers through the Arduino platform. The ease of setup, simple language syntax and the availability of a huge number libraries makes Arduino a very attractive choice to prototype your hardware projects. But after you get a grip on your project, sometimes it’s worth […]
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I just got hold of an HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor Module. This is a short post on hooking it up to an Arduino Uno and getting distance information from it. The sensor has 4 pins – VCC (5V), GND, Trigger and Echo. Looking at the datasheet for HC-SR04, the way it […]
Most times your microcontroller is running in a loop, waiting for something to happen – like a button press. All this while it is consuming power, and this could be an issue, especially if you are running the circuit from a battery. To counter this problem, there are ways of […]
Arduino is fantastic as an intermediary between your computer and a raw electronic circuit. Using the serial interface, you can retrieve information from sensors attached to your Arduino. (You can also send information via the serial interface to actuate circuits and devices (LEDs, relays, servos, etc.) connected to your Arduino.) […]
Say you have a microcontroller circuit that does something when it goes dark. To save power, you want to put the chip to sleep when the ambient light drops below a certain level. One way to do this is using an LDR and an op-amp comparator. Here is the schematic: […]
The first thing you do when you learn a new programming language or platform is to write a “hello world” application. This requires something like a “printf” function. That’s not so straightforward when it comes to microcontrollers – where will the output of the “printf” go? That’s where serial communications […]
No, it’s not the $10000 Leica lens of similar name. 😉 For this project, I wanted to try and make a simple night lamp – something that you can put under your cot and use it simply by picking it up. Useful in case you get up in the middle […]
This is a small project that I worked on last year. I have a desk made of dark wood, and it was very difficult to see what was inside the bottom draw. I put together a simple circuit with the schematic below – something which lit up a few strips […]