A version of thie article appeared in the February 2012 issue of Test & Measurement World. See the PDF. Many industrial systems use the 4–20-mA loop to transmit measurements from sensors to displays, ...

This design, based on a Maxim MAX220 RS-232 driver/receiver IC, allows you to increase the number of USARTs (universal synchronous, asynchronous receiver/transmitters) available on a microcontroller.

The 555 timer is one of the most versatile integrated circuits available. It can generate PWM signals, tones, and single-shot pulses. You can even put one in a bi-stable mode similar to a flip flop.

When designing a system, one of the most important design decisions is choosing what voltage domain(s) to use. Some voltage domains, such as 5 V, are good for noisy and harsh operating environments ...

This circuit solved a problem encountered in developing a portable device with an ARM Cortex-M0 processor. The power supply consisted of two AA batteries (2 × 1.5 V), and I needed to signal the user ...

Integrating processors, sensors, and data exchange functionality into everyday objects, the Internet of Things (IoT) pushes computing capabilities far beyond desktops and servers, weaving computation ...

One reason of Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problems with microcontrollers is poor power supply decoupling. A correct and sufficient way of decoupling power supply lines is necessary in order ...

Today’s marketplace is getting heavily disrupted by the current semiconductor chip shortage that has hampered our manufacturing production lines. This is evident by the limited supply of products ...

An open-source ecosystem allows sharing application resources and providing technical support through an active developers’ community. OpenPLC is a programming editor that support the International ...