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This week's EYE ON NPI is a follow up to one we did a few years ago on the similarly-named BQ25792 (https://blog.adafruit.com/2021/05/06/eye-on-npi-ti-bq25792-i2c-controlled-1-4-cell-5a-buck-boost-battery-charger-eyeonnpi-adafruit-digikey-adafruit-digikey-txinstruments/). The BQ25798 (https://www.digikey.com/short/vnr279pz) builds on the '92 by adding selectable dual inputs and true MPPT solar support. This chip is inexpensive, powerful and can handle almost any battery and power source matching you desire. Let's look at some specifications: High power density, high integration buck-boost charger for 1-4 cell batteries supporting USB PD 3.0 profile – Integrates four switching MOSFETs, BATFET – Integrates input and charging current sensing Highly efficient – 750-kHz or 1.5-MHz switching frequencies – 5-A charging current with 10-mA resolution 96.5% efficient: 16-V battery at 3A from 20V Supports a wide range of input sources Autonomously sampled open circuit voltage (VOC) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for charging from a photovoltaic panel – 3.6-V to 24-V wide input operating voltage range with 30-V absolute maximum rating – Detects USB BC1.2, HVDCP and non-standard adapters Dual-input power mux controller (optional) Narrow voltage DC (NVDC) power path Backup Mode with Ultra-fast switchover to adjustable voltage Powers USB port from battery (USB OTG) – 2.8-V to 22-V OTG output voltage with 10-mV resolution to support USB-PD PPS – OTG output current regulation up to 3.32 A with 40-mA resolution Flexible autonomous and I2C mode for optimal system performance Integrated 16-bit ADC for voltage, current, and temperature monitoring Like the '92, the BQ25798 (https://www.digikey.com/short/vnr279pz) supports any size battery. We have lots of battery packs in the Adafruit shop, and in particular we use 1S batteries – if there are more batteries, they are wired in series. But there's lot of folks who are building robotics that require higher voltages, so they have 2S, 3S, or 4S batteries. This charger can handle any of 'em, and you can configure the battery pack size using a simple resistor on the PROG port. In this case it also allows the chip to run in 'standalone' mode without the use of I2C to configure. The biggest improvement you get with the BQ25798 (https://www.digikey.com/short/vnr279pz) is true solar MPPT support. The BQ25792 had VINDPM and IINDPM – the ability to track the input voltage to make sure it is not drooping from overdraw. While this lets you get pretty-close-to-MPPT it isn't true power-point-tracking which requires perturbation around the voltage to adjust as light and temperature affect the solar panel's efficiency. The '98 does this 'right' and even has a K Factor adjustment register - you can tweak this to get the best results based on different weather/temperature (https://www.ti.com/video/6287049638001)- or stick to the default value for good results. Another new feature is 'selectable dual-inputs' what this means if you can set up two power inputs - say DC plug and Solar - and then have the chip switch between them. This is particularly useful because you can't just use two OR'ing diodes to select the power source: the solar panel might have a higher initial open-voltage but can't supply as much current as a DC plug. I2C lets you select which one is priority! The BQ25798 (https://www.digikey.com/short/vnr279pz) also has many of the cool features we liked in the BQ25792: On-The-Go mode where you can turn the buck-boost around and have it generate a variable voltage output, say 5V for powering other USB devices. Another thing that works is powering over USB where you can have the BQ negotiate 'high voltage' support from USB 3 ports. Note that this isn't USB Type C power negotiation, for that you'll want to get a separate USB Type C PD negotiation chip like the TPS25750D (https://www.tij.co.jp/jp/lit/ml/slpp103/slpp103.pdf)...we're hoping there's a future version with PD built in! There's also a built in 16-bit ADC that you can use to monitor various voltages and current draw. While you can charge the battery in 'standalone' mode - you really do need I2C to get the best performance and capabilities. Thankfully there's not a huge number of registers, and SDA/SCL can be 3 or 5V logic signals so you should be able to get it working on anything from an ATmega328 to a Raspberry Pi. We like the high integration: you really only need a few passives and an inductor to get a fantastic all-in-one charger for any lithium ion battery pack. If you're intrigued and would like more information, you've come to the right place! DigiKey has the BQ25798 (https://www.digikey.com/short/vnr279pz) in stock right now for immediate shipment. Order today and you can start designing your solar-powered products of the future by tomorrow afternoon.
With sunny days ahead, we're working on more solar projects. One thing that comes up often is we need is a diode to keep the PV panel current only flowing into a charging circuit. Often times folks use a Schottky diode (https://www.digikey.com/short/b5d8495f) for their low forward voltage. But as you get to an Amp or more, you're still looking at a loss of 0.5V, or 0.5W and that number only goes up with higher currents! Thus the need for an 'ideal diode': we've already got a breakout for an ideal diode but it's only 5V max (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5830). Let's look for one that can handle higher voltages and at least an Amp of current. See the part on Digikey https://www.digikey.com/short/vj2jzpj8 Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
This week's EYE ON NPI is for those who need easy-to-maintain battery power for quick field maintenance - it's Bulgin's Battery Holders for Diverse Applications (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bulgin/battery-holders-for-diverse-applications) a variety of battery enclosures and fixtures that will give your customers easy access to replace batteries no matter what size and configuration! If your product is going to be portable, or if you want battery back-up for timekeeping/configuration/sleep-modes, then you're going to need primary or secondary battery cells built into the design. Secondary cells (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/batteries-rechargeable-secondary/91) are fairly popular these days: those are rechargeable batteries like Li-Poly packs. These are lightweight and high energy-density, which is why you see them everywhere from EV cars (https://www.digikey.com/en/blog/safety-first-approach-to-ev-and-battery-storage) to your Bluetooth earbuds. But they are not very user-friendly to replace, and if damaged can cause fires. They're also more challenging to ship by air due to restrictions on declarations and packaging of bare and with-equipment lithium cells. (https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/shipping-support/shipping-special-care-regulated-items/hazardous-materials-guide/how-to-ship-batteries) and for some field-use devices that may be used for long periods without being near a power outlet, being able to carry extra cells, for quick replacement, is a boon. For those reasons, there's still lots of products that run on your standard-issue primary batteries (https://digikey.com/en/products/filter/batteries-non-rechargeable-primary/90) a.k.a. 1.5V AAA, AA, C, D and 9V batteries. Of course, these days lots of people also use rechargeable NiMH in the same package: they are lower voltage, only 1.3V instead of 1.5V nominal, and have about 30% less energy but can be recharged safely/externally very easily. You can buy them at any corner store anywhere in the world for a few dollars and they have low self-discharge rates so they can be stored for many years. If you decide to go with standard-size batteries, you'll also need a way to hold them securely inside an enclosure. We like the look of these Bulgin battery holders (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bulgin/battery-holders-for-diverse-applications) particularly the ones that mount to an enclosure wall and allow replacement without requiring a battery door that is custom molded. There's even options for IP67 hand-removable/replaceable covers for excellent waterproof-ness even in harsh environments while not sacrificing user-friendliness. On the inside of the enclosure you have solder lugs for easy attachment to your PCB by solder or spade connects. For many of the battery holders, a simple round drilled or punched hole is all that is needed. For your next battery-powered designs, take a look at Bulgin battery holders (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bulgin/battery-holders-for-diverse-applications) - DigiKey has dozens of options in stock for immediate shipment. Order today and you'll get any of the Bulgin varieties shipped immediately so you can power your prototype by tomorrow afternoon!
This week's EYE ON NPI is trendy and buzzy, it's Boréas Technologies' BOS1931 High-Efficiency Piezo Driver (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/boreas/bos1931-high-efficiency-piezo-driver). This chip is a compact way to add powerful high-voltage piezo drive to any product, combining three chips: power supply, waveform generator and driver. With a complete I2C/I3C interface that you can connect to any microcontroller/processor it's the most advanced all-in-one piezo driver we've seen! Piezo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity) discs are multi-use devices that convert mechanical movement to electrical signal, and vice-versa. They're most often seen as electrical-to-mechanical converters such as piezo beepers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_speaker) where an AC signal, usually 3 to 6V peak-to-peak square wave, is applied across the disk. The frequency of the wave is translated into a sound frequency. It doesn't have the same fidelity as a magnetic speaker but its much thinner, less expensive for the component and driving circuitry, and for 2 to 4 KHz beeps it's just fine. Piezos can also be used the opposite way, where mechanical stress on the crystal is translated into an electrical signal. In this way it can be used as a switch or force sensor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_sensor), again usually a few microamperes' worth of current is generated. For these basic uses, your standard microcontroller pin, or at best an H-Bridge will work just fine: you can drive piezo's differentially to get more Vpp across the disc but essentially we're still talking about only a few Volts. There are some times when you want to make a piezo really 'loud' - that is, putting 100+ Volts across the crystal to generate a big mechanical response. This is often not for audible use cases, after all if you wanted to do that you'd just use a magnetic speaker (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1732) that can get to many many Watts of output efficiently. FYI there's two variants of the chip: the BOS1931 (https://www.digikey.com/short/w9tz9tbj) and the BOS1921 (https://www.digikey.com/short/nnb0r29r). The '31 can only do piezo driving. The '21 can do sensing as well as driving, so it can be used for force-feedback products. In this particular EYE ON NPI we'll just be chatting about the driving capabilities of both. So, while we can do basic sensing/beeping with a few Volts - when we want to have significant motion for blasting sonar or moving fluid around we can only increase the movement by increasing the peak-to-peak voltage. Each piezo you buy will have a voltage rating - and you will need a boost converter to generate that peak-to-peak. For the BOS19 series of chips, you can get +-95V so 190Vpp max, which will drive any piezo you find, and you only need 3~5V input thanks to a built-in DC/DC boost converter. Boréas didn't stop there. Not only do you get a booster, but also a full waveform manager with I2C/I3C control. You can can fill up a FIFO buffer with waveform bytes to generate different shapes. There's a sine generator you can control with an envelope creator. Or, you can piece together waveform shapes for different pump/haptic behavior, giving you the customizability of a byte-wise waveform generator with the simplicity of a sine generator. They even have a Haptics Studio' to help you craft the waveform you want (https://www.boreas.ca/pages/haptic-studio). The BOS1931 (https://www.digikey.com/short/w9tz9tbj) and the BOS1921 (https://www.digikey.com/short/nnb0r29r) come in two packages: an easy-to-layout-and-solder QFN and a tiny-and-advanced BGA. Both have the same core so just pick whether you need simplicity or small size. Since its a pretty serious boost converter and driver - the piezo connects directly to the output pins - you'll need to watch your layout. Check the datasheet for their recommended setup to make sure you don't have excessive power loss or EMI. IF you want to get started quickly, the BOS1921-KIT-B01 (https://www.digikey.com/short/v9hn8mcd) evaluation board will let you use their configuration software to quickly determine how your piezo actuator or sensor response to the waveform generator and booster before you start laying out the components on a prototype PCB. If you have some serious piezo-ing you need to get moving, the Boréas Technologies' BOS1931 High-Efficiency Piezo Driver (https://www.digikey.com/short/w9tz9tbj) can do everything from voltage generation, waveform shaping, and differential driving. And best of all it's in stock right now at Digi-Key for immediate shipment! Order today and DigiKey will pick and pack your order in an instant so that you can be vibin' with your fancy new piezo controller by tomorrow afternoon.
We'd like high-quality I2S digital audio generation for our Fruit Jam board, and both 16-ohm headphone/line level out and a mono 8-ohm speaker driver. Ideally, we wouldn't need two or three chips to achieve this: the DAC would have headphone drivers and a class D speaker driver. We'll need I2C control, 3.3V logic, and up to 5V for speaker power. When you need a very specific setup for audio converters, sometimes it's easiest to go to the semiconductor website and search for the exact setup. (https://www.ti.com/audio-ic/converters/dac/overview.html) .Then you can book your order from DigiKey. See the chosen part on DigiKey: https://www.digikey.com/short/hjw02vdt ----------------------------------------- Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/
Are you tired of the constant hustle and yet feel restless when you finally stop? You're not alone! Rediscover your happiest self through today's episode as I explore the concept of high-functioning depression with renowned board-certified psychiatrist and researcher, Dr. Judith Joseph. Dr. Judith shares how success and achievement can often mask underlying undetected depression. She explains how to recognize high-functioning depression and offers clear strategies to address it using her 5V's framework, with her forthcoming book informing our discussion. This conversation just might be the catalyst for meaningful change in your life. Tune in, and let's embark on this journey to better mental health and overall well-being. Show Highlights: Introduction to Dr. Judith Joseph. [02:06] Why Dr. Judith decided to specialize in psychiatry. [05:12] When Dr. Judith realized she was high functioning. [09:35] Destigmatizing slowing down to avoid burnout. [13:23] What is anhedonia? [14:38] Discover the 5Vs framework. [19:13] How to pre-order Dr. Judith's book High Functioning. [22:32] Tips for high-functioning individuals. [23:24] The power of rediscovering happiness. [25:10] To access Dr. Judith's website & book, go to http://www.drjudithjoseph.com/. Connect with Dr. Judith on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/drjudithjoseph/. Follow her on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@drjudithjoseph. Subscribe to the Brilliant Balance Weekly: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly Follow Cherylanne on Instagram: www.instagram.com/cskolnicki Join the Brilliant Balance Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057
This week's EYE ON NPI is as ethereal as it is magical: it's Bel Fuse's 1xN port MagJack and specialty ICMs (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bel-fuse/1xn-port-magjack-and-specialty-icms). These are specially made Ethernet and Ethernet-USB combo jacks that have magnetic transformers inside to make integration with your Ethernet PHY (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet_physical_layer) in order to communicate on the network. MagJacks make designs smaller, and less noisy - they're a great way to simplify your next Ethernet design and get it to market faster! Wireless this, 5G that - what we sometimes need are WIRES! Wired networking is much reliable than wireless, and can go far distances with no loss of signal strength. Particularly as you can also put power over the same wires for nodes that need no other cabling, Ethernet is a reliable networking standard - don't discount it just because of its age! One nice benefit of it is you don't have to do SSID/password setup, it's truly plug and play. Three things are required to add Ethernet. First is a microcontroller or microcomputer that has built in Ethernet Medium Access Control (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_access_control), the low level packet forming technology. Some chips have this built in, such as the ESP32 (https://www.digikey.com/short/dz5pv22m) - or you can use a companion chip like the WIZ5xxx series (https://www.digikey.com/en/supplier-centers/wiznet) that can be controlled over SPI. Then, to get onto a network, you'll want the ubiquitous mechanical RJ-45 connector (https://www.digikey.com/short/t28834zr) that will lead to Cat-5 or Cat-6 cable (https://www.digikey.com/short/pnjh3t8d). In between, the signal levels need to be isolated and converted to the +-2.5V differential signal. To do that we need what is colloquially referred to as the 'magnetics': a cluster of transformers and chokes that will make the signal differential, isolate the PHY from the outside world and also reduce the risk of outside spikes and shocks. Both the Wiznet and ESP32 datasheets, for example, have example wiring to help you identify the right configuration. Note that not all chips have the same magnetics impedances / configurations: it depends on the output signal and impedance. Second, this is separate than PoE magnetics (https://www.adafruit.com/product/3847) which are separate from the data transfer. If you don't care about optimizing board size and complexity, you can always use external magnetics with a plain jack. Bel has a full selection of dozens of magnetics for any configuration you may need (https://www.belfuse.com/product-detail/icm-s-discrete-lan-magnetics). For example the Seeed Ethernet shield (https://www.digikey.com/short/70cvntbm) uses this technique because the PCBA is so big they have space to spare. However, when you want to keep your board compact, you can upgrade your design to use one of Bel Fuse's 1xN port MagJacks. (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bel-fuse/1xn-port-magjack-and-specialty-icms) MagJacks provide two big benefits (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bel-fuse/1xn-port-magjack-and-specialty-icms): one they're smaller than separate magnetics/jacks and second, the magnetics get enclosed in the metal shell of the jack which provides some EMI shielding. For example, we used a combo-jack on the Ethernet Featherwing (https://www.digikey.com/short/9w49r80j) to keep the design single-sided. Which is why we were excited to see the Bel Fuse MagJacks pop up on https://www.digikey.com/new - they're a trusted component we've used before. For this week's EYE ON NPI, DigiKey is highlighting a selection of the new Bel Fuse MagJacks, with dozens of options available (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bel-fuse/1xn-port-magjack-and-specialty-icms). There's classic horizontal ones with LEDs (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bel-fuse-inc/P01-0002-01/25588398). Vertical ones! (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bel-fuse-inc/P01-1AF2-01/25588382) Countersunken for low clearances (https://www.digikey.com/short/5b9mb454) As well as some nifty combo-units that contain both USB type A and Ethernet. (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bel-fuse-inc/P01-3CG3-01/25588395) Just make sure that the internal magnetics match your chipset's needs before selecting it for integration. DigiKey is in the process of stocking all the varieties, but if you want to get started, the P01-1AA2-01 (https://www.digikey.com/short/pw02p9m9) is in stock now for immediate delivery. Order today and you can get this part in your hands by tomorrow morning to help optimize your next Ethernet design!
Sparkle Motion Mini PCBs are here, featuring a compact 5V-only design. We are also refining small breakout boards like the DAC7578 and working on a TMC2209 driver by refactoring BusIO for versatile interfaces. Lastly, Claude & exploring compact, sensorless BLDC motor drivers via DigiKey.
We got our WLED-friend PCBs (https://blog.adafruit.com/2024/12/02/leftovers-layout-wled-board-revision-a-completed/) and are testing it with various LED grids. First, we tried out a 16x16 NeoPixel grid that runs on 5V. Since that worked well, we're now onto a much bigger 60 x 60 grid - that's 3,600 LEDs! These are some NeoPixel pebble (https://www.adafruit.com/product/6024) netting samples we're also testing at the same time; each one has 20 x 60 pixels and uses 12V power, so it's a good test of the DC pass-through for higher voltages. Since WLED has a limit of 2000 pixels per output, this demo uses the three output ports that are then 'merged' together in memory to make a single large grid. We have more to test soon: the onboard IR receiver, USB PD, I2S microphone, extra I/O pins, and I2C, so watch for those videos as they come together. Coming soon - https://www.adafruit.com/product/6100 Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ ----------------------------------------- #wled #neopixels #ledart
This week we got our Metro RP2350 boards (https://blog.adafruit.com/2024/11/11/metro-rp2350-now-with-bigger-better-rp2350b/) back and after fixing the pin direction and rerouting (https://www.instagram.com/adafruit/p/DC2U7mdyf9W) the whole thing, it came up and pretty much works perfectly! Just one component needed a swap - we were able to test all GPIO, analog inputs, MicroSD slot, PSRAM, LEDs & NeoPixel, user button, I2C/SPI/UART, aaand power supplies. The 5V supply is great, we got a nice clean 5V out at 2A+ from 12V DC in. The last thing to check is the HSTX port, which gives us DVI access, and it works, thanks to this festive turtle demo! (https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpython-turtle-graphics) We're aiming to get this into the shop before the end of the year, wouldn't that be smashing? Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ ----------------------------------------- #metro #rp2350 #adafruit
We're wrapping up our WLED board design (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Ybd8CdQYM) and the last part we need to spec out is the 3.3V regulator. Since we are utilizing USB PD or DC in, we could be running from 5V ~ 24VDC. For the 5V output, we only need a few mA, so we're going to pick the same LDO family we sourced earlier (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_0Kua2UZCs) but for the 3.3V we need at least 500mA of current for the ESP32 chip, so a switching supply is necessary! Let's find something inexpensive with 1A+ output, 24V+ input, and we're also going to need something small so minimal passives and high frequency. See the chosen part on DigiKey https://www.digikey.com/short/rt5jw5qj ----------------------------------------- Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/
PRECIO: https://amzn.to/4eZp97k El DSQ LED Programmable Sign es un letrero LED compacto y flexible, programable mediante una app. Funciona con un puerto USB de 5V y permite personalizar textos y patrones dinámicos. Su diseño portátil lo hace ideal para conciertos, fiestas, vehículos y eventos. Con dimensiones de 6.69x2.75 pulgadas, es fácil de usar, destacando por su versatilidad y creatividad para mostrar mensajes y gráficos en tiempo real.
PRECIO: https://amzn.to/4eZp97k El DSQ LED Programmable Sign es un letrero LED compacto y flexible, programable mediante una app. Funciona con un puerto USB de 5V y permite personalizar textos y patrones dinámicos. Su diseño portátil lo hace ideal para conciertos, fiestas, vehículos y eventos. Con dimensiones de 6.69x2.75 pulgadas, es fácil de usar, destacando por su versatilidad y creatividad para mostrar mensajes y gráficos en tiempo real.
In our WLED design, we want to have two (or maybe three?) DC power inputs, where each can be up to 24V, and supply up to 5A of current into the LED strands. In our typical designs, like the Metro or Feather series, we don't really go above 1A or 2A and 20V. Let's take a look at what is available: we want to have the lowest possible forward drop because, at 5V, we want to have no less than 4.5V going into the LEDs, but we also want to minimize the reverse current which can start to get non-trivial at these capacities. Also, should we go with an 'ideal' diode chip or with a Schottky diode? See the chosen part on DigiKey https://www.digikey.com/short/zq72b5bq ----------------------------------------- Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/
PRECIO: https://amzn.to/40WQgNc El Power Bank Solar Portable Charger es un banco de energía portátil con una capacidad masiva de 40,000mAh, ideal para mantener tus dispositivos cargados durante viajes o emergencias. Incorpora tres cables de salida y un cable de entrada integrados, lo que facilita su uso sin necesidad de llevar cables adicionales. Ofrece una carga rápida de 5V/3.1A, compatible con todos los teléfonos inteligentes y dispositivos USB. Además, incluye una linterna integrada, perfecta para actividades al aire libre o situaciones de poca luz. Su diseño también permite cargarse con energía solar, proporcionando una solución ecológica y versátil.
While waiting for the turkey to finish brining, we're designing a board for using WLED – and we want to make like the bestest board in the whole world. Our resident mermaid, firepixie, makes a lot of projects with WLED, and she loves it! So, how can we make something that will be powerful but not too bulky? Here are some things we're thinking about as the design starts to congeal like cranberry sauce: Power via USB Type C PD with a slide switch that selects between 5, 12, and 20V (24V pixels can usually run fine at 20V) OR via a 2.1mm DC jack. With ideal diodes, it's good for up to 5A from either. ESP32-Mini module with built-in or optional wFL antenna port. The classic '32 has broad support, even if we'd prefer the ‘S2 or ‘S3. There are three output signal terminal block sets, with power and ground for each. They'll be level-shifted to 5V. Built in I2S microphone (we're still pondering this one). Stemma QT I2C port to connect external sensors/OLEDs/etc.; separate analog/digital input JST port. 1.3″x1.75″ / 33mm x 45mm size with mounting holes. Anything we're missing, anything that's extraneous? ============================ Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ ----------------------------------------- #wled #led #diy
We had a request to stock more stepper driver boards, and they've got a point: we have a few brushed DC driver boards based on chips like the DRV8833 (https://www.digikey.com/short/z14mb55f) but no dedicated chips like the Trinamic's (https://blog.adafruit.com/2020/06/18/eye-on-npi-tmc2226-sa-ultra-silent-stepper-motor-driver-eyeonnpi-digikey-adafruit-digikey-adafruit-trinamic_mc/). We started a design with the 'classic' A4988 (https://www.digikey.com/short/hfz0ttv5), but it's been many years since that chip was released, let's find another option that has microstepping, and can drive stepper motors at 5V. See the chosen part on DigiKey https://www.digikey.com/short/wzbp7rwp ----------------------------------------- Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
This week's EYE ON NPI is the ideal component for your next power supply design, it's Nexperia's NID5100 Ideal Diodes (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/n/nexperia/nid5100-ideal-diodes) a simple design improvement to Schottky diodes or simple P-FET polarity protection. This small and low-cost component from Nexperia is their first 'ideal diode', and can be used in many low voltage power supply setups to reduce power loss and get you more product life from your battery Diodes, who doesn't love them? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diode) You put some P-doped Silicon next to N-doped Silicon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%E2%80%93n_junction) and before you know it, you have accidentally semiconductored! Make them big enough and you can even solve global warming (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics) We use diodes all the time, and they're particularly useful for power supplies since they make sure current only goes one way. We often use them in front of a DC jack, between the power input and the circuitry: this keep the voltage polarity positive with respect to ground, since most modern microelectronic components want between 3-24VDC. Or, as an OR: either battery or USB power are hot-swapped so that whichever gives the highest voltage will run the downstream electronics - see our Trinket M0 schematic for a simple example (https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-trinket-m0-circuitpython-arduino/downloads) When we first started electronics we'd use the classic 1N4001 (https://www.digikey.com/short/d8jn3f9v) - this low cost diode can handle high currents and about 1A continuous, with about 1-2V forward drop. When we did +12V power to an LM7805 (https://www.digikey.com/short/7vv3zc1d) this was fine, we have 5V to burn. Sometimes if we were feeling fancy we'd use a Schottky diode like the 1N5817 (https://www.digikey.com/short/8fntvnrv) which has about 0.7V drop, these are often used for boost or buck converters where you don't want to lose efficiency in your free-wheeling diode switch. But when using a 3.7V nominal voltage lipoly battery into a 3.3V regulator, we have to dial it down - even 0.7V is too high - so we'd often reach for a lower-drop Schottky like the Nexperia PMEG2010 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/nexperia-usa-inc/PMEG2010ER-115/2119861). We still use this part a lot, but we could do better with an Ideal Diode like the NID5100! (https://www.digikey.com/short/4td40hmh) Ideal diodes are as close as possible to the platonic ideal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_forms#Ideal_state) of a diode as possible: Forward conduction only, with zero reverse conduction, and minimal voltage drop. Sometimes folks try to mimic this with a reversed P-FET and yes this will give minimal forward voltage drop for polarity protection (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrB-FPcv1Dc), but it has 'infinite' reverse leakage instead of close-to-zero. The NID5100 is more complex, with additional circuitry for driving the P-FET. It can be used either as a polarity protection for a DC or battery input where there's risk of the voltage being inverted, or as an OR-ing voltage select. Compared to a Schottky, it can handle 1.5A continuous - most basic Schottky's are 1A - and with a forward voltage drop of only 50mV at 0.1A. The package size and price is also very comparable to a SOT323 diode, in an easy-to-place TSSOP6 and under 10 cents in reel quantity. We also like the extra pins like an Enable, so it can also act as an on/off switch, and a Status pin that lets you know when the diode is conducting: this can be used to detect which power supply is active in an OR setup. Does the Nexperia NID5100 (https://www.digikey.com/short/4td40hmh) sound like the ideal solution to reduce heat and power loss in your next product? Yes! And it's in stock right now at DigiKey for immediate shipment. Order today and you'll receive your components faster than a diode switching time, for integration into your BOM by tomorrow afternoon.
This week's EYE ON NPI is loud and proud - it's the Diodes Incorporated PAM8019E Class-D Audio Amplifier and Headphone Driver (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/d/diodes/pam8019e-class-d-audio-amplifiers), a combo audio amplifier that will add high quality analog audio output to your next design without breaking the bank. We've stocked and used the PAM series of audio amplifiers for over a decade, one of our best sellers is the PAM8302 (https://www.adafruit.com/product/2130) breakout which is a monophonic class D amp for basic projects. Things we like about it: its very inexpensive, it's rock solid, 3~5V power, hard to 'pop' and can drive 4~8 ohm output. But it's only one channel and we often get asked if we can stock a stereo Class D. Also, it's pretty common for us to get requests for headphone drivers. The PAM8019E (https://www.digikey.com/short/b3r00dw5) can do both, and has a lot of nice little details. First up, this is an analog in/out amplifier - no PDM or I2S or TDM. So this is good for either all-analog setups or when you have already converted your digital audio to 'line level', about 1Vpp. Since it's stereo out, there's also stereo input: don't worry about DC bias because you can couple in with 1uF and it will internally bias to half-VDD. Unlike the PAM8302 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/diodes-incorporated/PAM8302AASCR/4033281), this isn't differential input, reference is ground. You can use either the Headphone amp or Speaker amp, but not both: the selection is done with with a digital input pin which will do a smooth pop-free hand off. For the outputs, there's the stereo Class D outputs. These come as two tied-load bridges (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridged_and_paralleled_amplifiers#Bridged_amplifier) which means you can just tie the two sides of each speaker to positive/negative without any capacitors. Class D is an efficient amplification architecture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class-D_amplifier) and if done at a high enough frequency - in this case around 400KHz - the inductive load of the speaker acts as a filter so no separate RLC is required. For EMI purposes, the datasheet recommends a simple 100MHz 600ohm ferrite bead plus 1uF capacitor just to reduce the sharp square waves. For headphone, the chip uses a Class AB (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_amplifier_classes#Class_AB). These are going to give cleaner output because there's no intermediate PWM stage: speakers tend not to be good enough to notice the hiss added from Class D, but headphones are much more sensitive. Also, at the ~50mW output we're talking about, there's not a lot of benefit to optimizing power. Since headphones are by design 'single ended', you will need 220uF caps on the output for high-pass filtering. Some modern audio amps have a 'floating' ground generated to sink the current for cap-less output but these tend to be more expensive and also wouldn't be compatible with line-level inputs. Some nice details we like to see in an amp, especially one this affordable: spread-spectrum so the high frequency PWM isn't centered on one spike, undervoltage-lockout, short-circuit on all outputs, pop-free, non-clip power limiting and separate not-in-line audio level selection. The last one is particularly nice because on the PAM8302 we have to put an analog rheostat in-line with the input pins to reduce the gain from 15x down to 1x or 2x. This would require a stereo pot, which can get scratchy and fail over time. On the PAM8019E (https://www.digikey.com/short/b3r00dw5), the gain is set with a DC voltage which means you can set it with a potentiometer or a DAC output, and you don't have to worry about jitter or scratchiness because there's hysteresis over 64 points. We've already ordered 10 pieces of the Diodes Inc PAM8019E (https://www.digikey.com/short/b3r00dw5) to design a breakout. DigiKey has tons in stock so we recommend you buy some too, at 34 cents a-piece, at reel quantity, it's hard to say no! They're available in 3x3mm or 4x4mm package sizes, both are QFN-20. Order today and you can be bumpin' and boppin' with either speakers or headphones by tomorrow. afternoon.
The TM1814 LEDs we've been looking at this week require an inverted NeoPixel-like signal. While it's not too hard to make a custom library to deal with the prefix bytes, the inversion is a little annoying since you'd have to rewrite a lot of assembly. So, for our level shifter board we designed, let's also add an inverter: It will use 5V power and logic, and we'd like a small SC70-5 package so we can keep the board as compact as possible. Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
This week's EYE ON NPI is Gon' Give It To Ya (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGx6K90TmCI), it's the MaxLinear half duplex RS-485 transceivers (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/m/maxlinear/rs485-422-serial-transceiver) an easy way to convert your every day UART serial connection to a RS-485 or RS-422 data link layer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_link_layer). We've seen RS-485 most often in DMX512 lighting networks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMX512), where there are up to 512 lights/devices connected up to a control board 'universe'. Each one is individually settable. While these could have used CAN bus, or Ethernet, DMX ended up using RS-485 for simplicity and low cost. It's super easy and inexpensive to convert between UART and RS-485 using a MaxLinear chip because the encoded data is the same as 8N1 serial. Each line of RS-485 consists of a differential signal pair, A + B, where A is inverted from B and B's logic level is the bit being sent. This means it can go farther and more reliably than RS-232 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-232) which is single-ended and just has wide voltage swings. However, instead of having ground, RX and TX for connection between two data ports - DCE and DTE - RS-485 cables as used in a DMX setup have the A and B wires plus ground. This means RS-485 going to survive signal degradation better than RS-232 but the downside is its uni-directional. That's fine for lighting rigs because you just want to tell the light "turn blue" or fog machine "on". RS-485 is also driven quite fast, the DMX standardizes on 250kbps comfortably, whereas RS-232 does best at 115.2kbps or less. If you really want, it is possible to convert the line into a bi-directional setup as long as the transmitter knows when to expect signal from a remote device. Simply sent the Driver Output Enable pin of the MxL8321x (https://www.digikey.com/short/dm7zp1hf) low to tri-state the output driver buffer, then set Receiver Output Enable line low, this will swap the device from being a transmitter to a receiver. The light on the other side will do the opposite, setting both pins high to turn into a transmitter. It can then send signal back down the line. Technically this is the difference between RS-485 and RS-422 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-422), which is really just the differential-ized RS-232 part without output/input enable and thus does not have the ability to change 'direction'. For RS-422 you'll probably want two MxL8321x's (https://www.digikey.com/short/dm7zp1hf), one for each direction. While used often for DMX512, you don't have to use the DMX protocol with your MxL8321x RS-485 converters: after all it's just a new physical layer for UART serial, so if you have any design that already uses serial: GPS, MIDI, microcontroller communication, radio modules, you can pop these in between for no-fuss extension from a few inches to many meters, up to 500kbps. The MxL8321x uses 3.3v or 5V power/logic so its easy to integrate into any existing design. The family also comes in a few package sizes and speed variants, from the MxL83211's (https://www.digikey.com/short/55bp41c9) 250kbps to the MxL83214's 50Mbps (https://www.digikey.com/short/zrb42hdh). Pick the slowest one you can use to get the best line drive strength to reduce EMI and reflections. You'll also need to set up a terminator (https://www.ti.com/lit/an/snla044b/snla044b.pdf) on the end of the transmission line. If you're looking to add RS-485 or RS-422 support to your next design, MaxLinear is here to Give You What You Really Want (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MdAbsd0HmI) with their wide range of half duplex RS-485 transceivers. And best of all, DigiKey has them all in stock for instant shipment to your door. Order today and you'll have your MxL8321x in hand by tomorrow morning for instant integration.
Product Minute: Big Purple Phone Silver Fox Large print phone for low vision, seniors or people with cognitive challengers. In the box: Phone, stylus, charger/charging chord, phone case, welcome booklet, Nokia booklets, Physical Buttons; Emergency SOS, volume, and power. Connectivity: Head phone jack, USBC, and 3.5mm head phone jack. Also Bluetooth and Wifi can be setup. Features: 6.5 inch screen. Trouble with touch screens, easily tap or swipe. Talks as you touch the phone (optional). High contrast keypad. No spam or unwanted calls or texts (optional). All settings hidden so users don't get lost in phone settings. Volume is still available. Every screen is designed for people with cognitive challengers. Customisable, toggle on or off buttons. Full screen notifications, picture based navigation, and contacts. Emergency SOS call button, and the owners location is sent to their family. Phone, messages, , one click video calls, SoS, camera/photos, torch, radio, Web browser. Carer portal so carers can manage the phone remotely. Live help with an Australian customer care member at the touch of a button. Battery: 5500 may battery. 5V charging. Up to 3 days battery life. Based on Nokia hardware, Android, and the Big Purple phone launcher. Nano SIMM. 5GB monthly data plan recommended. Orcam in the News Senior management at both Quantum RLV and Vision Australia/Vision Store are aware of the situation concerning Orcam, and will update us in the near future. List of My followed mainstream and Technology podcasts Round about 20 podcast from my apple podcasts app. Two blokes talking techv https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/two-blokes-talking-tech/id422268706 Blind abilities https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/blind-abilities/id972152176 Braillecast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/braillecast/id1259853662 Daily tech news https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/daily-tech-news-show/id790864884 Double tap https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/double-tap/id1309267346 Download this show https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/download-this-show/id499804600 Freedom Scientific FSCast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/freedom-scientific-fscast/id292355470 Freedom Scientific training podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ freedom-scientific-training-podcast/id1521340640 IACast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/iacast/id1070053713 ISee various tech from a blind persons perspective https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/isee-using-various-technologies-from-a-blind/id423121261 Intouch https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-touch/id261292201 IOS today https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ios-today-audio/id381972795 Last week in AI https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/last-week-in-ai/id1502782720 Living blindfully https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/living-blindfully/id973360653 Macbreak weekly https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/macbreak-weekly-audio/id179237749 Unmute presents https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/unmute-presents/id1646722812 Sight and sound tech podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sight-and-sound-technology-podcast/id1437977653 RNIB techtalk https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/rnib-tech-talk/id1151874507 Talking Tech https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/talking-tech-vision-australia-radio/id919830401 Techtalk https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tek-talk/id1500954706 The AI daily brief https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-ai-daily-brief-formerly-the-ai-breakdown/id1680633614 The tech doctor blog and podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-tech-doctor-blog-and-podcast/id370507954 The Virgcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-vergecast/id430333725Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https://www.visionaustralia.org/donate?src=radio&type=0&_ga=2.182040610.46191917.1644183916-1718358749.1627963141See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Microsoft outage linked to Crowdstrike takes down computers around the world; german floppies; AT&T Snowflake crowd hack; Verizon piracy lawsuit; META won't offer future AI models in EU; EU over-regulation with X, META; AI models still using YouTube for training data; USPS sharing data; Instagram and teen mental health; birds versus drones; public Venmos; set Phasers to pricey; AMC makes distribution deal with Netflix; BeetleJuice & Dune trailers; John Wick 4; the Boys & the Acolyte season finales; AI courses; AI new model releases; Scott Adams taught ChatGPT dangerous techniques; AI diseased hot dog or not app shuts down; Apple public betas; Overcast update fail; more alternative power for Dave; dark patterns everywhere.Show notes at https://gog.show/657/Sponsors:1Password Extended Access Management - Check it out at 1Password.com/xam. Secure every sign-in for every app on every deviceDeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!FOLLOW UPHuge Microsoft Outage Linked to CrowdStrike Takes Down Computers Around the WorldGerman Navy still uses 8-inch floppy disks, working on emulating a replacementIN THE NEWSNearly all AT&T subscribers' call records stolen in Snowflake cloud hackAT&T Paid a Hacker $370,000 to Delete Stolen Phone RecordsVerizon faces lawsuit after record labels say it profits from piracyScoop: Meta won't offer future multimodal AI models in EUElon Musk's X faces big EU fines as paid checkmarks are ruled deceptiveMeta accused of breaking European law with its ‘pay or consent' modelApple, NVIDIA and Anthropic reportedly used YouTube transcripts without permission to train AI modelsUSPS shared customer postal addresses with Meta, LinkedIn and SnapMeta Would Also Like to Know If Instagram Is Bad for TeensMeta gives researchers access to Instagram data for teen mental health studyTikTok will still be a 'gatekeeper' under the Digital Markets Act, EU rulesTinder will use AI to help you pick your best profile pictureOpenAI Wants to See All of the New York Times Reporters' Notes and Memos‘Very Annoyed' Birds Are Waging War on NYC's Beach DronesPolice Drone Nabs Vehicle Burglary Suspect in Santa Monica as ‘Futuristic' Surveillance Becomes RealityJ.D. Vance Left His Venmo Public. Here's What It ShowsResearchers track individual neurons as they respond to wordsMEDIA CANDYNow You Can Own Captain Kirk's Original ‘Star Trek' Phaser (Exclusive)AMC Inks Expanded Deal With Netflix, Bringing 13 Series to Streaming GiantInternal Disney Communications Leaked Online After HackBeetlejuice Beetlejuice Official Trailer 2Dune: Prophecy Teaser Trailer 2John Wick: Chapter 4The Boys Season 4APPS & DOODADSAI for EveryoneGPT-4o mini: advancing cost-efficient intelligenceMistral NeMoMy trip to the frontier of AI educationAnthropic teams up with venture capital firm to kickstart $100M AI startup fundDilbert Creator Claims He Taught ChatGPT ‘Dangerous' Hypnosis TechniquesAI App That Claimed to Detect STDs From Dick Pics Shuts Down After It Turns Out It Doesn't Work at AllApple releases public betas for iOS 18, macOS, and moreAmazon discontinues Astro for Business robot security guard to focus on Astro home robotAmazon Astro, Household robot for home monitoring, with Alexa, Includes 30-day trial of Ring Protect ProThe Tragedies of Reality Are Coming for YouFarcry 6 - PS 5THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingOvercastE26 socket USB adapter 5V 1.5A, charger AC110~240V to USB 5V 1.5A for use with smart cameras, battery cameras, smart home devices, Bluetooth speakers, GPS, LED strips, WiFi routers (pack of 2)Power Adapter for Outdoor Wyze Nest cam | USB Cam Wall Charger | for Blink Mini Pan/Ring Spotlight/Google Nest/Blink Indoor/Ring Stick Cam/Arlo Pro cam | Security Camera Charger Plug | 2 PacksSolar Charger, 20000mAh Portable Outdoor Waterproof Solar Power Bank, Camping External Backup Battery Pack Dual 5V USB Ports Output, 2 Led Light Flashlight with Compass (Red)50W/100W Hydro Turbine Generator,Waterwheel Hydroelectric Power Plant Low-Speed Disc-Type Electricity Generation Wind and Water Wheel Outdoor(Size:50W)Pikasola Wind Turbine Generator 400W 12V with 3 Blade 2.5m/s Low Wind Speed Starting Wind Turbines with Charge Controller, Windmill for HomeCatalog of Dark PatternsFTC study finds 'dark patterns' used by a majority of subscription apps and websitesCLOSING SHOUT-OUTSCharmed Star Shannen Doherty Has Died at Age 53MallratsBob Newhart Dead at 94See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Back in the old days, before USB, we had to use RS-232 to communicate with computers. One of our first designs was the ATmex (https://www.ladyada.net/techproj/Atmex/index.html), a microcontroller board with a built in bootloader! We used the MAX232 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/texas-instruments/MAX232DR/555684) to convert 5V serial to +-10V RS-232. These days, with USB-Serial converter chips like the FT232 or CP2102, you'll still see remnants of that past, such as DTR and RTS pins. When working with retro or industrial equipment, you may still find RS-232 DE-9 connectors. Let's take a look at some 3.3V-friendly transceivers, and find one that can do the full 5/3 pin-complete DE-9 connection set. See the chosen parts on DigiKey here https://www.digikey.com/short/218mnb89 Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
This week's EYE ON NPI will take you for a SPIN around the block - it's STMicroelectronics' STSPIN32G0 Three-Phase BLDC Controller (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/s/stmicroelectronics/stspin32g0-three-phase-bldc-controller) series of chips, featuring 250 or 600 V three-phase BLDC FET controllers with integrated embedded STM32 MCU! These chips are an 'all in one' solution to advanced motor control when you want to have sensors and tight integration, or a super tiny footprint. As budding robotics hobbyists, we've designed and stocked many products - like this Motor Shield (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1438) - to support a variety of small DC motors. Some well known varieties are: Hobby Servos, DC brushed motors, and steppers. Hobby servos are actually just DC brushed motors with a feedback circuit, so we'll ignore those. DC brushed motors are simple: apply a positive DC voltage to the two wires, and the rotor spins one way. Apply a negative voltage, they spin the other way. As you can expect from the name, inside are brushes, that connect from the rotating center to the two permanent magnets on the outer diameter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brushed_DC_electric_motor). This makes them inexpensive, and very easy to use: simply PWM the voltage to change the speed, invert the voltage to change direction. Nothing more complex than an H-bridge is required. But the brushes do eventually wear out, or oxidize, or splinter. Which means the motors will eventually 'die' and need replacement. Fine for toys and simple products that have low usage, but not appropriate for white goods or automotive or anything where life-time and reliability are essential! Stepper motors are a tad more complex: in order to have precise movement, they use a bank of 4 electromagnetic coils to 'step' the axle around a little bit at a time (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor). No brushes to replace! But they don't rotate fast: the point is they have small accurate steps, and they're kinda expensive. What if we could combine DC brushed motors and steppers to create... Brushless DC Motors? Wow, so smart! That's exactly what a BLDC is, a DC motor that has no brushes, but does have multiple windings that have to be synchronized right to rotate. They're a little more expensive than brushed motors, but not significantly. The biggest cost increase is in the driver complexity because you need to drive and sequence three branches, whereas the commutator/brushes on a brushed motor handles that for you. Normally folks will use their favorite microcontroller, then wire it up to a BLDC driver (https://www.digikey.com/short/3bf72p89), like the L6235Q (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/stmicroelectronics/L6235QTR/2772201) which can push 2.5A per-bridge at up to 52V. But, wouldn't it be nifty if you didn't have to do any wiring, so that even for small designs, you can have a fully integrated motor controller with your main microcontroller. Or, you could use the microcontroller as an I2C or SPI peripheral that integrates the temperature/current/voltage/torque monitoring that you would normally have to manage as a interrupt-run thread on a main core. That's what we've got here with the STSPIN32G0 Three-Phase BLDC Controller (https://www.digikey.com/short/977t8ftv) series of chips. It's a ARM Cortex M0 STM32G031C8 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/stmicroelectronics/STM32G031C8U6/10300273) running at 64MHz and 64K flash / 8K SRAM, with standard peripherals, debug, and even some 5V-friendly GPIO. Inside, the STM is bonded to the control circuitry so that 3 sides are used for microcontroller interfacing, and the fourth side is high-voltage friendly with separated pads. Program it just like any other STM32G031C8, and just define the motor control pins to the bonded wires. And then you'll need to connect the 6 power IGBT/FETs to create the 3 driving half-bridges such as STGD6M65DF2 (https://www.digikey.com/short/7dwq7zw2) Are you ready to have a super-integrated BLDC driver board that comes with a top-notch Cortex-M0 and all the power-driving experience ST has to offer? You're in luck because the STSPIN32G0 Three-Phase BLDC Controller (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/s/stmicroelectronics/stspin32g0-three-phase-bldc-controller) is in stock right now at DigiKey for immediate shipment. Check out the all-in-one EVSPIN32G06Q1S1 eval board (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/stmicroelectronics/EVSPIN32G06Q1S1/22470459) if you want to immediately start testing out the STSPIN32G0. Then place your order today so you can start putting your own spin on motor driving by tomorrow afternoon.
AI Hustle: News on Open AI, ChatGPT, Midjourney, NVIDIA, Anthropic, Open Source LLMs
In this episode, we delve into the latest AI advancements with Grok 1.5V, featuring enhanced vision capabilities that outperform GPT-4 in recent benchmarks. Join us as we explore the implications of this technological leap and its potential impact on various industries. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: https://AIBox.ai/ AI Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/739308654562189 Jamies's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JAMIEANDSARAH Podcast Studio Network: https://podcaststudio.com/network/
This week, Tristan and Tasia discuss the Humane Ai Pin's disappointing reviews, other AI devices coming soon, and AI model developments from OpenAI, Grok and Microsoft. Then we look at Meta's update to its Llama model and infusing its AI magic into Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more. Join us as we grab some potion and some food and watch as another tech champion harnesses the forces of open source to battle for AI dominance.FOLLOWAI Named This Show Tristan & TasiaAI Named This Show podcastLLM UPDATESChatGPT update: OpenAI makes popular chatbot ‘more direct' and moreElon Musk's xAI previews Grok-1.5V, its first multimodal modelElon Musk's Grok keeps making up fake news based on X users' jokesAI DEVICESHumane AI Hands-On: My Life So Far With a Wearable AI PinHumane AI Pin review: not even closeMKBHD calls the Humane AI pin “the worst product I've ever reviewed.”See also: Limitless' $99 AI wearable to promises to remember your meetings and, well, everything elseSee also: Rabbit R1 just annihilated the Humane AI Pin in new video — but here's the weirdest partSee also: Rabbit R1 vs Humane AI Pin vs Limitless Pendant: AI wearables comparedChatGPT is coming to Nothing's earbudsMICROSOFT VASA-1 AI MODELCool or creepy? Microsoft's VASA-1 is a new AI model that turns photos into 'talking faces'VASA-1: Lifelike Audio-Driven Talking Faces Generated in Real TimeMETA AI NEWSMeta rolls out an updated AI assistant, built with the long-awaited Llama 3Meta says Llama 3 beats most other models, including GeminiMeta's battle with ChatGPT begins nowMeta AIMark Zuckerberg - Llama 3, Open Sourcing $10b Models, & Caesar AugustusFacebook's AI Told Parents Group It Has a Gifted, Disabled Child Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on the Great Search, we saw someone on social media talking about repairing an old device that has a 'split' supply with multiple voltages. (https://twitter.com/dorksince93/status/1779346977861615666) Usually your AC-DC adapter converts 110~220VAC into 12VDC. But sometimes you need +12V, -12V, plus maybe a 5V for good measure. And sometimes the connector ends up being a DIN because it has to support so many different voltages! (https://twitter.com/dorksince93/status/1779346977861615666/photo/1) Let's show how we can find this kind of device, as well as a matching cord (https://www.digikey.com/short/n8z3h7nn) on DigiKey so that we can resuscitate some old devices and keep them out of the landfill! See the chosen part on Digikey https://www.digikey.com/short/m408ftf3 Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
Grok-1.5V is the company's first-generation multimodal AI model. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week's EYE ON NPI will make you say "Yeee-haww", to the buckin'-and-boostin' bronco known as the Richtek RT6160A Buck-Boost Converter with I²C Interface (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/r/richtek/rt6160a-buck-boost-converter). The RT6160A is a high-efficiency, single-inductor, synchronous buck-boost converter that can provide up to 3 Amps of current to a dynamically-configurable voltage from 2.025V to 5.2V. With an amazing 2uA quiescent current, this chip lets you add an advanced power supply for the price of an LDO that will let you design with the smallest possible battery. We're big fans of Richtek for low quiescent power supply chips - our favorite 3.3V LDO is the RT9080-33 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/richtek-usa-inc/RT9080-33GJ5/6161634) which can provide up to 600mA with a 0.5V dropout, and a really nice 4uA quiescent current. This is great for deep-sleep wireless projects where you've got a chip with ultra-low power snooze modes, like the ESP32 - we were able to get down to 10.5 uA in deep sleep thanks to the RT9080! (https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-itsybitsy-esp32/low-power-use). Compare that to the AP2112K which we used to use, has a quiescent current of 55uA. However, the RT9080 is a LDO fixed at 3.3V@600mA - and of course, LDOs have that dropout which translates to power lost. If you want to sip every last Coulomb out of the battery on hand, you'll need a DC/DC converter. Usually we see a buck converter - since you are converting from a Lithium Polymer battery, you'll have 3.7V nominal, 4.2V peak voltage and maybe you'll buck that down to 3V. If you want to really get the best possible range of performance, you can go with a buck boost (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck%E2%80%93boost_converter). That way you can buck down from 3.4-4.2V and then as the battery starts drooping, the chip switches into a boost mode to cover the 2.7V~3.2V range. The RT6160A is a Buck-Boost converter that seems well designed for battery-powered projects, with an input and output range of about 2 to 5V. The default output is 3.3V and you can 'select' between two voltages by toggling a GPIO pin. This makes it easy to adjust the desired voltage and then swap from 'high' to 'low' voltages without an I2C command. Why would you want two voltages? Well, you could use 3.3V or greater for when you want the best performance from a radio, then drop down to 2.5V when the radio isn't on and you want to reduce both the conversion current and also reduce your chip quiescent current: most microcontrollers will use lower current at lower voltages since they are not pushing around as much current onto the internal logic FETs. Combine this with a microcontroller's dynamic clock frequency configuration and you've got a simple system to squeeze more current out of your battery. And usually you have to 'spend' a lot of current to run the DC/DC converter, but this chip has an amazing 2uA quiescent current - lower than most LDOs we've used, and amazing for an up-to-3A output device. If you want to have the lowest quiescent, highest-flexibility power management chip in your next design, the Richtek RT6160A Buck-Boost Converter with I²C Interface (https://www.digikey.com/short/hv7fm4nt) is an excellent choice: Richtek really know their power supplies and they keep it nice and simple so you can get to integration instantly. Best of all, DigiKey has the RT6160A (https://www.digikey.com/short/hv7fm4nt) in stock right now, for immediate shipment, and $1.32 by the reel! All you need is some ceramic caps and an inductor. For fast testing in your application, there are also some EVB_RT6160AWSC (https://www.digikey.com/short/0p80hqvj) eval boards in stock. Order today and you can be waving your cowboy hat in celebration by tomorrow afternoon.
This week's EYE ON NPI will galvanize your next design, with robust galvanic isolation specifically for I2C devices: we're highlighting the Analog Devices ADuM1252/3 Bidirectional I²C Isolators (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/analog-devices/adum1252-bidirectional-i2c-isolator). They are available in two flavors: as the unidirectional ADuM1253 (https://www.digikey.com/short/0w8fq3w5) and bi-directional ADuM1252 (https://www.digikey.com/short/r4j3tcrf). These little SOIC chips provide trustworthy isolation up to a shocking ±10 kV surge, with pending safety and regulatory approvals, so you can feel confident that your design is created as safe as possible. Digital isolation (https://www.analog.com/en/product-category/isolation.html) is essential when dealing with medical, industrial or robotic designs. For industrial/robotic applications, the motors are very noisy and you want to make sure that there is no direct path for that electrical noise to your delicate sensors or microcontrollers. With medical cases, engineers are often tasked with measuring very fine sensors, with uV signals, and providing repeatable data that is used for life-or-death decisions, while also making sure that the 'DUT' is never exposed to dangerous voltages all in an environment with tons of other equipment, some of which may be misbehaving...that's a lot of pressure! The ADuM1252/3 is specifically designed for isolation of I2C signals: you can't just use 'any' isolator because I2C is a bi-directional data protocol that uses pull-ups on open-drain data and clock lines to communicate from controller and peripheral. The ADuM1252 (https://www.digikey.com/short/r4j3tcrf) has bi-directionality on both SDA and SCL, useful for 'multi-controller' modes or when clock stretching is used. The ADuM1253 (https://www.digikey.com/short/0w8fq3w5) has unidirectional SCL for most common I2C devices, and is a little less expensive. The ADI iCoupler technology uses 'galvanic' isolation, that's not the same as optoisolation! According to ADI, you'll get much better data-rate performance and isolation with galvanic compared to optoisolation. Also, lower power since you don't have to turn on/off an LED. Plus you can also use iCoupler for power transfer, which optoisolation cannot do. (https://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/frequently-asked-questions/icoupler_faq.pdf) The way iCoupler works is by creating a tiny transformer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformer) with two sets of metal coils, separated by an isolating polyamide layer. For data transfer, little coils are used and for power transfer, bigger coils can handle a couple mA! Of course, if we're using a transformer, you know that DC signals cannot be passed through, only AC; and data has a DC component plus isn't a sine wave. That means that there's also a data-to-AC codec on board that will turn I2C signals to AC, then back to I2C. All this is managed transparently so you don't have to worry about it, just treat it as a single I2C bus. There's also a couple nice extras that are helpful if you're trying to make I2C more fault-tolerant. Pre-charge circuitry and 'stuck' detection allow hot-swapping, either purposeful or accidental. The two isolated sides are not connected together until the Side2 half is in a neutral-bus condition. Since each side is separate, you can also use the ADuM1252/3 (https://www.digikey.com/short/1vbn4hcb) for level shifting: either half can be between 1.7 and 5.5V power and logic. With the fast iCoupler codec, you can get up to 2 MHz clock rate for fast I2C data transfer. If you need iCouplers for other protocols like USB or SPI - Analog devices has those available as well, each version is tuned for the usage so you get the best performance. If you need high performance galvanic isolation for your next I2C design, the Analog Devices ADuM1252/3 Bidirectional I²C Isolators (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/analog-devices/adum1252-bidirectional-i2c-isolator) will do an excellent job at creating a code-transparent galvanic barrier for up to 2 MHz bidirectional I2C communication. And best of all, both the unidirectional ADuM1253 (https://www.digikey.com/short/0w8fq3w5) and bidirectional ADuM1252 (https://www.digikey.com/short/r4j3tcrf) are stock at DigiKey right now for immediate shipment. Order today and you'll be gallivanting your way to iCoupler bliss by tomorrow afternoon. See the ADI video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cH-ym9QJlQ
Adafruit High Voltage UPDI Friend - USB Serial UPDI Programmer (0:09) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5893?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit Neon-like NeoPixel Strip - RGBW Warm White - 144 LED/m - 5V - 1m (1:00) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5869?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit Neon-like NeoPixel Strip - RGBW Cool White - 144 LED/m - 5V - 1 meter (1:00) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5861?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit STEMMA Analog SPDT Switch - MAX4544 12V - JST PH 2mm (2:05) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5892?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts ----------------------------------------- New nEw NEWs New Products, News, and more: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter #newnewnew Shop for all of the newest Adafruit products: http://adafru.it/new Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
Adafruit High Voltage UPDI Friend - USB Serial UPDI Programmer (0:09) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5893?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit Neon-like NeoPixel Strip - RGBW Warm White - 144 LED/m - 5V - 1m (1:00) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5869?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit Neon-like NeoPixel Strip - RGBW Cool White - 144 LED/m - 5V - 1 meter (1:00) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5861?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit STEMMA Analog SPDT Switch - MAX4544 12V - JST PH 2mm (2:05) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5892?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts ----------------------------------------- New nEw NEWs New Products, News, and more: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter #newnewnew Shop for all of the newest Adafruit products: http://adafru.it/new Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
Adafruit Animated Eyes Bonnet for Raspberry Pi Mini Kit - Without Displays (0:10) https://www.adafruit.com/product/3356?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit 1.54" Tri-Color eInk / ePaper Display with SRAM - 200x200 with SSD1681 and EYESPI (0:57) https://www.adafruit.com/product/4868?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit Neon-like NeoPixel Strip - RGBW Cool White - 144 LED/m - 5V - 1 meter (1:32) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5861?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Double-Sided Single Color 12V LED Strip - Natural White 4500K - 1 meter (2:25) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5863?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts ----------------------------------------- New nEw NEWs New Products, News, and more: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter #newnewnew Shop for all of the newest Adafruit products: http://adafru.it/new Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
Adafruit Animated Eyes Bonnet for Raspberry Pi Mini Kit - Without Displays (0:10) https://www.adafruit.com/product/3356?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit 1.54" Tri-Color eInk / ePaper Display with SRAM - 200x200 with SSD1681 and EYESPI (0:57) https://www.adafruit.com/product/4868?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Adafruit Neon-like NeoPixel Strip - RGBW Cool White - 144 LED/m - 5V - 1 meter (1:32) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5861?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts Double-Sided Single Color 12V LED Strip - Natural White 4500K - 1 meter (2:25) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5863?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=videodescrip&utm_campaign=newproducts ----------------------------------------- New nEw NEWs New Products, News, and more: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter #newnewnew Shop for all of the newest Adafruit products: http://adafru.it/new Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
OK so UPDI actually stands for Unified Program and Debug Interface (https://onlinedocs.microchip.com/pr/GUID-DDB0017E-84E3-4E77-AAE9-7AC4290E5E8B-en-US-4/index.html?GUID-9B349315-2842-4189-B88C-49F4E1055D7F) but this board is so smol and kute that i will call it the Unusually Playful Device Interfacer and pat it's head when it does a good job. it's designed to make programming modern ATtiny chips very easy because it has 3 or 5V power&logic select, power and transmit indicator LEDs, and a quick cable for poking into a breadboard. To test it we're using an RP2040 because we have CH340 via USB Host support (https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_TinyUSB_Arduino/commit/8d996db5075b278e903024d026342b9f6ec755af) - we transmit data from the hardware Serial port and make sure it's received by the USB serial port, and vice versa. Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
This week's EYE ON NPI is one of a kind - it's the MPS MPM3510A 36 V 1.2 A Step-Down Converter from Monolithic Power Systems (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/m/mps/mpm3510a-36v-1-2a-step-down-converter). You might be asking yourself, "wait, is this the same Monolith that appeared in Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypEaGQb6dJk)?" Technically... no. But, we are talking about a new product that comes to you as a black oblong, and contains technology that will transform and evolve your schematic to the next level of existence. The MPM3510A and friends (https://www.digikey.com/short/5dv839jp) are part of the fully-integrated DC/DC converter family from MPS. These modules contain a step-down chip as well as an inductor - plus maybe a passive or two - to create a tiny buck converter that can take an input from 4.5V to 36V DC and convert it down to 0.8V to 36V, configurable with a resistor divider. Despite it's petite stature, it can source 1.2A, and as its an efficient DC/DC converter, no heatsink is required. With the high integration, you only need two resistors and two capacitors to complete the design. We first spotted these converters on Arduino boards like the Nano Every (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/arduino/ABX00028/10239971) that need to be small and thin. Specifically, that's using the MPM3610A (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/monolithic-power-systems-inc/MPM3610AGQV-Z/5292908), which is an earlier version of the MPM3510 which goes to 21V max instead of 36V. We also have a cute breakout for the MPM3610 with either 3.3V fixed (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/adafruit-industries-llc/4683/12822323) or 5V fixed (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/adafruit-industries-llc/4739/13175530) output. Files for those boards are available on GitHub under an open source license (https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-MPM3610-PCB) If you want to quickly integrate the MPM series, check out the downloadable footprints and 3D models available in the EDA Models page (https://www.digikey.com/en/models/7361650). And, even though layout is simple, you should still consult the datasheet to make sure you've got the right setup for the bulk capacitors and power fills, since 1.2A output is a fair amount. One trade-off of having such a small solution is that to get the combined package so small, the inductor has to be low inductance, which means that the PWM frequency of the DC/DC converter is 1-2 MHz. That means you won't be at the top of efficiency...for that you'd have to design a converter with lower frequencies and much bigger inductor. If you need more or less than 1.2A output, or a different range of voltages for inputs or outputs, there's a whole family available of MPM modules, from the diminutive 2mm x 2mm MPM3804 that works only up to 5V and 0.6A (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/monolithic-power-systems-inc/MPM3804GG-Z/7361493) up the chonkin' MPM3686, with a 12x15x14mm body, and 20 Amps output. (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/monolithic-power-systems-inc/MPM3686GRU/5298342) Thankfully, all these chips are yours to use! And, best of all, the MPS MPM3510A 36 V 1.2 A Step-Down Converter (https://www.digikey.com/short/5dv839jp) and friends are all in stock right now for immediate purchase from DigiKey. Order today and it will be shipped instantly, so that you can get your design completed and to market in record time: no worrying over your DC/DC converter design size, efficiency or component selection.
A few weeks ago we showed off our High Voltage UPDI programmer prototype (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYXufxPQAPU). We're still working on that...our Low Voltage one is available in the shop now (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5879). We got a request for us to stock a general-purpose 12v-capable analog switch like the one we used in the HV design. Note this sounds a lot like a previous TGS - but that one was for a quad analog switch and we didn't need to handle voltages above 5V. (https://blog.adafruit.com/2023/05/08/the-great-search-analog-switch-chips-and-multiplexers-thegreatsearch-digikey-digikey/) So, let's go hunting at DigiKey for a low cost analog SPDT switch that is higher-voltage capable, we'll also poke around the ADI search system to augment our search. We'll also chat about CMOS vs TTL input levels, to make sure we can easily use the part we find. See the chosen part on DigiKey https://www.digikey.com/short/48894j2b Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
OK, after a long hiatus, the ESP32 Itsy Bitsy prototypes are built and ready for testing! We first designed this board Feb 20, 2020 - and it's been waiting oh so patiently for its turn. The ESP32 Pico module packs 8 MB of flash and 2 MB of PSRAM. Despite its small size this board can handle fairly complex programs. This board is very small but has lots of pins, with a USB-serial converter, NeoPixel, reset and user button, Stemma QT connector, and a 5V-logic output specifically for driving NeoPixels. to do my final 'all in one' test we're reading temperature and humidity from an I2C sensor, sending it to IO, then reading back the onboard NeoPixel color from the dashboard. It's an excellent way to make sure the whole thing is working the way we like. Last up, we'll do a low-power test, and then it'll be ready for fabrication! Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ ----------------------------------------- #espressif #esp32 #adafruit #ItsyBitsy
For our NeoPixel signal to analog LED converter design, we need to convert 3 open drain PWM outputs to drive N-channel sinking MOSFETS. To do that we'll need to invert the signal - but we don't have a ton of space. So let's source a triple-NOT gate that has push-pull output, and can run from 3 or 5V logic. We also want it to be small, but not TOO small! See the chosen part on DigiKey - https://www.digikey.com/short/tmdnp712 Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
This week's EYE ON NPI is a compact and capable analog-to-digital converter, it's the Microchip MCP3421 18-bit, 240 SPS, single-channel ADC (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/m/microchip-technology/mcp3421-analog-to-digital-converter). This SOT-23-6 part is simple, inexpensive, and easy to use with an I2C interface that can run up to a 3.4MHz clock rate. Being able to power it from 2.7V to 5V makes it an easy-to-integrate component whenever you need an ADC that has differential inputs, adjustable gain, and a built in precision/low-drift reference voltage. One of the trade-offs with getting 18-bit precision is that the ADC is not going to be very fast: you can configure the chip to do a faster 12-bit conversion at 240 SPS, but at 18-bits, it slows down to 3.5 SPS. That's because the way a sigma-delta ADC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta-sigma_modulation) works, it 'guesses' the analog voltage and uses a comparator to determine whether the input is higher or lower. Each 'guess' takes an extra step, and thus halves the throughput, so 12-bit is 240 SPS, and 14-bit is 1/4 (2-bit) slower, 60 SPS. Ditto 16-bit is 1/4 slower, 15 SPS, and finally 18-bit is 3.75 SPS. However, sigma-delta ADCs are inexpensive, so as long as you don't need high speeds there's no reason to spec a faster and more expensive part! The MCP3421 is already set up for differential inputs, which means that you can read positive or negative differences between the two inputs, as long as both signals are between 0 and 2.048V. This means it's not going to be great for reading stuff like potentiometers, where you have a single-end reading referenced to ground, and you want to read the full range from 0 to Vcc. It is great, however, for reading sensors like strain gauges, pressure sensors, or thermocouples. The I2C interface for the MCP3421 is simple and well documented: there's a command byte that can be written directly to set continuous or one-shot, gain from 1x to 8x and the ADC bit depth. Then, the current data can be read directly, with the status/'command' byte following. Since the ADC is differential, note that the data will come out as binary 1's complement for easy casting to a signed 16 or 24 bit variable. Since there's no address selection pin, you can determine which I2C the device responds to by purchasing a part code variant. For example, A0 is address 0x68, A1 is 0x69, etc. We used ChatGPT to quickly put together an Arduino-compatible library (https://chat.openai.com/share/76252459-50e5-4cd2-8edf-08bf3cc1c438) in about an hour and it pretty much worked right out of the box minus a few typos. The final, tested library code is available here (https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_MCP3421). We also spun up a quick prototype PCB for the MCP3421 (https://twitter.com/adafruit/status/1650909789591945248) and it works very nicely, with a terminal block for the differential input, and Stemma QT ports to quickly plug into a variety of dev boards. If you're on the look-out for a well-designed high precision ADC to integrate into your next design, the Microchip MCP3421 18-bit, 240 SPS, single-channel ADC (https://www.digikey.com/short/5htnqnw8) is an easy win. And, best of all, it's in stock right now for immediate shipment from Digikey. Order an MCP3421 today (https://www.digikey.com/short/5htnqnw8) and you'll be convertin' by tomorrow afternoon!
This week's EYE ON NPI will take a load off your mind, it's Nexperia's NPS4053 5.5 V Load Switch (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/n/nexperia/nps4053-5_5-v-load-switch) - it's Nexperia's first load switch and they did a great job with the NPS4053 which can be used for a variety of situations where you want to separate power supplies for protection or power savings. I'll admit, I've never used a load switch chip before - so this EYE ON NPI was a bit of a learning experience. Traditionally we've used 3 major ways to switch current. First is, of course, a simple switch - we use something like this on our QT Py Lipo BFF (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5397) where we want to allow mechanical switching and the amount of current isn't super high. The slide switch is specified for 300mA and we double-up the DPDT to allow for 600mA. This could be expanded upon with a power switch that can handle up to 240VAC and 5A (https://www.adafruit.com/product/3991) - but of course someone has to flip the switch. We could solve that issue by going with a relay or a solid-state-relay (https://blog.adafruit.com/2023/08/03/eye-on-npi-sensata-crydoms-series-1-ac-panel-mount-solid-state-relays-eyeonnpi-digikey-sensata-digikey-adafruit/) but they have some downsides as well: high cost, large space requirements. We need something much smaller! On our dev boards we have historically used two techniques for flipping on/off power to subcircuits. One is the P-FET high-side switch, which you can see on our Metro boards on the DC jack (https://www.digikey.com/short/d3j7z977). This method is classic, and works well but has a few downsides: you need a second transistor to control high voltages with a low voltage signal since the gate is pulled up to the high input voltage. Also, there's that built-in diode that is will conduct current from the output back to the input - you can see in our schematic how we also have to add a forward-diode to protect against that. Altogether, you would need 2 transistors, a diode and a couple resistors to make a FET-based switch. There's also another downside to FET switches, which is that they are not current limited, so if you happen to be switching a significant amount of current, it could cause a transitory spike on your main power supply...which causes a brownout! Something we experienced when we tried using a P-FET to switch on-off an I2C port. It worked great for low-current sensors but would crash the board when used with a 100mA-draw air quality sensor. So we used a fully separate LDO on the Feather ESP32-S2's (https://www.digikey.com/short/4nj457zb) - this works because we have a volt or more drop from the conversion from 5V to 3.3V so if there's a dip in the voltage, it isn't going to affect the main micro's power supply. This works because the LDO is only a few cents (https://www.digikey.com/short/fnr9jtnj), and we happen to have the headroom. It also has true-disconnect (no extra diode needed!) and is compatible with lower voltage logic signals. But, most devices have a DC/DC converter which is going to be a lot larger than a SOT-23-5 LDO - and there might not be as much headroom. That's where the Nexperia NPS4053 5.5 V Load Switch (https://www.digikey.com/short/ttjt5mjw) comes in! It combines all the analog electronics you need to easily switch loads of up to 5.5V at 2A, with all the niceties that you'd normally have to manage by hand. Instead of a second diode, it has true-cutoff. Instead of a separate current-limiting circuit (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowbar_(circuit)), you can set the current limiting with a resistor and the load switch will turn from Constant Voltage to Constant Current mode. The chip also handles transients nicely, with soft-start, so that you don't get a shock to the power supply if the sub-circuit turns on all at once! In addition, there's Under Voltage Lockouts and short circuit protection. If something does go wrong, the chip will disconnect the load and drive the FAULT pin low, so you can communicate to the user that something is amiss. For many of the short/temp/over-current errors, the chip will naturally recover. With an adorable 2x2mm HVSON package and a cost of only 20 cents in quantity, the Nexperia NPS4053 5.5 V Load Switch (https://www.digikey.com/short/ttjt5mjw) will fit into the same board slot as a transistor for not much more, and replace a ton of power management circuitry with elegant simplicity! And, best of all - it's in stock right now at DigiKey for immediate shipment, in both commercial/industrial (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/nexperia-usa-inc/NPS4053GHZ/21286453) and Q100Z variants (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/nexperia-usa-inc/NPS4053GH-Q100Z/21286452). Order today, then kick your feet up on an ottoman and take a load off: you can relax while DigiKey picks, packs and ships your order instantaneously so that you will have parts in hand by tomorrow morning.
This week's EYE ON NPI stands alone as a fantastic new solution for high power charging of large battery packs and also power boosting from battery to system: it's ADI/Maxim's MAX77789 Standalone 3.15A Charger (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/analog-devices/max77789-standalone-3-15a-charger), an all-in-one power management IC that lets you ditch DC power plugs and simplifies your BOM, at an excellent price. We'll also be covering the MAX77787 (https://www.digikey.com/short/wzv7095b) which is the fraternal-twin-sister product: using I2C instead of resistor settings for configuration. We've been covering USB Type C PD sinks and supplies for about a year here on EYE ON NPI & The Great Search, they're an excellent way to ditch those DC barrel jack power supplies (https://learn.adafruit.com/usb-pd-hacks/) and allow folks to use a single connector and standard power supply (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C90UnNAlCFQ) for various voltages, from 5V-20V at up to 5A. There's plenty of chips that will connect to a PD source and negotiate that voltage for you (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQea9IEmf28) but now we can start to take advantage of USB PD for battery charging as well! This week's dynamic duo does pretty much everything for battery management. As devices get more complex, and battery cost goes down, the packs included in products are getting bigger. If you're trying to charge a 5Ah battery at standard 5V/1A rates, it will take at least 5-8 hours to do so, when folks really want 1-2 hour charge rates. The MAX77789 and MAX77787 have a buck converter that will deliver up to 3A to the battery for 3x faster charging. But, if you try to draw 3A from a USB 5V power cable, that built-in resistance will cause a voltage droop - remember we need at least 4.5V to have the headroom for charging up to 4.2V or 4.35V Lithium batteries. Thus, these chips use USB PD (https://learn.adafruit.com/understanding-usb-type-c-cable-types-pitfalls-and-more) to request higher voltages when available: 9V or 12V means that we can draw less current to get the same amount of power, which means less resistance loss over the cabling. For pre-C chargers, such as Samsung or Apple or Quick Charge (https://learn.adafruit.com/understanding-usb-type-c-cable-types-pitfalls-and-more) the USB D+/D- pins are used. In such cases where you want to have the data pins available for USB data/sync, you'll need something like the MAX20334 (https://www.digikey.com/short/p8b23vf3) data line switch to flip the pins back to your MCU. The MAX77789 uses resistors on the IFAST, ISET and INLIM lines to set the charge rate, timeout, and pack float voltage, the MAX77787 uses I2C. Both have a couple configuration pins, and LEDs for status monitoring. Both have the ability to also be turned into a boost converter - you can't use both charging and boosting at the same time, but since you can use the SYS voltage when connected to USB, you'll have at least 5V either way. The booster is fixed to 5.1V output. On the '89 the boost is enabled by GPIO, the '87 enables it over I2C. Both chips are available in 0.4mm pitch BGA - which means pad-in-via and multi-layer boards in order to pass the inner configuration traces out. Many of the traces are tripled-or-quadrupled to provide the current carrying capability of 3A charge and 6A peak discharge. An eval board is also available (https://www.digikey.com/short/4dc80hwz) which makes quick verification easy. For the I2C configuration version there's also desktop software to try out various settings - the standalone version has jumpers so you can attach any resistor value. Both the ADI/Maxim MAX77789 (https://www.digikey.com/short/j7zhtj4h) and MAX77787 (https://www.digikey.com/short/wzv7095b) Standalone/I2C 3.15A Chargers are in stock right now at DigiKey for immediate shipment. It's great to see forward momentum in chip design releases now that the shortages have abated: only a year ago we were scrambling for diodes and op-amps and now we have a wealth of great new products to choose from! Order one of these powerful Lithium battery management chips today and you'll have it shipped immediately so that you can start integrating it into your new design by tomorrow afternoon.
The driver that we used ChatGPT 4 to write is for the VCNL4020 https://www.digikey.com/short/dpz897jj, an 'all in one' IR proximity sensor. These sensors work by bouncing bright IR light off a surface and measuring how much returns. The IR light is modulated and relatively resistant to ambient light interaction. One of the first sensors we ever used was the Sharp GP2Y https://www.adafruit.com/product/164. It is famous for its ease of use in the days when cheap microcontrollers provided 5V power and an analog signal that roughly maps with distance is emitted. While you can still get analog distance sensors https://www.digikey.com/short/d21wnm5c, I2C interfacing lets you get data quickly and adjust for lower power usage. Let's look at some digital IR proximity sensors and other distance sensors (and the differences between them!) Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com #adafruit #openai #chatgpt #digikey #deskofladyada #driverprogramming #i2cinfrared #proximitysensors #llmtools #arduino #githublibraries #aiassisted #gpt4challenges #digitalir #analogdistance
We wrote a driver this week for the HUSB238 USB PD sink chip https://blog.adafruit.com/2022/05/04/plug-n-play-usb-type-c-dummy-pd/ - this IC is neat in that you can either use jumpers (really, resistor selection) to set the desired PD voltage and current ooooor you can use I2C for dynamic querying and setting. we have a wall adapter that can provide almost-all-PD voltages: 5/9/12/15/20 only 18 is skipped. The HUSB plugs into the USB C cable and, over the CC lines, will negotiate the PD request and commands. For example, we can ask what voltages are available and then iterate over the options here: a multimeter displays the output voltage to prove it works! This can be a handy chip for projects where you need a lot more than 5V @ 2A power: this adapter can give up to 20V at 5A - yes 100W over USB C - and you could buck that down to get a toooon of current at 5V or 12V if that's needed. Arduino library and example code is here https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_HUSB238 . This is also one of the first shipping boards using an OpenAI ChatGPT assisted library https://chat.openai.com/share/d05c963d-b610-4eef-ad98-05656a33e118 https://chat.openai.com/share/a276ce74-f810-4dba-a324-e9fd1545085f Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ ----------------------------------------- #adafruit #arduino #HUSB238 #opensource #opensourcehardware #USBPD #usbc #powerdelivery #techinnovation #smartchip #electronics #projectpower #voltagecontrol #driverupdate #usbchip #hardwaredevelopment #openai #chatgpt
The ENS160 Gas Sensor is an excellent air quality sensor from ScioSense, replacing the discontinued CCS811, with new driver code. This sensor incorporates a microcontroller and MOX sensor to provide detailed air quality readings via an I2C interface, but calibration against known sources is required for precision. The sensor, on a custom PCB in the STEMMA QT form factor for easy interfacing, allows for humidity and temperature compensation and supports both 3.3V and 5V systems. In stock and shipping now. https://www.adafruit.com/product/5606 #adafruit #electronics #opensource Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------
This week's EYE ON NPI is a new spin on an old familiar classic, it's Arduino's UNO R4 Minima and R4 WiFi Boards (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/arduino/uno-r4-minima-and-r4-wifi-boards) now in stock at DigiKey for folks who want a 5V microcontroller board with classic UNO-compatibility but a ton more speed, flash and RAM! The UNO R4 comes in two flavors, the Minima (https://www.digikey.com/short/r70jbj93) is low cost, only $20, whereas the UNO R4 WiFi (https://www.digikey.com/short/qj072pnm) is $27.50 and adds WiFi and BLE via an ESP32-S3 plus a cute monochrome LED grid for scrolling messages or displaying status icons. This pair of dev boards look just like those classic Arduino boards you probably learned to code and hack on, they've been around for almost 20 years, the first board looked very similar, but had a RS232 serial port instead of USB, and all through-hole components (https://blog.arduino.cc/2021/12/09/one-board-to-rule-them-all-history-of-the-arduino-uno/). Through various iterations and improvements, the original board was redesigned to add USB and update to the ATmega168 with the Diecimila (https://docs.arduino.cc/retired/boards/arduino-diecimila) and then the ATmega328 plus auto-power-switching Duemilanove (https://docs.arduino.cc/retired/boards/arduino-duemilanove) in 2009. In 2010 the most popular Arduino to date was released, the UNO, which updated the USB port to use an ATmega16u2 and through various small revisions added the IOref pin to allow 3V power/logic and separate I2C pins since A4/A5 were no longer always connected to a TWI peripheral. Since about 2012, which was the release date of the UNO R3, not a lot has happened with that particular configuration/shape. Arduino the company has released a ton more boards but in different form factors, all available at DigiKey: Nano, Due, MKR, Portenta etc. (https://www.digikey.com/en/supplier-centers/arduino) and you should definitely check them out! But it's also a big deal when the main workhorse of the family gets a respin. Particularly since the new R4 takes a very different direction than the previous UNOs: instead of just upgrading the atmegaxx8 chipset, Arduino has gone with the totally different ARM Cortex-based RA4M series which we've covered on a previous EYE ON NPI (https://blog.adafruit.com/2023/05/25/eye-on-npi-renesas-ra4m1-microcontroller-series-eyeonnpi-digikey-renesasglobal-digikey-adafruit/) In that video we covered a lot about the chip itself so check it out if you're interested in the specifics of that chip family. The chip itself is a similar family to the ARM Cortex M0-based SAMD21 'Arduino Zero' (https://store-usa.arduino.cc/products/arduino-zero?selectedStore=us) but thanks to the Renesas version of this core, we now get the 5V-run RA4M. From Arduino's description, here are some of the updates: - Hardware compatibility with UNO form factor: The UNO R4 Minima maintains the same form factor, pinout, and 5 V operating voltage as its predecessor, the UNO R3. This ensures a seamless transition for existing shields and projects, leveraging the extensive and unique ecosystem already established for the Arduino UNO. - Expanded memory and faster clock: Prepare for more precise calculations and the ability to handle complex projects with ease. The UNO R4 Minima boasts increased memory and a faster clock speed, empowering you to tackle demanding tasks effortlessly. - Extra on-board peripherals: The UNO R4 Minima introduces a range of on-board peripherals, including a 12-bit DAC, CAN BUS, and OP AMP. These additional components provide you with expanded capabilities and flexibility in your designs. - Extended 24 V tolerance: The UNO R4 Minima now supports a wider input voltage range, allowing power supplies up to 24 V. This enables seamless integration with motors, LED strips, and other actuators, simplifying your projects by utilizing a single power source. - SWD connector: Debugging is a critical aspect of any project. Simply connect an external debugger to the UNO R4 Minima and effortlessly monitor the inner workings of your system. Stay in control and gain valuable insights. - HID support: The UNO R4 Minima comes with built-in HID (Human Interface Device) support, enabling it to simulate a mouse or keyboard when connected to a computer via a USB cable. This convenient feature makes it a breeze to send keystrokes and mouse movements to a computer, enhancing usability and functionality. At $20 a piece, these new Arduino UNO R4s (https://www.digikey.com/short/qj072pnm) are a great price for the high quality you get from Arduino - and there's lots of them in stock at DigiKey for immediate shipment! Grab both the UNO R4 Minima (https://www.digikey.com/short/r70jbj93) and UNO R4 WiFi (https://www.digikey.com/short/qj072pnm), and they'll ship immediately so you can get started moving your 8-bit micro projects to Cortex-M4 by tomorrow afternoon
This week we're working on reviving our old floppy hacking projects by making a dev board that will let us connect to various old-school disk drives to either control or emulate them (https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_Floppy). These devices used lots of motors and solenoids to spin and eject the discs, so we will need to be able to provide them with a good amount of current. For 3 1/2" floppy drives, 5 Volts at 1 Amp or so is not unusual, and we expect larger disk drives may need even more power. For the other motors, we'll want to have a 12 V power supply input, so we need to convert 12V to 5V, and at these currents, an LDO like the 1117-series (https://www.digikey.com/short/z8vtf00m) will have to dissipate way more heat than we'd be able to get rid of - that's when a buck converter is a great alternative. Let's find a powerful and affordable converter that can provide 2A or more. See the chosen part on DigiKey https://www.digikey.com/short/4wfzc22j Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com
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