A Video Switcher which can be controlled using the computer`s parallel port. Unfortunately, fewer PCs are fitted with parallel pors these days and, for a laptop, it`s not really an option so the need to control the Switcher through a USB port became important. The Video Switcher only needs three digital inputs so, although the PICAXE range of Microcontrollers would probably
Click here to download the full size of the above Circuit.
provide a chip with a more economical use of pins, the Arduino seems easier to interface with a standard USB cable and it`s a useful enough project to justify building a cut down stand-alone Arduino. A stand-alone Arduino can conveniently be divided into two parts: The ATMega328 with its associated support components and the USB-to-Serial interface needed to upload sketches and provide the serial communication that was to replace the parallel port. I`d decided from the outset to use an ATmega328 with the Arduino bootloader already programmed in and not to complicate things by using a `blank` chip. I bought the pre-programmed ATmega328 and the other components from HobbyTronics as they`re based relatively locally to me (in the UK at least!). The 328 has a convenient pinout label already attached! The USB to Serial converter supplies 5 volts to the Arduino from the computer`s USB socket. There are several different USB to Serial converters available, all of which do more or less the same job. I found the Sparkfun Breakout Board for FT232RL (shown to the right) a bit fiddly to handle and it was necessary to desolder the 3. 3 volt solder bridge and bridge the 5 volt pads instead. It`s shown on the schematic but is a bit hard to spot unless you`re aware of it. It`s also necessary to solder the two 9-way male header strips to the board. I used a BV104 breakout board made by ByVac (shown above) which is described as a "Silicon...
This project fits more for custom made battery casing that can have more space to hide things inside. This switch with few alterations can be used for any other project as well but is designed based on e-bike needs! This project use a clever functionality of....
The circuit described here uses ultrasonic oscillations and operates based on the propagation velocity of these oscillations in the air. Thus, we can easily determine the distance of two points if the time within which the wave travels this distance is....
Sometimes the precious metals are hidden too deep and are not detected except with complicated devices. In many cases, however, small pieces of precious metal buried near the surface can be detected by relatively simple means. Everyone is very attractive to....
Many times for various reasons we forget or can not water the plants that we have in our homes. And many humidity sensors units just notify us with a beeping sound or with a flashing light, that the pot needs watering. But what if we are away from home? This....
The principle behind a metal detector is really very simple. Proof of this is the circuit that follows, in which it proves that the construction of a metal detector can be done in the minute, with few components that we find very easily everywhere. With the....
The sub-harmonic bass generator is a sound producing unit for guitars. The sound it produces looks very much like that of the bass guitar. The octave generator is sometimes quite unusual since it does not produce any of the usual ways of coloring the sound,....
In the past the sounding (sea bottom measurement) was done with the "bullet", that is, with a heavy lead object that the seamen plucked into the sea hung from a calibrated rope. As soon as the "bullet" reached the bottom, the depth appeared directly from the....
This Amplifier was designed to have the following specifications: Distortion less than 0.1% at full power of 100W even at 20KHz. Power has to be attributed to an extended bandwidth. The output transistors must be protected against short circuits. The power....
A series of LEDs serve to alert the gardener when plants need water. Using two conventional digital integrated LEDs and a series of LEDs, we make a very useful device for gardening. The device detects the amount of water in the pot and alerts the grower.....
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