Articles and news - Microcontrollers - 8

Seiko Epson Corporation has begun shipping samples of the S7C17M11, a low-power 16-bit microcontroller with on-chip Flash memory, a crystal unit, and a highly accurate real-time clock...

A good, reliable and easy to use dc power supply is probably the most important thing for every electronics hobbyists. Since a proper electronically stabilized power supply is crucial for almost all microcontroller-related diy projects, here we are presenting a simple diy project of an easy to build and very affordable power supply for microcontrollers...

It’s been a long wait, but our latest single board computer for review is finally here! The BBC micro:bit, given free to every seventh-grade British child, has landed at Hackaday courtesy of a friend in the world of education. It’s been a year of false starts and delays for the project, but schools started receiving shipments just before the Easter holidays, pupils should begin lessons with them any time now, and you might even be able to buy one for yourself by the time this article goes to press...

Many Design Ideas have shown how to use the Charlieplexing technique to drive as many LEDs as possible with a minimum number of I/O lines. This Design Idea shows how you can drive three LEDs and scan three switches with only three I/O lines instead of six...

Leonie and her family live in a building with seven other families. Like many cats, Leonie loves to explore her surroundings, and after satisfying her curiosity, she likes to return home, where it’s warm and dry and there’s food... Usually, she just needs to wait in front of the building entrance, where somebody will open the door for her and she can get to the inside staircase. Entering her apartment, however, is more difficult...

Two new microcontroller lines from STMicroelectronics increase energy efficiency, flexibility, and feature integration at the high end of the STM32F4 Access Line for high-performance embedded designs. Qualified up to 125 °C, these latest STM32 devices target always-on sensor acquisition and general-purpose industrial applications, and present a robust and cost-effective upgrade from STM32F1 MCUs...

GainSpan Corporation announces a new Starter Kit Board utilizing the GS2200MIZ Wi-Fi mini module that is the smallest module in its class – as small as a penny – while still providing high performance, industry-leading application resources and battery life. The GS2200M Starter Kit Board is an easy to use evaluation and development platform for GS2200Mxx-based designs. It is equipped with Arduino...

The new PIC24 “GA7” family of microcontrollers is now available from Microchip Technology. As the lowest-cost 256 KB Flash memory 16-bit MCUs available today, these PIC24 devices enable extremely cost-effective designs for Internet of Things sensor nodes, portable medical devices and industrial control applications...

Having already seen strong market uptake of the initial CleO smart display solution for rapid development of human machine interfaces, Bridgetek and FTDI are now expanding this product family to include a higher end version. Based on the widely-praised Embedded Video Engine technology, the new CleO50 shield has a larger 5.0” diagonal 800 × 480 pixel resolution TFT with built-in resistive touch screen, plus enhanced audio capabilities...

When the need arises to convert voltage readings from an analog sensor into a pulse train, a low-end microcontroller offers a versatile solution. The design uses an 8-pin PIC12F683 to provide a pulse train that’s proportional to the sensed input voltage. This is useful, for example, when transforming a sensor signal into a format that’s compatible with a basic digital or GPIO input...