The control of electronic potentiometers in most today's applications comes from controller-generated signals. However, a significant number of applications exist that require adjustments using manual, front-panel controls. The circuit in ...
This expandable LED display for a microcontroller in Figure 1 has a simple interface with only 6 data/control wires and can be easily accommodated to a DIY design. The display has static indication. Figure 1. The expandable LED display for a ...
If someone in your family has the habit of not completely closing a drawer or perhaps the food freezer’s door you’ll appreciate this design. It senses an ajar door and, if the situation isn’t corrected within 20 sec, sounds a ...
A previous Design Idea describes a programmable current source that used a three-terminal LM317 adjustable regulator (Reference 1). Although that circuit lets you program the output current, the load current flowed through the BCD ...
Whenever I find myself harboring a constantly nagging thought, I know I will eventually have to get busy and find a way to put it to rest. When I read EDN’s Design Ideas, I look for the range of frequencies over which the circuit will ...
Rail-to-rail input and output (RRIO) op amps, both FET and BJT, have been around for a long time, but the possibilities they provide for versatile waveshape generation with simple circuits can still surprise. Figure 1 is an example, outputting a ...
You can use a photoelectric FET as a variable resistor or a potentiometer in combination with a fixed resistor. The H11F3M photoelectric FET has an isolation voltage of 7.5 kV, enabling you to safely control high-voltage circuit parameters. The ...
Powering portable telemetry systems for long-term monitoring presents interesting design challenges. Batteries are unsuitable for certain critical applications, and, in these circumstances, designers typically use wireless inductive links to ...
Many applications require a sinusoidal reference voltage synchronized to the ac line voltage. You cannot derive such a reference voltage directly from the ac line because the waveform of the ac line is distorted because of nonlinear loads connected ...
Whether you use them as indicators or to provide illumination, LEDs are hard to beat in efficiency, reliability, and cost. White LEDs are rapidly gaining popularity as sources of illumination, as in LCD backlights, but with forward voltages ...