Editor’s Letter | Circuit Cellar

The MOSFET tester PCB hides the Arduino that runs the control program and communicates through the USB cable on the left edge. (Source: E. Nisley, CC265)

I recently read on CNN.com the transcript of an interview (May 9, 2002) with arachnologist Norman Platnick who stated: “You’re probably within seven or eight feet of spider no matter where you are. The only place on earth that has … Continue reading →

CC264: Plan, Construct, and Secure

John Breitenbach's DIY leak-monitoring system

Circuit Cellar July 2012 features innovative ideas for embedded design projects, handy design tips with real-world examples, and essential information on embedded design planning and security. A particularly interesting topic covered in this issue is the microcontroller-based home control systems … Continue reading →

Issue 263: H2M & M2M Communication

A simple single-diode unbalanced mixer and its simulation done with Labcenter's Proteus. The RF and LO frequencies are 340 MHz and 300 MHz respectively. You can see on the output spectrum that these two frequencies are still visible, but as well as the difference 40 MHz and sum 640 MHz, among others. (Source: R. Lacoste, CC263)

Before I introduce this issue, I’d like to bring your attention to our recently redesigned website, CircuitCellar.com. It enables engineers and programmers around the world to communicate and share ideas via project articles, videos, and social media. The site’s features … Continue reading →

Issue 262: Advances in Measurement & Sensor Tech

The portable touch-sensor assembly. The touch-sensor boards are mounted on the back of a digital radio, connected to a IOIO board and a Nexus One smartphone. The Android interface is displayed on the phone. (Source: M. Oppenheim)

As I walked the convention center floor at the 2012 Design West conference in San Jose, CA, it quickly became clear that measurement and sensor technologies are at the forefront of embedded innovation. For instance, at the Terasic Technologies booth, … Continue reading →

Issue 261: Cap-Touch Amp Design, RL78 Intro, Embedded Linux, & More

One of Dave Jones's old projects from the '80s. It's a Veroboard construction with items from his junk bin (Source: D. Jones, CC261)

The April issue is now available. As usual, it comprises a wide variety of content: a capacitive-touch amplifier design, an intro to using the Renesas RL78 for low-power apps, info on sigma-delta modulators, Linux software development tools, mesh networking tips, … Continue reading →