Learning PICs @ PCB Heaven
Welcome to our first on-line PIC learning book!
This book will learn you how to program a PIC micro controller. The book has three sections, the beginner's section, the intermediate and the advanced section. Each theory has an on-line test as well to test the knowledge taken from this page. Also, at the end of each section, there are several circuit tutorials fully documented with all code and schematics needed for implementation!
How to check the Windings of a 3-Phase AC motor with an Ohmmeter
A 3-phase AC squirrel cage motor is a very common type used in many applications. In my job, there are machines that have tens of these motors, powered either directly with 3-phase supply or through inverters. It is very important to develop a quick and reliable methodology to check if the motor coils have a problem or not.
PID Theory
I plan to make a PID controller so i had to study about PID in general. In this page i explain what the terms P, I and D means and why this system is so widely used in modern automation
Pulse Position Modulation and Differential PPM
Pulse Position Modulation is one of the most efficient data coding systems thanks to its high level of modulation compression, but not very reliable though. It s not used in critical systems or cable data transmissions, but it is widely used in remote controls and optic fibers.
Hack a Hg Lamp to a Powerful UV Light Source
I got some UV curable paint for my homemade PCBs. This paint needs UV radiation to be cured. I thought that my UV artwork transfer box would work, only to discover that this paint needs much more radiation. So, i hacked a mercury vapor gas discharge lamp that i had and turned it into a high power UV lamp.
Flexible 555 LED Pulsing (Breathing) Circuit
The previous breathing LED circuit became very popular, but it had a major drawback: It was designed to operate with 5 volts only. After receiving many requests for a 12V breathing LED circuit, i decided to design a more flexible one. This circuit operates with 12 to 15 volts and has an adjustable voltage oscillation in terms of amplitude and DC offset.
PWM LCD Contrast Adjustment
The HD44780 is a very popular Character LCD Controller very widely used. The backlit of such LCDs is usually implemented with LEDs, so a simple PWM driver can directly adjust the brightness. Unfortunately, the PWM module cannot be directly used to adjust the contrast. So, i made a very simple and small circuit to interface the PWM output of a microcontroller to the contrast adjustment pin of the HD44780 Character LCD.
A 555 Breathing (Pulsing) LED
I plan to finish the PC case mod that i began some years ago, and i need a breathing (pulsing) LED circuit. I designed a very simple and very adaptive breathing LED circuit to use it for the power switch. The circuit uses a 555 timer chip and two transistor amplifiers, and has different adjustments for the fade-in and fade-out times.
Reverse-Engineering the Linear Guide of a DVD Head
I plan to make a coil-winding machine, and so i needed a stacker mechanism. Inside a PC DVD player, there is a nice 35mm stroke linear guide with a precision moving mechanism, perfect for my needs. The problem is that i did not know how this works, and so i did what i do best: I reverse engineered it to find out how it works.
Reverse-Engineering an LCD Display
I have more fun reverse-engineering something, rather than making it from a scratch. I had an LCD on my hands, with absolutely no information or datasheet available whatsoever, but i badly needed to make it work.
Experimenting with a Liquid Flow Sensor
A friend of mine (thanks Siv) gave me this flow sensor. it comes from a professional (and expensive) household apparatus. It is proper for drinking water and can be connected directly to the water supply. It has a built in controller that provides pulses. With this experiment i will find the pulse counts for a specific amount of water.
Product Review - How cheap is a cheap power supply
I got from ebay a cheap power supply for my canon camera. It appeared as a normal power supply, with the canon brand printed on the label. It worked fine for some time, and then things turned really nasty...
My Job - Retrofit Star Delta motor automation on band saw
In this BLOG entry i explain how can someone make a very simple and reliable Start Delta AC motor automation. I made this automation because i was asked to retrofit an old band saw woodworking machine which had an old manual star-delta switch and no motor protection at all.
My Job - Repairing a pneumatic foot pedal
Many people think that when a pneumatic valve or other equipment fails, it has to be replaced with a new one. That is not correct. Pneumatic valves and regulators can be easily repaired just like pneumatic cylinders. In this BLOG entry i explain how can someone repair a pneumatic valve found inside a foot pedal.
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