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Issue #231 October 2009 — Signal Processing
Task Manager
Signal Significance, by C. J. Abate
Priority Interrupt
A Broadening Experience, by Steve Ciarcia
New Product News, edited by John Gorsky
FEATURE ARTICLES
IR Signal Control
by Naubert Aparicio
Do you want offsite control of your electronic equipment? With this handy IR signal controller design, you can remotely operate the system of your choice right from your cell phone. In this project, the innovative design is used to control an AC system. p. 12
Keywords: Remote control, IR, cell phone, AC, SMS, e-mail, WIZ810MJ, dsPIC30F4012, POP, TSOP321, TSAL7400, SMTP, telnet
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
INTELLIGENT ENERGY SOLUTIONS
Frequency Sensing Made Simple
Power Grid Frequency Monitor Design
by Arnold Stadlin
This power frequency monitor indicates the relative stability of a power grid. Built around a microcontroller, a precision crystal oscillator, an op-amp, and various passive components, the design measures power grid frequency via a standard electrical outlet. It then sends the data to a PC, displays the information, and relays it to a web server for real-time monitoring.
p. 22
Keywords: Frequency, monitor, sense, stability, power grid, web, dsPIC30F3012, MCP6292, C30
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
Digitally Controlled Amplifier
Connect Vintage Analog to Modern Digital Tech
by George Anderson
The dsPIC30F2023-controlled MiniTron is a high-end vacuum tube stereo amplifier with distortion control, power output, and more. The fully functional amplifier successfully blends its unique circuitry and specialized processing software to precisely match the radically different worlds of high-voltage analog and low-voltage microcontrollers. p. 38
Keywords: Amplifier, audio, tube, digital, dsPIC30F2023, theory, power supply, class H, SMPS, temperature
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
COLUMNS
ABOVE THE GROUND PLANE
Capacitor ESR Measurement
by Ed Nisley
Most commonly available instruments don’t measure equivalent series resistance (ESR). Inspired by the design of a classic pure-analog ESR meter he studied on the Internet, Ed recently built an analog front end for an MCU that measures ESR. In this article he describes the design and the math associated with the project. p. 28
Keywords: Capacitor, ESR, equivalent series resistance, AC resistance, reactance, Arduino Diecimila, ATmega168, transformer
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
THE DARKER SIDE
Multirate Techniques and CIC Filters
by Robert Lacoste
Cascaded integrator-comb (CIC) filters are specific forms of moving average filters that enable you to tackle difficult signal-processing problems. With these filters and some helpful multirate signal-processing techniques, you have another option when a FIR filter doesn’t fit the bill. p. 50
Keywords: CIC, Cascaded integrator-comb filter, moving average, FIR, sampling rate, digital mixing, PIC24FJ64GA002, Proteus VSM
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
FROM THE BENCH
Airflow Analysis
by Jeff Bachiochi
Do you need a way to measure airflow in an air duct? Try deconstructing a small CPU fan, calculating the RPMs, and putting together a circuit to output data to an LCD. Airflow analysis made simple. p. 60
Keywords: Airflow, ducting, fan, RPM, air quality, filtering, HVAC, MERV rating, tachometer, velocity, CFM
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
SILICON UPDATE
Thumbs Up
The ARM Saga Continues
by Tom Cantrell
It’s been more than two decades since Acorn Computers introduced its RISC CPU. The saga continues with the latest chapter in the ARM story, the ARM Cortex-M0 core.
p. 66
Keywords: ARM, Cortex-M0, Thumb, LPC1100, MDK-ARM, tools, NVIC, CMSIS, ULINK2, CoreMark
(A link to the article will be emailed to you.)
BONUS FEATURE ARTICLE
Arduino-Based Temperature Display— Read
it now!
by Mahesh Venkitachalam
After recently discovering the Arduino microcontroller platform, I built a microcontroller-based temperature display (see Photo 1). Arduino provides a high-level programming language and an easy-to-use development environment, the combination of which allows a newcomer to get a project up and running easily...
Buddy Memory Manager— Read
it now!
by Sitti Amarittapark
When memory matters but you don’t have the proper support for dynamic memory management, you may find the Buddy Memory principle to be the perfect solution. This article covers a useful memory management library based on the Buddy Memory principle. With a thorough understanding of the principle, you’ll be able to put the library to good use.
(As appeared with Circuit Cellar Digital Plus October 2009 issue. Subscribers get immediate access to Bonus Materials. Click here for Digial Plus subscription options)
PREVIEW
Issue #232 November 2009 — Analog Techniques
◊ Precision By Encoder: A Precision Linear Encoder Display
◊ Energize a Circuit: An Innovative Switched-Mode Power Supply Design
◊ How to Repurpose a Development Platform
◊ Inexpensive Vehicle Locator: Create an Embedded Linux-Based Controller
◊ LESSONS FROM THE TRENCHES Passing Parameters: The Basics of Passing Parameters and Design Partitioning
◊ FROM THE BENCH Managed Devices and SNMP: A Simple Network Management Protocol
◊ SILICON UPDATE Power Pitcher: Wireless Power on a Microelectronic Scale
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