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1500 questions
39
votes
10 answers
How to build a USB controller having knobs, sliders, and switches
How does one go about building an interface for a USB device that allows interfacing pots, linear/log tapers, and momentary/toggle switches to a computer?
If someone could give me a high-level description, I would appreciate it. I can read spec…
Robert Harvey
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39
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5 answers
What's the simplest Linux capable board I could make at home?
I'd like to make a single board computer capable of booting Linux, with my low-tech garage tools (2 sided PCBs, reflow skillet, no plating through holes).
What's the simplest hardware design I could choose?
Are there any microcontrollers with enough…
Toby Jaffey
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39
votes
2 answers
How does a USB C port provide the power to charge laptops?
I've heard about laptops such as the new Chromebooks that are charged via a wall charger that connects to a USB-C port. I'm quite happy that this will supposedly standardize laptop chargers but I'm a little unclear about how this works.
Existing…
ZeroKelvinKeyboard
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39
votes
7 answers
How do I make sure my electronics design is good from manufacturing perspective?
I am a beginner in electronics design. I have some experience with fairly complex PCB design. I want to design a product that will hopefully sell a lot. How do I ensure that the design is inexpensive from manufacturing perspective? I mean not for a…
superczan
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39
votes
3 answers
What are the advantages of full wave bridge rectifier with capacitors parallel to diodes?
I found a circuit where in the classical Graetz rectifier capacitors were added in parallel to each diode.
It looked something like this:
After the rectifier itself, there was the usual huge capacitor and regulator and so on.
So why the smaller…
AndrejaKo
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39
votes
4 answers
Reason of multiple GND and VCC on an IC
What is the reason that most of ICs (e.g. MCU) has multiple (A/D)GND and (A)VCC pins?
If it is to increase performance of an IC, how does it help to performance? or is it easier for the IC designer to connect some pins externally?
some footprint…
Angs
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39
votes
18 answers
What are good microcontrollers available today?
I have experience with assembly and C programming for microcontrollers, but I'm not familiar with the various MCU and DSP families offered by today's companies. (eg: Texas Instruments, Atmel, Renesas)
I'd like to know about the good microcontrollers…
Edward
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39
votes
7 answers
Why should I use a logarithmic pot for audio applications?
Just got really curious about it reading this answer from Spehro Pefhany. There Spehro comments that one should use a logarithmic pot for audio applications. So I googled it.
The best article I could find was one titled "Difference between Audio and…
Ricardo
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38
votes
6 answers
What is the difference between the magnetic H field and the B field?
Wikipedia provides a mathematical explanation. Can I get the intuitive one? I'd like to, for example, understand a ferrite datasheet. These usually have graphs of H vs B, and the definition of permeability depends on understanding the relationship…
Phil Frost
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38
votes
7 answers
Why were coax cables used for networking?
Often, if older standards become obsolete, it's because they are superseded by newer technologies. In the past networking was done using coax, instead of the twisted pair used today. Why did they use the more expensive coax? It doesn't look like the…
The Resistance
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38
votes
5 answers
Can I use the analog pins on the Arduino for my project as digital?
I am new to using Arduino, and I have an Arduino Uno. For the projects I've done, I've only used the digital pins.
I am building a small vehicle that uses stepper motors. I have run out of pins to control the motors for this vehicle. What are the…
bogen
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38
votes
6 answers
Why is open hardware so rare?
I'm trying to understand why open hardware is so much harder to come by than software. I've tried looking around online and I couldn't find as satisfactory explanation.
I understand that hardware is so much easier to keep proprietary and so much…
Caustic
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38
votes
3 answers
Analog scales: Why do they have a metallic strip?
I have a couple of meters with analog scales and want to know why they have a shiny metallic area following the scale.
jake9wi
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38
votes
4 answers
What is this unusual NPN-PNP transistor pair?
I was looking for the datasheet for a transistor I'd discovered during some reverse engineering, a DK52T. Unfortunately I can't find its datasheet, but I found one for the DK52D. See the image below; this is some kind of weird combination NPN-PNP…
parkside
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38
votes
8 answers
Altium: How do I flip/mirror components? X and Y don't work
So this seem like a simple question, but I'm trying to flip components in the schematic editor. If I select a component then use the keyboard shortcut X or Y, it brings up a menu and does not slip the component as desired. Edit --> Move --> Flip...…
user18482
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