IC station has posted a $10.59 audio amplifier board that supports Bluetooth 5.0 via Beken BK3266 Bluetooth audio chip. For the board to work, you will have to connect buttons, a microphone and 10W or 15W speakers. The hardware setup has to be completed with a power source and an optional input audio signal. After setting it up, the board […]
AUDIO AMPLIFIER BOARD SUPPORTS BEKEN BK3266 BLUETOOTH 5.0 CHIP Continue Reading
The 8087 chip provided fast floating point arithmetic for the original IBM PC and became part of the x86 architecture used today. One unusual feature of the 8087 is it contained a multi-level ROM (Read-Only Memory) that stored two bits per transistor, twice as dense as a normal ROM. Instead of storing binary data, each
Two bits per transistor: high-density ROM in Intel’s 8087 floating point chip Continue Reading
Multifunction data-acquisition systems have been around for a long time as stand-alone instruments, plug-in cards, cabled computer peripherals, and embedded in systems. Such systems are often designed with separate ADCs, DACs, and digital I/O devices. Many microcontrollers include ADCs and DACs, but that locks you into using that device. The AD5592R from Analog Devices combines
A data-acquisition system on a chip Continue Reading
Some time ago I passed comment in here about converting an ESP-01 to 32Mb (or 4MB). And here it is in the flesh – a 32Mb ESP-01 – and also – at last – Sonoff Upgrades. Now, why would you want to do all of that? I would suggest only if you happen to have
Memory upgrade for ESP8266 Continue Reading
This article explains how the LMC555 timer chip works, from the tiny transistors and resistors on the silicon chip, to the functional units such as comparators and current mirrors that make it work. The popular 555 timer integrated circuit is said to be the world’s best-selling integrated circuit with billions sold since it was designed
Reverse engineering the popular 555 timer chip Continue Reading
The ESP8266 chip, and the boards based around it, have been the new hot new thing this past year. Overnight it became — almost by stealth — one of the leading platforms for the Internet of Things. This runaway success quickly gathered a community, and it’s possible Espressif Systems may repeat that next year with their new ESP32 chip. About a
Meet ESP32, New Big Brother to IoT Board ESP8266 Continue Reading
Voltage references are a humble piece of hardware, their sole function is to provide a stable, known voltage. This constant, known value of voltage can then be used as a reference for ADCs and DACs as well as provide a precision current source. I recently got hold of an Analog Devices AD587KN high precision 10.000V
Analog Devices AD587KN 10V reference chip Continue Reading
There are a number of widely used methods to connect microcontroller projects to USB, all of which are not entirely satisfactory: The commonly used FTDI chips are somewhat expensive, and their manufacturer has made some unpopular decisions with their driver support (although technically, the FTDI drivers work quite well). Atmel also offers microcontrollers with built
Introducing ChipHeadBang Continue Reading
Using microfluidic passages cut directly into the backsides of production field-programmable gate array (FPGA) devices, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are putting liquid cooling right where it’s needed the most – a few hundred microns away from where the transistors are operating. Combined with connection technology that operates through structures in the cooling passages, the
Liquid Cooling Moves onto the Chip for Denser Electronics Continue Reading
PORTLAND, Ore. — Living beating hearts on-a-chip were recently created from pluripotent stem cells discovered by 2010 Kyoto Prize Winner, Shinya Yamanaka. Bioengineers at the University of Berkeley aim to create all of the human organs on-a-chip then connect them with micro-fluidic channels to create a complete human-being on-a-wafer. “We have learned how to derive
Heart On-A-Chip Beats Continue Reading
