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Ultralow Power Transistors Function for Years Without Batteries

Researchers at Cambridge University have just achieved a spectacular breakthrough in electronics design. They have developed new ultralow power transistors that could function for months or even years without a battery. These transistors look for energy from the environment around, thus reducing the amount of power used. Dr Sungsik Lee, one of the researchers at …

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MAX232: The classic IC lives on since 1988

The June 23, 1988 issue of EDN included a Maxim Design News insert where we asked “Who in their right mind would choose a computer interface standard that uses ±12V supplies, requires expensive connectors, works over a limited distance, is error prone, difficult to network, and has no current loop isolation?” Yet, here we are …

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Smart LCD Brightness Control using Arduino and LDR

Smart LCD  with Automatic Brightness Adjusting Using Arduino and LDR Sensor Here is a simple Arduino project that focuses on adjusting the brightness of an LCD screen whenever there isn’t  sufficient light in a room. The Arduino reads the surrounding light intensity using an LDR sensor.  The room temperature and humidity range will also be displayed …

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Reverse engineering the popular 555 timer chip (CMOS version)

Reverse engineering the popular 555 timer chip (CMOS version) 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 …

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Understanding silicon circuits: inside the ubiquitous 741 op amp

The 741 op amp is one of the most famous and popular ICs[1] with hundreds of millions sold since its invention in 1968 by famous IC designer Dave Fullagar. In this article, I look at the silicon die for the 741, discuss how it works, and explain how circuits are built from silicon. I started …

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