Resistors, Resistors, and More Resistors
I haven't posted much lately as I've been very focused on updating textbooks (I just did a major overhaul of the Digital Systems book, consider it a legit 2nd edition),…
Posted inMicrocontrollers
Skipped toggles using ATmega328P timer/counter 1 in CTC mode
What the heck is double buffering, and why should you care? While developing a new activity for my microcontrollers class, I learned the value of double buffering the hard way.…
Posted inDigital Systems Microcontrollers
Small bytes: Program counter
One of the current projects I'm tinkering with is an 8-bit computer. It's something I've wanted to build for several years, and now that I've finished so many other projects,…
Posted inCircuit Analysis Microcontrollers
Analog computation: solving simultaneous linear equations
Prior to the digital revolution, analog electrical computers were used to solve complicated mathematical equations (missile guiding, aerodynamics, stability, etc.). Many systems that can be modeled as a set of…
Posted inDigital Systems
Generating digital clock signals
Any synchronous sequential digital logic circuit requires a clock source (a square wave oscillating between logic LOW and HIGH values) for the circuit to function. Typically, a clock frequency is…
Posted inDigital Systems
Two takes on multiplication
Apparently, people actually read this blog (who knew!), so why not write about a topic I find interesting: multiplication. Multiplying two values together (as opposed to multiplying one value with…
Posted inUncategorized
Keeping a project notebook
Keeping a record of the projects that you build is more important than you may think. Even if you have really well-commented code saved somewhere, or a schematic, it's still…
Posted inUncategorized
Reducing noise in sequential circuits
When designing a sequential circuit with one or more clock signals, particularly circuits with either high-frequency clock signals, lots of wires, or both, noise can be a big problem! The…
Posted inUncategorized
Cleaning Up a 555 Timer Signal
Sometimes a 555 timer does not output a great square wave from 0-5 V. In this case, when using it as a clock source for a flip-flop, a bad 555…
Posted inDigital Systems Microcontrollers
Implementing a Digital Design Project
In digital systems, I teach about a bunch of different hardware solutions that can be used to implement a project. I thought it would be fun (and not to mention,…