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. I decided to do a “simple” activity where students use a potentiometer to set the value of OCR1A. Using timer/counter 1 in CTC mode with …
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, I finally have the bandwidth to take this on. I’m aware that Ben Eater has done this, and I’m not intending to compete with his …
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 equations (linear, non-linear, differential, ordinary, partial, etc.) can be built as an electrical analog. Put very simply: If you can create a circuit that models …
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, a learning experience for me) to come up with both a combinational logic project and a sequential logic project and implement each one using a …
The purpose of this post is to make the design process of creating printed circuit boards (PCBs) a little less scary. Please note that, as with most of the hobby stuff on my website, I am self taught. This means that I use auto-routing, don’t worry about ground planes, and the most difficult thing I …
Frequently, I will come up with an idea for a project I’d like to do. Some of the projects are small in scope, like designing a PCB for some DIP components so that my students don’t have to spend time wiring up a frequently-used component (like the 7447 and a 7-segment display). Those are relatively …
It can be very difficult to convey to students sometimes just how much effort can go into diagnosing a circuit that isn’t working, and how much tenacity it takes. There are many resources that can be used to try to overcome problems. I figured it might be a good idea to write about my experiences …