March | 2012 | Embedded Lab

Monthly Archives: March 2012

Another LUX meter using MAX44007 ambient light sensor

Posted on March 29, 2012 by R-B Leave a comment

In his digital light meter project, Shawon Shahryiar demonstrated a technique of using a normal LDR to construct a simple LUX meter that outputs the ambient light conditions on an LCD display. While this technique is simple and cost-effective, it requires an additional reference photometer to calibrate the LDR first adding an additional step. I came across this another LUX meter project on University of Wisconsin-Superior website that eliminates the need of external calibration and provides very precise measurement of illuminance in the range of 0.025 – 99999 LUX. This project uses Maxim’s MAX44007 ambient light sensor which features an

New 8-bit PIC microcontrollers feature advanced analog and digital integration

Posted on March 28, 2012 by R-B Leave a comment

There is a good news for PIC fans. Microchip Technology, Inc. has recently announced the expansion of its 8-bit enhanced Mid-range core microcontroller (MCU) family to include advanced analog and digital integration, such as 12-bit A/D converter, 8-bit DAC, Op-Amps with Rail-to-Rail input/output, and high-performance Rail-to-Rail comparators. CHANDLER, Ariz., March 26, 2012 [NASDAQ: MCHP] — Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, today announced from DESIGN West in San Jose the expansion of its 8-bit PIC16F(LF)178X enhanced Mid-range core microcontroller (MCU) family to include advanced analog and integrated communication peripherals, such as on-chip 12-bit Analog-to-Digital

Making a digital capacitance meter using microcontroller

Posted on March 25, 2012 by R-B 42 comments

Capacitors are one of the most common passive electrical components that are extensively used in all kinds of electronic circuits. In this project, we will discuss a technique of building a digital capacitance meter using a PIC microcontroller. This project can measure capacitance values from 1 nF to 99 ?F, with a resolution of 1 nF. The technique is based on measuring the time elapsed when a capacitor is charged to a known voltage through a series resistor. The microcontroller used in this project is PIC16F628A.

TENMA 72-8155 digital LCR meter

Posted on March 6, 2012 by R-B 9 comments

An LCR meter is an extremely useful device for measuring three basic impedance elements, namely, Inductance (L), Capacitance (C), and Resistance (R). Recently, I got a TENMA 72-8155 digital LCR meter from Newark for review. I was very excited to receive it as I didn’t have a dedicated LCR meter in my home lab. Here’s my quick review of this product.