Inertial sensors are used to detect linear and rotational motion of an object. There are two types of inertial sensors – accelerometers that detect linear acceleration and gyroscopes that detect rotational motion. Accelerometers and gyros are widely used in several applications, including aerospace, military, automotive, mobile phones, and consumer electronics. For example, in mobile phones,…
What are the different types of IC packages?
Integrated Circuits rule the world of electronics. Electronic components are available either in discrete or integrated form. The discrete form is reserved for standalone components only, like a transistor, diode, resistor, capacitor, or inductor. It is the ICs that actually made electronics so popular and ubiquitous it is today. All sorts of circuits – analog,…
Basic Electronics 07 – Resistor Selection Cheat Sheet
We have already discussed the various properties of resistors and different types of resistors. Now, it’s time to know how a resistor must be selected for a given application. Here, we present a cheat sheet here for the selection of resistors that can serve as a quick reference anytime. The process of selecting a resistor…
Basic Electronics 08 – Reading value, tolerance and power rating of resistors
In the previous article, we presented a resistor selection reference table. With the help of this table, you can determine which type of resistor will be most suitable for a given circuit or application. Once you’ve determined which type of resistor suits the best, it’s time to pick up the desired resistor. For that, it…
Basic Electronics 09 – Variable resistors
In a previous article, we discussed various types of fixed resistors, selection of resistor type for a given circuit, and identifying value, tolerance and power rating of fixed resistors. Let’s now talk about variable resistors. The resistance of variable resistors can be adjusted manually or digitally. The variable resistors offer a range of resistance instead…
Basic Electronics 10 – Dependent Resistors
We have already discussed fixed resistors and variable resistors. Interestingly, resistors are not just limited to be used for limiting current, dropping voltage and dissipating power. There are many special types of resistors which work as transducers too and so, they can be used as sensors in the circuits. A transducer is a device which…
Basic Electronics 11 – Power Resistors
In the previous tutorials, we discussed fixed resistors, variable resistors, and dependent resistors. The fixed resistors with a power rating of 5 W or above are classified as power resistors. The purpose of these resistors in a circuit is not to offer resistance. These resistors are assembled in a circuit only for power dissipation because…
Basic Electronics 12 – Practical guide to capacitors
In the previous tutorials, we discussed setting up an electronics lab and learned rudimentary know-how of resistors. Moving on with a discussion on passive components, let’s talk about the capacitor. Let us begin with a fictitious circuit Imagine a purely resistive circuit driven by an ideal voltage source or ideal current source. In such a…
What are Application Specific ICs?
The electronics industry has always focused on miniaturization. This miniaturization was driven by the desire to integrate maximum logic in minimum dimensions. Still, in 2021, the industry is not prepared for the end of Moore’s law, despite a gradual rise in the R&D costs to continue along this path. The ability of transistor logic to…
What are the different types of integrated circuits?
Integrated circuits (ICs) are synonymous with electronics. Wherever there are any electronics, there are definitely one or more ICs. There are no electronics without ICs. Electronics became so popular, widely acceptable, and ubiquitously applicable, all due to the invention of integrated circuits. Integrated circuits are miniaturized integration of complete electronic circuits on a single semiconductor…
What are the different types of fingerprint scanners?
Fingerprint scanners, which were once reserved for biometric logging systems and attendance systems, are now part of regular smartphones and much more. Fingerprints have been a trusted method of personal identity. Combined with face id or other biometric identification systems like retina scanning, fingerprints offer an impeccable way to recognize any person. With a blast…
Arduino-based fall/collision detection alarm using KY-031 knock sensor
Detecting the physical conditions of a robot is always useful in robotic applications. Particularly if the robot is a rover and is designed to explore different terrains. In such applications, there are instances when the state of the robot has to be detected. It may involve detection of collision or fall, change in orientation of…
Arduino-based electronic leveling device
Have you ever struggled to fix nails on a wall perfectly parallel to the floor or ceiling? In this project, we have modeled an electronic-level device useful in placing anything perfectly parallel. This device is prototyped on the popular microcontroller board – the Arduino. It uses very few components to build, only an accelerometer sensor…
Arduino-based token display board controller
You must have noticed token display boards at many places like food stores, hospitals, banks, various takeaways, etc. Token display systems are used to display token numbers. As these display boards show numeric information, these are easily designed using 7-segment LEDs. The commercial models use large 7-segment LEDs to display token numbers. It is even…
What is IOTA?
Internet of Things already has billions of devices by 2021. This globe-spanning network of sensors and consumer devices holds the future of a human-machine world. Well, financial transactions are all-important in a world of humans. IOTA is a cryptocurrency designed to add economics to the internet of machines. IOTA is quite different from thousands of…
Arduino-based automatic car windows for protection from dust and pollution
Cities are getting overpopulated and much polluted day by day. Pollution is a major problem in urban areas, be it developed countries or developing ones. Countries like India are projected to increase their urban population from 30% to 50% by the next decade. The increase in population in cities is coetaneous with an increase in…
What is the Artificial Intelligence of Things?
The Internet commenced as a medium to share files remotely. It didn’t take time to flourish as the most popular globe-spanning communication network for sharing information, messages, and all kind of data. With the evolution of technology, the internet is now the one-stop solution for everything. The Internet made the computers, and then the mobile…
The pros and cons of the Raspberry Pi 400
In many ways, Raspberry Pi falls short as a full-fledged personal computer. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has tried to change this with its latest addition, the Raspberry Pi 400. Launched in November of 2020, the Raspberry Pi 400 is a single-board computer in the form of a keyboard, retailing at $70 per unit or $100…
What are the AMBA protocols?
As electronic miniaturization has been an all-time goal of chip manufacturers, motherboard-based computer/electronic systems have been eventually replaced by System-on-Chip (SoC) and Package-on-Package (PoP) ICs. Complex computer systems are now condensed to smartphones and other handheld devices. These sophisticated electronic devices and gadgets have an SoC at their heart which manages complete computing and control.…
How to design an Arduino-based container shipment tracking system
Container shipping is a common transport medium. In fact, 80 percent of international trade in goods is carried by sea. Containers are large and reliable, offering a standard size that makes them portable between ships, trains, and trucks. However, the loss of items transported via containers is not an uncommon problem in the shipping industry.…