Tutorials

Now that we know the basics of Brainwaves and the sensor on which we are working, it’s time to learn about the brain of this brain wave sensor. The main part of any device is its processing part and in the case of Mindflex Sensor, it’s the NeuroSky EEG Chip.Let’s move on to the details so as to know what the chip contains and how does it work.

Note: it’s recommended to follow this VHDL tutorial series in order, starting with the first tutorial. In the previous tutorial VHDL tutorial – 11, we learned how to design half and full-subtractor circuits by using the VHDL. In this tutorial, we will: Write a VHDL program to build an 8-bit parity generator and checker circuits Verify…

Note: it’s recommended to follow this VHDL tutorial series in order, starting with the first tutorial. In previous tutorial VHDL tutorial – 10, we had designed half and full-adder circuits using VHDL. In this tutorial, we will: Write a VHDL program to build half and full-subtractor circuits Verify the output waveform of program (digital circuit) with…

Electronics is ubiquitous in the modern era. Learning electronics is a never-ending fun ride. Not just a career, it can also be an exciting hobby to take up. Most of the electronics enthusiasts, however, do not know how to get started. They usually have a random beginning that takes a lot of time and effort…

In the previous tutorial, working principle and classification of microphones was discussed. The microphone is an input transducer which converts sound waves into electrical signals. The audio signals from a MIC are amplified by a preamplifier and transferred to the main audio unit. The audio unit might comprise of amplifier and/or filter circuit or may have other circuitry to store audio to a computer. The amplified or stored audio is reproduced using another type of transducer which is called speaker.  The Speaker is a type of output transducer which converts the electrical signal into audio signal. Speakers are enclosed in a rectangular or square shape cabinet. The shape of the box affects the quality of the sound. The cabinet consists of different types of transducers/speakers which produce different types of audio frequency. Each transducer is called as ‘driver’ and the whole cabinet is known as ‘loudspeaker’.

In the previous tutorials, physical properties of sound waves and acoustic waves were discussed. Sound or Acoustic Waves are in the form of vibration. Sound needs to be converted into electrical signals so that it can be processed by electronic circuits. So, the sound which is a mechanical energy must convert into electrical energy and must be precisely represented as an electrical waveform (analog) for any signal processing operations.  So, there is need of a device which could sense the audio signals efficiently and convert them into electrical signals. 

The audio electronics is a branch of electronics that deals with designing of circuits that convert sound into electrical signals or electrical signals back into the sound. These circuits all together form an audio system.  Basically, an audio system is designed to receive audio signals (via microphone), record audio in some storage, transmit audio (through wired or wireless communication channels) and reproduce audio signals (via speakers). So, the audio circuits perform signal processing for representing the sound in the form of electrical signals, manipulate the electrical (audio) signals like amplifying, filtering or mixing, reproduce sound from the audio signals, store audio into computer files or reproduce audio from an audio file. All these processes are performed by different audio related circuits or devices.

Note: it’s recommended to follow this VHDL tutorial series in order, starting with the first tutorial. In the previous tutorial VHDL Tutorial – 9, we learned how to build digital circuits from given Boolean equations.  In this tutorial, we will: Write a VHDL program to build half and full-adder circuits.   Verify the output waveform of the…

Note: it’s recommended to follow this VHDL tutorial series in order, starting with the first tutorial. In previous tutorials VHDL tutorial – 8, we learned how to build different gates (such as AND, OR, NOR, NOT, etc.) by only using the NOR gate in VHDL. We were able to successfully prove that he NOR gate is…

Note: it’s recommended to follow this VHDL tutorial series in order, starting with the first tutorial. In the previous tutorial, VHDL Tutorial – 7, we learned how to build different gates (such as AND, OR, NOR, NOT, etc.) by using the NAND gate in VHDL — proving that the NAND gate is universal. In this…

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,…

A System on Chip or an SoC is an integrated circuit that incorporates a majority of components present on a computer. As the name suggests, it is an entire system fabricated on a silicon chip. The beauty of an SoC is that it integrates all the components on a single substrate. In semiconductors, a substrate…

This tutorial explains how to automate a hand sanitizer bottle. Sanitizers can be found for use at many public places (and especially recently, given the COVID-19 pandemic). However, each press of the cap leaves behind several types of germs on it. One way to avoid this is to automate the bottle so that users never…

In previous tutorials VHDL tutorial (#6), we built a circuit for D Morgan’s Theorems in VHDL and verified its output to prove D Morgan’s theorems. (If you are not following this VHDL tutorial series one by one, you are requested to go through all previous tutorials of these series before going ahead in this tutorial)…

In previous tutorial VHDL tutorial 5, we built NAND, NOR, XOR, and XNOR gates using AND-OR-NOT gates in VHDL. (If you are not following this VHDL tutorial series one by one, please go through all previous tutorials of these series before going ahead in this tutorial) In this tutorial, We shall write a VHDL program…

In the previous VHDL tutorial 4, we designed and simulated all seven logic gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, and XNOR) in VHDL. (If you are not following this VHDL tutorial series one by one, please go through all previous tutorials of these series before going ahead in this tutorial) In this tutorial, We…

In previous tutorial VHDL tutorial  3, we have learned how to design, simulate, and verify any digital circuit in VHDL using Altera’s MAX+II VHDL simulator software. (If you are not following this VHDL tutorial series one by one, you are requested to go through all previous tutorials of these series before going ahead in this…

In the previous two tutorials, we learned about VHDL basics and programs. Next, we’ll simulate and verify the VHDL programs.  To edit, compile, execute (simulate), or verify a VHDL program, there are requirements including software tools, such as: ISE from XILINX ModelSim from Mentor Graphics Riviera from Aldec Quartus-II from Altera etc.  All of these…

In the previous tutorial on the basics of VHSlC Hardware Description Language or VHDL, we discussed the VHDL design flow and program structure. Now, it’s time to learn about the VHDL programs. However, please note, the prerequisite for VHDL programming are the fundamentals of digital electronics and digital circuit design. To fully understand these programs,…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed:  The functional blocks of a character LCD How character LCD works and is interfaced with a controller  How to display text on a character LCD In this tutorial, we will learn about scrolling long string of text on a character LCD, which can be tricky. A character LCD module has…