This article on DigitalWizard describes how you can easily make a system that can control your home appliances like lights, fans etc from your smart phone. The project is based on ATmega8 MCU which is a 28 pin high performance microcontroller from Atmel Corp. Communication between this system and the smartphone is over the Bluetooth network. Please click here to read more.
This article on DigitalWizard describes how you can easily make a system that can control your home appliances like lights, fans etc from SMS commands. The project is based on PIC18F4520 MCU which is a 40 pin high performance microcontroller from Microchip Inc. It has a 16×2 LCD module as the main output unit to show various status messages to the user, thus making it extremely user friendly. GSM connectivity is achieved using a SIM300 or SIM900 modems. Please click here to read more.
This article on Digital Wizard explains the basic working of HC-SR04, which is a very low cost and popular sensor module to measure distance to obstacles. The author also explains the development of C code to interface it with a PIC16F877A microcontroller and display the readings on 16×2 LCD module. Please click here to read more …
Control any appliance in your home like lights, fans, AC, pumps etc from anywhere in the world by just dialing a mobile number and then pressing numerical buttons of your mobile phone. Read more →
This project is designed to guide a visually impaired person to walk and avoid bumping into obstacles. Low cost ultrasonic rangefinders along with a microcontroller is used to measure the distance to obstacles and if they are close enough provide a feedback to the user in form of beeps or vibrations. The project is made on a small single layer PCB. The sensors are not mounted on the PCB but they are mounted on front of the stick and connected to the main board using wires. All the parts of project PCB is shown in the image below. Read more … Pages Introduction and Usage Block Diagram Schematic and BOM PCB Layout Details of the Sensor Program and it’s Explanation
Today the market is flooded with so called project guidance institutes who provide ready made projects to the students of engineering. Over hyped and flashy names are the characteristics of such projects. I am writing this for the guidance of both students who are planning to buy such things or the faculty members of the collages evaluating such projects. Below I am giving some simple tests that could help you judge how well the software is developed. Start up the system with GSM Module disconnected from the MCUs Rx and Tx line and check if the system is able to detect this fault. Start up the system without inserting a SIM card, and check if the system is able to tell you the exact problem. Use a SIM card which has NO balance and SMS pack and check if the system is able to tell you weather message sending failed or not. Check if the system is able to detect presence of network before sending message. Faculty members of collage should arrange a mobile blocker, turn it on and then boot the system. If the system is designed to receive the message, try sending more that 32 SMS to the system to make the SIM memory full and then check what happens. A properly designed system should delete the messages […]
This article on Digital Wizard describes everything about interfacing MMA7455 I2C accelerometer with an AVR ATmega8 MCU. A C library compatible with Atmel Studio 6 is also provide with step by step instructions to get it properly installed in your new AS6 project. Each function in the library is also explained in details. Finally we make a demo program to show raw acceleration readings for each axis on a LCD. Read more …
Relays are very interesting and useful electronic component. They are a kind of switch, like those we use everyday in our home and offices to turn on and off electrical devices like bulbs, TVs, fans etc. The function of relay is to control the switching of a relatively heavier load which demands high voltages (like 240 V AC mains) or high current, from a relatively low voltage control signal (like 5v or 12v) Relays, an Introduction Working of Relays Interfacing of Relays with Microcontrollers Pinouts of common relays Relay Interface with AVR ATmega8 Relay Interface with AVR ATmega16
Transformers are at the heart of power supply units for any electronic device that is to be powered from household wall power plugs. They help step down the higher voltages to lower voltages suitable for electronic circuits inside the devices. Read more …
Breadboards part of very advance method of building test circuit. They don’t use soldering and due to this some times they are called a solderless breadboard. Ability to make circuits without soldering is also useful for beginners who don’t know how to solder or yet they have not mastered the art of soldering. They are most useful for kids, because sometimes we don’t want them to be playing with a hot soldering iron. Learn more about breadboard
General purpose PCBs, as their name suggests is the generalised from of PCB. By generalised we mean that we are free to make any kind of circuit as we wish using this PCB. This makes it useful for small scale production of electronic devices and also for testing out new ideas before production. Read more
An electronic device is made by using several components like ICs, transistors, diodes, capacitors, resistors, displays, indicators, switches, buttons, connectors etc. All these are connected to other components according to a schematic. A printed circuit board helps hold all components of a device in one place as a single unit and at the same time provide required electrical connection between pins of components. Read more …