#Electronics

ESP8266 & Apple HomeKit – Let’s get started

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There are quite a few different types of smart home systems, also known as smart home. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and choosing the right system really depends on the individual user’s preferences. One such system is HomeKit from Apple. In this and subsequent materials in this series, I would like to tell you a little about how to integrate HomeKit and the well-known ESP8266 modules. I will show you how to configure such a module so that its operation can be controlled from an iPhone, MacBook or Apple Watch. In addition, we will connect to the outputs of our microcontroller various peripheral modules, the operation of which will be controlled by ESP.

What do you need to know about voltage converters?

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Any electronic equipment must be powered in some way, without the right voltage it will not work at all or will work, but only for a fraction of a second. There are quite a few solutions and designs whose task is to bring energy to the designed circuit. Some of the most commonly used are linear stabilizers and voltage converters. We will leave stabilizers for another material, while today I would like to tell you a little about the operation and design of inverters. In addition, we will also look at their problems and try to solve them.

Lightning sensor for Arduino

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I’m sure that in the mind of anyone who has worked with Arduino boards, the idea to build your own weather station has appeared at some point. Such projects are most often based on the simplest sensors for temperature, humidity possibly pressure. Sometimes a module is also added to measure wind speed. However, practically no project is equipped with a sensor capable of detecting lightning. This is a rather strange state of affairs, given that it is very simple to run this type of module in the Arduino environment.

Compendium of knowledge about Nixie

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On a cold December morning in the Czech village of Březolupy, a man stops his truck in front of a 17th century castle. He puts on thick gloves, gets out of the truck and opens the tailgate. Then, very carefully, he unloads more crates of heavy equipment and glass.

Simple diode controller WS2812B

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Recently, I have been trying my hand at a bit more professional electronics photography. When taking pictures, I tried to force a particular type of lighting with several panels of WS2812B LEDs, controlled by Arduino. However, constantly changing the code is quite tiresome, so I built a simple device to control this type of LEDs.

Inside the chip that changed the world

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Anyone who starts playing with electronics sooner or later encounters on his way the chip numbered 555. According to many, this timer is one of the chips that changed the world. It is hard to disagree with this especially considering the scale of production and the multitude of applications, about which even separate books have been written. In this material I will tell you a little about this unique chip.

What is hidden inside the LED bulb?

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In recent years, LED bulbs have made their way into our homes for good, replacing the now-discontinued tungsten filament designs. Not surprisingly, LEDs compare surprisingly well with other light sources – they consume little energy, can shine in a variety of colors, turn on instantly and do not heat up as much.

World’s first ALU chip

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ALUs, or arithmetic logic units, are part of every processor today. In the past, they were produced as single, physical chips or a collection of multiple logic chips. In today’s material, I will tell you about the construction, history and operation of one of the first ALUs.

How does a transistor burn in a common emitter circuit?

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Some time ago on my site appeared the first material about bipolar transistors. In it, I told you a little about their history, construction, we put the first circuit into operation together, and also took a look inside this unusual element. Today we are once again taking on this element, but we will take a closer look at its operation. I’ll tell you about the basic working circuit of the transistor, we’ll check its operation, and finally we’ll set it on fire.

The birth, life and death of the transistor

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There is no doubt that the transistor is something that has revolutionized the world. It is hard to imagine today’s electronics without this small component. It is so versatile that in today’s world we can find it in virtually every electronic circuit. Transistors are found as individual elements, but they are also the main building blocks of integrated circuits, it’s hard to imagine, but a modern circuit such as the M1 Ultra processor from Apple, for example, consists of about 114 billion of these elements, a truly astonishing amount. In today’s material I will tell you a little about the history, operation and construction of this remarkable electronic element.

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