The DS3231 Real Time Clock breakout keeps extremely accurate time, has a battery backup, and only costs a few dollars. Combine it with just about any microcontroller, a display, plus a simple stand, and you have a custom precision clock that can sit on your desk and satisfy your timing needs in a visually-unique way.
SMD Breakout Boards for Fun and Profit
Once you are comfortable with the basics of surface mount soldering, it’s time to start using SMDs in an actual project. A great way to do this is to create your own breakout boards. Many breakout boards consist of a single SMT IC (i.e. analog to digital converter, amplifier, sensor, etc.), a few supporting passive […]
The Surface Mount Saga Begins
Through-Hole Technology (THT) is great for getting comfortable with soldering, translating breadboard circuits to proto boards, and projects where space constraints are not an issue. However, at some point you’ll probably want to start working with Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Surface Mount Devices (SMD). There are several compelling reasons for wanting to do this: […]
Don’t Fear the Linux
My entire professional career has been spent in the Windows world – both as a developer (Visual Studio, SQL Server, etc.) and as a consumer (Microsoft Office, Sharepoint, and so on). I know Windows. About a year ago, though, I decided to take the plunge and set up a new system for development, specifically for […]
Hello World – The Most Important Program, Ever.
Over my career, I’ve written hundreds of software programs – some that took many months to finish, and some that only took a few minutes. One of my favorites that I’ve recreated dozens of times over the years is Hello, World! Granted, the program doesn’t do a whole lot. It usually just spits out some […]