Category: Informational

PIC Timer0 Code Generator and Calculator

PicKit2 PIC12F675

I needed an easy way to calculate Microchip PIC timer 0 values, so I created the PIC Timer0 Code Generator and Calculator.  If you are not familiar with PIC timers, there is a handy tutorial HERE. The calculator part, is a spreadsheet which calculates the timings and timer 0 frequency counter needed, given the  required …

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Controlling Things Based on Light Intensity

PIC12F683 with LDR

A PhotoCell or LDR (Light Dependent Resistor), used in a circuit, allows controlling things based on light intensity. Here is a circuit showing how to wire an LDR and demonstrates how controlling things based on light intensity is possible with a little help from a microcontroller. The thing being controlled in this circuit is simply an …

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How to keep an ENC28J60 Module from Freezing

ENC28J60 LAN Module

The ENC28J60 module is good for attaching an Arduino to a LAN or the Internet. The one real problem in doing so is how to keep an ENC28J60 module from freezing. No, not temperature wise ! 🙄  (‘Freezing’ in the sense of locking up, stop working, etc.) There are many Ethernet  arduino libraries for the …

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Switching 12V from a 5V Arduino

Switch 12V

I built a circuit to allow switching 12V from a 5V Arduino. Here is the wiring diagram and a picture of the actual circuit:         Get the Fritzing source HERE.  The side with two connections attaches to the 12V device being switched ON/OFF. The side with three  connectors,  connects to the 12V …

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Decoding an ESP8266 Firmware Image

ESP8266 Flash Tool on Windows

I recently coded a Python script for Decoding an ESP8266 Firmware Image. It’s the first part of my quest to create a Linux tool for creating a single flash image. More specifically, the script will decode a single binary image or a ‘combined’ image. A combined image (single flash image) can be created with the …

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12V to 5V Sensor Circuit

12V to 5V Sensor Circuit with DHT11

A number of sensors are powered via 12 Volts. Some, however, need 5 Volts.  To power a remote DHT11 temperature sensor, I created a 12V to 5V sensor circuit. This is the wiring diagram: Get the Fritzing code for it HERE.       The DHT11 needs 5 volts,  ground and data. It plugs into …

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4 Character 7 Segment Display

4 Character 7 Segment Display

I built another handy circuit to ‘house’ a 4 character 7 segment display. It looks like this: Basically it just ‘breaks out’ the 16 pins of the display with two 8 pin female headers. Pins 1-8 are connected to the header at the bottom and pins 9-16 are connected to the header at the top. …

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ESP8266 DIY Programmer Cradle

ESP8266 In Cradle

If you have been reading my posts lately, you will notice that I have been working a lot with the ESP8266 wireless module. To make it easier to work with, I made an ESP8266 DIY Programmer Cradle. Here is what it looks like (without and with the ESP8266 plugged in):           …

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MicroPython WebREPL on Android

MicroPython WebREPL on Android

I created an app (apk) to run MicroPython WebREPL on Android. Imagine you have your ESP8266 (with the MicroPython firmware) in some location where the only access to it is via a wireless connection. If you need to access and change/control it, you will need WebREPL. Of course, a wireless enabled laptop would get access …

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ESP8266 MicroPython Firmware

ESP8266 WiFi Transceiver Module

To enhance the capabilities of the ESP8266 there are various firmware packages available. In my last post, I showed how to install NodeMcu which uses eLua. I am a big fan of the Python programming language, so I was very happy to see a Python version for the ESP8266. The ESP8266 MicroPython Firmware is available …

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