Hardware. Tech. Pickles.
via Instructables
Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Samsung Bixby, today we are virtually surrounded by a crowd of digital assistants. These artificial personalities are deeply impressive from a technical standpoint but they have one glaring issue: despite the best efforts of their creators, t…
By: Toglefritz
via Adafruit:
Jonathan at Impractical.ly Awesome posts about logging accelerometer data with the micro:bit
The micro:bit has an accelerometer and magnetometer (compass) powered by ST’s LSM303AGR chip (https://www.st.com/en/mems-and-sensors/lsm303agr.html). According to the chip’s technical specs, in terms of acceleration, you can use the micro:bit to measure acceleration up to ±16g (1g being acceleration due to gravity, i.e. 9.8 m/s2—16g is 16x acceleration due to gravity). The micro:bit uses this chip to detect gestures but it can also be used just to read acceleration in 3 axes.
In this first part, I will show a method of setting the sampling rate and plotting the accelerometer data from the micro:bit.
It’s great that the Mu Editor will allow display of the data and plot it too.
Check out the blog post for more including the code.
Coilcraft’s app note on temperature rise due to losses on inductors and transformers. Link here (PDF)
Core and winding losses in inductors and transformers cause a temperature rise whenever current flows through a winding. These losses are limited either by the allowed total loss for the application (power budget) or the maximum allowable temperature rise.
For example, many Coilcraft products are designed for an 85°C ambient environment and a 40°C temperature rise implying a maximum part temperature of +125°C. In general, the maximum allowed part temperature is the maximum ambient temperature plus temperature rise. If the losses that result in the maximum allowed part temperature meet the power budget limits, the component is considered acceptable for the application.
Ken Shirriff take a look inside a bulky DC power supply REC-30 rectifier, how it works and contrast it with a MacBook power supply:
We recently started restoring a Teletype Model 19, a Navy communication system introduced in the 1940s.14 This Teletype was powered by a bulky DC power supply called the “REC-30 rectifier”. The power supply uses special mercury-vapor thyratron tubes, which give off an eerie blue glow in operation, as you can see below.
The power supply is interesting, since it is an early switching power supply. (I realize it’s controversial to call this a switching power supply, but I don’t see a good reason to exclude it.) While switching power supplies are ubiquitous now (due to cheap high-voltage transistors), they were unusual in the 1940s. The REC-30 is very large—over 100 pounds—compared to about 10 ounces for a MacBook power supply, demonstrating the amazing improvements in power supplies since the 1940s. In this blog post, I take a look inside the power supply, discuss how it works, and contrast it with a MacBook power supply.
See the full post on Ken Shirriff ‘s blog.
via Adafruit:
The Washington Post reviews the new documentary Science Fair.
What happens when you put 1,700 of the world’s smartest teens together and ask them to show their scientific stuff?
You may get more than you bargained for.
“Science Fair,” a new documentary, follows teenagers through the highs and lows of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest pre-college science competition.
The fair, at which young people compete for millions of dollars in prizes, is a hotbed of scientific research. It’s also a hothouse of competition and teenage angst, as the documentary shows.
The film follows nine teenagers seeking to change their lives through science. Among them: Kashfia, a young Muslim who feels out of place in her large South Dakota high school and dreams of escaping small-town life through science. Robbie, a West Virginia math whiz with terrible grades, who wants to meet other kids who share his niche interests. And Anjali from Louisville, who contends with helicopter parents as she navigates the weird world of competitive science.
Read more here and check out the trailer belo
via Adafruit:
23rd Annual Women of Color STEM Conference
Via US Black Engineer.
Join Women of Color magazine’s Science Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference Oct. 11 to 13.
The annual STEM Conference hosts award ceremonies for women who create innovation and puts you in a position to realize your STEM career dreams.
You get exclusive training designed to move you forward in your career. You learn from top minds in the industry and collaborate with your peers.
Whether you’re a college graduate or a professional, you get countless networking opportunities. STEM mentors and role models help you find your footing in the industry. You connect with people who have been in your shoes.
Click here to register for the 2018 Women of Color STEM Conference and explore workshops, resources, and networking benefits
Save the Date:
OCTOBER 11-13, 2018
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center Detroit, MI
Phone 313.568.8000
App note from Maxim integrated about alternative method to extend I2C bus. Link here (PDF)
Systems are increasingly requiring greater distances for I2C buses. This article explains how the DS28E17 can be used to extend the distance of I2C devices while decreasing cost.