Category Archives: Designs
Altium Industry Expert Article: The Art of Selecting Connectors
Check out this article I wrote about how to select connectors! The best part is this video I reference:
Altium Industry Expert Article: Should I Make, Find, or Download my PCB Symbols?
Check out this article I wrote for Altium’s Industry Expert Series about the options designers have for generating parts for their libraries!
e14 Project: Raspberry Pi 2 Laser Dog Watcher
My dog Penny is one of the best. She has the two critical commands of ‘come’ and ‘stay’ down pat so well that I can go for a run with her off-leash here in Denver. She’s gentile with our newborn … Continue reading
Using a Raspberry Pi 2 and ownCloud v8 to Control My Cloud Data
A couple years ago, I showed how to setup an ownCloud server on a Raspberry Pi. The system worked, but there were some performance hiccups. Most importantly was the ability for the system to handle large files and for the … Continue reading
Rocky Mountain SMTA Brings its A-Game to the 2015 Expo at Mile High Stadium
Last week the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) held their 2015 expo at the United Club of Mile High Stadium (home of the Denver Broncos). The event, which was free to the public, brought together … Continue reading
e14: Laser Doorbell in the Cloud!
Sometimes the notion of the Internet of Things (IoT) strikes me as silly; why would anyone want to connect their dishwasher to the internet? But still, I wanted to develop a hobby project that would explore some of the tech. … Continue reading
How to Characterize a Switch-Mode Power Supply Design with a Tek MDO3000 Scope
Most of the designs that I work on require some sort of power supply design. The power supply rails are the foundation of a good design, allowing one to hit not only the desired voltage level, but also low noise, … Continue reading
e14 Project: A Silent Wireless Laser Tripwire Doorbell
I’ve had a problem since moving into my new place that I can’t hear people knock at my front door. Sure I could get a doorbell at the hardware store, but those things stink. Instead, I thought I’d create a … Continue reading
Using Paper Protos to Check EAGLE Footprints
Checking footprints in a PCB layout review with only the on-screen file can be a pain in the neck. There are many different measurements that need to be made for each individual part, and the mouse-based measurement tool can be … Continue reading
Arduino Clones Can Be Better Than Shields
Arduino is certainly the most popular method of getting info electronics, or at least embedded electronics. My BlueStamp Engineering students seem to gravitate to them when selecting their projects. But what about after the first few projects have been created … Continue reading