Category: Uncategorized

Turn-key PCB assembly services in prototype quantities or low-volume to mid-volume production runs

PCBWay comes with new excellent service – rapid prototyping

When you think what new can a PCB fab house offer – PCBway pulls something new and exciting out of the sleeve. Recently they have introduced a rapid prototyping manufacturing. This is way beyond PCB fabrication because prototyping covers CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and even injection moulding. So not you can get PCB and take care of mechanical parts such as enclosures and dynamic components. CNC machining CNC machining allows milling complex parts out of raw material using programmed tools. CNC service includes milling, lathe, laser machine, water jet machine, electric discharge machine – all that may be needed to cut complex 3-dimensional parts. While other CNC technologies are used to cut raw material, the main work is performed by CNCN milling and CNC turning. CNC milling uses a router bit and 3-axis system to move it around the workpiece. More complex parts may be prepared by using up to 6-axis system. CNC turning is used when the part needs to be symmetrical around a single axis. The workpiece is rotated, and two axis-controlled blade removes material from workpiece until the piece is finished. Sometimes multiple milling technologies are incorporated to produce complex parts. CNC machining is…

Continue reading

Robotic Assistance for the Disabled

Embedded devices, particularly digital ones specially designed to assist individuals with disabilities, are often seen as the next step in that particular field of technology.  Such embedded devices generally have several advantages over the previous wave of embedded devices that have monitoring functions, control capabilities, and the ability to access and use communication protocols like the internet.  The modern embedded applications devices do not stop monitoring, tracking, and relaying information; they almost always directly assist the user, such as a prosthetic limb or a personal transport assistance vehicle.

Continue reading

The Autonomous Flying Ambulance

The autonomous flying ambulance, nicknamed the Mule, created Rafi Yoeli, who used to work for Boeing and Israeli Aerospace Industries. He later founded his own company, Urban Aeronautics, in Yavne, Israel. The Mule is the smaller version of another Urban Aeronautics product, the X-Hawk. The former vehicle has been designed to carry injured military personnel (hence the name “flying ambulance”) out of combat areas. At the same time, the latter is aimed at urban and personal use. Several of Yoeli’s patented inventions are integrated into the Mule, including his VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) vehicle technology and the hybrid drive-powered lift platform. Both the Mule and the X-Hawk, for instance, are classified as VTOL vehicles.

Continue reading

AVR reads button state and indicates on LED

This is a simple demo program of reading button state, lighting LEDs, sending information via USART. 8 buttons are connected to Atmega16 port A, 8 LEDs to port B via current limiting resistors. While none of the buttons aren’t pressed, there is a running light on LEDs performed, but when any of the buttons are pressed, LEDs display the current 8 bit counter value in binary format. The same value is sent via USART – you can see a number in the terminal is connected. The program is very simple:

Continue reading

AVR analog comparator and avr-gcc example

An Analog comparator is a pretty simple peripheral, but it can give big benefits. Comparator module is included in all Mega series of AVR microcontrollers. Simply speaking, Comparator allows comparing voltage values applied to two pins of microcontrollers. The comparison results are a logical level, which can be read by the program(ACO- Analog Comparator Output bit). There is also the ability to generate an interrupt, which depends on the comparator resulting level. And more- timer T1 can capture this level what allows measuring the signal length of analog signals. To use pins as comparator inputs, they must be prepared and configured as input(DDRx=0), and pull-up resistors must be disconnected (PORTx=0). In some models like Atmega48x/88x/168x, Atmega165x, Atmega325x,3250x,645x/6450x, and Atmega640x/128x/1281x/2560x/2561x, there is the ability to disconnect digital buffers of AIN0 and AIN1 pins that allows the use of these pins only for analog signal input – this minimizes overall power consumption.

Continue reading