Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Got Technical Support?

Our Technical Support forum moderators are here to support SparkFun customers, and customers who have purchased SparkFun products from our official distributors. We are here to troubleshoot product issues and test both hardware and software problems against SparkFun's internal and external documentation to resolve issues for our customers. Technical Support moderators have the ability to issue tickets associated with refunds and replacements in addition to performing repairs and conducting tests on returned products.

Once you have created your topic on the SparkFun forums, a moderator will review the topic shortly and will respond to the post in about three business days if it fits our criteria for eligibility. Keep in mind: We like to build robots, but we aren't robots – we have a limited staff of technical assistance professionals so mistakes may happen. Please be kind.

The SparkFun Forums

In some instances where a moderator cannot answer your question we may redirect you to other resources not associated with SparkFun to try and point you in the right direction.

Hardware testing on returns takes up to 10 business days after the product(s) have been received into SparkFun's facility. Due to COVID-19, several SparkFun policies have changed as a result and hardware testing may take up to 15 business days at this time.

When working on issues within a specific tutorial, we encourage you to review the “troubleshooting” section for quick pointers on how to overcome some common issues. There is also a quick link to the appropriate forum category to post topics associated with the product, in most cases.

If you are working with a code issue while using code written by a SparkFun employee within a SparkFun product tutorial, please consider submitting a GitHub issue ticket associated with that product, including the problem you are running into. SparkFun does not offer assistance on custom modifications to our existing code, nor does SparkFun offer assistance for code that was not written by a current SparkFun employee. Consider posting in the General Development Platforms discussion category if you would like to see if the community can assist you under these circumstances, or consider posting on other forums such as the Arduino forums if the code is Arduino IDE related.

There are three primary categories that topics fall into on the SparkFun forums:

Topics moderators can assist with (response time - three estimated business days)

  • Product(s) appear to have a defect in hardware.
  • Product(s) do not work as advertised per our hook-up guide or other documentation on the SparkFun website product page.
  • Code written by a SparkFun employee and published in an official SparkFun product tutorial or hook-up guide is throwing compile errors.
  • Simple questions about a SparkFun product that are re-searchable using information available on the SparkFun website.
  • Simple questions about the compatibility of several SparkFun products for a project (be sure to post in the projects category).

Topics with issues which may require an electrical engineer to review and reply (esponse time is dependent on issue - some topics may not receive a response)

  • Topics that state a specific fundamental advertised feature of a product is not working, indicating a design flaw or issue in software.
  • Topics that ask about features of a chip not mentioned within the hook-up guide of the product.
  • Topics that discuss discrepancies in electrical characteristics associated with components or PCB design related issues within a SparkFun product.

Topics that require no response from a SparkFun employee

  • Topics where a customer's question(s) or issues(s) were answered correctly by another forum user within the community.
  • All topics within any forum category other than "SparkFun products" or "SparkFun Education."
  • Topics that are not relevant to the forum category (these topics will be moved to the appropriate category in most cases).
  • Topics that pertain specifically to a third party IDE, SDK, or other environments not owned or developed by SparkFun.
  • Topics that specifically pertain to code not written by SparkFun.

Keep in mind that there are exceptions, which are handled on a case-by-case basis and may fall into or deviate from the above examples.

Moderators may need some personal information to assist further in some circumstances, such as Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) processes, and we may ask for this information via private messages. A technical support representative will never ask you to share personal information publicly on the SparkFun forums. Always double check and make sure the individual who is private messaging you is a verified SparkFun moderator or employee. The best way to tell is by the red coloring in the name and the "SFE-TS-Moderator" title underneath.

If you have feedback on anything associated with the forums including functionality, spelling errors, response time from moderators, etc., please private message TS-Feedback and we will look into it as soon as possible.

For more information on how to use phpBB3 and the SparkFun forums, check out the phpBB3 user guide.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this blog. We look forward to assisting you on the SparkFun forums soon!

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Samsung to Drive Mini LED Backlight TV Market Growth, while Intense Competition in LED Supply Chain Set to Resurface

Yearly Mini LED backlight TV shipment is projected to reach 4.4 million units for 2021, a 2% penetration rate in the overall TV market, as brands begin integrating Mini LED backlights into their TVs and continue to improve technologies as well as optimize costs, according to TrendForce’s latest investigations. While Apple is set to release IT products featuring Mini LED backlights, Korea-based Samsung and LG will both debut their own Mini LED backlight TVs in 2021. In particular, as part of its effort to deploy Mini LED backlight across its product mix, Samsung is targeting a yearly shipment of more than two million Mini LED TVs next year in anticipation of high market demand.

Samsung challenges OLED TVs with its Mini LED backlight-equipped QLED offerings

At the moment, TV brands are focusing on 4K resolution and OLED displays as the primary selling points in their high-end product strategies. However, Samsung is hoping to increase the market share of its QLED TVs, which are much more cost-competitive than OLED TVs, via the integration of Mini LED backlights, which can significantly raise the level of contrast and image detail through multiple dimming zones in addition to its WCG (wide color gamut) capabilities.

TrendForce indicates that Samsung’s lineup of Mini LED backlight TVs in 2021 will include 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch display sizes, 4K resolution, and multiple Mini LED local dimming zones, which produce contrast ratios of 1,000,000:1, a significant improvement over the current market mainstream of 10,000:1. Since such high contrast ratios are only possible if the display backlight contains at least 100 local dimming zones, the corresponding number of Mini LED chips used for backlighting will skyrocket as well, with between 8,000 to 30,000 Mini LED chips used for each TV. By combining high-resolution display panels and multiple local dimming zones, Samsung’s Mini LED TVs deliver a superior visual experience for the end-user.

The upcoming release of Samsung’s Mini LED TVs will inject considerable momentum into the LED supply chain

Samsung’s new Mini LED backlight TVs are expected to feature HV LED chips as their light source. Thanks to their Mini LED backlights, these TVs deliver improved display performances via HDR and WCG functionalities. Samsung’s adoption of HV LED chips requires an extremely large-scale, fast, and stringent testing and sorting process for LED chips according to chip wavelengths and specs, and related companies such as San’an Optoelectronics, Epistar/Lextar, FitTech, Saultech, Apex, and Macroblock have all moved to participate in Samsung’s Mini LED supply chain. TrendForce believes that, although most of the above companies are still currently in the sampling stage without any finalized contracts, competition in the LED supply chain will likely intensify once again.

The post Samsung to Drive Mini LED Backlight TV Market Growth, while Intense Competition in LED Supply Chain Set to Resurface appeared first on EE Times Asia.



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ReSpeaker Messenger

  ReSpeaker Messenger: Sending and receiving Slack and Telegram messages using ReSpeaker Voice Interaction Board My previous project using ReSpeaker was a Home Automation project to control different lights using your voice. This projects is about sending messages to Slack or Telegram using voice input and read out the message from the messenger. User can […]

The post ReSpeaker Messenger appeared first on Open Electronics. The author is Emanuele Signoretta



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High Performance Bluetooth Module for Short Range Radio Applications

The Bluetooth module from u-blox is based on an Arm Cortex M33 dual-core MCU, making it optimal for handling applications such as industrial and smart buildings It provides cryptography and delivers root of trust and secure key storage u-blox has announced the launch of the NORA-B1 Bluetooth module, the newest member in the company’s short-range […]

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An Autonomous AI Companion Robot

Robots, though initially used for purposes like manufacturing in factories, are slowly finding their way more often in workplaces and homes for day-to-day work. After realising how troublesome it can be for older people to perform basic tasks with their own hands, Yossi Wolf, co-founder of Roboteam, designed the autonomous personal artificial intelligence (AI) assistant […]

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Raspberry Pi reaches more schools in rural Togo

We’ve been following the work of Dominique Laloux since he first got in touch with us in May 2013 ahead of leaving to spend a year in Togo. 75% of teachers in the region where he would be working had never used a computer before 2012, so he saw an opportunity to introduce Raspberry Pi and get some training set up.

We were so pleased to receive another update this year about Dominique and his Togolese team’s work. This has grown to become INITIC, a non-profit organisation that works to install low cost, low power consumption, low maintenance computer rooms in rural schools in Togo. The idea for the acronym came from the organisation’s focus on the INItiation of young people to ICT (TIC in French).

Visit the INTIC website to learn more

The story so far

INITIC’s first computer room was installed in Tokpli, Togo, way back in 2012. It was a small room (see the photo on the left below) donated by an agricultural association and renovated by a team of villagers.

Fast forward to 2018, and INTIC had secured its own building (photo on the right above). It has a dedicated a Raspberry Pi Room, as well as a multipurpose room and another small technical room. Young people from local schools, as well as those in neighbouring villages, have access to the facilities.

The first dedicated Raspberry Pi Room in Togo was at the Collège (secondary school) in the town of Kuma Adamé. It was equipped with 21 first-generation Raspberry Pis, which stood up impressively against humid and dusty conditions.

In 2019, Kpodzi High School also got its own Raspberry Pi Room, equipped with 22 Raspberry Pi workstations. Once the projector, laser printer, and scanners are in place, the space will also be used for electronics, Arduino, and programming workshops.

What’s the latest?

Ready for the unveiling…

Now we find ourselves in 2020 and INTIC is still growing. Young people in the bountiful, but inaccessible, village of Danyi Dzogbégan now have access to 20 Raspberry Pi workstations (plus one for the teacher). They have been using them for learning since January this year.

We can’t wait to see what Dominique and his team have up their sleeve next. You can help INTIC reach more young people in rural Togo by donating computer equipment, by helping teachers get lesson materials together, or through a volunteer stay at one of their facilities. Find out more here.

The post Raspberry Pi reaches more schools in rural Togo appeared first on Raspberry Pi.



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Half Wave and Full Wave Precision Rectifier Circuit using Op-Amp

rectifier is a circuit that converts alternating current (AC) to Direct current (DC). An alternating current always changes its direction over time, but the direct current flows continuously in one direction. In a typical rectifier circuit, we use diodes to rectify AC to DC. But this rectification method can only be used if the input voltage to the circuit is greater than the forward voltage of the diode which is typically 0.7V. We previously explained diode-based half-wave rectifier and full-wave rectifier circuit.

Half Wave and Full Wave Precision Rectifier Circuit using Op-Amp

To overcome this issue, the Precision Rectifier Circuit was introduced. The precision rectifier is another rectifier that converts AC to DC, but in a precision rectifier we use an op-amp to compensate for the voltage drop across the diode, that is why we are not losing the 0.6V or 0.7V voltage drop across the diode, also the circuit can be constructed to have some gain at the output of the amplifier as well.

So, in this tutorial, I am going to show you how you can build, test, apply, and debug a precision rectifier circuit using op-amp. Alongside that, I will be discussing some pros and cons of this circuit as well. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

What is a Precision Rectifier Circuit?

Before we know about the Precision Rectifier Circuit, let’s clarify the basics of the rectifier circuit.

What is a Precision Rectifier Circuit

The above figure shows the characteristics of an ideal rectifier circuit with its transfer characteristics. This implies when the input signal is negative, the output will be zero volts and when the input signal is positive the output will follow the input signal.

The above figure shows a practical rectifier circuit with its transfer characteristics. In a practical rectifier circuit, the output waveform will be 0.7 volts less than the applied input voltage, and the transfer characteristic will look like the figure shown in the diagram. At this point, the diode will only conduct if the applied input signal is slightly greater than the forward voltage of the diode.

Now the basics out of the way, let’s turn our focus back to the precision rectifier circuit.

Working of Precision Rectifier

The above circuit shows a basic, half-wave precision rectifier circuit with an LM358 Op-Amp and a 1n4148 diode. To learn how an op-amp works, you can follow this op-amp circuit.

The above circuit also shows you the input and output waveform of the precision rectifier circuit, which is exactly equal to the input. That’s because we are taking the feedback from the output of the diode and the op-amp compensates for any voltage drop across the diode. So, the diode behaves like an ideal diode.

Now in the above image, you can clearly see what happens when a positive and a negative half cycle of the input signal is applied in the input terminal of the Op-Amp. The circuit also shows the transfer characteristics of the circuit.

But in a practical circuit, you will not get the output as shown in the above figure, let me tell you why?

In my oscilloscope, the yellow signal in the input, and the green signal is the output. Instead of getting a half-wave rectification, we are getting a sort of full-wave rectification.

The above image shows you when the diode is off, the negative half cycle is of the signal flows through the resistor on to the output, and that is why we are getting the full-wave rectification like the output, but this is not the actual case.

Let’s see what happens when we connect a 1K load.

Source: Half Wave and Full Wave Precision Rectifier Circuit using Op-Amp

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ReSpeaker Messenger

  ReSpeaker Messenger: Sending and receiving Slack and Telegram messages using ReSpeaker Voice Interaction Board My previous project using ReSpeaker was a Home Automation project to control different lights using your voice. This projects is about sending messages to Slack or Telegram using voice input and read out the message from the messenger. User can […]

The post ReSpeaker Messenger appeared first on Open Electronics. The author is Emanuele Signoretta



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Raspberry Pi reaches more schools in rural Togo

We’ve been following the work of Dominique Laloux since he first got in touch with us in May 2013 ahead of leaving to spend a year in Togo. 75% of teachers in the region where he would be working had never used a computer before 2012, so he saw an opportunity to introduce Raspberry Pi and get some training set up.

We were so pleased to receive another update this year about Dominique and his Togolese team’s work. This has grown to become INITIC, a non-profit organisation that works to install low cost, low power consumption, low maintenance computer rooms in rural schools in Togo. The idea for the acronym came from the organisation’s focus on the INItiation of young people to ICT (TIC in French).

Visit the INTIC website to learn more

The story so far

INITIC’s first computer room was installed in Tokpli, Togo, way back in 2012. It was a small room (see the photo on the left below) donated by an agricultural association and renovated by a team of villagers.

Fast forward to 2018, and INTIC had secured its own building (photo on the right above). It has a dedicated a Raspberry Pi Room, as well as a multipurpose room and another small technical room. Young people from local schools, as well as those in neighbouring villages, have access to the facilities.

The first dedicated Raspberry Pi Room in Togo was at the Collège (secondary school) in the town of Kuma Adamé. It was equipped with 21 first-generation Raspberry Pis, which stood up impressively against humid and dusty conditions.

In 2019, Kpodzi High School also got its own Raspberry Pi Room, equipped with 22 Raspberry Pi workstations. Once the projector, laser printer, and scanners are in place, the space will also be used for electronics, Arduino, and programming workshops.

What’s the latest?

Ready for the unveiling…

Now we find ourselves in 2020 and INTIC is still growing. Young people in the bountiful, but inaccessible, village of Danyi Dzogbégan now have access to 20 Raspberry Pi workstations (plus one for the teacher). They have been using them for learning since January this year.

We can’t wait to see what Dominique and his team have up their sleeve next. You can help INTIC reach more young people in rural Togo by donating computer equipment, by helping teachers get lesson materials together, or through a volunteer stay at one of their facilities. Find out more here.

The post Raspberry Pi reaches more schools in rural Togo appeared first on Raspberry Pi.



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Quarter Brick Digital DC-DC Converter for RFPA Applications

Flex Power Modules’ new DC-DC converter series provides complete monitoring functionality and feedback loop control to help stabilisation It has a high-efficiency feature while allowing configuration of several electrical  aspects of the device Flex Power Modules has launched the BMR683, a new series of digital PMBus DC-DC converters that provide indispensable monitoring functionality and control […]

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AESA Testing That Helps Reduce Complexity and Costs For TRM Testing

Rohde & Schwarz’s new test and measurement solutions for TRM performance validation enables the customer to maximize their radar system capabilities The TRM radar test system delivers fast possible speeds, helping to drastically reduce the test time Modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars are an essential part of the global aerospace and defence industry. […]

The post AESA Testing That Helps Reduce Complexity and Costs For TRM Testing appeared first on Electronics For You.



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Arduino Quiz Buzzer

Hey there! This is my first Instructable. The Quiz buzzer plans kicked off when my colleague, who also hosts a game show asked for people who could build a Quiz Buzzer. I took upon this project and with the help of few friends (Blaze and Errol) and Arduino i was able to accomplish this. Currently, […]

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Intel Series Processors On Five Embedded Form Factors

congatec’s launch of low-power processors provide a great computing power and double graphics performance The processors are perfect for any non-real-time application as they offer numerous features and functions essential for today’s edge-connected embedded systems congatec has launched Intel’s new low-power processor generation on five embedded form factors. To be made available on SMARC, Qseven, […]

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Innovative Convection Cooled Fanless Power Supplies With High Output Power in a Compact Package

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. announced the availability of its Excelsys CS1000 fanless power supply series. Delivering up to 1000W with no fans, this convection cooled family of highly efficient power supplies eliminates acoustic noise, vibration and the need for baseplate cooling, making them lightweight and ideal for use in a wide range of medical treatment applications, as well as vibration-sensitive clinical, diagnostic and industrial applications.

“The new CS1000 power supply series builds on our innovation and global leadership in highly engineered specialty power conversion for the medical and industrial markets,” said Conor Duffy, vice president and general manager, medical at Advanced Energy. “A typical fanless power supply requires a baseplate for cooling, which comes with added weight and reduced design flexibility. The CS1000 is one of the only fanless power supplies available at such high output power without a baseplate. Providing 1000W of fanless power in a compact 1U package with industry-leading performance and control allows our customers to deliver more innovation in their products.”

As the newest addition to the Excelsys low voltage power product line, the CS1000 series leads the market with conversion efficiencies of up to 94 percent, as well as a 24W bias supply voltage of 5V or 12V. The power supplies are available with 24-volt or 48-volt single outputs and operate off universal AC input voltage of 90 to 264VAC. The CS1000 series offers system designers a variety of features for increased performance, efficiency and reliability for mission-critical applications, including:

  • Medical: Clinical diagnostic equipment, medical lasers, dialysis equipment, radiological imaging, clinical chemistry
  • Industrial: Test and measurement, industrial machines, automation equipment, printing, telecommunications, audio equipment
  • High Reliability: Harsh industrial electronics, radar (naval- and ground-based), communications, test and measurement

The series provides intelligent analog and digital control and monitoring with Power Management Bus (PMBus), an open-standard digital power management capability. Control and monitoring features include AC Fail, global remote/off, output voltage/current control as well a large suite of protection features, such as over-voltage, over-current, short circuit and over-temperature.

The CS1000 is available in M and S versions, each with 24-volt or 48-volt output options. The CS1000M is certified for IEC60601-1 3rd edition and IEC60601-1-2 4th edition (EMC) for medical applications, and provides 2 x MOPP, 4kVAC primary to secondary isolation as well as <300uA leakage current. The CS1000S carries IEC60950 safety approvals and is also certified for the upcoming IEC62368-1 safety standard for industrial applications.

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Tiny security chip turns every watch into a contactless payment device

More and more people around the world are paying with contactless because it’s easy, fast and hygienic. Especially in the wake of the Corona pandemic, the acceptance and spread of the technology has accelerated significantly. In addition to ATM or credit cards, so-called wearables are also in high demand. For the first time, it is now possible to equip traditional wristwatches or luxury models made of metal with the contactless payment function.

The Swiss company Winwatch integrates tiny security chips from Infineon Technologies AG almost invisibly into its patented sapphire crystal STISS® for this purpose. The chip enables fast and secured payment transactions by radio frequency within milliseconds.

“A fast and robust connection from the watch to the reader at the checkout is crucial for customer acceptance,” says Alex Kalbermatten, CEO of Winwatch. “Infineon surpasses all other solutions currently available on the market in terms of wireless quality. For example, by integrating the contactless chip we were able to develop a sapphire crystal that turns every watch – from mechanical heirlooms to metal sports watches – into a contactless payment device. And all of this without a battery.”

The most widely used contactless payment method is still the credit or debit card. According to ABI, already two thirds of all cards used today are contactless. Their share is expected to grow to more than 80 percent by 2025. The demand for wearables with a payment function is growing continuously. Payment transactions with smartphones and wearables have doubled within a year from seven to 14 percent.

Combination of chip technology, data security and antenna design 

Contactless payment solutions require a triad of semiconductor technology, encryption and analog radio technology. Whether card, watch, ring or key fob, the integrated chip plays a central role.

It is a mini-computer measuring just a few square millimeters that initiates and controls all communication between the customer and the financial institute via a small antenna. Within around 200 milliseconds – the blink of a human eye – the chip proves the authenticity of the device with an individual signature and creates a cryptogram of card data, payment amount and place of payment. After successful verification, the bank confirms the payment to the reader.

Communication between the card or wearable and the reader is based on NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. At a distance of two to ten centimeters, the chip uses only the energy field of the reader to calculate, encrypt and transmit the data.

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Virtual Collaboration Platform Calls for Global Healthcare Startups Ecosystem

BE Capital, a startup accelerator and venture capital firm, together with Taiwan Tech Arena and Startup Island, has launched a virtual cross-border collaboration platform, HealthForAll, connecting the international healthcare ecosystem with Taiwan’s dominant industries. The platform provides a unique opportunity for corporate-startup engagement across the areas of medical data, research & development, clinical trials, manufacturing, supply chain, and information & communications technology. Startup companies interested in leveraging the resources in Taiwan to transform the future of healthcare are encouraged to apply until 31 October, 2020.

This platform is the first step in fostering closer corporate-startup relations between Taiwan and the international healthcare community. The corporates have an opportunity to provide a “reverse pitch” for startups to better understand how they could potentially collaborate. The initial phase of the platform will culminate in a virtual meeting with corporates and selected startups as they seek ways to work together.

The platform has been well received by many corporate partners in Taiwan, including Acer Healthcare, Asus Cloud, Might Electronics, Advantech, Leosys, Wiltrom, JAG, and the OmniHealth Group. The initial interest is indicative of the eagerness for corporates to engage with startup talent. The platform will continue to engage with numerous corporate players and strengthen the HealthForAll network.

The platform focuses on building closer collaboration between Taiwanese corporates and international startup communities to help drive a new era of innovation. Taiwan has long been established as a global powerhouse in ICT and manufacturing and to maintain its competitive advantage there is a collective interest in starting a dialogue with promising startup companies.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for a rapid shift within the healthcare delivery model. The meteoric rise of digital health solutions has seen the disconnect of healthcare assets from healthcare services resulting in an increased focus on artificial intelligence, point-of-care diagnostics, and wearable biometric monitoring technologies.

Taiwan is uniquely positioned to drive innovation forward in the digital transformation of healthcare, as the ecosystem is already dominant in many of the industries involved in this shift. Thus, HealthForAll is geared towards providing an opportunity for startup companies to leverage the core competencies of Taiwan to accelerate digital transformation in healthcare.

The platform will continue to work closely with preexisting hospital and clinical partners, including Show Chwan Healthcare System, Taipei Medical University, SEQPRO and VCRO in a bid to bridge the gap between clinical expertise and technology application.

“Most corporate executives believe healthcare is the trend and innovation is critical for their businesses, yet they feel behind in the corporate’s ability to innovate. HealthForAll helps corporates achieve inspiration and corporate growth through healthcare startup engagement,” said Arthur Chen, Executive Director, BE Capital.

The HealthForAll platform has also received continued support from local Taiwan community partners, including Taiwan Tech Arena, Taiwan Startup Stadium, Startup Island, ITRI BDL, and the Development Center for Biotechnology.

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Smart Number Plate Recognition System For Car Parking Lot

Managing the entry and exit of cars in parking lots is a difficult job. It becomes even more complicated when one wishes to keep track of them using details such as date, time and number plate. Often a dedicated staff is required who can check these details and do data entry. So today we will […]

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Integrated Zero Cross Detection ICs For Home Appliances

ROHM’s new IC series delivers low standby power and improves communication reliability in home appliances Designers can now eliminate any complex design using discrete components and at the same time, remove the integration of photocouplers The demand for smart appliances and IoT applications is on the rise, having added communication functionality (i.e. Wi-Fi) to home […]

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Using STONE LCD screen and ESP32 MCU to implement home massage chair application

Project Overview                                                  

Here we do is a home massage chair application, will STONE TFT After the LCD serial screen is powered on, a start interface will appear. After a short stay, it will jump to a specific interface. This interface is used to set our current time. When setting, a keyboard will pop up. After setting, click OK to enter the massage mode selection interface. Here, I have set three modes: head massage, back massage and comprehensive mode. In the mode, the massage intensity can be set, the high, middle and low gears can be set, and the corresponding LED light will be used for intensity indication; the massage times can also be set, after reaching the set number, it will automatically stop; in the comprehensive mode, the head and back will be massaged at the same time, and it can be turned off when it is not needed. These actions are through the STONE TFT LCD serial port screen to achieve command transmission.

Using STONE LCD screen and ESP32 MCU to implement home massage chair application

The communication functions are as follows:

            ① The serial port screen of STONE TFT LCD realizes the function of button switching interface;

② The serial port screen of STONE TFT LCD realizes the function of automatic jump when starting up;

③ The serial port screen of STONE TFT LCD realizes time setting;

④ The serial port screen of STONE TFT LCD realizes data variable distribution;

⑤ STONE TFT LCD serial port screen realizes serial command communication.

⑥ STONE TFT LCD serial port screen realizes the function of menu bar selection;

Modules required for the project:

STONE TFT LCD

Arduino ESP32

③ Stepper motor drive and module;

④ LED array module;

Block diagram:

Block diagram

Hardware introduction and principle

Size: 10.1 inch

Resolution: 1024×600 

Brightness: 300cd / m2, LED backlight;

RGB color: 65K;

visual area: 222.7mm * 125.3mm;

working life: 20000 hours. 32-bit cortex-m4 200Hz CPU;

flash memory: 128MB (or 1GB) ;

UART interface: RS232 / RS485 / TTL / USB;

Toolbox software for GUI design, simple and powerful hex instructions.

STVC101WT-01 TFT display module communicates with MCU through serial port, which needs to be used in this project. We only need to add the designed UI picture through the upper computer through the menu bar options to buttons, text boxes, background pictures, and page logic, then generate the configuration file, and finally download it to the display screen to run.

Hardware introduction and principle

The manual can be downloaded through the official website:

https://www.stoneitech.com/support/download

LED array module

Product features

This is a galloping lamp display module with 8 LEDs on board. The external voltage is 3-5.5vdc, and the corresponding LED can be lighted at low level. It is especially suitable for IO test of single chip microcomputer to realize indicator control.

Electrical parameters

-Working voltage: 3 – 5.5VDC

-Working current: 24Ma (maximum)

-Effective level: low level

-Number of LEDs: 8

-Display color: red (D1 / D2 / D3 / D4 / D5 / D6 / D7 / D8)

-It is very suitable for MCU experiment and DIY

ESP32 EVB

Esp32 is a single-chip scheme integrated with 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth dual-mode. It adopts TSMC’s ultra-low power consumption 40 nm technology, with ultra-high RF performance, stability, versatility and reliability, as well as ultra-low power consumption, which meets different power consumption requirements and is suitable for various application scenarios.

Wi-Fi

  • 802.11 b/g/n
  • 802.11 n (2.4 GHz) up to 150 Mbps
  • wireless multimedia (WMM)
  • frame aggregation (TX / RX A-MPDU, Rx A-MSDU)
  • immediate block ACK
  • defragmentation
  • beacon automatic monitoring (hardware TSF)
  • 4x virtual Wi Fi interface

Bluetooth

  • Bluetooth v4.2 complete standard, including traditional Bluetooth (BR / EDR) and low power Bluetooth (ble)
  • supports standard class-1, class-2 and class-3 without external power amplifier
  • enhanced power control

Output power up to +12 dBm

  • nzif receiver has – 94 DBM ble reception sensitivity
  • adaptive frequency hopping (AFH)
  • standard HCI based on SDIO / SPI / UART interface

• high speed UART HCI up to 4 Mbps

Support for Bluetooth 4.2 br / EDR and ble dual-mode controller

Support for Bluetooth 4.2 br EDR and ble dual-mode controller

  • synchronous connection oriented / extended synchronous connection oriented (SCO / ESCO)
  • CVSD and SBC audio codec algorithms
  • piconet and scatternet
  • multi device connection with traditional Bluetooth and low power Bluetooth
  • support simultaneous broadcast and scanning

ULN2003 Steeper Motor

ULN2003 Steeper Motor

Product features

ULN2003 is a Darlington display with high voltage and high current. It consists of seven Silicon NPN Darlington tubes. Each pair of Darlington of ULN2003 is connected in series with a 2.7K base resistor. Under 5V working voltage, it can be directly connected with TTL and CMOS circuit, which can directly process the data that needs standard logic buffer. Here we use DIP-16 package, 4-phase 5-wire 5V stepping motor.

Structure and Application

Development steps

Development steps

Arduino ESP32

Download IDE

To complete the code development of esp32, Arduino is used to develop and compile. First, you need to install the environment and enter the Arduino official website:

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software, and download the version for your own platform.

Code

Code

HeadGearHigh is used to set the gear to high in receive head mode

HeadGearMiddle is used to set the gear to middle in receive head mode

HeadGearLow is used to set the gear to low in receive head mode

HeadTiming is used to receive the number of times set in head mode

HeadModeStart is used to start in receive header mode

HeadModeStop is used to stop in receive header mode

BackGearHigh is used to set the gear to high in receive back mode

BackGearMiddle is used to set the gear to middle in receive back mode

BackGearLow is used to set the gear to low in receive back mode

BackModeStart is used to start in receive back mode

BackModeStop is used to stop in receive back mode

IntegratedModeStart is used to receive start in integrated mode

IntegratedModeStop is used to receive stop in integrated mode

After the code is written, we start to compile. After the compilation is successful, download the code to the esp32 EVB board. The operation is as follows:

STONE TOOL 2019

New Project

Find the tool 2019 directory and double-click to open STONE Tool 2019

STONE TOOL 2019

Click new project and make changes to the resolution, project name, and save path.

Click new project and make changes to the resolution, project name, and save path

Then set the boot page, and set the communication packet header:

Then set the boot page, and set the communication packet header

Add picture

By default, there is a blue back image after a new project is created.

Add picture

Right click 0.jpg and select remove to delete it. In the same way, select Add to add the image required by the project.

Setting of selection interface

Setting of selection interface

RTC

RTC

To set the time function, first add a clock setting control.

Add an RTC control.

Add an RTC control

To make input keyboard, we need to add a button control to each array and give the corresponding key value.

To make input keyboard, we need to add a button control to each array and give the corresponding key value

Menu bar selection

Menu bar selection

Add the menu bar control, set the initial value, and add the corresponding ICO library.

Page jump function

Page jump function

You can set the button effect and the switch page, and the switching interface effect of other buttons is also similar.

Key command setting

Each button needs to be given corresponding action, so the following settings are made:

//HEAD

uint8_t   HeadGearHigh[9]       = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0E, 0x01, 0x00, 0x03};

uint8_t   HeadGearMiddle[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0E, 0x01, 0x00, 0x02};

uint8_t   HeadGearLow[9]        = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0E, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01};

uint8_t   HeadTiming[9]         = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x11, 0x01, 0x00, 0x09};

uint8_t   HeadModeStart[9]    = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x19, 0x01, 0x41, 0x61};

uint8_t   HeadModeStop[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x24, 0x01, 0x46, 0x66};

//BACK

uint8_t   BackGearHigh[9]       = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1A, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01};

uint8_t   BackGearMiddle[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1A, 0x01, 0x00, 0x02};

uint8_t   BackGearLow[9]      = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1A, 0x01, 0x00, 0x03};

uint8_t   BackModeStart[9]      = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0C, 0x01, 0x42, 0x62};

uint8_t   BackModeStop[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0D, 0x01, 0x43, 0x63};

//Integrated

uint8_t   IntegratedModeStart[9]= {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0F, 0x01, 0x44, 0x64};

uint8_t   IntegratedModeStop[9] = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1F, 0x01, 0x45, 0x65};

Connection

connections

Connections 2

Connections 3

Code

/*

 Stepper Motor Control – one revolution

 This program drives a unipolar or bipolar stepper motor.

 The motor is attached to digital pins 8 – 11 of the Arduino.

 The motor should revolve one revolution in one direction, then

 one revolution in the other direction.

 Created 11 Mar. 2007

 Modified 30 Nov. 2009

 by Tom Igoe

 */

//#include <Stepper.h>

#include “stdlib.h”

#include <AccelStepper.h>

const float STEPCYCLE = 2050;//A Cycle by Step is 2050;

//  myStepper.setSpeed(100);//5V, it can be set up to 180

const float TheMaxSpeed = 1000.0;  // change this to fit the number of steps per revolution

const float headspeed_str[4] =

{

  0,

  TheMaxSpeed / 4,

  TheMaxSpeed / 2,

  TheMaxSpeed,

};

const float backspeed_str[4] =

{

  0,

  TheMaxSpeed,

  TheMaxSpeed / 2,

  TheMaxSpeed / 4,

};

// for your motor

// initialize the stepper library on pins 8 through 11:

AccelStepper HeadStepper(AccelStepper::FULL4WIRE, 15, 0, 2, 4);//The middle two IO are reversed

AccelStepper BackStepper(AccelStepper::FULL4WIRE, 16, 5, 17, 18);//The middle two IO are reversed

const int ledPin_1 =  14;      // the number of the LED pin

const int ledPin_2 =  27;      // the number of the LED pin

const int ledPin_3 =  26;      // the number of the LED pin

const int ledPin_4 =  25;      // the number of the LED pin

const int ledPin_5 =  33;      // the number of the LED pin

const int ledPin_6 =  21;      // the number of the LED pin

const int ledPin_7 =  22;      // the number of the LED pin

const int ledPin_8 =  23;      // the number of the LED pin

//buf

uint8_t   cout_i = 0;

uint8_t   RecievedTemp[9]       = {0};

float     settingbuf[2]       = {TheMaxSpeed, 0};

float   MorenCycle      = 100;

//HEAD

uint8_t   HeadGearHigh[9]       = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0E, 0x01, 0x00, 0x03};

uint8_t   HeadGearMiddle[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0E, 0x01, 0x00, 0x02};

uint8_t   HeadGearLow[9]        = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0E, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01};

uint8_t   HeadTiming[9]         = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x11, 0x01, 0x00, 0x09};

uint8_t   HeadModeStart[9]    = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x19, 0x01, 0x41, 0x61};

uint8_t   HeadModeStop[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x24, 0x01, 0x46, 0x66};

//BACK

uint8_t   BackGearHigh[9]       = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1A, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01};

uint8_t   BackGearMiddle[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1A, 0x01, 0x00, 0x02};

uint8_t   BackGearLow[9]      = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1A, 0x01, 0x00, 0x03};

uint8_t   BackModeStart[9]      = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0C, 0x01, 0x42, 0x62};

uint8_t   BackModeStop[9]     = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0D, 0x01, 0x43, 0x63};

//Integrated

uint8_t   IntegratedModeStart[9]= {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x0F, 0x01, 0x44, 0x64};

uint8_t   IntegratedModeStop[9] = {0xA5, 0x5A, 0x06, 0x83, 0x00, 0x1F, 0x01, 0x45, 0x65};

void setup()

{

//Serial port initialization

    Serial.begin(115200);

//The motor starts running separately

//  HeadStepper_Setting_Run(TheMaxSpeed, 5);

//  BackStepper_Setting_Run(TheMaxSpeed, 5);

  // initialize the LED pin as an output:

  pinMode(ledPin_1, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(ledPin_2, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(ledPin_3, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(ledPin_4, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(ledPin_5, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(ledPin_6, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(ledPin_7, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(ledPin_8, OUTPUT);

  digitalWrite(ledPin_1, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

  digitalWrite(ledPin_2, HIGH);  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

  digitalWrite(ledPin_3, HIGH);  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

  digitalWrite(ledPin_4, HIGH);  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

  digitalWrite(ledPin_5, HIGH);  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

  digitalWrite(ledPin_6, HIGH);  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

  digitalWrite(ledPin_7, HIGH);  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

  digitalWrite(ledPin_8, HIGH);  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

}

void loop()

{

  if(Serial.available() != 0)

  {

    for(cout_i = 0; cout_i < 9; cout_i ++)

    {

        RecievedTemp[cout_i] = Serial.read();

    }

//    if(HeadStepper.isRunning() == true)

//    {

//      HeadStepper.stop();   

//    }

//    if(BackStepper.isRunning() == true)

//    {

//      BackStepper.stop();   

//    }

//  else

//  {

//    Stepper2_Setting_Run(TheMaxSpeed, 5);

//  }

//  Serial.write(RecievedTemp, 9);

  switch(RecievedTemp[5])

  {

  case 0x0E://head gear

        if(HeadStepper.isRunning() == true)

      {

        HeadStepper.stop();   

      }

      settingbuf[0] = headspeed_str[RecievedTemp[8]];

    if(RecievedTemp[8] == 1)

    {

      digitalWrite(ledPin_1, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_2, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_3, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_4, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_5, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_6, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_7, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_8, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

    }

    else if(RecievedTemp[8] == 2)

      {

      digitalWrite(ledPin_1, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_2, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_3, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_4, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_5, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_6, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_7, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_8, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      }

    else

      {

      digitalWrite(ledPin_1, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_2, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_3, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_4, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_5, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_6, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_7, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_8, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      }

    break;

  case 0x11://head timing

        if(HeadStepper.isRunning() == true)

      {

        HeadStepper.stop();   

      }

    settingbuf[1] = RecievedTemp[8];

    break;

  case 0x19://head start

    if(settingbuf[1] == 0)

    {

      settingbuf[1] = 5;

    }

    break;

  case 0x24://head stop

      if(HeadStepper.isRunning() == true)

      {

          HeadStepper.stop();   

      }

    break;

  case 0x1A://backgear

    if(BackStepper.isRunning() == true)

      {

          BackStepper.stop();   

      }

      settingbuf[0] = backspeed_str[RecievedTemp[8]];

    if(RecievedTemp[8] == 3)

    {

      digitalWrite(ledPin_1, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_2, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_3, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_4, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_5, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_6, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_7, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_8, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

    }

      else if(RecievedTemp[8] == 2)

      {

      digitalWrite(ledPin_1, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_2, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_3, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_4, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_5, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_6, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_7, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_8, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      }

      else

      {

      digitalWrite(ledPin_1, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_2, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_3, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_4, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_5, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_6, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_7, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      digitalWrite(ledPin_8, LOW);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

      }

    break;

  case 0x0C://backstart

    BackStepper_Setting_Run(settingbuf[0], MorenCycle);

      break;

  case 0x0D://backstop

      if(BackStepper.isRunning() == true)

    {

      BackStepper.stop();   

    }

    break;

  case 0x0F://integratestart

    if(HeadStepper.isRunning() == true)

    {

        HeadStepper.stop(); 

    }

    if(BackStepper.isRunning() == true)

    {

      BackStepper.stop();   

    }   

    break;

  case 0x1F://integratedstop

    if(HeadStepper.isRunning() == true)

    {

      HeadStepper.stop(); 

    }

    if(BackStepper.isRunning() == true)

    {

      BackStepper.stop(); 

    }  

    break;

  default:

    break;

  }

//    Serial.write(&Targetvalue, 1);

//    Serial.print(Targetvalue);

  }

}

Application of massage chair Appendix

Application of massage chair Appendix

Application of massage chair Appendix

clipboard

Application of massage chair Appendix lcd

clipboard 2

clipboard 3

The post Using STONE LCD screen and ESP32 MCU to implement home massage chair application appeared first on PIC Microcontroller.



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