Breadboard hacks from Protostack.com

As memebers of the new DIY generation we love hacking things. There is just something rewarding about taking a cheap product and making it work just as good or better than its expensive counterpart. Most of the time these hacks involve the projects we are building, but sometimes they involve the tools we use. Protostack has just released a list of several hacks that will make using your breadboard much more user friendly... More after the jump.

Its no secret that I have recently became a fan of Microchip and the PIC Microcontroller. I attribute this to my want need to expand my uC coding knowledge past what Arduino has to offer. The release of Digilent's PIC32 based chipKIT boards is what sparked this new need for more knowledge. When Microchip heard that I was trying to learn how to code for PIC's they offered up their latest PIC deveopment platform aimed at education.  This new PIC 24 based module and MX Educational target board are the product of the relationship between Microchip and Stratford Digital. Ours arrived a few weeks ago and I quickly realized that I have a lot to learn and as that process unfolds, I will post some tutorials and code examples... After the jump you will find the full press release from Microchip as well as info, photos and specs on both the MX PIC24 Module and MX Educational Target Board.

ATmega168A Pulse Width Modulation Tutorial

Protostack is back with another AVR tutorial. In this installment Daniel covers everything you need to know about PWM and gives you 3 examples using an Atmega 168. The first two use the existing PWM pins and are fairly common for the experienced AVR enthusiast, the third example however is quite interesting and shows us how to use timer interrupts to create 3 more PWM lines. Keep reading after the jump....

Eagle Video Tutorials

Like most DIY electronics beginners there was a point where I needed to create my first custom PCB, and like most I was directed to Cadsoft Eagle as my schematic and board layout editing tool. After downloading Eagle and running it for the first time I was a bit overwhelmed and quickly realized that I was in over my head. I then turned to Google and began searching for tutorials. I found a few here and there but they were lacking the basics and often times confusing. I eventually got the hang of eagle and now have a few friends who also use it, so I have a support base to turn to. I came across a channel on youtube last night that would have made my early days with eagle much easier.... read on after the break.

PIC32 based Arduino Compatible Dev Board

Earlier this week we were contacted by Microchip PR asking if we would like to check out a new Arduino compatible board based around the PIC32. We of course replied with a yes. We should have our sample here in the lab within a week. Microchip teamed up with Digilent Inc. to design and distribute the board, and today Digilent Inc released the chipKIT Max32™ Arduino-Compatible Prototyping Platform. Keep reading after the jump for a quick overview and a photo.

ADC on Atmega 168A Part 2

Part 2 of Protostack's AVR Analog to Digital Converter tutorial series covers using a second analog input and adding an interrupt with interrupt. We actually were looking for a tutorial on this exact thing a few months back to use with our Liquiduino PC Water Cooling Info Center. Thanks to Protostack, we can now start work back on the project. Head over to their site and check out part 2 of the ADC tutorial which makes use of the new version of the Atmega 168, the 168A. While you are there check out their USBASP programmer, and pick up some of their awesome proto boards. Check out the schematic after the jump.

ADC on an ATMEGA 168 Tutorial on Protostack.com

Earlier this year Protostack posted a turorial on Analog to Digital Conversion on an Atmega 168. This tutorial covers everyting from the low pass filter on the AVCC lines to the registers you will need to tweak on the AVR itself. We are sure that this will come in handy in our future projects as well as yours. Head over to the Protostack site and check out the full tutorial, and while you are there pick up one of the new Atmega 168 Development Kits or their Exprimenters Kit! Check out the schematic after the jump.

DIY Benchtop PSU / DIM from PC PSU

A friend of mine Will Lyon ( AKA SXRguyinMA ) has just completed his latest project which he dubbed Powerhouse. Having fallen in love with custom electronics and actually deciding to go back to college and get a degree in the feild, Will realized he would need a benchtop PSU so he could test his work. Being an accomplished PC modder and Dedicated DIYer, he decided to build his own based on an every day common PC PSU. After some planning Will decided to incorporate a Digital Multimeter, Adjustable 1.3v-30v adjustable source, and dedicated 3.3v, 5v, and 12v rails. If that was not enough, he decided to incorporate some LEDs to give it that PC Case Modder feel! We tip our hat to Will on this one. It's truly a functional work of art! Check out Proect Power House's full build log over on TheBestCaseScenario.com. We have a few photos after the jump for those of you who want instant gratification.