Electrical Engineering V3

[pentium]

You can't just directly attach RS-232 level signals to the Rx/Tx pins, can you? That's +5/-5v instead of +5/0v.

[Cakebatyr]

I can lend you my [URL=https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9718]programming[/URL] cable, but I don't think your stuff is compatible with USB 2.0... :v:

[MIPS]

I already have a cable in the mail. Thanks for the offer though.

[nikomo]

[QUOTE=pentium;47516024]You can't just directly attach RS-232 level signals to the Rx/Tx pins, can you? That's +5/-5v instead of +5/0v.[/QUOTE]

Correct, you can not.
It's 5V TTL.

Take it off the board for programming and then put it back in.

[Ddrl46]

[QUOTE=nikomo;47517594]Correct, you can not.
It's 5V TTL.

Take it off the board for programming and then put it back in.[/QUOTE]

Problem is there is nothing hooked up to it except for his RS232 to TTL converter.

[pentium]

[QUOTE=ddrl46;47517698]Problem is there is nothing hooked up to it except for his RS232 to TTL converter.[/QUOTE]
Which is specifically why this board was designed. It rules out any external variables, reduces locations for interference and is only wired for one task which is programming the module.

[nikomo]

[QUOTE=ddrl46;47517698]Problem is there is nothing hooked up to it except for his RS232 to TTL converter.[/QUOTE]

The internal circuitry of the MAX232 is messing up with the signal coming from the programming device.
If he's got another Arduino on hand, he could also use that to program it through SPI, using ArduinoISP.

[pentium]

All I got are Pro Minis. I do however have SPI and ICSP plugs on my fancy Willem programmer but I can't find enough documentation on how to program the module that way.

[Chryseus]

All the info is in the atmega datasheet.

[Van-man]

[QUOTE=pentium;47518772]All I got are Pro Minis. I do however have SPI and ICSP plugs on my fancy Willem programmer but I can't find enough documentation on how to program the module that way.[/QUOTE]

You can use a parallel port to program microcontrollers via SPI.
for 5V MCU's it's a good idea to use some resistors for current limiting, while for 3.3v MCU's a couple of resistor ladders will work.

I did that with ponyprog in order to flash some DIP atmega328's with the arduino bootloader.

[editline]wait[/editline]

AVRdude also works with using the parallel port for SPI programming.

[Staneh]

Finished my first guitar pedal build!

The inside:

[img]http://puu.sh/hcWRF/90fbaa583a.jpg[/img]

Yes, I know it's very messy! It was my first actual time soldering anything serious, but it all works, and the final outer product is nice!

The outside:

[img]http://puu.sh/hcX0G/fb2c84f8ff.jpg[/img]

Sorry for the blurry images, my camera is a little fucked.

[Papkee]

What is it tho? Just a volume control or something else?

[Staneh]

It's a really glitchy pedal and sounds like this:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N5iFiAvrU0[/media]

[nikomo]

OSH Park board quality is damn good.
[t]https://i.imgur.com/YybS0ut.jpg[/t]
[t]https://i.imgur.com/I6ougyu.jpg[/t]

[NeverGoWest]

So I decided to return to this crazy fun hobby, thing is I haven't messed with electronics since around the age of 14, which is a long while back, I never learned too much theory either. Got my hands on "Hacking Electronics: An illustrated DIY guide for makers and hobbyists" is that a good enough way to get started on this again, actually knowing how to not burn out components and the like?

I bought a multimeter that according to my dad, who is an electrician, is good enough to measure mains with, then I got a soldering station with adjustable temperature, a set of screwdrivers and another set of various grabby grabby pinch pinch stuff I forgot the english terms for, including a wirecutter(that one I remember the name of!) [B]OH![/B] and a length of solder, might be too thick for electronics though, they sold a thinner (gauge?) one they claimed to be specifically for electronics, but in my head I thought "Eh, its more expensive, and I get less of it.. Uhh..." my main concerns are just spilling solder everywhere, so maybe I should look up some stuff about soldering techniques too.

Not sure where to go from here, I already know a really good danish electronics store(as in selling components, TTL stuff, microcontrollers, they even have a whole section with arduino stuff, not TV's and household electronics) and I could order a bunch of components. But I am not sure what to do right now, my dad told me that building a radio or a funny diode setup is fun, but then I forgot one last thing, I had forgot to buy a power supply.

I am kind of stuck, not sure what to do from here, currently just dicking around looking at schematics and stuff, the symbols which I vaguely remember from my early teens.

Not sure, maybe I should build a radio and try to listen to chinese radio stations or something, used to be wicked good at fixing antennas on old radios.

[editline]17th April 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=Staneh;47521709]It's a really glitchy pedal and sounds like this:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N5iFiAvrU0[/media][/QUOTE]

Oi, just remembered another thing I could do! Was this pedal hard to make? I play a lot of guitar and this thing just sounds awesome to play around with.

[pentium]

I'm sitting here recapping a car's ECU when I realize I ordered 50v 33uf caps instead of 50v 22uf caps.
God bless the parts drawer.

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/havedacaps.jpg[/IMG]

[Leestons]

[QUOTE=NeverGoWest;47545742]I had forgot to buy a power supply.[/QUOTE]

Building a power supply is a common first project for beginners, and you get something useful out of it too! Why not try that? There is plenty of information online and it's fairly easy.

[NeverGoWest]

[QUOTE=Leestons;47547427]Building a power supply is a common first project for beginners, and you get something useful out of it too! Why not try that? There is plenty of information online and it's fairly easy.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah, that sounds like a good idea! Know a good e-book on circuit design or a place where I can find a schematic for it? It needs to run on 230V mains.

I asked a friend who studies EE what my first project could be and he said a headphone amplifier would be a nice one but said I should make a schematic myself instead of "getting a shitty one from lin" so yeah. Gonna look around for stuff.

This is so exciting! I feel so.. electrical!

[Staneh]

[QUOTE=NeverGoWest;47545742]

Oi, just remembered another thing I could do! Was this pedal hard to make? I play a lot of guitar and this thing just sounds awesome to play around with.[/QUOTE]

It isn't that hard! It involves quite some soldering, but it was my first actual electrical project I've done, I use schematics like these:

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eaDB4W5IoOQ/UOcUln8HF_I/AAAAAAAAAco/x8LBEA6pz0o/s1600/Mid-Fi-RandomNumberGenerator.png[/img]

To build the project, it's quite easy to build it all, I ordered all my parts on taydaelectronics, you can also get the aluminium enclosures there!

[NeverGoWest]

[QUOTE=Staneh;47554607]It isn't that hard! It involves quite some soldering, but it was my first actual electrical project I've done, I use schematics like these:

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eaDB4W5IoOQ/UOcUln8HF_I/AAAAAAAAAco/x8LBEA6pz0o/s1600/Mid-Fi-RandomNumberGenerator.png[/img]

To build the project, it's quite easy to build it all, I ordered all my parts on taydaelectronics, you can also get the aluminium enclosures there![/QUOTE]

I have never seen this type of schematic before, what happened to black and white diagrams with symbols? Used to understand those pretty well.

I got a nice danish supplier where I can get all these parts, I don't have the tools or knowledge to make circuit boards, but would the trick with taking a plank and hammering nails into it to connect the components between work?

I kind of figured out pickups too, I could build a 3-4 string "guitar" and run it through this, then through an amplifier of sorts. Not sure.

A whole world just opened up for me again, this stuff just elates me, all these possibilities!

[editline]19th April 2015[/editline]

Wait now that I look at it, its not that hard to figure out. I'll work on something, gonna make that variable power supply first.

Anybody know a good program for drawing schematics in it, possibly with circuit simulation? I had this idea of using a transformer to get the mains down to something workable for an amateur like me, then using a variable resistor of sorts(like one of those dials) to regulate the power with, I could just probe the circuit to see what voltages and stuff I actually get, so.

[Staneh]

This schematic is suited for a stripboard, if you link it all up exactly like in the picture you will get an instant working pedal if you hook up all the other components like pot meters, jack input and outputs, etc.

Check out this link if you want a build guide for these schematics, this blogspot also contains loads of schematics for other pedals.

[url]http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.nl/2012/04/vero-build-guide.html[/url]

[Van-man]

The easier way would be using a op-amp.
But for optimal performance, you need both a positive voltage power supply and a negative voltage power supply, but that can be done with using two 9V batteries.

[Leestons]

[QUOTE=NeverGoWest;47554956]
Anybody know a good program for drawing schematics in it, possibly with circuit simulation? I had this idea of using a transformer to get the mains down to something workable for an amateur like me, then using a variable resistor of sorts(like one of those dials) to regulate the power with, I could just probe the circuit to see what voltages and stuff I actually get, so.[/QUOTE]

LTSpice
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ME37hXT.png[/IMG]

[pentium]

I was bored today and recycled the blinker circuit from the teletype.

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/IMG_8957.jpg[/IMG]
It will eventually run off a 9v battery, or 5V off a USB cable if you can't wrap your head around the fact The Internet is [I]wireless[/I].

[LoneWolf_Recon]

Your next challange is to power it off an [URL="http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Powercast/P1110/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvxW%252bY8mn0Q9fL4HeDuOsK0p2FPtH1yMjs%3d"]ISM RF energy harvester[/URL].

[SuicideZ]

I'm gonna be doing my first real project soon, I ordered all the parts for this headphone amp:[URL="http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy/"]http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy/[/URL]
Can't wait to get started, I will undoubtedly fuck something up and break it though.

I'm also planning on getting a big order with parts from dx soon, what would you guys recommend getting?

[NeverGoWest]

[QUOTE=pentium;47560605]I was bored today and recycled the blinker circuit from the teletype.

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/IMG_8957.jpg[/IMG]
It will eventually run off a 9v battery, or 5V off a USB cable if you can't wrap your head around the fact The Internet is [I]wireless[/I].[/QUOTE]

Why does that white thing with the wires and capacitors in it look so tasty

[SuicideZ]

[QUOTE=NeverGoWest;47561794]Why does that white thing with the wires and capacitors in it look so tasty[/QUOTE]

Well it is called a breadboard...

[NeverGoWest]

[QUOTE=SuicideZ;47561845]Well it is called a breadboard...[/QUOTE]

Funny thing is that back in the days I would usually draw a schematic on a plank or an actual bread board with a marker, then I would strategically hammer nails into the board and solder on components between those nails.

I literally used a bread board, like you know a piece of wood for cutting bread on it.

[Leestons]

[QUOTE=NeverGoWest;47564084]Funny thing is that back in the days I would usually draw a schematic on a plank or an actual bread board with a marker, then I would strategically hammer nails into the board and solder on components between those nails.

I literally used a bread board, like you know a piece of wood for cutting bread on it.[/QUOTE]

I believe that's where it got its name from.