|
Design Files
We are a hands-on company dedicated to serving the design community.
Our MechaBlox product family is designed to help designers flatten learning curves
and get up to speed fast in different technological application areas.
Hand-in hand with those objectives, we believe that education itself is a primary
objective. The Design File series is derived from "interesting" issues we
faced as we designed individual MechaBlox Cards.
DF06 Simple Multi-tasking
for small microprocessors.
As long as it has a stack, a return instruction, a push instruction, and a
couple bytes of SRAM you can read and write to store task context to,
with just a few instructions even the simplest microprocessor can multi-task
just fine
DF05 Mechanical Relays
When you need to switch a heavy load with a light current, or need to
physically isolate a switched circuit, the relay is one of the best
components available. Cheap and rugged, the mechanical relay comes in a
variety of sizes and rating. But to effectively use a relay, you need to
understand how it operates and its limitations.
DF04 Radix Conversion: Binary to Decimal Conversions
Radix conversion between binary and Binary Coded Decimal formats is not
that complicated. Even simple microprocessor with rudimentary arithmetic
capability can easily convert between binary and BCD formats.
DF03 Instrumentation Amplifiers
While the Op-Amp may be the work horse of analog active circuit design in general,
the Instrumentation Amplifier, a specialized kind of op-amp based design, is the
work horse of sensor interfacing. With balanced high impedance inputs, isolated
feedback networks and excellent CMRR specs, the Instrumentation amplifier is the
best choice for interfacing high impedance bridge circuit based sensors.
DF02 Photointerrupter Switches.
Photointerrupter switches are a good choice for digital sensing and switching
applications where electrical isolation and reliable operation of the switch
are requirements. Because physical make-break contact is not present during
the switching operation, they are inherently "contact bounce" free. However,
they can exhibit "linear mode characteristics" during transition states and
their use for digital applications must be careful considered.
DF01 Switch Sensor Interfacing.
The simplest digital sensor is a two state, on-off or yes-no mechanical switch.
It is cheap and easy to use, but caution! The the impact of it's mechanical
properties on system performance need to be considered carefully.
|
