I bought a simple weather station, with temperature and humidity display for indoor and up to 3 wireless outdoor sensors (sold with only one though). Unfortunately, the one I got, had a non-functional outdoor sensor. I took it back to the store and got a replacement for the entire product. The outdoor sensor can be hanged on a wall with a small screw, but it can easily fall down.

Given the facts I initially got a broken sensor, the weather station can receive data from up to 3 sensors and because sensors are exposed to outdoor conditions, I decided to analyze the wireless protocol and maybe build my own device which will be able to emulate this kind of sensor. There is no information about wireless protocol of this weather station (sold by Lidl in Europe under the Auriol brand), except the frequency: 433.92 MHz. That was all I needed. And a software defined radio (I used RTL2832U dongle).

Značky: #Elektro, #LPD433, #Radio, #SDR, #RTL2832U

I like to have an offline controller for my CNC3018 machine because I want to keep my computer away from the CNC during usage. There is a lot of dust and cut material scraps which shouldn't get into fans and electronics. Speaking of electronics, the offline controller of CNC3018 is just a bare PCB stacked between two nicely machined acrylic plates. There is absolutely no dust protection. Here is issue #1. The next one is that this controller hangs around the CNC. There is no way to attach it to the frame. And the third issue one will encounter when using the offline controller is the loss of computer communication. That is right. As long as the offline controller is plugged in, you cannot connect to CNC via USB. Basically both USB interface and offline controller share the only available serial port of the ATmega328p based mainboard.

I decided to fix all these issues. Following is a 3D printable enclosure which can be attached to the side of the frame on existing screws. And regarding the serial port issue, there is an optional cable connection mod you can do. Below is the end result.

CNC3018 Offline controler attached to frame side

Značky: #3D-Print, #Elektro, #CNC, #DIY

I recently bought and assembled the CNC3018. I have never owned a CNC before and I was unpleasantly surprised by the lack of free and easy to use software to produce CNC jobs. So I had to learn FreeCAD, the only open source software known to me which can be used for this purpose. In this post I added the two types of tool bits supplied with the CNC to FreeCAD's library and I will attempt to produce various jobs in future posts.

CNC machining is a complex process and its workflow depends on a lot of interrelated parameters unknown to beginners. Setting them properly is an absolute requirement to complete a CNC job without breaking valid bits, ruining the work piece or damaging the machine.

Značky: #GRBL, #CNC, #Elektro

The first thing people tell you when you start doing CNC is that you will break some bits. It happened to me too. I checked the gcode before sending it to CNC so I wouldn't ram the bit into the work piece or the base plate. But, with my CNC 3018 Pro another thing happened. The spindle could no longer be lifted (Z axis movement failed).

CNC 3018 comes as a kit. With the exception that in the newer batches of this product, they decided to ship it with preassembled Z axis assembly. Obviously, I assembled the machine and didn't pay any attention to the Z-axis. Until I had to. The lead screw slipped from the shaft coupler during a job and the bit nearly got to the base plate before breaking. Then I realized there were some problems with the Z axis assembly.

Spindle at its maximum Z height with short shaft stepper

Značky: #Stepper, #GRBL, #CNC, #Elektro

CNC 3018 Pro is a low-cost CNC router that should be used mostly with wood and acrylic plastic. It can also be used to mill PCBs and cut soft metals like aluminum with proper settings. The machine uses both metal and plastic parts. Electronics is based on a custom made ATmega328p board with A4988 stepper drivers. Spindle uses a common DC775 motor fitted with ER11 chuck.

I recently bought one from Banggood (I chose the version with offline controller because it allows me to load gcode from SD card and use the CNC without a computer next to it). To my surprise it came with an old version of GRBL firmware (0.9j) so I started gathering information about how I can update it.

Značky: #Arduino, #GRBL, #CNC, #Elektro

Individually addressable pixel rings are WS2812 based RGB LED strips also known as NeoPixel strips. When interfaced with a microcontroller this strip can display any different RGB color on every LED it contains. They are versatile and can be used in a lot of projects. I bought a 24-LED LED ring which I originally intended to use to build a clock but until then I noticed it could make a nice progress indicator.

In the middle of the LED ring, I added a simple 4-digit 7-segment LED display with TM1637 controller. I opted for red display, yet you may use whatever color you like. Both display and LED ring, together with a buzzer are glued on a disc shaped piece of plastic. I could have 3D printed a better stand, yet the plastic disc does the job.

Značky: #LEDs, #WS2812, #Electronics, #Arduino, #Elektro

Most common monitors nowadays have 1920x1080 resolution, same as HD TVs. When this resolution is available, some video card drivers, on Linux, will output limited RGB pixel ranges, considering the monitor as a TV. Instead of 8-bit per color (0 to 255), the video card outputs a limited range of 16 to 235 which causes washed out colors, with less bright white and less dark black. This may not be obvious at first sight, especially for regular users when switching to a new monitor.

Unfortunately, there is no straight fix for this issue on Ubuntu (or other Linux distributions). There are no options in settings app. More than that, the way of fixing this has changed with the new Ubuntu 21.04 which uses Wayland instead of Xorg display server. In this post I will show you how to address this issue on both display servers and get the expected picture colors on your HDMI monitor with Ubuntu.

Značky: #Elektro, #Linux, #Ubuntu, #Display, #Video

In 2020, the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) market size was valued at around &dollar60 billion and was projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 3% from 2021-2027.

Component miniaturization has sped off the market growth for miniaturized, lightweight, and high-performing PCBs in electronics like smart wearables, healthcare equipment, and other portable gadgets. Various Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are venturing into customized circuit board designs to improve miniaturization and obtain sleek shapes. The trend has further influenced the growth of three-dimensional printing to create compact PCBs by mounting parts on the inner layers.

Značky: #Elektro, #Electronics, #PCB

PCB Designing is a crucial step in a PCB Assembly Process. The printed circuit board is the project's final step, and we use it to validate a PCB prototype.

Any electronic enthusiast should have the ability to design PCB layouts if he is a pupil, an expert in the business, or a hobbyist. The construction of a proper PCB layout is an integral part of every PCB manufacturer. In this article, we'll show you the top 8 PCB Layout Design Tips for Total Beginners.

Značky: #Electronics, #Elektro, #PCB, #CAD, #Development