Electronics-Lab.com Blog

Here is a cool java applet written to help find valid values for 5% and 10% tolerance resistors. Quick clicks to common values and a clickable table of standard values in included. The tool even shows you the resistor code to make ordering parts easier.

Online Resistor Color Code Tool - [Link]

Motors are everywhere! From robots to remote-controlled cars, any DIY hobbyist will very quickly find themselves trying to control a motor with a microcontroller. Luckily, simple control of a brushed DC motor is easy, and only requires a few components. Have you ever tried spinning a motor with the contacts connected together? Or seen sparks as you connect and disconnect your motor? What consequences do those things have on how you control the motor and protect your other circuitry? There are instructions out there that allow you to build a complicated motor controller that might work, however in this video tutorial we take a step back and go over some of the very basic things you need to think about when using motors, because so much is dependent on understanding the details of your specific situation. From stall current, to back-EMF, we present 9 small experiments you should try to get a better sense of how the motor is going to behave in your circuit. The tutorial also goes over how to connect a simple motor to a microcontroller, and turn it on and off using a 2N7000 n-channel MOSFET and a few other parts. The topic of power electronics goes much, much deeper. Often times, it is necessary to consider power dissipation, switching frequencies, gate capacitance, and when trying to drive a motor in both directions, an H-bridge is required. However, we have to start somewhere, and there is nowhere better to start than with experimentation!

Using motors with microcontrollers - [Link]

After finishing a project you may need to add it to an enclosure and drill holes to make external connections or install any control buttons and screens. This proccess can be difficult without any special tools and the result may not look as expected. If you like a profesional result FrontPanelExpert.com offers a complete solution to build your own custom front panel in 3 easy steps. You download Centina CAD free software and install it on your pc. Design front panel layout, calculate cost and finally submit your design for proccessing. You are able to choose front panel material from a range of common ones, like aluminum and plastic and order from prototype to mass production.