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If we want to obtain a 5V voltage from only 2 NiMH batteries, we´ll face the fact, that the most of common DC/DC circuits doesn´t operate at such a low voltage. LT1304 controller belongs among circuits, which handle this situation without problems and it also provides several extra things.

To obtain 3.3 or 5V from a lower voltage is a typical requirement at battery-powered or portable devices. Naturally, to obtain 5V it is also possible to use 4-5 NiMH cells or 2 Li-Po cells, but then the device is uselessly bigger, heavier and more expensive. The solution is just the usage of a suitable step-up circuit. LT1304 from Linear Technology belongs to “MicroPower” DC/DC step-up circuits operating already from a very small voltage, 1.5V typically. 

Thanks to a very low power consumption (10uA/Shutdown) and a built-in independent low battery detector, it is optimized for usage with batteries. LT1304 needs for its operation only a few external components – 2 capacitors, 1 inductor and 1 diode is all that is necessary to create an operating DC/DC circuit.
LT1304 is available in 3 versions – LT1304VCS8-5, LT1304CS8-3,3 with fixed voltages and LT1304CS8 with adjustable output. Versions with fixed output voltages don´t need a divider in a feedback, what further simplifies a circuit.

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The circuit for this project is quite simple. Its purpose is to adapt the GPIO pins of the Raspberry Pi to the voltages expected by the PIC. It also provides LEDs for diagnostic purposes.

PIC Programmer for the Raspberry Pi - [Link]

Tinkercad is the easy way to turn your idea into a professional 3D CAD model in just a few minutes.

Tinkercad is an easy-to-use 3D CAD tool - [Link]

The Xprotolab is a combination of 3 electronics instruments: an oscilloscope, a waveform generator and a protocol sniffer. Now Portable

The Xprotolab is a combination of three electronic instruments: a mixed signal oscilloscope, an arbitrary waveform generator, and a protocol sniffer. The Xprotolab was awarded as one of the 100 Hot Products of 2011, by the EDN magazine. The Xprotolab has been featured in several other online magazines, such as Hack a Day. and Elektor.

The Xprotolab has been in development for several years, the hardware and firmware are stable. Now its time to put the device in an enclosure and add a rechargeable battery. The input connectors are going to be 3.5mm stereo audio plugs, and the logic port is going be a 0.1″ male pin connector. The pictures below are from a hand made prototype.

Xprotolab Portable Oscilloscope - [Link]

Revolutionizing electronic design and building  the largest open hardware community on the web

circuits.io – Free circuit editor in your browser - [Link]

Interesting and info-packed video from Osram on how they make LEDs – [via]

How LEDs are Made - [Link]

On October 9th, 1962, Nick Holonyak gave the first demonstration of a visible light emitting diode – [via]

1962: Nick Holonyak, Jr. demonstrates the world’s first visible light-emitting diode (LED) to General Electric suits, changing the world of lighting forever. Holonyak later said that the LED would replace incandescent lights. It’s just taking a little bit longer than expected.

Scientists at the GE Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory were researching a way to create energy-efficient visible light from LEDs. The incandescent lights that we still use today rely on igniting a filament housed in a vacuum to create light. The process is inefficient and only uses 10 percent of available energy to produce light. The rest is lost as heat.

In the early 1960s, the only light emitted from LEDs was infrared. The race to produce a visible LED had GE researchers scrambling to be first.

50th Anniversary of the Visible Light LED - [Link]

PureVLC brings its first Visible Light Communication (VLC) product to the market. VLC transmits data wirelessly using visible light as its medium instead of radio waves. VLC was demonstrated over a year ago when Harold Haas, professor of Mobile Communications at the University of Edinburgh, successfully demonstrated the technology at a TED conference. He streamed a HD video to a screen using a LED light bulb as transmitter.

Using the visible light spectrum to transfer data wirelessly will ease the burden on the overcrowded radio frequencies. The visible light spectrum is 10,000 larger than that of radio. VLC can potentially realize ultra-high-speed transfer rates and high data density. [via]

LEDs Just Got Brighter, They Now Talk Too - [Link]

43 cloud computing services that can make life easier for application developers – all free of charge.

43 Free Cloud Services for Application Developers - [Link]

AKTAKOM’S ADS-2031 is a perfect starter oscilloscope; it represents the latest technology at affordable prices.

Miami Fl., October 10, 2012 – T&M Atlantic., distributer of the test and measurement equipment, today unveiled its newest Oscilloscope Aktakom ADS-2031 30MHz 250MSa/s Dual Channels + External Trigger. ADS-2031 comes as a replacement to popular ADS-2034 model and features slim body, light weight, 8” TFT screen and 20 automatic measurement functions.

One of the best features of this innovative and precise instrument is its built-in HELP option that allows users to learn how to use this devise without looking up the manual.

In addition to all the technological advances the main attraction of this oscilloscope remains its affordability. For $262 per unit a college can purchase the latest technology in oscilloscopes and offer it students training in all the functionality usually available on world leading devices. With free shipping and 3 year manufacturer’s warranty college professors and administrators are taking a much closer look at this previously unknown but increasingly popular brand.

Introductory prices start from $262. More info available at www.tmatlantic.com

ADS-2031 College Level Oscilloscope – [Link]