The Way to Use a Stepper – motor

The stepper – motor has one of the biggest potentials of all the electronics hobbyist‘s inventors bag. A stepper – motor is used for accurate positioning in predictable increments – and as such you’ll find one in your computer (controlling the hard disk); your computer printer; your CD player; and the dimmer switch on your home’s lighting system.

The stepper – motor works by magnetising a single tooth on a cog wheel, which is attracted into the field of a charged electromagnet. A series of electromagnets charge in turn, causing the gear wheel to move fluidly between fixed positions (defined by the teeth).

The stepper – motor becomes smoother in option (and more precise) the more teeth that it has. This is because the gap between the teeth is smaller, so the rock –back effect (as the teeth come into the magnetised field generated by the electromagnet) is correspondingly less noticeable.

In your next application that requires movement through predictable positions, consider using a stepper – motor. It can be computer controlled as part of an open loop system, allowing you to perform simple mechanical tasks efficiently and at a reasonably low cost. For help and advice: www.proto-pic.co.uk.

Making Sure Your Relay board Protects You

Some applications work with a lot of voltage. When you create something like this you need to be sure that your relay board is protecting you. Working with high voltages and improper equipment could endanger you, or the end user of your device.

A relay shield board is the ideal way to control high voltage. When you use your relay board be sure that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and cautions thoroughly. For example you don’t want the USB connector to make contact with the pins on your shield – so use a couple of layers of electrical tape to shield the one from the other.

A simple relay board controls the voltage through a number of channels, allowing you to operate safely and ensuring that your application works safely too.

Be sure that you know the maximum switching power for each channel on your relay board when you are designing your application. A relay board of this type can be both directly controlled (using the IO holes on your board) or remotely controlled when you have installed the correct form socket and RF module interface.

If you would like help and advice on using boards to control high voltage: www.proto-pic.co.uk.

A Versatile Relay Board!

I thought I’d make this post about my favourite hobbying relay board – the SparkFun ADuC7020 ARM. I use it for the important switching processes on most of my home built devices and it works perfectly every time.

The ADuC7020 ARM is extremely versatile, with five channels (12 Bit) and four relays. The relay board is built on 16/32 bit RISC architecture and has a JTAG connector too. Perfect for programming in circuit and debugging using ARM-JTAG.

It has a 12C connector, an extension header for ADC and DAC ports, and is drilled with four mounting holes already. Timing options include an external clock source; a trimmed on chip oscillator; an external watch crystal; two general purpose timers; plus wake up and watchdog timers.

So as you can see, a perfect relay board for just about any job! If you have any questions about it get in touch.

EL Goes Flat with Electroluminescent Tape!

Electroluminescent tape provides the same soft luminescence as the always popular electroluminescent wire – only it’s flat! Ideal for decorative and safety purpose, the tape is flexible, plastic and extremely efficient – you can run it for ages off simple AA batteries.

So how’s it made? Well, electroluminescent tape follows the exact same principle as EL wire. There’s a copper core with a phosphor coating: and then you’ve got a wire running over that, which bats an alternating current back and forth with the copper core. The resulting stimulation of the phosphor makes the tape glow. Simple!

And what do you need to run your electroluminescent tape? A sequencer, an inverter and an Escudo – which converts the high voltage required to get the phosphor going down to a manageable level. It’s simple, it’s brilliant and yes, it’s flat. We love it and so will you!

Sparkfun Spices Up Home Electronics

As interest in home electronics grows among hobbyists building fun gadgets and engineers working on new prototypes, companies have emerged that are dedicated to meeting their demand for a diverse range of high-quality components.

Proto-PIC is an online retail store that stocks a huge range of Sparkfun UK products. From robots to GPS devices, development boards to duck antennas, the customers can find a massive Sparkfun selection of quality parts for reasonable prices in our Proto-PIC site.

Proto-PIC is opening up the UK market for home electronics like no other brand. It is a company that truly understands the needs of the home electronics enthusiast and is dedicated to providing branded components like those of Sparkfun – from the very simple to the fiendishly sophisticated – to suit any development project. Check out their extensive range of Sparkfun UK products today.

A one-stop shop for UK electronics components

The UK electronic components market is undergoing huge growth as more and more people are building their own gadgets at home. The number of electronics hobbyists is growing every day and includes everyone from complete beginners wanting to learn more about electronics to trained engineers working on prototypes of new products.

Fortunately for the growing number of electronics enthusiasts there are online suppliers of UK electronic components that understand their needs and have brought together a range of products to suit any kind of home electronics project.

Proto-PIC, for example, is run by experienced electronics engineers who know exactly what the UK electronic components market needs. From kits and sensors to microcontrollers to GPS devices, its online store has it all. What’s more, they are happy to give advice to anyone with questions about which product to buy or how to use a component they have already bought. Give them a call today.

See the light

For electronics enthusiasts wanting to incorporate stunning visuals into their homemade devices there is a range of electroluminescent materials available that will help you achieve stunning effects.

Electroluminescent materials come in many shapes, colours and sizes, but the fundamental principle is the same. Whether it is an electroluminescent wire, ribbon or panel, the material contains a layer of phosphor, which gives off a neon-like glow when the correct voltage is applied. Light, flexible and versatile, these materials can be used in so many different ways that the only limit is your imagination.

Electroluminescent materials and the cables, connectors and adapters that are required to operate them are readily available from online suppliers at very reasonable prices. Whether the visual element is at the heart of your design, or whether you just require some eye-catching decorative features, these products can be easily adapted to any application.