The ESP8266 is an impressive, low cost WiFi module suitable for adding WiFi functionality to an existing microcontroller project via a UART serial connection. The module can even be reprogrammed to act as a standalone WiFi connected device – just add power! 802.11 b/g/n protocol Wi-Fi Direct (P2P), soft-AP Integrated TCP/IP protocol stack This module is a self-contained SOC (System On a Chip) that doesn’t necessarily need a microcontroller to manipulate inputs and outputs as you would normally do with an Arduino , for example, because the ESP-01 acts as a small computer. Thus, you can give a microcontroller internet access like the Wi-Fi shield does to the Arduino, or you can simply program the ESP8266 to not only have access to a Wi-Fi network, but to act as a microcontroller as well, which makes the ESP8266 very versatile.
The Elektor Laser Head transforms the Elektor Sand Clock into a clock that writes the time on glow-in-the-dark film instead of sand. In addition to displaying the time, it can also be used to create ephemeral drawings. The 5 mW laser pointer, with a wavelength of 405 nm, produces bright green drawings on the glow-in-the-dark film. For best results, use the kit in a dimly lit room. Warning: Never look directly into the laser beam!
The kit includes all the necessary components, but soldering three wires is required.
Note: This kit is also compatible with the original Arduino-based Sand Clock from 2017. For more details, see Elektor Magazine 1-2/2017 and Elektor Magazine 1-2/2018.
This 900 MHz radio version can be used for either 868 MHz or 915 MHz transmission/reception – the exact radio frequency is determined when you load the software since it can be tuned around dynamically.
At the Feather 32u4's heart is at ATmega32u4 clocked at 8 MHz and at 3.3 V logic. This chip has 32 K of flash and 2 K of RAM, with built in USB so not only does it have a USB-to-Serial program & debug capability built in with no need for an FTDI-like chip, it can also act like a mouse, keyboard, USB MIDI device, etc.
To make it easy to use for portable projects, we added a connector for any 3.7 V Lithium polymer batteries and built in battery charging. You don't need a battery, it will run just fine straight from the micro USB connector. But, if you do have a battery, you can take it on the go, then plug in the USB to recharge. The Feather will automatically switch over to USB power when its available. We also tied the battery thru a divider to an analog pin, so you can measure and monitor the battery voltage to detect when you need a recharge.
Features
Measures 2.0' x 0.9' x 0.28' (51 x 23 x 8 mm) without headers soldered in
Light as a (large?) feather – 5.5 grams
ATmega32u4 @ 8 MHz with 3.3 V logic/power
3.3 V regulator with 500 mA peak current output
USB native support, comes with USB bootloader and serial port debugging
You also get tons of pins – 20 GPIO pins
Hardware Serial, hardware I²C, hardware SPI support
7x PWM pins
10x analog inputs
Built in 100 mA lipoly charger with charging status indicator LED
Pin #13 red LED for general purpose blinking
Power/enable pin
4 mounting holes
Reset button
The Feather 32u4 Radio uses the extra space left over to add an RFM69HCW 868/915 MHz radio module. These radios are not good for transmitting audio or video, but they do work quite well for small data packet transmission when you ned more range than 2.4 GHz (BT, BLE, WiFi, ZigBee)
SX1231 based module with SPI interface
Packet radio with ready-to-go Arduino libraries
Uses the license-free ISM band ('European ISM' @ 868 MHz or 'American ISM' @ 915 MHz)
+13 to +20 dBm up to 100 mW Power Output Capability (power output selectable in software)
50 mA (+13 dBm) to 150 mA (+20 dBm) current draw for transmissions
Range of approx. 350 meters, depending on obstructions, frequency, antenna and power output
Create multipoint networks with individual node addresses
Encrypted packet engine with AES-128
Simple wire antenna or spot for uFL connector
Comes fully assembled and tested, with a USB bootloader that lets you quickly use it with the Arduino IDE. Headrs are also included so you can solder it in and plug into a solderless breadboard. You will need to cut and solder on a small piece of wire (any solid or stranded core is fine) in order to create your antenna.
Lipoly battery and USB cable not included.
The power-management IC used on Raspberry Pi 5 integrates a real-time clock, and charging circuitry for a button cell which can power the clock while main power is disconnected. This Panasonic ML-2020 lithium manganese dioxide battery with a two-pin plug and a double-sided adhesive pad can be connected directly to the battery connector of the Raspberry Pi 5 and attached to the inside of a case or another convenient location.
The ESP8266 from Espressif is a Wi-Fi microchip with full TCP/IP stack and microcontroller capability. It has made waves in the maker community with its low price.
But many developers were unhappy with ESP8266's high power consumption. The ESP32, equipped with a ULP (Ultra Low Power) coprocessor, offers a remedy for this.
This e-book features a number of projects featuring ESP32 & ESP8266 as well as an interview with the CEO of Espressif Teo Swee Ann.
Articles
ESP32 for Use in Industry 4.0 Equipment
Scrolling Message Display, 512 LEDs controlled over Wi-Fi via an ESP-12F
The Connected Greenhouse IoT demonstration project using MQTT and Node-RED
VFD-tube Clock with ESP32 with an accurate Internet-derived time
ESP32 Low Power
DCF77 Emulator with ESP8266
ESP8266 on the Elektor Android I/O Board
The Reason Behind the Hugely Popular ESP8266?
Wi-Fi Desktop Thermostat
Timers for the Wi-Fi Desktop Thermostat
PlatformIO, the Universal Programming Tool
Weather Display, Visualize current weather data on an LC display
GoNotify, a Flexible IoT Sensor Interface
ESP32 for Power Users
USB Programming Adaptor for ESP8266
Getting started with ESP32 and the Arduino IDE
MicroPython, Python for small systems
RGBDigit Clock
WLAN for Microcontrollers
Return of the Wi-Fi Controller Board
Compact and Self-contained WLAN
This aluminium case in a precious design is very robust and protects your Raspberry Pi 4 perfectly against outer influences. There are cut-outs for all interfaces to make them accessible. The channel milling at the top side serves as a heat sink and inside the housing the case is in direct contact with the CPU and the RAM to maximize cooling results. Features Color: Matt black (gun-metal black) Material: High-quality, cast aluminium Special Features: Channel milling which serves as a heatsink, cut outs for all interfaces, heatsink in contact with CPU and RAM of the Raspberry Pi for better cooling performance Dimensions: 91 x 65 x 34 mm Items delivered Aluminium case Screws Heat conduction pads
Architecture, Programming and Applications
The MSP430 is a popular family of microcontrollers from Texas Instruments. In this book we will work with the smallest type, which is the powerful MSP430G2553. We will look at the capabilities of this microcontroller in detail, as it is well-suited for self-made projects because it is available in a P-DIP20 package.
We will take a closer look at the microcontroller and then build, step by step, some interesting applications, including a 'Hello World' blinking LED and a nice clock application, which can calculate the day of the week based on the date.
You also will learn how to create code for the MSP microcontroller in assembler. In addition to that, we will work with the MSP-Arduino IDE, which makes it quite easy to create fast applications without special in-depth knowledge of the microcontrollers.
All the code used in the book is available for download from the Elektor website.
Architecture, Programming and Applications
The MSP430 is a popular family of microcontrollers from Texas Instruments. In this book we will work with the smallest type, which is the powerful MSP430G2553. We will look at the capabilities of this microcontroller in detail, as it is well-suited for self-made projects because it is available in a P-DIP20 package.
We will take a closer look at the microcontroller and then build, step by step, some interesting applications, including a 'Hello World' blinking LED and a nice clock application, which can calculate the day of the week based on the date.
You also will learn how to create code for the MSP microcontroller in assembler. In addition to that, we will work with the MSP-Arduino IDE, which makes it quite easy to create fast applications without special in-depth knowledge of the microcontrollers.
All the code used in the book is available for download from the Elektor website.
The Challenger RP2040 SD/RTC is an Arduino/CircuitPython compatible Adafruit Feather format microcontroller board based on the Raspberry Pi Pico chip. The board is equipped with an microSD card reader and a Real Time Clock making it super useful for data logging applications.
MicroSD Card
This board is equipped with a microSD card connector that will house standard microSD cards allowing your application to have many gigabytes of storage room for sensor data or what ever you want to place on it. Together with a fancy display you could also store cool images.
Real Time Clock (RTC)
MCP79410 is a highly integrated real time clock with nonvolatile memory and many other advanced features. These features include a battery switchover circuit for backup power, a timestamp to log power failures and digital trimming for accuracy. Using a low-cost 32.768 kHz crystal or other clock source, time is tracked in either a 12-hour or 24-hour format with an AM/PM indicator and timing to the second, minute, hour, day of the week, day, month and year. As an interrupt or wakeup signal, a multifunction open drain output can be programmed as an Alarm Out or as a Clock Out that supports 4 selectable frequencies.
Specifications
Microcontroller
RP2040 from Raspberry Pi (133 MHz dual-core Cortex-M0)
SPI
One SPI channel configured
I²C
One I²C channel configured
UART
One UART channel configured
Analog inputs
4 analog input channels
Flash memory
8 MB, 133 MHz
SRAM Memory
264 KB (divided into 6 banks)
USB 2.0 controller
Up to 12 MBit/s full speed (integrated USB 1.1 PHY)
JST Battery connector
2.0 mm pitch
On board LiPo charger
500 mA standard charge current
RTC
MCP79410 (uses I²C0 (Wire) for communication)
SD Card
One SPI channel used (uses SPI1 to connect to the SD socket)
Dimensions
51 x 23 x 3,2 mm
Weight
9 g
Downloads
Datasheet
RunCPM image including HW I/O port support
CPM File image for RunCPM
Getting started with RunCPM for the Challenger RP2040 SD/RTC board
CircuitPython download page
Waveshare Core3S500E is an FPGA core board that features an XC3S500E device onboard supporting further expansion.
Features
Onboard 1x XCF04S
Integrated FPGA basic circuit, such as clock circuit
Onboard nCONFIG button, RESET button, 4x LEDs
All the I/O ports are accessible on the pin headers
Onboard JTAG debugging/programming interface
2.0 mm header pitch design, suitable for being plugged-in your application system
Downloads
Wiki
Waveshare CoreEP4CE10 is an FPGA core board that features an EP4CE10F17C8N device onboard supporting further expansion.
Features
Onboard Serial Configuration Device EPCS16SI8N
Integrated FPGA basic circuit, such as clock circuit
Onboard nCONFIG button, RESET button, 4x LEDs
All the I/O ports are accessible on the pin headers
Onboard JTAG debugging/programming interface
2.00 mm header pitch design, suitable for being plugged-in your application system
Downloads
Wiki
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by Harry Baggen
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