About: Ibrar Ayyub

Satellite TV offers many solutions to broadcast and cable TV problems. Though satellite TV technology is still evolving, it has already become a popular choice for many TV viewers. In this article, we’ll find out how satellite TV works, from TV station to TV set. We’ll also learn about the changing landscape of TV viewing […]

As PCB part placements get denser, it’s necessary to add breakaway panels that add additional board material (edge rails) to accommodate the assembly process. Two parallel edges are required for a PCB to be processed in the SMT line. This is to prevent skewing through the conveyor system. Also, all odd shaped PCB’s must have […]

Today, night vision is most widely available in security cameras. Some work only at night, while others switch modes based on user input or ambient light. Surveillance rigs can run from $18 for a 0.5-lux low-light camera to $3,670 for a top-of-the-line thermal imaging model (lux measures the minimum light a camera needs to pick […]

If you have used LCDs in projects before you have realized that to use the backlight on a LCD display you need large positive and negative voltages. This circuit will help you create the voltages you need from a simple 2.5V to 6V input. I chose this circuit since many of my projects run off […]

Microsoft had built up buzz for its Xbox Live service since their console launched in 2001. The Xbox’s Ethernet port was ready and waiting for a broadband connection, and Xbox Live’s yearly subscription fee bought gamers an exclusive Gamertag and friends list they could access in any Live-enabled game. Xbox Live was Microsoft’s big push […]

What is the Arno Shield? It’s a follow up to the Arno board for those that prefer to work with a shield.  When you’ve completed all the projects that are in the included book, you can pop the shield off your Arduino compatible board and start building your project. It’s also a great way to […]

You may have to deal with proprietary cables for multiple devices, meaning each cable will fit one — and only one — of your gadgets. If you aren’t lucky in cable roulette, you have to keep grabbing cables until you find the right one. And if you have to recharge everything at once you’ve got […]

You can use an LED as a photoelectric sensor. A previous Design Idea shows that such a switch is highly power-efficient, consuming almost no power (Reference 1). However, you cannot adjust that configuration to switch at the desired light intensity. You can adjust the circuit in this Design Idea to any threshold level of light […]

Digital cameras have become extremely common as the prices have come down. One of the drivers behind the falling prices has been the introduction of CMOS image sensors. CMOS sensors are much less expensive to manufacture than CCD sensors. Both CCD (charge-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensors start at the same point […]

An application note from Microchip: Interfacing a 4×4 Matrix keypad with an 8-Bit GPIO expander This application note discusses interfacing a 4×4 matrix keypad with MCP23X08 8-Bit GPIO Expander. This application note references the MCP23X08/17 GPIO Expander Keypad/LCD Demo Board (GPIODM-KPLCD). GPIO Expanders provide easy I/O expansion using standard serial interfaces such as I2C and SPI. […]