Summary of Turn your TV into a Digital Voltmeter using Atmel’s AVR 90S1200 microcontroller
This project transforms a standard TV into a digital voltmeter featuring giant digits, an analog bar graph, and min/max value recording. Designed by Alberto Ricci Bitti for Elektor Electronics in May 1999, it utilizes an Atmel AVR 90S1200 microcontroller paired with a Maxim MAX192 analog-to-digital converter. While the hardware for generating composite video signals is simple, the software requires precise timing measurements to synthesize the video display effectively.
Parts used in the TV Digital Voltmeter:
- Atmel’s AVR 90S1200 microcontroller
- Maxim’s MAX192 analog to digital converter
- 8 channels multiplexer
- 10-bit ADC
- Composite video signal generator hardware
This is an interesting voltmeter project that display the measured voltage on a TV screen, in giant digits as well as with analog bar. It also records the maximum and minimum values of measurements. The project was built by Alberto Ricci Bitti and was published in the May 1999 issue of Elektor Electonics.
The circuit uses Atmel’s AVR 90S1200 microcontroller with the Maxim’s MAX192 analog to digital converter that has 8 channels multiplexer for its 10-bit ADC. The hardware to generate the composite video signal is extremely simple. The complexity goes to the software part because the video synthesis requires very accurate timing measurements.
For more detail: Turn your TV into a Digital Voltmeter using Atmel’s AVR 90S1200 microcontroller
- What does this project display on a TV screen?
The project displays measured voltage in giant digits and as an analog bar. - Does the device record measurement extremes?
Yes, it records the maximum and minimum values of measurements. - Which microcontroller is used in the circuit?
The circuit uses Atmel’s AVR 90S1200 microcontroller. - What component handles the analog to digital conversion?
Maxim’s MAX192 analog to digital converter is used for conversion. - How many channels does the multiplexer have?
The multiplexer has 8 channels. - Is the hardware complex to build?
No, the hardware to generate the composite video signal is extremely simple. - Where was this project published?
It was published in the May 1999 issue of Elektor Electonics. - Who built this project?
The project was built by Alberto Ricci Bitti.
