PCBite: measure hands-free on your PCB

One of the most useful bits of kit on a test bench — especially if you regularly deal with analogue circuits — just has to be a function generator.Several years ago I tested the Siglent model SDG830 and really liked it. Siglent are currently offering a good discount on their 800 and 1000 series units so I took a closer look at the SDG1032X Function/Arbitrary Waveform Generator. At just over 300 euros that works out cheaper than the previous model...

For the cost of 3 Raspberry Pis you will get from Allo, the DigiOne, a HAT for the Raspberry Pi, which makes available a digital S/P-DIF signal from the audio signal playing on the Pi. Is it worth that much?

Using the small power supply module DPS5005 from JOY-iT, a programmable laboratory power supply can be put together. The module can (at the maximum allowed input voltage of 55 V) supply no less than 0...50 V at 0...5 A, 250 W, that is. It does, however, require another AC/DC power supply module to provide the input voltage in order to make a complete lab power supply. JOY-iT has the housing DPS-Case in their line-up, especially for this module. This kit contains all the components to house the module neatly and safely.

Help your children dream STEAM! Neither a toy nor a gadget, this WaterColorBot is an attractive educational project, involving girls, kids, adults, and teachers into active robotics and creative making. It not only provides opportunities for young people to build and learn about computer numerical control and to learn how to program a robot. It can be used far beyond that horizon. The WaterColorBot V2.0 is essentially a specialized pen plotter, using watercolors to paintbrush onto paper before your eyes. It dips its brush in water, goes and gets the right color. Standard watercolor paints and paper are used (no specialized supplies required).

DJs and fans of light shows are devotees of USB/DMX512 converters to control their projectors from their laptop PCs. Unfortunately, those found in the commercial world are often not (well) isolated from the mains voltage. Here, on the other hand, an isolated DC/DC converter powers the isolated RS 485 transceiver. Like any DMX device worth of the name, this new converter has an XLR socket.

Although we usually expect them to surprise us, the British know how to make a grand announcement. Even their most anticipated surprises remain real surprises. And sometimes very good surprises. So it is with the new version of that celebrated British single board computer that is found everywhere, even hidden within the labs of NASA. The star of the week is Version 4 of the Raspberry Pi.

The word LiDAR, the ‘Li’ meaning ‘light’ indicates a device for optoelectronic echolocation. Instead of radio frequencies, the Lidar transmits a pulsed laser beam, the echo of which allows the determination of the distance of a reflecting obstacle. There is much talk these days of self-driving cars. Cheap Lidars with interesting characteristics are now available to anyone; they permit rapid development beyond the experimental stage.

Elektor Industry, the leading global magazine platform in English and German for talented entrepreneurs, young innovators, designers, start-ups, and scale-ups has published its second issue for the year 2019. It is available both in print and online and you can read it now.

Don’t let the wide range of available low-pressure sensors be intimidating. Because of the range, there will likely be a sensor, or combination of sensors, to meet most application requirements. The key is to know your requirements and constraints first.

Infineon OptiMOS™ 3 and 5 best-in-class (BiC) power MOSFETs in space-saving SuperSO8 package enable higher power density in addition to improved robustness compared to former models.Therefore, system costs are reduced while the overall performance is increased. The OptiMOS™ BiC power MOSFETs are available at www.Rutronik24.com.

This is a submission from Swissbit about the introduction of its U-50n (Nano) - a small and robust USB3.1 flash drive with capacities from 8 to 64GB intended for IoT and industrial applications which need more than just a USB drive.