Acroname Blog
Sharp Infrared Ranging Model Comparison
Post date: 7 years 10 months ago
INTRODUCTION
Sharp infrared ranging modules boast a small package, very low power consumption and a variety of output options. In order to maximize each sensor's potential, it is important to understand how these types of IR sensors work, their effective ranges, and how to interface to them....
Linearizing Sharp Ranger Data
Post date: 8 years 2 weeks ago
INTRODUCTION
The Sharp family of infrared ranging modules are used extensively for robotics and automatic distance measurement applications. Unfortunately, the output of these sensors are inherently non-linear. In other words, a big change in output voltage does not always indicate a big change in...
Driving High Power Loads with H-bridge
Post date: 8 years 12 months ago
OVERVIEW
A common automation system requirement is to drive or actuate high power loads using low level voltage signals. Motors, solenoids, relays and capacitive loads can be actuated with appropriate circuitry that is only possible using small current/voltage combinations often found in embedded...
Description of Pulse Width Modulation blog post
Post date: 9 years 7 months ago
PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) refers to the concept of rapidly pulsing a digital signal on a wire. Along with many other uses, it can be used to simulate a varying static voltage. PWM is commonly used for driving motors, heaters, LEDs or lights in varying intensities or speeds.
TERMINOLOGY
Period...
All About Back-EMF Motion Control
Post date: 9 years 12 months ago
INTRODUCTION
Electromotive force (EMF) refers to the voltage generated by a spinning motor. Measuring this voltage in order to determine the rotational speed of a motor is commonly called Back-EMF since the voltage tends to "push-back" against the circuit driving current into a motor's windings....
Reading a Photoresistor Asynchronously blog post
Post date: 11 years 3 months ago
OVERVIEW
Photoresistors are used in many applications because they either increase or decrease in resistance depending on the amount of light. A common application for photoresistors is the triggering of an event when the light passes a certain point. This example demonstrates the use of a...
Reading a Button State blog post
Post date: 12 years 2 weeks ago
OVERVIEW
Buttons are an ideal basic example because they are easy to implement and are used in many applications that the user needs to interact with the system. This example demonstrates how easy it is to configure the BrainStem to read digital pin data and use that data to execute another...
Flash an External LED blog post
Post date: 12 years 7 months ago
OVERVIEW
LED's serve many purposes and can range in color from ultraviolet to infrared. They can be used to detect light similar to the light they emit, serve as voltage references, and as a visual reference for active channels. Since LED's have a large range of uses and are conceptually simple...
Reading a Potentiometer using Reflex blog post
Post date: 13 years 4 months ago
OVERVIEW
Potentiometers are commonly used in applications where accurate manual adjustment of a setting is required. The potentiometer changes its resistance depending on the location of the knob, causing a change in voltage that can be read and used to change a value. This example demonstrates...
Reading a Photoresistor using Reflex blog post
Post date: 14 years 2 months ago
OVERVIEW
Photoresistors are used in many applications because they either increase or decrease in resistance depending on the amount of light. A common application for photoresistors is the triggering of an event when the light passes a certain point. This example demonstrates the use of a...
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