Collaborate Disseminate
We have covered enough of the work of [Ken Shirriff] on these pages to know that when he publishes something, it will be a fascinating read and work of the highest quality. And so it is with his latest, a very unusual op-amp on which he performs his usual reverse …read more
Continue reading This Vintage Op-Amp Opens A Fascinating Window Into Semiconductor History
Deep in the heart of your latest project lies a little silicon brain. Much like the brain inside your own bone-plated noggin, your microcontroller needs protection from the outside world from time to time. When it comes to isolating your microcontroller’s sensitive little pins from high voltages, ground loops, or general noise, nothing beats an optocoupler. And while simple on-off control of a device through an optocoupler can be as simple as hooking up an LED, they are not perfect digital devices.
But first a step back. What is an optocoupler anyway? The prototype is an LED and a light-sensitive …read more
Continue reading Optocouplers: Defending Your Microcontroller, MIDI, and a Hot Tip for Speed