Every digital oscilloscope I have ever used has a menu or dialog for “acquisition modes.” And depending on the current settings, changing that acquisition mode does not seem to have an effect on the signal. Or sometimes, changing to something like Average mode can completely destroy your measurements. It turns out, that the analog-to-digital converters in digital oscilloscopes can do more than just “sample” the data. Well, the ADCs just samples. The controller behind the…
Bench power supplies are an essential piece of test equipment gear. And like most test gear, they have a wide range of capabilities. For example, the B&K Precision 9140 is a triple output supply that can output up to 300 watts. But, the basic capability isn’t what interested me about the supply. Instead, it was advanced features like rear panel triggers, adjustable slew rate, and built-in sequencing. The element14 Community arranged for a B&K Precision…
In KiCad 6, using the Polygon tool makes square boards easy. Just select the Edge.Cuts layer, then the polygon tool, and draw a square. However, if you want custom shapes, then you need to connect multiple line segments together. If you are not careful, the segments will not connect and you might get one of two errors. The first comes when you run DRC. Error: Board has malformed outline (not a closed shape) or, if…
Thank you again to those who came over from RSS to say the old feed was working. Also. My apologies for the rash of new posts. I *thought* I had a clever way to prevent them from appearing in the feed. Let me know if you see any issues. New (real) posts will start in the next week or two.
Using a Metcal GT120, we look at three ways to improve your soldering skills. Using flux, setting a correct temperature, and selecting the proper tip all result in better solder joints. See how well the GT120 works while learning (or reviewing) some basics to improve your soldering skills. This episode was sponsored by Metcal.
