Embedded Design Lab INDIA

Analog to Digital Conversion Most real world data is analog. Whether it be temperature, pressure, voltage, etc, their variation is always analog in nature. For example, the temperature inside a boiler is around 800°C. During its light-up, the temperature never approaches directly to 800°C. If the ambient temperature is 400°C, it will start increasing gradually to 450°C, 500°C and thus reaches 800°C over a period of time. This is an analog data. Signal Acquisition Process Now, we must process the data that we have received. But analog signal processing is quite inefficient in terms of accuracy, speed and desired output. Hence, we convert them to digital form using an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). Signal Acquisition Process In general, the signal (or data) acquisition process has 3 steps. In the  Real World , a  sensor  senses any physical parameter and converts into an equivalent analog electrical signal. For efficient and ease of signal processi...

Timers Timers are used everywhere. Without timers, you would end up nowhere! The range of timers vary from a few microseconds (like the ticks of a processor) to many hours (like the lecture classes   ), and AVR is suitable for the whole range! AVR boasts of having a very accurate timer, accurate to the resolution of microseconds! This feature makes them suitable for timer applications. Let’s see how. You come across timers everyday. Simplest example hangs on your wall or maybe tied around your wrist. You can say that they have a unique property to measure time. Everything in this world is synchronized with time. You wake up at, say, 6 o’clock; you work everyday for 8 hours; you need to drink water every 4 hours, etc. But the concept of timers isn’t confined to your daily routines. Every electronic component works on a time base. This time base helps to keep all the work synchronized. Without a time base, you would have no idea as to  when  to do a particular th...

One of parents’ biggest fears is not knowing what their children are getting up to, but they also don’t want to end up smothering them. We’ve already written about FiLIP , the watch-sized communicator that helps parents stay connected to kids. Now Sweden-based  Tinitell  is a wearable, voice-controlled phone for kids that are too young to own a smartphone. Self-described as the “world’s smallest mobile phone”, the device looks much like a wristwatch, except that it has no display. Instead, it comes equipped with a mic, speaker and SIM card slot, as well as a small CPU that turns it into a useable phone. Parents first connect it to their smartphone via Bluetooth to load numbers onto it as well as register it with their device. Kids can then simply press the button on their Tinitell’s face and say the name of the person they want to call. They can also receive calls through the device, but only from the numbers loaded by their parent. Parents can track the location o...

New technology is helping people in new and interesting ways. When people think of technology, they often associate it with work because it’s hard to imagine the world of work without telephones and fax machines, hardware and software, wireless communication and video conferencing. Technology has made work faster and more efficient, and it has reduced overheads while improving revenue. A powerful example of the incessant demand for technology is a look at how CISCO Systems, a retailer of networking solutions, has been able to earn $12.36 billion this year despite a difficult global economy that has not fully recovered since the financial crisis in 2007. For millions of people across the world, work has become easier as many employees no longer have to commute to distant offices through heavy traffic and inclement weather. Employees can stay in touch with coworkers and clients from home, a distant office or across the world. Connectivity is even possible when travel...