Digilent Pmods – an Introduction
What is a Pmod? What does it take to become a Pmod? How did the Pmods come to be in the first place?
TFT LCD Display with PING Ultrasonic Sensor
A good display is hard to find. So when I came across the Adafruit’s 1.8″ 18-bit color TFT LCD display with microSD card breakout I couldn’t wait to get it working on our chipKIT boards.
3D Modeling with Blender
We have made a few posts showing off our 3D printers and some of the classes on 3D printing that we have done here at Digilent. Garrett Mace from macetech.com showed us some of the basics on how to use various 3D modeling software like AutoDesk Inventor, Autodesk 123D Design, OpenSCAD, MeshMixer, and SketchUp. Today, I’m going to introduce some of the basic modeling tools available in the free but robust Blender.
Nexys vs. Basys
At Washington State University, the electrical engineering department uses Digilent FPGAs in several classes. Students are allowed to pick from a variety of our FPGAs. The main choice is between the Nexys or Basys lines of FPGAs. As a student, I hear a lot of confusion from students about the differences between the two series of boards. I figured that students can’t be the only ones who have questions about the difference, so I decided to write a quick summary of the differences. I’ll be using the Nexsys 4 and the soon-to-be newest member of the Basys series as an example. I’ve compiled two lists to highlight the differences between the two.
FPGA Products: What They Are & How to Use Them - Digilent / How-To Guides and Technical Workflows – Digilent Blog
Online Embedded Linux Course for ZYBO: Hands-On Training
If you have gone through the Embedded Linux Hands-On Tutorial created by Kaitlyn and now want to learn more about embedded software design using ZYBO and Linux, check out the online embedded software design class …
What Are Op-amps and How Do I Use Them?
Operational amplifiers (op-amps) are everywhere, in everything, and can do just about anything. Well, okay, maybe not quite, but there is no doubt that they are one of the most useful ICs ever to hit the market.
AC to DC conversion
Are you wanting to build something that requires DC power but changing batteries would either be inconvenient or just plain annoying? Here’s a simple how-to for converting AC mains voltage to rectified and regulated DC voltage.
WF32 Pin Diagram
I’m a big fan of the chipKIT WF32. It’s a powerful little board with a WiFi card and SD card reader built in, but there’s a lot more to this board than meets the eye. There are a ton of communication lines, external interrupts, output compare pins, and more hidden in all those GPIO pins, but how do you tell what is what? That’s where the WF32 pin diagram comes in. I’ve compiled, color coded, and listed what each pin is capable of.
Uses of Different Soldering Tips
Many of you have likely done some soldering before, but if you are like me, you may not be familiar with all the different soldering iron tips that are out there. I know that I used to be under the impression that there were only two types of soldering iron tips and only one useful type–the one currently on the soldering iron.
Shift Registers
Earlier, I made a post on how a shift register is operated in practice. But what exactly can a shift register be used for and how does it work? As always, the answer will depend on what you are trying to do (yes, we do have to play by reality’s rules).
Some Basics of Frequency Modulation
Here’s a really great educational project for learning about frequency modulation using your Analog Discovery and Analog Parts Kit.
Beyond Theory: Operating a Shift Register
Have you ever been trying to learn how to do something and looked around online for help but got the impression that everybody else knew how to do it but never …
New Product- Pmod MAXSONAR
I’m really excited to announce the newest member of the Pmod family, the Pmod MAXSONAR!
Essential Fritzing Techniques: Top 6 Tips
As promised, this post provides some of the tips and tricks for using Fritzing that some of the other interns and I have discovered in our use of the software. I have been working closely with Fritzing to get a Digilent parts bin in the next release, which should happen soon!
Motion-Sensing AC Switch with Built-in Timer
Hello, all! I just finished a new project, the motion-activated AC switch.
PLTW, the Cmod S6, and NI MyDAQ
One of the best parts of traveling to a conference like ASEE is getting to participate in hands on workshops. I love getting to go to these, because many times, these are teaching experiences that I’ve only heard about that use Digilent products, so it was a welcome change to be able to see one in action.
Digilent Education Processes – Blog / Digilent Products: What They Are and How to Use Them / Digilent Projects – Blog
Making Your Own Metronome
Microcontrollers can be utilized in a wide variety of applications, including musical applications. In keeping with this theme, I’m going to take a look today at how to create my own adjustable metronome using …
Digital Thermometer
Today I’m going to take a look into how to make a digital thermometer using parts from the chipKIT™ Starter Kit.
Remote Temperature Viewing on the Blackberry 10 Using the Digilent Basic I/O Shield
It is exciting to see all your posts and projects using Digilent products. This project posted by a Digilent user shows a step-by-step guide to using the Basic I/O Shield on the Blackberry 10 for remote temperature viewing and listening. There is also an earlier post in our blog about the I/O Shield and how cool it is. Check it out here!
Analog Discovery– Building a Theremin with a Soda Can!
Are you into analog circuits? Check out the video below to see a demonstration of a theremin that I built with the Digilent Analog Discovery using a soda can as the antenna!
Electric Dune Buggy
I’m an intern at Digilent working on converting a dune buggy to electric power. Once the buggy is complete, the operator will have the options to use either remote control or autonomous operation and will exemplify the functionality of Digilent products. The overall goal is to create something fun yet safe that will encourage innovators to go out and build something awesome.
Fritzing and Digilent
At Digilent, we use Fritzing to present educational concepts. A lot of our Learn projects feature Fritzing. A number of our parts (with more being added regularly) are in Fritzing Projects (search for Digilent) and in the user-created parts repository. From designing circuits to demonstrating new concepts, we use Fritzing for showing people what we’re working on. We also use some Fritzing graphics in our inventories for our Learn projects. (The one shown below is from a project about debouncing circuits with libraries.)
Letter from Clint Cole– Welcome
Hello all!
We’ve been building student-focused design kits for more than fourteen years, and I thought it might be time we shared some information about our company and our mission.