April 2022

Hardware

Let us start with fuses

I have collected a few links to fuses recently and I have a feeling I would like to start with them this time.

Texas Instruments eFuses in QFN packages

These eFuses have been designed for a quite wide operating input voltage range from 2.7V to 23V DC. The typical value of Ron is 9.8 mΩ and the threshold allows limiting current from 0.87A to 7.7A. The package is QFN10 2x2mm.

Automotive-grade SMD fuses by Bourns

Finding a suitable fuse in a small SMD package is sometimes hard. I was glad when I found these fuses by Bourns in 1206 (from 10A to 20A) and 0603 (from 1A to 8A) size packages. All are AEC-Q200 compliant.

Touchless Toilet with Biosensor

One of the winning combos was presented by the Renesas company in the Application section of their website, the Touchless Toilet. I like the coverage of almost all electronic parts by components from the Renesas company portfolio. At least this design proposal can solve as a good source of inspiration.

Hello FPGA Kit

Do you want to start with FPGAs but do not have time? The Microchip Technology company Hello FPGA Kit should help. The kit includes a Microchip PIC32 MCU that is used to program the SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA (M2S010), monitor power, and more. All possible documentation is freely available for everyone (even without registration, I send my regards to the MPS company here).

ROHM Digital Color Sensor ICs

ROHM Semiconductor BU27006MUC-Z Digital Color Sensor ICs sense Red, Green, Blue (RGB), and Infrared and converts them to digital values. The high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and excellent ir cut characteristics make it possible to obtain the accurate illuminance and color temperature of ambient light.

mmWave sensor based patient monitoring

In this demo IWR6843, a single-chip sensor detects people in the living spaces such as a bedroom and monitors fall events ,vitals signals like heart rate, breathe rate and quality of sleep without invading privacy. This critical vital monitoring information and/or the fall event is relayed for remote monitoring over Wi-Fi using the SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC32xxx device.?

SMT audio jack

I just love these TRS 3.5 mm SMT jacks. Nothing more needs to say here. Thank you Switchcraft company.

WS-TASV SMT Washable Tact Switch 4.1 x 2.8 mm

Is not it cool? The Würth Elektronik company presents the new washable tactile switches with decent size of 4.1x2.8 mm. These switches design offers three operational force variants.

PCB Routing Guidelines for Signal Integrity and Power Integrity

Do I have to say more?

Automotive Quad/Triple Low-Voltage Step-Down DC-DC Converter

The Analog Devices MAX20029 power-management ICs integrate four low-volt- age, high-efficiency, step-down DC-DC converters. Each of the four outputs is factory or resistor programmable between 1V to 4.0V or 0.7V to 3.8V. The MAX20029/MAX20029C has two 0.5A/1A/1.5A channels and two 0.5A/1.5A channels, while the MAX20029B/MAX20029D has two 0.5A/1.5A channels and by combining channels 1 and 2, a single 2A/3A channel. The PMICs operate from 3.0V to 5.5V, making them ideal for automotive point-of- load and post-regulation applications.

KiCAD

JLCPCB plugin

Do you order at JLCPCB? Do you order entire assemblies at JLCPCB? Do you prepare the BOM files manually?

I have a solution. The KiCAD JLCPCB plugin for the PCB editor of the KiCAD.?

1?? add the https://github.com/bouni/kicad-jlcpcb-tools repository into your Plugin and Content Manager

2?? search for KiCAD JLCPCB plugin and install it

3?? use it

Library pining in PCB editor

Today I would like to introduce a small but really useful improvement in KiCAD v6. It is a pinning library feature in the Footprint editor.

When you manage your own footprint library or libraries you need to either move it or them manually to the top of the list or now you can pin the library by simple one mouse click.

I have my own library named "daymoon" and as you can see in the picture I moved this library into the VIP zone.

Global label

A short but again a time-saving tip for all KiCAD users.

1?? you can place a label to any net

2?? you can place a global label to any net

3?? ?? you can make a global label from an existing label ??

You probably know the global label creation is a time consuming task, it takes a few second to select the tool, to type the name, to confirm and to place.?

So you can convert a label to a new global label with a one right-button mouse click.

Layer marking

You probably know this moment when you have to add text objects into the copper layers. Again and again in each design.

I helped myself this way:

1?? I prepared special footprints with these labels - from 2-sided boards it is simple

2?? 4 or more layered board labels need some tunning after placement onto the board - because the KiCAD footprint cannot have inner layers

3?? one must manually reassign some labels to the correct layers but it is a piece of cake

I hope you will like it and it will save you time in the future.

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