Take Power Out of PC RS-232 Port:  (design circuit added 8/02)

TB055: Ps/2® to USB Mouse Translator:  Microchip Application Note Published 4-May-04   (app note added 2/06)

Technique Makes Low Cost PC Board Shields:  02/19/04 EDN Design Ideas  /  (added 1/05)  Many pc-board assemblies require shields to reduce susceptibility to interference from electromagnetic fields. A classic example is a radio receiver, in which the front end usually needs high isolation from the tuning synthesizer. Historically, shields for low-volume or low-cost applications involve trade-offs....

Ten Tricks for Interfacing to the PIC16c508:  (electronic circuit added 7/03)

Ten Ways to Bulletproof RS-485 Interfaces:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

TFT Data Mapping for Dual Pixel LDI Application:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

The Biplan DP8342/DP8343 Bi-Phase Local Area Network:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

The MAX555 PLCC to TQFP Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Layout Guidelines:  Maxim Application Notes / 1120 / Jun-09  (app note added 6/06)

The Practical Limits of RS-485:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

The Super I/O Demo Board Design Guide:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

The Use of Zetex E-Line Transistors in Motor and Solenoid Driver Functions Within Printers: Effective Logic to High Current Load Interfacing:  Zetec Semiconductors  Applications Notes A brief discussion of the drive requirements of relatively high current inductive loads within computer peripheral equipment, with respect to the benefits possible with optimised small packaged components.   (app note added 2/06)

The Wire between Multiio Card and Joystick Connector:  (schematic / circuit (added (6/03)

Theory and Application of the ML4821 Average Current Mode PFC Controller / AN-42030:  Fairchild Application Notes / (app note added 6/06)

Thermal / Impact Printer:  Intersil Application Block Diagram  (app note added 6/06)

Thermocouple Interfaces to Serial Port:  11/09/95 EDN-Design Ideas / (added 3/03) The circuit in Figure 1 acquires temperature data via an IBM PC serial port using a thermocouple-based sensor. The sensor is a type-K (chromel-alumel) thermocouple. When in contact, the dissimilar metals produce a potential difference that is a function of temperature. Additional thermocouple junctions form where the chromel and alumel make contact with the copper connections of the signal-conditioning circuitry. Thermocouple measurements are inherently differential. Placing the incidental (chromeland alumel-copper) thermocouple junctions in an ice bath traditionally maintains the reference junction.....

Three Port PCi Bridge Performance Advantages:  Pericom Semiconductor Application Note # 040 (app note added 02/05)

Timing Analysis of Synchronous and Asynchronous Buses:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

TP3410 2Biq U Interface DeviceUsers Manual:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

TP3420A Line Interface Circuit Considerations:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

TP3420A S Interface Device(SID) User's Guide:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

Tricks Improve on Excel LCD Initialization:  04/11/02 EDN Design Ideas  /  (added 1/05)  A previous Design Idea on using Excel for LCD initialization relies on the user for cutting and pasting from Excel into an editor (Reference 1). It appears that it would take a minimum of six keystrokes or mouse strokes from one character to a new character to perform this operation. This procedure does not allow for the addition of comments, which would be advantageous in the maintenance... ...

Tricks Increase Utility of Parallel Port:  09/27/01 EDN Design Ideas  /  (added 1/05)  In this simple application of the 68HC68 microcontroller's serial-I/O utility, the goal is to configure a simple circuit, driven by any LPT parallel-printer port, which you can use as a remote I/O for a PC. You can independently program each I/O line as either an input or an output. The protocol in this application is an SPI (MISO/MOSI/SCK) type, using synchronous serial communications. ...

Triple Output 3.3V 5V and 12V High Efficiency Notebook Power Supply:  DN78  Design Notes (Linear Technology) (app note added 1/06)

Tsr Logs Assembler and Compiler Errors in File:  04/27/95 EDN-Design Ideas / (added 11/05)

TV RGB Signal Output from a SVG Graphics Card:  To achieve a CCInfrared conform TV signal with50 Hz vertical interlaced refresh and15.625 kHz horizontal frequency on most SVGA cards its possible to re-program CRT Timing and generate output signals outside the normal specification range. Then some pretty simple hardware is needed for rest of the signal conversion.   (added 4/02)

Two Channel Port Powered RS-232 to Rs 242 Converter:  information on commercial product, datasheet includes full circuit diagram   (added 4/02)

Two Transistor Circuit Replaces IC #1:  (electronic circuit added 11/05)

Two Transistor Circuit Replaces IC #2:  Linear Technology's recently introduced LTC4300 chip buffers I2C clock and data lines to and from a hot-swappable card. This task is difficult because the IC must work bidirectionally (added 6/03)

Two Transistor Circuit Replaces IC:  02/07/02 EDN Design Ideas  /  (added 1/05)  Linear Technology's recently introduced LTC4300 chip buffers I2C clock and data lines to and from a hot-swappable card. This task is difficult because the IC must work bidirectionally, meaning that you can simultaneously and actively drive both sides. However, as is sometimes the case, you can replace a complicated circuit by a simple one without much loss of performance. ...

Two Wire LCD Interface using PIC16CF84:  (schematic / circuit design added 9/02)

Ultra2 SCSI White Paper (AN-2):  Application Note 2 from Microsem  (app note added 6/06)

Understanding Power Requirements in RS-232 Applications:  National Semiconductor Application Note 05 Oct1998 / (app note added 5/02)

Understanding the Operation of a CRT Monitor:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 2/06)

Universal Infrared Controller for a PC:  This simple circuit allows you to record any Infrared remote control signal on your PC, and then play it back. This is particularly useful if you want to control appliances such as TVs, VCRs, CDs etc. from your computer. The device simply connects to the parallel port of your PC. You can also use this circuit to analyze the waveform from any Infrared remote control. This circuit was originally published in Electronics Australia, September1998  (added 4/02)

Universal Serial Bus Q and A:  02/03/97 EDN-Design Feature / (added11/05)   My recent hands-on project about designing with USB generated a big response, including lots of questions, from EDN's readers. Here's a compilation of the best questions, along with my responses.—Richard A Quinnell, Technical Editor

USB and GLCD Expansion Board for 8051 SBC:  (electronic circuit added 4/05)

USB Mass Storage Deviceusing a PIC MCU:  Microchip Application Note Published 30-Aug-05   (app note added 6/06)

USB to RS-232 Dongle:  (electronic circuit added 4/05)

USB: A Neat Package with a Few Loose Ends:  10/24/96 EDN-Design Feature / (added 11/05)  The USB for PCs can automatically configure and power peripherals. But, as I learned in this hands-on project, early USB adopters may face a substantial system-level design effort. They also need to carefully examine USB data-bandwidth characteristics.—Richard A Quinnell, Technical Editor

USB-AVR 323 Board:  schematic for an ATMega323 boards The main interface to this board is USB via the FTDI USB-Serial converter chip (8/05)

Usbn9603/4-Increased Data Transfer Rate using Ping-Pong Buffering:  National Semiconductor Application Note   (app note added 6/06)

Use a Microcontroller to Design a Boost Converter:  03/04/04 EDN Design Ideas  /  (added 1/05)  Boost converters, like other switchers, have traditionally received their control signals from a dedicated circuit. However, a recent trend is to integrate simple switching-power-supply building blocks into generic devices, such as microcontrollers. An excellent example of this concept is a microcontroller that combines digital and analog circuitry and makes it easier to build simple power supp......

Use a PC to Record Four-Channel Waveforms:  05/25/00 EDN-Design Ideas / (added 1/06)

Use a PC's Parallel Port to Program a Clock Source:  12/07/04 EDN Design Ideas  / (added 1/05)  This Design Idea shows how you can use Linear Technology's LTC6903 programmable oscillator as a clock source for direct-digital synthesis, data conversion, switched-capacitor filtering, clock, and voltage-controlled oscillator circuits. The LTC6903 operates from 2.7 to 5.5V with modest power consumption and can produce clock signals at frequencies of 1 kHz to 68 MHz.

Use a PC's Printer Port to Measure Frequency:  10/26/95 EDN-Design Ideas / (added 11/05) 

Use a PIC for Automatic Baud Rate Detection:  08/22/02 EDN Design Ideas  /  (added 1/05)  Automatic baud-rate detection is desirable in many applications. Microchip's (www.microchip.com) standard USART module that the company embeds in most of its PIC microcontrollers lends itself to a simple and easily implemented automatic baud-detection scheme. The PIC18FXX2 data sheet defines the following baud rate in bits per second: where X is the value for the baud-rate generator and FOSC ......

Use a printer port to record digital waveforms :  06/18/98 EDN-Design Ideas  / (added 11/05)   

Use a System's Real Time Clock to Hide a Code Sequence:  10/27/05 EDN Design Ideas  / (added 1/06)  Keep key code sections protected from prying users.

Use of Zetex E-Line Transistors in Motor and Solenoid Driver Functions Within Printers:  Effective Logic to High Current Load Interfacing:  Zetec Semiconductors  Applications Notes A brief discussion of the drive requirements of relatively high current inductive loads within computer peripheral equipment, with respect to the benefits possible with optimised small packaged components.   (app note added 2/06)

Use Power Line for Baud Rate Generation:  08/16/01 EDN Design Ideas / (schematic / circuit added 11/03)  One cost-saving measure associated with 8-bit embedded microcontrollers is to use a resistor-capacitor oscillator. These RC oscillators are inexpensive, but the trade-off is low stability with temperature and voltage. In many applications, the low cost of an RC oscillator is alluring, but the application requires a stable clock source for baud-rate generation or event timing..

Use Printer Port as Programmable Frequency Generator:  10/11/01 EDN Design Ideas  /  (added 1/05)    A simple and inexpensive circuit ( Figure 1 ) and a simple C program ( Listing 1 ) are all you need to turn your PC's printer port into a programmable frequency generator. Using a few low-cost and readily available components, the circuit occupies little space and is easily attachable to the printer port. ...

Use Two Picogate Devices for Bidirectional Level Shifting:  11/11/2004  EDN-Design Ideas  In new mixed-voltage systems, it is often necessary to level-shift a control signal from a high level to a low level. An open-drain device, such as the 74LVC1G07, easily performs this shift. However, when a bidirectional signal requires level-shifting, it takes a bit more circuitry, because simply tying two open-drain devices pins together generates just a latch function.  (added 10/05)

Useless Masked MCS Make Useful PC Peripherals :  06/18/98 EDN-Design Ideas  / (added 11/05)   

User Guide for PI7C21P100 Reference Board:  Pericom Semiconductor Application Note # 077 (app note added 02/05)

User Guide for PI7C8148 Reference Board:  Pericom Semiconductor Application Note # 074 (app note added 02/05)

User Guide for the Pericom PI7C8150 Reference Board:  Pericom Semiconductor Application Note # 053 (app note added 02/05)

User Guide for the Pericom PI7C8154 Reference Board:  Pericom Semiconductor Application Note # 064 (app note added 02/05)

Using a PC with a DS3900 to Communicate with DS1267s, DS1867s, & DS1868s:  Maxim Application Notes / 1172 / Feb-10  (app note added 6/06)

Using Other Voltages with the FAN5063 / AB-26:  Fairchild Application Notes / (app note added 6/06)

Using PI7AT04 Active Terminator over Classical Methods of Termination:  Pericom Semiconductor Application Note # 046 (app note added 02/05)

Using the Joystick Port as General Purpose Input:  Circuit design (added (7/03)

Using the ADT7461 as a Multichannel Temperature Sensor:  AN-702 Analog Devices Application Note   (app note added 6/06)