Adafruit Daily

Electronics

2023

May

31

Capacitor ESR

24

Potentiometer conventions

17

N vs P!

10

Ground connections cooler via more vias

03

LED colors: what they tell you

April

26

Look to ferrites (no, not ferrets, the European polecat) when faced with high frequency

19

DRC Confusion

12

Lazy Libraries

05

Resistors are inductors?!

March

29

Copper keepout!

22

Audio amplifier advice

15

Lost signal? Have no fear!

08

You’ve got the power! (right?)

01

This tip’s a real circuit slugger

February

22

The 411 on 555s

15

Stay current with sourcing and sinking

08

Code like everyone’s watching

01

Shift away from basic arithmetic

January

25

Check out this shorthand shortcut

18

Keep this in mind when working on project layout

11

Working with sensitive circuits?

04

Diamonds may be forever… but components? Not so much.

2022

December

28

Must read MOSFET material

21

Cool your FETs!

14

What’s in a diode?

07

Have the need for speed? This diode might be right for you

November

30

Storage Safety 101

23

Solder braid quick fix

16

Let us clear up your aluminum confusion

09

Voltage drop from cables

02

Zener voltage

October

26

Fuse Safety

19

Dream big, start small

12

Hi-res mode for the (detailed) win!

05

Avoid serial confusion!

September

28

= != ==.

21

When to opt for alkaline batteries

14

How to make your LiPo long-lasting

07

Emergency ferrite

August

31

1, 2, 3, Freeze!

24

Help yourself with helping hands

17

Signature required?

10

Current limiting!

03

Solder isn’t everything.

July

27

Schottky power!

20

Electrical Tape and PVC Glue to the Rescue!

13

Relieve Strain with Hot Glue

06

Capacitor Polarity Markers

June

29

Damp Sponge vs Drenched Sponge

22

Straw Diffusers

15

Twist-tie Jumpers

08

Paper Clip Power Supply

01

Staple Jumpers

May

25

Don’t resist – organize those resistors!

18

Breadboarding Wire

11

Vias in pad?

04

How the resistor got its stripes

April

27

Rule of thumb: At least one via per amp.

20

 Interference is everywhere!

13

Clarify your supply

06

Coin Cell Current

March

30

Why do they call it a breadboard?

23

Rule of thumb: 10mils per amp.

16

Pseudodifferential Measurement

09

With SMT, start big …

02

TO-220 Tip

February

23

Any USB port in a storm?

16

Serial overkill

09

Static kills… slowly.

02

Don’t blow it with your microcontroller

January

26

Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your semiconductor is DOA

19

How to make your own magnetic field probe!

12

High voltage logic

05

Lithium chemistries

2021

December

22

A short lesson in RF protection

15

A way around surface mount snags

08

A few words on inductor resistance

01

Probes aren’t perfect!

November

24

Invisible Bugs

17

Designing a PCB?

10

Don’t float!

03

Blown transistor?

October

27

Breadboard Capacitance

20

Get Oriented!

13

Counting Pin Numbers

06

Long live labels!

September

29

LED overload? Psst. I’ll let you in on a secret.

22

Optimize your op amp

15

Current limiting!

08

Behold…the power of pseudocode.

01

Very int-eresting: Integral Integer Info

August

25

We wouldn’t snub this note on snubbers

18

Here’s the low-down on inductive loads

11

Watch your micro!

04

Here’s the deal with BJT power

July

28

Hummm… 60Hz noise in your amplifier driving you nuts?

21

Get the scoop on crystal capacitors

14

Even lower power!

07

Test for interference on the cheap!

June

30

Function Generator Marketing

23

Oscilloscope Bandwidth

16

Disable unused channels!

09

Ew! Sticky!

02

Got flux?

May

26

SMT Tip

19

Why is my battery dead? – I haven’t even been using it!

12

SMT Tip – Stop moving around!

05

Lower power!

April

28

Low power?

21

Level Conversion Hack

14

Tristates!

07

Servo Pulses

March

31

Heatsinks aren’t enough!

24

Crouching LED, Hidden Photodiode

17

Are you grounded?

10

Probe Compensation

03

Aliasing is ugly!

February

24

I touched my circuit, and now it glitches!

17

Oscilloscope Jumble

10

Trigger happy oscilloscope?

03

Alternate Triggering

January

27

I touched my glitchy circuit, and now it works!

20

My signal isn’t THAT noisy, is it?

13

When do I use X10?

06

When do I use X1?

2020

December

30

Wipe your iron!

23

Autoscale is cheating!

16

Function Generator Outputs

09

Watch that ground clip!

02

Have any spare fuses?

November

25

Diode Test Current

18

Too much noise?

11

Multimeter Capacitance Measurement

04

Protect your multimeter!

October

28

Multimeter Peaks

21

Multimeter Bandwidth – AC Signal

14

Keep track of those rails!

07

Soldering Pointer!

September

30

LED Basics!

23

Tactile Confusion?

16

Desolder with… more solder!

09

The advantage of ‘Rail to rail’ op amps!

02

When is a via not a via?

August

26

If you don’t ask, you won’t receive.

19

Steady Headers

12

Sizzlin’ Chip Test

05

The Case Of The Disappearing Capacitance

July

29

Build It!

22

Probe Currents!

15

Simulate It!

08

The Glitchy Switch

01

Footprint Fail!

June

24

Free Heatsink!

17

USB Powered Mayhem!

10

Is your op amp going crazy?

03

Electrolytic Limitations

May

27

To Y5V or not to Y5V?

20

Have you met Charlie?

13

Inadequate volt signal

06

Diode-less MOSFET?

April

29

My MOSFET has parasites!?

22

1 Wire Woes

15

Beware expanding LiPos!

08

Tricky Diode Vf

01

Diode Vf vs Voltage

March

25

Free ICs!

18

To shield or not to shield?

11

What the mF?!

04

Logic Analyzers On The Cheap

February

25

Print your PCB!

18

Design for test!

11

1k1? 4R7? Whaaa?

04

Never Get Lazy With Decoupling Capacitors

January

28

Spit in your eye

21

Proceed with caution

14

Linear Love

07

Trouble with LM741

2019

December

30

Turn the heat up! when unleaded

23

The deets on Electret Microphones

16

Through Hole SMD

09

Switch Mode Power

02

Can’t afford a current probe?

November

25

Nasty fumes

18

Calc that whip!

11

Lead-free Soldering Temperature

04

Connect your grounds!

October

28

Transformers: More than meets the eye!

21

Motor interference

14

Higher isn’t always better

August

19

Stay disciplined with ERC