USB: Virtual COM ports under different (Windows) operating systems and the driver problem

If you want to develop your own embedded hardware, you often need a communication interface to a host, usually a PC. In times where the classic but easy-to-handle RS232 interfaces are no longer standard components in modern computers, you basically have two options when it comes to wire-bound connections: Use a USB to UART converter… Continue reading USB: Virtual COM ports under different (Windows) operating systems and the driver problem

Quick hack: Add native (user) USB to ST’s Nucleo boards

I recently bought myself one of ST’s cheap Nucleo development boards with an STM32F072RB controller on it to quickly start developing one of my projects. The microcontroller has native USB support even without an external clock which makes it quite attractive. The downside is that this board does not come with a USB connector that… Continue reading Quick hack: Add native (user) USB to ST’s Nucleo boards

Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 6: Validation and conclusion

This is a follow-up post to my previous project page Part 5 (PC software). This is the last post concerning this project. I have done some tests with the final hardware and software. Furthermore I have written a small conclusion to this project. Transient response An interesting test is the transient response on a sudden… Continue reading Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 6: Validation and conclusion

Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 5: PC software

This is a follow-up post to my previous project page Part 4 (Firmware). One way to interface with the active load device is to use a terminal program and query the state of the device or send commands to it manually. But this is of course very cumbersome and not very user-friendly. That’s why I… Continue reading Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 5: PC software

Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 4: Firmware

This is a follow-up post to my previous project page Part 3 (Schematic, layout and pictures). At this point the hardware development is finished and fortunately nothing blew up as I had plugged in a voltage source for the first time. 😉 But of course there is no functionality yet. The load sinks (nearly) no… Continue reading Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 4: Firmware

Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 3: Schematic, layout and pictures

This is a follow-up post to my previous project page Part 2 (Hardware design details). In this post I briefly present the full schematic and PCB layout of this project. As a proof that I actually built this device, there are also some pictures included at the end of the post. 😉 Full schematic and… Continue reading Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 3: Schematic, layout and pictures

Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 2: Hardware design details

This is a follow-up post to my previous project page Part 1 (Requirements). In the last part I laid out the requirements and specifications of my active load without going too much into detail. This is about to change while I write about the different implementation details. The main task of the active load is… Continue reading Project: Active load with microcontroller – Part 2: Hardware design details