Smart homes need wireless connectivity, and Z-wave has emerged as the ultimate solution for home automation. The Z-wave protocol is a wireless, radio frequency protocol designed primarily for smart home networks. All the existing wireless communication protocols had one or the other problem. Bluetooth and Zigbee often shortfall of range while Wi-Fi poses its own […]
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The basics of AC motor drives and controllers
AC drives are used to bring about the process and quality improvements in industrial and commercial applications’ acceleration, flow, monitoring, pressure, speed, temperature, tension, and torque. Most basic AC drives include a rectifier section, a DC link, an inverter, and a control section, usually based on a microcontroller or microprocessor. There are several drive topologies […]
Designer’s guide to smart home tech
According to MarketsandMarkets, a marketing research firm, worldwide smart home market revenue will reach $135 billion by 2025. The driving force behind this revenue climb is expanding sectors, including the IoT, home automation, and smart appliances. As shown in the diagram (part of a report produced by Jabil and Dimensional Research), the top smart home […]
What are the different types of light sensors?
Light sensors or photosensors, which are designed to measure light intensity, are one of the most commonly used sensors in electronic applications. Light intensity is one of the seven base physical quantities. The measurement of light intensity is useful in many consumer, industrial, and security applications. What is a light sensor? A light sensor is […]
The basics of AC motors and their applications
The two main types of AC motors are induction motors and synchronous motors. The induction motor (or asynchronous motor) always relies on a small difference in speed between the stator rotating magnetic field. The rotor shaft speed is called slip to induce rotor current in the rotor AC winding. As a result, the induction motor […]
Basics of electrolytes in electronic processes
In electrolytes, traveling ions are the charge carriers, playing the role of electrons in a metal conductor. Ionic solutions, which are electrolytes, vary in resistivity depending on small changes in concentration. Ohmmeter probes dipped in a glass of distilled water produce a high-ohm reading, while adding a pinch of salt greatly increases the conductivity. Electrolytes […]
What sensors are in a modern washing machine? Pt 1.
The number and different types of sensors in cars and smartphones are cited frequently and certainly are impressive. However, sensor usage in many other areas is increasing as well. Appliances, which are not replaced as frequently as vehicles and smartphones, could surprise many people with the different sensing functions and types of sensors used in […]
Driving brushed and brushless DC motors
DC motors are available in various electrical configurations and, except for brushless DC (BLDC) motors, are relatively simple devices. As a result, driving brushed DC motors is a relatively simple process. As shown below, BLDC motors require a more sophisticated approach. A “motor drive” is not even necessary with brushed dc (BDC) motors in some […]
How to design an LDR light/dark sensor using Arduino
Light sensors are widely used in electronic applications. The most common one used is a photoresistor or light-dependent resistor. Despite a long response time, this sensor is inexpensive and useful in several applications. A photoresistor consists of a zigzag track of photo-sensitive semiconductors. It offers pure resistance although this is dependent on the ambient light. […]
How to design modular DC-DC systems with modules, Part 5: Load considerations
The previous tutorials in this series addressed the appropriate filtering, stability, and protection concerns for power modules when used as elements of a complete DC-DC power system. This tutorial is focused on the load-specific aspects of a system designed with power modules. It was once possible to conceptualize the load supplied by a DC-DC module […]