Tinker Thoughts Blog
Welcome to the Tinker Thoughts Blog — hands-on projects, practical tutorials, and insightful tips in the maker and electronics space. We dive into a wide range of topics including Internet of Things (IoT), electronics troubleshooting, home automation, rapid prototyping, and RF communication. You’ll also find detailed guides on 3D printing custom enclosures and PCB mounts, as well as experiments in electrical circuits, embedded systems, and other DIY innovations. Whether you're a hobbyist, engineer, or curious tinkerer, you'll find inspiration and technical depth here.
TTB #2: [Guest Post] Adjustable Resistive Load for 5VDC 1000mA Applications
This project outlines an adjustable resistive load (ARL). The ARL consists of 20 resistors and a potentiometer to yield a desired current draw of up to 1000mA. Although it is developed with 5VDC applications in mind, it can be used for 3.3V and above 5VDC voltage applications provided the various power, current, and voltage ratings of each part or section are not violated. In particular, this tool was developed for the application of stress-testing power management circuitry commonly found on microcontroller development boards. Typically, the maximum allowable current draw is much below 1000mA, and therefore this tool can be used...
TTB #2: [Guest Post] Adjustable Resistive Load for 5VDC 1000mA Applications
This project outlines an adjustable resistive load (ARL). The ARL consists of 20 resistors and a potentiometer to yield a desired current draw of up to 1000mA. Although it is developed with 5VDC applications in mind, it can be used for 3.3V and above 5VDC voltage applications provided the various power, current, and voltage ratings of each part or section are not violated. In particular, this tool was developed for the application of stress-testing power management circuitry commonly found on microcontroller development boards. Typically, the maximum allowable current draw is much below 1000mA, and therefore this tool can be used...
TTB #1: [Guest Post] Making "The Clapper" Basic Project
You may be old enough to remember the commercials of "The Clapper". Clap ON, Clap OFF. I sure do! I even had one back in the day. To reproduce the clapper nowadays is very easy. All the hard work is done by the microcontroller development board.In this project, we will toggle the onboard LED ON and OFF, and vice versa, with two consecutive claps. The code handles the timing of the claps. We've made a short video to show the working principle of this project.
TTB #1: [Guest Post] Making "The Clapper" Basic Project
You may be old enough to remember the commercials of "The Clapper". Clap ON, Clap OFF. I sure do! I even had one back in the day. To reproduce the clapper nowadays is very easy. All the hard work is done by the microcontroller development board.In this project, we will toggle the onboard LED ON and OFF, and vice versa, with two consecutive claps. The code handles the timing of the claps. We've made a short video to show the working principle of this project.