What You'll Learn

Lots of things can be learned by actually putting your hands on a real project

Tangible Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a fundamental science that plays a crucial role in various fields; but it is also a complex subject that is usually a bit challenging to understand. It's relatively easy to build circuit for heating purposes, but they are rarely explored for cooling in DIY projects. In this project, we use a thermoelectric cooling module (TEC) to create a cold surface by absorbing heat; this hands-on approach helps us to directly relate the concepts learned in theory to practical, real-world applications.

Basic Power Electronics

If you learned the Fundamental Analog Circuit from our previous campaign, this is an opportunity to relate those concepts to transistors and opamps. In this project, we built a MOSFET-based current switch board that can be used to pass high current with a low voltage control signal (3.3V). We will also briefly cover the concepts of Low Dropout Regulator (LDO), which is a important and practical topic in DC-DC converters.

Microcontroller Circuits

Microcontrollers and their peripheral circuit design are an essential part of electronics design. There are plenty of capable and popular microcontrollers on the market. The principles discussed in this book will primarily pertain to the Raspberry Pi RP2040 family, though many of the concepts are applicable to other microcontrollers as well.

Analog Sensors and ADC

Analog sensors are essential for measuring continuous physical quantities, and they usually require interfaces with an ADC on the microcontroller. In this project, we use an NTC thermistor and a voltage divider circuit to convert the thermistor's resistance change into a corresponding voltage signal. The output signal can then be accurately measured by the ADC input for further processing in the next stage of the system.

Temperature Sensing

Physics quantities such as temperature and relative humidity can be measured by environment-sensitive components such as thermisters or humidity sensitive resistor. The electronic signals can be sent to the microcontroller or processing unit in the form of analog and digital types. For analog signals, we can use an ADC to convert the analog data to a digital format; for digital data transfer, we are going to introduce a bit knowledge of serial communication, such as I2C.

Other Microcontroller Peripheral Design

We also cover essential concepts such as GPIO configuration, which involves setting up pins for both input and output operations, as well as serial communication protocols like I2C. Understanding these fundamentals is crucial for effectively interfacing with various sensors and peripherals in your future projects.

AI-assisted Programming

By the end of the project, you may build a circuit similar to the one shown below:

Understanding the basic concepts, you can also try to craft precise prompt words to program your microcontroller with the assistance of AI tools. This approach allows you to code effectively without first getting frustrated by the complexities of programming, which can be particularly accessible and encouraging for beginners with limited coding experience.