The best-practice tag has no wiki summary.
-1
votes
2answers
115 views
Is turning a device on/off by using it power cord more harmful than using its on/off button?
Is it potentially harmful to the user or the longevity of a device to turn it on/off by using its power cord or a controllable power switch rather than its on/off button? If it depends on the device, ...
8
votes
3answers
148 views
VHDL: Architecture naming and interpretation
Note: I am using Xilinx's ISE and have an FPGA board to work with (with switches and lights and so on), and I've hacked together some simple projects so far. At the same time I'm reading several ...
4
votes
3answers
669 views
How to make traces on an universal PCB?
I hope this question won't be closed as too subjective. I'd like to know best practice - how to make traces on universal PCB's with individual holes without traces (like the following image). My idea ...
3
votes
1answer
133 views
Acceptable voltage spikes
I have been combating EMI from a motor switched by a relay but have managed to get it under control or so I think:
It started like this: 30+ voltage swing @ 5.000us+
After an AC snubber, ...
4
votes
1answer
153 views
Pro's and con's to using a pcb's middle layer (on a 4 layer board) as a heat sink?
I'm finishing up a PCB design and it has a surface mount (TO-252) voltage regulator. I want the regulator to dissipate heat as much as possible however it will be within its thermal limit with just ...
2
votes
3answers
180 views
CPLD best practice for resetting a counter
My application has a bog-standard count-until-a-certain-number-then-reset-the-counter section. My experienced friend tells me that when using actual chips, it's common to increment the counter on the ...
2
votes
2answers
87 views
Playing back recorded movements with servos
I'm new to motors/servos so could do with a bit of advice. I'm currently working with 3 Dynamixel servos and it's cool that they can be programmed fairly easily and I can get the current position when ...
0
votes
2answers
161 views
Do I need to add a current limiter to this battery pack I'm making?
I have a motor that came with a 9 volt, 1.0 amp AC to DC wall converter to power it and the text next to the power connector on the motor seems to indicate 9 volts @ 1 amp is the preferred input. I ...
11
votes
3answers
1k views
Tinning wires that will be screwed in to a chocolate block/terminal strip
This is subjective per say. But I am looking for other peoples experience.
If I am going to screw eight wires into daughter relay board's terminal block, is there a benefit or advantage to tinning ...
2
votes
2answers
163 views
Industrial electronics layout and design
Why do industrial panels for oil and natural gas compressors or other industrial equipment use terminal blocks for wire management? I have been doing some repairs for companies and was wondering why ...
2
votes
1answer
185 views
How should I write a feasibility study report?
I may be called upon to write a feasibility study report for consumer hardware (to be manufactured) and/or a service to be offered to clients in the near term. What is the proper technique here? ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Recommendation for default settings for unused pins on an STM32 (ARM Cortex M3) - pull up/pull down?
We are currently using various variants of the STM32 microcontroller family. I would like to know the following:
1) What are the recommended default settings for pins of the microcontrollers in ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
Standard PCB Layout Book
Are there any good references on advanced PCB design/layout/routing? There seems to be a large wealth of circuit design books, books about RF PCB design, and books dealing with high-speed digital ...
9
votes
3answers
450 views
Is there a “Design Patterns” for synthesizable RTL?
For software, the book Design Patterns is a set of patterns for doing common things in software and it gives software practitioners common terminology to describe some of the components they need to ...
1
vote
1answer
289 views
Writing to timer counter while timer is running
I'm using PIC16F1947 for a project. The project requires real time tracking so a stable 32768 Hz crystal is connected with the Timer1 oscillator. The Timer1 oscillator circuit and the crystal will ...
2
votes
3answers
86 views
Testing sensors?
In industry, when purchasing sensors from an external manufacturers, are those sensors tested, and if so, how thoroughly? For example, I buy some accelerometers from Sparkfun and do some minimal ...
10
votes
11answers
553 views
Is it really a good-practice disable optimizations during the development and debugging phases?
I've read Programming 16-Bit PIC Microcontrollers in C, and there is this affirmation in the book:
During the development and debugging
phases of a project, though, it is
always good practice ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Best humidity level for electronic shops?
What is the best humidity level for an electronic shop? On one end of the scale, you will have problems from corrosion due to high humidity and condensation, but at the other end there will be serious ...
8
votes
3answers
567 views
Should I default to pull-up or pull-down resistor with tact switches?
I understand the basic use of a pull-up or pull-down resistor, including the specific case of using it with a tact switch.
When both are an option I was wondering whether I should favor one over the ...
20
votes
4answers
4k views
How do I connect components when using a circuit board with pads but no traces?
Given a board like this one with soldering pads but no traces, how would you connect adjacent components (including the ends of the jumpers for longer stretches)?
Some possibilities I've come up ...
