Hands down, no questions asked; the MXO 4 Oscilloscope from R&S is the most impressive scope I have ever used. The main reason I say that is because it is FAST. Over the past 20 years, I have worked for 3 of the 4 top oscilloscope companies (always in technical roles.) So I have used almost every major oscilloscope model for the past two decades. Now, regarding oscilloscopes, “fast” can mean a couple of different…
In mid-2021, I saw a demonstration of features for the upcoming KiCad 6. A statement caught me off guard: “the new copy/paste feature uses the system’s clipboard.” Then I watched as one of the developers copied from one KiCad instance into another. Immediately, that capability hit me as a game-changer. Not because the world’s oldest shortcut keys now work as we all expect, but because of the flexibility the method introduces! Actual text gets copied…
In KiCad, the INSERT key repeats the last command. This short repeats wires and labels. And labels get auto-incremented!
AddOhms is an electronics YouTube channel. It started with short animated tutorials to explain electronics concepts. Over the years, it has grown in audience and topics. If you want to learn more about electronics, discuss design tips, make PCBs, or see the latest gear, then check out the videos below. James, also known as the Bald Engineer, hosts the channel and does weekly live streams.
In KiCad 6 (and 5), the F8 key runs a special command. It automates annotating a schematic, generating a netlist, and loading it into PCBnew. Also the “Edit Symbol Fields” is a better tool for updating footprints than the actual “Assign Footprints” dialog! This video is the first one of a series of quick tips.
Electronics Tutorial Video Learning to use a new oscilloscope can be daunting! In this video, I show five measurements you can make using just an Arduino as your DUT. Learn how to offset voltage, set up measurements, enable infinite persistence, save reference waveforms, AND trigger (and decode) serial signals. For this video, Rohde & Schwarz was kind enough to send me an RTM3004. Check out the links below for more. Episode #28 Show Notes and…
In part 3 of the DIY Arduino series, James solders, turns on, and, debugs the Pyramiduino! In this episode you can see how to solder parts with a toaster oven, test a board with a scope, and program an Arduino bootloader. Episode #27 Show Notes and Links Support AddOhms on Patreon Order Pyramiduino R5 from OSHPark JEDEC Reflow Profile via Diodes Inc. MG Chemicals Low-Temp Solder Paste via Digi-Key FTDI Friend from Adafruit Coin Acceptor…
This week the bald engineer unboxes swag from electromaker.io, programs the Adafruit Coin Accepter, with a Pyramiduino, and answers questions along the way. Interesting time code jump points: 7:59 – See Programming Bootloader Clip12:11 – Coin Acceptor Programming18:00 – Pulses on the R&S RTM3004 Oscilloscope42:05 – Code working as intended!
The primary tool I use to create AddOhms animations is Adobe After Effects. In this live stream, I take you through the process I use. For an upcoming video, I needed an animation showing how the Arduino Uno’s auto-reset circuit works. As you can see, what is on screen for a few minutes (at most) can take several hours of effort!
A common question that comes up about pull-up resistors: what value do you pick and why not just use a piece of wire? In this follow-up electronics tutorial, the bald engineer looks at how to pick pull-up resistor values. Show Notes Pull-Up Resistor Tutorial (Episode 15) AddOhms Discord Server Arduino Internal Pull-Up Resistor Tutorial (baldengineer.com) Chuck Norris On Pull-Up Resistors (baldengineer.com)
