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Eager to explore the interface between music and electronics, and the digital representation of music, we created RPiano: a portable, playable MIDI synthesizer on a Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040). We developed RPiano over the course of four weeks as our final project for Cornell University’s course Digital Systems Design Using Microcontrollers. This article details our experience building RPiano.

How and why the size of tiny embedded boards matter.

Embedded Linux continues to grow in popularity, with uses in every kind of application. Given its ubiquity, the operating system (OS) must be as robust as possible, able to reestablish itself following critical failures and malfunctions. This article discusses how to use watchdog timers to increase the robustness of embedded-Linux-based solutions.

Noticing a lack of available materials on the Arduino Debugger, I took it upon myself recently to draft something of an introductory "user manual" for this software. Hence, this article!

In Part 1 of this article series, I tested and reviewed Seeed Studio’s SenseCAP K1100 Kit for prototyping IoT apps. This month in Part 2, I discuss the prototype I built using a Wio Terminal and a Vision AI Module from the kit, and an ESP32-based audio player/web server. The system detects when my dog tries to “mark territory” in my yard, then plays an audio warning file of my recorded voice to try to distract the dog and stop the behavior.

Soft-core RISC-V designs allow you to run a custom microcontroller (MCU) on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). This article introduces the higher-performance Ibex RISC-V core, and then demonstrates how it generates similar power signatures to a “real,” hard-core MCU. This sets the stage for future experimentation, since you can evaluate the security of an “off-the-shelf” design, and then add in features you might need such as specific cryptographic accelerators.

This project combines a PIC microcontroller, a custom clock source, some simple digital circuitry and selectable output filters. The result is a reprogrammable audio-frequency function generator with resolution from 0.1Hz to 20kHz.

AIRWidget is a device that allows you to examine infrared signals from a remote control. You can see, save, analyze, and display what is being transmitted, with more accuracy than you’d get with a digital storage oscilloscope. In this article, I explain how an AIRWidget works and how to build one, so you can modify or add functions to any IR remote control device.

A Review of OnLogic’s New Fanless Industrial Computer - OnLogic has been making industrial computer products for 20 years now, and the Helix 511 (HX511) Fanless Industrial Computer is a new addition to their product line. This month, Brian reviews that model.

Data acquisition technology (DAQ tech) is relevant and important—but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with it. In this article, I'll give a brief overview, present some of the key players, and cover a real-world DAQ application.