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  • Scientists turn scrap car aluminum into high-performance metal for new vehicles
    Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a new aluminum alloy called RidgeAlloy that can turn contaminated car-body scrap into strong structural vehicle parts. Normally, impurities introduced during recycling make this scrap unsuitable for high-performance applications. RidgeAlloy overcomes that challenge, enabling recycled aluminum to meet the strength and durability standards required for modern vehicles. […]
  • Electrons catapult across solar materials in just 18 femtoseconds
    Electrons in solar materials can be launched across molecules almost as fast as nature allows, thanks to tiny atomic vibrations acting like a “molecular catapult.” In experiments lasting just 18 femtoseconds, researchers at the University of Cambridge observed electrons blasting across a boundary in a single burst, far faster than long-standing theories predicted. Instead of […]
  • Record-breaking photodetector captures light in just 125 picoseconds
    A new ultrathin photodetector from Duke University can sense light across the entire electromagnetic spectrum and generate a signal in just 125 picoseconds, making it the fastest pyroelectric detector ever built. The breakthrough could power next-generation multispectral cameras used in medicine, agriculture, and space-based sensing.
  • For the first time, light mimics a Nobel Prize quantum effect
    Scientists have pulled off a feat long considered out of reach: getting light to mimic the famous quantum Hall effect. In their experiment, photons drift sideways in perfectly defined, quantized steps—just like electrons do in powerful magnetic fields. Because these steps depend only on nature’s fundamental constants, they could become a new gold standard for […]
  • Scientists confirm one-dimensional electron behavior in phosphorus chains
    For the first time, researchers have shown that self-assembled phosphorus chains can host genuinely one-dimensional electron behavior. Using advanced imaging and spectroscopy techniques, they separated the signals from chains aligned in different directions to reveal their true nature. The findings suggest that squeezing the chains closer together could trigger a dramatic shift from semiconductor to […]
  • A tiny light trap could unlock million qubit quantum computers
    A new light-based breakthrough could help quantum computers finally scale up. Stanford researchers created miniature optical cavities that efficiently collect light from individual atoms, allowing many qubits to be read at once. The team has already demonstrated working arrays with dozens and even hundreds of cavities. The approach could eventually support massive quantum networks with […]
Educational graphic showing the analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) process using the PIC16F877A microcontroller. On the left is a graph of a smooth analog voltage waveform sampled at discrete points (shown as red dots), and on the right is the PIC16F877A chip with MPLAB X IDE branding. The image illustrates how analog voltages are digitized for processing in microcontroller-based systems.
Core tutorial, Embedded systems

PIC16F877A Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)

The ADC module in microcontrollers indeed allows them to interface with the analog world by converting continuous analog signals into discrete digital values. This capability is crucial for various applications such as sensing, control systems, and communication. It is distinct from PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), which uses discrete pulses to ...
Graphical illustration of PWM signal showing narrow and wide pulses with varying duty cycles. Includes a 10V signal graph, labels for voltage levels, and mentions PIC16F877A microcontroller and MPLAB X IDE.
Core tutorial, Embedded systems

Using PWM in PIC16F877A

Digital signals (0 or 1) and analog signals (range of values) are both used in electronics. Analog inputs can be converted to digital through an ADC. To control analog devices with a microcontroller, DACs are used but they're costly and space-consuming. PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) is a cost-effective technique that ...
Educational slide introducing Timer2 of the PIC16F877A microcontroller. It includes a stopwatch icon with the phrase “Alarm, Timers, how does it work?” on the left, and an image of the PIC microcontroller with MPLAB X IDE branding on the right. The tutorial focuses on Timer2's use in generating precise delays and pulse-width modulation (PWM).
Core tutorial, Embedded systems

PIC16F877A Timer2 tutorial

The Timer2 module is an 8-bit timer/counter within most PIC MCU devices. Timer2 can increment up to a value of 255 before it overflows back to zero. Timer2 has other built-in features that make it very useful for many different applications.
Educational slide introducing the Timer1 module of the PIC16F877A microcontroller. The left side shows a stopwatch icon and the question “Alarm, Timers, how does it work?”, while the right side features the microcontroller image and MPLAB X IDE logo. The tutorial focuses on Timer1's role in timing, delays, and interrupts.
Core tutorial, Embedded systems

PIC16F877A Timer1 Tutorial

The Timer1 module is a 16-bit timer/counter within most PIC MCU devices. Timer1 can increment up to a value of 65535 before it overflows back to zero. Because the timer is built into an 8-bit device, the 16-bit timer register is broken into two 8-bit registers (TMR1L and TMR1H) and ...
Educational slide introducing the use of hardware timers in the PIC16F877A microcontroller. The left side features a stopwatch icon and the question “Alarm, Timers, how does it work?”, while the right side shows the microcontroller and MPLAB X IDE logo. The image sets the stage for learning about Timer0, Timer1, and Timer2 functionality.
Core tutorial, Embedded systems

PIC Microcontrollers Timers

In this tutorial, we will learn what are "Timers"; we will explain this with examples using the Microcontroller PIC16F877A. For this tutorial is may be helpful to understand the basics of turning an LED on and off, which is explained in one of my previous tutorials on LEDs. In this ...
Educational graphic showing how to interface 4x3 matrix keypads with a PIC16F877A microcontroller. The image includes two physical keypads, a schematic layout of the 4x3 keypad connections, the PIC16F877A chip, and the MPLAB X IDE logo. Text reads "Interfacing PIC16F877A with 4x3 keypads."
Core tutorial, Embedded systems

Interfacing 4×3 keypads with PIC16F877A

In this tutorial, we will provide an overview of the 4x3 membrane keypad. The keypad serves as a reliable and budget-friendly tool for having inputs in your project. Understanding how to interface with the keypad will prove useful in future projects that require menu selection or similar inputs. Our guide ...
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