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  • A new process turns plastic waste into gasoline and diesel fuel
    Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a surprisingly simple way to turn polyethylene, the common plastic used in shopping bags and cutting boards, into gasoline and diesel-like fuels. The process uses inexpensive aluminum-based molten salts to break long plastic molecules into smaller hydrocarbons, producing about 60% gasoline under relatively mild conditions.
  • Billions in rare earth elements may be hiding in America’s coal ash
    Scientists are looking to diatoms, sea sponges, and plants for a cleaner way to recover rare earth elements and other valuable minerals hidden inside coal ash, red mud, and mine tailings. The bio-inspired approach could turn massive industrial waste piles into useful materials while reducing energy use, harsh chemicals, and reliance on new mining.
  • Scientists turn seawater into fresh water without harmful brine
    Scientists have developed a solar-powered desalination system that turns seawater into fresh water while removing nearly all of the leftover salt as a solid instead of producing harmful brine. The self-cleaning technology could also recover valuable minerals such as lithium, potentially turning desalination waste into a useful resource.
  • Scientists are building a microscope powered by a quantum computer
    Scientists are combining an electron microscope with a quantum computer to squeeze far more information from each electron. The approach could reveal faint details with fewer electrons, helping protect fragile samples that conventional microscopy can damage.
  • Tiny nanolaser could cut computer energy use in half
    Scientists have created an ultra-small nanolaser that could eventually allow microchips to transmit information with light instead of electricity, potentially making computers faster while cutting energy use roughly in half. Thousands of the lasers could fit on a single chip, opening possibilities for more efficient data centers, smartphones, and advanced medical sensors.
  • Quantum oscillations defy expectations in this exotic material
    Scientists have uncovered an unusual form of electron behavior in zirconium pentatelluride, a quantum material that can act as both an insulator and a conductor. Under temperatures near absolute zero and magnetic fields reaching 60 tesla, electrons produced quantum oscillations that continued even after conventional physics predicted they should disappear.
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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