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Electronics Prototyping


EEtwidget

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Something a little different...

Not every project I do requires a table saw or welder, sometimes I sit all day at my electronics workbench and build devices. Currently I have a few electronics project in various stages. This one is a DSP (digital signal processor). A DSP is like an equalizer, sort of. Many high-end audio amplifiers use a DSP as a way to alter or 'fix' an audio signal before amplifying it and sending it out to speakers. I have designed a DSP system that is configurable and tunable for almost any audio system but specifically for SpeakerPower brand audio amplifiers. SpeakerPower is my former employer and I was working on this project before I accepted my new job... So I really want to finish this project up for them. SpeakerPower makes amps with up to 12,000 Watts!

I wrote the code and designed the schematic, I did a butt-ton of R&D but I still have to test a few components before I send my design out to get manufactured.

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I'm using what's called strip board prototyping. It's a copper board with holes, nothing fancy. But with it I can lay out a design and solder up parts and test my circuit.

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Sometimes I use small part that are hard to work with. After all I have these big meatball fingers from losing a slapping contest against a framing hammer. No problem though, for small parts I use a breakout board. It makes the pain in the ass surface mount devices act like a through hole device.

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It took all day and a few Monsters but I got the device soldered up and powered on.

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So what's it do? .its called a CODEC and it's a a piece of my design, alone it doesn't do much but when connected to the rest of the devices it acts kind of like a translator. Taking an analog audio source and converting it into a digital signal that I can send to the DSP. The DSP will filter the signal or add delay or what ever else and shoot it back to the CODEC. It then converts the modified digital signal back into an analog source and shoots it to the amplifier.

But all I wanted to see was this:

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I needed to verify the timing and clock cycles are correct, and guess what... They are NOT! Oh well, that's why I spend 10 hours building prototypes, to shake out theses bugs before final production.

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Cool stuff EEwidget! I wanted to look at getting a FPGA to speed up my bitcoin mining at one point. I keep on wanting to get into more electronics type stuff, but things just get in the way I want to buy a Raspberry PI but keep on putting off the purchase.

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I’m happy to help you with any electronic projects DR. I haven’t done much with the Raspberry Pi, aside from building a media streamer and arcade, but I do have one sitting in my workshop along with a digital Pi Face.

I teach microcontrollers and digital electronics on the side. I like to stay busy.

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