What’s so Great About Fiber Optic?

There is a lot to think about when it comes to choosing an internet provider for your business needs. Beyond just the cost and speed, you also need to think about the type of internet technology available in your area. That is the infrastructure upon which the service is built. In recent years, a lot of attention has been placed on fiber optic internet. Several significant providers have started offering fiber optic access in addition to the standard cable and DSL options. Additionally, companies like Google are starting to build their fiber optic networks. But what is fiber optic, and what makes it different from, or better than, cable or DSL?

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Implementing precise single shots with AVR timer

Microcontroller timers are meant to count clock cycles in hardware, and there are many ways and configurations where timers are handy. First of all, timers are meant to work purely in hardware without utilizing CPU. Secondly, timers help generate waveforms like PWM, trigger events, count the time between events, etc. But there is one use that, in most cases, is missed and not documented – precise single shots that allow generating only a single pulse shot with precise length. And this method doesn’t require CPU to be involved – just set and forget. The idea of this method lies in using fast PWM (refer to datasheet for more info) mode a bit differently. Normally in this mode timer works by counting to TOP value; somewhere in between, there is a MATCH value where timer outputs HIG and drops to LOW when TOP is counted. This way, there is a PWM signal generated. Josh came up with the idea that, in this case, we can generate only single pulse by setting MATCH value above the TOP and setting the initial timer…

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Everything you need to know about diodes

Diodes are commonly used discrete semiconductor devices. It has many uses and purposes. Its operation is based on PN semiconductor junction characteristics. Depending on diode’s physical and chemical properties, it can behave very differently. Together with other electronic components diode can be used for voltage clipping, multiplying, rectifying, signal, demodulation, protection, and even more. Elektro-labs have written a pretty nice review of diode types and their common uses. The simplest and probably most recognizable is regular diode which is used in switching, protection rectification circuits. Another common diode type is Zener which is used for voltage stabilization. Here are some of the most common types of diodes, along with examples of part numbers:

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