The Iron Krten Bench Series
Volume I — A Maker's Guide to Lab Equipment
Build a composable bench instrument: generate, measure, combine, and test.
This book takes you through constructing lab equipment that you can then use on your electronics bench. Practical discussions focusing on the how, why, and why not.
Source code, schematics, PCB layouts, gerbers — all included.
Chapter overview:
The Motherboard
The carrier board that ties the modules together: power, level shifting, and the peripheral processor interface.
The Frequency Generator
Three channels of square waves, practically DC to 62.5 MHz, with PIO doing the heavy lifting.
The Frequency Counter
Three channels of measurement to close the loop on the generator.
Rotary Encoders
A 3 x 3 rotary encoder matrix — one knob per generator — with debounce and decode logic.
Arbitrary Function Generator
Three independent boolean functions of three inputs, with an RPN-style expression interface.
Display for the Arbitrary Function Generator
A practical “front panel” for the Arbitrary Function Generator
The IC Tester
Dual-Pico tester for 74-series, 4000-series, EPROMs, and more, with a ZIF-40 socket.
Appendix — Adaptors of all Kinds
Compact adaptors; RJ-45 to RJ-45, RJ-45 to USB Power, RJ-45 to prototype area, DIP adaptor sockets.
Appendix — COBS Encoding / Decoding
A practical framing protocol for embedded systems.