DESIGN TIPS
Avoltage booster using Arduino
By Clemens Valens (Elekior France Editorial)
lf your project needs a higher voltage rail than is already available
in the circuit, you can use an off-the-shelf step-up device. But when
you want a variable output voltage, it's less easy to find a ready-
made lC. However, it's not complicated to build such a circuit your-
self, especially if you have a microcontroller board that's as easy to
program as the Arduino. And this also lets you experiment with the
circuit so you can get a better understanding of how it works.
No surprises in the circuit- a largely conventional boost convertor. The
IVIOSFET is driven by a pulse width modulated (PWM) signalfrom the
pC, and the output voltage is measured by one of the pC's analogue
inputs. The driver adjusts the PWM signal according to the difference
between the output voltage measured and the voltage wanted.
We don't have enough space here to go into details about how this
circuitworl<s, but it's worth mentioning a few points of special inter-
est. The small capacitor across the diode improves the efficiency of
the circuit. The load is represented by R3. The components used
mal<e it possible to supply over 1 A (current limited by the MSSl 2607
683MLB inductor from Coilcraft), but maximum efficiency (89%) is
at around 95 mA (at an output voltage of 10 V). To avoid damaging
the controller's analogue input (<5 V), the output voltage may not
exceed 24Y. For higher voltages, the values of resistors R1 and R2
would need to be changed.
The MOSFET is driven by the pC, which is nothing but a little Arduino
board. The Arduino's default PWM signal frequency is around
500 Hz - too low for this application, which needs a frequency at
least 100 times higher. So we can't use the PWM functions offered
by Arduino. But that's no problem, as the Arduino can also be pro-
UV light box
By Gert Baars (The Netherlands)
Fabricating printed circuit boards is not something that every elec-
tronics hobbyist does for themselves. lt is, however, not really that
difficult. The most important necessities are a PCB layout, a printer
(or perhaps a copier), a light box, photo-sensitive PCB material,
chemicals and an etching tray. lt is often the light box that presents
the most difficulties.
The PCB layout can be copied (using a copier) from an existing
design or you can design it yourself using a computer and suitable
software. The layout needs to be printed onto a transparency (make
sure that the transparency is suitable for use in laser or inl<jet print-
ers). The necessary chemicals (sodium hydroxide for the develop-
ing and iron(lll)-chloride or copper-chloride for the etching) are not
difficult to obtain. lt is not necessary either to etch using a foam-
etching box, but this does etch much quicker. Etching can simply
be done in a plastic tray, and etching with iron(lll)-chloride will be a
little faster if the etchant is at about 40 "C.
As already mentioned, exposing the PCB is often the most diffi-
cult part. ln the past, the PCB with the layout in an exposing frame
would sometimes be placed in the bright sun and it is also possible
to expose the PCB using UV lamps. To mal<e a'real' light boxyourself
elel<tor o4-2oio
grammed in assembler, allowing a maximum frequency of 62.5\<Hz
(the pC runs at 16 MHz). To sample the output voltage, a frequency
of 100 Hz is acceptable, which means we can use Arduino's standard
timers and analogue functions. The Arduino serial port is very handy
- we can use it for sending the output voltage set point (5-24V)
and for collecting certain information about the operation.
Thanl<s to the Arduino environment, it only tool< about half an hour
to program. You can download the software from 11l.
(o9o894-l)
[1 ] www.elel<tor.com/0g0gg4
is not nearly as difficult as most people assume.
The required items are a housing with a sheet of glass, UV fluo-
rescent tubes and perhaps a timer. The latter is not really neces-
sary when a clock or watch is available. lt therefore comes down to
obtaining the UV fluorescent tubes with starters and ballast and a
housing with a sheet of glass.
There is a cheap solution for this. For the housing you can use a dis-
carded sheet scanner with all the innards removed. The fluorescent
tubes could come from a face tanning machine, for example. ln the
'prototype' made by the author the frame complete with the fluo-
rescent tubes was cut out. This could then be placed in its entirety
into the housing for the scanner. The accompanying starters and
ballast fitted elsewhere in the old scanner housing and after con-
necting allthe wires everything immediately worl<ed as it should.
Because the layout has to be in good contact with the PCB to pre-
vent shadowing, a sturdy piece of cardboard the same size as the
glass was attached to the inside of the lid of the scanner. lt is neces-
sary to apply some pressure on the lid during the exposure, but a
few books or fat catalogues on top ofthe lid is already sufficient. The
exposure time for the best results with this construction appears to
be about 2-3 minutes.
(ogooBB)
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