The Engineering Projects

Introduction to Arduino UNO REV3

Hi Friends! Hope you’re well today. Happy to see you around. In this post, I’ll detail the Introduction to Arduino UNO REV3. Arduino Uno REV 3 is an Arduino board based on the microcontroller ATmega328P. It carries 14 digital I/O pins out of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs. Moreover, 6 analog input pins are available on the board and the clock frequency is 16MHz. Arduino UNO is one of the most used boards from the Arduino family. The robust and clean design helps you shape your ideas into reality. Know that Arduino UNO REV3 is an advanced version of Arduino UNO. The new version includes four solder pads JP2 attached with the pins PB4 to PB7 of the USB ATmega. Uno stands for one in Italian and this name was picked for the release of Arduino Software (IDE) 1.0. The version 1.0 of Arduino Software (IDE) and Uno board both are considered as the reference versions of Arduino, which evolved with time with new features. The UNO board is the first USB board from the Arduino family. Arduino is an open-source platform which means you can get a hold of Arduino boards and software and edit and modify them as per your requirements. Arduino IDE software is free to use for anyone, moreover, as you join this platform you can get help from the Arduino community. I suggest you read this post all the way through as I’ll detail the complete Introduction to Arduino UNO REV3 covering pinout, features, pin description, and applications. Let’s get started.

Introduction to Arduino UNO REV3

• Arduino Uno REV 3 is an Arduino board based on the microcontroller ATmega328P.
• It comes with 14 digital I/O pins out of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs.
• There are 6 analog input pins and the board’s clock frequency is 16MHz which is used for the synchronization of internal functions.
• Moreover, this board includes a power jack, USB connection, ICSP header, and reset button.

• In fact, it contains almost everything required to support the built-in controller. Simply plug this device with the computer using a USB cable or power it up with an AC-to-DC adopter or battery and start playing with it.
• The operating voltage is 5V while the input voltage ranges from 6 to 20 and the recommended input voltage ranges from 7 to 12V.

• Only 5 V is required to power up the board, which we can obtain using the USB port or external adopter, however, it can support an external power source up to 12 V which can be regulated and limit to 5 V or 3.3 V depending on the requirement of the project.
• Internal pull-up resistors are installed in the board that keeps the current under a certain limit. Know that too much increase in the current can make these resistors useless and can ultimately damage the entire project.
• The flash memory is 32KB while the EEPROM and SRAM are 1KB and 2KB respectively. The flash memory is the location where the Arduino program (sketch) is stored.
• While the SRAM is the memory used to produce and manipulates variables when it runs. The EEPROM is a non-volatile memory that keeps the code stored even when board power is removed.
• A reset pin is included in the board that resets the whole board when it is pressed and takes the running program to the initial stage. This pin comes in handy when the board hangs up in the middle of the running program, pressing this pin will clear everything up in the program and again runs the program from the beginning.
• This board carries a built-in regulation feature that keeps the voltage under control when the board is attached to the external device.

Arduino UNO REV3 Pinout

The following figure shows the pinout diagram of Arduino UNO REV3.

Arduino UNO REV3 Pin Description

Hope you’ve got a brief look into the Arduino UNO REV3. In this section, we’ll cover the pin description of each pin incorporated on the board.

Digital Pins

There are 14 digital pins incorporated on the board. You can use these pins as an input or output based on your requirement. These pins receive two values HIGH or LOW. When these pins receive 5V they are in the HIGH state and when they receive 0V they remain in a LOW state.

Analog Pins

There are 6 analog pins available on the board. These pins can receive any value compared to digital pins that only receive two values i.e HIGH or LOW

PWM Pins

Out of 14 digital I/O pins incorporated on the board, 6 are used as PWM pins. These pins generate an analog signal with digital means when these pins are activated.

SPI Pins

The board comes with an SPI communication protocol that is mainly used to maintain communication between the microcontroller and other peripheral devices like shift resistors and sensors. Two pins: MOSI (Master Output Slave Input) and MISO (Master Input Slave Output) are used for SPI communication between devices. These pins are employed to send or receive data by the controller.

I2C Pins

This is a two-wire communication protocol that comes with two pins called SDL and SCL. The SDL pin is a serial data pin that carries the data while SCL is a serial clock pin that is used for the synchronization of all data transfer over the I2C bus.

UART Pins

This board also supports UART serial communication protocol. It contains two pins Tx and Rx. The Tx is a transmission pin used to transmit the serial data while Rx is a receiving pin that is used to receive the serial data.

LED

There are four LEDs on the board. One is a built-in LED connected to pin 13 other is a power LED. And two are Rx and Tx LEDs which operate when serial data is transferred or received to the board.

Vin, 5V, GND, RESET

Vin……. It is the input voltage supplied to the Arduino Board. It is different from than 5 V we get through a USB port. Moreover, if a voltage is supplied through the power jack, it can be accessed through this pin. 5V……… This board contains voltage regulation ability. This board is activated using three ways i.e. USB, Vin pin of the board, or DC power jack. USB supports voltage around 5V while Vin and Power Jack support a voltage ranges between 7V to 20V. Know that, if a voltage is supplied through 5V or 3.3V pins, they will bypass the voltage regulation which ultimately damages the board if the voltage exceeds the certain limit. GND….. This is a ground pin. More than one ground pins are available on the board which can be used as per requirement. Reset… This pin resets the program running on the board. Instead of a physical reset on the board, IDE can reset the board through programming.

Arduino UNO REV3 Features

Microcontroller = ATmega328P Operating Voltage = 5V Digital I/O Pins = 14 PWM Digital I/O Pins = 6 Analog Input Pins = 6 Input Voltage (limit) = 6-20V Input Voltage (recommended) = 7-12V Flash memory = 32KB SRAM = 2KB EEPROM = 1KB Oscillator = 16MHz Size = 53x68mm Weight = 25g

Programming

• This board carries all specifications needed to run the controller. You can directly connect this board with the computer using a USB cable and send a lot of instructions to the board using Arduino IDE software. The programming language C or C++ is used to program the controller.
• It is important to note that Arduino comes with a Bootloader that is mainly used to burn the Arduino program which means you don’t require an external burner to burn the program inside the controller.
• The Arduino. IDE software is compatible with many operating systems including Windows, MAC or Linux Systems, however, Windows is preferred to run this software.

Difference between Arduino UNO and Arduino UNO REV3

• The Arduino Uno incorporates the ATMEGA8U2 USB microcontroller on board. While R3 board comes with an upgraded version of the USB controller ATMEGA16U2 on board.

• The Arduino Uno features an LED and resistor connected in series on pin 13. The R3 board buffers this LED/resistor using a unity gain operational amplifier. This is the separate op-amp that was not used in Arduino Uno.

• The Arduino UNO R3 board includes a diode across the USB ATmega reset pin pull-up resistor.
• The R3 board includes four solder pads (JP2) connecting to pins PB4 to PB7 of the USB ATMEGA. These solder pads are not present in Arduino Uno.

Arduino Uno REV 3 Applications

Arduino Uno is used in a wide range of applications. Following are some main applications of the board.

• Security and Defense System
• Embedded System
• Industrial Automation
• Digital Electronics and Robotics
• Weighing Machines
• Parking Lot Counter
• Traffic Light Count Down Timer
• Home Automation
• Emergency Light for Railways
• Medical Instrument

Don’t confuse the microcontroller with the Arduino board. Every Arduino board is a microcontroller but not every microcontroller is an Arduino board. Both devices are used for different purposes, however, the Arduino board is easy to learn that even a person with no technical skills can get hands-on experience with this device. That’s all for today. Hope you find this article helpful. If you have any questions, you can approach me in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. Feel free to share your valuable suggestions and feedback around the content we share, so we keep producing quality content as per your needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

4 Tips for Better Construction Job Bids

Hello Buddies, Welcome from the team of The Engineering Projects. We hope you are having a good day. In this article, you will investigate about four remarkable tips for a better job bit that will boost your chances to be hired. Construction is an emerging and fast-growing source of business. However, we cannot neglect that it is a very competitive field at the same time. In this ever-growing world, where the construction business is highly profitable and demanding, most people fail to get better construction jobs due to inaccurate bids. While construction bidding is not an easy task, better understanding and farsightedness can help you win more jobs.

What is construction bidding?

Construction bidding is the process through which you submit a proposal for a specific job. In other words, you send your proposal to a potential client. As simple as it may seem, writing an attractive proposal isn’t easy. Many companies have very unfavorable bid-hit ratios, which translates into wasted time and money. However, this process doesn’t depend entirely on luck. Understanding the process and working diligently can make your construction bidding more manageable and successful. When a client invites contractors to bid on a project, they often split it into different chunks. For example, one chunk of the job might be plumbing and another electrical work. Then, the client will invite various subcontractors to bid on tasks related to their specialties. This process is very smooth as it allows the owners and contractors to develop better relationships and continue their work. Similarly, it also helps the owners to get the best team of contractors for their construction project.

Tips for Submitting Better Construction Job Bids

Preparing a bid proposal for construction jobs takes a lot of time and effort. It requires full focus on understanding the client’s needs, estimating the costs for laborers and equipment, and then bidding. Even the smallest of mistakes can make you lose a highly profitable project opportunity. The following tips will help you in writing the best construction job bids.

?       Select the right project

Many people think that bidding on every job they encounter will increase their chances of getting work. However, that’s not the case. It will only utilize your energy and time with no fair results. Thus, bidding on every job you find is among the worst mistakes construction contractors make. A much more effective strategy is to bid less and bid on those jobs worth your consideration and time. Let’s assume you bid on a particular project without thinking and attend all pre-bid meetings and start taking subcontractor pricing. After analyzing the pricing and crunching the numbers, you realize that it doesn’t offer much profit to your team. So, the only solution at this point is to move on to another project. But what did all the effort, pre-bid meetings, and takeoffs cost you? It was a tremendous waste of time and resources. It can improperly impact your overall profitability as a company. Therefore, the best strategy is to identify the client’s needs and bid on those projects you can perform and give the best results. Before bidding, think about the past projects your company had won and delivered and came out with successful results. If the new projects are similar, bid on them.

?       Develop a positive reputation

General contractors always gauge your effort and professionalism based on the proposals you submit. An attractive proposal highlighting your ability to meet the client’s needs can help you win the job for the bid amount quickly. A good bid proposal is detailed. Take the time to carefully craft your messaging and offer within the proposal before submitting it. To be more precise, the proposal should be professional, comprehensive and accurate. To know more about writing a winning bid proposal for construction, head to bridgitsolutions.com. The company is highly reputable and has put together a great resource about crafting effective construction bids.  

?       Know when to submit the lowest bid

If a brand has no real competitive advantage over others, its chance of winning the bids becomes difficult. The same happens when you are new to the area and are surrounded by highly reputed and competitive companies. If you’ve nonetheless identified the project as one that will further your company’s goals, you may consider placing a relatively low bid. This strategy can help a lot as it attracts more contractors to get the work done at the lowest price. However, it should not be so low that you lose your profit – unless you’re willing to treat the project as a loss leader. However, some contractors value your skills and expertise more than the price. If you have a team of highly skilled professionals capable of managing the client’s needs, that constitutes a competitive edge they’ll likely consider when choosing a contractor.

?       Create accurate estimates

Taking accurate measurements is essential when calculating the appropriate bid. Inaccurate measurements and human errors can cause many problems as it misrepresents the total amount of labor and materials, which can have a devastating impact on your bottom line. The best way to create accurate estimates is by using good estimating software. An efficient software solution can speed up the process and provide error-free, precise, and accurate bids. Similarly, arithmetic errors leave a huge impact on the bid. So, using a calculator is better to ensure better measurements. However, robust construction bid software is the best way to ensure accurate measurements in less time. Choosing the best estimating software is also difficult when there are so many in the market. First of all, understand your needs and what you want the software to do for you. Then, do proper research and choose the best software solution for your goals.

Conclusion:

Preparing a competitive and winning proposal for a construction job requires time and effort. However, no matter how much time you put in, if you don’t have a proper proposal with accurate estimates, your efforts will go in vain. Thus, the tips mentioned above will help you understand the strategies of construction bidding and bidding for the right and winning proposal.

Implementation of SR Flip Flops in Proteus

Hello Learners! welcome from the team of The Engineering Projects. We hope you are having a productive day. We are working on a series of Blogs based upon the core knowledge about Digital Logic Gates and Circuits. In this tutorial, we'll know about the SR Flip Flops and after brief introduction we will simulate SR Flip Flops in Proteus. Let's have a glimpse on the topics of today:

• What are Flip Flops?
• What are the types of Flip Flop?
• How does we design the Truth Table of SR Flip Flops?
• What are further classes of SR Flip Flips?
• Implementation of SR Flip Flops in Proteus.

Flip Flops

Flip Flops are extremely important Circuits of Digital Logic Design. We Introduce the Flip Flops as:

"Flip Flops are type of sequential Logic Circuit that contain two stable states "Zero" and "One" (because of the binary system). It is often used as Storage device and each state of Flip Flop stores one bit." 

They are the building blocks of the Electronics and play an important role in the world of Logic Circuits. Being the Binary circuits, they are essential for the computation in the computer system. The Inputs of the Flip Flops are named as "S" AND "R" that stands for Set and Reset respectively. There are two Outputs of the Flip Flop called Q and Q'. As the name suggest itself, both the outputs are the Inverse of Each Other. the Flips Flop are sequential Logic Circuits that mean they use a Clock called as "CLK"  in the circuit. the Function of clock is to synchronize the circuit. The Phenomenon in which the clock signal is change its value i.e, from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0, is called the edge of the clock.

DID YOU KNOW?????????????????

Flip Flops are also called as Bipolar Multi-vibrator because they can store the both the Conditions of the Binary system.

When we say that Flip Flops are the Storage Devices, we mean that they does not only calculate the output from the present data, but they can also work with the data stored previously in the Flip Flops.  

Types of Flips Flops

When we talk about the types of Flip Flops, we consider mainly Four types of Flip Flops as follow:

1. SR Flip Flop
2. JK Flip Flop
3. D Flop Flops
4. K Flip Flops

These kinds are same in the composition of circuits, but the working, Construction and the results are different from each other. We'll Describe the structure of each of them along with the simulation for best concepts one after the other.

DID YOU KNOW??????????????

Flip Flops can maintain a binary state as long as there is power in the circuit, therefore can store the Data.

SR Flip Flop

The full name of SR Flip Flop is Set Reset Flip Flop. In this type of Flip Flop the Value of Output Q depends upon the Value of the "S" input. once the input of the SR Flip Flop goes high (When S and R are high) the output goes to infinity or undefined therefore this Circuit is used to  store the information.

Truth Table of SR Flip Flop

When we talk about the Truth Table of SR Latch, we find some unique behavior. The Interesting point about the SR Latch is when Set and Reset are LOW i.e, 0 then the value of the Output does not change. The circuit does not show any alternation. Moreover, when the values of inputs are HIGH, the output is undefined as discussed above. Hence the design of Truth Table of SR Flip Flop is as follow:

S	R	Q	Q’
0	0	No change	No change
0	1	0	1
1	0	1	0
1	1	Undefined	Undefined

  The SR Flip Flops are further classified into two main types:

1. Active High SR Flip Flops.
2. Active Low SR Flip Flops.

we'll learn about their details and the structure of the circuit.

Active High SR Flip Flops

The Active High SR Flip Flops are the one in which the Set input and the output terminal Q collaborate with each other. When the S is 0, the output Q is 1 and vise versa. We know that Q is always opposite to Q' hence we get the output as expected. Let's Look at the circuit of Active High SR Flip Flop and work at it in Proteus ISIS.

Active High SR Flip Flops in Proteus ISIS

• Fire Up your Proteus Software.

Material Required

1. AND Gate
2. NOR Gate
3. NAND Gate
4. Logic Toggle
5. LED-Red
6. Clock
7. Ground Terminal
8. Connecting Wires

• Click at the "P" button and Write AND Gate, NOR Gate, Logic Toggle, LED-Red, Clock one after the other and choose them through Enter button.
• Choose AND Gate from the Pick Library section and arrange two of them at the working area.
• Get two NOR Gates and arrange them just after the AND Gates.
• Get two Logic Toggles and Arrange them just before AND Gate for input.
• Choose two LEDs and fix them just after the NOR Gates.
• Ground each LED through ground Terminal Found in the Terminal modes at the left side of screen.
• Use a Clock in between AND Gates.
• Join all the components through wires just like the image given below:

Now Pop the Play button. Alter the Values of Input and observe all the outputs at each Logic Gate. You will get following Truth Table:

S	R	1	2	Q	Q’
0	0	0	0	No change	No change
0	1	0	1	0	1
1	0	1	0	1	0
1	1	Undefined	Undefined	Undefined	Undefined

DID YOU KNOW???????????

The inputs of Active Low SR Flip Flops are denoted by a a bar , a complement or a "not" word along with their name.

Active Low SR Flip Flop

The Active Low SR Flip Flops have the same output as their twin Circuit Active High SR Flip Flop. The difference is in the construction of the circuit. We use the NAND Gate in the Construction of Active Low SR Flip Flop. all other arrangements and devices are same as the previous one.

Simulation of Active Low SR Flip Flop in Proteus ISIS

• In the above Circuit of Active High SR Flip Flop, pop the left click at gate 1.
• Left click>Delete the Gate 1.
• Repeat the same step with other gates as well.
• Add the NAND gate in all the places.
• Arrange the system again as shown in the figure below:

When we Test the Active Low SR Flip Flop we get the following outputs:

S'	R'	1	2	Q	Q’
0	0	0	0	No change	No change
0	1	1	1	0	1
1	0	1	1	1	0
1	1	Undefined	Undefined	Undefined	Undefined

Hence this is another form of SR Flip Flop. Consequently, we learned about the Flip Flops, we saw what are its types , saw the subclasses of the Flip Flop and designed two types of SR Flip Flops in Proteus ISIS. Stay tuned for the other tutorial in which we'll solve the problem of undefined conditions of Flip Flops.

Introduction to Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2

Hello Everyone! Hope you’re well today. Happy to see you around. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2. Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2 is a microcontroller board based on ATmega4809 and carries an ECC608 crypto chip to ensure a secure and safe WiFi connection. The board contains 14 digital I/O pins, 5 PWM pins, 6 analog pins, one SPI protocol, one I2C, and one UART communication protocol. I suggest you read this entire post till the end as I’ll detail the complete Introduction to Arduino Uno WiFi Rev2 covering pinout, pin description, features, programming, and applications. Let’s jump right in.

Introduction to Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2

• The Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2 is a microcontroller board that is mainly based on the ATmega4809 microcontroller.
• Contains a temperature sensor and a 6 axis accelerometer/gyroscope for motion sensing. Generally employed to develop fall sensors, step counters, door opening alarms.
• A brand new ECC608 crypto chip accelerator is included on the board to ensure a secure WiFi connection.

• The safe and secure WiFi connection makes it an ideal pick for several industries including consumer electronics, automotive, agriculture, logging data, and small home automation projects.
• The oscillator speed is 16MHz which is required for the synchronization of all internal functions.
• There are total 14 digital I/O incorporated on the board out of which 5 are used as PWM pins and 6 analog pins are available on the board.

 

• The flash memory is 48KB that is mainly employed to store the sketch (Arduino program is called a sketch) while the EEPROM is 256bytes and SRAM is 6KB.
• The EEPROM is a non-volatile memory which means it stays stored in the board even if power is removed from the board. While SRAM is used to manipulate and generate variables when it is activated.
• The DC current for the 3.3V pin is 50 mA and the DC current per I/O pin is 20mA. And the recommended input voltage ranges from 7V to 12V.
• The operating voltage of this board is 5V. Moreover, this board also incorporates Secure Element = ATECC608A and Radio module = u-blox NINA-W102
• This board is an advanced version of Arduino Uno. But the processor architecture of this Rev 2 board is different than the Arduino Uno since it incorporates a different chip. The program you write for Arduino Uno will not work with Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2.
• Other features include a power jack, USB connection, a reset button, and an ICSP header. ICSP header is used to develop communication with other devices while pressing a reset button will reset the board and start the program from the initial stage.

Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2 Pinout

The following figure shows the pinout diagram of Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2.  

Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2 Pin Description

This was all about the brief introduction to Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2. In this section, we’ll detail the pin description of each pin incorporated on the board. Let’s get started.

Digital Pins

14 digital pins are installed on the board which you can use as an input or output according to the requirement. These pins get only two values i.e. HIGH or LOW. When they receive 0V they are in a LOW state and when they receive 5V they are in the HIGH state.

Analog Pins

6 analog pins are available on the board. These pins can receive any number of values in comparison to digital pins that only get two values HIGH or LOW.

PWM Pins

Out of 14 digital pins, 5 are used as PWM pins. These pins generate analog results with digital means. These pins are mainly used to control the speed of the motor.

SPI Pins

This board features the SPI protocol. Which serial peripheral interface communication protocol. It is used to develop communication between the controller and other peripheral devices like shift registers and sensors. It contains two Pins i.e. MISO (Master Input Slave Output) and MOSI (Master Output Slave Input) are mainly incorporated for SPI communication between devices. These pins are used to send or receive data by the controller.

I2C

I2C is a two-wire communication protocol. It contains two pins SCL and SDL. The SCL is a serial clock line used to synchronize all data transfer over the I2C bus while SDL is a serial data line used to carry the data.

UART Pins

The UART is a serial communication protocol. It contains two pins Rx and Tx. The Rx is the receiving pin used to receive serial data while Tx is a transmission pin used to transmit the serial data.

Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2 Features

The following are the main features of Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2.

• Microcontroller = ATmega4809
• Input Voltage (recommended) = 7 - 12V
• Operating Voltage = 5V
• DC Current for 3.3V Pin = 50 mA
• DC Current per I/O Pin = 20mA
• Digital I/O Pins = 14
• Analog Input Pins = 6
• PWM Pins = 5
• Flash Memory = 48KB

• EEPROM = 256bytes
• SRAM = 6KB
• UART = 1
• SPI = 1
• I2C = 1
• Oscillator = 16MHz
• Secure Element = ATECC608A
• Radio module = u-blox NINA-W102
• Inertial Measurement Unit = LSM6DS3TR
• Size = 53x68mm
• Weight = 25g

Programming

• The board contains a USB port. Simply connect the board with the computer through a USB cable and start playing with it. The Arduino IDE (integrated development environment) software is mainly used to program all Arduino boards.
• Moreover, this board carries an internal Bootloader that is employed to burn the program inside the controller. This means you don’t need an external burner to burn and program the microcontroller board.
• While you open up this IDE software, you will be presented with LED basic program through which you can check if your board is working fine.

Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2 Applications

• Used in fall sensors, step counters, door opening alarms.
• Due to the presence of WiFi connection ability, it is mainly employed for IoT applications.
• Used in embedded systems and control systems
• Used in educational projects

That’s all for today. Hope you’ve got a clear idea about Introduction to Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2. If you have any query, you can pop your comment in the section below, I’d love to help you the best way I can. You’re most welcome to share your valuable suggestions and feedback around the content we share so we keep producing such content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

Introduction to Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3

Hi Friends! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3. The Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 is a microcontroller board that is based on the ATmega2560 microcontroller. The Arduino boards are widely used in the automation industry and embedded projects. Almost all boards work similarly with few exceptions. Other boards like Arduino Uno, Arduino Nano, Arduino Every, Arduino Beetle all seem a good pick for the projects that require little memory to store the program. However, when the nature of projects go complex that require more memory and a rich set of I/O interfaces, the Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 comes into play. This board is an advanced version of the board Arduino Mega 2560. I suggest you buckle up and read this entire post till the end as I’ll detail the complete Introduction to Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 covering pinout, pin description, features, programming, and applications. Let’s get started.

Introduction to Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3

• The Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 is a microcontroller board that is based on the ATmega2560 microcontroller.
• There are total 54 digital I/O pins available on the board out of which 15 pins are used as PWM pins. There are 15 analog pins incorporated on the board.
• The board comes with 4 serial ports, one SPI, and one I2C communication protocol.
• The operating voltage of the device is 5V while the input voltage ranges from 6V to 20V while the recommended input voltage ranges from 7V to 12V.

• The oscillator clock speed is 16MHz which ensures the synchronization of the internal functions.
• The Arduino Program (sketch) is stored in the Flash memory which is 256KB and SRAM is 8KB while the EEPROM is 4KB.

• The SRAM is responsible for producing and manipulating the variables when it runs and EEPROM is a non-volatile memory that remains stored in the board even if power is removed.
• It is important to note that Arduino Duemilanove/UNO is compatible with Arduino Mega 2560 which projects the shields developed for Duemilanove stands fit for this mega board.
• You can say Arduino Mega 2560 is identical to Arduino Uno with more memory and rich I/O interfaces so it is mainly used for more complex and advanced projects.
• This device is also incorporated with a new USB chip (similar to Arduino UNO) - ATmega16U2 (previously ATmega8U2 or FTDI chips were used).
• This board incorporates two voltage regulators i.e. 5V and 3.3V which gives the ability to regulate the voltage as per requirements in contrast to Arduino Uno which comes with only one voltage regulator.
• More features include a power jack, a USB connection, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It comes with everything required to support the microcontroller.

Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 Pinout

In the following picture, you’ll see the pinout diagram of Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3. The board incorporates 4 LEDs where one is a built-in LED connected to pin 13 of the board. One is a power LED that turns on when the board is turned on. While two LEDs are reserved for Rx and Tx which respond when the serial communication happens on this board.

Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 Pin Description

Hope you’ve got a brief idea about this Arduino Mega board. In this section, we’ll highlight the pin description of each pin incorporated on the board. Let’s get started.

UART Pins

There are 4 serial ports incorporated on the board. Each UART serial port comes with two pins Rx and Tx. The Rx is the receiving pin that ensures the receiving of serial data while Tx is the transmission pin that guarantees the transmission of serial data.

SPI Pins

The board contains one SPI communication protocol. While is a serial peripheral interface communication protocol. It is used to develop communication between the controller and other peripheral devices like sensors and shift registers. It contains two Pins… MISO (master input slave output) and MOSI (master output slave input) for the SPI communication.

I2C Pins

The board carries one I2C communication protocol. It carries two pins SDL and SCL. The SDL is the serial data pin that carries the data while SCL is the serial clock line that ensures the synchronization of data transfer over I2C bus.

Digital Pins

This comes with the most number of digital I/O pins incorporated on any Arduino board. The reason it is called Arduino Mega. It is also capable to store more memory of the Arduino program in the Flash memory. You can use these 54 pins as an input or output based on the requirement. These pins receive two values HIGH and LOW. When they receive 5V the pins are at HIGH state while when they receive 0V the pins remain in a LOW state.

Analog Pins

The board contains 15 analog pins. These pins can get any values in contrast to digital pins that receive only two values HIGH and LOW.

PWM Pins

Out of 54 digital I/O pins, 15 pins can be used as PWM pins. These pins generate analog results with digital means.

Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 Features

The main features of Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 are described below.

• Microcontroller = ATmega2560
• Input Voltage (limit) = 6-20V
• Input Voltage (recommended) = 7-12V
• SPI = 1
• I2C = 1
• UART = 4
• Digital I/O Pins = 54
• Analog Pins = 16
• PWM Pins = 15
• DC Current for 3.3V Pin = 50 mA
• DC Current per I/O Pin = 20 mA
• Clock Speed = 16MHz
• Flash Memory = 256 KB

• EEPROM = 4 KB
• SRAM = 8 KB
• LED_BUILTIN = 13
• Size = 53x101mm
• Weight = 37g

Programming

The Arduino.cc has introduced the official software Arduino IDE to program all Arduino boards. The Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 comes with a USB comes that is used to program the board. Simply connect the board with the computer using a USB cable and start playing with it. Moreover, the board comes with an internal Bootloader which is used to burn the program inside the controller. Setting you free from buying the external burner to burn the program.

Difference between Arduino Mega 2560 R2 and R3

• Two more pins are included in each row of the pin. In the "digital section" two-pin header sockets are available: 10 and 8 pins, despite 2 x 8. While in the "analog section" two pins 8 and 6 are included instead of 2 x 6.
• ATmega16U, chip for USB communication, replaced the ATmega8U chip in the R3 board. And it comes with16 kB of flash memory as compared to 8.
• Now digital section incorporates two separate pins for I2C communication i.e. SDL and SCL.
• It is important to note that, these pins are not considered additional signals. In the case of Arduino UNO R2, two pins SDA and SCL are incorporated at A5 and A4. In R3 they reserve the same spot, merging new pins with old ones.

Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 Applications

This mega board is an ideal pick for the projects requiring more memory space to store the program and require a rich set of I/O interfaces. The following are the main applications of Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3.

• Controlling and handling more than one motors
• Developing 3D printer
• Sensing and detecting temperature
• Interfacing of number of sensors
• Parallel programming and Multitasking
• Home automation and security systems
• Embedded Systems
• Water level detection projects

That’s all for today. Hope you find this article helpful. If you’re unsure or have any questions, you can approach me in the section below, I’d love to help you the best way I can. Feel free to share your valuable suggestions and feedback around the content we share. This helps us create quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the post.

How to Select the Right LMS Vendor for your Business?

Learning Management Systems have gained popularity with technological advancements.  The curiosity to learn NEW made the information available with just a few clicks away. That’s how e-learning was born! Now, it has become inevitable for every business to adapt to the trend. When it involves developing a course from scratch, you need LMS.  Well, by what norms do we identify LMS vendors for my business? Here are five checkpoints you should know when choosing an LMS vendor.

• The background

It is quite common when you are choosing an LMS vendor; you look for the price. Beyond the quote they are offering, you need to verify their track record. Ask the following questions to acquire the vendor’s level of the business.

1. How long has the LMS dealer been in the industry?
2. How many customers does the vendor have dealt with so far?
3. What are the evolving trends in LMS?
4. What are the common priorities of customers?
5. Which features of LMS are used most in recent times?

You can infer the quality of the LMS vendor in the business from his answers.

• The knowledge on e-learning

E-learning is the prime motive of the Learning Management System (LMS). If your LMS vendor doesn’t have enough knowledge about it, he is out of the game.  His leadership skills will show whether they (the company) have a stagnant product or have a room for innovation.  For example, Artificial Intelligence and Game-full thinking are the desirable features most learners and employees are looking forward to in their training modules and online courses.  The LMS you are purchasing must have at least the introductory version of these features so that you can up-level your course in years down the lane. [caption id="attachment_161291" align="aligncenter" width="300"] online education concept - e-learning word cloud on a vintage slate blackboard[/caption] Moreover, the publication of high-quality content will prove the vendor’s expertise in offering valuable information to prospects and clients.  Also, check for the technical aspects like Flash and SCORM in the LMS.

• Customer Relationship Management

Who they are is essential but how they treat the customers is significant.  The response timing, language, and patience to solve the issues are the qualities that will impact you as a customer from LMS vendors. Check for information about the team members and multiple customer support from their website. It will reveal their identity. Consider how they value customer satisfaction and deal with multiple test ticket numbers simultaneously. This little follow-up communication clarifies their persona to you.

• A Live Demo -Free trial

Although verbal information gives you an overview, a test drive will reflect the working of LMS. It is good to ask for a free trial or a live demo.  You can gain first-hand experience; thus, comprehending whether the product meets your needs or not. For example, if you intend to offer multi-lingual support to your global employees in online training, you need to ensure the LMS is enabled with it. Plus, enquire the LMS vendor on the scalability functions to fulfil your future needs. 

• Look for Client views

Testimonials, reviews, and case studies will give you the user experiences straight from the previous clients.  It would be best to get references from other companies who use LMS and consider their insights.  These existing customers will tell you information on how LMS vendors respond to the issues. Besides, it is essential you team up with an LMS provider who has solid financial health.  This is because vendors with constant cash flow can perform research and development to upgrade their product, thus offering you a better version. 

The Bottom line

The initial point to all your training and management needs starts with choosing the right LMS vendor. We hope all these details will narrow down your search for the appropriate LMS provider.