28128 Parallax Inc, 28128 Datasheet - Page 164

• Manufacturer Part Number: 28128
• Description: KIT BASIC ANALOG/DIGI PARTS ONLY
• Manufacturer: Parallax Inc

Specifications of 28128

• Accessory Type: ADC, DAC
• Product: Microcontroller Accessories
• For Use With/related Products: BASIC Stamp® 2 and Board of Education
• Lead Free Status / RoHS Status: Lead free / RoHS Compliant

Page 154 · Basic Analog and Digital
Why did I learn it?
Pretty neat, huh? We used light for our input and sound was our output. We measured
light intensity and generated a particular tone based on that measured intensity.
This chapter illustrates how the concepts introduced in this series of experiments can be
mixed and matched to actually design an electronic device. It also demonstrates that
capacitors are not the exact value they are stated to be due to tolerances. You now know
how to calculate the capacitor value.
How can I apply this?
While learning all this, we've covered a number of circuit designs and a wide variety of
programming techniques. We've also gained some first hand experience with analog
phenomenon. We've also covered how to electronically interface, process, and in general,
do things with a digital device, the BASIC Stamp microcontroller. Below is a list of key
concepts that we've worked with in these experiments.
Chapter #1: Serial and parallel data, and synchronous and asynchronous communication.
Chapter #2: The comparator, the buffer, and threshold voltage.
Chapter #3: Analog to digital conversion, voltage dividers, and normalized voltage
measurements.
Chapter #4: Digital to analog conversion, the resistive ladder network, and sound
frequency and volume.
Chapter #5: The oscilloscope and time varying signals.
Chapter #6: The 555 timer, frequency and measuring frequency signals.
Chapter #7: The optical couple and pulse width management for D/A conversion.
Chapter #8: Building an electronic gizmo - a light meter, and A/D conversion using RC
time constants.
These eight experiments provide a first exposure to analyzing a variety of analog
phenomenon, the basics of electric circuits, and the essentials of digitally processing
information about analog measurements using a digital electronic device.
If you are an electronics hobbyist, hopefully there were a few items to add to your bag of
electronic design tricks. If you are a high school or college student continuing on to an
electrical technical or engineering field, you will undoubtedly revisit many of the
concepts covered here in much grater detail.