180348 DIY soldering station
Small soldering station for Weller RT tips. Arduino Leonardo compatible for easy firmware upgrades and extensions over USB. The UI consists of a small OLED display and a rotary encoder.
This is a compact soldering station for the Weller RT tips. Based on the idea of the Platino Soldering Station, this one uses an ATmega32u4 also found in the Arduino Leonardo. This means we can use the Arduino IDE directly to program the MCU and also do firmware uploads thanks to the included bootloader.
The station also has an OLED display and can be controlled by only one knob. But what has changed and what is new?
Since firmware version 1.2 the serial console is included, that allows you to set and read the setpoint of the station, also you can read the current temperature and if any, the errors the station has. You simply can connect the station with a usb cable to the pc and use the arduino ide integrated terminal for the commands. Make sure that you use Newline or Carrigereturn as automatic lineend here. The supported commands can get get from the readme or by typing "help" in the terminal.
Besides that it is based on the Platino version some modifications have been applied. The most important step was to add broken thermocoupler detection to the input stage. If the tip has a bad contact, the station will no longer power the heater to prevent damaging the tip. Also the amplification of the imput voltage has been improved to get a better range, meaning we can better detect if we have a tip with overtemperature. Also you can now messure the current that is flowing through the tip.
For the user input only one rotary encoder (with integrated pushbuton) is needed to operate the iron, and the station has now a 0,96" OLED display instead of the 2x16 alphanumerical LCD used in the Platino version. All these small modifications also mean that we have got new software for the station. But lets take a look to what has changed in the circut.
As we can see from the image, the power stage is simple. We have a FET T1, IRF9540, and a driver in front of it. The driver for the FET consists of T3, T2 and T4. T2 and T4 from a push-pull driver and T3 is a level shifter to shift the AVR PWM signal from 5 V to VIN. A 20 mΩ resistor, R18, and an INA138 opamp, are used to measure the current supplied to the tip. But we also need MCP6002 as buffer to avoid the ADC input interfering with the high-impedance output of the INA138. The low-pass filter at the output of the buffer will average the measured current value.
The input for the temperature has a 1MΩ pull-up resitor to 5 V and a 10MΩ pull-down resistor to 0 V at the input. If for some reason the tip is not connected we will get a temperature reading beyond 600°C and can safely assume this to be due to malfuctioning.
The Weller RT tip has a thermo-element inside. Because it produces only a small temperature-dependent voltage amplification is required to use the full resultion of the MCU's ADC.
For the power input (24 V max) a small LDO is used for the MCU and the OLED. A diode to protect the board against reversed polarity is present.
A voltage divider R7-R9 allows the MCU to read the actual input voltage. The current firmware has a undervoltage or battery-low detection. If the voltage at the input goes below 10.8 V the tip is no longer powerd. As this is a pretty compact soldering station it can be used in the field powered by one of those cheap Lipo car starter packs.
Also of interest may be the rotary encoder. 100 nF capacitors were added to debounce the signals. This may come in handy when the encoder signals are processed in a completly interrupt-driven way. Also note the external pullup resistors that provide a well-defined value. The MCU has its own internally but their values specified to lie somewhere in the range of 20 kΩ to 60 kΩ, in our circuit they have a stable 10 kΩ value.
The OLED is connected to the SPI of the MCU, so nothing special here. Also the USB connection is done according tho the datasheet and doesn't contain any special tricks.
After powering the station a boot logo welcomes you, then the main screen appears. You can see the current temperature, the power supplied to the tip as bargraph and the target temperature set by the user. The station will heat up the tip as soon as the main screen appears. The target temperature is stored in the MCU's EEPROM.
If the station remains idle for ten minutes, it will enter a power down mode and reduce the temperatur to 100°C. If it then remains idle for another 10-minute period, the station will enter sleep mode and display a snoozing tip moving arround the screen. Press the rotary encoder's button to wake the station up again.
1: tip is not heating;
3: temperature sensor connection is bad.
If these errors appear you can confirm them by pressing the rotary encoder's button. Then, if everything is well again, the station resumes working after ten seconds.
The last point to mention is the current limiter. The board will draw an average of 1.5 A by using a maximum duty-cycle of 50% for the PWM control signal. If you have a supply that can handle more than a 1.5 A load, you can adjust the value in the code. The parameter can be found at HW_150500.h for the station.
The station also has an OLED display and can be controlled by only one knob. But what has changed and what is new?
Since firmware version 1.2 the serial console is included, that allows you to set and read the setpoint of the station, also you can read the current temperature and if any, the errors the station has. You simply can connect the station with a usb cable to the pc and use the arduino ide integrated terminal for the commands. Make sure that you use Newline or Carrigereturn as automatic lineend here. The supported commands can get get from the readme or by typing "help" in the terminal.
Besides that it is based on the Platino version some modifications have been applied. The most important step was to add broken thermocoupler detection to the input stage. If the tip has a bad contact, the station will no longer power the heater to prevent damaging the tip. Also the amplification of the imput voltage has been improved to get a better range, meaning we can better detect if we have a tip with overtemperature. Also you can now messure the current that is flowing through the tip.
For the user input only one rotary encoder (with integrated pushbuton) is needed to operate the iron, and the station has now a 0,96" OLED display instead of the 2x16 alphanumerical LCD used in the Platino version. All these small modifications also mean that we have got new software for the station. But lets take a look to what has changed in the circut.
The Hardware
The input for the temperature has a 1MΩ pull-up resitor to 5 V and a 10MΩ pull-down resistor to 0 V at the input. If for some reason the tip is not connected we will get a temperature reading beyond 600°C and can safely assume this to be due to malfuctioning.
The Weller RT tip has a thermo-element inside. Because it produces only a small temperature-dependent voltage amplification is required to use the full resultion of the MCU's ADC.
A voltage divider R7-R9 allows the MCU to read the actual input voltage. The current firmware has a undervoltage or battery-low detection. If the voltage at the input goes below 10.8 V the tip is no longer powerd. As this is a pretty compact soldering station it can be used in the field powered by one of those cheap Lipo car starter packs.
The OLED is connected to the SPI of the MCU, so nothing special here. Also the USB connection is done according tho the datasheet and doesn't contain any special tricks.
The Software
Software is often one of those things that magically appears from out of nowhere and is supposed to work. The software for the previous Platino soldering station was written without the Arduino framework even though it uses an ATmega328P as MCU. This requiered some rework to be done, in this case a new core for the software. As the new and the Platino soldering station have many things in common, the new software was built in a modular way. This means we now need only to maintain one firmware for both stations. The firmware is available at GitHub.After powering the station a boot logo welcomes you, then the main screen appears. You can see the current temperature, the power supplied to the tip as bargraph and the target temperature set by the user. The station will heat up the tip as soon as the main screen appears. The target temperature is stored in the MCU's EEPROM.
If the station remains idle for ten minutes, it will enter a power down mode and reduce the temperatur to 100°C. If it then remains idle for another 10-minute period, the station will enter sleep mode and display a snoozing tip moving arround the screen. Press the rotary encoder's button to wake the station up again.
Errors
If something goes wrong an error screen will pop up displaying the reason of the problem. If for instance undervoltage is detected the current input voltage will be shown. There are also error codes:1: tip is not heating;
3: temperature sensor connection is bad.
If these errors appear you can confirm them by pressing the rotary encoder's button. Then, if everything is well again, the station resumes working after ten seconds.
The last point to mention is the current limiter. The board will draw an average of 1.5 A by using a maximum duty-cycle of 50% for the PWM control signal. If you have a supply that can handle more than a 1.5 A load, you can adjust the value in the code. The parameter can be found at HW_150500.h for the station.
Discussion (6 comments)
Kabron 3 years ago
Совершенно, что с первого раза это измерение будет неверным.
Например, моя станция находится в 40 С.
Никто не регистрирует, как делать поправку на SW.
Стыд!
Mathias_Claussen(Elektor) 3 years ago
С наилучшими пожеланиями
Mathias Claußen
Temperatur calibration was not build into the software in deed. So besides modifineg the sourcecode, there is currently no way to calibrate it.
Best Regards
Mathias Claußen
Kabron 3 years ago
lines 8-36
AlexSchmitz 3 years ago
The soldering station seems to work fine. I have one big problem though: The display isn't working.
I got this one: https://www.reichelt.de/entwicklerboards-display-oled-1-3-128x64-pixel-ssd1306-debo-oled-1-3-p235524.html?search=debo+oled
Yes, I know it's a 1.3" one, but there were no 0.96" ones in stock. Apart from that, it's basically the same display.
The problem: It doesn't show anything.
I made sure the display is working (with an Arduino Mega), the soldering station itself gets hot and the serial Interface is working, no display though.
Can anyone help me?
Small edit: The Display seems to work the first time after flashing the program. Each subsequent restart leaves me with the display showing nothing at all.
AlexSchmitz 3 years ago
By simply adding "delay(100);" to "void setup()"
It works like a charm.
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
Best Regards
ElektorLabs
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
that provides 12 V and just over 12 A.
I saw the software change you made - excellent!
The question I ask is now if I move (desolder) the FET IRF 9540
that sits there on the circuit board to a heat sink
so that any power dissipation that may occur is taken care of -
can there be anything else that I forgot to think about?
And I am aware of the fact that : It is stated that alterations in hard- and software are NOT supported by Elektor.
Grateful for answers !
rjv 5 years ago
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
a heatsink .
Did anyone do it ??
Mathias Clauszen 5 years ago
find attached a Firmware where the currentlimit has been removed. Be aware that there is the risk that higher currents can damage the PCB or the power stage ( IRF FET ) . Use this at your own risk as this firmware mod is not approved by elektor nor tested.
Best regards
Mathias
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
RTU 004 C MS, lödspets Koniskt 0.4mm, Weller
(
WE_T0050104999_eng_tds.pdf
(PDF, English)
Visa fler språk
Produktspecifikationer
Spetsbredd0.4 mm
Spetslängd27.5 mm
Effektklassning150 W
LödspetsserieRTU MS
Does anyone think there might be an UPGRADE of the soldering station ?
Is it even possible if a PSU of > 10 A is supplied ?
Is the PWM = max 50% possible to increase ?
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
That was the problem all the time !
They sent a broken OLED display with the kit.
Does anyone know how to get in touch with them?
I have e-mailed and also sent a letter but no one answers.
I have never been in such a carelessness/ indifference /nonchalance /negligence
in my entire life.
WHAT IS REQUIRED ? Should I have to buy a brand new kit for over 80 Euro to access a functioning display ??
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
code in the Arduino IDE and then uploading to the atmega32u4 is
safer and less "steps" .
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
Here is yet another detail to complicate things: you must set the AVR's fuse bits properly as well. For use with bootloader they should be: avrdude command to do this: Without bootloader the high fuse bits value changes: avrdude command to do this: Hope this helps.
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
the hexfile WITHOUT bootloader ?!?!?
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
When we said the Arduino IDE does avrdude for you, it was supposed that you compiled the _source_ code inside the Arduino IDE and then let it upload it to the board, not that you would use the Arduino IDE to upload a HEX file. Compile & upload (by clicking the Arduino IDE button with the arrow pointing to the right) is the standard and easy Arduino procedure of programming Arduino-compatible boards. Uploading precompiled HEX files is a bit more complicated. The Arduino source code for this project is available for download on this page, allowing you to go the easy Arduino way.
Where the article said that a serial console has been included in the firmware, it meant that the solder station firmware outputs data on a serial port. You can visualise this data in a Serial Terminal program. This is _not_ the same thing as a Linux terminal window. The Arduino IDE integrates a suitable Serial Terminal that you can use here. You open it by pressing ctrl-shift-M (at least on Windows) or by clicking the little button at the top right of the IDE, with the tiny looking glass.
So, now that we understand better what you are trying to do and on which OS we can maybe improve our example avrdude command a bit (still untested): Hope this helps you a bit further.
Mathias Clauszen 5 years ago
about the non worling oled, i think they kindly asked you to contact costummer service so they may can arrange a new OLED for you. About the firmware, the arduino IDE is for precompiled hex files simply not build, and far from perfect ( won't say it's one of the worst things to programm an avr but it's defnitly in the top 10 ). Besides this some more about the way to get new firmware to the station:
The atmega32u4 has a leonardo compatabile bootloader onboard.
If you connect to the USB device with 2400 baud, the bootloder will get started and the board, afterwards the avrdude can send new firmware to the board. Thats what the given avrdude line is basically doing. On a linux system that won't be COM1 but /dev/ttyACM0. For teh faulty OLED, if the avr reacts to serial commands this simply means the OLED was dead on arrival and you need a new OLED.
For the soldering station you also need to be aware that the display is not running in i²C mode. The station uses the SPI mode with following pin defines:
OLED_CS 12
OLED_DC 14
OLED_CLK 15
OLED_DATA 16
OLED_RESET
so you need at least four channels on your scope for data analyses. But seeing signals on SCL and SDA is expect the avr is sending data to the screen. Also note there is no way that the avr gets any response if the display actually got any data send, meaning, if the display is dead it will simply not able to detect if it is showing anything or not.
For the serial communication you can also use CuteCom ( Ubuntu has it as packet ) and connect to the station. On Windows it will be plug and play, on ubuntu you have to deal with the user right for the serial ports and also in some versions arround 18.x there are some problems that the user will get no permisson to serial ports, even if he is in the dialout group ( something in the udev rules was broken ).
If the connection is possible you can at least rule out tht the avr may is in some bad state. Also you have on the PCB a 6 pin connector ( 2x3 ) near the AVR. This is the ISP header, so you can attatch a avr programmer of choise and flash the hex file directly to the mcu if you like to.
I hope this will at least help a little. I wish you a nice weekend and i hope you'll have a working station soon.
Best Regards
Mathias
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
If you use the Arduino IDE you don't need to do this, because the IDE does it all for you.
But HOW do I load the HEX-file ?? into the IDE ??
How is it done ?
I read somewhere:
Re: uploading hex-file using IDE ?
#3
Jul 25, 2011, 04:30 am
Hold down the shift key when uploading a sketch. You will see all the commands used to compile, link, and upload the hex file that is produced.
Practice using those commands to compile, link, and upload code that you do have the source for.
Then, use the upload command to upload the hex file that you do not have the source for.
Is that true ? Is it that easy ?
I tried the : You simply can connect the station with a usb cable to the pc and use the arduino ide integrated terminal for the commands.
and I got very little information - in fact NONE about the faulty OLED-display.
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
skaermavbild-vid-2019-07-19-11-31-54-resultat.png (150kb)
skaermavbild-vid-2019-07-19-11-31-34-resultat.png (112kb)
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
If you use the Arduino IDE you don't need to do this, because the IDE does it all for you.
But HOW do I load the HEX-file ?? into the IDE ??
2:
It was somwhere suggested that I should be able to:
Since firmware version 1.2 the serial console is included, that allows you to set and read the setpoint of the station, also you can read the current temperature and if any, the errors the station has. You simply can connect the station with a usb cable to the pc and use the arduino ide integrated terminal for the commands.
But HOW IS THAT DONE ?
I got the TERMINAL to respond to:
ls -l /dev/ttyACM*
and
sudo usermod -a -G dialout <username> (my username of course!)
like this:
mate18@mate18-desktop ~ $ ls -l /dev/ttyACM*
crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 166, 0 jul 19 09:39 /dev/ttyACM0
mate18@mate18-desktop ~ $ ls -l /dev/ttyACM* sudo usermod -a -G dialout <username>
bash: syntaxfel nära den oväntade symbolen "newline"
mate18@mate18-desktop ~ $ sudo usermod -a -G dialout mate18
[sudo] lösenord för mate18:
But then ? WHAT SHALL I WRITE and what do I get in return ?
Can this help me to understand if the display is malfunctioning
or if the compiled code is wrong ???
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
For the Arduino-compatible board of this project the command line would look something like this (untested!): The HEX file name should be adapted to your file and the port ("COM1") must be the port used by your board.
If you use the Arduino IDE you don't need to do this, because the IDE does it all for you.
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
we are sorry to hear that the OLED is not working at all. For replacement please contact customerservice ( service@elektor.com ) . For the software related questions:
the Atmega comes with a preprogrammed Arduino bootloader. If you load the sketch you can compile amd upload it using the arduni IDE, as the board behaves like a Arduino Leonardo.
Also you should have the Firmware 1.2 already preprogrammed to the chip and be able to use a termial ( like putty , hterm, cutecom ,.... ) to access the serial command line interface ( Parameter: 11500 Baud, 8 Databits, no parity , 1 Stopbit ).
Best regards
ElektorLabs
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
buy and assemble the kit ??
I have a problem: The OLED-display is not working at all and I don't even know
if the program is correct. The tip gets hot though.
What about the pre-compiled code ? How is that uploaded ? AVRDUDE ?
HaSch 6 years ago
Do you know when the kit of parts will be available?
Kind regards,
Hans
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
Johnfromnl 5 years ago
Kind Regards,
John
ClemensValens 6 years ago
JohnHind 6 years ago
This seems like an ideal use for a desktop PC PSU as even the lowest power models would easily deliver this current at very modest cost. As an additional benefit, 5V would also be available negating the need for the linear regulator circuit.
If I build this myself I'll probably build two channels and experiment with two-handed soldering as I think this might facilitate easier re-work. Also I'd like to use a BLE microcontroller and put the UI on a smartphone app. I think this would work well as changing the temperature is only needed ocasionally and as long as it remembers the set point it can work stand-alone. Also this approach would enable plotting of nice temperature and current graphs.
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
You have sold a lot of these, so surely more than just 2 want to be able to utilize Wellers 150 Watt solder tips!
Sorry if my questions are stupid but isn't it just a replacement: IRF9540 for a more powerful and mount it on a heat sink or the side of the box that puts everything inside?
Can't you start there and then expand the possibilities according to the previous speaker's wishes?
Also: If you are a "fan" of old linear PSU instead of modern Switched: Is it enough with a transformer of 150-200 VA + a rectifier bridge and a smoothing capacitor or do you need stabilization as well?
Weller RT U series of soldering tips fit just as well in the 3.5 mm jack as RT P and RT M.
Then someone here attached a modified downloadable code but now it's gone - why?
Mathias Clauszen 5 years ago
an upgrade is technically possible, but this would requiere to have just more than two requesting for it. If there is enough demand / interrest there may be the chance to have an improved / optimized version for more power™
Best Regards
Mathias Claußen
JohnHind 5 years ago
Yes my suggestion above of using a desktop PC PSU would work really well here - easily 12v at 400W or more plus 5v auxilliaries all at very reasonable cost. I'd like to see two versions:
1. De-luxe desktop workstation with two 150W PWM soldering channels, ESD grounding (both on the irons and clips for mats and wriststraps) and 12V and 5V auxilliaries for work-lights, fume extractors, USB charging etc.
2. Compact single-channel portable version powered by 18V power tool battery pack.
It would be neat if the tip holder could have a built-in multi-colour LED for power and temperature indication (green at power-on running through to red when at temperature) and a touch-sensitive ring for auto on/off.
Another neat feature would be temperature profile support: you would touch the iron cold to the junction and press a button on the tip holder which would trigger a pre-programmed temperature/time profile to mimic oven soldering.
Russin Sir Bullar 5 years ago
RTU 004 C MS, lödspets Koniskt 0.4mm, Weller
(
WE_T0050104999_eng_tds.pdf
(PDF, English)
Visa fler språk
Produktspecifikationer
Spetsbredd0.4 mm
Spetslängd27.5 mm
Effektklassning150 W
LödspetsserieRTU MS
Does anyone think there might be an UPGRADE of the soldering station ?
Is it even possible if a PSU of > 10 A is supplied ?
Is the PWM = max 50% possible to increase ?
HaSch 5 years ago
Sorry, I‘m just team member as most of the people here. I only try to translate what you mean. Your posts are sometimes hard to understand and it makes not really a difference if you write English or German language.
Heinz2 5 years ago
HaSch scheint hier der Wächter zu sein. Aber Sinnvolles kommt nicht bei raus.
Gruß Heinz
Heinz2 5 years ago
Sorry, für das Mißverständniss
Ich möcht 18=SDA und 19=SCL benutzen.
Gruß Heinz
HaSch 5 years ago
Wie denn? Du musst die Frage von ElektorLabs schon korrekt beantworten, wenn du willst, dass man dir hilft! 18=SDA und 19=SCL?
Heinz2 5 years ago
I want to use pin 18 and 19 of the atmega.
The display uses no jumper.
Gruß Heinz
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
we can do software i2c for the atmega, there are also librarys ( https://github.com/felias-fogg/SoftI2CMaster ) that can handle this. Also the GFX library used in the project supports I2C but may requieres some patches. From your comment we can see you like to have pin 19 and 18 for this purpose used. What will be SDA and SCL in your setup, 18 = SDA and 19 = SDC ? We haven't tried ourself the software i2c on the chip but would be interresting to add this. We can't guarentee if it will be ready soon, but if patches are done for the Firmware we trie to add this
German:
Hallo Heinz2,
auf dem Atmega32u4 ist Software I²C möglich, und es gibt schon Bibliotheken die soetwas bereitstellen. Die verwendete GFX bibliothek unterstützt I²C, benötigt aber eventuell ein paar patches. Aus dem Kommentar lässt sich entnehmen das die Pins 18 und 19 für I2C genutzt werden sollen. Wird SDA = 18 und SCL = 19 ? Bisher haben wir selber noch nicht versucht auf der Hardware I²C in Software zu nutzen, es wäre aber interresant es nachzurüsten. Dieses wird nicht schnell Fertig werden, wenn Patches in die Firmware eingepflegt werden versuchen wir die Funktion mit nachzurüsten.
Regards
ElektorLabs
Heinz2 5 years ago
is. The Adafruit_SSD1306 may be SPI and I²C, but I only have one display with I2C. In SSD1306.h I2C is also addressed, but
you have to take the display from Adafruit.
Is there no way to change this without increasing another chip?
Greetings heinz
ElektorLabs 5 years ago
Heinz2 5 years ago
I tried to connect an I2c OLED Display SSD 1306.The software on it to modify. Unfortunately, I lack the perspective.
Who can help me?
Is there a software?
greeting
Heinz
HaSch 6 years ago
ClemensValens 6 years ago
JohnHind 6 years ago
However, an idea I prefer is to use a power tool battery pack. The ones I have (Power8 Workshop by CEL) are 18V and will easily supply the current required. I guess the insulation in the soldering iron would be adequate to stand this as long as the power is limited to the rated value. Most exchangable battery power tool systems have a low-cost tool (usually a torch) that can easily be repurposed as a power take-off (I already did this to make a 5V USB power supply using a buck converter circuit board from ebay/China).
I am guessing that driven at full rated power, these tips heat up pretty fast, so fairly agressive power timeout could be used especially if a push button was incorporated in the handle to turn on easily without requiring 'three hands' and a red LED indicator would also be useful to indicate the tip was up to temperature.
Extending this idea, I also have some 14V dremmel-style power tools with a rather poor analogue mains power supply with crude speed control. I guess the same circuit could also be re-purposed to drive these from the 18v battery packs by using current feedback or maybe even true speed control by sensing back EMF.
ClemensValens 6 years ago
Mathias_Claussen(Elektor) 6 years ago
The 1.5A limit is currently within the software, during the tests inside the LAB we also used it with 3.5A+ to get a bit faster heating time. If you like i put a feature request so that we can add a option to disable the limit, at the users own risk.
But back to the ATX suggestions. Yes you could do power all other goodies with it, but this would be a Benchpowersupply. By the ideas given, why not lets take a cup of our favourite drink an bring ideas down to a list, may we something new, or completly different, like a nice DIY-Benchpowersupply powerd by an ATX
power supply, which in return could be used to power the soldering station with requiered amount of current.
Best Regards
JohnHind 6 years ago
Your comment is quite ironic because this soldering station project is itself a revisit of an earlier article! If Elektor never revisited projects it had done before, it would be a much thinner magazine!
ClemensValens 6 years ago
JohnHind 6 years ago
Hardware wise design a PCB with an ATX motherboard connector and some polyfuses to protect the project from excessive currents. !2V could be presented on screw terminal blocks and 5V on USB A sockets. (3.3V and -12V would also be available if desired). There is a small chip available (TPS2513) which drives the signal lines in USB power supplies to provide a super-set of the various high-current USB PSU 'standards'. I actually have a design for such a PSU interface already available which I used in a commercial project and which could be extracted as a standalone board.
ClemensValens 6 years ago
Do you really feel controlling it by means of an app would be practical? I can see it as a gadget, but is it worth putting all that effort in it instead of a simple display? I think our version outputs temperature data on the serial port, at least at some point it could do this, so logging on a PC is (would be) easy enough.