Electrical Engineering

  • Step1 of your I.O.T. Project - Setting up your Cloud Web Services

    So this week I said would be showing you how to connect a device up into the cloud. First a basic overview of some of the technology we are going to be using. The idea behind IoT, or the Internet of Things, is to allow remote connection to an electronic device. There are two ways we can set a device up. The first is to set up the system for input, or to collect information. This would mean that the device is collecting, and/or processing data from it’s environment, and posting that information up to the cloud, where we can see it. The second configuration pattern, is to allow the device itself to be controlled from a remote location, via the cloud. The term “cloud” in this context, refers to the world wide web, or internet. The cloud can either harness data ready for us to examine with a web browser (or any other web service consuming client), or the cloud can allow us to configure the devices via a web browser. The power behind this setup is the remote nature of it. Where ever the user is in the world, as long as they have access to a web browser they can either monitor the remote environment, or control it. The Internet of Things then, is the utilization of remote web connected devices. Examples of such devices could be a USB camera, an alarm system or a weather station. We could have for example have an Raspberry Pi board connected to a USB camera set up in the garden of our home. When an animal activates a PIR sensor connected to the Pi, the Pi takes a snap shot with the camera and uploads the photo to a remote server,where,at the end of the day,we could see what has been lurking in the garden ! Alternatively we could have a web page that allows us to change the lighting in our home. Sitting on the couch, we could bring up a web page in a browser on our phone, and dim the lights and bring the projector screen down, ready for a movie night ! The limitations are bounded by your imagination.

  • The Cloud and The Internet of Things (IoT)

    The new exciting technology that seems to be here to stay is IoT. Have you heard of it ? If not you’ll soon be using it without even knowing it’s here, or there, or everywhere. and believe me it will be everywhere. It is the only, truly omnipresent technology. Before I start discussing what on Earth it is though, it’s worth noting that if you are embarking on a career in Engineering, you must become a Zen master at the art of the T.L.A. The ironic thing about T.L.A.’s is they are Three Letter Acronyms themselves, and the irony is the self-describing quality of this oft coined term. Today’s Blog T.L.A. then is I.o.T. There will be a little mention on A.W.S. also, actually I think I will summarize…

    I will be looking at how we can use a M.K.R. M.C.B. as an I.o.T. device, talking to A.W.S. using U.D.P. Got it ? O.M.G.

  • Always strive for self-improvement

    As an engineer, your future can be blessed with working on profound,maybe even life changing technology. That is,of course,if that is what you want your career to be! You might find yourself working on the latest pandemic iPhone App, the most hotly awaited virtual reality based video game, an Earth shattering AI algorithm capable of predicting the next stock market crash, or even a defense shield for weapons of mass destruction. The future could be filled with exciting and rewarding opportunities, let’s hope so ! But take a step back.How do you make sure whilst creating such imperative, progressive applications and services, that you are producing the highest quality of work that you can ?

  • Software Engineering - First Steps - Learning to Code

    As I discussed in my last blog entry, there are two main areas in Computer Engineering, Software and Hardware. I thought it would be good to start a discussion today with the area that I know best,Software Engineering.Since the age of 9,when my parents first bought me an Atari 400 home computer (back in 1980 !), I’ve been learning to code.The 400 was a behemoth in it’s day,having a flat membrane keyboard, an 8 bit CPU with 8 KB RAM,and you had to use a detachable cartridge with BASIC on it to even program it to do anything.Those first years gave me the basic concepts of programming that still hold true today in the world of declarative or functional programming.I’ve been programming now for over 25 years, in many different languages,for many different applications,and I can say with all honesty that if you learn one language,it’s not too hard to transfer those skills on to the next.So it doesn’t really matter which language you learn (as long as it’s one of the more popular ones), it will teach you valuable concepts that will be applicable to most other languages.With that in mind, What are the languages to learn to program ? And what are the strengths and weaknesses of them all ? Obviously,there are many modern computing languages,most of which are free to download the compiler or the run time engine for, and most are also easy to learn. If you want to learn to code there are 4 good languages to start with. Let’s discuss the history of what are known as C based programming languages.

  • Computer Engineering and the Hidden Neural network brain in the Arduino 101

    Some people are already clued up about the way the world of Computer Engineering is composed, and even the way it is currently moving. If you are not one of these people, perhaps you are someone who is confused, or maybe even nonchalant about Computer Engineering, then allow me to elucidate.

  • A Useful Introduction to Electric Motors

    One of the fundamental elements of an electrical engineer is knowing about the different types of electric motors. Without electric motors, we would not have power tools, household appliances, or even cars. Those who are looking to enter an online or traditional electrical engineering program, or currently enrolled students, can use this post as a handy reference guide for studying the basics of DC and AC electric motors.

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Circuit Diagrams

    A first look at a circuit diagram may be confusing, but if you can read a subway map, you can read schematics. The purpose is the same: getting from point A to point B. Literally, a circuit is the path that allows electricity to flow. If you know what to look for, it’ll become second nature. While at first you’ll just be reading them, eventually you will start creating your own. This guide will show you a few of the common symbols that you are sure to see in your future electrical engineering career.

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