Something's wrong with the ESP32 based SNTP clock project I designed. This is the fourth display issue, this one worked for months and then went dead. I suspect the source of my HT16K33 display controller part, but I'll need to break out the oscilloscope to be sure. It's probably time to start working on the replacement project again. #maker #esp32 #time #clock #microcontroller #holtek #ht16k33

Trying to harness the #fediverse #electronics #hobbyist #brain ...

I've got a busted consumer product here that has 2 #Holtek #microcontrollers in it. Either one would be sufficient to run this product (a brushless-motor tower fan), but #MCUs are cheap, so why not throw a second one in if it saves a few centimeters of wire?

I'm trying to determine if there's a #standard #serial #physical #layer in use here to communicate from one #MCU to the other. It's one-way communication.

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Track Those Leftovers With This Little Timer

We've all at some point in our lives opened the fridge door and immediately wished we hadn't. A miasma of stench envelops us as we discover that last Saturday's leftovers have been forgotten, and have gone off. If only we had some way to keep track of such things, to avoid such a stench-laden moment. Step forward [ThinkLearnDo], with a little timer designed for exactly that purpose.

The operation is simple enough, press the button and place the unit on top of the container with the leftovers in it. If you haven't eaten the leftovers within a week, the LED will start blinking. The blink is a subtle reminder to deal with the old food before it becomes a problem.

Onboard is a Holtek HT68F001 microcontroller with a coin cell for power, not much else is needed. The Holtek is an unusual choice, one of several brands of super-inexpensive Chinese microcontrollers we see less commonly than ATmegas and STM32s. This is exactly the place where such a minimal computer fits perfectly: a way to add a little bit of smarts to a very cheap item with minimal strain on the BoM.

If these chips interest you, a while back we covered a run-down of the different families including the Holtek and the famous 3-cent Padauk chips.

#homehacks #microcontrollers #food #holtek #refridgerator #timer