https://community.element14.com/The community for engineers, technicians, makers and creators.en-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/learn/events/c/e/1757Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:529a9eaa-7e14-484f-81eb-8bffc6ab37edJoRatcliffeJoin this webinar to examine how DC coupled, high speed Digitizers operate and discover the technical challenges that emerge as bandwidths extend beyond 1 GHz. We will take a focused look at the limitations inherent in conventional high-speed Digitizer front ends, including linearity, noise performance, dynamic range, and system level coupling issues. There will be a live demonstration of a new Analog Devices evaluation kit engineered to directly address these challenges, supported by detailed performance parameters and measurement data that demonstrate what next generation Digitizer designs look like. In less than an hour, this session will cover: A primer on the principles of DC-Coupled, high-speed Analog-to-Digital Converters The applications (and challenges!) associated with high-speed Digitizers and how they are solved with ADI’s New ADMX6001 Digitizer The different approaches to resolving/mitigating these challenges Live demo of a high-speed Digitizer and how challenges can be addressed, using an ADMX6001 eval kit Live Q&A The Presenters: Will Drachler - Principal Marketing Engineer - Analog Devices Will is a Principal Marketing Engineer in the Instrumentation System Solutions group. He has more than 40 years of experience at Analog Devices spanning linear solutions, optical systems, and the digitization of high‑speed signals. Will holds a BSEE from the Rochester Institute of Technology. LinkedIn: Will Drachler Malcolm Sherman-Godfrey - Senior Engineer, Systems Design/Architecture - Analog Devices Malcolm is a systems design engineer in ADI's Instrumentation System Solutions group, experienced in architecting RF and precision elements of high-speed digitizers and vector network analyzers. He has a BSEE from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has been with ADI since completing an MSEE at the Georgia Institute of Technology. LinkedIn: Malcolm Sherman-Godfrey Jordan Ratcliffe - Marketing Program Senior Specialist - element14 Community Jordan Ratcliffe will be your host from the element14 Community for Introductions and Q&A. LinkedIn: Jordan Ratcliffe More about Analog Devices: Every day, electronic devices are becoming smarter with greater integration. Body sensors can monitor our health. Cars can drive themselves. Networked homes can power up when needed. At Analog Devices, we’re solving engineering problems and empowering design innovation, enabling our customers to create products that shape our world. We invent highly integrated solutions that make technology seamless. Our innovative and high-performance analog and mixed-signal products and technologies make systems smaller and smarter, with enhanced security and increased energy efficiency. We channel our collective expertise to stretch the limits of technology, understand your needs, and help you get to market faster. You can find out more about Analog Devices here . Attend and Learn to Earn a Certificate Watch the webinar until the end to earn a certificate. Read here for more information about how to get your certificate: /members-area/support/w/site-faq/27798/how-do-i-earn-a-certificate-for-viewing-a-webinar-or-webcast Are you prepared? This webinar uses the online service on24 to deliver the presentation. Click through and check that you meet the minimum system requirements before attending.linearityanalog-to-digital converterADI-e14DC coupled high speed digitizerADMX6001analog devicesdigitizersystem level coupling1ghznoise performancedynamic rangehttps://community.element14.com/learn/events/c/e/1752Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:cc6fea7e-ea3c-4c38-8c7e-21a6f8dcd4ccJoRatcliffeThis webinar has been rescheduled to Tuesday 28th April (2pm Coordinated Universal Time) Discover how to unlock the full potential of Data Acquisition (DAQ) using a no-code approach, demonstrated in this webinar with a live demo of a motor and fan test combined with LabVIEW and NI software tools. Whether you’re validating new designs or looking to improve your workflow, this session is designed to give attendees the knowledge to build robust, repeatable tests using simple configuration tools. This webinar will show you how to quickly set up reliability tests, automate start stop cycles, measure motor efficiency, and evaluate fan airflow, without writing any code. Join us for an expert-led session covering: An overview of no-code testing with DAQ DAQ testing essentials A live demo: Building a fan and motor test without coding Stay until the end for a live Q&A session where you can have all your questions on data acquisition, no-code, LabVIEW and more, answered by the session's expert host: Jelmer van den Dries, Principal Field Application Engineer at Emerson. The Presenters: Jelmer van den Dries - Principal Field Application Engineer - Emerson Jelmer brings 8 years of experience from working at Emerson, working exclusively in their Test and Measurement business unit. He has extensive experience working with leading automotive OEMs and Tier 1s in the UK and Europe, designing, and building out data acquisition systems and test solutions. He is a specialist in real-time test solutions such as SIL and HIL systems. LinkedIn: Jelmer van den Dries Jordan Ratcliffe - Marketing Program Senior Specialist - element14 Community Jordan Ratcliffe will be your host from the element14 Community for Introductions and Q&A. LinkedIn: Jordan Ratcliffe More about Emerson: Emerson delivers future-ready test and measurement solutions through the power of the NI platform—a combination of high-performance open software, modular hardware, and AI-driven capabilities that enhance productivity. Flexible and scalable, the NI platform transforms how engineers automate measurement, control, and testing of complex products that move our world forward. For more information, visit Emerson.com . Attend and Learn to Earn a Certificate Watch the webinar until the end to earn a certificate. Read here for more information about how to get your certificate: /members-area/support/w/site-faq/27798/how-do-i-earn-a-certificate-for-viewing-a-webinar-or-webcast Are you prepared? This webinar uses the online service on24 to deliver the presentation. Click through and check that you meet the minimum system requirements before attending.testingnino-codedata acquisitionemersondaqno codelabviewhttps://community.element14.com/learn/events/c/e/1752Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:1d301911-e50b-4b31-8e05-9dc34ead3eb1m.arguelloDiscover how to unlock the full potential of Data Acquisition (DAQ) using a no-code approach, demonstrated in this webinar using a motor and fan test combined with LabVIEW and NI software tools. Whether you’re validating new designs or looking to improve your workflow, this session is designed to give attendees the knowledge to build robust, repeatable tests using simple configuration tools. This webinar will show you how to quickly set up reliability tests, automate start stop cycles, measure motor efficiency, and evaluate fan airflow, without writing any code. Join us for an expert-led session covering: An overview of no-code testing with DAQ DAQ testing essentials A live demo: Building a fan and motor test without coding Stay until the end for a live Q&A session where you can have all your questions on data acquisition, no-code, LabVIEW and more, answered by the session's expert host: Jelmer van den Dries, Principal Field Application Engineer at Emerson.nino-codedata acquisitionemersondaqno codelabviewhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/open-source-hardware/b/blog/posts/kicad-10-and-spice-practical-tips-for-working-with-circuit-simulationsTue, 14 Apr 2026 19:28:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:8d6fc18b-7319-460a-a78a-87edf803c52bshabazTable of Contents Introduction What is SPICE and How it is Used with KiCad? Simulations and PCB Design with One Schematic Sharing Circuit Simulations Easier-to-Read Charts Summary Introduction KiCad software enables the user to create circuit schematics and convert those into printed circuit board (PCB) layouts, all ready for manufacturing, whether that’s for hobby or commercial use. A lesser-used feature of KiCad is its SPICE circuit simulation capability. I explored it a while back (+) KiCad 8: Working with Circuit Simulations! - element14 Community however I felt it is useful enough that it was worth retrying it with the recent KiCad 10 software release. In particular, I wanted to see if I could now figure out some methods (perhaps not best practices - I don't know!), to make simulations more usable and accessible. In particular, I wanted to be able to easily share simulations with others, and to be able to create circuit boards from the same schematic that was being simulated. This blog post discusses how to do that, and also how to obtain slightly easier-to-read charts from simulation results. What is SPICE and How it is Used with KiCad? SPICE is a circuit simulation engine that KiCad uses. For more information, please refer to (+) SPICE Circuit Simulation: A Simple Explanation! - element14 Community and then to see how to use it specifically with KiCad, the earlier version 8 blog post can be used, it is still relevant: (+) KiCad 8: Working with Circuit Simulations! - element14 Community Simulations and PCB Design with One Schematic Often, just a subcircuit is simulated, rather than the entire project. A separate project or a separate schematic file could be created in KiCad, with just the parts you wish to simulate copied across from your real project that you wish to eventually construct with a real circuit board. Another approach is described in the earlier version 8 blog post (in particular in the comments section there), where the entire schematic is split up into sheets, and the top level sheet is not simulated, but any of the lower-level sheets can be simulated if desired. Yet another approach is to mark some components as excluded from simulation. With KiCad 10, that approach leaves boxes drawn around those components, which looks ugly. There may be a solution to that, but I have worked around it for now, by simply assigning benign “fake” SPICE models to the components that I do not wish to be simulated (usually connectors). Here’s a SPICE model example, which I called AUDIOJACK_STEREO.lib, which was intended for a 3.5 mm audio connector with three pins called SHIELD, RING and TIP: .SUBCKT AUDIOJACK_STEREO SHIELD RING TIP R1 SHIELD RING 1e12 R2 SHIELD TIP 1e12 .ENDS AUDIOJACK_STEREO All it does is simulate two very high resistance (1e12 ohms) between the shield and the other pins. Another problem that needs to be resolved, is that you might not want the SPICE-related stuff to clutter the schematic. To keep it clean, I rely on signal labels to attach connections to SPICE elements, and that way there’s no wires visually cluttering things. I can then push off all the SPICE related stuff into a corner of the schematic sheet. See the example screenshot below. You’ll also notice a very small resistance of 0.000001 ohms present in the circuit! I used that to tie the SPICE ‘ 0 ’ symbol to the 0V rail in the circuit. Don’t connect the signals directly, because that causes KiCad to swallow the 0V connections, and then if your PCB layout had a 0V ground plane, it would disappear. A very low value resistor solves the problem. The resistor must not appear in the PCB since it’s just there for simulation purposes, so right-click on it and select Attributes->Exclude from Board , and Exclude from BoM . Sharing Circuit Simulations If you give someone else your KiCad project folder, they will not be able to easily simulate themselves, because the SPICE libraries are not local to a project. Their PC likely won’t have the SPICE libraries that you downloaded. Technically it is possible to 'embed' the SPICE model within KiCad symbols, but there are some limitations (not easy to view the model, and it gets dynamically saved I believe, with a mangled filename which is inconvenient, plus there's a KiCad 10 issue currently that can make you lose the embedded model). The only reasonably solution I could come up with so far, is to create a folder within the project folder, called say spice_lib , and then copy the SPICE libraries that were used into that folder, and then change each component in the schematic to point to the relevant model in that local folder, rather than wherever one normally stores models. That can get tedious to do manually, so I used AI to help write a spice_lib_local graphical tool to automate things. When run, the user can select their project folder, then select the schematic, and click Analyze to see what SPICE models are present inside that schematic. Another button-click will automatically copy those models into the local spice_lib folder, and then by clicking on the Make Instances Local button, the tool will modify the schematic file to point to the local SPICE models. After that, the project folder can be shared with others, and they will be able to run the simulations. Easier-to-Read Charts Personally, I don’t like the charts that KiCad generates from simulations; the values on the axes are tiny, and not easy to read. One solution is to use some other charting application, because the results can be exported from KiCad in a CSV format. For TRAN and AC analyses (i.e. time-domain and frequency response simulations), I wrote a couple of simply Python scripts called plot_tran.py and plot_ac.py to show the results better. They could be tweaked to suit needs. The screenshots below show how to run the scripts, and example output. Summary Simulations run well in KiCad 10, but you may need to consider how to best draw the schematic if you want to separate out the things that need simulating, from the parts that are not to be simulated. Some techniques for that were discussed, and a simple way for smaller circuits could be to use SPICE models that do nothing (with very high resistances) for things like connectors. For connecting a ground net to the “0” symbol that is used by SPICE in KiCad, a very low value resistor can be used. To share circuits with others, it is worthwhile to store SPICE models locally within the project folder (or a sub-folder, say called spice_lib) so that they are available to anyone else who receives the project folder. An automated tool to perform the copy operation, and to modify the schematic file to use the new path to the models was discussed. KiCad supports SPICE results export in CSV format, and that can be used to plot results with custom or third party tools. Thanks for reading!kicad 8kicadsimulationspicekicad 9kicad 10https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-security-and-surveillance/f/forum/56831/accessing-the-pan1326b-bluetooth-module-on-the-max32630fthr/234982Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:19:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:5acd3b7c-5581-4c68-b53a-22fd33a45abeBigGThanks for your help.https://community.element14.com/products/roadtest/m/managed-videos/151203Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:afc37ebf-52a7-4535-8aa3-e50e84b4a211ralphjyhttps://community.element14.com/products/roadtest/m/managed-videos/151202Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:34ae2867-f430-4529-9e7f-570e15d4e07cralphjyhttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-security-and-surveillance/f/forum/56847/forum-thread-1-echoguard-edge-based-intelligent-security-system-project-kickoff-unboxing/234981Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:45:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:2bd065c9-48d6-4ab3-9c08-712f1b7288cfNidheeThanks!https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-security-and-surveillance/f/forum/56847/forum-thread-1-echoguard-edge-based-intelligent-security-system-project-kickoff-unboxing/234980Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:43:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:962a93a0-1252-47e7-9059-998f9d2bf090NidheeGo ahead, I’d be glad if you used the idea—good luck with your MIT Maker portfolio project!https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-security-and-surveillance/f/forum/56831/accessing-the-pan1326b-bluetooth-module-on-the-max32630fthr/234979Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:06:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:59324406-fcd6-4100-8102-d588fdfad344AlistairThat indeed looks good. :-)https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-security-and-surveillance/f/forum/56830/identity-protocol---part-2---django-server/234978Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:42:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:b1ee2069-231f-40ea-8767-8d3c357199edarvindsaInteresting idea. I really dont think the "about me" part in a proposal matters. The e14 team has been selecting the challengers purely on the basis of the parameters they mentioned in the Rules. The contents invite all makers. Ive applied to the On the line challenge as well. Its Summer vacation time and I do have some extra time on my hands. And Yes, Arduino Q isn't the first one to do it. Beagle bone had a linux chip and a PRU though It was complicated. But Q hopefully makes the system easily accessible for all.https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-security-and-surveillance/f/forum/56830/identity-protocol---part-2---django-server/234977Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:11:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:ba430a7e-6907-43bd-af95-35bca4c00649saramicI mean I can still challenge - although I only now ordered the MAX32630FTHR# and reading some of the forums on the dev env setup, I am not sure I will achieve much ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - all my submissions can be found under https://github.com/saramic/sentinel-box I had 4 but only now realised I probably didn't give enough details about me and what exactly I was going to build. The idea I wanted to build was some kind of RF detector to fingerprint when something like a drone is flying overhead (not sure how possible it is but there are things like this https://www.blue-bird.tech/en/products/drone-detector-chuika-2-0-1-3-ghz-and-5-8-ghz/ so who knows. In the end I am planning to build a Sentinel-box - a family lock box for digital distractions that can be locked and requires various factors of complexity to unlock - I will see how far I go here. The idea is to do something relatively simple - the MAX32630FTHR# processes a wake word and runs a stepper motor to open a box - and extend it with other things like NFC, finger prints, I will see if I have enough time to take it much further than the basics - I am also hoping to maybe be selected for the UNO Q design challenge https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/on-the-line/dc/dc/83/on_the_line_design_c - I just bought an UNO Q and spent the best part of the weekend playing with it - the idea of a chip that can run a full dockerised build right there next to an arduino is kind of cool, I got a web cam connected and running a model to detect a person seemed to work pretty well once I turned the window manager off on the 2GB modelhttps://community.element14.com/learn/events/b/blog/posts/we-are-at-hackaday-europe---16th---17th-may-2026-in-lecco-italyTue, 14 Apr 2026 10:07:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a2a67302-4c2c-43e4-ad5d-b5f63035913ce14philWe are excited to say we will be sponsoring and attending: Hackaday Europe 16th - 17th May 2026 Lecco, Italy Who is attending from element14 Community and element14 presents : Phil Hutchinson e14phil (Head of e14 Presents) Clem Mayer mayermakes (e14 Presents Host) Lorraine Underwood lorrainbow (e14 Presents Host) Milos Rasic milosrasic98 (e14 Presents Host) Pat Deegan psychogenic (e14 Presents Host) element14 Community will be there! element14 Community and the element14 presents team will be in attendance! Come say hello, you will also get an exclusive achievement for attending this event. Show us your projects, learn about our activities and get some swag! Event: Join us for Hackaday Europe 2026! A weekend of hardware talks, badge-hacking, and celebrations! We're back! We are thrilled to announce the return of Hackaday Europe, a hardware conference on Saturday, May 16th in Lecco, Italy, just outside of Milan. Plus extra festivities on the 15th and 17th! Join us to experience talks and workshops exploring the most unique, cutting-edge, and world-changing topics around hardware creation. You'll hear talks, see demos, and take workshops on topics ranging from learning new tools or techniques to fabrication adventures, from code-wrangling that firmware project to your giant LED design project, and everything in between. The demos, badge hacking, food and drink, DJ sets, and a warm and welcoming village of great people make this an event you don't want to miss. This will sell out, get your ticket now! Lightning Talks: We will have two sessions for 7-minute lightning talks. To participate fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/TLuBC36wofbXXYCP8 Workshops: When workshop tickets sell out, attendees can join the waitlist by emailing their name, conference ticket number, and workshop choice to prize@hackaday.com. You must be a conference ticket holder to participate in a workshop. Conference Events: This is the seventh Hackaday Europe. We hosted the first Hackaday Belgrade in 2016 to an enthusiastic, sold-out hall and the second in 2018. In 2023, 2024, and 2025 we brought the event back to Berlin again to a sold-out audience and we are very excited to bring this event to an all new location! Here's what we have in the works: Talks and Workshops will cover hardware, engineering, creativity in technical design, product design, prototyping, etc. from 10AM to 9PM. Badge Hacking goes all day and will be extended into the wee hours of the morning. Every attendee of Hackaday Europe will receive one of these amazing custom electronic badges. The badge demo presentations will take place at 11 pm. There's More: We're keeping the costs low to offset your travel costs. The cost of admission includes the cost of the badge, excellent food and drinks during the conference, and a Hackaday party late into the night on Saturday. Keep an eye out for more details on Friday night's pre-party! We can't wait to see you all there! LOCATION: Politecnico di Milano Lecco Campus, Via Gaetano Previati, 1/c, 23900 Lecco (LC), Italy Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hackaday-europe-2026-tickets-1985449808825#location Hackaday https://hackaday.com/tag/hackaday-europe/makerhackadayhackaday eueventsconferencearduinoitalyhttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-security-and-surveillance/f/forum/56830/identity-protocol---part-2---django-server/234976Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:2c54537b-9c6d-4a5a-b238-0c56155fd48earvindsasaramic I just saw the selected challenger. I'm sorry that your ideas were not selected, but id like to hear out your ideas if it's okay for you to share it.