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Decapsulating A PIC12F683 To Examine Its CMOS Implementation

December 19, 2025 by 8 Comments

In a recent video, [Andrew Zonenberg] takes us through the process of decapsulating a PIC12F683 to take a peek at its CMOS implementation.

This is a multipart series with five parts done and more to come. The PIC12F683 is an 8-pin flash-based, 8-bit microcontroller from Microchip. [Andrew] picked the PIC12F683 for decapsulation because back in 2011 it was the first microcontroller he broke read-protection on and he wanted to go back and revisit this chip, given particularly that his resources and skills had advanced in the intervening period.

The five videos are a tour de force. He begins by taking a package cross section, then decapsulating and delayering. He collects high-resolution photos as he goes along. In the process, he takes some time to explain the dangers of working with acid and the risk mitigations he has in place. Then he does what he calls a “floorplan analysis” which takes stock of the entire chip before taking a close look at the SRAM implementation.

If you’re interested in decapsulating integrated circuits you might want to take a look at Laser Fault Injection, Now With Optional Decapping, A Particularly Festive Chip Decapping, or even read through the transcript of the Decapping Components Hack Chat With John McMaster.

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A circuit diagram in a book on a desk with computers and microcontrollers

Taking Electronics To A Different Level

December 14, 2025 by 27 Comments

One part wants 3.3V logic. Another wants 5V. What do you do? Over on the [Playduino] YouTube channel, there’s a recent video running us through a not-so-recent concern: various approaches to level-shifting.

In the video, the specific voltage domains of 3.3 volts and 5 volts are given, but you can apply the same principles to other voltage domains, such as 1.8 volts, 2.5 volts, or nearly any two levels. Various approaches are discussed depending on whether you are interfacing 5 V to 3.3 V or 3.3 V to 5 V.

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It’s Hard To Make A (Good) Oscillator

November 22, 2025 by 28 Comments

There’s more to making an oscillator than meets the eye, and [lcamtuf] is here with a good primer on the subject. It starts with the old joke that if you need an oscillator it’s best to try to make an amplifier instead, but of course the real point here is to learn how to make not just a mere oscillator, but a good oscillator.

He does this by taking the oscillator back to first principles and explaining positive feedback on an amplifier, before introducing the Schmitt trigger, an RC circuit to induce a delay, and then phase shift. These oscillators are not complex circuits by any means, so understanding their principles should allow you to unlock the secrets of oscillation in a less haphazard way than just plugging in values and hoping.

Oscillation is a subject we’ve taken a deep dive into ourselves here at Hackaday, should you wish to learn any more. Meanshile [lcamtuf] is someone we’ve heard from here before, with a comparative review of inexpensive printed circuit board manufacturers.

Photo of [DENKI OTAKU] with his test circuit and oscilloscope

Exploring The Performance Gains Of Four-Pin MOSFETs

November 17, 2025 by 9 Comments

Over on YouTube [DENKI OTAKU] runs us through how a 4-pin MOSFET works and what the extra Kelvin source pin does.

A typical MOSFET might come in a 3-pin TO-247 package, but there are 4-pin variants which include an extra pin for the Kelvin source, also known as source sense. These 4-pin packages are known as TO-247-4. The fourth pin provides an additional source for gate current return which can in turn lessen the effect of parasitic inductance on the gate-source when switching current, particularly at high speed.

In the video [DENKI OTAKU] uses his custom made testing board to investigate the performance characteristics of some 4-pin TO-247-4 MOSFETs versus their 3-pin TO-247 equivalents. Spoiler alert: the TO-247-4 MOSFETs have better performance characteristics. The video takes a close look at the results on the oscilloscope. The downside is that as the switching speed increases the ringing in the Vds waveform increases, too. If you’re switching to a 4-pin MOSFET from a 3-pin MOSFET in your design you will need to be aware of this Vds overshoot and make accommodations for it.

If you’d like to go deeper with MOSFET technology check out Introduction To MOSFET Switching Losses and MOSFETs — The Hidden Gate.

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[Usagi Electric] and his home brew computer

TMS9900-based Home Brew Computer

November 17, 2025 by 3 Comments

[Usagi Electric] is known for minicomputers, but in a recent video, he shows off his TMS9900-based homebrew computer. The TMS9900 CPU was an early 16-bit CPU famously used in the old TI-99/4A computer, but as the video points out, it wasn’t put to particularly good use in the TI-99/4A because its RAM was hidden behind an inefficient interface and it didn’t leverage its 16-bit address space.

The plan is for this computer to have 2K words of ROM, 6K words of RAM, and three serial lines: one for the console terminal, another for a second user console terminal, and the third for access to a tape drive.

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A photo of a brushed motor and brushless motor with a brushless controller board

An Introduction To DC Motor Technology

November 16, 2025 by 4 Comments

[Thinking Techie] takes us back to basics in a recent video explaining how magnets, coils, brushed DC motors, and brushless DC motors work. If this is on your “to learn” list, or you just want a refresher, you can watch the video below. It’ll be ten minutes well-spent.

The video covers the whole technology stack behind the humble DC motor in its various incarnations. Starting with basic magnetic effects, it then proceeds through 2-wire brushed DC motors and finally into 3-wire brushless DC motors (BLDC motors).

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A photo of the LEGO sorter

Making A Machine To Sort One Million Pounds Of LEGO

November 16, 2025 by 22 Comments

You know what’s not fun? Sorting LEGO. You know what is fun? Making a machine to sort LEGO! That’s what [LegoSpencer] did, and you can watch the machine do its thing in the video below.

[Spencer] runs us through the process: first, quit your day job so you can get a job playing with LEGO; then research what previous work has been done in this area (plenty, it turns out); and then commit to making your own version both reproducible and extensible.

A sorting machine needs three main features: a feeder to dispense one piece at a time, a classifier to decide the type of piece, and a distributor to route the piece to a bin. Of course, the devil is in the details.

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