Interfacing a building with a computer

By mvuilleu, in Electronics, june 28,2013.

Electric circuits used in buildings for signalling and control have some specificities. When you know them, it is easy to drive them with Yoctopuce modules connected to a standard computer. This enables you to replace obsolete programmable logic controllers with systems much easier to program, while offering a much more modular solution than dedicated PCI interface cards.

How to switch high-power devices from USB

By mvuilleu, in Electronics, march 08,2013.

Numerous automation applications require to switch on and off high power appliances. For instance, in the home automation domain, you may want to automatically switch on a 3KW electric heater or boiler. The problem is that it's nearly impossible to find USB-driven relays commuting such a high power. We present today our new solution to this issue: the Yocto-MaxiCoupler.

Relay and inductive loads

By martinm, in Electronics, february 15,2013.

You probably noticed that many manufacturers, such as Yoctopuce, advise against the use of electro-mechanical relays with inductive loads. Such use would lead to a quick aging of the relays. This week we will explain why and how to work around this issue.

Yocto-USB connectors

By martinm, in Electronics, december 21,2012.

You have probably noticed that all Yoctopuce USB devices use micro-USB connectors which are the smallest available. But for some applications, a USB micro B plug is still too big. This week we will explain how to wire your Yoctopuce devices without USB plugs.

USB cables: size matters

By martinm, in Electronics, july 27,2012.

One may think that USB cables are quite equivalent. Why spend tens of dollars on a so-called "top quality" cable while cheap cables are available from Internet. Well, that's a good question.