The following links will take you to various tutorials and references on key subjects in mechatronics. If you come across some other high quality tutorials or references that are not listed here, please e-mail me the URL.

Electronics (general)	URL	Comments
All About Circuits	http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/	A fantastic site covering electricity and electronics
Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering and Electronics	http://www.vias.org/feee/index.html	Extensive e-book with great explanations
The Electronics Club	http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/index.htm	Well illustrated, also has a guide to soldering
DC Electronics	http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/tutorials/ohm/	A nifty tutorial on basic electronics; includes self-tests
Play-Hookey Website	http://www.play-hookey.com/	Ac-dc electronics, digital, and much more. Fun site!
The Electronics Tutorial	http://doctord.dyndns.org:8000/courses/Topics/Electronics/Alex_Pounds/Index.htm	A nice overview of basic electronics
Electricity and Magnetism	http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/emcon.html#emcon	Comprehensive coverage of electricity and magnetism concepts
Basic Electronics Guide	http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/g_knott/index1.htm	A clear but brief coverage of many concepts in electronics
A Review of Electronics	http://www.du.edu/~etuttle/electron/elecindx.htm	An extensive set of pages of experiments on electronics
Electronics Tutorials	http://williamson-labs.com/	Glen Willamson's eclectic but very interesting site
MIT Open Courseware	http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrical-Engineering-and-Computer-Science/index.htm	MIT OpenCourseWare in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Online Books on Electronics	http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=25970&start=all&postdays=0&postorder=asc	Has some links to helpful tutorials on electronics

Digital Electronics	URL	Comments
(See the general electronics links also)
All About Circuits Chap 4	http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_4/index.html	A nicely done tutorial on digital electronics
Digital Systems Tutorial	http://www.eelab.usyd.edu.au/digital_tutorial/toc.html	A very complete tutorial from the University of Sydney
Digital Logic	http://www.play-hookey.com/digital/	A fun,  interactive tutorial covering combinational and sequential logic

Components	URL	Comments
(See the general electronics links also)
Resistor Color Code	http://www.leonaudio.com.au/res-code.gif	Resistor color code from Leon Audio
Standard Resistor Values	http://www.logwell.com/tech/components/resistor_values.html	Standard EIA decade resistor value table
How to Read Capacitor Codes	http://xtronics.com/kits/ccode.htm	How to read a capacitor code
Diodes	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diode	Good overview of diodes
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)	http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/led.htm	Good overview of LEDs
Inductors	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductor	Good overview of inductors
Transistors	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor	Good overview of transistors
The Transistor Story	http://www.101science.com/transistor.htm#HISTORY	The history of how the transistor came to be, plus TONS more information!
MOSFETs	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOSFET	Good overview of MOSFETs
Power MOSFET Basics	http://www.irf.com/technical-info/appnotes/mosfet.pdf	More in-depth overview of how Power MOSFETs are constructed and function
Op-amp Basics	http://www.national.com/onlineseminar/2003/opamps_basics/090303_Opamp_Trivia_Notes.pdf	Nice overview of operation amplifiers from National Semiconductor
Op-amp Applications Book	http://www.analog.com/library/analogDialogue/archives/39-05/op_amp_applications_handbook.html	Analog Device's extensive coverage of op-amps and their applications
The Monolithic Op-amp	http://www.national.com/an/AN/AN-4.pdf	Robert Widlar's classic app note on op-amps
Op-amp Applications Guide	http://www.national.com/an/AN/AN-20.pdf
Op-amp Circuit Collection	http://www.national.com/an/AN/AN-31.pdf	Extensive collection of applications of op-amps
Op-amps for Everyone	http://focus.ti.com/lit/an/slod006b/slod006b.pdf	Texas Instrument's extensive design reference on op-amps
555 Timer Tutorial	http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/gadgets/555/555.html	Fantastic tutorial on the highly versatile and useful 555 timer
Battery University	http://www.batteryuniversity.com/	Extensive coverage of batteries

Motors	URL	Comments
Electric Motors and Generators	http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/HSCmotors.html	An introduction using animations and schematics to explain the physical principles of motors, generators and transformers
DC Motor Tutorials	http://www.faulhaber-group.com/n128948/n.html	Lots of good information about dc and stepper motors from MicroMo Electronics
DC Motor Principles	http://www2.maxonmotor.com/page040210.cfm?itemid=65	Fundamentals of ironless armature dc motors
Control of Stepping Motors	http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/	Doug Jones' excellent tutorial on stepper motors
Stepper Motors	http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~ih/doc/stepper/	Ian Harries nice collection of links on stepper motors and re-using salvaged ones
Motors and Drives	http://tristate.apogee.net/mnd/home.asp	Overview of AC motors and more
Motor Overview	http://www.speedace.info/solar_car_motor_and_drivetrain.htm	Has a good overview of dc motors and lots of interesting links at the end
Motor Design and Power Electronics	http://www.consult-g2.com/course.html	A full-blown course on motors and actuators starting with magnetics
Motor Fundamentals Links	http://www.industrialcontroldesignline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217900141	Links to app notes on motors from Microchip
Rules of Thumb for Sizing Motors	http://www.aveox.com/technical/motor.html	A good guide, with an example, on how to size a dc motor

Programming	URL	Comments
Essential C	http://cslibrary.stanford.edu/101/	A good brief overview of C
Quick Reference Guide for C	http://www.mikroe.com/pdf/mikroc/c_syntax.pdf	Handy reference sheets for the C language
Common C Programming Errors	http://www.drpaulcarter.com/cs/common-c-errors.php	Helpful list of common errors
Programming with lcc-win32	http://www.c-schell.de/home/cpp/tut/englisch/lcwin32.pdf	A good tutorial on C. See also http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~lcc-win32/ for a C compiler that is free for non-commercial use
C programming course	http://www.strath.ac.uk/CC/Courses/NewCcourse/ccourse.html	Univ. of Strathclyde's course on C programming
C Programming Tutorial	http://www.cprogramming.com/	An entire site for learning C and C++ programming
Programming in C Resources	http://www.quut.com/c/c-www/	Another good list of C programming resources
Free Programming Resources	http://www.freeprogrammingresources.com/ctutor.html	Has some good links that the other resource pages don't have
Online Books on C from AVRfreaks	http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=22514&highlight=c+books	Nice collection of links contributed by AVRfreaks
Programming in C	http://www.lysator.liu.se/c/index.html	Covers ANSI C, history, culture, and other sources about C
Developing Embedded Software in C	http://www.ece.utexas.edu/~valvano/embed/toc1.htm	Jonathan Valvano's comprehensive book on embedded software in C
Programming Embedded Systems	http://www.le.ac.uk/engineering/mjp9/pttesguide.htm	Michael Pont's excellent course web pages
Programming 8-bit Micros in C	http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/Prod_documents/avr_3_04.pdf	Emphasis on AVR microcontrollers
AVR Studio Tutorial	http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~cse/_atmel/AVR_Studio_Tutorial/	Focus is on use with assembly language, but useful in general
AVR Interrupt Tutorial	http://members.shaw.ca/climber/avrinterrupts.html	Easy to understand overview of interrupts for AVR microcontrollers
Matlab Tutorial	http://www.engin.umich.edu/group/ctm/	Univ. of Michigan's excellent on-line tutorial on Matlab

Microcontrollers, et. al.	URL	Comments
Choosing a microcontroller	http://www.mtsai.net/documents/appnote/appnote.html	Gives a nice overview of what a microcontroller is
The PIC Microcontroller Book	http://www.mikroe.com/en/books/picbook/picbook.htm	Focuses on PIC microcontrollers, but the Introduction gives a good overview of what a microcontroller is
Microcontroller FAQ	http://www.faqs.org/faqs/microcontroller-faq/primer/	A little dated, but has good information
Programmable Logic Controllers	http://www.plcs.net/contents.shtml	The place for PLC's!

Prototyping	URL	Comments
Soldering Video	http://www.curiousinventor.com/guides/How_To_Solder	EXCELLENT, 7 minute video showing how to solder!
The Basic Soldering Guide	http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm	Great overview of how to solder. Don't miss the photo galleries that accompany this site.
How to Solder SMT Devices	http://www.bdmicro.com/smt/	Good resource on how to solder the more modern surface mount components
Low-Cost SMT Soldering Guide	http://www.avrfreaks.net/modules/FreaksArticles/files/15/Low%20Cost%20SMD%20Soldering%20Guide.pdf	Nice guide for soldering surface mount components
How to Wire-Wrap	http://www.me.umn.edu/courses/me2011/robot/wrap/wrap.html	Good overview of a helpful prototyping skill
Prototyping Tips	http://eeshop.unl.edu/proto.html	Read this before you do any prototyping! Very helpful tips.
Prototyping Techniques and Soldering	http://laspace.lsu.edu/aces/Lectures/Electronics/Electronics%20Lecture%203.ppt	Good introduction to schematics, assembly methods, and soldering
Dead Bug Construction	http://workmanship-562.gsfc.nasa.gov/lib/insp/2%20books/links/sections/303_deadbugs.html	Best practices for adding discrete components to PCBs for active changes
Working with High Frequency Op-Amps	http://qwiki.stanford.edu/wiki/High_Frequency_Op_Amp_Circuits	Construction techniques for working with high frequency op-amps
Circuit Maker Simulation Software	http://babbage.cs.qc.edu/courses/cs343/Circuit_Maker/	Freeware (limited) version of a good circuit design and simulation software
Embedded Systems Development	http://www.ganssle.com/articles.htm	Jack Ganssle's archive of articles on embedded systems development
Circuit Cellar's Digital Library	http://www.circuitcellar.com/library/print/	Some of the articles from the print version of the quintessential embedded systems magazine

Interfacing	URL	Comments
Beyond Logic	http://www.beyondlogic.org/	Lots of information on interfacing
Controlling the Real World With Computers	http://www.learn-c.com/	Lots of practical information on interfacing computers to hardware
Interfacing the standard parallel port	http://www.beyondlogic.org/spp/parallel.htm	Nice coverage of the standard parallel port and how to interface it
Parallel port interfacing made easy	http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/parallel_output.html	Tomi Engdahl's extensive guide to the parallel port. Very nicely done.
Interfacing the PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard	http://www.computer-engineering.org/ps2protocol/	Good coverage on interfacing PS/2 mouse or keyboard
Keyboard Scancodes	http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/kbd/scancodes.html	Extensive treatment of data sent by various keyboards and PS/2 mouse

Sensors	URL	Comments
How PIR motion detectors work	http://www.glolab.com/pirparts/infrared.html	Good overview of how an infrared motion detector works.
Wireless and Amateur Radio	URL	Comments
Antennas 101	http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/Print.cfm?ArticleID=19463	Introductory guide to antennas and how they work
Antennas 102 More Q&A	http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/Print.cfm?ArticleID=19464	A few more questions and answers following the previous article
J-pole antenna	http://www.qsl.net/ku4jw/jpole.html	Simple instructions to create a portable, flexible antenna for 2m and 70cm operation
Amateur Radio Homebrew Antennas and Antenna Theory	http://www.ac6v.com/antprojects.htm	Huge collection of links to antennas for all bands and antenna theory

Others	URL	Comments
Relay Coil Transient Suppression	http://relays.tycoelectronics.com/appnotes/app_pdfs/13c3311.pdf	Comparison of methods and recommendations for suppressing inductive transients in dc relays
Coil Suppression and Relay Life	http://relays.tycoelectronics.com/appnotes/app_pdfs/13c3264.pdf	How suppression methods affect relay contact life
XY Plotter	http://opax.swin.edu.au/~jtoms/index.htm	A nice example of a complete mechatronics project
Programming and Customizing PICmicrocontrollers	http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/engineering/updatezone/predko/index.htm	An auxiliary page to Myke Predko's book of the same title. Has two helpful appendices on basic electronics and programming
ePanorama	http://www.epanorama.net/links/basics.html	A wealth of resources and links on electronics
Custom Characters on a Character LCD Display	http://deanandara.com/robots/ApuLcd.html	How to display custom bit-mapped graphics on a character LCD. Has a link to HD44780 information.
Ideas for Mechatronics Design	http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/bjfurman/courses/ME106/IdeasForDesign.htm	Links to circuits and other things that could be useful for mechatronic projects
instructables.com	http://www.instructables.com/	Step-by-step instructions on how to make lots of interesting things
Learning Linux	http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/LearnLinux/index.html	Well organized overview of how to use Linux
Tex Tutorial 1	http://www.tug.org.in/tutorials.html	Nice online tutorials on Tex
Tex Tutorial 2	http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/lshort/english/lshort.pdf	The Not So Short Introduction to LaTEX2e

 

Want more? Check out links to related information on mechatronics. Please let me know if you find some other good sites that you think should be included above.

 

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This web page is under the supervision of Dr. Buff Furman. He can be reached at bjfurman@sjsu.edu or by phone at (408) 924-3817. This page was last updated on 13AUG2009.