Electronics Workbench

Avalanche Noise Amp: Hardware

Finally, the as-built hardware for the Avalanche Noise Random Number Display gadget:

Reverse-bias noise amplifier - detail
Reverse-bias noise amplifier – detail

The noise interconnection consists of one little wire:

High Speed Randoms - Schematic - overview
High Speed Randoms – Schematic – overview

The noise generator, amplifier, and bias power supply:

High Speed Randoms - Schematic - avalanche noise amplifier
High Speed Randoms – Schematic – avalanche noise amplifier

The Arduino (Pro Mini, at least) and the logic / LED power supply:

High Speed Randoms - Schematic - Arduino and power
High Speed Randoms – Schematic – Arduino and power

The row drivers:

High Speed Randoms - Schematic - row drivers
High Speed Randoms – Schematic – row drivers

And the red-green-blue LED column drivers:

High Speed Randoms - Schematic - column drivers
High Speed Randoms – Schematic – column drivers

All of which make the common-anode RGB LED matrix blink merrily away:

High Speed Randoms - Schematic - 8x8 RGB LED Matrix
High Speed Randoms – Schematic – 8×8 RGB LED Matrix

Now all it needs is a dollop of source code…

6 thoughts on “Avalanche Noise Amp: Hardware”

  1. The extra curled wire tacked to the top of Arduino caught my eye. At first I thought it was the “single wire”, but it didn’t seem to go anywhere. Then I looked at the rest of the schematics and saw a pin marked “scope sync”. Aha! I do the same thing myself, tack a curled bit of wire to a pin I want to monitor, so I can clip a scope probe onto it. Great minds, and all that.

    1. It didn’t actually start curled; that board has been doing a lot of traveling under, mmmm, inhospitable conditions. I’m amazed none of the tack-soldered SMD resistors or connections have fallen off yet.

      Just out of sight behind the Arduino is the U-shaped stiff wire lead I always solder to circuit ground for the scope clips. Betcha you do that, too. [grin]

      (No good at RF, fine for digital & simple analog stuff.)

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