Electronic Lab

Installing the PICkit 2 Programmer on Debian Linux

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The PICkit 2 is an old but still very useful programmer for Microchip PIC microcontrollers. For Linux, Microchip ships the pk2cmd command-line tool as source code only, so you have to build it yourself. The steps below were tested on Debian 13 (Trixie, gcc 14) and also work on Debian 10–12 and Debian-based distributions (Ubuntu, Mint, Raspberry Pi OS).

MiniPRO TL866 Programmer on Debian Linux

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The XGecu MiniPRO TL866 is a popular, inexpensive universal programmer for EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memories, microcontrollers and GAL chips. The manufacturer only ships Windows software, but on Linux the open-source command-line tool minipro, developed by David Griffith, works very well. The steps below were tested on Debian 13 (Trixie, gcc 14) and also work on older Debian releases and Debian-based distributions (Ubuntu, Mint, Raspberry Pi OS).

Programming the AT89C2051 with SDCC on Linux

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The AT89C2051 is a small Atmel microcontroller from the 8051 family in a 20-pin package: 2 KB of flash, 128 bytes of RAM, 15 I/O lines, two timers and a UART. On Linux you can program it in C with the free SDCC compiler and write it with a TL866 programmer and the minipro tool.

Controlling an RND/Korad Bench Power Supply from Python

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 00:25:00 +0100

An app for controlling the RND 320-KA3005P bench power supply from a computer. The RND 320-KA3005P is a rebranded Korad KA3005P (0–30 V, 0–5 A), so the app also works with the Korad and other supplies from the same series.

Raspberry Pi Digital Clock in Python

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 17:53:00 +0100

A Raspberry Pi with a small HDMI display as a digital clock. It is overkill for just a clock, but it is a good base for future projects: an info display that shows the temperature next to the time, the state of the house, or controls the lights.

Split-Rail Linear Power Supply ±15 V

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 10:00:00 +0100

A simple split-rail linear power supply for experiments with low-power amplifiers and audio signals. The project is easy to build and does not take much time, and a supply like this is good to have in the workshop.

Bench Power Supply with Three Adjustable Outputs

Sat, 13 Jan 2018 21:02:00 +0100

Today I finished a project I started a few months ago: a three-channel desktop power supply with adjustable output voltage. In the future I would like to add an adjustable current limit, but that is a story for another time.

Peak Voltage Detector for a Sine Wave Generator

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 23:59:00 +0100

I recently built a 1 kHz sine wave generator with adjustable amplitude. It works great and is well suited for testing and repairing audio amplifiers. I thought it would be nice to fit a small panel voltmeter that shows the output voltage.

Arduino Two-Channel Voltmeter with Thermometer

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 23:58:00 +0100

A two-channel voltmeter with a thermometer, built as a shield for the Arduino Uno. It measures two DC voltages up to 40 V and the temperature, and shows everything on a small OLED display.

About

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Write something about yourself here: what you do, how you got into electronics, what equipment you have in the lab and what you are working on right now.

Lab equipment

Soldering station
Bench power supply
Oscilloscope
Multimeter

Contact

The quickest way to reach me is by e-mail or via GitHub (links are in the footer).