UN-L Engineering Electronics Shop

 This page is being continually revised check for changes regularly. Last Update: 6 May 2008

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This page exists to point students and others doing electronic design projects to Internet information and software resources. It targets Educational institutions, individuals, _ corporations and on-line magazines who have good design and project oriented resources : it's NOT intended to be "the ultimate list of all electrical engineering links". (Other sites have tackled that task: see our EE Index Links.) In fact, I've been so overwhelmed by the growth in the number of electronics companies and their Web sites that from here on out (3/5/1999) I will only add links here that are of practical use for student projects
If you know of other sites relevant to E.E. design, by all means send me e-mail so I can add it to the list. Also, please let me know about any links that don't work or need updating.

2008 Addendum:  This page is an "old project" that in some ways has not kept up with the times - updates in recent years have been limited to "weeding" dead links rather than adding new resources.  In particular the vast universe of new embedded microcontrollers are not well represented here and many of the microprocessor links are for older 8-bit devices.  Even so, I think present day project seekers will still find many valuable leads here.

Note: Please take the time to explore these links rather than e-mailing me questions about electronics or where to find specific information. I've tried to make access to info as easy as possible here, and I have to limit my typing. Thanks!

Educational, Archive and FAQ sites

• A really excellent, comprehensive new site for electronics projects is The Electronics Project Design page.
• A good place to check for project information is this collection of electronics FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). 
• The University of Alberta supports probably the single best electrical engineering archive site on the Internet. Check out their electrical cookbook directorie, for example.
• Electronic Resources and Schematics including a search engine.
• LOTS of good information, resources, schematics, at WebEE - The Electrical Engineering Homepage
• WWW Home Page of the IEEE, Computer Society , Technical Committee on Real-Time Systems (IEEE-CS TC-RTS).
• Musical EEs will want to see the good info at the Homebrew Tube Amp Corner.
• Musical Tube Amplifier info can be read at:
  • http://store.yahoo.com/triodeel/index.html/
  • http://www.londonpower.com/
  • http://www.firebottle.com/ampage/
  • http://users.aol.com/bluemuse/ampeg.html
  • http://www.eden.com/~keen/
  • http://www.wcug.wwu.edu/~jamie/schems.html
  • http://www.hyperreal.org/music/machines/Analogue-Heaven/email.html
• You can learn about and order the deservedly oft-cited "bible of electronics design" The Art of Electronics (Horowitz & Hill) on-line.
• Automation and Process Control Home Page.
• The Chip Directory and Chip Manufacturers Pages are available at several sites; here's  The Netherlands.
• Dr. Middlebrook's Structured Analog Design Course " . . . innovative tools for describing and analyzing analog designs that both save design time and improve design quality for engineers and their managers."
• If you find you need to brush up on your basic electronic theory, a thorough free online textbook named Lessons in Electric Circuits is great.
• A really terrific, comprehensive site covering projects of all types is ePanorama.net .
• Graham Knott publishes a nice on-line course in ELECTRONICS FOR BEGINNERS and INTERMEDIATE ELECTRONICS .
• EMIL VLADKOV's homepage has projects, free software, and other resources.
• Nico Coesel maintains the Hardware Web page w/ project and informational links - good stuff.
• Paul Stenning has posted at least 31 electronic project articles he did for print magazines on Electronic Projects Online which include schematics, PCB files, and complete instructions.
• Steve Litt has the terrific Troubleshooters.Com page - great resource on troubleshooting.
• Ken Yap has a free site telling you what to do with an old XT, AT, 396, and other software info and links.
• The Small Device C Compiler (Freeware 8051, Z80, AVR cross compiler for Linux)
• Thomas Scherrer has a huge Official Support Page for the Z80 CPU.
• More Z80 interfacing info and code is on Don McKenzie's site.
  
• Sylvain Bissonnette has a page devoted to microcontroller info including the 68hc11, 'hc12, and Atmel processors.
• John S. Patrick has software for many older processors.
• Get the new and updated ASM11 68HC11 DOS command-line cross-assembler.
• Shadow11 , "a new excellent freeware Win95 editor/simulator/source-level debugger for the 68HC11"
• Mike Naberezny hosts the 6502.org website for folks devoted to that microprocessor.
• Steve Quest has a site with Free software tools for embedded systems.
• Craig Steiner offers a Windows-based shareware Simulator for the 8051 and a The 8052 Online Resource, home to tons of 8052 stuff.
• Leonhard Schneider provides the motherlode of info on the ST6 Processor .
• Stewart Atkin has schematics of guitar effects pedals that he has "cloned".
• Stefan Wieman has much electro info, apps and other stuff.
• Glen A. Williamsonput has a LOTof great tutorials at Williamson Labs.
• EE Software Links .
• Tomi Engdahl's home page has a buncha good links.
• Randy Rasa's EE Compendium: The Home of Electronic Engineering and Embedded Systems Programming is a really superior resource of information, very nicely done.
• David Benson is selling the Easy PIC'n Microcontroller Book.
• R.G. Keen hosts the Guitar Effects Oriented Web Page
• Grant Searle BSc. has everything you need to know to build your own Sinclair ZX80 FROM SCRATCH on the The ZX80/ZX81 hardware page. (Also similar pages on building a UK101 and Jupiter Ace.
• In a similar vein, Douglas Beattie Jr. has everything you need to know to build a FAST 65C02 Board and includes an assembler.
• Jeff Frohwein's GameBoy Tech Page has everything one could want for using this game as a development platform . . .
• Paul Oh is archiving resources.
• NEW . . Robert Collins has a terrific Intel Secrets site that has a lot of significant 80x86 info, including stuff Intel would prefer were not publicized.
• David I. Baldwin has started a directory for schematics for simple basic circuits.
• Jack A. Orman maintains the nifty site called amzfx   with schematics and software.
• Rasool Mojtahedzadeh has built the New Circuits Page for electronics and programming with a very nicely done circuit archive.
• CDH Williams has archived a ClarisDraw Library of symbols for electronic circuit diagrams. Also has a good on-line course discussing Feedback and Temperature Control .
• WILLIAM J. BEATY has the SCIENCE HOBBYIST page with Tesla info, Science Demos, coolness, including his ELECTRONICS HOBBYIST page.
• Bob Simmons has complete plans for a Doppler Direction Finder .
• Pinouts for all those connectors, busses and cables are just some of the excellent resources stored at the Hardware Book, " Internet's largest free collection of connector pinouts and cable descriptions."
• Wiring an electric guitar? Gotta see here and here.
• the on-line Electronics Design Checklist maintained by Hank Wallace compiles a wealth of suggestions from electronic designers. Check it out!
• Thinking about a robotics project? Make sure you see theseRobotics Links
• DesignInfo : Searchable Engineering Catalogs for Design Engineers.
• ChipDocs - online datasheet source for electronic components and semiconductors.
• Here's the national IEEE Web Server and IEEE FTP Server. UN-L's chapter has their page here.
• Ham Radio Web Sites, courtesy of Hamtronics, Inc.
• Keep your project legal by checking with the Federal Communications Commission .
• The Unusual Diode FAQ
• pcbpro.com  has Free multiple quotes for PCB Layout, Fabrication, Assembly.
• Snowed by all those electronics acronyms and abbreviations? See this Glossary of terms, symbols, & acronyms.
• RF Globalnet has a lot of resources for the RF engineer.
• High-Speed Digital Design information.
• Make the symbols on your project consistent with the IEC 417 Symbols standard catalogued here.
• Check into some heavy-duty student projects and the way they get done by SIGArch.
• Explore some "ultimate projects" at Steven K. Roberts Nomadic Research Labs.
• The Green CirKit PCB prototyping on-line manual, an excellent on-line manual with downloadable versions available.
• Writing Windows programs in Assembly Language
• Here's how to get and install Pspice and PADS Logic/PCB electronic design software. Links to other design & simulation software are also found here.
• An collection of project- and lab-related documents archived on our local system are here on our Miscellaneous Project Stuff page. This includes our Prototyping Tips and Pitfalls document.

• Control.com , the global online community of automation professionals ("nerds in control").
• Excellent info on interfacing with PCs is at Beyond Logic

Commercial Sites

Please note: Some of these sites want to sell you stuff. They may have wonderful resources or be lying dogs trying to rip you off: we do not endorse anything by putting a link here. If you have trouble with any vendor listed here please send me E-mail.

• Here is a link containing lists of company data sheets 
• Many companies maintain FTP servers to distribute information and software for their products. One example is ftp.intel.com which has much Intel-related material. In addition, more and more companies have Web servers to provide information about their organization, products, and research. See Intel's or IBM's pages, for example. Companies not listed here often have Web addresses in the form http://www.companyname.com.
• Links to commercial design & simulation software are found here.
• 4QD, makers of speed controls
• Abbott Electronics (power supplies)
• Acapella
• Abracon Corp (crystals, SAW)
• Acopian (power supplies)
• Actel
• Advanced Micro Circuits Corporation
• Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. home page 
• Advanced Microcomputer Systems, electronic design software and microcontroller/DSP kits.
• Advanced Power Solutions (power supplies)
• Advanced Power Technology (power MOSFETs, diodes & modules)
• Advanced Interconnect (sockets, conn)
• Advanced RISC Machines (ARM)
• Advantech (embedded, industrial, compact PC boards)
• Aerovox (caps, resistors, filters)
• AKM Semiconductor
• Alberta Printed Circuits manufactures prototype circuit boards, and also offers detailed info on PCB design/fabrication terms, software and procedures. Includes shareware.
• All Electronics Corp. New and Surplus Electronics Parts
• Allen-Bradley passive components
• Alliance Semiconductor
• Allied Electronics Distribution
• Alpha Metals soldering chemicals
• Alps Electric USA switches, LCDs, components
• Altech Corp miscellaneous components
• Altera
• AMP Inc, all the connectors in the world
• Amphenol cables and connectors
• AnaTek Corporation sponsors the Electronic Repair Center, a great wealth of information on troubleshooting, parts, and other repair resources. Put a bookmark on this one.
• Analog Devices
• Analog Innovations Inc. provides "access to all the interesting PSpice Models, Subcircuits and Tools that I've scrounged up or developed over the years."
• Anglia distributors has good tech info and guides on line.
• Artech House Publishers publisher of books and software for high-technology professionals and students in electrical engineering, computing, radar, optoelectronics, and more.
• Avnet, Inc. includes links to their parts sales divisions Hamilton Hallmark, Allied Electronics, and others, some of which have on-line sales.
• AWC Electronics , makers of the ASP-II prototyping system for Parallax Basic Stamp Microprocessor modules.
• An advert for Bebop to the Boolean Boogie - An Unconventional Guide to Electronics , by Clive R Maxfield. Looks to be a pleasantly bizzare trip from electronics fundamentals through the latest cutting edge stuff. JJ France was never this fun.
• Bitscope Mixed Signal Capture Engine, with "open hardware."
• BrownDog Prototypes offers a variety of prototyping adapters.
• Burr-Brown Inc. (Now a division of ti)
• Capital Electro-Circuits, Inc. supplier of quality printed circuit boards
• Circuit Specialists, Inc. electronics catalog supply
• Coilcraft has a very liberal free sample policy, especially for students and instructors. They manufacture RF inductors, power inductors and EMI/RFI filters.
• ComponentKits.com has "Component Kits used for professional engineering design, prototype, University lab, and hobbyist uses. "
• CyberCircuit , Electronic circuit reference software, includes demo version of circuit database .
• CyberCircuits "We specialize in making prototype and short run circuit boards. "
• CORCOM sells RFI technology, and has some good RFI info here.
• Dale Electronics, Inc.
• Dallas Semiconductor Corporation
• DF Systems "Your source for Roanoke Doppler DF Kits, Electronic Surplus and the ONLY source for Handy Finder Kits."
• Digi-Key electronics catalog supply
• DonTronics sells innovative SimmStick microcontrollers, and hosts Don's Download Dungeon with loads of free/shareware tools.
• E-LAB Digital Engineering, Inc. Embedded Control & Integrated Circuit Solutions.
• Electronics Information Online : electronics surplus including information with the distribution of electronics, computer and optical materials. Includes liquid crystal display technical forum , with more forums to follow on laser light shows, stepper motors, robotics, and holography. Many other links and resources for technologically inclined.
• Electronix Express is a mail order distributor of electronic components, test equipment and tools for schools, colleges and industry. A free 168-page illustrated catalog is available.
• Engineering Lab makes and sells surface mount electronic component and project kits.
• ExpressPCB , Free PCB layout editor for Win95 & low cost PC board manufacture
• Future-Bot Components sells robot components including the "P-Brain".
• FORDAHL crystals and crystal oscillators.
• Fujitsu Microelectronics, IC Division
• The Ganssle Group has great resources and articles on debugging embedded systems .
• GOOFEE Embedded Systems Research & Development , home of the GOOFEE visual programming tools and other development stuff, some of it free. Intriguing.
• Hallbar not only sells kits and parts but has a LOT of informational resources and links to other resources and suppliers.
• Hitachi America.
• HiTech Equipment Corporation (ICE's and SBCs, custom design work) has product information, 8051 related stuff, a free 8051 simulator, and more.
• If you are interested in intelligent homes, see the HOME TEAM page for home automation, power line communication stuff, and more.
• Iguana Labs has microcontroller products but also nice free stuff like on-line tutorials, chip pinouts, schematics and other stuff.
• Intel Product Selector - Quickly find the Intel products that meet your design requirements using a java-based parametric database.
• Intersil analog chips
• Jameco Electronics electronics catalog supply
• JDR Microdevices electronics catalog supply
• KMR Technical Services, Inc. Monitor & Terminal Repair Specialists
• Laser & Motion Development Company
• Linear Technology Corporation
• Los Angeles Lighting Manufacturing
• Linear Technology Corporation
• Maxim
• Magnavox has an excellent Electronics Reference page.
• MEC
• Marlin P. Jones & Assoc. Inc. Industrial, Commercial & Educational Electronics
• Mentor Graphics has product, commentary, customer histories and other information organized along principle EDA design processes.
• Miltec Electronics Inc. printed circut board makers.
• If you are using the Microchip PIC microprocessor click here and here, or especially see this excellent index of Microchip resources.
• Microconsultants, makers of FREE PLC software FREE SPC software SPLat low cost programmable industrial controller GaugeLink digital caliper interface
• SLTF Consulting has archived a series of embedded design articles by Scott Rosenthal (originally appeared in Personal Engineering & Instrumentation News magazine.)
• Midwest Analog Products carries products useful to music project builders, especially those hard-to-find DPDT stomp switches.
• Motorola Semiconductor is now Freescale.  They are notoriously good at providing a wealth of support materials for their microcontrollers.

• Mouser Electronics, electronics catalog supply
• Mushroom Components Distributors and Importers of Electronic Components -- We buy surplus Components
• National Semiconductor has on-line data sheets.
• NMB Techologies (fans, speakers, keyboards)
• NEC
• NTE ELECTRONICS, INC. Includes their QUICKCross software.
• Ohio Microwave - "Your Source for Microwave and RF Components"
• Oki Semiconductor, Inc.
• PAiA Electronics, Inc a must-see for musical electronics hobbyists.
• PartMiner - "The world's best way to search the internet for electronic components".
• The Parrot Clip.
• Patriot Scientific Corporation, home of the 32-bit PSC1000 Microprocessor.
• PCB Milling board fabrication, includes info
• PC Kits provides articles and resources on PC interfacing, besides selling kits.
• PCNalert.com provides individualized reporting and online searching for product change notices (PCNs), obsolescence, end-of-life, and application notes.
• Philips Semiconductor
• Protoline, Inc. - Manufacturer of Printed Circuit Boards
• Rockwell Collins Printed Circuits
• Robot Books.com , lots of robot resources.
• Siemens
• Anyone doing work with the 8051 family development work should check out these materials, which include the BASIC-51 sources. Other useful stuff including a compiler are found in the parent directory.
• Silicon Systems, Inc.
• Sirius microSystems makers of PIC-MDS (PIC Microprocessor Development System)
• Sowter Audio Transformers Manufacturers of Audio Transformers for Balanced Lines
• Technical Data Systems has a technical database with specs for more than 70,000 electronic components.
• Teknicircuits Inc. Excellence in Printed Circuitry
• Texas Instruments is maintaining a mirror site with the files from their TMS320 BBS dial-up systems. Folks doing DSP work should see this for source code and programming tools.
• Tektronix.
• The Test Connection, Inc. includes an on-line discussion forum for test engineering called Customer & Technical Support Discussions.
•  the worldwide source for technical literature!
• Wenzel Associates , an oscillator maker, has technical articles, circuit puzzlers, projects, and a technical library.
• Literature and IC samples can also be obtained from Xicor Inc.
• Xilinx.
• Zebra Systems, Inc. has Sinclair ZX81 Computer Kits.
• Zilog .

Zorin HC11 Microcontroller Kits

". . . Popular for robotics, industrial automation, or just experimenting. Check this link often, as we are adding new products and services."

• Z-World, single-board computers used for embedded systems.

On-Line Electronics Magazines and Forums

• Keep up on E.E. developments by reading the EE Times - Interactive on-line magazine.
• More good resources and information can be read at Electronic Journals & Newsletters
  
• EDN Magazine, with databases, search tools, more.
• e-inSITE
• Nuts & Volts , includes FTP archives of columns, program code, etc.
• Don Lancaster'sThe Guru's Lair Don is The Man in electronics, don't miss it.
• BestTest Magazine.
• Dr. Dobbs Journal.
• eParanorma  - links to electronics sites and magazines     
• Circuit Cellar Inc.
• Tics Realtime Magazine
• Analog Dialog.
• Embedded.com
• Electronic Design
• Poptronix Online contains construction projects, new literature, new products, a directory of sources for everthing electronic, and more.
• Everyday Practical Electronics Magazine UK edition?
• EPE Online
• Printed Circuit Design magazine, includes huge vendor listing.
• Mectronic Directory includes an online newsletter.
• Imagineering On-Line Magazine
• mikroElektronika, European magazine for electronics, automation and programming.
• VerticalNet, Inc. hosts the following on-line 'zines:
  • Test and Measurement
  • Medical Design Online
  • Fiber Optics Online
  • Embedded Technology.com
  • Photonics Online
  • Wireless Design Online
  • RF GlobalNet
  • E-LAB Digital Engineering, Inc. has a quarterly newsletter, the Embedded Design Bulletin.
  • SMTnet.com has a forum on SM manufacturing.

Search for more . . .

• A large list of Electrical Engineering Departments with on-line information.
• The BestTest Directory of Test, Measurement and Instrumentation Products and Services .
• Internet Resources for Embedded Systems Designers from CERA Research: a WWW page and FTP Archives here or here. Includes Microcontrollers/Microprocessors , Chip-Specific and Development Tools, DSP , and Realtime info.
• More technology company servers can be found by checking with Commerce Net's index. 
• A big IC and manufacturer index is the whole deal at QuestLink Technology, Inc. index.
• BeMa Electronics has The Electronics Guide to the Web.
• Marko Perko's "Close Look Into The Web Electronics Site.
• Leroy Davis has a nice, catagorized engineering index with electronic relevance.
• BDI's Internet International Directory of Electronic Components and Internet International Directory of Instrumentation and Controls .
• Check for additional E.E. oriented resources on the Web through the WWW Virtual Library:Engineering Electrical Engineering Index.
• CircuitOnline, the semiconductor industry service directory.
• WebScope's directory of manufacturers of electronic hardware.
• The Stanford IEEE has compiled the award-winning list of EE/CS Mother Site, just what it says it is.
• Industry.net ...electronics and engineering related programs, user groups, product announcements, etc.
• TechExpo site geared for Hi-Tech in the Engineering and Life Sciences.
• Bruce Carter has an astonishing Engineering Index.
• Mectronic Directory of Manufacturers, Suppliers & Services for Electronic, Electrical & Mechanical Products .
• What if the company isn't on the Internet, and you want to get in touch? You can always find their free telephone number if they have one on AT&T's 800 Number Directory.

If you download any software from these sources, you should read the E.E. PC Labs Usage Guide before attempting to install anything on the departmental PCs.