Squareline Studio UI Touch Inputs and Event Handling on an RP2040 Connect [shorts #9]

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Some time ago, I built a simple yet beautiful UI using Squareline Studio, and I then deployed that GUI on an Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect that displayed it on a small touchscreen. You can learn more about that process here. While those two videos discussed the process of building and exporting the UI in great detail, they never explained how to control the UI using the touch screen. Therefore, this third part in the mini-series goes over enabling the touchscreen and making it work with the UI.

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Building an Embedded Graphical UI for the Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect Using Squareline Studio [shorts #6]

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I recently discovered Squareline Studio, a simple-to-use graphical UI designer for all kinds of projects, ranging from desktop applications to embedded devices. The editor is extremely easy to use and comes with all the widgets (such as buttons, textboxes, and checkboxes) UI designers would expect. However, as the program is still quite new, it also still comes with a few bugs and quirks, and some processes are not as straightforward as they might initially seem.

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A Brief Introduction to Analog Signals on Arduino Boards [shorts #5]

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Some Arduino boards, like the MKR Vidor 4000, come with built-in digital-to-analog converters (also often simply abbreviated to DACs). With other popular development boards, for example, the Arduino UNO, you’ll have to live with a PWM pseudo-analog output. Or do you? This short article investigates the difference between true analog outputs and PWM pseudo-analog signals, and what you can do to get a true analog signal without having to own one of the more expensive Arduino boards.

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How to get the current time from an NTP Server using an Arduino, ESP32, or ESP8266 [shorts #4]

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Arduino-based clock projects are a staple in the maker and DIY community, and I’ve built a few ones myself. Such projects typically incorporate a real-time clock (RTC) module that keeps track of the time. However, once the battery on the RTC module runs flat, it forgets the previously set time. Another option involves adding a few push buttons to allow users to set the time. The Arduino itself keeps track of the time as long as it’s plugged into a power supply, and it forgets the settings once you disconnect it from the power source. This short article discusses a third option that allows you to make your clock projects much more user-friendly by automatically setting and adjusting the time when necessary.

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A simple custom I2C character LCD interface for Arduino projects

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Character LCDs are a fantastic and cost-effective option when your project calls for a user-friendly output method. Besides being cheap and easy to use, these displays often offer enough usable screen real-estate for displaying simple status messages and interactive menu screens. However, the standard 16-pin interface can be quite a hassle to work with, and all the wires quickly clutter up your previously simple Arduino project. While there are some I2C character LCDs out in the wild, these models are often more expensive and sometimes difficult to work with. Therefore, I decided to build a simple-to-use alternative that allows you to control pretty much any standard 14 and 16-pin LCD display with only four wires.

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Building an Arduino based capacitive touch kitchen timer – Part 5

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In this part of the Arduino capacitive touch timer series, I discuss the final working version of the project and what changes I had to make to the previous revisions. Towards the end of the article, I’ll have a look at what lessons I’ve learned while working on this project.

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Building an Arduino based capacitive touch kitchen timer – Part 4

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The fourth part of the Arduino capacitive touch timer series discusses the case design of the project. It also outlines how to assemble the individual pieces of the enclosure and how I plan to improve the design in the near future.

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