Reading a datasheet's first page
The BMP180 barometer against the first page of its own datasheet: what the part is, the supply range, the interface and address, the block diagram and the modes, each checked on the bus.
Open it in the simulatorAll paths
Read datasheets and schematics
The skill every hardware job asks for: schematic symbols, a first page, absolute maximum ratings, timing diagrams, register maps and pinouts, each checked on real parts. Ends with a sensor brought up from its datasheet alone.
0 of 7 done
What you will build
3 projects, built step by step
7 lessons in 4 chapters, about 6 hours on a simulated Arduino Uno R3. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator.
Timing diagrams
A 74HC595 driven bit by bit from its timing diagram: data set up before each rising clock, a latch that moves eight bits at once, a byte in the order the diagram says, and a setup violation on purpose.
Open it in the simulatorPinouts and footprints
Pin 1 markers and counting round a DIP, package names from DIP to QFN, a 74HC595 pin table mapped to breadboard holes with two pins left to wire, and the ATmega328P under the Uno.
Open it in the simulatorThe map
Chapter by chapter
Each lesson opens when the one before it is done, and each chapter ends in a project.
Chapter 1
Read the drawings
Schematic symbols, and what page one of a datasheet tells you.
- Open267 XP
Schematic symbols
Resistor, capacitor, diode, LED, transistor, rails, ground, nets and junctions: read a real schematic, find every symbol on the breadboard, and probe each part to prove it.
0 of 7 steps
- ProjectLocked400 XP
Reading a datasheet's first page
The BMP180 barometer against the first page of its own datasheet: what the part is, the supply range, the interface and address, the block diagram and the modes, each checked on the bus.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 2
Limits and timing
The numbers that keep a part alive, and the diagrams that say when.
- Locked267 XP
Absolute maximum ratings
Absolute maximum against recommended operating conditions: an LED and an ATmega328P pin, a resistor chosen from the numbers, a pin budget, and one LED burnt out on purpose.
0 of 7 steps
- ProjectLocked472 XP
Timing diagrams
A 74HC595 driven bit by bit from its timing diagram: data set up before each rising clock, a latch that moves eight bits at once, a byte in the order the diagram says, and a setup violation on purpose.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 3
Registers and pins
Register maps, pinouts and packages, mapped onto real hardware.
- Locked236 XP
Register maps
An MPU-6050 by its register map: WHO_AM_I first, the reset value that leaves it asleep, a read-modify-write, a two-bit field, a signed 16-bit reading high byte first, and a read-only register.
0 of 6 steps
- ProjectLocked472 XP
Pinouts and footprints
Pin 1 markers and counting round a DIP, package names from DIP to QFN, a 74HC595 pin table mapped to breadboard holes with two pins left to wire, and the ATmega328P under the Uno.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 4
Boss
A new sensor brought up from nothing but its datasheet.
- Locked249 XP
Boss: bring up a new sensor
A TMP117 temperature sensor with nothing but its datasheet: find the address, prove the identity, write a configuration word for 125 ms conversions, and turn counts into degrees.
0 of 7 steps
Syllabus
Every lesson in the course
All 7 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away.
Read the drawings
- Schematic symbolsResistor, capacitor, diode, LED, transistor, rails, ground, nets and junctions: read a real schematic, find every symbol on the breadboard, and probe each part to prove it.
- Reading a datasheet's first pageThe BMP180 barometer against the first page of its own datasheet: what the part is, the supply range, the interface and address, the block diagram and the modes, each checked on the bus.
Limits and timing
- Absolute maximum ratingsAbsolute maximum against recommended operating conditions: an LED and an ATmega328P pin, a resistor chosen from the numbers, a pin budget, and one LED burnt out on purpose.
- Timing diagramsA 74HC595 driven bit by bit from its timing diagram: data set up before each rising clock, a latch that moves eight bits at once, a byte in the order the diagram says, and a setup violation on purpose.
Registers and pins
- Register mapsAn MPU-6050 by its register map: WHO_AM_I first, the reset value that leaves it asleep, a read-modify-write, a two-bit field, a signed 16-bit reading high byte first, and a read-only register.
- Pinouts and footprintsPin 1 markers and counting round a DIP, package names from DIP to QFN, a 74HC595 pin table mapped to breadboard holes with two pins left to wire, and the ATmega328P under the Uno.
Boss
- Boss: bring up a new sensorA TMP117 temperature sensor with nothing but its datasheet: find the address, prove the identity, write a configuration word for 125 ms conversions, and turn counts into degrees.
Keep going
The next course on your track
Read datasheets and schematics is part of the embedded track, a ladder of courses from zero to expert.
Control systems: PID
Feedback control on real physics: open and closed loops, P, I and D one at a time, tuning by the numbers, encoders, a balancing robot, and a motor that holds its speed whatever you throw at it.
Open the next courseEmbedded track
Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico and STM32: pins, timing, buses, motors, WiFi, registers and debugging, every lesson checked on a simulated board.
See every course on the trackKits
Build it on your bench too
Every lesson runs in the simulator with nothing to buy. When you want the real thing, these kits have the parts.
Find your kit
Pick the starter kit you own and run every lesson in its manual with the same parts on the same pins.
See every kitQuestions
About Read datasheets and schematics
Is Read datasheets and schematics free?
Yes. All 7 lessons of Read datasheets and schematics are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start.
Do I need a real Arduino Uno R3?
No. Every lesson runs on a simulated Arduino Uno R3 with its parts on the canvas, and the simulator checks each step as you go. When you want to build it for real, the same wiring and code work on a real board.
How long does Read datasheets and schematics take?
About 6 hours: 7 lessons in 4 chapters, each one a few short steps. Your progress is kept, so you can stop after any lesson and pick up where you left off.
What will I build?
Each chapter ends in a project that puts it together: Reading a datasheet's first page, Timing diagrams and Pinouts and footprints.
Where do I start?
With "Schematic symbols", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.