Data sheets and choosing components for your project
“A datasheet is a document summarizing the performance and other characteristics of a component (e.g. an electronic component) a sub-system (e.g. a power supply) or software in sufficient detail to be used by a design engineer to design the component into a system. Typically a datasheet is created by system manufacturer and begins with an introductory page describing the rest of the document, followed by listings of specific components, with further information on the connectivity of the devices. In cases where there is relevant source code to include it is usually attached near the end of the document or separated into another file.”
Here is a link to the original page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datasheets
The first thing you should do when considering whether you’re going to use a specific component is to see whether it fits the specifications of your project.
Here are some things you need to consider:
1. Is it worth the cost or you can you find something cheaper that accomplishes the same thing?
2. How fast can I get this technology up and working? Remember, time is money and sometimes it’s worth spending a bit more money on a technology that you can get up and running within hours rather than having to spend days learning to use it.
3.Is the component compatible with the technology that you are already using or are you going to need to learn another software package or programming language?
4. Is there examples readily available online that contains both schematics and source code how to get part working? Often the determining factor will be how much time it would take to learn a specific piece of hardware. If you find the task to daunting it might be better to figure out a different way to accomplish the interaction. In the end you’re trying to prototype an interaction, not engineer it.
To answer the above questions you need to be able to read data sheets.
Datasheets contain a lot of information that you can skip if your simply prototyping a concept and not engineering an new product.
The sections that you do need to read are the following:
1. The summary that describes what type of applications the component can be used for.
2. Schematics showing how to link up the component in a circuit.
3. If the electrical component is an integrated circuit you will need to read the pinout diagram and how each pin should be connected.
4. Electrical specifications that tell you the required minimum and maximum voltage and current that the part can handle.
Depending on how your using the component you may actually have to read the datasheet page by page and time and time again until you understand how to use it. Online forums are also a great source of help if you have trouble figuring out how to use a specific technology. Start by going to the Arduino forums and do a search for the component you’re using.
