In a way, the magic of a soil moisture sensor’s functionality boils down to a simple RC circuit. But of course, in practice there is a bit more to it than that. [rbaron] explains exactly how ...

Like most (if not all) Hackaday readers, I like to know how the technology I use works. I’m always amazed, for example, how many otherwise smart people have no idea how the cellphone network works ...

From Disney World to the smartphone in your pocket, fingerprint scanners have become commonplace these days. Even budget phones sport the tech, sometimes alongside other biometric unlocking options ...

In Part 1 of this article, we explained popular liquid-level sensing methods and their limitations. We also delved into why capacitive-sensing techniques are superior to traditional methods used for ...

Capacitive sensing is a contactless-sensing technique with numerous applications, ranging from proximity sensing (Fig. 1), gesture recognition, automotive rain sensors, and remote liquid-level sensing ...

You can’t have a touch sensitive switch without a way to detect the presence of a finger! A touch sensor, especially a capacitive touch sensor, has some surprisingly sophisticated electronics to ...