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App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

Electronic Toolbox for iOS Update 12.2 available

The first update of the new year, which is now available, contains some features several users have asked me for:

New ESP32 Tool

The App now contains a quick reference for ESP32 Boards of Espressif including specification, data-sheet access and background information.

■ New Stock / Inventory Tool

The Make section now contains a new Stock / Inventory tool which can be used to maintain your local component Inventory.

Several people asked for such a feature. I tried to implement this feature in a way that I can maintain my own stock and I am now using this tool for quite some time. However, some of you might have additional / different requirements. Please feel free to let me know if you need some changes or improvements.

■ New SamacSys / ECAD Models Tool

I am very proud to announce the new ECAD Models Tool which is powered by SamacSys. SamacSys is leader in providing Schematic Symbols, PCB Footprint and 3D models for almost any available component.

You can now use the ECAD Models Tool whenever you are looking for Details, including Data-sheet or Pinout for any component. Just check it out!

■ Source Code for Projects

You can now even add and edit the Source-Code files for your projects.

■ New Two-Tone Tool

Even though not just dealing with plain Two Tones, this new Tool allows to generate audio codes of a variety of different standards like CTCSS, DTMF, SelCall etc. There are already 11 different Standards supported. Let me know if you need more. I am happy to add them via Data Update.

■ Other changes

As usual, some additional minor requests have been implemented and some bugs were fixed.

The windows project editor will be updated soon to also support Source-code for Projects and the other new features of Electronic Toolbox.

Thank you for your great suggestions and your overwhelming support!

Best regards,

Marcus


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

Electronic Toolbox for iOS Update 12.1.1 available

Electronic Toolbox for iOS Update 12.1.1 is the last update for this year.

It add some requested features to the Circuit Drawing Tool:

  • Crystal Component
  • Raspberry Pi board
  • Arduino Uno board

Even though it was previously already possible to draw a Raspberry Pi or Arduino using the general IC component, you can now add these Boards much easier with all available Pins in the circuit drawing Tool.

In addition, for the other Tools, there are some major database updates with new and requested components and some fixes.

A new data-update also updates the included Italian Translation (Thank you Riccardo!!).

Unfortunately, I had to take out Octopart because they suddenly started asking for up to US$500 to continue to use them. This is silly because some of you may have never heard of Octopart and it was probably good advertising for them and they even get their money from their contracted distributors. However, there are many alternatives and I am already working on integrating another alternative. Meanwhile, you can still use the RS Component browser which offers even more accurate and current component information and datasheets.

This was an exciting year and there were 7 App Updates and 12 Data Updates with several improvements based on your requests.

Thank you so much for your support.

Please let others know if you like this App to keep it going.

Thank you so much!

All the best for 2019!

Best Regards,
Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

It’s finally there: The Windows Electronic Project Editor

Some years ago, a user of my Electronic Toolbox asked me to add a Circuit drawing Tool. I was first a bit reluctant for this idea and didn’t believe that an iPad (not talking about an iPhone) is the ideal device for drawing Circuits. The lack of space (even on an iPad Pro) and the lack of a mouse with it’s pointer, hover and right-click possibilities will make it hard to draw Circuits on an iOS Device, even when using the Apple Pencil.

However, over time, more and more people asked for this so I started developing a Circuit Drawing Tool for my Apps. After several months of development time I found some of my assumptions confirmed but also found the Drawing Tool is better than anticipated. I finally ended up using it quite a lot for quick and simple drawings.

The Circuit Drawing Tool as well as the Project Tool have been improved over time. The Drawing Tool now Synchronizes Components seamlessly, in the Background with more than one Circuit and there is now a Cross Reference and Order List Tool and it is possibility to order Components directly from RS-Components.

Due to these improvements, I was using my Tools more and more often also realized that started missing a mouse for drawing and a larger screen.

That’s why I started developing the Windows Electronic Project Editor early 2018 and now, after 10 Months it’s finally available.

My goal was to have a Project Editor that is fully compatible with the iOS Project Tool of Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox. Now it is possible to start a Project on the iPad and continue on a PC (or vice verse).

I intentionally developed this Electronic Project Editor as Windows Desktop App and not as so called Universal Windows App (UWP) or Mac App. The reason is, Universal Apps are basically Tablet Apps which can run on Desktop PCs, feel a bit like Desktop Apps but have a lot of limitations like limited Mouse support and the restriction on a single window. And regarding a Mac App, even though I have a fantastic 5K 27″ iMac and a MacBook Pro 2018 (which I think is the best Laptop available today), I am maintaining all my Electronic Files, Research and Software on my PC. The same is true for all my HAM Radio activities. I assume, with legitimate and honorable exceptions, most people are doing the same so I didn’t consider a MacOs App.

So for all of you, having the same demand for a PC Circuit Drawing Tool and Project Editor, please have a look to:

http://electronic-toolbox.com/electronic-project-editor

or the online manual:

http://go-to.me/projectedit-manual

or even the Windows Store:

https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9PDMN194448Q

 

 …


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

New Version 11.30

The new iOS App Update 11.30 has just been released for Electronic Toolbox. RF- Toolbox and the Android/Windows versions will follow soon.

This Update contains the following changes and improvements:

Bug Fixes:

  • Missing Image (e.g. DB9 Female to RJ45 in Sockets -Cable connections) fixed
  • Wrong color assignment (e.g. in Tables -Cable Colors -Fiber Optic Cable) fixed.
  • In Circuit Editor, using the Trashcan Icon to delete files is now working

The following tools have been redesigned (Electronic Toolbox):

  • Arduino
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Beagle
  • TI LaunchPad

The following tools have been added in Electronic- and RF-Toobox:

  • Colors (for Color conversion between different standards)

The following tools have been added in Electronic Toolbox:

  • NanoPi
  • Orange Pi
  • Banana Pi
  • ODROID
  • Cubieboard
  • SparkFun

These Tools now contain more than 170 Boards, including offline quick reference, online access to data-sheets and images, all with seamless integration to the Project Tool.

PLEASE NOTE (iOS): All new Tools will always be appended at the end of the list. This way, you can easily see what’s new and this will also not mess up your customization. However, if you like to get all Tools sorted in the right (pre-defined) order, just head to the Organizer (Settings -> organizer) tap on the Action button […] at the top and select “Reset to defaults”.

I really appreciate your enthusiasm and contribution to my App.

Thank you so much!

Best regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

New Version 11.10.3

This Update is a new Major Release that includes many changes, improvements and enhancements listed further below.

Due to the huge Installation base of this App, I decided to perform a so called “Phased Release” on the Apple App Store which means that the App will be rolled out slowly over the next seven days but should be finished until next Friday December 15th. So if you don’t see this update, please be patient.

The manual has already been updated and I would recommend having a look to it so get an overview of the many new smaller and larger features.

 

Dear User, I like to thank you again for all your support, suggestion and positive criticism.

I am happy to be able to address the most received suggestions and requests with this update. I am especially proud to be able to add the Order list feature and integrate the Product Browser from RS Components to this version. Not only that I am personally ordering my parts from RS Components,  me and RS Components we are working together for several years now and the ultimate goal was always to include their products to this App.

For this, I had to rewrite and touch major parts of the App and to rewrite the whole Project section which took quite some time.

Even though this update has been tested by many users (thank you!), we may have overseen some bugs.

Please let me know as soon as you can in case you may find a bug because I want to fix it. I am prepared to send out another update before the App Store closes over the holidays in case this would be necessary.

Otherwise I will continue working on the next update.

Thanks again and to all of you who are celebrating Christmas, have a Merry Christmas and all the Best for 2018!

Marcus

 

CHANGES OF VERSION 11.10.3:

■ Improvements:

Several Tools have been improved, based on your suggestions. For instance, the db Tool can now convert values in any direction between dBm, dBW, Vrms, Vpeak, Vpp, dBV, DBmV etc.) and also displays the Formulas used for the calculation.

■ Bugfixes:

A few Bugs have been fixed such as the Float bug in the Number System Tool and some others.

■ New Tools:

A new Cross Reference Tool has been added which contains a database of more than 55000 Semiconductors. This tool can be used to lookup replacement parts.

■ New Make Feature:

The Majority of changes took place to the Projects section of the App. The former Projects Tool is now part or a new Make Section of the App which add the following features:

  • The Circuit Editor can now be started from this Page
  • A new RS Product Browser can be used to find and even order Components or to look up details, specifications and datasheets
  • A new Octopart Browser can also be used to lookup components and datasheets.
  • Components can be Bookmarked and will end up in a new Bookmark list
  • The new Document viewer, which is used for the two new Component Browsers but also for viewing the internal Datasheets and documents, can now be used to store documents local, inside the App by adding these Documents to your Library. The new Library Tool can then be used to view these Documents offline.
  • Finally, there is now an Order list Tool, requested by so many of you for a long time. You can now Create orders by either manually adding Parts to it or create an Order list automatically from any Project. An Order List can be exported, printed or conveniently be sent to RS Components so with just a few steps you can get your parts delivered the other day.

■ Rewritten Project Tool:

The Projects Tool itself, which is now called My Projects has also been improved:

  • Components, Images, Circuits, Diagrams, Notes and Links are now again separated on different Pages. This makes it easier to maintain larger Projects with many Components or Documents.
  • I have removed the possible number of Notes down to two. One on the Main Project Page and another Detail Note. From your feedback, a main and one Detail Note seemed to be more than enough as both can contain an unlimited number of lines.
  • Notes can now contain Attributes like Bold, Italic etc.
  • The Components view has completely been revised. It is now easier to Jump to a corresponding Tool or to find and add Manufacturer Name and MPN using either the RS Product Browser or Octopart.

Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

New Data Update

First of all, many thanks for your Feedback and suggestions.

It’s quite exciting to see how many users are working with my App and found it useful sometimes on a daily basis.

While working on the new App Version, I finished a (quite huge) Data Update. So if you download that Data Update, please be patient as it may take some time. It will be included in the next App Version but you don’t need to wait for that so just go to settings and hit Check for data update to download that update.

The Update contains the following changes:

  • Fixed Datasheet for the 40162 (was showing the 4016 DS)
  • Various Arduino Boards added (including Teensy, Adafruit)
  • Several Arduino Pinouts added / updated (Thanks for your help!)
  • Several Tubes added / updated such as the ECC81/82/83, 12AT7, 12AU7, 12AX7, 6146x, QQE06/40, QE06/50 aka 807
  • New Memories Section for the ICs tool with PROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs etc
  • Some Sockets added/updated
  • Additional minor changes to other databases

Most of this is based on your suggestions and requests. Some users also send me some Datasheets and lists. Many many thanks! I really appreciate.

Best Regards,
Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

New Version 1st of December – Manual available

First of all, thanks for your feedback regarding the Manual. Sorry if I can’t get back to all of you individually.

The Manual

Your feedback was quite different. Some of you prefer a separate online manual, some strongly voted for an offline manual since they use the App often when no or just poor internet connection is available. I now hope I will be able to address both of you. An online manual is now available which will cover basic usage of the App. It even contains some movies which would otherwise blow up the size of the App and it is even available as PDF even for printing (of course the movies will get lost then). Based on your feedback, most people trying to get used with the App and trying to learn how to use it prefer either an online or printed manual so they can read it side by side while trying the App.

On the other hand, I left all Help Texts of the individual Tools still available offline so they can still be opened from inside the App using the (i) button. I think that’s a good compromise and will allow me to add the improvements I wanted to introduce.

If you want to have a look already, here is the link to the english Manual which is almost finished: http://go-to.me/etb-manual. The German version will hopefully follow soon.

Now the good news:

Version 10 of Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox will be available Thursday, December 1st – finally !

There was a lot of work to do for me but I am happy that it’s finally finished now.

Besides many other fixes, improvements and changes (see further below), there are the following highlights:

■ A Circuit Diagram Editor

Yes, indeed, you can now draw your own Circuits from inside the Project Tool. Even though I personally prefer to draw my circuits using PC Software (Eagle or DesignSpark PCB), many of you have asked for such a feature. It is currently quite limited (about 75 components) and lacks a few features I had to postpone for a later update (e.g. block selection with copy/paste and a few more components) but it’s working and most testers found it quite usable.

The Circuit Editor also contains a Sync feature which Synchronizes the Components with the Component list of the Project. This way, the Component list of the Project will be maintained automatically.

■ Project improvements

As Projects now play an even bigger role, I added several improvements. There is now an even better integration between the Tools and Projects. You can now jump back from a Component to the corresponding Tools. For instance, for a Resistor Component entry, you can directly jump to the Resistor Tool so see the color coding for that particular Resistor.

You can now search for (or manually add) a Manufacturer Part Number for Components. This way, I was also able to add a Datasheet Browser to search for millions of Datasheets. For instance, if you add an NE555 Timer Component to a Project, you can Browse for the MPN and select the NE555 from Texas Instruments. Next you can tap on Datasheet and will get the TI Datasheet for the NE555 which can also be added to the same Project as attached Document.

Also, the “Add to Project” feature has been improved further to allow to add the results of a Tool to be used for a Project.

■ Identifying Components

Several users asked me for a possibility to identify Components. Exactly this is the purpose of a new Tool. Here you can browse for a particular component (e.g. Electrolyt Capacitor) and will get some background information as well as pictures of various variants of Electrolyt Capacitors. But it is also possible the other way round, to browse pictures of components for identifying an available Component.

The database currently contains more than 100 Components and I am happy to add more upon request. So if you ran across a certain Component (given that it is not too exotic) which is not included, please feel free to send me the picture so I can add it – even if you don’t know what it is. Maybe I can figure it out.

 

Furthermore, the following changes were implemented:

■ The Sound Generator now allows to select the output device.

Sound can now be forced to the Speaker or can be sent to BlueTooth headsets etc.

■ The unfortunate Formula bug has been fixed
■ Several iOS 10 adaptions were implemented
■ The 3D-Viewer bug was fixed
■ Projects can now be shared via Email
■ 2-Digit SMD Codes were added

Electronic Toolbox:

■ Added Tool: TI LaunchPad
■ Added Tool: Audio Amplifier (1500+ Hybrid amplifiers with circuit diagram)

And finally, the aforementioned Manual has been integrated.

 

All for Free

As you know, I am no fan of In-App Purchases if they can be prevented so all of the above will be for free to all existing users.

I am considering a price increase as all developments, especially the Circuit Editor, required several month development time but again, existing users will get everything for free.

So, like always, as all your great reviews will disappear once the new version is out, please amend your review or add a new one to support me.

Thank you so much!

Best Regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

New Data Update – Happy Birthday Raspberry Pi – New Raspberry Pi 3

A new data update 9.03. is available for Electronic Toolbox.
raspi-3
The Raspberry Pi foundation announced their 4th Birthday today and brought out their new Raspberry Pi 3 which uses a faster 64 Bit 1.2GHz CPU and comes with WiFi and Bluetooth LE.

This deserves a data update for Electronic Toolbox which is now available with the following changes and additions:

[su_list icon=”icon: check-circle” icon_color=”#464278″]

  • Raspberry Pi 3 added
  • AN1431T and M Variable output shunt regulator added
  • new Arduino Pro Mini with ATmega328 added
  • TMP35,36 and 37 Low Voltage Temperature Sensor added
  • Arduino SparkFun added
  • USB Type C added
  • Several other database updates and corrections are included

[/su_list]

I hope to be able to release the next App update soon as well, so stay tuned.

Best Regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

Updated Project Editor

prj-editor-v16

 

Thanks for your feedback to the Project Editor.

I have just created a small Project Editor update 1.06 with the following changes:

[su_list icon=”icon: angle-double-right” icon_color=”#464278″]

  • The recently introduced additional Components are now also available in the Project Editor
  • When selecting a Component, the Component symbol will now be displayed
  • The sample Project file and the few Sample Documents (including the two 3D objects) are now installed in the Project Document Directory in two separate Directories
  • The download and the code is now code-signed so you will no longer get scary warning errors when installing
  • The installation program is now an InstallShield .EXE file rather than a Microsoft MSI File
  • The Installer should now also install the .NET framework, if not already installed

[/su_list]

Based on your feedback, I am a little surprised that almost nobody is using iCloud Drive to synchronize Projects between your Windows PC and the Apps. I personally found it the ideal way to share Projects not just between the Windows PC and my Apple Devices but also between my iPads and iPhones and even between Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox. Especially when using the Project Editor, it makes much sense to work with iCloud Drive.

The other options (DropBox, iTunes, email) are still possible but I found that too cumbersome and time consuming.

Don’t be scared, if you don’t like to synchronize your Photos or Keychain by using iCloud (like myself). You really don’t have to, when using iCloud Drive along with Electronic Toolbox or RF-Toolbox. You can use it solely to Synchronize your Projects files if you like.

All information, how to download Project Editor, how install and use it and even how to configure iCloud Drive can still be found on this page:

http://electronic-toolbox.com/project-editor-beta

I still appreciate your valuable feedback about the project Editor.

I am currently finalizing the next update of Electronic Toolbox which will be sent to Apple in a few days.

Thanks for your support.

Best Regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

New Versions 9 of Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox available now

The new versions of Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox are available now.

These new App versions contain new tools, many feature improvements and of course some bug fixes.

A Optocoupler, Packages, Microstrip Mitre and PLL Loop Filter tool has been added. The App are now not just compatible to iOS 9 but also support the new iOS 9 features like Multitasking and Split View.

Also some great feature improvements have been implemented like the possibility to jump to the particular component from inside the component databases (e.g. from a suggested compatible/replacement component) or from inside the Project tool to lookup component pinouts or datasheets for components you are using in a project.

To read more about what’s new, just head to the what’s new page.


iPhone-1-e


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

Announcements

Some news and announcements regarding Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox:

New Facebook page

Electronic and RF-Toolbox now have a dedicated Facebook Page.

The address is: https://www.facebook.com/electronictoolbox

Some users encouraged me to setup a Facebook page so that it is now easier to stay informed.

Windows Project Editor

As mentioned earlier, I developed a Windows Project Editor. This piece of software was basically developed for myself to create and edit projects on my Windows PC rather than breaking my fingers on the touch screen of my iPad or iPhone.

I thought that I should share this software with you rather then using it just for myself so I invited some of you for testing. The feedback I received from most testers (thank you!) was that the Project Editor is at least “usable” and doesn’t contain any major bugs that prevent it from using. So instead of finalizing this software I decided to release it to you so you no longer need to wait but please keep in mind, it is still beta. I will continue to work on this software once my next App Updates have been rolled out (see below).

You will find more information and the download link for the Project Editor here.

I am still interested in your feedback.

Next App Versions

Even though I sent out some Data updates, you may wonder when next next App updates will be available. I made the following decision:

Rather than releasing a new big update for both Apps, I will release smaller updates during the next weeks and months.

I already finished some very interesting new features, improvements and tools and am still working on some more. Some still need to be finalized and tested, some are already ready to be rolled out.

Instead of waiting until everything is completed, I decided to release Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox in smaller pieces always whenever something can be rolled out. A few weeks later, I will then release a next version with some more features and so on.

The advantage is, that you, as a user, can benefit from the new features sooner. Also, I can directly and faster respond to possible bugs which can then be fixed immediately in the following release.

Disadvantage is, this is causing a little bit more overhead to me as every App Store roll-out is causing extra preparation and effort (sometimes debates with Apple if they claim the App doesn’t comply to a certain App Store guideline rule as happened lately).

Second, and to be honest that was so far one of my most important reasons for bigger updates, I will loose all your great App Store reviews with every update and I don’t want to push you too often to update your review on the App Store. These reviews are very important for the success of any App.

However, I think you will definitely benefit from smaller updates and so I will give it a try.

So during the next months, you can expect many updates with many new features and improvements.

I am really interested about your feedback.

Will keep you updated,

Best Regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps

Recommended Websites

As electronics enthusiast, I am frequently visiting Electronics engineering websites with useful information, interesting projects or market news.

I have received many requests to create a list of websites and resources I am using. For this reason, I setup the page Recommended electronics engineering websites.

It has just been started and I will add more resources to it over the time.

Suggestions are also very welcomed.…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

New data update available

A new data update 8.10. is available for Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox.

In this update I added the recently introduced BeagleBone Green board. This is a very nice addition to the BeagleBone family as it is available for a much lower price as it lacks of a few features such as a Audio and Video output which is often not needed for projects and made the other boards quite expensive.

Some other changes are some additions and corrections in the ICs section and I also added Copper Current Carrying figures to the AWD tool.

I also added several new Component types for the Project section of the App.

Upon request (many thanks!) I also added a CTCSS / NAC conversion table to the Tables Tool.

In addition, this update also contains many changes which are needed for the upcoming release I am currently working on. Hopefully I can finish it soon but there is still some coding work to do. I will keep you updated here.

The same update is available for both, Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox.

Regarding your mails

I would like to mention something else here as well. I am receiving quite a few mails per day from you. Some mails with questions about certain features. Some mails with suggestions and some even with bug reports (fortunately not too many) and some even with general questions of various Electronic subjects not even related to Electronic Toolbox.

Every single mail is greatly appreciated. I am happy even to help in non App related Electronic questions as this may result in an additional idea for my Apps. I am glad anyway to communicate with people sharing the same enthusiasm to Electronics than I do.

However, sometimes when I am responding to mails I found that the sender’s email address does not exist (maybe due to a typo) or somebody – for whatever reason – doesn’t receive my answer mails. This happened recently with a Gentlemen called Pierre. He was using the form on the Website to ask his questions and tried a couple of times. I also responded a couple of times even from different mail accounts just in case. It still seems he didn’t receive my mails.

I am working through my mails every day, even on weekends and when on holidays. I am responding to and answering every single mail. Sometimes it takes a bit longer and sometimes I am quick (e.g. in case of bug reports). But everybody will for sure receive an answer.

So in case one of you didn’t hear back, please think twice if you may have used the form and probably entered a wrong email address or if my response ended up in your spam folder.

The email address issue could be prevented if you would use the support button inside the app by the way.

Its frustrating for both of us. For me after writing a long response and getting an email error or another email wondering why I didn’t respond. Or for you if you think why I am not responding.

But fortunately, this doesn’t happen too often but it happens and that was why I though I should mention this here.

Now getting back to my development work for the next update.

Thanks for your great support and your kind App Store reviews!

Best Regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News RF-Toolbox News

Version 8 is available!

Version 8 of Electronic Toolbox and RF-Toolbox available!

As announced, the version 8 of both apps is finally available on the app store.

This was again a bigger update with a lot of new features, tools, bells and whistles and of course, bug fixes.

The most important changes are:

  • 64 Bit support
  • iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support
  • Native iCloud Drive support
    • Share Projects between apps on different Devices
    • Share Projects between Electronic- and RF-Toolbox
  • iOS 8.x support
  • Introduction of online Projects
  • Introduction of a FAQ
  • New Tools
    • New Beagle Bone Tool (ETB only)
    • New Wheatstone Bridge calculator
    • New Truth table / Karnaugh table / logic formula conversion tool (ETB only)
    • New Frequency counter tool
    • New Logic tool (ETB only)
    • Balun Calculator (RF Toolbox only)

So there are now 77 tools in total in Electronic Toolbox and 60 in RF-Toolbox.

Some more details:

Tool Improvements:

  • Improved Coil calculation now with single- multi- ferrite-core, Tesla flat and straight wire
  • Introduction of scalable formulas. Formulas now look much better throughout the app and not so big anymore.
  • The sound Generator can now still run even when leaving the tool
  • The sound Generator now has a volume slider
  • A double-tap is now necessary to zoom images. No longer accidental image zooming
  • In the scope, the scale for FFT is now linear and easier to read
  • An FAQ has been introduced for common questions regarding this app.
  • Values from the Database tools such as the Transistors tool can now be added to projects and now includes all parameters as it already was for calculation tools
  • Bigger selection lists (e.g. for the color selection in the resistors tool)

Content changes:

  • Tube 807 pinout added
  • Raspberry Pi Model 2 added

Project improvements:

All Project maintenance screens have been improved. However, the most important changes here are the support for iCloud Drive and the introduction of Online projects.

iCloud Drive can now be used to keep your projects in sync between your different devices and even between Electronic- and RF-Toolbox. In the past, you had to export and import projects in order to transfer a Project from one Device to another. When switching on iCloud Drive in the app, Projects will automatically synchronized in the background.

Corrections:

  • Now global search will work again even when in Icon mode
  • Some NTC/PTC tool corrections
  • Some corrections inside the Sockets tool

And of course, several bigger and smaller design changes.

This again a quite long list of changes and improvements. However, some of you might miss something you asked me for but that was just one more update and there are more to come over the time. As usual, I am already working on the next update.

Please don’t forget:

As with every update, please don’t forget to rate this app as all previous reviews will disappear with an update.

Also, since there were many changes and even though there was a quite long testing phase, there might be bugs in the app. If you find a bug, just let me know and I will fix it quickly. Promised!

Thank you so much for your great support and suggestions.

Best regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

New Electronic Toolbox data update available

Today, a new Electronic Toolbox data update has been released.

This updates contains the following changes:

  • Arduino Uni Rev 3 Pinout added
  • New Category in the ICs Tool with Solid State Relays (SSR)
  • Raspberry Pi Model B+ additions
  • Constants were updated
  • A few ICs were added as requested
  • A few German language corrections were included

And finally, this update also contains some preparations for the next app update I am currently working on.

Thanks again for your support.

Best regards,
Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

Update 7.01.05 of Electronic Toolbox available

Fortunately, it doesn’t took too long for Apple to release this bug fix update.

This update fixes a few bugs that unfortunately slipped in to the last major update:

Device rotation will now work correctly
■ German “Zurück” button fixed
■ Few issues with 3.5″ iPhones fixed (e.g. second slider in Oscilloscope)
Capacitor charge calculation fixed
■ Open image in other… app bug fixed
Duty cycle calculation in NE555 tool fixed
■ An issue that cause the app to crash when swiping back was fixed
■ White-on-white buttons in print screen was fixed

Along with this, the update contains the following improvements:

■ The 4-20mA tool now also shows Hexadecimal values for SPS development
■ Calculation results can now be transferred better to projects (no longer just screenshots)
■ Some speed improvements (e.g. esp. for iPad 2)
Oscilloscope image can now be added to a project

LIKE ALWAYS, PLEASE NOTE: Don’t forget to install the new data update as well

Again, many thanks for your feedback and help to improve this app further.

Many many thanks also for your updated and new app reviews.

Unfortunately, with every update I sent out, your previous reviews disappear. But you just need to slightly update your previous review to let it appear again. Many thanks again for this.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

New version 7 finally available!

Finally, as announced yesterday, the new version of Electronic Toolbox Pro is now available on the AppStore.

I have re-coded huge parts of the app. Basically, this release changes many things under the hood, adds many general features you have asked for, offers a completely revised and freshen up user interface and fixes many small or even a few larger bugs. Finally, it adds a new cool tool: an oscilloscope. Also, this app is now already compatible to the recently announced iOS 8.

Here are some changes to the previous version:

■ UI Improvements

The user interface has been freshened up and now uses some remaining iOS 7 features such as special animations, list swiping, popover selections, the new keyboard and some more. To implement those features, unfortunately I had to drop IOS 5 support but the app still supports iOS 6.

However, don’t worry if you don’t want or can’t update to iOS 6 or 7, you can still use the existing Version 6 of the app as it will still be available on the AppStore for downloading and best of all, it will still get improvements via Data updates.

On the special keyboard, you can now double-tap on the X button to clear all input field of the whole screen (Thanks Hal for this suggestion).

Amongst this, every single tool has been revised. They not just look and behave now more consistently.

■ Parametric search improvements

When looking for a certain Transistor, FET or even Tube with certain characteristics / parameters, filters can be used. These filters have been improved in Version 7. It is now even possible to create multiple filters which can be stored and recalled at a later time.

■ iCloud and improved DropBox and iTunes support

DropBox and iTunes have already been supported to import and export projects. Now, Project import and export has been improved in many ways and iCloud has been added as another option for importing and exporting.

In Addition, app settings and your Organizer app customizations can also be saved and restored to and from iCloud. This way, you can save your work after rearranging all icons to your individual requirements. Moreover, you can use iCloud to transfer these settings to another i-Device if you own more than one device. This way, you can use your settings and organizer view consistently on all your devices.

■ Improved action button

The action button now has a new icon and will now act as a real action button. Now, it always opens a popup menu with several options based on the current situation.

■ Grouped Tool view

For those of you, who got lost in the numerous tools (now 72) the app now provides a new grouping option. By selecting this option, tools will now be grouped by the following subjects:

  • General Tools
  • Tools dealing with passive components
  • Tools dealing with active components
  • Conversion tools
  • Circuit tools
  • RF related tools

You can still group and arrange tools based on your own preferences and even mix the grouped view with your own groups by using the included organizer.

■ An Oscilloscope was added

Now, with this new tool, the app contains 72 tools in total. Several more are already under development. This Oscilloscope behaves almost like a real Oscilloscope but of course limited to audio signals and microphone input.

■ Bug fixes and minor improvements

While working on each tool, I did also fix some bugs of course.

 

While almost 70% of the code has been re-coded, I already apologize for any possible new bug which is not unlikely due to this amount of new code, even though I and a couple of Beta Testers have tested this release (many thanks to you at this point).

As always, please let me know about any bug, ideally using the support button inside the app and I promise to fix any bug real quick.

Again, many thanks for your feedback.

Please please don’t forget to rate the app or update your review. Unfortunately, with every update I sent out, your previous reviews disappear. But you just need to slightly update your previous review to let it appear again. Many thanks for this.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

Finally another update 6.10.02 of Electronic Toolbox is now available

Finally, the promised update has been released.

This update includes the following changes and additions:

■ Trace-With tool

This tool was moved over from the RF-Toolbox app and helps to calculate width of internal or external PCB striplines based on the IPC-2221 charts.

■ Resistor/Capacitor/Inductor combinations tool

This tool helps to create a certain value by calculating various combinations of serial or parallel connected components. This is especially useful if you can’t find a component with a certain value in your shack or if you need to create a value outside the E-Series standard. So if you are looking for a 10k resistor but have none available, you can just use this tool to find out how to build this value with a certain combination of other resistors.

■ 4-20mA conversion tool

This new tool converts values based on the instrumentation systems 4-20mA DC standard. This was a user request from some users and I was hoping to implement it sooner but finally, here it is.

■ support for oz/ft² (Copper Plating Weight in oz)

Especially for the newly added PCB trace calculation (see above), thickness can be entered in oz/ft² .

■ calculator degree / radian support

The trigonometric functions like sin() and cos() can now calculate in radians and degrees and there is a new button which can be used to switch between these two. However, the degree button ° can still be used to convert values from degree to radians, thus when set to radians and calculating sin(45°) results in the same value as if the calculation is set to degree and entering sin(45) .

■ unit tool improvements

The unit tool received some more improvements and now remembers previously selected unit types and units.

■ New Transistor tool added

A new Transistor tool replaces the former BJT tool. This tool adds bias point calculations and circuit calculation of the three common Transistor circuit types.

■ New FET tool added

Similar to the Transistor tool, a new tool to calculate FET bias point and basic FET circuits has been added.

■ NE555 tool improvement

In the NE555 tool, it is now possible to calculate the duty cycle.

■ NTC/PTC tool improvement

It is now possible to calculate in both directions. You can either enter temperature or resistance and the other value will be calculated.

■ Disable sleep mode

Some users told me that they use my app in the lab all the day and leave their device switched on all the time to quickly perform some calculations. They asked me for the possibility to let the App prevent the device from entering the sleep mode to speed up their access to this app. For this reason, there is now a new setting under Miscellaneous. Please note that, once this setting is on, the device will no longer save battery time. Once you exit the app, everything is back to normal. You may also want to disable the splash screen along with this setting.

■ Additional Types and datasheets

Included in the data update which is required for this app update, several new types and datasheets have been added. For instance about 300+ new datasheets and types in the 40xxx/45xxx cmos IC section. Also, some corrections for the AVR JTAG Socket, 3N140 and 4073 are included.

■ Additional minor improvements

Now, in the calculator, it is no longer necessary to hit the ANS key when entering an operator after the previous calculation has been finished.

PLEASE NOTE: A new major release will also be available soon. It has now been sent to Apple and is waiting for being released. This major release contains some other user requests and improvements so please don’t worry if your request is not included in this release.

In case you find an error or have some questions, please contact me using the Support button inside the app or the support form on the website.

Many thanks for your feedback and your support.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps RF-Toolbox News

Version 7 of RF-Toolbox has been released

This is a new major release of RF-Toolbox. The development took quite some time as I re-coded huge parts of the whole app.

Basically, this release changes many things under the hood, adds many general features you have asked for quite often and fixes many small or even larger bugs.

As almost 70% of the code has been re-coded, I already apologize for any possible new bug which is not unlikely due to this amount of new code, even though I and a couple of Beta Testers have tested this release (many thanks to you at this point).

As always, please let me know about any bug ideally using the support button inside the app and I promise to fix any bug real quick.

Version 7 contains the following changes to the previous version:

■ UI Improvements
For compatibility reasons, previously I did use some UI Elements such as the Picker control in its old design or the old Keyboard and did not offer some other iOS 7 features even though the app was already compatible to iOS 7. This new release takes now fully advantage of iOS 7 and is now even already compatible to the next iOS Version. However, for this reason I had to drop backward compatibility to iOS 5 and 6. So with this new release, you will now have all the new iOS 7 improvements such as swiping lists to the right, to jump back, new animations, popover selections, new view and icon designs etc. but you have to use iOS 7 in order to install this release.

If you don’t want or can’t update to iOS 7, you can still use the existing Version 6 of the app as it will still be available on the AppStore for downloading and best of all, it will still get improvements via Data updates but the functionality can no longer be enhanced.

Amongst this, all tools have been revised to look and behave consistent.

■ iCloud and improved DropBox and iTunes support
DropBox and iTunes have already been supported to import and export projects. Now, Project import and export has been improved in many ways and iCloud has been added as another option for importing and exporting.

In Addition, app settings and your app customizations by using the Organizer can also be saved and restored to and from iCloud. This way, you can save your work after rearranging all icons to your individual requirements. Moreover, you can restore these settings to another i-Device if you own more than one device. This way, you can use your settings and organizer view consistently on all your devices.

■ New and improved action button
The action button now has a new icon and will now act as a real action button. It now always opens a popup menu with several options based on the current view.

■ New Grouped Tool view
For those of you, who got lost in the numerous tools the app now provides there is a new grouping option available. By selecting this option, tools will now be grouped by the following categories:

  • General Tools
  • Tools dealing with passive components
  • Tools dealing with active components
  • Conversion tools
  • Circuit tools
  • RF related tools

Except for the General group, each group will have it’s own unique icon. Grouping will work in Icon and List view. Regardless of whether you use groups, it is still possible to maintain the Icon location and even create more groups by using the Organizer.

■ Bug fixes and minor improvements
While working on each individual tool, I did also fix many bugs or added numerous improvements to several tools.

Again, many thanks for your feedback and please report any bugs you may find and rest assured they will be fixed timely.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps RF-Toolbox News

New RF-Toolbox update available – Happy Thanksgiving!

This RF-Toolbox update 6.08.01 includes the following changes and additions:

[su_list icon=”icon: check”]

  • Resistor/Capacitor/Inductor combinations tool

[/su_list]

This tool helps to create a certain value by calculating various combinations of serial or parallel connected components. This is especially useful if you can’t find a component with a certain value in your shack or if you need to create a value outside the E-Series standard.

[su_list icon=”icon: check”]

  • 4-20mA conversion tool

[/su_list]

This new tool converts values based on the instrumentation systems 4-20mA DC standard.

[su_list icon=”icon: check”]

  • Negative value entering

[/su_list]

For some input fields it was not possible yet to enter negative values. Now, the special keyboard has received a minus sign in the top bar.

[su_list icon=”icon: check”]

  • Support for oz/ft² (Copper Plating Weight in oz)

[/su_list]

Especially for the PCB trace calculation, thickness can now be entered in oz/ft² .

[su_list icon=”icon: check”]

  • Calculator degree / radian support

[/su_list]

The trigonometric functions like sin() and cos() can now calculate in radians and degrees and there is a new button which can be used to switch between these two. However, the degree button ° can still be used to convert values from degree to radians, thus when set to radians and calculating sin(45°) results in the same value as if the calculation is set to degree and entering sin(45) .

[su_list icon=”icon: check”]

  • Unit tool improvements

[/su_list]

The unit tool now remembers previously selected unit types and units.

And as usual, there were many other minor changes and corrections.

Some new tools are already under development.

If you find an issue, have a new idea or if you are missing something, just let me know. Please just use the Support button in my app or on the app store.

If you like to support me, please don’t forget to write or update your review as it is only valid for the current version.

Finally to all of you in the US Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!

Thanks again for all your mails and support.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

Update Version 6.07.01 for Electronic Toolbox available

Thank Goodness it’s Friday! as the new Electronic Toolbox update 6.07.01 is now available.

This update fixes some issues that have been reported such as the not working “Add to project” buttons in some areas of the app and the inability to add folders in the organizer. Sorry for that.

Now, in the unit conversion tool, it is again possible to see all other conversions at a glance like in the older version. All possible conversions can now be observed by tapping on the selection below “Convert to:”. Thanks for this suggestion!

There is now a consistent way to decide which value should be calculated and which are the “given” values.

As an example, in the Ohm’s law tool, let’s say you like to calculate Current and Power based on Voltage and Resistance. You can tap on the small button in front of the Current and Power fields. These buttons will then turn to have a small arrow indicating that these values will be calculated.

Now, it is also possible to tap at the location where you expect an input field in order to get the white input field for entering a value.

You will also notice a change in the user interface. I have changed several areas throughout the whole app so that it fits better to iOS 7. There are new Icons, new fonts, less 3D buttons and headers and less rounded rectangles. I personally like it much better and hopefully you do too.

Also, the News section has been completely re-coded. It is now also possible to delete news entries.

Finally, I found that the review button was no longer working in the previous version and that was probably why there were just a few review updates with the last version.

So now, it should again be possible to write or update reviews.

The data update I sent out on Wednesday is mandatory for this app update so please also check if you have not yet installed it. Here is a short summary of the contents of the data update:

  • LM34 (Precision Fahrenheit Temperature Sensors) added to the ICs tool
  • 2N6027 and 6028 (Programmable Unijunction Transistor) added to the ICs tool
  • The upcoming Arduino Tre and the older Arduino Duemilanove were added
  • An update to the Italian translation was added (thanks Massimo!)
  • Several changes to the Info texts in German and English.

The two added chips LM34 and 2N6027/8 are both quite interesting. I never heard about them before until two users asked me to add them (thank you!).

Like alway, many thanks to you all who helped me to continuously improve my app.

Please don’t hesitate to write me if you find an issue or ask me to add new features or components.

Many thanks and kind regards and have a great weekend!

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

Windows 8 update available now and iOS Version comming on Friday

Fortunately, the new Windows version of Electronic Toolbox was just released by Microsoft and the iOS Update will be available this Friday.

Lately Microsoft gave me a hard time to fulfill all requirements for the naming of screen shots on the Windows Store and several additional minor requirements. The good thing is though, that Microsoft takes Store approving serious – which is good, for you as customer as well as for me as developer and customer. I hate the lax or even not existing Google approvement procedure which causes many rubbish, non-working, faking and Trojan apps on the Android play store.

However, back to the Windows version, which includes many changes such as:

[su_list icon=”icon: windows”]

  • New NTC / PTC tool – New Raspberry Pi tool
  • New Constant current source tool
  • New AC Ohms Law tool
  • New ASCII Table tool
  • New Zener Diode tool
  • Instrumentaion OpAmp calculation
  • New languages for the User Interface: German, Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
  • Updated Databases
  • Some changes for Windows 8.1
  • Some Bug fixes and many additional minor changes

[/su_list]

The Windows version is available here.

iOS update

The iOS Update, as mentioned, will be available this Friday. It contains quite some fixes and internal improvements. I will talk about that on Friday so please stay tuned.

In addition to the app update, I will create another data update which will be available either today or tomorrow.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

Data update for Electronic Toolbox available

A new data update is available for Electronic Toolbox.

This data update includes some changes in the transistor database (which is why this update is a big bigger than usual) and will correct the Avagadro’s number.

For the German users, there are also some added translations included.

Finally, it includes some new ICs as requested such as the OPAx134, LME497x0 and LM4562.

A new app update will also come soon. I expect to send it to Apple next week. The next app update will mainly correct a few mistakes that have been slipped in with the last update like the inability to add components to a project in some of the tools and some other minor fixes. It will also come with a slightly changed design which fits better to the new flat iOS 7 design.

Thanks again for your support,

kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps RF-Toolbox News

RF-Toolbox data and app update

A new app update 6.07.01 and data update will be available tomorrow, Friday October 18th

The new app update adds the Desktop calculator that has been introduced recently in Electronic Toolbox.

Also, there is now a new Newsreader which should now offer news in a more reliable way. The newsreader also has some more features like the ability to not just mark news as read but also to delete them. Also you can see both, RF-Toolbox news and Electronic Toolbox news together in one app if you own both apps.

You will also notice a lot of design changes. Some users requested to adapt the look and feel to the new iOS 7 style with the flat buttons and more simplistic style. I hope everybody of you will like it. Initially, I personally was a bit skeptic so I was with iOS 7 but like iOS 7, I really started to love the new design and quickly adapted to the new look. So now I also like the new design of RF-Toolbox much better and it really fits better to the iOS 7 design.

There is also a major change in the way how input and output fields can be selected. These are the fields with the yellow arrow in front of it. They are now working consistently as follows:

  • If you decide that you like one value to be calculated (you like to get the results for that field), you just need to tap on the button in front of the field and the yellow button appears – this is how it was in almost all tools so far.
  • If you decide that you like to enter a value in a field that has been calculated so far (so it currently has the yellow button but no input box), you just need to tap on the result value (this is were you would expect the white input box) and if you tap on it, the input box appears and you can enter your value.

I think this is much more intuitive like before.

And like always, several additional things have been adjusted and corrected under the hood.

PLEASE NOTE: along with this app update, there is also a data update that is required for the app update. I will release the data update already but the app update will be available by tomorrow. Please don’t forget to install the data update by using the “Check for update now” button in the settings screen of the app. The order of the installation (data update or App update) does not matter.

Thanks again for all your mails and support and please be patient if not everything has been implemented yet – I am already working on the next version.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

New Electronic Toolbox Version available

The new Electronic Toolbox version 6.06.01 is finally out

This updates adds iOS 7 compatibility as well as a lot of changes and additions:

The following nine tools have been added:

■ Raspberry Pi Tool
■ Passive cooling calculator
■ PTC / NTC Temperature Resistance conversion
■ AC Ohms law tool
■ Zener diode circuit calculation
■ Constant current source tool
■ ASCII Table
■ Battery charge calculator
■ Finally, a desktop calculator

So there are now 67 tools included (all for free by the way for everybody who already purchased my App before). No extra costs, no InApp Purchase.

Some existing tools have been extended such as:

■ The OpAmp Tool now can also calculate an Instrumentation OpAmp circuit
■ The number system tool now also supports IEEE floating point numbers
■ The Measurements tool is now renamed to Units and has been completely revised (again)

Now, it is also possible to copy output results (regardless if this is text or a number) by long-tapping the value. This way, you can copy values easier from one tool to another or even to and from the new desktop calculator or other Apps.

■ iOS 5, 6 and 7 support

Electronic Toolbox is now compatible to iOS 5, 6 and 7 and it will run on all of these iOSes and all devices available from Apple, including the new iPhone 5S and 5C. However, iOS 6 or 7 is recommended in order to benefit from the additional features of the OS.

Finally, as usual, many other things have been changed and corrected under the hood.

For instance Circuit symbols can now easier be found as the symbol is already displayed at the overview level (thanks for this suggestion!) and the same now applies to other areas throughout this app.

■ More copy and paste

Now, it is also possible to copy output results (regardless if this is text or a number) by long-tapping the value. This way, you can copy values easier from one tool to another or even to and from the new desktop calculator or other Apps.

■ Tool Icons

The default color scheme is now the single colored blue scheme. But don’t worry if you like the colored scheme better where the tools will have different colors depending on the type of tool. Just go to settings, Appearance and switch the Icon color to ‘Classic color’.

Due to the additional tools, all tools have been rearranged a bit so that tools that belong together are side by side. If you have previously installed Electronic Toolbox and maybe arranged the icons by yourself, this update will not mess up your icons. Instead, the new Icons will be added at the end. So if you like to get the icons rearranged in the way I would suggest it, just go to the organizer and press the red Reset button.

■ Important Data update

Please note, along with this update, also a data update has been released. Please don’t forget to install the data update by using the “Check for data update” button in the settings screen of the app. The order of the installation (data update or app update) does not matter.

If you find an issue, have a new idea or if you are missing something, just let me know. Please just use the Support button in my App or on the AppStore.

I have still a lot of your ideas and requests on my to-do list and I am already working on the next update to include more of your ideas in the next update.

If you like to support me, please don’t forget to write or update your review as it is only valid for the current version.

Thanks again for all your mails and support.

Kind regards,

Marcus…


Categories
App News - General News about my Apps Electronic Toolbox News

New App Version available Friday September 27th

The new App Version 6.05 will be available on Friday!!

I am excited to announce that finally, the new App Version of Electronic Toolbox will be available this week on Friday the 27th of September.

There are nine additional tools but also many changes under the hood. I trust you will love the new version.

I will keep you updated here, once the version is available.

Please also note, along with the App version, there will be a new data update as well which is required for the new App version.

Kind regards,

Marcus

 …