SEVEN COMMON WAYS TO GENERATE A SINE WAVE

There are literally dozens of ways to generate a sine wave. Here are some of the more popular methods you should be familiar with.

The sine wave is a naturally occurring signal shape in communications and other electronic applications. Many electronic products use signals of the sine wave form. Audio, radio, and power equipment usually generates or processes sine waves.

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REPLACING THE 555 WITH A PIC — PART 2: A DIGITAL ANALOG

This second article examines several of the circuits from 555 Timer IC Circuits by Forrest Mims, that are used basically as a monostable multivibrator.

Inspired by Forrest Mims and his Mini-Notebook series, we are detailing the emulation of a 555 or 556 using a PIC in several different circuits in our own set of articles. In this installment, we’ll review the specific circuits which use the 555 as a simple one-shot and discuss the PIC replacement for the same applications.

These kits are great for soldering practice!

UNIVERSAL RELAY BOARD

This universal relay board will allow you to drive a 12V DPDT relay using heat, cold, light, dark, sound, logic-level voltages, and just about any varying resistive output sensor you can think of.

In fact, you can use it to switch the relay ON or OFF using any voltage between zero to 12V DC or any sensor that has a varying output in this range. This is the ultimate relay board.

WIRE WRAP IS ALIVE AND WELL!
Here’s a different option from PCB fabrication.

Construction articles found in electronics magazines use printed circuit boards for all but the simplest circuits, so investing time and money into the PCB fabrication process seems to be the next logical step, albeit a bit daunting for the new hobbyist. PCB fabrication is not necessarily the next step.

There is another alternative … wire wrap.

REPLACING THE 555 WITH A PIC — PART 1 — A DIGITAL ANALOG
Learn how to emulate a 555 or 556 using a PIC microcontroller — with no special programming required!

Inspired by Forrest Mims and his Mini-Notebook series, we’ll detail the emulation of a 555 or 556 using a PIC in several different circuits. The particular implementation this time covers both monostable and astable modes, and the PIC does not have to be reprogrammed in any way.

Unleash your inner maker with this fun Arduino Based Boot Camp!

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BUILD A LUNCH BOX JUKEBOX

Take your fun with you in an all-in-one entertainment system you build yourself.

The Lunch Box Jukebox is a compilation of various projects to make a compact portable music, video, and game entertainment device with the Raspberry Pi Zero at the heart of the Jukebox Internet radio.

THE MAGIC OF THE GILBERT ERECTOR SET
Update a classic Erector Set Ferris Wheel with an Arduino.

Erector sets helped to spark lifetime passions for building things. Take a trip down memory lane and follow the construction of a classic 1950’s Gilbert Erector set Ferris wheel with some new bells and whistles added from today’s technology.

TRANSISTOR CLOCK
Build a digital clock using only transistors as the active elements. The final parts count is 194 transistors, 566 diodes, 400 resistors, and 87 capacitors.

This clock is made of a collection of counters. Counters made by a chain of n flip-flops result in binary ripple counters capable of dividing by 2n. A four flip-flop counter naturally counts from 0 to 15. To make it count from 0 to 9, it needs some steering logic on the flip-flop toggle inputs.

UPDATING A GENERAL-PURPOSE PROGRAMMING SYSTEM
It was clearly time for an update to my LP120 that I originally built 20 years ago.

Twenty years ago, I published an article in Nuts & Volts about designing a general-purpose programming system: the LP120. I’ve used the LP120 heavily for the last 20 years to support my eight-bit design hobby. It now has uploadable drivers and programming modules for many eight-bit micros, EPROMs, and GALs. However, things have changed since 2000. Back then, few microcontrollers had more than 4K bytes of program memory. Now, eight-bit PICs have up to 64K words of memory. Clearly an update to the LP120 was called for.

BUILD A BASIC AUDIO DISTORTION ANALYZER

Construct a THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) analyzer that’s easy on the wallet.

Over the years with different companies I’ve worked for, I always had access to high-end audio THD analyzers. I found these very useful for design work, debugging, and repair of audio equipment. My present company has no need for them and consequently they aren’t included in their armory of test equipment. Oftentimes, I have need for one but could never afford to own one — not even a used one. I thought this would be a worthwhile project, so this article describes how to construct one.

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THE BASICS
Basic electronics knowledge is the foundation to higher understanding.

From voltage dividers to transfer functions on op-amps, why basic electronics knowledge is the foundation to higher understanding.

BUILD A SUPER-SECRET INVISIBLE BURGLAR ALARM
Keep valuables safe and expose kids to technology at the same time.

One educational trend is an increased emphasis on STEM education aims to expose children and young adults to the world of technology with the hope they will become the next generation of much needed scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. As with all educational initiatives, the success rates are greatly amplified with the addition of an at-home educational component. This project gives one example of how to do this.

RESISTORS: TYPES AND APPLICATIONS
An ohm is an ohm, right? Not so fast — there are many different types of resistors.

To insure that your circuit works and stays working, use the right type of resistor. In this article, you’ll learn about the common types of resistors and their special characteristics.

UNIVERSAL OSCILLATOR TOPOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS

Using the proper circuit topology for your particular application is paramount!

Explore and analyze several circuits that you can use to make light dimmers, PWM motor speed controllers, model train controllers, heater controls, and a host of other applications.

RESTORATION OF A VINTAGE TELEFUNKEN JUBILATE 5161W AM/SW/FM RECEIVER
We continue our restoration series with a vintage Telefunken Jubilate receiver.

Every restoration — even repeat restorations of the same model — reveals something new about tubes and tube circuitry. In this restoration of the Jubilate, the focus is on reclaiming a circuit board covered with dirt, converting a selenium power supply to one based on silicon diodes, and the best ways to rejuvenate the cosmetics of your radio, including how to refinish a wooden cabinet.

These new kits are great for soldering practice!

A ROUTER RESTARTER
This device is much more versatile than you might think.

Originally designed as a router restarter at a remote location, this device really is a universal on-off machine that can be used in several applications. It can be programmed to function in many ways and can be controlled via a smartphone.

ALL ABOUT FERRITE
First created in 1930, ferrite has become an important material in the electronics and RF world.

Rings, beads, cores … find out exactly what ferrite is and what makes it ideal for a variety of uses in electronics.

BUILD A FREEZER ALARM CIRCUIT

Save your food with an alarm that alerts you if the freezer’s open.

I’m not sure if it’s absent mindedness or just old age, but sometimes I’ll forget to close the food freezer lid after shopping for groceries. With food prices seemingly going up every three days, there’s really no good time to lose a pile of food because of a simple mistake. This article describes my solution to the freezer problem.

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UNDERSTANDING OHM’S LAW WITH A "TRICK" QUESTION
Stimulate thinking about Ohm’s Law with these “trick” questions.

For many years, I have enjoyed learning about various aspects of our universe such as electricity, computer systems, and physics. I have met engineers who “just got it” when it came to Ohm’s Law and others who struggled due to incorrect preconceptions. Just because we can “work the math” doesn’t mean that we really understand Ohm’s Law well enough to make it work for us. This article will help you gain a real usable understanding of Ohm’s Law.

These new kits are great for soldering practice!

PINOCHLE — SOCIAL DISTANCE STYLE
What do you do when you can’t play cards together because of the pandemic? You figure out a way to do it electronically over Zoom!

I belong to a group who enthusiastically plays Pinochle once a week. Unfortunately, with the present circumstance of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been deprived of our weekly get together. So, with today’s technology and an introduction to the virtual conferencing provided by Zoom, I decided to see if we could play Pinochle online.