REPLACING THE 555 WITH A PIC — PART 4 — A DIGITAL ANALOG
This fourth article discusses the more complex circuits from the book, 555 Timer IC Circuits by Forrest Mims.

Some will use the PIC replacement from Part 1, while others will develop specific programs using a PIC to emulate a particular implementation of a 555.

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SYNCHRONIZING A 60 Hz CRYSTAL CONTROLLER OSCILLATOR TO THE LINE

Synchronization of digital systems to the 60 Hz line has some surprisingly interesting challenges.

Though the science of synchronizing one analog signal to other analog signal is somewhat well-trod ground, the introduction of digital systems created surprisingly interesting challenges for synchronization. Here is just one of many possible ways to solve this particular problem.

WAVES AND PROPAGATION: PART 2 — RADIO HORIZON
Not only hams can take advantage of radio propagation — everybody has a chance to experience some very interesting ways of interacting with the natural world through wireless.

In Part 1, we covered a batch of basics on waves and propagation: definitions of terms, and some fundamentals of how waves travel about. Not only hams can take advantage of radio propagation — everybody has a chance to experience some very interesting ways of interacting with the natural world through wireless. Let’s put that know-how to work!

BUILD A FOUR TRANSISTOR METAL DETECTOR
For a bold and eye-catching output display in your next electronic Want to be a treasure hunter?

By discerning subtle changes in frequency, this design is capable of detecting coins to a depth of three to four inches. The circuit can sense a soda can at a depth of six inches and metal pipes at an even greater distance.

REPLACING THE 555 WITH A PIC — PART 3 — A DIGITAL ANALOG
This third article discusses the less complex audio oscillator circuits from 555 Timer IC Circuits by Forrest Mims.

More experiments using PIC processors in the typical role of a 555 timer! This third article in a recurring series examines several of the circuits from 555 Timer IC Circuits by Forrest Mims, which are simple astable multivibrators.

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THE STORY OF THE TRANSISTOR

A journey through the history that led to the most important invention of the 20th century.

Life would not be the same without the transistor, which was invented just over seven decades ago. It is considered by researchers and historians to be the most important invention of the 20th century, leading to groundbreaking advances in computing, communications, medicine, and practically every technically related field. In this article, we’ll examine the contributions of the personalities and organizations involved, as well as the impetus that led to this landmark invention.

WAVES AND PROPAGATION: PART 1
Radio and wireless are all about waves and how they link distant points together. Learn about RF propagation, which is the way radio signals get from Point A to Point B.

One key element of ham radio is propagation — the way radio signals get from Point A to Point B. Lots of projects involve wireless links, so it behooves the builder to have a bit of an idea about how propagation works. After all, with so many choices available, you need information to understand your requirements for choosing the right technology and installing it properly. We’ll start with some basics of radio waves, then get them bouncing around.

GETTING STARTED WITH MATRIX LED DISPLAYS
For a bold and eye-catching output display in your next electronic masterpiece, consider exploiting a matrix LED device.

You’ll be able to create just about any symbol or pattern you want, and can even animate things for some action-packed results.

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.

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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.