HAM METRICS AND THE DECIBEL
Learn the decibel and you and your signal will go a long way!

Wireless communication seems to involve many unfamiliar terms, but most seem to be calculated or expressed in terms of the decibel. Let’s take a look at these measurements and values, and see how to use decibels for them. The “dee-bee” is actually everywhere in ham radio, and is used for characterizing everything from antenna performance to nano-sized signals. Learn the decibel (abbreviated as lower-case ‘d’ followed by an upper-case ‘B’ or ‘dB’) and you and your signal will go a long way!

BUILD A 3D PRINTER FILAMENT SCALE

Always be sure you have enough filament for your print job with the Spool-Scale!

One thing you want to check before you start a long 3D print job is to verify you have enough filament on the spool to complete the print. You don’t want to come back to your printer at the end of a two-day run (as I have!) only to discover that the machine ran out of filament and the top part of the object is missing! This project describes a dedicated “spool scale” that provides a real time readout via an Arduino of just how much material you have left.

ADD SWEEP FUNCTION TO YOUR RF SIGNAL GENERATOR
Add a sweep function to my original RF generator build or any unit that is based on varactor diode tuning.

After I had designed an RF generator (N&V June 2014), I started to toy with the idea of adding a sweep function to it. The circuitry is quite economical to build, and draws its power through a short cable that plugs into a connector at the rear of the RF generator. Although this unit was created for use on my original generator design, the basic architecture can be modified for use with commercial RF generators that are based on varactor diode tuning.

BUILD THE MIDI REPLAY STOMP BOX
The MIDI Replay stomp box is a powerful configuration and recording device for keyboard players, based on the wonderful MIDI protocol: the standard musical language of over 30 years.

The MIDI Replay stomp box is a powerful configuration and recording device for keyboard players, based on the wonderful MIDI protocol: the standard musical language of over 30+ years. This article explores the design challenges of this real time system and covers topics such as task scheduling, buffers, parallel computing, dynamic memory management, response time analysis, and menu system design.

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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.

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NIXIE-NEON CLOCK

Time for another cool clock design using Nixie tubes.

The NixieNeon clock is a product of my love for clocks and electronics. I believe that its intriguing design can provide hours of enjoyment and satisfaction both in its construction, as well as watching it work once it’s complete.

USING THE 555 TIMER IC IN SPECIAL OR UNUSUAL CIRCUITS
Use the 555 timer IC in unusual applications such as Schmitt triggers, astable gadgets, alarms, and long-period timers.

The 555 timer is a popular bipolar IC that is specifically designed to generate accurate and stable C-R — defined timing periods, for use in various monostable ‘one-shot’ pulse generator and astable square wave generator applications. The 555 is also very versatile, and can be used in a variety of special or unusual applications such as Morse code practice oscillators, metronomes, and LED flashers and alarms, just to name a few..

BUILD A MUSICAL LASER RAINBOW MACHINE
Make liquid light with lasers and music.

I’ve been searching for a way to give our band’s performances the kind of visual elements that can only otherwise be achieved by true lighting artists. As a musician, inventor, and laser enthusiast, I decided to draw on all my hobbies and have created a light machine that has unique responses to each tone, frequency, and beat.

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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. As it turns out, there are literally dozens of ways to generate a sine wave. Here are some popular methods you should be familiar with.

REVIEW: DR. DUINO’S STARTER KIT FOR THE ARDUINO UNO

Make breadboarding with the Arduino Uno more robust and trouble-free.

In addition to making breadboarding easier, the new Dr. Duino Starter Kit can be a useful tool in learning Arduino hardware and software design. Getting into microcontroller development for the first time can be a daunting undertaking and anything that can simplify the process will be welcomed by many. Plus, there are many other possibilities for how this kit can be used.

BUILD THE NIXIE-STAR CLOCK
Construct this elegant and intricate timepiece.

The NixieStar clock is the second timepiece kit I’ve developed. (My first kit will be featured in the next newsletter.) My aim was to have a kit that’s reasonably easy to build with intermediate soldering skills (i.e., minimal SMD components). I also wanted a clock kit that once it was built, any spouse (including my wife!) would accept it on their wall — even with a power cord hanging from it.

BUILD THE 3D LED MATRIX CUBE
Construct this eye-catching 4 x 4 x 4 monochromatic LED matrix that will give you hours of enjoyment and entertainment.

This article shows you how to build a really cool 3D cube with a 4 x 4 x 4 monochromatic LED matrix which has a total of 64 LEDs.

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