Electronics Projects

If you’ve already worked through a few projects from Electronics Projects For Dummies and caught the electronics bug you might want to try a few projects from other sources. To help you out here’s a list of some interesting projects that we’ve found around the Web . These projects look interesting and are well documented but we haven’t had a chance to build them all, so results may vary! We’ve also included links to other Web sites that contain projects you can browse through. We make no warranty as to the safety of these projects, only tackle projects that you have the knowledge and skills to work on safely.

Clap Activated Remote Control: This interesting circuit on the Electronics Zone Web site allows you to build a remote control activated by clapping your hands.

Electric Wire Locator: This circuit by Charles Wenzel can be used to locate electric wires in walls, it may be useful when remodeling. Let me know how accurate it is.
Sound Pressure Meter: This circuit on the Red Circuits Web site is used to calibrate the sound output of each speaker in your sound or home theater system so that they all have produce the same volume at your favorite chair.

· Weather Station. This project on the TechDesign Electronics Web site uses the PIC 18F452 microcontroller, pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors along with radio transmitter and receiver modules to allow you to monitor the weather.

· Running Message Display. This circuit on the Electronics Zone Website shows how to use LEDs to light up a message, such as WELCOME, one letter at a time. When the whole message is alight the message goes dark and starts up again with the first letter.

· Plant Moisture Meter. This circuit takes the guesswork out of watering plants by lighting up an LED when the soil is dry.

· Rain Detector. This circuit by Charles Wenzel activates a buzzer to let you know that its starting to rain so you can cover up items in your yard.·

· A pocket sized LED display that lights up to music. This project on the Electronic Peasant Website shows how you can create three spirals made up of LED's that light up to different frequencies of music. The components all fit into a shape compact enough to clip onto your pocket, if you like to dance with lights this could be a neat effect.

· Just A Minute. This circuit on the Electronics Zone Website fits up to 8 players in a knowledge quiz game. The first one to tap their button rings a buzzer and gets to answer the question.

· A pocket sized headphone amplifier. This project shows how to fit a amplifier circuit inside a peppermint tin to soup up the sound for your headphones.

· Analog Sound Synthesizer. This very well detailed project write-up on the Music from Outer Space Web site shows how to build a analog sound synthesizer.

· Turning Gadgets On with a Wave of Your Hand. This circuit by Dave Johnson compares the signals from two photodiodes using a comparator chip. When you pass your hand over the photodiodes the output of the comparator chip goes high, turning on a transistor which Dave uses to power a buzzer in his circuit.

· A refrigerator door alarm. Here’s a circuit by Charles Wenzel that sounds an alarm when the refrigerator door stays open longer than the time you preset. A great way to stop your cat from getting in the refrigerator if you forget to close the door.

· A Simple Walking Robot. Would you like to build a 4 legged walking robot? Try this project building a BEAM type walking robot with a minimum of components and very low cost.

· Speech Amplifier/Loudspeaker. A compact amplifier/loudspeaker powered by a 6 volt battery pack to make sure you are heard, here’s the circuit and some details.

· Battery Powered Guitar Practice Amplifier. Want to practice your guitar playing somewhere without power? The Ruby amplifier is designed to work on a nine volt battery pack, here’s the circuit and some details.

· A 100 watt guitar amplifier. If you like the idea of building a powerful guitar amp check out this project by Rod Elliot. His project description and circuit drawings provide clear guidance in building a 100 watt guitar amplifier. However this amplifier is designed to plug into a wall outlet for power, if you are not familiar with building circuits powered by 120 volts you should not attempt this project.

· Vacuum Tube Guitar Amplifier. If you would like to build a tube based guitar amplifier look at these projects on the Cooperative Tube Guitar Amp Project web site. Make sure your have the knowledge and skills to work with high voltage before you tackle this project.

· Guitar Fuzz-Box: An operational amplifier based circuit which produces a wide range of sound effects.

· Circuit for High Speed Photography. Would you like to take photos of split-second events such as the momentary splash when you drop a crouton in a bowl of soup? This circuit by Matthew Swann triggers your camera’s flash after the crouton, or other object passes through an IR beam.

· A wireless scarecrow. This project by Charles Wenzel detects footsteps of a deer or other creature and sounds an alarm to scare them away from your vegetable patch. I especially like the way he shows you how to protect the circuit from bad weather.

· Color Sensor. This project on the Electronics Zone Web site shows how to use of optical filters and light dependant resistors together to drive electronic circuitry that lights a LED corresponding to which one of five different colors of light is present. While I can’t think of a practical use it's a nice demonstration of mixing optics and electronics.

· Putting Together a Remote Control Lawn Mower. If you like the idea of building a remote control lawn mower check out the instructions for building one on the Popular Science Magazine Web site. This project by Dave Prochnow shows how to build the mower he calls the Lawnadillo. ·

· 40 meter radio receiver. The circuit for a 40 meter radio receiver comes with some interesting tips that gives a glimpse of the techniques used to build a receiver from basic components.

· 75 meter ham transceiver. After you’ve got your ham license you might try this transceiver project, the author has provided some very nice photos to help you lay out the circuit.

Other Websites With Collections of Electronic Projects or Circuits:

If you want to browse through other collections of electronics projects here’s a list of interesting Web sites with circuits or projects. Some of these projects use higher voltages and currents than the projects in my book, only tackle projects that you have the knowledge and skills to work on safely.

The Discover Circuits website contains thousands of circuits and is run by Dave Johnson, an electronics engineer who views electronics as his hobby and passion. Check out his Circuits of the Week as well as his List of Electronic Schematic Categories that gives you access to over 23,000 schematics.

Bowden's Hobby Circuits website contains an interesting collection of circuits ranging from LED clocks to audio amplifiers.

The Electronics Lab website has over 300 projects divided into categories such as audio, models and model remote control, radio frequency circuits.

The Circuits for the Hobbyist website run by Tony van Roon has an interesting collection of circuits ranging from LED flashers to solar battery chargers.

FC's Electronics Circuits website run by Forrest Cook has a collection of circuits in areas ranging from solar power to music special affects, with an emphasis on useful applications. He also has a good collection of links to other electronics sites.

For amateur radio projects and circuits try the following websites:

The QRP SWL Homebuilder website contains articles ranging from how to build a short wave receiver to how to sit an electronics shop into a four foot space. Scan through the photos in their projects to get an idea how many amateur radio projects are built without conventional circuit boards.

The projects on the IK30IL website come with well written explanations of the circuit as well as clear schematics and photos of the finished projects.

The Australian Radio Projects website contains information on receivers, transmitters, test equipment and antennas.

For music special effects projects try the following websites:

The diystompboxes website schematic page.

The amzfx website’s schematic, projects and lab notebook pages

The Guitar Effects website

The Music from Outer Space analog synthesizer website

The Cooperative Tube Guitar Amp Project website