Hobby Electronics, Amateur Radio, Do it Yourself Projects, Kits.
Hobby Hound

Monday, December 12, 2011
High Resistance Meter
A negative voltage is derived by shifting gnd with two diodes, i feel this did not work very well. Two pins of CD4028 pins are also used to boost the reference to get two extra ranges as 4051 has a 100E on resistance.
The 555 clock makes 4029 counter count. But the clock can be clamped to gnd by a TL062 window comparator. The clock is frozen when the input value to comparator pin 5-2 is within a lower limit and upper limit "window" pin 3-6.
The 4029 counter BCD is decoded to decimal by 4028 which drives the LEDs, keep LED drive within 3mA or chip will be loaded. Use high efficiency extra-bright LEDs.
The 4029 BCD also controls a shunt resistor array with CMOS switches 4051. The voltage across shunt is a sample of leakage current. This is compared in the window comparator to freeze the Clock and LED display to give a reading of the leakage current or Insulation Resistance.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Femto OS - RTOS for Atmel AVR ATmega
The Femto OS is a very concise portable real time - preemptive operating system (RTOS) for embedded microcontrollers with minimal ram and flash, say 2KB .. 16KB flash and 128 .. 1024 bytes ram. The main target is the Atmel AVR architecture, such as the ATtiny or smaller ATmega series.
Femto OS - RTOS for Atmel AVR ATmega
Femto OS is specially made for small embedded devices. For example, the 'Smallest application' is the application called 'Bare' compiled for the ATmega8. It solely runs a 16 bit led counter on the idle task hook. It consumes 258 bytes of flash and 10 bytes of ram.
- Ruud Vlaming
Read More -
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Ham Shack of W5JGV – Ralph
Ham Shack of W5JGV - Ralph
Then ralph has many projects with educative information. A RF Ammeter the Easy Way. A 400 Watt 60 Hertz Power Inverter. These are interesting to study.

Experimental KW HV Switching Power Supply
The design of switching supplies is a bit more involved than traditional "big iron" transformer power supplies. When taken step-by-step, however, it is quite possible for an amateur to design and build a working high power switching power supply. This article describes a high power, high voltage switch mode power supply designed to operate a KW level RF power amplifier.
Home brew Litz Wire
The Litz wire was fashioned by taking two parallel strands of #18 AWG wire about 115 feet long and twisting them together in a clockwise direction with an electric drill until the twisted wires had about two turns per inch. The twisted wire was then cut into four equal length and laid side by side.
delabs Notes
All Mains Inlet Sockets should be Shuttered, so that such a thing does not happen again to any child again. Another Law, No Mains Socket should be less that 5 feet above the ground level.
EMerge Alliance - Safe Low-voltage Power
Then we should all move to a 24V home voltage standard, Read more at my Tech blog..
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Embedded 8051 TCP-IP WebServer
Project is free. Almost all source codes are available.
Web51 - Project start page
Charon module
Twisted Pair Ethernet 10 Mbit 802.3,Serial TTL level compatible line RS232 (RxD, TxD, RTS, CTS), 32 kB RAM, 64 kB FLASH, 2kB EEPROM.
Murray's Website is missing so here are the related resources.

ET have produced a remarkable board in the WEB51. It is based on the popular Atmel AT89C51RD2 microcontroller, and features the RealTek RTL8019AS full-duplex ethernet controller chip.
You get a huge 64K In-System-Programmable FLASH memory for code and web content, backed up by up to a further 4 optional, I2C addressable EEPROM memory chips.
The ET-WEB51 TCP/IP Ethernet Web Control Board comes preloaded with TCP/IP software that allows you to control outputs, sense inputs and write text to an LCD. All this across the Internet via a standard browser.
"From controlling appliances on your home network, to monitoring industrial processes on the other side of the Earth, the ET-WEB51 can do it all."
Embedded 8051 TCP-IP WebServer
littleBits – Snip Snap and Build Electronics
littleBits is a growing library of pre-assembled circuit boards that snap together with tiny magnets!
littleBits - Snip Snap and Build Electronics
littleBits are simple, intuitive, space-sensitive blocks that make prototyping with sophisticated electronics a matter of snapping small magnets together. Each bit has a simple, unique function (light, sound, sensors, buttons, thresholds, pulse, motors, etc), and modules snap to make larger circuits.
My Notes -
A kid started with "Meccano Set" in the early days. Then there came "The LEGO" now we have littleBits doing it for DIY Electronics Learning. Shown below is a Meccano Kit.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Pinguino - Arduino-compatible for PIC
New library : I2C 16-bit I/O expander #Pinguino can now drive Microchip MCP23O17 / MCP23S17 16-bit input/output port expanders with i2c interface, interrupt output and cascadable for up to 8 devices on one bus.
Pinguino - Arduino-compatible for PIC
Pinguino Software is an Integrated Development Environement (IDE) which gives everyone the ability to write, compile and upload programs on a Pinguino board.
Pinguino comes with a USB Bootloader. This small program running inside the microcontroller is responsible for transferring your application from your PC to the microcontroller memory and handing over the control to this program afterwards.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Optical Sensor for Viscous Liquid
This was built for a Varnish Impregnation Unit. It could be Epoxy or some liquid used in Coil-Capacitor Vacuum Impregnation Process. This was fixed behind a Glass Window, when the liquid reaches this level, the circuit senses it and works like a limit detector. Hence the name Optical Proximity Switch. It is fairy simple in design. It worked after a few trials.
This was a custom design. We always should cost custom designs more, there is more time and materials used up. Only when some quantities are made, you can make it break even. Costing should also involve a R&D component, this is needed to build the in-house lab. Many good firms today, owe their present performance to the research effort and investment done by their predecessors.
InfraRed Detector for Proximity Switch « delabs Schematics
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Amicus an Arduino Like for Microchip PIC
Amicus an Arduino Like for Microchip PIC

Extension boards add functionality to the Amicus, these boards are known as shields. A shield is a PCB that fits over the Amicus board and provides extra functionality, such as Ethernet, Motor control, LCD, Smartcard, GPS, GSM etc…
Amicus is supported by an integrated development environment (AMICUS IDE).
- Proton Basic source code editor - with colour syntax highlighter
- Compiler - Full version of Proton Basic for the PIC Microcontroller with full integration to MPLAB for debugging, if required.
- Programmer - automated programming of the Amicus Board - no external programmer required.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Stereo Audio Music Players

This was done as repairing home electronics was my hobby in school days, I learnt by building Amplifiers based only on transistors from the Old Circuits and Books. The above one is TDA2020 20 Watts Per Channel, with LED input level meter and moving-coil output meters.
Home Made Circuits
It would have a 5 pin din input and RCA speaker output, input for phono, tape, etc. The Speakers had a woofer, tweeter and midrange with passive crossover network.

Stereo Adapter for Portable Music Player
Low Cost Stereo Adapter 20 Watts for Portable Music Player 1984, Bass Treble and Presence.

This was a TB810 based 10+10 Watts Stereo Amplifier with LM381 or 2 Preamplifier, The portable player docks in a wooden cabinet. There was no IR, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth in those days, so the device would interface with amp thru a stereo ear-phone socket-jack system with a shielded cable. Bass, treble and Presence as per an old phillps audio amp book.
Monday, August 22, 2011
PIC Project by Myke Predko
PIC Project by Myke Predko
The Experience he Gained -
"There is one point to make about the layout that you should always keep in mind when developing a circuit with a microcontroller or other programmable device; you should always design the circuit in such a way that the chip can be pulled easily. This means that there should be space at either end for prying the chip up out of its socket or, as I like to do, slide a small screwdriver underneath the PICMicro and "pop" it up simply by twisting it. I know a lot of people that end up cursing themselves because they've forgotten to remember this basic operation"
The Experience of the remote Hobbyist is very important for a Kit Maker or Gadget Maker. We tend to feel .."everybody thinks like me". Each person has his own faculties, tools and experience. Most importantly - the method of teaching which has to adapt to each student. Hence it is important to have a spread of different things and methods, for a enthusiast to choose from. - delabs
The Micro Stop - RS232 and microcontroller schematics and C code, a lot is free! RS232 DVM-001 Voltage Input Board in Kit Form or Fully Assembled and Tested
123 PIC MCU Experiments for the Evil Genius by Myke Predko
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Supercap and White LED and Energy Harvesters
The goldcap-Dynamo Lamp idea is a DIY Tutorial by Kainka on Electrical Energy Harvesting. What may be this EH Thing ?

Energy harvesting (also known as power harvesting or energy scavenging) is the process by which energy is derived from external sources (e.g., solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients, and kinetic energy), captured, and stored for small, wireless autonomous devices, like those used in wearable electronics and wireless sensor networks. - EH at Wikipedia
Then the Cycle Dynamo may not be the ideal choice for furthering this research. The reason being, this is quite a powerful source of energy, especially when going downhill!
Electric Double Layer Capacitor - EDLC
We need a more fussy source of Electricity. Like the waves of the sea, that could splash onto Large plates of Springy Beryllium Copper Cantilevers, which moves an Array of Magnets in coils (Reverse of Solenoids). This gives Random Spurts of High Energy Pulses which have to be Harvested.
Piezoelectric Energy Harvester – Mide Technology
That is for you to dare and do ........ Now let me give some things you can read, before you start this epic Adventure...
Electric double layer capacitor an eFlywheel
Now Move ! There is so much Abundant Energy to be Harvested. You can Even Setup a Roadside Electric Trike Recharging Station. - Gomier Electric Tricycle
We need more contests, An LED Lighting Contest and a Sponsored Elekrik Vehicle (Non-Car) Super-Contest.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
LED Light Bulbs in LED Lighting
Keep improving, there is no other alternative. Edison lamps i like, but are power hungry. CFL's are fragile and fail often. LED is important, we need to make it happen. Every designer and manufacturer has to be reliability concious and be very serous about it. If we cannot do a good job, let us not do it at all.
LED Lamp with Voltage Boost - Here the circuit is boosting the voltage, The current feedback is used to maintain brightness as battery weakens.- ELM - White LED Head Lamp
Illuminating LED Page of Garry Petrie - This page has all the basics you need to know, read this page well to prime your DIY Bench into a LED Lamp Factory. - The Perfect Light
Cant Make 'Em then you Gotta Buy 'Em. - Try this - Control your moods with colors from a LED Bulb. Ideal for Meeting rooms and Brainstorming sessions. - delabs
Naxos PAR-20 Color LED Light Bulb 8-Watt
Featuring three Luxeon K2 LEDs, this high-power RGB LED PAR-20 bulb (E26 'standard' socket) can be controlled with a remote controller!
- 15 different color modes
- Neutral white, Warm white
- Dimming control, Flash mode
- Strobe mode, Fade mode, Smooth mode
Monday, July 18, 2011
Quick look at Some stuff i use – made

Its a Paper Mache Ball on Ferrite. The Base is a DIN Bezel. Many parts are Electromechanical and Electronic Metal Hardware. Plastic Caps and Reed Relays too.

Thanks Weller for making the Best Soldering Iron
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Prototyping to prove a Design Concept
Even now it is used after simulation or directly. Many RF and Power electronics designs may have to be verified and modified on Pilot Production. Digital Designs and Software/Firmware checks don't need hardware prototypes, but need a proven framework to test it on.

Hobby and Education learning must use breadboards alongside simulation, even though educational eda tools are used. Breadboard connects us with the reality, the way it is. Then you will even simulate better. Robotics and Developing Mechatronics Solutions may need prototyping and modifications many times over.
Soldering and Shiny joints are everything in electronics. One dry solder, a cut track, a solder bridge or splatter near the IC can make a card malfunction.
Thin copper tracks taking high currents, HV and LV circuit isolation, Ground loops, RF Antenna Effect, Ground Plane and Guard rings are just some things to know on Component to Component Connections, that make a huge difference.
In Design Notes of Soldermans Basic Electronics you will find my learning notes in electronics. How this learning happened ?
I had setup my Hobby Science/Electronics Lab when i was in School, In college i was helping others learn practical electronics. I worked in Product Design and Engineering Departments when i was Employed. During this time my Electronics Lab was a Free Training Center, sponsored by my own pay. Then i started my manufacturing firm.
delabs Technologies
More reading - Luciani.org Breadboard Hints - John Luciani explains how to prototype a circuit to try out a concept.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Gabotronics – Oscilloscopes and Embedded Kits
Designs and manufactures embedded systems. Specialized in 8-32 bits microcontroller projects, instrumentation and data acquisition, PCB Layout, custom electronic designs and engineering consultation. Based in Palmetto, FL.
Gabotronics - Oscilloscopes and Embedded Kits
COMA+ The All in One Instrument, will enhance the original specifications, like using a TFT display and using a few external ICs to simplify the design, like the ICL7135 multimeter IC, and a DDS to generate the waveforms, probably the AD9833.
Is it a Calculator, Oscilloscope, Multimeter, Analyzer….; No it is The Coma+ .
Some Features
- 2 Channel, 8bit 16MSPS Oscilloscope
- FFT on acquired data
- 8 Channel Logic Analyzer
- Arbitrary Signal Generator
- Frequency Generator
- Multimeter:
- Volt Meter, 1 M ohm Input impedance
Coma+ - An Instrument that propels an Engineer to a Superconscious State, It is under development. It was preceded by Coma an instrument capable of performing multiple tasks, data acquisition, signal generation and multimeter.
AVR Assembler Tutorial – Gerhard Schmidt
Learning AVR Assembler with practical examples, Want to learn how to program AT90S AVR processors in assembler language? This is the page for you!
AVR Assembler Tutorial - Gerhard Schmidt
Erlernen der AVR-Assemblersprache mit praktischen Beispielen. Wollten Sie schon immer Assemblersprache von AT90S AVR-Prozessoren erlernen? Das ist die Seite zum Lernen!
Four simple programming examples with extended comments as first steps of a practical introduction to assembler programming: Sense and requirements, Simple programming examples
Converting a digital value to an analog voltage using a buffered R/2R network, including wave generation like sawtooth, triangle, sinewave forms and a small tone player application.
School Bus Conversion to Steampunk
He has many achivements to his credit; From converting a Thomas Saf-T-Liner, a flat-nosed diesel school bus into a family camper To a DIY Op-Amp Hot Tub Temperature Controller.
Look at Mr. Jake von Slatt, How he done things. This is what we learn from him …
Jake's School Bus Conversion and Other Projects
Jump into the problem and solve it, See the way a Creative DIY Enthusiast solves an automation problem at home. The Job gets done this way, such seasoned people are rare. Now the idea is …
Think - Deliberate - Draw - Build - Test - Install
We all get stuck at the 'Deliberate' step, If its team work, a few should leave the desk and the conference rooms and start Prototyping and Simulating. This helps understanding a tough problem. Better still find a fast and simple solution.
Then there is that Sensational Site That Jake Built - The Steampunk Workshop. This is where it all Happens.
Monday, June 27, 2011
LC Meter PIC 16F84 - Phil Rice VK3BHR
A Surprisingly Accurate Digital LC Meter
Phil Rice - vk3bhr - Home Page
"The AADE web site gave details of how their design worked and a circuit diagram. This led me to propose a design using their oscillator, but in a slightly different way. Like theirs, mine would measure the free running frequency of an LC oscillator, then successively apply a known capacitance then the unknown inductor (or capacitor)."

LC-Meter nach VK3BHR mit PIC 16F84
Der hier vorgestellte Nachbau des LC-Meter von VK3BHR, Phil Rice, verwendet einen PIC 16F84 und eine Punktmatrixanzeige. Der Messbereich geht in etwa von 0 bis 10 mH für Induktivitäten und von etwa 0 bis 100 nF für Kapazitäten.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Applied Magnetics by Barry Hansen
Barry Hansen enthusiasm for Coilgun Designs has created an EE education portal.
See the RLC Simulator and Inductor Simulator. By building a Gauss Gun which is like a Solenoid, Electromagnetic Relay or 3 phase contacter, you can learn electromechanics. This may be like a sequential solenoid which makes things move.This leads us to the Linear motor.
Applied Magnetics by Barry Hansen
There is also a very interesting learning article. PID in Control Systems in reading a DIY levitator design In Popular Electronics May 1996 - James Cicon.
Why build a coilgun?
It demonstrates many basic concepts of magnetic machines. A coilgun is foremost an example of a solenoid. These appear practically everywhere, from car door locks to doorbells.
(Youngsters Should do Basic Electricity Experiments with the Supervision and Guidance of a Technician, Engineer, Experienced Enthusiast or an Amateur-Radio Operator
My own interest into electricity-magnetism came with a failed Doorbell in my Schooldays, from collecting gramophone and chemistry lab parts i got escalated to the Iron-n-Copper Age - delabs)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
ABACOM LochMaster - BreadBoard projects
A Schematic design has been made, either from experience coupled with testing out application note blocks together. It could also be trying out an idea from a Magazine. If you have simulation tools, you may want to simulate parts of the design and iron out some flaws.
Now if this design is small or made of tested blocks and maybe verified by a seasoned designer. Then you can move to pilot production of 7 Nos.
If you cannot afford the risk and the cost of iterations. Sometimes making the PCB may delay the design so much, that the "Time to Market" will be too long. Then you lose out to the competition.
So... or Hence or even Thus ... A quick Breadboard or Stripboard testing not only validates your schematic, but improves your design skills by making you more familiar with the components and their behavior. The real world limitations and the non-ideal electrical specifications of passives, semiconductors and chips too. This brings us back to the word Didactic. We should always have both the feet on the Ground.
I wrote this note above inspired by the LochMaster, few years ago.
ABACOM LochMaster - BreadBoard projects
LochMaster 4.0 is a developers tool for BreadBoard projects. It has useful functions for designing, documenting and testing project
boards.
Monday, June 20, 2011
G8NQN - Martin - Keadby North Lincolnshire UK
G8NQN - Martin - Keadby North Lincolnshire UK
He has links to various sites that cover the RAE exam theory in detail, this section can be used as a reference for those taking the RAE at a training centre.
CI-V Interface Controller
As you can see the circuit is very simple, and uses the Max 233 CPP RS232 interface chip to control the data flow, this interface works very well with programs like Ham Radio Deluxe etc, and I am now using this interface on a daily basis.

So far I have only built this circuit on a small piece of Veroboard, but that's where all good projects begin, I am not going to waste time going into the construction of this interface due to its simplicity, however if you want any details please email me you can find my email address on QRZ.COM, (or join my forum) link to that on the homepage.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Schematic to Reality a nice Perspective
From Schematic to Reality
Here is a nice page with refreshing illustrations, this page helps initiate a Electronics Newbie in the complex science of Schematic Reading.

Phantom Power and Microphone Interconnect Basics
What's that you say? You don't know your AC from your DC' Audio is considered an Alternating Current, a.k.a. "AC." (So is 120-volt "wall" power.) But electronic circuits need Direct Current (DC) to turn them on, from batteries or power supplies.
The Electric Web Matrix
DIY Pages and Know-How for those who love vacuum tubes, computers, and hearing music in its pristine form. There is an Audio and Electronics section is for the DIY computer audiophile.
My Notes - Even though i had Electronics Junk in my lab, when i was at school. (I used to call it Nuts-n-Bolts) The first project i saw being built by a friend was a Guitar Pickup using Germanium Transistors/Diodes. This was my first semiconductor schematic reading. Get into electronics now with a Audio Project, or ....
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Alternative Energy Projects - MTM Scientific
The MTM Scientific, Inc. Experimenter Corner
Highlights are How to Measure the Power Output of Solar Panels and the Time Controlled Relay Switching Kit.
They also sell a Battery Amp Hour Meter and a Crystal Diode set which contains 1N34A diodes, 1N60 and D9B for learning electronics. They are Germanium Diodes.
An interesting Energy solution is the Hand Cranked DC Generator Plans. It describes how to build a hand operated electric power generator using a standard DC gearhead motor.
Solar Tracker Circuit Kits helps you servo position your Solar Cell Array, you can build a device which will automatically follow the sun across the sky.
Alternate Energy Plans by Lee Bell
Alternate Energy Plans by Lee Bell
"I already had a marine deep cycle type battery and an alternator that someone had traded me a while back in exchange for a 1hp dc treadmill motor. He was building a windmill and the car alt needed too many rpm's for what he wanted to do. I think it's a standard GM type." - Lee Bell

delabs Notes
Alternate Energy, storing and managing your own small power source, are an invaluable asset for Home or Small Business.
Depending on oneself, not only develops skills but also keeps you in form always. Building an energy source cost-effectively, requires you to put in a lot of learning and building efforts.That itself may become your future Small Business
Remember Fossil Fuels are Running out fast, Only Internet Communications and Alternative Energy will keep Business Blooming.
The lifestyle has to change, The future Generations are going to face the Heat, or is it Bitter Cold ! Even Freezing ?
Coal and Steel with Steam brought about the First Industrial Boom. Then Oil created unprecedented Magic, the Second Technological Revolution. This will not last long. If only Rover found Oil in Mars, this post was not needed.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Phoenix Science Experiments
Phoenix Science Experiments
Phoenix depends heavily on Python language. The data acquisition, analysis and writing simulation programs to teach science and computation.
Different sensors elements can be interfaced and accessed by few lines of Pythoncode. Phoenix utilizes the power of personal computers for experiment control, data acquisition and its mathematical analysis.

PMDK is an easy-to-use, low cost micro-controller development system. The hardware consists of an ATmega16MCU, LCD display and regulated DC supply. All the I/O pins of the MCU are available on sockets.
The instrument is designed using locally available low cost components and the design is freely available for commercial production. Design supports hardware plug-in modules for expansion. Phoenix is developed using Free Software tools.
The serial and USB versions can be easily interfaced to a PC. They can also be programmed through the serial/USB ports after uploading a bootloader program to ATmega16.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Amateur Radio and Calculators for Electronics
John Owen has made Enriching Electronics Pages at vwlowen.co.uk. There are many Ham Radio projects too.
Amateur Radio and Calculators for Electronics
A highlight is the "Build A PICAXE Weather Station." This is quite Exhaustive and Detailed.
Starting Electronics - a simple first project.
Here he teaches in simple tongue, The method and steps to towards the first project and that too, with the Sacred SG555 Timer.
Collection of calculators, ready-reckoners
Here is where he dazzles, He has developed very useful Calculators to make your Numbers Game a Piece of Cake.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
MiscEl - Many Electronic Calculations
MiscEl - Many Electronic Calculations
The program contains a lot of pages with different electronic calculations. Each page contain one or more different calculations.

Science calculators are on Geometry and Periodic table. Some Electronic Calculators are shown below
- TinyCalc Can do the same as the entry line in Calculator, but is very small when pulled out.
- Ohms law Ohms law, impedance of capacitor and inductors, complex power
- Waveforms Calculates RMS, mean, PEEK, DC, FFT for different waveforms.
- Thermo sensors Calculates for PT100, NTC and all types of thermocouples
- Series/parallel Calculate/design series/parallel connection of resistors, capacitors and inductors
Radiocalc or dBcalc - Conversions RF Engineering
Radiocalc - Convertisseur Radio Universel

Thanks to RadioCalc the different dB charts are obsolete by computing the ratios of Power (W) or Voltages (V) according to dB = 10*log(P2/P1) ou dB = 20*log(V2/V1).
Just for a trial : type 100/10 (or just 10) and push the dB button as the 'W' mode is chosen, the result will be 10 dB, then choose the 'V' mode by clicking in the V button (in the Quick dB window) push again dB, the result is now 20 dB.
From - Temcom - Consulting for test & measurement and electronics in France
(This was Earlier Radiocalc, i have now updated the link to the new site in France)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Electronic Surplus - Obsolete Rare Components
They are Experts with hard to find electronic parts from audio ICs and devices, to transformers and relays. An inventory that is made up of obsolete and active items.
Electronic Surplus - Obsolete Rare Components
Surplus Electronics: Switches, Capacitors, Transformers, Connectors, Motors, Meters & Analog Indicators, Semiconductors and More.
Sell or Dispose your stagnant inventories or unused items to Electronic Surplus. This is a Green Solution, Recycle, it also helps small entrepreneurs do something new. Remember old parts may corrode and get infested if idle for long. Electrolytics and Batteries do not have a good shelf life.
"E.S.I. was started by Clyde Daniels back before 1930 when he was selling all types of material he then progressed to Military surplus after World War 2 when his son Dick joined him after serving on PT boats in the Navy and Dick mother Ida Maye completed the family operation."
Electronic Surplus Inc
8755 Munson Road #6, MENTOR, OH 44060
Saturday, March 26, 2011
LM3914 - Versatile and Easy use Display
LM3914 - Versatile and Easy use Display
- Drives LEDs, LCDs or vacuum fluorescents
- Bar or dot display mode externally selectable by user
- Expandable to displays of 100 steps
- Internal voltage reference from 1.2V to 12V
- Operates with single supply of less than 3V
- LED driver outputs are current regulated, open-collectors
My LM3914 Circuits
Millivolt Meter using a LM3914 LED Dot Display

Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wireless Home Power Monitor - Tweet-a-Watt
This is an Embedded Project using a XBee. Makes an Energy/Watt/Power Meter into a Wireless Intelligent Sensor.
These Sensors are Interfaced to a PC using another XBee. The Data Acquired can be Displayed(monitor), Logged (sql/csv) and Analyzed (graphs/reports). Then you can form a set of Green Resolutions and Implement them.
Tweet-a-Watt! A safe and simple wireless power monitor
Monitor upto 1.5 KW, You have to own a Kill-A-Watt device to Add-On this Kit to Web Enable it. Each plug transmits the power usage at that outlet to a central computer receiver. The receiver can then log, graph and report the data.
OscilloScopes for the DIY Enthusiast
The µSCOPE - A poorman's oscilloscope
The oscilloscope is still one of the most important measurement tools of the electronic engineer. With the advent of the often very reasonably priced USB scopes, such an instrument is now within reach of every body.

Digital oscilloscope - Build a simple Inexpensive digital oscilloscope. Single channel, about 100 MSPS. RS-232 based.
xoscope is a digital oscilloscope using input from a sound card orEsounD and/or a ProbeScope/osziFOX and will soon support Bitscopehardware. Includes 8 signal displays, variable time scale, math,memory, measurements, and file save/load.
xoscope - digital oscilloscope for Linux
MHZ100Q is a low cost FPGA-based high speed data acquisition system. Version 2 is a standalone board containing 2, 100MHz 8-bit A/D channels, preamp, 7th order elliptical antialiasing filters, and a Xilinx FPGA.
MHZ100Q - Open Source FPGA-based 100MHz A/D
A USB interface is implemented in the FPGA firmware. Power comes from the USB bus. Schematics, VHDL and Verilog source code, and signal capture and display software are available and being posted.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Incredible 555 Timer
Some of my 555 Circuits are at my blog - 555-Circuits - delabs Schematics
The best part of the 555 is that it has an voltage detection. It has a Versatile Logic which is defined by voltage comparators. The ability to loop it like an opamp for feedback makes it the first "Programmable" Mixed Chip. In short it make an ideal building block.
555 The most Incredible Chip - At my Learning-Teaching Blog Solderman Basics.
Signetics made the 555, This is one IC that is like a E-LEGO, this along with Op-Amps and other components can make many interesting projects. On some pins like Control Voltage it responds to analog signals and on Reset and Output the signals are Digital like. The 7555 a CMOS version consumes lower power and oscillates at higher frequencies.
555 Timer Circuits at delabs

555 Timer based Circuits
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
CAn Remote Automation-Control with AVR
CAn Remote Automation-Control with AVR
Every node of the net communicate each other through a robust protocol (CANBus), and the status can be monitored by a PC possibly connected to the Internet.

Other Open Source Home Automation Projects
MisterHouse: Home Automation with Perl
MisterHouse is a Windows/Unix home automation program written in Perl. It can respond to voice commands, web browsers, time of day, serial port and X10 data, external files, etc and can speak via Text to Speech engines.
OpenRemote - Home of the Digital Home
Software for the Internet-enabled Home at openremote.org. An Open Community in the Home Automation and Domotics space. We believe an Open Source approach can revolutionize the way people create, install, and maintain software in the industry.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
BricoGeek.com - Gadgets Gizmos and Arduino
BricoGeek.com - Gadgets Gizmos and Arduino
Arduino Nano is like the Arduino Mini, but smaller. Allows rapid prototyping on a breadboard.
Comes with chip version 3.0 ATMega328. ICSP connector for external programmer. USB mini-B connector for programming and serial communication. Integrated voltage regulator. Pins-spaced 0.1 "DIP for insertion directly on a breadboard
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Van Ooijen Technische Informatica
Wouter van Ooijen runs VOTI is an engineer who has worked on many software and systems projects. He has a Webshop with PIC Parts and Kits. His PIC FAQ and "blink a LED using one of these flash PICmicro controller" is great for beginners.
Van Ooijen Technische Informatica
A circuit that generates a voltage that rises slowly from 0 to 10 Volt and (when a switch is flipped) slowly back to 0. The request did not pose much restriction on the wave form, but a rise / fall time of 30 minutes should be possible.
I got a mail question, which i logged here Long Duration Linear Sweep or Ramp Generator. The above project could be an neat answer.