DIY PCB Using Parchment Paper
How to use parchment paper and a laminator to make high quality PCB’s.
circuit
A Micro Relay at Work
The fundamentals of switching in GIF format! See a 5V micro relay switch from normally-closed to normally-open and back to normally-closed.
Build a Custom Tremolo Effects Box
The latest addition to our Weekend Projects series is an Optical Tremolo Box. Inspired by Charles Platt’s article about online DIY guitar stomp-box communities (MAKE Volume 15, page 82, “Stomp Box Basics: Tremolo and Fuzz”), MAKE Technical Editor Sean Ragan took up the challenge of building this project. He used a cadmium sulfide photoresistor as […]
Apple iPhone Charger Teardown
Great article by Ken Shirriff on the circuit and build of the iPhone charger. Like most people, I think I have taken this little device for granted for the years that I’ve owned an iPhone. Disassembling Apples diminutive inch-cube iPhone charger reveals a technologically advanced flyback switching power supply that goes beyond the typical charger. […]
Flex Your Brain Muscle With Game Show Buttons
Weekend Projects is back! This year we’ll be making more with LEDs (but of course!), lasers, and solar power; we’ll be building bots, rovers, and bending circuits, among other projects. And for our first build – Game Show Buttons – we’ll be using the versatile and legendary 555 timer.
Make a custom circuit board holiday tree
Want to build your own custom circuit board, in a fun shape? Don’t want to deal with any etching chemicals? You can use your Dremel Rotary Tool to cut a copper clad board into a unique shape and route festive pathways for your electrons. This technique (sometimes called “dead bug construction” or “ground plane construction”) is a fun way to explore circuit board design and surface-mounting of through-hole electronic components. Plus, the result is a really fun high-tech ornament that displays its technology on the outside.
Circuit Skills: LED Color Organ, sponsored by Jameco Electronics
Long before the dawn of digital music, folks employed the power of the electric color organ (aka “light organ”) to add some synced visuals to their hi-fi experience. Schematics for building such a beast based on AC power and incandescent bulbs can be be found fairly easily on the web, but plans for comparable LED-based […]
