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Enigma Team

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www.enigmaelectronica.tk
 llr tln hoilmomtl
rurProlcGB

Duringmorethan20 years,the author,as a collaborator

withAmerican,
andLatinAmerican
European magazines*,
electronics haspublished
a large
circuitsusingcommonparts.
of practical
assortment
Nowmanyof thoseprojectsareincluded in thisvolume,mostof whichyou
Theprojects
canbuildin oneevening. rangefromfuntypesthroughpractical
typesto amusementtypes.Of course,thereareotherdevicesthatcan be
usedto teachyousomethingaboutcircuitsor components.
featureofthesesprojects
Animportant aretheldeasto Explore, for
intended
lookingfor
students projects
in scienceor to usein practical
research.
Wecanconsider thisbookas a sourcebookof theeasiestandfun-to-make
of thehundreds createdandpublished
of projects bytheauthorduringthese
last years.
But,as the projectsare in a widerangeof types,we shouldseparatethe
electronicsexperimentersintotwogroups:theoneswhowantto improve or
expandsomeotherareaof theirelectronics interest,suchas computers,
audio,securityandevengames;andthe oneswho
radio,instrumentation,
wantto learnsomething circuitsanddevicesor wantnew
aboutelectronic
ideasto usein scienceprojects.
Mostoftheprojectsdescribed asindividual
hereincanbestand-alone acces-
wherever
sories; possible
the have
circuits been so
designed thattheycan be
gangedwithoneor moreotherprojects. manyprojects
Forexample, of audio
canbegangedwithaudioamplifiers
etfectsor generators or high-powerout-
putstages.
Alltheprojects withfewlow-cost
aresimple, thatcanbemadein
components
oneevening of work.
Tomakeit easyforthe readerto choosethe projects we addedcodesafter
thekindof experimenterfor
eachtitleto indicate whomtheyareintended:the
code"P" (Practical)
indicatesa projectbuilt
for practical The
use. code"E'
(Experimental) thatthe projectis intended
indicates to
forthe experimenter
teachsomething aboutcircuitsor devlces.
 trolrcc

Of course,you can also find projectswith both codes(E and P)whichcan

dther be mountedto teachsomethingorknd be usedfor a practicalend.

The presentations of the projectsare practical.Electronicscomponentsare

listedwith eachcircuitdiagram.But secondarypartssuchas sockets,chas-
sis, enclosures,miscellaneous hardwareand so on, are not specified,since
the readeris free to choosethesenon-criticalitemsaccordingto his prefer-
encesand demands.

The mannerin whichthe circuitswork and can be modifiedis explainedin

practicaltermsso the readercan acquiresomeknowledgeof practicalelec-
tronicsas he progressesthroughthe book.

Althoughmanyof the projectswe enjoyedconstructing as theyaredescribed

here,youmaythinkof possiblemodifications. Wejust recommend thatyougo
aheadand modifythe circuitsto yourpersonalends.Thereis a wide latitude
in circuitmodifications
and mostof themwill be of valueto the experimenter
whowantsto see howthingswork,eventhougheachproject'sprimaryintent
is forthe builderwhodesiresa functionalitemof equipmentas the resultof his
work.

As the bookincludeseasy-to-build projects,the authorhopesit will helpyou

to learnmanyof the fundamentals of electronicsin an easyandfun way,and,
if you'rea student,providea sourcefor schoolprojects.

NewtonC. Braga

. Mini-Projects
is thetitleof a columnpublished
bytheauthorduringseveral
yearsin a BrazilianElectronics MagazinenamedEletr6nicaTotal
(TotalElec-
tronics).
frnFdocahlhclnulmtmol

(E/P)
MlcRo-PowERLEDFLASHER
A simpleLEDflashercan be builtwitha TLC7555Timerusedas a low-
frequency anddriveto an LED.lC1runsin a lowfrequency
oscillator deter-
minedbyR?R3andC1.Frequency is intherangebetween0.1and5 Hzbut
youcanalterit bychanging
Cl.Thiscapacitor canrangefrom1 to 10uF.
Dutycycleisdetermined inapplications
byR2/R3ratioandis important where
youneedreduction of energyconsumed.Though Figure1 showsfixedresis-
torsfor R2 and R3, you can usetrimmer potentiometers if you prefer.The
potentiometers,ofcourse,arehandyforalteringthefrequency anddutycycle
of theoscillator.
Rl valuesdependuponthe powersupplyvoltage. Withpowersuppliesbe-
tween5 and6 volts,R1is 470ohms.Withpowersuppliesbetween 6 and9
volts,Rl is 560or680ohms.Withpowersupplies intherangebetween9 and
12volts,Rl mustbe 1,000ohms.The circuitdrainsonly250uAfroma 6-volt
powersupply.
Figurel showstheschematic diagram LEDFlasher.
fortheMicro-Power At
theheartof thecircuitis lOl, a 555timer.
Usethe partsplacement diagramas a guidewhenassembling the Micro-
PowerLED Flasher.
Components placement,usinga terminal
stripas chas-
sis,is shownin Figure2.
Takespecialcarewithpositions
of polarized suchas the LED
components,
capacitor.
andelectrolytic
Afteryouaresurethatyouhavewiredallthecomponents putthe
correctly,
TheLEDshouldflash.
in thebatteryholder.
batteries
 H.lGtt@

R1
560s,

Dl Rg
1N914 4KT

c1
4.7pF

Figure I

l{"

Figure2

I
It mtnfffifrtchrmlffi
I
I'
PartsList - Micro-Power
LEDFlasher
lC1 - TLC7555CMOSIntegratedOircuit- Timer

LEDI - Commonred,greenor yellowLED

D1 - 1N914generalpurposesilicondiode

Rl - 560 ohm, 114W,5%

resistor

R2 - 1,000,000
ohm, 114W,5%resistor

Rg - 4,700ohm, 114W,5%resistor

C1 - 4,7 uF,6IM/DC electrolytic

capacitor

C2 - 10 UF,12 W\/DCelectrolytic
capacitor

81 - 6 to 12VAA cells,9V batteryor powersupply

ldeasto Explore
learnmoreaboutthe circuitand devices:
o AlterR2andR3 (minimumvaluesare 1,000ohmsforboth)andsee
howthe flashingratechanges.Of course,if youwant,youcan replace
R2 and R3 with 1,000,000-ohmtrimmerpotentiometers.
o Explainhowthe astable555 worksin this circuit.

o AlterC1 in a rangebetween1 and 100uF andobserveflashingrate

alteration.Explainwhathappens.
o Whatis duty-cycle?
 FroFGtltlmPomrlMmficr

Scienceexperiments
withthe clrcuit:
o LED ls a monochromatic lightsource.Youcan performsome ex-
perimentsin opticsusingthiskindof lightsource.Chromaticfilterscan
be usedin someexperiments involvingLEDs.TrytouseLEDsof differ-
ent colors(red,yellow,greenand,if possible,blue).
. Lightflashes,as the onesproducedby this circuit,can be usedin
hypnoticexperiments.
o The circuitcan be used to indicateoperationof otherelectronic
devices.Wiredto the powersupplyof a monitoreddevice,the blinker
LEDwillindicateits operation.

Remember thatthetheoryin thisbookis specifically

relatedto the associated
experiments and projects.Thisbookis designedas an introduction, notas an
in-depthtreatmentof electronics.lf you are interestedin findingout more
aboutthe subjectstouchedon in this book,severaltextscan be foundfor
furtherreading.
r frnPrrre$hrfiosrrhdlu
_

FLIP-FLOP(E)
SET-RESET
WiththispQectwe canshowhowtwoNANDgatesof a 7400lC (TTLInte-
canbe wiredto performas an R-Sflip-flop.
gratedGircuit)
Thiscircuitisa pulse-triggered thatneedsnegative-going
flip-flop pulsesto be
Thiscircuitoperatesas follows:as we see,it haltwg_outngls;
triggered. a
nolmdoutputcalledO (LED1) andaninverted outputcalledO (LED2).When
oneoutputis 1theothernecessarily willbe0 andvice-versabecause theyare
complementary.
ThecircuithasalsotwoinputsnamedS (SET)andR (RESET) as shownin
theschematicdiagram,wherethetriggersignalsareapplied.
R inputiswiredto Q outputandS inputiswiredto Ooutput,forminga closed-
loopforthedigitalsignals.
Whena negative-going triggerpulseis appliedto S inputtheoutputQ swingi
to the 1 staie.As thistutputis wiredto R input,the 1 statecausesoutputQ
tofallto a 0 level.ButQ outputis alsowiredto S inputcausinga feedbackthat
makesitsoutputremainat 1 alsoatterthetriggerpulsehasdisappeared. To
triggertheflip-flop again,changing theoutputstates, weshould applya nega-
p!-going pulseto R input.This pulsecausestheoutputto goto 1, andasthis
outputis wiredto R input,thetriggerpulsealsocausestheoutputQ to goto
0level.
Azeroin thisoutputgoesto R input,andalsoafterthetriggerpulsedisap-
pearstheoutputsremainin theirstates.
Seethatthe circuithastwo stablestates,andwe onlycan changethese
pulsesappliedto its inputs.
stateswithsetor reset(S or R) negative-going
wiringa
flip-flopandcanbe constructed
Ourprojectis a manually-triggered
switchto the R-Sinputsas shownin Figure1.
twoLEDs.LED1glowswitha 1 at Q outputand
Logicstatesareindicateqby
LED2glowswitha 1 at d outPut.
 Ffd0crzsH-i$fff,llHrr

Thecircuitmustbe powered powersupplyas it usesa

by a S-voltregulated
TTLlC.Currentrequirements
rangetypicallyfrom5 to 15 mA.
placement
Components ona smallprinted-circuit
boardisshownin Figure2.
Experimentslikethiscanalsobeperformedonwhatelectronics experiment-
erscall"breadboards".
Theseareboardson whichthe partsof experiments
canbe temporarilyassembled.By usingbreadboards
it is notnecessary
to

teo\/7 $1"

t'\tt
ffin

Figure I

Figure 2

r8
Frndrctrffithe halmffil
"solderlessboards"
This is why theyare alsocalled
solderthe components.

The circuitcan be usedto teachmuchaboutflip-flops,usedin computersas

countersand in memoriesand manyotherapplications.

Observation:In digitalelectronicsan electricalsignalis eitherhigh or low.

Thesetwo statesale usedto representbinarybits 1 and0. Sincedigitallogic
lOs operatefrom a single-endedpowersupply,a high state representsa
voltagenearthe supplyvoltageanda lowstaterepresents a voltagenear 0V'

PanrsLsr - SET-RESET
FUP-FIoP
fC1 - 74OOTTL IntegratedGircuit

LEDs - Red,greenor yellowcommonLEDs

R1,R2 - 330 ohm, 114W,5Y"resistors

51 - SPDT toggleswitch

ldeasto ExPlore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitanddevices:
o Thecommon countercircuit.Mountother
flip-flopis a fundamental
unitslikethisand usethemto explainhowcountersandmemories
workin computer circuits.Eachflip-flopcanstorea bit.
. Findtheditferences andhowthey
betweenR-SandJ-Kflip-flops
areusedin logiccircuits.
usingthiscircuit:
andprojects
Scienceexperiments
o Replace 51 bya-magnetic anduse
(reed)switchor a microswitch
memoryin experiments.
thiscircuitas a one-event lt candetectand
memorize whena Switchin an lure,alarm,or mechanicalprocessis
closedfora moment.
-
tf
I ff ilo lrnulmrnml
HnProfmB

(P)
MIN|-METRONOME
metronome
Hereis a dandytwo-transistor whichyoucanbuildintoa small
plasticcase.Youcan usean old nonworking radioto housethis
transistor
gadget.In mostcaseyou can merelyremovethe maincircuitrybut retain
someparts,suchas the on-otfvolumecontrolpotentiometer,speakerand
just
batteryholder.lf youhavedonethis,youhave eliminated the following
items:SPKR,51,and81.
Thecircuitcanbepowered
withtwoorfourAAcellsanddrainsabout10mA.
As soonas 31 is closed,themetronorfle
stbrtqclacking. poten-
Byadjusting
tiometerP1youfindthe "beat'orfrequency youwishto set.
of clacking
Tocalibrate, yourmetronome
youhaveonlyto synchronize witha commercial
typeor anyknownsource.
Figurel showstheschematic diagram At theheart
fortheMini-Metronome.
of thecircuitareQ1 andQ2,as a two-stage direct-coupled which
amplifier,
allowsthe to
circuit generate pulses.
intervalled
usinga terminalstrip
of themetronome,
Figure2showsa mechanicalview
as "chassis"
forthesmallcomponents.
Positionof the polarizedcomponents,suchas Gl, C2 andthe transistor,
shouldbe observed in themounting.

rt
 ;fdcr8 ilrl-IrEwm

P1
1M
*_J
Q2 | st\
Bc5s8
R1 | t
10K Q1 t l
c2d I
100pFT I
I t ?

+r\ l a r :
c1 R2 | 3/6V T-
lOpF 1K

SPKR
4l8A

Ftgure 1

Figure2 \

t0
HftFCIFfrilTtrlffiHT
_--- -

PartsList - Mini Metronome

Q1 - 8C548 NPNtransistor

Q2 - 8C558 PNPtransistor

51 - SPST toggleor slideswitch

81 - 3V or 6V - two or four AA cells

SPKR- 4 or I ohm,2 to 4-inchloudspeaker

P1 - 1,000,000ohm Potentiometer

Rl - 10,000ohm, 1l4W,5olo
resistor

PA - 1,000ohm, 114W,5%resistor

C1 - 10 pf, 6 VVVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

C2 - 10 Uf, 6 WVDC electrolyticcapacitor

ldeasto ExPlore

To learnmoreaboutthe circuitanddevicesor to get betterperformance:

o ReplaceG1 by anycapacitor in the rangebetween1 and 10 pF.
Observewhatwillhappento thebeatrate.Explainit'
o Replace Q2withaTlP32ona smallheatsink
transistor andpower
haveextrapowerfor
thecircuitfroma 9V or 12Vpowersupply.You'll
yourexperimental metronomeandcanuseit in largerplaces.
o . RemovePl andtouchwithyourfingersthe pointswhereit was
Canyouexplainwhatis goingon?
wiied.Willthecircuitoperate?

-
2a
 Prtlm8 thl-ilrtrrnrm

Scienceexperiments
andditferent
usesforthecircuit:
o Themetronome canbe usedin gymnasticexercisesor in running
to findthecorrectrhythm.
Themetronome canbe housedin a small
plasticbox,powered bycellsandeasilycarriedwiththerunner.
o Biological
experimentswithsoundscanbe madewiththisdevice;
experiments
in animalconditioning,
forexample.

n
filnH.f0c03ffisrhoilm

PENDULUMALARM (E/P)
thatswingsthependulum
Anymovement thisalarm,enabling
sensortriggers
a relay.
homesandotherplaces
Thecircuitcanbeusedto protectcars,largeobjects,
asthesensorcanbe usedto detectanymovement. Thisdevicecanalsobe
as suggested
experiments,
usedforscientific at theendof thesection.

Therelaycandrivepowerful soundsystems, suchas sirens,horns,lamps,

etc.Thecircuitcan be poweredby a l2-voltbattery(whenusedin cars,for
instance)ora powersupply.
Currentdrainisverylow(about100uA)whenthe
extending
relayis deenergized, batterylife.
Theschematic Alarmis shownin Figurel.Thecircuit
circultofthePendulum
hasas its heartan SCR(SiliconControlled whichenergizes
Rectifier), the
relaywhenthe sensordetectsanymovement.
A mechanical usinga terminalstripas chassis,
viewof thecircuitmounting,
is shownin Figure2.
to the powersupplyvoltage.
Relaycoilvoltageis chosenaccording Youcan
usea miniDPDT1AMiniRelay(RadioShack275'249) or,forheavyloads,a
10AminiSPDTrelay(RadioShack275-248).These relaysare ratedlo 12
VDCand drainonly38 mA (theircoil resistanceis about320 ohms).As
typescanbe used,youshouldtakecarewithterminallayout.
equivalent
Resetcanbemadewitha momentary-typ6switch(Push-On)wiredbetween
theSCRanodeandcatode,or by usingtheon-otfswitch.
of polarized
Positions suchas the SCRanddiode,shouldbe
components,

occurswhen
::t::r":tairs areatsosivenin Fisurc2.Noricethatoperation
barewiretouchesthe ringduring movement.
thevertical(orhorizontal) any

2l
 fl0l0c|| Penilulumlhrm

(sEETEXT)
X1 R1
scR
Ttc106

Figure I

Figure 2

'B
m'lrfrctstrhrhuffim

PartsList - PendulumAlarm
SCR -TlC106or equivalent
Silicon Rectifier
Gontrolled
D1 - 1N914or equivalent
general-purpose
silicondiode
K1 - 12Vrelay(seetext)

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

Rl - 22,OOO resistor
ohm,114W,5%
R2 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor
X1 - Pendulum
sensor(seetext)

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutcircuitanddevices:
lamp.Doesthe
o Replacerelaywitha 12Yx 200mAincandescent
circuitwork?
o Explain if therelayis
whatDl is doinginthiscircuit.ls it necessary
byan incandescent
replaced lamp?
o Explainhowan SCRworks
Scienceprojects usesforthiscircuit:
andditferent
o ReplaceX1 by a reedswitchto get an alarmtriggeredby a mag-
canalsoreplace
neticsensor.You X1bf a microswitch or otherkindof
momentary switch.
o In biological
experimentsthe alarmcan be usedto detectsmall
movements in animaltrapsor cages.

t0
 Frfhct | ?oildumllrrm

o ReplacingXl by two metalwiresenablesthe circuitto be triggered

by water.Waterleveldetectorscan be madeusingthis kindof sensor,
and it can be usedin manyexperimentsand practicalapplications.
o lnstalledin yourcar,thiscircuitcanbe usedas an alarm,drivingthe
hornor a siren.
o By replacingX1 witha largemetalplate,the circuitcan be usedto
detectwind.Air flowcan movethe plateso thatthe barewiretouching
the loopcausesthe alarmto trigger.
runPnFctlollhEnul

(P)
RF PRESELECTOR
MEDIUM-WAVE
Thesensivityof mostmoderately-pricedAMreceiversis poorinthemedium-
waveband.worseyet,selectivityalsodropsotfsharplywithintheupperpart
highlysusceptible
or tn" band,makingine receiv-er to images,noiseand
annoying heterodYnes.
Eventhebestantennaanda goodboosteramplifier can'tmakeupforthese
in a commonreceive/sfrontend.But,usingan RFpreselector
deficiencies
b;trd; theantenna andthereceiver'santennainputterminalswillgiveyou
realincrease quality.
in the reception
theantenna impedance withthereceive/s input
antenna
Thiscircuitmatches
accordingthefrequencyof thetunedstation'

Figure I showsschematicdiagramof the Medium-wave Preselector'

Figure2 showsan exploded viewof the circuit,whichcan be housedin a

smallplasticbox.
wire,woundon a 5/16-inchferrite
Ll is formedbyturnsof No.28enameled The
form.Tapsaremadeeach15 or 20 turnsandits numberis notcritical'
numberof taPscanbe altered.
preselector'
Attachyourantennaand groundto the inputterminalsof the
Tuneto thedesiredstationonyourreceiver, and,bychoosing thebest.posi-
CV
clipon theitrip anObyadjusting
tionof thealligator findthe bestsignal'

Therequired antennawilldependuponthestationyouwantto tune'A ran-

domlengthof wiie will giveiairlygoodperformance throughthe A{ band'
withlengthsb-etween ts ano150feetarerecommended for best
Antennas
performance.

-
tf
 Filf0cr5 tdhmtmtrlffiffir

A
To Receiver
G

Figure I

Figure2
{

el
g l
r HrfilFcNrtrffisuhM
_ - - - - !

PartsList - Medium-Wave
RF Preselector
L1 Coil - see text
- Medium-Wave

CV - 365 pF miniaturevariablecapacitor

X1 - Alligatorclip

- 2-positionbarrierstriP

ldeasto ExPlore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitanddevices:
o Explain theimportance inthiscircuit.
of a goodgroundconnection
of
Whatis the meaning "impedance"?

o Usea newcoilwith20 turnsandtapsevery3 turnsto tuneshort-

wavestations.
o Makea seoondcoil(20turns)on the sameferriterodto plugthe
antennaandground.
ftnFillectiffimmlhleilcr

LURE (P)
FISHING
ELECTRONIC
to attract
thesoundof wetbugsmillingaboutthesurface
Thiscircuitimitates
curiousfish.
The circuitis basicallya Hartleyaudiooscillatoroperating in a frequency
between 200and2,006Hertz.Powered byanAAcell,it canhousedina clean
emptypeanutbutterjarwiththe buzzercircuitrymountedupside-down onthe
.ofti.Vou mustbe carefullnotto drillin sucha wayasto allowwaterto leak
tnrougnthecap.siliconrubbercanbe usedto closeanywaterleak'
CapacitorClwouldgivea resonantfrequencyof approximately 1,000Hz'but
p1 wouldgivea wid6variation in signaltonegenerated in theaudiorange'

Youcanalsousea low-impedance asa transducer,

earphone it to
connecting
the secondcoil(output)of thetransformer'
Tooperate, unscrewthecap,throwS1ON,putthecoverbackon,anddrop
20
thefishlureintothewaterintnevicinityof whereyouwillbefishing'Allow
minutesbeforereelingthemin.lf necessary, adiustP1to a newsignal tone'

Figure I showsthe schematic diagral for the FishLure.observethatthe

se-condarycoilof thesmallaudiotransformer is notusedin thiscircuit.

construction FishingLure,usinga terminalstripas

detailsof the Electronic
chassis,is shownin Figute 2. The exactlocationsof components is not
critical.
Any500:8or 1,000:8transistor
T1 isalsonotcritical. transformerwithcenter-
tappedprimarycanbe used.we canalsosuggestthatanysmalltransistor
transformer canbe experimented with'

EO
 Pnm 0 $oe[cnhHshlnf
lun

S1

1.5V

(') SEETEXT

R1
1K

Figure 1
!

Figure 2

It
Fr}Idccufor[nHrcilmEmGl

PartsList- ElectronicFishingLure
Q1 - 8C548 general-purpose
NPNsilicontransistor
T1 - 500:8or 1,000:8transistor
transformer
(RadioShack2TS-1380 is suitablefor thistask)
P1 - 100,000ohm trimmerpotentiometer

R1 - 1,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

C1 - 0.01uF metalfilmor ceramiccapacitor

S1 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch
BZ - Piezoelectric
transduceror crystalearphone
(RadioShack273-073 or equivalent)
81 - 1.5V AA cell

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuit:
o ReplaceBZbya low-impedance tweeteror smallloudspeaker
con-
nectedto the transformersecondarycoil.
o ChangeC1 valuesin the rangebetween0.001and0.22 uF.Ob-
servewhat hapenswith tone pitch.A higher-value
capacitorgivesa
lowertone.
o The circuitalso operatesfrom a 3V or 6V powersupplywithout
makinganychanges.

ft
 Plolocl6 HGGtorlcHrillululc

Scienceand ditferentusesfor the device:

o Youcanmakeseveralexperiments in animalconditioning,
including
the onesthat livein the water.Tryto alterthe RC network(P1,R1 and
Cl) to get tonesof ditferentpitch.Tryto usediodes,smalltransformer
coils and other passivecomponentsin this experiment.Soundslike
thoseproducedbysongbirdscanbe generatedwitha fewcomponents
arrangedin the correctway.Can you discoverhow to do it?
o Removethe piezoelectrictransducerandwireelectrodesin itsplace.
The devicecan be useas a nervstimulator. Experiments withanimals
and plantscan be made.What physiological functionsare atfected?
Can circadianrhytmsor internalbiologicalclocksbe atfectedby con-
tinuousexposureto sounds?
o Electrodesplacedintowaterand wiredin placeof the transducer
will producea currentfield.Youcan pedorminteresting scientificwork
relatinghowfishandotherWaterbeingsreactto the currentfield.Can
the currentfieldsaffectphysiological
functions?lf you experiment with
plants,selecta fast growinghouseplant.

80
ftn rdccEhr[tcHnilmms

AM RECEIVER(RE)
FREE-POWER
"extracted"
This projectusesa strangewayto get lts power.lt usespower
fromthe tunedstationto giveto the amplifier Witha reasonably
transistor.
strongappliedmodulationenvelope, thistypeof produces
detector a strong
demodulated output.
thecloseryouareto a strongstation,the morecurrentyourradio
Naturally,
willbeableto supply.
Forbestresults,youmustdoeverything possibleto delivera strongsignalto
thetransistor Werecommend
detector. a good antennaandground,the lat-
beingmadeto a waterpipeor solidexternal
ter preferably groundcomposed
of a pipedrivenat least5 feetintomoistearth.Thisis importantforensuring
maximum signalpickup. I
thelongertheantenna(upto about100
lf youhaveplentyof spaceavailable,
feet),thebetterthe results.
Figure I showsthe schematic diagramof the Free-Power Ob-
AM receiver.
servethatthe heartof the circuitis a germanium thatworksas a
transistor
detectorandaudioamplifier.
Gomponents placement on a terminalstripusedas a chassisis shownin
Figurc2.Theterminalstripcanbefixedonan experiment boardthatcanbe
usingsomecommon
constructed toolsand materials.

Ql is anygermanium suchasGE-2or2N107.You
transistor, canfindgerma-
inoldnonworking
niumtransistors AMtransistor Nonworking
radioreceivers.
andthe loopstick
AM radioscan alsosupplythe variablecapacitor (ferrite
rod).
Earphone crystaltype.
mustbea high-impedance earphones
Low-impedance
don'tfunctionin thiscircuit.

_
 Pnffi r Foailrmlilrsrffi

Figure I

s-4^o

Figurc 2

t8
r
frn?nfffihrucmlffi
--

PartsList - Free-PowerAM Receiver

Q1 - NPNor PNPgermanium - seetext
transistor

XTAL - CrystalearPhone
L1 - seetext
- LooPstick

CV - 365pFvariablecapacitor- seetext

Rl - 12,000 resistor
ohm,114W,57"
C1 - 1 uF,25WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

ldeasto ExPlore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuit:
o ReplaceLl by 15turnsof No.28 wire,woundon a ferriterod,to
stations.
tuneshort'wave
o Byreplacing Ql witha germanium R1andC1
diodeandremoving
thisradiointoa simplecrystalset'
you'litransform
o AlterR1in a rangebetween4,7}Oand47,000ohmsto getbetter
performance,
depending used'
on thetransistor
o Replace witha silicontype,suchasthe8C548'What
thetransistor
withsensivitY?
willhaPPen
uses:
thecircuitand,uncommon
scienceprojectinvolving
o Explainhowcrystalsetsfunction lf you
andtellaboutradiohistory.
areinterestedin moreradiohistoryseveraltextscanbe foundin the
publiclibrarY.
tryto findinforma-
o lf youwantto learnmoreaboutradioreceivers,
tionaboutheterodyne types'
andsuper-hereterodyne
-
tl
HEFfdffiffnrffilmrbl

FLASHER(E,P)
DUAL-LED
Thiscircuitusesa one-gate witha 4093CMOSlG,to producea
oscillator,
50%duty-cycle flasherin two LEDsor a bi-colorLED.The circuitcan be
powered bya 3 to 12-voltpowersupplyandis usefulin severalexperiments
andpracticalapplications.Youcanuseit as partof alarms,warningsystems,
games,toys,andsomescientific experiments, as wewilldescribehere'

R2andR3valuesdependuponthe powersupplyvoltage,according
to the
table:
following
Power Supply R2, R3

3 Volts 220 ohms

5 Volts 330 ohms

6 Volts 470 ohms

9 Volts 820 ohms

12Volts 1,000ohms

Formoreoutputyoucanusea transistorized outputstagedrivingincandes-

centlamps.Experiments to observelightetfectson animalsandplantscan
beconductedwiththiscircuit.
Pl andC1 determine flashrate.Flashratecan be adiustedby P1,butCl
to the application
alsocanbe alteredin a largerangeof values,according
youintendforthedevice.
Schematic diagram fortheDual-Led Flasheris shownin Figure1.Onegate
andtheothertwoareusedas inverters.
of a 4093lC is usedas oscillator
Componentsplacement on a PC boardis shownin Figure2.Youcanalso
or solderless
usea breadboard circuit.
boardto mountit as an experimental
ofthepolarized
Position andlC,shouldbe
pieces,suchas LEDs,eletrolytics
observed.

tf
 ,, trmAl ld.|nm*ol

P1 R1 ---t,
tM 100K
I
I
z ' i
-,- . \ \-_
, l

cl
1pF
LEDl
(.) SEETEXT

Figure 1

t{ 3 E
+3a
12V

ov c1

nDr
Figure2

ft
 lol thcDttrcfimcntot
IunPlolects

PartsList- Dual-LedFlasher
lC1 - 40938CMOSintegrated
circuit
LED1 - bi-coloror redand greencommonLEDs
(RadioShack276-012l
R1 - 100,000 ohm,114W,5% resistor

R2,3 - resistoraccordingto powersupplyvoltage- see text

P1 - 1,000,000
ohm potentiometer

C1 - 1 uF,25 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitand devices:
o ReplaceC1 with capacitorsin the rangebetween1 and 47 uF.
Observehow highervaluesalterthe flashrate.
No changein the
o InfraredLEDscanbe usedin someexperiments.
originalcircuitis necessary.

Scienceanddifferentusesfor the circuit:

o RemoveP1 and R1 and wireat this ponta touchsensoror elec-
device
trodes.Youcan controlthe flashrateby touch.A bio-feedback
can be madethis waY.
o By wiringthe lC"spin 1 to an externalcircuit,the flashercan be
controlledby a logiclevel.CMOScircuitscan be usedto controlthe
flasher.

il
 , , Pnml mu+nnmr
o Mount inplace
theLEDs ofthelenses
o,".ffi
flashratecanbeadjusted to makean hypnotic
or relaxingLtfect.
Com-
binethiswitha touchsensorandyouhavean uncommon bio-feed-
backdevice.Youcanalsousethiscircuitto makeexperimentsincirca-
dianrhythmsor internalbiological
clocks,determininghowtheycan
bealteredbylightpulses.
Varioustheorieshavebeenproposed about
thissubject.
. Psychiatrists
are usingphototherapy to helpsomepatients.
can
youfindsomeapplication
forthecircuitin thisfield?
. Pl alsocanbe replaced byresistive
transducers,suchas LDRsor
NTCs,to givea light-or temperature-dependentflash-rate
circuit.Ex-
periments canbe madewithconductivity of materials
by connecting
probesin serieswithR1.Replace pl withtheprobesin thiscase.

g l
IunProfccts
forstGIrDcIlmGntGl

6V X 1A POWERSUPPLY(P)
In orderto performexperiments andprojectsinvolvingelectricity
youwillneed
a sourceof voltage.Voltagerequirements for commonprojects,suchas the
onesin thisbook,dependupontheirapplications, and typicallyrangefroma
few milliamperes to one or two amperes.

lnsteadof usinga batteryyou can use a circuitcalleda powersupply.

The powersupplywe showherecan be usedto provide6V x 1A regulated

outputto the experimental and practicalcircuitsdescribedin this book.The
outputvoltageis fixedby the lC.

Figure l showsthe schematicdiagramfor this powersupply.lOl is a voltage

regufator,#7806. The "06"indicatesthat it is a 6-voltregulator.

Figure2 showsthe componentslayout,usinga terminalstripas chassis.

The completeprojectcan be assembledin a smallplasticbox.The integrated

circuitshouldbe mountedon a heatsink. Youcan alsoadd an LEDin series
with a 470 ohm resistor,wiredin the outputof the circuitto indicatethat it is
on.

Externalcircuitscan be connectedto the powersupplywith alligatorclips.

Positionof the polarizedpieces,suchas diodes,the lC, and electrolyticca-

pacitors,mustbe observed.

isn'ta criticalpartof this project.Typeswitha secondarycoil

Thetransformer
rangingfrom7.5 to 12 voltsand currentsbetween500 mA and 14 can be
used.

5f
 trolrctg 8ur ll Pil0tsuillr

c2 tl_
100pFT
D2 I
1N4002 I
=
T1
lou
12 + 'l2Y
c1
1000pF
1A

Figure I

Fiaure
- 2

t
55
mFrtmctrtrtrHilffi

PartsList - 6-VoltPowerSupply
lOl - 7806positive
three-terminal
regulator
T1 - Transformer:
primary117VAC; seconda
ry 12+12Y
x 1A
D1,2 - 50Vx 1A- 1N4002
or equivalent
siliconrectifier
diodes
C1 - 1,000uF,25WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
C2 - 10uF,12WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
S1 - SPSTswitch

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor altertheperformance:
o ReplacelC1bya 7805,7809or 7812if youwanta 5V 9Vor 12V
powersupply.Youmayalso haveto changethe transformer
with a
117:15+1
5V usinga7812.
. Explainhowthecircuitworks.
o Whatis theditference
betweenan ACanda DCcurrent?
Scienceanduncommon
applications:
o Thispowersupplycanbe usedin chemical experiments, suchas
the onesthatinvolvecurrentflowthroughsubstances. Experiments
involving
electrolysis
andelectroplating
aretwothatcanbesuggested.
A variablewound-wire potentiometer
(100ohms,5 watts)shouldbe
wiredinserieswiththepowersupplyoutputto limitcurrent
flowthrough
theload.YoucanalsousetheLightDimmerdescribed inthisbookfor
thistask.

!a
 Plrflct g 0ur lt Pilil $utilr

o 6V 200 mA smallincandescentlampscan be supportedby this

powersupply.
Theselamps are light
excellent to
sources workwith
microscopes.
o Smallmotorsandlampsinexperiments physics,
involving mechan-
icsand robotics
can be powered from thispowersupply withadvan-
tages.Youdon'thaveto spenda lotof moneyon cellsor batteries.
inthisbookwhichrequirea 6Vsupplycanbe
o Allcircuitsdescribed
powered bythispowersupply.
poweradapterforyoui6V
o Thecircuitcanbe usedas an excellent
etc.
suchas smallradios,calculators,
equipment,
o 6V lampscanbe usedin experiments plantgrowth.Se-
involving
lecta fastgrowinghouseplantanduse.adarkroom or cardboard box
to coverthem.Lamps with filters
colored can be usedin an experiment
involvinggrowthanddevelopment.
o Circadianrhythmscan alsobe studiedusinganimalsor plants.
Lampscanbe powered on at nightandotfat day.Whatphysiological
couldbe atfected?
functions

5t
mFilncNsfffirHrufinrm

rNsEcTREPELLENT
(P)
Somecontinuous soundscanrepelinsects(andalsoattract).
Thefrequency
andintensitydependsuponthe application
andtypeof insectandcan be
foundthroughexperimentation.
Thecircuitshownheregenerates a continuous soundthatcan be usedto
repel(orattract)sometypesof insects,
or in scientific
experiments
involving
animals.
canbe powered
Ourinsectrepellent by9Vbatteries,twoM cellsor fourAA
cells,andits lowcurrentrequirements
will extendthe lifeof thosecellsor
batteries.
FigureI showstheschematic diagramof the lnsectRepellent.
Theheartof
thecircuitis a 7555lC,a CMOStimerwiredasanaudiooscillatoranddriving
a piezoelectric transducer.
Thecomponents placementona homemade printed-circuit
boardis shownin
Figure2. Exactplacement
is notthatcritical.
Allthecomponentsandthepowersupplycanbehoused ina smallplasticbox.
Transducer
BZis a crystalearpiece
or a piezoelectric
transducer,
suchasthe
RadioShack273-073.
of the polarized
Position pieces,suchas c2 andthe powersupply,mustbe
carefully
observed.
Usingthe insectrepellent is veryeasy.Youonlyneedto adjustthe trimmer
potentiometerP1to producea soundwiththesamepitchas the insectyou
intendto repel.Experimentation shouldbemadeuntilyoufindthebestsound
to repela specificinsect.

60
 E led l0 In$octidhm

R2
4K7

cl
0.047p.F

Figure 1

Figure2

01
ftrF||f|Gilthlhsuh!|m

PartsList - InsectRepellent
c1 - TLC7555 CMOSintegrated-circuit
timer
BZ - Crystalor piezoelectric
transducer
RadioShack273-073 or equivalent
R1 - 10,000ohm,114W,5% resistor
R2 - 4,700ohm,114W,5%
resistor
P1 - 100,000ohmtrimmerpotentiometer

c1 - 0.047uF metalfilmor ceramiccapacitor

c2 - 10uF,12WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
S1 - SPSTslideor tdggleswitch

B1 - 3V (2 AA cells),6V (4 M cells),9V (battery)

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor getbetterperformance:
. Powerful outputcanbeobtained witha transistorized
outputstage
as shownin Figure3.Thepowertransistor shouldbe mounted on a
heatsink.Thetransducer
isa low-impedance loudspeakerr:anging
from
4 to 8 ohms.
o Experiments withultrasoundcahbe madewiththiscircuit:reduce
Cl to 1200pFandusea piezoelectric tweeterastransducer.
Remove
thesmalltransformer usedin thesetweeters andplugthetransducer
directlyto thecircuitoutput.outputsin frequencies
as highas40,000
Hzcanbe produced bythiscircuit.
o Explainhowsoundscan be producedby electronic
transducers
suchas theoneusedin thisproject.
 ?nhd l0 InrstirDdhnt

o Whatareultrasounds?
applications:
andditferent
Science
a Of course,you can testthe realetfectsof this deviceon several
kindsof insects. biological
An attractive experiment canbeconducted
basedon thiscircuit.
o Etfectsof soundson plantgrowthor development can be con-
ductedusingthiscircuit.Cansounds(qrultrasounds)
alterthecirca-
dianrhythmsof plantsandinsects?
o Thecontinuoustoneproduced
bythiscircuitcanbeusedinalarms
Miceandothersmallanimalsare repelled
or warningsystems. by
powerful
ultrasounds.
o Replace R2byanLDR.The a light-dependent
circuitnowbecomes
withlightandsoundscannowbe conducted
Experiments
oscillator.
usingthedevice.

6 to 12V

Figure3

08
HnPnlmts||]mHlo|lmeml

(E/P)
GENERATOR
ULTRASONIC
Dogs,mice,batsandotheranimalscanhearsoundswithfrequencies upto
4O,O0OHz.Thereareseveralkindsof insectsthatcanalsohearor reactto
thesesounds.The circuitwe proposehereproducesa continuous sound
emission abovethe humanlimit,or a rangebetween18,000
in frequencies
and40,000Hz.Thesesoundsare calledultrasounds andcan be usedin
andpractical
severalexperimental applications.
in
herecanbeusedto scaredogsandotheranimals,
Thedevicewedescribe
andmanyotherinteresting
experiments,
biological applications.

Therecommended piezoelectric
transducer hasits maximum outputpower
between700 and 3,000Hz, but it alsowill operateat higherfrequencies
emittinglesspower.
powersupplyis fourM cellsor a 9-voltbattery.
Therecommended
Ourprojectrunsbetween approximately 18,000and40,000Hz,butyoucan
easilyalterthisrangebychanging C1,in a rangebetween470pFand0.001
uF. Frequency by C1.
canbe setby P1in the rangedetermined
thatthe40938lC willoscillate
Remember upto 500kHz.
in frequencies

Thecompletecircuitof the Ultrasonic usingthe fourgatesof a

Generator,
circuit,is shownin Figute 1.
40938integrated
placement
Components boardis shownin Figurc2.
on a printed-circuit
willbe
Thecircuitcanbe housedin a smallplasticboxandthe transducer
fixedin thefrontpanel.
Takecarewiththe positionof the polarizedparts,suchas the transistor,
andpowersupply.
capacitor
electrolytic
operation,
Forcontinuous on a heatsink'
Q1 shouldbe mounted
is nota criticalpart.Anytransformer
Thetransformer coil
witha secondary
from100to 500mAcanbe usedin thisproject.
ranging
-
00
 F.lect ll uftmmlcecmntu

Figure I

Figure2

0t
HiFrrN.Gt3ffimmdlmrfit]

PartsList - UltrasonicGenerator
lC1 - 40938CMOSIntegrated
circuit
Ql - 8D135medium-power NPNsilicontransistor
BZ - Piezoelectric
transducer
RadioShack273-090or equivalent
Tl - Transformer:
primary117VAC;secondary 6Vx100mA
R1 - 10,000 resistor
ohm,114W,5%
R2 - 1,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor
Pl - 100,000
ohmtrimmerpotentiometer
C1 - 4,700pF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C2 - 100uF,12\M/DCelectrolytic
capacitor
S1 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 - 6V or 9V - AA cellsor battery- seetext

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o Youcanreplacethepiezoelectric bya commontweeter.
transducer
Remove T1 andBZandplacethetweeterbetween51 andQl's col-
lector.Canyoumeasurethe generated power?
ultrasound
. Thecircuitcanalsogeneratesoundin theaudiblerange.Replace
in therangebetween
Cl bya capacitor 0.02and0.1uF.
o Explain andhowtheyareproduced
ultrasounds trans-
byelectronic
ducers.

0l
 P'rhct tt Uhffuh8emn0r

o Whatis a piezoelectric
material?
Scienceandditferent
applications:
o Severalexperiments
canbe madeusingultrasounds. Youcanex-
perimentwithdogconditioning. youcancalla dog
Usingthisoscillator
sound!(inaudible
usingan inaudible to humans)
o Ghoose a capacitor
between 0.01and0.047uFto produce sounds
bothin the audiorangeandultrasound range.Youcan nowconduct
experiments to determine
the exactupper-limit
frequencyheardby
humans.You alsocanconductexperimentswithanimals.lt willbe im-
portantto havea frequency
counteron handto do thiswork.
o ReplaceBZbyelectrodes. Thecircuitwillgenerate a high-voltage
outputthatcanbeusedin nervestimulation. Usea 10,000ohmpoten-
tiometerto adjustoutputvoltageat thispoint.Pulsescanreachpeaks
as highas 400volts.
o To get pulses(fornervestimulation you
and otherexperiments)
onlyhaveto replace
C1witha 1 uFcapacitor andP1witha 1,000,000
ohmpotentiometer.Pulsesin the raterangebetween 0.1persecond
per
to 10 secondcanbe generated withthischange.
o Thiscircuitcanalsobeusedasa fluorescent lampinverter.A com-
monfluorescent lamp(4 to 20 wafts)in placeof the transducer
will
glow,evenonethatis weakenoughto notfunctionon theAC power
line.

00
Hr PnhG[slorl[c
milmmt

DC LAMPDIMMER(E,P)
Thiscircuitcanbe usedto controltheamountof currentin an incandescent
lamp andalsoa DC motor.lf youchangethe amountof currentthrougha
lampyou changeits brightness. And if youchangethe amountof current
througha DCmotoryouchangeitsspeed.lnputvoltagecanrangefrom6 to
12 voltsandcurrentdrainin the outputis up to 2A.Youcan alsousethis
circuitin the outputof a 6V or 12Vfixedpowersupply,converting it intoa
variable 0 to 6 voltor 0 to 12voltsupply.
Thepowertransistorshouldbe mountedon a heatsink.Thecircuitcan be
fixedon the
withthetransistor
housedina smallplasticboxandtheheatsink
outside.
Thecircuitcanbe usedto controlbrightness of a car'spanellampsandin
robotics to controlDCmotorspeedalonga widerangeof values.Also,sev-
eralexperiments currentflowcontrolcan be performed
involving usingthis
circuit.
Thecircuitactsas a variableresistoror rheostatwiththe principal
current
andthe
flowingthroughthetransistor control currentflowingthroughthe po-
Currentthroughthepotentiometer
tentiometer. is onlya fewmilliamperes.

diagramof the DC dimmeris shownin Figurc t. Ql is an

The schematic
andtheprincipal
NPNpowertransistor componentusedin thisproject.

Components doesnot showon

layoutis shownin Figure2. Thetransistor
the heatsink,however.
Equivalent canbe used,buttakecarewiththe maximum
transistors current
theycan control.Typessuchas TlP31andTlP41can be usedto control
lampsup to 2 amperes. in Rl valuemustbe
Also,a furthermodification
madeto ensurethat,whenP1is set nearits minimum value,thatcurrentis
flowingthroughthelamP.
areused,takecarewiththeirterminalpositions,
transistors
lf equivalent as
theycanbe ditferent.

-
AD
 Prrfoct12 DG
hmr Iilmmu

F1 Q1
5A 2N3055
+12V

IN

oul
I:

Figure I

Figure2

t3
Hr]||Fc0tffimDculmffir

PartsList - DCLampDimmer
Q1 - 2N3055 SiliconNPNpowertransistor

P1 - 4,700ohm potentiometer

R1 - 470ohm,2W,.5"/"resistor
:
F1 - 5A fuse

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o Youcan usea PNPpowertransistor, inputpolarization.
inverting
ExplainwhythiscircuitcanonlycontrolDCcurrents.
o A Darlington canbe usedto reducecurrentflowthrough
transistor
the potentiometer.
Replace P1witha 100,000ohmcommonpotenti-
ometerand Rl witha 10,000ohm,1/4wattresistorwhenusinga
powertransistor.
Darlington TlPl10canbe usedin thiscase.
o Whatis a rheostat?
Scienceanduncommon
applications:
o Youcan usethiscircuitto controlbrightnessof microscopelight
A 6V lampcanbe usedfor thattaskandthiscircuitwillbe
sources.
wiredbetweenthe lampand a 6V powersupply.The 6V regulated
powersupplydescribed
in thisbookis idealforthisapplication.
o Experiments in electrolysis canbe current-flow
andelectroplating
by usingthiscircuit.
controlled
a Thiscircuitcan be usedto controlsmallmotorsin roboticsor in
physics
experiments.

tl
 ffi|m n mllmDllmmei

o The amountof currentin currentfieldscan be controlledby using

this circuitand a DC powersupply.Experimentsinvolvingelectrotro-
pismcan be attempted. Try to put plantswithina coil to observethe
influenceof the magneticfield on theirgrowthand development. Re-
memberthat there is a magneticfield arounda coil of wire that is
carryinga current.

Figure3 showshowthis experimentcan be arranged.

The coil is formedby 10 to 50 turnsof commonNo.1I to 22wirearounda

cardboardboxor woodform.An ammeterin serieswiththe coilcircuitcan be
usedto controlthe amountof currentusedin the experiment.

Rememberthat too much currentwill causethe coil and the transistorto

overheat.lt is a good ideato add a lampin serieswith the coil circuit.The
lampwill add resistanceto the coil circuit,reducingcurrentflow to a safe
level.

Figure 3

t5
IunPiilcctsfuh scilmmu

(E)
AUDrOOSCILLATOR
Thislow-power can generate
oscillator
experimental audiblesignalsin the
rangebetween 100and2,000 Hz, a
driving smallloudspeaker or a low-im-
pedance earphone.Thecircuitcanbe poweredby2 twoor fourAAcellsor a
fixed6 voltpowersupply.
Currentrequirementsforthiscircuitdependupon
the powersupplyvoltageandthe loudspeaker impedance and rangetypi-
callyfrom10to 300mA.
Potentiometer frequency
P1 adjuststhe operating andcan be set withina
largerangeof values.Potentiometers ohmscan be used,
up to 1,000,000
changingthefrequency rangelowerlimitto about10Hz.
andvaluesbetween
C1canalsobealtered, 0.01andO.22uFaresuitablefor
LargeC1valueswillproduce
experimentation. in thelowerpart
frequencies
of therange.
Thecircuitcan be usedas partof alarms,games,toysandto learnmore
oscillators.
abouttransistorized
FigureI showsthe schematic Q1 andQ2
diagramof the Audio-Oscillator.
amplifier
forma directed-coupled andRl/Cl is theclosedloopthattakesthe
signalbackfromtheoutputto theinput. . ,
Figure2shows usinga terminalstripaschas-
thelayoutofthecomponents,
andpowersupplycanbe housedin a smallplastic
sis.All the components
box.
Thekeyis atelegraph switch,butyoucanalsouseanSPST
homemade-type
A keyis recommended
operation.
toggleor slideswitchforcontinuous if you
wantto usetheoscillator asa Morse
Code sender in demonstrationsor prac-
tice.Youcanwirethe pointsA and B to the contactsof a relayto usethe
circuitas partof an alarm.

tt
 Pf.lcctl8 ftllrosoilrt|l

B1
cl 3TO6V
0.047pF

Figure I

k-\

Figure2

t0
mFmf0cilsffmHrulmdu
:
PartsList - AudioOscillator 1

I
Q1 - 8C548generalpurposeNPNtransistor l
I

Q2 - 8C558generalpurposePNPtransistor

SPKR- 4 or 8 ohmsmallloudspeaker
K - Telegraphic
key- Seetext
81 - 3 to 6 volts- twoor fourAAcells

Ri - 10,000
ohm,114w,5%
resistor
R2 - 1,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor
Cl - 0.047uF metalfilmor ceramiccapacitor

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o ChangeC1fora capacitor in therangebetween 0.01and0.22uF.
Thefrequency rangeof the produced tonewillbe altered.
With0.01
uF or lowervaluesfor Cl, the circuitwillproduceultrasounds.
Usea
tweeteror a piezoelectric
transducer in thiscase.
. Replace Q1witha TlP32orTlP42andpoqerthecircuitwitha 12
getmuchmorepowerin theoutput.
voltsupply.You'll
. Explainwhyoscillators
needa closedloopto the signalto work.
Scienceprojects
andotherapplications:
o Experiments
in acoustics
canbemadewiththisdevice.
Thecircuit
canproduceanytonebetween10and20,000Hz,andevenhigher.

tt
 ;nlrcr l3 |latr Iscffia.]

o A telegraph
stationcanbe simulated
withthiscircuit.
Youcanfind
MorseCodein anybookabouttelegraphy.
o Byreplacing K witha reedswichwiredto pointsA andB,thecircuit
willoperateas an alarm.
o Experimentsinvolving
conductivity
of materials
canbe madewith
probesplugged
to pointsA andB.
o Connectresistive as LDRsandNTCsat pointsA and
transducers
B to geta light-dependent
or temperature-dependent
oscillator.
a Usingtwo metalrodsas sensors, the circuitcan be useas a lie
detectoror bio-feedbackdevice.ReplaceCl witha 0.22or 0.47uF
capacitorandadjustPl to getseparated pulsesat the speaker.The
pulseratewillbealteredwhentheskinconductivity oftheinterrogated
personchanges whilein a stateof straindueto a lieor stress.
o A 117V+V x 250mAtransformer canreplaceSPKRto produce
pulses
high-voltage in nervestimulation Thegenerated
experiments.
pulsescanreachvoltagesas highas 400Vpp.
o Experiments in animalphysiologycanbeconducted usingsounds
or highvoltageas described projects.
in other Growthof plantssub-
mittedto high-power soundsor high-voltage
fieldscan be observed
usingthiscircuitwithpractical
experiments.
o ACfieldscanbegenerated byreplacingthespeaker witha 2O-turn
coil.Theplantsor animalscanbe positioned
withinthecoil'selectric
field.Seethesameexperiment usingthe DCDimmerforcoilandex-
periment details.

tl
IunPnfmtrfimH|Oilmmr

AUDIOSWTTCH(E/P)
Thisaudiocontrolled andis interest-
relayhasa largenumberof applications
ingto theexperimenter
whowishesto explore
theworkinguniverse of relays
andaudioor soundcontrolledcircuits.
Anaudiosignalintheamplituderangebetween1Vppand5 Vpptriggersthe I

relay,powering pointsA andB.

on thedevice,wiredbetween I

Relayvalueis determinedbypowersupplyvoltage. Fora 12voltpowersup-

plyyoumustusea 12voltrelay.Gurrentdraindepends uponthepowersup-
plyvoltageandalsotherelayused.Usinga12Yx 38 mA(RadioShack275-
248'1relay,
thecurrentdrainis lowenoughto allowtheuseof common cellsin
the powersupply.
Cl canrangebetween 0.01and1.0uF,anddeterminesthesensitivityof the
circuitin theaudiorange.Largevaluesgivemoresensitivity
at lowfrequen-
cies.
Thiscircuithasa high-impedance
inputandneedsa strongaudiosignalto
operate.
FigureI showstheschematic diagramoftheAudioSwitch. thatthe
Observe
heartof thecircuitis a commongeneral-purpose
NPNtransistor
thatactsas
a DCamplifier.
ln Figure2we showlayoutof componentsforthisproject.
Thecomponents
canbesoldered ona terminal
stripusedaschassis.The terminal
stripcanbe
flxedon a woodenboard.
of thepolarized
Position suchasthediodes,powersupplyand
components,
C2,mustbe observed.
capacitor
To usethisaudiorelayyou haveto wirepontsA andB to the outputof an
audioamplifier (minimumpowerrequiredis 5 watts)andadjustthevolume
controlfor bestoperation.
A smalltransistor
outputtransformer therelaywith
shouldbeusedto operate
low-impedance suchastheonesfromtheoutputof audioamplifiers.
signals,
 Fofeotlf lullr$ilftGn

D2
1N914
(.)sEE
D1 R1 TEXT
B1
1N914 ,t0K
6OR9V

Figure I

Figure2

05
 :
mrilffi||rrhsll|mmr I

Figure3 showshowto usethistransformer.

R,dependsontheoutputpowerof theamplifier
andis givenbelow:

OutputPower
I
0 to 1 watt
1 to 10watts 47 ohms,1/4watt

10to 25 watts 100ohms,'ll4watI

25 to 50 watts 220ohms,ll2watt

PartsList - Audio Switch

Q1 - 8C548general-purpose
NPNsilicontransistor

D1 - 1N914general-purpose
silicondiode

D2 - 1N4002siliconrectifierdiode

Kl - 6V or 12V relay- see text

R1 - 10,000ohm,1/4W,5%resistor

Cl - metalfilm or ceramiccapacitor- see text

C2 - 100 uF,12 WVDCelectrolytic

capacitor

81 - 6V or 12Vcells,powersupplyor battery

t0
 ;TrM lf rilm$nilH

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitanddevicesor to getbetterperformance:
o ReplaceQl witha Darlington
transistor(suchas a BCS17)and
resistorR1 with100,000
ohms.Thecircuitwillincrease
in sensitivity.
o ExplainhowC1functions
in thiscircuit.
Scienceanddifferent
applications:
o Connect thecircuitto anaudioamplifier
output,witha mioophone
pluggedto theamplifier input.You'll
havea sound-operated switch.
o Thiscircuitwitha microphoneandan audioamplifier canbe used
to closea trapwith soundactivationor to activatea recordingwith
sounds.
Youcan alsouse it to photograph an explosion
or the crashof an
objectbytriggering
a flashwiththe produced
sound.
o The audiooutputof a multimediasystemin a computercan be
usedto controlexternal
deviceswiththiscircuit.

R;
l-----+x
FRoM IIF ro
AM P L T F T E R AUDlos\
3lE
''l
ourPUT
|
L._--_-{'Y
8: 1000
o

Figure3

tt
IunPnlos lolUrG
Hnilmomcr
i
I
I
I

(P)
6 VOLTSFROM12V BATTERTES
Withthisadapteryoucan power6 volt(upto 1A)devices,suchas recorders,
CD players,calculators,radios,batterychargers,etc.,fromyourcar battery.
The currentadapteris pluggedinto the vehiclelightersocketand is small
enoughto be housedin a very compactplasticbox.

Only four componentsare used.The lC determinesthe outputvoltageand

shouldbe mountedon a heatsink.Capacitorsare polarizedcomponents, so
you mustobservetheirpositionwhenmounting.The fuseis veryimportantin
orderto protectthe deviceand car wiringagainstshorts.

Outputvariesaccordingto the deviceyou are applyingpowerto. DC exten-

sion cableswith plugsto fit the deviceto be poweredshouldbe used.Take
care with the outputpoles.Checkif your devicehas a positiveor negative
polein the centralterminal.

The schematicdiagramof the 12Vto 6V x 1Aconverteris shownin Figure 1.

The principalcomponentis lC1, a 6V voltageregulatorthat operateswith
inputvoltagesrangingfrom I to 35 volts.

Componentslayoutis shownin Figure 2. Allthe componentscan easilybe

housedin a plasticbox.

The integratedcircuitcan be changedto alterthe outputvoltage.You

can use
a 7809for 9V x 1A outputor a 7805for 5V x 1A output.

It is very importantthat no partsof the componentsusedin this circuittouch

one another.The lC has short-circuit and thermalprotection.

!t
 ?nhcrl5 olrilsFmlzummilis

Figure 1

Figure2

gl
m?nmffimsu||nomcr

PartsList - 6 VoltsFrom12VBatteries
lC1 - 7806Integratedcircuit j

C1 - 1,000uF,16 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
C2 - 100 uF,12WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
Fl - 2A fuse

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthedeviceor to getbetterperformance:
o Replace circuit(lOl) witha 7805or 7809to getout-
theintegrated
putvoltagesof 5Vand9V.
o Explaintheditference
between thislinearvoltageregulator
anda
switch-moderegulator
usedin computer powersupplies.
o Thiscircuitcanalsobeusedin nonregulated
powersupplies
to get
a regulated
6V x 1Aoutput.
o lt'spossible to geta negative powersupplyby replacing
regulated
the7806witha 7906lC.Doa searchforinformationaboutthischange
in theproject.
Scienceprojects
anduncommon
uses:
a Youcan usethis downconverter to powerfourAA cell-powered
circuitsfroma 12Vbatteryin scienceexperiments.
o 6V lampsusedas lightsourcefor microscopes can be powered
fromthe car batteryusingthisdownconverter. Fieldwork
usinga mi-
croscopecanbe conducted usingthiscircuit.

t2
tm F|ObGElnsoHldmmol

(E)
TRANSMITTER
oNE-COMPONENT
Hereis a projectthatshouldbe constructedby thosewithno patiencefor
Onlyonecomponent
building.
electronics is usedto builda completewire-
lesstransmitter!
wayto generate
Ofcourse,thisis thesimplest lt is a CW(con-
radiosignals.
tlnuouswave)transmitterand is powerfulenoughto plunkdowna signal
anywhereon the550kHzto 7 MHzband.
Thefundamental
frequency
dependsuponpowersupplyvoltageandis inthe
rangebetween reaching
100kHzand1 MHz,buttherearestrongharmonics
upto 7 MHz.
Figure/ showstheschematic diagram Asyoucan
ofthissimpletramsmitter.
see,we haveonlyonecomponent: a 4049CMOSlC thatis formedby six
ln thisprojectonlyfiveinverters
inverters. areused.
Thecircuitis powered
fromAAcellsor batteryandcurrentdrainis verylow.
projectyoucan placethe lC on a universal
As an experimental solderless
board.Theantennais a singlewire2 to 5 feetlong.
A commonAM (mediumwaveor shortwave)receiveris placednearthe
upto somefeetaway.
A signalcanbetunedin fromdistances
transmitter.
showninFigure2.
Therearetwowaysto tunethetransmitter,
Inthefirstcase,asthefrequency wechangethepower
isvoltage-dependent,
supplyvoltage. Usea 12voltpowersupplyandadjustthevoltagein the lC
withP1.Inthesecondcase,we includea variable in thefeedback
capacitor
loopto alterthefrequency.
PartsList - One-Component
Transmitter
lC - 4069or 4049CMOSintegratedcircuit(onlythis!)

(Anda powersupply,of course)

30
 PnftGtl0 FGmnmil Tnmillt0l

lC1= 4O49B
l*
1 oe

Figure I

Figure2

-
0t
n;||FdFilDgnntr

l&as to Erplore
Tolearnmoreaboutthe circuitanddwice:
o Explainhowradiosignalsaregenerated
andWhywedon'tneeda
tunedcircuit.
o Whyshouldan evennumberof gatesbe usedin thiscircuit?Will
an oddnumberwork?
o Whycanyoutuneinthesignalson morethanonepointof thedial?
Scienceprojects:
o Sendtelegraphsignalsthrougrh a wallusingthiscircuitastransmit-
ter andan AM radioas receiver.
o Explainhowcomputercircuitscangonerateradiosignals(noise),
usingthiscircuitas an example.

It
Itmftdcctsffi$r Hnilmcnu

WIRELESSFMTRANSMITTER(E/P)
Thesecircuitshavealwaysbeenpopularfor bothutilityandentertainment
purposes.
i
TheFMtransmitterdescribedhereis builtwithfewcomponents tosavespace I
andcost.Thecircuithasonlyonetransistorand is powered
bytwoorfourAA I
cells.
The broadcasting frequency of the unit,in the rangebetween88 and 108
MHz(FMband),is determined by Ll andthevariable CV (a 2Oor
capacitor
30 pFtrimmercapacitor). L1consists of fourturnsof No.22wire,woundin a
singleclose-spaced layeron a 112-inch
form.Thecoilis centertappedwhere
it is wiredto theantennaterminal.
Anypieceof stitfwirewillserveas theantennaandwillgivegoodcoverage.
Forbetteroperation,antennalengthshouldbe between 5 and15inches.
Tryoutyourunit at anyconvenient
deadspotonthetheFMband.AdjustCV
to thebestsignal.Thesignalscanbetunedin distances
upto 150feet.
A schematic diagramof the FMtransmitter
is shownin Figure1.Onlyone
transistor
as usedas a high-frequency
oscillator.
AnysmallRFNPNtransis-
tor canbe usedforthetask.
Components placement on a printed-circuit
boardis shownin Figure2.Ca-
pacitorsare criticalcomponents and shouldbe the typesindicatedin the
partslist.Don'tusemetalfilmcapacitors insteadof the ceramiccapacitors
whicharecalledfor in thepartslist.
Youcanalsousea terminalstripas chassisas shownin Figure3,butkeep
allthecomponent
terminals
andwiringshortto avoidinstability.
Thecircuitcanbehousedin d smallplasticboxalongwiththepowersupply.
Avoidtheuseof metalboxesto housethecircuit.
Takecarewithpositionof the polarized
pieces,suchas the electretmicro-
phone,electrolytic
capacitorandpowersupply.

r02
 trdOctlt trlnlcss ;il Tnns||ffiO]

R2
10K

c1
lOpF

Q1 \
8F494
R4
47

Figure 1

","{

Figure2

ilt
IunFrrlrctsfolho x|Dafimml
j

I
PartsList - WirelessFMTransmitter
Q1 - 8F494RF silicontransistor

MIC - two-terminal
electretmicrophone

L1 - coil - see text

CV - trimmercapacitor(20 to 50 pF)

R1,3 - 4,00ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R2 - 10,000ohm, 114W,5%
resistor
R4 - 47 ohm,1l4W,5%resistor

C1 - 10 uF,6 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
C2 - 0.01 uF ceramiccapacitor

Cg - 4.7 pF ceramiccapacitor

C4 - 0.1 uF ceramiccapacitor

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

81 - 3V or 6V - two or fourAA cells

A - antenna- see text

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o ReplacetransistorQ1 with a2N2218and powerthe circuitfrom a
9V battery.The
signalswillbe tunedin fromdistancesup to 1,500feet.
o The circuitcan be usedas a "bug"to hearsecretconversations.

||f
 Ffdcctfl ilnlffi Iil Innsmftcr

Figure 3

Placethe circuitinsidea falsebook on a deskto pick up conversa-

tions.
o Explainhowthe transmitterworks.

o Whatare radiowavesor electromagnetic

waves?
o What is FrequencyModulation(FM) and AmplitudeModulation
(AM)?Explainthe ditferences.
IunPlolects
folu|elrrcr|memcl

Scienceprojectsusingthistransmitter:
o The transmittercan be usedto pickup remotesounds.Youcan fix
it in animalpensor jailsto monitorthemremotely.
o The mikecan be placedin the focusof a parabolicreflectorto
sounds.Birdsandotheranimalsintheforestor otherplaces
concentrate
can be heardusingthissystem,as suggestedin Figure4. An interest-
ingstudycan be madeinvolving localsongbirds.
o Youcan usethis transmitterfor an experimentalbroadcastin your
schoof.However,don't use long antennas becauseFCC rules are
severeregarding strong illegal radio emissions in the FM band.

Figure 4

100
 IunPtol0Gls
lu $e ffIeilmcmor I

HIGH-POWER (E)
AUDIOOSCTLLATOR
Thishigh-powerversionof anaudiooscillator producesa strongaudibletone
usinga piezoelectrictransducer.All fourgatesexistingin the 4093lC are
usedin thisprojectto drivethetransducer witha goodaudiosignal.
The circuitcan be usedin alarms,toys,as a standalone
projectto teach
aboutoscillatorsspecifically,
or in experiments
usingcontinuous
soundsin
thefrequency rangebetween 100and10,000Hz.
The recommendedpiezoelectric
transducer emitsmaximumoutputpower
between700and3,000Hz,butit willalsooperatein otherfrequencies
with
lesspower.
Powersupplyvoltagerangeis between
5 and12volts.Currentrequirements
dependuponthepowersupplyvoltage,rangingfrom10to 50 mAtypically.
Pl adjuststhe tonefrequency.
Cl can be alteredwithina largerangeof
valuesas indicated
in theschematic
diagram, shownin Figurel.
placement
Components on a printed-circuit
boardis shownin Figurc2.You
canalsomountthecircuitusinga solderless
boardforexperimental
applica-
tions.
Allthecomponents (ifusedaspowersupply)
andthebatteries canbehoused
in a smallplasticbox.
BZ canbe replaced witha commonpiezoelectric
tweeter. But,in thiscase,
youshouldopenthetweeterandremove thesmalltransformer frominsideit.
Thentheoutputof thecircuitshouldbeconnected
directlyto thesmallpiezo-
electrictransducer.

lt!
 Ptrhctl0 lbhPmllulh0scllhu

+5Vto +12V

tc1 - 40938

Figure 1

tr r-. 9

o
o

\\ .J
.J
P1

Figure2

ttl
 i

mmhmffilrHnhorm

PartsList - High-Power
AudioOscillator
lOl - 40938CMOSintegratedcircuit
BZ - Piezoelectric
transducer
(RadioShack273-090
or equivalent)
P1 - 100,000ohmpotentiometer
Rl - 10,000
ohm,114W,5%
resistor
C1 - 1200pFto 0.047uFceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutcomponents
anddevices:
o Thiscircuitcanalsoproducesoundin the ultrasoundband.Using
a 1,200pF capacitorfor C1,the rangewill reachan upperlimitof
about100,000 Hz.
o Explainhowa push-pull
outputstageoperates.
Scienceanduncommon
applications:
o Thiscircuitcanbe usedfor animalconditioning
or in experiments
involving
sounds.
o Byreplacing Pl withsensors,
suchas LDRs(LightDependent Re-
sistors)or NTCs(Negative-TemperatureCoefficientresistors),tone
frequency willbe light-dependent
or temperature-dependent.
-
o By replacing Pl withtouchsensorsor electrodes,
wecanusethe
circuitas lie detectoror bio-feedback
devices.The soundpitchwill
dependuponskinresistance.

fl2
 PnfccrlE lllti-'lrdlilllr0sd[ru

o The circuitcan also be usedas a fish attractoror in experiments

wateranimalsandsounds.Replacing
involving BZwithwiresimmersed
into waterwill generateelectriccurrentfieldsfor experimentalworks
involvingthe influenceof thesefieldson fish or otherbeings.
o Someanimals,suchas miceandrats,arescaredoff by ultrasounds.
The circuitcan be usedin experiments to determinethe frequencies
that are moreetfectivefor this task.

Seeotherprojectsinvolvingsoundsfor newideasto explore.

1t8
Itn P10l0ct3
lu ha Euoilmomcr

TIMER(E/P)
Smallhomeappliances
andcircuitscanbeturnedonattera timedelayrang-
ingfromsecondsto minutesusingthissimpletimer. Schoolandhobbyist
experiments
canbetime-controlled
by usingthiscircuit.
Theunithasa constant-current
sourceto chargecl. Cl andPl adjustthe
timerange.You
canalterC1withina rangeof 100and1000uFto change
the I
timerange. l
t
a
Usinga 1 ampererelayyoucancontrolACloadsupto 100wattswiredto the
117VACpowerline.
Tooperatethe unit,connectthe loadto the relaycontacts(pointsA andB,
usedas a switch)andadjustP1to the desiredtimedelay.Press52 do dis-
chargeCl completely . ThencloseSl to start.Aftertheadjusted
timedelay,
therelaywillclose,andtheloadwillbe powered ON.
byusingtheNC(Normally
Conversely, of therelayyoucan
Closed)contacts
turna deviceOFFaftertheadjusted
time.
Tousetheunitagainyoumustpress52 to discharge
C1 beforestarting.
FigureI showsthe schematic diagramof the tlmer.Observethe ditferent
components usedin thisproject:a unijunction (UJT)andan SCR
transistor
(SiliconControlled
Rectifier).
An mechanical
viewis shownin Figure! usinga terminalstripas chassis.
andpowersupplycanbe housedin a smallplasticbox.
All thecomponents
Takecarewith'positions
of criticalcomponents,
suchas the UJI, SCR,di-
odesanddlectrolytic
capacitors.
Therelaydependsuponthepowersupplyvoltageandvoltagedropthrough
the SCR.Thisdropis about2 volts,so youneedto use6 to 7.S-volt
relays
witha 9-voltpowersupply.
TheSCRneedn'tbe mounted
on a heatsink,
as thecurrentdrainis low.

r10
 Ftdoct1g llnFl

D1
1N4002
R2
+ \o
r<B
ej 12Oa lrt
8C558 I r.l
c2
1O0pF

il-" *.
"3,1'+ SCR
Ttc106
(.)sEE
TEXT

Figure I

e e €rO O

Figure2

UseAA cellsor a transformerto powerthistimer.Remember

thatcurrent
drainis lowonlywhenthe relayis notenergized.
IunEofccts
for[n trnel|mcmcr

PartsList-Timer
Q1 - 8C548NPNgeneral-purpose
silicontransistor
Q2 - 2N2646unijunction
transistor

SCR - TlC106siliconcontrolled
rectifier
D1,2 - 1N4002silicondiodes

R1 - 47,OOO
ohm,1/4W,5%resistor

R2 - Lz}ohm,1/4W,5%resistor

R3 - 100ohm,1/4W,5% resistor

P1 - 100,000ohm potentiometer

C1,2 - 100 uF,12WVDCelectrolytic

capacitors
K1 - Relay- see text

51 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

S2 - NormallyOpenmomentary
switch
81 - 9V - six AA cells

ldeasto Explore
To learnmuchaboutcircuitand devicesor to get betterperformance:
a Explainhow a constant-current
sourceoperates.
o Explainhowa UJTand SCRoperate.

o AlterC1 to get highertimedelays.Tryvaluesup to 1,000uF.

tl0
 ?rutctlg fhtr

projects
Science usesforthisdevice:
anduncommon
o All experimentsthatneedtime-delaycontrolcanusethisdevice,
as longas thetimedelayneededfallsin the rangeof thistimer(be-
tweena fewsecondsand minutes). Usea commonwatchas refer.
enceto makea scaleforthe potentiometer.
a Thecircuitcanbe usedto activate
dangerousexperimentswitha
safetime-delay
allowing to reachsafedistance.
theexperimenter
o Trapscan be armedaftera time-delay, can
so the experimenter
avoidthetraphimself.
o Chemical processes usingthistimer.Anyaudio
canbe controlled
described
oscillator in thisbookcanbe useas warningcircuitwhen
wiredto therelayoutput.

110
 l

lunPilcrahr[n mrdmotmcl

(E/P)
MrcRoAMRADIO
ThismicroAMradiowilltunestrongstationsinthefrequency
rangebetween
530and1,600kHz.
Thecircuitusesonlyonetransistor
as the amplifier
andwitha transformer
drivesa smallloudspeaker.
Asthecircuitisverypoorinamplification,
it needs
a longwireantenna.Theantennashouldbe from15to 50 feetlongforbest
A goodgroundconnection
results. is alsoimportant.
Of course,thisis a smallinexpensive
transistor radiowithlowlistening
vol-
ume,particularlyon a weakstation.lf the stationis too weak,replacethe
SPKRbya low-impedance earphone.
Thepowersupplyis formedbytwoor fourAA cellsandcurrentdrainis very
low,extending
theirlife.Thecircuitdrainsonlyfewmicroamperes.
L1 is a tappedloopstick,
connectedto variablecapacitor
CV. Theseitems
canoftenbe foundin non-working
transistorradios,as wellas the speaker
andtransformer.
FigureI showsthe schematicdiagramforthisproject.DiodeDl actsas a
T1 is a commontransistoroutput
detectorand Q1 as an audioamplifier.
transformer.
ln Figure2 we showthe components layout.All the componentscan be
housedina smallplasticbox.A terminal
stripis usedaschassisinanexperi-
mentalversion.
T1 is a transistor
transformer(1,000:8)
andthe SPKRis a miniaturetype.
But,if youhavean unworking
AMradioyoucangetthesepartswithoutspend-
inganymoney.
To use,closeSl andtuneto the desiredstationby adjusting
CV.Youcan
to yourtransistor
adjustR1forthebestresultsaccording gain.

r22
 ngcctz0 ffiGfrilffi

c1
O.1pF

Figure I

Figurc2

n8
lilmhG8ffimffifipror l
I
l
i
I

PartsList - MicroAM Radio

Q1 - 8C548general-purpose
NPNtransistor
D1 - 1N34general-purpose
germanium
dlode
L1 - loopstick- seetext

CV - 365pFvariable
capacitor
T1 - Transistor 1,000:8
transformer
SPKR- I ohmsx 2 in.miniature
speaker
R1 - 2,200,000
ohm,114W,5%
resistor
Cl - 0.1uFceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

Sl - SPSTtoggleor slldeswitch

81 - 3 or 6V - twoor fourAAcells

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o Replace Ql witha Darlington andfind
suchasa BC517,
transistor,
and
a bettervaluefor R1.Valuesin the rangebetween2,200,000
10,000,000ohmscanbe used.
o Replace L1by20turnsof No.28wireona ferriterodandtrytuning
Usea longwireasantenna.
stations.
short-wave oftheL1tap
Position
mustbe carefully to
studied getbestselectivity
and sensibility.
o Experiment intheplaceofT1 andSPKR.A
witha crystalearpiece
shouldbewiredin parallelwiththeearpiece.
10,000ohmresistor
 Fnllcr 20 ffilrilmlh

operate.
receivers
o Explainhowcrystalsetsor direct-detection
o Definetheterm"selectivitt''.
o Whatis a galena-crystal?

Scienceprojects:
o This receivercan be usedto demonstrate howantiqueradiore-
ceiversoperatedwhenradiowasfirstinvented. lt canbepresented as
a "modern of a crystalor
version" galena receiver in a demonstration.
exhibitcan be madewiththisset,the free-power
An interesting AM
receiver in thisbook),anda crystalset.
(described
a The circuitcan alsobe usedas an RF "snitfe/',detectingradio
signalsproducedbyexperimental circuitsintheAMorshort-wave band.
ReplaceLl witha 1,000uHchokeandremoveC1to geta sensitive
RFsnitfer.

r2[
 l.r ht Inoilmmll-
t{n EofoGB

TOUCHSWITCH(E)
lampsandmotorscanbecontrolled
Smallappliances, bya simpletouchwith
circuit.LoadsareONduringthetimeadiusted
thisexperimental by Pl fora
fewsecondsto morethan10minutes.conversely,byusingtheNC(normally
youcanalsoturnotf an appliance
closed)contacts time.
aftertheadjusted
be placedfar
Thesensoris formedbytwosmallmetalplates,andshouldn't
at thesamemoment-
Themetalplatesarefinger-touched
fromthecircuit.
Thecircuitcanbe powered depending
froma 6- or 12-voltpowersupply, on
therelayused.Donotusetransformeless powersupplieswiththisproiect'
to
avoidshocksor dangerous powersuppliesare not
shorts.Transformerless
fromtheAc-powerlineandrepresent
isolated a dangerousshockhazard.
bycurrentupto 50 mA'
K1is a relaywith6- or 12-voltcoilandis energized
Withrelaysin this rangeyoucan powerthe touchswitchfromAA cells(6
volts)or smallPowersuPPlies.
A schematic of theTouchSwitchis showntn Figurcl.The circuitusesa 555
lC timeras itsheart,andtimedelayis determined byadjustingP1'

circuitmounting,usinga smallhomemade board,is shownin

printed-circuit
Figure2.lf you:dliketo etchyourownboardusethispartsplacement dia-
gramas guide.
ln Figure3weshowthesensorthatcanbemadewithtwosmallmetalplates
ona-plasticorwoodbase.Wiresto thesensorshouldn't belong.A maximum
lenghtof 10feetis recommended to avoiderraticoperation.

Pos16nof the polarized

components, capacitors
suchastheelectrolytic and
Loadis connected
diodes,shouldbe observed. to terminalsA and B. Re-
memberthatthe relayactsas a switch.
to avoiddanger-
powersupplies
Don'tpowerthiscircuitfromtransformerless
ousshocksandshorts.
use a
controlcanbe addedto thiscircuitin a simplemanner.
A sensitivity
1,000,000ohmpotentiometerforthistask.
- : t !

nt
 Ffdrcr2l luGnil||tc[

R3 lr \<^B
10K

lfi
a2
8C548 B1
a12V
R1
100K c2
lOO!f
Q1
8C548
(.) sEE TEXT

Figure 1

Figure2

t2t
Hr Frdrctslolho Dndmomcl I
l
PartsList -Touch Switch I

lC1 - 555 integratedcircuit,timer

Q1,2 - 8C548general-purpose
NPNtransistors

D1 - 1N914silicondiode

Kl - relay- see text

Rl - 100,000ohm, 114W,5%
resistor

R2 - 47,OOO resistor
ohm,114W,5%

R3 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R4 - 1,000ohm,1l4W,5olo
resistor

P1 - 1,000,000 resistor
ohm,114W,5%

C1 capacitor- see text

- 10 to 470 uF,12 WVDCelectrolytic

C2 - 100 uF,16 WVDCelectrolytic

capacitor

S1 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 - 6 or 12V- M cells,batteryor powersupply

ldeasto Explore
or to learnmoreaboutthecircuit:
Togetmoreperformance
o Sensitivity byreplacing
canbeincreased tran-
Ql witha Darlington
sistor,suchas a BC517.
o Byconnecting pointsY andX youcanuse
a reedswitchbetween
thiscircuitdo detectmovement.Fixa smallmagneton the pieceto
acton the reedswitch.

rtl
lu!
 frrfcct2l frrcDSffi

'3

Figure 3

Scienceanduncommon
applications:
. Thiscircuitcanbe usedto closea trap.Thetouchsensorwillde-
tectwhentheanimalentersthetrap.
o Projectsthatneeda wayto detectmovements, switchinganyload,
canbe made withthis kind like
circuit.Several ofsensors, microswitches,
pendulum sensorsor anyothermomentary-type switchcanbe used
inthiscircuit.
o Connect an LDRbetween pointsA andB.Alsoconnecta 100,000
ohmpotentiometer between X andthenegative poleofthepowersup-
ply.You'llhavea light-operated relayor remotecontrol.
A flashof light
produced by a lanternor evena cigarettelightercanclosethe relay,
powering theload.Thecircuitcanbe usedto detectflashesof lightin
scienceexperiments. FixtheLDRintoa telescope andyoucandetect
meteorfallings.
a Experiments involving
thunderstorms at nightcan be conducted
automatically Thefirstflashof lightning
usingthiscircuit. canbe used
to powerONtheequipment.

t8l
 forfie lrDollmcmel
IunPruiects

SIMPLEFLUORESCENT
LAMPTNVERTER(E/P)
Thiscircuitwilllighta commonfluorescent tube(from7 to 4Owatts)froma 6-
or 12-voltpowersupply,suchas ni-cadcells,D cells,car batteryor other
source,withoutneedof a chokeor starter.Eventhe oldtubeswhichno longer
functionat all on AC powerlineswilllightwhenusedforthispurpose.(Some
of them,though,maybe too weakto lightwhenthe circuitis poweredfrom6
or 12 volts.Youshouldexperiment beforehand.)

light,in trailers,signaling,
Youcan usethe deviceas an emergency etc.

By poweringthe fluorescentlampwith a transformerpowersupplyyou in-

creasesafetyfactorof an experiment,
avoidingdangerousshocksor shorts.

Currentdrain,typicallyrangingfrom 100to 800 mA,dependson the charac-

teristicsof the lampused,the powersupplyvoltage,and the transformer.

The lampwillbrightenaccording to the drainedcurrent.Experiments

should
be done with some ditferenttransformersand oscillatorfrequenciesto get
betterperformanceout of the circuit.
High
oscillatordrivinga transformer.
Basicaly,the circuitis a low-frequency
voltageis obtainedfromthe transformer to'lighta fluorescentlight.

allowsfrequencyadjustmentto get betterperfor-

The trimmerpotentiometer
mance.

Schematicdiagramof the FluorescentLampInverteris displayedinFigure

oscillatorwith a pairof
1.As you see,the circuitconsistsof a low-frequency
complementary transistors.

Componentslayout,usinga terminalstripas chassis,is shownin Figure2,

Componentsplacement is not critical.

TransistorQ2 shouldbe mountedon a largeheatsink.Tlis a 6V x 450 mA or

12Y x 450 mA transformer.lf a CT (center-tapped secondarycoil) trans-
formeris you shoulduse onlytwo of the threesecondary's
wires.
 Fof0ct22 $mjollutsctmlmffilnu
I

Figure I

Figure2

BE
IunPnf0cFful[o H$lmilu

currents
withsecondary
withtransformers
Experiments from300to 800mA
betweeen
andvoltages 9 and15Vcanbe madeto getbetterperformance.
Warning:Thefluorescent lampis poweredwithhighvoltagesthatcan be
dangerous. Takecareof the wires'insulations connec-
andwhenhandling
tionsto thedevice.

PartsList - SimpleFluorescentLampInverter
Q1 - 8C548- generalpurposeNPNsilicontransistor

Q2 -T,P42- PNPpowertransistor

T1 - Transformer:
117VAC;6V x 450 mA or 12Yx 450 mA

Xl lamp- see text

- Fluorescent

P1 - 470,000ohms- trimmerpotentiometer

R1 - 10,000ohms,1/4-watt,5% - resistor

R2 - resistor
- 1,000ohms,114-watl,5%

C1 - 0.047uF - metalfilm caPacitor

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircultor to getbetterperformance:
in placeof T1.Thecircuitperfor-
o Tryto usea ferritetransformer
mancewillincrease.
o Explainhowtransformersworkinthiskindof circuitandwhytrans-
formersdo notworkin DCcircuits.
Scienceprojects applications:
anduncommon
o Replace lampandyou'llhave
Xl byansmallultravioletfluorescent
 Prolcct22 SlMcHurlr$mtlrmtlflmcl

a mineralor fluorescent
materials
searcher.Manymaterials, including
theoneswitha high percentageof calcium,
willglowwhenilluminated
Manyexperiments
by ultraviolet. and demonstrationscan be made
involving
minerals, plantsandfluorescentmaterials.
o An interesting experimentwithplantsis to studytheetfectof ultra-
violetradiationonditferentplants'growth orgermination.lrradiatesev-
eralbatchesof variousseeds,suchas tomato,been,squash,etc.,
withUV andthenplant.Because of increasingUVradiation reaching
theearthdueto depletion oftheozonelayer,theetfectofthisradiation
on plantlifeis of concernto us all.
o Compareetfectsof ditferentlightwavelengths to seedgermina-
tion.Thewavelenghtsof incoming solarradiation
rangefrom200to
3,000nanometers (nm). UV radiationis between380and400 nm.
Selectseedsfromcommonplantsandexposeditferrent batchesto
UVand/orcommonlight(redto blue).Whathappens wlththediferent
seedsduringgermination? Youalsocanconductthe experiment not
onlywithseeds,butplantsandinsects.
o Highvoltagepresentin the 117Vtransformer coilcanbe usedin
nervestimulation experiments. Pleaseadda 10,000ohmpotentiom-
eter to controlthe appliedvoltageif the circuitis intendedto be used
onhumans!The voltagein thetransformer haspeaksashighas400V!
o Fluorescentlightcanalsobeuseinexperiments withinsects.
Some
by light(visibleandultraviolet!).
kindsof insectsareattracted lnsect
trapscanbe constructedusingthiscircuitas base.
o Fishandotheranimalscanbeattracted byfluorescent
light.A cir-
cuitpowered
bycellsor batteryis important
forfieldwork.
o Alternate methods offarmpestcontrolcanuselight,visibleaswell
as radiation partof thespectrum.
in theultraviolet lnsecttrapscanbe
constructedwithfluorescent lamp inverters.
Forfurtherinformation:
ThelnternationalAlliance for Sustainable
Agriculture
1701University Avenue SE
Minneapolis,MN55414 (612)331-1099

tft
 loriln Hmilmrmel
tunPtoiGcts

TOUCHON/TOUCHOFF RELAY (P)

I
AO-powered appliances, suchas lamps,smallhomeappliances, toolsand
otheritems,can be controlledby yourfingertipsusingthis circuit.Also,test
equipment andexperiments can be controlled
by thiscircuit.Youcanturnon
any load by first touchingtime sensorX1, then turn it otf by touchingXl
again.Thereis no shockhazard,as the controlcircuitis completelyisolated
fromthe AC powerline.

The controlcircuitis poweredfrom four or eightAA cells,or, if you prefer,a

powersupplyrangingfrom 6 lo 12 voltsaccordingto the relaycoil.

powersuppliesbecausetheyare not isolatedfrom

Don'tusetransformerless
the AC powerlineand can causesevereshocksand shorts.

The schematicdiagramof theTouchOnffouchOff Relayis givenin Figure 1.

The circuitusestwo lOs.The 555 timerworksas a monostable, producing
one controlpulsewhenthe sensoris touched.The 4013 is a flip-flopthat
controlsthe relayby a transistor.

Components placementon a homemadeprinted-circuit boardis as shownin

Figure2. Componentlayoutshouldbe alteredif the relayusedin the project
is an equivalentof the type indicatedin partslist.

Relaycoil voltageis determinedby the powersupplyvoltageand the load

currentrequirement.Youcan use a mini 1A DPDT(RadioShack275-2491
12V,280ohm,43 mA,andwireit as shownin thefigure,or useanothertype
of relay,dependingon the loadrequirements.

A 10A SPDT mini-relay(RadioShack 275-278)is suitablefor heavyduty

appliances.

As a simplerule,you can use a 6- or 12-voltrelaywith coil currentsranging

from 10 to 100mA andcontactsup to 10A,accordingto the taskyou havein
mind.

Positionsof the polarizedcomponents,suchas the diode,electrolytic

capaci-
tors and transistor,shouldbe observed.

1f0
 ttfbcr 28 lfHhrlilcrffirht

6a
<c0

*o o$ s b
EA
/J
trt

o
N(')
95
t

a to
DE dl

Figure 1

tfl
 I
lunlrulcctsfor$c Hlrilmcmcl

P-
o-
OO
o{

ta- _d
-o|
E

Figure 2

Sensorarethe Sameas the'TouchSwitch"pQect describedin this book.

Don't use metallicbox to housethe device,as there are parts connected

directlyto the AC powerline.Be sure that thereare no powerline contacts
withthe lowvoltagecircuitto avoidshocksand dangerousshorts.

The loadis connectedas shownin Figure 3, to be ON whenthe relaycoil is

energized.Youcan also use the normallyclosedcontactsto turn otf a load
whenthe relaycoil is energized.

Rememberthat currentrequirements are highwhenthe relaycoil is ener-

That is
gizedand lowwhenthe transistorQ2 is otf (relaycoil nonenergized).
an importantfactorto considerif you are usingbatteriesto powerthe unit.

$2
 ErleG[20 Iffi mtltrEl0rr.trr

plugthe
Afteryouaresurethatyouhavewiredallpartsofthecircuitcorrectly,
powercordintothewallsocket.
Youcannowtestthecircuit.
Connecta loadto theoutput(relaycontacts) Theload
andtouchthesensor.
shouldbe powered ONif all is OK.

PartsList -Touch On/TouchOff Relay

lC1 - 555 Integratedcircuit- timer

lC2 - 40138CMOSintegratedcircuit- dualflip-flop

Q1,2 - 8C548General-purpose
NPNsilicontransistors

D1 - 1N914General-purpose
silicondiode

K1 - Relay- see text

R1,2, 5 - 100,000ohm,114W,5%
resistors

R3,4 - 47,OOO
ohm,114W,57o
resistors

RO - 1,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

Cl - 1 uF,25 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

C2 - 0.1 uF ceramicor metalfilm capacitor

Cg - 4.7 uF,12 WVDCelectrolytic

capacitor

C4 - 100 uF,16 WVDCelectrolytic

capacitor

S1 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 - 6 or 12V (accordingto relay)- see text

X1,2 - sensor- seetext

fl8
 I
I
HntnffiLlt
' : Inchm -

-r < !

1l
11rv I I
JI

Figure3

ldeasto ExPlore
Tolearnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o Betterperformance can be obtainedby replacingQl with a
suchas a 8C517.
transistor,
Darlington
o A 100,000 ohmpotentiometerplacedbetween thebaseof Q1and
thenegativepoleof thepowersupplywillgivea sensitivity
adjustment
forthecircuit.
as usedin thiscircuit,works,andthefunc-
o Explainhowa flip-flop,
tionof theC3/R5networkin thisproject.Explainwhythecurrentflow-
ingthroughthefingerswhenthesensoris toucheddoesn'tcauseany
shockhazard.
o Depending youcanpoweroN theloadwhen
upontheapplication,
is possible
(toreducepowerconsumption).That
relayis notenergized
usingthe normallyclosedcontactsof the relay.

-
u
 PililiGr2E lffim/rdclffirffiu

Scienceprojects uses:
anduncommon
. By connecting a reedswitchbetweenpointsX1 andX2 you can
usethecircuitto detectmovement itemsinexperiments
of mechanical
or projects.
Justatfixa magnetonthe item
moving to actontheswitch.
o Experiments
withanimals withthiscircuitbyusing
canbeconducted
connected
transducers
appropriate X1 andX2.
between
o An LDRcan be usedto controlthe circuitwitha flashof light.A
lantern,
cigarette onor otf.
lighteletc.,canbeusedto turnappliances
 frr theHnoilmcmot
ftn Prulccts I

(E)
GALVANOMETER
EXPERIMENTAL
galvanometer
The experimental describedhere can detectcurrentsas low
as few microamperesand uses unusualparts.This galvanometer
operates
as commoncommercial galvanometers
foundin multimetersandseveralother
analoginstruments.

One purposeof this experimentcan be to demonstrate that thereis a mag-

neticfieldarounda coilthatthat is carrying (Oersted
electricity Experiment).

The operatingprincipleis verysimpleto understand: an electriccurrentflow-

ing acrossa coil (or a wire)producesa magneticfield.The fieldcan act on a
mobilemagneticmetalpiece,suchas a compasspointeror a blade,as shown
in the figuresherein.The compassor blademovementindicatesthe pres-
enceof a current.

Figure I showsthe two basicversionsof the experimental galvanometer,

usinga commoncompassand usinga blade.ls very importantto observe
the correctpathfor the currentflow in the coil.The coil shouldbe wiredex-
actlyas shownin the figure.

ln Figure 2 we havea circuitto operatethe galvanometer. The resistorcan

rangefrom 100 to 100,000ohms. The higherthe resistor,
the moresensitive
is the galvanometer.Experimentto find the highestresistorvaluethat can
causethe pointerto move.

The coil is madewith 50 to 200 turnsof No.28 to 32 wire on a paperform.

Numberof turnsdetermines The higherthe numberof turns,the
sensitivity.
moresensitiveis the galvanometer.

can be detectedwith a carefully

Gurrentsas low as a few microamperes
madeprototype.

fl8
 PlrlGGt
2f mdhuml3rilrmmr

Figure 1

Figure2

tfO
 I
Er?nhcrrtrhbahn$

L1 - coil- seetext

X1 - Compassor blade- seetext

ldeasto Explore
Toget betterperformance
or to learnmoreaboutthecircuit:
o Experiment
withseveralcoilswithdifferent
numbers
of turnsand
comparesensitivity.
Scienceprojects:
o Demonstrate howOersteddiscovered the magnetic
fieldarounda
wire that is carryingelectricityand how moderngalvanometers are
constructed.
o Wherecangalvanometers
canbe used?Whatarevoltmeters
and
ammeters?
o Determine of yourgalvanometer
thesensitivity it in
by connecting
(DCmA or uA scale)and a 100,000ohm
serieswitha multimeter
potentiometer.

fit
Hnr|0Fctsfr$r
- ftdmomr
_

ALARM (E/P)
OVER-TEMPERATURE
Thiscircuitwillproduce beepsbya piezoelectric
intermittent transducer when
the temperature risesovera preadjusted You
value. can usethis in
circuit
greenhouses, heaters,etc.TheSensoris a common silicondiodebutan NTC
canalsobe usedif youchangesomecomponents'values.
Exchanging of R1andPl withDl willcausethedeviceto operate
positions
alarm.
as an under-temperature
Theintermittentsignalis generated lGla (pins1,2and3)
bytwooscillators.
thatcontrols
is aninverter lOlc (pins8, 9 and10)
lCl b andlOlc (oscillators).
is a very-low-frequencyoscillatorthatprovides the modulation ratefor the
secondoscillator.Thesecondoscillator (pins5,6 and 4) has its frequency
determined byR2andC1.Theproduced audiotonecanbealteredbyadjust-
ingbothC1andR2withina largerangeof values.
Powercomesfroma 3- to lS-voltpowersupply" Forportableusea small9-
Currentdrainis verylow,about0.5mAwhen
voltbatteryis recommended.
thetoneis otf.Whenthetoneis on,currentdrainrisesto about5 mA.
Alarmis shownin Figurc 1. lOl, a
of the Over-Temperature
A schematic
40ggB,hastwogatesoperating and twoas butfer'inverters.
as oscillators

Components placement
on a homemade boardis shownin
printed-circuit
Figure2.Youcanmadeyourprototype PCboard.
usinga single-sided
of thepolarized
Position especially
components, diodeD1(usedas sensor),
shouldbe observed.Thissensorcanbe placedfar fromthedeviceby using
commonwiring.Youmusttakesomecareto avoidhumidity or waterfalling
ontothesensor,whichwillcauseadverselyatfectthealarmoperation.

BZ is a piezoelectric (RadioShack27g-O7g
transducer or a
or equivalent)
crystalearpiece.
is adjustedby P1.Setthispotentiometer
Operation to getsoundat the de-
To get a morepreciseadiustment
siiedtemperature. you can replacethe
commontrimmerpotentiometer potentiometer.
by a multi-turn

ltf
 Pfrfrcl25 M-Iomnnurulhm

vcc
+3Vto +15V

P1
10M

R1
100K

Figure 1

0V +Vcc +

Figure2

Getthesensorbetweenyourfingersto seehowit works:whenthetempera-

turerisessomedegreesthecircuitwillproducea serieof beeps.lsolatethe
sensor,andaftersomesecondssoundemission willstop.
ftnPniloctsfi$e mdlffibl

PartsList - Over-Temperature
Alarm
lC1 - 4093CMOSintegrated
circuit
D1 - 1N914or 1N4148generalpurpose silicondiode
;
BZ - Piezoelectric
transducer
or crystalearphone j

(RadioShack273-073
or equivalent) I
I
!

R1 - 100,000 resistor
ohm,1l4W,5olo
R2 - 33,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor
R3 - 2,200,000 resistor
ohm,114W,5%
Pl - 10,000,000
ohmtrimmerpotentiomer
Cl - 0.047uF metalfilmor ceramiccapacitor

C2 - 0.47uF metalfilmor ceramiccapacitor

Cg - 100uF,16WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o AlterbothR2 andC1 to changetonepitchor bothR3 andG2to
rate.
altermodulation
o Replace Dl witha 10,000to 100,000ohmNTC,Rl witha2,200
ohmresistor,andP1witha 100,000 ohmpotentiometer,
to 1,000,000
to geta newkindof sensor.
o Tryto adda power{ul suchas
outputaudiostageusinga transistor,
a 8D135anda smallloudspeaker.
Seeother projectsin thisbookfor
abouttheconfiguration.
suggestions

r50
 Pnfocfl
25 ow-lcmrunnnilnm

Scienceprojectsand otherapplications:
o Chemicalprocessesthat involveheatchangescan be controlled
usingthis alarm.The sensorshouldbe protectedagainstmoisture
and waterin experiments
involvingliquids.
o ReplaceD1 by an LDRor photodiode. The circuitwill operateas a
lightalarmor darkalarm,dependingupon sensorposition. Withan
LDRit wouldbe betterto replaceP1 witha 1,000,000ohm potentiom-
eter and R1 with a 10,000ohm resistor.Lensesplacedin frontof the
LDRor phototransistor can be usedto increasesensitivity.
o The circuitcan alsooperateas a water-level alarmby usinga two-
wire sensorto replaceDl. The sensoris madewith two barewires.
The wires are separatedby a distanceof about2 or 3 inches.The
watercompletesthe circuitwhilethe wiresare immersed.Whenthe
waterlevelfallsbelowthe wires,the circuitis openedandthe alarmis
triggered.
. o Temperature in greenhouses,
animalpens,incubatorsand aquari-
ums can be monitoredusingthis device.And if workingwith an LDR
as the sensor,experiments
involvinglightcan be conducted.

tut
Im Pnlmtsfol lhcHncdmcml

TESTER(P)
GAPACTTOR
Thiscircuitcanbeusedto testmetalfilmceramiccapacitorsandothertypes
of capacitorsin a rangeof valuesbetween470pFto 10 uF.
Thedeviceis formedbyanaudio-oscillator thatproduces
a tonedetermined
bythecapacitor undertest.Probesconnectthecapacitorto thecircuit.The
frequencyof theproduced toneis higherforlower-value
capacitors.A falling
toneindicates a badcapacitor.
willpro-
in the rangebetween1 and10 uF,the oscillator
Testingcapacitors
duceseparatedaudiopulses,workinglikea metronome.
Thecircuitis powered bytwoor fourAA cells,andcurrentdrainis verylow.
P1 is adjusted according
to setan audibletoneat thespeaker, thevalueof I
thecapacitor beingtested.
values.Twocapacitors
Youcan alsousethisdeviceto comparecapacitor
withthesamevaluewillgivethesametone.
Theschematic diagramof the CapacitorTesteris shownin Figute 1.The
circuithasas its hearttwo complementarytransistorsworkingas a direct-
coupledamplifier.Feedback is provided
byresistorR1andthecapacitor un-
dertest.
Gomponents placement on a terminalstripis shownin Figure2. Usethis
partsplacementas a guidewhenassembling the terminalstripandwhen
housingthecircuitintoa box.
shouldbe shortas possible
components
Termination to avoidinstability.
Positionof thepolarized components,suchas theelectrolytic and
capacitor
powersupply, shouldbe observed whenmounting. Thecapacitor undertest
clipsas shownin Figure2.
is placedin thecircuitbytwoalligator
Thecircuitcanbe housedin a smallplasticbox.

r0!
 ?nhcrfi ffiffiFnr

P1
1M
.-l
Q2 S1 \
BC558
R2 I
4K7 Q1
AnA/iA
cl
'l00pF
II
*l(
-L
81 ._
:t-
R1 3/6V T
CAPACITOR 1K
UNDER
TEST

4/8n

Figure I

Figure2

til
HiFilIOEEI*IhHruffiUT j

PartsList - GapacitorTester
Q1 - 8C548general-purpose
NPNtransistor
Q2 - 8C558general-purpose
PNPtransistor
R1 - 1,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor
R2 - 4,700ohm,114W,5%
resistor
P1 - 1,000,000
ohm,114W,5%
resistor
Cl - 100uF,6 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
Cx - capacitor
in test
S1 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 -3orOV-2or4M-cells

SPKR- 4 to 8 ohms- 2to4 in.loudspeaker

ldeasto Explore
To get betterperformance
or to learnmoreaboutthe clrcuit:
o ReplaceP1 with 10,000,000 ohmsto testcapacitorsunder470pF.
Don'ttouchthe alligatorclipsor probeswhentestingsmallcapacitors
bellow1,000pF.
o Explainhowcapacitorsfunctionin this circuit.Whatis feedback?

It2
 Frohc|28 Grrrcllrlffi

Scienceprojects uses:
anduncommon
o Mountanexperimentalcapacitor usingaluminumfoilandpaperas
Testthecapacitor
dielectric. usingthisdeviceandcompare thevalue
withknowncapacitors.
o Experiments involvingcapacitivetransducerscan be conducted
withthiscircuit.Thecircuitcanbe usedas an analog-to-digital(A/D)
converter. Thesecircuitscanconvertcapacitances (ananalog quan-
tity)intofrequencies (a digitalquantity).
Withan appropriateconver-
sionscaleit will be possible to usea frequencycounterto measure
capacitances.

r03
frn Frloclslr ho Htcrlnnrur l

(VP)
TESTER
coNTrNUrrY
Thiscircuitcanbe usedto testelectronic
components suchas diodes,resis-
lamps,
tors,coils,transformers, fuses,switches, andmanyoth-
loudspeakers
ers.Thestateof thecomponent undertestis indicated
byan LED.
Whentheprobesareseparated orwhentheresistance between themisvery
high (morethan 1,000,000ohms) the LED is When
otf. the is low
resistance
(thetransistor state)theLEDis on.
is in a conduction
Thecircuitis poweredfroma 6- or 9-voltsupply(AAcellsor battery).
Current
drainis lessthan10 mAwiththe LEDon.R2valuedependson the power
supplyvoltage. Fora 9V supplywe recommend 820or 1,000ohmsfor R2.
A schematicdiagramof theContinuityTesteris givenin Figure1.Twotran-
pair.Theconfiguration
sistorarewiredas a Darlington reducesthe current
flowbetween probesto microampere values.
Components placementon a terminalstrip,usedas chassis,is shownin
to observepositions
Figure2. lt is veryimportant andLED.
of thetransistors
Housethe devicein a smallplasticboxanduseprobesor alligator
clipsto
connectthecomponents undertest.

PartsList - ContinuityTester
Ql, 2 - 8C558general-purpose
PNPsilicontransistors
LED - Commonred,greenor yellowLED
R1 - 100,000
ohm,114W,5%
resistor
R2 resistor- seetext
- 470ohm,114W,5%

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

81 - 6Vor 9V (fourAAcellsor battery)

PPl,2 - Redandblackprobes

r80
 ;ilm 2t Grilmlufc$ct

Figure I

Figure2

t0t
IunfrofoctsffimHEaffirSl

ldeasto Explore j

Togetbetterperformance
or to learnmoreaboutcircuitanddevices:
o InvertpowersupplypolesandLEDposition anduseNPNtransis-
tors.Willthecircuitoperateas theoriginalversion?
A transistor
such
asthe8C548canbeusedinthisexperiment.You canalsoreplacethe
LEDandR1witha 6-voltx 50 mAsmallincandescent lamp.
o Determine the highestresistance
thatcanbe connected
between
probesthatcausesthe LEDto illuminate.
Scienceprojects:
o Conductability of chemicalsubstiances
canbedetected
or demon-
stratedwiththiscircuit.Usetwobarewiresas probes.
o By replacing theLEDwitha 0-200uAmicroammeter youcanuse
thiscircuitas a liedetector.
Smallchangesin skinresistancecanbe
detectedin thisway.Skinresistance
alterswithstressor bythe straln
causedby an interrogationsession.
o Experiments withplantscan be conductedinvolvingalterationin
the resistance
between electrodesplacedon theirleafs. An interest-
ing studyaboutthis subjectis foundin the book The SecretLifeof
PlantsbyPeterTompkins andChristopher Bird.Theauthors associate
phenomena
electrical in plants
to a rudimentarynervoussystem.

IB
IunftmctsffincHlulnrrnr

LEDBARGRAPH(E/P)
Thiscircuitdrivesten LEDsin response to an analogvoltageappliedto its
inputandcan be usedto providea visualindication of the instantaneous
powerbeingdeveloped lt canalsobe usedto provide
by an audioamplifier.
visualindication
of variable
eventsin scienceexperiments.
Youcanextendtheprojectby usingtwochipsandyou'llbe ableto continu-
theaudiooutputpowerof bothchannels
ouslymonitor ofyourstereosystem.
Thecircuitcanbe usedwithamplifiers
rangingfrom0.1to 100watts.
In somecasesyoushouldusea smalltransformer, wiredas in Figurc1,to l
isolatethe inputandmatchimpedances.Thisls necessarywhentheampli- j
fierhasa low-outputimpedance.
ResistorR, is chosenaccordingto theout- I
putpowerof theamplifier.
ValuesaregiveninTable1.

Table1
Amplifier
OutputPower Rx
-
0.1 to 1 watt

1 to 5 watts 10 ohms, ll2watl

5 to 20 watts 22 ohms,1 watt

20 to 50 watts 47 ohms,1 watt

50 to 100 watts 100ohms,2watts

A schematic
diagramof the LEDbargraph is showninFigure2.Thecircuit
usesan LM3914lC to drivethe LEDs,converting
voltagesintooneof ten
outputs.
Thecomponents areplacedon a printed-circuit
boardas shownin Figure3.
lf youd liketo buildyourcircuitthesameway,youcanetchyourownboard
usingthesolderandcomponent-side templates
shownin thisfigure.
 F!|ffi 2t llDlrlrruh
I

(-)SEETABLE 8:1000o
TRANSF'RMER

Figure I

+6112Y

18 't7 16 15 14 13 12 11 . 10
tcl
1M3914
5
D1 R1
1N914 10K

Figure2

fn
HmHdcctslrrilcHpilmmu

Figure 3

P2 adjuststhe dynamicrangein whichthe circuitoperates.P1 adjustssensi-

Youcansetthevalueto a fixedpointby
tivityanddependson the application.
usinga trimmerpotentiometer.

Audiocomesfrom the loudspeaker outputof the amplifier.Any smalltrans-

formerwith a high-impedance coil and a low-impedance coil can be used.
Any smalltransformerwith a 117VAC primary,secondaryratedfrom 5 to
12.6volts,and currentratingsbetween100and 500 mA can be used.

Positionof the polarizedcornponents,

suchas LEDs,diode,and electrolytic
capacitor,shouldbe observed.

Bass responseis providedby C1.Youcan alter this componentwithinthe

rangegivenin the schematicdiagramto achievebestperformance.

Rememberthatthe highestappliedvoltageto the inputshouldn'texceedthe

powersupplyvoltage.

ltf
 FililGct28 ltB hntiln

PartsList - LEDBargraph
lC1 - LM3914Integrated
circuit(National)

LEDs - Commonred,yellowor green

D1 - 1N914or 1N4148generalpurposesilicondiode

Rl - 10,000ohm, 114W,5%
resistol

R2 - 470ohm,114W,5%
resistor

P1 - 10,000ohm potentiometer

P2 - 4,700ohmtrimmerpotentiometer

C1 capacitor- see text

- 1 to 10 uF,12 WVDCelectrolytic

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o Determinethe voltagelevelthat turns on each LED usinga DC
powersupplypluggedto the inputof the device.

. By wiringprobesat the positivepowersupplyline and the input

meter.
you can usethis circuitas a digitalresistanceor conductance

SciencepQects:
o Thiscircuitcan replacethe commonmultimetertoindicatevoltage
The visualetfectis better.
variationsin experiments.
o lt can alsobe usedin the outputof a lb detectoror bio-feedback.

o Conectan LDRbetweenthe inputand (+)for a digitalphotometer.

wire an NTCbetween(+) and the input.
Fora digitalthermometer
o Thiscircuitcan also replacethe LEDand resistorin the Continuity
Testerandthe sameexperiments, withadvantages,can be performed.

fl5
 forllc Hrulnrnmr
IunPl0f0cts

SHAKER (P/E)
LTQUTDS
A toy'ssmall DC motorcan be usedto mounta liquidsshaker.The shaker
can be used in chemicalexperimentsto mix substancesquicklyand effi-
ciently.

The circuitis poweredfrom the powersupplyline (to avoidthe expenseof

batteries),but thereis no shockhazardbecausean isolationtransformeris
used.Of course,for fieldworkyou can also poweryour mixerfrom common
AA cells.
DC
The transformeris chosenaccordingto the motorvoltage.A four-AA-cell
(a
motorrequiresa 6+6voltx 500 mA transformer 6-voltcentertappedtrans-
former).A two-AA-cellDC motorrequiresa 3V x 500 mA transformer.

Securethe motorinto a smallcylindricalplasticbox.Use a longshaftto at-

tach a smallplasticscrewpropeller.

Figure l showsthe schematicdiagramof the electronicpart of the circuit:a

powersupply.The diodesare common50V x 1A siliconrectifiers,and C1 is
not critical.C1 shouldbe in the rangebetween100and 1,000uF.

Figure 2 showsa mechanicalview,usinga smallterminalstripas chassis.

The fuse is importantto avoidseveretroublesif shortsoccur.

resistorand can be alteredaccordingto the motor.

Rl is a current-limiting
Vafuesbetween4.7 and 100ohmscan be experimented with for betterper-
formance.

Positionof the polarizedparts,suchas the diodesand electrolytic

capacitor,
shouldbe observed.Rememberthat the motorrotatescloclcriseor not ac-
cordingto the voltagepolarization.

tt8
 PnFrt 20 lhffiSmilor

D1
1N4002

F1
6+6V
500mA

Figure l

Figure2

il
att
 l
Iur?rd0c0ihlh0mhmml

PartsList - LiquidsShaker
D1,2 - 1N4002silicondiodes

T1 117 VAC:6+6Vx 500 mA - see text

- Transformer:

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

F1 - 500 mA fuse

C1 - 220uF,16 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

R1 - 15 ohm,2W,SYo
resistor

M - smallDC motor(3 to 6 volt)

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutcircuitanddevicesor to getbetterperformance:
o AlterR1to achievebetterperformance to the DGmotor
according
used.Tryvaluesbetween4.7and'l00ohms.
o Usethe DC LampDimmerdescribed in thisbookto geta speed
R1if thedimmeris used.
controlforthe motor.Remove
geta regulated
o Usethe6VDCconverterto thecircuit.
outputfrom

Scienceprojects uses:
anduncommon
experiments,
o Thispowersupplycan be usedin electro-chemical
andelectroplating.
suchas electrolysis
witha fanblade.Experiment.
thescrewpropeller
o Replace
involving
o Thedevicecanbe usedin experiments in
watercurrents
smallplaces,
suchas aquariums.
thatrequirecontrolled
o Otherapplications of a smallDC
movement
motorcanusethiscircuit.

rft
tunEobcrsbr thcEoedmcrFl

(P)
STGNALTRACER
methodforservic-
Signaltracingbymeansof a signaltracerotfersa valuable
equipment.
inga varietyof electronic Thismethodis oftenemployed whena
AMandFMreceiv-
dead,butrathermalfunctioning.
circuitis notcompletely
ers,CD players, multimedia TV sets,etc.,canbe servicedusing
amplifiers,
thissimplesignaltracer. I
l
I
The circuitwe showhereconsistsof a two-stage direct-coupled transistor i
Thecircuithastwoinputs.
amplifier. Whentheprobeis usedin theRFmode .l

thedetectordiodeis insertedintothecircuit.Whenthe probeis usedin the I

audiomodethe signalis applieddirectlyto the baseof the firsttransistor
(o1).
As the circuithas a low-poweroutput,a gaincontrolis not used.

The circuitis poweredfromtwo M cells,and currentdrainis onlyfew milli-

amperes.Sincethe circuitdrawssuch low current,long batterylife can be
expected.

Figure I showsthe schematicdiagramof the signaltracer.R1 determines

the gain of the amplifierstageand can be alteredto get betterperformance
dependingon the transistorsused.

Figure2 showsthe signaltracermountedon a terminalstrip,whichis used

one is an NPNandthe otheris a
as a chassis.liakecarewiththe transistors;
PNP.lf you switchone withthe otherthe will not work.
circuit

This projectcan be housedin a smallplasticbox.The sizeof the plasticbox

is determinedby the speakersize.Positionof the polarizedpiecesshouldbe
observed.

Itf
 Ftdcct80 $llmllnecr

Dl 1
RF 1N34
A+Fl
I
B+ C 2 +
AUDIO C1
0.1pF 100pF

SPKR
4l8A

Cr-
(coMMoN)

Figure I

Figure2

1t[
 l

milnFGtslorhsulmmt

PartsList - SignalTracer
Ql - 8C548general-purpose
NPNsilicontransistor

Q2 - 8C558general-purpose
PNPsilicontransistor

D1 - anygermanium
- 1N34or equivalent transistor

R1 - 1,500,000 resistor
ohm,114W,5%
C1 - 0.1uFceramic
or metalfilmcapacitor
C2 - 100uF,6 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

SPKR- 4/8 ohms- 2 or 4 in.smallloudspeaker

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

81 - 3V - twoAAcells

ldeasto ExPlore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o Explainhowsignaltracersareusedforservicework.
o ChangeRl valueto achievebetterperformance.
o Usethetracerin a smallAM radioto studyitsoperation.
o Replacethe speakerby a low-impedance earphoneto get a por-
plastic
tableunitthatcanbe housedin a verysmall box.

Scienceprojects:
o Thetracercanbe usedto detectsignalsproduced in experiments
in thisbook.
currentfields,as described
involving
o The tracercan be usedas an experimental with
audioamplifier
pickupsor microphones.
suchas piezoelectric
transducers
-
rt0
 lcr thsHDcilmomol
lril Plolocts

oNE-EVENTREGISTER(P/E)
Thisis a one-bitmemorythatcan be usedto storea simplebit of information,
suchas a remotepower-failureor closed-trapdetector,or a touchsensor.

The circuitoperatesas follows:When the resistancebetweenthe alligator

poweringON the LED.
clipsfalls,the SCRis triggered,

The SCR and LED stay in the ON stateevenafterthe appliedpulseto the

i

I1
inputis gone.So the device"memorizes"
the event.
i
The sensorcan be a magneticswitch(reedswitch),a microswitch,or a touch
switch.A simpletouchswitchis a metalplatewiredto G2.To get bestsensi-
tivity,G1 needsa goodground.Youcan alsouse as sensortwo metalplates
that are touchedat the sametimeto triggerthe circuitON.

The circuitis poweredby fourAA cellsandcurrentdrainis verylowwhenthe

LEDis off.Whenthe LEDis on, currentdrainis lessthan10 mA.

To resetthe deviceyou only haveto toggleS1. Anotherway to resetthe

circuitis to wire a momentaryswitchbetweenthe anodeand cathodeof the
SCR.Sensorscan be wiredto the devicewith longunshieldedwires.

Theschematicof the One-Eventis shownin Figure l.ThoughR2and R3 are

shownas fixed,you can use a 1,000,000ohm potentiometer if you prefer.A
sensitivityadjustmentwill get betterperformance
fromthe register.

Figure 2 showsthe One-eventRegister,on terminalstrip mounting.As it is

an experimentalcircuityou can also use a solderlessboardto installthe
components.

The circuitcan easilybe housedinto a smallplasticbox.Observethe posi-

suchas the LED,SCRand powersup-
tionsof all the polarizedcomponents,
plv.
if TlC106is used.OtherSCRs,suchas the
ResistorR3 is onlynecessary
MCRl06andCl06, require
don't R3.

tg0
 Pldrct8t 0nG,tnmiulsl

R3
47KO(")

Figure I

Figure2

t0l
 folt[e trrcilmentcl
IunPloiects

PartsList- One-Event
Register
SCR - TlC106or MCR106SiliconControlled
Rectifier

LEDs - Red,yellowor greencommon

R1 - 470ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R2 - 100,000 resistor
ohm,114W,5%

R3 - 47,000ohm,1/4W,5%resistor- seetext

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

81 -6V-fourAAcells

G1,2 - Alligator
clips

ldeasto Explore
or to learnmoreaboutthe circuit:
Toget betterperformance
o Youcan replaceR1 and the LEDwith a buzzeror audiooscillator
to get an alarm.But, rememberthattherea voltagedropof about2
voltswhencurrentflowsthroughthe SCR.Thisvoltagedropcan be
compensatedby addingtwo or threevolts to the powersupply.For
voltagefor the
instance,if you use a 6-voltrelay,the recommended
powersupplyis 8 or 9 volts.
on the
o As currentdrainis verylowwhenthe LEDis off,depending
intendeduse,51 can be removed.
. Explainhowthe SCRoperatesin thiscircuit.

192
 FrFcr 8l holnillrffr

Scienceanduncommon
applications:
o Youcanconnectan LDRbetween Gl andG2fora light-operated
one-event or alarm.A singleshortpulseof lightcantrigger
memory
. thecircuit.
o Usethiscircuitto knowwhensomeonetouchesan objectwhen
you leaveit unattended.
Youcanalsoknowif someoneenteredyour
roomwhenyouwereout.
a By usingtwo barewireas sensors,youhavea water-level
alarm.
TheLEDwillglowwhenthewatertouchesthetwobarewiresat the
sametime.

r0l
tm ?rulecs
ffffrc Enalmntal

(E)
NO|SEGENERATOR
Thepurposeof thissimpleexperimentis to producenoisein the AM radio
band.Thecircuitcanbe usedto showhowbrushmotorsandgeneralappli- l
I
anceswithmotorscangenerate.noise in radio,
in the radioband,interfering i

TV,andradiocommunication services.
Thecircuitis verysimpleandthe producednoiseis tooweakto causeany
problem (FCCrulesaboutnoiseandradiointerference
to radioreceivers. are
severe.)Thenoiseproduced onlyin receivers
willinterfere
bythisexperiment
justa fewteetaway.

Theschematic diagramof thedeviceis shownin Figure1.Theheartof the

circuitis a smallDC motorthatworksas a automatic key,producing
rapid
variation in thecurrentflow.
A mechanical viewofthecircuit,usinga terminal is shownin
stripaschassis,
Figure2. Allthecomponents, including thepowersupply,canbe fixedon a
plasticboard.
AnysmallDC motorobtainedfroma nonworking
toy can be usedin this
project.
Thepowersupplydependsuponthemotorused.
fromanynonworking
CVandL1canbeobtained AM radio.
Youcan get morepowerfor the RF noiseby wiringa pieceof wireto the
antenna(A)terminal,butlimitthiswireto nolongerthan6 feet.Ll is formed
by 100turns of No.
28 wirewoundon a ferriterod(diameter andlengthare
notcritical).
Byadjusting ona deadpoint
CV youcantryto tunethesignalto bestronger
of theAM radioband.

100
 H.ret 32 td$r8ononnr

(.)ser rEXT
B1
3/6V
cl

L1
(.)

Figure I

Figure2

t0,
 lfi tncHlcllmcntel
IunPloiects

PartsList - NoiseGenerator
B1 - 3 to 6V - cellsor battery- see text

T - Keyor SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

c1 - 0.1 uF ceramicor metalplatecapacitor

CV - 365 pF variablecapacitor

L1 - loopstick- see text

M - 3 to 6V DC motor

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get morepedormance:
o Tryto produceRF noisein the high-frequency bandby replacing
coilon a ferriterod
L1.Witha 3Q-turn you can produce
signalsin the
rangebetween2 and7 MHz.
. ExplainhowRF noiseis Produced.
o Find out throughreferencebookshow Marconiand otherradio
pioneersgeneratedradiowavesfromtheirtransmitters.

applications:
Scienceand uncommon
o Youcan showhow antiqueradiotransmittersoperatedusingthis
usinga keyin place
circuit.Morsecodedmessagescan be transmitted
o f5 1 .
o Explainwhy this noisegeneratorcan be usedto transmitvoice-
modulatedsignals.

198
RmftJoGts
- fu lf,olltOilm0mil
-

(E)
OHMMETER
EXPERIMENTAL
As commercialohmmeters arecheapandeasyto find,anyonewhowantsa
goodinstrumentforhisownusewillnotbuildone.Butyoucanbuilda simple
ohmmeter howit worksor studyhowthebigonesaremade.
to demonstrate
Thesimpleohmmeter herecaneasilybemadefroma milliamme-
described
demonstrations
andcanbe usedin experiments,
ter or microammeter, and
manyotherapplications.
Ourohmmeter Andsincethisohmmeter
is alsoa voltmeter. canmeasurea
we can saythat it is, in practice,a
largerangeof voltagesand resistances
Voltages
multimeter. canbe measured Inthe rangebetween 0 and12volts
(therangeusedto poweralmostall circuitsin this book),and resistances
between 0 andinfinite.
lf usinga2OOuA microammeter, willbe 5,000ohmspervolt.
thesensitivity
Thisvalueis typicalof severalcommercialtypesof commonmultimeters.

Butyoucanuseanyotherammeter witha full-scale from100

valueranging
uAto 1 mA.SimplychangeRl to achievebest performance.

oftheexperimentalohmmeter
Theschematic is shownin Figure1.Notethat
thatcaneasilybehousedina smallplasticbox.
weuseonlyfourcomponents
Layoutis shownin Figute2. Components mountingis notcritical,andyou
canreplacethe bananajacksby probesor anyothermethodto makeexter-
nalconnections.
Probesareconnected to theexternalbananajacksdepending on the mea-
surementyou intendto make.To measurevoltage,the red probeis con-
nectedto J1 andtheblackprobeis connectedto J2.Tomeasure resistance,
connectthe redprobeto J1 andthe blackprobeto J3. Putthe probesto-
scale.
of zeroat the instrument
getherandadjustP1to getan indication
it is possible
Byusinga seriesof knownresistors, themeterscale
to calibrate
to readohmsdirectly.Startfrom0 (withJl andJ2 shorted),andnotethe
meterreadingswhenlk,2k, etc,reslstors areconnected acrossJl andJ3.

202
 PlUoGt
88 S0ftncmlol|ffir

Figure I

Figure2

the deviceto readohms,use a variablepowersupplyto

Aftercalibrating
calibrate
thevoltagescale.
of thepolarized
Position components, andpowersup-
suchAstheammeter
ply(cells),mustbe observed.
fmH!ffifrthomilmffi

PartsList - ExperimentalOhmmeter
81 -3V-twoMcells

R1 - 10,000 resistor
ohm,114W,5% l
l

Pl - 47,000ohm,1l4Wtrimmerpotentiometer ll
l
M1 - seetext
- 0-200uAmicroammeter I

J1-3 - banana
jacks

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o Explainhowresistance
andvoltagescalesoperateinthisohmme-
ter.
. Calibrate
thescalesof yourohmmeter powersup-
usinga variable
plyandsomeknown-value resistors,
as describedabove.
o Calculate valuesreadin the meterand compare
the resistance
Doyourcalculated
withthe realvaluesof usedresistors. resultscon-
firmprevious studies?
applications:
anduncommon
Science
o Youcanusetheohmmeter to determinesensorandmediaresis-
if youdon'thavea commercial
tancesin severalexperiments multi-
meter.
o Bywiringa47,OOO ohmpotentiometer between Jl andJ3 youcan
usethisdeviceasa position Cursorpositions
indicator. canbedirectly
bythemeter.A scaleof anglescan
intocurrentas indicated
converted
to readdegreesdirectly.
be arranged

2U
 lol lhoScilmaml
tunPrrlacts

NERVES(P/E)
TESTYOUR
Thiscircuitputsyourmanualskillsto a livelytest.Asshownin theschematic
diagram,the circuithasa smallloopthatyoumustnavigate arounda wire.
Theobjectof thegameis to guidetheloopovertheweaving coursewithout
touchingthewire.
I

A slightmisdjudgementor quiverof the handandthe ringwillcontactthe j

,l
weaving wire,enabling (butinoffen-
thecircuitthatwillproducea noticeable
sive)shock!
to playthe gamedependslargelyon the sizeof the loop
Theskillrequired
andthedegreeof twistandturnin thewire.
Scoringis a matterof countingthenumberof timestheplayeris atfected
by
a shock!The person withthe lowest (or
total no wins.
touch)
froma D cell,asthecurrentdrainis highwhentheloop
Thecircuitis powered
touchesthewire.Whennotin use,don'tleavetheringandwiretogether.This
willcausethebatteryto rundownin a shorttime.
of thedeviceis shownin Figurel.The heartof theproject
A circuitdiagram
thatconverts1.5VDCintohigh-voltage
is thetransformer pulsesup to 400
volts.
is shownin Figurc2.
viewof themounting
A mechanical
canbe housedin a smallplasticbox.Wiresto the loop
All the components
andweavingwireshouldbe 2 or 3 feetlongto preventpull-outs
whenthe
playeris struck.
the isolation
Observe the pointswherethe playertouchesandthe
between
wire.ThetwowiresthatconnectX2 shouldbetwisted.
weaving
witha 117VACprimaryandsecondary
T1 is anysmalltransformer coilrang-
ingbetween 3 and9V.Currentdraincanrangefrom100to 500mAwhenthe
wiretouchestheloop.

2t0
 Prdcct8f lostlbul lorms

-v
- ^ n ^ Ay\^
B1
1.5V
u/v x2

Figure 1

Figure2

240
 fotthcH[eilmentel
IunProlec$

PartsList-TestYour Nerves
T1 - Anytransformer witha 117VACcoiland low-voltage
secondary- see text
81 -1.5V-Dcell

X1 - Loop- see text

X2 - Weavingwire - see text

ldeas to Explore

or to learnmoreaboutthe circuit:
To get betterperformance
o Explainwhythe transformer doesnot operatewith DC butthatthis
projectis ableto generatehighvoltageusingthatdevice.

o Whathappensif the loopis placedtogetherwiththeweavingwire?

Why it is necessaryto avoidthis condition?

Scienceprojects:
o Changesin the projectcan be madeto generatehighvoltagefrom
Nervestimulation
cellsin experiments. can be triedusingthis simple
circuit.
o Neonor fluorescent lampswiredbetweenthe loopand wire will
flashwhenthe loopand wiretouch.Thisexperiment can be usedto
provethat highvoltageis generated
by the circuit.

210
tunPnfcffilcrlhcHloilmcmr

BEEPER(E)
WTRELESS
ThisFMwireless produces
tranJmitter a beepthatcanbetunedonanydead
pointof the FMbroadcast band.Thecircuitcanbe usedas a localizer
when I
attached to objectsor persons.
Youalsocanuse asit a wirelessalarm.
l
Thesignalcan be tunedon commonFM radiosin a rangeup to 150feet. l
versionaregivenbelow.
fora far-reaching
Alterations
l
Thecircuitproduces beepof about1 Hz.An audiotoneis
an intermittent
by lClb (pins5, 6 and4) anditsfrequency
generated is determined by R2
andC2.Youcaneasilyalterthisfrequency R2.Resistor
by adjusting values
between22,OOO and 100,000 ohms can be experimented with or, if you
prefer,
100,000 ohmsin serieswith10,000 ohmscanreplace R1.
rateis per R1 andC1.Valuesarevariable.ForC1,valuesbe-
Repetition
to testfortheidealvalueof
tween0.15and1 uFcanbetried.lt is important
thiscomponent,depending on the intended
application.
Theschematic diagramof thewirelessbeeperis shownin Figure1.Three
gatesof a 4093lGareusedto generate thelow-frequency andone
signals,
RFtransistoris usedto generated
the high-frequency
signal.
Components placementon a homemade printed-circuit
boardis shownin
high-frequency
iscriticalforthe
Figure2. Placement inthis
stage.Capacitors
stageshouldbe ceramic.
a ferrite
offourturnsof No.18or 20wireona1l2 in.formwithout
L1consists
core.
Theantenna is formedbya pieceof barewirebetween5 and10incheslong.
It canbe connected to get betterperfor-
to anytap on the coil.Experiment
mance.
canusefourM-cellsor
Thepowersupplycurrentdrainis about10mA.You
a 9V batteryto powerthetransmitter.
Fora wireless alarm,51 canbereplaced bythecontacts relay
of a relay.The
is usedto interface
thealarm withthe in
transmitter thisapplication.

tfl
 ?rfhct85 tlrulmclcomr

lC1= 40938 R3
c4 8l<2
4700pF
CV

c3
0.O1pF

Q1-
8F494
R5
47

Figure I

Figure2

Anotherwayto interfacean alarmwiththe transmitter

is to connectrelay
contacts pointsA andB in theschematic.
in serieswithC3 or between See
moredetalsin ldeasto Explore.
 lol theErrcilmentct
IunPruiccts

PartsList-Wireless Beeper
lC1 - 4093CMOSIntegrated
Circuit

Q1 - 8F494or equivalent
NPNRF silicontransistor

L1 - coil- seetext

CV - trimmercapacitor- 20 to 40 pF maximum

R1 - 2,200,000
ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R2 - 39,000ohm,1/4W,5% resistor

R3 - 8,200ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R4 - 6,800ohm,114W,57o
resistor

R5 - 47 ohm,1/4W 5% resistor

C1 - 0.22uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C2 - 0.047uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

Cg - 0.01uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C4 - 4,700pF ceramiccapacitor

C5 - 4.7 pF ceramiccapacitor

CG - 0.1 uF ceramiccapacitor

A - antenna- see text

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

81 - 6 to 9V - fourAA cellsor 9V battery

fl0
 Prdcct8[ f,hrlcsslmnr

, ldeasto Explore
Togetbetterperformance
or to learnmoreaboutthecircuit:
o Youcancontrolthe beeperoscillator by lOl, pins1 and5. Put
thesepinstogether.
Whenin a highlogiclevelthe circuitproduces
beeps.Whenin a lowlogiclevelthecircuitstops.
intervalled
. Replace Ql by a2N2218.Powerthe circuitwitha 12Vpowersup-
ply.Signalscannowbetunedfromdistances upto 1,500feet.A 5- to
6-footantennawillincrease
the rangeof thetransmitter.
Scienceprojects
or uncommon
applications:
. Housethiscircuitin a boxandtellsomeone
to hideit.You'llfindit
by usinga smallFMreceiver.
o Thetransmitter
canbeusedto trackanimalsbyfixingit ona collar.
o Youalsocanusethetransmitter to monitorremotesensorsin ex-
periments.The circuitscan powerON the transmiter
or triggerthe
as indicated
oscillator above.

m
IunPnf0cts
f.l ftOEnct|momcr

(E/P)
ELECTROSCOPE
Anelectroscope thatcanbeusedfordetecting
is aninstrument thepresence
of an electricstaticcharge.We describeherean electronicversionof the
electroscopHnethatis madewithgoldfoilsplacedintoa glass
traditional
jar.Thiscircuitcan alsobe usedfor "snitfing"
highvoltagewithoutactually
makingcontactwithdangerous circuitry.
A metalring,whichconstitutesthe sensor,is simplypokedintothe electric
mustbedonewithcautionto avoidcontactwiththecon-
field.Thisoperation
ductorscarryingthe highvoltage. l
I
I
withhighvoltagegenerators
Youcanusethedevicein experiments (Vande
andin manyotherapplications
Graaffaccelerator) at homeor school.
Thecircuitis portable,
powered
fromfourM cellsor a 9V baftery.
Presence linesis
of a staticchargeor a strongfieldcreatedby high-voltage
byan LED.
indicated
Theschematic diagram of theElectroscope is showninFigurel.The circuit
usesfourgates of a 4093 lC thatwork as buffersandinverters,
drivingthe
LED.The high-impedance inputof the CMOSintegrated circuitsresultsin
to detectstaticcharges.
highsensivity
printed-circuit
are mountedon a homemade
All the components boardas
shownin Figure2.
canbe housedinto
SensorX1 is a smallbarewirelop.Thecompletedcircuit
TheLEDshouldbe placedin a visible
a smallplasticboxwiththe batteries.
pointof thebox.
Touse:
Bringa charged sourceclosetothesensor. A pieceof paperorplasticstroked
do.AdjustPl to getbettersensitivity.The
materialwill
witha rodof insulating
LEDwillglowaccording to theelectricchargemovement.

220
 Pnlmt80 llrctrscorc

Figure 1

l" H
Figure2

nl
lunlrolmlslsrtrtltsulmur\tr

PartsList - Electroscope
IC1 - 40938CMOSIntegrated
Circuit

LED - Commonred,yellowor greenLED

X1 - Sensor- seetext

P1 - 1,000,000
ohm potentiometer

R1 - 22,000,000 resistor
ohm,114W,5%

R2 - 100,000 resistor
ohms,114W,5%

R3 - 1,000ohms,114W,5%
resistor

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

81 - 6V or 9V - fourAA cellsor 9V battery

ldeasto Explore
learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
candetectclouds'
a Connectthe sensorto an externalantenna.You
electricalchargeas theypassoverhead.
. Explainhowthe circuitworks.
o An interesting
studyor experimentcouldbe performedto show
howstaticchargesare producedand howtheycan be detected.

222
 frFct 80 llccmsGm

Scienceand uncommon
applications:
I o In allthe experiments that can be conductedwith a commonelec-
troscope,the electronicversioncan replaceit.
. Determinethe polarityof the chargethat makesthe LEDto glow.
o Staticchargescouldhavesomeinfluenceon animalsand plants.
An experimentto supportthisaffirmation
canbeconducted.Thisproject,
of course,will involvesomespecialequipmentsuchas a high-voltage
generator(Vande Graaffor other)and an electroscope.Selectseeds
from commonplantssuchas tomatoesand beans,and exposesev-
eral batchesof seedsto a statichigh-voltagefield.What are the ef-
fectson seed germination?ls plantgrowthalso atfectedby electric
fields?

22N
 forho mcilmcmGl
IunFnilrcts

(P)
PROBE
uNrvERsAL
compo-
probecanbe usedto testalmosteveryelectronic
Thisultra-simple
reSiStorS,
nent.CapaCitOrS, COils,
fuses,SwitcheS, wires,
diOdes,
tranSformerS,
etc.,canbetestedwiththissimplecircuit.
l
Onlythreecomponents areusedandtheycaneasilybe housedin a small I
I
as a portableunit.
plasticbox,performing
testerwitha visualindication
of a continuity
Thecircuitconsistsbasically by
an LED.lf currentcanflowbetween theprobes theLED glows;if not,
theLED
remainsotf.
the tested
Currentflowingbetweenprobesis verylowto avoidoverloading
components.
A schematicdiagram Probeis shownin Figure1.Asyoucan
oftheUniversal
areusedin thisproject.
components
see,onlythreeelectronic
A components can be
layoutviewis shownin Figure2.The components
housedin a smallboxandnoON-OFFsutitchis necessary.
ofthetwopolarized
takecarewithposition
Whenmounting, the
components"
LEDandpowersupply.
Thepowersupplyconslsts
of twoM cells.
asthecircuitis otfwhentheprobesare
AnON-OFFswitchis notnecessary
separated.
bythevoltagedrop
undertestis determined
Currentthroughthecomponent
acrossthe LED(about1.6Vfor red LEDsand 1.8Vfor yellowLEDs),and
of R1.
resistance
 Fnf0crst urffimiltl|m

Figure I

Figure2

m
 ffi ue txDelhemcl
lunProlects

PartsList - UniversalProbe
LED - Commonred,greenor yellowLED

R1 - 470ohm,114W,5%
resistor

PP1,2 - Redand blackprobes

81 - 3V - two AA cells

ldeasto Explore
Scienceprojects:
o Usethis probein to find materialsthatconductor do not conduct
in electricity
electriccurrent.Severalothersimpleexperiments can be
conducted usingthisprobe:forexample, showhowa switchworks,or
how a potentiometer used as a rheostatcontrolsthe currentflow
accrossan LED.
o Explainhowthe LEDproducesits light.

o Usethisprobeto explainhowa diodeworks.(Remember thatDC

is usedin the probesand diodes,allowingthe currentto flowonlyin
onedirection.)
o Thiscircuitcanalsobe usedas a monochromatic
sourceof lightin
involving
experiments optics.

228
luil ?rufocE
fol l[o Hncilmcmu

RELAY(E)
TONE-ACTTVATED
Thiscircuitcanbe usedto recognize Whenthistone
a toneby itsfrequency.
whichcouldsupplypowerto a
is presentin a circuitthe relayis energized,
selectedappliance.
the circuitcanbe usedas partof a tone-
Wiredto the outputof a receiver,
modulated wirelessremotecontrol.Thereceivercanbe a commonFMradio
or an infraredreceiver,
depending on theintended application.
Hz.Thecircuitis
Thecircuitcanbe usedwithtonesrangingup to 1O0,0OO
tunedbyP1. I
l
Inputsof otherunitscan be wiredin parallelto get a multi-channel
remote
controlsystem.Takecareto avoidusingharmonic frequencies.
The schematicdiagramof the ToneActivatedRelayis shownin Figure 1.
TheheartofthecircuitistheLM567lC,a National PLL(Phase-
Semiconductor
LockedLoop)thatdrivesthe relaythroughtransistor
Q1.
Components placement on a homemade printed-circuit
boardis shownin
Figure2. Placementis notcritical,butwhen in
operating frequencies
above
to avoidlongconnections.
50,000Hzit is important
Therelayis anytypewitha 6Vcoilandcurrentratedforvaluesbetween10
and100mA.
of thepolarized
Position suchas thediodeandelectrolytic
components, ca-
pacitor,
shouldbe observed.
Touse:
Wirethe outputof an audiogenerator to pointsX andY.
or audiooscillator
Thesignalshould haveamplitudein a rangebetween 100mVand1 V peak-
AdjustP1to triggertherelay.Reducethesignalam-
to-peakforbestresults.
plitudeandtrimP1 forthebestperformance.

292
 Fdmt 88 Imleffirulfo|u

X
IN
c5
100pF
P1 rc1
100K LM567 Q1
8C558

N
L+

ilKl
il F)
(.)sEETEXT

Figure 1

Figure2

2NE
 forthclrDcflmentcl
IunPlolects

PartsList -Tone-ActivatedRelay
lC1 - LM567Integrated
Circuit(National)

Q1 - 8C558 general-purpose
PNP siticontransistor

D1 - 1N914general-purpose
silicondiode

P1 - 100,000ohmtrimmerpotentiometer

K1 - relay- 6V - see text

R1 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

C1,4 - 0.1 uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C2 - 0.022uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C3 - 0.O47ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C5 - 100 uF,12WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

ldeasto Explore
To get betterperformance
or to learnmoreaboutthe circuit:
o Explainhowa PLL (Phase-Locked
Loop)works.
o Whatare harmonics
of a signal?

uses:
Scienceand uncommon
o Remotesensorscan be usedto closethe relay.Usingan oscillator
to producethe tone,the wiresusedcan be very long,reachingdis-
tancesup to 5 miles.

ztl
 Pnbct 88 lom{silrrtdtffiU

o Youcanusea smalloscillator andthiscircuitaspart

astransmitter
of a receiver
to activate
devicesbytelephoneline.
o Connect theinputof thiscircuitto theoutputof an audioamplifier.
Pluga microphoneto theinputoftheamplifier.Withsomepractice you
cancontroltherelaybywhistling.
o Youcan alsousethistone-activatedrelayto controlappliances
fromyourcomputer, audiooutput.Writea pro-
usingthe multimedia
gramto produce
a tonewhenanicononyourWindows screenisclicked
withthe mouse.
o Thetonecanbeusedto turnontherelayif thecircuitis pluggedto
theaudiooutputof yourcomputer.
Threemodesof operation arepos-
sible:
the lengthof thetonepulseyoucanturnon any
a) By adjustlng
applianceconnectedto the relayduringthistimeinterval.
Theappli-
will
ance turnotfafterthe pulseends.
b) Usinga monostable a shortpulse
witha 555timer,forinstance,
attera preadjusted
canturnon theappliance timeinterval.
c) Usingthe turn-on-and-otf
circuit,describedin thisbook,you'll
havea bistableoperation:
a clickon the icon'turnson the appliance
controlled
bytherelay,andthene)ftclickturnsit otf.

2ffi
hn FeffiEluth Hl0ilmentol

(E)
LIGHTCOMPARATOR
Thisdevicecan be usedto comparetwo lightsourcesby theirintensities.
Severalopticalexperimentscanbe conducted usingthis.Youcancompare I
I

by reflected
colorsof surfaces colorsusingspecialfilters.
lightor compare I

ThesensorsusedareCdSphotoresistors or LDRs(LightDependent Resis-

tors)thathavepeaksensitivity
in the red part of the spectrum(7350ang-
stromsor 735nm).
Asthenamesuggests, theLDRhasa resistance whichvariesaslightfallson
itssensitivesurface.As thelightintensityincreases,
resistancefalls.In total
darkness resistance canbe highas 1,000,000 ohmsor more.llluminated by
fallsto 100ohmsor less.
directsolarlight,the resistance
Ourcircuitis a simpleWheatstone by twoLDRsandan
Bridgeequilibrated
potentiometer
ddjustable (Pl).
Whenthetwo LDRsarereceiving thesameamountof light,P1canbe ad-
justedto geta nullindication
ontheammeter(M1).
lf weuseoneLDRas reference,
wecancompare anothersourceof lightwith
thisbyusingtheotherLDRassensor. of Pl canrevealthe
A newadjustment
difference
betweenthetwolightsources.
The schematicdiagramof the lightcomparatoris shownin Figure 1. No
areusedin this
transistors project<nly resistors.
Componentslayout,usinga terminalstripas chassis,is shownin Figure2.
Theterminalstripcanbe fixedin the plasticboxusingscrews.
Wiresto the
problems.
sensorcanbe as longas 6 feetwithoutinstability
TheLDRsshouldbe mountedintotwosmallopaquetubesto receivelight
Ml shouldbe a zero-
fromdifferentsourceswithoutoutsideinterference.
centermicroammeter.A 50-0-50uA microammeter wouldbe suitable.
Thecircuitcanbepoweredfromtwoor fourAAcells,andcurrentdrainis very
low,extendingbatterylifeto manymonths.

280
 tr.Fcr 8S llrn8.ffirry

P1
10K

R2
1K

Figurc I

0 0-Q o o o

Figure2

280
IunPlolccts
folllroHDeilmcmel.

PartsList- LightComparator
LDR1,2 - Common1cmLDRs(LightDependent
Resistors)
or CdSphotosensors
M1 - 50-0-50uA ammeter- seetext

R1,2 - 1,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R3 - 4,700ohm,114W,5%
resistor

P1 - 10,000ohm potentiometer

51 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 - 3 to 6V - two or fourM cells

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o Useothertypesof sensors,suchas phototransistors
in the circuit.
Whatis the ditference?
. Explainhowan LDRor CdScelloperates.
o Usea convergentlensin frontof the cellsfor moresensitivity.

Scienceprojects:
o Severalexperiments
involvinglightsourcesin opticscan be made
usingthiscircuit.
o Comparethereflections frompaperusingdifferent
butequal-power
lightsources,suchas incandescent
and fluorescent.Whichof them
has the betterperformance?
a lt is possibleto changethiscircuitintoa temperature
comparator.
Justreplacethe LDRswithNTCs.
 hr dn Hlcilmontal
IunHorloots

ORGAN(E/P)
ELECTRONTC
in audiowhichwouldmakea nicetoyfor
experiment
Thisis an interesting
children.
a musicalnoteby pressing
Thiscircuitproduces The
a keyon a keyboard.
soundis producedbya smallspeaker.
organwillplayonlyonenoteat a time,butthenumberof notes
Theelectronic
is unlimited.
Ditferenttonescan be selectedby pressingditferentkeys,as in a common
electronic rangeisdetermined
organ.Tonal byC1,whichcanbealteredwithin
a largerangeofvalues.Valuesbetween 0.022uF(forhighernotes)and1 uF
(forlowernotes)canbe experimented.
Youcanalsousethiscircuitas a multi-tonebellin yourhomeor to monitor
severalplacesat the sametime.Replacing sensors
the keyswithditferent i
(reedswitches, will
for instance) produce tones
ditferent when closed.
A schematicdiagram Organis givenin Figurel.The
ofthesimpleElectronic
oscillator.
circuitconsistisof a simpletwo-transistor are di-
Thetransistors
rect-coupledanddrive a loudspeaker.
small
Components layout,usinga terminalstripas chassisis,shownin Figure2.
Thecircuitcanbe housedin thesameboxas thekeyboard.
Eachtrimmerpotentiometer
ln Figure3we showthelayoutof thekeyboard.
notes.
is usedto adjustindividual
fromAAcellsor a powersupplyranging
Thecircuitcanbepowered from3 to
6 volts.
The keyboard canalsobe madefroma printed-circuit
boardor withsmall
metalplates.Wheneach metal plateis touched
bya probe
thecorresponding
circuitclosesanda musicaltoneis produced.

2A
 Fnhcrf0 Hwu|ccrw

Pl tn

.' $fsz

c1
0.047pF

Figure I

Figure2

UF
 ffi mGH[erlmcntel
lunProiccls

Figure 3

PartsList- ElectronicOrgan
Q1 - 8C548general-purpose
NPNsilicontransistor

Q2 - 8C558general-purpose
PNPsilicontransistor

51-4 - keyboard-see text

P1-4 - 1,000,000
ohmtrimmerpotentiometer

R1 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

C1 - 0.047uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C2 - 100 uF,12WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

55 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 - 3 or 6V - AA cells

SPKR- 4/8 ohm,2to 4 in.- smallloudspeaker

246
 Erm $ IhcurdG&Hn

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get beilerpedormance:
o AlterCl in the rangegivenin the textto producea differentrange
of sounds.
o Explainhowthe circuitworks.

o Try to replaceR1 with a networkformedby small transformers,

diodes,resistors,capacitorsand othercomponents.
Modifications
in
the tonepitchcouldbe foundthis way.

Scienceand uncommonapplications:
o ReplaceS1,S2,etc.,withditferentkindsof switches.You
can iden-
tity the closedswitchby the tone.
o Useonly one potentiometer
coupledto a cursor.Youcan produce
musicby rapidlychangingcursorpositionand pressingthe series
switch.
o The samekeyboardcan be usedin otheraudiooscillators,
result-
ing in ditferentconfigurations
of electronicorgan.

AI
-frtF|lhcfisl|]srmh!ild -

(E)
LIGHT-ALARM
EXPERIMENTAL
of a simplebutetfective
Thiscircuitconsists alarmwhichuses
light-activated
onlya halfdozencomponents. A lightfallingon the LDRturnson the SCR. I
Thelampwillremainonuntilthepoweris otfor 51 is usedto resetthecircuit. I
{
p1 adjustssensitivity Togetbetterperformance
to theapplication.
according
theLDRcanbe housedin an opaquetubewitha convergent lens.
sincethereis a voltagedropof
A 6-voltlampcanbe usedwithoutproblems
about2 voltswhenin theONstate.
Theschematic diagram asyoucanreset
is shownlnFigure1.51 is optional,
thecircuitbyturningoffthe powersupply.
Components usinga terminal
layout, strip,isshownin Figure2.Thelampcan
byan LEDin serieswitha 470ohmresistoror abuzzer.You
be repfac'ed also
replacing
cancontrolan audiooscillator, the lampwithit.
from50to 250mA
Any6Vlampranging
Thelampisn'ta criticalcomponent.
canbe used.
TheLDRis a common GdSphotoresistor.The ona
SCRneedn'tbemounted
as thecurrentis verylow.
heatsink
PartsList- Experimental
Light'Alarm
SCR -TlC106Silicon Rectifier
Controlled
LDR- seetext
LDR - Gommon
P1 - 1,000,000
ohmPotentiometer
Xl lamP- seetext
- 6V incandescent

Bl - 6-9V- fourAA cells,D cells,batteryor powersupply

S1 - SPSTmomentary
switch

nEa
 Ffrlcc[fl m|l|m0rlutm{Hil

Figure I

Figure2

251
 lol he lrncflmGntGl
lunProlecls

ldeasto ExPlore
I
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o ReplaceX1 witha 6V relayto controlexternalloads.Wirea 1N914
kick from
diodein parallelwith the relaycoil to preventhigh-voltage
damaging theSCR.You canalsocontrolsmallaudiooscillatorsor other
devices.
alarm.
o Changepositionof the LDRwith P1 to get a dark-activated
work'
Resistors)
o ExplainhowLDRs(LightDependent
Willthe circuitoperateas
o Replacethe LDRwitha phototransistor.
you want?

Scienceprojects:
o This circuitcan be used to monitortraps or eventsthat involve
objector animalmovements.
o SeveralLDRscan be wiredin parallelto monitormorethan one
alarm,when P1 switches
placeat the sametime.In a dark-activated
withtheLDR,morethanoneLDRcanalsobe used.But,inthis
position
case,you mustwirethe LDRsin series.

2n2
mHdffihlmmilnmbr

(E/P)
PHOTOMETER
Someof themostcommon applications in
forLDRsareassensingelements
alarms,photo-relays, lightmetersfor
counters, photography
andalsoexperi-
mentsin optics.
Theprojectdescribedhereis a simplelightmetermadefroman LDR(Light
Dependent Resistoror Photoresistor), anda 3V
a 0-200uA microammeter,
batteryformedby twoAA cells.
Useanygeneral-purpose
LDRwitha highdark-to-light ratio.
resistance
Sincethecircuitis operating youdon'tneedan ON-OFF
forshortdurations j
switch.Justputthecellsin the batteryholderwhenusingthe unit. i
I

to the rangeof yourworkinglightintensity.

Pl adjustssensitivity
FigureI showstheschematic Theammeter
ofthePhotometer. is notcritical.
Anytypewithfullscalerangingfrom100uAto 1 mAcanbe used.
a mounting
Figure2shows view,usingaterminalstrip device
aschassis.The
canbe housedin a smallplasticbox.ThemeterandLDRareplacedon the
frontpanel.
youneedto adjustP1.Tryvalues
usedis outof specification,
lf theammeter
between10,000 and 100,000ohms.The LDRcan be housedin a small
opaquetube,dependingontheapplication.

250
 tnmfl rtmmu

Figure I

Figure2

2tl
 foltfielrneilmGntGl
IunPlolects

PartsList - Photometer
LDR - AnycommonLDR(LightDependent
Resistor)

M1 - 0-200uA - meter- see text

P1 - 100,000ohm trimmerpotentiometer

R1 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

81 - 3V - two AA cells

ldeasto Explore
or to learnmoreaboutthe circuit:
To get betterperformance
. in placeof the LDR.
Try to use a phototransistor
o Replacethe ammeterby a commonmultimeter.

o Youcan replacethe LDRby an NTCand convertthe deviceintoa

meter.
temperature

Scienceprojectsusingthe device:
o Anyexperiment thatinvolves canbe conducted
lightmeasurement
usingthisdevice.
o Youcan calibratethe meterscaleusinga commonphotography
photometeras reference.

258
IunFd0rthlhrmoilmmEl

GENERATOR
SEQUENCE G/P)
putto workbyusingit asa sourceof clockpulsesfor
Anastablemultivibrator,
is thebasisforthiscircuit.
a 4017counter,
Wecanuseit to generate randomnumbers or as a
in a rangeof one-of-ten
projects
0-to-9counterin science or in otherapplications.
Youcanalsoadjusttheclockso thatit suppliesonepulseeachsecondfor
orat home.lf youalterthe
experiments
usingthecircuitasa timerinscientific
clockpulsefrequency, timerangecan be changedso that it suppliesone
pulseeachminuteor ten minutes.In thiscase,thetimerangewillriseto 9
minutesor 90 minutes (in1- or 1O-minute
steps)!
Asa sequence generator demonstrations,
inlogiccircuits youcanchange
the
of the555to monostable,
astableoperation connecting switch
a momentary
or anysensorthatcanbe usedto trigger it.
Thecircuitcanbepowered andR3depends
from6 to 12Vsupplies, uponthe
voltageofthepowersupply.
Usea 470ohmresistorifthesupplyvoltageis6V.
Usea 1,000ohmresistorif the power
supply
used is 12V.

C1 determines
Capacitor the pulseraterangeandcan be altered.Values
between1 and1,000uF canbe used.Remember thathighervaluesmean
lowerpulserate.
used.
onthecapacitor
Pl adjuststhepulseratewithin100:1,depending
Figure I showsthe schematic The
diagramof the SequenceGenerator.
circuitusesa 555lCtimerto generate theclockpulsesanda 4017CMOSlC,
a counterand1-of-10decoder to drivetenLEDsas indicators.
Components placementon a homemade boardis shownin
printed-circuit
boardor breadboard
Figure2, Youcanalsousea solderless to mountit.
pieces,
ofthepolarized
Positions capacitor,
suchastheLEDsandelectrolytic
shouldbeobserved.

2t2
 Frrlst18 So|uonce
Ernrrm

tc2
40178

3 2 4 7 ' 1 0 1 5 6 9 1 1

Figure I

PartsList - SequenceGenerator
lC1 - 555- Integrated
circuit,
timer
,C2 - 4017- CMOSIntegrated
circuit,counter
LEDs- Gommon
red,yellowor green
P1 - 1,000,000
ohmpotentiometer
Rl,2 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistors
Rg - 470ohm,114W,5%
resistor
Cl - 10uF/l6WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

208
Iunlrcloctstcr$o HnGrlmcntcr

P1 +6/1?r/
l o v

Figure2

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o Wirea momentary switchbetweenlO1'spin 3 and lO2'spin 14 to
can stopthe counteranytimewiththisswitch.
controlthe counter.You
a Explainhowcounterssuchas the 4017work.

o Couldyou alterthe circuitso that it countsto any valuebetween2

and9?

261
 Frrffi f8 $oucmrGmcnnr

Scienceanduncommon
uses:
o Wirethe 555as a monostable multivibrator
and usean LDRas
sensorto triggerit.Thecircuitwilloperateas a pulse-of-light
counter.
o Usethiscircuitina project canproduce
aboutcomputers.You pulses
to be countedusingtheexperimentalflip-flop
describedin thisbook.
o Experiments onESP(Extra-Sensory
Perception)canbeconducted
usingthiscircuit.
Random numbers canbegener-
ina scaleof 1-to-10
atedusingthiscircuit.

20[
 lort[oHnorlmom0l
ftn Prohcts

(E/P)
TNJECTOR
STGNAL
in doingsomeservicingon youraudioequipment
lf you'reinterested (multi-
media,for instance)you will undoubtedlyfind this squarewavegeneratorto
be a handytool.Youcanalsousethiscircuitin RFstagesin AM/FMreceivers,
harmonics
sincethe oscillator arestrongin frequencies as highas 100MHz.

In this arrangment,frequencyis determinedby capacitorC2, resistorsR1

and R2,and D1. Thefrequencycan be alteredby the valuesof resistorsand/
or capacitorsselected.In our circuitthe oscillatorrunsat about1,000Hz.

The outputsignalwaveformis squareand the outputswingsthe full power

supplyvoltage,whichcan be anythingbetween3 and 12 volts (we recom-
menda 3-voltpowersupplyif you want a portableunit).Supplycurrentis
typicaly10 uA, extendingbatterylife.

Figure I showsthe completeschematicdiagramof the SignalInjector.lC1 is

Frequency
a 555timer,wiredas an audiooscillator. is determinedby C2,R2
and R1.Youcan changeC2 withina largerangeof values.

Figure 2showsthe homemadePGboardwherethecomponentsaremounted.

A small3V batterycan also be usedif you wanta very compactmounting.
'Tronf'ofan audio(or RF)
A signalinjectoris usedfrom the "bacK'tothe
circuit.Forinstance,to usethe signalinjectorwith an AM receivelapplythe
signalfrom the probeat the baseof the outputtransistor.lf that stageand
everythingafterit operatescorrectlythe signalwillbe heardin the speaker.lf
the outputstageprovesto be OK, movebackto the baseof the drivertran-
sistor.Theoutputsignalwillbe higherif everythingis working.Then, applythe
signalprogressively it
towardsthefrontof thecircuitby injecting at the volume
control,detectorstage,lF stagesand the mixer.

Thecircuitcan be housedin a smallplasticboxandconnectedto the external

circuitthrougha probeand an alligatorclip. Figure 3 representsa possible
housingarrangement.

Totestthe signalinjector,applythe signalto the inputof any audioamplifier.

208
 Prdsr lf $lnrllnhGhl

O.O1p.F ppl

Figure 1

PP1

G1

OV
?
+3V

Figure2

200
IunPlolec$lorthoHneilmGilGl

PartsList- SignalInjector
lC1 circuit- timer
- TLC7555CMOSintegrated

D1 - 1N4148or 1N914general-purpose
silicondiode

R1,2 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

C1 - 10 uE 6 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

C2 - 0.047to 0.1 uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C3 - 0.01uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

S1 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 - 3V - two AA cells

PP1 - Probe

G1 - Alligator
clip I

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o Whathappenswiththe waveshapeif D1 is removed?

o Whycanthe circuitbe usedin frequencies

as highas 100MHzif it
generates
a 1,000Hz signal?
o Replacethe lC witha common555 (bipolar). The circuitwillwork,
but the current
drainis higher
thanin the version.
original
o RemoveC3 and powerthe circuitfrom a 5V powersupply.The
signalinjectorcan nowbe usedin TTL logiccircuits.

210
 Pnftct lf $$illnhcbl

o Rl and R2 areshownas fixedresistorsin this project.

Youcan
changetheseresistors to a potentiometer
(1,000,000ohms,for in-
generate
stance)inserieswitha 1,000ohmresistorto signalswithina
largerangeof frequencies andduty-cycles.
Scienceprojects
usingthesignalinjector:
o Thecircuitcanbe usedas a simplebio-stimulator
in biological
ex-
periments.
Stimulationlevels
as highasthe powersupplyvoltagecan
beachieved.
Theselevelscanbe usedin directnervestimulation.
o Wirea piezoelectrictransducer
orcrystalearphoneto theoutputof
A toneof about1,000Hzwillbe produced
thissignalinjector. andcan
be usedin experiments.

Figure3

ztl
 forthcHloilmcnbr
HnProlcct$

(E)
METALDETECTOR
Youcan use this simplemetaldetectorto locateplumbingpipes,electrical
wiringinsidewalls,find a lostwatchor coin at the beachor evena treasure
with goldcoinsburiedyearsago by pirates.
whereyoucan showthe magnetic
Youcanalsousethe circuitin experiments
propertiesof materials.The betweenparamagnetic,
ditferences diamagnetic,
and nonmagneticmaterialscan be shown.Interestingexperimentscan be
conductedusingthe metaldetectordescribedhere.

This circuitwill detectthe presenceof metallicobjectsthroughany noncon-

ductivematerialsuchas dirt, wood,stone,plasteror plastic.

With a littlepractice,you will be able to detectmetallicobjectsto depthsof

overseveralinchesand will giveyou a fairlygoodideaof theirsize.
methodto detectan object.
Our circuitusesthe beat-frequency

Thefrequencyof the searchcoiloscillatorchangeswhenthe conductance in

the field of the searchcoil changes.Therefore,when metalscomewithina
shortdistanceof thecoil,thefrequencyis changed,whichin turnchangesthe
pitchof the audiblesound.

The soundis producedby the speakerof a commonAM receiverthat tunes

the coiloscillator.

A schematicdiagramof the MetalDetectoris shownin Figure 1. Observe

Youcan also use a
oscillator.
that the circuitis a very simpleone-transistor
general-purpose PNPsilicon the
inverting
transistor, power supplypolarity.

The physicalarrangment of the electroniccomponents, usinga terminalstrip

as chassis,is shownin Figure2.Thecritical part of this projectis the search
coil.

The searchcoil is woundin a large6-inchplasticFrisbee.Beginby securing

one end of the enameledmagnetwire form (18 to 22 AWG)with masking
tape.On thetenthwrap(haltway) forma loopin the magnetwireforthe center
tap,thencontinueuntilyou completethe 20 turnsof wire.
 rcbct l5 tcfirl !0bcbr

c1
22AOpF

Figure 1

Figure2

ttE
lunPnlec$lorlltcHlcrlmcntor

to securethe coilwirefirmly,as one looseloopin the coil

It is veryimportant
willcausethe detectorto be unstable.

To use:

Fix a smallportableradiocloseto the oscillatoras shownin Figure 3.

Tunethe radioto a freepointof the rangebetween550and 1,600kHz.Adjust

CV in thesearchcoiloscillatorto tunethissignalas a whistle.lf youcan'tfind
the oscillatorsignalin theAM band,reduceor enlargethe searchcoilby a few
turns.

Passingthe searchcoil over a metallicobjectwill changethe pitchof the

whistle.Whenthe mostpronounced changeoccurs,you shouldbe directly
overthe metalobject.

Figure3

2t6
 PnFGrt5 ftfiilromau

PartsList - MetalDetector
Q1- 8C548general-purpose
NPNsilicontransistor
Ll - Searchcoil- seetext
CV- 365pF - anyvariablecapacitor
(fromnonworking
AM radio)
C1 - 2,200pF ceramiccapacitor
C2- 0.1uFceramiccapacitor
Rl - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor
51 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch
81 - 6 or 9V - fourAA cellsor 9V baftery

ldeasto Explore
Togetbetterperformance
or to learnmoreaboutthecircuit:
o Makeexperiments withditferent
kindsof materials
to seehowthe
detectorworkswitheachone.
o Explain whathappenswhena metalobject is introduced
in a mag-
neticfield.ls thereanywayto identifythe metalbeingdetected?
o Thecircuitcanalsobe usedas an RFsignalgenerator. Togetthe
signalfromthisoscillator,
connecta probeto thecollectorof thetran-
sistorwitha 1,000pF capacitor
andan alligator
clipto theemitter.

m
 forhc trncilmcmcl
IunProiecls

Scienceprojectsand uncommonapplications:
o Severalexperimentsinvolvingmetaldetectioncan be conducted
usingthissimplemetaldetector.An examplewouldbe a workto show
betweenparamagnetic,
the differences andnon-magnetic
diamagnetic
materials,as suggestedearlier.
o The searchcoil can be modifiedto applyRF signalsto plantsor
animals.Experimentsto find the effectsof RF (RadioFrequency) on
seedgerminationor plant growth can be made with this circuit.

218
 tio ffiotlmeilor
HnFnlccosfu -

SET(E)
GRYSTAL
A complete radioAM receiver whichrequiresno batterypowerat all canbe
createdwitha fewcomponents. Theclassiccircuitof thewell-knowncrystal
canbe basedon a germanium
radioor crystalreceiver or
diodeas detector,
if youprefer,theoriginalgalenacrystal.
antennatuningcoil
Figure I showsthe classiccircuit.L1 is a proprietary
woundon a papertubeandCl is a matching (365to 500
variablecapacitor
canbe foundin old non-working
pF).Avariablecapacitor radios.
transistor
Youcanalsofindthediodein thesesetsanduseit forthisproiect.
Virtuallyany diodecan be used,and the onlyothercircuitcomponent is
capacitorC1,connected Theearphones
acrossthe output. must be a high-
impedance type (headphones).
groundconnection
aerialandgoodphysical
Anexternal good
is essentialfor
reception.
ThecircuitwilltuneAM bandradiostationsnotfarfromyourhome.
layoutis shownin Figurc2.
Component
wireon a f -inch
L1 is formedby 100turnsof No.22to 28 AWGenamelled ,
diameter papertube. t

PartsList - CrystalRadio
D1 - 1N34or anygermanium
diode
L1 - Coil- seetext

CV - 365to 500pFvariablecapacitor

C1 - 470pF ceramiccaPacitor
- High{mpedance
PHONE ohms)phone
(2,000to 10,000

2t2
 Prdcerl0 Gl'$|ds0r

Figure 1

Figure2

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o Usean audioamplifier
to getbetterreception.
o Replace
thecoilby 100turnsof No.22lo 28 wireon a ferriterod.
SciencepQects:
o Thissetcanbe usedto demonstrate
howold-timeradioreceivers
Explainhowa galenadetector
operated. works.
 lu h0 Euol|mcmcl
fr nPfcf0Gts

LLED
TEMPERATURE-CONTRO
(E)
oscrLLAToR

Youcan conductinteresting experiments withthis temperature-dependent

Tone
oscillator. pitchdepends upon thetemperature of a sensor. Thesensor
is a commongeneral-purpose silicondiode.The reverseresistance of this
diodeisslight,dependent onthe junctiontemperature.The circuitcanoperate
in a temperature rangetypically
between -20and+100degreesCelsius.

Frequency rangedepends uponCl.Thiscomponent canbealteredina large

rangeof values.Valuesbetween0.01and 0.47 can be substituted
uF to
produce tonesin theaudiorange.
lf youwantto produce"clicks"
witha ratedependent uponthetemperature of
with
the sensor,try capacitors values between 0.47 and1 Metal
uF. film or
ceramiccapacitors canbe usedin thiscircuit.
Pl youcanputtheoscillator
Byadjusting nearthepointwhereit beginsto run.
Then,anytemperature makingit operateas a
risewilltriggertheoscillator,
temperature
alarm.
fromtwoorfourAAcells,andcurrentdrainis low.
Thecircuitcanbepowered
Thesensoris anygeneral-purpose diodecanbeprotected
silicondiode.The
andwater.
againstmoisture
Theschematicdiagramof theTemperature-Controlled is shownin
Oscillator
wirefor
FigureL Thesensorcanbewiredto thecircuitbya longtwisted-pair
remoteoperation.
Components layout,usinga terminalstripas chassis,is shownin Figure2.
forexperimental
Asthecircuitis intended youcanalsomountit on
purposes,
board.
a solderless
ofpolarized
Position suchasthediodeandpowersupply,
components, should
be observed.

288
PfjrGtO lMdtroffiffi

Figure 1

Figure2

zal
 foltln Hnulmomcl
IunProlccts

PartsList- Temperature-Contro
Iled OsciIlator
Q1, 2 - 8C548general-purpose
NPNsilicontransistors

Q3 - 8C558general-purpose
PNPsilicontransistor

D1 - 1N914general-purpose
silicondiode

P1 - 1,000,000
ohm potentiometer

R1,2 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistors

R3 - 1,000ohm,1/4W,5%resistor

Cl - 0.047uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

S1 - SPSTtoggleor slideswitch

81 - 3V or 6V - two or fourAA cells

S P K R- 4 o r I o h m s - 2 o r 4 i n . l o u d s p e a k e r

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterpedormance:
o By replacing D1withan LDRor phototransistorthe
circuitwilloper-
ate as a light-controlled
oscillator.
o Explainwhy the resistanceof the sensorvarieswithtemperature,
thiscircuit.
controlling
o Replacethediodewitha transistor(conection is madeusingcollec-
tor and emitterterminals).Explainwhythisdevicecan alsobe usedas
a temperaturesensor.

200
 ftltfct|'Iffi|tG|lI

Scienceprojects
or uncommon
uses:
o Youcan usethis circuitas a biofeedback
deviceby replacingthe
sensorwithtwoelec,trodes.Thesubject,holdingthe sensorin hand,
canlearnhowto controlthetonethroughstressandbreathing man-
agement.The circuitalsooperates
asa liedetectorusingthisconfigu-
ration.
o Anyexperiment involving
temperature
variations
canbeconducted
usingthiscircuit.

2tt
 forthoHmlhcmcl
frn FdGG03

SIREN (E/P)
FREQUENCY-MODULATION
Actingon a capacitorcharging,one oscillator(pins1,2 and 3 of lC1) can
modulateanotheroscillatorin frequency,as describedin this project.The
producedtonesthusrunfromhighto lowandvice-versaat a ratedetermined
by the firstoscillatorfrequencyand also by P1 and P2 adjustments.

The circuitcan be usedas a siren,part of alarms,gamesand manyother

With a 12Y powersupplythe outputpoweris up to a wattage
applications.
representingan excellentaudiolevelin a loudspe,aker.

The basiccircuithas tone, modulationrate and depthadjustedby trimmer

potentiometer.Therearealsosomecomponents thatcan be changedto alter
the performanceof the siren.G1, for instance,determinesmodulationrate
andcan rangefrom 1 to 47 uF.C2 determinesmodulation depthand rateand
can also be alteredwithina large rangeof values.C3 determinetone fre-
quency,rangingfrom0.01to 0.1 uF.

Powersupplycan rangefrom6 to 12V.Witha 12Vpowersupplycurrentdrain

is as highas 2 or 3 amps.Fl is importantto preventproblemswith shorts.

Ql is a powerFET and equivalentscan be used.Youalso can replacethis

transistorwith a DarlingtonNPN powertransistorsuch as TlP110,but you
mustalsoadda seriesresistorwithbaseterminal.Usea 10,000ohm resistor
tor this task.

The schematicfor the Frequency-Modulation Siren is shownin Figure 1.

Observethattwo gatesare usedas oscillatorsandthe othertwo of a 40938
lC are usedas butfer-inverters.

Componentsplacementon a homemadeprinted-circuit boardis shownin

Figure 2. Forexperimental purposes the circuitcan also be mountedon a
solderlessboard,andit is importantto placethetranslstoron a largeheatsink.

Positionof the polarizedcomponents, should

capacitors,
suchas electrolytic
be observed.

The speakershouldbe a high-power typefor betterperformance.Installingit

in an enclosurewill providebettersoundlevel.
 PrdrctfE ffiSftm

t r c ;
Ytlo
ES sst ETE

EF

6
s5
lrf

z
I
.lI-

=
d *(\l {
o
o

z
l!
E
a
=
rH
tr

EE

Figure I

208
 lol[rc Bueilmomol
Iur Plolccts

PartsList- Frequency-Modulation
Siren
lC1 - 40938CMOSIntegrated
Circuit

Q1 - lRF630or equivalent
PowerFET

SPKR- 4 or 8 ohms,4- to 8-inchspeaker- see text

F1 - 5A fuse

R1 - 100,000ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R2 - 4,700ohm, 114W,5%resistor

R3,4 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistors

P1 - 2,2OO,OO0
ohm trimmerpotentiometer

P2 - 47,000ohm trimmerpotentiometer

P3 - 100,000ohm trimmerpotentiometer

C1 - 4.7 uF,16WVDCeletrolytic
capacitor

C2 - 1,000uF,16 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

C3 - 22 uF,16WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor

C4 - 0.022uF ceramicor metalfilm capacitor

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
o ExplainhowPowerFETswork.
o AlterCl , C2 andC3to createnewsounds.

2gl
 Prolcct
fE Inrucnclfrilulrdrn$lrcn

SPKR

Figure2

o Wire pins 1 and 5 togetherand to an externalcontrolcircuit.The

sirencan be controlledby externallogiccircuits.
o Determine the logiclevelin pins10 and 11 whenpins1 and 5 go
low.Whatwill happenwithcurrentdrainin this case?
o ReplaceQ1 by a TlP31or 8D135to operatewith lesspower.The
powersupplyshouldbe reducedto 6 or gV in this case.

Scienceprojectsand uncommonapplications:
o ReplaceR1 with an LDR and experimentwith a light-controlled
siren.
o Usethis sirenas part of alarms.

o Usingthis sirenyou can generatespecialsoundsto experiment

withanimalconditioning.
o Modulatedultrasounds can be producedby reducingC4 to values
as fowas 2,200or 4,70OpF.

205
 foltDclrnoilmcmGl
tunProiects

colNTossER(E/P)
theflippingof a coinby merelypressingS1' Of course,
Thiscircuitsimulates
can't
version,if usedfor importantdecisions(or experiments),
the electronic
be loadedor weightedand is 100%random.
in a frequencyrate deter-
The circuithas two LEDsthat flick alternatingly,
minedby C1,whenpoweris ON.Whenyou press51 the circuitstopsimme-
diatelyandonlyone LEDremainsON.

Powersupplycan rangefrom5 to 12 volts,andthismeansthatyoucan use

version.
AA cellsin a Portable

Somecomponents can be alteredaccording Cl,

to the intendedapplication:
for instancecan be alteredin a rangefrom0'01 lo 0-47uF.Youcan also use
a touchsensorto stopthe tosseror increaseR1'svalueto up to 10,000,000
ohms.

The schematicdiagramfor the coin tosseris shownin Figure 1. Only one

g"t" " 49gglC is uied as oscillatorto producerandompulsesin this circuit'

componentsplacementon a homemadeprinted-circuit boardis shownin

Figire2. The circuitcan easilybe housedin a smallplasticbox.
ca-
suchas the LEDsand electrolytic
Positionof the polarizedcomponents,
pacitor,shouldbe observed.

298
 ?rrm$ Glhlm

+5Vto+12V

c2
100pF T
t:
tcl tcz teout
40138
1t44@,38

1
R1
t0K

Figure I

PartsList - CoinTosser
lcl - 40938CMOSIntegrated
circuit
LEDs- Commonred,yellowor green
S1 - SPSTMomentary
switch
R1,2 - 10,000ohm,114W,5%
resistors
R3 - 1,000ohm,1l4W,S%resistor

C1 - 0.1uF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

C2 - 100uE 16WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
HnPl.lrGtsffimHFdmcntcl

_d

Figure2

ldeasto Explore
Tolearnmoreaboutthecircuitor to getbetterperformance:
canbe usedto driveincandes-
o Insteadof usingLEDs,transistors
centlamps.
o Sl can be placedas far as you wantfromthe circuit.Common
parallelwirecanbe usedforthistask.
o Explainhowa flip-flopworksandhowyoucanguarantee
thatthe
circuitis 100%random.

80c
 mFa
..': r0 Grhlrcu

Science
anduncommon
applications:
o YoucanconductESP(Extra-Sensory Perception)
experimentsusing
thiscircuit.51 canbe placedfarfromthe LEDsfor betterresults.
o Experiments
withprobability
theorycan be conducted
usingthis
circuit.
o Tryto couplea sequence generator
to the oscillator
usedin this
circuitto geta 1-to-10ratflecircuit.

tfl
Hntt|!ffifiiloHruhm

(E)
PLASMAOSCILLATOR
medium
A flameis a conductive thatcanbe usedin an uncommon feedback
loopto controlthefrequencyof an audiooscillator. canbe
Thisconfiguration
usedas a confirmation of
of theconductivity a flame.

Theaudiooscillator describedinthisprojectis controlled

bythe'Tourth"mat-
ter state,the "plaSma"or an ionizedgaS,and Canbe usedas part of an
interestingexperimentin physics.

Theflamecanbe produced by a simplematchor a candleandtheflickering

thegenerated
etfectwillmodulate sound.
on the
between1 and 500 Hz, depending
The circuitrunsin frequencies
andflamepositions.
electrodes
diagram
A schematic is shownin Figurel.The high
of thePlasmaOscillator
inputimpedanceof a 40938is fundamental in thisproject.A flametypically
in the rangeof tenthsof megohms.
hasa resistance
positioning
Theprintedcircuitboardforthecomponents is shownin Figure2.

Sensordetailsarealsogivenin thatfigure.Twowires,oneplacednearthe
other,withabout1 inchof baredlengthas shownin the figure,formthe
"plasmasensof.Theflameshouldinvolvethetwobaredwiresat the same
to operate.
currentto flowandtheoscillator
timeto allowthefeedback
An outputstageusinga piezoelectric
transducercan replacethe transistor
canbepowered
Witha lowercurrentdrainthisconfiguration
andloudspeaker.
fromfourAA cellsor a 9V battery.

-
3tf
 tYrlrd 50 Plrsmr
0scmrbr

+5 to 12V

lC1 = 40938

SPKR
4l8n

Q1
8D135
OR
TIP31

X1
PI.ASMA

Figure I

PartsList- PlasmaOscillator
lOl - 40938CMOSIntegratedCircuit

SPKR- 4/8 ohm 4-inchloudspeaker

Q1 - 8D135orTlPSl PowerNPNsilicontransistor

R1 - 10,000ohm, 1l4W,5olo
resistor
R2 - 1,000ohm, 114W,5%resistor

X1 - Plasmasensor- see te)ft

C1 - 1,000to 4,700pF ceramicor metalfilmcapacitor

t05
 fil h0 mOilmcmcl
fr nP?0lc0ts

SPKR X1

+61+12V

Figure2

ldeasto Explore
Togetbetterperformance
or to learnmoreaboutthecircuit:
o Explainwhythecircuitdoesn'toperateusinga neonorfluorescent
lampas a plasmamedium.
o Explain what"plasma"is.
o Youcanalterthiscircuitto useit as a flamealarm.

300
 Frm60 lffiScffiffi

applications:
Science
a Otfcourse,thebasicideaofthisprojectisto useit inanexperiment
plasma.
involving Plasmais produced whenanionized gasloseselec-
trons.Thethe gasconvertsin a "soup"of freeelectronsandionized
atoms.
o Usedifferentkindsof flames,suchasthoseproduced bymatches,
gas,paper,etc.,andcompare theirconductivity
by'thetonepitch.

ilt
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