MAKE Magazine does neat “Component of the Month” series 10 - April - 2013
Posted by k9zw in K9ZW Just Rambled, Amateur Radio, K9ZW.Tags: K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, Makezine, Make Magazine
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Having covered Switches and Batteries in the first two months of the series, Make Magazine touches on Resistors this month.
These high level overview pieces have done a very good job of distilling a lot of information into a short piece.
Worth checking out.
LINK: MAKE | Component of the Month: Resistors.
Don’t be surprised if you pick up information new to you.
73
Steve
K9ZW
Make: Online » Homebrew 20 M SSB Radio Transceiver 17 - June - 2011
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, Make Magazine, Makezine
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Another great Make: project.
As you can tell I like the Make Group’s stuff – they seem to have a great touch and share approachable & build-able projects.
Homebrew 20 M SSB Radio Transceiver
Radio hacker extraordinaire Greg Charvot recently finished constructing this homebrew radio transceiver for the 20 M SSB ham radio band. Though the chassis is antique, the inside are all modern solid state components. He’s got a brief schematic at the project site, along with a slideshow of the build.
73
Steve
K9ZW
Make: Online » A-Z of Electronics 13 - June - 2011
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, Make Magazine, Makezine
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Not to be missed – a nice series of web videos on electronics from Make:
A-Z Of Electronics
If you haven’t heard, Jeri Ellsworth and Adafruit are teaming up to present 26 videos about electronics, one for every letter of the alphabet. They’ve done the first three letters: A is about amperes, the B is batteries and the C video describes capacitors. The videos are really well done, very engaging, and informative. Check them out!
73
Steve
K9ZW
Make: Online – Catching satellites on ham radio 19 - April - 2011
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: Diana Eng, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, KC2UHB, Make Magazine, Makezine, Satellite Communications
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Another great MAKE: Magazine/Blog/Online article – this one on Satellite Operations:
Catching Satellites On Ham Radio
My favorite ham activity is making contacts via satellites. Not only is there the romantic notion of sending messages into outer space, but you have to trace the orbit of the satellite with your antenna while tuning the radio, to compensate for the Doppler effect.
The satellites AO-51, SO-50, and AO-27 orbit the Earth acting as repeaters. Repeaters are automated relay stations that allow hams to send signals over a greater distance using low-power hand held transceivers. The satellites allow hams to relay messages from Earth to space and back to other hams somewhere on the planet. The International Space Station (ISS) also has a repeater, but occasionally, if you’re lucky, the astronauts turn on their radios to make contact directly with hams on the ground.
The following instructions will get you started listening to birds (satellites) on FM, which can be done with a simple VHF/UHF FM radio with a whip antenna, without the need of a ham license. For better coverage, you can use a Yagi antenna (like the one pictured above) connected to a mutli-mode radio and a license (if you want to transmit). A Yagi antenna can also be used to improve the signal of your hand held radio.
Have to get back at my duplexer & antenna project, and work those birds!
Oh, did I mention the article is by YL Diana Eng KC2UHB?
Enjoy!
73
Steve
K9ZW
Make: Online – Das DereLicht – Ham Radio Transmitter from a CFL Bulb 3 - April - 2011
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: AA1T Das DereLicht, AJ1O, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, Make Magazine, Makezine
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Ok – does this really work?
Looks like I’ll have to do a bench-test and see:
Das DereLicht – Ham Radio Transmitter From A CFL Bulb
They usually work so well, it’s easy to forget about all the electronics crammed inside a compact fluorescent light bulb. MAKE reader Ollie AJ1O sent us a link to ham Michael J. Rainey’s (AA1TJ) “Das DereLicht” radio, a transmitter made almost completely from the parts of a defective CFL bulb.
This electronic puzzle was a result of my changing a defective compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) in my kitchen. For some reason, I began to wonder if it would be possible to build a QRP CW transmitter using the electronic components salvaged from this derelict lamp.
Indeed, I’m pleased to report that a perfectly serviceable transmitter may be constructed! The only additional components required were the quartz crystal, and four of the five components needed for the output lowpass filter. The resulting transmitter produces up to 1.5 watts on 80m.
via Make: Online » Das DereLicht – ham radio transmitter from a CFL bulb.
Updates Links: http://www.aa1tj.com/dasderelicht.html and a receiver version http://www.aa1tj.com/dasderelichtreceiver.html
73
Steve
K9ZW
Make: Electronics – The Course 23 - March - 2011
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, Make Magazine, Makezine
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Here is an item I am curious if anyone reading has personally looked at?
Systemized “kitted” learning experiences have always appealed to me, and wondering how this one shapes up.
[If you're ready to dive in right away, pick up our Make: Electronics Deluxe Tool kit and add copy of the book for only $10 more! And to help you work through the book, we've sourced the components you'll need in Make: Electronics Components Pack 1 and Components Pack 2. You can also get the book for just $10 with either of these component packs.]
Want to learn the fundamentals of electronics in a fun and experiential way? Start working on some excellent projects as soon as you crack open this unique, hands-on book. Build the circuits first, then learn the theory behind them! With Make: Electronics, you’ll learn all of the basic components and important principles through a series of “learn by discovery” experiments. And you don’t need to know a thing about electricity to get started.
Get step-by-step instructions on building working devices that demonstrate fundamentals such as voltage, amperage, resistance, inductance, and capacitance. Then tackle more complex electronics concepts, including analog/digital conversion, logic gates, and integrated circuits. Along the way, you’ll learn valuable tips and techniques, always with clear explanations of what you’re doing and why.
Start out by breaking things — experiment with components and learn why you experience failure
Set up a tricked-out project space — your own at-home work area, equipped with all of the tools and parts you’ll need for the experiments in this book
Learn about all of the key electronic components and their functions within a circuit through a series of clearly presented, well-illustrated experiments
Create a car alarm, holiday lights, wearable electronic jewelry, audio generators, a crystal radio, and a touch-sensitive lamp
Work with brushed DC and stepper motors to understand their principles and applications
Learn about programmable microcontrollers by building an automous robot cart that can sense its environment and avoid obstacles
If you’ve always wanted to learn electronics, but were intimidated by other books and overly-technical websites, this book is for you!
You can download a PDF sample of the book here.
via Make: Electronics.
If at least one of my sons wants to do the course, I’m likely to buy one for them – what a great way to get started in hands-on electronics.
The idea of purposely “smoking” a few items in designed experiments is neat – like the train wrecks on the Aadam’s Family TV show we watched as kids.
73
Steve
K9ZW
