Any conductor carrying an AC current can be treated as a transmission line. Here, we'll talk about a basic element of transmission lines: the standing wave ratio. Find out why it’s important and how to measure it.
I’m often asked what the best way is to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education with electronics. At the high school level, as soon as I start talking about Arduino boards and sensors, teachers tend to run away. It’s intimidating to set up an electronics workshop from scratch. Think of all the necessary infrastructure that needs to be constructed — from multimeters and soldering irons to parts bins — and the components to fill them.
How many times each day do you pick up a probe to measure a DC voltage? The meter reads, say 4.65 volts, and we usually accept it without question. But just what is a volt and how is it maintained? Here's a fascinating look at the search for increasingly more accurate methods of building a “standard volt.”
Now that you have a handle on binary logic and how to make simple gate substitutions to solve your custom IC or obsolete part replacement problems, the next step is to put these gates to work for you. You know, the mundane tasks of add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
All logic circuits are based on two elementary propositions: AND and OR. Throw in an inverter gate (NOT), and you can solve any logic equation. Use these basic building blocks to get you out of a parts jam, whether it be for a new project or as a replacement device.
For most of us, measuring DC current means putting an ammeter or low resistance current shunt in the line. But now, you can build an adapter that can be used with your voltmeter and will measure 100 amps DC.
It’s not all that often that a different piece of hardware comes along that immediately captures the attention of the builder community. The ESP8266 is an example of this. It’s only about the size of a nickel, yet contains a powerful 32-bit microcontroller and a Wi-Fi interface, plus you can buy it for under $10.
I can hardly imagine an electronics enthusiast without some sort of test bench. This can be as simple as a folding table and a couple of hand tools, along with a cheap DMM (Digital MultiMeter). Or, it can be as elaborate as a spare room just loaded with TE and a full complement of tools and accessories to go with it.
The most powerful computer in the universe is actually the simplest. Explore the concept of Turing Machines and experiment with a simple Turing Machine simulator.
Construction articles found in electronics magazines use printed circuit boards for all but the simplest circuits, so investing time and money into the PC board fabrication process seems to be the next logical step, albeit a bit daunting for the new hobbyist. PC board fabrication is not necessarily the next step. There is another alternative … wire wrap.
