Nuts and Volts Magazine
Features
Ever completed a killer electronics project and wanted to share your results with the world? We discussed text-oriented blogging in the August ‘05 issue of Nuts & Volts, and audio podcasting in the March ‘07 issue, but why not add movingpictures into the mix, and launch your own video blog?
Projects
Halloween is a fun time for make-believe and for kids (and adults!) to play “dress up.” It’s a time to make fun of the things that scare us and to have fun being scared. It’s also a time where folks who have a bit of tech-savvy can impress the heck out of their neighbors.
In this article, we will construct a low-power FM transmitter that can be received with a standard FM radio. Along the way, we will look at how varactor diodes work and how to use an inductor that's in the circuit board.
Columns
TechKnowledgey
by Jeff Eckert
Techknowledgey 2008
Events, Advances, and News
Getting Started With PICS
by Chuck Hellebuyck
Pulse Width Modulation
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is a common term in today’s microcontroller (MCU) world. What PWM is and how you use it are the subjects of this column.
Q&A
by Russell Kincaid
Q&A
In this column, I answer questions about all aspects of electronics, including computer hardware, software, circuits, electronic theory, troubleshooting, and anything else of interest to the hobbyist.
Smiley’s Workshop
by Joe Pardue
Smiley’s Workshop 2: Your First AVR Program — C’ing With Cylon Eyes
Write and compile our first C program using our AVR Learning Platform. Part 2
Stamp Applications
by Jon Williams
Expirements With Sound
It would be more than fair to say that I’m a light sleeper. To be honest, I don’t think that I have ever slept for more than a couple hours at a stretch. Don’t get me wrong, I tie a few of those stretches together each night (well, most nights) so that I’m rested in the morning, but I’m certain that I have never slept all the way through the night. I’m not talking about tossing and turning, mind you, I’m talking about full wake-up — usually at the end of a vivid dream or nightmare...
The Design Cycle
by Fred Eady
Roll Your Own FPGA Design
To really get to know a microcontroller, CPLD, or FPGA, one may take the programming and hardware design knowledge gleaned from a factory-generated development kit and apply it to a unique personal application. We’ve paid our dues with a factory Xilinx FPGA development board. So, our goal this month is to get down and dirty with our own Xilinx XC3S50A FPGA design...
Personal Robotics
by Vern Graner
Habitat For Hobbies (Part 2)
In this month’s column, I’ll complete the series by showing my own workspace (it’s only fair, after all), sharing a bit of my design approach, and announcing the winners of the Workbench Design Challenge!
Near Space
by L. Paul Verhage
Near Spacecraft Recovery Systems (Part 1)
It’s awesome to receive data from your near spacecraft at an altitude of 85,000 feet. Moreover, chances are good that if the sky is clear, you’ll even see its balloon as a tiny white dot in the sky. At this altitude, the balloon is 20 feet across and expanding as it rises. Shortly though, that white dot in the sky disappears. Now it’s up to the recovery system to bring your near spacecraft safely home...
Departments
