Part One Beginning Electronics
The Series Circuit and Battery Holders
A “Second Hack”: Increasing Battery Life on an LED Keychain Light
From Yesteryear: A “Third Hack” by Converting a AA Cell Into a Penlight
Eat Your Spinach and Make a Flashlight!
Brief Overview of Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Power
It’s All Greek to Me, But It’s Good
Integrated Circuits as Amplifiers and Logic Gates
3 Construction Techniques and Simple Test Equipment
Solderless Circuit Construction Techniques
Let’s Do the Twist—Twisting Wires to Build Circuits
Knock on Wood—A Wooden Breadboard
The Art of Pre-Tinning Wires or Connections
Examples of Various Solder Joints
Prototype Circuits via Soldering
Building the LM386 Audio Amplifier on a Vector Board
Simple Test Equipment: Battery Testers and VOMs
Using a Standard Volt-Ohm-Milliamp Meter (VOM) as a Battery Tester
4 Light Emitters and Receivers
An Experiment with a #222 Penlight Bulb
Light Output Specifications for LEDs
LEDs Compared with Incandescent Lamps
Experiment for Listening to a Remote Control’s Signals
5 Diodes, Rectifiers, and Associated Circuits
Characteristics of Diodes and Rectifiers
Converting AC to DC for Power Supplies
DC Restoration Circuits and Voltage Multipliers
Diodes as Switches and Gain-Control Devices
Experiment to Measure DC Resistance of Back-to-Back Batteries
Diodes as a Gain-Control Circuit
Radio-Frequency (RF) Mixing with a Diode
Zener Diodes for Voltage Regulation
6 Transistors, FETs, and Vacuum Tubes
Current Sources and Voltage-Controlled Current-Source Devices
Constant Current “Diodes” Using JFETs
Bipolar Transistors as Current Sources
Concept of Measuring Collector Currents and Voltage Gain Due to Changes in Input Signals
Using LEDs as Reference Voltages
Using a Constant Current Source to Provide Low Ripple at the Power Supply’s Output
JFETs, MOSFETs, and Vacuum Tubes Used as Current Sources
Just For Fun: A Low-Power Nightlight Using Transistor Amplifiers and LEDs
A Quick Look at Operational Amplifiers (Op Amps)
JFETs and Bipolar Transistor as Voltage-Controlled Resistors
Part Two Intermediate-Level Electronics
What Are Negative-Feedback Systems?
Another Look at the Non-Inverting-Gain Operation Amplifier (Op Amp)
Two Projects: A Photodiode Sensor and an Automatic Level Control Amplifier
Controlling Audio Signal Levels
Another Voltage-Controlled Amplifier Circuit
Voltage-Controlled Common Emitter Amplifier
Negative Feedback to Stabilize or Self-Bias Collector Currents
Power Output Stages and Using the VBE Multiplier Circuit
Misadventures in Positive Feedback
Some Considerations When Choosing Op Amps
Signal Levels for Microphones, Phono Cartridges, Line Inputs, and Loudspeakers
Balanced or Differential-Mode Audio Signals Used in Broadcast or Recording Studios
Microphone Preamplifier Circuits
Increasing GBWP and Achieving Low Noise with Added Transistors
Moving-Magnet or Magnetic High-Output Phono-Cartridge Preamps
Frequency Response and Phase for Recording and Playing Records
Three RIAA Equalization Phono Preamplifier Projects
Third Phono Preamplifier: Less Is More?
Having Fun with Low-Voltage Tube Amplifiers
Power Supplies for the Preamplifier Circuits
Standard Distortion Tests for Audio Equipment
A Brief Overview of Oscillation Systems
Time to Sit Back and Relax for a Relaxation Oscillator (AKA Moving the Goal Posts)
Wein Bridge Oscillator with Automatic Gain Control to Provide Non-Clipped Sine Waves
A Universal Wein Oscillator Circuit
Just for Fun, Build a 555 Timer with a Dual Comparator, FET, and a Flip-Flop
To Wrap Up Relaxation Oscillators, Just Use a 74HC14 or 74AC14 Chip
Radio-Frequency (RF) Oscillators
Part Three Advanced Electronics
10 Amplitude Modulation Signals and Circuits
AM Signals—What Are They? “Hey, Can You Please Turn Down the Volume … Now Can You Turn It Back Up?”
Tuned Radio-Frequency Radio Projects
Solid-State Regenerative Radio
Comparing Regenerative and TRF Radios
Mixing and Beating Signals (aka Heterodyning or Superheterodyne)
Second Project: A Superhet Using the MK484/TA7642 Chip
An Observation on Common-Emitter Amplifiers
11 Frequency Modulation Signals and Circuits
Experiment No. 1: FM Oscillators Using Voltage-Controlled Capacitance Diodes
Pre-Emphasis and De-Emphasis Transmitting and Receiving Equalization Curves
Observing the Pre-Emphasis and De-Emphasis Effect
An FM Tuner Project with Ceramic Filter and Resonator
A Second FM Radio Project Via Silicon Labs
Understanding “Other” FM Detectors from a Top View
12 Video Basics, Including Video Signals
Examining Still Pictures First for Contrast, Brightness, Resolution, and Sharpness
Resolution or Fine Detail of a TV Picture
Sharpness and Frequency Response
Batman’s Ears to the Rescue for Image Enhancement
How Easy Is It to Make a Brightness and Contrast Video Circuit?
A Sharpness Circuit: Can It Be Simple?
A Video Processor to Adjust for Brightness, Contrast, and Sharpness
14 High School Mathematics with Electronics
Offset Voltages Described by the Y Intercept b
Systems of Linear Equations Used in FM Stereo
Linear Equations for Color Encoding
Negative-Feedback Systems with a (Linear) First-Order-Term Polynomial
Polynomials Used in Determining Distortion Effects of Negative Feedback in Amplifiers
15 Some Basic Circuit Analysis Techniques
Limitations of Kirchoff’s Laws for Analyzing Circuits Via Loop and Node Equations
Defining the Direction of the Current and Voltage Drops
Deriving the Voltage Divider Formula Using Positive-Charged Currents
Node Equations to Determine Parallel Resistances
A Practical Example of Analyzing Via the Thevenin Equivalent Circuit
Simple Transient or Pulse Response to RC Low- and High-Pass Filters
16 A Review and Analysis of What We Have Built So Far
Wein Oscillator RC Feedback Network
A Look at an Emitter-Follower Circuit
Using the Emitter Output Resistance to Determine Characteristics of a Common-Emitter Amplifier
Analyzing an Inverting-Gain Video Amplifier
Improvements or Variations of Previous Projects
Just for Fun … A Wein Oscillator Using a 60-Watt Light Bulb
A Brief Study on Harmonic Distortion Analysis
Using Differential Gain as a Method to Determine Harmonic Distortion
17 Hacking, Inventing, and Designing
Ceramic Filter Oscillator for Wider Frequency Deviation
A Non-Varactor Electronic Variable Capacitor
Class AB Output Stage with Quiescent Bias Using a Servo Control
Modulating the Power-Supply Pin of an Oscillator to Provide FM
18 Troubleshooting and Final Thoughts
When the Circuit Is Completed and Ready for a Test … Before Powering It On
Logic Gates with Increased Speed and Output Current
What to Do If an Amplifier Oscillates
Decoupling Sources from Injecting Noise into the Power Rails
When an Oscillator Does Not Oscillate
When the Circuit Kind of Works
Using an AM/FM Radio to Sense Whether an Oscillator Is Working
Using Low-Dropout Voltage Regulators
Ceramic Resonators and Filters (455 kHz and 10.7 MHz)
Oscillator Coils, IF Transformers, and Audio Transformers
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