This compact design forms a remotely operated switch that receives its control signal via the mains voltage. The switch is operated using the ‘mains remote transmitter’ described elsewhere i... Read more
Inexpensive clock radios do not have separate slumber and wake-up volume settings. However, with a small, easily fitted circuit you can go to sleep with quiet music and still be sure of waki... Read more
The use of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sources is increasing due to global warming concerns on the one hand, and cost-effectiveness on the other. Many engineers involved in power electron... Read more
Taking apart a solar-powered lamp revealed a single-transistor voltage converter circuit that allowed an LED to be driven from a 1.2 V cell. The l/h diagram shows the circuit (with slight mo... Read more
Cyclists’ pulsing LED lights are eye-catching and much more conspicuous than a steady light, so it was decided to make provision for the other half who don’t have one. The aim was to use che... Read more
This circuit is based on a design for a low dropout voltage regulator in the book 303 Circuits (published by Elektor in 1998). The author adapted the design to make the output voltage adjust... Read more
If you’ve read old textbooks on electronics basics you may recall how it’s possible to create a multivibrator from just a neon lamp and a capacitor. The circuit of the simple multivibrator s... Read more
To monitor the filling of a bath, a water tank, or a swimming pool, or to warn when a gully is overflowing, here’s a very simple water level detector built around a CD4011 CMOS quad Gates IC... Read more
A shortwave audion receiver using only two transistors and a single 1.5 V battery — that must be the ideal entry level into shortwave receiver technology. Just add an active PC loudspeaker f... Read more
Although ready-made twilight switches for exterior lights are available in every home improvement shop, any self-respecting electronics enthusiast would rather put together something from a... Read more
