This site is intended as a resource for hobbyists building electronic projects, including those covered in the book Electronics Projects For Dummies. The site contains:

A Sneak Peek at Electronics Projects For Dummies for those who haven’t yet bought the book.
Links to datasheets for those looking for more information on the components used in the projects.
Links to suppliers.
Links to electronics tutorials for those wanting a little (or a lot) more information.
Links to discussion forums where you can talk to others about projects you are thinking about building.
A collection of electronics projects for those who have already worked through a few projects from Electronics Projects For Dummies and want to try a few projects from other sources.

If you want learn about building really small gadgets check out our Understanding Nanotechnology Website.

A Collection of Electronic Projects and Circuits

If you’ve already worked through a few projects from Electronics Projects For Dummies and caught the electronics bug you might want to try a few projects from other sources. To help you out here’s a list of some interesting projects that I’ve found around the Web. These projects look interesting and are well documented but we haven’t had a chance to build them all, so results may vary! Some of these projects use high voltages and currents we make no warranty as to their safety, it is your own responsibility to only tackle projects that you have the knowledge and skills to work on safely.

· Plant Moisture Meter. This circuit takes the guesswork out of watering plants by lighting up an LED when the soil is dry.

· A Simple Walking Robot. Would you like to build a 4 legged walking robot? Try this project building a BEAM type walking robot with a minimum of components and very low cost.

· Analog Sound Synthesizer. This very well detailed project write-up on the Music from Outer Space Web site shows how to build a analog sound synthesizer.

· Battery Powered Guitar Practice Amplifier. Want to practice your guitar playing somewhere without power? The Ruby amplifier is designed to work on a nine volt battery pack, here’s the circuit and some details.

· Circuit for High Speed Photography. Would you like to take photos of split-second events such as the momentary splash when you drop a crouton in a bowl of soup? This circuit by Matthew Swann triggers your camera’s flash after the crouton, or other object passes through an IR beam.

· A pocket sized LED display that lights up to music. This project on the Electronic Peasant Website shows how you can create three spirals made up of LED's that light up to different frequencies of music. The components all fit into a shape compact enough to clip onto your pocket, if you like to dance with lights this could be a neat effect.

Go to the Electronic Projects and Circuits page for more projects.

Articles
Reviews of interesting techniques

Datasheets: The Key to Reading Schematics

You’ve found the schematic online for a cool electronic project that you’re eager to build. However, not all project information you find online is created equal. Sometimes you’ll get great descriptions of what the project does and how the circuit functions, and sometimes you just get a schematic with component values that leaves you scratching your head over how everything comes together. If a schematic doesn’t come with a clear explanation of how the circuit works, you can use datasheets to fill in the missing information. ........click here for full article

Soldering Surface Mount Components

Instead of dual in-line packages (DIP) that are easy for a hobbyist to use, many new components are produced only in surface mount packages because circuit board manufacturers prefer them for use on their high volume assembly lines. ...click here for full article

When Is a Supplier Right for You?

If you’re like us, sometimes you go to a large discount store for bargain bulk groceries; other times, you’re off to a corner store because it’s convenient or to a gourmet shop for a special (but expensive) treat. So how do you choose what electronics supplier to go to? ... click here for full article

Text Supplement

When the first printing of Electronics Projects For Dummies came out, I appreciated a reader pointing out a couple of issues in the the Making Light Dance to the Music project (Chapter 5). These types of typos can happen in a 400+ page book, and the publisher will correct them on reprint. Meanwhile, if you’re working through this project, note these changes that may make things go more smoothly for you:

· Resistors R15-R18 and R32-R35 are 100 ohm as shown in the parts list, not 1 kohm as stated in step 8, page 99.

· The 5 kohm resistor labeled R21 in Step 10, page 100 should be labeled R23.

· The value of resistor R25 in step 10, Page 100 should be 10 kohm.

· There should be one more 0.1 microfarad ceramic capacitor (C6), one more 5 kohm resistor (R8), and one 10 kohm resistor (R25) included in the parts list.