Electronics Projects - Electronic Circuits

If you've already worked through a few projects from my books; Electronics Projects For Dummies or Complete Electronics Self Teaching Guide 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 electronics projects that we'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! We've also included links to other Web sites that contain projects you can browse through. We make no warranty as to the safety of these projects, only tackle projects that you have the knowledge and skills to work on safely.

Electric Wire Locator: This project by Charles Wenzel can be used to locate electric wires in walls, it may be useful when remodeling. Let me know how accurate it is.

Weather Station: This project on the TechDesign Electronics Web site uses the PIC 18F452 microcontroller, pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors along with radio transmitter and receiver modules to allow you to monitor the weather.

Running Message Display: This project on the Electronics Zone Website shows how to use LEDs to light up a message, such as WELCOME, one letter at a time. When the whole message is alight the message goes dark and starts up again with the first letter.

Color Sensor. This circuit on the Electronics Zone Web site shows how to use of optical filters and light dependant resistors together to drive electronic circuitry that lights a LED corresponding to which one of five different colors of light is present. While I can’t think of a practical use it's a nice demonstration of mixing optics and electronics.

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

Clap Activated Remote Control: This interesting circuit on the Electronics Zone Web site allows you to build a remote control activated by clapping your hands.

Rain Detector: This project by Charles Wenzel activates a buzzer to let you know that its starting to rain so you can cover up items in your yard.

Sound Pressure Meter: This circuit on the Red Circuits Web site is used to calibrate the sound output of each speaker in your sound or home theater system so that they all have produce the same volume at your favorite chair.

Guitar Fuzz-Box: An operational amplifier based circuit which produces a wide range of sound effects.

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.

Pocket sized headphone amplifier: This project shows how to fit a amplifier inside a peppermint tin to soup up the sound for your headphones.

A robot that walks toward bright lights: Try this project building a BEAM type walking robot with a few added features.

Speech Amplifier/Loudspeaker. A compact amplifier/loudspeaker powered by a 6 volt battery pack to make sure you are heard, here's the circuit and some details.

Vacuum Tube Guitar Amplifier: If you would like to build a tube based guitar amplifier look at these projects on the Cooperative Tube Guitar Amp Project web site. Make sure your have the knowledge and skills to work with high voltage before you tackle this project.

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.

A wireless scarecrow: This project by Charles Wenzel detects footsteps of a deer or other creature and sounds an alarm to scare them away from your vegetable patch. I especially like the way he shows you how to protect the circuit from bad weather.

40 meter radio receiver: The circuit for a 40 meter radio receiver comes with some interesting tips that gives a glimpse of the techniques used to build a receiver from basic components. 

A refrigerator door alarm. Here's a circuit by Charles Wenzel that sounds an alarm when the refrigerator door stays open longer than the time you preset. A great way to stop your cat from getting in the refrigerator  if you forget to close the door.

Other Websites With Collections of Electronic Projects or Circuits