Any good summer electrical projects?

[Zholl]

I was just wondering if anyone had any good electrical projects that I (or anyone else interested) could do now that school's out for the summer. I'm currently looking to get parts to build a Mintyboost, but after that I'm not sure what I should play with. I'd really like to get my hands dirty now that I've got some free time. if it helps at all, I already have a basic knowledge of electrical circuits, though I'm a little fuzzy fuzzy on capacitors and haven't gotten into logic gates, and I know how to solder and all that good stuff. I just haven't been able to find any projects here on CD while I was digging around.

so to all you more experienced electrical types, what kind of electrical projects or learning resources can you recommend to a high school student like myself?

[BX MARK]

The electronics guy on our team took home our Robot cart and is wiring it with lots of cool lights over the summer. :cool:

[ATannahill]

I suspect that Chris is more into the circuit design aspect of EE. Am I right? This is not often discussed in FIRST.

Chris you should look into some of the more common logic gates and learn what they do. After you do that, try to make a timer or stop watch. I don't know of any activity kits that would help you.

[Zholl]

I suspect that Chris is more into the circuit design aspect of EE. Am I right? This is not often discussed in FIRST.

Chris you should look into some of the more common logic gates and learn what they do. After you do that, try to make a timer or stop watch. I don't know of any activity kits that would help you.

absolutely right, alex. I'd try doing something with an arduino, but I'm still trying to figure out how all this works, so I'd rather not get in too deep. I will look into the stop watch idea, though. messing with the logic gates is probably a good place to start

[Hawiian Cadder]

my summer project is making a Lego breakout for an arduino. this way i can make lego robots and then use the much more powerful arduino to control them.

[Hugh Meyer]

Zholl,
If you like to control stuff with a computer there is a kit made by Velleman-kit that is cool. It is model # K8055. You will need to solder it together and then you have a USB interface device that has lots of inputs and outputs and even has two PWM outputs that could control a Victor or Jaguar. Sample code is supplied in VB, C++ and a few others. I used it in an EECT class I taught last semester for a basic overview for students to learn about PC control.
It is great to hear you want to do something this summer. That is way better that setting around playing video games. Good luck with what ever you decide to tackle.

Hugh

[MrForbes]

hmmmm....I just got done putting together a computer, which involved some welding, as well as assembling an electronic kit (the clock).

http://www.selectric.org/ibmpc/atxpc.html

Several years ago I built a "homebrew" Nixie clock, but I have sources for old parts, which you may not have available.

http://www.selectric.org/nixie/index.html (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

You might not want to get into this high voltage stuff until you understand the necessary safety precautions.

When I was young, we had Heathkits available, although we never had enough money to buy them ourselves. Dad bought a TV kit that my brothers and I put together when we were in Jr. High, I still have the TV, it still works.

My guess is that getting into electronics now, is not the same as it used to be....everything now is so small! All the ICs are surface mount, etc. And vacuum tubes are pretty much gone, even as displays.

[Ian Curtis]

absolutely right, alex. I'd try doing something with an arduino, but I'm still trying to figure out how all this works, so I'd rather not get in too deep. I will look into the stop watch idea, though. messing with the logic gates is probably a good place to start

In my experience, Ardunios are pretty hard to mess up. The materials aren't written for engineers and technical people, they are written for non-technical people who want to get their feet wet. It certainly helps to have people you can ask, but I'm pretty confident you could figure an Arduino out on your own. In addition, their forums are conveniently filled with knowledgeable people who love to help.

You might try this (http://www.lindsaybks.com/bks9/ething/index.html) for some old time electical fun. Some of the projects would make neat shelf displays or gifts.

[mikets]

We are trying to build something that we can use for next year. One of the project ideas is a battery load tester that will check if the battery is still good. Our design can be found at http://proj.titanrobotics.net/docs/Robot/BattTester

[Zholl]

hmmmm....I just got done putting together a computer, which involved some welding, as well as assembling an electronic kit (the clock).

http://www.selectric.org/ibmpc/atxpc.html

Several years ago I built a "homebrew" Nixie clock, but I have sources for old parts, which you may not have available.

http://www.selectric.org/nixie/index.html (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

You might not want to get into this high voltage stuff until you understand the necessary safety precautions.

When I was young, we had Heathkits available, although we never had enough money to buy them ourselves. Dad bought a TV kit that my brothers and I put together when we were in Jr. High, I still have the TV, it still works.

My guess is that getting into electronics now, is not the same as it used to be....everything now is so small! All the ICs are surface mount, etc. And vacuum tubes are pretty much gone, even as displays.

That's really cool! I'd love to do something like that, but I don't think I have a good way of getting any nixie tubes...

anyway, I think I've got a decent idea of what I'll be doing this summer, and I also found my dad's old EE texts, so I should be good for the next couple months. I would like to know if there's a particular model of Arduino I should get if I should go in that direction, or if it's really more of a "what fits my budget" kind of deal. either way, I'm making a parts run tomorrow :D

[kgzak]

hmmmm....I just got done putting together a computer, which involved some welding, as well as assembling an electronic kit (the clock).

http://www.selectric.org/ibmpc/atxpc.html

Several years ago I built a "homebrew" Nixie clock, but I have sources for old parts, which you may not have available.

http://www.selectric.org/nixie/index.html (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

You might not want to get into this high voltage stuff until you understand the necessary safety precautions.

When I was young, we had Heathkits available, although we never had enough money to buy them ourselves. Dad bought a TV kit that my brothers and I put together when we were in Jr. High, I still have the TV, it still works.

My guess is that getting into electronics now, is not the same as it used to be....everything now is so small! All the ICs are surface mount, etc. And vacuum tubes are pretty much gone, even as displays.

I am interested in what you have done but for some reason I cannot get to the web pages. Is there any reason for this? I have tried on 2 of my computers with 2 different web browsers. I also tried at different days/times.

[MrForbes]

Oh, my hosting company seems to have some DNS issues....sorry!

You might try it from a different internet provider, perhaps at some place that has free wifi.

[JamesBrown]

Asking for good electrical projects is going to yield you tons of different opinions. Let us know what you might be interested in (basic home automation, Remote control vehicles, electronic art, hobby radio?) and we can give you some basic projects to get you feet wet, and then send you in the right direction to find increasingly complex projects. For example if you want to stay in the robotics field, perhaps start with beam robotics, then move on to incorporating an arduino (or your choice of other micro) and using servos that can be controlled directly with the board. Eventually build your own speed controllers, then try different sensors. If robotics doesn't seem practical to you or their is something you find very interesting let us know and we can give you better ideas of what may be fun.

As far as building the classic circuits (stop watch, head phone amp, etc) I appreciate what they are and that they teach basics of electronics but I don't think it is necessary to start this low level. Eventually you learn how/why these things work, I believe that you can start out working at a higher level, if you need an amp you can buy an IC that will serve your purpose, eventually you will learn what is going on inside, in the mean time it really isn't that important. See the big picture first, the rest will make sense as you go.

[Zholl]

Asking for good electrical projects is going to yield you tons of different opinions. Let us know what you might be interested in (basic home automation, Remote control vehicles, electronic art, hobby radio?) and we can give you some basic projects to get you feet wet, and then send you in the right direction to find increasingly complex projects. For example if you want to stay in the robotics field, perhaps start with beam robotics, then move on to incorporating an arduino (or your choice of other micro) and using servos that can be controlled directly with the board. Eventually build your own speed controllers, then try different sensors. If robotics doesn't seem practical to you or their is something you find very interesting let us know and we can give you better ideas of what may be fun.

As far as building the classic circuits (stop watch, head phone amp, etc) I appreciate what they are and that they teach basics of electronics but I don't think it is necessary to start this low level. Eventually you learn how/why these things work, I believe that you can start out working at a higher level, if you need an amp you can buy an IC that will serve your purpose, eventually you will learn what is going on inside, in the mean time it really isn't that important. See the big picture first, the rest will make sense as you go.

Thanks for the advice. As far as what I'd like to do, though, I'm not really sure. I'm starting with this Mintyboost project simply because it's simple and highly practical. Otherwise I know I just want to mess with something. I'm sure I'll get a better idea of what I'm really interested in once I've done a couple projects, but this is all pretty new to me

[Al Skierkiewicz]

mikets,
I would like to remind your team that the AGM batteries we use are slightly different than a typical lead acid cell and may yield some misleading results. Double check the battery spec sheets from the manufacturer.

Chris
Summer would be a great time to get your Ham license. There are a variety of small kits for ham transmitters and simple receivers. Check out Ramsey kits or just search the internet. Ham clubs have classes and hamfests (ham flea markets) run license tests and are a great source of cheap parts and used equipment. The Colorado QRP club (that is for low power users) has a website and list local fests here http://www.cqc.org/swapm.htm

[Zholl]

Summer would be a great time to get your Ham license. There are a variety of small kits for ham transmitters and simple receivers. Check out Ramsey kits or just search the internet. Ham clubs have classes and hamfests (ham flea markets) run license tests and are a great source of cheap parts and used equipment. The Colorado QRP club (that is for low power users) has a website and list local fests here http://www.cqc.org/swapm.htm

I've actually already gotten my license (KD0IKL), though I had not thought of doing a kit. I will certainly look into that, though. I also noticed that there's a festival next Saturday, so I will probably check that out

[Al Skierkiewicz]

FB on the ham license. Summer is always a ham's season for planning antenna projects before the snow flies. Have you tried your hand at HF QRP? It's a challenge but can be fun and rewarding.

[JamesCH95]

I'm not a fancy electrical type, but I have an interesting project you might try:

I was trying to microwave popcorn last night, and I had to listen to the kernels pop and stop the microwave after I started hearing 2 seconds of silence between pops. This was pretty annoying because I had to sit there for 4 or 5 minutes hitting "add 30 seconds" on the microwave. I bet you could make a device that would hit the required keys on a microwave (+30sec and stop) and use a microphone or some audio device to recognize pops. Maybe throw in a couple 555 timers (one to check time between pops, one to keep the microwave running by hitting +30sec), logic gates, a relay or two (controlling solenoids that press the microwave's buttons), and you've got a reasonably complex circuit to perfectly cook popcorn.

Best of luck in your summer projects.

[JamesBrown]

I'm not a fancy electrical type, but I have an interesting project you might try:

I was trying to microwave popcorn last night, and I had to listen to the kernels pop and stop the microwave after I started hearing 2 seconds of silence between pops. This was pretty annoying because I had to sit there for 4 or 5 minutes hitting "add 30 seconds" on the microwave. I bet you could make a device that would hit the required keys on a microwave (+30sec and stop) and use a microphone or some audio device to recognize pops. Maybe throw in a couple 555 timers (one to check time between pops, one to keep the microwave running by hitting +30sec), logic gates, a relay or two (controlling solenoids that press the microwave's buttons), and you've got a reasonably complex circuit to perfectly cook popcorn.

Best of luck in your summer projects.

Why couldn't you just set the microwave to run for 5 (or more) minutes then wait until the popping started to slow, then stop the microwave (at the right point) and clear the time? Seems like that would prevent you from needing to stand by the microwave for more than ~30sec.

[JamesCH95]

The point is that one still has to pay attention to the popcorn for the 4 or 5 minutes to stop it at the right time.

I think discussing my popcorn microwaving technique is a little off topic :rolleyes:

[Brandon Holley]

I think discussing my popcorn microwaving technique is a little off topic :rolleyes:

The microwave I own has this feature built into it already. When you press the "popcorn" button, it automatically turn the microwave on. The microwave will keep running and "listen" to the pops. When it gets to a point where the pops are slowing down, it then displays a timer for how much time is left based on what it thinks (usually ~20 seconds).

Every single bag of popcorn thats ever been made in that microwave has come out perfectly. That includes every brand, type, size...even the mini bags come out perfectly.

I love my microwave.

-Brando

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Brandon,
If it is like mine, the oven senses humidity levels in the cavity rather than listening for pops. I abhor unpopped kernels so I add 30-60 seconds. It is popcorn roulette though, walking the fine line between fully popped and burned. A funny story, we did have popcorn here in the cafeteria vending for a long time. The cafeteria is just down stairs from the CEO's office. One of the operators loved popcorn but wanted to multitask. So in went the bag, radiate ON and get in a bathroom break while waiting. The last two never were the same time so burned popcorn smoke went right up the stairs. We haven't had popcorn in the vending machines for many years now.

[Jon Stratis]

I'm not a fancy electrical type, but I have an interesting project you might try:

I was trying to microwave popcorn last night, and I had to listen to the kernels pop and stop the microwave after I started hearing 2 seconds of silence between pops. This was pretty annoying because I had to sit there for 4 or 5 minutes hitting "add 30 seconds" on the microwave. I bet you could make a device that would hit the required keys on a microwave (+30sec and stop) and use a microphone or some audio device to recognize pops. Maybe throw in a couple 555 timers (one to check time between pops, one to keep the microwave running by hitting +30sec), logic gates, a relay or two (controlling solenoids that press the microwave's buttons), and you've got a reasonably complex circuit to perfectly cook popcorn.

Best of luck in your summer projects.

This reminds me of my college days... A good example of how engineers can over complicate things very quickly...

The back door to the house we were renting had a very annoying habit of not latching when it was closed... and on those cold Cleveland nights it would blow open and waste a ton of heat before someone woke up, realized what happened, and closed it. Our solution... a small magnetic switch, timer circuit, and speaker... If the door was open for more than 30 seconds, the whole neighborhood knew about it!

In retrospect, we could have fixed the latch... but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

[JamesCH95]

This reminds me of my college days... A good example of how engineers can over complicate things very quickly...

The back door to the house we were renting had a very annoying habit of not latching when it was closed... and on those cold Cleveland nights it would blow open and waste a ton of heat before someone woke up, realized what happened, and closed it. Our solution... a small magnetic switch, timer circuit, and speaker... If the door was open for more than 30 seconds, the whole neighborhood knew about it!

In retrospect, we could have fixed the latch... but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

Speaking of over-complicated college projects...

A buddy of mine would always forget the key to front door of his apt building, the one where you get "buzzed" in. He made a little unit that sat over the door bell speaker that would unlock the doors when the right pattern of buzzes was pressed from the front door.

You don't have to revolutionize an industry or invent something completely original to have fun and learn a lot, and some times the more complicated way is much more fun :D

[Zholl]

well, I'm pretty sure my parents won't approve of my attaching hardware to the microwave, and I don't live in an apartment, so those ideas are moot as well (for now, of course. once I hit college that's all fair game :D). I'll probably look into the QRP next week at the ham fest, though, Al, so I'll make sure to read up on that this week. I've also been thinking about figuring out some wireless remotes for my camera (if anyone has suggestions on implementation, I'm all ears), but otherwise all I've done so far is wire a 10kohm pot to my headphones and fix my mom's headset at this point while I wait for some bits and bobs to show up

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Chris,
I don't know if FAR Circuits gets out that far, but he is a great source of circuit boards etched for projects in QST. Fred is a long time friend from Motorola who lives in West Dundee, IL and does some really quality work. He hits every hamfest around here. You can buy the board and the original article for the project from him. Then pick up parts at the rest of the fest. Some simple things you can build for QRP are the Tuna Tin series of QRP devices. You can find some of them here...http://www.amqrp.org/kits/kits.html. You can also find some info here...http://www.njqrp.org/tuna/tuna.html or just search Tuna Tin.

[Jon Stratis]

Other possible ideas for small projects:

http://www.madlab.org/kits.html

Pretty much all of the projects listed here involve a bit of electronics work. You can buy the kits directly, or simply download (for free!) the construction instructions and schematics, and figure it out on your own. Nothing super exciting, but some cool little gadgets all the same.

[Alchemy99]

all thoes are fun projects, but i dont know how far you are in your electronics expertice, but this is my project and i need help (see 3d printer help) but in gereral i am makeing a 3d printer based off the RepRap project (reprap.org) so if you are looking for something kit and direction based it will run you about $500 to get a desktop 3d printer. or you can do it the more complicated way and change everything untill you are a chicken with your head cut off trying to figure it out.

something that will help me and proboly alot of other people is a redesign of the Jaguar, improve the chips inside to accept 45 volts to run a motor at 44 volts. (its way above my level of knowlage but it is a challenging project and valuable)

[JamesCH95]

You could get a 48V victor if you need to control a 44v motor. Just a thought.

[Alchemy99]

they make 48 vlt victors?!?!? :ahh: thank you!

and the reason why i was looking at the jaguar's was because of there built in PID loop, limit switch control, and PC interface.

also does anyone know a good controler that can run 4 48v victors, 4 or more encoders, 7 or more limit switches, and pc input

[JamesCH95]

Ah, yeah, the Jags are pretty awesome because of that. You can get the Victors here:

http://www.robotcombat.com/products/IFI-HV48.html

And the datasheet is here:

http://www.ifirobotics.com/docs/48v-victor-hv-datasheet.pdf?q=48v

They are fairly pricey, but good DC motor controllers in that power range are. If you don't need 90A continuous power I would scour eBay or google products search for 48V motor controller. Good luck in your project.

[Zholl]

all thoes are fun projects, but i dont know how far you are in your electronics expertice, but this is my project and i need help (see 3d printer help) but in gereral i am makeing a 3d printer based off the RepRap project (reprap.org) so if you are looking for something kit and direction based it will run you about $500 to get a desktop 3d printer. or you can do it the more complicated way and change everything untill you are a chicken with your head cut off trying to figure it out.

As awesome as that would be, I just don't have that much money to drop on a project at the moment.


Also, here's a quick question: I'm trying to build an intervalometer (timed trigger for time lapse photography) using a 555 timer. the schematic I'm going off of calls for an NE555 timer. What I can pick up in town are the TLC555 and LM555 chips. Looking at the spec sheets I can't tell a significant difference between them, but I'm not sure. Are there any significant differences between chip numbers I should be aware of? or are they just different numbers between manufacturers?

[JamesCH95]

I think the 555 timer is pretty well uniform between manufacturers, but the pin-out might vary. As long as the data sheets are the same you should be fine.

[Zholl]

I think the 555 timer is pretty well uniform between manufacturers, but the pin-out might vary. As long as the data sheets are the same you should be fine.

alright. that's the impression I was getting, but I just thought I'd make sure

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Chris,
555 timers are for the most part interchangeable. Some manufacturers have added something to make it better but still equivalent. There are CMOS variations as well. The CMOS requires less power supply current but can't handle higher output currents like the standard version. You might try getting several and fooling around with some to make wild noises as an audible alarm when the time out is reached.

[MishraArtificer]

So to all you more experienced electrical types, what kind of electrical projects or learning resources can you recommend to a high school student like myself?I would welcome you to come out to Monroe, and help me wire in the power windows that I'm trying to transplant into my car. I need help!