Electronic Project Plan Step 1: Envision Your Electronic Project
Before you get lost in the details of designing and building your electronic project, you should step back and look at the big picture. First, you need to make sure you have a solid idea for your project [more…]
Electronic Project Plan Step 2: Design the Circuit
Once you have an idea for an electronic project, the next step is to design a circuit that meets the project's needs. At first, you'll find it very difficult to design your own circuits, so you can turn [more…]
Electronic Project Plan Step 3: Prototype Your Circuit
Before you commit your electronic circuit to a permanent circuit board, you will want to make sure it works. The easiest way to do that is to build the circuit on a [more…]
Electronic Project Plan Step 4: Construct Your Circuit
Once you've prototyped your electronic circuit and you are satisfied with its operation, you can build a permanent version of the circuit. Although there are several ways to do that, the most common is [more…]
Electronic Project Plan Step 5: Enclose Your Circuit
Once your electronic circuit board is finished, the final step of your project is to mount it in a plastic, metal, or wooden box. You can purchase boxes specifically designed for electronics projects from [more…]
Prototype an Electronic Coin-toss Prep: Specs, Parts, and Tools
For this project, you create an electronic version of a coin toss. Instead of flipping a coin into the air to see if it lands heads or tails, you build an electronic device that does the coin toss. That [more…]
Prototype an Electronic Coin-toss Step 1: Connect the IC to Power
Creating an electronic version of a coin toss is a good electronics project for beginners. It doesn’t literally toss a coin. Instead, when the user removes his finger from two metal contacts, one of two [more…]
Prototype an Electronic Coin-toss Step 2: Connect LEDs to Resistors
An electronic coin toss doesn’t literally toss a coin, but it does make a good first project for the aspiring electronics hobbyist. Rather than flipping a coin, one of two lights stays lit when the user [more…]
Prototype an Electronic Coin-toss Step 3: Connect the Finger-touch Circuit
A good first project for the aspiring electronics hobbyist is an electronic coin toss. It doesn’t literally toss a coin. Instead, one of two lights stays lit when the user removes his finger from two metal [more…]
Prototype an Electronic Coin-toss Step 4: Complete the Circuit
In order to complete the electronic coin toss prototype, you will complete the circuit by connecting the power supply. Your prototype won’t literally toss a coin. Instead, one of two lights will stay lit [more…]
Troubleshoot Your Electronic Coin-toss Prototype
If the prototype of your electronic coin-toss circuit doesn't work, there are a number of troubleshooting steps you can take to find out why and correct the problem. Here are some helpful troubleshooting [more…]
Prep to Build an Electronic Coin-Toss: Parts List and PCB Layout
Once you have assembled and tested the prototype of your electronic coin-toss, you can begin to build the actual electronic coin-toss on a printed circuit board [more…]
How to Build an Electronic Coin-Toss Circuit
Building an electronic coin-toss is a good project for a beginning electronics hobbyist. Prior to building the coin-toss on a printed circuit board (PCB), it is advisable to prototype it on a solderless [more…]
How to Mount an Electronic Coin-Toss Circuit in a Box
When you have successfully built a coin-toss circuit on a printed circuit board (PCB), you’ll want to give the project a finished presentation by mounting it in a project box. [more…]
How Solder Works in Electronics
Soldering is especially useful for electronics because not only does it create a strong physical connection between metals, but it also creates an excellent conductive path for electric current to flow [more…]
How to Buy a Soldering Iron for Your Electronics Projects
Soldering is useful for electronics to create a strong physical connection between metals. A soldering iron — also called a soldering pencil — is the basic tool for soldering. [more…]
How to Buy the Right Solder for Your Electronics Projects
Soldering is used in electronics to connect metals. Solder, the soft metal that's used to create solder joints, is an alloy of tin and lead. Most solders are 60 percent tin and 40 percent lead, but that [more…]
Everything You Need to Solder Electronics
Besides a soldering iron and solder, there are a few additional things you'll need to have on hand for successful soldering of your electronics projects. To wit: [more…]
Prepare to Solder Your Electronics Project
Before you start soldering to connect the wires on your electronics project, you should first prepare your soldering iron by cleaning and tinning it. Follow these steps: [more…]
How to Solder a Solid Joint on Your Electronics Project
The most common form of soldering when creating electronic projects is soldering component leads to copper pads on the back of a printed circuit board. If you can do that, you'll have no trouble with other [more…]
How to Check the Solder Joints on Your Electronics Project
After you've completed a solder joint, you should inspect it to make sure the joint is good. Look at it under a magnifying glass, and gently wiggle the component to see if the joint is stable. A good solder [more…]
How to Desolder an Electronics Joint
Desoldering refers to the process of undoing a soldered joint. You may have to do this if you discover that a solder joint is less than satisfactory, if a component fails, or if you connect your circuit [more…]
Electronics Measurements: What is a Multimeter?
Along with a good soldering iron, a good multimeter is the most important item in your electronics toolbox. Your electronic exploits will be much more fruitful, if you learn how to use it properly. [more…]
Electronics Measurements: What a Multimeter Can Measure
A meter is a device that measures electrical quantities in your electronics projects. A multimeter, therefore, is a combination of several different types of meters all in one box. At the minimum, a multimeter [more…]
How to Build a Simple Electronic Circuit
If you are interested in understanding electronic circuits, one of the best ways to learn about electronics is to build a simple circuit. This simple circuit consists of just three components: a 9 V battery [more…]
