I would like to compliment you on the sensitive voltage project. I managed to round up the parts, soldered the components together in a way that is no doubt quite inelegant and messy, but damned if I didn't hear a distinct crackle in my earphones when I tried it on an older 9 volt battery!
As I said, you are to be complimented. I say this as someone for whom "learning electronics" has been my proverbial white whale. For years I have tried just about every self-learning book or tool under the sun, from "Getting Started in Electronics" by Forrest Mims (which whom I have since become friends) to more books tried and discarded in frustration than I can count. It seems I just could not wrap my head around this, largely, I conclude because books written for beginners too quickly lapse into "engineereese" or leave things unexplained or assumed on the part of the reader. For example, in several books I read about using a breadboard, but then the book would never again discuss breadboards or how one used them. Your site does not make this mistake. Well, not nearly as often as other sites or books do. I am entertaining hope that "All About Circuits" might actually help me break through.
A suggestion, if I may: my sensitive voltage detector is currently components strung together with wires and, as you point out, belongs in a project box. What lacks is some information on how one mounts the circuit in the box. How do I take this circuit and mount it on that green board stuff that I sometimes see in the electronics stores? I've seen many guidebooks suggesting using a project box, but they never go into detail about *how* to mount things inside them or use generic circuit board. Can someone point me in some useful directions?
Also, I recall when perusing your site earlier I saw some experiments that used this voltage detector, but I can't seem to locate them again. Can someone refresh my addled memory on that score as well.
All in all, a very good site. I am particularly impressed with the idea of using the Sensitive Voltage Detector as a poor man's oscilloscope for studying voltages. I suspect I would have made faster progress with access to an oscilloscope, but lacking the funds, I was stymied.
Thanks again for a fun project. I look forward to expanding on it.
As I said, you are to be complimented. I say this as someone for whom "learning electronics" has been my proverbial white whale. For years I have tried just about every self-learning book or tool under the sun, from "Getting Started in Electronics" by Forrest Mims (which whom I have since become friends) to more books tried and discarded in frustration than I can count. It seems I just could not wrap my head around this, largely, I conclude because books written for beginners too quickly lapse into "engineereese" or leave things unexplained or assumed on the part of the reader. For example, in several books I read about using a breadboard, but then the book would never again discuss breadboards or how one used them. Your site does not make this mistake. Well, not nearly as often as other sites or books do. I am entertaining hope that "All About Circuits" might actually help me break through.
A suggestion, if I may: my sensitive voltage detector is currently components strung together with wires and, as you point out, belongs in a project box. What lacks is some information on how one mounts the circuit in the box. How do I take this circuit and mount it on that green board stuff that I sometimes see in the electronics stores? I've seen many guidebooks suggesting using a project box, but they never go into detail about *how* to mount things inside them or use generic circuit board. Can someone point me in some useful directions?
Also, I recall when perusing your site earlier I saw some experiments that used this voltage detector, but I can't seem to locate them again. Can someone refresh my addled memory on that score as well.
All in all, a very good site. I am particularly impressed with the idea of using the Sensitive Voltage Detector as a poor man's oscilloscope for studying voltages. I suspect I would have made faster progress with access to an oscilloscope, but lacking the funds, I was stymied.
Thanks again for a fun project. I look forward to expanding on it.