Did you know you can use an LED as a light sensor? In this video I show you how to use this phenomenon to build a laser tachometer capable of measuring the RPM of mechanical devices.
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I recently lost my collection of electronic components, and was looking for a cheap source of parts I could use in my projects. It turns out that my old, broken uninterruptible power supply was a goldmine of useful components! Check out the video to see what I found inside. It turns out that I had […]
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A tutorial on how to use the popular LM386 class AB audio amplifier IC to build a simple mono 1 watt audio amplifier. It costs less than $3 in parts! There is also a brief discussion of how to use high pass filters to prevent op-amp oscillation and subsequent noise. Sponsored by The Great Courses […]
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The ultimate Arduino microcontroller tutorial for beginners. Learn what Arduino is, how to choose an Arduino, then build a simple data logger, LED dimmer and motor speed controller. Sponsored by Audible – Get a free 30 day trial & download one free title Example UNO kit Example UNO robot kit
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A tutorial on what servos are, how they work, and how to use them. Then I build a laser turret using a pan-tilt servo kit and an Arduino Uno. The Arduino is programmed with XOD, a free visual programming language. Download XOD Another XOD tutorial Hitec HS-311 servo Sub-micro servo pack Laser diodes Pan-tilt servo […]
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Electrolytic capacitors are common, but knowledge of their limitations is uncommon. A demonstration is shown highlighting the difference in performance between electrolytic and ceramic capacitors in power supplies. Other topics discussed in the video: Electrolytic capacitor construction, ceramic capacitors, ESR, ESL, impedance curves, why “0.1uF”, and more.
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