Educational Tutors

Tutorials and Resources for Basic Electronics and Other Hobbies.

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“I present, below, a collection of projects I have worked-on over the past few years. For over a decade, I had taught both embedded systems (microcontroller technology) and digital signal processing and practice what I preach….”

Professor Mark Csele – Projects and Hobbies

Nixie Thermostat – A heating and cooling thermostat employing technologies spanning fourty years from the unique Nixie tube display, circa 1960’s, to a PIC 18F microcontroller, circa 2006.

A High-Powered Power Backup Inverter

A High-Powered Power Backup Inverter – The working prototype of the 2 KVA inverter is complete. Fed from an array of lead-acid cells totalling 600 Ah (at 12 Volts), it easily drives real-world loads such as single-phase motors. The inverter has been tested and found to operate at an efficiency of between 71% and 82% driving a variety of both inductive and resistive loads

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“Strippenstrolch” is thus a pitch name for “electricians”. here you can also see a innovative project that combines rainwater harvesting and a solar energy operated pump to flush toilets.

Strippenstrolch – Elektronikbasteln

LED Lighting Projects, Learn Electronics, Basic Circuits and how they work. All in German.

“In Germany one finds this designation now and then for an electrician on the work. Particularly in the winter, if it is still dark in the morning, one often sees “Strippenstrolche” with its building lamp on the building site:”

Strippenstrolch - Elektronikbasteln

Combination of Rain and Sun Harvesting

“The inspiration for a self-sufficient toilet flush was now close at hand: I thought at first to work with a power supply that provides me the 12V to the pump. But as a power supply would idle constantly consume energy, I rejected this solution. I have long experimented with solar power, so I decided, now a solar system for our toilets to build. On the flat roof of our garage I installed two 12V – 55Wp – solar – modules (Conrad Electronics). This I switched in parallel.”

“As a solar storage currently serves an ordinary car battery 45Ah (later 3 pieces with a total of 135 Ah). The charging control acquires an 8A charge controller (Conrad). So all very simple.”

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Many pages, illustrations and Interactive demonstrations in Electronics. A new section on AC electronics, designed to teach the basics of AC Theory in 10 easy to learn modules. Individual topics too like capacitors, inductors, reactance, impedance, etc.

Learn About Electronics – Eric Coates

The Step-by-Step Lessons in Electricity and Magnetism is very simple and full of nice Explaining Pictures. This will work up your appetite to learn more about the Physics and Chemistry in Electronics.

Learn About Electronics - Eric Coates

Eric Coates has 26 year practical career in electronics, and 17 years as a lecturer in vocational colleges in the UK.

Learning about electronics? Here you will find full and easy explanations of how components and circuits really work; animations to make transistor operation clear and stuff you need to know about digital electronics

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Aaron Cake has many basic electronic circuits and other electronics information in his archive that is online since the 90s. Antique electronics and Parallel Port Programming.

Aaron Cake Electronics

Aaron Cake Basic Electronics

The Schematic Symbol Reference, How To Solder and Desolder helped many electronic beginners in building their Projects. This was a valuable resource in those days even though it appears common today. The internet was used to genuinely share useful learning and ideas.

Some highlights are circuits on Power Supplies, a 120VAC Inverter, FM Transmitter, Automatic Headlight Brightness Switch, Car Alarm  and a Wireless Auto Tachometer. see also the Simple Colour Organ and the Solid State Tesla Coil.

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Crystal Oscillators are the Time Base on a wristwatch or a home clock, analog or digital, Mechanical clocks have become rare due to the Maintenance and Accuracy. Some crystals can change dimensions on a electric force, some generate electricity on Mechanical Strain.

Crystal Oscillator – Parallel Resonant

Ceramic Resonators – “The ceramic components are made of high stability piezoelectric ceramics that functions as a mechanical resonator. The frequency is primary adjusted by the size and thickness of the ceramic element.”

Piezoelectric Crystal Oscillators

 

In the mechanical gramophone a metal needle and a horn would amplify the sound. When Record players came, the use of magnetic pickups made the needle size a bit smaller but the signal was weak. The crystal type pickups made the needle thinner and the electricity generated by crystal moving on the grooves was large, in mV. A preamp was rarely required. But Equalization preprocessing of audio was needed, to match the ear response. The electric gramophone made LP or Long Playing Record Players possible. It is analogous to DVD having more capacity than CDROM.

Crystal Oscillator – Wikipedia

“When a crystal of quartz is properly cut and mounted, it can be made to distort in an electric field by applying a voltage to an electrode near or on the crystal. This property is known as piezoelectricity.”

Crystals and Their Applications

Introduction to Quartz Frequency Standards – More than one billion quartz crystal oscillators are produced annually for applications ranging from inexpensive watches and clocks to radio navigation and spacecraft tracking systems.

Microcontroller Clock-Crystal, Resonator. – rystals, ceramic resonators, RC (resistor, capacitor) oscillators, and silicon oscillators are four types of clock sources for use with a microcontroller (µC). The optimal clock source for an application depends on many factors including cost, accuracy, and environmental parameters.

Crystal Oscillator Tutorial Articles – Types of Crystals and oscillators, Frequency and  relationship with Temperature, Aging and Stability of the clock.

Technical Literature – Frequency Electronics Inc. – New discoveries, research and development information, and scholarly works from some of the engineers and scientists in the FEI family,

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Begin With the Basics – Learn about static electricity and how to make magnets and solenoids. Find out about direct current and alternating current. Then learn about electrical circuits that use batteries and lamps.

Getting Started in Electronics – Forrest M Mims III

Getting Started in Electronics - Forrest M Mims III

Other Books –

  • The Forrest Mims engineer’s notebook
  • The Forrest Mims circuit scrapbook

Forrest Mim’s Science Web site

Mims was interested in science at an early age, and he built an analog computer as a high school science fair project in 1960. While memorizing his Latin class vocabulary words, Mims conceived a computer that could translate twenty words from one language to another.

Forrest M. Mims III is an American amateur scientist

The input was six potentiometers (variable resistors) each having a dial with 26 letters. Entering the first six letters of the word on the potentiometers set a total electrical resistance. The memory of known words was a bank of 20 screwdriver-adjustable trimmer resistors.

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Enter the Blobz Guide to Electric Circuits. – developed by Andy Thelwell at Staffordshire University. This is an excellent starter for youngsters to learn electricity.

The Blobz Guide to Electric Circuits

The Blobz Guide to Electric Circuits

This was a Tutor that started with the early-web means after Y2K times. This also used flash very creatively to make a web multimedia interactive tutor.

You can learn about battery, wire, switch and flow of electronics and the basic concepts that make electrical and electronic circuits. This is both useful for children and older people unfamiliar with electrons and their antics.