Projects in the May 2006 issue of EPE Magazine

The No. 1 UK Magazine for electronics technology and computer projects
Nail Sniffer and Volts Hound — Two electronic monitoring devices in one! Locates nails or screws, and detects live mains cables. Just the thing for DIY enthusiasts before letting loose with the power drill or hammer. The project is easy and cheap to make using readily available components.

Smartcard Reader and Programmer — This unit allows you to programme both the microcontroller and EEPROM contained in smartcards. It hooks to the serial port of the PC and can be operated as a free-standing unit or installed in a PC drive bay.

 

LED Lighting for your car — describing a range of LED-based replacements for your car's interior or exterior filament bulbs. The 'instant' operation of LED bulbs can provide an earlier warning of a vehicle's braking, and the vibration resistant solid state bulbs offer far greater reliability than traditional filament bulbs. Full constructional details are provided, and the special PCB foils can be downloaded free from our Downloads page — or buy the ready-drilled PCBs from our Online Shop.

Digital Reaction Timer — Use your digital multimeter to test your reaction times! The circuit is a low cost but accurate short interval timer suitable for a whole range of purposes. It features a large red LED that lights after a random period, commencing the timing period.

The reaction period terminates after the user presses a button, and the reaction period in milliseconds is displayed on a DMM's 2V d.c. range. No additional display circuitry is required. The circuit could be adapted to other short interval timing applications, by using a suitable input interface such as a microswitch or proximity switch.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Teach-In 2006 (Part 7) Test and measurement equipment, oscilloscopes, multimeters, waveforms, distortion and frequency response testing. Circuit Surgery: driving multiple LEDs. TechnoTalk on 'extreme electronics'. Net Work (The internet Column) on Skype. PIC n MIX - PIC and software reliability. All this and more in EPE Magazine, the No. 1 UK magazine for electronics technology and computer projects.