Bowden's Hobby Circuits

A small collection of electronic circuits for the hobbyist or student. Site includes over 100 circuit diagrams, links to related sites, commercial kits and projects, newsgroups and educational areas. Most of the circuits can be built with common components available from Radio Shack or salvaged from scrap electronic equipment. Most all of the circuits have been built and tested and believed to perform as described, however possible mistakes may be found.

Additions and Corrections (11/07/07)

Semiconductor Data Sheets

TI Semiconductors (search)	National Semiconductors (search)	Motorola
NTE	www.datasheets4u.com

Java Script Calculators

Resistor Color Code Calculator - Graphical resistor color code calculator by Danny Goodman. Uses pulldown menus and a realistic picture of a resistor.
Another Resistor Color Code Calculator - This one uses check boxes instead of pulldown menus and also calculates the equivalent value of two resistors in parallel. My own creation.
Ohm's Law Calculator - Java Script to solve Ohm's Law for Voltage, Current, Resistance and Power. Enter any two unknowns and solve for the other two.
Voltage Divider Calculator - Solves voltage, current, and power dissipation problems for two element resistive voltage dividers.
L or C Reactance Calculator - Java Script to calculate capacitive or inductive reactance and resonant frequency. For ideal devices only, resistance not included.
Allen Newman's Impedance Calculator - Solves passive series RLC networks, for reactance, impedance and phase angle.
RC Time Calculator - Java Script to solve R and C values for given values of time or instantaneous voltages.
RL Time Calculator - Java Script to solve R and L values for given values of time or instantaneous current.
555 Timer - Frequency and Time Interval Calculator - Calculates positive and negative time intervals for the 555 timer based on R and C values. Also contains descriptions and operation of each input and output of the timer and schematics for the two basic modes of operation (monostable or "one-shot" and astable or "rectangular wave oscillator"). Also contains a pictorial diagram of the timer connected as a LED flasher and a table of connections for the 556 timer (dual 555 timer).
LED Series Resistor Calculator - Finds the series resistance needed for various series LED combinations and supply voltages.
The Electronics Calculator Website - Several calculators for Ohm's law, capacitor or inductor impedance, tuned circuits and RC time constants.
Several JavaScript Calculators by John Owen. - Audio op-amp filter, Op-amp circuit, Decibels, Zener Diodes and more...
Air Core Inductance Calculator - Calculates number of turns and layers needed for air core inductors.
Gregorian Calendar - Displays any month from Oct 1582 forward.

Links to Other Hobby Electronics Sites and Useful Information

Hobby Projects to Build, That Work Color Organ, Wattmeter, 12 volt to 120VAC inverter and more.
Don Klipstein's LED Website - Lots of useful LED information, FAQs, and sources for the brightest and most efficient LEDs.
Circuit Archive - University of Washington Circuit Archive, lots of good circuits and links.
Tomi Engdahl's Electronic Info - Links to a wide variety of analog and digital circuits.
Imagineering On-Line Magazine ,The Design Corner, over 100 circuits in pdf format.
Tom Loredo's Electronics Bookmarks - Many resources for electronics hardware and software.
Links for FM Transmitter Kits, Circuits, Electronics ...
Tony's Website - R/C Gadgets and electronic circuits for the hobbyist.
Steve Walz's FTP Site - FTP Resource Site, 1000 Files in 50 Directories.
Wenzel & Associates (Circuits) - Technical Library, Hobby Circuits.
Samuel M. Goldwasser Homepage - Silicon Sam's Technology Resource - FAQs, Links, Troubshooting & Repair, Laser info, Circuits.
Beyond Logic - Information on the PC Parallel, Serial and USB ports.
How Stuff Works - Interesting site on how things work, but you will have to clear your screen of many pop up ads.
Deep Cycle Battery Frequently Asked Questions
www.saroff.com Has some useful search engines for locating parts and data sheets.

Wonton Soup Recipe This is copied recipe from a local Chineese take out place. Costs $4 to buy it, but only $2 to make it.

Commercial Electronic Sites, Kits and Projects TheLEDLight.com Luxeon LEDs, LED bulbs, fixtures, flashlights, lanterns, clusters, arrays, and more... Lighting Components LED Corp. LED lamps, light bulbs, clusters and lighting components. JDR Microcontrollers Books, Kits, Test Equipment and more. Alltronics Electronic Kits KitZ Electronic Kits Electronics USA - LED Digital and Binary Clocks, LED Timers (Up and down counting), LED flashlights, and a few other items, as kits or assembled. Centerpointe Electronics Store Hobbytron - The largest selection of fun electronics and toys! Almost All Digital Electronic Kits Hallbar Electronic Kits and Projects Kits-R-Us Electronic Kits Microchip Technology Inc. (PIC) Controllers Mental Automation's products ECAD tools: schematic capture, printed circuit board design/layout, autorouting, circuit simulation, SPICE, and CD ROM Encyclopedia of Electronic Circuits, all running under Windows. Express Printed Circuit Boards Download PCB software to layout your project, E-mail the resulting file and receive delivery of finished circuit boards via Federal Express in 3 working days. C. Crane Company LED Flashlights, windup radios, and other specialty items. J.K. Electronics A component level distributor open to the public. Located in Westminister, California. ............................................

Electronics Educational Sites PIC Microcontroller Tutorial A very good introduction to PIC micros that includes 13 tutorial pages to get you started programming PICs. You will also need a programmer to load the finished program (.HEX file) into the PIC. The DOS programmer software and schematic for the programmer can be downloaded from David Tait's PIC archiveThe file you need is PIC84V05.ZIP. The file contains DOS software and programmer schematic that will work with the PIC16C84, PIC16F84 or the newer PIC16F628 which can be purchased on e-bay for about $2.68 or obtained from www.glitchbuster.com Lessons In Electric Circuits - A free series of textbooks on the subjects of electricity and electronics. Play Hookey Basic ideas about op-amps, analog circuits, optics, computers and digital logic. Alex's Electronic Resource Library An online guide to useful electrical and electronic information. Electronics Tutorials A good comprehensive site with detailed examples and book recommendations. The Art of Electronics (Purchase the book) 1125 large format pages, 80 component-selection tables,1500 figures, extensive practical advice, back-of-the-envelope techniques, exhaustive 4000-entry index. CircuitMaker Student Version (3.4M) Get ahead in class with the FREE CircuitMaker Student Version. You will be able to build and simulate circuits in a fraction of the time it takes in the lab. DC Circuits Department of Physics, University of Guelph. Electronics For Beginners Newsgroups Science.Electronics.Basics sci.electronics.components sci.electronics.design sci.electronics.repair Electronic Component Suppliers Mouser Electronics DIGI-KEY Corporation Allied Electronics Surplus Traders (Solar panels) Jameco Hosfelt Electronics Radio Shack Electronix Express - Components and test equipment for schools, colleges and industry. Very nice site. Dan's Small Parts and Kits -Good selection of small components at low cost. Bill's Surplus Parts For Sale- Resistors, capacitors, semiconductors and a few other items. I don't have a large inventory, just more than I need.

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Having trouble building a circuit similar to something on this site?

Try posting a message with circuit details to one of the electronic newsgroups, either sci.electronics.basics or sci.electronics.design Many readers of those groups will offer ideas and a few specifics at no charge. If you need more detailed help and follow up advice, maybe I can help.

Send a detailed description of your circuit and objective. If it is within my expertise and relates to the projects on this site, I will work with you via email to help solve the problem. I can also test and refine the circuit on a vector board for a nominal fee.

. . . Visits Since Oct. 1997

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Copyright (c) 1996 Bill Bowden All Rights Reserved

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