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A number of projects and circuits published in Practical Electronics
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Volume 53. No. 5
May 2024
ISSN 2632 573X
Editorial
Welcome to May!
‘Spring is sprung,’ well nearly, and what better way to welcome
in the new season than with a little inspiration from a Songbird
– in this case an electronic one. This month’s avian project is just
one of four to keep you busy with a soldering iron. Our siliconbased warbler is an ideal beginner’s circuit. It contains no SMDs
or tricky construction techniques, and a very pleasing result can
be obtained in just a few hours of productive work. It would be
ideal for a youngster who wants to build their first electronic
project, ideally under supervision from someone with experience
of using the necessary tools.
For those of you with more experience, the Dual RF Amplifier
and GPS-Disciplined Oscillator (GPSDO) provide very useful
testbench circuits that you will likely use again and again.
Last, but not least, we welcome the return of Jim Rowe’s excellent
overviews of cheap sensors and modules. This month, he
provides a handy explanation of a low-cost UV sensor module.
Jim is based in famously sunny Australia, so perhaps the more
cynical among you may well wonder why we should worry about
UV in the famously less sunny (cloudy) UK. Well, I checked with
the UK’s Met Office and UV can certainly be a problem in Britain,
especially for those with fairer skins, so I think it is well worth
learning to use this module – wherever you are based!
Topics in Digital Signal Processing
All of this month’s columns are excellent, but perhaps the one
I am most excited about is the start of a new series by Ian Bell
in Circuit Surgery. Ian will be examining topics in a notoriously
tricky (mathematically heavy) subject – digital signal processing,
or DSP for short. We work hard at PE to avoid mathematics in
our coverage of electronics and Ian will do the same with DSP.
There may be a little ‘toe dipping’ into mathematics, but by and
large his explanations will give insight into a very important
electronics subject without the intimidating algebra. Who knows,
perhaps his column will inspire you to go off and do your own
research, adding as much mathematics as you are comfortable
with. I know that will certainly be my approach.
Matt Pulzer
Publisher
Transmitters/bugs/telephone equipment
We advise readers that certain items of radio transmitting and
telephone equipment which may be advertised in our pages
cannot be legally used in the UK. Readers should check the law
before buying any transmitting or telephone equipment, as a fine,
confiscation of equipment and/or imprisonment can result from
illegal use or ownership. The laws vary from country to country;
readers should check local laws.
Practical Electronics | May | 2024
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