Elenco 130-in-1 Electronics Playground User Manual
Copyright © 2012, 2009 by Elenco®Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. REV-A Revised 2012 753039
No part of this book shall be reproduced by any means; electronic, photocopying, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.
ELECTRONIC
PLAYGROUND
TM
and LEARNING CENTER
MODEL EP-130
ELENCO
®
Wheeling, IL, USA
Important: If you encounter any problems with this kit, DO NOT RETURN TO RETAILER. Call toll-free (800) 533-2441
or e-mail us at: help@elenco.com. Customer Service • 150 Carpenter Ave. • Wheeling, IL 60090 U.S.A.
WARNING: Always check your wiring before
turning on a circuit. Never leave a circuit
unattended while the batteries are installed.
Never connect additional batteries or any
other power sources to your circuits.
WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts.
!
Not for children under 3 years.
Conforms to all applicable U.S. government
requirements.
Batteries:
• Do not short circuit the battery
terminals.
• Never throw batteries in a fire or
attempt to open its outer casing.
•
Use only 1.5V “AA” type, alkaline
batteries (not included).
• Insert batteries with correct polarity.
• Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbonzinc), or rechargeable (nickelcadmium) batteries.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Before We Begin Page 4
Installing the Batteries 4
Making Wire Connections 5
Components 5
Building Your First Project 9
Troubleshooting 10
Helpful Suggestions 10
I. PLAYGROUND OF ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS 11
1. Woodpecker 12
2. Police Siren 13
3. Metronome 14
4. Grandfather Clock 15
5. Harp 16
6. Tweeting Bird 17
7. Meowing Cat 18
8. Callin’ Fish 19
9. Strobe Light 20
10. Sound Effects for Horror Movies 21
11. Machine Gun Oscillator 22
12. Motorcycle Mania 23
13. Vision Test 24
14. Patrol Car Siren 25
II. BASIC ELECTRONICS CIRCUITS
A MAJOR CHANGE 27
15. Dimming the Light 28
16. Flip Flopping 29
17. Capacitor Discharge Flash 30
18. Transistor Action 31
19. Series and Parallel Capacitors 32
20. Transistor Switching 33
21. Series and Parallel Resistors 34
22. Amplify the Sound 35
26
• Non-rechargeable batteries should not
be recharged. Rechargeable batteries
should only be charged under adult
supervision, and should not be
recharged while in the product.
• Do not mix old and new batteries.
• Remove batteries when they are used
up.
• Batteries are harmful if swallowed, so
keep away from small children.
III. LED DISPLAY CIRCUITS 36
23. LED Display Basics 37
Digital Display Circuit for the Seven-Segment LED
24.
38
25. LED Display with CdS and Transistor 39
Switching the LED Display Using Transistor Control
26.
40
IV. WELCOME TO DIGITAL CIRCUITS 41
27. “Flip-Flop” Transistor Circuit
42
28. “Toggle Flip-Flop” Transistor 43
29. “AND” Diode Transistor Logic with LED Display 44
30. “OR” DTL Circuit with Display 45
31. “NAND” DTL Circuit with Display 46
32. “NOR” Transistor Circuit with Display 47
33. “Exclusive OR” DTL Circuit 48
V. MORE FUN WITH DIGITAL CIRCUITS 49
34. “BUFFER” GATE using TTL 50
35. “INVERTER” GATE using TTL 51
36. “AND” GATE using TTL 52
37. “OR” GATE using TTL 53
38. “R-S Flip-Flop” using TTL 54
39. “Triple-Input AND” Gate using TTL 55
40. “AND” Enable Circuit using TTL 56
41. “NAND” Enable Circuit using TTL 57
42. “NOR” Enable Circuit using TTL 58
43. “NAND” Gate Making a Toggle Flip-Flop 59
44. “Exclusive OR” GATE using TTL 60
45. “OR” Enable Circuit using TTL 61
46. Line Selector using TTL 62
47. Data Selector using TTL 63
-3-
VI. MEET TRANSISTOR-TRANSISTOR LOGIC
64
48. Blinking LEDs 65
49. Machiny Sound 66
50. Astable Multivibrator Using TTL 67
51. Tone Generator 68
52. Monster Mouth 69
53. Dark Shooting 70
54. A One-Shot TTL 71
55. Transistor Timer Using TTL 72
56. LED Buzzin’ 73
57. Another LED Buzzin’ 74
58. Set/Reset Buzzer 75
59. Another Set/Reset Buzzer 76
VII. OSCILLATOR APPLICATION CIRCUITS
77
60. Ode to the Pencil Lead Organ 78
61. Double-Transistor Oscillator 79
62. Decimal Point Strobe Light 80
63. “The Early Bird Gets the Worm” 81
64. Adjustable R-C Oscillator 82
65. Heat-Sensitive Oscillator 83
66. Pulse Alarm 84
67. Pushing & Pulling Oscillator 85
68. Slow Shut-off Oscillator 86
69. Electronic Organ Detector 87
VIII. MEET THE OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER 88
70. Operational Amplifier Comparator 89
71. Changing Input Voltage 90
72. Non-inverting Dual Supply Op Amp 91
73. Inverting Dual Supply Op Amp 92
74. Non-inverting Amplifier 93
75. Dual-Supply Differential Amplifier 94
76. Miller Integrating Circuit 95
77. Stable-Current Source 96
78. Operational Amplifier Blinking LED 97
79. LED Flasher 98
80. Double LED Blinker 99
81. Single Flash Light 100
82. Introducing the Schmitt Trigger 101
83. Initials on LED Display 102
84. Logic Testing Circuit 103
85. Voice-Controlled LED 104
86. Buzzin’ with the Op Amp 105
87. Sweep Oscillator 106
88. Falling Bomb 107
89. Alert Siren 108
90. Crisis Siren 109
91. Op Amp Metronome 110
92. Burglar Buzzer 111
93. LED Initials 112
94. Wake Up Siren 113
95. Voice Activated LED 114
96. Logic Tester 115
IX. MORE FUN WITH OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS
116
97. Voice Power Meter 117
98. Reset Circuit 118
99. RC Delay Timer 119
100. Listen To Alternating Current 120
101. Pulse Frequency Multiplier 121
102.
White Noise Maker
122
103. Light-Controlled Sound 123
104. DC-DC Converter 124
105. Super Sound Alarm 125
106. Op Amp Three-Input “AND” Gate 126
107. Timer 127
108. Cooking Timer 128
X. RADIO AND COMMUNICATION CIRCUITS 129
109. Operational Amplifier AM Radio 130
110. AM Code Transmitter 131
111. AM Radio Station 132
112. Crystal Set Radio 133
113. Two-Transistor Radio 134
114. Morse Code Oscillator With Tone Control 135
XI. TEST AND MEASUREMENT CIRCUITS 136
115. Water Level Warning 137
116. Water Level Alarm 138
117. Audio Signal Hunter 139
118. RF Signal Tracer 140
119. Square Wave Oscillator 141
120. Sawtooth Oscillator 142
121. Audio Continuity Tester 143
122. Audio Rain Detector 144
123. Audio Metal Detector 145
124. Water Level Buzzer 146
125. Pule Tone Generator 147
126. Resistance Tester 148
127.
Transistor Tester
149
128. Sine Wave Oscillator 150
129. Sine Wave Oscillator With Low Distortion 151
130. Twin-T Oscillator 152
INDEX 153
PARTS LIST 155
DEFINITION OF TERMS 156
IDENTIFYING RESISTOR VALUES 159
IDENTIFYING CAPACITOR VALUES 159
METRIC UNITS AND CONVERSIONS 159
BEFORE YOU START THE FUN!
Welcome to the thrilling world of electronics! Now that
®
you have your Elenco
EP-130 Electronic Playground
Kit, you can learn about electronics while doing 130
fun experiments. In this kit we have included
everything you will need to start off on this electronics
adventure, well except the batteries that is ☺.
As you go through this manual and do the
experiments, you will notice that we have arranged
the experiments, as well as information, into a logical
progression. We will start off with easy circuits and
then work toward the more intricate ones. Take your
time and be sure to have some fun!
Each electronic component in the kit is connected to
springs, so you can do all the circuit assembly without
having to solder. To build a working project, all you
have to do is connect the wires to the terminals as
shown in each wiring sequence. There is no danger
when doing these projects because you are using low
voltage batteries, not the standard AC voltages.
Our simple instructions will show you how to operate
the circuit for each experiment. A
schematic
diagram
is also included, to help you learn how the circuit
works. A
schematic
is simply a blueprint that shows
how different parts are wired together. An image or
symbols for each of the components in your kit are
printed next to each piece.
As you will notice we refer to a
Volt / Ohm Meter
(VOM) for making measurements. A VOM or
multimeter is a instrument that measures voltage,
current (amperes or amps), and resistance (ohms-Ω).
You will learn more about these in the upcoming
pages. If you really want to learn about electronic
circuits, it is vital that that you learn how to measure
circuit values - for only then will you really understand
electronic circuitry.
You do not have to have or use a VOM to do the
experiments but you will find that it helps to better
grasp how the circuits work. The VOM is a good
investment if you plan to stay interested in electricity
and electronics.
INSTALLATION OF BATTERIES
This kit requires six (6) “AA” batteries. To install the
batteries to the back of your kit make sure to install
them in the corresponding compartments. Put the +
end and the – end correctly into the kit, the + end for
the battery is the side that has the metal cap.
Remember:
battery in your kit. Even if they are “leak-proof”, they
still have the potential to leak damaging chemicals.
Never leave a dying battery or dead
-4-
+
–
+
–
–
–
+
–
–
+
–
+
–
–
+
+
+
+
+
–
+
–
+
–
-5-
Provided in your kit are spring terminals and pre-cut
wires, make the wires snap together for your use in
the numerous projects. To join a wire to a spring
terminal, just directly bend the spring over to one side
and then install the wire into the opening.
When you have to join to two or three wires into a
single spring terminal, be sure that the first wire does
not come loose when you attach the second and third
wires. The simplest way to do this is to place the
spring onto the opposing side where you have
connected the first wire.
Only insert the exposed or shiny part of the wire into
the spring terminal. The electrical connection will not
be made if the plastic part of the wire is inserted into
the terminal. Removing the wire from the spring
terminals is simply just bending each terminal and
then pulling the wires out of it.
If the exposed metal ends of some of the wires break
off due to great use, you should just simply remove
3/8” if the insulation from the wire of the broken end
and then simply twist the strands together. To remove
the installation you can use either a wire-stripper tool
or a simple penknife. Be extremely careful when doing
this because penknives are remarkably sharp.
WIRING CONNECTIONS
This kit has more than 30 distinct components. If this
happens to be your first time with electronics don’t fret
over not knowing the difference between a resistor or
a transistor, because the general purpose of each
component will be described. The following
explanations will help you comprehend what each
component does and you will also gain more
knowledge of each component as you do each
experiment. There is also a parts list in the back of
this manual, that way you can compare the parts in
your kit with those recorded in the back.
Resistors: Why is the water pipe that goes to the
kitchen faucet in your house smaller than the one
from the water company? And why is the pipe smaller
than the main water line that disburses the water to
your entire town? Because you don’t need a lot of
water. The pipe size controls the water flow to what
you really need. Electricity works in the same manner,
except that the wires have a minimal resistance that
they would have to be particularly thin to limit the
electricity flow. They would be solid enough to handle
and break effortlessly. However, the flow of water
through a large pipe could be restricted to by filling a
part of the pipe with rocks (a
COMPONENTS
fine screen would keep rocks from falling over), which
would prolong the flow of water but not stop it
completely. Like rocks are for water, resistors work in
a similar way. They regulate how much electric current
flows. The resistance, is expressed in ohms (Ω,
named in honor of George Ohm), kilohms (kΩ, 1,000
ohms) or megohms (MΩ, 1,000,000 ohms) is a
determination of how much resistor resists the flow of
electricity. The water through a pipe can be increased
by an increase in water pressure or the removal of
rocks. In a similar way you can increase the electric
current in a circuit by increasing the voltage or by the
use of a lower value resistor (this will be shown in a
moment). Below the symbol for the resistor is shown.
Resistor Color Code: The method for marking the
value of resistance on a part is by using colored
bands on each resistor. The representation of the first
ring is the digit of the value of the resistor. The second
ring is a representation of the second digit of the
resistors value. The third ring means that you to which
power of ten to multiply by, ( or the amount of zeros
to add). The fourth and final ring is a representation
of the construction tolerance. A majority of resistors
have a gold band that represents 5% tolerance.
Simply this means that the resistor value is
guaranteed to be 5% of the valued marked. See the
color chart on page 159.
Variable Resistor (Control): The variable resistor is
simply a control and this is required in many electric
circuits. The variable resistor can be used as a light
dimmer, volume control, and in many other circuits
when you are wanting to change resistance easily
and quickly. A normal resistor is shown, this contains
an additional arm contact that moves along the
resistive material and can tap off the resistance
desired.
Capacitors: Capacitors move alternating current
(AC) signals while prohibiting direct current (DC)
signals to pass. They store electricity and can function
as filters to smooth out signals that pulsate.
Capacitors that are small are traditionally used in
high-frequency applications such as radios,
transmitters, or oscillators. Larger capacitors
ordinarily reserve electricity or act as filters. The
capacitance
capacitor is expressed in a unit known as
extremely large amount of electricity defines the farad.
Most of the value of capacitors is predetermined in
millionths-of-a-farad or microfarads.
Electrolytic
capacitors. They are marked with an “–”. There is only
one-way to connect them to the circuit, the + and the
– wires must always go into the correct terminals.
Disc
- Unlike the electrolytic above, these capacitors
have no polarity and can be connected in either way.
Tuning Capacitor: Ever wonder what that knob that
changes the stations on your radio is? It’s a tuning
capacitor. When the knob is rotated, the capacitance
is changed. This alters the frequency of the circuit,
letting through only one frequency and blocking out
the rest.
(capacity for storing electricity) of a
farad
. An
- Electrolytic are the four largest
Disc Electrolytic
-6-
Diodes: Are like one-way streets. They allow the
current to flow in only one direction. There are three
of these in your kit. Your kit contains one silicon diode
(marked Si) as well as two germanium diodes (marked
Ge).
Transistors: Three transistors can be found in your
kit. The part that makes each transistor work is a tiny
chip, which is made of either germanium or silicon.
There are a total of three connections points on each
transistor. They are B, which stands for base, C, which
stands for collector, and E, which stands for emitter.
Mainly transistors are used to amplify weak signals.
Transistors can also be used as switches to connect
or disconnect other components as well as oscillators
to permit signals to flow in pulses.
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes): These are special
diodes because they give off light whenever electricity
passes through them. (The current can only pass
through in one direction—similar to “regular” diodes).
LED Digital Display: Seven Light Emitting Diodes
are arranged to create an outline that can show most
letters of the English alphabet and all the numbers.
An additional LED is added to represent a decimal
point.
The “8” LED display is mounted on a board and to
prevent burning out the display with excess current,
permanent resistors have been wired in.
Integrated Circuit: The transistor was invented in
the 1940’s and after that the next big break through
in electronics was in the 1960’s with the invention
integrated circuit or the ICs. The advantage of this that
the equivalent of hundreds or even thousands of
transistors, diodes and even resistors can be placed
into one small package.
Two types of ICs are used in this kit. They are the
quad two-input NAND and the dual-operational
amplifier, and you will have the chance to learn more
about these in a bit.
Simple ICs will help you to understand enough to
grasp the basic theories of more advanced ICs.
Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) Cell: This is what is known
as a semiconductor, which practically resists
electricity while it conducts. The resistance changes
by the amount of light that is shined upon it.
Note: Provided is a light shield to use with the CdS
cells, to use just simply place the shield over the cell,
this helps to prevent light from leaving the cell.
-7-
PNP
NPN
Antenna: This cylindrical component with a coil of
fine wire wrapped around it is a radio antenna. If
you’re wondering what the dark colored rod is, it’s
actually mostly powdered iron. It’s also known as a
“Ferrite Core”, which is efficient for antennas, and
used in almost all transistor radios.
Transformer: Did you know that if you were to wrap
two wires from different circuits around different ends
of an iron bar, and if you were to add current in the
first circuit, it will magnetically create current in the
second circuit? That’s exactly what a transformer is!
Transformers are used to isolate parts of a circuit, to
keep them from interfering with each other.
created by variations of vibrations and then travel
across the room. When you hear a sound it is actually
your ears feeling the pressure from the air vibrations.
To operate a speaker a high current and a low voltage
are needed, so the transformer will also be used with
the speaker. (A transformer can convert a highvoltage/low current to a low-voltage/high current).
Similar to the speaker, is the earphone. It is movable
and more sensitive than the speaker, otherwise they
are the same. The earphone you will be using is
efficient as well as lightweight and can be used
without taking away too much electrical energy from
the circuit. Sound wise you will be using the earphone
for weak sounds and for louder sounds the speaker
will be used.
If the iron bar in a transformer were allowed to rotate,
it would become a motor. However, if a magnet within
a coil is rotating then an electrical current is made;
this is called a generator. Those two ideas may not
seem important but they are the foundation of the
present society. Pretty much all of the electricity used
in this world is generated by huge generators, which
are propelled by water pressure or steam. Wires
transport energy to homes and businesses where it
will be used. Motors are used to convert the electricity
back into mechanical form so that it can be used to
drive machinery and appliances.
Speaker: Did you know that electral energy is
converted into sound through a speaker? By using the
energy from an AC electrical signal it creates
mechanical vibration. Sound waves, which are
Batteries: The battery holders that are used in this
kit are constructed to hold six (6) “AA” batteries. These
batteries will be the supplier of all the power used in
your experiments. When you connect the wires to the
batteries make sure that you only connect the
batteries to terminals noted. Terminals 119 and 120
provide 3 volts while terminals 119 and 121 provide
4.5 volts. Be aware that parts can be damaged
(burned out) if you connect too much voltage (you can
get up to 9 volts from the connections to the batteries)
Be sure to make battery connections the right way.
Caution: Make sure your wiring uses the correct
polarity (the “+” and “-” sides of the component)! Some
parts can be permanently damaged if you reverse
polarity.
-9-
Switch: You know what a switch is – you use
switches every day. When you slide (or flip) to the
proper position, the circuit will be completed, allowing
current to flow through. In the other position a break
is made, causing the circuit to be “off”. The switch that
we will be using is a double-pole, double-throw switch.
You will learn about that later on.
Key: The key is a simple switch—you press it and
electricity is allowed to flow through the circuit. When
you release it, the circuit is not complete because a
break is caused in the circuit’s path. The key will be
used in most circuits often times in signaling circuits
(you can send Morse code this way as well as other
things).
Terminals:
Two terminals will be used in some
projects (terminals 13 and 14). They will be used to
make connections to external devices such as an
earphone, antenna or earth ground connection,
special sensor circuits and so forth.
Wires: Wires will be used to make connections to the
terminals.
Your parts and spring terminals are mounted on the
colorful platform. You can see how the wires are
connected to the parts and their terminals if you look
under the platform.
YOUR FIRST PROJECT
A simple wiring sequence is listed for each project.
Connect the wires with appropriate length between
each grouping of terminals listed. When doing the
experiment use the shortest wire that possibly gets
the job done. New groupings will be separated by a
comma, connect the terminals in each group.
As an example, here is the project 1 wiring sequence:
1-29, 2-30, 3-104-106, 4-28-124, 5-41-105, 27-88,
75-87-103-40, 115-42-119, 76-116, 121-22.
Connect a wire between 1 and 29, another wire
between 2 and 30, another between 3 and 104 and
then another wire between 104 and 106. Continue
until all connections are made.
Caution: The last connection in each wiring
sequence is an important power wire; this is
deliberate. It is important that you make this
connection your LAST connection. Damage can occur
if one part of the circuit is completed before another.
Therefore follow the wiring sequence exactly.
TROUBLESHOOTING
You should have no problem with the projects working
properly if you follow the wiring instructions. However,
if you do encounter a problem you can try and fix it by
using the following troubleshooting steps. These steps
are comparable to those steps that electronic
technicians use to troubleshoot complex electronic
equipment.
1. Are the batteries being used new? If they are not,
this may be your problem because the batteries
could be too weak to power the project.
2. Is the project assembled properly? Check all the
wiring connections to make sure that you have all
the terminals wired correctly. Sometimes having
someone else look at it helps to find the problem.
3. Are you following the schematic diagram and the
explanation of the circuit? As your understanding
and knowledge expands of electronics, you will be
able to troubleshoot by following only a schematic,
and once you add the description of the circuit you
will be able to figure out your own problems.
4. If you have VOM, try taking some measurements
of the voltage and current. You might be surprised
just how handy a VOM really is.
5. Try building project 24 (Digital Display Circuit for
the Seven-Segment LED). This is a very simple
circuit that lights part of the LED display using only
2 wires.
®
Contact Elenco
if you still need help.
SUGGESTIONS TO HELP
Keep a Notebook
As you’re about to find out, you are going to learn
many things about electronics by using this kit. As you
learn, many of the things you discover in the easy
projects will be built upon in later projects. We suggest
using a notebook to help you organize the data you
will be collecting.
This notebook does not have to be like the one you
use in school. Think of it more as a fun notebook, that
way you can look back on the all the projects you have
done once you finish.
Wiring Sequence Marking
When you are wiring a project, especially those with
lots of connections, you will find it helpful to mark off
each terminal number as you connect the wires to it.
Use a pencil and make light marks so that you can go
back multiple times and re-read the sequence.
Collecting Components
You should start to make your own collection of
electronic parts and therefore have your own scrap
box of electronic parts. You can build your own circuits
in or on top of a framework, box or container. You
could use your circuit as a Science Fair project at
school and even make a major research project from
it.
-11-
I. PLAYGROUND OF ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
EXPERIMENT #1: WOODPECKER
For your first experiment you are going to make a
circuit that that sounds like a woodpecker chirping.
Follow the wiring sequence carefully and observe the
drawings. Don’t forget to make all the proper
connections and have fun!
The simple circuit shown here does not have a key
or a switch, but you can easily add one. Replace
connection 124-28 with connections 124-137 and
138-28 to connect the key. Or, you can hook the
switch up by replacing 124-28 with connections 124131 and 132-28. Now you can easily turn off and on
the circuit. Go outside and see if you can attract birds
with it.
Want a different sound? Try varied combinations of
capacitance and resistance in place of the 100μF
capacitor and the 1kΩ resistor. To change the 100μF
capacitor to 470µF, disconnect terminal 116 and
transfer to terminal 118. Then, reconnect the wire
from 115 to connect to 117. Your “bird” might sound
like a cricket, or a bear!
Also, you can try using the 3V power supply.
Disconnect terminal 119 and connect it to terminal
123. Now your bird might sound like an English
sparrow. Feel free to experiment. Just don’t replace
the 47kΩ resistor with anything below 10kΩ,
because it might damage the transistor.
Notes:
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-104-106
o 4-28-124
o 5-41-105
o 27-88
o 75-87-103-40
o 115-42-119
o 76-116
o 121-122
-12-
-13-
Here is the first siren you are going to do – don’t be
shocked if this experiment becomes the most famous
circuit in this kit.
This siren sounds like a real siren on a police car!
After the wiring is competed press the key. The tone
you eventually hear gets higher after pressing the
key. When you release the key, the tone gets lower
and then fades out.
Try some of these modifications:
1. If you change the 10μF capacitor to a 100μF or a
470μF it will give a very long delay for both turn
off and turn on.
2. Change the circuit to remove the delays by
temporarily disconnecting the 10μF capacitor.
3. Change out the 0.02μF capacitor to a 0.01μF
capacitor, and then to a 0.05μF capacitor.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #2: POLICE SIREN
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-103-109
o 4-119-137
o 5-47-110
o 46-104-90
o 114-48-120
o 85-138
o 86-89-113
Schematic
EXPERIMENT #3: METRONOME
Learning to play a musical instrument? Then you
might find this experiment helpful. This is an
electronic version of the metronome, used by musical
students and musical geniuses alike, worldwide.
If you press the key, you hear a repeating sound from
the speaker. Turn the control knob to the right and
you’ll hear the sound “get faster” as the time between
sounds shortens.
Try swapping out the 4.7kΩ resistor with different
one. Also, you might want to try a different capacitor
in place of the 100μF capacitor too see what effect it
will have. Are you still keeping notes?
If you would like to hear the difference that a stronger
capacitor makes, try connecting the 470μF capacitor
to the batteries. Connect terminal 117 to 119 and
terminal 118 to terminal 120. You might need to
adjust the control to maintain the same pulse rate.
Notes:
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-104-116
o 4-28-138
o 5-41-103
o 27-80
o 40-115-79
o 42-119
o 120-137
-15-
Does your home lack a grandfather clock? Well not
any longer, with this experiment you will make your
own electronic grandfather clock.
This circuit will produce clicks at approximately onesecond intervals. The sound and timing together
might remind you of an old grandfather clock. If you
would like for it to go faster or slower then you can
change out the 100kΩ resistor.
The steady ticking can put animals (and people) into
a sleepy state of mind. If you have ever traveled on a
train, you remember how sleepy you get from
hearing the clicking sound of the wheels.
Ever scare a clock out of ticking? Shout directly into
the speaker. You can briefly stop the clock! The
speaker acts like a microphone as well. The sound
of your voice vibrates the speaker and disturbs the
electrical balance of the circuit, briefly.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #4: GRANDFATHER CLOCK
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-104-116
o 4-90-120
o 5-41-103
o 40-72
o 42-119
o 71-89-115
Schematic
EXPERIMENT #5: HARP
Have you ever wanted to make music just by waving
your hand? Well that is just what you are going to be
doing. How does this magic work? Well, the tones
change based upon the amount of light that gets to
the CdS cell. With a bright light the tone is higher but,
if you cover the CdS with your hand, the sound gets
lower.
Since the early days of vacuum-tube circuitry, this
method of creating musical sound has been used.
Leon Theremin was the inventor of this type of
instrument, thus the instrument has been named the
Theremin in his honor.
After the wiring has been completed press the key
and then wave your hand over the CdS cell. You will
soon be able to play music with this magical
electronic instrument after just a bit of practice. Use
your CdS cell light shield and use it to experiment for
more light control. Most importantly HAVE FUN!
Notes:
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-16-41-109
o 4-120
o 5-106-110
o 15-87
o 40-105-88
o 42-137
o 119-138
-16-
In this experiment you are going to make a circuit
that that sounds like the mockingbird.
Follow the wiring sequence and observe the
drawings. Don’t forget to make all the proper
connections and have fun!
To finish the circuit below, slide the switch to the A
position to turn on the power. No sound will come
from the speakers yet. When you press the key you
will hear a sound quite like a bird chirping from the
speaker. When you release the key, you will still be
able to hear the chirping sound but eventually it will
slow down and stop. The first transistor “Q1” is
dropped off from the battery when the key is
released. Transistor “Q2” still produces the bird sound
until the controlling current from transistor “Q1” stops.
Try using a different value capacitor instead of the
10μF and the 100μF capacitors. These capacitors
control the amount of electricity reaching the
transistors. Listen for the difference. Make sure to
start keeping notes on your experiments.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #6: TWEETING BIRD
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-106-110
o 4-41-131-138
o 5-44-109
o 40-114-91-75
o 42-85
o 43-105-86-77
o 119-45-115-113-92
o 76-137
o 78-116
o 120-132
Schematic
EXPERIMENT #7: MEOWING CAT
Are you bothered by mice, do you not have a
mousetrap? You should try this next experiment to
help you instead—see if the sound of this cat can
keep the pests out of your life.
Just follow the drawing below and the wiring
sequence. To start the experiment switch the set to
B. Press down on the key and release it immediately.
You will hear the meow from the cat coming from the
speaker. If you adjust the control knob while the cat’s
meow is fading away, what effect on the circuit
operation does it have? Now set the switch to A and
try it once more. Now it sounds as if the cat is
begging for a dish of milk in a low, long sounding
tone.
To produce a variety of sounds try experimenting
with this circuit. Whatever you do just don’t change
the value of the 0.05μF capacitor to more than 10μF
or reduce the value of the 10kΩ resistor— or else the
transistor could get damaged.
Notes:
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-41-109
o 4-72-82-132-114
o 5-106-110
o 27-40-105
o 115-113-42-119
o 71-138
o 81-28
o 116-131
o 120-137
-19-
Did you know that many marine animals
communicate to each other using sound? I bet you
have heard that dolphins and whales use sound for
communication, but what you probably don’t know is
that they are not the only ones. Due to research we
are able to find out that some fish are attracted to
certain sounds. Making this circuit, will allow you do
to some research of your own.
Once you make the last connection you are turning
on the power. You should be able to hear pulses of
sound coming from the speaker. The sound changes
by turning the control. This circuit is a type of audio
oscillator circuit, which you will learn more about later
in this book.
If you have a fish tank at home or at school you
should place your kit near the glass to see if the fish
are attracted to the sound. Are they?
If you like to fish, you should try this out while fishing.
What you need to do is attach another speaker to
terminals 1 and 2 using long lengths of insulated
wire. Wrap the speaker carefully in a waterproof
plastic bag or place it in a tightly sealed jar. Make
sure that no water is able to reach the speaker. Lower
the speaker into the water, cast your fishing line, and
see if you catch anything.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #8: CALLIN’ FISH
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-93-100-110
o 4-120
o 5-41-109
o 27-94
o 28-40-99
o 42-119
Schematic
EXPERIMENT #9: STROBE LIGHT
In this experiment you will be creating an oscillator
circuit that doesn’t make sound using a speaker or
an earphone. Instead the circuit will produce light
with an LED. This will give you an idea of how larger
strobe lights work. When you press the key, watch
LED 1. At certain intervals the light turns on and off.
With the 50kΩ control you can control the rate of
blinking.
Try substituting a capacitor with a lower value for the
100μF capacitor to see how an oscillator works.
Make a prediction about what you think will happen?
Were you correct?
Schematic
Notes:
Wiring Sequence:
o 3-115
o 4-27-138
o 5-31
o 28-80
o 33-47
o 79-116-112-46
o 111-48-121
o 119-137
-21-
The sounds that you will hear from this circuit will
remind you of the music you hear in horror movies.
Once you wire the project, use your special light
shield and your hand to change the light amount that
shines onto the CdS cell. This changes the pitch of
the music.
The pitch of a sound is determined is by the sound
wave’s frequency, which is the number of cycles of
electromagnetic energy per second. The amount of
light on the CdS cell determines the resistance of the
cell. The more resistance you have the slower the
frequency of the musical sound waves. The oscillator
circuit produces the basic sound wave.
Frequency modulation, or FM, is when the frequency
of an oscillator is controlled by part of the circuit. An
FM radio signal is similar to this but at higher
frequencies.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #10: SOUND EFFECTS FOR HORROR MOVIES
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-47-106
o 4-74-45-42-119
o 5-103-105
o 15-86
o 16-46-104
o 40-113-80
o 41-112-78
o 44-114-83-76
o 120-48-81-79-75-77
o 73-85-84
Schematic
EXPERIMENT #11: MACHINE GUN OSCILLATOR
This circuit is what engineers refer to as a “pulse
oscillator”. It will make machine gun like sounds.
There are many different ways to make oscillators. In
this kit, you will build several of them and later on,
you will be told on how they work. In the meantime,
we will just tell you what an oscillator is.
An oscillator is a circuit that goes from high to low
output on its own, or in other words, it turns itself on
and off. A pulse oscillator is controlled from pulses,
like the pulses made from a capacitor charging and
discharging. The oscillator in this kit turns off and on
slowly. However, some oscillators turn off and on
many thousands of times per second. Slower
oscillators can often be seen controlling blinking
lights, such as turn signals in a car or truck. “Fast”
oscillators are used to produce sound. The fastest
oscillators produce radio frequency signals known as
“RF signals”. The RF signal oscillators turn on and
off millions of times per second!
The amount of times an oscillator turns off and on
each second is called the frequency of the oscillator.
Frequency is measured in units called hertz (Hz).
The frequency of this oscillator is about 1 to 12Hz.
The frequency of a radio signal oscillator would be
measured in either MHz (megahertz, meaning a
million hertz) or kHz (kilohertz, meaning a thousand
hertz).
Once you finish wiring, press the key to start the
oscillator. The 50kΩ resistor is the control; you can
swap it out with other resistors to change the sound
from a few pulses per second to a dozen or so per
second. Also, you can change the frequency of this
oscillator circuit by swapping out other capacitors in
place of the 10μF. Remember to observe the correct
polarity!
Notes:
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-110-114
o 4-27-138
o 5-41-109
o 28-82
o 40-113-81
o 42-119
o 121-122
o 124-137
-23-
Have you ever tried to steer a bicycle or a motorcycle
with just four fingers? This would be dangerous on a
real motorcycle but on electronic version it is a lot of
fun!
To do this project, connect the components following
the wiring sequence. Next grasp the metal exposed
ends of the two long wires (connected to terminals
110 and 81) in between your index finger and thumb
of your left and right hands. Now vary your
grip/pressure and listen as the sound changes in the
speaker. Due to the grip you use the sound changes.
You can create different sounds by controlling the
light that into the CdS cell. If you have a strong light
on the CdS cell you can control the entire operation
by putting more pressure on the wires within your
hands. Make a shadow over the CdS cell with your
hand and see what happens.
By holding the ends of the wires, you are making
yourself an extension of the circuit- thus a human
resistor. When you change your grip the resistance
changes in the projects current. The sound from the
circuit will make a real motorcycle noise and with
practice you can do it real well. By doing this you can
make the motorcycle idle as well as race.
Experiment with different values for the 0.1μF and
0.05μF capacitors, but make sure you don’t use
values above 10μF or you may damage the
transistor.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #12: MOTORCYCLE MANIA
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-16-105-109
o 4-120
o 5-41-106
o 15-82
o 40-110-WIRE
o 42-119
o 81-WIRE
Schematic
WIRE
EXPERIMENT #13: VISION TEST
This circuit produces short pulses. After you close
the key, the LED display shows 1 for a second and
then turns off, even when you keep pressing the key.
You could create a game with this circuit. Display a
number or a letter on the LED display and then have
the players tell you what number it is. You change
numbers or letters on the display by just changing
the wiring to the display. Connect the terminals to
form the letters or numbers to terminal 71 (in the
place of the 21 and 23 terminals). Connections for
the number 3 would be 17-21-22-23-20-71.
You can try different values of capacitors to see their
effects. Don’t use a capacitor with a value higher than
10μF or the excessive current can damage the
transistor.
Notes:
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 21-23-71
o 25-124-137
o 40-73
o 41-72
o 82-83-42-119
o 74-81-111
o 84-112-138
o 121-122
-24-
-25-
With this experiment you may want to be careful not
to confuse your neighbors. This experiment sounds
as like a loud siren just like the real sirens on police
cars and ambulances. The tone is initially high but as
you close the key the tone gets lower. You are able
to control the tone just as the police and ambulance
drivers do.
The oscillator circuit being used is the same type
used in many other experiments in this kit. Press the
key and another capacitor is added to the circuit to
slow the action of the oscillator circuit.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #14: PATROL CAR SIREN
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-29
o 2-30
o 3-104-106-110
o 4-85-120
o 5-41-109
o 40-137-105-86
o 103-138
o 42-119
Schematic
II. BASIC ELECTRONICS CIRCUITS
-26-
-27-
Until now, in addition to the wiring sequences you have
had drawings to help guide you in the wiring connections.
The rest of the projects will have just the schematic
diagram without the circuit drawings.
A schematic diagram is like a road map but it is used for
electronic circuits. It shows you how different parts connect
together and how electricity flows through a circuit.
Electronics engineers and technicians use schematics to
help guide them through circuits.
You don’t need to build your circuits from the schematic
diagrams by themselves. We have added the number of
terminals to where you will be making the wiring
connections on each schematic, to help you out - a line
between numbers on the schematic means that you
should connect a wire between those terminals in your kit.
Every part in your kit has a schematic symbol all of its
own. At the beginning of this manual you will find a picture
of each part with its schematic symbol as well as a short
description.
As you will start to notice, the schematics have some lines
that cross each other and that there is a dot at the crossing
point. This means that the two wires which are
represented by the lines, are to be connected at the point
where the dot is located (you will find the terminal number
next to the dot). If there is not a dot where the lines cross,
this means that the wires do not connect (you won’t see a
terminal number if the wires don’t cross).
Lines Are Connected / Lines Not Connected
The schematic diagrams will look confusing at first but
they are simple once you have some practice using them.
Don’t get discouraged if you get confused at first. You will
be constructing circuits in no time by just looking at the
schematic diagrams.
To be able to read schematic diagrams is important for
anyone getting into the field of electronics. Many
electronics books and magazines display intricate circuits
only in schematic form. A schematic is also shorter and
more accurate way to show a circuit rather than a written
form.
A MAJOR CHANGE
EXPERIMENT #15: LIGHT DIMMER
Ever thought you could use a capacitor to dim a
light? Try this project. After you finish the wiring, set
the switch to A. Then the LED segments will light up
slowly and show an L. Once the LED reaches its
brightest point it will stay on. Move the switch to B
and watch as the L fades away.
Look at the schematic. When the switch is on, the
current flows from the battery to the 100μF capacitor
to charge. Once the capacitor reaches full charge,
electricity flows to the transistor base and turns it on
gradually, which turns the LED on. Eventually the
capacitor will be completely charged and then the
current flows continuingly to the base of the transistor
and the LED stays on.
When the switch is turned off and you remove the
battery from the circuit, then the capacitor starts to
discharge through the transistor and the LED. The L
dims until the discharge of the 100μF is finished.
If you want a slower dimmer circuit, all you have to
do is replace the 100μF capacitor with the 470μF
capacitor. Replace connections 25-116-124 with
connections 25-118-124. Be patient because the
LED does eventually come on.
Hint: the 10μF capacitor charges when you close the
key.
Notes:
Go back to project 2 (the police siren) and see if you
can figure out why the siren goes from high to low as
you press and then release the key.
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 18-19-20-48
o 25-116-124
o 46-115-90
o 119-47-131
o 89-132
o 121-122
-29-
How about we take a break? This circuit is for
entertainment. The numbers 1 and 2 will flash on the
display in the circuit. This might remind you of some
neon signs that have eye-catching advertisements
on them.
A “flip-flop” circuit controls the LED display in this
experiment. In later projects you will be learning more
about flip-flop circuits. Try a different value for the
capacitors to see the effects on the operation speed.
Try and rewire the LED display to flash numbers
other than 1 and 2. Try placing higher values in place
of the 22kΩ and 4.7kΩ resistors. Do not use lower
values for any of the resistors or else you could
damage the transistors.
Notes:
EXPERIMENT #16: FLIP FLOPPING
Wiring Sequence:
o 17-19-20-22-41-116-82
o 21-42-45-119
o 23-44-118-84
o 79-81-83-85-25-124
o 80-117-40
o 86-115-43
o 121-122
Schematic
EXPERIMENT #17: CAPACITOR DISCHARGE FLASH
In this circuit single pulses of high voltage electric
energy are generated by suddenly discharging a
charged capacitor through a transformer. Automobile
ignition systems use a similar capacitor-discharge
reaction.
The operation of this circuit is simple but the
concepts involved are important to helping you
understand more complicated circuits. If you have
access to an oscilloscope, you can scientifically
measure the energy that is discharged through the
transformer.
The 470μF capacitor stores up energy as the
batteries supply millions of electrons to the
capacitors negative electrode. Meanwhile the
batteries draw the same number of electrons from
the capacitors positive electrode so that the positive
electrode is lacking electrons. The current must pass
through the 4.7kΩ resistor, so it requires at least 12
seconds for the capacitor to receive the full 9V
charge from the batteries.
The amount of charge a capacitor can store depends
on its capacitance value and the voltage applied
across it. This represents the amount of electrons
displaced in the electrode.
The amount of electrons in a capacitor’s electrode is
measured in coulombs. The quantity of one coulomb
is 6,280,000,000,000,000,000 electrons (6.25 x
18
10
).
when the charge held by the capacitor is released
into the transformer.
Notes:
The charge in either electrode of the capacitor is
determined by multiplying the capacitance (C) by the
voltage across the capacitor (E). (Q = C x E). The
470µF (470 x 10
-6
F) capacitor at 9V is calculated as
follows:
Q = C x E = 470 x 10
-6
x 9 = 4.23 x 10-3coulombs
or:
470 x 0.000001 x 9 = 4.23 x 10
-3
coulombs
(265,564,400,000,000 electrons)
Pressing the key causes the above number of
electrons to pass through the transformer winding in
a very short time and induces a high voltage in the
secondary winding. Thus causing the LED to flash.
An oscilloscope is an electronics measurement
instrument used by engineers and technicians. If you
have access to one, connect it (with help from
someone who knows how to use it) to terminal 3 and
terminal 5 of the transformer to indicate the presence
of 90V or more. The indicated voltage is produced
Schematic
Wiring Sequence:
o 1-138
o 2-118-124
o 3-31
o 5-33
o 79-119
o 80-117-137
o 121-122
-30-
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