Transistor Tester (Beginners) (ART605E)

Many of the designs we describe use transistors, and transistors can be easily obtained from old, disused equipment. So one of the problems we encounter when trying to use these transistors is knowing if they are good. We also have the case where we use a transistor in an assembly, something went wrong, and we need to know if the transistor is still good or if it has been damaged. Finally, if you do transistor repair on electronic equipment, you can use this tester to check a suspect transistor in a device. To solve these problems, we describe the assembly of a simple transistor tester.

Designing and Assembling Transformerless Power Supplies (ART604E)

Transformerless power supplies, or FAST for short, or simply transformer less power supplies, are very useful in low-consumption projects that must be connected to the power supply network, as they eliminate the need for an expensive and bulky component, the power supply transformer. How to design and assemble this type of source is what we will see in this article, which is very useful for those who need sources of up to 12 V with maximum output currents of around 50 mA.

Voltage multipliers (ART600E)

An important step in power supplies, inverters, very high voltage generators (HVGs), electrifiers and other equipment is the one that rectifies and eventually multiplies the voltage, so that it reaches higher values ​​than those available in the application. To change a voltage, multiplying it by different values, several configurations are very useful. These are the voltage doublers, triplers, quadruplers or multipliers by n, which we will discuss in this article. In my book “Power Sources” the reader will find more about the subject, including practical circuits.

Linear Power Controls (ART599E)

However, in mechatronics and other applications that also involve power control, there are cases in which it is necessary to control the speed of motors or the intensity of the current in a load such as a solenoid or even a lamp. There are two basic technologies for controlling the power applied to a load: linear and PWM. In this article, we will analyze the operating principle of linear power controls. In the article “PWM Controls” on this website, the reader will find explanations about the second control method.

Component tester (Beginners) (ART607E)

A component that is essential for any electronics workbench is the component tester. The tester that we describe can be considered a simplified multimeter and can therefore perform some important measurements if it is previously calibrated, according to the instructions that we will provide.

When an assembly does not work (ART609E)

Tips for Assemblers

Assembling electronic circuits is a very enjoyable activity and brings a lot of satisfaction when everything goes right. However, things do not always go as expected and what should be a satisfaction becomes a nuisance and even a cause of conflict. Electronics has its logic, however, failures of various types can occur in an assembly process and the assembler is not always prepared to diagnose a problem. In this article, we give some “tips” on what to do when a project does not work.