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flannelhead

Sat Jun 07 2008, 11:18AM

Registered Member #952 Joined: Mon Aug 13 2007, 11:07AM
Location: Finland
Posts: 388

I'm sure many of you have been tinkering with a complex circuit lately, without any results. To me at least that's a very familiar, so I want to relax a bit in the summer and build some little circuits that just work and are funny. This gives me new eager to deal with more complex stuff again.

So here's some:

1. A led that lights up in dark.

(the site seems to be currently offline, try this) I've already built this and works great!

2. An electronic electrometer

Do I need to say more?

3. A small robot!

This robot is powered from a solar cell and it crawls towards light. Some excellent tutorials for building a neat-looking one can be found online. Also be sure to check out the other B.E.A.M. stuff on the net.

Do you know other small, funny circuits that you would want to share? (No need to be HV) Post 'em here!

Dr. Dark Current

Sat Jun 07 2008, 01:03PM

Registered Member #152 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 03:36PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 3384

If you want one of those "really useful" circuits then build a rain indicator. A prototype board with parallel "tracks" is placed outside and the tracks are connected alternately to two wires. Inside there is a speaker which emits a tone whenever there is a resistance between the two wires indicating that a rain drop has landed on the PCB.

Another fun circuit is a coil with a high-gain amplifier, using it you can "listen" to EM field around you, different appliances emit different and sometimes funny sounds often with some cool patterns

Other circuits that I can think of: dB meter, sound recorder with ISDxxxx chip, electronic dice, propeller clock, various thingys with 555 timer (e.g. sound generator controlled by your finger

, light to sound converter etc.)

GeordieBoy

Sat Jun 07 2008, 03:34PM

Registered Member #1232 Joined: Wed Jan 16 2008, 10:53PM
Location: Doon tha Toon!
Posts: 881

This gadget gets my vote for being both cool and practical:

-Richie

Spedy

Sat Jun 07 2008, 04:51PM

Registered Member #964 Joined: Wed Aug 22 2007, 12:39AM
Location: Stockton, CA
Posts: 134

Hey, I'm not the only one here interested in BEAM =) Theres alot of cool circuits out there.

A light seeking 555 circuit (more BEAM)

ShawnLG

Sat Jun 07 2008, 06:35PM

Registered Member #286 Joined: Mon Mar 06 2006, 04:52AM
Location:
Posts: 399

The beer throwing fridge is crasy but interesting. Why not put the fridge next to the couch within reach.

I have been thinking about building a gaydar detector for some gags at work.

flannelhead

Sat Jul 12 2008, 04:25PM

Registered Member #952 Joined: Mon Aug 13 2007, 11:07AM
Location: Finland
Posts: 388

Here's another funny circuit I slapped together:

Quickly assembled, but makes very funny sounds. Use it to play some tunes or annoy your family!

Youtube video

aonomus

Sat Jul 12 2008, 04:59PM

Registered Member #1497 Joined: Thu May 22 2008, 05:24AM
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 801

One that could be potentially annoying would be a latch'ed timer circuit inside a light switch. Turn it on and it stays on until a resistor drains a cap, which shuts off a triac. Turn the switch off and it recharges the cap.

That could frustrate people to insanity by the end of it :D

The only other device I could think of would be a tantalum cap powered cannon in the non conventional sense. Tantalum caps are the propellant

Ultra7

Sat Jul 12 2008, 05:13PM

Registered Member #1157 Joined: Thu Dec 06 2007, 12:11PM
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 307

Dr. Kilovolt wrote ...

If you want one of those "really useful" circuits then build a rain indicator. A prototype board with parallel "tracks" is placed outside and the tracks are connected alternately to two wires. Inside there is a speaker which emits a tone whenever there is a resistance between the two wires indicating that a rain drop has landed on the PCB.

Another fun circuit is a coil with a high-gain amplifier, using it you can "listen" to EM field around you, different appliances emit different and sometimes funny sounds often with some cool patterns

Other circuits that I can think of: dB meter, sound recorder with ISDxxxx chip, electronic dice, propeller clock, various thingys with 555 timer (e.g. sound generator controlled by your finger

, light to sound converter etc.)

Out here in Texas, our rain gauge is the roof.
You hear a tapping it's probably raining.

uzzors2k

Sat Jul 12 2008, 07:15PM

Registered Member #95 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:57PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 1308

That 555 thermin looks funky Dr. 2N3055, I'll have to try it. B.E.A.M. totally rocks! It's what got me interested in electronics initially, and ironically I have yet to built a beam bot...

Here's a small collection of April 1st circuits.
]april1st.pdf[/file]

Coronafix

Sat Jul 12 2008, 10:14PM

Registered Member #160 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 02:07AM
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 938

Dr. 2N3055 wrote ...

Here's another funny circuit I slapped together:

1215878895 952 FT46823 Optotheremin

Quickly assembled, but makes very funny sounds. Use it to play some tunes or annoy your family!

Youtube video

I built something similar last year, my daughter loved, but after a while it got really annoying.

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