TECH Sunday Build

Seeing radio waves with a light bulb

More from one of my favorite MAKEzine bloggers -- Diana Eng -- This is an excellent way to help one visualize radio waves as you build your DIXIE PIXIE.

... Using a low power amateur radio transmitter and a simple light bulb receiver circuit, we see how radio waves and electromagnetic induction transmit energy and signals wirelessly through the air. We also see how dipole and Yagi antennas radiate their energy in different patterns. Read on to build your own dipole receiving antenna! 

Watch the whole video HERE

Enclosure Idea - PIXIE built inside a 9v battery

For those of us thinking of departure from the now cliché Altoid Mint Can. Here is an alternative from our friends at Hack-A-Day --

... It’s pretty creative to use a 9v battery as an enclosure. That’s what [Osgeld] did when building this amplifier. There are several advantages; they’re easy to find, it keeps a bit of the dead battery out of the landfill, and this method provides a built-in connector for a 9v power source. In this case the circuit is built around a LM386 audio amplifier. It’s glued to the back of a potentiometer and wired up with the other components for a package smaller than a quarter. A stereo jack reside in the side of the battery case with a cable and alligator clips for connection with a speaker. Now the amp can be quickly connect to any 4-8 ohm speaker...

The rest of the Article at the Hack a Day Site.