Practical
Electronics
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Mob 07973 518682
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Editor
Matt Pulzer
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Louisa Pulzer
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Alan Winstanley
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Technical enquiries
We regret technical enquiries cannot be answered over the
telephone. We are unable to offer any advice on the use, purchase,
repair or modification of commercial equipment or the incorporation
or modification of designs published in the magazine. We cannot
provide data or answer queries on articles or projects that are
more than five years old.
Questions about articles or projects should be sent to the editor
by email: pe<at>electronpublishing.com
Projects and circuits
All reasonable precautions are taken to ensure that the advice and
data given to readers is reliable. We cannot, however, guarantee
it and we cannot accept legal responsibility for it.
A number of projects and circuits published in Practical Electronics
employ voltages that can be lethal. You should not build, test,
modify or renovate any item of mains-powered equipment unless
you fully understand the safety aspects involved and you use an
RCD (GFCI) adaptor.
Component supplies
We do not supply electronic components or kits for building the
projects featured, these can be supplied by advertisers. We
advise readers to check that all parts are still available before
commencing any project in a back-dated issue.
Advertisements
Although the proprietors and staff of Practical Electronics take
reasonable precautions to protect the interests of readers by
ensuring as far as practicable that advertisements are bona fide,
the magazine and its publishers cannot give any undertakings
in respect of statements or claims made by advertisers, whether
these advertisements are printed as part of the magazine, or in
inserts. The Publishers regret that under no circumstances will
the magazine accept liability for non-receipt of goods ordered, or
for late delivery, or for faults in manufacture.
Volume 52. No. 6
June 2023
ISSN 2632 573X
Editorial
Powerful projects
I didn’t plan it this way, but most of our projects this month seem
to have a ‘power’ theme: a programmable load, 500W amplifier
and high-current LED driver. Given the voltage and current levels
floating around in this issue, it’s well worth reminding readers
of a few basic safety hints, tips and rules. Probably the most
important one is if you don’t know, then ask someone who does.
This is especially true for anything involving the mains. We all
start off knowing very little, and if you’re not sure how to rate a
fuse, earth (ground) a project properly or select the right cable
then there is absolutely no shame in asking someone who does
know the answer. Don’t guess and don’t cut corners – at best, you
may ruin all the time and money you’ve invested in your project;
at worst, you may cause a fire or give yourself a nasty shock.
Electronics is rewarding and fun, but electricity must always be
treated with respect and caution.
Scratching a living from audio
Audio Out this month starts a short series on troubleshooting the
humble potentiometer as a volume control. As Jake explains in
the introduction, his first earnings from audio electronics came
from fixing scratchy pots, and while this might seem like a simple
problem to fix there is actually some clever and useful electronics
involved in pot-based volume control. I think you’ll enjoy Jake’s
unique insights and observations.
Looking for a meter?
We don’t do a great deal of product reviews in PE, but every now
and again we come across a product that we think readers will
appreciate and so we give it an honest appraisal. This month,
Julian Edgar looks at the EEVBlog 121GW multimeter. Julian is
a full-time author/engineer with interests as diverse as audio
and automotive design, plus he’s even designing his own smart
home. If he finds a multimeter up to the job then I’m sure it’s
well worth putting on your short list if you’re in the market for a
new meter.
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 | June | 2023
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