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Practical Electronics Volume 53. No. 2 February 2024 ISSN 2632 573X Contents Projects and Circuits Active Mains Soft Starter – Part 1 by John Clarke 15 High startup current appliances can be dangerous, damage your work, cause brownouts or trip out the circuit breaker when power is first applied. This Soft Starter prevents the high surge current, replacing it with a slow current build-up. Advanced SMD Test Tweezers – Part 1 by Tim Blythman 26 The SMD Test Tweezers and their successor, the Improved SMD Test Tweezers, are simple but useful tools. We have developed an enhanced version with many more features and other improvements, such as a larger screen and easier-to-use interface. Active Subwoofer – Part 2 by Phil Prosser 34 In this second and final article in the series, we’ll finish off the Active Subwoofer by building and installing its internal 180W amplifier, finishing the wiring, installing the driver and adding some feet. . Series, Features and Columns Techno Talk by Max The Magnificent Cheeky chiplets 8 Net Work by Alan Winstanley Reports on damage from supply glitches, cheap and cheerful workshop tools available direct from China, and a quick roundup of space news. 10 Max’s Cool Beans by Max The Magnificent Arduino Bootcamp – Part 14 42 Circuit Surgery by Ian Bell Frequency shifting and superheterodyne receivers – Part 3 48 NEW SERIES! MitchElectronics by Robin Mitchell Introducing the op amp 54 Audio Out by Jake Rothman Back to the buffers – Part 1 62 Wireless for the Warrior Subscribe to Practical Electronics and save money NEW! Practical Electronics back issues DOWNLOADS – 2022 now available! Reader services – Editorial and Advertising Departments Editorial Looking forward to 2024 Exclusive Microchip reader offer Win a Microchip PIC-IoT WG Development Board PE Teach-In 8 Teach-In bundle – what a bargain! PE Teach-In 9 Practical Electronics PCB Service PCBs for Practical Electronics projects Classified ads and Advertiser index Next month! – highlights of our next issue of Practical Electronics 2 4 6 7 7 Regulars and Services Made in the UK. Written in Britain, Australia, the US and Ireland. 9 23 25 33 68 71 72 Read everywhere. © Electron Publishing Limited 2024 Copyright in all drawings, photographs, articles, technical designs, software and intellectual property published in Practical Electronics is fully protected, and reproduction or imitation in whole or in part are expressly forbidden. The March 2024 issue of Practical Electronics will be published on Thursday, 1 February 2024 – see page 72. Practical Electronics | February | 2024 1