Practical
Electronics
Volume 53. No. 11
November 2024
ISSN 2632 573X
Contents
Projects and Circuits
Ideal Diode Bridge Rectifiers by Phil Prosser
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Active rectifiers have much greater efficiency than silicon diodes, and as a result, run
much cooler. We show how to make up to six different Bridge Rectifiers depending on
how much space you have and how much power you need to handle.
30
Multi-Channel Volume Control, part one by Tim Blythman
People with home theatre/surround sound systems need to control the volume of six
or more audio channels. This Multi-Channel Volume Control has a touchscreen and
receives infrared remote signals. It can be expanded to handle up to 20 channels.
52
Coin Cell Emulator by Tim Blythman
When designing or testing a device that runs from a coin cell, you need to know how
much current it draws. That can be difficult given the low currents often involved. This
device powers the circuit while showing the voltage, current and other helpful statistics.
Series, Features and Columns
The Fox Report by Barry Fox
Thermal batteries show considerable promise for domestic hot water
3
Net Work by Alan Winstanley
4
On this 60th anniversary of Practical Electronics magazine, Alan revisits the history of the
magazine. In doing so, he touches on British contributions to today’s Internet.
Practically Speaking by Jake Rothman
I recently had a shocking experience; here is some advice so that you don’t!
16
Max’s Cool Beans by Max The Magnificent
There’s more than one way to blank zeros.
19
Teach-In 2024 – Learn electronics with the ESP32 by Mike Tooley
Part 9 – Putting it all together (the final part in this Teach-In series)
42
Techno Talk by Max The Magnificent
Robots and ukuleles
51
Circuit Surgery by Ian Bell
Digital signal processing – digital-to-analog converter (DAC) frequency response
61
MG4 XPower electric vehicle review by Julian Edgar
66
Julian has spent nine months and 12,500 miles (20,000km) behind the wheel of his
MG4 XPower EV. He has found a lot to like about it, but it is not without its flaws.
14-segment, 4-digit LED Display Modules by Jim Rowe
72
Instead of seven segments, this LED display module has 14 per character, so it can
display letters, digits and even a few symbols. It has a built-in I2C serial interface,
allowing popular microcontrollers like the Arduino Uno or Nano to drive it easily.
Regulars and Services
Made in Australia & the UK.
Written in Britain, Australia,
the USA and Ireland.
Read everywhere.
© Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd 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 December 2024 issue of Practical Electronics will be
published on Monday, 4th of November 2024 (see p80).
Practical Electronics | November | 2024
Editorial
The challenges of making electronics work worldwide
Reader services – Editorial and Advertising Departments
PE Teach-In 9 collected articles book with CD-ROM
Practical Electronics back issue downloads
PE Teach-In 8 collected articles book with CD-ROM
Wireless for the Warrior
Subscribe to Practical Electronics and save money
Practical Electronics PCB Service
PCBs for Practical Electronics projects
Classified ads and Advertiser index
Next month! – highlights of our next issue of Practical Electronics
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