Clocks, CRTs, HV supplies: Eric has The Knack!

Nice interview by Jeri Ellsworth.  This fellow definitely seems to have the Knack.  At the end of the video he shows a high voltage supply that he is WEARING AROUND HIS NECK! 

Here's Eric's site: http://tubetime.us/


Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Homebrew Transistors (video)

So you are using store-bought transistors eh?  APPLIANCE OPERATOR!

Check out Jeri Ellsworth's very impressive production of NMOS transistors.

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

555 Contest Finale

Jeri Ellsworth's 555 contest is in the home stretch, and I've got my acceptance speech all ready. "I'd like to thank the members of the Academy... and above all the people of the Azores, who were put at risk by the large kite that carried my 555 timer circuit and 35 mm camera over their unprotected heads..."

Here's my entry: http://www.gadgeteer.us/KAP.HTM

Forrest Mims is one of the judges. Here is what he had to say:

[The participants] displayed an absolutely remarkable range of engineering skills, creativity and dedication to meet the deadline. Also impressive was the use of video and photography to illustrate many of the entries.

This contest helps restore my confidence in analog designers, who have become a very small minority in electronics these days. Some of these projects do with great simplicity and efficiency what exclusively digital designers would have great difficulty emulating. Moreover, a number of these projects have potential commercial merit. Hopefully the developers will be able to pursue this.

The winners will be announced tonight at 9 pm Eastern Time:
http://www.555contest.com/news/

(Oh no! There must be some sort of mistake! I checked the list of finalists and my kite entry is not there!)

Our Kind of Contest: "Eight Pins, One Shot!"

Jeri Ellsworth has come up with a contest that will appeal to SolderSmoke fans: A design competition using 555 timers. Check it out:
http://www.555contest.com/

SolderSmoke Podcast #127

SolderSmoke #127 has been released! Get it here:

http://www.soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke127.mp3

Topics covered:
Linux Ubuntu and Audio Quality.
Karmic Koala makes you EVEN YOUNGER
Reverse Culture shock, Woodpeckers, and the Washington METRO system
The smell of an old HT-37
75 meter AM
DaVinci Code QRSS rig on the air
Cul-de-sac astronomy with TWO telescopes
READING: SPRATS, Hot Iron, Sky Buddies, Wired
Jeri Ellsworth's homebrew transistors
Tatjana Van Vark's homebrew Enigma-like machine
MAILBAG
Antenna work and hamfests on the horizon

Homebrew Transistors!

None of those store-bought parts for Jeri Ellsworth! Once again she makes us all look like a bunch of pathetic appliance operators. I like the "harvesting of Germanium" from a 1N34. And I found very interesting her comment about "early hobbyists" cracking open 1N34's and turning them into transistors by adding phosphor-bronze collectors.

This all makes me want to fire up my Fool's Gold crystal radio. WFAX is right down the road...

BTW: I'm very pleased to report that Jeri is currently reading "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics." I hope she likes it. She definitely has "The Knack."

SolderSmoke Podcast 127 is almost ready.