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This circuit was developed to charge the Lithium-Polymer cells used in a model aircraft. Lithium-Polymer cells are incredibly lightweight compared to Ni-cad battery packs of the same voltage and amp-hour rating. Their only drawback is that they require a rigid charge and discharge regime to achieve maximum life.... [read more]

It sounds rather mysterious: a switch that is controlled by its ambient temperature. All without the touch of a human hand, except for when you’re building this sort of electronic thermostat. There are a lot of handy uses for a thermally controlled switch. If the temperature inside your PC gets too high sometimes, the circuit can switch on an extra fan. You can also use to switch on an electric heater automatically if the room temperature is too low. There are innumerable potential applications for the thermostat described here.... [read more]

Another method of using opamps to regulate a power supply is shown. The power transformer requires an additional winding to supply the op-amps with a bipolar voltage (+/- 8 volts), and the negative voltage is also used to generate a reference voltage below ground so that the output voltage can be adjusted all the way down to 0. Current limiting is accomplished by sensing the voltage drop across a small resistor placed in series with the negative supply line.... [read more]

This circuit allows you to set a limit on the maximum output current available from your PSU. It's very useful when you power-up a project for the first time - or carry out a soak-test. By setting an upper limit on the current available from your PSU - you can protect both your power supply - and any device connected to it. It offers a simple and cheap alternative to the Current Limiting Power Supply... [read more]

Most homes today have at least a few infrared remote controls, whether they be for the television, the video recorder, the stereo, etc. Despite that fact, who among us has not cursed the light that remained lit after we just sat down in a comfortable chair to watch a good film? This project proposes to solve that problem thanks to its original approach. In fact, it is for a common on/off switch for infrared remote controls, but what differentiates it from the commercial products is the fact that it is capable of working with any remote control.... [read more]

While smoke alarms are quite cheap devices, the cost of 9V batteries quickly exceeds their purchase price. Added to that is the irritation of random beeps from the alarm as the battery reaches the end of its useful life. This circuit allows typical smoke alarms to be powered from the 12V supply in a burglar alarm while still keeping the standard 9V batteries in place. It extends the 9V battery life to that of its "shelf life" as the battery is only required to drive the smoke alarm in the event the 12V supply is removed or shorted out.... [read more]