Construction Projects (Organized by Issue)
(Also visit the Organized by Category page)

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Infrared Autoswitch: Keeps work-surface lights turned on only while you are near them.

EPE StyloPIC: Have fun with a modern interpretation of a classic musical instrument!

Simple Audio Circuits - Part 3 - Power Supplies, Loudspeakers, Crossover Networks, and Filters: A compendium of useful audio amplifier circuits for the experimenting constructor.

Rotary Combination Lock: Pure logic and a "stack of cards” function enhance security.

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BIOPIC Heartbeat Monitor: Take a peek at the rhythmic waveforms that keep you ticking!

World Lamp: Low cost lighting when there’s no mains supply available.

Simple Audio Circuits - Part 2 - Preamps, Tone Controls, and Filters: A compendium of useful audio amplifier circuits for the experimenting constructor.

Frequency Standard Generator: High precision 1Hz to 100kHz frequency source, derived "off-air".

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PIC-based Freezer Alarm: How to prevent your food from defrosting unexpectedly.

PIC Big-Digit Display: Control the giant ex-British Rail platform clock 7-segment digits that are now available on the surplus market.

Simple Audio Circuits - Part 1 - Power Amplifiers: A compendium of useful audio amplifier circuits for the experimenting constructor.

Washing Ready Indicator: Has the washing machine finished? - Avoid those washday blues.

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Electric Guitar Tuner: Six fixed frequencies and an l.e.d. help you to stay in tune.

PIC-Controller Intruder Alarm: A sophisticated multi-zone intruder detection system that offers deluxe monitoring facilities.

Manual Stepper Motor Controller: Illustrates how a 4-phase stepper motor can be controlled bi-directionally using a conventional rotary switch.

Solar Charge-and-Go: Use solar power to charge your 2·4V or 3·4V NiCad and nickel metal hydride mobile phone batteries.

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MK484 Shortwave Radio: The MK484 is a replacement for the once-popular ZN414 radio receiver IC.

RH Meter: How healthy is the moisture content in your home? By monitoring its relative Humidity you can then take steps to control it.

PIC Virus Zapper: Can disease be cured electronically? Investigate this controversial subject for yourself!

PIC Mini-Enigma: Share encrypted messages with your friends -- true spymaster entertainment!

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Guitar Practice Amp: A low-cost amplifier that will allow the budding guitarist to improve his/her playing technique, without annoying the household or neighbors!

HT Power Supply: Power your favorite antique valve radio! 

PIC Spectrum Analyzer: PIC-controlled PC interface for analyzing analog waveforms and displaying their harmonic content.

Versatile Current Monitor: Monitors equipment current flow and warns if it changes significantly.

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PIC Magick Musick: Conjure music from thin air at the mere untouching gesture of a fingertip.

Time Delay Touch Switch: Automatically turns off lights after a preset period. 

Versatile Bench Power Supply: A well-proven power supply that provides 0V to 20V with current limiting in two ranges of 100mA and 1A.

Forever Flasher: A novel flashing LED that could run for over 20 years on a 9V lithium battery or "forever" using the "free energy" from a TV aerial or similar.

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Twinkling Lights: A beautiful four-channel lighting effect for your Christmas tree or festive party.

Mains Failure Alarm: Protect your freezer or fish tank contents, or monitor mains connections. 

Ghost Buster: Spooky feelings all around you? Track down their source!

PIC Polywhatsit: A novel compendium of musical effects to delight the creative musician.

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Capacitance Meter: Allows any capacitor type to have it's true value readily measured.

Teach-In 2002 Power Supply: Supplies +/-12V and +5V at 600mA. 

Lights Needed Alert: Ensure your car can be seen when driven in poor lighting conditions.

Pitch Switch: A novel sound-operated switch with precise frequency response.

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Camcorder Power Supply: Battery replacement with a lot more bottle!

PIC Toolkit Mk3: By popular demand - an enhanced PIC microcontroller programming development board. 

2-Valve Shortwave Radio: Designed for valve (vacuum tube) radio enthusiasts, or anyone who would like to try the nostalgic approach to shortwave listening.

Perpetual Projects - Part 4: Three more solar-powered projects - Gate Sentinel, Bird Scarer, and In-Out Register.

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Water Monitor: How costly is it to keep your garden watered? Find out and control it.

LED Super Torches (Flashlights): Two high-tech (one super-high-tech) designs to brighten your nights. 

Perpetual Projects - Part 3 - Loop Alarm, Touch Switch, Rain Alarm: Three more solar-powered projects - Loop Burglar Alarm, Touch-Switch Door-Light, Solar-Powered Rain Alarm - plus seven suggestions for variants.

Synchronous Clock Driver: By popular request - a dual-frequency 50Hz/60Hz converter for mains-operated synchronous clocks.

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Digitimer: Enhance your ease of viewing - build an add-on VCR record timer unit for Sky TV.

Lead-acid battery charger: Keep your 6V and 12V batteries in a properly charged condition. 

Perpetual Projects - Part 2 - LED Flasher and Double-Doorbuzzer: Two more perpetual projects for which you can be "eternally" grateful!

Compact Shortwave Loop Aerial: This Q-multiplied loop amplifies signals and nulls out electrical interference. Four plug-in loops covering 1.5MHz to 30MHz

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Stereo/Surround Sound Amplifier: An easy-to-build design whose effect, considering its inexpensive cost, is convincing!

PIC to Printer Interface: How to use dot-matrix printers as data loggers with PIC microcontrollers. 

Perpetual Projects - Part 1 - Solar-Powered Power Supply and Voltage Regulator: Free power for your projects! The first in a new series.

MSF Signal Repeater and Indicator: How to receive MSF radio clock signals in a shielded building.

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Magfield Monitor: A sophisticated fluxgate sensor monitors static and alternating magnetic fields and outputs processed signals to a meter and headphones.

Dummy PIR Detector: An extremely inexpensive way to fool would-be intruders. 

Hosepipe Controller: How to avoid wasting money when watering your garden.

In-Circuit Ohmmeter: Our final Top-Tenner ("Beginners") project enables you to measure in-circuit resistance.

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PIC Graphics LCD Scope: Long awaited, a PIC and graphics LCD signal monitor for your workshop.

Camcorder Mixer: Enhance the sound of your home video productions. 

DC Motor Controller: Simply and inexpensively control low-voltage motors or lamps with this month's "Top Tenner" (beginner's) project.

Intruder Alarm Control Panel - Part 2: Concluding the 5-zone micro-controlled security system designed to meet British Standards specification BS4737.

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Wave Sound Effect: Let the susurration of the waves soothe intrusions on your senses.

Intruder Alarm Control Panel - Part 1: 5-zone micro-controlled security system designed to meet British Standards specification BS4737. 

Sound Trigger: Using a sound trigger/switch to soundly lighten your darkness.

EPE Snug-Bug: Treat your tropical pets to a personalized 4-channel central heating system.

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Doorbell Extender: Through-the-mains controller links your doorbell and garage or workshop, plus remote appliance switching.

Body Detector: Create your own "invisible shield" and let the force be with you!

DIY Tesla Lightning: Build a giant Tesla Coil and challenge Zeus at creating lightning!

Circuit Tester: Simply check for open and short circuits with another "Top-Tenner" project.

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Ice Alert: Tri-color LED warns motorists and gardeners of impending frost danger.

Simple Metronome: Have a good musical time with another "Top Tenner" beginner's project.

PC Audio Power Meter: Measure audio amplifier power output via your PC computer.

Special Supplement: "How to use graphics liquid crystal displays (LCDs) with PICS" This step-by-step guide to understanding and using pixel-matrixed graphics LCDs with your PIC microcontroller projects is available for FREE from the EPE Online Library.

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Versatile Optical Trigger: A "Top Tenner" (beginner) project for light-controlling electrical equipment.

UFO Detector and Event Recorder: Charting the X-files revolution.

Two-Way Intercom: How to create your own local two-way chat zone.

PIC-Monitored Dual PSU - Part 2: Workshop power supply with multiple options and monitoring of voltage and current using a PIC microcontroller plus LCD readout.

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PIC-Monitored Dual PSU - Part 1: Workshop power supply with multiple options and monitoring of voltage and current using a PIC microcontroller plus LCD readout.

Static Field Detector: An amusing "electroscope" starter project that reveals if your friends are "highly charged"!

Motorists' Buzz-Box: A multipurpose piece of test equipment for the intrepid car owner.

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Sample-and-Hold: a Top-Tenner add-on unit for your multimeter.

Opto-Alarm System: Keep would-be intruders at bay with this portable, optically balanced security alarm.

PIC Pulsometer: Accurately measures and displays timings, frequency, and capacitance.

Handclap Switch: Let there be light -- quick as the clappers!

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Wind-Up Torch/Flashlight: An occasional twist of a knob provides light without battery power.

PIC-based Dual-Channel Virtual Oscilloscope: A virtual oscilloscope interface for monitoring audio frequency signals via your computer.

Fridge/Freezer Alarm: Another "Top-Tenner" project -- audibly warns of imminent money loss!

EPE Moodloop Field Strength Indicator: Check that your Moodloop's loop is working, and find the sources of 50HZ mains fields.

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Steeplechase Game: Another "Top Tenner" design -- how well can your horse jump the fences?

Active Ferrite Loop Aerial: Superbly designed vertically and horizontally rotating reception optimizer.

EPE Moodloop Power Supply: Stably power your Moodloop (see August 2000 projects) and other 13.2V or 12V 1A designs.

PIC-based Remote Control IR Decoder: Allows PIC programming enthusiasts to remotely control their designs.

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Handy Amp: A simple multi-purpose amplifier with built-in speaker and headphone output.

Quiz Game Indicator: A low-cost fun project that cannot be questioned.

EPE Moodloop: Have a relaxing "field-day" (or night) with our latest PIC-based brainwave generator.

Door Protector: The first in a series of "Top-Tenner" projects, featuring simple designs that can be built for around 10 UK pounds (16 US dollars).

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Camera Shutter Timer: Make sure that you get the right exposure with this simple starter design.

g-Meter: Use a space-age chip to measure g-forces.

PIC-Gen frequency generator/counter: Expand your test capability with this versatile PIC-based test equipment.

Atmospheric Electricity Generator - Part 2: Investigate Nature's power-house with this intriguing experimental design.

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Automatic Nightlight: A simple starter project to lighten the darkness for the young and the frail.

PIC-based Canute Tide Predictor: A simple PIC-based tide calculator for paddlers, dabblers, and kings of the sand castle.

PIC-based Multi-Channel Transmission System - Part 2: Concluding the 8 to 16-channel 2-wire PIC-based signaling link with optional interface for private phone systems.

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Low-Cost Capacitance Meter: An easy-to-build starter project that adds a useful tool to your workshop.

PIC-based Multi-Channel Transmission System - Part 1: An 8 to 16-channel 2-wire PIC-based signaling link with optional interface for private phone systems. 

PIR Light-Checker: Be trigger happy with your outdoor security light system.

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Garage Link: An open and shut case for a 418MHz Transmitter/Receiver link.

Micro PICscope: There's plenty of scope for this ingenious piece of portable test gear. 

High-Performance Regenerative Receiver - Part 2: Construction details for our beautifully designed receiver covering 130kHz to 30MHz global broadcast and amateur bands.

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High-Performance Regenerative Receiver - Part 1: A beautifully designed receiver covering 130kHz to 30MHz global broadcast and amateur bands.

Automatic Train Signal: This easy-to-build low-cost starter project is for model railways.

EPE ICEbreaker: Real-time PIC In-Circuit Emulator (ICE), programmer, debugger, and development system.

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Voltage Monitor: This month's starter project illuminates your battery's condition.

PIC Video Cleaner: Improving video viewing on poorly maintained TVs and VCRs.

Find It -- Don't Lose It: Offering the key to enlightened location finding.

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Versatile Burglar Alarm: Simple, extendable, and easy-to-use indoor security monitoring.

Scratch Blanker: Spin-doctoring for a better sound bite! Use this project to remove the "clicks" and "pops" from your old vinyl records.

Vehicle Frost Box: Helps to predict the presence of black ice.

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Magnetic Field Detector: Where's the attraction? Find out with out Starter Project!

Loft Guard: A lofty way to keep your power bills low and extend the life of your light bulbs.

Ginormous Stopwatch - Part 2: Adding giant digits to your Stopwatch display.

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Vibralarm: Multi-purpose vibration-triggered alarm with remarkable sensitivity.

Acoustic Probe: An audio "telescope" or "stethoscope/microscope" to investigate distant or low-level sounds (good beginner's project).

Demister One-Shot: Save car battery use and fuel consumption by minimizing rear-screen power-on times!

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Mains Cable Detector: This simple Starter Project detects mains cables by sensing their "hum".

QWL Loudspeaker System: Enjoy superb hi-fi sound at a fraction of the cost of an equivalent commercial speaker system!

+/- 5V Micro Power Supply: Supplies a well-regulated +5V, even if your battery's nearly flat!

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Variable Dual Power Supply: Fully variable from +/-3V to +/-15V up to 500mA, and short-circuit proof.

Child Guard: Helping to protect your loved ones, an audible warning sounds if children (or others) approach a fire.

8-Channel Analog Data Logger - Part 2: How to use this highly versatile PIC16F877 micro-controlled design.

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Magnetic Field Detector: A neat and sensitive instrument for detecting low-level magnetic fields.

Freezer Alarm: Another low-cost starter project - Howe to avoid an expensive thaw!

8-Channel Analog Data Logger - Part 1: The new PIC16F877 microcontroller offers versatile logging opportunities.

Sound Activated Switch: Just one logic gate allows a simple mic to control - well almost anything!

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EPE Mood PICker: Oh for a good night's sleep! Insomniacs rejoice -- your wakeful nights could soon be over with this mini-micro under the pillow!.

12V Battery tester: Give a probing health check to your lead-acid batteries.

Intruder Deterrent: Is there anyone at home?  Would-be intruders may never be sure if the lights keep switching.

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PIC Toolkit Mk2 - Part 2: Concluding with detailed discussions of the many software options offered by this sophisticated PIC 'F87x and 'x84 programmer.

PC Audio Frequency Meter: Use your PC's bidirectional printer port to monitor frequencies up to 32kHz

Musical Sundial: When the sun has got his hat off (hip-hip-hip-hooray) there's no shadow of doubt you'll find fun with our musical garden gnomon!.

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PIC Toolkit Mk2 - Part 1: Expanding Toolkit MK1 to include the PICF87x devices as well as the familiar 'x84s, plus many more features.

PIC-based MIDI Handbells: Ring out thy bells will merry tolling -- plus a MIDI PIC-up, of course!.

AM/FM Radio Remote Control: Coded radio remote control has become straightforward and requires no UK licence.

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Voice Record & Playback Module: Less cuddly than a Firby, but more useful!

Mechanical Radio: Wrist power provides a renewable radio energy source.

Versatile Event Counter: Counting and timing music beats, rowing rates, clock ticks, and much, much more!

Ironing Board Saver: Save energy with this safety add-on.

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Time and Date Generator: Add time and date codes to your CCTV security monitor.

Smoke Absorber: You don't want to inhale solder fumes do you? Help avoid them with our neat little heat-triggered tool.

Wireless Monitoring System Part 2: Introducing the software for our low-cost radio-linked short-range data-logger, and also discussing an FM conversion.

Auto Cupboard Light: Let there be light -- whenever you open the door to the depth of darkness in your wardrobe!

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Wireless Monitoring System Part 1: Low-cost radio-linked short-range data-logging is now readily and simply available with this PIC-based solution.

PIC MIDI Sustain Pedal: Add sustain and glissando to your MIDI line-up with this inexpensive PIC-controlled effects unit.

Light Alarm: Looking for undercover protection? Try this simple light-activated alarm!

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TV Volume Compressor: Taking a level approach to cracking the TV adverts sound barrier.

Twinkle Twinkle Reaction Game: Twinkle twinkle little chip, you'll be tuneful if we're quick!

Alternative Courtesy Light Controller: Motorists - lighten the depth of darkness in your garage or driveway.

EPE Mind PICkler Part 2: The construction portion of our mind machine!

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EPE Mind PICkler Part 1: Want seven ways to relax? Try our PIC-controlled mind machine!

Handheld Function Generator: Sine, triangle, and square wave signals always at hand, with almost full audio range coverage and output adjustability.

Fading Christmas Lights: How Seasonal! How Festive! But How Different!

Reliable Infrared Remote Control Part 2: In which we increase our control options with a 15-way coded IR transmitter and receiver system.

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PIC-Based Ultrasonic Tape Measure: You've got it taped if you PIC this ultrasonic distance measuring calculator.

Reliable Infrared Remote Control Part 1: It has now become easy to build reliable IR systems -- heres a selection of constructional articles to prove it!

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