Kits and Projects (Demos)


3D printing — Electronic project accessories and enclosures
Oven-controlled Crystal Oscillator —  Frequency counting without GPS
ACARS — acarsd and ACARSDeco2 software OCXO Frequency Counter - Improvement —  MPU-based divider
AD7C VFO — DDS VFO and Enclosure Parabolic microphone —  Repurpose a TV satellite dish
AD9834 — Analog Devices AD9834 DDS Physical Random Number Generator   —  Make use of white noise
ADS-B Antenna — Collinear antenna for 1090 MHz PICkit 3™ — Microcontroller Programmer
APRS — Position tracking with IC-7100 and Atomic Pi Pixie — QRP transceiver from China
Arduino Morse Keyer — My first Arduino project QMX CAT Interface  — Also IQ-Mode with SDR++ and Rigctl
Binary Clock  — Easy Arduino Project QRP SWR Meter  — QRP SWR bridge + Arduino Nano + color LCD
Buck-Boost  — DC to DC power conversion Quadrifilar Helix — 137 MHz NOAA satellite antenna
Coax Continuity Tester — TTL and logic circuit software  New! Arduino version! Raspberry Pi — Pi-1 Station clock
Debouncing a Pushbutton — Sub-project and demo Raspberry Pi — Pi-3 Python keyer
DOS to WiFi — MS-DOS serial COM to WiFi (UDP) Interface Raspberry Pi — Software relating to radio
DS3231 — Real-time clock with WWVB updating RF Field Strength Meter —   Based on AD8307 log amplifier
DTMF Generator —  Arduino tone library application RF Voltmeter —   Autoranging measurement exercise
Easy Pieces — Simple but useful project ideas and suggestions Satellite Azimuth Tracking  —   RCA TV Antenna Rotor Interface
EZKeyer III — Keyer kit from Four State QRP Group Satellite GOES-16   —   Receive Images and Forecasts from satellite
Frequency Counter Kit — Crystal Tester and Frequency Counter Satellite Helper  —   Single knob tuning with Doppler correction +
Geiger Counter  — Arduino Mega based Geiger Counter UI SDR — ARM Radio (from QST) Longwave Receiver
GPS Modules — u-blox Neo 6M and Neo M8N SDR Hardware Study — I/Q VFO + AD831 + ... + SDRadio
GPS Frequency Counter — Accurate Frequency Measurement Si5351 Frequency Calibration —  How to correct Si5351 output
Hilltopper - 20 — QRP transceiver kit from Four State QRP Group Soil Moisture Study — Arduino Nano “Internet of Things” exercise
Icom CI-V to UDP —  Transceiver to amplifier frequency updates Song of Pi —  Digital-to-analog converter breakout board
JYE Tech Capacitance Meter — Kit featured in QST SMD/SMT —  Learning to Love Surface Mount Technology
LED Progress Bar — Arduino based LED progress bar demo SunFounder Robotic Arm  plays Connect Four — Interfacing
Magic Eye —  1.5 inch color OLED simulation of magic eye tube TinySA  —  Spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope math mode, ...
Magnetic Loop —  20 meter QRP magnetic loop antenna Touch-sensor Paddle —  Touch paddle for Python keyer
Mail delivery notification —  RF24 application  updated Sept. 2021 TTL Tester —  Test common 74nn logic devices (Extensible)
MFJ Dip Meter — Trying out the MFJ-201 Two Teensy Touchscreens —  Touchscreen for MOAK and HT40
MOAK and NetMOAK and Redesign  — “Mother of all Keyers” + μBITX —Frequency calibration by editing EEPROM
N4YG Oscillator — DDS-based code practice oscillator kit V4 The Mother Lode  — MOAK Version 4 / Teensy 4.1
NanoVNA — 50 KHz to 1.5 GHz Vector Network Analyzer WB9YBM Oscillator — Analog audio oscillator (CPO)
NTP Server — GPS-based Arduino Uno NTP Server Weather Balloons — New! Receiving, Decoding and Tracking
On-The-Go Cable —  USB host mode and Android SDR WWVB Decoding —  Arduino with WWVB receiver (60 KHz)
One-watter  — QRP transceiver from Kits and Parts WWVB Encoding — Faux WWVB transmitter (60 KHz)
Orbitron to SDRuno — DDE to CAT for frequency tracking XBee Friends —  Arduino XBee communications
ZZRX-40 —  40 meter receiver kit from Four State QRP Group
[Color highlighted entries are recent additions. Green=newest]


    As a teenager and young adult I spent many hours assembling electronic kits. My first ham radio transmitter was a Heathkit (as was the next). In addition to ham equipment I also assembled test instruments, home stereo components, computers and modems, and much more. I enjoyed kit building as much as using the devices after they were built (and in a few cases after they were repaired).

    Over the last few decades electronic kit building has fallen victim to advances in electronics, especially the advent of large scale integration. Indeed in many US locations it is no longer possible to find a nearby store that sells electronic parts. However, radio and electronic project kits and ideas can still be found on the Internet. Some of these are of doubtful practical interest—perhaps only good for the fun of building them, while others continue to bring pleasure after assembly is complete.

    The original page became too long, so I split it into individual pages describing kits I have enjoyed putting together, or other small construction projects, as well as one or two explorations that have nothing to do with soldering. Projects are listed alphabetically in the table above—not in the order they were done. The video demos that accompany most project descriptions illustrate highlights and lowlights of the activities.

    See also:  Lloyd’s Demos YouTube Channel
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Projects linked from this page are intended for entertainment only. The author makes no claim as to the accuracy or completeness of the information presented. In no event will the author be liable for any damages, lost effort, inability to carry out a similar project, or to reproduce a claimed result, or anything else relating to a decision to use the information on this page.