Basic Electronics for Tomorrow's Inventors

Learn about electronics with fun experiments and projects

Created in partnership with Thames & Kosmos, Basic Electronics for Tomorrow''s Inventors introduces you to essential electronics concepts through fun, do-it-yourself projects. You''ll get tips for setting up your home workbench, safely handling materials, and creating a variety of entertaining gadgets. All of the projects and experiments use inexpensive, readily available electronic components and different types of breadboard, which creates a plug-and-play environment for you to build electronic circuits—no soldering required!

Inside you''ll find:

• Things You''ll Need--lists of all the electronic components and equipment required for each experiment
• A Circuit Diagram--shows how each of the electronic components are connected to produce the experiment
• How the Circuit Works--identifies the building blocks used to make the circuit and helps you read circuit diagrams
• Breadboard Layout--close-up photographs that guide you in building each electronic circuit
• Time to Experiment--explains how to get your experiment working

Step-by-step projects include:

Phone experiments

• Make an LED light up
• Make an LED flash
• Create colors with an RGB LED
• Build a working telephone

• Create indicator lights
• Build a temperature sensor
• Make an electronic horn
• Set up a water sensor

• Design a basic alarm circuit
• Make a pressure-sensitive mat
• Create a touch-activated alarm
• Build an electronic security keypad
• Make a reading light that switches on when it goes dark

• Create a random number generator
• Flip an electronic coin
• Get ready for infrared target practice
• Build a sound-effects generator