For Speed, Area, Power, and Reliability
This book teaches the fundamentals of FPGA operation, covering basic CMOS transistor theory to designing digital FPGA chips using LUTs, flip-flops, and embedded memories. Ideal for electrical engineers aiming to design large digital chips using FPGA technology.
Discover:
The inner workings of FPGA architecture and functionality.
Hardware Description Languages (HDL) like Verilog and VHDL.
The EDA tool flow for converting HDL source into a functional FPGA chip design.
Insider tips for reliable, low power, and high performance FPGA designs.
Example designs include:
Computer-to-FPGA UART serial communication.
An open-source Sump3 logic analyzer implementation.
A fully functional graphics controller.
What you need:
Digilent BASYS3 or similar FPGA eval board with an AMD/Xilinx FPGA.
Vivado EDA tool suite (available for download from AMD website free of charge).
Project source files available from author’s GitHub site.
This bundle contains the popular Elektor Sand Clock for Raspberry Pi Pico and the new Elektor Laser Head Upgrade, offering even more options for displaying the time. Not only can you "engrave" the current time in sand, you can now alternatively write it on a glow-in-the-dark foil or create green drawings.
Contents of the bundle
Elektor Sand Clock for Raspberry Pi Pico (normal price: €50)
Elektor Laser Head Upgrade for Sand Clock (normal price: €35)
Elektor Sand Clock for Raspberry Pi (Raspberry Pi-based Eye Catcher)
A standard sand clock just shows how time passes. In contrast, this Raspberry Pi Pico-controlled sand clock shows the exact time by "engraving" the four digits for hour and minute into the layer of sand. After an adjustable time the sand is flattened out by two vibration motors and everything begins all over again.
At the heart of the sand clock are two servo motors driving a writing pen through a pantograph mechanism. A third servo motor lifts the pen up and down. The sand container is equipped with two vibration motors to flatten the sand. The electronic part of the sand clock consists of a Raspberry Pi Pico and an RTC/driver board with a real-time clock, plus driver circuits for the servo motors.
A detailed construction manual is available for downloading.
Features
Dimensions: 135 x 110 x 80 mm
Build time: approx. 1.5 to 2 hours
Included
3x Precut acrylic sheets with all mechanical parts
3x Mini servo motors
2x Vibration motors
1x Raspberry Pi Pico
1x RTC/driver board with assembled parts
Nuts, bolts, spacers, and wires for the assembly
Fine-grained white sand
Elektor Laser Head Upgrade for Sand Clock
The new Elektor Laser Head transforms the Sand Clock into a clock that writes the time on glow-in-the-dark film instead of sand. In addition to displaying the time, it can also be used to create ephemeral drawings. The 5 mW laser pointer, with a wavelength of 405 nm, produces bright green drawings on the glow-in-the-dark film. For best results, use the kit in a dimly lit room. Warning: Never look directly into the laser beam!
The kit includes all the necessary components, but soldering three wires is required.
Note: This kit is also compatible with the original Arduino-based Sand Clock from 2017. For more details, see Elektor Magazine 1-2/2017 and Elektor Magazine 1-2/2018.
Schrittweise Einführung in das praktische Schaltungsdesign
Der Einstieg in die Elektronik ist nicht so schwierig, wie man vielleicht denkt. Mit diesem Buch werden die wichtigsten Konzepte der Elektrotechnik und Elektronik auf spielerische Weise erkundet, indem verschiedene Experimente durchgeführt und Schaltungen simuliert werden. Es vermittelt Elektronik praxisnah, ohne in komplexen Fachjargon oder lange Berechnungen einzutauchen. Dadurch werden schon bald eigene Projekte ermöglicht.
Es sind keine Vorkenntnisse in Elektronik erforderlich; lediglich einige grundlegende Algebra-Kenntnisse werden in wenigen einfachen Berechnungen verwendet. Viele getestete und funktionierende Projekte und Simulationen werden vorgestellt, um mit dem Aufbau elektronischer Schaltungen vertraut zu werden. Für problemloses Experimentieren – ohne die Gefahr, etwas zu beschädigen – werden zudem frühzeitig auch softwarebasierte Schaltungssimulationen vorgestellt.
Lernziele:
Konzepte von Spannung, Strom und Leistung
Wechselstrom (AC) und Gleichstrom (DC)
Grundlegende Lampenschaltungen mit Schaltern
Passive Bauteile: Widerstände, Kondensatoren und Induktivitäten
RC- und RCL-Schaltungen und Elektromagnetismus
Lautsprecher, Relais, Summer und Transformatoren
Aktive Bauteile: Dioden und LEDs, Bipolartransistoren und MOSFETs
Transistorbasierte Schaltungen
Optokoppler-Schaltungen
Astabile und monostabile Multivibratoren
Verwendung des 555-Timer-ICs
Operationsverstärkertechnik
Digitale Logik
Beispiele: Verstärker, Oszillatoren, Filter und Sensoren
Test- und Messwerkzeuge
Mikrocontroller: Arduino Uno, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico und Raspberry Pi
Datenblätter lesen und Auswahl von Komponenten
EMV & EMI sowie Normen & Vorschriften
KI in der Praxis
Tauchen Sie ein in die faszinierende Welt der Robotik und Automatisierung!
Dieses Elektor Special zeigt, wie Sie mit Kreativität, etwas Know-how und günstiger Technik eigene Roboter bauen können. Vom ersten DIY-Projekt mit Arduino oder Raspberry Pi bis hin zu intelligenten Systemen mit KI – dieses Heft macht moderne Robotik verständlich und greifbar.
Entdecken Sie praxisnahe Anleitungen, inspirierende Projekte und spannende Einblicke in die Maker-Szene. Lernen Sie, wie aus Experimentierfreude, Gemeinschaft und Offenheit echte Innovation entsteht – und warum Robotik weit mehr ist als nur ein technisches Hobby.
Inhalt
Phantasie wird Realität
Arduino-controlled Drawing Robot
GalaxyRVR Mars Rover Kit for Arduino
YDLIDAR X4Pro Lidar
xHuskyLens AI Camera
DOF Robot Arm mit Raspberry Pi Pico
Fertigungsroboter mit Fischertechnik
Pneumatischer Industrieroboter
Warum bauen wir immer wieder Roboterhunde?
Elektor Mini-Wheelie
Roboterfahrzeuge und autonomes Fahren
Practical Introduction to 3D Modeling from Enclosure to Front Panel
Embedding a vintage component, creating a professional looking home for a circuit board, or even designing a complex apparatus complete with a chassis – these and many other challenges turn into a stimulating pleasure with FreeCAD. Once you have internalized the basic processes, there are virtually no limits to your imagination.
Starting to use a new software is never straightforward – especially with a tool as versatile as FreeCAD. Manageable, but at the same time easily usable individual components provide the starting point in this book. Putting these components together later results in assemblies.
In the FreeCAD universe, a workable trajectory is demonstrated. The described procedure is illustrative so the examples are easily applied to custom tasks. The devices were made by the author and illustrated with photos.
Creating a 3D design is requiring some effort but the initial investment pays off soon. Besides the impressive spatial representation of the projects, the extracted drawings yield a solid base for documentation and production. Extended FreeCAD capabilities like the unfolding of sheet metal parts enormously add to efficiency and pushes models forward into practical assembly.
Soon you will definitely not want to do without FreeCAD!
A Practical Guide to AI, Python, and Hardware Projects
Welcome to your BeagleY-AI journey! This compact, powerful, and affordable single-board computer is perfect for developers and hobbyists. With its dedicated 4 TOPS AI co-processor and a 1.4 GHz Quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU, the BeagleY-AI is equipped to handle both AI applications and real-time I/O tasks. Powered by the Texas Instruments AM67A processor, it offers DSPs, a 3D graphics unit, and video accelerators.
Inside this handbook, you‘ll find over 50 hands-on projects that cover a wide range of topics—from basic circuits with LEDs and sensors to an AI-driven project. Each project is written in Python 3 and includes detailed explanations and full program listings to guide you. Whether you‘re a beginner or more advanced, you can follow these projects as they are or modify them to fit your own creative ideas.
Here’s a glimpse of some exciting projects included in this handbook:
Morse Code Exerciser with LED or BuzzerType a message and watch it come to life as an LED or buzzer translates your text into Morse code.
Ultrasonic Distance MeasurementUse an ultrasonic sensor to measure distances and display the result in real time.
Environmental Data Display & VisualizationCollect temperature, pressure, and humidity readings from the BME280 sensor, and display or plot them on a graphical interface.
SPI – Voltmeter with ADCLearn how to measure voltage using an external ADC and display the results on your BeagleY-AI.
GPS Coordinates DisplayTrack your location with a GPS module and view geographic coordinates on your screen.
BeagleY-AI and Raspberry Pi 4 CommunicationDiscover how to make your BeagleY-AI and Raspberry Pi communicate over a serial link and exchange data.
AI-Driven Object Detection with TensorFlow LiteSet up and run an object detection model using TensorFlow Lite on the BeagleY-AI platform, with complete hardware and software details provided.
For Raspberry Pi, ESP32 and nRF52 with Python, Arduino and Zephyr
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio chips are ubiquitous from Raspberry Pi to light bulbs. BLE is an elaborate technology with a comprehensive specification, but the basics are quite accessible.
A progressive and systematic approach will lead you far in mastering this wireless communication technique, which is essential for working in low power scenarios.
In this book, you’ll learn how to:
Discover BLE devices in the neighborhood by listening to their advertisements.
Create your own BLE devices advertising data.
Connect to BLE devices such as heart rate monitors and proximity reporters.
Create secure connections to BLE devices with encryption and authentication.
Understand BLE service and profile specifications and implement them.
Reverse engineer a BLE device with a proprietary implementation and control it with your own software.
Make your BLE devices use as little power as possible.
This book shows you the ropes of BLE programming with Python and the Bleak library on a Raspberry Pi or PC, with C++ and NimBLE-Arduino on Espressif’s ESP32 development boards, and with C on one of the development boards supported by the Zephyr real-time operating system, such as Nordic Semiconductor's nRF52 boards.
Starting with a very little amount of theory, you’ll develop code right from the beginning. After you’ve completed this book, you’ll know enough to create your own BLE applications.
3K5 Noteworthy Designs (1975-2026)
This USB archive stick contains over 3,500 noteworthy circuits from all areas of electronics (audio & video, hobby & modelling, home & garden, test & measurement, computers & microcontrollers, radio, power supplies & batteries) published in Elektor Magazine since 1975. Most circuits are sourced from the Elektor Summer Circuits editions.
You can use the article search function to find specific content in the full text. The results are always shown as preformatted PDF documents. Adobe Reader may be used to browse articles as well as find individual words and expressions using the program’s integrated Search functions.
Please note that no Summer Circuits editions were published between 2014 and 2022, so these years are not included in the directory.
Specifications
Storage
16 GB
Connectors
1x USB-A1x USB-C
Pull Down Lever For Highest Score!
This Elektor Circuit Classic from 1984 shows a playful application of CMOS 400x series logic ICs in combination with LEDs, a highly popular combination at the time. The project imitates a spinning-digit type slot machine.
The Game
To play the game, first agree on the number of rounds. Player 1 actuates the switch lever as long as desired and releases it. The LEDs then show the score which is the sum of the 50-20-10-5 digits lit up. If the Play Again! LED lights, Player 1 has another, “free” round. If not, it’s Player 2’s turn. The players keep tab of their scores, and the highest score wins.
Features
LEDs Indicate Score
Multi-Player and Play Again!
Elektor Heritage Circuit Symbols
Tried & Tested by Elektor Labs
Educational & Geeky Project
Through-Hole Parts Only
Included
Printed Circuit Board
All Components
Wooden Stand
Bill of Materials
Resistors (5%, 250 mW)
R1,R2,R3,R4 = 100kΩ
R5,R6,R7,R8,R9,R10 = 1kΩ
Capacitors
C1 = 4.7nF, 10%, 50V, 5mm
C2 = 4.7μF, 10%, 63V, axial
C3,C4 = 100nF, 10 %, 50V, ceramic X7R, 5mm
Semiconductors
LED1-LED6 = red, 5mm (T1 3/4)
IC1 = 74HC4024
IC2 = 74HC132
Miscellaneous
S1 = switch, toggle, 21mm lever, SPDT, momentary
S2 = switch, tactile, 24V, 50mA, 6x6mm
S3 = switch, slide, SPDT
IC1,IC2 = IC socket, DIP14
BT1 = PCB-mount CR2032 battery retainer clip
Desktop Stand
PCB 230098-1
Not included: BT1 = CR2032 coin cell battery
Het boek “Sensoren aan de Raspberry Pi” richt zich tot iedereen die zich wil verdiepen in een Raspberry Pi in combinatie met Windows 10 IoT Core. Dit besturingssysteem biedt samen met een RPi weliswaar veel rekenkracht, maar voor de communicatie met de buitenwereld zijn nog externe modules en sensoren nodig. Daartoe wordt in dit boek gebruik gemaakt van een sensor-kit met 35 modules die nog geen 60 euro kost.
Auteur Florian Schäffer begint zijn boek met de introductie van de Raspberry Pi en hij beschrijft welke hardware u nodig hebt om met de RPi te kunnen werken. Dan volgt een eerste kennismaking met Windows 10 IoT Core. Daarna wordt dieper ingegaan op het gebruik van Visual Studio 2015 en worden de eerste programmeervoorbeelden beschreven. Ook wordt uitgelegd hoe een MySQL-databank kan worden aangestuurd via een app en hoe de als webserver kan worden ingezet.
In het tweede deel worden de sensoren stuk voor stuk beschreven met hun eigenschappen en worden er veel toepassingsvoorbeelden gegeven. De source-codes van de programma’s zijn als download bij het boek beschikbaar. Tot slot wordt nog aandacht besteed aan het gebruik van druktoetsen en schakelaars, en het werken met digitale uitgangen en analoge ingangen.
With 20+ Practical Projects in Logic and Circuit Design
This book is a practical guide to digital electronics, covering the essential components of modern digital systems: number systems, logic gates, Boolean algebra, combinational and sequential logic, and more.
Through more than 20 structured projects, you’ll design and build digital systems using real-world components such as logic gates, multiplexers, decoders, flip-flops, counters, and shift registers. The projects range from basic LED logic circuits to digital locks, display systems, traffic light controllers, and timing-based designs.
Selected projects introduce the use of tools such as CircuitVerse for circuit simulation, while several designs make use of 74HC-series logic devices, commonly used in digital hardware prototyping.
Inside, you’ll find:
Clear coverage of number systems and binary arithmetic
Logic gate fundamentals and universal gate implementations
Step-by-step projects using flip-flops, counters, and registers
Real-world design with 74HC-series logic chips
Techniques for designing combinational and sequential systems
This book takes a design-first, application-driven approach to digital electronics—built around working circuits, tested logic, and hands-on experimentation.