Invention Lab — Powered by RadioShack®

This was very easy but we had to figure it out ourselves…

We built an AM Radio transmitter using the Electronics Lab from RadioShack. The only piece we had to buy was a 1000mhz oscillator. So it broadcast at 1000 am. FCC allows a 3 meter antenna which will give you a good range. I used a small 1/2 meter antenna (connected to the yellow wire) and it broadcast about 50 feet.

Using other parts from the kit, I also put in a pulsating light that blinks with the beat.

Attached is a photo. There is a 100UF capacitor between the oscillator and LED light.

In the photo is hooked up to my MP3 and running on 4.5 volts. I also hooked it up to my computer and could use the microphone and play things like a “disc jockey”.

RadioShack has come out with a smaller / cheaper version of Electronics lab for $50 which will probably work. I’m not sure if has the transformer on it. In my picture, that is where the MP3 player is plugged in.

Sorry I don’t have a schematic…

MP3 Player -> Transformer
Electricity (4.5 volts) -> Transformer
Transformer and Ground -> Oscillator
Oscillator->Antenna.
Oscillator->capacitor->LED

I also got a solderless “bread board” with a battery plug and it worked as well. Cheaper than the Eletronics Lab but I think the RadioShack product was worth it and got us started doing cool projects.

–Roy

I’ve compiled a brief tutorial on getting started with Arduino for the absolute beginner. I’ll cover where to learn, what to buy, and where to go for help. Why should you crafters be interested in Arduino? The Arduino platform, more-so than any other way of incorporating electronics into your projects, is geared towards do-it-yourselfers. It’s open source (both on a hardware and software level), so the community plays a large role in its development and improvement. (more…)