Sneak Preview

Build your own electric bike
Next month we show how to build an electric bicycle from a kit of parts of (no wonder!) Chinese origin. For little money we got an electromotor, a drive unit, a ‘throttle’, two brake handles and a sensor. The motorised wheel replaces the existing front wheel on your bike. The kit was taken through its paces in the Elektor labs to see if it’s any good and the results are published next month.

Remote controlled volume pot
Remote control is now common for all sorts of equipment in and around the home. With most quality audio gear it’s also great to be able to adjust the volume remotely. However, home made and high-end amplifiers however often lack the functionality and that’s why we describe a remote volume control that employs a premium Alps potentiometer with motor drive. The electronics involved allows the pot to be controlled with just about any RC5 compatible remote you may have lying around.

Cellphone Remote switcher
Many situations exist where it would be useful to be able to switch electrical equipment (such as a heating system) on and off from large distances. The circuit published in next month’s Elektor enables this to be achieved with an ordinary cellphone (a.k.a. ‘mobile’ or GSM). Three switching outputs are available for mains-powered equipment. The Text (SMS) message returned by the circuit tells you the current status of each of these outputs. If a GPS receiver is connected up, it is even possible to have the unit send you map coordinates of the remote circuit.

The November 2008 issue comes on sale on Thursday 23 October 2008 (UK distribution only).
UK mainland subscribers will receive the issue between 17 and 20 October 2008.