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If not for Strawberry Fields Forever, I would probably not have looked into the Mellotron. The introduction to Strawberry Fields Forever was played on a Mellotron using the flute voice. (It appears that Paul McCartney owns that Mellotron.) This is a link to a good introduction to the Mellotron: https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/how-mellotrons-work-and-what-makes-them-so-special. Samples of Mellotron voices are [...]

As a retired physician and an electronic hobbyist, the prospect of assembling a simple ECG using three small circuit boards available from SparkFun was very interesting.  It was also an opportunity to work with an Arduino minicomputer.  Previously, I had used the Raspberry Pi in a number of projects. I had also managed not to [...]

The circuit described here that senses the charge of a control circuit in a sound effects generator and lights a Bi-color LED red if the charge is positive or green if the charge is negative is the one circuit in all of my electronic construction that I designed completely from scratch. The sound effects generating [...]

History Figure 1. Miniature Phalaenopsis orchid I know that this does not look like an electronic project but it does represent the reason I became interested in electronic devices and circuits. Some time ago, I installed a small greenhouse for my collection of tropical plants. The next day, the temperature in the greenhouse was 105° [...]

Starr Single Action Army Revolver History The U.S. Starr Arms Co. produced firearms from 1858 to 1867.Starr double action .44 caliber revolvers, with serial numbers from 1 to about 23,000, were manufactured first in advance of the Civil War and were chosen as one of the three main pistols for the Union forces. The double [...]

Philosophy Antiques age. Ivory stored in the light will darken. Metals,in time may develop a pleasing patina but if stored with moisture may rust and lose appearance and function. Old lubricants harden and can impair appearance and function. Museums generally conserve their collection by controlling storage conditions such as light, temperature and humidity. They may [...]

I have a wide range of interests and most of those have transitioned into hobbies. I look forward to sharing my experiences in these areas and hope that you find these essays interesting and of some use. These are my experiences, impressions and opinions and I do not represent them as advice or affirm that [...]