Electronics students make mini projects involving radios. For example, they design and build a small AM/FM receiver that fits in a case and delivers audio through a miniature speaker as well as earphones. Or, they develop an FM radio transmitter, which can serve as a baby monitor or as a low-power radio station in the dorms.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are small, inexpensive and consume little power. A student can arrange them in a grid and connect them to electronic components, including a programmable chip to make them display different patterns. A single LED or a cluster of them is suitable for making a mini flashlight project.
A small speaker connected to a dial or switches and electronic components serve to make mini electronics projects that focus on sound, such as a white noise generator to help someone relax and fall asleep, or a miniature organ to play music. By adding a microphone and a chip to record electrical signals, a student can make a small audio memo recorder.
Sensors can detect the presence of light or darkness, which then trigger an action, such as making a lamp turn on when the environment grows dark, or turning a light off when morning arrives. Other types of sensors suitable for mini electronics projects include an infrared transmitter and detector that face one another, such as on opposite sides of a doorway so that when a passerby breaks the beam, the sensor detects it and activates an alarm.