MARCH 2023 os WIM $7150 NZ $1220 A drop-in replacement for a volume control potentiometer = [42] Model Railway Turntable == An excellent addition to nearly any model allway layout — = [56] Altium Designer 23 jovering the software's newest feature CO AVRO anu er VED UNDERWATERPIRMOTION DUALULTRASONIC DETECTION MODULE SENSOR MODULE dhchunable dala ios Jena $6. 245000 15¢y0na6 Kcaiagess er eR Cmca Renee extensive range of Arduino® compatible Modules, Shields & Accessories. OVER 100 TYPES TO CHOOSE FROM AT GREAT PRICES. ADDRESSABLE RGE LEDS SOILMONSTURE SENSOR MODULE 11.3? MONOCHROME CLeD DISPLAY (f/f 20ieD STRIP WITH 120 Me ADDRESSABLE RGB LEDS + 2nlenayflenble, vateproct HaLLerreer xcewoss4.95 SENSOR MODULE jaycarcomaufprojacts Shop at Jaycar for: e ae + Arduino? Compatible |» Prototyping Hardware / cara pati eens Me) Na eae g° = Disly Modules Project Encloaires + Servos, Solenoid &Molors « Serlos & Mi " i fe think. possible. * Wheels &Chacsie * Switches &rel Explore our wide range of Arduine" compatible modules, shields and accessories, ff jaycar.com.au/shioldemodules inabel lo eenam oe es ah eee he lel eda lal [1800 02 eadContents VoLl36, No.@3 March 2023 HEE] Underwater Communication There are many challenges when trying to communicate underwater using current technology. We take a look af how voice & data is transmitted through the see {0 and from submennes, drones and oler vessels. By Dr David Maddison Technotogy feature EEG Altium Designer 23 Vie were keen to see what the fatest version of Akium's electronics design automation software had 10 offer New features include muitiple IC pin functions Design Reuse Blocks and better MCAD integration, By Tim Biythman Software review EY ZPB30A1 30V 10A DC Load This programmable constant-evrrent DC foad ean be used to test power ‘supplies and check the oapavity of batteries, ls @ self-contained device ‘that delivers good vaiue for money. By Jim Rowe Using electronic modules The Digital Potentiometer This drop-in replacement fora volume control potentiometer uses @ digital 1G, providing itenth excellent tracking and reliable long-term perfonnance. You can choose fo build itn @ compact SMD or easier through-hole version. By Phil Prosser Volume contro! project Model Railway Turntable ‘An excellent addition 10 just about any mode! railway fayout. This project Jets you turn 2 focamative around at the end of a track and automatically reverses power to the rack, stopping it from shorting out By Les Kerr Model raitway projeat EE Active Mains Soft Starter, Part 2 Wie finish off tie new Active Maine Soft Starter by covering how to assemble, test and calibrate it, The Sof Starter ig ideal for elminating the ‘kick’ from power tools rated up to 750%, By John Clarke Mains contro! project Advanced Test Tweezers, Part 2 These Test Tweezers are not just for testing passive components, they ‘can also act as a digital voltmeter logic probe, oscifiosnope, square Wave generator and serial protocol anciyeer. In the fest part ofthe series, we ‘cover the construction details and how best to use the Tweezers, By Tim Blythman Test equipment project ed DicITAL VOLUME CONTROL tis dtd Mee Ww Te DEL RAILWAY aS ADVANCED _ P74 7] Po Ar rahe Fal cl ee L. fe & ey Gl 5 ES 5 S pa) Editorial Viewp Mailbag Subscri Product Showcase Serviceman’s Log Vintage Radio Three STC Bales y Grater Pasi Circuit Notebook 1 Regenerative BO ett tet 2 Sopemteareect nm Online Shop Ask SILICON CHIP Market Centre Advert 1g Index Notes & ErrataCHIP. 5.00001 Publisher Eator Nicholas ¥inen Technical Eftor John Clatke ~ BE (Ele) Technical Staff Jim Rave ~ B.A, B.S. Bao Smith -E Se, Tim Bihan ~ BE, So. Advertising Enquires (02) 9939 3295 adverts@silconchip.com.au Regular Conbvibutors Alla Linton Smith Dave Thompson David Maddison ~B.App.Se. (Hons 1), PhO, Gad. Dip Ent inno Geoff Graham Associate Professor Graham Pastor Dr Hugo Holden ~ 6.18, MECH, FRANZCO lan Batty ~ MLE Phi Prosser - 8 Sc., BE (Flee) Cartoonist Louis Bectevel loueee.com Founding Eto (retired) Leo Simpson - 8.Bus, FAIGD Siucon CHP is published 12 times: year hy Silicon Chip Publications Pay Lid, ACN 626 929 470. ABN 20 880 $26 923. All material ie copy: fight ©. No part of this publication maybe reproduced without the vitten scmsent ofthe publisher, Subscription rates (Australia only) ‘issues {6 months): $65 TPissues yea): $120 ‘AAissues {2 years: | S230 Online subscription (Workiwie) sues {6 months}; $80 Hee” Ge ‘Dissues {2 years: $185 For overseas rates, see our website of «mail silicanslicenchip.comay Recomended & mari ise on. Eeitoral office: Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Henbord Brookvale, NSW 2100, Postal address: PO Box 194, Matraile, NS 2036, Phone: (02) 9929 3295, Issn: 1030-2662 Painting and Distribution Spotpress 24-26 Lilla Foe Pl, Marickylle 2204 2 SmIGON CEP Editorial Viewpoint What would be a good topic for an editorial in SILICON CHIP magazine? A good topic could be the latest developments in micro- controller technology and their applications jn vaxi- ous fields, the current trends in electronics design and ei the challenges faced by designers and engineers, the S impact of emerging technologies such as the Intemet of Things (loT) and artificial intelligence (Al) on the electronics industry. or a review of new and innovative electronic products fhat are available on the market The editorial could also cover topice such as alactronies hobby projectsand DIY (Do tt Yourself ‘Write 400-450 words about the impact of AI on the electronics industry: Anifital Jmaliganee (Al) has boon making tte prosanca jalt in the olectrontas industry for quite soma ttma nove. The technology has been zapidty advancing and.ts @nplicattane sn varsous falds have meraacad sigesffeantly. Tha repack of Af on the electronics industry has boon far-soaohing and profound. ‘One ofthe primary ways Al has impacted th electronics industry 16 through the davelopmont of smart and autonomous davices. Thasa davieas ara capable of collecting, processing and analyeing data in realtime, making therm more sffictent and affective in parfarming their dasignatad tasks For example, AEpowered smart hiome devices can automatically adjust the tamparatare, lights and othar anvironmantal factors based on the habits and preferances of their owners. in the autometive sector, Al is being wead t0 devalop salt driving care that can navigate roads and maka decisions witheat Juan intervention ‘Another significant impact of Alon the electronics industry isthe increased spood andaccurzcy of alactronte design and testing. Alalgortthars can analyza ‘ust amounts of data and identify trends, pattarrs and anomalies that would osmpessiblo fora human to dotact. This has allowed for the development of more complex and sophisticated alectronic systems, and has also zaducod the time and resources 2oquited for tasting and validation. “Allis cleo opened up nate opportenstias forthe alacteanics industry by cm atingnorrand innovative products. For example, AL-powrad wearable dovicos bond smart spazkers are Sacoming increasingly popalazand have created « net smuzkot for oloctronics manafacrurers, Similarly, Al has been used to develop voicecontrolled virtual assistants fhat can parforma range of tasks, from playing masic to managing schedules and making reservations owaver, the impact of Al on the eloctronies industry is no just nite to product development. It has also had a significant impact on the workforce in the industry. Al end automation have teplaced many manieal and repate ‘tive tasks, ing ap workers to focus on higher-level tasks such as design, ssesurch and innovation However, the increased use of AL ba: also raised concerns about job dis placement, particularly among workers in loirekillnd cles. In conchision, AI has had a profound impact an tho slectronice industry cond is changing the inay im live and work Ite applications ore far-reachin; dnd its impatt & anly2ei to fncreoee inthe fatara Ao tha technology continacs to evolve, it will be interesting to ses hots the electronics industry continues { mcorporate Aland how s will hapa the future of electronics end bayand. = GhatGPT by Open Al (tps:liopenci.comi) with prompt feom SiLiCe® CHIP Extremely impressive, but I don’t think my job is in danger just by Nicholas Vinen rale’s electronics magazine sificonchip.com.auSELECTION Ea or ice i ry = ae im = aoe More products. More name-brand suppliers. More. new product inventory. We simply have more of Pela) re= = hie Digi-Key eS AUile or call 1800 285 719. ‘ececrnomcs Gl Deh oa ois ge ROO EK EA FREE SHIPPING ON QUALIFIED ORDERS Pea)Ordering made easy Tools to search, check stock and purchase : MOUSER au.mouser.com/servicesandtools "1 ELECTRONICS @ australia@mouser.com1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARGH203 5Award winning Audiophile speaker kits Save big $$ on retail by building a kit No cabinetry skills? No problem! Preassembied cabinets for Super-Fast DIY Available in premium finished cabinets Some kits are avaliable as MOF flat packs BIACOUSTICS Ww PM MAU MIC ceca cee Preview only. 8 © SmICON CEP sificonchip.com.auSis fi=T I) 4 Meconie desi alll easscany expo Discover New Technologies in Electronics and High-Tech Manufacturing Reema Reot scl aC) ee technology, products and turnkey solutions for your business Plas atc marae ieee uncle ela mie e niyo CO eMC OLS fein ln tol oom ice Reh) Tits Wp moot alk crea ceorg eel eg) Temata ol oe MU] iol) PESTER awa eg ion te ary es, puso nt) Peat ST eet acti) ooo ea ee may, Es tonSe TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 8 SmICON CEP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.auKeep your electronics clean, lubricated and protected. Service Aids & Essentials GREAT RANGE. GREAT VALUE. In-stock at your conveniently located stores nationwide. PTFE HecTRICHLECTRON! DRY CLEAN ‘LEANINGUBRICAN lsopropyl Alcohol ElectronieParts © 17894200 Zeman nass as ete ttre Oates ase Brea alee sures Beer Rater pik oy set eerie SN buyer sioseee aera auras Sassen fives Sieasen. BUY 1+ S19.95EA. BUY AS21965 EA. BUY 1+ $23,956, 7 BUY 4+ S17,95EA. BUY 4+ $19.45EA. BUY 4+ $21.45 & Shop at Jaycar for even more e Q re service aids & essentials: + Adhesives & insulation Tapes» Facteners &Cable Tee think. possible. * Solder & Soldering Aids * Uleasonic Cleaners ‘Wire & Heatshrink Tubing» Toole & Workbench Acoesoories Af jaycar.comau/serviceaids Explore our full range of service aids, in stock at ~~ (1800 022 eee ‘over 110 stores, or 130 resellers or on our websi Pree arava cf plianativnt co sbogeSe TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 10 STICON CEP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.auAdis (AVES THURSDAY 2 EXTENDED, www.machin Ey] i 51 OPEN T 3, FRIDAY Y aan sA an ; Digital Caliper ew ncicse = (Tp ere ise scent onal $09 sag $35 piney Epes Emo Ra) 70-634- Spring 70-836 70-835 Divider Spring Caliper S) Spring Caliper ihn a gh Outokde Inside Hee awORIEe WS earmewotinan J \ «tenn cect aah Pare nah ) 14cao theme ~~ Aa 70-601 - Deyree Protraclor _SSR-150 - STEEL RULE ‘SSR-00- STEEL RULE folate 2 Ehomaih Dea rages Sat ehOSs imapeaatecs 1h LOM eng Re gers Tee i eae Sesame 1 aeulaorBx xoen {Giese : {ike linea msec 1 iesre mrt cera et RD 27. Ween Bim $B on HL-72L - 14¥1 LED LED Slim Rechargeable LED Rechar Work ight with 225% Handheld Work Light Maguitier iM oe a PEatela tina Sie Feld bg ds Boom = Tee ae TU-1503¥ - Opti-Tum eat Teese occ tin Bench at? int in Head te ae on ae ie eryhouse.com.au SIC2302 Co iE DeSe TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 12 STICON CEP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.auAustralia's bop electronics magazinegaa SILICON CHIP is one of the best DIY electronics magazines in the Published in world. Each month is filled with a variety of projects that you can SILICON CHIP build yourself, along with features on a wide range of topics from in-depth electronics articles to general tech overviews. =~ SS If you have an active subscription you receive 10% OFF orders from our Online Shop (siliconchip.com.au/Shop/)* * does notinclude the cost of postage Length Print Combined Online The History of Computer 6 months $65 $75 $50 | Memory; Jan & Feb 2023 Tyear $120 $140 $95 Zale 2years $230 $265 $185 ime Sm Gmonths $80 $90 All prices are ct in Australian 7 “em 1 year $145 $165 dollars (AUD). ca Combined ie 2 years $275 $310 subscriptions include both Active Mains farter; So 6months $100 $110 the printed = February & March 2023 z magazine ant c-m™ 1 year $195 $215 online access 2s ce 2 years $380 $415 J Dual-Channel Breadboard Try our Online Subscription — now with PDF downloads! PSU; December 2022 An online issue is perfect for those who don’t want too much clutter around the house and is the same price worldwide. Issues can be viewed online, or downloaded as a PDF. To start your subscription 6o to siliiconchip.com.au/Shop/Subscribe i]TODAY, WE TAKE COMMUNICATION IN MOST PLACES FOR GRANTED, AND FOR THE MOST PART, IT IS POSSIBLE. BUT UNDERWATER (AND UNDERGROUND), THINGS GET ALOT MORE DIFFICULT. STILL, THERE ARE WAYS TO GET A MESSAGE ACROSS. THIS ARTICLE WILL CONCENTRATE ON THE CHALLENGES UNDERWATER; WE WILL COVER UNDERGROUND COMMUNICATIONS IN A FOLLOW-UP ARTICLE NEXT MONTH. Eves cities and even in rural areas, wecancomectto phone towers with ourmobile phones, or we can communicate via radio directly to other radios or via repeat- ors (og, CBradio), We can use satellite phones or shortwave radios in remota areas, including at soa. ‘All these methods raly on transmit. ting radio waves through the atmo- sphore, either Iine-of sight to a tower, ‘bouncing off theground oratmospheric layers, line-of sight to a satellite over head, oF directly from transmitter to receiver. Transmitting through water or mdorground is mnch more diff. cult for the reasons explained below, Communicating through liquid or solid matter Why would you want te commmu- nicata underwater or undexground? ‘Think of vehicles like submarines or underveaterdrones, orwhen people are in a cave or mine, or buried in snow. 14 SmICON CoP Common radio frequencies used for general above-ground communi- cations are in the medium frequency (MEF), high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF), ultra high frequency (CHP) and superbigh frequency (SHF) bands, from about 300kHz to 30GHz, — 509 Tabla 1. These frequencies gen. erally don’t penetrate very farinto the ground or saltwater, Useful radio penetration into the ground or saltwater Is generally only possible with wavelengths in the extremel ylow frequency (ELF) to very low frequenciss (VF) bands, from 3H to 80kHz, An unfortunate character istic of these frequencies is that they have enormously long wavelengths, and consequently, vast antennas are required. Howover, some tricks can be used to longthen antennas electrically Also, receiving antennas don’t have to be as long as transmitting enten- has loopantonnas canalsobo used for Australia's electronics magazine reception, Apart from the lange anten- nas needed, thebandwwidth and hence data transmission ate at those low fre- quenciesisso low that voice cannotbe transmitted, only simple codes. ‘Seo Figs.1-3 fo got an idea of the vast inductors and coils used for VIF transmissions. ‘Why do longer radio wavelengths have greater penetrating power? ‘Conductive materials usually block electromagnetic waves; hence, the use of metals to shield electronics from interforence or shielding braids in coaxial cables. Conductors mostly lock radio waves because they con- tain free electrons, which are caused to oscillate by the radio wave and reflect ov absorb energy in doing so. The lower tho frequency, the less energy is absorbed because thare is, Joss coupling ofthe wave with the elac- trons. Note also that extremely thin layers of metal do allow the transmis- sion of some electromagnetic waves. sificonchip.com.au'S Navy VLF antenna for subma Also, altemating cuments mostly travel in the outside surface of con: ductors, to the ‘skin depth’, which bocomes lesser as the frequoncy increases. The skin dopth is greater in more poorly conducting materials, Seawater is also electrically con- ducting, although not nearly as con- ductive as metals, Seawater is an electrolyte that conducts mainly because of dissolved free mobile ons from common salt, primarily sodium (Na") and chlorine (C1), butalso oth- ors Like magnestum (Mg.*), calcium (Caz*) ete. These mobile fons sbsomb and reflect mostradio waves atfoquencios except the lowest. Froshwater is much loss conductive than seawater, making a, Panama and were made by Continental Electronics. Source: Figs.1-3: examples of 1960s RF variometors (variable inductors} and RF coils in a “holix house” as part of the final drive ¢ communications. These are at the US Naval Communications Station in wwanaey-radio,comamtr-vlf. itm radio penetration into freshwater ‘much greater than seawater. Still, sub- marines rarely travel in freshwater. The electrical conductivity of soa- water is typically in the range of 3-68/m (Siomans/m), compared to the conductivity of copper at 5.6107S/m and shuminium. at 8.0%107S/m, So these metals are about 10million times, ‘more conductive than seawater, Nevertheless, the electrical conduc- tivity of seawataris stil a problem for radio communications, However, for above-ground communications, this can be a benefit; it is possible to use seawater as the ground plane or coun- torpolso of an anton ‘Some rocks have a high motal con- tont, making them also somewhat conductive; this is an important con. sideration for antenna siting, Submarines Submerged submarines cannot com. municats at regularradio frequencies, and can only receive radio signals at ELF, SL, UHF and VLF frequencies (GHiz-20KH2; see Tible 1). Because of these low frequencies, Information transfer is extremely slow, far too low for voice frequencies, and only simple codes or Morse code can be transmitted, Only nine countries are known to operate VLF transmitters to commu nicato with submarines: Australia, Germany, India, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, the UK and the USA. Table 1 - radio frequency bands per the ITU (Intemational Telecommunication Union) Frequencyname Abbr. Freq.range Wavelength Some common uses No ITU designation 100,000km None known Extremely low ELF 3Hz-30Hz —100,000kmr Submarine communications frequency 10,000km ‘Super low frequency SLF 30H2- 10,000km- Submarine communications 300Hz ——_7,000km Utralowfrequency ULF 300Hz —1,000km- ©——Submarine communications, mine and cave ‘3kHe. 100km communications Verylow frequency VLF SkHz-0kH2 100km-10km Submarine communications, radio navigation systems, time signals, geophysics Low frequency LF 30kHz- = 10kmetkm ime signals, longwave AM commercial 300KH2 broadcasting in Europe end Asia, RFID, amateur radio sifisonchip.com.au {certain countries) ‘continued overleaf MARCH 203 15Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 18 STICON CEP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 17Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 18 STICON CeP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 © 19Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 20 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 2003 24Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 22 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 © 28Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 28 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 25Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 28 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.auALTRONICS ee an Le iH ——— aw $370 = Lee Upgrade your maker space; PaO e oeucads 63w nt N Compa Kil Creality® CPO1 | Soldering Staton Top spective RMSDIMM 3D Printer / CNC Router / Laser Engrave! fi oer Peete rie mea Power Inverters. Uitte portable power Rsaeoncuebat esr ests £6 (smeelatcectecliacoal|Tool up your work space oT 61 Desktop Fume Extractor ° et yes ptr Sth tea etomiagh eo aby wr rete irene besepeiconmateres tr ners ESIC cron tnecce meee trees for less. 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Super Quiet Noise Cancelling, Bluetooth® Headphones "a oan wth a ae ob adi cent mcr acne, WA.» So isetinru bn stinsa « Eoth All-In-One Mini Audio Studio For Creators Truster arenes ge sth Comfy Monitor Headphones gatyanorent ony Mert poh sn 2 ve ah [esknant ritophone 06835 yo ets sags io ‘wan Sites USB Conference Mic Ta ss Dey ce AltTronics creations Cr ee era Cte ee eee PT ee eect RC Ns ee emer ee es Cee errs ee mre oe Fated ed nikal heat AU AS Se TON ee ea LC SR ACL Eee Sey Peer erie ke cee) ee SE reser Mee Re eee SE etl Sees eee SSeS erat eee ee Cee ee ee 2DIGITAL VOLUME CONTROL ene ea i By Phil Prosser We got tired of volume control potentiometers going scratchy after just a few years and the very poor balance at low volumes. This drop-in replacement uses a digital IC, so it tracks exceptionally well and will give top performance for decades. The SMD version fits in the space occupied by most regular pots, while the through-hole version does a similar job but is a bit easier to build. WH have had to replace volume controls in our prizod equip: ment too often due to them going ‘noisy’. In the September 2022 issue, aresder wrote in with that exact same probleme we know it affects many poople. In one spectacular filure, @ ground tab on the volume pot for my work stereo failed, resulting in that chan- nel running flat-out all night, to greet ‘co-workers at full blast the next morn: ing! The gauntlet was thrown down recently when building a remote volume control, The motorised pot literally failed out of the box, the crimpedl-on tabs being loose (we know ‘others have experienced this too). Thoro must bo better solution! Why aren't thore pot-sized volume digital controls that use some of the excellent electronic volume control 1Cswith adigital rotary encoder? Well, now there are! ‘The original concept for this pro} ect wasa straight-out replacement for a volume pot. Our illustrious Editor asked the innocent question: “If you ‘have a PIG in there to control the Vol- ume IC, why not have IR remote con- trol as well?®, As it tuned out, that ‘was not too difficult to provide. ‘Tho resulting SMD dosign is a very modest size at just 25mm wide by 36mm deep. It’s just alitile larger than a typical dual-gang log pot, as shown in the photos, While this small size is clearly a boon inmany situations, we know that some readers would baulk at building it, While the board is quite packed, none of the parts are that small, Still, it wasn’t too much work to come up sifisonchip.com au ed [Based on the PGA2314UA stereo digital volume ‘contrat 1c [Ej Two independent channels (expandable upto fur, sixor more) [Ej Automatically remembers the last volume setting [ij Volume adjusted by a rotary control on the front panel or Universal IR remote control [Zj Mute function (remote controt onty) [Soft start at power-up E, ‘Clicktess’ design LE Controlted by a PicisFi5214 microcontroller and TSOP4136 IR receiver ]& Operates from a preamp power supply from £8Vto 430V & Optional LED indicator showing IR and volume change activity Breen [ Gain and attenuation range: 431.5dB Lo -95.5d8 in 0.508 steps © Channet gain match typicaly within 20.0548 © o,0002% distortion atakitz (using the ‘UA version of the 10)-seeFiga Ei Frequency response: essentially flat from 20Hzto 2okitz EZ Ableto dive 6o0e toads © Inputresistan © Signal hand ‘maximum input level [ Output Level: up to 2.5VRMS (7.5V peak-to-peak) The SMD version of the Digital Potentiometer is a ite larger than a dollar coin and just wide enough for the rotary encoder and IR receiver to ft. And forthose who don'twant to squint white building i there’s the larger through-hole version shown below. This prototype used a TS0P2136, instead of the recommended TSOP4136, which is why the iRrecelver is shown ‘mounted on the outer set of pads. Refer to the texton page 33. MaRcH 203 | 81Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 32 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 38Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 38 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 85Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 38 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 © 87Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 38 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 © 30Make amazing prints with our wide range of @SUN Resin & Filament for 3D Printers Oe od rant Per il CO aaa a @SUN Plots] 4 Seon HIGH QUALITY RESIN Ce te ee ee Td ee eas a Tadeo 850 ESET Ercan ret cs soa}Sos ee LCR e On . BCL ee oe ee ee nee ee See eee . err SO er ey think. fereslolw cry eee ee Ponts aid ‘Stronger than regular PLA aa esiLK eon nerds recur etre) Pree eene ead oes eta, rr Sere ers preeeista: rie rere er ee Eatnpes eas ty reer eee cane Deteereetinern’ ee ees Sr aisiieleiraiaccnty oe ieee een HIGH QUALITY FILAMENT Ce ee ed en ee er en ce Chane ee eee eee ees eee eee ey Cee LO ane ee netsThis Turntable is an excellent addition to just about any model railway tayout. It allows you to turn a locomotive around at the end of a track and automatically reverses power to the rails, so they aren't shorted out. The electronics are easy to build, while the other parts can be made with moderate machining skills. AILWAY TURNTABLES have been around since 1830, Some early ‘ongines could only run in one direction, so there nocded tobe a way totum them around. The solution was tolsyrailsonabridge and then mount the whole assembly on a bearing, To reduce sag as the engine moved onto the ‘table’, four wheols on the bridge extremities transferred the ‘woight to acircularrail that ran around the perimeter. Initially, the nirntables were rotated ‘byhand, Dut later on, they were moto- rised, I can remember as a young lad being fascinated thet the driver and firaman could push a massive steam 42 STICON CEP engine through 180° with litte effort In Australia, mostmajor comntry towns ‘on the railways had one, Still, once the steam era ended, they fall into decline as the diasel engines were double-ended: ie, they could be driven from both ends. As Iman Pockott-style tank engines ‘on my OO gauge model railway, 1 searched the intemet for a suitably. sized turntable and found one at Swa- ago in the UK. Tbasod my design on that, and you can sae it oparating in tho ‘video at siliconchip.aw/Vidoos! jeleRailway+ Turntable you have langer engines, the dosign can be used by increasing its dimensions, The only restriction is the maximum diameter that yourlathe can turn, Tamusingabipolar200-step stepper ‘motor to rolate the train deck. As you need to Line up the moving rails with the stationaryrails precisely, themotor isdriven using eight micro steps. This ‘means the motormoves through sth of a step for each controller input pulse, ‘Torotute it 180", you need to pulse the motor 800 times, giving better accu- racy than in single-step mods. Tho other challenge is that younved to provide power to the rotating rails and need to reverse the Tall polart once the turntable has rotated throu; sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 48Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. a SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 45Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 46 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 a7Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 48 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 49Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 50 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 51Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 52 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 58Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 54 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.auPRODUCT SHOWCASE Electronex arrives in Melbourne this May Flectronex, the electronics destgn and assembly expo returns to the Mel bourne Convention, and Exhibition Centre on the 10-11" of May 2028, Eloctronox is Australia’s pre eminent exhibition for companies using electronics in design, assembly, ‘manufacture and service in Australis. ‘The SMCBA Flectronics Design and ‘Manufacture Conference will also be hhold, featuring tochnical workshops from intemational and local exparts. In an exciting new development, Flectronex will be co-located. with Australian Manufacturing Week, with trade visitors now able to visit both covonts on Wodnesday or Thursday. ‘This allows visitors to soe the entire spactrum of the latest products, tech- nology and turnkey solutions for the electronics and manufacturing sector. Attonding this event is a must for dosignors, enginoors, managors and other decision-makers involved in designing or manufacturing products that utilise electronics. ‘The expo will showcase a wide range of electronic components, sur face mount and inspection equipment, testand measurement and other prod- ucts and services, Companies can also discuss their specific requirements with contract manufacturers that can design and produce tumkey solutions. Register to ationd for freo at www.clectronox, ee id riage Arenigmrec Tenner) ee aE Tea ue cron tereerT Peete eee Nordic Semiconductors new nRF7002 companion IC for WiFi 6 ‘The nRF7002 is @ low-power WIFL 6 companion IC providing seamless dual-band connectivity (2.4 & 5GHz), Tho nRF7002 can bo used togother scith Nordic’s nRF52 & nRF53 series multi-protocol SoCs and thenRF9160 cellular lo SiP (LTE-M/NB-Io) . But italso canbe used in confunction with non-Nordic host devices, ‘The nRF7002 brings low power and secure WiFi to the IoT sphere, The @ual-band IC com- plies with station gga (STA), Soft Access, Point (AP), and WIFI direct opers- ton, and moots the IEEE 802.11, a, g, n (WABI 4°), ac (°5"), and ax (6) standards. Tt also works with Bluetooth LE, ‘Thread, and Zisboo. The nRF7002 sup. ports Target Wake ‘Time (TWD, a key ‘WiFi 6 power saving feature, Interfac- ing with a host processor is done via ‘SPLor Quad SPI. The IG offers a single spatial streain, 20MHz channel band- ‘width, 64 QAM (MCS7}, OFDMA, up to soMbps PHY throughput, and BSS. coloring. ‘The nRF70021s the ideal choice for implementing low power SSID based ‘WiFi locationing when used together with the MRF9160 and niRF Cloud Location Services, ‘This is all supported by the devel- High current inductor for automotive applications Wiirth Elektronik introduces another AEC-Q200 certified SMD inductor: the WH-XHMA, It feanires anoxtremelyhigh current capability of up to 50.5 saturation current and the ability to handle high current transient ‘peaks. Its design with a flat wire coil and composite core material ensures low copper losses and stable behavior under temperature fluctuations. siliconchip.com au ‘The WE-XHMA is particularly suit- able for use in DC/DC converters for high current supply and FPGAs, as well as filter applications. In con- trast to conventional core materials, the compact coil shows hardly any tomperature-dependent fluctuations in forms of inductance and satura- ton current, ‘The higher energy density and the compact design make it usoful for switch-mode power supplies. Further- more, it shows a lowor skin affect at higher frequencies and the heat dissi- pation towards the circuit board is also Australias electronfos maga: opment kit, The dev kit includes an nRF7002 IC and features an nRF5340 mult-protocol SoC as a host proces- sor. The nRF5340 embeds a 128MEz Arm Cortex-M33 application proces- sor and a 64MH. network processor. ‘The dev kit includes: Arduino con- nectors; two programmable buttons: a WIFI dual-band antenna and a Blue- tooth LE antenna, and cument mea- surement pins. ‘The nF7002 companion IC and dev kit ate available now from Nor dic’s distribution partners, cura a Pee better than round wire, ‘The compact molded magnetically shielded coils have an operating temperature range of 40°C to +125°C. ‘The WE-XHMA isavailable in SMT styles: 6020, 6060, 8080, 1090 snd 1510. You can also choose between saturation currents from 9.3 to 50.64. Free samples for developers are pro vided. Pires ea coal ere Cee MARCH 2029 BBre Designer 23 Review by Tim Blythman ETC UO Pes OC Cn ese R Cc er CoE LLC PT reer epee ier tic ei Reng circuit diagrams and lay out PCBs, we were keen to see what new features have been added. ders teint oe ate PCBs for projects for many years, counting back around 30 years if you include its predecessor, Protel Alutotrax. You can still download Autotrax from the Altium website (ww .altlum. convdocumentation/other installers), although you will likely need @ DOS emulator such as DOSBox to run it, Ofcourse, ithas evolved a lot since then, Sometimes the yearly updates, are ‘revolutionary’ ‘while others are ‘evolutionary’. While the latest ‘updates are more in the latiarcatsgory, several of the new features are very handy, and we will certainly be using 58 STICON CEP Screen 1: the naw Gerher Setup page places all ‘tab, Its much simpler to use than the older version, which has five different tabs, them, Other changes streamline the workflow for existing features, which is always welcome, Provious versions of Altium Designer ‘have seen substantial Improvernents, including complete code rewrites of the Schematic Editor (AD20) and PCB, Editor (AD18), as well as intogration ‘with the Altium 365 cloud tool. ‘Ourlast ECAD maviow was of Altium Designer 22 in the June issue last year (Gilicanchip.awArticle/19348), That Duilt on ourreview of Aitium365 and Altium Designer 2 from January 2021 (Giliconchip.au/Asticle/14708). Altium 365 is Altium’s ‘cloud’ tool which can be used on its ovm through 1 essential settings on a single Austral! browser and Js also integrated into versions of Altium Designer from Altium Designer 20 onward, ‘Most of the features of Altium Designer are only available to paid subscribers, but this review also men- tons some free online tools. For example, Altium 365 has a free online file viewer at www.altium.comy viowar/ and you can registar fora free Altium account to access the features of Altium 265 Basic. ‘Altiuin Designer is used widely in Industry by companies who design much more complex end exacting designs than us; many new features, past and present, are afmed at such, companies, Still, some new features are just as valuable for small organ sations like SICICON CH, This roviow is of Aldum Dosignor version 23.0.01; you might see even mors updates and features if you use a later version, A minor version update appears about once per month. ‘We shall. now look at some of the improvements in AD28, describing them one by one, Gerber export Gerberfiles(also known as 5-274) are sent to PCB manufecturers for making the actual PCBs, So the cor- sect specifications and units (!) must, bbo usod whon generating these files. ‘Annaw version of Altium Designar’s Garbar filogeneration dialogbaxis now available, shown in Screen 1. This was enabled by default on our installation of Altium Designer 23, but appears to sificonchip.com.auhave become available earlisrin 2022, Thisis arnich simplerand moresuc- cinct view than the older dialog box, which had five tabs and many seloc: tions see used sparingly, if at al. From now on, we will be using the nower dialog box for our Gatbar file exports. Ifitis not enabled, you can change thatby ticking the ULUnification,Ger berDislog setting under Advanced options on the System > General page of tho Proferonces dialog box. File comparison AlltiumDesigner 28 introduces alle Comparison tool that ean work with schematles, PCBs, Gerber Mes and BOMs (bills of materials). Since we ‘occasionally need to update dasigns to account for errors, improvements and even altemative parts, seeing the differences between file versions can bo extremely useful In the past, we often had to resort to a ‘flicker test, rapidly switching botwoen tho two files so that our eyes could pick out the differences, That relies on aligning them properly and fast switching, and fs error prone, so thank goodness we won't have to do that anymore! ‘The option is found under the Proj ect » Show Differences menu item and thedislogbox, seen in Screen?, allows two files to be chosen for comparison, Screen 3 shows two versions of our Advanced SMD Test ‘Wweezers PCB with the differences listed at left and highlighted on the right. In this case, ‘we moved a header slightly between the two versions, Clicking on the listed items high. lights them in the PCB view. Besides comparing different rovisions, such a tool could also be handy for reverse enginsering or recreating a design. If you have online aceass to proj- ects via Altium 365, you can perform a file comparison vis a project's His toryin thebrowser interface, as shown, in Scroan 4. ‘There's even a version of the tool that does not require an Altium account, slthough it only works for Gerberfiles, Itcan be found on the web at woww.altium.com (output shown in Screen 5) Design Reuse Blocks A Rouso Black is a circuit snippat that can be added as though it ware a component. At first glance, a Reuse Block seems like 2 module, and in sificonchip.com.a Screen 2: filo ‘comparisons can. bbe made from this window by selecting two different files, including, schematic, PCE, Gerbor and BOM files. Hore we chose two differont vorsions of the same projec PCB. ‘ave compared, their differences are listed on tho left and shown ‘graphically ‘at right, by highlighting the component ‘or track that Screen 4: Altium 365 also allows projects to be compared over their history. A ‘commit (fle version) can be selected, and individual files can be compared with other versions, as seon hore, MARCHE 2003 37Ot 1B compare new crore Screen 5: Gerber files can be compared with the free online tool at»: im com/gerher-compare’ This shows two versions of the Advanced SMD Test Tweezers, with red and green colour coding for the differences, Screen 6: to try out the Design Reuse Blocks feature, we created this block » Her and a handful of passive components. ‘The civenit jor aschomatic or PCB file and added as nevded. consisting of a microcont snippet can now be placed in ei ‘mony cases, couldbe interchangeable, Reuse Blocks can be accessed from the Design Reuse panel (from the Pan- elsbution), Crucially, itcan consistofa schematic document and a PCB docu- ‘ment, but it doesn’ tneed to haveboth. ‘As the name suggests, it is a doc- ‘ument snippet thet could be used in multiple projects. The standard work- flow is tolay out the schematic, includ- {ing wining, then lay outand route the PCB block. It can then be placed as @ ‘component’ from the Design Reuse panel, One scenario where this would come in handy Is if a part of a circuit {s subject to specific routing require. ments due to speed or RF emissions. ‘This routing becomes part ofthe Rouse Block, Or you may want to build a six-channel amplifier, in which case you can design one channel and then place it six times, Updating the origi ‘nal will affoct all six channels. ‘Once you have created and used a block, you can easily drop itinto other designs where theremainder ofthe cir- cuit can be routed around the existing emibedded routing. This is also a way to reuse known-good designs with minimal testing and validation. ‘The schomatic module can be placed as a group of components, as it would appear on the schematic, or as a ‘black box’ module, where con- nections can be made to namod ports. 88 STICON CEP Sucha block canrbe created by copy ing and pasting part of an existing design (schematic, PCB file or both) or made from scratch. Screen 6 shows a Reuse Block that ‘wo croated. This consists of a micro- controller and its essential passive devices; the routingcreates a compact unit that can be built on, ‘This feature would be conventent if you are doing a lot of similar designs ‘with common building blocks, It also simplifies using a common inventory, as the same components are guaran teed to be used in the blocks. ‘A Reuse Block can also be saved Anto the Altium 365 cloud to be made accessible across larger teams. Pin functionality ‘This feature will be especially ‘handy for those who often work with inicrocontrollers but could apply to other components too. As you might realise fromour recent microcontroller ‘eviews, such as in the October 2022, issue (siliconchip.an/Article/15505), those parts are becoming more pow. erful and versatile In particular, more peripheral fos. ‘tures are being added, and these foa- ‘tures are ofian available on many pins, Conversely, each pin on a microcon. trollerusually has many possible func- tions, Parts like the PICIBF 18146 allow any of the many digital periphorals to A ‘vemapped to any ofa group of 17 pins. ‘You'll often see on our schematics the numerous roles assigned to var- ious pins, which may include mul- tiple functions. For example, one of the pins used for programming may have a different function chuting reg. ular operation, when a programmer is not connected, Depending on the chip, it can be quite an art to juggle the available paripherals between the pins that are available for multiplexing, especially ‘when considering the PCB routing. ‘The Pin Functionality feature of Altium Designer 23 allows the pins to bo labelled with the function that is actually used in a particular appli. cation. This can be helpful in several ways. Firstly, each pin can be associated with a list of functions it can pro- vide, This will allow those involved ‘with ‘schomatic capture’ (drawing up circuit diagrams) to ensure that the correct pins are used for the correct Purpose Forexample, ifthe list included the ‘SDA’ function, you would know that the pin could be used for the data line of an °C bus. If there is a pin on that data bus lacking this function, that could indicate a mistake, Screen 7 shows how you can edit the pin fumetions, This dialogbox can bo found using the Edit option on the sificonchip.com.aufimetionality ‘can now be edited from the Pins tab of component's Properties in the schematic each pin of a device, i Pins tab of a component's Properties panel. This can be done from within the schematic document itself and does not require making changes to the schematic library, although you ‘can do It that way too. Secondly, the functions that are actually displayed on the schematic can bo solocted from 2 drop-down menu, Any number of the functions can ba chosen for display, matching the specific use in that project. ‘This canalsobe handy for some bit- ‘banged! peripherals, where a periph- eral feature (for example, PC or SPD. is performed by general-purpose 1/0 operations in software instead of via dedicated hardware peripheral just sbout any pin can be vased in such a case, and the function will not be fixed to that pin, so it would not usually be labelled with that function. Still, it can easily be addod. ‘Once a schematic has been ‘wired up’, the functions in use (of the many available) are selactad for display. This ‘will make it apparent to those writ ing the firmware what pin peripheral sifisonchip.com au Screen 8: once added, Pin functions ‘can be solocted in a schematic from a drop-down menu. This means that ‘only the specific pin fimctions that are used are displayed, configuration isneeded, Notably, only a small mumber of functions usually need to be displayed, meaning the schematic is less cluttered. Soreen 8 shows the drop-down ment that alters the displayed pin functions, Some or all of the functions of that pin can be chosen s needed. PCB Health Check Altium Designer 23 also adds the ability to run a PCB Health Check. ‘This is distinct from the Design Rules. which dictatowhotherthe PCBiscon- sistent with the fabrication rules setin accordance with (among other things) the PCB manufacturer's raquirements, ‘The PCB Health Check is more aligned with aspects that may pass a design check but are functionally impractical or incorrect. Forexample, 4 component rotation of 360° 1s usu- ally indistinguishable fromone with a 0F rotation, but this might cause prob- Joms for an external MCAD (machan. ical computer-aided design) program — see below. Other examples include zero-width os Screen & PCD Health Check is found in tho Properties panel when no objects are selected in the PCB ‘specified by Design Rules. MARCH 203 59lines and zero-area regions, which may notbeinterpreted correctly after being exported into Geibertfiles, Such objects, can be hard to find manually, since thoy are essontially invisible. ‘The PCB Health Check is available from the Properties panel within the PGB aditor anytime there is no object selected, You can see a typical report in Screen 9. From the top, there is summary of all checks, a list of reported issues for each category anda brief explanation, of the nature of the issue and how it might be fixed. Some can even be cor rected automatically. ‘We don’t think we've over run into those sorts of defects. Still, those work. ing with large designs (especially if created by 2 team) will undoubtedly ‘want to ensure they don’t have any of those problems before ordering thou- sands of boards! Ifyou experience unexplained slow- downs, crishes or strange PCB man- tufacturing problems, especially whon ‘working in collaboration with MCAD software, It might be worth perform- ing a PCB Health Check, MCAD Mechanical CAD is often closely tied with EDA/ECAD since mast aloc- tronic designs also Tequire mechani- cal components, stich as a case, front panel eto, A custom case is typioally designed with dedicated MCAD soft- ‘ware, Importantly, the electronic com- ponents must work with mechanical ‘parts, og, to ensure that the electronics ‘will At in the case and that the con- trols and displays line up correctly with cut-outs, Our Alum Designer 21 review noted the ability to integrate sith MCAD programs such as SolidWorks, AutoDesk Inventor and PTC Creo. ‘This requires the MCAD CoDesigner extension, ‘This is not 4 feature we use as we do not hava subscriptions to these programs, although we have dabbled ‘with using 3D models of enclosures to [Hl 003201074-3,couspeee: 3000 ces ramen O,Proor. — operating systems undor a DOS emulator. We only recommond doing th want to soe how we AD23 now supports integration with AutodeskFusion 360 and Siemens NX, MCAD software, This is done via the Altium 365 server, with both Altium Designer and the MCAD tool commu- nicating with Altium 266. Webinars Altum’s ‘webinars’ are @ great resource for finding out about now foatures in Altium Designor, as well as existing features that might not be immediately obvious, Apart from the Gerber export dialog box, we probably ‘would have boon unaware of many of the nowor foatures. With ongoing software updates between major versions, sometimes they will add a new feature, and you ‘won tnecessarily know untiit's men tioned ina webinar! The webinars also hint at new and upcoming features, many ofwhich can be accassed via the beta program. The beta program gives access to upcom- ing software versions before its gen eral release, Quo futuro feature we expect will bbe handy is the upcoming wiring har noss designer, which will involve a new file type. Hamasses will have a BOM (bill of materials), wiring and layout, and they can be standalone projects or be part of a multi-board assambly. ‘Theharness designer will also work ‘with Draftsman and allow manufactur ggenotate ronders of finished designs. ing drawings to be created. z I F %& souowoms ene ‘imemor——parlon3600 WR” Altium Designer 23 can now integrate with numerous MCAD tools. There is no need for manual file conversion, as Altium Designer works seamlessly with the various native MCAD file formats. 80 STICON CEP id things 30 years agot Othor planned features mentioned in tho webinar included soctional views, an update to the variant man- ager and parameterised footprints. MCAD integration will alsobe updated. to allow intogration with multt-board assemblies, Summary AltiumDesigner23 adds quite afow incremental features, many of which, ‘we think will come in handy, We're already using the new Gerber expert dialog box. In particular, the pin functionality feature will allow us to better anno- tata and document our schematic. diagrams. The PCB health check will come in handy as well. Even if you don’t use Altium Designer, you might like to try the freeonline tools that Altium provides, Availability Altiuin Designer 23 can be down- loaded by those with a paid subscrip- tion; the latest software versions are included with a subscription, Soe wove altium.convaltium-dosigner: If youhaven'tused Altium Designar before and you'd like to try it out, take a look at wwv.altium.com/altium designerifroe-trial/ Altium also offers CircultMuker (see our review in the January 219 issue: siliconchip.awA,ticle/11373), an EDA tool targeted at hobbyists. It has a similar feel to Altium Designer, although designs are avall- abletorothers to view online. You can also visit https://circultmaker-com/ ‘And as wo mentioned carlicr, Altium offers mumerous free online tools, such as the Gerber viewer and Gerber compare, There is also Altium Basic, which can be accessed by sim- ply creatinga froe account. sificonchip.com.auFast and reliable temperature measurement. Der el ee em aU Cee [rane eee eA Pro Ree acan Non-Contact Meter BU ug Been ripened Seed ‘THERMOMETER/HYGROMETER Beer nena rene Cees fated BCC Br ener Birdy ea car’ think. possible, Shop at Jaycar for: e sThantorasrts &Thacglta M sttvTerperat jay cthermomecers mpertne!ty Stem Thermor @f jaycar.comau/thermomet: (J 1800 022 eaeUsing Electronic Modules with Jim Rowe = GOW Progremmeble DG Lead SIBattenvacapacitymlestene This programmable constant- current DC load can be used for testing power supplies or checking SU Ae Cet Cer Calm 4 rte lly self-contained and delivers good value for the money. he ZPB30A1 module car iis the brand name Zhiyu, but itseoms to be made in China by a firm called AoSong ELE Co Ltd. As youcan see from the photos, it has two PCBs, ‘with the smaller one (69 % 36mm) mounted above the larger main FCB that moasures 100 x 68mm, ‘Tho 50 x 50 x 23mm heatsink is at the rear of the larger PCB, along with itsassociated cooling fan on the finned. side, forcooling the main Toad transis- tor. The fan extends past the rear of the main PCB by sbout Liman, ‘Mounted on the flat front of the heatsink is the power Mosfot that acts as the controlled load (in the centre), with 2 thermistor to its loft used for sensing its temperature, To its right is a dual schottky diode that protects the ‘power transistor from damage due to Teversed voltage polarity. Tho smaller PCB is tho control and display board, or the main ‘usor inter face’. Its four-digit 7-sogment LED dis. plays the voltage, battery capacity or various control and errormessages. In contrast, the three-digit LED display below it is mainly used to show the current flow. Six additional green 3mm LEDs indicate which parameter is bemg FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS 1 Test modes: programmable constant-current DC oad (“Funs") or battery capacity tester ("Fun") | Maximum dissipation: 608 1 Operating voltage range: 1-30V (Separate 12V s00mA supply required) 1 Operating current range: 0.1-9.99A in steps of 0.018 oma) 1 Rated current measurement accuracy: #(0.7% +40mA) | Test termination voltage range: 1-25 Voltage measurement: directly at the P+ and P- terminals or remotely for four-terminal measurements ‘1B Voltage measurement accuracy: #(1% + 0.02¥) Battery capacity maximum values: 999.9Ah, 9999Wh Battery capacity test accuracy: Protection: 5% @ O.5A,1.5% @ 28.06 1.2% @ A+ ver-temperature (“otP"), transient over-power (“oPP"), over- voltage (“ou”), reverse polarity (“Err3”) and abnormal voltage (“Err6") | Fan control: automatic, temperature-controlled Size: 69 x 433 x 57mm Weight: 2703 82 STICON CEP displayed or which 7-segment digit is, boing adjusted, while a red 3mm LED indicates when the module istuanning, ‘The function of the 3mm yellow LED function isnot explained; itis labelled 4” and seems to be a recent addl- tion to tho latest (V2.3) version of the module. ‘On the right of the smaller PCB are the two controls. The first is a rotary encoder, which changes modes and adjusts current and voltage values, The second is a small pushbutton used to confirm the module's current and ter- mination voltage settings and as an on/off control, ‘Currently, the ZPB30A1 module is available from several sources on the intemet, including Banggood (www. banggood.com/search/1146280,htm) and many suppliers on AliExpress and eBay, ranging from $14.91 plus, $7.47 for dalivery to $37.53 plus $4.4 for delivery. 1 ordered one from Banggood at a price near the high end, and after the ‘usual wait, it arrived safaly — even though it was only wrapped in bubble ‘wrap inside a plastic bag. What it does ‘Themodtulehas twomodesof operi- ton. Oueis to serve as eprogammable constant-curent DC load, while the other is to test the capacity of storage battories like Li-ton, Nicad orlead-acid batteries. ‘The basic specifications are shown in the sidebar. sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 © 68Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 6a SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 85Explore our GREAT RANGE of Filament 3D Printers Create amazing 3D prints with our great selection of 3D printers. The best brands at great prices, stocked with spare parts, great service and advice. 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(] 1800 022 esshet ae ead Opn ret et ase REALITY CR-30 LARGE FORMAT ‘PRINTS UPTO 200%170MM X INFINITE LENGTH PRINTS + INFINITE2 ROLLING CONVEYOREELT T4610 Pisce Ee magieosmase FORSD PRINTING, LASER ‘ ENGRAVING OR ENCCARVING tay cd Erneta ‘SNAPMAKER 3:1N-1 [ALLINONE 3D PRINTER/LASER ETCHER/CNCROUTER *A250T MODEL: PRINTS UP To 250x250x225MM = A350T MODEL: ne PRINTS UP To 320x350X3s0MM, ‘ MAGNETIC HEATED BUILD PLATE Sade MULT TOOL HEADS er Loe TOOLHEAD FLASHFORGE GUIDERIIS. * PRINTS UP TO 260X250XS0OMM AUTO BED LEVELLING BUILTIN CAMERA FOR REMOTE MONITORING AIR FILTER. 1239 Tus6a0/20 Re ay a Excoeeeriaert All listed printers come with » heated bed, 0.4mm nozzle and print restime as stand: En we a ee ee wa GS cee ERE Sap Re (Se ig ad Tze iar mr Bld Sine 260H260260mmn 22022020, 15OHISGA Slr 250K2202 00mm 2OOK"FOdnfnte 282602300 ZIAHZaEn Z2R5 OREO FiameType es een Endased Endased Oren Endloved Ope pen RemowableBed You Yer Yee Ye Wa Na Yer Yer Flenible Bed ve No Yee ver nwa Na “es Ye Layer Haight 450m 045- Gdn 015-4 —O95- Crm O15-OAmen 098-0. 1-4 OE -n MoxPrine Speed 720hnmfe——1Ominve—=—10hreve=—=15Grnm’s = 1a 10mnnve = TBC “120 Exwuder Dive Bian Dowel Bova Bowrlan ovilan Diver Dire Dieser Moin Interface Did andtuston Disland tution Tauchsereen Tavehserean Did andtuston Tauch sraen Tauch seraanTauch araen Leveling Syotem Manual Manus Ata Arasted Manual Asited ute ‘Auta rice (US 299T|SAR9 S99] s1o99 SAAN NSZASGNN NNSSISSNN MSZ ee Pm Se eR oe ITEOur Active Mains Soft Starter, introduced last month, is ideal for eliminating the switch-on kick from power tools rated up to 750W. You can also use it to avoid high inrush currents for stationary equipment that can trip circuit breakers or wear out switches. This article covers the assembly, testing, adjustment and calibration of this new Soft Starter. heActiveMains Soft Starter usos.2 combination of an NTC thermistor and a Mosfot to provide an adjustable soft-starting period. Notably, the Mos- fot means that the thermistor expeti- ences little heating, so repeated starts (osithin reason) do not degrade the sffectiveness of the Soft Starter. Both the Mosfet and the thermistor are bypassed by a relay after soft start- Ing so that there Is very little power Joss orhesting within the Soft Starter, oven with a high load current draw. It is housed in a conveniently compact 17.1 «12.1 x5.5cm plastic enclosure ‘with an IEC mains input socket, GPO output and three optional neon indi- cators to show what itis doing, ‘Bocause itmonitors the load current, itisautomatically activated whonevor the load appliance is switched on, ovenifthe Soft Starteris already pow- ered, That means you can use the trig geror switch on powertools toactivate DE ened ces Porat ee ea en Ss aoe ea rt ee ret thom, Or, you can simply switch it on at the wall, whichis handy if you have multiple devices connacted to the out- pnt (og, via a power board), Having described what it does and how It works, let’s move on to build. ingit Construction Most of thepartsmounton a double. sided, plated-through PCB coded 10110221 that measures 159 x 108mm, Once assembled, 1tis housed within 4 polycarbonate or ABS enclosure moa. suring 171 x 121 85mm. The only off-board partsare the IEC mains input socket, GPO mains output socket and three noon indicators, Fig.7 shows the parts layout on the PCB. Bogin by installing tho surface. mounting dual op amp (1C2). You will need a soldering iron with a fine tip (oraregular tipand some tux pasta), a ‘magnifier (if youdo not have excellent Pec res ead 0 allow for the differing volt vision) and good lighting. Solar tho IC to its PCB pads by firstlyplacingitwith thepin 1 locating dot to the top left and aligning the IC leads to the comesponding pads, Then solder a comer pin and check that it 4 sull aligned correctly. If it needs to berealignad, re-melt the soldered con- nection and gently nudge the IC into alignment, ‘When you're sure it's comect, sol- der all the IC pins, Any solder that runs botwoon and bridges two pins can be removed with solder wicking braid (adding extra flux paste is mec- ommended). Note that pins 6 and 7 are joined on thePCB, soa bridge between. them won't matter Fit the resistors next, They have colour-coded bands indicating the values (see Table 1), but ifs bast to use a digital multimeter (DMM) to check each tesistor before soldering it in place, Three resistor types are used; one Is a 1kQ 5W wirewound, six are 1W types, and the remainder are smaller 32WV resistors, Mount the SW resistor with a gap of about 1mm from the PCB to allow air to circulate, Diodes D1-D3 and zener diodes ZD1-2D9 are next on the list, Ensure thoy aro orientated correctly and the sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MARCH 203 69Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 70 SICON CEP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au1) [yp »; az \ / JIFCON i py Lyf if 7 bloat lt This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. sificonchip.com.au Aus MaRcH 203° 71Se TULL [ py i a fl 2 HE LIL SL This is a preview of the March 2023 issue of SILICON CHIP. For access to the full 112 pages of content in the magazine, purchase the issue at our website: www.siliconchip.com.au Or take out an online subscription for access to the latest issues. 72 SILICON CHP Australf's electronies magazine sificonchip.com.au