Suppliers of Low PowerWireless Connectivity products throughout Australia, New Zealand & S.

E Asia

RADIOMETRIX The wireless industry's

leading product range:
VHF and UHF radio
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Single/Multi channel
transmitters, receivers
BiMl VHF Transce¡ver and transceivers
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173MHz 100mW NZ Narrow and wide
band FM modules

Encoders and
decoders for RF
remote control
B¡M2 (
BiM2H (25mW) Radio packet
UHF Transceiver PRINT POST APPROVED
modems
433.92MH225mW - PP255003/O1272
Radio packet $8flg,: NZ$9,?,9
controllers

Complete range of
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NiM2 UHFTransceiver
Transmitter and
RXl. VHF Receiver
,r.rJJlfl[:" OEM modules
Narrowband. 1 0kbps. 433MHz 25mW Radio lntedace Chips
www.rfmodules.com.au
434.650MH2 10mW
'''\- ù¡

f - t\

CD lgn¡tion

*"ll
1
io, ,í. i

sales@Émod u les.c(rm.au
RFMA ßfi"H,q-9"IT.."'.,'âJJ,;TL?I iR
PO. Box 1 957, Launceston, Tasmania. 7 25O. Ph: +61 -3-6331 -6789. Fax: +61 -3-6331 -1 243
vvww. ffmodu Ies.com.au
Ph: O3-6331-6789
lnductonce ond
Cupucitonce
[.Cl ileter
 \ Don't forget

May lth
itSCOPe pc oscittoscopes & Anolyze?s
on Sunday
Ask for our Mother's Day flyer DSO Test Instrument Software for Bitscope M¡xed Signal Oscilloscopes
in store from lst May. , ,, -JEJ',
CREE" X-Glow LED Torches Golour Changing Magic Egg Light 30W Professional PA Amplifier I covrrn I
cour:n

Watch ¡n amazement as this magic egg changes from S:TUP

These fanlastic torches use Cree,B high
performance LEDs for massive l¡ght output one colour to the next. The egg can be lifted from its
- Mains or l2VDC Powered
A versatile PA ampl¡fìer thât can be run from
and low battery drain They are built to last charging base and placed anywhere
mains power for honre, office or factory use, or
and are housed ¡n a tough alloy case around the house. Safer than candles
from 1 2VDC for portable applications like
. Several models available and beaut¡ful to watch.
. lncludes mains charger busklng or spruiking.
I 36 Lumens .95mm h¡gh
. 30W RMS power output @ 4 ohms
Perfect fo[ everyday use . Output impedance 4 to I 6 ohms
. lncludes nylon pouch & carry¡ng strap GH-r804
¡rr.r¡ |
' Water resistant . 3 egg version also available
.3 x l.5V AA Size alkaline batter¡es 0ncluded) l-rftã.
. 2l5mm long
. Burn time: Up to 25 hrs
Fnd*Èl
lulúúl
s49.95 E@
|_l--
ldeal for hearry-duty lighling situations rILl
It projects a beam of up to 176 lumens and url ¡r l.rql
includes 3 opeiational modes High/Low ¡@,
intensity and a flash¡ng sett¡ng IEil
@
@
Valve Lookalike AM/FM Radio
A funky AM/FM radio that's styled like a hiji valve rl SP¡ uspuv
$59.95 amp with genu¡ne ¡m¡tation valves that glow just "":I¡ Ji
like real ones. lt also has a faux heats¡nk to
136 Lumens - Rechargeable
This sturdy unit can be recharged via â mains outlet or
High Efficiency MEPS complete the look 90mm high.
. Requ¡res 4 x AA batteries :l
even your car's c¡garette lighter The pelect camping Rated Plug Packs
companion Car and mains chargers included These new high efficiency ma¡ns adaptors meet the
' lncludes nylon pouch & carrying strap proposed'Min¡mum Energy Performance Standard'
. Wâter res¡stant and consume very little standby power They wlll fÌt
side-by-side in a powerboard and have a low profile.
5, 6,9, & l2VDC models are available in two power
ratings.
. 5 watt models MP-3144/45/46/47
. t5 wâtt nìodels MP-3480/82184/86

Talking Photo Album

Perfect for Grand Parents 4 Channel BitScope 2 Channel BitScope Pocket Analyzer
of overseas relatives
lmagine the ¡oy when they
press the button and hear Cool Mist Humidifier BitScope DSO Software for Windows and Linux
a Þre-recorded message "l Reduce airborne allergens and
love you Grandad" or "l love promote skin hydrat¡on |rrth this
Bitscope DSO is fast and intuitive multi-channel test and measurement software for your
PC of notebook whelher ìt's a digital scope, spectrum analyzey mixed signal scope,
you Nan". Holds up to 72 elegant humidifier AiÌri i:w drops of
6" x 4" photos and each one essential o¡l and enlr ' ' l¡enefits of logic analyzer, waveform generator or data recorder, Bitscope DSO supports them all.
can have ¡ts own l0 second capture deep buffer one-shots or display waveforms live just like an analog scope.
sound track. comprehensive test instrument integration means you can view the same data in
. Requires 3 x AAA batteries . 60ml water tânk capâ: different ways simultaneously at the click of a button.
' lVains Power suPPI\' l' , lt .'r. DSO may even be used stand-alone to share data with colleagues, students or
' 2romm high
02 ó02 I
ó788
OUEENSLÄIID
Aspley Ph 38ó3 0099 Aluminium Case with customers. waveforms may be exported as porlable image files or live captures replayed
02 9699 4699 Ca¡rns Ph 404 I 6747 on other PCs as if a Bitscope was locally connected
07 9to9 2822 loswich Ph 3782 5800 Foam Insert
02 9618 9669 lVoolloongabba Ph 3393 0117
5479 35tI ldeal for camera & v¡deo equipment etc. Bitscope DSO supports all current Bitscope models, auto-configures when it connects
02 9ló9 3899 Maroochydore Ph
02 9905 4t30 Mermaid Beach Ph 552ó 6122 Features removable 15mm square foam pieces and can manage multiple BitScopes concurrently. No manual setup ¡s normally required.
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02 9439 4799 Stay groomed while you re travelling wltlr lhis data acquis¡tion capabilities are fully suppoded.
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Better. More Technical INTERNET. www.Jaycar.c0m.au
Prices valid until 3l-5-08
 Do You Eat, Breathe and Sleep TECHNOLOGY? Aduertising lndex
tunities for full-time and oart-time oositions all over Australia & New Zealand
Jaycar Eleclronics is a rapidly growing, Australian Iwhy.not do something you love and get paid lor it? Please 555 Electronics. . .. .... ............ ... B
owned, international rela¡ler w¡th more lhan 39 stores in
Australia and New Zealand. 0ur aggressive expansion
wrile or omail us w¡lh your deta¡ls, along wilh yout C.V.
and any qualilications you may have. We pay a
Aternative Techology Assoc ...... 6
programme has resulted in the need for ded¡cated compet¡tíve salary, sales commissions and have greal Altronics . ... .82-85
indiv¡duals to i0¡n our team lo ass¡st us in achieving our benefib liks liheral stafl purchase policy.
Amateur Scienttst CDs. . ........ .. 99
a
goals.
Send to:
We pride ourselves on the technical knowledge of our Fetail 0perations Manager - Jeycar Electronics Pty Lld Av-Comm ....... .......102
staff. Do you lhink lhat the f0llowing statements describe
you? Please put a tick ¡n the boxes that do:
P.0. Box 6424 Silveruater ltSW 1811
BitScope Designs. IBC
Email: iobs@iaycar,com.au
Clean Site System . . .. ............102
Knowledgs 0f electron¡cs, part¡culaily at component level.
E
E Assenble proiects or k¡ts youßalflor car, complJtar, sud¡o, etc.
Jaycar Electronics is an equal opportunity employer and
act¡voly promolos staff from within the organisation.
Computronics . . 103
tr
tr
Havs empathy w¡th oth€6 who have the same interesl ss you.
May have worked in some relail aliêsdy Inot ohligatorÏl.
CutterElectronics ...........,... I
Dick Smith Electronics . ... ....24-27 10 The Vectrix Electric Motor Scooter
Jagtrar
E llavo energy, enlhusiasm and a pers0tral¡tylhat sn¡oys
help¡ng p€opls.
tr Apprecistes an opFortun¡ty forfulure advancement. Dontronics ...... 103 The Vectrix Electric Motor Scooter is the f¡rst production battery-powered road
E Havo an eye for detail.
Ecowatch..... .103 vehicle to be sold in Australia. We test drove it for a week - by Ross Tester
Emona lnstruments. . . . .. ......... 39 18 The Enersonic Power Saver
Furzy Electronics....... ...21 Here's another power saving gadget that won't save you a cent on your
Gless Audio. ... 102 electricity bill- by Leo Simpson
Grantronìcs... .. .... . 103
N¡M2-434.650-10 Applications: TX2H-433-64 Harbr-rchElectronics.......... . 38 29 Prototype PC Boards
Rural Where do you go for high-quality prototype PC boards and for small
UH F Nanowband Transceiver High Profile Communications. 104
production runs? IMP Printed Circuits Pty Ltd, that's where - by RossTester
ln Stock NOW! Utilities IMP Printed Circuits... . . . ... 15
lndustrial lnstarrtPCBs ...102
Commercial Jaycar .. 1FC,49-56,104
Government JED Microprocessors .... ....... 5
Meter Reading Receiver: RX2A-433-64 Keith Rippon. 1O4 Replacement CDI Module For Small Petrol Motors
LED Sales .........102 Don't pay hundreds of dollars lor a replacement CDI module for your ride-on
RADIOMETRIX: Low Power, Licence Exempt Radio Modules Microbyte Electronics .... . . .102 mower, motorbike, outboard or other small petrol motor.This one can be built
for less than $50 - by John Clarke
RF Modules Australia, P.O. Box 1957 Launceston, TAS., 7250. Microzed Computers .. ....... 79
Ph : 03-633 1-6789. Email : sales@fmodules.com.au. Web: rfmodules.com.au Ocean Controls .. 4 High-Accuracy Digital LC Meter
Ozitronics . .95 It's based on an ingenious measurement technique and measures inductance
Performance Elect For Cars..... 37 from 1ùnH to over 70mH and capacitance from 0.1pF to over 800nE lt's also
Prime Electronics .. 7 very easy to build - by Jim Rowe
Procon Technology....,. ... . .104 Low-Cost dsPlC/PlG Programmer
An extensive range of construction kits We specialise in:
are now available. Controlled by the
Quest Electronics . ... 103 Easylo-build unit can program all dsPlCSùF series microcontrollers in the DIP
ROBOPTo interface and flowchart Mini lathes, milling m,/c. FCS Radio....... ........ . 1O2 package, along with most PIC microcontrollers - by Mauro Grassi
style software. Communicates with the
Data logging, test and FF Modules OBC,104
PC via COM, USB or RF data link
measurement equipment.
Fohde & Schwarz .. I 76 High-Current Adjustable Voltage Regulator
Rezap battery chargers. Want to opercte a CD, DVD or MP3 player from the cigarette lighter socket
Ultra-Violet torches. Sesame Electronics 102
in your car? This 6-step adjustable regulator will step the voltage down to
The fischertechnik range includes kits for the Weather stations, Silicon Chip Binders.... .45.75 by Mauro Grassi
junior engineer tbrough to training models for Power supplies. Silicon Chip Bookshop .... 100-101
what's needed -
schools and unive¡sities. Interface drivers and Fìadio. TV & Hobbies DVD-ROM . 15
*Free Varta alksline
C language compiler examples included.
Extensive range of spare parts stocked. b¡tteries wlth all orders. Silicon Chip Subscriptions ......,. B1
Siomar Battery lndustries. . 102
ww\ü.procontechnology.com.au P. O. Box 65 5 Mt.Waverley VIC 3 1 49.
Soundlabs Group .. 61 57 Serviceman's Log
Phone: 1300304125 Fax: (03) 98306481 email: procon@tpgi.com.au Speakerbits ....102 Who mangled Duck's USB ports? - by theTV Serviceman
Splat Controls. 103
72 Circult Notebook
Tekmark Australia.. 6 (1) Frequency lndicator For Generating Equipment; (2) Constant-Current
and passive components for industry,
KIT ASSEMBLY hobbyist and amateur projects includ- Telelink .. ... 103 LED Navigation Lights; (3) Optical Smoke Detector; (4) BiasedYes Or No
ing Drew Diamond.2TThe Mall, South Truscotts Electronic World. 104 Circuit; (5) 24V e 6VVersions ForThe Battery Charge Controller
KETTH RTPPON KrT ASSEMBLY & Croydon, Melbourne. (03) 9723 3860. Trusys. ........ 103
86 Vintage Radio
BEPAIR: electron¡cworld @ optusnet.com.au Vectrix Australia.. ... .. 47
The versatile multi-band Ferris 174 poftable - by Rodney Champness
* Australia & New Zealand Wagner Electronics. . ...,. ... 59
* Small production runs. WANTED: EARLY HlFls, AMPLIFIERS, Worldwide Elect Components.. 102
Phone Keith 0409 662794. Speakers, Turntables, Valves, Books,
keith.rippon gmail.com Quad, Leak, Pye, Lowther, Ortofon,
2 Publisher's Letter
@
SME, Western Electric, Altec, Marantz, i],I Eoareis 81 Order Form
WANTED Mclntosh, Tannoy, Goodmans, Whar- Printed circuit boards for SiLICON 3 Mailbag 94 Ask Silicon ChiP
fedale, rad¡o and wireless. Collector/ CHIP designs can be obtained from
RCS Badio Pty Ltd. Phone (02) 9738
28 Book Review 98 Notes & Errata
CUSTOMERS: Truscotts Electronic Hobbyist will pay cash. (07) 5471 1062.
johnmurt@ highprof ile.com.au 0330 Fax (02) 9738 0334. 38 Products Showcase 102 Market Centre
World - large range of semiconductors

1O4 Stuco¡,t CruP www si I ¡conch ip. com. au siliconchip.com.au


Pu b I isher
& Ed itor-i n-Ch i eÍ
Leo Simpson, B.8us., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Slall
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Ross Tesler
Jim Rowe, 8.4., 8.Sc, UK?ZLO
Mauro Grassi, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Photography
ßoss Tester
Beader Services
Ann Morris
Advertising Enquiries
Glyn Smilh
Phone (02) 9939 3295
Mobile 0431 792293
g lyn@siliconchip. com. au
Regular Contributors
Brendan Akhurst
Rodney Champness, VK3UG
Mike Sheriff , B.Sc, VK2YFK
Stan Swan
SlLlC0N CHIP is published 12 times
a year by Silicon Chip Publicalions
Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49
003 205 490 All malerial copyright
@. No part ol this publication may
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E-mail: silicon@siliconchip. com.au
rss¡r 1030-2662
'flecommended
and maximum price only.
Stttco¡,t Cutp
ELNEC IC PROGRAMMERS VIDEO.AUDIO.PG
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digital standards converters - tbc's
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Vectrix motorbike is the Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2kD(P bulk vga cable - wallplates
GLEVERSCOPE
first electric vehicle for USB OSC]LLOSCOPES
DVS5o & DVS5S
H¡gh Perlormance
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Australian roads 2 x 1 OOMSa/s 10bit inputs + trigger and Audio Spl¡ttêrs
This month we are very pleased to feature the story
on the Vectrix battery-powered motorbike. While ilon fnquoil uprl¡tas - evry 2,5 saconb!
iloft almr sott¡ngs - ovor 70 prmoton!
most people will probably be surprised at this turn
ilon hlglrs, loss ad graphs - oyor &l ln all!
of events, this is the first mass-produced electric
ADR-compliant vehicle to be sold in Australia. No Windows 98/Me/NT/2klXP
With the Vanlage Pro2 Wealher Slalion
doubt it wiÌl be the subject of considerable debate IMAGECRAFT C COMPILERS you get incredibly detailed information on:
about its merits. Does it is have enough power, range and so on? ANSIC compilers, Windows IDE Wind - direction and strength
AVR, TMS43O, ARMT/ARMg Rainfall - current, recent patterns etc.
Ultimately, these questions will be answered by its commercial success
68HC08, 68HC11, 68HC12 Tempetalure - current, wind chill, etc.
or otherwise but we think it is a very good pointer to the technology which
GRANTRON¡CS PTY LTD Barometric pressure - current and trends
will be featured in future electric cars. It also demonstrates that the technol-
ntron ics. com. au Humidity & dewpoinl - current and 24 hrs
ogy does not have to be really exotic, It uses NiMH batteries and its motor www. g ra
And your own local forecast. You'll be
control and battery-monitoring technology is nothing really special. Similar
technology has been available for at least 10 years.
Of course, we would have to admit that producing an electric motorbike ll¡ Jru heru uirclcss
more accurate than the weather bureaul
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is a much easier challenge than producing an electric car. For example, a
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l,
Un¡l õ, 3l3l $¡uthlorl llue lfilsyth, Uic
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lax (02) ¿1341 2795
ema I I : quorf,il@què9',rcn lx.c om, eu
devices such as power steering and braking. Nor does a motorbike need to
Iel: [03] 8t8l t0f0 fax f03l Stgl t050
meet today's stringent standards for crash safety. However, today's hybrid
electric vehicles do meet all those requirements and it should not be an
insurmountable challenge for a pure electric vehicle to do the same. lf you want the right'wireless' ingredients for a
www.dau¡$¡[$truments.com.au
fDon
successful project recipe, THINK Telelinkl Donl
Ultimately, it will be a compromise between overall vehicle weight and want to be confused by wireless gobbledegook nww.dontfon¡Gs. Gom has 300 selected
overall range. The indications are that this compromise can be quite satisfac-
tory, if you consider the Tesla Roadster now being delivered to customers
in the USA. While this is an all-out performance vehicle, one can see how
and confusing buz words? TALK to Telelink!
We will give you honest advice so that you
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its technology could be satisfactorily adapted to a more mundane vehicle Browse our website for more information about world's asiest)oonlrollersl
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On a less positive note, we also have a debunking review of the Enersonic o Easy to program,--r'à loaders.
Power Saver in this issue, We are really concerned that such products con-
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tinue to appea-r. They appeal to people's concerns about climate change, -tclEllnl.Gom.au o Powerful, versatile microEngineering Labs USB programmers,
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Jr¡lll¡rl¡t -lül@blrll¡Lilr.rr Develop€r's Kit $193 includes progming cable & softwæ adapters, and Basic Compilers, DIY (K¡t-
tr Hil lln llil ¡ll¡ ü llzt llt ¡¡t in Australia - enthusiastic usem srus) USB programmers, MikroElektronika
The big problem is that most people simply do not have any concept of Basic, Pascal, DSpic Pascal Compilers,
CCS C, FED C, Hi-Tech C, MikroElektronika
how electricity is generated and how various appliances actually work and
C, disassembler and hex tools.
consume electric energy, If a few more people in the corridors of power,
for example, realised how little power is consumed by ordinary incandes- CAN: Lawicell CANUSB, CAN232
cent lamps in the home relative to total electric power consumption, there FTDI: USB Family of lC 's. FT232RL,
would never have been any move to ban them, Compact fluorescent lamps FT2452RL, also BL and olhers.
are more efficient but their wholesale adoption will have very little effect 4DSystems LOD/Graphics: Add VGA,
Un¡versal sf/tial dev¡ce servf'ß allow yout
on total power consumption in most homes. Those householders who have monitor, oTOLED LCD to your micro, Simple
industtial seilal devices t0 be n1nit\red
Serial l/F.
had their incandescents changed to CFLs should already be aware of this, lrcm vou netwotk w¡th PPP\E &
DDl,lS protocols, Thrly suppotl Ap-plicati Heaps And Heaps Of USB Products:
since their energy bills will have hardly changed, if at all. firnware upgrade, web manage-
nent and event alam liggeiln|
TTL, RS-232, RS-485, modules, cables,
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ing about the recent Earth Hour would have had even less significance - it tine sy slen manag em e nt. Popular Easysync USB To RS-232
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siliconchip.com,au www. s i I iconc h ip. com. au MAY 2OO8 103
 Letters and emails should contain complete name, address and daytime phone number. Letters to
Cash in your sur¡rlus gear. Advertise it here in Sn rco¡q Crrrp the Ed¡tor are submiüed on the condition that Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd may edit and has the

II right to reproduce in electronic form and communicate these letters. This also applies to submissions

a CIASSIFIED AùVERflgNe RAÍES I Battery

to "Ask Stltcoru CHrp" and "Circuit Notebook".

Standby power in I always find SucoN CHIP interest-

HD set top boxes ing each month and have built many projects was far more limited. I much
I bought a HD set-top box (Digicrys- kits since issue No.1, prefer the diverse range ofproiects you
tal) in Adelaide. As with the Tevion David Lawrence, continue to cover. I think it's a credit
TEV82o0 reviewed in the March 2008 Victor Harbor, SA. to you that you continue to dream
issue, it also had a large standby watt- them upl
age. Micro proiects need more As an electronic enthusiast for over
L-'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
-.J It appears that in standby mode it software explanation 40 years, I prefer to try my hand at
merely removes the program content Your February 200S editorial raised new things. In fact I now put together
www.batterybook.com some interesting points regarding more practical proiects, most using the
HIGH QUALITY VALVE/TUBE KITS Phone (08) 9302 5444
from the video signal, so the box "ap-
pears" to start up almost instantly. All magazine content, Firstly, as you have mighty PICAXE processor, than I ever
NX.14 RETRO NIXIE CLOCK well and good, except my video set-up said, your magazine has many micro- did in the past.
has an automatic switch box (Jonsa processor-based designs and I dare I often use parts of a circuit You
STEREO VALYE
SC Jufy-Aug
Ellies) to direct the most recently say |ohn Clarke must know just about have published and modifu them for
2007
AMPLIFIER switched-on video signal (DVD, SD everything there is to know about us- my own purpose. If a micro can save
SC Aug-Sep box/recorder, HD box) automatically ing the PIC processor considering the dozens of logic ICs I'm all for it and I
2005 LIMITED
HI.FI SPEA|(ER REPAIRS to the amplifier and TV. As the video number of designs he has come up don't consider it diminishes the excite-
PRODUCTION
This great-looking and
signal is always present, the auto with, Do I think there are too many ment I get making something work.
popular valve amplifier now has better ì These amazing clocks are loved by technical and YOUN EXPENI SPEAKEN NEPNN SPECIALISIS
micro based projects? On balance, I The one criticism I do have is the
sound than ever and has been favourably compared non-technical people alike. Features retro vintage switch box ignored the HD box after
to other valve amplifiers costing 3-5 times its price. Nixie tubes & crystal control for accurate time. Specialising in UK US and Danish brands. the flrst switch-on. would say no, Iack of detailed software explanation,
FULL KIT:$950.00 FULL KIT: $259,00 with transparent housing & blue Speakerbits areyourvintage, rare and collectable speaker I returned the Digicrystal HD box If I look back at my "pre-micro" You seemed to put more effort into this
Available in silver as shown or in shoji white lor a LED uplighting, LESS HOUSING: $199.00 repairexperts. fo am surrounds,voice coils, complete and have since bought a Topfield magazines (I collected EA, ETI & AEM side ofyour projects a few years back
really contemporary appearance. recone kits and more. 0riglnal 0EM parsforScan'Speak TF7010HT HD set top box (also the when they were published and of but I don't see it as much anY more.
GTESS AUDIO: 7 Lyonsville Ave, Preston 3072. Dynaudio,Tannoy, JBl. ElectoVoice and ohers!
same price - $198) which does switch course, SIICON CHrp, for more years I use the PICAXE chip as it's verY
Phone: (O3l 9442 3991 Mob: 0403 O55 374 lel: 03 9647 7000 www.speakerhits.com to fulI standby and works perfectly. than I'd like to admit to), the range of easy to program and you cover this

Boa¡d Manufacture
Hí-Tech lÃIIN System 48-Hour service * High qualþ * Low priqes PICAXE circuits are not frustrating but in the end rewarding being winners if they use a PICAXE
I oßtoanyquantity and I did it myself! or PIC, we can see how you could
& History Cleaner Artwork desigr if required , the only winners
Maybe we need a mix of projects easþ getthat imprcssion since thete
C all Jo r obli ga ti o n fre e q rcte "' I I have noticed a big trend towards
TV reception in your Eyerything someone has euer done on ,NT PCBS. POBox 448, Avalon 2 and some more "back to basics" have been so many winners øIong
11æ Fax þ2),9974
PlC-based projects. More worrying is
home is nowaffordable. your computer can be ttaced. Go to Ph 102)æ74411
the appearance thatthe only circuits articles on microcontrollers for us those lines in the last 72 months.
Send for your free info
pac* containing eQuip-
www. cleansitesystem. com
thathave any chance of winningthe old guys out there. Howeve4 that is not intentional
ment catalog, satellite 0rdet today for FBEE 801{US tx)il'Nr,(rll) olIll ()l'lAl,oo À'l' Circuit Notebook prize are those The other thing I have noticed and we have had non-PIC winners
lists, etc or call for appointment to view. www. iinet. net.au/-wolcom that include a PICAXE. I have been with PIC kits is that their price is in the March, April, May, August ù
We can display all salellit€s from 76.5"
to 180".
AY-COilt PlL, UP Porell¡ Rd; *
sMWWW
Each binder holds up to 12 issues
woRtDwtDE EtEcTRol{lc coMPollEllrs
P0 Box 631, Hillarys, WA 6923
put off submitting my ideas and
circuits because of this. I wonder
how many of your readers are in the
generally between $70 and $100.
I sometimes find it hard to see tle
value in kits like the "PIC-Based Bat-
December 2007 issues and in the
March t April2008 issue.
In j u d ging th e winner e ach month,
Brookvale, tS'Wãm.
Ph: (08) 9i107 7305 Fax: {081 9307 7309
same boat. tery Voltage Monitor" (Sruco¡¡ Crm. we are lookíng for ingenuity and if
Prlce: $A13.95 plus $47 p&p per order (p&p Email: worcom@iinet.net.au the circuit involves a PIC/PICAXE
Ta[ lE S9{37t or9ß9¡ß78. lree for 5+ binders). Avallable in Australla only. I have built a lot of projects in May 2006) for cars which retails for
Far 9939 f376; wwr.aroonm.con.au Buy live and get them postage free. my day and have found that micro- around 970 when you can buy an and is ingenious, then so be it' But we
PCBs MADE, ONE OR MANY. Any controlled projects tend to do what LCD module for around $20 that would Love to have a larger varietY
format, hobbyists welcome. Sesame tley are claimed to and have greater will do the same job. Hobby elec- of circuits - if you have some, please
name LEDs from just a few cents each. Electronics Phone (02) 9593 1025. reliability. Is this a good thing? I'm honics is no longer cheap and some send them in. Hauing said that, there
FOR SALE Also Cree X-Lamps, 5 and 10 watt power sesame@sesame.com.au not really sure. people will find ithard to justifythe is no guarantee that they will win or
LEDs, LED drivers, kits and all sorts of www.sesame.com.au I remember building the 240VAC growing cost of kits. So maybe some even be published (we can be hard
LEDs! I NOW HAVE good stocks of other stuff. www.ledsales.com.au light chaser some years ago. It was low-cost projects couldbe added for toplease...).
RCS RADIO/DESIGN is at 41 Arlewis abigkitwith some 3oo-odd compo- these readers too. As far as kit ptices are concerned,
Nichia superbright oval LEDs, as well
St, Chester Hil 2162, NSW Australia nents and it took a couple of days Paul Dawson, if you look at them in rcal dollar
as Smm Agilent (HP) LEDs. These MicroByte Electronics: PIC Micros
Development Board - DeveloPment and has all the published PC boards to build. What I remember most is Waurn Ponds, Vic. terms, they are still good value for
are fantastic, bright brand-name qual- - Comment: with regard to the matter money compqred to kit prices of 20
ity LEDs at Chinese LED prices! Also tools & Components, Phone: (03) 9378 from SC, EA, ETl, HE, AEM & others. Ph what I learned about fault-finding in
(02) 9738 0330. sales @ rcsradio.com. getting the thing to work. It was most about Circuít Notebook items only o1 more yeaß ag,o.
Osram surJace mount range and other 4288. info @ microbyte.com.au; www.
NOS standard and superbright brand microbyte.com.au au ; www.rcsradio.com.au
MAY 2OOB
7o2 Stuco¡,t Crutp www. s il ico nch ip. com. au siliconchip.com.au

llcl¡rirrg fo f)ul r0il ill ( orrlr0l
quite well in your articles. If some of
your simpler PIC designs gave a more
thorough description of the software
program and or some more tutorials on
Proccs,s ('ottÍnl programming, it would prompt me to
be more adventurous and maybe then
I can try to modify your programs and
hardware for my own projects.
As for your second comment on
projects and technical articles, yes, I
would like to see a few more articles,
particularly around theory. ETI had
a great series called "Lab Notes" for
ilable in both a few years. Even EAs "Let's Buy An
non-isolated Argument" series had lots of interest-
ing technical topics,
Notwithstanding these comments,
(only for TxiRail) your current format with its emphasis
,4-2OmA. outputs on well-designed projects has outlived
mA or 0-10V. Fully Program-
all of your competitors. Please, fine-
$99+GST
tune as you like but keep the basic
Counter --.: format as it is,
mable 6- Finally, as I congratulate you on
nter is also your 20 years of publication, I do won-
der how you will eventually change
q u ad ratu re
over to a new guard. Most of the Su-
ing and accepts remote reset. CoN CHIP staff appear to go back many
relay outputs with built-in tim- years and I do worry that the next gen-
can be activated at any of the 3 eration will not have the same fascina-
nter presets: unit, batch or total- tion, commitment a¡d resou¡cefu lness
currently shown. Or are there young
adults out there that share the same
passion? I only hope there are.
Clive Allan,
11 different timing Glen Waverley, Vic,
Comment on
microcontroller projects
to do what you want. 91I9+GST
It has been impossible to ignore the
proliferation of PIC-based projects in
StlIcott Cup over the last few years.
And while I agree with your reasons
ilable as 2,4,6 or 8 relays. These
can be activated by TTL, NPN
Impedance bridge does not
measure impedance
PNP signals. DIN Rail mounting an
From $21.50+cST I must comment on the ImFedance
Bridge in Circuit Notebook on page
70 of the March issue. I realise that
quality SSR's this is not your circuit but one look
4-32VDC, 80- at the actual bridge circuit shows
AC, 4-20mA and that it can onlybe used forresistance
measurements (much simpler to do
with an ohmmeter). If the u¡lcrown
is in any way reactive, t-he bridge will
not balance, or be correct.
For instance, if tle unknown is
a prue reactance of half ttre value
Contact Ocean Controls
of the multiplier (ie, an impedaace
Ph: 03 9782 5882 ratio of 2:1), the minimum balance
www.oceancontrols.com.au
StucoN Catp
for basing projects around micro-
controllers, there are some negative
spin-offs. I don't see how PlC-based
projects will offer the same opportuni-
ties to learn about circuit design, the
effect of individual components on the
whole or the ability to add and delete
functions.
I am not suggesting that microcon-
troller projects should banned from
Sn IcoN Crur! They provide a learning
opportunity of a different kind, as well
as projects which, as you correctly ob-
serve, would not be feasible with any
other design approach, But I hope you
will continue to develop and publish
circuits built around conventional
discrete components.
fohn Keitley,
Vermont, Vic.
RF projects wanted
Your Publisher's Letter in the Febru-
ary edition has prompted me to write.
First, congratulations on reaching 20
years, I thoroughly enjoy every issue
and appreciate aII the hard work that
goes into designing the projects as weII
as the rest of the magazine,
I do like microcontroller projects as
I have the software and can program
PICs but it would be good to balance it
out with projects that use normal com-
ponents too as this helps beginners
Iearn electronics building blocks,
I am not a radio amateur but I am
interested in RF stuff, as follows. How
about a project for an RF oscillator for
aligning AM and FM radios? Many
readers have asked for a TV freld
strength meter. Maybe a set-top box
could be modified to do it?
reading (which will be very broad
and some 40% of the input voltage)
will occur at a 4;1 ratio of the iange
switch.
As is well-known, impedance
brid¿es must have a compensating
reactive component Ín one of the
branches. Even for resistance meas-
urements there is a problem as, with
t}'e values shown, the maximum
resistance that can be measured is
10kç¿! And of couise, no need for
choice of frequency. Sorry to spoil
the effort.
Charles Borger,
Pascoe Vale, Vic.
siliconchip.com.au
l0o/o ¡I1IGOT Gf,I? ¡T¡¡GTI¡E
0Íl! Fü r r¡r l¡Gourt 0I
ROBOT BUIIDER'S COO¡ßOOK AC MAGHII|ES sy ¡¡m towe Published 2006
By Owen Bishop Published 2007 Applicable to Australian trades-level courses including NE1 0 AC
lntroducing, through hands-on project work, the Machines, NE12 Synchronous Machines and the AC part of
NE30 Eleckic Motor Control and Protection. Brings together
mechanics, electronics and programming involved
in practical robot design and construction. The use up-to-date aspects of the field, covering polyphase induction
of the PIC microcontroller throughout provides motors, single-phase molors, synchronous machines
and polyphase motor start¡ng. 160 pages in paperback.
a painless introduction to programminO. lt's
a book for first-time robot builders, advanced
robot builders and those studying at higher
education levels in this fascinating field. By Fred Eady, Published 2007
Has companion website to download We asked our Zigbee guru, Telelink's Jack Chomley, to com-
programs. 374 pages in paperback ment on this book and he said '\ryow! This one is right up to
date'. A lot of it is pretty in-depth but, according to Jack, if
you want to learn all about Zigbee you'd go a long way to find
lrEwlrEs GUTDE T0 TEtEVrStot{
a better reference than this one, 33ô pages in paperpback.
A]flt VIDE0 TECHlt0rocY
By KF lbrahim 4th Edition (Published 2007) THE PRACTIGAT GU]DE
It's back! This very popular book now in a new
TO SATELLITE TV
edition provides a full and comprehensive coverage
By Garry Cratt - 6th Edition 2007
of video and television technology including the
latest developments - HDW and DVD. lt starts with
We've had other satellite W books in the past but they have
fundamentals so is ideal for students but covers in-
all had a lot of useless (to this part of the world) overseas
stuff. This one is written in Australia, for Australian condi-
depth technologies such as blu ray, DLP, Digilal TV,
tions by one of Australia's foremost satellite TV experts.
etc so is also perfect for engineers. The new edition
lf there is anything you wanted to know about setting up
has a number of useful appendices covering a wide
a satellite TV system, (including what you can't do!) it's
variety of subjects. 600+ pages in paperback
sure to be covered in this 176-page paperback book
TV All0 H0BBIES April 1939 to March 1965
- Every article to enjoy once aga¡n on l¡V¡l-ROM!
This remarkable archival collection spans nearly three decades of of copies now sold, Two incredible CDs
Australia's own 'Radio and HobbiesTRadio TV and Hobbies'. Every \ containing over 1000 classic projects, sourced from
Scientific American over the past 73 years - and
article has been scanned into PDF format - ready to read at your
every field of science. This new 'Dr Shawn'edition is the
leisure on your computer (obviously, a computer DVD-R0M reader
is required along with Acrobat Reader 6 or later). For history buffs, latest version - it's said to be even more user friendly
worth its weight in gold. For vintage radio enthusiasts, whal with much more information and data. Runs with any
could be better? For anyone interested in electronics, this is browser (on Win2000 or later). Recommended by the
one which you itUSIhave in your collection! National Science Teachers Association (USA).
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'AtL TITLES SUBJECT TO AVAILABIL|ry. PRICES VALID FOR MONTH OF MAGAZINE ISSUE ONtY. ALL PBICES INCLUDE GST
 electric razors and a battery/mains
Atmel's AVR, ftom
Old inverters had
lots of interference portable radio. We soon found the JED in Australia
In the February 2008 issue, Rod- interference Mr Champness men-
ney Champness had an interesting tioned.
sErt oil AUD|0 AUDIO POWER AMPLIFIER DESIGil On enquiry to Ferris we were
a¡ticle on old inverters. I grew up on
by Douglas Self 2nd Edition 2006 HA]{DB00K by Douglas Self 4th Edition 2006 told that these inverters were not
a property in nortlern NSW with a
The very latest from the renowned audio design guru. A neduced ¡n ü¡ce ¡rcm prcv¡nus edition! From one of the
world's most respected audio authorities. New 4th edition is 32V lighting plant. The important intended to operate radios. Their
collection of 35 classic magæine articles offering a depend-
able methodology for designing audio power amplifiers in more comprehensive than ever - now with new chapters on thing to remember about tlese in- attitude seemed to be that if one
a way that improves performance at every po¡nt without Class D amplifiers and DC servos. Now even bigger - 465 stallations is that they were just that: wished to use radios, it would be bet-
significantly increasing cost. lncludes compressors/limiters, pages in paperback. See the review in Septenber 2006 "lighting plants". ter to buy an inverter or genemotor
hybrid bipolar/FET amps, electronic switching and more.
Owners often forced them to do that operated at 50H2. These were
474 pages in paperback. . available but were very expensive
more than just illuminate, eg, oPer-
- ate power tools, etc. Most could not and inefficient.
oblige unless you ran the generator Of course, at a vibrator frequency
as you worked. of 100H2, the rather rudimentary
We had one of the little Ferris power supply ffltering in battery/ The AVR570 module (above) is a way of
inverters illustrated in the article.
as mains radio sets would not have using an ATmega128 CPU on a user base
Having a 33kV line running right been very effective. But like Mr board without having to lay out the intricate,
AIIAIOG EIEGTROI{IGS past our home, we lived in hope Champness, I think that the RF flIter- surface-mounted surrounds of the CPU, and
then having to manufacture your board on
Microcontroller Ptojects in G for the By lan Hickman. 2nd edition 1999. of "Town Power" and so had some ing could have been better.
an SMT robot line. lnstead you simply layout
8051 by Dogan lbrahim. Published 2000. small 240VAC appliances, The in- Bruce Bowman, a square for four 0.1" spaced socket strips
Through graded projects introduces the fundamentals of verter was bought to operate 240VAC Ainslíe, ACT. and plug in our pre-tested module. The
microelectronics, the 8051 family, programming in C and module has the crystal, resetter, AVR-ISP
the use of a C compiler. Provides an interesting, enjoy- programming header (and an optionalJTAG
able and easily mastered alternative to more theoretical ICE pad), as well as programming signal
textbooks. 178 pages in paperback. Furthermore, how about a demod- or more. I propose current limiting switching. Fora little extra, we load a DS1305
h ulator probe for tracking a video signal the output as in the previous example RTC, crystal and Li battery underneath,
through the IF sections ofa TV set and (suitably adapted for a high-side field which uses SPI and Port G.
0p Amps for Everyone See JED'S www site for a datasheet.
Edited by Ron Mancini Published 2003 a piezoelectric clamp that attaches to winding).
Compiled by Texas lnstruments, this is the closest thing the injector pipe of older diesel en- Franc Zabkar,
to a "bible" on op amps. This is an engineer's reference gines to fire a timing light? Barrack Heights, NSW. AVR573 Single Board GomPutet
with lots of theory, plenty of maths and right up-to- GeoffCoppa,
the-minute with modern devices. Not cheap but still use
POWER SUPP. A tO Z Elanora, Qld. PC boards
worth every cent. 478 pages, soft covers.
Maniktala. Published 200b. Imperial measurements
RF CIRGUIT DESIGil and practical aspects of controlling Circuit Notebook: I read with a touch of amusement
by Chris Bowick, Second Edition, 2008.
electromagnetic interference in a few observations some of the readets' comments about
power supplies. lncludes flow-charls
A new edition of the classic RF circuit design book. RF I have a couple of minor observa- being aghast at the magazine express-
for building DC-DC converters and their
CIRCU IT circuit design is now more important that ever in the tions in respect of two items published ing some parameters in the old Impe-
]til clesiclrr wireless world in which we live. ln most of the wireless
devices that we use there is an RF component - this
magnetic components under typical
wide-input supply conditions.
503 pages in hard cover.
in the Circuit Notebook section of
Sn rcox CHp for March 2oo8:
rial units and not in current trendy
metric.
This board uses the AVR570 module and
adds 20 An./Dig. inputs, 12 FET outputs, LCD/
ilÍw book tells how to design and integrate in a very
practical fashion. 244 pages in paperback.
CD-RoM included. (1,) The PC cooling fan driver on page Domestic TV sets are expressed in Kbd, 2xRS232, 1 xRS485,'l -Wire, power reg.
etc. See www.iedmicro.com.au/avr.htm
DVD PTAYERS A]ID IIRIVES 71 has no hysteresis, I think that the "cm" (diagonal screen size) but an odd
PRACTICAT RF HA]IDBOOK by K.F. lbrahim. Published 2003. fan could hunt around the set-point thing is that if you take the back cover
$330 PG-PROM Progtammer
by lan Hickman NEW 4TH EDlTl0N 2006 A guide to DVD technology and applications, with particular whenever the +5V rail fluctuates, as it off the TV set, the actual size of the TV This programmer plugs into a PC printer
The latest guide to RF design for engineers, technicians, stu- focus on design issues and pitfalls, maintenance and repair. does during variations in CPU load. monitor may have, embedded in raised port and reads, writes and edits any 28 or
dents and enthusiasts. Covers key topics in RF: analog design ldeal for engineers, technicians, students of consumer (2) The alternator controller on page 68 glass (as poured from the factory), the
principles, transmission lines, couplers, transformers, ampli- electronics and sales and installation staff. As reviewed in
suffers from two potential problems. size expressed in inches.
fiers, oscillators, modulation, transmitters and receivers, Silicon Chip February 2004. 319 pages in paperback.
propagation & antennas. 279 pages in paperback. The first is that the battery wiII dis- AII computer monitors are proudlY
charge into the fieldwinding at amaxi- in inches and of course, 99.99% of
A]{AIOG TECHI{IOUES WITH P¡G lll PRACTICE by D w smith. mum rate of -4,t if the motor stops for all integrated circuits have 0.1-inch
IIIGITAT I ]{TERFAGI ]IG New 2nd Edition - published 2006 any reason, To prevent this, I propose pin spacing.
by T H Wilmshurst - Published 2001. Based on popular short courses on the PlC, for that the field sectionbe powered from Industrial electronics remains in
Covers all the analog electron¡cs needed in a wide range of professionals, students and teachers. Can be used
the alternator's exciter diodes. The Imperial, as does aviation which still
higher education programs: first degrees in electronic engi- at a variety of levels. An ideal introduction to the
initial self-excitation curuent could be uses feet above sea level (and pounds
neering, experimental science course, MSc electronics and world of microcontrollers.255 pages in paperback.
electronics units for HNDs. Supported by numerous worked provided by a momenta¡y start switch of fuel), The Navy use fathoms below
Also available is a multi-PROM UV eraser
examples and experimental exercises. 312 pages paperback. as in this example at: the keel and I note that the Bathurst with timer, and a32132 PLCC converter.
500 (or whatever) motor race now
ETECTRIC MOTORS A]{D DRIVES Ilectilc llfoto¡s
PIC MIGROGOI{TROIIER - http ://www.users.on.neV-fr abkar/alt-
reg.|PG refers to pounds of fuel and the com- JEll Microprocessors PtY ltd
and &¡l/es PERSO]{AI I]ITRODUCTORY COURSE petitors are not permitted to use litres
By Austin Hughes - Third edition 2006 The second problem is that a flatbat- 173 Bolonia Rd, Bolonia, Uictolia, 3155
Brand new edition of this amæingly popular book. lntended By John Morlon NEW: Srd edition 2005.
A unique and practical guide to getting up and running
tery will be subject to the fulI output ¿my more. Ph. 03 9762 3588, Fax 03 9762 5499
for non-specialist users of electric motors and drives, filling A large circuit board company here
the gap between academic texts and general "handbooks'. with the PlC. lt assumes no knowledge of microcontrollers of the alternator which could be 40.t www.iedniüo.com,au
Explores all of the widely-used modern types of motor and - ideal introduction for students, teachers, technicians
7ft,¡rive including convent'ronal & brushless DC, induction and electronics enthusiasts. Revised 3rd edition focuses
entirely on re-programmable flash PlCs such as 16F54, MAY 2oo8
svnchronous and re'uctance' siliconchip.com.au
[' t @]$i:;:ïïäiri'#'s' 16F84 12F508 and 12F675. 226 pages in paperback.
\-/
 DEAII DEUIGE UIIDER TEST?
NO PROBTEM! Mailbag: continued
in Sydney had to close not long ago
because they accepted a contract for
a large order from a European Telco
with all dimensions of the circuit
board expressedin metric, with the
result that their CNC drilling machines
could not drill the boards within the
contract time, due to the slowness of
a 0.1mm XY axis movement (rather
tlan the normal 2s-thou hop, step and
j,rmp). s9.s9% of all CAD-designed
circuit boards are SI'd in Imperial
.
Features:
. 64 to 128 Channels Digital V-l Tester
Analogue/ Digital as wired in-circuit testers
not metric.
So do not be so quick to discard the
¡ Power On/Off testing Imperial measurements when there is
really nothing equivalent in metric.
THE MOST COMPREHEI'ISIVE TEST SEI FOß Bob Barnes,
FAUTT-Fll'lDlt{G 0N
ATMOST AI'IY KIND OF PCB
RCS Radio Pty Ltd,
Chester Hill, NSW.
Hardware still comes
'l( TekMark Ausùal¡a Pty Ltd in Imperial sizes
Suite 302, Level 3, 1 8-20 Orion Road I was bemused by the gripes of your
Lane Cove - NSW 2066 - Australia
Ph: 029911 3888 Fax: 0294188485 correspondents, T. Robinson and Ray
enquiries@tekmarkgroup.com Smith, regarding the triviality of a
www.tekmarknetau few Imperial measurements in your
February 2008 issue. Mr Robinson, in
Want a real speed
particular, was rather childish in my
opinion, by threatening to stop buying
the magazine if he sees Imperial refer-
controller k¡t? ences, I bet he wouldn't!
Personally, I find "litres per hundred
lf you need to control kilometres" to be useless, We buy fuel
12 or 24 volt DC by the litre, so why not a more usefuI
motors and "kilometres per litre"? I shouldn't have
want a to fool around dividing figures.
speed -!àL'= Mr Robinson asks who still uses Im-
controller perial units. Bulnings hardware stores
that will easily are fuIl of them! Buy a length of ply-
handle 30 amps, wood a¡rd you can get 1BO0mm. Why
then this is the kit for you.
not 1.5 or 2 metres? Because 1800mm
This controller allows you to vary the is approximately 6 feet. And it used
speed of DC motors from 0 to 1OO%.lt to be L840mm incidentally, which is
is also ideal for conlrolling loads such almost precisely 6 feet.
as incandescent/halogen lamps and Or you can buy 2400mm (rather than
heating elements. the more logical 2.5 metresl which is
This kit makes a great controller for the old B-foot length. Better yet, buy
use on small electric vehicle projects,
such as electrically assisted bikes and
go-carts. We have tested it to over 30
it by the lineal metre, which is 3.66
metres or dare I say it, exactly 1.2 feel;
an astonishing coincidence!
amps without problems-it barely gets
warml ltem code: SPEEDCON.
We also have solar maximiser kits,
Having a Stratco catalog in front of
me,I roofing sheets with awidth of
see
762mm- down to a measly two milli-
Luxeon LEDs, and lots of interesting metres? The weird thing is that762mm
products and publications. is exactly 30 inches or 2.5 feet! Wall
Go to shop.ata.org.au or call siding al L22Ornrn is exactly 4 feet.
us on (03)9639 1500. Why are ladders 1.Bm or 2.4m instearl
Stuco¡rt Catp
of 2m or 2.5m? Because they used to be
6 feet or I feet and basically, they still
are! There are lots of odd metric sizes o incredlble CDs w¡th ouer 1000 classic proiects
with some equalling precise Imperial
equivalents, and the rest being near as
from the. pages 0f Scientif ic Americañ
hardly matters. We still buy Imperial
sized items; they just give us metric
covering every f¡eld of science...
equivalent dimensions. Arguably THE most IMPORIANT collection of
Mr Smith could go to an auto parts
store where he can buy a 2000 Ib winch scientific projects ever put together!
or view many other products having INCLUDES This is version 3, Super Science Fair Edition
Imperial references - not equivalents BONUS SCIENCE from the pages of Scientific American.
but delineations, Read a car magazine
or watch Top Gear and it's nearly all
soE
LIB
As well as specif,rc project material, the CDs
contain hints and ttpr by experienced
MPG, cubic inches and foot-pounds of
torque, Mr, Smith should also check amateur scientists, details on building
the diameter of his ca¡'s wheels! And science apparatus, a large database
might I add, it wasn't all that long ago of chemicals and so much more. i
that TV screens were still quoted in
inches, withmetrics more of an adden-
dum. Many rulers and tape measures
are still ma¡ked for both systems and SCIENTIFIC.
I expect forever will be, AMERICAN
d'
I love metrics. I'd much rather
measure down to the millimetre than
13/64ths any day. It is so beautifully
simple: a litre of water weighs one
"A mus science student, science
kilogram and one thousand of them
will fit into one cubic metre and weigh teøcher, b... or simplyforthose
one tonne. And there is the simplicity
\ with an mind . . ."
of the millimetre and its decadic mul-
tiples. But nobody should be so blind
\
\ Just a tiny selection of the incredible range of projects:
as to tìink that the Imperial system is Build a seismograph to study earthquakes . Make soap bubbles that last for months .
nowhere to be found. Look around,
'Monitor the health of local streams . Preserve biological specimens. Build a carbon
it's everywhere, and it won't go away dioxide laser. Grow bacteria cultures safely at home . Build a ripple tank to study wave
any time soon. phenomena . Discover how plants grow in low gravity. Do strange experiments with
Paul Carson, sound. Use a hot wire to study the crystal structure of steel . Extract and purify DNA
Westmead, NSW. in your kitchen.Create a laser hologram. Study variable stars like a pro. lnvestigate
vortexes in water. Cultivate slime moulds . Study the flight efficiency of soaring birds
Interesting circuit doesn't work . How to make an Electret. Construct fluid lenses . Raise butterflies as experimental
I had occasion to build arr expanded animals. Study the physics of spinning tops. Build an apparatus for studying chaotic
scale voltmeter recently. I remembered systems. Detect metals in air, liquids, or solids. Photograph an ant's brain and
you had already published a very nervous system . Use magnets to make fluids into solids . Measure the metabolism of
clever version of this, in November an insect . . . o âfld many, many more (a thousand more, in fact!)
2006, on page 7. This was a reprint
from the "Circuit Notebook" June See the V2 review in Stttcou 2004. . . or read on line at siliconchip.com.au
1995, which I didn't have.
I built it in about 10 minutes and
it didn't work! I took some measure- IIERE'S HOW TO ORDER YOUR COPY: BY FAX:#
ments and pondered for a while; it's
a bit of a brain-teaser, The problem
is that l};re 78O5/7905 devices are de-
signed to source current to the load,
(02) s939 2648
24 Hours 7 flays øiii#ift','"I-il
' Ploaso have your credil cald handy! # Don'l fotgel to include your name, address, phone no and credit cald details. ^ You will be
prompled for required inlormation
and in this case the current is flowing
the other way back into both the regu-
Thele's also a handy order form inside this issue (see Stucoru Cxtp Boolrshop
lators, This causes tlle regulation to fail
and the output terminal voltage to rise
siliconchip.com.au
WWW.SI rconc
 fl5Amæffi@ffi [ffi&ffiffi
I was recently interested to see
the availability of 15 and 30 Farad
drop, it will make no difference to
the sound quality,
72-24V High Current Speed Con-
troller, March & April 2008: the
component overlay (page 6s,
Microcontroller articles
are appreciated
As a regular purchaser of Sntcou
CHrP, I am responding to you¡ Febru-
In looking for a direction for the
future, I think that you should, no,
you must publish very elementary
projects like Stan's on a regular ba-
PRIME
capacitors for bolstering the L2V
battery line in car sound systems.
The only time that a momentary
drop in the supply rails could cause April 2008) shows a 100¡rF ca- ary 2008 editorial where you ask for sis. There are a lot of people to be ELECTRONICS
problems is if the ampliler is very pacitor immediately to the right comments re future articles. I am a brought into the PIC fold and the Est. 1987
Made by Stinger in the USA, they
ofLK14. This should be a 470pF farmer in East Gippsland, Victoria. more complicated projects will not
are priced at US$500 and US$650, close to full power and the slight
16V electrolytic. Similarly, the I expect that I would be classed as entice them into it.
respectively. voltage drop then causes itto go into
component overlay shows a 220nF something of arr experimenter in Emphasis on electronic projects
Do you think these are worth- clipping. If you are pushing the sys-
MKT capacitor in parallel with electronics but I do take that further as against articles about new de-
while? (P. K., Gulgong, NSW). tem that hard, it must be "rooly rooly 115 Gompact DMM
zener diode ZD6. This should be to a point where I build helpful and velopments: I see your magazine
o Such capacitors are a complete loud". Norwill driving an amplifier
as a constructional one and that
waste of money. It is true that a big into clipping cause any damage to a 100nF MKT capacitor. reliable devices to assist around our
home and our farm. your present approach is the best.
lump of bass may cause a momentary the amplifier itself, although it may
The bend towards microcontrollers: I recall ceasing buying Electronics
drop in the amplifier's supply rails damage tweeters.
Australia because it had too much
but arry such drop is more likely Irr practice, you would be better off to build in a switch-controlled volume I really appreciate these articles, so
in the high-voltage rails from the installing another car battery in the control? (R.N., Geraldton, WA), keep tlem coming. It would be a on new developments and nowhere
amplifier's internal inverter, not the vehicle, close to the amplifier. You a Switched volume controls are pos- retrograde step for you to ignore near enough comparatively simple
sible but you do not get enough steps tìeir existence and to replace their constructional projects.
battery supply itself. would save heaps of money, based
and so the volume change for each step function with complicated circuitry, Instructional detail¡ if one decides
If the amplifier rails do drop be- on those prices, and end up with a
better result. Those super capacitors is too large. A better approach may be Oneuses an B-pin 555 timerwithout to undertake a particular project,
cause of limitations in the inverter, you just cannot have enough detail.
with digital readouts look pretty to substitute a pot that is close enough a second thought so why single out,
al external capacitor cannot help,
say, the 8-pinPICAXE orPIC asbeing Your writers do an excellent job and AC/DC Volts 600V Analog Bar Graph
,{nd even if the amplifrer rails do sr'azzy though. - say 100kQ. The effect on perform- it would be a shame to see that re- AC/DCAmps 104 Backlight
ance will probably be minimal, too complicated? Min/MalAvg
Resistance
If you set out to ignore them, you duced in any way. The Gonsequence Display Hold
Continuity
might as weII close the book on of too brief a description is failure
Does regulator solid-state and go back to having of the project.
Frequency Auto/Manual Range
Holster
to cooking in this way. It will also allow you to keep cooking Capacitance
Note that induction cook tops are if you have a power blackout, There is need a heatsink? everything operating with thermi- Internet: I live in an area where ru¡al Our Prlce
I have purchased the Adjustable telephone wires have made ground
very expensive and you can only use
certain steel a¡d cast iron saucepans -
more information at this website:
http //www. choice, com. au/viewArti-
: Regulated Power Supply kit (StlIcoN
onic valves. I consider that PICs a¡e
incredibly useful and foresee utilis- access to the internet pretty much $t 99.0o
all others will be unsuitable (eg, those cle.aspx?id=103867&catld=100447& Crm, May 2OO7). The directions state ing them in various projects in the out of the question, Our only solu-
with aluminium or copper bases). tid=1 00008&p=1&title=Test%3 a+Ind that I may need to install a heatsink. years to come. tion would lie with satellite coverage 179lEDA2 Combo Kit
Halogen cook tops use essentially uction+cooktops+(archived) I intendto regulate four 3.7V (14.8V) However, I am continually sur- but the cost has been a problem for
the same technology as halogen lamps Li-ion 3.34h batteries to give an out- prised at how many people in the us. So, with no access, when an ar-
except that the light from the lamp put of 7V at 1,{. Do I need to install a electronics business know almost ticle suggests that part of the project
Switched volume heatsink a¡d what heatsink should I nothing about the PIC programmers. information, say for exampìe, a PIC
must pass through an infrared fiIter,
ie, the glass cook top. As a result, the control wanted use? [S. C., via email). And I have to admit, were it not for program, should be obtained via the
cook top becomes hot and heats up the I am looking for a circuit diagram of o If you mean that the regulator is Sta¡r Swan's series of easy-to-read internet, we are in trouble,
saucepan. Having said that, we cannot a switch-controlled (not a potentiom- required to deliver 7V at 1A with a and understand articles on them, I StiII, I expect that we are the
see any particular beneflt of halogen eter) volume control. I am repairing 14.8V input, then you need a heatsink, would have had a lot of difficulty in exception and there will be an
cook tops although they may heat up an old ACCLIPHASE-202 amPlifier of The dissipation is 7W and so a low coming to terms with them. ever-increasing reliance upon it for
great sentimental value and cannot thermal resistance heatsink (<2.5"C1 Even with his articles, I was sure such references. Perhaps you could
more rapidly than other t¡tes,
If you want to be environmentally obtain the original or any dual zsokO W) such as Jaycar's HH-8570 fan type that I was going to seriously damage give some consideration to those
friendly, the best bet is a gas cook top, Iog potentiometer. Would it be possible should be used. sC my computer with the serial port folk who are for whatever reason,
link to the device but that didn't without internet access. Kit Gontains
happen, The BASIC language they Keith Traill, o Fluke 179 True RMS DMM
use is not hard; in fact quite fasci- Buchan, Vic. c TL224 SureGrip* Silcone Test Lead
nating to create, to program into the Comment: we can make sofiware Set
o T1910 Electronic Test Probe Set
StLtcoN CHre magazine regularly describes projects which employ a mains power supply or produce high voltage. device and to see whether it does available on CD-ROM for ß9.50 in- o 4C280 SureGrip* Hook Clip Set
All such projects should be considered dangerous or even lethal if not used safely. what you walt. cluding postage. o TPAK Magnetic Hanger
Readers are warned that high voltage wiring should be carried out according to the instructions in the articles' . 80BK lntergrated DMM TemP Probe
When working on these projects use extreme care to ensure that you do not accidentally come into contact with
¡ C35 Soft Meter Case
mains AC voltages or high voltage DC. lf you are not confident about working with projects employing mains voltages (with respect to its GND pin). output pin of the 7905 wiII be sitting Our Price
or other high voltages, you are advised not to attempt work on them. Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd disclaims The 7905 was much worse than the al +7Y (ie 12V-5V) with respect to the
any liability for damages should anyone be killed or injured while working on a proiect or circuit described in any 7805. With only 1mA flowing back- input minus. This +7V has a current
$4g9.OO
issue of Stt-lcolr¡ CHtp magaz¡ne. Devices or circuits described in SlLlcoN CHIP may be covered by patents. Slt-tcot'¡ wards into its output pin, the voltage path via the meter to the 5V output Prices exclude GST
Cnlp disclaims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the manufacturing or selling of any such equip- rises to over 6V. I tried a number of of the 7805, thus tending to pull the
ment. SILICON CHIP also disclaims any liability for projects which are used in such a way as to infringe relevant regulators from different manufactur- 7805 to a voltage above 5V. The same Callfor a 2008 Fluke Catalogue
government regulations and by-laws. ers but they were all the same. happens to the other regulator, www prime€lectronics æm au
Advertisers are warned that they are responsible for the content of all advertisements and that they must con- To explain the problem, if we as- In order to fix it, you need to ensure
form to theTrade Practices Act 1974 or as subsequently amended and to any governmental regulations which are sume 12V is applied to the input, the current is always flowing out of each
Brisbane (o7l32527466
applicable. Sydney (02) e7o4 eooo
siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OO8
98 Stuco¡,t Cntp
 Mailbag: continued
t¡izfiÅR new sïslem regulator. This requires a load resistor from each output
circuit design, pin to the respective GND pin. I would suggest that, to
keep it stable, about five times the cunent should flow via
this resistor, ie, 5mA through the resistor and 1mA through
the meter.
I am surprised that Wal Douglas claims to have used it
successfully for years,
Bruce Boardman,
Telstra - Wireless Engineering & Operations,
Sydney, NSW.
Comment: well you have uncovered a mess. We did not spot
the problem in 1995 and we didn't spot it again in 2006!
;-lloh & Business Comment on
ffim! Prius battery life
I can't believe you published Gorton Drennan's letter
Wmd
..':
without a warning about its accuracy. His assertion that the
Prius' battery has to be periodically replaced is not true.
Toyota claims the battery will last the life of the vehicle,
They achieve this by ensuring the battery is never fuIly
charged or discharged,
Mr Drennan has confused the expression "limited capac-
ity" with "limited life". The limited capacity (aAh) and
extra weight of the Prius means that when it is used for any
www.5SSelectron ics. com. au purpose other than city driving, it will not achieve better
mileage than maly conventional petrol vehicles.
Paul Smith,
Port Macquarie, NSW.
Gree llogstar2 K¡t from Comment: in fact, the battery does not last forever. We re-
cently had a couespondent who purchased a grey-market
import (ex-lapan) 1999 Prius in which the battery has failed.
Gutter Electronics Toyota apparently will not help because the car was not
purchased from a Toyota dealer.
l5 THIS THE WORLDS Brlshtert DIV
LICHT KIT ? Non-metric standards
Klt lnclude¡
Twln Alloy houllngr wlth Norow ond I was about 10 when we went metric, so became conver-
Medlum Beom Optlcs,
2 x Mlcrc contrcller conrtorit cuFent
sant in both metric and Imperial systems. I became familiar
drlvsE, ¡elect buch or boort with SI units through physics and can happily work in
2 x MR11 lze PCB wlth 3 x C¡ee XR-E, R2
bln ledr. (totol Llght output t6oo
several different number bases,
f lumens) However, I have never been able to get familiar with kilo-
-t Comes complete wlth twltchel, coble,
connedoñ, rust odd Power!l!l
parsecs per 100 litres (or whatever) or hecta/megapascals.
MPG and PSI still hold a lot of meaning to me, as well as
I for a large number of other people. Pray you never need to
Order on line at work with old English equipment, when it seemed a new
www.cuttencom,au thread was invented for every application!
If seeing MPG on a magazine cover is so distressing to
I 4
Enqulrler plæe T. Robinson, I hope the editorial staff at Sntcotrt CHIe never
Emoll:morþ,rlleyGcutteicom.ou show a valve project on the cover again, Presumably, medi-
cal assistance would be required!
Brett Cupitt,
Ashfield, NSW.
Comment: you should realise that the metric thought police
Keep your co¡lies sale with these harrrly binrlers will be around to your place shortly.
Ava¡lable Aust only, Price: SAl3-95 plus 37 p&p per
order (¡ncludes GST) Just fill ¡n and mail the handy DDS VFO project feedback
order form ¡n th¡s ¡ssue; or fax (02) 9939 2648; or call
(02) 9939 3295 and quote your credit card number.
I have recently acquired an RCA BgP WW2 (1.54213
build) 2}id}Jz - 2OMHz AM crystal-controlled transmitter.
Buy five and get them postage free! '
SILIC)N CHIP siliconchip.com.au
to-peak random noise is about 40mV
hence giving about -30d8,
I have verifi.ed that the LM358 is
working correctly on both differential
inputs from the HK828, These meas-
urements were made at highest quality
(OscR = 24kO). There is no hum and
the noise is apparently being generated
internally by the HKB2S.
I have checked the HKB2B data sheet
a¡rd note that it stores 256 voltage lev-
els, I would therefore have expected
something over -40d8 S/N,
Could you please tell me if this noise
is normal or what the cause may be?
(G. J., Emerald, Vic).
o Although the HK828 does store
samples al 256 voltage levels, they
are stored in analog "chatge" form
rather than in digital. We suspect that
is why the signal to noise ratio is not
as good as onewould expect from a
digital memory device offering the
same nominal B-bit resolution.
The figure that you are getting is
about as good as you can get from this
chip. It seems adequate in practice for
many applications,
Missing track
on PC board
Iread about D.P.'s problem with
the Programmable Ignition display on
page 98 of the February 2008 issue. I
too had no display - "boxes" only.
The problem was a missing PC track
between the top of the SIP resistor ar-
ray arrd pin 14 of the LCD module, It
was just next to the top left mounting
bolt. (J. Y,, Milang, SA),
Processor for
subwoofer amplifiers
I have a suggestion for an up-com-
ing project. Following on from the
previous sub processors for subwoofer
amplifiers, how about tackling the
other end of the frequency range? By
that I refer to the 10Hz -20H2 region,
where most subwoofer speakers are
totally unprotected from peak signals
often well below the tuning frequency
of the box (vented high-pass types in
particular).
What is needed is variable sub-
with a slope of at least
sonic filter
24dB which can be adjusted using a
potentiometer,
The second thing that is required is
some form oflimiter (compression?) to
limit the signal if required. Again this
siliconchip.com.au
ffi@ffidtuæmffimsAffi
Thank you for providing a practi-
cal use for out-of-date drives with
the Playback Adapter for CD-ROM
Drives [SucoN Cnp, November &
December 2OO7). These computer
drives are of better quality than
those in cheap combination sound
systems.
Could you also produce a push-
button panel to go on the front of an
older computer tower? The remote
control is a great idea but I always
like to use malual controls as well,
The buttons would have to be Stop,
Play, Forward & Reverse. (R, P., via
email).
o While it would be nice to have a
panel of pushbuttons to control the
CD-ROM playback adaptor, it turns
out to be a bit of a tall order.
As the circuit stands at the mo-
ment, there are no free input pins
on the existing microcontroller, It
would require another PC board
could be made adjustable. The third
requirement would be to have a nar-
row-band EQ feature to boost the low
frequencies to compensate for output
losses in high excursion (and often
expensive!) low-frequency drivers. (1,
P., via email).
o The Subwoofer Controller project
in the August 2007 issue did incor-
porate a low-pass fiIter with a roll-off
at'l,íHz.
We don't think there is much point
in having it adjustable. However, if
you wanted to increase the roll-off
frequency to 2OHz, you could do so
by scaling the relevant capacitors. The
circuit also incorporates an adjustable
narrow-band equaliser.
Current flow in
class-B amplifier
I am having trouble understanding
the direction of current flow in simple
class-B amplifiers with and without an
,{C signal. I would appreciate some
help. (W S., via email).
o Look at it this way: for positive
excursions of a sinewave, the upper
transistor conducts and feeds current
from the positive rail to the loudspeak-
er, For negative excursions, the lower
transistor conducts and pulls current
incorporating the pushbuttons
ald a small microcontroller. The
microcontroller would decode and
debounce the pushbuttons and then
send a serial stream to the main
boa¡d.
In fact, you would probably want
the infrared remote control sensor
(IRD1) on the pushbutton panel as
well. So the second microcontroller
would decode the pushbuttons and
the infrared remote control signals.
These would then be fed to the main
board through the input pin that the
infrared remote control sensor is
connected to presently (ie, pin 12
[PD2] of the microcontroller).
So what you are asking for, while
seemingly simple, is a lot more
complicated to implement, We do
not think it is worth pursuing as the
all-up cost of the resulting project
would be far more tha¡r buying a
good quality DVD player.
back from the loudspeaker to tlre nega-
tive supply. With no signal, no current
flows through the loudspeaker,
Induction cook tops
are expensive
I am currently in the market for a
new stove and I want to know how
much more efficient is an induction
cook top compared to a halogen cook
top? Are there any bad health side
effects that could occur as a resuÌt of
using an induction cooktop? Andhow
does an induction cook top work?
I am also interested in how a halogen
cook top works but I have probably
already asked too many questions! (L.
M., Lakes Entrance, Vic).
o We do not have comparative effr-
ciency figures for cook tops although
the induction type should be the
most efficient. It works by inducing
a¡ intense alternating magnetic field
into the base of the saucepan, The
resulting eddy currents in the base of
the saucepan cause heating.
In effect, all the power being used
goes into the base ofthe saucepan but
there will inevitably be some losses (ie,
inefficiency) in the large electromag-
net coil used to induce the magnetic
flelds. There are no health side effects
MAY 2OOB 97
 WAffiffimffi
I would like to know how to re-
verse the direction of a perma-nent
magnet brushless DC motor, eg,
CPU cooling fans or solar-powered
exhaust fans. I know this capability
does exist but it is not weII known
or used.
The reason is that sometimes
is better to bring air in instead of
exhausting it out, so it would be
good to have a control to reverse
the direction of rotation, whether
that be manually or automatically
switched.
I am fairly familiar with motor
types and their fimctions and re-
alise that brushed DC motors can
be reversed by changing the input
polarity. Howevet, I am specifically
asking about brushless DC motors
as they are very efficient and can be
run ofbothDC andAC (after conver-
sion). I understand that they cannot
be reversed by changing polarity via
the use of a DPDT switch or some
other means.
Your assistance would be greatly
ing on. I flnally fixed the problem - the
speaker output wires were routed nea¡
the primary of the power transformer
and when I moved these wires to the
other side of the transformer, the unit
functioned properly and has for the
past three years without issue.
I suspect that noise in the mains
was triggering instability in the power
section. (L M., via email).
o Possibly the fact that the speaker
appreciated. Here is one link to
company in America that has this
frmction for its Solar DC Cooling,
Fans & Kits - see htt¡l:/Ânrww.ad-
vancedenergyonline. com/catalog/
applications/fans.hh
They say "The reversible, ball
it bearing PM motor allows the fan
to be used for intake or exhaust by
reversing tle wire at the motor. " (M.
D., Cairns, Qld).
o Whether a (permanent magnet)
brushless DC motor canbe reversed
or not depends on tlre circuiFy that
switches the coils. With some, the
coils are switched using timing
infolmation from HalI effect or mag-
netic sensors. The switching circuit
then keeps the coils powered at the
correct time to ensure the motor runs
in the correct direction. Reversing
the supply will just prevent the
circuit receiving power because it
includes a blocking diode for the
supply.
Altematively, a diodebridge could
be used to allow the circuit to run
aware of, eg, avoidingtheuse of induc-
tive emitter resistors (an early fault
with the 1980s ETI Series 5000 Mosfet
amplifier)? (P, R., Noosa, Qld).
¡ There is no such problem in the
20W Class-A Amplifier, If someone
is experiencing 160kHz oscillation in
their amplifier it points to incorrect
components or perhaps a missing or
wrong value compensation capacitor
associated with QB, ie, the 100pF NPO
a with either polarity but with a polar-
ity sensor that alters the coil switch-
ing sequence according to applied
polarity. This can reverse tle motor
direction.
Somebrushless motots do notuse
any synchronising sigrral but iust
sequence the powering of the coils
(assuning the motor will run at a set
speed). This is OK for motors that
have a constar.t load such as fans.
Again, depending on the design
the motor may also be reversible. If
you have access to the (usual) tb¡ee
wires which actually power the
motor, it may be possible to reverse
direction by swapping two of the
connections.
Note, however, that reversing tle
direction of a fan motor, particularly
those mounted within a fan cowling,
does not work, as they do not move
air efficiently in the opposite direc-
tion. They tend to just disturb the
air when rotating backwards. The
fanblades and cowling are designed
for one way only.
Chaaging the value of R4 appears
to be the way to do this but I am con-
cerned about affecting the equalisa-
tion. (I. P,, via email),
a R4 is the one to reduce to get more
gain but unfortunately there is not a
lot of extra gain to be had. You really
need a higher gain circuit such as the
Magnetic Cartridge Preamplifier de-
scribed in the August 2006 issue.
This was used on \ÂIW2 warships and
built like a rock, weighing in at a
was
shade under 350kg. This is a long-term
restoration project and part of the idea N ever
was to convert the crystal oscillator The R&S NRP fanrrly of poler sensors rl
tlte rattçtc
to a VFO, DC to 40 GHz arrrl 200 l)W to 30W
The DDS VFO article in the March
2008 issue was exactly what I was lVlaxilrrr¡nr b¡ndr,vrdth, lrtqh tlleasttrctlltltìt acctllilcV, l0ll
Iooking for, so I have embarked on neasurenrerlt s¡tee11 Powct scns0ts ftotn the R&S NRP fartlrly
acquiring the parts, The display inter- are r,r¡hat all the others asprre t0 bc Every R&S NRP potvcr
sens0r rs a contpletc neasuring ittstrtrnleltt irl ttsclf lts USB
ested me as I have a few other projects
that could use this approach, so I
interface allor,vs you t0 0perate it directly frolll a PC, ftolll othcr
Rohde&Schwarz nteasuting ¡nstrutn0tlts, ol front the R&S NRP
did a search using a popular search base unit
I
I read a¡ound 30 or 40 hits, finding Thermal sensor for challertging nteasurenìents
t Diode sensor with a 90 dB clynamic range - also {or
prices ranging from $9 to $61, The
$61 was in the first few hits, the $9 in
one of the ones much further down,
(Tip: when using a search engine,
look beyond the first page of results,
especially if you want to find the good
prices.)
I was pleased to find an Australian
supplier of the display (Peakhour at
www.peakhour.com.au). I ordered
a few for the various projects, paid
online and they were delivered in
two working days. One of the units
was damaged in transit ánd I emailed
Peakhour with a photo and they dis-
patched a new unit on the same day.
Ah . . . customer service as it used to
be still exists.
Matt Howard,
Melbourne, Vic.
Video on soldering SMDs Years of
flil ttri
Following your article on solder-
ing SMDs in the March 2008 issue, Htuttllllti, DrivÍng
there is an excellent video on this tHillltlt I nnovati o n
topic at http://www.curiousinventor.
c om/guides/Surfac e-Mount-S o lder-

leads were very close to the mains ing/ror

wires may mean that there was direct
induction of transient voltages into
the amplifier output stage. Even so,
the output filter should have stopped
most of this effect.
Non-inductive resistors
for amplifier
I wish to build a 20W Class-A Stereo
Amplifier, as per the series of articles
that appeared in Sntcox Crup in 2007.
However, I read a report on the DVT
website, stating that the author built
one a¡rd found it
was oscillating at
above 160kHz and regularly blowing
output transistors.
Are there any later notes I should be
96 stuco¡,t cutp
ceramic.
Non-inductive resistors have no
merit in a class-A circuit. They do have
some application in class-B circuits
where inductive resistors cal magnify
the crossover "discontinuity" in the
transfer characteristic and even then
they are more applicable to Mosfet
power amplifi.ers than bipolar transis-
tor circuits.
Increasing the gain
of the RIAA preamp
I need to increase the gain of the
Universal Stereo Preamplifi er (SucoN
Crur, April 1994) in RIAA mode to
match other inputs. Can you suggest
a modification to do this?
45s Voice Recorder has
har
poor signal/noise ratio
I have a question concerning the 45-
Second Voice Recorder (Snrcou Cme,
December 2oo7). My module appears
to be working as intended. However
the signal-to-noise ratio is rather lower
than I had expected, with quite audible
background noise which does not vary
with AGC action on the input signal
amplitude.
I have measured the peak signal/
noise ratio as about -30d8 (measured
bymyCRO onthe outputRCA connec-
tor). The peak-to-peak signal on well-
recorded voice is about 1.2V, On the
same recording with the microphone
capsule itself short-circuited, the peak-
siliconchip.com.au
Robert Ellis,
South Oakleigh, Vic.
Comment: thanks forthe link olthough
we have to say that we would rather
hear the Americans refer to solder as
"solder" instead of "sodder"!
Watermark logos
are useful
On page 4 of Mailbag in the April
2008 issue, the writer is bothered by
television stations identifying their
transmission. In fact, I actually find
this handy.
Very few modern television sets
have channel identification numbers
on the front panel, The last TV I ovrmed
siliconchip.com.au
which showed which cha¡nei had program memory location numbers
beentunedwas a 1998 Philips. Newer don't equal the channel numbers.
TVs need a press of the remote control For example, my mother has been in
to reveal the station you're on whereas hospital three times in the last few
the watermark allows me to see the months. The TVs there don't dis-
channel at a glance. play actual channels, only program
I never find the logos intrusive, as memory numbers, When I subscribed
they are "translucent". One ca¡ still to cable TV watermarks were used
see the picture behind it. As for stick- frequently - including when viewing
ing a grey paper over the watermark, a recorded program; you knew where
you'd recorded it very easily,
what does that achieve - only a worse
distraction? P. Smith,
The watermark is handy when the Albert Park, Vic. sC
MAY 2OOB
 I
tors or resistors in the filter networks to
provide your speech fi.lter function.
ItuightRider works
in other cars
I bought a KnightRider scanner kit
(SII,lcoN CHn, May 1996) from Dick
Smith Electronics, I would love to
mount this kit behind the grille of my
car which, to my great dismay, is not
,æ a 1980s Pontiac, Ideally, I'd have the
circuit mounted under the dash in the
cabin and a bunch of cable running
from there to a series of 10mm 12V
LEDs behind the grille.
Will this kit still work if I were to go
ahead and make these modifications?
(D. C., via email).
¡ We regret that your cil does not
happen to be a 1980s Pontiac.
æ Fortunately, the KnightRider will
work in other cars. To install it, you
can run cabling from the PC board
to the LEDs but you should not use
r " 12V LEDs. Use standard 10mm LEDs
| ,./' instead. L2V LEDs have an internal
resistor to allow direct connection to
12V and they would glow very dimly
if used in this circuit,
I with the antenna about half a wave-
Question about old
electrolytic c ap acitors
Could you tell me what material
is contained within electrolytic ca-
pacitors in 1950/60s TVs? [8. K,, via
email),
o We think that the electrolyte used
in those days was based on an ammo-
nium salt, possibly ammonium chlo-
ride. Nowadays, boron compounds
a¡e used and the electrolytes a¡e a lot
more stable.
x. Does pool monitor
t* \ adiust for evaporation?
The PIC-ControIIed Pool Monitor
(SntcoN Crue, January 2008) is a fan-
- tastic project but I have a question,
: Does the PIC compensate for the slow
'¡
1 evaporation of water over time or will
it suddenly one daytriggerbecause the
t water level has dropped?
We can lose several inches of water
e finst all-elecËniè
from our pool in a matter of weeks.
Conversely, will trickle fiIling the
pool require recalibration? (M, C., via
email).
rrc le
¡ The pool monitor only monitors
cË
! 9-1 8VDC. K1 48 - $44.00
for water level changes over a short
(1O-second) period. Any longer term
ab lia tr
!
siliconchip.com,au
ffiWIrcffimqrumFftüffis
I have a number of questions
on the Weather Satellite Receiver
project (Sntcox CuIp, December
2003). What is the impedance of the
receiver - 5OCl or 75Q? Also, what is
the input and output impedaace of
the preamplifier. My QFH antenna
has aterminating impedance of 50Q
so do I need to transform this to 75O
or not and if so, how?
I used extra bypass capacitors in
the preamplifier and in the receiver,
with extra shielding to stop oscilla-
tion problems. There has been a big
improvement but I still have lots of
noise ald a weak receive signal
Is my reception problem likely to
be due to interference from paging
services at 148MHz at my location?
Is the receiver's sensitivity in ques-
tion or can I get better reception from
a cheap scanner?
I mounted the turnstile antenna
reflector on my QFH antenna with
about 65Omm spacing from the bot-
tom. Why do I get a stronger signal
Iength offthe ground as opposed to
when it is on the chimney? (D, K.,
via email),
o We will answer your questions
in the order that you asked them,
The inputimpedance of thereceiver
itself is typically very close to 75O
when the front-end is tuned. The
changes due to leakage, evaporation
or fllling tend wiII be ignored.
The alarm function operates so long
as tìe þressure probe is within the
water. This gives some 100mm or so
water level variation with the alarm
still in operation.
Note that sensitivity to changes in
water level over the 1O-second period
will be slightly different with differ-
ent water levels (and the associated
depth that the probe is within the
water). However, this is not sufficient
to require recalibration,
Transistor failures in
SC4B0 amplifier
I saw a question regarding output
transistor failures in the "Ask SnIcoN
Cnr" pages of the February 2008 is-
sue. I built a stereo SC4B0 system a
input and output impedance of the
RF preamp are both also very close
to 75Q, hence the suggested use of
a matching section in the lead from
the turnstile antenna - see page 36
of the January 2oo4 issue of Su,IcoN
Cmp.
You probably don't need match-
ing section or other impedance
a
transformer to connect a 50Q an-
tenna to the RF preamp input,
You may still be getting a small
amount of oscillation in the receiv-
er's front-end or IF section. You may
need further shielding and bypass-
ing around the SA605D and possibly
around the 8F998 in the receiver.
It's also possible that some of your
troubles are due to interference from
pagers. If so, it may be necessary
to add a bandpass flIter in the line
between the antenna a¡rd the RF
preamp.
We doubt if you would get better
NOAA satellite reception using a
cheap scanner, unless the receiver
is still being severely desensitised
because of either interference or
RF/IF oscillation.
It's hard to explain why reception
can be better closer to the ground
than further away, Factors like
ground conductivity, surrounding
metalwork (like metal roofing) and
simila¡ things probably play a role.
few years ago and one of the modules
kept failing. I replaced transistors
several times, checked every node in
the circuit and eventually replaced the
entire module to no avail
I also noticed that the failures were
often preceded by my old fridge turn-
4-Diqit Tirnirrq Modrrl
10,000 second timing
range. Other firmware
chips available. Can be
custornised to suit your
needs. Size:51x66mm
Prices & documentat¡on auailable on weLsite:
MAY 2OOB 95
 Í I ThvwouldSu,rcorCnpwant

ASK SILICON CHIP

l/ll tá review a motorbike?
U U ttaa'n, urs ts no orornary
motorbike!
As far as we know, the Vectrix
Electric Motor Scooter is the first
fully-b atte ry- p owe r e d, ro ad-registered
production vehicle of any description
on sale to the public in Australia. That

Speed controller causes
low-speed "coggittg"
I have recently completed the 'Im-
proved Speed Controller For Universal
Motors" as featured in the October
2002 issue. It is driving a brush motor
rated at 2A; well within the design's
5A rating.
The unit controls OK at the higher
speeds. However, whenturned down,
it "hunts" f¡om a high speed to virtu-
ally off and then accelerates back to
the high speed and so on. I have had
one of the ANU's technicians check
the unit but he cannot identify the
problem.
Years ago I built the controller's
Iower-tech predecessor and that con-
trols the motor quite well. Any ideas
as to why the newer unit is causing
problems? (,{. D., via email).
o It is possible that diode D3 is faulty
and is causing disruption with the
back-EMF and hence the speed con-
trol Note, however, thatthe minimum
speed for an appliance is dependent on
the onset of "cogging", where the mo-
tor tends to run in shortbursts. So VR2
needs to be set so that the minimum
speed is high enough so this cogging
does not happen.
The slowest minimum speed varies
from appliaace to appliance,
Simple mixer
circuit wanted
I want to build a preamp which
will combine the left and right signals
from my digitai set-top box, to enable
me to drive a centre speaker (such as
that sold by Dick Smith ElectronicsJ.
I do not require ultra hifi., as the idea
is simply to improve the clarity of
speech. What kit(s) can you suggest,
please? (T. S,, Claremont, WA).
o The easiestwayto do this istomake
up a mixing lead that connects to the
left and right outputs from the digital
set-top box and combines the Ieft and
right signals using a 10kÇt resistor in
each signal wire. The junction of each
resistor then becomes the centre chan-
nel signal for a power amplifier,
A courmercial power amplifrer can
be used or there are many kit amplifiers
available such as the SCa80 (Jaycar
kit KC-5345) and the accompanying
power supply [KC-s347). The re-
quired transformer is the MM-1095
from faycar. Note that the amplifier
and power supply must be built into
a suitable case.
If you build your own amplifier,
the two 10kQ mixing resistors for the
left and right channel signals can be
placed at the signal input to the ampli-
fier rather than using a mixing lead as
mentioned above.
Software for Smart
Card Programmer
I cannot find files for IC-PROGL05a
on www.ic-prog.com for your Smart
Card Programmer (Srrrcou Cure, July
2003), I can only find IC-PROG105e. Is
this file sufñcient? Ca¡r I also program
the PIC877 smartcard with the same
software? (T. T., Westmeadows, Vic),
o The later "e" version of IC-PROG
105 can be used. For the PIC76F877
you need a loader. The GSM a3
gold and silver wafer card loader
http://users.net.yu/-deian/ should
be able to be used. More informa-
tiou is available on the net - see
is reason enough in itself.
And with all the talk about saving
energy, CO2 emissions and carbon
footprints, we gladly accepted the offer
of a week's hands-on trial
We were interested in the Vectrix
on two levels - first, how the electric
bike compared to its petrol-powered
equivalents, ie, how successful was
the transition from traditional power
to electric power and second (and
more importantly to us as a technol-
ogy magazine) the inner workings of
the bike. What had Vectrix done where
many others had tried but failed?
Being the only holder of a motorcy-
cle rider's licence around here, yours
truly was elected to evaluate it.
One difÈculty, being based on Syd-
ney's northern beaches, was that it
had to be picked up from the western
suburbs. Not being a regular motorbike
rider in city traffic, I wasn't at all con-
fident about mixing it with Sokm+ of
Sydley roads and freeways.
So I fronted the distributor's factory
with a large box trailer, Ioaded up the
very heavy Vectrix (a very close fit!),
ti ed it on securely and brought it back
to the relative safety ofthe back streets
Vectrix aren't an organisation to hide their light under a bushell. You can't fail
to see that the bike is electric-powered, even if you can't åeo¡ it!
The definition of a motor scootet, as a¡rd throbbing motor between your
far as we can tell, is "a light motor cycle legs. So, therefore, it's somewhere in
with small wheels". WeII, light it ain't, between a scootet and a bike,
neither are its wheels particularly However, it is fairly large. And it's a
small at 14-inch and t3-inch (front Iot heavier tha¡r most bikes ridden by
and rear respectively), average riders: the Vectrix weighs in at
Fair-dinkum "bikes" also have a about 210kg (that's as heavy as some
foot-controlled lever to select gears superbikes), A significant proportion
and, because the clutch lever is of that 210kg is its NiMH batteries.
mounted on the handlebars, another The bike itself features a lightweight,
foot-controlled lever for brakes. The heavy-duty aluminium frame (as
Vectrix has neither of tlese because shown in our exploded diagrams),
it doesn't have a clutch. Both brakes The batteries, all 110 of them, sit
are ha¡dlebar mounted, similar to a Iow in the bike to assist its centre of
pushbike. gravity. Even so, I'd hate to drop this
So it's not exactly a step-through; bike because it would be a pain to get
neither do you have a big fuel tank back up*,

Ghsflffiffimmffi http ://gsmhosting. com/vbb/archive/ of Brookvale.

If one wanted to use the 20W
Class-A Amplifier for lower wattage
requirements (say around 5-10W), is
it possible to alter the design so this
can be achieved so that its constant
power draw can be maximally re-
duced? I couldn't readily find how
much it draws but the oider 15W
model was said to consta¡rtly draw
100w
Alternatively, as an innovation, is
it possible to come up with a design
modification so that the constant
power draw (and resulting output
wattage) could be changed via a
switch or dial, depending on wheth-
er a full power mode is required or
not? (P, R., via email).
o In setting the bias for a class-A
amplifrer it is normal to draw load
Iines and then set the operating cur-
rent so thatthe outputtransistors are
fuIly conducting to providethe peak
current through the loudspeaker at
fulI power. In practice, the operating
current is halfthe required peak cur-
rent at fulI power, In the case of the
20W Class-A Amplifier, tì.e current
is 7.1-2A, giving a total power draw
of soW per channel,
If you reduced the operating cur-
rent to 800m.\, the maximum class-
A power output would be 10W into
8-ohm loads. Similarly, reducing the
operating current to around 560m4
would give a class-A output of SW'
Switchable bias would be imprac-
tical, as you would need separate
trimpots and a change of PC board
layout.
index.php/t-3 7383.html
Speech filter to reduce
background noise
I am wondering if you have pub-
lished a circuit for an audio filter? I
am designing some equipment that
needs a fllter to remove background
noise and focus on the frequencies of
speech. (N.H., via email),
o Strangely enough, we have not
produced an audio "speech" filter
although it would be easy enough to
do, Basically, you need a combination
of a high-pass filter with a low-pass
filter. To see examples of high-pass
and low-pass fiIters, have a look at the
Subwoofer Controller in the August
2007 issue, specifrcally at the fiIter
stages involving IClb (Iow-pass) and
IC5a (high-pass),
Youwouldneedto scale the capaci-
I'Il have more to say on the street
tests shortly, Sufftce to say that I also
co-opted the services of some experi-
enced (ie, every day) riders to share
their opinions and experiences.
Justto re-emphasise: the Vectrix is a
fully legal, road-registerable, battery-
powered bike. As such, it requires
that the rider have both a motor cycle
rider's licence and motor cycle helmet
to use on Australia¡r roads.
A close-up look at the Vectrix
They say first impressions count
- if you didn't know it was an elec-
tric bike (and failed to read that huge
"electric" logo down the side!), you
might think it was just another fairly
Iarge motorbike.
Butyou'dbe wrong, Vectrix insist it's
a "MAXI Scooter" but we think they
are underplaying their hand; damning
This X-ray view of the Vectrix shows the batteries (red) and the charger (orange).
it with faint praise, if you will. The batteries are housed in a heavy fibreglass "safe\r cell" - just in case.

94 Srucox Cntp siliconchip.com.au MAY 2oo9 7l

 The battery pack is rated at 125V
30Ah (3.7kwh) withthe cells arranged
in series to get the required output
voltage.
The cells are arranged in 3 levels x
2 rows with six temperature sensors
and two voltage sensors constantly
monitoring them. This occurs even
when the bike is not being ridden,
with fa¡s used to keep the tempera-
ture down,
As we went to press, Melbourne
was having an autumn heatwave (40oC
days) and on the bikes in use down
there, the fans were doing overtime! ,
High temperatu¡es limit the battery's
ability to supply peak power and also
interfere with the cooling during the
charging process.
Starting
The Vectrix features an inbuilt anti-
theft starting procedure (starting is
hardly the right word!), Unless you
have the "GO" symbol on the instru-
ment cluster, it won't. Go, that is!
To get it there, you need to turn the
key to the appropriate position, wait
until the on-board computer has cy-
cled tlrough its self-testing procedure,
then squeeze the two brake handles in
the right order.
OK, so it's not much of a security
feature but unless you know about
it, you won't be riding the Vectrix
anywhere. Needless to say, I forgot
it when I first tried to ride the bike!
Putting the kickstand down automati-
cally disables the bike and you must
go through the brake handle squeeze
procedure again.
Charging
The Vectrix has a built-in 1,5kW
240V mains charger (it's actually under
the handlebars), AII you need to do is
release the luggage container under
the seat (again with the main key),
It might look like a conventional bike
th¡ottle. But turning it backwards
selects slow reverse and/or braking
regeneration.
72 SnICoN CTilP siliconchip.com.au
phone ïmer; Pic-ïoc - A Simple Alarm Clock; Fast Universal Battery
Char0er, Pt.2; Backing Up Your Email.
March20ll4: PC Board Desion, Pt.2; BuildTheouickBrake Forlncreased
Driving Safety; 3V-9V (or more) oC-DC Converter; ESR Meter Mk.2,
June 2006:Televisi0n-The Elusive G0al, Pt,1; Electric-Powered Model
A¡rcratl, Pt 2; Pocket A/V Test Pattern Generator; ïwo-Way SPDIF-to-
plilier Module;
Pt.1: PICAXE-18X 4-Channel Datalogoer, Pt.3. Toslink Dig¡tal Audio Converter: Build A 2.4GHz Wireless A/V Link; A
High-Curent Battery Charoer For Almost Nothing.
Module; Using Apr
The
Loudspeaker Level Meter For Home
ixture Display For Cars: ESR Meter July 2006: Telev¡sion - The Elusive Goal, Pt.2; ¡rini Theremin l\4k.2,
Mk. or UHF Bemote Control. Pt.l: Proqrâmmable Analoo 0n-ofl Controller; Studio Ser¡es Stereo
September200l: Making MP3s; Build An MP3 Jukebox, n.1; PC-Con-
kolled Mains Switch; Personal Noise Source For Innitus; D¡rectional May 20f14: Amplifier Component Video
Preamplifier; Slop Those Zaps From 0ouble-lnsulated Equ¡pment.
S
;
Microphone; Us¡ng Linux To Share An lnternet Connection, Pt.4. To RGB Converter:
Wkeless Parallel Po
Luxeon StarLEDs: Auoust 2006: Television -The Elusive Goal, Pt.3; Novel Picaxe-Based
LED Chaser C¡ock: Bu¡ld A Magnetic Cartridge Preamplifier; An Ultra-
l{ovemter 2001: Ultra-LD l0ow0hannelStereo Amplifier, R.1; Neon
Tube Modulator For Cars; Audio/Vide0 Diskibution Amplifier; Build A Juno 2004: Dr Video Mk.2 Video Slab¡liser: Build An RFID Securitv
sonic Eavesdropper; M¡ni Theremin Mk.2, Pt.2.
Short Message Recorder Play€r; Useful Tips For Your PC. Module: Fridge-DoorAlarm; Courtesy LightDelayForCars; AutomatinÓ
PC Power-Up; Upgraded Software For The EPRoM Programmer.
September 2006: Thomas Alva Edison - Genius, Pt.1; Transferr¡ng
Your LPs To CDs & MP3s: Turn an old Xbox lnto A $200 Mullimedia
December 2001: lB Transceiver For PCs; 100WCh Stereo Amplif¡eÍ, Player; Picaxe Net Server, Pl.1; Build The Galactic Voice; Aquar¡um
Pt.2; Pardy L¡ghts Colour Display; PIC Fun - Learning About ¡ricros. July2004: Silencing A Noisy PC: V€rsatile Battery Protector; App¡iance Temperature Alarm; S-Video To Composile Video Converter
EnergyMeter, Pt.1;A PoorMan's 0 Meter; Regulated High-Voltage Sup-
January 2002: Touch And/0r Remote-Controlled Light Dimmer, Pt.l; ply For Valve Ampl¡liers: Remote Control For A ¡/lodel Train Layout. 0cl0ber 2000: Thomas Alva Edison - Genius, Pl 2; LED Tachometer
A Cheap 'n'Easy Motorbik€ Alarm; 100W /Channel Stereo Amplifi€r, With Dual 0isplays, Pt.1; [JHF Prescaler F0r Frequency Countersi ln-
n.3; Build A Baucous Alarmi FAQS 0n The MP3 Jukebox. Au D0-Xceneration frared Remote Conlrol Extender: P¡caxe NetServer, Pt.2; Easy-To-Build
lV Balanc€d lrlicro- 12V Digital Timer Module; Build A Super Bicycle LightAlternator.
February2002: 10-Channel lR BemoteControl R€ceiver; 2.4GHz Hi0h- ph e Logic Probe.
Power Audio-Video Link; Touch And/0r Remote-Controlled Light Dim- lpha 4100 Dioital SLR Camera (Review);
mer, Pt.2; Bo0l¡ng A PC Without A Keyboârd; 4-Way Event Tìmer. Septemb0r 2004: Vo¡ce 0ver lP (VolP) For Be0inners: WiFry- Cooking
Up 2.4GHzAnlennas: Bed Wetting Alert; Build a Programmable Robot;
n.1; Bu¡ld Your own Compact Bass Reflex
able Christmas Star; DC Relay Switch; LED
ûlarch 2002: Miqhty e; o-Channel Another CFL lnverter. plays, Pt.2i Picaxe Net Seruer, Pt.3.
lR Remote Volume Co For Maonetic
Cartridges;1z24v hte ger. 0cl0bor 2004: The Humble "Trannie" Turns 50; SMS Controller, Pt.l; De Drill BackTo Life; Cord-
BGB To Component V¡deo Converteri USB Power lnj€ctorj Remote les Radar Spe€d Gun, Pt.2;
April Channel Light Dimmerj R,1; Water Level Conkoller For Garage Doors & Gates. He eedo Correctori 1224V
lndic nch Power Supply; Versatile Multi-Mode Au er, Pt.3.
ïme Volume Control, Pt.z. Electr
l{ouember 2004: 42V Car Power
charg
switch (Errata Dec.2004): s, Pt.1; Vers
January 2007: h; lntelligent Car Airoon-
May2002: 32-LED Knightr¡der;The EatteryGuardian (Cuts PowerWhen Driveway Sentry; SMS Controlle ntrol. ditioning Conkoller: age Doors: lntelligent 12V
the Battery Voitage Drops); Stereo Headphone Amplifier; Automatic Charger For SLA &
Decombsr 2004: Build A Windm¡ll Generator, n.1; 20W Amplifier
Single-Channel Light Dimmer; Pt.2; Stepper Motor Control¡er.
Module: Charoer tor Deep-Cycle 12V Batteries, Pt.2; SolarPowered February 2007: Bemote Volume Control & Preamplifier Module, Pt.1;
August2002: Digital lnstrumentation Software For PCs; Digital Storage Wireless Weather Station; Bidirectional Motor Speed Controller. Simple Variable Boost Conlrol F0r Turbo Cars; Fuel Cut Defeater For
Logic Probe; Digital Therm./Thermostat; Sound Card lnterface For PC The Boost Control; Low-Cost 50¡rHz Frequency Meter, lrlk.2: Bìke
Test lnstruments: D¡rect Conversion Receiver For Badio Amateurs. January2005: Windmill Generator, Pt,2; Build A V8 Doorbell; lR Remote
Control Checker; 4-Minute ShowerTimer; The Prawnlite; Sinom Såys
C0mputer To Digital Ammeter Conversion
Seplember 2002: 12V Fluorescent Lamp lnverteri 8-Channel lnfrared
Remote Control; 50-Watt DC Electronic Load; Spyware - An Update.
Game: VAF DC-7 General¡on 4 Kit Speakers. March 2007: Programmable lonition System For Cars, Pt 1; Remote
Volume Control & Preampl¡fier Module, Pl.2i GPS-Based Frequency
octot0r2002: Speed ControllerFor Universal Motors; PC Parallel Port
Pt.3; USB-Controlled Electro-
lnductance & 0-Factor M€ter,
Reference, Pt.1; Simple Ammeter & Voltmeter.
Wizard; Cable Tracer; AVR ISP Ser¡al Programmeri 3D TV. attery Charger. A ps; High-Power
R 's Ladderi GPS-
November 2002: Super0harger For NiCd/NiMH Batter¡es, Pt.1; W¡n- Marc Pt,1;Swim- B tion System For
dows-Based EPRoM Programmer, Pt.1; 4-Digit Crystal-Controlled ming ,2; Shielded Cn.
ïming Module. Loop Picaxe Data
over er. M
December 2002: Beceiving TV From Sate ul
StereoFMTransmitter;Windows-Based EP
percharger For NiCd/NiMH Batter¡es; Pt.2;
Apr¡l 2005: lnstall Your own ln-Car Video (Reversing M0nitor); Build
A MlDl Theremin, Pt.1: Bass Extender For Hifi Svstems; Sports Score-
m
M
January 2003: Rece¡ving TV From Satellites, Pt 2: SC480 50W
board, Pt.2; Slrs Controller Add-0ns; A $5 Vailable Power Supply.
June 2007:20W Class-A Knock Detector ForThe
BMS Amplifier Module, Pt,1; Gear.lndicator For Carsi Active 3-Way tlay2005: Getting lntowi-Fi, Pt.1; BuildA4S-second voic€ Becordef; Programmable ìgnit¡on' r Controls; Frequency-
Crossover For Speakers. Wreless Microphone/Audio Link; MlDl Theremin, Pt.2: Sports Score- Ca
Activated Switch For s Revisit€d.
board, Pt.3; Automatic Stopwatch Timer.
Fsbruary 2003: PortaPal PA System, Pt.l; SC,l80 50W RMS Amplifier July2007: HowTo CutYour Greenhouse Emissions, Pt.1; 6-Dioit Nixie
Module, Pt.2; Windows-Based EPROM Programmer, Pt.3; Fun With June 2005: Wi-Fi, Pt.2; The Mesmeriser Ciock, Pt.1: TankWater Level Indicator; A PlDTemperature Controller:
The PICAXE, Pt.1. Freezer Temperature Controller; Altern
Colour Recognition System; AVB200 S
20W Class-A Stereo Ampl¡fier: Pt 3i Making Panels For Projects.
March 2003: LED Lighting For Your Car; Pelt¡er-Effect Tinnie Cooler;
PortaPal PA System, Pt.2; 12V SLA Battery Float Charger; Little Dyna- July 2005: Wi-Fi, Pt.3; Remote-Conkolled Automatic Lamp Dimmer;
Auqusl 2007: How To Cut Your Greenhouse Emissions, Pt.2: 20W
Class-A Stereo Amplifier; Pt.4: Adaptive Turbo ïimer; Subwoofer
mite Subwoofer: Fun With The PlCf\,\E, Pl.z (Shop Door Minder). Lead-Acid Battery Zapper; Ser¡al Stepper lvotor Controller; Salvaging,
& Using Thermoslats; Unwired Modems & External Antennas.
Controller: 6-Dio¡t Nixie Clock, Pt.2.
Apr¡l 2003: Video-Audio Booste hone 0f Long-Distance WiF¡; Fasl Charger For
Thr
Dialler For Burolar Alarms; Pt.3 Augusl2005: MudlarkA20SValve StereoAnplifier, Pt.1; Prograrnmable imple Data-Logging Weather Station, n.1:
(Heartbeat Simulator); Electr¡c Flexilimer: Carb0n MonoxideAlert; Serial LCD Driver: Enhanced Sports f¡er: Pt.s.
Scoreboard: Salvaging Washing Maching Pressure Switches.
May 2003: Widgybox Guilar Dislortion Effects Un¡t; 10MHz Direct october 2007: DVD Players - For HiF¡ Audio?;
Digital Synthesis Generator; Big Blaster Subwoofer; Printer Port SBptembsr2005: BuildYour0wnSeismograph; Bilge SniflerForEoats; Electron¡c Noughts & Crosses ic Probe; Roll¡no
Simulator; PICAXE, Pl.4 (Motor Controller). V0lP Analog Phone Adaptor; Mudlark A205 Valve Stereo Amplifier, Code Security System, Pt.1; S Weather Slalion,
Pt.2; PIC¡ù(E in Schools, Pt.4. R,2; AM Loop Antenna & Amp
lntercom:
& Garden 0clobor2005
Studio Series
Box; November 2007: Your Own Home Becording Studio; PIC-Based
rForCars; sion Water Tank Level Meter, Pt.l: Playback Adaptor For CD-R0M Drives,
lmpa¡red Peo Pt.1; Rolling Code Security System, Pt,2; Bu¡ld A UV Light Box For
Making PC Boards.
July 2003: Smart er-Up Auto Mains l{0vomb€r2005: Good oualitv CarSou PICAXE
"Smart"
S'¡/itch; A Continuity Tester; ln Schools, Pt.5; Studio Seriós Stereo Build A December 2007: Sign eakers; lR Audio Head-
PICAXE Pt.6 - Da PIC Programmer lillDl Drum Kit, Pt.1; Serial l/0 Control phone Link; Enhanced dule: PIC-Based WateF
& Checkerboard: Pt.2
Tank Level Meter: CD-RoM Drives; Pt.2.
D6cEmbor2005 onTheCheap; Pt.2; Building
Augu e MP3s 0n The ult¡mate Ju gh-Energy lon¡tion Systern,
Your ig For Cars, Pt.1: Remote LE Control; Build A MIDI Drum
Pt.1: .4 AXE Pt.7. Kit, Pt 2: 433MHz Wireless Data Communical¡on.
September 2003: Robot Wars; Krypton Bike LiOht; PIC Programmer; January2006: Pocket Jim"AM Radio The WaterTank Level Meter Pressure Senson
Current Clamp MeterAdapter For 0MMs; PICAXE Pt.8 -A Data Logger; Transm¡tter; universal .2j Building The
Digital lnstrument Display For Cars, Pt.2. Ultimate Jukebox,Pt. Based 433MHz February 2008: UHF Remote-Controlled Mains Switch: UHF Bemote
Wireless Therm0meter; A Human-Powered LED Torch. Mains Switch Transmitter; A PIB-Triggered Mains Sw¡tch: Shilt lndicator
0ct0ber 2003: PC Board Design, Pt.1; JV80 Loudspeaker System; A & Rev Limiter For Cars; Mini Solar Battery Charger.
Dirt Cheap, High-Current Power Supply: Low-Cost 50MHz Frequency ; PC-Conkolled
Meter; Lonq-Range'16-Channel Remote Control Syslem. & MPg Players; March 2008: HowTo Get I A Ouick
ildAMlDlDrum Primer; 12V-24V High-Cu Pt.1i A
l{ovember 2003: PC Board Des¡gn, Pt.2: 124X7 Valve Audio Pr€am- D¡oital VFo w¡th LCD Graph nterface
plifier; 0ur Eest Ever LED Torch; Smart Radi0 Modem For Microcon- For Debugg¡ng;One-Pulse cks.
trollers; PIC,AXE Pt.9; Programmable PIC-Powered Iimer March 2006:The Electronjc Camera, Pt,1; Pc-Controlled BurglarAlarm
System, Pt.2; Low-Cost lntercooler Water Spray Controller; AVR ISP Apr¡l 2008: How To Get I nto Digital IV, Pt.2; Charge Controller For 1 2V
Decemter 2003: PC Board Design, Pt.3; VHF Receiver For Weather SocketBoald: Build A Low-Cost Large D¡splay Anemometer Lead-Acid 0r SLA Batteries: Safe Flash Trigger F0r Digital Cameras;
Satell¡tes; Linear Supply For Luxeon 1 W Slar LEDs; 5V Meter Calibration 12V-24V High-Current DC lrotor Speed Controller, Pt2; Two-Way
Standard; PIC-Based Car Battery Monitor: PICAXE Pt.10. o Series Remote Control Stereo Headphone Adaptor
el Audio/Video Selector;
h- Pt.1; Picaxe Goes Wire-
0f PLEASE lloTE: issues not listed have sold out All listed issues are in
E-
May 2006:
High-Enero
FeDruary 2004: FC Board Design, Pt.l: Supply Rail Monitor For PCs;
Studio 350W Power Amplifier Module, Pt.2; Shorted Turns Tester For
BoxForMu
Picaxe Goe
Line 0utput Transformers: PICTAXE-18X 4-Channel Datalogger, Pt.2. Antennas; I
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 93

January 1994: 3A 40V Variable Polver Supply: Solar Panel Swilching
Requlator; Pr¡nterSlatus Ind¡catorI Mini Drill Speed Controlleri Stepper
M0tor C0nlr0llert Aclive F¡lter Design; Enqine Managemenl, Pt.4.
tebruary 994:90 1 r; 1 2-240VAC 200W I n-
verter;0.swAud¡o le PowerSupply; Enoine
Management, Pt.s ey Work.
March 1994: lntell¡gent lR Rem0le Controllert 50W (L[43876) Audio
Am0lifier Module: Level Crossing Detector For Model Railways; Voice
Aclñated Switch For Fl\4 lvlicrophones; Engine Management, Pt,6.
ADril 1994: S0und & Lighls For Model Railway Level Cross¡ngsi 0ual
SilD0lv Voltaqe Reoulatori Un¡versal Stereo Preampl¡f ier: Digital Water
Tank Gauoe; Engine Management, Pt.7.
May 1994: Fast Charger For Nicad Batteriest lnduction Balance l\4etal
Locãtor; lvlultì-Channel lnfrared Bemote Control; Dual Eleclron¡c Dice;
Simple SeruO Dr¡ver Circuitst Engine Management, Pt I Light lnverter; Repairing 0omestic Light Dimmers
June 1994: A Co0lant Level Alarm For Your Car; 80-Metre AÌ\4/CW
Transmitter For Amateurs; Convertino Phono lnputs To Line Inputs:
Pc-Based Nicad Battery Monitor; Engine Management, Pt 9
Ju lv 994: Build 4-Bav Bow-Ti
1
sistor Preampliliert Steãm
A
Train
SLA Battery Charger; Electron¡c
August 1 994: High-Power Dim mer For i ncandescent Lights; Dual 0¡ver-
sity Tuner For FM Microphones, Pt.1; Nicad Zapper (For Resurrecting
Nicad Batteries); Electron¡c Engine Management, Pt.1 1.
seEtember 1994: Automatic Discharger For Nicad Batteries; lV¡nivox
Voice ODerat€d Relay; Al\4 Radio For Weather Beâconst Dual Diversity
Tuner For Fl\¡ ¡rics, Pt.2i Electron¡c Engin€ Management, Pt.12.
oclobe round Sound Workst Dual Ra¡l Variable
Porver ight Reminder; Electronic Ballast For
Fluores Engine l\4anagement, Pt.13.
November 1994: Dry Cell Battery Reiuvenatort Novel Alphanumer-
ic Clock, 80-M DSB Amaleur TransrÌritlerj 2-Ceil Nicad Discharger.
Decembe¡1994: car BurglarAlarm: Three-Spot Low Distortion Sine-
wave 0scillator; Clifford - A Peslq Electronic Cricket: Remote Control
'l
system for Models, Pt I lndex to Vol.7
January 1 995: Su n Tracker For Solar Panels; Battery Saver For ïorchesl
Dual Channel UHF Remote Control; Stereo M¡crophone Preamplifier
February 1995: 2 x 50W Stereo Ampl¡fier Module; Dig¡lal Etfects unit
For lvlusicianst 6-Channel LCD Thermometert Wide Range Electrostat¡c
Loudspeakers, Pt 1; Remote Conlrol System For lvlodels, Pt 2
March 1 995: 2 x 50W Stereo Amplifiet Pt.1 ; Subcarrier Decoder For FM
Receivers; Wide Range Electrostat¡c Loudspeakers, Pt.2t lR llluminator
For CCD Camerast Remote C0nlrol System For l\rodels, Pt.3.
ADri 995: FIV Radio Trainer, Pt.1
I 1 ; ¡ne Filterl
sÖW0hannel Stereo Amplif¡er, Pt tic L0ud-
speakers, Pt.3t 8-Channel Decode ol.
May 1995: Guitar Headphone Amplif ier; F¡il Rad¡o Trainer, Pt.2i Transis-
tor/l\¡osfet Tesler For Dlì/l¡/s: A 1 6-Channel Decoder For Räd¡o Remote
Controlt ¡ntroduction To Satellite TV.
June 1995: Build A Satell¡te TV Rece¡veri Train Detector For lModel
Bailtvaysi W Audio Amplilier Trainer: Low-Cost Video Securily System;
1
[4ult¡-Channel Badi0 Control Transmitter For Models, Pt.'1 .
Julv 1995: Electric Fence C0ntroller: How To Run Tv/o Trains 0n A
Sinôle Track (lncl. L¡ghts & Sound); Setting Up A Satellite TV Ground
Stat¡0n; Build A Rel¡able Door l\4inder
Auqusl '1995: Fuel lnjeclor l\4on¡tor For Cars; A Gain Controlled
Microphone Preampt ldent¡fying IDE Hard 0isk Dr¡ve Parameters.
Seplember 1995: Ra¡lpo$/er Mk.2 Walkaround Throttle For Modei
Bail|ays, Pt.1; Keypad Combinalion Lock; Build A Jacob's Ladder
0isplay
0ct0ber 1995: 3-Way Loudspeaker Systemt Railpower Mk.2 Walk-
around Throtlle For ¡rodel Bailways, Pt.2; Nicad Fast Charger
November 1995: lvlìxture Display For Fuel lnjected Carst CBTransverter
For The 801\4 Amateur Band, Pt 1; PIR Movement Detector
May 1 996: High V0ltage I nsulation Tester; Knightrider LED Chaser; Sim-
Dle lntercom Uses 0pt¡cal Cable; Cathode Ray 0scilloscopes, Pt.3.
s2 StLtcox Cutp
0ctober 1998: AC ¡/lillivoltmetet Pt 1 ; PC-Controlled Stress-0-Meterl Steel Rear
Versatile Electronic G uitar Limiter; 1 2V Trickle Charger For Float Condi- AlrPlenum-r lntake/Exhau¡t Sub.Frame
t¡onsi Adding An External Battery Pack To Your Flashgun Fan
l{ovember 1998: The Christmas Star; A Turbo T¡mer For Cars; Build
'l
A Poker Mâch¡ne, Pt i Flll Transm¡tter For l\4usicians; Lab Quality AC
Mill¡voltmeter, Pt 2; lmproving AM Radio Reception, Pt 1
Jüne 1996: StereoSimulator (uses delaychip); Rope LightChaseri Low 0ecember 1998: Eno¡ne lmmobiliser Mk.2; Thermocouple Adaptor
0hms Tester F0r Your 0[¡¡r: Automalic 104 Battery Charger. For DM¡rs; Reoulated 1 2V 0C Plugpack; Build A Poker Mach¡ne, Pt.2;
lmDrovin0 Al\4 Radi0 Reception, Pt.2j Mixer ¡rodule F0r F3B Gliders.
1 S96: VGA 0ig¡tal Oscilloscope, Pl.1 ; Remote Control Extender For
Ju ly
VCRs; 2A SLA Battery chargert 3-Band Parametric Equaliser;. January 1999: High-Vollage Megohm Tester; A Look At The BASIC
Stamp: Earoraph Ammeler For Cars; Keypad Eng¡ne lmmobiliser.
Àu0ust1996: lntroduction to IGBTs: El€ctronic Starter F0r Fluor€scent
LañDs; VGA oscilloscope, Pt.2t 350W Amplifier Module, Masthead March 1999: Build A 0igital Anemometer: DIY PIC Programmer; Build '13" Gearbox
Amplilier tor IV & FMt cathode Ray 0scilloscopes, Pt.4. An Audio Compressori Low-Distortion Audio Signal Generator, Pt.2.
se0lember 1996: VGA Oscilloscope, Pt.3; lR Stereo Headphon€ Link, ADril 1999: Gettin0 Started W¡th Linuxt Pt.2t High-PowerElectric Fence Caat Alumlnum
Pt.i: HF Amateur Radio Receivert Cathode Ray 0scilloscopes, Pt,5. Gontroller; Bass Cube Subwoofer; Programmable Thermostat/TheF
mometer; Build An Infrared Sentry: Rev Limiter For Cars. Swlngarm
oclober 1996: Send Video Sionals over Twisted Pair Cablet 600w
DC-DC Converter For Car HifiSystems, Pt.1; lR Stereo Headph0ne May 1999: The Line Dancer Robot: An X-Y Table With Stepper M0tor
Conlrol. Pt 1; lhree Electric Fence Ïesters; Carbon ¡/]onoxide Alarm.
Link, Pt.2: Multi-Channel Radio Control Transmitter, Pt.8. Encoder
November 1996:8-Channel Stere0 ¡¡ixer, Pt,1 i Low-Cost Flu0rescent June 1 999: F¡¡ Radio Tuner Card For PCs; X-Y Table With Stepper Motor
Control, Pt 2; Proorammable lgnition T¡m¡ng lVodule For Cars, Pt 1
December 1996: Active Filter For CW Reception: Fast Clock July1999: BuildA 000 Silencer;10uH to 19.99mH lnductance ¡reterl
For Railwav Modellerst Laser Pistol & Electronic TarOet; Build Audio-Video Transm¡tteri Programmable lOnition T¡ming Module For
A Sound Level Meter: 8-Channel Stereo Mixer, Pt.2; lndex To Vol.9. Cars, Pt.2; XYZ Table Wilh Stepper Motor Control, Pt.3.
-Tran- ultiple Smoke Alarms, Pt.1; Build lll
Augusllggg: Remote Lighls For
or; ôV ntrolled Dual Power SuPPlY, Pt.1; Monito
Cars; Build A PC Controller:
Eight TemPeratures). XYZTableW¡thStepper ing,Pt.14. OSP/IGBT Based
Motor Controller
February 1997: PC-Conlrolled Movin0 ¡¿lessage D¡splay; Compuler Se0lember 9991 ot, Pt.1 : Voice Di rect Speech
Controlléd Dual Power SupDlv, Pt.2: Alerl-A-Phone Loud Sounding Recognition ¡rod apacitance Meter; XYZTable
Teleph0ne Alarm; Control Panèl For Mult¡ple Smoke Alârms, Pt,2. With Stepper ¡ro -Powered can cooler
Brushlees DC Motor
March 1997: 175W PA AmDl¡fier; Signalling & Lighting For Model 0ctober1999: BuildThe BailpowerModelTrainController, Pt.1;Semi-
conduclor Curve Tracer: Autonomouse The Robot, Pt.2l XYZ Table With
' GP NIMH Battery Packs
Railways: Jumbo LED Clock; Cathode Ray Oscilloscopes, Pt.7
Stepper Motor Control, Pt 6; Introduc¡ng Home Theatre
A h No lost Digilal Voltmeter For Carsi
L r€o Amplifierst iilodel Train Controller: l{ovemher 1999: Sett¡n0 Up An Email Servert Speed Alarm For Cars,
Welded Alumlnum Frame
A Cathode Ray oscilloscopes, Pt.8. Pt.1 | LED Christmas Tree; lntercom Stâtion Expanderi Foldback Loud-
speaker Systemt Railpower Model Train Controller, P|.2,
May 1 997: Neon Tube Mod ulator For Lig Lig hts For
-l
A Mbdel I ntersection; The Spacewr¡ter I n Thin Air; December1999: Solar Panel Regulatort PC Powerhouse (gives +12V,
A Look At Signal Tracingi Pl.2; Calhode , Pt.g. +9V +6V & +5V rails)t Fortune F¡nder Metal Locator; Speed Alarm For
Cars, Pl.2t Railpower Model Train Controller, R.3; Index T0 V01.1 2.
June 1997: PC-Controlled Thermometer/Thermostat: TV Pattern Gen-
January 2000: Spring Reverberation Modulet An Audi0-Video Test Gen-
the bane of petrol-powered bikes if
erator, Pl,1: Audioi RF Sional Tracer; High-Current Speed Controller For
1 2Vl24V ¡/otors; Manual Control Circuit For Stepper Motors.
eratol Parallel Port inlerface Card; Telephone otf-Hook lndicator take out the mains lead and plug it in charge the Vectrix, And if you have
Julv 1997: lnlrared Remote Volume Control; A Flexible lnterface Card FEbruary 2000: [4ulti-Sector Sprinkler Controlleri A 0¡g¡tal Voltmeter to any standard power point. off-peak electric (5.39c/kWh), you only because of the frequent mainte-
FoiPCs; Points Controller For Model Railways; Colour TV Pattern F0r Youi Cari Safety Sw¡tch Checker; Sine/Square Wave oscillator.
Generator, Pt.2; An ln-Line ¡ilixer For Radio Contr0l Rece¡vers. The on-board computer goes tluough could have a new GPO fitted to that nance required.
March 2000: Resurrecting An 0ld Computert 100W Amplifier
oclober 1997: 5-Dioit Tachometer: Central Lockino For Y0ur Cari PC- ¡rodule, Pt.1t Electron¡c Wind Vane With 16-LED Displayt Build A a rather (visually) spectacular self- circuit and the power charge would The motor is consistently described
Controlled 6-Channõl Voltmetert 500W Aud¡o Power Amplifier, PI.3. Glowplug Driver
check routine (especially pretty at then reduce to about 21c. in Vectrix literature ald websites as a
November 1997: HeaW Duty 104 240VAC Motor Speed Controlleri
Easv-To-Use Cable &Wir¡ng Tester; Build A lvlus¡cal Doorbell; Replacin0
May 2000: Ultra-LD Stereo Amplifier, Pt.2; LED Dice (With Plc Micro-
coniroller); 50A Motor Speed Controller For Models.
night!) then proceeds to fast-charge In a PowerSmart home, a similar "brushless DC" type which we believe
Foam Speaker Surrounds; Understanding Electric Lighting Pt.1.
June 2000: Automatic Rain Gauge: Parallel Port VHF F¡¡ Receiver;
the battery pack at the appropriate reduction would happen automati- is a misleading term. It's a common
December 1997: S0eed Alarm For Cârst 2-Axis Robot With Gr¡pperl Switchmode Power Supply (1.23V t0 40V) Pt.1; CD Compressor. rate, 80% charge is achieved in two cally if you charged in the off-peak error made where the motor suPPlY
SteÞoer lvl0t0r Driver W¡lh 0nboard Buffer; Power Supply For Stepper
hours but there is no problem in leav- period (ie, 5.61c/kWh between 1Opm is battery (DC). But we believe it's
Motdr Cards; LJnderstanding Electric Lighting Pl.2; lndex To Vol.10. July 2000: llloving Message Displayt compactFluorescent Lamp Dr¡ver;
Januarvl998:4-Channell2VDCorl2VACLiohtshow.Pt.l:Command
Mu'sicians' Lead Tester; Sw¡tchmode Power Supply, Pt.2.
ing the bike charging overnight - the and zam). misleading to describe any motor as
ControiFor Model Railways, Pt.'1; Pan Contrõller For cCD Cameras, Au0ust 2000: Theremin; Spinner (wr¡tes messages in "thin-a¡i');
Proximity Switch; Structured Cabl¡ng For Computer Networks. computer ensures the batteries can't The bike also has an "accessory" a DC type when, as in this case, the
tebruary 1 998: Telephone Exchange Simulator For Testing; Command
SaDtember 2000: Swimm¡ng Pool Alarm; 8-Channel PC Relay Board;
be cooked by overcharging. socket for charging such things as motor is a variable-frequency, 12-poie
Control F0rModel Railways, Pt.2; 4-Channel Lightshow, Pt.2.
Fuèl lilixture Display For Cars, Pt.1 | Protoboards -The Easy Way lnto
Electronics, Pt.1; Cybug The Solar Fly.
Charging is a four-stage process. Ini- mobile phones, 3-phase AC type,
April 1998: Automat¡c Garage Door 0pener, Pt 1:40V 8A Adjustable
Power SuDplv, Pt.1; Po-Controlled 0-30kHz Sinewave Generator; tially, the computer does apre-checkto Speed control of this type of motor
Understanding Electric Lighting; Pt.6. ocloùer 2000: Guìtar Jammer; Breath Tester; Wand-Mounted lnspec-
t¡on Camerat subwoofer For Cars: Fuel Mixture oisplay, Pt 2 ensure all is well with the pack. The motor is achieved by varying the frequency
May 1990: 3-LED Logic Probe; Garage Door 0pener, Pt.2t Command
Control System, Pt.4; 40V 8A Adjuståble Power Supply, Pt.2. l{ovember 2000: Santa & Rudolf Chrissie Display; 2-Channel Guitar It then undertakes a "conditioning" The 2OkW (peak) motor is built into via the DSP & IGBT electronic control-
June 1998: Troubleshoot¡ng Your Pc, Pt.2t Universal High Energy
Preamplif¡er, Pt.1: Message Bank & l\4issed Call Alertt Protoboards
- The Easy Way lnto Electron¡cs, Pt.3. charge of a¡ound 3-44. The third stage the rear wheel hub and is directly Ier. For those who are interested, we
lgnition System; The Roadìes' Friend Cable Testeri Universàl Stepper
De ng For Shared nternet Access; White
is the main charge, which is a constant- connected via the planetary gearbox. explain this in more detail in the sepa-
Motor CoñtrolleÍ Command Control F0r lvlodel Ra¡lways, Pt.5. ¡
L_E mpl¡fier, Pt.2 (Digilal Reverb); Driving current charge of 10-12,\, the precise There is no chain or belt drive - often rate panel at the end ofthis feature.
Julv ur PC, Pt.3r 15WCh Class-A Aud¡o An ndexTovol.l3.
Ambl orOV & 12V SLA Batteries; Automatic rate determinedbythe computer from
Sem¡ Januâru 2001: How To Transfer LP Doctor
standing Electric Lighting, Pt.8.
Ar
- Clean Up Clicks & Pops, Pt.1 ; ort 2-Chan- the battery's initial charge level and 1. Driver information LCD
Auqust 1998: Troubleshoot¡nq Your PC, Pt.4; l/0 Card With Data Log- nel Guilar Preampl¡lier, Pt.3; PIC
gin-g; Beat Triggered Strobe; lSWCh Class-A Stereo Amplilier, Pt.2. also from the condition of the battery 2. Anti-theftìndicalor
tebruarv 200'l: An Easv WaV To ¡/ake PC Boards; fil Pulser Train
Seltember 1998: Troubleshooting Your PC, Pt.5; A Blocked AirFilter controllóÍ A [4lDl lnterface Éor PCs; Build The Bass Blazerr 2-¡/etre cells themselves. 3. Low battery voltage indicator
Alarmt Waa-Waa Pedal For Guitars;Jac0b's Ladder; Gear Change lnd ica-
tor For Cars; Capacity lndicator For Rechargeable Batteries.
Groundplane Antennat LP Doctor - clean Up Clicks & P0ps, Pt.2.
Finally, it enters a transition stage 4. Battery level indicator
March 2001: ¡rak¡no Photo Resist PC Boards; Big-Digit 1224 Hour
Clock: Parallel Port PIC Pro0rammer & Checkerboard; Protoboards - which, at 1-34, can be regarded as a 5. Vehicle power switch
The Easy Way lnto Electronics, Pt.5; A Simple lvllDl Expansion Box. top-up. The inbuilt fans can start at 6. Dual function throttle
ADril 2001: A GPs [4odule ForYour PC; Dr Video - An Easy-To-Build any time during the charging process 7. Speedometer
Vídeo Stabiliser; Tremolo Unit For Mus¡cians; Minimitter FM Stereo
Transmittert lntelligent Nicad Battery Charoer and wiII generally still be cooling the 8. Estimated range
cells down next morning, even though 9. Key ("ignition") switch
ier
Mav 2001: 12V Mini Slereo AmDlif uild;
10. Turn signal
Po\ierPak-AMulti-VollagePbwer eAn
the charge itself may have ceased some
lnternet Connection, Pt.1 ; Tweaking 1 1. Ready/Go indicator
June 2001: Universal Battery Charger, Pt.1: Phonome - Call, Lislen
time before.
ln & Switch Devjces 0n & oti: Low-Cost Automatic Camera Sw¡tcher: At current (Sydney) standard elec-
using Linux To share An lnternet Connection, Pt,2
tricity rates (12.87clkWh), it takes The instrument cluster is fairly typicat bike, except for that big "GO" symbol
Jüly 2001: The HeartMate Heart Rate ¡ilon¡tor: Do Not Disturb Tele-
roughly 50c worth of power to fuIly on the left LCD display and the battery level indicator on the right'
sil¡conchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 13

Swing arm
LED drìver
Scanning Malrix
The heart of the Vectrix - the Interface Conhol Module or ICM, which governs all operational aspects of the Vectrix,
everything from the turn indicators to throttle settings and regenerative braking control. Microchip PIC microcontrollers
are used throughout.
The motor is governed so that it can-
not exceed L00km/h. With amaximum
motor speed of 30oo RPM, this means
that the controller runs up to 300H2 to
achieve the 0-100km/h speed range.
It has a reverse gear!
When I picked up the Vectrix, Tony,
the Sydney agent carefully explained
the starting procedure, throttle con-
trol and brakes - and their use. For
the most part, the handgrip-based
control is typical of any motor cycle
throttle control - turn it towards you
and the bike accelerates, all the way
to maximum speed (there is no clutch
n or user-controlled gearbox).
But if you turn the throttle control
in the opposite direction, the motor
is put into reverse - from any speed.
Quality Brembo brakes are fitted - but
you'll seldom use them!
74 SntcoN Cntp
Sing le-stage Inset at left: the patented, hub-mounted SBC Parker able to adjust all the coils. The align-
planetary gearbox brushless motor, driving a 6:L planetary gearbox, The ment techniques used were covered Photo Gallery: Astor "Mickey Mouse"
brushless motor is three phase, with 12 poles and t6 in my articles for December 2002 and
slots. It produces up to 20kW at 3000 RPM.
January-February 2003.
The final step in the alignment in-
3-phase motor volves adjusting the loopstick tuned
circuit, To gain access to the loopstick
artenna, it is necessary to flrst lift
the ends of the Ferris name strip on
the handle a¡rd then remove the two
screws at its ends, That done, you then
pull the two sections apart to reveal
the Ioopstick.
Care must be taken here, as it's all
too easy for the loopstick to fall out
of the ha¡rdle and break. To adjust it,
it is necessary to keep it in the same
position as it would normally occupy
and slide one of the two coils along the
LED drivers rod forbest performance at the low-fre-
quency end of the broadcast band.
trt tuned up quite well but when I
N/tcP2551 moved to the high-frequency end of
I cAN dr¡ver the band, I was unable to peak the
circuit correctly. Initially, i tried plac- TheAstor Mickey came ¡n a very compactcab¡netand was oneof the earliest
ing additional frxed capacitors across Australian bakelite radios, being a modifled version of an Amer¡can receiver.
FETs PIC16F874A MCU MCP2515 CAN controller the trimmer capacitor but to no avail. ln fact, Astor used American c¡rcu¡ts for some years, often changing parts
The circuit was deflnitely not peaking to less than optimum values to save a few pennies.
because when I brought my hand near
Early Australian Mickey rad¡os had the name "M¡ckey Mouse" and a drawing
the loopstick (which added capaci- of M¡ckey on the rear - w¡thout an agreement! Astor forgot to tell Disney
tance across the coil) the performance
andWalt Dlsney was not amused. Legalaction resulted in the name being
That might sound dangerous but its down my long, "S"-shaped, t-in-3 improved. altered to just plain "Mickey", no doubt with Astor pleased to still get some
not - in fact, it's a bona-fide way to driveway ald found the reverse gear m¡leage from all their previous advert¡s¡ng.
control this bike, It was, in fact, one couldn't hold it. Incidentally, going Wiring error
The receiver was a great peÉormer, cons¡der¡ng the component limitations
of the significant design features of the back up again the Vectrix was still ac- There was nothing obviouslywrong,
as the soldered connections and at the time.The valve llne-up var¡ed through the model's life but typically
bike and is patented, celerating nicely at the top!
switch contacts were in good order. included a 524 rectifier, a 2546 aud¡o output stage and 607,6K7 and ô48
As you might imagine, a reverse
Not enough noise? I then looked to see if anything was vâlves for the RF and lF stages. Photo supplied by the Historical Rad¡o
gear is very handy for slow-speed
We mentioned before the noise (or wrong with the wiring and it didn't Society of Austral¡a lnc (HRSA), PO Box 2283, MtWaverley,V¡c 3149. www.
manoeuvring and parking but that is
lack thereoÐ of the Vectrix. Just a bit take long to discover that TR4 was hrca.net.au
not its main pupose. Putting the motor
into reverse while travelling forward of gearbox and engine whine on ac- wired to the top contact of the switch
introduces regenerative braking, not celeration and quite quiet as you drive going to C3 rather than to the bottom
only slowing the bike but puttingbrak- along at local street speeds, of L4. I rewired TR4 to the correct tuned to around 77j|l}lz. when fitting these replacement bat-
ing energy (which would normally be And believe it or not, that's a position in the circuit and the tuning I ran the set off a small regulated teries, This can be done using pieces
wasted as heat) back into the battery. down-side. Pedestrians don't hear adjustments then peaked, just as they power supply for all my tests. In of corrugated cardboard around the
The Vectrix specs claim rp lo 72o/o you coming as they would a bike or should. practice, the set is designed to run off battery compartment to prevent bat-
energy recovery, That mightn't sound a car. During the few days of riding, Next, I tried adjusting trimpot R3 to a 286 battery but these are no longer tery movement.
like much but if you're approaching see what effect it had and found that available. However, \MES Components
the BOkm limit a¡rd you're 1Okm from it adjusted the receiver's sensitivity. have a 276P battery which should be Summary
home, it could be a lifesaver! If I adjusted it too far one way, the suitable, Battery packs made up of six The Ferris 174 is one set that lived
Tony further explained that for the set would oscillate.but the set works 'AA cells or of six 'C' cells will also up to its advertising claims. In fact,
first half hour or so, I would be using quite well with it adjusted just below easily fit in the battery compartment I liked it so much that I eventually
the front and rear disc brakes (Brem- the point of oscillation. and it may even be possible to install obtained one for myself.
bos) just like a normal bike, "But as Further tests showed that the dial packs with six'D' cells. In summary, this is an excellent
soon as you get used to using reverse, drive is quite positive in its action with Note, however, that it will be neces- receivet that has everything a listener
you'll probably never touch the brake no discernible backlash, even when sary to protect some parts in the set might want except an FM band. SC
levers again,"
And he was right! It became almost
ii VEETRIX
second nature to ¡everse the throttle
any time I needed to slow do-wn. And
it was so smooth,
Look mum - no CO2 (well, not from
the bike, at least. Maybe a tad from
lssues Gett¡ng Ilog-[aredP
the power station?), Vectrix certainly Available Aust, only. Price: $413.95 plus $7 p&p per order (includes GST). Just fill in and mail the handy
The only time I needed the ha¡rd- haven't failed to target the "green"
order form in this issue or ring (02) 9939 3295 and quote your credit card number.
brakes was when I took the Vectrix market.
siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 91

paint',s-o that lt now look¡ new aSâin.
To prevent this, special precautions
must be taken to thermally stabilise
the two OC74 audio output transis-
tors. In this circuit, this is achieved
using thermistor R32, Its resistance
decreases as the temperature rises and
tlis automaticallyreduces the forward
bias on the transistors as their junc-
tion temperatures rise, This in turn
stabilises the current through them
and prevents thermal runaway.
Restoring l}l:e 774
The unit featured here was obtained
from a member of my local vintage
radio club. It was handed to me com-
pletely unrestored and its owner also
kindly lent me the service manual to
help with this column.
The receiver looked as though it had
had plenty of use, with some scuffing
ofthe cabinet. The cabinet also looked
abit shabby in the areas where the per-
forated aluminium panels are fltted.
Removing the front and back pan-
els is quite straightforward, The back
panel is removed by first undoing two
screws along the bottom of the case,
after which the back can be swung
out,
The front panel fi.rst requires the dial
pointer to be run to the lefthand end
of the dial. Three screws are then un-
done from the dial scale which is then
removed, That done, the knobs are
removed followed by two more screws
on the bottom of the case. Finally, the
speaker leads are disconnected and the
90 Stuco¡,t Cntp
front panel removed by swivelling it
out from the bottom,
As can be seen in one of the photo-
graphs, the front panel in particular
had lots of marks, I cleaned the mesh
with fine wet-and-dry paper and then
used a damp, soapyrag to remove arly
body grease from the front panel, This
was then followed with a damp rag.
Once it was cleaned, I masked off
and applied some off-white and flat
black spray paint to the various panel
sections. This considerably improved
the appearance of the panelwhichnow
looks new again.
Getting back to the receiver, all
controls worked as they should and
only required a little sewing-machine
oil on their various moving surfaces
to ensure continued smooth opeta-
tion. To get into awkward spots, I use
a 2,5m1 hypodermic syringe partially
filled with the required lubricant (I
also blunt the needle on a grinder
to avoid accidents). That done, the
switch contacts were sprayed with
Inoxa, as corrosion was evident on
some of them,
A close examination of the internals
of the set revealed nothing out of the
ordinary apart from the RF transistor,
which was wrapped in black insula-
tion tape. Unwrapping the transistor
revealed that it was not an OC171 but
an equivalent in a different package
that had been substituted at some
stage in the set's life. I got rid of the
insulation tape arrd slipped some neat-
fitting black tubing over the transistor
to make it look a bit tidier,
Testing the receiver
With everything appearing to be in
order, I connected a 9V supply to the
set and switched it on, The receiver
immediately began operating which
was a pleasant surprise. I left it oper-
ating for an hour or so and it happily
continued playing with no fuss.
It was now time to check and adjust
the alignment if necessary, First, I
checkedthe IF alignment and found it
to be very slightly out, Unfortunately,
I had trouble adjusting one core as
a previous owner (not the current
owner) had used beeswax to "lock"
it in place.
Aligning the three tuned bands also
proved to be less than straightforward,
The problem here is that the dial scale
and the front and back covers of the
set must be removed to gain access to
the tuning adjustments.
That meant that I couldn't align the
set by tuning to various stations and
adjusting it so that the dial markings
correctly coincided with the pointer.
Instead, I had to rely on the tune-up
information which specifies the fre-
quencies tuned with the gangs closed
and fully open.
Fortunately, this proved to be fairly
satisfactory and the calibrations were
near enough for all practical purposes.
However, I'm quite sure that with a bit
more work, Ferris could have designed
tÌ.e cabinet so that the dial-scale could
have remained in-situ while the align-
ment adjustments were carried out.
The next step was to align the broad-
cast band on the car radio setting of
the band-change switch. This went
smoothly but because I wasn't using
a car radio antenna, trimmer TR1 wiII
probably require further adjustment
when the set is actually tested in a
car. The oscillator adjustments were
accurate enough on aII bands, so these
were left untouched.
The 2-6MHz band also tuned uP
easil¡ as didthe 6-18MHzband. How-
ever, I had to be carefuI not to peak
the image signal rather than the cor-
rect signal on the 6-18MHz band, as
image rejection is poor at the top end
of this band. In fact, this is a common
problem with most sets using a 45 SkHz
IF amplifier,
As before, a few of the coil cores
were partially sealed with wax but by
picking some of it out, I was eventually
siliconchip.com.au
I had to hit the anchors several times R,EGENERATM BRAKING
as completely oblivious pedestrians
(manybusily chatting away on mobile
phones) stepped out into my path.
What ever happened to "look right, SPEED CONTROI,TER
ñ
look left and look right again"? HTESS
Fortunately [and probably due to the VARIABTE IREOUENCY
'rOt
fact that I was a pretty slow rider), I had VÂRIAB1I VOLTÂGE
the reaction time necessary fo react so
no harm was done (except perhaps
to my heart rate). But it is certainly
something all electric vehicle riders/ 240V,
ON.BOARD
ple: ia high
Fig.ll in principle, it's pretty simple:
drivers wiII have to keep in mind as OUNET
SÀTARI CHARGER
voltage, high-current battery, a motor
rotor speed
numbers increase, controller and motor and a batteryry ch
charger.
Then again, as anybike rider will tell
you, the vast majority of pedestrians
are idiots, followed closely by the ma- right turn, low battery warning, theft One factually my son-in-law, who
jority of car drivers (particularly Volvo protection on/off, high/low beam and features on this month's cover) has a
drivers with big ears and hats). service required light. couple of bikes, one not too different
The left handlebar has the light in capacity to the Vectrix and anotler,
Instrumentation switch, high/lowbeam, horn, plus turn a superbike, not too different in weight
The instrument cluster has three signals and cancelling, The right has but very different in performance.
"dials". Centre is the speedo/odom- only the power on/off switch and, of His reaction? "Wow!" Of course, it
eter, while on the left is the "ready- course, the patented throttle control didn'thave anything like the accelera-
GO" indicator, clock trip meter and discussed earlier, tion or speed of the big bike but he
estimated range indication. On the thought it compared quite well to his
right is a large graphic instantly reveal- Other riders 250cc. For him, it had plenty of low-
ing battery state-of-charge - virtually I gave a couple of long-term motor end grunt and continuing acceleration
a fuel gauge. bike riders the opportunity to take the and power.
Above are the indicators for lefti Vectrix for a run. The reverse gear had him bemused,
. EÍcry ls3üe lndlrldü.llf rrchlted, bl month and Yeal IMP PRINIED CIRCUITS
. Gomnlot! rllfi hder for e¡ch YeaÌ
.I nul-hare for lrÊryone lîtÊrested lr electronlcs
This remarkable collection of PDFs covers every
since 7964
issue of R & H, as it was known from the
beginning (April 1939 - price sixpencel)
right through to the final edition of R, TV Worldwrrlt supplrer of PCfìs
& H in March 19ô5, before it disappeared
I Jnturp¿!5r'd qrrrlity & dt:lrvcry
Wcrrldwidc courcing of cornpctilivcly priced PCBs
forever with the change of name to
5rn¡lr', doublc'8, tlP lo l¿y{lr bo¡rrir rrr hor¡sr'
¿3
Electronics Australia. Rclr.rbk' t'rctotypr' & [rprcsl St:rvtces
For the first time ever, complete and in one , Pccl¡trlt' sol.llr nt.rsl'. ¿r !ol(lr'r
handy DVD, every article and etlery issue is covered. pdstc 51rrrì(11!
lf you re an old timer (or even y0ung timer!) into vintage radio, it
V¡rriors 1r'¡d lrct Rr¡ll5 finishcs
¡lolrl & sLlvt:r filrtsh0s
doesn t get much more vintage than this. lf you re a student of
HartJ
Flîctnc,rl b¿rcbo¿rrl Lc5trn¡l
history, this archive gives an extraordinary insight into the amazing
breakthroughs made in radio and electronics technology following
the war years. And speaking of the war years, R & H had some of the
best propaganda imaginable!
Even if you're just an electronics dabbler, there's something here to
interest you.
llB: Requ¡res a computet ffth DUD leadet to uiew
- ffll not worl on a ståndald aud¡o/u¡deo DUD playel
FreecallAustfalll: j
treephone New Zealand:
1800 888 543
0800 ¿141 500
@ru
Rd#*- sH
Ëffi
MAY 2OOB 15
siliconchip.com.au
 With its battery installed, it weighs in at about 4kg so it is
"Brushless DC" motor control - how does it work? not exactly a lightweight.
Circuit details rÉ
!n
t\
Fig.1 shows tlre circuit details. It uses eight transistors
and delivers good sensitivity over the three bands tuned,
Êt
Ëdú
The transistors are second-generation germanium types, !-î ¡\
iDU
which were more sensitive and had lower noise than the (Ef /l
original OC44 and OC45 series, Ë. sp
Ef .=i
The input circuit is relatively complex, with a 4-pole 4- rü.= oi
position switch section used to select between the ferrite
Ioop antenna and the car antenna (or a long antenna). An Þ ËË"
ÉËo
6o¡Þ
OC1,71, PNP tra¡rsistor is used as the radio frequency [RF)
amplifier and the amplified signal is then fed on to a second HÉ!?
OCl71., which acts as an autodyne converter. EÉi
C!Þ¡o)
The various coils (10 in alll are switched using another 10 E
poles on the 4-position wave-change switch. A total of 20 Eng
adjustments is required to accurately align the front-end of : Ë
9'ç
¡i\.Hé o
the receiver, while the intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier
requires a further flve adjustments, iüÈ
=¡fõ
Following the converter is a 2-stage IF amplifier based
on two OC169 transistors. Neither of these transistor stages <83
,: -ç-i ø
is neutralised. Note also that the emitter of the second IF
transistor stage is not bypassed, which improves its ability ËE;
.9 9:i
The hub motor used in the Vectrix motorbike is variously
described as a "brushless DC" and also as a "12-pole 3-phase"
motor which is likely to confuse many readers. ln reality, there is
.l to deal with strong signals.
Following the IF amplifier is an OA91 detector diode.
This is biased close to its conduction point by resistors
EEo
ÞoçÍ
¡-O
2íàTo'
no such thing as a brushless DC motor. R17, R1B & R19 and this greatly improves the sensitivity ÈÉød
All DC motors have brushes and a commutator while brushless ofthe detector, çE
Èl ¡r o)
DC motors are actually 3-phase motors driven by a 3-phase vari- A second OA91 diode is used to derive the automatic ËËE
able frequency converter. gain control (AGC) voltage. This voltage is fed to the base EÉ3
For power ratings up to about 20kW as used in the Vectrix, the
motor can be regarded as a synchronous motor with permanent
magnets providing the rotor field. Larger brushless motors can
'l of the RF amplifier transistor via R16 & R2. The AGC volt-
age rises as the signal strength increases, to gradually cut
this transistor off, In addition, its emitter is connected to
E
w¡-

ÉiÈ
FiíQ
ôi èo:
be regarded as induction motors. the base circuit of the first IF amplifier (OC169) and so the
forward bias on the latter is also reduced, which reduces I ËË
.l
Synchronous motors are always locked to the rotating magnetic
field produced by the stator but the rotor may lag the field by a its gain with strong signals. EN
€)¡rv
9
small amount depending on the load. Note that the forward bias for the RF stage (OC171) .9.È'ã
By contrast, induction motors are never locked to the rotating is adjusted by trimpot R3. However, the service manual aøa
Yo(n
magnetic field and their speed is always less than the synchronous makes no mention of the circumstances under which R3 is .ã È'ã
speed. This is measured as "slip" which is typically around 5% the amplítude of the drive voltage must be reduced as the fre- adjusted. In practice, I suspect that it was adjusted during
g Ë.9
at rated load. Such a motor (4-pole) would have a rated speed of quency is lowered, manufacture to give best performance when the receiver
was tuned to a weak sígnal 9.9 .<
1440 RPM compared to synchronous speed of 1500 RPM.
The circuit above shows the general arrangement of the motor
Note that the motor is rated at 7kW continuous but as with
many (if not most) 3-phase motors, the peak power output is Following the detector is a three-stage audio amplifier E.i
SFo
i
and its controlling electronics. The heart of the circuit uses slx considerably higher at 20kW The limitation will be due to power based on two OC71s and two OC74 transistors. The OC74
lnsulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (lGBTs) powered by 125V DC dissipation limits in the windings of the stator and power dissipa- class-B output pair are driven in push-pull fashion by ;Ëå
Éh¡i
from the NiMH battery pack. tion in the 3-phase converter. Peak currents from the battery pack transformer T1 and in turn drive the internal loudspeaker
That much we know from the limited information in Vectrix litera- can be as high as 2754. via transformer T2.
ture. From here on we are speculating on just how it is controlled The PWM signals to give the variable sinewave outputs to the There is also provision for an external speaker to be gsÉ
but the method is typical of brushless DC motors, Nor do we know motor may be up to 2SkHzor higher. The motor responds to the plugged in (doing this automatically disconnected the in- õF,É
if the motor is connected in star or delta configuration. average value of the phase outputs (A, B & C) and ignores the ternal unit). This allowed a larger car speaker to be used, to : ã.e
Note that the IGBT symbols shown in the circuit above are not pulse width modulation, give improved audio performance in a noisy cabin. ,= a
incorrect. They are typically, although not always, shown with
arrows for the collector and emitter. Also note that the motor's
For precise speed control, the statorwill includethree Hall Effect
devices to give rotor position measurement. This will allow the
Negative feedback in the audio amplifler is derived from
one side the speaker-transformer secondary winding. This þe-
o
;rþ
.rÉ ¡Ë '"

rotor is shown as having only two poles (N & S) whereas it actu-
ally has 12.
The six IGBTs are driven with pulse-width modulation (PWM)
signals to provide three sinewave averaged output voltages with
120" phase separation, ie, as for a normal 3-phase motor. The
frequency of the outputs is varied between 1 Hz and 300H2, giving
a maximum motor speed of 3000 RPM. Furthermore, since the
motor's impedance will vary in direct proportion to the f requency,
.2 øE
speed controllerto varythe phase-lead or phase lag of the rotating feedback signal is applied via R36 to the base of the OC71 + c^l
Ì\ o) -:
magnet field (produced by the stator winding) with respect to the audio driver-transistor (ie, the tra¡sistor driving transformer t-{E(!
øcÉÉ
magnetic fields produced by the of the rotor's permanent magnets. T1).
With phase lead, the motor will provide power to the wheels via ._õ:€
the planetary gearbox. With phase lag, the motor will become Preventing thermal runaway o¡X !
an alternator to provide regenerative braking. Alternatively, by Germanium transistors are very sensitive to heat and Ptt c)
changing the direction of the rotating magnetic field in the stator, draw more current as they heat up. This increased current ;': 8'E
then leads to even more heating ald cal soon escalate into
.å.HE
the motor will drive the bike in reverse. (L.D.S.)
thermal runaway which can destroy the device.

16 SLtco¡,t Cntp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB B9


This close-up view shows the band-change switch and several of its associated
coils. The switch is used to select between the ferrite loop antenna and a car
radid anten¡a on the medium-wave bald and also to select the 2-6MHz and
6-1BMHz shortwave ba¡rds.
A close-up view of the main PC board. Despite its age (40 years), the set is still
in quite good condition and required only minor work to get it going.
Basically, the Ferris L74was amulti-
purpose¡ B-transistor, triple-wave,
portable-cum-car radio. It was also
touted as being quite suitable as a
cordless mantel receiver.
Metal case
As was common to most Ferris re-
ceivers, the model L74rsed a metal
case ald this ensured good shielding
of the circuitry from interference. This
BB Stucon Catp
meant that signal pick-up could only
take place via the car's antenna or via
the external (to the caseJ loopstick
antenna. Some extraneous interfer-
ence may have been able to penetrate
the receiver if a¡r external speaker was
in use, aithough this is likely to have
been minimal.
In the vehicles of the era, a conven-
tional portable radio sitting on the seat
ofthe car suffered severe interference
if the engine was running. There were
two reasons for this: (1) interference
from the ignition system and other
electrical equipment, even if "sup-
pressed", was still high enough to
severely mar reception; and (2J the
metalwork of the vehicle acted as a
Faraday shield and this reduced the
signal picked up by the ferrite rod an-
tenna. This shielding effect also acted
to concentrate the interference within
the cabin of the vehicle.
As a result, most Ferris portables,
including the 174, featured a shielded
case (just like purpose-built car radios)
and included a socket to plug in an
external car radio antenna. Ferris
did their homework well - their sets
worked well in a car but most portables
from other manufacturers were u¡rsuit-
able in this role because the problems
outlined above were not addressed.
As well as the car radio antenna,
the band switching in the receiver
also allows either a long-wire antenna
or the loopstick antenna system to
be used on the broadcast band [sgO-
1.62okfIz). On shortwave, the receiver
can be switched to cover 2-6MHz or
6-18MHz but must be used with an
external antenna, whether in a car, in
the home or out in the "bush".
On the shortwave bands, the re-
ceiver was often used by people who
needed to listen to relatively weak sta-
tions such as the Royal Flying Doctor
Service, bushfire brigade communica-
tions and small ships (fishingboats).It
was also used by those who wanted to
listen to shortwave services such as the
abovementioned ABC inlald service,
the BBC a¡rd VOA, etc.
The set used a No. 286 battery which
gave up to 1000 hours of operation
before replacement was needed. In
fact, the set will work with a supply
voltage as low as 5V whichmeanttàat
every lastbit ofelectrical energy could
be wrung out of the battery. This also
meant that it was quite economic to
use it as a battery-powered domestic
receiver (ie, without recourse to the
use of a mains power adaptor).
So the Ferris 1,7 4was a very versatile
set. At home, it could be powered f¡om
d mains adaptor (or from batteries), On
the way to the beach, it could easily be
connected to the car's radio antenna
via the coaxial antenna cable, And at
the beach, it could be used as a true
portable.
Even so, you probably would not
want to have to carry the set too far.
siliconchip.com.au
Vêctrix Health Check Diagnostics
-ç-É
. When you put yourVectr¡x in for its
six-monthly"Health ChecK' the dealer
will use this diagnostic software, via
fhe CAN BUS and accessed through
:a serial socket inside the glove box, to
:êheck that all is A-O-K with the bike,
lhe batteries and everyth¡ng else!
'Aithat time, the dealer can tweak
the first time he'd ridden a bike with
one. But like me, he found it very
easy to get used to and to use instead
of the brakes.
His test ride turned out a bit longer
than intended, as his F250 truckbroke
down on the way to our photo shoot
location - and he borrowed the Vectrix
to ride home arrd back with tools!
My other bike-riding friend com-
mutes every day on his Triumph.
He expressed reservations about the
B0km range, until I asked him how
far he rode to work and back. "Mona
Vale to Chatswood, about 20km each
way," he said.
Then the penny dropped - his ride
was almost spot on tle average bike
commute of 40km per day which
Vectrix research had shor,rrn.
He could ride to work and back -
with plenty of reserve if he had to go
somewhere else. And if necessary,
he could plug the bike in to a power
outlet at work ald charge (to B0%)
in two hours for another 60km or so
of range.
When he thought about this, his
comment was "They'll sell squillions
of these , . ." Now I'm not sure how
marty squillions tlere are to the boat-
load but I'm pretty sure the Australian
distributors would love to hear this.
The WOW factor
Sntcon Cræ is located in Brookvale,
on Sydney's Northern Beaches. As
well as being the home of a number
of surfboard manufacturers, our
street is also an auto alley - plen-
ty of open-to-the-street mechani-
siliconchip.com.au
any parameter and also upload the latest
firmware to your bike. As it is a brand
new design, revisions will continually
take place to make it perform better,
adjust charging characteristics, prolong
battery life, check operating tempera-
tures and even fix bugs!
ln keeping with the very low running
cal and auto-electrical workshops.
The Vectrix created quite a stir;
the greasies and sparkies pouring out
of their buildings, wanting to know
all about it.
Believe it or not, one guy even
showed me an electric bike fte had
tucked away - a Chinese import
that could not pass ADR rules, so it
couldn't be registered. He mainly uses
it for the grandkids to ride around on
his country property,
He couldn't believe that someone
had actually released a road-register-
able model - "at long last," he said ,
My impression
I loved it - on any number of levels.
It's easy and fun to ride and being
electric, certainly turned heads (if
they heard itl).
The technology behind the Vectrix
is clearly well thought out and well
engineered.
For the commuting or occasional
short-trip bike rider, the Vectrix is
a clear winner. Because it is electric
powered, it offers quite a number of
advantages over apetrol-poweredbike
- not the least of which is low cost of
running and service.
It's not the bike you would take to
tour Australia - unless you took it in
tiny bite-sized chunks and had charg-
ing organised wherever you stopped,
But then again, it was never intended
for this market.
Its other main disadvantage is its
cost - at $15,950 plus on-road costs
(dealer delivery, regiétration, CTP
- iikely to add another grandl it's
.Ì :-)
cost of the mach¡ne, Vectrix expectthe
dealer Health Check to be quite low in
.
price - in the order of $65 or so ,- ::
And no (sorry!), the Health Check
diagnostic software will not be avei]l
able to Vectrix users.
significantly more expensive than
the average bike a commuter might
purchase.
But that, to a large extent, is a fea-
ture of its "newness" - all ieading
edge products come at a premium
(remember early computers, DVD
players, plasmas, etc?], And it's in a
similar market position to the Tesla
Roadster electric sports car in the
USA, nowbeing sold for $US100,000
and they can't make enough!
I would expect the price of the
Vectrix to drop as (a) sales volumes
increase - with higher volumes come
economies of scale. So far, all Vectrix
advertising has been word of mouth
- and they are starting to sell); and [b)
competition comes onto the market.
I've heard a number of reports that
many organisations in China are work-
ing hard to produce road-registerable
electric bikes.
If you're looking for a fun bike to
ride to work, uni, etc; don't need long
range; like the idea of very low run-
ning costs , . . look at the Vectrix.
* Woops. Mea Culpa. As it turned
out, I did drop it - would you
believe as I Loaded it back on the
trailer to return it? And yes, it was
a real pain to get back up. Sorry,
Vectuix! se
Gontact:
Vectrix Austtalia
164 Bouse St Port Melbourne 3207
Ph: (03) 9676 9133
Website: www.vectr¡x.c0m (US site)
MAY 2OOB 1,7

SÍnce our debunkÍng of the
"EIe ctricity saving b ox" tn
the November 2OO7 issue,
onother device olong the
some lÍnes has qppeared Ín
Harvey Normqn stores.
Called the "EnersonÍc Power
Saver" Ít clqÍms potentÍal
power savings ol up to 24%o.
At $59.00, Ít is consÍderably
more expensive thqn the
previous devÍce but just lÍke
thqt one, it won't ssve you
o cent on your electricÍty
bÍlls.
oaa
I number of readers contacted
/l ,r, bv ohone and email to ask
L luUo,rt the "Enersonic Power
Saver". This was featured on the
Seven Network's "Sunrise" program
on March 3'd and is the subject of
favourable comment on a number of
websites, such as www.gadgetguy.
com,au
Those who had seen the Electricity
saving box article were curious/con-
cerned/outraged that a similar device
would appeil so soon after the first
had been thoroughly debunked.
We promised to follow it up and
18 SLICON CHIP
checked the Harvey Norman website
to find out about the device.
I then went to our nearest store
and while the helpful salesman knew
about it, they did not yet have stock
available. As I left, he remarked that it
"worked by cutting the amperage, not
voltage". "Hmm, that's interesting", I
thought.
The poor sod had no idea...
On the way back to the SucoN Cmp
offices, I remembered that an American
By LEO SIMPSON
WFR S4 t/FÆ
ì safety bracket - rather like a seat belt
company devised a power reduction
circuit for induction motors during the
1970s. This used a phase-controlled
Triac to slightly reduce the voltage to
the motor which apparently had the
effect of reducing power consumption
while not making much of a difference
to reÌiable running of the motor.
In such a device, you cannot reduce
the voltage by very much, say no more
than 15 or 2olo, otherwise the induc-
tion motor would refuse to start and
be at risk ofburnout.
In practice, I think the device did not
catch on and its power savings would
siliconchip.com.au
receiver complete with noise limiter.
The engine bay layouts of vehicles
from that period were not conducive
to minimising spark ignition noise, so
noise limiters were a necessary feature
of such sets.
In 1955, Ferris started building AC/
battery-powered portables which had
provision to plug in a car radio an-
tenna. They subsequently found that,
with the advent of transistors, they
could make radios that were truly port-
abie. These sets could also be used as
car radios when plugged into a cradle
or they could be laid on the seat in a
for radios (and well before they became
compulsory for humans) I
As with their earlier sets, these new
sets were designed to connect to a car's
radio antenna.
Many such sets were also considered
suitable for use as domestic receivers,
as they had quite a large battery fitted,
Some also featured shortwave recep-
tion so that those people in remote This is the view inside the front of the set with the front panel removed. The
cardboard pointer at left indicates the mechanical linkage between the band-
areas could at least listen to the ABC's
shortwave inland service, These sets
change switch and its front-panel control knob.
were also of considerable interest to
people interested in listening to short-
wave radio as a hobby,
This ABC's inland service, by the
way, was disbanded several years ago
and replaced by the "HF Shower" serv-
ice. It emanates from Alice Springs,
Tennant Creek and Catherine and
broadcasts on the 2MHz and 4MHz
bands.
The Ferris 174 receiver
The Ferris multi-purpose model
1.74 came out in 1963. This set was
enclosed in an attractive gunmetal grey
aluminium case and mèasured 255 x
220 x 100mm (W x H x D), including
the knobs. The back features a black
perforated aluminium sheet while
the front also features a perforated
aluminium sheet, which is coloured
black and off-white.
In keeping with the theme, the
knobs are black and white, while the
slide-rule dial scale is finished in
black, white and blue, with a red dial
pointer.
The ferrite rod antenna is encased The rear view inside the set is dominated by the PC board, with the tuning gang
in a plastic rectangular sleeve, which and band-change switch to the right. The ferrite rod antenna is hidden inside
swivels aÌong its longest axis. It is the handle.
located on the top of the set and also
acts as the carry handle, The cabinet The model 1.74was produced over much more than the average wage at
certainly isn't as flashy as some tran- a 4-year period until at least 1967 and the time. It was supplied comPlete
sistor radios of the erá but has a reaÌ sold for 51.24,50 - about 50% more with a car seat bracket and a wire
no-nonsense look about it, than a good car radio of the era and indoor antenna,
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB

M3'å"åi11i ffiSÏ:ff'"l'T
including AW,\, HMV and Astor,
concentrated on producing items that
were sold in their thousands. Before
the advent of TV these products were
mainly four and 5-valve radios, either
240V mains-operated or broadcast-
86 StLtcotrt Cøtp
band valve portables. In addition,
several manufacturers produced s ome
outstanding car radios.
Commercial production of mains-
operated TV receivers began in 1956
and again the manufacturers con-
centrated on items that would sell
in large quantities. Previously, they
had produced radios to suit AC/DC
mains, some fine 32V receivers and a
few high-quality multi-band receivers
but when it came to TV sets, no 12V
or 32V-powered receivers were made
Iocally.
In tlose days, there was a strong
demand for electronic equipment
- radios mostly - that could be used
by people in rural areas where there
was no mains power. Radios in the
1950s, 60s and 70s were still relatively
expensive and a set that could be used
in many different situations would be
an attractive product.
In particular, a radio that could be
used as a household receiver, a car
radio and a portable receiver would
find a ready market. It would cost more
than a conventional set but it would
still work out cheaper than having to
buy three separate sets.
Ferris radios
Fortunately, one Australiar manu-
facturer, Ferris Brothers Pty Ltd,
stepped into this niche market. Ferris
was not a mainstream manufacturer
and did not concentrate on the com-
mon four or 5-valve mantel receivers
of the era. Instead, it was a specialised
manufacturer that produced many in-
novative radio and allied electronic
products.
Ferris Brothers commenced busi-
ness 4round 1934 and subsequently
specialised in car radios. However,
the Australian Offrcial Radio Service
Manuals (AORSM) do not list any
Ferris sets until tg+6, so Ferris was
probably quite a small manufacturer
up until that time.
Their products became more read-
ily available after World War II and by
1,947 lhey were producing a car radio
that could not only be powered from
a \2V battery but from 240V AC as
well. It featured an elementary noise
limiter, as did a bus radio that came
out in the same year.
By 1949, the company was produc-
ing a 3-band car radio cum domestic
siliconchip.com.au
have been marginal anyway. 3fiN PIIJG
So I wondered whether this
new Power Saver could possibly
be based on a phase-controlled
Triac.
The reason for thinking along
these lines was that the promo
photos for the Power Saver, in the
Harvey Norman catalog, showed
it in conjunction with a 2-door
refrigerator, a flont-loading wash-
ing machine and a wide-screen TV
(plasma or LCD?). Both the first two
appliances would use an induction
motor.
But I also noted that the Power Fig.1: the círcuit of the Enersonic
Power Saver. Ifyou have a sense
Saver is suited to appliances up to
of deia vu, it iust migåt be because
24OOW (10,A.). That would probably tlis circuit is virtually identical to
rule out use of a Triac inside the that of the "Electricity saving box", which we thoroughly debunked back in
plastic case. Why? Because a rule of our November 2OO7 issue. We thought such scams had been laid to rest . . .
thumb is that a Triac will dissipate
a little over one watt for each amp of
current that it controls, There, that oughta do it. worthwhile in industrial and com-
So if the Power Saver used a Triac, In brief, "power factor correction" mercial buildings which have large
its total dissipation when controlling is a process whereby lagging currents numbers of fluorescent lights and
an appliance load of 2400W would drar,rm by inductive loads such as fluo- induction motors. In fact, fluorescent
be 12W or more - too much inside a rescent lights and motors are brought lights installed in commercial and
plastic case with no ventilation. back into phase with the 50Hz sine- industrial buildings must all have
So that meant the Power Savet was wave of the voltage waveform. power factor correction capacitors
probably predicated on power factor Such lagging currents (ie, out of inside the battens.
correction, just like the Electricity sav- phase with the sinewave voltage wave- But here is the rub: fluorescent lights
ingbox. As soon as we obtained aunit, form) are a problem for the electricity for domestic installations usually do
we would be able to conflrm that. supply authorities because they place not include power factor correction
The first thing we did when we additional load on the alternators, capacitors because the supply authori-
unpacked the unit was to check the substation transformers and the dis- ties do not regard it as a problem.
, capacitance between the Active and tribution system in general Furthermore, your household power
Neutral prongs on the integral 3-pin Power factor correction is very meters only measure watt-hours or
plug.
Yep, it was 6.11¡rF; not much dif- THEORY GRAPH
ferent from the 6.2pF capacitor we After
Before
found in the Electricity saving box.
So it is the same product dressed up
in a different box. Voltoge\current
We could end this report right here
and state that these things are a fraud
ald a total waste of money. That would
please people who read our November ond flller
wovê shope
2007 article and they could sagely nod
their heads but it would leave others
none-the-wiser.
So we had better explain,
By the way, we should state that
incredibly, at least one person has
read the November 2007 article and
has not realised that the Electricity Curren.f
Saving Box is a fraud.
Maybe we did not say it strongly
enough.
Fig.2: gee, they could be on to something here . ' . This diagram c-omes from the
THE ELECTRICITY SAVING boi thé Enersônic came in. If this device could turn the green before waveform
BOX DOES NOT SAVE ELEC. into the green "after" waveform, it might be useful as a spike suppressor. But
it's not --and it sure ain't gonna lower your power bills! The words "naive" and
TRICITY. IT IS A FRAUD. "gullible" spring to mind - but so should the words "consumer protection."
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 19
 Resellers
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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(SC June'04) This modute can be inter Probe Kit Bemlla I',lorlh East Eleclmn¡6 5762 2710
faced to an atarm system or door lock (SC September '07) lndicates 3 con- q!q!.qr!F
-8e@1s9--------- - - - --!41¡q{
Up to 24 users can ga¡n access by simpty ditions when test¡ng c¡rcu¡ts & BeMick Eleclron¡c Connælions 9768 9420
waving a pre-coded tag in front of the receiv- devices. Includes SIVID parts, fine soL- -!-c-q
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Portable PIC Measure Gapacitors k9_!Ca_!ta___Lsongl_qE_q¡-Sþ-srQp!6&_E_1c4._l$_?_q2_a7_
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Fig. 3: the typical distortion of the 50Hz 240VAC sinewave Fig. : these scope waveforms demonstrate the voltage and 24CXX EEPROI\4S INCLUDES: ZIF SOCK- of defective electrolyt¡c capacitors
U€9¡j!___--_E4qlq;o{!ÊieÞ and Êlætrcnics___6û56 57_46_

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kilowatt-hours. They do not measure
"reactive power" (kVAr) which only
becomes signiflcant if power factor is
a problem,
So even if you use an Enersonic
Power Saver to totally correct the
power factor in your household in-
stallation, there will be no saving in
power. Zero! In fact, because the Power
use a capacitor and it is labelled "G¡rF stabilise the voltage. includes a ZIF socket and PIC chip Headphone Amplifier Kit Gunnedah Protronics 67422110
Lâfelelqn ---Læ!]!1s!49!!9qa!ts- J!$?Þ2!-
450V AC". It also contains a small This is stated in the tiny instruction Buy the prcgrammer and both adaptor boards forjust $79!
Ultra low noise, low NewcasìeWest HencùmanPrcducls 49567111
dÍstortion design. North Fichmond
PC board which has a fuse (why?), manual and implied in the waveforms Drives high and tow
CPT 4571 4699
Pq4es ___=*ç![[q Lqqdins Edse__C8!??!.e-3--
a VDR (voltage dependent resistor) on the packaging (see Fig.2). impedance Penrit¡ __!e0[q_!4¡t aAL qe!!_ 7!e@_
and a power supply to light the single In the "Before" diagrams on the left- headphones Great Po_rt_Ma_clllariê ___ Jún Ftull Trcì,Vay Fadr_o_-r5q8l-1-3{1_
!slqs_el!qç!rc!8s__4q87 !Q_s
LED, hand side of Fig.2, you will see a rather for those requiring a
San Soæi Marinectrnecl 9583 1710
3mm High bit more lÌsteninB
9¡SLe!.q!_____
It is almost identical to the circuit ragged looking voltage waveform at
lntensity LEDs "oomph" from their portable Sm¡lhlìeld
sinslelm H¡-Fr_ _ú722_4L
Chmlffics 9609 7218
ofthe Electricity saving box discussed top and a set of voltage (blue) and cur- 1600mcd bright-
MP3 player or CD ptayer Features dual TalqQ-__&!9jlo_A!!!99Íonß_!qsf _q@
in the November 2007 issue. What a rent (red) waveforms at bottom. headphone outputs. waggs Wruqa _wa_g9g-_QerRaoþ,q¡!-Fi 6!?-1_6_1!1

Terminals ness- Wh¡te Waterlæ HeftesElectriml 9319313íì

Saver has an internal circuit to run its coincidence! The details are shown Welher¡ll Park Tællron Elæ1ffii6 9604 9710
SrOCK UP AHD HALF Power LEDs up Wmqetg_
LED indicator, it will actually draw in Fig.1. Voltage waveforms sÁvEr 6A @
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(sc May'04)
VWmg_ Pro_DisEnlefairuen!_€13_-!]!p__

So you will pay more, just to run the Voltage stabilisation observing 24OVAC 50Hz mains wave- Powers up two
QUÊEti¡Sl-AND

Power Saver!
After we had run all the tests on
the unit, we pulled it apart to confirm
what we already suspected.
The photos show that indeed it does
Apart from making outrageous
claims about power saving, the mak-
ers of the Enersonic Power saver also
claim that the device will clean up
the voltage/current waveforms ald
forms, I have never seen anything as
ragged as in Fig.2. In fact, the power
supply authorities do maintain per-
formance standards for harmonic 433MHz Data
content, because high values of har- Transceivers
These compãct
Gfeat for
units allow
lnventors &
Alphanumeric LCD Module wireless data
expeflments!
transm¡ssion ovel
Easy to use & drive. 196 characters
a 30m range. Perfect for remote
built ¡n. Yetlow green backtighting
monitorìng dev¡ces, PC
20characterx4tines.
communicat¡ons, inventions etc.
98Wx60Hx13Dmm.
3;F
singte 5W LED. The unique
switching regulation employed means
that it is very efficient and produces
very littte heat. lts 12V ¡nput makes it
perfectfor boats, cars & caravans.
anywhere low voltage tighting might be required!
-
Resurrect Your Old LP's and 78's!
(SG August '06) Add's a RIAA phono input to any
amplifier and allows easy line level recordíng to
CD or MP3. Prevent the deter¡orat¡on of your
favourite vinyl and revisit those golden otdies and
classics by converting them to MP3.

ffi
Make your own Allows easy connection
prototype circuits from turntable to
PC. Features:
Pr¡nted and drilled specifically to . Can be equalised
suit DIP packaged lC's.0.9mm

ffi
to suit various types
hotes @ 2.54mm spacing.
of 45's 78's and
H 0717: 75 x 43mm
LP's . Low signat lo
H 0719: 110 x 140mm

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Subwoofer Launceston Acl¡w Elæfonics 6334 7333
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Great for
proiects xorsr rorxsoxzs seìs ii) Processor Kit
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requirlng RF H0453 121x66x38 $ee5

compressor is running. Notice the phase lag between the
voltage (yellow) and the current (red), This phase lag is
ofno concern to the average consumer and does not cost
anything.
20 Sr,tcoN Cutp
$15 Get the most out of your sub-
woofer. Designed to compensate for
Fig,6: the effect when the Enersonic Power Saver is shielding or
H0454
$2O poor subwoofer response or ¡mprove
119x93x30 $11s5
connected in the circuit, demonstrating that it does have mechanical
$4{) bottom end. Features a subsonic fitter
protect¡on. 0455 193x112x61$2s.s5
an effect on power factor. The current waveform (red) is H set to 20H2, variabte low pass filter,
now more in phase with the voltage waveform (yellow) variable gain, pLus duaI phase outputs
and is reduced in amplitude. Paradoxically, the power Altron¡cs lakes no responsibil¡ly lor any loss or
damage howsoever caused, suffered by a reader wilh
consumption actually increased by about 5W respecl lo any maller or th¡ng relered to here¡n
Pr¡ces slated herein are only val¡d for lhe current
siliconchip.com.au monlh or unl¡l stocks run oul. All pr¡ces include GST
and exclude lre¡qht and ¡nsurance See lalest
catalogue lor ke¡ght rates

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Su¡ts most common netrlvork
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ldeat for the lT tech!
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heat LED globes. Great for motorhome,
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ffiffi
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These pro quatity cases altow internaI subchassis to be
mounted along the fult width or height of the case Great for test equipment,
amplifiers etc. Aluminium front & rear panets
monics (ie, harmonic distortion) can
cause problems in the distribution
Jayca r's Mu
During the testing of
lti-Fu nctio@
network. the Enersonic power
That is not to say that distorted Saver we used the
mains waveforms do not occur and Jaycar Energy Meter
SAVE 20olo ON RJ45 Connector Cat5e 305m the scope waveform of Fig,3 is quite
ù,no.Un¡'
E
Dru.tr*
in helping to assess
CATSE PATCH LEADS Packs
Boxes E typical of what can be observed in whether power was
High quatity Cat5e with strain 1r- Stock up on handy RJ45 wtoa any commercial or domestic location,
relief plugs. data connectors for custom Make your own u"$ being saved (or more
1m 2m 5m patch teads custom patch In fact, it was taken at my home on being used).
Blue P 18084 P 1809 P 18124 leads or nehvork Sydney's northern beaches. It has a 3-pin socket
Red P 18214 P t822 P 18254
your house. Top
quatity cat5e ¡n a
Notice that it is flattened on the so the appliance you
Ycliorv P 18314 P1832 P 18354
conven¡ent and neat peaks and troughs, as well as being wish to monitor can be
lm 2m 3m 5m pultbox. not quite smooth as it shouldbe on the simply plugged into it.
FBP $3.9s $5.20 $6.95 $8.95 W 276O grey Jüst
sloping sections. In fact, we have the
i ¡lue
l|0" $3.* $4,0o $5.m $7.0o
w 2z6t 80 cents It has switches to allow
i w zt62 pinx per metr€! equipmentto measure such harmonic it to display the mains
distortion but in this case we did not voltage and appliance
have to go to the trouble of making current, power con-
"safe" connections to make such a sumption, power factor,
19" Rack measurement, and overload current,
Mount Patch Panels Instead, we had an ldeal Voltage mains frequency and
Performance Monitor (VPM) in for the time.
review at the same time. You can enter in
This instrument monitors voltage, your electricity tariff
impulses (ie, tra¡sient spike voltages), and display the cost of
total harmonic distortion (THD) and running the appliance
other parameters. over a given length of time. The The Multi-Function Energy Meter is
Australian Made 30W PA Amplifier Paging Typically, when monitoring the meter works well but we found the available from all Jaycar Electronics
Mr Smith! } OVAC mains waveform in the Stlt- displayed units are very small and stores and website at $99.95 including
SAVE OVER 200lo coN CHIP offices, this gives readings difficult to read. GST. (Cat MS-611s).
Excellent for general
paging applicat¡ons. Fitted with a 3
around 1.2-1.3o/o. However, at the
pîn XLR, it is the perfect partner for the time that the waveform on the scope
A 40304 30W amptifier. was recorded, its readings were much trace) and the current waveform
Equ¡ppcd wlth â higher at around 3,3%. trace), This is to be expected with ownApplianceEnergyMeter[SII,tcoN
spælâl¡sd mlc for cleâl So we were able to use the Ideal the inductive load presented by the Cmr, JuIy & August 2004) or a much
LED "halogen type" globe spesch æPredùcdon &
Replace halogens with eff¡clent, low enhaßæd Gl,NdtYl VPM to monitor the mains voltage fridge's compressor motor. more compactMulti-FunctionEnergy
smatl businesses, workshops, schools etc
Features both 3 XLR mic and 3 RCA [ine inputs (w¡th parameters with and without the Ener- We then óonnected the fridge via Meter from Jaycar (Cat MS-61L5)'
3 Pin XLR Plugs
votume controls).30W RMS. 240VAC operation
MAKE YOUR OWN MIC LEADS! sonic Power Saver connected and with the Power Saver and made the meas- Interestingly, this latter device will
app[¡cations. lW light output.
Packs of 10. various loads such as a refrigerator ald urement again, This showed that the give a reading of the power factor of
Drop Proof Announcers vacuum cleaner connected, power factor correction capacitor the load. Bingo!
SAVE UP Guess what? The Power Saver ãoes indeed work, as we would have So we plugged in the fridge via the
rO2lJo/o made zero difference to the observed expected, (See Fig,a), |aycar unit. It read the frid€e's power
waveforms or the measutements on Ñotice that the red current trace is consumption at 220W or thereabouts
the VPM. notonlymoreinphasewiththeyellow but it tends to drop the longer the
We expected nothing more, of voltage trace but is also reduced in am- complessol luns. And it gave a powel
domestic applicat¡ons. Very tittle heat
incandescent lights.
BRP
SAVE
OVER
Power
_. uD to 8
speakers from a
s¡ngle ampt¡f¡er!
i Mic Gabte stAsHED!
i .räï,ff',n,..,
lÌne noise. Thick
outer sheath.
course, but we had to go through the
process.
We also monitored the voltage and
current waveforms for a small refrig-
plituãe. Sothat'sgood.Butatthesame factor reading of around 57, which
time, we were measuring the power equates to 0'57.
consumption andthe difference was
not what you would expect,
PluggingtheEnersonicPowerSaver
into the dual GPO then changed the
on
This compact device allows you
$49 SAVE erator in the SII-IcoN CHp kitchen, as
H 5352 2U 325mm $57.75ea
s59
to power up to 4 pairs of speakers
from a normal stereo amplifìer. A great
Fult 100m
28olo shown in Fig.3. che c ki n g p owe r co ns ump ri å: îå"tffi :"å J" ,"f åit,Ï,"'#iìL'":
H 5362 2U 400mm $69.30ea
$52 way to extend your lounge stereo system In this case there is a phase lag be- and power factor indeed correcting the power factor.
H 5353 3U325mm $6,l.95ea into the entertainment area. l50W total
tween the voltage waveform (yellow We had two options to measure But the power consumption reading
H 5363 3U 400mm $72.45ea
$62 power handting
$8 Elqctronie
Gustomisable Rack Gases P 0728 lm $10.50
g9 Softwa¡s
P 072s 3m $11 75 Dsþn & Dcvdopmmt Enginecrt
P0732 5m trr.rs
S1O Bargain 30m Rolls of Fig'8'
Type C790 Controller
SuppLied w¡th internat pânet and $tl 5 Great for low current DC wlrlng in
o Sensor Moniùoring (V, I, n ,I.4)
P o73E 1om *rr.nu cars, 4WDs, caravans etc-
4 mounting strips.
0737
$2O W 212$:2410.20 Heavy Duty Red/Btack. o EventTimitg / Sequerrcins
P 20m Srr.ns
W 2138t3210.20 Exfra Heavy Duty o @er / Under SÉ Detedion
White/Btack- o Over / Under DC Voltaç Detection
Great for mlcs & mixers!
$27s.00 AUD Rlecd t 4s7 6t4
Incfud€s Endc¡e åflf 2qB
o Temperah¡re Gonboller
-c.1Pq
Mtûtælorì
MAY 2OOB 27

lOe'¿Woltage Performance Mon itor
This comPact ¡nstrument
captures and logs mains-
specific voltage param-
eters that can affect the / F
performance of equip-
ment such as induc-
tion motors, sensitive
instrumentation, medical
equipment and so on.
It reads and disPlaYs
four parameters: true RMS
voltage, imPulse voltage
(above 450V to 4kV Positive
or negative), THD (total har'
monid distortion) and mains
frequencY from 45-65H2.
ln addition, it will disPlaY and
log the deviation from the nomi-
(ie, 2a0V) as a SAG or
naì voltage
-(SWL)
SWELL together with the
logged time.
iñrputses are displayed as lMP, with
the magnitude in kV and duration in
microsJconds, again with the logged
time.THD is displayed as percentage
(eg, 1.3%)
increased. Whoa! That's not right. We
didn't believe it.
Repeating tlte power consumption
test with the SucoN CHrr Appliance
Energy Meter also showed an increase
when the Power Saver was plugged
in but in this case it was only a few
watts. Nevertheless, rather than giving
no change which we expected, there
was an increase. I repeated these tests
with a small fridge in my home and
came up with exactly the same results
- a¡l increase in power consumption,
not a decrease.
Summary
OK, so where does alÌ that leave us?
Our conclusions were:
22 Sntco¡rt Cntp
Uo to 512 events can be logged
and subsequentlY scrolled
through with the enter and
navigation buttons.
, The disPlay is a bright Yel-
low OLED tYPe and it can
be inverted just in case
the VFM is Plugged into
a GPO which Places it
upside down.
UnfortunatelY, the
2-pin Australian socket
adaptor it comes with
willnormallY Posit¡on
the instrument side-
ways, so you have
to crook Your head
to read the disPlaY (see
photos above).
That aside, this is powerful instru-
ment for monitoring mains voltage'
For further information, contact
Trio Smartcal. Phone 1300 853 407
Fax 1300 853 409
Email: trio @ smartcal.com'au
(r)The Enersonic Power Saver
may provide a degree of power fac-
tor correction for inductive loads
BUT
(2) Itwill notresultin anyreduc-
tion in real power as measured by
any appliance energy meter or the
meters in your power box at home.
It will probably lead to a small in-
crease.
(3) It does not "cleanup" voltage
and current waveforms and it does
not have any means of doing so,
A few other comments should be
made. The Enersonic Power Saver is
stated to be "Designed & Engineered
Taking the back offreveals a 6pF capacitor, a
bridge rectifier, VDR, LED, a couple of smaller
in Australia". That may well be true
capacitors . . . how's that deja vu going now?
but electrically, it is very similar to This shot is virtually same size.
the Electricity saving box, which was
claimed to be the latest technology
from Germany.
It also has an Australian Approval
Number (NSW 22555). This shows that
it complies with Australian electrical
standards but that in no way indicates
that it wiII do what it claims.
Enersonic also suggest that "For
best results, use 3 to 4 pieces of Power
Saver per typical size home". Apart
from being poorly expressed, this is
a lie! There is no power saving with
one device and the power saving with
four such devices will be exactly four
times zero = zeto.
So how do you save on power
bills?
There are no magic bullets to save
power with the existing appliance
line-up in any home. The only ways
to save power in your household are
not to use your appliances as much,
not to open fridge/freezer doors as of-
ten, to turn remote-controlled devices
(audio/video especially) off instead of
leaving them on "standby" and finally,
to buy more efficient appliances,
There are no gadgets that can do it
for you.
siliconchip.com.au
SAVE 20olo on Handheld Soldering lrons
ïl¡:k t*tt 2oo/o ffi.
Ðoloer Fumes r Multi-Angte
OFF!
Bench Vice
Tired of coughing on soldering
fumes when you're work¡ng on Made from diecast attoy. Clamps
PC boards? This compact fume to your work bench and provioes F
Great performers under $201 extractor whisks away smoke & totat 360" freedom when work-
Great for beginners, enthusi- fitters the air at the same time. All ing. Jaws open to 55 mm,
asts, home handymen or as a back up in the toolbox ALI are sup- metat construction ensures it will lnctudes soft jaws for hotding
pl¡ed with a handy mini bench stand. Equipped with an iron ctad, tast for YEARS! deticate connectors,
chrome ptated t¡p for tong [ife.
your soldering
A must have to ensure
pollutants
tlke a third
Sotdering lron Caddy ?äãìt Ti"" rt"m alrborne hand!
Stores your iron, sotder and sponge in one
handy spot. Wall or bench mount. Accepts
i See
250gm or lkg sotder rolls
Nole: solder not included i around
i corners!
,ffi
Handy benchtoP accessorY! Eliminate
Static Damage! ; Handy tetescopic ,,,
Re Antistatic mat for han-
; inspection mirror,
Ì great for workìng in
dling components and : tight spaces
sensitive hardware ¡n safety. W¡th
Set of 6 drivers with comfortable
buitt in tool pockets and wr¡st strap
JUMBO 600 x 650mm SIZE!
soft rubber handgrips 3 ftat
blade, 3 phit¡ps type.
reducing heatshrink, removing adhesives, paint
etc. W¡th a ftick of the tr¡gger it ¡nstantty pow-
--\
m
Car Tune Up's
,"*; il"."Ïlì,i,î:'.-,,'^li, -';
Made Easy!
Mult¡funct¡on aulomotive
125W lroda Portable Gas lron
multimeter ¡deal for mechanics,
apprent¡ces & enthusiasts.
Serves not onty as a standard
Þroo
Ratchet Driver Set
POWERED BY REFItt.
ABLE GARTRIDGE! ¡
muttimeter for generaI etectrical AT A BARGAIN PRICE!
. Totallywireless I but also performs RPM, dwetL Handy ratchet action speeds
s8 operation - No need to
angte, duty cycle, temperature &
pulse width measurements
||ryflf up any job. Designed for
comms equipment, computers etc. lncludes
run extensíon
Suppt¡ed w¡th induct¡ve pick up.
...leads to your work 3 phittips, 2 hex nut dr¡vers, 3 ftat btade & 4
area . Super tough design witt last for years
Suits 2 or 4 stroke, 2-10 cylinders. star bits
.
. Easy to t¡ght, one-cl¡ck piezo ignit¡on High reliabitity and tong Great for checklng auto w¡r¡ng' With a full range of tips plus
life tip . Powers on for up to 4 hours from a futl tank of gasl rad¡ator temps, lgnlt¡on Problems
etc'
extens¡on bar!
lnstant Insulation i I Contact Free Digitat i Precision
Testing. 2oo/o OFFI i :.
,", I Thermometer i Frequency
:Î::.Ï:åi::iï'J,[.ffii#il15%"-iilJ.ñ:ll;#i.ili.]äi::::::r':^":,T:'-lffi¡E
oranyonewhoworks,
: - t.r
: -'---'' --- '- ----?tZtfË
É
shoot'temperature
on mains equipmenr. measufement. Provides accurate ¡ :^"]:lt^1 lt:S:Îi?,""- ,- two
in "..^ J.
;00rriä;,';óöìi;;: i: perature read¡nss trom a ¿¡siancl. ; ranges
::19:^"j.10,1'^:-27^GHz
0-1000V. lnctudes
rr^âr ror
tdeal ¡^ñ^^,-1..-^ measurement
r^- temperature -^^".,,^^.;-;,- ir ;: ;;;%;;ìñ;liJä'îi^"1,-,,),^;;;;:;;;;
w¡th separate inputs; Ch A 10Hz to 100MHz
;;,r
eads.i o
A.
r i :a
¡:' 't
' i¡
Locate the right cable in seconds! i Multifunction
i : meter
i aI i deveto
:;: i crosso
i 'Power
'å:ïfåiï,ii:: i rns nrcn¡ w Yotl* PocKEÍ! resona
 stuff taken from the "Gad€et Guy" webslte (www.gad€etguv.com.au):
Porrver savlnéls of uP to 24vo usl,îg the tnersodc Po1ver gaver (and our responses lnbol(t ltatic)
Dear Valued Customers,
I am pleased to announce the appo¡ntment of our
new retail managers. Scott Paton has been 80,000 songs - All in one box!*
promoted to manager after working with the
By add¡ng a hard drive of your chooslng to th¡s styllsh un¡|, you
company forfve years in Perth. Whilst Robert
-can create a totally portable mult¡mediâ solution for your home
Atekso\rskl ha-gjolned ourteam in Sydney, after
w¡thout the expense of a hi-fi PC. lt provides h¡gh def¡n¡tion power that is generated.by the power statloI.|s,
¡n the electronics industry.
ptayback for any tiles stored on the dr¡ve, via user friendly on-screen and. tI
menus. Su¡table for most MPG formats' D¡vX, JPG, MP3 etc!
24o vort power sockets to rur yovt erectficar appJlances. powet
tactor correction (Ioesn't save yoa money
l\ Firmware upgrades also avallable. D 5510 320gb SATA HDD to suit $141
entwaüs. An
iT
I
D5563AFeaturas.UpdatebyUSB2.0,wiredethernetll0/100)
.
oyy¡¡.¡uttt,ntt'nn
t};,e electrical
t (802.1lb/gl Composlte, S-V¡deo, DVI-D, component & digital audio outputs
.
' lR
enension . 1080p high definition ßemote control . USB flash stick d¡rect connection wit}: the heat
. 3.5" SATA HDD compatible D
Build Your Own uffiõEösnm HARD DRIvE lúooEl! Power savrng thto*Eh man.agrrtg tndacttve and
¡ew'r€ of cherper model¡ on lhe m.rkot wlth resÍethve roails
Active Subwoofer 'Dependant on hard dr¡ve capacily. low rcsolutlon outp¡¡t and umlted codec support. The Enersonic Power savet will r.ot save energr
Enhance your sound system, if all you used. in yourpremÍses were fi1ament ught
bulbs arrd electücbaJ" radlators ot oiJ heat'ers. These
add mindblowing realism to. tÉ Watt axe rererred. to becrvúcalJy as resistive load.s.
Sult3 a hu8ê rante of scrern *Hl""li":''i;"0'il.o
m
your favourite DVD! Turn your: Mount Your
lounse room ¡nto a cinema: d electronjc applia,nces insta.fied, whic}r ca,n to

ffil I ó.
Plasma or
e! withlour very own custom i
subwoofer. Fantastic for build- i LCD Screen ^--. '::', wer Saver is insta-l_led . These ad.ditional, appkances
components, whTch act as inductive load.s, a,nd-
ing into custom subwoofer cabi- i A great way to
nets, Equipped with votume,; mount your flat acteristics. Iniluettve loails don't necessatlly
crossover frequency controt, ; panel TV securely to
ro lloo :'
High Gurrenl llvr ur
phase switch, high and tow i your wall. Tilting or
In slmp-le terms, the Enersonic powet Saver is d.
level outputs. 120W RMS, i fixed models Mounting help corxect these problems caused.by the
Stabte ¡nto 4 ohms, i holes are provided for both 450 Regulated Lab Power Supplies mlx of imductive and' tesistive Toad's, and' to help
out a",d s¡mchronise the erectxica,l. wavetorm
& 600mm stud watts. Eas¡ty Compact sw¡tchmode design is both powerfuI and to herp prouide abettet power ractot correction. we
SoeakerSwitchers l{Etlt mounted to brick watts with tightweight. Great )r powertngcommunicat¡ons h.ave demonstrated, lt iloes no suci,- ti'tlngl
ð¡lot. r.¿ effective wav of DESIGI{! appropr¡ate fixings. 60kg max equrpment, car audio amptifiers, camptngfr¡dges or
selecting speaker zones throuBhout other portable DC power appliances. on the
M 8212: 3to30V regutated @ 204 m x.
Stunning lú82ü2¡l-15V regutated @ d)max. Plusauxil- one
Gompact Hi-Fi liary 5A output on front panet. he.lp
Compact Autoranging
WHOPPER WIRE - SAVE 15olo i
speakers i.
DMM
Oxygen free cable for superior speaker i
have a sensational sound :
Perfect for the home lnclude¡ ¡
for thelr compact size. ' tampo ¡a
performance. Superb quatity for use in hi{i, i handyman, enthus¡ast
lFttll home theatre and car audio i
Each speaker unit
or student! Features:
pmbo tt no
comprises of two sw¡vet mount drivers enra cost!
systems FuL[ 50m rotts onty i . Data hotd . Backtit R'eesons to buy an Enereonlc pou¡er gaver
prov¡ding qu¡te amaz¡ng reproduct¡on &
Supeó quality & Y.lue. ! power handlìng. ldeal for unobtrusive sound in the kitchen, disptay . AC/DC votts
studyorbedroomorsurround sound use 130x65x75mm.
. Res¡stance . Cont¡nuity . fn some cases even more. No reduction tn electrtcll,4r.büJ
. Transistor & diode
Pro-Grade HDMI Leads In our oplnlon - lust es good as the checker . AC/DC current
Superb quatity for any grade
brand names, wlthout the pr¡cetag!
home theatre
system.

Why P.t a
fortuno tt a
hl-ñ ¡torc?
4' No mairrtenance .equired. rtulhat ito yøo do tf tl,e tnterner
Component Leads ruse ,Jrows?
High quatity leads with all metal 5' R'apid retr.r-rn on your i¡vestment . Tl,ere is no tetartz
ptugs, gotd plated contacts and on l',,vestmant!
thick shielding to prevent 6' 1-1 exchange warlanty. rrow about money back tr tt iloesn t cto
what ls claímeit?
Measures your systolic/ diastol¡c pressures and heart 7. Envj¡onmental$r friend.J¡r. In what way?
See In The Dark rate. Provides a simple way to get fast and accurate
blood pressure readings. Stores 30 readings forlp to 8' rt acts as a ¡efore supplies load with proper voltage during momentarîr
GGD Camera
With 14 infra red
power surges.
LEDS! Excetlent low
light perfrìrmance cou.
17 in 1 Multitool
pted with sharp ctarity day Great for the gtovebox or
Signals Plus oPtlcal audlol
time use. The best of both
Run out of HD lnputs on your emp or TV? Take worlds! Sturdy housing is well
crrit to a ,high enersr rating circrrit, therefore
edvantage of thls handy 3 way swltchor 1080¡ suited to sheltered outdoor insta[a- a singte unit such as
compatabte. Also ¡IirdË\stereo RCA or optical audio tions such as under eaves, patio's savjng you money on' your electrÍcity bill. rt does no such t'llns - lt
in:conjunctíon wif¡árqffftnt video. ldeal for game consoles or ' etc. M 9243 ptugpack to suit $18. A totât tool does nothins to seve eTectilcíty.

siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB

 www.siliconchip. com,au
PB¡GE GUlllE: SUBSCRIPTI0IlS
(Note: all subscr¡ptlon prices include P&P).
YOUR DETAILS (Aust. prlces lnclude GST)
Your llame Please state month to start.
(PLEASE PRINT) Australia:'l yr ,.,.,...,.,.,...,....$489.50 2 yrs.,.,...... ..,..,, .., $4172
1 yr+binder .,......,..,..........$4105 2yrs+2binders,..$4203
Organisation (if applicable) NZ (air): 1 yr .,.,.,,.. .,.,.,.,....$ASO 2 yrs.,.,....,....,..,..,,, $4190
Overseas (air): 1 yr .,.,.,.,....$4135 2 yrs.,.,....,....,..,...., $4260

PRIGE GUlllE: OIHER PR0DUGTS

(all prlces lnclude GST on Auqt. qderc)

Postcode
Email address (if applicable)
Method of Payment:
-SlLlC0N
Daytime Phone llo. ( CHIP BACK ISSUES in stock: 10% discount for 10
or more issues or photocopies. Australia: $49.50 ea (includ-
ing p&p). Overseas: $41 3 each (including p&p by air).
-ELECTBONICS
AUSTRALIA: project photocopies. Australia:
$49.50 each (including p&p). Overseas: $41 3 each (including
p&p by air).

õ¡õkMm
læffi
D¡CmsM-iïF
@tu
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BUY 5 or more and get them postage free.

Adjustable Temperature Soldering Station Benchtop Soldering Fume Filter

tr Cheque/Money Order tr Visa Card tr Master Card (Available in Aust. only): $413.95 each plus $7 p&p per
order,
Lightweight handle with burn-resistant cable,
45W power, 250'C to 450'C temp. range,
240V powered, with 1.ómm tip and
Reduce soldering fumes with this compact filter.
lnc. low-noise mains-powered fan, 2 activated
carbon filters, adjustable stand, and plastic
cardNo IIII I
-ELECTRONICS PROJECTS FOR CARS, V01.2: Aust.
9414.95; Overseas $418.00. (Prices include p&p & GST
cleaning sponge. T'197ó hood assembly. T234ó
where applicable).
Card expiry date: I I ll I I -PERFORMANCE ELECTRONICS FOR CARS: Aust.
$422.50; Overseas $426.00. (Prices include p&p & GST
where applicable).
ïodo. Signature
PT-200 Butane
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Powerful, heavy-duty SUBSCRIBERS QUATIFY FOR 1fl% DISCOUiIT ON AtL SITICON CHIP PRODUCTS-
butane blowtorch - excepl subscripti0ns/renewals
D¡êreX¡MiÏF with adjustable flame
ffi@ for hobby users.
2509 Lead-Free Solder Electronic ignition, with
A lead-free 1.0mm solder alloy containing temperatures up to Item P&P if Total
flux for general electronics work where earlier 1300'C, and up to ó0mins Qtv Item Description Price extra Price
lead-based solders cannot be used. This solder use per refill. lnternal
is 99.3% Tin and 0.7% Copper. Recommended brass and ceramic parts
for use with iron-clad or nickel-clad soldering for precision operation.
iron tips.2509 roll. N2ó32 Colour may vary. T1101

TV Cable RG-59U Economy

Economical 75 ohm dual shield
coaxial cable suitable for indoor
75 Ohm TV Coaxial
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Quality shielded low loss
Cable Harmony HD
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Suits high definition video and
Subscribe to Stttc0¡t Cntp on-line at: www.siliconch¡p.com.au
Both printed and on-line versions available
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t w
use on analogue TVs in areas where
there is a reasonable signal. Great
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is suitable for digital television
audio cabling hookups.
w2003
Total $n
for making patch leads. w2080 installations. W2084

Promotion from 30/04/æ to 27 /O5lß

 Farts L[st
1 PC board, code 11105081,
107 x 39mm
1 HH-850219mm square
TO-220 heatsink, OR
1 HH-8511 61 x 36 x 30mm'U'
heatsink
2TO-220 silicone washers
1 6x2length of DIL jumper strip
1 jumper shunt
2 M3 x 6mm machine screws
2 M3 nuts
4 PC board terminal pins, 1mm
diameter
Semiconductorc
1 LM317T regulator (REG1)
1 BDX54C or BD65O PNP
power Darlington (Q1)
Capacitors
1 470¡tF 35V RB electrolytic
2 1OpF 16V RB electrolytic
1 100nF MKT metallised
polyester
Resisto¡s (0.25W f %)
2 300c) 1 91O
1 270el¿ 1 22A
1 180c¿ 1 18C)
1 160ç) 1 5.6C¿
1 120O
Where To Buy A K¡t
This project was developed by
Jaycar Electronics and they own
the copyright on the PC board, Kits
will be available exclusively from
Jaycar retail outlets and dealers
(Cat. KC-5463) and will be supplied
with the HH-8502 heatsink.
ing 107 x 39mm. The component
overlay diagram is shown in Fig.2.
Begin assembly by fitting the four PC
board terminal pins (to the external
wiring points) and the 6x2 length of
DIL jumper strip used for the output
voltage programming. Follow these
with the single wire link that goes just
below the 120C1 resistor,
Next, fit the 10 resistors to the board,
taking care to place each one in its
correct position. Table 1 shows the
resistor colour codes but you should
also check each resistor using a DMM
before soldering it in, as some of the
colours can be diffrcult to decipher.
After the resistors you can install
the capacitors, starting with the un-
polarised 100nF MKT capacitor up at
BO stLtco¡,t cntp
the top/output end. Follow this with
the three electrolytic capacitors, taking
care to flt each ofthese the correct way
around because they are polarised.
The next step is to fit the heatsink
(either the HH-8502 or the larger HH-
8511 - see Table 1), along with REG1
and Qr. Each of the latter two devices
is mounted "flat" with its leads bent
downby 90o about 6mm from its case,
so they pass through the relevant holes
in the PC board.
If you're just using the small HH-
8502 heatsink for Q1, REG1 can be
fitted directly to the board (ie, no
heatsink) and its metal tab secured us-
ing an M3 x 6mm machine screw and
nut. The machine screw and nut also
provide REG1 with a small amount of
incidental heatsinking, in conjunction
with the copper square underneath,
Once you've secured its tab, its
leads can be soldered to the copper
pads under the board. Don't solder
the leads before bolting down the tab
- you could stress ald crack the solder
joints if you do,
QL is mounted on the top of its
heatsink, using a thermal conducting
washer or a sme¿tr of thermal com-
pound to ensure a good thermal bond.
An M3 x 6mm screw and nut are then
used to secure the assembly in place,
before'soldering Q1's leads to their
pads underneath,
Alternatively, both Q1 and REG1
canbe mounted onthe largerHH-851L
heatsink, again using either thermal
conducting washers or smears of ther-
mal compound to ensure good thermal
bonds. As before, bolt the assembly
to the PC board before soldering the
device leads.
Voltage on the heatsink
It is not really necessary to elec-
trically isolate the metal tabs of Q1
and REG1 from each other (or from
the heatsink), since they both sit at
the output voltage (ie, Q1's tab is its
collector and REG1's tab is its output
terminal). It does mean, however,
that the heatsink also operates at the
output voltage when power is applied,
so make sure it doesn't short against
other equipment,
This is also an important considera-
tion if you mount Q1 off the board on
a large external heatsink, In that case,
you might want to electrically isolate
Q1 from the heatsink using a TO-
220 insulation kit (ie, thermal insula-
tion washer plus insulating bush for
USE WIRES TO PINS I & 2 FOR Vin
Fig.3: a hard disk drive power
connector (eg, Jaycar PP-0743) can
be used to connect the input of the
regulator board to the 12V ouþut
from a PC power supply.
the mounting screw). That way, the
heatsink can then be earthed to other
equipment.
Voltage selection
The next step is to fit the voltage
selection jumper shunt to select the
required output voltage. That done,
connect a DC power source (it must
provide at least 3V more than the out-
put voltage you want), then check the
output voltage with your digital multi-
meter, It should be within t3%.
If you are going to be sourcing the
adaptor input voltage from your cat
or truck battery, the input lead can be
fitted with a cigarette lighter plug at
the far end to mate with the vehicle's
cigarette lighter socket, Jaycar sells
two such plugs - the low-cost PP-2000
and the PP-2001 which has an internal
3A fuse.
Similarly, if you intend sourcing
the adaptor's input voltage from a PC
power supply, the input lead can be
fitted with a 4-way plug (as used on
the rear of hard disk drives), to mate
with a spare power connector inside
the PC. Again laycar can provide two
versions of these plugs: the PP-O743
or the PP-0744.
Fig.3 shows the connections for us-
ing this type of plug to provide a 12V
supply for the regulator board, Note,
however, that this input voltage will
only be suitable for output voltages
up to 9V.
Output connector
The adaptor's output lead can be
fitted with a power connector to suit
the device or devices you're going to
be powering, In many cases this is
likely to be a concentric low-voltage
DC connector,
Finally, when mounting the adaptor
inside a case, make sure it has adequate
ventilation to dissipate the likely heat
it will produce. sc
siliconchip.com.au
W
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ó4-Piece Bit Set and Case
Packed in two soft plastic storage cases
for ease of carrying. lncludes a magnetic
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Helping Hands with Magnifier
Uses 45mm long super-hard 52 grade 4mm bits, Hex bits, Tri-wing bits, Spanner bits,
s
Heavy cast-iron base for stability,
a magnifying glass, plus adjustable
position alligator clips to hold an item
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Soldering lron Tip Cleaner Anti-Static Solder Sucker Heavy Duty Solder Sucker Heavy Duty Soldering lron Stand
Low abrasion spiral-br ass for easy Easy to clean solder sucker with
a strong Solidly built plastic housing, strong spring Diecast heary duty construction with rubber
tip cleaning, with no water required metal body, excellent suction and a assenrbly, dual "O" r ing seals lor better feet to prevent scratching yotrr desk, also
lncludes metal holder with non-slip heat-res¡stant Teflon tip
T25ó7 suct¡on, easy to open for waste solder includes a "spìral brass" style tip cleaner
rubber base T2007 removal T257.1 T1256
¿-
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Made from high quality carbon steel,
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or size of hole in sheet steel to
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Wide range of seruicìng tools in a handy
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precise circuit board work- They have thick lt follows curved or straight Can be used on many glass, cerantic long-nose pliers, lC inserter, hex drivers,
smooth grip insulation and are spring lines wìth ease and is also great for or metal surfaces. Supplied with various scrervdrìvers, insulated tweezers
battery case and lead -I477ó and more f4343
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r :.,
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toolbox with a removable
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storage in th
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 W rent capability is to provide Ql with
larger heatsink, as just discussed,
a
JOIN THE TECHNOLOGY
Example AGE NOW
Let's say you want to use the adaptor W¡th
to power a portable CD player from the
cigarette lighter socket in your car and PICAXE
the CD player needs 3V DC, So Vi. is
12V and the adaptor will have to drop
USE SMAII
1,2-3=9Y.
HEATSINK QI
toR Now let's assume that Q1 is fitted
CURRENT with just a small HH-8502 heatsink,
õ¡õreFfüfr
ffi õ¡êreFMm
reffi
USE, I.ARGER
SHARED
What current will it be able to deliver Developed as a teaching tool,
llluminated Pocket Magnifier Stâ¡nless Steel Digital Callipers Magnifoing Desk Lamp HEATSINK to the CD player at ambient tempera- the PICAXE is a low-cost "brain"
Great for checking comPonents. PCBs, and These stainless steel dþital callipers feature Work with small items more easily with the magnified
FOR HIGHER, tures up to 40"C?
for almost any project
other items where a magnified view is required. a +dig¡t LCD screen, internal and external and illuminated view provided by this magniling
CURRENT
From what we've seen above, the
Features a large 2ómm coated glass lens, measuring jaw, depth measuring blade, desk lamp. Uses 2 x lOW Halogen bulbs, quality glass
USE
'lOx magnification, carry pouch and a white mm & inch measurements, and zero setting. magnifoing lens, flexible gooseneck, and removable total R(j-a) for Q1 with this small
LED to þrovide lighting of the viewed item. a
Supplied in a foåm-lined carry case w¡th Ac;dáptor. T4599 heatsink is around 24oClwatt, so if Easy to use and understand,
Requires 3 x "AA/4" size batteries. T4597 battery and deta¡led ¡nstructions. 01 382
we want its temperature to rise by professionals & hobbyists can
no more than 60'C above an ambient be productive within minutes.
of 40'C (ie, to 100"C maximum), the Free software development
flEr,'g.LltiF,l maximum power that Q1 should be
Lug Crimping Tool 4/6/8 Pin Modular tTffi"l. @ system and low-cost in-circuit
A handy crÌmping tool Crimp Tool called upon to dissipate is 60124 = programming.
when you're working Cuts and strips cables as 2.5W If the adaptor will be dropping
POSInON Variety of hardware, project
with non-insulated well as crimping various 4¡pin,
IJMPER
9V this corresponds to a maximum
terminals. Has a strong ó-pin and 8 pin modular
SHUNT load current of 2.5/9, or about 275mA boards and kits to suit your
metal {rame and jaws, connectors including 4P4Ç,
coated handles and óP4C (RJ-1 1 ), óPóC (RJ-l 2), FOR (power = voltage x current, so current applicat¡on.
Ratchet Coaxial Crimping Tool DESIRED
a cable cutter Suit and 8P (RJ-45) varieties Digital, analog, serial RS232,
10 28AWG wire Rugged metal congtruction
Perfect for E BNC, TNC, N, Teflon, or,rlRtf = power/voltage).
Thinnet PVC and Fibre-Optic voEs If the CD playerneeds to drawmore
T3528 for accurate crimps. 12923
connectors Has an accurate
1-WirerM, and l2C facilities.
current than this, you'll have to fit Q1 PC connectivity.
s;;ii:sii:1, $2Ss8 with a larger heatsink like the HH-8511
f:II[mf
n for reliable
which allow it to deliver 6/9 amps, or
Applications include:
about 660m4.
If this current rating seems pretty Datalogging
tNit rno,u rc
POWER SUPPTY OR low, consider that this example is for Robotics
VEHIC]E BATTERY
a very demanding situation where it is Measurement & instruments
Fig.z: install the parts on the PC being called upon to deliver the lowest Motor & lighting control
board as shown here. The output selectable output voltage but from a Farming & agriculture
voltage is set by installing a iumper fairìy high input voltage.
DORCY LED lnternet server
Dynamo Flashlight shunt in one of the link positions.
For an easier example, let's say you
Sìmply wind handle Wireless links
to'POWER UP'light, want to provide a radio or some other
renewable energy - equipment with 9V but still want to Colour sensing
alternative to power light
HH-8511 (which can be shared with run the adaptor from 12V. This wìll Fun games
ideal for emergencies at
home, camping and cars REG1 as the latter doesn't dissipate mean that Q1 will only have to drop
No more bulbs or much power), The larger heatsink re- ('J.2 - I = 3V). So with the smaller
batteries required
HH-8502 heatsink it would be able
Y1277
amp duces R(c-a) to 6oC/watt, resulting in
a total temperature rise of only (4 + 6) to deliver up to 2.5/3 or 830m4. AI-
!#Jrtrl::åff#,il0"
on 3 x A/AA alkaline batteries (included) ytzs:
= 1OoC for each watt dissipated,
It is possible to reduce the value of
ternatively, with the larger HH-8511
heatsink, it would be able to supply
R(c-a) even further by fitting Q1 with 6/3 or 2A,
an even larger heatsink, to allow it to To make it easier to choose which
dissipate even more power. However size of heatsink you need for your ap-
this involves mounting Q1 off the plication, refer to Table 1 for the most
adaptor's PC board. likely combinations of input voltage Distributed in Australia by
To summarise, if you want the and output voltage. Note that only
adaptor to supply as much current as practical combinations are shown - ie, Microzed Computers
possible, you must limit (Vi" - Vo,rt) where the input is at least 3V higher Pty Limited
by reducing Vir.. However, Vin must than the output, so that the unit can
be at least 3V higher than Voo¡ for the operate correctly. Phone 1300 735 420
adaptor to work correctly. Fax 1300 735 421
Dorcv Suoer Brioht
- f,nLec If you're stuck with a particular Construction
uo Flaslilight
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All the parts used in the adaptor
mount on a small PC board measur-
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 ã ît rîf nrfil I Fr{ttltr r il nrl r-l[ lTmtl{rmã]T I i €r il-|I{ load current that the adaptor can
handle.
D ffi
Moximum ouþut current fust how hot Q1 and REG1 actu-
lnput Ouþut ally get for a given amount of power
Vn - Voul wih HH€502 w¡rh HH€51 I WithQl on HH€sóó
Volts Volts
heotsink lon boordl hcots¡nk lon boodl heo¡inlç off bood dissipation depends on the heatsink
830m4 2A 2.84
size. To be precise, the temperature
óv 3V
3V
rise for each device is determined Ei¡-
-rÅ*
3V 9V 275nr'. óó0mA 940m4
by the power being dissipated and gg _ _:_
t2v
5V

óv
TI
óV
350m4

415m4
850m4
IA
12Á.
l.4A
2.84
the 'thermal resistance' between its
internal junction and the surrounding
"ambient", as follows:
't
,\

(èstvann
9V 3V 830m4 2A
T(case - ambient) = P(tot) x R(j-a) Home Automation - Timed Home/Office Surveillance System
3V 21V I l5mA 280m4 400m4
Lighting and Appliance Kit Records onto the massive 1óOGB hard drive
5V r9v l30mA 31OmA 440m4 where T(case - ambient) is the case This movement-activated alarm is great for Awomatãlighting aooliances within
Automate liohtino & àppliances wil minutes! using 4 included cameras either independently
temperature rise above ambient and the garage or shed. h sounds an ultraloud Activate at the touch of a button, sruitch on bedside or simuhaneously. Vew recorded images on your
óV r8v I 35mA 330m4 Á70rlÁ 130d8 siren and monitors a 7m range in a lamp and tum on the kettle at the same time. Simple computer via a USB back-up. Easy connect¡on to
R(j-a) is the thermal resistance between yourTV.
21V ó0 degree arc. 17228 and easy DfY installation. Easily expandable. L¿ozo Ló111
9V l5v ló0rA 400n4 5ó0mA the junction and ambient. The latter is
500m4 700m4 made up from two thermal resistances
l2v 1At 200m4
in series; the junction to case thermal ltUB BTSI
l5v 275¡¡'A óó0FA 940m4
9V resistance and the thermal resistance rutR PRlctl
Table 1: use this table to select the heatsink necessary to suit the required from case to ambient:
output current from the regulatol board. Note that you also have_t9 consider the R(j-a)=R(j-c)+R(c-a)
diffãrence between the input and outpul voltages when making this selection.
where R[j-c) is the internal thermal
the negative voltage rail, and also by to less than about 15W, resistance from junction to case, which
the 100nF and 10pF capacitors across These limits control the adaptor's is a¡ound 4"C per watt for TO-220
the output. output current because the case temp- devices like Q1 or REG1, R(c-a) is the _æ
E[creFfr¡ÎF
eratures of Q1 and REG1 a¡e propor- thermal resistance from case to ambi- 3.5 Digit LCR Muhimetet 4
Current, power & heatsinking tional to the power they have to dis- ent, which we can lower by frtting the Measureì ¡nductânce, capàcitance, frequency,
res¡stance, plus AC/DC cunent and voltage. Also tests
Before we trun to the construction sipate, and their power dissipation device with a heatsink. tansistors, continuity and diodes. Large 2000 count
of the adaptor, it's important to under- is determined in turn by the voltage For example, the thermal resistance LCD screen, auto power off, and low battery waming.

stand how the amount of load current they have to drop (ie, the difference R(c-a) of a'1O-22O device like Q1 Complete with test leads & holster. ots59

is determined by two factorsr (1) the
difference between the input voltage
and the selected output voltage; and
(21 the amount of heatsinking fitted
to current booster Q1 (and to a lesser
extent, regulator REGL).
These things are all linked together
because the main limitation on the
adaptor's maximum output current is
the heat dissipation in both Q1 and
REG1, Q1 can only dissipate a little
over 20W for case temperatures up to
100oC, while REG1 has internal over-
cunent and over-temperature protec-
tionwhich limits its power dissipation
between the adaptor's output and in- without any heatsink at all is around
put voltages) multiplied by the output 46'C/watt, so its temperature will
current, rise above ambient by about (4 + 46)
We can express this mathematically = 50oC for every watt of power it must
using the following equation: dissipate. Ell tri
If we fititwith even a small heatsi¡k Elr E:t eJl
P(tot) = I(load) x (Vir'' Vo"t) Él [rj
Iike the Jaycar HH-8502, this droPs È^)
È:]
-si {,)
where P(tot) is the total power dis- R(c-a) to 2O"C/watt, lowering the total
sipation in watts, I(load) is the load temperature rise above ambient to
current in amps md Vi.r and Vool are (4 + 20) = 24oC for each watt of power
DEreFfr¡fr
æÐ
the adaptor input and output voltages dissipated. So fitting this small heat-
l0MHz Sinole Adaotor HDMI
respectively. sink on Q1, will roughly double the Deluxe Dual lnput Thermometer Channel Oúilloscope Fem'ale - Female
So the important point to grasP is adaptor's power dissipation ability. Compact, dual input 4.5 digit dig'rtal An economical and sensitive 1OMHz Oscilloscope A HDMI fumale joiner to allow the
We can do much better if we frt Q1 thermometer, complete with 2 x K-type sensors. that's easy to operate, making it idealfor a wide extension of two HDMI cables that
that the larger the voltage difference range of hobby and educational uses. Supplied with also doubles as a "gender changer"
Offerc both Celsius and Fahrenheit readings.
(Vi" - Vo"t), the smaller the maximum with a larger heatsink like the Jaycar Beeper sounds when preset temperature a 1:1 & 10:1 sr¡vitchable CRO probe, tiltable carry from male HDMI to female. Pó7æ
limit ¡s exceeded. 01437 handle and detailed insruction manual. ol8o3

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t¡ No. Value 4'Band Gode (1%) 5'Band Code (1%)
ü 2 30OO orange black brown brown orange black black black brown
tr 1 27OO red violet brown brown red v¡olet black black brown
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tr
tr
1
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brown red brown
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white brown black gold brown ER¡oht Anole HDMI Male Adaotor HDMI Male - Adaptor HDMI Female -
tr 1 22a red red black brown red red black gold brown to-HDMlTemale Adaptor DVI Female DVI lVlale
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SILICON CHIP
Tem and onditions: Offen start 30/04/08 atdend27l05l08or while stæþ111' W W W. ilS e . C O m , O
---
No rainchedc. No layby. Offea may not be available in sme æller or franchiæ store

RF Gircuit Design by Ghris Bowick
2nd edition published 2008 by Elsevier lnc.
244 pages,279 x 217mm, paperback.
ISBN-I3: 978 0 7506 8518 4 $67.00
lTlhis is the long- n of a book
I whichhasbeen andhighly-
L regardedtextbo technology,
At first thought, most people regard RF design as pretty
esoteric and not of much interest or ¡elevance to the wider
field of electronics. This is a big mistake. For a start, all
forms of RF communications are just as important as they
have always been,
Apart from conventional radio and TV broadcasting, both
of which are now in digital form and ever-expanding, there
is a huge range of communications services which were
either very new or largely unthought of 25 years ago, when
the first edition of this book was produced. Most signifi-
cant of these would be mobile phones, the many forms of
satellite communications, including GPS navigation, satel-
lite TV, EPIRBs and so on, More recently there have been
all the so-called "wireless" protocols such as Bluetooth,
Wifr, Wimax,Zigt:ee and others. So RF technology is more
important than ever.
In addition, anyone who wants to be profi.cient in the
design of switchmode power supplies and amplifrers and
any fast data communication system really needs to have
a good basic knowledge ofRF technology.
You only need to read the first chapter of this book to
see how releva¡rt it is to modern electronic design. This
chapter is on components and systems and on the first page
it mentions "skin effect". How many misconceptions are
there about this effect among hifi enthusiasts? You only
have to read a few paragraphs to realise that skin effect is
of negligible importance in audio systems, despite what is
promoted by the makers of expensive high-falutin' speaker
cables.
Then on the second page there is the calculation of the
inductance of a straight piece of wire. "Not too important",
you might think. On the contrary; when we were recently
developing our high power switching speed controller
(SntcoN Crup, March & April 2008J a few quick calcula-
tions to determine the inductance of the heavy connecting
leads from the battery emphasised the importance of this
parameter, especially when high currents and high switch-
ing speeds are involved,
The same chapter. goes on to discuss when resistors are
no longer resistive but inductive, when inductors can be
capacitive and when capacitors can be inductive, depend-
ent upon frequency. Other topics within the same chapter
include winding inductors on toroids, and ferrite versus
powdered iron cores.
Chapter 2 discusses resonant circuits (parallel not series)
28 SLICON CHIP
in detail, which is necessary as background for chapter 3
which is on filter design.
I should note that the entire discussion is on passive
filters involving inductors and capacitors. Chapter 4 deals
with impedance matching - a most important concept for
RF design. It also introduces the Smith Chart, a circular
chart which is most useful for impedance calculations. The
Smith Chart is a mystery to many people who are otherwise
well "clued up" but it is fairly easy to use and you do not
need to understand the mathematics behind it.
Chapter 5 discusses tra¡rsistors atradio frequencies while
chapter 6 builds on that in discussing RF amplifier design,
using Y and S parameters. Both these chapters are on small-
signal design but chapter 7 goes on to Power Amplifiers
(large signal) including class-B and class-C operation.
This is a completely different ball-game to anyone who is
familiar with class-B audio ampÌifrers,
Chapter B is devoted to RF front end design for receivers
and transceivers and here it covers the gamut from simple
AM to the latest 3G design, FinaIIy, chapter I is on RF design
tools, including those needed for field programmable gate
arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices, integrated
circuits, PC boards and systems on a chip (SOC).
Considering that the book is fairly short at |usl 244
pages, it packs in a great deal of useful information, It is
well written and while there are quite a few formulas and
mathematics to work through, it is most worthwhile.
In conclusion, even if you are not involved in RF design,
this is a most useful book and should be in the reference
collection of every designer.
The book is available from the StltcoN Crm bookshop,
siliconchip.com.au
50pA) ard varies by less than 5¡rA ar BDX54C/BDó50
over the fulI rated load current range
(10m4 - 1.5,{) and the input-output
voltage range of 3-40V.
The LM317's actual regulated out-
put voltage can be varied over a wide
ralge using a simple resistive voltage
divider. As shown in Fig,1, the divid-
er's top resistor is connected between 3ooo I
the OUT and ADJ terminals of REG1, 5.ór¡ 12V
while the bottom resistor is connected
between the ,{DJ terminal a¡rd the -4/'/'rlr
270o.
negative voltage rail.
9V
Since the LM317 maintains the volt-
300c)
age across the upper resistor at 1.25V
the total output voltage can be set for
47O¡Í
35V
;
i..$ +llf f roo.r OUfPIJT
virtually any voltage above this level
simply by adjusting the value of the
lower divider resistor. The value of 18c)
tlre lower resistor is found by taking
into account that it needs to drop the I 80r¡
desired output voltage minus 1..25V,
while carrying the current passing I ó0c)
through the upper resistor plus an
additional 5opA (from the ADJ ter-
minal),
In our circuit, the upper divider
resistor is 1200, giving a nominal
current of 1,25172o = 7o,42mA. Hence
the current through the lower divider
resistor is 1,O.42 + 0.05 = L0.47mA.
The value of the lower divider resist-
ffi IIIBH CURRTIil AIIJUSTABI.E REGUIAT||R
ance is varied using the jumper shunt Fig.1: the circuit is based on an LM317 adustable regulator and a PNP
to link one of the six "voltage select" Darlington transistor (Q1) to boost the output current capability, The output
pin pairs. For example, when the shunt voltage is set by the resistive voltage divider string on the regulator's OLII
and ADf terminals and depends on the jumper shunt installed.
is fitted in the 3V position, the lower
divider resistor is 160C1, while when
it's fitted in the 6V position the lower
resistor value is set to (160 + 180 + about 55m4, the voltage drop across way and va¡ies the current passing
18 + 91) = 449Ç2. The resistor values I}re 22{ù resistor will be around 1.2V, through Q1 byvarying its olrrn current.
selected by each of the jumper shunt This is enough to forward bias Q1 into In effect, Q1 acts purely as a slave to
positions have been calculated to give conduction. As the load current rises REG1, boosting the total output cur-
Li|Ld3L7 output voltages as close as above this 55mA level, Q1 gradually rent capacity.
possible to the marked values, using takes over from the LM31.7 and han- The function of the azopF capacitor
standard resistor toleralce values, dles more and more of the load current. across the adaptor's input is to provide
The higher the load current, the greater a degree of smoothing and filtering, to
Current boost the proportion that's handled by Qr. minimise the effect of any alternator
So that is how we set the output The current boost provided by Q1 noise or power supply ripple which
voltage, However, since the LM3'17 doesn't degrade the voltage regula- may be present on the input voltage.
can only cope comfortably with cur- tion performance of the LM317. The Further filtering is provided by the
rents up to around 1.54, it needs a regulator still controls the output 10pF capacitor which is connected
boost if the adaptor is to supply higher voltage level closely in the normal between the LM3 1 7's ADJ terminal and
currents, In our circuit, this boost is
provided by Qr, a BDX54C/8D650
PNP Darlington power transistor.
Q1 has its emitter and base con-
nected across the 22C) resistor in series o Selectable output voltage:3V 5V, 6V, 9V 12V or 15V DC within t3%
with the LM317's input. As a result,
the voltage developed across Ihe 22{L o Output voltage regulation: typically better than 0.5% up to 500m4;
resistor when the LM31.7 draws cur- better than 17" tor output currents up to 1A
rent provides Q1 with forward bias. . DC lnput voltage: up to 24V battery
When the current drawn by the .
load thrgugh the LM317 rises to
Output current: up to 4.25A - see Table 1.
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 77
 Bv JIM RflWE

w-Voltage
Adiust,able ReÉul If you'te q smoll manufacturer, design lab or college
wìthout in-house PC board prototypìng facilities, who do
Need to operate a CD, DVD or MP3 player from the cigarette
lighter soc you turn to? It's o problem a lot of organisatÍons face - even
camera or S//-IC2N CHIP - but there are enswers out thete . . .
your PC? e not new photo resists (and production processes) ofthe day could
voltage down to what's needed. It has jumper shunts to select one ¡flommercial
t - thev've bee e PC boards handle them.
of six common output voltages (from 3-15V) and depending on the \rlstarted being , the 1960s? Another memory from way back then is the late Ron
Bell, founder of RCS Radio (and one of Äustralia's earlyPC
By and large, they've concentrated on the one-off board
input voltage and the heatsink(s) you use, it can deliver an output as an adjunct to their main game - commercial PC board board gurus!) complaining bitterly to the project designers
current of just over 4A.. manufacture. at Electronics Australia when we used "25 thou" tapes and
spacing instead of his minimum of "35 thou"!
A potted PC board history "No-one in Australia can produce boards with that spac-
When PC boards first came out, producing artwork for ing," he said. Imagine how Ron would be todaywith 5-thou
PC power supplies only have 5V and using a push-on jumper shunt to de- the pattern was a labour-intensive and exacting process. tracks and spacing over multiple layers!
CONSIIERING THE PRICE of bat-
First of all, the pattern had to be worked out by the designer
\¡teries and the ever-growing array 12V supplies readily available. liver one of six output voltages: 3V,
PC board PC software
of small items of electronic gear de- In addition, the voltage
available 5V 6V, 9V,12V or 15V. In each case or engineer, then hand-drawn by a skilled draftsman (yep,
signed to run from low-voltage battery from a vehicle battery can vary over the output voltage is well regulated, very few girls back then) using black ink on either film or It must have been the late 1980s or early 1990s when
power, it's not surprising that one a fairly wide range depending on remaining very close to the selected paper. software for printed circuit board design started appearing
of the most common requests from whether the engine is running, the voltage despite broad changes in both I well remember one such draftsman where I worked (remember Autotrax?)
SucoN CHIP readers is for an adaptor battery is being charged and whether input voltage and load current level, who had all-but finished such a drawing - a rather large Since then, there have been lots ofboard layout packages
so this kind of equipment can be run the lights and/or air conditioning are one at that - and then knocked over his bottle of ink (guess brought out - some excellent, some average and some, well
from either the power supply inside on, This sort of voltage variation can Circuit description where!), A week's work, literalÌy in the bin , , . , . . Some were so expensive they were way beyond the
a PC or a cigarette lighter socket in a cause problems for electronic circuits, The circuit is shown in Fig.L. The Once the drawing was finished, checked and checked home constructor but believe it or not, some were actually
motor vehicle. as these generally perform much better heart of the adaptor is an LM317T again, a photographic negative had to be produced, usually freeware or shareware.
Most of the battery-operated equip- and more reliably when operated from adjustable 3 -terminal regulator which involving a trip to a photo lithographer. Then the board OK, so you've designed your masterpiece on the com-
ment we're talking about is designed a regulatedpower supply, comes in a TO-220 package. The had to be produced using one of several photo-sensitive puter and even had the software check it out to make sure
to operate at 3V 6V or 9V whereas the This low-voltage adaptor has been LM377 is designed to maintain the processes, there are no mistakes, Where to from here?
voltages available from vehicle batter- designed for use in virtually any of voltage between its output (OUT) and Later came drafting tapes and pads, which allowed the As you might imagine, SucoN CHtp faces this dilemma
ies or PC power supplies are rather these common DC voltage step-down adjustment (ADJ) terminals at close to board pattern to be laid out on film and used directly with with just about every project we design, as the vast major-
more restricted. For example, there's applications. It can be connected to '1,.25V. At the same time, the current positive photo resists. However, track ity are based on PC boards.
usually only either 1.2Y or 24V avail- aly convenient source ofinput voltage Ievel through its AD| terminal is main- widths (or more specifically track gaps) We've been down the path of the
able from vehicle batteries, while most up to about 2BV and is "programmed" tained at a very low level (typically had to be kept quite wide so that the by Ross Tester D-I-Y prototype PC board - we've even

Stuco¡,t Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB

 4
24V & 6V versions eË
of battery charge +61
l¡
controller
Undoubtedly, some readers will
J
wqnt to use the Charge Controller ro

from the April 2008 issue with a 24V

or 6V charger. We are not in favour
zro
o
!
of this, since tle adaptor has been L
d
optimised for 12V operation but here :ø
is how it could be done.
This partial version of the circuit
shows the componentchanges need-
Here's how you'll receive your "panel" of PC boards from Each ofthe individual PC boards is about 95% cut out but ed (in red) for 24V operation. For t
IMP. There are ten boards on this standard-size (s77 x remains secured to the panel as shown above (highlighted g
24V use, REG1 must be changed to
264mm) panel and by the yellow circle), Even these lands are themselves
an LM317IW to cope with the higher
required, Theboar
and screened with
d drilled with a series of small holes to make removal of the
board from the panel an easy task . . . inputvoltage; a 1N4004 diode must
N
ô
N
69
Ituõ
be connected between the input ô ãõ
and output of REG1 (anode to tle
tq
ÊU
published several articles about it. A¡rd we've achieved IMP PC offer arange of prototyping services, from a light-
some very good results, particularly with today's photo- ning-fast 24 hour priority through to the one we generally
output, cathode to the input); ZÐt ôôô
uuu
Nct
must be cþanged to two 24Y zer.;er
sensitive PC board blanks. use, a 5-day sample and prototype panel service. They're diodes in series; and the 470pF and
Forthe hobbyist, we standby everythingwe said inthose an RoHS-compliant manufacturer and can offer boards 10pF capacitors atthe inputto REG1
articles - it's still a perfectly viable process, with either leaded or lead-free solder, depending on the must be SoV t¡les. In addition, R1
However, we have to say it cal also be a messy process, customer's requirements. and R2 should be 130kO and 2+kf,!
particularly the etching side. One un-noticed splash of In fact, they can also offer immersion silver finish and respectively. This changes the divi-
etchant on a shirt and it's offto shirt heaven (or more likely even immersion gold finish. sion ratio so that IC1 sees the volt-
to shirt hell with the expletives undeleted!). That word "parel" requires a little explanation. It's not ages for a 12V battery.
What's more, under- or over-etching is far too easy to do, a foont or rear panel as we're used to - rather, it's a panel Note that when setting the adjust-
with shorts between tracks or breaks in tracks too common. of PC boards, as many as will fit on their staldard sheets: able values, use voltages that are
Again, they're easy to miss and Murphy says they'Il only 41.7 x264rnm useable area. They also have a large sheet 0.5 of the required value. So a 30V
show up when the smoke escapes at first turn-on. with 493 x 29omm useable area, cut-offwouldbe setfor 15V (1.5Von
We've even tried a milling process, where a computer- This gives you a clue to the way they work. Ratler than VR2). Similarly, a -50mV/'C temp-
controlled mill grinds off the unwanted copper and even produce just one PC board at a time, they offer the cus- erature compensation would be set
drills the holes. It works , . . but it takes time. And the mill tomer the opportunity to have a number made at the one at -25mV using a 2.5V setting for
is not exactly cheap! time. They could be duplicates of the one PC board or they VR4.
Speaking of holes, all bar the milled boards must be could be completely different boards, We generally get two For 6V operation, use alow drop-
drilled. If it's a large, complicated board, that Murphy boards of each board made - just in case - and then fill out adjustable regulator (LD'1.777V) I
N
bloke again says you're bound to miss one or two ald only the panel with other project prototype boards or even get for REG1, a 10Q resistor instead of o
discover them when a chip won't fit in! some boards made that we need, the 1000 resistor supplying REG1, =
So what we needed was a prototyping sewice that wasn't The boards that come back to us come still attached to and a 15V zener for ZD1. R1 should o
u
d
too expensive and provided reasonably quick turnaround. It the panel - but cutting them out is very easy (most of the be 22kfJ- and R2 should be 1okQ.
needed to handle electronic lodgement of computer files. board edge is cut - or more accurately, it's milled - but just
We think we've found such a service! In fact, we've used a few "bridges" ofblank [etchedl fibreglass hold the board
In the 6V case, you must only use
the adlustable parameters because
ãìì.:8ìì
Nô{F: NNF

it quite a number of times now a¡rd cannot fault the end on the panel. See the photo series above. tle preset ones are fsr l2Vbatteries.
result - except where they tell us that the end result has a You must use a 6V charger and the =Y
fault (more on that in a moment). 6V battery must not be much less t.

And lest you think that we at SnrcoN Crm get a cut rate than 6V unloaded.
for mentioning them, we carr assure you that we pay the When the cut-off voltage for the
same rates as everyone elsel It's just that we have found selected charge cycle is less than
the service so good, we thought we should tell everyone 12V the burst charging for a flat
about it! battery that's at less than 10.5V be-
comes inoperative. This enables the
Enter the Gladiators . . . 6V charging. The adjustable cut-off ô
(J
It's called IMP Printed Circuits Pty Ltd, a member of the and float voltages are set at, for ex- o (9 Iô
Codan Group and is based in Cavan, a northern suburb ample, 7,2Y and 6.9V respectively, o er
4 ao
ú
of Adelaide, SA. These days, with high-speed broadband with 0.72V and 0.69V at TP2 and
G
a All
4l^ ô
and fast courier services, that's as close as the office next TP3 respectively. The temperature Eøê"j R

door! compensation is set to the mV/"C É t. EicËsËãi Pã CÉ ãÞ

This board has a flaw (in this case a broken track) - so
With more than 40 years experience in the PC game (the when IMP send it to the client, it has a highlight - a value for the battery.
U.
Þ I gr9,
-ñö{ YY öT
-ñ öö
IY 5Y
company was established in 1 964), they're now recognised huge arrow marking the spot. As it is a prototype, such fohn Clarke, Sntcot¡ Crm.
z
L,
as one of the leaders in the industry. imperfections are easily cured!
30 Stuco¡,t Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OO8 75
 Gfineuflt otobook : Gontflnued
Biased yes
or no circuit
This may look like a simple coin
toss or decision circuit but it is de-
signed to enable you to increasingly
say "No, I won't" when confronted
with temptations to eat snacks or
otherwise indulge appetites which
increase your waistline, threaten
your heart, imperil your lungs or
endanger your driver's licence. It has
two LEDs - green for "GO AHEAD"
and red for "REFUSE".
Unlike other deciders which are
designed to simulate coin tossing
with even chances for heads or tails,
this circuit has adjustable bias so
that as you start your program to
increase your resolve power, you
can set it for a roughly even chance
of yes or no but then as your "won't
power" improves, you can bias it to
increase the chance of a "REFUSE"
answel.
So when temptation rears its ugly
head, just press RUN switch 51 and
As you can see, we pay good
moneyfor each of the "Circuit
Notebook" items published in
Srt-tcol.r CHIP. But now there
I today's boards, there will be times when the boards aren't
I are four more reasofls
to
I send in your circuit idea. Each
I month, the best contribu-
I tion published will entitle
I the author to choose the
I prize: an LCH40 LCR
I meter, a DCA55 Semicon-
I ductor Component Analyser, an
¡
ESR60 Equivalent Series Resistance
I peakelec.co.uk
Analyser or an SCR100 Thyristor &
I errors: surely you want your PC boards perfect. Remember,
I Triac Analyser, with the compliments
t_-l
lssuæ Gffimg DogFEarcdfl
Keep your copies safe w¡th these handy binders.
Available Aust, only. Price: $413.95 plus $7 p&p per order (includes GST). Just f ill in
and mail the handy order form in this issue; or fax (02) 9939 2648; or call (02) 9939 i
3295 and quote your credit card number.
74 Stuco¡,t Cutp
let the circuit make the decision
for you.
The circuit is based on 555 timer
IC1 which is wired as al astable os-
cillator. This lights red LED1 when
pin 3 is low and green LED2 when
pin 3 is high.
\Mhen you p¡ess RUN switch 51,
both LEDs flash rapidly until you
stop the timer by pressing STOP
switch 52. The slightly unusual
of Peak Electronic Design Ltd www.
So now you have even more reasons
placement of 52 in the circuit is
necessary because the more usual
positions altered the status of the
output - which is not wanted.
The bias of the circuit is set by
trimpotVRl. This couldbe a 1O-turn
type if you want fine adjustment. It
acts as a mark/space ratio controller
to give longer green or red outputs,
A. f. Lowe,
Bardon, Qld. ($35)
to send that brilliant circuit in. Send it
to SrLrcoN Cntp and you could be a
winner.
You can either email your idea to
silicon @siliconchip.com.au or post it to
PO Box 139, Collaroy, NSW 2097.
siliconchip.com.au
. . . and this is how it's done. The long hair and hand
belong to StLtcoN Cru's Mauro Grassi, who is shown
here removing one of the individual PC boards by cutting
through the land with a hacksaw blade. As we said before,
this already has a series of holes drilled to mke it easy.
The boards are not simply etched - they are drilled,
plated, solder-masked and a component overlay is silk-
screened on the reverse side. In other words, they're com-
plete ready to use once removed from the palel.
How many boards?
How long is a piece of string? It all depends on the size
of the individual boards. They're fitted onto the panel for
minimum wastage allowing, of course, for a small space
between each board. The accompanying photo of a recent
panel we had made give you a good idea.
How many layers?
IMP PC's sample and prototype service can produce any
board from single sided and double sided right through to
eight layers. Naturally, as the number of layers goes up,
so do the prices.
Yield
We hinted before that PC board production is not an exact
science, It's pretty good, but with the thin tracks used on
absolutely 100% perfect,
We've only struck this once or twice but it so happened
that one of the boards we recently received had a flaw in
it.
It's not like the days of yore when you had to go over
your own produced board with a magnifying glass - IMP
PC do it for you. If they find anything wrong, they highlight
it with a big yellow arrow'
You might wonder why they don't redo the panel if it has
we are talking prototype boards and it is highly likely that
there will need to be mods anyway, so a repaired track is
not a signifi.cant problem. Howevet, they will redo the panel
if it doesn't achieve their pre-agreed yield standard.
Lodging board patterns
Like most PC board houses, IMP PC work from Protel PC
board files which are electronically submitted,
They do have their own speciflc requirements for lodge-
ment so it's worth a look at their website (or call them)
before you send in your first batch. In fact, you'll need to
You don't even have to cut through all four sides to remove
the board. We normally find cutting through two sides is
enough; a bit of thumb-power is all that's needed to break
it free. The slightly rough edges are very easy to clean up
with a file.
do this to establish an account or aüange credit card pay-
ment for your first order
How much?
The standard prototyping service, with S-day turnaround,
costs $285 for the standard sheet and $335 for the large
sheet (for a single-sided board).
OK, at first glance this sounds expensive but look at
what you get: while they're called "prototype" boards,
they're every bit as good as the production boards IMP PC
wiII also be glad to talk to you about! (IMP PC also work
with several quality overseas suppliers who can produce
volume boards at the right price),
Even if that was for just one board, that's chicken feed
for most companies - th"y would have spent many' many
thousands of dollars developing the project and probably
paid several thousand dollars for their PC board software
io boot (you like that pun?). What's more, have a look at
the photo of the panel of boards above that we had made
recently. Count 'em - there are ten reasonable-size boa¡ds
on that panel with space for at least one more.
$335 divided by LL is just over $30 per board. So cost
really isn't an issue, Time (5 working days) shouldn't be
an issue with the right planning - and if a board really
is required urgently IMP PC offer a 24-l,ot;r service. Yes,
you'll have to pay extra for that - but if it really is that
urgent, . .
With the "rush" service, if the PC boa¡d fiIe is received
prior to 104M, the finished panel wiII be despatched from
the factory by midday next day,
Incidentally, if you want extra panels produced at the
same time as your frrst, they will cost $75 for the standard
panel and $95 for the large.
And if you need more advanced boards, IMP PC can
handle just about any requirements. They have a freecall
number inboth Australia (1B00 IIB 543) and New Zealand
(0800 441 500) for technical enquiries. sG
For more information, contact
IMP Printed Circuits Pty Ltd,
6CB Fisher Drive, Cavan SA 5094
Tel: (08) 82621444 Fax: (08) 82622044
Website:
MAY 2OO8 31
 Í.Jif,fffiïeJ
Constant-current
tED navigation lights
This constant-current LED circuit
has been used as the basis for a 24-
LED navigation light on a yacht. The
LEDs were arranged in two staggered
rows around a 32mm plastic pipe
placed in a small glass jar. For a
24-LED array, eight of these current
sources will be required.
The LED drive circuit works as
follows. The LM334 constant current
source maintains
a nominal 64mV
between its "R"
and "V-" terminals
and it does this by

Replacement adjusting the base

current of transis-
tor Q1 so that the
collector current The accompanying photos show
is 19.39mlt. Atthis how the assembly is wired and
cufient, the volt- housed in the jar, The plastic lid
age across the 3.3Q each built onto two circular pieces needs to be painted with several
resistor is maintained at 64mV a¡d of Veroboard which were then coats of white acrylic to prevent
so the three series-connected LEDs stacked inside the glass )an'|he 24 deterioration due to [fV exposure.
are operated at a constant 19.4m4. LEDs were then wired to the drive ]osh Stevenson,
Four of these drive circuits were circuits. Kotare, NZ.

lor small petrol motors +12Y

'*"rî
If the CDI module in your motorbike, outboard, ride-on mower Dt tN4l48

or other small petrol motor fails, you could be in for a shock.

Depending on the brand or model, they can cost up to $+OO. You
can build this one for less than $50 and it will do the same iob t2v 8C548

for most engines.

PIEZO
SOUNDER

R'.i?:å:#tTåå'ii."'i"lU;
module for motorbikes, outboards a¡d
other small petrol motors, You can
understand why. It can be a real shock
to front up to your local dealer and
find out the price for such a module.
It is even ha¡der to justify the prices
charged when you see the circuit
components involved,
Those days, a great many small pet-
rol engines use a Capacitor Discharge
Ignition (CDI) module. The high-volt-
age capacitor is charged directly from
a generator located on the flywheel,
A battery may still be included and
used to drive lights and ancillaries
but this is used independently of the
ignition.
CDI is a great improvement on the
old magneto ignition systems, Not
only does the CDI deliver higher spark
energy but it also dispenses with the
points which were inevitably subject
to wear and required periodic clean-
ing, adjustment and replacement.
The one drawback is that CDI sys-
tems don't last forever - they can fail.
While the failure can be within the
flywheel generating coils or the igni-
tion coil, it is most likely to be the
CDI module itself and then you will
find that the replacement can be very
expensive.
The CDI Module described here
maybe used to replace a failed factory
unit for an engine that incorporates a
generator and trigger coil to provide
the high-voltage and the firing point.
Most of these CDI systems operate in
a similar way but there are variations
in design that use the opposite polarity
for voltage generation and are therefore
unsuitable for our module.
While some tests can be performed
to check for suitability, we cannot
guarantee that the module will work
for every engine, Even so, because this
Optical smoke
detector
This smoke detector circuit is
based on a standard photo-inter-
rupter as used in many computer
printers. It contains an infrared
LED facing a phototransistor across
an air gap.
br this circuit, the collector of tìe
phototransistor (PS1) is connected
to +1.2Y via a 2,2kC) resistor and
trimpot VR1. The collector also
d¡ives the non-inverting input (pin
3) of op amp IC1 which functions
as a comparator.
Normally, tìe output from the
infrared LED shines across the gap
and turns on the phototransistor
which pulls pin 3 of IC1 low As a
result, the comparator's output at
pin 1 will be low and transistor Q1
will be off.
If enough smoke passes through
the gap, the infrared LED's output
will be blocked and pin 3 of IC1 will
go high and so Q1 will be turned on.
This will uigger amonostable timer
based on 555 timer IC2 and this will
sound the piezo bttzzer for a time
determined by the 100kO resistor
and 100pF capacitor at pins 6 & 7.
Tïimpot VR1 is used as a sensitiv-
ity control.
A suitable photo-intemrpter can
be obtained from faycar (Cat. ZD-
1e01,).
T. K, Ha¡eendran,
Kerala,India. ($35)

32 SLICON CHIP siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 73

 CDI Module uses cheap and readily

C]IRCIJITD N$OTEEOOK
IGNITION
available parts, it may be worth a try colt
if you are unwilling to fork out lots of
ha¡d cash for a genuine replacement ilt
il
module. GENERATOR il
colL il
il
How CDI works il
Fig.1 shows the connections re- !!!

quired for a typical CDI module. The

Dl lN400l
IFRONT PANET OF
PIUG PACK CASEI
N4001
I
=---
D2,D3: lN4l48
-- AK
Frequency indicator for generating equipment
This circuit was developed to
adjust the operating speed (RPM)
-
of portable AC generators. These
usually have a speed-control knob
but no means of determining the
correct (50H2) frequency, Since this
sort of job is done outdoors, a dig-
ital frequency counter is not really
justified and canbe difEcultto read,
because of the typically long gating
time at low frequencies.
Two NAND gates, IClc & IC1b, are
wired as a 500H2 oscillator a¡d this
clocks a4O77 decade counter, IC2.
This drives L0 LEDs but only one
will be on at any particular time,
as the counter cycles through from
1-10. However, all the LEDs are
connected to 0V via a common lkCl
resistor artd tralsistor Q1 which is
turned on and off by a 50Hz signal
derived from the generator,
If the 50Hz and 500H2 frequen-
cies are precisely locked, the dis-
play will show a stationary LED.
However, if the 50Hz signal is
slightly high in frequenc¡ the LED
will appear to move in one direc-
tion and if the signal is slightly low
the LED will appear to move in the
opposite direction.
The 50Hz ?4OVAC input from
the generator is fed via tra¡sformer
T1 and it powers tle circuit via
rectifier diode D1, a 100pF filter
capacitor and a 7809 9V 3-terminal
regulator (REGI). The 50Hz signal
from the transformer is also fed via
a 10k^O resistor to a squaring circuit
comprising gates ICld & IC1c. This
drives transistor Q1.
In use, the u¡it is plugged into
the mains outlet of the portable
generator and the governor speed
of the engine is,adjusted to give a
stationary LED display, For 60Hz
equipment, the oscillator would be
set to 600H2.
Note thatthe oscillator frequency
should be adjusted precisely with
the aid of an accurate frequency
meter.
Dayle Edwards,
Taylorville, Westland, NZ. ($60)
generator (magneto) coil provides the
high voltage to charge a capacitor (in
the CDI module), while the trigger
coil provides the signal to dump the
capacitor's highvoltage charge into the
ignition coil. A kill switch shunts the
high-voltage supply from the generator
to prevent ignition.
Fig,2 shows how CDI works, It
comprises three main components:
the ignition coil, a capacitor (C1) and a
Silicon Controlled Rectifrer (SCR). The
SCRbehaves as a switch, It is normally
a high impedance until a small trigger
voltage is appliedbetween its gate and
cathode. It then conducts and behaves
like a diode. After triggering, the SCR
switches off when the current through
it falls cìose to zero,
Initially, the SCR is off and capaci-
tor C1 is discharged. Positive voltage
from the generator then charges C1 via
diode DL and the primary winding of
the ignition coil. The current path is
shown in red as "Iç".
C1 is discharged when the SCR
is subsequently triggered, allowing
current to flow back through the igni-
tion coil primary. This current path
is shown in green as "I¡". The fast
discharge of C1 and resulting current
through the ignition coil causes a high
voltage to be developed across the
secondary winding of the ignition coil,
to fire the spark plug(s).
Once the spark plug is extinguished,
the collapsing field of the ignition
coil develops a reverse current flow
via diode D2 to partially recharge
capacitor C1.
Typically, the generator coil delivers
about 1A in charging the capacitor up
to about 350V. If C1 is 1pF, then it will
charge in about 350ps - much quicker
than the time between sparks, even in
a high-rewing engine,
No RPM advance
Note that the CDI Module does not
incorporate RPM advance and so it
provides a fixed timing from the trig-
ger coil - most common with small
engines,
Some engines do incorporate RPM
TYPICÆ MODUIE FOR CDI WITH ÐCTERNAL CONNECTIONS SHOWN
Fig.L: how a typical CDI mo
coil provides ltrign voltage
the tiigger coil próvides the
voltage charge into the ignition coil.
BASIC CDIOPERATION
Fig,Zr
toah
turns
flow back through the coil primary.
advance using a special trigger coil and
magnetic core design that advances
the firing edge with increasing RPM,
This is achieved by having a stepped
or shaped coil core that has a larger
gap at its leading edge compared to
the trailing edge - see Fig.3.
At low speeds the coil voltage re-
quired for triggering is developed at
the trailing edge of the magnet but as
revs increase, the leading edge of the
magnet is able to induce more voltage
in the coil and so firing occurs earlier.
This is shown in Fig.4,
Other designs use electronic ad-
va¡rce but these require extra power for
the circuitry and tend to be used only
with battery-powered systems.
Circuit details
The simplest circuit arrangement
for the CDI module is shown in Fig,5,
generator (magneto)
n the CDI module, while
the capacitor's high
IGNITION
colt
SPARK
PLUG
Initially, the g
triggerpulse( n
discharges C1
Voltage from the generator coil charges
capacitor C1 (and C2) via diode D1
and the ignition coil primary. As
previously mentioned, D2 is there to
conduct the reverse current flow from
the ignition coil after the capacitor has
discharged.
The two in-series 1MQ resistors
across capacitor C1 are there to dis-
charge the capacitor if the SCR does
not fire, This is a safety feature that
prevents a nasty electric shock if you
happen to connect yourself across the
capacitor. It takes about two seconds
for the capacitor to discharge to a safe
value.
Provision has been made on the
PC board for two discharge capaci-
tors, C1 & C2, This allows the use of
either two O.47¡tF capacitors or two
1pF capacitors. A higher capacitance
will produce greater spark energy,

72 StLtcoN Cutp siliconchip.com,au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 33

 reverse voltage on the gate while the
5LC) resistor limits the gate current to a
(FLYWHEETI safe value. A 1kO resistor ties the gate
\----êt-7 to ground to prevent false triggering, Device ZIF sockel JPl JPz JP3 JP4
while the 10OnF capacitor filters noise 10F200120?/2041206 EXt N/A NI/A NI/A lVA
MAGNET and transients that may cause the SCR
N S 1 2F508/509 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
to trigger at the wrong time.
sMAI.I- GAP A kiII switch connection has also 12F609/615 Ext N/A N/A NI/A N/A
IARGER GAP
-Ê been provided to shunt the generator 12F629/675 Ext N/A N/A N/A NiA
cuuent to ground and stop the mo-
12F635/636/639 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
tor,
12F675 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
Circuit refinements 12F683 Ext N/A t{/A N/A N/A
The simple circuit of Fig,5 works
well but additional circuitry can im- 1 6F61 0/61 6 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
coRE prove reliability and provide for more 't6F627i627N62816284 ZIF SKT2 N/A NI/A Short Open
-----7
consistent triggering. The extended 1 6 F630/63 1 i636/639/676/677 / 6841 6
circuit is shown in Fig.6. Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
ADVANCE TRIGGER HEAD DESIGN 85/687/688/689
Fig.3: some engines achieve RPM advance using a special trigger coil with First, diode D4 has been added
16F648/6¿t8A ZIF SKT2 N/A NI/A Short Open
a stepped magnetic core that has a larger gap at its leading edge compared across the generator and thus shunts
to the trailing edge. This advances the firing edge with increasing RPM. negative excursions across the coil 1 6F71 6 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Short Open
to less than -0,7V, Without D4, the 16F73n37n4n6n7 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
FIRING POINT TDC ITOP DEAD CENTREI anode of diode D1 can be subject to
16F818/819 ZIF SKT? Short Open
\ -350V from the negative swings of the N/A N/A
generator. This means that diode D1 16F8/.|8/,N87l88 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Short Open
could have over 700V across it if the 16F8701871/872 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
capacitor is charged to +350V.
While D1 is rated at 1000V D4 1 6F873/8734/87 41 87 4 N 87 61 87 6N ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
8771877A
reduces the maximum likely voltage
across it to around 350V or so and 16F913/914/9161917 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
II thereby reduces the possibility of re- 1 8F 2220 I 2320 I 4220I 4320 ZIF SKTz N/A N/A Open Short
I
verse breakdown ofthe diode.
Triggering in this version of the 1 8F 2331 I 2431 I 4331 I 4431 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
¡ 50ms
circuit has also been improved in two 't 8F 2420 I 2520 I 4 420 I 4520 ztF sK12 N/A f\YA Open Short
AT LOWER RPM ways. First, we have added a series 18F245014450 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
1OpF capacitor to the gate ofthe SCR.
This capacitor prevents false trig- 'l 8F 2455 I 2550/¡145 5/4550 ZIF SKT2 N,I/A N/A Open Short
gering due to any DC offset from the 1 8F 2480 I 2580 I 4 480 I 4580 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
trigger coil that may be more positive 4525I 4620 ZIF SKT2 I{/A Open Short
1 8F 25251 2620 N/A
than it should be because of remnant
magnetism in the coil's core, The LkÇ) 1 8F 2439 I 2539 I 4 439 / 4539 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
resistor across the capacitor is there 't8F2421252t4/.21452t ZIF SKT2 ¡t/A f{/A' Open Short
to discharge the capacitor and is high
1 I F25 85/45 85/2680/4680 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
enough in value to prevent it triggering
the SCR on its own. Diode D5 prevents 18F2ß125814r'.81458 ztF sK12 NI/A N/A Open Short
the 1OpF capacitor from being charged 1 8F 2682/ 2685 I 4682/ 4685 ZIF SKTz N/A N/A Open Short
with reverse polarity when the trigger
dsPlC30F2010 ZIF SKTI Open Short N/A IVA
coil output swings negative.
A second improvement involves the dsPlC30F201 1/3O12 ZIF SKTI Short Open N/A N/A
use of a negative temperature coeffi- dsPlC30F2012l3O13 ZIF SKT1 Open Short N/A N/A
cient (NTC) thermistor across the gate
AT HIGHER RPM of the SCR. This thermistor reduces its dsPlC30F3010 ZIF SKTI Open Short N/A N/A
Fig.4: the effect of a stepped trigger core design is shown in these timing resista¡rce with increasing temperature dsPlC30F3011 ZIF SKTI Short Open N/A N/A
advance waveforms, At low speeds, the coil voltage required for triggering and is used to compensate for the dsPlC30F301 414O13 ZIF SKTI Short Open N/A N/A
is developed only at the trailing edge of the magnet (waveform A). lowered triggering requirement of the
However, at higher revs, the leading edge of the magnet induce a greater SCR (for both voltage and current) at dsPlC30F4011 ZIF SKT1 Short Open r{/A N/A
voltage into the coil and so firing occurs earlier (waveform B), higher temperatures. dsPlC30F4012 ZIF SKTI Open Short N/A N/A
Effectively, the NTC thermistor
forms a voltage divider with the 51C)
Ext = use an external programming header or the adaptor board. operating system, timing problems
provided the generator coil can charge sary signal to trigger the SCR. When resistor, At 25'C, the thermistor is could arise. For this reason, it is pru-
the capacitors to the full voltage in the the coil voltage goes positive, it feeds 500Q and so it attenuates the signal at http://freenet-homepage,de/dl+yhf/ Because WinPIC tries to switch the dent to use the "slow mode" option in
required time. current to the gate of the SCR via a 51Q from the trigger coil to 91%, However, winpic/winpic_faq,htm as a first resort programming lines in real time and the "Interface " tab if you suspect there
The trigger coil provides the neces- resistor and diode D3. D3 prevents at L00'C, the NTC thermistor resist- if you are experiencing problems, because Windows is a multi-tasking may be timing problems. Sc

34 StLtco¡,t Crutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 77

 FrogrannmEmg A F[Gs A @"ry66sp GmEde
KIII SWITCH Farts Est
DI 1 PC board, code 05105081, 64
qevice lools lelp GENERATOR I N5408 x 45mm
Ble qdit qevice Iools HdP Eile Edt
colt 1 potting box, 70 x 50 x 20mm
-PjEllslélsllil èl elElisl4.tJlil XI ilt
ilt D3 (Jaycar H8-5204 or equ¡valent)
oa" o*i*.
coa" I I c"rfs I cortrg Mmy I optiro lntËfæ I I cooe loaa lo*-.c*csl CorûgMärr Onrim
I rr{aræ | f,ræ"s6 | ilt TRIGGER I N4004
1 500Cl NTC thermistor (Jaycar
"**" Ít cott 5lo A
? H+útPrhòãræ | ? H+*æMea I l? Oea h.ffss befoe loÈúE HEX fle ilt
ilt
Ít
Ít RN-3434)
rlr*afæ Tæt- 17 raÀeVdd Hæ llEt-R¡r'pp 1 M3 x 10mm screw
lr
tlf v-t.lsr'l Fogêmmer lor seriðl pod
1 M3 nut
'iia otJúi
selcdldglôse I*Ñ-,"",!
lr o"* *po,t, þõÏif-! "a*
lf DdðßoHq Cu¡rcn itefæ deñnlion fle: i -9{"
t"1o'Y-""ltt---]
Semiconductorc
I o*"tn-o
DlÐ3 1 C1228,8T151 500V SCR
if
lî-
iflf
CrùÞ E..:tlÉ
t-'¿l¿l¡e¡se
e"'rl'rciÉ i+, æ d¡ed æ d d, q{y æ rinAPl i
i
l-
l-
dmd*e øS þue haóvael
geÆöte Yshos m$4þs
-AIF (scR1)
3 1N5408 3A 1000V diodes
^r,î¡+Ã't4,tÈi wSl'lPORT O æPotlôk
Ft æ *edy grartcd befqe stat i st't tuo ll-- ffi 0lll il0llulE (BAsrc vERsroNt
(D1,D2,D4)
1 1N4004 1A 400V diode (D3
for Basic Version; D5 for Extra
di*imFlCP¡ogrffi 5tæ rä**rgPlÉfrogffi Sffi- Fig.5: this is the circuit for the Basic Version. The kill switch is there to
Features Version)
stop the motor by shunting the generator coil's output to ground, while the
Fig.4: clicking the Interface tab in WinPic brings up this Fig,5: after selecting the device to be programmed (see
1kQ resistor on SCRl's gate prevents false triggering due to noise. Capacitors
window. Ensure "COMB4 prograrnmer for serial port" is text) go to the Options tab and select the options shown
selected for the Interface Tlpe and be sure to choose the here. The dsPIC or PIC can then be programmed as 1 1O¡rF 25V PC electrolYtic
correct COM port. outlined in step 4. 1 l¡tF 275VAC or 280VAC
ance is around 35O and the trigger both versions of the circuit. This can metallised polypropylene; or
Once the programmer has been dsPlO you wish to program from the microcontroller using WinPlC, although signal is divided down to 41% of the fit into a plastic box that
measures 20.47¡tF 275VAC or 280VAC
drop down menu. That done, go to the you should keep in mind that reading a trigger coil value, 70 x 50 x 20mm and this box allows metallised polypropylene; or
initialised correctly by WinPlC, you are
ready to program some PlCs. Here's the "Options" tab and select the opt¡ons as code protected device will result in zero This attenuation in signal level at- the whole module to be subsequently 21¡tF 275YAC or 280VAC
procedure, step-by-step: shown in Fig.5. readings forthe program memory bytes. tempts to match the SCR's reduced potted. metallised polyProPYlene
(1) Check that the power is off, then (4)To program the dsPlC or PlC, go to For more detailed information on how to trigger level requirement at higher Begin by checking the PC board for
- see text
insert the PIC or dsPlC you wish to pro- File -> Load -> Program Device and use WinPlC, refer to its help menu. temperature. So as temperature rises, the correct hole sizes. The four corner 1 100nF MKT polyester
gram into its corresponding ZIF socket select the hex file to be programmed. Finally, note that WinPlC accesses the signal is increasingly attenuated mounting holes should be drilled to 1 1OnF MKT polyester
(according to Table 4). Note that the fuse bits should be within the serial port on your PC and requires and as a consequence, the SCR fires 3mm, as should the hole for the SCR
(2) Setthe jumpers as indicated inTable the hex file and they will be programmed real-time control of the programming at the same trigger coil voltage over a mounting tab. That done, checkthe PC Resistors (0.25W 1%)
4. Note that either JP1 or JP2 (but NOT as well. signals. lt is therefore poss¡ble that it wide tempetature range. Without the board for breaks in the copper tracks 21MO 1 51c¿
both) must be installed for dsPlCs. Simi- WinPlC should now start to program will lock up while programming is in thermistor, the SCR would be subject or for shorts between tracks. Make any 1 1kO
larly, either JP3 or JP4 (but NOT both) your device and then verify its contents. progress and fail to respond to mouse to timing changes with temperature. repairs before assembly.
Mlscellaneous
must be installed for PIC microcontrol- You can use the "Code" tab to see the or keyboard commands. Fig.7 shows the simple version of
Automotive wire, crimp connectors,
lers, as set out in the table. program memory. To prevent this, avoid having other Construction the circuit, while Fig.B shows the
lf these jumpers are incorrect, pro- lf programming is successful, you Windows programs running in the back- neutral-cure silicone sealant.
A small PC board coded 05105081 more complex version. The choice is
gramming will almost certainly fail. should see the message "Program- ground while WinPlC is programming a yours but we recommend the version
and measuring 64 x 45mm caters for
(3) Once the jumpers have been set, ming finished, no errors" at the bottom device. lf the WinPlC window stops re-
apply power, start WinPlC, go to De- lefthand corner of the window. sponding when programming a device,
vice -> Select and select the PIC or You can also erase, read and verify a simply wait for it to finish. tGNtftoN
cott
C1,C2: 2x470nt275YAC
OR Cl: I xl¡rF275VAC
ORCl,C2:2xlpt275YAC
If everything is working correctly, that transistors Q1 & Q2 are the cor- (3) Clicking on the "Data (to PIC)" box GENERATOR
you should see the message "Initial- rect types, Ifthey are, trâce the signal should toggle pin 6 of CON3 from 0V cotL
[¡
ising PlC-Programmer: Success" at from pin 3 of the serial port to pin 1 of to around +3,5-5V and you should see il l0ut 25Y
the bottom of the WinPIC window, as CON3, checking at each stage that the the "Data In=" fleld change from 0 to ilt
[¡
signal toggles as this box is "ticked" 1. The latter should be 0 with the box TRIGGER
shown in Fig.5. il COtt 5lo
Ít
and "un-ticked" in WinPIC, un-ticked and 1 otherwise.
Troubleshooting (2) Clicking on the "Clock" box should If this is not the case, check the D5
IOOnF NTCI
If you receive the message "WARN- toggle pin 2 of CON3 from 0V [un- signal at various points on the circuit I N400¿
ING: Could not initialize program- ticked) to around +4-5V (ticked). from pin 4 of the serial port to pin 6
mer!" instead, you can test the inter- If that doesn't happen, check the of CON3, Check also that pin B of the
face manually to narrow down the }i4AI'232 and its surrounding capaci- serial port is receiving the correct level '500f¡Æ 25'C
Iist of possible problems. Here's what tors, That done, check the signal at pin (read by WinPIC and displayed in the
to do: 7 of the serial port, then at pins 13 & "Data In=" field),
(L) Clicking the "Vpp(+13V)" box
should toggle pin 1 of CON3 (the exter-
L2 ofICL,pin 1 of IC2, pin 2 of IC2 and
finally pin 2 of CON3, Read the FAQ -s* Slll ìl00U1E (ÐnRA FEATUREs vERsroN) A
G

nal programming header) from 0V þox Note that the MAX232 (IC1) should Finally, if the programmer is still Fig.6: the Extra Features Version includes diode D4 to shunt negative excu¡sions across the generator.coil to less
un-ticked) to around +12,5-13V þox level translate the signal level at pin not working, there could be issues thãn -0.2V and thus limit the voltage across D1 to around 350V. It also features an improved bigger circuit, to ensure
ticked), If this doesn't happen, check 13 to about +5V at pin 1'2. with WinPIC. Refer to the online FAQ consistent firing of the SCR with variations in temperature.

70 Stuco¡rt Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 35


'BASIC' CDI VERSION
Fig.7r follow this parts layout diagram to build the
"Basic Version" of the CDI Module. It can be used for
non-critical applications.
in Fig.B. In fact, the following assembly
procedure assumes that you are build-
ing the "Extra Features" version.
Start by installing the diodes, tak-
ing care to orient each one correctly,
The resistors can then go in - their
values can be checked against the ac-
companying table and with a digital
multimeter,
Next, install the thermistor, the
smaller capacitors and the 1OpF elec-
trolytic, making sure it is oriented cor-
rectly. The discharge capacitor(sJ can
then be installed, As noted above, we
have provided for two capacitors and
also for two different lead spacing on
the PC board.
The SCR is mounted horizontally
with its leads bent down by 90o so
that they pass through their holes in
the PC board. Secure its tab using an
M3 x 10mm screw and M3 nut before
soldering the leads,
The wiring from the PC board to
the generator coil, kill switch and to
the ignition coil must all be rated at
250VAC and 7.54. Automotive wire
should be suitable or you can use
24OVAC mains wire salvaged from a
mains extension cord. The wiring for
the chassis connection should also be
rated at 7.5,{ or more.
ffih f s RcsM@[owGodæ
tr No. Value
tr 2 1MO
tr 1 1kO
tr 1 51O
36 StLtcoN Cutp
@ Ð*"
'EXÍRA FEAruRES' CDI VERSION
Fig.8: the "Exha Features" version is tìe one that we
recommend you build. Take care with the orientation
of the diodes and the 10¡rF electrolytic capacitor.
By contrast, the trigger lead does not
have to be heavy duty but should have
suitable insulation for automotive use.
Sheath the wires in some flexible tub-
ing to prevent possible chaffing ofthe
wiring insulation. Better still, you may
be able to use the existing wiring for
the original CDI module.
If you want the best spark possible,
you can try adding a second 1pF ca-
pacitor in parallel with the first, This
may improve the "fatness" (intensity)
of the spark. In some cases though,
a 1¡rF capacitance will give the best
spark because 2pF may load the gen-
erator coil too much and lower the
charge voltage,
Once the board is complete, run
the external connections and test the
CDI for correct operation, Adjust the
ignition timing according to the manu-
facturer's instructions.
Potting the circuit
As previously indicated, we used
a potting box (Jaycar Cat, HB-s204)
to house the CDI unit, Potting allows
the components to be protected from
vibration, water ald dust. You must
use a "neutral-cure" silicone sealant
for this job.
Do not use an "acid-cure" silicone,
4-Band Code (1%)
brown black green brown
brown black red brown
green brown black brown
-fj-F]- o -Tõ;F
as this will corrode the wires and cop-
per pattern on the PC board.
Note that the capacitor(s) will pro-
trude a little from the top of the potting
box. The box can be mounted on the
engine frame using suitable brackets.
It should be placed away from the
exhaust side of the engine.
Make sure that any mounting screws
for the box do not penetrate and make
contact with the circuit.
Testing the generator coil
Sometimes the generator coil can
fail due to either a shorted turn or a
broken wire, You can test for a break
in the coil by measuring its resistance
- ie, between its output and ground,
If the coil is OK, its resistance will
probably be less than 200Q,
A shorted turn is not easily checked
except using a special shorted turns
ffibæWefltbnGodæ
Value ¡rF Value IEC Code EIA Code
l trF l trF 1u0 105
470nF 0.47¡tF 470n 474
100nF 0.1pF 100n 104
10nF .01¡rF 10n 103
5-Band Code (1%)
brown black black yellow brown
brown black black brown brown
green brown black gold brown
siliconchip.com.au
used to calculate a new value for R2
from the formula given in the circuit
description.
If the supply rails are couect, switch
off and fit IC1 & IC2 to their respective
sockets. That done, connect a serial
cable between the programmer and
your PC.
Adaptor board assembly
Fig.S shows the parts layout for
the adaptor board. It's a snap to as-
semble - just install the four wire
links, the two IC sockets (watch their
orientation) and the two 20-pin SIL
pin headers.
Note that the pin headers are mount-
ed on the copper side ofthe board, To
install them, push their longer pins
through until they sit flush with the
top of the PC board, then initially
solder just a pin at either end. The
remaining pins can then be soldered,
after which the plastic strips are slid
down the pins until they rest against
the soldered joints.
You are now ready to install the
WinPIC software on your PC.
Software installation
As mentioned above, the software to
use with this programmer is WinPIC,
available from either http://freenet-
homep age. de/dl+yhflwinpicpr.htnl or
from the SucoN Crm website at www.
siliconchip.com.au, Once it has been
downloaded, it's installed by running
the executable frle winpic s etup, exe,
By the way, do not confuse WinPIC
with other software that's available,
such as WinPICB0O. The latter is a
completely different program and it
will NOT work with this program-
mer.
Setting up WinPIC
After installing WinPIC, you should
make sure that it is correctly set up to
work with the programmer. Here's how
to configure WinPIC:
(r) Start WinPIC and click on the "In-
terface" tab (see Fig, );
(2) Ensure "COMB4 programmer for
serial port" is selected from the drop
down menu;
(3) Ensure that the correct COM port
is set;
(a) Check that both ZIF sockets are
empty ald that the programmer is con-
nected to the PC via a serial cable;
(S) Apply power to the programmer
and click on "Initialize!";
(6) In the "Options" tab, select either
siliconchip.com.au
UdTAUSilSÆGowffi
This dsPlC/PlC Programmer is
designed to work with native
RS-232 serial ports. How-
ever, many computers
today, especially note-
books, do not have a
serial port, as it has been
superseded by USB. --,-æ
Although
converter
USB-Io-RS232 -(CìE'
cables are available, -
not allwillwork correctly with this <;)--n-
programmer. And for those that do S-:;':9ZF-"
work, programming may be consid- \Y--=="<!F=
erably slower compared to working
direct from a serial port.
The reason some converters don't work has to do with the low-level interface
and the implementation of the USB-to-RS232 converter. ln particular, the prob-
lem arises because some USB-to-R5232 converters are impedect emulations
of the serial port.
ln normal use, pin 3 (Tx) of the RS232 serial port is the transmit line, used to
send data at the selected baud rate. Most USB-to-R5232 converters will correctly
emulate this, as it is necessary for full duplex data transmission.
However, COM84 style programmers like this one use pin 3 (Tx) of the serial
port for the programming voltage and hence as a simple digital output. This is an
unconventional use of the Tx line. lt is accomplished in the WinPlC software by
setting the "break" flag in the line control register (bit 6). However, some USBìo-
RS232 converters (and their supplied software driver) do not emulate the break
flag functionality and therefore will not work with this programmer.
USB-to-RS232 converters based on the newer FTDI chips, especially the
FT232R, could possibly work, given that the specifications claim that the FT232R
has inbuilt support for line break. lt is, of course, up to the manufacturer of the
USB-Io-RS232 converter as to whether the full features of the interface lCs are
supported through the supplied software driver.
lf you would like to try a USB-to-RS232 converter with this programmer, you
should make sure that it supports line break and that the "no direct access at
all, only use Win APl" option is selected in the "Options" tab of WinPlC. This
means that WinPlC will not access the serial ports directly but only through the
Windows APl.
This ensures that WinPlC talks to the windows driver for your USB-to-RS232
converter, rather than trying to access ports that are not implemented. As indi-
cated above, this may result in substantially slower operation than with a native
serial port.
ln ourcase, we tested the Prolific GUC-ADg USB-RS232 converteron Windows
XP and it worked. The only drawback was that it was slow - up to 1 0 times slower
than when running the programmer direct from a serial port.
This is related to latencies in the windows API and the windows driver for the
converter. A small delay (in the order of milliseconds) occurs when switching any
control line and these small delays all add up to a considerable delay due to the
huge number of switching requests made by WinPlC.
Note: the Prolific GUC-AD9 USB-RS232 converter is available from Jaycar
(Cat. XC4834).
PortTalk or SMPORT (both are faster slower but wilì ensure that WinPIC ac-
than using the Windows API). By con- cesses the correct windows drivers in-
trast, if you wish to use a USB-RS232 stalled for your USB-RS232 converter,
converter cable, you are probably safer Refer to the section "Using USB-RS232
selecting the "no direct access at all, Converters" in the accompanying
only use win ÄPI" option. This will be panel for more information.
MAY 2OOB 6S

The adaptor board is used for programming 10F & 12F series PICs. As shown
here, it plugs into ZIF SKT? on the dsPICÆIC Programmer board.
as some colours can be difficult to
decipher.
The three diodes ale next on the
list, Be sure to install them with the
correct polarity, as indicated on the
parts layout diagram (Fig,2). Once
they're in, install the two transistors,
again making sure that they are cor-
rectly oriented.
Don't get the t¡ansistors mixed up.
Ql is aBC337 NPNtransistor, while Q2
is aBC327 PNP type. Check that each
is installed in its correct location,
Now for the capacitors: the ceramic
and monolithic types are not polar-
ised ald can go in either way around.
However, the electrolytic capacitors
are polarised, so be sure to install
them correctly,
The next step is to install IC sockets
for IC1 &ICz. Again, make sure that
68 StLtco¡,t Cntp
these parts go in the right way around
ie, notched ends to the right. Note,
- age is to connect the CDI module and
however, that these sockets are option-
al, Do not install the ICs at this stage
- that step comes later, after the power
supply has been checked out.
Regulators REG1 & REG2 can now
be mounted. These are both installed
with their metal tabs flat against the
PC board. To do this, first bend their
leads down by 90" about 6mm from
their bodies. That done, fasten each
regulator to the PC board using M3 x
10mm screws and nuts, then solder
their leads.
Do NOT solder the leads before bolt-
ing the devices down, as this could
crack the soldered joints and damage
the PC board as the nuts are tightened.
Make sure also that each device is
installed in its correct location,
AII that remains now is to install the
major hardware items, These include
the 2.5mm DC power socket (CON1),
the RS-232 connector (CON2], tog-
gle switch 51, the 6-pin & 8-pin DIL
pin headers and the two 40-pin ZIF
sockets.
Note that the B-pin header must be
installed but the 6-pin header is nec-
essary only if want to program a PIC
or dsPIC externally and need access
to the +5V GND, MCLR-bar/Vpp, PGC
and PGD lines!
Be sure to install the two large 40-
pin ZIF sockets with the correct orien-
tation, If you will only be programming
a few microcontrollers occasionally,
you can replace these with much
cheaper IC sockets but tlneZIF sockets
make life much easier (and are worth
the extra money in our opinion),
Finally, secure four M3 x 9mm sPac-
ers to the corner positions ofthe board
using M3 x 6mm machine screws,
These are used to support the board
off the bench top during use. If you
like, you can also flt four rubber feet
to these spacers.
The dsPIC/PIC Programmer is now
ready for testing,
Preliminary testing
Before using this new program-
mer, it
should be given a thorough
check, Important: do not insert a
microcontroller (PIC or dsPIC) into
any ZIF socket before these tests are
completed.
A 16V DC plugpack should be used
to power the dsPIC/PIC Programmer,
although you can also probably use a
15V DC plugpack (just), Apply power
and you should see the red indicator
LED light. If it doesn't, check the sup-
ply polarity and if that's OK, checkthe
polarity of the LED.
Assuming that the LED lights, the
next step is to check the voltages at
the outputs of the two regulators, You
should measure +5V at the outPut of
REG1 (anything ftom 4.8-5.1V ib nor-
mal), while REG2's output should be
close to 13.6V (13.4-13.8V is OK).
If REG's output is lower than 13.4V
increase the value of the B2O resistor
(eg, to 120Q) to bring it into the 13.4-
13.8V range, Conversely, ifthe output
is higher than 13.8V decrease the
value ofthe 82Ç) resistor.
Alternatively, if REG2's outPut is
outside the designated range, check
the voltage between REG2's OUT &
AD] terminals. This value can then be
siliconchip.com.au
This completed CDI module is the "Extra Features" version. The board should be installed in a plastic case,and.potted
you may Ïave to experiment with the number of discharge using neutral-cure silicone sealant to ensure reliability (ie'
capacitórs to get the'best spark - see text. to prãtect against vibration, moisture and dust).
tester, However, you cal get some idea should at least get to 200V DC if you
if the coil is delivering suffrcient volt- can kick the motor over fast enough.
age by measuring it with a multimeter Alternatively, if an oscilloscope is
This CDI module is not intended
set to read AC volts up to 300V, The available, the voltage waveform canbe
for use as a replacement for CDI
voltage is measured when the engine measured with the probe set to 1.0:1,
units that generate their own high
is turned over. One point we have not mentioned is
voltage from an inverter requiring a
Take care if making this measure. the polarity ofthe voltage, The capaci-
12V battery supply.
ment, since the generated voltage can tor needs to charge to a positive voltage
To replace one of these units,
give you an electric shock. DO NOT before the trigger signal occurs. If the
you could adapt one of our Previous
touch any of the wiring when turning voltage from the generator coil is nega-
designs, such as the High EnergY
the motor over. tive before triggering occurs' it will
lgnition (StLtcoN CHIP December
Note that the voltage measured mean that the CDI module described
1995 and January 2006) orthe Multi-
across the generator coil will not be here is not suitable for replacing the
Spark CDI (September 1997). Alter-
anywhere near the voltage that it de- module in your engine.
natively, you could consider using
velops when running, That's because You can check the polarity using a
the Programmable lgnition SYstem
the multimeter does not respond well multimeter set to DC volts - it's just
from March, April& MaY 2007.
to the low-frequency voltage fluc- a matter of checking that the voltage
tuations that occur when kicking the on SCR1's anode goes positive before
engine over. In addition, most multi- the SCR is triggered and negative after
meters do not respond to the peak of the trigger, over a short portion of each engine
the waveform but to the average of a revolution,
sinewave, Thigger coil testing Typically, you might measure a
In practice, you should get a reading The trigger coil can be tested in the trigger voltage of less than LV using
of about 50V AC from the coil. same way as the generator coil (ie, a multimeter set to read AC volts,
The trigger coil voltage can also be
Another way of testing the coil volt- measure the voltage between D3 or
D5's cathode and chassis as the mo- observed on an oscilloscope,
measure the DC voltage between the tor is kicked over), This voltage will Of course, the real test is when it is
cathode of D1 and the chassis while be quite small compared to that from used with the CDI module itself, as it
must be able to trigger the SCR' SC
kicking the motor over, The reading the generator coil and only occurs
o Learn how engine management systems work
o Build projects to corilrol n¡rous, fuel injection and h¡rbo boost systems
o Switch devices on and off on the bas¡s of signalfrequency, temperahre and voltage
o Build t€st ¡nstruments to check fuel injector duty cycle, fuel mixturcs and brake & temperature
Mail oder pr¡ces: Aust. $422.511(incl. GST & P&Pl; 0uerceas $A26.lHl via aimail. Oder by
phontng (æl gæS 3295 & quot¡ng your credit card number; or iaxthe d_etails to f0219939
2e+g; ol-mail your order w¡th Ghcque or Gredit card details to $ilicon Ghip Publlcations,
P0 Box 139, Gollaroy, t$W 2097.
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 37
 the jumper on fP3 or fP4 is irrelevant

PRODVCTSHOWCASE
when using the adaptor.
As shown in Fig.3, the adaptor has
2O-pin and a-pin IC sockets. The B-pin
socket is for 10F series PICs and the
2O-pin socket is fot 1.2F series PICs. As
Audio Precision's APx500 series Ultra short throw, wide screen proiector usual, the microcontroller to be pro-
grammed should be oriented so that
multi- Epson's new EMP- its pin 1 is connected to the socket's
channel r 400W ultra short pin 1. In addition, pin 1 of the adaptor
Audio I thro*. wide screen board goes to pin 1 of ZIF SKT2.
I pro¡eótor makes a You will need to refer to the micro-
Analyser big impact for pre- controller's datasheet à¡d ensure that
senters, lecturers and the pin-out is compatible with the ZIF
The APx 585 is a dedicated multichannel audio analyser corporate boardrooms socket by referring to the schematic
that combines a "next generation" user interface with Au- delivering a 60-inch wide screen image from only 65cm away. diagram.
dio Precision's commitment to performance. It's designed It can be mounted on a boom attached to the wall and the presenter
for R&D and production test users who need speed and can stand close to the image and interact with the whiteboard without Construction
ease-of-use. shadows interfering with the audience's view, and without lamp glare The dsPIC/PIC Programmer is
Now available in al B or L6 channel configuration, the in the presenter's eyes. built on a PC board coded 07105081
APx is capable of taking 14 measurements in 7 seconds, With Epson's newly developed high precision lens, the EMP-400W
/ and measuring L22 x 120mm, The
automatically generating a report of results ald saving all is the only short throw, wide-screen (16:10) projector available. lt companion adaptor board is coded
test settings in a single, sharable project frle. projects in Wide XGA (1280 x 768 pixels), an increasingly common O71.O5OB2 and measures 52 x 19mm,
It also offers one-click measurements and saveable format for laptops and PCs and it can also be adjusted for interac- Fig.2 shows the main board layout,
sequences, real-time signal monitors including residual tive white boards (and regular screens) to give aspect ratios of 4:3, while Fig,3 shows where the parts go
THD+N in oscilloscope view and one million point FFT 16:9 and 16:10. The 4000-hour, 1800-Ansi-lumen long-life lamp in on the adaptor board.
and Dolby/ DTS the EMP-400W, made As usual, begin by checking the PC
confldence testing, Contact: by Epson themselves, Contact: boards for defects, such as breaks in
multitone analys Uicom Australia Pty ttd can be replaced easily Epson Australia Pty ttd the tracks or shorts between adjacent
er, input regula- 1064 Centre Rd, Oakleigh Sth, Vic.3167 by loosening a single Locked Bag 2238, North Ryde BC NSW 1670 tracks. It's rare to find any problems
tion and CEA-2006 Tel: (03) 9563 7844 Far: (03) 9579 7255 screw on the hatch on Tel: (02) 8899 3666 Far (02) 8899 3777 these days but it's still a good idea to
& EIAiCEA-490-A Website:
top of the projector. Website:
check, as defects canbe difÊcultto spot
measurements, after the parts are installed.
Once these checks are completed,
2008 Super Frequency List on CD start the main board assembly by in-
stalling the 20 wire links. Use tinned
Anyone remotely interested country, type, language, copper wire for these links and make
in listening to radio - of \.- time of transmission and a compatible pin-out with the ZIF (pin 5) and simply connect CON3's sure that they are nice and straight.
any type - would know so on. sockets - see Table 4, GND (pin 3 or 4) to tàe ground of You ca¡ straighten the link wire by
of the World Radio TV Whetheryou're just Devices that fall into that category your board. It's then simply a matter clamping one end in a vice and these
Handbook. It has been a sometime enthusi- include the l0Fxxxx and l2Fxxxx of connecting the MCLR-bar/Vpp, PGC stretching the wire slightly by pull-
Iong regarded as the ast, ar international series of PICs, as well as some of the and PGD lines to the appropriate pins ing on the other end with a pair of
authoritative listing of radio listenerhobby- l6Fxxxx series. on your PIC or dsPIC. pliers.
radio stations around ist, a business person The pin-outs for CON3 are shown Note that link LK7 goes under the
the world. or tourist travelling in Table L and include the GND, +5V Optional Adaptor Board for RS-232 socket (CON2), while LK3 &
Trouble was (and is) around the world, a MCLR-bar/Vpp, PGC and PGD lines. 10F & 12F series PICs LK6 are under ZIF SKT1,
is that it rs a printed book, fessional monitor- These a¡e the only lines you will ever We have also designed an optional Follow these with the 12 resistors,
with all the diffrculties in' service or even a sailor need to program your microcontrol- adaptor board for 10F and 12F series Table 1 shows the resistor colour codes
finding and analysing informa- ircumnavigating the globe, ler, PICs - see Fig,3. This adaptor plugs to help you select the values but it is
tion that such a format presents. remarkable CD will instantly If the microcontroller is on a pow- directly into ZIF SKT2 on the dsPIC/ prudent to check each one using a
Av-Comm's Garry Cratt has now the help you find the stations or services ered board, you can ignore the +5V line PIC Programmer and the position of DMM before it is soldered in place,
perfect alternative: a CD containing you want.
the latest clandestine, domestic and Information is presented in both
international shortwave broadcasting English and German.
schedules and the most up-to-date The CD is available by web, phone
HF utility communications freqency or mail order from Av-Comm for $ 77.00 tr No. Value 4-Band Code (1%) 5-Band Code (1%)
list. plus $8.50 p&p (Cat No Q3051J.
Running on Windows of any persua-
tr 6 2.2kA red red red brown red red black brown brown
sion, the 2008 Super Frequency List on Contact: tr 1 1.1kl) brown brown red brown brown brown black brown brown
CD gives you various powerful search Av-Gomm Pty ttd Harbuch Electronics pty ur tr 1 120Ct brown red brown brown brown red black black brown
tools to find exactly what you want P0 Box 225, Brookvale NSW 2100 9/40 Leighton Pl, HORNSBY 2077 tr 1 82O grey red black brown grey red black gold brown
- in less than one second! (02) 9939 4377 Far: (02) 9939 4376
Ph (02) 9476 5854 Fax (02) 9476 3231 tr 3 39O orange white black brown orange white black gold brown
Now you can sort by frequency, area, www.avcomm.G0m.au

Stuco¡rt Cutp siliconchíp.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 67

 |aycar's new 200W PA Speaker/
Amplifier Combo
If you're looking for a high-power, self-contained public
address speaker/amplifier, this new model from laycar should
fill the bill nicely.
Sold under faycar's "Digitech Audio" brand, with a 200W
RMS inbuilt power amplifier and 2-way speaker featuring a
12-inch ìong throw driver and efË.cient compression driver, it
can really pump it out - whether that be for Dl, school/club/
church/conference use, sporting venues or, in fact,
practically any PA application.
It has a durable moulded ABS enclosure and a
very tough metal grille in front, so it is obviously
designed to take the knocks and abuse that all PA
equipment suffers!
The amplifier also has a quite versatile mixer
feeding it, offering thre inputs - two XLR balanced
a a aa a aa aa aa a a a a a a a a a and 6,Smm unbalanced microphone inputs and
one line-level input (RCA and XLR) which can be
-l lKt ó used for a wireless microphone, CD/cassette player,
etc. It also has a line-leveÌ output (6.5mm and
a aaa aaaaa a a a a a a a a a a a XLR) for cascading or recording, All inputs have
their own level controls and there's a master leveÌ
control plus bass and treble cut/boost controls.
As you would expect from an amplifier of this
a a aaa aa aa aa a a a a a a a a a power, it's mains powered (via standard IEC mains
Iead) - battery operation is not an option!
(, The unit is neither small nor light - it measures 600
[h) x a10 (w) x 325 (d) and weighs in at 16,Skg. Jaycar haue moued
a aaa aaa a aaa a a a a aa a aa It comes with four screw-on feet - and a nice feature is these
And speaking 0f Jaycar Electronics, fot the third time in a
feet match recesses in the top of the case so that units can be
decade 0r s0, they have outgrown their prem¡ses, lorcing a
safely stacked, if desired. Provision is also made for post-top
move t0 a s¡gnif¡cantly larger watehouse c0mplex.
mounting with a
Head 0flice and distr¡bution Gentre are now located in Rydal-
standard (internal) mere, aboul Skm from their old Silverwater headquarters. You'll
Contact:
top-hat.
Jaycar Electronics (all stores) find them at 320 Victoria Rd, Rydalmere NSW 2116.
to the type of PIC being programmed for some dsPlC3OFxxxx microcon- selectecl by installing JP4 instead. Retail price is P0 Box 107, Rydalmere NSW 2116 Phone numbers have also changed: the ma¡n sw¡tchboard
inZIF SKT2. trollers that require the programming Warning: it is quite possible to $399.00 includ- 0rder Tel: 1 800 022 888 Far: (02) 8832 31 88 is now (02) 8832 3200; fax (02) 8832 3232. Jaycar's u,ebs¡te
If jP1 is shorted, it connects the PGC clock on pin B. Alternatively, if JP2 is damage a microcontroller installed ing GST (Cat CS- Website: www. iavcar.com.au fema¡ns the same: www.¡aycaÌ.Gom.au
line to pin B of ZIF SKT1. This caters shorted, it connects pin B of ZIF SKTl in either ZIF socket by incorrectly 2517).
to ground and this caters for the rest of setting jumpers lP7-1P4, so check zÙì
álE\
lr the dsPIC30Fxxxx family that require
a ground connection at pin B.
Tables 2 & 4 carefully before insert.
ing a microcontroller into its socket
Pin Description lP3 and JP4 select which pin the and applying power. However, a more
1 MCLR-barA/pp MCLR-bar/Vpp programming line is likely outcome is that you will not
connected to on ZIF SKT2. If lP3 is damage the microcontroller (as they
2 PGC shorted, it connects the programming usually have protection diodes) butthe
3 GND line to pin 4 of ZIF SKT2 and this suits programmingwill not be successful,
GND
microcontrollers such as the popular In summary, you must install ei-
4
16FBB, Alternatively, some microcon- ther fP1 or lP2 (but NOT both) when
Rigol DSs062MA 60MHz Rigol DS5102MA 100MHz Rigol ES1202CA 2ûûMHz DS13t2e A 300Mllz
5 +5V rail (Vep) trollers require the programming volt- programming a dsPIC and either fP3
6 PGD age to be applied to pin 1 and this is or fP4 (but NOT both) when program- ) 60MHz Bandwìdth, 2 Ch ) 100MHz Bandwidth, 2 Ch ) 200MHz Bandwidth, 2 Ch ) 300MHz Bandwidth, 2 Ch
ming a PIC. ) IGS/s Real Time Sampling ) 1GS/s Real Time Sampling ) 2GS/s Real Time Sampling ) 2GS/s Real Time Sampling
) 4k Memory Per Channel ) 4k Memory Per Channel ) 10k Memory Per Channel ) 10k Memory Per Channel
) ) Advanced Triggering ) Advanced Triggering
¿ External Programming Advanced Triggering >
)
Advanced Triggering
) Buillin USB ) Built-in USB
) Built-in USB Built-in USB
Using CON3 ) 3 Year Warranty ) 3 Year Warranty ) 3 Year Warranty ) 3 Year Warranty
Jumper Number DescriPtion
The 6-pin header CON3 can be used f}t{tY $7gg GSr oltlY s1,0sg * csr 0H1Y $2,[f tG ex csr flHlv $2,62t ex csr
JP1 Short to make pin I ol ZIF SKTI the PGC pin to program a PIC or dsPIC that's either ",
JP2 Short to make pin I ol ZIF SKT1 GND mounted in-circuit on a separate board Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
or installed on abreadboard. For exam- Tel 02 9519 3933 Tel 03 9889 0427 Tel 07 3275 2183 Tel 08 83635733 Tel 08 9361 4200
JP3
JP4
Short to make pin 4 oÍ ZIF SKT2 the /MCLR/VPP pin
Short to make pin 1 ol zlF sKT2 the iMCLRA/PP pin
ple, this is one way of programming a
PIC microcontroller that doesn't have
Fax 02 9550 1378 Fax 03 9889 0715
email testinst@emona com.au
Fàx 07 3275 2196 Fax 08 83635799 Fax 08 9361 4300
web www emona.com au EMONfr
siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 3S
66 StLtcoN Crutp
 port (ie, after sending pin 4 of the se-
rial port high). ixz
So the PGD line is actually "bi-di- tt)
rectional" and is used as an output ê)
tr
when writing to the microcontroller
and as art input when reading from o)
the microcontroller. ¡o
Note that, as with the PGC line, the È
PGD line is fed via a 39O resistor and is FNO!b€l\@ô
,;,
0)
filtered usin g a 22pF ceramic capacitor J(J
to reduce spurious noise. o
(a
TvvoZIF (zero insertion force) sock- lr
ets are used to accept the microcontrol- N
ler to be programmed. ZIF SKTL is ÈI
used for dsPIC30F series microcontrol-
!t
lers and they should always be aligned
o
with their pin 1 going to pin 1 of the (J 0)
ZIF socket, È
Alternatively, ZIF SKT? should be l_{r. !
1r)
o
(J
used for programming standard PICs Þ
ø õ
like the 16FBB. As before, pin L of the L E
N É
(d
microcontroller goes to pin 1 of the
0)
ZIF socket.
Note, however, thatthe 10F and 12F 0)
o.
O6
series of PICs are not compatible with
ti(Ë
the onboard ZIF socket, These mustbe CJ
programmed via an external adaptor .là ßi

board, as described later, or by using

åã
CONS and a breadboard,' H6

External programming IH se
À¡m
L
c Ø F-l
CON3 is a 6-pin header and its pin- ô{
$t
ú+
N:
out is arranged as shown in Table 1. It
Rã
can be used to access the five relevart X>
<lo
Iines required to program both PICs <i+
âo
and dsPICs externally (see the section (ÉÞ
entitled "External Programming Using ék
ôë)
primary parameter (like inductance or CON3" below),
Here's a handy piece of test gear you can capacitance) but one or more second- For example, if your PIC is not
õo
build for yourself - a Digital LC Meter for aryparameters as well, However, many actually compatible with the pin-
lÉã
.oõ
.23
of these you-beaut instruments also ning of ZIF SKT? [eg, if you have a
measuring inductance and capacitance over carried ahefty price tag, keeping them PICI,OF2OZ), then you may use this
¡o
o
@
N
'tJ N
ãH
a wide range. It's based on an ingenious well out of reach for many of us. connector to access the relevant lines. o aú
Fortunately, thanks to microcon- These lines can be connected to, say, u
e -¿
measurement technique, delivers surprising troller technology, that situation has a breadboard, to program your PIC off Ê O\J
cE

accuracy and is easy to build. changed somewhat in the last few the PC board, Of course, you can also T¡ r f¡l
Eú
years with much more affordable dig- use this connector to program micro- - À9
ital instruments now becoming avail- controllers in circuit as well. - GE
ANY MODERN DMM's (digital It's even worse when it comes to able. These include both commercial
Ê 6)¡
øio
multimeters) have capacitance measuring inductors. Very few DMMs and DIY instruments, along with the fumper settings o0)
CÐ ¡fr
measuring ranges, especially the up- have the ability to measure induct- unit described here. Finally, there is an 8-pin header € O*j
market models, So it's not hard to ance, so in many cases you have to use which accepts jumper shunts IP1,-JP4. E ,3
measure the value of capacitors, as either an old-type inductance bridge or Main features However, only two of the four posi- È o-(J_Y
Iong as their value is more than about a 'Q'meter. Both of these are basically As shown in the'photos, our new tions should ever be shorted at any CÐ .Fo
I
50pF or so. analog instruments and don't offer Digital LC Meter is very compact, It's one time. Table 2 shows the jumper Ê. :Þo
Below that level, DMMs are not very either high resolution or particularly easy to build, has a¡r LCD readout and functions. R
o \ rÈ
usefuI for capacitalce measurements. high accuracy. fits snugly inside a UB3 utility box. It In practice, you must set these ac- CÐ
I
Dedicated digital capacitance meters It's different for professionals who won't break the bank either - we esti- cording to the microcontroller being =
gE È (,>(Þ
are available, of course, and they gen- for the last 20 years or so have been mate that you should be able to build programmed. Either lP1 or JP2 (but at o¡
erally measure down to a few pF or able to use digital LCR meters. These it for less than $75, not both) must be shorted according
<J
o<
44
! :d
Despite its modest cost, it offers
LU
so. But if you want to measure things allow you to measure almost any pas- to the type of dsPIC being programmed
So erÊ
like stray capacitance, they too are of sive component quickly and automati- automatic direct digital measurement in ZIF SKT1, while JP3 or JP4 (but éå !Dð
.xo Þ
f¡r È
(J
Iimited use. cally, often measuring not just their over awide range forboth capacitance not both) must be shorted according

40 S]LICON CHIP siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB o5


Fants Lflst
1 PC board, code 07105081,
122x 120mm
1 adaptor PC board, code
07105083, 52 x 19mm
1 16V 400mA DC plugpack
1 SPDT right-angle PO-mount
toggle switch (S1)
1 PO-mount 2.5mm DC socket
(coN1)
1 DBg female right-angle socket
(coN2)
1 DlP14 lC socket
1 DlP16 lC socket
2D|P4O ZIF sockets
2 jumper shunts
1 8-pin DIL header with 2.54mm
spacing
1 6-pin DIL header with 2.54mm
spacrng
1 500mm length of 0.7mm tinned
copper wire
4 M3 x 6mm screws
2 M3 nuts
2 M3 x 1Omm screws
4 9mm long M3 tapped spacers
Semiconductors
1 MAX232A RS232 line driver
receiver (lC1)
1 74LSO4 hex inverter (lC2)
1 8C337 NPN transistor (Q1)
18C327 PNP transistor (Q2)
1 7805 5V regulator (REG1)
1 LM317T regulator (REG2)
31N4004 diodes (D1-Dg)
1 red 3mm LED (LED1)
Gapacitorc
1 1OpF 16V electrolytic
7 1pF 16V electrolytic
2100nF monolithic (code 100n
or 1 04)
222pF ceramic
Resis'tors (0.25U1, 1 %)
62.2kA 1 82A
1 1.1kO 3 39O
1 12012
ideally be between 12.8V and 13.1V,
However, anything from 13.4V to
13.8V is actually OK atREG2's output,
since this is fed through transistor
switch Q2 and series diode D2 before
being applied to the MCLR-bar/Vpp
(master clear/programming voltagel
pin of the microcontroller to be pro-
grammed.
In operation, the regulated 13.6V
rail from REG2 is switched on and off
64 StUCO¡,t Cntp
by PNP transistor Q2 which in turn is
switched on and off by NPN transistor
Q1, When pin 3 (Tx) of the serial port
is high, it will switch Ql on, in turn
switching Q2 on and applying around
13V to the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin on the
microcontroller to be programmed,
Conversely, when pin 3 of the serial
port is low, Q1 will be off and therefore
Q2 will also be off. In this case, the
2.2kQ resistor on D2's cathode will
pull the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin low.
Basically, on a PIC or dsPIC micro-
controller, the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin acts
either as a Reset (0V) or a programming
voltage pin (around 13V for PICs or
between 9V and 13V for a dsPIC3OF
series microcontroller). When MCLR-
bar/Vpp is low, the microcontroller is
in the Reset state (meaning that all its
configurable pins are high impedance
inputs). When it is high (around V¡¡
= +5V), the microcontroller runs in
program mode and if it is at Vpp the
microcontroller will enter program-
ming mode.
It was a deliberate design decision
to switch the MCLR-bar/Vpp line be-
tween 0V and Vpp rather tha¡r between
V¡¡ and Vpp. This was done to avoid
possible damage to the microcontroller
being programmed.
To explain, if the MCLR-bar/Vpp
line were switched between V¡¡ and
Vpp, the program would run on the
microcontroller when programming
finishes, If that program were to drive
the output pins (as digital outputs or
as peripheral outputsJ, it could cause
excessive currents to flow and damage
the output stages of those pins,
That's because the ZIF sockets have
many power connections to accom-
modate differentPICs and dsPICs (+5V
and GND). As a result, some of the
microcontroller's output pins could
be shorted to +5V or to ground if the
program were to tun.
For this reason, the Vpp pin is
switched from 0V to 13V so that the
microcontroller is never in the run-
ning mode.
Of course, if youwere to incorporate
this programmer onto a PC board that
catered for ICSP (in-circuit-serial-pro-
gramming) then you would have this
line switch from V¡¡ (+5V) to 13V and
the reset would occur on any transition
from 13V down to 5V, Refer to the sec-
tion entitled "External Programming
Using CON3") for more details.
Note that some PIC microcontrollers
can be configured to disable the Reset
function of the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin, al-
Iowing it to be used for an alternative
(multiplexed) function, This should be
avoided when using this programmer
with a dsPIC or PIC plugged into a ZIF
socket, for the reasons outlined above
(this does not apply when using CON3
to program an external device),
Reguldtor REGI is used to derive
the +5V rail and this is used to power
IC'l,,ICz and the microcontroller being
programmed. This +5V rail is bypassed
using 1O¡rF, 1p.F and 100nF capacitors,
while a 1¡rF capacitor also bypasses
REG1's input.
Control lines
The relevant lines used in the RS-
232 serial interface to control the
dsPIC/PIC Programmer are derived
from pins 3, 4,5,7 & B.
Pin 5 is the ground connection while
pins 3, 4 & 7 (respectively Tx, DTR and
RTS) are outputs from the serial port.
In particular, pins 4 & 7 are digital
outputs, while pin 3 is usually the
Transmit line of the serial port. These
a¡e controlled by the WinPIC software
on the PC as appropriate,
Finally, pin B (CTS) is an input pin
and this is used to read data from the
microcontroller, as required to verify
or read the state of the memory.
IC1 is a MAX232 RS-232 line driver
receiver. Its job is to translate between
the RS-232 voltage levels (ie, t10V)
at the serial port and the TTL levels
(0-5V) used by the microcontroller. As
mentioned, pins 4 & 7 of the serial port
are standard digital outputs and these
are connected directly to IC1.
In operation, the MAX232 actually
inverts the levels and so its outputs at
pins 9 & 12 are fed to inverter IC2a &
IC2f (part of a 74LS04 hex inverter) to
invert them back again.
Pin 7 of the serial port controls the
PGC (CLOCK) Iine and is applied to
the microcontroller via IC1, IC2a and
a 39Ç) resistor (to limit the current). In
addition, a 22pF ceramic capacitor is
used to flIter any high-frequency noise
on this line,
Pin 4 controls the PGD line (DATA)
output. When it goes low so does
the pin 12 output of inverter IC2f.
Diode D3 allows a low level from
IC2f to drive the PGD line but blocks
high-level signals from IC2f. A 2.zko-
pull-up resistor is used instead to pull
this line high. This allows the WinPIC
softwa¡e to read the PGD line from the
microcontroller via pin B of the serial
siliconchip.com.au
HOW ITWORKS: THE EAUATIONS
c (A) ln colibrotion mode
ll I Wirh iusr Ll ond Cl :
2.r..JTTET
L f2l w¡thc2oddedøcl: t2' ----J-
2.r. {ï.ieT+eZi
l3l Flom ('llond l2l, wa con ftnd Cl:
ct - ¡ft¡.cz
(41 Alp from lt ) ond l2!, we con find Ll :
- 1.r2.F12 'C1
(B) ln meosurement mode
(5f WhenCxisconnætud: F3=
CAI
il#
rc cx=cr. (iå -t)
clL
Fig.1: the circuit uses a wide-range test oscillator, the frequency of which
(ól Orwhan lx is conmled:
t?= I
vaiies when an unlsrown inductor (Lx) or capacitor (Cx) is connected. This 2.n. {[TiEiEl
oscillator is in turn monitored using a microconboller which accurately
calibrates the unit and measures the change in oscillator frequency. The s r'-Lr. ($ -r)
microcontroller then calculates the unknown component's inductance or
NOTE: F2 & F3 should ohvoys be lower thon Fl
capacitance and displays the result on an LCI).
(C) and inductance (L) with a-digit with positive feedback around it - see +2.5Y level, the comparator's output
resolution. In fact, it measures capaci- Fig.1. This configuration has a natural suddenly switches low,
tance from just 0.1pF up to B00nF and inclination to oscillate because ofthe This voltage low is fed back to the
inducta¡rce from 1OnHto 70mH. Meas- very high gain between tle compara- comparator's non-inverting input via
urement accuracy is also surprisingly tor's input and output. a 100kO feedback resistor. It is also
good, at better than t1% ofreading. When power (+5V) is flrst applied, coupled through the 10PF input ca-
It also operates from 9-12V DC, the comparator's non-inverting (+) pacitor to a tuned circuit formed by
drawing an average current of less input is held at half the supply volt- inductor L1 and capacitor C1. This
than 20m4, This means that it can be age (+2,5V) by a bias divider formed makes the tuned circuit "ring" at its
powered fiom either a 9V alkaline bat- by two 100kQ resistors. However, the resonant frequency.
tery inside the case or f¡om an external voltage at the inverting input is ini- As a result, the comparator and
plugpack supply. tially zero because the 1OpF capacitor the tuned circuit now function as an
at this input needs time to charge via oscillator at that resonant frequency,
How it works the 47kQ feedback resistor. So with In effect, the comparator effectively
The meter's impressive performalce its non-inverting input much more functions as a "negative tesistatce"
depends on an ingenious measure- positive than its inverting input, the across the tuned circuit, to cancel its
ment technique which was developed comparator initially switches its out- losses and maintain oscillation.
about 10 years ago by NeiI Hecht, of put high (ie, to +5V). Once this oscillation is established,
Washington state in the USA. It uses Once it does so, the 10pF capacitor a square wave of the same frequency
a wide-range test oscillator whose on the inverting inputbegins charging appears at the comParator's outPut
frequency is varied by connecting the via the 47kO resistor and so the volt- and it is this frequency (Fo,'i that is
unknown inductor or capacitor you're age at this input rises exponentially, measured by the microcontroller. In
measuring. The resulting change in As soon as it rises slightly above the practice, before anything else is con-
frequency is measured by a micro-
controller which then calculates the
component's value and displays it
directly on an LCD readout.
So there are basically only two key . Inductance Range: from about 1OnH to over 70mH (4-digit resolution)
parts in the meter: (1J the test oscilla-
tor itself and [2) the microcontroller o Capacitance Range: from about 0.1pF to over 800nF (4-digit resolution)
which measures its frequency (with . Range Selection: automatic (capacitors must be non-polarised)
and without the component being o
measured) and calculates the compo-
Sampling Rate: approximately five measurements per second
nent's value. . Expected Accuracy: better than *11" ol reading, +0.1pF or +1OnH
To achieve reliable oscillation over o Power Supply: 9-12V DC at less than 20mA (non-backlit LCD module).
a wide frequency range, the test oscil- Can be operated from an internal 9V battery or an external plugpack.
lator is based on an analog comparator
MAY 2OOB 47
siliconchip.com.au

Parts Ltst
1 PC board, code 04105081,
125 x 58mm
1 PC board, code 04105082,3ô
x 16mm
1 PC board, code 04105083,41
x 21mm
1 UB3 utility box, 130 x 68 x
44mm
1 16x2 LCD module (Jaycar QP-
5515 or QP-5516 - see panel)
1 5V 1OmA DIL reed relay
(Jaycar SY-4030)
1 100pH RF inductor (11)
1 4.0MHz crystal, HC-49U
1 DPDT subminiature slider
switch (S1)
1 SPST momentary contact
pushbutton switch (S2)
1 SPDT minitoggle switch (S3)
1 18-pin DIL lC socket
1 2.5mm PC-mount DC
connector
1 4x2 section of DIL header strip
1 7x2 section of DIL header strip
1 jumper shunt
1 binding posVbanana socket,
red
1 binding posUbanana socket,
black
2 PC terminalpins, 1mm
diameter
value of the unknown component
using one of the equations shown in
the lower section of the equations box
5 M3 x 6mm pan head machine - ie, the section labelled "In Measure-
screws ment Mode".
1 M3 nut (metal) From these equations, you car. see
2M2x 6mm machine screws that the micro has some fairly solid
(for S1) "number crunching" to do, both in the
4 M3 x 12mm Nylon screws calibration mode when it calculates
I M3 Nylon nuts the values of L1 and C1 and then in
4 M3 Nylon nuts with integral the measurement mode when it cal-
washers culates the value of Cx or Lx, Each of
1 9V battery snap lead these values needs to be calculated to a
1 1OkO horizontaltrimpot (VR1) high degree ofresolution and accuracy.
To achieve this, the micro's firmware
Semiconductorc needs to make use of some 24-bit float-
1 PlCl 6F628A microcontroller ing point maths routines.
programmed with 041 05084.
Circuit details
hex (lC1)
1 7805 +5V regulator (REG1) Howthis ingeniousyet simple meas-
1 1N4148 diode (D1) urement scheme is used to produce a
1 1N4004 diode (D2) practical LC meter can be seen from the
fulI circuit diagram of Fig,2,It's even
Capacitorc simpler than you might have expected
122¡tF 16V RB electrolytic because there's no separate comparator
210¡tF 16V RB electrolytic to form the heart of the measurement
1 1OpF 16V tantalum oscillator. Instead we're making use
1 100nF monolithic of a comparator that's built into the
2 1nF MKT or polyçtyrene (1% microcontroller (IC1) itself.
As shown, microcontroller IC1 is a
if possible)
233pF NPO ceramic PIC16F628A and it actually contains
two analog comparators which can be
Resistorc (0.25W, 1%l configured in a variety of ways. Here
3 100ko 2 4.7ko we are using comparator 1 (CMPI) as
a serial port. There are really three
lines which are necess€ry to program
m
most PICs and microcontrollers in
the dsPIC30F family: CLOCK (PGC),
Features
D,{TA (PGD) and Vpp (programming
voltage), (1) W¡llprogram alldsPlC3OF series microcontrollers in the DIP package
Incidentally, the dsPIC3OF family (2) Will program most PlCs in DIP package
has two programming modes - en- (3) Uses PC freeware WinPlC forWindows
hanced and standard. The enhanced (4) Connects to the serial (RS232) port of a PC
mode is faster ald requires a program- (5)Very low cost
ming executive or "bootloader" to be
programmed in first. However, this Minimum Supported lleyices (others may also work)
programmer uses only the slower
10F series
ICSP mode that is standard across the
1 0F20012021204/206 (E) (.)
PIC family (ICSP = In-Circuit Serial
Programming).
12F series
Ifyou are interested in the details of
12Fs08/50e (E)
the ICSP protocol, refer to the Micro-
12F609/615 (E)
chip website at wlvw.microchip.com
12F629/675 (E) (.)
(look for the "memory programming
12F635/636/63e (E)
specifications").
12F683 (E)
Programming mode is entered by
raising Vpp up to around 13V. Data
16F series
is then programmed into the micro-
16F610/616 (E)
controller by serially shifting com-
1 6F 627 / 627 N 628/ 628 A (. )
mands and data using the PGC and
1 6F630/631 /636/639/676/677 t68416851687/688/689 (E)
PGD lines.
1 6F648/648A
The PGC line synchronises tl.e ex-
1 6F71 6
change of se¡ial bits, while the PGD
16F73n37n4n6n7
line contains the data. The PGD line
is bidirectional, allowing reading and
1 6F81 8/81 I
16F84184N87188 (.)
writing of the microcontroller.
16F87018711872
For example, there is a commald
6F 87 3 I 87 3 N 87 4 I 87 4 N 87 6 I 87 6 N 87 7 I 877 A ('*
code for "Erase" which will erase the
1

16F913/914/9161917
)

4 M3 x 1Smm tapped spacers
4 M3 x 6mm csk head machine
screws
nected into ci¡cuit, Forrl simply cor-
responds to the resonant frequency of
L1, C1 arrd any stray capacitance that
may be associated with them.
When power is first applied to the
meter, the microcontroller measures
this frequency (F1) and stores it in
memory. It then energises reed relay
RLYI, which switches capacitor C2
in parallel with C1 and thus alters the
oscillator frequency (ie, it lowers it).
The microcontroller then measures
and stores this new frequency (F2).
Next, the microcontroller uses these
two frequencies plus the value of C2
to accurately calculate the values of
both C1 and L1. If you're interested, the
equations it uses to do this are shown
in the top (Calibration Mode) section
of the box titled "How It Works: The
Equations".
Following these calculations, the
microcontroller turns RLY1 off again
1 68kO 4 1kO
1 47kA
to remove C2, allowing the oscillator
frequency to return to F1. The unit is
now ready to measure the unknown
inductor or capacitor (Cx or Lx).
As shown in Fig.1, the unknown
component is connected across the test
terminals. It is then connected to the
oscillator's tu¡red circuit via switch S1.
When measuring an unknown capaci-
tor, 51 is switched to the "C" position
so that the capacitor is connected in
parallel with Cr. Alternatively, for an
unknown inductor, 51 is switched to
the "L" position so that the inductòr
is connected in series with Lr,
In both cases, the added Cx or Lx
again causes the oscillator frequency
to change, to a new frequency (F3).
As with F2, this will always be lower
than FL. So by measuring F3 as before
and monitoring the position of 51
(which is done via the C/L-bar line),
the microcontroller cal calculate the
the measurement oscillator. Compara-
tor 2 (CMP2) is used only to provide
some additional "squaring up" of the
output from CMPI and its outputthen
drives the internal frequency counting
circuitry.
The oscillator circuitry is essentially
unchanged from that shown in Fig.1.
Note that the micro controls RLY1
(which switches calibrating capacitor
C2 in and out of circuit) via its I/O
port B's RB7 line (pin L3). Diode DL
prevents the micro's internal circuitry
from being damaged by inductive
spikes when RLY1 switches off.
In operation, IC1 senses which po-
sition switch 51 is in using RB6 (pin
12). This is pulled high internally
when S1b is in the "C" position ald
Iow when S1b is in the "L" position.
Crystal X1 (aMHz) sets the clock fre-
quency for IC1, while the associated
33pF capacitors provide the correct
loading to ensure reliable starting of
the clock oscillator.
The results of IC1's calculations are
displayed on a standard 2x16line LCD
module. This is driven directly from
the micro itself, via port pins RB0-R85.
flash memory of the microcontroller.
There are also commalds for "Writ-
ing" and "Reading" pages, etc. As
soon as the microcontroller enters
programming mode, it starts listening
for commands.
Circuit details
.To successfully program a PIC or
dsPIC series microcontroller, we must
be able to control the PGC, PGD and
VPP lines in the correct fashion. The
Stucox Cnp dsPIC/PIC Programmer
achieves this by giving control of
these lines to the software running on
a PC. This software program is called
"WinPIC" a¡d it makes sure that the
correct procedr:re is followed for a
particular device.
Fig.1 shows the circuit details, As
car be seen, the dsPIC/PIC Program-
mer has two distinct supply rails (+5V
& +13.6V) and these are derived from
the DC supply rail using two 3-termi-
nal regulators (REG1 & REG2). 51 is the
power on/off switch, LED1 provides
power indication and diode D1 pro-
vides reverse polarity protection,
REG2 is an LM317T variable voltage
18F series
8F 2220 I 2320 I 4220 I 4320
1 dsPlC30F2010 (")
1 8F 2331 I 2431 I 4331 I 4431
1 8F 2420I 2520I 4 420I 4520
18F245014450
1 8F 2455 I 25 50 / 4 455/ 4550 (. )
1 8F 2480 I 2580 I 4480 I 4580
1 8F 2525 I 2620 4525I 4620
1 8F 2439I 2539 I 4 439 I 4539
18F2421252144214521
I F2585/4585/2680/4680
1
18F248125814481458
1 8F 26821 2685 I 46821 4685
(*) = tested & passed. (E) = requires external connection or adaptor socket.
regulator. Its output is determined by
the bias applied to its ADf terminal,
as determined by the voltage divider
formed by the 120Q resistor arrd the
series 1.1kCl & 82Q resistors.
If R1 is the resistance between
the OUT and AD] terminals (120Ç)
in our case) and R2 is the resistance
between ADJ and GND (1182C)), then
the LM3L7T will regulate its output
dsPlC30F ser¡es
dsPIC30F2011/3012 (.)
dsPlC30F2012/3013 (.)
dsPlC30F3010 (.)
dsPlC30F3011 (.)
dsPlC30F301414013 (.)
dsPlC30F4011 (-)
dsPlC30F4012 (.)
voltage to: Y =7.25 x (1+ R2lR1). Note,
however, that slight manufacturing
variations mean that the L.25 factor
can be anywhere between 1.2 ald 1.3
in actual practice.
In this case, RL & R2 have been se-
lected so that REG2 regulates its output
to 13.6V in typical conditions. This
provides the MCLR-bar/Vpp voltage
for the microcontroller which should

42 Stuco¡t Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 63

 Trimpot VR1 allows the LCD contrast
to be optimised.

Firmware & link functions

By Mauro Grassi The filmware in IC1 is designed to èo

automatically perform the calibration

function just after initial start-up.
However, this can also be performed
at any other time using switch 52.
:þ *t' Ë
_o
5
d
0)

z ô
CE

Pressing this switch simply pulls the z

micro's MCLR-bar pin (+) down, so o
o
that the micro is forced to reset and z
start up again, recalibrating the circuit
a
in the process,
Links LKl-LK4 are not installed for tr
normal use but are used for the initial
U
setting up, testing and calibration. As
shown, these links connect between 8Ë'o
UUgg
F¡
c)

RB3-RB0 and ground respectively. aüÍÉ.

lf;xx 0)
For example, if you fit LK1 and then
gËEE ,
press S2 to force a reset, the micro will ¡o 4ôUU
o
activate RLY1 (to switch capacitor C2 ao
N ËÓNF
iYVY
into circuit) and measure oscillator o (!
frequency F2. This is then displayed u
d
o
on the LCD. (n

for dsPl0s & PlCs

Similarly, if you fit LK2 and press e
52, the micro simply measures the ø
initial oscillator frequency (F1) and
displays this on the LCD. This allows e)
you to not only make sure that the os- (ú

cillator is operating but you can check

This low-cost unit can program all dsPICSOF series its frequency as well. We'll have more l_lr. (É

microcontrollers in the DIP package, along with most PIC to say about this later.
LK3 & LK4 allow you to perform
microControllers. ft's easy to build and uses standard parts.
cÉ
¡r
manual calibration "tweaks" to the
meter. This is useful if you have access
to a capacitor whose value is very ac- tr ¡ri

curately known (because it

[ICs ARE NOW ONE of the most
-f widely used microcontrollers. Like
all micros, they greatly simplify many
electronic designs, are reconfigurable
in the field and allow projects that
would be unwieldy or overly com-
plex without them. In addition, extra
features can often be added retrospec-
tively to the firmware.
Although the PIC family of micro-
controllers is well k¡rown (we have
published many projects that employ
PICs), Microchip also manufactures
the lesser-known dsPIC30F series of
microcontrollers.
These are microcontrollers with
has been eã
most older PIC programmers cannot measured using a full-scale LCR meter, 5rI
oo
Dedicated single-cycle DSP opera-
tions like MAC (multiply and accumu- program them, This is due to incom- for example).
@
ôiÊ
N
-€
et s EO
late) allow them to perform real-time patibilities with the pin-outs of the With LK3 fltted, the capacitance
reading decreases by a small amount õ
signal processing using multiple 40-bit dsPIC family.
accumulators. They also incorporate As a result, we have designed
this simple, low-cost dsPIC and PIC
each time it makes a new measure-
ment (which is about five times per
v.
NoE
1
o-.
(j-É
hardware multiplication and division É9
and have surprisingly fast ADC acqui- programmer. It can program all the second). Conversely, if LK4 is fitted <É
sition modes. These features make dsPIC30F family of microcontrollers instead, the microcontroller increases N=
them well-suited to many digital signal that are available in a DIP package, as the capacitance reading by a small 9\l
processing applications. well as almost all regular PICs. It uses increment each time it performs a new ç{ >ì
One such device, the dsPIC30F4011, freely-available software (for the PC) measurement,
Ê ô,:
will feature in a new digital Musicol- and is easy to buiÌd. Each time a change is made, the ad- E (!E q?(!
our lightshow project to be published By the way, if you have ever wanted justment factor is stored in the micro's F ä.2
to experiment with DSPs (digital signal EEPROM and this calibration value is H
soon in SIrtcoN CHIp. This particular
device can perform a real-time FFT processors), the dsPIC30F series is a then applied to future measurements. -
(Fast Fourier Transform) on audio- good starting point. Microchip offers Note also that although the calibration ¿o1 CÐ (Jl!

is made using a "standard" capacitor,

<f35
rã*; J !
'1 É
similar peripherals to those found band signals with ADC acquisition a lot of documentation and source J oé
on standard PICs but which have an modes that can operate at up to 1MS/s code for free on their website vvww. it also affects the inducta¡rce measure- ot
enhanced instruction set augmented (1 million samples per second). It runs microchip.com, ment function. F
I EtØ
with DSP (digital signal processing) at close to 3OMIPs and has 4BkB of In short, the idea is to flt the jumper o CÐ O¡r
(Jo
Programming procedure (J-J ã I
type operations. They are 16-bit mi- proSram memory. to one link or the other (ie, to LK3 or E or!
Our new programmer is based on LK4) until the reading is correct, The €d
crocontrollers and are surprisingly ñ+
powerful, running at speeds in the Programming them the original COMB4 style programmer link is then removed. etË èox
tens of MIPs (millions of instructions The dsPIC30F series of micro- - so named because it was designed to As mentioned above,links LK1-LK4 C'!'N

per second). controllers ate extremely useful but program 1 6FB4 microprocessors from are all left out for normal operation,
MAY 2OOB 43
62 StLtco¡,t Cntp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au

They're only used for troubleshooting
and calibration,
Power supply
Power forthe circuit is derived from
an external 9-12VDC source. This can
come from either a plugpack supply
or from an internal 9V battery. The
switched DC input socket automati-
cally disconnects the battery when the
plugpack supply is connected.
The incoming DC rail is fed via re-
verse polarity protection diode D2 and
power switch 53 to regulator REG1 - a
standard 7805 device. The resulting
+5V rail at REG1's output is then used
to power IC1 and the LCD module.
Construction
Because ituses so fewparts, the unit
is very easy to build, AII the parts, ex-
cept for switches S1-S3 and the Cx/Lx
input terminals, are mounted on a PC
board coded o41o5o81 and measur-
ing 125 x 58mm. The LCD module
connects to a 7x2 DIL pin header at
one end ofthe board and is sup-
ported at either end using M3
Nylon screws and nuts,
Fig.3 shows the parts layout
on the PC board. Here's the
suggested order of fitting the
components to the PC board:
(11. Fit DC power connec-
tor CON1 and the two 1mm PC
board terminal pins for the internal
battery connections.
(2). Fit the six wire links, four of
which go under where the LCD mod-
ule is later frtted, Don't forget the link
immediately below switch S1.
(3). Install lhe 4x2 DIL pin header
used for links LK1-LK4. Note that this
item must be mounted on the copper
side of the board (not on the top), so
that a jumper can later be fitted to any
of the links when the board assembly
is attached to the box lid).
To install this header, just push the
ends of the longer sides of the pins into
the board holes by L-2mm, then solder
them carefuIly to the pads. That done,
push the plastic strip down the pins so
that it rests against the solder joints,
Iines only to flnd that they were alÌ
spot on, As a result, my next move was
to order and change the microproces-
sor. It wasn't all that expensive but
unfortunately it made no difference.
I also kept pressing the three "Diag-
nostic Mode" buttons in the hope that
something might happen andbelieve it
or not, my prayers finally worked when
for a very brief moment the Display
dimly showed "PRV", This was the
clue I so desperately needed, but flrst
a buzz word glossary: (1) "PRI" means
Over Current Protection; (2J "PRV"
means Power Voltage Protection; and
(3) "PRD" mea¡s Power Amplifler VoIt-
age.
The one I was now interested in
therefore was the voltage protection
line to pin 91 of microcontrollerlCs0l,
This involves a network of seven or
eight resistors f¡om the power supply
rails, which together bias pin 91 to
1 ,5V. If any of the supply rails or resis-
tors fail, then the 1.5V would change
and the set would turn off, which was
precisely what was happening,
In fact, a quick check showed that
pin 91 was at just 0.8V. To confirm
my hypothesis, I connected a 10kC)
resistor (as a random example) to the
+5V rail and it was enough to raise the
voltage to 1.5V and enable the micro-
controller, In addition, the Diagnostics
mode could now be fuIIy accessed and
it confi¡med aII the above,
So what had caused this? WelI, it
was really simple from now on. All I
had to do was measure all the resis-
tors from the supply rails to pin 91
(the PRV1 line) of the microcontroller,
WelI, of course, it does sound simple
except that physical access is a prob-
lem and that meant major surgery to
get at those resistors,
Eventually, after a lot ofhard yakka,
I found the @#$%^&. It was R230
Ø7kA) which runs from the +25V
rail on the PRV2 line and plugs into
the PRV1 line via C8104 on the PCB
Input 1 Board.
Now that the unit was working,
I found a secondary problem. The
DVD kept defaulting to "Disco Sound
Mode" and there was no Prol-ogic de-
coding. This fault had previously been
masked by the frrst problem but when
I quizzed the client, he was fortunately
only too well aware that it had been an
existing problem, A new board would
cost in excess of g¿00 but he wasn't
prepared to go that far a¡d was happy
enough to use the unit without the
Prol-ogic sound.
A beautiful Philips
Some of the expensive andbeautiful
sets imported by NAPF Electronics di-
rectly from Philips in Europe are now
coming in for repair even though they
are a bit long in the tooth at around 15
years old, One such set was a Philips
32FL2881.175R employing an FL2G
chassis, It would come on with abeau-
tiful picture and sound for around two
minutes a¡rd then cut off,
The diagnostics available on this
set are read out via seven LEDs on
Computer Board W on the SSP (small
signal panel) inside the set, Four of
these LEDs are also in parallel with
the LEDs on the front panel,
When the fault was present, two
of these LEDs would flash. The big
problem for me was trying to work out
whether these LEDs were numbers L
and 2 (ie, LEDs 6053 & 6051) or 6 and
7, as the manual is very confusing,
However, after studying the manual,
I eventually interpreted the LED read-
outs as indicating a 03 error code mes-
sage. That in turn indicated a problem
in the Proscan Box "H, H1",
The Proscan box takes care of a
number of functions, including (as
far as I can determine) Teletext, PIP
a¡d the aspect ratio. However, being
rather cynical about the reliability of
diagnostic systems, I decided to do
some basic tests myself,
First, I momenta¡ily shorted a cath-
ode of the CRT to ground via a 10kC2
resistor and found that there was no
vertical deflection, Then, despite the
difñcult access, I measured the B+ rails
feeding the vertical output timebase
on the G Board,
These were all OK so I checked for
dry joints, first by tapping the board
and then by heating and cooling the
board, However, there seemed to be
nothing wrong with the output stages
on the G Board,
I had put off'checking the Proscan
Module as it was tlre most inacces-
sible board in the set. It has a lot of
metalwork screening, all held in place
by concealed clips. However, I even-
tually managed to remove this board
from the set and then tried running
the set without it. The sound was now
muchbetter and there was a fulI raster,
albeit with a little vertical foldover in
the centre.
By now, I really felt that I was getting
somewhere, so I reconnected the Pros-
can module (H Board) and applied all
the tests I had just done to the G Board,
It made almost no difference until I hit
it with a lot of freezer, whereupon the
picture momentarily returned.
I took the board out and carefully
examined what appeared to be the
heat sensitive area but initially could
find nothing wrong. However, while
resoldering some possible dry joints, I
suddenly detected a fi.sh-like smell and
instantly knew that I had electrolytic
capacitor problems.
In the end, I changed a number
of "fishy" electros, including C2046
(10pF), C2o64 (100¡rFJ and Czo8t
(szllF). However, my money was re-
ally on C2O92, a 47¡tF electro in the
"Watchdog" circuit.
Replacing all four and cleaning the
board restored the picture completely.
Shorting the Service Mode Test Points
526 and 527 on the SSP then brought
up all the error codes since the set
was last used, in this case 08, 03, 04,
26 & 99,
After I switched the set to Standby
and tried again, I was rewarded with
five zeros, meaning that there were no
more elrols. sc

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44 SILIC)N CHIP siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 61,
 Senvfle@milamos
I 14 P Ð nfi ilf t ìl F 0 fl Ãl lTl 0ll
FRL: ov¿n (ueee¡n
PRcrfEfTroN
PRVg PowEeVour¡e
Rørg¿to^l
å PowgR
VourÊÉE
TAaX (uoor< Frtcs
LÊDl Àotrt
Ptxeuers
USB? M¡pc:r ù\t
Roeee
OK, why did it go into an uncontrol-
lable howl?
This oscillation had to be caused
by feedback, so I shorted out the (ob-
viously) positive feedback to ground
from the output transformer and the
howling stopped instantly, I then
rewired the output leads so that it cor-
rectly gave negative feedback instead
of positive feedback and that frxed the
problem completely,
The original valve (V2) was faulty
or low emission, How someone had
managed to wire the leads the wrong
way round was a bit of a mystery as
their lengths made it impossible to
do it any other way without extend-
ing them.
This successful repair has meant
that I am now required to repair more
ancient valve equipment from the
same owner, starting with a 2-valve
AM tuner. If only there was decent
money in it!
A sick Sony
We sold a Sony KV-D432M36 CRT
TV to a clientback in 2005. It perform-
ed flawlessly up until a few weeks ago,
when the owner called complaining of
a poor picture,
When I got there, I found that the
picture was washed out. It was as
though there was no luminance, and
yet the OSD menus were all OK and
the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) was also
good. However, you could not swap
60 stLtco¡tt cntp
[,og : æffinwú
the picture quality over between the
main picture and the PIP.
/P0) There were no error codes and all
the B+ levels looked OK, so there
was nothing for it but to take
this extremely heavy set to the
workshop and dustthe cobwebs
off the CRO.
I was mainly interested in
finding out where the main
luminance was disappear-
ing, Tracing the signal path
was extremely difÊcult but I
managed to follow it through
onto digital signal board BH1
from the AVSW, comb filter
and A boards. From there, it
goes via a low-pass filter to a
Helios microprocessor (IC3 301,
cxD3BosAQ),
I soon realised I was out of my
depth and frgured that this Z40-pin
surface mounted IC was not for me to
tackle, Instead, I ordered an expensive
BH1 replacement board (Part No. A-
1.084-427-A) and crossed my fingers
that I had done the right thing.
You can imagine my relief when I
plugged the new one in and was re-
warded with an excellent picture on
all channels.
The freebie LCD TV
Recently, a colleague gave me a A Yamaha RX-V596 AV Prologic re-
small Toshiba LCD TV (14JLzAJ that
he had given up repairing, with the
intent that I use it for spare parts. It
came without its 19V power supply
and I was told that there was no picture
and only intermittent sound.
Ever the optimist, I thought that
I would give it a go before I started
robbing it for parts, using a regulated
bench power supply which at a stretch
I could crank up to 1BV. You can im-
agine my surprise when I got not only
full sound but an excellent picture as
well, Obviously, I thought, the fault
must be intermittent so I left it on to
soak test but the hours stretched into
days with no sign of any fault,
The next time I saw my friend the
conversation drifted onto this TV He
was dumbfounded when I told him
that it was working perfectly and that
I hadn't done anything to fix it. I then
hassled him for the original power
supply (what are friends for?) which
he eventually found and I took it back
to my workshop,
When I plugged it in, I measured
the output on the DC plug to be spot
on, However, when I connected it to
the Toshiba LCD TV, I saw for the first
time the symptoms my friend had
described. I could also see why it had
"fooled" him. If I had not originally
connected my own power supply, I
would have also said that the fault was
in the TV itself.
Anyway, I noticed that if you lis-
tened carefully to the fuIly enclosed
power supply, you could hear a rus-
tling noise as though a cockroach had
got inside! As a result, I prised open
the glued plastic case and took a look
at the PC board.
I quickly noticed that the solder
joint on D2 had been getting quite
hot and when I measured the FR107
diode, it was short circuit, I had the
usual "kerfuffle" of trying to source a
replacement and eventually settled for
a UF4007, I also replaced C1L, a47¡tF
25V electro which fed the FET,
At switch on, I was delighted to see
that the TV now came on perfectly
with this supply. What's more, the
cockroach had taken his rustle away!
Having frxed it, I decided to keep
this little set as it's really quite nice
- and it needs soak testing! It's just a
shame that I didn't get the stand that
goes with it,
Yamaha Prologic receiver
ceiver was Ieft at reception DOA (dead
on arrival), the customer requesting a
cheap Lazarus job,
My only comment to that request
was that you can have one or the other
but not both. Anyway, the money
eventually talked loud enough for me
to get stuck into it,
Apparently, following a thunder-
storm, the receiver would no longer
switch on. In fact, there were no lights
and no display - it would just click
and then turn off.
This is a complex unit with an
equally complex "Diagnostic Mode"
which, when selected, tricks the mi-
croprocessor and bypasses the protec-
tion circuits, To start this diagnostic
program, you have to hold down the
righthand "Preset /Tuning" and "A/
BICID|E' keys while simultaneously
pressing the "StandbylOn" button,
Submenu 1 will then start.
Unfortunately, none of this was
working, so I checked out all the power
siliconchip.com.au
These binders will protect your
copies of SlLlcoN CHte. They
feature heavy-board covers & are
made from a distinctive 2-tone
green vinyl.They hold 12 issues &
leaving the clean outer ends of all pins
free to take a jumper shunt, ffifb2 @aefltorGodæ will look great on your bookshelf.
(41, Fit aTx2DIL pin header for the
Value pF Code IEC Code EIA Code
* 80mm internalwidth
LCD module connections. This header
is fitted to the top of the PC board in 0.1pF 100n
100nF 104 * SrLrcoN CH|P logo pr¡nted in
gold-coloured lettering on spine &
the usual way. 1nF .001¡rF 1n 102 cover
(5). Install the 11 resistors, seven of 33pF NA 33p 33
which go under the LCD module, Table * Buy five and get them postage
1 shows the resistor colour codes but free!
you should also check each resistor ule and the PC board, while a third Prlce: $413.95 plus $47 p&p per
using a DMM before soldering it to nut with an integral washer is fitted order. Avallable only in Aust.
the board. to secure the assembly under the PC
(6), InstaÌl trimpot VR1, followed by board, Note that when you're fitting Silicon Chip Publications
inductor L1 and reed relay RLY1. the module to the top of the board, it
(z). Fit the five non-polarised capaci- shouldbe lowered carefully so that the P0 Box 139
tors, followed by the 10pF tantalum, holes at the lefthand end slip down Gollaroy Beach 2097
the two 10pF RB electrolytics and the over the pins of ltre 7x2 DIL strip frt-
Or call (02) 9939 3295; or fax (02)
22pF RB electrolytic, Note that the tan- ted ea¡lier.
9939 2648 & quote your credit
talum capacitor and the electroÌytics (10), Solder the 14 pin connections
card number.
are polarised, so take care with their on the top of the LCD module using a
orientation. fine-pointed iron.
(B). Install relay RLY1, the 18-pin
socket for IC1 and the 4MHz crystal
(rr). Plug the programmed
16F62BA (ICl,) into its socket, then
PIC- ':i'lioltT- r r r
X1. Follow these parts with diodes D1 fit four M3 x 15mm tapped spacers to Enclosed is my cheque/monev order for
¡ ¡
& D2 and regulator REG1. the PC board mounting points. Secure
| $- or Please debit mY I
Note that the regulator's leads are these spacers using M3 x 6mm pan-
bent downwards through g0' 6mm head screws. | trvisa EMastercard I
from its body, so that they pass through That completes the board assembly. I card No: I
the holes in the board, Before soldering It can now be placed to one side while II
its leads, secure its metal tab to the PC
board using an M3 x 6mm machine
you work on the case.
tl
screw and nut. Preparing the case I Card Expiry Date I
(9). Secure the LCD module to the ,ts shown in the photos, the PC I Signature -/- I
PC board, using four M3 x 12mm board assembly is mounted on the lid I I
cheesehead Nylon screws and 12 nuts of a standard UB3-size jiffy box, Name
If you're building the Digital LC I I
fthree on each screw). Fig,4 shows the Address
detaiÌs, Meter from a kit, the plastic case will I I
At each mounting point, two plain probably be supplied with all holes I p/code_ |
nuts act as spacers between the mod- drilled and with screen printed letter- L--rrrrrr --J
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 45

LONG CSK H
M3 SCREì¡/S
4x2 HEADER
scRE\ /s wfflt MUnnE Nufs llKr {rúrl
lsMAüfR coMPoNB.¡TS NOT SrlOWN,
side view shows the completed PC-board and lid assenbly, ready for
installation in the case.
ing for the front panel, If so, it will be
simply a matter of frtting the switches
and binding posts to the lid.
Note that slide switch SL is secured
usingtwo M2 x 6mmmachine screws,
while 52 & 53 are mounted using their
own mounting nuts and lockwashers,
The binding posts mount to the panel
in the same way.
If you have to drill the case holes
yourself, you can use a copy of the
Cnp website and printed onto photo-
uD ot Fig.4: here's how graphic paper. It can then be attached
BOX the assembly goes to the lid using an even smear of neu-
together. The tral-cure silicone sealant ald the holes
LCD module is
cut out using a sharp hobby knife.
mounted using
lSmm IONG
Once all the panel hardware is in
M3 TAP9ED Nylon screws
SPACERS and nuts, while place, the next step is to fit the PC
the completed board, The first thing to note here is
board assembly that the rear lugs of switches 52 & 53
óm LOù.lG is attached to the will pass through their PC pads when
M3 SCREWS case lid using M3 the board is mounted on the lid, with
x 15mm tapped just enough metal protruding to al-
s¡racers and low soldering, This also applies to
FOR CLARITYI rnachine sc¡ews,
the binding post terminals. However,
slide switch Sl's lugs are not long
enough for this, so after the switch is
mounted on the lid, a short length of
tinned copper wire (eg, a resistor lead
offcut) mustbe soldered to each lug to
extend its length.
By the way, when you're
. fitting these short extension
wires, it's a good idea to
make a small hook at the end
of each wire and pass it through
the lug's holebefore squeezing
it with needle-nose pliers. The
idea here is to ensure that, once
soldered, it's not going to fall out when
the lower ends of the wires are later
soldered to the board pads.
Once the extension wires have been
fitted, you should be able to fit the PC
front panel artwork as a drilling tem- board assembly on the lid so that all
plate. In addition, you wiII have to the switch and binding post leads pass
drill/ream a 1-0mm diameter hole in through their matching board holes.
the righthand end of the box to give That done, you can fasten it all together
access to the DC connector (CONl), using fourM3 x 6mm countersinkhead
This hole shouldbe positioned 22mm screws which pass through the front
from the lront edge of the case and of the lid and into the spacers.
9mm down from the lid, so that it The assembly can nowbe completed
aligns correctly with CON1,. by soldering the switch and binding
That done, the front panel artwork post leads arrd by fitting the battery
can be downloaded from the SucoN snap connector,
wear but still working [just).
The new owner really only wanted
to use it for spare parts and removed
the output transformer to use in anoth-
er amplifier. But then, some years later,
he decided to reinstall the transformer
back into the original Ace Radio unit
to get it working again.
When he did, the output was lower
than normal and he noticed that if he
removed one of the output valves (V4)
EL84/68Q5), the sound actually got
louder, However, if he removed the
other output valve (V3) instead, there
was no sound!
Not sure of the condition of the
valves, he swapped them around with
the other amplifier. Most made no
difference but swapping the ECCB3/
1,2AX7 (V2) caused the amplifier to
go into an uncontrollable howl. And
that's when he brought it in to me,
Not having a circuit diagram but
being of Pommie descent, I recognised
the design to be based loosgly on the
Mullard 5-L0. And fortunately, I still
had my bible "Mullard Circuits for Au-
dio Amplifiers", 2nd Edition August
1960 which I acquiredwhen Ibuiltmy
Stern-Clyne kit from London (along
with many others).
The Ace Radio version still had
wax capacitors and old style resistors
where the body colour was the first
digit. I began by measuring the voltages
on the outputs and soon discovered
that one of them was switched off at
the phase splitter, The EFB6/6BKB was
also nearly switched off too,
Anyway, bearing in mind its 4O-year
old status, it was hard to know where
to start. I began with the old capacitors,
changing them for the later Philips
beige axial polyesters and rounding
the .05¡rF units to .o47¡tF. The elec-
trolytics were also replaced, with the
25pF and 16pF units replacedby 22pF
capacitors,
Some of the resistors in this old cor-
roded amplifrer were very much the
worse for wear. These included the
325Ç) wirewound cathode resistors
on the output valves, I replaced these
with 330Q units and out of interest, These are the four 3300¡rF electrolytic
capacitors removed from the Gigabyte
checked the old resistors on my DMM.
They were long way from the marked GA-7VKML motherboard (all carried
a
a "GSC" brand). Note the bulging tops
values.
and the leaking electrolyte.
The old Ace Radio amplifier had
been modifi.ed and repaired several
times during its long life, so I couldn't
be certain as to its exact original con-
flguration. Unfortunately, after replac-
ing most of the remaining resistors and
capacitors with new high-stability
types, the symptoms were still the
same. I also noticed that the two
output cathodes had been strapped
together with no parallel electros - not
that this made any difference to the
symptoms.
I was beginning to suspect the Fer-
guson output transformer, so I tried This view shows a mangled USB Port
swapping the leads around from one (circled) on a colleague's notebook
valve to a¡rother but it made no differ- computer. Note how the pins are all
ence. I then disconnected the negative
sitting in mid-air.
feedback from the output stage and
that too made no difference. ets in case the sea water had made
I did notice, however, that if Vr them conductive but as usual, it was
(EF86/6BKS) was removed, all the a case of a lot of different symptoms
voltages in the rest of the amplifler a¡rd not knowing which ones were
returned to normal. As a result, I spent significant,,
a lot of time checking its operating In fact it was the ECCB3iIZAX7
conditions. I even went to the extent valve (V2) that gave the important
of replacing the old rusty valve sock- clue. Assuming its replacement was

DIGITAL tC METER @G)

Checkout & calibration
TRUE AUDIOPHILE SFEAKERS
o@ Your LC Meter is now ready for test-
ing and calibration, To do this, first Danish Engineered Speaker Drivers for
connect a plugpack supply or a 9V
alkaline battery to the unit, set slider Astonishing Sound Reproduct¡on w¡th
@ switch 51 to the "Capacitance" posi- Clarity & Outstand¡ng Performance
tion and switch on using 53. As soon
".A
tcD
ootTRAsf as power is applied, the message "CaIi- Tymphany & DST bring toqether Peerless & FindSpecs/deta¡lsonl¡ne:
brating" should appeil on the LCD ::ã.l;:3.""i.;lî"#illoo=,#åi:' ;äffi ::1 www. d -s-t.co m.a u

Elrurf* Ac'vE
Ö o'ìD

#)
for a second or two, then the disPlaY
should change to read "C = NN.N pF",
where NN.N is less than 10pF, AY¡
the past 80 years. V¡s¡t: www.d-s-t.com.au

o
:
If this happens, then your meter is wagner Ele<tronlcs
o probably working couectly, so just vifa innovation lives on
o@Y
l3SLlYe lRoa4
CAPACÍÎAÍICE lilDuqf flCE
POWER @o leave it for a minute or two to let the
test oscillator stabilise. During this
Ashffeld, NSW,213l
,Phone:02-979&9233

f.z SCANSPEAK
Far02-979&{þ17
Fig.s: this full-size front-panel artwork
- can be used as a drilling template for time the capacitance reading may vary Emall: sa les@'vagner.netau

the front panel. The artwork is also on the SILICON CHIP website. stightly by a few tenths of a picofarad Web: wwuwagner.net"au

MAY 2OO8 5g
46 Stucow Cntp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au

Scnvfioemnamos [oS
USING A I{Of IR'NIWIÍH A
FINE-?' tNfÉÞ .f\ P rf "rJVß,IGéLÉD
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a multilayer board is never easy, as
care has to be taken not to damage
the tiny pads or any adjacent tracks.
However, by using a hot iron with a
fine-pointed tip, I was eventually able
to "wriggle" each capacitor out of its
mounting holes. I then used a needle
which I heated with the soldering
iron to clear the holes of solder before
installing fournew 3300pF 10V (105")
low-ESR capacitors into the vaca¡t
positions.
That done, I sat the motherboard
on a cardboard box, plugged in the
power supply and briefly shorted the
motherboard's power switch pins. The
power supply immediately started, so
it looked like the problem was solved.
AII that remained now was to re-install
the motherboard in the case, plug in all
the cables and batten down the hatches
- or so I thought,
Well I did thatbutwhen I attempted
to restart the computer for a fi¡ral test, it
was as dead as a dodo again. What was
going on? I'd fixed the faulty capacitors
but there was obviously another fault
Iurking in the works somewhere.
I decided to see if I could make the
problem go away by disconnecting
each item in turn. It didn't take long
58 sn¡co¡¡ cutp
- @ffiffiffiwfl
"Æþ
rrr4)
to nail the culprit. Disconnecting the
supply connectors to the disk drives
made no difference but when I discon-
nected the front-panel USB connec-
tor cable from the motherboard and
pressedthe power switch, the machine
immediately switched on!
In fact, after reconnecting power
to the disk drives, it booted straight
into Windows and behaved normally,
Duck's computer was back in action!
Mangled USB ports
A close inspection of the two front-
panel USB sockets revealed that the
contacts in both had been thoroughly
mangled. These contacts usually lie
flat on a plastic base but inbotlr cases,
they had been lifted up and pushed
to the rear of the socket, so that all
contacts were bent and shorted to the
metal housing,
That also meant that the power
supply contacts in both sockets were
shorted to earth. The motherboard
had been detecting this short and as a
result, had been refusing to start the
power supply.
In the end, the cure was simple - just
leave the USB cable disconnected and
seal the two faulty front-panel USB
connectors. Replacing them wasn't
an option, as they are moulded into a
fltting which also includes the front-
panel audio output and microphone
sockets,
It's not uncommon
Apparently, damage to USB sockets
is not uncommon. In fact, when I men-
tioneditto a colleague, he immediately
showed me anotebook computerwith
a damaged USB socket that had all its
metal contacts sitting in mid-air (see
photo). Another colleague had also
encountered several computers with
similar damage to USB sockets
It's probably due to the plug being
forced upwards (or downwards) as
some heavy-handed person "yanks" it
out of the socket. When that happens,
the plug acts as a lever and bends the
plastic base inside the socket as it is re-
moved. The base subsequently springs
back into place but the metal contact
strips don't and are Ieft stranded in
mid-air.
The next time someone attempts to
plug in a USB cable, itwon'tfi.tbecause
the ends of these metal contacts now
butt against the plastic base inside the
plug. Any attempt to force the plug in
only mangles the contacts further.
In Duck's machine, someone must
have applied considerable force to the
USB connector because the contacts
had all been bent to the rear of both
sockets. Apparently, there are strong
suspicions as to just who this person
might have been but DNA samples
have yet to be taken.
Duck should wring his neck!
An ancient valve amplifier
Many people out there are beginning
to realise that a lot of old (and not so
old) technology is fast disappearing
into landfill. In particular, most old
valve equipment has long gone, apart
from that remaining in the hands of a
few enthusiasts.
Occasionally, however, the odd
piece of valve gear does come my way
for repair. For example, I was recently
asked to repair an old Ace Radio (Mar-
rickville) audio amplifi.er from the
early 1960s.
This particular unit had been used
as a PA amplifier at Manly Wharf for
many years, It had then been donated
to Dee Why Surf Club and used until,
one day, it a¡rd its accessories were
swamped by a small tsunami. It was
then sold off cheaply, a little worse for
siliconchip.com.au
Fig.6: this is what appears on the
LCD screen after zeroing the unit in
capacitance mode.
as everything settles down - that's
normal.
Now press "Zere" button 52 for
a second or two and release it, This
forces the microcontroller to start up
again and recalibrate, so you'll briefly
see the "Calibrating" message again
a¡rd then "C = 0.0pF", This indicates
that the microcontroller has balanced
out the stray capacitance and reset its
zero reference.
Troubleshooting
If you don't get any messages dis-
played on the LCD, chances are that
you've connected either the battery
snap lead or the plugpack lead's con-
nector with reversed polarity. Check
the supply connections carefully. With
power applied, you should be able to
measure +5V on pin 14 of IC1 with
respect to ground.
Alternatively, if you get some mes-
sages-on the LCD but they're not as
described, it's time to check that the
meter's test oscillator is working prop-
erly. To do this, switch off, fit jumper
shunt LK2 (ie, at the back of the board),
then apply power and watch the
LCD. After the "Calibrating" message,
the micro should display an 8-digit
number which represents the oscilla-
tor frequency F1, This should be be-
tween about 00042000 and 00058000,
if your components for L1 and C1 are
within the usual tolerance.
If the figure you get for F1 is
'00000000", your test oscillator isn't
YcII.JFISELF
GINIYGIIJFI
VEETRI
Adaptor Board Fot Vety Small Gapacitors
H.ACE SMD CAPACIÍOR HERE
HN TACKS
ru,G BOD{ES
&HN lAcl(s
SOIDEREDÌO
ISHOMNG BAR'FOR
rc BOARDCOPPER ZEROING MEIER IN
INDI'EÍAI.ICE MODE
Fig.7: the adaptor board (left) is designed
to facilitate the neasurement of very snall
capacitors, including SMD devices. The
"shorting bar" (above, right) allows easier
zeroing of the meter in its inductance mode.
O HELP MEASURE very small Thatdone, thetwo pin jacks (cutfrom
I capacitors -
including trimmers a SIL or DIL socket strip) are soldered
and SMD capacitors - we have de- into the two smaller holes.
s¡gned a small adaptor board which To use this adaptor board, you sim-
can be plugged into the mete/s bind- ply plug it into the top of the Digital LC
ing post terminals. This adaptor board Meter's binding posts and then press
provides a pa¡r of closely spaced pin the Zero button to force the meter to
jacks, along with copper pads sepa- cancel out the additional stray capaci-
rated by a lmm gap. tance. You can then measure small
The pin jacks make it easier to leaded capac¡tors, tr¡mmers or SMD
measure small leaded capacitors and capacitors s¡mply by app¡ying them to
very small trimmers, while the copper the top of the adaptor.
pads alongside are for measuring Finally, we have also designed a
SMD capacitors. second small adaptor board which
The adaptor board is easily assem- acts a "shorting bai'. lt connects be-
bled. lt mounts copper-side-up on two tween the two normal binding posts of
banana plugs, which are soldered to the Digital LC Meter, to allow zeroing
thecopperaround the two large holes. of the meter in its inductance mode.
working and you will need to switch Ifyou do get a figure in the correct
off a¡d look for the cáuse. The possi- range, write the value down, then
bilities include missed solder joints, a switch off and transfer the jumper
poor solder joint involving one of the shunt to the LK1 position, Re-apply
oscillator components, or perhaps a power and check that the LCD now
tiny sliver of solder bridging adjacent shows a different 8-digit number after
tracks or pads. calibrating. This will be F2 - ie, the
For yoar nearesl dealer localion, call
Port Melbourne,
Victoria 3207
 SERVICEM'SLOG
figure, quickly remove the jumper to
end the calibration adjustment.
Conversely, if the meter's reading for
The Digital LC Meter described in this article is based on a 1998 design by the known capacitor is too high, fol-
Neil Hecht of "Almost All Digital Electronics", in Auburn, Washington USA low the same procedure but with the
(see his website at www.aade.com).
Mr Hecht's design used a PlC16C622 microcontroller, togetherwith an LM311
jumper in the LK3 position. This will
cause the micro to decrement the me-
ter's scaling factor each time it makes
Who mangled Duck's USB ports?
comparator in the measuring oscillator. His firmware also made use of float- a measurement and as before, the idea
ing-point maths routines for PIC processors. These was written by Frank J. is to remove LK3 as soon as the reading
Testa and made available on the website of PIC manufacturer Microchip
Technology (www.m icroch i p.com).
reaches the correct figure.
If you are not fast enough in remov-
Nothing comes even close to computers when Items Covered This Month
Since then, various people have produced modified versions of the design, ing the jumper during either of these ranking gear that's stuffed by consumers. As e Gigabyte GA-7VKML mother-
including Australian radio amateur Phil Rice, VKSBHR of Bendigo, Victoria.
Mr Rice and others have also modified the firmware and adapted it to use the
calibration procedures, the microcon-
troller will "overshoot". In that case,
a result, I usually try to avoid fixing them board
PlC16F628 micro with its internal comparator.They also added the firmware you simply need to use the opposite but niece Duck's computer was different. ¡ Ace Radio audio amplifier
calibration facility. Further information on Mr Rice's version can be found on procedure to bring the reading back
the website of the Midland Amateur Radio Club (www.marc.org.au). to the correct figure. In fact, you may
. SonyKV-DA32M36CRTTV
I have a niece who, at the tender age When I removed the side panel, I set
ln summary a great deal of the credit for this latest version of the design must need to adjust the cal.ibration back and
go to those earlier designers. The author acknowledges their work. forth a few times until you satisfied of three, was nicknamed "Duck". WelI, immediately spotted two obviously . Yamaha RX-V596 Prologic
that it is correct, Duck stuck and now at the even more faulty electrol¡ic capacitors between receiver
As previously mentioned, the PIC tender age of 16, she's still lumbered the processor ard the memory sockets.
microcontroller saves its scaling factor with that stupid name, Both had bulging tops which were r Philips 32FL28üT5RTV set
(FL2G chassis)
oscillator frequency when capacitor curate calibration, you'll have to rely in its EEPROM after every measure- Recently, Duck's computer failed covered in abrown crust due to leaking
C2 is switched in parallel with C1. on the meter's own self-calibration ment during these calibration proce- and who better to fix it than this little electrol5rte. Then I spotted two more
Because the two capacitors are (which relies largely on the accuracy of dures. That means that you only have black duck? The complaint was that identical capacitors with bulging tops
nominally the same value, F2 should capacitor C2). In this case, just remove to do the calibration once. Note also the computer was dead. Not even the ald leaking electrol¡e in anotfrer sec- something else on the motherboard
be very close to 77V" of F1, That's any jumpers from LK1-LK4 arrd fityour when yeu calibrate the meter in this power supply was starting up, tion of the motherboard. failed as well? There was only one
because doubling the capacitance re- meter assembly into its box, using the way using a known value capacitor, When the box arrived, I hooked Soit was beginning to appear that way to find out andthatwas to replace
duces the frequency by a factor egual self-tapping screws provided to hold it's also automatically calibrated for it up and pressed tlle power switch. it was a motherboard fault that was them. If it worked, it worked, If it
to the square root of two (ie, 71"12 = everything together. inductance measurements, Nothing happened - it was as dead preventing the power suppiy from didn't, then the motherboard would
O.7O7).If your reading for F2 is well The battery sits in the bottom of as a dodo. starting up. That's because, on an ATX be a "bin job".
away from 71.1o of F1, you may need the case. It is secured by wrapping it Using it This was going to be easy, After all, machine, the power switch is con- I removed the motherboa¡d and
to replace C2 with another capacitor in foam, so that it is firmly wedged The Digital LC Meter is easy to use. as everyone knows, if you press the nected to two pins on the motherboard took a closer look at the leaking ca-
whose value is closer to C1, in place when the lid assembly is Initialiy, you just switch it on, set 51 power switch and nothing happens, arrd it's the motherboard that then pacitors, They were all 33oopF 6,3V
On the other hand, if F2 is exactly fltted. to "Capacitance" (NOT "Inductance"), it's just got to be the power supply. starts the power supply (via the main types branded "GSC". A quick Google
the same as F1, this suggests that RLY1 wait a minute or two for it to stabilise Yeah, right! connector) when the power switch is of "GSC 3300pF" showed that these
is not actually switching C2 in at aII. Fine-tuning the calibration a¡rd then zero it using pushbutton 52. pressed. blighters have caused problems on lots
This could be due to a poor solder If you do have capacitor of known
a It's then just a matter of connecting The question was, was it just the of other motherboards over tle years,
joint on one of RLY1's pins oryoumay value þecause you've been able to the unknown component to the test capacitors that were faulty or had not just on this 6-year-old Gigabyte
have wired it into the boardthe wrong measure it with a high-accuracy LCR terminals, selecting "Capacitance" or GA-7VKML.
way around. meter), you can easily use it to fine- "Inducta¡ce" using S1 and reading the Before replacing the motherboard
Once you do get sensible readings tune the Digital LC Meter's calibra- component's value off the LCD, capacitors, I decided to test the power
for F1 a¡rd FZ, your Digital LC Meter tion. Alternatively, you can zero the supply. Whe+ not hooked up to a
will be ready for calibration and/or First, switch the unit on and let it Digital LC Meter on the "Inductance" motherboard, most ATX supPlies can
use. If you don't have a capacitor of go through its "Calibrating" and "C = range by fitting the shorting bar shown be started simply by applying power
known value to perform your own ac- NN.N pF" sequence. That done, wait in Fig.7 (since this bar has virtually and shorting the green wire on the
a minute or two and press the Zero zero inductance). This shorting bar is main connector plug (ie, the one that
button, ensuring that the LCD then initially connected between the test plugs into the motherboard) to an
tldng A E€dt[t Lf.ti shows the correctly zeroed message terminals and switch 52 then pressed adjacent black wire (ground).
to zero the reading. That done, the It's also a good idea to connect a
Either the Jaycar QP-5515 LCD - ie, "C = 0.0 pF". load, as some supplies won't start
Next, connect your known-value shorting bar is removed and the un-
module (no backlight) or the QP- capacitor to the test terminals and known inductor connected to the test without one. In this case, I connected
5516 LCD module (with backlight) note the reading. It should be fairly terminals. an old floppy drive to the supply and
can be used with this project. close to the capacitor's value but may Note that if you don't have 51 used a paper clip to short the green and
lf you intend running the unit from
be somewhat high or low. (Capacitance/Inductance) in the cor- black wires on the plug. The power
a plugpack or if battery use will only If the reading is too low, install LK4 rect position, the micro will usually supply fan immediatelyburst into life
be for short periods, then the backlit give an "Ovet Range" error message and I was able to confirm that the
on theback of the board and watch the
QP-5516 can be used. Alternatively, LCD display. Every 200ms or so, the on the LCD, This will also occur if +5V and +t2Vrails were present
for general battery use, we recom- reading will increment as the PIC mi- the component's value is outside the on the disk drive connectors.
mend the QP-5515 - its current crocontroller adjusts the meter's scal- meter's measuring range - ie, above Having clearedthe power sup-
consumption is much lower and so ing factor in response to the jumper. As about B00nF for capacitors or 70mH ply, I went back to the mother-
the battery will last a lot longer. soon as the reading reaches the correct for inductors. DUC K rS <o[.¡PufER FAILED,,, board. Removing capacitors from

siliconch MAY 2OOB

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It checks most types of
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Component video LT-3038
I çt_ Frequency response: 40Hz- lkïz
TFT display screens Component video & digital audio LT-3039 û o
(Use OM-3752 7" Mon¡tor available
.Currentdraw:13Amp features an easy to . CW-2192 5" SOWRMS $24.95
and your car computer is ready to go
o 80(L) x 70(W) x 92(H)mm readEL backlight : . CW-2'196 8" goWRMS $34 95
Was $99.00 inctudins mountins bracker $19.95 Was S39.95 a o CW-2199 12" 225WRMS $44 95

2 JilgtrdF Befter- More Technical FOR INFORMATION AND ORDERING FOB INFORMATION AND ORDERING
Better, More Technical 7
TEIEPHoNE> 1800 f22 888

A fantastic range of 25 electr¡cal science kits that will give your children an insight into the wonderful world of science Each kit is a project in itself and will help
develop your child's scientific knowledge, and dexterity Kits are supplied with almost everything you need to construct the project Here's just a few examples
Eleclromagnetic Playground ¡ Balloon Bacer Ex[elimenls
Construct an electromagnetic swing . Discover the concept of propulsion
and see-saw while learning about
magnetism. . Supplied w¡th pump and 3 x balloons
. Base size 112(W) x 110(D) x S(H)mm . Car Size: 75(W) x 120(L) x 35(H)mm
. Requires 2 x AA batteries . Suitable for ages Syrs+
"Ple Champ" Uelsatile Preamplifier
Refer Silicon Chip 07/94
This tiny preamp was specifically
designed to be used with the
'Champ' amplifier KC-5.1 52,
Unless you have a signal of
suff icient amplitude the
'Champ' will not produce its
maximum power output The 'Pre-
Champ' is the answer w¡th a ga¡n in
excess of 40d8, which is more than enough
for most applications, You cân vary the ga¡n by
changing a resistor and there is even provision on
the PCB for an electret
microphone Use AM-4010
. Power requirement 6-12VDC
. Kit includes PCB and electronic components
. Can be battery powered
IED Battery Uoltage lndicator
Refer: Eleetronics Aust¡alia Sept 1995
This tiny circuit measures just 25mm x 25mm and
will provide power indication and low voltage
indication using a bi-colour LED, and can be used in
just about any piece of battery operated equipment
Current consumption is only 3mA at 6V and 8mA at
10V and the circuit is suitable for equipment
powered from about 6-30VDC With a simple circuit
change, the bi-colour LED will produce a red glow
to indicate that the voltage has EXCEEDED a preset
value.
. PCB, bicolour LED and all
ïempmaster l(il
Ref: Silicon Chip June 2005
This project turns a regular
ill":"#";ii "'''o .-'.*
fridoe or freezer into a
the ,n.
accurately controlling *-"[8fl
temperature between "Wå i
2.5-33" makins it \f + f
forwine storage. * .'
suitable I f I
Kit supplied with PCB , panel mount
ma¡ns socket, mains lead, machined
case with screen printed lid and all
electronic components.
6 IAgtrAf Befter. More
Science Time Kits USB to IDE & SAIA Hard 0fiue Adaplor 5 Poil 100/1000]{-Way Gisabit Switch
A must have tool for PC technicians! This clever device will allow you to use This high performãnce. 5 port, 10/100/1000
an ordinary IDE or SATA disk drive on a USB 2 0 interface N-Way switch ¡s a cost effective means
of increasing network performance and
Bobolic Bubble Blower
Build this ôutomatic bubble blower
Uolcanic Eru[t¡on K¡t
You can even connect an IDE drive and a SATA sìmultaneously
and transfer data between them The adaptor and hard drive reducing congestion The switch also
supports auto-negotiation which allows
Expeilments can be powered from the USB port for smaller (2 5") hard
while building a racing car. device complete with gears and a Find out why volcanoes erupt and drives An external power supply is included to power each port to be operated at a different
liquid tank. how the pressure is derived from speed while maintaining maximum throughput
¡ Size 111(W) x 120(L) x 130(H)mm magma and gas Comprehensive front panel indicators show connect¡on
. Supplied with goggles, status and activity I VAC power pack included
and volcano cup
. 1 Oyrs+
Storage for up to 60 CDs Each
sleeve holds 4 discs with a
protective divider Silver finish
with carry¡ng handle
computer Simply connect to a o Dimensions: 280(L) x 185(W)
USB port and ¡nstall the software x 52(H)mm
provided Move between the main Exchange data between your PC
Kit Grystal Radio 3 Mette lB L¡gnt Beam and secondary screen as easily as
sliding your mouse across Perfect for
Don't be fooled by its tiny size
Th¡s little beauty has all the
and all the flash memory cards
currently on the market One
Enjoy AM broadcasting without using With a range of about 3 metres, this kit will viewing large spreadsheets or running two functions of larger adaptors but simple solution, no need for
battery or other power sources ldeal for indicate using an LED when a person or d¡fferent applications in full screen mode, without will sit almost unnoticed in your different card readers for different
entry-level students or hobbyist w¡th object interrupts the infrared light beam Use overlapping windows, notebook's USB pon Just 23mm electronic devices.
little electronics experience lncludes it across a doorway or across an assembly . Requires Windows 2000, XP or V¡sta long, including the USB
o Measures 70(W) x
circuit explanation Kit supplied with line. Connect a relay or use the relay card
. Supports resolution up ro 1280 x 1024 40(D)mm
sìlk-screened PCB (81x53mm), crystal, KG-g142 for a relay output PCB dimensions:
. Software included
prewound coil, earphone and all 20 x 30mm. Kit supplied with Kwik Kit PCB,
. Adaptor measures 80(L) x 40(W) x 20(H)mm
inf rared transm¡tter/receiver diodes,
magnifying lens and all
electronic components
- f-
9-12VDC operation
use plugpack Cat e Displays the computer's video signal on two This tone generator is a highly
practical network installation and
monitors Great for small presentat¡ons,
education, and remote troubleshooting tool and allows
cables to be easily traced by
$il.95 monitoring etc
.lnput 15 pin the probe. even when
D male
Display specials, opening hours, or just the time of cables are in a bundìe
. Outputs 15 pin day w¡th this attention-getting display lt can be or hidden in punch
usB Expefimenter's lnteilace l(it Digital Multimeter Kit D female
programmed with its remote control or via the
RS-232 interface. Software & RS-232 cable
included
down blocks or wall
plates
Learn everything there . Wall mounting
is to know about 4 Port Video Spl¡tter $99 95
Cat YN-8099 also available $79.95
o 50 x 7 LED dot matrix 3169.95
. 435(L) x 97(H) x 37(D)mm
Hub
Greenhouse
E
state of external ln-Desk 4 Pott USB 2.0 VtBtt) USB Diqital Mobile Microsco[e
sw¡tches or controls
. Two variable gain analogue inputs that connect to comprehensive kit This unique USB hub is built No green thumb? Simply sow your seeds of choice, Enter the micro realm with ease.
sensors measuring temperature, humidity, From test leads to into a 3" desk grommet and install the software, plug into your USB port and let These portable pocket-s¡zed m¡croscopes are
vohage, current, & other variable parameters solder, everything you provides an elegant solution your computer do all the work Growth chart, surprisìngly powerful with a magnif¡cation range of
. Eight digital & two analogue outputs for need for the construct¡on of th¡s meter is included, for your desk top expansion calendar and diary 24x- 90x They use 3 br¡ght-white LEDS to light up
controll¡ng external equipment The kit is supplied All you'll need is a soldering ironl The hub has 4 x USB 2.0 ports functions not only remind .. your objects and feature an adjustable focus to
o Meter dimensions:
with all components, silk screened PCB, and supports data transfer you to water and fertil¡se sharpen your image
assembly manual, and software 67(W) x 123(H) x 25(D)mm rates up to 480Mbps while but also help you monitor Two versìons available:
. On-board test buttons for inputs and LED the grommet section allows your plants progress, Digital Mobile Microscope
o PCB measures 145 x 87mm easy access to cables under . Marigold seeds, cat No. oc-3245
. Analogue input range 0 to SVDC Economy Adiustable artificial soil and Dimensions: 120(L) x 55(W)mm
. USB powered Iemperatule Switch software included
. Win9SSE or above (not NT) L
o 220lHl x 170(W)mm Digital Mobile Microscope with lmage Capture
Ref: High Performance Electronic Pro¡ects . Computer not included Cat no. OC-32¡f6
fo¡ Cars - Silicon Chip Publications. Viewed images can be easily transferred to a PC
Speedo Conector Mlrll This unit has an adjustable switching temperature (OC-3246 only) for use in reports, articles, projects
up to 245'C, and it can be configured to trigger etc (Capable of taking JPEG images at a resolut¡on
Refe¡: Silicon Chip December 2006 wrth rising or falling temperature lt has adjustable USB Ontical Mouse USB SIM Card ßeader / Writer of 320 x24Ol
Modifying your gearbox, diff hysteresis (the difference between on/off temp) . Dimensions: 120(L) x 55(W)mm
ratio or tyre This USB computer mouse has an ergonomic This super small GSM Sllvl
which is a great feature many other units do not o lncludes f, ¡ AAI ¡sçh¿¡gsable Ni-MH batter¡es
circumference. may design to comfortably fit into Vour hand lt has card reader is no larger
possess lt can be used to operate cooling fans on
result ¡n an inaccurate a rubber paint finìsh for better than a keyring and allows
a radiator or amplif¡er, over-temp warn¡ng lights or
speedometer. This krt overall gr¡p and feel, which you to read, wr¡te
alarms, and much more The small temperature
alters the speedometer $4s.95 is matched with an optical and edit all
sensor reacts quickly to temp changes
signal up or down from 00/" to 99% of the or¡ginal Kit supplied with PCB, NTC
pick up with 800dpi information stored
signal With this improved model, the ¡nput setup all , -
resolution for precision on the card using your
Thermistor, and --.: control
select¡on can be automatically selected and it also PC
features ôn LED indicator to show when the input
o USB interface - Plug and Play
signal is being received Kit supplied with PCB
w¡th overlay and all electronic components
. Compatible with
. Recommended box U85 use H8-601 5 win e5/e8/2000/Nr/MElxP $14.95 s34.95
Technica F'RTNF'RMATT'NAND'RDERTNG FOR INFOBMATION ANO ORDERING
TELEPH0I'|E> 1800 fl22 888
 Wireless Golour [CD Weather Station lÊ Uideo lPll,letwollt Web Seruet -
Wireless outdoor temperature and Ref Silicon Chip November 2007 An affordable system that provides reliable prolection for your home, : 2 Ghannelwilh PSU
hygrometer sensors transmjt data to This P|C-based unit uses a pressure sensor to monitor apartment or small office The system is simple to instâll and the
water level and will display tank level via an RGB LED alarm panel will detect and 'learn' which sensors have been installed Upgrade your CCW system to an lP (lnternet
the colour LCD receiver whìch
displays temperature, humidity, heat at the press of a buttorÌ The kit can be expanded to include an The control unit also monitors the system status and sensor battery Protocol) surveillance system The unit can be
optional wireless remote display panel that can monitor up to ten given a fixed, or router assigned lP address, which
index & dew point levels, the time, condition to ensure system reliability The system includes the control
barometric pressure and comfort separate tanks (KC-5461) or you can add a wireless remote panel with keypad, a passive lR motion sensor, and a reed switch allows camera images to be viewed and controlled
index, and forecasts the weather controlled mains power switch (KC-5462) to control remote watet sensor for door or window protection Wireless installation makes the from anvwhere in the world via an lnternet
through 5 weather icons pumps. Kit includes electronic components, case, screen printed system ideal for tenants Batteries and power supply included browser.
. Outdoor sensors require 5 x AAA batteries PCB & pressure sensor. See website for full details
(Use SB-2334) Specifications:
. Plugpack for main unit included o Control Unit . Transmission frequency - 433MHz
. Dimensions: 170(L) x 95(H) x 50(D)mm . Siren duration - 3 min
(including stand) . Dimensions - 85(W) x 160 (H) x 30(D)mm
PIR Sensor
. Coverage- 110' .Detection range- upto 12 metres Additional Sensors available separately

lligital Hand-Held Anemomeler . LA-5136 - Wireless PIR Sensor $¡f9.95

Recharueable Spotlights 38 Ghannel UHt CB Power requirement - 2 x AAA bâtterìes {Use 58-2426)
LA-5137 - Wireless Reed Switch Sensor $39.95
Reed Switch Sensor
A handy tool for the sailor or windsurfer or the These versatile halogen spotl¡ghts feature a bright Ilruin Pack . Power requirements - 2 x AAA batteries (Use S8-2426) LA-s138 - Remote Control Unit $29.95
quartz halogen globe, swivel handle LA-5139 - Repeater/Extender Sensor $59.95
everyday enthusiast Measure the speed of This 2 pack of mini UHF CB
wind in mph, km/h, and adjustable stand for
communicators can keep you clearly in Poilable Pan/fill l,light Uision
various carry or mounting
m/s or knots,
positions, lever style power
touch up to 3km They feature
Dooüell for the Camera System
displayed on an electronic volume control,
sw¡tch for hands-free use,
LED display with a
all constructed into a hìgh-
monitor funct¡ons and an Simple to ¡nstall and protects your valuable
Heafing lmpaired Th¡s wireless, compact and versatile pan-tìlt camera
Beaufort wind integrated blue LED torch system is designed for general use around the

I
scale bar graph impact ABS plastic, tools and equ¡pment stored in the
rffsqui¡s5f,¡AAA When this doorbell rings, the sound ¡s home or office, The system can be used to
. Battery included weatherproof body The per ,1; shed, garage or even the boat
accompanied by bright flashes from the receiver's monitor a sleepìng child's bedroom or keep an eye
Was $79.95 internal SLA battery can be
batteries . Mains powered ì : :
built in strobe light so a hearing impaired person on the kids playing in the back yard lt would also
charged through your car's . Controlled unit measures
w¡ll know that someone is at the door can be be useful as a simple surveillance system in a shop
cigarette lighter or by the 80(W) x120(H) x32(D)mm
taken from room to room or used outdoors, or office The four channel monitor is small and
supplied plugpack . Choose from seven melodies compact and can be easily carried in your hand or
. Perfect for automotive, boating or other outdoor . 210mm long pocket The system also has audio capabilities so
recreational use .
. Supplied with ma¡ns and in-car charger Requires 4 x C cells (Use SB-2320) you can listen as well as see what is going on
Was S49.95 - -.-:.r-,
elsewhere The monitor has both audio and video
. Replacement globe available - use Cat SL-3221
$4s.e5 outputs that can be fed to a v¡deo recorder if
ST-3300 1,000,000 Candlepower
desired. The monitor can support up to three
200 l¡llatl Wind Tuüine ST-3303 5,000,000Candlepower Dynamo Solat [E0 ïorch cameras Mains plug pack are provided for both the
ST-3308 10,000,000 Candlepower
Generalols This compact green powered torch is great for
camera and monitor
camping and for the car Just a few cranks on
These are serious w¡nd turbines at a breakthrough Camera Soecifications
the handle and it will give you a super bright
price They will generate useful power at wind
light consisting of 3 LEDs Also features a
This tiny personal alarm has a loud 100dB . 1/3 'CMOS image sensor
speeds as low as three metres per second (1Okph) (A) siren and is small . 380 W lines
solar panel to keep the torch charged and
and deliver their rated output at around eight enough to fit in your purse . 62" viewing angle
metres per second (28kph) Some skill is required Ihe Amazing Flygun ready for use
or arãund vour neck
l, Èl . 5m nÌght v¡s¡on range
in construction e g concreting, mechanical included Biometric Fingerprint
assemble and rigging etc See our website or
Get rid of flies and other insect pests and have . Dimensions 150(L)x 5o(w)_ $24.95 Batteries
oMeasures:40(L)x -I l lD Access Gontlol
Was $399.00
some fun at the sôme t¡me The kìds will love 30(D)mm
catalogue for full specifications. 1 2V and 24V it ênd so will you
models available 80kg shipping weight . Su¡table for Syrs+ Control a single door or use multiple un¡ts on a
MG-451212V model
! site connected to a PC via an
MG-4510 24V model R5232, R5485 or Ethernet
connection Software inciuded
. Up to 500 users
. 12VDC 3A relay output
Dual beam detector for enhanced security. . Tamper and door ajar alarm
Housed in a strong aluminum housing and outputs
Amol[hous Solat Panels suitable for protected . Requires 9VDC @ 500m4
outdoor . 180(L) x 82(W) x 55(H)mm
environments (1P55)
These amorphous silicon panels are made in As¡a under the control of one of the largest US manufacturers
and maintain good performance even on cloudy days. The panels have a strong aluminìum frame and the
¡ indoor sensing
cells are protected by a strong, clear glass window They are long lasting and will maintain 800/o of there range 1 6m
performance rating, even after 20 years of use . Mounting hardware
. Duêl lunction amorphous silicon with laser edged isolation construct¡on included

Voltage Power Cat. 'ad UHF Baby Monitor ïransmilter

6V 1W ZM-9020
12V 2W ZM-9024 Know exactly when your baby ts
12V 4W ZM-9026 g-smart ¡s a GSM-based SMS transmitter/receiver control system lt is '-.-- awake, needs changing or even
12V 10w zM-9030 a simple yet powerf ul communications module and uses a dual-band feeding with our automatic
12V 15W ZM-9045 Siemens TC35 GSIVl module to receive secure commands and messages g-smart baby transm¡Îter. The voice
12V 40W ZM-9034 can be utilised as the heart of your home automation system. lt has 2 on-board relays activatìon (VOX) means you'll
(expandable to 8) and can easily connect to eight different pieces of equipment such as an air
zM-9045 conditioner, central heat¡ng system, or electric gates etc Configuration sett¡ngs are stored ¡n
the g-smart ând are not lost in case of a power failure. lf a break-jn occurs or an alarm is
triggered, the unìt w¡ll send an SMS message or an email to a pre-defined account.
The system uses caller ID and passwords
to ensure that only authorised users can systems for - automobiles, trucks, construct¡on
access the system. machinery, containers, caravans, holiday homes Devices for
Power supply: 12V-15V DC 8W monitoring vending machines ( malfunction and stock
warnings), refrigeration st/stems (temperature control), pumps
SIM card: Mini card, 1.8V & 3V (power failure) Remote controls for watering, heat¡ng, light¡ng,
Measures: 82 5(H) x 94(L) x 28(D)mm video surveillance, sirens or any household appliance
Was $599.00 . LA-5372 GSM Alarm Expander board $89.95
zM-9026 zM-9030

TELEPHONE> 18{XI 022 888

 Wireless Golour [CD Weather Station lÊ Uideo lPll,letwollt Web Seruet -
Wireless outdoor temperature and Ref Silicon Chip November 2007 An affordable system that provides reliable prolection for your home, : 2 Ghannelwilh PSU
hygrometer sensors transmjt data to This P|C-based unit uses a pressure sensor to monitor apartment or small office The system is simple to instâll and the
water level and will display tank level via an RGB LED alarm panel will detect and 'learn' which sensors have been installed Upgrade your CCW system to an lP (lnternet
the colour LCD receiver whìch
displays temperature, humidity, heat at the press of a buttorÌ The kit can be expanded to include an The control unit also monitors the system status and sensor battery Protocol) surveillance system The unit can be
optional wireless remote display panel that can monitor up to ten given a fixed, or router assigned lP address, which
index & dew point levels, the time, condition to ensure system reliability The system includes the control
barometric pressure and comfort separate tanks (KC-5461) or you can add a wireless remote panel with keypad, a passive lR motion sensor, and a reed switch allows camera images to be viewed and controlled
index, and forecasts the weather controlled mains power switch (KC-5462) to control remote watet sensor for door or window protection Wireless installation makes the from anvwhere in the world via an lnternet
through 5 weather icons pumps. Kit includes electronic components, case, screen printed system ideal for tenants Batteries and power supply included browser.
. Outdoor sensors require 5 x AAA batteries PCB & pressure sensor. See website for full details
(Use SB-2334) Specifications:
. Plugpack for main unit included o Control Unit . Transmission frequency - 433MHz
. Dimensions: 170(L) x 95(H) x 50(D)mm . Siren duration - 3 min
(including stand) . Dimensions - 85(W) x 160 (H) x 30(D)mm
PIR Sensor
. Coverage- 110' .Detection range- upto 12 metres Additional Sensors available separately

lligital Hand-Held Anemomeler . LA-5136 - Wireless PIR Sensor $¡f9.95

Recharueable Spotlights 38 Ghannel UHt CB Power requirement - 2 x AAA bâtterìes {Use 58-2426)
LA-5137 - Wireless Reed Switch Sensor $39.95
Reed Switch Sensor
A handy tool for the sailor or windsurfer or the These versatile halogen spotl¡ghts feature a bright Ilruin Pack . Power requirements - 2 x AAA batteries (Use S8-2426) LA-s138 - Remote Control Unit $29.95
quartz halogen globe, swivel handle LA-5139 - Repeater/Extender Sensor $59.95
everyday enthusiast Measure the speed of This 2 pack of mini UHF CB
wind in mph, km/h, and adjustable stand for
communicators can keep you clearly in Poilable Pan/fill l,light Uision
various carry or mounting
m/s or knots,
positions, lever style power
touch up to 3km They feature
Dooüell for the Camera System
displayed on an electronic volume control,
sw¡tch for hands-free use,
LED display with a
all constructed into a hìgh-
monitor funct¡ons and an Simple to ¡nstall and protects your valuable
Heafing lmpaired Th¡s wireless, compact and versatile pan-tìlt camera
Beaufort wind integrated blue LED torch system is designed for general use around the

I
scale bar graph impact ABS plastic, tools and equ¡pment stored in the
rffsqui¡s5f,¡AAA When this doorbell rings, the sound ¡s home or office, The system can be used to
. Battery included weatherproof body The per ,1; shed, garage or even the boat
accompanied by bright flashes from the receiver's monitor a sleepìng child's bedroom or keep an eye
Was $79.95 internal SLA battery can be
batteries . Mains powered ì : :
built in strobe light so a hearing impaired person on the kids playing in the back yard lt would also
charged through your car's . Controlled unit measures
w¡ll know that someone is at the door can be be useful as a simple surveillance system in a shop
cigarette lighter or by the 80(W) x120(H) x32(D)mm
taken from room to room or used outdoors, or office The four channel monitor is small and
supplied plugpack . Choose from seven melodies compact and can be easily carried in your hand or
. Perfect for automotive, boating or other outdoor . 210mm long pocket The system also has audio capabilities so
recreational use .
. Supplied with ma¡ns and in-car charger Requires 4 x C cells (Use SB-2320) you can listen as well as see what is going on
Was S49.95 - -.-:.r-,
elsewhere The monitor has both audio and video
. Replacement globe available - use Cat SL-3221
$4s.e5 outputs that can be fed to a v¡deo recorder if
ST-3300 1,000,000 Candlepower
desired. The monitor can support up to three
200 l¡llatl Wind Tuüine ST-3303 5,000,000Candlepower Dynamo Solat [E0 ïorch cameras Mains plug pack are provided for both the
ST-3308 10,000,000 Candlepower
Generalols This compact green powered torch is great for
camera and monitor
camping and for the car Just a few cranks on
These are serious w¡nd turbines at a breakthrough Camera Soecifications
the handle and it will give you a super bright
price They will generate useful power at wind
light consisting of 3 LEDs Also features a
This tiny personal alarm has a loud 100dB . 1/3 'CMOS image sensor
speeds as low as three metres per second (1Okph) (A) siren and is small . 380 W lines
solar panel to keep the torch charged and
and deliver their rated output at around eight enough to fit in your purse . 62" viewing angle
metres per second (28kph) Some skill is required Ihe Amazing Flygun ready for use
or arãund vour neck
l, Èl . 5m nÌght v¡s¡on range
in construction e g concreting, mechanical included Biometric Fingerprint
assemble and rigging etc See our website or
Get rid of flies and other insect pests and have . Dimensions 150(L)x 5o(w)_ $24.95 Batteries
oMeasures:40(L)x -I l lD Access Gontlol
Was $399.00
some fun at the sôme t¡me The kìds will love 30(D)mm
catalogue for full specifications. 1 2V and 24V it ênd so will you
models available 80kg shipping weight . Su¡table for Syrs+ Control a single door or use multiple un¡ts on a
MG-451212V model
! site connected to a PC via an
MG-4510 24V model R5232, R5485 or Ethernet
connection Software inciuded
. Up to 500 users
. 12VDC 3A relay output
Dual beam detector for enhanced security. . Tamper and door ajar alarm
Housed in a strong aluminum housing and outputs
Amol[hous Solat Panels suitable for protected . Requires 9VDC @ 500m4
outdoor . 180(L) x 82(W) x 55(H)mm
environments (1P55)
These amorphous silicon panels are made in As¡a under the control of one of the largest US manufacturers
and maintain good performance even on cloudy days. The panels have a strong aluminìum frame and the
¡ indoor sensing
cells are protected by a strong, clear glass window They are long lasting and will maintain 800/o of there range 1 6m
performance rating, even after 20 years of use . Mounting hardware
. Duêl lunction amorphous silicon with laser edged isolation construct¡on included

Voltage Power Cat. 'ad UHF Baby Monitor ïransmilter

6V 1W ZM-9020
12V 2W ZM-9024 Know exactly when your baby ts
12V 4W ZM-9026 g-smart ¡s a GSM-based SMS transmitter/receiver control system lt is '-.-- awake, needs changing or even
12V 10w zM-9030 a simple yet powerf ul communications module and uses a dual-band feeding with our automatic
12V 15W ZM-9045 Siemens TC35 GSIVl module to receive secure commands and messages g-smart baby transm¡Îter. The voice
12V 40W ZM-9034 can be utilised as the heart of your home automation system. lt has 2 on-board relays activatìon (VOX) means you'll
(expandable to 8) and can easily connect to eight different pieces of equipment such as an air
zM-9045 conditioner, central heat¡ng system, or electric gates etc Configuration sett¡ngs are stored ¡n
the g-smart ând are not lost in case of a power failure. lf a break-jn occurs or an alarm is
triggered, the unìt w¡ll send an SMS message or an email to a pre-defined account.
The system uses caller ID and passwords
to ensure that only authorised users can systems for - automobiles, trucks, construct¡on
access the system. machinery, containers, caravans, holiday homes Devices for
Power supply: 12V-15V DC 8W monitoring vending machines ( malfunction and stock
warnings), refrigeration st/stems (temperature control), pumps
SIM card: Mini card, 1.8V & 3V (power failure) Remote controls for watering, heat¡ng, light¡ng,
Measures: 82 5(H) x 94(L) x 28(D)mm video surveillance, sirens or any household appliance
Was $599.00 . LA-5372 GSM Alarm Expander board $89.95
zM-9026 zM-9030

TELEPHONE> 18{XI 022 888


A fantastic range of 25 electr¡cal science kits that will give your children an insight into the wonderful world of science Each kit is a project in itself and will help
develop your child's scientific knowledge, and dexterity Kits are supplied with almost everything you need to construct the project Here's just a few examples
Eleclromagnetic Playground ¡ Balloon Bacer Ex[elimenls
Construct an electromagnetic swing . Discover the concept of propulsion
and see-saw while learning about
magnetism. . Supplied w¡th pump and 3 x balloons
. Base size 112(W) x 110(D) x S(H)mm . Car Size: 75(W) x 120(L) x 35(H)mm
. Requires 2 x AA batteries . Suitable for ages Syrs+
"Ple Champ" Uelsatile Preamplifier
Refer Silicon Chip 07/94
This tiny preamp was specifically
designed to be used with the
'Champ' amplifier KC-5.1 52,
Unless you have a signal of
suff icient amplitude the
'Champ' will not produce its
maximum power output The 'Pre-
Champ' is the answer w¡th a ga¡n in
excess of 40d8, which is more than enough
for most applications, You cân vary the ga¡n by
changing a resistor and there is even provision on
the PCB for an electret
microphone Use AM-4010
. Power requirement 6-12VDC
. Kit includes PCB and electronic components
. Can be battery powered
IED Battery Uoltage lndicator
Refer: Eleetronics Aust¡alia Sept 1995
This tiny circuit measures just 25mm x 25mm and
will provide power indication and low voltage
indication using a bi-colour LED, and can be used in
just about any piece of battery operated equipment
Current consumption is only 3mA at 6V and 8mA at
10V and the circuit is suitable for equipment
powered from about 6-30VDC With a simple circuit
change, the bi-colour LED will produce a red glow
to indicate that the voltage has EXCEEDED a preset
value.
. PCB, bicolour LED and all
ïempmaster l(il
Ref: Silicon Chip June 2005
This project turns a regular
ill":"#";ii "'''o .-'.*
fridoe or freezer into a
the ,n.
accurately controlling *-"[8fl
temperature between "Wå i
2.5-33" makins it \f + f
forwine storage. * .'
suitable I f I
Kit supplied with PCB , panel mount
ma¡ns socket, mains lead, machined
case with screen printed lid and all
electronic components.
6 IAgtrAf Befter. More
Science Time Kits USB to IDE & SAIA Hard 0fiue Adaplor 5 Poil 100/1000]{-Way Gisabit Switch
A must have tool for PC technicians! This clever device will allow you to use This high performãnce. 5 port, 10/100/1000
an ordinary IDE or SATA disk drive on a USB 2 0 interface N-Way switch ¡s a cost effective means
of increasing network performance and
Bobolic Bubble Blower
Build this ôutomatic bubble blower
Uolcanic Eru[t¡on K¡t
You can even connect an IDE drive and a SATA sìmultaneously
and transfer data between them The adaptor and hard drive reducing congestion The switch also
supports auto-negotiation which allows
Expeilments can be powered from the USB port for smaller (2 5") hard
while building a racing car. device complete with gears and a Find out why volcanoes erupt and drives An external power supply is included to power each port to be operated at a different
liquid tank. how the pressure is derived from speed while maintaining maximum throughput
¡ Size 111(W) x 120(L) x 130(H)mm magma and gas Comprehensive front panel indicators show connect¡on
. Supplied with goggles, status and activity I VAC power pack included
and volcano cup
. 1 Oyrs+
Storage for up to 60 CDs Each
sleeve holds 4 discs with a
protective divider Silver finish
with carry¡ng handle
computer Simply connect to a o Dimensions: 280(L) x 185(W)
USB port and ¡nstall the software x 52(H)mm
provided Move between the main Exchange data between your PC
Kit Grystal Radio 3 Mette lB L¡gnt Beam and secondary screen as easily as
sliding your mouse across Perfect for
Don't be fooled by its tiny size
Th¡s little beauty has all the
and all the flash memory cards
currently on the market One
Enjoy AM broadcasting without using With a range of about 3 metres, this kit will viewing large spreadsheets or running two functions of larger adaptors but simple solution, no need for
battery or other power sources ldeal for indicate using an LED when a person or d¡fferent applications in full screen mode, without will sit almost unnoticed in your different card readers for different
entry-level students or hobbyist w¡th object interrupts the infrared light beam Use overlapping windows, notebook's USB pon Just 23mm electronic devices.
little electronics experience lncludes it across a doorway or across an assembly . Requires Windows 2000, XP or V¡sta long, including the USB
o Measures 70(W) x
circuit explanation Kit supplied with line. Connect a relay or use the relay card
. Supports resolution up ro 1280 x 1024 40(D)mm
sìlk-screened PCB (81x53mm), crystal, KG-g142 for a relay output PCB dimensions:
. Software included
prewound coil, earphone and all 20 x 30mm. Kit supplied with Kwik Kit PCB,
. Adaptor measures 80(L) x 40(W) x 20(H)mm
inf rared transm¡tter/receiver diodes,
magnifying lens and all
electronic components
- f-
9-12VDC operation
use plugpack Cat e Displays the computer's video signal on two This tone generator is a highly
practical network installation and
monitors Great for small presentat¡ons,
education, and remote troubleshooting tool and allows
cables to be easily traced by
$il.95 monitoring etc
.lnput 15 pin the probe. even when
D male
Display specials, opening hours, or just the time of cables are in a bundìe
. Outputs 15 pin day w¡th this attention-getting display lt can be or hidden in punch
usB Expefimenter's lnteilace l(it Digital Multimeter Kit D female
programmed with its remote control or via the
RS-232 interface. Software & RS-232 cable
included
down blocks or wall
plates
Learn everything there . Wall mounting
is to know about 4 Port Video Spl¡tter $99 95
Cat YN-8099 also available $79.95
o 50 x 7 LED dot matrix 3169.95
. 435(L) x 97(H) x 37(D)mm
Hub
Greenhouse
E
state of external ln-Desk 4 Pott USB 2.0 VtBtt) USB Diqital Mobile Microsco[e
sw¡tches or controls
. Two variable gain analogue inputs that connect to comprehensive kit This unique USB hub is built No green thumb? Simply sow your seeds of choice, Enter the micro realm with ease.
sensors measuring temperature, humidity, From test leads to into a 3" desk grommet and install the software, plug into your USB port and let These portable pocket-s¡zed m¡croscopes are
vohage, current, & other variable parameters solder, everything you provides an elegant solution your computer do all the work Growth chart, surprisìngly powerful with a magnif¡cation range of
. Eight digital & two analogue outputs for need for the construct¡on of th¡s meter is included, for your desk top expansion calendar and diary 24x- 90x They use 3 br¡ght-white LEDS to light up
controll¡ng external equipment The kit is supplied All you'll need is a soldering ironl The hub has 4 x USB 2.0 ports functions not only remind .. your objects and feature an adjustable focus to
o Meter dimensions:
with all components, silk screened PCB, and supports data transfer you to water and fertil¡se sharpen your image
assembly manual, and software 67(W) x 123(H) x 25(D)mm rates up to 480Mbps while but also help you monitor Two versìons available:
. On-board test buttons for inputs and LED the grommet section allows your plants progress, Digital Mobile Microscope
o PCB measures 145 x 87mm easy access to cables under . Marigold seeds, cat No. oc-3245
. Analogue input range 0 to SVDC Economy Adiustable artificial soil and Dimensions: 120(L) x 55(W)mm
. USB powered Iemperatule Switch software included
. Win9SSE or above (not NT) L
o 220lHl x 170(W)mm Digital Mobile Microscope with lmage Capture
Ref: High Performance Electronic Pro¡ects . Computer not included Cat no. OC-32¡f6
fo¡ Cars - Silicon Chip Publications. Viewed images can be easily transferred to a PC
Speedo Conector Mlrll This unit has an adjustable switching temperature (OC-3246 only) for use in reports, articles, projects
up to 245'C, and it can be configured to trigger etc (Capable of taking JPEG images at a resolut¡on
Refe¡: Silicon Chip December 2006 wrth rising or falling temperature lt has adjustable USB Ontical Mouse USB SIM Card ßeader / Writer of 320 x24Ol
Modifying your gearbox, diff hysteresis (the difference between on/off temp) . Dimensions: 120(L) x 55(W)mm
ratio or tyre This USB computer mouse has an ergonomic This super small GSM Sllvl
which is a great feature many other units do not o lncludes f, ¡ AAI ¡sçh¿¡gsable Ni-MH batter¡es
circumference. may design to comfortably fit into Vour hand lt has card reader is no larger
possess lt can be used to operate cooling fans on
result ¡n an inaccurate a rubber paint finìsh for better than a keyring and allows
a radiator or amplif¡er, over-temp warn¡ng lights or
speedometer. This krt overall gr¡p and feel, which you to read, wr¡te
alarms, and much more The small temperature
alters the speedometer $4s.95 is matched with an optical and edit all
sensor reacts quickly to temp changes
signal up or down from 00/" to 99% of the or¡ginal Kit supplied with PCB, NTC
pick up with 800dpi information stored
signal With this improved model, the ¡nput setup all , -
resolution for precision on the card using your
Thermistor, and --.: control
select¡on can be automatically selected and it also PC
features ôn LED indicator to show when the input
o USB interface - Plug and Play
signal is being received Kit supplied with PCB
w¡th overlay and all electronic components
. Compatible with
. Recommended box U85 use H8-601 5 win e5/e8/2000/Nr/MElxP $14.95 s34.95
Technica F'RTNF'RMATT'NAND'RDERTNG FOR INFOBMATION ANO ORDERING
TELEPH0I'|E> 1800 fl22 888
 Gomponent Gat Speakels with Bibbon Ïweelets 2 x 8flWBMS Besponse Car Amplifiet Windows Media Centte Home Ïheatte Poweûoard Audio Uideo Sendels
Everything you need to install a good quality split system in your wheels. 6 5" PMI/KevlaP An outstanding first upgrade amplifier that offers fully
Remote Gontlol Surge protection and filtering are provided for
2.4ÊHz AU Sender - Battery
composite cones for maximum rigidity and response Ribbon tweeters for-crisp highs Separate variable high and low pass filters, with path thru RCA the mains as well as your telephone line,
A Windows Media Centre PC can .,/l;ë Wireless and compôct, th¡s is the
;pre-outs allowing you to link to additional amplifiers network connection, satellite / cable W, and
crossovers with screw terminals Mounting hardware included revolutionise your home ¡t-Í" ideal solution when power
Each kit contains: without the addirional cost of RCA splitters. This ¡s the ry antenna Further protection is provided
entertainment and th¡s remote will availability and space are a
.2 x woofer/midrange drivers a great ampl¡fier that would put you in command The remote by the built-in '104 c¡rcuit breaker
consideration Both transmitter and
.2xribbontweeters be ideal when matched to will let you control the system as receiver operate on battery
o 2 x crossovers . 2 x gr¡lles the Response coaxials and easily as you now control the TV power Connection to
Soecif ications: . Requires 3 x AAA batteries the AV source is v¡a
Frequency response: TOHz - 4kïz .21Omm long 3 Smm to RCA
Iweeter: Ribbon type w¡th Power / channel @ 4ohm 14 4V: 8OWRMS x 2
composite video and
neodymium magnet Power/channel @2oám 14 4V: 1OOWRMS x 2
audio lead (2 x 1m leads
Frequency response: 3kHz - 40kHz Power/ bridsed @ 4ohm 14,4V: 2oowRMS $169.95 $24.95

& 2Fa¡ad Gapacitor High Powered Gar Car Noise tilterc Flont / Bear Fadel [¡ngray UHtruHt Disttihution
Gontrol
UHF UHF IU lndoor Antenna
with IED D¡splay Audio Wiring Kil Car noise filters or AmRlifier
The ult¡mate ¡ndoor antenna - built-in mixer
These hold a reserve
hot line filters are lf your car
All the electricaì wire, speaker a
Suitable for bo for UHFIr'HF/FM - wide frequency band
charge which is available amplifier has analogue and
cables, connectors, screws & lugs from 40MHz
in microseconds if separate RCA digital free-to-
required to install most systems and to 890MHz
needed, eliminating w¡ll support power ratings up to
entering your car
inputs for the
front and rear or
Directional fine sl7.s5
clipping and distortion 100w tuning possible
producing consequences . stereo through you want to run
10m clear speaker wire with variable
of wiring loom voltage o 5m red # 109 power cable with
the powe¡-lead Three sizes available more than one
direction inneÍ
drops Handy voltage 5 Amp AA-3072 deck, you will
inline 304 fuse . amplifier is suitable for reflector - easy to
o For basic car stereos 63 x 31mm need mult¡ple
display readout and ¡ 1 2m black # 109 power cable MATV applications Housed in mount - 75 ohm
20 Amp AA-3076 'pre-outs'from
indicator LEDs included . 5m blue remote wire . For medium car stereos a stout, fully shielded diecast aluminium case, impedance with
. 5m screened stereo RCA cable your head unit This dash-mountable
o78x60x46mm RCA splitter has an integrated fader
it features single or combined VHF/UHF . Range of up to 50m (line of sight)
. Plus an assortment of inputs, separate VHF/UHF gain controls and - . Built-¡n lR remote . No messy wires
40 Amp AA-3081 control allowing you to tune and
screws, connecro,Ll44{E . Effective against 'engine balance your car stereo to different
30dB test point lt's designed for indoor use, . AR-1841 Additional receivers available separately
150(H) x85(W) x85(D)mm but may be used outdoors with the
hum' &'ticking' conditions and music styles Can also
2 Farad RU-6751 manufacturer's recommended weatherproof
o 75 x 40mm
Measures:
be used as a line level balance control masthead housing Mount¡ng bracket and Fixed Attenuatots
in home audio 12V plugpack included, or the un¡t may be
170(H) x 85(W) x Fixed atlenuators are a handy way to resolve ghosting and
85(D)mm
applications. line-powered vìa the coax cable FF output is Uideo Enhancet and reflections caused by too high a signal strength created by RF
byF-typeconnectors
. FrequencV range:
Stabiliser or Video signals BNC, F-Type and FCA fixed attenuâtors w¡ll
Removes addilionâl hidden signals from address this problem in the most reliable manner.
44-2301520-860MHz o Made from solid brass body wìth nickel plating
SHAD0W 3-Point Engine 4 Door Powel loclr Kit 7" LCD Roof Mount Monitol . Gain: 27dB - 32d8 commercial videos and DVDs
. Bandwidth: SMHz to lGHz
lmmobilising Gar Alam with Media Player . Noise: 5dB {such as copy
. All are inline (socket to plug) & DC blocking
Add that touch of luxury to . protection) which
Return loss: 10dB Atten. Cat. Price
This high qua¡ity eng¡ne immobilising your car with . can interfere with
Current consumption: 140m4 3dB
car alarm surpâsses the AS/NZS low cost 4 It can be folded up to
. picture quality RCA LT-3051 $7 95
serve as an interior Dimensions: 85(L) x 81 (W) x 27(H)mm BNC 3dB LT-3053 $7 95
door central . Power supply and
locking kit,
light when not in
RCA cable included BNC 6dB LT-3055 $7 95
and
operation, and BNC 12dB LT-3057 $7 95
includes a full function F Type 3dB LT-3052 $7 95
boasts a unlock the drivers door the other three doors will
remote control, The 6 Input Audio Uideo Switchet F Type 6dB LÏ-3054 $7 95
range of also unlock lt can be connected to cêr alarms w¡th
features a negative triggering locking output, or used with
feature packed monitor F Type 12dB LT-3056 $7 95
including our LR-8831 remote controller for remote locking
has a memory card slot USB DUD Maker DC Blocking Module LT-3070 $16.95
. Supplied with 1 master and 3 slave actuators, that supports SD, MMC,
. Micro- processor controlled MS, XD and CF cards, Turn your VHS tapes into excit¡ng video
technology control relav, hardware & wiring loom
dual AV inputs, and USB productions or record live video stra¡ght to
. 2 button 2 channel code hopping remotes . Beware of lower priced inferior
port so you can ¡nterface a your DVD or CD burner Editing software lets
o External relay output for the th¡rd immobilisation kits
quality lockins
$39.95 laptop or PC game you add effects as well as sound tracks and This new series of Response woofers are excellent for
point console lt will play MP3, : Watch one video source and record another titles to your work replacement orfor new Hi-Fi speakerdesign constructions Not
. Pan¡c button personal safety feature MP4. AVl, WMA files and s¡multaneously w¡th this slimline selector . Requìres PC with suitable burner only are they price competitive and perform very well, but they
. Horn or siren output 12U Auto Strobe light has a built-in Flvl transmitter and stereo lR sound Supports component and composite video, Was $99.00 also look fantastic! The concave treâted paper cone matched
. Heaw duty 2 x 40 amp immobiliser output for use with headphones etc S-video, digital aud¡o Remote control with rubber surround provides smooth overall response
relay circuits Perfect for adding a visual Was S299.OO included 280mm wide Equipped with strong steel frame baskets, high power
. Remote central locking (if a car is deterrent to your car alarm magnets & voice coils, these drivers will produce massive
fitted with central locking) Mounts underneath your car's quant¡ties of clean bass output for any musical application
floor pan and is supplied
complete with two flasher lenses
Car Uoltage Meter/ ln-Out 4" Shielded Paper Cone Woofer/Midrange
(red & blue) and all required Ihemometel / Gloclr Nominal impedance: I ohms
12 Uolt ATX Compuler mounting hardware Power nominal: 27WRMS
à Tk{z
Power Supply for Gals Measures only 60mm Frequency response: ToHz -

Simply replace the

6.5" Paper Cone Woofer/Midrange
This excellent range of multimedia extenders transm¡t audio and video signals up to 300m over Nominal impedance: I ohms
existing ATX power
supplv in your computer motor¡st lt will give you an accurate standard CATS UTP network cable and are availablp for both Component Video and Composite Power nominal: 60WRMS
w¡th this 12 volt DC version Elecllonic Siren measurement of the battery voltage, Video signals with and without audio They are perfect for AV distribution systems in . Frequency response: 44Hz - TkHz
and you can run a PC in your inside and outside temperature and a clock to give offices or home theatre applications etc Several models are t
Small sized siren lt's much eas¡er time and date The unit features an alarm if the available and they are supplied in pairs
car as an entertainment Ç 10" Paper Cone Woofer
centre to store and plav an to mount in a cramped engine bay!
. Operating voltage : 12VDC
voltage is critically low and an ice warning tells you Composite video & stereo audio LT-3036
3
ÐÇ Nominal impedance: I ohms $39.95
almost limitless number of MP3s if the temperature is below zero, great for the Compos¡te video, mono sound & DC power LT-3037
I ?Ç Power nominal: 225WRMS
and MP4 movies etc Add one of our
. Sound output: 125d8
o Power rating : 20W
snovyfields Simply plugs into your cigarette lighter
socket and the d¡splay
Component video LT-3038
I çt_ Frequency response: 40Hz- lkïz
TFT display screens Component video & digital audio LT-3039 û o
(Use OM-3752 7" Mon¡tor available
.Currentdraw:13Amp features an easy to . CW-2192 5" SOWRMS $24.95
and your car computer is ready to go
o 80(L) x 70(W) x 92(H)mm readEL backlight : . CW-2'196 8" goWRMS $34 95
Was $99.00 inctudins mountins bracker $19.95 Was S39.95 a o CW-2199 12" 225WRMS $44 95

2 JilgtrdF Befter- More Technical FOR INFORMATION AND ORDERING FOB INFORMATION AND ORDERING
Better, More Technical 7
TEIEPHoNE> 1800 f22 888
 1:28 Scale Remole Gontlol Ferati M0del Gats..-
These factory endorsed 1/281h scale Ferraris are outstanding
-----ì--*:-* Mains gulet with BF Bemole Ggnlrgt
Control your appliances with the push of a remote control
The full function remote control lets you move forward, button This wireless control system can be used to remotely
backwards, left and right The headlìghts illuminate as you control an e¡ectrical appliance via the mains outlet The
accelerate and the taillights when you brake They remote unit is able to control a total of four outiets, so you
recharge from the display base and will look truly sexy on can use it to contÍol extra mains outlets or other slave
display in your office With two frequencies and four models available you can, in the devices lt has a range of about 50m and transmits at
'quiet' times, invite your colleagues in for some competitive racing 433 92MHz
. I yrs o Each model requires 4 x AA batteries (Use SB- 2425)
+ . 1 x mains outlet &
GT-3296 1:28 Ferrari F50GT 40MHz lx4channelRC
Gf-3291 1:28 Ferrari FXX2IMHz
GT-3298 1'.28 Ferrari F40 Competizione 27MHz
supplied ELEGTRIGAI SCREWORIUERS NEW RYDATMEBE STORE
GT-3299 1:28Fenati 575 GTC 40MHz This range of trade qual¡ty insulated screwdrivers are some of the most comfortable screwdrivers we have
ever used The ergonomic handles have a soft rubber coating for a secure, comfortable grip that you can
t_,
Radio Gontlolled Mini Monster ïluclr - ,\ use for hours on end
. All are TUV and GS approved and rated
I o A size for any application:
These little beasts have enormous wheels for getting over obstacles and workìng rear suspension for
maximum traction You can wheelstand them or just putthe hammerdown and run overthings, The TD-2230 Flat Blade 2,5 x 75mm
truck charges from the remote control to give about 10 minutes of rootin'tootin'rednecktruckin'fun fD-2231 FlatBlade 30x100mm
Two models to choose from so you can race them aga¡nst each other: fD-2232 FlatBlade 55x125mm
Green - 27MHz GT-3254 fD-2233 FlatBlade 65x l50mm
Red - 40MHz GT-3256 ID-2234 Flat Blade 8.0 x 175mm
TD-2235 Phillips #0 x 60mm
. Requires 4 x AA batter¡es (Use S8-2425) Additional Accessories Sold Separately
fD-2236 Phillìps #1 x 80mm
. Measures: 98(L) x 65(H)mm MS-6132 RF RC Mains Outlet $24.95
1D-7237 Phillips #2 x 100mm
. Recommended for ages 8+ MS-6134 RC for RF Devices $24.95
fD-2238 Phillips #3 x 150mm
MS-6136 Weatherproof RF RC Receiver 240V S39.95 320 Uictofia load
MS-6f38 RF RC Receiver 240V S29.95
Rydalmete llSW 2116
MS-6139 RF RC Receiver 12V S29.95 ilEW KITS ÏHE ]IEW ÏU REUOLUilO]I
Phone: (02) 8832 3120
ilmt
I in I Uniuersal 8G IED Wall Gloclr with FC RG Secret Farter RG Golf Ball lmproued low llollaqe Adaplot Kit
Ref Silicon Ch¡p Magazine May 2008 Watch high definition dig¡tal telly on your computer
A wall-mounted clock that can easily Just hide the box near your ¡ntended Fix your short game the best way This handy regulator w¡ll for the same cost as a standard definition set-top
Dynamo Gadgel Ghalget
Can operate up to 8 differenl be seen across the room, day or victim and activate ¡t from a distance possible - by cheating! let Vou run a variety of box Simply connect the USB stick, plug in the Charge your gadgets on the go!
dev¡ces at once including ry n¡ght lt comes with a remote with your remote control button. Not . Transmissìon range 10m devices such as CD, antenna, install the software and away you go Recharge your mob¡le phone,
DVD players, VCF, RCVF, controller to adjust the time after the only w¡ll they be embarrassed, they . Requires 2 x M batteries DVD or MP3 players . Supports worldwide free-to-air DTV PDA or MP3 plaver by winding
satellite ry cable ry clock has been wall mounted lt can won't even know who ìs responsible (Use SB-2424) from your car cigarette lighter crank A fantastic tool for camping
stereos and âir cond¡tion¡ng . Requires 4 x AA batteries Was $29.95 sockets or even a digital camera or and people on the move
units lt comes pre- powered speakers from the power supply . 2 minute crankìng for 4
programmed tor easy sel inside your PC This unit will supply either 3V 5V minute mobile talk t¡me
quick search and 6V 9V 1 2V or 1 5V from a higher input voltage at up ¡ Dimensions: 112(W) x
works with over to four amps (with a suitable heatsink) 47(W) x 23(D)mm
1 00 brands of

electiical devices
(use SB-2425i
o 100mm LED digits
$49.95 Kit includes screen pr¡nted PCB &
all specìf ied components
. Batteries ìncluded o Dimensions: 334(W) x 188(H) Heats¡nk not included
. 21Omm ¡ong x 44(D)mm IPIU lnternet Digital IU Tuner
Was $34.95 Ca0acilor llischarge Never miss your favourite TV _,..,.
for Motor Bikes show againl With this unit 4 Outlet Remote Control
you can watch your Powelboard
Mains Powel Meter MulliUoltage Powel Point & leakage Tester Ret Silicon Chip May 2008
favourite telly shows and
7:

Many modern motor bikes T I

Switchmode AC Adaptor 'ft' Eliminate power waste from standby power and
The meter can tell you
how much an appliance
is costing to run and
Featu res:
. Slide switch to select a range
Test your power points
using this versatile tester
It checks most types of
use a Capacìtor Discharge
lgnition (CDl) to ¡mprove
performance and enhance need to miss an :"::;*
:lryf'::"if important R
family function or your '+:--D-:
I- tl?,
ll=
control up to 4 mains appliances individually lt
will also save you money on your power bill, Each
remote is coded to avoid ìnterference
tracks the actual power
of different voltages power points within 1 10V reliability Howevet if the CDI ignit¡on
baby's first words or steps
. One-touch synchronisat¡on IEIIñE
. Regulated output voltage to 240V for correct wiring module fails, a replacement can be very . Overload c¡rcu¡r-breaker protectìon
being used It can also . ïme shifting and scheduled recording are also $59.95
High efficiency and earth leakage circuit expensive This kit will replace manyfailed factory . Surge & spike
display the instantaneous supported so you can pause and rewind live TV.
. Lightwe¡ght breaker trip levels units and is su¡table for engines that provide a protection .
voltage or current being . system ¡equ¡fements: ,.
drawn as well as peak
Voltage VDC 3,4,5,6,9,'12 positive capacitor voltage and have a separate
. Pentium lV, 1 6GHz or Athlon equivalenl o LED power ',, ,,,
. Approval N17789 tr¡gger coil Refer to magazine article
Ievels etc 104 max . 256M8 RANiI . USB 2 0 port ìnd¡cator
rating rì¡¡¡.ñf,ã Large range of adaptors Suppli CB
. DirectX 9 0 supported graphics card
. Each outlet switched individually
available - See our website & ove
. AC97 compatible sound card
. Control frequency: 433 92MHz
for our full range Some ired
. 2GB HDD space . Bange: 50 metres (Max)
¡ Windows XP SP2IXP McE/r'ista . Load rating: 104, 2400W
Serial Programmer K¡l Íot dsPlC30F
Silverwater Ph (02) 9741 8557 lpswich Ph (07) 3202 58{10
Series PIG Microconlrollels
Due Early May
Sydney City Ph (02) 92ó7 ló14 lllarcochydore Ph (07) 5479 351 I
Ref Silicon Chip May 2008
Taren Point Ph (02) 9531 7033 Mermaid Beach Ph (07) 552ó ó722
This very cost effective Parking Assist Syslem with Bearuiew Gameta
Albury Ph (02) ó02r ó788 Tweed Heads Ph (07) 5524 ó5óó Townsville Ph (07) 4772 5022
Alexandria Ph (02) 9ó99 4ó99 Underwood Ph (07) 3841 4888 Christchurch Ph (03) 379 lóó2 programmer kit can
DunedÌn Ph (03) 471 7934 This parking assist system ¡nterfaces with a wired
Bankstown Ph (02) 9709 2822 handle all rhe dsPlc30F
Blacktown Ph (02) 9678 Coburg Ph (03) 9384 l8l I Glenfìeld Ph (09) ¿144 4ó28 family and almost all of '
factory or aftermarket video display system
9óó9
trankston Ph (03) 9781 41fi, Belconnen Ph (02) ó253 5700
Hamilton Ph (07) 84ó 0177
a r and overlays the distance in metres to an

ffi
Bondi Junction Ph (02) 93ó9 3899
Manukau Ph (09) 2ó3 ó241 the regular PlCs available in
ceelong object and a proximity diagram onto the vìdeo
Brookvale Ph (02) 9905 4r3 Ph (03) 5221 5800
Newma¡ket Ph (09) 377 ó421 DIP package lt uses freely \
Campbelltown Ph (02) 4ó20 Trst elbourne Ph (03) 9óó3 2030
Palmerston tlthPh (06) 393 824ó available software for PCs and is
feed The 1 15' wide angle CCD camera mounts
Ph (02) 43ós ingwood Ph (03) 9870 9053 into your cars rear bumper to give you a clear view
Erina 343J Wellington Ph (04) 801 9005 easy to build Microchip offers free documentation
Gore Hill Ph (02) 9439 4791 ringvale Ph (03) 9547 1022 Freecall Orders Ph 0800 452 9227 and source code on their website so getting
uuliltì0 your
behìnd yuut uaf
car
Hornsby ?h (021 9476 627i nshine Ph (03) 9310 80óó Adelaide Ph (08) 8231 7355
started should be a breeze Supplied with screen
o Clear low-light performance (<2 lux)
N€wcastle Ph (02) 49ó5 3799 homstown Ph f03) 94ó5 3333 ClovellyPark Ph (08) 827ó ó901 o Shock, vibratìon & water resistant

JÆgtrar
Crcss Ph (08) 82ó2 3200
printed PCB, 2x40 pin ZIF sockets
Parramatta Ph (02) 9ó83 3377
P¿nrith Ph (02) 4721 8337 Ph (07) 38ó3 0099 and all specified components
Rydalmere Ph (02) 883r 315r Ph (O7l 4O4l 6147 Maddington Ph (08) 9493 4300

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Prices valid unt¡l May 31st2008
OBDER FREECA]þ 1 8OO 022 W8 nnnur, wwlu.laycar. Gom.au y{"rechnicar ldgtrAl- l
 SERVICEM'SLOG
figure, quickly remove the jumper to
end the calibration adjustment.
Conversely, if the meter's reading for
The Digital LC Meter described in this article is based on a 1998 design by the known capacitor is too high, fol-
Neil Hecht of "Almost All Digital Electronics", in Auburn, Washington USA low the same procedure but with the
(see his website at www.aade.com).
Mr Hecht's design used a PlC16C622 microcontroller, togetherwith an LM311
jumper in the LK3 position. This will
cause the micro to decrement the me-
ter's scaling factor each time it makes
Who mangled Duck's USB ports?
comparator in the measuring oscillator. His firmware also made use of float- a measurement and as before, the idea
ing-point maths routines for PIC processors. These was written by Frank J. is to remove LK3 as soon as the reading
Testa and made available on the website of PIC manufacturer Microchip
Technology (www.m icroch i p.com).
reaches the correct figure.
If you are not fast enough in remov-
Nothing comes even close to computers when Items Covered This Month
Since then, various people have produced modified versions of the design, ing the jumper during either of these ranking gear that's stuffed by consumers. As e Gigabyte GA-7VKML mother-
including Australian radio amateur Phil Rice, VKSBHR of Bendigo, Victoria.
Mr Rice and others have also modified the firmware and adapted it to use the
calibration procedures, the microcon-
troller will "overshoot". In that case,
a result, I usually try to avoid fixing them board
PlC16F628 micro with its internal comparator.They also added the firmware you simply need to use the opposite but niece Duck's computer was different. ¡ Ace Radio audio amplifier
calibration facility. Further information on Mr Rice's version can be found on procedure to bring the reading back
the website of the Midland Amateur Radio Club (www.marc.org.au). to the correct figure. In fact, you may
. SonyKV-DA32M36CRTTV
I have a niece who, at the tender age When I removed the side panel, I set
ln summary a great deal of the credit for this latest version of the design must need to adjust the cal.ibration back and
go to those earlier designers. The author acknowledges their work. forth a few times until you satisfied of three, was nicknamed "Duck". WelI, immediately spotted two obviously . Yamaha RX-V596 Prologic
that it is correct, Duck stuck and now at the even more faulty electrol¡ic capacitors between receiver
As previously mentioned, the PIC tender age of 16, she's still lumbered the processor ard the memory sockets.
microcontroller saves its scaling factor with that stupid name, Both had bulging tops which were r Philips 32FL28üT5RTV set
(FL2G chassis)
oscillator frequency when capacitor curate calibration, you'll have to rely in its EEPROM after every measure- Recently, Duck's computer failed covered in abrown crust due to leaking
C2 is switched in parallel with C1. on the meter's own self-calibration ment during these calibration proce- and who better to fix it than this little electrol5rte. Then I spotted two more
Because the two capacitors are (which relies largely on the accuracy of dures. That means that you only have black duck? The complaint was that identical capacitors with bulging tops
nominally the same value, F2 should capacitor C2). In this case, just remove to do the calibration once. Note also the computer was dead. Not even the ald leaking electrol¡e in anotfrer sec- something else on the motherboard
be very close to 77V" of F1, That's any jumpers from LK1-LK4 arrd fityour when yeu calibrate the meter in this power supply was starting up, tion of the motherboard. failed as well? There was only one
because doubling the capacitance re- meter assembly into its box, using the way using a known value capacitor, When the box arrived, I hooked Soit was beginning to appear that way to find out andthatwas to replace
duces the frequency by a factor egual self-tapping screws provided to hold it's also automatically calibrated for it up and pressed tlle power switch. it was a motherboard fault that was them. If it worked, it worked, If it
to the square root of two (ie, 71"12 = everything together. inductance measurements, Nothing happened - it was as dead preventing the power suppiy from didn't, then the motherboard would
O.7O7).If your reading for F2 is well The battery sits in the bottom of as a dodo. starting up. That's because, on an ATX be a "bin job".
away from 71.1o of F1, you may need the case. It is secured by wrapping it Using it This was going to be easy, After all, machine, the power switch is con- I removed the motherboa¡d and
to replace C2 with another capacitor in foam, so that it is firmly wedged The Digital LC Meter is easy to use. as everyone knows, if you press the nected to two pins on the motherboard took a closer look at the leaking ca-
whose value is closer to C1, in place when the lid assembly is Initialiy, you just switch it on, set 51 power switch and nothing happens, arrd it's the motherboard that then pacitors, They were all 33oopF 6,3V
On the other hand, if F2 is exactly fltted. to "Capacitance" (NOT "Inductance"), it's just got to be the power supply. starts the power supply (via the main types branded "GSC". A quick Google
the same as F1, this suggests that RLY1 wait a minute or two for it to stabilise Yeah, right! connector) when the power switch is of "GSC 3300pF" showed that these
is not actually switching C2 in at aII. Fine-tuning the calibration a¡rd then zero it using pushbutton 52. pressed. blighters have caused problems on lots
This could be due to a poor solder If you do have capacitor of known
a It's then just a matter of connecting The question was, was it just the of other motherboards over tle years,
joint on one of RLY1's pins oryoumay value þecause you've been able to the unknown component to the test capacitors that were faulty or had not just on this 6-year-old Gigabyte
have wired it into the boardthe wrong measure it with a high-accuracy LCR terminals, selecting "Capacitance" or GA-7VKML.
way around. meter), you can easily use it to fine- "Inducta¡ce" using S1 and reading the Before replacing the motherboard
Once you do get sensible readings tune the Digital LC Meter's calibra- component's value off the LCD, capacitors, I decided to test the power
for F1 a¡rd FZ, your Digital LC Meter tion. Alternatively, you can zero the supply. Whe+ not hooked up to a
will be ready for calibration and/or First, switch the unit on and let it Digital LC Meter on the "Inductance" motherboard, most ATX supPlies can
use. If you don't have a capacitor of go through its "Calibrating" and "C = range by fitting the shorting bar shown be started simply by applying power
known value to perform your own ac- NN.N pF" sequence. That done, wait in Fig.7 (since this bar has virtually and shorting the green wire on the
a minute or two and press the Zero zero inductance). This shorting bar is main connector plug (ie, the one that
button, ensuring that the LCD then initially connected between the test plugs into the motherboard) to an
tldng A E€dt[t Lf.ti shows the correctly zeroed message terminals and switch 52 then pressed adjacent black wire (ground).
to zero the reading. That done, the It's also a good idea to connect a
Either the Jaycar QP-5515 LCD - ie, "C = 0.0 pF". load, as some supplies won't start
Next, connect your known-value shorting bar is removed and the un-
module (no backlight) or the QP- capacitor to the test terminals and known inductor connected to the test without one. In this case, I connected
5516 LCD module (with backlight) note the reading. It should be fairly terminals. an old floppy drive to the supply and
can be used with this project. close to the capacitor's value but may Note that if you don't have 51 used a paper clip to short the green and
lf you intend running the unit from
be somewhat high or low. (Capacitance/Inductance) in the cor- black wires on the plug. The power
a plugpack or if battery use will only If the reading is too low, install LK4 rect position, the micro will usually supply fan immediatelyburst into life
be for short periods, then the backlit give an "Ovet Range" error message and I was able to confirm that the
on theback of the board and watch the
QP-5516 can be used. Alternatively, LCD display. Every 200ms or so, the on the LCD, This will also occur if +5V and +t2Vrails were present
for general battery use, we recom- reading will increment as the PIC mi- the component's value is outside the on the disk drive connectors.
mend the QP-5515 - its current crocontroller adjusts the meter's scal- meter's measuring range - ie, above Having clearedthe power sup-
consumption is much lower and so ing factor in response to the jumper. As about B00nF for capacitors or 70mH ply, I went back to the mother-
the battery will last a lot longer. soon as the reading reaches the correct for inductors. DUC K rS <o[.¡PufER FAILED,,, board. Removing capacitors from

siliconch MAY 2OOB

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a multilayer board is never easy, as
care has to be taken not to damage
the tiny pads or any adjacent tracks.
However, by using a hot iron with a
fine-pointed tip, I was eventually able
to "wriggle" each capacitor out of its
mounting holes. I then used a needle
which I heated with the soldering
iron to clear the holes of solder before
installing fournew 3300pF 10V (105")
low-ESR capacitors into the vaca¡t
positions.
That done, I sat the motherboard
on a cardboard box, plugged in the
power supply and briefly shorted the
motherboard's power switch pins. The
power supply immediately started, so
it looked like the problem was solved.
AII that remained now was to re-install
the motherboard in the case, plug in all
the cables and batten down the hatches
- or so I thought,
Well I did thatbutwhen I attempted
to restart the computer for a fi¡ral test, it
was as dead as a dodo again. What was
going on? I'd fixed the faulty capacitors
but there was obviously another fault
Iurking in the works somewhere.
I decided to see if I could make the
problem go away by disconnecting
each item in turn. It didn't take long
58 sn¡co¡¡ cutp
- @ffiffiffiwfl
"Æþ
rrr4)
to nail the culprit. Disconnecting the
supply connectors to the disk drives
made no difference but when I discon-
nected the front-panel USB connec-
tor cable from the motherboard and
pressedthe power switch, the machine
immediately switched on!
In fact, after reconnecting power
to the disk drives, it booted straight
into Windows and behaved normally,
Duck's computer was back in action!
Mangled USB ports
A close inspection of the two front-
panel USB sockets revealed that the
contacts in both had been thoroughly
mangled. These contacts usually lie
flat on a plastic base but inbotlr cases,
they had been lifted up and pushed
to the rear of the socket, so that all
contacts were bent and shorted to the
metal housing,
That also meant that the power
supply contacts in both sockets were
shorted to earth. The motherboard
had been detecting this short and as a
result, had been refusing to start the
power supply.
In the end, the cure was simple - just
leave the USB cable disconnected and
seal the two faulty front-panel USB
connectors. Replacing them wasn't
an option, as they are moulded into a
fltting which also includes the front-
panel audio output and microphone
sockets,
It's not uncommon
Apparently, damage to USB sockets
is not uncommon. In fact, when I men-
tioneditto a colleague, he immediately
showed me anotebook computerwith
a damaged USB socket that had all its
metal contacts sitting in mid-air (see
photo). Another colleague had also
encountered several computers with
similar damage to USB sockets
It's probably due to the plug being
forced upwards (or downwards) as
some heavy-handed person "yanks" it
out of the socket. When that happens,
the plug acts as a lever and bends the
plastic base inside the socket as it is re-
moved. The base subsequently springs
back into place but the metal contact
strips don't and are Ieft stranded in
mid-air.
The next time someone attempts to
plug in a USB cable, itwon'tfi.tbecause
the ends of these metal contacts now
butt against the plastic base inside the
plug. Any attempt to force the plug in
only mangles the contacts further.
In Duck's machine, someone must
have applied considerable force to the
USB connector because the contacts
had all been bent to the rear of both
sockets. Apparently, there are strong
suspicions as to just who this person
might have been but DNA samples
have yet to be taken.
Duck should wring his neck!
An ancient valve amplifier
Many people out there are beginning
to realise that a lot of old (and not so
old) technology is fast disappearing
into landfill. In particular, most old
valve equipment has long gone, apart
from that remaining in the hands of a
few enthusiasts.
Occasionally, however, the odd
piece of valve gear does come my way
for repair. For example, I was recently
asked to repair an old Ace Radio (Mar-
rickville) audio amplifi.er from the
early 1960s.
This particular unit had been used
as a PA amplifier at Manly Wharf for
many years, It had then been donated
to Dee Why Surf Club and used until,
one day, it a¡rd its accessories were
swamped by a small tsunami. It was
then sold off cheaply, a little worse for
siliconchip.com.au
Fig.6: this is what appears on the
LCD screen after zeroing the unit in
capacitance mode.
as everything settles down - that's
normal.
Now press "Zere" button 52 for
a second or two and release it, This
forces the microcontroller to start up
again and recalibrate, so you'll briefly
see the "Calibrating" message again
a¡rd then "C = 0.0pF", This indicates
that the microcontroller has balanced
out the stray capacitance and reset its
zero reference.
Troubleshooting
If you don't get any messages dis-
played on the LCD, chances are that
you've connected either the battery
snap lead or the plugpack lead's con-
nector with reversed polarity. Check
the supply connections carefully. With
power applied, you should be able to
measure +5V on pin 14 of IC1 with
respect to ground.
Alternatively, if you get some mes-
sages-on the LCD but they're not as
described, it's time to check that the
meter's test oscillator is working prop-
erly. To do this, switch off, fit jumper
shunt LK2 (ie, at the back of the board),
then apply power and watch the
LCD. After the "Calibrating" message,
the micro should display an 8-digit
number which represents the oscilla-
tor frequency F1, This should be be-
tween about 00042000 and 00058000,
if your components for L1 and C1 are
within the usual tolerance.
If the figure you get for F1 is
'00000000", your test oscillator isn't
YcII.JFISELF
GINIYGIIJFI
VEETRI
Adaptor Board Fot Vety Small Gapacitors
H.ACE SMD CAPACIÍOR HERE
HN TACKS
ru,G BOD{ES
&HN lAcl(s
SOIDEREDÌO
ISHOMNG BAR'FOR
rc BOARDCOPPER ZEROING MEIER IN
INDI'EÍAI.ICE MODE
Fig.7: the adaptor board (left) is designed
to facilitate the neasurement of very snall
capacitors, including SMD devices. The
"shorting bar" (above, right) allows easier
zeroing of the meter in its inductance mode.
O HELP MEASURE very small Thatdone, thetwo pin jacks (cutfrom
I capacitors -
including trimmers a SIL or DIL socket strip) are soldered
and SMD capacitors - we have de- into the two smaller holes.
s¡gned a small adaptor board which To use this adaptor board, you sim-
can be plugged into the mete/s bind- ply plug it into the top of the Digital LC
ing post terminals. This adaptor board Meter's binding posts and then press
provides a pa¡r of closely spaced pin the Zero button to force the meter to
jacks, along with copper pads sepa- cancel out the additional stray capaci-
rated by a lmm gap. tance. You can then measure small
The pin jacks make it easier to leaded capac¡tors, tr¡mmers or SMD
measure small leaded capacitors and capacitors s¡mply by app¡ying them to
very small trimmers, while the copper the top of the adaptor.
pads alongside are for measuring Finally, we have also designed a
SMD capacitors. second small adaptor board which
The adaptor board is easily assem- acts a "shorting bai'. lt connects be-
bled. lt mounts copper-side-up on two tween the two normal binding posts of
banana plugs, which are soldered to the Digital LC Meter, to allow zeroing
thecopperaround the two large holes. of the meter in its inductance mode.
working and you will need to switch Ifyou do get a figure in the correct
off a¡d look for the cáuse. The possi- range, write the value down, then
bilities include missed solder joints, a switch off and transfer the jumper
poor solder joint involving one of the shunt to the LK1 position, Re-apply
oscillator components, or perhaps a power and check that the LCD now
tiny sliver of solder bridging adjacent shows a different 8-digit number after
tracks or pads. calibrating. This will be F2 - ie, the
For yoar nearesl dealer localion, call
Port Melbourne,
Victoria 3207

LONG CSK H
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4x2 HEADER
scRE\ /s wfflt MUnnE Nufs llKr {rúrl
lsMAüfR coMPoNB.¡TS NOT SrlOWN,
side view shows the completed PC-board and lid assenbly, ready for
installation in the case.
ing for the front panel, If so, it will be
simply a matter of frtting the switches
and binding posts to the lid.
Note that slide switch SL is secured
usingtwo M2 x 6mmmachine screws,
while 52 & 53 are mounted using their
own mounting nuts and lockwashers,
The binding posts mount to the panel
in the same way.
If you have to drill the case holes
yourself, you can use a copy of the
Cnp website and printed onto photo-
uD ot Fig.4: here's how graphic paper. It can then be attached
BOX the assembly goes to the lid using an even smear of neu-
together. The tral-cure silicone sealant ald the holes
LCD module is
cut out using a sharp hobby knife.
mounted using
lSmm IONG
Once all the panel hardware is in
M3 TAP9ED Nylon screws
SPACERS and nuts, while place, the next step is to fit the PC
the completed board, The first thing to note here is
board assembly that the rear lugs of switches 52 & 53
óm LOù.lG is attached to the will pass through their PC pads when
M3 SCREWS case lid using M3 the board is mounted on the lid, with
x 15mm tapped just enough metal protruding to al-
s¡racers and low soldering, This also applies to
FOR CLARITYI rnachine sc¡ews,
the binding post terminals. However,
slide switch Sl's lugs are not long
enough for this, so after the switch is
mounted on the lid, a short length of
tinned copper wire (eg, a resistor lead
offcut) mustbe soldered to each lug to
extend its length.
By the way, when you're
. fitting these short extension
wires, it's a good idea to
make a small hook at the end
of each wire and pass it through
the lug's holebefore squeezing
it with needle-nose pliers. The
idea here is to ensure that, once
soldered, it's not going to fall out when
the lower ends of the wires are later
soldered to the board pads.
Once the extension wires have been
fitted, you should be able to fit the PC
front panel artwork as a drilling tem- board assembly on the lid so that all
plate. In addition, you wiII have to the switch and binding post leads pass
drill/ream a 1-0mm diameter hole in through their matching board holes.
the righthand end of the box to give That done, you can fasten it all together
access to the DC connector (CONl), using fourM3 x 6mm countersinkhead
This hole shouldbe positioned 22mm screws which pass through the front
from the lront edge of the case and of the lid and into the spacers.
9mm down from the lid, so that it The assembly can nowbe completed
aligns correctly with CON1,. by soldering the switch and binding
That done, the front panel artwork post leads arrd by fitting the battery
can be downloaded from the SucoN snap connector,
wear but still working [just).
The new owner really only wanted
to use it for spare parts and removed
the output transformer to use in anoth-
er amplifier. But then, some years later,
he decided to reinstall the transformer
back into the original Ace Radio unit
to get it working again.
When he did, the output was lower
than normal and he noticed that if he
removed one of the output valves (V4)
EL84/68Q5), the sound actually got
louder, However, if he removed the
other output valve (V3) instead, there
was no sound!
Not sure of the condition of the
valves, he swapped them around with
the other amplifier. Most made no
difference but swapping the ECCB3/
1,2AX7 (V2) caused the amplifier to
go into an uncontrollable howl. And
that's when he brought it in to me,
Not having a circuit diagram but
being of Pommie descent, I recognised
the design to be based loosgly on the
Mullard 5-L0. And fortunately, I still
had my bible "Mullard Circuits for Au-
dio Amplifiers", 2nd Edition August
1960 which I acquiredwhen Ibuiltmy
Stern-Clyne kit from London (along
with many others).
The Ace Radio version still had
wax capacitors and old style resistors
where the body colour was the first
digit. I began by measuring the voltages
on the outputs and soon discovered
that one of them was switched off at
the phase splitter, The EFB6/6BKB was
also nearly switched off too,
Anyway, bearing in mind its 4O-year
old status, it was hard to know where
to start. I began with the old capacitors,
changing them for the later Philips
beige axial polyesters and rounding
the .05¡rF units to .o47¡tF. The elec-
trolytics were also replaced, with the
25pF and 16pF units replacedby 22pF
capacitors,
Some of the resistors in this old cor-
roded amplifrer were very much the
worse for wear. These included the
325Ç) wirewound cathode resistors
on the output valves, I replaced these
with 330Q units and out of interest, These are the four 3300¡rF electrolytic
capacitors removed from the Gigabyte
checked the old resistors on my DMM.
They were long way from the marked GA-7VKML motherboard (all carried
a
a "GSC" brand). Note the bulging tops
values.
and the leaking electrolyte.
The old Ace Radio amplifier had
been modifi.ed and repaired several
times during its long life, so I couldn't
be certain as to its exact original con-
flguration. Unfortunately, after replac-
ing most of the remaining resistors and
capacitors with new high-stability
types, the symptoms were still the
same. I also noticed that the two
output cathodes had been strapped
together with no parallel electros - not
that this made any difference to the
symptoms.
I was beginning to suspect the Fer-
guson output transformer, so I tried This view shows a mangled USB Port
swapping the leads around from one (circled) on a colleague's notebook
valve to a¡rother but it made no differ- computer. Note how the pins are all
ence. I then disconnected the negative
sitting in mid-air.
feedback from the output stage and
that too made no difference. ets in case the sea water had made
I did notice, however, that if Vr them conductive but as usual, it was
(EF86/6BKS) was removed, all the a case of a lot of different symptoms
voltages in the rest of the amplifler a¡rd not knowing which ones were
returned to normal. As a result, I spent significant,,
a lot of time checking its operating In fact it was the ECCB3iIZAX7
conditions. I even went to the extent valve (V2) that gave the important
of replacing the old rusty valve sock- clue. Assuming its replacement was

DIGITAL tC METER @G)

Checkout & calibration
TRUE AUDIOPHILE SFEAKERS
o@ Your LC Meter is now ready for test-
ing and calibration, To do this, first Danish Engineered Speaker Drivers for
connect a plugpack supply or a 9V
alkaline battery to the unit, set slider Astonishing Sound Reproduct¡on w¡th
@ switch 51 to the "Capacitance" posi- Clarity & Outstand¡ng Performance
tion and switch on using 53. As soon
".A
tcD
ootTRAsf as power is applied, the message "CaIi- Tymphany & DST bring toqether Peerless & FindSpecs/deta¡lsonl¡ne:
brating" should appeil on the LCD ::ã.l;:3.""i.;lî"#illoo=,#åi:' ;äffi ::1 www. d -s-t.co m.a u

Elrurf* Ac'vE
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for a second or two, then the disPlaY
should change to read "C = NN.N pF",
where NN.N is less than 10pF, AY¡
the past 80 years. V¡s¡t: www.d-s-t.com.au

o
:
If this happens, then your meter is wagner Ele<tronlcs
o probably working couectly, so just vifa innovation lives on
o@Y
l3SLlYe lRoa4
CAPACÍÎAÍICE lilDuqf flCE
POWER @o leave it for a minute or two to let the
test oscillator stabilise. During this
Ashffeld, NSW,213l
,Phone:02-979&9233

f.z SCANSPEAK
Far02-979&{þ17
Fig.s: this full-size front-panel artwork
- can be used as a drilling template for time the capacitance reading may vary Emall: sa les@'vagner.netau

the front panel. The artwork is also on the SILICON CHIP website. stightly by a few tenths of a picofarad Web: wwuwagner.net"au

MAY 2OO8 5g
46 Stucow Cntp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au
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OK, why did it go into an uncontrol-
lable howl?
This oscillation had to be caused
by feedback, so I shorted out the (ob-
viously) positive feedback to ground
from the output transformer and the
howling stopped instantly, I then
rewired the output leads so that it cor-
rectly gave negative feedback instead
of positive feedback and that frxed the
problem completely,
The original valve (V2) was faulty
or low emission, How someone had
managed to wire the leads the wrong
way round was a bit of a mystery as
their lengths made it impossible to
do it any other way without extend-
ing them.
This successful repair has meant
that I am now required to repair more
ancient valve equipment from the
same owner, starting with a 2-valve
AM tuner. If only there was decent
money in it!
A sick Sony
We sold a Sony KV-D432M36 CRT
TV to a clientback in 2005. It perform-
ed flawlessly up until a few weeks ago,
when the owner called complaining of
a poor picture,
When I got there, I found that the
picture was washed out. It was as
though there was no luminance, and
yet the OSD menus were all OK and
the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) was also
good. However, you could not swap
60 stLtco¡tt cntp
[,og : æffinwú
the picture quality over between the
main picture and the PIP.
/P0) There were no error codes and all
the B+ levels looked OK, so there
was nothing for it but to take
this extremely heavy set to the
workshop and dustthe cobwebs
off the CRO.
I was mainly interested in
finding out where the main
luminance was disappear-
ing, Tracing the signal path
was extremely difÊcult but I
managed to follow it through
onto digital signal board BH1
from the AVSW, comb filter
and A boards. From there, it
goes via a low-pass filter to a
Helios microprocessor (IC3 301,
cxD3BosAQ),
I soon realised I was out of my
depth and frgured that this Z40-pin
surface mounted IC was not for me to
tackle, Instead, I ordered an expensive
BH1 replacement board (Part No. A-
1.084-427-A) and crossed my fingers
that I had done the right thing.
You can imagine my relief when I
plugged the new one in and was re-
warded with an excellent picture on
all channels.
The freebie LCD TV
Recently, a colleague gave me a A Yamaha RX-V596 AV Prologic re-
small Toshiba LCD TV (14JLzAJ that
he had given up repairing, with the
intent that I use it for spare parts. It
came without its 19V power supply
and I was told that there was no picture
and only intermittent sound.
Ever the optimist, I thought that
I would give it a go before I started
robbing it for parts, using a regulated
bench power supply which at a stretch
I could crank up to 1BV. You can im-
agine my surprise when I got not only
full sound but an excellent picture as
well, Obviously, I thought, the fault
must be intermittent so I left it on to
soak test but the hours stretched into
days with no sign of any fault,
The next time I saw my friend the
conversation drifted onto this TV He
was dumbfounded when I told him
that it was working perfectly and that
I hadn't done anything to fix it. I then
hassled him for the original power
supply (what are friends for?) which
he eventually found and I took it back
to my workshop,
When I plugged it in, I measured
the output on the DC plug to be spot
on, However, when I connected it to
the Toshiba LCD TV, I saw for the first
time the symptoms my friend had
described. I could also see why it had
"fooled" him. If I had not originally
connected my own power supply, I
would have also said that the fault was
in the TV itself.
Anyway, I noticed that if you lis-
tened carefully to the fuIly enclosed
power supply, you could hear a rus-
tling noise as though a cockroach had
got inside! As a result, I prised open
the glued plastic case and took a look
at the PC board.
I quickly noticed that the solder
joint on D2 had been getting quite
hot and when I measured the FR107
diode, it was short circuit, I had the
usual "kerfuffle" of trying to source a
replacement and eventually settled for
a UF4007, I also replaced C1L, a47¡tF
25V electro which fed the FET,
At switch on, I was delighted to see
that the TV now came on perfectly
with this supply. What's more, the
cockroach had taken his rustle away!
Having frxed it, I decided to keep
this little set as it's really quite nice
- and it needs soak testing! It's just a
shame that I didn't get the stand that
goes with it,
Yamaha Prologic receiver
ceiver was Ieft at reception DOA (dead
on arrival), the customer requesting a
cheap Lazarus job,
My only comment to that request
was that you can have one or the other
but not both. Anyway, the money
eventually talked loud enough for me
to get stuck into it,
Apparently, following a thunder-
storm, the receiver would no longer
switch on. In fact, there were no lights
and no display - it would just click
and then turn off.
This is a complex unit with an
equally complex "Diagnostic Mode"
which, when selected, tricks the mi-
croprocessor and bypasses the protec-
tion circuits, To start this diagnostic
program, you have to hold down the
righthand "Preset /Tuning" and "A/
BICID|E' keys while simultaneously
pressing the "StandbylOn" button,
Submenu 1 will then start.
Unfortunately, none of this was
working, so I checked out all the power
siliconchip.com.au
These binders will protect your
copies of SlLlcoN CHte. They
feature heavy-board covers & are
made from a distinctive 2-tone
green vinyl.They hold 12 issues &
leaving the clean outer ends of all pins
free to take a jumper shunt, ffifb2 @aefltorGodæ will look great on your bookshelf.
(41, Fit aTx2DIL pin header for the
Value pF Code IEC Code EIA Code
* 80mm internalwidth
LCD module connections. This header
is fitted to the top of the PC board in 0.1pF 100n
100nF 104 * SrLrcoN CH|P logo pr¡nted in
gold-coloured lettering on spine &
the usual way. 1nF .001¡rF 1n 102 cover
(5). Install the 11 resistors, seven of 33pF NA 33p 33
which go under the LCD module, Table * Buy five and get them postage
1 shows the resistor colour codes but free!
you should also check each resistor ule and the PC board, while a third Prlce: $413.95 plus $47 p&p per
using a DMM before soldering it to nut with an integral washer is fitted order. Avallable only in Aust.
the board. to secure the assembly under the PC
(6), InstaÌl trimpot VR1, followed by board, Note that when you're fitting Silicon Chip Publications
inductor L1 and reed relay RLY1. the module to the top of the board, it
(z). Fit the five non-polarised capaci- shouldbe lowered carefully so that the P0 Box 139
tors, followed by the 10pF tantalum, holes at the lefthand end slip down Gollaroy Beach 2097
the two 10pF RB electrolytics and the over the pins of ltre 7x2 DIL strip frt-
Or call (02) 9939 3295; or fax (02)
22pF RB electrolytic, Note that the tan- ted ea¡lier.
9939 2648 & quote your credit
talum capacitor and the electroÌytics (10), Solder the 14 pin connections
card number.
are polarised, so take care with their on the top of the LCD module using a
orientation. fine-pointed iron.
(B). Install relay RLY1, the 18-pin
socket for IC1 and the 4MHz crystal
(rr). Plug the programmed
16F62BA (ICl,) into its socket, then
PIC- ':i'lioltT- r r r
X1. Follow these parts with diodes D1 fit four M3 x 15mm tapped spacers to Enclosed is my cheque/monev order for
¡ ¡
& D2 and regulator REG1. the PC board mounting points. Secure
| $- or Please debit mY I
Note that the regulator's leads are these spacers using M3 x 6mm pan-
bent downwards through g0' 6mm head screws. | trvisa EMastercard I
from its body, so that they pass through That completes the board assembly. I card No: I
the holes in the board, Before soldering It can now be placed to one side while II
its leads, secure its metal tab to the PC
board using an M3 x 6mm machine
you work on the case.
tl
screw and nut. Preparing the case I Card Expiry Date I
(9). Secure the LCD module to the ,ts shown in the photos, the PC I Signature -/- I
PC board, using four M3 x 12mm board assembly is mounted on the lid I I
cheesehead Nylon screws and 12 nuts of a standard UB3-size jiffy box, Name
If you're building the Digital LC I I
fthree on each screw). Fig,4 shows the Address
detaiÌs, Meter from a kit, the plastic case will I I
At each mounting point, two plain probably be supplied with all holes I p/code_ |
nuts act as spacers between the mod- drilled and with screen printed letter- L--rrrrrr --J
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 45

They're only used for troubleshooting
and calibration,
Power supply
Power forthe circuit is derived from
an external 9-12VDC source. This can
come from either a plugpack supply
or from an internal 9V battery. The
switched DC input socket automati-
cally disconnects the battery when the
plugpack supply is connected.
The incoming DC rail is fed via re-
verse polarity protection diode D2 and
power switch 53 to regulator REG1 - a
standard 7805 device. The resulting
+5V rail at REG1's output is then used
to power IC1 and the LCD module.
Construction
Because ituses so fewparts, the unit
is very easy to build, AII the parts, ex-
cept for switches S1-S3 and the Cx/Lx
input terminals, are mounted on a PC
board coded o41o5o81 and measur-
ing 125 x 58mm. The LCD module
connects to a 7x2 DIL pin header at
one end ofthe board and is sup-
ported at either end using M3
Nylon screws and nuts,
Fig.3 shows the parts layout
on the PC board. Here's the
suggested order of fitting the
components to the PC board:
(11. Fit DC power connec-
tor CON1 and the two 1mm PC
board terminal pins for the internal
battery connections.
(2). Fit the six wire links, four of
which go under where the LCD mod-
ule is later frtted, Don't forget the link
immediately below switch S1.
(3). Install lhe 4x2 DIL pin header
used for links LK1-LK4. Note that this
item must be mounted on the copper
side of the board (not on the top), so
that a jumper can later be fitted to any
of the links when the board assembly
is attached to the box lid).
To install this header, just push the
ends of the longer sides of the pins into
the board holes by L-2mm, then solder
them carefuIly to the pads. That done,
push the plastic strip down the pins so
that it rests against the solder joints,
Iines only to flnd that they were alÌ
spot on, As a result, my next move was
to order and change the microproces-
sor. It wasn't all that expensive but
unfortunately it made no difference.
I also kept pressing the three "Diag-
nostic Mode" buttons in the hope that
something might happen andbelieve it
or not, my prayers finally worked when
for a very brief moment the Display
dimly showed "PRV", This was the
clue I so desperately needed, but flrst
a buzz word glossary: (1) "PRI" means
Over Current Protection; (2J "PRV"
means Power Voltage Protection; and
(3) "PRD" mea¡s Power Amplifler VoIt-
age.
The one I was now interested in
therefore was the voltage protection
line to pin 91 of microcontrollerlCs0l,
This involves a network of seven or
eight resistors f¡om the power supply
rails, which together bias pin 91 to
1 ,5V. If any of the supply rails or resis-
tors fail, then the 1.5V would change
and the set would turn off, which was
precisely what was happening,
In fact, a quick check showed that
pin 91 was at just 0.8V. To confirm
my hypothesis, I connected a 10kC)
resistor (as a random example) to the
+5V rail and it was enough to raise the
voltage to 1.5V and enable the micro-
controller, In addition, the Diagnostics
mode could now be fuIIy accessed and
it confi¡med aII the above,
So what had caused this? WelI, it
was really simple from now on. All I
had to do was measure all the resis-
tors from the supply rails to pin 91
(the PRV1 line) of the microcontroller,
WelI, of course, it does sound simple
except that physical access is a prob-
lem and that meant major surgery to
get at those resistors,
Eventually, after a lot ofhard yakka,
I found the @#$%^&. It was R230
Ø7kA) which runs from the +25V
rail on the PRV2 line and plugs into
the PRV1 line via C8104 on the PCB
Input 1 Board.
Now that the unit was working,
I found a secondary problem. The
DVD kept defaulting to "Disco Sound
Mode" and there was no Prol-ogic de-
coding. This fault had previously been
masked by the frrst problem but when
I quizzed the client, he was fortunately
only too well aware that it had been an
existing problem, A new board would
cost in excess of g¿00 but he wasn't
prepared to go that far a¡d was happy
enough to use the unit without the
Prol-ogic sound.
A beautiful Philips
Some of the expensive andbeautiful
sets imported by NAPF Electronics di-
rectly from Philips in Europe are now
coming in for repair even though they
are a bit long in the tooth at around 15
years old, One such set was a Philips
32FL2881.175R employing an FL2G
chassis, It would come on with abeau-
tiful picture and sound for around two
minutes a¡rd then cut off,
The diagnostics available on this
set are read out via seven LEDs on
Computer Board W on the SSP (small
signal panel) inside the set, Four of
these LEDs are also in parallel with
the LEDs on the front panel,
When the fault was present, two
of these LEDs would flash. The big
problem for me was trying to work out
whether these LEDs were numbers L
and 2 (ie, LEDs 6053 & 6051) or 6 and
7, as the manual is very confusing,
However, after studying the manual,
I eventually interpreted the LED read-
outs as indicating a 03 error code mes-
sage. That in turn indicated a problem
in the Proscan Box "H, H1",
The Proscan box takes care of a
number of functions, including (as
far as I can determine) Teletext, PIP
a¡d the aspect ratio. However, being
rather cynical about the reliability of
diagnostic systems, I decided to do
some basic tests myself,
First, I momenta¡ily shorted a cath-
ode of the CRT to ground via a 10kC2
resistor and found that there was no
vertical deflection, Then, despite the
difñcult access, I measured the B+ rails
feeding the vertical output timebase
on the G Board,
These were all OK so I checked for
dry joints, first by tapping the board
and then by heating and cooling the
board, However, there seemed to be
nothing wrong with the output stages
on the G Board,
I had put off'checking the Proscan
Module as it was tlre most inacces-
sible board in the set. It has a lot of
metalwork screening, all held in place
by concealed clips. However, I even-
tually managed to remove this board
from the set and then tried running
the set without it. The sound was now
muchbetter and there was a fulI raster,
albeit with a little vertical foldover in
the centre.
By now, I really felt that I was getting
somewhere, so I reconnected the Pros-
can module (H Board) and applied all
the tests I had just done to the G Board,
It made almost no difference until I hit
it with a lot of freezer, whereupon the
picture momentarily returned.
I took the board out and carefully
examined what appeared to be the
heat sensitive area but initially could
find nothing wrong. However, while
resoldering some possible dry joints, I
suddenly detected a fi.sh-like smell and
instantly knew that I had electrolytic
capacitor problems.
In the end, I changed a number
of "fishy" electros, including C2046
(10pF), C2o64 (100¡rFJ and Czo8t
(szllF). However, my money was re-
ally on C2O92, a 47¡tF electro in the
"Watchdog" circuit.
Replacing all four and cleaning the
board restored the picture completely.
Shorting the Service Mode Test Points
526 and 527 on the SSP then brought
up all the error codes since the set
was last used, in this case 08, 03, 04,
26 & 99,
After I switched the set to Standby
and tried again, I was rewarded with
five zeros, meaning that there were no
more elrols. sc

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44 SILIC)N CHIP siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 61,
 Trimpot VR1 allows the LCD contrast
to be optimised.

Firmware & link functions

By Mauro Grassi The filmware in IC1 is designed to èo

automatically perform the calibration

function just after initial start-up.
However, this can also be performed
at any other time using switch 52.
:þ *t' Ë
_o
5
d
0)

z ô
CE

Pressing this switch simply pulls the z

micro's MCLR-bar pin (+) down, so o
o
that the micro is forced to reset and z
start up again, recalibrating the circuit
a
in the process,
Links LKl-LK4 are not installed for tr
normal use but are used for the initial
U
setting up, testing and calibration. As
shown, these links connect between 8Ë'o
UUgg
F¡
c)

RB3-RB0 and ground respectively. aüÍÉ.

lf;xx 0)
For example, if you fit LK1 and then
gËEE ,
press S2 to force a reset, the micro will ¡o 4ôUU
o
activate RLY1 (to switch capacitor C2 ao
N ËÓNF
iYVY
into circuit) and measure oscillator o (!
frequency F2. This is then displayed u
d
o
on the LCD. (n

for dsPl0s & PlCs

Similarly, if you fit LK2 and press e
52, the micro simply measures the ø
initial oscillator frequency (F1) and
displays this on the LCD. This allows e)
you to not only make sure that the os- (ú

cillator is operating but you can check

This low-cost unit can program all dsPICSOF series its frequency as well. We'll have more l_lr. (É

microcontrollers in the DIP package, along with most PIC to say about this later.
LK3 & LK4 allow you to perform
microControllers. ft's easy to build and uses standard parts.
cÉ
¡r
manual calibration "tweaks" to the
meter. This is useful if you have access
to a capacitor whose value is very ac- tr ¡ri

curately known (because it

[ICs ARE NOW ONE of the most
-f widely used microcontrollers. Like
all micros, they greatly simplify many
electronic designs, are reconfigurable
in the field and allow projects that
would be unwieldy or overly com-
plex without them. In addition, extra
features can often be added retrospec-
tively to the firmware.
Although the PIC family of micro-
controllers is well k¡rown (we have
published many projects that employ
PICs), Microchip also manufactures
the lesser-known dsPIC30F series of
microcontrollers.
These are microcontrollers with
has been eã
most older PIC programmers cannot measured using a full-scale LCR meter, 5rI
oo
Dedicated single-cycle DSP opera-
tions like MAC (multiply and accumu- program them, This is due to incom- for example).
@
ôiÊ
N
-€
et s EO
late) allow them to perform real-time patibilities with the pin-outs of the With LK3 fltted, the capacitance
reading decreases by a small amount õ
signal processing using multiple 40-bit dsPIC family.
accumulators. They also incorporate As a result, we have designed
this simple, low-cost dsPIC and PIC
each time it makes a new measure-
ment (which is about five times per
v.
NoE
1
o-.
(j-É
hardware multiplication and division É9
and have surprisingly fast ADC acqui- programmer. It can program all the second). Conversely, if LK4 is fitted <É
sition modes. These features make dsPIC30F family of microcontrollers instead, the microcontroller increases N=
them well-suited to many digital signal that are available in a DIP package, as the capacitance reading by a small 9\l
processing applications. well as almost all regular PICs. It uses increment each time it performs a new ç{ >ì
One such device, the dsPIC30F4011, freely-available software (for the PC) measurement,
Ê ô,:
will feature in a new digital Musicol- and is easy to buiÌd. Each time a change is made, the ad- E (!E q?(!
our lightshow project to be published By the way, if you have ever wanted justment factor is stored in the micro's F ä.2
to experiment with DSPs (digital signal EEPROM and this calibration value is H
soon in SIrtcoN CHIp. This particular
device can perform a real-time FFT processors), the dsPIC30F series is a then applied to future measurements. -
(Fast Fourier Transform) on audio- good starting point. Microchip offers Note also that although the calibration ¿o1 CÐ (Jl!

is made using a "standard" capacitor,

<f35
rã*; J !
'1 É
similar peripherals to those found band signals with ADC acquisition a lot of documentation and source J oé
on standard PICs but which have an modes that can operate at up to 1MS/s code for free on their website vvww. it also affects the inducta¡rce measure- ot
enhanced instruction set augmented (1 million samples per second). It runs microchip.com, ment function. F
I EtØ
with DSP (digital signal processing) at close to 3OMIPs and has 4BkB of In short, the idea is to flt the jumper o CÐ O¡r
(Jo
Programming procedure (J-J ã I
type operations. They are 16-bit mi- proSram memory. to one link or the other (ie, to LK3 or E or!
Our new programmer is based on LK4) until the reading is correct, The €d
crocontrollers and are surprisingly ñ+
powerful, running at speeds in the Programming them the original COMB4 style programmer link is then removed. etË èox
tens of MIPs (millions of instructions The dsPIC30F series of micro- - so named because it was designed to As mentioned above,links LK1-LK4 C'!'N

per second). controllers ate extremely useful but program 1 6FB4 microprocessors from are all left out for normal operation,
MAY 2OOB 43
62 StLtco¡,t Cntp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au

Parts Ltst
1 PC board, code 04105081,
125 x 58mm
1 PC board, code 04105082,3ô
x 16mm
1 PC board, code 04105083,41
x 21mm
1 UB3 utility box, 130 x 68 x
44mm
1 16x2 LCD module (Jaycar QP-
5515 or QP-5516 - see panel)
1 5V 1OmA DIL reed relay
(Jaycar SY-4030)
1 100pH RF inductor (11)
1 4.0MHz crystal, HC-49U
1 DPDT subminiature slider
switch (S1)
1 SPST momentary contact
pushbutton switch (S2)
1 SPDT minitoggle switch (S3)
1 18-pin DIL lC socket
1 2.5mm PC-mount DC
connector
1 4x2 section of DIL header strip
1 7x2 section of DIL header strip
1 jumper shunt
1 binding posVbanana socket,
red
1 binding posUbanana socket,
black
2 PC terminalpins, 1mm
diameter
value of the unknown component
using one of the equations shown in
the lower section of the equations box
5 M3 x 6mm pan head machine - ie, the section labelled "In Measure-
screws ment Mode".
1 M3 nut (metal) From these equations, you car. see
2M2x 6mm machine screws that the micro has some fairly solid
(for S1) "number crunching" to do, both in the
4 M3 x 12mm Nylon screws calibration mode when it calculates
I M3 Nylon nuts the values of L1 and C1 and then in
4 M3 Nylon nuts with integral the measurement mode when it cal-
washers culates the value of Cx or Lx, Each of
1 9V battery snap lead these values needs to be calculated to a
1 1OkO horizontaltrimpot (VR1) high degree ofresolution and accuracy.
To achieve this, the micro's firmware
Semiconductorc needs to make use of some 24-bit float-
1 PlCl 6F628A microcontroller ing point maths routines.
programmed with 041 05084.
Circuit details
hex (lC1)
1 7805 +5V regulator (REG1) Howthis ingeniousyet simple meas-
1 1N4148 diode (D1) urement scheme is used to produce a
1 1N4004 diode (D2) practical LC meter can be seen from the
fulI circuit diagram of Fig,2,It's even
Capacitorc simpler than you might have expected
122¡tF 16V RB electrolytic because there's no separate comparator
210¡tF 16V RB electrolytic to form the heart of the measurement
1 1OpF 16V tantalum oscillator. Instead we're making use
1 100nF monolithic of a comparator that's built into the
2 1nF MKT or polyçtyrene (1% microcontroller (IC1) itself.
As shown, microcontroller IC1 is a
if possible)
233pF NPO ceramic PIC16F628A and it actually contains
two analog comparators which can be
Resistorc (0.25W, 1%l configured in a variety of ways. Here
3 100ko 2 4.7ko we are using comparator 1 (CMPI) as
a serial port. There are really three
lines which are necess€ry to program
m
most PICs and microcontrollers in
the dsPIC30F family: CLOCK (PGC),
Features
D,{TA (PGD) and Vpp (programming
voltage), (1) W¡llprogram alldsPlC3OF series microcontrollers in the DIP package
Incidentally, the dsPIC3OF family (2) Will program most PlCs in DIP package
has two programming modes - en- (3) Uses PC freeware WinPlC forWindows
hanced and standard. The enhanced (4) Connects to the serial (RS232) port of a PC
mode is faster ald requires a program- (5)Very low cost
ming executive or "bootloader" to be
programmed in first. However, this Minimum Supported lleyices (others may also work)
programmer uses only the slower
10F series
ICSP mode that is standard across the
1 0F20012021204/206 (E) (.)
PIC family (ICSP = In-Circuit Serial
Programming).
12F series
Ifyou are interested in the details of
12Fs08/50e (E)
the ICSP protocol, refer to the Micro-
12F609/615 (E)
chip website at wlvw.microchip.com
12F629/675 (E) (.)
(look for the "memory programming
12F635/636/63e (E)
specifications").
12F683 (E)
Programming mode is entered by
raising Vpp up to around 13V. Data
16F series
is then programmed into the micro-
16F610/616 (E)
controller by serially shifting com-
1 6F 627 / 627 N 628/ 628 A (. )
mands and data using the PGC and
1 6F630/631 /636/639/676/677 t68416851687/688/689 (E)
PGD lines.
1 6F648/648A
The PGC line synchronises tl.e ex-
1 6F71 6
change of se¡ial bits, while the PGD
16F73n37n4n6n7
line contains the data. The PGD line
is bidirectional, allowing reading and
1 6F81 8/81 I
16F84184N87188 (.)
writing of the microcontroller.
16F87018711872
For example, there is a commald
6F 87 3 I 87 3 N 87 4 I 87 4 N 87 6 I 87 6 N 87 7 I 877 A ('*
code for "Erase" which will erase the
1

16F913/914/9161917
)

4 M3 x 1Smm tapped spacers
4 M3 x 6mm csk head machine
screws
nected into ci¡cuit, Forrl simply cor-
responds to the resonant frequency of
L1, C1 arrd any stray capacitance that
may be associated with them.
When power is first applied to the
meter, the microcontroller measures
this frequency (F1) and stores it in
memory. It then energises reed relay
RLYI, which switches capacitor C2
in parallel with C1 and thus alters the
oscillator frequency (ie, it lowers it).
The microcontroller then measures
and stores this new frequency (F2).
Next, the microcontroller uses these
two frequencies plus the value of C2
to accurately calculate the values of
both C1 and L1. If you're interested, the
equations it uses to do this are shown
in the top (Calibration Mode) section
of the box titled "How It Works: The
Equations".
Following these calculations, the
microcontroller turns RLY1 off again
1 68kO 4 1kO
1 47kA
to remove C2, allowing the oscillator
frequency to return to F1. The unit is
now ready to measure the unknown
inductor or capacitor (Cx or Lx).
As shown in Fig.1, the unknown
component is connected across the test
terminals. It is then connected to the
oscillator's tu¡red circuit via switch S1.
When measuring an unknown capaci-
tor, 51 is switched to the "C" position
so that the capacitor is connected in
parallel with Cr. Alternatively, for an
unknown inductor, 51 is switched to
the "L" position so that the inductòr
is connected in series with Lr,
In both cases, the added Cx or Lx
again causes the oscillator frequency
to change, to a new frequency (F3).
As with F2, this will always be lower
than FL. So by measuring F3 as before
and monitoring the position of 51
(which is done via the C/L-bar line),
the microcontroller cal calculate the
the measurement oscillator. Compara-
tor 2 (CMP2) is used only to provide
some additional "squaring up" of the
output from CMPI and its outputthen
drives the internal frequency counting
circuitry.
The oscillator circuitry is essentially
unchanged from that shown in Fig.1.
Note that the micro controls RLY1
(which switches calibrating capacitor
C2 in and out of circuit) via its I/O
port B's RB7 line (pin L3). Diode DL
prevents the micro's internal circuitry
from being damaged by inductive
spikes when RLY1 switches off.
In operation, IC1 senses which po-
sition switch 51 is in using RB6 (pin
12). This is pulled high internally
when S1b is in the "C" position ald
Iow when S1b is in the "L" position.
Crystal X1 (aMHz) sets the clock fre-
quency for IC1, while the associated
33pF capacitors provide the correct
loading to ensure reliable starting of
the clock oscillator.
The results of IC1's calculations are
displayed on a standard 2x16line LCD
module. This is driven directly from
the micro itself, via port pins RB0-R85.
flash memory of the microcontroller.
There are also commalds for "Writ-
ing" and "Reading" pages, etc. As
soon as the microcontroller enters
programming mode, it starts listening
for commands.
Circuit details
.To successfully program a PIC or
dsPIC series microcontroller, we must
be able to control the PGC, PGD and
VPP lines in the correct fashion. The
Stucox Cnp dsPIC/PIC Programmer
achieves this by giving control of
these lines to the software running on
a PC. This software program is called
"WinPIC" a¡d it makes sure that the
correct procedr:re is followed for a
particular device.
Fig.1 shows the circuit details, As
car be seen, the dsPIC/PIC Program-
mer has two distinct supply rails (+5V
& +13.6V) and these are derived from
the DC supply rail using two 3-termi-
nal regulators (REG1 & REG2). 51 is the
power on/off switch, LED1 provides
power indication and diode D1 pro-
vides reverse polarity protection,
REG2 is an LM317T variable voltage
18F series
8F 2220 I 2320 I 4220 I 4320
1 dsPlC30F2010 (")
1 8F 2331 I 2431 I 4331 I 4431
1 8F 2420I 2520I 4 420I 4520
18F245014450
1 8F 2455 I 25 50 / 4 455/ 4550 (. )
1 8F 2480 I 2580 I 4480 I 4580
1 8F 2525 I 2620 4525I 4620
1 8F 2439I 2539 I 4 439 I 4539
18F2421252144214521
I F2585/4585/2680/4680
1
18F248125814481458
1 8F 26821 2685 I 46821 4685
(*) = tested & passed. (E) = requires external connection or adaptor socket.
regulator. Its output is determined by
the bias applied to its ADf terminal,
as determined by the voltage divider
formed by the 120Q resistor arrd the
series 1.1kCl & 82Q resistors.
If R1 is the resistance between
the OUT and AD] terminals (120Ç)
in our case) and R2 is the resistance
between ADJ and GND (1182C)), then
the LM3L7T will regulate its output
dsPlC30F ser¡es
dsPIC30F2011/3012 (.)
dsPlC30F2012/3013 (.)
dsPlC30F3010 (.)
dsPlC30F3011 (.)
dsPlC30F301414013 (.)
dsPlC30F4011 (-)
dsPlC30F4012 (.)
voltage to: Y =7.25 x (1+ R2lR1). Note,
however, that slight manufacturing
variations mean that the L.25 factor
can be anywhere between 1.2 ald 1.3
in actual practice.
In this case, RL & R2 have been se-
lected so that REG2 regulates its output
to 13.6V in typical conditions. This
provides the MCLR-bar/Vpp voltage
for the microcontroller which should

42 Stuco¡t Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 63


Fants Lflst
1 PC board, code 07105081,
122x 120mm
1 adaptor PC board, code
07105083, 52 x 19mm
1 16V 400mA DC plugpack
1 SPDT right-angle PO-mount
toggle switch (S1)
1 PO-mount 2.5mm DC socket
(coN1)
1 DBg female right-angle socket
(coN2)
1 DlP14 lC socket
1 DlP16 lC socket
2D|P4O ZIF sockets
2 jumper shunts
1 8-pin DIL header with 2.54mm
spacing
1 6-pin DIL header with 2.54mm
spacrng
1 500mm length of 0.7mm tinned
copper wire
4 M3 x 6mm screws
2 M3 nuts
2 M3 x 1Omm screws
4 9mm long M3 tapped spacers
Semiconductors
1 MAX232A RS232 line driver
receiver (lC1)
1 74LSO4 hex inverter (lC2)
1 8C337 NPN transistor (Q1)
18C327 PNP transistor (Q2)
1 7805 5V regulator (REG1)
1 LM317T regulator (REG2)
31N4004 diodes (D1-Dg)
1 red 3mm LED (LED1)
Gapacitorc
1 1OpF 16V electrolytic
7 1pF 16V electrolytic
2100nF monolithic (code 100n
or 1 04)
222pF ceramic
Resis'tors (0.25U1, 1 %)
62.2kA 1 82A
1 1.1kO 3 39O
1 12012
ideally be between 12.8V and 13.1V,
However, anything from 13.4V to
13.8V is actually OK atREG2's output,
since this is fed through transistor
switch Q2 and series diode D2 before
being applied to the MCLR-bar/Vpp
(master clear/programming voltagel
pin of the microcontroller to be pro-
grammed.
In operation, the regulated 13.6V
rail from REG2 is switched on and off
64 StUCO¡,t Cntp
by PNP transistor Q2 which in turn is
switched on and off by NPN transistor
Q1, When pin 3 (Tx) of the serial port
is high, it will switch Ql on, in turn
switching Q2 on and applying around
13V to the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin on the
microcontroller to be programmed,
Conversely, when pin 3 of the serial
port is low, Q1 will be off and therefore
Q2 will also be off. In this case, the
2.2kQ resistor on D2's cathode will
pull the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin low.
Basically, on a PIC or dsPIC micro-
controller, the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin acts
either as a Reset (0V) or a programming
voltage pin (around 13V for PICs or
between 9V and 13V for a dsPIC3OF
series microcontroller). When MCLR-
bar/Vpp is low, the microcontroller is
in the Reset state (meaning that all its
configurable pins are high impedance
inputs). When it is high (around V¡¡
= +5V), the microcontroller runs in
program mode and if it is at Vpp the
microcontroller will enter program-
ming mode.
It was a deliberate design decision
to switch the MCLR-bar/Vpp line be-
tween 0V and Vpp rather tha¡r between
V¡¡ and Vpp. This was done to avoid
possible damage to the microcontroller
being programmed.
To explain, if the MCLR-bar/Vpp
line were switched between V¡¡ and
Vpp, the program would run on the
microcontroller when programming
finishes, If that program were to drive
the output pins (as digital outputs or
as peripheral outputsJ, it could cause
excessive currents to flow and damage
the output stages of those pins,
That's because the ZIF sockets have
many power connections to accom-
modate differentPICs and dsPICs (+5V
and GND). As a result, some of the
microcontroller's output pins could
be shorted to +5V or to ground if the
program were to tun.
For this reason, the Vpp pin is
switched from 0V to 13V so that the
microcontroller is never in the run-
ning mode.
Of course, if youwere to incorporate
this programmer onto a PC board that
catered for ICSP (in-circuit-serial-pro-
gramming) then you would have this
line switch from V¡¡ (+5V) to 13V and
the reset would occur on any transition
from 13V down to 5V, Refer to the sec-
tion entitled "External Programming
Using CON3") for more details.
Note that some PIC microcontrollers
can be configured to disable the Reset
function of the MCLR-bar/Vpp pin, al-
Iowing it to be used for an alternative
(multiplexed) function, This should be
avoided when using this programmer
with a dsPIC or PIC plugged into a ZIF
socket, for the reasons outlined above
(this does not apply when using CON3
to program an external device),
Reguldtor REGI is used to derive
the +5V rail and this is used to power
IC'l,,ICz and the microcontroller being
programmed. This +5V rail is bypassed
using 1O¡rF, 1p.F and 100nF capacitors,
while a 1¡rF capacitor also bypasses
REG1's input.
Control lines
The relevant lines used in the RS-
232 serial interface to control the
dsPIC/PIC Programmer are derived
from pins 3, 4,5,7 & B.
Pin 5 is the ground connection while
pins 3, 4 & 7 (respectively Tx, DTR and
RTS) are outputs from the serial port.
In particular, pins 4 & 7 are digital
outputs, while pin 3 is usually the
Transmit line of the serial port. These
a¡e controlled by the WinPIC software
on the PC as appropriate,
Finally, pin B (CTS) is an input pin
and this is used to read data from the
microcontroller, as required to verify
or read the state of the memory.
IC1 is a MAX232 RS-232 line driver
receiver. Its job is to translate between
the RS-232 voltage levels (ie, t10V)
at the serial port and the TTL levels
(0-5V) used by the microcontroller. As
mentioned, pins 4 & 7 of the serial port
are standard digital outputs and these
are connected directly to IC1.
In operation, the MAX232 actually
inverts the levels and so its outputs at
pins 9 & 12 are fed to inverter IC2a &
IC2f (part of a 74LS04 hex inverter) to
invert them back again.
Pin 7 of the serial port controls the
PGC (CLOCK) Iine and is applied to
the microcontroller via IC1, IC2a and
a 39Ç) resistor (to limit the current). In
addition, a 22pF ceramic capacitor is
used to flIter any high-frequency noise
on this line,
Pin 4 controls the PGD line (DATA)
output. When it goes low so does
the pin 12 output of inverter IC2f.
Diode D3 allows a low level from
IC2f to drive the PGD line but blocks
high-level signals from IC2f. A 2.zko-
pull-up resistor is used instead to pull
this line high. This allows the WinPIC
softwa¡e to read the PGD line from the
microcontroller via pin B of the serial
siliconchip.com.au
HOW ITWORKS: THE EAUATIONS
c (A) ln colibrotion mode
ll I Wirh iusr Ll ond Cl :
2.r..JTTET
L f2l w¡thc2oddedøcl: t2' ----J-
2.r. {ï.ieT+eZi
l3l Flom ('llond l2l, wa con ftnd Cl:
ct - ¡ft¡.cz
(41 Alp from lt ) ond l2!, we con find Ll :
- 1.r2.F12 'C1
(B) ln meosurement mode
(5f WhenCxisconnætud: F3=
CAI
il#
rc cx=cr. (iå -t)
clL
Fig.1: the circuit uses a wide-range test oscillator, the frequency of which
(ól Orwhan lx is conmled:
t?= I
vaiies when an unlsrown inductor (Lx) or capacitor (Cx) is connected. This 2.n. {[TiEiEl
oscillator is in turn monitored using a microconboller which accurately
calibrates the unit and measures the change in oscillator frequency. The s r'-Lr. ($ -r)
microcontroller then calculates the unknown component's inductance or
NOTE: F2 & F3 should ohvoys be lower thon Fl
capacitance and displays the result on an LCI).
(C) and inductance (L) with a-digit with positive feedback around it - see +2.5Y level, the comparator's output
resolution. In fact, it measures capaci- Fig.1. This configuration has a natural suddenly switches low,
tance from just 0.1pF up to B00nF and inclination to oscillate because ofthe This voltage low is fed back to the
inducta¡rce from 1OnHto 70mH. Meas- very high gain between tle compara- comparator's non-inverting input via
urement accuracy is also surprisingly tor's input and output. a 100kO feedback resistor. It is also
good, at better than t1% ofreading. When power (+5V) is flrst applied, coupled through the 10PF input ca-
It also operates from 9-12V DC, the comparator's non-inverting (+) pacitor to a tuned circuit formed by
drawing an average current of less input is held at half the supply volt- inductor L1 and capacitor C1. This
than 20m4, This means that it can be age (+2,5V) by a bias divider formed makes the tuned circuit "ring" at its
powered fiom either a 9V alkaline bat- by two 100kQ resistors. However, the resonant frequency.
tery inside the case or f¡om an external voltage at the inverting input is ini- As a result, the comparator and
plugpack supply. tially zero because the 1OpF capacitor the tuned circuit now function as an
at this input needs time to charge via oscillator at that resonant frequency,
How it works the 47kQ feedback resistor. So with In effect, the comparator effectively
The meter's impressive performalce its non-inverting input much more functions as a "negative tesistatce"
depends on an ingenious measure- positive than its inverting input, the across the tuned circuit, to cancel its
ment technique which was developed comparator initially switches its out- losses and maintain oscillation.
about 10 years ago by NeiI Hecht, of put high (ie, to +5V). Once this oscillation is established,
Washington state in the USA. It uses Once it does so, the 10pF capacitor a square wave of the same frequency
a wide-range test oscillator whose on the inverting inputbegins charging appears at the comParator's outPut
frequency is varied by connecting the via the 47kO resistor and so the volt- and it is this frequency (Fo,'i that is
unknown inductor or capacitor you're age at this input rises exponentially, measured by the microcontroller. In
measuring. The resulting change in As soon as it rises slightly above the practice, before anything else is con-
frequency is measured by a micro-
controller which then calculates the
component's value and displays it
directly on an LCD readout.
So there are basically only two key . Inductance Range: from about 1OnH to over 70mH (4-digit resolution)
parts in the meter: (1J the test oscilla-
tor itself and [2) the microcontroller o Capacitance Range: from about 0.1pF to over 800nF (4-digit resolution)
which measures its frequency (with . Range Selection: automatic (capacitors must be non-polarised)
and without the component being o
measured) and calculates the compo-
Sampling Rate: approximately five measurements per second
nent's value. . Expected Accuracy: better than *11" ol reading, +0.1pF or +1OnH
To achieve reliable oscillation over o Power Supply: 9-12V DC at less than 20mA (non-backlit LCD module).
a wide frequency range, the test oscil- Can be operated from an internal 9V battery or an external plugpack.
lator is based on an analog comparator
MAY 2OOB 47
siliconchip.com.au
 port (ie, after sending pin 4 of the se-
rial port high). ixz
So the PGD line is actually "bi-di- tt)
rectional" and is used as an output ê)
tr
when writing to the microcontroller
and as art input when reading from o)
the microcontroller. ¡o
Note that, as with the PGC line, the È
PGD line is fed via a 39O resistor and is FNO!b€l\@ô
,;,
0)
filtered usin g a 22pF ceramic capacitor J(J
to reduce spurious noise. o
(a
TvvoZIF (zero insertion force) sock- lr
ets are used to accept the microcontrol- N
ler to be programmed. ZIF SKTL is ÈI
used for dsPIC30F series microcontrol-
!t
lers and they should always be aligned
o
with their pin 1 going to pin 1 of the (J 0)
ZIF socket, È
Alternatively, ZIF SKT? should be l_{r. !
1r)
o
(J
used for programming standard PICs Þ
ø õ
like the 16FBB. As before, pin L of the L E
N É
(d
microcontroller goes to pin 1 of the
0)
ZIF socket.
Note, however, thatthe 10F and 12F 0)
o.
O6
series of PICs are not compatible with
ti(Ë
the onboard ZIF socket, These mustbe CJ
programmed via an external adaptor .là ßi

board, as described later, or by using

åã
CONS and a breadboard,' H6

External programming IH se
À¡m
L
c Ø F-l
CON3 is a 6-pin header and its pin- ô{
$t
ú+
N:
out is arranged as shown in Table 1. It
Rã
can be used to access the five relevart X>
<lo
Iines required to program both PICs <i+
âo
and dsPICs externally (see the section (ÉÞ
entitled "External Programming Using ék
ôë)
primary parameter (like inductance or CON3" below),
Here's a handy piece of test gear you can capacitance) but one or more second- For example, if your PIC is not
õo
build for yourself - a Digital LC Meter for aryparameters as well, However, many actually compatible with the pin-
lÉã
.oõ
.23
of these you-beaut instruments also ning of ZIF SKT? [eg, if you have a
measuring inductance and capacitance over carried ahefty price tag, keeping them PICI,OF2OZ), then you may use this
¡o
o
@
N
'tJ N
ãH
a wide range. It's based on an ingenious well out of reach for many of us. connector to access the relevant lines. o aú
Fortunately, thanks to microcon- These lines can be connected to, say, u
e -¿
measurement technique, delivers surprising troller technology, that situation has a breadboard, to program your PIC off Ê O\J
cE

accuracy and is easy to build. changed somewhat in the last few the PC board, Of course, you can also T¡ r f¡l
Eú
years with much more affordable dig- use this connector to program micro- - À9
ital instruments now becoming avail- controllers in circuit as well. - GE
ANY MODERN DMM's (digital It's even worse when it comes to able. These include both commercial
Ê 6)¡
øio
multimeters) have capacitance measuring inductors. Very few DMMs and DIY instruments, along with the fumper settings o0)
CÐ ¡fr
measuring ranges, especially the up- have the ability to measure induct- unit described here. Finally, there is an 8-pin header € O*j
market models, So it's not hard to ance, so in many cases you have to use which accepts jumper shunts IP1,-JP4. E ,3
measure the value of capacitors, as either an old-type inductance bridge or Main features However, only two of the four posi- È o-(J_Y
Iong as their value is more than about a 'Q'meter. Both of these are basically As shown in the'photos, our new tions should ever be shorted at any CÐ .Fo
I
50pF or so. analog instruments and don't offer Digital LC Meter is very compact, It's one time. Table 2 shows the jumper Ê. :Þo
Below that level, DMMs are not very either high resolution or particularly easy to build, has a¡r LCD readout and functions. R
o \ rÈ
usefuI for capacitalce measurements. high accuracy. fits snugly inside a UB3 utility box. It In practice, you must set these ac- CÐ
I
Dedicated digital capacitance meters It's different for professionals who won't break the bank either - we esti- cording to the microcontroller being =
gE È (,>(Þ
are available, of course, and they gen- for the last 20 years or so have been mate that you should be able to build programmed. Either lP1 or JP2 (but at o¡
erally measure down to a few pF or able to use digital LCR meters. These it for less than $75, not both) must be shorted according
<J
o<
44
! :d
Despite its modest cost, it offers
LU
so. But if you want to measure things allow you to measure almost any pas- to the type of dsPIC being programmed
So erÊ
like stray capacitance, they too are of sive component quickly and automati- automatic direct digital measurement in ZIF SKT1, while JP3 or JP4 (but éå !Dð
.xo Þ
f¡r È
(J
Iimited use. cally, often measuring not just their over awide range forboth capacitance not both) must be shorted according

40 S]LICON CHIP siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB o5

 |aycar's new 200W PA Speaker/
Amplifier Combo
If you're looking for a high-power, self-contained public
address speaker/amplifier, this new model from laycar should
fill the bill nicely.
Sold under faycar's "Digitech Audio" brand, with a 200W
RMS inbuilt power amplifier and 2-way speaker featuring a
12-inch ìong throw driver and efË.cient compression driver, it
can really pump it out - whether that be for Dl, school/club/
church/conference use, sporting venues or, in fact,
practically any PA application.
It has a durable moulded ABS enclosure and a
very tough metal grille in front, so it is obviously
designed to take the knocks and abuse that all PA
equipment suffers!
The amplifier also has a quite versatile mixer
feeding it, offering thre inputs - two XLR balanced
a a aa a aa aa aa a a a a a a a a a and 6,Smm unbalanced microphone inputs and
one line-level input (RCA and XLR) which can be
-l lKt ó used for a wireless microphone, CD/cassette player,
etc. It also has a line-leveÌ output (6.5mm and
a aaa aaaaa a a a a a a a a a a a XLR) for cascading or recording, All inputs have
their own level controls and there's a master leveÌ
control plus bass and treble cut/boost controls.
As you would expect from an amplifier of this
a a aaa aa aa aa a a a a a a a a a power, it's mains powered (via standard IEC mains
Iead) - battery operation is not an option!
(, The unit is neither small nor light - it measures 600
[h) x a10 (w) x 325 (d) and weighs in at 16,Skg. Jaycar haue moued
a aaa aaa a aaa a a a a aa a aa It comes with four screw-on feet - and a nice feature is these
And speaking 0f Jaycar Electronics, fot the third time in a
feet match recesses in the top of the case so that units can be
decade 0r s0, they have outgrown their prem¡ses, lorcing a
safely stacked, if desired. Provision is also made for post-top
move t0 a s¡gnif¡cantly larger watehouse c0mplex.
mounting with a
Head 0flice and distr¡bution Gentre are now located in Rydal-
standard (internal) mere, aboul Skm from their old Silverwater headquarters. You'll
Contact:
top-hat.
Jaycar Electronics (all stores) find them at 320 Victoria Rd, Rydalmere NSW 2116.
to the type of PIC being programmed for some dsPlC3OFxxxx microcon- selectecl by installing JP4 instead. Retail price is P0 Box 107, Rydalmere NSW 2116 Phone numbers have also changed: the ma¡n sw¡tchboard
inZIF SKT2. trollers that require the programming Warning: it is quite possible to $399.00 includ- 0rder Tel: 1 800 022 888 Far: (02) 8832 31 88 is now (02) 8832 3200; fax (02) 8832 3232. Jaycar's u,ebs¡te
If jP1 is shorted, it connects the PGC clock on pin B. Alternatively, if JP2 is damage a microcontroller installed ing GST (Cat CS- Website: www. iavcar.com.au fema¡ns the same: www.¡aycaÌ.Gom.au
line to pin B of ZIF SKT1. This caters shorted, it connects pin B of ZIF SKTl in either ZIF socket by incorrectly 2517).
to ground and this caters for the rest of setting jumpers lP7-1P4, so check zÙì
álE\
lr the dsPIC30Fxxxx family that require
a ground connection at pin B.
Tables 2 & 4 carefully before insert.
ing a microcontroller into its socket
Pin Description lP3 and JP4 select which pin the and applying power. However, a more
1 MCLR-barA/pp MCLR-bar/Vpp programming line is likely outcome is that you will not
connected to on ZIF SKT2. If lP3 is damage the microcontroller (as they
2 PGC shorted, it connects the programming usually have protection diodes) butthe
3 GND line to pin 4 of ZIF SKT2 and this suits programmingwill not be successful,
GND
microcontrollers such as the popular In summary, you must install ei-
4
16FBB, Alternatively, some microcon- ther fP1 or lP2 (but NOT both) when
Rigol DSs062MA 60MHz Rigol DS5102MA 100MHz Rigol ES1202CA 2ûûMHz DS13t2e A 300Mllz
5 +5V rail (Vep) trollers require the programming volt- programming a dsPIC and either fP3
6 PGD age to be applied to pin 1 and this is or fP4 (but NOT both) when program- ) 60MHz Bandwìdth, 2 Ch ) 100MHz Bandwidth, 2 Ch ) 200MHz Bandwidth, 2 Ch ) 300MHz Bandwidth, 2 Ch
ming a PIC. ) IGS/s Real Time Sampling ) 1GS/s Real Time Sampling ) 2GS/s Real Time Sampling ) 2GS/s Real Time Sampling
) 4k Memory Per Channel ) 4k Memory Per Channel ) 10k Memory Per Channel ) 10k Memory Per Channel
) ) Advanced Triggering ) Advanced Triggering
¿ External Programming Advanced Triggering >
)
Advanced Triggering
) Buillin USB ) Built-in USB
) Built-in USB Built-in USB
Using CON3 ) 3 Year Warranty ) 3 Year Warranty ) 3 Year Warranty ) 3 Year Warranty
Jumper Number DescriPtion
The 6-pin header CON3 can be used f}t{tY $7gg GSr oltlY s1,0sg * csr 0H1Y $2,[f tG ex csr flHlv $2,62t ex csr
JP1 Short to make pin I ol ZIF SKTI the PGC pin to program a PIC or dsPIC that's either ",
JP2 Short to make pin I ol ZIF SKT1 GND mounted in-circuit on a separate board Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
or installed on abreadboard. For exam- Tel 02 9519 3933 Tel 03 9889 0427 Tel 07 3275 2183 Tel 08 83635733 Tel 08 9361 4200
JP3
JP4
Short to make pin 4 oÍ ZIF SKT2 the /MCLR/VPP pin
Short to make pin 1 ol zlF sKT2 the iMCLRA/PP pin
ple, this is one way of programming a
PIC microcontroller that doesn't have
Fax 02 9550 1378 Fax 03 9889 0715
email testinst@emona com.au
Fàx 07 3275 2196 Fax 08 83635799 Fax 08 9361 4300
web www emona.com au EMONfr
siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 3S
66 StLtcoN Crutp
 the jumper on fP3 or fP4 is irrelevant

PRODVCTSHOWCASE
when using the adaptor.
As shown in Fig.3, the adaptor has
2O-pin and a-pin IC sockets. The B-pin
socket is for 10F series PICs and the
2O-pin socket is fot 1.2F series PICs. As
Audio Precision's APx500 series Ultra short throw, wide screen proiector usual, the microcontroller to be pro-
grammed should be oriented so that
multi- Epson's new EMP- its pin 1 is connected to the socket's
channel r 400W ultra short pin 1. In addition, pin 1 of the adaptor
Audio I thro*. wide screen board goes to pin 1 of ZIF SKT2.
I pro¡eótor makes a You will need to refer to the micro-
Analyser big impact for pre- controller's datasheet à¡d ensure that
senters, lecturers and the pin-out is compatible with the ZIF
The APx 585 is a dedicated multichannel audio analyser corporate boardrooms socket by referring to the schematic
that combines a "next generation" user interface with Au- delivering a 60-inch wide screen image from only 65cm away. diagram.
dio Precision's commitment to performance. It's designed It can be mounted on a boom attached to the wall and the presenter
for R&D and production test users who need speed and can stand close to the image and interact with the whiteboard without Construction
ease-of-use. shadows interfering with the audience's view, and without lamp glare The dsPIC/PIC Programmer is
Now available in al B or L6 channel configuration, the in the presenter's eyes. built on a PC board coded 07105081
APx is capable of taking 14 measurements in 7 seconds, With Epson's newly developed high precision lens, the EMP-400W
/ and measuring L22 x 120mm, The
automatically generating a report of results ald saving all is the only short throw, wide-screen (16:10) projector available. lt companion adaptor board is coded
test settings in a single, sharable project frle. projects in Wide XGA (1280 x 768 pixels), an increasingly common O71.O5OB2 and measures 52 x 19mm,
It also offers one-click measurements and saveable format for laptops and PCs and it can also be adjusted for interac- Fig.2 shows the main board layout,
sequences, real-time signal monitors including residual tive white boards (and regular screens) to give aspect ratios of 4:3, while Fig,3 shows where the parts go
THD+N in oscilloscope view and one million point FFT 16:9 and 16:10. The 4000-hour, 1800-Ansi-lumen long-life lamp in on the adaptor board.
and Dolby/ DTS the EMP-400W, made As usual, begin by checking the PC
confldence testing, Contact: by Epson themselves, Contact: boards for defects, such as breaks in
multitone analys Uicom Australia Pty ttd can be replaced easily Epson Australia Pty ttd the tracks or shorts between adjacent
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top of the projector. Website:
check, as defects canbe difÊcultto spot
measurements, after the parts are installed.
Once these checks are completed,
2008 Super Frequency List on CD start the main board assembly by in-
stalling the 20 wire links. Use tinned
Anyone remotely interested country, type, language, copper wire for these links and make
in listening to radio - of \.- time of transmission and a compatible pin-out with the ZIF (pin 5) and simply connect CON3's sure that they are nice and straight.
any type - would know so on. sockets - see Table 4, GND (pin 3 or 4) to tàe ground of You ca¡ straighten the link wire by
of the World Radio TV Whetheryou're just Devices that fall into that category your board. It's then simply a matter clamping one end in a vice and these
Handbook. It has been a sometime enthusi- include the l0Fxxxx and l2Fxxxx of connecting the MCLR-bar/Vpp, PGC stretching the wire slightly by pull-
Iong regarded as the ast, ar international series of PICs, as well as some of the and PGD lines to the appropriate pins ing on the other end with a pair of
authoritative listing of radio listenerhobby- l6Fxxxx series. on your PIC or dsPIC. pliers.
radio stations around ist, a business person The pin-outs for CON3 are shown Note that link LK7 goes under the
the world. or tourist travelling in Table L and include the GND, +5V Optional Adaptor Board for RS-232 socket (CON2), while LK3 &
Trouble was (and is) around the world, a MCLR-bar/Vpp, PGC and PGD lines. 10F & 12F series PICs LK6 are under ZIF SKT1,
is that it rs a printed book, fessional monitor- These a¡e the only lines you will ever We have also designed an optional Follow these with the 12 resistors,
with all the diffrculties in' service or even a sailor need to program your microcontrol- adaptor board for 10F and 12F series Table 1 shows the resistor colour codes
finding and analysing informa- ircumnavigating the globe, ler, PICs - see Fig,3. This adaptor plugs to help you select the values but it is
tion that such a format presents. remarkable CD will instantly If the microcontroller is on a pow- directly into ZIF SKT2 on the dsPIC/ prudent to check each one using a
Av-Comm's Garry Cratt has now the help you find the stations or services ered board, you can ignore the +5V line PIC Programmer and the position of DMM before it is soldered in place,
perfect alternative: a CD containing you want.
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Now you can sort by frequency, area, www.avcomm.G0m.au

Stuco¡rt Cutp siliconchíp.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 67


The adaptor board is used for programming 10F & 12F series PICs. As shown
here, it plugs into ZIF SKT? on the dsPICÆIC Programmer board.
as some colours can be difficult to
decipher.
The three diodes ale next on the
list, Be sure to install them with the
correct polarity, as indicated on the
parts layout diagram (Fig,2). Once
they're in, install the two transistors,
again making sure that they are cor-
rectly oriented.
Don't get the t¡ansistors mixed up.
Ql is aBC337 NPNtransistor, while Q2
is aBC327 PNP type. Check that each
is installed in its correct location,
Now for the capacitors: the ceramic
and monolithic types are not polar-
ised ald can go in either way around.
However, the electrolytic capacitors
are polarised, so be sure to install
them correctly,
The next step is to install IC sockets
for IC1 &ICz. Again, make sure that
68 StLtco¡,t Cntp
these parts go in the right way around
ie, notched ends to the right. Note,
- age is to connect the CDI module and
however, that these sockets are option-
al, Do not install the ICs at this stage
- that step comes later, after the power
supply has been checked out.
Regulators REG1 & REG2 can now
be mounted. These are both installed
with their metal tabs flat against the
PC board. To do this, first bend their
leads down by 90" about 6mm from
their bodies. That done, fasten each
regulator to the PC board using M3 x
10mm screws and nuts, then solder
their leads.
Do NOT solder the leads before bolt-
ing the devices down, as this could
crack the soldered joints and damage
the PC board as the nuts are tightened.
Make sure also that each device is
installed in its correct location,
AII that remains now is to install the
major hardware items, These include
the 2.5mm DC power socket (CON1),
the RS-232 connector (CON2], tog-
gle switch 51, the 6-pin & 8-pin DIL
pin headers and the two 40-pin ZIF
sockets.
Note that the B-pin header must be
installed but the 6-pin header is nec-
essary only if want to program a PIC
or dsPIC externally and need access
to the +5V GND, MCLR-bar/Vpp, PGC
and PGD lines!
Be sure to install the two large 40-
pin ZIF sockets with the correct orien-
tation, If you will only be programming
a few microcontrollers occasionally,
you can replace these with much
cheaper IC sockets but tlneZIF sockets
make life much easier (and are worth
the extra money in our opinion),
Finally, secure four M3 x 9mm sPac-
ers to the corner positions ofthe board
using M3 x 6mm machine screws,
These are used to support the board
off the bench top during use. If you
like, you can also flt four rubber feet
to these spacers.
The dsPIC/PIC Programmer is now
ready for testing,
Preliminary testing
Before using this new program-
mer, it
should be given a thorough
check, Important: do not insert a
microcontroller (PIC or dsPIC) into
any ZIF socket before these tests are
completed.
A 16V DC plugpack should be used
to power the dsPIC/PIC Programmer,
although you can also probably use a
15V DC plugpack (just), Apply power
and you should see the red indicator
LED light. If it doesn't, check the sup-
ply polarity and if that's OK, checkthe
polarity of the LED.
Assuming that the LED lights, the
next step is to check the voltages at
the outputs of the two regulators, You
should measure +5V at the outPut of
REG1 (anything ftom 4.8-5.1V ib nor-
mal), while REG2's output should be
close to 13.6V (13.4-13.8V is OK).
If REG's output is lower than 13.4V
increase the value of the B2O resistor
(eg, to 120Q) to bring it into the 13.4-
13.8V range, Conversely, ifthe output
is higher than 13.8V decrease the
value ofthe 82Ç) resistor.
Alternatively, if REG2's outPut is
outside the designated range, check
the voltage between REG2's OUT &
AD] terminals. This value can then be
siliconchip.com.au
This completed CDI module is the "Extra Features" version. The board should be installed in a plastic case,and.potted
you may Ïave to experiment with the number of discharge using neutral-cure silicone sealant to ensure reliability (ie'
capacitórs to get the'best spark - see text. to prãtect against vibration, moisture and dust).
tester, However, you cal get some idea should at least get to 200V DC if you
if the coil is delivering suffrcient volt- can kick the motor over fast enough.
age by measuring it with a multimeter Alternatively, if an oscilloscope is
This CDI module is not intended
set to read AC volts up to 300V, The available, the voltage waveform canbe
for use as a replacement for CDI
voltage is measured when the engine measured with the probe set to 1.0:1,
units that generate their own high
is turned over. One point we have not mentioned is
voltage from an inverter requiring a
Take care if making this measure. the polarity ofthe voltage, The capaci-
12V battery supply.
ment, since the generated voltage can tor needs to charge to a positive voltage
To replace one of these units,
give you an electric shock. DO NOT before the trigger signal occurs. If the
you could adapt one of our Previous
touch any of the wiring when turning voltage from the generator coil is nega-
designs, such as the High EnergY
the motor over. tive before triggering occurs' it will
lgnition (StLtcoN CHIP December
Note that the voltage measured mean that the CDI module described
1995 and January 2006) orthe Multi-
across the generator coil will not be here is not suitable for replacing the
Spark CDI (September 1997). Alter-
anywhere near the voltage that it de- module in your engine.
natively, you could consider using
velops when running, That's because You can check the polarity using a
the Programmable lgnition SYstem
the multimeter does not respond well multimeter set to DC volts - it's just
from March, April& MaY 2007.
to the low-frequency voltage fluc- a matter of checking that the voltage
tuations that occur when kicking the on SCR1's anode goes positive before
engine over. In addition, most multi- the SCR is triggered and negative after
meters do not respond to the peak of the trigger, over a short portion of each engine
the waveform but to the average of a revolution,
sinewave, Thigger coil testing Typically, you might measure a
In practice, you should get a reading The trigger coil can be tested in the trigger voltage of less than LV using
of about 50V AC from the coil. same way as the generator coil (ie, a multimeter set to read AC volts,
The trigger coil voltage can also be
Another way of testing the coil volt- measure the voltage between D3 or
D5's cathode and chassis as the mo- observed on an oscilloscope,
measure the DC voltage between the tor is kicked over), This voltage will Of course, the real test is when it is
cathode of D1 and the chassis while be quite small compared to that from used with the CDI module itself, as it
must be able to trigger the SCR' SC
kicking the motor over, The reading the generator coil and only occurs
o Learn how engine management systems work
o Build projects to corilrol n¡rous, fuel injection and h¡rbo boost systems
o Switch devices on and off on the bas¡s of signalfrequency, temperahre and voltage
o Build t€st ¡nstruments to check fuel injector duty cycle, fuel mixturcs and brake & temperature
Mail oder pr¡ces: Aust. $422.511(incl. GST & P&Pl; 0uerceas $A26.lHl via aimail. Oder by
phontng (æl gæS 3295 & quot¡ng your credit card number; or iaxthe d_etails to f0219939
2e+g; ol-mail your order w¡th Ghcque or Gredit card details to $ilicon Ghip Publlcations,
P0 Box 139, Gollaroy, t$W 2097.
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 37

'BASIC' CDI VERSION
Fig.7r follow this parts layout diagram to build the
"Basic Version" of the CDI Module. It can be used for
non-critical applications.
in Fig.B. In fact, the following assembly
procedure assumes that you are build-
ing the "Extra Features" version.
Start by installing the diodes, tak-
ing care to orient each one correctly,
The resistors can then go in - their
values can be checked against the ac-
companying table and with a digital
multimeter,
Next, install the thermistor, the
smaller capacitors and the 1OpF elec-
trolytic, making sure it is oriented cor-
rectly. The discharge capacitor(sJ can
then be installed, As noted above, we
have provided for two capacitors and
also for two different lead spacing on
the PC board.
The SCR is mounted horizontally
with its leads bent down by 90o so
that they pass through their holes in
the PC board. Secure its tab using an
M3 x 10mm screw and M3 nut before
soldering the leads,
The wiring from the PC board to
the generator coil, kill switch and to
the ignition coil must all be rated at
250VAC and 7.54. Automotive wire
should be suitable or you can use
24OVAC mains wire salvaged from a
mains extension cord. The wiring for
the chassis connection should also be
rated at 7.5,{ or more.
ffih f s RcsM@[owGodæ
tr No. Value
tr 2 1MO
tr 1 1kO
tr 1 51O
36 StLtcoN Cutp
@ Ð*"
'EXÍRA FEAruRES' CDI VERSION
Fig.8: the "Exha Features" version is tìe one that we
recommend you build. Take care with the orientation
of the diodes and the 10¡rF electrolytic capacitor.
By contrast, the trigger lead does not
have to be heavy duty but should have
suitable insulation for automotive use.
Sheath the wires in some flexible tub-
ing to prevent possible chaffing ofthe
wiring insulation. Better still, you may
be able to use the existing wiring for
the original CDI module.
If you want the best spark possible,
you can try adding a second 1pF ca-
pacitor in parallel with the first, This
may improve the "fatness" (intensity)
of the spark. In some cases though,
a 1¡rF capacitance will give the best
spark because 2pF may load the gen-
erator coil too much and lower the
charge voltage,
Once the board is complete, run
the external connections and test the
CDI for correct operation, Adjust the
ignition timing according to the manu-
facturer's instructions.
Potting the circuit
As previously indicated, we used
a potting box (Jaycar Cat, HB-s204)
to house the CDI unit, Potting allows
the components to be protected from
vibration, water ald dust. You must
use a "neutral-cure" silicone sealant
for this job.
Do not use an "acid-cure" silicone,
4-Band Code (1%)
brown black green brown
brown black red brown
green brown black brown
-fj-F]- o -Tõ;F
as this will corrode the wires and cop-
per pattern on the PC board.
Note that the capacitor(s) will pro-
trude a little from the top of the potting
box. The box can be mounted on the
engine frame using suitable brackets.
It should be placed away from the
exhaust side of the engine.
Make sure that any mounting screws
for the box do not penetrate and make
contact with the circuit.
Testing the generator coil
Sometimes the generator coil can
fail due to either a shorted turn or a
broken wire, You can test for a break
in the coil by measuring its resistance
- ie, between its output and ground,
If the coil is OK, its resistance will
probably be less than 200Q,
A shorted turn is not easily checked
except using a special shorted turns
ffibæWefltbnGodæ
Value ¡rF Value IEC Code EIA Code
l trF l trF 1u0 105
470nF 0.47¡tF 470n 474
100nF 0.1pF 100n 104
10nF .01¡rF 10n 103
5-Band Code (1%)
brown black black yellow brown
brown black black brown brown
green brown black gold brown
siliconchip.com.au
used to calculate a new value for R2
from the formula given in the circuit
description.
If the supply rails are couect, switch
off and fit IC1 & IC2 to their respective
sockets. That done, connect a serial
cable between the programmer and
your PC.
Adaptor board assembly
Fig.S shows the parts layout for
the adaptor board. It's a snap to as-
semble - just install the four wire
links, the two IC sockets (watch their
orientation) and the two 20-pin SIL
pin headers.
Note that the pin headers are mount-
ed on the copper side ofthe board, To
install them, push their longer pins
through until they sit flush with the
top of the PC board, then initially
solder just a pin at either end. The
remaining pins can then be soldered,
after which the plastic strips are slid
down the pins until they rest against
the soldered joints.
You are now ready to install the
WinPIC software on your PC.
Software installation
As mentioned above, the software to
use with this programmer is WinPIC,
available from either http://freenet-
homep age. de/dl+yhflwinpicpr.htnl or
from the SucoN Crm website at www.
siliconchip.com.au, Once it has been
downloaded, it's installed by running
the executable frle winpic s etup, exe,
By the way, do not confuse WinPIC
with other software that's available,
such as WinPICB0O. The latter is a
completely different program and it
will NOT work with this program-
mer.
Setting up WinPIC
After installing WinPIC, you should
make sure that it is correctly set up to
work with the programmer. Here's how
to configure WinPIC:
(r) Start WinPIC and click on the "In-
terface" tab (see Fig, );
(2) Ensure "COMB4 programmer for
serial port" is selected from the drop
down menu;
(3) Ensure that the correct COM port
is set;
(a) Check that both ZIF sockets are
empty ald that the programmer is con-
nected to the PC via a serial cable;
(S) Apply power to the programmer
and click on "Initialize!";
(6) In the "Options" tab, select either
siliconchip.com.au
UdTAUSilSÆGowffi
This dsPlC/PlC Programmer is
designed to work with native
RS-232 serial ports. How-
ever, many computers
today, especially note-
books, do not have a
serial port, as it has been
superseded by USB. --,-æ
Although
converter
USB-Io-RS232 -(CìE'
cables are available, -
not allwillwork correctly with this <;)--n-
programmer. And for those that do S-:;':9ZF-"
work, programming may be consid- \Y--=="<!F=
erably slower compared to working
direct from a serial port.
The reason some converters don't work has to do with the low-level interface
and the implementation of the USB-to-RS232 converter. ln particular, the prob-
lem arises because some USB-to-R5232 converters are impedect emulations
of the serial port.
ln normal use, pin 3 (Tx) of the RS232 serial port is the transmit line, used to
send data at the selected baud rate. Most USB-to-R5232 converters will correctly
emulate this, as it is necessary for full duplex data transmission.
However, COM84 style programmers like this one use pin 3 (Tx) of the serial
port for the programming voltage and hence as a simple digital output. This is an
unconventional use of the Tx line. lt is accomplished in the WinPlC software by
setting the "break" flag in the line control register (bit 6). However, some USBìo-
RS232 converters (and their supplied software driver) do not emulate the break
flag functionality and therefore will not work with this programmer.
USB-to-RS232 converters based on the newer FTDI chips, especially the
FT232R, could possibly work, given that the specifications claim that the FT232R
has inbuilt support for line break. lt is, of course, up to the manufacturer of the
USB-Io-RS232 converter as to whether the full features of the interface lCs are
supported through the supplied software driver.
lf you would like to try a USB-to-RS232 converter with this programmer, you
should make sure that it supports line break and that the "no direct access at
all, only use Win APl" option is selected in the "Options" tab of WinPlC. This
means that WinPlC will not access the serial ports directly but only through the
Windows APl.
This ensures that WinPlC talks to the windows driver for your USB-to-RS232
converter, rather than trying to access ports that are not implemented. As indi-
cated above, this may result in substantially slower operation than with a native
serial port.
ln ourcase, we tested the Prolific GUC-ADg USB-RS232 converteron Windows
XP and it worked. The only drawback was that it was slow - up to 1 0 times slower
than when running the programmer direct from a serial port.
This is related to latencies in the windows API and the windows driver for the
converter. A small delay (in the order of milliseconds) occurs when switching any
control line and these small delays all add up to a considerable delay due to the
huge number of switching requests made by WinPlC.
Note: the Prolific GUC-AD9 USB-RS232 converter is available from Jaycar
(Cat. XC4834).
PortTalk or SMPORT (both are faster slower but wilì ensure that WinPIC ac-
than using the Windows API). By con- cesses the correct windows drivers in-
trast, if you wish to use a USB-RS232 stalled for your USB-RS232 converter,
converter cable, you are probably safer Refer to the section "Using USB-RS232
selecting the "no direct access at all, Converters" in the accompanying
only use win ÄPI" option. This will be panel for more information.
MAY 2OOB 6S
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3 1N5408 3A 1000V diodes
^r,î¡+Ã't4,tÈi wSl'lPORT O æPotlôk
Ft æ *edy grartcd befqe stat i st't tuo ll-- ffi 0lll il0llulE (BAsrc vERsroNt
(D1,D2,D4)
1 1N4004 1A 400V diode (D3
for Basic Version; D5 for Extra
di*imFlCP¡ogrffi 5tæ rä**rgPlÉfrogffi Sffi- Fig.5: this is the circuit for the Basic Version. The kill switch is there to
Features Version)
stop the motor by shunting the generator coil's output to ground, while the
Fig.4: clicking the Interface tab in WinPic brings up this Fig,5: after selecting the device to be programmed (see
1kQ resistor on SCRl's gate prevents false triggering due to noise. Capacitors
window. Ensure "COMB4 prograrnmer for serial port" is text) go to the Options tab and select the options shown
selected for the Interface Tlpe and be sure to choose the here. The dsPIC or PIC can then be programmed as 1 1O¡rF 25V PC electrolYtic
correct COM port. outlined in step 4. 1 l¡tF 275VAC or 280VAC
ance is around 35O and the trigger both versions of the circuit. This can metallised polypropylene; or
Once the programmer has been dsPlO you wish to program from the microcontroller using WinPlC, although signal is divided down to 41% of the fit into a plastic box that
measures 20.47¡tF 275VAC or 280VAC
drop down menu. That done, go to the you should keep in mind that reading a trigger coil value, 70 x 50 x 20mm and this box allows metallised polypropylene; or
initialised correctly by WinPlC, you are
ready to program some PlCs. Here's the "Options" tab and select the opt¡ons as code protected device will result in zero This attenuation in signal level at- the whole module to be subsequently 21¡tF 275YAC or 280VAC
procedure, step-by-step: shown in Fig.5. readings forthe program memory bytes. tempts to match the SCR's reduced potted. metallised polyProPYlene
(1) Check that the power is off, then (4)To program the dsPlC or PlC, go to For more detailed information on how to trigger level requirement at higher Begin by checking the PC board for
- see text
insert the PIC or dsPlC you wish to pro- File -> Load -> Program Device and use WinPlC, refer to its help menu. temperature. So as temperature rises, the correct hole sizes. The four corner 1 100nF MKT polyester
gram into its corresponding ZIF socket select the hex file to be programmed. Finally, note that WinPlC accesses the signal is increasingly attenuated mounting holes should be drilled to 1 1OnF MKT polyester
(according to Table 4). Note that the fuse bits should be within the serial port on your PC and requires and as a consequence, the SCR fires 3mm, as should the hole for the SCR
(2) Setthe jumpers as indicated inTable the hex file and they will be programmed real-time control of the programming at the same trigger coil voltage over a mounting tab. That done, checkthe PC Resistors (0.25W 1%)
4. Note that either JP1 or JP2 (but NOT as well. signals. lt is therefore poss¡ble that it wide tempetature range. Without the board for breaks in the copper tracks 21MO 1 51c¿
both) must be installed for dsPlCs. Simi- WinPlC should now start to program will lock up while programming is in thermistor, the SCR would be subject or for shorts between tracks. Make any 1 1kO
larly, either JP3 or JP4 (but NOT both) your device and then verify its contents. progress and fail to respond to mouse to timing changes with temperature. repairs before assembly.
Mlscellaneous
must be installed for PIC microcontrol- You can use the "Code" tab to see the or keyboard commands. Fig.7 shows the simple version of
Automotive wire, crimp connectors,
lers, as set out in the table. program memory. To prevent this, avoid having other Construction the circuit, while Fig.B shows the
lf these jumpers are incorrect, pro- lf programming is successful, you Windows programs running in the back- neutral-cure silicone sealant.
A small PC board coded 05105081 more complex version. The choice is
gramming will almost certainly fail. should see the message "Program- ground while WinPlC is programming a yours but we recommend the version
and measuring 64 x 45mm caters for
(3) Once the jumpers have been set, ming finished, no errors" at the bottom device. lf the WinPlC window stops re-
apply power, start WinPlC, go to De- lefthand corner of the window. sponding when programming a device,
vice -> Select and select the PIC or You can also erase, read and verify a simply wait for it to finish. tGNtftoN
cott
C1,C2: 2x470nt275YAC
OR Cl: I xl¡rF275VAC
ORCl,C2:2xlpt275YAC
If everything is working correctly, that transistors Q1 & Q2 are the cor- (3) Clicking on the "Data (to PIC)" box GENERATOR
you should see the message "Initial- rect types, Ifthey are, trâce the signal should toggle pin 6 of CON3 from 0V cotL
[¡
ising PlC-Programmer: Success" at from pin 3 of the serial port to pin 1 of to around +3,5-5V and you should see il l0ut 25Y
the bottom of the WinPIC window, as CON3, checking at each stage that the the "Data In=" fleld change from 0 to ilt
[¡
signal toggles as this box is "ticked" 1. The latter should be 0 with the box TRIGGER
shown in Fig.5. il COtt 5lo
Ít
and "un-ticked" in WinPIC, un-ticked and 1 otherwise.
Troubleshooting (2) Clicking on the "Clock" box should If this is not the case, check the D5
IOOnF NTCI
If you receive the message "WARN- toggle pin 2 of CON3 from 0V [un- signal at various points on the circuit I N400¿
ING: Could not initialize program- ticked) to around +4-5V (ticked). from pin 4 of the serial port to pin 6
mer!" instead, you can test the inter- If that doesn't happen, check the of CON3, Check also that pin B of the
face manually to narrow down the }i4AI'232 and its surrounding capaci- serial port is receiving the correct level '500f¡Æ 25'C
Iist of possible problems. Here's what tors, That done, check the signal at pin (read by WinPIC and displayed in the
to do: 7 of the serial port, then at pins 13 & "Data In=" field),
(L) Clicking the "Vpp(+13V)" box
should toggle pin 1 of CON3 (the exter-
L2 ofICL,pin 1 of IC2, pin 2 of IC2 and
finally pin 2 of CON3, Read the FAQ -s* Slll ìl00U1E (ÐnRA FEATUREs vERsroN) A
G

nal programming header) from 0V þox Note that the MAX232 (IC1) should Finally, if the programmer is still Fig.6: the Extra Features Version includes diode D4 to shunt negative excu¡sions across the generator.coil to less
un-ticked) to around +12,5-13V þox level translate the signal level at pin not working, there could be issues thãn -0.2V and thus limit the voltage across D1 to around 350V. It also features an improved bigger circuit, to ensure
ticked), If this doesn't happen, check 13 to about +5V at pin 1'2. with WinPIC. Refer to the online FAQ consistent firing of the SCR with variations in temperature.

70 Stuco¡rt Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 35

 reverse voltage on the gate while the
5LC) resistor limits the gate current to a
(FLYWHEETI safe value. A 1kO resistor ties the gate
\----êt-7 to ground to prevent false triggering, Device ZIF sockel JPl JPz JP3 JP4
while the 10OnF capacitor filters noise 10F200120?/2041206 EXt N/A NI/A NI/A lVA
MAGNET and transients that may cause the SCR
N S 1 2F508/509 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
to trigger at the wrong time.
sMAI.I- GAP A kiII switch connection has also 12F609/615 Ext N/A N/A NI/A N/A
IARGER GAP
-Ê been provided to shunt the generator 12F629/675 Ext N/A N/A N/A NiA
cuuent to ground and stop the mo-
12F635/636/639 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
tor,
12F675 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
Circuit refinements 12F683 Ext N/A t{/A N/A N/A
The simple circuit of Fig,5 works
well but additional circuitry can im- 1 6F61 0/61 6 Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
coRE prove reliability and provide for more 't6F627i627N62816284 ZIF SKT2 N/A NI/A Short Open
-----7
consistent triggering. The extended 1 6 F630/63 1 i636/639/676/677 / 6841 6
circuit is shown in Fig.6. Ext N/A N/A N/A N/A
ADVANCE TRIGGER HEAD DESIGN 85/687/688/689
Fig.3: some engines achieve RPM advance using a special trigger coil with First, diode D4 has been added
16F648/6¿t8A ZIF SKT2 N/A NI/A Short Open
a stepped magnetic core that has a larger gap at its leading edge compared across the generator and thus shunts
to the trailing edge. This advances the firing edge with increasing RPM. negative excursions across the coil 1 6F71 6 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Short Open
to less than -0,7V, Without D4, the 16F73n37n4n6n7 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
FIRING POINT TDC ITOP DEAD CENTREI anode of diode D1 can be subject to
16F818/819 ZIF SKT? Short Open
\ -350V from the negative swings of the N/A N/A
generator. This means that diode D1 16F8/.|8/,N87l88 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Short Open
could have over 700V across it if the 16F8701871/872 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
capacitor is charged to +350V.
While D1 is rated at 1000V D4 1 6F873/8734/87 41 87 4 N 87 61 87 6N ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
8771877A
reduces the maximum likely voltage
across it to around 350V or so and 16F913/914/9161917 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
II thereby reduces the possibility of re- 1 8F 2220 I 2320 I 4220I 4320 ZIF SKTz N/A N/A Open Short
I
verse breakdown ofthe diode.
Triggering in this version of the 1 8F 2331 I 2431 I 4331 I 4431 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
¡ 50ms
circuit has also been improved in two 't 8F 2420 I 2520 I 4 420 I 4520 ztF sK12 N/A f\YA Open Short
AT LOWER RPM ways. First, we have added a series 18F245014450 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
1OpF capacitor to the gate ofthe SCR.
This capacitor prevents false trig- 'l 8F 2455 I 2550/¡145 5/4550 ZIF SKT2 N,I/A N/A Open Short
gering due to any DC offset from the 1 8F 2480 I 2580 I 4 480 I 4580 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
trigger coil that may be more positive 4525I 4620 ZIF SKT2 I{/A Open Short
1 8F 25251 2620 N/A
than it should be because of remnant
magnetism in the coil's core, The LkÇ) 1 8F 2439 I 2539 I 4 439 / 4539 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
resistor across the capacitor is there 't8F2421252t4/.21452t ZIF SKT2 ¡t/A f{/A' Open Short
to discharge the capacitor and is high
1 I F25 85/45 85/2680/4680 ZIF SKT2 N/A N/A Open Short
enough in value to prevent it triggering
the SCR on its own. Diode D5 prevents 18F2ß125814r'.81458 ztF sK12 NI/A N/A Open Short
the 1OpF capacitor from being charged 1 8F 2682/ 2685 I 4682/ 4685 ZIF SKTz N/A N/A Open Short
with reverse polarity when the trigger
dsPlC30F2010 ZIF SKTI Open Short N/A IVA
coil output swings negative.
A second improvement involves the dsPlC30F201 1/3O12 ZIF SKTI Short Open N/A N/A
use of a negative temperature coeffi- dsPlC30F2012l3O13 ZIF SKT1 Open Short N/A N/A
cient (NTC) thermistor across the gate
AT HIGHER RPM of the SCR. This thermistor reduces its dsPlC30F3010 ZIF SKTI Open Short N/A N/A
Fig.4: the effect of a stepped trigger core design is shown in these timing resista¡rce with increasing temperature dsPlC30F3011 ZIF SKTI Short Open N/A N/A
advance waveforms, At low speeds, the coil voltage required for triggering and is used to compensate for the dsPlC30F301 414O13 ZIF SKTI Short Open N/A N/A
is developed only at the trailing edge of the magnet (waveform A). lowered triggering requirement of the
However, at higher revs, the leading edge of the magnet induce a greater SCR (for both voltage and current) at dsPlC30F4011 ZIF SKT1 Short Open r{/A N/A
voltage into the coil and so firing occurs earlier (waveform B), higher temperatures. dsPlC30F4012 ZIF SKTI Open Short N/A N/A
Effectively, the NTC thermistor
forms a voltage divider with the 51C)
Ext = use an external programming header or the adaptor board. operating system, timing problems
provided the generator coil can charge sary signal to trigger the SCR. When resistor, At 25'C, the thermistor is could arise. For this reason, it is pru-
the capacitors to the full voltage in the the coil voltage goes positive, it feeds 500Q and so it attenuates the signal at http://freenet-homepage,de/dl+yhf/ Because WinPIC tries to switch the dent to use the "slow mode" option in
required time. current to the gate of the SCR via a 51Q from the trigger coil to 91%, However, winpic/winpic_faq,htm as a first resort programming lines in real time and the "Interface " tab if you suspect there
The trigger coil provides the neces- resistor and diode D3. D3 prevents at L00'C, the NTC thermistor resist- if you are experiencing problems, because Windows is a multi-tasking may be timing problems. Sc

34 StLtco¡,t Crutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 77

 CDI Module uses cheap and readily

C]IRCIJITD N$OTEEOOK
IGNITION
available parts, it may be worth a try colt
if you are unwilling to fork out lots of
ha¡d cash for a genuine replacement ilt
il
module. GENERATOR il
colL il
il
How CDI works il
Fig.1 shows the connections re- !!!

quired for a typical CDI module. The

Dl lN400l
IFRONT PANET OF
PIUG PACK CASEI
N4001
I
=---
D2,D3: lN4l48
-- AK
Frequency indicator for generating equipment
This circuit was developed to
adjust the operating speed (RPM)
-
of portable AC generators. These
usually have a speed-control knob
but no means of determining the
correct (50H2) frequency, Since this
sort of job is done outdoors, a dig-
ital frequency counter is not really
justified and canbe difEcultto read,
because of the typically long gating
time at low frequencies.
Two NAND gates, IClc & IC1b, are
wired as a 500H2 oscillator a¡d this
clocks a4O77 decade counter, IC2.
This drives L0 LEDs but only one
will be on at any particular time,
as the counter cycles through from
1-10. However, all the LEDs are
connected to 0V via a common lkCl
resistor artd tralsistor Q1 which is
turned on and off by a 50Hz signal
derived from the generator,
If the 50Hz and 500H2 frequen-
cies are precisely locked, the dis-
play will show a stationary LED.
However, if the 50Hz signal is
slightly high in frequenc¡ the LED
will appear to move in one direc-
tion and if the signal is slightly low
the LED will appear to move in the
opposite direction.
The 50Hz ?4OVAC input from
the generator is fed via tra¡sformer
T1 and it powers tle circuit via
rectifier diode D1, a 100pF filter
capacitor and a 7809 9V 3-terminal
regulator (REGI). The 50Hz signal
from the transformer is also fed via
a 10k^O resistor to a squaring circuit
comprising gates ICld & IC1c. This
drives transistor Q1.
In use, the u¡it is plugged into
the mains outlet of the portable
generator and the governor speed
of the engine is,adjusted to give a
stationary LED display, For 60Hz
equipment, the oscillator would be
set to 600H2.
Note thatthe oscillator frequency
should be adjusted precisely with
the aid of an accurate frequency
meter.
Dayle Edwards,
Taylorville, Westland, NZ. ($60)
generator (magneto) coil provides the
high voltage to charge a capacitor (in
the CDI module), while the trigger
coil provides the signal to dump the
capacitor's highvoltage charge into the
ignition coil. A kill switch shunts the
high-voltage supply from the generator
to prevent ignition.
Fig,2 shows how CDI works, It
comprises three main components:
the ignition coil, a capacitor (C1) and a
Silicon Controlled Rectifrer (SCR). The
SCRbehaves as a switch, It is normally
a high impedance until a small trigger
voltage is appliedbetween its gate and
cathode. It then conducts and behaves
like a diode. After triggering, the SCR
switches off when the current through
it falls cìose to zero,
Initially, the SCR is off and capaci-
tor C1 is discharged. Positive voltage
from the generator then charges C1 via
diode DL and the primary winding of
the ignition coil. The current path is
shown in red as "Iç".
C1 is discharged when the SCR
is subsequently triggered, allowing
current to flow back through the igni-
tion coil primary. This current path
is shown in green as "I¡". The fast
discharge of C1 and resulting current
through the ignition coil causes a high
voltage to be developed across the
secondary winding of the ignition coil,
to fire the spark plug(s).
Once the spark plug is extinguished,
the collapsing field of the ignition
coil develops a reverse current flow
via diode D2 to partially recharge
capacitor C1.
Typically, the generator coil delivers
about 1A in charging the capacitor up
to about 350V. If C1 is 1pF, then it will
charge in about 350ps - much quicker
than the time between sparks, even in
a high-rewing engine,
No RPM advance
Note that the CDI Module does not
incorporate RPM advance and so it
provides a fixed timing from the trig-
ger coil - most common with small
engines,
Some engines do incorporate RPM
TYPICÆ MODUIE FOR CDI WITH ÐCTERNAL CONNECTIONS SHOWN
Fig.L: how a typical CDI mo
coil provides ltrign voltage
the tiigger coil próvides the
voltage charge into the ignition coil.
BASIC CDIOPERATION
Fig,Zr
toah
turns
flow back through the coil primary.
advance using a special trigger coil and
magnetic core design that advances
the firing edge with increasing RPM,
This is achieved by having a stepped
or shaped coil core that has a larger
gap at its leading edge compared to
the trailing edge - see Fig.3.
At low speeds the coil voltage re-
quired for triggering is developed at
the trailing edge of the magnet but as
revs increase, the leading edge of the
magnet is able to induce more voltage
in the coil and so firing occurs earlier.
This is shown in Fig.4,
Other designs use electronic ad-
va¡rce but these require extra power for
the circuitry and tend to be used only
with battery-powered systems.
Circuit details
The simplest circuit arrangement
for the CDI module is shown in Fig,5,
generator (magneto)
n the CDI module, while
the capacitor's high
IGNITION
colt
SPARK
PLUG
Initially, the g
triggerpulse( n
discharges C1
Voltage from the generator coil charges
capacitor C1 (and C2) via diode D1
and the ignition coil primary. As
previously mentioned, D2 is there to
conduct the reverse current flow from
the ignition coil after the capacitor has
discharged.
The two in-series 1MQ resistors
across capacitor C1 are there to dis-
charge the capacitor if the SCR does
not fire, This is a safety feature that
prevents a nasty electric shock if you
happen to connect yourself across the
capacitor. It takes about two seconds
for the capacitor to discharge to a safe
value.
Provision has been made on the
PC board for two discharge capaci-
tors, C1 & C2, This allows the use of
either two O.47¡tF capacitors or two
1pF capacitors. A higher capacitance
will produce greater spark energy,

72 StLtcoN Cutp siliconchip.com,au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 33

 Í.Jif,fffiïeJ
Constant-current
tED navigation lights
This constant-current LED circuit
has been used as the basis for a 24-
LED navigation light on a yacht. The
LEDs were arranged in two staggered
rows around a 32mm plastic pipe
placed in a small glass jar. For a
24-LED array, eight of these current
sources will be required.
The LED drive circuit works as
follows. The LM334 constant current
source maintains
a nominal 64mV
between its "R"
and "V-" terminals
and it does this by

Replacement adjusting the base

current of transis-
tor Q1 so that the
collector current The accompanying photos show
is 19.39mlt. Atthis how the assembly is wired and
cufient, the volt- housed in the jar, The plastic lid
age across the 3.3Q each built onto two circular pieces needs to be painted with several
resistor is maintained at 64mV a¡d of Veroboard which were then coats of white acrylic to prevent
so the three series-connected LEDs stacked inside the glass )an'|he 24 deterioration due to [fV exposure.
are operated at a constant 19.4m4. LEDs were then wired to the drive ]osh Stevenson,
Four of these drive circuits were circuits. Kotare, NZ.

lor small petrol motors +12Y

'*"rî
If the CDI module in your motorbike, outboard, ride-on mower Dt tN4l48

or other small petrol motor fails, you could be in for a shock.

Depending on the brand or model, they can cost up to $+OO. You
can build this one for less than $50 and it will do the same iob t2v 8C548

for most engines.

PIEZO
SOUNDER

R'.i?:å:#tTåå'ii."'i"lU;
module for motorbikes, outboards a¡d
other small petrol motors, You can
understand why. It can be a real shock
to front up to your local dealer and
find out the price for such a module.
It is even ha¡der to justify the prices
charged when you see the circuit
components involved,
Those days, a great many small pet-
rol engines use a Capacitor Discharge
Ignition (CDI) module. The high-volt-
age capacitor is charged directly from
a generator located on the flywheel,
A battery may still be included and
used to drive lights and ancillaries
but this is used independently of the
ignition.
CDI is a great improvement on the
old magneto ignition systems, Not
only does the CDI deliver higher spark
energy but it also dispenses with the
points which were inevitably subject
to wear and required periodic clean-
ing, adjustment and replacement.
The one drawback is that CDI sys-
tems don't last forever - they can fail.
While the failure can be within the
flywheel generating coils or the igni-
tion coil, it is most likely to be the
CDI module itself and then you will
find that the replacement can be very
expensive.
The CDI Module described here
maybe used to replace a failed factory
unit for an engine that incorporates a
generator and trigger coil to provide
the high-voltage and the firing point.
Most of these CDI systems operate in
a similar way but there are variations
in design that use the opposite polarity
for voltage generation and are therefore
unsuitable for our module.
While some tests can be performed
to check for suitability, we cannot
guarantee that the module will work
for every engine, Even so, because this
Optical smoke
detector
This smoke detector circuit is
based on a standard photo-inter-
rupter as used in many computer
printers. It contains an infrared
LED facing a phototransistor across
an air gap.
br this circuit, the collector of tìe
phototransistor (PS1) is connected
to +1.2Y via a 2,2kC) resistor and
trimpot VR1. The collector also
d¡ives the non-inverting input (pin
3) of op amp IC1 which functions
as a comparator.
Normally, tìe output from the
infrared LED shines across the gap
and turns on the phototransistor
which pulls pin 3 of IC1 low As a
result, the comparator's output at
pin 1 will be low and transistor Q1
will be off.
If enough smoke passes through
the gap, the infrared LED's output
will be blocked and pin 3 of IC1 will
go high and so Q1 will be turned on.
This will uigger amonostable timer
based on 555 timer IC2 and this will
sound the piezo bttzzer for a time
determined by the 100kO resistor
and 100pF capacitor at pins 6 & 7.
Tïimpot VR1 is used as a sensitiv-
ity control.
A suitable photo-intemrpter can
be obtained from faycar (Cat. ZD-
1e01,).
T. K, Ha¡eendran,
Kerala,India. ($35)

32 SLICON CHIP siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 73

 Gfineuflt otobook : Gontflnued
Biased yes
or no circuit
This may look like a simple coin
toss or decision circuit but it is de-
signed to enable you to increasingly
say "No, I won't" when confronted
with temptations to eat snacks or
otherwise indulge appetites which
increase your waistline, threaten
your heart, imperil your lungs or
endanger your driver's licence. It has
two LEDs - green for "GO AHEAD"
and red for "REFUSE".
Unlike other deciders which are
designed to simulate coin tossing
with even chances for heads or tails,
this circuit has adjustable bias so
that as you start your program to
increase your resolve power, you
can set it for a roughly even chance
of yes or no but then as your "won't
power" improves, you can bias it to
increase the chance of a "REFUSE"
answel.
So when temptation rears its ugly
head, just press RUN switch 51 and
As you can see, we pay good
moneyfor each of the "Circuit
Notebook" items published in
Srt-tcol.r CHIP. But now there
I today's boards, there will be times when the boards aren't
I are four more reasofls
to
I send in your circuit idea. Each
I month, the best contribu-
I tion published will entitle
I the author to choose the
I prize: an LCH40 LCR
I meter, a DCA55 Semicon-
I ductor Component Analyser, an
¡
ESR60 Equivalent Series Resistance
I peakelec.co.uk
Analyser or an SCR100 Thyristor &
I errors: surely you want your PC boards perfect. Remember,
I Triac Analyser, with the compliments
t_-l
lssuæ Gffimg DogFEarcdfl
Keep your copies safe w¡th these handy binders.
Available Aust, only. Price: $413.95 plus $7 p&p per order (includes GST). Just f ill in
and mail the handy order form in this issue; or fax (02) 9939 2648; or call (02) 9939 i
3295 and quote your credit card number.
74 Stuco¡,t Cutp
let the circuit make the decision
for you.
The circuit is based on 555 timer
IC1 which is wired as al astable os-
cillator. This lights red LED1 when
pin 3 is low and green LED2 when
pin 3 is high.
\Mhen you p¡ess RUN switch 51,
both LEDs flash rapidly until you
stop the timer by pressing STOP
switch 52. The slightly unusual
of Peak Electronic Design Ltd www.
So now you have even more reasons
placement of 52 in the circuit is
necessary because the more usual
positions altered the status of the
output - which is not wanted.
The bias of the circuit is set by
trimpotVRl. This couldbe a 1O-turn
type if you want fine adjustment. It
acts as a mark/space ratio controller
to give longer green or red outputs,
A. f. Lowe,
Bardon, Qld. ($35)
to send that brilliant circuit in. Send it
to SrLrcoN Cntp and you could be a
winner.
You can either email your idea to
silicon @siliconchip.com.au or post it to
PO Box 139, Collaroy, NSW 2097.
siliconchip.com.au
. . . and this is how it's done. The long hair and hand
belong to StLtcoN Cru's Mauro Grassi, who is shown
here removing one of the individual PC boards by cutting
through the land with a hacksaw blade. As we said before,
this already has a series of holes drilled to mke it easy.
The boards are not simply etched - they are drilled,
plated, solder-masked and a component overlay is silk-
screened on the reverse side. In other words, they're com-
plete ready to use once removed from the palel.
How many boards?
How long is a piece of string? It all depends on the size
of the individual boards. They're fitted onto the panel for
minimum wastage allowing, of course, for a small space
between each board. The accompanying photo of a recent
panel we had made give you a good idea.
How many layers?
IMP PC's sample and prototype service can produce any
board from single sided and double sided right through to
eight layers. Naturally, as the number of layers goes up,
so do the prices.
Yield
We hinted before that PC board production is not an exact
science, It's pretty good, but with the thin tracks used on
absolutely 100% perfect,
We've only struck this once or twice but it so happened
that one of the boards we recently received had a flaw in
it.
It's not like the days of yore when you had to go over
your own produced board with a magnifying glass - IMP
PC do it for you. If they find anything wrong, they highlight
it with a big yellow arrow'
You might wonder why they don't redo the panel if it has
we are talking prototype boards and it is highly likely that
there will need to be mods anyway, so a repaired track is
not a signifi.cant problem. Howevet, they will redo the panel
if it doesn't achieve their pre-agreed yield standard.
Lodging board patterns
Like most PC board houses, IMP PC work from Protel PC
board files which are electronically submitted,
They do have their own speciflc requirements for lodge-
ment so it's worth a look at their website (or call them)
before you send in your first batch. In fact, you'll need to
You don't even have to cut through all four sides to remove
the board. We normally find cutting through two sides is
enough; a bit of thumb-power is all that's needed to break
it free. The slightly rough edges are very easy to clean up
with a file.
do this to establish an account or aüange credit card pay-
ment for your first order
How much?
The standard prototyping service, with S-day turnaround,
costs $285 for the standard sheet and $335 for the large
sheet (for a single-sided board).
OK, at first glance this sounds expensive but look at
what you get: while they're called "prototype" boards,
they're every bit as good as the production boards IMP PC
wiII also be glad to talk to you about! (IMP PC also work
with several quality overseas suppliers who can produce
volume boards at the right price),
Even if that was for just one board, that's chicken feed
for most companies - th"y would have spent many' many
thousands of dollars developing the project and probably
paid several thousand dollars for their PC board software
io boot (you like that pun?). What's more, have a look at
the photo of the panel of boards above that we had made
recently. Count 'em - there are ten reasonable-size boa¡ds
on that panel with space for at least one more.
$335 divided by LL is just over $30 per board. So cost
really isn't an issue, Time (5 working days) shouldn't be
an issue with the right planning - and if a board really
is required urgently IMP PC offer a 24-l,ot;r service. Yes,
you'll have to pay extra for that - but if it really is that
urgent, . .
With the "rush" service, if the PC boa¡d fiIe is received
prior to 104M, the finished panel wiII be despatched from
the factory by midday next day,
Incidentally, if you want extra panels produced at the
same time as your frrst, they will cost $75 for the standard
panel and $95 for the large.
And if you need more advanced boards, IMP PC can
handle just about any requirements. They have a freecall
number inboth Australia (1B00 IIB 543) and New Zealand
(0800 441 500) for technical enquiries. sG
For more information, contact
IMP Printed Circuits Pty Ltd,
6CB Fisher Drive, Cavan SA 5094
Tel: (08) 82621444 Fax: (08) 82622044
Website:
MAY 2OO8 31
 4
24V & 6V versions eË
of battery charge +61
l¡
controller
Undoubtedly, some readers will
J
wqnt to use the Charge Controller ro

from the April 2008 issue with a 24V

or 6V charger. We are not in favour
zro
o
!
of this, since tle adaptor has been L
d
optimised for 12V operation but here :ø
is how it could be done.
This partial version of the circuit
shows the componentchanges need-
Here's how you'll receive your "panel" of PC boards from Each ofthe individual PC boards is about 95% cut out but ed (in red) for 24V operation. For t
IMP. There are ten boards on this standard-size (s77 x remains secured to the panel as shown above (highlighted g
24V use, REG1 must be changed to
264mm) panel and by the yellow circle), Even these lands are themselves
an LM317IW to cope with the higher
required, Theboar
and screened with
d drilled with a series of small holes to make removal of the
board from the panel an easy task . . . inputvoltage; a 1N4004 diode must
N
ô
N
69
Ituõ
be connected between the input ô ãõ
and output of REG1 (anode to tle
tq
ÊU
published several articles about it. A¡rd we've achieved IMP PC offer arange of prototyping services, from a light-
some very good results, particularly with today's photo- ning-fast 24 hour priority through to the one we generally
output, cathode to the input); ZÐt ôôô
uuu
Nct
must be cþanged to two 24Y zer.;er
sensitive PC board blanks. use, a 5-day sample and prototype panel service. They're diodes in series; and the 470pF and
Forthe hobbyist, we standby everythingwe said inthose an RoHS-compliant manufacturer and can offer boards 10pF capacitors atthe inputto REG1
articles - it's still a perfectly viable process, with either leaded or lead-free solder, depending on the must be SoV t¡les. In addition, R1
However, we have to say it cal also be a messy process, customer's requirements. and R2 should be 130kO and 2+kf,!
particularly the etching side. One un-noticed splash of In fact, they can also offer immersion silver finish and respectively. This changes the divi-
etchant on a shirt and it's offto shirt heaven (or more likely even immersion gold finish. sion ratio so that IC1 sees the volt-
to shirt hell with the expletives undeleted!). That word "parel" requires a little explanation. It's not ages for a 12V battery.
What's more, under- or over-etching is far too easy to do, a foont or rear panel as we're used to - rather, it's a panel Note that when setting the adjust-
with shorts between tracks or breaks in tracks too common. of PC boards, as many as will fit on their staldard sheets: able values, use voltages that are
Again, they're easy to miss and Murphy says they'Il only 41.7 x264rnm useable area. They also have a large sheet 0.5 of the required value. So a 30V
show up when the smoke escapes at first turn-on. with 493 x 29omm useable area, cut-offwouldbe setfor 15V (1.5Von
We've even tried a milling process, where a computer- This gives you a clue to the way they work. Ratler than VR2). Similarly, a -50mV/'C temp-
controlled mill grinds off the unwanted copper and even produce just one PC board at a time, they offer the cus- erature compensation would be set
drills the holes. It works , . . but it takes time. And the mill tomer the opportunity to have a number made at the one at -25mV using a 2.5V setting for
is not exactly cheap! time. They could be duplicates of the one PC board or they VR4.
Speaking of holes, all bar the milled boards must be could be completely different boards, We generally get two For 6V operation, use alow drop-
drilled. If it's a large, complicated board, that Murphy boards of each board made - just in case - and then fill out adjustable regulator (LD'1.777V) I
N
bloke again says you're bound to miss one or two ald only the panel with other project prototype boards or even get for REG1, a 10Q resistor instead of o
discover them when a chip won't fit in! some boards made that we need, the 1000 resistor supplying REG1, =
So what we needed was a prototyping sewice that wasn't The boards that come back to us come still attached to and a 15V zener for ZD1. R1 should o
u
d
too expensive and provided reasonably quick turnaround. It the panel - but cutting them out is very easy (most of the be 22kfJ- and R2 should be 1okQ.
needed to handle electronic lodgement of computer files. board edge is cut - or more accurately, it's milled - but just
We think we've found such a service! In fact, we've used a few "bridges" ofblank [etchedl fibreglass hold the board
In the 6V case, you must only use
the adlustable parameters because
ãìì.:8ìì
Nô{F: NNF

it quite a number of times now a¡rd cannot fault the end on the panel. See the photo series above. tle preset ones are fsr l2Vbatteries.
result - except where they tell us that the end result has a You must use a 6V charger and the =Y
fault (more on that in a moment). 6V battery must not be much less t.

And lest you think that we at SnrcoN Crm get a cut rate than 6V unloaded.
for mentioning them, we carr assure you that we pay the When the cut-off voltage for the
same rates as everyone elsel It's just that we have found selected charge cycle is less than
the service so good, we thought we should tell everyone 12V the burst charging for a flat
about it! battery that's at less than 10.5V be-
comes inoperative. This enables the
Enter the Gladiators . . . 6V charging. The adjustable cut-off ô
(J
It's called IMP Printed Circuits Pty Ltd, a member of the and float voltages are set at, for ex- o (9 Iô
Codan Group and is based in Cavan, a northern suburb ample, 7,2Y and 6.9V respectively, o er
4 ao
ú
of Adelaide, SA. These days, with high-speed broadband with 0.72V and 0.69V at TP2 and
G
a All
4l^ ô
and fast courier services, that's as close as the office next TP3 respectively. The temperature Eøê"j R

door! compensation is set to the mV/"C É t. EicËsËãi Pã CÉ ãÞ

This board has a flaw (in this case a broken track) - so
With more than 40 years experience in the PC game (the when IMP send it to the client, it has a highlight - a value for the battery.
U.
Þ I gr9,
-ñö{ YY öT
-ñ öö
IY 5Y
company was established in 1 964), they're now recognised huge arrow marking the spot. As it is a prototype, such fohn Clarke, Sntcot¡ Crm.
z
L,
as one of the leaders in the industry. imperfections are easily cured!
30 Stuco¡,t Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OO8 75
 Bv JIM RflWE

w-Voltage
Adiust,able ReÉul If you'te q smoll manufacturer, design lab or college
wìthout in-house PC board prototypìng facilities, who do
Need to operate a CD, DVD or MP3 player from the cigarette
lighter soc you turn to? It's o problem a lot of organisatÍons face - even
camera or S//-IC2N CHIP - but there are enswers out thete . . .
your PC? e not new photo resists (and production processes) ofthe day could
voltage down to what's needed. It has jumper shunts to select one ¡flommercial
t - thev've bee e PC boards handle them.
of six common output voltages (from 3-15V) and depending on the \rlstarted being , the 1960s? Another memory from way back then is the late Ron
Bell, founder of RCS Radio (and one of Äustralia's earlyPC
By and large, they've concentrated on the one-off board
input voltage and the heatsink(s) you use, it can deliver an output as an adjunct to their main game - commercial PC board board gurus!) complaining bitterly to the project designers
current of just over 4A.. manufacture. at Electronics Australia when we used "25 thou" tapes and
spacing instead of his minimum of "35 thou"!
A potted PC board history "No-one in Australia can produce boards with that spac-
When PC boards first came out, producing artwork for ing," he said. Imagine how Ron would be todaywith 5-thou
PC power supplies only have 5V and using a push-on jumper shunt to de- the pattern was a labour-intensive and exacting process. tracks and spacing over multiple layers!
CONSIIERING THE PRICE of bat-
First of all, the pattern had to be worked out by the designer
\¡teries and the ever-growing array 12V supplies readily available. liver one of six output voltages: 3V,
PC board PC software
of small items of electronic gear de- In addition, the voltage
available 5V 6V, 9V,12V or 15V. In each case or engineer, then hand-drawn by a skilled draftsman (yep,
signed to run from low-voltage battery from a vehicle battery can vary over the output voltage is well regulated, very few girls back then) using black ink on either film or It must have been the late 1980s or early 1990s when
power, it's not surprising that one a fairly wide range depending on remaining very close to the selected paper. software for printed circuit board design started appearing
of the most common requests from whether the engine is running, the voltage despite broad changes in both I well remember one such draftsman where I worked (remember Autotrax?)
SucoN CHIP readers is for an adaptor battery is being charged and whether input voltage and load current level, who had all-but finished such a drawing - a rather large Since then, there have been lots ofboard layout packages
so this kind of equipment can be run the lights and/or air conditioning are one at that - and then knocked over his bottle of ink (guess brought out - some excellent, some average and some, well
from either the power supply inside on, This sort of voltage variation can Circuit description where!), A week's work, literalÌy in the bin , , . , . . Some were so expensive they were way beyond the
a PC or a cigarette lighter socket in a cause problems for electronic circuits, The circuit is shown in Fig.L. The Once the drawing was finished, checked and checked home constructor but believe it or not, some were actually
motor vehicle. as these generally perform much better heart of the adaptor is an LM317T again, a photographic negative had to be produced, usually freeware or shareware.
Most of the battery-operated equip- and more reliably when operated from adjustable 3 -terminal regulator which involving a trip to a photo lithographer. Then the board OK, so you've designed your masterpiece on the com-
ment we're talking about is designed a regulatedpower supply, comes in a TO-220 package. The had to be produced using one of several photo-sensitive puter and even had the software check it out to make sure
to operate at 3V 6V or 9V whereas the This low-voltage adaptor has been LM377 is designed to maintain the processes, there are no mistakes, Where to from here?
voltages available from vehicle batter- designed for use in virtually any of voltage between its output (OUT) and Later came drafting tapes and pads, which allowed the As you might imagine, SucoN CHtp faces this dilemma
ies or PC power supplies are rather these common DC voltage step-down adjustment (ADJ) terminals at close to board pattern to be laid out on film and used directly with with just about every project we design, as the vast major-
more restricted. For example, there's applications. It can be connected to '1,.25V. At the same time, the current positive photo resists. However, track ity are based on PC boards.
usually only either 1.2Y or 24V avail- aly convenient source ofinput voltage Ievel through its AD| terminal is main- widths (or more specifically track gaps) We've been down the path of the
able from vehicle batteries, while most up to about 2BV and is "programmed" tained at a very low level (typically had to be kept quite wide so that the by Ross Tester D-I-Y prototype PC board - we've even

Stuco¡,t Cutp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB


RF Gircuit Design by Ghris Bowick
2nd edition published 2008 by Elsevier lnc.
244 pages,279 x 217mm, paperback.
ISBN-I3: 978 0 7506 8518 4 $67.00
lTlhis is the long- n of a book
I whichhasbeen andhighly-
L regardedtextbo technology,
At first thought, most people regard RF design as pretty
esoteric and not of much interest or ¡elevance to the wider
field of electronics. This is a big mistake. For a start, all
forms of RF communications are just as important as they
have always been,
Apart from conventional radio and TV broadcasting, both
of which are now in digital form and ever-expanding, there
is a huge range of communications services which were
either very new or largely unthought of 25 years ago, when
the first edition of this book was produced. Most signifi-
cant of these would be mobile phones, the many forms of
satellite communications, including GPS navigation, satel-
lite TV, EPIRBs and so on, More recently there have been
all the so-called "wireless" protocols such as Bluetooth,
Wifr, Wimax,Zigt:ee and others. So RF technology is more
important than ever.
In addition, anyone who wants to be profi.cient in the
design of switchmode power supplies and amplifrers and
any fast data communication system really needs to have
a good basic knowledge ofRF technology.
You only need to read the first chapter of this book to
see how releva¡rt it is to modern electronic design. This
chapter is on components and systems and on the first page
it mentions "skin effect". How many misconceptions are
there about this effect among hifi enthusiasts? You only
have to read a few paragraphs to realise that skin effect is
of negligible importance in audio systems, despite what is
promoted by the makers of expensive high-falutin' speaker
cables.
Then on the second page there is the calculation of the
inductance of a straight piece of wire. "Not too important",
you might think. On the contrary; when we were recently
developing our high power switching speed controller
(SntcoN Crup, March & April 2008J a few quick calcula-
tions to determine the inductance of the heavy connecting
leads from the battery emphasised the importance of this
parameter, especially when high currents and high switch-
ing speeds are involved,
The same chapter. goes on to discuss when resistors are
no longer resistive but inductive, when inductors can be
capacitive and when capacitors can be inductive, depend-
ent upon frequency. Other topics within the same chapter
include winding inductors on toroids, and ferrite versus
powdered iron cores.
Chapter 2 discusses resonant circuits (parallel not series)
28 SLICON CHIP
in detail, which is necessary as background for chapter 3
which is on filter design.
I should note that the entire discussion is on passive
filters involving inductors and capacitors. Chapter 4 deals
with impedance matching - a most important concept for
RF design. It also introduces the Smith Chart, a circular
chart which is most useful for impedance calculations. The
Smith Chart is a mystery to many people who are otherwise
well "clued up" but it is fairly easy to use and you do not
need to understand the mathematics behind it.
Chapter 5 discusses tra¡rsistors atradio frequencies while
chapter 6 builds on that in discussing RF amplifier design,
using Y and S parameters. Both these chapters are on small-
signal design but chapter 7 goes on to Power Amplifiers
(large signal) including class-B and class-C operation.
This is a completely different ball-game to anyone who is
familiar with class-B audio ampÌifrers,
Chapter B is devoted to RF front end design for receivers
and transceivers and here it covers the gamut from simple
AM to the latest 3G design, FinaIIy, chapter I is on RF design
tools, including those needed for field programmable gate
arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices, integrated
circuits, PC boards and systems on a chip (SOC).
Considering that the book is fairly short at |usl 244
pages, it packs in a great deal of useful information, It is
well written and while there are quite a few formulas and
mathematics to work through, it is most worthwhile.
In conclusion, even if you are not involved in RF design,
this is a most useful book and should be in the reference
collection of every designer.
The book is available from the StltcoN Crm bookshop,
siliconchip.com.au
50pA) ard varies by less than 5¡rA ar BDX54C/BDó50
over the fulI rated load current range
(10m4 - 1.5,{) and the input-output
voltage range of 3-40V.
The LM317's actual regulated out-
put voltage can be varied over a wide
ralge using a simple resistive voltage
divider. As shown in Fig,1, the divid-
er's top resistor is connected between 3ooo I
the OUT and ADJ terminals of REG1, 5.ór¡ 12V
while the bottom resistor is connected
between the ,{DJ terminal a¡rd the -4/'/'rlr
270o.
negative voltage rail.
9V
Since the LM317 maintains the volt-
300c)
age across the upper resistor at 1.25V
the total output voltage can be set for
47O¡Í
35V
;
i..$ +llf f roo.r OUfPIJT
virtually any voltage above this level
simply by adjusting the value of the
lower divider resistor. The value of 18c)
tlre lower resistor is found by taking
into account that it needs to drop the I 80r¡
desired output voltage minus 1..25V,
while carrying the current passing I ó0c)
through the upper resistor plus an
additional 5opA (from the ADJ ter-
minal),
In our circuit, the upper divider
resistor is 1200, giving a nominal
current of 1,25172o = 7o,42mA. Hence
the current through the lower divider
resistor is 1,O.42 + 0.05 = L0.47mA.
The value of the lower divider resist-
ffi IIIBH CURRTIil AIIJUSTABI.E REGUIAT||R
ance is varied using the jumper shunt Fig.1: the circuit is based on an LM317 adustable regulator and a PNP
to link one of the six "voltage select" Darlington transistor (Q1) to boost the output current capability, The output
pin pairs. For example, when the shunt voltage is set by the resistive voltage divider string on the regulator's OLII
and ADf terminals and depends on the jumper shunt installed.
is fitted in the 3V position, the lower
divider resistor is 160C1, while when
it's fitted in the 6V position the lower
resistor value is set to (160 + 180 + about 55m4, the voltage drop across way and va¡ies the current passing
18 + 91) = 449Ç2. The resistor values I}re 22{ù resistor will be around 1.2V, through Q1 byvarying its olrrn current.
selected by each of the jumper shunt This is enough to forward bias Q1 into In effect, Q1 acts purely as a slave to
positions have been calculated to give conduction. As the load current rises REG1, boosting the total output cur-
Li|Ld3L7 output voltages as close as above this 55mA level, Q1 gradually rent capacity.
possible to the marked values, using takes over from the LM31.7 and han- The function of the azopF capacitor
standard resistor toleralce values, dles more and more of the load current. across the adaptor's input is to provide
The higher the load current, the greater a degree of smoothing and filtering, to
Current boost the proportion that's handled by Qr. minimise the effect of any alternator
So that is how we set the output The current boost provided by Q1 noise or power supply ripple which
voltage, However, since the LM3'17 doesn't degrade the voltage regula- may be present on the input voltage.
can only cope comfortably with cur- tion performance of the LM317. The Further filtering is provided by the
rents up to around 1.54, it needs a regulator still controls the output 10pF capacitor which is connected
boost if the adaptor is to supply higher voltage level closely in the normal between the LM3 1 7's ADJ terminal and
currents, In our circuit, this boost is
provided by Qr, a BDX54C/8D650
PNP Darlington power transistor.
Q1 has its emitter and base con-
nected across the 22C) resistor in series o Selectable output voltage:3V 5V, 6V, 9V 12V or 15V DC within t3%
with the LM317's input. As a result,
the voltage developed across Ihe 22{L o Output voltage regulation: typically better than 0.5% up to 500m4;
resistor when the LM31.7 draws cur- better than 17" tor output currents up to 1A
rent provides Q1 with forward bias. . DC lnput voltage: up to 24V battery
When the current drawn by the .
load thrgugh the LM317 rises to
Output current: up to 4.25A - see Table 1.
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 77
 ã ît rîf nrfil I Fr{ttltr r il nrl r-l[ lTmtl{rmã]T I i €r il-|I{ load current that the adaptor can
handle.
D ffi
Moximum ouþut current fust how hot Q1 and REG1 actu-
lnput Ouþut ally get for a given amount of power
Vn - Voul wih HH€502 w¡rh HH€51 I WithQl on HH€sóó
Volts Volts
heotsink lon boordl hcots¡nk lon boodl heo¡inlç off bood dissipation depends on the heatsink
830m4 2A 2.84
size. To be precise, the temperature
óv 3V
3V
rise for each device is determined Ei¡-
-rÅ*
3V 9V 275nr'. óó0mA 940m4
by the power being dissipated and gg _ _:_
t2v
5V

óv
TI
óV
350m4

415m4
850m4
IA
12Á.
l.4A
2.84
the 'thermal resistance' between its
internal junction and the surrounding
"ambient", as follows:
't
,\

(èstvann
9V 3V 830m4 2A
T(case - ambient) = P(tot) x R(j-a) Home Automation - Timed Home/Office Surveillance System
3V 21V I l5mA 280m4 400m4
Lighting and Appliance Kit Records onto the massive 1óOGB hard drive
5V r9v l30mA 31OmA 440m4 where T(case - ambient) is the case This movement-activated alarm is great for Awomatãlighting aooliances within
Automate liohtino & àppliances wil minutes! using 4 included cameras either independently
temperature rise above ambient and the garage or shed. h sounds an ultraloud Activate at the touch of a button, sruitch on bedside or simuhaneously. Vew recorded images on your
óV r8v I 35mA 330m4 Á70rlÁ 130d8 siren and monitors a 7m range in a lamp and tum on the kettle at the same time. Simple computer via a USB back-up. Easy connect¡on to
R(j-a) is the thermal resistance between yourTV.
21V ó0 degree arc. 17228 and easy DfY installation. Easily expandable. L¿ozo Ló111
9V l5v ló0rA 400n4 5ó0mA the junction and ambient. The latter is
500m4 700m4 made up from two thermal resistances
l2v 1At 200m4
in series; the junction to case thermal ltUB BTSI
l5v 275¡¡'A óó0FA 940m4
9V resistance and the thermal resistance rutR PRlctl
Table 1: use this table to select the heatsink necessary to suit the required from case to ambient:
output current from the regulatol board. Note that you also have_t9 consider the R(j-a)=R(j-c)+R(c-a)
diffãrence between the input and outpul voltages when making this selection.
where R[j-c) is the internal thermal
the negative voltage rail, and also by to less than about 15W, resistance from junction to case, which
the 100nF and 10pF capacitors across These limits control the adaptor's is a¡ound 4"C per watt for TO-220
the output. output current because the case temp- devices like Q1 or REG1, R(c-a) is the _æ
E[creFfr¡ÎF
eratures of Q1 and REG1 a¡e propor- thermal resistance from case to ambi- 3.5 Digit LCR Muhimetet 4
Current, power & heatsinking tional to the power they have to dis- ent, which we can lower by frtting the Measureì ¡nductânce, capàcitance, frequency,
res¡stance, plus AC/DC cunent and voltage. Also tests
Before we trun to the construction sipate, and their power dissipation device with a heatsink. tansistors, continuity and diodes. Large 2000 count
of the adaptor, it's important to under- is determined in turn by the voltage For example, the thermal resistance LCD screen, auto power off, and low battery waming.

stand how the amount of load current they have to drop (ie, the difference R(c-a) of a'1O-22O device like Q1 Complete with test leads & holster. ots59

is determined by two factorsr (1) the
difference between the input voltage
and the selected output voltage; and
(21 the amount of heatsinking fitted
to current booster Q1 (and to a lesser
extent, regulator REGL).
These things are all linked together
because the main limitation on the
adaptor's maximum output current is
the heat dissipation in both Q1 and
REG1, Q1 can only dissipate a little
over 20W for case temperatures up to
100oC, while REG1 has internal over-
cunent and over-temperature protec-
tionwhich limits its power dissipation
between the adaptor's output and in- without any heatsink at all is around
put voltages) multiplied by the output 46'C/watt, so its temperature will
current, rise above ambient by about (4 + 46)
We can express this mathematically = 50oC for every watt of power it must
using the following equation: dissipate. Ell tri
If we fititwith even a small heatsi¡k Elr E:t eJl
P(tot) = I(load) x (Vir'' Vo"t) Él [rj
Iike the Jaycar HH-8502, this droPs È^)
È:]
-si {,)
where P(tot) is the total power dis- R(c-a) to 2O"C/watt, lowering the total
sipation in watts, I(load) is the load temperature rise above ambient to
current in amps md Vi.r and Vool are (4 + 20) = 24oC for each watt of power
DEreFfr¡fr
æÐ
the adaptor input and output voltages dissipated. So fitting this small heat-
l0MHz Sinole Adaotor HDMI
respectively. sink on Q1, will roughly double the Deluxe Dual lnput Thermometer Channel Oúilloscope Fem'ale - Female
So the important point to grasP is adaptor's power dissipation ability. Compact, dual input 4.5 digit dig'rtal An economical and sensitive 1OMHz Oscilloscope A HDMI fumale joiner to allow the
We can do much better if we frt Q1 thermometer, complete with 2 x K-type sensors. that's easy to operate, making it idealfor a wide extension of two HDMI cables that
that the larger the voltage difference range of hobby and educational uses. Supplied with also doubles as a "gender changer"
Offerc both Celsius and Fahrenheit readings.
(Vi" - Vo"t), the smaller the maximum with a larger heatsink like the Jaycar Beeper sounds when preset temperature a 1:1 & 10:1 sr¡vitchable CRO probe, tiltable carry from male HDMI to female. Pó7æ
limit ¡s exceeded. 01437 handle and detailed insruction manual. ol8o3

ffi[efs Ræffiü@[owGodæ
t¡ No. Value 4'Band Gode (1%) 5'Band Code (1%)
ü 2 30OO orange black brown brown orange black black black brown
tr 1 27OO red violet brown brown red v¡olet black black brown
tr 1 18OO brown grey brown brown brown grey black black brown
tr 1 160c¿ brown blue brown brown brown blue black black brown
tr
tr
1
1
12OO
91O
brown red brown
white brown black
brown
brown
brown red black black brown
white brown black gold brown ER¡oht Anole HDMI Male Adaotor HDMI Male - Adaptor HDMI Female -
tr 1 22a red red black brown red red black gold brown to-HDMlTemale Adaptor DVI Female DVI lVlale
.t
" slrm
tr 18O brown grey black brown brown grey black gold brown Right angle HDMI (H¡gh
Defi n¡tion Multimedia lnterface)
tr 1 5.6C, green blue gold brown green blue black silver brown Male to HDMI Female Adaptor
- great for those tight spots convenientþ. Pó723
around the back of your high
siliconchip.com.au defin¡t¡on s6een orTV Pó721
SILICON CHIP
Tem and onditions: Offen start 30/04/08 atdend27l05l08or while stæþ111' W W W. ilS e . C O m , O
---
No rainchedc. No layby. Offea may not be available in sme æller or franchiæ store
 W rent capability is to provide Ql with
larger heatsink, as just discussed,
a
JOIN THE TECHNOLOGY
Example AGE NOW
Let's say you want to use the adaptor W¡th
to power a portable CD player from the
cigarette lighter socket in your car and PICAXE
the CD player needs 3V DC, So Vi. is
12V and the adaptor will have to drop
USE SMAII
1,2-3=9Y.
HEATSINK QI
toR Now let's assume that Q1 is fitted
CURRENT with just a small HH-8502 heatsink,
õ¡õreFfüfr
ffi õ¡êreFMm
reffi
USE, I.ARGER
SHARED
What current will it be able to deliver Developed as a teaching tool,
llluminated Pocket Magnifier Stâ¡nless Steel Digital Callipers Magnifoing Desk Lamp HEATSINK to the CD player at ambient tempera- the PICAXE is a low-cost "brain"
Great for checking comPonents. PCBs, and These stainless steel dþital callipers feature Work with small items more easily with the magnified
FOR HIGHER, tures up to 40"C?
for almost any project
other items where a magnified view is required. a +dig¡t LCD screen, internal and external and illuminated view provided by this magniling
CURRENT
From what we've seen above, the
Features a large 2ómm coated glass lens, measuring jaw, depth measuring blade, desk lamp. Uses 2 x lOW Halogen bulbs, quality glass
USE
'lOx magnification, carry pouch and a white mm & inch measurements, and zero setting. magnifoing lens, flexible gooseneck, and removable total R(j-a) for Q1 with this small
LED to þrovide lighting of the viewed item. a
Supplied in a foåm-lined carry case w¡th Ac;dáptor. T4599 heatsink is around 24oClwatt, so if Easy to use and understand,
Requires 3 x "AA/4" size batteries. T4597 battery and deta¡led ¡nstructions. 01 382
we want its temperature to rise by professionals & hobbyists can
no more than 60'C above an ambient be productive within minutes.
of 40'C (ie, to 100"C maximum), the Free software development
flEr,'g.LltiF,l maximum power that Q1 should be
Lug Crimping Tool 4/6/8 Pin Modular tTffi"l. @ system and low-cost in-circuit
A handy crÌmping tool Crimp Tool called upon to dissipate is 60124 = programming.
when you're working Cuts and strips cables as 2.5W If the adaptor will be dropping
POSInON Variety of hardware, project
with non-insulated well as crimping various 4¡pin,
IJMPER
9V this corresponds to a maximum
terminals. Has a strong ó-pin and 8 pin modular
SHUNT load current of 2.5/9, or about 275mA boards and kits to suit your
metal {rame and jaws, connectors including 4P4Ç,
coated handles and óP4C (RJ-1 1 ), óPóC (RJ-l 2), FOR (power = voltage x current, so current applicat¡on.
Ratchet Coaxial Crimping Tool DESIRED
a cable cutter Suit and 8P (RJ-45) varieties Digital, analog, serial RS232,
10 28AWG wire Rugged metal congtruction
Perfect for E BNC, TNC, N, Teflon, or,rlRtf = power/voltage).
Thinnet PVC and Fibre-Optic voEs If the CD playerneeds to drawmore
T3528 for accurate crimps. 12923
connectors Has an accurate
1-WirerM, and l2C facilities.
current than this, you'll have to fit Q1 PC connectivity.
s;;ii:sii:1, $2Ss8 with a larger heatsink like the HH-8511
f:II[mf
n for reliable
which allow it to deliver 6/9 amps, or
Applications include:
about 660m4.
If this current rating seems pretty Datalogging
tNit rno,u rc
POWER SUPPTY OR low, consider that this example is for Robotics
VEHIC]E BATTERY
a very demanding situation where it is Measurement & instruments
Fig.z: install the parts on the PC being called upon to deliver the lowest Motor & lighting control
board as shown here. The output selectable output voltage but from a Farming & agriculture
voltage is set by installing a iumper fairìy high input voltage.
DORCY LED lnternet server
Dynamo Flashlight shunt in one of the link positions.
For an easier example, let's say you
Sìmply wind handle Wireless links
to'POWER UP'light, want to provide a radio or some other
renewable energy - equipment with 9V but still want to Colour sensing
alternative to power light
HH-8511 (which can be shared with run the adaptor from 12V. This wìll Fun games
ideal for emergencies at
home, camping and cars REG1 as the latter doesn't dissipate mean that Q1 will only have to drop
No more bulbs or much power), The larger heatsink re- ('J.2 - I = 3V). So with the smaller
batteries required
HH-8502 heatsink it would be able
Y1277
amp duces R(c-a) to 6oC/watt, resulting in
a total temperature rise of only (4 + 6) to deliver up to 2.5/3 or 830m4. AI-
!#Jrtrl::åff#,il0"
on 3 x A/AA alkaline batteries (included) ytzs:
= 1OoC for each watt dissipated,
It is possible to reduce the value of
ternatively, with the larger HH-8511
heatsink, it would be able to supply
R(c-a) even further by fitting Q1 with 6/3 or 2A,
an even larger heatsink, to allow it to To make it easier to choose which
dissipate even more power. However size of heatsink you need for your ap-
this involves mounting Q1 off the plication, refer to Table 1 for the most
adaptor's PC board. likely combinations of input voltage Distributed in Australia by
To summarise, if you want the and output voltage. Note that only
adaptor to supply as much current as practical combinations are shown - ie, Microzed Computers
possible, you must limit (Vi" - Vo,rt) where the input is at least 3V higher Pty Limited
by reducing Vir.. However, Vin must than the output, so that the unit can
be at least 3V higher than Voo¡ for the operate correctly. Phone 1300 735 420
adaptor to work correctly. Fax 1300 735 421
Dorcv Suoer Brioht
- f,nLec If you're stuck with a particular Construction
uo Flaslilight
High powered LUXEON 1 watt
-LED
light source, lightweight t300 input voltage (say 12V), the only way
to increase the adaptor's output cur-
All the parts used in the adaptor
mount on a small PC board measur-
www.m¡crozed.com.au
aluminium casing with rubber hand
grip, projects over 30 metre beam. hunting or general outdoor use. lncl. óV 4 amp
;
Y'I2M SLA battery plus 240V ãdaptor. Y1249 siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 79

Promotion from 30/04/O8re 27 /OS|O8

 Farts L[st
1 PC board, code 11105081,
107 x 39mm
1 HH-850219mm square
TO-220 heatsink, OR
1 HH-8511 61 x 36 x 30mm'U'
heatsink
2TO-220 silicone washers
1 6x2length of DIL jumper strip
1 jumper shunt
2 M3 x 6mm machine screws
2 M3 nuts
4 PC board terminal pins, 1mm
diameter
Semiconductorc
1 LM317T regulator (REG1)
1 BDX54C or BD65O PNP
power Darlington (Q1)
Capacitors
1 470¡tF 35V RB electrolytic
2 1OpF 16V RB electrolytic
1 100nF MKT metallised
polyester
Resisto¡s (0.25W f %)
2 300c) 1 91O
1 270el¿ 1 22A
1 180c¿ 1 18C)
1 160ç) 1 5.6C¿
1 120O
Where To Buy A K¡t
This project was developed by
Jaycar Electronics and they own
the copyright on the PC board, Kits
will be available exclusively from
Jaycar retail outlets and dealers
(Cat. KC-5463) and will be supplied
with the HH-8502 heatsink.
ing 107 x 39mm. The component
overlay diagram is shown in Fig.2.
Begin assembly by fitting the four PC
board terminal pins (to the external
wiring points) and the 6x2 length of
DIL jumper strip used for the output
voltage programming. Follow these
with the single wire link that goes just
below the 120C1 resistor,
Next, fit the 10 resistors to the board,
taking care to place each one in its
correct position. Table 1 shows the
resistor colour codes but you should
also check each resistor using a DMM
before soldering it in, as some of the
colours can be diffrcult to decipher.
After the resistors you can install
the capacitors, starting with the un-
polarised 100nF MKT capacitor up at
BO stLtco¡,t cntp
the top/output end. Follow this with
the three electrolytic capacitors, taking
care to flt each ofthese the correct way
around because they are polarised.
The next step is to fit the heatsink
(either the HH-8502 or the larger HH-
8511 - see Table 1), along with REG1
and Qr. Each of the latter two devices
is mounted "flat" with its leads bent
downby 90o about 6mm from its case,
so they pass through the relevant holes
in the PC board.
If you're just using the small HH-
8502 heatsink for Q1, REG1 can be
fitted directly to the board (ie, no
heatsink) and its metal tab secured us-
ing an M3 x 6mm machine screw and
nut. The machine screw and nut also
provide REG1 with a small amount of
incidental heatsinking, in conjunction
with the copper square underneath,
Once you've secured its tab, its
leads can be soldered to the copper
pads under the board. Don't solder
the leads before bolting down the tab
- you could stress ald crack the solder
joints if you do,
QL is mounted on the top of its
heatsink, using a thermal conducting
washer or a sme¿tr of thermal com-
pound to ensure a good thermal bond.
An M3 x 6mm screw and nut are then
used to secure the assembly in place,
before'soldering Q1's leads to their
pads underneath,
Alternatively, both Q1 and REG1
canbe mounted onthe largerHH-851L
heatsink, again using either thermal
conducting washers or smears of ther-
mal compound to ensure good thermal
bonds. As before, bolt the assembly
to the PC board before soldering the
device leads.
Voltage on the heatsink
It is not really necessary to elec-
trically isolate the metal tabs of Q1
and REG1 from each other (or from
the heatsink), since they both sit at
the output voltage (ie, Q1's tab is its
collector and REG1's tab is its output
terminal). It does mean, however,
that the heatsink also operates at the
output voltage when power is applied,
so make sure it doesn't short against
other equipment,
This is also an important considera-
tion if you mount Q1 off the board on
a large external heatsink, In that case,
you might want to electrically isolate
Q1 from the heatsink using a TO-
220 insulation kit (ie, thermal insula-
tion washer plus insulating bush for
USE WIRES TO PINS I & 2 FOR Vin
Fig.3: a hard disk drive power
connector (eg, Jaycar PP-0743) can
be used to connect the input of the
regulator board to the 12V ouþut
from a PC power supply.
the mounting screw). That way, the
heatsink can then be earthed to other
equipment.
Voltage selection
The next step is to fit the voltage
selection jumper shunt to select the
required output voltage. That done,
connect a DC power source (it must
provide at least 3V more than the out-
put voltage you want), then check the
output voltage with your digital multi-
meter, It should be within t3%.
If you are going to be sourcing the
adaptor input voltage from your cat
or truck battery, the input lead can be
fitted with a cigarette lighter plug at
the far end to mate with the vehicle's
cigarette lighter socket, Jaycar sells
two such plugs - the low-cost PP-2000
and the PP-2001 which has an internal
3A fuse.
Similarly, if you intend sourcing
the adaptor's input voltage from a PC
power supply, the input lead can be
fitted with a 4-way plug (as used on
the rear of hard disk drives), to mate
with a spare power connector inside
the PC. Again laycar can provide two
versions of these plugs: the PP-O743
or the PP-0744.
Fig.3 shows the connections for us-
ing this type of plug to provide a 12V
supply for the regulator board, Note,
however, that this input voltage will
only be suitable for output voltages
up to 9V.
Output connector
The adaptor's output lead can be
fitted with a power connector to suit
the device or devices you're going to
be powering, In many cases this is
likely to be a concentric low-voltage
DC connector,
Finally, when mounting the adaptor
inside a case, make sure it has adequate
ventilation to dissipate the likely heat
it will produce. sc
siliconchip.com.au
W
- l2V
ó4-Piece Bit Set and Case
Packed in two soft plastic storage cases
for ease of carrying. lncludes a magnetic
1ópc Slim Bh Set with Ratchet Handle bit holder. Each set contains: security Torx
Helping Hands with Magnifier
Uses 45mm long super-hard 52 grade 4mm bits, Hex bits, Tri-wing bits, Spanner bits,
s
Heavy cast-iron base for stability,
a magnifying glass, plus adjustable
position alligator clips to hold an item
still while you're working on it. T5715
Soldering lron Tip Cleaner Anti-Static Solder Sucker Heavy Duty Solder Sucker Heavy Duty Soldering lron Stand
Low abrasion spiral-br ass for easy Easy to clean solder sucker with
a strong Solidly built plastic housing, strong spring Diecast heary duty construction with rubber
tip cleaning, with no water required metal body, excellent suction and a assenrbly, dual "O" r ing seals lor better feet to prevent scratching yotrr desk, also
lncludes metal holder with non-slip heat-res¡stant Teflon tip
T25ó7 suct¡on, easy to open for waste solder includes a "spìral brass" style tip cleaner
rubber base T2007 removal T257.1 T1256
¿-
/t-
- __
Diagonal Nippers Allows you to cut almost any shape 1ó-Piece Servicing Tool Kit
Made from high quality carbon steel,
w¡th full cut edges so they're ideal for
or size of hole in sheet steel to
0.ómm thick or light alloy to 1 5mm diamond coated 2mm dianreter bit
Wide range of seruicìng tools in a handy
zippered carry case lncludes wire cutters,
precise circuit board work- They have thick lt follows curved or straight Can be used on many glass, cerantic long-nose pliers, lC inserter, hex drivers,
smooth grip insulation and are spring lines wìth ease and is also great for or metal surfaces. Supplied with various scrervdrìvers, insulated tweezers
battery case and lead -I477ó and more f4343
toaÕed I JIJI use on many plastics. T4945
r :.,
350pc C-able
''¿ai
Tie Pack
Stoc{< up now! Pack
contains 100pcs
ea of natural &
coloured 100mm x
2.5mm, 50pcs ea
natural & coloured
200mm x 2.5mm,
and 50pc coloured
Toolbox with Component rage
280mm x 3.5mm
Solidly buih and well-finished plastic
cable ties. xsoó¿
toolbox with a removable
internal tray,
storage in th
30kg max ca
H45C7
*Conditions apply. See in-store for deta¡ls. \^/ \^/ ¡y Cl S e C O-m O t
 www.siliconchip. com,au
PB¡GE GUlllE: SUBSCRIPTI0IlS
(Note: all subscr¡ptlon prices include P&P).
YOUR DETAILS (Aust. prlces lnclude GST)
Your llame Please state month to start.
(PLEASE PRINT) Australia:'l yr ,.,.,...,.,.,...,....$489.50 2 yrs.,.,...... ..,..,, .., $4172
1 yr+binder .,......,..,..........$4105 2yrs+2binders,..$4203
Organisation (if applicable) NZ (air): 1 yr .,.,.,,.. .,.,.,.,....$ASO 2 yrs.,.,....,....,..,..,,, $4190
Overseas (air): 1 yr .,.,.,.,....$4135 2 yrs.,.,....,....,..,...., $4260

PRIGE GUlllE: OIHER PR0DUGTS

(all prlces lnclude GST on Auqt. qderc)

Postcode
Email address (if applicable)
Method of Payment:
-SlLlC0N
Daytime Phone llo. ( CHIP BACK ISSUES in stock: 10% discount for 10
or more issues or photocopies. Australia: $49.50 ea (includ-
ing p&p). Overseas: $41 3 each (including p&p by air).
-ELECTBONICS
AUSTRALIA: project photocopies. Australia:
$49.50 each (including p&p). Overseas: $41 3 each (including
p&p by air).

õ¡õkMm
læffi
D¡CmsM-iïF
@tu
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BUY 5 or more and get them postage free.

Adjustable Temperature Soldering Station Benchtop Soldering Fume Filter

tr Cheque/Money Order tr Visa Card tr Master Card (Available in Aust. only): $413.95 each plus $7 p&p per
order,
Lightweight handle with burn-resistant cable,
45W power, 250'C to 450'C temp. range,
240V powered, with 1.ómm tip and
Reduce soldering fumes with this compact filter.
lnc. low-noise mains-powered fan, 2 activated
carbon filters, adjustable stand, and plastic
cardNo IIII I
-ELECTRONICS PROJECTS FOR CARS, V01.2: Aust.
9414.95; Overseas $418.00. (Prices include p&p & GST
cleaning sponge. T'197ó hood assembly. T234ó
where applicable).
Card expiry date: I I ll I I -PERFORMANCE ELECTRONICS FOR CARS: Aust.
$422.50; Overseas $426.00. (Prices include p&p & GST
where applicable).
ïodo. Signature
PT-200 Butane
Powered Blor¡¡torch
Powerful, heavy-duty SUBSCRIBERS QUATIFY FOR 1fl% DISCOUiIT ON AtL SITICON CHIP PRODUCTS-
butane blowtorch - excepl subscripti0ns/renewals
D¡êreX¡MiÏF with adjustable flame
ffi@ for hobby users.
2509 Lead-Free Solder Electronic ignition, with
A lead-free 1.0mm solder alloy containing temperatures up to Item P&P if Total
flux for general electronics work where earlier 1300'C, and up to ó0mins Qtv Item Description Price extra Price
lead-based solders cannot be used. This solder use per refill. lnternal
is 99.3% Tin and 0.7% Copper. Recommended brass and ceramic parts
for use with iron-clad or nickel-clad soldering for precision operation.
iron tips.2509 roll. N2ó32 Colour may vary. T1101

TV Cable RG-59U Economy

Economical 75 ohm dual shield
coaxial cable suitable for indoor
75 Ohm TV Coaxial
Cable RG-ó
Quality shielded low loss
Cable Harmony HD
Video Audio C-able
Suits high definition video and
Subscribe to Stttc0¡t Cntp on-line at: www.siliconch¡p.com.au
Both printed and on-line versions available
*
t w
use on analogue TVs in areas where
there is a reasonable signal. Great
heavy duty coaxial cable that
is suitable for digital television
audio cabling hookups.
w2003
Total $n
for making patch leads. w2080 installations. W2084

Promotion from 30/04/æ to 27 /O5lß

 stuff taken from the "Gad€et Guy" webslte (www.gad€etguv.com.au):
Porrver savlnéls of uP to 24vo usl,îg the tnersodc Po1ver gaver (and our responses lnbol(t ltatic)
Dear Valued Customers,
I am pleased to announce the appo¡ntment of our
new retail managers. Scott Paton has been 80,000 songs - All in one box!*
promoted to manager after working with the
By add¡ng a hard drive of your chooslng to th¡s styllsh un¡|, you
company forfve years in Perth. Whilst Robert
-can create a totally portable mult¡mediâ solution for your home
Atekso\rskl ha-gjolned ourteam in Sydney, after
w¡thout the expense of a hi-fi PC. lt provides h¡gh def¡n¡tion power that is generated.by the power statloI.|s,
¡n the electronics industry.
ptayback for any tiles stored on the dr¡ve, via user friendly on-screen and. tI
menus. Su¡table for most MPG formats' D¡vX, JPG, MP3 etc!
24o vort power sockets to rur yovt erectficar appJlances. powet
tactor correction (Ioesn't save yoa money
l\ Firmware upgrades also avallable. D 5510 320gb SATA HDD to suit $141
entwaüs. An
iT
I
D5563AFeaturas.UpdatebyUSB2.0,wiredethernetll0/100)
.
oyy¡¡.¡uttt,ntt'nn
t};,e electrical
t (802.1lb/gl Composlte, S-V¡deo, DVI-D, component & digital audio outputs
.
' lR
enension . 1080p high definition ßemote control . USB flash stick d¡rect connection wit}: the heat
. 3.5" SATA HDD compatible D
Build Your Own uffiõEösnm HARD DRIvE lúooEl! Power savrng thto*Eh man.agrrtg tndacttve and
¡ew'r€ of cherper model¡ on lhe m.rkot wlth resÍethve roails
Active Subwoofer 'Dependant on hard dr¡ve capacily. low rcsolutlon outp¡¡t and umlted codec support. The Enersonic Power savet will r.ot save energr
Enhance your sound system, if all you used. in yourpremÍses were fi1ament ught
bulbs arrd electücbaJ" radlators ot oiJ heat'ers. These
add mindblowing realism to. tÉ Watt axe rererred. to becrvúcalJy as resistive load.s.
Sult3 a hu8ê rante of scrern *Hl""li":''i;"0'il.o
m
your favourite DVD! Turn your: Mount Your
lounse room ¡nto a cinema: d electronjc applia,nces insta.fied, whic}r ca,n to

ffil I ó.
Plasma or
e! withlour very own custom i
subwoofer. Fantastic for build- i LCD Screen ^--. '::', wer Saver is insta-l_led . These ad.ditional, appkances
components, whTch act as inductive load.s, a,nd-
ing into custom subwoofer cabi- i A great way to
nets, Equipped with votume,; mount your flat acteristics. Iniluettve loails don't necessatlly
crossover frequency controt, ; panel TV securely to
ro lloo :'
High Gurrenl llvr ur
phase switch, high and tow i your wall. Tilting or
In slmp-le terms, the Enersonic powet Saver is d.
level outputs. 120W RMS, i fixed models Mounting help corxect these problems caused.by the
Stabte ¡nto 4 ohms, i holes are provided for both 450 Regulated Lab Power Supplies mlx of imductive and' tesistive Toad's, and' to help
out a",d s¡mchronise the erectxica,l. wavetorm
& 600mm stud watts. Eas¡ty Compact sw¡tchmode design is both powerfuI and to herp prouide abettet power ractot correction. we
SoeakerSwitchers l{Etlt mounted to brick watts with tightweight. Great )r powertngcommunicat¡ons h.ave demonstrated, lt iloes no suci,- ti'tlngl
ð¡lot. r.¿ effective wav of DESIGI{! appropr¡ate fixings. 60kg max equrpment, car audio amptifiers, camptngfr¡dges or
selecting speaker zones throuBhout other portable DC power appliances. on the
M 8212: 3to30V regutated @ 204 m x.
Stunning lú82ü2¡l-15V regutated @ d)max. Plusauxil- one
Gompact Hi-Fi liary 5A output on front panet. he.lp
Compact Autoranging
WHOPPER WIRE - SAVE 15olo i
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Oxygen free cable for superior speaker i
have a sensational sound :
Perfect for the home lnclude¡ ¡
for thelr compact size. ' tampo ¡a
performance. Superb quatity for use in hi{i, i handyman, enthus¡ast
lFttll home theatre and car audio i
Each speaker unit
or student! Features:
pmbo tt no
comprises of two sw¡vet mount drivers enra cost!
systems FuL[ 50m rotts onty i . Data hotd . Backtit R'eesons to buy an Enereonlc pou¡er gaver
prov¡ding qu¡te amaz¡ng reproduct¡on &
Supeó quality & Y.lue. ! power handlìng. ldeal for unobtrusive sound in the kitchen, disptay . AC/DC votts
studyorbedroomorsurround sound use 130x65x75mm.
. Res¡stance . Cont¡nuity . fn some cases even more. No reduction tn electrtcll,4r.büJ
. Transistor & diode
Pro-Grade HDMI Leads In our oplnlon - lust es good as the checker . AC/DC current
Superb quatity for any grade
brand names, wlthout the pr¡cetag!
home theatre
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Why P.t a
fortuno tt a
hl-ñ ¡torc?
4' No mairrtenance .equired. rtulhat ito yøo do tf tl,e tnterner
Component Leads ruse ,Jrows?
High quatity leads with all metal 5' R'apid retr.r-rn on your i¡vestment . Tl,ere is no tetartz
ptugs, gotd plated contacts and on l',,vestmant!
thick shielding to prevent 6' 1-1 exchange warlanty. rrow about money back tr tt iloesn t cto
what ls claímeit?
Measures your systolic/ diastol¡c pressures and heart 7. Envj¡onmental$r friend.J¡r. In what way?
See In The Dark rate. Provides a simple way to get fast and accurate
blood pressure readings. Stores 30 readings forlp to 8' rt acts as a ¡efore supplies load with proper voltage during momentarîr
GGD Camera
With 14 infra red
power surges.
LEDS! Excetlent low
light perfrìrmance cou.
17 in 1 Multitool
pted with sharp ctarity day Great for the gtovebox or
Signals Plus oPtlcal audlol
time use. The best of both
Run out of HD lnputs on your emp or TV? Take worlds! Sturdy housing is well
crrit to a ,high enersr rating circrrit, therefore
edvantage of thls handy 3 way swltchor 1080¡ suited to sheltered outdoor insta[a- a singte unit such as
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siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB


lOe'¿Woltage Performance Mon itor
This comPact ¡nstrument
captures and logs mains-
specific voltage param-
eters that can affect the / F
performance of equip-
ment such as induc-
tion motors, sensitive
instrumentation, medical
equipment and so on.
It reads and disPlaYs
four parameters: true RMS
voltage, imPulse voltage
(above 450V to 4kV Positive
or negative), THD (total har'
monid distortion) and mains
frequencY from 45-65H2.
ln addition, it will disPlaY and
log the deviation from the nomi-
(ie, 2a0V) as a SAG or
naì voltage
-(SWL)
SWELL together with the
logged time.
iñrputses are displayed as lMP, with
the magnitude in kV and duration in
microsJconds, again with the logged
time.THD is displayed as percentage
(eg, 1.3%)
increased. Whoa! That's not right. We
didn't believe it.
Repeating tlte power consumption
test with the SucoN CHrr Appliance
Energy Meter also showed an increase
when the Power Saver was plugged
in but in this case it was only a few
watts. Nevertheless, rather than giving
no change which we expected, there
was an increase. I repeated these tests
with a small fridge in my home and
came up with exactly the same results
- a¡l increase in power consumption,
not a decrease.
Summary
OK, so where does alÌ that leave us?
Our conclusions were:
22 Sntco¡rt Cntp
Uo to 512 events can be logged
and subsequentlY scrolled
through with the enter and
navigation buttons.
, The disPlay is a bright Yel-
low OLED tYPe and it can
be inverted just in case
the VFM is Plugged into
a GPO which Places it
upside down.
UnfortunatelY, the
2-pin Australian socket
adaptor it comes with
willnormallY Posit¡on
the instrument side-
ways, so you have
to crook Your head
to read the disPlaY (see
photos above).
That aside, this is powerful instru-
ment for monitoring mains voltage'
For further information, contact
Trio Smartcal. Phone 1300 853 407
Fax 1300 853 409
Email: trio @ smartcal.com'au
(r)The Enersonic Power Saver
may provide a degree of power fac-
tor correction for inductive loads
BUT
(2) Itwill notresultin anyreduc-
tion in real power as measured by
any appliance energy meter or the
meters in your power box at home.
It will probably lead to a small in-
crease.
(3) It does not "cleanup" voltage
and current waveforms and it does
not have any means of doing so,
A few other comments should be
made. The Enersonic Power Saver is
stated to be "Designed & Engineered
Taking the back offreveals a 6pF capacitor, a
bridge rectifier, VDR, LED, a couple of smaller
in Australia". That may well be true
capacitors . . . how's that deja vu going now?
but electrically, it is very similar to This shot is virtually same size.
the Electricity saving box, which was
claimed to be the latest technology
from Germany.
It also has an Australian Approval
Number (NSW 22555). This shows that
it complies with Australian electrical
standards but that in no way indicates
that it wiII do what it claims.
Enersonic also suggest that "For
best results, use 3 to 4 pieces of Power
Saver per typical size home". Apart
from being poorly expressed, this is
a lie! There is no power saving with
one device and the power saving with
four such devices will be exactly four
times zero = zeto.
So how do you save on power
bills?
There are no magic bullets to save
power with the existing appliance
line-up in any home. The only ways
to save power in your household are
not to use your appliances as much,
not to open fridge/freezer doors as of-
ten, to turn remote-controlled devices
(audio/video especially) off instead of
leaving them on "standby" and finally,
to buy more efficient appliances,
There are no gadgets that can do it
for you.
siliconchip.com.au
SAVE 20olo on Handheld Soldering lrons
ïl¡:k t*tt 2oo/o ffi.
Ðoloer Fumes r Multi-Angte
OFF!
Bench Vice
Tired of coughing on soldering
fumes when you're work¡ng on Made from diecast attoy. Clamps
PC boards? This compact fume to your work bench and provioes F
Great performers under $201 extractor whisks away smoke & totat 360" freedom when work-
Great for beginners, enthusi- fitters the air at the same time. All ing. Jaws open to 55 mm,
asts, home handymen or as a back up in the toolbox ALI are sup- metat construction ensures it will lnctudes soft jaws for hotding
pl¡ed with a handy mini bench stand. Equipped with an iron ctad, tast for YEARS! deticate connectors,
chrome ptated t¡p for tong [ife.
your soldering
A must have to ensure
pollutants
tlke a third
Sotdering lron Caddy ?äãìt Ti"" rt"m alrborne hand!
Stores your iron, sotder and sponge in one
handy spot. Wall or bench mount. Accepts
i See
250gm or lkg sotder rolls
Nole: solder not included i around
i corners!
,ffi
Handy benchtoP accessorY! Eliminate
Static Damage! ; Handy tetescopic ,,,
Re Antistatic mat for han-
; inspection mirror,
Ì great for workìng in
dling components and : tight spaces
sensitive hardware ¡n safety. W¡th
Set of 6 drivers with comfortable
buitt in tool pockets and wr¡st strap
JUMBO 600 x 650mm SIZE!
soft rubber handgrips 3 ftat
blade, 3 phit¡ps type.
reducing heatshrink, removing adhesives, paint
etc. W¡th a ftick of the tr¡gger it ¡nstantty pow-
--\
m
Car Tune Up's
,"*; il"."Ïlì,i,î:'.-,,'^li, -';
Made Easy!
Mult¡funct¡on aulomotive
125W lroda Portable Gas lron
multimeter ¡deal for mechanics,
apprent¡ces & enthusiasts.
Serves not onty as a standard
Þroo
Ratchet Driver Set
POWERED BY REFItt.
ABLE GARTRIDGE! ¡
muttimeter for generaI etectrical AT A BARGAIN PRICE!
. Totallywireless I but also performs RPM, dwetL Handy ratchet action speeds
s8 operation - No need to
angte, duty cycle, temperature &
pulse width measurements
||ryflf up any job. Designed for
comms equipment, computers etc. lncludes
run extensíon
Suppt¡ed w¡th induct¡ve pick up.
...leads to your work 3 phittips, 2 hex nut dr¡vers, 3 ftat btade & 4
area . Super tough design witt last for years
Suits 2 or 4 stroke, 2-10 cylinders. star bits
.
. Easy to t¡ght, one-cl¡ck piezo ignit¡on High reliabitity and tong Great for checklng auto w¡r¡ng' With a full range of tips plus
life tip . Powers on for up to 4 hours from a futl tank of gasl rad¡ator temps, lgnlt¡on Problems
etc'
extens¡on bar!
lnstant Insulation i I Contact Free Digitat i Precision
Testing. 2oo/o OFFI i :.
,", I Thermometer i Frequency
:Î::.Ï:åi::iï'J,[.ffii#il15%"-iilJ.ñ:ll;#i.ili.]äi::::::r':^":,T:'-lffi¡E
oranyonewhoworks,
: - t.r
: -'---'' --- '- ----?tZtfË
É
shoot'temperature
on mains equipmenr. measufement. Provides accurate ¡ :^"]:lt^1 lt:S:Îi?,""- ,- two
in "..^ J.
;00rriä;,';óöìi;;: i: perature read¡nss trom a ¿¡siancl. ; ranges
::19:^"j.10,1'^:-27^GHz
0-1000V. lnctudes
rr^âr ror
tdeal ¡^ñ^^,-1..-^ measurement
r^- temperature -^^".,,^^.;-;,- ir ;: ;;;%;;ìñ;liJä'îi^"1,-,,),^;;;;:;;;;
w¡th separate inputs; Ch A 10Hz to 100MHz
;;,r
eads.i o
A.
r i :a
¡:' 't
' i¡
Locate the right cable in seconds! i Multifunction
i : meter
i aI i deveto
:;: i crosso
i 'Power
'å:ïfåiï,ii:: i rns nrcn¡ w Yotl* PocKEÍ! resona

Test LAN
Cables FAST!
This uttra comoact LAN tester
saves you the time and frustra-
tion of identifying bad network
leads! lt instantly displays the
status of al[ cabte conductors
(shorted pins, straight or
crossover cable identification).
Su¡ts most common netrlvork
conf igurations. lncludes battery.
ldeat for the lT tech!
¡fF
25lq/oOFÍl
heat LED globes. Great for motorhome,
caravan and boat t¡ghting. ldealtty suited for
feature & cabinet tighting. For 12V DC power
ffiffi
Rack Shetf Discounts!
generation &.much longer life compared to
Massive 20kg load rat¡ng w¡th
tough powdercoated finish.
sAVE 20olo!
These pro quatity cases altow internaI subchassis to be
mounted along the fult width or height of the case Great for test equipment,
amplifiers etc. Aluminium front & rear panets
monics (ie, harmonic distortion) can
cause problems in the distribution
Jayca r's Mu
During the testing of
lti-Fu nctio@
network. the Enersonic power
That is not to say that distorted Saver we used the
mains waveforms do not occur and Jaycar Energy Meter
SAVE 20olo ON RJ45 Connector Cat5e 305m the scope waveform of Fig,3 is quite
ù,no.Un¡'
E
Dru.tr*
in helping to assess
CATSE PATCH LEADS Packs
Boxes E typical of what can be observed in whether power was
High quatity Cat5e with strain 1r- Stock up on handy RJ45 wtoa any commercial or domestic location,
relief plugs. data connectors for custom Make your own u"$ being saved (or more
1m 2m 5m patch teads custom patch In fact, it was taken at my home on being used).
Blue P 18084 P 1809 P 18124 leads or nehvork Sydney's northern beaches. It has a 3-pin socket
Red P 18214 P t822 P 18254
your house. Top
quatity cat5e ¡n a
Notice that it is flattened on the so the appliance you
Ycliorv P 18314 P1832 P 18354
conven¡ent and neat peaks and troughs, as well as being wish to monitor can be
lm 2m 3m 5m pultbox. not quite smooth as it shouldbe on the simply plugged into it.
FBP $3.9s $5.20 $6.95 $8.95 W 276O grey Jüst
sloping sections. In fact, we have the
i ¡lue
l|0" $3.* $4,0o $5.m $7.0o
w 2z6t 80 cents It has switches to allow
i w zt62 pinx per metr€! equipmentto measure such harmonic it to display the mains
distortion but in this case we did not voltage and appliance
have to go to the trouble of making current, power con-
"safe" connections to make such a sumption, power factor,
19" Rack measurement, and overload current,
Mount Patch Panels Instead, we had an ldeal Voltage mains frequency and
Performance Monitor (VPM) in for the time.
review at the same time. You can enter in
This instrument monitors voltage, your electricity tariff
impulses (ie, tra¡sient spike voltages), and display the cost of
total harmonic distortion (THD) and running the appliance
other parameters. over a given length of time. The The Multi-Function Energy Meter is
Australian Made 30W PA Amplifier Paging Typically, when monitoring the meter works well but we found the available from all Jaycar Electronics
Mr Smith! } OVAC mains waveform in the Stlt- displayed units are very small and stores and website at $99.95 including
SAVE OVER 200lo coN CHIP offices, this gives readings difficult to read. GST. (Cat MS-611s).
Excellent for general
paging applicat¡ons. Fitted with a 3
around 1.2-1.3o/o. However, at the
pîn XLR, it is the perfect partner for the time that the waveform on the scope
A 40304 30W amptifier. was recorded, its readings were much trace) and the current waveform
Equ¡ppcd wlth â higher at around 3,3%. trace), This is to be expected with ownApplianceEnergyMeter[SII,tcoN
spælâl¡sd mlc for cleâl So we were able to use the Ideal the inductive load presented by the Cmr, JuIy & August 2004) or a much
LED "halogen type" globe spesch æPredùcdon &
Replace halogens with eff¡clent, low enhaßæd Gl,NdtYl VPM to monitor the mains voltage fridge's compressor motor. more compactMulti-FunctionEnergy
smatl businesses, workshops, schools etc
Features both 3 XLR mic and 3 RCA [ine inputs (w¡th parameters with and without the Ener- We then óonnected the fridge via Meter from Jaycar (Cat MS-61L5)'
3 Pin XLR Plugs
votume controls).30W RMS. 240VAC operation
MAKE YOUR OWN MIC LEADS! sonic Power Saver connected and with the Power Saver and made the meas- Interestingly, this latter device will
app[¡cations. lW light output.
Packs of 10. various loads such as a refrigerator ald urement again, This showed that the give a reading of the power factor of
Drop Proof Announcers vacuum cleaner connected, power factor correction capacitor the load. Bingo!
SAVE UP Guess what? The Power Saver ãoes indeed work, as we would have So we plugged in the fridge via the
rO2lJo/o made zero difference to the observed expected, (See Fig,a), |aycar unit. It read the frid€e's power
waveforms or the measutements on Ñotice that the red current trace is consumption at 220W or thereabouts
the VPM. notonlymoreinphasewiththeyellow but it tends to drop the longer the
We expected nothing more, of voltage trace but is also reduced in am- complessol luns. And it gave a powel
domestic applicat¡ons. Very tittle heat
incandescent lights.
BRP
SAVE
OVER
Power
_. uD to 8
speakers from a
s¡ngle ampt¡f¡er!
i Mic Gabte stAsHED!
i .räï,ff',n,..,
lÌne noise. Thick
outer sheath.
course, but we had to go through the
process.
We also monitored the voltage and
current waveforms for a small refrig-
plituãe. Sothat'sgood.Butatthesame factor reading of around 57, which
time, we were measuring the power equates to 0'57.
consumption andthe difference was
not what you would expect,
PluggingtheEnersonicPowerSaver
into the dual GPO then changed the
on
This compact device allows you
$49 SAVE erator in the SII-IcoN CHp kitchen, as
H 5352 2U 325mm $57.75ea
s59
to power up to 4 pairs of speakers
from a normal stereo amplifìer. A great
Fult 100m
28olo shown in Fig.3. che c ki n g p owe r co ns ump ri å: îå"tffi :"å J" ,"f åit,Ï,"'#iìL'":
H 5362 2U 400mm $69.30ea
$52 way to extend your lounge stereo system In this case there is a phase lag be- and power factor indeed correcting the power factor.
H 5353 3U325mm $6,l.95ea into the entertainment area. l50W total
tween the voltage waveform (yellow We had two options to measure But the power consumption reading
H 5363 3U 400mm $72.45ea
$62 power handting
$8 Elqctronie
Gustomisable Rack Gases P 0728 lm $10.50
g9 Softwa¡s
P 072s 3m $11 75 Dsþn & Dcvdopmmt Enginecrt
P0732 5m trr.rs
S1O Bargain 30m Rolls of Fig'8'
Type C790 Controller
SuppLied w¡th internat pânet and $tl 5 Great for low current DC wlrlng in
o Sensor Moniùoring (V, I, n ,I.4)
P o73E 1om *rr.nu cars, 4WDs, caravans etc-
4 mounting strips.
0737
$2O W 212$:2410.20 Heavy Duty Red/Btack. o EventTimitg / Sequerrcins
P 20m Srr.ns
W 2138t3210.20 Exfra Heavy Duty o @er / Under SÉ Detedion
White/Btack- o Over / Under DC Voltaç Detection
Great for mlcs & mixers!
$27s.00 AUD Rlecd t 4s7 6t4
Incfud€s Endc¡e åflf 2qB
o Temperah¡re Gonboller
-c.1Pq
Mtûtælorì
MAY 2OOB 27
 Resellers
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
A!bary_____-___ ____ JEM-Eleclrdi6__9!1-2-{q-4
oenmark J&M Electron¡cs 9848 2164

EUCC!A-_-_--__,lsI9E!çSQ!!1q!$ebbrß _S71 qq4-

GeEldton ML Cmmunþalions 9965 7555
Keyless Door Entry System Kit Tiny PIC Logic vrcloRtA
Bâllaat WiltMics 5334 2513
(SC June'04) This modute can be inter Probe Kit Bemlla I',lorlh East Eleclmn¡6 5762 2710
faced to an atarm system or door lock (SC September '07) lndicates 3 con- q!q!.qr!F
-8e@1s9--------- - - - --!41¡q{
Up to 24 users can ga¡n access by simpty ditions when test¡ng c¡rcu¡ts & BeMick Eleclron¡c Connælions 9768 9420
waving a pre-coded tag in front of the receiv- devices. Includes SIVID parts, fine soL- -!-c-q
çerrþmai¡_e______: __ _ Ig)_Þ.d_ÞF9l9Sy_--{¡? tA_.
Cmnbo{rne-
er w¡th the use of a PIN or key. Great for dering skilts required Supplied with- ç!cy1er--------- -tq{¡re-!e-c!rea -qÞqaQ!-e-
G&CCommn'ffiüms 59963æ8
home or business. Suppt¡ed with one keyfob out pen cos¡ng ond 'needle' probe end
- -- -- --Ia!e{!!-El@@=q?cqc@-
I'EoeL--
tag, extras $9.95 ea (K 9302). Card tags $5.95 qgggrs__ _ __ ___¡tr!cry_I-v__- 52L8_! 6?l-
ea (K 9303). A gÌeat ¡ntro to working with SMD components! {0.8tr!_____-L!-ê!iIuIqeJÞc1a!!Ë_-_5_Q-8?-_{1{-.
legrgatq___ _ __Qsr_dJgr ElgqSI'ë 5æ? ?q61-
Portable PIC Measure Gapacitors k9_!Ca_!ta___Lsongl_qE_q¡-Sþ-srQp!6&_E_1c4._l$_?_q2_a7_
Melton Melton Elø{foni6 97€ 1233

In-Circuit... lakelham _ q9!_9IE( rltFi qRepetA le_41_{qq0_

Programmer Kit Porlland PREIætm¡6 5521 ll21
(SC Sept.'03) This NO NEED FOR DESOTDERING! Preston Prestfi Electronics 9484 019'l
(SC April'04 ESR MKll Kit) Swan H¡ll Lated Cffmunicatims $32 2322
battery powered programmer kit ¡s suit- e q99!q__q5n 1le0_
Attows quick'in-c¡rcu¡t" detection
abte for: PlC16F and 12F, 16F87X ser¡es, Wilmambæl xorolt Street Electron¡æ Seã¡ce sSoi sili
Fig. 3: the typical distortion of the 50Hz 240VAC sinewave Fig. : these scope waveforms demonstrate the voltage and 24CXX EEPROI\4S INCLUDES: ZIF SOCK- of defective electrolyt¡c capacitors
U€9¡j!___--_E4qlq;o{!ÊieÞ and Êlætrcnics___6û56 57_46_

which can be observed in domestic, industrial and current waveforms for a 500W halogen spotlight. This ET, CABTES AHD 16F84 PIC CHIP.
0.01-99O autoranging. A musl UeoIqsL- =-_- rcf!er-&--L!d---q!41 4Z!-
for repair technicians NEnf soult wALEs
commercial premises. Notice the flattening of the peaks resistive load has the voltage (yellow) and current (red) 28 & 40 Pin Adaptor Boards lncludes case & fully s85 Ballim __-_____--_Lqa!l!gE&e E!9q!ro!iQr _-q@elq-
and troughs and the slight ripple in the sloping sections. exactly in phase and the power factor is 1 (or 100%). All Designed by Altronics. Great addition to screened & punched Brmkvale Brmk'/ale ÊleclrÍcal 9938 4299

This was measured at about 3.37o harmonic distortion, heaters and incandescent lamps are resistive loads, the K 9505. They allow you to easily front pane[.
K2514 Cobar CobarÊlectronics 68362962
RRP S89 95 F_orsler____- Flrerpgin!Eleclrg!¡_Q ôi9450q0-
program23 & 40 pin PIC's. Each kit cririlh Gúrh gysteqË Plue---6-9-01_5!9-3-

kilowatt-hours. They do not measure
"reactive power" (kVAr) which only
becomes signiflcant if power factor is
a problem,
So even if you use an Enersonic
Power Saver to totally correct the
power factor in your household in-
stallation, there will be no saving in
power. Zero! In fact, because the Power
use a capacitor and it is labelled "G¡rF stabilise the voltage. includes a ZIF socket and PIC chip Headphone Amplifier Kit Gunnedah Protronics 67422110
Lâfelelqn ---Læ!]!1s!49!!9qa!ts- J!$?Þ2!-
450V AC". It also contains a small This is stated in the tiny instruction Buy the prcgrammer and both adaptor boards forjust $79!
Ultra low noise, low NewcasìeWest HencùmanPrcducls 49567111
dÍstortion design. North Fichmond
PC board which has a fuse (why?), manual and implied in the waveforms Drives high and tow
CPT 4571 4699
Pq4es ___=*ç![[q Lqqdins Edse__C8!??!.e-3--
a VDR (voltage dependent resistor) on the packaging (see Fig.2). impedance Penrit¡ __!e0[q_!4¡t aAL qe!!_ 7!e@_
and a power supply to light the single In the "Before" diagrams on the left- headphones Great Po_rt_Ma_clllariê ___ Jún Ftull Trcì,Vay Fadr_o_-r5q8l-1-3{1_
!slqs_el!qç!rc!8s__4q87 !Q_s
LED, hand side of Fig.2, you will see a rather for those requiring a
San Soæi Marinectrnecl 9583 1710
3mm High bit more lÌsteninB
9¡SLe!.q!_____
It is almost identical to the circuit ragged looking voltage waveform at
lntensity LEDs "oomph" from their portable Sm¡lhlìeld
sinslelm H¡-Fr_ _ú722_4L
Chmlffics 9609 7218
ofthe Electricity saving box discussed top and a set of voltage (blue) and cur- 1600mcd bright-
MP3 player or CD ptayer Features dual TalqQ-__&!9jlo_A!!!99Íonß_!qsf _q@
in the November 2007 issue. What a rent (red) waveforms at bottom. headphone outputs. waggs Wruqa _wa_g9g-_QerRaoþ,q¡!-Fi 6!?-1_6_1!1

Terminals ness- Wh¡te Waterlæ HeftesElectriml 9319313íì

Saver has an internal circuit to run its coincidence! The details are shown Welher¡ll Park Tællron Elæ1ffii6 9604 9710
SrOCK UP AHD HALF Power LEDs up Wmqetg_
LED indicator, it will actually draw in Fig.1. Voltage waveforms sÁvEr 6A @
M?d Be€rrm'rcs__4_2q ¿3q

PRICE! to 5 watts! !&ll9[S9!C_N€wtek Eleclrcltð 4227 1_6!.0_-

a small amount of additional power. In all the years that I have been 400V rated.
(sc May'04)
VWmg_ Pro_DisEnlefairuen!_€13_-!]!p__

So you will pay more, just to run the Voltage stabilisation observing 24OVAC 50Hz mains wave- Powers up two
QUÊEti¡Sl-AND

Power Saver!
After we had run all the tests on
the unit, we pulled it apart to confirm
what we already suspected.
The photos show that indeed it does
Apart from making outrageous
claims about power saving, the mak-
ers of the Enersonic Power saver also
claim that the device will clean up
the voltage/current waveforms ald
forms, I have never seen anything as
ragged as in Fig.2. In fact, the power
supply authorities do maintain per-
formance standards for harmonic 433MHz Data
content, because high values of har- Transceivers
These compãct
Gfeat for
units allow
lnventors &
Alphanumeric LCD Module wireless data
expeflments!
transm¡ssion ovel
Easy to use & drive. 196 characters
a 30m range. Perfect for remote
built ¡n. Yetlow green backtighting
monitorìng dev¡ces, PC
20characterx4tines.
communicat¡ons, inventions etc.
98Wx60Hx13Dmm.
3;F
singte 5W LED. The unique
switching regulation employed means
that it is very efficient and produces
very littte heat. lts 12V ¡nput makes it
perfectfor boats, cars & caravans.
anywhere low voltage tighting might be required!
-
Resurrect Your Old LP's and 78's!
(SG August '06) Add's a RIAA phono input to any
amplifier and allows easy line level recordíng to
CD or MP3. Prevent the deter¡orat¡on of your
favourite vinyl and revisit those golden otdies and
classics by converting them to MP3.

ffi
Make your own Allows easy connection
prototype circuits from turntable to
PC. Features:
Pr¡nted and drilled specifically to . Can be equalised
suit DIP packaged lC's.0.9mm

ffi
to suit various types
hotes @ 2.54mm spacing.
of 45's 78's and
H 0717: 75 x 43mm
LP's . Low signat lo
H 0719: 110 x 140mm

Burnie Electroni6 Plus 64if2 2644

Heavy Duty Diecast Boxes - Buy a pa¡r and save! Hobart Aclive Elætronìcs 6231 0111
Subwoofer Launceston Acl¡w Elæfonics 6334 7333
BRP 2tot.. Launæslon
Great for
proiects xorsr rorxsoxzs seìs ii) Processor Kit
(Sc sept 99)
NÊW ZEATANO
CBD Elætroni6 6334 2n7

requirlng RF H0453 121x66x38 $ee5

compressor is running. Notice the phase lag between the
voltage (yellow) and the current (red), This phase lag is
ofno concern to the average consumer and does not cost
anything.
20 Sr,tcoN Cutp
$15 Get the most out of your sub-
woofer. Designed to compensate for
Fig,6: the effect when the Enersonic Power Saver is shielding or
H0454
$2O poor subwoofer response or ¡mprove
119x93x30 $11s5
connected in the circuit, demonstrating that it does have mechanical
$4{) bottom end. Features a subsonic fitter
protect¡on. 0455 193x112x61$2s.s5
an effect on power factor. The current waveform (red) is H set to 20H2, variabte low pass filter,
now more in phase with the voltage waveform (yellow) variable gain, pLus duaI phase outputs
and is reduced in amplitude. Paradoxically, the power Altron¡cs lakes no responsibil¡ly lor any loss or
damage howsoever caused, suffered by a reader wilh
consumption actually increased by about 5W respecl lo any maller or th¡ng relered to here¡n
Pr¡ces slated herein are only val¡d for lhe current
siliconchip.com.au monlh or unl¡l stocks run oul. All pr¡ces include GST
and exclude lre¡qht and ¡nsurance See lalest
catalogue lor ke¡ght rates

M3'å"åi11i ffiSÏ:ff'"l'T
including AW,\, HMV and Astor,
concentrated on producing items that
were sold in their thousands. Before
the advent of TV these products were
mainly four and 5-valve radios, either
240V mains-operated or broadcast-
86 StLtcotrt Cøtp
band valve portables. In addition,
several manufacturers produced s ome
outstanding car radios.
Commercial production of mains-
operated TV receivers began in 1956
and again the manufacturers con-
centrated on items that would sell
in large quantities. Previously, they
had produced radios to suit AC/DC
mains, some fine 32V receivers and a
few high-quality multi-band receivers
but when it came to TV sets, no 12V
or 32V-powered receivers were made
Iocally.
In tlose days, there was a strong
demand for electronic equipment
- radios mostly - that could be used
by people in rural areas where there
was no mains power. Radios in the
1950s, 60s and 70s were still relatively
expensive and a set that could be used
in many different situations would be
an attractive product.
In particular, a radio that could be
used as a household receiver, a car
radio and a portable receiver would
find a ready market. It would cost more
than a conventional set but it would
still work out cheaper than having to
buy three separate sets.
Ferris radios
Fortunately, one Australiar manu-
facturer, Ferris Brothers Pty Ltd,
stepped into this niche market. Ferris
was not a mainstream manufacturer
and did not concentrate on the com-
mon four or 5-valve mantel receivers
of the era. Instead, it was a specialised
manufacturer that produced many in-
novative radio and allied electronic
products.
Ferris Brothers commenced busi-
ness 4round 1934 and subsequently
specialised in car radios. However,
the Australian Offrcial Radio Service
Manuals (AORSM) do not list any
Ferris sets until tg+6, so Ferris was
probably quite a small manufacturer
up until that time.
Their products became more read-
ily available after World War II and by
1,947 lhey were producing a car radio
that could not only be powered from
a \2V battery but from 240V AC as
well. It featured an elementary noise
limiter, as did a bus radio that came
out in the same year.
By 1949, the company was produc-
ing a 3-band car radio cum domestic
siliconchip.com.au
have been marginal anyway. 3fiN PIIJG
So I wondered whether this
new Power Saver could possibly
be based on a phase-controlled
Triac.
The reason for thinking along
these lines was that the promo
photos for the Power Saver, in the
Harvey Norman catalog, showed
it in conjunction with a 2-door
refrigerator, a flont-loading wash-
ing machine and a wide-screen TV
(plasma or LCD?). Both the first two
appliances would use an induction
motor.
But I also noted that the Power Fig.1: the círcuit of the Enersonic
Power Saver. Ifyou have a sense
Saver is suited to appliances up to
of deia vu, it iust migåt be because
24OOW (10,A.). That would probably tlis circuit is virtually identical to
rule out use of a Triac inside the that of the "Electricity saving box", which we thoroughly debunked back in
plastic case. Why? Because a rule of our November 2OO7 issue. We thought such scams had been laid to rest . . .
thumb is that a Triac will dissipate
a little over one watt for each amp of
current that it controls, There, that oughta do it. worthwhile in industrial and com-
So if the Power Saver used a Triac, In brief, "power factor correction" mercial buildings which have large
its total dissipation when controlling is a process whereby lagging currents numbers of fluorescent lights and
an appliance load of 2400W would drar,rm by inductive loads such as fluo- induction motors. In fact, fluorescent
be 12W or more - too much inside a rescent lights and motors are brought lights installed in commercial and
plastic case with no ventilation. back into phase with the 50Hz sine- industrial buildings must all have
So that meant the Power Savet was wave of the voltage waveform. power factor correction capacitors
probably predicated on power factor Such lagging currents (ie, out of inside the battens.
correction, just like the Electricity sav- phase with the sinewave voltage wave- But here is the rub: fluorescent lights
ingbox. As soon as we obtained aunit, form) are a problem for the electricity for domestic installations usually do
we would be able to conflrm that. supply authorities because they place not include power factor correction
The first thing we did when we additional load on the alternators, capacitors because the supply authori-
unpacked the unit was to check the substation transformers and the dis- ties do not regard it as a problem.
, capacitance between the Active and tribution system in general Furthermore, your household power
Neutral prongs on the integral 3-pin Power factor correction is very meters only measure watt-hours or
plug.
Yep, it was 6.11¡rF; not much dif- THEORY GRAPH
ferent from the 6.2pF capacitor we After
Before
found in the Electricity saving box.
So it is the same product dressed up
in a different box. Voltoge\current
We could end this report right here
and state that these things are a fraud
ald a total waste of money. That would
please people who read our November ond flller
wovê shope
2007 article and they could sagely nod
their heads but it would leave others
none-the-wiser.
So we had better explain,
By the way, we should state that
incredibly, at least one person has
read the November 2007 article and
has not realised that the Electricity Curren.f
Saving Box is a fraud.
Maybe we did not say it strongly
enough.
Fig.2: gee, they could be on to something here . ' . This diagram c-omes from the
THE ELECTRICITY SAVING boi thé Enersônic came in. If this device could turn the green before waveform
BOX DOES NOT SAVE ELEC. into the green "after" waveform, it might be useful as a spike suppressor. But
it's not --and it sure ain't gonna lower your power bills! The words "naive" and
TRICITY. IT IS A FRAUD. "gullible" spring to mind - but so should the words "consumer protection."
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 19

SÍnce our debunkÍng of the
"EIe ctricity saving b ox" tn
the November 2OO7 issue,
onother device olong the
some lÍnes has qppeared Ín
Harvey Normqn stores.
Called the "EnersonÍc Power
Saver" Ít clqÍms potentÍal
power savings ol up to 24%o.
At $59.00, Ít is consÍderably
more expensive thqn the
previous devÍce but just lÍke
thqt one, it won't ssve you
o cent on your electricÍty
bÍlls.
oaa
I number of readers contacted
/l ,r, bv ohone and email to ask
L luUo,rt the "Enersonic Power
Saver". This was featured on the
Seven Network's "Sunrise" program
on March 3'd and is the subject of
favourable comment on a number of
websites, such as www.gadgetguy.
com,au
Those who had seen the Electricity
saving box article were curious/con-
cerned/outraged that a similar device
would appeil so soon after the first
had been thoroughly debunked.
We promised to follow it up and
18 SLICON CHIP
checked the Harvey Norman website
to find out about the device.
I then went to our nearest store
and while the helpful salesman knew
about it, they did not yet have stock
available. As I left, he remarked that it
"worked by cutting the amperage, not
voltage". "Hmm, that's interesting", I
thought.
The poor sod had no idea...
On the way back to the SucoN Cmp
offices, I remembered that an American
By LEO SIMPSON
WFR S4 t/FÆ
ì safety bracket - rather like a seat belt
company devised a power reduction
circuit for induction motors during the
1970s. This used a phase-controlled
Triac to slightly reduce the voltage to
the motor which apparently had the
effect of reducing power consumption
while not making much of a difference
to reÌiable running of the motor.
In such a device, you cannot reduce
the voltage by very much, say no more
than 15 or 2olo, otherwise the induc-
tion motor would refuse to start and
be at risk ofburnout.
In practice, I think the device did not
catch on and its power savings would
siliconchip.com.au
receiver complete with noise limiter.
The engine bay layouts of vehicles
from that period were not conducive
to minimising spark ignition noise, so
noise limiters were a necessary feature
of such sets.
In 1955, Ferris started building AC/
battery-powered portables which had
provision to plug in a car radio an-
tenna. They subsequently found that,
with the advent of transistors, they
could make radios that were truly port-
abie. These sets could also be used as
car radios when plugged into a cradle
or they could be laid on the seat in a
for radios (and well before they became
compulsory for humans) I
As with their earlier sets, these new
sets were designed to connect to a car's
radio antenna.
Many such sets were also considered
suitable for use as domestic receivers,
as they had quite a large battery fitted,
Some also featured shortwave recep-
tion so that those people in remote This is the view inside the front of the set with the front panel removed. The
cardboard pointer at left indicates the mechanical linkage between the band-
areas could at least listen to the ABC's
shortwave inland service, These sets
change switch and its front-panel control knob.
were also of considerable interest to
people interested in listening to short-
wave radio as a hobby,
This ABC's inland service, by the
way, was disbanded several years ago
and replaced by the "HF Shower" serv-
ice. It emanates from Alice Springs,
Tennant Creek and Catherine and
broadcasts on the 2MHz and 4MHz
bands.
The Ferris 174 receiver
The Ferris multi-purpose model
1.74 came out in 1963. This set was
enclosed in an attractive gunmetal grey
aluminium case and mèasured 255 x
220 x 100mm (W x H x D), including
the knobs. The back features a black
perforated aluminium sheet while
the front also features a perforated
aluminium sheet, which is coloured
black and off-white.
In keeping with the theme, the
knobs are black and white, while the
slide-rule dial scale is finished in
black, white and blue, with a red dial
pointer.
The ferrite rod antenna is encased The rear view inside the set is dominated by the PC board, with the tuning gang
in a plastic rectangular sleeve, which and band-change switch to the right. The ferrite rod antenna is hidden inside
swivels aÌong its longest axis. It is the handle.
located on the top of the set and also
acts as the carry handle, The cabinet The model 1.74was produced over much more than the average wage at
certainly isn't as flashy as some tran- a 4-year period until at least 1967 and the time. It was supplied comPlete
sistor radios of the erá but has a reaÌ sold for 51.24,50 - about 50% more with a car seat bracket and a wire
no-nonsense look about it, than a good car radio of the era and indoor antenna,
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB

This close-up view shows the band-change switch and several of its associated
coils. The switch is used to select between the ferrite loop antenna and a car
radid anten¡a on the medium-wave bald and also to select the 2-6MHz and
6-1BMHz shortwave ba¡rds.
A close-up view of the main PC board. Despite its age (40 years), the set is still
in quite good condition and required only minor work to get it going.
Basically, the Ferris L74was amulti-
purpose¡ B-transistor, triple-wave,
portable-cum-car radio. It was also
touted as being quite suitable as a
cordless mantel receiver.
Metal case
As was common to most Ferris re-
ceivers, the model L74rsed a metal
case ald this ensured good shielding
of the circuitry from interference. This
BB Stucon Catp
meant that signal pick-up could only
take place via the car's antenna or via
the external (to the caseJ loopstick
antenna. Some extraneous interfer-
ence may have been able to penetrate
the receiver if a¡r external speaker was
in use, aithough this is likely to have
been minimal.
In the vehicles of the era, a conven-
tional portable radio sitting on the seat
ofthe car suffered severe interference
if the engine was running. There were
two reasons for this: (1) interference
from the ignition system and other
electrical equipment, even if "sup-
pressed", was still high enough to
severely mar reception; and (2J the
metalwork of the vehicle acted as a
Faraday shield and this reduced the
signal picked up by the ferrite rod an-
tenna. This shielding effect also acted
to concentrate the interference within
the cabin of the vehicle.
As a result, most Ferris portables,
including the 174, featured a shielded
case (just like purpose-built car radios)
and included a socket to plug in an
external car radio antenna. Ferris
did their homework well - their sets
worked well in a car but most portables
from other manufacturers were u¡rsuit-
able in this role because the problems
outlined above were not addressed.
As well as the car radio antenna,
the band switching in the receiver
also allows either a long-wire antenna
or the loopstick antenna system to
be used on the broadcast band [sgO-
1.62okfIz). On shortwave, the receiver
can be switched to cover 2-6MHz or
6-18MHz but must be used with an
external antenna, whether in a car, in
the home or out in the "bush".
On the shortwave bands, the re-
ceiver was often used by people who
needed to listen to relatively weak sta-
tions such as the Royal Flying Doctor
Service, bushfire brigade communica-
tions and small ships (fishingboats).It
was also used by those who wanted to
listen to shortwave services such as the
abovementioned ABC inlald service,
the BBC a¡rd VOA, etc.
The set used a No. 286 battery which
gave up to 1000 hours of operation
before replacement was needed. In
fact, the set will work with a supply
voltage as low as 5V whichmeanttàat
every lastbit ofelectrical energy could
be wrung out of the battery. This also
meant that it was quite economic to
use it as a battery-powered domestic
receiver (ie, without recourse to the
use of a mains power adaptor).
So the Ferris 1,7 4was a very versatile
set. At home, it could be powered f¡om
d mains adaptor (or from batteries), On
the way to the beach, it could easily be
connected to the car's radio antenna
via the coaxial antenna cable, And at
the beach, it could be used as a true
portable.
Even so, you probably would not
want to have to carry the set too far.
siliconchip.com.au
Vêctrix Health Check Diagnostics
-ç-É
. When you put yourVectr¡x in for its
six-monthly"Health ChecK' the dealer
will use this diagnostic software, via
fhe CAN BUS and accessed through
:a serial socket inside the glove box, to
:êheck that all is A-O-K with the bike,
lhe batteries and everyth¡ng else!
'Aithat time, the dealer can tweak
the first time he'd ridden a bike with
one. But like me, he found it very
easy to get used to and to use instead
of the brakes.
His test ride turned out a bit longer
than intended, as his F250 truckbroke
down on the way to our photo shoot
location - and he borrowed the Vectrix
to ride home arrd back with tools!
My other bike-riding friend com-
mutes every day on his Triumph.
He expressed reservations about the
B0km range, until I asked him how
far he rode to work and back. "Mona
Vale to Chatswood, about 20km each
way," he said.
Then the penny dropped - his ride
was almost spot on tle average bike
commute of 40km per day which
Vectrix research had shor,rrn.
He could ride to work and back -
with plenty of reserve if he had to go
somewhere else. And if necessary,
he could plug the bike in to a power
outlet at work ald charge (to B0%)
in two hours for another 60km or so
of range.
When he thought about this, his
comment was "They'll sell squillions
of these , . ." Now I'm not sure how
marty squillions tlere are to the boat-
load but I'm pretty sure the Australian
distributors would love to hear this.
The WOW factor
Sntcon Cræ is located in Brookvale,
on Sydney's Northern Beaches. As
well as being the home of a number
of surfboard manufacturers, our
street is also an auto alley - plen-
ty of open-to-the-street mechani-
siliconchip.com.au
any parameter and also upload the latest
firmware to your bike. As it is a brand
new design, revisions will continually
take place to make it perform better,
adjust charging characteristics, prolong
battery life, check operating tempera-
tures and even fix bugs!
ln keeping with the very low running
cal and auto-electrical workshops.
The Vectrix created quite a stir;
the greasies and sparkies pouring out
of their buildings, wanting to know
all about it.
Believe it or not, one guy even
showed me an electric bike fte had
tucked away - a Chinese import
that could not pass ADR rules, so it
couldn't be registered. He mainly uses
it for the grandkids to ride around on
his country property,
He couldn't believe that someone
had actually released a road-register-
able model - "at long last," he said ,
My impression
I loved it - on any number of levels.
It's easy and fun to ride and being
electric, certainly turned heads (if
they heard itl).
The technology behind the Vectrix
is clearly well thought out and well
engineered.
For the commuting or occasional
short-trip bike rider, the Vectrix is
a clear winner. Because it is electric
powered, it offers quite a number of
advantages over apetrol-poweredbike
- not the least of which is low cost of
running and service.
It's not the bike you would take to
tour Australia - unless you took it in
tiny bite-sized chunks and had charg-
ing organised wherever you stopped,
But then again, it was never intended
for this market.
Its other main disadvantage is its
cost - at $15,950 plus on-road costs
(dealer delivery, regiétration, CTP
- iikely to add another grandl it's
.Ì :-)
cost of the mach¡ne, Vectrix expectthe
dealer Health Check to be quite low in
.
price - in the order of $65 or so ,- ::
And no (sorry!), the Health Check
diagnostic software will not be avei]l
able to Vectrix users.
significantly more expensive than
the average bike a commuter might
purchase.
But that, to a large extent, is a fea-
ture of its "newness" - all ieading
edge products come at a premium
(remember early computers, DVD
players, plasmas, etc?], And it's in a
similar market position to the Tesla
Roadster electric sports car in the
USA, nowbeing sold for $US100,000
and they can't make enough!
I would expect the price of the
Vectrix to drop as (a) sales volumes
increase - with higher volumes come
economies of scale. So far, all Vectrix
advertising has been word of mouth
- and they are starting to sell); and [b)
competition comes onto the market.
I've heard a number of reports that
many organisations in China are work-
ing hard to produce road-registerable
electric bikes.
If you're looking for a fun bike to
ride to work, uni, etc; don't need long
range; like the idea of very low run-
ning costs , . . look at the Vectrix.
* Woops. Mea Culpa. As it turned
out, I did drop it - would you
believe as I Loaded it back on the
trailer to return it? And yes, it was
a real pain to get back up. Sorry,
Vectuix! se
Gontact:
Vectrix Austtalia
164 Bouse St Port Melbourne 3207
Ph: (03) 9676 9133
Website: www.vectr¡x.c0m (US site)
MAY 2OOB 1,7
 With its battery installed, it weighs in at about 4kg so it is
"Brushless DC" motor control - how does it work? not exactly a lightweight.
Circuit details rÉ
!n
t\
Fig.1 shows tlre circuit details. It uses eight transistors
and delivers good sensitivity over the three bands tuned,
Êt
Ëdú
The transistors are second-generation germanium types, !-î ¡\
iDU
which were more sensitive and had lower noise than the (Ef /l
original OC44 and OC45 series, Ë. sp
Ef .=i
The input circuit is relatively complex, with a 4-pole 4- rü.= oi
position switch section used to select between the ferrite
Ioop antenna and the car antenna (or a long antenna). An Þ ËË"
ÉËo
6o¡Þ
OC1,71, PNP tra¡rsistor is used as the radio frequency [RF)
amplifier and the amplified signal is then fed on to a second HÉ!?
OCl71., which acts as an autodyne converter. EÉi
C!Þ¡o)
The various coils (10 in alll are switched using another 10 E
poles on the 4-position wave-change switch. A total of 20 Eng
adjustments is required to accurately align the front-end of : Ë
9'ç
¡i\.Hé o
the receiver, while the intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier
requires a further flve adjustments, iüÈ
=¡fõ
Following the converter is a 2-stage IF amplifier based
on two OC169 transistors. Neither of these transistor stages <83
,: -ç-i ø
is neutralised. Note also that the emitter of the second IF
transistor stage is not bypassed, which improves its ability ËE;
.9 9:i
The hub motor used in the Vectrix motorbike is variously
described as a "brushless DC" and also as a "12-pole 3-phase"
motor which is likely to confuse many readers. ln reality, there is
.l to deal with strong signals.
Following the IF amplifier is an OA91 detector diode.
This is biased close to its conduction point by resistors
EEo
ÞoçÍ
¡-O
2íàTo'
no such thing as a brushless DC motor. R17, R1B & R19 and this greatly improves the sensitivity ÈÉød
All DC motors have brushes and a commutator while brushless ofthe detector, çE
Èl ¡r o)
DC motors are actually 3-phase motors driven by a 3-phase vari- A second OA91 diode is used to derive the automatic ËËE
able frequency converter. gain control (AGC) voltage. This voltage is fed to the base EÉ3
For power ratings up to about 20kW as used in the Vectrix, the
motor can be regarded as a synchronous motor with permanent
magnets providing the rotor field. Larger brushless motors can
'l of the RF amplifier transistor via R16 & R2. The AGC volt-
age rises as the signal strength increases, to gradually cut
this transistor off, In addition, its emitter is connected to
E
w¡-

ÉiÈ
FiíQ
ôi èo:
be regarded as induction motors. the base circuit of the first IF amplifier (OC169) and so the
forward bias on the latter is also reduced, which reduces I ËË
.l
Synchronous motors are always locked to the rotating magnetic
field produced by the stator but the rotor may lag the field by a its gain with strong signals. EN
€)¡rv
9
small amount depending on the load. Note that the forward bias for the RF stage (OC171) .9.È'ã
By contrast, induction motors are never locked to the rotating is adjusted by trimpot R3. However, the service manual aøa
Yo(n
magnetic field and their speed is always less than the synchronous makes no mention of the circumstances under which R3 is .ã È'ã
speed. This is measured as "slip" which is typically around 5% the amplítude of the drive voltage must be reduced as the fre- adjusted. In practice, I suspect that it was adjusted during
g Ë.9
at rated load. Such a motor (4-pole) would have a rated speed of quency is lowered, manufacture to give best performance when the receiver
was tuned to a weak sígnal 9.9 .<
1440 RPM compared to synchronous speed of 1500 RPM.
The circuit above shows the general arrangement of the motor
Note that the motor is rated at 7kW continuous but as with
many (if not most) 3-phase motors, the peak power output is Following the detector is a three-stage audio amplifier E.i
SFo
i
and its controlling electronics. The heart of the circuit uses slx considerably higher at 20kW The limitation will be due to power based on two OC71s and two OC74 transistors. The OC74
lnsulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (lGBTs) powered by 125V DC dissipation limits in the windings of the stator and power dissipa- class-B output pair are driven in push-pull fashion by ;Ëå
Éh¡i
from the NiMH battery pack. tion in the 3-phase converter. Peak currents from the battery pack transformer T1 and in turn drive the internal loudspeaker
That much we know from the limited information in Vectrix litera- can be as high as 2754. via transformer T2.
ture. From here on we are speculating on just how it is controlled The PWM signals to give the variable sinewave outputs to the There is also provision for an external speaker to be gsÉ
but the method is typical of brushless DC motors, Nor do we know motor may be up to 2SkHzor higher. The motor responds to the plugged in (doing this automatically disconnected the in- õF,É
if the motor is connected in star or delta configuration. average value of the phase outputs (A, B & C) and ignores the ternal unit). This allowed a larger car speaker to be used, to : ã.e
Note that the IGBT symbols shown in the circuit above are not pulse width modulation, give improved audio performance in a noisy cabin. ,= a
incorrect. They are typically, although not always, shown with
arrows for the collector and emitter. Also note that the motor's
For precise speed control, the statorwill includethree Hall Effect
devices to give rotor position measurement. This will allow the
Negative feedback in the audio amplifler is derived from
one side the speaker-transformer secondary winding. This þe-
o
;rþ
.rÉ ¡Ë '"

rotor is shown as having only two poles (N & S) whereas it actu-
ally has 12.
The six IGBTs are driven with pulse-width modulation (PWM)
signals to provide three sinewave averaged output voltages with
120" phase separation, ie, as for a normal 3-phase motor. The
frequency of the outputs is varied between 1 Hz and 300H2, giving
a maximum motor speed of 3000 RPM. Furthermore, since the
motor's impedance will vary in direct proportion to the f requency,
.2 øE
speed controllerto varythe phase-lead or phase lag of the rotating feedback signal is applied via R36 to the base of the OC71 + c^l
Ì\ o) -:
magnet field (produced by the stator winding) with respect to the audio driver-transistor (ie, the tra¡sistor driving transformer t-{E(!
øcÉÉ
magnetic fields produced by the of the rotor's permanent magnets. T1).
With phase lead, the motor will provide power to the wheels via ._õ:€
the planetary gearbox. With phase lag, the motor will become Preventing thermal runaway o¡X !
an alternator to provide regenerative braking. Alternatively, by Germanium transistors are very sensitive to heat and Ptt c)
changing the direction of the rotating magnetic field in the stator, draw more current as they heat up. This increased current ;': 8'E
then leads to even more heating ald cal soon escalate into
.å.HE
the motor will drive the bike in reverse. (L.D.S.)
thermal runaway which can destroy the device.

16 SLtco¡,t Cntp siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB B9


paint',s-o that lt now look¡ new aSâin.
To prevent this, special precautions
must be taken to thermally stabilise
the two OC74 audio output transis-
tors. In this circuit, this is achieved
using thermistor R32, Its resistance
decreases as the temperature rises and
tlis automaticallyreduces the forward
bias on the transistors as their junc-
tion temperatures rise, This in turn
stabilises the current through them
and prevents thermal runaway.
Restoring l}l:e 774
The unit featured here was obtained
from a member of my local vintage
radio club. It was handed to me com-
pletely unrestored and its owner also
kindly lent me the service manual to
help with this column.
The receiver looked as though it had
had plenty of use, with some scuffing
ofthe cabinet. The cabinet also looked
abit shabby in the areas where the per-
forated aluminium panels are fltted.
Removing the front and back pan-
els is quite straightforward, The back
panel is removed by first undoing two
screws along the bottom of the case,
after which the back can be swung
out,
The front panel fi.rst requires the dial
pointer to be run to the lefthand end
of the dial. Three screws are then un-
done from the dial scale which is then
removed, That done, the knobs are
removed followed by two more screws
on the bottom of the case. Finally, the
speaker leads are disconnected and the
90 Stuco¡,t Cntp
front panel removed by swivelling it
out from the bottom,
As can be seen in one of the photo-
graphs, the front panel in particular
had lots of marks, I cleaned the mesh
with fine wet-and-dry paper and then
used a damp, soapyrag to remove arly
body grease from the front panel, This
was then followed with a damp rag.
Once it was cleaned, I masked off
and applied some off-white and flat
black spray paint to the various panel
sections. This considerably improved
the appearance of the panelwhichnow
looks new again.
Getting back to the receiver, all
controls worked as they should and
only required a little sewing-machine
oil on their various moving surfaces
to ensure continued smooth opeta-
tion. To get into awkward spots, I use
a 2,5m1 hypodermic syringe partially
filled with the required lubricant (I
also blunt the needle on a grinder
to avoid accidents). That done, the
switch contacts were sprayed with
Inoxa, as corrosion was evident on
some of them,
A close examination of the internals
of the set revealed nothing out of the
ordinary apart from the RF transistor,
which was wrapped in black insula-
tion tape. Unwrapping the transistor
revealed that it was not an OC171 but
an equivalent in a different package
that had been substituted at some
stage in the set's life. I got rid of the
insulation tape arrd slipped some neat-
fitting black tubing over the transistor
to make it look a bit tidier,
Testing the receiver
With everything appearing to be in
order, I connected a 9V supply to the
set and switched it on, The receiver
immediately began operating which
was a pleasant surprise. I left it oper-
ating for an hour or so and it happily
continued playing with no fuss.
It was now time to check and adjust
the alignment if necessary, First, I
checkedthe IF alignment and found it
to be very slightly out, Unfortunately,
I had trouble adjusting one core as
a previous owner (not the current
owner) had used beeswax to "lock"
it in place.
Aligning the three tuned bands also
proved to be less than straightforward,
The problem here is that the dial scale
and the front and back covers of the
set must be removed to gain access to
the tuning adjustments.
That meant that I couldn't align the
set by tuning to various stations and
adjusting it so that the dial markings
correctly coincided with the pointer.
Instead, I had to rely on the tune-up
information which specifies the fre-
quencies tuned with the gangs closed
and fully open.
Fortunately, this proved to be fairly
satisfactory and the calibrations were
near enough for all practical purposes.
However, I'm quite sure that with a bit
more work, Ferris could have designed
tÌ.e cabinet so that the dial-scale could
have remained in-situ while the align-
ment adjustments were carried out.
The next step was to align the broad-
cast band on the car radio setting of
the band-change switch. This went
smoothly but because I wasn't using
a car radio antenna, trimmer TR1 wiII
probably require further adjustment
when the set is actually tested in a
car. The oscillator adjustments were
accurate enough on aII bands, so these
were left untouched.
The 2-6MHz band also tuned uP
easil¡ as didthe 6-18MHzband. How-
ever, I had to be carefuI not to peak
the image signal rather than the cor-
rect signal on the 6-18MHz band, as
image rejection is poor at the top end
of this band. In fact, this is a common
problem with most sets using a 45 SkHz
IF amplifier,
As before, a few of the coil cores
were partially sealed with wax but by
picking some of it out, I was eventually
siliconchip.com.au
I had to hit the anchors several times R,EGENERATM BRAKING
as completely oblivious pedestrians
(manybusily chatting away on mobile
phones) stepped out into my path.
What ever happened to "look right, SPEED CONTROI,TER
ñ
look left and look right again"? HTESS
Fortunately [and probably due to the VARIABTE IREOUENCY
'rOt
fact that I was a pretty slow rider), I had VÂRIAB1I VOLTÂGE
the reaction time necessary fo react so
no harm was done (except perhaps
to my heart rate). But it is certainly
something all electric vehicle riders/ 240V,
ON.BOARD
ple: ia high
Fig.ll in principle, it's pretty simple:
drivers wiII have to keep in mind as OUNET
SÀTARI CHARGER
voltage, high-current battery, a motor
rotor speed
numbers increase, controller and motor and a batteryry ch
charger.
Then again, as anybike rider will tell
you, the vast majority of pedestrians
are idiots, followed closely by the ma- right turn, low battery warning, theft One factually my son-in-law, who
jority of car drivers (particularly Volvo protection on/off, high/low beam and features on this month's cover) has a
drivers with big ears and hats). service required light. couple of bikes, one not too different
The left handlebar has the light in capacity to the Vectrix and anotler,
Instrumentation switch, high/lowbeam, horn, plus turn a superbike, not too different in weight
The instrument cluster has three signals and cancelling, The right has but very different in performance.
"dials". Centre is the speedo/odom- only the power on/off switch and, of His reaction? "Wow!" Of course, it
eter, while on the left is the "ready- course, the patented throttle control didn'thave anything like the accelera-
GO" indicator, clock trip meter and discussed earlier, tion or speed of the big bike but he
estimated range indication. On the thought it compared quite well to his
right is a large graphic instantly reveal- Other riders 250cc. For him, it had plenty of low-
ing battery state-of-charge - virtually I gave a couple of long-term motor end grunt and continuing acceleration
a fuel gauge. bike riders the opportunity to take the and power.
Above are the indicators for lefti Vectrix for a run. The reverse gear had him bemused,
. EÍcry ls3üe lndlrldü.llf rrchlted, bl month and Yeal IMP PRINIED CIRCUITS
. Gomnlot! rllfi hder for e¡ch YeaÌ
.I nul-hare for lrÊryone lîtÊrested lr electronlcs
This remarkable collection of PDFs covers every
since 7964
issue of R & H, as it was known from the
beginning (April 1939 - price sixpencel)
right through to the final edition of R, TV Worldwrrlt supplrer of PCfìs
& H in March 19ô5, before it disappeared
I Jnturp¿!5r'd qrrrlity & dt:lrvcry
Wcrrldwidc courcing of cornpctilivcly priced PCBs
forever with the change of name to
5rn¡lr', doublc'8, tlP lo l¿y{lr bo¡rrir rrr hor¡sr'
¿3
Electronics Australia. Rclr.rbk' t'rctotypr' & [rprcsl St:rvtces
For the first time ever, complete and in one , Pccl¡trlt' sol.llr nt.rsl'. ¿r !ol(lr'r
handy DVD, every article and etlery issue is covered. pdstc 51rrrì(11!
lf you re an old timer (or even y0ung timer!) into vintage radio, it
V¡rriors 1r'¡d lrct Rr¡ll5 finishcs
¡lolrl & sLlvt:r filrtsh0s
doesn t get much more vintage than this. lf you re a student of
HartJ
Flîctnc,rl b¿rcbo¿rrl Lc5trn¡l
history, this archive gives an extraordinary insight into the amazing
breakthroughs made in radio and electronics technology following
the war years. And speaking of the war years, R & H had some of the
best propaganda imaginable!
Even if you're just an electronics dabbler, there's something here to
interest you.
llB: Requ¡res a computet ffth DUD leadet to uiew
- ffll not worl on a ståndald aud¡o/u¡deo DUD playel
FreecallAustfalll: j
treephone New Zealand:
1800 888 543
0800 ¿141 500
@ru
Rd#*- sH
Ëffi
MAY 2OOB 15
siliconchip.com.au

Swing arm
LED drìver
Scanning Malrix
The heart of the Vectrix - the Interface Conhol Module or ICM, which governs all operational aspects of the Vectrix,
everything from the turn indicators to throttle settings and regenerative braking control. Microchip PIC microcontrollers
are used throughout.
The motor is governed so that it can-
not exceed L00km/h. With amaximum
motor speed of 30oo RPM, this means
that the controller runs up to 300H2 to
achieve the 0-100km/h speed range.
It has a reverse gear!
When I picked up the Vectrix, Tony,
the Sydney agent carefully explained
the starting procedure, throttle con-
trol and brakes - and their use. For
the most part, the handgrip-based
control is typical of any motor cycle
throttle control - turn it towards you
and the bike accelerates, all the way
to maximum speed (there is no clutch
n or user-controlled gearbox).
But if you turn the throttle control
in the opposite direction, the motor
is put into reverse - from any speed.
Quality Brembo brakes are fitted - but
you'll seldom use them!
74 SntcoN Cntp
Sing le-stage Inset at left: the patented, hub-mounted SBC Parker able to adjust all the coils. The align-
planetary gearbox brushless motor, driving a 6:L planetary gearbox, The ment techniques used were covered Photo Gallery: Astor "Mickey Mouse"
brushless motor is three phase, with 12 poles and t6 in my articles for December 2002 and
slots. It produces up to 20kW at 3000 RPM.
January-February 2003.
The final step in the alignment in-
3-phase motor volves adjusting the loopstick tuned
circuit, To gain access to the loopstick
artenna, it is necessary to flrst lift
the ends of the Ferris name strip on
the handle a¡rd then remove the two
screws at its ends, That done, you then
pull the two sections apart to reveal
the Ioopstick.
Care must be taken here, as it's all
too easy for the loopstick to fall out
of the ha¡rdle and break. To adjust it,
it is necessary to keep it in the same
position as it would normally occupy
and slide one of the two coils along the
LED drivers rod forbest performance at the low-fre-
quency end of the broadcast band.
trt tuned up quite well but when I
N/tcP2551 moved to the high-frequency end of
I cAN dr¡ver the band, I was unable to peak the
circuit correctly. Initially, i tried plac- TheAstor Mickey came ¡n a very compactcab¡netand was oneof the earliest
ing additional frxed capacitors across Australian bakelite radios, being a modifled version of an Amer¡can receiver.
FETs PIC16F874A MCU MCP2515 CAN controller the trimmer capacitor but to no avail. ln fact, Astor used American c¡rcu¡ts for some years, often changing parts
The circuit was deflnitely not peaking to less than optimum values to save a few pennies.
because when I brought my hand near
Early Australian Mickey rad¡os had the name "M¡ckey Mouse" and a drawing
the loopstick (which added capaci- of M¡ckey on the rear - w¡thout an agreement! Astor forgot to tell Disney
tance across the coil) the performance
andWalt Dlsney was not amused. Legalaction resulted in the name being
That might sound dangerous but its down my long, "S"-shaped, t-in-3 improved. altered to just plain "Mickey", no doubt with Astor pleased to still get some
not - in fact, it's a bona-fide way to driveway ald found the reverse gear m¡leage from all their previous advert¡s¡ng.
control this bike, It was, in fact, one couldn't hold it. Incidentally, going Wiring error
The receiver was a great peÉormer, cons¡der¡ng the component limitations
of the significant design features of the back up again the Vectrix was still ac- There was nothing obviouslywrong,
as the soldered connections and at the time.The valve llne-up var¡ed through the model's life but typically
bike and is patented, celerating nicely at the top!
switch contacts were in good order. included a 524 rectifier, a 2546 aud¡o output stage and 607,6K7 and ô48
As you might imagine, a reverse
Not enough noise? I then looked to see if anything was vâlves for the RF and lF stages. Photo supplied by the Historical Rad¡o
gear is very handy for slow-speed
We mentioned before the noise (or wrong with the wiring and it didn't Society of Austral¡a lnc (HRSA), PO Box 2283, MtWaverley,V¡c 3149. www.
manoeuvring and parking but that is
lack thereoÐ of the Vectrix. Just a bit take long to discover that TR4 was hrca.net.au
not its main pupose. Putting the motor
into reverse while travelling forward of gearbox and engine whine on ac- wired to the top contact of the switch
introduces regenerative braking, not celeration and quite quiet as you drive going to C3 rather than to the bottom
only slowing the bike but puttingbrak- along at local street speeds, of L4. I rewired TR4 to the correct tuned to around 77j|l}lz. when fitting these replacement bat-
ing energy (which would normally be And believe it or not, that's a position in the circuit and the tuning I ran the set off a small regulated teries, This can be done using pieces
wasted as heat) back into the battery. down-side. Pedestrians don't hear adjustments then peaked, just as they power supply for all my tests. In of corrugated cardboard around the
The Vectrix specs claim rp lo 72o/o you coming as they would a bike or should. practice, the set is designed to run off battery compartment to prevent bat-
energy recovery, That mightn't sound a car. During the few days of riding, Next, I tried adjusting trimpot R3 to a 286 battery but these are no longer tery movement.
like much but if you're approaching see what effect it had and found that available. However, \MES Components
the BOkm limit a¡rd you're 1Okm from it adjusted the receiver's sensitivity. have a 276P battery which should be Summary
home, it could be a lifesaver! If I adjusted it too far one way, the suitable, Battery packs made up of six The Ferris 174 is one set that lived
Tony further explained that for the set would oscillate.but the set works 'AA cells or of six 'C' cells will also up to its advertising claims. In fact,
first half hour or so, I would be using quite well with it adjusted just below easily fit in the battery compartment I liked it so much that I eventually
the front and rear disc brakes (Brem- the point of oscillation. and it may even be possible to install obtained one for myself.
bos) just like a normal bike, "But as Further tests showed that the dial packs with six'D' cells. In summary, this is an excellent
soon as you get used to using reverse, drive is quite positive in its action with Note, however, that it will be neces- receivet that has everything a listener
you'll probably never touch the brake no discernible backlash, even when sary to protect some parts in the set might want except an FM band. SC
levers again,"
And he was right! It became almost
ii VEETRIX
second nature to ¡everse the throttle
any time I needed to slow do-wn. And
it was so smooth,
Look mum - no CO2 (well, not from
the bike, at least. Maybe a tad from
lssues Gett¡ng Ilog-[aredP
the power station?), Vectrix certainly Available Aust, only. Price: $413.95 plus $7 p&p per order (includes GST). Just fill in and mail the handy
The only time I needed the ha¡rd- haven't failed to target the "green"
order form in this issue or ring (02) 9939 3295 and quote your credit card number.
brakes was when I took the Vectrix market.
siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 91

January 1994: 3A 40V Variable Polver Supply: Solar Panel Swilching
Requlator; Pr¡nterSlatus Ind¡catorI Mini Drill Speed Controlleri Stepper
M0tor C0nlr0llert Aclive F¡lter Design; Enqine Managemenl, Pt.4.
tebruary 994:90 1 r; 1 2-240VAC 200W I n-
verter;0.swAud¡o le PowerSupply; Enoine
Management, Pt.s ey Work.
March 1994: lntell¡gent lR Rem0le Controllert 50W (L[43876) Audio
Am0lifier Module: Level Crossing Detector For Model Railways; Voice
Aclñated Switch For Fl\4 lvlicrophones; Engine Management, Pt,6.
ADril 1994: S0und & Lighls For Model Railway Level Cross¡ngsi 0ual
SilD0lv Voltaqe Reoulatori Un¡versal Stereo Preampl¡f ier: Digital Water
Tank Gauoe; Engine Management, Pt.7.
May 1994: Fast Charger For Nicad Batteriest lnduction Balance l\4etal
Locãtor; lvlultì-Channel lnfrared Bemote Control; Dual Eleclron¡c Dice;
Simple SeruO Dr¡ver Circuitst Engine Management, Pt I Light lnverter; Repairing 0omestic Light Dimmers
June 1994: A Co0lant Level Alarm For Your Car; 80-Metre AÌ\4/CW
Transmitter For Amateurs; Convertino Phono lnputs To Line Inputs:
Pc-Based Nicad Battery Monitor; Engine Management, Pt 9
Ju lv 994: Build 4-Bav Bow-Ti
1
sistor Preampliliert Steãm
A
Train
SLA Battery Charger; Electron¡c
August 1 994: High-Power Dim mer For i ncandescent Lights; Dual 0¡ver-
sity Tuner For FM Microphones, Pt.1; Nicad Zapper (For Resurrecting
Nicad Batteries); Electron¡c Engine Management, Pt.1 1.
seEtember 1994: Automatic Discharger For Nicad Batteries; lV¡nivox
Voice ODerat€d Relay; Al\4 Radio For Weather Beâconst Dual Diversity
Tuner For Fl\¡ ¡rics, Pt.2i Electron¡c Engin€ Management, Pt.12.
oclobe round Sound Workst Dual Ra¡l Variable
Porver ight Reminder; Electronic Ballast For
Fluores Engine l\4anagement, Pt.13.
November 1994: Dry Cell Battery Reiuvenatort Novel Alphanumer-
ic Clock, 80-M DSB Amaleur TransrÌritlerj 2-Ceil Nicad Discharger.
Decembe¡1994: car BurglarAlarm: Three-Spot Low Distortion Sine-
wave 0scillator; Clifford - A Peslq Electronic Cricket: Remote Control
'l
system for Models, Pt I lndex to Vol.7
January 1 995: Su n Tracker For Solar Panels; Battery Saver For ïorchesl
Dual Channel UHF Remote Control; Stereo M¡crophone Preamplifier
February 1995: 2 x 50W Stereo Ampl¡fier Module; Dig¡lal Etfects unit
For lvlusicianst 6-Channel LCD Thermometert Wide Range Electrostat¡c
Loudspeakers, Pt 1; Remote Conlrol System For lvlodels, Pt 2
March 1 995: 2 x 50W Stereo Amplifiet Pt.1 ; Subcarrier Decoder For FM
Receivers; Wide Range Electrostat¡c Loudspeakers, Pt.2t lR llluminator
For CCD Camerast Remote C0nlrol System For l\rodels, Pt.3.
ADri 995: FIV Radio Trainer, Pt.1
I 1 ; ¡ne Filterl
sÖW0hannel Stereo Amplif¡er, Pt tic L0ud-
speakers, Pt.3t 8-Channel Decode ol.
May 1995: Guitar Headphone Amplif ier; F¡il Rad¡o Trainer, Pt.2i Transis-
tor/l\¡osfet Tesler For Dlì/l¡/s: A 1 6-Channel Decoder For Räd¡o Remote
Controlt ¡ntroduction To Satellite TV.
June 1995: Build A Satell¡te TV Rece¡veri Train Detector For lModel
Bailtvaysi W Audio Amplilier Trainer: Low-Cost Video Securily System;
1
[4ult¡-Channel Badi0 Control Transmitter For Models, Pt.'1 .
Julv 1995: Electric Fence C0ntroller: How To Run Tv/o Trains 0n A
Sinôle Track (lncl. L¡ghts & Sound); Setting Up A Satellite TV Ground
Stat¡0n; Build A Rel¡able Door l\4inder
Auqusl '1995: Fuel lnjeclor l\4on¡tor For Cars; A Gain Controlled
Microphone Preampt ldent¡fying IDE Hard 0isk Dr¡ve Parameters.
Seplember 1995: Ra¡lpo$/er Mk.2 Walkaround Throttle For Modei
Bail|ays, Pt.1; Keypad Combinalion Lock; Build A Jacob's Ladder
0isplay
0ct0ber 1995: 3-Way Loudspeaker Systemt Railpower Mk.2 Walk-
around Throtlle For ¡rodel Bailways, Pt.2; Nicad Fast Charger
November 1995: lvlìxture Display For Fuel lnjected Carst CBTransverter
For The 801\4 Amateur Band, Pt 1; PIR Movement Detector
May 1 996: High V0ltage I nsulation Tester; Knightrider LED Chaser; Sim-
Dle lntercom Uses 0pt¡cal Cable; Cathode Ray 0scilloscopes, Pt.3.
s2 StLtcox Cutp
0ctober 1998: AC ¡/lillivoltmetet Pt 1 ; PC-Controlled Stress-0-Meterl Steel Rear
Versatile Electronic G uitar Limiter; 1 2V Trickle Charger For Float Condi- AlrPlenum-r lntake/Exhau¡t Sub.Frame
t¡onsi Adding An External Battery Pack To Your Flashgun Fan
l{ovember 1998: The Christmas Star; A Turbo T¡mer For Cars; Build
'l
A Poker Mâch¡ne, Pt i Flll Transm¡tter For l\4usicians; Lab Quality AC
Mill¡voltmeter, Pt 2; lmproving AM Radio Reception, Pt 1
Jüne 1996: StereoSimulator (uses delaychip); Rope LightChaseri Low 0ecember 1998: Eno¡ne lmmobiliser Mk.2; Thermocouple Adaptor
0hms Tester F0r Your 0[¡¡r: Automalic 104 Battery Charger. For DM¡rs; Reoulated 1 2V 0C Plugpack; Build A Poker Mach¡ne, Pt.2;
lmDrovin0 Al\4 Radi0 Reception, Pt.2j Mixer ¡rodule F0r F3B Gliders.
1 S96: VGA 0ig¡tal Oscilloscope, Pl.1 ; Remote Control Extender For
Ju ly
VCRs; 2A SLA Battery chargert 3-Band Parametric Equaliser;. January 1999: High-Vollage Megohm Tester; A Look At The BASIC
Stamp: Earoraph Ammeler For Cars; Keypad Eng¡ne lmmobiliser.
Àu0ust1996: lntroduction to IGBTs: El€ctronic Starter F0r Fluor€scent
LañDs; VGA oscilloscope, Pt.2t 350W Amplifier Module, Masthead March 1999: Build A 0igital Anemometer: DIY PIC Programmer; Build '13" Gearbox
Amplilier tor IV & FMt cathode Ray 0scilloscopes, Pt.4. An Audio Compressori Low-Distortion Audio Signal Generator, Pt.2.
se0lember 1996: VGA Oscilloscope, Pt.3; lR Stereo Headphon€ Link, ADril 1999: Gettin0 Started W¡th Linuxt Pt.2t High-PowerElectric Fence Caat Alumlnum
Pt.i: HF Amateur Radio Receivert Cathode Ray 0scilloscopes, Pt,5. Gontroller; Bass Cube Subwoofer; Programmable Thermostat/TheF
mometer; Build An Infrared Sentry: Rev Limiter For Cars. Swlngarm
oclober 1996: Send Video Sionals over Twisted Pair Cablet 600w
DC-DC Converter For Car HifiSystems, Pt.1; lR Stereo Headph0ne May 1999: The Line Dancer Robot: An X-Y Table With Stepper M0tor
Conlrol. Pt 1; lhree Electric Fence Ïesters; Carbon ¡/]onoxide Alarm.
Link, Pt.2: Multi-Channel Radio Control Transmitter, Pt.8. Encoder
November 1996:8-Channel Stere0 ¡¡ixer, Pt,1 i Low-Cost Flu0rescent June 1 999: F¡¡ Radio Tuner Card For PCs; X-Y Table With Stepper Motor
Control, Pt 2; Proorammable lgnition T¡m¡ng lVodule For Cars, Pt 1
December 1996: Active Filter For CW Reception: Fast Clock July1999: BuildA 000 Silencer;10uH to 19.99mH lnductance ¡reterl
For Railwav Modellerst Laser Pistol & Electronic TarOet; Build Audio-Video Transm¡tteri Programmable lOnition T¡ming Module For
A Sound Level Meter: 8-Channel Stereo Mixer, Pt.2; lndex To Vol.9. Cars, Pt.2; XYZ Table Wilh Stepper Motor Control, Pt.3.
-Tran- ultiple Smoke Alarms, Pt.1; Build lll
Augusllggg: Remote Lighls For
or; ôV ntrolled Dual Power SuPPlY, Pt.1; Monito
Cars; Build A PC Controller:
Eight TemPeratures). XYZTableW¡thStepper ing,Pt.14. OSP/IGBT Based
Motor Controller
February 1997: PC-Conlrolled Movin0 ¡¿lessage D¡splay; Compuler Se0lember 9991 ot, Pt.1 : Voice Di rect Speech
Controlléd Dual Power SupDlv, Pt.2: Alerl-A-Phone Loud Sounding Recognition ¡rod apacitance Meter; XYZTable
Teleph0ne Alarm; Control Panèl For Mult¡ple Smoke Alârms, Pt,2. With Stepper ¡ro -Powered can cooler
Brushlees DC Motor
March 1997: 175W PA AmDl¡fier; Signalling & Lighting For Model 0ctober1999: BuildThe BailpowerModelTrainController, Pt.1;Semi-
conduclor Curve Tracer: Autonomouse The Robot, Pt.2l XYZ Table With
' GP NIMH Battery Packs
Railways: Jumbo LED Clock; Cathode Ray Oscilloscopes, Pt.7
Stepper Motor Control, Pt 6; Introduc¡ng Home Theatre
A h No lost Digilal Voltmeter For Carsi
L r€o Amplifierst iilodel Train Controller: l{ovemher 1999: Sett¡n0 Up An Email Servert Speed Alarm For Cars,
Welded Alumlnum Frame
A Cathode Ray oscilloscopes, Pt.8. Pt.1 | LED Christmas Tree; lntercom Stâtion Expanderi Foldback Loud-
speaker Systemt Railpower Model Train Controller, P|.2,
May 1 997: Neon Tube Mod ulator For Lig Lig hts For
-l
A Mbdel I ntersection; The Spacewr¡ter I n Thin Air; December1999: Solar Panel Regulatort PC Powerhouse (gives +12V,
A Look At Signal Tracingi Pl.2; Calhode , Pt.g. +9V +6V & +5V rails)t Fortune F¡nder Metal Locator; Speed Alarm For
Cars, Pl.2t Railpower Model Train Controller, R.3; Index T0 V01.1 2.
June 1997: PC-Controlled Thermometer/Thermostat: TV Pattern Gen-
January 2000: Spring Reverberation Modulet An Audi0-Video Test Gen-
the bane of petrol-powered bikes if
erator, Pl,1: Audioi RF Sional Tracer; High-Current Speed Controller For
1 2Vl24V ¡/otors; Manual Control Circuit For Stepper Motors.
eratol Parallel Port inlerface Card; Telephone otf-Hook lndicator take out the mains lead and plug it in charge the Vectrix, And if you have
Julv 1997: lnlrared Remote Volume Control; A Flexible lnterface Card FEbruary 2000: [4ulti-Sector Sprinkler Controlleri A 0¡g¡tal Voltmeter to any standard power point. off-peak electric (5.39c/kWh), you only because of the frequent mainte-
FoiPCs; Points Controller For Model Railways; Colour TV Pattern F0r Youi Cari Safety Sw¡tch Checker; Sine/Square Wave oscillator.
Generator, Pt.2; An ln-Line ¡ilixer For Radio Contr0l Rece¡vers. The on-board computer goes tluough could have a new GPO fitted to that nance required.
March 2000: Resurrecting An 0ld Computert 100W Amplifier
oclober 1997: 5-Dioit Tachometer: Central Lockino For Y0ur Cari PC- ¡rodule, Pt.1t Electron¡c Wind Vane With 16-LED Displayt Build A a rather (visually) spectacular self- circuit and the power charge would The motor is consistently described
Controlled 6-Channõl Voltmetert 500W Aud¡o Power Amplifier, PI.3. Glowplug Driver
check routine (especially pretty at then reduce to about 21c. in Vectrix literature ald websites as a
November 1997: HeaW Duty 104 240VAC Motor Speed Controlleri
Easv-To-Use Cable &Wir¡ng Tester; Build A lvlus¡cal Doorbell; Replacin0
May 2000: Ultra-LD Stereo Amplifier, Pt.2; LED Dice (With Plc Micro-
coniroller); 50A Motor Speed Controller For Models.
night!) then proceeds to fast-charge In a PowerSmart home, a similar "brushless DC" type which we believe
Foam Speaker Surrounds; Understanding Electric Lighting Pt.1.
June 2000: Automatic Rain Gauge: Parallel Port VHF F¡¡ Receiver;
the battery pack at the appropriate reduction would happen automati- is a misleading term. It's a common
December 1997: S0eed Alarm For Cârst 2-Axis Robot With Gr¡pperl Switchmode Power Supply (1.23V t0 40V) Pt.1; CD Compressor. rate, 80% charge is achieved in two cally if you charged in the off-peak error made where the motor suPPlY
SteÞoer lvl0t0r Driver W¡lh 0nboard Buffer; Power Supply For Stepper
hours but there is no problem in leav- period (ie, 5.61c/kWh between 1Opm is battery (DC). But we believe it's
Motdr Cards; LJnderstanding Electric Lighting Pl.2; lndex To Vol.10. July 2000: llloving Message Displayt compactFluorescent Lamp Dr¡ver;
Januarvl998:4-Channell2VDCorl2VACLiohtshow.Pt.l:Command
Mu'sicians' Lead Tester; Sw¡tchmode Power Supply, Pt.2.
ing the bike charging overnight - the and zam). misleading to describe any motor as
ControiFor Model Railways, Pt.'1; Pan Contrõller For cCD Cameras, Au0ust 2000: Theremin; Spinner (wr¡tes messages in "thin-a¡i');
Proximity Switch; Structured Cabl¡ng For Computer Networks. computer ensures the batteries can't The bike also has an "accessory" a DC type when, as in this case, the
tebruary 1 998: Telephone Exchange Simulator For Testing; Command
SaDtember 2000: Swimm¡ng Pool Alarm; 8-Channel PC Relay Board;
be cooked by overcharging. socket for charging such things as motor is a variable-frequency, 12-poie
Control F0rModel Railways, Pt.2; 4-Channel Lightshow, Pt.2.
Fuèl lilixture Display For Cars, Pt.1 | Protoboards -The Easy Way lnto
Electronics, Pt.1; Cybug The Solar Fly.
Charging is a four-stage process. Ini- mobile phones, 3-phase AC type,
April 1998: Automat¡c Garage Door 0pener, Pt 1:40V 8A Adjustable
Power SuDplv, Pt.1; Po-Controlled 0-30kHz Sinewave Generator; tially, the computer does apre-checkto Speed control of this type of motor
Understanding Electric Lighting; Pt.6. ocloùer 2000: Guìtar Jammer; Breath Tester; Wand-Mounted lnspec-
t¡on Camerat subwoofer For Cars: Fuel Mixture oisplay, Pt 2 ensure all is well with the pack. The motor is achieved by varying the frequency
May 1990: 3-LED Logic Probe; Garage Door 0pener, Pt.2t Command
Control System, Pt.4; 40V 8A Adjuståble Power Supply, Pt.2. l{ovember 2000: Santa & Rudolf Chrissie Display; 2-Channel Guitar It then undertakes a "conditioning" The 2OkW (peak) motor is built into via the DSP & IGBT electronic control-
June 1998: Troubleshoot¡ng Your Pc, Pt.2t Universal High Energy
Preamplif¡er, Pt.1: Message Bank & l\4issed Call Alertt Protoboards
- The Easy Way lnto Electron¡cs, Pt.3. charge of a¡ound 3-44. The third stage the rear wheel hub and is directly Ier. For those who are interested, we
lgnition System; The Roadìes' Friend Cable Testeri Universàl Stepper
De ng For Shared nternet Access; White
is the main charge, which is a constant- connected via the planetary gearbox. explain this in more detail in the sepa-
Motor CoñtrolleÍ Command Control F0r lvlodel Ra¡lways, Pt.5. ¡
L_E mpl¡fier, Pt.2 (Digilal Reverb); Driving current charge of 10-12,\, the precise There is no chain or belt drive - often rate panel at the end ofthis feature.
Julv ur PC, Pt.3r 15WCh Class-A Aud¡o An ndexTovol.l3.
Ambl orOV & 12V SLA Batteries; Automatic rate determinedbythe computer from
Sem¡ Januâru 2001: How To Transfer LP Doctor
standing Electric Lighting, Pt.8.
Ar
- Clean Up Clicks & Pops, Pt.1 ; ort 2-Chan- the battery's initial charge level and 1. Driver information LCD
Auqust 1998: Troubleshoot¡nq Your PC, Pt.4; l/0 Card With Data Log- nel Guilar Preampl¡lier, Pt.3; PIC
gin-g; Beat Triggered Strobe; lSWCh Class-A Stereo Amplilier, Pt.2. also from the condition of the battery 2. Anti-theftìndicalor
tebruarv 200'l: An Easv WaV To ¡/ake PC Boards; fil Pulser Train
Seltember 1998: Troubleshooting Your PC, Pt.5; A Blocked AirFilter controllóÍ A [4lDl lnterface Éor PCs; Build The Bass Blazerr 2-¡/etre cells themselves. 3. Low battery voltage indicator
Alarmt Waa-Waa Pedal For Guitars;Jac0b's Ladder; Gear Change lnd ica-
tor For Cars; Capacity lndicator For Rechargeable Batteries.
Groundplane Antennat LP Doctor - clean Up Clicks & P0ps, Pt.2.
Finally, it enters a transition stage 4. Battery level indicator
March 2001: ¡rak¡no Photo Resist PC Boards; Big-Digit 1224 Hour
Clock: Parallel Port PIC Pro0rammer & Checkerboard; Protoboards - which, at 1-34, can be regarded as a 5. Vehicle power switch
The Easy Way lnto Electronics, Pt.5; A Simple lvllDl Expansion Box. top-up. The inbuilt fans can start at 6. Dual function throttle
ADril 2001: A GPs [4odule ForYour PC; Dr Video - An Easy-To-Build any time during the charging process 7. Speedometer
Vídeo Stabiliser; Tremolo Unit For Mus¡cians; Minimitter FM Stereo
Transmittert lntelligent Nicad Battery Charoer and wiII generally still be cooling the 8. Estimated range
cells down next morning, even though 9. Key ("ignition") switch
ier
Mav 2001: 12V Mini Slereo AmDlif uild;
10. Turn signal
Po\ierPak-AMulti-VollagePbwer eAn
the charge itself may have ceased some
lnternet Connection, Pt.1 ; Tweaking 1 1. Ready/Go indicator
June 2001: Universal Battery Charger, Pt.1: Phonome - Call, Lislen
time before.
ln & Switch Devjces 0n & oti: Low-Cost Automatic Camera Sw¡tcher: At current (Sydney) standard elec-
using Linux To share An lnternet Connection, Pt,2
tricity rates (12.87clkWh), it takes The instrument cluster is fairly typicat bike, except for that big "GO" symbol
Jüly 2001: The HeartMate Heart Rate ¡ilon¡tor: Do Not Disturb Tele-
roughly 50c worth of power to fuIly on the left LCD display and the battery level indicator on the right'
sil¡conchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 13
 The battery pack is rated at 125V
30Ah (3.7kwh) withthe cells arranged
in series to get the required output
voltage.
The cells are arranged in 3 levels x
2 rows with six temperature sensors
and two voltage sensors constantly
monitoring them. This occurs even
when the bike is not being ridden,
with fa¡s used to keep the tempera-
ture down,
As we went to press, Melbourne
was having an autumn heatwave (40oC
days) and on the bikes in use down
there, the fans were doing overtime! ,
High temperatu¡es limit the battery's
ability to supply peak power and also
interfere with the cooling during the
charging process.
Starting
The Vectrix features an inbuilt anti-
theft starting procedure (starting is
hardly the right word!), Unless you
have the "GO" symbol on the instru-
ment cluster, it won't. Go, that is!
To get it there, you need to turn the
key to the appropriate position, wait
until the on-board computer has cy-
cled tlrough its self-testing procedure,
then squeeze the two brake handles in
the right order.
OK, so it's not much of a security
feature but unless you know about
it, you won't be riding the Vectrix
anywhere. Needless to say, I forgot
it when I first tried to ride the bike!
Putting the kickstand down automati-
cally disables the bike and you must
go through the brake handle squeeze
procedure again.
Charging
The Vectrix has a built-in 1,5kW
240V mains charger (it's actually under
the handlebars), AII you need to do is
release the luggage container under
the seat (again with the main key),
It might look like a conventional bike
th¡ottle. But turning it backwards
selects slow reverse and/or braking
regeneration.
72 SnICoN CTilP siliconchip.com.au
phone ïmer; Pic-ïoc - A Simple Alarm Clock; Fast Universal Battery
Char0er, Pt.2; Backing Up Your Email.
March20ll4: PC Board Desion, Pt.2; BuildTheouickBrake Forlncreased
Driving Safety; 3V-9V (or more) oC-DC Converter; ESR Meter Mk.2,
June 2006:Televisi0n-The Elusive G0al, Pt,1; Electric-Powered Model
A¡rcratl, Pt 2; Pocket A/V Test Pattern Generator; ïwo-Way SPDIF-to-
plilier Module;
Pt.1: PICAXE-18X 4-Channel Datalogoer, Pt.3. Toslink Dig¡tal Audio Converter: Build A 2.4GHz Wireless A/V Link; A
High-Curent Battery Charoer For Almost Nothing.
Module; Using Apr
The
Loudspeaker Level Meter For Home
ixture Display For Cars: ESR Meter July 2006: Telev¡sion - The Elusive Goal, Pt.2; ¡rini Theremin l\4k.2,
Mk. or UHF Bemote Control. Pt.l: Proqrâmmable Analoo 0n-ofl Controller; Studio Ser¡es Stereo
September200l: Making MP3s; Build An MP3 Jukebox, n.1; PC-Con-
kolled Mains Switch; Personal Noise Source For Innitus; D¡rectional May 20f14: Amplifier Component Video
Preamplifier; Slop Those Zaps From 0ouble-lnsulated Equ¡pment.
S
;
Microphone; Us¡ng Linux To Share An lnternet Connection, Pt.4. To RGB Converter:
Wkeless Parallel Po
Luxeon StarLEDs: Auoust 2006: Television -The Elusive Goal, Pt.3; Novel Picaxe-Based
LED Chaser C¡ock: Bu¡ld A Magnetic Cartridge Preamplifier; An Ultra-
l{ovemter 2001: Ultra-LD l0ow0hannelStereo Amplifier, R.1; Neon
Tube Modulator For Cars; Audio/Vide0 Diskibution Amplifier; Build A Juno 2004: Dr Video Mk.2 Video Slab¡liser: Build An RFID Securitv
sonic Eavesdropper; M¡ni Theremin Mk.2, Pt.2.
Short Message Recorder Play€r; Useful Tips For Your PC. Module: Fridge-DoorAlarm; Courtesy LightDelayForCars; AutomatinÓ
PC Power-Up; Upgraded Software For The EPRoM Programmer.
September 2006: Thomas Alva Edison - Genius, Pt.1; Transferr¡ng
Your LPs To CDs & MP3s: Turn an old Xbox lnto A $200 Mullimedia
December 2001: lB Transceiver For PCs; 100WCh Stereo Amplif¡eÍ, Player; Picaxe Net Server, Pl.1; Build The Galactic Voice; Aquar¡um
Pt.2; Pardy L¡ghts Colour Display; PIC Fun - Learning About ¡ricros. July2004: Silencing A Noisy PC: V€rsatile Battery Protector; App¡iance Temperature Alarm; S-Video To Composile Video Converter
EnergyMeter, Pt.1;A PoorMan's 0 Meter; Regulated High-Voltage Sup-
January 2002: Touch And/0r Remote-Controlled Light Dimmer, Pt.l; ply For Valve Ampl¡liers: Remote Control For A ¡/lodel Train Layout. 0cl0ber 2000: Thomas Alva Edison - Genius, Pl 2; LED Tachometer
A Cheap 'n'Easy Motorbik€ Alarm; 100W /Channel Stereo Amplifi€r, With Dual 0isplays, Pt.1; [JHF Prescaler F0r Frequency Countersi ln-
n.3; Build A Baucous Alarmi FAQS 0n The MP3 Jukebox. Au D0-Xceneration frared Remote Conlrol Extender: P¡caxe NetServer, Pt.2; Easy-To-Build
lV Balanc€d lrlicro- 12V Digital Timer Module; Build A Super Bicycle LightAlternator.
February2002: 10-Channel lR BemoteControl R€ceiver; 2.4GHz Hi0h- ph e Logic Probe.
Power Audio-Video Link; Touch And/0r Remote-Controlled Light Dim- lpha 4100 Dioital SLR Camera (Review);
mer, Pt.2; Bo0l¡ng A PC Without A Keyboârd; 4-Way Event Tìmer. Septemb0r 2004: Vo¡ce 0ver lP (VolP) For Be0inners: WiFry- Cooking
Up 2.4GHzAnlennas: Bed Wetting Alert; Build a Programmable Robot;
n.1; Bu¡ld Your own Compact Bass Reflex
able Christmas Star; DC Relay Switch; LED
ûlarch 2002: Miqhty e; o-Channel Another CFL lnverter. plays, Pt.2i Picaxe Net Seruer, Pt.3.
lR Remote Volume Co For Maonetic
Cartridges;1z24v hte ger. 0cl0bor 2004: The Humble "Trannie" Turns 50; SMS Controller, Pt.l; De Drill BackTo Life; Cord-
BGB To Component V¡deo Converteri USB Power lnj€ctorj Remote les Radar Spe€d Gun, Pt.2;
April Channel Light Dimmerj R,1; Water Level Conkoller For Garage Doors & Gates. He eedo Correctori 1224V
lndic nch Power Supply; Versatile Multi-Mode Au er, Pt.3.
ïme Volume Control, Pt.z. Electr
l{ouember 2004: 42V Car Power
charg
switch (Errata Dec.2004): s, Pt.1; Vers
January 2007: h; lntelligent Car Airoon-
May2002: 32-LED Knightr¡der;The EatteryGuardian (Cuts PowerWhen Driveway Sentry; SMS Controlle ntrol. ditioning Conkoller: age Doors: lntelligent 12V
the Battery Voitage Drops); Stereo Headphone Amplifier; Automatic Charger For SLA &
Decombsr 2004: Build A Windm¡ll Generator, n.1; 20W Amplifier
Single-Channel Light Dimmer; Pt.2; Stepper Motor Control¡er.
Module: Charoer tor Deep-Cycle 12V Batteries, Pt.2; SolarPowered February 2007: Bemote Volume Control & Preamplifier Module, Pt.1;
August2002: Digital lnstrumentation Software For PCs; Digital Storage Wireless Weather Station; Bidirectional Motor Speed Controller. Simple Variable Boost Conlrol F0r Turbo Cars; Fuel Cut Defeater For
Logic Probe; Digital Therm./Thermostat; Sound Card lnterface For PC The Boost Control; Low-Cost 50¡rHz Frequency Meter, lrlk.2: Bìke
Test lnstruments: D¡rect Conversion Receiver For Badio Amateurs. January2005: Windmill Generator, Pt,2; Build A V8 Doorbell; lR Remote
Control Checker; 4-Minute ShowerTimer; The Prawnlite; Sinom Såys
C0mputer To Digital Ammeter Conversion
Seplember 2002: 12V Fluorescent Lamp lnverteri 8-Channel lnfrared
Remote Control; 50-Watt DC Electronic Load; Spyware - An Update.
Game: VAF DC-7 General¡on 4 Kit Speakers. March 2007: Programmable lonition System For Cars, Pt 1; Remote
Volume Control & Preampl¡fier Module, Pl.2i GPS-Based Frequency
octot0r2002: Speed ControllerFor Universal Motors; PC Parallel Port
Pt.3; USB-Controlled Electro-
lnductance & 0-Factor M€ter,
Reference, Pt.1; Simple Ammeter & Voltmeter.
Wizard; Cable Tracer; AVR ISP Ser¡al Programmeri 3D TV. attery Charger. A ps; High-Power
R 's Ladderi GPS-
November 2002: Super0harger For NiCd/NiMH Batter¡es, Pt.1; W¡n- Marc Pt,1;Swim- B tion System For
dows-Based EPRoM Programmer, Pt.1; 4-Digit Crystal-Controlled ming ,2; Shielded Cn.
ïming Module. Loop Picaxe Data
over er. M
December 2002: Beceiving TV From Sate ul
StereoFMTransmitter;Windows-Based EP
percharger For NiCd/NiMH Batter¡es; Pt.2;
Apr¡l 2005: lnstall Your own ln-Car Video (Reversing M0nitor); Build
A MlDl Theremin, Pt.1: Bass Extender For Hifi Svstems; Sports Score-
m
M
January 2003: Rece¡ving TV From Satellites, Pt 2: SC480 50W
board, Pt.2; Slrs Controller Add-0ns; A $5 Vailable Power Supply.
June 2007:20W Class-A Knock Detector ForThe
BMS Amplifier Module, Pt,1; Gear.lndicator For Carsi Active 3-Way tlay2005: Getting lntowi-Fi, Pt.1; BuildA4S-second voic€ Becordef; Programmable ìgnit¡on' r Controls; Frequency-
Crossover For Speakers. Wreless Microphone/Audio Link; MlDl Theremin, Pt.2: Sports Score- Ca
Activated Switch For s Revisit€d.
board, Pt.3; Automatic Stopwatch Timer.
Fsbruary 2003: PortaPal PA System, Pt.l; SC,l80 50W RMS Amplifier July2007: HowTo CutYour Greenhouse Emissions, Pt.1; 6-Dioit Nixie
Module, Pt.2; Windows-Based EPROM Programmer, Pt.3; Fun With June 2005: Wi-Fi, Pt.2; The Mesmeriser Ciock, Pt.1: TankWater Level Indicator; A PlDTemperature Controller:
The PICAXE, Pt.1. Freezer Temperature Controller; Altern
Colour Recognition System; AVB200 S
20W Class-A Stereo Ampl¡fier: Pt 3i Making Panels For Projects.
March 2003: LED Lighting For Your Car; Pelt¡er-Effect Tinnie Cooler;
PortaPal PA System, Pt.2; 12V SLA Battery Float Charger; Little Dyna- July 2005: Wi-Fi, Pt.3; Remote-Conkolled Automatic Lamp Dimmer;
Auqusl 2007: How To Cut Your Greenhouse Emissions, Pt.2: 20W
Class-A Stereo Amplifier; Pt.4: Adaptive Turbo ïimer; Subwoofer
mite Subwoofer: Fun With The PlCf\,\E, Pl.z (Shop Door Minder). Lead-Acid Battery Zapper; Ser¡al Stepper lvotor Controller; Salvaging,
& Using Thermoslats; Unwired Modems & External Antennas.
Controller: 6-Dio¡t Nixie Clock, Pt.2.
Apr¡l 2003: Video-Audio Booste hone 0f Long-Distance WiF¡; Fasl Charger For
Thr
Dialler For Burolar Alarms; Pt.3 Augusl2005: MudlarkA20SValve StereoAnplifier, Pt.1; Prograrnmable imple Data-Logging Weather Station, n.1:
(Heartbeat Simulator); Electr¡c Flexilimer: Carb0n MonoxideAlert; Serial LCD Driver: Enhanced Sports f¡er: Pt.s.
Scoreboard: Salvaging Washing Maching Pressure Switches.
May 2003: Widgybox Guilar Dislortion Effects Un¡t; 10MHz Direct october 2007: DVD Players - For HiF¡ Audio?;
Digital Synthesis Generator; Big Blaster Subwoofer; Printer Port SBptembsr2005: BuildYour0wnSeismograph; Bilge SniflerForEoats; Electron¡c Noughts & Crosses ic Probe; Roll¡no
Simulator; PICAXE, Pl.4 (Motor Controller). V0lP Analog Phone Adaptor; Mudlark A205 Valve Stereo Amplifier, Code Security System, Pt.1; S Weather Slalion,
Pt.2; PIC¡ù(E in Schools, Pt.4. R,2; AM Loop Antenna & Amp
lntercom:
& Garden 0clobor2005
Studio Series
Box; November 2007: Your Own Home Becording Studio; PIC-Based
rForCars; sion Water Tank Level Meter, Pt.l: Playback Adaptor For CD-R0M Drives,
lmpa¡red Peo Pt.1; Rolling Code Security System, Pt,2; Bu¡ld A UV Light Box For
Making PC Boards.
July 2003: Smart er-Up Auto Mains l{0vomb€r2005: Good oualitv CarSou PICAXE
"Smart"
S'¡/itch; A Continuity Tester; ln Schools, Pt.5; Studio Seriós Stereo Build A December 2007: Sign eakers; lR Audio Head-
PICAXE Pt.6 - Da PIC Programmer lillDl Drum Kit, Pt.1; Serial l/0 Control phone Link; Enhanced dule: PIC-Based WateF
& Checkerboard: Pt.2
Tank Level Meter: CD-RoM Drives; Pt.2.
D6cEmbor2005 onTheCheap; Pt.2; Building
Augu e MP3s 0n The ult¡mate Ju gh-Energy lon¡tion Systern,
Your ig For Cars, Pt.1: Remote LE Control; Build A MIDI Drum
Pt.1: .4 AXE Pt.7. Kit, Pt 2: 433MHz Wireless Data Communical¡on.
September 2003: Robot Wars; Krypton Bike LiOht; PIC Programmer; January2006: Pocket Jim"AM Radio The WaterTank Level Meter Pressure Senson
Current Clamp MeterAdapter For 0MMs; PICAXE Pt.8 -A Data Logger; Transm¡tter; universal .2j Building The
Digital lnstrument Display For Cars, Pt.2. Ultimate Jukebox,Pt. Based 433MHz February 2008: UHF Remote-Controlled Mains Switch: UHF Bemote
Wireless Therm0meter; A Human-Powered LED Torch. Mains Switch Transmitter; A PIB-Triggered Mains Sw¡tch: Shilt lndicator
0ct0ber 2003: PC Board Design, Pt.1; JV80 Loudspeaker System; A & Rev Limiter For Cars; Mini Solar Battery Charger.
Dirt Cheap, High-Current Power Supply: Low-Cost 50MHz Frequency ; PC-Conkolled
Meter; Lonq-Range'16-Channel Remote Control Syslem. & MPg Players; March 2008: HowTo Get I A Ouick
ildAMlDlDrum Primer; 12V-24V High-Cu Pt.1i A
l{ovember 2003: PC Board Des¡gn, Pt.2: 124X7 Valve Audio Pr€am- D¡oital VFo w¡th LCD Graph nterface
plifier; 0ur Eest Ever LED Torch; Smart Radi0 Modem For Microcon- For Debugg¡ng;One-Pulse cks.
trollers; PIC,AXE Pt.9; Programmable PIC-Powered Iimer March 2006:The Electronjc Camera, Pt,1; Pc-Controlled BurglarAlarm
System, Pt.2; Low-Cost lntercooler Water Spray Controller; AVR ISP Apr¡l 2008: How To Get I nto Digital IV, Pt.2; Charge Controller For 1 2V
Decemter 2003: PC Board Design, Pt.3; VHF Receiver For Weather SocketBoald: Build A Low-Cost Large D¡splay Anemometer Lead-Acid 0r SLA Batteries: Safe Flash Trigger F0r Digital Cameras;
Satell¡tes; Linear Supply For Luxeon 1 W Slar LEDs; 5V Meter Calibration 12V-24V High-Current DC lrotor Speed Controller, Pt2; Two-Way
Standard; PIC-Based Car Battery Monitor: PICAXE Pt.10. o Series Remote Control Stereo Headphone Adaptor
el Audio/Video Selector;
h- Pt.1; Picaxe Goes Wire-
0f PLEASE lloTE: issues not listed have sold out All listed issues are in
E-
May 2006:
High-Enero
FeDruary 2004: FC Board Design, Pt.l: Supply Rail Monitor For PCs;
Studio 350W Power Amplifier Module, Pt.2; Shorted Turns Tester For
BoxForMu
Picaxe Goe
Line 0utput Transformers: PICTAXE-18X 4-Channel Datalogger, Pt.2. Antennas; I
siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OOB 93
 Í I ThvwouldSu,rcorCnpwant

ASK SILICON CHIP

l/ll tá review a motorbike?
U U ttaa'n, urs ts no orornary
motorbike!
As far as we know, the Vectrix
Electric Motor Scooter is the first
fully-b atte ry- p owe r e d, ro ad-registered
production vehicle of any description
on sale to the public in Australia. That

Speed controller causes
low-speed "coggittg"
I have recently completed the 'Im-
proved Speed Controller For Universal
Motors" as featured in the October
2002 issue. It is driving a brush motor
rated at 2A; well within the design's
5A rating.
The unit controls OK at the higher
speeds. However, whenturned down,
it "hunts" f¡om a high speed to virtu-
ally off and then accelerates back to
the high speed and so on. I have had
one of the ANU's technicians check
the unit but he cannot identify the
problem.
Years ago I built the controller's
Iower-tech predecessor and that con-
trols the motor quite well. Any ideas
as to why the newer unit is causing
problems? (,{. D., via email).
o It is possible that diode D3 is faulty
and is causing disruption with the
back-EMF and hence the speed con-
trol Note, however, thatthe minimum
speed for an appliance is dependent on
the onset of "cogging", where the mo-
tor tends to run in shortbursts. So VR2
needs to be set so that the minimum
speed is high enough so this cogging
does not happen.
The slowest minimum speed varies
from appliaace to appliance,
Simple mixer
circuit wanted
I want to build a preamp which
will combine the left and right signals
from my digitai set-top box, to enable
me to drive a centre speaker (such as
that sold by Dick Smith ElectronicsJ.
I do not require ultra hifi., as the idea
is simply to improve the clarity of
speech. What kit(s) can you suggest,
please? (T. S,, Claremont, WA).
o The easiestwayto do this istomake
up a mixing lead that connects to the
left and right outputs from the digital
set-top box and combines the Ieft and
right signals using a 10kÇt resistor in
each signal wire. The junction of each
resistor then becomes the centre chan-
nel signal for a power amplifier,
A courmercial power amplifrer can
be used or there are many kit amplifiers
available such as the SCa80 (Jaycar
kit KC-5345) and the accompanying
power supply [KC-s347). The re-
quired transformer is the MM-1095
from faycar. Note that the amplifier
and power supply must be built into
a suitable case.
If you build your own amplifier,
the two 10kQ mixing resistors for the
left and right channel signals can be
placed at the signal input to the ampli-
fier rather than using a mixing lead as
mentioned above.
Software for Smart
Card Programmer
I cannot find files for IC-PROGL05a
on www.ic-prog.com for your Smart
Card Programmer (Srrrcou Cure, July
2003), I can only find IC-PROG105e. Is
this file sufñcient? Ca¡r I also program
the PIC877 smartcard with the same
software? (T. T., Westmeadows, Vic),
o The later "e" version of IC-PROG
105 can be used. For the PIC76F877
you need a loader. The GSM a3
gold and silver wafer card loader
http://users.net.yu/-deian/ should
be able to be used. More informa-
tiou is available on the net - see
is reason enough in itself.
And with all the talk about saving
energy, CO2 emissions and carbon
footprints, we gladly accepted the offer
of a week's hands-on trial
We were interested in the Vectrix
on two levels - first, how the electric
bike compared to its petrol-powered
equivalents, ie, how successful was
the transition from traditional power
to electric power and second (and
more importantly to us as a technol-
ogy magazine) the inner workings of
the bike. What had Vectrix done where
many others had tried but failed?
Being the only holder of a motorcy-
cle rider's licence around here, yours
truly was elected to evaluate it.
One difÈculty, being based on Syd-
ney's northern beaches, was that it
had to be picked up from the western
suburbs. Not being a regular motorbike
rider in city traffic, I wasn't at all con-
fident about mixing it with Sokm+ of
Sydley roads and freeways.
So I fronted the distributor's factory
with a large box trailer, Ioaded up the
very heavy Vectrix (a very close fit!),
ti ed it on securely and brought it back
to the relative safety ofthe back streets
Vectrix aren't an organisation to hide their light under a bushell. You can't fail
to see that the bike is electric-powered, even if you can't åeo¡ it!
The definition of a motor scootet, as a¡rd throbbing motor between your
far as we can tell, is "a light motor cycle legs. So, therefore, it's somewhere in
with small wheels". WeII, light it ain't, between a scootet and a bike,
neither are its wheels particularly However, it is fairly large. And it's a
small at 14-inch and t3-inch (front Iot heavier tha¡r most bikes ridden by
and rear respectively), average riders: the Vectrix weighs in at
Fair-dinkum "bikes" also have a about 210kg (that's as heavy as some
foot-controlled lever to select gears superbikes), A significant proportion
and, because the clutch lever is of that 210kg is its NiMH batteries.
mounted on the handlebars, another The bike itself features a lightweight,
foot-controlled lever for brakes. The heavy-duty aluminium frame (as
Vectrix has neither of tlese because shown in our exploded diagrams),
it doesn't have a clutch. Both brakes The batteries, all 110 of them, sit
are ha¡dlebar mounted, similar to a Iow in the bike to assist its centre of
pushbike. gravity. Even so, I'd hate to drop this
So it's not exactly a step-through; bike because it would be a pain to get
neither do you have a big fuel tank back up*,

Ghsflffiffimmffi http ://gsmhosting. com/vbb/archive/ of Brookvale.

If one wanted to use the 20W
Class-A Amplifier for lower wattage
requirements (say around 5-10W), is
it possible to alter the design so this
can be achieved so that its constant
power draw can be maximally re-
duced? I couldn't readily find how
much it draws but the oider 15W
model was said to consta¡rtly draw
100w
Alternatively, as an innovation, is
it possible to come up with a design
modification so that the constant
power draw (and resulting output
wattage) could be changed via a
switch or dial, depending on wheth-
er a full power mode is required or
not? (P, R., via email).
o In setting the bias for a class-A
amplifrer it is normal to draw load
Iines and then set the operating cur-
rent so thatthe outputtransistors are
fuIly conducting to providethe peak
current through the loudspeaker at
fulI power. In practice, the operating
current is halfthe required peak cur-
rent at fulI power, In the case of the
20W Class-A Amplifier, tì.e current
is 7.1-2A, giving a total power draw
of soW per channel,
If you reduced the operating cur-
rent to 800m.\, the maximum class-
A power output would be 10W into
8-ohm loads. Similarly, reducing the
operating current to around 560m4
would give a class-A output of SW'
Switchable bias would be imprac-
tical, as you would need separate
trimpots and a change of PC board
layout.
index.php/t-3 7383.html
Speech filter to reduce
background noise
I am wondering if you have pub-
lished a circuit for an audio filter? I
am designing some equipment that
needs a fllter to remove background
noise and focus on the frequencies of
speech. (N.H., via email),
o Strangely enough, we have not
produced an audio "speech" filter
although it would be easy enough to
do, Basically, you need a combination
of a high-pass filter with a low-pass
filter. To see examples of high-pass
and low-pass fiIters, have a look at the
Subwoofer Controller in the August
2007 issue, specifrcally at the fiIter
stages involving IClb (Iow-pass) and
IC5a (high-pass),
Youwouldneedto scale the capaci-
I'Il have more to say on the street
tests shortly, Sufftce to say that I also
co-opted the services of some experi-
enced (ie, every day) riders to share
their opinions and experiences.
Justto re-emphasise: the Vectrix is a
fully legal, road-registerable, battery-
powered bike. As such, it requires
that the rider have both a motor cycle
rider's licence and motor cycle helmet
to use on Australia¡r roads.
A close-up look at the Vectrix
They say first impressions count
- if you didn't know it was an elec-
tric bike (and failed to read that huge
"electric" logo down the side!), you
might think it was just another fairly
Iarge motorbike.
Butyou'dbe wrong, Vectrix insist it's
a "MAXI Scooter" but we think they
are underplaying their hand; damning
This X-ray view of the Vectrix shows the batteries (red) and the charger (orange).
it with faint praise, if you will. The batteries are housed in a heavy fibreglass "safe\r cell" - just in case.

94 Srucox Cntp siliconchip.com.au MAY 2oo9 7l

 I
tors or resistors in the filter networks to
provide your speech fi.lter function.
ItuightRider works
in other cars
I bought a KnightRider scanner kit
(SII,lcoN CHn, May 1996) from Dick
Smith Electronics, I would love to
mount this kit behind the grille of my
car which, to my great dismay, is not
,æ a 1980s Pontiac, Ideally, I'd have the
circuit mounted under the dash in the
cabin and a bunch of cable running
from there to a series of 10mm 12V
LEDs behind the grille.
Will this kit still work if I were to go
ahead and make these modifications?
(D. C., via email).
¡ We regret that your cil does not
happen to be a 1980s Pontiac.
æ Fortunately, the KnightRider will
work in other cars. To install it, you
can run cabling from the PC board
to the LEDs but you should not use
r " 12V LEDs. Use standard 10mm LEDs
| ,./' instead. L2V LEDs have an internal
resistor to allow direct connection to
12V and they would glow very dimly
if used in this circuit,
I with the antenna about half a wave-
Question about old
electrolytic c ap acitors
Could you tell me what material
is contained within electrolytic ca-
pacitors in 1950/60s TVs? [8. K,, via
email),
o We think that the electrolyte used
in those days was based on an ammo-
nium salt, possibly ammonium chlo-
ride. Nowadays, boron compounds
a¡e used and the electrolytes a¡e a lot
more stable.
x. Does pool monitor
t* \ adiust for evaporation?
The PIC-ControIIed Pool Monitor
(SntcoN Crue, January 2008) is a fan-
- tastic project but I have a question,
: Does the PIC compensate for the slow
'¡
1 evaporation of water over time or will
it suddenly one daytriggerbecause the
t water level has dropped?
We can lose several inches of water
e finst all-elecËniè
from our pool in a matter of weeks.
Conversely, will trickle fiIling the
pool require recalibration? (M, C., via
email).
rrc le
¡ The pool monitor only monitors
cË
! 9-1 8VDC. K1 48 - $44.00
for water level changes over a short
(1O-second) period. Any longer term
ab lia tr
!
siliconchip.com,au
ffiWIrcffimqrumFftüffis
I have a number of questions
on the Weather Satellite Receiver
project (Sntcox CuIp, December
2003). What is the impedance of the
receiver - 5OCl or 75Q? Also, what is
the input and output impedaace of
the preamplifier. My QFH antenna
has aterminating impedance of 50Q
so do I need to transform this to 75O
or not and if so, how?
I used extra bypass capacitors in
the preamplifier and in the receiver,
with extra shielding to stop oscilla-
tion problems. There has been a big
improvement but I still have lots of
noise ald a weak receive signal
Is my reception problem likely to
be due to interference from paging
services at 148MHz at my location?
Is the receiver's sensitivity in ques-
tion or can I get better reception from
a cheap scanner?
I mounted the turnstile antenna
reflector on my QFH antenna with
about 65Omm spacing from the bot-
tom. Why do I get a stronger signal
Iength offthe ground as opposed to
when it is on the chimney? (D, K.,
via email),
o We will answer your questions
in the order that you asked them,
The inputimpedance of thereceiver
itself is typically very close to 75O
when the front-end is tuned. The
changes due to leakage, evaporation
or fllling tend wiII be ignored.
The alarm function operates so long
as tìe þressure probe is within the
water. This gives some 100mm or so
water level variation with the alarm
still in operation.
Note that sensitivity to changes in
water level over the 1O-second period
will be slightly different with differ-
ent water levels (and the associated
depth that the probe is within the
water). However, this is not sufficient
to require recalibration,
Transistor failures in
SC4B0 amplifier
I saw a question regarding output
transistor failures in the "Ask SnIcoN
Cnr" pages of the February 2008 is-
sue. I built a stereo SC4B0 system a
input and output impedance of the
RF preamp are both also very close
to 75Q, hence the suggested use of
a matching section in the lead from
the turnstile antenna - see page 36
of the January 2oo4 issue of Su,IcoN
Cmp.
You probably don't need match-
ing section or other impedance
a
transformer to connect a 50Q an-
tenna to the RF preamp input,
You may still be getting a small
amount of oscillation in the receiv-
er's front-end or IF section. You may
need further shielding and bypass-
ing around the SA605D and possibly
around the 8F998 in the receiver.
It's also possible that some of your
troubles are due to interference from
pagers. If so, it may be necessary
to add a bandpass flIter in the line
between the antenna a¡rd the RF
preamp.
We doubt if you would get better
NOAA satellite reception using a
cheap scanner, unless the receiver
is still being severely desensitised
because of either interference or
RF/IF oscillation.
It's hard to explain why reception
can be better closer to the ground
than further away, Factors like
ground conductivity, surrounding
metalwork (like metal roofing) and
simila¡ things probably play a role.
few years ago and one of the modules
kept failing. I replaced transistors
several times, checked every node in
the circuit and eventually replaced the
entire module to no avail
I also noticed that the failures were
often preceded by my old fridge turn-
4-Diqit Tirnirrq Modrrl
10,000 second timing
range. Other firmware
chips available. Can be
custornised to suit your
needs. Size:51x66mm
Prices & documentat¡on auailable on weLsite:
MAY 2OOB 95
 WAffiffimffi
I would like to know how to re-
verse the direction of a perma-nent
magnet brushless DC motor, eg,
CPU cooling fans or solar-powered
exhaust fans. I know this capability
does exist but it is not weII known
or used.
The reason is that sometimes
is better to bring air in instead of
exhausting it out, so it would be
good to have a control to reverse
the direction of rotation, whether
that be manually or automatically
switched.
I am fairly familiar with motor
types and their fimctions and re-
alise that brushed DC motors can
be reversed by changing the input
polarity. Howevet, I am specifically
asking about brushless DC motors
as they are very efficient and can be
run ofbothDC andAC (after conver-
sion). I understand that they cannot
be reversed by changing polarity via
the use of a DPDT switch or some
other means.
Your assistance would be greatly
ing on. I flnally fixed the problem - the
speaker output wires were routed nea¡
the primary of the power transformer
and when I moved these wires to the
other side of the transformer, the unit
functioned properly and has for the
past three years without issue.
I suspect that noise in the mains
was triggering instability in the power
section. (L M., via email).
o Possibly the fact that the speaker
appreciated. Here is one link to
company in America that has this
frmction for its Solar DC Cooling,
Fans & Kits - see htt¡l:/Ânrww.ad-
vancedenergyonline. com/catalog/
applications/fans.hh
They say "The reversible, ball
it bearing PM motor allows the fan
to be used for intake or exhaust by
reversing tle wire at the motor. " (M.
D., Cairns, Qld).
o Whether a (permanent magnet)
brushless DC motor canbe reversed
or not depends on tlre circuiFy that
switches the coils. With some, the
coils are switched using timing
infolmation from HalI effect or mag-
netic sensors. The switching circuit
then keeps the coils powered at the
correct time to ensure the motor runs
in the correct direction. Reversing
the supply will just prevent the
circuit receiving power because it
includes a blocking diode for the
supply.
Altematively, a diodebridge could
be used to allow the circuit to run
aware of, eg, avoidingtheuse of induc-
tive emitter resistors (an early fault
with the 1980s ETI Series 5000 Mosfet
amplifier)? (P, R., Noosa, Qld).
¡ There is no such problem in the
20W Class-A Amplifier, If someone
is experiencing 160kHz oscillation in
their amplifier it points to incorrect
components or perhaps a missing or
wrong value compensation capacitor
associated with QB, ie, the 100pF NPO
a with either polarity but with a polar-
ity sensor that alters the coil switch-
ing sequence according to applied
polarity. This can reverse tle motor
direction.
Somebrushless motots do notuse
any synchronising sigrral but iust
sequence the powering of the coils
(assuning the motor will run at a set
speed). This is OK for motors that
have a constar.t load such as fans.
Again, depending on the design
the motor may also be reversible. If
you have access to the (usual) tb¡ee
wires which actually power the
motor, it may be possible to reverse
direction by swapping two of the
connections.
Note, however, that reversing tle
direction of a fan motor, particularly
those mounted within a fan cowling,
does not work, as they do not move
air efficiently in the opposite direc-
tion. They tend to just disturb the
air when rotating backwards. The
fanblades and cowling are designed
for one way only.
Chaaging the value of R4 appears
to be the way to do this but I am con-
cerned about affecting the equalisa-
tion. (I. P,, via email),
a R4 is the one to reduce to get more
gain but unfortunately there is not a
lot of extra gain to be had. You really
need a higher gain circuit such as the
Magnetic Cartridge Preamplifier de-
scribed in the August 2006 issue.
This was used on \ÂIW2 warships and
built like a rock, weighing in at a
was
shade under 350kg. This is a long-term
restoration project and part of the idea N ever
was to convert the crystal oscillator The R&S NRP fanrrly of poler sensors rl
tlte rattçtc
to a VFO, DC to 40 GHz arrrl 200 l)W to 30W
The DDS VFO article in the March
2008 issue was exactly what I was lVlaxilrrr¡nr b¡ndr,vrdth, lrtqh tlleasttrctlltltìt acctllilcV, l0ll
Iooking for, so I have embarked on neasurenrerlt s¡tee11 Powct scns0ts ftotn the R&S NRP fartlrly
acquiring the parts, The display inter- are r,r¡hat all the others asprre t0 bc Every R&S NRP potvcr
sens0r rs a contpletc neasuring ittstrtrnleltt irl ttsclf lts USB
ested me as I have a few other projects
that could use this approach, so I
interface allor,vs you t0 0perate it directly frolll a PC, ftolll othcr
Rohde&Schwarz nteasuting ¡nstrutn0tlts, ol front the R&S NRP
did a search using a popular search base unit
I
I read a¡ound 30 or 40 hits, finding Thermal sensor for challertging nteasurenìents
t Diode sensor with a 90 dB clynamic range - also {or
prices ranging from $9 to $61, The
$61 was in the first few hits, the $9 in
one of the ones much further down,
(Tip: when using a search engine,
look beyond the first page of results,
especially if you want to find the good
prices.)
I was pleased to find an Australian
supplier of the display (Peakhour at
www.peakhour.com.au). I ordered
a few for the various projects, paid
online and they were delivered in
two working days. One of the units
was damaged in transit ánd I emailed
Peakhour with a photo and they dis-
patched a new unit on the same day.
Ah . . . customer service as it used to
be still exists.
Matt Howard,
Melbourne, Vic.
Video on soldering SMDs Years of
flil ttri
Following your article on solder-
ing SMDs in the March 2008 issue, Htuttllllti, DrivÍng
there is an excellent video on this tHillltlt I nnovati o n
topic at http://www.curiousinventor.
c om/guides/Surfac e-Mount-S o lder-

leads were very close to the mains ing/ror

wires may mean that there was direct
induction of transient voltages into
the amplifier output stage. Even so,
the output filter should have stopped
most of this effect.
Non-inductive resistors
for amplifier
I wish to build a 20W Class-A Stereo
Amplifier, as per the series of articles
that appeared in Sntcox Crup in 2007.
However, I read a report on the DVT
website, stating that the author built
one a¡rd found it
was oscillating at
above 160kHz and regularly blowing
output transistors.
Are there any later notes I should be
96 stuco¡,t cutp
ceramic.
Non-inductive resistors have no
merit in a class-A circuit. They do have
some application in class-B circuits
where inductive resistors cal magnify
the crossover "discontinuity" in the
transfer characteristic and even then
they are more applicable to Mosfet
power amplifi.ers than bipolar transis-
tor circuits.
Increasing the gain
of the RIAA preamp
I need to increase the gain of the
Universal Stereo Preamplifi er (SucoN
Crur, April 1994) in RIAA mode to
match other inputs. Can you suggest
a modification to do this?
45s Voice Recorder has
har
poor signal/noise ratio
I have a question concerning the 45-
Second Voice Recorder (Snrcou Cme,
December 2oo7). My module appears
to be working as intended. However
the signal-to-noise ratio is rather lower
than I had expected, with quite audible
background noise which does not vary
with AGC action on the input signal
amplitude.
I have measured the peak signal/
noise ratio as about -30d8 (measured
bymyCRO onthe outputRCA connec-
tor). The peak-to-peak signal on well-
recorded voice is about 1.2V, On the
same recording with the microphone
capsule itself short-circuited, the peak-
siliconchip.com.au
Robert Ellis,
South Oakleigh, Vic.
Comment: thanks forthe link olthough
we have to say that we would rather
hear the Americans refer to solder as
"solder" instead of "sodder"!
Watermark logos
are useful
On page 4 of Mailbag in the April
2008 issue, the writer is bothered by
television stations identifying their
transmission. In fact, I actually find
this handy.
Very few modern television sets
have channel identification numbers
on the front panel, The last TV I ovrmed
siliconchip.com.au
which showed which cha¡nei had program memory location numbers
beentunedwas a 1998 Philips. Newer don't equal the channel numbers.
TVs need a press of the remote control For example, my mother has been in
to reveal the station you're on whereas hospital three times in the last few
the watermark allows me to see the months. The TVs there don't dis-
channel at a glance. play actual channels, only program
I never find the logos intrusive, as memory numbers, When I subscribed
they are "translucent". One ca¡ still to cable TV watermarks were used
see the picture behind it. As for stick- frequently - including when viewing
ing a grey paper over the watermark, a recorded program; you knew where
you'd recorded it very easily,
what does that achieve - only a worse
distraction? P. Smith,
The watermark is handy when the Albert Park, Vic. sC
MAY 2OOB
 Mailbag: continued
t¡izfiÅR new sïslem regulator. This requires a load resistor from each output
circuit design, pin to the respective GND pin. I would suggest that, to
keep it stable, about five times the cunent should flow via
this resistor, ie, 5mA through the resistor and 1mA through
the meter.
I am surprised that Wal Douglas claims to have used it
successfully for years,
Bruce Boardman,
Telstra - Wireless Engineering & Operations,
Sydney, NSW.
Comment: well you have uncovered a mess. We did not spot
the problem in 1995 and we didn't spot it again in 2006!
;-lloh & Business Comment on
ffim! Prius battery life
I can't believe you published Gorton Drennan's letter
Wmd
..':
without a warning about its accuracy. His assertion that the
Prius' battery has to be periodically replaced is not true.
Toyota claims the battery will last the life of the vehicle,
They achieve this by ensuring the battery is never fuIly
charged or discharged,
Mr Drennan has confused the expression "limited capac-
ity" with "limited life". The limited capacity (aAh) and
extra weight of the Prius means that when it is used for any
www.5SSelectron ics. com. au purpose other than city driving, it will not achieve better
mileage than maly conventional petrol vehicles.
Paul Smith,
Port Macquarie, NSW.
Gree llogstar2 K¡t from Comment: in fact, the battery does not last forever. We re-
cently had a couespondent who purchased a grey-market
import (ex-lapan) 1999 Prius in which the battery has failed.
Gutter Electronics Toyota apparently will not help because the car was not
purchased from a Toyota dealer.
l5 THIS THE WORLDS Brlshtert DIV
LICHT KIT ? Non-metric standards
Klt lnclude¡
Twln Alloy houllngr wlth Norow ond I was about 10 when we went metric, so became conver-
Medlum Beom Optlcs,
2 x Mlcrc contrcller conrtorit cuFent
sant in both metric and Imperial systems. I became familiar
drlvsE, ¡elect buch or boort with SI units through physics and can happily work in
2 x MR11 lze PCB wlth 3 x C¡ee XR-E, R2
bln ledr. (totol Llght output t6oo
several different number bases,
f lumens) However, I have never been able to get familiar with kilo-
-t Comes complete wlth twltchel, coble,
connedoñ, rust odd Power!l!l
parsecs per 100 litres (or whatever) or hecta/megapascals.
MPG and PSI still hold a lot of meaning to me, as well as
I for a large number of other people. Pray you never need to
Order on line at work with old English equipment, when it seemed a new
www.cuttencom,au thread was invented for every application!
If seeing MPG on a magazine cover is so distressing to
I 4
Enqulrler plæe T. Robinson, I hope the editorial staff at Sntcotrt CHIe never
Emoll:morþ,rlleyGcutteicom.ou show a valve project on the cover again, Presumably, medi-
cal assistance would be required!
Brett Cupitt,
Ashfield, NSW.
Comment: you should realise that the metric thought police
Keep your co¡lies sale with these harrrly binrlers will be around to your place shortly.
Ava¡lable Aust only, Price: SAl3-95 plus 37 p&p per
order (¡ncludes GST) Just fill ¡n and mail the handy DDS VFO project feedback
order form ¡n th¡s ¡ssue; or fax (02) 9939 2648; or call
(02) 9939 3295 and quote your credit card number.
I have recently acquired an RCA BgP WW2 (1.54213
build) 2}id}Jz - 2OMHz AM crystal-controlled transmitter.
Buy five and get them postage free! '
SILIC)N CHIP siliconchip.com.au
to-peak random noise is about 40mV
hence giving about -30d8,
I have verifi.ed that the LM358 is
working correctly on both differential
inputs from the HK828, These meas-
urements were made at highest quality
(OscR = 24kO). There is no hum and
the noise is apparently being generated
internally by the HKB2S.
I have checked the HKB2B data sheet
a¡rd note that it stores 256 voltage lev-
els, I would therefore have expected
something over -40d8 S/N,
Could you please tell me if this noise
is normal or what the cause may be?
(G. J., Emerald, Vic).
o Although the HK828 does store
samples al 256 voltage levels, they
are stored in analog "chatge" form
rather than in digital. We suspect that
is why the signal to noise ratio is not
as good as onewould expect from a
digital memory device offering the
same nominal B-bit resolution.
The figure that you are getting is
about as good as you can get from this
chip. It seems adequate in practice for
many applications,
Missing track
on PC board
Iread about D.P.'s problem with
the Programmable Ignition display on
page 98 of the February 2008 issue. I
too had no display - "boxes" only.
The problem was a missing PC track
between the top of the SIP resistor ar-
ray arrd pin 14 of the LCD module, It
was just next to the top left mounting
bolt. (J. Y,, Milang, SA),
Processor for
subwoofer amplifiers
I have a suggestion for an up-com-
ing project. Following on from the
previous sub processors for subwoofer
amplifiers, how about tackling the
other end of the frequency range? By
that I refer to the 10Hz -20H2 region,
where most subwoofer speakers are
totally unprotected from peak signals
often well below the tuning frequency
of the box (vented high-pass types in
particular).
What is needed is variable sub-
with a slope of at least
sonic filter
24dB which can be adjusted using a
potentiometer,
The second thing that is required is
some form oflimiter (compression?) to
limit the signal if required. Again this
siliconchip.com.au
ffi@ffidtuæmffimsAffi
Thank you for providing a practi-
cal use for out-of-date drives with
the Playback Adapter for CD-ROM
Drives [SucoN Cnp, November &
December 2OO7). These computer
drives are of better quality than
those in cheap combination sound
systems.
Could you also produce a push-
button panel to go on the front of an
older computer tower? The remote
control is a great idea but I always
like to use malual controls as well,
The buttons would have to be Stop,
Play, Forward & Reverse. (R, P., via
email).
o While it would be nice to have a
panel of pushbuttons to control the
CD-ROM playback adaptor, it turns
out to be a bit of a tall order.
As the circuit stands at the mo-
ment, there are no free input pins
on the existing microcontroller, It
would require another PC board
could be made adjustable. The third
requirement would be to have a nar-
row-band EQ feature to boost the low
frequencies to compensate for output
losses in high excursion (and often
expensive!) low-frequency drivers. (1,
P., via email).
o The Subwoofer Controller project
in the August 2007 issue did incor-
porate a low-pass fiIter with a roll-off
at'l,íHz.
We don't think there is much point
in having it adjustable. However, if
you wanted to increase the roll-off
frequency to 2OHz, you could do so
by scaling the relevant capacitors. The
circuit also incorporates an adjustable
narrow-band equaliser.
Current flow in
class-B amplifier
I am having trouble understanding
the direction of current flow in simple
class-B amplifiers with and without an
,{C signal. I would appreciate some
help. (W S., via email).
o Look at it this way: for positive
excursions of a sinewave, the upper
transistor conducts and feeds current
from the positive rail to the loudspeak-
er, For negative excursions, the lower
transistor conducts and pulls current
incorporating the pushbuttons
ald a small microcontroller. The
microcontroller would decode and
debounce the pushbuttons and then
send a serial stream to the main
boa¡d.
In fact, you would probably want
the infrared remote control sensor
(IRD1) on the pushbutton panel as
well. So the second microcontroller
would decode the pushbuttons and
the infrared remote control signals.
These would then be fed to the main
board through the input pin that the
infrared remote control sensor is
connected to presently (ie, pin 12
[PD2] of the microcontroller).
So what you are asking for, while
seemingly simple, is a lot more
complicated to implement, We do
not think it is worth pursuing as the
all-up cost of the resulting project
would be far more tha¡r buying a
good quality DVD player.
back from the loudspeaker to tlre nega-
tive supply. With no signal, no current
flows through the loudspeaker,
Induction cook tops
are expensive
I am currently in the market for a
new stove and I want to know how
much more efficient is an induction
cook top compared to a halogen cook
top? Are there any bad health side
effects that could occur as a resuÌt of
using an induction cooktop? Andhow
does an induction cook top work?
I am also interested in how a halogen
cook top works but I have probably
already asked too many questions! (L.
M., Lakes Entrance, Vic).
o We do not have comparative effr-
ciency figures for cook tops although
the induction type should be the
most efficient. It works by inducing
a¡ intense alternating magnetic field
into the base of the saucepan, The
resulting eddy currents in the base of
the saucepan cause heating.
In effect, all the power being used
goes into the base ofthe saucepan but
there will inevitably be some losses (ie,
inefficiency) in the large electromag-
net coil used to induce the magnetic
flelds. There are no health side effects
MAY 2OOB 97
 fl5Amæffi@ffi [ffi&ffiffi
I was recently interested to see
the availability of 15 and 30 Farad
drop, it will make no difference to
the sound quality,
72-24V High Current Speed Con-
troller, March & April 2008: the
component overlay (page 6s,
Microcontroller articles
are appreciated
As a regular purchaser of Sntcou
CHrP, I am responding to you¡ Febru-
In looking for a direction for the
future, I think that you should, no,
you must publish very elementary
projects like Stan's on a regular ba-
PRIME
capacitors for bolstering the L2V
battery line in car sound systems.
The only time that a momentary
drop in the supply rails could cause April 2008) shows a 100¡rF ca- ary 2008 editorial where you ask for sis. There are a lot of people to be ELECTRONICS
problems is if the ampliler is very pacitor immediately to the right comments re future articles. I am a brought into the PIC fold and the Est. 1987
Made by Stinger in the USA, they
ofLK14. This should be a 470pF farmer in East Gippsland, Victoria. more complicated projects will not
are priced at US$500 and US$650, close to full power and the slight
16V electrolytic. Similarly, the I expect that I would be classed as entice them into it.
respectively. voltage drop then causes itto go into
component overlay shows a 220nF something of arr experimenter in Emphasis on electronic projects
Do you think these are worth- clipping. If you are pushing the sys-
MKT capacitor in parallel with electronics but I do take that further as against articles about new de-
while? (P. K., Gulgong, NSW). tem that hard, it must be "rooly rooly 115 Gompact DMM
zener diode ZD6. This should be to a point where I build helpful and velopments: I see your magazine
o Such capacitors are a complete loud". Norwill driving an amplifier
as a constructional one and that
waste of money. It is true that a big into clipping cause any damage to a 100nF MKT capacitor. reliable devices to assist around our
home and our farm. your present approach is the best.
lump of bass may cause a momentary the amplifier itself, although it may
The bend towards microcontrollers: I recall ceasing buying Electronics
drop in the amplifier's supply rails damage tweeters.
Australia because it had too much
but arry such drop is more likely Irr practice, you would be better off to build in a switch-controlled volume I really appreciate these articles, so
in the high-voltage rails from the installing another car battery in the control? (R.N., Geraldton, WA), keep tlem coming. It would be a on new developments and nowhere
amplifier's internal inverter, not the vehicle, close to the amplifier. You a Switched volume controls are pos- retrograde step for you to ignore near enough comparatively simple
sible but you do not get enough steps tìeir existence and to replace their constructional projects.
battery supply itself. would save heaps of money, based
and so the volume change for each step function with complicated circuitry, Instructional detail¡ if one decides
If the amplifier rails do drop be- on those prices, and end up with a
better result. Those super capacitors is too large. A better approach may be Oneuses an B-pin 555 timerwithout to undertake a particular project,
cause of limitations in the inverter, you just cannot have enough detail.
with digital readouts look pretty to substitute a pot that is close enough a second thought so why single out,
al external capacitor cannot help,
say, the 8-pinPICAXE orPIC asbeing Your writers do an excellent job and AC/DC Volts 600V Analog Bar Graph
,{nd even if the amplifrer rails do sr'azzy though. - say 100kQ. The effect on perform- it would be a shame to see that re- AC/DCAmps 104 Backlight
ance will probably be minimal, too complicated? Min/MalAvg
Resistance
If you set out to ignore them, you duced in any way. The Gonsequence Display Hold
Continuity
might as weII close the book on of too brief a description is failure
Does regulator solid-state and go back to having of the project.
Frequency Auto/Manual Range
Holster
to cooking in this way. It will also allow you to keep cooking Capacitance
Note that induction cook tops are if you have a power blackout, There is need a heatsink? everything operating with thermi- Internet: I live in an area where ru¡al Our Prlce
I have purchased the Adjustable telephone wires have made ground
very expensive and you can only use
certain steel a¡d cast iron saucepans -
more information at this website:
http //www. choice, com. au/viewArti-
: Regulated Power Supply kit (StlIcoN
onic valves. I consider that PICs a¡e
incredibly useful and foresee utilis- access to the internet pretty much $t 99.0o
all others will be unsuitable (eg, those cle.aspx?id=103867&catld=100447& Crm, May 2OO7). The directions state ing them in various projects in the out of the question, Our only solu-
with aluminium or copper bases). tid=1 00008&p=1&title=Test%3 a+Ind that I may need to install a heatsink. years to come. tion would lie with satellite coverage 179lEDA2 Combo Kit
Halogen cook tops use essentially uction+cooktops+(archived) I intendto regulate four 3.7V (14.8V) However, I am continually sur- but the cost has been a problem for
the same technology as halogen lamps Li-ion 3.34h batteries to give an out- prised at how many people in the us. So, with no access, when an ar-
except that the light from the lamp put of 7V at 1,{. Do I need to install a electronics business know almost ticle suggests that part of the project
Switched volume heatsink a¡d what heatsink should I nothing about the PIC programmers. information, say for exampìe, a PIC
must pass through an infrared fiIter,
ie, the glass cook top. As a result, the control wanted use? [S. C., via email). And I have to admit, were it not for program, should be obtained via the
cook top becomes hot and heats up the I am looking for a circuit diagram of o If you mean that the regulator is Sta¡r Swan's series of easy-to-read internet, we are in trouble,
saucepan. Having said that, we cannot a switch-controlled (not a potentiom- required to deliver 7V at 1A with a and understand articles on them, I StiII, I expect that we are the
see any particular beneflt of halogen eter) volume control. I am repairing 14.8V input, then you need a heatsink, would have had a lot of difficulty in exception and there will be an
cook tops although they may heat up an old ACCLIPHASE-202 amPlifier of The dissipation is 7W and so a low coming to terms with them. ever-increasing reliance upon it for
great sentimental value and cannot thermal resistance heatsink (<2.5"C1 Even with his articles, I was sure such references. Perhaps you could
more rapidly than other t¡tes,
If you want to be environmentally obtain the original or any dual zsokO W) such as Jaycar's HH-8570 fan type that I was going to seriously damage give some consideration to those
friendly, the best bet is a gas cook top, Iog potentiometer. Would it be possible should be used. sC my computer with the serial port folk who are for whatever reason,
link to the device but that didn't without internet access. Kit Gontains
happen, The BASIC language they Keith Traill, o Fluke 179 True RMS DMM
use is not hard; in fact quite fasci- Buchan, Vic. c TL224 SureGrip* Silcone Test Lead
nating to create, to program into the Comment: we can make sofiware Set
o T1910 Electronic Test Probe Set
StLtcoN CHre magazine regularly describes projects which employ a mains power supply or produce high voltage. device and to see whether it does available on CD-ROM for ß9.50 in- o 4C280 SureGrip* Hook Clip Set
All such projects should be considered dangerous or even lethal if not used safely. what you walt. cluding postage. o TPAK Magnetic Hanger
Readers are warned that high voltage wiring should be carried out according to the instructions in the articles' . 80BK lntergrated DMM TemP Probe
When working on these projects use extreme care to ensure that you do not accidentally come into contact with
¡ C35 Soft Meter Case
mains AC voltages or high voltage DC. lf you are not confident about working with projects employing mains voltages (with respect to its GND pin). output pin of the 7905 wiII be sitting Our Price
or other high voltages, you are advised not to attempt work on them. Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd disclaims The 7905 was much worse than the al +7Y (ie 12V-5V) with respect to the
any liability for damages should anyone be killed or injured while working on a proiect or circuit described in any 7805. With only 1mA flowing back- input minus. This +7V has a current
$4g9.OO
issue of Stt-lcolr¡ CHtp magaz¡ne. Devices or circuits described in SlLlcoN CHIP may be covered by patents. Slt-tcot'¡ wards into its output pin, the voltage path via the meter to the 5V output Prices exclude GST
Cnlp disclaims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the manufacturing or selling of any such equip- rises to over 6V. I tried a number of of the 7805, thus tending to pull the
ment. SILICON CHIP also disclaims any liability for projects which are used in such a way as to infringe relevant regulators from different manufactur- 7805 to a voltage above 5V. The same Callfor a 2008 Fluke Catalogue
government regulations and by-laws. ers but they were all the same. happens to the other regulator, www prime€lectronics æm au
Advertisers are warned that they are responsible for the content of all advertisements and that they must con- To explain the problem, if we as- In order to fix it, you need to ensure
form to theTrade Practices Act 1974 or as subsequently amended and to any governmental regulations which are sume 12V is applied to the input, the current is always flowing out of each
Brisbane (o7l32527466
applicable. Sydney (02) e7o4 eooo
siliconchip.com.au siliconchip.com.au MAY 2OO8
98 Stuco¡,t Cntp
 DEAII DEUIGE UIIDER TEST?
NO PROBTEM! Mailbag: continued
in Sydney had to close not long ago
because they accepted a contract for
a large order from a European Telco
with all dimensions of the circuit
board expressedin metric, with the
result that their CNC drilling machines
could not drill the boards within the
contract time, due to the slowness of
a 0.1mm XY axis movement (rather
tlan the normal 2s-thou hop, step and
j,rmp). s9.s9% of all CAD-designed
circuit boards are SI'd in Imperial
.
Features:
. 64 to 128 Channels Digital V-l Tester
Analogue/ Digital as wired in-circuit testers
not metric.
So do not be so quick to discard the
¡ Power On/Off testing Imperial measurements when there is
really nothing equivalent in metric.
THE MOST COMPREHEI'ISIVE TEST SEI FOß Bob Barnes,
FAUTT-Fll'lDlt{G 0N
ATMOST AI'IY KIND OF PCB
RCS Radio Pty Ltd,
Chester Hill, NSW.
Hardware still comes
'l( TekMark Ausùal¡a Pty Ltd in Imperial sizes
Suite 302, Level 3, 1 8-20 Orion Road I was bemused by the gripes of your
Lane Cove - NSW 2066 - Australia
Ph: 029911 3888 Fax: 0294188485 correspondents, T. Robinson and Ray
enquiries@tekmarkgroup.com Smith, regarding the triviality of a
www.tekmarknetau few Imperial measurements in your
February 2008 issue. Mr Robinson, in
Want a real speed
particular, was rather childish in my
opinion, by threatening to stop buying
the magazine if he sees Imperial refer-
controller k¡t? ences, I bet he wouldn't!
Personally, I find "litres per hundred
lf you need to control kilometres" to be useless, We buy fuel
12 or 24 volt DC by the litre, so why not a more usefuI
motors and "kilometres per litre"? I shouldn't have
want a to fool around dividing figures.
speed -!àL'= Mr Robinson asks who still uses Im-
controller perial units. Bulnings hardware stores
that will easily are fuIl of them! Buy a length of ply-
handle 30 amps, wood a¡rd you can get 1BO0mm. Why
then this is the kit for you.
not 1.5 or 2 metres? Because 1800mm
This controller allows you to vary the is approximately 6 feet. And it used
speed of DC motors from 0 to 1OO%.lt to be L840mm incidentally, which is
is also ideal for conlrolling loads such almost precisely 6 feet.
as incandescent/halogen lamps and Or you can buy 2400mm (rather than
heating elements. the more logical 2.5 metresl which is
This kit makes a great controller for the old B-foot length. Better yet, buy
use on small electric vehicle projects,
such as electrically assisted bikes and
go-carts. We have tested it to over 30
it by the lineal metre, which is 3.66
metres or dare I say it, exactly 1.2 feel;
an astonishing coincidence!
amps without problems-it barely gets
warml ltem code: SPEEDCON.
We also have solar maximiser kits,
Having a Stratco catalog in front of
me,I roofing sheets with awidth of
see
762mm- down to a measly two milli-
Luxeon LEDs, and lots of interesting metres? The weird thing is that762mm
products and publications. is exactly 30 inches or 2.5 feet! Wall
Go to shop.ata.org.au or call siding al L22Ornrn is exactly 4 feet.
us on (03)9639 1500. Why are ladders 1.Bm or 2.4m instearl
Stuco¡rt Catp
of 2m or 2.5m? Because they used to be
6 feet or I feet and basically, they still
are! There are lots of odd metric sizes o incredlble CDs w¡th ouer 1000 classic proiects
with some equalling precise Imperial
equivalents, and the rest being near as
from the. pages 0f Scientif ic Americañ
hardly matters. We still buy Imperial
sized items; they just give us metric
covering every f¡eld of science...
equivalent dimensions. Arguably THE most IMPORIANT collection of
Mr Smith could go to an auto parts
store where he can buy a 2000 Ib winch scientific projects ever put together!
or view many other products having INCLUDES This is version 3, Super Science Fair Edition
Imperial references - not equivalents BONUS SCIENCE from the pages of Scientific American.
but delineations, Read a car magazine
or watch Top Gear and it's nearly all
soE
LIB
As well as specif,rc project material, the CDs
contain hints and ttpr by experienced
MPG, cubic inches and foot-pounds of
torque, Mr, Smith should also check amateur scientists, details on building
the diameter of his ca¡'s wheels! And science apparatus, a large database
might I add, it wasn't all that long ago of chemicals and so much more. i
that TV screens were still quoted in
inches, withmetrics more of an adden-
dum. Many rulers and tape measures
are still ma¡ked for both systems and SCIENTIFIC.
I expect forever will be, AMERICAN
d'
I love metrics. I'd much rather
measure down to the millimetre than
13/64ths any day. It is so beautifully
simple: a litre of water weighs one
"A mus science student, science
kilogram and one thousand of them
will fit into one cubic metre and weigh teøcher, b... or simplyforthose
one tonne. And there is the simplicity
\ with an mind . . ."
of the millimetre and its decadic mul-
tiples. But nobody should be so blind
\
\ Just a tiny selection of the incredible range of projects:
as to tìink that the Imperial system is Build a seismograph to study earthquakes . Make soap bubbles that last for months .
nowhere to be found. Look around,
'Monitor the health of local streams . Preserve biological specimens. Build a carbon
it's everywhere, and it won't go away dioxide laser. Grow bacteria cultures safely at home . Build a ripple tank to study wave
any time soon. phenomena . Discover how plants grow in low gravity. Do strange experiments with
Paul Carson, sound. Use a hot wire to study the crystal structure of steel . Extract and purify DNA
Westmead, NSW. in your kitchen.Create a laser hologram. Study variable stars like a pro. lnvestigate
vortexes in water. Cultivate slime moulds . Study the flight efficiency of soaring birds
Interesting circuit doesn't work . How to make an Electret. Construct fluid lenses . Raise butterflies as experimental
I had occasion to build arr expanded animals. Study the physics of spinning tops. Build an apparatus for studying chaotic
scale voltmeter recently. I remembered systems. Detect metals in air, liquids, or solids. Photograph an ant's brain and
you had already published a very nervous system . Use magnets to make fluids into solids . Measure the metabolism of
clever version of this, in November an insect . . . o âfld many, many more (a thousand more, in fact!)
2006, on page 7. This was a reprint
from the "Circuit Notebook" June See the V2 review in Stttcou 2004. . . or read on line at siliconchip.com.au
1995, which I didn't have.
I built it in about 10 minutes and
it didn't work! I took some measure- IIERE'S HOW TO ORDER YOUR COPY: BY FAX:#
ments and pondered for a while; it's
a bit of a brain-teaser, The problem
is that l};re 78O5/7905 devices are de-
signed to source current to the load,
(02) s939 2648
24 Hours 7 flays øiii#ift','"I-il
' Ploaso have your credil cald handy! # Don'l fotgel to include your name, address, phone no and credit cald details. ^ You will be
prompled for required inlormation
and in this case the current is flowing
the other way back into both the regu-
Thele's also a handy order form inside this issue (see Stucoru Cxtp Boolrshop
lators, This causes tlle regulation to fail
and the output terminal voltage to rise
siliconchip.com.au
WWW.SI rconc
 electric razors and a battery/mains
Atmel's AVR, ftom
Old inverters had
lots of interference portable radio. We soon found the JED in Australia
In the February 2008 issue, Rod- interference Mr Champness men-
ney Champness had an interesting tioned.
sErt oil AUD|0 AUDIO POWER AMPLIFIER DESIGil On enquiry to Ferris we were
a¡ticle on old inverters. I grew up on
by Douglas Self 2nd Edition 2006 HA]{DB00K by Douglas Self 4th Edition 2006 told that these inverters were not
a property in nortlern NSW with a
The very latest from the renowned audio design guru. A neduced ¡n ü¡ce ¡rcm prcv¡nus edition! From one of the
world's most respected audio authorities. New 4th edition is 32V lighting plant. The important intended to operate radios. Their
collection of 35 classic magæine articles offering a depend-
able methodology for designing audio power amplifiers in more comprehensive than ever - now with new chapters on thing to remember about tlese in- attitude seemed to be that if one
a way that improves performance at every po¡nt without Class D amplifiers and DC servos. Now even bigger - 465 stallations is that they were just that: wished to use radios, it would be bet-
significantly increasing cost. lncludes compressors/limiters, pages in paperback. See the review in Septenber 2006 "lighting plants". ter to buy an inverter or genemotor
hybrid bipolar/FET amps, electronic switching and more.
Owners often forced them to do that operated at 50H2. These were
474 pages in paperback. . available but were very expensive
more than just illuminate, eg, oPer-
- ate power tools, etc. Most could not and inefficient.
oblige unless you ran the generator Of course, at a vibrator frequency
as you worked. of 100H2, the rather rudimentary
We had one of the little Ferris power supply ffltering in battery/ The AVR570 module (above) is a way of
inverters illustrated in the article.
as mains radio sets would not have using an ATmega128 CPU on a user base
Having a 33kV line running right been very effective. But like Mr board without having to lay out the intricate,
AIIAIOG EIEGTROI{IGS past our home, we lived in hope Champness, I think that the RF flIter- surface-mounted surrounds of the CPU, and
then having to manufacture your board on
Microcontroller Ptojects in G for the By lan Hickman. 2nd edition 1999. of "Town Power" and so had some ing could have been better.
an SMT robot line. lnstead you simply layout
8051 by Dogan lbrahim. Published 2000. small 240VAC appliances, The in- Bruce Bowman, a square for four 0.1" spaced socket strips
Through graded projects introduces the fundamentals of verter was bought to operate 240VAC Ainslíe, ACT. and plug in our pre-tested module. The
microelectronics, the 8051 family, programming in C and module has the crystal, resetter, AVR-ISP
the use of a C compiler. Provides an interesting, enjoy- programming header (and an optionalJTAG
able and easily mastered alternative to more theoretical ICE pad), as well as programming signal
textbooks. 178 pages in paperback. Furthermore, how about a demod- or more. I propose current limiting switching. Fora little extra, we load a DS1305
h ulator probe for tracking a video signal the output as in the previous example RTC, crystal and Li battery underneath,
through the IF sections ofa TV set and (suitably adapted for a high-side field which uses SPI and Port G.
0p Amps for Everyone See JED'S www site for a datasheet.
Edited by Ron Mancini Published 2003 a piezoelectric clamp that attaches to winding).
Compiled by Texas lnstruments, this is the closest thing the injector pipe of older diesel en- Franc Zabkar,
to a "bible" on op amps. This is an engineer's reference gines to fire a timing light? Barrack Heights, NSW. AVR573 Single Board GomPutet
with lots of theory, plenty of maths and right up-to- GeoffCoppa,
the-minute with modern devices. Not cheap but still use
POWER SUPP. A tO Z Elanora, Qld. PC boards
worth every cent. 478 pages, soft covers.
Maniktala. Published 200b. Imperial measurements
RF CIRGUIT DESIGil and practical aspects of controlling Circuit Notebook: I read with a touch of amusement
by Chris Bowick, Second Edition, 2008.
electromagnetic interference in a few observations some of the readets' comments about
power supplies. lncludes flow-charls
A new edition of the classic RF circuit design book. RF I have a couple of minor observa- being aghast at the magazine express-
for building DC-DC converters and their
CIRCU IT circuit design is now more important that ever in the tions in respect of two items published ing some parameters in the old Impe-
]til clesiclrr wireless world in which we live. ln most of the wireless
devices that we use there is an RF component - this
magnetic components under typical
wide-input supply conditions.
503 pages in hard cover.
in the Circuit Notebook section of
Sn rcox CHp for March 2oo8:
rial units and not in current trendy
metric.
This board uses the AVR570 module and
adds 20 An./Dig. inputs, 12 FET outputs, LCD/
ilÍw book tells how to design and integrate in a very
practical fashion. 244 pages in paperback.
CD-RoM included. (1,) The PC cooling fan driver on page Domestic TV sets are expressed in Kbd, 2xRS232, 1 xRS485,'l -Wire, power reg.
etc. See www.iedmicro.com.au/avr.htm
DVD PTAYERS A]ID IIRIVES 71 has no hysteresis, I think that the "cm" (diagonal screen size) but an odd
PRACTICAT RF HA]IDBOOK by K.F. lbrahim. Published 2003. fan could hunt around the set-point thing is that if you take the back cover
$330 PG-PROM Progtammer
by lan Hickman NEW 4TH EDlTl0N 2006 A guide to DVD technology and applications, with particular whenever the +5V rail fluctuates, as it off the TV set, the actual size of the TV This programmer plugs into a PC printer
The latest guide to RF design for engineers, technicians, stu- focus on design issues and pitfalls, maintenance and repair. does during variations in CPU load. monitor may have, embedded in raised port and reads, writes and edits any 28 or
dents and enthusiasts. Covers key topics in RF: analog design ldeal for engineers, technicians, students of consumer (2) The alternator controller on page 68 glass (as poured from the factory), the
principles, transmission lines, couplers, transformers, ampli- electronics and sales and installation staff. As reviewed in
suffers from two potential problems. size expressed in inches.
fiers, oscillators, modulation, transmitters and receivers, Silicon Chip February 2004. 319 pages in paperback.
propagation & antennas. 279 pages in paperback. The first is that the battery wiII dis- AII computer monitors are proudlY
charge into the fieldwinding at amaxi- in inches and of course, 99.99% of
A]{AIOG TECHI{IOUES WITH P¡G lll PRACTICE by D w smith. mum rate of -4,t if the motor stops for all integrated circuits have 0.1-inch
IIIGITAT I ]{TERFAGI ]IG New 2nd Edition - published 2006 any reason, To prevent this, I propose pin spacing.
by T H Wilmshurst - Published 2001. Based on popular short courses on the PlC, for that the field sectionbe powered from Industrial electronics remains in
Covers all the analog electron¡cs needed in a wide range of professionals, students and teachers. Can be used
the alternator's exciter diodes. The Imperial, as does aviation which still
higher education programs: first degrees in electronic engi- at a variety of levels. An ideal introduction to the
initial self-excitation curuent could be uses feet above sea level (and pounds
neering, experimental science course, MSc electronics and world of microcontrollers.255 pages in paperback.
electronics units for HNDs. Supported by numerous worked provided by a momenta¡y start switch of fuel), The Navy use fathoms below
Also available is a multi-PROM UV eraser
examples and experimental exercises. 312 pages paperback. as in this example at: the keel and I note that the Bathurst with timer, and a32132 PLCC converter.
500 (or whatever) motor race now
ETECTRIC MOTORS A]{D DRIVES Ilectilc llfoto¡s
PIC MIGROGOI{TROIIER - http ://www.users.on.neV-fr abkar/alt-
reg.|PG refers to pounds of fuel and the com- JEll Microprocessors PtY ltd
and &¡l/es PERSO]{AI I]ITRODUCTORY COURSE petitors are not permitted to use litres
By Austin Hughes - Third edition 2006 The second problem is that a flatbat- 173 Bolonia Rd, Bolonia, Uictolia, 3155
Brand new edition of this amæingly popular book. lntended By John Morlon NEW: Srd edition 2005.
A unique and practical guide to getting up and running
tery will be subject to the fulI output ¿my more. Ph. 03 9762 3588, Fax 03 9762 5499
for non-specialist users of electric motors and drives, filling A large circuit board company here
the gap between academic texts and general "handbooks'. with the PlC. lt assumes no knowledge of microcontrollers of the alternator which could be 40.t www.iedniüo.com,au
Explores all of the widely-used modern types of motor and - ideal introduction for students, teachers, technicians
7ft,¡rive including convent'ronal & brushless DC, induction and electronics enthusiasts. Revised 3rd edition focuses
entirely on re-programmable flash PlCs such as 16F54, MAY 2oo8
svnchronous and re'uctance' siliconchip.com.au
[' t @]$i:;:ïïäiri'#'s' 16F84 12F508 and 12F675. 226 pages in paperback.
\-/

llcl¡rirrg fo f)ul r0il ill ( orrlr0l
quite well in your articles. If some of
your simpler PIC designs gave a more
thorough description of the software
program and or some more tutorials on
Proccs,s ('ottÍnl programming, it would prompt me to
be more adventurous and maybe then
I can try to modify your programs and
hardware for my own projects.
As for your second comment on
projects and technical articles, yes, I
would like to see a few more articles,
particularly around theory. ETI had
a great series called "Lab Notes" for
ilable in both a few years. Even EAs "Let's Buy An
non-isolated Argument" series had lots of interest-
ing technical topics,
Notwithstanding these comments,
(only for TxiRail) your current format with its emphasis
,4-2OmA. outputs on well-designed projects has outlived
mA or 0-10V. Fully Program-
all of your competitors. Please, fine-
$99+GST
tune as you like but keep the basic
Counter --.: format as it is,
mable 6- Finally, as I congratulate you on
nter is also your 20 years of publication, I do won-
der how you will eventually change
q u ad ratu re
over to a new guard. Most of the Su-
ing and accepts remote reset. CoN CHIP staff appear to go back many
relay outputs with built-in tim- years and I do worry that the next gen-
can be activated at any of the 3 eration will not have the same fascina-
nter presets: unit, batch or total- tion, commitment a¡d resou¡cefu lness
currently shown. Or are there young
adults out there that share the same
passion? I only hope there are.
Clive Allan,
11 different timing Glen Waverley, Vic,
Comment on
microcontroller projects
to do what you want. 91I9+GST
It has been impossible to ignore the
proliferation of PIC-based projects in
StlIcott Cup over the last few years.
And while I agree with your reasons
ilable as 2,4,6 or 8 relays. These
can be activated by TTL, NPN
Impedance bridge does not
measure impedance
PNP signals. DIN Rail mounting an
From $21.50+cST I must comment on the ImFedance
Bridge in Circuit Notebook on page
70 of the March issue. I realise that
quality SSR's this is not your circuit but one look
4-32VDC, 80- at the actual bridge circuit shows
AC, 4-20mA and that it can onlybe used forresistance
measurements (much simpler to do
with an ohmmeter). If the u¡lcrown
is in any way reactive, t-he bridge will
not balance, or be correct.
For instance, if tle unknown is
a prue reactance of half ttre value
Contact Ocean Controls
of the multiplier (ie, an impedaace
Ph: 03 9782 5882 ratio of 2:1), the minimum balance
www.oceancontrols.com.au
StucoN Catp
for basing projects around micro-
controllers, there are some negative
spin-offs. I don't see how PlC-based
projects will offer the same opportuni-
ties to learn about circuit design, the
effect of individual components on the
whole or the ability to add and delete
functions.
I am not suggesting that microcon-
troller projects should banned from
Sn IcoN Crur! They provide a learning
opportunity of a different kind, as well
as projects which, as you correctly ob-
serve, would not be feasible with any
other design approach, But I hope you
will continue to develop and publish
circuits built around conventional
discrete components.
fohn Keitley,
Vermont, Vic.
RF projects wanted
Your Publisher's Letter in the Febru-
ary edition has prompted me to write.
First, congratulations on reaching 20
years, I thoroughly enjoy every issue
and appreciate aII the hard work that
goes into designing the projects as weII
as the rest of the magazine,
I do like microcontroller projects as
I have the software and can program
PICs but it would be good to balance it
out with projects that use normal com-
ponents too as this helps beginners
Iearn electronics building blocks,
I am not a radio amateur but I am
interested in RF stuff, as follows. How
about a project for an RF oscillator for
aligning AM and FM radios? Many
readers have asked for a TV freld
strength meter. Maybe a set-top box
could be modified to do it?
reading (which will be very broad
and some 40% of the input voltage)
will occur at a 4;1 ratio of the iange
switch.
As is well-known, impedance
brid¿es must have a compensating
reactive component Ín one of the
branches. Even for resistance meas-
urements there is a problem as, with
t}'e values shown, the maximum
resistance that can be measured is
10kç¿! And of couise, no need for
choice of frequency. Sorry to spoil
the effort.
Charles Borger,
Pascoe Vale, Vic.
siliconchip.com.au
l0o/o ¡I1IGOT Gf,I? ¡T¡¡GTI¡E
0Íl! Fü r r¡r l¡Gourt 0I
ROBOT BUIIDER'S COO¡ßOOK AC MAGHII|ES sy ¡¡m towe Published 2006
By Owen Bishop Published 2007 Applicable to Australian trades-level courses including NE1 0 AC
lntroducing, through hands-on project work, the Machines, NE12 Synchronous Machines and the AC part of
NE30 Eleckic Motor Control and Protection. Brings together
mechanics, electronics and programming involved
in practical robot design and construction. The use up-to-date aspects of the field, covering polyphase induction
of the PIC microcontroller throughout provides motors, single-phase molors, synchronous machines
and polyphase motor start¡ng. 160 pages in paperback.
a painless introduction to programminO. lt's
a book for first-time robot builders, advanced
robot builders and those studying at higher
education levels in this fascinating field. By Fred Eady, Published 2007
Has companion website to download We asked our Zigbee guru, Telelink's Jack Chomley, to com-
programs. 374 pages in paperback ment on this book and he said '\ryow! This one is right up to
date'. A lot of it is pretty in-depth but, according to Jack, if
you want to learn all about Zigbee you'd go a long way to find
lrEwlrEs GUTDE T0 TEtEVrStot{
a better reference than this one, 33ô pages in paperpback.
A]flt VIDE0 TECHlt0rocY
By KF lbrahim 4th Edition (Published 2007) THE PRACTIGAT GU]DE
It's back! This very popular book now in a new
TO SATELLITE TV
edition provides a full and comprehensive coverage
By Garry Cratt - 6th Edition 2007
of video and television technology including the
latest developments - HDW and DVD. lt starts with
We've had other satellite W books in the past but they have
fundamentals so is ideal for students but covers in-
all had a lot of useless (to this part of the world) overseas
stuff. This one is written in Australia, for Australian condi-
depth technologies such as blu ray, DLP, Digilal TV,
tions by one of Australia's foremost satellite TV experts.
etc so is also perfect for engineers. The new edition
lf there is anything you wanted to know about setting up
has a number of useful appendices covering a wide
a satellite TV system, (including what you can't do!) it's
variety of subjects. 600+ pages in paperback
sure to be covered in this 176-page paperback book
TV All0 H0BBIES April 1939 to March 1965
- Every article to enjoy once aga¡n on l¡V¡l-ROM!
This remarkable archival collection spans nearly three decades of of copies now sold, Two incredible CDs
Australia's own 'Radio and HobbiesTRadio TV and Hobbies'. Every \ containing over 1000 classic projects, sourced from
Scientific American over the past 73 years - and
article has been scanned into PDF format - ready to read at your
every field of science. This new 'Dr Shawn'edition is the
leisure on your computer (obviously, a computer DVD-R0M reader
is required along with Acrobat Reader 6 or later). For history buffs, latest version - it's said to be even more user friendly
worth its weight in gold. For vintage radio enthusiasts, whal with much more information and data. Runs with any
could be better? For anyone interested in electronics, this is browser (on Win2000 or later). Recommended by the
one which you itUSIhave in your collection! National Science Teachers Association (USA).
NOTE: ALL PNrcES ABE PLUS P&P - SEE BELOW. TAX lNV0|CE - SlLlC0N CHIP PUBLICATI0NS n¡N qs oo¡ zos ¿so
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 Letters and emails should contain complete name, address and daytime phone number. Letters to
Cash in your sur¡rlus gear. Advertise it here in Sn rco¡q Crrrp the Ed¡tor are submiüed on the condition that Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd may edit and has the

II right to reproduce in electronic form and communicate these letters. This also applies to submissions

a CIASSIFIED AùVERflgNe RAÍES I Battery

to "Ask Stltcoru CHrp" and "Circuit Notebook".

Standby power in I always find SucoN CHIP interest-

HD set top boxes ing each month and have built many projects was far more limited. I much
I bought a HD set-top box (Digicrys- kits since issue No.1, prefer the diverse range ofproiects you
tal) in Adelaide. As with the Tevion David Lawrence, continue to cover. I think it's a credit
TEV82o0 reviewed in the March 2008 Victor Harbor, SA. to you that you continue to dream
issue, it also had a large standby watt- them upl
age. Micro proiects need more As an electronic enthusiast for over
L-'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
-.J It appears that in standby mode it software explanation 40 years, I prefer to try my hand at
merely removes the program content Your February 200S editorial raised new things. In fact I now put together
www.batterybook.com some interesting points regarding more practical proiects, most using the
HIGH QUALITY VALVE/TUBE KITS Phone (08) 9302 5444
from the video signal, so the box "ap-
pears" to start up almost instantly. All magazine content, Firstly, as you have mighty PICAXE processor, than I ever
NX.14 RETRO NIXIE CLOCK well and good, except my video set-up said, your magazine has many micro- did in the past.
has an automatic switch box (Jonsa processor-based designs and I dare I often use parts of a circuit You
STEREO VALYE
SC Jufy-Aug
Ellies) to direct the most recently say |ohn Clarke must know just about have published and modifu them for
2007
AMPLIFIER switched-on video signal (DVD, SD everything there is to know about us- my own purpose. If a micro can save
SC Aug-Sep box/recorder, HD box) automatically ing the PIC processor considering the dozens of logic ICs I'm all for it and I
2005 LIMITED
HI.FI SPEA|(ER REPAIRS to the amplifier and TV. As the video number of designs he has come up don't consider it diminishes the excite-
PRODUCTION
This great-looking and
signal is always present, the auto with, Do I think there are too many ment I get making something work.
popular valve amplifier now has better ì These amazing clocks are loved by technical and YOUN EXPENI SPEAKEN NEPNN SPECIALISIS
micro based projects? On balance, I The one criticism I do have is the
sound than ever and has been favourably compared non-technical people alike. Features retro vintage switch box ignored the HD box after
to other valve amplifiers costing 3-5 times its price. Nixie tubes & crystal control for accurate time. Specialising in UK US and Danish brands. the flrst switch-on. would say no, Iack of detailed software explanation,
FULL KIT:$950.00 FULL KIT: $259,00 with transparent housing & blue Speakerbits areyourvintage, rare and collectable speaker I returned the Digicrystal HD box If I look back at my "pre-micro" You seemed to put more effort into this
Available in silver as shown or in shoji white lor a LED uplighting, LESS HOUSING: $199.00 repairexperts. fo am surrounds,voice coils, complete and have since bought a Topfield magazines (I collected EA, ETI & AEM side ofyour projects a few years back
really contemporary appearance. recone kits and more. 0riglnal 0EM parsforScan'Speak TF7010HT HD set top box (also the when they were published and of but I don't see it as much anY more.
GTESS AUDIO: 7 Lyonsville Ave, Preston 3072. Dynaudio,Tannoy, JBl. ElectoVoice and ohers!
same price - $198) which does switch course, SIICON CHrp, for more years I use the PICAXE chip as it's verY
Phone: (O3l 9442 3991 Mob: 0403 O55 374 lel: 03 9647 7000 www.speakerhits.com to fulI standby and works perfectly. than I'd like to admit to), the range of easy to program and you cover this

Boa¡d Manufacture
Hí-Tech lÃIIN System 48-Hour service * High qualþ * Low priqes PICAXE circuits are not frustrating but in the end rewarding being winners if they use a PICAXE
I oßtoanyquantity and I did it myself! or PIC, we can see how you could
& History Cleaner Artwork desigr if required , the only winners
Maybe we need a mix of projects easþ getthat imprcssion since thete
C all Jo r obli ga ti o n fre e q rcte "' I I have noticed a big trend towards
TV reception in your Eyerything someone has euer done on ,NT PCBS. POBox 448, Avalon 2 and some more "back to basics" have been so many winners øIong
11æ Fax þ2),9974
PlC-based projects. More worrying is
home is nowaffordable. your computer can be ttaced. Go to Ph 102)æ74411
the appearance thatthe only circuits articles on microcontrollers for us those lines in the last 72 months.
Send for your free info
pac* containing eQuip-
www. cleansitesystem. com
thathave any chance of winningthe old guys out there. Howeve4 that is not intentional
ment catalog, satellite 0rdet today for FBEE 801{US tx)il'Nr,(rll) olIll ()l'lAl,oo À'l' Circuit Notebook prize are those The other thing I have noticed and we have had non-PIC winners
lists, etc or call for appointment to view. www. iinet. net.au/-wolcom that include a PICAXE. I have been with PIC kits is that their price is in the March, April, May, August ù
We can display all salellit€s from 76.5"
to 180".
AY-COilt PlL, UP Porell¡ Rd; *
sMWWW
Each binder holds up to 12 issues
woRtDwtDE EtEcTRol{lc coMPollEllrs
P0 Box 631, Hillarys, WA 6923
put off submitting my ideas and
circuits because of this. I wonder
how many of your readers are in the
generally between $70 and $100.
I sometimes find it hard to see tle
value in kits like the "PIC-Based Bat-
December 2007 issues and in the
March t April2008 issue.
In j u d ging th e winner e ach month,
Brookvale, tS'Wãm.
Ph: (08) 9i107 7305 Fax: {081 9307 7309
same boat. tery Voltage Monitor" (Sruco¡¡ Crm. we are lookíng for ingenuity and if
Prlce: $A13.95 plus $47 p&p per order (p&p Email: worcom@iinet.net.au the circuit involves a PIC/PICAXE
Ta[ lE S9{37t or9ß9¡ß78. lree for 5+ binders). Avallable in Australla only. I have built a lot of projects in May 2006) for cars which retails for
Far 9939 f376; wwr.aroonm.con.au Buy live and get them postage free. my day and have found that micro- around 970 when you can buy an and is ingenious, then so be it' But we
PCBs MADE, ONE OR MANY. Any controlled projects tend to do what LCD module for around $20 that would Love to have a larger varietY
format, hobbyists welcome. Sesame tley are claimed to and have greater will do the same job. Hobby elec- of circuits - if you have some, please
name LEDs from just a few cents each. Electronics Phone (02) 9593 1025. reliability. Is this a good thing? I'm honics is no longer cheap and some send them in. Hauing said that, there
FOR SALE Also Cree X-Lamps, 5 and 10 watt power sesame@sesame.com.au not really sure. people will find ithard to justifythe is no guarantee that they will win or
LEDs, LED drivers, kits and all sorts of www.sesame.com.au I remember building the 240VAC growing cost of kits. So maybe some even be published (we can be hard
LEDs! I NOW HAVE good stocks of other stuff. www.ledsales.com.au light chaser some years ago. It was low-cost projects couldbe added for toplease...).
RCS RADIO/DESIGN is at 41 Arlewis abigkitwith some 3oo-odd compo- these readers too. As far as kit ptices are concerned,
Nichia superbright oval LEDs, as well
St, Chester Hil 2162, NSW Australia nents and it took a couple of days Paul Dawson, if you look at them in rcal dollar
as Smm Agilent (HP) LEDs. These MicroByte Electronics: PIC Micros
Development Board - DeveloPment and has all the published PC boards to build. What I remember most is Waurn Ponds, Vic. terms, they are still good value for
are fantastic, bright brand-name qual- - Comment: with regard to the matter money compqred to kit prices of 20
ity LEDs at Chinese LED prices! Also tools & Components, Phone: (03) 9378 from SC, EA, ETl, HE, AEM & others. Ph what I learned about fault-finding in
(02) 9738 0330. sales @ rcsradio.com. getting the thing to work. It was most about Circuít Notebook items only o1 more yeaß ag,o.
Osram surJace mount range and other 4288. info @ microbyte.com.au; www.
NOS standard and superbright brand microbyte.com.au au ; www.rcsradio.com.au
MAY 2OOB
7o2 Stuco¡,t Crutp www. s il ico nch ip. com. au siliconchip.com.au

Pu b I isher
& Ed itor-i n-Ch i eÍ
Leo Simpson, B.8us., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Slall
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Ross Tesler
Jim Rowe, 8.4., 8.Sc, UK?ZLO
Mauro Grassi, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Photography
ßoss Tester
Beader Services
Ann Morris
Advertising Enquiries
Glyn Smilh
Phone (02) 9939 3295
Mobile 0431 792293
g lyn@siliconchip. com. au
Regular Contributors
Brendan Akhurst
Rodney Champness, VK3UG
Mike Sheriff , B.Sc, VK2YFK
Stan Swan
SlLlC0N CHIP is published 12 times
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ntron ics. com. au Humidity & dewpoinl - current and 24 hrs
ogy does not have to be really exotic, It uses NiMH batteries and its motor www. g ra
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devices such as power steering and braking. Nor does a motorbike need to
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and Pascal, Flash File support, and boot
On a less positive note, we also have a debunking review of the Enersonic o Easy to program,--r'à loaders.
Power Saver in this issue, We are really concerned that such products con-
t"t*ioiTli PlCmicro Programmers And Compilers:
tinue to appea-r. They appeal to people's concerns about climate change, -tclEllnl.Gom.au o Powerful, versatile microEngineering Labs USB programmers,
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Jr¡lll¡rl¡t -lül@blrll¡Lilr.rr Develop€r's Kit $193 includes progming cable & softwæ adapters, and Basic Compilers, DIY (K¡t-
tr Hil lln llil ¡ll¡ ü llzt llt ¡¡t in Australia - enthusiastic usem srus) USB programmers, MikroElektronika
The big problem is that most people simply do not have any concept of Basic, Pascal, DSpic Pascal Compilers,
CCS C, FED C, Hi-Tech C, MikroElektronika
how electricity is generated and how various appliances actually work and
C, disassembler and hex tools.
consume electric energy, If a few more people in the corridors of power,
for example, realised how little power is consumed by ordinary incandes- CAN: Lawicell CANUSB, CAN232
cent lamps in the home relative to total electric power consumption, there FTDI: USB Family of lC 's. FT232RL,
would never have been any move to ban them, Compact fluorescent lamps FT2452RL, also BL and olhers.
are more efficient but their wholesale adoption will have very little effect 4DSystems LOD/Graphics: Add VGA,
Un¡versal sf/tial dev¡ce servf'ß allow yout
on total power consumption in most homes. Those householders who have monitor, oTOLED LCD to your micro, Simple
industtial seilal devices t0 be n1nit\red
Serial l/F.
had their incandescents changed to CFLs should already be aware of this, lrcm vou netwotk w¡th PPP\E &
DDl,lS protocols, Thrly suppotl Ap-plicati Heaps And Heaps Of USB Products:
since their energy bills will have hardly changed, if at all. firnware upgrade, web manage-
nent and event alam liggeiln|
TTL, RS-232, RS-485, modules, cables,
And if people had this knowledge about electricity, the ridiculous postur- us¡ng anail and SMS lot rcaL analyzers, CRO's.
ing about the recent Earth Hour would have had even less significance - it tine sy slen manag em e nt. Popular Easysync USB To RS-232
was a meaningless gesture which fortunately was ignored by the majority
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siliconchip.com,au www. s i I iconc h ip. com. au MAY 2OO8 103
 Do You Eat, Breathe and Sleep TECHNOLOGY? Aduertising lndex
tunities for full-time and oart-time oositions all over Australia & New Zealand
Jaycar Eleclronics is a rapidly growing, Australian Iwhy.not do something you love and get paid lor it? Please 555 Electronics. . .. .... ............ ... B
owned, international rela¡ler w¡th more lhan 39 stores in
Australia and New Zealand. 0ur aggressive expansion
wrile or omail us w¡lh your deta¡ls, along wilh yout C.V.
and any qualilications you may have. We pay a
Aternative Techology Assoc ...... 6
programme has resulted in the need for ded¡cated compet¡tíve salary, sales commissions and have greal Altronics . ... .82-85
indiv¡duals to i0¡n our team lo ass¡st us in achieving our benefib liks liheral stafl purchase policy.
Amateur Scienttst CDs. . ........ .. 99
a
goals.
Send to:
We pride ourselves on the technical knowledge of our Fetail 0perations Manager - Jeycar Electronics Pty Lld Av-Comm ....... .......102
staff. Do you lhink lhat the f0llowing statements describe
you? Please put a tick ¡n the boxes that do:
P.0. Box 6424 Silveruater ltSW 1811
BitScope Designs. IBC
Email: iobs@iaycar,com.au
Clean Site System . . .. ............102
Knowledgs 0f electron¡cs, part¡culaily at component level.
E
E Assenble proiects or k¡ts youßalflor car, complJtar, sud¡o, etc.
Jaycar Electronics is an equal opportunity employer and
act¡voly promolos staff from within the organisation.
Computronics . . 103
tr
tr
Havs empathy w¡th oth€6 who have the same interesl ss you.
May have worked in some relail aliêsdy Inot ohligatorÏl.
CutterElectronics ...........,... I
Dick Smith Electronics . ... ....24-27 10 The Vectrix Electric Motor Scooter
Jagtrar
E llavo energy, enlhusiasm and a pers0tral¡tylhat sn¡oys
help¡ng p€opls.
tr Apprecistes an opFortun¡ty forfulure advancement. Dontronics ...... 103 The Vectrix Electric Motor Scooter is the f¡rst production battery-powered road
E Havo an eye for detail.
Ecowatch..... .103 vehicle to be sold in Australia. We test drove it for a week - by Ross Tester
Emona lnstruments. . . . .. ......... 39 18 The Enersonic Power Saver
Furzy Electronics....... ...21 Here's another power saving gadget that won't save you a cent on your
Gless Audio. ... 102 electricity bill- by Leo Simpson
Grantronìcs... .. .... . 103
N¡M2-434.650-10 Applications: TX2H-433-64 Harbr-rchElectronics.......... . 38 29 Prototype PC Boards
Rural Where do you go for high-quality prototype PC boards and for small
UH F Nanowband Transceiver High Profile Communications. 104
production runs? IMP Printed Circuits Pty Ltd, that's where - by RossTester
ln Stock NOW! Utilities IMP Printed Circuits... . . . ... 15
lndustrial lnstarrtPCBs ...102
Commercial Jaycar .. 1FC,49-56,104
Government JED Microprocessors .... ....... 5
Meter Reading Receiver: RX2A-433-64 Keith Rippon. 1O4 Replacement CDI Module For Small Petrol Motors
LED Sales .........102 Don't pay hundreds of dollars lor a replacement CDI module for your ride-on
RADIOMETRIX: Low Power, Licence Exempt Radio Modules Microbyte Electronics .... . . .102 mower, motorbike, outboard or other small petrol motor.This one can be built
for less than $50 - by John Clarke
RF Modules Australia, P.O. Box 1957 Launceston, TAS., 7250. Microzed Computers .. ....... 79
Ph : 03-633 1-6789. Email : sales@fmodules.com.au. Web: rfmodules.com.au Ocean Controls .. 4 High-Accuracy Digital LC Meter
Ozitronics . .95 It's based on an ingenious measurement technique and measures inductance
Performance Elect For Cars..... 37 from 1ùnH to over 70mH and capacitance from 0.1pF to over 800nE lt's also
Prime Electronics .. 7 very easy to build - by Jim Rowe
Procon Technology....,. ... . .104 Low-Cost dsPlC/PlG Programmer
An extensive range of construction kits We specialise in:
are now available. Controlled by the
Quest Electronics . ... 103 Easylo-build unit can program all dsPlCSùF series microcontrollers in the DIP
ROBOPTo interface and flowchart Mini lathes, milling m,/c. FCS Radio....... ........ . 1O2 package, along with most PIC microcontrollers - by Mauro Grassi
style software. Communicates with the
Data logging, test and FF Modules OBC,104
PC via COM, USB or RF data link
measurement equipment.
Fohde & Schwarz .. I 76 High-Current Adjustable Voltage Regulator
Rezap battery chargers. Want to opercte a CD, DVD or MP3 player from the cigarette lighter socket
Ultra-Violet torches. Sesame Electronics 102
in your car? This 6-step adjustable regulator will step the voltage down to
The fischertechnik range includes kits for the Weather stations, Silicon Chip Binders.... .45.75 by Mauro Grassi
junior engineer tbrough to training models for Power supplies. Silicon Chip Bookshop .... 100-101
what's needed -
schools and unive¡sities. Interface drivers and Fìadio. TV & Hobbies DVD-ROM . 15
*Free Varta alksline
C language compiler examples included.
Extensive range of spare parts stocked. b¡tteries wlth all orders. Silicon Chip Subscriptions ......,. B1
Siomar Battery lndustries. . 102
ww\ü.procontechnology.com.au P. O. Box 65 5 Mt.Waverley VIC 3 1 49.
Soundlabs Group .. 61 57 Serviceman's Log
Phone: 1300304125 Fax: (03) 98306481 email: procon@tpgi.com.au Speakerbits ....102 Who mangled Duck's USB ports? - by theTV Serviceman
Splat Controls. 103
72 Circult Notebook
Tekmark Australia.. 6 (1) Frequency lndicator For Generating Equipment; (2) Constant-Current
and passive components for industry,
KIT ASSEMBLY hobbyist and amateur projects includ- Telelink .. ... 103 LED Navigation Lights; (3) Optical Smoke Detector; (4) BiasedYes Or No
ing Drew Diamond.2TThe Mall, South Truscotts Electronic World. 104 Circuit; (5) 24V e 6VVersions ForThe Battery Charge Controller
KETTH RTPPON KrT ASSEMBLY & Croydon, Melbourne. (03) 9723 3860. Trusys. ........ 103
86 Vintage Radio
BEPAIR: electron¡cworld @ optusnet.com.au Vectrix Australia.. ... .. 47
The versatile multi-band Ferris 174 poftable - by Rodney Champness
* Australia & New Zealand Wagner Electronics. . ...,. ... 59
* Small production runs. WANTED: EARLY HlFls, AMPLIFIERS, Worldwide Elect Components.. 102
Phone Keith 0409 662794. Speakers, Turntables, Valves, Books,
keith.rippon gmail.com Quad, Leak, Pye, Lowther, Ortofon,
2 Publisher's Letter
@
SME, Western Electric, Altec, Marantz, i],I Eoareis 81 Order Form
WANTED Mclntosh, Tannoy, Goodmans, Whar- Printed circuit boards for SiLICON 3 Mailbag 94 Ask Silicon ChiP
fedale, rad¡o and wireless. Collector/ CHIP designs can be obtained from
RCS Badio Pty Ltd. Phone (02) 9738
28 Book Review 98 Notes & Errata
CUSTOMERS: Truscotts Electronic Hobbyist will pay cash. (07) 5471 1062.
johnmurt@ highprof ile.com.au 0330 Fax (02) 9738 0334. 38 Products Showcase 102 Market Centre
World - large range of semiconductors

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 \ Don't forget

May lth
itSCOPe pc oscittoscopes & Anolyze?s
on Sunday
Ask for our Mother's Day flyer DSO Test Instrument Software for Bitscope M¡xed Signal Oscilloscopes
in store from lst May. , ,, -JEJ',
CREE" X-Glow LED Torches Golour Changing Magic Egg Light 30W Professional PA Amplifier I covrrn I
cour:n

Watch ¡n amazement as this magic egg changes from S:TUP

These fanlastic torches use Cree,B high
performance LEDs for massive l¡ght output one colour to the next. The egg can be lifted from its
- Mains or l2VDC Powered
A versatile PA ampl¡fìer thât can be run from
and low battery drain They are built to last charging base and placed anywhere
mains power for honre, office or factory use, or
and are housed ¡n a tough alloy case around the house. Safer than candles
from 1 2VDC for portable applications like
. Several models available and beaut¡ful to watch.
. lncludes mains charger busklng or spruiking.
I 36 Lumens .95mm h¡gh
. 30W RMS power output @ 4 ohms
Perfect fo[ everyday use . Output impedance 4 to I 6 ohms
. lncludes nylon pouch & carry¡ng strap GH-r804
¡rr.r¡ |
' Water resistant . 3 egg version also available
.3 x l.5V AA Size alkaline batter¡es 0ncluded) l-rftã.
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. Burn time: Up to 25 hrs
Fnd*Èl
lulúúl
s49.95 E@
|_l--
ldeal for hearry-duty lighling situations rILl
It projects a beam of up to 176 lumens and url ¡r l.rql
includes 3 opeiational modes High/Low ¡@,
intensity and a flash¡ng sett¡ng IEil
@
@
Valve Lookalike AM/FM Radio
A funky AM/FM radio that's styled like a hiji valve rl SP¡ uspuv
$59.95 amp with genu¡ne ¡m¡tation valves that glow just "":I¡ Ji
like real ones. lt also has a faux heats¡nk to
136 Lumens - Rechargeable
This sturdy unit can be recharged via â mains outlet or
High Efficiency MEPS complete the look 90mm high.
. Requ¡res 4 x AA batteries :l
even your car's c¡garette lighter The pelect camping Rated Plug Packs
companion Car and mains chargers included These new high efficiency ma¡ns adaptors meet the
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5, 6,9, & l2VDC models are available in two power
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. 5 watt models MP-3144/45/46/47
. t5 wâtt nìodels MP-3480/82184/86

Talking Photo Album

Perfect for Grand Parents 4 Channel BitScope 2 Channel BitScope Pocket Analyzer
of overseas relatives
lmagine the ¡oy when they
press the button and hear Cool Mist Humidifier BitScope DSO Software for Windows and Linux
a Þre-recorded message "l Reduce airborne allergens and
love you Grandad" or "l love promote skin hydrat¡on |rrth this
Bitscope DSO is fast and intuitive multi-channel test and measurement software for your
PC of notebook whelher ìt's a digital scope, spectrum analyzey mixed signal scope,
you Nan". Holds up to 72 elegant humidifier AiÌri i:w drops of
6" x 4" photos and each one essential o¡l and enlr ' ' l¡enefits of logic analyzer, waveform generator or data recorder, Bitscope DSO supports them all.
can have ¡ts own l0 second capture deep buffer one-shots or display waveforms live just like an analog scope.
sound track. comprehensive test instrument integration means you can view the same data in
. Requires 3 x AAA batteries . 60ml water tânk capâ: different ways simultaneously at the click of a button.
' lVains Power suPPI\' l' , lt .'r. DSO may even be used stand-alone to share data with colleagues, students or
' 2romm high
02 ó02 I
ó788
OUEENSLÄIID
Aspley Ph 38ó3 0099 Aluminium Case with customers. waveforms may be exported as porlable image files or live captures replayed
02 9699 4699 Ca¡rns Ph 404 I 6747 on other PCs as if a Bitscope was locally connected
07 9to9 2822 loswich Ph 3782 5800 Foam Insert
02 9618 9669 lVoolloongabba Ph 3393 0117
5479 35tI ldeal for camera & v¡deo equipment etc. Bitscope DSO supports all current Bitscope models, auto-configures when it connects
02 9ló9 3899 Maroochydore Ph
02 9905 4t30 Mermaid Beach Ph 552ó 6122 Features removable 15mm square foam pieces and can manage multiple BitScopes concurrently. No manual setup ¡s normally required.
02
02
4620 1 t55
4165 3433
lownsville
lJnderuood
Ph
Ph
4112 50?2
4888 Rechargeable Shaving Kit Data export is available for use with third parly software tools and Bitscope's networked
02 9439 4799 Stay groomed while you re travelling wltlr lhis data acquis¡tion capabilities are fully suppoded.
02 9416 6121
02 4965 1199 rechargeable shaver kit Ultra-thin foil and floating
02 9ó83 3377 cutter for a close shave Mains charger in1 tded
0? 472t 8337
02 883t lt5t Was 529.95
02 974 I 8557
02 9261 t6t4
02 953 I 7013
07 5524 6566
02 4226 7089

9384 l8l I

978t 4t00
522 I
5800
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9070 9053 use l¡braries to bu¡ld custom B¡tscope solutions.
9547 t077
93t0 80óó
Measures 407w] x 277(DJ x gs(Hlmm

www. bits coPe. com

9465 3333

8948 4043
Bitscope Desisns Ë:, [3i] 31323?ZZ
Better. More Technical INTERNET. www.Jaycar.c0m.au
Prices valid until 3l-5-08
 Suppliers of Low PowerWireless Connectivity products throughout Australia, New Zealand & S.E Asia

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