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CIRCLE 133 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

FJectronics
Combined ,ui,,

adio Electronics

Vol. 70 No 10

OCTOBER

rj
1

O V E R

Universal Noise Reduction System

27

Electronicls
NOW

Most noise -reduction techniques require

wuera4i
that the original source material be special- nu1-Rt?duCi_
ly encoded. One example of that is Dolby
noise reduction that is often used with prerecorded audio tapes. However, there are
countless other audio sources that suffer
from white noise -or hiss -that could benefit from some noise reduction...and this
month's cover project provides it. The
Universal Noise-Reduction System is easy
to install and does not require pre-processed material to be effective. It also features an audio compressor that
can be used to reduce the volume of excessively -loud TV commercials.
Richard Panosh

E C

H N O L O G Y

Prototype

13
Fuel -cell batteries for cars, monitoring air pollution, 3-D imaging for
doctors, a micropump, and more.

PIC Assembly Language for the Complete

34

Beginner

This month we "PIC" up the pace as we look in more depth at what

the various instructions do and tackle a more advanced project.
Michael A. Covington

Measuring Gravity Waves

39

,A N D

T H

L D

TV -Audio Hearing Wonder

Build one of these and return the joy of TV

watching to someone who is hearing impaired.
Ray Green

D E

P,AR

EQUIPMENT REPORT

Epson PowerLite 7500C Portable Multimedia

Projector.

SERVICE CLINIC
Finishing up with monitor repair.
Sam Goldwasser
O

11 DX LISTENING
A short history of shortwave.

Don Jensen

COMPUTER CONNECTIONS
Optimizing the Windows operating system.
Konstantinos Karagiannis
21

24 ANTIQUE RADIO
Let's look at some reader mail.

Marc Ellis

79 TECH MUSINGS

Do gravity waves actually exist? If you build one of these experiSkip Campisi
mental devices, maybe you can provide the proof!
--

75

A low -cost PC -board drilling system, and more.

Don Lancaster

M O R E

Q &A

EDITORIAL

18

LETTERS

84

NEW PRODUCTS

86

NEW LITERATURE

8R

ADVERTISING INDEX

88

ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE

As a service to readers, ELECTRONICS NOW publishes available plans or information relating to newsworthy products, techniques, and scientific and technological
developments. Because of possible variances in the quality and condition of materials and workmanship used by readers, ELECTRONICS NOW disclaims any
responsibility for the safe and proper functioning of reader-built projects based upon or from plans or information published in this magazine.

Since some of the equipment and circuitry in ELECTRONICS NOW may relate to or be covered by U.S. patents, ELECTRONICS NOW disclaims any liability for the
infringement of such patents by the making, using, or selling of any such equipment or circuitry, and suggests that anyone interested in such projects consult a patent
attorney.
ELECTRONICS NOW, (ISSN 1067 -9294) October 1999. Published monthly by Gernsback Publications, Inc., 500 Bi -County Boulevard, Farmingdale, NY 11735 -3931.
Periodicals Postage paid at Farmingdale, NY and additional mailing offices. Canada Post IPM Agreement No. 334103, authorized at Mississauga, Canada. One-year
subscription rate U.S.A. and possessions $24.99, Canada $33.15 (includes G.S.T. Canadian Goods and Services Tax, Registration No. R125166280), all other
countries $33.99. All subscription orders payable in U.S.A. funds only, via international postal money order or check drawn on a U.S.A. bank. Single copies $4.99. CD
1999 by Gernsback Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to ELECTRONICS NOW, Subscription Dept., Box 55115, Boulder, CO 80328 -5115.
A stamped self-address envelope must accompany all submitted manuscripts and/or artwork or photographs if their return is desired should they be rejected. We
disclaim any responsibility for the loss or damage of manuscripts and/or artwork or photographs while in our possession or otherwise.

r1

Combined with

Radio Electronics
Hugo Gernsback (1884 -1967) founder
LARRY STECKLER, EHF, CET,
Editor-in -chief and publisher
ADRIA COREN, Vice President
KEN COREN, Vice President

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
CARL LARON, editor
JOSEPH J. SUDA, technical editor
EVELYN ROSE, assistant editor
MICHAEL A. COVINGTON, N4TMI

ORIAL

The Late Shift

Love the Internet or hate it; spend hours a day or never go there; what you can't
deny is that the Internet has changed "everything." When it comes to commerce,
communications, and information, the Internet represents the "mother of all paradigm shifts."

contributing editor
MARC ELUS, contributing editor
SAM GOLDWASSER, service editor
DON JENSEN, contributing editor
KONSTANTINOS KARAGIANNIS,

computer editor
FRANKLIN J. MILLER, audio editor
DON LANCASTER, contributing editor
JANINE ABITABILE, editorial assistant

ART DEPARTMENT
ANDRE DUZANT, art director
RUSSELL C. TRUELSON, illustrator

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
KEN COREN production director
KATHRYN R. CAMPBELL

production assistant
MICHELE MUS

production assistant

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
GINA GALLO

circulation director
CHRISTINA M. ESTRADA

circulation assistant

REPRINT DEPARTMENT
JANINE ABITABILE
reprint bookstore

Typography by Mates Graphics

Electronics Now

is indexed in
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Let me explain what I mean. A paradigm is, in essence, a set of laws, assumptions,
and/or procedures that describe how things "get done." However, since the only
constant is change, it is inevitable that due to some set of factors, some paradigms
cease to work. When that happens, a paradigm shift is said to have occurred.
Some paradigm shifts sort of sneak up on us, taking years, decades, or centuries to
occur. Those hardly anyone notices. Others occur with the suddenness of a gunshot, and sometimes with equally devastating results to those unable to shift with

the paradigm.

The Internet, of course, falls into the latter category. And while it has had a profound effect on individuals, that is nothing at all compared to the effect it has had
on business. One of the latest to have to deal with a rapidly shifting paradigm is the
music industry.

In the July issue of Electronics Now, our "Computer Connections" column introduced you to the new world of Internet-distributed digital audio, or, more specifically, MP3 files. Among other things, that format allows new or alternative artists
to bypass the recording industry and distribute their work in a high-quality format
directly to the public. It also lets traditional record companies and artists distribute
promotional tracks to publicize upcoming releases. Coming away from the
Internet, using software rippers," users can create MP3 files from their own CDs
for storage on their PCs or for play on new portable hardware players.
Unfortunately, there is a dark side to the MP3 explosion, and the last point mentioned is the key to it. While there's nothing wrong with making MP3 files of your
own legally purchased music for your own use, the Internet abounds with illegally
"ripped" MP3 files of commercial CDs, and that fact has the music industry scared
witless. To combat the spread of MP3 files, the recording industry filed suit (and
lost) to ban the sale of MP3 players that did not meet the provisions of the 1992
Audio Home Recording Act.

They've also established a closed, competing standard called SDMI (Secure Digital
Music Initiative) to compete with MP3; their aim is to have players on the market
by the holiday season. And, of course, it will most likely fail as badly as DIVX
because the recording industry does not "get" the paradigm shift.

For one thing, there is talk that the SDMI standard includes a provision that could
someday prevent compliant players from using open MP3 files. That won't fly. The
public, m general, and the Internet public in particular, will not stand for a closed
system in this new age of open information. Yes, some way to protect the rights of
recording artists is needed, but not at the expense of those artists who want to reach
the public directly.
While we have lot's more to say on this topic, space does not permit. If you want to
learn more about MP3, SDMI, and the related issues, you can visit www.mp3.com and
www.eff.org (the Electronic Frontier Foundation) on the Web. Happy Listening!

Order Entry for New Subscribers:

1. 800-999 -7139.
VISIT US ON THE INTERNET AT

www.gernsback.com
Carl Laron

Editor
2

LLITii
r

JJ

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO THE EDITORS OF ELECTRONICS NOW MAGAZINE

Soldering Revisited
I was delighted to read Skip Campisi's

article "How to Succeed In Soldering"

(Electronics Now, July 1999). I have
been soldering electrical and electronic
projects somewhat longer than Mr.
Campisi and have been mightily puzzled
by the persistence of conventional soldering instructions. Mr. Campisi is absolutely and completely right.
I wonder how many people have
become discouraged and have given up
when following conventional instructions.
H. C. DOENNECKE
Tulsa, OK

Help Wanted
I need information on how to hook
up a "Rustrak" Model 288 Strip Chart
Recorder. It seems to be operational, but
I don't know how to input a signal to it.
A current address for this company (a
division of Gulton Industries) would be
appreciated, too.
Thanks for your help.
RICHARD FLAWS
212 Mondovi Drive
Oswego, IL 60543 -8408

because I sure as heck did.

device in the shape of the symbol on

NAME NOT PROVIDED

via e -mail

the rating badge for Electronics

Technicians in the US Navy. I then
hung it from the cable trays in the
overhead with #32 enameled wire so
that it was about a foot in front of my
desk. It appeared to float in the air and
always got a lot of comments.
After finishing the assembly, I
masked the glass portions of the lamps

You might think it's funny to place an

article about an analog processor in your
April issue, but I don't. I purchased this
issue after quickly looking at the contents, intending to read it fully at home.
From this day forward, you can guarantee I won't purchase another magazine
of yours again. I will also convey this
story to as many friends on the Net and
at home as I can to show that there are
better sources of information.
MARC HUDSON
via e-mail

You got me! I was suspicious because

I fell for another April Fools joke in PC
Computing where they said that there
was a microphone hidden in every computer since 1996 and that employers and
ISPs could use these to eavesdrop on

you within 5 feet of your computer. But

I wish the EC- 909 -12 was true. You guys
will have to get busy and build one.

PHIL JOHNSON
via e-mail

t he item `.twinkle, Twinkle, Little

I would like to congratulate you on

well- written article "The EC909 -12
Analog Microprocessor" (Electronics
Now, April 1999) by Ken Kemski. The
only thing that I caught that made me
wonder if it was for real was the fact
that it seamlessly went into the processor slot and could accept the new "anaa

log memory with no motherboard

modifications" and current hard drives
are set up to 1 and 0, so that was another problem. However, when I first read
it I believed it until I thought about it
a while. The April 1 thing went right
by me at first.
I hope you enjoyed your laughs,

EARN YOUR

B.S.E.E.

"Four Star" Rating

More April Fooled

and spray painted the whole thing with

gold colored paint so you could not read
the values of the components. Paint did
not affect the operation.
I have enjoyed your publication for
many years.
ROY A. NORMAN
Brunswick, GA

Lights, and More" in "Tech Musings"

(Electronics Now, June 1999) brought
back memories for me. While serving
as Electronics Material Officer on
board the U.S.S. Saratoga CVA 60 in
1960, I made the described neon light
Write To:
Letters,

Electronics Now Magazine,

500 Bi-County Blvd.,
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Due to the volume of mail we
receive, not all letters can be

answered personally. All letters

are subject to editing for clarity
and length.

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EQUIPMN

REPORT

EPSON POWERLITE 7500C PORTABLE MULTIMEDIA PROJECTOR

to automatically compress inputs of

1280 x 1024 (SXGA) or enlarge VGA
or SVGA resolutions of 640 x 480 or
800 x 600 to fill the projected 1024 x
768 image.
The PowerLite 7500C comes with
mouse cables for PC and Mac computers that allow a connection between the
host computer's mouse input and the
mouse output on the projector. Then
the remote that comes with the projector can be used to control the PC just
The best thing about the PowerLite like using a mouse.
7500C is its simplicity and ease of use.
The same remote can be used to
Not loaded down with features that adjust the projector settings from a disnobody will ever use, the unit packs in tance. Both the remote control and the
all necessary features such as built -in control panel on top of the PowerLite
stereo audio and composite and S -Video
7500C can be used to turn power on and
inputs in addition to VGA. Keeping the off, access help functions, switch
feature set lean makes for a compact, between input sources, resize the dislightweight unit that is not at all confus- play, freeze the display, mute and black
ing to use. That is important because a out audio and video, and adjust onlot of people who must use projectors screen functions. On- screen functions
are not as technically adept as the typical include image settings, audio and video
Electronics Now reader. The Power - settings, and special effects. Adjustable Lite 7500C simply powers up and auto- height feet make the PowerLite 7500C
matically projects the active input. The easy to aim.
PowerLite 7500C is compatible with PC
A ceiling mode turns the output
and Mac computers.
image upside down so that if the projecThe PowerLite 7500C has VGA, S- tor is mounted upside down on a ceiling
Video, composite video, and audio as might be the case in a permanent
inputs. The unit supports NTSC, PAL, installation, the projected image appears
and Secam video. Not only can it be right side up. A rear -projection mode
used for computer presentations, but the flops the image so that it appears cor7500C also turns a DVD player into rectly on the front of the screen when
big- screen entertainment system. The projected from the rear.
PowerLite 7500C also has built-in 1The PowerLite 7500C's display
watt amplified stereo speakers that are engine is built around three 0.9 -inch
powerful enough for a roomful of people active -matrix XGA LCD panels and
to hear. Sound is enhanced with SRS 3D Epson's own prism technology. A micro
technology. Users can connect the pro- lens array puts an ultra -tiny lens in front
jector to more powerful audio systems of each pixel and generates a display
for doing larger presentations.
comprised of 2,359,296 pixels.
In the most basic setup, the VGA
The projector's lens must be focused
output from a notebook or desktop manually by rotating the ring around the
computer connects to the VGA input on lens -this is about the only functional
the PowerLite 7500C using the included aspect that is similar to yesterday's film
cable. When the projector is turned on, projector. The lens also has a manual
it automatically displays the active input. zoom setting to enlarge or decrease
Epson's second -generation resizing image size without having to move the
technology allows the PowerLite 7500C projector toward or away from the

Epson's new compact multimedia

projector weighs less than
10 pounds but is loaded with
convenient presentation features.

CIRCLE 15 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

t is many people's job to visit another

company or group of individuals and
put on some sort of presentation. Of
course, today's technology permits far
more interesting presentations than yesterday's simple chalkboard or overhead
projector did. Typically one will deliver
a presentation today using a notebook
computer. Modern computers allow
presentations to include fancy color,
graphics, sound, video, and more.
The problem with doing presentations on a notebook computer is that not
too many people can see the presentation at once. Even with a 15 -inch display, a notebook computer's screen can
only be viewed by two or three people at
once. The solution to this problem is a
multimedia projector. Similar in theory
to a TV projector, a multimedia projector, at the very minimum, accepts a
VGA input from a computer and projects an image onto a wall or screen that
an auditorium filled with people to see.

The Epson PowerLite 7500C

Presentation projectors are getting
better all the time, and the Epson
PowerLite 7500C is a perfect example of
that. This compact multimedia projector
weighs only 9.4 pounds and measures 9.3
inches wide by 13.6 inches deep by 3.6
inches high, yet it features a bright, 120 watt ultra- high -efficiency lamp rated at
800 ANSI lumens. The lamp should
remain adequately bright through 400
hours of use. The projector has a native
XGA resolution of 1024 X 768. An
infrared remote control is included.

produced by:

screen. The image size can vary from

about 19 to 300 inches measured diagonally when projected from a distance of
between 3.3 and 50 feet.
Power consumption for the 7500C is
approximately 220 watts when turned on,
and it also has a low- current 30 -watt
sleep mode. Its operating noise level is
less than 42 dBA, which means that the
projector is fairly quiet and will not be a
distraction during presentations. Its heat
output cannot be avoided, and the unit
will warm up a closed room after a period of time, but that's the case with all
projectors- bright bulbs always generate lots of heat. The projector will not
allow the cooling fans to shut down
before the bulb is adequately cooled.
The PowerLite 7500C comes with
an AC cable, a VGA cable, Macintosh
and PS/2 mouse cables, a composite
RCA -type AV cable, an infrared remote
control with batteries, a detachable carry
strap, and a user's manual. An S -Video
cable is not included. The standard one
year limited warranty includes Epson's
Road Service Program (in the U.S. and
Canada only) and a dedicated toll -free
support line. Optional accessories, such
as replacement lamps and carrying cases,
are also available.
The PowerLite 7500C is a versatile
projector that is easy to carry and use.
The picture is sharp and bright enough
to be seen in a well -lit room, but a darkened room is preferred. Unfortunately,
you really have to have a need for a multimedia projector to buy one of these,
because it is in no way cheap. The
PowerLite 7500C costs $9999, though
street prices are, as always, lower
(around $6799 at the time of this writing). For more information, circle 15 on
the Free Information Card or contact
Epson America, Inc. (20770 Madrona
Ave., Torrance, CA 90503; Tel: 310 -7820770; Web:www.epson.com) directly.

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email claggk @poptronix.com
Tel: 516 -293 -3751

BY SAM GOLDWASSER
SERVICE EDITOR

Monitor Repair: The Finale!

AS

REGULAR READERS OF THIS COLUMN KNOW, WE'VE

BEEN DEALING WITH THE TOPIC OF COMPUTER AND

VIDEO MONITORS FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WELL, ALL GOOD

THINGS MUST COME TO AN END. BUT BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO

other servicing topics, we need to tie up
some loose ends. This month we conclude our discussion of monitor technology and repair with some "items of
interest," resources for advanced troubleshooting, and service information.

Monitor Specifications
There is no easy way to tell the monitor's specifications or whether or not it
supports SVGA by just examining the
monitor visually. Even those with only a
9 -pin rather than a 15 -pin connector are
sometimes SVGA (e.g., Mitsubishi
AUM -1381 and NEC Multisync II,
which will do 800 x 600 at 56 Hz V
non -interlaced and 1024 X 768 interlaced at 43 Hz V). You cannot even safely test scan rates on all monitors-some
(mostly older ones) will blow up or get
damaged by being driven with incorrect
video.

For a monitor that you already have,

looking it up in a monitor database is
really the only way to be sure of its capabilities (well, pretty sure anyway as these
listings are not always correct!). If this
doesn't help, you could try posting the
information you have (model number,
FCC code, etc.) to the newsgroups:
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video and
sci.electronics.repair. When none of this
is productive, here are some quickie
tests:
1. Check the video connector. If it
has a high -density (VGA) 15 -pin connector, then there is a greater likelihood

of SVGA, but not always.

2. Check the manufacturing date on
the back. If it has a manufacturing date
of 1991 or later, the likelihood of it supporting SVGA is higher as demand for
VGA-only monitors was rapidly declining by that point.
3. Check the dot pitch on the CRT by
examining the screen with a magnifier. If
it is really coarse, the monitor probably
cannot do anything beyond VGA.
4. Become familiar with the major
manufacturers and models so that you
will recognize the most common SVGA
models.
5. Check the databases at the sites
given below.

Web Sites With Monitor

Specifications
Check out the following when you
have an SVGA, MAC, or workstation
(possible fixed frequency) monitor and
need to know its specifications:
Ehttp: //e- mac.com/ (Apple support)

Ehttp://www.mindspring.com/-nun
ez/info/monitors/ (Computer Shopper)
Ehttp://www.griffintechnology.com/
(Griffin Technology)
Ihttp://www.hercules.com/monitors
/mdb.htm (Hercules)
Ihttp://vvww.monitorworld.com/
(Monitor World)

Ehttp://www.monitorsolution.com/
Monitorsdata/ (Rasterstone)
Ehttp://hawks.ha.md.us/hardware/
monitor.html (table of monitor specs)

Some of these are companies that sell

various video products that may be useful.
However, I am only recommending these
sites for the information on monitor specifications. Note that since the data on these
sites comes from undetermined sources, it
isn't always accurate-check with more
than one site to see if they agree.

How High A Refresh Rate

Should i Use?
It is the vertical refresh rate that
impacts display appearance. The visual
effect of too low a vertical scan rate is
excessive flicker.

Up to a point, higher is obviously

better. Everyone agrees that appearance
improves up to at least 70- to 75 -Hz
(vertical) non -interlaced, but improvement beyond that point is a hotly debated issue (and a topic for a never ending
discussion on your favorite newsgroup).
The use of interlaced scanning can
reduce apparent flicker for a given scan
rate for typical gray scale or color
images, but might result in annoying
flickering or jumping of fine horizontal
lines in graphics and text displays.
In any case, you must not exceed the
maximum scan rate specs of your monitor.
Also, very high refresh rates may result in
decreased graphics performance particularly with DRAM -based video cards due
to the bus contention between the PC
memory accesses and the video readout to
the RAMDAC. And, a horizontal scan
rate below the specified limits may blow
the HOT instantly.

Interlaced vs. Non -Interlaced

Monitors
The difference between interlaced
and non -interlaced displays is in the
video timing. Nearly all monitors can
handle either. Monitors are specified as

non -interlaced because, for

a given
screen resolution and vertical refresh
rate, this is the tougher (higher) horizontal (H) scan rate, and it is desirable to
minimize flicker in a graphical display
(fine horizontal lines will tend to flicker
on an interlaced display). The H scan
rate is double the interlaced H scan rate
since all scan lines-rather than just the
even or odd ones-are being displayed
for every vertical scan.

Digital vs. Analog Controls

There is no inherent reason for a digital monitor to have a better picture, but
as a practical matter I would expect this
to be the case in the vast majority of
monitors -especially models from the
same manufacturer. The digital monitors will be the ones that the designers
concentrate on. Digital controls (both
those you can access and those used only
during setup at the time of manufacturing or servicing) permit more flexibility
in setting parameters and more- consistent adjustments on the assembly line (at
least this is possible in principle).
For the average, not-terribly-fussy
PC user, the major difference is in the
convenience of not having to adjust size
and position whenever the scan rate
changes. While the price difference
between monitors having analog or digital controls but with the same screen
size, resolution, and scan range specifications may seem excessive, the added
convenience of digital controls and scan rate- parameter memory makes the
added cost well worthwhile.

Frequent Scan -Rate Switching

This most often happens in a PC
software- development
environment
where the programmer needs to go back
and forth between a Windows display
and a DOS debugger, for example. Is it
something to be concerned about?
Obviously, without knowing the precise design of your monitor, there can
be no definitive answer. It is true that
some older monitors blew up if you
looked at them the wrong way. Newer
monitors from well -known manufacturers like Nokia, NEC, and many others are designed with a moderate
amount of scan switching in mind.
However switching is stressful for the
monitor's power supply and deflection
circuitry. I would suggest that you use
a dedicated monochrome monitor for
debugging if you really are switching
multiple times per minute. If you can-

not afford the space, you can probably

assume that if the first few days of this
kind of treatment have not induced a
failure, the monitor is robust enough
to withstand it indefinitely. If you really are switching many times per minute
8 hours or more a day, then what may
wear out are the internal relays (the
clicks you hear are from those). You are
still talking about years, however. They
are rated in hundreds of thousands or
millions of operations when used within their ratings.
Or, just go for the peace of mind provided by an extended warranty or service
contract.

Surge Suppressors and

Line Filters
Should you always use a surge suppressor outlet strip or line -filter circuit? Sure, it
shouldn't hurt. Just don't depend on those
to provide protection under all circumstances. Some are better than others, and
the marketing blurb is at best of little help
in making an informed selection. Product
literature- unless it is backed up by testing
from a reputable lab -is usually pretty useless and often confusing.
Line filters can also be useful if
power in your area is noisy or prone to
spikes or dips.
However, keep in mind that most

well- designed electronic equipment

already includes both surge suppressors like MOVs and L -C line filters.
More is not necessarily better, but may
move the point of failure to a readily
accessible outlet strip rather than the
innards of your equipment if damage
occurs.
Very effective protection is possible
through the use of a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), which always
runs the equipment off its battery from
the internal inverter (not all do). This
provides very effective isolation from
power line problems since the battery
acts as a huge capacitor. If something is
damaged, it will likely be the UPS and
not your expensive equipment. Another
option is to use a constant voltage transformer (SOLA), which provides voltage
regulation, line conditioning, and isolation from power spikes and surges.
It is still best to unplug everything in
the face of an impending lightning
storm or another event that could cause
power problems.

Monitors On Foreign Power

Using a monitor on a different voltage

or frequency is usually not a serious problem. Your PC and monitor should be

fine, requiring at most a transformer (not
just an adapter for heating appliances,
however) to convert the voltage. They
both use switching power supplies, which
don't care about the line frequency.
Some power supplies are universal
they automatically adapt to the voltage
they are fed without requiring even a
transformer-but don't assume that is
the case, check your user manual or contact the manufacturer(s) to determine if
jumpers or switches need to be changed.
You could blow up the PC or monitor by
attempting to run it on 220 VAC when it
is set to run from 117 VAC. If you are
lucky, only a fuse will blow, but don't
count on it.
For non -switching power-supply
devices like printers and wall adapters
that use line -power transformers, in
addition to matching the voltage (or setting jumpers or switches), running on a
lower line frequency may be a problem.
There is a slight chance that the power
transformer will overheat on 50 Hz if
designed for 60 Hz. (The other way
around should be fine.) It is best to
should tell you.
check the nameplate
If it does not, then best to contact the
manufacturer.

-it

Monitor Life, Energy

Conservation, and Laziness
A common misconception about the
care and feeding of computer monitors
is that they should be left on all the time.
While there are some advantages to this,
there are many more disadvantages:
1. CRT life: The life of a monitor is
determined by the life of the CRT The
CRT is by far the most expensive single
part, and it is usually not worth repairing
a monitor in which the CRT requires
replacement. The brightness half-life of
a CRT is usually about 10,000 to 15,000
hours of "on" time, independent of what
is being displayed on the screen. To put
that in perspective, 10,000 hours is only
a little more than a year. By not turning
the monitor off at night, you are reducing the life of the monitor by a factor of
2 to 3. Screen savers do not make any
substantial difference, especially with
modern displays using X- Windows or
MS Windows where the screen layout is
not fixed (and subject to burn in).
2. Component life: The heat generated inside a monitor tends to dry out
parts like electrolytic capacitors, thus
shortening their life. These effects are 7

particularly severe at night during the

summer when the air conditioning may
be off, but it is always a consideration
year around.
3. Safety: While electronic equipment designed and manufactured in
accordance with the National Electrical
Codes is very safe, there is always a small
risk of catastrophic failure resulting in a
fire. With no one around, even with
sprinlders and smoke alarms, such a failure could be much more disastrous.
4. Energy use: While modern monitors use a lot less energy than their older
cousins, the aggregate energy usage is
not something to be ignored. A typical
monitor uses between 60 and 200 watts.
Thus, at a $0.10-per -kWH electric rate,
such a monitor will cost between $48
and $160 a year for electricity. During
the night, half to two- thirds of this is
wasted for every monitor that is left on.
If air conditioning is on during the
night, then there is the additional energy usage needed to remove the heat generated by the monitor as well-probably
about half the cost of the electricity to
run the monitor.
The popular rationalization for what
is most often just laziness is that poweron is a stressful time for any electronic
device and reducing the number of
power cycles will prolong the life of the
monitor. With a properly designed
monitor, this is rarely an issue. Can you
recall the last time a monitor blew up
when it was turned on? The other argument, which has more basis in reality, is
that the thermal cycling resulting from
turning a monitor on and off will shorten its life. It is true that such thermal
stress can contribute to various kinds of
failures due to bad solder connections.
However, these can be easily repaired
and do not affect the monitor's heartthe CRT. You wouldn't leave your TV
on 24 hours a day, would you?
Most of the newest ( "green ") monitors have energy -conserving capabilities,
but it is necessary for the software to
trigger those power reduction or power down modes; not all workstations or
PCs are set up to support them, and
many older monitor still in use lack such
features altogether. However, if your
monitor and computer do support an
energy-saving mode, by all means set
them up to take advantage of it.
Even if the monitor does not support
power-saving modes, a blank screen or
dark picture will reduce stress on the
CRT and power supply. Electronic com-

ponents will run cooler and last longer.

In short, please make it a habit to
turn your monitors off at night. This
will extend the life of the monitor (and
your investment) and is good for the
environment as well. For workstations,
there are good reasons to leave the system unit on all the time. However, the
monitor should be turned off using its
power switch. For PCs, my recommendation is that the entire unit be turned
off at night since the boot process is very
quick and PCs are generally not
required to be accessible over a network
24 hours a day.
PC Video -Connector Pin Outs
Figure 1 shows the connector configurations for the monitors you are most
likely to encounter. The pin out for the
original VGA (31.5 kHz, 640 X 480)/
SVGA (35 -37 kHz, 800 X 600) 15 -pin
sub D connector is shown in Table 1.
Note that many of the pins shown in
Table 1 as "no connection" (actually,
these were sometimes used as monitor
ID bits by many manufacturers) are now
defined under the VESA Display Data
Channel standard. That standard provides two protocols for display ID and
control, including support for the full
ACCESS.bus interface. The current
definition of the "VGA" pin out per the
DDC standard is shown in Table 2. Pin
outs for EGA -TTL (15.74 to 21.85

in Table 4; for monochrome -TTL

(18.43 kHz, 720 x 350) 9 -pin connectors in Table 5; for Mac II- analog (35kHz H, 66.67 -Hz V, 640 x 480) and
Mac II- and Quadra- analog (49.7 -kHz
H, 74.55 -Hz V, 832 X 624) 15 -pin connectors in Table 6; and for the Sun
workstation 13W3 connector in Table 7.

VGA to BNC Cable

Should I use a VGA to BNC cable if
my monitor has BNC connectors? The
answer is an unqualified maybe. In principle, the BNC cable should have higher
bandwidth and better transmission -line
characteristics (impedance, termination)
and result in sharper crisper images with
less ghosting, ringing, and other artifacts. However, this will only likely be
significant at higher refresh rates and,
depending on your monitor and video
card, you may see no change or things
might even get worse.
Potential advantages of using the
BNC connector inputs on your monitor
with a good quality cable are higher
video bandwidth, which leads to a sharper display and proper connectors (at one
end, at least) and correct termination,
leading to less ghosting and ringing.
If you decide to build a BNC cable,
the job is straightforward, if time-con-

FEMALE (MONITOR/PC)

MALE (CABLE)
C)e!1

kHz) 9-pin connectors are shown in

Table 3; for CGA -TTL (15.75 kHz, 320
X 200 or 640 x 200) 9 -pin connectors

MA/CCiAIEOIk CONNECTOR

D815 MACINTOSH CONNECTOR

2

10

11

12

6
13

14

15

15

14

vo

13

12

11

10

13W3 (SUN) CONNECTOR (WORKSTATIONS)

oed7
FEMALE

(MONITORKOMPUTER)

510493827160
MALE
(CABLE)

FIG. 1-HERE ARE SOME OF the various types of monitor connectors you are likely to run
across. The pin outs are provided in Tables 1 to 7.

suming and tedious. The five coaxial

cables (75 ohm, RG59 typical) are wired
as shown in Table 8. The corresponding
VGA connector pin numbers are in
parenthesis.

Advanced Monitor
Troubleshooting
If the solutions to your problems
have not been covered in this series, you
still have some options other than surrendering your monitor to the local service center or the dumpster.

Hi-Res Computer Display Systems

Part # ST1496- 1093LE/KGPGC
Philips Service Co.
P.O. Box 555

Jefferson City, TN 37760

Tel: 423 -475 -0044
Since monitors share much in common with color TVs, books on their
repair would also be applicable for many
problems and may be readily available
from your local public library. For example, try:

Manufacturer's service literature:

Service manuals may be available for your
monitor. Once you have exhausted other
obvious possibilities, the cost may be well
worth it. Depending on the type of equipment, these manuals can range in price
from $10 to $150 or more. Some are
more useful than others. However, not all
include the schematics so if you are hoping to repair an electronic problem try to
check before buying.

Inside cover of the equipment:

TVs often have some kind of circuit diagram pasted inside the back cover. In the
old days, this was a complete schematic.
Now, if one exists at all for a monitor, it
just shows part numbers and location for
key components-still that could be
very useful.
SAM'S Photofacts: These have
been published for over 45 years but
have never been common for monitors.
There are a few for some early PC monitors but for anything modern, forget it.

Additional Information
For general information on PC video
cards and monitors, see the FAQ of the
USENET newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.
hardware.video. This document has a
wealth of data on nearly everything you
could possibly want to know about video
for the PC world. The FAQ is available
at: http: / /wwwheartlab.rri.on.ca/vidfaq /.

Some Possible References

There don't seem to be that many
readily available books on monitor
repair, but here are a few:
Troubleshooting and Repairing Computer
Monitors

Stephen Bigelow
McGraw-Hill, 1995
Computer Monitor Troubleshooting &
Repair

Joe Desposito
Howard W. Sams & Co, 1997

Troubleshooting and Repairing Solid State

TVs, 3rd Edition
Homer L. Davidson

TAB Books, Inc. 1996

The following doesn't specifically

deal with monitors but may be of interest as well:
Video Demystified: A Handbook for the

Digital Engineer
Keith Jack
Brooktree Corporation, 1993

The sci.electronics.repair

Newsgroup
Where you have a specific question
on a particular monitor (or other equipment), posting the make and model and
a concise description of the problem,
and what you have already attempted on
the USENET newsgroup sci.electronics.repair might result in suggestions
from both professionals and others like
yourself who have had experience with
your monitor.
See the document: "Troubleshooting
of Consumer Electronic Equipment" at
my www.repairfaq.org Web site for
many additional on -line resources to aid
in monitor servicing.
FCC ID Numbers
Only a few manufacturers actually
produce the vast majority of computer
and video monitors. For example,
RadioShack, Magnavox, and Emerson
do not make their own monitors (I can
tell you are not really surprised!). All
those house-brand monitors that come
bundled with mail order or "Mike and
Joe's Computerama" PCs are not actually put together in someone's garage!
(Well, not that many, at least.)
How do you determine who actually
made your monitor? For most types of
consumer electronics equipment, there
is something called an "FCC ID" or

TABLE

1- ORIGINAL VGA
Signal

Pin

Red (Analog)
2
Green (Analog)
Blue (Analog)
3
Reserved
4
5
Ground
Red Return
6
7
Green Return
Blue Return
8
No Connection
9
10
Ground
11
(IDO)GND (Color)
12
(ID1) NC (Color)
13
Horizontal Sync
Vertical Sync
14
No Connection
15
Note: Monitor ID Lines ID1, IDO =NC, G
for color; G,NC for Monochrome. IDO
only may be used.
Monochrome VGA is similar using only
the Green Video and Return.
1

TABLE
Pin

2-CURRENT VGA
Signal

Red (Analog)
2
Green (Analog)
Blue (Analog)
3
4
Reserved
Return
5
6
Red Return
7
Green Return
Blue Return
8
+5 VDC (from host)*
9
10
Sync return
11
Monitor IDO (opt.)
12
Data (SDA)
Horizontal Sync
13
14
Vertical Sync
15
Data clock (SCL)*
Note: Those signals marked with an
asterisk would be supplied by the host
only if the host supports the DDC2
protocol (l2C or ACCESS.bus).
1

TABLE 3 -EGA
Pin
1

3
4

5
6
7
8
9

Signal
GND
Secondary Red Video
Primary Red Video
Primary Green Video
Primary Blue Video
Secondary Green
Video/Intensity
Secondary Blue Video
H Sync TTL Positive
V Sync TTL Negative

"FCC number." Any type of equipment

that might produce RF interference or
be affected by such interference is
required to be registered with the FCC.
This number can be used to identify the
actual manufacturer of the equipment. A
cross -reference for those numbers and
other links can be found at www.repair
faq.org/REPAIR/F_FCC_ID.html.

TABLE
Pin

GND
Unused
Red Video
Green Video
Blue Video
Intensity
Unused
H Sync TTL Positive
V Sync TTL Positive

2
3

4
5
6
7

8
9

TABLE

5-MONOCHROME
Signal

Pin
1

2
3

4
5

6
7

8
9

GND
Unused
Unused
Unused
Unused
Intensity
Video
H Sync TTL Positive
V Sync TTL Negative

TABLE
Pin
1

3
4
5
6
7
8
9

10
11

12
13
14
15

4-CGA
Signal

6- MACINTOSH
Signal

Red Ground
Red Video

Composite Sync
Sense 0
Green Video
Green Ground
Sense 1
Reserved ( +12)
Blue Video
Sense 2
Ground
Vertical Sync
Blue Ground
Ground
Horizontal Sync

Monitor Schematics and

Manuals
In some cases, schematics and man
als might be available from the manufacturer and even be reasonably priced.
However, more often than not, this will
not be the case.
The following companies offer computer
monitor service manuals and schematics.
Typical prices are between $25 and $100.

Computer Component Source (CCS);

Tel: 800 -356-1227: CCS catalog "centerfolds" have had schematics for some
common monitors like the IBM 8513.
So, just asking for a catalog may get you
some information.
MI Technologies; Web: www.mitech
nologies.com: Note that there have been
some complaints about the quality of
some of this company's schematics, so,
make sure you check out what you are
buying. On the plus side, they will
11)

TABLE 7 -SUN
Pin

Signal

Red video

G
B

Green or greyscale video

Blue video

Sense 2
Sense common (ground)
Composite sync

4
5
6
7

Sense 1
Sense 0
Composite sync common
(ground)

8
9

10

May be NC, ground, or H or V sync,

depending on model.
Sense table:

=NC, 0=strap to ground

Sense Type
0: TBD ( ?)
1: Reserved
2: 1280 x 1024, 76Hz
3: 1152 x 900, 66Hz
4:
5:
6:
7:

x 900, 76Hz, 19 inches

Reserved
1152 x 900, 76Hz, 16 or 17 inches
Nothing (no monitor connected)
1152

TABLE
Coax Center

8-COAX- TO-BNC
Coax Shield

Red Video (1)

Red Return (6)
Green Video (2)
Green Return (7)
Blue Video (3)
Blue Return (8)
H Sync (13)
Ground (5,10)
V Sync (14)
Ground (5,10)
Notes: Tie pin 11 (IDO) to ground to indicate a color monitor. Leave pin 12
(ID1) open.

accept returns.
Electronix; Web: www.electronix.
com/schematics/.
Eagan Technical Services, Inc., 1380
Corporate Center Curve, Suite 115,
Eagan, MN 55121; Tel: 612 -688 -0098:
Eagan has several schematics for IBM
monitors. I believe that includes the
8503, 8512, 8513, 8514, 8518 and 8511.
Most are $50. The 9517 schematic is an
unbelievable $165. You can order them
directly from Eagan or through SAMS'
Photofacts (Web: www.hwsams. com/)
at the same price.
Chuntex is another source; Tel: 800888 -2120.
For Apple monitors (and other Apple
peripherals), the E -MAC Web site
(http: //e- mac.com/) has a variety of information, including some (mostly user) manuals, specifications, and technical forums.

If you are responsible for a few hundred monitors from several dozen man-

ufacturers, Anatekcorp (http: //www.

anatekcorp.com) has a set of nine CD
ROMs that contain the full technical
manuals (in most cases) produced by the
manufacturer. Go to: http: // www.anat
ekcorp .com /schematic/monsch.htm.

Monitor Parts Sources

For general electronic components
like resistors and capacitors, most electronics distributors will have a sufficient

variety at reasonable cost. Even

RadioShack can be considered in a
pinch. However, for modern consumerelectronics or video-monitor repairs,
many of the usual sources do not have
that good a selection of Japanese semiconductors or components like flyback
transformers or degauss Posistors.
The following are good sources for
consumer -electronics replacement parts,
especially for VCRs, TVs, and other
audio and video equipment:
MCM Electronics; Tel: 800 -5434330; Web: www.mcmelectronics.com/
Dalbani; Tel: 800 -325 -2264; Web:
www.dalbani.com/
Premium Parts; Tel: 800 -558 -9572
Computer Component Source; Tel:
800 -356-1227

Sources For Adapters

And Cables
Office and computer-supply companies like Inmac and Global may have
some very common types, like VGA
switch boxes and extension cables,
though they might be of unknown quality. Another place to try is Black Box
Corporation; Tel: 412 -746 -5500; Web:
www.blackbox.com/.
Also see the documents: "Troubleshooting of Consumer Electronic Equipment" and "Electronics Mail Order
List" for additional parts sources at
www.repairfaq.org.

Wrap Up
And there you have it! Monitor troubleshooting in a nutshell. I hope you
have enjoyed this series and benefited
from it in some way.
For additional information on monitor repair and many other areas of electronics, check out my Web site:
www.repairfaq.org. I welcome cornments (via e-mail only, please, at
sam @stdavids.picker.com) of all types.
See you next time with something new
and exciting in the world of electronics
servicing!

DX

L S T
I

E N

N G
BY DON

JENSEN

A Short Hstory of Shortwave

AS

WE NEAR Y2K, SHORTWAVE MAY SEEM, TO SOME, CURI-

OUSLY QUAINT. IN ONE SENSE, PERHAPS, THAT VIEW IS

UNDERSTANDABLE IN AN ERA WHEN EVEN YESTERDAY'S TECH-

NOLOGY IS Or 1 EN OBSOLETE. INDEED, SHORTWAVE BROADCASTing has been around for a long time; the
first regular worldwide broadcasts date
to the late 1920s.
But viewed from a different perspective, we should remember that it's not
really ancient history we're talking
about. After all, there are among us
some SWLs, now octogenarians mostly,
who recall those first SW broadcasts.
The rest of us may not have those
personal memories of the early days, but
we still can find fun and, yes, excitement
in tuning in to the world on shortwave
today. Perhaps, as this century winds
down, it is appropriate that we pause to
look back on the history of our hobby
and how it all began.
Happily, Jerome S. Berg has captured
both the detail and flavor of those pioneer years of shortwave broadcasting
and the listening hobby in his book, On
The Shortwaves, 1923-1945, published
earlier this year.
Berg, a veteran DXer and avid SWL
historian, draws upon both old- timers'
memories and information from his
extensive collection of early radio publications to weave a fascinating account of
SW radio's earliest days.
Berg quotes Hugo Gernsback, pioneer publisher and "spiritual father" of
CREDITS: Brian Alexander, PA; Ralph Brandi, NJ;
Jeff Findlater, CA; Bob Fraser, MA: Joe Hanlon,
PA; Harold Levison, PA; Don Nelson, OR; Betsy
Robinson, TN; Mike Strain, NJ; North American
SW Association, 45 Wildflower Road, Levittown,
PA 19057.

today's Electronics Now magazine,

speaking of shortwave some 66 years
ago:

"On the shortwaves, DX listening is,

of course, commonplace; because a good
two -tube set will bring in stations from
the maximum distance on this planet,
i.e., 12,500 miles.... (T)hese records are
so common that every schoolboy in the
United States today who owns a shortwave set thinks nothing of listening to
stations in Australia and other parts of
the world."

Memories, Memories
A more personal look comes from
Canadian Dxer Tom Williamson's reminiscences of what shortwave listening
was like in the in the early 1930s.
"The usual Europeans were heard, as
in modern times, including Radio
Moscow. Switzerland was heard on various channels with call signs like HBJ,
HBQ, and HBO, and the slogan `Radio
Nations' (it was the site of the League of
Nations).
"France was one of my favorite
sources of jazz music, but mainly on AM
from Radio Paris. Each Saturday we
could tune in to a period of musical history in the form of the `Hot Club de
France,' which featured...hot rhythms
from the immortal (jazz violinist)
Stephane Grappelli...Django Reinhardt,
and others. They really set the airwaves
jumping."
And Jack Jones, growing up in

RADIO NEWS, EDITED BY pioneer

electronics publisher Hugo Gernsback,
took a humorous look at the DX listening hobby in this 1926 cover reprinted in
Jerome S. Berg's new history, On The
Shortwaves, 1923-1945.

Mississippi, recalled getting hooked on

SW when he was still in his early teens:
"I started a campaign to get Dad
interested in a shortwave adapter I saw
advertised, but he kept stalling until one
day he said that Mr. Jess Huffman, two
houses down and a radio bug, wanted to
show me his shortwave receiver.
"I didn't even know there was one
within 100 miles of Tupelo, Mississippi!
This was probably late 1929. Needless
to say, I hurried down to see Mr. Jess.
There I found a Pilot Super Wasp four tube shortwave set! I had seen them in
magazines and approached his with the
respect and awe due royalty.
"He plugged in the yellow ring coil
and got 8XK on its meter wave, 2AXF
11

on 31 meters and HKC (Colombia) on

49 meters (orange ring coil). I was
absolutely enthralled. To top it off, he
called me early one morning and said he
had Australia. All the homes on our
street had hedges and I either ran
through them or jumped over them getting down to his house. Sure enough,
3ME, Melbourne, was heard.
"I visited Mr. Jess often and he'd sit
at the Super Wasp and fiddle around.
Finally he'd say, `Jack, I can't get anything. Get over here and see what you
can do.' Mr. Jess would stomp out of the
room in a bad humor, and I'd be in seventh heaven!"
This month, and in the last two "DX

Listening" columns of the 20th

Century, I'd like to focus on some of the
pioneer SW stations that still can be
heard today, seven decades later.
In the meantime, if you'd like to
know more about the early days of SW
and SWLing, I highly recommend
Berg's history, On The Shortwaves: 19231945, as both a fine radio reference and
a fascinating read. The 272 -page book is
available for $46.50, postpaid, from
McFarland & Co., Inc., Publishers, Box
611, Jefferson, NC 28640 (Order line:
800- 253 -2187, or Web:, www.mcfar
landpub.com).

Yesteryear's DX Today
Europe was home to many of the
major players in the shortwave broadcasting game way back then, Berg notes.
The British Broadcasting Corp.
transmitter base at Daventry had eight
SW transmitters and 18 antennas, and
would continue uninterrupted service
for some 65 years, until this venerable
broadcasting site was closed down on
March 29, 1992.
As early as 1927, the experimental
station, G5SW was operating with 20
kilowatts of power. How successful were
these transmissions? According to
reports at the time, the results were
mixed.
"Australia -Good and clear recep-

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tion of one of three broadcasts only

namely, a midday organ recital and a
message of greeting.
"United States-Picked up 5SW, but
it was suffering from excessive fading
and local static.
"Canada- Successful rebroadcast of
speech by Prince of Wales and other
items in evening program.
"India-Not even a carrier wave
heard."
Other reception reports indicated
that the broadcasts reached Buenos
Aires, Argentina, and Lagos, Nigeria,
though with marginal signals. No definite reports were received by the station
from New Zealand or South Africa.
By the early 1930s, two frequencies
would be used on each of five beams to
various parts of the globe. Berg notes
that these stations included GSB, 9510
kHz; GSD, 11,750 kHz; and GSI,
15,260 kHz-in the early days, call letters often were assigned to specific
transmitters.

The Sun Never Set...

The BBC's international- shortwave
operation at first was known as the
Empire Service, which began on Dec.
19, 1932. Like most of the major
European SW voices, a main goal of the
BBC was in maintaining contact with its
colonies around the world. Programming all was in English until 1938, when
foreign-language broadcasts began.
In time, the Empire Service became
known as the General Overseas Service,
and then, the World Service. Soon it had
established a reputation for quality programming, especially its news broadcasts, and became must listening for
many.

In the 1930s, the New York Times

reported, Big Ben, the famous clock
chimes, "comes in so regularly from
London at 6 o'clock in the evening that
one family in Washington has dubbed it
`our dinner bell.' "
Today's SWLs find BBC reception
equally reliable. At this writing, the
BBC's World Service programming can
be heard evenings, say between 0000
and 0400 UTC, on a number of different frequencies, including 5975, 6175,
6195, 9410, 11,955, 15,310, and 17,790
kHz.
In the 1930s, a tradition began that
has continued each year since. On
Christmas Day, the British monarch
delivers a holiday greeting via the BBC
to English -speaking listeners through-

out the world.

For the shortwave listener one way to
mark the end of this century would be to
tune in to Queen Elizabeth II's traditional Christmas message at 1600 UTC
on Dec. 25. Some BBC frequencies to
try are 9515 and 17,840 kHz.

Down The Dial

Other interesting listening on shortwave? Here are some targets to tune fon

ASCENSION

ISLAND -7160

kHz, British Broadcasting Corp. relay

on this south Atlantic dot in the ocean
beams programs to the African continent. Look for English news and sports
after 0630 UTC.
BULGARIA-11,720 kHz, Radio
Bulgaria, Sofia, usually puts in a nice signal for its English programming at 2100

UTC.
ECUADOR -17,660 kHz, HCJB,
the Voice of the Andes, is noted with
English programs around 1900 UTC.
PARAGUAY -9737 kHz, Radio
Nacional de Paraguay is noted with
Spanish language sports talks around
about 2235 UTC. Paraguay is one of the
more difficult South American countries
to log on shortwave.
PERU - 6115 kHz, Radio Union in
Lima is another nice Latin American
logging. Again, don't expect English
programs, but its frequent Spanish language identification announcements stand
out. Tune for this one around 0700 or
0800 UTC.
ROMANIA-9510 kHz, Radio Romania International, Bucharest, has an
English -language transmission from
0200 to 0255 UTC on this frequency
and also on parallel channels of 9570
and 11,725 kHz.
SWITZERLAND-13,710 kHz,
Swiss Radio International has been
logged here with cultural programming
in English after 2000 UTC, switching to
German at 2030 UTC.
TURKEY-7370 kHz, Turkye Polis
Radyosu, or Turkish Police Radio from
Ankara is a very nice DX catch, and not
at all an easy one. This has been reported heard at 1200 UTC with Turkish
music and news. The Voice of Turkey,
11,655 kHz, is an easier way to hear this
country. Listen at 0300 UTC sign on for
its English service.
UNITED KINGDOM-21,550
kHz, Merlin Radio One, Britain's pop programming commercial shortwaver is
heard around 1600 UTC on this frequency high in the shortwave range. Op

LOOK

AT

TO

M O R R O W ' S

TECHNOLOGY

type
Fuel -Cell Batteries
auto-industry experts feel that
ery abundant and exceptionally
clean- burning hydrogen is the transportation fuel of future. As evidence of
that, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Mercedes and
several others are developing fuel cells
that run on hydrogen for vehicle propulsion. But another prominent automaker,
BMW, is marching to a slightly different
drummer. While they also predict a
"hydrogen society" for the 21st century,
BMW believes that hydrogen -fueled
internal -combustion engines rather than
hydrogen -fueled fuel cells is the way to
go when it comes to propelling a car.
For one thing, that approach assures the
performance people have come to
expect in a BMW.
Considering their past efforts, that
approach is not surprising. For over two
decades, BMW has been doing research
on hydrogen -fueled vehicles. Several Sand 7- Series BMWs have been converted to run on hydrogen for testing and
demonstration purposes. It is currently
preparing a number of hydrogen -fueled
7- Series sedans for next year's EXPO
2000 World Exposition to be held in
Hanover from June 1 to October 31,
2000.
But that does not mean that fuel cells
will have no part in tomorrow's BMWs.
Indeed, the EXPO 2000 cars will also
include small fuel cells, but they will be
in the trunk, not under the hood.

for Cars

my

BMW in partnership with

International Fuel Cells (IFC) in Groton,
CT is developing a small fuel cell to
replace the conventional battery.
According to BMW, when used in that
FOR MORE INFORMATION
BMW of North America
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675

LOCATED IN THE TRUNK rather than under the hood, BMW envisions the fuel -cell as a
replacement for today's lead -acid battery.

way a fuel cell has a chance to perform the

task it can do best -generate electricity
efficiently. In the hydrogen -fueled 7
Series BMWs, fuel for the fuel cell will be

tapped off the hydrogen tanks supplying

fuel to the engine.

Gas and Go
Hydrogen fueled cars are likely many
years away. For one thing, it could be
quite a while before hydrogen is available at the corner filling station. But that
does not mean that the wait for a fuel cell replacement for the lead -acid battery is that far off.
BMW is working with Delphi
Automotive Systems to develop an entirely new type of fuel cell that will be able to
generate electricity using gasoline. That
new fuel cell is called a Solid Oxide Fuel
Cell or SOFC. The SOFC converts
hydrogen into electricity at a temperature
of approximately 800 degrees C (1470

degrees F) using a zirconium -oxide

ceramic transformer. The first step in this
conversion process is to evaporate the
gasoline to obtain hydrogen through a
splitting process in a reformer that also
operates at about 800 degrees C. Then,
like any fuel cell, the hydrogen reacts with
oxygen in the air fed in during the process
to generate electricity and, as a waste
product, water. By operating on gasoline,
the use of the SOFC does not have to wait
until a widespread hydrogen -supply infra structure is in place.
According to BMW, the SOFC has a
couple of key advantages over proton exchange- membrane fuel cells (PEM)
that are the focus of most fuel cell developments today. Compared with PEM
fuel cells, the SOFC is far less sensitive
to impurities created during the reforming process. Also it does not require any
expensive precious -metal electrodes (the
polymer membrane in the PEM fuel cell
13

coated with a platinum catalyst).

Incidentally, PE/VI fuel cells developed
in conjunction with International Fuel
Cells (IFC) are used in the hydrogen fueled 7 Series BMWs.
BMW says the SOFC could eventually replace both the battery and alternator in gasoline -fueled BMWs. A small,
special purpose lead-acid battery would
still probably be used for starting and
emergencies.
Since the SOFC's output far exceeds
that of a lead-acid battery, this fuel-cell
APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) would not
only be able to supply power to all conventional electrical- power-consuming
items whose numbers are continually
growing, but also would allow new functions. Being able to generate electricity
independent of the engine, for example,
it could power an independent climatecontrol system supplying warm or cold
air even when the engine is switched off.
This would mean zero emissions when
the vehicle is parked.
BMW is predicting that the ongoing
development of the SOFC for gasolinepowered automobiles will still take another five years or so. -By Bill Siuru
m

Ames,
Stanford University, the
Cleveland Clinic, UC Santa Cruz,
Salinas Valley (CA) Memorial Hospital,
and the Northern Navajo Medical
Center in New Mexico. Other commercial participants in the demonstration
included Intel, Silicon Graphics, Cva
Systems, Hughes, and MCI.
co

is

Three -Dimensional
Collaboration

Aging Vehicles,

Increasing Pollution
DIMENSION TECHNOLOGIES' 3 -D LCD
DISPLAY allows doctors to receive and
manipulate high -resolution 24-bit 3-D color
images in near -real time. These 3-D images
are created from serial sections of tissues
by
electron
and organs generated
microscopy, MRI, or CT scans.

be part of the technology package, features an 18.1 -inch TFT LCD screen,
display resolutions to 1280 x 1024 pixels, and 16.7 million colors. The viewing
mode can be switched instantly from 2D to 3 -D, and includes selectable side by -side and field sequential stereo
viewing formats. The display is compatible with virtually all computing platforms, and it accepts S- video, standard
NTSC, and PAL input signals.
Among the participants in the
demonstration were physicians at NASA

imension Technologies, which

> Optical Film
D
most of the
major patterns three-

holds
world's
in
dimensional stereoscopicimaging technology, has been chosen to
provide its 3 -D LCD displays to the
NASA Ames Virtual Collaborative
Clinic Project at the Ames Research
Center in California. The clinic combines sophisticated medical imaging
with high -speed, high- performance networking.
The system allows doctors to receive
and manipulate high- resolution 24 -bit
3 -D color images in near -real time, providing collaboration and consultation
over long distances for diagnosis and
treatment. Using a "CyberScalpel," doctors can also "cut" into images and move
"bone" around for surgical simulation,
with the aid of 3 -D images created from
serial sections of tissues and organs generated by electron microscopy, MRI, or

CT scans.
The DTI 2018XL display, which will
14

six years of emissions data on

more than two million metro
Atlanta vehicles, researchers have determined the city's fleet is getting older and
polluting the air more. The average
vehicle in Atlanta has about 90,000 accumulated miles on it, and there are a significant number of vehicles with more
than 200,000 miles on them, according
With

to Georgia Tech's Air Quality

Laboratory. Researchers analyzed emissions inspection and vehicle -registration
records to make these estimates.
"Atlantans drive more per day and
keep their vehicles longer than drivers in
many other major U.S. cities, particularly
those in the North where vehicles don't
last as long because of salt on the roads,"
says Dr. Michael Rodgers, director of the
Air Quality Laboratory. "Our concern is

researcher Dr. Donald

Frazier uses an ultraviolet blue
laser shining through a quartz
window into a special mix of
chemicals to generate a polymer
film on the inside quartz surface.
As the chemicals respond to the
laser light, they adhere to the
glass surface, forming optical
films. Frazier and Dr. Mark S.
Paley developed the process in
the Space Sciences Laboratory
at NASA's Marshall Space Flight DR. DON FRAZIER IS SEEN working with
Center in Huntsville, AL. Working Laser Imaging ID System.
abroad the Space Shuttle, a science team led by Frazier formed optical computing thin -films with
fewer impurities than those formed on Earth.
Preprogrammed patterns of these films can be traced onto the
quartz surface. In the optical computers of the future, these films could
replace electronic circuits and wires, making the systems more efficient and cost effective, as well as lighter and more compact.
NASA

that we expect this trend to continue, and

as vehicles get older, there is degradation.
Their emissions control systems become
less efficient, and the vehicles release
more pollution into the air."
Short -term studies conducted in
other eastern U.S. cities: New York
City; Boston; Baltimore; Nashville; and
Raleigh, NC complement the findings
of the long-term Atlanta monitoring
program. Studies are planned for parts
of Oregon, Utah, and California this
year. Altogether, they are giving
researchers cause for concern.
Fuel -injected vehicles manufactured
since the mid -1980s tend to deteriorate
more slowly than the previous generation of vehicles, Rodgers says. But people are driving their vehicles longer,
even over 300,000 miles. So Atlantans
can expect to see an increase in catastrophic failures in vehicle emissions
control systems, though such failures are
presumably detected by emissions
inspections. In reality, however, only 1
percent of vehicles manufactured in the
past six years has failed an emissions test.
The researchers use remote sensing,
vehicle registration data, emissions inspections records, roadway observation studies along the metro Atlanta
area's interstate highways, and laboratory testing to compile emissions data that
provides insight into ozone-pollution
problems. In remote -sensing studies,
researchers gather vehicle information
on entrance and/or exit ramps. In just
seven -tenths of a second, remote sensing
equipment measures a vehicle's emissions as it breaks an infrared beam in its
path. Other equipment photographs the
vehicle's tag: researchers later use this
photo to correlate emissions data with
registration data.
In a typical day, researchers gather
information on 4000 vehicles- 30,000 a
month. Since 1993, they have collected
data on more than two million vehicles
in the 13 -county metro Atlanta area,
which was compared with findings in
three other Southern control cities.
The Air Quality Laboratory also
conducts vehicle tests in it new
dynamometer lab, determining when
and why vehicles release high and low
amounts of emissions. This detailed
information complements the less detailed data gathered in the remote sensing studies.

on the same principle. The prototype's

main tubes are connected by an even
narrower passage or "throat," measuring

Bubbles, Tiny
Bubbles
esearchers are racing to develop
'attire high -tech devices -each
treat
smaller than a postage stamp
medical conditions, test new drugs, and
monitor pollutants. All of these require a
tiny pump that can repeatedly and reliably push small amounts of liquid

-to

through narrow channels for rapid

analysis. Engineers at The Johns
Hopkins University have invented a
micropump powered by the repeated
growth and collapse of a single bubble
for this purpose. Because the bubble is
generated by heat, it is easy to control,
the inventors say. And because the bubble- powered pump has no moving
mechanical parts, it is unlikely to wear
out too quickly.
"It's very different from having a pump
with a valve that has to open and close any

number of times," says Andrea

Prosperetti, the university's Charles A.
Miller Jr. Distinguished Professor of
Mechanical Engineering. "With no moving parts, the bubble-powered pump's
prospects of failure are minimal."
Prosperetti, an international expert on the
physics of bubbles, worked with two other
Johns Hopkins mechanical-engineering
researchers -Hasan Oguz and He
Yuan-to design, build, and test a prototype bubble -based pump.
The team's prototype utilizes two
main tubes-one that's 1.6mm wide and
another that's half that diameter-but it
is thought that smaller tubes would work

0.5mm in diameter. The engineers

inserted steel needles into each of the
larger tubes, connected the needles to a
power source, and filled the tubes with a
salt solution to complete the circuit. The
current was "squeezed" as it passed
through the narrow throat, causing the
water to boil or vaporize at that location
and form of a bubble. As it expanded like
a balloon into the wider channel, the
bubble pushed fluid ahead of it.
When the electrical current stops,
the bubble shrinks. Its final collapse,
however, takes place not in the throat,
but in the wider channel. As a result,
bubbles created in this system pump
fluid through the tubes as they repeatedly expand and collapse. The prototype is
capable of generating about five bubbles
per second, but much higher rates are
expected to be easy to reach.
The bubble -powered pump could
play a crucial role, for instance, in micro
total analysis systems. Engineers in this
field are creating tiny devices on silicon
chips, capable of detecting and analyzing
small samples of fluid, and then directing that an action occur. Their tiny size
makes them ideal for a range of specialized tasks. For example, a small chip
implanted in someone who's diabetic
might regularly check the blood sugar
level and order the release of appropriate amount of insulin. Other applications include micro -devices: in the
pharmaceutical industry where only a
tiny drop would be needed for analysis

50 kHz Tone Burst

Salt Solutions
THIS DIAGRAM SHOWS the experimental setup of the Johns Hopkins bubble -based
micropump, for use with an electrically conductive liquid.
15

Prot
munications including dedicated
Tube Electrode

MPEG -2 transport stream input and

output interface, IEC958 audio stream
input and output interface, and an output interface to D/A converter. The LSI
contains multiple FIFOs to support high

Saturated NaCI
Solution

bandwidth demand and can accommodate up to 512 bytes of asynchronous

communication. The CXD3201R, packaged in a 144-pin LQFP (plastic), uses a
3.3 -volt power supply, ideally suited torr
low-power applications.
m

Conical Section

Plexiglass

Tube Electrode 2

THIS CLOSE-UP SHOWS the micropump's main tubes, with electrodes within each one.
The bubble forms in the narrow connecting throat and expands into the wider tube, pushing liquid ahead of it.

or in manufacturing where they could

monitor liquid pollutants.
Although this prototype creates bubbles with electrical current and a salt
solution, Prosperetti believes that the
system could also work with non-conductive fluids. For such liquids, tiny
heaters embedded in the walls of the
tubing could be used to form the bubbles. Prosperetti and his colleagues have
applied for a U.S. patent covering the
bubble -based micropump technology.
The research was sponsored by the U.S.
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
and DARPA.

Digital Content
Protection Technology
ony Electronics has announced the
of the i.LINK
LSI "CXD3200 family"
that provides robust protection for digital content transmitted between digital
electronic products, such as set -top
boxes, video recorders, TVs, and DVD
players. CXD3201R (link layer LSI) and
CXD1945R (physical layer LSI) chip
samples are now available for evaluation
and early product development efforts,
at a sample price of $50 and $10, respectively. Sony plans to begin volume production of the i.LINK LSI that
integrates the link layer and a three -port
physical layer in one device with a U.S.
product launch slated for this year.
The digital content protection

Sintroduction
(IEEE1394)

16

method used by Sony's new LSI is based

on The Digital Transmission Content
Protection method (DTCP), jointly
developed by five companies, including
Hitachi, Ltd.; Intel Corp.; Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.; Sony
Corp.; and Toshiba Corp. Technical
information about the "5C" (for five company) DTCP method and licensing

information can

be found at

www.dtcp.com. The newly developed

LSI supports the secure, two-way transmission of digital content across the
i.LINK (IEEE1394) interface at speeds
up to 200Mbps. Designed for use in a
wide variety of digital electronics products, the chip reduces the load on the
system's microprocessor by internally
encrypting and decrypting AV content,
such as MPEG data streams. This
process allows for robust, high -speed

protection of high bandwidth content

such as video and animation.
The CXD3200 family supports simultaneous transmission of two separate
isochronous streams over a single connection, allowing recording and playback at
the same time, or it can simultaneously
transmit two separate isochronous signals.
The chip supports the Program ID (PID)
parser and packet insertion functions used
by electronic program guides (EPGs) and
other interactive broadcast and network
applications. These functions are used to
isolate both individual TV programs and
additional service information from the
data stream.
The LSI also supports many modes
of data interfaces for isochronous com-

"Big Brother" is
Protecting You
scientists have invented
promising, new software technology to help law -enforcement agencies
catch criminals by improving the analysis of crime -scene video. This technology, developed at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, already
has helped the FBI improve video of the
bombing at the 1996 Olympic Games in
Atlanta. NASA software clarified dark,
nighttime videotapes made with a handheld camcorder, revealing important
details that had been obscured.
The Video Image Stabilization and
Registration (VISAR) software eliminates flaws in a dark crime scene captured on videotape, removes blurs, and
stabilizes images. The clarified video
will make it appear as if the crime happened in daytime, helping to identify
valuable clues.
The Marshall -developed video-stabilization system has many advantages
over other systems being studied,
because it does more than just remove
noise or "snow" from videos. It eliminates several problems often found in
poorly recorded video.
"It's like a video eraser," said Dr. David
Hathaway, the technology's co- inventor at
the Marshall Center. The VISAR software stabilizes camera motion in the horizontal and vertical as well as rotation and
zoom effects; produces clearer images of
moving objects; smoothes jagged edges;
enhances still images; and reduces video
noise, or "snow." Once NASA's new software improves the video quality, it is possible to use existing software to sharpen
and "de -blur" images, thus further
enhancing video clarity.
NASA

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READERS' QUESTIONS, EDITORS' ANSWERS

CONDUCTED BY MICHAEL A. COVINGTON, N4TMI

+5V

What Is IBC?
reading about microcontrollers
and have come across the term "FC bus."
What's that?-1.H., Elwood, IN
QI've been

APC stands for IIC, which in turn

means "inter- integrated -circuit." It's
a two -wire bus for serial communication
between microcontrollers and their
peripherals. As shown in Fig. 1, the two
lines are pulled up to +5V through resistors. Each IC in the system can read
each line through a CMOS buffer and
can also pull each line down through an
open -drain FET. Thus, each line is both
an input and an output for every chip.
I2C is a synchronous serial protocol;
that is, bits are transmitted serially (one
after another) and transitions on the
clock line indicate when to read the data
line. Each data packet is preceded by an
address indicating which device should
receive it.
Introduced by Philips around 1980,
PC is more fully described in their data
book IC12, PC Peripherals; see also
www.philips.com on the Web. Many
special PC chips are available, including
clock -calendar and an LCD display driver. In addition, the PC protocol is easily emulated by any microprocessor or by
a PC parallel port.

SCL (CLOCK)
SDA (DATA)

-CLOCK
OUT

DATA
OUT

CLOCK
DUT

CLOCK

DATA

CLOCK

IN

IN

IN

DEVICE

calculated for a starting frequency of 500

Hz and a 10- second decay time. -Glenn
Bray, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
AExcellent work! It's not often these
days that I see a novel 555 circuit; I

breadboarded yours and it worked as

advertised. A CMOS TLC555 (similar
to LMC555 or 7555) is shown in Fig. 2,
but the circuit works equally well with a
bipolar -transistor NE555.

Frequency, Again
would like to give a 555 solution to
the gently falling frequency, question in
the June "Q&A" column. My circuit
(Fig. 2) uses a 555 with a capacitor
instead of a resistor between pins 6 and 7.
On power up or after S1 is depressed and
released, the uncharged capacitor acts like
a short circuit and the frequency is
C
1/(0.693 x R1 x C2). As the capacitor
charges, the impedance between pins 6
m
and 7 increases, causing the frequency to
fall until oscillation stops. The parts were
18

FIG. 1 -THE INTER -INTERGRATED CIRCUIT (I2C) bus allows any device to send or
receive using just two wires (plus ground).

Gently Falling
QI

DEVICE

FIG. 2 -IN THIS READER -SUPPLIED

CIRCUIT, the frequency falls gradually from
500 Hz to zero on power -up or after S1 is
pressed and released.

volt windings that can be put in series for

240 V or parallel for 120 E, and two 12volt windings that can be put in seriesfor 24
V or parallel for 12 V Can I use the two
120-volt windings as an isolation transformer?-E.A., Moraga, CA

AProbably, but make some tests in

order to be sure. I did something like

this with a smaller transformer many

years ago.
First, use an ohmmeter to make sure
the two 120 -volt windings are electrically isolated from each other. The next
question is whether those two windings
are well coupled magnetically. If the
transformer is built around a single core,
you're in luck. If it's built like two separate transformers, it won't work so well.
To find out, connect one 120 -volt winding to the 120 V line and connect the other
one to a 100 -watt light bulb. Don't connect
anything to either 12 -volt winding.
If the bulb shines at full brightness, all
is well; your isolation transformer can
probably handle many hundreds of watts.
If the bulb doesn't receive full voltage, you
don't have enough magnetic coupling for
one of the 120 -volt windings to drive the

other.

Making An Isolation

Transformer
have a transformer that weighs 32
pounds and has four windings: two 120-

QI

It Worked, But Why?

have an old AT&T cordless phone that
would only work when I touched its cir-

QI

cuit board in a certain place. So I soldered a

1 -nF capacitor there, thinking it would substitute for the capacitance of my body. That
didn't work. I then unsoldered one lead of the
capacitor, and the phone has worked fine
ever since. Is this possible? How can half a
capacitor affect a tuned circuit?-1.S.,
Baton Rouge, LA

bet that if you remove the capacitor

completely, taking care to leave a good
solder joint behind, the cordless phone
will continue to work well.

TV Mystery
25-inch TVs with
almost identical problems. Neither one
will show cable channels-but one of them
will do so, poorly, if I tap it hard on the side.
This is a Sanyo DS25330, chassis number
25330 -01. Any and all help will be appreciated.-C.S. C., via e -mail
QI have two Sanyo

A Two possibilities. Maybe, even with

one end disconnected, the capacitor is

still adding a few pF of stray capacitance.
More likely, though, you fixed a
defective solder joint or soldered over a
hairline crack in the circuit board. I'll

HOW TO GET INFORMATI ON ABOUT ELECTRONICS

On the Internet: See our Web site at

Electronics (post 1994 only) are available

http: //www.gernsback.com for information

and files relating to our magazines (Electronics Now and Popular Electronics)
and links to other useful sites.
To discuss electronics with your fellow
enthusiasts, visit the newsgroups sci. elec
tronics.repair, sci.electronics.components,
sci.electronics.design, and rec.radio. amateur.homebrew. "For sale" messages are
permitted only in rec.radio.swap and
misc. i nd ustry. electronics. marketplace.
Many electronic component manufacturers have Web pages; see the directory
at http:/ /www.hitex.com /chipdir /, or try
addresses such as http: //www.ti.com and
http: //www. motorola.com (substituting any
company's name or abbreviation as appropriate). Many IC data sheets can be
viewed online. www.questlink.com features
IC data sheets and gives you the ability to
buy many of the ICs in small quantities
using a credit card. You can also get
detailed IC information from www.icmas
ter.com, which is now free of charge
although it formerly required a subscription. Extensive information about how to
repair consumer electronic devices and
computers can be found at www.repair

from our Claggk, Inc., Reprint Department,

P.O Box 4099, Farmingdale, NY 11735;
Tel: 516- 293 -3751.

faq.org

Books: Several good introductory electronics books are available at RadioShack,

including one on building power supplies.
An excellent general electronics textbook is The Art of Electronics, by Paul
Horowitz and Winfield Hill, available from

the publisher (Cambridge University Press,

1- 800 -872 -7423) or on special order
through any bookstore. Its 1125 pages are
full of information on how to build working
circuits, with a minimum of mathematics.
Also indispensable is The ARRL Handbook for Radio Amateurs, comprising 1000
pages of theory, radio circuits, and ready -tobuild projects, available from the American
Radio Relay League, Newington, CT
06111, and from ham-radio equipment
dealers.

Copies of past articles: Copies of past

articles in Electronics Now and Popular

Electronics Now and many other magazines are indexed in the Reader's Guide to
Periodical Literature, available at your public library. Copies of articles in other magazines can be obtained through your public
library's interlibrary loan service; expect to
pay about 30 cents a page.

Service manuals: Manuals for radios, Ns,

VCRs, audio equipment, and some computers are available from Howard W. Sams &
Co., Indianapolis, IN 46214 (1-800 -4287267). The free Sams catalog also lists
addresses of manufacturers and parts dealers. Even if an item isn't listed in the catalog,
it pays to call Sams; they may have a schematic on file which they can copy for you.
Manuals for older test equipment and
ham radio gear are available from Hi
Manuals, PO Box 802, Council Bluffs, IA
51502, and Manuals Plus, PO Box 549,
Tooele, UT 84074.

Replacement semiconductors: Replacement transistors, ICs, and other semiconductors, marketed by Philips ECG, NTE,
and Thomson (SK), are available through
most parts dealers (including RadioShack
on special order). The ECG, NTE, and SK
lines contain a few hundred parts that substitute for many thousands of others; a
directory (supplied as a large book and on
diskette) tells you which one to use. NTE
numbers usually match ECG; SK numbers
are different.
Remember that the "2S" in a Japanese
type number is usually omitted; a transistor
marked 0945 is actually a 2SD945.

Hamfests (swap meets) and local organizations: These can be located by writing
to the American Radio Relay League,
Newington, CT 06111; (http: / /www.arrl.org).
A hamfest is an excellent place to pick up
used test equipment, older parts, and other
items at bargain prices, as well as to meet
your fellow electronics enthusiasts -both
amateur and professional.

forwarded this to our service editor,

Sam Goldwasser, who replied as fol-

AI

lows:

"There's no way to know specifically,

but if you can tap the TV and affect the
problem, bad connections are indicated,
probably in the tuner or its power supply
or controller."
So look for bad connections, especially bad solder joints. This is not a
CRT problem, and you do not have to
de- energize the CRT as long as you stay
away from the high -voltage section
when working on the TV. For further
guidance, order the appropriate service
manual from Sanyo or from Howard W.
Sams. You can also inquire on the newsgroup sci.electronics.repair to see if anyone there recognizes the symptoms.

CRT Pinouts
am very much in need of a chart showing the pinout of all the modern CRTs. I
also would like to know of a source for all the
CRT sockets so I can adapt an older B&K
tube checker to check the new tubes. M.W.,
Hollis, OK
QI

A Unfortunately, there is no longer

anything like the RCA Receiving Tube
Manual; CRTs seem to come from mysterious companies located overseas.
Some CRT pinouts are in Sam
Goldwasser's system of Web pages at

www.repairfaq.org/sam/crtfaq.htm#crt
pin. Of course, the pinout for any particular CRT will be shown on the Sams'
service manual for a TV that contains it.
The best source of CRT sockets is discarded equipment.
Perhaps your letter will inspire someone to compile and publish a CRT
pinout guide. In fact, if you can track
down the information, here's your golden opportunity.

Old Keyboard

Amplifier

am hoping to find another reader who

might have a schematic or other information about a late -1960s solid state keyboard
amplifier, Farsifa model 80, also labeled
Chicago Musical Instrument Company. In
particular, I need data on the output transistors, labeled ELM127 7849. -Rene Bernier,
PO Box 689, Boonton, NJ 07005
QI

AWe're publishing your name and

address so others can reply. Farsifa is

19

tit
Sonar

F ::; .

'Watching Tropical
-,
"

izers h lood Pressure

Relieves Stress.,.

They Could te On To
Something.

still in business in Italy, but you indicate

that you have not been able to get in

touch with them.

The number 7849 on the transistor is
probably a date code (49th week of
1978), indicating that the amplifier is
about ten years younger than you
thought. We were not able to identify
type number ELM127, but if they date
from 1978, the transistors are almost
certainly silicon, and you should be able
figure out their pinouts and working
voltages by measuring the voltages on
the transistor socket with the transistor
removed, or by testing one of the transistors if at least one of them is still
good.

Keyboard Transplant
Discover the Caribbean aboard a Tall Ship.
6 & 13 day adventures from $650.
For more information call your travel agent
or 1- 800 -327 -2601.

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fuel cells.

Sick Ohmmeter Revisited

Further to our March 1999 column,
John V. Cook, of Pittsburgh, Pa.,
writes to tell us that another cause of the
problem may be partial demagnetization
of the magnet in the meter. In that case,
the meter will be inaccurate on all
ranges. Some meters are adjustable so
p. 3,

I have a keyboard left over from my late

Q AT&T 6310 computer. It has a good feel
and I would like to use it with my current
PC, but it has a 9-pin DB-9 connector. Can
I do this? Is there more to it than just finding a DB9 -to -DIN adapter? -7.TW,

you can compensate for partial demagnetization.

Westminster, CA

As always, we welcome your questions. The most interesting ones are

answered in print. Please be sure to:

AWell, a DB9 -to -DIN adapter isn't a

standard item, and I suspect, but do

not know for certain, that the signals
sent by the keyboard are different. (Why
would the AT &T keyboard use a 9 -pin
connector if it only needed five wires ?)
But I could be wrong. Is there a reader
out there who has tackled this problem?

offers 3 distance education programs:

B.S.E.T. emphasis in Electronics

B.S.E.T. emphasis in Computers
B.S. in Computer Science

tric car isn't electricity-it's motion. The

efficiency of the fuel cell is only part of
the problem; the electric motor has its
own inefficiency. That's why most present -day cars convert fuel directly into
motion.
By the way, see this month's
"Prototype" section for a look at one
manufacturer's approach to vehicular

Fuel Cells Revisited

Your reply to f.P. ("Q&A," April 1999,
Q p. 5) revealed appalling ignorance. Fuel
cells are much more efficient than combustion engines at producing electricity and
motion. Perhaps if you spent a little time at
www.fuekells.org and less time on juvenile
April Fool's gags you could provide an intel-

ligent reply to

pur

readers' question

R.1-,

via e-mail

stand corrected; nobody knows

everything, least of all your Q &A
columnist.
The automobile industry is indeed
expressing confidence in fuel cells as a
way to power electric cars, as reported in
two articles in IEEE Spectrum (November 1998 and May 1999). But IEEE
Spectrum also reports continuing problems with the high cost of fuel cells.
Remember that the goal of an elec-

Writing to Q&A

(1) include plenty of background

information (we'll shorten your letter

for publication);
(2) give your full name and address
on your letter (not just the envelope);
(3) type your letter if possible, or
write very neatly; and
(4) if you are asking about a circuit,
include a complete diagram.

Questions can be sent to Q &A,

Electronics Now Magazine, 500 BiCounty Blvd., Farmingdale, NY 11735;
or e-mailed to q &a @gernsback.com, but
do not expect an immediate reply
(because of our backlog) and please don't
send graphics files larger than I00K.
Due to the volume of mail, we regret
that we cannot give personal replies.

la

AI

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Your first step
to help yourself

better your future!

20

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COMPUTER CONNECTIONS
KONSTANTINOS KARAGIANNIS
COMPUTER EDITOR
BY

Optimiiing Windows

IS YOUR PC ACTING A LITTLE SLUGGISH LATELY? DO YOU FEEL

description of each utility keep in mind

that you can run them on their own by
activating them in Start/Programs/
Accessories/System Tools.
When Disk Cleanup runs, it allows
you to remove certain types of files from
your hard drive to provide extra disk
space. At first glance, this wouldn't seem
to provide any system -optimization
speed boosts. However, Disk Cleanup
lets you delete Windows Temporary
Files, which do slow down startup of the
OS and some programs. I recommend
you check this option in the dialog box
when setting up Cleanup. The utility
can also delete Internet Temporary
Files
you have a slow Internet connection, checking this box will cause frequently visited pages to download just as
slowly as ones you've never been to
before. However, the space you free up
by deleting these files could be significant if you browse the Web a lot. My

LIKE IT WAS A LOT FASTER WHEN YOU FIRST GOT IT? IF SO,

YOU'RE NOT ALONE.

WINDOWS KEEPS GETTING BETTER WITH EACH VERSION

released. Let the critics of Microsoft say

what they will, but when you compare
features and stability, the OS is continuously improving. However, that's not to
say it doesn't have its flaws. The biggest
of these, perhaps, is Windows' tendency
to get fussy with day-to -day use. You
can't just let the OS run on its own for
the life of your computer. It needs some
tweaking from time to time to keep
things running right.
As with any computing task, there is
software available to make system optimization easier. But we won't be looking at commercial fixes this month.
Instead, we'll be relying on the true
do-it- yourself spirit of hobbyists everywhere. There's no need to spend any
money to get your PC running at its
peak. All you need are some simple
optimization tips.
Because there are different flavors of
Windows, and because this is a column
and not a book, I had to choose one version of the OS to focus on. My choice
was the first release of Windows 98 (yes,
there is a Service Pack available from
Microsoft -click on Windows Update
in your Start bar for more information),
because most PCs shipped in the past
year have this OS, and many of these
systems will be just getting bogged down
about now. Further, Wm98 comes with
features that make optimization a bit
easier, making it a good choice for users
who want to be able to keep on top of
things without third -party utilities.

Maintenance Wizard
While it won't perform magic, the
Maintenance Wizard in Win98 could
help keep you from thinking your PC is
cursed. It is composed of three main
utilities: Disk Cleanup, Disk Defragmenter, and ScanDisk. You can schedule
these to run on their own or activate
them at any time. If you do want to
schedule them, be certain to select a
time when you're sure to be away from
your PC, such as during your lunch
break or overnight (if you leave the computer on 24/7). Also, as you read the

-if

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MAINTENANCE WIZARD CAN KEEP YOUR PC in good shape with minimal effort on your
part. Just pick the utilities you want it to run and tell it when to do so.
21

Internet temp files totaled 78MB at last

check!

Disk Defragmenter features a creative subtitle that appears when you load
it. As "Speed Up Programs" indicates,
running a defrag can help Wmdows load
and operate applications quicker. The
reason for this is that hard drives store
data in clusters. With a typical cluster
size of 32K, it's likely that even a small
application or file will be divided among
several of these data -storage cells. As
you open and modify files or program
settings, these clusters end up moving

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around somewhat on a hard drive.

Though your software will always be
able to find the data, the more fragmented these clusters are the longer it
will take for the program to do so. The
result is a slowing down of programs. To
alleviate this, run Disk Defragmenter
(again, either manually or as part of the
Wizard's automated routine). It will put
all related clusters next to each other on
the hard drive, and consequently speed
up programs as claimed.
With ScanDisk, the final utility in
the Maintenance Wizard trilogy, you
can let your PC check itself for errors in
file structure and the hard drive itself. As
for the former, the most common file
problems are cross -linked files (when
two files appear to own one cluster) and
lost clusters (clusters not being used, but
not available or free for use). Both of
these aforementioned problems can be
detected and repaired by ScanDisk. The
hardware problems are a little trickier as
Scan Disk can't just whip out a toolbox
and fix things like bad sectors (which are
physical defects on the drive platter surface). However, the utility can do the
next best thing, moving data away from
defective sectors and over to good ones.

INFORMATION ON IRQ CONFLICTS is only one of the useful bits of diagnostic data that
Windows System Information can provide.

menus in the left window: System

Information, Hardware Resources,
Components, and Software Environment

file (a portion of the hard drive that

Wmdows keeps available to act as virtu-

Let's look at each.

System Information, as its name
implies, offers details about your system,
such as the release build or version of
Windows 98, the network name of your
computer, the RAM and processor in
your machine, and how long your PC
has been running since its last bootup.
You can even learn the size of your swap

ularly necessary for optimization.

Hardware Resources is more helpful,
with subsections that can provide a high
level of detail: Conflicts/Sharing can
help you find why two or more peripherals aren't getting along in their battle
for owning one IRQ or other resource.
DMA lets you know which direct-memory- access resources are in use should

not partic-

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Welcon a to
Windows Update

Microsoft System Information

Also located in Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools, System Information or Msinfo32 (if you want to start
if from the Start/Run dialog box) is a
nifty optimization tool. Nifty if you
know your way around it, that is.
Fortunately, with a little exploration the
Msinfo32 app becomes less intimidating
than the thought of it might be to some
reading about it for the first time. Like
most of Wmdows, it's intuitive. In fact,
the first time you open it, you might
almost find it looks familiar, as it has a
two -pane layout that is similar to
Windows Explorer's.
You can choose from four main

al memory). Useful info, but

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WHILE SOME OF ITS DOWNLOADS are less than perfect, Microsoft Windows Update
generally provides good fixes and performance boosters to Win98.

VENDOR INFORMATION

The last is of particular interest.

Thanks to the Internet, we're

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052
Tel: 425 -486 -9258
Web: www.microsoft.com

a non -Plug and Play card to

get running. Forced Hardware also
helps with such cards that force their
hold on certain resources. IRQs makes
you aware of which interrupt request
lines are being used -watch for devices
that try to use the same ones, as these
could be the ones causing crashes.
Moving on to Components, we find
listings for all types of devices, including
information like driver versions, configuration details, and some data that may
look arcane. Of most interest to home
users is the History listing that could
help you figure out when a pesky device
first started acting up.
The Software Environment will let
you know about software that's loaded
into system memory. This includes
Drivers, 16 -bit Modules Loaded, 32 -bit
Modules Loaded, OLE Registration,
Running Tasks, and Startup Programs.

you have

installing more trial and free versions of

programs than ever before. Some of
these even plant themselves in the
Startup folder, automatically loading
with Windows. This can cause two
major problems. For one, too many of
these programs loading can severely
slow down your bootup and even cause
the occasional boot -crash. Second,
because you forget they are there, some
of these less -than -perfectly written programs may crash your system at unexpected moments, using more system
resources than your system can safely
offer. So, by all means, take a good look
at the programs loading up automatically, and maybe check off a few of their
boxes in the Msinfo32 window (look in
the System Configuration utility) to prevent the little leeches from loading.
There are some other goodies in
Msinfo32, too. First, we can all agree
that not every Microsoft update to
Windows is perfect. One recent one, for
instance, took away the ability for your
Start menu to be alphabetized. To get
rid of updates that have a negative effect
on your PC, use Msinfo32's Update

Wizard Uninstall.
A real interesting utility, System File
Checker can hunt for corrupt or missing
system files and reinstall them from the
Windows CD -ROM. This can cut down
on some of those obscure error boxes
that you've seen pop up from time to
time.
Registry Checker can find problems in
the Registry and load up the backup copy
of it, which often means the difference
between a corrupted system running or
not. On a similar note, try the Automatic
Skip Driver Agent to keep pesky drivers
from loading (until you can find a better
or non- corrupted version).
If you're having a really hard time with
your system and need expert help, try the
Windows Report Tool. It can generate a
report on your PC's general health or lack
thereof to prevent you from having to
answer dozens of questions.
That's all the time and space we have
this month. Till next time, I hope your
system's running up to speed. If you'd
like to get in touch, you can send e-mail
to connections @gernsback.com, or snailmail to "Computer Connections", Electronics

Now, 500 Bi -County Blvd., Farmingdale,

NY 11735.

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CIRCLE 160 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

ANTIQUE RADIO
BY MARC ELLIS

Opening the Mail

IT'S THE END OF JUNE

AS

THIS IS BEING WRITTEN, AND

AROUND THIS TIME EVERY YEAR, SUMMER HOUSE AND YARD

PROJECTS BEGIN TO CUT INTO MY SOLDERING -IRON TIME.

HOWEVER, I'VE DONE SOME WORK ON OUR ONGOING PHILCO 70
restoration, beginning on the cabinet
and cosmetic cleaning of the chassis. My
supplier sent another electrolytic to
replace the defective one, and that's
installed. As you know, the set is already
working quite well so (except for a
touch -up alignment) the electronic work
is almost over. More on the project next
month! In the meantime, there's a lot of
interesting stuff in the mailbag, so let's
take a look at it.

From The Readers

Dennis Gifford (PO Box 304,
Henagar, AL 35978) has for sale a
Hickock model 539C in excellent condition except for the wooden case. He also
has additional equipment that might be
of interest to some of you readers. Drop
him a note if you'd like to know more!
Hank Schulz Jr. (Erie, PA) writes that
our Philco restoration awakened pleasant memories of now -classic sets he
played with as a boy. He wonders if my
transfer to Electronics Now from
Popular Electronics means that
Popular Electronics. is being phased
out (Ziff-Davis Publishing's discontinuance of the original Popular Electronics. back in the 1980s is still fresh in his
mind). But, as readers who have been
closely following the transition at
Gernsback Publishing realize, nothing
could be further from the truth. What is
going on is a re- orienting of the editorial content of both magazines to give
each a sharper focus and added reader
24

interest.
Eric Fleharty (Berwick, LA) asks
where he can get a Philco #44 tube. Well
actually, Eric, unless you are restoring a
Philco set and want to make it look just
as it did when it left the factory, you
don't really need a Philco branded tube.
Any brand will do. Also, this tube is
more commonly known as the 39/44.
What happened was that two different
tube manufacturers happened to register
new types (the 39 and the 44) that were
virtually identical in specifications. Each
w.as assigned a separate number, but a
few years later the two were combined as
a single type that would replace both.
My 1998 Antique Electronic Supply catalogue lists a new -old -stock 39/44 at
$_..00. Write AES at 6221 South Maple
Ave., Tempe, AZ 85283.
Joe Wisemann e- mailed me a while
back to call my attention to a mental
lase I had back in the July column,
wen I reviewed the standard AC -DC.
series-string tube complement that
became known as "The All- American
Five." I correctly listed the 12SA7 pen tagrid converter, 12SK7 RF/IF amplifier, 12SQ7 detector/amplifier, and 35Z5
rectifier. However, the typical output
tube was a 50L6, not a 35L6 as I mentioned. This results in a voltage drop of
12:1- slightly more than the nominal
line voltage of 115 rather than slightly
less (106) with the 35L6.
And speaking of the All-American
Five, Charlie Wilson (Spokane, WA)

writes of his success in adapting for 115 volt operation a Greek Kosmophon set
designed to operate on European 220 volt mains. The Kosmophon had the
All- American Five tube set (I guess that
country's radio industry wasn't big
enough to have a "Pan- Hellenic Five!)
with a large dropping resistor to make
up the voltage difference. Charlie substituted an American cordset for the original, bypassing the dropping resistor, and
the Kosmophon now operates happily in
Anywhere U.S.A.
Another success story comes from
Arthur L. Manning, N4XNM, of
Brunswick, GA. Art owns two Knightkit
Star Roamer sets and noted that both
suffered from high -end audio distortion
at medium and above audio levels. He

TO
6.3VAC
FILAMENTS

C3
2.2
5oV

TO SPEAKER
"HOT' SIDE
(REMOVE EXISTING
LEAD TO OUTPUT
TRANSFORMER)
C5
220
35V
C4
.01

STAR ROAMER
CHASSIS

TO VOLUME
CONTROL CENTER
WIPER IN STAR
ROAMER

FIG. 1 -ART MANNING'S REVERSIBLE

STAR ROAMER modification used parts
from the RadioShack catalogue. After doing
the modification, try a .0047 -11F capacitor
across the volume control for more pleasing
tone.

EP
CGASTAL SL-1 LCCPS
T
a 3 u#xr 84 Mop.?
1

Volume

c
Te toI Set Scxiettl Nwsie?tier

THE LATEST OFFERING from the Xtal Set

Society contains all of the 1998 member
newsletters.

corrected the problem with a nondestructive and completely reversible

modification. The 12AX7 and 6AR5
audio stages were disabled simply by
removing the tubes. Then an LM386
low -power audio amplifier chip was
wired in as shown in Fig. 1. The result:
Audio gain was increased and both audio
distortion and current drain from the
power supply were considerably
reduced. Art is a retired Voice of
America Broadcast Engineer/Manager.
Finally, a big thank -you to reader
Harold McCullen (Saginaw, MI) who
took the trouble to send me copies of the
Philco Model 70 service notes from his
personal collection. Harold was a radio
serviceman in the mid 1930s, and
remembers that most of the trouble with
the early Philcos (even then!) was shorted caps in the Bakelite blocks. Towards
the end of the 1930s, he obtained his
First Class Commercial Operator's
license, then worked in Radio and
Television broadcasting until 1956. The
next 24 years were spent with Michigan
Bell, and Harold has been retired for the
past 19 years.

Recent Books And Publications

Crystal Set Loopers And More, edited
by Rebecca Hewes. Published by The
Xtal Set Society, P.O. Box 3026, St.
Louis, MO 63130; e -mail: xtalset@mid
nightscience.com; Order line: 800-9271771. 128 pages; 5fi by 8fi inches; soft
cover; $15.95 plus $3.75 S &H.

This fun book is actually volume 8 of

the Xtal Set Society newsletter, a complete collection of the member newsletters from January though November
1998. The issues contain correspondence from members all over the world,
focusing on simple and elegant old -time
radio circuits. There are construction
projects, schematics, theory articles, and
nostalgia pieces.
Among the projects are a simple
shortwave crystal set with a loop antenna, a 3 -tube AM/SW receiver, a "universal loop" that can be used with a variety
of experimental circuits, an antenna
tuner wavetrap that will add sensitivity
to your sets and tune out interfering
strong local stations, and a crystal set
built into a stick deodorant dispenser(!).
Experimental articles explore such topics as the use of molybdenite as a detector and the effects of biasing on crystal
detectors.
If you are charmed, as I am, by the
variety and quality of the Society's publications, you may want to consider

across my desk recently, and though I

haven't seen the volume itself, the

description looked interesting enough to

tell you a little about it. As the name
suggests, the author devotes himself to
the development of shortwave broadcasting from its beginnings in the 1920s
through the end of World War II. The
broad -based coverage includes early
radio personalities and broadcasters, frequency utilization, set building, commercially made sets, wartime broadcasting and listening, reception reporting
and the birth of The Voice of America.
There are 171 illustrations from shortwave's early days.
Tube Collector (Bulletin of The Tube
Collector's Association), PO Box 1181,
Medford, OR 97501). Number of Pages

varies; 51/2 by8' /2 inches; soft cover, published

six times per year. Annual dues are $20.00 in

North America and $25.00 elsewhere.

This is a newly -formed organization
of collectors and history enthusiasts
focusing on all phases and vintages of

The New Z.oehrsd Eireraow4ies beard.

GTON

STATION 2YA
YOUR REPORT OF st,CEPTION sf
an

hu beet

a.'5

checked with Inc Statiot (e far

mrsooni and

don S,asooa'e

f.,,1e./9msremi.oe

du}f verified .4ae+rwi

dee

darr

`S, d.a-tnrm

Diesem.

..111

....

YOU CAN HELP the Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications preserve these precious
bits of radio history!

becoming

a member. Cost in U.S.

(which includes a subscription to the bimonthly newsletter) is $12.95 for a year;
$23.95 for two years. Canadian subscriptions are $14.00 per year; $19.00
per year elsewhere.

On The Short Waves, 1923-1945Broadcast Listening In The Pioneer Days Of

Radio by Jerome S. Berg. Published by
McFarland & Company, Inc., Box 611,

Jefferson, NC 28640; Order line: 800253 -2187. 280 pages; 7 by 10 inches;

casebound; $42.40 plus $4.00 S &H. NC
residents add 6% sales tax.
A flyer describing this book carne

tube design. The founding president of

the group is Al Jones, W1ITX, who is
known for his award -winning tube collection. The publication is edited by
Ludwell Sibley, a recognized vacuum tube expert who for several years edited
The Old-timer's Bulletin, quarterly publi-

cation

of The Antique Wireless

Association. Several other recognized

experts serve on the board of this fledgling organization. Those with a serious
interest in vacuum history and lore
should seriously consider joining. Write
to the address given above for more
information.
(Continued on page 87) 25

Manngfit
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Prices Subject to Change. Complete form and mail to:

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A UNIVERSAL STEREO NOISE

FILTER AND COMPRESSOR
Reduce noise and increase clarity of any audio signal.
psychoacoustics, which studies the
psychological aspect of sound and
its
perception. Whenever a
sound is being perceived, it
reduces the ability of
the listener to hear
another sound. During
those quiet passages,

there are many techniques for reducing noise on audio

signals, few are uniWhile

versal or "single-ended."

Most noise -reduction

methods need the
original signal to be
encoded at the source
and decoded at the receiving end; examples of that method include Dolby and dbx. Also,
noise -reduction systems many times
require a license from the patent
owner to use the encoding system
(and sometimes the decoding!).
The best solution would be a
"universal" noise -reduction system.
Such a system should be able to
work with any signal without any
encoding. What's more, the circuit
should be usable by anyone who
has the ability to pick up a soldering iron without worry of running
afoul of the law.
The good news is that a truly universal noise -reduction system exists.
The Universal Noise Reducer presented here has those features that
make it a delightful addition to any
audio system. Built around a special
noise- reduction integrated circuit, it
does not require encoded material; the signal -to -noise ratio of any
signal can be improved by 25 dB.
Any line-level audio source such as
tapes, records, FM radio, stereo TV,
and satellite signals will benefit. It is
also quite effective with CD copies
of older analog sources. The system
also improves the sound quality of

the noise

is

"unmasked"

and heard as a

hiss.

The unmasked white

RICHARD PANOSH

amplitude within the amplifier

envelope, it does not occupy that
area completely at all times. That is
especially true during quiet passages or a pause in either the music
or speech. During those periods,

the large audio bandwidth is not

required and noise becomes quite
evident. By its nature, noise has a
wide bandwidth and is perceived
as a hissing sound known as white
noise. When the audio signal is present, the noise is covered up, or
"masked ", by the signal. That concept is well known to the field of

noise that occurs during

those quiet passages can be
reduced with a reduction of the
overall audio bandwidth. That
technique has been available for a
number of years and is referred to
as Dynamic Noise Reduction (DNR
is the registered trademark of
National Semiconductor). An example of that technique was covered in an article that appeared in
the July 1994 issue of our sister publication, Popular Electronics. That
project used a voltage -controlled
variable low -pass filter to track the

audio -frequency envelope and

maintain the required bandwidth
to pass the signal information. Since
the signal -to -noise ratio is improved
with the square root of the bandwidth reduction, a reduction in
bandwidth from 35 kHz to kHz can
improve the signal -to -noise ratio by
1

AUDIO BANDWIDTH & GAIN

video games and electronic keyboards.

Noise -Reduction Basics. Figure

illustrates the frequency and amplitude envelope of a typical audio
signal within the bandwidth of an
audio amplifier. While the signal
might occupy any frequency or
1

FREQUENCY
1. Noise is inherent in any audio signal. As long as the level of the audio is loud enough, our
ears ignore the noise. It when the music becomes quiet that the noise becomes apparent.

Fig.

27

during the following description of

the Universal Noise Reducer's circuit.
Power from a 12-volt DC wall
transformer is connected to J5. The
voltage is regulated to a 9 -volt level
by IC4. That supply voltage is also
divided in half by IC5 to provide a
"pseudo ground;" working with opamps is much easier with a "split"
power supply.
Stereo audio signals are input
through J1 and J2. Those signals are

COMPRESSOR THRESHOLD

15dBil

INPUT SIGNAL IN dB

Fig. 2. If louder passages are attenuated and softer passages boosted, a further reduction in noise
can occur.

nearly a factor of 6, or about 15 dB.

A second technique that can
be used for noise reduction is the
use of a variable voltage -controlled amplifier. By controlling the
amplifier's gain, the level of the
background white noise, or system
noise floor, can be further attenuated. With this method, signals
that are above a certain threshold are passed with a gain of one
so that no distortion is added to
the program material. However,
signals below the threshold are
attenuated as shown in Fig. 2; the
result is an additional noise reduction of 15 dB. Combining those
two techniques results in an
improvement of about 25 dB or a
factor of nearly 18:1!
A drawback in trying to reduce
noise in unencoded signals is that
different recording equipment,
media, and environments have different requirements. In addition to
the methods discussed above, the
Universal Noise Reducer uses an
automatic adaptive threshold that
senses the noise floor of different
audio sources. This lets the unit automatically maintain the best possible
signal-to -noise level at all times.
An added bonus noise- reduction technique available through
the use of the voltage -controlled
amplifier circuit is a compressor. In
the compressor mode, signal levels
above an adjustable threshold
level will be attenuated. That feature is particularly useful to attenuate commercials that are sometimes much louder than the program material. It can also be used
to improve softer sounds below the
threshold by attenuating loud
28 sounds, thereby reducing the

dynamic range. The compressor

and nose reduction functions are
independent and can be used
individually or together.
Circuit Description. Follow the
schematic diagram shown in Fig. 3

<

applied

to the

heart of the

Universal Noise Reducer, IC 1. That

chip, made by Analog Devices,

handles all of the noise -reduction
and signal- compression techniques
discussed before.
Stereo FM and stereo TV signals
use a pilot signal to separate the
left and right channels. A tuned
passive filter formed by L 1, C16, and
C13 attenuate any 15-kHz or 19 -kHz

4 INCHES

Here's the foil pattern for the component side of the Universal Noise Reducer.
aids in reducing stray noise pickup.

large ground plane


a
>

oU

nal; newer equipment removes the

signal better.
Each section of IC2 handles a
different function. Op-amp IC2 -b is
used as a high -gain buffer to isolate
pin 11 of IC I -the control voltage
for the voltage -tuned low -pass fil-

111111111

NN
rn

magi;

N
N

(h

V N

Y
N

ter's bandwidth. Note that ICI

processes that voltage internally to
remove any variations in amplitude. The voltage level present at
pin 11 is still a function of signal
amplitude but for normal line -level
signals it is suitable for an indication
of filter bandwidth. The buffered signal is displayed on a bar -graph LED
display with IC3; variations in the
low -pass filter bandwidth can be
tracked. During quiet passages in
the audio signal, the low -pass filter
should be at the minimum bandwidth of kHz; the first LED should
be extinguished. If a pilot signal is
leaking into the control loop, the
lower LEDs will remain on, indicating
that noise reduction is not working
1

co

as well as it should be.

The other op -amp, IC2 -a, closes
101's compressor loop. It monitors

EC

>

N N

<o

o
cr,

2J

'

the level of the source -signal

detector on pin 12 of ICI. That voltage level is compared to the
threshold level set by R20. Levels
above the threshold level switch
Ql on. The feedback signal passes
through S3 to pin 7 of ICI which
then attenuates the signal until the
level falls enough to turn ICI -a and
Ql off. If the compressor feature is
not wanted, simply throwing S3
breaks the feedback loop. When
Q1 switches on, the voltage drop
developed by Rl l switches on Q2
and, In turn, LED2, indicating that
the compressor is active.
The processed output signal is
available on J3 and J4. Switch S1 is
used to bypass the Universal Noise
Reducer without having to disconnect the unit from the signal
path. By switching the unit in and
out of the audio path, an "A-B"
type of comparison is easily done
as to the effectiveness of the various settings of the Universal Noise

o-

>
N

K+

Fig. 3. The Universal Noise Reducer is built around an Analog Devices component that handles all
of the noise reduction and compression tasks.

pilot signals if they are present in

IC1's control loop. A 15 -kHz pilot is
used to encode the stereo or SAP
(secondary audio program) signals
in television; 19 kHz is used for stereo

is used to select filtering for one of those frequencies or

no filtering at all. Older audio
equipment was more prone to leak
the pilot signal into the audio sig-

FM. Switch S2

Reducer.

Construction. Because of the

nature of audio circuits, the Universal Noise Reducer is best built on a
PC board; less stray noise and hum
will be picked up. After all, the pur- 29

two sides without a component

lead in them) in their design, so you
don't have to worry about soldering short pieces of jumper wires to
make those connections. If you are
using a purchased board, all of the
holes are plated through, making
construction a snap.
Note that all of the semiconductors, as well as the electrolytic
capacitors, are polarized; double check their orientation before soldering them in place. Any part
installed backwards will be
destroyed as soon as power Is
applied for the first time. It is also
possible that an improperly -

LEDI

installed polarized component can

take out other components with it.

For
example, an electrolytic
capacitor that is installed backwards might work for a few seconds
or minutes; but it can explode or
burst into flames, sending an electrical surge into a nearby IC that
could destroy that component as
well. Also beware of components
that look the same, such as IC5, Q1,
and Q2. Always check twice before

Fig. 4. The Universal Noise Reducer uses a double -sided PC board. Ifyour board doesn't have plated- through holes, don't forget to solder the traces where pads are on both sides of the board. No
jumpers are needed; all connections between sides are made at component leads.

30

pose of the project is to reduce

noise -not add to it!
Foil patterns for a double -sided
layout have been included here for
those who wish to etch and drill their
own board. If you do not want to
etch a board, one is available from
the source given in the Parts List.
If you are using a board from the
source given in the Parts List or one
made from the foil patterns, use the
parts -placement diagram shown in
Fig. 4. The best order for mounting
the components is to start with the
smallest parts first; electrostatic-sen sitive parts, such as semiconductors, should be mounted last irrespective of their size. If you want to
use sockets for the integrated circuits, mount them first, followed by
the resistors and capacitors.
Note that if you are using a PC

board that you etched yourself, you

will have to make some provision
for making connections between

both sides of the board where

there are traces on both sides. One
method (certainly the easiest) is to
simply solder to the component
lead on the top side as well as the
bottom side. Special eyelets have
also been used with success in
both industry and the hobby. The
ultimate solution, of course, is plated- through holes. While that technique is simple to do in an industrial
or commercial setting, it is messy,
time -consuming, and occasionally
dangerous due to the type of
chemicals and equipment needed
for creating a plated-through hole.
The foil patterns do not have any
"via" holes (holes that pass a signal
from trace to trace between the

soldering!
The switches and jacks specified
in the Parts List are designed to
mount directly to the PC board. If
you are going to substitute panel mounted parts, you'll have to wire
them up in the traditional fashion
with short pieces of insulated wire.
Keep the wire lengths as short as
possible, especially where audio
signals are being carried. Note that
S2 is a three -position unit; it should
be in the middle of the group of
switches.
The leads for LED1 should be
bent down at a 90- degree angle

Fig. 5. The Universal Noise Reducer fits easily

into a stylish case.

SINGLE COMPONENT SOURCE

AM /FM/DISC/TAPENCR/
SATELLITE RECEIVER OR
STEREO TV

AUX. RIGHT INPUT

LEFT AUDIO OUTPUT

AUX. LEFT INPUT

RIGHT AUDIO OUTPUT

OUTPUTS

INPUTS
R

L
HI -FI STEREO

UNIVERSAL
NOISE REDUCER

SYSTEM

TAPE INPUT
TAPE OR CASSETTE
RECORDER
OUTPUTS

INPUTS

TAPE OUTPUT
OUTPUTS

INPUTS
R

L[R

TAPE MONITOR JACKS

UNIVERSAL
NOISE REDUCER

HI -FI STEREO

SYSTEM

OUTPUTS

INPUTS
L1

INPUTS
R

OUTPUTS
L

TAPE MONITOR JACKS

L
HI -FI STEREO

UNIVERSAL
NOISE REDUCER

SYSTEM

Fig. 6. There are several ways to connect the Universal Noise Reducer to your stereo equipment. It
is important to remember that the system works best with an unmodified audio signal. Even if you
don't have an amplifier that allows processing equipment to he added to the path, you can always
use the tape recording and monitoring jacks.

about /-inch back from the plastic

case. A /-inch thick piece of stock
can be used as a guide. Check the
polarity of the LEDs before bending
the leads. A longer (anode) lead
will be nearest the corner of the PC
board. The display is seated down
against the board to obtain the
correct height.
When you are finished mounting
all of the components, double check your work for bad solder
joints, poor workmanship, and missing, incorrect, or backward components. When you are satisfied with
your work, mount the board in a
suitable enclosure. The author's
prototype, shown in Fig. 5, used a
PacTec enclosure. Drill holes as
needed for the jacks, switches, displays, and controls. Note that R20 is
a slide potentiometer rather than

the traditional rotary style. It is

mounted above LEDI and connected to the board by short
lengths of insulated wire.
Once the Universal Noise Reducer is mounted in its case, it is ready
for testing and use.
Set-Up and Operation. The Universal
Noise Reducer can be hooked up
in a couple of ways. The most obvious way is shown in Fig. 6A, where
the audio sorce is connected to J1
and J2, with J3 and J4 connected
to the amplifier's inputs. Wherever
possible, the unit should always be
placed in the audio path after any
preamplifiers and before the volume control or tone controls. That
way, the signals will be of a uniform
level and provide a flat- frequency
response. Many modern amplifiers

have separate preamplifier output

jacks for just such a use.
If you don't have such a rig, the
Universal Noise Reducer can be
placed in the tape -loop or signal processing loop; see Fig. 6B. Again,
that will provide flat- frequency signals with levels in the range of 100
millivolts to volt rms. If you have an
equalizer in the same loop, it is
important to locate the Universal
Noise Reducer before the equalizer. Again, the unit works best with a
flat bandwidth before you do any
equalizing. If you don't have a tape
unit, simply connect the Universal
Noise Reducer in place of one as
shown in Fig. 6C. By monitoring the
tape playback, the unit becomes a
part of the audio path on even the
most basic stereo equipment as
long as tape input and output
1

31

PARTS LIST FOR THE UNIVERSAL NOISE REDUCER

SEMICONDUCTORS
R5-3300-ohm
CI0-- 470-pF, ceramic -disc
IC1- SSM2000 stereo noise attenuator/
R6-1000-ohm
C11- 0.0022 -F, ceramic -disc
compressor, integrated circuit
R7-510-ohm
C12, C15-0.02 -F, ceramic -disc
(Analog Devices)
R8-10,000-ohm
C 13- 0.0068 -F, ceramic -disc
IC2 -TL082 operational amplifier,
R9-2700-ohm
C14-0.22 -F, ceramic -disc
integrated circuit
RI 0-560-ohm
C16 0.015 -F, ceramic -disc

IC3- LM3915 bar -graph display

R12-27,000-ohm
R13-5600-ohm
R14-15,000-ohm
R16-330-ohm
R17--6800-ohm
R18-1800-ohm
R19-1200-ohm
R20-10,000-ohm, linear potentiometer

generator, integrated circuit

IC4-LM7809 9 -volt positive voltage
regulator, integrated circuit
IC5-TLE2426CLP split power supply
ground converter, integrated circuit
LEDI- Light- emitting diode bargraph
display, 10- segment
LED2-Light- emitting diode, green
Q1-2N4401 silicon transistor, NPN
Q2-2N4403 silicon transistor, PNP

CAPACITORS
C1C4, C8, C20, C23, C24-47 F,
10 -WVDC, electrolytic
C5, C6 0.001 -F, ceramic -disc
C7- 330-F, 35 -WVDC, electrolytic
C9, C21, C22, C25-0.1 -11F,
ceramic-disc

RESISTORS
(All resistors are I/4 -watt, 5% units
unless otherwise noted.)
R1 R4, R11, R15- 100,000 -ohm

C17-2.2 -F,
C18-3.3 -F,
C19

-1

10 -WVDC, electrolytic
10 -WVDC, electrolytic
-F, 10-WVDC, electrolytic

ADDITIONAL PARTS
AND MATERIALS
J1 J4-RCA -style phono jack, PCmounted
J5-Co -axial power jack, PC- mounted
LI -4.7mH inductor, shielded
SI, S3- Single -pole, double -throw
switch
S2- Single-pole, double -throw, center off switch
Case (PacTec CM I25 or similar), 12volt DC wall adapter, IC sockets,
knob for R20, wire, hardware, etc.
Note: The following items are available
from Vista, PO Box 142 Bolingbrook,

0 0 00 0 0

IL 60440 -1532; Tel: 630 -378 -5534:

Assembled and tested unit (SSM -

2000- ASSEM), $125.00;

Complete kit of all parts and case

o
O

OA

00

000
0 0

0q

-00

b
0-0 b

32

0 0

0 420-00

t(
0

0000 000 000 0

r

00O

4- INCHES

Here's the foil pattern for the solder side of the Universal noise Reducer. All connections between
the two sides are done at component pads. making it easier to build the unit without using plated through holes.

(SSM- 2000-KIT), $95.00; etched,

drilled, silk -screened PC board with
plated -through holes (SSM -2000BOARD), $18.00; IC5, $3.90; ICI,
$18.00. All mail orders will be
shipped by first class US mail with a
shipping/handling charge of $3.00. All
telephone orders will be shipped by
priority mail with a shipping/handling
charge of $6.00. Illinois residence
must include 7.5% sales tax.
Visa, Mastercard, and American
Express credit cards are accepted.

jacks are available.

With a 12 -volt power source connected to J5, throw Si to BYPASS, S2
to AUDIO, and S3 to OFF. Unmodified
audio should be heard. Switch Si to
DNR and a reduction in noise should
be heard. Try using audio sources
that have different gain levels, such
as a quiet passage of a piece of
classical music. If you are using a
television or radio as an audio
source, you might have to set S2 to
the appropriate mode as mentioned before in case the carrier
signal is leaking into the audio
path. Finally, throw S3 to test the
compressor; note that compression
takes place at different levels by
varying R20. The level of compression should be seen on LED 1.
Q

'
'
'

tudy1
ive in a constantly
ological advance
eland Institute of
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The Cleveland Institute of Electronics
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33

PIC
'

MPEAB

Project

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INS

':PC16F84

FOR THE COMPLETE BEGINNER

MICHAEL A. COVINGTON

Microcontrollers have revolutionized the world of electronics, but they are useless to you ifyou don't know
how to use them. This month we look at more of the code that will help you get with the `program."

that microcontrollers have become one of

the most important components in
today's electronics. As evidence of
that, virtually every modern electronic device makes use of those
units. Further, microcontrollers have
become increasingly important to
the electronics hobbyist. More and
t goes without saying

more, the best projects in the

pages of Electronics Now and
other electronics publications
make use of microcontrollers.
What that means, however, is
that, if you don't know how to program and use microcontrollers, you
are missing out on some of the best
of what's available to today's electronics hobbyist.
Well, we can't allow that to happen! Last month we looked at some
microcontroller basics and showed

34

Michael Covington does research on advanced

microcontroller applications at the University of
Georgia's Artificial Intelligence Center. He also
conducts the monthly "G&A" section in Electronics
Now Magazine.

you how to program a microcontroller with a simple program. This

month we'll continue that discussion
and then tackle a project that is a lit tle more ambitious.
First, however, let's take another
look at last month's program.

How The Program Works. Let's

look back at Listing
(which
appeared last month and is
repeated here for your convenience) and consider the program
in detail. More than half of what
you see there consists of corn1

tells the assembler what kind of

CPU you're using. It's immediately

followed by another instruction:

include <p16f84.inc>
telling the assembler to read the file
P16F84.INC, which contains a lot
more pseudo instructions giving the
memory addresses of the ports and
other particulars of this CPU.
Next comes the _config macro
instruction:

config _RC_OSC & _WDT_OFF

menns; everything after the first

semicolon (;) in each line is a corn -

& _PWRTE_ON

ment ignored by the computer.

The program starts with a number of pseudo instructions, cornmands that give information to the
assembler but are not translated
into machine instructions. The first
pseudo instruction:

Notice that there are two underscore marks at the beginning of

_config. This instruction specifies
some configuration settings to be
programmed into the PIC. It says
you're using an RC oscillator (resistor and capacitor, not crystal); the
watchdog timer is off; and the
power -up timer is on. The power -up
timer imposes a slight delay at start-

processor PIC 16F84

up to give the 5 -volt supply time to

stabilize. The watchdog timer is a
built -in device for rebooting the PIC
every 18 milliseconds; some programs use that to protect themselves from endless loops, but it's
very important to turn it off if you're
not using it, or your program will
keep restarting itself at inopportune
moments.
The last pseudo instruction is:
org

LISTING
;

File TURNON.ASM
Assembly code for PIC16F84 microcontroller

Turns on an LED connected to B0.

Uses RC oscillator, about 100 kHz.
CPU configuration
(It's a 16F84, RC oscillator,
watchdog timer off, power -up timer on.)

processor 16f84
<pl 6f84.inc>
include
_config _RC_OSC & _WDT_OFF & _PWRTE_ON

which means, "The next instruction

should go at address 0 in program
memory." That is, you're telling the
assembler where to start. Then
come the program instructions,
and finally the pseudo instruction:

Program
org
;

end

start at address 0

At startup, all ports are inputs.

Set Port B to all outputs.

movlw
tris

which tells the assembler that the

program is over. Unlike END in
BASIC, end in assembly language
does not tell the program to stop

Put a

B'00000000'
PORTB
1

w := binary 00000000
copy w to port B control reg

in the lowest bit of port B.

running.
movlw
movwf

What The Instructions Do. Now

look at the actual CPU instructions
in the program, namely:

fin:

movlw B'00000000'

B'00000001'
PORTB

w := binary 00000001
copy w to pori B itself

Stop by going into an endless loop

goto

fin

tris PORTB
end

movlw B'00000001'
movwf PORTB
fin:

goto fin

program ends here

How do you place a in the lowest

bit of port B? From the CPU's viewpoint, port B is an 8 -bit register and
we want to place binary 00000001 in
it. But there is no CPU instruction to
place a specified value (a "literal ")
directly into a port. Instead, the program places 00000001 into the W
register using a movlw instruction
( "move literal to W ") and then
copies W to port B using a movwf
instruction ( "move W to file register ").
Note that in assembly language,
"move" always means "copy." That
is, every "move" instruction actually
copies data from one place to
1

What the program needs to do is set

up port B for output, place a into
the lowest bit of port B (causing pin
BO to go high), and stop. Consider
the last of these first: How do you
stop a program? Not by making the
processor go dead, because then
the output at BO would disappear
and the LED would turn off. Nor by
exiting to the operating system,
because there isn't an operating
system. Your program has the PIC all
to itself.
The way you stop this program is
by putting it in an endless loop.
That's accomplished by the instruc1

tion:
fin:

goto fin

which simply jumps back to itself,

over and over.
Now look at the previous step:

another, leaving the original

unchanged. This is true of all the
assembly languages I've seen,
regardless of the kind of CPU.
Note also that in PIC assembly
language, the name of port B is
PORTB (all capitals), not "portb"
(lower case). This name was
defined in P16F84.INC. MPLAB will

recognize both names but the

assembler won't -a possible source
of confusion.
In order for port B to work as
intended, it has to be set up as an
output port. Actually, each of its
eight bits can be set as input or output, independently of the others,
but in this program, all eight bits are
set to output. This is done by zeroing
the corresponding bits in the TRISB
special- function register.

Deprecated Instructions. And

here we run into a "deprecated
instruction," an instruction that works
perfectly well but which the assembler tells us not to use. That is tris, the
instruction that copies W into that
special function register. To set up
port B for output, we use the instructions:

movlw B'00000000'
tris PORTB

35

LISTING 2
;

File CHASER.ASM
Assembly code for PIC16F84 microcontroller

Blinks LEDs on outputs (Port B) in a rotating pattern.

Reverses direction if port A, Bit 0, is high.
Uses RC oscillator, about 100 kHz.

;
;

CPU configuration
(It's a 16F84, RC oscillator,
watchdog timer off, power -up timer on.)

processor 16f84
include
<pl 6f84.inc>
_config _RC_OSC & _WDT_OFF & _PWRTE_ON
;

Give names to 2 memory locations {registers)

equ
equ

K
;

H'1 F'

H'1 E'

J = address hex 1F
K = address hex 1E

Program
org
;

start at address 0

B'00000000'
PORTB
B'00000001'
PORTB

;
;
;

w := binary 00000000
copy w to port B control reg
w := binary 00000001
copy w to port B itself

Clear the carry bit

bcf
;

At startup, all ports are inputs.

Set Port B to output and initialize it.

movlw
tris
movlw
movwf
;

STATUS,C

Main loop.
Check Port A, Bit 0, and rotate either left or right
through the carry register.

mloop:
btfss
goto

PORTA,0

skip next instruction if bit =1

ml

rif

PORTB,f

goto

m2

rrt

PORTB,f

rotate port B bits to left

ml:
;

rotate port B bits to right

m2:
;

Waste some time by executing nested loops

and the second of these always

generates a warning message, as
we saw last month.
The reason for the warning message is that some other PICs lack
the tris instruction, and in the interest
program
portability,
of
Microchip, Inc., would like us not to
use it. Instead, they want us to dc
something a good bit more complicated, involving switching over to a
different bank of registers, then
addressing the TRISB register by its
address.
Well, that's their preference, but
it need not be yours or mine. The tris
instruction is fully supported on the
'F84; there's nothing wrong with
using it; it is not unreliable or risky in

any way. It just generates an error

message you have to ignore. The
same is true of the option instruction, which lets you set some CPU
configuration options without switching register banks.

A More Elaborate Program. Now it

is time to tackle something a little
more interesting: a more elaborate
PIC program that makes eight LEDs
blink on, one at a time, in a "chaser" sequence. The sequence reverses direction when you change the
logic level on pin AO. The program
for that is shown in Listing 2.
The circuit used to implement
the program is shown in Fig. 1. As
you can see, the circuit is not too
complex so it can be easily built on
perfboard. You can also make this
circuit out of the demo board that
comes with the Ramsey PICPRO
programmer (discussed last month
and available for $59.95 plus $6.95
postage and handling in the U.S.
from Ramsey Electronics, 793
Canning Parkway, Victor, NY 14564:
Tel: 716- 924-4560; Fax: 716- 924 -4886

movlw
movwf
jloop: movwf
kloop: decfsz
goto
decfsz
goto
;

;J: =w

K,f
kloop
J,f

w := 50 decimal

K := w
K := K -1, skip next if zero

J := J -1, skip next if zero

jloop

end

Web: www.ramseyelectronics.com),
if you add a switch or jumper so
that you can connect pin 17 (AO)
to either V+ or ground. With this program, do not leave pin 17 floating:
it's a CMOS input and will pick up
noise. Also, do not modify the pro-

gram to light more than one LED at

a time; the PIC can't output that
much power.

Do it all again

goto

36

D'50'

mloop
;

program ends here

Describing Bit Patterns. Before

going any further, we need to lay
some groundwork. Each PIC file

11111111).
The reason hex

+5V

is used is that
each hex digit corresponds to four

IC1

PIC16F84
R1

10K

3
4
5

6
7

A2

Al

A3

AO

A4

01

MCLR 02

GND

V+

BO

B7

B1

B6

B2

B5

B3

B4

R2

18

100K

17

15

1 Cl

14

C2 100 pF

16

0.1 F

13

12
11

10

R3LED1LED10
(RED OR
GREEN)

Fig. 1. Use this circuit to implement the program in Listing 2. It is simple enough to build Jroni
scratch or can be made from a demo board included with a PIC programmer available from Ramsey
Electronics (See text). The Ramsey programmer is based on the author's NOPPP PIC progranmmer,
which originally appeared in the September 1998 issue of this magazine.

decimal.
Obviously, you can describe a
bit pattern by writing out the bits
themselves, such as 6'00011101'. In
PIC assembly language, the B and
quotes are required. The lowest numbered bit comes last; if you
output B'00000001' on port B, pin BO
will go high, but B'10000000' will
make pin B7 go high.
You may have been told that

computers treat everything as

numbers. That's not true; computers treat everything as bit patterns.
Nonetheless, one common way of

A Word Of Warning. In PIC assembly language you should normally

specify the base of every number
you write, such as B'11111111',
D'255', or H'FF'. If you write numbers
without the quotes and base indication, they will normally be taken
as hex, but it's best to be safe. If you
write a character between quotes
without a base specifier, such as '3',
it will be interpreted as the bit pattern of that character's ASCII code.

How The Program Works. We're

finally ready to look at the program. It uses rotate -right and
rotate -left instructions, rrf and rlf, to
shift bits around in a byte; thus
00000001, rotated left, becomes
00000010, then 00000100 and so
forth. Rotating isn't just for LED
chasers; it's a handy way to pick off
the bits in a byte, one by one, for

R10
1K

register, I/O port, and memory

address consists of one 8 -bit byte.
Thus, any PIC assembly -language
program is going to contain a lot of
groups of eight bits. There are three
main ways to describe a bit pattern: in binary, in hexadecimal, or in

binary digits. If binary 0110 equals

hex 6, then binary 01100110 equals
hex 66. With some practice, you
can learn to do hex -binary conversions in your head. Many scientific
calculators can interconvert hex,
binary, and decimal.

interpreting bit patterns is to take

them as binary numbers. When this
is done, you can write the same
number more concisely in another
base (radix). For example, binary
00000110 is x4+1 x 2, or 6 in ordinary (decimal) notation. (In this
context "decimal" does not imply
that there are digits to the right of
the point.) Converted to decimal,
the 256 possible 8 -bit bytes,
B'00000000' to B'11111111', range
from 0 to 255.
It turns out to be even more convenient to convert binary numbers
to base 16 (hexadecimal, or hex for
short). In hex, there are sixteen dig1

its, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E,

and

F.

As you

serial data transmission.

The bits being rotated pass
through a ninth bit called the carry
flag; as you might imagine, the
carry flag is also used to keep track

of the ninth digit when adding two

eight -digit binary numbers. Accordingly, the first thing the program
does, other than set up its ports, is
clear the carry bit (set it to zero):

bcf

STATUS,C

Here STATUS and C are names

given by P16F84.INC to the status
register and the carry bit within it.
They must be written in all capitals.
You could refer to the carry bit by
its address if you wanted to.
The actual rotating is done by
one of the instructions:
rlf
rrf

PORTB,f
PORTB,f

might guess, A means

10, B means 11, and so forth up to F

= 15. Thus FF means fifteen sixteens

plus fifteen ones, or 255 (binary

but the program also has to decide

which one of them to use, depending on the signal at pin AO, and

37

then introduce a time delay after

each rotation.
Making Decisions. At this point it's
a good idea to look at the full set of
PIC instructions, shown in Table 1. A
selling point of the PIC is that there
are so few instructions (only 35 if

you count them the way the

brochure-writers do); what's more,
every instruction that doesn't
involve a jump executes in just one
clock cycle. Thus, the PIC qualifies
as a form of RISC (reduced instruction set computer). By contrast, the
Pentium has hundreds of instructions, each of which takes several
clock cycles to execute.
There is no "if" statement in PIC
assembly language. Instead, the
PIC has several instructions that test
for a condition and skip the next
instruction if it is true. For example, in
this program, the instructions:
bffss PORTA,0

goto ml
mean "Go to

bit 0 of port
A is set ( =1)." The first instruction,
bffss, stands for "Bit Test File- register,
Skip next instruction if Set." So if the
appropriate bit is set, the goto is
skipped. Even though port A is not a
file register, this instruction treats it
as if it were.
By interleaving skips and gotos in
this way, the series of instructions:
M1 unless

btfss PORTA,O

ADDLW
ADDWF
ADDWF

value
address,F
address,W

Add W to value, place result in W

Add W to contents of address, store result at address
Add W to contents of address, place result in W

ANDLW
ANDWF
ANDWF

value
address,F
address,W

Logical -AND W with value, place result in W

Logical-AND W with contents of address, store result at address
Logical -AND W with contents of address, place result in W

BCF
BSF

address,bitnumber
address,bitnumber

Set specified bit to 0

Set specified bit to 1

BTFSC
BTFSS

address,bitnumber
address,bitnumber

Test bit, skip next instruction if bit is 0

Test bit, skip next instruction if bit is 1

CALL

label

Call subroutine (will return with RETURN or RETLW)

CLRF
CLRW

address

Set contents of address to binary 00000000

Set W to binary 00000000

CLRWDT
address,W
address,F

Reverse all the bits of contents of address, place result in W

DECF
DECF

address,W
address,F

Subtract from contents of address, place result in W

Subtract 1 from contents of address, store result at address

DECFSZ address,W
DECFSZ address,F

Like DECF address,W and skip next instruction if result is 0

Like DECF address,F and skip next instruction if result is 0

GOTO

label

Jump to another location in the program

INCF
INCF

address,W
address,F

Add
Add

INCFSZ
INCFSZ

address,W
address,F

Like INCF address,W and skip next instruction if result is 0

Like INCF address,F and skip next instruction if result is 0

IORLW
IORWF
IORWF

value
address,F
address,W

Logical -OR W with value, place result in W

Logical -OR W with contents of address, store result at address
Logical -OR W with contents of address, place result in W

MOVLW
MOVF
MOVF
MOVWF

value
address,W
address,F
address

Place value in W
Copy contents of address to W
Copy contents of address to itself (not useless; sets Z flag if zero)

Copy contents of W to address

Return from interrupt

value

Return from subroutine, placing value into W

Return from subroutine

RLF
RLF

address,F
address,W

Rotate bits left through carry flag, store result at address

Rotate bits left through carry flag, place result in W

RRF
RRF

address,F
address,W

Rotate bits right through carry flag, store result at address

Rotate bits right through carry flag, place result in W

result

XORLW value
XORWF address,F
XORWF address,W

Minding Your Fs and Ws. Many

PIC instructions, including rlf and rrf,
come in two varieties, one ending
in f and the other ending in w,

to contents of address, place result in W

to contents of address, store result at address

RETFIE

SLEEP

zero.

Copy W to option register (deprecated instruction)

rotates the bits of port A to the left

if A0 =1 and to the right if A0 =0.
If you know another assembly
language, you may be wondering
how the PIC gets away without
having a byte compare (CMP)
instruction. The answer is that bytes
are compared by subtracting them
and then checking whether the
is

OPTION

RETURN

m2:

Do nothing

RETLW

rrf PORTB,f

Reverse all the bits of contents of address, store result at address

NOP

rlf PORTB,f

ml:

Reset (clear) the watchdog timer

COMF
COMF

goto ml
goto m2

38

TABLE1- PIC16F84 INSTRUCTION SET

Go into standby mode

SUBLW
SUBWF
SUBWF

value
address,F
address,W

Subtract W from value, place result in W

SWAPF
SWAPF

address,W
address,F

Swap half-bytes at address, place result in W

Swap half-bytes at address, store result at address

TRIS
TRIS

PORTA
PORTB

Copy W into i/o control register for Port A (deprecated)

Copy W into i/o control register for Port B (deprecated)

Subtract W from contents of address, store result at address

Subtract W from contents of address, place result in W

Logical -XOR W with value, place result in W

Logical -XOR W with contents of address, store result at address

Logical -XOR W with contents of address, place result in W

which are actually abbreviations

for 0 and respectively. These are
destination codes: f means the
1

result should go in the file register or

other memory address that you

(Continued on page 74)

MEASURiNq

G RAV ITy
WAVES
Do gravity waves actually exist? Build any one
of these experimental devices succeafully and
you may be the first to provide positive proof
SKIP CAMPISI

now, everyone has heard

of "gravity waves." But why
have they never been detected?
The common answer from classical
physics is that gravity waves are
very "subtle and weak." To me, that
answer appears to be a very subtle
and weak explanation! To discuss
this topic in an intelligent manner,
we must first examine some facets
of Relativity and Particle Theory, which
both tend to be somewhat hazy in
the areas concerning gravitation.
Take, for example, Einstein's
Principle of Equivalence, on which
his Relativity Theory is heavily (if not
entirely) based. Here he has stated
that there is absolutely no way for
an observer in a fully enclosed
environment to distinguish whether
he is "at rest" in a gravitational field,
or is being "accelerated" by a uniform force pushing (or pulling) his
By

enclosure. Picture yourself in a rocket ship at rest on the Earth, and

then experiencing a one -gravity
rocket acceleration far away from
any local gravitational fields.
At first glance, you'd agree with
Einstein -the one -gravity rocket

acceleration would feel exactly

the same as sitting at rest in Earth's
gravitational field. However, that's
only because your senses are too
limited to note any difference.
What? You don't believe me?
You've forgotten all about the
Inverse -Square -Law!
The force of gravity falls off and

weakens as the distance to the

mass creating the

gravitational field
increases, adhering
to an inverse -square relationship. Thus, if you're standing
upright (in the rocket) at rest on the
Earth, your feet are experiencing a

slightly stronger pull from gravity

than your head, agreed? What
happens to you when the rocket is
accelerating outside of a gravitational field?
Naturally, your head feels the
exact same pull as your feet. As you
can readily see, there is a differ-

ence between gravity and acceleration. But how do you measure

this minuscule little difference?
Fasten your seatbelts-here comes
a very subtle contradiction in
Relativity: Einstein himself gave us
the means to make the measurement! In explaining his theories, he
loved to use measuring rods and
clocks. According to him, a clock
placed within a strong gravitational field would run slower than one
placed in a weaker gravitational
field.
This aspect of Relativity was confirmed in 1960 at Harvard University
using the Mossbauer Effect, which
utilizes atomic nuclei as extremely
accurate "clocks." The "clock" on
the bottom floor of their lab ran
slower than the one on the upper

floor. Obviously, this result won't

occur in an accelerating rocket,

the force is uniformly

applied and not subject to the
where

Inverse-

Square Law. So,

was Einstein
right or wrong?

Or both?
Technically speaking, he was
correct, as numerous proofs of his
Special and General theories have
upheld all of his assumptions to
date. His Principle of Equivalence

indeed appears to hold true, even

though he himself has shown us
that there is a method of distinguishing between uniform acceleration and gravitational force. What
I'm attempting to point out here is
that at least one stone has been
left unturned. Perhaps we'll find
others in our quest to understand
gravitation.
Another peculiar aspect of
Relativity is the so- called limiting
velocity: A particle with mass can
only attain speed -of -light velocity
by acquiring infinite mass from infinite energy input, which are both
impossibilities. This indeed appears
to be true according to particle accelerator experiments. But what
about particles without mass? This is
where we depart from Relativity
and enter the equally strange
world of Particle Theory.
Here we use the photon as an
example. The photon is (according
to current theory) the "exchange
particle" for electromagnetic radiation. It has no charge or mass, and
a "spin" of 1. It travels at one speed:

39

the speed -of-light (1C). As this radiation is very far -reaching, the photon's characteristics are necessary
for propagation. (Other examples
could include the exchange particles related to the "strong" and
"weak" nuclear forces, which have
extremely short -range effects.
These particles are allowed to be
quite massive and still function
properly at much lower velocities,
never achieving light-speed.)
From these theories, it was
inferred that gravity waves should
be generated when a massive
object moves, and should also be
far -reaching, just as the effects of
gravity itself are felt over long distances. This implied that another
exchange particle, again having
no mass or charge, would be
required. This exchange particle, as
yet undetected, was named the
"graviton."
To fit the theories, the graviton
was given a spin of 2, and a velocity of 1C, as with the photon. But is
that correct? What if the spin is
actually and the velocity equal to
2C? hear you all grumbling -nothing can exceed light- speed, can it?
Nothing with mass, that is. Let's try a
little experiment (see Fig. 1) that
appears to thwart Relativity a bit.
For this experiment, we'll need a
fixed reference frame, which is
actually simpler than it sounds. All
that we need to do is attach two
HeNe lasers onto a length of board
so that they face each other, with
their beams aligned parallel, traveling in opposite directions to each
other. The beams are aligned so
that they can't enter the emission
1

reduced to 0.5C, for a relative

velocity shared by both beams of
10, while the laser frequencies

were
doubled
(wavelengths
halved) to maintain the original
color and intensity. (Difficult to

BEAM #1

4
BEAM #2

Fig. 1. This simple experiment in Relativitv yields two possible conclusions that have profound
implications.
PENDULUM ROD

KNIFE -EDGE
AXLE
KNIFE -EDGE AXLE

90 "VEE" GROOVE

DRILL -ROD BEARING

SHARP EDGE

aperture of the opposing laser,

which could cause unstable lasing.
A target is placed next to each
aperture to display the opposing
laser's beam.
If you turn both lasers on, you'll
notice the beams' images displayed on their respective targets.
If you now turn off only one laser,
you'll notice that the remaining
beam display has not changed in

LENGTH
T = 21r/ti
L = 1 METER,
T= 2 SEC.
"U" SHAPED
RIGID FRAME

PENDULUM
ROD
AXLE

PLUMB
WEIGHT

DRILL-ROD
BEARINGS

PENDULUM ROD

intensity or color. This result has only

two possible explanations:
A

opposite directions interacted with each

other in a "Relativistic" manner. The
velocity of each beam was
1)

40

The beams passing in

90 'VEE"
GROOVE

Fig. 2. Here is one possible method (using commonly available materials) of constructing a supersensitive pendulum movement. The key concerns in any pendulum design are low friction and rigidity of components. The pendulum itself is shown in A, a side -view of the axle and hearing details is
shown in B, while the sectional view in C shows the basic assembly.

RES

PENDULUM ROD
(T = 211-IUG)

000

NOTE: IC1 = SLOTTED OPTO- INTERRUPTER

DISP1 -DISP3 = 3- DIGIT, 7- SEGMENT,
MULTIPLEXED LCD/LED

10K

BCD
RS

(A -D)

001F

SEG.
CD4543

CD4553

(a -g)
DISP1

LE

CLK

LE

DIGIT

10K

(1 -3)

1M
OF

BCD
001 uF

RS

7C

CLK

+V,

(A-D)
CD4543

CD4553

O
TOGGLE
F/F

DISP?
CLK

DIGIT

NAND

>

(1

-3)

OF

BCD

RS

(A -D)

CD4553

SEG.

CD4543
(a -g)
DISP3

LE

ICI

MHz

(a-g)

LE

SEG.

CLK

CRYSTAL
OSC.

DIGIT

(1

-3)

Fig. 3. As shown in this block diagram, the tip of the pendulum interrupting the light beam of ICI
provides a "gate" signal that triggers the display, which can be a standard frequency counter set up
to read time period. Optionally, you could build your own high -resolution display as illustrated here
or use a single -chip version such as the ICM7226A 8 -digit counter

believe, no ?)
2) The beams passing in opposite directions had no interaction
with each other. This leaves us with
the assumption that a photon from
one beam shares a relative velocity of 2C with a photon from the
opposing beam and implies that
certain particles are allowed to
travel in excess of light-speed without violating any limiting laws. (Any
better?)
Both explanations yield profound results: (1) appears to tell us
that electromagnetic radiation is
always traveling at changing
velocities to compensate for the
ever -present interaction of photons, reflected or otherwise, and (2)
apparently tells us that light-speed
can be exceeded by particles
without mass. Explanation (1) looks
like great fodder for another article,

so we'll leave that alone for now.

For the purposes of this article,
explanation (2) will suffice.
We know a bit about photons, as

they readily interact with normal

matter. They don't appear to
accelerate or decelerate, but are
traveling at light-speed when emitted. One other particle without
mass or charge is known to travel at
light- speed: the neutrino. This particle was originally "designed" to
maintain the Conservation-ofMomentum Law as related to other
sub -atomic particles. It has a spin of
1/2 and is necessarily ejected in certain nuclear reactions to maintain
this law, among others.
The neutrino doesn't interact
with matter to any great extent,
making it undetectable until
recently. Some had even speculated that it actually did have a very
slight mass, which would not allow it

to reach light speed. Fortunately,

Supernova 1987A, located tens -ofthousands of light-years away in
the Magellanic Clouds, showed us
the truth: neutrinos from this vast
explosion arrived at our planet
within the same time -frame as the
photons from its visible light. If the
neutrinos had any mass, we'd still
be waiting for them to arrive, due
to the enormous distance they
would have had to travel at sub light velocities!
"Okay, so what's all this have to
do with gravity waves?" you might
now ask, and rightly so.
previously stated, the
As
exchange particle theorized for
gravity is the graviton. A moving
massive object should produce
gravity waves using gravitons, just
as electromagnetic waves use
photons as the exchange particles.
Supposedly, gravitons interact to an
I

41

even lesser extent with matter than

neutrinos, thus making them almost
PDX GLASS
SWING
LENS
impossible to detect.
EXPAND
We know that photons and neutrinos don't have a mass or charge
SILICON
and travel at 10. That would indiSOLAR
cate that gravitons could share the
CELL
same characteristics, but what if
gravitons really do travel at 2C, with
a spin of 1? (Energy -wise, this might
be considered equivalent to a
SWING
velocity of 1C with a spin of 2.) That
t
could explain why we've never
CONTRACT
detected them: a velocity of 2C
might not allow some of the pree
dicted interactions with normal
matter (which itself experiences
LASER DIODE
time dilation, contraction effects,
MODUL.E
and mass increase at relativistic
speeds) except for the usual gravitational effects already observed.
As you can imagine, this has proFig. 4. The "laser bounce" system is perhaps the easiest detector to assemble, requiring
a simfound implications in Particle ple glass lens, laser diode module, and a solar cell. The output current variations can beonly
monitored
Theory. Might any other particles on a high resolution DMM. Mount all of the components on a rigid frame, with as much distance as
exist that are in question? Could practical between the lens and the solar cell. The entire unit should be sitting in a sand box for vibrabe. How about tachyons, for a tion damping.
starter? We'll need a brand -new
technology to detect any of these globe spanning at a minimum. This lum's length.
particles. But we still might have a creates directional and other meaThe
pendulum's
harmonic
shot with gravitons, assuming a surement problems, as you'll soon motion has proven to be so accudevice can ever be built. Let me find out. The wavelength is also rate that oil and mineral prospecpass on a few ideas to you -per- large.
tors use them to locate buried
haps one of our readers would
Consider a rapidly rotating "pul- deposits, which alter the strength of
care to make the attempt at con- sar," which is probably the highest the local gravitational field.
structing one of these -the suc- frequency gravity wave generator Assuming that incoming gravity
cessfully completed project would we might find. If it rotates in one mil- waves alter local gravity in a similar
be Nobel material, without a lisecond (note that none have fashion,
pendulum- time -period
doubt!
been found this fast as yet), the variations present one possible
One of these ideas is based on wavelength would be 186 miles, method for detecting them.
the assumption that an incoming assuming a propagation velocity of
The basic setup is actually quite
gravity wave will interact with our 10. At a propagation of 2C, the simple, especially if you already
local gravitational field, either wavelength doubles! We can safe- have a frequency counter with
adding to it or subtracting from it. ly assume that most wavelengths time -period measurement capabilAnother idea, which is currently we'll be trying to detect are much ity. The main task then becomes
popular, assumes that the gravitons longer than 186 miles. So, here we only a matter of assembling a suitinteract in a direct manner with go....
able pendulum movement. A sugmatter itself, changing the dimengested approach using common
sions slightly (for example) of a
SupetiSensitive Pendulum Method. materials is shown in Fig. 2. If necessolid, material object. The last idea Galileo originally determined that sary, you could construct a high assumes that photon emission the simple harmonic motion of a resolution display (see the block
wavelength varies with gravitation- pendulum resulted in a time period diagram on Fig, 3) using standard
al field strength. Could any of these that depended only on the length logic chips of your choice.
ideas be sensitive enough to of the pendulum and the accelerThe pendulum itself is fabricated
detect gravity waves? Only some R ation of gravity. The mass of the from a rigid length of metal rod or
& D will tell!
pendulum only aids in overcoming tubing, with a short slot cut down
The major problems with all of
friction. If you divide the length by the center of its axis on one end. A
these ideas involve the apparent the acceleration of gravity, extract "knife- edge" axle (made from a
size of the wavefront encountered,
the square -root of the result, and standard "utility" knife blade) is
and the wavelength of the "radia- multiply it by 6.28 (2 x Tr), you'll centered in the slot with its edge
tion." The wavefront, which may obtain the period of the pendulum. fixed at 90 to the pendulum rod.
possibly be compared to "ocean" This holds true over short distance Two parallel "bearings" made from
42 waves in a loose sense, is hugeswings of about 25% of the pendudrill rod are supported horizontally

and exactly level on a rigid frame,

spaced just far enough apart to
clear the pendulum. The pendulum
swings between the bearings on its
knife edge, which pivots in adjacent 90 "Vee" grooves cut into the
bearings as "keepers." A massive
weight, such as a carpenter's
plumb, is installed on the free end
of the pendulum rod.
A standard slotted opto- interrupter is located on the bottom
section of the support frame (at the
center of the pendulum's swing) so
that the tip of the plumb can pass
through the slot to break the light
beam. The pendulum length should
be selected to have a period of at
least a couple of seconds, and the
whole mechanism must sit in a
sand box for vibration damping.
The opto- interrupter supplies the
gate pulse for triggering the time
period display. If you build your own
display, you can use a -MHz crystal
oscillator module along with 3 -digit
BCD counters driving three BCD -to7-segrnent decoders. These in turn
could drive three separate, 3 -digit
multiplexed LED (or LCD) displays,
which would display the period in

microseconds. (The ICM7226A

counter is a good, single-chip alternative.) You may process the outputs with your PC, utilizing a plotter
to provide hard copy of time -period variations.
Needless to say, that method is
not useful for higher frequency
gravity waves, due to the long period required for the pendulum to
give high resolution. Very long -term
changes, such as the daily influences of the Sun and Moon, can
be easily factored out, especially if
you're using a PC. To start the measuring process, gently set the pendulum in motion, giving it a few
minutes or so to stabilize before
attempting any measurements.

Laser Bounce Method. One

school of thought suggests that
gravitons may interact sufficiently
with matter to actually cause
dimensional changes (albeit very
small changes) in solid objects.
Looking at the diagram illustrated
on Fig. 4, you'll find one possible
method of detecting these
changes.
Here we bounce an uncollimat-

TEMP. CONTROLLED
LASER DIODE MODULE

FREQUENCY
COUNTER
FM "BEAT"

+vco

val

OR:

vgl

VS**

FLAT
MIRROR
(AS REQ'D)

TEMP. CONTROLLED
LASER DIODE MODULE

PHOTODETECTOR

A promising method of detecting gravity waves uses this unusual type of interferometer. Two
temperature-controlled laser diodes apply their beams to a photodetector "mixer" where they are
heterodyned. The incoming gravity wave might then frequency modulate this "beat" frequency, as
each of its "crests" and "troughs" sequentially pass by the two lasers.

Fig. 5.

ed laser beam off of a convex

reflector, with the reflected beam
directed to a large aperture photodetector. To take advantage of
the
"angular magnification,"
detector is mounted as far away as
practical from the reflector. That
allows for a large "moment arm"
that functions just as a lever would
in a mechanical system due to the
convex shape of the reflector.
If the theory holds true, the
dimensions of the reflector should
change in step with an incoming
gravity wave, causing the beam to
move across the detector. It can
also be inferred that the beam's
angular diameter would vary due
to the reflector's changes, providing additional amplification for the
system. If we locate the detector in
the outer fringes of the diverging
laser beam, any beam movement
would cause the detector output
to vary as the gravity waves
impinge on the reflector.
The reflector itself should have a
precision -polished optical surface.
A simple, uncoated plano- convex
(flat on one side, convex on the
other) glass lens of short focal
length should perform well. Even
though bare glass only reflects
about 5% of the incident light, that
is more than sufficient for our purposes. A standard silicon "solar cell"
(shielded from ambient light)
should make a reasonable detector, using a visible or infrared laser
diode as a light source. Once
again, the entire system must sit in a
sand box for vibration damping,
with all components mounted on a
rigid frame.
Unlike the mechanical system
discussed earlier, this system can
handle higher- frequency waves,
which might be a great advantage when considering what types
of gravity-wave generators might
produce the strongest radiation
the fastest moving objects! The output current from the detector can
be processed by a PC and plotted
for hard copy if desired or displayed on a high-resolution DMM.

Optical Heterodyning Method.

Einstein's Theory of Relativity also
predicted gravitational redshift. All
atoms emit photons at specific
wavelengths related to the vibra- 43

tional rate of their orbital electrons;

thus, they can be considered as
"clocks." Recalling the 1960
Harvard experiment previously discussed, you'll see why a photon
emitted in a strong gravitational
field would have a longer wavelength than one emitted from a
similar atom in a weaker field.
Hence the term gravitational red shift. This has been observed in photons from our Sun.
If we assume that gravity waves
affect these "atomic clocks" in a
similar manner, we can construct a
device such as the one illustrated in
Fig. 5, which theoretically could
detect the resulting redshift
changes. This device is an unusual
type of interferometer that uses two
light sources, rather than bending
the beam back from a single
source onto a target.
The system operation is quite
simple: One laser diode directly illuminates a photo- detector in close
proximity. Another laser diode is
located at an optimum distance
from the detector, at the point
where the greatest amplitude difference would occur (between the
two lasers) on the incoming gravity
wave. This would happen at one half of the wavelength, with one quarter of the wavelength being a
more
reasonable
"antenna"
length. As you can appreciate, this
method is highly directional and
tunable to the desired gravity -

wave frequency and wavelength.

With both beams illuminating
the detector, which can now be
called a "mixer," optical heterodyning results. The mixer's output is the
difference frequency between
both lasers. If we assume that both
lasers' emissions are undergoing
redshiff changes via the incoming
gravity wave, we should be able to
see a modulation in this "beat" frequency in step with the gravity
wave's frequency as each "crest"
and "trough" passes the lasers
sequentially.
Selecting a reasonably low beat
frequency might allow you to mea-

that frequency -modulation

product. A standard frequency
sure

44

counter can be used as the display, with your PC processing and

plotting the results. You might now
be wondering how to select two

laser diodes that are close enough

in wavelength to have a beat frequency low enough to use conventional circuitry. The answer is
that you don't really have to!
It is well known that a laser
diode's efficiency goes up as its
temperature goes down, and also,
its wavelength decreases as its
temperature drops. Thus, we have a
practical method of "tuning" each
laser's wavelength or frequency. By
keeping the remote laser's temperature constant, while varying the
other laser's temperature, we can
actually select an appropriate
beat frequency for display. As with
any interferometer, vibration -free
component mounting is an
absolute must!

Detection Problems. At first glance,

those three ideas appear to be
workable methods for detecting
gravity waves, assuming that the
waves actually do exist in the first
place! We've already pointed out
the three major problems concerning detection: the huge wavefront,
extremely large wavelengths, and
the possibility of faster-than -light
propagation velocities. The types of

gravity- wave -generating objects

we might expect to detect are also
worth considering.
What about that one- millisecond pulsar mentioned previously?
It would certainly be convenient if
that type of "neutron star" provided
us with a
-kHz gravity wave to
detect! However, just the fact that
it's rotating at high velocity doesn't
mean that it will generate gravity
waves. It would necessarily have to
be lop-sided in its mass distribution
for that to occur. That this is the
case is suggested by the X -ray pulses that they radiate, but that fact
by no means offers an absolute
I

proof.
A much more likely source of reliable gravity wave generators will
probably turn out to be variable
stars. These fall into two basic
groups: eclipsing binaries and pulsating variables. Eclipsing binary
stars are rapidly rotating pairs
whose orbital planes lie edge -on to
us. Their periods are measured in
days, which would make gravity wave detection a chore. On the
other hand, pulsating variable stars

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Both Relativity and Particle Theory
are fascinating subjects, with many books
having been published concerning them
and their relationship with gravitation. If
you wish to learn more about these subjects, in the opinion of the author, the following texts are among the best available
and can be located through most booksellers:

Relativity, the Special and the General

Theory, by Albert Einstein,

Atom : Journey Across the Subatomic

Cosmos, by Isaac Asimov

Conceptual Physics, by Paul G. Hewitt

have periods measured in hours,

with the fastest in minutes-much
more reasonable! As you can see,
a time -period display (as illustrated
in Fig. 2) might be a better choice
than a frequency display.
I'm sure that you'll now be wondering how a single star that only
varies in brightness (magnitude)
can produce gravity waves of any
strength without moving to any
extent. The fact of the matter is that
they do move! According to current well -established theory, these
stars actually contract and expand
in sync with their magnitude pulsations. Ergo, they might generate

something
that
could
be
detectable. So, how does all of this
relate to our three detector ideas?
Returning to the pendulum
method, just how would wavelength affect our measurements?
With the pendulum and the display
circuitry in near proximity (as dictated physically) it's quite a possibility
that a local -MHz oscillator would
be affected in the exact same
manner as the pendulum time period, In that case, we would detect
absolutely nothing! On the other
hand, the oscillator may be affected in a different manner, which
might effectively amplify the time
period variations, This system does
offer some directional selectivity
along the axis of the pendulum
rod
it works at all.
Looking at the laser bounce
method, it would appear that just
by adding more convex mirrors to
the light path, we could amplify
even the smallest dimensional
1

-if

(Continued on page 77)

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240x64 dot LCD with built-in controller.

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$49.W or
The

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siZ8
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e[io

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Panasonic
Toshiba
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LC D

Comm will, pineot. 12V at 1.4 Amp input

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12 VDC Operation
e

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full alpha_

standard telephone interface extension cord

HP bar code wand (HBCS

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SONY Miniature Color LCD Display

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These transceivers were designed for operation in an AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service) cell site. The
20 MHz bandwidth of the transceiver allows it to operate on all 666 channels allocated. The transmit
channels are 870.030- 889.980 MHz with the receive channels 45 HMz below those frequencies. A digital
onewth
ecselectedignfrequency. Each unit (RSSI)two independent receivers
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amplifier. channel selection is accomplished with a 10 bit binary input via a connector on the back panel.
Other interface requirements for operation are 26 VDC (unregulated) and an 18.990 MHz reference
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synthesizer. tunable front end. and interface assembly (which includes power supplies and voltage controlled oscillator). Service manual, schematics and circuit descriptions included.

4 INCH LCD MONITOR

tar $69.

60 Hz Vert. Sync. Freq.

$99 ""

tr

LMDK55 -22 $25

640X480, Sanyo
Y

Nola -Er lcIOS@

486

Lsl CM 111.55 inch) Diagonal hull Color Display' Buih n Hunzontal and Vcmeal Drivers [kite Dot
PAL Fomtal
Pattern Fur High Picture Quality 537 dots (H) x 222 dots (V) Compatible with NTSC
12 VDC Operation with -I to +17 V ROB Signal and Driver Input Voltage Excellent
and Sync Inputs
Displays
Pin
Outs and
Test
Equipment
Display for Virtual Reality Projects, Viewfinders, and Miniature
Specification Included Unit Requires Clock, Synchronization and Video

(1:1.1. Sl

$10.00
$20.00
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$15.00
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MONITORS

Flat Faceplate

price

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size

HACKER CORNER
COMPUTER

BI(ts it PC/VT compatible

Unit has a backup Ni -Cd battery system incase of power failure (5 min. hookup hotel and lockable from
carver to prevent floppy drive access. Mounting / interface provision Iim c,nderd 3.5" laptop floppy
and 2.5 inch hard drives. Comes with very comprehensive manual.

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40x2
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and still growing

Complete enhanced lntel4AnSN.3' hxad computer in ultra small (9.7/AL se-3/All a 3.IBHI Case. Ideal fur embedded operarinm
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for M9.

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adorers

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built-in controller allows you to do text and graphics

Alphanumeric-parallel interface
32x2
$7.00
$10.00
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$10.00
$15.00

shipping and handling chorgp

Order
Minimum order
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0 00 chutes, rn or VISA. on personal checks op
55 W. n, except cashiers
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MC ox. We No not responsible
odd R.hec
S0' We
le. Phone orders
subject to prior
errors. All merdiondises
welcome Foreign orders rewire special hooding. Proes subject to
fee
returnd
orders.
resoclong
for
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Compact 14.4- x 3.8'- x 14 "1 TFT active matrix LC'I) color monitor including
fluorescent backlight. Analog RG and composite sync input with switchablc
horizontal / vertical viewing. Low power consumption and long life backlight make
it ideal for security and door phone use. Single 8 VIK supply and good resolution
allow mobile operations or use with laptops. Standard nbbon cable - Molex
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NTSC CC)A4POSITE
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Power Supplies
Elenco Quad Power Supply
Model XP -581

1.5VDC

fixed

+SV @3A, +12V

Variable

$1

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IA

XP -720 Fully

-2.S- 20V @2A

Assembled

9.95

$85

Elenco Model XK -150

Elenco DC Power Supply

Model SPL-603 $741
$
95

3A 0-30VDC

Elenco Model MX -9300

Four Functions in One

Electronic
Playground and
Learning Center
Contains Over 50
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-15VDC

5VDC @ 3A
6.3VAC @1A&
12.8VAC center
tapped @1A

Fully Regulated DC Power

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DC voltages'

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554.95

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IA
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Miscellaneous

Elenco Power Supply Kit

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$79.95

Look For Other

Monthly Specials
On Our Website

Digital /Analog
Trainer

The SPL603 is a solid -state DC power supply

providing the exact output voltage no matter what
current you use. It contains one fully regulated
power supply. The variable voltage is capable of
delivering 0-30V at up to 3A. The output is precisely held to the desired output voltage by a special regulating circuit. Output fully protected from

Features:

'I!

$89.95
Ideal for Schools

overload.

$450

One instrument with four test and measuring

systems:
1.3GHz Frequency Counter
2MHz Sweep Function Generator
Digital Multimeter
Digital Triple Power Supply - 030V @ 3A, 15V
@

lA,

5V @2A

Generators & Counters

Elenco Sweep Function Generator
w/ built -In frequency counter

10

Model GF -8036

$225

Function 1.3GHz Universal Counter

Elenco Model F -1300

Frequency .50112 - 1.30Hs 3 Ranges

Period - Can reed 0011z to 00.000300
Totalize - Counts In 199,999,999

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150kHz)

@ 1V RMS.

$225

8G-9000
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$119.95

w o counte

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el 4

$319

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Model AK -700
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Solderlass
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7

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w/ Stand

$11

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synchronous
detector

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10
Igtt
splay,
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AC

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and

newest

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Digital / Analog Trainer is specially designed for school projects. It is built on a single PC
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includes 5 built -in power supplies, a function generator w/
continuously sine, triangular
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Tools and meter shown optional. (Mounted in a professional
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XK-700
Assembled 8

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10Hz - 2.5GHz
Ultra sensitive

$445

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Extemal Frequency counter to
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linear and Log sweep

over 100 kits available

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B &K 20MHz Sweep /Function Generator

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Model 4040

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$24.95

rs

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Math Functions
Timer 2 sec. to 99 days
Pulse WMh - alms to eeeee.6me

Model SG -9500
Features internal AM mod.
of 1kHz, RF output 100MV 35MHz. Audio output 1kHz

Elenco Handheld
Universal
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10Hz - 2.8GHz

Stopwatch set .2 lose. to 100 hrs.

Elenco RF Generator with Counter

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e&K Model

-1;1

6225

Max Min/AVG with Time

This sweep function generator with counter le en instrument capable of generating square, triangle, and sine waveforms, and TTL,
CMOS pulse over a frequency range from 0.2Hz to 2MHz.

Multifunction
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XK -700K

C &S SALES, INC.

150 W. CARPENTER AVENUE
WHEELING, IL 60090
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15 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
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Digital Multimeters
Elenco LCR & DMM
Model LCM -1950

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LCR -1810

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2000MO
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-

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resistance, conductance, and capacitance measurement.

measurement, fre-

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True RM5 of tdgh speed

Auto /manual
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Frequency up to 15MHz
Diode/Audible Continuity
Test

M-1000B (Assembled).-.-..-.. $14.95

signals
Computer Interface and
software
Frequency to 200KHz
Capacitance to 40pF
Large 3 314 LCD display
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Many features
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Three hold system
Analog bar graph
end pointer
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Oscilloscopes
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95

Transistor Test
Diode Test

Free Dust Cover and

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$179

181 Ranges
3 1/2 Digit LCD

20V

Signal Output Function

3 1/2 Digit Display

Lo -Ohms range, a 400

Digital
Multimeter Kit

pF to

201iF

DC Volts 0

formance

Dual- Display LCR Meter

Elenco Model M-- 005K

14

Features high perAC /DC

voltage and current

frequency
Built -In
counter of voltage Input
from 1 Hz to over 20kHz.
range with Fluke's proprietary
Zero
Calibration, offers 0.01

Meets UL -1244 safety

specs
Model M -2760 - $24.95
(9 functions)

87111

$299

ranges

from 99.99nF to 99990F.

Beeper
Diode Test
Transistor rest

$99.95
Capacitance

Capacitance

Functions:

Freq. to 20MHz
Cap. to 20uF
AC /DC Votage
AC /DC Current

$69

Fluke

79111

$185

$39.95
11

Functions
Freq. to 4MHz
Inductance
Capacitance
and Much More
12

Elenco Model

Fluke

Model M -1740

Probes

Both Models
Available
In Yellow,

Blue

&

Pro -Sport FRS Two -Way Radio

Model PRO -SPORT+

Talk up to
2

miles!

Black

Model PRO-SPORT
1/2 Watt Output,
Channels.
TX LED Indicator.
Removable Belt Clip.
Highly Water Resistant.
Economy Type
No License Required!

Model PRO -SPORT +

14

1/2 Watt Output, 14 Channels.

TX & RX LED /LCD Indicators.

Large LCD Display.

38 i3rivacy (CTCSS) Tones.
Plus All Features of Pro-Sport
Model.

$79.00 each or
2 for $149.95

$68.00 each or
2 for $109.95
S -1325
S -1330

S -1340
S -1345
S -1360

S -1390

25MHz
25MHz
40MHz
40MHz
60MHz
100MHz

Dual Trace
Delayed Sweep
Dual Trace
Delayed Sweep
Delayed Sweep
Delayed Sweep

$325
$439
$475
$569
$749
$995

DIGITAL SCOPE SUPER SPECIALS

DS -203
OS -303

DS-603

20MHz /10Ms /s Analog /Digital

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60MHz/20Ms /s Analog /Digital

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OTHERS CALL FOR DETAILS
IL

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Elenco Technician Tool Kit

Model TK-1500

$49

95

28 tools plus a DMM (M- 10008)

$695
$995
$1295

contained in a large flexible tool

case with a handle ideal for
everyone on the go.

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15s W. CARPENTER AVENUE
WHEELING, IL 60090
FAX 0647) 541 -9904 (847) 541 -0710

15

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CABLE TV

SONY COLOR VIDEO

CAMERA W/ AUDIO

DESCRAMBLERS

SONY #CCX- Z11/S1

Brand new 1/4" CCD color
video camera with audio.
Ideal for surveillance or
video conferencing.
Good-looking,
compact design,
only 3.5" X 2.33" X 1.05 ".
Adjustable lens. On-off power
switch. RCA jacks for video
and audio outputs. NTSC, ETA
standard. 270,000 pixels. Auto white balance.
10 Lux min. illumination. Includes 4.5 Vdc
power supply, output cables and adjustable
desktop camera stand which can easily be
used as a wall or ceiling mount bracket. An
exceptional deal.

CAT# VC -1100
$
3 or more $85.00 each

9000h

[[

CAT # BT-AA

4 for $

>

FREE

L.truirV(^i

Measure Temp. and Relative

Humidity easily with the RHT7!

<>c
...

rrow

Easy to connect to stamps

and microprocessors
On -board calibration system
Factory calibrated sensors
Sense from a remote area
Includes all parts and PCB
$64.95 + shipping/handling
Visir our Webpage for more!

Let us point you in

: (9

0=skiii-At
RHT7 kit shown assembled

wSA

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Omaha, Nebraska

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kits @tochnologykit.com

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00

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20 Character X 4 Line LCD

Optrex # DMC 20434 -CEM
(PWB 20434 -CEM)
5 x 8 dot format.
3" x 1" viewing area.
3.88" x 2.38" module.
Removed from new equipment, may have felt
padding on metal bezel. 14 pin single row header is pre -attached. Includes spec/hook -up sheet.

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Big Savings on AA BATTERIES

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packed for OEM use. Large quantity
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30

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TERMS: NO MINIMUM ORDER. Shipping and handling for the

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FAX or E -MAIL

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P.O. Box 567
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96 Page
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52

CATALOG

Outside the U.S.A.

send $3.00 postage.

MAIL ORDERS TO

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e -mail alicorp @allcorp.com

JUST APPLY SIGNAL,

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catalogmouser.com
958 N. Main St., Mansfield, TX 76063

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EXPERIMENT FOR YOURSELF TO SEE THE BENEFITS OF THESE DEVICES.
THERE ARE 25 DIFFERENT DEVICES IN THE SIP PRODUCT UNE.
OFFER GOOD ONLY IN THE 48 STATES. OFFER ENDS DECEMBER 20.1999
UMR ONE REQUEST PER CUSTOMER MUST BE PREPAID BY CREDIT CARD
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ORDERS 800.634-3457
OFFICE 702-565-3400

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SESCOM, INC. 2100 WARD DR.. HENDERSON, NV 89015

sESCOM. iNC.
wi.
typographe,
,m P,<m ." roc,rw:".,"..,.

SOLAR POWERED
SPACE EXPLORER KIT

WE ALSO OFFER OVER

150 DIFFERENT
ELECTRONIC KITS.

Do you want to have the ultimate go- anywhere solar powered

educational car? If so, this is the one for you. This car s the
"Sport Utility" type of solar cars, able to slowly rumble ike a
tank over grass, small stones or obstacles, and up s opes
(40 or less)! This easy to assemble solar car has a high
torque gear box, a tank type drive mechanism, and decals to
customize your vehicle. Includes many fun and exciting experiments and a brief history of
space exploration! Perfect for summer fun or as an introduction to solar power. No special
tools are required to assemble this car and all of the soldering is already done for you! Size
of the space explorer is aproximately 8" L x 4 1/4" W. Can operate on 2 AA batteries (not
included) or it can operate without batteries with its eff cient Solar Panel (included).

$29.95 ea.

G1492

CORDLESS PHONE BATTERY

$1.49 ea,

;
rrJJI
Box

5408

FO

,..Scottsdale,

A? 85261

http://www.goldmine-elec.com
NOTE: Al items subject to prior sale, All pices expire 10 -31 -99

For Phone Orders Call: 800-445 -0697

or Fax Your Orders to: (480) 661 -8259
For a Free Catalog Call: 800- 445 -0697
e-mail: goldmine- elec@goldnine- elec.com
Foreign catalo . rLyucst: senti S5.(1)

This 3 cell nicad button pack is rated 3.6V @280mAh. Size is 1" Tall x 1"
Dia. has blue vinyl sleeve, flexible color coded wires and small female
connector. Prime brand new. Sold for up to $9.00 each i:Isewhere.

,61508

1=

LIcrId ic

Minimum Order: $10 (plus min. $5 Stripping and Han fling). We acc opt MasterCard.
Visa and personal checks, however we cannot acce)t personal decks on orders
um $10 S &H)
outside the U.S. Minimum Foreign Order Amount: $50 plus a

min

for 57.00

CALL, E -MAIL, WRITE OR FAX US FOR YOUR FREE COPY OF OUR

96 PAGE CATALOG CONTAINING ALMOST 5.000 PRODUCTS!
\\c has mer

POWERFUL
SOLAR MODULE
Compact module consists of 3
amorphous silicon solar cells
+.
connected in series, mounted on
a glass epoxy board and then
coated with a clear epoxy. Size
only 4l/2'x25/8 "x1/16 "but
produces an incredible 1.6V 1111111114
open circuit voltage and up to
400ma short circuit current. These are great for powering small DC motors to make hundreds of unique
solar powered cars. boats, tans, & electronic projects.
`

titer

G1496

$14.95 ea.

SMALL EFFICIENT
MOTOR &
FAN BLADE
Works perfectly with
the solar panell sold
above, this motor
features solder tinned connection posts and smal 12"
overall dia. push on fan blade.

61495 $2.75

FIBER OPTIC
DISPLAY
BUNDLE
Bundle of various length
plastic fiber optics made
for a multicolor light display. We didn't receive the light unit but we did get
the fiber optic bundles that consist of about 70 small
diameter plastic fibers cut at various lengths from
about 3/4" up to about 8' long. The bundle terminates into a small metal crimp fitting which is where
a multi colored light was to be connected.

G1134

1;2.:4W Sale! $1.29 ea.

TEST LEADS WITH CLIPS

Package of 10 test leads with
clips. You get 10 total test leads
(2 red, 2 black, 2 green, 2 yellow,
and 2 white). Each has a clip on
each end and is 131/2" long.

G1498

PACKAGE OF

10

$2.49

150 kits!

('till

Um.

'..allang!

IR VISION
ROVER
ROBOT KIT
This incredible robot
can actually see! As it
explores, it emits invisible beams of IR
(infrared) light which
reflect off any obstacles in its path, inclyding wall,
rocks, humans, boxes, etc. Its' simple braii and sensor causes the IR Vision Rover Robot to turn backwards and then go forward in a different direction
avoiding the obstacle it has detected up tO one toot
away. It can even be remotely contrclied from up to 25
feet away by using any standard VCR/TV IR remote
control that you have. Simply point and pass almost
any button on your remote and you will notice that
your IR Vision Rover Robot will immediately back up
and then go forward in a different di 7ection The Rover
emits beeps and blinks bright colorful LEDs as it explores. Operates from only two AA batteries (not included). Features DC -DC converter circuitry, sensitive
IR sensor module, 2 IR LEDs, 9 colorful LEDs, 2 powerful motors and reliable drive train. This entertaining
robot will amaze everyone who sees it! It's a fun kit to
build, and an excellent introduction to robotics. Size
about 5 1/2" x 6 1/2". Complete with all parts, PC board
and instructions. Skill level 2.

C6761

$46.99 ea.

LIE DETECTOR KIT

Fun "poor man's lie detector "!

Pitched tone varies it

you are relaxed or nervous. Uses 9V battery (not
included). Skill level 1.

C4657

$6.50

ELECTRONIC CRICKET KIT

This electronic cricket starts "chirping eery time it
gets dark. Of course, if you turn on the lights to look
for the 'cricket" it becomes
silent again. Loads of fun.
Uses 9V battery (not included). Skill level 1.

C6707 $6.50

AIRPAX

SERVO
MOTOR
This is a prime 12VDC
precision servo motor
made by Airpax that produces an unbel evable amount
of torque! Technical specs: Part number 8204 045
01211, Gear Ratio 150:4 ,23RPM. Perfect for high
torque robot applications! Size of moto is 21 /2" Long
x 1 1/4" Dia. with a 1 5/8" square mounting base with
4 screw holes. Shaft size s 3/16" Dia.
Sold in lots of two only

G1497

2 MOTORS

$19.95

ENERGIZER RECHARGEABLE

650MAH 2.4V
BATTERYPACK

This pack consists of twc AA

size batteries with indiviival
white vinyl sleeves connected in
series and then a black vinyl sleeve was placed over
the pack. These were mace for an electric tool and
are new prime highest qua ity Energizer nicads.

01480 31=004PACJE Sale! 790/PACK

10 PACKS for $6.00

15VDC 400MA ADAPTER

Special Adapter made for
Sega Channel. Plugs in.o
standard 120VAC outlet and
features a 5mm female barel plug with center ( +). el-Es
built ferrite bead RF interference
out pri ce.

Special blow-

G1357M 990 ea.

120VAC HIGH POWER

STROBE LIGHT KIT
Deluxe strobe light
kit has control to
vary flash rate from
60 to 300 flashes
per minute. Uses horseshoe strobe tube and ref( actor. Operates from standard 120V
AC. Skill level 2.

C4162

$23.50

THE ELECTRONIC GOLDMINE: PO BOX 5408 SCOTTSDALE AZ 85261

TOLL 'REE ORDER LINE: 8111 -445 -0697 FAX: (480) 661 -3259 ALL OTHER CALLS: (480) 51 -7454
CIRCLE 241 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

53

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PIC PROJECTS
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PICs in the

&

CD -ROM

Many PIC Projects for Beginners & Experts!

Includes Software, Documentation, and PCB Layout

12C5xx, 14000 and

16Cxx series (except 16C5c58). All components, PCB
and Instructions included. Parallel port of PC is used
with straight through (25 pin) cable (not supplied). Kit
uses the P16PRO shareware which is downloaded from
the web and registered for $20. Can program 64 pin
PICs with adapter (not supplied). For more info and
other PIC programmers visit www.electronics123.com

LCDs

x10

- Home Automation

Keypads
Serial Port Interface

Book &
CD Only

On- Screen Displays

$2

Robotics

Data Logging
Serial -1':11-$111.1
Vane doer'

And

1/4" CMOS Camera Module,

Black & White, with digital output.
Size: only 1.38"x1.14 ". Lens:
f7.4mm, F2.1 FOV 32 deg x 24
deg. Pixels 384x288. Scanning:
Progressive. Video Output: digital
8bit. Programmable features.
Shutter: 1/50 to 1/5000 sec. Power

PIC Programmer
Programs all PIC16C55a/6a/7,J8a/9z
PIC 16F8x, and PIC12C devices.
Optimal ZIF adapters for SOIC & PLCC.
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Only $39'

Supply, 5VDC. Standby Current <10mA. Needs

regulated power supply. S &H to Canada is $7.9

Toll Free: 1- 888 -549 -3749 (USA &Canada)

Tel: (330) 549-3726. Request a FREE catalog or visit us
at: www.electronics123.com for more products.
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www.jm-micro.com
PIC In- Circuit Emulator
for the PIC16Cxx

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PIC Programmer
800552 (8051)
Training System

$155

Development
$235
$120

68HC11 SBC
ROMY-16 EPROM Emulator

from $195
Universal Microprocessor
Simulator/Debugger (including
Assembler, and Disassembler)
$100 each CPU
&M Microtek, Inc.

83 Seaman Rd, W Orange, NJ 07052

Tel:(973)325 -1892 Fax:(973)736 -4567

LASER MODULE

"CI*

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Collimated Laser
Compact Size
100,000 hr lifetime
No Electronics Required

Visible Laser Modules(635870 nm)

TTL Modulated Laser Modules
Line Generator Laser Modules
Infrared Laser Modules(780 -830 nm)

C*461041::::acm.

Focus Adjustable
Elegant Design
Solid Metal Body

P55 Style Laser Poirier 11500 n risldIty)

Key Chain Laser Pointer (1500 ft eclbitty)
Available in silver and. black finish.

\ /

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for free

Ask
catalog
World Star Tech.
A14416)204 6298 Fax:(416)596 7819
mall: intoeworldstadech.com
184dmvww.worldstaMch.com

MICRO CONTROLLER

Build your OWN cable

box "test" devices!
Why pay $100.00 or more for a "test" device
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Includes complete source code and plans

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Unlock an of the channels on your box!
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Complete source code

Code for individual boxes

...packs a

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a.k.a. "Steroid Stamp"

39 I/O + 8 A/D (I 0 bit)

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LCD/Keypad Interface
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Affordable C Compiler
Comprehensive s/w Library

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y:

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Electronic surveillance equipment

Covert video cameras and transmitters
Counter measures gear
Entry supplies
Electronic tracking systems
Computer surveillance and remote viewing

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To order, call Worldwyde! 1.800773 -6698
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isit us on the web at www.wortdwyde.com

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call Worldwyde 3
21365 Randall Street Farmington Hills, MI 48336
Visit as on the web at www.veorldwyde.com /pic

To order,

Equipment, exact addresses and ordering info

from 15 countries!! 220 pages
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3555 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403
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fax 650-728 -0525 or''
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wwwintelligence.to (no "dot core")

110Hr

Phone Recorder $69

Records both sides of conversation automatically

Telephone Scrambler $159 ea. or2 for $149 ea.

..cure phis*.
bler. thousand

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ice Changer Phone $99

phone.
Pik
wise
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r can sound
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use.
Hr. Phone Recorder Touch -tone decoder $159

;owls both soles

1.4

rrswersatkn including phone numbers dialed

Phone Information Recorder $169

Records both sides of cnnversatkn along with the number dialer)

Re.,rods name and number of talkers (requires Calk" ID servo e

PC Telephone Recorder $119

Ik: to retool phone calls. Windows 95, Secad blaster

compatible soured care 485 or higher PC required
Use your

Phone Tap detector $159

Protect your phone against pone taps,eaves do spurs and
Mini Bug Detector up to 2Ghz $119

RF

bugs.

Detects RF 'Rugs', Video Transmitters and wireless microphones f

5Mhz to 2
LED Ba,graph and Audible alarm

all.

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NO CHECKS

& Canada Only

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www.msce ectronics.com
MSC Electronics

PO BOX 461 Jessup, MD 20794

in7A

(301) 497 -1600

497 -1925

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tress ,A,At.t\
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Vlsa /MC /PO /Ck /M0 $4 S &H
Techniks Inc.
P.O. Box 463
Ringoes NJ 08551
ph. 908.788.8249 fax 908.788.8837
http : \\chelsea.ios.com \- techniks

Retail Dealer Inquires Invited

We wiN beE

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Cable Tea. Devices

nv Playstation
-Mud ('.hip17D Backups`Emulation
SI

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hc{;a

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The Hack & Crack Bible

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Console

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SNES Emulation On your

l'('

o 11a,

where lo find them on he Jnl rn,J

Transmits video up to 1000 ft.

Runs orr9V batery for 12 hrs.
Can be built irlo just about anything`;
(beeper, clock. etc.)
World's smallest
We also carry:
plug & play system
Color mero video
about 1"x 1"
cameras
B&W micro viceo carreras
Hidden cameras
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for
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//

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Video Camer

'tlCellut,r Hack Phreakalod

aL''

urrepf

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To order, c
21365 San tall

Street Farmington Hills, kit 48336

Visit in on the web at www.worlawyde.comiheck

Call fora free catalog

Fax
SECUFETEK
7175 SW 47 St. #2)5

(305) 667 -4545

(305) 667 -1744
Miami. FL 33155

A device programming system

fo- design- repair and expenmentation
EXCEPVONAL POWER FOR -THE PRO
EASY- TO-USE FOR THE NOVICE
INCLUF-ES STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL

Here's what you get:

You

am band

A hugged. pauble progmmning unit including the power pack

sed printer pon cable both of which store irnide the case. A real primed wer and technical manual
which i,cludes schematic dagrams for the pngram,ng unit pus diagrams for all technology famill
edemas* Comprehensive. easydaae software whch is epeifrcally designed to run under DOS.
Windows 3.1. 95 and 93 of any speed madrine. T. a software has features which let you READ.
PROGRAM. COPY and COMPARE plus much more. You have full access to your system's disk
including WADING and SAVING chip Una plus automatic processing of INTEL HEX. MOTOROLA S- RECORD and BINARY files. For detailed wank the system software provides a full
screen boner editor including a comprehensive bitaed byte tool kit with more than 20 functions.

Oil Named MMt

This easy to build robot really walks using

an alternating tripod gait. It can walk forward,
reverse, and turn on a dime, left or right. With a payload of
more than 12 ox., this robot is a real workhorse. The robot is
programmed using simple BASIC instructions. It makes an
excellent foundation for many simple and advanced robot
experiments. The kit includes all the hardware, structural
components, Hitec servos, First Step Micro kit, software, and
an illustrated assembly manual. The Lynxmotion Hexapod
Walker is a lot of fun to build and even more tun to operate.

Shown with the IRPD, no

contact obstacle detector

Broad device support: nasT

GENERATION EPROMS (2708. TMS2716. 25XX)

SECOND GENERATION EPROMS 12716'.BC080k 4e AND 41 PIN EPROMS. (27C 1024. 27C16)
0816.2800101. NVRAMS (12XX.X2210/12)
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20MHz

lmV /Div

triggering of video signals.TV-H (TV line

12KV
10KV
10KV
2KV
(TV CRT Volts
synchronizing feature) and T
frame synchronizing frequency) are automatically switched by the Time/Div front-panel control.The user can view parallaxfree waveform measurements on the large 6" rectangular CRT that includes an illuminated internal 8x10 Div graticule.

139.0

149.U0

or more

(---20

VMPS-250A

25mmx2Smme 15mm,
B/W CCD with pinhole
lens, pre-wired cabling for
video/audio, 12V DC
Power Input

$69.00
or more

Amp Switching
Power Supply

With Overvolm/e Protection

d Variable DC Output

HDD Heat Sink & Fan

` Heat Reduction System

2,065MHo

Narrow Band FM (NFM), Wide

Band FM (WFM), AM and Single
Side Band (SSB) Modulated Signals
May Be Measured
for Precise
PLL
FreqTuning
uency MS eastem
urement and

For 3.600 RPM

S.400 RPM HOD
Auto door on the outer frame
ABS material of outer frame, High efficien
cooling fan
Worldwide patent pulling function
handle
CE Approved
Coating iron bottom cover
For IDE interface
For I" high 33" HDD
Not compatible with our RH 10 8 RH2O series.
Compatible with our RH I7 -10E model.

#SPS -1020G
Specifications

Input Voltage: AC 110V 15 %,

S0Hz/60He
SV
Output Voltage: DC 9V
variable
Polarity: Negative ground
Current ( 13.8v): 25A peak, 20A

continuous
Overvoltage Protection
Cooling fan Inside chassis

Details at www.web- lronics.com

CIRCUIT SPECIALISTS, INC.

2GHz RF Field
Strength Analyzer
Frequency Range: IOOKHz to

or more

L rive Rack with Auto

Rernovablc
And Cooling Fan

\`

Alternate Trigger
internal Sync Seperator Circuit
AS -Meg Sweep
Delay Sweep (6510)

o0
S

qty

any

Amazing Oscilloscope Offers

Dual -Trace Oscilloscopes

Audio, Video d Power

12V Regulated Power Supply Required
(120mA typical power consumption)
0.1 LUX Rating (B/W), 1 LUX (color)
CCD Area Image Sensor for Long
Camera Life
Back Light Compensation Circuit
Built -In Electronic Auto Iris Lens
?mailed
VMPS-718A
-

qey-

129.00

Detailed Specs
on the Web

VMCW -H11A

All Include Audio

All Include Pre-Wired Cable Harness for

25mmx25mmx30mm,
CCD with ab

Standard
Iandard le
lens
with audio

,)0
1

20NHz /40MHz/60MHz'100MHz

Color CCD with

standard lent, prewired cabling for
video/audio, 2V DC Power

Ultra Miniature Design

Black d White Versions Only 25mm x
25mm
Color Versions Only 32mm x 32mm
Available in Standard Lens or Pinhole
Lens

VM3010 -A
37mmx33mmx32mm

any qty.

Protek

qN

$129.00
any qty.

599

Series 6500 Deluxe

:o

'

with audio

1$

$590

B&W with audio

mm(OptSSmm(L)

Lux

Pinhole lens

&s

Nature
ature

qty.

VM8LT1020A

for Long Camera Lite

Built -In Electronic Auto Iris for Auto
Light Compensation
No Blooming, No Burning

VM3010PA

33mmx 33mmx 18mm

Standard lens
with audio,
single board

dax

32mm:32mmx25mm
Standard lens with audio,
I2V reverse mirror
or

21mm.;D)x58.5mm(L)

qty

Safety Design UL 1244 8

VDE-0411
Protective Holster
Silicon Test Leads

4Sm7x40mmx24mm

$49.U0any qty.

VMBLT1020W
8&W Weatherproof

Digital Color, Weatherproof

Data Hold/Run Mode

VM3011 -A

VM1)36A

00
sy

f;

am qty

CCD Cameras

49 .02,, q.

42mmx42mmx2Smm
Standard lens with
audio, 12V with back
light Compensation

and Color

Rugger Metal

A C'1.00

VM1035A

.tLi
77

ai

Back Light

gkerg

400 TV unes

Standard lens wich

audio, I 2V

LEDs, 12V

Detods on
on:
web Silo

Warning Beeper

Low Power Consumption

1 Lux Illumination
Built -In Electronic Auto iris for
Auto Light Compensation
Internal Synchronization
12Volts

30mnx3Ommx26mm

with mira-red
with

Fused 20A Input with

Cameras

VM1s30A

.mmx38.smm Qemm

30mmx30mmx2Smm
Pinhole lens with
I

VMCB21

More

ON" Mode

OLOR CCD Mini Bo ard

Business
Since 1971

lte.,,c

ASIC CCD Area Image Sensor

Extremely Low Power Consumption
0.5 Lux Min Illumination
Built -In Electronic Auto Iris for Auto
Light Compensation
d Specs
VM1030PA -B
audio,

Auto Power OFFP'Keep

PROTEK 506

in e
to rjavla
Search Eng
D
dudes
ReD11yy,/Or
d Constantly In
Added

CxtrrLpOptions

Easy

r More Info See www.web- oonia.com/

B&1A/ R r

,c' 9.'dash

RA414159

Logic Test

Mode
Decibel Measurement
Cap and Ind Measurement
Temperature Mode (C/F)
K Type Temperature Probe
Included

011 I

Conductor
Grounded Power
Cord
230`C-480C SR -97m
3

(CD

'

site

.SALE

''.n

for Logic
8 Audible Test
Continuity/Diode Test
Pulse Signal

Wich Ceramic
Heating Element for
More Accurate Temp
Ad ustment

(470 F900'F)
Fast Heating Feature

for more demos and o :ctures

hard ance and oceessones

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the web site

for cetoils

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Hard Drive Heat Reduction up to
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HEAT TERMINATOR

$39

00

$35.00

or more
See the web site for details
10

Tuning
LED Backlight LCD (192x192
doss
Built -In Frequency

Counter
Hand-Held and Battery
Operated
All Functions are Menu
Selected
RS232C for PC
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Pfotek
#3201

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Ste the web site

/ordeal's

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59

Modern computing and standard surge

suppressors...a recipe for disaster.
Almost all surge protection devices use MOV's (metal oxide varistors) as their active element. MOV's are sacrificial /wear/
limited life components. Surge suppressors based on this technology are doomed to failure. These surge "suppressors" also
don't suppress a thing. They divert powerline surges equally to the ground and neutral wire. When you put current on the
common ground wire of interconnected equipment some of that current will flow (through the inherent ground loops)
to the data lines.This is a major cause of lock -ups and misoperations that plague today's computer environments.
Another fact; all modern computers use switch mode power supplies. During surges the power supply capacitors must
charge to the clamping level of the MOV before the MOV turns on. A recent study has shown that it takes a 3000A
surge 15 microseconds (15,000 nanoseconds) to charge the typical capacitors of these power supplies to that level. The
surge is virtually over before the MOV. reacts. (See five things you probably don't know about your surge suppressor at

MEMBRANE
SWITCHES

unvw. fvethings.com.)

THE POINT: Standard surge suppressors allow too much current to hit the computer. Standard surge suppressors divert
surge current to the ground wire and disrupt data transfer. Standard surge suppressors eventually fail without warning.
Modem computers have logic voltage levels (the signals that transmit the data) and power supply voltages that are dramatically lower than that of their recent predecessors. Modern computers use integrated circuits with transistors of ever
decreasing physical geometries. Modern computers are virtually always interconnected to other computers or peripheral
equipment. The bottom line; modern computers are much more sensitive and susceptible to powerline anomalies.

INTRODUCING BRICK WALL SURGE FILTERS..

a new

A Brick Wall 1) Utilizes NO MOV' ,5 or Any Other Sacrificial Components (a two pound inductor and nine capacitors
are the heart of the unit) 2) Has No Joule Rating or Surge Current Limitations 3) HAS BEEN TESTED AND CERTIFIED BY UL TO THE MOST DEMANDING CLASSIFICATION OFA NEW GOVERNMENT SPECIFICATION; CLASS I, GRADE A. Which Means: UL PUT ONE THOUSAND 3000A, 6000V SURGES (this is the largest
surge an interior environment can experience) THROUGHA UNIT (at 60 second intervals) AND DOCUMENTED NO

FAILURE OR PERFORMANCE DEGRADATION OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER..

i.e.:A Brick Wall Will Not Fail.

We know

Eliminates toolinw cost...

* *From 2

The World's Best Surge Suppressor

Initially engineered for critical, non fail industrial applications, this patented device protects indefinitely and sets
standardfor every measure of surge suppressor and powerline filtering performance.

Stock Layouts!

of no cord connected, MOV based surge protection device that has, or can pass this test.

A Brick Wall possesses UL's lowest SuppressedVoltage Rating (let -through voltage) of 330V.This is the lowest rating they
will grant. In that test of one thousand 6000V, 3000A surges, UL NEVER SAW THE LET-THROUGH VOLTAGE

EXCEED 290V. YOU CANNOT DO BETTER THAN THIS FOR A POINT-OF-USE SURGE PROTECTION
DEVICE. Once again, we know of no other surge protection device that could come close to this performance level.
A Brick Wall is a current activated Series Mode device. Since it is not wired in parallel, nor voltage activated, it does not have to
wait for the capacitors of the power supply to charge before it becomes effective. YOUR EQUIPMENT IS PROTECTED

to 128 keys **

Industrial/Commercial/
Prototyping
Popular types are available as
complete kits, with bezel,
connector & overlay!
4 key DSK -4 kit $9.60
12 key DSK -12 kit $13.87
many more layouts...

Optional Stainless Steel

"Clickdomes ".

Sil- Walker
(805) 491-0654

FAX (805) 491 -2212

P.O. Box 3220

Camarillo, CA 93011 -3220

silwkrt@vcnet.com

INSTANTANEOUSLY (and indefinitely).

www.vcnet.com/silwkr/

These devices were engineered utilizing a current limiting /surge filtering

technology. THEY DO NOT DIVERT ANY SURGE CURRENT TO THE
GROUND WIRE. They Will Not Cause Your Computer System To LOCK-UP,
CRASH OR MISOPERATE as a consequence of surge diversion. Your current

MASTERCARD/VISA

surge "suppressor" will.

Brand Electronics

Powerline Filtering

Digital Power Meters

In addition to all this, Brick Wall Surge FILTERS are the best AC powerline filters you can buy (that we have been able to find anyway). Industrial machinery, copiers,
coffee makers, laser printers, fluorescent lights, refrigerators, etc., all cause powerline noise

that can cause your computer to misoperate. A Brick Wall Surge Filter will make powerline noise related problems disappear.

You
rn

rn

o
zo

Can't Buy a Better Surge

Protection /Powerline Filtering

Device...Anywhere.
BRICK WALL DIV.,
PRICE WHEELER CORP.

1- 800 -528 -0313

BRICK

Fax:

WALI.

Visa - MC - AMEX

Available in Modular Form

-800- 528-6523 E -Mail: info @brickwall.com

Web: wwwbrickwall.com
1

ASK ABOUT OUR NEW IN- LINE UPS /SERVER PROTECTOR

Measures and displays:

Real Power: 1 to 1850 w;
Vrms, Inns, VAR, VA
PF, Peak Watts, kwhrs.
cost per month.
Features available:
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Models from $149.95
Custom applications
orders: 1 -800- 433 -6600
info: 207-549 -3401
www.brandelectron i c s. con,

dealer inquiries:
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60
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All Of Your

The Source For

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C.c

Order #22 -3875

Aluminum

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*Adjustable dividers Tool palate with 17
tool pockets Dimensions: 18" x 13" x 614"
Regular price $39.95

CEBEK'I

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Order #29-1335

Sealed Lead Add Battery

12 volt, 45 Amplhour battery, is ideal

Description
Reg. Sale
$7,45 $5.99
1W audio amplifier
1W audio amplifier
13.45 11.15
5W x 2 stereo amplifier 2,95 19.96
15W x 2 stereo amplifier 39.95 31.96
88- 108MHz FM
245 19.96
transmitter

28 -5115 Hip -flop relay

15!3
28 -4825 VOX relay
17295
28 -4815 Electric guitar preamplifier 8,95

iu

Function
3Ns

digit DMM measures

ACtDC voltage from

200mV -600V,

resistance to
2000Mnhcr, capacitance
to 2JpF, transistor h.H
gain and audible continuity test. Requires
9V battery 14#290-080) not included.
`i \V) x 5:' (H1 x 1:1" W.
Dimensior
Regular pri

-9 p.m.. Sat.

cigarette lighter receptacle. Ripple

voltage: <50mV. full load.
Order #
72 -6621
72 -5622
72-6623
72 -6624
72 -6625

Continuous/Surge Current
4A/6A
ilr.

Order #11 '1I-

10),
Orter

(ea.)

$29.95
49 -95

10A/1,2A

64.95
84.95

20Ai2tA

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Shipping
stock

Multiple DC Outlet Strip

Great for use with any benchtop power
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disconnection of multiple accessories. DC
voltage meter 15A fuse Power switch
Eight pairs of RF bypassed binding posts
Regular price $44.95
650 CONGRESS

PARK DR.
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Subwn infer Amplifier Module

Ideal for anyone interested in building
their own powered subwoofer. Isolated
left right speaker level inputs Singlle 1.ne
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output.:Autc turn-on Continuously

Secured Ordering at: www.mcmelectronics.com

7 a.m.

All models have binding post connections,

4A, 7A and 10A versions include a

ar

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13.8VDC
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Chose the size that best suits your needs.

7.16

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14.36

variable 40Hc -18OHz crossover

Hours:

MAMA
MAMA'

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FRE
literature

NTSC composite video output

75ohm Regular price $79.95
IOOmA

1,

TEAS
DMllf W /Logic

e)

Ideal for repairing old equipment,

prototype work or your latest project.
These wll constructed PC boards are fully
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Supplied with application instructions and
technical specifications. All operate from a
single 12VDC source. Call your MCM
Sales Representative for more information
on over 120 available modules.

28 -4800
28 -4801
28 -4851

Ultra Compact CCD Camera

Measures only 1i, square 3.6mm lens
92` viewing angle Requires 12VDC,

Crder472 -4025

Circuit Modules

28 -4795
28 -4796

for

security and other power backup

applications. 0.25" tabs accept standard
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2W' x 4'. Regular price $26.95

Pre- Assembled

Order #52 -3890

OWNer

7v

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SOURCE CODE:'.CARD

fAt

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WE BUY TEST EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS.
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acitor

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HP 3137A 3 5DIGIT SYSTEM VOLT MEER

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HP 3455A DIGITAL MULTIMETER

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DIGITAL MIJLTIMEIER
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5335A 200MIIZ'01:NTER
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HP 54200A 50MHZ SCOPE'WAVEFORM ANALYZER

11P 3312A 13MHZ FUNCTION GENERATOR
HP 5370A IOOMIIZ U:LI. COUNTER

1IP 3456A
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IIP 4935ATRANS.IMPAIRMENT TEST SET

HP 5006A SIGNI'IURE ANALYZER
HP 866028 1MHZ- 1300MHZ RE PLUG
EIP 575 MICROWAVE COUNTER
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$1300.00
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DIGf'V'.ING SCOPE
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Easy to use menu based software has binary

editor, read, verify, copy, etc. Free updates via
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C.p,..c.a.:,.k.,

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Full over current detection on all device power

supplies protects against bad chips and

y.durvnee3nl++1rm6 000h
e

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$169.95

EP-PIC (16C5x,61,62x,71,84)
EP-PIC64 (62-5.72-4)
EP-PIC12 (12C50x)
EP-PIC17 (17C4x)
EP-51(8751 C51)
EP-11E(68HC11 E/A)
EP-11D (68HC711D3)
EP-16(16bn 40ptn EPROMS)
EP-Z8(Z86E02.3.4,6.7,8)

$49.95
139.95
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The

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Create a look of conformity on panels

Chcxse (turn:

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black, red, amber or green numerals
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Features:
selectable, displayed engineering emits
resistant to RF and FAMI
3 1/2

$179.95
800 -394 -1984

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economically priced
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PO Boo 13074

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Easy

Hierarchical designs
Part scaling
Step b repeat

text

Auto junction
Single click editing
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Update parts
Global replace
Advanced Bill of Materials
with sort options.
User Definable
Electrical Rules Check

Annotation
Common netlist formats:

NC

Bill of materials
Free web support

sheets /libraries
Assign net signal properties

View
Ivex
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ayout

Visual PCB footprint browser

Over io,000 parts included
Windows 95/98/NT

P
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C
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drill report

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Import Orcad /SDT

for

Advanced Design Rule Check

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Rotate and mirror
Single click editing
Pad stack editor
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Hundreds of footprints
Copper zone pour
Uses common netlist formats
Edit netlist on the fly
Output Gerber photo plot files

$99
slat
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file

View and print any size file in

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and most 74-!D.

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Supports PIC16C55x, 16C8x. 16C62x 16C8x 16C92x PIC families

SnXC C Compiler
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$59

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ANSI C standard. Arrays, unions,

Both compilers based on
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GALEP-1/I

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Turn Your Multimedia PC into a Powerful

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Features
20 kHz real -time bandwith

Fast 32 bit executable

Dual channel analysis
High Resolution FFT
Octave Analysis
TI-, THD +N, SNR measurements
Signal Generation
Triggering, Decimation
Transfer Functions, Coherence
Time Series, Spectrum Phase,
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Real -Time Recording and
Post -Processing modes

Applications
Distortion Analysis
Frequency Response Testing
Vibration Measurements
Acoustic Research

Programs 8 -bh and 16 -bh

EPROM, EEPROMs, Leo

Power RAMS, Flash, serial
EEPROMs
GAL, PALLE,

System Requirements

ATF 87m, 89m,

PICt2 /16 /170x All DIL

without adaptor

Ugkoniwe fast
Power
paralkl data transfer le.e. 270512 read/compare 2 sect)
uses PC printer
supply Independent due to rodsveeabM
Hex and fusemap
port Hex, 1EDEC, and binary the formats
shuffle for 8 -bit, 16-Sit and 32 -bit targets
buffer editor
split
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Mouse and Math coprocessor
16 bit sound card

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of

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DATA

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ANA100 Analog 80

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ANA150 AnaloglCounter...
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to A

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For P

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18-Bit Counters
8 TTL Input lines
8 TTL Output lines
Selectable Clock
3

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ANA201 Analog

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optional bi -polar
100KHz 1300KHz
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768 OTP 1K FLASH
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16
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INPUT I OUTPUT BITS
12
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PC SOLID
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75.00

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PC

DIG200 Counter I/O

89

Channel 8-Bit
0 to 5 Volt input
3 18 -Bit Counters
400KHz Sampling

Frequency input

$95 UNIVERSAL

LOW

Lines option
Selectable Base
Address

-.

ANA200 Analog I/O

39

82C55 PPI
24 or 48 TTL UO

Analog Output
' 400KHx Sampling...

Perfect when a full -size PC is too large, expensive, or power

hungry. A fully functional single board computer, needs only
program and power source. Runs DOS / WINDOWS. Use
Turbo C, BASIC, MASM. All utilities to do this included.

DIG100 Dlgttal VO

99

8 Channel 8-Bit
0 to 5 Volt Input
14 TTL UO lines

-Battery backed RT Clock

-LCD and Keyboard ports
-IRQ x15, DMA x2, TIMER x4
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A to

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AFFORDABLE PLUG -IN BOARDS FOR PC's ISA BUS

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Are you interested in Microprocessors & Embedded

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p

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just about everything these days has an embedded
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of systems

Examples & exercisessin the Self Instruction

t
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manual take you from writing simple programs to
t
controlling motors. Start out in Machine language,
then move on to Assembler, & then continue on with optional C, Basic, or Forth Compilers.
So don't be left behind: this is information you need to know!

Examples

Include:

OEM $21 EVAL $75

Measuring Temperature
Using a Photocell to Detect Light Levels
Making a Waveform Generator
Constructing a Capacitance Meter
Motor Speed Control Using Back EMF
Interfacing and Controlling Stepper Motors
Scanning Keypads and Writing to LCD/LED Displays
Bus Interfacing an 8255 PPI
Using the Primer as an EPROM Programmer
DTMF Autodialer & Remote Controller (New!)

The PRIMER is only $119.95 in kit form. The PRIMER Assembled & Tested is $169.95. This trainer
can be used stand alone via the keypad and display or connected to a PC with the optional upgrade
($49.95). The Upgrade includes: an RS232 serial port & cable, 32K of battery backed RAM, &
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3GHz RF Probe
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Desoldering Tool
EDSYN 951SX
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SL60 Stereo
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This is all you need to know for your soldering and desoldering needs for the
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Benefits

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Pre
New
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and
Test Equipment
Goldstar

Pre -Owned Oscilloscope Specials

Spectrum Analyzer
Avcom PSA-37D
Satellite Downlink
Installation
Maintenance & Service

Model OS -5100

Band 1 10 - 1750 MHz

Band 2 3.7 - 4.2 GHz
Built -in DC Block &
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$899.00

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Includes Two Probes, 2 Year Warranty

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B &K 2630 1 GHz SPEC. ANALYZER (NEW)
w/ TRACKING GENERATOR
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HP 4277A LCZ METER
$3295
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ESI 296 AUTO DIGITAL LCR METER
$2595
HP 8656B SIGNAL GENERATOR

8350B SWEEPER MAINFRAME

GR 1863 MEGOHMMETER
AR 4040AT 3KV AC HYPOT TESTER

5440B DCV CALIBRATOR

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FLUKE 8502A BECHTOP DMM
$495
HP 1141A DIFFERENTIAL PROBE
$895
HP 1142A PROBE POWER MODULE...$275
HP 1651A 32 CH. LOGIC ANALYZER.$1195
HP 8642B SIGNAL GENERATOR
$14,900
HP 3585A SPECTRUM ANALYZER
$5995
HP 3325A SYNTH. /FUNCTION GEN
$1295
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HP 3577A NETWORK ANALYZER
$495
HP 3488A SWITCH CONTROL UNIT
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&

6-1/2" Two Way System

This is our most
popular in -wall. You
won't believe how
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sound. Big enough
to produce great

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Round
4,..rr..,...a.
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6 -1/2"

and still fit

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Put a pair in every
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Great for front or rear speakers
4,
x7
in your surround system. The 61/2" polypropylene woofer and 1" textile dome

iS.rr...rd

tweeter were specially designed with home theatre

in mind. The crossover network utilizes a mylar capacitor for crisp clean highs. 3 piece design make
installation in new or existing walls a snap.
Specifications: *6 -1/2" polypropylene cone woofer
textile dome tweeter/
with poly foam surround
component UC
midrange 408 ohm impedance
crossover network Frequency response: 5020,000 Hz Power handling capability: 60 watts
RMS /85 watts max Sensitivity: 89 dB 1W/1m
Overall dimensions: 8 -1/2" W x 12" L x 3 -1/2" D
*Hole size: 7 -1/4' x 10 -3/4" *Fits into standard 2" x
4" wall *Net weight: 12 lbs. per pair.

1"

#300 -036

$89.90(13

PRs)

$79.50(4

PRs-UP)

Satellite Speaker
Stands

Designed for the home and

office, these 6 -1/2" round inwalls are ideal for ceiling
installations, or for use as rear
channel surround speakers.
Adding music to the kitchen,
den, bath, or patio has
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features a weather resistant 61/2" treated paper cone with poly foam surround,
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includes removable steel mesh grills, built -in mounting
bracket, hardware, and installation instructions.
Specifications: *Impedance: 8 ohms *Frequency
response: 60- 20,000 Hz *Power handling capability:
30 watts RMS/45 watts max. Sensitivity: 89 dB
1W /1m *Dimensions: 9' round x 2 -7/8" deep. Net
weight: 5 lbs. per pair.
#300 -408
$69.950-3 PR5l $62.75(4PRs UP)

These quality speaker stands are

perfect for mini or rear surround
speakers. The heavy die cast base
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The height is adjustable from 26 -1/2"
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be run inside the pole for a better
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adjustable from 4 -1/8" to 7 -1/2" to
accommodate most mini speakers.
Includes foam pads to prevent marring
of speaker cabinet. Sold in pairs. Net
weight: 12 lbs.

#240 -762

$39.800.3

PRS)

$35.50(4

Operates five devices

*Lighted component keys which

TemflexTM 1700

General purpose 7 mil electrical

tape. UL listed and CSA
approved. 3/4" x 60' rolls.

756(, -9) 596(,0 -UP)

$39.95EXCH

Alloy

*Output Voltage:

addition to functions found

in regular DMM's, this meter
can also measure inductance
in 5 ranges (4mH, 40mH,
400mH, 4H, 40H), capacitance
in 5 ranges (4nF, 40nF, 400nF,
4uF, 400uF), frequency in 4
ranges (4KHz, 40KHz, 400KHz,
4MHz), TTL logic test, diode test
and transistor hFE test. 5 AC/
DC ranges up to 1000V (AC75OV),
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7 resistance ranges up to 4000 M ohms.
Includes test leads, battery, spare fuse,
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Part

370-080
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Price

Lead/Tin

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60/40
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63/37
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Ib.
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031'

050"

031'

4
1

020"
020"
031"
031"
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Ib.

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1/2 lb

Price

(1-3)
(4 -UP)
$8.50 $7.95
7.95
8.50
33.90 31.80
5.75
6.95
14.90 13.50
9.95

8.50

12.50

11.50

7.95

6.75

Pro Wick
Pro Wick's advanced

fine braid design

provides wicking action
that is second to none.
Price
Part

341-415
341-416

$85.90

#390 -513

2.5W Mini Audio Amplifier

#320 -215

Gold Plated
A/V Cables

341-417
341-424

341425
341426
341-440
341-441
341-442
341-418

341-419
341-423

TS #

Size

Length

1302-5
1303-5
1304-5
1302-10
1903-10
1904-10
1302-25F
1903-25F
1304-25F
1902-100
1803-100
1304-100

.0E"
.0E"

5'
5'

.1 C"

5'

.06"

10'
10'
10'
25'
25'
25'
100'
100'
100'

.06'
.1C'
.0E"

.0E'
.1C"

.06'
.0E

.1C"

725 Pleasant Valley Dr.

Phone: 113- 743-3000
E

$995EACH

Price

-9)

(10 -UP)

51.40

$1.25

1.45
1.60
2.75
2.80
2.95
6.80
6.85
7.60

1.30
1.45
2.50
2.55
2.70
6.30
6.35
7.00

21.90
21.90
23.90

20.50
20.50
22.50

(1

Springboro. OH 45066-1158
Fax: 513- 743 -1677

-mail: sales @parts -express.com

KEY CODE.. ENrAI

LARGEST I

A super quality,

"siamesed" type cable.

Two RCA cables for
stereo (audio) signal from VCR to
receiver /stereo TV and one low noise
coaxial type cable for video.
Price
(1 -9)
Part #
Length
$4.25
180-120
3 ft.
4.90
6 ft.
180-118
12 ft.
8.95
180-121
12.75
180-124
20 ft.

#372 -120

signed for electronic

and electrical work.
uses a fast acting, instant wetting, non- corrosive, and non -conductive flux. for faster soldering
and a strong, long lasting bond.

This amp contains both preamplifier and power amplifier on

a super small board measuring
only 1- 5/8"x1 -1/4'. Maximum
output power is 2.5W into 4
ohms with 12VDC input
power. No adjustments
required. Short circuit protected.

Vinyl Electrical Tape

#350 -052

In

indicate what device is currently being

used *Preprogrammed, 621 codes that
work over 6,400 models New
ergonomic design features a contoured
case, index finger grooves, and keys
grouped in clusters for easy operation
*Satellite cursor control is tailored for use
with a Home Theatre system, keypad
design allows movement through menus
with ease *Retains codes when replacing batteries
*New flat back design for easy operation Money
back guarantee ensures customer satisfaction *Toll
free customer service number provides the customer
with friendly, knowledgeable assistance Requires 2
AAA batteries ( #140 -150 not included)
$26.35(4 -spi
#180 -806
$29.95j

3M3/4"

tion is
ideal for
the professional, senous hobbyist, or kit
builder who
demands higher
performance than usual of a standard iron, but without the higo cost of an industrial unit. Power is adjustable from 5 to 40 watts. Includes 40 watt pencil
-3/4 lbs. Replaceiron. UL approved. Net weight:
ment sponge #372 -119.

It

and LCR Meter

DMM

Cable, Satellite, AN Receiver)

WLC100
solder sta-

"44" Solder

13.8 VDC (fixed)

Output Current: 3A (cont), 5 amps (surge) *Ripple
Voltage: Less than 3mV at rated output *Input Voltage: 120 VAC, 60Hz *Dimensions: 5 -1/2" x 3 -1/2" x
6 -1/2" Weight: 5 lbs.
#120 -530
$19.950.3) $18.50(4.P,

Specifications:

(TV, VCR,

The Weller

., Kesler "44" rosin

core solder is de-

overload protection!

Function Remote

Soldering Station

Amp Power Supply

This fully regulated power sup ply is perfect for powering

CBs, car radios, and other
12 VDC devices that draw
up to 3 amps. Heavy duty
steel housing with front
mounted switch and binding
posts. Short circuit and

pRS -uP

Welk"; WLC100

Price
(10 -U P)
$3.95
4.50
7.95

11.50

OF SPEA KER'
DRIVERS
IN THE
COUNTRY!

//

VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT

ww. parts -express. com

OR CALL TOLL FREE

1- 800.338.0531

CIRCLE 262 ON FREE INFORMATIOW CARD

69

USE ELECTRONICS NOW CLASSIFIEDS

READ BY ELECTRONIC BUYERS AND SELLERS AND TRADERS
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLACING YOUR AD!
If you use a Box number you must include your permanent
address and phone number for our files. ADS SUBMITTED

HOW TO WRITE YOUR AD

TYPE or PRINT your classified ad copy CLEARLY (not in all

capitals) using the form below. If you wish to place more than one
ad, use a separate sheet for each additional one (a photo copy of

WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION WILL NOT BE

ACCEPTED.

this form will work as well). Place a category number in the space
at the top of the order form (special categories are available). If
you do not specify a category, we will place your ad under miscellaneous or whatever section we deem most appropriate.

For firms or individuals offering Commercial products or Services. Minimum 15 Words. 5% discount for same ad in 6 issues
within one year; 10% discount for same ad in 12 issues.Boldface
(not available as all caps), add .40 per word additional. Entire ad
in boldface, add 20 %. Tint screen behind entire ad, add 25 %.
Tint screen plus all boldface ad, add 45 %. Expanded type ad,
add $4.00 per word.

We cannot bill for classified ads. PAYMENT IN FULL MUST

ACCOMPANY YOUR ORDER. We do permit repeat ads or
multiple ads in the same issue, but in all cases, full payment must
accompany your order.

General Information: A copy of your ad must be in our hands by

WHAT WE DO
The first word and company name of each ad are set in bold caps
at no extra charge. No special positioning, centering, dots, extra
space, etc. can be accommodated.

the 13th of the fourth month preceding the date of issue ( i.e. Sept
issue copy must be received by May 13th). When normal closing
date falls on Saturday, Sunday or Holiday, issue closes on preceding work day. Send for the classified brochure.

RATES

DEADLINES

Our classified ad rate is $2.50 per word. Minimum charge is

$37.50 per ad per insertion (15 words). Any words that you want
set in bold are each .40 extra. Indicate bold words by underlining.
Words normally written in all caps and accepted abbreviations are
not charged anything additional. State abbreviations must be post
office 2 -letter abbreviations. A phone number is one word.

Ads not received by our closing date will run in the next issue. For
example, ads received by November 13 will appear in the March
issue that is on sale January 17. ELECTRONICS NOW is published monthly. No cancellations permitted after the closing date.
No copy changes can be made after we have typeset your ad. NO
REFUNDS, advertising credit only. No phone orders.

CONTENT

NOW is limited to electronics items only. All ads are subject to the
publishers' approval. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REJECT OR EDIT ALL ADS.
All classified advertising in ELECTRONICS

AD RATES: $2.50 per word. Minimum $37.50

Send you ad payments to:

ELECTRONICS NOW 500 Bi-County Blvd, Farmingdale, NY 11735 -3931

CATEGORIES

- Antique Electronics
- Audio -Video Lasers
- Business Opportunities
- Cable TV
210 - CB- Scanners
240 - Components

270
300
330
360
390
420

100
130
160
190

- Computer Equipment Wanted

- Computer Hardware
- Computer Software
- Education
- FAX
- Ham Gear For Sale

450
480
510
540
570
600

- Ham Gear Wanted

- Miscellaneous Electronics For Sale

630
660
690
710
720
730

- Miscellaneous Electronics Wanted

- Music & Accessories
- Plans -Kits- Schematics
- Publications

- Repairs-Services

- Satellite Equipment
- Security
- Telephone
- Test Equipment
- Wanted

CLASSIFIED AD COPY ORDER FORM

Place this ad in Category #
1

Special Category $30.00 Additional

- $37.50

$37.50

$37.50

4 - $37.50

$37.50

$37.50

$37.50

$37.50

- $37.50

10- $37.50

11 -

$37.50

12- $37.50

13 -

37.50

14 - 537.50

15 -

$37.50

16 -

17 -

$42.50

18- $45.00

19

21 - $52.50

22 - $55.00

23 - S57.50

24 - $60.00

25 - $ 62.50

26 - $65.00

27

$67.50

28 - $70.00

-S47S0

Total classified ad payment $

[

Check

[ I

Mastercard

29 - $72.50

30 - $75.00

31 -

$77.50

32 - $80.00

$82.50

34 - $85.00

35 - $87.50

36 - $90.00

37- $92.50

38- $95.00

39- $97.50

40- $100.00

33 -

$40.00

Total words

$2.50 per word

20- $50.00

Bold Face

$0.40 per word

Special Heading

Visa

Discover

TOTAL COST OF AD
Card #

Expiration Date

Signature

Name
70

Address

Other

enclosed
[

$30.00

Phone
City State Zip

/__

World's Smallest

Super Pro FM
Stereo Transmitter

We call them the

'Cubes'.... Perfect
video transmission
from a transmitter
you can hide under
a quarter and only as thick as a stack of four pennies- that's a
nickel in the picture! Transmits color or B&W with fantastic quality
- almost like a direct wired connection to any TV tuned to cable
channel 59. Crystal controlled for no frequency drift with performance that equals law enforcement models that cost hundreds
morel Basic 20 mW model transmits up to 300' while the high
power 100 mW unit goes up to 1/4 mile. Audio units include sound
using a sensitive built -in mike that will hear a whisper 15 feet
away! Units run on 9 volts and hook-up to most any CCD camera.
Any of our cameras have been tested to mate perfectly with our
Cubes and work great. Fully assembled - just hook-up power and
you're on the air!
C -2000, Basic Video Transmitter Cube
$89.95
C -3000, Basic Video & Audio Transmitter Cube
$149.95
Video
Transmitter
Cube
C2001, High Power
$179.95

Professional synthesized FM
Stereo station in easy to use,
handsome cabinet. Most radio
stations require a whole equipment rack to hold all the features we've packed into the
FM -100. Set freq with Up /Down buttons, big LED display.
Input low pass filter gives great sound (no more squeals or
swishing from cheap CD inputs!) Limiters for max 'punch' in
audio - without over mod, LED meters to easily set audio
levels, built -in mixer with mike, line level inputs. Churches,
drive -ins, schools, colleges find the FM -100 the answer to
their transmitting needs, you will too. Great features, great
price! Kit includes cabinet, whip antenna, 120 VAC supply.
We also offer a high power export version of the FM-100
that's fully assembled with one watt of RF power, for miles
of program coverage. The export version can only be
shipped outside the USA, or within the US if accompanied
by a signed statement that the unit will be exported.

TV

C -3001,

Transmitters

High Power Video & Audio Transmitter Cube

NZ'-fi.
a
s

CC D

$229.95

$249.95

FM-100WT, Fully Wired High Power FM-100

$399.95

FM Stereo Radio

Video Cameras

CCD
array, over 440 line line resolution, not
the off -spec arrays that are found on many other cameras. Don't
be fooled by the cheap CMOS single chip cameras which have
1/2 the resolution, 1/4 the light sensitivity and draw over twice the
current! The black & white models are also super IR (Infra -Red)
sensitive. Add our invisible to the eye, IR -1 illuminator kit to see
in the dark! Color camera has Auto gain, white balance, Back
Light Compensation and DSP! Available with Wide -angle (802) or
super slim Pin -hole style lens. Run on 9 VDC, standard 1 volt p -p
video. Use our transmitters for wireless transmission to TV set, or
add our IB -1 Interface board kit for audio sound pick -up and super
easy direct wire hook -up to any Video monitor, VCR or TV with
NV input. Fully assembled, with pre -wired connector.
Top quality Japanese Class

CCDWA-2, B &W CCD Camera, wide-angle lens

CCDPH -2, B &W CCD Camera, slim fit pin -hole lens
CCDCC -1, Color CCD Camera, wide -angle lens
IR -1, IR

FM -100, Pro FM Stereo Transmitter Kit

Illuminator Kit for B &W cameras

IB -1, Interface Board Kit

'A'

FM -25, Synthesized FM Stereo Transmitter Kit

... $129.95

$24.95
$14.95

FM -10A, Tunable FM Stereo Transmitter Kit

$34.95

CFM, Matching Case and Antenna Set

$14.95

$69.95
$69.95
$129.95

Imagine the fun of tuning into aircraft a hundred miles away, the local police/fire department, ham operators, or how about Radio
Moscow or the BBC in London? Now imagine
doing this on a little radio you built yourself in just an evening! These popular little
receivers are the nuts for catching all the action on the local ham,
aircraft, standard FM broadcast radio, shortwave or WWV National Time Standard radio bands. Pick the receiver of your choice,
each easy to build, sensitive receiver has plenty of crystal clear
audio to drive any speaker or earphone. Easy one evening
assembly, run on 9 volt battery, all have squelch except for shortwave and FM broadcast which has handy SCA output. Add our
snazzy matching case and knob set for that smart finished look.

Abend 108-136 MHz Kit

HFRC -1, WWV 10 MHz (crystal controlled) Kit

$29.95

FR -1, FM Broadcast Band 88.108 MHz Kit

$24.95

FR -6, 6 Meter FM Ham Band Kit

FR-10, 10 Meter FM Ham Band Kit

$34.95
$34.95

FR -146, 2 Meter FM Ham Band Kit

$34.95

$34.95

FR- 220, 220 MHz FM Ham Band Kit

$34.95

SR -1, Shortwave 4-11 MHz Band Kit

$29.95

Matching Case Set (specify for which kit)

$14.95

Tiny FM Transmitters
Gosh, these babies are tiny - that's a
quarter in the picture! Choose the unit
that's best for you. FM -5 is the smallest
tunable FM transmitter in the world, picks
up a whisper 10' away and transmits up
to 300'. Runs on tiny included watch battery, uses SMT parts. FM-4 is larger,
more powerful, runs on 5-12 volts, goes up to a mile. FM4,5 operate in standard FM band 88-108 MHz. FM -6 is crystal controlled in
2 meter ham band, 146.535 MHz, easily picked up on scanner or
2 meter dg, runs on 2 included watch batteries. SMT (surface
mount) kits include extra parts in case you sneeze & loose a part!
FM -4MC, High Power FM Transmitter Kit

$17.95

World's Smallest FM Transmitter Kit

FM-6, Crystal Controlled 2M FM Transmitter Kit

$19.95

FM -6, Fully Wired & Tested 2M FM 1Fansmitter

$69.95

FM -5,

No dritt, microprocessor synthesized!

Excellent audio quality, connect to CD
player, tape deck or mike mixer and
you're on- the -air. Strapable for high or
low power! Runs on 12 VDC or 120
VAC. Kit includes case, whip antenna, 120 VAC power adapter - easy one evening assembly.

Lower cost alternative to our high pert ormance transmitters. Great value, tunable
over FM band, plenty of power and manual
goes into great detail about antennas, range
and FCC rules. Handy kit for sending music
thru house and yard, ideal for school projects too - you'll be
amazed at the exceptional audio quality! Runs on 9V battery or power from 5 to 15 VDC. Add our matching case
and whip antenna set for a nice 'pro' look.

Mini Radio Receivers

AR-1,

Transmitters

$39.95

FMAC. 12 Volt DC Wall Plug Adapter

RF

$9.95

Power Booster

Add muscle to your signal, boost power

up to 1 watt over a freq range of 100 KHz
to over 1000 MHz! Use as a lab amp for
signal generators, plus many foreign
users employ the LPA-1 to boost the
power of their FM transmitters, providing
radio service through an entire town. Runs on 12 VDC. For
a neat finished look, add the nice matching case set.
LPA-1, Power Booster Amplifier Kit
$39.95
CLPA, Matching Case Set for LPA -1 Kit
$14.95
-1
with
LPA -1WT, Fully Wired LPA
Case
$99.95

Station
Broadcast
Antenna

FM

For maximum performance, a good antenna

matched
antenna is fully
Property
tuned
and
needed.
PVC enclosed for weather protection and rugged use. Vertical or horizontal mounting, 'F' style connector, 5' long.

$14.95
$24.95
$29.95
$59.95

BNO6,10x50 Ultra -View Ruby Coat Porro Prism... $69.95

Everyone who sees one of these babies

says they just gotta have one! Super
cute tiny FM radios have automatic
scan/search tuning, comfortable ear bud
earphones and we even include the bat tery'. The pager style unit looks like a
shrunken pager and even has an LCD clock built-in. You
will be amazed at the crystal clear amazing sound! That's a
quarter in the picture for size comparison - pretty tiny, huh?
MFMT 1, World's Smallest FM Radio
PFMR -1, Pager Style LCD Clock & FM Radio

$11.95
$12.95

Speech Descrambler
Decode all that gibberish! This is the
popular descrambler I scrambler that
you've read about in all the Scanner
and Electronic magazines. Speech
inversion technology is used, which is
compatible with most cordless phones
and many police department systems,
hook it up to your scanner speaker terminals and you're in
business. Easily configured for any use: mike, line level
and speaker output/inputs are provided. Also communicate
in total privacy over telephone or radio, full duplex operation - scramble and unscramble at the same :ime. Easy to
build, all complex circuitry contained in new custom ASIC
chip for clear, clean audio. Runs on 9 to 15VDC. Our
matching case set adds a professional look to your kit.
$39.95
SS70A, Speech Descrambler/Scrambler Kit
CSS, Custom Matching Case aid Knob Set
$14.95
SS- 70AWT, Fully Wired SS-70A with Case
$79.95

Aiapter

Call for our Free Catalog

$9.95

See our complete catalog and order

cn -line with our secure server at:

www.ramseyelecfronics.com

$39.95

AM Radio

Transmitter
Operates in standard AM broadcast
band, set to clear channel in your
area. AM -25 'pro' version is synthesized for stable, no -drift
frequency and is setable for high power output where regulations allow, typical range of 1-2 miles. Entry-level AM -1
has tunable transmit oscillator, runs FCC maximum 100 mw
power, expected range 1/4 mile. Both accept line -level
inputs from tape decks, CD players or mike mixers, run on
12 volts DC. Pro AM -25 includes AC power adapter, matching case and bottom loaded wire antenna. Entry-level AM -1
has an available matching case and knob set for a finished,
professional look. High level modulation for low distortion.
AM -25, Professional AM Transmitter Kit
$129.95
AM -1, Entry level AM Radio Transmitter Kit
$29.95
CAM, Matching Case Set for AM -1
$14.95

CIRCLE 266 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

BNO-M, 8x21 Mini Monocular

BNO-1, 10x25 Roof Prism Binoculars
BNO-1EX, 10x25 Ruby Coated Perro Prism
BNO-2, 10x25 TacGrip Ruby Coat Porro Prism

AC12.5, 12 Volt DC Wall Plu.

is

TM -100, Tru -Match FM Station Antenna Kit

Binocular Special
Wow, did we nab a deal on
these first rate binoculars)
Absolutely identical to a
famous big name brand here
in Rochester, NY - but without
'there name. Well made with
fully coated optics, super nice
rubber armored housing over
hi -alloy aluminum, includes
lens cleaner cloth, neck lanyard and carry case. 4 styles: roof prism 10x25 (10 power,
25 mm), 10x25 high performance roof prism ruby coated
objective lens model for demanding use in bright sun,
10x25 high -end BAK-4 lens porro prism ruby coat with TacGrip housing, and Ultra -View 10x50 porro prism ruby coats.
First quality, yet at a close -out price on the exact same
units as the 'Trademarked' units - but at half price!

RAMSEY ELECTRONICS, INC.

793 Canning Parkway

Victor, NY 14564

Order Toll -free: 800 -446 -2295

Scrry. no tech info. or ordEr status at this number

For Technical Inf). Order Status

Gall Factory direct: 716 -924 -4560

OFDERING INFO Satisfaction Guaranteed. Examine for 10 days,

it

not pleased, return in original form for refund. Add $6.95 for shipping, handling and insurance. Orders under $20, add $3.00. NY residents add 7% sales tax. Sorry, no CODs. Foreign orders, add 20%
for surface mail or use credit card and specify shipping method.

71

CLASSIFIED
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
$400 Weekly Assembling electronic circuit
boards/products from home. For FREE information send SASE: Home Assembly-EN
Box 216 New Britain, CT. 06050 -0216
Have an idea?

If so,

we are a national company

working with ideas, inventions, new products. Patent services. Call 1-888 -439-IDEA.
EASY WORK! EXCELLENT PAY! Assemble
Products At Home. Call Toll Free 1- 800 -4675566 Ext. 5192.

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NEW! Cellphone E.S.N. readers $250 each, cell phone

72

programmers $175 each, cell phones $25 each, DSS satellite dish card readers and programmers $125 each, credit
card readers $250 each, Cable T.V. notch filters 50 cents
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PAY TV AND SATALLITE DESCRAMBLING

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CABLE DESCRAMBLEING, New Secret

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DSS Test card. Authorizes all channels for information, plus free bonus. Call toll free 1 -888-

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73

PIC ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE

(continued from page 38)

have specified; w means the result

should go in the W register.
Looping. Obviously, the main program will be an endless loop-shift
the bits of Port A, delay a few milliseconds, and then go back and
do the whole thing again. That's
taken care of by the mloop label
at the beginning of the main loop
and the goto mloop instruction at
the end.
The time delay loop is more
complicated because it requires
counting. In BASIC, it would look
roughly like this:
FOR J =50 TO

FOR K =50 TO STEP -1

REM do nothing
NEXT K
NEXT J
1

waste time by counting 50

That

is,

x 50

= 2500 steps.

we're not programming in

language,
the time delay loop looks like this:
But

BASIC. In PIC assembly

movlw
movwf
jloop: movwf
kloop:decfsz
goto
decfsz
goto

D'5O'
J
K

K,f

kloop
J ,f

jloop

Here's how it works: First, note

is easier than
counting up because it's easier to
test whether a byte equals 0 than
whether it equals some other number. So we stuff decimal 50 into variables J and K at the beginning of
the loop. The value 50 is stored in W,
which doesn't change during the
whole process; thus it can be
copied into K fifty times.
The crucial instruction here is:

that counting down

STEP -1

Practical PIC
Microcontroller Projects
This book covers a wide
range of PIC based projects,
including such things as digitally controlled power supplies,

transistor checkers, a simple

capacitance meter, reaction
tester, digital dice, digital locks,
a stereo audio level meter, and
MIDI pedals for use with elec-

decfsz

tronic music systems. In most

cases the circuits are very sim-

ple and they are easily constructed. Full component lists

and software listings are provided. For more information
about PICs we suggest you take a look at BP394 -- An

Introduction to PIC Microcontrollers.

which means, "Decrement (that is,

subtract 1) and skip the next
instruction if it

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ET10

An Introduction

to Light in Electronics
An Introduction to
Light in

Taken for granted by

us all perhaps, yet this
book could not be read

Electronics

without it, light plays

such an impressive role
in daily life that we may
be tempted to consider
just how much we
understand it. This book
makes a good start into
this fascinating
and
enlightening subject. It
has been written with
the general electronics
enthusiast in mind.

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ETOB

is

"Subtract and go back unless the

result of the subtraction was 0." Two
1

decfsz loops, nested, produce the

time delay we need. On the last
pass through the loop, the value of
J or K respectively is 1; then, when it
reaches 0, the program exits the
loop.

Defining Variables. But wait a

minute: Where did we get the variables J and K? Those aren't the
names of file registers, are they?
Actually, they are names now,
because we defined them. At the

beginning of the program, the

pseudo instructions:
J
K

74

zero." Thus, a decfsz

by a goto means

followed

To order Book #BP444 send $7.99 plus $3.00 for

K,f

equ
equ

H' 1 F'
H' l E'

define J and K to be abbreviations

for two hex numbers, 1F and 1E,
which are the addresses of two suit-

able file registers. These registers

were chosen by looking at the
memory map in the PIC16F84 manual; it's entirely up to the programmer to choose a suitable address
for each variable.
Debugging Your Programs. Finally,
a few words about debugging your
own programs. Any program should
be designed so that you can build
and test it in stages, as we did with
the two programs in this article: First
figure out how to turn on one LED,
then get all eight blinking in the
proper sequence. In real life there
would probably be several stages in
between, in which you turn on various LEDs and test the time delay
loop. Because the PIC16F84 can be
reprogrammed instantly, there's no
need to Implement the whole program before you test any of it.
Unused output lines can be put
to good use for debugging. If your
program is complicated, make jt
send some signals out one or more
spare port pins so that you can use
a voltmeter or oscilloscope to tell
what part of the program is running. If nothing else, output a
"heartbeat" bit that toggles every
time the program goes through its
main loop.
Where To Go From Here. Now all
that's left is to learn the rest of the
assembly language and the art of
microcontroller software development -not something you'll do in
one weekend, but at least your
career has been launched. A good
book to start with is Easy PIC'n, by
David Benson, published by Square
One Press (www,sq- 1.com; you can
special -order it through any bookstore). Together with its sequels, PIC'n
Up the Pace and PIC'n Techniques,
it takes you through PIC programming from the very beginning. These
books use the PIC16F84 or its soft-

ware- compatible twin, the

of the projects.
More advanced books about PICs
include Programming and Customizing the PIC Microcontroller, by
Myke Predko (McGraw -Hill, 1998),
and Design with PIC Microcontrollers, by John B. Peatman (Prentice
Hall, 1998). The last of these is a very
professional guide based on the
PIC 16C84, for most

PIC 16C74A.

S2

N AUDIO
WONDER

HEARING

Enjoy listening to television once again with this adapter for the hearing impaired.

If you're hard of hearing, you

know the difficulty In trying to listen to television. Hearing aids help
but just don't "cut the mustard"
when you're trying to discriminate
between similar- sounding words
that are coming from your TV set.
What Is it about hearing aids that
seem to work perfectly fine in normal conversation but fall short in
the seemly simple task of listening
to television?
What is needed is a circuit that
has a large treble boost to compensate for the audio region where
most hearing loss occurs. If you
have lost the enjoyment of watching movies, sports, or news because
of hearing problems, then the
Television Hearing Adapter presented here is a "must have" for you!
Whats more, the circuit is easy to
build and the parts are available at
any local RadioShack (and most
other electronics suppliers) for

about

$30.

Television and the Hard of

Hearing. As we grow older many of
us lose our ability to hear the higher
frequencies that help us to discriminate between words. Live speech
produces frequencies across the
entire audio spectrum, most of
which is lost when recorded and
played back. Even the telephone,
with its 300 -3000-Hz frequency
response can be a problem. An
interesting historical oddity on the
subject of the telephone is that it
was a byproduct of Bell's research
to help the deaf -including both of
parents.
Because the human ear loses
sensitivity to higher frequencies, we
need to compensate for that loss.
What is needed then is a circuit
that increases its gain at higher frequencies. A plot of such a gain -tofrequency relationship is shown in
Fig. 1. That type of plot happens to
his

be the mirror image of a hearing loss curve for most common forms
of deafness. For whatever reason,
the best and most expensive hearing aids don't seem to be able to
produce the clear rich-sounding
audio that the Television Hearing
Adapter is capable of.
How It Works. The schematic diagram for the Television Hearing
Adapter is shown in Fig. 2. As you
can see, the circuit is built around
IC1, an LM386 audio aimplifier. That
chip was originally designed for use
in battery- operated audio systems
like radios, cassette players, and
small portable sound systems.
Audio from a television is connected to J 1. The signal is attenuated by
volume control R2. Note that R2
and S1 are integrated as a combination on /off switch and volume
control. Light-emitting diode LEDI
indicates whether the Television
Hearing Adapter is on or off-a
handy reminder not to leave the
unit on when you're not using it. The
output of IC is connected through
1

C4 to J2; suitable headphones are

connected to that jack. A feature
of the LM386 is that it can (with the
help of C4) drive an 8-ohm load

directly.
The secret to the treble boost is in
C2. Connected between pins and
8 of IC 1, the induced negative feedback increases amplification as the
input frequency increases. A feature
of ICI is that ability to change the
frequency response with pins and
8. During the development of the
Television Hearing Adapter, many
different feedback configurations
were tried, up to and including TPad filters. It was found that to
achieve a response that would offset typical hearing losses, using the
-F capacitor worked best. After
all, simplicity is the keynote of good
engineering design.
The frequency range of critical
speech understanding falls between
500 Hz and 6000 Hz; most hearing
tests are conducted in that range.
Persons with moderate hearing loss
typically have a frequency- response
degradation of 10 dB to 20 dB over
1

75

40

mounted to each end of the

perfboard. With several terminals
easily reachable, it is a simple matter to wire up the external components to the circuit after the board
has been mounted in the case. Drill
holes in the perfboard and mount
the two terminal strips with screws
and nuts. Using an 8 -pin IC socket
for IC is suggested to prevent
damaging the chip during construction. Do not plug the IC in until
the unit is completely finished.
Mount the other components and
wire the circuit together using insulated wire.
The board is mounted next to the
battery holder using double -sided
tape, hot -melt glue, rubber adhestrips

30

z
20

PARTS LIST FOR THE

TELEVISION HEARING
ADAPTER
SEMICONDUCTORS
IC1 -LM386 audio amplifier, integrated
circuit
LED
Light -emitting diode, red

1-

RESISTORS
(All resistors are '/, -watt, 5% units,
unless otherwise noted.)
R1-33,000 -ohm
R2- 10,000 -ohm panel- mounted
potentiometer with single -pole,
single -throw switch
R3- 1000 -ohm

10
125

250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

FREQUENCY (Hz)

1. This is a plot of the change in amplification gain versus a change in frequency input for
the Television Hearing Adapter. Note that the
higher the frequency, the louder that frequency
is amplified -much like a "souped -up" treble

Fig.

control.

that range,

so the gain of the

Television Hearing Adapter is set to

about 15 dB, offsetting that condition nicely. Persons with extreme

hearing loss might want to

decrease the value of C2 to about
0.47 F. That will increase the gain
to about 20 dB. Although you might
find that the recommended value
works well, some programs have
too much bass boost in their audio;
increasing the treble gain might
improve your ability to understand
what is being said. As a modification, both values of capacitor can
be placed in parallel and selected
one at a time with a small switch.

Construction. Building the Television Hearing Adapter is as simple

as its schematic diagram suggests.
The unit can be built on a small

piece of perfboard using standard

76

construction techniques; the author's

prototype shown in Fig. 3 is an example of that method of construction.
Drill holes for mounting the jacks,
controls, and LED in a suitable
enclosure. The locations are not
critical; the layout should suit your
personal tastes; use Fig. 3 as a
guide. Note that the lid of the unit
was not used for mounting any
components. That way, you don't
have to worry about stretching or
breaking any wires when you open
the unit to replace the batteries.
Mount the controls and jacks in the
holes. A battery holder is glued to
one end of the case. Set the case
aside.
Out a piece of perfboard to an
appropriate size. Note the terminal

CAPACITORS
C1-0A01 -F, ceramic -disc
C2
-F, 50 -WVDC, non-polarized
electrolytic
C3, C4-220 -F, 35 -WVDC,
electrolytic
CS 0.047 -F, ceramic -disc

-1

sive, or any other suitable method.

Wire and solder the connections

between the board and the case mounted components. If you are
using an integrated potentiometer /switch, check to be sure which
terminals are for the switch with an
ohmmeter. Also note that the
anode lead of LEDI is longer; that
lead should be connected to Sl.
Use a piece of shielded wire for
the connection from J 1; that signal
is not amplified and is susceptible
to noise and interference.
Check your work for any errors.
When you are satisfied, plug IC into
its socket and put a fresh set of batteries into the battery holder. With the
case closed up, the Television Hearing
Adapter is ready to go!
1

Using the Television Hearing Adapter. While the Television Hearing

ADDITIONAL PARTS AND

MATERIALS
B1
-volt battery
J1 -RCA audio jack
J2- Miniature 'la -inch headphone jack
Case, IC socket, five -lug terminal strips,
battery holder, knob for R2, wire,
hardware, etc.

-6

Adapter is simple to set up and use,

a few notes and pointers might
help.
The one drawback to the
Television Hearing Adapter-though

some cases it might be a strong

point instead of a weakness -is the
fact that it must be connected
directly to the headphone jack of
your TV set or VCR. Check both your
in

-c2E
FROM
TV
AUDIO OUT

J10

1/50

NP
1

R1

33K

R2
10K

IC1

220/35

C3
220/35

C4

LM386

J2
TO HEADPHONES

LEDI

=\\

81;

.r

C1

.001

6V

is

R3

1K;

C5

.047

Fig. 2. The Television Hearing Adapter is a simple amplifier circuit built around an LM386. The
value of C2 gives the unit its "magic" in helping the hard -of- hearing to enjoy television again.

Fig. 3. The Television Hearing Adapter fits into

a standard-sized project case. Note the use of
terminal strips on the periboard; that makes it
easier to wire the external components to the
board after installation in the case.

and your VCR. If you have

either a headphone jack, or an
RCA -type jack labeled "Audio Out"
or "Audio to Hi -Fi ", then you are in
luck. On a stereo TV, connect to the
left channel only. Depending on
the type of TV that you have, the
audio jack might have a constant volume output designed for
recording regardless of where the
TV's volume control is set. Plugging
the Television Hearing Adapter into
that output jack will give you the
advantage of controlling your volume separately from the TV.
Imagine the joy of being able to listen to television with family and
friends without "blasting" the audio!
Many VCRs have an audio -output jack for playback to another
VCR or a stereo system; that can
also be used for the Television
Hearing Adapter. Using a jack on
the TV is better because you don't
have the added annoyance of fid
dling with another piece of equipment, detracting from the joy of listening to television.
If your TV gear lacks an appropriate audio output, you are not completely out of luck. One alternative
is to connect the unit to your TV's
loudspeaker through an isolation
transformer such as a RadioShack
273 -1380. Connect the 8 -ohm secondary winding to the speaker and
the 1000 -ohm winding to J1. If you
don't have an audio -output jack
on your TV or VCR, and you don't
want to make a connection to your
TV's loudspeaker, then the only
solution is to buy a new TV!
TV set

The Television Hearing Adapter is

very sensitive. If you are near a
radio station, you might experience

radio interference; C l generally

eliminates that problem. If you cannot correct it in any other way, use

a metal box instead of a plastic

one to house the circuit.
The Television Hearing Adapter
has been tested with audio cables
up to 24 feet in length. That length
should be more than enough for
most installations.
Almost any pair of headphones
will work well. If you don't own a
pair, most electronics stores have a

bet: It offers excellent directional

selectivity, tunable frequency, and

tolerance

to

wavefront

size.

However, considering the wavelengths we have to deal with, the

interferometer will need an
extremely long baseline to function. Remember our one- millisecond pulsar? It would produce the
shortest wavelength we could
expect to see: 186 miles. That
means that if we use a one -quarter
wave -length laser spacing, our
baseline would be at least 46 miles!
Don't forget, most gravity waves

wide selection to choose from.

While the author prefers the lightweight types, try more than one
model or type -some sound better
than others.
Four AA-size batteries will last that we can expect to detect
from six months to a year in normal would have much longer waveuse if you don't forget to turn the lengths than that. The most promisunit off. A smaller unit can be con- ing method appears difficult to
structed using a 9 -volt battery, but implement by any practical means.
But that does not mean impossiat a usable life of only three to four
months before needing a replace- ble. Please remember that while
ment battery. If you decide to go some of the concepts presented
that route, the value of R3 should are a shade radical, they are
be changed to 4700 ohms. The based on current mainstream theoauthor's preference leans toward ry. It is the author's hope that the
the four-AA battery version as that above discourse has got you thinking and wondering. And who
yields a longer battery life.
knows, perhaps one of you may
interested
would
be
The author
actually be able to build a working
in hearing from anyone who builds
S2
the Television Hearing Adapter by gravity -wave detector!
sending mail in care of the
Electronics Now editorial office or
YOU CAN WIND
by e -mail at raygreenjuno.com.
Build the Television Hearing Adapter if
YOUR OWN COILS?
you have a hearing problem, and it
There's no trick to it except
will give you a whole new outlook
on life!

GRAVITY WAVES
(continued from page 44)

L2

knowing what you are doing. In a unique, 106-page

book you can become ex-

pert in winding RF, IF,

audio and power coils, chokes and transformers. Practically every type of coil is discussed and necessary calculations are given
with the mathematical data simplified for
use by anyone. Get your copy today!

changes without ruining our signal to -noise ratio. However, when we

consider the size of the wavefronts
we'll be encountering, you'll soon
see that this method offers no
directional selectivity. Gravity I-Mail coupon to:
Electronics Technology Today, Inc.
waves generated by every object
P.O. Box 240
in the Heavens will be affecting the
Massapequa Park, NY 11762 -0240
mirrors from every angle, possibly
Please send me my copy of Coil Design and
"swamping out" any usable results.
Construction Manual (BP160). enclose a check or
Perhaps by arranging a string of
money order for $8.99 to cover the book's cost
mirrors in a certain manner, we
and shlppmg -and- handling expenses. NY state
residents must add local sales tax.
could obtain some directional
Name
selectivity- assuming that wave
propagation isn't beyond light Address
speed, where just possibly nothing
ZIP
State
City
at all may happen to the dimenAll orders must be paid in U.S. funds only. Sorry,
sions of solid objects!
no orders accepted outside of USA and Canada.
ETO77
Llease allow 6 -8 weeks for delivery.
That's why the heterodyne
method appears to be the best
I

77

I.

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Electronic Project Building for Beginners

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Practical Oscillator

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day. Have your credit -card ready. Sorry,

ET11

BY DON LANCASTER

Low -Cost PC Board Drilling

System, and More

AS

MIGHT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED A TIME OR TWO BEFORE,

I AM UTTERLY FASCINATED BY ALL

THE WEB'S BIZARRE

"FREE ENERGY" SITES. THESE ARE PLACES WHERE WEIRDNESS

APPEARS TO REIGN SUPREME. EXAMPLES INCLUDE JERRY DECKER'S

Keely Net Mail List at keelynet.com/

interact/archive /date.htm and Bill Beaty's
Freenrg -I mailing list at wwweskimo.com/

-bilb /freenrgl/fnrga.
Once you get past all of the scams,
urban lore, or wishful thinking, most of
pseudoscience quickly classifies itself
into labwork so mesmerizingly awful
that it is not even wrong or as having
proponents with such an utter disdain
for scientific principles that they are not
even hopeful of working up to total cluelessness, that suffer from a large medical
problem (such as acute recto -crainial
inversion), or that have some other hidden agenda.
I strongly believe that finding a new
source of unlimited free energy would
be one of the most heinous imaginable
crimes against humanity for the binge
that is sure to result clearly would turn
the planet into a cinder. Fortunately, this
flat out "ain't gonna happen."
Further, it appears to me the key
point these folks all completely miss
about free energy is simply this: The
conservation of energy and thermodynamic "laws" are much more than
"laws." They are also theorems.
It turns out that a theorem is an

unavoidable consequence of initial

principles. As such, the thermodynamics and related "laws" absolutely
guarantee us that there is no possible
over -unity combination of ordinary
motors and magnets. Nor is it possible
using any mechanical arrangement of

balls, wheels, slides, weights, or

levers, any fully accounted heat pump,
or any miracle carburetors. And nothing special will happen to a wire if you
happen to make it a lot longer than
usual, outside of needing to understand fancier math.
Thankfully, these theorems free us
up to spend all our time researching
more useful stuff. Two key points are
that an hour in the library is worth a
month in the lab and that "real science"
progresses by standing on the shoulders
of giants. Plus, of course, that extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof.
Now, yes, those fundamental first
principles could be challenged. But
because they're verified over and over
again in zillons of ways each day, any
exceptions are likely to be at extremes of
pressure, size, temperature, or time, if
they even exist at all.
The whole trick when evaluating
pseudoscience is to carefully separate the
useful adjuncts towards porcine wholeNEED HELP?
Phone or write all your US Tech
Musings questions to:
Don Lancaster

Synergetics
Box 809 -EN
Thatcher AZ, 85552
Tel: 520- 428 -4073
US email: don @tinaja.com
Web page: http:/ /www.tinaja.com

body cleanliness from the total hogwash.

Lots more on this subject is up at
www.tinaja.com/pseudo01.html.

A New Printed -Circuit Drill

Gordon Robineau has developed an
ultra low -cost way to plot and drill
hobby and prototype printed- circuit
boards. It is the PCD100, and systems,
kits, and consulting are available; prices
start at $200. While not particularly
rugged, fast, or very precise, these solutions certainly are exceptionally innovative and elegantly simple.
The general scheme is shown in Fig.
1. As you can see, gravity plays a big
role! The concept works by leaving the
pen or drill centered and stationary
while moving the printed circuit board
in suitable X and Y directions.
A solid base is supported on a steep
60- degree angle. There is one single
brass tube "monorail" going down the
board center. This monorail supports a
fixed combination pen and drill holder.
The custom electric drill is miniature
and self-advances on power; the pens
also "pen down" on applied power. A
plain old relay contact replaces any need
for a solenoid.
A full-width horizontal aluminum
bar rides up and down under the monorail. A smaller slider goes back and forth
on this horizontal bar. The printed circuit board is taped to this slider. The Xboard motion is done by sliding back
and forth. The Y board motion is done
by lifting or lowering the horizontal bar.
Two smallish steppers control the
motions by way of plain old fishing -line
strings, while gravity keeps the needed
tension on everything. The strings go
through end rollers on the horizontal
bar and connect to slider ends. The steppers always will work together. When
79

new from

DON LanceSTER
ACTIVE FILTER COOKBOOK

stepper

stepper

The sixteenth (I) printing of Don's bible on analog

op -amp lowpass, bandpass, and highpass active
filters. De-mystified instant designs.
$28.50

supporting
monorail

RESEARCH INFOPACKS
Don's instant cash -and -carry flat rate consulting
service. Ask any reasonable technical question
for a detailed analysis and complete report. See
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$79.00

o o

CMOS AND TTL COOKBOOKS

Millions of copies in print worldwide. THE two
books for digital integrated circuit fundamentals.
About as hands -on as you can get. $28.50 each

INCREDIBLE SECRET
MONEY MACHINE II
Updated 2nd edition of Don's classic on setting
up your own technical or craft venture. $18.50

self- advancing
moto

pc board

being drilled

LANCASTER CLASSICS LIBRARY

Don's best early stuff at a bargain price. Includes
the CMOS Cookbook, The TTL Cookbook, Active
Filter Cookbook, PostScript video, Case Against
Patents, Incredible Secret Money Machine II, and
Hardware Hacker Il reprints.
$119.50

slider

lifter

o o

LOTS OF OTHER GOODIES

Tech Musings V or VI
Ask the Guru or II or Ill
Hardware Hacker ll, Ill or IV
Micro Cookbook I
PostScript Beginner Stuff
PostScript Show and Tell
PostScript Video & secrets
PostScript Reference II
PostScript Tutorial/Cookbook
PostScript by Example
Understanding PS Programming
PostScript: A Visual Approach
PostScript Program Design
Thinking in PostScript
LaserWriter Reference
Type 1 Font Format
Acrobat Reference
Whole works (all PostScript)
Technical Insider Secrets

$24.50
$24.50
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FREE

BOOK -ON- DEMAND PUB KIT

Ongoing details on Book -on- demand publishing,
a new method of producing books only when and
as ordered. Reprints, sources, samples. $39.50

THE CASE AGAINST PATENTS

For most individuals, patents are virtually certain
to result In a net loss of sanity, energy, time, and
money. This reprint set shows you Don's tested
and proven real -world alternatives.
28.50

BLATANT OPPORTUNIST

The reprints from all Don's Midnight Engineering

columns. Includes a broad range of real world,
proven coverage on small scale technical startup
ventures. Stuff you can use right now.
$24.50

RESOURCE BIN

A complete collection of all Don's Nuts & Volts

columns to date, including a new index and his

master names and numbers list.

$24.50

FREE SAMPLES

Check Don's Guru's Lair at http: /www.tinaja.com

for interactive catalogs and online samples of
Don's unique products. Searchable reprints and
reference resouces, too. Tech help, hot links to
cool sites, consultants. email: donatinaja.com
FREE US VOICE HELPLINE

U
a)

VISA /MC

SYNERGETICS
Box 809-EN

Thatcher, AZ 85552
(520) 428 -4073

80

FREE catalog: http: / /www.tinaja.com

steppers moving
together cause
VERTICAL motion

steppers moving
differentially cause
HORIZONTAL motion

FIG. 1 -THIS NEW PCD100 PRINTED CIRCUIT DRILL is largely gravity powered!
Differential stepper motions move a PC board under a fixed self- advancing drill or a plotting pen.

both step in the same direction, the

board raises or lowers.
Should both step in the opposite
direction, the board moves left or right.
Combined motions are easily done by
selecting the needed number of differential steps.
The schematic of the interface is
shown in Fig. 2. All the hard work is done
by the PC host. The interface is about as
simple and as dumb as you can get. One
chip "amplifies" the parallel -port signals
to control the stepper phases. A power
supply and NMOS driver transistor controls the self-advancing drill motor or the
pen up -down Z motion.
Sadly, the software is DOS based.
The included floppy-disk software
accepts simplified Gerber or HPGL files
and converts them into needed stepper,
drill, or pen motions. A slide -down
"boresight" alignment target automatically does alignment to make sure that
board edges are truly parallel to the
desired foil pattern. A seventy-cent baby
PIC added to the interface sure would
add bunches for independence and compatibility with newer operating systems.

Now, Make it Speak PostScript

Sure thing; trivial even. While PC
drills and such can use Gerber file formats or Hewlett-Packard HPGL plotting languages, I've found that
PostScript is far more flexible and way
more powerful, particularly if lots of
fancy fonts or exotic transformations are
involved.
The trick is to send your PostScript
code to a special utility that is sent to
Adobe Acrobat or GhostScript. This
utility accepts the normal PostScript
vector commands and reduces them to
elemental horizontal and vertical steps
by using PostScript's powerful pathforall
and flattenpath procs. The output can be
a simple and elemental meta language
such as the ASCII numerals "0" through
"7" for east through northeast on
through southeast, "H" for home, "U"
for pen up, "D" for pen down, "X" for
your debugging break, and "Q" for quit.
Modifications to this utility can directly
generate PCD 100 commands.
What a possible three -inch circle
might look like is shown in Fig. 3. Full
source code, tutorials, and other insider

GPS BOOKS

details can be found at www.tinaja.com

/flutO1.html. More on PostScript is

downloadable from my www.tinaja.com/
post0l.html. Consulting services are
offered per www.tinaja.com/consu101.
html or at www.tinaja.com /infoOl.html.

More on Scanner

"Photographs"
Last month, we saw how creative use
of a better-quality scanner can give you
ridiculously better "photos" than a digital camera. Resolution can be hundreds
of times higher. To do this, you carefully support and align an object, scan it,
and then "airbrush" edit it using Paint,
PhotoShop, or your choice of anything

For more details, see www.tinaja.com/amlinkOl.html

trolled stuff such as thermometer gradiations, edge -thread details, or complex

sensor structures. A hand -done antialiased 3 X 5 or 5 x 7 lettering can sometimes work wonders. But a little of this
goes a very long way.

paste it on back into Paint.

in between.

Complete details can now be found in

www.tinaja.com/blatOl.html and in my
http: //www.tinaja.com/glib /imagimag.pdf
Dozens of astounding results can now be
viewed by going to my www.tinaja.com/
bargOl.html. Your only tiny downside is
that the process is incredibly addictive.
After playing with these techniques for a
while, I've come up with several additional insider secrets:

Use pixel locking -Try to get exactly horizontal and vertical lines. Use a

mechanic's combination square for initial subject alignment. Then you'll "normalize" a small portion of some edge
and "chase" it along as far as you can.
Wholesale move the rest of your image
up or down a pixel as needed for perfect
alignment.

Crowd all shadows-Shadows

almost always will be way too large, way
too many, and way too dark. Expand the
"brighter" portions of the subject so that
the last "brown" line moves well over
most of the "black" ones, or eliminate
shadows entirely if they do not add to
your effect. Similarly, the darkest grays
on a meter face can usually be replaced
with fewer and significantly lighter ones.

Don't retouch

Aviator's Guide to GPS... (Bill Clarke)

GPS for Everyone: How the Global Positioning... (L. Larijani)
GPS for Geodesy (Peter J. G. Teunissen)
GPS for Land Surveyors (Jan Van Sickle)
GPS Instant Navigation A Practical... (Kevin Monahan)
GPS Land Navigation; A Complete Guidebook... (M. Ferguson)
GPS Made Easy Using Global Positioning ... (Lawrence Letham)
GPS Satellite Surveying (Alfred Leick )
Simple GPS Navigation; Sea, Air, Land... (Mik Chinery )
Understanding GPS: Principles and Applications (Elliott D. Kaplan)
Using GPS (Conrad Dixon)
Using GPS: Finding Your Way With the... (Bruce Grubbs)
Wilderness Navigation : Finding Your Way... ( Bob Burns)
Yachtsman's GPS Handbook... (Colin Jones)

Brighten and sharpen selective -

ly-If

something is too dark or too

fuzzy, I will slide it on over into the

Arcata ImageViewer, and then selectively deal with it there. What the photo
folks call dodging and burning. But note
that a little sharpening goes a very long
way. Stay on the fuzzy side or the final
results may have garish "sugar" in them.

Work in pieces-First to get an

object to fit the scanner, and second to
get your lettering as close to the glass as
possible. For instance, on a squirrel cage
blower, I took it all apart and scanned
the motor separate from the cage. Two
other scans were used to optimize the
look of the wiring, and a portion of the

Invent if really needed-Create any

essential fine detail from scratch if you
have to. Pixel locked and totally con+12v

+12v

+12v

Howard
1- 19-4200
steppers

am

mmmmmiD
07 06

05

Ol

03

02

GI

00

*V

ULN2803
.D7

D6

55

DI

D3

D2

DI

DO

GND

lettering -The

results will almost always be bad enough

to call attention to themselves. Instead,
make only the most minor and most
essential adjustments. Take half and
leave half. If the lettering is really bad,
replace it entirely. I will often write new
lettering in raw PostScript using a multiple master font that has adjustable size
and weight. I'll then let Acrobat Distiller
color, size, and anti-alias the callouts, lift
them with a screen grabber, and then

11111
female Centronics from host PC

FIG. 2 -THE ELECTRICAL INTERFACE for the PCD100. A parallel port and DOS software
is currently used.

81

label was selectively sharpened as an

overlay. If removing knobs takes you
closer to the glass, do so. Then scan the
knobs later.

Use symmetry and repetition

Once you have got one corner of an

object looking the way you want it to,
flip it horizontally and then vertically to
take care of the other three. If your
lighting on something cylindrical is
poor, expand the "good" side of the best
lines, duplicate them vertically, and then
mirror the entire result.

Experiment on the side-The

greatest ideas have a way of turning sour,
so always tow a copy of any detail you
are working on to a background area,
improve it, and tow it back. Be sure to
save often. Save any details that you can
reuse, such as screws, knobs, line cords,
other fasteners, fuses, or feet.
Avoid the "Barney Oldfield"
Effect -Early photos of moving race
cars had elliptical wheels, which was
caused by the camera's focal -plane shutter seeing the top of the wheel after the
bottom. Moving scanners could also
have a disconcerting habit of showing
only one "side" of a knob, support, or
whatever. Get around that by taking the
good "half' of the knob, mirror copy it,
and make it "straight on."

Watch shadow directions- Similarly, scanners tend to "throw" shadows

on only one side of knobs or supports.
Pick your scanning direction so the
shadow all stay out of the lettering.
This saves you lots of grief.

But the ultimate key test of your airbrush work is that it should seem to vanish without a trace. Leaving you with
appropriate and "accurate" results that
do not in any manner call attention to
themselves. Your whole goal here is not
to be noticed! I've summarized some of
these guidelines for you in Fig. 4.
Training and consulting services are
available for this exciting new technique.
For ongoing details, refer to www.tina

ja.com/infoOl.html.

Water Soluble Plastics

In my surplus wanderings I have come
across a great heaping pile of water- soluble
plastic film. These are intended for hospital laundry bags and are resold by M.D.
82 Industries. They are easily cut with scissors

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Arcata ImageViewer

Oricom Technologies

600 F Street
Arcata, CA 95521
(800) 822 -9085
www.arcatapet.com

PO Box 68
Boulder, CO 80306
(303) 449-6428

www.sni.net/- oricom

Butterworth -Heinemann

Pericom

225 Wildwood Ave.

Woburn, MA 01801
(800) 366 -2665
www.bh.com

2380 Bering Drive

Gerber Scientific

Physik Instrumente

Batson Dr.
Manchester, CT 06040
(800) 22-7446
www.gspinc.com

23 Midstate Dr. Suite 212

Auburn, MA 01501
(508) 832-3456

Hewlett Packard/Test & Measurement

Gordon

PO Box 50637
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(415) 857 -1501

6181 S Randall Blvd. #10

Tucson, AZ 85706
(520) 573 -9314

151

San Jose, CA 95131

(408) 435-0800

www.pericom.com

www.polytecpi.com
M

Robineau

www.hp.com /go/tmc99

Security Systems Integration

INSULTAB
50 Everberg Rd.
Woburn, MA 01801
(800) 468-4822
www.insultab.com

Lindsay Publications
PO Box 538
Bradley, IL 60915
(815) 935 -5353

6151 Powers Ferry Rd. NW

Atlanta, GA 30339
(770) 955 -2500

www.securitysolutions.com
SiRF Technology
3970 Freedom Circle
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 980 -4700
www.sirf.com

www.lindsaybks.com

Standard Microsystems
Map One
PO Box 999
Dewey, AZ 86327
(520) 632 -8774
www.mapone.com

80 Arkay Dr.

Hauppauge, NY 11788
(800) 443 -SEMI
www.smsc.com

Synergetics
M.D. Industries
5 Revere Dr.

Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 498 -1204

Box 809
Thatcher, AZ 85552
(520) 428 -4073

www.tinaja.com

National Instruments

Vacuum & Thin Film

11500 N Mopac Expressway

Austin, TX 78759
(512) 794 -0100

17730 W Peterson Rd.

Libertyville, IL 60048
(847) 362 -8711
www.ihspubs.com

www.natinst.com

or a paper cutter and are "somewhat" heat

sealable. They are mildly translucent-you
can tell roughly what is in them but cannot
read print through them. Thickness is a
mil or two-somewhere between delicate
and sturdy.
These cry out for all sorts of oddly
unintended uses
-tub -guest swim
suits, for instance. You could also tie

-hot

some around a microswitch for a flood

alarm or a rain detector, or perhaps use
it as packages for bath salts or some dye.

Thinking about it further, a dozen or

more "magic" tricks come to mind.
Maybe there are a few possible greenhouse or other agriculture uses. Perhaps
it could be useful places where you don't
want to handle something. I'm not sure
if you can dissolve the films and then
reuse the solution somehow.
Cost is quite low, especially when you
only use a few square inches. What uses
can you think up for these that give new
depth of meaning to "diabolically

This PostScript code

...

Generates the following incremental stepper commands...

inch {72 mull def

BUH

2 inch 2.5 inch 1.5 inch

110110111011011101101110110111011011 1011011101101110110111011011
1011011101101110110111011011101101110110111011011101101110110111
011011101101110110111011011101101110110111011011101101110110 1110
1101110110111011011101101110110111011011101101110110111011011101
1011101101110110111011011101101110110111011011101101110110111011
011101101110110111011011101101
D
2222222222223222222232222232222232223223222322322322232323232322
2332232332323233233233233233333233333333333333433334333343343433
3434343343434343434434434434443443444434443444344444443444444443
4444444444444444444445444444454444454444454445445444544544544454
5454545445544545545454554554545545554555555455555555555555655556
5555655656555656565565656566565656566566656656666656666666566666
6665666666666666666666666766666667666667666667666766766676676676
6767676767667766767767676776776776776777677777767777777777777707
7770777707707077707070770707070707007007070707007000070007000700
0000070000000070000000000000000000000100000001000010001001000100
1001000101010101001100101010101101101110111111011111111111111211
1121111211212111212121121212121212212212121212212221221222212221
222212222222212222222222

0 360 arc closepath stroke

UHQ

3-

POSTSCRIPT CAN EASILY CONTROL ANY PLOTTER or XY table by sending a

special utility to Acrobat Distiller. Here is a three -inch circle example. See
www.tinaja.com/flutOthtml for full details.
FIG.

fiendish "? Contact me via e-mail at

don @tinaja.com should you want to play
with any of this neat stuff. Or see
www.tinaja.com/bargos01 html.
.

Some GPS Books

GPS is an acronym for the Global
Positioning System, a collection of 24
wandering satellites that give you navigation, altitude, time, and speed information anywhere in the world to 80 -foot
accuracy with lower -cost techniques.
Fancier schemes let you hit aircraft landing precision and sub -centimeter
surveyor accuracy.
I've gathered together a listing of
some of the better GPS books for you as
this month's resource sidebar. Tutorials
on GPS can be found in www.tinaja.
com/resbn0l.html and at wwwtinaja.com/
glib/resbn90.pdf.

Updates
A curious update to last month's col1.

umn on hot -tub economics: Most conventional hot -tub thermometers have a
large thermal slug in them to prevent
their temperature changing much while
you're reading them. The fifteen minute
or so delay can cause underreporting
during warm -up. If you do not allow for
this, the tub may appear to do its last few
degrees of heating much faster than
you'd expect and may overheat.
Also, the SETI -at -home project
seems to be smashing most records for
distributed computing. As of this writing, twenty millennia (!) of prime computing time has been devoted to this
project. As we saw last month, you can
participate or pick up details at setiath
ome.ssl.berkeley.edu/stats/totals.html.

New Tech Lit

From Standard Microsystems comes a
new CD -ROM product catalog that
focuses on local -area networking, data
communications, and I/O controllers.

Seek exact horizontal and vertical pixel locking.

2. Reduce, eliminate, or crowd all muddy shadows.

3. Avoid retouching lettering. Replace if needed.
4. Brighten and sharpen selectively. Do not oversharpen.

Invent fine detail from scratch when appropriate.

Consider scratch 3x5 and 5x7 antialiased lettering.
6. Work in pieces for maximum sharpness and convenience.
7. Use symmetry and duplication to ease repetitive work.
8. Do all experiments and detail work on the side,.
9. Mirror any scanner 'Barney Oldfield" effects.
10. Pick your shadow directions very carefully.
5.
6.

FIG. 4 -MY SECRETS for improving scanner "photographs."

New from Hewlett Packard is their latest

Test and Measurement catalog. From
Physik Instrumente, there's a catalog on
piezo and other micropositioning mechanisms. From Pericom, comes application
notes on their bus switches, with emphasis on video switching applications.
USGS topographic maps are finally
free online at greenwood.cr.usgs.gov.
Many of these are newly available in
Acrobat PDF format. Low -cost collections of maps on CD -ROM are offered
by Tom Oliver's Map One at, of all
places, www.mapone.com.
From SiRF Technology there's a
white paper on their new GPS technology that seems to effectively solve certain "urban canyon" problems.
By way of Dan Michael's Oricom
Technologies, there's an assortment of
One Hour Protoboards. These seem
well suited for most PIC and similar -size
projects. A number of ready -to -go
designs are also available on their
www.sni.net/-oricom Website.
Free samples of sleeving and heat
shrinkable tubing are offered from
INSULTAB. A free graphic- instrument
programming LabVIEW Evaluation
Package is available from National
Instruments.
Our featured trade journals include
Security Systems Integration plus Vacuum
& Thin Film.

The latest "new -old" books from

Lindsay Publications include Early Die
(Continued on page 85)

NEW PRODUCTS

USE THE FREE INFORMATION CARD FOR FAST RESPONSE

percent longer per charge than other

Arbitrary Waveform Generator

rechargeable alkaline batteries, according

to the manufacturer, thank to their
advanced RAM (rechargeable alkaline
manganese) technology. Chargeables
provide a full 1.5 -volt capacity, unlike
NiCd rechargeables, which only operate at
1.2 volts. They can be fully recharged at
any power level over and over again
more than 25 times. In fact, the more frequently they are charged, the longer they'll
last. Their slow discharge rate also assures
that the batteries retain their full power
even if left unused in a device for months.

,,,,

ilnlinltlntW

t+.

',..' TI1u.

.lpq

4111100 41.111110

jTHE LIFE OF
MORE THAN!!
ALKALINE BATTERIES!
LEADING BR
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far

THE PCI -344 DUAL-CHANNEL ARBItrary Waveform Generator combines the

performance of advanced stand -alone generators with the convenience of the personal computer, and it occupies one PC
expansion slot. It is designed for test and
production engineers building instrument
sets for communications, video, ATE,
process control, power line disturbance
tests, laser positioning, frequency response
analyzers, power supply testing, and component testing.
The unit provides 0.01% frequency
accuracy, three selectable output filters,
independent gain and offset controls,

and software functions for nine standard

waveform shapes. Waveforms can be
created using the Waveform Builder in
the included BenchTop software; they can
be imported from spreadsheets or math
programs; or they can be transferred
from one of the company's oscilloscope
cards. Waveform editing is also provided
via the mouse or a text entry dialog box.
The PC -344 provides an on -board
waveform memory sequencer that creates
complex waveform sequences by looping
and linking memory segments. Each step
(up to a maximum of 255) in a sequence
can address a memory segment and can
repeat the segment from 1 to 32,767 times.
Two new features that are very useful
are the Loop Unit Trigger Mode and the

Multi- Sequencer Mode. The Loop Unit

Trigger Mode loops on one waveform segment indefinitely until a trigger event is
recognized. The Multi- Sequencer Mode
provides storage of 16 different sequences,
and the sequence number can be changed
by the PC or by an external event, thereby
providing interactive waveform generation
useful in creating digitally modulated communications signals.
Complementing the extensive memory control features are a suite of high performance analogy specifications: 12
bits of vertical resolution at rates up to
50 million samples per second, output
amplifiers with 24 volts peak -to-peak,
standard memory of 32,000 samples/
channel, and DDS -based internal and
external clock sources.
The PCI-344 Dual- Channel Arbitrary
Waveform Generator has a suggested
retail price of $2495.
PC INSTRUMENTS, INC.
526 South Main Street
Akron, OH 44311
Tel: 330 - 762-8500
Fax: 330-762-8855
Web: www.pcinstruments.com

Rechargeable Alkaline Battery

The Chargeables line of rechargeable
alkaline batteries supplies power 20 to 30

games, pat9aKe etereos, cameras, ana

iron,

Batteries pre- chargea, reaayio use

Breacihraugh af,alete aattery technology

Use batteries

over eve over again

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Chargeables are especially suited for

use in high -tech consumer products such
as cell phones, portable CD players,
portable games, remote controls, beepers,
pagers, and toys. The system includes AA
and AAA size batteries, plus two AC
chargeable charging stations. The CH2 is
a two -cell capacity charger, and the CH4
has a four-cell charging capacity, with a
flip-up/flip -down AC plug.
The Chargeables are available in
several configurations: as charging stations with batteries in either 4 Cell
AA/AAA Chargepal with 4 AAs or 2 Cell
AA/AAA Chargepal with 2 AAs; or as
batteries only in either AA/AAA 4 -pack

or AA/AAA 2 -pack. The suggested retail

prices are $24.95, $14.95, and $6.95 and
$3.95, respectively.

LENMAR ENTERPRISES, INC.

31328 Via Colinas, #102
Westlake Village, CA 91362
Tel: 800 -424-2703 or 818- 879-2700
Fax: 800 -336-2703 or 818 -879 -2703
Web: www.lenmarcom

CompuMr Monitor Training Coirse

The Advanced Computer Monitor Service
Training CD -ROM (FC100CD) contains
11 sections partitioned around the major
circuits of a computer monitor. Each section delivers theory information, defect
symptoms, practical troubleshooting
guides and tips, plus alignment procedures.
The material is geared specifically for
beginning, intermediate, and advanced service technicians; and it can be immediately
applied on the bench.

Microwave Alarm
The MicroAlert Radio/Microwave Alarm
is ideal for trying to find out what's emitting microwave or radio signals, whether
in hiding or in plain sight. It detects cellular phone towers, analog/digital cell
phones, and microwave ovens (in use).
As
you move closer
to the
radio/microwave source, the beep tone
sounds more frequently, ultimately becoming a solid tone.
CIRCLE 24 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

are made from, characteristics of solar

batteries, and advantages and disadvantages of solar.
The Amphibious Solar Vehicle kit
has a suggested retail price of $39.95.

OWl INC.
17141 Kingsview Avenue
Carson, CA 90746
Tel: 310 -515 -1900
Fax: 310 -515-1606
Web: http: /owi- inc.com

TECH MUSINGS
(continued from page 83)
Casting and Hot Air Engines
Advanced HaodsOn
Computer Monitor
servicing Course
o,:.s

or

CIRCLE 23 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

CIRCLE 22 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

The course teaches fast, efficient

computer monitor repair and servicing
techniques, using practical troubleshooting
knowledge. The TC 100CD comes complete with section checks and tests to
track the learning progress of the technicians. Topics include: safety, scan frequencies, pixels, blanking times, switch
mode power supplies, vertical deflection, horizontal deflection/high voltage,
sync, video amplifiers, CRT circuits,
component testing, and more.
The Advanced Computer Monitor
Service Training CD -ROM (TC 100CD)
has a list price of $495.

SENCORE INC.
3200 Sencore Drive
Sioux Falls, SD 57107
Tel: 800 -SENCORE or 605- 339 -0100
Fax: 605- 339 -0317
Web: www.sencore.com

The top switch powers the unit and

selects the sensitivity level. It chirps
once when powered on to indicate that
the battery is good. The side control
raises or lowers the sensitivity selected.
Compact enough to easily fit into a shirt
pocket, the alarm is the size of a small
pager (2.25 by 1.6 by .75 inches) and
comes with a 3 -volt lithium coin battery
and a pocket clip.
The MicroAlert Radio /Microwave
Alarm costs $81.50, plus S & H.
ALPHALAB INC.
1280 South Third West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101 -3049
Tel/Fax: 808 -874-9126 (between 12:00
noon and 12:00 midnight PST)
Web: wurtv.maui.net/-emf

Vol 2.

For

fast access, click the banner on my

Website. A new engineering book catalog is available from Butterworth
Heinemann. Instant information on
bunches of books that I've personally
recommended is up at www.tinaja.com
/amlink01.html.
For all the fundamentals of digital
integrated circuits, check into my CMOS
and TTL Cookbooks, either by themselves
or as part of my bargain priced Lancaster
Classics Library as per my nearby
Synergetics ad.
Some of the really wild new stuff up
at www.tinaja.com/barg0l.html now
includes hospital -grade physical therapy
machines, premium -quality flags from
odd countries you never heard of, precision airflow meters, several superb pressure and humidity sensors, immersion
thermocouples, and great heaping
bunches more. Catalogs about our products and services can be downloaded

directly from www.tinaja.com/

Amphibious Solar Vehicle
The Amphibious Solar Vehicle kit teaches
and introduces the fundamentals of solar
power through hands -on experiments.
Hobbyists and kids of all ages can discover the world of alternative energy by
learning what materials solar batteries

synlib0l .html.
As usual, most of the mentioned
items are in our "Names and Numbers"
or "GPS Books" sidebars. A no- charge
US technical help line is offered per the
nearby box. Be sure to include your email address if you expect a personal
reply. Let's hear from you.
85

NEW LITERATURE

Handbook of Radio & Wireless

Technology
Stan Gibilisco
McGraw-Hill
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Tel: 800- 2MCGRAW
by

Web: www.tabelectronics.com.

$49.95
A comprehensive, plain- English compendium on the entire field of radio and
wireless technology, this book contains
more than 1000 concise articles. It provides blanket coverage of one of the
fastest growing areas in communications.

switches and 23 photoelectric sensors.

Inductive proximity switches are precision, solid- state, metal-sensing devices
that are capable of sensing at distances
from 1.5mm to 15mm. Available in four
sizes and several styles, the switches
operate from 10 to 30 volts DC and 35
to 250 volts AC, and they will switch
from 10 Hz to 1000 Hz.
Photoelectric sensors are ideal for

ECG
`+Vt/I.F(:111

o)

From antennas and transmission lines;

to analog and digital modulation techniques; to satellite, space, and laser communications; this handbook can help readers master terminology; understand technology and theory, and form an overview
of specific topics or the entire fieldinducting new trends and developments.
With hundreds of clarifying illustrations,
tables, and charts, and extensive cross -referencing, this sourcebook is ideal for both
professionals and hobbyists.

Proximity Switches &

a>

Photoelectric Sensors (ET-2869)

from Philips ECG
1001Snapps Ferry Road
Greeneville, TN 37744
Tel: 800 -526-9354

Web: www.ecgproducts.com

86

This catalog features

Free

It

IC

applications requiring precise "notouch" detection of objects, ranging

from solid to opaque and even to transparent items. Sensors are available in
thru-beam types, with ranges up to 32
feet; self-contained reflective types with
a range up to 16 feet; and fiber optic
types for sites where space is limited.

The Covert Catalog 2000

from Intelligence Incorporated
3555 South El Camino Real, #309
San Mateo, CA 94403
Tel: 650 -559-0020
Fax: 650- 728 -0525

proximity

and InvesogoNve Egoipmsrt Supplie,:

on supplier and source guide has come to

the rescue. Its more than 200 pages are
dedicated to the procurement of products,
such as electronic surveillance equipment,
covert video cameras and transmitters,
electronic tracking systems, and computer
surveillance and remote viewing devices.
This catalog contains items that are not
available elsewhere, including receivers
and code grabbers.
It features exact addresses and ordering information on suppliers in the U.S.,
Canada, Germany, Japan, Russia,
Taiwan, Peoples Republic of China, The
Netherlands, United Kingdom, and
Korea.

Radio Amateur's Satellite Handbook

by Martin Davidoff, K2UBC
American Radio Relay League

225 Main Street

Newington, CT 06111 -1494
Tel: 888- 277 -5289
Fax: 860 -594-0303
Web: www.arrl.org

Web: www.intelligence.to

$22

$34.95

Aimed at ham radio operators who want

to contact other stations through orbiting spacecraft, this is a comprehensive
and informative handbook. Its fifteen
chapters cover tracking, station equipment and antennas, and operating tips
and techniques. The unique aspects of
the analog and digital ham satellites and
complete details on current and future
satellites, including AMSAT's Phase 3D,
are discussed. In addition, the handbook
also covers the SAREX (U.S. Shuttle
amateur in space) program and opera-

Because you never know when the need for

a cell phone interceptor (or neutralizer),
laser eavesdropping system, phone tap, or
room bug will arise, this up-to -date, hands-

3oVitniToo

To order books in
this magazine or,

any book in print. Please call anytime day or

night: (800) BOOKS-NOW (266 -5766) or
(801) 261 -1187 ask for ext. 1454 or visit on the
web at http://www.BooksNow.com/elec-

tronicenow.htm.

51

CATALOG

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

PFIO)(Ib1I I1

P}10T()I''.LEI, 'I
SENSORS

THE COVERT

Free catalogs are not available.

There is an extensive lineup of sound

devices, including the Sonalert and
Sonalert II product lines. In addition,
DC voltage rotary fans, control products, and hardware are also covered. Each
product type includes a photo and/or
drawing, product specifications, and a
variety of charts and tables. A technical
information section with cross -reference
charts and conversion charts, completes
this comprehensive catalog.

lion from the Mir space station.

Appendices provide useful information on spacecraft history, profiles of
active satellites, Internet sites, relevant
FCC regulations, and graphic tracking
aids. There are also sample problems
that involve satellite orbits and tracking.

Back -To- Basics Audio

by Julian Nathan
Newnes, Butterworth Heinemann
225 Wildwood Avenue
Woburn, MA 01801
Tel: 800 -366-2665 or 781- 904 -2500
Fax: 800 -446-6250 or 781- 904-2620
Web: www.bh.com /newnes

$39.95
Written for hands -on technicians and
Electronics Components Catalog
from North American Capacitor Company
7545 Rockville Road
Indianapolis, IN 46214
Tel: 317- 273 -0090
Fax: 317- 273 -2400

BACK -TO- BASICS AUD10

Web: www.nacc -mallory.com

Free

This 268 -page, fully illustrated, customer- friendly, catalog features the

complete product line, as well as application and technical information. An

extensive table of contents and a complete product index arranged alphabetically by type make it easy to locate specific product categories. Included
among the new products are extended
range, hermetically sealed wet tantalum
electrolytic capacitors, long -life and
non -polar axial leaded aluminum electrolytic capacitors, and numerous radial leaded and surface-mount DC film
capacitors, as well as a wide variety of
transducers, indicators, and sirens.

others who want to learn the basics of

audio and electrical principles without
taking a college course, this is a thorough and approachable handbook on
audio theory, practice, and allied electrical theory. The subject is audio and how
systems are put together and calibrated.
A basic idea of how things work is also
given to enable the reader to make loss
path, passive equalizer networks, power
supplies and relay systems-the interface and support units for the major
parts of a sound system.
Chapters on drawing and construc-

!to-atieitirow

To order books in
this magazine or,

any book in print. Please call anytime day or

night: (800) BOOKS-NOW (266 -5766) or (801)
261.1187 ask for ext. 1454 or visit on the web
at http://www.BooksNow.com /electronic-

snow.htm.
Free catalogs are not available.

don show how to design racks and panels, understand complex systems, prepare working diagrams, and communicate design ideas. Aspects of movie
soundtrack recording, signal processing,
and acoustics are discussed in detail. igg

ANTIQUE RADIO
(continued from page 25)
Save Those Radio Verifications!
Radio verifications, or QSL cards,
are mailed out by broadcast and shortwave stations to acknowledge reception
reports sent by radio listeners. QSLs are
also routinely exchanged by radio amateurs to document contacts they have
made. Many collections of QSL cards
are misplaced or discarded when their
owners pass on or leave the hobby. This
is unfortunate because QSLs are not just

souvenirs of individual accomplishments, but also represent important

documentation of the history of radio.
The Committee to Preserve Radio
Verification is an official committee of
North American Radio Clubs
(ANARC) -which was founded in 1964
as a unifying organization for radio -listening clubs in the US and Canada. It is
a five -person group whose goal is to preserve QSLs belonging to hobbyists who
are no longer active. The CPRV collection is part of the Broadcast Pioneers
Library of American Broadcasting located at the University of Maryland. This
library, devoted exclusively to the history of broadcasting, also contains a wide range of other materials, including
recordings, books pamphlets, periodicals, photographs, and scripts.
The current collection includes
many thousands of QSLs, principally
from shortwave and medium wave
broadcast stations. There is a computerized index, with all QSLs fully identified
with their original owner. If you are
interested in donating a collection for
preservation by this organization, contact Jerry Berg, Chairman CPRV, 38
Eastern Ave., Lexington, MA 0241; Tel: m
781 -861 -8481. CPRV also has a "registered collections" program for those
who wish to donate at a later date. m
Stickers are provided to be pasted into a,
the QSL albums identifying CPRV as S
the eventual recipient.
o

BUY BONDS
87

ADVERTISING INDEX
Electronics Now does not assume any responsibility for errors that may appear in
the index below.
Free Information Number

"A"

Free Information Number

Page
CV3

57

142

Jameco

Abacom Technology

48

KNS Instruments

62

ABC Electronics

62

Lynxmotion

55

ML Electronics

62

All Electronics
Allison Technology

57

327

MCM electronics

61

Amazon Electronics

54

306

Merrimack Valley Systems

66

Andromeda Research

55

microEngineering Labs

55

Antique Radio Classified

56

Modern Electronics

46

Arrow Technologies

52

318

Mouser Electronics

52

Brand Electronics

60

MSC Electronics

54

Bsoft Software, Inc.

66

NESDA

26

322

C &S Sales, Inc.

50

262

Parts Express

69

Pioneer Hill Software

65

332

Circuit Specialists

CLAGGK.Inc.

170

Cooks Institute

52

Larry Steckler
Publisher (ext. 201)
e -mail: advertising@gernsback.com

Adria Coren
Vice President (ext. 208)

Ken Coren
Vice -President (ext. 267)

Marie Falcon
Advertising Director (ext. 206)

Adria Coren
Credit Manager (ext. 208)

59

For Advertising ONLY

EAST /SOUTHEAST
Megan Mitchell
9072 Lawton Pine Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89129 -7044
Tel. 702 -240 -0184
Fax: 702 -838 -6924
e -mail: mmitchell@gernsback.com

222

Polaris Industries

45

....33

315

Prairie Digital

57

Command Productions

49

207

Price Wheeler

60

Connecticut microComputer

65

264

Print (Pace)

47

Conitec

65

133

Protel International

CV4

266

Ramsey Electronics

71

Saelig Co. LLC

56

Securetek

54

PACIFIC COAST

Si! Walker

60

Anita Bartman

Cleveland Inst. of Electronics

EDE Spy Oultet

55

Electronic Goldmine

53

Electronic Tech. Today

78

323

Electronix Express

46

Emac Inc.

66

Engineering Express

54

335

Foley- Belsaw

160

241

Square

Electronics

48

MIDWEST/Texas/Arkansas/
Oklahoma
Ralph Bergen
One Northfield Plaza, Suite 300
Northfield, IL 60093 -1214
Tel. 847 -559 -0555
Fax: 847 -559 -0562
e -mail: bergenrj @aol.com

Hutch Looney & Assoc., Inc.

6310 San Vicente Blvd. Suite 360
Los Angeles, CA 90048 -5426
Tel. 323 -931 -3444 (ext. 227)
Fax: 323 -931 -7309
e -mail: anita@hlooney.com

Super Circuits

46

Techniks

54

64

Technological Arts

58

Global Specialties

23

312

Telulex

49

Joe Stiere

Grantham College of Eng

20

333

Test Equipment Depot

68

Home Automation

65

217

Test Equipment Sales

68

331

Howard Electronics

67

275

Timeline

49

Howard Electronics

62

Unbound

56

National Representative
P.O. Box 169
Idyliwild, CA 92549 -0169
Tel. 909 -659 -9743
Fax: 909 -659 -2469
email: joe@greencafe.com

Information Unlimited

58

Windjammer Cruises

20

Megan Mitchell

Intec Automation

54

World Star Technologies

54

Intelligence I2 Inc.

54

88

Tech Video Solutions

Page

ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES

Gernsback Publications, Inc.
500 Bi-County Blvd.
Farmingdale, NY 11735 -3931
Tel. 516-293-3000
Fax: 516-293-3115

132

World Wyde

54,55

138

Interactive Image Technologies ..CV4

XX Box

55

319

IVEX Design

Zagros Robotics

56

.1

&M Microtek, Inc

63
54

Electronic Shopper

National Representative
9072 Lawton Pine Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89129 -7044
Tel. 702 -240 -0184
Fax: 702 -838 -6924
email: mmitchell@gernsback.com

Customer Service
1- 800 -999 -7139
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM M -F MST

vwww.jameco.cono
Since 1974

ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

1999

COMPUTER PRODUCTS

1.800.831.4242

-, ...

j1111U11111111111U
,

--

II day
CaY ur Fretealogl
f r
Cron
Meng
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15t
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oent

A Dependable and Reputable Choice

www.jameco.com
Jameco Electronics, 1355 Shore way Road, Belmont, California 94002
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Add or change default footprint values directly

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New Analyses

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AC sensitivity and DC sensitivity help determine

the stability of your design.

complete with simulation, symbol and footprint

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Now you can have more than one copy of an

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