This is only a preview of the February 1993 issue of Silicon Chip. You can view 54 of the 104 pages in the full issue, including the advertisments. For full access, purchase the issue for $10.00 or subscribe for access to the latest issues. Items relevant to "Build The Electronic Cockroach":
Items relevant to "A Low Fuel Indicator For Your Car":
Articles in this series:
Items relevant to "A 2kW 24VDC To 240VAC Sinewave Inverter; Pt.5":
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I
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
I
100 watt audio
amplifier module
Although this amplifier module
from A-One Electronics is labelled as
a "lO0W pure class A main amplifier", it is technically a class AB amplifier judging from the size of the
heatsink and the fact that it has a
single 2A fuse.
In fact, the circuit information gives
details of how to set up the quiescent
current. The resultant current of 600
milliamps is much higher than the
usual 50-lO0mA one would expect
for a typical class AB design and will
effectively give class A operation up
to about 1 watt RMS into an 8-ohm
load.
Recommended supply voltages
range from ±30V to ±42V although
maximum power will naturally be reduced at the lower voltages. A suggested layout of two modules in a
stereo amplifier has fan cooling which
would be mandatory in view of the
standing dissipation ofup to 48 watts
in each channel.
The module is well made and has a
complementary differential amplifier
in the input circuit and MS15003/4s
as complementary common emitter
Digital recorder/
announcer
Kingray video
combiner amplifier
This very handy device is
incorrectly named which
must cause a lot of confusion
to potential buyers. It does not
amplify or combine video signals. What it does do is combine the signal from a VHFI
UHF antenna with the modulated RF output signal from a VCR.
The combined signal is then amplified and fed to a 4-way splitter.
Tlie effective gain at each of the
four outputs is +6dB, referred to
the antenna input.
If it was correctly named, it
would perhaps be called a "VHF/
UHF/VCR combinei-/splitter"
which is still a mouthful and possibly just as confusing to the
uninitiated. What the Kingray
SA214V does do is enable you to
watch off-air programs or tapes
from your VCR on four TV sets in
74
SILICON CHIP
stages (ie, not emitter followers) in
the output circuit.
The 100W module(CatS0313) is
available for $79 from A-One Electronics Pty Ltd, 432-434 Kent Street,
Sydney 2000. Phone (02) 267 4819.
your household. It is powered from
a 9V DC plugpack which is connected to one of the 75-ohm output sockets via their PSK0l power
adaptor. This is supplied together
with the 9V plugpack.
As such, the SA214V is a very
useful accessory and one which
will find use in many households
with more than one TV set. We're
pleased to report that the SA214V
is manufactured in Australia and
appears to be very well made.
The unit is available from David
Reid Electronics at $99.95.
The MOH330A digital recorder announcer from Eletech uses CVSD compression to provide good quality audio record/play from a compact desktop machine. Originally designed to
replace on-hold signal devices such
as tape recorders and radio sets, the
MOH330A recorder has many other
applications. Due to its solid state
design with no moving parts the unit
is ultra reliable.
Good quality speech or music can
be recorded on the device using a
microphone or the line input. A VU
meter displays the record and playback levels. One or
two messages can be stored with lengths of up to four
minutes and eight seconds. Connections to the unit are
via standard audio connectors or phone jacks. An external control can start the playback for use in talking signs,
security messages, fire warning systems, etc.
For further information contact Zenology Sales Pty
Ltd, 7/245 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley, Vic 3150.
Phone (03) 802 0599).
First High-Speed IEEE 488.2
Controller for Notebook PCs
New concept in handheld
logic analysers
IOtech
The "LogicBridge 136" is a new concept in logic analysers. Handheld and battery powered, the LogicBridge
performs as an intelligent 3-channel logic probe, yet is
also able to store and display waveforms like a logic
analyser. Basically it is a dedicated logic instrument for
those involved in the design, repair or maintenance of
digital electronic circuits and equipment.
Fast waveforms can be easily identified by taking a
"logical snapshot". Not only can this save hours of lab
work but with such a facility, data can be retrieved from
memories for later review and analysis.
The waveforms are viewed and measured on a high
resolution LED display which simulates binary level
signal/channel traces as displayed on a logic analyser's
CRT. The effective real time bandwidth of the Model 136
is 10MHz but the glitch catcher function allows the
capture of pulses down to 50 nanoseconds.
The unit may be operated in real time or memory
mode. Memory mode allows for the acquisition and
storage of up to 100-bit sequences. Waveforms can then
be recalled, visually or logically compared (AND, OR,
EXCLUSIVE OR) to incoming waveforms or fed to an
external source via a serial port. Up to 12 consecutive
memories (two waveforms each) can be automatically
linked together to store long data sequences.
Being a dedicated instrument, the LogicBridge 136 has
a range of useful digital debugging, signal identification
and tracing facilities. In addition, the audio output may
be used for indicating an occurence of trigger and for
The Personal488/NB is a compact external IEEE 488.2 interface that enables 170 Kbyte/s IEEE 488.22 control of up to
fourteen IEEE instruments from a notebook PC via its parallel
port.
A virtual PC plug-in board in terms of speed and performance,
the Personal488/NB is compatible with both IOtech 's DLL
driver for Microsoft Windows and with its DOS subroutinestyle and device driver software. The Personal488/NB also
supports third-party data acquisition software packages, such
as DADiSP and Labtech Notebook.
The Personal488/NB uses FPGA (field programmable gate
array) technology to permit simultaneous instrument-control
and printer transactions via its connection to a notebook PC's
parallel port. The unit can draw power from a notebook PC's
keyboard port, a 7 to 15 VDC voltage source, or a standard A/
C voltage source via an included power supply.
Portable and Remote Applications. As notebook PCs decrease in price and increase in functionality and power, many
engineers are finding them practical, easily transportable alternatives to cumbersome desktop PCs. The Personal488/NB
enables engineers to use notebook PCs in IEEE instrument
control and data acquisition. It is well suited for vehicle
testing, such as aircraft and automobile testing, where physical
space is at a premium, and is also ideal for users who require a
portable computer, such as test-instrument sales engineers,
who can now use notebook PCs to demonstrate IEEE 488
instruments on customer calls.
The Personal488/NB is also useful for engineers who need to
analyse acquired data away from the test site because it enables the same notebook PC to be used both on-site for data
acquisition, and in the Jab for subsequent data analysis. This
eliminates the time-consuming data transfer processes and
cross-platform incompatibility problems sometimes associated with using one desktop PC for testing and another for
analysis.
SCIENTIFIC DEVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
~
Melbourne
Fax
Sydney
Fax
Adelaide
Fax
(03)
(03)
(02)
(02)
(08)
(08)
579
579
344
349
281
281
3622
0971
5200
2602
3788
4194
Product names listed are trademarks of their respective manufacturers' company.
FEBRUARY
1993
75
actual waveshape identification. For further information, contact Emona Instruments, PO Box K720, Haymarket, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 519 3933.
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Handy breadboard for small
prototype circuits
If you want to wire up a circuit with just a few
ICs these little prototyping boards are quite handy.
They have 29 columns of terminals and so you
could insert three 14-pin ICs and one 8-pin IC, or
other combinations to take up the space.
The board has double-sided foam tape on the
back so it can be conveniently mounted on a metal
plate and it also comes with a handy little pad of
wiring sheets so you can record your layouts.
All this costs just $5 .95 (Cat. P11002) from Rod
Irving Electronics, 74 Parramatta Rd, Stanmore,
NSW or interstate branches.
Solar powered musical keychain
from Rod Irving Electronics
This little keyfob is a bit
of a gimmick. When its solar cell is exposed to strong
light it plays "Somewhere
Over The Rainbow" al though we suspect that noone will be tempted to sing
along with it. More useful is
the integral lamp which can
be lit by pressing the button
- handy for finding keyholes
in the dark. The unit is completely sealed so we have no way of knowing whether it
has an internal cell or not._At the price of only $4. 95 it is
quite a useful device. But try to keep it out of sunlight if
you don't want to hear that tune again.
The solar keychain (Cat. Z19060) is available from all
Rod Irving Electronics stores.
Philips 21-inch high-resolution
computer monitor
ANTRIM
'TOROIDAL TRANSFORMERS
• Now made in Australia.
• Standard range 15VA co 2kVA.
• Large ex-stock quantities available.
• Competitive pricing available for OEMs & resellers.
• Simply the best transformers all round.
HARBUCH ELECTRONICS PTY Lm
90 George Street, Hornsby NSW 2077.
Telephone (02) 476 5854. Fax (02) 476 3231.
76
S ILICON CHIP
Philips has introduced a 21-inch model in its highperformance Brilliance monitor range. The Brilliance
2110 is an autoscan colour monitor that supports resolutions of up to 1600 x 1280 and an extended horizontal
scanning frequency range of up to 82kHz. T,rnse high
refresh rates are essential to obtain a stable, flicker-free
display with such large screen sizes.
.
The high resolution and display quality of the Brilliance 2110, together with its extensive digital adjustment facilities, make this monitor an outstanding choice
for the mos,t demanding applications in areas like CAD,
graphic design, DTP and professional pre-press work.
Microprocessor-based digital control of all display
parameters ensures secure and reliable setting-up. Handling a wide range of display modes is made easy by a
IAN J. TRUSCOTT'S ELECTRONIC WORLD
30 Lacey Street, Croydon, 3136. Phone (03) 723 3344; Fax: (03) 725 9443.
Now also at: 200 Smith Street, Collingwood. Phone (03) 419 8208
Mail & Credit Card Orders Welcome
We now have a range of 5,6,8,9 & 10 pin
Ask about our range of E.A.O. precision
resistor networks and a comprehensive
push button switches, motor start
range of micro's and eproms at ridiculous capacitors and Beckman Industrial
prices. Quote this ad and receive another multimeters.
5% discount.
$l6.80ea.
27C010-15 1 meg eprom 150ns..... $8.IOea.
SAB8031 P Romless Micro ........ 2.50ea.
MAB8049H Romless Micro ....... $2.50ea.
62256-LP S-Ram ..................... $9.75ea.
41256 D-Ram ................................. $2.60ea.
27C020-15 2 meg eprom 150ns....
FEBRUARY SPECIAL:
BECKMAN DM 15XL Multimeter
$119
$10.00 ea.
3mw Laser Tube & inverter $99.00 ea.
6 volt 1 watt Solar Panels
Infra Red Night Viewing Monocular (kit)
$269.00.
COMPONENT PHONE ORDER HOTLINE (03) 723 3344
ON SALE NOW
First edition Vintage Radio
Calendar, in full colour.
Featuring a selection of
Australia's most
photogenic radios.
Ideal Christmas gift for
friends and .collectors
overseas. Available from
Resurrection Radi
CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
51 CHAPEL STREET,
WINDSOR, VIC. 3181.
PHONE (03) 529 5639.
FEBRUARY
1993
77
choice of 22 preset modes; 14 factory
preset and the other 8 user-definable.
The Brilliance 2110 automatically
recognises the horizontal and vertical
scanning frequencies of the graphic
card to which it is connected, and
selects the corresponding display
mode. Different modes can be manually selected if desired.
Precision colour-matching provides
a choice of three colour temperature
modes: standard 6500K or 9300K settings, or a user-definable mode with
.individual RGB adjustment. This
function allows a desired colour balance to be achieved with digital precision; an important benefit in applications where critical matching of external colour references is needed.
Also newly introduced is a 20-inch
monitor (type number C2082-DAS) fitted with a Trinitron slotted shadowmask tube. This model meets the preference of some users who prefer the
Trinitron tube. Other facilities and
performance aspects of the C2082DAS are virtually identical to those of
the Brilliance 2110, except for the
maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024.
Distributed in Australia by Clear
Technology, the Philips Brilliance
2110 retails for around $5,999 including tax and the C2082-DAS for $5,160
including tax. For further information, contact Philips Components, 34
Waterloo Rd, North Ryde, 2113. Phone
(02) 805 4455.
20V/20A power supply
with variable output
If you want lots of current at up to
20V DC this power supply module is
an easy way to get it. The module is
completely built and tested; all you
LD9000 LP
gas leak detector
The LD9000 LP gas leak detector is manufactured in Brisbane
and uses a "Figaro" sensor.
Gas presence is indicated both
by an audible alarm and by flashing red lights in the display panel.
Red lights also indicate "ON" and
"charge".
have to do is mount it in a suitable
chassis with fan cooling and connect
a suitable large power transformer.
Essentially, the circuit is a simple
series regulator with five TO-3 power
transistors connected in parallel to
share the output current. At first sight,
there appear to be eight power transistors on the large heatsink but two of
these comprise the full wave rectifier
diodes while the other transistor is
Sony's CCD-TR805E camcorder - ctd from page 15
is in telephoto mode. However, such
a demonstration really does not show
how effective the system is. When
Sony released the TR-805E onto the
Australian market, they demonstrated
the effectiveness of the "steady shot"
system by mounting the unit on a
motor driven vibrator. With the
"steady shot" system switched off,
the picture was completely obliterated by the image blurring; with
"steady shot" switched on, the picture was normal - a dramatic demonstration.
78
SILICON CHIP
With such a plethora of features on
a small camcorder, you might wonder
whether it is too much for the average
user to comprehend. No doubt it is
but the beauty of the TR-805E is that
you can use as many or as few of the
features as you want and just ignore
the others. It can be used very simply
just by letting the machine do everything automatically or you can intervene as much as you like to get the
precise recordings you want.
Either way, the results are very good
and potentially better than can be
The unit is supplied with two
battery chargers, one for 240VAC
operation, the other for 12VDC
from a cigarette lighter outlet. Four
rechargeable batteries are fitted
inside the unit and these provide
up to six hours operation.
For further information contact
David Hall Electronics, 3/376 Kingston Road, Slacks Creek, Qld 412 7.
Phone (07) 808 2777.
the driver for the five output devices.
The circuit has selectable current limiting as well as short circuit protection.
The module appears to be well
made and the components are certainly rated for the high current output. It is available at $134 (Cat. SO
005) from A-One Electronics Pty Ltd,
432-434 Kent St, Sydney 2000 Phone
(02) 267 4819.
SC
achieved via any ordinary PAL monitor - you need an S-video monitor to
get the best results.
In summary then, the Sony CCDTR805E camcorder is a most impressive unit incorporating a host of features, some of which weren't even
thought of a few years ago or were
only previously available on top of
the range units.
Recommended retail price of the
CCD-TR805E is $2999. For further information, contact your local Sony
retailer or Sony Australia Pty Ltd, 3339 Talavera Rd, North Ryde, 2113.
Phone (02) 878 9712.
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