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Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus. Editor Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Robert Flynn Darren Yates, B.Sc. Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Sharon Macdonald Advertising Enquiries Leo Simpson Phone (02) 979 5644 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Garry Cratt, VK2YBX Marque Crozman, VK2ZLZ John Hill Jim Lawler, MTETIA Bryan Maher, M.E., B.Sc. Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Jim Yalden, VK2YGY Bob Young Photography Stuart Bryce SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 003 205 490. All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Macquarie Print, Dubbo, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $49 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 34, 1-3 Jubilee Avenue, Warrie­ wood, NSW 2102. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 979 5644. Fax (02) 979 6503. PUBLISHER'S LETTER Writing to SILICON CHIP Over the past few months, we have been receiving more let­ters from readers and that is very gratifying. We try to reply as promptly as possible but sometimes there is a delay because production of the magazine does take precedence over all other tasks. Hence, at some times of the month, correspondence does get pushed to one side. However, we do answer all letters we receive. Be that as it may, there are some things that correspond­ents can do to ensure that their letters are answered as soon as possible. The first of these is to make sure your address is at the top of the letter. That might seem fairly fundamental but it is surprising just how many people don’t put their address on their letters or on their envelopes. That makes it frustrating for us because sometimes we will prepare an answer and then find that we don’t know where to send it to. So if you have been frustrated with the lack of a reply, please ask yourself, “Did I include my address at the top of the letter?” Second, please keep your letters reasonably brief and to the point. If you write pages and pages, your letter will tend to gravitate to the bottom of the pile until there is more time to read it thoroughly. Third, if you have access to a fax machine or have a fax/modem on your computer, by all means fax your letter to us and we will reply by fax. Again, if your letter is reasonably brief and the question is straightforward, we should be able to reply on the same day or pretty soon afterwards. On the other hand, if you ask a lot of questions which require us to do some searching through the magazine archives, the reply will inevi­tably take longer. Still on the subject of faxing, if you want a reply by fax, please make sure that there is someone at home who knows how to operate the unit. There are times when we want to fax a reply but the person who picks up the phone does not know how to switch over to fax operation. This becomes doubly frustrating when the call is long distance STD and no postal address has been provided as an alternative. Please send all mail to PO Box 139, Collaroy, NSW 2097. We fulfil orders for books, back issues, software and binders on the day that they are received and they are usually in the post on the same day or by the next morning. Please include your phone number on all orders, just in case we have a query and need to check on some aspect. If we can’t fulfil an order, we can then phone you to suggest an alternative, etc. If you want to submit an article for publication, please phone Leo Simpson or Greg Swain beforehand for information on our requirements. By doing this, you can save yourself, and us, a lot of work. Leo Simpson ISSN 1030-2662 WARNING! SILICON CHIP magazine regularly describes projects which employ a mains power supply or produce high voltage. All such projects should be considered dangerous or even lethal if not used safely. Readers are warned that high voltage wiring should be carried out according to the instructions in the articles. When working on these projects use extreme care to ensure that you do not accidentally come into contact with mains AC voltages or high voltage DC. If you are not confident about working with projects employing mains voltages or other high voltages, you are advised not to attempt work on them. Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd disclaims any liability for damages should anyone be killed or injured while working on a project or circuit described in any issue of SILICON CHIP magazine. Devices or circuits described in SILICON CHIP may be covered by patents. SILICON CHIP disclaims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the manufacturing or selling of any such equipment. SILICON CHIP also disclaims any liability for projects which are used in such a way as to infringe relevant government regulations and by-laws. Advertisers are warned that they are responsible for the content of all advertisements and that they must conform to the Trade Practices Act 1974 or as subsequently amended and to any governmental regulations which are applicable. 2  Silicon Chip