This is only a preview of the May 1999 issue of Silicon Chip. You can view 33 of the 96 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. Articles in this series:
Items relevant to "The Line Dancer Robot":
Items relevant to "An X-Y Table With Stepper Motor Control; Pt.1":
Items relevant to "Three Electric Fence Testers":
Items relevant to "Heart Of LEDs":
Items relevant to "Build A Carbon Monoxide Alarm":
Articles in this series:
Purchase a printed copy of this issue for $10.00. |
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
1800W/230V Inverter With Pure Sinewave Output
If you’ve ever needed to run sensitive test equipment, computers, audio
or video equipment from an inverter,
you would know the problems
most inverters cause. That’s
because most inverters have at
best a modified sinewave output,
meaning harmonics, distortion
and interference.
A new 1800W inverter available
through Bainbridge Technologies
solves that problem because it has
true sinewave output, enabling
devices connected to it to run at
their full rating. Motors, for example, start easier and run cooler
and quieter.
Measuring 391 x 279 x 115 (mm)
and weighing 7.5kg, the Statpower
Prosine 1800 is no lightweight –
but then again, with 1800W output,
you wouldn’t expect it to be. It features short circuit protection, under/
over voltage shutdown, over temperature shutdown, overload shutdown
and AC backfeed protection.
Battery polarity is clearly marked
but if you do manage to connect the
battery with reverse polarity battery
an internal fuse will blow and service
will be required.
Total harmonic distortion (THD) is
claimed to be typically 1% while efficiency is claimed to range from 84% at
200W out up to 90% at 1kW out, dropping marginally at full output. The
output must be derated above ambient
temperatures of 35°C (dropping to
900W at 60°C). The 5-second surge rating is
2900W.
Connection
is via a pair of
large bolt terminals and power
output is via a
standard 240V AC
mains socket (a
hard-wired version is
also available). An LCD panel
displays the DC input voltage and
current while a bargraph shows the AC
output in watts. The same panel will
also display a range of fault conditions.
With a current drain of 170A or more
at full output, a heavy duty battery is
required. Statpower specify a range
of deep cycle batteries such as those
used in marine, recreational vehicle
and golf cart applications. Standard
automotive batteries are not recommended, except in emergencies.
In use
We must admit we had a problem
when we fired up the Statpower
Prosine 1800. Not so much with the
inverter operation – that was fine. We
have the ’scope pattern to prove it: you
couldn’t want a much better sinewave
(ignore the digital scope artefacts on
the waveform).
And look at those measurements:
as close to 50Hz as possible and the
voltage just a tad over spec at 231.6V.
That was with a load of about 200W.
No, our problem was with our
battery. Against the specific warning
about using a car battery, we used. . . a
car battery. None of us at SILICON CHIP
is fortunate enough to own a golf cart
or a fork lift so we couldn’t purloin a
big battery.
We tried to get away with a littlie:
it tried hard but couldn’t handle the
load. When we tried to draw significantly more power, the inverter did
exactly the right thing and shut down.
The LCD display told us why – under
voltage). We tried using some monstrous leads (400A-ish) but it
was the battery that was letting
us down.
Still, the results we did achieve
lead us to believe that the Statpower Prosine 1800 would deliver the goods if used correctly.
Curiosity got the better of us
and we had a good look inside
– and were impressed! It’s very
well constructed and looks as
though some very serious design
work indeed has gone into this
inverter! That’s not surprising,
because Statpower makes a large
range of similar equipment.
Incidentally, if you’re looking
for a smaller inverter, Bainbridge
Technologies have available a much
smaller (and lower cost) 150W inverter
intended for domestic appliances and
small hand tools (see pic below).
For further information contact
Bainbridge Technologies, 77 Shore St,
Cleveland, Qld. Tel (07) 3821 3333.
Fax (07) 3821 3977.
MAY 1999 53
Redback PA Amps from Altronics High Quality
A/V Cable Range
Altronics has released a new range
The output is AGC limited to
of Redback Phase 4 Public Address
prevent dangerously high voltages
Amplifiers. Available in either mixer appearing at the output when lightly From DSE
or booster format the Phase 4 incorporates thermally cued on demand cooling coupled with a custom-designed
heatsink tunnel ensuring the amplifier
runs cool under all conditions.
Power outputs of 125 + 250W for
the mixer amps and 125, 250 and
500W for the booster amps ALL in a
2RU chassis.
loaded.
Distortion is typically less than
0.2% at 1kHz full power full load,
while LED monitors show output
level, input presence, overload, AGC
and power.
The Redback Phase 4 Amplifiers
are Australian designed and manufactured and are covered by a 2 year
warranty.
For further information
contact Altronic Distributors
on 08 9328
2199.
Oxley Amateur Field Day
One of the premier events for
amateur radio operators and electronics enthusiasts of the mid-north
and north coasts of NSW, the Oxley
Amateur Field Day, is again being
held at Port Macquarie on the
Queen’s Birthday weekend, June
12&13.
This annual event is very pop-ular
with exhibits and demonstrations
from a number of suppliers of equipment, the usual “bring and buy” flea
market and various fox hunt events.
The Field Day will be held at the
Sea Scout Hall, Buller St, Port Macquarie from 1-4pm Saturday and the
main day, 9am-4pm Sunday
For further information contact
David, VK2AYD on (02) 6585 2647 or
email davpil<at>midcoast.com.au
In response to the increasing popularity of Home Theatre systems and
the re-emergence of separate hifi
components, Dick Smith Electronics
have introduced two new ranges of
high quality cables.
The “Harmony” and higher spec
“Harmony Gold” ranges have more
than 40 cables including audio, video
and optical, in a variety of lengths and
connectors. They range in price from
$12.95 for the Harmony 2-metre RCA/
RCA lead up to $49.95 for the 5-metre
Harmony Gold 3xRCA/3xRCA lead.
The optical cables are suitable
for the latest technology consumer
products such as DVD players, digital
video cameras, mini disc players and
amplifiers with Dolby Digital and
Dolby ProLogic.
All cables are available from Dick
Smith Electronics stores throughout
Australia or via mail order.
Two VGA Screens
From One Computer
There are many applications
where computer images need to be
displayed to a wider audience than
one monitor will allow.
Education is the most obvious
but demonstrations, retailing, computer presentations, point-of-sale
and even computer video/games/
entertainment can all benefit from
a second screen.
Questronix have released a small
VGA splitter, the VGS2, which does
exactly that: 1 VGA input in, 2 out.
Perhaps even more importantly, the
second screen can be up to 65 metres
away from the source using “HQ”
54 Silicon Chip
cables.
The system works
with VGA, SVGA and
XGA signals. It also
has the ability, via
an optional remote
switch assembly, to
send the remote screen black while
the local screen remains active.
This is very handy in education
where a teacher or trainer wants the
students’ attention. Or it can be used
to load programs or sensitive information without that being viewed on the
remote screen.
Priced at $169 (inc tax) and includ-
ing a 12V plugpack supply and one
VGA computer lead, the VGS2 is
available direct from Questronix,
PO Box 548, Hornsby NSW 2076.
Tel (02) 9477 3681, Fax (02) 9477
3569.
Mo r e info r m atio n is a l s o
available from their website,
www.questronix.com.au/~questav
You’ve Heard of Caller ID;
Now There’s Talking Caller ID!
Jackson Industries, one of the major
suppliers of telephone and communication accessories to retailers in
Australia, has introduced a Talking
Caller ID unit to the Australian market.
The Model TC509 ID unit connects
to the telephone line in the same way
as conventional caller ID units but instead of displaying the calling number,
announces it after the first “ring”. This
patented technology, developed in the
US, will be available in Australia from
June this year. Recommended retail
price is $59.95.
The unit stores the last 10 calls for
review and will announce the number,
time and date of each incoming call for
later review. In future months other
models will be released which feature
both incoming caller ID announcement and number display.
Intusoft Offers
Free Books
Intusoft has announced that they
are giving away free copies of their
popular Power Specialist’s App Note
Book on their company website. In
addition, Intusoft has initiated a
“SPICE Model of the Month” posting
on their website.
The book, an information-packed
handbook for power supply designers, contains over 35 technical articles
on power supply design and power
electronics modeling.
The book is available for immediate
down-load from the Intusoft website,
both in its entirety (in pdf format),
or in individual articles at: http:
//www.intusoft.com/psbook.htm
The individual articles are also
available in the Adobe Acrobat “pdf”
format.
Intusoft’s web site also features
a new posting of a “SPICE Model
Library of the Month”. Each month,
a new SPICE model library will be
available free.
The “SPICE Model of the Month”
can be found at: http://www.intusoft.
com/models.htm
The company offers other free
SPICE models at: http://www.intusoft.
com/models.htm#freemodels
SMART FASTCHARGERS®
2 NEW MODELS WITH OPTIONS
TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS & BUDGET
Now with 240V AC + 12V DC operation
PLUS fully automatic voltage detection
Use these REFLEX® chargers for all your
Nicads and NIMH batteries: Power tools
Torches Radio equip. Mobile phones
Video cameras Field test instruments
RC models incl. indoor flight Laptops
Photographic equip. Toys Others
Rugged, compact and very portable.
Designed for maximum battery capacity
and longest battery life.
For further information, contact
Jackson Industries, PO Box 6388
BHBC, Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153.
Phone (02) 9899 8833; Fax (02) 9899
8378; email chris<at>ji.com.au
Nepcon ’99 for
Melbourne
The electronics equipment and
component show, Nepcon 99, will be
held in Melbourne’s Exhibition and
Convention Centre from 25-27 May.
The Australian debut of Nepcon in
Sydney was hailed by exhibitors and
visitors alike as a benchmark for the
electronics industry’s direction into
the next millennium.
This year, Nepcon will feature the
latest local and international electronics products including: design and
manufacturing equipment, PCB fabrication and assembly components, test
and measurement equipment, EMI/
RFI products, satellite and microwave
technology, defence equipment, electronic design tools, racks, enclosures
and components.
Another first at Nepcon ’99 will be
an informative specialised conference
featuring national and international
guest speakers who will present tutorials and workshops.
The focus and theme of the conference is ‘Education’ and a comprehensive speaker and workshop program
has been organised.
For further information on Nepcon
’99 contact Reed Exhibitions Companies on (02) 9422 2518.
SC
AVOIDS THE WELL KNOWN MEMORY EFFECT.
SAVES MONEY & TIME: Restore most Nicads with
memory effect to capacity. Recover batteries with
very low remaining voltage.
CHARGES VERY FAST plus ELIMINATES THE
NEED TO DISCHARGE: charge standard batteries in
minimum 3 min., max. 1 to 4 hrs, depending on mA/h
rating. Partially empty batteries are just topped up.
Batteries always remain cool; this increases the total
battery life and also the battery’s reliability.
DESIGNED AND MADE IN AUSTRALIA
For a FREE, detailed technical description please
Ph (03) 6492 1368; Fax (03) 6492 1329; or
email smartfastchargers<at>bigpond.com
2567 Wilmot Rd., Devonport, TAS 7310
PCB POWER
TRANSFORMERS
1VA to 25VA
Manufactured in Australia
Harbuch Electronics Pty Ltd
9/40 Leighton Pl. HORNSBY 2077
Ph (02) 9476-5854 Fx (02) 9476-3231
MAY 1999 55
|