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PRODUCT SHOWCASE Nifty little Semiconductor Analyser from Peak If you’ve ever been in the position of not knowing (a) what a particular semiconductor is, or (b) not knowing what its pinout is, or (c) both! (and haven’t we all?), this little Peak Atlas semiconductor analyser from Pavika Management could be the answer. Best of all, you don’t even need to know how to drive it because it tells you everything. It has three leads fitted with clip probes. You simply connect them, in any position, to the semi under test and an LCD screen tells you what the device is, what coloured lead is connected to what pin, and then various parameters according to the device under test. For example, with a transistor you find out the gain and the VBE – and the test currents of both. A diode will give you the VF and test current, LEDs the forward voltage (and even if it is a two or three-terminal bicolour LED) and so on. It will test the vast majority of bipolar transistors, Darlington transistors, enhancement and depletion mode mosfets, JFETs, Triacs, Thyristors, LEDs, diodes and diode networks. Contact: Pavika Management 21 Grandview St, Parramatta NSW 2150 Phone: (02) 9890 8797 Fax (02) 9890 8387 email: pavika<at>bigpond.com Dad, can I have a puppy for Christmas? Now before you say “No!” you might like to look at AIBO, the 2nd generation entertainment robot from Sony. Just like a normal puppy, you can give it a name (which it responds to), you can teach him tricks, he gets upset if you don’t love him . . . but there’s not a puddle nor a shredded paper anywhere! AIBO has a 64-bit RISC CPU to control his motors, giving him (her?) a vast array of sophisticated movement. AIBO also has an inbuilt camera so he can take pictures of what he sees! AIBO (which stands for Artificial Intelligence roBOt) is now available from many retail stores, SonyStyle and SonyCentral stores as well as by phone or online. Err . . . he’s not exactly cheap at $3000 plus accessories! Contact: Sony Corporation Phone: 1300 36 AIBO (1300 36 2426) Website: www.aibo.com.au Images floating in space: Hitachi’s new “On-glass” projection system Hitachi has released a projection system which can turn any window or glass surface into a super-bright video screen. The new “On-Glass” system is said to be ideal for advertising in retail stores, shopping centres and open spaces, for presentations, etc. The system consists of a high-brightness data projector and a clear film or screen which is attached to a clear glass surface. The 1m or 1.5m screen looks like a clear plastic film but is in fact a photopolymer, refracting light similar to a prism. Light coming directly through the 78  Silicon Chip screen is unaffected but light angled at 35 ° is polarised and presented to the viewer as a bright image seemingly floating in space. The projector is a long way off-axis and therefore does not interfere with normal viewing. The Hitachi data projectors used with the “On-Glass” system are high brightness models (CP-X980W and CP-X985W) with greater than 2,500 ANSI lumens. More importantly, these models feature digital keystone correction to correct the angle distortion. A wide range of image sources are usable including computer graphics, video, TV signals, DVD players and so on. Contact: Hitachi Australia Ltd 13-15 Lyonpark Rd, Nth Ryde NSW 2113 Phone: 1800 789 799 Fax (02) 9888 4188 Website: www.hitachi.com.au www.siliconchip.com.au Lindsay Clout, Where Are You? Lindsay worked at Jaycar in the early ’80s when Jaycar was just starting. The business started small but got big. Over the years hundreds & hundreds of people like Lindsay worked for Jaycar, Electronic Agencies & John Carr & Co. Jaycar are looking for Lindsay & everyone else who has ever worked for them in the last 20 years. Why? Because it’s time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company and all staff, past and present are invited. If you or someone you know has had a connection with the Jaycar group over this time, you are invited to attend a grand celebration party in November this year. To register, contact Gary Rollans at Jaycar at grollans<at>jaycar.com.au or by regular mail at PO Box 6424 Silverwater NSW 2128 and they will put you on the register and send you more information. Now, Margaret Parry... www.siliconchip.com.au DSE’s White LED Torch Kit Dick Smith Electronics have sent us in one of their new White LED Torches, based on their kit (Cat K-3019) of the project described in the May 2001 SILICON CHIP. This one has six white LEDs mounted in an Eveready torch case. It’s a very easy kit to put together and the results are – dare we say it – brilliant! In fact, it is so bright it is rather difficult to look into (not that you’d really want to). And the light output is that beautiful blue/white soft light which we described in the original article. It’s available now at all Dick Smith Electronics stores for $52.80. While the cost is significantly higher than “normal” torches, you’ll never have to buy another globe. TOROIDAL POWER TRANSFORMERS Manufactured in Australia Comprehensive data available Harbuch Electronics Pty Ltd 9/40 Leighton Pl. HORNSBY 2077 Ph (02) 9476-5854 Fx (02) 9476-3231 DSE also has the single White LED Torch kit available at a much lower price: Cat K-3018 <at> $14.60 Contact: Dick Smith Electronics 2 Davidson St, Chullora NSW 2190 Phone: (02) 9642 9100 Fax (02) 9642 9153 Website: www.dse.com.au October 2001  79 Want to stick a gig in your pocket? New power meter from Yokogawa In power measurement there are times when users want to confirm the input signal from various angles. The WT1600 Digital Power Meter allows the selection of 11 types of display formats – including waveform and bargraph displays. The trend display arranges the measurement value at each update interval in a time series. The time axis (T/ div) can be set to anywhere from 3 seconds to 24 hours. Users can simultaneously observe changes in up to 16 parameters such as voltage, current, active power, and apparent power. With a voltage range of 1.5V 1000V, it can measure both the extremely small currents called for by energy-saving designs as well as the large currents involved in largescale loads. The WT1600 can have two kinds of input elements installed, allowing measurements using a 5A input element for small currents, and a 50A input element for a large currents. Two new PowerHouses The WT1600 has a higher measurement accuracy than any instrument in its class and a 1 MHz measurement bandwidth (voltage, current). A built-in printer is located on the front panel allowing users the option of rack-mounting the instrument. Hard copies of the screen, numerical data, and harmonic analysis data can be output to the printer. Both an internal hard disk and SCSI interface are included with the Ethernet option. Users can transfer saved files back and forth between a PC and the built-in hard disk of the WT1600. Screen image data can also be output to a network printer. Contact: Yokogawa Australia Pty Ltd Private Mail Bag 24 Nth Ryde NSW 1670 Phone: (02) 9805 0699 Fax: (02) 9888 1844 Website: www.yokogawa.com.au and fully tuned,” ready for customers to try out. There are now 11 DSE PowerHouse stores. Dick Smith Electronics have opened two more “PowerHouse” stores, this time in Victoria. One is in the northern suburb of Preston, while the other is in Geelong. A PowerHouse store carries a signifi80x181mm.qxd 3/5/01 11:37 AM cantly increased range of products and Page everything is “plugged in, powered up If you want to save a lot of data in a very small space and make it extremely portable, Flash USB DRIVE could be the answer. It’s been called “the hard drive without the moving parts” and is available from 16MB right through to 1GB capacity. Whether you’re looking to transport large files between computers or to either back up critical files or remove sensitive files and take them with you, the Flash USB Drive is ideal. It plugs directly into the computer’s USB port for complete plug’n’play versatility. Power is supplied via the USB bus. Because of its tiny size it can be carried almost anywhere – not just in the pocket but on a keychain, even around the neck for security! Prices for all of the FlashUSB DRIVEs were not available at press time but expect to pay around $100 for the 16MB version and about $1000 for the 512MB version. Contact: Dick Smith Electronics 2 Davidson St, Chullora NSW 2190 Phone: (02) 9642 9100 Fax (02) 9642 9153 1 Website: www.dse.com.au Contact: Flash USB Australia Suite 152, 416-418 Pitt St, Sydney 2000 Phone: (02) 9281 2688 Fax: (02) 9281 2389 Website: www.usbdrive.com Meterman. The Working Man’s Meter. Meters that fit your job. Meters that fit your wallet. Introducing Meterman, a hot new brand of test and measurement tools that gives you the performance you need at a price you can afford. Meterman is a line of more than 60 meters, clamps, and testers. Each one designed with the right combination of features, functions and accuracy to fit your application. You work hard on the job. Get the tool that’s easy on your wallet. Ask your local test and measurement supplier for the Meterman products or contact Meterman on Locked Bag 5004 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153, phone 02 8853 8812 or fax 02 8850 3300, or visit metermantesttools.com TM 80  Silicon Chip www.siliconchip.com.au