Contents
Vol.20, No.1; January 2007
SILICON
CHIP
www.siliconchip.com.au
Features
8 Review: Yokogawa DL9000 Series Digital Scopes
Yokogawa’s new digital oscilloscopes offer GHz bandwidth for less money than
the competition and they won’t hog your desktop either – by Peter Smith
11 Biolock: Using Fingerprints To Unlock Doors
No keys, no cards, no PINs . . . but it’s very secure – by Ross Tester
68 WiNRADiO: Marrying A Radio Receiver To A PC
Versatile Temperature
Switch – Page 22.
Leading-edge Australian communications receivers link to a PC for awesome
performance – by Kevin Poulter
76 “Degen” Synthesised HF Communications Receiver
Tiny communications receiver covers the 100kHz to 30MHz MF/HF bands
plus the 88-108MHz FM broadcast band – by Ross Tester
87 The Boony & Beefy Figurines
The battle of the “tashes”. . . what makes them tick – by Leo Simpson
Pro jects To Build
22 A Versatile Temperature Switch
Adjustable design works all the way up to 245°C, has adjustable hysteresis &
can switch on rising or falling temperatures – by John Clarke & Julian Edgar
Intelligent Car Air
Conditioner Controller –
Page 28.
28 Intelligent Car Air-Conditioner Controller
It stops your car’s air-conditioner from sapping engine power when going up
hills or during overtaking. It could even save on fuel costs – by John Clarke
58 A Remote Telltale For Garage Doors
Did you leave the garage door up or down? This unit uses a pair of UHF
wireless modules & has LED indicators to tell you whether the door is fully up,
fully down or somewhere in between – by Jim Rowe
78 Intelligent 12V Charger for SLA & Lead-Acid Batteries
Here’s a cheap & simple battery charger which you can leave connected
without risk of overcharge – by Branko Justic & Ross Tester
Special Columns
39 Circuit Notebook
(1) DRM Down-Converter For 455kHz IF Receivers; (2) Mechanical Soldering
Iron Timer; (3) Toslink Splitter; (4) Telephone Intercom Using Old Handsets;
(5) Versatile Multi-Driver Speaker Connections; (6) 3-Digit LED Stopwatch
44 Serviceman’s Log
It’s no wonder I get aggravated – by the TV Serviceman
84 Salvage It!
Remote Telltale
For Garage
Doors – Page 58.
Intelligent 12V Charger For
SLA & Lead-Acid Batteries –
Page 78.
The multi-purpose tape machine – by Julian Edgar
92 Vintage Radio
The Philips RF5 Stereogram – by Rodney Champness
Departments
2 Publisher’s Letter
4 Mailbag
57 Order Form
siliconchip.com.au
90 Product Showcase
97 Ask Silicon Chip
101 Market Centre
January 2007 1