This is only a preview of the July 2013 issue of Silicon Chip. You can view 19 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 "DIY Wireless Audio Streaming":
Items relevant to "Li'l Pulser Model Train Controller, Mk.2":
Items relevant to "Add A UHF Link To A Universal Remote Control":
Items relevant to "Build A USB Port Voltage Checker":
Purchase a printed copy of this issue for $10.00. |
MARKET CENTRE
Cash in your surplus gear. Advertise it here in SILICON CHIP
ENGINEERING SERVICES
NSW/ACT - Electronics IT Specialist 25 years experience – aerospace – IPC
J-STD-001ES – SMD/SMT – electronics
& PCB design – embedded systems
– hardware & software development –
installations – repairs - contact ELCOMTEL – mob: 0468 3527 6415 – www.
elcomtel.com.au – info<at>elcomtel.
com.au
FOR SALE
LEDs! Nichia, Cree and other brand
name LEDs at excellent prices. LED
drivers, including ultra-reliable linear
driver options. Many other interesting
and hard-to-find electronic items!
www.ledsales.com.au
questronix.com.au – audiovisual experts solve home, corporate security
and devotional installation & editing
woes. QuestAV CYP, Kramer TVone
(02) 4343 1970 or sales<at>questronix.
com.au
SOLAR PANELS LOW COST: full
range 5W to 250W, eg: 40W/12V Poly
$69, 130W/12V $169, 190W/24V $165,
200W/12V $225, 250W/24V $225,
230W Poly $190.
AGM Batteries: 7AH $19.50, 9AH
$24.50, 20AH $52.50, 55AH $129,
105AH $199, 220AH $399.
(03) 94705851 or (03) 9478 0080
chris<at>lowenergydevelopments.com.au
www.lowenergydevelopments.com.au
544 High St, Preston 3072, Melbourne.
PCBs & Micros: Silicon Chip Pub
lications can supply PCBs and programmed micros for all recent (and
some not so recent) projects described
in the magazine – see the PartShop ad-
vert in this issue. Order online or phone
(02) 9939 3295.
PCBs MADE, ONE OR MANY. Any
format, hobbyists welcome. Sesame
Electronics Phone (02) 8068 2713.
sesame<at>sesame.com.au
www.sesame.com.au
KIT ASSEMBLY & REPAIR
KEITH RIPPON KIT ASSEMBLY &
REPAIR:
* Australia & New Zealand;
* Small production runs.
Phone Keith 0409 662 794.
keith.rippon<at>gmail.com
VINTAGE RADIO REPAIRS: electrical
mechanical fitter with 36 years experience and extensive knowledge of valve
and transistor radios. Professional and
reliable repairs. All workmanship guaranteed. $10 inspection fee plus charges
for parts and labour as required. Labour
fees $35 p/h. Pensioner discounts
available on application. Contact Alan
on 0425 122 415 or email bigal007<at>
internode.on.net
WANTED
CIRCUIT & DESIGN IDEAS: SILICON
CHIP pays up to $60 for Circut Notebook items or you could win a $150 gift
voucher from Hare & Forbes. See the
Circuit Notebook pages for details.
WANTED: EARLY HIFIs, AMPLIFIERS,
Speakers, Turntables, Valves, Books,
Quad, Leak, Pye, Lowther, Ortofon,
ELNEC IC PROGRAMMERS
High quality
Realistic prices
Free software updates
Large range of adaptors
Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2k/XP
CLEVERSCOPE
USB OSCILLOSCOPES
2 x 100MSa/s 10bit inputs + trigger
100MHz bandwidth
8 x digital inputs
4M samples/input
Sig-gen + spectrum analyser
Windows 98/Me/NT/2k/XP
IMAGECRAFT C COMPILERS
ANSI C compilers, Windows IDE
AVR, TMS430, ARM7/ARM9
68HC08, 68HC11, 68HC12
GRANTRONICS PTY LTD
www.grantronics.com.au
SME, Western Electric, Altec, Marantz,
McIntosh, Tannoy, Goodmans, Wharfedale, radio and wireless. Collector/
Hobbyist will pay cash. (07) 5471 1062.
johnmurt<at>highprofile.com.au
WANTED: Palec M-32 multimeter, any
condition as long as meter scale is in
good shape. james.goding<at>monash.
edu
Issues Getting Dog-Eared?
REAL
VALUE
AT
Keep your copies of SILICON CHIP safe with these handy binders
$14.95
*
PLUS P
&P
Order from www.siliconchip.com.au/Shop/4 or call (02) 9939 3295 and
quote your credit card number.*See website for overseas prices.
ADVERTISING IN MARKET CENTRE
Classified Ad Rates: $29.50 for up to 20 words plus 85 cents for each additional word. Display ads in Market Centre start
at $110.00. All prices include GST.
Closing date: 5 weeks prior to month of sale. To book, email the text to silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au and include your
name, address & credit card details, or phone Glyn (02) 9939 3295 or 0431 792 293.
siliconchip.com.au
July 2013 103
Advertising Index
ADM Instrument Engineering......... 5
Altronics.................................. 80-83
Dimitech....................................... 21
Elcomtel..................................... 103
Embedded Logic Solutions.......... 99
Emona Instruments...................... 61
Front Panel Express....................... 7
Grantronics................................. 103
Hare & Forbes.......................... OBC
High Profile Communications..... 103
Instant PCBs.............................. 103
Ask SILICON CHIP
. . . continued from page 102
conductors. If the circuit were prone
to failure, that would be a good test.
For extra protection in this circuit
for the Jacob’s ladder we added a 16V
zener diode across the 7555’s supply.
That zener was only included due to
the much higher coil discharge.
VHF antenna for
Band 3 reception
With the imminent switch-over to
digital TV in our major capital cities this year, some readers may not
be aware that after this the Government’s digital dividend will result in
re-stacking the television channels to
band 3 (VHF), at least for the major
capital cities.
In May 1986, Leo Simpson and Bob
Flynn presented an article in the old
EA magazine for a high-gain Yagi antenna for Channel 28, something that
I built and had great success with in
capturing transmissions from outlying
country areas from Melbourne. Currently, this antenna is used to receive
Melbourne digital TV as well as DAB+
radio and it still works well.
I was wondering if SILICON CHIP
could do a similar project especially
designed to operate in band 3 for
channels 6-12. From my perspective,
I can’t wait to eliminate the directors
no longer required to receive the old
analog channels such as ABC 2; the
pigeons would need to find a new
home! (A. P., North Sunshine, Vic).
• We covered this topic last month.
The problem with describing DIY antennas is that the cost of aluminium
rods etc is so expensive that by the
time you buy all the material and
104 Silicon Chip
DOWNLOAD OUR CATALOG at
Jaycar .............................. IFC,49-56
www.iinet.net.au/~worcom
Keith Rippon .............................. 103
WORLDWIDE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
PO Box 631, Hillarys, WA 6923
Ph: (08) 9307 7305 Fax: (08) 9307 7309
Email: worcom<at>iinet.net.au
LED Sales.................................. 103
KitStop.......................................... 10
Low Energy Developments........ 103
Microchip Technology................... 23
Mikroelektronika......................... IBC
hardware required, it is cheaper to
purchase the finished antenna. As a
bonus, it will be fully anodised and
should last for many years.
Having said that, there is probably
nothing to stop you from modifying
an existing wide band Yagi by removing the long directors and reflector
needed for channels below Channel
6. The folded dipole would need to be
reduced in dimension as well. A photo
in last month’s article showed how
an existing antenna would need to be
modified. However, unless the antenna
was in quite good condition initially,
trying to modify and refurbish it could
be a lot of time and effort.
CFL & LED flicker
with solid-state relays
I have a home with several homeautomation solid state relays (SSRs)
with low-voltage DC inputs switching
230VAC and these have been operating for several years with no issues
with incandescent globes. However,
whenever I try to put in CFL globes, all
“flash” at about two cycles per minute
which is not ideal; so I am stuck with
incandescents.
Recently, I purchased several Osram
and Philips LED globes and tested
these. The Osram ones do not flash
but the Philips ones do flash, so my
question is, is there anything I can
add (eg, a capacitor) to prevent this
from happening either on the DC or
Ocean Controls.............................. 9
Quest Electronics....................... 103
Quick Thinking Pty Ltd................... 7
Radio, TV & Hobbies DVD............ 93
RF Modules................................ 104
Sesame Electronics................... 103
Silicon Chip Binders.............. 95,103
Silicon Chip Online Shop........ 96-97
Silicon Chip Subscriptions........... 73
Syndetic Pty Ltd........................... 59
Tekmark Australia........................... 6
Wiltronics........................................ 8
Worldwide Elect. Components... 104
(more likely) the AC side? I prefer the
Philips globes as they give a warmer
output than the Osram.
I also have 12V garden lights (LEDs)
that operate via one of these SSRs and
a transformer and they also flash but
at a slower rate; every three seconds.
I would rather not use relays as I
don’t see the need in this day and
age. I just thought you may have some
suggestions how to overcome this. (D.
H., via email).
• It is likely that the SSRs have a
minimum operating current and the
CFLs and LEDs may be close to that
current and thereby cause them to
flash. That is why incandescents with
their higher current are OK. Apart from
increasing the load current, nothing
can be done to cure the problem. SC
siliconchip.com.au
|