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Contents
Vol.28, No.2; February 2015
SILICON
CHIP
www.siliconchip.com.au
Features
14 Look Mum, No Hands: It’s The AirWheel
What has one wheel, no handlebars and no apparent controls but is enormous
fun to ride? An accelerometer-stabilised, microprocessor-controlled AirWheel,
that’s what! We recently took one for a spin – by Ross Tester
18 Reach For The Sky . . . And Way, Way Beyond, Pt.1
Rapid advances in technology are enabling amateur enthusiasts to make
unprecedented achievements with unmanned aerial vehicles such as balloons,
multi-rotor aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft, kites and rockets – by Dr David Maddison
44 What’s In A Spark? – Measuring The Energy
How do you measure high-voltage spark energy, as generated in automotive
ignition systems? Here’s a look at how it’s done – by Dr Hugo Holden
6-Digit Retro Nixie Clock With GPS
Time Accuracy, Pt.1 – Page 26.
Spark Energy Meter
For Ignition Checks,
Pt.1 – Page 57.
70 Review: 3-Way USB Scope Shoot-out
PC-based digital sampling oscilloscopes can be a cheap alternative to fullsize scopes. We compare three popular USB units: the Hantek DSO-2250, the
Virtins DSO-2820R and the Link Instruments MSO-19.2 – by Jim Rowe
92 Review: CBA IV Pro Computerised Battery Analyser
It tests virtually any type of battery up to 55V DC – by Nicholas Vinen
Pro jects To Build
26 6-Digit Retro Nixie Clock Mk.2, Pt.1
Revel in the retro glow of this cool Nixie Clock. This updated design uses a 32bit microcontroller and a GPS receiver module to always give you accurate time
and date, plus a 7-day alarm with snooze feature – by Nicholas Vinen
57 Spark Energy Meter For Ignition Checks, Pt.1
This unit is ideal for checking automotive ignition systems. It has two ranges and
works with both uni-polarity spark currents as seen in MDI systems and the bipolarity spark currents generated by CDI systems – by Dr Hugo Holden
84 CGA-To-VGA Video Converter
Do you have an old Amiga, Commodore 128, Microbee, Apple or Tandy CoCo 3
computer that you would like to fire up? This CGA-to-VGA Video Converter lets
you to use any recent monitor that has a VGA input – by Ewan Wordsworth
Special Columns
38 Serviceman’s Log
Transforming a Roland Cube-120XL BASS amplifier – by Nicholas Vinen
66 Circuit Notebook
(1) Remote Doorbell For Video Door-Phone System; (2) PICAXE-Based
Electronic Code Lock; (3) Simple Dual Gate Controller; (4) Controlling The
Speed Of A Centrifugal Switch Induction Motor
94 Vintage Radio
The Philco T7 transistor portable radio – by Ian Batty
Departments
2 Publisher’s Letter
4 Mailbag
64 Online Shop
siliconchip.com.au
91 Subscriptions
99
103
104
104
Ask Silicon Chip
Market Centre
Advertising Index
Notes & Errata
CGA-TO-VGA Video Converter For
Retro Computers – Page 84.
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