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Contents Vol.31, No.9; September 2018 SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Features & Reviews 14 Augmented GNSS promises accuracy down to mm! You might think your GPS is pretty accurate but it’s nowhere near good enough for applications like self-driving cars and landing planes. Augmented GNSS is already down to cm accuracy and promises more – by Dr David Maddison 41 ElectroneX Feature A selection of what you’ll see at this month’s ElectroneX show in Sydney, 5-6 September at Rosehill Function Centre. You can still get free tickets if you hurry 86 El Cheapo modules Part 19 – Arduino NFC Shield You can use this near-field communication shield to communicate with other NFC-equipped devices like smartphones and RFID tags – by Jim Rowe 90 Review: PICkit 4 in-circuit programmer We take an in-depth look at the latest PICkit and examine the differences (and improvements!) over previous PICkits – by Tim Blythman Constructional Projects 24 Dipole guitar/PA speaker without a box! We must admit, we were skeptical . . . until we plugged in a guitar and amp . . . Wow! Plenty of grunt, sounds great – and you should be able to build one in just a few hours (no special tools required) – by Allan Linton-Smith 32 Digital white noise generator There are many applications calling for white noise – the sssshhhhh you hear of an FM receiver tuned off a station. It’s used in a lot of test situations and it can even help you sleep. We’re using it to make a steam sound – by John Clarke Augmented GNSS (of which GPS is but one variant) uses multiple methods to correct errors, making navigation systems very much more accurate – Page 14 It’s so easy to build – and you (and your friends) won’t believe how great this “no box” guitar/PA speaker can sound. Suits all “axe” levels from beginners to legends! – Page 24 34 Steam loco or diesel engine sound effects module This one’s strictly for the model train buffs out there! It produces nothing else but the authentic sould of a steam train whistle or its modern-day diesel equivalent. We even had one enthusiast want it for a door bell! – by John Clarke 72 Add wireless remote to your motorised garage door If you’ve never had a push-button remote control for your garage door you don’t know what you’re missing! Or perhaps your existing remote control is lost or has failed. Here’s how to make and wire in a new remote control – by Ross Tester 78 Super sound effects module – Part 2 It’s different to the above module – this one can play virtually ANY sound effect, or music, or speech, or anything else YOU record on an SD card. This month we’re finishing construction and showing you how it’s used – by Tim Blythman Your Favourite Columns 61 Serviceman’s Log The aircon that nearly made me lose my cool! – by Dave Thompson 94 Circuit Notebook (1) Guitar preamp with JFETs to emulate valve sound (2) The Coober Pedy opal miner game (3) Empty tank warning indicator 98 Vintage Radio The Ekco Gondola RM 204 Mantel Radio – by Graham Parslow Everything Else! 2 Editorial Viewpoint   106 Ask SILICON CHIP 4 Mailbag – Your Feedback    111 Market Centre siliconchip.com.au Australia’s electronics magazine 52 Product Showcase    112 Advertising Index 104 SILICON CHIP Online Shop    112 Notes and Errata What’s your favourite – old-time steam engines or diesel locos? You can have the authentic sound of both with our new train sound effects project! – Page 34 2018 is Sydney’s turn for this annual expo – the only one in Australia dedicated to the electronics industry – Page 41 Lost your garage door remote? Or maybe you never had one! Here’s the lowcost solution – Page 72 September 2018  1 www.facebook.com/siliconchipmagazine