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SILICON SILIC CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher/Editor Nicholas Vinen Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Bao Smith, B.Sc Tim Blythman, B.E., B.Sc Technical Contributor Duraid Madina, B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD Art Director & Production Manager Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Dave Thompson David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Geoff Graham Associate Professor Graham Parslow Ian Batty Cartoonist Brendan Akhurst Founding Editor (retired) Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Silicon Chip is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 626 922 870. ABN 20 880 526 923. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Subscription rates (12 issues): $105.00 per year, post paid, in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or email silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au Editorial office: Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 * Recommended & maximum price only. Printing and Distribution: Editorial Viewpoint The balance between historical and forward-looking articles We have published quite a few ‘historical’ features this year, and we will continue to do so, as I have had many fascinating articles on such subjects submitted. That includes the three-part series on the Tektronics type-130 LC meter in the June, July and August issues (siliconchip.com.au/Series/346); the article on the history of Aussie GPOs last month (siliconchip.com.au/ Article/14573); articles on very early computer graphics cards in this (page 100) and the next issue; a battery power supply for vintage radios; a fourpart series on the history of videotape recording; and more. I’m mentioning this because I don’t want to turn off our younger readers, or those more heavily into the latest technology. Of course, we will have plenty of articles on new technology, including the one on satellite navigation in space this month, MEMS devices next month, making PCBs with a laser engraver, a couple of articles on new PIC and AVR chips and more. My intention is to strike a balance between old and new. Even if you weren’t around (or were very young) in the days when video was stored on tape, or before the IBM PC set the standard for desktop computers, I think you will appreciate the ingenuity of the people who developed that early technology. They used some fascinating techniques to get around the technological limitations of the day. So even if you aren’t into this ‘old dude’ stuff, hopefully you get something out of those articles. Likewise, if you’re really into historical articles, I hope that you appreciate that Silicon Chip cannot be stuck in the past; we have to keep with the times, including the use of modern parts and techniques in our projects. We haven’t covered modern digital design techniques in great detail (for example, we’ve only covered FPGAs briefly), mostly because these techniques and parts are not very hobbyist-friendly, and they will be over many peoples’ heads. But FPGAs and digital ASICs underpin most modern technology, so we will definitely cover these topics in more detail in upcoming issues. I have had to reject a few articles lately, not because they were poorly written or uninteresting, but because I didn’t want to publish so many historical articles and retrospectives in a short period. The people who write these articles are clearly very passionate about them, but I’m not sure how many of our readers share their enthusiasm. I know that many do, but not all. So please appreciate the balancing act involved in planning the magazine, in trying to create a good mix of various kinds of articles and projects, from discrete or analog designs through to microprocessor and softwareheavy devices. To some extent, the content of the magazine reflects the interests of our staff and contributors. But I do try to avoid our articles becoming too monotonous or repetitive as a result. The aim is to have something which interests everyone in every issue, and ideally, most of our readers enjoy most or all of the content. Nicholas Vinen 24-26 Lilian Fowler Pl, Marrickville 2204 2 Silicon Chip Australia’s electronics magazine siliconchip.com.au