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Contents Vol.34, No.6 June 2021 SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Features & Reviews 12 The Right to Repair (and Modify) We should all have the legal “right to repair” our own equipment, or have a third-party (non-manufacturer) do it for us, without voiding the warranty. There is a growing worldwide movement behind this – by Dr David Maddison 32 The History of USB Over 25 years ago, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) was developed to make it easier to connect external devices to computers. This article describes how USB standards have been enhanced and expanded over time – by Jim Rowe 48 The History of Videotape – Camcorders & Digital Video While it took a few iterations, digital video recording eventually overtook popular formats like VCR due to better portability, and thus eliminated the need for videotape – by Ian Batty, Andrew Switzer & Rod Humphris Our Advanced GPS Computer uses a Micromite BackPack V3 to provide real-time speed and location readouts. It even has a speaker to deliver sampled audio or synthesised speech – Page 24 70 First Look: Arduino IDE 2.0 The beta release of version 2.0 of the Arduino IDE introduces significant improvements to this free software – by Tim Blythman 84 Review: Weller T0053298599 Soldering Station Previously known as the WE1010, this temperature-adjustable soldering station from Weller won’t waste your time – by Tim Blythman Constructional Projects 24 Advanced GPS Computer – Part 1 Sporting a 3.5-inch touchscreen, our new Advanced GPS Computer has a customisable interface which can display speed, heading, altitude and more, including directing you to saved points of interest (POIs) – by Tim Blythman USB was designed to make connecting devices simple, but over time, a plethora of different types of connectors and protocols have developed. USB-C is the first USB connector that can be inserted in either orientation, and provides very fast transfer speeds – Page 32 38 Recreating Arcade Pong This project recreates the original video game Pong as closely as possible, using the same parts but on a smaller board. It also incorporates fixes for all six known bugs in the original design – by Hugo Holden 64 PIC Programming Helper 8-, 14- and 20-pin PIC series microcontrollers from Microchip can be easily programmed (and debugged) using this helper board – by Tim Blythman 72 Programmable Hybrid Lab Supply with WiFi – Part 2 The construction, setup and testing procedures for the Hybrid Lab Supply, including connecting it to a WiFi network – by Richard Palmer Your Favourite Columns Pong was a hugely popular game back in the day, so here’s a way to recreate it, accurate to the original, using nearly identical components – Page 38 61 Circuit Notebook (1) Building a better mousetrap (2) In and out of circuit LED tester 91 Serviceman’s Log Trying to fix unbranded, generic equipment is frustrating – by Dave Thompson 98 Vintage Radio 1940 RME Model 69 communications receiver – by Fred Lever Everything Else 2 Editorial Viewpoint 4 Mailbag – Your Feedback siliconchip.com.au 86 Product Showcase 97 Silicon Chip Online Shop 108 Ask Silicon Chip 111 Market Centre Australia’s magazine 112 Noteselectronics and Errata 112 Advertising Index The PIC Programming Helper comes in two versions, one just for 8-pin PICs and a larger one that covers 8, 14 and 20-pin PICs. It doesn’t just help you program micros, but also to breadboard and debug them – Page 64 June 2021  1 www.facebook.com/siliconchipmagazine