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Contents Vol.33, No.8 August 2020 SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Features & Reviews 10 Measuring distance & motion with lidar and SODAR While radar has been a staple for use in detecting stationary or moving objects over large distances, sometimes precise measurements need to be made over much smaller ranges. This is where light (lidar) and sound (SODAR) are much more useful – by Dr David Maddison 31 Microchip’s new Hello FPGA kit The Hello FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is an evaluation kit from Microchip intended to be a gentle introduction to FPGAs. It costs approximately $250 and includes a 480 x 320 LCD display (similar to the one in our Micromite BackPack V3), colour camera, 8GB of RAM and more – by Tim Blythman Lidar can be used to make detailed 3D maps or track moving objects, while SODAR is mainly used to remotely monitor the movement of water or air – Page 10 Constructional Projects 24 SuperCodec: the ultimate in computer sound cards With performance so good our Audio Precision test gear has difficulty measuring it, we believe the USB SuperCodec is better than nearly everything on the market. If you’re serious about your computer audio, you’ll want to build this one! - by Phil Prosser 38 A homemade Switchmode 78XX replacement Here’s an efficient drop-in replacement to the well-used 78XX series of regulators that you can easily build yourself for a variety of voltages – by Tim Blythman This USB SuperCodec is a must-have multi-function audio device, with high-fidelity audio recording and playback – Page 24 66 1MHz-6GHz Arduino-based Digital RF Power Meter This RF power meter uses an Arduino Nano and measures from 1MHz-6GHz at power levels up to 3mW (5dBm), and its range can be easily extended by using low-cost fixed attentuators – by Jim Rowe 88 The Colour Maximite 2 – part two The final part of this series covers assembly, setup and writing your own BASIC programs with this miniature computer – by Geoff Graham and Peter Mather Your Favourite Columns 46 Serviceman’s Log Fixing heaters – it’s a gas – by Dave Thompson These DIY switchmode regulators can replace 78XX linear regulators with better efficiency (no heatsink required!), and can be built for 3.3V all the way to 24V – Page 38 61 Circuit Notebook (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Four USB power supplies from a laptop charger Preamplifier power supply runs from 5V DC Modifying the Ultra-LD Mk.2 to drive a hearing loop Altitude readout for the Boat Computer Heelometer for boats 83 Vintage Radio Velco 1937 ‘kit’ radio restoration – by Ken Kranz 98 Vintage Workbench Tektronix T130 LC Meter, Part 3 – by Alan Hampel Everything Else 2 Editorial Viewpoint 4 Mailbag – Your Feedback 65 Product Showcase siliconchip.com.au 87 SILICON CHIP ONLINE SHOP 106 Ask SILICON CHIP 111 Market Centre 112 Notes and Errata Australia’s electronics magazine 112 Advertising Index A Wideband RF Power Meter has never been simpler to build. It goes up to 6GHz, and is powered by an Arduino Nano – Page 66 August 2020  1 www.facebook.com/siliconchipmagazine