Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
48784
_OVEMBER
1988
Beginners Guide to
Vintage Radios
Is your find a treasure, or just junk!
The TV Amp
Crank up the volume
without disturbing others!
Capacitance Adapter
Put your DMM to a new use!
$2.50 U.S.
3 New i i
i $2.95 CANADA FactCards
0 71 437 8
This Issue
- -
~ ~ No ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~
4-
/ IN MIMI
L CORPOR
= INIIM M
.-
I= MI IM
NI
,-
at=NI
A T I O N
1-800-344-4539
/AK. Porno Arco 211 681 6674 Tlor 62127914 FAX 211 681 3380 TVS X 9103506962 COO! KEY CORP
2
ma
sal. 410
.. 1,004
40711.1
Lard.
,702 , Ormi almol ...ft
PO._ S
9.
A
.10
oyyp.
SOM. a a 4.0.7
GOY, .720
02407 S AV.. y
.6,311 Loo
unn.s n
10341
4.0. r INIREINOUND IOC RESISTORS
4,4 44.1404
74,42
.04k
MAGI DISC CAPACITORS
Loo
WA. I MPS. 4421. 2. 11;21
4.4. I CO
04
MP.
roar.
MAN 2 MSP.
NOY
I
V MP.
24104 NSW. 42.4, 12 It
74. 411,
2121.
= 20 2t= POO
on
,... ,....,., 144144.1.44. Amommo
PAPIASIRIMC V SS.RIES
;"":" 2 ;22"
...Po..., cm.
SP. INSTAL 0110f FILM RESISTORS
MVO IT 7,24044
MI. Si 7432. Ili' 41,SO
ga;
MI. V 70.2. I
I : ...Y... I I IN MO 1,,1111
211044 1 OS rook
24,44, 42 74.2,
7410114 IV O2PG4 2 ID
CYO
7:110?
741.
:n a:77:
WOO
:
al
01001
GocC.0 2 .76
Mop.
74. 04 T,O244, E S 444(424 2 CO .P42
"EZ:
VA's' 4.4 EIVP1 3.0 :" ' '
"
ono 442. up no ono
= 74:
4000 CMOs
IMO
4:2417.4.44Eurc
Smcoa. .41.44.2.,
r mos
aft
0.0
2.
MM. R. 7
4.47
Tom
vivo ::
14 VI, 44 On
KY% TV7 40
4.44
Go.
GMY 402MCM
.,.
O 102 A
.14
BY
11:1 _La
'4r
27 102
M:Yo:
741CM, 7 g V4T.
41C:. kr) 20 01111 H 1.
CM. 2
12 X. 4 a
an
=
101 I4 .02 24
t
.412, MN. 14 PCO 1,41:0 N
Poo 7127 0 11170 20_,E,A3 N 29
QUART] CRYSIALS
gr. ; 44
400PC L
TERFRO
Oomm Porn
404.,
to o ID IN
rEL r4:
.11O74
es. .
N32
PM:
n9
00
PO
0
a
2
110
Ern
2A
014
n
II SO 12
'
G =
:21:04
40112000
y 41211141CM1 011121CON11~4111571)1111
36 IS
P.M P 22 2
, MIDOC
pro NER wro ppo Emo 00103 mom
,; 4214410:
12 ,1112 OP 0
YOKO a 01 la
AMC a 23 N
24101
2.112
0,27111In 1,7
Ow.
3=======1
.
42.10074 2.4022
loco 14 .909
WO. Y 24.11
y 102. 47 2.02
01O
1 ',2 22 :2 411
2,24
2444,24
244,20
244.0 TANTALUM CAPACITORS
-
MILICOD
CMOS
2422
2422
2.27 4.1.44,112112011,44n
74.40. PM.
20.
22.12_
1
Mma
10 ,INPE Main
40 ROM PAUSASOMPC- CIPTOILECTOCIVOCe
r
2 Mar
::: :7'4 r".74.. : 'CF:if: 1g TOM
244210 18.1*
- 477. *2 a
7.0. y , TOST 244211
00 34 4* ma. .0,0
, ...., y
LI .164 40
044Cl%
PGGYO1
LSIECI
I
TA ..0
2.721
4.112
1196 O. as. 410 ;
tom at MOON,. SO S CO
mn,
..... V MOVI,V. V c.)114 V 2446122
..... o ocno
7.1.4
2 ,44,11,104
y 4227., V
OP .400
.: :::= :
'" 470
."" '40':'7:1 4 '1
ymcM,
......,
7.....,j11,
p ...C1.6
V
.,,
00.......
2213202.2
I
n 0
I,
nenn
244772
.400
i
r.;= ::
.. 1 r
CONSTRUCTION
29 Print Buffer Spooler -ties two computers to one printer
39 Hands -Off Intercom -a switchiess intercom that offers all the convenience
of face -to -face conversation
41 The TV AMP -tailors TV volume to the needs of the viewer
43 RGB Blue Box -a circuit that turns your black computer display to blue
44 Capacitance Adapter -use your DMM to measure capacitance Jetset Airdaptor -page 26
FEATURES
59 Beginner's Guide to Vintage Radio-find out just how old that "collector's"
item really is
64 DC- Network Analysis Program -use your computer to do complex math
in moments
68 Understanding Ohms Law -take that important first step on the way to
electronics proficiency Print Buffer Spooler -page 29
70 Using Thermocouples -use them to measure heat, cold, pressure, and
more
74 E -Z Math -hone your network -analysis skills
DEPARTMENTS
2 Editorial -Popular Electronics comes home
4 Letters -here's what your fellow readers are thinking
6 Electronics Library -an information avalanche
Vintage Radios -page 59
14 New Products-here's what the market has in store
37 FactCards -squirrel 'em away for a rainy day
47 GIZMO Special Section -just when you thought you'd seen it all
71 Free Information Card -ask the manufacturer
'16 32n
Nan Nl)VI MI
1,1F3fi
II I7
Volume 5, No. 11
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE ELECTRONICS ACTIVIST'
November 1988
Larry Steckler, EHF. CET
Editor -In -Chief & Publisher
Art Kleiman, editorial director
Julian S. Martin, KA2GUN, editor
Carl Laron, WB2SLR, managing editor
Popular Electronics comes home! Robert A. Young, associate editor
Herb Friedman, W2ZLF, associate editor
In September, 1958 had the good fortune to join the staff of
I John J. Yacono, associate editor
Popular Electronics as Managing Editor. It was my first maga- Brian C. Fenton, associate editor
zine position; my previous experience had been in writing and Byron G. Wels, K2AVB, associate editor
editing equipment manuals and hard -cover books. For an elec- Teri Scaduto, assistant editor
tronics buff and novice experimenter like me, that new position Kathryn Campbell, editorial assistant
Ruby M. Yee, production director
was the chance of a lifetime. The thrill of the very first moment I
strong feeling for the Popular Electronics title. In its heyday, the
A P11
(a
Hands-on Electronics including Popular Electronics, (ISSN
--,
2
SELECT 5 BOOKS
for only $3. 95
Fled runic.
1
end
jcct
Project
un- and -I.t
11 et.
'.
(values to $133.70)
and get a Free GiJ t!
- 2705P 51`95 1897P
118ff."
513.95
ELECTRONICS
FiXI1 .9OOtE
VCRs .,^n
2861 $14.95
2960 $24.95
R
ELECTRONIC
Electronics projects ... ideas ... the latest technology CONVERSIONS
1535P 58.95 1775P 518.95
all at up to 50 ", off publishers' prices .; rnrols
Rulur
Formulas
P.
ana
Turner loci Stan G,bdrsco
ELECTRONICS
billing me $3.95 plus shipping and handling charges. If not satisfied, may return the books
I
PROJECTS
within ten days without obligation and have my membership canceled I agree to purchase
at least 3 books at regular Club prices (plus shipping and handling) during the next 12 months
and may resign any time thereafter.
2800 523 95
1
2790 018.95
BENOTE
rulcvtlioi
COal8t1
PSOR IS Name
Address
``iH^^FII
B
Rw..T
City GUIDE II
Letters
I
is thicker than auto glass, you are ahead
the fence charger described in your May is-
of the game already. Further, you are not
sue would have an output that is far too high.
constrained to the small plate size that must
Can you suggest modifications to make it suit-
be used by automotive -antenna manufac-
able? Because the load would be greatly re-
turers (forobvious safety reasons). We can't
duced, is it possible to use a more -readily
AUTHOR! AUTHOR! give you precise parameters, but we en-
available transistor for Q3? What value for
courage you to do a little experimentation;
I was glad to see my story, "Mini Marque" in R2 would give me a frequency of 1 Hz?
you might be able to find a combination
the September issue. But I was understand- I've been out of electronics for over 15 years,
that works at least on the higher shortwave
ably perturbed to see it credited to someone and have forgotten most of what once knew.
I
bands.
named Donald P. Ray. My name is Daniel; have very little experience with solid -state
I
always has been, too. Please be sure to credit KEEP IT SIMPLE devices, and the only test instrument I own
Unmistakably Yours -
any of my future articles to the right person.
I am 12 years old, and I'm starting a hobby
is a VOM.
was considering using a 555 timer and a
I
ANTENNA ADDENDUM
Daniel P. Ray
in electronics. would appreciate it if you would
I
me the best reception, but on the new ships a signature and a major credit card number HAVES AND NEEDS
there is no way to make a direct connection sent to the company with the Denco coils will I'm a subscriber to your fine magazine; I'm
to the outside. Because the ship is metal, a turn the trick. Let the credit -card company do writing to see if anyone has a schematic that
receiver is completely shielded without an out- the currency conversion. could be used in building a welding device
side antenna. J. R. S. for welding broken band-saw blades. Thanks
I've seen ads recently for small antennas MSgt, USAFAD for your help.
that mount on the rear windows of cars. as- I APO New York Glen Montross
sume that the antenna and the feed wire are 1110 Orems Road
capacitively coupled to allow the transfer of Baltimore, MD 21220
Our experience has been that credit -card
RF through the glass.
Would that same principle -if I am correct
work on shortwave frequencies? If so, what
- acceptance by electronics firms, especially
smaller ones, is far from universal. However,
I have a chandelier that uses sixteen 60 -watt
light bulbs, for a total of 960 watts. I'm using
enough do accept them to make it worth a a conventional light dimmer that is intended
would be the critical parameters in terms of
shot. to handle 600 watts. It gets so hot that I think
the size and composition of plates and the
By the way, perhaps the easiest solution it may pose a fire hazard.
thickness of glass?
of all would be to buy an international postal Do you know where could obtain a dim-
I
C.W.H. Jr.
money order. Those money orders are avail- mer that can handle that wattage? If not, per-
Hayward, CA
able in most major currencies, including Brit- haps you could suggest a suitable circuit.
You're right, antennas like the one you've ish Pounds, and are sold by nearly all U.S. Thanks.
seen advertised use capacitive coupling. How- Post Offices. The conversion is done by the Bill Brahmananda
ever, those are designed primarily for UHF Postal clerk and you pay for the money order 72 Commonwealth Ave.
and VHF radio work. Assuming normal -thick- in U.S. Dollars. Boston, MA 02116
4
PARTS SEARCH
retailers, and likely converters to allow your [1 Cashier's Check Money Order COD Visa Mastercard
appliances to be powered from 110 volts. Acct # Exp Date
Signature
FOR OUR RECORDS
DECLARATION OF AUTHORIZED USE I. the undersigned.
that all products purchased. now and in the future. will only
- do hereby declare under penalty of perjury
be used on cable TV systems with proper
authorization from local officials or cable company officials in accordance with all applicable federal and
state laws FEDERAL AND VARIOUS STATE LAWS PROVIDE FOR SUBSTANTIAL CRIMINAL AND CIVIL
PENALTIES FOR UNAUTHORIZED USE.
Dated:__ _- __ _ - Signed
5
r NEW FROM ETT 1
pics
I RATCHET - ELEVEN-
Radio
PIECE RACHET TOOL
KIT $10.00. Includes re-
Seettor
versible ratchet handle. ex-
tension bar, six bits, two
precision screwdrivers, and
imputer
a cutter. Comes in fitted
case Get one for your shop.
another for your car, an-
}rcu1tS
other for your tool kit.
HOBBYISTS HANDBOOK mand, provides thorough descriptions and ation, purpose, or microprocessor group.
.... 59.95. Provides an inex-
brief examples of features to help begin- Several projects allow hobbyists to ex-
pensive single source of
easily located data that the ning and intermediate users get the most periment with microprocessor circuits. Those
electronics enthusiast is out of MicroPro's WordStar 2000 Release include a seven -digit display that shows
likely to need in his day-to-
day hobby activiites. 8 x 10 3. For newcomers to computers, the book the complete hexadecimal- number set, a
inches. also offers basic descriptions of computer simple logic probe, and a battery back -up
hardware and software, and word process- for CMOS circuits. Radio -Electronics' Guide
Co
ing; and useful appendices on disk-operat- to Computer Circuits also contains selec-
BP232- CONCISE IN- e rOOt{'
TRODUCTION TO MS- ing systems and installing WordStar 2000. tions from the popular "New Ideas" column,
DOS $5.95. II you are a Readers who are familiar with earlier Word- in which readers contribute original circuit
PC user and want to get the
most out of your computer. Star releases will gain valuable insight into designs.
you must learn its MS PC- the different commands, new features, and
DOS operating system
increased power of Release 3. Published by Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge
That's what this book shows
The VAbrdStar 2000 Handbook covers the
Summit, PA 17294 -0850; Tel. 1- 800 -233-
you.
1128. 150 pages. $9.70, paperback. $14.95,
fundamentals of creating and editing docu-
BP194- MODERN ments, block editing, search and replace hardcover.
OPTO DEVICE PROJ- functions, and spell checking. Advanced for-
ECTS $6.25. Provides a
('IR('LF. 98 ON FRFF. INFORMATION ('ARD
number of practical designs matting and printing techniques are dis-
that use opto-electronic de- cussed, as well as macros and function keys,
vices such as fiber optics.
indexing, and creating charts and columns. THE CELLULAR TELEPHONE
LED's. and passive IR de-
tectors Readers will learn how to use WordStar's DIRECTORY
page -preview mode, Speed Write feature,
by Steven Scott Brown
BP234- TRANSISTOR background formatting, line and box draw-
SELECTOR GUIDE.... ing, and improved file- conversion utilities. This unique guide shows cellular -telephone
$10.00. Prepared from a users how to place and receive calls in more
vast database of specifica- Published by Osborne McGraw -Hill, 2600
tions Unique guide offers a than 100 U.S. and Canadian cities. A post-
wide range of selection ta- Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710. 364
card, provided with the book, is to be filled
bles. More than 1400 de- pages. $21.95, paperback
vices are listed along with in by the reader with the name and address
specs ('I It( 'LE 88 ON FREE INFORMATION CAR!) of his home cellular company, and mailed
to the publisher. The publisher then mails
a list, customized according to the home
RADIO -ELECTRONICS' GUIDE TO cellular company, that allows the reader to
MAIL TO Electronic Technology Today Inc.
COMPUTER CIRCUITS determine for each city whether he may dial
PO Box 240
Massapequa Park NV 11762 -0240 by The Editors of Radio -Electronics immediately and have the charges appear
SHIPPING CHARGES IN USA AND CANADA on his home bill, or if he must provide the
Filled with articles drawn from Robert local cellular -telephone company with a
$0.01 to $5 00 $1.25 $30 01 to $40 00 $5 00 Grossblatt's popular Radio- Electronics col- credit-card number for billing. Updated bul-
$5.01 to 10 00 $2.00 $40 01 to $50.00 $6 00
.
umns, "Drawing Board" and "Designer's Note- letins are provided when necessary.
$10.01 to $20.00 $3 00 $50.01 and above $7 50
book," this book presents a comprehensive The listing for each city includes a Triple-
$20 01 to $30 00 54 00
SORRY, No orders accepted outside of USA and
survey of microprocessors and their numer- A map of the area, indicating where a trav-
Canada ous applications. Aimed at electronics hob- eler can use a cellular phone. The names,
Total price of merchandise S - byists and experimenters, each topic and addresses, and phone numbers of local cel-
Shipping (see chart) project is described concisely, without a hint
-
S --
lular- telephone companies are provided,
Subtotal S-- of "computer-ese."
Sales Tax (NYS only) S along with complete rate information
Total Enclosed
All topics are completely explained, with including free calls. Instructions detail how
s
plenty of introductory theory. Each of Radio - to receive calls when traveling.
Name Electronics' Guide to Computer Circuits' Other features that are particularly use-
Address eight sections-logic; designing considera ful for travelers include an area -code direc-
City State Zip
6
UNDERS1NOING 8 REPAIRING
tory, and lists of toll -free numbers for air- revised to include a chapter on logic cir-
lines, hotels, and rental cars. cuitry, a new circuit -demonstrator board us- CB RADIOS
ing IC holders, and several new illustrations n the Pre,aa.on,
Published by Communications Publishing
and photographs.
Service, 3790 El Camino, Suite 300, Palo
Alto, CA 94306. 232 pages. $14.00, paper- Published by Electronics Technology To-
back. day, P.O. Box 240, Massapequa. NY 11762.
Order No. PCP104. 111 pages. $11.95
CIRCLE. 86 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
(including shipping), paperback.
ELECTRONICS BUILD AND LEARN CIRCLE 97 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
(Second Edition)
UNDERSTANDING & REPAIRING
by R.A. Penfold CB RADIOS
The purpose of this book is to help the com- ers to modern, multimode, solid-state mod -
by Lou Franklin
plete beginner to understand what basic elec- els-is included, with each circuit explained
tronic components do, and how they are This comprehensive reference is designed in the simplest possible way. There is no
used in practical circuits. Theory and prac- to help professional technicians and seri- complicated math or electronic theory in Un-
tice are combined, so the reader can learn ous radio hobbyists to quickly solve any type derstanding & Repairing CB Radios.
by doing. of CB -radio problem. All types of CB radios A separate chapter on mobile and base -
The first chapter contains full details on are covered: 23- and 40- channel. crystal, CB antennas -including problems and in-
how to build a "circuit- demonstrator unit" PLL- synthesized, tube. transistor, AM, FM. stallation--is featured. Throughout the text
that is used in subsequent chapters to intro- SSB, CW, American, British. and export are pointers on where to find specific parts,
duce common electronic components. Elec- models. accessories, test equipment, and further in-
tronics Build and Learn goes on to describe Beginning with a thorough discussion of formation. Appendices give tips on solving
how those components are built up into use- technical specifications and measuring equip- RFI, TVI, and ignition -noise problems, and
ful circuits-including oscillator, radio, mul- ment, the book presents basic electronic - list FCC frequencies.
tivibrator, bistable, pulse, and logic circuits troubleshooting techniques as they relate
Published by C. B. City International. P.O.
Practical tests and experiments, to help to CB radios. Shortcuts are described when-
Box 31500, Phoenix. AZ 85046. 366 pages.
the reader investigate and understand the
theory involved, are presented at every stage
of the book. This second edition has been
-
ever applicable. A detailed analysis of virtu-
ally every type of circuit found in CB radios
from the classic 23- channel tube transceiv
$32.45, including shipping; paperback.
CIRCLE 87 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
them
your projects without nmoving With over
from their holding devices!
made-in-USA
50 years experience and reliable. long -
quality. PanaViseensures
lasting service
CENTER: A
ELECTRONIC WORKto make work
complete combination
areas more efficient
and manageable!
gently, but
Circuit Board Holder up to 12" wide.
holds PCB's
is an extremely
versatile, holds iron at perfect
open a full centers wire and
workbench tool. Jaws "split hall" angle) for a great combo! Model
2.25;'and the patented #324 854.95.
turns and rotates through
CENTER: hase tilts, control
MULTI-PURPOSE WORK Wide
three planes. One convenient
any position!
Self-Centering Extra locks work into
"split hall" knob durable, all- purpose mini -vise
Head (opens to 9"), famous three planes), This will sr,- cuur In,.d C k, inmi,..upphr
of ,nv.r, i P.,rn.l\ n,
in about 6"
Standard Balte (moves Mount (with standsyears of ruggedll service. de- for the aource nearest
you
Tray Base
and convenient to hold liver 833.95. 90806. 121511595yt6211nat
parts wells) handle difficult #301.
Inn ReaPhx(
#350. 852.95.
items with ease! Model
by Matthew Mandl
The opening chapters of this book describe
the basic technical aspects of video-cas-
sette recorder circuits and systems so that SOLID -
the reader can understand how the picture
and sound are recorded. With that back-
ground information, even beginners in elec-
STATE
tronics will be able to put this book to good CIRCUITS
...Cpr,0
use.
It explains how readers can use DOS to quencies, television standards in broadcast- Unfortunately."
8
EXPAND YOUR CAREER HORIZONS...
w1
YiZ 1111111
=b.
illik11116.'14
11111111111111= 11111Mik
The CIE Microprocessor Trainer helps you to learn how . ircuits with
microprocessors function in computers.
START WITH CIE. the handy reply coupon or card below to:
Cleveland Institute of Electronics,
Microprocessor Technology. Satellite Communications. 1776 East 17th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44114.
Robotics. Wherever you want to go in electronics...
start first with CIE.
Why CIE? Because we're the leader in teaching
electronics through independent study. Consider this.
C' E World Headquarters
Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Inc.
AHC-98
We teach over 25,000 stuoents from all over the 1776 East 17th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44114
United States and in over 70 foreign countries. And Please send your independent study catalog.
we've peen doing is for over 50 years, helping
thousands of men and women get started in
electronics careers.
contact you -
For your convenience, CIE will try to have a representative
there is no obligation.
Print Name
We offer flexible training to meet your needs.
You can start at the beginner level or, if you already Address Apt.
know something about electronics, you may want to
City State Zip
start at a higher level. But wherever you start, you
can go as far as you like. You can even earn your Age Area Code/Phone No.
Associate in Applied Science Degree in Electronics.
Check box for G.I. Bill bulletin on Educational Benefits
Let us get you started today. Just call toll -free
Veteran Active Duty MAIL TODAY!
1- 800-321 -2155 (in Ohio, 1- 800 -362-2105) or mail in
Just call toll -free 1- 800-321 -2155 (in Ohio, 1- 800 -362 -2105)
CIRCLE 7 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
ELECTRONICS LIBRARY Hundreds of practical suggestions to im- wave stations; European, Middle Eastern,
(Continued from page 8) prove efficiency and make better use of and North African long -wave and medium -
Word's basic functions and advanced fea- wave radios stations; and U.S. and Cana-
How to Design Solid -State Circuits presents tures are presented. The book shows read- dian medium -wave stations. Also listed are
the DC -bias and stabilization conditions for ers how to do things with Word that they English- language broadcasts, programs for
bipolar and field- effect transistor devices. didn't think were possible. It demonstrates DXers and shortwave listeners, and United
The use of semiconductors in audio and strategies for effective editing and for avoid- Kingdom FM -radio stations.
RF amplifiers using a varying input are dis- ing the program's common pitfalls. The new
cussed, as well as silicon -controlled rectifiers features of IBM -compatible Word 4.0 are
and other, lesser-known, thyristors. highlighted-even many undocumented fea-
Throughout the book, emphasis is placed tures are included.
on digital- circuit design and its many Published by Que Corporation, P.O. Box
variations. Designs using both integrated 90, Carmel, IN 46032; Tel. 1- 800 -428-
circuits and discrete components are 5331. 378 pages. $19.95, paperback.
described.
Ranging from simple temperature- sensi- CIRCLE 94 ON FREE INFORMATION ('ARD
tive resistors to integrated circuit units com-
posed of multiple microcircuits, a wide ar-
LOUDSPEAKER AND HEADPHONE
ray of the latest in solid -state devices is de-
HANDBOOK
scribed. New materials in this revised edi-
tion cover zener diodes, light- sensitive di- edited by John Borwick
odes, unijunction transistors, phototran-
Written by an international team of experts,
sistors, and microwave transistors.
this comprehensive technical reference book
Published by Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge The book's language -translation table,
covers the theoretical and practical aspects
Summit, PA 17294 -0850; Tel. 1- 800 -233- wavelength'frequency conversion chart, time
of loudspeaker and headphone perform-
1128. 369 pages. $16.95, paperback. differences from Greenwich Mean Time, and
ance, design, and operation in domestic,
list of abbreviations all are helpful tools for
CIRCLE 98 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD public, and professional applications. Every
those interested in getting the maximum en-
aspect of loudspeaker and headphone the-
tertainment value and enjoyment from their
ory, construction, operation, measurement,
and application is covered in sufficient depth
sets.
MICROSOFT WORD TIPS, TRICKS, AND
TRAPS to equip students and practitioners with a Published by Electronics Technology To-
solid working knowledge of the subject. day, P.O. Box 240, Massapequa, NY 11762.
by Bryan Pfaffenberger and The latest techniques for computer - Order No. BP255. 311 pages. $11.95 (in-
Steve Lambert aided design of drive units, crossover net- cluding shipping), cloth.
Microsoft Word is a powerful program that works, and enclosures are described, as
('IR('I.F. 97 ON FREE INFORMATION CARL)
offers sophisticated word -processing capa- well as recent developments in digital -
bilities to those who know how to use it prop- audio technology. Other subjects covered
erly. Unfortunately, its level of sophistica- include the principles of sound radiation,
tion prohibits many users from tapping more transducer -drive mechanisms, international USING WORDPERFECT FOR THE
than a fraction of its power. Microsoft Chord standards, and electrostatic loudspeakers. MACINTOSH
Tips, Tricks, and Traps puts even the most Tables, graphs, and diagrams provide con-
by Daniel J. Rosenbaum
advanced Word features at the user's venient reference material for students and
fingertips. engineers. Spanning beginning to intermediate tech-
niques, this book is full of short examples
Published by Butterworths, 80 Montvale Ave-
N I :ROS( T WORD nue, Stoneham, MA 02180. 573 pages.
and applications that provide the reader with
Tips, TRICKS, AND TRAPS a clear understanding of WordPerfect
$29.95, hardcover.
concepts.
CIRCLE 89 ()N FREE INFORMATION ('ARD
After a brief overview of the program, the
book describes the basics of entering, edit-
ing, and formatting text in WordPerfect. More
sophisticated procedures, such as printing
by Peter Shore
Turn on a short -wave radio, and you can
tune in the world. For casual listeners, ama-
teur DXers, and professional -radio monitors,
Although it is aimed at those who have this newly revised book provides an up -to-
had some experience with Word and are date guide to the increasingly complex ra-
looking to move beyond its basic features, dio bands.
even beginners will be able to benefit from The information presented in the Inter-
this book. Starting at the most elementary national Radio Stations Guide was com-
levels -where experienced Word users piled from frequency registrations that were
might be surprised to find simple tricks that made by broadcasters with the International
are new to them-the book continues to the Telecommunication Union's Frequency Reg-
most advanced applications. istration Board. It includes worldwide short-
12
options, graphics, macros, and file merges, Virtually every important discipline in elec- neers, designers, and hobbyists, the book
are then covered. tronics is covered. Some of the topics in- can be used in two ways. Devices can be
Using WordPerfect for the Macintosh cluded are fiber optics, microprocessors, semi- selected by alpha -numeric classification, or
details how to use the speller and the thesau- conductor devices, digital logic, video am- by case type.
rus, and such special features as foot- plifiers, microwaves, communications sys- The Transistor Selector Guide begins with
noting, searching, file management, and cre- terns, analog -to- digital conversions, corn- a detailed introduction, covering component
ating lists and tables. A list of codes and a puter -aided design, op -amps, power sup- markings, codings, and standards. It also
tear -out command card are also included. plies, and antennas. explains the symbols used and how the ta-
Throughout this handbook, information bles are arranged.
Published by McGraw-Hill Book Company,
is presented in a clear, straightforward man- Alpha- numeric tables sequence the com-
1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York,
ner. All math has been kept as simple as prehensive specifications of over 1400 de-
NY 10020. 326 pages. $21.95, paperback.
possible. Each problem is stated, then fol- vices. In a similar fashion, in other tables
('IR('I.E 96 ON FREE: INFORMATION ('ARI) lowed with a concise review of applicable the devices are tabulated by case type. Still
theory and a detailed solution. The book other tables are sub -divided by electronic
also suggests the proper components to use specifications. There are sections on Dar -
HANDBOOK OF ELECTRONICS for particular applications. lington transistors, devices that can handle
CALCULATIONS FOR ENGINEERS AND over 300 volts, devices that can handle cur -
TECHNICIANS
Published by McGraw -Hill Book Company,
1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, rents over 5 amps, devices that can handle
(Second Edition) more than 5 watts of power, RF devices
NY 10020. 848 pages. $49.50, hardcover.
byY Milton Kaufman and Arthur H. Seidman that operate upwards of 30 MHz, and FETs.
("Rut ,E 96 ON FREE. INFORMATION CARD
Also included in this reference work are il-
This extensively revised and updated edi- -- lustrations of package outlines and leadouts,
tion-containing over 150 pages of new ma- TRANSISTOR SELECTOR GUIDE and a surface -mount device markings -
terial- provides hundreds of detailed, conversion list.
worked-out solutions to practical, everyday by J.C.J. Van de Ven
problems encountered by electronics engi- Prepared using computerized techniques, Published by Electronics Technology To-
neers, technicians, instructors, and students. from a vast database of electronic -compo- day, P.O. Box 240, Massapequa, NY 11762.
With a practical, rather than theoretical, ap- nent specifications, this guide offers a vari- Order No. BP234. 187 pages. $12.00 (in-
proach it is intended as a "cookbook" for ety of transistor-selection tables. Compiled cluding shipping), cloth.
solving on- the -job problems. to be of maximum use to electronics engi- CIRCLE 97 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
oxike / / /
SEM ICONpucMRS
MGR M CHE ``Sk
w
SOLDENG
MET Eq4PST
M
M ENT
vENI ENT sE D LY
E
NOU ek):1(-11
Il1
ITSV E
I=
AKERS ES
CoMQV? SPECCesSoR
New Products
To obtain additional inlorrnation on new prod-
AR-90L.MC
ITL{C.NOti
ompanrw
CIRCLE 84 ON FREE INFORMATION ('ARD
ucts covered in this section from the manufac- MACINTOSH MODEM PACKAGE
turer, please circle the item's code number on
the Free Information Card. The Macintosh Communications Package
from Practical Peripherals is a complete mo-
dem setup designed specifically for Macin-
OSCILLOSCOPE CALIBRATOR tosh computers. The package includes a
PM2400SA stand -alone modem, two cus-
B &K Precision's Model 1400 offers com- tom cables that plug between any old or
panies an alternative to expensive annual new Macintosh computer, and the Micro-
service calls to calibrate oscilloscopes. Eas- phone communications package from Soft-
ily set up, it can be used to calibrate any ware Ventures. Free access time to Com-
oscilloscope, and as a signal source fortest- puserve and Official Airline Guide is also
ing other frequency -, time -, or voltage - included.
measuring instruments. The logic comparator, including both 16-
pin and 28 -pin test clips, an interconnect
cable, carrying case, and operator's man-
ual, is priced at $379.00. For further infor-
mation, contact American Reliance, 9241
E. Valley Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770.
The Model 1400 generates voltage- and Measuring just 41/4 by 11/4 inches, Midland
time -calibration signals, and an uncalibrated International's Model 77 -099 is the world's
sinewave- output signal for convenience. The smallest 40-channel mobile citizens -band
voltage range, in a 1 -2 -5 sequence, is from transceiver. The high -tech, miniature CB can
1 millivolt to 100 volts peak square waves. be mounted virtually anywhere-even on
Its accuracy into a standard, 1- megohm os- motorcycles, snowmobiles, and other rec-
cilloscope input is 0.5 percent. The time out- reational vehicles. The PM2400SA is a 2400 -, 1200 -, and
put, also in a -2 -5 sequence, ranges from
1 300 -baud, fully Hayes -compatible modem.
0.5 seconds to 10 nanoseconds, with 0.015 It features adaptive equalization for error -
percent accuracy. That configuration free data transmissions in even the most -
matches that of the input level and tim- difficult situations.
base selectors on most oscilloscopes, greatly The complete Macintosh Communications
simplifying the calibration process. Rise time Package, with a five -year factory -repair/
is less than 1 nanosecond, and the sine - replacement warranty, retails for $239.00.
wave output is fixed at kHz. 1 For further information, contact Practical Pe-
The oscilloscope calibrator has a sug- ripherals, Inc., 31245 La Baya Drive, West-
gested price of $499.00. For additional in- lake Village, CA 91362.
formation, contact B &K Precision, Division CIRCLE 83 ON FRI{F; INFORI1111 ION (' %RI)
of Maxtec International Corp., 6470 W. Cort- The Model 77 -099 features ETR -fre-
land St., Chicago, IL 60635. quency control for pinpoint channel- tuning
INFI)RwYr1oN (' %RD accuracy with separate scan -up and -down PRO -LOGIC SURROUND -SOUND
CIR('I.F.70 ON FRF I?
controls. A dual- conversion superheterodyne DECODER
receiver provides efficient signal amplifica-
LOGIC COMPARATOR tion and stability. Full -time ANL eliminates NEC's Dolby Pro-Logic Surround -Sound De-
reception- background noise, and a ceramic coder, Model PLD -310 provides consum-
American Reliance's AR-90LMC logic com- filter improves selectivity. Other features in- ers with several ways to obtain dynamic
parator is based on a proprietary custom clude enhanced modulation, separate LED audio quality from their VCRs. By selecting
IC that allows use of a single model with systems for transmitting and receiving, a the normal, phantom, wide, or by -pass mode
both TTL and CMOS logic. It features two condenser-electro microphone with front - settings, users can tailor the surround -
modes of comparison -normal or latch. Di- panel locking mount, and a large, high - sound audio effects to their individual sound
rect viewing of logic states is possible with intensity LED channel readout. systems.
the built -in monitor mode. The radio is enclosed in a rugged, black- The normal mode uses the Dolby Pro-
Logic Surround active -decoding system to in the tool's handle, which has a window to COMPACT AT- COMPATIBLE PC
steer the audio signal to the left, center, right, permit the user to see how much fuel re-
and surround channels. That technique cre- mains. Zenith's Z-286 LP is one of the smallest,
ates a more dynamic listening experience Temperature is controlled by varying the yet most powerful, 80286 systems available
for the listener through the improved local- today. Despite its compact size-about 60%
ization of sounds.
gas flow. When the Pyropen is used as a
heat gun, a gas- catalyst reaction system
converts the flame to hot air, at a tempera-
smaller than a standard -size 80286 system -
the Z -286 LP offers 8 -MHz, zero wait -state
ture of 650 C (1202 "F). As a soldering gun, performance, and includes two open expan-
the WPA-2 is ready for use in 30 seconds, sion slots.
with a temperature range of 250 -500 C By operating without wait states, the Z-
(482 -932F). 286 LP performs as though its clock speed
was 11.5 MHz. Fast 1:1 and 1:2 disk inter-
leave allows information to be read quickly,
without the additional disk rotations associ-
ated with standard 1:3 interleave disks.
The system's "slushware" feature copies
the ROM -BIOS at system bootup from slow
8 -bit, read -only memory to fast 16 -bit RAM.
The phantom setting -for audio systems
-
without a center speaker directs signals
to the left and right channels; in effect, it
That technology increases system perform-
ance by up to 15 percent.
The Z -286 LP has one megabyte of RAM,
creates a center channel where one does including 256K of EMS (expanded memory
A wide variety of interchangeable hot -
not actually exist. The wide setting gener- specification) capability for addressing mem-
blow and soldering tips are available, in-
ates a full- frequency response in all speak- ory beyond 640K. Memory expansion to 6
cluding a high -powered chisel, tapered nee-
ers, regardless of their location. The by- megabytes is accomplished through the
dle or pyramid, and a micro spade.
pass mode allows conventional stereo use manufacturer's use of 1- megabyte single
The 4.4 -ounce WPA-2 Pyropen costs
without the addition of surround -sound proc- in -line memory modules (SIMMs), that plug
$79.40. For more information, write Cop -
essing. into sockets on the system board. Other fea-
The PLD -310, with wireless remote, has perTools, Pyropen WPA-2, P.O. Box 728,
tures include a real -time clock, two serial
Apex, NC 27502.
a suggested retail price of $449.00. For more ports, a parallel port, a 101 -key keyboard,
information, contact NEC Home Electron- CIRCLE SI ON FREE INFORMATION CARD (Continued on page 18)
ics (U.S.A.) Inc., 1255 Michael Drive, Wood
Dale, IL 60191.
CIRCLE 82 ON FREE INFORMATIONCARD
SELF-IGNITING PYROPEN
Heathkit City
State Zip
"Is the line voltage in this A subsidiary of Zenith Electronics Corporation
15
MHill JDR Microdevices Complete customer satisfaction...superior service...friendly, knowledgeable personnel
quality merchandise... providing the best values in leading edge technology.
59
7415279
7415280
7415283
7415290
7415293
39
1 98
59
89
89
4116 250 16384.1 250ns 49 _
4116-200 16384.1 200ns 89 741528 76 7415156 49 7415299 1 49
59 8286 3 95
MB 120 1048576.1 120ns 34 95 8749 9 95
1
741586 22 7415193 69 741.5670 89
1
8253 5 1 95 8287 3 95 741590 39 7415194 69 7415682 3 20
1 MB 100 1048576.1 10Ons 37 95 8755 14 95 855 1 49 8288 4 95 741592 49 7415195 69 7415688 2 40
EPROMS 741.593
741595
39
49
7415196
7415197
59
59
7415783 22 95
25152521 2 80
2708 1024.8 450ns1125V1 4 95
2716 2048.8 45Ons1125V1 349 MATH COPROCESSORS 7415107
15109 36
34 7415221
7415240
59
69
261531
261532
1 95
1:354
2716.1 2048.8 350ns1125V) 39S
71452532 40968 45Ons1125V1 5 95 8087 5 MHz $99.95
2732 4096.8 45Ons1125V) 39S 8087 -2 8 MHz $159.95
2732A
2732A 2
4096.8
4096.8
25Ons1121V1
200ns1121V1
3
4 2S
95 8087 -1
80287
10 MHz 5229.95
6 MHz 5179.95
7400 LINEAR
27C64 8192.8 25Ons1(12 5V CMOS) 4 95
80287-8 7400 19 T1071
2764 8192.8 45On61112 5V1 49 8 MHz $249.95 69 11101567 79
3
80287-10 10 MHz 5309.95 7402 19 TL072 109 NE570 295
2764 250 8192.8 25Ons1112 SVI 3 69 7404 19 51074 1 95 NE592 98
2764200 8192.8 200n.)112 5V1 4 25 80387 16 16 MHz 5499.95 7406 29 11082 99 1M723 49
MCM68766 8192.8 35Ons1121V1(24 PIN) 1595 80387 -20 20 MHz 5799.95 7407 29 11084 1 49 1M733 98
27128 16384.8 25Ons1112 5V) 4 25 7408 24 1161301 34 164741 29
27C256 32768.8 250n0112. 5V CM051 7 95 7410 19 111430914 1 25 111A 747 69
27256 32768.8 250n41112 5V1 5.95 7411 25 1M311 59 MC1330 1 69
27512 65536.8 2517n1112 5V) 1195 7414 49 1M311H 89 MC1350 1 19
27C512 65536.8 250ns1112. 5V CMOS1 12 95
7416 25 1M3171( 349 1M1458 35
7417 25 1003171 69 1M1488 49
..V Program Voltage 7420 19 1M318 1 49 1981489 49
MEMORY PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO 7430 19 1M319 1 25 LM1496 85
MARKET CONDITIONS PLEASE CALL TO CONFIRM PRICES. 7432 29 1M320 see7900 ULN2003 .79
7438 29 1M323K 3 49 xR2206 3 95
7447 49 1M324 34 882211 295
6500 z-80 DISK rV 20 SERIES1 PALS 7445
7447
7473
69
89
34
1M331
LM334
1M335
3 95
1 19
79
1M2917
CA3046
CA3146
1 95
89
29
1.0 MHz 2.5 MHz CONTROLLERS V20' MHz
S 8 95 1618 52 95 7474 33 1M336 75
1
1 MC3373
1
1 29
1
19
69
1793
1795
9
12
95
95 L.
'Replaces 8088 to
speed uu PC 10 40 , 16R4 7485
7486
7489 215
59
35
1E353
1F356
1F357
59
99
99
1M3900
LM3911
LM3909
225
49
98
6532 5 95 Z80A DART 595 1797 12 95
2791 19 95 7490 39 1M358 59 1M3914 1 89
6545
6551
2 95
1 95
180A
180A
DMA
PIO
5
1
95
89 2793 19 95
CRYSTALS
74F/745 7493
74121
35
29
LM380
1M383 1
89
95
MC4024
MC4044
3
3
49
99
Z80A 2797 29 95 74F00 35
2.0 MHz Z80A
510 0
S10 1
5 95
5 95 8272 4 39 32 768 KHz 95 74F02 35
74123
74125
49
45
1M386
1M393
89
45
RC4136
RC4558
125
69
6502A 2 69 280A 510 2 5 95 UPD765 4 39 10 MHz 295 74F04 35 74150 1 35 LM394H 595 1M13600 149
6520A 2 95 MB8876 12 95 1 8432 2 95 74F08 35 74151 55 TL494 4 20 75107 1 49
6522A 5 95 6.0 MHz MB8877 12 95 20 195 74E10 35 74153 55 T1497 3 25 75110 1 95
6532A 11 95 2808 CPU 2 75 1691 6 95 2 4576 1 95 74F32 35 74154 1 49 NE555 29 75150 195
6545A 3 95 Z8OB CTC 4 25 2143 6 95 3 579545 1 95 74F64 55 74157 55 NE556 49 75154 195
6551A 695 Z80B PIO 4 25 L9216 6 29 40 195 74F74 39 74159 1 65 NE558 79 75188 1 25
1808 DART 50 195 74F86 55 74161 69 NE564 195 75189 1 25
3.0 MHz 2808 510 0
6 95
12 95 5 0688 1 95 74F I38 79 74164
74166
85
00
161565
149
95 75451
75452
39
39
65028 4.25 2808 510 2 12 95 60 195 74F139 79
74175
1
89
11111566
NE590 50 75477 1.29
28671 ZILOG 99.54 DARTS 6 144
80
1
195
95 74F253
74F I57
89
89
74367 65 H TO 5
2
CAN. K 10 3. T TO 220
AIS 1013 3 95 100 195 74F240 29
6800 AV3 1015
TR1602
4
3
95
95
10 738635
120
1
195
95 74500
74502
1
29
29
I.0 MHz CLOCK 2651 4 95 14 31818 1 95 74504 29 CMOS/HIGH SPEED CMOS
IM6402 3 95 160 195
6800 1 95 CIRCUITS IM6403 9 95 180 195
74508
74510 29
35
4001 19 4066 29 74HC154 1 09
6802 2 95 1NS8250 6 95 4011 19 4069 19 7414C 157 55
6803 3 95 MM5816 7 9 95 18 432 1 95 74532 35
MM581 74 95 8516450 10 95 95 4012 25 4070 29 7414C244 85
6809 2 95 9 20 0 74574 49
297
1
`MSM5832 4013 35 4081 22 74HC245 85
6809E 2 95 22 1184 1 95 74586 35 4015 29 4093 49 74HC273 69
6810 1 95 240 195 745112 50 4016 29 14411 9 95 74/40373 69
6820 2 95 32 0 95 745124 2 75 14433 74HC374
MISC. 1
745138 79
4017 49
14497
14 95
6.95 74HC TOO
69
25
6821
6840
1 25
3 95
BIT RATE ADC0804 2 99 OSCILLATORS 745153 79
4018
4020
69
59 4503 49 74HCT02 25
6843 4 95 GENERATORS ADC0809 3 85 1 OMH. 595 745157 79 4021 69 4511 69 74HCTO4 27
6844 6 95 DACO800 3 29 18432 595 745158 95 4023 25 4518 85 74HCTO8 25
6845 2 75 MC14411 995 DAC0808 1 95 20 5.95 745163 1 29 4024 49 4528 79 74HCT32 27
881941 4 95 DAC1022 745175 4025 25 4538 95 74HCT74 45
6847 4 75 5 95 24576 595 79
39 4702 9 95 74HCT138 55
6850 95 4702 9 95 MC 1408L8 1 95 25 595 745195 1 49
4027
1
COM8116 8 95 4028 65 74HCOO 21 74HCT139 55
6883 22 95 8728 1 29 40 4.95 745240 1 49
4040 69 74HCO2 21 74HCT161 79
8T97 59 50688 495 745241 1 49
74HCO4 74HCT240 89
2.0 MHz DP8304 2 29 60 495 745244 1 49
4042
4044
59
69 74HCO8
25
25 74HCT244 89
68800 95 9334 75 144 495 745280 95 74HC10 74HCT245 99
68802
2
3 95 INTERSIL 9368
1
2 85
6
80 495 745287
1
1 69
4046
4047
69
69 748C14
25
35 74HCT273 99
681309E 5 49 ICL7106 9 95 9602 69 100 495 745288 1 69 4049 29 74HC32 35 74HCT373 99
68809 5 99 1CL7107 10 95 ULN2003 79 120 495 745299 2 95 4050 29 74HC74 35 74HCT374 99
68821 1 85 1CL7660 1 99 MAK232 7 95 160 495 745373 1 69 4051 69 74HC86 45 74HCT393 99
ICL8038 MC3470 1 95 18432 495 74S374 1 69 4052 69 74HC138 45 74HCT4017 119
68845 4 95 3 85
4053 69 74HC139 45 74HCT4040 99
68850 1 75 1CM7207A 5 95 MC3487 2 95 200 495 745471 4 95
4060 69 74HC151 59 74HCT4060 49
68000 9 95 ICM7208 15.954 AY5 3600 PRO 11 95 40 495 5571 2 95
1
JDR Microdevices and the JDR Microdevices logo are registered trademarks of JDR Microdevices. IBM, AT, PS 2 are trademarks of International Business Machines.
16
CIRCLE 13 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
r- CAPACITORS
TANTALUM
VOL TAGE
REGULATORS
r SOLDER STATION WIREWRAP PROTOTYPE CARDS
FR -4 EPDXY GLASS LAMINATE WITH GOLD PLATED EDGE-CARD FINGERS
10' ISV 12 10,.' 35V 45 ADJUSTABLE HEAT SETTING SILK SCREEAED LEGENDS. MOUNTING BRACKETS INCLUDED
68 15V 42 22 35V 19
78051 49 7812K 39
WITH TIP TEMPERATURE
lo 15V 45 4 7 35V 39 78081 49 7905K
1
169 READOUT
22 15V 99 10 35V 69 REPLACEMENT TIPS
7812T 49 7912K 149
DISC 78151 49 78105 49 AVAILABLE 92.95
22
33
50V
50V
50V
05
05
05
001,; 50V
005
01
50V
50V
05
05
07
79051
79081
79121
59
59
59
78112
79L05
79112
49
69
1.49 49.95
47
100
220
50V
50V
50V
05
05
05
MONOLITHIC
05
1
1
50V
12V
50V
07
10
12
L
79151
7805F: 1
59
59
LM323K
1M3381(
4.79
6.95
J FOR P5/2
01,.' 50V
047,,' 50V
14
15
1.'
47..'
50V
50V
18
25
DISCRETE JDR.PR32 32 BIT PROTOTYPE CARD 69.95
IN 751 15 4528 69 JDR-PR16 16 BIT CARD WITH I O DECODING LAYOUT 49.95
ELECTROLYTIC 1N414825 `1i 41533 89 JOR-PR16PK FARTS KIT FOR JDR -PRIG ABOVE 15.95
1N4011410 `1 m 41437 1 19
RADIAL AXIAL JDR.PR16V 13 BIT CARD FOR VIDEO APPLICATIONS 39.95
1N54)2 25 MCT 2 59
10' 25V 14 1, 50V 14 KBP02 55 MCT 6 129 FOR AT
4 7 50V 11 10 50V 16 2192222 25 TIL111 99
10 50V 11 22 16V 14 PN2222 10 10 JOR-PR10 IV BIT CARD WITH 0 DECODING LAYOUT
I 34.95
2613906
47 35V 13 47 50V 19 211129)7 25 2N4401 25 JDR.PRIOPK FARTS KIT FOR JDR -PRIG ABOVE 12.95
100
220 35V
16V 15
20
100
470
35V
50V
19
29
2N3055 79 2614402 25 FOR XT
2N39)4 10 2194403 25
470 25V 30 1000 16V 29 4N26 69 2N6045 175 IBM PRI WITH 5V AND GROUND PLANE 27.95
2200 16V 70 2200 16V 70 4N27 69 TIP31 49 IBM -PR2 AS ABOVE WITH O DECODING LAYOUT
I 29.95
4700 25V 1 45 4700 16V 1 25 J J
BYPASS CAPACITORS
RSISTOR NETWORK? r- EXTENDER CARDS
1
SIP IC PIN RESISTOR
9 69 SHORTING FOR PROTOTYPE , r DING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
01 ,A CERAMIC DISC 100 s5 Ou SIP PIN RESISTOR
7 59
01 ,A MONOLITHIC 100 910 00 DIP
E
If PIN RESISTOR
8 1 09 BLOCKS =.
I ,A CERAMIC DISC 100 s6 SO DIP If. PIN 15 RESISTOR 109 5/81,00 EXT8065 FOR %T SYSTEM 29.95
1 ,A MONOLITHIC 100 517 50 DIP le PIN 7 RESISTOR 99
,DIP 1 PIN 13 RESISTOR 994 EXT FOR AT SYSTEM 69.95
E %1.16 MICROCHANNEL 16-BIT 69.95
"SNAPAOLE"
HEADERS 1 WHY THOUSANDS EXT-32 MICROCHANNEL 32-BIT 99.95
RS -232
D- SUBMINIATURE CONNECTORS BREAKOUT BOX
FOR TROUBLESHOOTING
CONTACTS SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS
DESCRIPTION ORDER BY I
9 15 19 25 37 SO
OPEN CLOSE INDIVIDUAL CIRCUITS
SOLDER CUP
MALE DBar P .4559 .69 .69 1.35 1.85 DATARASE 1
Dear 1.39 2.29 20 JUMPERS CROSS -CONNECT
FEMALE .49 69 .75 .75 ERASES 2 EPROMS IN IO MINUTES
ANY TWO CIRCUITS VERY COMPACT. NO DRAWER
MALE Dear PR 49 .69 .79 2.27
RIGHT ANGLE PC SOLDER THIN METAL SHUTTER PREVENTS
FEMALE DBar SR .55 .75 .55 2.49 10 LEDS SHOW CIRCUIT ACTIVITY UV LIGHT FROM ESCAPING
WIREWRAP
CONTACTS
- GENDER -NM NULL MODEM
GENDER -JB JUMPER BOX
8.95
8.95 JOYSTICK
DESCRIPTION ORDER BY
I
B 14 16 18 20 122 24 28 40- GENDER -MT MINITESTER 14.95 SET X -Y AXIS FOR AUTO
SOLDERTAIL SOCKETS{ .ST KEN 12 15 18 1S 20 22 30
CENTER OR
WIREWRAP SOCKETS ..WW BIN .89 69 99 1 09 1.39 1.49 1 69 1 99
e FREE MOVEMENT
SOCKETS ZIFa 4.95 495 595._ 15.95695 995 FIRE EUT TON FOR USE
TOOLED SOCKETS AUGAT..ST 62 .79 1.09 1.29 1 39
89 149 69 249
3
1
WITH GAME SOFTWARE
1.B0210 2.40 2.50~290
TOOLED WW SOCKETS
OMPONENT CARRIERS
AUGAT.V1M
ICC
1
59 '
69 .99 .99 99
315 370 540
99 1A9
109 ,1 49
ADAPTOR CABLE FOR
.
IBM. APPLE II
L DIP PLUGS (IOC) 10P.. a9.59 1.29 1.49 --
,'MINIATLIRECONNECTCIU
85
.,,
1
.,
49
19.95
JDR MICRODEVICES. 110 KNOWLES DRIVE. LOS GATOS, CA 95030 Terms Minimum order SIO 00 For shipping and handling include 52 50 for UPS ground and S3 50
UPS air Orders over Ib and laegn orders may require addoronal shipping charges please
1
LOCAL (408) 866 -6200 FAX (4081 378-8927 TELEX 171 -110 contact the sales department 'O, the amount CA residents mull aclu0e applicable sales Id. AK es
are 5ublect to change without n01Ce We a-e nOl respOns,ble for typographical errors We reserve the
RETAIL STORE: 1256 SOUTH BASCOM AVE., SAN JOSE, CA (408) 947 -8881 right to limit quantities and to substitute manulacturer All merchandise sublecl to pray sale A IuII
copy of our terms it available upon request !terns pictured may only be representative
HOURS: M -F 10-7 SAT. 9-5 SUN. 12-4
INTERMEDIATE 4', D.F. M.O. 50V 3A POWER SUPPLY, Voltage spikes originating from appliances,
120W MOSFET POWER AMP. AND
MORE fluorescent lights, weather, or the powercom-
PROFESSIONALS 1.2GHZ FRED. COUNTER, 300W HO pany-can shorten the useful lifetime of elec-
AMP. 4680W 4 CHANNEL PRO COLOR
LIGHT CONTROLLER, AND MORE.
tronic equipment. Spi -Ro Manufacturing's
SP -6-CB surge protector is designed to pro-
ANYWAY, THE SELECTION IS INCREDIBLE, THE VALUES
ARE EVEN BETTER. AFTER ALL, ASK FOR YOUR OWN tect communications, computer, scientific,
COPY TODAY AND YOU'LL HAVE MORE THAN A CATALOG,
MORE THAN A REFERENCE. and satellite equipment from voltage surges
and spikes on the incoming -power line.
YES, PLS SEND MEA COPY OF THE ALL -NEW FREE MARK V The unit has an EMI/RFI filter and a UL-
CATALOG.
listed surge suppressor. It is rated at 15
NAME
amps, 125 volts, and 60 Hz. The SP -6 -CB
ADDRESS
tl` It:.-l1 provides nanosecond switching response.
1,\
, , t ,
CITY ZIP
144;11j The maximum spike current is 4,500 amps.
t:4.1e7
HARK V ELECTRONICS, INC,
8019 E. SLAUSON AVE., MONTEBELLO. CA 90640.
FAX: (213) 888.1029
OFLI,.L Hi ,.HS PAL,! (. TIME) The 17 -pound Z -286 LP measures only
MON . FRI 9'.30 to 5.00 SAT 10'.00 to 5 0.
3.9 x 14 x 15 inches. It is available with
INFORMATION: (213) a fast 40- megabyte hard -disk drive and a
888.8988 high- density, "media- sensing" 1.44 -mega-
CIRCLE 15 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD byte floppy drive.
rEglialted
specialties co.1
It provides six protected outlets, with a
resettable circuit breaker. An indicator light
COMPUTER CHASSIS
lets the user know that the internal filter net-
IBM APPLE SOFTWARE BLOWOUT!
IBM TITLES APPLE TITLES with POWER SUPPLY work is operating.
)n Graph VIv TOO, for V,sWord FlashCaK ' Heavy Duty Plastic Cos.
)n Cat AppcaH0ns Manager Ns*GaK '17-x 17'16'0D The SP -6-CB costs $29.95. For additional
)n Wad DesIdopPIan VSILInk Hinged Dnve Mounting A
Pc VmFil. V'vDet br 2 Hal Height Floppy Dv..
.
P,ac
DELTEC se ica nr
Mm GearReduronMoor
n RS -232 A
PudcalwY'
All Controlling Electronics AC LINE CONDITIONER BREAKOUT BOX
Assone0 Switches, Fan.
400 WATT I
Swnchable Lines
Solenoid Ekminales AC line noise LED Indicators
THESE UNITS ARE OEM MODELS and regulates to a constant patch Tarm,naI b Jun,
Jumpers
AND REQUIRE A COMPUTER CON- 120 VAC
Compact Site ,
TROLLER (NOT AVAILABLE FROM Reliable Fenronesonam Trans
HALTED) THEY CONNAT BE MAN- Attractive Case wnh Power (-
UALLY CONTROLLED. Cord. Outlets. and SwrrcN AA '
As -b" $99.00 cnaatBteak,$149.00
0
:.?.
:s;` ? S?4,4
I
/
,
, j. DIG ITAI.
LOGIC
PROBE
Simplifies
-
analyzing digital
circuit operation.
I!I)W A^EAI
r
T E N I f 1
I I<
u,
I. E. 1114bn- high IiIx, I,..1.--
h a. Iru11. anJ ,tgtlahlr.
I
$59.00 Iakr
LA,
6. AnJIx.11,
In ml anmul ., nu. 1s Jill
anJ,ill.
7. Ht m.,Jeure In.,,n.ump
r1 al. ,h, ,I I. Ix, tragt.
1 41 ,
The skip keys and memory key allow for
\,,,mt al al. 4,4
Other products include: bars, rings, low -temp. thermo-
I l%
years.
The Fluke 83 33/4 -digit sealed multimeter tended for private
Similar units sold else-
offers a powerful combination of measure- home use only. It is where for 199 or more!
ment functions, including frequency, capaci- not intended to copy UNCONDITIONAL 30
tance, duty cycle, MIN MAX Alert, and Input
rental movies or DAYS MONEY BACK
"The rnrnputer is down again- CIRCLE 75 ON FREE INFORMATION ('ARD cTEE 4251 CYPRESS DRIVE
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39212
If ten fingers are not enough for speedy keyboarding, try putting 'our big toe to work!
The faster you type, the more your PC -Pedal is a unique combination input on the numeric keypad without
computer's keyboard slows you of hardware and software. The hard- touching the <Num Lock> key. That
down. The culprits are the very keys ware consists of the foot pedal itself, a feature will bring a tear to an accoun-
that make your computer so powerful. rubber- topped, skid -proof switch that tant's eye.
Every time you press the Control clicks on when you press and off when
<Ctrl >, the Alternate <Alt >, the Shift, you release, plus a six -foot cord that Additional Features. In addition to
the Delete <Del >, the Backspace, the attaches to your computer. PC- Pedal's defining PC -Pedal as the <Ctrl >,
Caps Lock, or the Number Lock <Num software is an assortment of easy -to- <Alt >, or < Shift> key, you can simplify
Lock> keys, your hands have to leave use programs on disk; the commands the Backspace- and -<Del> function.
the home row. The result? Delays, add- you enter define the pedal's behavior. In WordStar (like several other word -
ed stress on your already overworked PC -Pedal is compatible with nearly processing programs), you press the
weakest fingers (the pinkies), and dis- every word processing, spreadsheet, <Del> key to erase a character to the
ruption of your smooth typing rhythm. In and applications program on the mar- left. In other programs, you press the
fact, those interruptions can cut the ket. You'll find that, as with driving a <Backspace> key to perform the
average computer typist's speed by car, playing the piano, or sewing, the same function. Neither key is conve-
half or more. use of your foot will become so in- niently positioned, but the <Space>
Now, thanks to PC-Pedal, you can stinctive and natural, you'll use the Bar is so easy that you'll choose the
eliminate keyboard problems by put- pedal automatically with almost any alternative PC -Pedal command, ped-
ting them on the floor. Whatever your software. It's easy to learn, because al plus <Space> bar for the
shoe size, PC -Pedal is a perfect fit. And PC -Pedal doesn't change the be- < Backspace >-and- < Delete >, func-
if the notion of typing with your feet havior of the keys it redefines. You tion every time.
sounds strange, consider sewing ma- should save typing time and effort the What if you want to use more than
chines, organs, pianos, airplanes, au- very first time you use it. one PC -Pedal definition in a single edi-
tomobiles, and dictation equipment. ting session? No problem. Type the ap-
All use convenient foot pedals; why Stepping Up Your Speed. With PC- propriate multiple key command;
shouldn't your computer? Pedal you can define the foot switch then tell PC-Pedal what you want it to
as the <Ctrl> Key, a timesaving con- represent by depressing the pedal
venience for someone using WordStar and desired key simultaneously. For
or any program that makes extensive example, pedal plus <Shift> defines
use of the <Ctrl> key. The command the pedal as the <Shift> key until you
for that option couldn't be simpler: you press another combination, such as
type PEDCTRL and press the <Enter> pedal plus <Ctrl >, which defines it as
key. Throughout your edit session, PC- the <Ctrl> key.
Pedal replaces the <Ctrl> key. Not
only is the PC -Pedal faster than using How Easy Is It? The host computer
the <Ctrl> key, it's often faster than that you wish to use PC -Pedal must be
pressing a pre -defined function key, an IBM PC, or be 100% IBM compati-
such as the <FI> or <F2> keys. ble, and must be equipped with 100%
Someone using a word -processing IBM -compatible parallel -printer port.
program that makes little use of the For instance, the QuadBoard parallel
<Ctrl> key, such as MicroSoff Word or port will not support the PC- Pedal, but
MultiMate, can save time and in- most others will. PC -Pedal operates on
crease typing speed by using PC -Ped- IBM PC, IBM XT, IBM AT, AT &T Personal
al as the <Shift> key. If your project Computer, Compaq, Zenith 150, Can-
includes many words, phrases, or titles on, and other true IBM -compatibles.
The PC -Pedal attaches to your computer's in capital letters, PC -Pedal bypasses As a sample of how easy it is to get the
parallel printer port via a through con- the irritating <Caps Lock> key. And if big toe functioning, here are the in-
nector. That allows you to use that port or you're using Lotus 1 -2 -3, you can switch structions you must follow to get PC-
both your printer and the pedal. between Cursor control and numeric Pedal working:
24
1. Attach the through- connector to a TABLE 1
parallel printer port and plug your Single -Key Programs
printer back through the same con-
nector. Do this with the power off. When Command Defines Pedal As Program File
the connection is complete, power-up PEDSHIFT Shift Key PEDSHIFT.COM
the computer. PEDALT Alternate Key PEDALT.COM
2. Use the DOS DISKCOPY corn - PEDCTRL Control Key PEDCTRL.COM
mand to make a working backup
TABLE 2
copy of the original program disk. Put
Double -Key Programs
the original program disk in a safe
place and use the backup to install Command Defines Pedal As Program File
PC-Pedal. SHIFTCTL <Shift> or <Ctrl> Key SHIFTCTL.COM
3. Insert the backup copy of the PC- SHIFTALT <Shift> or <Alt> Key SHIFTALT.COM
Pedal disk in Drive A: and enter the CTRLALT <Ctrl> or <Alt> Key CTRLALT.COM
installation command, SETUP. Press the
<Enter> key. housed in a black -steel case. A rub- board program that produces the
4. Use the DOS COPY command to ber -top tread on the unit mates with effect you want and then step on the
copy the PC -Pedal programs you the sole of the footwear you use; slip- pedal each time you want that effect
want to use onto your word processing, page is nil. A six -foot length of to occur. At first, try the simplest corn -
spreadsheet, or applications pro- stranded two- conductor cable has foil binations; that is, try defining PC -Pedal
grams and DOS disks. shielding and drain wire in accor- as a single state key (the <Shift> key
5. To use PC- Pedal, load the desired dance with FCC requirements. A 25- by itself, the <Alt> key by itself, or the
program(s) into memory by typing the pin subminiature "D" through -con- <Ctrl> key by itself). As you become
appropriate command(s). Load PC- nector is configured for attachment of more confident, try PC- Pedal's multi -
Pedal after any program that changes both printer and the PC -Pedal to the key programs.
the keyboard and before all other pro- same parallel port on the computer. PC -Pedal works in combination with
grams. Through screws assure secure connec- most word -processing, spreadsheet,
tion to the mating "D" connector on the and applications packages. In most
Operating The PC- Pedal. The foot second device. cases, the best time to run PC -Pedal is
pedal is made of formed steel and is To operate PC- Pedal, run the key- (Continued on page 103)
.
_a
` % Rated: 0.1 amp
switching,
0.25 amp carry
1- high x 7/8' die.
P.C. board mount.
r 4
Introducing the CDK-52, Controller Design Kit. Now
projects with un-
J` 1 current. P.C. mount.
CATI PB -8 65e each
CATI PBZ -84 $1.75 each
XENON TUBE
you can build advance home -brew
believable ease and economy.
I .
10 for $6 0C
The CDK-52 is unique circuit bread -boarding tool,
a
ri_-.-,-
l
24 VOLT D.C.SOLENOID that combines a powerful control- oriented micro-
intermittent duty cycle. 240 ohm coil. Mounting flange processor, and a simple open bus structure for interfac-
s 1/8" wide. Solenoid body 11/2' X 1/2' X 1/2"
1
r- long tlashtube prepped ing to your own circuit designs. It also contains a high-
s
"A,"1'
C CAT*/ SOL -34 $1.00 each
10 for $8 50 100 for $75 00
Large Quantity Available
with 3 1/2" red and black
'eads. Ideal tor electronic
+lash or strobe projects.
end BASIC interpreter, EPROM Programmer, BK RAM,
Serial Port, 24 Bit I/O Port, and much more. The
CATI FLT -3 2 for $1 00 CDK -52 comes in kit form. and includes two comprehen-
10 AMP SOLID STATE sive Users Manuals.
RELAY N- CHANNEL
MOSFET The CDK -52 gives you the ability to learn software/
ELECTROL 452161
CONTROL:5.5 - 10 Vdc hardware integrating techniques, create BASIC lan-
TO-220 case
111E -511
( will operate 3- 32Vdc)
CAT# IRF 511
guage programs, perform I/O experiments, or even build
LOAD: 10 Amp @ 240 Vac
2 1/4- X 3/4" X 7/8"
,/A $1.00 each a complete process control system. So whether your
CATI SSRLY -10B $9.50 each
1
10 for $9.00 interests are Home Energy Management, Speech Syn-
10 for $85.00 25 tor $175.00
LARGE OUANTITY
AVAILABLE
thesis, or Robotics, the CDK -52 is the "Right Stuff" for
50 for $300 00 100 for $500 00 building today's hi -tech home -brew projects.
MAIL ORDERS TO: ORDER TOLL FREE As a limited introductory offer, the versatile CDK-52
can be yours for only $249.00. And, for an added plus,
ALL ELECTRONICS 800- 826 -5432 we'll even pay your shipping charges. To get your
P.O. BOX 567 INFO: (818)904 -0524
FAX: (818)781 -2653 CDK -52 +III
I
26
look and feel of an expensive high duction delivered by the unit was
tech instrument. completely unaltered
The Airdaptor module is powered The Jetset System is manufactured First aid kits are line lot ,orne emergen-
by two inexpensive "AAA" batteries by Lotus Developments, Ltd in the cies But what it you were choking' Has mg
a heart attack' Or a stroke 'This kit would be
For convenience and longest battery United Kingdom, and is available for useless
life, power is automatically switched immediate delivery to U S air travelers Call the Red Cross Hill teach .ou and .our
employee, how a, sa.e a Ille .
off when the headset is disconnected from. Executive Travelware, P.O. Box Front work -.ales, to ('PR sou can Lount on
the Red Cross Well help. Will you?
for storage.
Address
PRINTER SPOOLER/BUFFER
Free up your computer and avoid switching cables between machines with
this combination print bu/fcy and automatic T- switch
BY JOHN EMERSON
Igot my start in computing several System Overview. The PSB circuit computers, but there's never more
years ago, with a home-brew 8085 - (see Fig. 1) has a relatively low parts than one form feed.
based computer running the CP /M op- count, and handshakes with Cen- In the text mode, additional switches
erating system. When fairly sophisti- tronics- compatible parallel printers allow the unit to expand tabs and form
cated CAD packages started show- and ports. It is built around an 8031 feeds, although they are fixed at 8-
ing up for MS -DOS, purchased an XT
I microcontroller, which is supported by spaces per tab and 66 -lines per page.
clone. However, with a large invest- readily available parts. The PSB has While my printer is very fast, it doesn't
ment in CP /M software, wasn't ready
I two major modes of operation: graph- understand a tab code. I've also had
to relegate my old 8085 system to the ics and text. In the graphics mode, even dumber printers that didn't un-
dust heap. And therein began my di- what goes in, comes out. A form -feed derstand form feeds. The PSB can
lemma -two computers and only one character is inserted after each com- compensate for those shortcomings.
printer. puter releases the buffer. Characters In the graphics mode, those switch-
It seemed that no matter which cannot be swapped, inserted, or de- es are disabled because the circuit
computer was using, the printer was
I leted because most control codes are can't tell the difference between a tab
hooked up to the other. And although also valid pin -patterns for dot -matrix or form-feed and the graphics bit -pat-
my printer is extremely fast, outputting printers in the graphics mode. terns 09H and OCH.
400 lines per minute, waiting for the The main difference between the
printout of a long listing was tiresome.
I graphics and text modes lies in the The 8031 Microcontroller. Like the
had spooler programs, but they use way that form feeds are handled. The popular Z80, the 8031 has built -in
memory, disk space, and bus cycles. text mode eats them. That is, the input clock -generation circuits, eliminating
The spooler programs also assumed a routine inserts a form -feed between the cost of external clock hardware
much slower printer, which caused the computers (as in the graphics mode), and allowing it to operate directly
print speed to be cut to less than 100 but the output routine keeps track of from a crystal. And as we all know, any
reduction in parts count, reduces the
lines per minute. The Print Buffer/
-
Spooler (PSB) discribed in this article
which combines the functions of an
the last character printed. If the last
character printed was a form -feed,
the PSB deletes any additional, con-
final cost.
Unlike the Z80, the 8031 uses a modi-
automatic T- switch and a 64K secutive form-feeds. In other words, fied Harvard architecture, with sepa-
spooler- solved both my problems. there's always one form-feed between rate address spaces for programs and
29
vcC
RESET
54 I 68UFc1
0 o- C2
220/330 )I ?
R1 3OPF
8.2K 10 Y1
3.58MHZ
C3
P'.. 1 30PF
P1-1 jA/STB
\LPf-3 IADO
U2
<P1-5 AQ1 1C7CLK
1-
<P1-7 IAD2 OC
18 07 07
<P1-9 I AQ_3 1
O6 06 36
P1-11 IAD4 05 05 32
04 04
\P1-13 IA05 03 03
4 02 02
<P1-15 IA06 OS 01 2
2- DO 00
<P1-17 iA.1D7 74L5374
Ep1-19 IA/ACK 2
<P1-25 IA/BY 7417
<P1-21 IABY
<P1-23 IPE
<P1-2B I/FLT
<P1-2 '
<P1-4
V C
<P1-6 4
<Pi-8
<P1-10 R2
1K
<PS-12
/P1_-14
<P1-16 SWITCH OPERATION
4 1- OPEN GRAPHICS MODE
U3A 223 DISABLED
<P1-1B O 1- CLOSED TEXT MODE
263 ENABLED
<P1-20 2- OPEN TABS PASSED
OLK 2- CLOSED TABS EXPANDED
<P1-22 EVERY B COLUMNS
E >a 6 3- OPEN FORMS PASSED
<P1-24 1 74L974 3- CLOSED -FORM FEEDS
<P1-33 1 EXPANDED EVERY
66 LINES
VCC
P2-1
< P2-3
<P2-5 R3
I801 SK
< P2-7 IBD2
P2-9
<P2-11 I
r<22-1-4"-11=
< P2-13 I806
Io07 U7
<P2-19 I
P2-25 I
P2-2
P2-23
P2-2
f<-2-?=-1
<P2-4
< P2-8
7417 uao
B
<P2-B
_-- O
(112=LIP
P2-32
P2-14
<P2-16 U13
J1
<P2-18 POWER VI VO
9V DC SPST
_-2_0
P2
< P2-22
_ ON/OFF qg
330 T C5
2OUF ILM7605
y C6
<P2-24 T68UF
< P2-33 CR1
LED
L
30
U5 UB
31
19
E-A-/VP PO.O
PO.1
39
38
ADQ_/
AD;_/
A02 /
L \ A00
AD
A
3
4
7
00
01
00
01 5
6
AO1
A2
\.
\ AO 14- AO
U9__
11 A00 /
P0.2 B 02 02 00
/ \ A04
X1 6 A03/ \_AD 9 A3 \ / Al___ 12 401 /
P0.3 03 09 AS 01 AD2 /
13 2 A4 \ / A2 6 A2 02
12 4-:
13
18 PO.4 A 14 04 04 / A3 15 AD3 /
A3 D3
\\ //
X2 P0.5 7
PO.8 33 A06 / \ AO 17 05 6
A4 04 ADA /
/ 16_ DB A7 A4 A05 /
32 407 AO 9
3 S6
---
P0.7 07 07 Ag 4 18 AD6 /
RESET / A7 AB D6 19 407 /
P2.0 OC A7 07
it1 INTO
P2.1
P2.2
P2.3
22
23
-3-4-A
A9
A,Q__
1
\ 111`
G
741_5373
/ F9 2 A8
A9
INT1 32
/ A101 23
P2.4 A30
1
TO
TS P2.5
P2.8
P2.7
26
27
20
A13
414 /%A_}A1326
/ A-1--`-?
A13
4
A14 1
A 12
!
P1.0
P1.1
P1.2
P1.3 YR 216
L_ 22c
be
P1.4 PSEN ,r9 /NE
P1.5 ALE/P 30 RAM32Kx8
P1.8 XO
TRXD
10
P1.7
8031
U10
\ AO 10 AO 00 11 ADO/
\ Al
A2
A3
B
9
Al
7 A2
01
02 13
15
A02/
AD3/
A4 A3 03 16 AQ4 /
//
6
\ A5
A6
7
j
4
A4
AS
A6
A7
04
05
06
07
1D6
17
1
6
405 /
A
A07
\
\__. A8
A9
23
24 A8
L_
\
410
All
21
23
AO
A10
Al2
A13
2
26
All
Al2
\ A14 A13
1
A14
1
012 30C /CE
/OE
74LSO4
VCC VCC RAM32KXB
\\_ASAO 10
9
U1 1
AO
Al
00
01
11
12
ADO /
ADS /
6 13 AD2 /
A A2 02 A03/
51
\
\ A4
\ AS
\ A6
7
6
4
3
A3
A5
A6
03
04
05
06
07
15
S6
17
18
39
A
A04 /
/
AD6 /
4D7 /
O 0
25_ A8
-^.PST TOGGLE 21 P S T3 P3-1 >
23_ ASO
A11
GRAPHICS /TEXT PODO P3-3 >
2 Al2
VCC
USA 20 P3-5 >
C4
001
CEXT 27
3 VPP
-4
P002 P3-7 >
P3-9 >
15 REXT/CEXT 2764
P004 P3-_1 4
13
A O
4
3 P3-13)
3C CLR t] PODS P3-15)
74LS123 P3-171
P007
P3-21)
P3-23)
P3-28)
P3-2 )
P3-4 )
P3-6 )
P3-8 )
P3-10,
UNLERS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED:
ON ALL 14 PIN IC'S OND -PIN 7. VCC -PIN 14 P3-12)
ON ALL 18 PIN IC'S OND -PIN 8. VCC -PIN 18
ON ALL 18 PIN IC'S OND -PIN 0. VCC -PIN 18 P3-14)
ON ALL 20 PIN IC'S GNO -PIN 10. VCC -PIN 20
ON ALL 24 PIN IC'S OND -PIN 12. VCC -PIN 24 P3-16)
ON ALL 28 PIN IC'S GNO -PIN 14. VCC -PIN 28
ON ALL 40 PIN IC'S ONO -PIN 20. VCC -PIN 40 P3-1B,
ALL RESISTORS ARE 1/4 WATT 5X P3-20i
CAPACITORS C7 -C16 NUST BE PLACED AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE TO U1 -U12 V P3-22)
RESPECTIVELY. TO ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF NOISE IMMUNITY. P3-24)
IC15 P3-33)
yC7 1C8 -1-00 1C10yC10 yCii IC12 IC13
IC11 -1-C14 -.LC16 -I-C17 C18
I1 Ti 1 Ti T TS 1.1 T3 IS TS T1 TS
Fig. 1 -The Print Spooler/Buffer-built around an 8031 microcontroller, which is supported by readily available
parts -has a low parts count, and handshakes with Centronics- compatible parallel printers and ports.
31
data. A true Harvard architecture has ing registers. Because 32K static RAMs Flip -flop U3 -a's Q output goes low,
separate address and data buses, al- are fairly expensive, wrote the soft-
I giving computer A an active -low busy
lowing that type of computer to read ware to test for the presence of exter- signal (IA /BY) and sending an interrupt
or write data for the current instruction nal RAM, and generate a small (104 - to U5 (the 8031 microprocessor). An in-
while it simultaneously reads the next byte) buffer in that internal memory. terrupt (or interrupt service routine) tells
instruction, making it a very fast corn - Although not used in the printer - the processor to stop its current task,
puter. sharer circuit, the 8031 has a full du- save its place, and do something else
The 8031 has common address and plex, interrupt- driven serial port (UART) for a while. On completion of the inter-
data busses, but separate read lines onboard. It is available in versions with rupt service routine, the processor re-
for program ( /PSEN) and data ( /RD). onboard ROM (8051) and even turns to the original task.
That doesn't increase speed over a EPROM (8751). If external memory is not During the interrupt service routine,
common address space, but it does required, the data, address, and pin 10 of U5 is brought low. That signal
effectively double the amount of handshake pins may be configured as enables the three -state outputs of U2 to
memory that the 8031 can address. It up to four 8 -bit parallel ports. For con- send the buffered byte to U5 pins to 81
can address up to 64K of program and trol functions, each I/O port bit can be (P1.0- P1.7). The interrupt routine then
up to 64K of data, for a maximum of addressed individually. reads the data through P1.0-P1.7 (U5
128K, compared to the Z80's 64K total The 8031 instruction set includes the pins -8) and brings pin 10 high again.
1
(without external bank -switching hard- ability to set or clear individual bits in The high -to -low transition clears U3 -a,
ware). That permits the use of a full 64K the accumulator, several registers, removing the busy signals being re-
buffer, plus 8K of program, without the and the I/O ports, and to test those turned to the computer. The low -to-
bank -switching hardware that the Z80 same bits and perform a jump on bit high transition returns U2 to its three -
would have needed. set or cleared. Arithmetic functions in- state mode. The output of U5 at pin 10 is
The 8031 has two on- board, 16 -bit clude multiply and divide instructions, buffered by U3 -a and returned to the
timer /counter circuits, allowing one each of which is executed in just four computer as an acknowledge signal
computer to time -out when it is done cycles. The rest of the instructions are (IA /ACK).
with the buffer, something that could executed in one or two cycles. The interrupt-service routine, having
be done entirely in software (with a accepted the first byte from computer
speed penalty) in a Z80 system. That Circuit Analysis. Assume that corn - A, places that byte into the 64K buffer.
scheme avoids some additional pro- puter A places a byte of data on the That disables responses to computer
gramming or external counter hard- IADO -IAD7 terminals of PL1, then pulses B's interrupt lead and sets one of the
ware. PL1's IA /STB terminals low. On the rising internal timer /counters for 15 seconds.
The 8031 has a good interrupt struc- (trailing) edge of the pulse, the data Once the timer /counter starts running,
ture, allowing the timer and two com- from PL1's IADO -IAD7 terminals is it returns to the main program.
puter- interface ports to be interrupt clocked into U2. The same rising edge The sequence is repeated for each
driven without incurring a hardware clocks U3 -a. Flip -flop U3 -a's o output character sent by computer A. With
penalty. With the Z80, some sort of de- goes high, sending an active -high each character, the timer is reset to
coding hardware would be required busy signal (IABY) back to computer count out 15 seconds. As long as com-
to handle three sources. The 8031 has A -which is interpreted by the com- puter A delays no more than 15 sec-
128 bytes of onboard RAM, 32 of which puter to mean "Don't send me any onds between characters, the counter
are organized into four banks of work- more, I'm processing." never reaches zero, and computer B's
interrupt remains disabled.
J1
Assume computer A has the buffer,
and that less than 15 seconds have
elapsed since it sent the last character.
S2/S3
Computer B sends one character.
When its IB /STB signal sets U3 -b, that
flip -flop sends busy and not -busy sig-
nals back. Meanwhile, the character is
latched into U4. Since U5 is prevented
U13 from acknowledging computer B's in-
terrupt, the character is not read into
PL3 the buffer. Computer B gets a continu-
ous busy signal, and cannot send any
more characters.
n S5 Meanwhile, U5 continues to accept
o ON/OFF characters from computer A at over
zo S1
TEXT/ 2000 characters-per- second (cps), as-
Ir GRAPHICS
i- K suming that computer A can send that
o
LLI
la
fast. Fifteen seconds after computer A
w 1 has sent its last character, the timer (no
Z CRI S4
longer being reset) arrives at zero, and
O RESET
ch generates its own interrupt.
ZShown here is a top-side view pl. the Print Bu%/er /Spooler's fully- populated printed- At that point, the timer -interrupt ser-
= circuit hoard prior to the sealing of its metal enclosure. vice routine stops the timer and inserts
32
a form -feed character into the buffer into U7, the processor clears the
after the last character received from P1.O -P1.7 terminals and returns the port
computer A. It then enables the inter- to the input mode. It then re- enables
rupt signals from both computers. the active computer's interrupt and
Computer A's interrupt is already en- goes back to polling the printer's busy
abled, but computer B has been wait- signal.
ing for that signal. In text mode, however, the previous
On return from the timer interrupt, the character is saved in one of the regis-
processor recognizes the pending ters. The current character is tested, to
computer-B interrupt, originating at see if it is a form feed. If it is not, the
the C5 output of U3 -b, present at U5 pin character is sent normally. If it is a form
13. The computer-B interrupt service feed, the character is then compared A Kwll- mounted power supply capable of
to the previous character. If that was providing between S and 24 -volts DC at
routine accepts the character from U4,
placing it into the buffer immediately also a form feed, it returns to the main
l amp can be used to power the Print Buf-
fer/ Spooler. The author chose a 9 -volt
after the timer's form-feed. That clears loop without sending the character. unit as his power source.
U3 -b (removing the busy for computer The result is that multiple, consecutive
B), disables the computer -A interrupt, form -feeds are disallowed. feeds and bumps the counter, return-
sets the timer (again for 15 seconds), ing to the main loop when the form -
and then returns to the main loop. feed counter rolls over. Note that that
As long as computer B continues to routine is placed after the multiple
send characters at intervals of less form -feed test.
than 15 seconds, the interrupt for corn - Switches are used to set the upper
puter A remains disabled. The circuit addresses of the program memory.
can accept characters from comput- That approach may seem a bit
er B, while continuing to print computer strange, but there is a good reason. In
A's file from the buffer. Should the buffer designing the basic unit, all available
become full (temporarily stopping the signal pins on the 8031 (U5) were used. I
timer), the active computer interrupt is had no way to add features by testing
disabled until the main loop has taken a switch and doing a conditional
one character from the buffer and sent branch because had no place left to
I
it on to the printer. The interrupt is then Three ribbon cables are need to connect attach the switches. Instead, wroteI
re-enabled. the PSB between your two computers and five different versions of the program.
the printer. One end of each cable is Each version has its logical origin at
The main -loop software takes
terminated in a 34 -pin header connector. address 0000H, even though they are
characters from the buffer anc sends
The other ends of the cables terminate
them to the printer. Because it uses the physically loaded into ROM at ad-
in connectors selected to mate with the
same I/O bus for sending that the inter- computer or printer ports to which they
dress 0 (text mode, expand forms and
rupts use for receiving, it must tem- are to be attached. tabs), 400H (text mode, expand only
porarily disable the active computer's forms), 800H (text mode, expand only
interrupt for the duration of the transfer, The disallowance of consecutive tabs), OCOOH (basic text mode, no ex-
then remember which computer was form feeds is a very useful feature. For pansions), and 1COOH (graphics
active, and re-enable its interrupt example, consider that my text editor mode). The switches then select which
when the job is complete. inserts a form feed at the end of each of the five physical addresses are pre-
The main loop polls T1 (U5 pin 15), an file, my 8080 assembler inserts a form sented to the processor as address
input connected to the printer's busy feed at the beginning of each file, and zero.
signal. If the printer is busy processing the sharer program inserts a form feed Because the five programs are not
the last character sent, U5 sits in a tight between files. If a text file were printed, identical, changing any mode switch
loop, testing and re- testing pin 15. followed by a program listing, could
I while operating could easily send the
When the busy signal is cleared, the end up with three consecutive form - 8031 (U5) branching off to never -never
loop is expanded to test for a feeds between the two documents -a land. The switches should only be
character in the buffer. waste of paper -if that feature were changed with the power off.
If the printer is not busy and there is at missing. In hardware, the paper empty
least one character in the buffer, the The tab -expansion feature uses a (POPE) and fault (PO /FLT) signals from
processor disables the active comput- register and software to count charac- the printer tire buffered by U1-c and U1-
er interrupt, takes the next character ters (modulo 8). Non -printing charac- d, and sent directly to both computers.
from the buffer, places it on U5's ters, such as a line -feed or bell, do not The 8031 doesn't need to know the type
P1.0 -P1.7 terminals, and uses the port as count. A carriage return resets the of error; it simply sees a busy signal
an output. The processor then brings its counter. When a tab character is en- from the printer and can't send.
pin 14 high, allowing data to be fed to countered, the program branches to a
U7. When pin 14 of U5 is brought low loop, printing space characters and Construction. The authors prototype
again, the data is latched into U7, and bumping the counter until it rolls over, of the circuit was fabricated on a dou-
U6 -a (which is set to produce the 1.5 -s and then returns to the main loop. ble -sided printed- circuit board, the
pulse that the printer expects) is trig- Similarly, the form -feed expansion foil patterns for that board are shown in
gered. counts line -feeds (modulo 66). When a Fig. 2. You can, if you wish, wire -wrap
Once the data has been latched form feed is encountered, it prints line the Print/Buffer Spooler, but bear in
1
..
0-
l:1.
tt
WO
ifTle ir JoIT 1
A
....:.......1
... . I
S.
.0
ICI
-
00 000 t
..... .
1 111
T',
: 1
ARALLEL 94AFiER/gLFFE7
J
r
,?
94100000,00 -40
Li
1tt 17_
B 1
i
'
L.
1 .
1
I I
.
- :
---
-.
t.,,
1e
we
;
,tJ
..1'+ 1,
.
,1tt1
19'T9119
.
l'
i9t\ 1,91
r
,:,1 11 t
i
--.-.m .
-._ .
. ,
s , "
t ,4l
I...t...t..tt1
1
1 t
I
L'
1 1
PARALLEL SHARER /OFFER I
Fig. 2 -The J1ull -scale JOil pattern for the double -.sided printed -circuit hoard.
precautions are an absolute necessity.
The component side is shown in A: the solder side is shorn in B.
The RAMs are not necessary to the
mind that there are some fairly-high Y1, Y1 to C2 and C3, and C2 and C3 to sharing operation. The program tests
frequencies running through the cir- ground. In the area of U6, the paths for their presence and sets itself up ac-
cuit. So, if you go the wire -wrap route, from U6 to C4 and R3, and from R3 to cording to the amount of RAM found.
it's important that lead lengths be kept Vcc, should also be kept fairly short. The circuit can be built and will work
as short as possible, especially in the Note that the 32K static RAMs are without them. They can be added
paths running from U5 pins 18 and 19 to CMOS devices and as such, anti- static later, as your budget permits.
34
PARTS LIST FOR THE PRINT SPOOLER /BUFFER
SEMICONDUCTORS C'4-- 0.011 -1.1.F, ceramic disc The following items are available from
UI -7417 hex buffer/driver, integrated
C5- 220F, 35 -WVDC, electrolytic the author: pre- programmed EPROM,
(vertical mount) $8.95 (containing the algorithms for
circuit
U2, U4- 74LS374 octal 13-type flip-
C7 C18--0.I -p.E ceramic disc all five modes of operation); double-
flop, integrated circuit ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS
sided glass-epoxy printed- circuit
U3-74LS74 dual D -type flip-flop, il- Selected to match power-supply board, UL FR-4 rated (with solder
mask and silk -screened component-
integrated circu connector (see text)
U5-8031 microprocessor (CPU w /128 PLIPL3-34 -pin header (Digi -Key placement legend) $15.95; source
X 8 RAM I/O), integrated circuit R230 -ND) code (MS -DOS 3.2 format 51/4-inch
U6-74LS123 dual monostable SI, SS-Single -pole. single -throw toggle floppy disk containing the original
multivibrator, integrated circuit switch source files for all five modes of
U7, U8- 74LS373 octal D-type S2, S3-2-place DIP switch (Digi-Key operation) $19.95; Deluxe hacker-pak,
transparent latch, integrated circuit CT2062) $39.95 (includes all of the above, plus
a full -size print of the schematic).
U9, U10-43256 -1SL RAM, integrated S4- Single-pole, single -throw normally- Make check or money order payable
circuit open, pushbutton switch
UI 1-2764 8 X 8 EPROM, integrated YI-3.58 -MHz color-burst crystal to John Emerson, PO Box 43, Elgin,
circuit Printed circuit or perfboard materials, IL 60121. Please specify item(s) and
U12-741SO4 hex inverter, integrated 34 -pin header connectors (Digi -Key quantity desired. All orders subject to
circuit R8305 -ND mates with PLIPL3), 34- $2.00 postage and handling. Illinois
U13 -7805 5 -volt, 1 -amp regulator, conductor ribbon cable, 8- to 24 -volt residents please include 6% sales tax.
integrated circuit wall- mounted DC power supply,
CR1-T1-3/4 or similar light- emitting enclosure, IC sockets, wire, solder, Popular Electronics will send a print
diode hardware, etc. out of the program listing at no cost
Note: All resistors, capacitors, switches until January 31, 1989, provided the
RESISTORS
and connectors. and most ICs are sender submits a self-adressed
(All resistors are 1/4-watt, 5% units,
available from Digi -Key Corporation, envelope with sufficient postage for
unless otherwise noted.)
PO box 677, Thief River Falls, MN two ounces of first class mail
R1, R4 -8200 -ohm
56701 -9988. The 8031 and 43256 -15L (currently $.45). Mail your request to
R2, R3, R5-R7 -I000-ohm
32K x 8 static RAMs are available Buffer/Spooler, Popular Electronics,
R8- 330-ohm from Jameco Electronics, 1355
Z1, Z2-220/330 -ohm terminating 500-B Bi -county Boulevard,
Shoreway Road, Belmont, CA 94002. Farmingdale, New York 11735). Mail
network (14 pin DIP)
The terminating networks ZI and Z2 post marked after January 31, 1989
CAPACITORS are available from Ohm Electronics, will not be honored unless a handling
Cl, C6-68 -RF, 16-WVDC, electrolytic Inc., 746 Vermont St., PO Box 368, charge of $2.00 in check (no cash,
(vertical mount) Palatine, IL 60067: Tel. coin, or stamps please) is included
C2, C3 -30 -pF ceramic disc or mica 312/359 -5500. with the request.
tam S5
ON/OFF
when they are installed.
Unless you are a real wizard with a
soldering iron, it's a good idea to invest
in sockets for all the ICs, especially if
, I' U13 O
you are getting some of them from
your junkbox. Even if you are the defi-
nitive expert on soldering and desol-
dering, socket the EPROM.
f15 If you buy the EPROM from the sup-
the necessary signals. Finally, for those true hackers (mas- not. If the sign -on message prints, the
Power for the circuit is provided by a ochists) who have the time, typing problem is in an input section. If
Radio Shack, part No. 277-1026, AC- ability, and desire to key in the hex nothing prints, check the processor. A
to-DC adaptor, but any unit capable data required for the buffer /spooler logic probe or scope should see
of supplying between 8 and 24 -volts of program, you can request a copy of pulses on U5 pin 30. If the printer is
filtered DC at 650 milliamps will do. the complete source code, in Intel hex ready for data, U5 pin 15 should be a
Power input jack J1 is then selected to format, from the address given in the steady low. Probe U5 pin 15 and press
mate with the plug of the power sup- Parts List. the reset button. When you release the
ply. The 7805, properly heat sinked, button, if the processor is working, you
does an excellent job of regulating Operation. When the unit is con- should see a series of pulses as the
with inputs in that range. For heat sink- nected to a printer (both are powered processor sends the sign -on message.
ing, the regulator was bolted directly up) and the printer is placed on line, it Probe U6 pin 1 and repeat the pro-
to the cabinet. The mounting tab of its should immediately print the mes- cedure. If there are no pulses, chances
TO -220 package is connected to sage: TESTING RAM. Less than 6 sec- are that U6 is the culprit.
ground. Mounting the regulator that onds later (immediately if no RAM is If an input problem is indicated, U1
way provides two benefits; no insulator installed), it should print a status mes- and U3 will probably affect both in-
is required and, by connecting the sage similar to: puts, while U2 will only affect input A
metal cabinet directly to logic ground PRINTER SHARER /32K BUFFER and U4 will affect input B, probably
at the regulator, the unit's immunity to COPYRIGHT 1988 - JOHN EMERSON with scrambled characters.
noise and ESD (electrostatic dis- IN TAB EXPAND MODE Scrambled characters at sign -on point
charge) is increased. Note: The buffer size displayed var- to U7. Total failure with an indication
The circuit was housed in a Radio ies with the amount of RAM installed, that the processor is running can prob-
Shack 270 -274A cabinet, but any met- and the mode displayed depends on ably be traced to U8 or U11. An indica-
al enclosure of ample size will do. A the settings of S1, S2, and S3, which are tion, at sign on, that less memory is
metal cabinet is specified primarily for be set according to the instructions available than is installed, could be
heat sinking the 7805, but the extra given in Fig. 1. After the message is caused by a bad RAM or a bad U12.
noise and ESD immunity that such a output, the printer should then form Good luck, and may the data flow
cabinet provides can't hurt. feed to the top of the next page, so be with you.
36
88 c^ FactCard MM74C946:4W/2"Dipit
LCD Display Driver
Counter/Decoder/
1 40 FEATURES
DI
2
VCC
39 Low power operation -less than 100 W quiescent
El
Here are Direct 41 -digit 7- segment display drive for higher con-
C1
3 38
61 B1 trast and long display life
4
Ft Al
37 Pin compatible to intersil's ICM7224
5
OSCILLATOR
36 Store and Fleatt inputs permit operation as frequency or
BACKPLANE
your lie 6
8
A2
B2
GNO
STORE
35
34
33
period counter
True count inhibit disables first counter stage
Carry output for cascading 4 -digit blocks
Schmitt trigger on the clock input allows operation in noisy
C2 RESET
FactCards! 9
10
11
D2
E2
G2
MM74C946
CLOCK
ENABLE
LZO
32
31
30
environments or with slowly changing inputs
Leading zero blanking input and output for correct leading
zero blanking with cascaded devices
On -chip backplane oscillator /driver which can be dis-
12 29 abled to permit slaving of multiple devices to an external
F2 LZI
28 backplane signal
Introducing Hands -On- 13
A3 CARRY
14 27
Electronicsa FactCards. B3 1/2 -DIGIT ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS (Note 1)
15 26
F4
Each issue, Hands-On- 16
C3
D3
25 Voltage at Any Pin -0.3V to Vcc+0.3V
G4 Operating Temperature Range
Electronics'' will present 3 17
E3 E4
24
MM74C946 - 40C to + 85C
new FactCards, each deal- 18
G3 04
23 Storage Temperature Range - 65C to +150C
19 22 Package Dissipation 500 mW
ing with one of a variety of 20
F3 C4
21 Operating Vcc Range 3.0V to 6.0V
electronics topics. Some A4 B4 Absolute Maximum Vcc 6.5V
Lead Temperature (Soldering, 10 seconds) 300'C
will deal with electronics
basics, some will deal with
discrete components, some
will deal with IC's, and
some will deal with circuits
89 &Am FactCard 555 Circuits
and applications.
All will contain the type of
information electronics hob-
01
1N756 LEDI
MV5020 Qfl
WIDE RANGE, TUNABLE FUNCTION GENERATOR
W
+16V C2
K10F
TRIANGLE WAVE I\ --- - 5V
-5 V
Clip your
10 Hz TO SO kHz.) 3140
U10UT OUTPUT
t TR 1
4
R3
3
R2
i R6
555 VC
4.7K DIS Cl
cards, 4.7K
R4
1.5K
`0.002NF
GND
= 0.1 F
SQUARE WAVE
OUTPUT 2
1.5K
o
1t =t2 SRABCCt
and start
building
90' 1
14 1 13 1 12
FactCard
11 10
4073:Triple 3 -Input AND Gate
4075:Triple 3 -Input OR Gate
1
FEATURES
your Wide supply voltage range
High noise immunity
Low power TTL
3.0V to 15V
0.45 Vcc typ.
fan out of 2 driving 74L
FactCards compatibility
5V - 10 V - 15 V parametric ratings
Symmetric output characteristics
or 1 driving 74LS
library 11I1I1I1Il
1 2 13 14 5 6 17
range
Empa
ronKS. L
CD4073BM /CD4075BM
CD4073BC'CD4075BC
- 55 C to + 1225C
- 40C to + 85C
1 2 4
-Digit Counter/Decoder/
88 Ere:Wi^ FactCard MM74C946:41/2
LCD Display Driver
For new
Tip Units Parameter 1 Cateigitir7,1407170nIts
CMOS TO CMOS
VT. Positive =5V, VIN 2.9
CMOS TO CMOS
ideas in
Going Threshold
Voltage
(t)
V
V
V Oscillator Input
Current (losI)
Voc =5V, VIN =
OV /5V
1.0 ILA
VT- Negative
Going Threshold
Voo =5V, VIN
(5 4) V
2.2 V
Supply Current
(Icc)
V
OVV/SV
= 5V, VIN = 10 A
electronics
Oscillator Input When Driving
Hysteresis
(VT . - VT )
Voc = 5V 0.7 V
Voltage
VIN IOSCI
VIE (ose)
Oscillator Pin
with
External Signal
V
V read
Logical "1" (VIN{,!) Vcc =5V V
Logical "0" (V,Nt01) Vcc =5V
Vcc =5V, lo=
V CMOS/LPTTL
INTERFACE
Radio-
Logical "1- V
ryo1,T)) - 10 lu4 Logical "1" Vcc =4.75V V
Logical "0" Vcc =5V, lo =
+ 10 IAA
V (VIN(,))
Logical "0" Voc =4.75V V
Electronics
(Vou1(o))
Clock Input Vc =5V, (VIN(0))
VIN = 0.005 A
During
and
Current (IN) 5V/OV Logical "1" Vcc =4.75, 1o= V
Input Current 0( V c = 5V, VIN = -12.0 tuo (your())) -360 A
the next
Pins 29, 31,33 0V Logical "0" Voo =4.75V, V
34
AP (Vagno),
12
S d><
FactCard 555 Circuits months
Radio -Electronics
INVERTING BISTABLE BUFFER
will carry up -to -the
WIDE -RANGE SUUARE WAVERRIANGLE WAVE GENERATOR +V
minute articles on:
R1' hobby computers
01
+15V 22K 6 R +V
E230
TH solid -state technology
2.5
01 02
1N914
2N4867
tz
5C, = SRICI
INPUT o-1 OUT OUTPUT TV games
color TV stereo
Video
1N914 =
C1' TR 556
MEG. It VCS 1000p test equipment
T= t1 +12 DIS radio
to- 1
R2' GND radar detectors
T 22K industrial electronics
8 (AS SHOWN,! IS VARIABLE OUTPUT; servicing
R +V FROM 20 Hz TO 20 kHz.) TV- radio- stereo
TH OUT experimenter
02 oSOUARE WAVE
E113
Ul TIMING DIAG RAM circuits
TR
656 5 OUTPUT
2N4861 7 C C1
1
exceptional
R2 CT' DIS INPUT construction
GNO 0.0lF
10K 2200
+5V TO +15V
I_ MUST EXCEED projects
pF 1/6 +V
R1
4 7K JUNCTION CI RI R2
SOUARE -WAVE
OUTPUT 2 lance on missing
OUTPUT
()TRIANGLE WAVE ven one issue.
OUTPUT TIME CONSTANT RC 10Ns IC = Cl; R = R1 R2)
-+=
,ubscribe now
nd save!
90 a e d=
FactCard
4073:Triple 3 -Input AND Gate
4075:Triple 3 -Input OR Gate
Radio
Electronics
Hf IlII
MWMI
nVo^
V ISTIC (g Via, Vrp (tyro PAM IR[ RE ROW"
--
1 10
Low- Level, 2.5 0,5 5 -3.2 The newest ideas and
Max. 1.5 15
--
VIE
9.5 0,10 10 -2.6 V innovations in
V Max. Input High 0.5.4.5
13.5 0,15 15 -6.8 Voltage, 1,9 - 5
electronics appear in
- -
10
Radio -Electronics',
Input Current
IIN Max. - 0,18 18 -10-6 IA V,N Min. 1.5,13.5 15 Keep up -to -date!
Subscribe Today!
HANDS-OFF
INTERCOM
Here's an easy -to- build, easier -to -use
switchless intercom that offers all the
convenience of a face-to-face conversation
BY CHARLES D. RAKES
We all like to travel interstate road the balance potentiometer's wiper is ble. Since both intercom units are
systems that allow traffic to travel all the way over to the A output posi- alike, the audio information coming
in both directions without having to tion, the tone will be heard at a high from one unit feeds the other at the
slow down to pass or exit. Our tele- level. As the wiper is rotated toward input of op -amp B. The incoming au-
phone system offers a similar benefit the B output, the audio level will de- dio is amplified slightly by op-amp B
by allowing two -way conversations. So crease until it just about disappears and the output signal is sufficiently in-
why should we be limited to using an near the center of the potentiometer's creased by the power-amp to drive
intercom system that requires flipping range. As you continue to rotate the the speaker.
levers and switches to go from the talk wiper, the signal will begin to increase
to the listen mode? You'll have no once again. Only 7Mto Wires? The secret that al-
need for them if you build our two -way With the balance control set for a lows the intercom to use a single wire
switchless intercom system. minimal output, the intercom's tenden- pair to carry both DC power and au-
Our Bidirectional Intercom system cy to go into self oscillation due to dio is in the use of an audio transformer,
requires only a two-wire interconnect- acoustical feedback between the mi- T1 (see the schematic diagram in Fig.
ing cable. The power can be turned crophone and speaker is kept to a 2). The DC resistance of the transformer
off on either unit without killing the op- minimum. The microphone's amplified winding is about 30 ohms, which al-
eration, and when either unit is signal at A's output is fed to the other lows DC power to pass from one inter-
powered on, both are operational. intercom through the audio in /out ca- com to the other with very little loss.
BALANCE
Operation Basics. Take a look at the
block diagram shown in Fig. and 1
POWER
signal 180 . = AMPLIFIER
A balance -control potentiometer
AUDIO
connects across the outputs of ampli- OUT /IN
fiers A and B. Under ideal conditions, TO OTHER
INTERCOM
the signal waveform at output A is the
same as the signal waveform at output Fig. 1 -The microphone's output
is amplified and sent right out to the other intercom.
B, but 180 out of phase. If an audio Some is shifted by 180 and mixed with the original signal to
of its output
tone is fed into the microphone and cut down feedback that would occur locally before being amplified.
J1
NC
852
10
1K + C7
NC i
C9 S1
.22
R1
2.2K
Cl
47
00C8
tj1 R7
K
CS
i
B1
9V
C4 500
R11
+K 25K 4.7
:R8 +K
R2
1 R6 1K R9
2.2K 15K 4.7K
R3 C2
1K 4.7
R12
25K C6
Ui-A 220
1/281C341112P +K
R4
SPKR1
10K
3
MIC 1
1j0K
x C3
10
Fig. 2 -Op -amps UI -a and UI -b perform the amplifying and inverting functions
while the power amp, U2, boosts the signal to listening level.
lust about everyone has a relative or amplified signal is output at pin and 1 Aside from the circuit's intended use,
IN friend that suffers from a hearing im- fed through volume control R8 and itcan also come in handy for late -
pairment that makes it difficult to coupling capacitor C4 to the non -in- night TV viewing. For instance, ardent
watch TV without cranking up the vol- verting input of U2 at pin 3. As config- sports fans might use it to watch their
ume. If the volume is set to a level that is ured, U2 has a gain of about 200, favorite team's late -night battles. An-
comfortable for others, the hearing im- which is more than enough gain to other application for the circuit might
paired person is left out of the fun. drive a set of earphones. be when one family member wants to
But with the TV Audio Amplifier (see The earphones are connected to watch TV while another is reading.
photo) described in this article, you the circuit through a normally open
can let everyone get the full enjoyment phono jack (J2) and coupling capaci- Assembly There is nothing critical
offered by TV without subjecting any- tor C8. Regular stereo earphones (with about the physical layout of the circuit,
one to a sonic blast. The TV Audio Am- an impedance in the range of 8- to 38- other than keeping the input and out-
plifier picks up the TV's audio output ohms) may be used for listening. A 32- put stages as far apart as possible
signal and amplifies it enough to drive ohm unit, like those supplied with radio (preferably at opposite ends of the
a set of earphones for private listening. and cassette players, is ideal. board). The author's prototype was
A 9 -volt transistor-radio battery is built on perfboard using point -to -point
Circuit Operation Figure shows a
1 used for power. Because the circuit wiring (see photos). It's recommended
schematic diagram of the TV Audio draws only 9.3 mA of current during that the ICs be socketed to avoid
Amplifier. The circuit is built around an normal operation, the battery should damaging them during soldering.
LM324 low -power quad op-amp and last a long time (as long as the circuit is Begin the assembly by first mounting
an LM386 low- voltage audio power not left on accidentally). the IC sockets, and marking the loca-
amplifier. One op -amp in the LM324 R3
package (U1) is configured as a pre - 2.2K o..
amp, which is used to amplify the sig-
nal input from an electret microphone
element (not shown) that plugs into it R1*
C2
220
R4
R5
100K
t R6
C4
105
= zzo St o--= i sv
I
1K 2.2K
1K t
A bias voltage of around 4.17 volts is J1 3
C8
MIKE 8
supplied to pin 3 of U1 through a re- INPUT 5
+0
2. R7
C3
2.2K
Tr-
Op -amp Ut amplifies the signal to a 47
level determined by input resistor R4
and feedback resistor R5. With the val- Fig. I -The TV Audio Amplifier is built around un LM324 quad op -amp und an LM386
ues given, the gain of that stage is low -power audio amplifier. The circuit uses an inexpensive electret microphone
equal to R5 /R4 = 100K/1K = 100. The element as the pick -up and a set of earphones as the output device.
41
mounted components -preferably,
black for the ground connection and PARTS LIST FOR THE
red for the signal line. TV AUDIO AMPLIFIER
The author used stereo jacks for JI
SEMICONDUCTORS
and J2, bridging the two signal con-
UI -LM324 quad low-power op -amp,
tacts (see Fig. 2) for monophonic oper-
integrated circuit
U2-LM386 low- voltage audio per
BRIDGED amplifier, integrated circuit
CONTACTS
e author's prototype was built on perf-
RESISTORS
board using point -to -point wiring. Note that (All resistors are 1/4-watt, 5% units,
U/ and U2 are located at opposite ends of unless otherwise noted.)
the board to prevent distortion. Rl, R4-1000-ohm
TO R2, R33, R6, R7-2200-ohm
tion of pin for each IC on the top and
CB
GND R5- 100,000-ohm
1
earphone jacks (J1 and J2) to the cir- FLEXIBLE MIKE CABLE
cuit. It's a good idea to use color-co- Fig. 4 -The microphone element is glued
ded wire to make the connections to the end of the plug housing and its
leads are soldered to the plug contacts.
between the board and the chassis- OUTPUT AND V+
Fig. 3-Shown here is a bottom view of
the electret microphone element. Be careful input and output jacks, and a 3/s -inch
when soldering the terminals, they are hole on the top for the volume control.
small and extremely fragile. (See photos.) Make sure that jacks will
clear the perfboard assembly when
ground. The leads of the microphone the enclosure is sealed.
element are then threaded though a Vs Mount the circuit -board assembly
-inch plastic headphone -plug hous- inside the metal enclosure. The board
ing, and the microphone element is should be insulated from the metal
glued to the end (see photos). Con- cabinet with 1/9 -inch plastic washers.
nect the microphone element to one
end of the smallest flexible micro- Troubleshooting The first step in trou-
phone cable available, and connect bleshooting the circuit is to take volt-
A working current check may point to the
a plug to the other end to form an age and current readings. Remove
probable cause of the circuit's malfunction. assembly like that shown in Fig. 4. one terminal of the battery and rotate
The circuit's current drain on the battery Prepare the enclosure by drilling two the battery 180 . Insert an ammeter in
should be about 9.3 mA. 7/32 -inch holes, one at each end, for the
(Continued on page 101)
42
RGB
BLUE BOX
Build the RGB Blue Box
and turn your black screens blue
C:4os it o.exe
43
CA PA CITA NCE
ADAPTER
FOR YOUR DMM
Here's a simple adapter circuit that lets
your DMM measure capacitance
up to 2.2 microfarads
If you are one of the fortunate few hobbyists who have 47K 1/4 74HC132
02 PLI
purchased one of the modern digital multimeters, you may 1N4148
already have a capacitance meter. Many of them now come
with built -in capacitance ranges that are typically capable of D1 ; Cl
390pF_L
C2
H
1N4148 2.2
measuring up to about 20F. S2 -b 03 R7
On the other hand, if you are like most of us who use 1N4148 4.7MEG C5 TO
digital multimeters that don't have capacitance -reading ca-
HIG
R3
LOW
1N-+ 0.22 OMM
t
47012
HIGH
for you. R5
1/4 74HC132 R9
' 1MEG
120K
The Adapter is designed to plug directly into the test 10
8
-
14
the circuit-capacitors with values greater than 2.2 F are 0J2 +5V REG. +C4
;
B1
+9V
On the down side, the Adapter is only suitable for use with ADJ. T
digital multimeters, which usually have fixed input imped- 1'4 74HC132 C6I( Si
.047 ON/OFF
ances of 10 megohms, because analog meters (with their
comparatively low input impedances) would load down the
circuit, causing inaccurate readings. Fig. 1 -The circuit is built around a single 74HC132 quad
This story first appeared in Silicon Chip, Australia (November, 1987): reprinted NAND Schmitt trigger. It produces a voltage that is
with permission. directly proportional to the unknown capacitance, Cx.
44
When the capacitor in question (which we'll refer to as C.) slowly via R6. So the input to pin stays high for a short
1
is connected to the J1 /J2 input terminals, the circuit produces period, each time pin 6 of U l -a switches low. The result is that
a voltage -one millivolt per picofarad on the lower range and the positive pulses output by UI -b are slightly shorter than
one volt per microfarad on the upper range-that is directly they otherwise would be; compare the waveforms shown in A
proportional to the capacitance. And it is that voltage that's and B of Fig 3. Look closely, as the differance may not be
shown on the DMM display and interpreted as a capacitance apparent at first glance.
value. The C wavform in Fig. 3 shows the output of U1 -c with
Capacitor Cx (when connected across J l/J2) charges via D1 only stray capacitance at the J1 /J2 input (in other words, no
during the positive half-cycle of the oscillator output and test capacitor is connected). The stray capacitance is charged
discharges on negative half-cycle via resistor R5 (in the t_ow via Dl and discharges via R8, so the positive output pulses of
range) or via the series -parallel network formed by R3 /R4 U1 -c are also slightly shorter than they otherwise would be (if
and R5 (in the HIGH range). there was no stray capacitance).
When the circuit is set to the HIGH range, the output of U 1 -a
is fed directly to the pin 1 input of U1 -b. So the output of UI -b
is simply an inverted reproduction of its input signal. And
with no capacitor connected across the J1/J2 input terminals,
the output of UI -c is virtually identical to that of UI -b. If we
were to measure the voltage difference between the U1 -b /U1-
r
B
p(-)41c,
gate (74HC132) because that type of IC has shorter propaga-
tion times than do standard CMOS. And that's particularly
important when measuring low-capacitance values on each
range.
.
i 1
---
RS J1
R7
panel of the enclosure, along with the range and power 03 R4
switches. PL2 1]. R5
(Di
D1
Begin construction by first etching a printed -circuit board, R9
R2
02
PARTS LIST -147-
FOR THE
CAPACITANCE ADAPTER
SEMICONDUCTORS
U1- 74HC132 quad two -input NAND Schmitt trigger,
integrated circuit
U2 -78L05 low -power 5 -volt regulator, integrated circuit
D1- D3 -1N914 or 1N4148 small signal diode
RESISTORS
(All resistors are 1l;-watt, 5o units, unless otherwise
noted.) Fig. 5-This parts -placement diagram of the Adapter shows both
R1- 200,000 -ohm miniature, vertical PC -mount location and orientation of the board -mounted components. as
trimmer potentiometer well as indicating the off -board wiring connections.
R2-47,000 -ohm
R3-470 -ohm miniature vertical, PC -mount trimmer Once etched, begin installing the components given in the
potentiometer Parts List using Fig. 5 as a guide. Install the resistors,
R4-680 -ohm capacitors, and trimmer potentiometers; followed by UI and
R5-1- megohm U2. And don't forget to install the jumper (marked with a J).
R6-47,000 -ohm miniature vertical, PC -mount trimmer
Make sure that all polarized parts (ICs, diodes, and elec-
potentiometer
R7- 4.7- megohm trolytic capacitors) are correctly oriented.
R8- 10,000 -ohm The banana plugs are soldered to the foil side of the board
R9- 120,000 -ohm (see photos) and further secured using the screw-on insulated
CAPACITORS moldings. It will be necessary to cut the moldings down to
C1- 390 -pF polystyrene about 1/4-inch, so that the battery fits into the case. The switch
C2- 2.2 -1.1F 16 -WVDC electrolytic and input-terminal positions can then be labeled using dry-
C3 -1 -,.F 16 -WVDC electrolytic transfer (rub-on) lettering, and the finished panel sprayed
C4 -10 -F 16 -WVDC electrolytic with a clear lacquer to keep the lettering from rubbing off.
C5 0.22 -F metalized polyester Next mount the switches and test terminals to the finished
C6-0.047 -F metalized polyester front panel of the enclosure, and connect the off-board corn -
ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS
ponents to the circuit board as shown in Fig. 5.
B1 -9 -volt transistor-radio battery
The case can now be drilled to accept the printed- circuit
J1. J2- banana panel jacks (1 red, 1 black)
PL1, PL2- banana plugs board assembly. Two 0.32 -inch holes are drilled in the rear
S2- Double -pole. double -throw toggle switch panel to provide clearance for the banana plugs, while an-
S1- Single -pole. double -throw toggle switch other three holes are drilled in the sides of the case to allow
Printed circuit or perfboard materials, enclosure, IC screwdriver access to the trimmer potentiometers.
sockets, battery connector, alligator clips, wire, solder, The assembly goes together with the battery sandwiched
hardware, etc. (Continued on page 106)
46
NOVEMBER 1988 A CHRONICLE OF CONSUMER ELECTRONICS VOLUME 1, NUMBER 9
GIZMO Page 1 47
Controls are simple in the extreme. A range from $89.95, for black, to $94.95 feed machines. It was usually enough to
wheel mounted on the machine's left side for the other hues. slide the copyboard to the side, lift up the
controls contrast and copy darkness, indi- When the PC -3 first appeared on the top cover, and turn the blinking signal
cated by a gray strip on the wheel that market, durability was one of our initial lamp off.
displays increasing exposure. The power concerns. However the cartridge system So what didn't we like about the PC -3?
switch is located to the right of the paper seems to make that an unjustified worry. Its manual -or it-
at least parts of struck
teed. Copying is activated by manually We were told that the demonstrator unit us as badly organized. Terminology isn't
sliding a single sheet into the paper feed. A loaned to GIZMO by Canon's public rela- spelled out up front and in setting the unit
pair of mounted plastic guides makes it tions firm has been making the rounds for a up we spent too much time trying to figure
possible to copy onto sheets smaller than number of years, including a 20 -city pro- out which was the machine's left side in
the standard 81/2 x II piece of paper, motional tour. To us that sounds like a order to check the "fixing roller" that was
which is the largest size the PC -3 can torture test even Consumer Reports would concealed behind a door. The illustrations
accommodate. have a hard time bettering. of that component weren't much help, a
Above the exposure wheel are three in- The PC-3 will accept a variety of paper criticism we'd also make of the section
dicators: "power on," a blinking "paper types. The manual lists "plain paper, post showing how to install a cartridge. On the
lam" signal. and a small window that tells cards, business cards, labels, ]and] OHP other hand, the troubleshooting and copy
the user what color toner cartridge is in- transparencies." From feed to fresh copy tips sections were very clear.
stalled. A second window alerts the user takes about 18 seconds. The most important question facing a
when it's necessary to install a fresh toner Perhaps the most impressive aspect of potential buyer of a PC -3, or its higher
cartridge. If the controls were any simpler, the PC -3's performance is the crisp and priced companion models, is whether he
there wouldn't be any controls on the unit legible copies it produces, particularly in or she needs one. It certainly came in
at all. duplicating color photos in a single hue. handy in the GIZMO office, and it's hard
The Canon cartridge system is one of To our eyes, the resulting copy was beyond to see how a small business or busy home
the most ingenious aspects of the PC -3 and the capability of even full -size photo cop- office couldn't benefit from having one on-
its companion models. The mini- cartridge iers of just a few years ago. With careful hand. But, although lower priced than
is designed to "contain everything that can adjustment of the exposure control, even good copy machines of the past, the price
run or wear out." Depending on the sorts the most elusive photographic detail was tag on the PC-3 still represents a hefty
of originals being copied (type or image), clear in the final product. In its duplication chunk of money. Most college students.
cartridges are good for about 1,500 dupli- of black- and -white type. the PC -3 was particularly given what high education al-
cates. The black color cartridge, however, equally adept. ready costs today, would probably be bet-
will do 3.000 copies. Other colors offered Paper jams are also more easily resolved ter served by their neighborhood cope
are brown, green, red, and blue. Prices with that small unit than with large, multi- shop.
New Wave
WELBILT MICROWAVE OVEN
(MR73T). Manufactured by: Welbilt
Appliance. Inc.. P.O. Box 3618. New
Hyde Park, New York 11042. Price:
$210.
When we first took the microwave
plunge, we thought it would be the dawn of
a new, faster, and more modern lifestyle:
Meals cooked in minutes and food that was
fresh, attractive, and full of nutrients that
didn't have time to escape. That was the
theory, or was it a dream? In reality, we use
our microwave like most families do, as a
supremely convenient warmer and pop-
corn maker, indispensable now that we
live with one, but no more universal or
lifestyle-altering than a conventional toast-
er would be.
We broke into the world of "nuked
toods" (as initiates sometimes tag micro-
waved comestibles) with a Welbilt MR37T
Microwave Oven. Carrying a com- a surprising number of homes), a big plus those dense vegetables were barely af-
paratively low price tag, the unit has fea- in smaller kitchens or ones with limited fected by their time in the oven; in 15
tures that include cook and quick- defrost counter space. minutes they had withered and dried to an
settings, and keypad heat and time con- Given its status as a household's first unsightly (but surprisingly) still edible
trols with power settings expressed as a microwave, the Welbilt has served well, if mess. Besides our first lesson in micro-
percentage of the unit's full -power ca- not perfectly. Its first night, we kept stok- wave time and timing, that basic training
pability (rated by Welbilt at 500 watts). ing carrots and potatoes into the unit to made us conclude that the more items in
The oven is small enough to fit on top of a determine how long cooking takes and the oven, the longer it takes to cook them.
refrigerator (the location of microwaves in how well the job is done. At three minutes, We knew then that we were in for another
4 8 Page 2 GIZMO
lifetime of learning to cook; so much for live alone, especially the elderly, a micro- The handyman also remarked that the
the magic and ease of modern microwave wave can make cooking a lot easier and oven was easy to use and that its controls
living. less time -consuming. As time went on, we for time and heat settings were well orga-
Within a week, our household had nar- snickered at our conventional stove as it nized. We were less sensitive to the archi-
rowed down the microwave's uses to mak- stood spotless from disuse. tecture of the model, but noted that it
ing popcorn, warming baby bottles, It took a growing popcorn habit to teach didn't take us long to master the unit's
heating already -prepared coffee, and us the limits of our Welbilt. Heating pop- functions and controls.
cooking hot dogs. That may sound mod- corn directly on the rotating glass plate For the short period in which we did
est, or even ridiculously limited, but the inside the unit is not a good idea (as the without the supplied rotating oven plate,
convenience factor in bottle- warming and manual warns); ours cracked with a large we learned that the model performed irreg-
coffee -reheating alone are worth the price pop during one heavy day of popcorn mak- ularly (at best) without its turntable. Using
of admission to microwave cookery. Pro- ing about a month after the unit's pur- an ordinary plate atop the oven floor ro-
spective parents should consider adding a chase. After contacting area dealers listed tator provided a makeshift solution. But
microwave to their list of pre-birth pur- in the manual (one was disconnected and the standard plates had a tendency to crack
chases. Getting up in the middle of the the second told us to contact the firm in a if used improperly (i.e. popcorn again),
night to warm baby's bottle will make any- week), we called the Welbilt company, just as the Welbilt- supplied glass plate
one appreciate a device that cuts warming which was able to furnish a replacement had.
time to 45 seconds. plate within a few days. We realize that in terms of the micro-
For coffee drinkers, automatic brewers Because we know somebody who's wave market, we're driving an economy
often turn fresh coffee to swill if a fresh pot handy, we also replaced the oven's no- model of a product available in all kinds of
is kept on warm for more than 30 minutes. longer-functioning light (it had worked luxurious configurations and upgraded
With a microwave, coffee drinkers can turn loose), but it was not a simple procedure. high -tech versions. But the Welbilt has
the coffee maker off as soon as it's filled In order to replace the bulb, it was neces- won our household's confidence, despite
and reheat individual cups, as desired, via sary to remove a panel from the oven inte- the rocky road to learning its capabilities,
the oven. Hot dogs, for some reason, rior. Our friend the handyman suggested it and limits. We would no more live without
brown as well as heat to a sizzle, coming wasn't a maintenance procedure the ordi- a microwave than we would chuck our con-
out better than when barbecued. nary householder would find easy to do, ventional stove. Neither has made us a
Our experience with frozen dinner-en- which is why authorized dealer and ser- better cook, but even the miracles of tech-
trees made us realize that for people who vice center lists exist. nology have their limitations.
TV Telephone
VISTACOM VIDEOPHONE. Dis-
tributed by: Eyetel Communica-
tions, Inc., 522 -7th St., Suite 320,
New Westminister, B.C. V3M 575,
Canada. Price: 16,500.
Last Month, GIZMO reported on the
Mitsubishi Visitel Visual Telephone Dis-
play, a device that transmits and receives
still black- and -white images over standard
telephone lines. Now comes word of a
device developed by Vistacom of Finland,
IB
. SIBS
a..
"designed for transmission of both sound
, 000
and moving color pictures over a single
telephone network."
Introduced to the European market last
spring, in North America the Vistacom
Videophone is being distributed by a Ca-
nadian firm, Eyetel Communications, Inc.
At press time, the device's introduction [RCLE 33 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
was so recent that Eyetel had only one
demonstration unit for the entire con-
tinent. Actual availability of the product is monitor /camera, and a 56K or 64K com- The compact codee encodes individual
scheduled for the fall. puter into a desktop package that's not images or frames, scanning the image
Besides selling at a per -unit price, much larger than a VCR. In fact, Vistacom being received by the unit's camera every
$16,500, that would buy 40 of the Visitel rates its reduction in the size of the neces- 30 seconds and responding to "new move-
units, the Vistacom Videophone uses a sary coding -decoding computer as the ment," that is motion detected since the
totally different technology from that used product's outstanding breakthrough. Ear- last 30- second scan, by adding it to memo-
by the Mitsubishi product and similar tele- lier videophone technology required a sep- ry. Then those frames are transmitted to
phone video displays developed by Pan- arate video "codee," often about the size the second Video Telephone, which reas-
asonic and Sony. The Vistacom can of a small refrigerator. Although the mov- sembles the still pictures (or frames) in
transmit and receive 30 color moving -im- ing picture on the Videcom screen appears such a way as to give the impression of full
ages per second. "natural," it's actually a computer simula- motion.
The unit combines telephone, TV tion of full motion. (Continued on page 7)
GIZMO Page 3 49
ing- grounds" ceiling is long overdue for a
paint job. Or as the instructions say, "the
whiter and smoother the ceiling, the clear-
er the stars appear." The projected night
sky also covers a fairly large ama, so find-
ing a ceiling or wall without obstructions
can take a little thought, especially in
cramped quarters. Even for someone com-
pletely unknowledgeable in astronomy,
constellations are easy to spot and identify.
For such a simple piece of equipment, its
flashlight bulb projection is surprisingly
clear and distinct.
Care is minimal, although the directions
caution against touching the lens that
covers the Star Machine's internal light
bulb. It should be cleaned using lens
tissue. The master disc's perforations
"will become plugged with dirt and dust if
left out for long periods of time." An oc-
casional dusting or, if necessary the ap-
plication of a damp towel will keep the tiny
holes clean and open.
Although the designation can be the
kiss of death, the Bushnell Star Machine is
undeniably an educational toy. Aside from
consumer purchases, we're sure many of
the economical units have found their way
into classrooms around the country. Bush-
Star Struck vice beneath a lens, with power provided
by two "C" batteries. The unit's perfo-
nell, clearly interested in expanding as-
tronomy's popularity, goes to some length
rated top (or "master star disc ") allows the to back up the product's educational di-
STAR MACHINE (18- 3330). Manufac- lensed light to project 31 constellations mension.
tured by: Bushnell Division, Bausch and some 312 stars onto a flat surface, The instruction booklet invites the user
& Lomb, 300 N. Lone Hill Ave., San either wall or ceiling. A wire fold -up stand to send in two questions to "Bushnell's
Dimas, CA 91773. Price: $34.95 allows the Star Machine to be angled for science expert" who will answer them for
Planetariums around the United States wall projection. In aiming for the ceiling, the cost of two self-addressed, stamped
have undergone something of a popularity Bushnell suggests a distance of four to six envelopes. In addition, the company has
boom in recent years. After decades of feet between the projection surface and organized a "Blast Off Club" for budding
approaching astronomy in a classroom- this mini -planetarium. junior scientists. The booklet says "Blast
like spirit, those institutions have dis- In addition to the perforated disc, which Off" stands for "Bausch & Lomb's Ama-
covered show business. Maybe it was a rotates, the Star Machine's top is ringed by teur Scientist Tell -Net Offered for Free."
spin -off of the popular "light shows" of an outer rim divided into 12 segments, The free membership entitles kids to a
the psychedelic 1960's, but with the addi- each representing a month, with the four newsletter designed to foster interest in
tion of music, in particular, artificial star compass points also indicated. Four plas- Bushnell's line of educational products,
gazing has become a popular diversion for tic discs, which fit over the "master star dubbed "Spectacu -learn." Besides the
thousands who otherwise would never disc, "mask some sky area and project the Star Machine, those include microscope
consider educating themselves about the stars and constellations appropriate for kits, an astro/terrestrial telescope, and a
constellations visible in the night sky. each season. A fifth slip -on disc shows the number of other kits and instruments.
The Bushnell Division of Bausch & northern constellations. Although we know how kids usually
Lomb has developed a budget -priced Star When used vertically, the star projector react to "educational toys," the Star Ma-
Machine that brings at least a little of this shows the sky as it would appear from the chine seems to us to be something with a
popular twinkle into the home. It may not North Pole. Tilting it will "show the ap- real potential for fostering interest in as-
be as spectacular as the presentation at proximate position of the North Star" tronomy. Or it may merely introduce a
New York's Hayden Planetarium, or pro- from the user's own latitude instead of the youngster to the spectacle that is the night
grams at other facilities around the coun- polar view. The four seasonal discs, posi- sky before joining other educational play-
try, but on a small scale it has some of the tioned using the segmented outer ring, things gathering dust in some closet. But
same visual appeal. And if you're careful project "those stars visible in the sky at we have an idea that more than a few par-
not to let on that it's educational, young- about 9:00 p.m." during each month. A ents may find themselves enjoying this
sters who use the device might even learn flashlight -like "red star selector beam" home planetarium on their own.
something. (which uses two "AA" batteries) projects
Looking something like a two -layer a red arrow, allowing users to pick out Gizmo is published by Gemsback Publica-
cake, and about the same size, the Star particular constellations. Bushnell also in- tions, Inc., 500-B Bi- County Blvd., Farm-
ingdale, NY 11735. Senior Writer: George
Machine's directions call it "a direct cous- cludes a narrative audio tape
Arthur. Contributors to this issue: Cathy Bur-
in of the great projectors in star theaters In use, the Star Machine projects an ke, Marilyn Ciaphone, Alan Ginsberg, Ingrid
throughout the world." And in fact, it appealing celestial glow, its hundreds of Johanson, Ross Skoggard. Copyright 1988
works much like a planetarium system. A stars appearing as pinpoints of light. It by Gernsback Publications. All rights re-
flashlight bulb is mounted inside the de- also reminded us that the GIZMO "prov- served.
50 Page 4 GIZMO
Snap Smart
RICOH COMPACT AUTO -FOCUS 35-
mm CAMERA (FF -7). Manufactured
by: Ricoh Corp., 5 Dedrick Place,
West Caldwell, NJ 07006. Price:
$250.
"Serious" photographers may still turn
up their noses at the point- and -shoot
school of automatic photography. But for
thousands of consumers, the 35 -mm auto -
focus camera has moved picture-taking
beyond the snapshot stage. We may still be
taking vacation pictures, but with the cur-
rent crop of electronic cameras the result-
ing photos have only their subject in
common with earlier generations of family
snapshots.
After all, if the point of a vacation is
relaxation, who wants to take an intensive
course in photography to prepare for the
rigors of snapping your spouse and off- photographer to decide between blurry show up in such snapshots. According to
spring at the beach? But the camera indus- background or foreground. In those situa- Ricoh, the mode "automatically syn-
try also recognizes that a bit of an artist tions, the FF-7 allows the photographer to chronizes the shutter speed of the FF-7
lurks within many of its customers. Cam- have his or her cake and eat it too. By with the scan rate of any television
eras currently on the market offer features depressing the electronic shutter's button screen." Some of our TV pictures had a
such as multiple exposure and continuous half way, automatic focus adjusts to the fuzzy quality, especially when there was
shooting, plus an array of optional ac- background. The camera can then be any quick movement on the screen. But in
cessories and add -ons. But ultimately aimed at the foreground subject and, with its ability to take a good picture from TV,
what the amateur user is interested in is a the shutter button still partly engaged, the this Ricoh compared most favorably with
clear photograph with proper light and control is fully depressed. The result is a other cameras we've used.
dark contrast. sharp, in-focus picture of both background The TV mode coupled with the FF-7's
Ricoh Corp. has introduced a camera and foreground subject. The F-77 focus multiple- exposure capability made for
that gets results while still leaving some system allows sharp pictures at distances some interesting pictures, superimposing
room for photographic individualism. The from two- and -a -half feet to, theoretically, one exposure on top of another by simply
FF -7 Compact Auto-Focus Camera offers as far as the human eye can see. imprinting the two separate shots on the
much of the sophistication and creative If in taking a picture, the user is too same frame. The image was surprisingly
capabilities of a single-lens reflex camera close, the camera's viewfinder eyepiece bright and clear. In the TV mode, multiple
to the casual photographer. Or so Ricoh blinks to alert the photographer. An LCD exposure allows the photographer to, for
claims, and after using the FF-7 for a cou- display located on the top of the camera example, place stars of different programs
ple of weeks, we're inclined to agree. indicates all basic operations, including in the same picture. Or how about putting
We took the FF-7 through its paces in a battery condition, automatic film advance, a cartoon character on the set of a network
wide variety of lighting situations, includ- exposure count, automatic rewind, and news program? A little silly, but also fun;
ing some of the most difficult. The cam- film indicator, as well as the FF-7's six more serious shutterbugs will undoubtedly
era's automatic back -light control and fill - user-selectable operational modes. come up with different uses for the FF -7's
in flash handled just about every problem Modes are selected by simply pushing a multiple exposure function.
we created, giving us a near-perfect pic- control button on the side of the unit, with The Panorama mode also yielded some
ture even under the most trying of situa- each mode indicated by simple graphics, striking, and effortless, pictures. In this
tions. which are displayed on a corner of the mode, the camera won't focus on nearby
Back -lit subjects, as many poor pictures LCD panel window. Mountains indicate subjects. The night photography mode
taken in the past have taught us, can be a the panorama mode. "M. E" means multi- permits available light shots by setting a
difficult photographic situation. The ple exposure, night photography is sym- slow shutter speed and defeating the flash.
FF-7's back -light function automatically bolized by mountains against a night sky, As is apparent, we enjoyed using the
increases the camera's exposure if the sub- while "TV" indicates the FF-7's mode auto-focus camera, and found it well -de-
ject is illuminated from behind and is more used for taking pictures off a television signed, right down to its sleek and easy-to-
than 10 feet away, creating fully detailed screen. The letter "C" indicates one - handle size and shape. Of course, to really
light and shadow. If the subject is within IO frame- per-second continuous shooting, understand the FF-7's capabilities will re-
feet of the lens, the flash pops up, exposure while the number "60" tells the user the quire some careful reading of the manual.
is calculated and, in the resulting ex- camera is set to make an exposure every But it's not an intensive course in pho-
posure, black shadows or washed -out minute ( "interval timer" mode), ideal for tography; rather it is only something that's
highlights are eliminated. Auto exposure those nature shoots when the pho- more substantial than those little four-page
provides programmed shutter speeds rang- tographer gets tired of sitting in the bush booklets normally supplied with simple,
ing from % to Vi000 of a second with film waiting for the perfect picture. snapshot cameras. Hands -on experience,
speeds from ISO 100 to 1600. We were intrigued by the television and a willingness to "waste" a few rolls of
Another picture- taking problem ap- mode, which allows photographs of film, will give the novice a working under-
pears when the subject is in front of a TV screen, sans
scenes and subjects on the standing of the camera's functions, and it
distant scene, making it necessary for the those horizontal blue lines that usually potential.
GIZMO Page 5 51
Freedom Blade, a competing predecessor we assume the caution means not to "sub-
product. Instead of a rechargeable battery, merge" or "immerse" the Lektro Blade
the Remington uses a standard "AA" bat- under water, which would appear to be in
tery as its power source. With the battery contradiction to the reassuring statement
inserted into the handle compartment, the in the product release.
Lektro weighs only 2.5 ounces. The first time she used the LVB -I, cuts
Its 9,000 -rpm motor activates "two appeared, but that was because she shaved
vibrating blades for a smooth massage - without applying soap or shaving lather
like shave with less pull, drag, and irrita- first (as the instructions say to). Once she
tion," although visually it's impossible to followed directions, she found the Lektro
detect movement by the razor's head. Our Blade comfortable, smooth, and safe. So
male tester is a long -time electric shaver much so that she intends to use the razor
user, preferring the mindless skin safety of from now on.
the electric to the close but attention -de- Which is exactly the kind of "shaving
manding shave of a blade. Light bearded, revolution" Remington most likely hopes
his use of the Lektro confirmed at least two to ignite. However, our male user has de-
of Remington's claims to his satisfaction. cided that this is one revolution they can
In shaving, the operational word was start without him.
"glide." Less drag, pull, and irritation
were all noticeable in using the razor, even
compared to a standard electric shaver.
What wasn't so easy to accept were claims
CES Notes
of shave closeness, although our tester ad-
mitted that his skepticism was as much a June's Chicago Consumer Electronics
matter of shaving as ritual as one of prac- Show, the biggest consumer electronics
tical consideration. trade show in the world, seemed dedicated
An electric razor, he reasoned, allows to going beyond the old saw that "a man's
CIRCLE 36 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD the user to mindlessly mow down his beard home is his castle." How about a man's
without fear of nicks or cuts, even as the home is his concert hall, his movie theater,
user reads the paper, day dreams, or what- his office, his audio -recording studio, his
ever. For that reason alone, the Lektro TV- production facility, and his publishing
Hand Glider doesn't equal the ease of a standard elec-
tric dry shave.
house? Electronic -age man may never
have to leave home again, unless he owns a
In wielding this vibrating, electric wet dog.
LEKTRO BLADE RAZOR (MVB -1, razor, the user has to pay attention, as with Since the next generation of home-en-
LVB -1). Manufactured by: Remi- an old- fashioned safety razor. For our test- tertainment equipment is hanging in limbo
ngton Products. Inc.. 60 Main St., er, that is a little like having the worst of while the courts and Congress sort out
Bridgeport, CT 066602. Price: both shaving worlds. While the buzz of the litigation and legislation involving digital
S14.95 Lektro lulled him into his accustomed audio tape (DAT), and while the elec-
In years past, selling razors in the state of electric razor relaxation, the reality tronics industry tries to develop a world-
United States was a simple enough propo- of two blades gliding across his face kept wide standard for high -definition televi-
sition. Manufacturers could buy some ad him alert and attentive. sion, the big noise at CES was in home-
time on sports broadcasts, run print ads In pre-shave preparation, our tester used office products. Personal Fax (facsimile)
showing an attractive woman admiring a both a shaving cream and lathered up with machines, printers that receive and send
man's clean shave, and it was considered a ordinary bar soap. Not surprisingly, the coded information for producing text and
marketing job well -done. But that was hand -soap lathered shave was just okay. As images over the phone were featured by
back when some men still went to barber with practically any razor, the Lektro per- numerous exhibitors. A Fax machine can
shops for their shaves. Today, razor and formed best with shaving cream. In our replace the functions of a copier, a com-
electric shaver marketeers have lots more own use of the new Remington shaver, we puter modem, and various express and
to contend with, including a female mar- were most impressed by its light weight overnight delivery services. They sell for
ket that previously was unacknowledged. and handling ease. Using it for the first around $1,000, and nearly all the major
All of which helps explain why Remi- time, we didn't cut ourselves, a common electronic manufacturers and brands fea-
ngton Products, Inc. heralded its new outcome of trying a razor for the first time. tures one. GIZMO plans to review some
Lektro Blade Razor as nothing less than "a Our female tester has used disposable
revolution in blade shaving." Launched in twin -blade razors in the past and has al-
May with an enormous advertising cam- ways found shaving her legs an infinitely
paign, according to the company the delayable task. Fear of cutting and nicking
Lektro Blade was some two years in de- is enough to get her to put this grooming
velopment and represents Remington's chore off. The Remington's status as an
first entry into the "wet shaver market." electric razor also made her wonder if she
In order to get a full picture of this was adding the danger of electrical shock
tonsorial revolution, GIZMO decided to to the possibility of cutting her skin.
test the razor in both its male and female According to a Remington press re-
(MVB -I and LVB -1, respectively) product lease, the Lektro is "safe and immersible"
forms. Similar to the popular "Freedom and can be used in "shower or tub." The
Blade" razor in its use of a standard twin - instructions, on the other hand, warn not
blade cartridge and a vibrating action, the to "submerse [sic] entire unit." Although
Lektro is both smaller and lighter than the we had previously never heard that word,
Toshiba IDTV
52 Page 6 GIZMO
of these hot new products in a future sec- diums, and jazz clubs, Yamaha engineers numerous booths and the attention of
tion. sampled sound field patterns of the various many CES participants. Duck shaped
Other gadgets aimed at the up -to -date rooms and halls and programmed them phones quacked instead of ringing, fish
home -office include electronic spellers into the memory of the DSP units, which shaped phones made splashing sounds.
that function as a dictionary, thesaurus, in turn controlled the response of six while Bozo the Clown instruments joined
etc. (see Gizmo Bytes elsewhere in this speakers and a woofer to reproduce those such established favorites as Micke
section), fit in the hand, and start at around patterns. The effect was remarkable as the Mouse and Garfield the Cat.
$100; "lifestyle- compatible" computers; unit switched through six European and All -in -all, though, it appears that
hand -held computers combining cal- American concert halls and opera houses doubts about the economy and the launch
culator, clock, and "Fil -o- Fax" -style per- while playing a video laser disc of Rigolet- date of new audio and video technologies
sonal organizers; integrated word pro- to on the linked TV monitor. Some halls have made manufacturers cautious. As a
cessors with built-in display screens, "felt" intimate and ancient, others vast result, the Summer Consumer Electronics
printers, and software and which are de- and modem. A laser disc of John Cougar Show imparted a strong sense of deja vu.
signed to be simpler to use than computers Mellencamp reproduced the rock perfor- Most manufacturers seemed content to
hut with more functions and capabilities mance as it would sound in a nightclub or a add additional capabilities to existing
than electronic typewriters; video phones stadium. The DSP-3000, which should be products rather than to roll out truly new
that send a black- and -white still image available by the time you read this, will product designs. Soon consumers will be
over the phone lines to similar units in five sell for $1899.00. The first -generation able to buy nearly anything with a radio
seconds (see October's GIZMO for DSP-1, which recreates 17 sound environ- built -in, from a camera, to a jacket, to a
coverage of one such unit, the Visitel); and ments, is currently available at a price of telephone, to a beer cooler.
the "personalization" of 8mm video $999.00. We have to run along now, our phone is
equipment (also reported on in October). Toshiba America, Inc. (82 Totowa Rd., quacking. (i
Home entertainment did offer some re- Wayne NJ 07470) had an exhibition room
markable innovations at CES. Yamaha set aside for its IDTV, Improved Definition
Electronics Corp. USA (6660 Or- Television, with a Carver Sonic Hologra-
VIDEOPHONE
angethorpe Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620) phy system designed to create the audio (Continued from pug(' 3)
showcased its top-of-the -line sound sys- illusion of sound coming from various
tem featuring the company's second gener- spots in the room outside the speakers. One question that occurred to us imme-
ation Digital Sound Field Processor Available in the fall, a suggested retail diately (or at least immediately after "hos
(DSP-3000), which recreates the sound price has not been announced, although does it work ? ") is who was going to bu
fields of specific and sampled music en- it's expected to be in the $2,000 plus such a unit, at least at that price?
vironments. range. In an interview with a West Coast news-
To recreate the acoustic ambience of Moving from the electronically sublime paper. Eyetel's president, Rob Calis. said
some 35 concert halls, movie theaters, sta- to the ridiculous, novelty phones occupied initially business and government will be
the units' primary market. "We have had a
secret order for more than a thousand of
them by one major corporation." And he
fully expects gizmo fanatics with deep
pockets to buy pairs of Vistacom Video-
phones. Eventually, Eyetel's president
says the price will conte down and, as with
computer technology, use will become
more widespread.
But if you've got an insatiable hanker-
ing for moving telephone conversations in
living color, minus a bank account to
match, Eyetel Communications, Inc. has
CIRCLE 38 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD good news for you. The Vistacom can be
leased for around $400 per month, per
Yamaha DSP -3000 desktop unit.
Gizmo/Bytes
Ten -Hour Humidifier
A Japanese source tells us that after the initial popularity of humidifiers in his
homeland, sales dropped off dramatically. Apparently the American market
hasn 't reached that stage yet, as Goldstar Electronics International, Inc. (1050
Wall . W., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071) has just introduced a restyled Ten -Hour
Humidr,^r (GH-522UA). The unit's one -gallon tank makes ten hours of operation
possible, whim a "convenient large opening" makes for easy refilling. The unit
also features a 36.0 -degree directional nozzle and an adjustable humidistat, mist
volume/humidity cu,ntrol, removable air filter, and automatic shut-off. Its case is
finished in dark gray and the entire assembly weighs eight pounds. Price: $59.95.
CIRCLE 39 ON FREE INFORMMATION CARD Ten -Hour Humidifier
GIZMO Page 7 5 3
Gizmo/Bytes Portable Personal Word p.,, nr
"Personal electronics" can encompass a variety of products, including a newly
introduced Personal Word Processor (PWP 80) from Smith Corona (65 Locust
Ave., New Canaan, CT 06840). Described as ideal for "small professional
offices," the unit features an eighty-character, sixteen -line flip-up display, 50,000
characters of internal, editable memory, and a disk drive. Menu-driven, the unit's
features include a "Spell- Right" electronic dictionary (featuring 75,000 words),
which is part of an "Enhanced Grammar-Right System." That dictionary's
capabilities also include a thesaurus, a punctuation checker, and something called
"phrase alert," which "identifies wordy, vague, misued, and overly used phrases.
automatically replacing the original phrase with a new one." The PWP 80 can also
copy an entire disk, and includes a header/footer function, as well as "graphic
page view," which allows the user to see an image of the document on the flip-up
screen before it's printed. Available since August, Smith Corona also offers a
companion model, the PWP 40, with fewer capabilities and a lower price. Price:
$749.
Portable Personal Word Processor CIRCLE 40 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
E IMPS
disarm sensors and alarms. Up to four separate security zones can be crea)(ed,
allowing for selective monitoring. "Authorized visitors" can be provided with a
"visitor code" allowing them to enter or leave protected premises. The 9rp50 also
features remote control. Dicon also offers a number of optional accessroies as well
as a two -year warranty on the basic system and a 24 -hour monitoring service on a
subscription basis. Price: $494.
Talking Security System CIRCLE 43 ON FREF_ INFORMATION CARD
54 Page 8 GIZMO
Tetris Game Software
Gizmo/Bytes
We knew it had to happen, but we're a little surprised it happened so quickly.
We're talking about what's called "the first entertainment software from the Soviet
Union to be available in the West," a game called Tetris being marketed here by
Spectrum HoloByte (2061 Challenger Dr., Alameda, CA 94501). Developed by
two Soviet computer programmers, Tetris has been enhanced with "beautiful
graphic art background scenes from the Soviet Union" and is available in versions
for IBM, Commodore 64, and Macintosh computers. Based on the arrangement
of four squares into various configurations, it has been described as both "a puzzle
in motion" and the "Rubik's Cube of software." According to Spectrum Holo-
Byte, it's a game that's extremely easy to learn but challenging and difficult to
master. We guess this is an example of software glasnost. Price: $34.95- $39.95.
CIRCLE 44 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
GIZMO Page9 55
Gizmo/6 tes Tra..ZN,rtable VCR
Portability seems to be increasingly an important part of home video, as
illustrated by the new Transportable 8mm VCR (ES-100) recently introduced by
Canon U.S.A., Inc. (1 Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042). A tabletop 8mm
video recorder, it weighs only 5.7 pounds and features a detachable handle.
Among its technical attributes are pulse -code modulation processing for record-
ing digital stereo audio, a "theater- sound" mode, built -in MTS decoder, wireless
remote control, a flying erase head, and noise -free slow motion. The ES -100 offers
up to 4 hours of recording and playback in the long -play mode, and in playback
offers freeze frame, single-frame advance, and slow motion at two speeds. The
deck also features forward and reverse picture search and double -speed playback
Transportable 8mm VCR with sound. The unit includes a 152- channel, cable -compatible TV tuner. Timer
functions permit the recording of up to 3 events over a two week period. Price:
$1,000.
CIRCLE 49 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
TV /Stereo System
A new brand of audio/video products appeared on the market this summer. And
that brand, Monitor Audio -Video Products (1950 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Fuller-
ton, CA 92631), took the plunge in a big way, introducing no fewer than fourteen
systems, including a nineteen -inch TV/Stereo System (AV-3500) equipped with an
amplifier /equalizer, tuner, double cassette recorder, turntable, and two three-way
speakers housed in an all- walnut cabinet. The audio components in each Monitor
TV Stereo System system are interchangeable, so consumers can step up from the AV- 3500's 20 -watt
system to a 30 or 40 -watt ensemble. Price: $689.
CIRCLE 50 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
56 Page 10GIZMO
"Digital Compatible" Stereo Headphone
Some portable stereo equipment is high priced enough that consumers might
Gizmo/Bytes
hesitate to lug it around for fear of losing it. A new Digital Compatible Stereo
Headphone (485) from Jasco Products Co., Inc. (P.O. Box 466, Oklahoma City,
OK 73101) is economical enough that consumers might want to purchase several
sets. Described as a "versatile, mid -size headphone" for use with a personal
radio, cassette player, or home -stereo unit with use of the stereo adaptor included
with the headphone. Beyond that, Jasco is rather mum on the product's technical
specifications. Price: $17.89.
CIRCLE 54 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
GIZMO Page 11 57
Gizmo/Bytes Video Game Organizer
17red of telling the kids to pick up their video-game cartridges? Maybe your
household needs a Video Game Organizer (42000). From Hartzell Manufactur-
ing, Inc. (2516 Wabash Ave., St. Paul, MN 55114), the organizer will accommo-
date Nintendo, Sega, and Atari 2600 and 7800 game systems. Designed to fit on
top of or under a TV, with the translucent cover removed, games can be played
without removing them from the Organizer base. "Full color packaging shows
how all systems can be stored," which, if you've ever struggled to put something
back into its case, is a small feature worth noting. Price: $29.95.
CIRCLE 59 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
Simi Valley, CA 93063), the Commander (HP- 8850PR) combines the functions of
an FM pager and a remote -control vehicle -alarm system. The pager /remote
signals if an intrusion is attempted on the vehicle it protects, and can also be
connected with a cellular phone so that when a call comes in, the hand set also
rings. It can also be used "to alert somebody to a car or notify them that a ride has
Three -Way Speaker System arrived." In its security functions, the system allows its user to control all
functions of alarms on two cars from the pager unit. The Commander also signals
if a driver has left the key in the ignition or the parking lights on, and allows the
user to program vehicle security functions via remote control. Price: $799.95.
CIRCLE 62 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
58 Page 12 GIZMO
BEGINNERS GUIDE TO
VINTAGE RADIO
Is your latest find a gem
from radio's "golden
age," or just a flea- market
special? Once you know
what to look for, you'll be
able to tell at a glance.
BY MARC ELLIS
42 cabinet shows belts and pulleys think of as the 'transitional period." All
linking the tuning condensers for
Enter the "Socket- Power" Radio.
Broadcast-radio listening entered a of the basic receiver circuits had been
single- control operation. The corner of
the separate power -supply box is seen brand -new era when the first practical invented, and further advances in cir-
at the lower left of the photo. plug -in, or "socket- power" radios ap- cuitry would be refinements of design.
peared on the market. Though many Those were paralleled by refinements
wanted oscillation in RF amplifiers. (A prior schemes had been tried for being made on the mechanical as-
common problem with triode RF -am- powering battery sets from the AC pects of the radio chassis.
plifier tubes whose inputs and outputs power line, the necessary "battery-
were tuned to the same frequency.). eliminator" units tended to be heavy,
The three -dial TRF set fell into disuse bulky, and expensive.
only when the first plug -in sets ap- The true breakthrough came in the
peared on the market. late 1920's, when amplifying tubes es-
pecially designed for alternating -cur-
Armstrong's Other Masterpiece. rent service became available. Clum-
The superheterodyne, Howard sy external batteries or battery elim-
Armstrong's other masterpiece of ra- inators could now be replaced by a
dio circuitry, wasn't in widespread use compact power supply unit (usually
-
during the 1920's battery-set era. In using a type -80 rectifier tube) built This view of the Gloritone's chassis
later decades it was to become the right into the receiver cabinet. The shows the 24 -A screen-grid tubes wired
dominant radio design. However at power lead coming out of the radio to the three - section tuning condenser.
this time, RCA -the patent owner-re- now terminated in a simple AC plug The power transformer. with its
tained exclusive manufacturing rights. rather than a tangle of individual wires ventilating cover, is seen just to the
The superheterodyne circuit repre- intended for connection to various DC left of the tuning condenser.
sents yet another approach to ampli- voltage sources.
fying radio frequencies. Signals com- These first AC radios were generally For example, the three tuning con-
ing in from the antenna are converted TRF sets (except for RCA's, which were densers so typical of the TRF radio
to a much lower frequency by mixing generally superheterodynes). But the were no longer ganged by belts and
(heterodyning) them with a signal gen- familiar array of three tuning knobs pulleys. Instead, they were combined
erated by an internal oscillator. had all but disappeared. The three in one frame and turned by a common
The lower frequency, typically be- tuning condensers formerly operated shaft. This broke up the familiar "row-
tween 150 and 450 kHz, is called the IF, by those knobs were still in the radios. style" arrangement of the RF amplifier
or the intermediate frequency. The IF But, in most models, their shafts were stages. Now the RF amplifier tubes and
signal is amplified and detected ganged by belt- and -pulley arrange- coils tended to be grouped around
much as it would be in a TRF receiver. ments that permitted turning all three the common variable capacitor so
But by amplifying at a lower frequen- with a single control. The rheostats for- that they could be arranged for max-
61
tombstone, took the shape of a ver- burgeoning radio industry. But, if any-
tically oriented rectangular slab. But thing, the number of radio listeners was
however they were shaped, cabinets increasing. Broadcasting was in its
were now made of hardwood ve- Golden Age, when some of the most
neers, metal having virtually disap- popular radio series of all time had
peared as a material for radio their beginnings. The programs were a
enclosures. blessing to the cash -starved depres-
It's worth noting, too, that the sion family; they were free, and could
late-1920's release of screen -grid tubes be enjoyed without leaving the home.
The rear view of this depression-era (which were highly efficient RF ampli- However, if the manufacturers want-
AC -DC radio shows its tall glass tubes. fiers) gave the TRF design a last breath ed to continue to sell radio sets, they'd
This set uses a line -cord resistor. of life before the superhet became have to develop economy versions.
king. And the screen -grid TRF, with its The market for the elaborate consoles
imum compactness and minimum distinctive group of three top -capped and table models of the late 1920's was
lead length. 24 -A tubes is a common relic of that definitely dwindling. Luckily, radio sta-
The power- supply circuitry, formerly era. tions were increasing in number and
housed on a separate chassis within By now, radio broadcasting had be- power-so the new sets didn't have to
the radio cabinet, moved onto the ra- come such an important feature of be supersensitive. And the improve-
dio chassis itself-achieving still great- American family life that it was natural ments in the efficiency of vacuum
er compactness and design integra- for a radio receiver to become the tubes and components made it possi-
tion. The functional groups of the focal point of the living room. Thus, the ble to downsize receivers and still
receiver were no longer separate "transisitonal period" was also the maintain reasonable performance.
"building blocks" but blended to- period of the magnificent living -room In creating the "depression radio"
gether as a unified whole. console. The speakers of those big two bulky and expensive power -sup-
Finally the loudspeaker, stripped of consoles were mounted below the ply components -the filter choke and
its decorative case and reduced in chassis, and the cabinets were made the power transformer-were elimi-
diameter, was placed inside the radio tall enough so that the knobs and dial nated completely. By wiring the field
cabinet. The design of the speaker could be elevated for easy visibility. coil (electromagnet) of the dynamic
also changed. Formerly nothing more Cabinets were as massive and ele- speaker in place of the filter choke, the
than a scaled -up earphone move- gantly crafted as the family could af- field coil could replace the choke and
ment incorporating relatively weak ford. still receive the DC power it needed to
permanent magnets, the new unit function. The transformer was elimi-
(called a dynamic speaker) con- nated by devising a new method for
tained a powerful electromagnet op- lighting the tube heaters.
erated from the receiver's power Formerly connected in parallel and
supply. operated from a low- voltage winding
The new speaker required four leads on the transformer, the heaters were
(one pair for electromagnet power) now wired in series to build up as large
compared with the original two. a voltage -drop as possible. That series
Though smaller in size than the old - string of heaters was connected, in
style separate speaker, the built -in The 1939 Philco set shown here was one turn, with a series resistor to increase
speaker delivered much more of the last wood-cabinet table models the voltage drop still further. The com-
sound- particularly since the audio in the line. Note the large tuning dial bined voltage drops of the tubes and
tube that drove it, no longer having to with rotating pointer. series resistor totaled 115 or so, and the
rely on a limited battery supply, was entire "shooting match" could be op-
delivering more power. But whether it was a table model or erated directly from the AC (or, as we
The presence of the speaker inside a console, the typical "transitional shall see, DC) line without benefit of a
the cabinet caused another major period" set had moved into the mod- power transformer.
change in the radio's physical ap- em era of vacuum -tube radio design.
pearance. Previously, the hinged -lid, Inside, the radio no longer looked like Recognizing Depression AC-DC's.
coffin -shaped, wooden box of the a hand -assembled laboratory pro- The elimination of the power trans-
mid-1920's battery TRF had been re- totype, but more like the mass -pro- former resulted in an interesting fringe
placed by the more rectangular box duced home appliance it had benefit; a radio without a power trans-
of the late 1920's socket -power radio become. Outside, the "apparatus"
with its built -in power supply. Now, be- look was gone. The multi- knobbed
cause of its more compact chassis, the Bakelite front panel or neutral metal
cabinet of the 'transitional" radio took enclosure was replaced by a cabinet
up less table space, but required more made of fine wood in a furniture style
vertical space to accommodate the and finish.
speaker.
One of the resulting cabinet styles, Impact of the Depression. As you
the familiar cathedral, curved upward might imagine, the financial crash of A /940's Emerson, like the one shown
to form a dome around the speaker. 1929 and the deepening depression of here, is a typical "second- generation"
Another common style, the the 1930's had quite an impact on the AC -DC set.
62
former could be operated from DC as tic base equipped with an octal (8- covered with "airplane-luggage" fab-
well as AC current. During the 1930's, prong) plug. The loiter are one -piece ric. Some had shortwave bands as well
the downtown sections of many large glass types having no separate base; as standard broadcast. And a few
cities were supplied only with DC the connecting pins (usually 7) pass had special arrangements to remove
power. Conventional radios having directly out through the tube's glass and orient the antenna for best recep-
power transformers could be oper- bottom. tion.
ated downtown only by using a costly The speaker of that second- genera- The little battery portables were
power inverter. Here was a ready - tion AC -DC set was frequently a often marvels of mechanical ingenuity
made market for the new "bare - permanent-magnet type rather than and organization of interior space. It
bones" radios, which quickly became the older style dynamic version. was quite a trick to find places for a full
known in the trade as "AC -DC sets." Through the development of better set of batteries without coming up with
The first AC -DC "depression radios" magnetic materials, permanent mag- a cabinet size appreciably larger than
make interesting collectibles. Cab- nets could now be made much more the standard AC -DC table model.
inets were generally made of wood in powerful than before, making ob- And since those sets were generally
a variety of fanciful styles. They look solete the need for a speaker field coil. designed for plug -in operation as well,
nice on a bookshelf, and are much And improvements in power -supply designers also had to provide a spot to
easier to store and display than the full - components over the years had done store the line cord when not in use.
size models. away with the necessity of having a As you might imagine, the "3 -way"
Besides the distinctive cabinet, you field coil to play the part of a filter portables (so named because they
can also recognize the first -generation choke. One easy way to identify a per- would operate from the AC line, DC
AC -DC set by its series resistor and the manent- magnet speaker is to check line, or internal battery power) were
types of tubes used. The tubes were a the number of leads going to it; there enormously popular with teen-
mixture of 6-volt types originally de- are only two of them, compared with agers,-who lugged them to beach-
veloped for auto use (6A7, 6D6, 6Q7- the four wires required for a dynamic es, parks, or other recreational areas
to name a few) and higher -voltage speaker. to add a little extra romance and ex-
types designed especially to help citement to the proceedings.
build up the voltage drop in the series You can identify the first -generation
string (typical were the 25Z5 and 3 -way portable not only by its case
25L6). You'll also often see the 43, a 6- style and battery compartments, but
volt type designed especially for use in also by its tube complement. The tubes
AC -DC sets. will be in the octal -based "GT" style
Series resistors were sometimes in- described previously, and you'll see
cluded in the set's line cord as an as- The Zenith 1940 portable had an types such as 1A5, 1A6, 1A7, 1B7, 1H5,
bestos- covered third wire; sometimes "airplane luggage" case and a 1N5, etc. The 'h" at the beginning of the
housed in metal plug -in tube -like en- removable loop antenna with suction type number indicates that the tube
closures mounted on the set's chassis. cups for mounting on car windows. operates from a 1.4 -volt DC source.
The former type were commonly
called line -cord resistors; the latter Second -generation AC -DC sets Other Trends in Radio. So far we've
were known as ballasts. were usually superheterodynes rather covered the evolution of broadcast ra-
Those little radios were made both than TRF's. And the superheterodyne dio receivers during the 1920's. Then we
as TRFs and as superheterodynes. But sets of that period were easily recog- skipped rather abruptly from the early
construction practices were such that
it isn't always easy to tell the difference
without a knowledgeable eye or a cir-
nizable by the pair of tall, square-
topped aluminum enclosures housing
the IF transformers. The top of each
to the late 1930's as we discussed the
AC -DC sets and 3 -way portables
types that were quite dominant during
-
cuit diagram!
for DC- network node 1000 'DC NETWORK ANALYSIS PROGRAM (DCNAP)
1060 '
1070 PRINT
1080 PRINT "*
1090 PRINT "* DCNAP - D.C. Network Analysis Program
1100 PRINT "*
1110 PRINT "* (c) 1988 by James E. Tarchinski
By James E. Tarchinski 1120 PRINT "*
1130 PRINT "
1140 COLOR 11
1150 PRINT
1160 PRINT " This program uses Nodal Analysis to determine the node voltages"
IN THE OCTOBER 1987 ISSUE OF 1170 PRINT "of linear D.C. networks. These networks may range in size from"
Hands -on Electronics, we pub- 1180
1190
PRINT "1 to 25 nodes, not counting the ground. or datum, node."
PRINT
lished ACNAP, a program written in 1200 PRINT " Models for five types of devices are incorporated in this"
1
1210 PRINT "program:"
BASIC that enables a personal comput- 1220 PRINT " 1. Resistors"
er to calculate the node voltages of alter- 1230 PRINT " 2. Conductors"
1250 PRINT " 3. Independent current sources (ICS)"
nating-current (AC) networks. Due to 1260 PRINT " 4. Voltage -controlled current sources (VCCS)"
1270 PRINT " 5. Independent voltage sources (IVS)"
the number of requests we've received 1280 PRINT "
for a direct-current version of that pro- 1290 LOCATE 23,1 COLOR 7 PRINT "Press any key
: :
1300
gram, we would now like to introduce
'
1570 '
rent sources, and independent voltage 1580 INS =INKEYS:IF INS<> "" THEN GOTO 1580
1590 INS =INKEYS:IF INS= "" THEN GOTO 1590
sources. 1600 CLS
1610 PRINT "Enter the number of nodes in the circuit,"
The DCNAP program listing is given 1620 INPUT "not counting the ground node (1 -25): ",N
in Table I, and a flow chart of the pro- 1630 IF N 25 OR N 1 THEN PRINT "PLEASE ENTER A VALID NUMBER! ": GOTO 1610
> <
1640 N1 = N 1
gram is shown in Fig. I. Note that the 1650 '
1660 PRINT
numbers in brackets on the flow chart 1750 '
1780 '
1920
article, that program is capable of ana- 1930
'
'
* * * ** * * ** * ** VOLTAGE CONTROLLED CURRENT SOURCE SECTION must run BASIC in order to use
2580 CLS INPUT "Enter number of VCCSs: ",NC
: DCNAP.
2590 IF NC 1 THEN GOTO 2740
<
2710 NEXT I
2720
2730
'
'
lines 1070 -1590, displays two screens
2740 ' INDEPENDENT VOLTAGE SOURCE SECTION of introductory information. The first
2750
2760 CLS
'
INPUT "Enter
: number of IVSs: ",NC screen contains general comments
2770 IF NC
2780 POS = "IVS"
1 THEN GOTO 2960
<
about the program (as shown in Fig. 2).
2790 P1S = "NEGATIVE NODE: while the second screen notes the four
2800 P2S = "POSITIVE NODE:
2810 P3S = "MAGNITUDE (Volts): major rules that must be followed when
2830 FOR I = 1 TO NC using DCNAP. Basically, those rules
2840 GOSUB 3740
2850 IF IN EN THEN VL = -VL
> TO =IN IN =EN
: EN =TO
: :
state that each node in the circuit to be
2860 FOR J = 1 TO N1
2870 A(IN,J) = A(IN,J) A(EN,J)
analyzed must be given a unique integer
2890 A(EN,J) = 0 node number, and that the ground (or
2900 NEXT J
2910 A(EN,EN) = I A(EN,IN) = -1 : A(EN,N1) ''.
: -
datum) node must be called Node 0.
2930 NEXT I
2940 '
No integer value may be skipped and
2950 '
the ground node is not counted when
2960 GAUSSIAN ELIMINATION SECTION
2970 CLS
'
INITIALIZE
11000 -106111
DOES
INSTRUCTIONS CIRCUIT YES
HAVE ICS's' LOAD ICS's
11070 -15901
11400 -24301 12440 -25501
ENTER NO.
OF NODES
11600 -16501 DOES
CIRCUIT YES
HAVE VCCS's' LOAD VCCS's
12600- 273111
12560 -25901
ENTER
FREQUENCY
11660 -17601
DOES
DOES CIRCUIT YES LOAD IVS's
CIRCUIT HAVE IVS's''
LOAD RESISTORS 12780 -29501
HAVE RESISTORS? 12740 -27701
11770 -18001 11810 -19201
GAUSSIAN
ELIMINATION
DOES 12960 -33001
CIRCUIT
HAVE CONDUCTORS? LOAD CONDUCTORS
11930 -19601 11970-20701
DISPLAY
NODE
VOLTAGE
13310 -36301
00ES
CIRCUIT
HAVE LOAD CAPACITORS
CAPACITORS? 12120 -22301
(2080 -21101 YES ZERO A- MATRIX
137001
END
Fig.1- Because DCNAP was derived from the original ACNAP program. the line
numbers are not always in perfect increments of ten. Take care when entering
the program not to miss a line number transition. ages, using a Gaussian elimination
algorithm. If the numeric values in the
to be the "Initial Node," and which you which terminal of the circuit. For exam- equations become too small for the
consider to be the "Final Node," as ple, the "Initial Node" of an indepen- computer to deal with, or if the circuit
long as there is one of each. For the dent current source (ICS) is the tail of description entered is not valid, the er-
other three element types however, the the arrow, while the "Final Node" is the ror message of line 3110 is displayed.
node names must not be confused or arrow's point. The circuit's node voltages, with re-
DCNAP will yield incorrect results. For When all the component values are spect to the ground node (Node -0), are
those elements, the input prompts spec- entered, lines 2960-3290 of the pro- printed to the screen by lines
ify what names are associated with gram solve for the circuit's node volt- 3310 -3620. To make certain that the
66
TABLE 1 (continued) 4. That circuit contains a voltage -con-
3610 INS = INKEYS : IF INS , "" THEN GOTO 3610
3620 INS = INKEYS : IF INS = "" THEN GOTO 3620 trolled current source whose output cur-
3630
rent is dependent on Vx, the voltage
'
3640 CLS PRINT "Would you like to analyize another circuit ?"
:
3650
3660
PRINT "
PRINT "
1. Yes,
2. No"
or" from Node-1 to Node-2. A solution for
3670 INPUT "Your choice: ",A
3680 IF A = 2 THEN END 'exit program
3690 IF A <> 1 THEN BEEP: GOTO 3640 'inproper entry
3700 FOR I =1 TO N FOR J =1 TO N1 : A(I,J) =0 NEXT NEXT
: : :
3730 '
RESISTOR 1 1
FINAL NODE: 0
1 to 25 nodes, not counting the ground, or datum, node." VALUE (Ohms): 10
top lines do not scroll off the screen use the DC Network Analysis Program. VCCS t 1
before you have an opportunity to write The circuit for our first example is the INITIAL NODE (The Tail): 2
FINAL NODE (The Point):
the node voltages down, line 3340 two-node network shown in Fig. 3. The VALUE (Amps): 0.3
1
"I" is equal to 20 (assuming that there be as follows (assuming that you've got- Enter the number of IVSs: 1
are at least 20 nodes in the circuit). ten past the press any key prompt: IVS 1 1
test data to verify that the program is INITIAL NODE: 2 V(1) -5.877554 volts
FINAL NODE: V(2) 10.04082 volts
functioning properly. Let's go through a VALUE (Ohms):
0
3 V(3) 12 volts
mentioned, you must first call up CONDUCTOR 1 1 The two test circuits that have been
BASIC; load and run DCNAP. INITIAL NODE: I analyzed contain all of the circuit ele-
FINAL NODE:
In addition to verifying that you've VALUE (Mhos):
2
0.5 ments that DCNAP can handle. So if
entered the program correctly, the solu- Enter the number of ICSS: 1
the version of DCNAP that you enter
tions also demonstrate exactly how to ICS 1 1
into your computer correctly solves
INITIAL NODE (The Tail): e both networks, you can be somewhat
FINAL NODE (The Point):
0.5mhos VALUE (Amps): S confident that you have entered the pro-
Enter the number of DCSS: 0
gram correctly. If your solutions do not
Enter the number of IVSs: 0
agree with the ones above, double
aft
THE NODE VOLTAGES
V(1( 25 volts
ARE:
check your work.
V(2) 15 volts
It may take a bit of work to enter
Would you like
1. Yes, or
to analyze another circuit?
DCNAP and then eliminate any ty-
2. No
Your choice: l
pographical errors. But when you are
done you'll have a powerful program
Fig. 3-This simple two-node circuit The next example that we'll analyze capable of solving even the most com-
is used for the first example. is the three -node, circuit shown in Fig. plex DC circuits in just seconds.
67
UNDERSTANDING
OHM'S LAW
At one time, some scientists
considered Ohm's Law not to be worth
the paper it was written on. But those
scientists never put it to the test.
When was the last time you did?
To begin your study of Ohm's Law you'll need to measure the
voltage across a resistor. Using a high impedance digital meter BY STAN CZARNIK
will prevent you from loading down the circuit.
IT IS DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TO THINK ABOUT published in 1827. Ohm's book was not greeted with a lot of
electrical resistance without also thinking about some enthusiasm. In fact, some of the comments were just plain
form of mathematical representation. A digital readout, a hostile. One critic called it a "web of naked fancies." In
moving needle, or even a color-coded resistor, it all comes other words: Crazy! The web of naked fancies contained
down to numbers. That was not always the case. Ohm's Law.
Some of the first experiments in conductivity were those of Many people have trouble with math, even fairly simple
the solitary English scientist, Henry Cavendish (1731 -1810). math. I am one of those people. But, Ohm's Law is funda-
Without access to batteries, Cavendish used primitive capaci- mental to all electrical science, and understanding it can
tors, called Leyden jars, as a source of current. Cavendish provide the confidence necessary to master more complicated
studied the effect known in modern electronics as voltage formulas. And there are plenty of those both in and out of
drop by directing static discharges through glass tubes of electronics.
different sizes containing solutions of salt in water. But
Cavendish had no measuring instruments. So he completed Current
the test circuits with his own body and figured the various The fundamental form of Ohm's Law tells us that the level
degrees of conductivity by the kind of shock he received: The of current in a simple linear series circuit varies directly with
first voltmeter was the human nervous system! the voltage and inversely with the resistance. In other words,
There were other studies of electrical conductivity. The current (in amps) equals potential difference (in volts) divid-
French physicist Andre Marie Ampere (1775-1836) noted ed by resistance (in ohms). Algebraically, with I representing
that conductors possess certain "imperfections." He called current, E standing for voltage, and R for resistance:
those imperfections resistance. But the precise relation of 1= E/R
resistance to other electrical forces remained unclear.
So let's see how that works out. Say you select a resistor
A Web of Naked Fancies and determine its value to be 218 ohms with a multimeter. If
What was needed was a way of representing those forces in you connect the resistor to a couple of 1.5 -volt batteries in
an exact, unambiguous, quantitative fashion. That is the great series, and measure the voltage across the resistor, it should
historical contribution of Georg Simon Ohm (1787- 1854). be about 3.00 volts. The current in the circuit can now be
Ohm's first formal investigations dealt with the length of a predicted by dividing 3.00 by 218. According to my pocket
current -carrying wire and the attenuation of electromagnetic calculator, that equals .013, or 13 milliamps. Check that
intensity due to its length. He also studied wire's made of figure by opening the circuit and measuring the actual cur-
different materials: gold, brass, platinum, lead, and so on. rent. You will find that predicated value and the actual value
Ohm found that all conductors are not created equal, and that are very close.
conductivity varied according to both a wires length and Repeat the exercise with a few other resistors until you are
cross -sectional area. Those conclusions were made public in comfortable with the results. Remember, the numbers you
1825. obtain are important, but not nearly as important as your
Ohm's experiments did not impress his contemporaries understanding of the relationships involved.
very much, but Ohm continued his work anyway. He went on
to confront the elementary forces and principles that make an Resistance
electrical circuit what it is. He sought to define the interaction The second form of Ohm's Law tells us that resistance
of three key variables. Those are: the electrical potential of a equals voltage divided by current. Expressed mathe-
voltaic cell (later known as a thermocouple), the electromag- matically, that is:
netic intensity, and the length of a connecting wire, or volt- R =E/I
age, current, and resistance.
Those studies were followed by a comprehensive volume Choose another resistor, connect it to your battery pack,
entitled The Galvanic Circuit Mathematically Worked Out and determine the current moving through the circuit. For the
68
sake of our example, we'll say the current is 8.5 milliamps, or
.0085 amp. Now measure the voltage. Determine the value of
R by dividing E by I, or in our case we divide 3.00 by .0085.
That comes out to about 353 ohms. The calculated value of
resistance in the circuit is likely to be a bit higher than the
value of the resistor, but the two numbers will be quite close.
Once again, repeat the exercise a few times with a few
different resistors. Potentiometers, rheostats, and other
sources of resistance may, of course, be used as well.
With the exception of superconductors, all conductors
have resistance. Resistance is a distinctive feature of a given
conductor. Given a constant temperature, the voltage and
current can vary, but the resistance will remain the same.
According to some interpretations, that is the real essence of
Ohm's Law.
Measuring current requires that you open the circuit and
place the meter into it as a part of the circuit. To demonstrate that, remove one battery from your battery
pack. That will give you about 1.50 volts. Now repeat the
experiment described previously. With the same resistor, the
current flowing through the circuit will be about one-half of
what it was originally. One -half the original voltage divided
by one-half the original current, will give you a value of R
that is very close to one you obtained the first time you
performed the experiment.
E =IxR
Start by determining the value of a resistor. Suppose the
If you dig down to the bottom of your junk box, you may
value is 449 ohms. Now connect that same resistor to the
find one of these old- fashioned wire-wound variable
resistors. They are interesting devices to experiment with. power pack and measure the current moving through the
This one provides from 0 to 10 ohms of resistance. circuit. Suppose the value is about 6.7 milliamps, or .0067
amp. The value of R, 449, multiplied by the value of I, .0067,
equals just over 3.00, the value of E. The calculated value of
E will be close to actual voltage across the resistor.
This ought to be getting pretty easy, so let's complicate
things a bit. Choose a second resistor. Now patch together a
series circuit consisting of the two resistors and the battery
pack. You have built a simple voltage divider that resembles
the one shown in the photographs.
Suppose the value of the second resistor, R2, is 95 ohms.
We already know the valise of R1. The question becomes:
What are the new voltages across R1 and R2?
First, we need to measure the new current. Since there is no
"load" on the output, you can open the circuit anywhere and
hook up your multimeter. My instrument tells me there are
5.5 milliamps, or .0055 amp, moving through the circuit. To
calculate the voltage across Rl. just multiply the value of Rl
A simple voltage divider is perhaps one of the most useful
circuits you can create. By using a potentiometer in place (449 ohms in our case) by the value of I (.0055 amps in our
of one of the resistors, you can perform the experiment example). Calculate the voltage across R2 in the same way.
with many different values of resistance but fewer parts. Your predictions will be very close to the actual voltages
across R1 and R2.
MATERIALS LIST Turn off your pocket calculator, disconnect the batteries,
FOR THE OHM'S LAW LAB put away the voltmeter, and congratulate yourself because
you've taken the first steps toward understanding electronics:
1.5- volt "D" or "C" cells (2) You know the three fundamental forms of Ohm's Law.
Battery holder For a brief biography of Georg Simon Ohm, see S.P.
Hook-up wire Bordeau, Volts to Hertz; The Rise of Electricity (1982. Bur-
Multimeter gess Publishing Company. Minneapolis MN). For more on
Resistors, Assorted basic circuit laws, we recommend P. Horowitz and W. Hill,
Solderless breadboard The Art of Electronics (1980, Cambridge University Press,
Test cables and clips
Cambridge, MA).
69
t-'"'t
-...w"1Erameii-+2`1-12421t Ld'amtl--1.:'V"\
USING
THERMOCOUPLES
This simple device generates voltage that is
used to measure heat, cold, pressure, flow, and
directly creates cold from electricity!
By Walter W. Schopp
Simply twist the ends of one copper and one steel wire an op -amp. a thermocouple's output can be amplified and
together and you have created an amazing device called unloaded. That is useful if the thermocouple is to be used
a thermocouple. If you apply heat to the twisted junc- as a sensing and control device.
tion, a voltage is produced across the open wire ends. Re- The thermocouple junction can be compared to a small
verse the situation and run current through the junction and battery whose voltage increases or decreases with tempera-
the temperature of the junction will go up or down depending ture changes. But unlike batteries, since each material in the
on the direction of the current. junction assumes a fixed polarity, the connections that are
That thermoelectric effect of direct temperature -to- made between the thermocouples produce voltage equal and
electricity or electricity -to- temperature conversion was dis- opposite to that of the thermocouples themselves. That ef-
covered over a century ago. Simple thermocouple devices fectively cancels out any voltage produced by the thermo-
that directly convert heat to electricity, are extensively used couples (see Fig. 1). It is comparable to connecting batteries
for measurements of temperature. flow, and pressure. Ther- in series with every other battery connected backwards. Se-
moelectric cooling devices are found in applications that ries connections of thermocouple joints can be accomplished
make use of the electricity -to- temperature conversion abili- by making certain that only every -other joint sees heat, while
ties of the thermocouple. the reverse connected joints are not heated (see Fig. 2.)
A circuit showing how a lot of thermocouples can be
Actual Thermocouples connected together to produce a usable voltage with every
The simple copper and steel thermocouple leaves a lot to other junction kept cool is shown in Fig. 3. One ring of
be desired because the output voltage from that configura- junctions is shown, but many rings can be made around a
tion is very low. Years of research have produced a variety heat source. Enough thermocouples can be arranged in a
of metals and alloys that produce more output. circular pattern to power a small radio. The ring of thermo-
A common material used for thermocouples is copper couples can be heated with a candle in the center, or slipped
constantan. Copper constantan is an alloy of 60% copper over the chimney glass of a lantern.
and 40% nickel. A thermocouple junction made from that
material combined with another alloy can produce about one Hook Up
and a half millivolts at 100F. You can connect thermocouples in parallel, or use larger
Other combinations of materials used in thermocouples wire size to increase their current generating capability. The
are iron and iron constantan, chrome) and alumel, and vari- size of the wire has little to do with the output voltage from
ous alloys of platinum and rhodium. The last two materials the junction. Small- diameter wires heat and cool quicker,
are quite expensive and are used mostly for extending the
temperature range above 3000F. That is usually of little
interest to the home experimenter.
The output of the thermocouple is rated in millivolts per
degree and is always non- linear. That means that as the
temperature changes, the millivolts per degree will not al-
ways be the same. By plotting the output against the tem-
perature, tables for various materials have been compiled.
The tables are available from many sources. One of the
prime sources for them, and all the materials needed to ex-
periment with is Omega Engineering Inc., Box 4047.
Stamford. CT 06907.
Series Connections
The output from a single thermocouple junction can di- Fig.1- Connections between thermocouples are themselves
rectly drive a pivot- and -jewel type millivolt meter. By using thermocouples of opposing polarity and equal magnitude.
70
HEAT SOURCE
METAL
PLATE
COOL
CONNECTIONS
Fig.2 -Since connections between thermocouples are Fig. 4- Average temperature measurements can be obtained by
thermocouples of opposing polarity, to connect connecting to more than one point on the surface of a metal
thermocouples in series requires that we keep the plate. Here the two connections act as a single junction.
connections between the thermocouples cool.
and so respond to changes in temperature faster. The size An interesting variation of the standard junction is to make
of wire that is chosen will entirely depend on the intended two junctions by spot welding the wires at different points
use. In a series configuration, the distance between joints on a metal panel (see Fig. 4). Each of the junctions will put
is limited only by the ability to keep every -other joint away out a portion of the total output. The outputs of the two
from the direct heat. junctions will output the same voltage as one junction of the
Long runs between the output device (a readout or op -amp selected thermocouple material. The output produced from
stage; and the junction are limited by the IR drop of the wire, that configuration will be determined by the average tem-
but since the voltage and current are quite low, wire resis- perature between the two junctions.
tance in fairly long runs is not usually a problem. The volt- The cost of monitoring a number of separate junctions can
age drop in a long wire will reduce the rated output of the also be kept to a minimum by using a common -leg switching
junction, but that can be remedied by recalibration. The circuit as shown in Fig. 5. To avoid confusion remember
connecting wire between the junction and the output device that the meter is common to all junctions. To get meter
can be common hook -up wire as long as you remember that readings that make sense, the junctions should be made from
the joints you have made for the extension are also junctions the same materials. The same rules apply if accuracy is re-
and will also change your calibration. If an equal amount quired: calibrate the final circuit to compensate for all the
of junctions are made in each leg, they will cancel each extra junctions.
other's voltage output.
HOT
JUNCTIONS
COLD
JUNCTIONS
Fig. 5-
Reduced lead length can be achieved by switching
between various thermocouples at the reading station.
73
NETWORK
ANALYSIS:
SUPERPOSITION
THEOREM
By Louis E. Frenzel
THIS MONTH WE'LL CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSION OF nent algebraically by adding them together. The result will be
techniques for network analysis. Last month, we intro- the desired current or voltage.
duced Thevenin's theorem which is widely used to To see how that works, let's start with a simple example.
reduce a circuit to an equivalent voltage source. In this Take a look at the circuit in Fig. IA. It consists of two voltage
installment, we present the superposition theorem, which sources, one of 5 volts and one of 12 volts. Those sources are
allows you to analyze circuits with two or more voltage connected to a pair of resistors that form a voltage divider. We
sources. wish to determine the output voltage at point A, the center of
Today many electronic circuits derive their power from two the resistors, with respect to ground. Using the superposition
or more voltage sources. Analyzing such circuits is tricky theorem, we first calculate the output voltage at point A first
using conventional techniques, but when you use the super- with the 5 -volt source, VI, connected. Then we make the
position theorem, the process is fast and nearly painless. same calculation with the 12 -volt source, V2, connected. The
Combined with Thevenin's theorem, the superposition tech- true output voltage is then simply the algebraic sum of the
niques will give you an extra -powerful tool for simplifying two voltages we calculated independently.
and analyzing more complex circuits. Everything that you To begin the analysis of the circuit in Fig. IA, first replace
need is contained within this lesson including a brief review the 12 -volt source with a short. The resulting circuit is shown
of Thevenin's theorem in case you missed it last month. So. in Fig. 1B. The result is simply a voltage divider across the 5-
let's begin. volt source. The output voltage at A with respect to ground is
simply the voltage across the resistor R2. We can use the
The Superposition Theorem familiar voltage- divider formula to calculate that voltage. It
Basically, what the superposition theorem says is that the is:
current through a component or a voltage across it is a VA = V IR2 /(R1 + R2) = 5(3.3K)/(1K + 3.3K)
combination of the effects produced by the multiple voltage = 5(3.3K/4.3K) = 5(0.767) = 3.84 volts
sources. More specifically, that current or voltage is the
algebraic sum of the individual currents or voltages produced The output voltage at A with respect to B then with V2 shorted
by the voltage sources acting independently on the compo- is simply +3.84 volts. See Fig. IB.
nent. That leads to a conclusion about how we might be able The next step is to replace V2 and remove VI. The equiv-
to implement the theorem on practical circuits. If we simply alent circuit for that is illustrated in Fig. 1C. The 5 -volt source
disable all but one voltage source, then compute the various is replaced with a short. That leaves the 12 -volt source V2
currents and voltage drops, then repeat the process with the driving the voltage divider made up of R1 and R2. In that
other voltage sources, the total voltage or current associated case, the output voltage at A is the voltage across RI rather
with a component is obtained by just adding the individual than R2. We can still use the voltage- divider formula to find
currents or voltages. the output voltage, but the formula has to be rearranged. The
The process of the superposition theorem is as follows: output voltage then is:
1. Disable all but one voltage source in the circuit. You do
VA = V2R1 /(Rl + R2)
that by replacing it with a short circuit. Any internal imped- -
= -12(1K)/(1K + 3.3K) = 12(IK)/(4.3K)
ance associated with the voltage source should be retained in
the circuit.
- -
= 12(.233) = 2.79 volts
2. Calculate the total -circuit resistance and the various To complete the problem, we simply combine the two
currents through, and voltages across, each component using voltages we calculated independently. We do that by adding
Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws. them algebraically:
3. Repeat Steps I and 2 for each voltage source in the 3.84 + (- 2.79) =1.05 volts.
circuit.
4. Combine the currents or voltages for the desired compo- As you can see, the output is a positive 1.05 volts.
74
R1 = 150012 R3 = 25011
R1 = 1K
AA&
W
A
V1= 5V
OUTPUT
1
R2 3.3K VOLTAGE V= V2 = 9V
I
=
15V R2 = 100012
1
V2= 12V T T
I R1 = 150012
J
R3 = 25012
B
4V
R2=100012
R1 = 150012 R3 = 25012
2 SHORTED
RI 1K
VI SHORTED
A
- 2.79V
R2 = 3.3K
B
75
The total -circuit current can be found by using Ohm's law: R 1 = 200SZ R3 = 3005?
A,A,k
VA,
IT = V /RT =15/1700= .0088 ampere
1
-
VR2,3= V2 VR1
R1 R3 R5 A
76
nais A and B. The remaining circuit shown in Fig. 5B is the Next we want to find the equivalent voltage across the
one we will Theveninize. We begin by applying the super- output terminals produced by V2 with V1 shorted. Shorting
position method of replacing one of the voltage sources with a VI produces the equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 5D. That is
short and calculating the load voltage. Replacing V2 with a just a voltage divider made up of RI and R3 connected across
short produces the circuit in Fig. 5C. That is simply a voltage V2. The output across terminals A and B is the voltage across
divider made up of RI and R3 connected across the 12 -volt R1. Again, the conventional voltage-divider formula can be
source, V1. The voltage between A and B (VAR) is the used. In that case, the polarity of V, with respect to ground is
voltage across R3. Using the voltage- divider formula: negative, therefore, we label V2 as being negative:
VAR = V1(R3)/(R1 + R3) VAR = V2(RI) /(RI + R3)
= 12(180)/(120+ 180) = - 5(120)/(120 +180)
=12(180)/300= + 7.2 volts = - 5(120)/300 = -2 volts
Note the voltage is positive because V1 is positive with Here the voltage is negative because V2 is negative with
respect to ground. respect to ground.
The composite output voltage across terminals A and B is
R1=12057 R3 =18052 simply the sum of the two voltages we just calculated. In that
case, VAB equals:
1
171=12V R2 = 50012
VAH= +7.2 +( -2)= +5.2 volts
That is the Thevenin's equivalent voltage VTh.
AT B Now we can find the Thevenin's equivalent resistance. To
do that, both voltage sources are replaced with shorts produc-
ing the circuit shown in Hg. 5E. Resistors RI and R3 are
R1=12052 A R3=18017
connected in parallel across terminals A and B. The resis-
T tance between A and B is RAR and is the Thevenin's equiv-
1 alent resistance:
V1= 12V LOAD
T
REMOVED V2 = 5V
RAU = RTh = RIR3/(Rl + R3)
= 120(180)/(120 +180)
BT IB
T = 21600/300= 72 ohms
Now we can draw the complete Thevenin's equivalent for
R1=12052 A R3 = 18052
AAA the original circuit in Fig. 5A. It is shown in Fig. 5F. A 5.2-
volt source is in series with a 72 -ohm resistance with the load
connected to terminals A and B. The equivalent circuit will,
T
V1 = 12V V
AB
V2 SHORTED of course, produce exactly the same output voltage with
= varying loads as the original circuit.
B
7:T
Exercise Problem
R1=12012 A R3=18052 Check your knowledge of the superposition process by
- -A-
VV V working the following problem.
2. Theveninize the circuit given in Ag. 1. Determine VTh
T and RTh.
V SHORTED V2 = 5V
VAB
77
SECONDARY
Not all voltage sources, of course, are batteries. Therefore, PRIMARY
Power Supplies .
R1
Power supplies are usually good voltage sources. Their
internal resistance is low so that their output voltage remains
essentially constant with load variations. Just keep in mind UNREGULATED
INPUT R2 LOAD
that all power supplies do have a finite value of internal DC
FROM
resistance. That internal resistance in turn determines the POWER
78
`vcc
Such electronic regulators work very rapidly and maintain a
very constant output voltage. Such electronic regulators work
very rapidly and maintain a very constant output voltage. The
effect is as if the internal resistance has been reduced to an
extremely low value. When power-supply output voltage vari-
ations are a problem, adding a regulator effectively decreases
the internal resistance. Regulated power supplies, like bat-
teries, are extremely good, but not perfect voltage sources.
Transistor Circuits
Many transistor circuits also serve as voltage sources of
varying degrees of quality. Transistor amplifiers, for exam-
ple, all have an internal resistance which to a load appears as
an output impedance. Take the simple common- emitter am-
plifier circuit shown in Fig. 8A. Its output impedance is just
slightly less than the value of the collector resistor Re. In the
circuit shown, the output impedance or internal resistance of
the circuit as seen by the load is 1000 ohms. Its equivalent
circuit is shown in Fig. 8B.
In general, an amplifier would not be considered a good
voltage source, but remember that that can only be deter-
mined by considering the load resistance in comparison to Fig. 9-
Cascading amplifier stages causes each stage to
the output impedance. If the load resistance is 10K ohms or load the previous stage. The loads must be taken into
greater, then the circuit is a good voltage source by our account when designing the overall circuit.
previous definition. For values less than 10K ohms, the circuit
is not a good voltage source. 9A, that means making the value of collector resistor Re
+vcc smaller.
While that can be done, it has several detrimental effects.
For example, lowering the value of Rc decreases the gain of
Q2 and increases the power consumption of the circuit. Both
of those are undesirable characteristics although the output
impedance is reduced. Such trade -offs are common in elec-
tronic- circuit design. Usually the choice of a collector re-
sistor is some optimum value that is a balance between low
output impedance, high gain and minimum current con-
R= 10K sumption. An alternative or additional technique is to work
on making the input resistance R; equal to Q2's or higher.
79
*v cc +V
CC
IST
EMITTER
FOLLOWER
AMPLIFIER
Q1 2N0
EMITTER
FOLLOWER
RL
IRL
+VCC
+VCC
AMPLIFIER 03
01
Q1 EMITTER FOLLOWER
o
B
B
RL
i
i
Fig. 10 -Using an emitter-follower stage is an excellent
way to lower the output impedance, and allow the amplifier to
amplify a signal without having to drive the output. Fig. 11- Emitter followers can themselves be cascaded to
produce a circuit with lowered output impedance.
Additional Stages
+vc
If even lower output impedance is needed, several emitter-
tollower stages may be cascaded as shown in Fig. IIA. One
stage, Q1, will get the output impedance down to several
DARLINGTON PAIR
hundred ohms. The next stage, Q2, will reduce that even
farther to some value less than 100 ohms. A popular combina-
tion is to use a field-effect transistor as a source follower, and
follow it with an emitter follower for further output- imped-
ance reduction. See Figure 1IB. The FET stage Q2 minimizes AMPLIFIER Q3
loading on the amplifier circuit while providing some de-
01
crease in output impedance. The bipolar stage Q3 reduces the
output impedance even more. L-- J
One technique that is similar in effect to cascading emitter
tollowers is to use the popular Darlington connection shown
in Fig. 12. There two bipolar transistors, Q2 and Q3, are
connected in such a way that they appear as a single very high IAL
gain transistor called a Darlington pair. With very high gain,
the Darlington connected device, when used in an emitter-
Fig. 12 -Here we show the use of a Darlington pair to lower
tollower circuit, produces very high input impedance and the output impedance of an emitter -follower amplifier.
extremely low output impedance.
Another way to reduce the output impedance of a circuit is
to add a power amplifier to it. A widely used power amplifier Such low impedances are easily accomplished with power-
is the popular complementary-symmetry circuit shown in amplifier circuits such as that shown. Such amplifiers are
Fig. 13. It is a class -B amplifier where each transistor sup- excellent voltage sources.
plies one -half of the signal to the load. Transistor Q2 supplies
the positive half-cycles, and Q3 supplies the negative half- Transformers
cycles. Such power amplifiers have extremely low output Another technique for lowering the output impedance of an
impedance. amplifier is simply to use a transformer. Recall that a trans-
Complementary-symmetry amplifiers like the one in Fig. former, because of its turns ratio, can be used to match
13 are commonly used in audio power amplifiers that must impedances. The windings can be chosen so that the output
drive speakers. Speakers have inherently very low imped- impedance is much less than the input impedance. The
ances of 4, 8, or 16 ohms. In order to drive a speaker properly, relationship between the impedance ratio and turns ratio is
the driving amplifier must have a very low output impedance. expressed in the formula:
80
+vcc
Z,/ZS = (N ,)2/(Ns)2
Where Z, is the primary impedance, Zs is the secondary or
load impedance, Np is the number of turns on the primary,
and Ns is the number of turns on the secondary.
Rearranging the formula to solve for the turns ratio in terms SPEAKER 8S2
Np/Ns =Z1,/Zs
For example, assume we have an 8 -ohm speaker load but
the output impedance of our amplifier is 800 ohms. We can
match the two with a transformer. The turns ratio needed is:
H7
Np/Ns = 800/8 =100= 10 or 10 -to -1
The transformer needs a turns ratio of 10 -to -I or 10 times as
many primary turns as secondary turns. The transformer Fig. 14-Using impedance- matching transformers is another
makes the amplifier appear to have lower output impedance way of reducing the output impedance of a driving stage.
than it really does.
At one time, transformers were widely used in power
amplifiers to achieve low output impedance. A typical class -
A audio amplifier is shown in Fig. 14. While such amplifiers
are still used in some small radios and audio amplifier cir- vi
cuits, today most of those circuits have been replaced by
transformerless power amplifiers such as the complementary-
symmetry circuit described previously.
Op -Amps Fig. 15-Op -amp inverters not only have an inherently low
Op -amps are very popular for implementing a variety of output impedance, but they also have high input impedance.
amplifier, signal -processing, and signal -generating circuits.
The op -amp, as you recall, is a very-high gain differential
amplifier that is normally used with input and feedback
circuits of various types to set the characteristics of the
circuit. _vo =vi
Most op -amps are designed with power-amplifier output
stages for low output impedance. Typical open -loop output
impedance is usually less than 100 ohms. However, when Fig. 16-Op-amp followers typically have an output
negative feedback is used (as in most applications), the output impedance of less than 1 ohm. But their input impedance is
impedance is decreased considerably. The actual amount of extremely high so as not to load the preceding stage.
output impedance depends on the feedback circuit and the
amount of overall circuit gain. For example, in the typical For even lower values of output impedance, an op -amp
inverting -amplifier stage of Figure 15, the output impedance follower can be used. The op -amp follower, as shown in Fig.
may only be 10 ohms. 16, has 100% feedback from the output to the inverting ( ) -
input. That produces a circuit similar in performance to the
+vcc simple emitter or source follower. The input impedance is
extremely high while the output impedance is extremely low.
The amplifier gain is unity. With such a configuration, the
output impedance is usually decreased to much less than I
ohm. For applications requiring a very-high quality voltage
source, use op -amp circuits, particularly the follower.
81
By Joseph J. Carr, K4IPV
D
-' ON HAM RADIO
DXing the smart way
SOME READERS OF THIS COLUMN nounce "answering 10 -kHz upband" the other hand, if you DX the dumb
complain that their amateur -radio hob- (or "IOU" on CW) to force the issue. way, calling more than listening and
by has been hampered by too little It is also common practice for DX calling at random, then you have the
space, restrictive antenna covenants on operators to use the narrowest band- same problem as the mouse in an ele-
their property deed (one of the most width setting on their receiver when phant- stomping contest.
serious anti -amateur problems in de- working the pile -up (usually I.8 -kHz Also listen for the geographical pat-
cades!), the cost of equipment, and for SSB and either 250 or 500 -Hz for tern of answers. Many DX operators
neighbors who take a dim view of high - CW), along with a 5 or 10 -kHz offset answer by USA and Canadian call
power RF signals zapping their TV re- between transmit and receive frequen- zones. They work "all WI" for awhile,
ception. Those amateurs are forced to cies (with modern dual -VFO trans- and then "all W2" or some other zone,
use low -power and less -than- the -best ceivers that trick is easily handled). all the way across the continent. It does
antennas. So what do they do about They then permit the successful state- a K4 no good to call when the rare DX
DXing? side stations to "fall in the slot" created is working only KO or some other zone.
In a word: tactics. The key to DX by the filter. That's where tactics on
performance for the low- power, low - your part really pay off. Identify the Odd Hours
budget operator is learning to work the pattern of operations, discover where I normally get up around 0500 to be
system. Smart DXing leads you to lots all the stations are being answered, and at my office by 0715. One restless night
of QSL wallpaper, plus the much then place your signal at that point. I arose about 0430 and listened to 40
sought after WAC, DXCC, WAZ and You'll then be the one to fall in the slot. meters. Nothing but hiss. On a bored
other operating awards. During my own The advantage of figuring out who is bet, sent out a standard "CQ" call,
1
amateur career (beginning in 1959), I being answered makes you competitive and got an immediate answer from a
used less than 180-watts (and often only with the high -power operators who are station 1 took to be a K2. On the second
50- watts), except for the past few years outside the DX operator's receiver pass - go around, 1 correctly identified the
when my budget could afford a 2000 - band. That "two- gallon" linear ampli- other guy as VK2 from Australia! If you
watt PEP linear amplifier. Even today, I fier serves only to heat up the shack. On DX the wee hours of the morning be-
run my Kenwood TS -430 transceiver
"barefoot" (without the linear) more
often than not.
that he or she can be heard by everyone. line" in popular terminology- between the part of our planet that is in
I have even heard some stations an- darkness and the part that is in daylight.
tween midnight and sun -up, then you there is often a lot of DX to be heard on amateurs. But as the sun "walked"
know that the world is alive with very- 3500 -4000 kHz. across the continent, the rest of the am-
DX stations from all over. Last year I visited Ireland and an old ateurs started coming on the air, and the
The 40 -meter hand is a mess between friend (E12CN) in County Louth. He crescendo commenced...and the DX
dinner time and midnight or 0100 be- told me that 20 meters often opens up faded under the groans of a thousand
cause of the megawatt international paradoxically in the post- midnight dancing pachyderms. But from sunup
broadcasters who share the band with hours, often about 0100 -0200 local to about 0930 or 1000, the east -coast
us. But the reason why they use 40 time. Believing him only because of his amateur finds it "easy pickins."
meters is that it is good for long -dis- long standing reputation for integrity
tance, propagation after sundown- and truthfulness, I did some listening DXing the Gray Line
even though 40 meters during daylight over several months last summer, fall, Most HF propagation (as illustrated
hours is useful only as a short- distance and winter. Guess what? The 20-meter in Fig. I) is due to the ionosphere and its
band. band does, in fact, open sometimes in interaction with solar radiation. That's
If you wait until the broadcasters go those odd hours of the morning when why some DX bands (10-30 MHz) are
to bed, then you can take advantage of the standard wisdom indicates that it good only during daylight hours, and
that propagation before the sun ruins it should be deader than Schrodinger's others (1.8 -10 MHz, for instance) are
again at sunup. The 75/80 -meter band is cat. And the openings observed from only good for DX during darkness
also good for DX, especially in the wee my east coast QTH were to Southeast hours. There is a class of DXing, how -
hours of the morning during the winter Asia. ever, that is best around sunset and sun -
months. "All 80 -meter DXCC" has East -coast amateur operators have a rise. We'll cover other aspects of radio-
been worked numerous times, and it is slight advantage over those in the rest of wave propergation in future install -
no longer a rare thing. Although nor- the country. If they get up early, then ments of this column.
mally thought of as a short-range (few they can easily work Europe, the Euro- Alas, we've come to the end of the
hundred miles) groundwave band dur- pean USSR, Central -Asian USSR, and space allotted to us for this month's
ing daytime, and ripped to shreds dur- the Middle East for a couple hours be- column. But, in the meantime, if you
ing prime time by TV and VCR 3.58- fore the rest of the USA wakes up. On have any comments and suggestions for
MHz color oscillators and 15.734 -kHz Saturday mornings 1 have noticed a lot future columns, write to Joe Carr,
horizontal oscillators in video equip- of DX to the east of us loud and clear, K4IPV, PO Box 1099, Falls Church,
ment (the real TVI), after midnight with only small QRM from other USA VA 22041.
r
THINK TANK -Circuits for Experimenters and
$350 Project Builders!
1169-Please send one copy of THINK TANK at $3.50 Shipping $125 (U S and Canada only)
THINK TANK :i169 -Please send copies of THINK TANK. Total cost is sum of copy price and shipping cost
multiplied by number of copies ordered.
Allow 6 -8 weeks for the material to arrive
53 PAGES, OVER 130
PROJECTS! Please print
Detach and mail today:
HANDS -ON BOOKSTORE
PO. Box 4079
SIMPLE. EASY -TO -BUILD AND (Name) Farmingdale, NY 11735
USEFUL IDEAS FOR YOUR
(Street Address)
HOME, HOBBY. CAR.
All Payment must be in U S
(City) (State) (Zip) Funds!
H11-88 83
By Herb Friedman
ON COMPUTERS
Use your computer to research a car, its options, and work out the financing
MUCH AS THEY MIGHT BE DESPISED, you'll come up with a new monthly Three In One
ridiculed, and vilified, when it comes to payment as fast as you can change the The Ford Simulator's opening menu
consumer items the truth of the matter is data. You can even print out the provides three options. The first option
that marketing experts know more spreadsheet so that you can compare the is a Driving Simulator -a game, that is
about our buying habits than we know.
They are in business to make a buck -
big bucks, so that they don't waste their
figures at your leisure. supposed to give you the feel and sense
of handling for various Ford models. If
you believe for one second that pushing
resources on penny -ante stuff; every some keys will give you the feel of a car,
Mil MITI all mL un
dollar spent on advertising must reach I'M Welt
I have a really nice bridge in Brooklyn,
thousands of consumers. fad MNs1Yfgy,oa
1N YU 11.iQ2 New York that I think you'd like to buy.
How the mass- merchandisers spend
T
The third option is a Customer Re-
their advertising money tells us a lot
loe! Reece
Fed U
15
Nei Escort Me
11
Club been
el
taw,
oll
Coop.
11.7
lb
I Q
'i
sponse letter to Ford that tells them how
Yeti CL
Sosmsla
Il elsicaen lam ewers .l Fig. 2 and Fig. 3: a list of the specifica-
beeves. I elettrlc reate cano:
out a salesperson breathing down your Fret OK'. II Wool', Mal MciINr tions and the standard features, respec-
bir Seils Ill bock cater direst
neck. bit, 1Kt AWN stereo stank tively. Figure 4 is the first option pack-
Cateel. It tault1Hl5l
The financing feature is especially age. It has what I want, so I select the
terrific. If you want to calculate the package. The second option package is
monthly finance payments by juggling tens '1 to tatirr. several hundred dollars of mostly dress -
the old heap's trade -in value, the down Fig.3 -Then the screen displays the up gadgets, so I skip over that screen
payment, or the length of the loan. standard features. and come to the screen shown in Fig. 5:
84
a list of individual options. Some of the Ford -Simulator 3tarl er
for a 48 -month loan. I can go back and : The features listed below are Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price*:
INCLUDED AT NO EXTRA CHARGE in
juggle the entries to come up with fi- :
Press . t t
t) t. lett. hess CS at ) 54 cet
Slim-style
bMrA caten. $
2
212
*Prices and equipment were as accurate as possible as of 12/2 7/87
Cu mom
, icier Fig. 7 -The software will also print out a sticker that lists everything except
Selecta Mims total:..... $ 211 the transportation and dealer -prep charges.
Fig.5- Finally, you get a chance to se- Any screen display up through the The problem with the Ford software
lect individual options: those not includ- spreadsheet can be individually is those games. Although the games are
ed in the option packages you selected. printed. A sticker, such as shown in Fig. superbly executed in graphics and
7, can also be printed, although there is color, they require a color card and a
no screen display for a sticker. color monitor. Unfortunately, it can not
MO oar l alll: tlraS PUP be used with a monochrome system.
led.$ awe 164 111 Crac ticton, 1I
They Goofed Even if the computer has a Hercules
00
I tease seen attempts at computerized card and is running the SIMCGA.COM
I
Imam' SsMakkmt data books for electronic techs; some program, the display is buried under
kaki 1110...
im ?ukases)
t)t
t
I1
614
were good, some were bad, some were layers of graphics.
ltttaa: *SINS :ttal.
hur
S '16
$1) r2 abysmal. But the Ford Simulator is the Ford's concept is great; it's the execu-
Pelmet 2.
t.
Petal
.tal
irade-it
Iar Pa.ecrallotaaue.
,
6,
I,1
first consumer Buyer's Guide that I have tion that got sloppy. If others don't get
taaul
Nrt hastce kiwi
hrcrtt.fe Lt. 125>:
.. $ 1.5': seen, and it would be great if only Ford scared off by poor consumer reaction to
kaki.
Total
el
Foist. Charms
(st.
1.tk to Pas
S 1124
t
hadn't decided to hedge their bets. Ei- Ford's color and graphics error, you'll
Isttmtel lYetYls ?awaits
Press ti tc .c-,. ,
$ He
ther someone in their development probably see many more high -cost
group believed that the average con-
.
85
By Charles D. Rakes
DDU
Junkbox circuits that can make life a bit easier
HOBBYISTS AND TECHNICIANS ALIKE. t9V
r
often find themselves in need of a C2
0-i2
47 10K = 1N914
presents a mixture of circuits that, 8 6 8 7 65
2.2 K
86
individually and respond only to their SCR1
own pre-set frequency.
F1
87
By Marc Ellis
ON ANTIQUE RADIO
Replacement drive belts made easy
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY HAVE bands. But the mechanism is geared for clerk just looked at me, smiled and
just joined us, we've devoted the last vernier action, and my pushing finger shook his head. The biggest one he had
three issues of Ellis on Antique Radio to was getting pretty tired! I wanted to have was about half that diameter. To get a
the ongoing restoration of a very inter- the help of the tuning knob and bigger one, I'd have to go to a more
esting receiver: a Zenith Model 7S232 flywheel before searching for any more specialized supplier-and those aren't
"Shutter-Dial" set. Zenith's beautiful stations. usually open on week -ends when I'm
and ingenious shutter-dial mechanism If the Zenith tuning drive had been free to shop.
was used on many of its broadcast/ equipped with the more -usual dial cord Then I had what I thought was a truly
shortwave models, beginning in the late system, there would have been no prob- inspired notion. Before leaving the
1930's. On that type of dial, calibrations lem. Dial cord is a generic item that is store, I picked up some vacuum- cleaner
for individual bands were printed on still available and can be used in almost drive belts. It was hard to judge their
sets of movable, semicircular shutters any radio, modern or old. But dial belts size through the bubble packs, so I
linked to the band -change switch. The are seamless loops having very specific spent about six bucks and purchased
dial arrangement was such that only the diameters, and are made for individual several. The belts were about a half-inch
calibration for the selected band was sets. They're not used in modern radios wide -but I figured I could slit them to
visible behind a strategically-placed and are no longer manufactured. the one -eighth -inch width I needed.
window. After about an hour of playing with a
In the three previous columns, we Strategies That Failed matte knife, a metal straight -edge, and
took stock of the set's major electronic After reading the first column in this some clamps, I managed to carve out
and mechanical problems, corrected series, one reader wrote me that he had some pretty creditable -looking eighth -
some of the more obvious ones, and replaced the drive belt in a similar radio inch belts. But none of them fit correct-
powered up the set to try it out. At that with an "O" ring. For those of you not ly! Although the full -width belts had fit
time, using a short test antenna, I deter- familiar with "O" rings, they are rings snugly enough, the slit versions had lost
mined that the broadcast band and one made of a rubber -like material having a so much of their resilience that they
of the two shortwave bands were defi- circular cross -section. The rings are were too loose. So it was back to ground
nitely operational. But I wasn't able to used for various sealing and retaining zero.
observe any movement in the tuning - purposes. Hardware stores carry assort-
eye tube. The broken belt connecting ments of them. Success at Last
the flywheel -shaft pulley and the tun- I thought using an "O" ring would What finally worked for me was an
ing-condenser drive pulley had not yet be a terrific idea until I tried to get one adaptation of a belt supplied to me by
been replaced and the shutter-dial as- in the required size (about three and a the old gentlemen who sold me the
sembly (previously removed for repair) half inches in diameter). The hardware set-and who had started to restore it
was still off the radio. himself. He'd made his belt from many
strands of fine monofilament fishing
Tired Fingertip! line, forming it around a jig made of
At the start of this month's restora- nails hammered into a board (see pho-
tion session, I considered reinstalling tos). His belt was a little too tight, so
the dial assembly, but decided to delay that the flywheel didn't run smoothly. It
that operation a little longer. I still need also had a tendency to slip, and was a
a replacement dial -glass and hope to little messy looking because the strands
find something suitable at a clock -sup- wouldn't lie smooth as the pulleys
ply shop. The fitting process will ob- turned.
viously go a lot smoother if I can carry To determine the correct size, I made
the assembly along with me from dealer up several one -turn test loops using dial
to dealer. cord joined with an ordinary square
It was definitely time to replace the knot. After finding the loop that fit cor-
Atter much experimenting, a replacement rectly on the radio, I used it as a pattern
drive belt. I'd been pushing the tuning - drive belt was successfully made on a
condenser drive pulley by hand while crude jig, consisting of four nails to set up my own nail- and -board jig. I
testing for reception on the different hammered into a board. then used the jig to make up a "belt"
88
GoMASTER THE NEW ELECTRONICS WITH McGRAW- HILL'S
n pony
Hectemnics Seines
The fast, easy and low cost way to
meet the challenges of today's
electronic innovations. A unique
learning series that's as innovative as
the circuitry it explains, as
fascinating as the experiments you
build and explore.
Now that I could tune the set easily, I Volta ,A1iruent, Socket SOCKET VOLTAGES
connected it to a good outside antenna Tr:x:ere
Tube Position ] 1 2 4 I 8
and fired it up once more. This time, I
I
Converter l
6A8 Osc. 10 182 0 0
heard signals on all three bands and I I
O i
6K7 I I.F. 0
observed movement in the tuning eye. 2nd Det.
6H6 A.V.C. O 6.4 2
But, to me, the set's performance still 6F5 1st Audio 0 O 117 6.4 ,
1.5
isn't quite convincing. It isn't lively 6F6 Power 0 243 255 2 6.4 2
enough and the tuning -eye's movement 5Y4 Sect.
O
O
H
. -
F.p
1
AC
Eg ! Et
1
!
--
AC
Ek IT
32!
seems sluggish. 6T5 Target O 16 -2 255 ' 2 64
I feel that my next major move is
An voltages measured from point c.
likely to be a realignment, but before 1000 Ohm per Volt mef,:r, ento::n
moving into that phase, I wanted to
+
gate some irregularities in a few of the At first, I wondered if it was some be a wireless remote? The dial defi-
bias readings. More on that next month. kind of a Rube Goldberg gadget built (Continued on page 96)
92
irr 7F-`[. ON DX'ING
By Don Jensen
93
By Marc Saxon.
ON SCANNERS
The sum is greater than its individual components
EVERY NOW AND THEN SOMEONE over the entire 138- to 174 -MHz receiv- unit had been damaged beyond repair.
comes up with the bright idea of merg- ing range. To replace the 20/20, Bearcat gener-
ing two good products to produce The sets come from ICOM America, ously sent Norm a brand new 210XLT
something better than either product Inc. (PO Box C- 90029, Bellevue, WA scanner for only the normal cost of a
alone. That's what we thought when we 98009 -9029) and carry a suggested re- repair, plus shipping (a total of around
found out about the ICOM /C -228A (25 tail of $509 for the 25 -watt version, $34).
watt) and /C -228H (45 watt) scanners. $539 for the 45 -watt job. For more in- Norm wonders if we've heard any
You're probably wondering why scan- formation on these and other products, other instances of manufacturers con-
ners have wattage ratings; thought contact ICOM America directly. cern for their customers to equal his
you'd never ask! story. Well, we have been told of several
Both units are scanners covering the They Back Their Products other offers by Bearcat to replace de-
VHF high -band (138 to 174 MHz). Both A note from Norman Monro, funct equipment, but this is the first
also contain built -in transmitters that K4FRY, of Gadsden, AL, mentions instance that we know of where it was a
can operate throughout the 140- to I50- that about ten years ago he purchased a two -stage deal extending over a ten year
MHz range. The transmitter coverage Bearcat 100 handheld programmable span.
includes the 2 -meter ham band, plus all scanner. It worked well for five years
sorts of MARS, CAP, and other emer- then stopped. Movin' On
gency service channels that lie in the He sent it back to Bearcat for repairs, Speaking of equipment, when you're
148- to I50 -MHz range. but they returned it untouched, explain- shopping around for a new scanner,
The IC -228A and IC -228H may be ing that they didn't repair equipment don't overlook the fact that many new
programmed for twenty memory chan- that was more than five years old. But radio systems are making a bee -line for
nels, and if the units are programmed they offered to sell him a Bearcat 20/20 the 800-MHz band. That includes busi-
for semi -duplex transceiving, then the at an extremely low price to replace the ness as well as public-safety agencies.
same memory channel can be operated dead scanner. Norm took them up on Cities from Sanford, FL to Denver, CO
with offset frequencies. their offer. The new unit worked just have moved their public -safety agencies
The units have a priority channel, fine for four years, but was unable to to that new frontier, and there are many
lock -outs, and search /scan, and an op- survive several generous squirts of all more to follow. You may want to consid-
tional tone -squelch module. With the purpose cleaner applied by the house- er that fact as you shop around, and
tone -squelch option installed, when the keeper. That caused the 20/20 to be sent select a scanner that offers coverage of
frequency of a received tone equals the back for repairs. Bearcat said that the 800 -MHz frequencies.
tone frequency that you've set, a thirty-
second alert tone is sounded. It's like a
beeper /pager.
Although the units have lot to offer,
there are only thirteen front panel con-
trols to run this mobile unit. And it's
rather easy on the eyes. Operating infor-
mation is highlighted via orange, red,
and green LCD's. And it's compact,
too! -measuring only 51/2. inches wide,
2 inches high, and roughly 6 inches
deep.
Clever, no? As you can see, manufac-
turers have come to the conclusion that
overlapping user interests call for new
types of products having features drawn
from several areas. Because these scan-
ners are so new, we don't have informa- ICOM's IC -228A (25 watt) and IC -228H (45 watt) scanners may be programmed for
tion on whether or not it's possible to twenty memory channels, and features a priority channel, lock-outs, search scan,
user-modify either version to transmit and an optional tone-squelch module. Unit transmits on 2 -meter band.
94
It's hard to believe that this year You might take a listen there, as well. In
FREE
marks the twentieth birthday of the fact, satellites may turn up just about
precision tool folder
scanner. Yes, it was developed in 1968 anywhere between 136 and 144 MHz, Informative folder
by James A. Lovell when he founded although you can expect to hear mostly small shows Minitool's
Electra/Bearcat. Before the invention non -voice transmissions and no call - precision line of precision
of the scanner, tunable receivers were signs or other ID's. tools miniature hand
used. In 1971, Lovell sold the company
for mK,o- 4 cTvoncs tools for labora-
Also, remember that specific satel- and rfWWOfure OppIKOOOnf
tory and produc-
to Masco Corp., and in 1984 the compa- lites can be heard only when they are
tion tasks, fine
ny was purchased by Uniden Corp. located (generally) above your geo- assembly work,
Lovell retired in 1974. graphic area, and many transmissions delicate deburring
take place only upon command from jobs, precise
Where to Look the ground station, except for those scribing and
Mike Bertrand, Stony Point, NY with continuous beacons. It's sort of a measurement,
asks for a rundown on the frequencies to grab bag; you must be very patient and printed circuit
monitor U.S. Coast Guard communica- you must happily accept whatever you minitool, inc artwork and
tions. The best bets include 156.80, manage to hear. repair.
157.05, 157.075, 157.10, and 157.15 Hardened steel and carbide tool sets
Technician tool sets
MHz on the VHF band. The USCG Political Stuff Fine line diamond scribers
Audible micro -electronic test equipment
Auxiliary is most often monitored on With the national political cam- Electrical micro test probes with inter-changable tips
Unique precision pin vises
157.175 MHz and there is some heli- paigns going full blast these days, being Sapphire burnishing tools
copter activity taking place on 164.30 Micro surgical knives
a scanner buff can help you to tune in on Zirconium ceramic scissors
MHz. the behind -the -scenes activities. Those Ceramic tipped tweezers
Direct-reading micro rulers
If you have the UHF aeronautical activities are often more interesting than
band in your scanner, listen on 237.9, the campaign appearance itself. Send NOW for your FREE
240.6, 275.2, 277.8, 282.8, 285.0, Air Force I and 2 can be heard plac- folder.
342.2, 381.7, 381.8, and 383.9 MHz. ing air/ground telephone calls on Minitool, Inc.
We have found that 381.7 and 381.8 are 415.70 MHz. The ground- station paired 1334/F DELL AVENUE.
quite active at times. frequency is 407.85 MHz, and you may CAMPBELL, CA 95008
well be within the range of one of the or call 408 -374 -1585
Mysterious VHF Signals many transmitters to be found on that CIRCLE 21 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
Morrie Schaefer, Escalon, CA, re- frequency.
ports that while exploring new When the candidates come to your
frequency territory, with his unit in the local area, you might want to check out
search/scan mode, he suddenly found
himself listening to someone speaking
certain frequencies that will probably
be in use. The Secret- Service agents
AMAZING
Russian! The frequency was 143.625 with the sunglasses, funny lapel pins, SCIENTIFIC & ELECTRONIC
MHz. That frequency will do it every and what look like hearing aids, are PRODUCTS
time because it's popularly used by So- often seen talking into their wrist- PLANS-Build Yourself-Act Pam AvaiMNe In Stuck
LC7- BURNING CUTTING CO, LASER =20.00
viet- manned space vehicles. watches. They are actually wearing RUB4- PORTABLE LASER RAY PISTOL 20.00
TCC1- 3.EPARATE TESLA COIL
Soviet- manned space frequencies in body transceivers, although they are PLANS TO 15 MEV 20.00
this part of the spectrum fall between short- range. They have been monitored
IOG1 -10Y RAY GUN
GRAI -GRAVITY GENERATOR
10.00
10.00
142.40 and 143.625 MHz, so it's worth on 407.825 and 407.875 MHz. Also EMIt- ELECTRO MAGNET COIL GUWLAUNCHEA 6.00
"live, from outer space" on your home Should the President come to town to
RANGE INTIMIDATOR
PSP4K -TIME VARIANT SHOCK WAVE PISTOL
69 50
59.50
scanner. Of course, unless you can un- stump for a candidate, listen on
PTG1K- SPECTACULAR PLASMA
TORNADO GENERATOR 149.50
derstand Russian, it isn't going to give 169.925, 166.2125, 167.825, MVPIK SEE IN DARK KIT 199 50
ing saucers, little green men, and bug - 164.65, and 167.025 MHz for commu- FOR GLOBESNEON TUBING ETC
VOLT -WORLD
$5950
BTC1O-50.000 S SMALLEST
eyed monsters. nications activities during the visit. As TESLA COIL 4950
LGU40 -IMW HeNe VISIBLE RED LASER GUN 24950
One reader, who does speak Russian, many scanner owners have learned, TAT30 AUTO TELEPHONE RECORDING DEVICE 24 50
GPVIO-SE1 IN TOTAL DARKNESS IR VIEWER 349 50
advises that the transmissions that he
_
election time usually is very special. LISTIO- SNOOPER PHONE INFINITY TRANSMITTER 169.50
Satellites in the American ATS series Saxon, Saxon on Scanners, Popular INFORMATION UNLIMITED
have downlinks on 137.10, 137.11, Electronics, 500 -B Bi -County Blvd., P.O. BOX 716 DEPT. Ho AMHERST, NH 03031
139.056, 140.056, and 141.056 MHz. Farmingdale, NY 11735.
95
ELLIS ON ANTIQUE RADIO CIRCUIT CIRCUS
(Continued from page 92) (Continued from page 87)
PLI
nitely suggests some kind of a control
117VAC
function. The coil, with the trimmer
capacitor that I notice associated with T1 D1
12V 1N4002
it, could easily be a tuned circuit for a Of
small radio transmitter. And the pres- Cl ` 111
ence of a couple of standard battery IIo _ 220 K
One -Stop Tube Shopping open at current levels of between .25 and 5A.
Some months ago, Mar in Tochter-
man of International Components Corp. PARTS LIST FOR THE AC CIRCUIT BREAKER
(105 Maxess Rd., Melville, NY 11747)
wrote me to say that his company stock- U1- MOC3010 optoisolatori R10- 100 -ohm, 1'4 -watt, 5%
coupler, integrated circuit resistor
ed over 2,000 receiving and industrial
tubes -including many older types
and would he happy to be of service to
- TR1 -6
-A, 200 -PIV triac
SCR1- 2N5060 low- power, silicon -
R12- 10,000 -ohm potentiometer
C1-220 -F 25 -WVDC mylar
controlled rectifier capacitor
readers of Popular Electronics. In Q1- 2N2904 general -purpose NPN C2-0.22 -p.F, 400-WVDC mylar
looking over the enclosed catalogue, I silicon transistor capacitor
was struck by the fact that many types Q2- 2N2906 general -purpose PNP C3 0.47 -F 100 -WVDC mylar
from the 1920's and 30's were listed and silicon transistor capacitor
the prices quoted were quite reasonable. D1-1N4002 100 -Ply, 1 -A rectifier di- T1- 117 -volt primary, 12 -volt
However, I also noticed that the cata- ode secondary transformer (modified.
logue was geared to the needs of radio/ D2 -1N914 small signal silicon see text)
TV servicemen buying in bulk. and that diode S1- Normally -open pushbutton
R1, R7, R11- 1000 -ohm, 1/4-watt, 5% switch
a $50.00 minimum order was required. PL1- 117-VAC molded plug and line
resistor
So I wrote Mary and asked if he would R2, R3- 10,000 -ohm, 1/4-watt, 5% re- cord
consider lowering the minimum -order sistor
requirement for Popular Electronics Printed circuit or perfboard materials,
R4 -R6, R9 -2200- ohm, '/4-watt, 5%
enclosure, IC socket, 117 -VAC
readers. The result is that he will now resistor
socket, 9 -volt power source, wire,
accept a $25.00 minimum from those R8- 270 -ohm, 1/4-watt, 5% resistor solder, hardware, etc .
96
JENSEN ON DX'ING Mountain Daylight Time, plus 6 hours; East Germany -15,240 kHz. Radio
(Continued_from page 93) Mountain Standard and Pacific Berlin International's English service
Daylight Time, plus 7 hours; and Pacif- can be heard from 1530 to sign off at
lish information on shortwave radio ic Standard Time, plus 8 hours. 1557 UTC.
clubs ?" SWLs and stations normally use the Fiji Islands -7,259 kHz. Radio
Okay, Mike. There are a number of 24 -hour clock system, which considers Vanuatu is an exotic Pacific island
U.S. and Canadian clubs for radio lis- the hours from I AM to noon to be 0100 broadcaster that puts decent signals into
tening fans. Some focus exclusively on to 1200 hours, and from PM to mid-
1 North America at around 0630 UTC.
shortwave radio, others concentrate on night as 1300 to 2400 hours. Guatemala -3,370 kHz. A pro-
medium wave, long wave, or other spe- Thus, 4 AM EST is the same as 0900 gramming highlight from Radio
cialized aspects of DXing. There are UTC: I I AM CST is 1700 UTC; 3 PM Te:ulutan's Spanish language station is
also some combination clubs, which MST is 2200 UTC, and 8 PM PST is the excellent marimba music. Tune in at
cover several radio interests. Each pub- 0400 UTC -tomorrow, since the con- around 0130 UTC.
lishes a regular bulletin with news and version takes us past midnight UTC into Mexico-I1,769 kHz. Radio Mexico
information for their members. the next day. International (XERMX) is heard here
The Association of North American With a little practice, you'll be mak- with talks in Spanish and songs during
Radio Clubs ( ANARC), while not a ing those time conversions with little the 1430 to 1500 UTC time period.
club itself, is the umbrella organization difficulty. USA -9,755 kHz. KUSW in Salt
that links those separate clubs. And Lake City, Utah, is the latest U.S. entry
ANARC will send you a list of its affili- into the field of commercial SW broad -
ated clubs, which includes their mail- ABBREVIATIONS casting. Tune it in at around 0430 UTC.
ANARC Association of North
ing addresses, their areas of specializa-
American Radio Clubs USSR -13,645 kHz. Radio Vilnius'
tion, information about their bulletins, DXing listening to shortwave English program, although produced in
membership fees, and the cost of a sam- broadcasts the Vilnius studios in the Soviet Union's
ple bulletin, so you can see for yourself EST Eastern Standard Time Lithuanian S.S.R., is aired by transmit-
if your interests and the club's mesh. kHz kilohertz (1000 hertz or
ters throughout the USSR. Listen for
cycles)
The Club List can he obtained free MST UTC +7 hours the program at 2300 UTC.
from ANARC, but you must include a PST UTC +8 hours West Africa -3,366 kHz. The
stamped, self-addressed business-size RCI Radio Canada International Ghana Broadcasting Corp. has been
envelope. If you live in Canada, send RNZ Radio New Zealand noted at around 0600 UTC with news,
SW Shortwave
50 cents in Canadian stamps, not affix- then English language lessons.
SWL(s) shortwave listener('s)
ed to your self-addressed envelope. US United States
Overseas, send two International Reply USSR Russia (Union of Soviet
Coupons. Socialist Republics)
The address is ANARC Publications UTC GMT Universal Time Code/
Greenwich Mean Time
111&--
Manager, PO Box 462, Northfield, MN VOA Voice of America
55057. VON Voice of Nigeria
Time Out
Here's a question from several read- Down The Dial
ers, including Barry Ossman, Send your letters, with your own log -
Brooklyn, NY; Chuck Phillips, gings, comments or questions on
Spokane, WA, and our previously men- shortwave and SWLing to Jensen on
tioned Kentuckian, Michael Rains. DXing, Popular Electronics, 500 -B
"Would you explain what UTC is Bi- County Blvd., Farmingdale, NY
and how to convert it ?" 11735.
UTC is the abbreviated form of the
French words meaning coordinated
Now here are some of the stations
being reported by listeners in the U.S.
CHEMICAL
universal time, or the common time and Canada: SOLUTIONS
standard used throughout the world by Antarctica -15,474 kHz. Radio FREE CHEMTRONICS CATALOG!
international broadcasting stations and Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, de- Comprehensive new source for over
200 products used in electronic man-
SWLs. spite its Spanish language program-
ufacturing and field service. Precision
It is, essentially, the equivalent of the ming, is located in Antarctica, territory cleaning agents, flux emovers, bulk
older term, Greenwich Mean Time, or claimed by Argentina. Tune it in at solvents, circuit refrigerants, precision
GMT. Converting to and from UTC and around 2230-2300 UTC. dusters, non -residual wipers, foam
your local time is simple enough. It is Asia -5,005 kHz. Radio Nepal has swabs, premoistened pads swabs,
antistatic compounds, conformal coat-
just a matter of adding or subtracting been heard lately at about 1300 UTC ings. lubricants, adhesives, desolder-
the appropriate number of hours. with flute music followed by the news. ing braids, rosin core solder and solder
The UTC equivalents are: Eastern Australia-6,080 kHz. Radio Aus- masking agents. Complete with tech-
Daylight Time, plus 4 hours; Eastern tralia can be heard with English pro- nical specifications and application
guide.
Standard and Central Daylight Time, gramming between 1300 and 1400
plus 5 hours; Central Standard and UTC. Chemtronics Inc.
681 Old Willets Path
Hauppauge. N V 11788
`ih SR2 3323
97
L_
CIRCLE 18 ON FREE INFORMATION CARO
THERMOCOUPLES mocouple, pressure in the hundredths of an atmosphere can
(Continued from page 73) be measured. See Fig. 8.
Another interesting fact about thermocouples is that they
voltage source and used for heating the junction, (see Fig. also work in reverse. That is to say, that they are able to
6). The two circuits are completely independent and will measure cold as well as heat. When the thermocouple junc-
not interfere with each other. The heating voltage is increased tion is cooled beyond the point where it produces a positive
until the desired output from the thermocouple is obtained. voltage, the thermocouple junction crosses zero volts and
The pre- heated junction is placed directly in the air flow (as starts producing a reverse or negative voltage that can be
shown in Fig. 7). As more air flows by the junction and calibrated to hundreds of degrees below zero.
cools it, less output voltage is read on the meter.
A small -gauge wire junction will respond quite rapidly
to minute changes of air flowing around it. VACUUM
Remember that different gases have different cooling abili- CHAMBE R
ties, so if you are measuring the flow rate of a gas other than THERMOCOUPLE
AIR
poll now proves how A
JUNCTION valuable workers with
F LOW
disabilities can be to Disability
employers like you.
Can Be
An Asset.
The President's Committee on
Employment of the Handicapped,
Washington, D.C. 20036
PRE
For more information, call
HEAT
1 -800- 526.7234
ADJUST RF In West Virginia, call
1 -800- 526 -4698
98
VINTAGE RADIO station, the closer together the shad-
(Continued from page 63) ows moved -looking vaguely like the
closing of the pupil of an eye.
with its 4 -wire connection gave way to The tuning eye was actually a fringe
the 2 -wire permanent magnet speak- benefit of the automatic volume -con-
er. It's also important to note that the trol circuitry that was coming into use
superheterodyne circuit became during that era. The AVC, as it was
dominant as RCA finally began licens- called, automatically reduced set
ing other manufacturers to use it, and
the TRF design finally faded slowly into
sensitivity when strong stations were
tuned in- preventing overloading -
oblivion.
Once the superheterodyne was f
This view c the Emerson's chassis
shows the loop antenna, the ''GT'' -type
and increased sensitivity as weak sta-
tions were tuned in. The control voltage
well -established, the 1930's would see generated during that AVC action,
tubes, and its square- topped IF-
no further basic changes in radio re- transformer cans. applied to the grid of the tuning -eye
ceiver circuits. There were, however, tube, was responsible for the opening
many developments that made radios radio stations printed near their oper- and closing effect.
easier and more pleasurable to use. ating frequencies. Likewise-on the Let's complete our coverage of
One of them was the improvement of shortwave scale-the names of dif- events during the 1930's and early
the tuning dial. ferent countries would often be shown 1940's with a word or two about the all -
near frequencies typically used by important topic of antennas. Through-
Better Dials and More Bands. The them. Generic markings (such as "Po- out the 1920's, an elaborate outside
tuning dial entered the 1930's as a lice," "Aircraft," "Amateur," and antenna system had generally been
small window just big enough to show "Ships ") were also sometimes used. required for adequate reception. But
the frequency being received and a By the end of the 1930's, many man- because of the superior sensitivity of
couple of divisions to either side. As the ufacturers had "straightened out" their the early 1930's radios, and the more
set was tuned, the scale moved by dial scales, turning them into horizontal powerful and more numerous broad-
under a fixed indicator line in the win- lines. Multiband sets had two or more cast stations on the air then, a less
dow. straight lines arranged parallel to elaborate antenna would now do the
By the middle of the decade, that each other-each with its appropriate job quite well.
window (usually in the form of a semi- range of markings. The pointers of
circular arc) was becoming much those easier-to -read slide rule dials
larger, so more of the scale was visible moved horizontally, of course, instead
at once. A little later on, the functions of of describing a circular arc as did the
the scale and pointer became inter- earlier "clock- type" pointers.
changed, with the scale becoming Pushbuttons that could be set to se-
fixed-printed on a large oval, square lect frequently-tuned -in local stations
or circular dial -and the indicator be- were also common as the decade
coming a movable pointer. That ended. These supplemented the main
meant that the entire tuning scale of tuning dial, but did not replace it. One
the set was visible at once. type was entirely mechanical and
Also during the 1930's, radios began worked by physically moving the tun- This RCA table model from about 1940
to sprout extra bands. Some sets had ing condenser to the proper position. boasted a slide-rule dial and
one labeled "police" beginning just a Another was electronic and worked pushbuttons fin- station selection.
little higher in frequency than the stan- by switching individual fixed capaci-
dard broadcast band. Tuning around tances in and out of the tuning circuit. By the late 1930's, there was no need
that band, patient listeners could The craze for pushbuttons affected even for that wire. A multiple -turn loop
eavesdrop on some of the first police other controls on the set as well. Some antenna mounted inside the set cab-
car -dispatcher communications. sets bristled with buttons to control sta- inet pulled in all the local stations with
Still later in the decade, as European tion selection, bandswitching, tone, no trouble at all. External antennas
countries began to be drawn into the and even the "on -off" function. were used only for more distant sta-
conflict that was to become World tions or to enhance shortwave recep-
War II, there was heightened interest in Other Developments. No discussion tion for the really serious listener.
a higher frequency band sometimes of dials would be complete without
labeled "Shortwave," and sometimes mentioning the tuning eye. That inno- Wrapping it Up. Those of you who are
labeled "Foreign Broadcast." There, vative tuning aid of the mid-1930's was new collectors should now have a sol-
the international broadcasters could a specialized vacuum tube known as id orientation to the types of sets that
be heard-country after country re- an electron ray tube. It was mounted might fall into your hands and the era
porting on world events, each with its horizontally; you looked into its top end of radio development to which each
own unique point of view. through a circular opening in -or of those radios belongs. That informa-
Multiband sets now had several above-the tuning dial. With the set tion will help you make intelligent ac-
concentric scales representing the dif- turned on, the end of the tube lit up quisitions and give you a knowledge
ferent frequency ranges. It wasn't un- with a phosphorescent green glow base that you can expand on yourself
common for the broadcast scales to and a pair of shadows became visible as you dig deeper into this fascinating
have the call letters of major -market on a circular target. The stronger the hobby. Happy collecting!
99
THERMOCOUPLES Thermoelectric cooling panels are composed of small cubes
(Continued from page 98) of the two thermocouple materials. The junctions are made
by bridging the cubes with small rectangular conducting
plates. Since the actual materials are not in direct contact
with each other, that type of junction can be compared to
the junction shown in Fig. 4. As can be seen in Fig. 9B, on
the bottom side the current flow is from the plus material to
CONNECTIONS
A the minus material, while on top side it is minus to plus.
ON BOTTOM
That means that with that configuration, all the heat -
N. $ M. M. $ producing junctions are on one side of the plate, while the
IMM111 cold producing junctions are on the other. The cubes are
arranged and bridged on the top and bottom so that they form
a large number of junctions connected in series (see Figs.
IBM 9A and 9B). The panels are made in a variety of sizes by
changing the number of junctions. The junctions are large
and a lot of current is required to operate the units. As current
od-as-rl
1111111111111111 101
B
flows in the device, one side of the device gets hot while the
other side of the device gets cold.
Fig. 9- Thermocouples can be joined in mass to either
provide or extract heat. This is an example of one such Try it Yourself
unit with the polarities marked for clarity. The top view When making a thermocouple junction, make certain that
of the unit is shown in A; a side view is shown in B. the junction is twisted together very tightly. Variations in
output voltages from two identical thermocouples can result
reverse voltage. As the junction is brought out of the liquid, from bad junctions caused by oxide formations between the
the current quickly heats the junction and the reverse voltage materials. The best method for making a junction is to twist
drops to the crossover point and moves in the positive direc- the two wires together and fuse the wire tips with a flame.
tion. By controlling the small heating current, any crossover Thermocouple wires from any common metals can be fused
temperatures may be selected. over an open flame from the kitchen stove. Once the junction
is made, you have a small energy producer that will work
Temperature Control virtually forever.
The other aspect of the thermocouple is its ability to di- Thermocouples are easy to make and inexpensive to ex-
rectly convert electricity into heat or cold. As was mentioned periment with. All that is needed to get started is a length
earlier, inducing current into the thermocouple junction will of thermocouple wire and a voltmeter capable of reading
cause the junction to get hot or cold depending on the direc- millivolts. Get some wire and build yourself a micro-power
tion of the current flowing through the junction. supply. Who knows? You could be the one to solve the
That means that thermocouples have applications in heat- energy crisis by discovering a new thermoelectric material
ing and cooling. Let's look a little more closely at that. or technique.
ALL YOU NEED to know about electronics electronics? Do it the easy way by studying
from transistor packaging to substitution and the Electronics Fact Cards. Do you travel to
FACTCARDS replacement guides. FACTCARDS numbers
34 through 66 are now available. These beau-
and from your job each day? Drop a handful of
cards in your pocket before you leave, and the
tifully- printed cards measure a full three -by- bus becomes a schoolroom! At home, you
five inches and are printed in two colors. They can build some of the projects and not only
cover a wide range of subjects from Triac have fun building and using them, but learn
circuit /replacement guides to flip -flops, how they work at the same time.
.- i Schmitt triggers, Thyristor circuits, Opto-lso-
lator/Coupler selection and replacement. All
YOU'LL BE AMAZED both at how rapidly
you learn with these cards, and how easy it is
are clearly explained with typical circuit ap- to understand. These new cards are available
plications. right now. Don't miss out. Send your check or
WANT TO EXPAND your knowledge of money order today.
Cl Please send copies of FACTCARDS. Total cost is sum of copy price and First Class
postage and handling cost multiplied by number of card sets ordered.
Allow 6-8 weeks for the materal to arrive
Please print
100
TV AUDIO AMPLIFIER INTERCOM
(Continued from page 42) (Continued from page 40)
suggest using 6 "AA" cells and a
matching holder.
Check the intercoms out individu-
For 25 years,
ally. Start by setting all the potentiome- our people have
ters to their mid -range position. Put in endured long hours
the batteries and turn the power on. If and tough
all is okay, no feedback should be working conditions
heard. Rotate the balance potentiom-
eter left and right of center and the for no pay.
speaker should sing out as the circuit
goes into acoustical oscillation. The
circuit should balance allowing a gain
setting of near 80% of maximum.
there. If you don't like what you see, small aluminum Minibox as an en-
you can return to normal color at the closure. The D- connectors were
flip of a switch. mounted in roughly rectangular holes
that were cut with a "nibbler" tool. By
Construction. The schematic di- mounting the connectors on the out-
side, concealed the fact that the Keep all wire runs .short unc direct-the
agram for the circuit is shown in Fig. 1. I
Han.ds oi REPRINT
Electronics. BOOKSTORE
Special Projects #1 (Winter 1980)
SPI $6.00 106 Radio -Electronics back issues (1986) .. $3.75
Special Projects #4 (Summer 1982)
SP4 $6.00 Write in issues desired
Special Projects #5 (Winter 1983)
SP5
Special Projects #6 (Spring 1983)
SP6
Special Projects #7 (Summer 1983)
SP7
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
105 Radio- Electronics back issues (1985) .. $4.25
(Jan. 85 not available)
Write in issues desired
Follow the numbers embossed on the D-
connectors. Don't count pins or guess -
the male and fe'mule connectors are mirror
Special Projects #8 (Fall 1983)
SP8 $6.00 104 Radio -Electronics back issues (1984) .. $5.25
Special Projects #9 (Winter 1984)
SP9 $6.00 (December 1984 issue is not available) images, so it's easy to get confused.
D SPIO Special Projects #10 (Spring 1984) $6.00 Write in issues desired
111 Hands -On Electronics #1 $5.00 103 Radio -Electronics back issues (1983). $5.50
112 Hands -On Electronics #2 $5.00 (Jan., Feb., May are not available) quency circuit-to keep the screen im-
113 Hands -On Electronics #3 $5.00 Write in issues desired
114 Hands -On Electronics #4 $5.00 102 Radio -Electronics back issues (1982) $5.75 .
age sharp, the Blue Box must pass
115 Hands -On Electronics #5 $5.00 (Jan., Feb.) is not available) signals as high as 18 MHz.
115A Hands -On Electronics #6 $4.50 Write in issues desired Identify pins by the numbers on the
116A Hands -On Electronics (Jan-Feb '86) $4.50 153 Etch your own PC boards $3.00
116B Hands -On Electronics (Mar/Apr '86) $4.50 154 How to Repair VCR's $3.50
D- connectors, remembering that the
116C Hands -On Electronics (May /Jun '86) $4.50 155 IBM Typewriter to Computer $3.00 male and female connectors are mir-
1160 Hands -On Electronics (Jul /Aug '86) .. $4.50 125 Radio -Electronics Annual 1985 $5.95 ror images of each other. Remember,
116E Hands -On Electronics (Sep /Oct '86) .. $4.50 126 Radio -Electronics Annual 1986 $4.95
1161( Hands -On Electronics (Nov '86) $4.00 156 How to Make PC Boards $2.00 too, that the two ends of the Blue Box
1161. Hands -On Electronics (Dec '86) $4.00 157 All About Kits $2.00 are not interchangeable -the corn -
117 Hands -On Electronics 158 Electro Importing Co. Catalog (1918) $5.95
(1987 back issues) $3.75 159 Low Frequency Receiving Techniques
puter must connect to the input and
Write in issues desired Building and using VLF Antennas $6.00 the monitor must connect to the output.
118 Hands -On Electronics 160 New Ideas - 42 Circuits $3.50 For shielding, the metal enclosure
(1988 back issues) $3.50 161 Descrambling (Feb., 1984) $3.00
Write in issues desired 162 Build Your Own Satellite TV Receiver $7.00
must make contact with the metal
150 TV Descrambler $3.00 163 Receiving Satellite TV $7.00 housing of both D- connectors; those in
EH87 Experimenters Handbook $3.95 164 Modern Electrics (April, 1908) $3.00 turn are connected to the cable
152 8 -Ball Satellite TV Antenna $5.00 165 How to Repair CD Disc Players $5.00
108 Radio -Electronics (1988 back issues) .. $3.00 166 Collected Works of Mohammed Ullyses Fips shields.
Write in issues desired (62 pages, April Fools Collection) $7.50
CI 107 Radio- Electronics back issues (1987) $3.25 167 Designing With IC's $4.00
Testing. Connect a monitor extension
To order any of the items indicated above, check off the If you need a copy of an article that is in an issue we cable from your computer to the input
ones you want. Complete the order form below, include indicate is unavailable you can order it directly from us. of the Blue Box, then connect the
your payment, check or money order (DO NOT SEND We charge 50C per page. Indicate the issue (month &
CASH), and mail to Hands -on- Electronics, Reprint De- year), pages and article desired. Include payment in
monitor to the output of the Blue Box.
partment, P.O. Box 4079, Farmingdale, NY 11735. full, plus shipping and handling charge. Make checks Boot up the computer. The initial mes-
Please allow 4 -6 weeks for delivery. payable to Gernsback Publications, Inc. sages from DOS should appear in blue
and white with one setting of the switch
ARTICLE and in black and white with the other
setting. Label those switch positions
PAGES MONTH YEAR
"text" and "normal" respectively.
For a thorough checkout, run the fol-
TOTAL PAGES M 50C each TOTAL PRICE
lowing BASIC program:
MAIL TO Hands -on- Electronics
Reprint Bookstore, P.O. Box 4079, Farmingdale NY 11735 All payments must be in U.S. funds 10 FOR I -11015
SHIPPING CHARGES IN USA 8 CANADA
$0.01 to $5.00
$5.01 to 10.00
$1.25
$2.00
$30.01 to $40.00
$40.01 to $50.00
. $5.00
... $6.00
SORRY -
USA & Canada
We only ship to
20 COLOR I, O
30 PRINT "THIS IS COLOR ", I
pressing the state key and the pedal spreadsheet program, typing the
simultaneously. For example, after en-
tering the SHIFTCTL command, you
can define PC-Pedal as the < Shift>
command PEDSHIFT will eliminate the
unwieldy <Num Lock> key as you al-
ternate between numerical input and
Be an FCC
key by pressing the pedal and the
<Shift> key together. This definition
Cursor commands on the numeric
pad.
LICENSED
ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN!
stays in effect until you press the <Ctrl> By far, the greatest savings in time
key and pedal simultaneously, which and effort with spreadsheet and
defines the pedal as the <Ctrl> key. database users comes with the ability
When you use a multi -key program, to selectively duplicate the Cursor keys
you can change definitions at any with the pedal. To use as Cursor -Arrow P
time. key, set the numeric keypad in number
In addition to the programs in Tables mode by hitting <Num Lock> once
1 and 2, there's a triple-key program and set the pedal to the Cursor Arrow Learn at home in spare time. 1
that let's you use all three state keys that you desire by using the "SetKey No previous experience needed!
interchangeably. That program is Routine:" <Alt> key down, pedal No costly School. No commuting to class.
called PCPEDAL.COM and its associ- down and then up, <Alt> key up. Hold The Original Home-Study course pre-
pares you for the -FCC Commercial Radio
ated command is PCPEDAL. down <Shift> Key (to toggle Num telephone License". This %aluablc license
-
Lock) and hit the desired Cursor key. is your "ticket" to thousands of exciting
Using Other Software. If you use XyWrite III word -processing system jobs in Communications. Ra(Il(> F '. Micro-
WordStar, you will probably want to wave. Corn puIers. Radar. Avon ics and
users may find they have a problem
snore! You don't need a college degree to
use these PC -Pedal commands: PED- with PC- Pedal, as they do with other qualify. but you do need an I'('(' License.
CTRL, AND WSERASE (or BACKWORD). memory- resident programs. PC -Pedal No Need to Quit Your Job or Go To School
The first defines the PC -Pedal as the can be made workable with XyWrite This proven course is easy. last a0(1 low cost:
<Ctrl> key; the second loads the by making a keyboard file change as GUARANI EE1) PASS - Thu get your
FCC License or nutney relitnded. Send for
Backspace and Delete function, specified in the XyWrite manual. FREE facts now. MAIL COUPON TODAY!
which you activate by pressing the You can get your copy of PC -Pedal
Space Bar and the PC -Pedal simulta- from Brown and Co., Inc., P.O. Box commanu vRODUCTIOnS
neously. An alternative command, FCC LICENSE TRAINING, Dept. 203
2443, So. Hamilton, MA 01982, or call P.O. Box 2824, San Francisco, CA 94126
BACKWORD, removes the entire word (credit-card orders only) 617/468 -7464. Please rush FREE details immediately!
to the left of the Cursor when you press PC -Pedal sells for $59.95, plus $1.50 for NAME
the Space Bar and the pedal. As you postage and handling. ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
HANDS -ON MARKETPLACE
CATALOG: hobby broadcasting HAM CB: Cable COMPUTER REPAIR DEPOT IBM Compaq, Ap-
FOR SALE TV, transmitters, amplifiers. bugging devices, com- ple. AT&T & many others. Call BI- TRONIX, INC.
TRANSISTORS-tubes: MRF421 $24.00, MRF454 puters. more! PANAXIS, Box 130- F(11). Paradise, (408) 236-3385 or (209) 952 -7116. P. O. Box 23069.
$14.50, MRF455- MRF477 $11.75, MRF492 $16.00, CA 95967. San Jose, CA 95153.
SRF2072 $12.75. SRF3800 $17.50, 2SC2290
$16 75, 2SC2879 $22.00, 6LF6, 6LQ6. 6JS6, 8950,
etc -call. New RANGER AR3500 all mode 10 meter
transceiver $319. Quantity discounts! Best prices on CLASSIFIED AD ORDER FORM
hard -to -find parts, antennas, mies, power supplies.
& equipment! Catalog $1.00 (refundable), or free To run your own classified ad, put one word on each of the lines below and send this form along with your check to.
with order. RFPC, Box 700, San Marcos, CA 92069.
For information or same day shipment -call (619) Hands -on- Electronics Classified Ads, 500 -B BI- County Boulevard, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735
744 -0728. Visa MC C.O.D.
CABLE TV converters, remotes, Accessories
Free Catalog. ARIZONA VIDEO, 3661 N. Campbell,
- PLEASE INDICATE in which category of classified advertising you wish your ad to appear. For
special headings, there is a surcharge of $10.00.
#310B, Tucson, AZ 85719. (602) 323-3330. ( ) Plans Kits ( ) Business Opportunities ( ) For Sale
THE Invention of television. Fascinating story of ( ) Education /Instruction ( ) Wanted ( ) Satellite Television
how radio, motion pictures, and television were in- (
vented. 144 pages 45 rare photos. Send $10.00 cil
MO. BELLTOWNE PUBLISHING, 10011 Belltowne, Special Category: $10.00
Sugarland. TX 77478.
TUBES 59c. Year guarantee. Free catalog. Tube PLEASE PRINT EACH WORD SEPARATELY, IN BLOCK LETTERS.
tester $8.95. CORNELL, 4219 University, San Di- (No refunds or credits for typesetting errors can be made unless you clearly print or type your
ego. CA 92105. copy.) Rates indicated are for standard style classified ads only. See below for additional
CABLE TV equipment S.A., Jerrold, Zenith, charges for special ads. Minimum: 15 words.
Hamlin, Oak, Eagle filters remotes and more.
Best prices C.O.D.'s accepted dealers needed.
Ours work where others failed and we guarantee
it! TRANS -WORLD CABLE, CO., 1 -(800) 1 2 3 4 5
X142 -9333.
11 12 13 14 15 ($21.00)
TUBES - 2000 TYPES
DISCOUNT PRICES!
Early. hard -to-find, and modern tubes 16 ($22.40) 17 ($23.80) 18 ($25.20) 19 ($26.60) 20 ($28.00)
Also transformers, capacitors and
parts for tube equipment. Send $2 00
for 20 page wholesale catalog
ANTIQUE ELECTRONIC SUPPLY 21 ($29.40) 22 ($20.80) 23 ($32.20) 24 ($33.60) 25 ($35.00)
688 W First St Tempe. AZ 85281.602/894-9503
CABLE descrambler liquidation. Major makes 26 ($36.40) 27 ($37.80) 28 ($39.20) 29 ($40.60) 30 ($42.00)
and models available. Industry pricing! (Example:
Hamlin combo's. $44 each...minimum 10 orders).
Dealers only! Call WEST COAST ELEC- ($43.40) 32 ($44.80) 33 ($46.20) 34 ($47.60) 35 ($49.00)
TRONICS, (818) 989 -0890. 31
DESCRAMBLERS. All brands. Special; combo Jer- We accept MasterCard and Visa for payment of orders. If you wish to use your credit card to pay for your ad fill
rold 400 and SB3 $165. Complete cable de- in the following additional information (Sorry, no telephone orders can be accepted.):
scrambler kit $39. Complete satellite descrambler
kit $45.00. Free catalog. MJH INDUSTRY, Box 531.
Bronx, NY 1046 -0531
EXPERIMENTERS... Crystal set and one -tube ra-
dio. Free catalog. BOB RYAN,P. O. Box 3039, Ana- Card Number Expiration Date
heim. CA 92803.
FAIR PRICES SB3, SX3, SA3. Tri -Bi, MLD- 1200 -3
some Oak, any notch filters. Small dealer only. No PRINT NAME SIGNATURE
Michigan sales. (313) 979-8356.
SUPER power electronic TV antenna. Brings clear
channels, $6.00. AMERICAN ASSOCIATES Dept.
NEH, P. O. Box 18A182, Los Angeles. CA. 90018. IF YOU USE A BOX NUMBER YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR PERMANENT ADDRESS AND PHONE
NUMBER FOR OUR FILES. ADS SUBMITTED WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
CLASSIFIED COMMERCIAL RATE: (for firms or individuals offering commercial products or services)
$1 40 per word prepaid (no charge for ZIP code)... MINIMUM 15 WORDS. 5% discount for same ad in 6
PLANS /KITS issues within one year; 10% discount for 12 issues within one year if prepaid. NON -COMMERCIAL RATE:
(for individuals who want to buy or sell a personal item) $1.15 per word. prepaid no minimum ONLY FIRST
BUILD this five -digit panel meter and square wave WORD AND NAME set in bold caps at no extra charge. Additional bold face (not available as all caps) 25C
generator including an ohms, capacitance and fre- per word additional. Entire ad in boldface. $1.70 per word TINT SCREEN BEHIND ENTIRE AD: $1 75 per
quency meter. Detailed instructions $2.50. BAG - word TINT SCREEN BEHIND ENTIRE AD PLUS ALL BOLD FACE AD: $2.05 per word EXPANDED
NALL ELECTRONICS, 179 May, Fairfield. CT TYPE AD: $1.85 per word prepaid. Entire ad in boldface. $2 20 per word TINT SCREEN BEHIND ENTIRE
06430. EXPANDED TYPE AD: $2.30 per word. TINT SCREEN BEHIND ENTIRE EXPANDED TYPE AD PLUS
VOICE disguisers! FM bugs! Telephone transmit- ALL BOLD FACE AD: $2.70 per word. DISPLAY ADS:1" x 2'/: $175.00: 2 "- 21/4-$350.00: 3" 2Y'-
ters! Phone snoops! More! Catalog $1.00 (refunda- $525 00 General Information: Frequency rates and prepayment discounts are available ALL COPY
ble): XANDI ELECTRONICS, Box 25647, 32T, SUBJECT TO PUBLISHERS APPROVAL. ADVERTISEMENTS USING P.O. BOX ADDRESS WILL NOT
Tempe, AZ 85282. BE ACCEPTED UNTIL ADVERTISER SUPPLIES PUBLISHER WITH PERMANENT ADDRESS AND
PHONE NUMBER. Copy to be in our hands on the 18th of the third month preceding the date of issue
PC boards made to order. Details -SASE. Eprom (i.e.; Aug. issue copy must be received by May 18th). When normal closing date falls on Saturday,
programmer plans. $3.50 includes semiconductor Sunday or Holiday, issue closes on preceding work day. Send for the classified brochure. Circle
bonus! GALLIUM JUNCTION, 540 -C N.E. North - Number 49 on the Free Information Card.
gate Way, Suite 542. Seattle. WA 98125.
150W x 2 pre -main amplifier, kit or assembled, dyna-
mite sound, 3 section tone control, class A -DC. $78. CABLE -TV BOXES
discount if wholesale, send check, M.O. KATLI
ELECTRIC, P.O. Box 5565, Hacienda, CA 91745,
Descramblers Converters ADVERTISING INDEX
details send self -addressed envelope. FREE CATALOG HANDS -ON ELECTRONICS magazine
PROJECTION TV... Convert your TV to project 7 TRANS -WORLD CABLE CO. does not assume any responsibility for
foot picture. Easy! Results comparable to $2,500 12062 Southwest 117th Ct., Suite 126 errors that may appear in the index below.
projectors. Plans and 8" lens $24.95... Profession- Miami, Florida 33186
al systems available... Illustrated catalog FREE.
MACROCOMA 15HB Main Street, Washington 800 -442 -9333 Free Information No. Page
Crossing, PA 18977. Creditcard orders 24HRS.
(215) 736 -3979. 6 AM(' Sales 103
SATELLITE TV
FM TRANSMITTER fits in matchbox with "N" cell
battery or phoneline powered. Tuneable 60- 95MHZ.
Super sound, sensitive, powerful. Board, parts, in- FREE CATALOG Systems. Upgrades Houston, -5 All Electronics
Amazing He%ices
25
95
structions $19.95. PTS, Box 1951, Fort Worth, TX
76101.
RADAR Detector kit $39.95. Dazer weapon kit
Uroden, Chapparal, etc. SAVE $S$$$. SKYVISION
2008 Collegeway, Fergus Falls. MN 56537 (218)
739-5231.
-
7
American Satellite dome Assoc 28
Antique Electronic Supply .... 104
('IF 11
$45.00. QUANTUM RESEARCH, 17917-77 Ave- 18 ('hemlronics 97
nue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5T-2S1.
9
('laytronics
Command Productions
('wok's Institute
25
103
23
lywood, FL 33020.
KITS'parts'plans'. We have hard to find parts!
censediunlicensed. BROADCASTING, Box 130 -
F(11), Paradise, CA 95967.
--
10 Uigi -Ke
Elec. Industr Association
CV2
CV4
Electronic Tech. Today .... 6, CV3
Variable tuning capacitors. tuning coils, crystal
headphones, germanium diodes, shortwave.
crystal, CB radio kits (no soldering). Very inexpen-
sive. Send large SASE for catalog.YEARY COM-
MAKE $250,000 yearly in IBM s computer color
monitor repairs, details $1.00. RANDALL, Data Dis-
play Products, Box 2168 H, Van Nuys. CA 91404.
-
23
Electronics Book ('lub
Hal- 7'ronis
1
22
WIN sweepstakes. Proven instruction packet, send
MUNICATIONS, 12922 Harbor #800H, Garden
Grove. CA 92640.
"007" Type electronics. Super surveillance. Amaz-
$7.00 (refundable) USA Mailing, Box 457, Excel-
sior, MN 55331. -
8
13. 14
halted Specialties
Heath
.II)R Microdesices
18
15
16
ing prices. Catalog $2.00. JD's Electronics, Dept. 12 \I('M Electronics 13
O Box 9042, Wichita, KS 67277 Cable TV Converters
PRINTED circuit boards drilled and etched. Free
delivery. K &F ELECTRONICS, INC. 33041
Groesbeck. Fraser. MI 48026. (313) 294 -8720.
Why Pay A High Monthly Fee? --
15 Mark V. Electronics
McGraw Hill i('.F:.DI
Midwest Electronics
18
91
105
Jerrold Products include "New Jerrold 21 Mini 7iarls 95
COMPUTERS
Tri- Mode," SB -3. Hamlin, Oak VN-12,
M -35 -B, Zenith, Magnavox, Scientific At- -II Mouser
NRI
101
21
-
19
PanaVise
S('O Electronics
Trans World
7
23
105
SYSTEMS INC., 31 Murray Hill Drive. Spring Valley. MIDWEST ELECTRONICS, INC., 5143 -H
NY 10977. 1 -(800) 248 -2983 or (914) 356 -3131. 22 United Electronic Supply 27
W. Diversey, Chicago, IL 60639. MC /Visa
orders accepted. No Illinois orders ac-
cepted. Mon. -Fri. 8 A.M. -5 PM. CST
EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION
ENGINEERING software for IBM -PC. CompDes --
circuit design, CompMath- mathematics, Com- ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE
pView- waveform viewer. $49 each. (614) CABLE EQUIPMENT
491 -0832. BSOFT SOFTWARE, 444 Colton Road, CABLE TV SECRETS - the outlaw publication the
Columbus, OH 43207.
Gernsback Publications, Inc.
cable companies tried to ban. HBO, Movie Channel, 500 -B Bi- County Blvd.
LEARN new skills fast through our short specialized Showtime, descramblers. converters, etc. Sup - Farmingdale, NY 11735
home study courses. Condensed and highly effec- pliers list included. $8.95. CABLE FACTS Box 711-
H, Pataskala, OH 43062. (516) 293 -3000
tive! Passport to success! 50 choices. Diploma President Larry Steckler
awarded. CIEE -13, Box 20345, Jackson, MS 39209.
Vice President: Cathy Steckler
MAGIC! Four illustrated lessons plus inside infor-
mation shows you how. We provide almost 50 tricks HIGH TECH ELECTRONICS For Advertising ONLY
including equipment for four professional effects.
516- 293 -3000
You get a binder to keep the materials in, and a one- SCRAMBLER phones! Phone bug detectors! Elec-
year membership in the International Society of Per- tronic countermeasures equipment! Executive and Larry Steckler
forming Magicians with a plastic membership card personal protection products! Much more! Catalog publisher
that has your name gold -embossed. You get a one - $3.00 (refundable with first order). DIVERSIFIED Arline Fishman
year subscription to our quarterly newsletter, "IT'S WHOLESALE PRODUCTS P.O. Box 1275, Redon- advertising director
MAGIC!" Order now! $29.95 for each course do Beach. CA 90278. Christina Estrada
+ $3.50 postage and handling. (New York residents advertising assistant
add applicable state and local sales tax.) The Magic Shelli Weinman
Course, 500-B BiCounty Boulevard, Farmingdale,
advertising associate
NY, 11735, or telephone (516) 293 -3751 and ask for SOFTWARE Lisa Strassman
Nancy Estrada.
"SOFTWARE Maniacs' Humdinger shareware /PD credit manager
for IBM PC. No minimum order! Low as $2.75 a disk.
Send $1 00 for Catalog free programs on 5.25 disk SALES OFFICES
CABLE TV CONVERTERS to: TRIBAL ENTERPRISES INC., 5722 South
Flamingo Road, Department H, Suite 231. Cooper
CABLE TV converters. Scientific Atlanta, Jerrold. City, FL 33330 EAST/SOUTHEAST
Oak, Zenith, Hamlin. Many others. "New" Video Becky Akers
Hopper The Copy Killer." Visa, M C & Amex. Pattis /3M
1-(800) 826-7623. B & B INC., 10517 Upton Circle,
310 Madison Ave.. Suite 1804
Bloomington, MN 55431. PROGRAMMABLE New York, NY 10017
CONTROLLERS 212 -953.2121
CB RADIO -10 METERS POCKET CONTROLLER: Versatile, low cost, pro- MIDWEST/PACIFIC
grammable digital controller. Designed for techni-
CB RADIO OWNERS! We specialize in technical cian, experimenter, student, anyone that deals with
Joe Shere
informtion, parts and services for CBs. Repair modi- electronics. Battery operated. Only $69.95. For liter- 1507 Bonnie Doone Terrace
fication books, plans, kits, 10 -meter and FM con- ature, call (800) 533-7159, in CT 791 -8220 or write Corona Del Mar. CA 92625
versions, high -performance accessories. Catalog POCKET CONTROLLER COMPANY, Box 232, 714 -760 -8697
$2.00 CBCI, Box 31500H, Phoenix, AZ 85046. Seymour, CT 06483.
105
CAPACITANCE ADAPTER
(Continued from page 46)
between the board and the front panel of the enclosure (see
photo). A strip of electrical tape can be used to prevent shorts
between the battery case and the trimmer potentiometers.
Calibration
Calibrating the circuit involves first setting the NULL
adjustment (R6), then adjusting RI and R3 so that the DMM
displays the correct reading for a capacitor of known value on
the t.ow and HIGH ranges, respectively.
To set the NULL control, set the DMM to the millivolt
E -Z MATH
(Continued from page 81) VR, 1= VI- VRI =6- 3.42 =2.58 volts f. Find the current
in R2. IR2 = VR2.3 /R2 = 2.58/300 = .0086 A.
not the case. Instead of replacing the voltage source with a This current flows in R2 from top to bottom because of the
short, it must be replaced with a resistance whose value is polarity of Vt. Let's call this a negative current to distinguish
equal to the internal resistance of that voltage source. For -
it from the other current, or .0086. The total current in R2
is the algebraic sum of the two previously calculated currents:
example, in analyzing a circuit with an emitter follower
whose output impedance is 50 ohms, the voltage source -
IR2= +.0043 +( .0086)
would be replaced with a 50 -ohm resistor in performing -
= .0043
superposition or Thevenin's calculations. The total current is the difference between the two currents
and it is negative because the negative current is greater. The
total net current in R2 flows from top to bottom.
Answers 2. Since the circuit in Fig. has no load, the output voltage
1
1. Short Vi. Calculate the current in R2: calculated earlier, 1.05 volts, is the Thevenin's equivalent
a. Find the parallel resistance of RI and R2. voltage:
R1,= RIR2 /(R1 + R2) = 200(300)/(200+ 300)
= 60000/500 =120 ohms b. Find the total- circuit resistance VTh = + 1.05
Rt R, =121 2 +R3= 120 +300 =420 ohms c. Find the total- The Thevenin's equivalent resistance is the parallel com-
circuit current I t, IT = V2/RT = 4.5/420 = .0107A d. Find the bination of RI and R2 or:
voltage across R3. VR3 = ITR3 = .0107(300) = 3.21 V. e. RTh= RIR2 /(R1 +R2)
Find the voltage across RI and R2. = 1000(3300)/(1000+ 3300)
VRi,= V2- VR1 =4.5- 3.21 =1.92 V. f. Find current in = 3300000/4300= 767.4 ohms
R2. IR2 =VRt ,/R2= 1.29/300 =.0043 A. In this case, the
current through R2 flows from bottom to top because of the
polarity of V,. Let's call this a positive current or + .0043 A.
2. Short V2. Calculate current in R2. a. Find the parallel
resistance of R2 and R3. Since R2 = R3:
12,3R2/2 = 300/2 =150 ohms b. Find the total-circuit resis-
tance. RT = R2 ; + RI =150+ 200 = 350 ohms c. Find the
total- circuit current. IT= V i /RT = 6350= .0171 A. d. Find
the voltage across RI. VRt = ITRI = .0171(200) = 3.42 volts
BUY BONDS
e. Find the voltage across R2 and R3.
106
r
Electronics Paperback Books
GREAT PAPERBACKS AT SPECIAL PRICES
*``,
RADIO'S FIRST
'ONO DECAIIES
Soo.. of
CORYpflCal M
e. IMreaerrNw
nFwenwlnl
Coolerer
Terwreey .... twe a 9eyu
w Yw.a Art..
4eser n
-
CWrMH
RM.t.
)71
I
71,
. BP179-ELEC-
BP135- SECRETS BPtq --MITRO TO BP146-COMPUTER , BPI52-INTRO TO BP105- ANTENNA BP196 -AN INTRO- BP144-FURTHER TRONIC CIRCUITS FOR
OF THE COMMODORE PROGRAMMING THE TECHNOLOGY EX- Z-10 MACHINE COGE PROJECTS .... 55.50. DUCTION TO ANTENNA PRACTICAL ELECTRONICS THE COMPUTER CON-
54 .... S515. Masses of ATARI 600100 XL ..... PLAINED S5.50. _...$5.95. Speed up you, Practical radio antenna THEORY 56.95 CALCULATIONS AND
useful into and program, $5.95. Perfect Campe sptanalons or cornpul- programs They may be desgns that dekver good Bavc concepts relevant to 57.50 Data and circuits
rang bps nef Pound n ment IO Bhp Alen users terms aten harder to ante but ans pedonnance and are reo v,ng and Iransmrhng Compran 1olume to for IMiecng 9e corn
any users manual menus! Esen shows new encountered A dictionary worth learning how emery empie and antennas BP53 Book careers on puer Io the robas
to use anon-Wad graphes Mr computer Ingo Some d mo programs ne,ponsne to bum rods new data mol pound
MINI sed serpes
11P130 -MICRO IN- are el Parker patron 450 papas. BP134 -EASY ADD
0P131 -MICRO IN-
TERFACING
"
Quality Paperbacks
CIRCUITS- -BOOK 2 ..... COMMODORE 64,
$.75. Practical adcns $5.75. Intedeceg sourd
AMATEUR BAND AN- VIC -20, BBC MICRO 6
trneomr your computer and speech ge elators TENNAS ..... S5.50. All ACORN ELECTRON
into controla measure, kinds of antennas for as .
Ian 110 0
15P1$3 -AN INTRO- 15RM27 -HOW TO DE- BP110 -HOW TO WIZ-DESIGN 15P56-ELEC- B P65- INTERNA- BP117- PRACTICAL SAM-PRACTICAL
DUCTON TO CP SIGN ELECTRONIC GET YOUR ELEC- MAKE YOUR OWN PC TRONIC SECURITY DONAL TRANSISTOR ELECTRONIC BUILD ELECTRONIC BUILD-
M.... 56.95. To run and PROJECTS ..._ S5.75. TRONIC PROJECTS DEVICES ._.. 65.50. EQUIVALENTS ..... ING BLOCKS. Book 1 ING BLOCKS. Book 2
use programs operations How to use sta lard or WORKING ..... S5.75. revering you need to Three base sections 07.50. Locates poss,de .... $5.75. Bald Me .....53.75. Ampkhers Ira
under CP M you need cud eemrts to make How to Ind the fauns in know bete you make Swnch activated alarms subslItutes Or a popular bocks and Then combine all kinds to add to the
m,s book custom electronic prof Your selects repair them pnled -crcur beards kv ,nlraled 6 unrasonP Sys nened selector a them d form almost any 010005 from Both t of
ects and gel them working your pgecls tams smoke gas wale, oderan transistors Jape custom prgecl o your Iris series
dele0500 se European and choke BP161)-NOW TO
meroan types BP77- MICRO- GET YOUR COMPUTER
BPI04 -ELEC- BP92 -CRYSTAL PROCESSING
TRONIC SCIENCE SET CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS RUNNING
SYSTEMS AND CIR- .... $5.95. Have you ever
orea e rices
PROJECTS ..... $5.75. ..... $550. A variety or
CUTTS ..... $5.56. Goode carmen your own pro
Scope to comprex a crystal rada receivers for o he elements of micro
group ot prgecls wen a she experimenter and grams nly Io find that
processing s
Prey do nol
sirongjp e:ennhc Ramon many 5j Teaches all Me tonda book shows sou'how to
entels find errors
9s P.iM.N L.*Da or
e,ws
salta,e.
ilRSe
CMOS K:
hoer
ELECTRONICS
lene
R Anee.
e.
BUILD AND
LEARN
i
SHIPPING CHARGES IN
ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY TODAY INC. USA AND CANADA
PO. Box 240, Massapequa Park, NY 11762 -0240 SORRY, No orders accepted Number of books ordered I I
$0.01 to $5 00 $1 25
outside of USA and Canada
$5 01 to 10.00 $2 00
Name Total price of merchandise $
$10 01 to $20 00 $3 00
Sales Tax (New York State Residents only)
_
$
Addt 7ss $20 01 to $30 00 $4 00
Shipping (see chart) S
$30 01 to $40 00 $5 00
City State Zip All payments must
$40 01 to $50 00 $6 00 Total Enclosed $
be In U.S. funds
H-1188 $50 01 and above $750
L
The Electronic Industries Association /Consumer
Electronics Group has recently completed the first in a
series of videocassette training tapes.
The cost of the videocassette is $30.00. Use the order form below to order yours now!
Send to: EIA /CEG, Department PS, P.O. Box 19100, Washington, D.C. 20036
Name
Oc Title
1.44
Firm
Address
O City State Zip