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c
 The Fluke 79:
More OfAGoodThing
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ideal for detectingsmall resistance changes.
Meet the latest. greatest member
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- the new Fluke 79digital mulumeter.
Smoothing' : Our lclusr.enew SmOOthi ~g
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It's gol lhe features you'd expect Get a good (hing going: To put
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And thanks to the Fluke 79's fle xStand '~ - easy to
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I' W
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FLUKE .
CIRCLE 121 ON FREE INFORl,l ATtON CA RD
 December 1992 EJectronia
M:IW.

vet, 63 No. 12

ON THE COVER

Once again. the ho lidays are
just arou nd the corner, and it's
time to start thinking about gift
giving an d tree trimming. If you
agree with us that hand -made
items make the nice st gifts and
add s peci al s pa rkle to the holida y
deco r. be s ure to check out the
Glitter Globe. Not a n ordin ary or-
nament, this sop histicated piece
of " electro nic sculpture" is made
e nti rely of e lectro nic co mpo-
ne nts a nd s mall circu it boards.
The tw o LED's on each PC board
" chase" each other, creating the
illusion that the Glitter Globe is
s pinning. Han ging on the tree. or
in a window. it's a su re atte ntion-
grabberl Turn to page 35 for all
the details.

"..' J.\1
~~_.
'---
_-
rv -------
FAH/mODEm
PROTECTOR

--
=.r.::--=
....::;-=

PAG E 51 PAGE 69 PAGE 43

..... _.-...L.ECTfIOHICS HONp.II>hs/Ift.....- ....................
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" _ 'bilily lor the "" ~ f1I ..........,,;pt _ ... orlwortI Of poh<llograplro...tli.. In ......_ _ ion ... _ _ .

PLEASE TURN PAGE FOR COMPLETE CONTENTS

 BUILD THIS ElectrDnics
NOW.
35 BUILD THE GLITTER GLOBE
Hugo c.,.,..bacJ" 11884-1967) foul'lde<
Add so me sparkle to the holidays with this electronic ornament. Lan')' S teo;k&.,. EHF. CET.
ed itooill-Chiefand publ;aher
Ro n Ho lzwa rt h
EDITORIAL OEPARTMENT
43 FAX/MODEM PROTECTOR Brill .. C. Fenton. ed itor
A low-co st project that safeguard s your tele pho ne-based gea r. Marc S piwak. al~te editor
Neil 5<:lat. aMOCIlte ed itor
Tom P etrunellis
Teri &aduto. auiltant .clitor
4 7 INRUSH CURRENT LIMITER ..J.tf..y K . Ho lt%man
computer .clitar
Protect sensiti ve elect ronics wi th this devic e. Ro"'l1 Gro.. bla tt . cireui~ &<litor
Dougla s Wirth Lan')' Klein. alldio Mlitar
Devid l.IIch enbruch
51 LIGHT BEAM COMMUNICATOR cont.ibuting I dito.
The inexpensive "Air Hop" co mmunicate s with light! Don L. nca l t
contributing .ditor
Rodney A. Kre uter
Klthy Te..nd ditorial ...i ~'"t
ART DEPAR TMENT

COMPUTERS i And .. DII~e .. t. etl director

69 M ONITOR TECHNOLOGY
A look at tod ay's co mp uter monito rs .
S tan Wa rne r
TECHNOLOGY
62 THE V ERSAT ILE 555
More circ uits than you ever thought possiblel
Ray M . M ar s t o n
DEPARTMENTS
8 VIDEO NEWS
What's new in this test-
cha nging field.
D avid Lachenbruch
16 EQUIPMENT REPORT
Beckman Indust rial HD 160
DMM
77 HARDWARE HA CK ER
Con ventiona l currents , and
more.
Don Lancast er
I..jae L_ . m",tre tor
R..... l1C . Tru .l. on. illllltnltor
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
Rub y M . Y_ . production dj~
K...n S . B rown
eclvertising production
Maroc-' I. Amo ro so
production allil tant
I U ... fbchowm
editorial prvd uction
CIRCU LATI ON D EPARTMENT
J acq ... llne P. Ch __ boro
cin:uqtion director
W. ..d y A ....ko
cin:u qtion . ",, 1yIt
The..sa Lom lNlrdo
clrcullltion auieta nt
I Michel . Torri llo
reprint bookttore
TJllOllrajHly by M at. e C .. phic&
88 DRAWING BOARD eov.. in..t photo by DI"" l ified Photo
A SSAVI descrambler. ~ Sacl\gIvU'Id by 0lMd P.Dill.
Robe rt Grossblatt Unicom StodI PhoIoI
EI. ctron lc a N ow il Indued in
94 AUDIO UPDATE Applied Sci...c. " TedJnol~y Ind.z.
Hear tod ay, gon e tomorrow. and R...<htrs Guid. to ,..ri<x/icllllJter-
Larry Klein .tu". Aca d . mlc Abltracu . nd
M" lIuina ArVel" SU........ri<l.
97 COMPUTER Microfilm & Microfich dition. I "
CO NNECTIONS ..... il.blll. ContKt circ.. lati o n d e part.
Computers and co nsumer ment for deta lle.
ele ctronics . A d " . rtle l.. g S. I Offic e .li.tad
Jeff Hol tzman on pa ge 102.
E1ecttwIIca Now ~ and
Ad"' ini'treti\le Office.

J AND MORE I 151 6- 2833000.

So"bKrib efe...tom.. S.Mce:
1-8002 88-0652.
108 Ad vertising a nd S al e s 14 Letters
I Office s 32 New Lit
Onle. Entry for N_ SubKriben:
1-800-ge9-7 139 .

i
w
2
108 Advertisin g Ind e x
91 Buyer's Marke t
4 Editorial
22
12
New Products
Q&A
6 What's News
AudIt BureilU
of OrCU~t1ons
M l'mbl"
 DC-2000MHz

I n p lasti c a n d c eramic p ac k ag es, lor low-cost sore-

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amplifier for less than $4.50. Design values and circuit 1 04 ,to I SO 160 130l 1.80 U S
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Cl RC1.E 186 ON fREE INfOA ......T1ONCARD
 EDITORIAL
IT'S NOW OR NEVER

Now. This moment, this instant-it lives but a microsecond. Then it

moves on and changes and becomes something new and different
and better.
That's exactly what our magazi ne--our magazine , yours and
mine-s-is doing. I grew up on RadioCraft and Radio-Electronics.
You've probably grown up on Radio-Electronics. Th e next
generation of electronics profe ssiona ls may not even rem ember
Radio-Electronics , but they will know Elec tronics Now. For this
new, yet old . publication will be their introduction to electronics . It
will be their primer. their teach er, their guide. their companion. It
will travel with them through their career just as Radio-Electronics
has through yours. As long as there are elec tronics professionals.
as long as there are people who follow the wonderful ever-
changing world of electronics. Elec tronic s Now will be there.

Electronics Now is not a new magazin e, it is simply a refinement

of what has always been. Irs an evolution to something better,
something wiser, something stronger. A magazine more closely
matched to electronics today. Carefu lly designed , tailored and
directed by selected expert s who can point you, our reader,
through our pages, toward tomorrow.

Electronics Now is your magazine. It is the culmination of almost

100 years of progress from the Electrical Experimenter to Radio-
Electronics and finally Electron ics Now.

If our founder, Hugo Gernsback, were here today, he'd probably

note that we should have acted soone r. Perhaps he would have
been right. But no matter what, we know we are correct in taking
you and us on this new adventure. Join us as we go. Revel in the
excitement of today and the adventure of tomorrow. Tell us what
you like, what you hate, what we should do. and what we
shouldn't.

Write our editors, contact our bulletin board, send me your ideas,
comments, and criticis ms. Help us make Electron ics Now exactly
the kind of magazine you know it should be. And never forget we
may now bea r the name Elec tronics Now, but at heart we are
Radio-Electronics, Radio Craft, Shortwave Craft. Television, and
the Electrical Experimenter.

Larry Steckler, EHF/CET

Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
4
 TheDMMour
cusomrs desigqed..~~

- ....
- ,--
Before we built the new generation Beckman The Beckman Industrial Series 2000, priced
Industrial Series 2000 m lMs, we asked people from $209 (Q $279offers you the best perfcr-
like you what you real/)'wanl. mance for your dollar. Look again at thesefeatures:
You want more. More test and measurement 4 Digit, 10,000 Count Resolution
capabilities. More troubleshooting features. All Basic Accuracy to 0.1%
in an affordable hand-held ml\t. TIle Series 2000 True Rr-1S, AC or AC on DC
features the widest runge Frequency Counter in 0.010 Resolution
any professional m.IM, a full-range Capacitance Automatic Reading Hold
xtetcr, True RMS measurements, Intermittent lrns Peak Hold
Detection, SOns Pulse Detection , and Peak Fully Auromnging Relative and .\lin Max Modes
Measurement capabilities. Plus, the Series 2000 Intermitten t Det ector
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recording and relative modes. TIm.'C Year Warranty
You want a 0;\1:\1 that's easier to usc. TIle The Series 20Xl offers the mosl. solutions foryour
Series 2000's display is 2; % larger, with bigger everyday lest and measurement needs. The only
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in the worst light. plus the fast 4 digit display For more information on these new DMMs

81 "
provides the high resolution needed for adjusl.ing call (outside CA) 1-800-854-2708 or
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CIRCLE!l8 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

A review of the latest happ enings in electronics.
Fluke a n d Philips
rest ru cturing
John Fluke M fg. Co.. Inc. (Ever-
ett . WAJ and Philips Electronics
N.v. (Eindhoven. The Netherlands>
on Augu st 26 announced the ir in-
tention to restructure the ir five-year-
old alliance in the test and measure-
ment business. Unde r the plan.
which is expected to take several
months to finalize, Fluke would ac-
quire most of Philips' test and mea-
surement ope rations for cash and
stock. Once the contingen cy fac-
to rs have been met <approval by
Auke shareholders and the Philips
Board of Management. and review
by the appropriate social and reg-
ulatory organizations), Auke would
acquire essentially all existing Phi
lips' te st and measurement bust-
ne s se s. with t he exception of
professional TV te st equi pment and
power supplies. Fluke woutd then
assume dire ct re spons ib ili ty fo r
wo rldwide marketing. development.
manufacturing. sales, and suppo rt
of most of the combined compe -
nles' present product lines. That ln-
c1udes the acquisition of sales and
service operations in Europe. Abou t
gOO Philips employees would trans-
fer to Fluke.
The management of both compa-
nies see the move as a logical pro -
gression in their alliance. Accord ing
to Bill Paraybck. Fluke Chai rma n
and C EO. "All along. we have been
evolving the alliance to optimize our
performa nce and improve our posi-
tion in a changing marketp lace. It
has become apparent to both cern-
penes that a unified management
structu re, aligned under a si ngle
m i ss ion , w oul d acce lerate our
gr'CM'lh and success." That mission ,
he said , is to positio n Fluke as the
leade r in co m pact . pr ofe ssiona l
electro nic test tools . The single
focus is expected make the com-
bined compa ny more effective in
produc t definition, destqn. and mar-
keting, leading to streamlined pro-
duction and bett er tune-to-market
WHAT'S NEWS
for new product s. In additio n. Fluke
hopes its European presence will
allow the company to take advan-
tage of EC '92.
The tra nsactio n is expected to
add about $125 million to Fluke 's
revenues, and to favorably impact
Fluke's earnings per share begin-
ning in the first year of operations.
Fluke expected to issue its proxy
statemen t to shareholders in early
November.
S ee-through magnetic
material
Scientists at Xerox Corp orat ion's
Web s ter Re s e ar ch Cente r
(We bs ter, NY) have pro duced a
transparen t magnetic mate rial with
potential applications in color imag-
ing. compu ter info rmation sto rage,
magnetic fluids , and even magnetiC
refrigeration . <Whena magnetic mao
tenet is moved into a magnet ic field
it heats up; when moved ou t. it
cools down. That so-called rnaqne-
tocalonc effect can theoretically be
used to bui ld refrigerato rs. Al-
though magnetic refrigerato rs have
been built. no ne have worked at
anything near roo m te mperatu re.I
The crystalline material is chemi-
cally identical to the gamma ferric
oxide that has been used for de-
cades to coat audio and video reo
cording tape. But the crystals that
make up the physical form of the
new material are far smaller than
those of conventional magnet ic ma-
terial. The Fe 2 0 3 cry stals cornprts-
ing the magnetic materi al range in
size from two to ten nanomete rs.
With such small cryst als, the mate-
rial loses i ts usua l fer ro magnetic
pro pe rty and be c o me s super-
paramagnetic-a state in whi ch the
cryst als will stick to a magnet but
not to each other.
The transparen cy is an added
bonus that is not generally found in
magnet ic materials at room temper-
ature. The scientists have not yet
determined why the nanocrystals
are more transparent than the larger
crystals of conven tional Fe2 0 3 . Al -
though some transparent magnetic
materials already exist , their mag-
netic propert ies are either too weak
to be useful, or they functio n only at
temperatures near absolute zero.
World's mos t po werful la s e r-
light b eam
A breakthroug h in the rntema -
none! race to create the world 's
most powerfu l laser-light beam has
been achieved by scientists at The
University of M ichigan <Ann Arb or,
M I) and the French Nati onal A tomic
Ene r gy Co m missio n . T he 5 5
terawatt beam of laser light-one
terawatt is equivalent to one trillion
watt s-was produced in Ap ril 1992
at the Centre d 'Etudes de Limeil-
Valenton (l.imeil, France>' The pre'
vious record, set last year in Japan.
was 30 terawatt s. The beam was
produced by the C enter's Pl 02
laser with a laser amplificatio n tech-
nique and a second preamplifying
laser d evelop ed by G erar d A .
M ourou. professor of elect rical en-
gineering and computer science at
M ichigan. and his co-researchers .
DUring the brief laser burst. reo
s e a r ch e rs p rod uc ed the 55-
terawalt of power-the equfva'ent
of 100 tim es the total electrical
powe r generate d in the U nited
States. Accord ing to M ourou. " The
laser beam can be focused over a
spot smaller than the diamete r of a
human hair to prod uce extremely
high power densities ." The re o
searchers say that the most imme -
dia te a pplica t io n of t he new
techn ology will be to determine
what happens when extremely in-
tense laser beam s interact with
matter.
Preliminary experi ments showed
tha t w hen htqh -p ow ered laser
pulses are sho t through plasma ,
shoc k waves are created that are
capable of accelerati ng electrons
close to the spe ed of tight in very
small distances. That could lead to
Continued on page 74

 Ultravariable Pulse Generator \\", I:\'

-0.5 to 5MHz +'""
' Run, Toggered, Gate, Single-Shot " ~
~
~.
' Independent width and space contro~~ .\:7.
-Variable SOQoulpul
Model 4001 5199.95
AUdio/Sweep Generator
Sine/SquarefTriangle
' 1Hz to 100kHz
' Variable DC offset
-Sweepable 100:1
Model 2001 5178.50
2MHz Sweep Function Generator ," u
~" ~
-0.2Hz to 2MHz
Duty-cycle, symmelry conlrols
-50il oulpul
't"l." .\:7.
Co ~.
- VCO inpul
Model 2002 5219.95
Digitally Synthesized Generator ,f, IN
-DC to1.6MHz "" ~
' Togger, Sweep, Bursl, Hop and Gal';moO~ ~.
-Internal/External Sweep .J .....
-Sine, Square, Triangle. Ramps
Optional RS485 communications port
- 16 programmable memories
Model 2003 5499.95

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CIRC LE 181 ON Al EE IHFORIolAn ON C ARD

Whats new in the fast-changing video industry.
Ninte nd o goes 32bit. Taking
its competitors by surprise, Ninten-
do announ ced that. unlike othe r vld-
eo -game manufactu rers. it will skip
the current g eneration of 16bit
games and go directly to a 32bit
processor when it int roduces it s
CD-RO M accessory next year. The
company announced that it had de-
veloped a proprietary " Super FX"
chip that will make possible 16-bit
ca rt ri dg e games w it h " tru e 3D
effects ," Because its next-genera-
tion cartridge games wi ll be 16-bit.
the compa ny decided tha t it would
need an enhanced CD-ROM to of-
fer c us tome rs a " t ruly superior
game expe rience ."
The new C D-ROM drive w ill func-
tio n w ithin th e CD -ROM /XA en -
viro nment . Nintendo sa id . which
theoretically would make it compat i-
ble with Philips' CD I.
VIS v s . CDI. Tandy's Vide o In-
tera ct ive Syst em, or VIS, designe d
to play C DROM's through consum-
er TV se ts (E l e c t r o n i c s Now ,
November 1992 ), form ally ca rries a
suggested list price of $699 , wh ich
includes Compton 's M ultimedia En-
cyc lopedia . Phil ip's incompa tible
CD I sys tem also lists at $699 , aft er
recent pric e reductions, and dealers
have been selling it at $599 . Co n-
sume rs wh o bo ught players at high-
er prices are being mailed cou pons
good fo r $ 100 worth of free soft-
ware .ln addition, purchasers ret urn -
in g warranty c ards a re s e n t
co upon s that are good for transfer
of the ir photo s to a Photo CD . The
C D 1 format is com pati bl e wit h
Kodak 's Photo C D system (but VIS
currently isn't).
TV's are growing. Larger pic-
ture sizes continue to gr'O\N" as a
share of the television -receiver mar-
ket. In the first half of 1992, sales of
direc t -vie w sets w ith t ubes 30
inches and larger (diagonally) were
up 64 % from the same period of
1991. Projection TV sales we re up
VIDEO NEWS
14%, but the larger sized proje ctor s
(50 inches and larger) rose by mo re
than 2 1%.
Who's number one? Number
one in lY set sales, that is. That
pos ition is st ilt held by RCA as the
leading brand in th e Unite d St ates ,
with just over 16% of the market.
Zenith continues as number two ,
with a little more than 10% , followed
by M ag navox w ith 9 % . S ony is
fou rth w ith 7% , and Sharp is fifth
w ith 5lh% . The ran kings are by
Television Digest, which has been
survey ing lV market shares fo r 26
years. In the fir st brand rankings for
proje ct ion lV, M itsubishi was the
clear w inner wi th 22 .6% of the mar-
ket. followed by M agnavox with 4 %
and RCA with 13 %.
Digital HDTV works. The first
repo rt on digi tal high-definition lY
by the Adv anced Te levision Test
Center <An C), wh ich is test ing pro-
posed syste ms for the f CC , offe red
great encourage ment for the future
of digital lY tra nsmiss ion. Report-
ing on the first digital sys tem it te st -
ed -General In s trument 's Dt -
giC ipher-the Anc's results indi-
cated generally good pict ure quality
wi th low levels of int erferen ce . Con-
trary to doubts expre ssed in Europe
and Japan , wh ere analog systems
are espoused , the test s showed
that D igiCipher produ ces less inter-
ference with other broadcasts than
the analog NTSC system used in
the United St ates. The te st s also
app eared to show th at t he Dr-
giCipher sys tem can prov ide the
same coverage distanc e from the
transm itter as the NTSC sys tem ,
but at 13dB lower powe r. How ever,
digital HDTV doe s app ear to be
mo re se nsi tive t o phase no ise ,
w hich can probably be overcome by
th e development of imp roved filters
in lV sets .
Priming HDTV's pump. The
fact that HDlV is tech nically po sst-
DAVID LACHEHBRUCH
ble doesn't necessarily mean that it
will proceed rapidly onc e a sys tem
is chose n. As a matte r of fact. it' s
difficult to determine how the first
HOlV pictu res w ill be delive red- by
terre strial broadcast stati ons , direct
satellit e, cable, or even possibly by
prerecorde d med ia such as vid eo -
ta pe o r lase rdi sc . Althoug h th e
fCC -sponsored tes ts are desi gned
to dete rmine the best sy ste m for
terrestrial HDTV broadcas ting, It's
entirely pos sible that broadcasters
wil l take a wait-and-see attitude to-
ward HDlY befo re go ing to the tre-
me ndous expe nse of adding new
st udio and transmi ssio n equip-
ment-and quite likely new ante nna
towers to disseminate two separate
type s of broad casts during the inter-
im pe riod of HDTV's int roduc tion
wh ile NTSC signals are still being
broadcast.
Whe n colo r lV was intro duced,
lY station ow ners we re extrem ely
reluct ant to add co lor o rigi nation
equipment because the lack of au,
dien ce mean t that t hey couldn' t
charge adve rtis ers a premium for
co lor broad cast s. And it wasn' t until
10 years afte r the introdu ct ion of
co lor lY that consumers bought a
million sets in any year: (The fig ure is
now well over 20 milli on a yearJ
Broa dcasters say they can 't be ce r-
ta in that there is any mar ket for
HOlY-but they do see a lucrative
by-product of t he current HOT V
tests. All dig ital HOlY sys te ms rely
o n data com pressio n to squeeze
four time s the current info rmat ion
into a single 6- M Hz chan nel. So
broadcasters are asking wh ether it
might be more lucrative fo r them to
use co mpressio n te chno log y to
cram two or more standard-de fini-
tion broadcasts onto a single chan-
nel. and th us help on-ai r broad-
cas te rs att ain th e multi-cha nnel
capacity that will let them co mpete
w ith cable.
Cable itself is in a better positio n
than broadc asters to provide early
Continued on page 74

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 Write to Q & A, Electronics Now. 500-B Bi-County Blvd., Farmingdale, NY 11 735

5Q-.OHM TERMINATION
I recently bought a card for my
PC that lets me control things
like motors and relays. My prot).
lem is that the Instructio ns tell
me t hat each line to the relay or
the line, By the way. for all intents
and purposes, a 47-ohm resis to r is
clos e enough,
do the job?-J, Gillan, Hendon ,
NH
If you r requiremen ts are as simple
and st raightforward as you say, the
circuit in Fig . 1 is exac tly what you
need. It can be made from the extra

motor must be terminated with
at least 50 o hms. I'm no t exac tl y
sure w hat that means, and I wa s
hop ing you cou ld explain it to
me.-G. Cherben, Nighl en, IN
I'm not exactly sure what kind of
hardware you bo ught for you r PC .
but no matte r wha t it is. yours is the
kind of questi on I like-nice and
easy.
All the instru ctions are te lling you
is that each of the card's outputs
want to see a load of 5.0 ohms. Thai
kind of termination is standard for
co mp uter netwo rks and other
th ings . If you 're having a hard time
understanding why it's needed.
think for a minute of the power-am-
plifier outputs on a stereo. It's never
a good idea to leave them uncon-
nected to anything because an infi-
nite load like that <that's what an
ope n connection is) can put an un-
nece ssary strain on the stereo 's
output transistors .
The same is evidently true fo r
your con t roll er c ard , J us t as it
doesn 't want to see a direct short
on the control lines , it doesn 't want
to see too high a resistance either.
I'm a bit surprised that an extern al
termination is req uired si nc e it
would have been easy for the card 's
designers to include it on the card
itself. Most motors and relays have
fairly law win d ing resi stance s. so
the addition of a 50-ohm resist or is
pretty silly- kind of like putting a 10 -
amp fuse on a line that will draw a
maximum of only 1amp. Remember
>1"
-'-OM"'"
f-f"...-
V tal frequency limit really depends on
, 0.<
XTAL
0 40 49 will wo rk wi th crys tals as high
~ op p
68pP"
/ o pF
~
FIG. 1-GRYSTAL OSCILLATOR. tf you
use an inverting hex buffer Ilke the 4049,
powered from a Soyolt supply, th e eirecn
w Ulwo ritwith crystals8Sh igh 8S14 MHz.
CRYSTAL OSCilLATOR
I'm building a circuit that re-
qu ires a crystal oscillator, but
I'm not sure which design to
use. I don 't have t o worry about
any extreme temperatures , and I
have a bunch of spare gates left
over on the board. Most of the
crystal oscillator designs I' ve
seen require the addition of spe-
cial chips, and I don't have a lot
of room left on the board. Have
you got a simp le circuit that will
. >
IBM VIDEO
V/O E.,O r ypE;,.
AfOlob~O,4l " ,spLAy A P.AP /E/i!..
gates you have, is self-starting, and
is also extrem ely reliable.
The circuit w ill work well w ith as
littl e as a Sw lt supply. and the crys-
the amount of gain the re is in the
gate yo u use . Something like a
as 14 MHz. If you use more than 5
volts for the supply, you should be
able to go even higher,
One interesting variation on this
circuit is to use a two -legged gate
instead of a simple inverter. That w ill
let you tum the design into a gated
oscillator so you can tum it on and
off under ci rcuit co ntrol. I don' t
know if that's important in your ap-
plication , but it's a good thing to
keep in the back of your mind.
SCAN RATES
I know this Info rmation has
probably been printed s ome -
where before , but could you tell
me wh at the sc an rates are for
the various kind s of IBM video? I
have several monitors avail able,
and I'm not sure which on es can
be used with which graph ic s
cards.-S. Heller, New York NY
The variety of IBM video stan-
dards has always caused confusion.
..
.srANP.J~DS
Ae0NYM COL OR SCAN RAT~
"''''A -"1f1Y /<!J1"3 2 ,lj,1....

. h'E .:RCtJU:5 (;Jf:,4P.u,'C:S A44PT1i!. #GA ee: I~"/3 2,. k H.z- ,

/.
that adding a 50 -ohm resis tor in par-
CCJ.LOR. 6MP}lIC S APA,Pr~.e e GA 8 /S 75'oA Jlz..
allel to a mo tor winding w ith a resis-
tanc e of 3 ohms o r so isn' t gOing to e.N# A,w;i;i LG-.e4PAlIC 5.-4PAP7ER, 6-4 Z I<S O O/<. H z;.
add much to the equivalent total reo ,P"..eoF. (;~P#IC5 APAPr~ z .50 BOkJ,{z;.
''''A
sistance of the pair.
You can buy SOohm terminators VIDeo Gre4PRICS A J(...cAY
.
V~A "5". 3 7500",,=H'z.
or just solde r a SOohm resistor on
12
""

It's usually a problem when people
want to upgrade their video. In any
event, the IBM standards are listed
in Table 1. Notice that it doesn't in-
clude any of the super VGA fre-
quencies. The reaso n fo r that is
simply because super VGA fre-
quencies can be anywhere from the
regular VGA standard to as high as
50 kHz with a 70Hz vert ical refresh
rate. That usually shows up when
you get into super VGA with inter-
laced or non-interlaced video.
ale AND EASY
I have a QIC-40 tape backup in
my computer, and I have j ust in-
cre ased the s ize of my hard
drive to 120 megabytes . I kn ow I
can bac k up the drive on several
di fferent tap es , but It's a pain in
th e neck to tag a bunch of file s,
bac k them up , then ta g anoth er
bunch, back them up, and so on.
Is there an eas ier way or w ill I
have to bu y a tape drive w ith a
larger capacity ?-D. Tunn, Ten -
afly, NJ
I can't accept the idea that having
to use a couple of tapes to back up
you r new, larger, drive is such a
chore. You've obviou sly forgotten
what it was like to back stuff up on
floppies. But there are several alter-
natives you can try.
The first , and most obvious. is
that t he software that drives the
tape usually gives you a INCIf to build
a tag list and, by specifying that you
want to back up everything in the
listed direc to ries, you should be
able to avoid having to tag the files
individually.
Most tape softwa re also allows
you to compres s the files on the
tape so you can effectively tum a
40-megabyte tape into a larger one.
The number of extra files you can
get on the tape depends on what
kind of files you have to back up. and
how effective the software 's com-
pression algorithm is. Text and other
data files will squeeze down by at
least 70 %. That is only an estimate ,
but you should be able to get a sub-
stantial savings by compressing the
files as you back them up.
If the software that came with
your tape drive doesn't have any of
those features, there are other pro-
grams th at wi ll provide t hem.
OIC-40 is a standard that allows a
tape recorded on any OIC-40 drive
to be read on any other OIC-40
drive.
Another altemauve to shelling out
bucks for a new tape drive is to use
a DC 21 20 cartridge rather than the
standard DC 2000 that you're prob-
ably using now. Those cartridges
are compatible with your drive and,
because thinner Mylar is used for
the tape itself, you can format it to
about 60 megabytes . Whe n yo u
add data compression. you should
be able to get over 100 megabytes
on the tape.
If you are interested in buying a
new tape drive, OIC-BO tape drives
double the storag e capaci ty of
OIC-40 drives by packing twice as
much data on the same tape. A
OIC-BO drive formats a DC 2120
tape to 120 megabytes, and roughly
doubles that to about 250 mega-
bytes using software compressio n.
A new drive won 't even set you back
by much-QIC-BO drives, such as
the Colorado Memory Sys tems'
Jumbo 250 , sell for as little as $2 50.
mail order.
LESS THAN MTS
I have an RCA slereo TV that
I'm happy with for the most part.
It 's just t hat, on occasion, a ster-
eo broadcast will sound like it 's
coming out of a seashell. I'd love
to blame t he cable company-
and I usually can-but my VCR
doesn 't suffer the same p rob-
lem. Friends have told me that
th e problem is because my TV
Is n't a true MTS-eompatlble set.
Is this true?-M. Johnson, Li n-
denhurst, NY
Many people have comp lained
about problems similar to yours-
incl uding t he folks over at dbx,
whose noise- reduct ion circ uit ry
must be incorpo rated into any ster-
eo TV circuitry in order for it to be
called MTS. Lots of manufacturers
insist that they can meet the MTS
spec ific ations without using dbx.
but that's usually done to avoid pay-
ing licenSing fees to dbx. I suspect
that your RCA TV does not have
dbx, while your VC R does , If the
noise really bothers you, and you're
not ready to buy a new TV-with
dbx noise reduction-then just use
your VCR as the tuner for as long as
you have to . RE
Earn Your B.S. Degree
in
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N o comm uting to class. Study at
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lesson materials, with additional help
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Our Computer B.S, D egree Pro-
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Ou r Electro nics B.S_D egree Pro-
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Write to Letters, Electronics Now, 500-B Bi-County Blvd., Farmingdale, NY 11 735
DISTORTIONLESS POCKET
STEREO AMP
1 have some information regard -
ing the "Po cket Stereo Amp" CAsk
R-E, Electronics N ow . Aug ust
1992) that might be helpful to the
person who was having distortion
problems when using an LM386,
I've experim ented extensively wit h
that IC. and whi le simplicity has its
merits. we must remember that a
job worth doing is wo rth doing well.
Because pocket stereos oft en have
exc ellent so und quality, steps
should be taken to maintain that
quality w hen building an add-on am -
plifier for it.
The bare -bo nes design sho.....vn in
Fig. 2 of the article might work, but
- - - -
I I
The RMS225 was
built around sim-
plicit y. Inst ead
of a ba rrage of
buttons to push ,
yo u simply
scroll th rough a
menu of special
functions.
M inimums,
14 CIRCLE 190 ON FR EE INFOR...An ON CARD
LETTERS
the inclusi on of a feo.v junk-box co m-
ponents wi ll yield better results . I've
been using the design shown to the
right. which is the one that generally
shows up in projects that incorpo-
rate an audio section . Though the
values sometimes differ slightly, all
of the se compone nt s usually ap-
pear in the circ uit.
The first time I built this amplifier. I
omitted capacitor C3 thinking that it
woul d be unnece ssary wi th a bat-
tery supply that contains no ripple .
That resulted in severe distort ion
even at low input signal levels. The
amplifier even ten ded to oscillate at
time s. After some head scratch ing,
I connected a larqe -vafue elec-
trol yt ic capaci to r between pin 6
- - - put or from the headphone jack of a
ma ximums and
a ut omatic read-
ing hold arc
sim ple functio ns
wi t h Beckm an
Indust rial's
RM5225 . It's
sim ply the best
meter for th e
money.
8 1"
4
R<.
/ O fl.
%
C4
.0 - 7
~
(sup ply) and gro und, w hich elimi-
nated the problem comp letely.
The amplifier can be driven with a
line-level signal from an auxiliary out-
pocket stereo. In the letter case,
with Ht adjusted for maximum vol-
ume level, the pocke t stereo 's vel-
ume control should be adjusted to
the minimum level that w ill provide
adequate sound. That will prevent
th e po ssibility of overdriving any
LM 386's. Once that is done , Rl can
be used to adjust the volume .
If two such amplifiers are being
used for st ereo, C 3 can be con-
necte d between the common sup-
ply line and ground. If you use a
power sup ply that contains a filte r
capacitor, C3 might not be neces -
sary. C2 is op tion al as stated in the
o riginal article , depending on the
need for gain. I recom mend using it
because even though the amplifier
in the poc ket st ereo provides gain.
most of that gain w ill be lost when
the con trols are adjusted to limit the
level of the input signal.
Capacitor Cl can be omitt ed if
there is no DC component on the
input signal line. There probab ly is
none if the source is an earphon e
jack or auxiliary output of a C D play-
er or cassett e player. I have oc ca-
s io na lly see n pin 7 ( by pas s)
connected to ground through a ca-
pacitor, but it doe sn 't seem to make
any noticeable difference in this ap-
plication, so I've never used it.
The design shown in Fig. 1gives a
surprisingly good sound consider-
ing the low cost of the IC.
As always. I'm grate ful for the
Letters column in El ect ronic s
Now that allows the exchange of
information among readers.
STEVE BABBERT
Worthington, OH
THEFT OF SERVICES
I fail to understand you guys. Is
El ec tronic s Now a soc ial ist
magazine. advocating ripping off ca-
ble compa nies because they are
Robber Baron Capitalist Fat Cats.
or something? Robert Grossblatt
says, " If the cable companies put
the signal on your wire, you should
have the right to use it ." Does he
steal from coin newspaper boxes
too? Afte r ell, his quarter has pur-
chased him acces s to th e bo x,
right? Hasn't he ever heard of "im -
plicit contracts? "
V'lhen he took his cable service.
he agreed to take the services he
paid for. , agree that he should have
the right to experiment. But if he
steals prog ramming , he isn't just
stealing from the Fat Cat Cable
Company-he steals from a lot of
other people: technicians who work
For the cable company, artists who
do the prog ramming . electronics
manufacturers who supply product s
to the cable companies, and ulti-
mately from little electronics com-
panies like mine. We design and
repair cable, and that work keeps a
technician and an engineer employ-
ed. That's hO'N I see it. And I think
that the law agrees wit h me.
P. MIHOK
Don Mills, Ontario. Canada
TURN-SIGNAL FLASHER UPDATE
The circuit suggested by Timothy
Brooks in September's Letters col-
umn, designed to augment the too-
faint click of the automobile tum-
signal flashers (a 47J.LF capacitor in
series wit h a small speaker con-
nected across the fla sher unit)
works fine. However, there must be
a current-limiting resistor in the cir-
cuit. Without it, the speaker's voice
coil soon opens up.
F.G. HUTCHINSON
Red'NOod City. CA
ANOTHER FLASHER UPDATE
The letters in the September is-
sue of El ectron ic s Now . sug-
gested different complicated elec-
tronic solutions for amplifying an
aut cm obtle's turn -signal sou nd .
There is a much simpler solution to
the weak turn -signal sound prob -
lem: I have been using it for a
number of years. Many automotive
departments of retail stores stock
replacement flashers. Look for an
Ideal Loud TumSignal Flasher No .
577V (Ideal Division, St. Augustine,
F.L 32084).
It can replace any 12-volt, two-
terminal flasher. Only one problem
might be encountered : The loud,
flasher's case is slightly more than
twice as long as a regular flasher's
case. That becomes a problem only
if there is a lid covering the terminal
box containing the flasher. In that
case. you can cut a hole in the lid to
accommodate the new flasher, or
leave the lid off entirely.
VINCENT M. SARITI
Dover.NJ
If yo ur meter doesn 't have
True RMS, it's lying to yo u.
Those nasty nonsinusoidal
anl noisy sinusoidal VVclVC forms
foo l even th e best "averaging"
meters.The pmblcm \"\'<15, True RMS
u sed to he expensive. Good news.
The RM522 5 is half th e price of
sim ilar meters.
("" (lillj854-2700, (IUJ)227-9i1l1 in CA
... _".-._""
B echman Indunrl iillr
CIRC LE 190 ON FREE l"lfOR MATlO"l CA RD
DISKEITE CONVERSION
In the Q&A column in the Sep-
tember is su e of El ectronic s
N o w, there was a discussion of
double- and hiqh-density diskettes,
and whether or not there really is a
difference between them I havecon-
verted 3.5-inch " floppy" disks from
double-density to high-density by
forming a hole in their cases, and I
have found that the converted disks
work fine without problems. How-
ever. be very careful not to let any
small material chips get inside the
disk case.
When a hole is made in the proper
place, a small opening into the disk
case is created. If a chip from the
drilling or punching gets into that
hole. it could cause serious damage
to the disk-or, even worse, to the
disk drive. I consider drilling the hole
to be out of the question, and rec-
ommend using a very sharp and
sturdy punch. Several of these are
now on the market.
EMERSON M. HOYT
Beaverton. OR R-E
15
 EOUIPMENT REPORTS
Beckman Industrial HD160 Digital Multimeter
any people who use digital
M multimeters-even those
who use one fNery day-
consider DM M's to be little more
than co mmodity items. Ot her peo-
ple. espe cially t hose who se live-
lihoods depends on the DMM.
know the importance of a well de
signed meter. They'll want to know
about a new DMM from Beckman
Industrial Co rpo ration tln strumen-
ta tton Products Div ision, 388 3
Ruffin Road. San Diego . C A
92 123 1898): th e HD16 0 heavy
duty digital multimeter.
The HD160 is the latest entry in
Beckman Industrial's " HO" line of
heavy-duty DM M 's. It is housed in a
slee k. bright ye llow case that mea-
sures about 6.8 x 2.8 x 1.3 inches.
A black rubber holster is supplied
with the DMM to provide extra pro-
tection. Although the holster adds
significant bulk to the meter, it can
actually make handheld operation
easier. thanks to two probe holde rs
on the holster.The user can ho ld the
meter with one attached probe in
one hand . and the remaining probe
in the other. The probe holders also
provide a secure, safe place to store
the probes when the meter is not in
use .
The holst er also provid es a til t
stand tha t is particularly convenient
for bench -top use; a tilt bale pro -
vides fixed tilt angles of 20 or 60
degrees from perpend icu lar. We
woul d expect th e H0160to be used
C1N'iJ'f from the benchtcp as oft en as
not. If yo u've ever used a D M M
while at the top of a ladder or whil e
perched on the servic e platform of a
large industrial machine. you've un-
doubtedly found that three hands
could come in ve ry han dy. Th e
HD760 off ers what might be the
next be st thing : a " Rex-Strap." The
Rex-Stra p is a Velcro- cove red fabric
strap that lets yo u hang the met er
ve rti cally from a w ide variety of
pipes, beams, and the like . Pipes up
to about three inches in diameter
16 wi ll serve ju st fine.
p ush es o f t he SELEC T b u tt o n
cha nges the range . Su cc ess ive
pushes of th e MENU button changes
th e cu rsor po s it io n . T he CL EAR
button can clear a given entry. or it
can clear the entire menu . resetting
the meter. We found the menu sys-
tem to be intuitive .
The meter's hold mode, whi ch
Be ckman Indu str ial calls " Probe
Hold ," aut omat ically freezes the
meter 's display when a stable read-
ing is rea ched . That mean s the
mete r use r can keep his hands on
the probe s. not on the meter-an
important feature if you work around
dangerous voltages.
The relative mode let s the meter
measure values wi th respect to a
A meter for heavy-duty reference other than zero. The fea
professionals ture works in the vo ltage. res is -
tance , c ur re nt . and di o de -te st
modes. .
CIRC1.E 10 ON FREE II'<FOAlUnDN CARD The max min mode lets the meter
measure and record the minimum
and maximum values of input sig-
nals . The featu re works wi th all func-
tions except diode te st. The mod e
The face of the meter is agreeab ly is not useful for capturing tran-
uncluttered . A large. r -ccsrtrcn rota- sients , but it can be used to mea-
ry control sets the main function se- sure the operating parameters of a
lec t ions : AC vo l ts , DC volts, circuit The automatic powe r-down
resistan ce, diode test / conti nuity, feature doe s not. fortunately, oper-
DC current , and AC current. Below ate in max min mode.
th e rotary contro l are fo ur input An analog bar graph, made up of
jacks: a common, one fo r voltage forty LC D segments , is useful for
and resista nce measurements one peak ing circuits: they respo nd fast
for current measurements of 40 mil- er than the digital display (20 up-
liamps or less. and one for current dates a second as opposed to 2
meas urements up to 20 amps. updates a second), and-as with an
A t the top of the meter's face , analo g movm q-ccd me ter-sma ll
below the 4-digit <lO,OOO-countl changes are more obvious.
LCD readout. are three round push- The HD760 offers true-nos mea-
buttons : MENU. SELECT. andClEAA. The surement capab ility depe nding on
sensi ble menu sys tem is what help s the input signal's crest factor. The
keep the meter face so unclu tt ered. cres t factor is the ratio of a signal's
When the met er is first powered up. peak ..."ltage to its rms value. A sine
it is in its autoran ging mod e . To wave has a cres t factor of 1.414, a
change the range. you would press full-vece rect ified sine wave has a
the menu key: a four-it em menu crest factor of 3 .247. Signals wi th
(RANGE. HOLD . REL. and MIN MA X) cres t facto rs up to 5.0 can be mea-
flashes above the digits. With the sured whe n th e display is at or be
first press. the menu cursor is on low 2500 coun ts . At half sca le
the range selection. Successive Continued on page 96
 NEW
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0003.1292 .1

Use the Free Information Card for more details on these products.
PROGRAMM ABLE PC-
BOARD TESTER. You can
test morethan 600 TTLand
CMOS digital Ie's with as
many as 28 pins wit h a new
Mode! 560A B + K-Preci
sian tester. Said to be able
to perform in- and out-of-
circ uit tes ts, it was de-
signed for both speed and
accuracy.
The tester's vacuum flu-
orescent display and front-
panel LED' s promp t the
user through the test pro-
cedures for a device, and
clearly indicate test results
and the Ie pins wh er e
failure has occu rredThe
"loop test" continuously
checks the device under
test until a failure is en-
countered. This technique
detects inte rmitten t
failures before the compo-
nents are assembled in a
product.
A memory stores re-
sponses from a known to
be good PCboard for in-
circuit testing.
Respon ses are perm a-
nently stored In one of two
internal EEPROM's or any
of the four EEPROM 's lo-
cat ed behind the inst ru-
RAOAR-OETECTOR TESTER.
VVhen you are out driving.
do you wo rry that you r
radar detector might not be
wo rktnq correctly-and
you could get caught in a
speed trap?
Dynaspek eases your
worries with its Leash, just
what you need to be sure
that you r radar det ec to r
(and those of your friends
and neighbors) are up 10
snuff. A handheld radar
22 transmitter, it simulates the
NEWPR I UCTS
CIRClE 16 0 . .. FREE IN FO RMATIO N CARD
ment's front-panel access
door. In out-of circuit test-
ing. the device to be tested
is inserted into the zero-in-
sertion-force socket on the
instrument. and a button is
pressed so a display shows
either a "pass" or "fa il" and
the pin numbers that have
been identified as faulty.
The Madej 560A tn-
eludes a device data library
that contains data on more
than 90% of existing 14- to
28-pin ICs. That library will
be updated free of charge
as new IC's are introduced.
Optional AK-560A custom
prog ra mm ing software.
, _-\\ ".'-";C1'-
o(t'
\}'__.. :...::~
_0-
CIRCLE 17 ON FREE
INfO RMATIO N CARD
feared signal of an x-bend
police radar gun. Used to
test detectors. the unit ac-
tivates when a button is
pressed. A single red LED
x 72 antenna beamwidth.
A 9-volt alkaline battery will
keep it on the air for about
six hou rs of co nt inuo us
use. and will power it for
several months of intermit-
tent use.
The Leash has a list price
of S99 .- 0 ynaspek. Box
564. Westmo nt, IL 60559 ;
Phone: 7083257450.
CABLE SCANNER LAN TEST-
ER. It is now possible to
eli minate local- area net-
work faults and decrease
network dow ntime wh en
malfunctions occ ur with
which does require a pro- the Cable Scanner LAN
cessing by a personal com- tester from Contact East.
puter. allows us ers to The t e st e r works with
org ani ze te st s for no n- Ethernet. A RCnet. Star-
standard and custom TIL lAN. Token Ring. Twisted
and CMOS ICs. Pair and other networks .
The Model 560A is sold
complete with an instruc-
tion manual. condensed in-
struc tions. IC library lis t.
power cord. in-circuit IC
te st c li p s and cable s .
EEPROM for bo ard-te s t
routines. ground cable. and
a spare fuse. It has a price
of $3500 .- B+ K-Precl -
slon . 647 0 es t Cort land
CIRClE 18 ON FREE
Street. Chicago. IL 60635; IN fORMATIO N CARD
Phone: 312-889-1448.
A s tand- alo ne te s ter.
Cable Scanne r permit s
indicates that irs transmit- system analysis to deter-
ting. A full Signal intensity mine if the fault is wit hin the
reading will appear on your cabling. It then assists in
police radar detector if it is pinpointing the location of
functioning properly. The the fault s or breaks . The
" Leash" has an effective scanner provides measure-
range for test purposes of ments of cable resistance
up to a mile. and noise level, and gives
The size of an audio cas- audible continuity checks.
sette tape. (4.5 x 2.75 x 1 It can accommodate a line
inch). The Leash transmits printer to log activity.
at least 12 milliwatts of Aft er the fault has been
power at 10.525 GHz. The located with CE's Cable
manufacturer specifies an Sc ann er. an interna l
8 dB antenna gain and a 36 " Tracer " circuit indicates
exactly where the cable is
located in the wall or above
the ceiling. It picks up Sig-
nals introduced into the the
cable by the scanner. The
Cable Scanner can also be
coupled to a personal com-
puter or oscillos co pe for
system analysis while the
LAN is operating. The com-
plete Cable Scanner sys-
tem includes the Tracer.
three adapters <Etherne t.
ARCnet. and twisted-pair).
printer cable. a PC pro-
gram disk. printer test con-
nec t or, six AA nic k el-
cadmium rechargeable bat-
teries. and an operator's
manual. The tester is in a
case mea su ri ng 1 x
4 x 7.5 inches and weighs
2 pounds.
The LAN Cable Sca nner
is priced at $ 1495. -Con-
tact East. 335 Willow Street
South, North AndO\ler. MA
01845 : Ph one ;
508-682-9844_
SOLDER PASTE EVALUA-
TION KIT. Solder cream ,
powd ered sold er mixed
v.ith flux. has many advan-
tages over conventional
flux-core wire solder or pre-
forms in electronics man-
ufacturing. The cream can
be applied more precisely
to the parts to be soldered,
less so lder is needed .
there is bett er contro l of
metal deposmon. and the
wetti ng of metals to be
bonded is more uniform.
CI RClE 19 O N fR EE
INFORMATI O N CARD
ESP is offering its Kil-S,
co nt a i n i n g f ive pre -
packaged con ta iners of
ESP solder cream, molded
dispensing tips, and a re-
usable hand dispenser for
precise solder application The Kil -S evaluation kit is _..-. . It':
--
.- ,..
to help you evaluate its priced at $89.- ESPSolder ~' ,..
product. The kit inclu des Plus, 14 Blackstone Valley
two tubes each of 60% tin,
40% lead solder paste alloy
and lead-free 96 % tin and
P lace . Linc oln , RI
02865 -1145 : Ph o n e ;
1-800 338 -4353 : Fax ;
= .- -
4 % Silver solder. Each 35- 401 -333-4954_ CIRCLE 20 ON FREE
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both an activated rosin flux DIAGNOSTIC CARO_Afeuity
and a water-washable flux. power supply can intro - supplies. It is intended to
Also included in the kit is a duce errors into a comput- assure the user that quality
prepackaged tube of ESP's er. The Fbwer Good from power at the specified volt-
activated rosin paste flux Sibex is said to be the first age is being drawn by the
for evaluating its desolder diagnostic card dedicated computer.
ing effectiveness. to the te st of PC power The user plugs the card
Electronics Workbench'
The electronics lab in a comp uter -
Powerful software to build DOS Professional verston - $299
Madnlosh versi on - $199
and simulate analog and
digital circuits.
l1KJro ,rla 1J0tt"'""". lndDdts:
An4Iog .4104" v.i th passht: and Jcti,t:
compceents InWding lnRSisIors. diodes, and
Building 20d testing drcuilS is fast and Of)"1/llp5; a function ~tor. an oscilloscope.
easy wnh EJecIron k's wortbench. Just :llDuItimdtr, and:l Bodt ploutt.
OlgUIJJ JltJuk '!lith p tts.lIipfups. Jddm,
ditk-andilng with a mouse LO add pans, :I .lIrlI ~IDt, a logic &n2l)'Itr, and a
run wires, :md adjust instruments, The uniqut bgiC COf\''n'ltr and slmpLfier.
esees on W simulated lnstlumtnts are
thesameasyou'd get on realequipment, (416) 361-0333
EJedronia WortbnJdl really is an Inter active Image Technologies Ud.
eIearoni.cs lab in a computer. It's ideal for 908 :'I'b ~:ln hils Iou lrn rd
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- , _..,.
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and prololyping crene, Fu (4 16) 368-5799 ~
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MElHl ro nkJ Waribnu"il ls prell}'
amazing.- , J!E:1 ,.." ..... ~,I' .1J" f"f'~'~-
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23
CIRCLE 188 ON FR EE INFORMATION CAR O
 Restassured. noscopewas injured in the makingofthis ad.

Afterall,the volunteeris a memberofour newTAS400 familyofanalog

~~ oscilloscopes. And every TAShas its entire acquisilion system(including

~.~ thevertical,horizontaland trigger functions for each input =. " ~I .io'

~~ channel) housed ona proprietaryhybrid circuit. "( ~ .:
~~ The result is a kind ofscopeon a chip. ~-'.~ ,!
~e Onewith 75% fewer parts and fargreater

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~ What's more,

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Aclaim that is further backed up bytheir remarkablyaffordableprice.

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CIRCLE 92 ON f REE ....FORUATION CARD

 ~ Clean Without CFCs into an expansion slot on
or 1,1,1-Trichloroethane his PC and observes the
included LED lamps . Green
With New HCFC Blend LED 's ind ica t e a g ood
po wer s u pply. Red o r
Tech Spray has developed a fasl.acting and highly ettectrvede aner yellow LED 's indicate prob-
called (nvi-IID-Tech'" 1677(1677) that uses a formulation 01 HCFCs
and other nonCfC chemicals. lems. The unit tests each of
This extremely pure product is ncn-coeesve, making il safe 'or use the four voltages for hlqh-
on most elect ronic equipment. Envi-R n-Jech 1677 is effective in or low -voltag e co ndit ions
removing oils. greasel, dirt, silicO<1e. llu~ e\ and limilar ~I. and the presence of ripple
Although EnviRo-Tech 1677 has universal t iN ning power, inlow or noise. A built-in latch de-
surf a ce l ern jon
makes it ideal lor te cts spi kes a nd tran -
prechcn and mit- sients. A connector on the
rcscopc cleaning. card allows the user to test
For a sample of power supplies before they
t his, or any Tech CIRCle 21 O N FREE
are installed in the user's I NFO RMATION CA RD
Spr ay cl ea ner,
defluxer. dusler or computer.
freeze ~ay. cenect The Power Good card is region surrounding a trans-
our Technical An isl priced at $ 139.95 .- Sibex
anee Departm en t m i tt e r wh e r e si g n al
t o l l fre e at Inc.. 10 40 Harbo r Lake strength is high but falls off
18008584041 Drive , Safety Harbor, FL rapidly with increasing drs-
3 4 6 9 5: Pho ne : tance. The receiving range
8 13 7 2 6 43 4 3 : Fa x : varies , depending on the
813-726-4434_ presence of strong signals
EnviRo-Tecfl '" 1677 ( 1677) in adjace nt bands. But dis-
TECH SPRAY, tnc. FM COMMUNICATIONS RE- tances of 200 to 400 feet
P.O. Box 949 CEIVER. A small handheld from a 5-watl UHF or VHF
Amarillo, TX 79 105-094 9 FM radlo . receive r is now transmitt er are typical for
(806) 3728523
available for security, com- M odel AI O.
CIRCLE 178 ON FR EE IHFO R"'ATlOH CARD
ClIIQ2 TS
munica tio ns, and recrea- The unit is co mpletely
t io na l mo ni to r i ng . T he automatic fo r hands-free
M odel Rl0 FM Co mment- ope ration, and is sm all

-- -
cat ions Inter c ept or from enough to be carried in a

- Optoelect ronics is classi-

fied by the FCC as a co m-
mun ica ti o ns te st instru -
shirt pocket. For test ap-
pli catio ns . de modulated
audio o utput is available

-
m e nt. It can m e a s ure
deviation (wide and narrow
ba nd ) . re la t ive sig na l
st rengt h, signaling tone s
(CTCS S). and other de-
mo d ula te d FM . The re -
ceiver can also test VHF.
UH F, a nd ce ll u la r ra di o
AN ECONOMICAL transmitt ers.
KEYBOARDCONTROLLED Acc o rd ing to it s man-
ufacturer. M odel A10 . un-
KEPCO BENCHPOWERSUPPLY like conventional radio re-
75 WATTS ceive rs o r sc anne rs, re-
ceives any st rong signal
Choose from four Digital Power Supplies: 0-12.5V (i, 6A. present. and is actually sta -
0-24V (II 3A, 0-40V (i , 2A or O125V (il O.5A. Each one
offers precise, repeatable voltage control with two current bilized by the received aiq-
ranges. Fully protected for overvotlage or overcurrent. nal. The company says the
Bonus: You can program the output from your PC's serial M odel Rl0 doe s not have
port (AS232 software included) and read backtoo! to be tuned to a specific
The DPS is an aHordable professional instrument and frequency to receive a sig-
belongs on your bench.
Want more inlo? Ask lor OOPS' brochure, 146-1768. Call-write-tax:
nal. Any FM signal from 30
Dept. MXS87. Kepco Inc. 131-38 San ford Avenue. Flushin g. NY M Hz to 2 GHz can be inter-
11352 USA . Tel: (718 ) 4617 000 . Fax: (718) 767-1102 . Use your cep ted without any gaps in
VISA or MAST ERCARD . Imm enate delivery. s -year warranty.
coverage.
~ KEP CO. The Interceptor w orks
26 TH ~
_.-
POWEll SUPPU EII '
best in the near-field. the
from a stereo phone jack.
The RIO also has a built-in
speaker.
A loc k-release pushbut-
ton frees the unit to lock
onto a different signal. This
feature is handy when sev-
eral relatively large signals
are present. Dual ten-seg-
ment barg raph s indic ate
deviation and relative signal
level. A pushbutto n switch
selects wtd e- or narrow-
band bargraph calibrat ion.
An intern al rech argea ble
batt ery pack provides up to
six hours of operation.
T h e M o d e l R 10 FM
Communications Intercep-
tor is priced at $ 359.- 0p-
to electronics Inc.. 5821 NE
14th Avenue, Fort lauder-
dale . FL 3 33 34 ; Phone :
80 0 3 2 7 - 591 2 or
305 - 771- 2050 : Fa x :
305-771 -2052_

CIRCLE 180 ON FREE INFOR"' ATlON CARD

 ~
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$19 95
Standard
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Standard Features Models 100, 150, 200 & 400
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case For ),Iode l Pro 400 ._. 19.." ~

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DClAC VOLTMETERS ACIOC CURRENT OHM METER
FREOUENCY COUNTER 10 4 t,t.i{ AUD IBLE CONTINUITYTESTER
DiODE TESTER MAXIMIN AVERAGE MEPJDRY RECORD
RELATIVE MODE . 1OAHIGHENERGY FUSE PROTECTION
DATA HOLD AUTO SLEEP & AUTO POWER OfF
PERFORMANCE "" ~ wI1I'l abCw. StM>t3td "..,.".. plu$
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$149 95 WARNING BUZZER
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ENGINE ANALYl'E R .... TEMPERATURE, TACHOMETER & DWELL
Mod,. U tliOl 12 ANGLE TESTER. DUTY CYCLE, 10 MEGA
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$199 95 KTYPE TEMP PAOBE. ALLIGATOA CLIP
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6' TEST lEADS & CARRV CASE

27
CIRCLE , a s ON FREE INFORMAnON CARD
 ELECTRONICSWORKBEN CH simulated. A function qen-
SOFTWARE. Interactive kn- erator provides square. tri-
age Technolog ies Ltd. calls angula r. and s inusoida l
its Electronics WorKbench waves for tes t purposes,
software "the electronics an d a multtm e te r. dual.
lab in a computer." The pro- trace osc illoscope. and a
gram in a compu ter is said bode plotter can be called
to allow users to design. up fo r maki ng simulated
assemble, and test analog on-screen measurements .
and digital circuits by sim- The dig ital module per-
ulation. The co mpany rae- mits the simulation of ideal
ommends its software for log ic : and. O R, XOR, N O T,
teaching electronics, elec NAND , and NOR gates. Also
tronrcs experimen ting, and available in the program are
the prototypin g of circuits . AS , JK . an d D -fl ip -flop
The patte ms on the com- functions. a half adder. and
puter screen are identical a seven-segment LED dis-
to those that would be dis- play. The use r can call up a
played on an oscilloscope vo ltmeter and an eight
in an ac tual test procedure. channel logic analyzer to
check out his work. Both
logic conversion and sun-
phf tc atlon c a n be per-
formed with the software .
T h r e e v e r sio ns o f
Elect ronics Workbench are
available:
IBM compatible Profes
sional -a color version that
s u ppor ts a mat h
coprocesso r.
Personal Plus- for IBM
PC 's and compatibles , a
monochrome alternative .
(IRCU n ON fREE M acinto sh Program-
IN FO RMATIO N CARD available in mo nochrome
only.
The pro gram consists of The Professional Version
tw o modules: the analog of Electron ics Workbench
module permits the simula- is priced at $ 299.- lnlerac-
tion of electronics compo- live Im age Technologie s
nents and tran sistor s as ltd . 908 Niagara f alls Bou-
they would be do ne w ith levard , North Ton awanda.
hardware in a real lab. The NY 14 120 206 0 ; Phone :
digi tal mod ule p rov ides 416 361 - 0333 ; f a x :
simulatedideal digital com- 416-368-57 99 .
pone nts and instrumen ts
needed to bui ld and test OC-TO-AC POWER INVER
logiC circuits . The analog TER. Progress is still being
module includes SPIC E made in the development
simul at ion . This per mit s of DC -to-AC powe r inver-
both transient and steady- te rs . acco rdi ng toStat -
state analysis. power Technologies. The
Am ong the components c o mpany says i ts new
that can be simulated with PROwatt BOO 12 volt DC
the software are resistors. to 115-volt AC power inver-
ca pa c ito r s . i nd u c t o r s , ter is designed for indus-
tran s former s. di ode s , trial accuceuons and has a
LED's, bulbs. fuses, Zener power output of 1000 watt s
diode s, and tr an si st ors . for 10 minutes, 900 watt s
Both AC and DC voltage for 30 minu tes and 800
28 and curre nt sources can be watt s con tinuous. 604-420-1591.
CIRCLE 2] ON FREE
INFORAtATION CARD
The PROwatt inverter is
packaged in a small case
measur ing 3 x 9 x 10
inch e s and we igh s five
pounds . It can pro duc e
very high temporary power
levels to run loads with high
start ing su rge requi re -
me n ts (such as com-
pressor moto rs). An LED
bar-graph display provides
continuous information on
battery voltage and power
draw. The unit can be easily
connected to any deep-cy-
c1e storage batte ry.
PROwatt 's low no- load
current draw easily permits
the conversio n of mos t of a
vehicle's batte ry power to
usable AC power. S olid
state circui ts regulate the
out put voltage a nd f re
quency. Pn::M.att's modified
sinewave output is suitable
fo r most el ectric motors
and indu ctive loads . The
outpu t waveform does not
change as the input voltage
rises orfalls. This permits it
to power computers, test
equipment , TV s. VC Rs.
and CCTV equipment from
an automotive supply.
PROwatt 800 s h u ts
dCM'll if the battery voltage
exceeds its high and l()IN
limits . Audible alarms and
LED ind ic at o rs warn o f
faults so that correc tive ac-
tion can be taken. O nce a
fault is corrected, the unit
will auto matically restart .
The PROwat t 800 i s
pri c ed a t $ 499 .- 8 t al -
power Technologies Corpo-
rallon , 772 5 Loug he ed
Hig hway. B urn aby. BC .
Canada. V 5A 4V8; Phone:
604 -420 15 8 5 ; f a x :
RGB VIDEO GENERATOR.
This programmable RGB
video generator is intended
for use in the design. pro-
duction, service. and quali-
ty c ontrol o f the most
advanced com puter-driven
C RT and LCD monitor drs-
plays. The Leader model
1605 handles pixel rates to
300 MHz . Its graphic user
interface uses o n-sc reen
menu s and g raphic dis -
plays wit h mouse control to
provide visual guidance in
raster ass emb ly. pattern
select ion and des ign. sig-
nal drive opt ions. storag e.
and re trieva l. Waveforms
are di sp layed to help in
organizing rasters . and pe t-
terns are assembled on the
screen wit h a palette of
256 colors from a range of
16 .7 mil lion c o lors . A s
CIRCLE 24 ON f REE
INFO RMATION CARD
many as 100 addresses
can be stored in both RAM
and AOM and storage ca-
pability can be expanded to
180 0 add resses on the
bu ilt -i n fl oppy dis k.
EP RO M 's can b e pre -
grammed by the this video
generat or w it hou t addi-
tional equipment. and it will
accept data from all earlier
Leader AGB video qener-
ato rs . H ig h-s peed data
transfer can be carried out
with analog. TIl. and ECL
outputs . Those outpu ts
have a wide range of sync
op tions inclu ding trt-level
sync, halt-nne equ alizers.
and serrations .
The Model 1605 AGB
v ide o gene rato r is lis t
priced at $ 1B.500. -Lead-
er Instruments Corporation .
380 O ser Avenue . Haup
pauge. NY 1178B; Phone:
BOO6 45 -5 10 4 <in N Y.
51 623 1-6900 >' RE
 Graduate as a Fully Trained
Electronics Professional!
If you want [0 learn about electronics .
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IT S THE O NLY SUWEa WE TEACH!
CIE PROVIDES A LEARNING
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Of's instr uctors <Ire persoreny avail-
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PERSONALIZED TRAlN ING ... .TO
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Wh ile some of our students have a
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others are j ust st<lrting out. tbars
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SEND FO R YO UR ClE
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SYMBOLS HANDBOOK,
I
I want to ge l starter. Send
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Use The Free Information Card for fast response.
1993 CATALOG; from Radio
Shack, 700 One Tandy Cen
fer, Fort Worth, TJ( 76102;
free at local Radio Shack
Siores.
Radio Shack's 1993 cat-
alog has a redes igned
layout and organization as
well as a lot of new prod-
uct s. The I 72page , full-
colo r, maqanne-slzed cata-
log now has a " Q uick In-
d ex " up fr on t , and a
complete index at the end.
New product s highli ghted
in this edition include the
Du ofone ET-49 9 voice-
scrambling co rdle ss te le-
phone . It sc ram bl es t he
transmission between the
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people with nearby scan-
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O thers are the M emorex
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a 25MHz. 486based mul-
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Also included in the 1993
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accessories, pagers. scan- CIRCLE 39 ON FREE
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INFORMATIO N CARD
ceive rs, V HS VC A's , reo
mote con tro ls. and auto- ther for o r against the thee -
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There are also entries on his experiments. However,
home -c ontrol products. the underly ing co nc epts
batteries, flashligh ts. mu lti- are fully explained.
use testers , remote-con -
tro lled toys . co mpute r 1992n993 DISCOU NT TEST
based language and infor- EQUIPMENT CATALOG. Prinl
ma ti c o s o u r c es. c at- Products International, 8931
curators . personal orqa - Brookv ille Road, Sliver
Spring , MO 2091 0; Phone:
18 00 638 2 02 0 o r
21STCEN7U RY ELEC
TRONIC PROJECTS FOR A
NEW AGE; by Dellon T. Ho rn.
1-3015 877824 ; Fa x;
1800 54 5005 8 o r
13015855402; h...
TAB Boaks, Divi sion of Here is another discount
McGraw-Hili Inc. , Blue equi pment catalog. This
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17 294 0850; Phone;
18008228138; 516.95. ~===~
The te rm " New Age,"
usually associated with my-
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fads, has nO'N been applied
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Mr. Hom in his new book.
This volume-from a well
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INFORfo.\ATl O N CARD
pre sents an array of un-
usual electronic projec ts in- w it h e ntries on barqain -
tended to te st and demon- priced test and measure-
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New Age beliefs . wellknOtVll manufacturers
Included among the proj- as Ken wood , B + K . Av
ects in the book are a dual com, Pace, Philips. Hitachi,
LED visual hypnotic aid, an and Leader. Included in the
alp ha-wave bio feedbac k catalog's coverage are os-
monitor, a two-choice ESP ci lloscopes . powe r su p-
tester, a negat ive-ion gen plies . meter s, and spec-
erator, a biorhythm clock, a trum analyzers. In addition,
Kirlian photograph y experi- the catalog desc ribes new
lines of closed-circui t TV
netic -held tes ter. M r. Hom sy ste ms for security and
doe s not take a stand ei- monitoring. R-E
 Master Electronics with TAB/McGraw-Hill, Inc.
- ---
~pr.><lic.it
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A DIVISION OF TANDY CO RPORA TION

34 CIRCLE 78 ON FREE tNFORMATlON CARO
 \ .
point IS rea b ed . increasing th e
value of CI will lengt h en the
time pe riod b etween a ccel e ra -
lions . Res is tor R2 Is set at 2
m egohms for a triangle wave
ou tpu t a nd 200 kllohms for a
n egati ve-ramp sa wto ot h out-
pu t.
The output of th e waveform
gene rat or goes to th e Inpu t of
le i-c. a volt age-controlled os - 35

.. ."

 ... .. ... "' ..... ,., ... I 15 ~

>

d ~~

"-

36
FIG. 2-THE GLITTER GLOBE'S BOARDS are supplied on a breakout panel.
&-- 8.---...:::
; - - R7'- ---'iilI
FIG. 3-CONTAOL BOAAD PARTS PLACEMENT. Capacitors C1 and C2. and all of the
transistors, except Q1 , are install ed on the sol der side of the board. The "c"
silkscreened on the board Indic ates the coll ecto r lead of each translslor.
FIG. 4-YOU CAN MAKE a soltball-slzed
star dodechehedre by fo rmi ng all the
struct ural resistor s and Jumpe rs ap-
proximately ;'4-lnch long. The pentagon
boards sti ck out a little more than the
hexagon boards.
c urator (VCO l. The VCO oper-
ates very much like th e wave-
for-m gene rator except that Its
voltage reference Is the ou tpu t
of the waveform generator in-
~
PASS
POWER
LEADS
TliROUGtl
WIRELOOP
~i"""", SOLOEREO tlERE
s tead of th e power s upply. When
tr an si s to r Q I c o n d u c ts . It
grou nds pin 2 of ICI-c and the
output volta ge of the integrator
dec reases. When the trip point
Is re a ch ed . Ql ce ases c on-
duction , a nd the out pu t th en
ri ses aga in. The value of C2 (as
well as th e vol ta ge from the
fu nction generator) determines
the s p eed of rota ti on . To de-
crease the s peed of the s pin a c-
tion. s imply Increase the valu e
of C2 .
Th e outpu t of Schmitt trigger
ICI -d is the Inpu t for IC2 . a
CD40 17 decade counter. Only
five outputs of the counter are
used: after a count of five. the
counter res ets . resulti ng in con-
tinuous "mo ti on" a round th e
globe .
Since the outputs of IC2 can-
not prov ide en oug h cu rren t to
FIG. 5-YOU CAN MAKE a hardball-size
star dodech ehedr a by keeping all the
st ructural resi stor s and ju mpers ap
pro ximately Y2-1nch long.
d r ive a dozen or more LED 's.
transistor pai rs (a PN2222 and
a PN29 07) a re u s ed to dri ve
them . A h igh ou tput from IC2
turns on th e NPN tran s istors
(the PN2222's1and a low output
turns on the PNP transi s tor s
(th e PN2907's ). Th e ou tp u t of
IC2 th at is h igh will tu rn on the
PN2222 transi s tor con n ected to
It. which sou rces the LED cur-
r e n t. T h e current Is t h e n
dr a ine d t hro u g h th e t wo
PN2907 transi st ors on the adj a-
cent ou tp uts .
Zero-oh m res is tors (jumpers)
di st ribu te power a ro u n d the
globe. Pla in wire jumpers co uld
be us ed. but the zero-oh m re-
s is to rs look much bett er. Cur-
rent-limiting 680-ohm res istor s
(one for eac h LED pai r) ensu re
th a t less than 20 mtlltamperes
pas s es th rough ea ch forwa rd-
b ias ed LED durtng co nduc tio n .
Th e LED's a re a ll con n ecte d
b a ck to back so tha t cu r re nt
flow In one direction lights one.
a nd current flow in the other
direction lights the other. Th a t
way a color ori entatio n is ma in -
tained as th e GlttterG lobe s teps
around Its five out puts.
Cond uction th roug h one LED
limits th e reverse volt age across
the opposite LED , That's n ot a
concern. except with blue LED's
wh ich have a reverse-volt age
limit of on ly 5 volts.
Assemb ly
Before beginning as sembly.
h a ve t he foll ow ing tools o n
hand: a small vis e or clamp to
hol d the glob e s teady as you
wor k . a p air of n eedle-n ose 37
38 COMPONENT SIDE 01Ihe Glitter Globe 's breakout pane l. SOLD ER SIDE 01 the Glitter Globe 's breakout panel.

PARTS LIST
All resistors are Y4-watt. 5%.
Rl . R6-2 megohms
R2-l megohm for triangle wave,
200,000 ohms for sawtooth wave
~l00 ,OOO ohms
R4, Rl0 , Rl l -1.2 megohms
R5-l20,OOO ohms
R7- l megohm
R6-l0,OOO ohms
R9, Rl3-l000 ohms
R12, Rl4-R44-680 ohms
Capacitors
C1-10 v.F, 16 volts, nonpolarized
electrolytic
C2-1 v.F, 16 volts. nonpolarized
electrolytic
C3-1O v.F, 25 volts, tantalum elec-
trolytic
Semiconductors
ICl --lMJ900 quad amplifier
IC2--eD4017 decadecounter
Q1-Q6--PN2222 NPN transistor
Q7-Qt1-PN2907 PNP uanststor
Miscellaneous: 64 LEO"s (any
color), 28 structural resistors
(BSQ-ohmunitswill matchthe rest
of the resistors), 25 zero-ohm
jumpers. tz-volt DC 3OOmA wall
transformer, PC board set, solder,
etc.
Note: The f oll owi ng items are
available from Art Works, 415
E. Emerson Street, sa int Fran-
cis, Kansas 6n56:
Set 01 32 PC boards, sup-
plied on a breakou t panel-
530.00 each, three or more are
$25.00 each
Complete Glitter Globe kit
In sert the com pon e n ts Into
the control boa rd . makin g su re
tha t the le 's a re ins er ted cor-
rec ti)' a nd that th e ta n talu m ca-
pacltor (C3 ) is Ins erted with the
proper pclartty Ca pacli ors C l
a n d C2. a n d a ll of th e tran -
sistors. except g l, a re Installed
on the so lder side of th e bo ard.
Th e "c" s llkscre en ed on the
boa rd Indicates t he collec to r
FIG . 6-TO MAKE A SPHERICA L
GLOBE, all of tho resistors and Jumpers
that conn ect to any tlv e-pclnt board (lev-
els 2, 5, and 7) must be preformed to ~
inch, with the rest remaining It.lnch.
w- \ .
lead of eac h tra nsistor. Looki ng
at the nat s ide of the tra nsistors
wlih t he lea ds pointed d own.
the leads are. from left to r ight.
em it ter. base. and collector.
In th e ce n te r of the con t rol
board the re Is a hole for so lder-
Ing a loop of wire th at ac ts as a
s train relief for th e power leads .
Strip a nd lin th e grou nd a n d
powe r wires fro m th e t ra ns-
former, a nd then insert t hem
throu gh the center support loop
befo re so lder ing them Into the
PC board. The transforme r In -
cluded with the kit (see the
Parts List) h as th e positive lead
m a rk ed wtth a wh it e strip e-
o t he r t r a n sfo rm e r s ca n b e
marked with the opposite con-
vention . so be sure to check the
pola rity before so lder ing !
Test th e co nt ro l b oard to
make s ure that ll works correct-
ly before buildin g th e res t of the
globe . Wh en powered up. the
two LED's on the con trol board
s h ou ld light sequ entially, and
th en s tay off for a brief time.
The nash ra le ch a nge wtll be
II:' ::

(lncluces PC board , 300-mA

wall transformer, 64 LED's, and
all components)-$65.00 each,
three or more are $55.00 each
All prices include taxes, ship-
ping, and handling. Please
state LEO color preference
(red, green, or yellow); colors
can be mixed. Visa/Mastercard
orders (800) 4866862. For
at~'
=- '\" e;
en- I Rl, \ t
\~
,
technical assistance call (913) \
332-2726. Blue LED's are not
,

': 0i~
available with the klL

pliers . a s mall file. a pair of cltp-

'
pers . a nd a des oldertng tool or >';:!,,-,~\- olio
~
J
,
descldertng braid.
/
All o f t he Glitt er Gl obe 's
boards a re supplied on a b reak- / '
out pa nel (see FIg. 2). The con-
tro l board s hou ld be assembled
first : Its parts-pla cem ent dt -
agra m Is s hown In fig. 3 . Re- FIG. 7-THIS " COMPONENT MAP" shows how the level 1-4 pieces connect together.
move the con trol boa rd from the All co nnections marked "J" are zero-ohm jumpers, all co nnections showing a resistor
breakout panel and file off th e symbol must be 680 ohms, and all unmarked connections ca n be made using any
excess ma terial. material you like. 39
 very obvious. Unplug the tran s-
forme r before co n tinu ing.
The LED boar ds a re num -
be re d o n o ne side In g ro u ps
fro m I to 7. Groups 1--6 contain
five boards each ; group 7 Is just
a s ingle boa rd. Th e numbers
represent th e levels away from
th e co ntroller board In which
th e LED boards are In stalled .
For example. level-I boards a re
Installed Im m ediately arou n d
the controller board . level 2 s u r-
rou nds level I. 3 su rrounds 2.
a nd so on. AU boards In each
level are Id en ti cal. Loca te t he
n u mbered s ide of each board on
the in side of the globe. with the
LED's on th e outside. Pu tting
the nu mbers on the outside of
~:;::.~
, o ther). CUp excess lea ds a fter
FIG. a-IF YOU USE 4lnch spacing.
level 1 mounts as shown In 8; for \;-Inch
spacing, level 1 mounts as shown In b.
o to th e proper wid th (Ih-Inch. :y..
\ sion In It for the body of the
.. FIG.9-LEVEL 5-7 COMPONENT MAP. The len era surro unding the two halves In Figs
7 and 9 Indicate the connectio ns between them. Insl all each level In order from 1 to 7.
the globe \\111 resul t In the di ago-
nal power busses (and thus th e
lighting pattern ) running the
other way. al though the s pi n di-
rection w1ll re main unchanged .
Also. always positio n the LED
boards so th at the n u mbers on
their Inside su rfaces are potnt-
Ing away from t he co ntro l
board.
Solder the LEO's Into th e
small PC boards before remov-
In g th em from th e breako ut
panel. If you a re makIng a globe
with t wo co lors. o n e colo r
should a lways be on the left.
and the other on th e right. Be-
ca use changing a defective LED
ca n be very difficult a fter th e
globe Is ass e m b led . test a ll
LEO 's before s older in g. Some
multlmeters can quIckly ch eck
LED's ; otherwise set up a DC
power supply and current-limit-
Ing resistor to make sure all th e
LED's work. Th e LED's are In-
s talled In the boards with their
cathodes fac ing eac h ot he r
(with th e flat s ides toward ea ch
solde ring.
It's mu ch easier to keep th e
s mall boards o rien ted correctl y
while adding them to the globe
If you remove the m fro m t he
pane l only as needed. When you
remove the b oa rd s from t h e
breakout panel. use a small file
to remove any excess ma ter ial.
Shapes
T he lea s t difficult s ha pe to
c o m p le t e Is the s ta r
dodechehed ra. Th at's th e s hape
th at results If al l th e s tructural
resi st ors a n d jumpe rs are pre-
formed to the same leng th-ap-
p roxtm ately ea-tnch. Thelr actu-
al len g th s are not c ritical. as
long as they a re all eq ual. That
results In the pe n tagon (five
point) boards s ticking out a lit-
tle more than th e he xagon (s ix
po int) board s (see Fig. 4). With
%-Inc h spacing. the globe will
be about th e s ize of a softball.
It Is possible to construct a
globe with a uniform res is tor
s pac ing of Ih-In ch . but th is
shoul d be attempted by only the
most sk illed assemb lers . That
resu lts in globe the size of a
baseb all (see Fig . 5). Once you
decid e on th e proper lea d s pac-
In g for the glob e you wi sh to
build. use a bendr ngj rg to make
all co m p o ne n ts th e sa m e
length . If you don't ha ve a real
bend tng j tg. cut a piece of wood
Inch. etc.I, and make a depres-
co mponent. You can do tha t by
pressing an unneed ed resis tor
In to the wood to leave an Im-
pres si on . {Try to cen te r the im-
press ion within th e wid th of the
wood.}
Althou gh It might seem to be
easier to loop the resistors a nd
jumpers through the boards. It
Is not recomm ended b ecau s e
they are d ifficult 10 remove la ter.
In case of a n error. It's best to
pu t the lead s traight th rough
th e. PC board . a n d then s ni p It
off a fter solde r ing. If a repair Is
neces sa ry. the lea d ca n then be
lifted straight ou t after remelt-
Ing the solder.
To m ake t he glo be In t o a
sphe r ical s hape abou t the s ize
of a softball. all of the resistors
and j u m pe rs that co n n ec t to
a ny five-point boa rd (levels 2. 5.
a n d 7) must be preformed to SAJ-
Inch. wit h the rest remaini ng %
-In ch (see Fig. 6).
Con ti n ued on page 85
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42 UPSSH1PPlNC, 48STAlES 5'\0 1245 ROSEWOOD DEERFIELD IL 60015 FUU f ACTORY WA Il RA NTY
IL RES 7 5' TAX ($3 rmn 510 mal l FAX: 708-520.0085 . (708) 541.0710 WR ITE FO R FREE C ATALO G
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 Protect your modem
and fax machine against
errant transients with this easy-
to-build circuit.

FAH mODEm
PROTECTOR TOM PETRUZZElllS

SIIIEL O YOUR M O DEM, FAX. O R AN -
s we r i n g m a ch i n e ag a i n s t
harm fu l t ransient s a r r ivin g
over the pho ne lin e by buUdt ng
this fast -acting ModemIFax Pro-
tector. The n you 'll be able to re-
lax when elec tr ic storms bear
down on you r ho me or office. Its
a n easy. In expens ive proj ec t.
and Jow-cos t insu rance for your
expen sive teleph one-dependen t
eq u ipmen t.
Even peopl e wh o plug th eir
co mpu te rs and e ntertai n me nt
el ect roni cs i nt o p ower-line
s u rge pro tect ors (and wouldn 't
d ream o f teavt n g t he m un -
protected) a re likely to forget
abo ut protecting modems. faxes
a n d a n swerin g m ach in es from
tra n s ients a r rivi ng over t he
phone Une. The n comes the firs t
thunder storm of the seaso n .
Before they remember to do any-
thing about U. the Innards of
that eq u ipment cou ld d ts ap-
pea r In a puff of s moke.
You could . of course. di scon-
n ec t you r te lep h on e g adge ts
with a s wUch wh en they're not
In use. But willyou rem emb er to
do It In time? Needless to say,
th e switc h won 't help mu ch If
th e devices a re runnin g when
th e light n ing st a rts to flash .
Telephone electrical values
When a telep ho ne ha ndset Is
"on the h ookthere Is 48 volts
DC Is ac ross the two wires des -
tgn ated " ti p" a nd "r ing." The
gree n tip wtre Is a t grou nd p0-
tenu al. or zero volts. and the red
rtng wire Is at negatrve 48 volts.
Approxtmately21 to 35 mtlllam -
peres of cu r re n t flows In th is
cond ition .
Wh en the h ands et Is picked
up. ph on e-line voltage drops to
6 volts DC. The 20- or 30- Hz
telephon e-r in gin g s ignal ca n be
from abou t 100 volts to abou t
120 volts AC. It Is s upe rimposed
ac ro ss the n or mal 48-volt DC
s ignal. Th at " r ing ing " volt age
determin es th e voltage ratings
of th e protective devices . 43
 Telephon e protecUon
Although the effects of ligh t-
ntng are well known. many peo-
ple be lieve that only a d irect
strike on a n ea r by pho ne or

-
power lin e wtll cause damage.
However. mos t da mage to elec-
tron ic equipment Is caused by
voltages induced In those con-
ducto r s b y di r e ct s tl kes
else where . Harmful volt a ges
can be caus ed by s trikes as far
as 15 miles away!
Telephon e ci rc u its ge ne rally
hav e resistive eleme n ts In each
wi re to protect th e telep hone
handsets from transient spikes
In excess of a bout 500 volts.
,
However. this rat her crude pas-
s ive pro tection Is Ina dequate for
protecting more vul nerable elec-
tron ics.
Spark-gap t u bes o r surge
voltage p rotect ors (SVP) have
been u sed for many years to pro-
tect elec tronic c ircu it s from
ma nmade a n d n atu ral s u r ges
a r riving over eit h er power or
phone lines . They provide low-
resi s tance paths for exc ess ive
voltage transi en ts bu t appear
ope n to normal voltages. The
devices are h erm etically sealed
gas-d isc harge tubes. Typically
made of ceramic wtth properly
s paced electrodes. they are fillcd
with a ra re gas.
The main purpose of the SVP
Is to provide a con ductive path
for u nwa n ted a n d excess ive
transients. thereby preventing
the transien t ene rgy and associ-
at ed volt ages fro m damaging FIG. 1- MODEMIFAX PROTECTOR packaged In a standard telephone lack bo x.
eq uip ment a nd com pon en ts-
and harmmg people. They are loss because of Its h igh Imped - SVP (or two back-to-back Zene r
design ed to switc h cu rre n t at a a nc e. Thi s ch aracter is ti c co n - d iodes).
pre- es t ab li sh ed b rea k down trasts with those of transient However. t h e MaV's b rea k-
voltage. absorbtlon Zene r d iod es an d do'A'11 time Is too slow to protect
Th e br e a k d own vo ltage metal-oxide vari s tors that ex- con nected electronics against
causes the Internal gas to Ionize hibit leakage. However; both of t he fast e s t voltage spik es
a nd change from a non -con- those de vices h ave fas te r re- caused by ligh tn ing. As a result.
dueling to a conducting s tate. sponse times than SVP's. fas ter Zener diodes and SVP's
thus pennltllng an arc to form T he m e t al -ox id e var i s to r have been co mb in ed In our
an d sho rt the con nected wires (MaV or S la V) h as also b een ModemlFax Prote cto r.
to ground. Duri ng conduction. used to protect electronics con-
th e SVP ca n monmentarlly car- necte d to telephon e lin es. It Is How the protector works
ry h igh currents . After the volt- made from finely powdered zinc T he Mod em/ Fax Pr o tector
age tr ansi ent h as bee n di s - oxide mixed with b inders and (Fig. I] Is s h own sch ematic ally
charged . the gas deionizes and pres sed in to a di sk . After firin g. In Fig . 2 . It has a typ ical re-
the SVP Is ready for anothe r th e d is k becomes a mat r ix of s ponse time ofa bo u t 10 nanose-
voltage trans ien t. conduct ive zi nc-oxi de grai ns conds-fas t enough to protect
The SVP Is b ipolar and has a se p a rated by high ly resis ti ve you r equi p ment agai nst th e
symmet r ica l charac ter istic. In boundaries. Th is property gives speed iest voltage spikes . Zener
the restored or extingu is hed them a sy mmet rical elec tr ica l diodes Dt an d 02 are conne cted
cond it ion. It causes very little cha racte r is tic si m ila r to t h e back-to-beck In parallel wit h
"
s u rge-vo ltage p rote c tor SVP I
between the ri ng a nd the PC
board ea rth gro u nd connection .
Si milarly. Zene r diodes 0 3 a nd
04 arc con nected in pa ra llel
with SVP2 between the tip wire
and the PC boa rd ea rt h ground.
The SVP's a re rated for a nomi -
nal DC voltage of 230 volts wit h
breakdown voltage from 195 to
265 volts DC.
The Zener d iodes b reak dO\\T1
a t 180 volts DC wit hi n a bout 10
n anoseconds to protect the tele-
pho ne circu its from th e fas tes t
Initial voltage s pikes. and then
the SVP's Ion ize to grou nd the
overcurrent. Note that the cir-
cu it has no ba tter ies : all It rea lly
n eeds to pro tec t you r eq u ip -
men t Is a n effecti ve grou nd.
ConstnlcUon
Th e p r ototyp e Modem/Fax
Protector was bu ilt on a s mall
square PC board measuring IIf.z
Inc hes on a side (see Fig. 3J.
However. po tnt-to-potnt wiri ng
tec h ni ques ca n a lso b e u s ed .
Note that the board has a h ole
drilled through It for the screw
that clamps the e n clos u re to -
gether a nd provides the gro u nd
connection.
Refer to parts-pla cement di-
agram. Fig. 4. Ins tall all of the
compone n ts as s hown. obse rv-
Ing the pola rities of the Zener
diodes . Solde r all co mpone nt s
in position a n d trim excess
leads .
Ob ta in a s ma ll modula r plas -
tic phone ja ck cover with a n In-
cluded ja ck . Th e jack s h ou ld
have a short sec tion of a-wire
telep hone ca ble a ttach ed. Cut
off the black an d yellow wires
and connect the red rin g a nd
green tip wire p igtails within
th e box as s hown In Fig. 5. Cut a
bottom plate from sheet mt car-
ta o p henolic or other s ui tab le
thin but rigid Insulating mate-
r ial slightly larger (about '111.>-
in ch ) th an the outer di men-
sions of the jack box. Carefully
ma rk the loca tion on the cover
plate for a hole to accom modate
the cen tral screw so th a t It is
opposite the hole In the jack
box, and dr ill a hole of th e same
diameter through the cover.
Dete rmi ne a s u itable len gth
for the fou r-wire ielephone ca ble
between you r telephon e outle t
to be pulled through a dis tance
RIUG of3 to 4 Inches . Clamp the cable
(RrDl
with a plastic ca ble tie .
1 '":"
j 1"5)118
Strip th e cable ja cket back to
about Yllinch from the ca ble tie .
s elect ou t th e red ring wire and
green ti p wire a nd strip their
1 I D3 en ds , a nd cu t off the yellow and
5VP2
lsa; TEXJ)~
TF
IGRH H)
~ 1 N53"'
~
.
1"53181
black wires close to th e ca ble ti e.
Then s trip the ends of the red
and green wires from th e ja ck .
Solder both red a n d green wires
to th e circu it board. as s ho wn
in Fig. 4 . Cu t a sh ort length of
insulated 14 or 16 AWG wi re.
s tri p both ends . and s older one
end to the gro und pad on the PC
boa rd .
Apply fou r d ro ps of s lllcone
R1V adhes ive to th e in side of
the jack box as s h own , align the
hole In the circu it board over
the hole In thejack box. a n d bed
the board down In the a dh es ive.
Allow su fficien t time for th e ad-
hesive to set up before proceed-
Ing . Det ermine a s u ita b le
length for a 14 to 16 AWG solld-
coppe r groun d wire based on
AG . 3-MOOEM/FAX PROTECTOR cir- the proximity of you r telephone
cuit board assembly shown actual size. a ppara tus to a s u itable location
RING
for a grou nd rod (to be dts-
(RrDJ cussed late r],
IrlPUT Form a loop In one end of the
o-c-. heavy gro u nd wire to accommo-
date the central s crew In the
ModemlFax Protec tor. Then In -
5VP2 rF sert th e screw through the loop
TF<>--,,>
(GREEN) in th e gro u n d wire . jack box.
OUll' UT a nd circu it board. Tig h tly wrap
(GREEN) --<>
INptJT th e bare co p pe r en d o f th e
FIG. 4-PARTS-ASSEMBLY DIAGRAM grou nd w ire on t he ci r cu it
for the the Modem/Fall: Protector circuit board seve ra l times arou nd the
board. s crew to complete the gro u n d
connection . Th en apply so lder
to the ou ts ide of the turns.
Plug you r mo dem or fax Into
the jack. and plug the length of
ca ble Into you r telephone wall
ou tlet. The ring an d tip wires of
th e telephone line must remain
co nsistant throughout. The tip ~
lea d must be positiv e with re- ~Q
spect to the ring lead.
~ l 'f. INCHES~ After m aking s u re tha t a ll
FOIL PATTERN for the modem1ax pro- co nnections h ave been made i
tector. co rrectly, a pply a thin layer of !'oJ
R1V a dhesive to the rim of the m
or Junction box and the Modem! jack box. assemble the cover Ijl.
Fax Protector. a n d a ttach a plug over the screw, and cla mp It In 3
to on e end of th a t cable. Care- position with a washer and two
fully form a hole In the si de wall
of th e jack box. as s hown In Fig.
nuts. as s h own In Fig. 5 . i
5 , la rge eno ugh to per m it th e Good gro unding
bare end of the telephone ca ble T he n e ces sity fo r a goo d 45
 I:,
gro u nd in p rotective circu its
can not be overstated : a bad
ground Is no ground at all! The
most e ffec tive grou nd i s

..r ---- ------- ,-------------\., rcrr.""' .. ach ieved with a metal rod . pref-

....
erably copper. at leas t fou r feet
~""""
,/ d, ""'"
.... ,,,
\ , """ , long , driven In to mo ist soil.

,
, ,,,
Conne ct th e ground rod to the
ModemlFax Protect or with the
,,
---- - ------- ---- --- - - - - - --- _..
, ot her en d of the Ins ulated solid
~- - - - - - -- - coppe r gro und wire . It can be
led to th e ground strap th rough
a win dow ope ni ng or a h ol e
drilled th rough the wall. S uit-
ab le groundi ng rods with wire-
con necti ng clamps are ava ilab le
from electron ics s upp ly s tores.
The n ex t best g ro undi ng
PARTS LIST
Surge voltage protector
SVP1, SVP2--gas surge arrestor. 250-
volt, CG230l (C.P. Claire) or equlv
alent
Semiconductors
Ol-04-1N5386B Zener diode, 180-
volt, Sows".
Miscellaneous: PC board, modular
plastic phone jackbox with Jack, phe-
nolic ormlcarta CO'Jer.lenglh ol4-wlre
telephone cab le, modular phoneJack,
length01 insulated 14to 16AWGsolid
copper wire, copper ground rod (at
least 4 feet long), nuts, bolt, washer,
silicone RTV adhesive, solder.
FlG. ~OOEM!FAX PROTECTOR ASSEMBLY. Note the location of the hole formed
for the 4-wlre telephone cable. Only the red and green wires are used; the others are
cut off near the cable clamp. The assembly Is set on four spots of RTVadhesive, and me thod Is to connec t the 14 to
the cover is hel d o n w ith the ce ntra l screw, nuts and washer. 16 AWG wire to a co ld-water
pipe. The third . and least s atis -
r---- --- - -- - - - - - -----, fa ct ory method (not recom-
I At R5 I
m end ed) , is to co nn ect t he
lRAHSM1T1 150 100 I TX ground wire to the grou nd oft he

,,,
120-vo1t AC ou tlet. (Th is grou nd
0' 02 can actually be at a h igh er po-
SV1'1 1N5UDS 1N53808 ten tial than true ea rt h ground
/SEE TEXT)
I ~ by many millivolts!)
I
R2 R6
RECEIVE: RC Variations on a theme
, ""
100
~ Figure 6 s hows the Modem!
Fax Protector conce pt a pplied to
REMOTE
I
I
SVP2
(SEE TEXT)
0'
1N53808 "
1N53808 TERMItw.
OR
the protecti on of re mote com-
COMPUTER ~
p u ter te r mi nals o r pe rsona l
O'TA I PERSONAL
compu ters con nected to a larger
TERMIN.aJ..1 COMPlfTER
READY 1 R3 R7 OTA co m pu te r ove r lon g-di st an ce
~ t
"" 100
ph on e I1nes . The schematic
os oe s hows a ty pical four- chan ne l

j DATA I
SET t
I
t
~
1N53808 1N5380B protective circu it.
The SVP's and tran s ien t ab -
so rb tton Zene r dio des In Fig. 6
g
z ,"
READY' "0
AS
100 OSA
TO
differ from those In th e Modem!
Fax Protector. The SVP's are C. P.
.~ 07 08 I
GROUND Cla re C6 75 L's or equivalent.
e ,
I
-
SVe<
IS"
1N53&01 1M531108
,
I
ROD OR
WAmI
a n d t he Zene r di odes are
~ ~---------~ ----- ------~
POE IN53 60 B u n its . Res istors i Rl
th rough R4 a re 2-watt wire-
FIG. 6-VARIATIQN OF THE MODEM/FAX PROTECTOR for use In telephone Una wou nd units. and resistors R5
46 connecllons between PC or terminal and larger distant computer. th rou gh RB are lI2watt. RE
 DOUGLAS WIRTH
o
-s
Protect sensitive electronics with an
easy-to-build inrush-current limiter that can be
embedded in host equipment or be
TH E INRU SHCURRENT LI~UTER DE
scribed h e re ca n pro tect sen-
sitive lin e-powered elec tronics
against norm al current surges
that occur when that circuitry
Is powered u p. Th e lim iter gives
a "soft st a rt:" to any product or
system It p rotects . an d Uca n be
expected to len gthen the operat-
Ing li fe a nd Im p rove t he re-
liabil it y of the h os t. A t he r-
mis tor an d relay protect against
normal " tu rn-on" overcu rren t.
a nd a metal-oxid e varistor pro-
tect s aga ins t u nwa nted over-
voltages a n d overc u rren ts oc-
cu ri ng a fter startu p.
OUT In rus h -curren t lim iter.
show n package d in a n e n-
closu re tn Fig . 1. can protect any
equipment ope rated from 120-
volt. 60 -Hz AC. It can also pro-
tect n on -elec tro n ic ci rcuits
such as ligh ti ng networks and
appliances. provided that they
do not Include motors . (Many
a ppli a nce motors de pen d on
s u rge cu r ren t for starting .) The
circuit can be modi fied for pro-
tection a t htgher or lowe r AC
voltages or DC voltages.
Current limiting
Mos t power su pplies for elec-
tro nic equ ipme nt th a t a re em-
B
t ~ W/R/ElM TI
B
-, ~ ~ ~ nfJ WJ
/LJ
a stand-alone unit.
s hown In Fig. 2 . they con s is t of
FIG.1-1NRUSH-eURRENT LIMITER cir-
cu it as a stand-alone component.
RECTIAER RLTER
TJWISfORMER BRIDGE CU'ACllORS
FIG. 2-51MPUFIED SCHEMATIC lor I
linear power supp ly with a full-wave reo-
tiller and capacitor filter.
be d de d with in t he enclosu r e
Ityptcally sharin g a PC boa rd
with oth er ci rcuitry ) a re con -
ven tio na l lin ea r circ u its. As
a transformer. bridge rec ti fier
circu it . a nd one or more filter
ca pac itors. When AC power is
a p plied to s u ch equip ment,
there is no charge on Its ca paci-
to rs. and the circ u it compo -
nents present an extremely low
Impedance to th e line volt age.
Asa resu lt . a large Inrush cur-
rent surge with a fas t ris e time
occurs. a nd It decays expone n-
t1ally only as the fil ter ca pac itors
c ha rge. T h e peak Inrush c u r-
re nt Is ord ers of magnitude
greater than the circuits steady
s ta te curren t. It Is lim ited pri-
m a r il y by t he short ci rc uit
cha racte risti cs of t he power
transformer and rectifier. which
are de termined by their internal
resistance and Inductance val-
ues and the wiring. as shown in
Flg.3.
An inrush-current limiter. as
Its name Implies. limits Inrush
cu rre n t a nd allows th e voltage
to rise gradually ac ross the pro-
tect ed cIrcuit. The limiter was
designed for h tgh -power stereo
amplifiers to avoid the excessive
cu rrent s u r ges t hat occu r at
tu m -on . The cu rre nt drain of
la rge stereo a mplifiers Is hi gh
enoug h to d im the ligh ts in a n 47
 avera ge home whe n It Is turned
on.
Elect ron tc-equ tp mc nt a n d
powe r-s u pply m an u fa c turer s
typi cally limit In ru s h cu rrent by
placing a mom entary sw itc hi ng
device with a fixed res istance at
the power In pu t termtnal of th e
circuitry to be protected . Afler a
predetermined time In terva l. re-
lay contacts close. shortl ng out
the Input res is tor so that full
voltage Is applied to the load.
Ou r Inrush -c urre nt lim iter
ci rcuit takes that conven ttcn al
a pproach one s tep fu rt her. Th e
fixed-value protective resistor is
replaced by a temperature-vari-
able r esi stor whose res istance
value declines with Increasing
Inrush cu rren t. A negati ve tem-
perature-coefffctent (NTe) ther-
mi s tor optimi zed for Inrush-
cu r rent protection. Its m an-
ufacturer refers to It as an i n-
rush-current llmUer .
A typical temperature vs. re-
s ista nce c u rve for an in rush
cu rrent lim iter device Is s ho wn
In Fig. 4 . These devices a re
widely u sed In AC/DC switch ing
powe r supplies. Th e unit spec-
Ified for this project has a resi s-
tance of 120 oh ms e 25 % at
25.C. a m aximum s teady s ta te
cu rrent of 2 a mperes. a n d a n
approxi ma te res is tance of l. i8
ohms at maximum cu rren t .
Inrush- c urrent limlUng
Refer to the s implified block
diagram . Fig. 5 . The h ot s ide of
th e AC lin e Is fed th rou gh th e
Inr u s h -cu r ren t lim ite r (s h ow n
as a resi s tor wit h the letter "T. "J
Act ual res is ta n ce c han ge d e-
pends on th e magn itude a nd
du ration of the cu rren t d rawn.
With a n om in a l resi s tance of
120 ohm s . the maximum In -
stantaneous c u r re nt th rough
a ny co n nected c irc u it wll1 b e
lim ited to 120 voltsl 120 oh ms =
1.0 ampe re. (The current dra wn
will be less tha n the theoretical
value becau se of th e Imp edance
of oth er com ponen ts. )
At th e end of a pre set elapsed
ti me aft er power Is applied . a
relay Is a ctua ted a nd It s horts
out therm is tor R9: that a pplies
full power to the protected cir-
cuit ry. The ti m e delay Is a d -
Justable a nd determined by the
48 value of a s ingle resistor or po-
r ived from a regula ted power
R3
BRIDGE WI "RING s upply m ade up of resi s tor Rl ,
SHORT
AT ca pacitors C l a nd C2 . a nd di -
Rl R2 -- -- .
TURN -oN odes DI to D3 . The 120-volt In-
pu t voltage Is d ropped pr imarily
M; Tl Cl ,: by Ct. a nd applied to the two
INPUT r - 1 fllJER _ ___ J I
series-connected Zen er diodes.
11! II
. III
- -~''-------'
DI a nd D2.
When the polarity of the hot
FIG. 3-EFFECTIVE RESISTANCE and (upper) AC lin e Is pos iti ve with
Inductance of transformer primary and respect to the n eu tral Ibottoml
ncondary are represented by R1, Ll and AC lin e. a pos itive voltage Is de-
A2., L2. respectively ; R3 and R4 are the veloped across the Ze ner di -
effective reslst ences 01 t he rectil ler odes. Th a t voltage charges filter
bri dge end circuit wiring. respec tively.
The dotted li ne across lilter capacit or C1 capacitor C2 through diode 0 3.
rep resent s zero res i stance at pow er Res is tor Rl and parallel metal-
tum-on. ox ide varis tor MOVI limit the
peak current in the circuit. Re-
sistor R2 discharges Cl a nd re-
' -RATUlR sistor R3 di scharges the filter
,,
I C 25"C a nd tim ing capacitors whe n
powe r Is re moved . rea dying the
,, circuit for Im medtate restart.
,, The relay powe r supply in Fig.
,,, 6 Is popular In Iso lated elec -
tronics p rodu cts wh e re on ly
,,, '\, RO small DC cu r rents a re needed to
power ct rc u ttry, It elimi nates
,,,
' MAX
\ the bulk a nd expense of a power
, t ransfor m e r. Howeve r. a pp ro -
p r iat e sa feg ua r ds m u s t be
ITMPERAJlJRE rei taken becau se the supply Is not
Isolated from th e AC lin e. The
AG. 4-1NRUSH-CURRENT LIMITER de- ti m ing c irc u it co nsists of re-
vice shows negative-temperature coeffi- s is tors R4 to R7. ca pacito rs C3.
cient (NTC) characteristics. A therm istor d iode D4 . trans is tors g l and
opti mized for circ uit protection, Its re-
sistance decl in es as temperature In- Q2 . a nd relay RYl. Timing ca -
creases due to cu rrent now. pa c itor C3 c harges th rough
timin g resis tor R4. (With a val-
ue of 150 K. the time delay will
NTCTHERMISTOR be II s econds. l
T Th e PC board provides Ih ree
HOT h ole s fo r I m eg ohm board -
mou nt ed potentiometer R9. Its
a dj u s tmen t will give a contin u-
'"
LI NE
RE LAY
ous range of ti me delays fro m
abou t 1 secon d to 60 secon ds .
As a n alternative. Table I list s
the values of res is tor R4 needed
NElITRAl to ob ta in ti me de lays from 1.5 to
180 seconds In di screte Incre-
FIG. 5-8LOCK DIAGRAM OF INRUSH-
cur rent Umiterclrcultshows rel8y power
ments . The time delays given in
supply and an Inrush-current li miter the table can vary becaus e of the
compon ent to protect 8galns t current wid e tol era n ces of electrolyti c
surges at tum-on. capacitors .
Wh en t he vo ltag e o n C3
tennometer: It can range from reaches the tz-von breakdown
less tha t a second to more than thres hold of Zener di ode D4. It
a minu te. condu cts a nd a pplies base drive
to tu rn on NPN Darlington tran-
How the Umiter works s istor Ql. When g l con ducts.
The schematic of the in rush- Its collector voltage decreases .
current limiter circuit Is given lu r n l ng on PNP Da r li n gton
In Fig. 6. Th e 24-volt DC for the transistor g2. whose collector
timer ctrcultry and relay are de- current actuates relay RYI. The

HOT
R'
1000
" OVI
'JOY
CI
1.2Itf D .. aa
2.2MEG
'"
OHM OJ
01
1N5742
lN40az
+ +
02 C2
1N5112
NElTTRAl """ '" ""'"
FIG. 6-SCHEMATIC OF INRUSH CURRENT LIMITER. Note that Q1 Is a an NPN
Darlington and 0 2 Is a PNP Darlington. MaV1 Is 8 metal-ox lde vari stor and A8 Is an
NTC therm isto r lo r l1ml tl ng Inrus h current .
relays normally open con tacts
a re con nected ac ross th e Jnrush
cu r re n t limi ting device . When
closed. the co ntacts a pply fu ll
power to a ny co n nected loa d .
Resistor R7 provides pos itive
feedback to Q I5 base. ensu ring
postnve tu m-on of the relay.
Diode D5 pro tects the c ircuit
from t h e Inductive " k ick back '
of th e relay co li when It Is de-
ene rgized. The resistance of the
relays co il must be a t least 1.3 K
for effect ive relay operati on. The
metal-oxid e varistor MOV) wtll
pro tect the load against voltage
spikes a nd tra nsients , but It Is
no t a requirement for the opera-
tion of this circu it. It has sym-
me tr ical b idirecti onal "b rea k-
down" ch a racter is tics sim ilar to
th ose of bu ck-t o -back -con -
nected Zener diodes .
Construction
All of the Clrcu Jtry fits on a PC
bo ard m easuring 2. 5 x 2 .5
Inc hes . However. you mi ght
want to make the PC board's
o ute r d im en si on s larg er o r
s maller. If you plan to mount the
circuit In a case. th e board size
and the hold-down screw spac-
Ing will depend on the case se-
lec ted . The co m p le te ci rc u it
assembly ca n also be mounted
within th e enclos u re of Its host
eq u ip me n t with mounting
holes a nd Insulating s tan doffs .
if desired .
The PC board for this p roject
..
<sa TOOl
T
compon en ts ca n be as se mbled
o n p repunched Insu lati ng
boa rd and co nn ected by point-
to-point wiring. Before doing
AS any as s e m bly wo rk. d rl1l t he
R6
, OOK
lOOK
four comer h oles In the board
R' for the s crews to m ou nt t h e
1MEG
.,,,
02
. board to the case or In side the
h osts enclosu re with standoffs.
Figure 7 Is the parts-place-
ment diag ram . Install the re-
' OK s is to rs. ca pac itors and diodes
' '' R7
TOOl
.
1N5142
01
"'"
+----ft RYl
first. observing the proper po-
larities for the capacitors and
diodes. Ifyou elect not to u se the
1 megohm potentiometer R9.
MPSAU 05 the value of R4 s hould be 150 K
RJ C3 '"4002
ohms rat her than t he 10 K
shown on Fig. 6. an d a Ju mper
s hould be installed ac ross two of
the h oles as s hown . I'Ia ble 1
gives values of R4 for s pecific
time delays .) After all the com-
c ponen ts are assembled o n the
boa rd (see Fig. 8 ). solder them ,
and trim a ll ex cess lea ds . Re-
ch eck you r wo rk. carefully ex-
amining the c ircu it for s horts
befo re con ti n u in g with the
checkou t.
Checkout procedure
Warning : This Is a ltne-oper-
ated devi ce. so perform all test-
ing and troubleshooting with a
"sn llX1 line-is ol ati on tra nsfo r m e r.
A G. 7-PARTS-PLACEMENT DIAGRAM Never ope ra te th e circu it out-
lor the Inrus h-current limiter circu li . s ide of a n in sulati ng h ous ing
o a n d ne ver make adj ustments or
a ny kind of modifications to It
when It is di rectly con n ected to
th e AC line.
An Iso lation transformer 1s
reco m me nded for testing this
circu it. If you ca n not obtain a
commercial u nit. you ca n bu ild
one by connecting the s econd-
a ries of two Identical tra n sfo r-
mers back-to-be ck as shown In
J TABLE 1
TIM E DELAY VS. RESISTANCE
Resistance (R4) TIme de lay
(ohms) (seconds)
I"FOIL FOR INRUSH-CURRENT LIMITER 22 K 1.5
47 K 3.0
PC board . 68 K 5.0
100 K 7.0
Is s imple enough for an a ma- 150 K 11.0
teur to make. so its foil patte rn 220K 17.0
Is Included here. However. be- 470 K 40 .0
ca use there are no cr it ical com- 1.0 MEG 80.0
p o ne nts o n t he b oard . t he 2.2 MEG 180.0
49
 fi g. 9. (It ca n a lso be u sed to tes t
o t he r tr a n s fo rm e r les s elec -
tro n ic ci rcu its. ) Th e 120 -volt
line Is stepped down , and the n
s tep ped back up to 120 volts.
Use on ly tra ns forme rs with the
sa me secondary voltages, an d
do not exceed the curren t or
power ratings of each of the
tra nsformers.
With no power ap plied to the
circuit. perform the Iollowrng
resistance checks :
Measu re the resista nce be-
tween the AC Inputs. the hot AC
line con nected to Rl. and the
neutral AC line con nected to the
anode of D2 . The read ings
s hould b e g r ea te r th an 10
megohms-anything less could
Indi cate a problem.
FIG. 8-ASSEMBLED INAU5 HoCUAAENT LIMITE R circu it,
PARTS LIST

All res istors are Y...watt. 5%, unless
otherwi se sl ated
Rt- I OO ohms , 2 watt, 5%, metal-oKide
R2-2.200.000 ohms
R3-22.000 ohms
R4-1 0,OOO ohms (see text )
R5, Rf-.100,OOO ohms
R7-220,OOO ohms
R6-120 ohms inru sh-cur rent umner
(NTC thermistor ) a-emcere (Ke y-
slone) CL-90 or equivalent
R9--1 ,OOO,OOO ohms potentiometer, 3-
pin, PC bcatd-mcent, insulated knob.
Capac itors
C1-1.2~, 250-'o'Olt, polyester-blm
C2-220 ",F. 35 'o'OIt, aluminu m ele c-
trolytic
C3-100 ",F, 16-'0'011. alu m inum elec-
trolytic
semi co nd uctors
0 1, 0 2, D4-1N5742, Zener diode , 12-
volt, 1-wntt
03, D5-1N4002, 1 ampere, 100 pea k
volls
Ql-M PSA 14, NPN Darli ngton tr an -
sistor, (Natio nal Sem icond uct or) or
equivalent
Q2-MPSA 64 PNP Dar ling ton tra n-
sisto r, (Nallonal Semico nducto r) or
equivalent
Oth er compo nents
MQV1-m etalo ltlde varistor, tan-von
AC, (PanesaniC) 2OK201U, or equiv-
alent
RY1-$PST relay, coil: 24V, contact: 5
A, 250-V AC, 3O-V DC, COil reststence
1300 o hm s, PC -m oun t, (Om ron )
G5L112PPs or equivalent
51-toggle or roc ker swncn. pa nel-
mounted , 350-voll, 3 amp
Miscellaneou s : Circui t board . panel-
mounted rec eptacle (threep rong),
length of 3-<:onductor p<l"Mn" cord 18
AWG with 3-prong plug, lour t l4-inctr
inSulated standoffs (see tem. insu-
lated casewittllXNer, cablegrommet.
screws as needed , and solder.
50
FIG. 9--SCH EMATl C FOR AN ISOL A-
TION transformer to be used In testing
t he c ircuit. A ll t u rns reue s must be
equ al.
Measu re the res is ta n ce be-
tween th e same end of R1 and
th e end of R2 con nected to D 1.
The readin gs s hou ld b e 2 .2
m eg o h ms . T ho se me a s u r e -
ment s assu re th at th ere are no
sho rts or low res is tances across
the AC line.
Con nect th e circuit to th e is o-
lati on t ran sformer a n d a pply
power. If th e circu it is oper ating
prop er ly, yo u s hou ld h ea r th e
fa int click of the relay con tac ts
clos in g a ft er t he a p p rop r iate
time delay.
Ch eck for proper opera tio n of
the power s u pply by measu ring
the voltage across fil ter ca pac i-
tor C2. The readi ng sho u ld be
abo ut 22 volts DC whe n the re-
lay is en ergized .
Wh en tes ti ng a n d ex pe r i-
menting with loads connected
tothe tnrush-currentltmtter; al-
low several m in utes for th e cir-
cuit to cool dow n to r oo m
temperatures and the nom in al
resistance values to be res tored .
T he a llowed time s hou ld de-
pe nd on the magn itude a nd du-
ra ti on of t he cu rrent d rawn
throug h the device. In nonnaI
operation , allow about a mi nute
a fter power is removed for tim-
In ~ ca pacitor C3 to d ischarge
before in itiating a new lime de-
lay se que nce .
Installation
The In ru s h cu rren t lim it er
ca n be Installed with in the en-
closure of th e host equi pme nt.
Con nect the circu it to th e AC
line a fter the h os t equipment
power s witc h a n d p r efer ably
a fter the line fu se or circ u it
break er. In s tall th e circ u it s o
th at the hot leg of the AC line Is
con nected to th e su rge lim iter,
as s hown In Fig. 6 . Cut the AC
line to th e hos t an d In stall th e
circu it In se r ies, as sh own In
Fig. 8. Be su re th e circu it board
for th e inru sh-cu r ren t limiter
and all com po nen ts are tn s u -
la ted fr om t he eq u tp rne n t's
chass is an d all oth er compo-
ne nts with insulated stando ffs.
As an alt ernative, In stal l th e
Inrush-current limiter in a s u it-
abl e in sulated case with a ltn e
cord, power receptacle, an d ON -
o rs- power switc h as s ho wn In
Fig. 9 . The prototype case mea-
sured 4% x 3 '/.. x 1'h Inches
deep.
It might be necessary to cut
dow n t he fou r standoff posts
withi n the case to accommodate
continued or page 76
IMAGINE YOU WE RE C HA1.U'::NG E D TO
build a device that cou ld se nd
an op tical audio signal -w ith a
bandwidth o f 3 00 to 3 0 00
Hertz- a s far as poss ible . Tb
make the contest as fair as pos-
s ible. the rules would require
that on ly com mo nly available
parts cou ld be u sed . Also. be-
cause optics wou ld playa large
role in detennin lng the range of
s uch a device. no optics with a
collectio n area g reater t ha n
sev en square Inches cou ld b e
u sed.
Adozen years ago. the au thor
lost j ust s uch a co ntest by
ac h ie ving a co m m u nications
distance of a little over two and a
h alf mUes . The winning entry
achieved a distan ce of 6 miles !
The optical communications
syste m presen ted here Is a
so mewhat mod ified version of
th e a u thor 's original Air Hop.
Th e c irc uits h ave b een re-
des igned In order to use ca m-
mon parts a nd provide a decent
link at a reasonable cost. The
unit h as a n ou tp u t po wer of
abo ut 10 ml1llwatts peak and 5
ml1l1walts average. It us es fre-
quency modulation on a 5 0-
k ilo her tz ca r r ie r a n d h a s a
bandwidth of 30Q....3000 Hertz.
Without op tics. th e Air Hop can
com m u n icate a bo u t 40 feet-
with 3-ln ch diameter optics (a
magnifying glass ). the range Is
Increas ed to over a mUe.
Air Hop ca n be u sed as a s im-
ple potnt-to-potnt audio co m -
munications system or to trans- f~:-:~"'"
mit digit al dat a . S inc e It s
bandwidth Is th e sam e as a
phone lin e. mod ems ca n be
used to send and receive di gital
data. It can also be u sed as a
Unk for a remote con trol s uc h as
that us ed In a 1V receiver. per-
haps with a tone encoder/de -
coder comb ination. A remote
link to a repeater or a long-drs-
tance " b ro ke n beam" secu r ity
sys te m ca n a lso be m ad e .
Whether you need a link from a
house to a bam or a s hort jump
ac ross the co m motion of Wall
Street. Air Hop ca n do It.
Electro optics
Before we get Into the design
a nd constru ction of the Air Hop.
let's explain s ome optical terms .
PIN Diode. A photosensitive dt-
 od e with a respons e ti me of a
few nan oseconds. It ca n be us ed
In a ph o tocon du ctive m od e
wh ere the cu r ren t th rough It Is
a fun ction of light. or in a pho-
tovoltat c mode where the volt-
age across It Is a fu n cti on of
IIgh. (see Fig. I],
Phototrans istor. A t ransi s tor
wh ose base cur rent is a fun c-
tion of ligh t. The collector cu r-
ren t Is the base cu rren t times
the gai n of the device. Response
time Is a few m icros econds.
Pho todarlin gton . Tw o t ra n -
s is to rs I n t h e s a me pa ck age
con nected In a Darlington con-
figuration , The first tra ns istor
Is a p hotot ranststor a n d the
s econ d Is a n ord in a ry tr a n -
s is tor. Respons e time is tens to
hund reds of m icrosecon ds.
Detector area. T h e a rea (In
square Inch es or m illim eters ) of
th e ligh t-gat h e ring detecto r.
Mos t PIN diodes h ave a plastic
cas e that ac ts as a s imple lens
an d prov ides a collectio n a rea of
0. 0 1 to 0. 025 s q uare Inc hes .
T his a rea Is Important wh en
you're calculati ng lens gai n .
Invers e s quare law. Th is is th e
"ki lle r' In nearly all com mu ni -
cations sys te ms. Very s im p ly
stated. It means that if you In-
crease the dista nce between th e
t ra n s mit ter a nd t he rece iver .
the s ignal stre ngth will drop In
proportion to the s qua re of th e
dis ta nce. For example. Hyou re-
ceive 9 m icrowatt s of power
whe n the dis tance between the
tra ns m itt er and receiver Is ten
feel. you will receive on ly I ml-
crowa n of power If you Increase
the di s tance to th ir ty feet.
Transimpedance amplifie r. An
amplifier with a very low Inpu t
Impedance. Sometimes called
cu r re n t-to-voltage conve r ters .
thes e s pec ta t amplifi ers a rc
ofte n u se d In optical syste ms
becaus e th ei r low Imped ance
load will ensure max imum eu r-
rent from a photodlode . Th ey
can provtde a bandwidth up to a
few hund red megahe rtz.
Lens gain. The ratio of the len s
area to the detector area. S ince
the area of a len s is larger than
the area of th e de tector. more
light Is gathe red by the len s.
Lens loss es an d focus ing errors
(wh ic h t oge th e r s h ou ld be
52 about 15 %) mu s t be Included In
~n ~ you can' t form a truly collima ted
U R :> 10 MEG
R < 10K
FIG. 1-A PHOTOSENSmVE PIN diode
has a respon se time 0 1 just a f ew
nanoseconds.
COlLiMAnNG
tENS
, s pread out. Lase r beams have
lEO /
DIVERGENT
CONEOFLIGHT
COlUMMDBEAM
OF LIGHT
FIG. 2-THE LIGHT FROM AN LED diver-
ges or spreads out as It leaves the LED.
A lens will then coll1malethe IIghlso that
II travels In parallel beams.
~lElIGlll
' - l)IE'TER
FIG. 3-THE f NUMBER or lens speed 15
the ratio of the focal length to the diame-
ter. You can think of thi s as an optical
acceptance angle.
a r igorou s ca lcu la tio n of len s
~a l n .
Infrared. The reg ion ofth c ligh t
s pec tru m next to the color red
(about 800 nanometers]. Mos t
In frared LEO 's emit at e it he r
88 0 n an om e t er s or 9 40
nanometers. Mos t silicon detec-
tors h ave thei r max imu m re -
sponse at a bo ut 9 0 0
nanom eters . In fra red Is used
beca u se most red (visible light)
LED's have trouble producing a
half a milliwatt of power. whil e
many IR LED's h ave an ou tpu t
of 10 mtlltwat ts or more.
Co llI m a te . To d i re c t In a
s tra igh t lin e. Whe n ligh t from a
so urce travels In parallel beams
Inst ead of a divergen t cone. It Is
s aid to be collima ted. Although
bea m. th e lens on the transmit-
ter atte mpts to do th at (see Fig.
2~
Divergence . T h e "s p read in g
ou t" of an optical beam, In othe r
words. a divergen t beam Is th e
oppos ite of a collimated beam.
All op tica l beam s diverge. so me
more th an others. If you cou ld
form a bea m with zero di ver-
gen ce (you ca n't) . It wou ld n ot
obey the Inverse square law. In
ot her words . you co u ld se n d
you r beam an Infinite distan ce
b ecau s e the en ergy wo u ld n 't
s m a ll di vergen ce co m p a r ed
with othe r ligh t s ources, Spo t
lights arc built to h ave a small
a mou n t of diverge nce. whereas
flood lights are built to h ave a
great deal of d ivergence (s ec Fig.
21.
Responsivity. A measure of th e
relati onsh ip between th e op -
tical and th e elect rical s ign al of
a detector. A rule of th u mb for
PIN diodes Is 0 .4 to 0 .6 amps
per wat t. This mean s th at if I
m illiwatt of ligh t strikes a PIN
diode. a cu rrent of 0.4 to 0 .6
milliamps wtll flow th rough the
diode. lb put that In perspec-
tive, Air Hop wlli work at levels
of abo ut 100 plcoamps of cu r-
rent or abo u t 20 0 p lcowatts of
op tical power.
AC and DC light . Ifyou pulse an
LED on an d off It becomes an
AC-Ilght s ou rce. If you s imply
a pply DC though It, It becomes
a DC-ligh t s ou rce. Th is concept
is Im por tant because mos t ligh t
so u rces con tai n so me AC an d
s ome DC ligh t. Nor m al tung-
s ten -fila men t ligh t b ulbs con-
ta rn a lot of DC and s ome AC
lig h t (because of the thermal
ti me constant ofa ho t filamen t).
The s un conta in s a lot of DC
and a lot of AC. Fluorescent
ligh ts con ta in so me DC an d a
lot of AC. The only reason that
th is Is Important Is th at if you
build a DC-cou pled optical re-
ceiver and operate It outdoors
wh ere there Is a lot of s u n ligh t.
the receiver ca n eas ily "s atu-
rate" and you r AC s ignal will not
be a m plifie d co r rect ly, S om e
k ind of "llght sh ield ." s uc h as
those th at are u sed on some
camera lens es , wl1l help. That's
why the Air Hop uses an AC
cou pled detector.
f n u mber or l ens s p e ed . In
lens es . t h e ratto of the focal
length to th e diamete r is called
the '' f" number If = Wd). The
smaller the nu mbe r. the "fas ter"
and more expe nsive the lens . It
Is conven ient to think ofthl s as
a n op ttcal "acceptance" a ngle
(see Fig. 3). This will be tmpo r-
ta nt In cho os ing the trans mi t-
ter 's collima ti ng lens . In ea rn-
eras. where the focal length Is
fixed. a lens with a larger dt am e-
ter than a not he r len s has a
s ma ller "f" number, a nd Is s aid
to be faster. That's because the
lar ger lens gathers more ligh t
and the sh u tter can be s et to a
faster speed than the smaller
len s. Table I s h ows f numbers
vs. acce pta n ce angles .
Therm al n oise. Although th er-
mal nois e Is no t a pplicable to
optical devices s uc h as lenses.
the electro n ic perfo rm ance o f
you r optical sys tem will be 11m
ned by the rma l noise. Thermal
noise is ca us ed In an electrical
devi ce by th e ran dom m ove-
ment of molecules. Th e thermal
cu r ren t noise IiNI of a res istor is
given by:
(tN12 = 4KTBIR
where
K = Boltzm ann's constan t (1.38
x 10-2 3 )
T = temperature In Kelvin (300l
B = bandwidth In Hertz
R = resistance In ohms
A 300 K res istor ope rated a t
nea r room temperature In a rc-
cetver with a bandwidth of 20
kilohert z will have a therma l
noise cu r ren t of 33 plcoamps
Al th ou gh 33 plcoamps might
not sou n d like a lot of cu r rent.
the noise It will cause at the ou t-
put of th e trans lmpedan ce am -
pllfier w tll be abo u t 10 micro-
volts l RMS~ Convert ing to peak-
to-peak noise gives ab out 60 mi-
crovolts peak-to-peak .
In the Air Hop. the onlyampl t-
fler between th e transt mped -
a nce a m pli fie r a n d th e com-
pa rator Is a di fferential am plt-
fler wtth a gain of about 50.
That a mplifies the 60 mi cro -
volt s of n oi se a nd produ ces
a bo ut 3 millivolts of noi se at the
ou tpu t of the op tical ampllfier.
Actua l measureme nts s howed 5
TABLE 1
f N UM B ER VER SUS
ACCEPTA NCE A NGLE
t Angle (in degrees)
0.5 90
0.75 67.4
1.0 53.2
1.5 36.8
2.0 28
2.5 22.6
3.0 19
3.5 16.2
4.0 14.2
FM T R A NSM ITIE R PA RT S LI ST
All resi stors are Yo-wan , 5%.
RI. RS. A9, A1S. A16-1000 ohms
R2-22,OOO ohms
R3-10,OOO ohms
A4-1000 ohms, potentiometer
R6-100 ohms
R7-5600 ohms
RS, Rl3-2200 ohms
AIQ--470 ohms
R11-50.000 ohms , potentiometer
R12-33,OOO ohms
A14-1S,OOO ohms
A17. R18-22 ohms (see text)
capac it ors
C1~. C6-1 IlF. 16 VOlts. electrolytic
C4-1oo Ilf. 16 wits. electrolytic
CS, C9-10 jl.F. 16 VOlts, electrolytic
C7-0.001 IlF. ceramic
ce. C10. C11--Q.Ol llF. ceramic
Semi co ndu c to rs
ICl-NE555 timer
Ql-Q4-2N3904 NPN transislor
LE01-tED4-iR LEO (Optek OP293A
680nm, Optek 0P295A aac nm nar-
rrJoN beam. Lytron 94Onm, see text)
Other co mpo nent s
MJC1--electmt microphone
Miscell ane o us : 4 "AA" batteries and
holder. PC board, PVC pipe and plas-
tic disks. hardware. wire, solder, etc.
m illivolts of n ois e. Th at Is rea-
so na ble because there are ot he r
no is e-prod ucing devices In the
system su ch a s the cu rren t
nois e of the first transistor. Al-
though every transistor pro-
duces so me noise. th e first one
p rodu ces more becau se of its
h igh er s ignal amplification .
One reason It's Impo rtan t to
pres en t eq u ations like th is Is
tha t they give us Insight into
system Imp rovemen t . If there
were no noise. vir tu all y un-
lim it ed di stan c es co u ld be
ach ieved. However. when t he
s trength of the si gn a l is less
than the n o is e. we're ou t of
lu ck. We can control tempera-
tu re to some exte nt, and th e
equation shows th at at a lower
tempe rature. the noise Is lower.
But loweri ng the temperature of
the trans impeda n ce res tst or
even by 100 degrees Kelvtn wtll
decrea s e the noise power on ly
by a factor of about 1.2.
If a system requt res only a
small a mou n t of bandwidth .
say a few hertz. as tn a televtslon
re m ote con trol. we co u ld de -
crease the bandwtdth from 20
kilohertz to 20 Her tz and de -
crease the no ise by a factor of
abo u t 30. Even with th e inverse
square law worktng against u s.
that would Imp rove the range by
a facto r of about 5 . Suc h a band-
width reduction wou ld req uire
a good tunab le filter. but it cer-
tainly can be don e. Of cou rse.
aud io s ignals se nt over a ltnk
wit h a 20 -He r t z b andwidt h
wouldn't be recogn izable as au -
d io. It wou ld. h owever. per mit
Morse-code com munication .
Ph otodetector. Any device that
can convert ltgh t Into an elec-
trlcal s ignal. Phctctranststors.
photo SeR's, phototrtacs ph o-
to cells. solar cells . and p ho-
todlodes are all examples. Even
phot oresistors and thermocou-
ples ca n be loosely considered as
forms of photodetectors.
Photot ra ns lstors and pho-
todarllngton detectors are often
u sed to de tect ligh t. Bot h work
well If you do n 't require hi gh
s pee d . Typica l ph otot ra nsl s tor
r ise and falls times are 1 to 5
microseconds : for Darll ng ton s
they are hundreds of m tcros e-
con d e. In elec t ro n ics tha t Is
equ tvalen t to measuring band-
width wit h a s top wat ch and a
calendar. res pectively.
The aut ho r prefers to u se PIN
diodes In th e photoconductive
mode as detectors. Rather th an
being limited by the ga in and
bandwidth of a phototran s ls tor, S?
PIN's give us the choice of both ~~
by altowtng u s to design ou r ::I
own amplifiers . PIN diodes are
also very "qu tet. TheIr noise Is -
~
M
almost unmeasureabl e.
LED's. A light-emitting diode is rn
a semicondu cto r device th a t ~~.
emits ligh t when forwar d bt - :3
ase d . You wo u ld t hi nk that
choosing an LED for a system ~
such as this would be a s imple e
m atter. b ut It 's not. Cha rac-
teris tics s uch as power ou tpu t. 53
 wavelengt h . speed . a nd bea m
an gle all come into play.
The first co ns idera ti o n Is
u sually the power ou tp ut. How-
ever. If you ca n '1 get th e power
In to yo u r len s . It 's simply
was ted . a nd If Its a t the wrong
wa velen gth. you r detector won't
sec It .
Wavelength Is important. Th e
most Widely used wavelengths
for Infrared dev ices are 8 80
n an omet ers and ' 940
na nometers. The first chotce Is
to find a detec tor an d em itter
t hat m at c h . We u s ed 940
nanom ete rs . whi ch is fu rt he r
In t o t he Infra re d tha n 880.
Many detecto rs mad e for 940
nanometers have a built-In vis i-
ble-ligh t filte r. Filte rs a re no t
often put on the BSO-na no me ter
d evice s b ecau se t hat wave-
length Is nea r the visible spec-
trum a nd such a narrow filler
wou ld be di fficult to produce In
large quantities .
II you wish to produce a hun-
dred thousand AIr Hop sys tems
with Optics . you would want to
buy em itters with wide but uni-
for m b eams. Then you wou ld
have a cu s to m lens designed
and produced a t a s mall cos t In
plas ti c mate rtal. That would
prod u ce t he m ost uniform
beam a n d would be reproduci-
ble In large quantities. In a p-
pllcatlons such as remote con-
t rol . you m ight want to use a n
e mitter or many emitte rs 10
"flood " a n a rea. In that case. you
would want a n emitter wit h a
wide bea m ,
If, on the othe r hand. you 're
just try ing to see how far you
ca n "a ir hop" a signal , you will
wa nt so methi ng to ta lly d lf-
ferent. Narrow beam angles are
neces sa ry for efficient cou pling
to an off-the-shelf lens . As a
54
FIG, 4-THE AIR HOP IS BUil T FROMTHREE MODULES: an FMtransmlner, an optical
ampllller, and an FM demodu lator.
m a tte r of fa c t. choos ing th e
s malles t b ea m angle available
will save money whe n It comes
to buying a lens. Th e s mal lest
easily obtainabl e beam a ngle for
an LED Is a bou t 20 degrees.
When a manufacturer spectfles
th at angle , he really means a
"half angle" of 20 degre es, or a
s olid cone of 40 degrees .
T h e angle also specifies the
hal f-power poi nt. For exa mple.
If a ma n u fa cturer specifies 5
mllilwa tts and a beam a ng le of
20 degrees. that means that If
you can captu re all of th e power
contained in a 40- degree cone ,
you will get 2 .5 mllliwa tts of op-
tical powe r. In any case. pu r-
chase an LED wit h a s mall bea m
a ng le, as much power as possi-
ble. a nd a reasonab le s peed .
Len ses. Lens es a re to the op-
tical world what a n ten nas are
the world ofRF. The Importance
of even s imple lenses cannot be
over em phasized . If a ny h igh -
freque ncy RF e n gin ee r could
build an antenna with 60 dB of
gaIn for less than ten do Uars. we
would see a lot of happy RF engt-
neers! S ince the optical world
deals with very small wave-
lengths. 60 dB (a gain of 1000)
Is certainly possible.
Although at firs t it migh t be
ha rd to believe. the size of the
lens on the rece iver is very Im-
po rtant. but on the transm itter
It Isn't. Tha t's because at the re-
ce lveryou are trying to Intercept
as much ligh t as pos s ible. so the
la rger the len ~, the better. The
TABLE 2
Lens Di am et er/A re a Power Gain
(inch/sq. inch) (al 0,01 sq. inch)
213.14 314
3f7.0 7 707
4112.6 1260
6128.3 2830
OPTICAL AM PLIFIER
PARTS LIST
All resistors are V.wan, 5%.
Al-tOO.ooo cerns
R2-tO,ooo ohms
R3 , A9, A10, A16. R23- ,:).000 cems
R4, R~l 50,OOO ohms
RG. R17. R24-3300 ohms
R7, Rt2-100 ohms
R8-3900 ohms
R13 , A14-5600 ohms
A11. Rt S, RtB. R21~700 ohms
At9, R22-22 ohms (see taxt)
R20-360 ohms
Capacitors
c t, C4, C8-10 1lF. 16 volts. electrolytic
C2, C5, C9--0.1 1lF. ceramic
C3, C12, C14-C16--0.01IlF, ceramic
ce. C7. Cl1~70 pF, ceramic. to%
C10-<l.OO1 1lF. ceramic, 100/0
C13-100 1lF. 16 volts, electrolytic
sem icondu ctors
Q1-MPS918 NPNtransistor(Motorola)
Q2-Q6-2N3904 NPN transistor (QS
and 06 must be a matched pair. sae
text)
Dl -P IN dloda (Sie mens SFH205
940rvn usable at 880mn. Panasonic
PN323BPA 940 nm, Panasonic
PN334PA 880 or 940 nm,see text)
Other componenta
SPKR1-a- to 4s.otvn speaker
Miscellaneous: PC board, wire. solder.
etc.
purpose of the lens a t the trans-
mltter Is to collimate the beam.
so any lens with th e right " C'
number will work.
The "s peed " of a lens. als o
called the " C' n u mb er, s hould be
fam iliar to a nyone with pho-
togra phy as a h obby. It's a mea-
sure of the a ngle of acce ptance
of a lens . On th e transmttttng
en d , any ligh t from the LED that
LENS GAIN
Dist ance Improvem en t
(85% lens efficiency)
x 16
x 24
x 33
x 49
_r~--">.""
"1. ~
T
 .6V .6V

R6
reec
C9
."" "" '"
'" zzn lED,
~

,r r --
,
'"Ad
~

T ,~ ' 13
, 21< .. '"
R'f R2 " R1 R9
'"
1 RST vDII 1fE555 R15
" ,, "" OOIWKlN
ADJUST
' .6K
" 50<
evm, 2TDSCH
RIG OUT 3 "

fflOtIENCY
'"
"" R'
ADJUST
' 12 cr
'" ~
.00'
RJ
CO
10K OJ cs 'R'
'R'
.""
FIG. 5-FM TRANSMITIER MODULE. II provides a microphone amplllier and FM
modulator.
FM DEMODULATOR PARTS LIST
All res istors are y.-watt, 5%. PC boa rd. blank PC-board material
Al-100 ohms and solder-wick straps lor shield (see
R2. A3. R6, Al '-R13, R16--1 0.000 text). PVC pipe. plastic disks, hard-
ohms ware. wire. solder. eIC.
R4. R5-100,OOO ohms Note: The follOWing Item. are avail-
R7-33.000 ohms able from QSa t . P.O. Bo x 110.
R8-50.090 otvns. potentiOmeter Boalsburg, PA 16827:
R9. R14, Rt 5-68.000 ohms Complete Air Hop kit Incl udi ng all
R17-4700 OhmS three PC boards (does not Include
Rl 8-1 0,OOO ohms. pctentceneter speaker. 10K volume co ntro l. lenses.
Al9-22.000 ohms PVC pipe and banerles). AIRHOP
R20--470 ,OOO ohms KIT-s30.DO
R21-10ohms Trans mitter kit Inclu di ng one IR
Capacitors LED and PC bo ard . AHTX-K IT-
Cl . CS. C10, Cl6-1 If.F, 16 votts, a lec- $11.00
trolytic Transmitter PC board only. AHTX
C2. CS. cs, C12-o.1 IJ. F, ceramic PCB-55.DO
C3-100 If.F. 16 votts, electrolytic Opllcal amplifier kit Inc luding PIN
C4, C7-<l.OOl IlF, ceramic. lOOk diode and PC board. AHOPTAMP
C6--470 pF, ceramic, 10% KIT-$12.oo
Cl1-o.01 ....F. ceramic Optical amplilier PC board only.
Cl3-100 pF. ceramic AHOPTAMP-PCB-$6.00
Cl4---1.7 IlF, 16 volts, e lectro lytic FM demodulator kit Including PC
Cl5--470 IlF, 16 volts, eleclrotytic board (no speaker or 10K volume
semIconducto rs co nt rol). AHFMDEMOD-KJT-$12.00
IC1-lM311 or LTl 011 comparatOt' FM demodulator PC board only.
IC2-eD4046 phase locked loop AHFMDEMOD-PCB-S6.00
IC 3 -M C341 19 audio am p lifie r Add $3.00 shipp ing and hand ling to
{Motorola) all orders . Pennsyl vanIa residents
Ql -2N3904 NPN transistor must add 6% sales tall . Piease aUow3
Miscellaneous: 9-voIt battery and Clip, to 4 weeks fo r delivery.
doesn't s tay withi n that co ne Is len s is 3. 14 sq u a r e Inch es.
los t. A 5().milllwatt LED will be Therefore. the garn of a z-tncn
of no val ue If the light "sprays" lens Is abou t 3 .14/0 .01 or 3 14.
ou t at 90 degrees-any light Remember th a t th is amplifier
that can't be coupled In to the (the lens ) con su mes no power.
lens Is los t. h as (for ou r purposes ) In finite
Th e ga in of a lens Is basically bandwidth. a n d a dds no noise
th e ra tio of the area of the lens to to the s igna l. A devtce of thi s
th e a rea of the de tector. For ex- k ind in th e elect r ica l world
a mple. th e a rea of mos t PIN di - would be nothing sho rt ofa rmr-
odes Is a bout 0 .0 1 s quare inc h . ac1e.
The area of a 2-lnch diameter Tab le 2 s h ows th e ga in for
'.,"
6
' E5
CON'TGNO
s ,
~
'""
CB '.61"
"
some di fferen t s ize len ses . The
ca lc u la ti ons a ss u me that no
ligh t is absorbed or reflected by
the lens. a nd the detector Is at
the exact focal po int of the lens.
Those asu mpUons a re certainly
not true. Even fine-qual lty ca m-
e ra le n ses . whi ch a re coated
with anti-reflective coatings. do
n ot pa s s 10 0 percent of the
ligh t. There's p le n ty of room
here for expertmenta tton . Some
c r u de ex pe rime nts s h o we d
a bout 85% of th e theoretical
ga in .
FM transmitter
Th e Air Hop Is buil t fr om
three modules . The first module
Is the FM transmitter. 'Two oth er
modules (the optica l amplifier
and FM demodulator) compr ise
th e receiver. A block d iag ra m of
th e syst em Is s hown In Fig. 4 .
The FM tra nsmitter mo dule.
shown In Fig. 5. provides a mi-
cropho ne a mplifier IQl a n d Q2 )
and an FM modulatorbuUt from
a 555 timer (lC I). Th ere are two
adjus tm en ts . one for th e FM
center freque n cy (RIl l a n d one
for the a mou nt o f d evia ti on
IR4 ). Resistor Rl Is for mi cro-
phones tha t req uire an external
powe r so u rce. such as an elec-
tret type. For a n exte rnal audio
sou rce. the Inpu t must be lim-
Ited to a few mil livolts.
The outpu t of ICI (p in 3) Is
a dj usted VIa Rll so that th e fre -
quency is 50 kHz (20 -mtcrose-
co n de). The output of the 555
can be freq uency modulated by
applying the u pper trip-poin t
"

~ R1
aa "12

Ut '""'''
CO 100<1 100<1 ",I " 3
''''
irJ
HI"
C2
R3
15K
1
~
I UK
R23
'''''' ~

CS
.1 02
.1
'"
~ ".1 _~
"l6
15K
15K
C14 .,rO B 10
fi< .8
~

01 ~ "'
15K
.01 ':;"
(--O C
':<~ I\b.
l3'9
~'* "'. ,.'"U"
01
SHF2:05 OJ (--0
OJ C8 C2 IC;5
.01 470pf 410pF
I~ ::r:: Cit
C12
05 06

~ -"
150K ';" 410pf
R4 [\b. (
.01 I~ "19 " 22
"OK "U r\b 220 ac >b
"'
"OK
"6
3.31( "' ""
3.90< 15K
' '''
"6
.' 01
"17
""
~

'""''' ""
4.11' 3.'" ""
"'" 3.'"
"6
.01

- 4ClHzHIGH PASS ~ H z U1YV PASS

FIG. 6-THE OPTICAL AMPUFlER MODULE co nvert s the optical 51gn81 1010 an elec-
trical signal, li mi ts Its bandw idth, and prov ides a d iff erent ial drive to the comparalOf.
ltamps . average . Syst em s u s ing
." two LED's In se ries \\'111 req ui re
about 22 oh ms for the same cu r-
1 MEG 4.71< rent.
The prototyp e sys te m u s es
four M alka line type batteries
vouumn for the tran s m itter power s up-
ply. Althou gh they give reas on -
ab le life. you may want to u se
s om et h ing a little la rger. per-
ha ps fou r 0 cells.
AG . 7-YOU CAN MATCHtransistors 0 5
and 06 using thi s circu it Any tran si stor
having less than a bout a volt between
Optical ampl1.8.er
the coll ector and emitter has too much The pu rpos e of the op tical
gain. Choo se two tran sistors that have amplifier module. sho wn in Fig.
the close st match between ecnector-tc- 6 . Is to convert the optical signal
emitter voltages. Into a n electr ica l s ignal. lim it
Its ba n dwidth (to red u ce n otsel.
a n d to provid e a d iffer en ti al
voltage reference to pin 5 . Al- drive to th e com para tor.
th ough you ca n not s weep the The PIN d iode detecto r (0 11 Is
frequen cy very far. deviation s of ACcou pled to a s imple trans tm-
10 percen t or so can be ob tained pedance amplifier consisti ng of
easily. The FM deviatio n Is a Ql an d Q2 . Even thou gh th e
function of the amplitude of the signal Is AC cou pled . the bias
signal a pplied to pi n 5 . If a DC for th e PIN diode must be DC
voltage Is applied to pin 5 and coupled. Th at Is do ne through
switche d on and off. FSK (dig- res lstors RI an d R2. IfAir Hop Is
Ital) da ta will res u lt. Although used in a h igh ambient light s tt-
the output of the 555 cou ld uauon. resistor Rl might have
dnve a modest LED. transistor to be red uced In value to prevent
tance across it. Usin g two re-
s is tors de creases the ca pac i-
ta nce by a factor of two. All you
have to do Is joi n the two re-
s istors above the PC board .
T he outpu t o f th e
t ra ns imped an ce a m pli fie r is
s imply Its Input cu rre nt ti mes
the tra ns impedance resis tance.
That 's why It's sometimes called
a cu rrent-to-voltage converter.
As you Increase th e resistance.
the s ignal Increases . bu t the
bandwidth decreases . S inc e the
signal Inc reases di rectly with
the value of the resistance an d
t he n ois e Increases wit h the
square root of the res istanc e. It
makes s en se to have the res is-
tance as large as poss ib le-it
would. If you s till had eno ug h
ba ndwidt h . Th at's why Ql Is a
VHF tran sistor.
Since the cen ter freq ue ncy of
the sign al Is at 50 kilohertz. It's
de sirab le to li m it th e band -
width of th e optical a mplifier to
redu ce th e to ta l no ise. Tran-
sistor Q3 and the s u rrounding
components form a two -p ole
hi gh -pass fil ter at about 40 kilo-
h er tz. That eliminates s uch low-
frequ ency noise as th e 60- he rtz

Il
d r ive rs a re p rov ided to d ri ve DC saturation of the PIN d iod e. optical noi se given off by room
multiple LEOs . If th e DC voltage across Rl Is lights.
Cu r r en t -li m it in g r es isto rs greater th an about 3 volts In op- Trans is tor g4 and its associ-
R17a nd RIBare adjusted to lim- era ti on . you s hou ld lower the ated Circ u itry form a 60-k llo-
It t he cu r re nt for yo u r par- value of Rl. her tz low-pass fil ter. That elimi-
ticular LED. Currents of up to Th e t r a ns Imp edan ce r e - nates hi gh -freq uen cy elect rical

j 200 m illiamps pose no proble m

for th e LED's. b u t they will drain
you r batteries qui ckly. If you 're
using one LED. values of ab out
60 47 ohms will yield abou t 45 mll-
s is tors (R4 a nd R5l se t the over-
all ga in of th e a mplifier. 1\vo re-
sisto rs In se r ies were u s ed
In s tead of Jus t one b ecause
nois e such as tha t from AI\1 ra-
dio s tations.
When th e low-pa ss and ht gh -
pass filters are cascaded. they
every resi st or has some ca pac t- fonn a band pass filter cen tered
 ,,'Q
"
...
'''''
~
~
,~
'"" ~
""'"
.
,~
..
.. j
FIG. 8-fM DEMODULATOR. An LM311 co mparato r c onverts the small analog signal
to d ig Itar level l or the CD4046 phase- locked loo p., which Is confi gured as a first-order
FM demodulator.
on 50 kil oher tz. wit h a IJdS S
han d of abo ut 20 kiloh er tz. You
cou ld reduce the noise by ma k-
Ing the filter n a r rower, or by
putting a n arrowe r filter b e-
tween the output of th e optical
a mplifier a nd th e Input of th e
demodulation board . Th e dis-
advantage of doing tha t Is th at
you would have to make th e nar-
row filter tu n a ble. a n d u se a
scope to adjust It .
Transistors gs and Q6 form a
d ifferential a mplifier th at Is the
only real ga in stage In the op -
tical a mplifier bes ides Q I. Th e
purpose of usi ng a d ifferential
a mplifier is so th at a d ifferential
s igna l will be ava ilable to drive
the voltage comparator. It's ni ce
to d rive a comparator differen-
tially because you get twice th e
si gnal but not twice the noi se.
There ts one probl em with a dif-
ferential a mplifier: Ifyou want a
reasonabl e am ou n t of ga in , the
tr ans istors must b e well
mat ched . Tha t prevents one
transi stor from "cu rren t hog-
ging " a nd satu ra ting .
The ma tching of transi stors
ca n be done a number of di f-
ferent ways-a CUIVC tracer Is
bcst but most people don't h ave
access to one. Next be st is a
m eter that actually measures
ga in at a given base or collector
cu r ren t. As a las t res or t. the cir-
cuit In Fig. 7 ca n be used. Some
.w
n~
...,. .. "
'" ~
~
L ......
-_M '"-4_J le-:
,~
All .0ll1
C1
ell .. -- - - - - ---- --., en
I"" i AI1
'-----~~"'4_-ttJ
, ,,
,.,,,
..II: I.CM' AlSS
'"
,~
kind of s ocket. s uc h as a n IC
socke t with only three pIn s ca n
be used to hold th e tra nsistor.
S Im p ly meas u re the vo ltage
from the collector to emitter.
a n d choose two tra nsisto rs th at
have the closest mat ch between
the collector-to-em itte r voltage.
Any tra n s is tor havi ng less than
about a volt has too much gai n .
It's also a good idea to use bias
res is tors that have nearly the
same values. Try to match the
values ofR16 a nd R23 a nd R17
and R24 as close as possIble. If
the final amplifier Is n 't ma tched
with in a volt . you might want to
a dj us t the va lues of RI9 and
R22 . Th os e resi stors were pur-
pose ly put the re to a llow so me
"bala nci ng" of the differe n ti al
a mplifier. Values from 10 to 33
ohms s hou ld be fine . (Potenti-
ome ters were n ot u sed because
th ey a re expenstve.I
FM demodulator
Th e schematic for the FM de-
modula tor Is shown m Fig. 8.
An LM311 comparatorllCl) con-
verts the rat her s mall analog
s ignal to a digital level for the
CD4 0 46 ph a s e-lo c k ed lo op
(IC2l. Remember thai the a m-
plitude of th e reco vered a udio
has nothing to do with the a m-
plitude of the re ce ived signal.
The a mp litude of the recove red
a u d io d epend s on ly on t he
'm"
I 6.1ll
I &.1
,
,, 0' ". ,,,
...
,~
,, "' ,,
.
L.__ "_ _ _______ .J,'
....
"'."""',,
amount of frequency deviation
set by the transmitter a nd the
a mp litu de of your voice.
Th e phase-locked loop (lC2) Is
con figured as a first-order FM
dem odula tor. With no In put s ig-
nal. the center.frequency of the
loop {pin 3 ofIC2, which Is also
TP3 ) Is a djusted by R8 for a fre-
quency of 50 kilohertz. Because
the variation from one CD4046
to a nother can be quite large.
you might have to adjust R7
and . perhaps. R9 as well.
T h e demodula ted outp ut
from IC2 1s low-pass filtered at 3
kilohertz by g l and Its associ-
ated ci rcu itry. a nd the n se n t to
audio power a m plifie r lC3 , a
Motorol a MC 3411 9 . A wider
bandwidth ca n be obtained by
making th e filter higher In fre-
quency. Since th e "car rier" fre-
qu e ncy is on ly 50 kilohe r tz .
don't try extending the a u d io
bandwidth to more than 6 or 7
kilohertz. PJn 1 of the MC34 119
ca n be used for squelch or in
conjunction with a push-to-talk
I
s witc h to silence the re ce ive r
while transmitting. If you don't
n e ed the squelch . simply
j umper pi n 1 of IC3 to ground.
Altho ugh you ca n u se a stan - ~
N
dard al kalin e 9-volt battery to m
power th e recei ver. th e curren t
draw ca n be quite h igh on voice
pea ks. Six AA cells would be a
iil
much be tte r choi ce. z
Well finish up the project n ext ~
m on t h wit h co mp le te c on -
strucUon de tails . R-E
"
 Use the 555 to
generate sawtooth THE
:~;::;;gd:~7::s,VERSATILE555
convert DC to AC,
boost DC voltage
and more.

RAY M. MARSTON
T ilE PO PULAR 5 5 5 TIM ER rc HAS
been the star of three previous
Electronics Now articles {Sep-
tember 1992. pa ge 58. October
1992 . page 6 9 an d November
1992. page 6 1.) Jus t whe n you
th ough t th at all poss ible a p-
plicati ons for that versatile 555
h ad been exhausted-su rprlsel
Th is article takes the 555 tn to FIG. 1-FUNCTlONAL BLDC K DIAGRAM end p inout for th e b lpo llr 555 t imer IC.
new territory-a sawtooth gen -
erator. a "ramp " generator. a + 6VTO+1SV
time-base genera to r. a freque n-
cy meter. and even a tachometer
for you r ca r.
But that s n ot all-there Is a
R3
2.2K
.
2.2K
R6
' 00<
""'001
m issi ng-pulse detector. and DC AS
vo ltage d ou bl er. t rip le r a n d C1 C2
8
8
8."
q ua d r upler. T he r e a r e a ls o 1, 1 .001
2
negative and ht gh-voltage gen- ess 7
02
,,, "
erators and a DC to AC Inverter!
If you 've b een fcllowtng the W
SQUARE 10K
Ql s
2" 3704

prevtou s articles and (we h opei INPIIT CJ C4 R7

(TRIGGER) R2 2"3704 .01 (SEE 10K
buildin g s ome or all of the ctr- 10K lA8lE 1) (LEVELl
cu lts p resented In them . you11
be all set for th e circu its pre-
sented here. Who s a id the mi-
cr o p r oces s or w a s t h e mo st
versatile Ie. anyway?
Th e last th ree a rticles on th e v
55 5 explained its basic operat-
Ing principles . You woul d h ave
V V
learned (or refreshed you r mem-
oryl abo u t h ow to place external

1/ 1/
compone nts so the ti mer fu nc-
Uon s eithe r as a mon os ta ble or
as ta b le m uf t tv tbr-a to r. Yo u
might want to rerea d the intro-
,
ductory section s of th ose a rti- FIG. 2-TRIGGERED SAWTOOTH GENERATOR ba sed o n the 555 and typica l o utput
cles to brush u p on the u nusu al waveform, b.
features of the 555. A com plete
schematic of the circuit ry con - rangeme nt of fun ctional blocks Sawtooth-wave gen erators
ta lned in th e 555 is given as Fig. than the others given earner; 11- The 555 with external com po-
2 on page 64 of the Sept ember lus tra tlng yet anothermanufac- n en ts ca n be come a triggered
1992 Issue. t u r er 's prefe rred d a t a boo k n o n li n e a r ( exp onenti al )
Figu re 1 is another fun cti onal presenta tion . Neither diagrams sawtooth waveform gen era tor.
block d iagram and pinou t of the nor dat a s heets on th e 555 h ave as s hown in th e sch ematic FJg.
62 bipolar 555 with a different ar- been s tandard ized . z-a. Th e circu it Is a modi fied
 monos table mutuvtbrator that
REGULATED -+ 9V is tri ggered by a n ex ter n a l
squ ar e wave T RIGGEH pi n 2 ob-
A1
10K
In 10K
RJ tained th rough ca pa cit or C2
from th e collecto r of transistor
R>
10K
R2
1K
r-A- g 1. Note tha t OUTPUT pin ,3 of the
C2
.001
8 4
,(PERIOD)
>&"
2H37DZ /V' Q2
555. u sed in mos t of the 555-
bas ed circu its presented earlier
2 sse \b. 2H3704
is u nus ed here.
y----J 7
as
10K
Th e voltage ac ross C4 (the
saUARE ti m ing compone nt) is n orma lly
W
WAVE
IN

T
1 5
: C3
.01

C4
.01 ,,,'"
Il EVEl l

1 zero . but whenever th e circu it is

triggered, C4 charges exponen -
tia lly through resis to r R5 and
PERIOD potentiometer R6 to two-
thi rds of the supply volta ge. At
t ha t tim e. th e m on os tab le
p er iod ends and t h e vol tage
+'1,v a cr os s C4 d rops a b ruptly t o

V V zero . T he o utp ut s aw t oo t h
wavefo rm (Fig . 2-b ) Is taken
acros s capacito r C4 t hrough
0
V V buffer tran s istors 92 a nd 9 3
and L E VEL pote n tiom eter R7 .
The period of the sawtooth or
width can be va ried from 9 mi-
b croseconds to 1.2 se conds with
FIG, 3--L1N EAR SAWTOOTHOR RAMP wavefo rm gene rator based on th e 555, a, and the capacit a nc e values for C4
" ramp " wavefo rm, b. lis ted In Thble 1. Th e circ u it's
max imum usable repetition fre-
quen cy Is a p p roxim ately 100
kHz.
REGULATED +9VTO+ 15V The gene ra tor mu st be tr ig-
ge re d by rect angul a r inp u t
waveforms with sh ort ris e an d
A1
UK
.ri 10K
RJ
fall times . Po tenti ometer R6
R> R2 con tro ls th e s awtooth p eriod

~
C1
.001
2
8

555

6
10K
IME IlASI
1K

tit
01
2"3702
OUTPUT TO
KTI MEBASE
over a decade, and potentiome-
ter R7 controls the amplitude of
the outpu t waveform.
SOUAR EWAVE ,---1 7 Figure 3-a shows a triggered
IN PUT FROM linear sawtooth or ramp wave-
TIl'5 GER
$HECTO R
1 5
r .~
C3 ,,,R' form generator. Ca pac itor C4 is
T .01
OUTPUT TO
charged by a constant-cu rrent
genera tor that inclu des Q 1. The
ZRAMP BRIG HTNESS
~
ou tpu t waveform (Fig . 3-b ) Is
ta ken at t he wip er of I.EVEI
potentiometer R6 . wh ich is cou-
pled to the voltage ac ross C4
+v throu gh Q2. Not e t h at t he
cu rved ramps of Fig. z-b have
V I/ ! V been flattened .
When a ca pac itor is cha rged
L-J,, from a con s ta nt cu r ren t s ource.
Its voltage ris es at a predictab le
,:1 ,, lin ear rate that can be exp ressed
as :
+
volts /secon d > amperes /farad
By Introducing more practi cal
valu es. alt er native exp ressions
for the rate of voltage ris e are:
b V/IJ.S = A/IJ.F, or
V/ms = mA/IJ.F
FIG. 4-OSCILLOSCOPE TIME-BASE GENERATOR clrcuil based on the 555, a, and Thos e formu las state th a t
ramp and ramp brightness puls e waveforms fo r an o sc illoscope's X and Z axes. voltage rate-of-r lse can be In - 63
 .,
lMEG R2
, - -r-- ' 9V The sawtoo th cycles of the cir-
cuit ha ve periods var iable fro m
lMEG 666 m icros econds (213 mill ise-
co n d ) to 6 0 m icrose co n ds
TO V2 , (6/100 millisecond).
Pe ri od s ca n b e in crea se d
P1.ATE
beyond those values by tn creas -
In g the value of C4. or reduced
-9V by reduci ng th e value of C4. In
thi s circ u it. s table timing per i-
FIG. S--TRIGGER SELECTION CIRCU IT fo r the Fig . 4 c ircuit od s depend on a s table voltage
so u rce.
Fig. 4-ashows h ow the circu it
REGULATED+ 6V in Fig. 3-a ca n be modified to
becom e a n osctlloscope ti me-
bas e ge nerator. It ca n be tr ig-
R3
' .71<

10K
gered by external square waves
throug h a su ita ble trigger selec-
.,
10K
C1
.001
e
8

55.
4
, tor circ u it . The ramp output
wa veform (top of Fig. 4-b Is fed
to the X plates of a n oscillosco pe
01 3 t
2"3704 with a s u itab le a mplifier stage .
AS 01 The pul s ed OUTPUT from pin 3 of
3.31< 1" ' 143 1 s th e 555 (sho wn in th e lowe r h alf
R2 C2 C3

1~~
10K .01 .01 of Fig. 4-b l is fed to th e CRTs Z
ax is to t ra ce the r a m ps with
hi gher b righ tness . I

Th e s h o r test usefu l r a m p
FIG. 6-A l-kHz L1NEARSCALE ANALOG FREQUENCY meter circuit based on the pe ri od t h a t ca n be ob ta in ed
555. fro m th e ci rc uit In Fig. 4-a (with
a 0 .0 01 mi c rofarad capac itor
C3) is a bout 5 m icros econ ds .
+ 12V FROM RI Th a t value. when exp anded to
IGNITION 68!l R3 R1 AS give fu ll deflection on a n os -
SWITCH + 01 + '.71< 47K 5.6< clllosco pe with a te n- d ivis ion
'H7~eA :;::: Cl
(8.2V) I -.01
gr au cu te. y ield s a m a ximum
tlmebas e ra te of 0 .5 mi cros e-
~ CJ 555 cond per divis ion .
R2 The t lmebase c ircu it of Fig. 4-
.01

TO eREAJ<ER
1K
"fit I
T ~~ 02 C4
5
ce
a ca n sy n ch ron ize signals a t
tr igger freq uenc ies u p to abou t
150 KHz. At hi gher frequencies .
POINTS 1N152A
15.6V)
f iu nt
the Input s ign als must be divid-
ed by a s ing le- or mu lti-deca de
frequency divider. With that ap-
FIG. 7-VEHICULA R TACHOMETER CIRCUIT based o n the 555. proac h , t he t1mebase ca n be
u sed to view Inpu t s ignals at
Ing the capacitance valu e. megaher tz freq u encies .
, -f--r -f-- ... 5VTO + 15V The cha rging curren t In the Figure 5 Illus tr a tes a s imp le
R2
.3 Fig . a-a cir cu it can be va r ied '
" ' .71< over the ra nge of abou t 90 m i-
but versat ile trigger selector cir-
cuit for the tlmebase genera tor
"
CAlIllAATE croa m peres to I m llliampere in Fig. 4-a. Ope ra tion a l a mpli -
C1
a with PE RIO D potentiom eter R5. fier ICI (a j.t.A7411 has a refer-
8 th us giving the 0 .01 mi crofa ra d e nce volt a ge fed to It s n on -
555 S G
7 3 timing capacito r rates-or-r ise of Inv e rti n g In p ut pi n 3 by
, 01

9 volts per mHl isecon d to 100
volts per millis econd.
TR IGG ER L EVEL p oten ti ome te r
R4 . The s ignal voltage Is the n
C2 C3 Ml
l rnA Ea ch one-shot or monos table fe d t o le I 's in ve rtin g p i n 2
cycle of the 555 end s wh en the through switc h 5 1, res is tor RI
voltage acros s C4 reaches two- a n d SENSITIVY p oten ti ometer
FIG. a-ALTERNATIVE ANALOG TA- th irds of th e s u pply voltage. As R3 .
CHOMETER CIRCUIT to Fig. 6. shown in Fig. 3-a, the supply Is Switch 5 1 selects e it he r In-
9 volts. so two-th irds of9 volts Is phase or ou t-of-phase tnput s tg-
creased eith er by In creas ing th e 6 volts . the a mp lit u de of t h e n als from the Y-drl vin g a m pli-
64 charging cu rrent or by decreas - ramp wavefor ms In Fig. 3- b . fier of th e osc illoscope . permit-
tlng the s election of either the .12V AYI
plus or minus trigger modes . r---:,

D """
The output of the circuit In Fig. R3 LED'
5 Is cou pled directly to th e Cl
Input of Fig. 4.
,,
270K
~
.
"on
0'
l M4001 ]

Analog frequency meters

ClOCl< b
." 3
,
,,
Figure 6 shows the 555 IC or- INPUT
ganized as a linear-scale analog
frequen cy m et er with a fu ll-
(PULSE
OR 'V
,, ut ~ Cl
5
C2
.-j-<>-
~
scale se nsiti vity of 1 kHz. Th e SWITCH' ,, 2H31OZ 0.' .01 OUTPIIT
ctrc u tt's power Is obtained from
a regu lated 6-volt s u pply. an d its
inpu t s igna ls can be puls es or
FIG. 9-MISSING-PULSE DETECTOR wi th LED or relay output.
square-wave s ign als with peak-
to-peak amplitu des of2 volts or
great er. 'rransts tor QI amplIfies +SVTO+1SV
this Inpu t signal eno ugh to tri g-
S;

I
ger the 555 . Th e ou tput from A'
p in 3 is fed to the l-mlUlampere
full-scale deflecti on moving-coli
3.30< , ''' '
me ter MI throu gh offset-cance l-
ing diode DI and multiplier re-
R2
2

,
Q1
lM4U. '"
1114141
OUTPlIT
'IK sss 3 SUPPLY
sistor R5.
7 ""1'(JLtO;,

'''''"
Each time th e m onos table C,
mu lt lvlb rato r Is t r igge re d . It 0.' , 5
generates a pulse with a fixed ; C2 C3
.01 .01
du ration an d am plit u de. If each
gen erated puls e h as a peak am-
plitude of 6 volts and a period of -
I millis econd. and the m ulu- FlG. 1D-OC VOLTAGE-DOUBL ER based on the 555.
vibrator Is triggered at an Input
frequency of 500 Hz. the pu lse
will be high (at 6 volts) for 500 +5VTO+ ISV
m illiseconds In each 1000 m illi-
seconds . Moreover. the mean
value of output voltage mea -
A\
3.3K
,..,
, "
02
1M4148
,,,.,
C6
sured over this period Is 500 2 Q1 03
m llliseconds!IOOO m illiseconds 1114148
x 6 volts = 3 volts or half of 6
volts.
R2
lB' , sss 3
1N414S
0Ull'1IT
'\oJ): sumy
7 VOlJAG,
S im ila rly. If t he in pu t fre- CO
qu ency Is 250 Hz. th e pu lse Is
C1
0.' , 5
.01
hi gh for 250 mtll is econ ds In F C2 C,
each 1000 -m lllls econd pe r iod . .01 .01
Therefore . th e m ea n out put
vo ltage equals 250 m il lise-
conds! 1000 milliseconds x 6 FIG. 11-OC VOLTAGETRIPL ER based on the 555.
volts = 1.5 volts or one quarter
of 6 volts . Thus . the ctrc u tt's
mean valu e of output voltage. .-SVTO + l SV
" .
me asured over a reas on a ble
total n u m ber of pulses . Is di -
rectly proportional to th e repeti -
tion frequency of the mon osta-
A'
3.3K
2
8

,..,
CO
02
1M4148
,,,.,
C7
.
1M4141

ble m ultlvlbrator.
Movlng-coll meters give mean ,,,
R2
8 655 3 ,"""
01
tN4148
03
1M4148 0Ul1'I1T
'l.4X SUmy
readin gs . In the cJrcul t of Fig. 6
a I-milliampere m et er Is con-
7 ". 1'(JLtO;,

nected In se rtes with multiplier

1 1 ,,,.F
CO
resi st or R5. which sets meter s
sensitivity at ab out 3 .4 volts
full-scale deflection. The meter
Is con nec ted to give the mean
r' 02
0.1 T 01 f C3
.",
.01

out pu t va lue o f th e mu lti - AG .12-OC VOLTAGE-QUADRUPLER based on the 555. ss

 vibrator. and Its reading Is di -
rectly propo rt tonal to the Inpu t
frequency. at
3.JK
, +5V 10+1S\'

With the component values 2 02

s hown . the ctrcu trts organized 1NUts
to read full-scale deflection at 1
R2
18K
3
kHz. To set up the circu it tnt - '"
1 ."""
Ually. a I-kHz s quare-wave s ig- NfGAJM
nal Is fed to u s inpu t. and fu ll- VOl1S
_ cs 0IITP\1T
scale-adju st po ten tiome ter R7 01

''' '
Itt con trols puls e leng th I is set 1H. 1U
to give a full-scale reading on
th e meter.
The full-scale frequency of the

.,
FIG. 13-0C NEGATIVE-VOLTAGE GENERATOR based on the 555.
circu it In Fig. 6 ca n be varied
from abou t 100 Hz to 100 kHz by
selecting the valu e of C3 . The .5V10 .,sv
clrcu ll can read freque ncies u p 3.31< .1 I
" ....
to ten s of megahe rtz by Intro- 2 01
ducing the In pu t s ign als to the
mo nos ta b le mul t tvt b r a to r
th rough eithe r a single or multt-
R2
18K
e '55
3
R3
41" T .
1
"'" DC
decade d igital d ivider. The dt -
viders ca n reduce th e Inpu t Ire-
quenctes to values th at can be
read on the meter.
C1
.6l
1
C2
.ot ,S"
TOOl
I C3

''''',
vOlIS
OUTl'U1

Figu re 7 s ho ws h ow the cir-

cuit In Fig. 6 can be m odified to
become a n a nalo g. ta chome te r A G. 14-NEON-LA MP DRIVER based on the 555. a. and OC-Il>DC converter wllh
or revolutions per minute Irpml l"llC1if ier and fi lter replacing lamp, b.
meter for motor vehicles . The
circu it Is powered by a regulated
+5VTO +15V
8.2 volts deri ved from the veht-
cle's 12-volt battery with resistor
10K
01
W.1A
RI. Zener dIode 01. ca pac itor 2
CI. and the Ign ition switch . The R2
555 Is tr iggered by a s ignal from
the veh icle's breaker points con -
ditioned by the n etwork of re- .
41K
.OOK

'"
R3
3 1000
L1

s is to r R2 . capacitor C2. and
Zener diode 0 2.
The 50- m icroampere moving-
coil mete r Ml. the rpm Indi ca-
tor. Is activated from OUTPUT pin
3 of the 555 th rou gh d iode 0 3 .
Cu rren t Is applied to the me ter
th ro ugh series-connected re-
s is t o r R5 and C A L IB R AT E
po ten ti om e ter R6 fro m t he
power supply whe n th e 555's
ou tpu t Is hi gh . But cu rren t Is
dropped nearly to zero by diode
DI wh en the 555s ou tpu t Is low.
Both th e circu its of Figures 6
and 7 are powered from regu-
lated sources to ensure a con-
sta nt pul se a m p lit u d e a n d
provid e accurate. rep eat abl e
readings from the meter. The
meter Is ac tually a current-Indi-
cati ng device. but It Is co n -
n ected a s a voltage- rea d in g
meter with s u itable multiplying
resistors. Th ey a re R6 and R71n
Fig. 6 and R5 an d R6 In Fig. 7.
-'"
(fREal
7 27~F" T1
.'"
OUTl'U1
5
II (120 TO 230V
50Hz TO 60Hz)
C1
e.t
C2
'.1
C3
.01
02
TIP'" TOOl'S"
FIG. 15--DC-tl>AC INVERTER based on th e 555.
Th e diagra m of Fig. 8 s ho ws 555 ca n become the key compo-
the ou tline sc he matic for an al- nent In a m issi ng-pulse d etec-
te r na tive a nalog fre q ue ncy to r t hat closes a r e la y o r
m eter that requ ires neither a illuminates a LEO if a normally
multiplier resistor nor a regu- expected even t fails to occur.
lated power s upply. In this cir- T h e 555 Is co n n ect ed as a
cu it. ocrror p in 3 of th e 555 Is monos table multlvlbrator ex-
con nected to the meter through cept t hat Q I Is pla ced acros s
JFET transistor QI. Con figued ti ming capacitor CI. and Its
as a cons tan t-cu r ren t genera tor bas e Is con n ected to TR IGG ER
through pot enti om eter R3 . it pin 2 of th e IC through RI.
se nds a fixed -amplitude p ulse A se ri es of s hort p u ls e- or
to the m eter regardless of varia- switch-derived clock Input sig-
tions In the supply voltage. nals from the mo nitored event
Is sent to pl n 2. The valu es of R3
Missingpuls e d etector and C1 were selected so that the
Figu re 9 Illus trates h ow the n atural mon ostable per iod of

-vl
- / 8 -, ----------- ---/4\..R!.S!!.
rI
,,
..,
, 0lI11'\IT
T1iRESHOlD I
,.,
~ 6 _~~O -
.. i ,.1,
CONTROl 'T
~-,t..
' 1'
!, SOK
TRIGGE.!;'
"', ,' THRESHOLD
~K
,: OOMPB
I
L_\ 1
,..
t -----------------------
_
fGROUNO
FIG. 16-FUNcnONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM and pInout of the CMOS 7555.
th e Ie Is sligh tly longer than the
repeti tion period of the clock In-
pu t s ignals.
Th us . eac h time a s ho rt clock
pu ls e arrives . Cl Is ra pidly dis -
charged through Qt. a nd slmul-
taneou sl y a on e-s hot ti mi ng
peri od Is Inlttat ed through
T RI GG ER pi n 2 of the Ie. forci ng
0l1TPUT pi n 3 high . Before each
monos ta ble pe riod ca n te r m t-
na te naturally. however. a new
clock puls e a r rives a n d s tarts a
new li m ing per iod. Therefore
O lIfl 'UT pin 3 rema in s high as
long as clock-Input pu lses con-
tinue to a r rive within th e preset
time lim its.
If a clock pu ls e is m issing or
Its period exceed s the pre-s et
limits. th e monos table per iod
will end on Its own . If that hap-
pens . p in 3 of th e IC will go low
an d dr ive either th e relay or LED
"on ." As a result. the circu it be-
comes a missing-pulse detector.
It will produ ce a pulse ou tpu t
when a n Input p ulse falls to oc-
cu r with in the timer delay.
Mis s in g-pul se d e tect ors lik e
this ca n automatically warn of
gaps o r one or more mi s s ing
pul ses In a s trea m of puls es at
the input. They a re u sed In com -
muni ca ti on s sys te ms . co n -
ti nu it y tester s. and secu r ity
sys te ms . With the com po ne nt
valu es s hown . th e timer has a
n atu ra l peri od of about 30 se c-
o n ds . Th is p e ri od ca n b e
changed by changing R3 or CI
to s a tis fy s pecific n eeds.
l R P-flOP
_
I 555-based converter circu it . It
... i
,,
' Is almost eq ual In a m plitu de
ORM RS I,
no ........ ..
J ~ ,ru.
,,'I
(:!:~GE
,
':"
!
:
,:
J
,
Voltage converters.
The 555 IC can be Instru men -
tal in converting a DC voltage to
a hi gh er DC voltage . reversing
the po larity of a DC voltage or
conver tin g It to a n AC volta ge.
Figu res 10 to 15s ho wvartauo ns
of th ose circu its .
Figure 10 . for example. s ho ws
how the 555 fun cti ons In a DC
voltage doubler. The 555 ts orga-
nl zed as a free -running asta ble
mu ltivlb ra to r or s quare-wa ve
ge n e rato r t hat osc il la te s a t
a bo u t 3 kHz. {Th e os cilla tion
freq u ency is se t by th e values of
R I. R2 a n d C2 .1 The circ u it's
ou tpu t Is sen t to the ca pacitor!
di ode voltage-doub ler network
mad e up ofC 4 . 01, C5, a n d 02.
Th at network produces a volt-
age th ai Is about twice the s u p-
ply volta ge. Ca pacltor CI . ac ross
the su pply, prevents th e 3-kHz
ou tpu tof the 555 from be ing fed
back to th e IC. a nd C3 s ta b ilizes
the circu it.
Th e voltage-do ubler circu it of
Fig. 10 will operate from any DC
s u p p ly offe r in g fro m 5 to 15
volts . As a voltage doubler it ca n
provtde ou tp u ts from abo u t 10
to 30 volts . High er ou tp u t volt-
ages ca n be ob ta ined by adding
m or e multiplie r s tages to the
circu it circuit. Figure 11 Is the
sc hema tic for a De-voltage trt-
pier that can s u pply from 15 to
45 volts. a nd Fig. 12 Is the sche -
ma ti c for a DC voltage quad-
rupler th a t supplies from 20 to
60 volts.
The DC n egative-voltage gen-
e ra tor Is a par ticula rly u seful
s upplies an ou tpu t voltage th a t
but opposite In polarity to that
of the IC su pply. This circu it can
provide both positive a nd n ega-
tive voltages for powering op-
a m ps and other IC's with dual
po we r req uiremen t s fro m a
positive s u pply. The DC nega-
tive-voltage generator In Fig. 13.
like tha t s ho wn In Fig. 10 . is a 3-
kHz osc illa tor th at dr ives a volt-
age-doubler ou tpu t s tage made
up of C4. C5 . 0 1. a nd 0 2.
Figures 14-a a nd 15s how DC
to AC Inverters th at chan ge tn-
put DC voltage to ou tpu t AC
voltage by me ans of transformer
coupling. The AC voltage from
these Inverters n eeds no furth er
condtttontng. a nd it ca n be con-
verted back Into h igher DC volt-
ages with th e addi tio n of only a
half- wave recti fier a nd a ca paci-
tor filter.
The Inverter s hown In FIg. 14-
a can drive a n eon lamp With its
AC ou tput. If the la mp and re-
sistor R4 are rep laced by the di-
od e a nd ca pac ito r filt e r a s
sho wn in Fig. 14-b. th e AC out-
put can be converted back to a
low-curren t . high-voltage DC
outpu t. For exam ple. with a 5-
to 15-volt DC input. the Inverter
ca n produce a n ou tput of sev-
eral hundred volts DC.
The 555 In Fig. 14-a Is config-
ured as a 4-kHz osc illator and
Uss qua re-wave output from pin
3 Is fed back to the Inpu t of au-
dio transformer T1 through re-
sisto r R3 . Transformer TI has
th e n eces sary rati o of primary to
seco ndary tu rns to produce th e
desired ou tpu t voltage. For ex-
a mple. with a Iu -vclt s u pply and
a 1:20 turns ra tio on TI . the un-
loaded output of T I will be 200
volts. peak.
The OC-to-AC Inverter sch e-
ma tic of Fig. 15 produ ces an AC
output a t lin e freque ncy an d
voltage. The 555 Is con figured
as a low-fr equ ency oscillato r.
tu n a b le ove r th e fre q u en cy
r an ge o f 5 0 t o 60 Hz by
FREQUEN CY potentiom eter R4 .
The 55 5 feeds Its ou tpu t (ampli-
fied by 91 an d 9 21to the Input
tu rns of transformer TI. a re-
verse-con nec ted filament trans- 67
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CIRCLE 1&1 ON FflEE INFORMATlOH CARD

former wit h the n ecessary step- Th e CMOS version of the 555 HC ti me con s tan ts . The 7555
up turns ra tio. Ca pa citor C4 timer. also ab le to ope rate in can be organ ized to time out In
and ca ll LI filter the Inpu t to T I. both mo no s ta ble a n d asta ble per iod s from m icros econ ds to
assuring that it is effectively a mode s. Is known gener ically as hou rs.
s tn ewave. th e 7555 . Figu re 16 shows the Table 2 compa res the charac-
fu n ction al b lock d iag r am and terts ttcs of th e 755 5 to those of
A CMOS version of the 55 5 pi nout of the 7555 . This can be the 55 5. The 7555 per mits :
Th e sta n da r d bt pol a r 555 compa red with th e fu nc tional Lower s upply cu rrent
timer IC is s tili one of the mos t block diagram of Fig I. Note tha t Wider s u pply voltage ran ge
pop ular and versatile IC's today. the pin out Is Iden tical. Lower power dtss tpatton
bu t It has some drawbacks that Ha r r is Sem icon ductor 's ver- Lower cu rrent sp ikes in ou t-
were overcome by a CMOS ver- s ton of th e 75 55, for exa mp le, Is pu t tran s ition s
s ion . For example. the 555 will des ignated the ICM75 55 . In High er s witchi ng frequency
not ope ra te from volta ges less common with all ot her 755 5's. It per for mance
than abou t 5 volts. Moreover. It wlll run from a + 2- to + rg-von These improvemen ts mu s t be
typically draws 10 m illiam peres DC su pply. Notice that the re- ba lan ced aga in st the h ighe r
of qui escent cu rren t wh en run s ts tors In Its Internal voltage di - cost of t he 75 55. T he 7555
from a 15- volt s u pply. T h is vide r are 50 K rather than th e sho uld be s pecified only If:
ra t h e r la r g e c u r rent d r ai n 5K of the 555. Other sou rces of It Is to be u sed In a batt ery-
m ak es It u n s a ti s fa cto ry for the 7555 are Maxim (lCM7555 ) powered circ uit whe re p ower
most batt ery-powered circuits . an d Sanyo (LC7555 ). economy Is critical
In ad d iti on to tho s e s ho r t- Su pply cu r ren t to th e 7555 Is Availab le power Is 5 volts or
com ings. th e 555 p rod u ces a typ ically only 60 m icroam peres less (too low for the 55 5)
mass ive 400 -m illlampere cu r- when run from an tg-vou s u p- It Is to be in di gital cIrcu itry
rent spi ke from th e s upply as Its ply. In add ition , typical T RIGGEH. whos e s ign al ou tp u t cou ld be
ou tpu t is s witche d from on e TfIH ESHOLD. an d RE S ET cu r rents degraded by noise.
s ta te to th e ot her. A s pike, las t- are 20 ptcoa mps . orders of mag- The 7556 is th e dual CMOS
ing on ly a fraction of a microse - ni tu de lower than th ose of the cou nterpart of the bipolar 55 6.
con d , can cause los t b it s In bipolar 555. T hose low cu rre nts T he 75 55 ca n d irectly replace
digital circu its near th e 555 or perm it th e u se of h igh er Imp ed- any 555 in all the circ u its pre-
"
powered from the same s u pp ly. ance tim ing elements for longer sented In th is sertcs . (-E
I
T UMBl.ING PRI CES AND S URGING
power h ave bro ug ht compu ters
into nearly every facet of ou r
lives. Gone forever are the days
wh en o n ly large co mpa n ies
cou ld afford compu ters. No lon-
ger does It ta ke a m ainfram e
th at nearl y fills an entire room
to so rt bus iness records or do
mind-bending arith metic. To-
day 's po we rful ye t a ffordab le
desktop mach ines are taking on
exc it ing n ew chores In every
ph as e of b u s in es s - a nd t he
home.
Accor d in g to the Electronic
Ind u s tr ies Association lE lA).
the com puter and p er iph er al
market more than doubled dur-
ing the 1980s , from $24.3 bil-
lion in 1980 to $56.1 billion In
1990, as shown in Fig. I. Ac-
cordi ng to the EIA. the home
computer market grew 50% In
one three-year pe riod , from
$4 .5 billion In 1988 to $6.4 bil-
lion In 1991. In ad dition, per-
so nal computers can be found
In 33% of the h om es In t he
Unit ed S tates.
To d a y 's com p ute rs can
crunch rea ms of data at blind-
Ing s peeds. b ut Imp rovem ents
In monitor tech nology h ave also
Increased the number of com-
p u ter a p plIca ti ons. Desktop
publi shi ng syste ms tha t com-
bine tex t a n d g ra p h ics a re
br inging print-s hop quality to
fin an ci a l r eport s , co m pa ny
news letters, and sales pres enta-
tio ns. Su rgeons create comput-
er-ge ne rated . 3 -0 images of
the ir patien ts' Insides long be-
fore t hey p ick ,u p a scalp el.
Lan dscape a rtis ts des ign Itfe-
like layou ts with trees, s hrubs.
and Ilcwers before tur ni ng a
single spade of d irt.
Monitor manufacturers are
con ti nu ally working to Improve
gra phics clarity and resolution,
and large strtdes have occurred
du ring the past decade. The
monitors of the ea r ly etght tes
had poor reso lution and fuzzy
graph ics compared to those on
th e market today. 'Iodays ma in -
s trea m monitors are ca pable of
di splaying cr isp gra ph ics and
text. High -end m on it or s p ro-
duce fabulou s pi ctu re s with
crys tal-clear resolution.
Monitor improvements
T h ese Improvem ent s h a ve
come abou t as a result of en -
ha nci n g fou r prtmary per for-
m an c e-d e finin g ch ara c-
teristics: hor izon tal frequency.
h ori zon tal res olution . ver ti cal
frequency. and vertical reso lu -
tio n , as sho wn In Fig. 2. Eac h Is
defined below:
Horizontal Frequency T he
number of ti mes per second the
electronic beam travels h orizon-
ta lly across the CRT and back.
Hori zon tal scan ti me Is the In-
i
~
verse of ho rizontal frequency "!
llifh). -
Horizontal Resolution The ~
number of dots or picture ele- m
ments I'tptxels"! that can be dts- ~
played horizon tally. A pixel Is :;
the s mallest do t the m on it or jl
can di splay. ~
Vertic al Frequenc y Th e ~
number of times per sec on d th e
electron beam travels from the 69
 UMfTBI S'WES COMPUnR I:
Th e s maller th e do t pitch . the
alMMER PERFtlERAl SA1..D sharper the Image. Typical val-
ues of dot pitch a re between
0 .26 a n d 0 .50 mm. Fig ure 3
60 shows the d istance between the
ce nters of two red dots .
50 To da y 's hi g h - r e s ol u t io n

... " f--- DOT PITCH .. [

~~ se
e
,.
10

0
'93'
""
FIG, 1-SALES OF COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERALS surged In th e 1980's, and co n-
tinue 10 grow In t he 1990's,
~DEO
VEflTI W
SYNC
FIG. Z-eOMPUTER MONITOR PERFORMANCE can be defined by tour eneree-
terlsllcs: ho rizontal frequency and resolutfon, and vertical frequen cy end reso lutio n.
top of th e CRT to the bott om
and back. VertIcal scan time Is
the Inverse ofvertical frequency
Ilif. )
Vertical Resolution The
n u mber of pi cture elemen ts d is -
played vertica lly on th e CRT.
Vertical resolution ts compa ra-
70 ble to the n u mber of "ltnes' In
,.... "..
'934 1990 1992
' 938
FIG. 3--00T PITCH is th e di st ance be-
tween like colors in a CRT shadow mask.
m onitors re prese n t Im prove-
ments over th eir predecessors
tn several ways , includ ing In-
1-")HOROO "",-
PIXElS
-,
-----..,
creased hori zontal and vertical
frequency a n d resol u tio n , and
decreas ed d ot pitch. On early
mo n it o r s . the ele ct ro n b eam
typ ically took 63. 7 us tcorresp-
on dtng to a frequency of 15. 7
kHz l to scan one lin e. Today it is
not uncom mon for the bea m to
complete Its trip In 13.0 f.1S(76.9
kHzl or even less. as shown tn
Fig. 4 .
In addi tio n. more pixels a re
being di spl ayed pe r h ortzontal
line, a n d more lines a re d is-
played per frame. Whereas ea rly
co m p u te r m onitors h a d 6 40
h orizon tal pixe ls a n d 200 lin es ,
co m mo n monitors t oday h a ve
1.024 horizontal pixels and 768
lin es-or more. A fas ter s ca n
rate gives the m onitor ex t ra
time to display add itio nal lines
and pixels .
Video bandwidth
Video bandwidth is the hi gh-
es t frequency th e mo nitors vid-
eo circu its ca n pass . In gen eral.
h igh e r r e s o luti o n require s
h igher bandwidth . A visual in-
televis ion terminology. d ic ati o n o f s u ffic ie n t b and -
A fi ft h c ha rac t e r is tic . d ot width comes from d isplaying a
pitch . also plays a role In deter- pattern that produces a s ingle-
min in g t h e res olu ti on of a pixel lin e. as shown in Fig. 5.
monitor. Dot pitch Is the d is- Th get a basi c understanding
tance b etw een like colors In the of the band widths requi red by
s hadow mask. Dot pitch deter- h ig h - a n d lo w-re s ol u ti on
mines the si ze of the s malles t m on it ors . le t 's ca lc u late t h e
pixel a color CRT ca n d ispl ay. bandwidth requtred by ea ch .
 er th an 2 volts} or low (les s than
1 PIXEl WIDTH 0 . 8 vo lt s) . A co lor d i git a l
lOWRESOlUTIONMONITOR
lONE SCAA UNE. 6:\J.s)
- 11- monit or h as red . gree n . blue
and (u sually) In ten sity Inputs.

~
HIGH RESOLUTION MONITOR and it can d isplay as ma ny as 64
(ONESCoI.N UNE. 1J,.is) colors . depend ing on the b inary
code on th e RGBl lnpu ts . Figure
7 sho ws how different combi na -
ti ons of I s and Os translate In to
: different colors on a d igi tal color
mo nitor. A digital monoch rom e
_ --ooc- monitor ca n di s play as ma ny as
64 s hades of gray (or gree n or
FIG. 4-A HIGH-RESOLUTIONMONITOR a mber. depending on the phos -
scans acroas th e screen more than four
time s. whil e a low-resolution monitor
phor). also by us in g comb ina-
doe s so once. tio ns of logic levels.
An analog m on it or ca n d is-
play an Infin ite number of col-
Well a nal yze a hi gh -res olution FIG. 5-A ONE-PIXEL VERTICAL LINE Is ors (o r s h ad es of g ray ). The
a good Indicator of a monitor's mea-
monitor tha t sca ns at 64 kHz Imum bandwidth. A crIsp. di stinct lin e video s ignal fed to a n a nalog
a nd di s plays 1024 p ixels per show s that the monitor has suff icie nt m oni t or Is u su all y 0 .7 volt s
li n e . a n d a low-res o lu ti on bandwidth. pea k-to-pea k (blac k to wh ite).
monitor that scans at 15 .7 kHz
and d isplays 640 p ixels per ltne.
H.lgb-Res oluUon Bandwidth - - - - - - TOTAl TIME - - - - - -. !
In ver ting t he horizon tal scan -
n ing freque ncy (6 4 kHz) gives a
total h orizontal scan ti me of
15 .6 IJ.S. As s h own In Fig. 6 .
about 80% of tha t time Is for
active video Iwhat s seen on the
mon itor ) a n d a bou t 20% Is for
blanking. Us ing the 80120 ratio
In the exa mple translates In to
12 .5/3 .1 1J-S ac tlvelblanklng. If It
HORlZOtaAl l
I I
FIG. 6-A TYPICAL VIDEO SCAN LINE con sists of 80% eeuve video and 20% blanking .
takes 12.5 IJ.S to d isplay 1024
pi x el s . It the re fo re t a k e s
12 .5/102 4 = 12.2 n s to dtsplay a
s ing le p ixel. Invertin g that fig-
, .. ,,
,,
. , , 5 VOlIS
u re gives a bandwidth of 8 1.9 ,,
MHz. So. to see a crisp. dis tinct
lin e. one pixe l wid e. th e ba nd -
REO
INPUT ,, oVOlIS
width of the video a mplifiers In
a hi gh-resolu tion monitor must .
be 8 1.9 MHz or gre ater;
Low- Resolutio n Bandwidth 5 VOLIS
A hor izon tal scan ra te of 15.7
k Hz g ives a h or izo nta l s can GREEN
time of 63.7 IJ-S. E ighty pe rcent IN PUT
of th at Is 51.0 IJ-S, du rt ng which
oVOUS
6 40 p ixels will be di splayed .
T hu s t he tim e p e r p ixel =
5 1/6 40 = 79.6 n s , In ve rti ng
that figu re gives a low-res olu - ,, 5 VOIJS

tio n bandwid th of 12.6 MHz. BLUE

INl'I/T
,
Computer mcnltcre , , ,,I oVOIJS
Mon itors can be dtvtded Into
three basic ca tegories : digital, BlACK I R'O I GREEN I BLUE IWHm
analog. a nd ECL (emitter-cou -
FIG. 7- A DIGITAL-INPUT MONITORPRODUCES COLORS based on various com bln a--
pled logtc), Digital a n d analog tlons 01 sIgnals. For ell8mple, the mon itor di sp lays magenta whe n red and blue are
monitors can be either mono- high Ind green Is low.
ch rome or color. ECL monitors
a re always mono chrome. di gital m on it or a re TTL logic Figu re 8 Illu stra tes th e cc r re-
The video In put s ignals to a levels that are either h igh Igrea t- sponden ce between a na log In- 71
 pu t voltage and gray level.
Thach ieve fast switch ing time
a n d h igher reso lutio n . som e
hi gh-end m onitors u s e ECL
ICs . ECL mon itors are mono-
chrome. ca n displ ay only a lim-
ited number of s hades of gray.
typicallyh ave a 19-1nch or larger
sc ree n . a nd h orizontal resolu-
tio ns greater tha n 1024 p ixels .
Video adap ters
Most IBM-compatible person-
al co m pu te rs h a ve a video
adapter card th at Is respon sible
for ge nerati ng the video a n d
sy nc s ig n a ls u sed by t h e
mon itor. Th ere are many stan-
da rds for the d ifferent video for-
mats . as sho wn in Thble l. Each
forma t h as a d ifferent resolu -
tion a n d s ca n ra te . Fixed-fre-
quen cy mo nitors are b uIlt to
handle Jus t one format ; mulu-
WHIlf
0.7 VPP
BLACK
O.OVPPi
/' ... 1\
FIG. 8-AN A NALOG MON ITO R can d is-
pl ay an In fin it e n umber 01 colo rs o r
shades 01gray.
frequen cy mo nitors can handle
several. Digit al m onochrome
mon it ors a re leas t expensive.
followed by analog mon ochrom e
mon itors. followed by fixed-fre-
quen cy color monitors . followed
b y m ulti -f re que ncy c o lor
monitors .
IBM In troduced th e eGA an d
MDA formats In the early
1980 s . Both are digit al for ma ts .
CGA provides 16 colors an d can
dIsplay bi t-mapped gra ph ics at
72 a resolu tio n of640 x 200. MDA
TABLE 1-COMMON COMPUTER MONITOR FORMATS
Syste m/Mode Horizontal Vertical Hor izontal Vertica l
Frequ enc y Freque ncy Resol uti on Reso lution
(k Hz) ,lUI (Pixels) (Unes)
Cokm'GraphiCs Arra (CGA) 15.7 60 &10 200
Monochrome Oispla Adapter (MOA) 16.4 50 720 350
Hercules Graphics Ada ler (HGC) 16.4 50 720 350
Entlanced Gr lee Adapter (EGA) 21.6 60 &10 350
ProfessiOnal Graphics Adapter (PGA) 30.5 60 &10 480
Video Graphics Array (VGAl Mode 1 31.5 70 &10 350
Video Gr hies (VGAI Mode 2 31.5 60 &10 480
Video GraphiCS (VGA (Mode 3) 31.5 70 720 400
Soper VGA 35.2 56 600 600
6514A 35.2 87 1024 756
Extended Graphics Adapter (XGA) 35.2 87 1024 768
Ie Maclnlosh II 35.5 87 &10 480
provides on ly two sh ades of a in trod u ced a variety of Su per
s ing le color and ca nn ot display VGA for mat s that typically-max-
grap h ics . T h e Hercu les car d ou t at 1024 x 768. wtth 256
met a need by provtdt ng total colors. IBM la ter introduc ed
compatl billtywtth th e MDA an d XGA. t h e cu rren t vers ton of
also providing th e ab ility to dts- whic h supports 1024 x 76 8 x
play b it-ma pp ed graph ics, e.g.. 256. Th ere are rumors that an
graphs In Lotus 1-2-3 . u p c o mi n g 80x86 mi c r o -
IB M In tr od u ced t he E GA process or from In tel wlll have a
sta n da rd in 1984. EGA's in - built-In XGA video process or.
creased scan ni ng frequ ency al- T he Ma cin tosh II stan da rd
low ed a signi fica nt Im p rove- produces an ana log video s ignal
men t in res olu ti on over CGA. with se pa rate compos ite TTL
from 200 to 350 lines (horizon- sy nc . Ot he r MAC sta nda r ds
tal r es olu tl o n re mai ned t he place th e composite sync on the
same ). EGA Is a dtgttal standard gree n video lin e, Some Macin-
that ca n slmultaneou slydlsplay tosh video ca rds are capa ble of
16 of a total of 64 colors . producin g 256 colors from more
Next ca me IBM's PGA s tan - than 16 m illion . These cards are
dard. In 1985 . It was the firs t also ava ila ble for PC's.
PC-ba s ed a n alog forma t . with Th e video formats s hown in
TTL compos ite sync . The scan- Ta bl e 1 Ill u strate t he vast
ni ng frequency Increased EGA's changes th at have occurred in
2 l.8 kHz by about 50% to 30.5 the PC s ide o f th e com pu ter
kH z. T h e PGA standa rd d is-
plays 256 colors out of 4096.
ma r ket du r ing th e past ten
years . Bu t the cha r t does n 't tell
IBMin troduced th e VGAstan - the enti re s tory; the se are only
d ard In 19 87 , VGA produ ces the monit ors s old for main-
analog video with se pa rate TTL s tream a pplica tio ns (e.g. word
sync. and a hor izon tal sca n fre- process in g , s p rea dsheets. an d
qu en cy of 31.5 kHz. VGA can h om e fin ance). In oih er areas
di spl ay 256 co lo r s o u t o f (e .g . . engi n eer in g worksta -
256. 0 00 In a low-res olution tio ns, medical lmagtn g devices.
mode. an d 16 colors In a text h igh- en d p u bli sh in g eq u tp -
mode . VGA in creased vertical merit). It Is not uncom mon for
res oluti on fr om 350 to 480 mon itors to have res olu tio ns of
ltnes . again keeping ho r izontal 2,048 pixels or more. and hori-
resolu tion the sa me at 640. zontal s ca n frequencies ihree to
After VGA started to become fou r times greater th an th at of
pop ular, th e market demanded VGA. Wou ld n 't It be great to
even more res olution and color. have on e of those mon ito rs s tt-
IBM Int roduced the 85 14. b ut tlng on your desk ? If current
pr ices were hi gh . an d at fir st mar ket trends conti nue . there's
only a model for the PS/2 was a good chance that you wlll-
ava ilable. So video-card vendors and soon . R-E
 The latest in electronics is only a
phone call awayl 18002217 74
In N.Y. or if busy call: 1718722-4750. Please me ntio n co de ESB92 .

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 WHAT'S NEWS
continued from page 6

II II

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VIDEO NEWS
continued from page 8
HDTV service, since most major ca-
ble sys tems have channels to
spare. It's easy to see the possibility
of a pay channel carrying movies in
widescreen near-theater definition,
the way they were intended to be
seen. In fact. HBO and other pay
cable operators are excited over the
prospect. The same is true of the
proposed multi-channel direct satel-
lit e -t o-home sys te ms , suc h as
Hughes A ircraft 's OirecTV, which
see m certai n t o earmark some
channels for HOTV.
The real key to the equation lies
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Test after test shO'NS average view-
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important than pic ture quality. A
massive educ ation job and some
signif icant program pump-priming
seem indicated if HOTV is to catch
on in a faster time frame than color
TV's 10 years. R-E

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I
I
I
I o
I TOGGLE OR
FIG. 1O-EXPLOOEO VIEW OF INRUSHCURRENT limi ter circui t In enclosure. Note the
comp letio n of ground wi th in the case w ith 8 3-w ire power c ord .
, 0r'0IJe<l
the completed circu it. Pu ll the
t h r ee-w ir e ca b le th r ou gh a tacle.
gromm et In the case s idewall as
s h own. Strip the j ack et from
the cab le in th e cascos tr ip the
end of the green ground wire.
a nd con nect It to thc grou n d ter-
mina l of th e th ree-pron g rece p-
tacle . Solder one of the ca bles
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switch.
Us ing s hor t Insu la ted lengths
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switch to the other s ide of th e
PC board , as s hown. Solder two
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to the ou tpu t pa ds on the PC
board , a nd co n nect their oth er
11-=(')
0'"
llOARD
ROCKfR
SWITCH
"" "
MOONT
RfCEl'7AClE
(3 PRONG)
GAOlJHl)
WlRf
(GREEN)
ends to the pa n el-mou n t recep-
Fasten th e circu it assembly In
In t he ca s e wit h h old-down
screws an d close the cove r. Fas-
ten th e cove r In position wHh
the fou r screws Included. The
Inrush-c u rre n t limiter then be-
comes a plug-In a cces so ry and
the h os t equipmen t need n ot be
a ltered . Th e equ tpmen ts power
switch s hou ld be cla mped In the
"o n "pos ition so that power to
th e eq u ipm ent is then a pplied
wit h the lim iter s ON -OFF togglc
or rocker switch .
Although the s u rge protector
Is In the circu it only for s ho rt
ti me Intervals. be s u re that a ny
pro tected equ tp men t does n ot
d raw more than 2 a mpe res . R-E
 HARDWARE HACKER
Conventional currents, assorted wonderments, navigation and
navicubes, FM Vagi antenna design, and two new piezo rate gyros.
S
O many exciting new hacker
op portu nities have come
down this month that Ido not
evenknow where to start. We seem
to be mov ing into a boundless new
era of hardware hacking.
Before we begin. though. there
have been a few recent hetpline calls
over some really ancient history
which we should go over one final
time...
Follow t hat current!
Which waydoes the currenttravel
in any electrical or elect ronic cir-
cuit? Many years ago, one of the
electrical pionee rs ventured his wi ld
guess that electrical current always
goe s from the neqetive to the
positive te rminal in an energy
source and from positive to nega
tM? in an energy sink.
Ittook oeera centuryto verify. but
the gue ss turned out to be correct .
A! least for certain sclid-etete cir-
cuits. at least some of the time.
To this day. this guess is called
the conventional electrical current.
and appears in Fig. 1. Conventional
current is the only standard taught
in all universi ty- and all graduate-
level engineering cou rses. is used
by all physicists. and is accepted by
aI/ large elect ronic firms worldwide.
Conventional current is she.....vn in
the direction of the arrows on all the
standard electronic symbols. Even
the IEEE t ie clasp and cuff links
strongly restates convento nel cur-
rent. So does the right-hand qener-
ator rule and left-hand motor rule.
Yeah. but just which waydoes the
current really go? Well. a glib an-
swer for the new age nineties is
"any way you want it to ."
In semiconduct or loads, the cur-
rent direction is decided by the ma-
jOrity carriers. In any PNP transisto r
or any P.channel MOSFET, con -
duction is by hole carriers. and the
current does in fact go in exactly the
same direction as the conventional
current. In Nctype devices. the cur-
rent is the opposite of the conven-
tional current direction.
So what is the problem? And why
am I st anding here w hipping this
lc nq-dead horse?
Way back during World War II,
PNP vacuum tubes were very few
and far between. Come to think of it.
they still are. Because of that. the
military introduced the concept of
the electron current to explain how a
vacu um tube works . A nd many
trade schools and lower-level text-
books continued the practice into
the fifties and sixties .
That led to the absurd result that
a few hackers. tec hnicians. and
much of the hobby press had their
currents heading in one way, while
all of the engineers. physicists, and
the rest of industry had their cur-
rents heading in the exact opposite
direction.
The bott om line: If any individual
or any textbook still tries to teach
you electron current, they are rip'
ping you off. They are also doing you
a serious disservice that will lead
you to untold confusion and latt er
day hassles.
Neither elect ron nor conventional
current is correct all of the time. The
overwhelming majority of industry
and profes sional- level tra ining
always goes with the conventional
current. Among the other reasons,
because there is no compelling rea-
son not to.
NEED HELP?
Phone or write your Hardware
Hacker questions directly to :
Don Lancaster
Syn ergetlcs
Box 809
Th atcher, /J.Z 65552
(602) 428-4073
DON LANCASTER
Just what would it take to convert
industry over to electron current?
For openers, extremely frigid condi-
tions in a distinctly unpleasant lo-
cale. Or some words to that effect.
Even then, lwould not expect to see
this happen until a few weeks after
the Ayatolla's Bar Mitzvah.
Navicube update
Way ba ck in a J u ly 19 8 8
Hardware Hacker. we looked at the
Navicube, a 3-inch, $10 cube that
always knew where it was and which
way it was pointed. Well, we still
don't have $10 Nevcubes. although
1do expect some Korean toy man-
ufactu rer or tw o kids in an Iowa
basement to co me up with a really
good one shortly.
A lot is h appen i ng w ith
Nevrcubes . both evo lut ionary and
revolutio nary. An update summary
of Navicube info appears as our re-
source sidebar.
Todey's po pular approache s to
the Nevicubes include the C PS sat-
ellite system, f1uxgates, real gyros,
laser gyros, accelerometers, and a
pair of brand new piezo gyros.
The GPS global POSitioning sys-
tem is going great guns. Their eigh-
teenth satellite is now in orbit, and
Russian and ECC competing sys-
tems are now being estab lished.
Receiver prices are in free fall, and
the S500 barrier has recently been
broken.
GPS World is your foremo st
trade joumal. Its publisher also just
started up a new GPSWorldShON-
case shop per. As before. t he
Journal of the Ins titute of Nsviga tion
is the finest Navicube technical re-
source.
A lth ou gh Rockwell is still the
most obvious source for the C PS
chip sets. Hewlett Packard has just
developed a new single-chip C PS
front end. While it's too early for a
part number, several details now ap-
pear in M icrowaves & RF for August T7
 The conventional The conventional
currant travels from currant travels from
NEGA TIVE to POSITIVE ...n. POS ITIVE to NE GATIVE
in any SOURCE. V in any LOAD.
! ~
=
FIG. 1-CONVENTIONAL ELECTRIC CURRENTgoes from negative to pos itive in any
energy source and from positive 10negative in any energy sink. This Is fh tt sta ndard
used by all graduale engineers and physicist s, and In electron ic symbols, and the
Industry worldwide. II even appears on Ihe IEEE cu ffl inks.
1992. I expect cheap new GPS Many hackers still labor under the
parts real soon now. from several delusion that Hall-effect device s
obvious sources. can be used as compasses. Well.
North sensing isbest done using possibly they can. but f1uxgates are
fluxgate magnetom eters. Radio thousands of times more sensitive.
Shack has a cheap one in its car One except ion is the very tow
compass. and KVH sells expensive cost Dinsmore magnetic compass
commercial unit s. We have seen sensor. Sadly. its best possible ec-
several fluxgate construction proj- curacy is a crude 22.5 degrees.
ects . and references to them in Solid-state accelerometers con-
those Hardware Hacker II reprints. tinue to drop in price. spurred on by
Naturally. any magnetic sensor gets newer automotive uses. especially
confused by nearby iron. airbags. VVhile M otorola and M icro
Switch are the largest suppliers, the
bett er priced and more innovative
sen s ors are now prov ided by
Analog Devices. SenSym. IC Sen-
sors . and N ovaSensor.
HARDWARE HACK ER STU FF Your two be st accelerometer
HI ,dwlre HlCke, ROjI ,lnl . ll 0' III 24.50 trade joumals are Measurement &
Midnight Enlll_lnll R~pllnla 11.50
RIIOIIICl Bin ROjIl lnl. 12.50 Control and Sensors.
In~ ..dlb l. Slc r~1 MOnlY " .~hl ... 11.50 Note that you could integrate
CMOS Cookbook 24.50
TTL CookboOk 24.50 (sum through time) any acceleration
A~tlve Fllterl Cookbook 24.50 to get velocity, and then integrate
M I~ ro Coo kboo k vol I 0' II 1t.50
L l n~ ..ler Cln.l~ . Llb" ry 111.50 velocity to get the position. There is
POSTSCRIPT STUFF
one huge technical hassle with ac-
Alk Tho Guru noprlnt. I, II 01 III 24.50 cele romete rs. though-it's called
LllerrWlllo, SO~'ltl (lIo' l.bc:JPC) 2D.50 the "t-squared'' problem. Any bias
PO ltS~llpt Show & Ti ll 3D.50
InllO 10 POI I S~llp l VHS Vldl o 39.$0 or similar error in acceleration ulti-
P O ltS~ 'lpt Blglnnlr SMI 31.$ 0 mately piles up as a position error
POlt~ltpt Cookbool (Adobe ) 16.50
POII S~l tpt RII. 'oIInu.t II (Adabl) 28.50 that is proportional to time squared.
POII~ripl Progl .m Do. llln (Adobe) 22.50 That means if you wait around
Ty~ I Fonl Form.1 (Adob. ) 1S.50
Ln . , Wrlt., R.teren~o (Appll) 1t.50 long enough for your position. it is
Rill WOlld Po .t'~llp l (Rolh) 22.50 certain to be w ro ng . A c c el er-
PO' !S<:11p1VI. ua! A pproa~h (Smith ) 22.50
Thinking In POII$(;l lpl (R.l d) 22.50 ometers work best for short -term
Und.1 PS P9rmmll (MoItzll.ng) 29.50 uses. when they can be repeatedly
The Whole Wo. " (.11 p o. t S~r lpl ) 3.111.50
recali brated or reset fro m some
BOOK.()N-DE MANO STU FF other standard every now and then.
BooIHln-dolll.nd rnOUICI III 39.50 Classic navigation is usually done
GEnlo PSRT ..mplo. (1Je{M.eJPC) 39 .50
FREE VOiCE HELPLINE VISAJMC
by using mechanical gyros. They are
nothing but rapidly spinning mass-
SYNERGETICS es. comparable to a toy gyroscope.
BO il 809RE They can be cos tly. cumbersome.
Thatcher. A Z 85552
( 6 0 2 ) 428 4073 and often involve precision ele -
ments rotating at very high speeds.
ORCU 21' OM FREE lNfOftlUTlON CARD
7. Gyros are available as surplus from
Fair Radio Sales. Radio Research
Instru ments. and AST Servo Sys -
tems. One current manufacturer is
Humphrey Products.
Yes. there are laser gyroscopes.
A cod of hbe r-opttc cable has co-
here nt lase r light beam s routed
through it in opposite direct ions
which then can be phase compared.
But not much seems to be happen-
ing here to drop the costs by the
1000 :1 neede d to make them a
practical hacker tool. Good informa-
tion on laser gyroscopes is available
from the IEEE Press and from SPfE.
But our really big Navicube gyro
news for this month involves a pair
of brand new...
Solid'stat e rate gyros
A rate gyro is a special gyroscope
thai can tell you how fast }QJ are
turning. By integrating your rate of
tum. you can get your direction. By
combining that with some sepa-
rately measured velocity. you can
find your pre sent po sition. And
there will be no t-squared problem.
since no double integrat ion is in-
volved.
Traditional rate gyros are available
from the sources of regular gyros
we just looked at. A hackable and a
low.cost fluidic tate gyro was made
a few years back by Doug Gamer at
NA SA. It used an airstream differen-
tial cooling a pair of thermisto rs. But
not too much seems to have come
of that approach either.
A pair of new solid-state rate
gyros are now available. At least one
of them promises to end up as a $5
component. Because they both use
vibrating plezo structures. it is not
quite correct to say that they have
no maving parts. But they certainly
are simple and rugged slnqle-piece
units with no rotating parts or prect-
sian mechanisms.
The first unit is the Gy roChip by
Systron Donner. shown in Fig. 2a.
This is a pair of back-to -back tuning
forks machined from a single piece
of silicon. The phase of the output
signal it determined by the Coriofis
force caused by tuming.
The second piezo gyro is that
new Gyro star by M urata Erie .
shown in Fig. 2-b. This is just a tri-
angularpiezo oscillator. The Conolrs
force of rotation again changes the
phase of the output signal in propor-
 at one time. you can see what has
happened and what is going to hap-
-i ~ DRIVER
pen. An instant and real-time plot of
images versus time.
Nat urally. the ed ges w ill only
(side view) show you wildly abstract colors or
patterns. But . with practice. those
patterns can easily be read for the
--I SENSOR scene, camera angle. panning. du-
ration. sound sync. and much more.
A non -obv ious app lic at ion :
(A) The systren-nenner GyroChlp 15 bas ed on two coupl ed
tuning forks. The Corio ll s force from any rotation around Quickly finding a buried sequence in
the vertical axis cha nges the phase and amplitud e 01 the a humongous video data base. It is
synchronously demodu lated output signal . sort of the video equivalent to that
ISAM . or indexed s equential ac -
cess me thod long used in data
bases.
The editing. tweening. scanning.
LEFT ~ROUTPUT
OUTPUT
lGHT hlqh-speed access, and all the visu-
al f low possibili ties o f th is new
(top vie w) scheme seem boundless.
Wavelets- The onslaught con-
tinues. A second book is now avail-
ORIVER abl e and t itled Ten Lect ures on
(8 ) The Murata-Erie Gy roStar is based on carefull y co ntrolled
WaYelets by Ingrid Daubechies and
vibra tion modes in a triangular plezo elemen!. A ny relative published by SfAM. shorthand for
clock wise or co untercloc kwise rcrene n changes Ihe pha se the Society for Industrial and Ap-
and amplitu de 01 the output signals. plied Mathematics. VVhile it's a first-
rate text, this is a very advanced
math book that makes for rough
FIG. 2-NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN PfEZQ RATE GYROS should eve ntually lead to low reading by mere mortals.
cost Navlcu be so lutions_A rate gyro tell, yo u how fasl you are now tuming . lntegrat- A brief story on optical wavelet
ing the tum rate (summing th rough time) gi ves the present direction. uses appears in the August 1992
issue of Photonic s Spec tra. A ll
tion to the rotation rate. This neN the upper le ft o f you r moni t or those optics folks sure do have it
scheme looks ridiculously simpler screen. Next. move do.vn one pixel easy.Theyjust dump a pile of crock-
and vastly more elegant than the and one pixel to the right. and then ery on the table. squirt some light
GyroChip design. repeat the process for the next through it. and they get instant real-
While both of those breakthrough frame in the sequence. Continue time 2-dimensional Fourier or wave'
devices have the potential to be- until you have a diagonal smirp on let tran sform s. None of the old
come low-cost parts. samples to- dow n your screen, ending w ith a pctnt-by-pot nt c om putation non-
da y cos t $300 for Murata 's final full small image. Vv'hile you are sense for them.
GyroStar. and a ludicrous $2000 for at it , show your sound amplitude for An entire issue on optical wavelet
the GyroChip. Their support liter- each frame along the top diagonal transform s appears as the Sep -
ature so far is also utterly dismal. of the smirp. tember 1992 issue of Optical Engi-
But a new $5 Hong Kong knockoff What do you have? In one place ne e ring. I have adde d #494
is just about certain to become and at one time. a display that lets EMERGOP2.PS and # 456 WAVE
quickly available. you view the temporal content of a LETS.PS to GEnie PSRT to go
time se quenc e of multimedia or along with all the rest of our wavelet
Asso rted wonderm ents other video. In short . you can in- downloads. A complete list appears
Continuing this month's stunning stantly look forward or backwa rd in Fig. 3.
new developments. here is a double thro ug h time. se ein g the rela- M ultilayer PC breakth rough- I
handful of great new stuff... t ion ship betwee n you r cu rre nt am still looking for a hacker solution
Image Striking-Be sur e t o frame. its recent history, and its that makes printed-circu it plate d-
check out Motion Imaging Process - near future! through holes cheaply possible at
ing: Striking Possibilities in the Au- Looking at this "strtkmq" con- home . Or some work around that
gus t 1992 iss ue of A dvanced cept in a slightly different Wfrj. say flat out does a-NaY with the need for
Imaging. What 'Ne apparently have you had a few feet of movie film. Cut through holes.
here is a unique new concept and the individual images apart so they A major step in this direction has
toolset for video, movie. and multi- haveno borders. St ack them up and been taken by Sheldahl, whose new
media editing. look sideways at their top and left special adhesive lets you build ultra
Put one frame of a small image in edges. Once again. in one place and expensive multilayer boards out of 79
 the ch eape r dou ble-si d ed ones .
Sadly. you sti ll need so me plate -
NAMES AND NUMBERS
throughs .
Their Zlink 1900 is basic ally a new
adhesive that conducts only in its Advanced Imag ing Op tica l EnglllMring
thickness direction. Just take a pair 445 Broad Hollow Rd Ste 21 1022 191h Street, Box 10
of double-sided boards and selec- Melville, NY 11747 Bellingham. WA 98227
tively apply the adhesive to one of (5161 645-2700 (206) 676-3290
CIRCl 316 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD CIRCL 325 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
them. You then add heat and pres-
sure to bond the pair toge ther. You Anixter Photon ics Spec tra
can end up with either a three - or a B1 01 E Prentice # 210 PO Box 4949
four-layer board at a tiny fract ion of Englewood, CO BOl l 1 Pittsfield, MA 01202
the go ing price. And . ye s. you ca n (303) 740-8949 (413) 499-0514
do six layer s , eig ht layers. o r as CiRC LE 3 17 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD C1RCl 326 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
many as you want. You ca n even
Channel Master Play Meter
have buried pla te d th rough hole s!
33 Gaylord Road PO Box 24970
Far simpler. cheaper. and w ith a SI Thomas. Ont, CAN N5P 3R9 New Orleans. LA 70164
much lower scrap rate than befo re. (519) 631-0320 (504) 4687003
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make the adhesive cond uct in only
o ne di rec tion wi t h conductivity Cus hcraft RePlay
about the same as real multilayer PO Box 4680 22157 Clarendon Street
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co nduc tors.
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fro m She ldahl on request.
Buckyba lls-The price of Bucky- EE Tim es Sheldahl
balls continues to drop dra matically, 600 Communily Drive PO Box 170
and they are now hacker-affordable. Manhassat, NY 11030 Northfield, MN 55057
The lead ing supplier remains MER (516) 365-4600 (507) 663-8000
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Inc.. and their pricing starts as low
as $5.50 a gram rr.m. and $90 per GEnie Soc Indu st rial & App lied Math
gram fully refined . M inimum order is 401 N Washington Street 3600 University City Science Ctt
S 50. Rockville. MD 20850 Philadelphia, PA 19104
Meanwhile . a fourth carbo n form IBOO) 6389636 (215) 3629800
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has been discovered that is called
the Buckytube : hollow cylindrical Heartland America Synergetics
pipes of carbo n that have both th e 6978 Shady Oak Road 60, B09
hardness of diamond and the sur- Eden Prairie. MN 55344 Thatcher. AZ. 85552
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and unique mat erials that conduct

heavily in only one direc tio n. Check
out the Aug ust 17 issue of E.E.
Times for a summary update.
Mor e on FM antennas
Last month. IN checked into the
fundamentals of distant FM rece p-
tion . W e have had some requests
for still more information. so here
goes ...
The noise sit uation at 100 MHz is
a tad further co mplicated than I first
made out. If you do have any remote
rural sit e, then your firs t-s taqe KTB
therma l ag it ation no ise do es . in
fac t. do minate . A nd the bes t nois e
figu re yo u can ge t is super tmpor-
tant.
A tmospheric noise is neg ligible at
FM fre quenc ies . G alact ic noise
80 runs ten decibels or so ebove KTB ,
MER, Inc
7960 South Kolb Road
Tucson, AZ. 85706
(602) 574-1980
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MX-eom Inc
4800 Bethania Station Road
Winston-salem. NC 27105
IBOO) 638-SSn
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around 100 M Hz. But you do not
norma lly poin t an FM anten na
straig ht up on a clear day, so th is is
also no problem. The potential kille r
is the manmad e noise, which can be
25 decibe ls above KTB in sub urban
locations. and 40 deci bels or more
in urban locations . Nearby dimmers
or compute rs co uld also induce
VIcto ry Eng Ineering
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those noise levels .
Most o f the manmade noi se
co mes from ca r Ign iti on s. It sure
would be intere sting to wat ch the
FCC try to enf orce the same Part 15
rules and regulations on De troit iron
that they do on Hardwa re Hackers.
Talk about potent ial noise levels!
The haM ove r this would pro bably
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-- - ---
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is cheap at $ 17 and easy to find. a dipole, and the cost is around $ 70. 1800772-6244
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tion will measure five by thirteen. length. The price seem s high at
Radio Shack used the broadband $104 .
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For your FREE Catalog, call Fair Radio M&e

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~ HAMLIN- OAK- PIONEER t

"'- SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA ~ h ave fou nd i s the Wi neg ar d
~ 24 HOUR SHIPMEN TS! iii. VVhat aoc vt building yo ur ow n sin-
~ MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! ~ C A-6 065 : it has a whopping 10.6 gle-station FM antenna ? In theory,
~ ~ QUANTITY DISCOUNTS! :iV dec ibels of gain on a 127-inch boom you co uld pick up anoth er decibel o r
~ ~ MASTER CARO / AMEX/ VISA/ C.O.O. t and cos ts around $78 . This appears two o f SIN and as much as 8-1 0 dB
h Eel! '"; i~
to be the best choice. of quieting over full-band commer-
Be sure to rememb er tha t raising cial desi gns. Especially iF you are
~~ HaW!mak e and model numbe, 01 ( yo ur anten na heigh t is usually the extra careful in tuning and matching .
~ ) llqy iprn llfll used In YtlUarea ready. ~
best way to improve the slqnal-to- And if you have a high loft in your
t~ CALL TOLL-FREE t noise rati o in typical locations . The living roo m or a wire- and metal-free

i ~ 18002848432~ clos er to line of sight yo u can get,

the better the resu lts .
atti c craw l space, an indoor de sign
can be much cheaper than a mast-
~ ~ CABLE
w).
WAREHOUSE ~
101 17 West Oakiand Park Blvd., ..
But I live in a pec an grove . Nuts.
M y tree s glop over everything, most
mounted out door one-w ith fewe r
hassles. And a Yagi is jus t a bunch
~ Sutte 515, Sunris e, FL 33351 ~ especially ante nnas. So some In- of free- floating co nductors si tti ng in
82 (!'I\ NO FLORIDASALES Illl door solu tio n seemed better for me . magic positions: a wo od frame and
-i"'~U"I"U",U"u
CIRCLE 183ONFREEINFORMATIONCARD
 balin or a 1:1 transforme r to go from
balanced 10 unbalanced.
Note that driver impeda nces ln-
side an antenna array usually end up
NASA Tech Bri efs lower tha n those values . They also
41 E 42nd Street Ste 921 must be carefully matched for best
New York, NY 10017 results.
(212) 490-3999 The bottom line : use a hai rpin
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loop for 300 ohms balanced or the
Nova Senso r pair of quarte r-wave w ires w hen you
1055 Mission Court wanl75 ohms balanced . Either- way
Fremont, CA 94539 a final matchi ng will still be needed. le , m , t !lome I~ Ip, re lime.
NoP~I uperteru IIHdHll
(415) 4909100 A six-elemen t narrowband Vagi
CIRCLE 351 ON FREE INFORMATION CA RD No cos tly s chool. No co mm u ting to class.
cut for 100 megahertz is shown in Th e Origlnal llome'Study course p repares
Fig. 5, Use quite thin but rigid con- yo u fo r t he " FCC Com me rcia l Ra di o -
Radio Research Instruments te leph on e Lice ns e." Th ls valu abl e licen se is
584 North Main Street ductors for the best narrowband you r professi onal " ti cket to tho usands o f
Waterbury. CT 06704 gain. Something like bare 12 AWG exciting Jobs In Co mm unicat ions, Radi o-
solid copper house wire might be a TV, Microwa ve, Mariti m e, Rada r, Avio nic s
(2031 753-5840 and m ore ... even start you r ow n busi ness!
CIRCLE 35Z ON FREE INFORMATION CARD good cho ice. To cut the anten na to You d on' t need a co llege deg ree to q ualiry,
your desired statio n. divide the fre - but you do need a n FCC Licens e.
Rockwell quency in megahertz by 100. and No Nee d t o Quit Your Job or Go To Sc hool
PO Box 568842 Th is p rove n cou rse Is easy. fa st a nd low
then divide all sizes by the 'resultant cost! GUARANTE ED PASS-Yo u ge t you r
Dallas, TX 75356 FCC Licens e o r m oney re f u nde d. Sen d f or
(214) 996-5863 number. For instance, to pick up F REE f.el. now . M A i l CO UP ON TOO AYl
CIRCLE 353 ON FREE INFORMATION CARO KD KB at 93 .3 MHz, all element
lengths and all spaci ngs w ill ge t di-
r------------
, comm~nD
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PRODUCTIOnS ,
I FCC LICENSE TRAINING, Dept. 90 I
Sensor s vided by 0 ,933. N ote the inverse I P.O. Box 2824, San Franelsco, CA 941Z6 I
174 Concord Street relation s hip : sta tions under 100 : Plea" rush FREE detall,l mmedl ate ly! :
Peterborough, NH 03458 M Hz need slightly larger antenna I N......E I
(603) 924-9631 I
L "'OOAU S
__ I
CIRCLE 354 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD designs . I CITY sr...n
~
ZU'
~ J
I
The direct o rs shou ld po int to-
SenSy m wards your chosen station. U se a
1255 Reamwood Avenue map for starte rs , and th en try rotat- SUPER 12 HOUR RECORDER
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 ing a tad either 1NCrj. Your beamwidth
(408) 7441500 should be around thirty degrees, so CALL TOLL FREE
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poi nting in just the right direction is Modified Panasonic Slimline,
SPIE super important. 6 hrs per side
PO Box 10 Add itiona l directors can. in theo ry
be added , in a size progression. But
120 TDK tape furnished.
Bellingham, WA 98227
(206) 676-3290 all yo u gain is something like half a AC/DC Operation.
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decibel per directo r, and the size Quality Playback. ~~~
does get out of hand real qu ick. A nd Digital Counter. [ ",
Systron Donner
2700 Systron Drive a care ful match, or finding a local hot Durable Ughtweighl Plastic. ;"119.00*
Concord, CA 94518 spot. or a tad ext ra height can often
(800) 227-1625 get yo u much more sign al.
CIRCLE 351 ON FREE INFORMATION CAR D The theory behind a Vagi ant en- Sta rts & Stops Recorde r ~
na? The op timum spacing is usually Au tomatically W hen ~
Hand Set is Used.
0.2 wavelengths . The driver sho uld
Solid Slate!
grommeted screw eyes can be use d be half a wavelength w ide. The re-
for support. flector should be aro und five pe r- FCC Approved $28.50*
First . note that there are two cent longer, w hile the initial director
style s of driver elements 10 a Vagi should be five percent shorter. The Soli dstale A djustable
antenna. As Fig , 4 shows. if you use rest of the directors shou ld be pro - Se nsitivity. Voic es &
Sounds Activ ate Reco rder
a ha lf -waveleng th dipole h air pin qresstvely six, seven and, eig ht...
Adjustable Se nsitivity
loop. th e te rminal impedance percent shorter. Provi sions l or Remote iii
should end up near a balanced 300 More on Vagi antennas appea rs Mi ke $28.50* ~
ohm s.
If you use a pair of st raight wires
of hal f-wavelength total spacing .
then you r t ermi n al im peda nce
in t w o A RR L pu bli cat io n s , th e
An tenna Handbook and Vagi Anten-
na Design. Also see NBS technical
note No . 688.
* Add 'o r ship . & handling . Phone Adap ler & Vox
$2.ooe.ch, Record ers $5.00 each, Colo. Res ad d
tax. M. iIOrde r, VISA, Mje .COD 's OK. Monay Back
Guar. Cty Dis.c. Ilvailable. Oe. lerl nquirias inv~ed.
Froe cere on other products.
r
~.

sho uld be a balanced 75 ohm s .
Not e that normal 75 -ohm co axial
cable is unbalanced: you will need a
Close matching of an ante nna to AMC SA LES INC . 193 Vaqu ero Or.
Boulder, CO . 80303
~
it s transmission line is essential fo r Phones (303) 4 99- 5405 1-800-926--2488
the best gain. The simplest method FAX (303) 494-4924 83
MonFri 8S MTN. TIME
CIRC LE 108 ON FREE INFORIOI4nO N C ARD
 route bot h of yo ur dipole rods
straight into a VHF differential am-
f -- - - o.m - - --I plifier. Su ch an antennafier can
greatly simplify tuning and match-
ing. But a lot of black magic could be
involved, so be sure to experiment.
Let me know all your experiences
wit h any homemade ultra-range FM
(A) An ordi nary dipol e has an Impedance of a balanced 75 antenna designs. I'll try to publish
ohms -eerenve Just bel ow il s resonance. But any thick the best of them.
conductors or nea rby elements lower this resista nce or
add some unw anted series reactance .
New tech lit
A green 1991 Produc t Handbook
from MX-Comm. This little-known
DA S). se micondu c tor house off ers all
I"
( )
sort s of exciti ng hacker chips, es-
pecia lly those involve d with to ne
signalling, speech scrambling, cel-
!! lular phones. and pagers. One real
sleeper: M X-Comm's MX009 octal
(B) Folding a dipole inlO a hairpin lo op will rai se lts inpu t digital qatn-controlled amplifier ar-
Impedance by four lim es. The Impedance just below ray. Lots of application -note s are
hall of a wavelength is a balanced 300 ohms resistive . also included.
Careful tuning is needed in the real world. Free engineering samples of its
new 41VHS-l humidity sensor have
been offered on pro fessional re-
FIG. 4-FOLOING A DIPOLE can raise Its resonant Impedance by a rector 01l our. quest from Victory Engineering.
Heartland America is yet another
Distressed Yuppy Surplus dire ct-
A ll dimensions are shown In decimal inche s. The mail outfit. It has altvarieties of high-
antenna Is shown top view, and assumes the station is tech goodies. Its latest new catalog
horizontally polari zed. does offer the first laser pointers
that I have seen selling for less than
To cui your antenna lor a speci fic station, divide the $100 .
statron frequency by 100 and then divid e all sizes RePlay and Play M eter are the
shown below by the same value.
two leading trade journals for the
For instance. a 93.3 Mhz stauon needs all the values coin-operated video-game industry,
divided by 0.933. A 104.5 Mhz station needs all 01 the While they mostly co ncentrate on
values divided by 1.045. the buying and selling of games and
supp ly prod ucts , there are occa-
sional technical articles plus repair
~
~
.
m
~
.
N
~
books and videos.
If you are interested in starting up
~ ~
~ ~
~

your O'Nn tech venture, be certain to

check into my at long last available
..~~.?~:_ - _. .~~ .?2:... .. _ ~~~~~:_ - .. .f~:~ ~: .. ...~~.?~:... Incredible Secret M oney M achine II.
We have also begun shipping the
latest Hardware Hacker fIf reprints
with their newest updates . See my
nearby Sy nergetics ad for more de-
tails.
MATCHING A reminder here that lots of great
DEVICE technical downloads are available
on GEnie PSRT.
FIG. 5-AN INDOOR SINGLE-STATION long.dlstance FM antenna can be built using As usual, we've gathered many of
nolhl ng but bare 12 AWG hou se wire. Here Is one possib le design. Nole th at Ihe
anlenna size should be " cuI" for your lavorlle steuc n. Values shown assume an the resource s mentioned together
insulated boom or other sup port s. All elements mu st be very straight, rigid, paraUel, into either the Names & Numbers or
and precisely centered. Conlact a local radio ham fo r help in matchi ng. the Navicube Resources sidebars.
Do be sure to c heck these out
is called a gamma match, and it is signal strength. Bett er methods ap- before you use our no-charqe tech
done by just spreading the ends of a pear in the boo ks mentioned. helpline or can for a free hacker se-
84 300-ohm twinlead to tap maximum It would be real interesting to crets brochure. RE
 GLITTER G LOBE
conunued from page 40
FlG. to-SOTH SIDES OF THE CONTROL BOARD are shown with only level 1attached
(top and middle ). and levels 1-4 have been added In the ecncm photo.
After testi n g t he controller
boa rd . assemble the five boards
of t he first level. (A I" Is etched
M for co n necting leve l 1 to the
on eac h of the m.) Asse mble the
level-I boards Into a ring s hape
using resistor s Rl4-RI B. whi ch
s hou ld alrea dy be bent to the
proper lcngth-lf.z or % Inches
(s ee F ig . 7) . Crea ti ng the top
ring In that manner w ill set the
proper spaci ng for the rest of
th e globe. Leave the top hole on
each level-I board open (t he h ole
fart hest fr om t he number
etched on the Ins ide surface).
globes con trol board .
Fig u re 7 Is a "com po nent
map." showing levels 1-4, and
how th ey connect togeth er. All
con n ec ti on s m arked "J" a re
zero-oh m Jumpers ; aU connec-
tions show ing a resis tor sym bol
must be 680 oh ms. a nd all un-
marked con nections are struc-
tural com po nents a nd can be
m ad e fro m a nyt h ing you lik e
(t he kit In cludes a dd itio na l
680-o hm res isto rs for use in
these loca ti ons ). Connect the
Ievel-t ring to the control board
as shown In Fig. 8 : If you are
us in g 3/..-tn ch spaci ng . level I
mo unts as s ho wn In Fig. 8-a :
for lh-In c h s pac ing . le vel I
mounts as s hown In Fig. 8-b. To
con nec t level 1. In stall five t-
Inch leads risi ng vertically from
th e con trol board . Th en b end
th em to fit th e lcvel-t rIng as
s hown In Fig. 8.
Next add th e level-2 boa rds.
Each level-z boa rd connects to
leve l I with o ne r e s i st o r
IRI9-R23) a nd one ze ro-ohm
jumper. Solder the resistor and
jumper to each level-2 board
first . a nd then attach them to
level I. While build ing the globe .
you'll begi n to noti ce pa tt erns.
For exa mple . afte r level 2 Is com-
plete eac h n ew board (except for
level 7) con nec ts to th e previou s
level with two resi st ors (one
s tructu ral only). a nd one zero-
oh m Ju mpe r.
Figure 9 s ho ws the res t of the
globe (leve ls 5 -7). Note that
Figs. 7 a nd 9 both show the out-
side surface of the globe . The
le tters surrounding each half of
the globe In Figs. 7 a nd 9 Indi-
cate the con nectlons between
the two halves . In s tall each level
In order from I to 7 (ev en
t hough we h a ve s hown th e
globe In two halves).
Layer 2 Is composed of five-
point boards . s o. to m ake a
s phe re . keep the lead s paci ng of
th e resi stors and Jumpers at-
tached to all layer-2 boards a t %
Inc h . It's a good Idea to plu g In
the globe afte r eac h layer Is In-
stalled to make s ure all LED's
are working. It's best to repair
errors ea rly before they become
difficult to co r rect. Conti nue
adding each layer a nd testlng
the globe unttl tts finished . Fig-
u re 10 shows a glebe In differe nt
s tages of constructlo n.
When com plete . the Glitter
Globe forms a s u rp r isinglystur-
dy structu re. and you ca n hold
It while It 's opera ting , If th e
globe Is dropped or c rushed. It
Is a si mple m atter to be n d it
back Into s hape. With reason-
able care. It will las t for decades
to come . RE 85


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 DRAWING BOARD
Let's get back to our SSAVI descrambler.

ROBERT GROSSBLATT

efore we get into the nitty became more popular {cable, satel- tran smitted bytes and the o ne s

B gnlty of the SSAVI system. I

have to take a few lines to
make a fe w t hing s clear. I' ve
lite, et c), more and more junk start-
ed to show up there.
V\'hen the SSAVI sys tem started.
stored in the box will enable or dis-
able the decoder. That is true for
both the prem ium cable services
touched on them before. but it's Im- lines 0 to 9 were left alone by a and the pay-per-view events.
portant to repeat them. All we \-e request of the FCC. but lines 10 to That kind of coding might be im-
gone into so far is gated sync sup- 13 were where the cable co mpanies portant to the cable companies, but
pression. which can be co nsidered transmitted ind ividua l subscribe r it doesn 't mean anything to us. We
pretty unsophisticated these days . codes . Don't forget that there are can build a n experimen tal de-
The SSAVI system isn't the last unique ID numbers stored in an scrambler without paying any atten-
word in scrambling but it's reason- EPROM (o r some other kind of tion to them.
ably recen t and it, or so me variation memory) in the cable box. There's Since the video can be transmit-
of it. w ill be the scrambling sys tem also logic circ uits there 10 count the ted with either normal or inverted
of choice for some time to come. video lines, read the transmitt ed picture informati on, one of the tasks
That is true even if yo u consider only cod e, and match it up against the that has to be done by the de-
the econo mic side of chang ing one stored in the box. This is a big scrambler is to tell the rest of the
sc rambli ng met hod s. " thing for the cable co mpanies be- circuit what has been done to the
i hsve no doubt that many cable cause it prevents a New York box picture. The place to find that infor-
com panies use th is sc rambling from being used in Cal ifornia. The mation was orig inally in line 20 , but it
technique . or at least some thing scrambli ng is the same , bUI the has been moved around since the
very similar. If tha t's true in your codes are completely different. system became popular. A s you can
area, it wou ld be a good idea 10 do The deco der circuitry is also con- see in Fig. 1, the last half of the line
so me experimenting with the ac tual trolled by this coding process be- will tell you wh ether the picture is
signal-hands-on experience is al- ca use a mat ch be twe en t he normal or inverted. Remember that
ways the best. Wha t you'll probably
find out in the real world is that the
system used in your area isn't an lPe .#OLLL)#,-,w(i, r~ J/LL
HArE. I ,yv.=A'TJ> wpeo
exact match for the one we 'll be
taking apart . The general principles
might be the same , but the par-
ticular details will undoubtedly vary.
Wh en the SSAVI sys tem fi rst
started, there were some constan ts
in the video signal that coul d be
used to descramble it. Remember
that the picture can be messed up in
any one of three ways (see Oc -
tober 's column for the deta ils), and T#L! '--CL.4.0W,w6 .#..e4Nc wo.-v1r
the instructions for the descramb ler #Ar~ INYERTe1J J"/O~O
are transmitted somewhere in the
vertical interval. The word "some-
where " is a late add ition to the
SSAVI system . Wh en it first start-
ed , the descramb ling information
was always on the same line. That's
where we'll start .
Once upon a time, the sanctity of
~.l/N I ' / - - - - f - - . l /N 20 ~.t.aZ 2 /-----1

.
t he ve rtical interval was closel y
guarded by the FCC , but as alter- FIG. l -THE LAST HALF OF THE LINE OF VIDEO w ill tell you whether the picture Is
natives to standard broadcast TV normal or Invert ed. We're talk ing about th e p icture part of the li ne on ly.
 we 're talking about the pict ure part
of the line only. and not the contro l
section .
If the following field is normal, the
last half of the line will be black, and
. if the pictu re is normal, the who le
line is whit e. One of the things a
decoder needs. therefore. is some
way to detect the line and store the
data it contains. The stored data is
then used as a switch by the circuit
to route the video through an inver-
ter if the picture is being transmitt ed
upside down.
This i s pretty s traig ht forward
stuff. Since we 're looking at only
o ne piece of info rmatio n. all we
need is a place to store one bit of
informati on. Your basic piece of
cake . The circuitry needed to detect
the data , however, is a bit mo re
complex. We need a reference in
the signal. So establish a zero point
for a fine counter. and some count-
ing circuitry to keep track of whic h
line is being received.
You might be wond ering what we
can count if the signal i s being
scrambled . But remember. that in
the vertical int erval (the first 26 lines
of video) , the signal is being sent in
the clear.
NON that we /'\aYe an approach to
handling the possibility of an inverted
picture, the last problem to tackle is
the one of varying horizontal sync
pulse s. Sometim es they' re the re,
someti mes the y 're abse nt , and
sometimes they're not at the proper
level. Anything th at uns table is a
pretty poor choice for a reference
signal. So , to avoid a mammoth cir-
cuit design problem, the best way to
deal with it is to scrap the transmit-
ted horizontal sync (even when irs
there), and come up with a way to
generate the signal ourselves.
That can also seem to be an msur-
mountable problem but. just as in
the case of the inverted picture, the
answer is goi ng to be found in the
verti cal interval. Once again , reo
member that the first 26 lines of
video are sent in the clear and, even
during the rest of the video frame ,
(no matte r what's going on with the
picture ), the horizontal sync pulse is
never inverted. It might be weak or
missing entirely, but it 's never up-
side down . That's important to keep
in mind because if w e generate our
ONn horizontal sync , we don 't want
noeo !. v/O E: O
/,W A,;fP
.syNC.
.$d'
.4f:4~
~ +
PHAS.
L o c KEtJ
LOOP
t t
'- C OV~
_.
FIG. 2-THI$ CIRCUIT WILL MAKE SURE the picture Is always present It the outpulln
I non -Invert ed state, and thet It hIS horizonta l sync pul ses presen t at th e right level
and the righ t pos ition.
an upside down , po sttfve- goi ng
sync signal prese nt. If that was the
case, the two sync signals would
add together and cancel. whi ch is
not a good thing .
We've talked about how to re-
gene ra te sync w hen th e sig nal
being received is unreliable. If you
don't remember it or haven't read it.
go back to October's column and
review it . Basically. the approach is
to take the horizontal pulses sent in
the clear during the vertical interval
and use them as the reference for a
phase-loc ked loop that will supply
the missing pulses during the rest of
the video frame. If you 've got twenty
or so reliable pulses per frame, you
can accurate ly gene rate the miss-
ing two hundred and forty or so for
the rest of the frame .
The block diagram of the circuit
we need is shown in Fig. 2. In a
nuts hell. the jo b of the circuit is to
make sure the picture is alway s
present at the output in a non-inver-
ted state, and that it has horizontal
sync puls es pre se nt at the right
level and the right position.
The scrambled video is fed to an
op-amp and the output is sent to a
sync separator- the same basic cir-
cuit that's found in every TV set in
the universe . The sync pulses drive
a phase-locked loo p whos e output
is decoded to provide the missing
sync pulses for the video lines out-
side t he vertic al int erval (where
mo st o f the in terest ing st uff is
foun d). The s e gen era t ed sy nc
pulses are mixed with the incoming
Y/PE.O
ZNV~~ f-
t
Z VE R T
GATe
~ I N Ve..eT
pE.7l:ZT
Rese.r
v id eo and th e;') se nt , through a
gated inverter, to the back of your
TV set.
The gated inverter is contro lled
by a signal that tells it whether or
not the picture port ion of the video
is upside down. The con trol signal is
derived by watch ing the state of line
20 , as we discu ssed befo re.
All this sounds incredibly compli-
cated but. if you look over the block
diagram, you'll see that it's just a
collect ion of gates and counters-
the same sort of stuff we 've been
messing around with for years.
The o nly box in the diagram I
haven't explained is the reset circuit
for the counter. I'll explain that in the
next column but you should be able
to figu re out for yo urself exactly
what it is. If you get it right , you 've
got a good handle on the subject of
video in general and scrambling in
part icular. If you can't figure it out,
spend the next mon th getting ready
by boning up on the essentials of
basic video theory. R-E
..
 EUCTRONIC
MEASUREHEHT'S
TESTING
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17Z94-{)86()
 , AUDIO UPDATE
It's a matter of hear today, gone tomorrow
t's an unhappy paradox that at a
I time when music reproduction is
approaching perfection. there is
widespread failure in the music lis-
te ner's ability to hear it fully. Four
years ago I w rote in thi s col umn
about the audiometric hearing tests
given by the Audio Engineering So-
ciety at their 1986 Los Angeles con-
ve ntion . The more than 200 A ES
members tested showed small but
co nsist ent hearing losses that ex-
ceede d those expec ted from the
normal aging process. A wide vane-
tion of hearing thresholds was mea-
sured in the sensitive 3 - to 6-kHz
range with more than 10 % of the
re spo nde nt s show ing sig nificant
heari ng loss at 4 kHz.
It's a sure bet that things havenot
improved any in the last six or seven
years . In fact. from wh at I hear. the
quantity and level of ear-damaging
env ironm ental sounds have esca -
lated beyo nd reaso n. Under en -
vi ro nme n t al so u nds . I incl ud e
everything from powe r mowers and
blowers to live and reproduced rock
mu sic . Can anything be don e to
tame the wi ld decibels?
English ear s
For so me reason, many of the ex -
ten sive research studies on hearing
loss and music listening have been
done in the U .K. Severa! years ago ,
two researcher s at the University of
Ke e l e t es t e d two ~ ro u p s of
Stafford shire high-school students ;
one group had frequ ent exposure to
loud music at roc k conce rts . discos .
and through personal stereo head -
phones. The co ntrol group (I wonder
where they found them) had little or
no such exposure.
Although conventional diagnostic
te st s revealed no overall hearing
loss. two problems did become evi-
dent with more preci se tech niques .
There was evidence of the group's
94 diminished senSitivity to a nanow
band of mid freq uencies and. sur-
prisingly, a reduced ability to dis-
tinguish between adjacent musical
pitches.
Env ir o nme nt ally e ngendered
hearing loss is not limited to kids
ad dicted to roc k concerts . lo ud
headphone s. and ki lle r car-stereo
systems - all of whi ch have been
measu red at noise le"Iels aver 11 0
dB . The older, jf not wis er, genera -
tion is also surrounded by eq uip-
ment that is not intentionally loud
but jus t happen s to be . I'm referring
to a variety of home . yard. and rec-
reational equi pmen t. These include
powertoo ls (my radial-arm saw cut -
ting thro ugh hardwood makes quite
a racketf) . power mowers . and leaf
and snow blowe rs. Recreational ve-
hicles su ch as o ut bo ard moto r
bo ats and snowmo biles . are also
MAXIMUM ALLOWA B LE
OSHA LEVELS
The Occupa tional Safety and
Health Act (OSHA), which became
law in late 1970, places limits on the
noise conditions to which employ-
ers may subject their workers. The
maximum allowable sound levels
and daily expo sure periods are
givenin the table. Forindustries that
fall under the jurisdiction 01 the act.
those limits have the force 01 law.
and an employer is obliged to take
corrective steps if it is found that any
employee is being exposed 10 noise
that exceeds the limit.
TABLE 1-MAXIMUM
ALLOWABLE OSH A L EVE LS
Exposure Maxim um level
duratio n level (Leq in dBA)
(hours per day)
8 90
4 95
2 '00
1 105
'h 110
LARRY KLEIN
potent sourc es of the kind of sus -
tained so und levels that can be par-
ticularly damaging.
In general. the rule seems to be
thai c o nstan t sound lev els. par-
ticularly in a nanow band , are more
har mfu l t han lo ude r intermitten t
sounds . In o ther w ords . if yo ur
sound-pressure level (SPU mete r
needle seems stuck at the 9O-dB
level. the sound is likely to be far
more damaging than if the needle is
swi nging wil dly w ith occasional 100-
dB peaks.
Since the ear-damaging effects of
no ise resu lt from cumulat ive ex-
posu re over t ime . no ise -do sa ge
meters have been developed for in-
dustrial use. They average out the
varying so und-press ure level to pro-
vide an equ iva le nt co nt in uou s
so und level. or Leq . Such devices
are analogous to the rad iation -dos-
age met ers that are sup posed to
keep workers in th e nuclear indus-
tries safe. Experience has shown
that so me hearing los s w ill oc cur in
20 % to 25 % of workers exposed to
the legally allowed limit of 90 dB
(Loq in dBa ) for 8 hours . That is the
sound level of heavy stree t traff ic or
a subway train .
Damage re po rt
Exac tl y h ow d oe s hearing
damage occur? As ide from eardrum
rupture cause d by a high-pressure
pulse from a lou d nearby sound .
rapid pre ssu re change s and dis-
eases of the auditory nerve and cen-
tral nervou s pathways . the maj o r
area of damage oc cu rs in the micro -
sco pic hair ce lls residing in the spi-
ral-shaped cochlea of the inner ear.
Dr. Jo hn Bo sow skrof Harvard M edi-
cal School has been investigating
the prob lem. A t relatively low levels
of intensi ty, he says. damag e ap-
pe ars to be proportiona l to th e
amount of energy entering the ear
during a particular peri od of tim e.
But beyond some critical level of that cause ringing or other inner ear other noisy environments . A side
sound pressure, the hair cells be- noises-should be avoided or at from the noise level in public places.
come much more susceptible to least diminished by placing damp you should consider ear protection
trauma.W ith onlya small increase in cotton wads in the ears or by the when performing such activitie s as
SPL beyond this critical point, the use of more effective medtcally-ap- power-toot carpentry and lawn care.
damage increases significantly and provedear-protection devices. HQ'N- Even wads of cotton stuffed lightly
disproportionately. eve r, lou d , bu t no t obvious ly in your ear canals will help. It's not
The microscopic hair cells are the excessive, sound sources, musical just that you are saving yourself an
specific transdu cer s that co nvert or otherwise, can also be damaging immediate headache, but you might
the vibrations in the inner ear to the in the long ron. avoid a hearing-aid purchase 30 or
electrical impulses sent to the brain. I have an audiophile friend who 40 years from now. Don't be dumb
Each hair cell. which has a diameter wears earplugs in the subwayand in today-and deaf tomorrow RE
about Ys that of a hair. is topped off
by 20 or so stereocilia that resem-
ble t he bristles on a toothbrush.
Scanning electron micrographs of
soun d-damaged rmcro ctlta show
them bent, fused, and even missing.
That results in a medical diagnosis
of " nerve deafness," an irreversible
condition.

EXPosURe TIMe (YEARs)

- 0 5 10 15 W ~ ~ ~ ~
~60

~ 60 'A
/ , =-
S40 NOIS-INDucm 0"
~ 30
9 20-;;; ORLW. ' 055
~ 1 o II
~ 0
' - 10
18 ~ ~ ~ a ~ 54 00 M O S 9 0 ~AO
_J
0 5 90400
AGe (YEAAS) . 4QMH1, bU. 1 T, .e. . . OMH.. t>u11 Tr.ce
. CAT Aoo"oul . 0 . I. y. " S", p
. 0 . I. y'" S"' ooP
FIG. 1. LOSS OF HEARING Is a natural
resu ll of aging (a), but a much mote se-
vere lo ss can result fro m long-term ex- ~_ _ _ . J 0 S -8' 00
. IOOMHl, 3 D1. "".1
. 8 T e.
poaure 10 an excess ively noisy envi ron- D IGIT A L MUL T I MET ER - - - - _
ment ( b~ Bot h cu rves are at 4 kHz, but
high-frequency hearing goe s fir st.

In general. everyonewho lives in a

civilized (meaning noisy) environ-
ment is subject to som e hearing
loss over time. {See Fig. t-a.l At
. -
_ - , ~
.
....._ -
0 "" 6335 ~

..-..... ....
first. the loss appears only in the
. 3 ',lO,g,.. .3 \.n O,g,1I . 3 In D,g.1I . 3 1'1 0 ,g,1I . 3 ' /20 '0'10 . 3 ' 11 O,g,1O
upp e r f req ue ncies usua lly re - "-' T_ . .......,f\ofvO
produced by tweeters. In time, ha.y- ..... ~ . D_ o-
~ .~
. e.. o.....
.......... I'r9o
. t"&{
. ........11Wvo
0'0d< 0 - ' >ff
. C<I>o<'\fo'CI ,_ CJ'-.
_ 0'I0d0
. eono....'v .. 0,_
~ .~ -
ever, the loss progresses downward . log"'...., . lIf9t lCO 0>01" '" 0- .~ ..... eo..n..- . e-,....... o.ct
. eur..." . eom,,..itv
to the upper midrange frequencies OC POWE R SlJPPL 'f
that differentiate the sounds impcr-
tant to speech comprehension,

N o w hear t h is
There is good evidence that indi-
vidu als vary in t hei r ph y s ic al
tolerance of loud sounds. Neverthe- rC -701!; 10CMl:
less, there are some ground roles
that those who care about their
. ........' Ro<vo
. 0lIl 10>'"
._ 1Itit9O ._,n T_
. ( ' -1 [)<g,,. , 1 DoG'' ' . ( D,g ,,.

00oIo"'" ""'tOOl' . .........1 Raovo

~;
'i'C""i"Wi. IGt!

hearing should follow. Since ear f..-.::'",'" o lf( Cho<t ' ~ ' ''Il \,0'0"
oC...",,,....,. 0 - w i'" ~CD
0,,.,'....
damage is cumulative. resulting in a of ' l<!. eo.-, . f...-.:Io"" "'"" ,,,.,...,

gradual deterioration, sounds that

are instantly heard as too loud- (ilJ GokIstcr Praclslon Co_Ltd
13013 Eat l 166lh S"OOI. Co" n o.. Co. !lO10 1 U. S. A. 95
TEl ;IJ101404 010 1 ~"'~ : (J I Ol n, 6127
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Over 4 0 Year s ! Write lor tree Descrip tive ut
er atllf&.
CIRCL E saON FREE INFOIl III:ATlON CARD
101
Z The January 1993 Issue
Q
, ' .~ _~~ . ~
EQUIPMENT REPORTS
continued from page 16
(5000 counts) signals with crest
factors up to 3.0 can be measured.
At full scale. a signal must have a
crest factor less than 1.5 to be mea-
sured accurately.
The HDI60 offers impressive
overload and safety protection. The
voltage inputs can withstand up to
1000 volts AC or DC . Both current
jacks are protected by fuses. An
added safety feature protects the
meter, user, and the device under
test: When a probe is inserted in
one of the current jacks and the
function switch is set to a non-cur-
rent mode, the meter's display will
show an error message to wam the
user.
The HD I60 is priced at$ 199. The
capable, rugged htqh-qualrty meter
will be appreciated by anyone who
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COMING NEXT
MONTH
goes on sale
To prevent crime
in Tucson,
police use sensitive,
highly sophisticated
surveillance equipment:
Tim, Rose,Gert,
Anthony, Yvonne,
and Ramon.
Citizen pa r tdctpa tton is
critical to p oUce effective-
ne ss . Do y ou car e abou t
y our n eigh b or h ood enou gh
to h elp protect it?
The Case of the Tucson
Tip-off.
I n a particular n eigh bor-
h ood in Tucson, Arizon a ,
folk s w ere h aving a r eal
problem wit h burglaries
and br eak-ins.
They s tarted talking to each
oth er a bout what they couId
do.They got fed up.About4 00
people w ent to t he police for
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survelll ance. They got to
know their beat officer s. Or-
tiZens and p olice became p ar t-
ne rs in crime preven tion .
In ju s t three w eek s , 17
arr es ts were made a n d bur-

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~ December 3, 1992 glaries w ent down 30 %.
And Tucson is only on e case

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 COMPUTER CONNECTIONS
Computers and Consumer Elect r onics

JEFF HOLTZMAH

omputers and consumer the family roo m, not in a home o ffice

C
elec tro nics are mergin g.
Kodak and Tandy have add-
ed fuel to the fire with their recent
intro duc tio ns of Photo-CD and th e
Visual Information System (V IS), re-
spectively. Photo-CD and VIS join
CD -ROM Interact ive (CD-I) and
Co mmo do re Dynamic Total Vision
(COM as the major attempts to
put computer-like interactivity on a
te levision scre en, thereby capturi ng
the hearts and minds- and pocket-
books-of noncomputerized con-
sumers. VIS. CDTV. and CDI are
direc t competitors: although similar
in som e ways , Photo-CD is really in
a category by itself. (You might also
wan t to keep in mind upc oming CD-
based systems from Nintendo and
Seqa) Photo-CD. CD-I. CON , and
V IS all share the followi ng in com-
mon:
They are meant to be operated in
FIG.1- KOOAK'S PHOTO-CO put s 100 images In five dIffe rent reechrtlc ns on a sIngle
CD-ROM dis c. The player dIsp lays Images on your TV screen snd plays regular audio
CO's throu gh your stereo. A future upgrade will allow yo u to add audio and text to a
Photo-CD disc, th ereby allowIng annot ated, navigable slide shows .
or co rne r of the bed room .
Th ey use the home en tert ain-
ment system rrv and stereo) for
audio and video ou tp ut.
They em phasize early education ,
game s , entert ainment , and refer-
ence works.
They use so me form of C D -RO M
as the primary delivery med ium.
They operate with simple infrared
remote-co ntro l devi ces rather than
com puler keyboa rds .
They are meant to appeal to less
te chnicall y sophis tic ate d co ns um-
ers than compu ter users .
Th ey co st i n th e $600-1000
rang e.
To understand w hat eac h of these
technologies has to o ffer and whi ch
is likely to be successful. let' s sum -
marize the key poi nts of each.
CDTV This sys tem de scen ds
fro m a long-time player in the per-
so nal-c o mputer market. S ta rt ing
way back with th e Pet (in the late
1970 's) , and mov ing on through the
C 64 , and then to the A miga. Co m-
modore has always had a prese nce
in per so nal computing . However,
the company has never developed
and exec uted a clear marke ting
strategy. hence has bee n a sideline
player in most areas. The single ex-
ceptio n is video pro ductio n on the
A miga, w here wo rd of mouth and an
unbeatable price /performance ratio
have brought success. C ON was
introduced in the early summe r of
1991, and has ye t to achieve major
acc epta nce . C D TV co nsis ts of a
stripped-dow n A miga 500 comput-
er that has bee n specially modified
to respond to co mmands fro m an
infrared remote. The unit can be ex-
panded to be a fu ncti onal Am iga
500 by add ing keyboard , disk drive.
memory. and mouse. CON is sol d
by C ommodore dealers.
CD-I Philips C o nsu me r Elec-
tron ic s introduced the C D-I system
in the fall of 1991 afte r several de-
lays. It con si st s of a prop r ietary
68ODO-based system running a spe-
cial version of the OS-9 operating
sys tems . C D-I players are so ld by
consum er-e lect ron ics outl e ts . Ap-
proximately 65 C D -I tit les are avail-
able, including seve ral " celebrity"
title s narrat ed by D anny Glover, Mia
FarTO'N, Rob in Wi lliams, Jack Nic-
hol so n, Raul Julia . and S ir John
Grelqud . O ne C D-l disc explore s
jazz giants suc h as C harlie Parker,
Miles Davis, and Sarah Vaughn. An -
other disc explores the painti ngs o f
Remb randt. and inclu de s narration
in seven languages (Dutch. English,
French , German, Italia n, Japanes e,
and Sp anish). Title s s tart at $ 15 ;
mos t are priced in the $ 20 to 40
range.
VIS like Co mmodo re, Tandy has
been involved w ith perso nal co m- 97
 puters since the earliest days. Its
chief product s include the TAS80
series, the Color Computer, the
M odel 1001200 port ables, a line of
semicompatible PC's, and a line of
fully compatible PC 's. W hile never
achieving great success in the busi-
ness community. the PC compat i-
bles have. nonethe less, held their
own in the hobbyist/consumer mar-
ket oVIS. is in fact. the "Wintendo"
device discussed here in the Oc-
tob er issue that has fueled the in-
dustry rumor mill for months . Unlike
the other products discussed here,
VIS software architecture is based
on MS DOS and M odular W in-
dows , a ADM version of Microsoft 's
W indows optimized for use in a con-
sumer (television) environment . Vir-
tually all le ad i ng c o n t e n t de-
velo pers . incl uding Be rlitz /Cruise
Watch, Broderbund, Compton 's
New Media, Electronic Arts , Lucas
Arts, S ierra. and others. are de-
veloping VIS titles : AimTech (leo-
nAuthor) and OW L (G uide) have
authoring systems, and Microsoft
might have something up its sleeve
in that area as well.
The DOS/ Windows platfo rm is
good for several reasons. Conten t
developers don't have to buy spe-
cializ ed and costl y d evelop men t
platforms : standard PC's (with emu-
lanon boards) will do the trick . Port-
ing V IS titl es to and from other
sy ste ms (e. q. . M PC -compatible
PC's) will be simpler than port ing to
or from a whole new architecture.
Tandy's immense retail network en-
sures broad product availability and
servicing. Zenith will also be selling
VIS systems under its own brand
name.
PhotoCD Kodak's techn ology
is not currently designed to com-
pete in the interactive-TV market,
although it does have architec tural
features that might eventually pro-
ID vide interact ivity. Photo-CD is de-
~ signed to appeal to both profession-
~
al and broad consumer bases. In the
consumer world, Kodak hope s Pno-
e>
toCD will supple ment the family
g photo album and slide projector. In a
z
u professional setting, it will be useful
E for deskt op publish ing. corpo rate
2
~ image databases, stock photo im-
tn age bases, medical imaging. image
archiving, and probably lots more.
9. Photo-CD works like this : You take
or mail a standard roll of print or
slide film (up to 4 x 5 inches now.
with larger for mats co ming) to a
special Photo-Cti processor, which
then scans each image at five reso-
lution s ranging from catalog-quality
" thumbnails" 028 x 196) to pub-
licat io n- q uali ty scan s (600 0 x
4000).
Depending o n image size and
content, it is poss ible to store about
100 images per disk in the standard
consumer Photo-Cfr format. Ot her
profe ssiona l formats are available
Resources
The VIsual Display 01 Quantltatlve
Informatlon ($40), Envisioning inter-
matlon ($48), Grsphics Press, Box
43 0, Cheshire, CT 06 410 , (203)
250-7007.
CIRCLE 41 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
Photo CD, Eastman Kodak Company,
343 St ate Street, Roch ester, NY,
1465~S1 9, 800-242-2424.
CIRCLE 42 ON FREE INFORMATIONCARo
Pro 16 Multimedia System, MealaVl-
slon, 3185 Lsurelvlew Court, Fremont,
CA 94538, 800-348-7116, 510-nQ.86OO .
CIRCLE 43 ON FREEINFORMATIONCARD
Visual Information System, Tandy
Corporallon, 1800 One Tandy Center,
Forth Worth, TX 76102,
CIRCLE 44 ON FREE INFORMATIONCARD
Compact Disc Interacti ve, Philips
Consumer ElectronIcs Company, One
Philips Drive, P.O. Box 14810, Knoxville,
TN, 615-47~1 7.
CIRCLE 45 ON FREE INFORMATIONCARD
Commodore Dynamic Total VisIon,
Commodore Business Machines, Inc.,
1200 Wilson Drive, West Chesler, PA
19380, 215-4319100.
CIRCLE46 ONFREE INFORMATIONCARD
that allow storage of as many as
6000 low-resolution images (e.q.,
for image catalogs).
For family-room use, Photo-C fr's
can "play back" on special players
<like that shown in Fig. 1) that also
handle audio CD's, and on select
computer-based C D ADM drives
(in particular, those cla iming CD
ROM / XA compa tibilit y). Fo r com -
purer-based use, Kodak has mtro-
duced low-cost PC- and Mac intos h-
based softwa re packages for view-
ing images and getting them into
standard bitmap formats such as
PICr. TIFF, and EPS. Some com-
merclal graphics editors (e.q.. Pub-
Ushers Paint brush) already offer
built -in Photo-CD suppo rt . Apple
has announced that it will support
the Photo-CD forma t d irect ly in
System 7 sof tware, and via Quick-
Time (Apple's set of tech nologies
and specifications for tlme-depen-
dent data, te.q.. audio and video se-
quenc es). Kodak has also an -
nounced several advanced imeqe-
editing packages.
Photo-CD uses a multiple-writ e
technology that allows several ses-
stone to be placed on a single disc
at several times . If you're interested
in using multi-write capabilities on a
computer, make sure yo ur CD -
AD M drive can handle it. Chec k
Kod ak 's hotline a t th e number
shown in the sidebar for information
on co mpati b le C D -ROM drives ,
processing centers. and soft ware
availability.
You w ant a r evolution?
Will CDTV, CD- I, VIS, or Photo -
CD bring about some revolution in
the computer industry. the consum-
er electro nics industry, or both? Are
they destined for the junk heap,
along with the early personal corn-
pulers and dedicated video games
of the 70 's and 80 's?
They're probably all headed for
the junk heap sooner or later. but
VIS and Photo CD have the best
chance of survival during the next
feY>' years . Commod ore 's on-again/
off-agai n marketing style inspires
con fidence in neither deve lopers
nor consumers. Philips' system has
some technical advantages, for ex-
ample hardware-assisted Iull- mo-
non video based on the mdustry-
stan da rd M o tio n Pict ur e Ex pe rt
Group (MP EGl compression for-
mat. But even that is an add-on to
the basic player. Developm ent eye-
terns are proprietary. and there is a
lack of broad industry support .
Phct o-Cl) . on the othe r hand, of-
fers immediate advantages to the
compu ting community, es peci ally
desktop publishing and profession al
imaging concerns .
Broad appeal is prob lematic in
that PhotoCD will be competing for
consumer dollars against VIS and
the other systems, all of which offer
more qeneral-purpose functionality.
It seems unlikely that people would
want to buy mo re t han o ne CO -
based digital informatio n appliance
to connect to their TV's and ste r-
eos . Viewed in that light, Photo-C O
might find it difficult to crack the
home market. If VIS (or the other
systems) could provide Phcto- C ls
compatibi lity. then Kodak might lose
the player battle but win the format/
usage war. There is a lot of money to
be made in processing Photo-Ctrs
and in selling proces s ing i t s
works tauone.
Photo -C O stands a very good
chance of survival. simply because
the publishing and imaging indus-
tries need it. The consumer market
might go for it, depending on con-
sumer awareness of the more gen-
eral-purpose nature of VIS. I think
Kodak would be smart to work with
Tandy to ensure that VIS can play
Photo-CO discs.
On paper. VIS looks like the saf-
est bet among the interactive sys-
tems . both for developers and
con sumers . Like C OTV. VIS is
really a general-purpose computer.
albeit not in the present incarnation
an expandable one. Because VIS is
so closely related to the OOSJlNin-
dews platform. content developers
can create and port titles at low cos t
and 1Cl"# risk. Assum ing Tandy stays
wit h the architecture , upgrading to
higher-perfo rmance techno logy
(e.q.. full-motion video) should be
fairly painle ss . Also , if anywhere
near the number of promised titles
actually mate rialize by Ihe time VIS
hits the market (presently aimed for
Christmas 1992), Tandy will have a
huge advantage.
VIS is extremely interesting. If it
succeeds, it will mark the first suc-
cess of a manufacturer in more than
a decade in trying to penetrate the
consumer market wit h a general-
purpose digital informatio n system .
Co mputerphi!es will probably view
VIS as under powered . But with the
Windows platform underpinning the
system. there's lots of potential for
growth.
I'm looking forward to hooking a
VIS system up to my home-enter-
tainment center. However. I know
up-front that it's a thn::rw-away pur-
chase; the comp uter industry is still
evolving so rapidly that VIS will be
superseded by some thing . My
FIG.2- TANDY'S VIS or Video In' onn allon System runs a W1ndows-l lke operating
system designed by Microsoft.
hope is that, between now and ob-
solescence , my kids will get more
from it than from a video game.
Product w atch
I've looked at several multimedia
upgrade kits over the past year. and
have reached several conclusions.
First, the base MPC specification is
pretty low-fi. Nonetheless. results
can still be startling. The bes t M PC
upgrade kit I've found is from Medi -
aVision. It includes what is currently
one of the best C OROM drives on
the market. N EC 's SCSI-bas ed
CD A-83 , along with the ProAudio
Spectrum 1G-bit ste reo audio card.
which has a built-in SC SI interface.
The bundle also includes a slew of
software, in cl uding Lotus 12 -3 ,
Compton's Multimedia Encyclope-
dia. a CO-based version of Sierra's
King's Quest V. an authoring too!
called Ac tion from M acromind. and
numerous DOS and W indQlNs util-
ities for recording. mixing, and play-
ing back sound and MIDI files. The
utility software varies widely in quali
ty, user interface , and usefulness,
and it does not include a Windows
based M IDI editor, the major short-
coming of the package. The meth-
ods for co nfiguring sys tem inte r-
rupts and I/ O port use is poorly
documented, but once running. the
package works like a charm .
Boo kshelf
You probably take that voltage-
versus-time display on the front of
your oscilloscope for granted . What
you might not know is that graphical
displays of data were not even in-
vented until the latter half of the
nineteenth century. long after the
invention of calculus . An En -
glishman . William Playfair. and a
Swiss-German . J . H . Lamb e rt.
claim the honor of first publishing
the many basic techniques of statis -
tical graphics. You might also be un-
aware of what makes bar charts .
time s eri es. and other kinds o f
graphs really work. Why is that im-
portant? Because most technical
professionals use spreadsheet.
data-analysis, and visualization pro-
grams to analyze and display data.
be it voltage. current, res ista nce,
impedance. dollars. or other quan-
tities . Computer tools give you lots
of options for displaying your data
using color. gray scales . hatching.
perspective. and more. Howeve r.
unless you're careful. you can get
into trouble, grap hically speaki ng,
and thereby obscu re your real mes-
sage.
If yo u ever produce a cha rt o r
graph as part of your job, you abso-
lutely must look at two books by
Yale statistics professor Edward A.
Tufte: The Visual Display of Quan-
titative Information (originally pub-
lished in 19 83). and Envisioning
Information <1 990>. Alternate titles
for those two exquisite works could
be Volumes I and II of Use and (Es-
pecially> Abuse of Stati stical Data in
Graphical Form. In example after ex-
ample, Tuft e shows and tells why
some things work and others don't,
along the way exposing numerous
misguided attempts at "improving"
the presentation of statistical data.
Tuf te understands that effective
communication of informatio n in-
volves carefully meshing form and
content. He practices what he pre-
aches. Beg, buy, or borrow copies
of these works. You won 't be disap
pomted. R-E 99
 BUYER'S MART
FOR SALE
TUBES. "oldest: "lalest." Parts and schematics.
SASE lor lists. STEINMETZ, 7519 Maplewood
Ave., Hammond, IN 46324 RE.
RESTAICTEOtechnicalinformation: El&cllonic
surveill ance , schem atics. locksmithin g. covert
scienc es. hacking, etc. Huge sel eclton. Pree
bro chu res. MEN'TOR-Z, Drawer 1549. Asbur y
Pa rk. NJ 07712 .
TUBES, now, up 1090% off. SASE. KIRBY, 298
Wast Carmel Drive. Carmel, IN 4S032.
T.V. notch Ililers. phone recording equipment. bo-
chUIlI 51.00. MICRO THine. Box 63/6025. Mar
gale, FL 33063. (305) 752-9202.
.,
CAB LE TV con\09fters: Jerrold. Oak. Scientific: CABLE TV conve rt ers. Jerrold , Zenilt1, pcneer,
Atlantic. Zenith & many others. ' New MTS" stereo Oak, Sdentir,c Atlanta. and many more. 12 years
add-on : mute & -.olume. Ideal lor 400 and 450 experience gives us the ad vantage. V,sal MC
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ceptec, B &: B INC., 4030 seec-o-aoe Drive, 1 (800) 9523916 1125 Riverwood or, Burnsville,
Eagan, MN 55122. MN 55331,
CLASSIFI ED AD O RDER FORM
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PLEASE IND ICATE in wh ich calegory 01classi fied advertising you wi sh you r ad to appear, For
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EducatlOf\!lnstructiOn ( ) nted
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JOCHi\toiilol:iOl."~~'fSli ll
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card
orders~ NON-eOMMERCI AL RATE' llor indMduals who wanllo buy or $(III. personal ~BfIIJ 52.50 per
\'oQfll. prepa'd....no m;n'mum, ONLY FIRST WORD AND NAME sel in bold caps ill no e~ ra charge
Additional bold face (nol ava ita~e as ail caps) 5SC pe, word . ddillon.l, Errlira ad in bolroca. $3 ,10 per
...,,-d. TINT SCREEN BEHIND ENTIRE AD' $3.85 rt, word. TINT SCREEN BEHINDENTIRE AD PWS
ALL BOLO fACE AD' 5-4.50 par word , EXPAND D TYPE AD: $4.10 ~ word pre~ld. En~re ad on
boldface. 55,60par \'oQfll. TINT SCREEN BEHIND ENTIRE EXPANDED PE AD: $5. pO/word. TINT
SCREEN BEHIND ENTIRE EXPANDED TYPEAD PLUSAU BOLOFACE AD: $6.80 per word. DISPLAY
ADS' f- ~ 2"""-$410,00; 2" ~ 21'1"-$82O.oo: :r ~ Z\','--$123Q .OO, a-r.t tnlorm.tion: Fmquency
rates and ~~ent discounlS . re availab~ , ALL COPY SUBJECT TO PUBUSHERS APPROVAL
AOVERTI EME S USING P.O. BOX ADDRESS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNTIL ADVERTISER
SUPPLIES PUBLISHER WITH PERMANENT ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER. ~10 be in our
hands on 1t>e f 51 at1t>e third monltl PIllClldI~ daleof e eesue . (i,e. Aug.issoecopymust recel\l8dby
May l Sf~ When normal .CJeSOng dalefalls on urday. Sunday or Holiday. lSSIJ(I cIoseson preced,ngworking
day, Sondler lhe e1 a$Sllfedb,ocnu18. ceee Number 49 on t~e Free In!ormation Card,
 All majo r brand s carried
'-
-J ERROLD, *TOCOl\I, ZENIT H
You Need GENERAL INSTR UMENTS
Tree City USA SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA, OAK
- HAMLIN, EAG LE, PIONEE R
iey trees add the soft touch
C of natu re to our bus)' lives.
They cool our cities, fight pollu-
7th Year in business. Thank You
Member of Omaha Ch amber of Commerc e
1 Year warran ty on new equipment
tion , conserve energy. give 30 Day money back guarantee
wildlife a home, and make OUt Orders shipped from stock within 24 hours
neighborhoodsmoreliveable.
Support Tree Cit)' USA CALL TODAY FORA FREE CATALOG
whereyou live. For your free
booklet, write; Tree Ci ty USA. 1-800-624-1150
The National Arbor Day -oIIIioI "-&1
~<tJ ~
L2-J C.O.D.
Foundation. Nebraska Ci t)', ~OI1 D'tc
NE6Bi lO. o",<> '"
0
1<M~ON IC$r
~ 6l'
815 SO. 12M St.
~aw o.y;. Omaha. NE68U4

Triplett DMM Ult imate 5-, 2 Way Sys tem

il ~ _ t lo ~ 1'OU"
12" Pio neer
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laroI. ...,. 10 . - :)-112 dogoIlCO
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Bnd ca ,'Y"'ll en . Inclvde<l cool. 8 o z, .... ~I, lmpoda"'" ~ oIIm . F.IIQUMICY ...... imum. Mag ""' : 2001. VoicI coild"'rTI$I.': 1112".
Ifl9O"lM : 2'Q.2 1.000 Hz. Pow.. ~lr.dIinlI 30 WI lli R<'I$OI'\;ltl\ fl9q" ' nc:y: 30 H, . VAS . 11.78 c:u h.. O\lS.
#A N39D-140 RI,lS .5 5 .. . ~ . ..... _ , SI'L : 112dB IWI,M, MO\.O'IIItIQ 2.217. oss .~25. OTS 3S1. Moll: 1G- 718".
6-1/2" Tw o~Wa y SYstem deplIl: 1.,y1". Nil WIl9"!: ~ IbI NIl_iv"': 5 bo. PO-- I A3OflJ2O.52F.
Pe rleel . u rround 8pe.~'''' Cus(om<l<l yo<J' 50
med ia room W 'I ~ tr.eI ' " U~ 'Il URl it V . inw all #RN 265-282 546"
(1.3 P" \
$43 50
(il ~up)
#RN-290-105 529"
~ 13.
$27
(1""'Il)
apelkerpoairl. FulIW . &oll2"wool . , . IiNII)I
!Iu1y1" t o f t - . . _... 6uIll.JnCO'O$SOYM
F' I "",," 'ndo nn " CW lolg8twd . RMrl)ilt Black Widow Challenger Remot e Security Sys te m
deolgn Sllow' I"V inll.l~tlOtl in new 0< DolIl.Jordolla tId fealureJo. " " ura t~ C " " Iat1gIf Mcuntyl )'&I"" "'" JIItfottn.
,.m"'9 ..."t. R"f>O"IM '
_._IfIdo;II.. .
10-20 ,000 H2. mo&lcompel~otI in~lc\.I " , F t.",..it>C\udII: r .....2l>J11on.......... l rar1omill.....
eo .., !Ill o;:otI'CIICI<ieI9'Iot...-_Ot....."., _ _ .Iat>on,PoI~Ot_rtMlll.
8 olvn~...,. Ml ...1IS RIoIS,
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70'0'/25'0' ...,*_ _ ong
_.~ 'IloMmlot>g . _.
patIO:. 3&0"""," &I\lD;
~. ........ dootloclooutpul .sIa~ .. _ ........... t . tld hamesl , 120dB."..... _'Y'
d........oon.: 8- 1/2' lZ ' . NIJI...,.;gN: I1bs . lItnpIt _!loti mamooy. buill PoI"""Illigl'lt 1Ia_ Of ""'" SOUt>Ong ....,UIl.
cu...... _ _ ..-.IItIQ _ _. I posoWa _ 2 N911_
#RN30G-036 $249- S99t5 $95 50 lfWI", lIaIIwlgLED . RF " 'Ilyloc:l<-OI,(,_ t c <MIl QilIM
_ , Nat"""'ll"t 3b1.
_
5"'lLtsl ( 1-3 prt.l I' ~I
Mini Elec tro lytic Cap Kit ' RN33D-037 $99~~
n. eo potOI lit_C1Df_
~ ot

~ capac4ors .
la
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_oII0..r,IOO,m. _a70ul.
$O_""';
Ii p;.on ... The Ult imate Test CD
The UlItI'II'.a _ co w. . 0II0IJf'Id "" ... tr,-- . "'- __
_ _ _ "'-ptOI.......... .....-.:r....-r. ThooCOeat'lba
.-d I<> _ CD pIa)'Oft . . - _ ~ _ "" IutI<no
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22. ' ,10,n.33, .1 _ 1DOlA.
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mar'"'.,....",. proN.'
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pIano III putPOM. TIIa UII....... lnl CD - . . . . , lOOIlot
co _
eapt_ln-'VCRs
.~

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_ povdum_
$19 95 'nr- """' .. _ .boul......,..."""""
$n~
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#RN-Q24900 EKh # RN5 1D-100
Parts r'""''o"."_
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ctwg UPS cIW1. &1 Sl.lXl{$:I.50 rn c!I~el
:' ....,..: 1:30 am 7:00 P"I EST. l,loncla)l" Fr.lIt. 0 :00 5:00 pm CALL TOLL FREE
3o'O E. F.... St . ~ .Ohio ~ Slu urdat . lIld .".,., C:U1lOf>Wl. pINse call "" . ~~ M1itNl. on
L.oeal: 51a-m-Q173
FAX: 5 '3222 ~64~
on:l....., ... dng 5 t>.. F"..;,gn dMl ;nalion _ , _" ple a.. l end
15.00 U.S. I""d l for CIlIIII l)OSl .
1-800-338-0531 01

CIRCLE 5& ON FREE INFORlIlATlON CARD

 o CAB L E Converters, acc e ssorie s be low were-
WIRElESS CoUl l IFTS llMOI - . . TV salel Immediate delivery rrcm gianl stock ! COD
I/lltl""" GIit :lOoIIi r' I ' T_ _ U II UliII.l ordalS only. 1 (BOO) 995-1749 .
$S-C1'ianr>e4 0isI1 System $199.95
36 C~ O>sh System $149.95 CABLE TV newl Sta rquest 2021 55OM ~ een-
' 20- ~ OI$h S yste m $124 95 verter, loa d ed w ifea tu re s o nty 560.00. O rlgln sl
. _ ... ~ Gr d _I"" _I I<Il I IO ~
un mod if ied com bo s w /d e coder l : s teree ma
: t::=~~.-; 599.00, Z-ta c 599 .00 , SA 8S80 $149.00. Fi ve lot
PHl1.UPSTtCllEl.tTRllHlC$ m in im u m order. Free eeta log : lNTE L UV1DEO,
.";;;;.::~ P.O. au tS33 SCIIltlClale, AZt S2S2 1311 EI Ca m in o, # 211, Mllibrae , CA 94030. Cell
- (&021941.77110 IUOO t .. d~ I II"""""..-unl no w l (415) 583-8 283.
_ . .... _ t....... aIO _ """"
CHRIS TM AS & oIhe rmuSic chips . MllSicaI Xmas
lights, more, 51CS lor 511.00 post paid , SAS,E.
lo r Info, TH UM B, Bo~34 4R. Marysville, MI48040.
GENERA L Inslrumon l OPV7s $250,00, Scio n-
lotll;: AlIall1a 85OO's $150 ,00 . Tocom s $150.00 to EPRO MS, ASSOl"led , i.e., 27 128A-15 $3.00 each
$250. 00. CA BL E WORL D, 1 (BOO) 2347193, minimu m Quanhly 13 piece s. C.O.O., Amer ican
E~press. H.E.A.A .T. rne., 1 (BOO) 671-3m .
PAE VENT du crambler da m age . Don 't b ite l h a
bullet ll Snooper Stop per oete Pulse Blo cker
$33 .95, WIth Surge Pro1eclion $44 .95... Wlre loss
Video San:ler $5 4.9 5. Vel, 1 (BOO) 925-11426.
. ..
--_ __
,,',. ~ C AB LE TV filters, cylinder typo. The best made.
All channe ls available . Low p rices. Quan lil y dis

.....,.,,, _-_. . ... ..

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--_. --.. .. ... ".. ".

A/IIPl lfl lAS cccnte. Ca ll 1 (SOO} 6439170 ext. 170.
....... DESCRIPTION
......
.... __
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OESCRA MBL ERS and lu m-oo kitS We keep
" \OC _ _ _ _ ,_ - _ .. _ ' ou r pnces low by I'Iaving no BOO I and nocatalog
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available, MentIOn Santa lor e~lra 5% disco unt.
Call (40 7) 85295 76.
300 EJpe rl m en ter s Circu it s - Com p le1a in 6
pr aclical bo ok s uSing diodes , relays . FE T's.

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SATELLITE TV
"~ :::,.
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L ED 's . IC 555 's. a nd lC CA3130 's lor b uilding
blOCks. Only $33 .00 pl us $5 ,50 lor sh ipp;ng. USA
and Can ada only. US hi nds . en, INC., PO Box FREE ca1alog LoweSl prices worll;twido. Salis-
. .... ...
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240, Massa peq ua Park. NY 11762-0240.
lachOnguatan too on &'o'ef)'lhlng sokl - Syslems.
upgrades , part s, all majOf brands factory fresh
."
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......
".. and warrant ied . SKYVISION, 1012 frontier, For-
to_ ........c ... ....
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gu s Falls, MN 5653 7. 1 (800) 3346455. Oulsi<lo
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_ _ _ _ _~

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',,,. SATEL L ITE TV - 00 II yolJrse" - major brand s
t::: :_=.._";':,,':;:.=t':;:'"'
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dl scoun 1ed. we'll beat e veryone 's price. DI S-
COUNT LARRY (609} 59606 56.

.".". .
".
PAY tv ""0 SATElUU OE$(RAMIIUIlO
"" "" AlllIEW 1992f DITlDH All NEW
". "

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LAS ERS, Tight shows , plans. book s. ,5mw 10 20
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VDIq/fn il161 11( 21IU

., walls. freo cat alog call 1 (SOO) 356 7714 or writo VIDEO CIPHER 11 de scrambll ng m anua l. sese-
.' ..,,,_oc_ _ _ _ MWK IND., 198 Lew is Ct . Corona, C A 91720 . mala. video . and aocc . E~plalns DES, Epro m,

_.
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". CloneMasle r, 3Mu skelee r. PaY'p er-view (HBO.
USED "Sweet Art" computer cake eeee- c eemes. Showtlme. AcIull , elc .) $16.95 , S2,00
rallng mach ine. Can reproduce photos po stage. sen eeeuce l or Vid eo cy ph er PlUS,

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mu st sacrif ice. Make utter. (61 9)
$20.00, Schematics for Videocyphel 032. $15,00 ,
CoIIOCllOn of soItv.a le to co py and
axles , S25.00. CABLETAON'ICS, Box 30 502R
Ep rom ener

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SUPER low saieme prices, Free U.S. and Inler

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3 TUBE S. Arlen Supp ly rece iving co mm un ica tion.
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audiO. industrial. 740 9 west Chesler PIke. Upper national cala log . SATMAN, (309 ) 6924140 (Int'l) ,
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- .- b ug ger V2.0 each CPU $90,00 . Simulates popu .
.- ..-... w_ lat microprocessors. Features cross assem bler, PLAN S AN D KITS
....,'.... ...
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" 'In disassem bler. Wlndowll'd sou rce level de oooo er,
" w ROMY8 EP ROM Emu lat or 5155.00 . EmuTa"i es FA SCIN ATIN G e lectro n ic dev ice s ! Oa ze rs l
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83 Seaman LaSOl S! Tran smillers l Detectors ! Floe en ergyl
Ro ad . West Orange , N J 0 70 5 2, Tel: (201 } Teslal KIls/ass embled l Cata log $4,00 (Allunda

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325 18 92, Fax : (201) 736 -4561. b le ). QU ANTUM RESE AR CH, 11919-77 Avo. ,
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SCIENTIFIC AUanla model 8580 converter/de
scramblel wiremOle. WOrks on most Scientific Al'
Edmonton, AB . T5T 2S1.
KITS make great holiday gill s! lor rree cata- sere
.,.. "".,..
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_._ .. _.. _
lama cable systems. Wholesale Plica $229,00 .
Ca ll (404 ) 740-0711 UNIVERSAL PRO DUCT S.
19Q, LN S TE CHNOLOGIES, 20993 Foothill BlVd.,
SUlle 307R, Hayward . CA 94541-1511.
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CABLETVDESCRAMB
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V ID E O S T A B ILIZE RS A VA IL A B LE
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OROER OUTSIDE CA l-SOll42J.FI'JE
CATALOG & INf ORMATION12131888-8988
ORDER BY f AX (213188s.6863 ~ E]
XII I'J E. M..n"lII .\ \ l' \I"nld...l1" . t \ '1llft40
CIRCLE I tl ON FRe E INFORMATION CARD
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 CABLETRONICS
CONVERTERS
1-4Unlt. 5 Unit s 10 Un it.

PANASONIC TZP 145 $88.00 $75.00 $70.00

One In.''' can make STAR GATE 2000 $79.00 $69.00 $65.00
},l''l.:Il\ l....'o malchl'-s.
'HAMLIN MeC 3000 $25.00 $19.00 $15.00
HOB B YIbfoadcasl mg HAM,CBisurveilla nce
nansrr stters. amplifiers. cable TV. science, b1.l!:l5, ADD-ON DESCRAMBLERS
Dlher qreat projects! Catalog $1.00 . PANA X1S,
Box 130-FI2. ParadIse, CA 95967 . se-a (NEW) $50.00 $45.00 $43.00
DESCRAMBLERkits, Comple10 cable kit $44.95. "'SB-3 FACTORY $45.00 $3 9. 0 0 $ 35.00
Complete sate une kit $49.95. Add $5.00 shrpping.
Free brochure. No New York sales. SUMMIT RE, SA3 $56.00 $ 50. 0 0 $45.00
Box 489. Bl'O(lx, NY 10465. DTB3 $ 65 .00 $55.00 $ 50. 00
SURVEILLA NCE lransmltte r kilt tune from 65 KNI2A-2 or 3 $49.00 $45.00 $40.00
10 305 MHz. Mains powgred duplex. telephone . One ma och can hum $ 49.00 $40.00 $35.00
room, combinalion le~phone_room. catakx; witl'l J,CIlX\OOO trei., "'HAMILIN MLD 1200-3
Pop u l ar Co mm u ni cati on s , PopUl ar ~I ec "ZENITH SSAVI $165.00 $149.00 $125.00
Ironies and Radio-Electronics book reviews of SA-DF $109.00 $95.00 $75.00
" Elec l ro nlc Eav esd ro pping Equ l pm enl De-
sign," $2 ,00 . SH EFFIELO ELECT RONICS, PO "" ,,,,-
Box 377 785C. C hicago . IL 60 637-7785 . ~ \~; COMBOS
. .......,,,,_
"-,,"'"--
<:-, JERROLD DPV7
JERROLD DPSB CALL FOR PRICES
SA8580 COMBO $29 9.00 $225.00 $215.00
GREAT Prolte!. SUtIIl S~m

O
~ , X.. . .. T reminds )'llll whetl)'IIU 101- "'J ERROLD DRX-3D1C $165.00 $105.00 $89.00
-s Qtl SSTSR (Tum Signaille- CONS UME6 JERROLD DRZ-3-DIC $17 5.00 $115.00 $99.00
;' ._ ml"dt ') beeps 3 secenes
o - .~ "'OAKM358 $45.00 $35.00 $30.00
~ls U"~I
cem ~
aller 15 seetnds . Cyde ...
c.llICe1ltd. U!'O)b1r~"'t. Ittydts Wllth brakmg
lot mounts ltop '1aShe, Parts. we. PCB , see-
1TIibc. ifIstl'\lCtlOllS 115 PPO; U 25: 1 UG \'Jl.lIolC F ~
5
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~~ HAMLIN SPC 4000 3M
ADD $1Q.OO FOR VARISYNCH
$50.00 $44.00 $44.00

~ fOChu re UDO,398-560 5. Prewiled no Pf'O: 2;$35; 3-$0 /<;..... ""lId .t. ", . hd dll(it. 1
Silt nt S.m. 1627 81511 0,,, eorumblll. 011 13221. 'IV " '" 01.......
..,~rd. ..... ""'~ r\.o~
. hd y;d. "'Refurbished as New
~ ir 'hon nldrhion.d
' YP" .... ond w re .pociol
t.""
' raini", roc th ~ ,odI OlY ITEM OU TP UT PRICE TO TAL
OESCRA MS LI NG, new s ec ret manual. BUild nlci"" wh" w", h nn th. rn,
you r own descra mbler s ' or ca bl e and s u b- Onl y .r... . Ulftlu... lu . N
eertpuen TV. Instructions, schematlCS 'or SSAVI. "'l.,n", compotool><)' . - .
gated sync, Sinewaw, (HBD. Crnemax, srcw-
rorh~n.;ng tl'<hnici. n. wlln
~ir cono.",..r . l<'lr<>nia.
tim e. UH F. M ull ) $12 .95 . 52 .00 po stage . bu, nl\Hn yo... _ the I,,
CAB LETRONICS , Box 30502 R, Bi!lhasda. MO ",m.tion.1 SOCI. ' y nf e",.
2002' . tifl<'d El<o:tren;" Thnriono
ICETr tw-a:.n Ito""" "" "if"",,_
B UILD 1).50 110ft regulated dtlill Uackif'IQ poIWr ""npf"OV'lm M qu. hry th. .. Ca ll1G/nla Panal Cod.. . 593-0 F o ,~ld. u. f, om SUB T OTA L
supply. Comple te schematics and in sll ucli ons. thnici." nd u.- in in
$5.95 . SMS ENGINEERING, RE 5932 wes Bi!1l dUSlry. TOallT)" tbo CETdoo ,lI ipplng a " y cab l.. d..c.am~ Ung unit to SIIlpplng Add
Road, sure 0 106, Glendale, Al 85308. Ign.tl"'" "",hnin. n. m.ot

PROTOTYPING PC boards? sast and easy 'rom

h.... roue yo. ..
a nd pua a oiPI ..am,notioo
"1"''';0''' anyona , Idlng In th Ial.. of calUo,n lL
Pdc bieCl to ch g.. wl th ",,' no~ c ..,
5,00 P .., " nil
O/Cr e-di tCet d
81twork 10 elch ed boald in 30 m inutes Of leu. on 1tO ,,1 .~r<> "i"" . nd
Add 5%
Complete step by step plans and samples ! 56,50 . pinc ""r"1"''''' ' .""h
.. audio"," rad....'IV .
checiI or money order to E.G.G" PO Box 11390, T OTAL
Bradenton. FL 34282, M a n ~ ",no.",..c. Io<d< for .
Co>rtifi.d Elm "," ic Th "i
BOOST stereo transmi llef kit outpul powell Super
sim pte plans, $4 .00 . X-TE K , PO Bo x 5 21164,
..." ;n ,ho ol>np .. I>on , boy
n..... . "y . l"" r<>n;" i",m .... Please Print

N.m~~====~~====~~~~~=======
SLC. Ulah 841521164. paired
60 SOLDERLESS Bread board PJ'ojeet s in two f e_ eo....."'... ChKkI;" Add, n . City
easy-to- read ccoet books. Com plete wl1h cncuu A <o".om" rn""kli.t fo'
...1"",ln K. ....... ,,.. ohn" i . Stat a Zip T.. I' l I
deSCJip~ons. schematICS. parts layouts. ccmoo-
nenl listings, etc. 80lh books (BP107 & BP113j o Cft lh l..,. . Ch&<: k O Mon.,., Old... O CO D
only$11,90piu s $3.50 for shippi ng. USA and can- DVI.. O MC ee l Exp. Da la _
ada only. US 'und s. ETT, INC., PO Bo x 240 , Mas- OECLARATION OF AUTHOR IZED use I, Ill .. "n denill"e-d, do h...-eby d&<:I....
sapequa Park. NY 11762-0240 .
~ "de< pen alty of pa'lu.... llI.t all P,Oduct , p c ~ ....d. now an d In th .. fu tur..,
W IRELESS guitar tran sm issio n system, B~ i ld
your o wn for 539,95! (kll) R AD IO AC TI V E will on l y~ .. und on TV ' ylt. ",. wllft all ....pllc.bla l ad...-a1 .....d l tal. l.w .
TR A N S MI S SI ON S (5 1g) 2 50 - 0 5 59IFA X : M od .... elKit , onic .... ip FEDERAL AND VARI OUS S TA TE LAW S PROVIOE F OR SUBSTANTI AL
25<>0S<0 ... . ht wc:1I el d illi, . 1 TV,
o r I ter"," . IIou'" t>. ... CRIMINAL AND CIVIL PENAL TiE S FOR UN AUTHOR IZED USE.
TEST-A ld. lor les~rog unitSIn full servtve modlil. p.i rad b 1 Sj>.dl ily ,r. inad
stercce VII, $40 .00 : Starcom VI, $30 .00; ster- ~ ple , " . , Sj gn ad' _
com DPBB , S50.oo; Pioneer ceers Iiln'or code-s
E2E5, $60.00 : Pioneer cu bes, will not eaer inler. ail.hl. ff'' ~y .. "din~
. """pod , ... If. ..tdr-o<od n
nal serial fl. $125 .00 ; Tacom V IP 5503 /5507.
$ 25.00 : Toco m ma pping , $ 40 .00 : SA 8500 ,
..lop< '" Clw<kli>" ISC ET.
2708 W..'llorry , Fon Wort h.
Cabletronlcs
525.00 : 8550 $3 0.00: 858Cl, $40.00: 8570/90 , TX 7610(1. ~ Ii" ..mind. 9600 0 Top an ga Can yon Blvd. , Suite 323,
550.00 ; Zenilh. 525 .00; soo;rity bits and remolOS.
N.E. ENGINEERING , (6tn 77G-3830.
ro n ""," '" chock ."""
n.m 0".. tI>o "".i"".. Chets worth , CA 9 13 11
HI 'idelil y FM stereo lransmin&r $49.95. Surround
h. ... 'he ~111 for y o.r por'
'iml., bnmd,...D>d you got
For Free Catalog, or to place an order call
sound decoder amp $29 .95. 5 wall audio amp . n ..ti ma' od pM""r "d (800 ) 433-2011 FAX (818) 709 7565
514,95, Kits are comple 1e WIth PCB and pre-test- -Uid 1" 0 <Itk thi. ...mpo"y
ed pan s. KEY VID. 508 PloWr Place . Palm Hat- .. ith , "" 11M'" Il u."....
bor, Fl 34683 . (B13) 78 7-<13 11. Il u....r

CAB LE T.V. BOXES ALL TYPES
Remember eese Martian " LOW PRICES DEALER PRICES "
Space Shjps in~
HG Wells ..,.;
Wit olltlf Worlds?
L a s er Pe n ... ACE PRODUCTS ...
PIlIl seed taser. gleat lor movies, . " 18002340 726 ."
I,lYSTERY drive ins. poimer. Ready to use. III'dfl
l ev i t a ti ng D e v ice ball's, lAPNI law Pen $149.50
0Iljects floaI on air and fTIO'>'e 10the
touch. ceees gf3'1ltyl Amazing 91h. Pocket L a s e r Kit H O ME asse mbly wo rk ava ilab le ! Guarantee d
COfI\IllfSabon piece. magiclrid<. Of 3mw Of 5mw lolS, \Io1th solid Slate easy mon ey! Free det ails? H OMEWORK- R. Bo x
gre.al sQenblic projecl. 670rrn diode. Caution. Class lila ~em, 520 . Dan"i~e, NH 03819 .
AKT1K EasyAU y ICit'Plans$19.50
TV & F M Jok e r fJammer
VI' t3 KM 3mw Laser KiI . 599.50
Pod\et SOl e device lets youremotely MO NEYMA KE RSI Eas y l One man CRT rebu ild-
VI' t 5ICM 5mw Laser Kil . , $119,50 ing machinely, 56 .900.00 rebui lt. $15.900 ,00 new.
di$IUpI TV or faGo recepOOn. Great

(ij
3 Ul t E
CRT, 1909 Louise . Cryslalake. IL 60014. (615 )
FM W i re le s s
gagll}screlion requited. EasybuiId MORE laser Kits! 477-6655. FAX (615) 4n-1013.
electronc:kit EJK1KM $19.sa tAS1ICM 1m'/r Laser, 632nm, HeNe
M ic roph o n e ! Easy III Builcl lCit .. ...... S6i .5O MAKE 575.000 .00 10$250.000.00 yearly or more
C~ Slalclear. u~raseflSitr;e pockup 100,000 V 20' Range tAS4ICr.& 3mw Versilln , KIt 59950 lIx ing IBM eeor monilor s. No inveslme nt. stan
transmits voices , SOUrds 10all)' FM do ing il !rom your horne (a telephone required).
Intimid ati on D e v ice! In/ormalion. USA. Canada $2 .00 cash lor br0-
ladOO For SOOJrily, fI'IOI'lIlonng tAT05 Lo'/r ccst HeNe Law Tube!
E1ecttonil; m:x!u19. may be e<'dosed chure. other countries SI O.oo US funds. RA N-
dUldren. invalids. Be ee local OJI .5mw Tube & Plans . . only $24.50
lor handheld. ~. I)f axed uses DA LL DISPLAY, Bo x 2166-R . Van N uys . CA
MVPl P!f,ns 57.00 Ol!ler partsava.lablaseparale!y
ITM2 Plans (Cfe.able to I<Jll $10.00

1r
91404 USA. FAX (BI B}99().7800,
MVP11C K/to'Plans . . . . . $39.50 Greal low Budget ScienceProjed!
ITM2K Kit & Plans . , . .. $49,50

A
3M lt E I'EA OYTo-U SE. AUTOMAnc Shoc k er F orce F i eld
Telephone - - Pho n e Recordlng m m r v e h iCle El ectrif ier
T ra nsmitte r ! S yst em QQ ~
AlI10matically transmits 2 sidesof Co!JllIete ...tII extendedptay tape
pI'Jone ~ 10all'I FM , .. racottlef & in& i'lterfacll SlOik:h.
Tunable. easyassemlllv PC board, AulomabCally records bothsides o! ~
Operates arJv l\tlef1 phoneis l'l use corwersabOfl. Ched< Local laM on DEALERS WANTED
VWPh17 Plans $1.00 PIripef lise ' flNdy-lO-USe Syslem, Id.WI hard 5i'od< b.lls. shocl<. '/rands QUANTITY DISCOUNTS ON
VWPMK1 KlliPl anl . . . . $39.50 TAP20X System . . . . . . $149.50
f'::::\:
eleclnty objects. charb'El capacrtl)fS,
a reat pay bad< lor ecse 'lrille guysl
5 OR MORE UNITS
MODEL 5 10 20 SO 100
INFORMATION U NLI MITED ~J SHIC I ICM bsyAsstmbIy K~$24.50
071-3 65 60 50 45 CAll
Dept RE-4 Box 71 6. Amherst NH 03031 I("Ordtf byUlll,or by Sot T3 55 50 45 4D CAll
Phone 6036734730 FAX 603672-5406 :mo.221.~ with many more /lems! SotSO 120 110 100 95 CAll
MC, VISA, COD, Check Accep ted. ADD S5 S&H. FI' EE with on:Ier, or send $1 P&H On - DigitaJ TrH./odetnpu/se "S4T- SC1 An.
"SA-80 - SC1 An.8500'" aOOrt
All equipm ent Is n ew and gu a r anteed

ETCH PCB's yoursel' . new toehnique , no chemi

Cable TV
Descrambler Kits
Univer sal Ki t..
In Clydu.n part . and PC lloa rC. N01 ,nc!ya ed
IS 1M ec e dapt'" '" enclOSUle
Trl-M cd e Klt .....S39 .DO
l n cluclu e ~ p a lO. PC Iloatd end AC Ad ap t ",. NO!
In<:lude" IS \". en<:lowre
SB3 KIt
In cIud.. all p an . PC BeatIl en<l AC Adap lOl. NOt
onclu<le<l IS t ne enc:looure
cars . eas y. cheap. !u ll instruc tions. shareta re,
$ l ,OO. SASE, NICK NA P. Suile 29 1 CN 1907. Wall.
NJ 01719 .
MAS TERSWlTCH . Turns your stereo onIoII with
YOUI in fra red remote tel evision . In/ormatio n .
$59.9 5 SASE . 10: PROGRE SSIVE CON CEPTS, 1313
North Grand . # 29 1, Walnut . CA 91189 ,
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
YOU R own radi o stancn! ticensed/u nlicensed
A M. FM . TV. cab le. In!o rm al io n $1.00. BROAD
S29.00 CA s n NG. Bo x 130-F12. Paradise. CA 959 67.
LET the governmenl tmance YOUf small business.
CALL V.C.I .
180067 7 0 3 21
An)cne irrlpJyitlQ then orservice will II<! tJeriied asSiSlance
No florida Sales
L EAR N gold. silver. pl a~O\Um scrap recyding bust-
ness, (Fre e) Inlorm ation . Write : RE C YCLING ,
Box 11216PI::. Reno . N V B95101216 .
ELECTRON ICS d esle rs : Expand YOllr p roduct
hne. Ma ke $$$ t Become an AM ER ICAN EL EG-
m O NICS dealer?Pro'" opportunities since 1965.
Call Scott Pruett , 1 (800) 812- 1313 ,

Univer sal Tutorial ..$9.95

Grants.1oans to $500.000 . Free fIIC(Irded mes-
sag e: (701) 449-8600. (KS 1~
EA SY work ! Exce llenl pay ! As sem ble p roduClSat
I ELECTECH I
tn<:lIId .. an ... ae Pln Ollldy Ol tne ' e<:nCWlCllo;>gy .,..., CABLE T.V. DESCRAMBLERS
It>Cl na. l ro.:tl l H1lOCll,n g """, hl>me. Call lOll/me 1 (800) 467-5 566 Ext. 5192.
All qu ality brand names "
Tri-Mod e Tutori al S9.95 All fully gu aranteed All the tlme
InCluCle ge l. by g el e tllIOy 01'''' c,re..1 an" na. F...r::!n. rin gM... . r, p", ~ Ekwonia. (Pooitioo Know ledg eab le Sa le. Service Depa flm e nt
lroutl lell/lO<Xl'''II hint. 10<01<4"' D<lb<l en roditt<-l . 011 _ j..,. """" ,bOO of III. FOR FREE CATALOG 800.253-0099
_ fa.. D<po. ;" lb<""".. i>oioaO.g """ maio.. ..""" '"
Snoop er Stopper S39.00 hard dis.: haotd .. CORliog .Y' ...... 00 ", pooIhid",
Prcl ect y Olne" ''''''' dRCratllbl., d.. ech on _ ptod""""'- lot. .. b<.bI< "'"1'""''''''
III< _ i>oiooi.g 'O<I
alop 1M 1>"'lel ....._ of boN dio< boKd rtOIIt'Ili. .. <oIiri.g .l"'.....
dip "1 . ... j. pro ..".,.cd miCfOpIwoeo. Mi 2 ~ .., WA NTED
oopo""""" wi'"........... -; pto<CII<lt conrrnl . INV ENTO RS: We submit ideas 10 indll s try. Find
. ..boJ,Jod coo,roI 'J"'<lO fi .iml. FoI=uI "f'<t>,;"g <I" 0( out what 'NO can do !or you. 1 (BOO) 288- rOEA.
Call Toll Free <ltp', ,0<1 dj'<el p'.",..tioo.r bu dg.~ po"""". _ d
ELE C TRONIC jobs 10 do at home. l 1 yeaf s ex pe-
.,.. ol_ 0( penooO<l. ""-'0... deg in I'loocth<eI '"
1800 2581134 EItroo" U l-- I , <o po';" '" .. pooitioo otf. ml '" 4 neoce . M ,I speequahty. Relia ble. re'eeeces (602)
37B3226 .
, .... . . p<ti<."" u Smiioo ug;o'. p", AudiGF.lt<txooico.
C.O.D. 40 ~ .. Jwl: WW....1IllI (... _ oo.",po).

S<aol Rao... l<J: Jol> So"';'" TtdloO<ol U. ir

M & G El ectronics, Inc. e-titol 0._ ., of lo t>ot INVENTORS
301 We stmi nist er Street :zoo Folly Brook 1loo1"".' d INVENTOR SI Can you paten t and prohl fro m yell r
Welben.f.. w. CT OM"" Idea? Call AM ERICAN INV ENTORS CO RP. lor
Providence, RI. 02903 ...u.~ , Jol> Ot<lt. l'o. llO-Cll2 free inlormahon. Serving inventOfS since 1975 . 1
(800) 3385656 .

CIRC LE 1990N FREE INFOH U ATION C ARO

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flJLL ORB\RTTI.\ IE JOBBUSI;\;E.SS;
PLUG INTO
Learn VCR repair! --~ .. _~-

Professional-level home THE SERIIICE,

study p ro gram . Mast er
easy-to-learn. high-protit
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ments. Send or ca ll today.
Free career kit:
CUI bc cooked up
in}'OW" kitdlen. AND IIAWE
800-223-4542 ll><-no .. nidm<'!: "'-
,__--....i
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MCM
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""'~----------- ,.,.. doIIr don to ~
<!'urI<not ~ c>n<'<I" ELECTRONICS
City !;t.ol~_ " '
The School o lVCR Rep air. Dept. VP342
_

J _..--<nab
I . EJI more -fiba I<old;,
_ .. I.... _ ' ~
PROIIIDES
L
2245 re rtmeter Park .A1l ant" . G,\ 30.1-1 1

------------ --'qI<U
2 . lndoo:k dark p;run _
dnp.-.-.
twit>rrlI .. """""'" " on<! c-

.
J . _~ . bro<'rnlo.
_oprtU>.

. .II<_..
~
"'_ >nd
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EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION _cluII-<Uml._od._

F.C.C. Commercial General Rad lote lephoroell-

eense, Electronics home studV. Fast. inexpliln"
SMl' - see- details. CO....AND. 0-176. Box
2824. San Franc2sco. CA 94126.
",.I"'I<__. . . ...--=-
~ .-
5. Oo:doom"" ...... bo ...

~--
6. loUd """"r
.......-.p-
ELECTRONIC engln"= ln . 8 YOlumes com- '101'1"'_~
plete. S1 09.95. Nopnor required. Free
brochure BANNER TECHNICA BOO KS, 1203
Gfanl Avenue. Roddord. .. 61103 .
BUtLDING A RoOot: A Stra.ghllorwatd Approach.
152 pages fully iIustl'aloo. InsIn.cbons hoW)<lU
can e3Slty cons lrue! a rcoot. CheCk Of money
order. S19.9SpIus 53.00 stappitlg . HUMANFORM
ROBOTICS, PO Box 158486. Nas hvIlle . TN
37215. To ge l the lull power 01
MCM Elect ron ics' array 01
products and services. you have
Try the 10 be pl ugged in. And tha t's easy.
Justcall. weu wire you in to more than
20.000 components and parts; many 01
CABLE TV DESCRAMBLERS them top brand name s. oth ers hard-to-lind

* CONVERTERS *
andACCESSORI~~;..~~., bulletin board
system
(RE-BBS)
516-293-22B3
PANASON IC. JERROLD. OAK.
PIONEER. SCIENTIFICATLANTA The more you use il lhe
ANDMORE. LOWESTPRICES FREE CATALOG. more Ulerullt hecomes.
c~':,~:..:,!'y(8001234.1006 We support 1200 u d 2400
hauel operall on.
Pa rameters: 8N1(8 dat.a
hils. nolIarily. 1 slop bill
or 70 11 ela" hill. n en
IIltlly. 1 stop bitl.
item s. We cuer connectors. semico n ductors.
VCR par ts and ac cessorie s. televi sion corn-
pon ents, le st equipment. toot s and ch emi cals.
Everyth ing you need lor compu ter, audio. video. or
tele phone repa ir. We'll give you amne tecnoiear assistance
yo u need . Then speed your order to yo u w ithin 24 ho urs.
That's se lecti on, and service. And Ihal mean s value IOYOU, and
10 YOUf c ustomers.
For A Free Catalog Call:
1-800-54:5-4:5:50
To Order 8y FalC
1,513-4$4,6959
For Product Ouestlons:
1-B00-814TECH (8314'

AlIfyourseil io OUI US"

IileS lo InClease your
accen .
Communicate willi olli"
RE readers.
Lane your commentson
RE wil_llI, SYSOP.

RE-RBS MCM E LECTRO N ICS

516-293-22B3 650 C O N G RESS P ARK OR.
CEN TERVILLE. O H 4 5459 -4072
A PREMIER Cc>mPi'ny RE--eO 105
ClRCl..' ON fREE INfOAMAT1ON CARD
 c,,__ s.tYIc. ' DOKlIVJt NOH ' F_I Shippl"fl
nLLELECTROnICS CORP.

~~~~~~Shortwave
Mall Orl;!erereetreme PartsAnI;!Supplies
P.O. Box567 o Van Nuys. CA 91408
LASER POWER SUPPL Y
Listening
Guidebook
by Harry Helms

Epo.~ 6I'oaOf>Suls10<1 poot _ .m

l<>t up 10 Here's your guidc
2 mW Iu.... . liT)( 1 liT)( 1 7118". 10 getting the most
I~: g Vdc@ 1 ~. 0ulpJl slarli"" . . . .: from a short wave
710 a kV. Op&r llli"" "Oll.: 1.1 10 l.SkV radio! In clear,
(lpw lllling"",,""': "loSmA. Rec.Md
0-250 quock con""" t.rmin all lor output. nontechnicallanguage, Harry
Color axIo<Iwire Il>ad. lOt~ explains how, when. and where to listcll
CAT.LPS-l $3 S.00 NCll in. Its 320 heavily-illustrated pages ere
packed with adviceon:
RECHARGEABLE
Gell Cell Batteries , antennas
o selecting the right radio
", an- I_, ~ be!l ...... I6eaI "" o accessories
portable power or t.cl<-up power tor o;>IMl,A"liallioml. o reception technique s
video,........ lIIC.lhoC>Ie in..~p::>o.ilion.
Lea rn how to hear the flBC, Rad io
II VO LTS @1 .2A MPIHOURS
Moscow, ham oper.uors, ships, even
seeaar x spiesmld "pirate' radiostations! Includes

...
\" X 2" hliJh. hundredsof station frcq ocncics and the
CAT.GC-e12 times you ca n hear them.
"'''' Only $16.95 ur radio equip me nt dealers,
or order direct from HighFcxt! Add $3
shipping ($4 Canada"55 elsewhere) . CA
addsales tax. U.S. funds onlyplease.
7 12K Miramar Road. Suite 1.51.
Sun Diego. CA 1)212 1
............ PR SENTl NG ...... ......
CABLE TV
DESCRAMBLERS
................. STAARlNG ...... ... ......
J. RROLD, HAMU N . OAK
NJ o rKU f~ MAM..FACJUIt"IIS
f INEsT W""'"ANTY PROGJIAM A\lAlLAlilE
lCMiES'I ~I WHOU v.u PIllCfllN U~
, OROU'~ SHIPI'ro f "'-JOll5lOQ( \VITHJ'.l 1<!~
All MIUOlI CREDIT (NIPS "CCEPTD

VIl(1) R&diooonde
A "rediotorOe " _ her it>-
. 11U.... n1, ".'...II~ ..lauod III h.....
alil """,,. cSeoliJned Iol......m
l ~u ' .. hurrOdit,l.... ncIs and
preMute III ~ heigh'- """"-
lhe g'ound. n-. aI . - "n~..
cliooontinued lromNOM rIlIIIIionlrI
_It>ef ......=c.. ConI"; ... Iott 01
"'._ling pall" a . oicl .,et.
..........baItwroolric_ ..... _ .
t,...
humidity..MOO' erd a U _ b.on..-y
Ohi<:fl 00l;l;. 1II0<1 ...... . ubnon.o<I
in wal.,. GI'NlIor ochooI .,;;"nce
"""""""ltlll.".,. ... .. a lOUtCe lor pall..
CAT. WlT-l $4.75 ....,h Cas&"'16 Iot~ .OO

4 AAA RECHARGEABLE
BATTERY PACK (USED)
Banwy p.d< wilh MA nickel-
cadmiumball in 10
make. u pedt.1latI.....
canbe _at! arod ,""""""
lliJuH6M ted, T... _0<1
t>r .. Ilin,........."""'_
<;\l
(0.1 cenl.... j on "Ieado.
CAT.NC8-43 U noope< poc!<

~ ltOg. F!'IEg ClIJC?lglJf.lt{g~ ';; NUTEI{ ELECTRONICS

liE ,rIt:.oO(J!iS26 t S432 L;;
{ <lfUItI) . o_ "" . ~ " CawI _
3250 Hatd1 RD
eecs. hfk TEXAS 78613

~
TERJ.JS.' .w.-.m_ I IOOO S/lf>pO'lg' W "-~
Io'~~_-'U. S . A 13 50 "., _ ,. .u_ts
rd<dt1lM: fit PRorC.",dI mlJSt "'rM ~
~ .u 0...... dtllivtJred .. CAl.FORNJA m lo$/ incIlIitJ ".'.
Z lM W (1,25""1.~1,1S"" ' ~I. n.).~ ANTIQUE RADIO CLASSIFIED
.~o
Free Sampl e! ~
IJmt1.NOC.O D. PIK>t uI>Oo<:t"' dI. """'-f_

AntiqueRadio'S
Largesl Circulation Monthly. e 0 Volunteer.
Articles. Ads & cussstees . 0

6Mon t h Trlal ; $15. ' Yr; $27 j$401s t Class).

V Americ an Heart Assoc ia tion
A.A.C., P.O. Box 802 L9, Carlisle, MA 01741

CIRCLE 101 ON FREE INFORMATION C ARD

 1-800-831-4242
Your Resourcefor Value. Only a Phone Call Away.
REGULATED POWER VOICE SCRAMBLER KIT TWODIGIT
SUPPLY KITS T ransmit voice meM:Igt'S with
VOLTMETER KIT
Build the power supply you've been complete privacy and SC'curity. Now you a n build a
T he Voice Scrambler Kit converts versatile, practical,
needing for years. Ideal for home or intelligiblehuman s\leech into
instr uctional we , ~1e1:1 from th ree high-performan ce
unrecognil.3ble garb e for a igitaJ panel
different versio ns. Each kit is recording or transmitting vohmerer.
co mp lete wit h pri nt i circuit boord . ova standard media. Th e Finished kits
electron ic co mpon ents, an d user dcscram bler mod e deliver 2% accuracy
assembly instructio ns. restores the signal 10 at full scale. Its basic input range
D R7}613 fully intelligible speech. ofo.o
O perate with a casse t te ta pe to 9.9 VDC is C'asily scaled for any
recorder or build a secure telephone application.
DimCll>i... sY:O;lem usinJ> a separate kit at each
a.. .... H ~ 1 end of the line. Inpul Impcdan ~; 82K witb 9.9
Audio Powe Omp'l!; 0.5 Walu
DR 20j 6Q JF.Zoo
'"no
., rooo J.5 x5.0x2.0 a .'S Reoo IUl;on; 8 bits (comp.nded. Mu-la w)
Mmple Ral e; g kHz
VDCnng~

Di.pla}", 0.3" red MAN74A l}'PC

DIU0616 JUIS .5,,, .IS 750 1<>175 ,M"S.O .l.O 19.9 5
.5<0, . 15 750'0 175
PowerSupply: . 5 & -5 VDC @25 Powe, Supply; . 5 voc. rq;u1a,ro . lOO rnA;
mA, . 12VDC @250
(reco mmend power supply DRlOJ60-lcfl)
DR 7361J JE22S ,," .Hi.<d
,) <0.12 '''''''
'00
5.lh 5.12. 2.2S Z',M'S rnA; (recommend pov..e r
,upply DR73613 I.ft) D; ol~OJ;oOJ : 4.3 ~ 2.2" x 1.3" ( L-tW~ H)
. j to 12 '00 Dimen, ion!: PCB is 355 13. 10 (hW)
Part No. PO.., Part N". Price
DR70519 S34.95 DR70S27 $24.9S

r o" No.
EPROMS
r~ ,So,...
Ie Sockets
~

PUro"I;." rou
bi:I.1iQ
Memory
rmd ll<J N o. fllDetio p PeK. Other Jameco
D Rj}61 1 N p.
D RS1S70 8lP S.pin low profil. 'H'U O
1lR4 1398 41156-120 1S6K orr 110luM.SUi 9 Resources
DR>"'" D R4USI 1ll000l'-.80 IM8Dlr IlON _ S.99
OR 40002
D1U 7 16\ H LP 14.pinlcwprofil .. ll
DR41 S13 4l2SM9Jl.M 2Sl>KS1M ~t 10m_ IU S
T estlMe:uuro:m ent
D R40 12S
lJlU7j71 16LP l~p;n 1_ p",fil . 11
I>R411 18 4210CJ()A9...!O I MIISll'l' 3O", _ .'>4.9S and Prototyping
DlU9JJS H LP 24-pin low profile . 19 Eq uip ment
DR 402 30 D R4 1769 HlrolA'lS-!O l M8S IM.\ t so.._SU S
OR40J(l 1 28l.l' 28'1';0 low profile . 22
DRJ 9829
D R4 11l 0 40l.l' 40p io low p,,, fiIe . 28 Co mputer Upgr.ade
DRJ9853 LEDs and Accessory
DRJ9'93J ran No , DnuiptioQ Prk.
Connectors D R3 4?61 Tl 3/4 . (v n) $. 16
Products
DR>" "
DIU 'l'984 Produ ct D R3 47?6 Tl 314. (red) .n Full line of Integra ted
DIU 96n
Il R400 37
No.
DB15P
DB2SS
Il R3 48 2S Tl }/4. (p,Uow)
." Circuits and E lectr onic
Co mpo no:n ts
D R4006 1
DlU 97 14
DII2SH Order toll-free Exciti ng Project Kits
DB2SMH
D R397 2 2 18008314242 for Hobbyists
DR40 I 5lJ
DlU9781
m,,,'"
OR06')2
transistors And Diodes
l'roduct
is,,,
OR 21161 8
D O>.....
PN2222
PN2907
TO?2 ca><. _._.$.12
TO92a>r 11
Call or wri te for your
J)Rj S9'.l1
n Rj81J6
I K4004
1N2222A
[)O...11
TO- IS .:-:
_ IO
25
1993 Annual Catalog:
0 106 116 1:"47JS D0-11 ca><._ 15 18006378471
I}Rj8JS9 1N3?04 TO.?2 <= 12
0 R36 190 IS 1S1 DOlSca>< _ !S
0 108421
0 !lWl}8
DR3 8}OII
l N4' 0 1
1:"4148
1N30 ~ S
TO?2 ca><
OO}S go< . _
T O -3Q><
15
07
69
JAMECO'"
$]0 .00 Minimum O rder """""'"" """"""""
COMPUTE R PRODUCTS
For Ir uemauonal Sales. Customer
Switches Service, Credir Depanrnent and;l.]l 1355 Shorcway Road
Pan Product
rs", is,,, t>mrisItio o 1'00
other inquiries; C;l.]J 415592,8097 Belmont, CA 94002
ORll'H6 JMTl 13 51'DT.
belWn 7AM -5PM r.s.r. FAX: lgQOo1376948 (0..-,,)
"0 ...." ("'f~I<) ....$ I . I S CA Residem. plea><:: aJd applicable FAX: 415592' 2503 (I"""",,oonoI)
DR3 8M 2 106-8 5I'ST. 16-pil\ sales ,n
(O l!') 1,09
D R266 12 MS lO1 S!'ST. ,",,"'''\l0f)' '0
T <rna: Pried sul>jro dungc wil""'" notio<. Itani IUbjca 10...a.bilily
(pu,J,-bunon) l9 ,nd p,io' ...l<. Compl<l<Ji.. of .m" wOlf"";" is..oil.lbl. "1"'"11""'"
'Addi' ;Do"l <Dm/"'nnJlJ " ",,;wbk Cll 'J91].__ /2191 All tt>d<nurU ... ,.p<r<nd " od<mull. of lh<;, mp<ai", <omranin.

CIRCLE 114 ON FREE INfO RMATIO N C ARD

 ADVERTISING INDEX
Ele c tr oni c s Now does n o l assume any respo n sibJli ty fo r e rr ors that may appea r In t he
In d e x be low.

Fre e Inform a tion Number Pa g e Fre e Inform a tio n Number Pa g e

"'71h Stree t Photo. . . 73 . . . .. .... . ... . . . 32

10' A.\I C Sa ll."i . .R3 56 Parts Express 107

Ac e Producls
75 74
" Radin Shack .. . . . . . . . . . 34

.......... -
107 All Ell'dron ics . .. . . . . 106 Sta r Cireuils . . . . . 74

---_
IHEllPDl51VE GElG EJl
N~~

""""'-"' ''''-'
."..
911
Ama zlnll Con cepts
Ileckm an Induslrial
. . . 104
5
""
178
H el.
Tech Spra" .
. . .. 61\
. . . 26

!};;;)] 190 lleckman ln duvtrtal . .

Breokstone Pmdu ctlen Co . . . . . R6
. . . 14. 15 91
1%
Tektronix
U.S. Cable . .. .
24
. . 11 1
109 C &S Sa ll'!> 42 192 Viejo l'uhllcal lon s . . . 76
C IE . . . 31. 4 1 193 XlIndl Eleetrcnics 74
1113 Ca ble Wa rehouse 82 195 7.entck Corp. . . . .111
Ca blel ro nics . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Che mtro ntcs . . . . . CV4

t ill C henl'\ ko products . . . .. . 74
CLAGGK Video Offer . .. . CV3 ADVERTIS ING SALES OF FICE
Command Productlcns . . ..... 113 Ge r nebaek P ublleo tlo ns . Ine .
500B BICou nty Blvd .
Fa rmingda le . NY 11735
511 Cook 's lnsthute .. . . . . . . 96 115161 29 3 30 00
President: La rry Steekle r
CIRCLE 11i ON FREE INFORMAn ON CARD 127 Heco Indu\l ril~ . . . . . . . .... . 74
For Adve l"tl s ln lil O NLY
5 16 .293 3000
179 Electronic Goldmi ne . . . . . 108 Fa. 151 6 2 9 3 311 5
"CABLE BOXES" t:t~tron ics IIook Club . . 33. 90
La rry S leekier
publishe'
Chr is tina Eetra d a
BELOW WHOLESALE Electronic Tech. Toda,' . . .. 68 . n istaot 10 Ihe Presidenl
Arlin e Fis h man
GUARANTEED STOCK - COD 'S 121 Fluk e Mllnura ctur lnl: CV2 . dve,l;s;nl di,eelo,
De nllO Mu le n
Gloh a l Specialties . . . dve,lising e511slenl
- OESCRAMBLERS - '"
198 Gold \ lar l'Tl.'d\ ion ,
... .7

95
Kelly MeQu ede
credit meneger
(OTY) (10) (20) (40) Subserlbe r C ue lomer Service
NEW T813 70 55 CAl l Ora ntham Couege i~ 18002880652
O rde r Enl ry for New Su b . cr ibere
T8 2 or 3 45 40 CAl l 18009997139
. .. . .. . R2
SA3 B
OAK N12 43
45 40 CAl l
38 CAl l " lI ea lhk it . .. .
IIi l(hTnl Publications. Inc .. . 106
7:00 AM . 6:00 PM MF MST
ADVERTIS ING S ALES O FFICES
58 2 OR 3 43 38 CAl l EAST/ S O UTHEAST
tsCt:T . . . . 96 Sta nley Lev itan , [estern Advertisiog Sel89
COMBINATION UNITS Mlln. ge.
DRXDIC 89 CALL 1811 Ink rllcti l'l" Im age Tech 23 Ele ctronici Now
1 Overlook Ave.
SYL DIC 59 CALL 114 jamecc . . 101 Greet Neck. NY 11021
PIONEER 295 275 CALL 1516-4879357.1 5162933000
185 Keh'ln . . . . . 27 Fa. 15164878402
. CONVERTERS W/REMOTES . MIDWEST fT u ../Arken e,. ./ O kle .
PANASONIC 180 Kepco Inc. . . . 26 Ra lph Ber g en , Midwe.l Ad~e'ti si ng Selee
Maneger
TZPC145 65 60 CAll Electronics Now
STARQU EST 177 Lake S,'ll3 n Sates, Inc. . . 101\ Onll Northlillid Piel a. Suite 300
EZ550 65 60 CAl l 199 M& G Elect ronic s . . . 104 Northfield.IL 600931214
EZY550 75 65 CALL 1.7084461444
Fu 17085590562
t~E n O' $ ' ~ ~o(; . IS'" C ~J "E ' ~ $ I "' W ~ G ...~. OH o(;E
117 :o,tCJ\t Elect ronic s . . 105
wll~ O uT P1.A " 'S$.o ~ .. . . s u ilJ EC1 YOU TO CIV'" OA
PAC IFIC COA ST / Mo unla in Stal"
Ele<:t r on ie s Now Maga.l ne
C ~ ' ''' ' '' ''''' P1." "'"1 IEs ' OU "' US1 CHEC" W" .. Y O U~ 53 .\ 11) Electr onics ... . 107 Pa mel a Kus ter
lOC"'" c...e.. rou
E CO" '" . .. 0 P.... ' Oll "'..l SE""OC.
USE 'T'S " o T THE ' '' TE ~I O. ' ." E S . "V"' ~ TO OEFA. " O PII\tisl 3M
U y T El. E v $IO~ OPEA...TOR.. .. OwE WI ll. " OT"$Sl ST ...~ y 191 :'Ilark V. Elcctrcnlcs . 102 1800 North Highiend Avenue
CO"' . ...... OA '''01Vll)U'''" ,.. DO'''G T~E Po ""
Suile71 7
LAKE SYLVAN SALES, IN C.
SORRY NO MINNESOTA SALES '" l\lini Circu ils
NRI Sch"o ls .
3 Hollywood, CA 90028
EN Shopper
" J oe S here. Nelionel Rep' 81enlal ive
P.O. Bo. 169
CALL FOR A CATALOG NOW!! I" r.;"or lhellst Electronics . . 70 Idyllwild. CA 92549
17146599743
108 800-800-4582 182 Optoote ctromc s . . 17 Fa. 1.714.6592469

CIRCLE 1n ON FREE l NFORMAn o N CARD

 CountersurYeillance
Never before has so much
professional information on the art
of detecting and eliminating
electronic snooping devices-and
how to defend against exp erienced
information th ieves-been placed
in one VHS video. If yo u are a
Fortune 500 CEO, an executive in
any hi-tech industry, or a novice
seeking en try into an honorable,
rewarding field of work in
countersurveillance, yo u must
view this video present ation again
and again .
W~tk( liP.' Yo u may be th e vicrim of
stolen wor d s- p recious ideas that wou ld
h.LVC made yUII vcr)' w~'a l r hy! Yes, peotcs-
sion;lls. even rank amateu rs, ma y be lis -
{t' n i ng I n yuu r mos r pri vate ( 0 0-
vcrsanons.
U;".h 14/'.' If pm an.' nor th e vicnm .
then )~)I,l are surrou nded by rou nrlcs s vic-
rims wh o need you r help i f you know how
ro discocc r relepbonc taps. locate bu}:s. or
"sweep" a room d ean ,
Th ere is a th ri \'in~ proft"Ssional service
steeped in high-rech techniques rhar you
r an become a part ot~ n ut first . )'OU mu st
kn ow and underst and Cou nrcrsurvcilancc
l(:~.-hntl lu}:y. Your \'Cr)- lirst insig ht int o
this h i!:h ly re\vardinF tidJ is made po sai-
bit b) a video VII S presen tati on t hat you
cannot view on broad cast television , sat -
cllitc . or cab le, It p resents an in formarivl'
program pn'p,ued h)' proft ssion'll s in rhc
field who know their indus rry, its rech-
niqucs, k inks and loophules , ;\Ic/I who
call tell you more in 15 m inu tes in a
s Uili f: htfi >C'"~If<l. e xclusive ta lk t han was
ever ur remprcd h;fore,
Foiling l ufoem anun Thieves
D i sco ver t h e ta rg ets profcssronu !
snou l":U Sl~:k ou r! 1111: 1' l'C)' an- stoc k
bruh'rs. ar b ltrajo:(' firms. manufactun-ls.
h igh- ,h {(.lll pan i("S. an )' Cllffilll'l iri\'e
indu slr)', or ('vcn smilll hu sinnl~-s ill t he
saml' lom m un il y, 111e \'alu able inform a-
l ion the)' fik h m ay be markl'ling su a!'
l'g il-S. {Un Ofner liMs. p rodu{[ formu!'as.
m an ufact u rin}: Il"l:hniques . C"wn allvl:C r-
l isin!: pl..ms, Inform.u ion t h ic\"1."S ('a\1:S-
drop on co u rt d l'{i s ion s , biddin}:
infurmClrion . financ ia l ..Lra. 11w lin is
o nli mi u ' d in rht mind of m a n - es -
I'(:('iall)' if hl' is a th id !
You kllow t har t he Russia ns senl'''y
II1sr'l!tl'.l ....l.nr llss m icmphmll's in rh..-
lOlKrerl' work of rll (' Amer ican Em Ju n y
bu dding in M OSll' W, Th l' y Cllflv..- rrnJ
TIle professiona l d i:r.cussions seen on
rbc TV scree n in you r home reveals how
CALL 10 dcrcc r and d isable win-laps, midger
radio-frequen cy rran srnir rer s, and other
NOW! bugs . plus when 10 u sc dis informarion 10
r onfuse t he- unwanted liSle-ncr. and t he-
tech niq ue of voice scr-a mb linl-: telephon e
communications. In fan . do }'ou k now
how 10 look for a bcg, whe re to look for a
bug, and .....hal to .10 when )'OU lind it ?
Bugs of a \"l' r)' small size an.' e-asy 10
bu ild a nd th ey ca n be placed quic k ly in a
mau er uf seconds , in a n~' ub il'C t or room ,
'Ioda y you ma r have used a tel ep hone
hand set rhnr was hugl-:Cc.J. lr pro bably
contained rhrc c bu g s . One was a phony
hu!: to fool you into believing you found a
b uj.; and secured rill' teleph on e . T he S('C-
o nd buj.; plac ates th e invest ij.;aror when
he finds t he n-al thi ng ! Anll th e t hi rd bu g
is found only by t he profession al, who
HAVE YOUR co nt inued 10 search JUSt in case there were
VISA or Me CARD mo re be gs .
AVAILABLE The professio na l is not w it h ou t his
tools , Special equipment Ius been de-
what "'-as to be an embass}' and I'ri \'a((' sig ncJ SO that rhe pmfessional can sweep
res idence into rbc most sophist icated re- a room so rhar he can detect voice-acn-
(O rd i n ~ st u d io rhc wo rld had e ve r vated (VOX ) and remoee-acnvared begs.
kn m... n . The buildi n}: had til be torn Some of this equipment can be operated
down in ord er to rem ove all Ih..- bugs, by novices . oehcrs requ ire a tra ined coo n-
reourveillance p Rlfessional .
Stole n Inform ation Th e p rofession als viewed o n you r tele-
Th e open ta ps from where rhe informa- vision screen rto\'t"al in for mar ion on the
t io n po u rs our ma y be from fA Xs . co m - laresr lech nulo1:in l advances like laser-
purer com m un ica rions , Jephonc calls , be-am snoopers that art' insta lled hu n-
an d ('ve ryJ a)' bu s i ness mcc t m g s a nd ,Ireds of fece a.....a)" fmm t he room they
lunr hmnc cnrou nrcrs. Busin essm en need snoo p on. 111e (lm fessionaJs d isclose rhar
l"Uumdl ing on how ro cl irnin'lt( t h is in- compute rs yid ll infc rma non too ('"Js ily,
fonnarion drain. Basic telephon e use con- This adve nisc mc n r was om wrir ren by
p led wirh th e users undcrsr.mding rhar a cou nrcrsurvcillancc I'mfessiona l . bu r b),
som eone may be lisrcr ung or n:curdin,!; a b..-gi nn ..-r whose (lilly expe rie nce {arne
vira l durn anJ informaairm ,!;n.';l[Jy reduces from viewi ng rhc video t ape in rhc pn-
rh c up pnr l u n iq' for orbcrs ((l p url oi n vacv of h is hom e . After you review t he
m ('a n in~ fu l informa tion. video carefully and un derstand its co n-
tcn rs, )'ou II,I\'C taken rbc first impo rtan t
r-----------------------------,
CIA C..GK I:'\c. EN srep io either a"luiring profess ional help
1',0 . He." .. 0')<) Farmjn~0d3.ll. :""l' Ii i :''; .....ith YOllr su!\'cillance- problems. o r )'OU
may \'er)' '11I'( '11 {ons ider;>, cam r as a coun-
................. "" . ,.,.. o ....,,, "', ~ l ,,""""",
Il'rsu!\'eillance pRfl"Ssiol1.ll,
\..In, \H' ' 0 > ,. ,,\ ~ h ~
............. . . ,.'I""'- .on.I ~ ,
The o.. .lIacs "I'i .u Sa \'('
.........
........_"~;-
~.",, "
""_. .~"
.
,,-, ~~~~~
To oh tain t hl' information conlainro in
the vid l'O VHS caSS':ffl'. }'OU .....o u ld a((end
1 ...-.1
a pmfessional sem ina r cost ing $ 350 750
._:ow.
.... .... 0 \ ...' c ~' ..w _ and possibly pa)' hu oJmh of dollan mo re
I-I""'u.... _ _ , _ _ if )"ou hall to Haw l w a d isram ('ily 10
,,, atrc nd . Now. fo r on ly $ 19.95 ( plu s
,, S-i,nn P&H ) p ill can vil'w COIl1ll erJll r -
I"t."i/la flu 'J'U hl1;qlll:S :u hornl' and rakl'
, refresh l' r vi..-ws o ften . To ob t ain you r
\111"!n...".,nl .' .\ t"nJ- . ......'t"'n ... \'. "., t~r\ It ' :
COP)', w m plete till' coupo n or call.
.......,,,' ."1, ..-,"" .......... ,
t
~ - ---- - - ---- ----- ----- --- - - - -- ~
 j

1I1

~ SO~:~~~~~; The Desoldering Sqstem. S OOER,W, CK FACTS # 22:

The 5MTWick. , .
'J(i{' -.

J Solr-Vfd.A Fire-IIrad iilJ'licJJett designed Itt eadI desl*lerP;l ~ !rool Soder-Wit URra-Braid isdesignedfor
SMT pads tot.vge \We a:mectors. TIis ulIra-pure. ~
'. precision cleaningtight-tolerance S~ ~s. . 0 C" V
coppn is enoineefed in11\open-weave panem thal provides This ultra-pure. oxygen-freecopper wire ISengl- I It
near-perfect capiIIaJy actOL Sokler iswil:lte:l deanIy ~. wiIhouI neered for superior thermal conductivity ~
damaginglhe bGard orstirrOlJlldil)Q components.
> whichensures kl'....erheat transfer / "
CtlOOSefrom nine widths-and three IhD:> arrangements, and faster lvickingaction.
inclultngstatic dissipative packaging lor ESD-sensitMl Solder and contaminants

. .
operalions. Call us all mSOS-WICK and gel all
are quicklyremoved ,without affectingsurrounding
<=r ~
the facts on the Sodel-Wlck System.
I , pads or intergratedcircuits.
, ,
,)
Call us at 1s00S0SWI CK and get all thefacts.
,

I
91/

911 "
SOOERWlCK'FINE-B.RAIO
"j
I
SODERWlCK'RNEBRAlD
The Stale 01 the At! inDesoIdering,
The Stale of tile Art inOesoldertno.
II'l,III!1

Oll '~ ' \>"

S OOER-W' CK@ FACTS # 12:
The Fastest-
Acting Wick.
SoderWick' Fine-Braid exceeds the
desoldering ralespeelted by Mil Standard
8838, Method 2022. This u ~ rapu re. oxygen-free
copper wireisengineeredfor superior thermal conductivity,
which lowers heat transfer and won't cause damage totheboard
, or surrounding components.
, .
<;.0
0,0 S ODER- W 1CK@ FACTS # 7 :
,.~
<')
The Static Dissipative Sqstem
S-QS
, " , Soder-WJck's, uniqueStatic Dissipative blue
bobbinpackaging Qualifies under DOD Standard
1686 and DOD Handbook 263, and meets the
decayrateprovision specified in Ml l-B-
81705B. Solder-Wick Fine-Braid andUltra-Braid
intheSO blue bobbin provide maximum pro-
tection lor circuit boards and components
SIZF.
duringESD-sensitiveoperations.
'R

~~
Soder-Wic isengineered for desoldering
Sece-wc Fine-Braid isdesigned fordesoldering operations
applications from SMTpads tolarge wire
'1 from SMT pads to Ia~e wireconnectors. call us atl-BOO-
connectors. Call l-SOO-S0S-WICK lorall the
g SOS-WICKandget all the facts onthe Soder-WickSystem.
facts on the Soder-Wick System.
(I)
,
~

91/ 911
SODERWlCK" RNEBRAID SODERWlCK" RNE-BRAID
The Staleollhe Art inDesoldering.
TIleStale oll he Art inDesoldering,
CIRCLE ~ O N f REE INFORtoIIAnON CARD ,

ot