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1. Converters amp Descramblers Compatible with Jerrold Scientific Atlanta Pioneer Oak amp Hamlin Equipment BRAND NEW 6 MONTH GUARANTEE LOWEST PRICES Volume Control amp Parental Lockout Available Greenleaf Electronics 1 800 742 2567 NO ILLINOIS SALES It is not the intent of Greenleaf Electronics to defraud any pay television operator and we will not assist any company or individual in doing the same 1 800 678 6113 or mail check or money order to y 7 e UCANDO Videos ii P O Box 928 Greenville OH 45331 3 FREE Shipping FREE Catalog CIRCLE 136 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD SOIUdIIOB Q JeINdOY 966i YOY oO oh PRODUCTS March 1996 Popular Electronics No battery back up needed 5 sta stores memory for 100 years without power High ih pes pt separ sound reproduction ribbon 2 and connector need Cascadeable for more time SCRAM 3 AUDIR INVERSION SCRAMBLER Talk in privacy over any audio DNIC WAW i Ss ey NEW MICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLED VOICE RECORDERS WITH MSM Powerful microprocessor controlled MSM MENU SUB MENU system allows you to record play loop fast forward delete lock auto play 1sec ihour and externally trip selected messages __ VEC4O0 VHF ae n Great for announcements product displays vending machines Sa ONLY a as amusement amp action parks museums etc D 7 J
2. R s Taaa Address Phone City State Zip x School of PC Repair DEPT JJC341 PCOI EDUCATION LEARN IBM PC Assembly Language Disk 5 00 Book 18 00 ZIPFAST Box 12238 Lex ington KY 40581 2238 TODAY S Electronics Dont get left behind Too Pomon COSES pgi a by U S Military Free catalog FEDERAL TECHNICAL PUB USHERS Box 1218 E Glen Lake MN 55345 WANTED UNASSEMBLED EICO Knight Heathkits com plete with manuals Call or fax KEN 707 545 8300 Fax 707 545 3930 INVENTIONS ideas new products Presentation to industry exhibition at national innovation ex position Patent services 1 800 288 IDEA INVENTORS FREE invention package Davison amp Associ ates offers customized development patenting and licensing of new product and ideas Proven results 1 800 677 6382 CABLE TV BULLET Buster Protect your cable box against the infamous cable bullet The Bullet Buster acts as an electronic shield Instails in line in seconds Don t wait until it s too late 19 95 3 00 S amp H Visa MC Amex ELECTROMAN Box 24474 New Orleans LA 70184 504 482 3017 CABLE safe Guarantee cable privacy The one way valve for your cable TV signal Cable wee come in but they don t go out 29 95 00 S amp H Visa MC Amex ELECTROMAN Box 24474 New Orleans LA 70184 504 482 3017 CABLE unscrambled Everything you want to know about cable but
3. 40 RPM 12 6 Vdc Brand new good quality 600 ma no 30 minute 15 min per load Right side audio cassettes angle drive Excellent for demos or gearhead motor gt instruction tapes originally designed for t PRO automotive applications Bipa a tabs so the indentations must be taped over where iots of torque is ae before use 00 required 6 68 long X 3 5 X 1 62 thick Three CAT LCAC 18 CAT C 30 for mounting holes on 2 tor 1 29 LL WRITE AXE ORDER 100 for 55 00 CA or E MAIL For C ATALOG e the U S A 0 shear Outsid send 2 0 TOLL FREE MAIL ORDERS TO ALL ELECTRONICS CORP VAN NUYS CA 91408 0567 NO MINIMUM ORDER Aili Orders Can Be Charged to Visa Mastercard American Express or Discover Checks and Money Orders Accepted by Mail e e NO C O D Shipping and Handling 5 00 for the 48 Continental United States ALL OTHERS including Alaska Hawaii P R and Canada Must Pay Full Shipping e Quantities Limited Prices a to e without notice 1 9 and 2 6 centers CAT DCM 64 800 826 5432 E MAIL allcorp allcorp com uzu FAX 818 781 2653 INFO 818 904 0524 ambn ee 172 P O BOX 567 Orders Delivered in the State of California must include California State Sales Tax CIRCLE 28 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD 91U0 93 3 seiNdOY 9661 Yyosey Ww Come OoOO p omer eee eei FM STEREO TRANSMITTER Own you
4. TRUE OR FALSE The search for truth is as old as humankind In the earliest days of civilization our ancestors relied on myth and superstition Later as our knowledge of science psychology and physiology improved more accurate methods were developed We all are familiar with the polygraph or lie detector But that device is not the only one that can be used to see if a person is being truthful Another more recent device is the vocal stress analyzer which detects tiny vocal cord tremors to indicate if a speaker is under stress and therefore likely to be lying In this issue we look at a simple version of that device that any hobbyist can build Called the Voice Stress Analyzer it takes advantage of a new IC to provide an indication of the stress in a person s voice It even works with recorded speech and does not depend on language The story begins on page 41 Speaking of lies and lying let s talk about TV commercials All kidding aside whether or not you believe what commercials tell you most people find them to be an annoyance That s why commercial killers at least ones that work have long been a bit of an electronics holy grail The search might be over A new feature offered in several of this year s RCA VCRs is called Commercial Advance While it has some flaws its commercial killing performance is way beyond anything else available to date This month we look at one of those RCA decks a fo
5. aler lets you dial any quantity up to 10K or mix of lo COMPUTER PHREAKING Descriges m delali how Computers penetrate eact abuse methods and countermeasures Includes disk filled with hacker text files and utilities and the legend ary FLUSHOT protection syslem Ed Cholce PC meh defeats glossary much moret Manual Disks 39 The HACKER FILES mpiation of 100s of the best articles written in ASCI by top hackers amp phreakers Covers every ma for topic In hackerdom 3 HO Disks 59 Beyond VAN ECK E avesdropping on VV and compuier video si ing an ordinary TV described in detall Inciudes secu rity industry reports Range up to 1 KM Plans Include both the Consumerlronics and the original Top Secret Van Eck designs 29 STOPPING POWER M As reported on CBS 60 Minutes vices can slow down even k watlhour meters while loads draw full poweri Device simply piugs Into one outiel and normal loads into other outlets Also describes meter orep overload droop etc Plans 29 xt the meter itsell to slow down and sto we hour aaa ters while drawing fuil loads Plans How watthour meters a cater arror modes many ANSI Standards etc Demand and Polyphase Meters Experimental results to slow and stop meters a others 19 Any 2 38 All 3 59 at y 3 J nosed 100 methods detalled Include Phy eleal eg E cipher PIN compromise card cOunterle
6. MENTAL AUTOMATION we 5415 136th Place S E Bellevue WA 98006 206 641 2141 BBS 206 641 2846 AN COMING ty oe gt Check Out 4 SIRCUTT gt What SEC We 680MB TAPE iy BACKUP oO eee internal Tape 700 Drive Complete Documentation Cables and Mounting Hardware g Easy to Use DOS amp Cabce comects SAEST stevia n eter Windows Software Seams Enang for oe doeg Uses QIC 3010 3M3000XL 34 90 MULTI FUNCTION DIGITAL amp ANALOG I O MULTI LAB ae The ACL 711Sisalowcost but fully integrated package designed for applications of general lab and industrial automation It contains 8 Single Ended A D Inputs Resolution 12 bits Input Range 5V to 5V Trigger Mode Software trigger only One Analog Output D A Resolution 12 bits Output Range 0 to 5V or Oto 10V e 16 Digital Inputs ACL 711S 1 96 24 BIT COLOR FLATBED SCANNER e High Speed 3 PassScanner Long Lasting Cold Cathode Technology 10 000Hrs Up to 2400x2400dpi 300x600 hardware Intelligent LCD Panel TWAIN Compliant Includes PhotoStacker WordLinx OCR amp Medla House Multimedia Document WE ENDOWS 16 Digital Outputs e ACLD 7115 Wiring terminal board furnished with ACL 711S e Utility Software Disk Driver routines for BASIC and Quick BASIC demo and example programs Vow Stehen AGOOOC True Color Fistbed Scanne A6AD Foptional 50pg Doc Feeder Manager S
7. The Four Year Electronics Degree Program That Really Hits Home Bring The Technology Home With A Bachelor Of Electronics Now s the time to prepare for a profitable career We ve lowered the cost of higher education It s true You can earn a four year Bachelor of Electronics Engineering Technology degree today and prepare yourself for a high paying electronics career without quitting your job or ever leaving your home Because World College an affiliate cf the Cleveland Institute of Electronics offers you the total flexibility of indepen dent study programs proven effective for people like you who truly want to suc ceed World College independent study lessons help you build valuable skills Mail Fax Today or Call 1 800 696 7532 step by step and expert instructors are personally available to you with a toll free call What a way to earn an education A world of opportunity Where is your career headed With a four year bachelor s degree from World College you call the shots choosing from incredible high paying opportunities in electronics tele communications computer electrical power and many other growing fields Engineering Degree No Hassles No High Cost World College gives you the skills the knowledge the power to take advantage of your best opportunity in electronics And you can do it all at your own pace Without leaving home World College continually works to pro
8. AMAR bm I bania aih wega Prototype it FAST Complete single board Computers n tf Up to 32K EPROM and 8x RAM Op sys m EPROM w source code Asembled ready to run Sv only MS DOS cross assempier cied _ ProteQuick Z8 and 8051 99 00 ud sa Riel Tite 3750 Foun Road Aun prototype applications or expenmanta hardware Science 513 561 2060 from the serial port WITHOUT PROGRAMMING 513 561 2 gt TE Pi Err Model LPS 101 LPS 102 LPS 103 LPS 104 Rating 30V 1A 30V 2A 30V 3A 30V 1A _ A j 30V 1A 36 5V 3A List Price 195 FRA Se 205 aes AUN PE Sale Price 149 F 179 199 375 nN PR Inc AMREL Offers Lowest Prices amp Best Warranties on DC Power Supplies ANYWHERE 8931 Brookville Road lt aaier Sonna Mary Jand AMREL Offers Superior Analog Power Supplies Starting as Low as 149 00 Low Output noise rating less than 0 3mV Line load regulation rated at low 0 01 ImvV Transient response time of 50u Sec Overload protection and Output enable disable e Coarse and fine voltage current adjustment e Auto series parallel operations for triple output supplies AMREL Offers Features And Prices on Digital Power Supplies That The Competition Cant Beat e Microprocessor controlled User friendly keypad data entry e Low Output noise rati
9. ANTIQUE RADIO One of the two tubes didn light up and soon found out why It was very loose in its socket No amount of coaxing and wiggling could make it glow for more than a few seconds And after it had flickered on and off six or seven times a tell tale plume of smoke rising from the floor signaled the sud den death of the Sharp transformer Perhaps the lit tle semiconductor circuits inside couldn t take the transients created by the flickering tube could kick myself for not examining those sockets more closely before in stallation had been very careful to fix all loose and oxidized connections in the other vintage components used in the set notably the filament rheostat which needed a major overhaul but never thought to check the stiffness of the tube contact springs Now I ll have to remove that bum socket possibly both sockets because I m not sure how good the other one an identical model l really is and de cide on what to substitute for a DC filament supply l d really like to try a wall trans former in this application and hope to come across another one of similar wat tage Oh well maybe next month BOB ZINCK S COIL DESIGN When Bob Zinck set out to duplicate the NBS set he ran into trouble almost at once The grocery stores at his Canadian location didn t carry Quaker Oats Quick Grits canisters s he S91u01429 3 J NdOd 9664 YEW 8 March 1996 Popu
10. CIRCLE 148 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD a Sp pir MODE COUNTER Continued from page 58 smoked Mylar pasteboard and black viny tape The three switches and the LED mount to the project enclosure When the components are secured in their positions attach leads to them and connect those wires to the correct points in the board Check to see that all parts have been connected prop erly before applying power Checkout and Use Apply power to the unit and set S2 to rreauency The display should read 000000 If some of the segments are not lit up go back and check your wiring again Connect the Counter to a signal source with a known frequency using jack J1 The displayed number should match the frequency value If it doesn t then you have to make sure the connections on the board are alll correct and solid make sure there are NO cold joints bs 1349 DATA I O CHIPLABS 4800 a 799 DATA I O CHIPLABS 3200 579 EETOOLS ALLMAX 249 XELTEK SUPERPRO R 599 LOGICAL DEVICES 3000 599 ADVANTECH PC UPROG team 269 SUNSHINE UNIVERSAL 449 TUP 300 HILO SYSTEMS og 449 JDR MCT EMUP 539 TUP 400 HILO 429 NEEDHAMS EMP 20 679 NEEDHAMS SA 20 139 EETOOLS 1 GANG 199 EETOOLS 4 GANG sin 49 SUNSHINE 1 GANG 99 SUNSHINE 4 GANG a jwa 169 SUNSHINE 8 GANG r 349 SUNSHINE 16 GANG GENERAL DEVICE INSTRUMENTS 408 241 7376 Fax 241 6375 BBS 983 1234
11. COMPETITIVE PRICING DEALERS WELCOME ELECTRICAL HOURS Monday Saturday 9 5 C S T Refer to sales personnel for specifications It is not the intent of B E S W to defraud any pay television operator an we will not assist any Company Or individual in doring the same WORK ONLY HALF THE HOURS I covered a lot of miles driving a cab for 13 years but I sure didn t get anywhere I mean the hours were long The pay was short My boss pushed pushed pushed all the sa time In the meantime bills were piling up Medical bills f House repairs Charge cards Just the everyday S things I was not just behind the wheel I was behind the eight ball That s when saw a magazine article that talked about the hottest big money making career opportunities of the 90 s Theone that interested me the most per tained to the NEW explosive SATELLITE DISH TV ELECTRONICS field mailed the coupon for the FREE information kit they offered 1 liked what I saw when the information packet came in the mail What really caught my eye however was the idea could gain all the knowledge needed to make a success of this business studying in my spare time at home Foley Belsaw s modern practical hands on course combines simple step by step lessons with easy to follow video cassette guidance No special expe rience education or electronics background is necessary Just average mechanical apt
12. MUCH MUCH MORE OUR 25TH YEAR TOLL FREE 1 800 926 2488 A M C SALES INC 193 Vaquero Dr Boulder CO 80303 Tel 303 499 5405 Fax 303 494 4924 Mon Fri 8 a m 5 p m Mtn Time CIRCLE 140 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD LET US HELP YOU KEEP AN EYE ON THINGS WITH OUR LINE OF CLOSED CIRCUIT CAMERAS MODEL PE 275CL MODEL PE DP350 MODEL PE 50PH MODEL PE 250SD aa l eX i WY Sd 1 3 CCD Pin Hote camera 1 3 CCD camera with 3 6mm wide w built in 3 6mm wide angle lens angle lens disquised as a smoke 400 lines of resolution low light detector 400 lines resolution requirements Also available in electronic iris 3 lux for low light CCIR format for overseas conditions ae al supply include Not a working smoke detector YOUR COST 46999 YOUR COST 228 999 805 ALBANY AVENUE o NY lt a e 1 3 CCD camera disguised as a 1 3 CCD camera housed in a real stylish real working Quartz Clock working telephone 03 lux 400 lines See whats going on while resolution 3 6 mm wide angle lens others see the time 12V DC power supply included 3 6mm wide angle lens 400 lines resolution w audio 12V DC power supply included YOUR COST 25999 YOURCOST 33999 Phone 516 226 2700 800 645 5833 SS e co ELECTRONICS INC ____ FAX 800 765 3291 Orders Only s d Information sisa ALAS ursa Test Chips that fully activate Jerrold Tocom Zenith SA Pioneer and more Quick Board installation Prices from 5 t
13. The Electronics Repair Manual will be a valuable reference for years to come Supplements each containing 140 pages add new repair projects valuable insights into new technologies diagnostic and repair techniques and more schematic diagrams into your manual Just 35 each plus shipping and handling Supplements are sent 4 5 times a year and are fully guaranteed Return any supplements you don t want within 30 days and owe nothing Cancel anytime 1 City State Zip Shipping and handling to Canada 10 U 5 currency Overseas 15 foreign orders must be prepaid CT residents add 6 sales tax Supplements will be sent 4 5 times a year on a fully quaranteed 30 day tnai basis They may be cancelled at any ume Souda JeiNdoY 9661 YUeW MAIL TO WEKA Publishing Inc 32075 1077 Bridgeport Avenue Shelton Connecticut 06484 1 800 222 WEKA FAX 1 203 944 3663 gt O Or March 1996 Popular Electronics ao 139 Laser LightShow ee Draw with a laser beam Animation text music amp more Includes galvos servo amp oscillators software listing analog amp digital computer interfaces Call for details ETSIPEN AA Computerized GEE Motors 39 Ineludes 2 Stepper motors computer interface 32 page training manual amp sofiware listing Expandable system Up to 12 motors up to 3 amps per phase Call for details Add 6 for shipping Computer with parallel printer por
14. recently reported on Activision s new Pitfall The Mayan Adventure which features Harry Jr the son of Pitfall Harry from the original game With the new Pitfall Harry Jr is also ready for Windows 95 Aiso renovated for Win 95 is Shanghai which is four tile matching games on one disc You can play The Great Wall where tiles fall as lower ones are removed Beijing where you match rows of tiles Action Shanghai where new tiles appear if you aren t fast enough and Classic Shanghai that can be played with the tiles face up or down A new title from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment called Beyond The Wall is filled with stories from the Vietnam War in a multimedia presentation Beyond The Wall takes users beyond the front lines through rare home movies snapshots letters songs and more The disc is narrated by Adrian Cronauer the DJ profiled in the film Good Morning Vietnam Beyond The Wall sells for 49 98 I ve got three new titles from Zelos Digital Learning Escape From Management Hell is basically an enter taining game intended to teach man agement skills to employees at all levels Shoot Video Like a Pro is a multimedia lesson in how to use a video camera to get professional look ing results through the use of virtual cameras composition lighting and sound TEAM SAT lets students choose from eight personal tutors each with its own personality and style that then heip them achieve higher SAT scores
15. 2 5 volts That gives the bar graph a 2 0 volt full scale display Op amps IC3 a IC3 b and C3 d are biased from a voltage divider string made up of R7 and R8 Resistor R7 biases the quiet operating point of those op amps above the voltage level of the first bar graph com parator so that the first bar will always be lit for a zero input Because stress is inversely related to the percentage modulation the first bar must remain lit for zero input to indicate maximum stress state As stress is reduced and the percentage modulation in creases the signal drives DISP1 into the normal level Even if the percent age modulation is unusually high any level above the design value will still only light the tenth bar without going off range A swing of 0 3 volt on the RSSI signal will drive DISP1 to full scale Because the slope of iC1 s RSSI line is 0 414 volt 10 cB with a 5 volt supply the full scale display requires about a 7 dcB swing which corresponds to a 65 modulation That value is approxi mately consistent with the example shown in Fig 1 where a 25 modula tion yieids about a 200 mV peak to peak swing on the RSSI line With the ten bar display used in the project each bar represents about 6 or 7 percent AM modulation Fig 4 Here s the component side of the board PARTS LIST FOR THE VOICE STRESS ANALYZER _ SEMICONDUCTORS _ ADDITIONAL PARTS AND IC1 NE614 IF amplifier integrate
16. s throughout your home withou anywhere else you may have a TV Reco ton puts your favorite programs where you want them most Unlimited choices Since the broadcasting system uses the latest in 900 MHz frequency signals there is no time consuming or complicated wiring The receiver can be easily moved from one television to another The transmitter will also broadcast to mul tiple receivers so you can watch the same program on multiple TVs simultaneously The transmitter con nects to the source TV the receivers simply connect to the others Wireless Video Breakthrough Cable Bilinear lias Lligtadcr TAE TVs it i wrispert lt 7 frrrgsi miles of cable ex Live video BYviasluLl rm vOur Caincoriecr inte ruvhere i as VOW Network programs if thes hooked up to an antenna t i TV ts d thre otliers cast its elle ar signal to al Recoton s video broadcasting system ciones the accessories cable satellite YCR etc of one TV and broadcasts it to any other TV in your home without wires Satellite in bedroom Exclusive factory direct offer With this breakthrough in home video broadcasting tech nology you can have the convenience of your own personal wire nn less broadcasting Wekel AARAA E system for a frac fi tion of the cost of F owning your own TV station Fora n ag limited time only S we are offering i q baa Recoto
17. A ner A H With Music Boulevard you can order any of 145 000 albums and even listen to 30 second samples of some of them magazines for articles and product reviews Also technical tips are avail able from a clickable section of the ISN site called Ask Dave MUSIC BOULEVARD In the December issue dealt with a few sites that let you order music CDs cassettes and videos from your home Well only two days after that column went to press learned about a new site called Music Boulevard Since then have visited the Web site several times and am quite impressed with it With over 145 000 albums listed the site claims to be the largest multi media music store and they could be right And best of all you can get all those albums which are usually in stock quickly and at competitive prices And to help you choose from those items the site lets you access 30 second sound samples of many popular albums album art or artist photos album reviews and musician biographies The appearance of the site can be configured by the user to match his or her own computer s capabilities If you use a text based browser there s a text only version of the store If your browser supports graphics but you have only a moderate speed connec tion 9600 to 14 400 bps there s a Slender graphics mode And if you have a fast connection 28 800 bps or higher and a current Netscape brows er a full graphics mode which
18. Never rely on any elec tronic circuit or mechanical device as a safety measure when you are in harm s way When working on the rocket always have the battery disconnected and all cir cuits turned off Play it safe and have fun Until our next visit May all of your rockets go straight up and come down intact J PRODUCT TEST REPORT Continued from page 38 Pause and Frame Advance buttons on the remote let you cue to an exact scene on the master tape The multifunction remote lets you operate two compati ble VCRs read RCA from the one remote with the AutoEdit function Cam carder to VCR editing will be possible with RCA cam corders that have a Random Assembly Editing feature Finally an understated feature called Pro Tect Plus will be welcome to anyone who s ever gone through the arduous process of pro gramming a VCR for time shift recording only to have meddling fingers inadver tently undo the works Essentially this locks up the buttons on the VCR and remote control until you un lock it a deliberate process that takes several seconds PERFORMANCE Great audio good video Thats the tale of the tape as measured by the Ad vanced Product Evaluation Laboratory an indepen dent testing facility in Bethel CT As you ll see from the numbers in Table 1 vid eo frequency response is fine at 2 MHz but sharpness surrenders to noisiness at the 3 MHz point what that means is that t
19. USA Inc 2265 East 220th Street Long Beach CA 90810 1639 Tei 310 952 2286 CIRCLE 84 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD CORDLESS MOUSE Interlink Electronics Remote PointPlus is a handheld cordless PC pointing device that offers smooth 360 cursor control and dual mouse button support In addition the device provides four extra programma ble buttons that give one touch access to as many as 15 soft ware programs presentation tools media effects slide shows and more Designed for use with today s multimedia software titles with point and click interfaces the Remote PointPlus has a smooth thumb driven cursor control and trig ger style click button that make navigation and item assignment simple Its four extra buttons allow it to be customized for various applications Used in multimedia presentations it al lows the speaker to walk around the room and interact naturally with the audience The Remote PointPlus uses VersaPoint Pressure Pointing technology in which a force sensing resistor converts changes in pressure the touch of a thumb into changes in resistance which are translated via firmware into cursor movement Versa PointPius software which is Windows and Windows 95 com patible provides an intuitive user interface for programming the four extra buttons Assigna ble options include highlight text hide and reveal slides laser pointer emulation text un derline draw on the screen
20. ically places an index mark on the tape at the start of each new recording Pressing the SEARCH button will display an on screen index search menu which prompts you to enter the index number and then press FWD or REw The VCR will search forward or reverse from your present loca tion on the tape to automatically locate the index number you selected By pressing the SEARCH button twice you can use the time search feature which causes the VCR to move the tape forward or reverse for a specific length of time The zero search function reached by pressing the SEARCH button three times allows you to quickly return to a counter reading of 0 00 00 from anywhere on the tape Fi nally the blank search function four presses of the SEARCH button locates any blank portions of tape that are more than six seconds long The VR678HF also provides a host of recording options There s basic manual recording yjust hit the REC button on ei ther the front panel or the remote to begin recording and stop to end it Express re cording eliminates the need to press STOP Repeatedly pressing the RECORD button on the VCR or the remote increases the record time in half hour increments from 30 minutes to four hours The time selected appears in the front panel display record ing automatically stops at the end of that time period For time shift recordings you can use the built in VCR Plus system or follow the directions provided by standa
21. play sounds launch programs and more For instance one possible edutainment button setting might be 1 Jaunch game 2 save game 3 load game 4 quit 11 pause 22 mute 33 restart 44 launch Web browser etc The RemotePointPlus cord less mouse has a suggested list price of 199 95 For further information contact Interlink Electronics 546 Flynn Road Camarillo CA 93012 Tel 800 340 1331 or 805 484 1331 Fax 805 484 8989 e mail sup port interlinkelec com CIRCLE 85 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD TELECOMMUNICATIONS TEST SET The Amrel TeleSense 1000 is a handheld transmission line test Fifteen years of microelectronic research makes conventional antennas a thing of the past This little box uses your home s electrical wiring to give non sub scribers cable subscribers and satellite users better TV reception by David Evans Technology corner 1 Why don t conventional antennas work as well as the Spectrum Band width of TV Signal 2 3 4 86 E When TY signels are tuned at the V channel s center fre quency optimum tuning h s been achieved Megahertz Other antenras can t offer zenter Te quency tuning like the Spectrum Anterna can They only offer such tuninc up to the edge of the center re quency As a result your TV picture remains snowy BEST RECEPTION Spectrum system Precision tuning ee Other systems Non precision tuning eee eoseeseeCesseC
22. playback chip integrated circuit Solderless prototyping breadboard IC socket wire etc SIUOIOS A eINdOY 9661 YAW mH March 1996 Popular Electronics R1 2 2K s Y 3 i 4 5 I 6 i os L10 z Sr 12 f 4a SPKR1 8Q _ A Fig 2 The ISDIOOOA you recorded on using the circuit in Fig I forms the heart of this countdown rocket launcher circuit 5 12V IGNITOR S2 LED1 LED10 1 4 4011 Fig 3 The ten LEDs provide a 10 to 1 countdown for your model rocket launches Don t forget to practice safety first 12V a S2 SAFETY 9 SWITCH LEDI 3 WN 2 anor IC4 a A at Y IRF520 firing the rocket engine This circuit contains sev eral safety features Switch 2 is the most direct and obvious safety feature it re moves power to the ignitor fuse One gate of a 4011 quad two input nano gate IC4 a keeps the 4528B monostable multivibrator from misfiring and igniting the rocket motor pre maturely When the start switch is first activated IC4 as input goes high while C4 is charging up and its out put at pin 3 goes low keeping IC2 from respond ing to any false input pulse at pin 5 While that s going on IC4 s pin 3 clamps the input of Q1 to ground through D1 keeping it turned off After a few sec onds C4 is fully charged and IC4 a s output goes positive enabling IC2 and allowing 1 to operate Though not shown in the figu
23. proper mean one that isn t a high pass filter A lot of the coax to coax ATUs on the market are basically high pass fil ters One common design shown in Fig 3 uses a pair of variable capacitors in series with the signal path separated by a roller or switched inductor across the signal path Those filters do nothing to eliminate harmonics even though they will tune out the effects of VSWR for your transmit ters benefit A superior tuner will use a Circuit sim ilar to the SPC Transmatch shown in Fig 4 ifs also a good idea to ensure that the rig filter C1 c2 140pF 140pF Fig 3 This basic type of antenna tuning unit a line flattener will correct VSWR problems but do nothing to minimize harmonics and ATU are all properly grounded A good low re sistance path to ground will make ail of those compo nents work properly Failure to provide a good ground will result in poorer perfor mance of the transmitter might produce little RF nips due to RF in the shack i e on the equipment cab inets and raise the specter of TVI BROADCAST INTERFERENCE Interference to AM broadcast receivers is more difficult to snuff out be cause if requires internal modifications of the re ceiver Because of that the steps are beyond the scope of this column in deed the manufacturer Fig 4 This improved SPC Transmatch will take care of VSWR and help minimize harmonics might have to
24. try The set benefits from I C Digital Chassis technology which uses micro processors that continuously monitor and adjust key television functions to provide consistently optimum audio video and tuner performance TheaterView users Can adjust the alignment of the set s three image producing picture tubes without leaving the sofa via remote control The TV offers Dolby Pro Logic a 68 watt audio system and external rear speakers Convenience features include favorite channel selection two tuner picture in picture and automatic closed Captioning when the MUTE button is pressed on the remote control Color temperature control allows the viewer to adjust the overall warmth of the image choosing between three color temperature selections The Extended Data Service EDS function allows the viewer to access broadcaster provided informa tion on TV programs including name type length and network affiliation Price 4999 95 oe T a S T Ll m fN EL J i UTAN r Tay y c y E a CMT T g I r Jha a PRR a CIRCLE 67 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Self Charging Camcorder Batteries The Camcorder Plus battery line from Maxell Corporation of America 22 08 Route 208 Fair Lawn NJ 07410 includes units with built in self charging plugs that allow convenient recharging anywhere there s an outlet whether or not the camcorder s charging unit is present Recharging begins as soon as the battery i
25. ALFA ELECTRONICS DMM 89 199 95 80 7 to 81 4 dBm with 4Q 12000 Frequency counter 0 01Hz 10MHz Auto manual range fast bar graph HIGH QUALITY TEST EQUIPMENT BEST PRICE Fluke Multimeter Auto power off Input warning Splash proof Volt amp ohm logic diode continuity Ruggerdized case Rubber holster included LCR Meter 131D Rubber Holster 8 00 LCR Meter 814 229 95 189 95 Most Advanced LCR Best Resolution LCR Dual display L Q or C D inductance 0 14H 1000H Capacitance 0 1pF 10 000pF Impedance 1mQ 10MQ 0 7 basic accuracy Auto manual range Dissipation factor amp Q factor Serial amp parallel mode Relative mode for comparison and to remove parasitics Statistics tolerance Best for design incoming testing amp production SMD and chip component test probe 25 00 inductance 0 1yH 200H Capacitance 0 1pF 20 000pF Resistance 1mQ 20MQ 1 basic accuracy Dissipation factor indicates leakage in capacitor and Q factor in inductor Zero adjustment to reduce parasitics Best for high frequency RF SMD and chip component test probe 25 00 LIMITED QUANTITY SPECIAL DIGITAL LCR 680 74 95 0 1pF 1H 10mQ resolution 20 MHz Oscilloscope with Delay Sweep PS 205 429 95 Dual Trace Component test 6 CRT X Y Operation T Sync Z Modulation CH2 Output Graticule Itlurn 2 probes each has x1 x10 switch Best price with delay swe
26. D TETT 449 00 t omputer control koi Youg p RS000 The only universal converter y and full duplex m des a de dic status input and dedicated soft tape output relay Use for hassle er control of the AOR AROQ ICOM R7000 R7100 and Downloads Scout data to a F cables adaptors and demo se Supported by ScanCat SeunStur and S a ipi for Windows ie S991 ae arg seein Ss ae i iw LL GE ILI 5821 NE 14th Avenue Ft Lauderdale FI 33334 Visa MasterCard C O D Cash or Money Order Prices and Specifications are subject to change without notice Scout shown with AOR AR amp 000 Scanner not included Minor modification to the AR8000 required ORDER LINE 800 327 5912 Scanners not sold by Optoelectronics PHONE 954 77 1 2050 FAX 954 77 1 2052 CIRCLE 43 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
27. In the second stage which is built around IC1 b the recovered signal is again amplified The time constant of IC1 b is quite slow so that the enve lope can be followed the output of the second stage is a DC level that represents the strength of the enve lope If there is movement the enve lope will reflect it in the form of a positive or negative signal At the input fo the third stage a differential amplifier built around IC1 c there are two diodes D2 and D3 They detect both positive and nega tive pulses When there Is no move ment the voltage at pin 7 of IC1 b is half the supply voltage and neither D2 or D3 can conduct The voltage at pin 8 of IC1 c is then low If the signal rises above 0 7 volt a silicon diode s breakdown voltage D3 conducts causing the output on pin 8 to go high If the signal falls below 0 7 volt D2 conducts which also causes the output to go high Thus we have a window detector It detects voltages that move both below and above a given range The fourth stage built around IC1 d is set up as a monostable flip flop That stage converts any signal that gets through the filter into a pulse sub stantial enough to turn on transistor Q1 When 1 conducts LED1 turns on and an output signal is provided to drive a separate relay or any other device connected to the circuit more on that later The time constant of the monostable flip flop is about half a second and is set by C8 and
28. KS Jack Jones MS Marie Lamb NY Ed Rausch NJ George Uhler CA North American SW Association 45 Wildflower Road Levittown PA 19057 cl wave these days Send me your log ging tips for this segment of our monthly column The address is DX Listening Popular Electronics 500 Bi County Bivd Farmingdale NY 11735 ARGENTINA 6 060 kHz Radio Nacional in Buenos Aires can be heard at 0930 UTC in Spanish with local and world news broadcasts BELGIUM 13 670 kHz Radio Viaanderen International was logged on this frequency around 1300 UTC with English news including announcements of new routes for the Belgian airline SABENA CANADA 6 030 kHz CFVP in Calgary Alberta is a rarely heard low power relay of medium wave outlet CKMX Listeners in western Canada and the U S might be lucky enough to heat this one around 1300 UTC ISRAEL 9 435 kHz Kol Israel has English here at 0400 UTC including world news and a feature program called Shalom from Jerusalem LITHUANIA 9 710 kHz Radio Vilnius was noted signing on at 2130 UTC for a half hour program in English announcing that the station intended to shift frequencies to 7 360 kHz Nice Lithuanian folk music is heard on this one NORTHERN MARIANAS 9 430 kHz KHBI on the island of Saipan airs some English language religious pro gramming at 1000 UTC SWEDEN 9 850 kHz Radio Swe den has English feature programming at 0240 UTC followed by a newscast THAILAND 11 85
29. L Visa L MC O AmEx LC Discover Card EE Signature Prone Address City Plus 8 00 shipping and handling U S funds only For New Jersey residents sales tax will be added learn Dept LEC 01 113 Gaither Drive iNcorRPORATED Mt Laurel NJ 08054 9987 Name State Zip S 31U01 98 J ABiINdoY 9664 YEW March 1996 Popular Electronics Heathkit Individual Learning System For The A Certification Program CIRCLE 119 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD An A way to prepare yourself for the A Certification Program uch of the electronics world M has shifted toward comput ers in recent years and with it most of the jobs in the electronics field These days whether it be in elec tronics engineering sales or servic ing much of the technical work force depends upon computers But the electronics field is not alone in that Computers are everywhere to day at the office at the library in schools auto repair shops depart ment stores and so on With more and more computers entering our lives every day surely more and more of them are going to need servicing And surely anyone considering a career in computer ser vicing is thinking along the right track But what is it that separates people who think they know computers from those that really do The answer is knowledge And how do people and companies know which technicians have the necessary knowledge The answ
30. LIGHT LEVELS HUMIDITY SWITCH POSITIONS THERMOSTATS LIQUID LEVELS ar za ius a G 5 DEL 30 79 RS 232 INTERFACE rers me Day Prairie Digital Inc PHONE 608 643 8599 FAX 608 643 6754 846 SEVENTEENTH STREET PRAIRIE DU SAC WISCONSIN 53578 CIRCLE 47 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Skyvision Wants you to have The World s Premier Y Satellite TV Buyer s Guide Complete product line up for 18 36 DBS systems parts DBS accessories amp programming e C band e Ku band Actuators LNBs Receivers Tools Accessories and more Satellite TV products at discount prices Wo 4 24 C Ku systems parts accessories amp programming Call Now for Your FREE Full Line Catalog and Buyer s Guide Discount Flyer Loaded with discontinued and return items antiques plus widgets and gadgets galore 800 334 6455 WSkyvision 1048 Frontier Dr Fergus Falls MN 56537 e International 218 739 5231 Fax 218 739 4879 S91u01 423 3 JREINdOY 9661 YJE March 1996 Popular Electronics k 2MHz Function Generator CALL TOLL FREE 800 292 7711 Se Habla Espanol M 6000 Features e Computer Interface and Software with RS 232 Output e Frequency to 4MHz e Capacitance to 40nF e Large 3 3 4 LCD display e Temperature to 1999 F e TTL logic Data Peak hold ow e Audible
31. Sacer New and Pre Owned Test Equipment Substantial SAVINGS on New amp Pre Owned B K Precision Fluke Hewlett Packard Goldstar Leader Tektronix and more LG Precision Pre Owned Oscilloscope Specials iTektronix 465 100 MHz 589 005 aia caemencaee Specials Tektronix 465B 100 MHz 689 00 Tektronix 475 200 MHz 749 00 Tektronix 475A 250 MHz 849 00 e Professionally Refurbished e Calibrated to Original Specifications e Dual Channel Calibrated Delayed Sweep 90 Day Warranty ANYWHERE IN THE U S Excluding AK amp HI Model OS 9100P 999 00 Full 100 MHz Bandwidth oypce SALE me BK F e Dual Channel High Sensitivity MAXTEG IMTERMATIDNAL CORP e TV Synchronization Trigger e Calibrated Delayed Sweep Professional Computer Monitor e Includes Two Probes 2 Year Warranty Pattern Generator W 1 Professional Quality Digital Storage Oscilloscopes Model 1280 429 00 at Affordable Prices e Tests CGA EGA VGA SVGA and MAC II Monitors T a a E T e Outputs Interface to DB 9 HD 15 DB 15 and BNC e Transmit an v wi r nterface R Includes FREE Comprehensive Communication Software ae jia oe pansies hatch P e Waveform Save Calculation and Print e Color Bars Raster an rosshatch Patterns Dual Channel Delayed Sweep TV Synchronization Tri Sais S mao a american 20 MHz Sweep Function Generator e Switch Between Analo igi CRT Readout clade Rca Carre M odel 404 0 499 00 new e 0 2 Hz
32. adapter Sound teve meter Frequency counter SWR field strength power meter Dip meter Digital Storage Scope DS 303 30MHz 20M Sample sec 849 95 DS 303P with RS 232 interface 1 049 96 Switchable between digital and analog modes 2 K word per channel storage 8 bit vertical resolution 25 Lerel div Expanded Timebase 10ms div 0 5 s div Refresh Roll Save all Save CH2 Pre Tng Plotter contro om ut DE be case E Constant voltage amp aa current mode eae mee meea DC Power Supply 0 02 2m ine reguiation 0 02 3m load reguiation 24 DC Power Supply Triple Outpu PS 8202 499 95 t Two 030VDC 0 3A outputs E One fixed 5VDC 3A output 7 Capable of independent or tracking operation Constant voltage and constant current mode A eG A Ba 4 Fl ela aorta PB BASH A A 159 00 ay wri Q m or E t p ieee 4 1 mvms noise and ripple _ Fou digital meters for volt and current display b amp K Short circuit and overload protected P aa Excelent requiation and low ripple i 3 PS 8200 with digital voltmeter 179 00 P a g Short circuit and overload protected A fe oe Ee ad Also avaitable 30V 5A GOVA 60V5A m e Also available 30V 5A triple output 549 95 16V 10A 30V 10A Dual tracking 30V ZA 30V 5A 60VA 60V 5A a i RF SIGNAL AUDIO GENERATOR FUNCTION GENERATOR GENERATOR AG 2604A 124 95 FG 2100A 169 95 4 nae 10Hz 1M
33. add 25 Tint screen plus all boldface ad add 45 Expanded type ad add 2 25 per word General Information A copy of your ad must be in our hands by the 13th of the fourth month preceding the date of issue i e Sept issue copy must be received by May 13th When normal closing date falls on Saturday Sunday or Holiday issue closes on preced ing work day Send for the classified brochure DEADLINES Ads not received by our closing date will run in the next issue For example ads received by November 13 will appear in the March issue that is on sale January 17 POPULAR ELECTRONICS is published monthly No cancellations permitted after the closin date No cop ee can be made after we have typeset your at NO REFUNDS advertising credit only No phone orders CONTENT All classified advertising in POPULAR ELECTRONICS is limited to electronics items only All ads are subject to Send you ad payments to POPULAR ELECTRONICS 500 Bi County Blvd Farmingdale NY 11735 3931 CATEGORIES 100 Antique Electronics 130 Audio Video Lasers 270 Computer Equipment Wanted 300 Computer Hardware 330 Computer Software 360 Education 390 FAX 420 Ham Gear For Sale 160 Business Opportunities 190 Cable TV 210 CB Scanners 240 Components Place this ad in Category l ar i Tia 3 Sua f Ob 5 S265 6G 0 CLASSIFIED AD COPY ORDER FORM Special Category 20 00 Additional the
34. call 800 419 4242 CIRCLE 177 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Competitive upgrades are available for 149 Call for details CircuitMaker is a registered trademark of MicroCode Engineering All other trademarks are the property of their owners March 1996 Popular Electronics Multimedia Watch software for Windows 95 l ve been using Windows 95 a lot lately and the more use it the more like it And while it seems a bit slow on a 486 PC I ve been playing with a Pentium 120 desktop and a Pentium 90 laptop and it flies on those systems As you can buy a loaded mid speed PCi Pentium system for around 1500 these days it might be time for me to finally ditch my old 486 Anyway am getting off the sub ject As started to say am beginning plays without my computer hanging While it certainly didn t play the movie with the performance would have liked the 486 has never been more stable Win 95 Software Whenever possible its always better to run a Win 95 version of a piece of software than an older version The newer version will install better run better and take advantage of some of Win 95 s new features For example Beyond the Wall narrated by Adrian Cronauer is filled with stories about the Vietnam War to appreciate Windows 95 more and more Getting hardware new or old and especially multimedia stuff to work properly in an older computer under Win 95 can be much harder than
35. electrolytic ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS RY1I SPST relay 12 VDC coil 10 ampere 125 VAC contacts Aromat JSIE 12 or equivalent Printed circuit materials six socket power strip inch nylon spacers wire solder hardware etc Note The following is available from Lynn Eren Electronics 17093 SW Lynnly Way Sherwood OR 97140 Tel 503 625 2205 pre etched and drilled PC board 15 MasterCard VISA Check or Money Order accepted p 1 3 8 INCHES Fig 2 If you d like to etch your own PC board use this full size foil pattern 0 en AC LINE INPUT HOT NEUTRAL wi SWITCHED SENSE SWITCH OVERRIDE BLACK WHITE it re D3 j R4 j real Q R3 Ly SWITCHED SENSE NEUTRAL NEUTRAL i a Ci p D1 Fig 3 When installing components onto the PC board use this parts placement diagram as a guide SWITCHED eS fd CUT METAL LINKS REMOVED OUTLET SENSE AC LINE OVERRIDE HOT AC LINE NEUTRAL M AS sls Vy ee SWITCH CIRCUIT LINE BREAKER CORD Fig 4 This diagram shows all the wiring connections you need to make to install the circuit board in a power Strip precautions that are appropriate when working with 117 volt AC circuits The prototype was built on a PC board That project building method is recommended to keep the circuit compact enough to fit in a power Strip You can either etch your own board using the pattern shown in Fig 2 o
36. i i fy A Mihri Sponey rubber panels are glued to the inside rear of each speaker fw F a T a E e i mn AN hei ir ar ee 7 perv L y p As you can see the crossover boards are fairly massive You do not have to worry gether or better than anything on store shelves Part of the attraction in speaker building lies in building beautiful hand made cabinets but you have to be both an artist and a skilled car penter to do the job right You can buy the A652 kit without their beautiful cabinets if you want to try to make them yourself But with the hard part of building the cabinets out of the way no reader of this magazine should have any trouble building this kit All it involves is a little gluing not the cab ee ii about building them as they come pre assembled Mih The drivers are manufactured by French speaker manufacturer Audax and are of extremely high quality by 9 inches wide by 12 inches deep however they weigh about 40 pounds each Thats mostly because of the rigid cabinets made of thick particle board laminated with real oak The cabinets are as well put to SA RTS SECTS ey a nee ce ee i T Shs a inets some drilling some wiring some soldering etc ifs about three leisurely evenings of work in all The speaker drivers themselves manufactured by Aucax are also works of art modern art Each speaker houses two HM170C0 6 inch woofers with woven carbon
37. normally covered compartment In keep ing with the minimalist attitude of the VM PS12 there s no remote contro for playback you must use the controls in the compartment on top of the camcorder During recording the red LED next to the viewfinder and the REC icon on the LCD readout remain steadily lighted both flash when the camcorder is in pause mode The display also features warning indicators to let you know if the battery 1s low if the tape is nearing or has reached its end if the video heads are dirty and if condensation has formed inside the cam corder An on screen tape counter lets you know the time remaining on the loaded Cassette The battery pack installs on the teft hand side of the unit and the tape com partment is found on the opposite side With a charged battery and blank cassette loaded you re ready to roll The VM PS12 manual offers the follow ing instructions for recording 1 Push the POWER button 2 Press the RED button to Start recording 3 To stop recording push the REC button again When finished re cording turn the power off It really is that simple All necessary adjustments are handled by Sanyo s Fuzzy Logic technology which auto matically adjusts the shutter speed and white balance by imitating human think ing processes for optimal results For in stance when choosing the shutter speed the camcorder analyzes six zones of the image and takes into account cha
38. reference here could cause the circuit to oscillate If properly constructed and calibrated the circuit yields a resolution of 1 0 at 1 00 gigohm 1 00 nanomhos and 1 at 1 00 nanoamps when driving a 4 2 digit DVM Skip Campisi S Bound Brook NJ Nice work For the sake of accuracy J1 J2 J3 the wiper of R and pin 3 of IC2 should be connected to a single grounding point a star ground That re duces errors caused by solder joint resistances MILLIOHM ADAPTER The perfect companion to the megohm adapter this circuit see Fig 2 pro vides a 1 000 ampere constant current pulse of 100 S duration at a 100 Hz repetition rate to the un known R resistance and provides an output voltage to your DMM of 1 000 volt per ohm of input resistance Accuracy is better than 1 up to 5 00 ohms and the resolution using a 3 digit DMM is 100 micro 15mA SEE TEXT 15 25V _ Fig 2 Need to measure ultra low resistance Try adding this milliohm adapter to your DVM ohms Extremely low resis tance readings are only limited by the quality of the mechanical connections fo Re and the accuracy of the NULL setting As you can see on the schematic IC1 a TLC555 provides the pulse timing to a TIP125 transistor Q41 which is configured as a capaci tive discharge current source Capacitor C2 pro vides the current through R2 a stable metal film or wire wound resistor Two red LEDs LED1 a
39. thinking and only 5 eye movement Yet most of today s speed reading programs spend their time teaching you rapid eye movement 5 of the problem and ignore the most important part 95 thinking In brief Speed Learning gives you what speed reading can t Imagine the new freedom you ll have when you learn how to dash through all types of reading material at least twice as fast as you do now and with greater comprehension Think of being able to get on top of the ava lanche of newspapers magazines and corre spondence you have to rread finishing a stimu lating book and retaining facts and details SPEED L LE STEERING FOR FASTER SHIPMENT CALL 1 800 729 7323 OR FAX 1 609 273 7766 more clearly and with greater accuracy than ever before Listen and learn at your own pace This is a practical easy to learn pro gram that will work for you no matter how slow a reader you think you are now The Speed Learning Program is scientifically planned to get you started quickly to help you in spare minutes a day It brings you a teacher on cassettes who guides you instructs and encourages explaining material as you read Interesting items taken from Time Magazine Business Week Wall Street Journal Money Reader s Digest N Y Times and many others make the program stimulating easy and fun and so much more effective Executives students professional people men and women in a
40. 50 each CIRCLE 64 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Compact Home Theater Speakers For putting big sound into small media rooms Cerwin Vega 555 East Easy Street Simi Valley CA 93065 offers the Sensurround Home Theater Powered System 6 a compact six piece speaker system Featuring a low profile center channel speaker four small satellites and a powered subwoofer with remote control the System 6 uses the same Academy Award winning Sensurround technology and delivers the same uncompromising video and audio sounc as Cerwin Vega s larger seven and five piece systems The modular system allows users to purchase each component separately to configure a system that meets the specific demands and dimensions of almost any room The magnetically shielded HT MDC center channel speaker incorporates dual five inch high excursion mid range drivers with rubber surrounds and a one inch polycarbonate dome tweeter It measures 6 X 14 X 6 inches The shielded HT S5 two way satellite speak ers feature a five inch midrange and a one inch dome tweeter and offer power handling capability of up to 60 watts They measure 9 X 6 2 X 6 inches The HT IOPWR 10 inch powered subwoofer features a built in 100 watt amplifier and comes equipped with its own remote contro that targets only subwoofer volume level Prices System 6 1695 HT MDC 235 HT S5 330 pair HT IOPWR 800 CIRCLE 65 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Quake Insurance According to the ex
41. Check one FREE career catalog only _ LAN SERVICING j Q Microcemputer Servicing QOTV Video Audio Servicing U Basic Electronics O Computer Aided Drafting Q Multimedia Programming Q Computer Programming Q Desktop Publishing with PageMaker Q PC Applications Specialist Q Visual Programming in C 4 ee Please Print STATE _ Accredited Member Distance Education and Training Council A a ae O CHECK HERE For career courses approved under GI Bill OR GET YOUR DEGREE Q Associate Degree in Accounting Q Associate Dees in Business 4609 0396 s34u01 99 3 UeiINdOY 9661 YEW March 1996 Popular Electronics N Automotive Navigation System You can leave the road maps and guidebooks home if your car is equipped with Pioneers GPS X77 satellite based in ve hicle navigation system It uses the Global Positioning System GPS along with proprietary CD ROM technology to create comprehensive digital maps and information listings that pro vide consumers with directional assistance as they drive GPS technology uses satellite sig nals to track the movement of the car Computer analysis of the signals determines the posi tion and movement of the vehicle The vehicle s direction latitude longitude altitude and speed are instantly relayed The Positioning information is up dated approximately every second providing a real time display of the vehicle movem
42. HP 7015B X Y Record er 300 00 HP 8010A Pulse Generator 200 00 List of other equipment available JIM STEVEN SON 3401 Sunny Slope Road Bridgewater NJ 08807 Phone 908 722 6157 Fax 908 722 6391 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES START your own technical venture Don Lan casters newly updated Incredible Secret Money Machine Il tells how We now have autographed copies of the Guru s underground classic for 18 50 SYNERGETICS PRESS Box 809 C Thatcher AZ 85552 520 428 4073 Visa MC MAKE 75 000 to 250 000 YEARLY Repairing all kinds IBM monitors Successful home based business anywhere Telephone required Details USA 3 00 cash no checks Dealerships Cana da all foreign countries 85 00 for application brochure RANDALL DISPLAY Box 2168H Van Nuys CA 91404 GREAT extra income Assemble craft products at home Easy fun Program guaranteed Call 1 800 377 6000 ex7930 SIGN of The Times Start your own profitable alarm company with monthly recurring reve nues Further info Send details to A1 940 Mur phy Rd 3 Sarnia Ontario N7S 5C4 Canada EASY work Excellent pay Assemble products at home Cail toll free 1 800 467 5566 ext 5730 EXPOSED Amazing new secret that will make many people rich on the Information Superhigh way Send now for free details PARKSIDE PRESS Dept 1B 7527 Berwick Drive Westland MI 48185 1414 DISTRIBUTORS Wanted New mini satellite dish es Huge commissions
43. P O Box 2922 Plainfield NJ 07062 0922 Tel 908 754 1479 uses actual speed numbers instead of hypnotic bars to verify turntable speeds at 16 33 45 and 70 90 RPM It includes a handheld battery operated strobe light By using a low frequency strobe fewer icons are required around the disc making it easy to test for jitter and drift Iiluminated with the strobe light the turntable speed is read directly from the SpeedStrobe disc glowing bright red against a black background If the readout drifts one position in 60 seconds it would represent 0 03 accuracy The digital disc which was created using sophisticated CAD software is silk screened on 20 7 mil die cut plastic and is 10 inches in diameter Price 99 95 14 KAB SpeedStrobe Turntable Timer CIRCLE 70 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD ELECTRONICS WISH LIST Curly Cable Wraps The KurlyTie Company 3382 Border Drive Stone Mountain GA 30087 now offers ten different styles of its unique bundling ties The four reusable Kur yTie models designed for use with audio video cabling offer a solid rubbery grip and adjustable holding force They lock in position on the cable fastening in place with a patent pending base coil design making it easy to reposition or remove them for use elsewhere Four Kurl yKwik models fasten in place on the cable with a standard locking tie KurlyTie and KurlyKwik models come in full anc small sizes with or without a convenient pull chain The full and sm
44. Seabrook Texas 77586 For Vica MC COD s 713 922 3512 any time DESCRAMBLE cable with simple circuit added to Radio Shack RF modulator and using VCR as tuner Instructions 10 00 TELCOM PO Box 832P1 Brusly LA 70719 a a SE ET E la BL Cee CABLE TV equipment amp accessories Whole INC 1 806 815 1512 a a E E S CABLE descrambler Build with 7 Radio Shack pan costing 12 00 Instructions 8 00 F A S T ox 369 EP3 Pt Salerno FL 34992 0369 CABLE descramblers and test turn on kits avail able for most makes and models No catalog no 800 number equals your lowest prices Call others then compare our prices We pay cash for unwanted cable boxes No Florida sales 305 425 0751 RESTRICTED top secret hacker information Cel lular cable surveillance satellite more Catalog 3 00 TELECODE PO Box 6426 PE Yuma AZ 85366 6426 CALL QUALITY for all your cable needs Con verters descrambiers filters cubes etc M80 s stealhs pio more Tired of paying high rental charges for your equipment Cail us now 1 800 72 BOXES BUY from the best forget the rest Convert ers descramblers We beat all prices Call ATLAS VIDEO 1 800 406 0071 CABLE Desramblers Moneyback guarantee No 1 800 numbers Just low prices Also will buy sell trade and repair You have questions We have answers 423 899 9573 A ii ul BLE CONVERTER OSTIC TEST CHIP WE STOC F CHIPS TOOLS WIRELES
45. Work from home Call 1 800 868 3659 24 Hrs START Software company We provide programs to create Windows Symbol puzzles screen Savers etc No programming required 395 00 investment 100 00 rebate Free information WIZARD RESEARCH INC PO Box 17163 Fountain Hills AZ 85269 Fax 602 816 0234 _ COMPUTER HARDWARE COMPUTERS accessones below wholesale Direct from foreign manufacturers Anyone cant Lange Quantities nol required Many ger sam pes Conmoke stap by BS sti Addresses tips etc 12 00 posinaid SME Bor 2600 Dep P Randersonville WO 28793 hg VIRTUAL reality systems components and soft ware Free info 310 535 3354 Paradigm netcom com http Awww paragen com vr MISCELLANEOUS ELECTRONICS FOR SALE THE Case Against Patents Thoroughly tested and proven alternatives that work in the real world 28 50 SYNERGETICS PRESS Box 809 C Thatcher AZ 85552 520 428 4073 Visa MC 57 Electronic Journals How to g free subscrip tions 5 00 CABLETRONICS Box 30502PE Bethesda MD 20824 CABLE TV descrambler Anybody can build with seven parts from Radio Shack Plans 8 00 1 800 818 9103 BUILD Electronic Surveillance Devices Secrets revealed Download phone bug plan from BBS Free information TECHNOTES Box 388 PE Tehachapi CA 93581 0388 BBS Fax 805 823 1549 F amp M Electronics inwall speakers intercoms central vac systems For the do it yourselfer Free catalog 1
46. a flip up panel on the top of the camcorder In the Same compartment is a button labeled BLANK which lets you find the end of the recorded portion of the tape At the top of the unit just above the dis play are a POWER MODE button for switch ing between play and record modes and the zoom lever The manual zoom lever is the only con trol you ll need to fuss with while record ing It s easy to slide it between wide angle and telephoto using your index fin ger In telephoto mode the subject should be at least 1 6 meters away from the lens in wide angle mode at least 9 7 meters away The 3X zoom range might seem ane mic when compared to camcorders that offer zoom ranges of 10 X or more How ever it seemed to fit indoor shooting the most common kind just perfectly The VM PSI12 features a dual lens sys tem with an optical as opposed toa video viewfinder On the plus side there s no need to power up to see your subject yjust remove the lens cap and take a look The optical viewfinder also accurately follows the subject as you zoom in and out On the minus side you can t use the viewfinder to watch what you ve just recorded so in camera editing ts out of the question You must use a TV for playback That s one reason we re glad that Sanyo included the BLANK button for finding the end of the recording on the tape The camcorder s audio and video con nectors are located alongside the lens ina
47. against the sen sor the paint will eventually rub off The author guards against that by gluing a thin piece of clear vinyl over the painted side The 0 1 inch gap in the photosensors is wide enough fo ac commodate that set up The power supply for the encoder need not be exotic Anything from 3 to 18 volts will do just make sure to use appropriate current limiting resistors for the LEDs in the photosensors As suming a 1 3 volt forward drop across the LED at 25 C and a current of 20 mA the value of the limiting resistor is R V 41 3 0 02 With a 5 volt supply R should be 180 ohms while a 12 volt supply requires an R of 510 ohms Thats all there is to it The circuits we ve presented here can be used as is or as a starting point for your Own designs 2 591u01 99 J 1eNndod 9664 yaley 73 March 1996 Popular Electronics Ja By Joseph J Carr K4IPV Television and Radio Interference an kagi E pe Gr aT p 4 iat E B es L k i i El a i i ir T Da 7 1 re EA iE These two examples of TVI are both caused bya powerful local HAM RADIO elevision interference TVI and radio broad cast interference BCI are among the biggest causes of aggravation for ham ra dio operators or any other operator of radio transmit ters Unfortunately TVI BCI is also a fact of life And like most facts of life one either deals with it or suffers the consequences In this months column we w
48. and consumers are advised to look for that wording when shopping for a new cam corder or video camera Previously each manufacturer used its own methodology to rate camcorder sensitivity The task force conducted tests to deter mine the level of picture performance that camcorder users would consider accept able when lighting conditions were less than perfect Those tests revealed the mini mum acceptable quality levels for picture brightness contrast picture noise and color According to the standard camcor ders must equal or exceed the minimum acceptable level for five performance pa rameters luminance level black level lu minance signal to noise S N ratio chroma level and resolution Camcorder low light sensitivity or lux rating is an advertised feature for camcor ders A low lux rating is a key feature that influences camcorder sales said John H Stevens task force chairman and manager of camera engineering for Thom son Consumer Electronics With this new standard the industry can provide an accurate guide for consumers interested in buying camcorders ELECTRONICS WISH LIST Seiko Chinese English Translator Chinese English Translator If you re planning a trip to China consider packing the 7R 2000 Chinese English translator from Seiko Instruments USA 2990 West Lomita Blvd Tor rance CA 90505 Tel 310 517 7700 The pocket sized device translates Man darin Chinese to En
49. and there are many of them are both complex and expensive Want to tape baby s ride home from the hospital You must first figure out how to strap in the 60 car seat correctly First feeding Ex pect to spend an afternoon assembling the 99 high chair before you can get start ed Taking the little darlin for a jog in the park First figure out which button to press to unfold that 250 all terrain stroller Is he learning to ride a 100 bicycle Better hope the assembly instructions are in En glish You get the picture or do you You do if the camcorder you re using is Sanyo s VM PS12 Aimed at customers wary of complex technology and higher prices the 8mm VM PSI12 delivers the no brainer convenience of popular point and shoot still cameras In fact there are only three things the vid CIRCLE 60 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD a eographer need remember besides charg ing the battery and loading the tape that is Remove the lens cap power up and press RECORD And there s only one re cording Option a manual 3X zoom lens Not surprisingly there are very few con trols on the palm sized 6 pound cam corder The POWER and RECORD buttons are positioned side by side within easy reach of your thumb when you re holding the camcorder with your hand in its strap An LCD display is located just next to the viewfinder The playback controls PLay STOP STILL REw and FF are hidden be neath
50. are located at Kvitsoy and a single 500 kilowatt station is at Sveio Radio Norway International unofficially calls itself Radio Top of the World Radio Norway International part of Norsk Rikskringkasting NRK the national public radio and TV network itself has only 16 employees They work from offices and studios in the NRK s Broadcasting House in Oslo The same small staff also is responsi ble for the weekly half hour English program aired Sundays RNI s programs are relayed to the main shortwave broadcasting facility at Kvitsoy and from there as required to the Fredrikstad and Sveio transmitter sites News broadcasts especially for Norwegian speaking listeners abroad DX LISTENING By DON JENSEN are an important element in Radio Norway International s mission In the course of a week s programming those include newscasts that focus heavily on events occurring in the var ious regions of Norway RNI s newsroom is manned from before 6 a m local time until well after midnight But newscasts are aired around the clock The station s control room and studio are fully automated RNIs Sverre Fredheim tells DX Listening readers that the station hopes to receive listeners letters Accurate reception reports are QSLed with verification cards if sent directly to the station Radio Norway Internation al N 0340 Oslo 3 Norway and not to a Norwegian embassy or consulate elsewhere in the w
51. assistant ext 211 Adria Coren credit manager ext 208 Subscription Customer Service Order Entry 1 800 827 0383 7 30 AM 8 30 PM EST ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES EAST SOUTHEAST Stanley Levitan Eastern Sales 1 Overlook Ave Great Neck NY 11021 3750 1 516 487 9357 1 516 293 3000 Fax 1 516 487 8402 MIDWEST Texas Arkansas Oklahoma Colorado Arizona Ralph Bergen Midwest Sales One Northfield Plaza Suite 300 Northfield IL 60093 1214 1 708 446 1444 Fax 1 708 559 0562 PACIFIC COAST Mountain States Anita Bartman Hutch Looney amp Assoc Inc 6310 San Vicente Blvd Suite 360 Los Angeles CA 90048 5426 1 213 931 3444 ext 227 Fax 1 213 931 7309 TECHNOLOGY UPDATE The efficiency of ceramic warmth combines with oscillation to create the perfect heater This compact heater uses a genuine ceramic heating element and an oscillating fan to eliminate cold spots and provide intense warinth throughout an entire room by Irma Westbure f you could build the perfect heater what features would it have A safe vet effec tive heating element A thermostat that would let you select a desired comfort level An effective way to disperse the heat through out an entire room Safety features like auto matic tip over and overheat protection EXTENSIVE FEALURES held ot top view control panei power indicator light safety indicator light power switch cer
52. be con sulted FM band BCI is another matter however The FM re ceiver might respond to exactly the same kind of filtering as a TV receiver indeed the FM band 88 to 108 MHz falls between the low VHF and high VHF TV channels If your HF rig is interfering with an FM re ceiver then tell fhe Owner to try using a TV style high pass filter at the antenna input terminals If your VHF rig 2 meters and up is causing the interference then a low pass filter cen tered on some frequency between 108 and 144 MHz is needed ANTENNA POINTING TV and FM band inter ference can sometimes be minimized by simply turning the receivers antenna away from the signal THINK TANK Continued from page 68 change over the fuil bias current range This circuit see Fig 4 is an attempt to reduce those problems As you can see on the schematic diagram the cir cuit is quite simple and is biased exactly like a Zener diode The bias current range is 1 to 20 mA which can be extended by using a higher power transistor for Q2 The bonus feature is that this circuit has an ad justable Zener voltage of from 1 5 to 6 5 volts That voltage Vz can be deter mined using V 1 5 5R2 104 For any setting of R2 the vottage varies less than 1 over the 2 to 20 mA bias current The base emitter voltage of Q1 provides the refer ence voltage that Is source Some years ago when was troubleshooting TVI on a volu
53. can adapt to them all The camcorder s image stabilization system is controlled by several compensation programs each of which corrects for a certain range of motion frequencies Canon rates its sys tem as providing a more than 90 uniform compensation between 3 and 7 Hz It is capable of responding to vibration fre quencies as high as 20 Hz The system is also dependent on the zoom level It offers about five times more compensation at the telephoto end than at wide angle The image stabilization is not subtle Without it the camcorder would be prac tically unusable at maximum zoom with out a tripod With it the smooth images it delivers are remarkable even when tap ing from a moving car Technically speaking the lens and op tical image stabilization systems are defi nitely the most impressive features of the ES2000 From a videographer s creative and convenience standpoint however Canon s FlexiZone AF AE is the cam corder s highlight Other camcorders base their auto focus AF and auto exposure AE settings on what is happening in the center of the frame Although that s sensible it is rather limiting What do you do if you want your subject in the lower left corner of the frame and you want the background to fade away into a soft blur With other camcorders you must enter the manual focus mode and then focus on your subject If the background is much darker or brighter than your subject you must
54. card in stalled When a scene comes up that you want to save click the START OF CLIP control on the on screen camcorder At the end of the scene click the END OF CLIP control The PREVIEW button lets you re view your Start and end points which can be easily changed if you want If your camcorder supports it you can jog the tape back and forth a frame at a time to get to the right place When you re finally satis fied that you have the clip you want you can click on the SAVE CLIP button and assign the clip a name It makes sense to mark all of the good scenes in a video tape even if they are ones you don t plan to use immediately That s because you can t go back later and save additional scenes from a tape without as signing a new name to It After you have all of your scenes marked from one or more tapes you are ready to assemble them into the finished tape It s a relatively simple process Furst choose the tape you want to start with and double click on the title to obtain a list of clips Then simply drag the scene you want to include onto the script book Scen es can come from multiple tapes and can be placed in any order you want When you have your script complete you re ready to record your scenes Making the edited tape is simply a mat ter of clicking the MAKE TAPE button A VCR slides out from the side of the screen to replace the tape list and script book Most of the process is automatic Vid
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56. easy step Even if you have no experience in this field you ll be able texts because they re loaded with diagrams and illustrations Plus they present each subject in clear everyday language so you won t get bogged down in technical jargon Hands on training builds confidence Leaving nothing to chance NRI s LAN Servicing course goes beyond reading to give you real experi ence the kind that makes you proficient on the job As an NRI student you get a chance to build configure test and use your own LAN system No other school goes the extra mile to make your learning experience so enjoyable and effective Flexible convenient studying with your own instructor You study at home at your own pace And with NRI s easy new TeleGrading system you can check your knowledge and progress over the phone 24 hours a day What s more you have an expert instruc career Offering advice and feedback your instructor will become a trusted mentor able to help you move up and make good money as a successful LAN servicing technician FREE catalog gives all the details If the coupon is missing write to NRI Schools 4401 Connecticut Avenue NW to uiderstand these expertly written Washington DC 20008 Or CALL 1 800 321 4634 Ext 1422 SEND TODAY FOR FREE CATALOG NAME CITY gt ADDRESS gt A Division of The McGraw Hill Companies 4401 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008
57. eoDirector rewinds or fast forwards the camcorder to get to the right scenes and then starts or pauses recording Vid eoDirector prompts you to change tapes in the camcorder if necessary STEPPING UP VideoDirector Suite provides the same underlying functionality as VideoDirector Home but adds a slew of bells and whis Ge Trip to Washington Ferty nde to Orcas Dicas to Diga Road Lunch at the Ciga Cafe Davno to Portland Columba River wews Great view of E astsound IC Oregon side tip 01815 816 40 VideoDirector Suite presents a more traditional Windows inter face and added functionality tles that are lacking from the basic pack age It also has the look and feel of traditional Windows programs To set the software to work with your source and record decks you must perform essen tially the same functions as well However the look and feel is much different easier for Windows users probably more diffi cult for computer neophytes The Suite software allows you to divide a source tape into chapters grouping scen es into what it calls sections That s far better than the Home software which only allows scenes to be defined With experi ence we have leamed to eliminate most extraneous footage by judicious in camera editing That not only makes our final edits easier but it allows us to fit several events on one tape After a brief vacation we might have used some 15 minutes of tape Of course we
58. fiber cones a non resonant die cast chas sis Kapton voice coil and more fancy stuff The tweeters are Audax TWO25M0 1 inch soft dome units The speakers have a nominal im pedance of about 4 ohms That is basically the impedance of any speaker housing two 8 ohm woofers in parallel No modern amplifier should have any trouble driving 4 ohm speakers Driving two pairs of them might be another story The A652s should preferably be powered by at least 50 watts per channel and they can handle a maximum of about 150 watts apiece The crossovers are something spe cial too containing huge wire wound inductors and capacitors A speaker crossover is basically a series of filters that steer different audio frequen cies to the proper speakers woofers should receive low frequency audio while tweeters should receive the highs Those large crossover PC boards are pre assembled by Madi sound so all you have to do is wire the boards and mount them in the cab inets Let s see what s involved in build ing the A S2s Getting It Together The first step in building the A652s is to drill pilot holes in the cabinets for the speaker drivers and rear connector plate using those parts as guides to positioning the holes We found it best to punch the holes first with an awl before drilling Next four lengths of two conductor wire are soldered to each crossover board that later connects to the three speaker drivers and the inpu
59. field Grantham can help you both ways to learn more and to earn your degree in the process Write or phone for our free catalog Toll free 1 800 955 2527 or see mailing address below Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council GRANTHAM College of Engineering Grantham College Road Slidell LA 70460 S91U01 93 3 ABINdOY 9664 Y2IEW March 1996 Popular Electronics pen New breakthrough clones TV signals and sends them to any other TV in your home Recoton s new development duplicates cable TV VCR and satellite signals and transmits them without any wires Cable in den by Charles Anton oday television choices are virtually unlimit ed Between cable satellite TV videos and network programming it s almost a full time job won t have to You can even watch one program on your main TV while someone else watches something different on another TV It s just like having a per sonal broadcasting system in your trying to keep up with all the alternatives And it promises to get more complicated in the future Breakthroughs in fiber optic technology will bring over 500 channels into your home Home broadcasting breakthrough The problem with all this technology is the ex pense required to maintain your system and keep it up to date Now a wireless video broad casting system from Recoton gives you the power to utilize this
60. for use with personal CD player FM STEREO TRANSM Transmit full bodied Hi Fi stereo to any FM stereo re ceiver Separate left and right inputs and gain controls i Includes an output booster stage for greater range XFS CASE KIT ccc XFS108 C KIT SEND MAIL XANDI ELECTRONICS ORDERS TO BOX 25647 TEMPE AZ 85285 5647 s31U01 99 3 JEINdOY 96EL YEW Q amp March 1996 Popular Electronics By Stephen A Booth RCA VR678HF Hi Fi VCR PRODUCT very now and then a technology comes along whose benefits are so self evident that the product literally sells itself The VCR was such an item because it freed TV viewers from the tyranny of the broadcast timetable Now RCA has incorporated Commercial Advance in some of its VCRs a tech nology that makes it possible to bypass com mercials in time shift recordings Odds are the company will find it hard to keep models like the VR678HF in stock CIRCLE 120 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD The RCA VR678HF hi fi VCR has many features that set it apart from the crowd Basically Commercial Advance marks the ad breaks in a recorded pro gram in order to fast forward them during play back Its probably the main reason people will buy the VR678HE and obscures the many additional neat fea tures of this very capable deck For example owners of RCAS first generation Digital Satellite System receivers or anyone who buys this now price reduced
61. future Buy Bonds at half their face value through your local bank and share the tradition of U S Savings Bonds They re the gift that gives back more than you ve given A public service of this publication devices just in case you made a wiring error you wouldn t want to damage a computer or TV as a result of a wiring mistake Plug one device into one of the switched sockets and turn the devices power switch on Connect the other device into the load sense socket but leave its power switch off Next plug the Smart Strip into an electrical out let If your strip has a power switch it should be turned on as well Now turn on the device plugged into the sense socket and make sure the device plugged into the switched outlet also comes on If that doesn t happen un plug the strip and check your wiring to find the source of your problem The Smart Strip can be used with virtually any combination of electrical appliances as long as the sense de vice draws 5 amps or less and the switched devices draw less than 10 amps combined Keep those guide lines in mind and you can use the smart Strip in your home workshop or office to make running several appli ances or pieces of equipment a tot easier J Most Advanced DMM All Purpose amp Communication 20 reference impedances True RMS Capacitance 1pF 50 000yF Measure AC volt to 20kHz 5000 counts 0 1 accuracy Mini Max Ave DH Relative Zoom
62. h j ry EF A Fir de ae PRE P TAIAN g fj LA p 7 a i 2 s 3 i _ amp 1 Regular 499 00 Sale 389 95 800 638 2020 aan CD E CIRCLE 130 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Today s specialty tools are more important than ever When removing security fasteners and tamper resistant screws the right tool not only aves time it eliminates enormous frustration a a ae 1 ie Price Effective Fram January 17 to March 30 1996 so MCM offers a comprehensive line of tools engineered _ Authorized Original specifically for the repair of computers TVs VCRs video Parts Distributor Yis games cable boxes and more In addition you will find a ey eee eee variety of test equipment semiconductors TV VCR asse C Panasonic EE parts computer components chemicals audio video PREMIER Quasar accessories and hundreds of replacement speakers DISTRIBUTOR Technics Call today for your FREE CATALOG Hours M F 7a m 9p m Sat 9a m 6p m EST MCM ELECTRONICS z i 650 CONGRESS PARK DR CENTERVILLE OH 45459 4072 A PREMIER Company FAST OELIVERY FROM DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES IN RENO NV AND DAYTON OH CODE POP28 CIRCLE 165 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD PROFESSIONAL COUNTERSURVEILLANCE PCB Artwork EQUIPMENT Made Easy PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN SOFTWARE for Layout Autorouting Schematic O Supports all Video Modes incl
63. is real ly attractive can be selected On anything less than 28 800 bps down loading pages in the latter mode can be a true test of patience In addition to having a great selec tion competitive prices and an attrac tive interface the site also provides access to the world of music maga zines You can read articles from and get subscriptions to several music magazines right online Billboard chart listings and a daily online magazine Music Wire are also available Well that s it for this month If you have any other sites you d like to see covered or perhaps a comment or two e mail me at peeditor aol com You can also snail mail me at Net Watch Popular Electronics 500 Bi County Blvd Farmingdale NY 11735 What s better than speed reading Speed Learning Speed Learning has replaced speed reading It s a whole new way to read and learn It s easy to learn lasts a lifetime applies to everything you read It may be the most productive course you ve ever taken Do you have too much to read and too little time to read it Do you mentally pro nounce each word as you read Do you fre quently have to go back and reread words or whole paragraphs you just finished reading Do you have trouble concentrating Do you quickly forget most of what you read If you answer Yes to any of these questions then here at last is the practical help you ve been waiting for Whether you read for busines
64. just punch in the shows numerical ID as found in many printed pro gram guides and the VCR sets recording time dura tion and channel The VR678HF also will initi ate unattended recording from an RCA brand Digital satellite System receiver After their initial infatuation most DSS owners biggest complaint with the system was that there was no timer function in the first generation DSS receivers and no way for a VCR to tune into its three digit channels Some newer DSS receivers have built in timers so you can record with any VCR but the DSS timer function makes the HR678HF a convenient up date for older RCA satellite receivers You ll program it like any other VCR but use the three digit DSS chan nels An infrared repeater in the VCR wakes up the DSS receiver and tunes it at the right time Although RCA doesn t promote the VR678HF as an editing deck it can handle most home movie post pro duction chores The front panel shuttle dial provides variable speed access in forward or reverse The Continued on page 71 COMMUNICATION HEADSET w ANTENNA i Headband with electret microphone dynamic earphone and antenna Mouthpiece position and headband are adjustable Cable is 3 long with 6 wire ter mination These are new units removed from walkie talkie radios They have been in storage for a long time and the foam microphone windscreens are deteriora tion This may detract from the appearance
65. lad 3 1 2 DIGIT ARE 1 8 WATT r Fig 3 While this frequency counter is very simple it has 2000 Hz 20 00 kHz 200 0 kHz and 2 000 MHz ranges and will work with almost any waveform trimmer potentiometer R5 INtegratea circuit IC2 an LM311 provides input con ditioning for any waveform of 09 to 30 volts 7 whether triangle sine or squarewave Components R4 R2 D3 and all other passive components are available from Johnson Shop Products fel 408 257 8614 Integrated circuit IC4 a CD4011 or 74C00 provides proper pulse delays to IC3 a 74C928 3 2 digit counter chip that directly drives a miniature 3 or 4 digit common cathode LED dis play Digi Key Tel ALL RESISTORS ARE 1 8 WATT 1 UNITS 1 82K Fig 4 Zener diodes are great for down and dirty regulation but they can behave unpredictably over a wide temperature range This circuit acts like a Zener without the drawbacks provides gate timings of components Select C1 to 1000 ms 100 ms 10 ms and be exactly so the value of 1 ms using R4 R2 C1 and C2 C2 as the critical timing Calibration is done with 800 344 4539 carries the 74C928 chip plus they have a 4 digit display P454 which is a multi plexed mini display that should work fine The digit drivers shown Q2 Q5 and R20 R23 can be replaced with a single DIP package such as a 75491 75492 etc used a 75491 for simplicity Note that in the schematic only one of each
66. manually adjust the exposure set tings as well Experienced videographers don t find that too much of a hardship but beginners or infrequent users do Plus there s no denying that adjusting the set tings takes time time that can make you lose the shot that you were looking for FlexiZone AF AE makes it much easier for everyone With the FlexiZone feature turned on the viewfinder shows a small frame that indicates the desired area of focus The default area is the center of the frame However the frame can be moved using a joystick like thumb controller on the back panel of the camcorder With the push of a button the exposure can also be determined by the area inside the frame The exposure settings remain locked until the button is pushed again or until the FlexiZone mode is turned off One of the things we liked best about FlexiZone was the ability to focus shift Let s say your family is taking a mule trek down the Grand Canyon You want to start a scene by focusing on your wife s expres sion of exhilaration perched on a mule whose hooves are precariously close to the trail edge Next you want to change the focus to capture the spectacular canyon view as the mule train fades into a blur Traditional camcorders would require either that you adjust the focus manually or that you move the camcorder so that the area of interest appeared in the middle of the viewfinder FlexiZone however al lows you to hold the ca
67. more detalls to jack J2 An LM7805 regulator U19 drops the 9 voits to 5 volts for use by the rest of the circuit current drain is about 150 mA Capacitors C4 C17 are bypass units Switch 1 is used to toggle between Q TEST OF MEASUREMENT input When S1 is set to test a timer circuit test source made up of U16 a 7556 timer R22 R24 and C18 is activated The output of that test source section pro vides a convenient internal means of verifying trequency count and period operation Wher 1 is switched to MEASUREMENT G signal input to jack M is fed to the buffer section of the circuit There an LM339 comparator U17 provides gain and waveform shaping Diode D3 clips the negative going half of sinusoida inputs DZ limits the inputs to 5 volts anc D4 provides a small input offset for the operation of U17 The CD4050 chip U18 provides a buffer for the output of U17 Rotary switch S2 is used to select the desired Counter mode The mode SETTINGS are FREQUENCY PERIOD EVENT and PULSE WIDTH those settings correspond in order with the four modes introduced earlier Wo CD4503 three state non inverting buffers U10 and U13 are used to channel the input for the de sired operating mode The measurements taken in the FREQUENCY ONC PEROD modes use the One second time base and the se quential tatch and secuential reset pulses generatec by it Those pulses are switched out in the Event and PULSE modes where the coun
68. offers a HUGE selection of surveillance privacy devices including hidden video equipment electronic kits telephone recording systems touch tone decoders scanners telephone tap detectors bug detectors voice disguisers telephone scramblers locksmithing tools and more Catalog 5 00 SPY OUTLET P O Box 337 Buffalo NY 14226 716 691 3476 716 695 8660 CABLE TV CONVERTERS Equipment amp Accessories Wholesalers Welcome Call VISION TIME PRODUCTS 1 800 310 1153 M F 8a 8p NO TENN SALES 99 BROADCAST FARTHER 29 The model 1525 is a 75 110 MHz RF amplifier that connects to mono or stereo FM transmitters and produces a powerful 15 20 watt signal which could broadcast up to 5 miles or more Requires 75 250 mW drive PLUS 2 S amp H NO C 0 D 5 anne es ee 909 626 4FAX Step by step plans complete with part source H information and antenna designs ONLY Progressive Concepts 1434 N MILLS AVE SUITE A CLAREMONT CA 91711 909 626 4969 as low as S99 CABLE IV DESCRAMBLERS Best Wholesale Prices in the U S A For Jerrold Systems FX TB Stealth For Scientific Atlanta Systems M80 For Pioneer Systems PIO Plus Everquest Converters Stargate Elite Non Parental Stargate Elite Parental 1 800 818 9688 MD Electronics 875 S 72nd St Omaha NE 68114 New Surveillance Devices Smoke Alarm Ultra miniature video cameras hidden in Sm
69. on a convenient job by job volume by volume or user by user basis Large files can be easily moved from one site to another by shipping or transporting the pocket sized disks The high speed random ac cess system can also be used for PC or network backup elim inating the need for a separate backup solution Because the system stores data in the same format as a hard drive it can be used as a temporary though slightly slower replacement for a hard disk until a permanent one is installed The media is also well suited for downloading and storing highly sensitive in formation such as corporate research or government securi ty applications internal and external versions of the PD CD system are avail able Each unit comes with a SCSI 2 interface for fast easy integration software drivers for Windows DOS Macintosh and OS 2 based platforms and one PD650 disk The internal PD CD system has a suggested price of 895 and the external version is priced at 975 For more infor mation contact Plasmon Data Systems 1654 Centre Pointe Drive Milpitas CA 95035 Tel 800 445 9400 or 408 956 9400 Fax 408 956 9444 CIRCLE 89 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD t Circuit Design System The Complete Low Cos Comprehensive Device Library Version 3 features a state of the art device browser which greatly simplifies the task of organizing and selecting devices With its newly expanded device library Circ
70. one count for every positive depending on the state of pin 9 edge at the clock down input pin 4 Counters can be cascaded by and a phototransistor PT When the PT conducts and the collector voltage connecting the borrow output pin light from the LED passes through the is low but when the LED s light is 13 to the following clock down in encoding disc and falls on the PT the blocked by the opaque section of the Continued on page 73 By Marc Ellis Remember the NBS Set Here s Bob s very neat version of the NBS set The tuning coil T month had intend ed to bring you a report on the triumphant air test of the 1930 s ham receiver Alas that project which has been plagued by delays is undergoing yet another one So thought I d take the opportunity fo tell you about Bob Zinck s version of the NBS National Bureau of Standards crystal set a replica receiver project that hidden by the cover a nicety I left off of my version is directly behind the front panel ran in this column for some monihs and was com pleted in the August 1994 issue Bob was kind enough to send a detailed letter about the construction of his set and some very nice photos But first heres the news on the ham set COMPLETING THE WIRING Readers who have been following the 1930 s ham receiver project know that at the end of last month s sessicn the breadboard style radio was completely asse
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73. publishers approval WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REJECT OR EDIT ALL ADS 450 Ham Gear Wanted 480 Miscellaneous Electronics For Sale 510 Miscellaneous Electronics Wanted 540 Music amp Accessories 570 Plans Kits Schematics 600 Publications 630 Repairs Services 660 Satellite Equipment 690 Security 710 Telephone 720 Test Equipment 730 Wanted iE ESTA 4 ery TF RE 3H BOASI TE GRL SOU Ti 302s FSRR AN Ce oe Total words 1 75 per word toma eea Porc S Bold Face 0 40 per word So oe lt 7 Special Heading 20 00 S S3AA M Sa mon Sy Other 2 Total classified ad payment enclosed TOTAL COST OF AD Check Mastercard Visa adiret ge e a Se Expiration Date _ _ __ Signature Name Phone Address ity State Zip Learn MICROCONTROLLERS EMBEDDED SYSTEMS and PROGRAMMING with the New AES 10 The AES 10 a complete gt De learning system a complete Re embedded control system Extensive manuals guide you through your 8051 development project Assembly BASIC and C programmable All hardware details complete schematics Learn to program the LCD keypad digital and analog I Os The entire board is software reconfigurable for your applications Everything you need nothing extra required 80032 Compiter Microcontroller board with 32K Byte ROM 32K Byte RAM 2 by 16 Liquid Crystal Display 4 by 5 Keypad e Two Seria
74. re not going let the unused tape go to waste if for no other reason to conserve space in our tape library The ability to define sections lets us conve niently find footage from our vacation to Washington and mix it with footage froma family outing in the park Another nice feature of the Suite soft ware is the different ways that it displays clip information One option provides a simple text only view another includes full information about the clip along with a picon a picture icon that can be a still frame of video if you have a video capture board or any other image you wish to associate with the clip The third view shows only the picon creating a story board view Additional programs are supplied on a CD ROM including a title editor an ani mation editor a sound editor and a lot of images sounds and sample animations However to incorporate animations or ti tles requires additional hardware a de vice to convert the VGA signals that the computer produces to composite video Both VideoDirector Home and Vid eoDirector Suite are ideal solutions for the videographer who wants an easy way to organize and present only the best video that he or she has captured Although nei ther offers the frame by frame precision that comes only with timecodes they both do an admirable job And they make it so easy that there s no longer any excuse for showing boring videos a GIZMO NEWS Anti Bacterial C
75. receive instructions 16 95 lus 3 00 Priority Mail UNIVERSAL ELEC FRONICS 4555 Groves Road 12 Columbus OH 43232 614 866 4605 DSS How its done 150 channels received direct with small dish system Send 14 95 2 00 postage CABLETRONICS Box 30502PE Beth esda MD 20824 SECURITY SURVEILLANCE Privacy security protection Catalog 5 00 SPY EMPORIUM 6065 Hillcroft 414 Houston TX 77081 713 774 1000 ELECTRONIC sales of security systems for home apartment or business will send informa tion call 812 295 4240 SECURITY Systems Devices of all types Control panels motions sirens CCTV more Install it yourself and save Special package 6 zone con trol keypad Fully programmable for monitoring back up Battery siren amp contacts only 179 00 Catalog with order 1 800 335 2296 Fax 519 541 1277 check Visa A 1 940 Murphy Rd 3 Sarnia Ontario Canada BURGLAR alarm Protect your home valuables with this versatile alarm Comes with key switch Send 29 95 plus 4 50 s h to BINARY PROD UCTS CORP Box 1037 Bronx NY 10472 9998 REPAIRS SERVICES VIDEO monitor repair repair of citizens band ra dio scanners other consumer electronics products call 812 295 4240 MRa a PC remair exnert e Be a PC repair expert I Approved home study Leam to troubleshoot ni A repair install upgrade and service computers eae ri Free literature 800 223 4542 gt i s Name _
76. recording ready to tape another program Once the commercial breaks have been marked there are two ways of viewing commercial free programming In Auto CF playback the VCR will automatically advance through the marked blocks of commercials In manual mode you must press SEARCH each time you want to skip a batch of commercials How does Commercial Advance tech nology track down those nasty commer cials After all there is no technically discernible difference between commer cials and regular programming Broad casters don t insert any flags to say This is a commercial However commercials generally do have many things in com mon and those features are what the VCR searches for First virtually all commercials begin and end with a black frame of video and silence Of course black frames with si lence occur often during normal program ming too so they can t be used by themselves as a sure indicator of commer cials Commercials have other things in common hawever They usually travel in packs and they are usually 30 45 or 60 seconds ong While the Commercial Advance VCR is recording it inserts a timecode on the tape examines the programming for pos sible commercial breaks and stores a map of the programming in memory After the recording is finished the map is exam ined and the VCR manually marks the commercial breaks with a special code in the tape s control track On playback the VCR u
77. technology without the hassle and expense of re wiring your entire home Today Recoton in troduces the next gen eration in wireless broadcasting The wire less video broadcaster transmits re broad casts cable TV VCR or satellite programs to any other TV in your home wirelessly Wave of the future Never drag your VCR from room to room again Recoton s wire less video broadcasting system transmits video or TV signals to any other TV in your home Because the system is totally wireless you won t have to worry about running miles of wires Besides who wants to install cable in every room of their home With Recoton s wireless video broad casting system you home and it s legal in every state Hi tech home broadcast Recently the Federal Communications Connnission allocated a band of radio frequencies specifically for wire less in home product applications Recoton took advantage of the FCC ruling by creating and introducing wireless equipment that can transmit within the prescribed frequency over distances of up to 150 feet eee One transmitter un limited receivers One transmitter will operate an unlimited ae i number of receivers NOME nar are ROT ina f La h TA E This means that a ignals from one VCR transmitter in the den fo any room even if someone is watching can Send signals to a in the tint the VCR is in TV in the living room Watch satellite kitchen bedroom and
78. the iatest toaks in the fieid at savings of up to 50 of the regular publishers prices If you want the Main selection do nothing and i will be shipped automatically If you want anather book or no book at all simply retum the repy tom to us by the date specified You ll have at least 10 days to decide if you ever receive a book youdon t want due to ate delivery of the buletin you can retum it at our expense Your only obligation is to purchase 3 more books during the next 12 months afte which you may Cancel your membership at any time And you ll De eligible for FREE BOOKS through our Bonus Book Program A shippingMandilng charge and sales tax will be added to all orders All books are softeavel unless otherwise noted It you select a book that counts as 2 choices _ wite the book number in one box and XX In the next Publishe s Feces Shown 91996 EBC l PE396 If card is missing write to Electronics Book Club A Divisian of The McGraw Hill Companies P O Bax 549 Blacklick OH 43004 9918 S U01 93 3 Jendod 9661 YOIEW March 1996 Popular Electronics on N BY RONALD A REIS omethings out there on the Q in the driveway or be hind the shed Or maybe ifs in side in the garage basement or den Whatever it is human or beast ifs moving Perhaps ifs just your teenager sneaking in from a late night out Possi bly it is only the neighborhood cat Or more ominously it could be a prowler bent on the
79. the rockets fuse Lets get right to them COUNTDOWN CIRCUIT Our first circuit goes out to reader Dan Gorkiewicz who requested a circuit using the ISD1000A voice recording and playback iC to count down from ten to zero and then light the rockets fuse Dan hope the following scheme is what you had in mind Rocket Launcher Circuits 45V R1 47K 47K 1N914 Fig 1 Use this circuit to record your countdown sequence on the ISDIOOOA Once you are satisfied with your recording the circuit will no longer be needed if you can locate your Jury 1995 issue turn to page 78 and review the circuits and data on the ISD1000A voice recording and play back IC Note that the circuit shown in Fig 4 in that issue is very similar to the circuit in Fig 41 for this month If you have a prototyping breadboard available you can quickly build the circuit in Fig 1 Prototyping boards are very handy when you experiment with circuits and any serious hobbyist should have one Once built the circuit is used to record your countdown audio Heres how it s done Turn on 82 the record switch and start counting down from ten to zero When you reach zero quickly turn 2 off Turning S2 off programs the audio in the ISD1000A chip Use the circuits playback func tion to check out your countdown audio The maximum recording time is 20 seconds If you need to re record your message first erase the information on
80. well stocked is Hi Tech Surplus Like Western s site you can buy items from either the company running the page or from an Online Swap Meet To buy from Hi Tech directly you have to first download a DBF III file The file is zipped as are many large downloadable files and exportable into almost any kind of Database pro gram In that file you can choose from equipment in the following categories Audio Automation CNC Components Computer Ham Laser Manufacturing Optics Pneumatics RF Robotics Security Test Equipment and Video Your other option the Online Swap Meet is similar to the one found in Western Electronic s site except Western s seems to be a lot more active Again you can either read the ads or submit one of your own At this site submissions are dated and stay online for 30 days if an item is sold before that time Hi Tech asks that you notify them so that they can remove it from the list Items found at the Online Swap Meet are grouped under the following categories Amateur Radio Com ponents Laser Optics Manufacturing Equipment Pneumatics Hydraulics Robotics Automation Service Man HOT SITES Western Electronic Surplus http www westes com Hi Tech Surplus http isidaho com hitech hitech htrr Internet Shopping Network http shop internet net Music Boulevard http www musicblvd com uals Test Equipment and Misc Electronics If you feel that list is not complet
81. 0 oscillation E Solid state electronic thermostat E Automatic tip over and overheat protectior E High velocity fan E Cool touch cabinet E Compact size E Maximiem 1500 watts 5200 btu has built in automatic overheat and tip over protection The unit will shut off if tipped over airtlow is blocked or anything is spilled on it A red safety light indicates that the unit has shut itself off for some reason The RST 1200 is so Safe you can let it run 24 hours a day worrv tree Designed to fit in any en vironment The RST 1200 is very compact measuring a mere 13 tall and weighing just under two and a half pounds With a diameter of 8 3 you can put the RST 1200 virtually anv where in your home In addi tion its sleck design makes it a welcome addition to any decor muost people won t even know it s a heater Try it risk free The RST 1200 Oscillating heater is backed by Comtrad s exclusive risk tree home trial Try it and if vou are not completely satisfied simply return it within 90 davs for a full No Questions Asked refund It also comes with a one year manufacturer s limited warranty RST 1200 oscillating heater 99 9 S amp H Please mention promotional code 1431 PL 6649 For fastest service call toll free 24 hours a day 800 992 2966 Soo z a To order by mail send check or money order for the tolal amount including Sei VA residents add 4 5 sales tax Or charge it
82. 0 kHz Radio Thailand is heard with Mandarin Chinese programming but an English ID and tuning at 1315 UTC CJ Be 25 CONFIDENTIAL 2a a It makes me feel that my hobby is important SHAFT ENCODER Continued from page 62 put and the carry output pin 12 to the following clock up input Counters other than the 40192 can also be used Even single clocked counters can be used if a latch is used to detect the count direction and the up clock and down clock lines are ored together to produce a single clock line Figure 4 shows how that can be done If you choose to use the 4029 as shown it can generate either a straight binary number or a BCD decimal number depending on the voltage applied to pin 9 When pin 9 is tied low it generates a BCD number when pin 9 is tied high it generates a four bit binary number In the circuit shown the chip is set to produce a BCD output Other Considerations The me chanics of building the encoder are not critical beyond the mounting of the photosenors Vinyl sheets are a good choice for the disc material as they can be cut with scissors and are sufficiently rigid for 2 inch diameter discs The author has used 0 032 inch thick material with good results The disc need not be absolutely flat and it can even flex during rotation without seriously affecting operation About the only thing you have to be concerned about is that if the painted side of the disc rubs
83. 000 ohm R2 220 000 ohm R3 R4 1000 ohm R5 250 000 ohm potentiometer CAPACITORS C1 0 l F ceramic disc C2 47 F 16 WVDC electrolytic C3 4 7 F 16 WVDC electrolytic ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS SI S3 SPST toggle switch IC socket perfboard materials wire solder etc LED COUNTDOWN CIRCUIT Our other rocket launch ing circuit shown in Fig 3 uses ten LEDs as countdown indicators This Circuit was inspired by a request from Mike from Topsham ME Turning to the circuit a 4011 quad two input NAND gate and a 4017 decade counter divider IC are the heart of the launcher Tran sistor Q1 an IRF520 hexFET sends the current through the ignitor fuse fo fire the rocket engine Circuit Operation goes like this Two gates of a 4011 Nano gate IC2 b and IC2 c are connected in a low frequency oscillator circuit with RS and C3 setting the oscillator s frequency An other gate of that IC IC2 a starts the countdown and sets pin 15 of the 4017 to the run condition The IC s fourth gate IC2 d inverts and buffers the oscillator s output and supplies the clock input to pin 14 of the 4017 The ten LEDs indicate the count and when the last one turns on LED1 pin 11 goes high turning Q41 on and firing the ignitor fuse The last LED LED will re main on until 1 is switched off The countdown could be halted by closing S3 Opening S3 continues the countdown A SAFETY NOTE
84. 02 947 7700 FAX LINE 602 947 7799 FREE SHIPPING Visa M C e Amx Disc e COD s Qty Pricing 10 19 20 49 50 89 59 50 m 59 50 85 65 55 89 79 69 he 63 54 76 69 59 Nabi s Technical Acronym Reference Book For Electronics Electrical Engineering Computer Science Data Commaunkations HAM Radio and others Nabi s Technical Acronym Reference Book is a compilation of 2 000 auronyms tor Electronics Electrical Engineering Computer Sciences Data Communications HAM Radio and others You do not have to second guess those acronyms or abbrevialiOns any more Now you can get your own copy of the Nabi Acronym Refeernce Book for onty US 11 98 includes S amp H in US and Canada Sead moncy order or your check of US 11 89 to Nabi s Byte P O Box 006 Salem OR 97304 Allow 8 10 weeks for delivery CIRCLE 164 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD S91U01498 3 UeiNdoY 9661 YoseW n wo March 1996 Popular Electronics cot mmk e POPULAR ELECTRONICS magazine does not assume any responsibility for errors that may appear in the index below ADVERTISING INDEX Free Information No Page 25 Ace Communications 86 _ Agrelo Engineering 92 26 Alfa Electronics 97 28 All Electronics 39 Allen Engineering 103 Allison Technology 89 Allstar Electronics 88 140 AM
85. 218902 25 66 20 25 CAT NO 5 PC232904 38 40 29 80 PC218904 AT BUS PC207905 STD BUS e Board Length 13 1 8 333mm Board Width 4 5 16 10mm Double Sided Pad Per Hole and Power Buses e Space Reserved for 1 D Type Connector 25 pin Vector Cross Ref 4617 3 Board Length 6 1 2 165mm Board Width 4 7 16 113mm e Double Sided 3 hole Solder Pads Ground Plane and Power Bus PRICE EACH CAT NO 1 5 Space Reserved for 1 Header 34x3 PC218904 25 42 20 06 0 1 Spacing Vector Cross Ref 4610 PC218903 XT BUS PRICE EACH comment CAT NO 1 5 PC207905 13 66 S 125 PC412902 VME BUS pou fis ie 1 8 Pasian Board Width 4 5 16 110mm Double Sided Pad Per Hole and Power Buses Board Length 6 5 16 160mm Space Reserved for 1 D Type Connector 25 Pin Board Width 3 15 16 100mm i a rr Single Sided Pad Per Hole CAT NO 5 and Power Buses PC218903 23 51 13 63 Space Reserved for D Type Connector 25 Pin Vector Cross Ref 4614 3 PRICE EACH CAT NO PC412902 1 5 7 06 6 00 RECEIVE OUR LATEST ganara pores Gaigiog 132 PAGE CATALOG It s chock full of all types of electronic equip maa af af ment and supplies We ve got I C s P ev capacitors resistors pots inductors test i4 equipment breadboarding supplies PC patt supplies industrial computers data acqui se F sition products personal computers and k gt Bei a comp
86. 3 0 02 uF polyester Xs C5 0 015 uF polyester sw C6 C10 0 047 uF polyester CH Ci3 Cl6 10 pF 16 WVDC electrolytic ee 46 00 plus 5 00 shipping and handling fully assembled version iy is available with battery TREMOLO ASSEM 59 14 plus 5 00 shipping and handling Ilinois residents please add 7 5 sales tax Check money 2 order and credit cards are e a accepted For fast check i lt verification please provide street address no FO boxes telephone number and driver s license i number and state of issue Bs 3 te Construction The author s pro totype was built on a double sided printed circuit board If you would like I re 7 SS ake to build your circuit the same way you can etch your own board using the solder and component side tem plates shown in Figs 3 and 4 respec tively Or you can order a pre etched board from the source mentioned in the Parts List It is recommended that you use the PC board because the NE614 is a high gain high frequency IF amplifier and errors might result from stray capacitances caused by point to point wiring The PC board is compact and was designed to fit in a pocket size SerPac M6 case which is also available from the source mentioned in the Parts List You can of course use any other suit able enclosure When building the circuit on the PC board use the parts placement di agram shown in Fig 5 as a guide Begin
87. 33 Audax of America 10 Upton Brive Wiiminglon MA OtBBT Tet 508 658 0700 should use a good pair of heaw gauge speaker cables with the A 52s Cable thats too thin will interfere with the audio signal instead of simply de livering it to the speaker We disconnected a pair of Celes tion speakers froma Harmon Kardon receiver and connected the A652s to it The receiver was then turned on with the volume set at minimum A digitally mastered Classical CD was chosen as the test material As the vol ume was turned up the A652s came to life Volume should be kept to a minimum in a speaker s early hours We are not audio critics and don t claim to be so we won t try to explain how the speakers sound with words that have meaning only to us What we will say is that at first the sound lacked what we ll call richness But as the hours passed and even more so as days passed if was obvious that the speakers were simply breaking in The speakers eventually sounded wonderful and they still do We re happy with our A652s and we learned a lot about what goes into building a speaker We hope that our experiences have encouraged you to give speaker building a try it can be a lot of fun o 5 BOOKS amp 4 95 wen Flectronics m Book Club VALUES TO 156 75 The leading source of information for electronics hobbyists for over 30 years 7 Troubleshooting a i q rouble shooting amp Repai
88. 4 708 541 0710 PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE NOTE Effective January 20 1996 our area code will be changed to 847 CIRCLE 32 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD FREE PROBES OSCILLOSCOP ES WRITE FOR A WITH ALL FREE 60 PAGE SCOPES Lowest Prices of the Year CATALOG Japan Quality Quality Scopes by Elenco But not Japan Prices Hitachi Laptop Color Digital Scopes 5 aii ie A ree SONS n a iT 60M Hz 40MHz 25 30MHz ps 603 1350 s 1345 569 os 303 1095 150MHz 60MS s VC 5460 3695 o SOMHz 30MS s VC 5430 2695 Analog Digital Storage Analog with Delayed Sweep Analog Digital Storage 20MHz 15MS s VC 5410 1795 e Z0MS s Sampling Rate S 1340 s489 S 1330 5439 1OOMHz VC 6145 Storage S 1365 795 e Analog e 25MHz Analog 4 Channel 100MS s 94795 e Analog w Cursors Delayed Sweep E VC 6155 Storage 100MS s 3995 VC 6545 Storage 40MS s 2995 S 1360 759 SERES e 1325 335 V 1585 4 Channel V 1565 w ae e Analog with Delayed Sweep e 25MHz Analog 50 60MHz VC 6525 Storage 20MS s 2795 VC 6524 Storage 20MS s 2295 V 695 60MHz w Cursors 1549 ANALOG V 555 w Cursors Modei Sensitivity No of Sweep Rate Delayed Component Beam MH pitt Channels Max cogs nP reese ne 1mY div 2 10ns div es s V 509 Battery Operated 1795 3 1mV div foncidy Yes Vie 10ns div Yes 20MHz 10ns div No i 10ns di Y VC 5025A 20MS s 1mV div ions div No Yes DSO w DMM 5 s Mo
89. 60 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles CA 90024 CIRCLE 54 OW FREE INFORMATION CARD Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment P O Bax 900 Beverly Hills CA 90213 CIRCLE 55 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Zelos Digital Learning 98 Battery Street Suite 300 San Francisco CA 94111 CIRCLE 56 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD guide for computers places an empha sis on Windows 95 and lets users select comedy interlaced lessons from the club s menu Contact Graphix Zone if you re interested One really neat title this month is Science Fiction The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Science Fiction from Grolier Electronic Publishing The disc is based on the Hugo Award winning book by John Clute and Peter Nicholls for those readers not familiar with it the Hugo Award is named after Hugo Gernsback the founder of the compa ny that publishes this magazine The disc s filled with photographs movie clips and more from all of your favorite science fiction sources Electronic Arts is offering two new titles Fade to Black and U S Navy Fighters Gold Fade to Black takes place in the year 2190 when an evil species of master brains have taken over the solar system In six 3D action levels you must help the human rebels overthrow the aliens U S Navy Fighters Gold is the ultimate in EA s Air Combat series of flight simulations You can fly in many different airplanes and in various missions and scenarios Last this month is something for the kid
90. 800 699 1484 CABLE TV Descramblers One piece units Pi oneer 6310 s Scientific Atlanta 8580 s and others Money back guarantee Houston TX 713 691 4610 A AAAARAAAAAHRAABAAALD VOR EAGIOMARION Largest Selection of HOME AUTOMATION ro j W B s ucis Mahe pad p ome AUTOMATION Systems inc Browse us on the WEB f na http Avww techmall com smartheme EN G E a 4 5 CL M aS EPROM PROGRAMMING SYSTEM USES PARALLEL PORT EPROMS 24 28 32 amp 40 PIN 27C AND 25XX 1702 2708 TMS2716 32 32A 64 64A 128 128A 256 512 513 011 010 101 1001 1000 1024 2 10 020 2001 220 2048 4001 2 040 080 240 4096 68 764 66 FLASH EPROMS 28F256 28F512 28F010 28F020 29C257 29C010 29C040 29F010 29F040 S 18 24 amp 28 PIN CXX 2210 2212 2804 2816 2816A 2817 2864 2865 28256 28C010 DS 1220 DS1225 DS1230 SERIAL EEPROMS 8 amp 14 PIN PLUS CXX ER 1400 M58657 2401 02 04 08 16 32 65 2444 59C11 80011A 9306 46 56 66 8572 82 92 1 68 9XX SYSTEM INCLUDES Hundreds of hard to find automation X10 and vireless 3 T EE 16 THROUGH 24 PINS PROGRAMMING UNIT control products Computer control of your home security gika s 74SXXX AND 82SXXX FAMILY PRINTER PORT CABLE P ill lh l Aa d w i 8741 42 48 49 8751 POWER PACK MANUAL systems surveillance cameras infra red audio video control RA C51 52 C52 87C5XXX 87C75X 89C5X 68705 AND SOFTWARE HVAC pet care au
91. 9 Rockland Center Suite 315 Nanuet N Y 10954 914 735 6127 Fax 914 735 3560 O Q3 March 1996 Popular Electronics WO A SUPPLY amp WAREHOUSING CORPORATION P O Box 8180 a Bartlett IL 60103 a 800 577 8775 Friendly Knowledgeable Service NOVAYISION e All Equipment New e Convertors amp Descramblers e 30 Day Money Back Guarentee e 6 Month Warranty e Visa MC C O D Welcome P O Box 1494 Addison IL 60101 Info 708 889 0281 HRS Mon Fri 9 6 CST Fax 708 889 0283 Sat 9 3 CST 1993 Copyright Clearance Center Most 1 AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR PHOTOCOPIER ISN T PART OF YOUR PHOTOCOPIER Having a machine may not permit you to photocopy books journals newsletters and magazines The Copyright Clearance Center CAN Contact us to find out how you too can COPY RIGHT COPYRIGHT CLEARANCE CENTER 222 Rosewood Drive Danvers MA 01923 C Tel 508 744 3350 O Fax 508 741 2318 ___ _ ee ATTENTION CABLE VIEWERS CABLE VIEWERS get back to your BASIC Cable Needs 5 GOOD REASONS TO BUY OUR FAR SUPERIOR PRODUCT PRICE Call 800 577 8775 For information regarding all of your BASIC cable needs EFFICIENT SALES AND SERVICE WE SPECIALIZE IN 5 10 LOT PRICING ALL FUNCTIONS COMPATIBLE WITH ALL MAJOR BRANDS ANY SIZE orpver FILLED WITH SAME DAY SHIPPING EP JA S We handle NEW equipment ONLY Dont trust last years OBSOLETE and UNSOLD stock
92. A VCR cannot be used as a source deck The record deck can be any VCR with infrared remote control The control end of the smart cable con tains an infrared emitter It must be placed gur PC Can ow Your r wake Vigna geolanes amp GOLD DISK VideoDirector so that the VCR and perhaps the cam corder if you choose to control it via in frared signals can see it A LANC local application control bus plug is also provided for controlling the source cam corder It is preferable to use LANC rather than infrared control because it provides two way communication between the computer and the camcorder for greater accuracy The software seems to be designed for people who are not familiar with comput ers Although the VideoDirector applica tion runs under Microsoft Windows it doesn t look like a standard Windows ap plication and in some cases it doesn t act like one either For example the pro gram fills the screen when Windows runs ina640 x 480 graphics mode It is not re sizable though it can be minimized There is no title bar and there is no control button in the upper left corner although there is a minimize button available in the upper right comer VideoDirector Home doesn t have any menus per se either For example there is no File drop down menu from which to select to exit the program Instead there is an Exit light at the top right of the screen The screen is broken into th
93. But people who use their camcorders only on special occasions and tend to get confused with some of the more subtle indicators will probably appreciate that The VM PS12 is not just a Special occa sion camcorder Because it s as easy to use as a point and shoot still camera we found ourselves pulling it out and taping things on a fairly regular basis our friends children dressed for Halloween the roof being torn off our neighbor s house to add a second story the baby anytime he did anything remotely cute The bottom line We ve never seen a camcorder that was as simple to use or better suited for technophobes If you want a camcorder that can capture memories without taxing yours Sanyo s VM PS12 is it RCA VCR Continued from page 6 action to ensure that no one messes up your programmed timer recordings Once the recording is set up you press and hold the POWER button on the remote for at least six seconds until lock appears in the front panel display At that point the VCR and remote are locked the controls are deactivated To unlock the unit you must press and hold the vcr or vcR2 LD button on the remote control until hello appears in the display The VR678HF s remote contro can op erate most major brands of televisions al though not every function on every brand and cable boxes a second Thomson GE RCA or ProScan VCR or laserdisc play er an auxiliary RCA brand c
94. C Sales 104 American Innovations 93 Andromeda Research 107 Basic Electrical Supply 94 30 Bel Merit 25 5 2 225 125 oases 82 Black Feather 107 32 C amp S Sales AO 3s 100 Circuit Specialties 87 Cleveland Inst of Electronics 37 Command Productions 90 Comtrad Industries CV3 4 21 Consumertronics 90 Copyright Clearance Center 94 Cybermation 86 Electronic Equipment Bank 81l 137 Electronic Rainbow 40 Foley Belsaw 95 Forest Electronics 89 Fotronic Corporation 85 General Device Instruments 88 Grantham College of Engineering 3 Great Southern Security 80 Greenleaf Electronics Inc 91 Halcyon Group 104 Home Automation Systems 107 LECA A ee 98 Information Unlimited 84 13 Interactive Image Technologies CV2 Intronics 106 IVEX Design 91 Free Information No Page 167 Jensen Tools 107 KDE Electronics 94 Learn IME a ee 31 Lindsay Publications 88 165 MCM Electronics 93 MD Electronics 83 109 M amp G Electronics 79 Mega Electronics 103 Mental Au
95. COMPREHENSIVE REPLACEMENT PARTS LISTS PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE TECHNIQUES r Basics quipmen Electronic Repal nd Maintenance Tools and Test E Troubleshooting a DIRECTORY OF MANUFACTURERS 9 AM amp FM 30 Day Free Trial Order Form iy Yes Please rush me my copy of Electronics Repair Manual for Recel PR By only 59 95 may take 10 off the price when I enclose my check pc ste or credit card authorization with my order within the next 30 days Plus get free shipping and handling understand that if am not satisfied may return the book within 30 days for a full 100 refund of the purchase price LJ My payment of 59 95 is enclosed 49 95 when ordering with in the next 30 days cs Q vwsa H seca Q Check enclosed T Optional express delivery available in U S only Enclose an addi tional 10 00 and we ll guarantee delivery within 5 business days from receipt of your order prepaid orders only O08 OOOO ouau dudi Credit card no i i i i l i l 1 i i i i i i I I l g l Explration Date Daytime phone no Signatures e meaa i i Q Bill me later for 59 95 plus 6 50 shipping and handling subject to credit approval Signature and phone number required to process your order P O Box addresses must be prepaid i i i l l i I l i i i I i i l Mr Mrs Ms Company Address Keep Your Skills Up to Date
96. Card compliant stor age standard is necessary to encourage the growth of more functionality on smaller lighter and less expensive devices Another stated goal of the CFA is to encourage other storage or semiconductor manufacturers to develop CF cartridges SanDisk will transfer the CompactFlash trademark and specifications to the CFA which will make it available under a royal ty license fee to other third party manufac turers who commit to develop manufac ture and supply CF products I Camcorder Low Lux Standards Adopted The Electronic Industries Association s Consumer Electronics Group EIA CEG which has just changed its name to CEMA for Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association has de veloped a standard that will help cam corder buyers compare the low light sensitivity low lux of various models EIA 639 was developed by a task force created under the direction of the EIA Vid eo Systems Committee and composed of manufacturers independent test laborato ries technical media representatives and consultants The standard is now in the process of receiving American National Standards Institute ANSI certification EIA 639 will apply to all types of video cameras and camcorders including VHS 8mm and the new digital products Those manufactures who adopt the standard must indicate in their advertisements and liter ature that the stated low light performance is as measured by the EIA standard
97. Cs to generate a binary coded decimal BCD number Of course binary counters could also be used if desired The Shaft Encoder The electro op tical shaft encoder is a combination of encoding disc photosensors and counters The encoding disc and pho tosensors generate a pulse train that can be counted to determine rate and the aisc s direction of rotation can be sensed and used to determine count direction for example count up for clockwise and count down for counter clockwise The disc need not be a precision part it can be made from clear plas tic with dark sections or lines painted on it The number of lines on the disc determines how many pulses are generated per revolution By using BY PARKER R COPE two photosensors two signals in quadrature are generated and from those the direction of rotation can be sensed A simple encoding disc is shown in Fig 1A note the alternating trans parent and opaque sections A pair of electro optical photosensors are po sitioned as shown so that when one is centered over a section the other is positioned over a transition As the disc is rotated each photosensor will be alternately illuminated and obscured and produce Outputs as shown in Fig 1B From the waveforms if is obvious that the direction of rotation is indicat ed by the direction of the transitions and the state of the Quadrature out put For example a clockwise rotation is indicated when there is a positiv
98. Decoder Logger Keep track of all numbers dialed or entered from any phone on your line Connects to your telephone wall jack Decodes all 16 touch tones and displays them on an LCD display Holds the last 240 digits in Vocal Filter An audio device which can be used with a home component I stereo system to filter out the main vocal sound track from IR Remote Control Receiver Learns and records the data patterns emitted by standard infrared remote controls used by TVs VCRs Stereos etc Lets you control ail your electronic projects with your TV remote Seven individual I O pins can be assigned to any button on your remote and can be configured for either toggle or momentary action 32 00 Telephone Scrambler Scrambles your voice before sending it over the telephone line and descrambles it on the other end Connects between your telephone and wall jack No modifications are required to your telephone Full duplex operation 43 00 standard stereo recordings CD tape record or FM leaving the background music to sing along with Produce your own karaoke tapes 39 00 a nonvolitie memory Scroll through and view ali telephone numbers dialed credit card numbers entered etc 54 50 s9tu01 23 3 JeINdOY 9661 YEW IRE YOU BEING BUGGED EVEN AS YOU READ THIS countless individuals and firms are being enormously damaged by having their pri
99. FM VOICE on HH MICRO 1 QA ERHPVEC ty y tiie b9 Same features as HPVFC plus KIT 60 amp 90 second versions avallable PROFESSIONAL CRYSTAL RF output 50 400 milliwatts approx 3 standard frequencies available Small size 1 837 x 1 025 CONTROLLED TRANSMITTER a bernard EE oa i Up to 255 messages Great for Fox hunting racking w 346 5 volt DC supply Ere Dc supe to 1 hour S gt wireless modems etc a u Superior design On board pushbuttons or external control A P PF output 100 800 MWs approximately MICRO TX2000 KIT External trip pins for the 3 10 vot DC power supply A Smallest 120 MW FM LH first 4 messages in memory Smalt size 1 920 x 536 Voice Phone Transmitter ONLY s aa to n rd E True FM modulation sy Small size 1 1 16 x 21 32 Tat hig 3 ow active Tested up to 18 miles 88 110mhz on any broadcast receiver i Fully lab i opt p oe ee s Rock solid tuning Doesn t drift pi 5 a r Sti 50 millwatt output into a 16 ohm speaker 3 mii RF anger 5 o mp Hiba a es up to 2 miles ge low pass filter Sipe am spurs ae 5 solder solder connections Receive on any scanner or VHF ee Line level audio input 1 2 volts P Solid crystal controlled A aad TEI MICRO 3 Same features as Micro 1 4 but available in 2 amp 3 minute path speaker mic etc versions Small size 1 747 x 897 PLUS 7 Full duplex Small size 1 910 x 2 272 scramble de scrambie 7 13 8 voit DC regul
100. Hz in 5 ranges 0 2 Hz 2 MHz in 7 ranges j PTN Y Zaj ed SG 41 608 124 95 Output 0 8Vrms a Sine square triangle pulse and ramp i 100 kHz 150MHz sinewave in 6 0 10Vp p squarewave Output 5mV 20Vp p ranges Synchronization 3 of oscillation 1 distortion DC offset 10V RF Output 100mVrms to 35 MHz intemal 1kHz External SOHz 20kHz AM modulation Audio output 1 kHz 1 Vrms RF SIGNAL GEN COUNTER SG 4162 AD 229 95 Generates RF signal same as SG 4160B 6 digit frequency counter 1Hz 150 MHz for intemal and extemal source Sensitivity lt SOmV FREQUINCT frequency per Vrms Output distortion 0 05 500HZz 50kHz 05 50Hz S00kHz Output impedance 690 ohm AUDIO GEN COUNTER AG 2603AD 229 95 Generates audio signal same as AG 2601A 6 digit frequency counter 1Hz 150MHz for intemal and external sources Sensitivity lt 50mV VCF 0 10V control frequency to 1000 1 FUNCTION GEN COUNTER FG 2102AD 229 95 Generates signal same as FG 2100A Frequency counter 4 digits Feature TTL and CMOS output SWEEP FUNCTION GEN COUNTER 329 95 0 5Hz to 5 MHz in 7 ranges Sweep Linear 10 1 Log 10 1 20ms to 2s AM Modulation Gated Burst Voltage Control Generator Generator Control Voltage amp 6 digit counter 1Hz 10MHz for internal amp external sources solu0djoaly Jeindod 9661 YEW 800 526 2532 609 520 2002 15 pay MONEY BACK GUARANTEE YEAR WARRANTY FAX 609 520 2007 CA
101. ITORIAL DEPARTMENT Carl Laron editor Dan Karagiannis associate editor Teri Scaduto assistant editar Evelyn Rose editorial assistant Joseph J Carr K4IPV contributing editor Marc Ellis contributing editor Jeffrey K Holtzman contributing editor Don Jensen contributing editor Charles D Rakes contributing editor Mare Saxon contributing editor Marc Spiwak contributing editer John Yacona contributing editor PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Ruby M Yee production director Kathy Campbell production assistant ART DEPARTMENT Andre Dunant ar director Russell Truelson illustrator Jacqueline FP Cheesebora eireuiation director Michele Torrillo POPULAR ELECTRONICS bookstore BUSINESS AND EDITORIAL Gemsback Publications Inc 500 Bi Courty Blvd Formingdale WY 11735 ee e E E FAK 1 574 299 4114 President Larry Steckler SUBSCRIPTION CUSTOMER SERVICE ORDER ENTRY 1 800 827 0383 7 30 AM 8 30 PM EST Advertising Sales Offices listed on page 110 Composition by Mates Graphics Cover by Loewy Design Cover Illustration by John Edwards ABC AUDITED Since some of the equipment and circuit ry described in POPULAR ELECTROMACS may relate to or be covered by US patents POPULAR ELECTRONICS dis claims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the making using or selling of such equipment or circuitry ond suggests that anyone intereuteed in such projects consult a patent attorney EDITORIAL
102. LL OR WRITE FOR FREE CATALOG AND BEST OFFER Visa Master Card American Express COD Purchase Order Welcome CIRCLE 26 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD ALFA ELECTRONICS 741 Alexander Rd Princeton NJ 08540 J March 1996 Popular Electronics fe l R 4 DESCRA MBLERS 3 FREE Cable TV Catalog Sc E Now you can tune in your favorite cable TV programming and SAVE 100 S EVEN 1000 S on premium man TV ER ENT ELECTRONICS 1 800 906 6664 2125 S 156TH CIRCLE OMAHA NE 68130 i PLUGS INTO PC BUS 24 LINES DIGITAL 1 0 8 DIGITAL 1 0 E mn 8 CHANNEL 8 ANALOG INPUTS rf ey 8 BIT A O tN 2 ANALOG OUTPUTS ik 12 BIT COUNTER 2 COUNTERS 24 BIT UP TO 44K SMP SEC 12 BIT 100 KHZ A D RS 232 INTERFACE l 4 ANALOG OUTPUTS TRMS 20 AMPS 3 TIMER COUNTERS 12 Bif A O 324 pa ge catalog 24 DIGITAL 1 0 OPTO 4SOLATED COMPLETE DMM Passive Components Semiconductors Elactromechanical Surface Mount P Ban S Connectors Cable and Through Hole RS 252 INTEREACE RS 232 INTERFACE w 28 LINES DIGITAL 1 0 48 BIT A D gt 8 ANALOG INPUTS 5 DIGIT 59 955 Products PWM OUTPUT UP TO 60 SMP SEC 120 Manufactu All Orders Ship Sa 958 NorthMain St Mansfield TX 76063 CIRCLE 166 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD CTT SER FAX 817 483 0931 TESLA COILS New Pocket Cube with VAN de GRAAFF GENERATORS Filter Create ightnipg Bolts Wireless cable box test
103. March 1996 Build a A tiny device that lets you see at a glance if you are being lied to Use our versatile project to control a burglar alarm outdoor lights and more g _ A GERNSBACK PUBLICATION Spend a few evenings building these high end ake and 3 50 U S get a lifetime of listening pleasure 3 95 CAN Turn on one device and this intelligent power strip will turn on up to three others 03 gt I Ml Electronics Workbench Electronics Workbench laid NEW ont Ti Ce ows 2 4 MMS Bi wines NS SON FT AM_PCM2 CA4 p l a2 BIT Y A ott a Workbench The iec onies lab in a compu Ty ie _ BEA Arey SWAN A Y P08 ooo E po Ge SS maty Design and Verify Circuits Faster Join over 20 000 customers using the affordable mixed signal simulator Design faster with Electronics Workbench Electronics Workbench 299 Mix the analog and digital components and ICs e Click amp drag schematic capture in any combination And with a click of the e Mixed analog digital SPICE simulator Instant Bode plots and scrollable waveforms e 50 analog components with 350 models 140 digital components and ICs in TTL and mouse try what if scenarios and fine tune your designs The built in SPICE simulator gives you real world waveforms CMOS Windows 95 NT 3 1 DOS and Macintosh versions All without programming or netlist Free u
104. Ning Bugging devices Er ee ee ec a Lai nee the further the needle moves to DYNAMIC continues to Increase the ever growing demand for electronic ght P shetty Counter Surveillance sweeps and equipment The very limited an supply of competently trained and eguipped Counter Surveillance FLASHING LED WARNS YOU INSTANTLY And for maximum telephone security the CSD 18 automatically analyzes a pre programmed series of electronic measurements along the telephone tine and converts the analysis Into an easy to specialists has created a situation where sweep rates exceeding 250 per hour are now considered reasonable and appropriate This is an exciting immensely interesting and profitable field that you can enter with wl a minimum investment Two hours actual practice with the CSD 18 will have you follow step by step test procedure No technical knowledge is eading and clearing telephones and rooms with professional ease and required or necessary A visual Indication via a flashing LED competence The average fee for debugging a single telephone is over 200 00 immediately reveais the presence of the various types of telephone It requires about 45 minutes to complete the job and once it gets around that YOU ci Na taps and the flashing sequence identifies the actual type of March 1996 Popular Electronics amp i can provide this service you ll quickly have more clients than you
105. ON CARD March 71996 Popular Electronics i 0 8 i 6065 Roswell Road Atianta Georgia 30328 CLASSIFIED HAMFEST Madness Learn the what when amp where s of Hamfests fabulous technology fairs that take place across the nation hundreds of times a year Don t miss these goldmines of inex pensive new amp used electronic equipment of all types amp sorts For an informative newsletter along with a comprehensive yearly list of hamfests nationwide send 5 00 ppd to HF NEWSLET TER Box 324 Abington PA 19001 SATELLITE EQUIPMENT VIDEOCYPHER II descrambling manual Sche matics video and audio Explains DES EPROM CloneMaster Pay per view HBO Cinemax Showtime Adult etc 16 95 2 00 postage Schematics for vigno ypa Il Plus 20 00 Schematics for Videocypher It 032 15 00 Soft ware to copy and alter EPROM codes 25 00 VCII Plus EPROM binary and source code 30 00 CABLETRONICS Box 30502PE Beth esda MD 20824 IMPROVE Satellite picture quality Focus Max imizerT is a diagnostic tooi that quickly op fimizes dish to feedhorn spacings Works with Chaparral style feedhorns 29 50 detvered Firea brochure on request EMAIL Water Elec aaol com WATERSHED ELECTRONIC DE VELOPMENT Visa MC orders 1 B00 756 7854 SATELLITE Radio Book and Guide New book covers all audio services SCPC subcarriers FM squared facsimile press services weather ser vices Simple how to
106. OS38W MB 39311115 EEB 129 95 99 95 109 95 129 95 249 95 399 95 69 95 39 94 79 95 74 95 Vienna VA 22180 FAX 703 938 3350 429 95 the presses the mic button The Scout willl a blink of an eye to any locally generated signal Theme Parks Marinas anywhere radios are use int erconnect cable C B RT Scout 40 EER mod w cable and eyn The A R8000 is the onl has true USB LSB SSB with 50 Hz steps Listen to easy to tune true SSB AR2700 amp AR8000 are cellular block per FCC Unblocked units available io qualified users Sept details are sketchy some of the tentative specs Imagine seeing in the dark This state of the art scope allows you to observe by starlight superior optics produce brilliant images Ideal tor hunting neighborhood watch security wildlife law enforcement and Star gazing You ll see 1000s more stars I NV100 List 449 NV100 1 List 499 List 349 NV100C con i It s sweeping the industry and now prices start under 200 Perfect gift for the Hunter Camper Boater Outdoorsmen and fun for all Know your location and altitude to within 300ft anywhere in i the world We carry all major GPS brands Orders 800 368 3270 INFO Metro 703 938 3350 BBS 703 938 3781 Internet eeb access digex net fe Scout AOR is a must for Law enforcement News service TV
107. R18 Diode D4 is used to separate the charge and discharge time con stants It lets the circuit switch on im mediately when movement is de tected but allows about a half second delay for the reset Construction The author built the Ultrasonic Motion Detector from a complete kit of parts which includes a pre etched and drilled PC board That kit is available from the source mentioned in the Parts List If you 100K E 11 SEE TEXT choose to round up your own compo nents it is still recommended that you use a PC board You can use the foil pattern shown in Fig 2 to make your Own Refer to the parts placement di agram shown in Fig 3 while assem bling your circuit Begin by soldering all resistors flush to the PC board Then install the five diodes making sure to orient them properly Next install the capacitors Be sure to double check the polarity of C9 Go on fo install crystal XTAL1 Bend the crystal s leads so that the compo nent rests flat on the board Note the two unused holes next to the two for the crystal You can bend a resistor lead around the crystal ina U shape and solder the lead ends to the un used holes That should hold the crys tal in place Install the potentiometer Then con tinue by mounting the 78L05 voltage regulator and the BC639 transistor R23 47 1MEG 5RD SENSITIVITY Fig 1 This ts the schematic for the Ulirasonic Motion Detector When movement ts se
108. Radio news crew Swat teams FBI DEA Border patrol Whenever hearing what s going around you can be a matter survival Here is what you need to start truly enjoying your scanner hobby 1 Scout 40 2 Scanner AR2700 or AR8000 3 EEB modification to scanner including on system included Optional extended 3 year total system warranty portable on today s market that The new AOR AR5000 is on it s way At this writing mid is buzzing and here are 10KHz 2600 MHz 1000 memories All mode AM FMN FMW LSB USB CW IF band width 3 to 200KHz 7 filters 12VDC computer control 10 7 MHz IF output OPTO Electronics and AOR are revolutionizing the scanner world The new Scout 40 version 3 1 and the AOR AR2700 AR8000 scanners gives you power in your hands that just a few years ago could only be a dream Imagine having your scanner hop on a signal the instant someone your AOR scanner in 4 Scout AOR system allows easy listening to communications at Air shows Car races Sporting events Accident scenes Airports Railroad or AR2700 AK8000 list Cable CB RT Scout 40 list 2 speakers bass amp tremble It s also great on FM too All new expanded 1996 catalog Hundreds of new items you should have a copy by now if not get one Sorry no COD s list 799 95 Meds amp system check Puts the fun back into AM Dx ing At last there is
109. Radiotelephone Radiotelegraph Commercial License FCC e r Why Take Chances l Discover how easy it is to pass the exams Study with the most current materials available Our Homestudy Guides Audio Video por PC Q amp A pools make it so fast easy and inexpensive No college or experience needed The new commercial FCC exams have been revised covering updated Aviation Marine Radar Microwave New Rules amp Regs Digital Circuitry amp more We feature the Popular Complete Electronic Career Guide 1000 s of satisfied customers i Guarantee to pass or money back l Send for FREE DETAILS or call J 1 800 800 7588 WPT Publications SOIUOIIOB Q IPINdO 9664 YOIEW 4701 N E 47th Street Vancouver WA 98661 j Name Address i i Ciy Sip 800 800 7588 103 March 1996 Popular Electronics 104 CABLE TV Universal Descrambler NEW PRODUCT UNIVERSAL St Our fully assembled product is factory tested and GUARANTEED to work on yoursystem MODEL 4000 KIT 79 95 The 4000 KIT comes with all the electronic parts and our Cad designed PC board We provide parts list full schmatic wiring diagram and tutorial MODEL 4000A Enclosure 44 95 The 4000A Enc Package will provide the hobbyist who has our 4000 Kit acustom enclosure AC fadaptorand finish accessories to enclose their kit MODEL 4000 And 5000 Features The latest in Video Amplificati
110. Reg 799 549 00 e High Sensitivity 1 mV div to 2mV div X Y modes Z Axis Reg 149 La aar a intensity modulation ne e Rise time 14n Sec or less 89 00 e Full TV Trigger for TV V amp TV H OS 3324 Reg 399 e Acceleration Potential 2kV d Re 9 429 00 e 60MHz X1 X10 Probe Kit 2 sets h ew uE E nclading e Power 115 230V AC EOE Deluxe DC to 40 MHz Dual Channel Holster i Delayed Sweep 0S 3324 3 Function eee 1 OS 3304 7 decade R 6 Rectangular CRT with Internal ce Se OTE Ree COI aiie onsen Price P31 Triple DC Power Supply e Uncalibration LED OS 3344 Reg 899 5VDC 12 VDC 12VDC e High Sensitivity 1 mV div to 649 00 2mvV div X Y modes Z Axis Features D M5050C DM51 00 ss i intensity modulation e Basic DCV Accuracy 0 25 0S 3344 9 Function Rise time 8 5nS or less e AC DC Volt amp Amp Ohm 1 2 3 05 3324 e Full TV Trigger for TV V amp TV H Diode Continuity Beeper e Acceleration Potential 12kV Alligator Clip Test Leads 4 Frequency Counter s Variable Hold Off e Lead Holders Velcro Strap Holster 100MH z 7 Digit LED Display l 16ns 1 0s Time Base DM5050C DMM Capacitance 5 Function Generator e 60MHz X1 X10 Probe Kit 2 sets amp 9 Function 42 Range ETT i 0 02 Hz to 2 0 MHz Power 115 230V AC e Multimeter z n Ohm Up to 2000MQ Digital Engine Analyzer Capacitance Meter Pen Type DMM w Logic Multifunction DMM Amp AC DC 2 Amp e Extended C
111. S QUICK INSTALL TEST BOARDS AND DIAGNOSTIC CUBES FOR ALL CONVERTERS RAEN EXCLUSIVE PIONEER CURES amp HOARD RESETS E I THRU E 8 INSTANTLY ALL MODELS WHOLESALE PRICING DEALERS WANTED CALL 1 IN CUSTOMER SERVICE amp TECH SUPPORT ALL ORDERS SHIP WITHIN 24HRS UPS FED X PRIORITY NEXT DAY SHIPPING AVAILABLE SALE BUY 5 BOARDS GET I FREE TILL JAN 96 LOWEST PRICE amp SUPERIOR PRODUCT GUAR FRIENDLY COURTEOUS SERVICE WE RE PRO S lt 5 VISUAL BR o COMMUNICATIONS INC FOR ORDERS 1 800 GO CABLE CATALOG amp TECH SUPPORT 717 620 4363 EST 1977 CABLE TV CONVERTERS Equioment amp Accesso Wholesalers elcome Call VISION TIME PRODUCTS 1 800 310 1153 M F 8a 8p NHG TERA SALES BUY BONDS Save Big and watch what you want Cable TV Descramblers Converters Filters Accessories Free 30 day Free Trial NO RISK Catalog I Unbeatable wholesale prices Affordable extended warranty 1 Year Warranty on ai products Credit Cards W lcome 3 1 800 379 3976 We ll beat anyone s price j t n aE od f Electronics Prices staring PREVENT A DEAD BATTERY Shuts Down Before Voltage Drops Too Low ideal for Cell Phone Radar Detector amp Acc Unit Also Has Buiit in Surge Protection Only 19 95 each S amp H la RBE Electronics Inc U 1 800 342 1912 visa mc con SURVEILLANCE The Latest High Tech Professional Electronic Devices Our latest catalog
112. SFACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK BEST PRICES FREE CATALOG Piease have the MAKE amp MODEL of your full premium service cable box ready when you call ALLSTAR ELECTRONICS 800 782 7214 HOURS 9 6 M F 10 3 Sat EST n is not the intent of Alistar Electronics to defraud any pay TV operator Anyone imptying theft of service will be denied assistance All brand names are registered trademarks of their respective owners amp are used for reference only 110 64 465 Forest Hilis NY 11375 NO NYS SALES P Express is proud to announce that we now stock the NTE line of replace ment semiconductors NTE has been supplying the electronics industry with top notch replacement parts for over 15 years All NTE penn products meet or exceed industry specifications and offer an exclusive 2 year so manufacturer warranty ow We also offer a complete line of parts for the service repair f industry Test equipment loudspeakers video and audio heads magnetrons 1 ieigies belts idler assemblies wasa tools soldering equip ment just to name some ofthe 12 000 items we stock Ask about our new dealer program for resellers Call toll free for _ a copy of our FREE 212 a pagecatalog _ Source Code POM CALL TOLL FRE 1 800 338 0531 Parts Express 340 E First St Dayton Ohio 45402 1257 Phone 513 222 0173 Fax 513 222 4644 mem owa
113. SI drive a 540 MB beast at a cost of a little over 200 The solution was a com promise because still ended up with multiple re dundant copies of numerous applications but at least can boot multiple operating systems and around with THE SWITCH IS ON The other part of the so lution involved a high tech home brew device call the SCSI Switch which consists of an 8 position DIP switch about 24 inches of ribbon cable and eight female header blocks A schematic of the switch is shown in Fig 1 The header blocks plug onto the ID pins of the SCSI hard disks Through the DIP switch those IDs can be reas signed at will In any given configuration whichever physical drive has the lowest SCSI ID becomes the boot drive The others are allocated in order by SCSI ID To create your own SCSI Switch obtain a two foot long 16 conductor ribbon cable terminated on one end with a 16 pin DIP plug Next solder each leg of an 8 position DIP switch to the corresponding leg on the DIP plug Then solder switch wire pairs to female header blocks Older drives use 0 1 inch pins newer ones use 2 mm devices which require steady hands and patience to work with bought all parts from Digi Key enough parts to build several SCSI switches cost about 20 filed a slot in an unused plastic drive bay cover and hung the DIP switch end of the device out of that The other end of the cable snakes through the int
114. SIEP increments or rotate it at o constont speed acing eee amor animas WIT 3 000 000 t 0 28 above panel thickness 0 57 overall Visual indicators show the sequence of motion facturer Professional series metal topes thickness LCD size 1 83 x 0 8 Has mony Indudes stepper motor pc board parts ond instru Includes plastic pe Pee useful applications and is easy to install tions 1 2vdc power source not included iio 10 or 3 00 each E CATA PM 9 95 each CAT SMK 25 00 each 100 or more 2 50 ea m AR 3 MiG i A Publu Service Hach zine amp The Advertising Co 1 California residents must include soles tax 1 8 00 52 6 z 3 71 7 2 Visa MC amp money orders accepted Black Feather 645 Temple 7E tong 8eoch Colifornio 90814 3 Quonties limited prices subject to change E a 310 434 5641 a FAX 310 434 9142 amp 4 Shipping 4 amp up fe a a A a a Hectreaic Kits Pians Parts Computers Amatour Radio Ly Call Debco today for Ry your FREE copy of The Electronic Experimenter s Journal 1800 423 4499 Debco Electronics 4025 Edwards Rd Cincinnati OH 45209 Hard to Find Tools Tool Kits Scopes Meters Function Generators Computer Diagnostics Telcom LAN Testers Workbench Accessories S91U01 983 JeINdOY 9664 YEW Heal j Volunteers Welcome JE JENSENTOOLS INC Seats 7815 S 46th St Phoenix AZ 85044 ae 1107 CIRCLE 167 ON FREE INFORMATI
115. T Mon Sat Fax 505 434 0234 434 1778 ordars only n get volce antar 11 11 any time 24 hr Eroe Tash B upport relates directly to your order or prospective order Tues amp Thurs only 10A a on ordera 100 15 Ot over 200 Add 5 total SH US Canada AIl items in stock Aen MCard OK No CODs or bill me s New Cala log 200 offers 2 worder 5 wo check or MD lers Since 1971 As seen on CBS 60 Min utes Forbes etc By John Williams former Lock heed Senior Engineer NMSU CS Professor OOD Electronic Weapons Engineer NIH Health Physicist di 5 MAC ilfx PC486 or better peripherals new surplus electronic parts test equipment buy trade All software supports all IBM PC com patible x86 systema 6086 Pentium Off The Shelf HARDWARE Van Eck Systems o Data Card ReaderWriters poa e SecuritySurvelliance EM LabWeaponryCountermeasures Neuro f phoneRitetleronymusAesonant Crystal Ra I clonics e Voice Disguisers ESS Infinity De vices e Phone Color Boxes e DTMF Decoders e Lineman s Handsets e BugTap Detecto Blaster e Bumper BeepecThild Finder Panic Butlon o CarjackKidnap Foller o Hidden Pres ence Detectors e Hearing Assistor Shriek Module TENS o Subliminal yall Vor tex Generator 6th Sense Communicator Nolsea Cancel System Electronic Dowser Laser Levltator more See our New Catalog SPECIAL PROJECTS We design bulid obtaln repalr modify main ta
116. TAS LCS LALE pO O ojo t o lt io ey eyo ajojen ie jojo oele oe peje er there are several reasons SCSI is much more flexible than IDE in its ability to handle different kinds of devices SCSI is more matu re than IDE and standards to 900 MHz band Currently the Virtual 800 MHz Down Converter pro cedure can be performed on the following unrestora ble newer scanners Radio Shack PRO 23 PRO 29 PRO 51 and PRO 2035 and Bearcat BC 220 BC 860 BC 3000 BC 8500 and BC 9000 Additional scan ners are expected to join the list soon The down converter installation costs 99 including return ship ping The Cellular Security Group has been flooded with requests so you ll need to call in advance for a reservation number For more information call them at 508 281 8892 or you can hail them on the Internet at tombernie msn com if you prefer e mail Let us hear from you Write to us at Scanner Scene Popular Elec tronics 500 Bi County Bivd Farmingdale NY 11735 E are better evolved so con flicts are fewer SCSI provides better perfor mance than IDE in a multitasking environment There is better operating system support for SCSI IDE s chief advantages are cost and simplicity of setup and configuration But to me those points are moot because once you learn the simple rules of SCSI configuration ifs easy Also lve got seven year old SCSI drives still in service that w
117. TV in their home We are offering a spe cial discount on additional Spectrum Antennas so you get great reception on all your TVs Spectrum Antenna 39 4 S amp H Please mention promotional code 1491 PL 6648 For fastest service call toll free 24 hours day lt s COMTRAD D INDUSTRIES 2820 Waterford Lake Drive Suite 106 Midiothian Virginia 23113 S9t u01 99 3 JEINdOY 9661 YEW 21 March 1996 Popular Electronics M M set designed for troubleshoot ing installation and testing 2 wire 4 wire telecommunica tions transmission lines It tests line loss frequency response and background noise measure ments A 20 kHz frequency counter is built in Tlue RMS level measurements can be constantly monitored on the 3 digit LCD readout The Tele Sense 1000 can be adapted for many applications that require verifying problems using basic DMM functions such as AC DC voitage DC current and resis tance measurements The device features a precision tone generator with selectable output levels of 13 to 0 dBm for assessment of VF transmission lines Packaged in a rugged bright yellow ABS piastic case the TeleSense 1000 can withstand drops of up to 10 feet It comes with a removabie stand a 9 voit alkaline battery test leads and operator s manual and a hard leather holster for field service applications The Amrel TeleSense 1000 is priced starting at 495 For ad ditional informa
118. When the output of IC1 goes high IC2 and IC3 are activated The latter timer IC3 is connected to produce a 500 Hz tone IC2 is a 1 Hz oscillator Thus IC2 is used to trigger IC3 on and off once per second generating a pulse tone alarm Note that the alarm circuit is run off a separate power sup ply from that used by the Detector Of course using an alarm circuit with your Motion Detector is only one application Let your imagination fly think of all the devices you can turn on or off when movement is sensed Consider your project as the heart of a wide range of fun and practical applications ea bring me an order form Miss Ames 91U01 99 9 JeINdOd 9661 YEW n wi March 1996 Popular Electronics ost hobbyists would agree M that a frequency counter having a range of 2 Hz to 1 MHz would make a useful addition to a collection of gadgets But that de vice would be even more useful if it could also measure the period of cyclic waveforms in the same range to a resolution of one microsecond total randomly occurring events and measure the width of singly occurring positive going pulses If you agree that a device with those four modes could really come in handy then the Four Mode Counter described in this article is for you Circuit Functions The circuit di agram for the Counter is shown in Fig 1 Power for the circuit is supplied by a 9 volt DC source see the Con struction section for
119. a l FI rE w Il g E a g 4 p WV p of E om o a f f Toll Free 24 Hours For orders cial 800 445 7717 For Fax Facts Instant catalog sheet service dial 317 849 8683 Computer BBS 317 579 2045 Fax 317 849 8794 Email ACESCANS aol com Mastercard Visa Checks Approved P O s amp COD add 5 50 amp AMEX Discover Prices specs and availability subject to change Ground shipping and handling charge 6 95 10707 E 106th St Fishers IN 46038 ACE COMMUNICATIONS CIRCLE 25 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Motion Control System Includes Stepper Controller Card 12VCT Transformer 2 4 Phase Stepper Motors Easy to use I B M Software Connects to any I B M Compatible LPT Port 1 2 3 Se oe ee 3 Motion Controt Suen 4 Cosas r 4 Easy Installation 15 minutes or Less No Tools Required Design Robots Plotters Laser Systems Drives 2 4 Phase Stepping Motors Bi Directional 8 Bit Read and Write Port Board Addressabie 16 Possible Choices Fits in Standard 19 inch Card Rack With Additional Cards Control 32 Motors on LPT Printer Port Features Include Variable Speed Step Range Direction and On Off Control Free QBasic amp Gwhasic Source Code 59 95 value t amp Send Check or M O to CYBERMATION noe oe Intelligent Controllers Tel 714 879 2000 1943 Sunny Crest Dr Suite 288 Visa Ma
120. able or satellite systems but still can t get certain local stations in clearly Now thanks to fifteen years of microelec tronics research a new device has been devel oped that is so advanced it actually makes conventional antennas a thing of the past It s called the Spectrum Universal Antenna Tuner Advanced technology Just imagine watching TV and seeing a picture so clear that you d almost swear you were there live Just plug the Spectrum Antenna into a stan dard AC outlet and plug your TV into the Spectrum You can remove the unsightly clutter of traditional TV top devices gathering more dust than tele vision signals Get ready for great reception Your TV will suddenly display a sharp fo cused picture thanks to its ad vanced design Signal Search and Fine Tuner controls Uses your home s electrical wiring The Spectrum Antenna is a highly sophisticated electronic device that connects into a standard wall outlet The outlet interfaces the Spectrum Antenna with the huge antenna that is your home wiring network It takes the electrical wiring in your house or apartment and turns it into a multi tunable giant TV reception sta tion which will improve your TV s overall tun ing capability The results are incredible Just think how much power runs through your home s AC wiring system all that power will be used to receive your local broadcasting signals How it works Broadcast TV signals are sent
121. ace at the top of the order form special categories are available If you do not specify a category we will place your ad under miscel laneous or whatever section we deem most appropriate We cannot bill for classified ads PAYMENT IN FULL MUST ACCOMPANY YOUR ORDER We do permit repeat ads or multiple ads in the same issue but in all cases full payment must accompany your order WHAT WE DO The first word and company name of each ad are set in bold caps at no extra charge No special positioning centering dots extra space etc can be accommodated RATES Our classified ad rate is 1 75 per word Minimum charge is 26 25 per ad per insertion 15 words Any words that you want set in bold are each 40 extra Indicate bold words by underlining Words normally written in all caps and accepted abbreviations are not charged anything additional State abbreviations must be post office 2 letter abbreviations A phone number is one word INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLACING YOUR AD If you use a Box number you must include your permanent address and phone number for our files ADS SUBMITTED WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED For firms or individuals offering Commercial products or Ser vices Minimum 15 Words 5 discount for same ad in 6 issues within one year 10 discount for same ad in 12 issues Boldface not available as all caps add 40 per word additional Entire ad in boldface add 20 Tint screen behind entire ad
122. ack lighting Shutter speeds can also be set manually The seven settings range from Yoo second to o oo second All of the technology that is crammed into the ES2000 does not make it a large or unwieldy camera New manufacturing technologies were used to reduce the size and weight of the lens image stabiliza tion and signal processing sections Tne camcorder measures about 4 X 4 X 8 inches and weighs slightly over two pounds when loaded with a battery and cassette The controls are clearly marked and sensibly placed The right hand controls the record button with the thumb the m dex finger operates the zoom and Flex iZone AF controls The thumb of the left hand can operate the FlexiZone frame joystick and the man ual shutter speed button The auto ex posure wheel is on the left side of the camcorder Above that are two buttons one is for backlight compensation the other initiates fade to or from black Below the exposure wheel is an autofocus on off button Behind the button is a wheel for manually changing focus The top of the camcorder has a row of buttons for standard VCR playback func tions They do double duty when the cam corder is in the camera mode and become DATE TITLE STABILIZATION ON OFF and RECORD SEARCH REVIEW buttons Also on top of the camcorder are counter reset and cassette eject buttons There are no buttons located behind hid den panels However two are located be hind the swiveling viewfinde
123. adphones antenna probe all plugs and adapters batteries the Free SBO 5 amp Info Packages HOW TO ORDER Order NOW by Mail or Telephone 10 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE ff you re not 100 pleased and completely satisfied We pay shipping charges on all prepaid amp credit card orders Add 15 for CODs cr Great Southern Security 513 Bankhead Highway Carrollton GA 30117 PMA ca rout FREE 1 800 732 5000 f wastecerd ae s lt SONY AOR DRAKE ICOM JRC Kenwood LOWE WJ GRUNDIG SANGEAN A R2700 A R8000 A R3000A SDU5000 A R5000 BCT7 BC120XLT SC150Y B BC220XLT BC890XLT BC3000XLT BC9000XLT Radio Shack PRO26 PRO46 PRO60 PRO 2039 PRO 2040 PRO 2042 YB305 YB400 SAT700 ATS202 ATS303 ATS606 ATS818 ICF30 ICF33 ICFSS ICF77 ICFSW100 ICF 2010 ICF7600G A R3030 R8A R71A R7100 R100 NRDS35DB R5000 ae a HF150 HF225E HR256 HF 1000 399 95 599 95 1029 995 95 CALL 169 95 179 95 169 95 224 95 229 95 369 95 369 95 339 95 179 95 299 95 229 95 219 95 129 95 179 95 459 95 89 95 89 95 149 95 147 95 104 95 159 95 344 95 469 95 349 95 344 95 179 95 599 95 1069 CALL CALL CALLA 1699 1069 569 95 959 95 CALI 3799 COBRA UNIDEN 29LTDWX HH 40 HH70 93LTD 148FGTL 2010GTL PRO340 PROSOLXL PROSOIAXL PR
124. al development Becouse of possibla variances in the quolity and condition of moteriols and workmanship used by readers Popular Electronics dis claims any responsibility for the safe ond proper functioning of reader buill project besed upon or from plans or information published in this magazine Sd1U0I 08 5 JeINdoy 9661 YOleEW at March 1996 Popular Electronics PRODUCT COLU MAR CH 19 9 6 REVIEWS 5 Gizmo Canon camcorder RCA VCR with Commercial Advance VideoDirector software and more 32 Hands On Report Heathkit Educational Systems A Computer Certification Course 34 Product Test Report RCA Hi Fi VCR with Commercial Advance MNS 24 Multimedia Watch Software for Windows95 Marc Spiwak 30 Net Watch Online electronics surplus sources Dan Karagiannis 63 Antique Radio A look back at the NBS radio Marc Ellis 65 Computer Bits The SCSI switch Jeff Holtzman 66 Think Tank Some workbench circuits John Yacono 69 Circuit Circus Model rocket launchers Charles D Rakes 72 DX Listening Radio Top of the World Don Jensen 74 Ham Radio Curing TV and radio interference Joseph J Carr 76 Scanner Scene Scanning the weather bands Mare Saxon DEPARTMENTS 3 Editorial 16 Letters 20 New Products 78 Electronics Library 79 Popular Electronics Market Center 110 Advertiser s Index 110A Free Information Card Larry Steckler EHF CET editor in chief and publisher ED
125. al is extremely low 2 amps can be used In Series MHZ _ to 2 5GHz 2 8dB NF 1dB compres sion 0 dBm Gain 1MHz 20dB to 2 5GHz 6dB Power requirement 12v DC 6Ma SIZE 1 2 x 8 WBA 6 Please add sufficient postage First lb 5 00 Canada 7 00 Additional LB Add 1 00 US FUNDS ONLY We will accept telephone orders for Visa or Mastercard To Order Call 317 291 7262 MasterCard arch 1996 Popular kiectronics 6254 LaPas Trail Indianapolis IN 46268 FAX 317 291 7269 CIRCLE 137 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD K t 19 95 BY RICHARD PANOSH re you being lied to For exam ple would you like to know if A politician on TV is really planning on lowering taxes Let s face it there are countless situations where knowing just who is telling the truth could come in handy But how do you find out We ve all heard of galvanic skin re sistance GSR meters that attempt to measure a change in skin resistance that could be caused by nervousness However how many people would be willing to get hooked up to such a device And even if they agreed to it they would surely be insulted Now there s a better less obtrusive method for finding out if you re being lied to Simply use the Voice Stress Analyzer described in this article What s best about that device is that thie suspected liar doesn t even have to be present a tape recording of him or her will work just as well We ll get to how to bui
126. alculator It s a medical fact that bacteria and the illnesses they cause often are passed from hand to hand Even if you avoid shaking hands all winter long you are still exposed by touching things that are used by many other people Sharp Corporation responding to an increased awareness and desire for amenities such as Cleanliness health safety and comfort has introduced two new calculators whose keys and cases are made of a material that contains agents I1U0s 99 3 UEINdOY 9664 YEW hk 12 said to inhibit the growth of bacteria The inorganic anti bacterial agents contain antibiotic metals such as silver and zinc intermixed with the material used in the calculators contact surfaces The agents remain active and stable even in hot damp conditions where bacteria thrives The Anti Bacterial Electronic Calculators are intended for use in places where cal culators are made available for use by the general public such as customer service counters in shops as well as in businesses where more than one person uses the same calculator Both modes are currently avail able in Japan No U S marketing plans have been announced CompactFlash Association Formed Twelve companies prominent in the fields of computing imaging communi cations and consumer electronics have es tablished the CompactFlash Association CFA to promote the adoption of the CompactFlash CF storage specification as a new indus
127. all sizes of KurlvKoil models don t mount on the cable itself but are intended for tacking up cables or organizing installed cabling All ten models use an expandable plastic coil to secure cables Prices KurlyTies 7 40 to 24 95 10 pack KurlyKwik 12 40 to 18 70 10 pack KurlyKoil 58 60 to 22 40 20 pack CIRCLE 71 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD CD ROM based Video Editor Borrowing graphics and titling tools from the broadcast TV and magazine production worlds the PC Video Studic from Sima Products Corporation 6153 Mulford Street Niles IL 60714 Tel 800 345 7462 allows home videographers to add a vast variety of dazzling typefaces colors sizes backgrounds clip art retouching and other advanced effects to their video productions The CD ROM based device blends analog and digital technologies to offer advanced graphics capabilities at an affordable price The package includes Corel Draw 3 a feature rich CD ROM that contains 14 000 pieces of clip art 250 PC compatible type fonts a drawing program a photo editor that incorporates Photo CD shots into the video and allows unusual retouching like putting one person s head on another s body a photo slide show generator and tools for retrieving and manipulating libraries of digitally stored information After the user has created titles and graphic effects on the PC PC Video Studio s VGA NTSC converter changes the computer s digital video signal into one that can be recorded onto a s
128. allel and adjust R3 for the proper output 5 000 volts All those parts are also available from Mouser Electronics Skip Campisi S Bound Brook NJ id be pretty neat to in clude this circuit in the same enclosure as the con ductance adapter Jacks J1 and J2 in Fig 1 could per form the jobs of BP1 and BP2 in Fig 2 and the circuits could share the same con nection to the DVM FREQUENCY PROBE This design see Fig 3 is a simplified 3 2 digit frequen cy counter having four ranges 2000 Hz 20 00 kHz 200 0 kHz and 2 000 MHz An effort was made to mini aturize the circuit to fit in a standard logic probe type case the complete circuit was assembled on a perfo rated board cut down to 1 x 4 inches As you can see on the schematic the normal crys tal time base with alll its dividers was eliminated in favor of one 8 pin DIP IC1 a TLC555 CMOS oscillator It SOIU0I DE F WeINdOY 9664 YAIEW an i March 1996 Popular Electronics ma 5V Q1 R10 R11 R12 2N3904 l 10K 10K 10K 3 ot 14 4 9 D1 5 fica Jo a cee 12 1N4 1 ape 1 4 CD4011 C4 n 13 104 4 100pF 14 4 CD4011 1000F PF 4 4 CD4011 C3 100pF G a poe 1 4 CD4011 93 1K a 3 es 2kH Z 200 KH A 7 Bis f S1 12 IC3 R13 R19 4C928 szi 4702 4 X10 D X1 C2 1 C1 01 R4 R5 R6 5 11K 1K 2 21K 1 CALIBRATION 1 D2 R7 1N4148 2 2K q R9 1K 2 Mar 3 Ic2 1 LM311 4 D3 f N wBD301 R8 10K ALL RESISTORS
129. amic heating easy carry element handle solid state removable circuitry fier cool touch 4 high cabinet velocity tan The RST 1200 is the only heater that combines Hie intense warmth of a ceramic heating ele ment wilh a solid state thermostat and an oscillating fan The result An enerey efficie at space heater that will consistently heal an entire room to your desired temperature The RST 1200 oscil lates 70 distributing warmth throughout an entire room The oscillating difference The RST 1200 is unlike ordinary space heaters Because it oscitates over a range of 70 the RST 1200 spreads the warmth created by its genuine ceramic heating element evenly throughout your room eliminating cold spots And with its solid state thermostat you can set a spe cific temperature and the RST 1200 will maintain it effectively and efficiently a If you re like me you re thinking Sure that sounds like the per fect heater but there s nothing like that avail able Guess again Royal Sovereign recently un veiled a remarkable new heater that combines a ce ramic heating element with a solid state thermostat and an oscillating fan its called the RST 1200 Oscillating heater The ceramic advantage Many space heaters use a nickel coil which burns oxygen a process which can produce odors and even cause headaches Plus the heaters often get hot to the touch creating a possible fire hazard And becaus
130. an AM FM radio built for the radia aficionado Has extra large ferrite rod antenna R F amp istage 4 L F stages wide narrow filter Al adds up to superior reception New lower price this issue only e Weil match anyone s deal Prices subject to change Prices do not include freight o Returns subject to 20 restock fee Save up to 28 One year warranty 499 95 EEB 399 95 EEB 599 95 EEB 50 EFB 20 449 95 EEB 399 95 CATALOG 1996 e SW Scanner 91U01199 9 Je INdOd 9664 YIIeW ie March 1996 Popular Electronics ee N 3 nbeatable Discount Pri 15 DAY MONEY BA j 15 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE POWER SUPPLY FREQ COUNTER oi gg I ea PE Four Instruments in One Instrument a we _ a T RAT r MT 100 1 Function Generator Power Supply ENE E ea _ Sine Square Triangle Pulse 3 1 2 Digit LCD dle ah Se 5 a a N Skewed Sine Ramp TFL Triple output 1 0 50V 0 5A MAX e em S Reg 599 0 2 Hz 2MHz 2 15V 1A 3 5V 2A f e F ns oer ra es bh ak LJ se 41 9 00 2 Frequency Counter 4 Digital Multimeter E a OE es oo s 8 Digit LED e 3 1 2 Digit LCD We Qt Jia 1 Hz 100MHz DCV ACV Q DCA ACA e j e ee re fiers 1 Hz 1 dgt Time Base Error 7 0 5 2 dgts FG 140 2MHz F
131. ange Works with any FM TRACKING TRANSMITTER Only 0 7 by 2 4 inches the XTR t00 operates at voltages of 3 to 18 Volts and is deal tor use in locating lost model rockets bicycles automobiles games of hide and seek and contests XTR100 C Kit Digital voice changing male to female female to male adult to child child to adult 4 Use with any modular phone Ni 16 jevels of voice masking Connects between handset and phone VOICE CHANGING ACCESSORY STOP THOSE ANNOYING TELEPHONE CALLS Sound older and tougher when you want to Nol a kit Fully assembled Use with single or muiti line phones TRANSITION 2001 TOLL FREE ORDER LINE FAX LINE ASK FOR FREE CATAG OF OUR PRODUCTS TECH SUPPORT NUMBER 602 894 0992 Up to 1 2 mile range Miniature photo battery mounts t eo right on arcuit board Transmits at 143 MHz Amazing audio sensitivity picks up sounds at the level of a whisper CRYSTAL CONTROLLED FM TRANSMITTER Including the battery this is the Worlds smallest crystal con trolled FM transmitter Transmits to any Scanner type re ceiver Easy to assemble uses pre assembled Circuit board XTL1000 E Z KIT Covers 1 to 2 000 MHz Compact hand held unit Uses sensitve microwave transistor amplifier inciudes miniature loud speaker for audio indication of detected signals SUPER SENSITIVE BUG DETECTOR When the XBD200 intercepts a signal in the 1 to 2 000 MHz ra
132. anks that can be preset and checked out in Gividually or in any combination You can also enter any frequency man ually then search automatically up or down around it or tune by hand using the rotary knob An interesting addition to the PRO 2042 is the im proved lock out feature which allows it to skip over specified unwanted chan nels during searches as well as locking them out during scanning of pro grammed memory channels Another advanced fea ture permits you to sort and organize frequencies within a memory bank from the highest to the lowest num bered channel or vice versa The auto store fea ture finds and stores active frequencies in each chan nel then looks for additional active frequen cies while ignoring previously stored channels When any frequency is being monitored the rotary tuner can be activated to allow adjacent frequencies to be checked for addi tional activity Quite a lot of scanner we d say Check it out at your local Radio Shack store WEATHER TO LISTEN The usefulness of the VHF weather broadcasts has been heralded by weather forecasters and citizens alike For the most part scanner hobbyists have taken those one way re peating tape broadcasts for granted No doubt about it they don t offer the interest or excitement of the two way action com munications bands But let me speak for a moment as a scanner hob byist on behalf of those stations There is somethi
133. apacitance Meter 9 Range Reg 119 69 00 Re 79 49 00 kes 79 59 00 Res s99 64 00 0 1pF 20 000pF DM4050 Zero Adjust Knob DM230 CM210 DM150 3 1 2 Digit Trig Lamp e enc 31 2 Digt 31 2 Dit Basc hooray DM5100 Wide Range w Logic e Dual Display oe nae n e 0 1p 20 0004F Auto amp Manual a Heavy Duty 11 Function 45 Range ile 20A AC DC e Auto Power Off e DMM 9 Ranges DCV ACV Resistance 20MQ DCV DCA Q 0 5 basic ACA DCA Q Capacitance io Data Hold amp Peak Hold Temperature n See aT Freq upto Freq Up to 20MHz 3 R 999 F e n Ba 20MHz Amp Up to 20A AC DC a TR h Continuity Test Leads amp Diode I Dio Ohm Up to 200MQ Holster Temp Built in Continuity a Continuity Capacitance 1p 200uF Probe Clip Leads Socket Deluxe Holster Logic ae TR hFE Onder amp Free Catalog j E Your Bert Source for visa ae High Standard Ehcrowict BOOQO 532 3221 MasterCard P O Box 744 Lake Forest CA 92630 0744 714 586 2310 Fax 714 986 3399 CIRCLE 30 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Are Cable Companies Sucking You Dry Take a Bite out of High Rental Fees with your own Converters amp Descramblers ee Everquest Panasonice Jerrold Zenithe Pioneer Scientific Atlanta Oak Eaglee Hamline Tocom E mire 1 800 624 1150 Call today for a FREE catalog 875 S 72 St
134. are afraid to ask 10 00 Visa MC Amex ELECTROMAN Box 24474 New Orleans LA 70184 504 482 3017 DESCRAMBLER Schematics Revealed A powerful guide to descrambling schemes 10 00 Visa MC Amex ELECTROMAN Box 24474 New Orleans LA 70184 504 482 3017 ee ae eee ee UNIVERSAL descrambler Unscramble signats using your VCR as the tuner Works with virtually any system this is the only one you need Declare cable box independence 129 95 5 00 S amp H Visa MC Amex ELECTROMAN Box 24474 New Orleans LA 70184 504 482 3017 BASEBAND Video Explained Discover what a Baseband Signal is and how it s constructed Learn the advantages of apy things the Base band Way 10 00 Visa MC Amex ELEC TROMAN Box 24474 New Orleans LA 70184 504 482 3017 ATTN Cable box owners Get your Bullet and ID stopper before its too late Send 20 50 to R R ENTERPRISE Box 3532 Easton PA 18043 CABLE descrambling new secret manual Build your own descramblers for cable and subscrip tion TV Instructions schematics for SSAVI gated sync sinewave some free methods HBO Cin emax Showtime UHF Adult 12 95 2 00 postage CABLETRONICS Box 30502PE Beth esda MD 20824 SECRET cable descrambiers Build your own descrambler for tees than 12 00 in seven easy steps Radio Shack parts list and tree descram bling mathode thet cost nothing to try included Send 10 00 to INFORMATIO PO Box 665
135. assembling the board by mounting DISP1 To do that first cut the pins on the display to a length of ke tween and e inch Mount the dis play with pins 11 through 20 lined up with the pads along the component side of the board Solider pins 1 through 10 together using a wire con nect that common wire to the pad indicated in Fig 5 Mount IC sockets for IC1 IC3 and IC5 making sure they are oriented properly Install the non polarized ca pacitors next Go on to mount the di odes and transistors and iC2 making sure ali are oriented properly You can then vertically mount all the resistors that facet of the design heips keep the board compact Instali the electrolytic capacitors next note their polarity as indicated in Fig 5 Then mount switch 1 so that about e inch of the leads protrude through the PC board That should en sure the switch clears an opening in the case Trim the battery connector leads to 2 2 inches overall and solder them to the board at the Correct points You might want to apply silicone rubber to the attachment point to reduce the strain at the joint At this point clean the board of re sidual flux before installing the micro phone The microphone should not come in contact with cleaning sol vents Mount MIC1 with its leads just protruding through the board so that the microphone will have maximum height on the board You can add a smali bead of silicone rubber to the Fig 5 Use th
136. ast Most likely video makers as sign the same low priority fo mono reception that hi fi manufacturers accord to the AM section of their re ceivers Probably it matters less with each year be cause much as AM went from a music to a talk show medium as FM became the high fidelity conduit more telecast soundtracks now are transmitted in stereo In short the RCA VR678HF is a competent performer with some outstanding fea tures that set it apart from the crowd For more infor mation contact the manufacturer listed below directly or circle 120 on the Free Information Card B FOR MORE INFORMATION Thomson Consumer Electronics 600 N Sherman Dr Indianapolis IN 46201 S91U01 99 3 JeINdOY 9661 YOsEW i b March 1996 Popular Electronics Radio Top of the World A the shortwave broad casting countries of Europe Norway doesn t rank among the big gies Its national SW voice Radio Norway International which unofficial ly calls itself Radio Top of the World can t compare with such broadcasters as the British Broadcasting Corporation Germany s Deutsche Welle Radio France International or even Radio Nederland For one thing Radio Norway International only spends the equivalent of 1 million a year small change compared to its big time neighbors giving the Nordic nation quite a bang for the er kroner the Norwegian monetary unit Even so shortwave broadcasting in Norway has a long hi
137. ated Input 7 13 8 vot DC power supply Variable line ievel audio output Excellent audio quality External trip pins for first feature 8 disan coll in memory ORDER BY PHONE MAIL BBS C O D CHARGES APPLY 1 2 watt audio amplifier 2 extern 2 IN U S A ADD 6 FOR S amp H NYS RESIDENTS ADD SALES TAX Ms aie i t 3 status LEDS aR Low OEM pricing available Prices and specifications subject to change without notice Includes full documentation MANY MORE FEATURES CUSTOM ENGINEERING AVAILABLE CONTACT US FOR QUOTES Includes TXMTR Mic Antenna Battery Clip Tuning Tool and Instructions A GREL O 1298 1145 GATALYN STREET SCHENECTADY NY 12303 Order oo 4300 Tech 518 381 1057 TE m f st 05 i on the Web Ao hilp home navisoll com nogrelo ee him Ge INSTEK 20 MHZ 2 Channel OSCILLOSCOPE model 05 622B 2OMHz Dual Channel High Sensitivity 1mV DIV TV Synchronization amp Z axis input ALT Triggering Function Hold Off Function Trigger Level Lock Function 4 CH 1 Output Includes Probes x1 x10 2 Year Warranty PRINT Products International Test Instruments Equipment Tools amp Supplies For Electronic Production Maintenance amp Service 8931 Brookville Road Silver Spring MD 20910 800 638 2020 Fax 800 545 0058 Test amp Measur in ng Instruments i TE
138. aul Tracy takes the high road on UHF with 851 0375 852 1875 855 7875 856 7875 857 8375 858 8375 and 859 8375 MHz As mentioned here in the November issue scanners manufactured after April 1994 cannot be user modi fied to receive the cellular bands If you want com plete 800 900 MHz coverage you can get around that regulation by building the Scanner Con verter described in the November 1995 issue of of Popular Electronics or by obtaining GRE SuperCon verters The Super Converters are outboard down converter accesso ries that bring all 800 to 900 MHz signals through on a scanner s 400 to 500 MHz band The problem is that the SuperConverters are no longer made either so the precious supply is quickly drying up To the rescue comes The Cellular Security Group The company has developed a procedure that takes a per son s scanner and adds an external switch or internal relay with related wiring along with existing compo nents That creates a switchable internal down converter that allows full re ception of the entire 800 TABLE 1 JUMPER TO HARD DISK SETTINGS Switch Position Header Block Hard Disk pin TABLE 2 CONFIGURATION Contiguration Windows 3 1 i Windows 95 0S 2 Warp pers are read only at boot so you can safely change In case you re wondering why bother using SCSI when IDE drives are cheap IDs without removing power Switch Positions m R m ERED
139. ay from the package to a horizontal position letting it float in the air Connect a short lead between it and a Teflon insulated stand off BP1 mounted on the circuit board Also the leads from R8 RY R10 and J2 go di rectly to the stand off without contacting the board Jacks J1 and J2 should be Teflon insulated BNC units Also all the hook up wire used including input ca bles should be Teflon insulated That s because currents below about 10 nA leak right through normal insulation and this circuit dips as low as 10 pA PC board material and flux work as pretty good con ductors at those low levels The only insulating materials to be trusted are air and Teflon and below about 1 pA man made sapphire is widely used For input to J41 and J2 built a simple plug in fixture to hold com ponent leads but you can also use Teflon insulated plugs and cables if desired The output cable to your DMM should be a short 12 inch twisted pair not a piece of shielded cable coax might cause the out put to oscillate To calibrate the unit set R3 for a reading of 1 000 volt at J4 and adjust R for a 0 00 mV reading at the output Besides measuring resistance this unit can also be used to test semicon ductor junction leakage either with the internal ref erence or an external voltage source that is ap propriate Capacitive leakage can also be mea sured using an external voltage using the internal
140. by a CompTIA mem ber organization it therefore makes sense to study properly for the test to avoid having to take it over But what s the best way to study for it Heathkit Educational Systems has come fo the rescue with a combina tion book software based study course called the Heathkit Individual Learning System for the A Certifica tion Program The course prepares you for the exams with reference ma terial and computer based timed tests that let you practice answering questions as though you were taking the actual tests Because the tests themselves are computer based it makes sense that the study course is also computer based The course sells for 399 The study software runs on any 386 or better computer and conveniently prepares the user for the A exams at home or in the office The program computes your answers to determine what topics you ve mastered and those you could use a littie brushing up on The program then refers you to the exact pages in the 9 volume li brary included with the course that covers everything you need to learn more on that in a moment No time is wasted searching through material you already know Practice Makes Perfect No matter what the subject the more you prac tice the better you get at it The same can be said of taking Heathkits A Certification exam training tests Hun dreds of practice questions prepare you for the program s five timed tests The tests are modeled after th
141. c Kit Corner over 100 kits available specs PT 223K 4 5 95 okt ae Fiber Optics Technology with with training course course Model AM FM 108K M 1005K jm Transistor Radlo Kit Compact Multimeter Kit mi 6 Fmd amp Transistor Test ieee 0 30V 3A 15V 1A 5V 2A Digital Multimeter Model M 1700 542 11 functions including freq to 20MHz g cap to 20uF Meets UL 1244 safety 1 Variable 2 5 20V 2A s479 Fluke Multimeters 70 Serles 80 Series Model 70ll Model 83 Model 73H Modei 85 Model 75itt Model 87 Model 77II Model 79ll B amp K Precision Multimeters Model 391 149 Model 388A Model 390 139 Model 2707 Model 389 109 Model 2860A 85 XK 550 Digital Analog Trainer Elenco s advanced designed Digital Analog Trainer is specially designed for school projects It is built on a single PC board for maxi mum reliability It includes 5 built in power supplies a function gener ator with continuously sine triangular and square wave forms 1560 tie point breadboard area XK 550 Assembled and Tested 169 XK 550K Kit 95 139 Tools anid meter shown optional 15 DAY MONEY BACK WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD UPS SHIPPING 48 STATES 5 OTHERS CALL 3 min 10 max IL RES 8 TAX C amp S SALES INC fr ete 150 W CARPENTER AVENUE GM FULL FACTORY WARRANTY WHEELING IL 60090 FAX 708 520 990
142. can handle Even if you choose to provide sweeps for only a small number of friends and associates your intial investment will quickly be returned many times over SUBMINIATURE BODY WIRE DETECTOR SA If you fear the possibilty of belng overheard and or recorded during private conversations and require silent notification we ve aw also included our S8D 5 regularty 225 as a FREE GIFTI Only 3 x 2 x 1 this exciting new development in micro minlaturization will instantly detect hidden body wires at ranges Up to 10 ft and alert you via a silent vibration BIG MONEY OPPORTUNITIES Also complete information describing the fantastic opportunities now open to trained Counter Surveillance technicians and how a number of individuals are reaping a Bonanza in this booming business You ll learn exactly how the ever increasing use of Electronic Listening Devices by investigative agencies government agencies jealous suitors and unscrupulous business competitors etc has created huge demand for this service FASCINATING HI TECH INFORMATION PACKAGE A detailed analysis of a variety of extremely fascinating hi tech devices and procedures used for ukra sophisticated audio and video eavesdropping including micro wave and laser device monitoring new methods for listening thru walis all about scrambiers voice changers and exactly how neighbors eavesdrop How missing persons are found confidential data banks are broken i
143. ce Internet security international issues and other thorny issues are discussed Finally the book examines the future of online marketing i World Wide Web Marketing button pin point controls costs 24 95 The book is pub Four new models are high lished by John Wiley amp Sons lighted in the catalog The Gold inc 605 Third Avenue New The book contains detailed Bug 2 is a 71 kHz gold hunting York NY 10158 0012 maps of all 50 states and the detector The Impulse pulse in Tel 800 225 5945 ia Canadian provinces one map dication detector is designed for CIRCLE 82 ON FREE serves all of Mexico New to this underwater metal detection INFORMATION CARD Supplement to Popular Electronics Popular Hectronics MARCH 1996 E f CABLE TV DESCRAMBLER KITS Universal New Product Tri Mode Descrambler SB 3 Descrambler This Product includes all the Parts This product includes all the parts This Product includes all PC Board Complete Schematic PC Board and AC Adaptor the Parts PC Board and with Functional Guide Generates NO Enclosure included AC Adaptor Enclosure Sync for most Video Applications is not included 79 95 59 95 44 95 Call Toll Free 1 800 886 8699 M amp G Electronics P O Box 3310 No Attleboro Mass 02761 Anyone implying theft of Cable service will be denied assistance NO MASSACHUSETTS SALES eeder FREE j gt K tal f other iting kits Techno
144. ch 1996 Popular Electronics gt D pon seeing the top ic of this article the first question one might be tempted to ask is With all of the great sounding speakers out there why would anyone want to build one There are several reasons One is the joy of building something yourself Though speaker building might seem intimidating to the uninitiated if you are good at woodworking the task is really not that difficult If you would like to tackle that job from scratch articles in past issues of Popular Elec tronics July 1995 and Feb ruary 1994 serve as good introductions to the topic Another reason is the al most legendary fussiness of audiophiles Not satisfied with even the best high end speakers some have turned to building their Own speaker systems in a lt quest to find the perfect voice for their sound sys tems Last but certainly not least is economics Largely thanks to advances in sol id state technology high end feature packed hi fi gear has never been less expensive However speakers obviously have not benefited from such advances In fact building speakers is a labor inten sive process and manufac turing costs have actually risen over the years As a result if you want speakers that are just barely adequate for a middle of the road 1000 hi fi system you should expect to pay at least 300 for a pair and if you want speakers that will do that system justice
145. cluded in Y ES want to get started your tuition It s all yours to Send me my CIE course catalog use while you Study and for including details about the on the job after you Associate Degree Program For your convenience CIE will have a CIE S COMMITTED TO BEING THE BEST IN ONE AREA ELECTRONICS CIE isn t another be everything to everyone school CIE teaches only one subject and we believe we re the best at what we do Also CIE is accredited by the National Home Study Council And with more than 1 000 graduates each year we re the largest home study school specializing exclu graduate representative contact you there sively in electronics CIE has is no obligation been training career minded PERSONALIZED Please Print Clearly stucents for nearly sixty TRAINING TO MATCH years and we re the best at YOUR BACKGROUND Name our subject While some of our students ELECTRONICS have a working knowledge of Addrass IT S THE ONLY SUBJECT electronics others are just city WE TEACH Starting out That s why CIE has developed twelve career State __Zip aa CIE PROVIDES A courses and an A A S LEARNING METHOD SO Degree program to choose Phone No from So even if you re not Sure which electronics career is best for you CIE can get you started with core lessons applicable to all areas in GOOD IT S PATENTED CIE s AUTO PRO GRAMMED lessons are a proven learning method for building valuable electron
146. coda to analyze decrypt secure cl os Worked out examples Recommended by pres iglous Computers amp Security Msnual Olsk 29 ROCKET S RED GLARE Ow to design and Duig soild propellani amateur and Survival rockets Emphasis on formutation manufacture Installation of propellants motors Igniters etc Includes iist of commonly available materials and the des n ol launch pads and lesi beds and thelr electronics FIREWORKS How firecrackers M BOs OT ers cherry rae small rockets volcanos fountalns Sparklers and salety fuses are made and colored Simple cheap common Ingredients 9 Both 36 ULTIMATE SUCCESS MANUAL Underpaid overworked harasseo or abused Vic of office politics Stuck In a dead end job Can t inda a good Job ered to be laid off fired or transferred soon The ultimate no holds barred looking after 1 Machlavelilan yale to find obtain optimize and keep top Jobs pay and benefits The Rules of the Game for 2 Game without Rutes From resume to CEO 29 RA LA and pon for powerful ELECTROMAGNETIC WEAPONS ol Radionics Devices from early to modem While drugs Electronic CAD for Windows peram eT ET wa bi O o o ee a T AE E on BEect 20 e e ee a aon Professional Windows tools at an affordable price with powerful features to make designing faster WinBoard PCB layout delivers sophisticated interactive routing for complex designs plus it has the tools needed for high spe
147. d MATERIALS 4 circuit MIC 1 Electret condenser element gt IC2 LM336Z 2 5 volt r ference diode integrated circuit IC3 LM324M quad op amp integrated circuit IC4 LM3914 linear bar graph driver integrated circuit Ql Q2 2N5089 NPN transistor Digi Key part no POOTO ND or gt z equivalen gt pe i SI1 S5PDT switch a gt Bl 9 wolt battery g l Printed circuit materials project enclosure battery snap with leads IC sockets wire solder hardware D1I D5 1N4148 silicon diode ett a DISPl Ten LED bar graph display gt we if wire RESISTORS o BS ears eerie All resistors are Va watt 5 units T Noter The followin eee a RI R3 6800 ohm 2 available from Vista 2 0 Box im R2 3000 ohm Yo 1425 Bolingbrook IL 60440 a ne eee ee Tel 708 378 5534 NEGI4IF R5 2700 ohm amplifier 4 50 plus 3 40 7 R6 R18 100 000 ohm shipping and handling pre etched gt PC board TREMOLO BRD R7 1200 ohm 2 res fier o R8 Ril RI9 10 000 ohm i EiS 3 00 shipping and Da R9 2400 ohm handling kit of all parts including i R10 7500 ohm i prepunched case with silk screen and battery TREMOLO KITj 4 Ri2 Ri4 Rl6 68 000 ohm Ri3 270 000 ohm Ri5 24 000 ohm R17 12 000 ohm CAPACITORS Ta AR Cl C4 C7 C9 C12 100 wF 10 WVDC electrolytic cake C2 C14 C15 0 l uF polyester 7 C
148. de Bandw Analog No of Sampling Memory Interna Pretrigger Output DSO w DMM M Sen imax Channels Rate Cingel paca Jp es 05 303 imVidiv 2 20MS S 0 25 50 75 RS232 VC 6523 Storage 20MS s 1995 25 8603 1mV div 2 20MS S 2K Yes 0 25 50 75 RS232 20MHz Analog Model 1541C 60MHz with Cursors readouts 2120 389 95 40MHz and Dual Time Base 695 Model 2260 2123 p Dual Trace _ 1225 Model 2160 Model 2190A 60MHz Dual Trace 100MHz 3 Channel E 949 1 379 ose Call or write for SS complete specs Dual Time Base Delayed Sweep Dual Time Base Delayed Sweep niha nee WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD C amp S SALES INC prx 45 DAY MONEY BACK UPS SHIPPING 48 STATES 5 150 W CARPENTER AVENUE ONAYA Ea EER WHEELING I 60090 Ge FULL FACTORY WARRANTY k a mawy FAX 708 520 9904 708 541 0710 PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE IL RES 8 TAX NOTE Effective January 20 1996 our area code witi be changed to 847 CIRCLE 32 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD 91U0I 99 3 JEINdOY 966i YEW O k March 7996 Popular Electronics 102 Use POPULAR ELECTRONICS CLASSIFIEDS READ BY BUYERS OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT ACCESSORIES AND PARTS HOW TO WRITE YOUR AD TYPE or PRINT your classified ad copy CLEARLY not in all capitals using the form below If you wish to place more than one ad use a separate sheet for each additional one a photo copy of this form will work as well Place a category number in the sp
149. derived from the 74C221 monostables U and U7 Construction The author s pro totype was built on three perforated circuit boards using point to point wiring All the components used in the Four Mode Counter are standard stock and are readily available from a variety of hobbyist sources Some of the parts might even be in your junk box Depending on what compo nents you have on hand and what sources you use to get the others the cost of building the project will be ap proximately sixty dollars When you build the circuit start by mounting the resistors and capaci tors Then go on to install the diodes and transistors Next mount sockets for all the ICs to protect them from damage be sure to double check the orientation of the sockets and then insert the ICs Mount the display modules so that the digits will be in order Le DISP1 goes first You will have to cut an opening in whatever project case you use fo allow the modules to be seen YOu could make some kind of display bezel to cover the modules if you wish the author made one using Continued on page 88 BUILD THE SMART STRIP It lets you turn on up to three devices just by powering up another one latching TV these days often E involves a tiresome routine of flipping on switches scrambling for remote controls and turning on accessories A similar ritual is performed by computer users each time they want to power up their sys tems and pe
150. designed for cel lular radio service that 16 pin IC includes a complete successive de tection logarithmic amplifier with a dynamic range of over 90 dB and a low frequency response due to its DC interstage coupling Pin 5 of the NE614 is the detected output and is called the RSSI Re ceived Signal Strength Indicator line The RSSI output level is a full wave rectified signal which we ll refer to as y that represents the logarithm of the signal input That means that the level of amplitude modulation dy on the RSSI output is a direct measure of the percentage modulation N of the carrier Vix and is independent of its amplitude and frequency That prop erty of logaritnmic response is of sig nificant importance to the Voice Stress Analyzer because the normal voice energy during a conversation can vary by as much as 40 cB To better understand the lcg arithmic response just described see Fig 1 That figure illustrates a small portion of a linear plot of the RSS re sponse Notice that the slope or gain around smal input signal point P4 is high while the gain for a larger signal at a higher point P2 is smaller The figure illustrates how two different am plitude signals with constant percent age modulation result in a constant output dy Circuit Description The schematic for the Voice Stress Analyzer is shown in Fig 2 Power for the circuit is sup plied by a 9 volt battery B1 1 is the pover switch Mic
151. driver Circuit is shown the other identical circuits are indi cated by dotted lines A 78L05 regulator IC5 provides the 5 volts for the circuit and is mounted on board with the other components If can be driv en externally via a standard AC wall adapter of 7 to 12 volts at 30 mA or from a 9 volt battery Be sure to by pass the supply pins on each IC with a 0 1 pF monolithic capacitor for noise free performance Skip Campisi S Bound Brook NJ don t think you could simplify this circuit any fur ther without sacrificing range As Skip points out a 74CO00 is an adequate re placement for the CD4011 ZENER DIODE SIMULATOR Conventional Zener di odes unless specially compensated all exhibit a similar problem as the Zener bias current in creases the temperature coefficient also increases in a positive direction Also the temperature compen sation can be negative or positive depending on the Zener voltage and the par ticular bias current used even for a single diode over its characteristic curve Also Zener diodes available for less than approximately 5 0 volt values also exhibit very weak knees where the Zener impedance causes a large voltage Continued on page 75 CIRCUIT CIRCUS By Charles D Rakes n response to several readers requests we re going to devote this visit to launching model rockets We ll take a look at a cou ple of circuits that can be used to light
152. e Hi Tech offers you the option of recommending a new category by e mail INTERNET SHOPPING NETWORK First there was the Home Shopping Network which gave television viewers the ability to shop without the hassles of looking for parking standing in lines etc Of course there were some new hassles For one viewers could find themselves waiting for hours urtil something they liked came on Then they would have to cali HSN to give credit card and shipping information Now there s a subsidiary of the Network that makes shopping even easier The Internet Shopping Network speeds up the home shopping process in two ways First it eliminates the problems caused by the linear nature of TV programming In other words you can choose from a menu at ary time what item you d like to see a description of no more waiting for it to come on Second there s no need to call up an operator every time you want to place an order With ISN you simply set up an account once giving them your address and credit card number either by phone or a secure Net trans action You then receive a membership code that can be used for all future orders That translates to simple point and click buying As you can see there s no doubt about how easy it is to order from ISN But what is there to order Well for starters there are over 22 000 comput er products from more than 600 major companies like Lotus Symantec and Microsoft While expec
153. e removed outlet cut the metal links More that electrically connect the two AC sockets of the outlet see Fig 4 You can then make the off board con nections shown electrically in Fig 3 and mechanically in Fig 4 use 18 gauge stranded insulated wire for those connections Mount the circuit board inside the outlet strip near the line cord You can use two screws and 14 inch nylon spacers to do that Make absolutely sure that everything is wired correctly before closing up the strip If any part of the circuit is not connected prop erly or if it makes contact with the metal housing or the outlets serious damage could result When you re sure the wiring is okay reassemble the outlet strip with the circuit board in stalled Checkout and Use Once the circuit board is safely installed the Smart Strip is ready for testing To test the circuit you will need two appliances such as lamps or other small inexoen sive AC line powered devices Its al ways a good idea to check AC Ppower source projects with cheap The more you give the more you receive Giving U S Savings Bonds passes an important lesson on to the future generation Bonds can teach our children how to save how interest grows and how a small investment can help make their dreams come true Buying U S Savings Bonds contributes to a solid and secure America for generations to come What a great way for you to say I believe in your
154. e they don t have a thermostat vou must constantly turn them on and off to stay comfortable The RST 1200 on the other hand utilizes a genuine ceramic heating element Ceramic elements are known to be a very efficient and ef tective heating method Ceramic heaters do not burn air therefore they do not cause anv odors or pro duce any unwanted side effects Even more important is the fact that the RST 1200 does not get hotto the touch that means it is not a fire hazard Control your climate The RST 1200 has an electronic thermostat that lets you choose vour own comfort level Simply set the dial to the appropriate temperature and the RST 1200 will automatically maintain that comfort level It provides even uniform heat without irritat ing hot cold cycles Spread warmth throughout a room One of the best features about this amazing new heater is its oscillation the RST 1200 oscillates over a range of 70 A high velocity fan disperses the intense warmth produced bv the ceramic heat ing element resulting in even distribution of the heat The RST 1200 will eliminate cold spots even in those rooms with poor ventilation Safety features The RSI 1200 may be the safest Space heater you can buy Its cool touch cabinet prevents the RST 1200 from being a fire hazard even when in close proximity to drap ery quilts and paper tissue The RST 1200 also Dal RST 1200 FEATURES E Genu ne ceramic heating 2 l2ment E 7
155. e transition from dark section to light section at sensor B while sensor A is gt CW CCW B Fig 1 Sensors should be placed as shown in A to produce the pulse signals shown in B low obscured by a dark section a positive transition at A while B is high over a light section a negative tran sition of B going from light to dark while A is high and so forth Likewise a counter clockwise rotation is indicat ed when there is a positive transition of B when A is high a negative transi tion of A when B is high and so forth A Pulse Generator The circuit shown in Fig 2 produces one Output pulse for every transition of the pho tosensor Outputs or four pulses for every section or line pair The exclusive Nor gates U1 b and U1 c produce a pulse on every transition while U2 a dual four channel data selector de codes them into up pulses or down pulses The number of sections or lines that can be accommodated on a disc is determined by its diameter and the width of the sections As an example if the sections are made approximately 0 125 inch wide 25 section pairs can be put on a 2 inch diameter disc and 100 puises will be generated with every revolution of the disc The only limiting factor is that the sections must be wider than the photosensor s aper ture at the point they pass in front of if Tne photosensor used in the circuit has an aperture of only 0 04 inch so the disc described wi
156. e Shores Plaza 5193 Drive Suite 113 Virginia Beach VA 23455 2500 ie Affiliated with Cleveland Institute of Electronics WAH25 E ee a ee ANTIQUE RADIO CLASSIFIED Free Sample aay Ai Antique Radio s A Largest Circulation Monthly HOF m7 Articles Ads amp Classifieds 6 Month Trial 17 95 1 Yr 34 95 51 95 1st Class A R C P O Box 802 L14 Carlisle MA 01741 08 371 0512 VISA MC Fax 508 371 7129 Phone 5 Bill Nave saved these kids from drowning He s not a lifeguard he s a teacher But to the kids he s reached he s a hero BE A TEACHER BE A HERO Call I 800 45 TEACH March 1996 Popular Electronics A Pubic Service of ow 6 Thie Pubbscation Photo Robin Sachs in The Crayon Factory kids can watch the story or ie the eee mix pend make their own crayons and more For a humorous lesson in how to use Windows 95 check out The Improv Presents Windows 95 For The Technically Challenged That how to WHERE TO GET IT Activision 11601 uWVilshire Boulevard Suite 1000 Los Angeles CA 90025 CIRCLE 50 OW FREE INFORMATION CARD Electranic Arts Studios 1450 Fashion Island Bnd San matea a 94404 CLE 51 ON FREE MS ee CARD Graphix Zone 42 Corporate Park Suite 200 Irvine CA 92714 CIRCLE 52 OW FREE INFORMATION CARD Grolier Electronic Publishing Sherman Turnpike Danbury 06816 IRCLE 53 ON FREE en Fe CARD Philips Media 109
157. e offer 7 Solar Wind amp Hydroelectric r ka energy systems True Sine amp i f a eg Wave DC to AC Inverters Electric Boat amp Car kits Portable power packs Solar Lighting amp Cooling systems Solar Pool Heaters Solar Battery chargers Solar Books amp Toys DC Appliances Active amp Passive Solar Air amp Water Heating Systems Composting Toilets Hydroponic Fish Farming Solarium amp Green house Systems Water Testing Treatment amp Pumping Systems Emergency Food amp H 0 Kits High iciency AC DC Refrigerati SMART STRIP Continued from page 60 install the relay check to see if the relay you use has a polarity sensitive coil To complete the on board as sembly mount an IC socket for IC4 checking its orientation as well and insert the chip The next step is to install the Smart Strip circuit into a power strip Just about any six socket strip that can be disassembled will work with a few modifications Whatever strip you use however make sure it is unplugged before you begin To make room for the circuit board one of the three du plex style outlets snould be removed a duplex style outlet has two AC sock ets on it If is best to remove the dou ble outlet closest to the line cord to simplify wiring to the circuit board The opening left by the removed outlet should be covered to prevent any shock hazard On the remaining duplex style out let that is closest to the location of th
158. e real exams and you can fake them ower and over again The only thing is that you don t have to pay the testing fees over and over again You pay them only once when you are fully pre pared to take the real test The included 9 volume library con tains 4300 pages of the information you must know to pass the A Cer tification program The books also serve as a good information resource after you pass the exams A Heathkit study guide and workbook featuring sample questions and answers refer VOICE CHANGERS ELECTRONIC KITS AND MORE ences and more is contained in a 200 page binder The Course The Heathkit course is presented in three steps Step 1 is where you preview actual test materi al and isolate areas that require fur ther study That step tests your knowledge of computers by having you answer up to 500 computerized sample questions Here you can work at your own pace and run checks on your answers On screen explanations to correct answers are offered as well as references to exact book and page numbers in the 9 volume library Step 2 is where you study only the topics that need further review The resource library contains thorough coverage of the core material in the A Certification program The nine titles include The Complete PC Up grade and Maintenance Guide Computers Illustrated Using MS DOS How Windows Work How Networks Work Easy Laser Printer Maintenance and Repair How Macs Work Danny Goodma
159. ed NORMAL Under stress the modulation ievel should fall and a bar in the stress half of the display will be lit The unit is smal enough that you can carry it in a shirt pocket and glance down at the display while someone is speaking It is best to eval uate a speaker in conversation be cause the Analyzer takes a momentto acquire the peak levei of modulation and display it on the LEDs if a source of white noise is introduced such as the noise of running water or the hiss of a blank tape the Analyzer output will remain in the stress region be cause the mixing of all possible fre quencies will produce a zero swing on the RSSI signal If music is playing the Analyzer will remain in the stress range for the same reason You might find it interesting to ana lyze a taped conversation with the Voice Stress Analyzer You ll see that analysis is pretty much independent of the playback volume The results of voice stress analysis are sometimes found in news stories that deai with political scandals and controversies You can find a good source of stressful situations to evalu ate your own Voice Stress Analyzer by taping direct quotes of suspects from such news stories You can also use the Analyzer to measure the degree of stress in the voices of radio announcers or public speakers As you can see there are lots of entertaining applications for this fascinating project SOIUONDE seINdOY 9661 YEW amp Mar
160. ed circuits analog RF and SMT designs WinDraft Schematics 32 bit Windows application with multiple document interface and floating toolbar Supports hierarchical designs and electrical rules checking Over 11 000 unique library parts and Prices start at only 250 symbol editor included Information is available on the Ivex World Wide Web An evaluation copy with a WinBoard PCB layout complete 80 page Getting Started Guide is only 20 Supports 16 layers multiple copper pours and advanced features for RF designs World Wide Web ees ae Complete through hole and SMD library Tel 503 531 3555 Fax 503 629 4907 CAM Support includes BOM in circuit test NC Drill Gerber Pick amp Place DRC BBS 503 645 0576 DESIEN swat a Electronic Tromm Videos piia Learn electronics quickly and 3 easily with UCANDO s computer animated training videos Students gee can learn at their own pace and tae professionals will find the UCANDO videos to be a valuable Rees LON aie source of reference material If 3 SRO PE Bee these videos arent the best learning tools you ve ever seen return them within 30 days for a complete refund These videos are being used by Tech Schools CET s Military Branches Ham Operators Industries and more across the United States and around the world Order today and see how UCANDO is Changing T The i The World Learns Electronics
161. eesCee SSCS sesese ese seeCeseseBsesvsveeaes 2 How does Spectrum use a home s electrical wiring as an antenna Bice it or not the Spectrum Antenna simoly activates the giant antenna thet alreedyv erists in your home Essentially it uses all of zhe wring throughout your home s walls and ceilings ta make an antenna as large as your nouse for usbetievably clear reception of local broadcasting eee Ceo eeeCeeCSCC eee Cee SSESSseeosseeaest eevee 3 Spectrum antenna features Pa aliel 75 ohm resistance Fo minimum loss of signal Sicnal search control Fo selecting multiple antenna cosfigurations Pdlarized three prong plug foe grounding For optimum signal grounding to aliminate noise and static Resonant fine tuner contro a Fo dialing in crisp clear TV stereo reception eliminates ghosting Dust AC outiets with built in surge protecton Fo plugging in additional TV stereo equipmest guarding against damage and eiectrical surges ntil recently the only convenient way to guarantee great TV recep tion was to have cable installed or place an antenna on top of your TV But who wants to pay a monthly cable fee just to get clear reception or have rabbit ear antennas that just don t work on all stations Some peo ple just aren t interested in subscribing to ca ble Or they may live in an area where they can t get cable and TV top antennas aren t powerful enough And what about those peo ple who have c
162. ent on the map The system also allows the driver to input a destination by either entering a given address or by selecting one of the thousands of infor mation listings contained on the CD ROM The software offers more than 90 categories of in formation listings including food lodging entertainment shopping automotive medical government services and more The location of a par NEW PRODUCTS ticular listing can be pinpointed on the map and its address and phone number displayed on screen Before beginning a trip the user can plan out a par ticular route by placing directional arrows on the map to indicate turns The GPS X77 then provides audible instruc tions such as right turn ahead to prompt the driver along the way The distance and Straight line direction to the des tination is displayed The system consists of a detachable five inch color LCD monitor a combination CD ROM drive a GPS receiver and microcomput er in a single DIN sized chassis a wireless remote control and a small profile GPS antenna A single CD ROM disk contains digital maps and information listings for a particular geo graphic area The first three discs to be offered cover South ern California Northern California and the Pacific Northwest the fourth is for the Midwest market The GPS X77 navigation sys tem has a suggested retail price of 2850 each CD ROM costs 150 For more information contact Pioneer Electronics
163. entry level version will welcome the DSS time shift recording function built into the VR678HF And home moviemakers looking for a TEST REPORTS good editing VCR will find its snuttle control single frame advance and Dual VCR AutoEdit features an understated bonus VCR Plus programming with infrared cable box contro is yet another and now ex pected feature The VR678HF performs VHS Hi Fi Stereo recording and playback a must if you own RCA s DSS system and want to record its near CD quality sound intact Lab tests revealed excep tionally fine audio performance from this VCR and good if not spec tacular video specs Ifs not the top shelf model in RCA s line That for the record is the VR725HE which is a Super VHS S VHS deck Although the 400 lines of horizontal resolution af forded by S VHS will preserve more of the near laserdisc quality of DSS via eo we opted to test the VR678HF because of the nearly universal VCR to VCR compatibility of the con ventional VHS format Make note though that the Com mercial Advance function only operates on similarly featured VCRs at this writ ing that s available only on the new RCA models FEATURES While Commercial Ad vance henceforth called CA might turn up in other VCR brands in the future RCA is the first licensee for the feature developed by California inventor Jerry ig gulden and licensed by Arthur D Little Enterprises Heres ho
164. ep PS 200 20 MHz DUAL TRACE 339 95 PS 400 40 MHz DUAL TRACE 494 95 PS 405 40 MHz DELAY SWEEP 569 95 PS 605 60 MHz DELAY SWEEP 769 95 Scope Probe 60MHz x1 x10 15 100MHz x1 x10 22 250MHz x1 x10 29 250MHz x100 39 ZEEe DMM 2360 DMM 20 hme UK6 1 19 95 ME i Holster C 10 10 DMM LCR Meter Capacitance 1pF 200pF Fluke 7011 75 95 Very Versatile DMM Ce i ani i Fluke 7311 97 50 olt amp ohm diode Fluke 75 lt 129 Inductance 1pH 40H 0 A CDC nt Capacitance 1pF 40puF Transistor HE S Holster C 70 16 Frequency 1Hz 4MHZ Continuity duty Fluke 77 th 155 Temperature 40 302 F Peak hold Max Fluke 7911 175 TTL Logic Test 20MHz Ruggerdized case Fluke 2911 175 Diode Continuity Rubber holster 8 00 Volt Amp Ohm Fluke 76 175 3999 count display lj Full line of DMMs Fluke 87 287 Peak Hold economy compact ruggerdized solar cell Fluke 867 1199 Auto power off automotive heavy Ruggerdized case duty industrial Fluke 97 Temperature probe included fj starts from 15 95 Scope Meter 1785 Frequency Counter FC 1200 129 95 Frequency 0 1Hz 1 25GHz Display 8 digit LCD Period a en Ph Records Max Min Average Data hold relative mode Telescoping antenna 8 00 Deluxe case 5 00 Iso Available AC DC clamp meter Light meter Thermometer pH meter High voltage probe Digital caliper Anemometer Electronic scale Force gauge Tachometer Stroboscope Humidity amp EMF
165. er for authorized cable technicians Surface Mount Technology Simply clip it onto a 9V battery for 10sec Works on J models D 5 D V5 D 7 D V7 D BB C T Only 69 plus 8 S amp H 30 Day Warranty Quantity discounts available Dealers Welcome Test chips available for J and SA8600 Order Toll Free 1 800 417 6689 Mon Wed Fri 9AM 5PM EST If busy please keep trying VISA MC MO or CASHIERS CHECK i IEC P O Box 52347 Knoxville TN 37950 2347 Pocket Cube is a test generator ONLY Do not use these devices without authorization from your local cable company and local officials No TN sales Build powerful _ professional apparatus Plans amp riments TABLE TOP TESLA COIL creates 2 tt lightning bolts 38 pp 19 illus 12 95 GIANT TESLA COIL creates 1 O ft lightning bolts 62 pp 48 illus 24 95 VAN de GRAAFF Generators 400 kV to 1 2 million V 48 pp 46 illus 14 95 SUMMIT Design 7635 Marquette Dallas TX 75225 CABLE TV DESCRAMBLERS Never rent again Save 100 s on premium Cable TV Descramblers amp Converters compatible with Jerrold Scientific Atlanta Zenith Pioneer Tocom and More Get your best prices and call us last Please have the MAKE amp MODEL of your area s cable box ready GUARANTEED TO WORK IN YOUR AREA 1 year warranty and 30 day money back guarantee Allstar Electronics 1 800 78257214 RELAYS LIGHTS MOTORS TEMPERATURE PRESSURE
166. er to that question is the A Cer tification program A Certification The A Certifica tion testing program is sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association CompTIA Passing the for computer technicians program certifies that an individual is a fully competent service technician in the computer industry And the best thing about the program is that any one who wants to have a nationally recognized credential as a comput er servicing professional can take the A exams The A Certification program is backed by computer hardware and software vendors distributors re sellers and publications The Associa tion of Field Service Management Inc backs the program as well Any one who has earned A Certification possesses ail the skills necessary to be a successful Computer servicing technician The exams cover both hardware and software and are not vendor specific More than 40 organi zations have contributed resources to the tests One must pass two computer based test modules the core and one of two specialties to become A certified Specialties include a Mi crosoft Windows DOS module and a Macintosh module Candidates can schedule a testing session in any of the 50 states nationwide and in over 150 countries by calling 1 800 776 4276 Studying for the Exam It costs any where from 90 to 215 to take the tests depending on which ones you want to take and whether or not you are employed
167. erior to where the hard disks are mounted Table 1 shows how correlated drive ID pins with switch positions Table 2 shows the corre Continued on page 77 S31U01493 4 JeiNdoY 9661 YaseYW D an March 1996 Popular Electronics io ee a aa a By John J Yacono Technical Editor Windows Magazine Shop Equipment 3V THINK TANK A part of our contest to award prolific contrib utors this months column will feature the work of one winner Skip Campisi If you read this column regularly you probably recognize his name His circuits are usu ally based on sophisticated operating principles and his text is quite thorough often including calibration and construction hints Al though you can t tell from our reproductions of his work he even color codes his schematics This round up of some of his test equipment con finues that tradition earning him an MCL1010 IC and a free kit as well as a book The circuits and explana tions of just four of the circuits will take up the space allotted for this col umn so I ll postpone our on going tutorial on capac itors until next month MEGOHM ADAPTER Most DMMs measure re sistance by applying a constant current to a resis tance and measuring the resulting voltage drop That method is accurate up to the 1 to 10 megohm range but it s expensive to implement accurately after that My circuit see Fig 1 applies a constant voltage to the
168. ervice It leased airtime for Radio Denmark programs from Radio Norway International Once Radio Denmark broadcast widely listened to English program ming But as its signal gradually was Swamped by more powerful interna tional stations it abandoned those popular English language programs But here s some good news We have word that Radio Denmark was to resume English programming albeit on a very limited scale at the begin ning of the year The programs are Supposed to focus on Copenhagen as 1996 s European City of Culture The shortwave annual Passport To World Band Radio reports that if there is sufficient listener response to those 15 minute programs aired for now only on the first Sunday of the month Radio Denmark will consider expand ing the English schedule Try the Radio Denmark relay on Radio Norway International s lower SW frequencies at 0230 and 0530 UTC Again remember that those Sunday UTC times equate to Saturday night listening in the United States and Canada UTC is five hours ahead of EST EST 5 CST 6 MST 7 and PST 8 Reports should go to Radio Denmark Rosenorns Alle 22 DK 1999 Frederiksberg C Denmark Correct reports will be verified by mail if an International Reply Coupon available at your post office or 1 bill is enclosed for return postage DOWN THE DIAL Looking for tuning targets Try these What are you hearing on short Credits Don Brewer KS Richard Hanksinson
169. ew savings end selections everyday i3 bf T 7 in e da f j May i Ben ow FP oa 24 i Tan 18 174 lh Directory Specialty Stores Hot Deals N Computer Goods ISN Photo Video Windows 95 Products Apple Products ii FTD Flowers 28 8 Int Fax CD ROMs Global Plaza Vectorman Demos he Hammacher Packard Belt 486 Disk Drives i Schlemmer Snappy Video Grabber Downloadable l ard amp Hao Color gcanger i i ial sofware pem sia te lie r looking oP rear The Internet PO Network FrN some of the best deals on merchandise right over the Net at ISN s site will be of greatest interest to Popular Electronics readers there are a lot of other items to order You can order flowers from FTD teas from Celestia Seasonings steak and lob ster from Omaha Steaks International etc But the ease of use and great selection of ISN are not the only rea sons to visit the site They also have really incredible prices and specials At the time of this writing late October Piassieal specials include a 486 66 Packard Bell computer for 799 and a 28 8 modem for 99 From what I ve seen ISN s prices are difficult to beat One final note on the site If you re not sure what computer product to buy and would rather not rely on a shop ping network s advertisement of its products ISN provides you with anoth er option You can search online through the past 12 months of InfoWorld and Computer Currents
170. ft or physical harm What ever is going on you know something is up because you just installed the Ultrasonic Motion Detector described in this article Depending on what parts you have available or if you buy the complete kit from the source mentioned in the Parts List the Motion Detector can be built for less than 30 It contains a complete ultrasonic 40 kHz crystal controlled transmitter and a super sensitive receiver on a printed circuit board that measures only 1 x 3 inches The project detects motion from 4 to 7 meters away Once that occurs a red LED lights But with additional cir cuitry attached to the output the de tector can turn on lights sound buzzers trip a recording device or even call the police Also the circuit can be made to sound off with a mes sage when anyone moves within its field of detection Using various voice recording and playback circuits see Circuit Circus in the July and August 1995 issues of this magazine you might even have the Ultrasonic Mo tion Detector provide a pleasant greeting or snarl with a barking dog sound when someone approaches the front door As you can see your Ultrasonic Mo tion Detector project can be put to work in a variety of ways Lefts now look at how it works Circuit Description The schematic for the Ultrasonic Motion Detector is shown in Fig 1 A 9 volt battery B1 directly provides power for some sec tions of the circuit The battery i
171. g and playback modes and its remote will control several pieces of audio video gear including an RCA DSS satellite receiver The VCR it self can turn on and off and tune a DSS receiver or cable box for time shifted re cordings Front panel video and audio in puts tucked neatly inside a compartment so that they re not visible when not in use make it easy to connect a camcorder And the VCR s auto clock set circuitry puts an end to the flashing 12 00 on the front panel display The Commercial Advance VCR s play back modes include auto play auto repeat slow motion and variable speed picture search With the auto play mode selected from the Preferences menu a tape with the safety tab removed will start playing as soon as it is inserted in the machine Auto repeat allows you to mark a segment on the tape to be played over and over again The front panel shuttle ring is used for variable speed searches the farther it is turned the faster the speed in either forward or re verse direction The remote control s FADv button is used to view a tape one frame at a time and two slow motion but tons marked and are used to in crease or decrease the slow motion playback speed There are a few ways to locate a par ticular show that you ve recorded The VR678HF has a real time counter which can be displayed on screen during play back or searches It also has a VHS Index Search System VISS that automat
172. gain next time E 0iU01 98 5 JeINdO 9661 YOeW n March 1996 Popular Electronics ao By Marc Saxon Scanning the Weather Bands i aeie er ee ee a ee E a a e uy oad f Een a aeaea a ine iis mo SCANNER SCENE t first casual glance the beautiful desktop scanner shown in the photo on this page looks vaguely familiar And rightiy so Ra dio Shack s PRO 2042 has replaced the popular PRO 2035 to which it bears a definite family re semblance The PRO 2042 is a big hairy chested in your face 1000 channel scanner for the serious enthusiast The frequency coverage is 25 to 520 MHz and 760 to 1300 MHz minus the cellular bands which cannot be restored via FCC edict The Jueu ra n r g ep N C an aia yi are an kpr ee aed 7 art Radio Shack s PRO 2042 is designed with the serious scanning enthusiast in mind Its 1000 memory channels are stored in 10 banks of 100 channels each an additional 100 memory channels are available for temporarily storing active channels found during searches frequencies are set up in 10 banks of 100 memory channels each Then there are an extra 100 monitor memories for the tempo rary storage of active channels discovered during searches Reception is provided in NFM AWVFM AM modes with scanning and search at up to 50 channels per second The PRO 2042 can scan or search upward or down ward There are 10 different search b
173. gh the hole in the rear of the cabinet and solder the leads to the input jack panel We trimmed off excess wire leaving us just enough fo work with The input jack panel is then screwed in place The interior sides of the cabinets are lined with pieces of a foamy material to further dampen sound You have to cut the foam to size The material holds itself in place and does not have to be glued After pulling the speaker wires through the proper driver holes you must fill the inside of the cabinet with a fluffy wool material much like pillow stuffing The instructions call for 12 fists of wool in the top and 10 in the bottom Not knowing how much a fist Of wool is but having good com mon sense we figured that the inside should be filled with the wool but not packed tightly So we packed 12 fluffy fists in the top and 10 in the bottom making the inside of our cabinets look like they were filled with clouds hop ing that their sound would be the same We had plenty of wool left over Depressions should be formed in the wool so that it does not interfere with the movement of the drivers Before the speakers can be in stalled gaskets must be applied to their rear mounting surfaces The in put jack panels had gaskets already attached The instructions made it sound as though there were sup posed to be factory made speaker PRICES As of this writing bois are Madisoundis prices forthe various co
174. glish and vice versa featuring 27 000 Chinese entries and 20 000 English entries with approximately 51 000 translations The conversion function changes complicated Chinese characters to and from simplified Chinese characters The TR 2000 features the EZ Learn teaching system a word quiz that helps you memorize words and phrases It has a bright display a QWERTY Style keypad a bi directional metric converter and currency converter and a 10 digit calculator with memory Operating instructions are printed on the folding lid for quick reference The translator comes with a carrying case and two lithium batteries Price 49 99 CIRCLE 63 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD ELECTRONICS WISH LIST Bad Vibrations The C 5 and C 0 vibration absorbers from Tekna Sonic Inc 442 Houser St Suite E Cotati CA 94931 Tel 707 794 1512 greatly reduce speaker enclosure panel vibrations Attached to the rear panel of a loudspeaker they function as a selectively tuned energy recovery system attenuating peak resonances by an average of 15 to 20 dB Mechanical energy which causes the destructive vibra tions transfers directly from the enclosure into the vibration absorber In the process audible mechanical energy is converted to its inaudible thermal state According to Tekna Sonic that produces a dramatic increase in sound clarity not only over the critical mid range frequencies but in the bass region as well Prices C 5 40 each C 10
175. good enough for many applications lights can be made to flash horns to blare etc If you have trouble driving the coil of a 9 volt relay you might need to reduce the value of R19 in Q1 s base circuit However there are times when you will want an output device to remain activated after motion has stopped For example if a prowler quickly crosses the field of view you wouldn t want a speaker to sound or a light to flash for just an instant A con tinuous signaling perhaps for many minutes would be desirable The alarm circuit shown in Fig 4 will provide just such a warning It consists of three 555 timer ICs 1 C1 IC3 where iC1 is operated in a monostgble mode and IC2 and IC3 are in astable configurations The trigger input to IC1 pin 2 is connected to the normally open con tacts of a 9 volt relay The coil of the relay should be connected to the sig nal output terminals on the PC board When the Detector senses motion even for a brief moment the relay is energized and pin 2 of C1 all part designations given from here on are found in Fig 4 is brought to ground thus triggering the monostable circuit or timer Pin 3 of IC1 then goes high The length of time it remains high is determined by the values of R1 and C2 With the components shown the output pulse is approximately 2 min utes To increase that time use a high er value capacitor for C2 to de crease the time use a lower value capacitor
176. hin range would be re ceived at once It might be interesting to hook up such a Circuit today and con nect it to a good antenna With all the AM stations now on the air there should be quite a cacophony Another interesting side light on the care and feeding of crystals comes from the construction arti cle on which my NBS series was based How to Build an Efficient Crystal Re ceiver from How to Build your Radio Receiver edited By Banning and Cockaday published by Popular Radio Inc 1924 As the crystal is the life of the set emphasis is laid upon the importance of se curing a good one which should not only be sensitive fo weak signals but which should give response from local stations at most ran dom positions of the cat whisker The crystal may be kept covered when the set is not in use but after a fime its surface may be come insensitive It could be cleaned with alcohol or soap and water and a clean brush The input terminals of a two step qudio frequency amplifier could be con nected fo the phone binding posts of the set and good volume of sound will be obtained from local stations The use of a crystal detector gives signals of maximum clearness Many thanks to reader Bob Zinck for sharing the details on his carefully craft ed NBS set E By Jeff Holtzman The SCSI Switch ae COMPUTER BITS here are three kinds of people in this crazy worid those who are al ways O
177. his VCR basically delivers about 220 lines of horizontal resolution out of the possible 240 in herent to the conventional VHS format Signal to noise ratio for luminance is good 44 6 dB at 50 IRE and adequate but not stellar for color Chroma As mentioned earlier au dio performance is the VR678HF s strong suit At nearly 90 dB the signal to noise ratio is impressive in hi fi recording and sim ilarly worthy in Conventional linear track recording Dis tortion THD is measurable though not audible in either mode Frequency response is typical though the low end roll off for linear re cordings usually is around 100 Hz compared to the 200 Hz measured here The VR678HF really shines in its MTS stereo broadcast reception performance Signal to noise ratios in all modes put it at the top of its Class But what matters most to most people is frequency response and separation in the stereo mode Here the VR6 8HF weighs in with 26 GB of separation over a broad range of fre quencies 59 Hz to 12 5 kHz As a consequence you can expect good results if you re running this VCR s au dio through a home theater system with Dolby surround decoding Bandwidth also is excep tionally wide and fiat in the monaural SAP Second Au dio Program channel Oddly frequency response is very limited under normal monaural reception an anomaly we ve noticed with other TVs and VCRs including RCA s in the p
178. hlink net artsci Fax 209 826 0416 by Bill Smith NEMQS amp John across the United States Cana CIRCLE 80 ON FREE CIRCLE 81 ON FREE Mitchell da and Mexico The set forms INFORMATION CARD INFORMATION CARD a comprehensive reference for hams at home or on the road METAL DETECTOR a CATALOG WORLD WIDE WEB from Fisher Research MARKETING Laboratory Integrating the Internet into Your Marketing isher Strategy Fisher s latest catalog features ae at ree metal detectors for treasure hunting underwater searching gold prospecting relic hunting and competition treasure hunt ing The 15 page full color brochure describes 12 different metal detectors that are avail able from the company in detail A full page Fisher Details chart compares the important features of each detector from optional search coils to push Businesses are rushing to jump onto the World Wide Web but not all of them know what they re doing An electronic presence is a valuable tool for conducting business and the right marketing message can improve a business chance for success This book helps mar keting professionals create an intelligent attractive Web pres ence It introduces executives to the Internet and the World Wide Web and heips them set real istic goals for online marketing The book explains how to create user friendly interactive interesting Web pages It teach es how to get useful feedback and provide customer servi
179. ians 49 50 IPG70 Assembled Useless EEEE ecovenc e 74 50 NOT A TOY Uses electronic or piezo ignition CAUTION REQUIRED POTI Dangerous Product 0 10 00 FireBall Gun Shoots flaming ball two shot capacity Great for special effects and remote fire starting CAUTION REQUIRED FIREBALL Plans Dangerous Hares ag 00 a re ORA eiea ay Dept PEM 19 Box 716 Amherst NH 03031 Wa AE APAN oem Phone 603 673 4730 Fi oad NLIMITED one 73 730 FAX 603 672 5406 MC VISA COD Cracks accepted Planan add 5 00 Shipping S Handling TV amp FM Joker Jammer Shirt pocket device allows you to totally control and remotely disrupt TV or radio reception Great gag to play on family or friends Discretion required EJKIKM Easy to Assemble Electronic Kit usss 24 50 ATTENTION High Voltage Fans 4 000 volts in the palm of your hand Experiment with anit gravity hovercraft ion guns force fields plasma guns shock devices wireless energy and electrical pyrotechnics Input 9 14VOC L MINIMAX4 Ready to Use ose cenaee Mees od 19 eo aser Bounce Listener System NEW Latest Technology Allows you to hear sounds from a premises without gaining access Aim at room window and listen to sounds from within via reflected laser light Not for illegal use Requires video tripods LWB3K 5mw Laser and Receiver Kit cscccssssso 149 50 LWB30 Ready to Use e ccssssesesssesscos
180. ic of the Smart Strip circuit is shown in Fig 4 The AC line input is connected di rectly to the 117 volt AC line of a power strip That voltage is rectified by diode D1 and filtered by capacitor CZ The load sense lines are con nected to the AC socket in the power strip that will contain the device that will be used to turn the others on When the load sense device is turned on Current flows through R4 a 0 4 ohm 10 watt resistor The power in R1 LOAD SENSE NEUTRAL HOT NEUTRAL HOT AC LINE INPUT EXISTING SWITCH OVERRIDE is equal to the resistors value multi plied by the current squared To limit the power in R14 to 5 watts therefore a maximum load of no more than 5 amps should be connected to the load sense outiet The resuiting volt age drop across R1 is fed to one sec tion of an LM358N op amp C1 a through resistors R2 and R3 Zener di ode D4 limits the supply for the op amp to 15 volts DC The voltage drop across R1 could be very small if the device plugged into the load sense socket does not draw much current To ensure that the circuit is sensitive enough to detect such small load devices the gain of IC1 a is set at 470 by resistors R2 and R4 To make the circuit less sensitive R4 should be a lower value LOAD SWITCHED HOT NEUTRAL Fig 1 Here s the schematic diagram for the Smart Strip When a device connected to the load sense lines is turned on the circuit powers up any device
181. icing Belsaw s official diploma acknowledging your l O Computer Repair Dept 64345 T Small Engine Repair Dept 53643 TVs and other electronics equipment accomplishment Gunsmithing Dept 92252 T Woodworking Dept 43522 Be Your Own Boss Send Coupon Today for j OPC Programming Dept 35163 Upholstery Dept 81191 k VCR Repair Deot 62448 T Saw amp Tool Sharpening Dept 21587 It s quick and easy to become an expert at home in your oo FREE Kit No Obligation l Q Viny Repair Dept 71124 spare time Earn really BIG money adjusting installing Don t miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity and repairing Satellite Dish Systems TVs Amplifiers Send in the coupon NOW Get all the facts and study I Name CD Players AM FM Tuners Home Entertainment them in the privacy of your own home There s 7 Centers Every home every business every office in your absolutely no obligation and no salesman will call on i Aahiress SolUudIIa y e NdO 9661 YEW area desperately needs your expertise you So don t delay Mail the coupon today i oo 1 Your Timing Couldn t Be Better Took in over 3 200 in the past 10 ee Never before and probably never again will you have State SS O Doubled my income within 6 weeks a ground floor opportunity like this to get into a R B Bakersfield CA Call Toll FREE 1 800 487 2100 a m m m m M Ml M March 1996 Popular Electronics wW oO W
182. ics Send for CIE s FREE Course Catalog and See How We Can Help Your Career Too Veteran Active Duty AH75 Cleveland institute of Electronics Inc 1776 East 17th Street Cleveland OH 44114 L A Class of One Since 1934 ED ee ee ee Check box for G I Bill Benefits l i i A School of Thousands l 31U0I199 5 JEINGOY 9661 YaseW gt J March 1996 Popular Electronics e e cnn ee S i i TABLE 1 TEST RESULTS Brand Model Price Video Measurements SP Mode Frequency response Signal to noise ratios Luminance level 100 IRE 50 IRE 10 IRE Chroma AM Chroma PM Audio Measurements Hi Fi Recording 0 dB reference level 1 kHz Output THD Flutter DIN Average Peak Signal to noise ratio Frequency response 3 dB Record Play THD 10 dB 100 Hz 1 kHz 5 kHz Conventional Recording 0 dB Reference Level 1 kHz Output THD Flutter DIN Average Peak signal to noise ratio Frequency response 3 dB Record Play THD 10 dB 100 Hz 1 kHz 5 kHz MTS Stereo TV Decoder Measurements Stereo Mode Left Channel Signa to noise ratio re 100 modulation THD 1 kHz 20 dB Frequency response Separation Mono Mode Signal to noise ratio re 100 modulation THD 1 kHz 20 dB Frequency response re 100 modulation SAP Mode Signal to noise ration re 100 modulation THD 1 kHz 20 dB Freq
183. ies across the country and small cities within each of four regions Northeast South Central and West Information is kept current via a low cost updatable plug in module Price 129 95 CIRCLE 73 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD UltraFinder Navigation Tool 15 March 1996 Popular Electronics Lez Some Corrections and a Call for Information LETTERS SORRY WRONG NUMBER An incorrect telephone number was inadvertently listed for the Gernsback BBS in the article Build an Autoranging Capaci tance Meter which appeared in the January 1996 issue of Popular Electronics The cor rect number iS 516 293 2283 Please do not use the number that appeared in that story We apologize for any inconve nience Editor SORRY WRONG PRODUCT regret to inform you that an item mentioned in the Elec tronics Gift Guide Gizmo Popular Electronics De cember 1995 has been discontinued The AT amp T TV In formation Center would have brought information services telephone answering and other services to the TV screen The market response from informa tion service providers and consumers was not strong enough to continue the product Offering at this time The picture that accompanied the product mention however is not the TV information Center as labeled but is the AT amp T 2 Line Personal Information Sys tem 882 The 882 is a screen phone for home offices that can Store up to 200 names and phone
184. ill take a look at TVI BCI and what to do about it signal source such as a ham transmitter or a broadcast station THE PROBLEM Any electronic product whether its a TV stereo ra dio receiver or microwave oven must do two things if it is to work as intended It must respond correctly to the signals or other stimuli ifs intended to respond to and it must not respond to other signals Unfortunately most consumer products do poorly in that arena To be more specific a profound lack of shielding and filter ing in common electronic products means that they often will respond to un wanted signals and all too often that unwanted signal will emanate from a ham transmitter such as yours Although the entire field of electromagnetic inter ference EMI is broader than we can cover here the basics of television in terference and some broadcast interference are easy to deal with Lets see how that s done FIXING THE TV SET There are only a few things that can be done to a television receiver but at least one is real simple Figure 1 shows the use of a high pass filter at the an tenna input of a TV receiver Commercial fitters can be bought at TV electronics parts distributors and ham radio distributors Both bal anced 300 ohm and unbalanced 75 ohm ver sions are available While that is a simple solution it does not always work For best results the filter should be connected direc
185. ine Total Customer Satisfaction At MicroCode Engineering we are commit ted to total customer satisfaction When you purchase CircuitMaker you have the confidence of knowing that a trained staff of professionals is available to serve you after the sale Our free unlimited customer service is second to none Whether you have general or technical questions they will be answered promptly by aknowledge able representative FREE Functional Demo A free functional demo is available on the Internet http www microcode com on CompuServe GO MICROCODE and on America Online keyword search CircuitMaker A demo can be purchased directly from MicroCode Eng for 10 co e 4 MicroCode o Engineering 573 W 1830 N Suite 4 Orem UT 84057 USA Phone 801 226 4470 FAX 801 226 6532 Printed Circuit Board Netlist Output The PCB output capability helps you complete your design cycle by generating a netlist that can be imported into any compatible PCB program This is not a costly add on product It comes standard with every copy of CircuitMaker PCB Program MicroCode Engineering also of fers a CircuitMaker compatible professional level PCB layout and autorouting program for just 299 Used in conjunction with CircuitMaker Autotrax completes a powerful end to end circuit de sign system Cal for details To order or request additional information
186. ions Inc 500 Bi County Blvd Farm ingdale NY 11735 Senior Writers Chris F O Brian and Teri Scaduto Copyright 1996 by Gernsback Publications Inc Gizmo is a registered trademark All rights reserved We also appreciated the savings of time and effort It s amazing how quickly a half hour show goes by when the commercials are removed You can zip through your favorite sit com in what seems like half the time Those folks who tape the afternoon soaps for evening or weekend viewing can watch a full three hour s worth in just over two and there s no work involved Couch potatoes are spared even the small effort required to operate the remote There are a couple of minor drawbacks to commercial free viewing First there s never a convenient time to grab a snack or take a bathroom break better take care of those necessities before you start watch ing Second there s the temptation to use the time saved in not watching commer cials to keep watching more and more TV something none of us needs We ac tually found ourselves contemplating tap ing a trashy four part miniseries before our better judgment kicked in People who use their VCRs for more than just taping and playing back commer cial television shows editing for in stance will be glad to know that the VR678HF has a lot more going for it than just its commercial advance feature The four head hi fi MTS stereo unit offers several different recordin
187. irement 3 volts DC at 85mA Size 10 5mm x 18 5mm LDM 5 New Low Price 59 95 VOICE ACTIVATED SWITCH wa This VOX circuit can amp be used to operate a This Manual contains schematics parts lists amp P C board layouts for many of the Rainbow Kits Use your own parts to construct our kits KIT BOOK 14 95 9 95 with the purchase of any kit tape recorder ham sect mamas radjo CB radio or turn on an alarm The VOX 1 kit has 100MA of output that operates a relay light motor What could you do with a sound activated switch Power require ment 7 5 TO 18vDC SIZE 1 5 x 1 3 Kit 6 95 Small but mighty this lit tle jewel will out perform Rea Most units many times mits price It really Stomps out a signal The WM 1 kit isa buffered wireless mike that operates from 80MHz to 120MHz FM the fre quency of any broadcast FM radio Includes a _smini electret mike_6 to 12v DC SIZE 1 25 x 1 KIT 14 95 DC VOLTAGE MONITOR If battery status is important you need this kit This kit uses 7 LEDs to monitor 12v DC in ii t2v or 1 4v steps Monitor 8v or 5v in 1 4v steps Great for boats motor homes modet planes or race car oi cads All parts and instructions are includ d SIZE 1 3 x 2 7 VM i KIT 7 95 s iir an WIDE BAND 7 PREAMP 4q The ideal preamp ore for scanners hand held radios fre quency counters Amplifies low level weak signals If the sign
188. is parts placement diagram as a guide when assembling the circuit board Note that pins 1 10 of DISP need to be connected together and to the indicated point on the board front edge of the microphone to sup port it more securely Note Be sure to use the microphone specified in the Parts List do not substitute any other electret microphone that might have a different sensitivity load or frequen cy response You can now insert the three DIP package ICs into their respective sockets Complete the assembly of your Analyzer by mounting the circuit board into a case If you use the Ser pac M case mentioned earlier the four holes at the edges of the board will match the four internal mounting posts of the case Place a inch spacer at the center of the back side of the case to support the board in place when the case is closed The spacer can be made from foam tape or a rubber pad of suitable thickness Checkout and Use When the unit is powered up the emitter of Q2 should supply a nominal 5 volts Also the voltage across iC2 should read about 2 5 volts At the junction of R7 and R8 the voltage should be larger than that across iC2 to light the first LED bar in a quiet room That bar is in the stress range which corresponds to no mod ulation It might be necessary to adjust the value of R7 depending upon component tolerances to obtain that condition As you speak higher LEDs shouid light in the display area mark
189. it ever was in Win 3 11 depending on your computer s BIOS But really like the way can have many different programs running and easily switch between them without Windows crash ing or running into memory problems At work might have Word Excel Mail Schedule and a few more pro grams all running at the same time with out any trouble At home can run a full length AVi movie on my 486 and use all the controls while the movie you ll need the Win 95 version of Word to take advantage of the operating system s ability to use long file names In addition the new Word has some neat new features for example mis spelled words are highlighted as you type Other companies are also rush ing to put out new software versions for Windows 95 Activision was the first company to send me a bunch of Win 95 updated software Its Action Pack and Action Pack 2 for Windows 95 are loaded with many of the old Atari 2600 action games you grew up playing but ready for Windows 95 Action Pack includes Boxing Chopper Command Cosmic BY MARC SPIWAK TECHNICAL EDITOR WINDOWS MAGAZINE Commuter Crackpots Fishing Derby Freeway Frostbite Grand Prix H E R O Kaboom Pitfall River Raid Seaquest Sky Jinks and Spider Fighter Action Pack 2 includes Atlantis Barnstorming Dolphin Dragster Enduro Ice Hockey Keystone Kapers Laser Blast Megamania Oink Plague Attack River Raid Il Skiing Stampede and Tennis
190. it in its turn through display modules DISP1 DISP6 The Counter will display up to 999999 On a following input the display wouid roll over to 000000 accompanied by a flash of LED1 Long pulse widths can he ions omy 43S3Y ONY HOLY HSLNNOO Jo S uy Fig 1 As this circuit diagram shows the Counter s display is made up of six individual modules DISPI DISP6 The digits are fed to those modules through U8 and U9 SMU0I I0 34 JeINdO 9664 YEW On March 1996 Popular Electronics PARTS LIST FOR THE FOUR MODE COUNTER SEMICONDUCTORS UI CD4069 hex inverter integrated circuit U2 UlI CD4013 dual D type fip flop integrated circuit U3 U5 CD4518 dual decade counter integrated circuit U6 U7 74C221 dual monostable multivibrator integrated circuit U8 74C926 4 digit counter with multiplexed 7 segment output driver integrated circuit U9 74C925 4 digit counter with multiplexed 7 segment output driver integrated circuit U10 U13 UIS CD4503 hex non inverting three state buffer integrated circuit U12 CD408 quad 2 input AND gate integrated circuit U14 CD4075 triple 3 input or gate integrated circuit U16 ICM7555 timer integrated circuit U17 LM 339 quad analog on three perforated boards be measured by keeping track of the flashes the widths of repeated pulses are summed The one second time base is de rived from a 2 MHz crystal oscillator comparator iateg
191. iting magnetic stripe false front TEMPEST Van Eck tap po spooling ea h ob super coo vibration pulse Igh voltage others Case histories law countermea sures detailed security checkilst jabeled internal pho tos esa ATMs contain up to 250 000 In cash Re cent 350 000 ATM crime spree still unsolved 39 Cardholders merchants banks suffer Billions in josses annually because of credit card fraud Describes every known means of credit card fraud and scams Prolect yourselfl 29 CONS SCAMS amp SWINDLES gt ons amp scams and related swindles fleece Americans of 100 Billlon per year The most pric ba survival manual on cons amp scams of all kinds from the classic to hi tech Details on 100s and mag varila tions And countermeasures Protect yourself 39 STEALTH TECHNOLOGY olice radar is fascinating it also nas eltor rates 0 20 Every known error mode stealth method and other and how VIRUSES TROJAN HORSES WORMS etc are Implemenied Dozens of computer crime and nais us How certain de emal magnetic ways applied to materlat used to minimize radar reflections tactic and pir ateay to fight unjust radar tickets that cost you n meuratice and risk cen methods to detecl and jam signals fully described 29 SECRET amp SURVIVAL RADIO Optimum survival and security radio equipment meth ods Ireq allocatlons a
192. itude to follow simple A B C repair procedures that are clearly outlined for you I decided to get in on the action and just look at me now Now I m really in the driver s seat I m doing what want to do I m my own boss set my own hours l m making more money than my wife and I ever dreamed possible Would you believe I m making twice whet I made driving a cab and I work only half as many hours Get in the FAST LANE on the New INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY Everyone s Talking About t s exciting It s gigantic The technology of booming business of your own make really big r P R is here today You ve been reading and money be your own boss and enjoy financial freedom Mail for FREE Information Package hearing about the amazing INFORMATION and security The fact you re reading tnis message Foley Belsaw Institute T 9 r a icf SUPERHIGHWAY It s so NEW that few tech shows you re smart enough to realize this 6301 Equitable Road nictans are equipped to service this fast G DL ce ae ee See eee ee ging field Foley Belsaw gives you Learn In Spare Time At Home i Kansas City MO 64120 1395 Since 1926 SATELLITE DISH technology including It s easy to learn in your spare time at home And J Please Check Only ONE of the Following New MINI DISH along with the electronics when you complete the course you will receive Foley 5 satellite Dish Dept 31220 QLocksmithing Dept 12761 expertise you need to make BIG MONEY serv
193. l ports 5 interrupt sources 3 timers A D D A PWM and digital 1 0 Built in Logic Probe Power supply car also be battery operated Extended Intel BASIC and AES Monitor in ROM RS 232 cable to connect to PC for programming 8051 52 DOS Cross Assembler Program disks with well documented examples User s Manual Language Manual and Text over 400 pages AES 10 285 Complete Money Back Guarantee Free Into Pack M C Visa 714 550 8094 Fax 714 550 9941 CALL 1 800 730 3232 advanced Educational Syatems 970 W 17th St Santa Ana California 92706 USA IMPROVE EQUIPMEN LLY save g1000 S amp a the Nationwide bee 4 for cable vipment BUY WHERE THE DEALERS BUY r W rentaypougnt tape Pome Cot ard RCP The clearest picture possible Nace playing back movies GUARANTE to eliminate copy protection No Rolls Jitters Flickers Fading Works on all TV s VCR s Beta amp Cable Gold Video Connectors amp Cables Included 2 Year Warranty SaR Guara ee me mmf VISION ELETRONICS 1 800 562 2252 2125 S 156TH CIRCLE OMAHA NE 68130 CALL NOWI Member Better Business Buresu VISA o MC COD Sw Your Cable Connection To The Stars Order your catalog today Converters amp Descramblers All Makes amp Models Quantity Discounts 30 day Money Back Guarantee Best Warranties COD MasterCard Visa Amex e Discover
194. lar Electronics had to find a different coil form At 3 75 inches in di ameter the Ovaltine container he came up with was a bit bigger than the Quick Grits one that used After cleaning off the metal foil glued to the inte rior of the container a small wire brush on a drill facilitated what must have been a maddening little task Bob wound his coil with 24 gauge Celanese covered wire purchased from Antique Electronic supply 6221 South Maple Ave Tempe AZ 85283 He reports that the wire looks quite similar to the tradi tional double cotton covered material that is until you Coat it with lac quer to bind it to the form when it turns a pretty pink Because of the change in form diameter Bob wound his coil a little dif ferently from mine Containing 60 turns it is tapped every ten turns for the first 50 then at turns 55 56 57 58 59 and 60 To make the turns on his coil nice and neat he con structed a special winder that worked rather well CRAFTING THE SWITCH PARTS Not being a wimp like me used modern rotary switches from Radio Shack dressing them up with period fluted knobs Mr Zinck crafted his own tap switches along the lines specified in the original NBS article But putting himself in the mind set of a 1920 s project builder he didn t hesitate to adapt the plans to take advantage of found materials Bob cut the switch con tact arms from an old brass mailbox a
195. ld the Ana lyzer in a moment But first let s take a look at lie detection methods of the past and at how voice stress analysis came about The History of Lie Detection Since the earliest days of civilization people have been faced with the problem of figuring out whos lying and who tell ing the truth To help determine that truth seekers throughout the years have developed many methods to gauge a suspects guilt or innocence Most of those methods relied on phys iological indicators such as sweating rapid pulse rates blushing rapid breathing trembling or shifting gazes One of the earliest recorded exam ples of physiological lie detection is found in the Bible That was when King Solomon stated he would divide a baby in half to determine by the reac tions of two disputing women who the baby s real mother was In India the guilt or innocence of a suspect was determined by forcing him or her to enter a dark room alone and grab an asp Those that grabbed the asp and lived were inno cent while those that were bitten or failed to grab the asp were guilty whether a suspect grabbed the asp was easy to determine the snake was coated with a layer of black soot that would mark the suspect s hand BUILD A VOICE STRESS Stress ACCULELE Norma See at a glance if you re being lied to with this innovative truth seeking circuit Needless to say few grabbed the asp and lived But in 1927 that a
196. lect your VCR brand from a list Of course there are too many models to list so just the brand is listed along with a number if there is more than one set of commands for that brand For example if you have a Fisher VCR you must select one of five command sets and test them to see which works with your specific model As we found out even if your brand is listed the correct command set might not exist Fortunately you can teach Vid eoDirector Home your VCR s commands with your existing remote control For maximum accuracy in your edits you can set record delay and pause delay times that is the length of time between when your VCR receives an infrared command and when it actually executes it The delay can be set either by seconds and tenths of seconds or by video frames When you re confident that Vid eoDirector will control your specific cam corder and VCR you re ready to start choosing the scenes you want to include in your finished tape First click on the New Tape icon and when prompted insert the tape into the camcorder VideoDirector then rewinds the tape to the beginning as a calibration aid Then hit the camcorder s play button or use the on screen cam corder s button and watch the video either on a Separate monitor or on the on screen J paa een oan ene SL corer Tape VideoDirector Home has an easy to use interface that anyone can learn to use TV if you have a video overlay
197. ll changed Tor turous and inaccurate methods of lie detection were replaced as science was finally applied to the task of gauging a suspects guilt The inven tion that resulted was the polygraph The polygraph detects chemical changes that occur in the body under the effects of stress Stress causes the adrenal glands to increase their out put resulting in increased pulse rate higher blood pressure deeper breathing and GSR changes During the 1960s the American mili tary sponsored research to develop a covert lie detector a polygraph ma chine is quite noticeable Methods ranged from using complex optical scanners to measure pupil dilation in frared scanners to monitor skin tem perature microwave interferometers to measure breathing and even odor detectors Also during that period some research was directed at de tecting stress levels in the voice Voice Stress Analysis t seems that a person s voice changes under stress In rare instances a voice can even crack Such changes make voice stress analysis possible Best of all as hinted at earlier a test subject need not be present conversations taken from a radio television tele phone or even tape recording can be used Now we ll examine just what causes a stressed individual s voice to change It has been known for a long time that all working muscles in a re laxed human body produce micro vibrations with approximately 10 Hz cycles More recen
198. ll walks of life from 15 to 70 have benefitted from this program Speed Learning is a fully accredited course costing only 1 4 the price of less ef fective speed reading classroom courses Now you can examine the same easy practical and proven methods at home in your spare time without risking a penny Examine Speed Learning RISK FREE for 15 days You will be thrilled at how quickly this program will begin to develop new thinking and reading skills After listening to just one cassette and reading the preface you will quickly see how you can achieve increases in both the speed at which you read and in the amount you understand and remember You must be delighted with what you see or you pay nothing Examine this remark able program for 15 days If at the end of that time you are not convinced that you would like to master Speed Learning simply return the program for a prompt refund See the coupon for low price and convenient credit terms RISK FREE ORDER FORM LJ YES want to try Speed Leaming for 15 days without risk Enclosed is the first of 4 monthly payments of 32 25 If I m not completely satisfied may return it for a prompt refund SAVE 8 00 prefer to pay the 129 00 now and save the 8 00 shipping amp handling charge may still return the program for a fuli refund Method of payment Federal Tax Deductible _ Check or money order payable to Learn Incorporated Charge to
199. ll work well The alignment of the photosensor assembly is not critical The only con cern is that one sensor be over a light area while the other sensor is at a transition from light to dark or dark to light There are many sensors that could be used though among the better choices are the Texas Instru ments TIL143 or TIL144 Digi Key also has similar devices from Omron Those are transmissive sensing units that contain a light emitting diode S31U01 99 3 seINdOY 9664 Y2JEW Oo par Electronics Now February 1996 oO NO encoding disc the PT stops con ducting and the collector voltage is high Two sections of U1 in Fig 2 U1 a and U1 c act as buffers and waveshapers for the outputs of the sensor while U1 b and U1 d generate a pulse at each transition of the sensors output The 100K resistors between the output and the input of U1 a and U1 c provide positive feedback to speed up the rise and fall times and also generate hysteresis to eliminate noise during the transitions The pulses produced by U1 b and U1 d at the transitions are the result of the delay produced by the R C cir cuits located at one input of each gate For example U1 b pin 5 follows the transition immediately while pin 6 slowly follows With the values shown the two inputs are different for about 100 us after every transition and while Fig 2 This circuit reads the alternating clear and dark sections and the direction of the inpu
200. ln consult on any device system process project alectronic computer mechanical op tical ex phone auto security radionic lab 3 energy HV EM RF Radar ultrasonic IR UV commo consumer for business personal In vention needs Describe amp Include 30 pre en gineering foe CE Eavan i ay amp ee esti 10 da fidentiall x ataiog niamous celiphone modification e T i detalled compre hensive covers all makes 10 times more Info than competitor s LpA Do Special Projects above to get up to date hardwareSottwara VOICE MAIL HACKING ox YMB systems are used and the spede Ways ey are hacked Includes ASPEN MES SAGE CENTER BIX GENESIS EZ SYDNEY PHDNE MAIL AUDIX CINDY CENTAGRAM SPERRY LINK RSVP etc Absolutely ha for all users sysops and security personnell 29 PBX HACKING 1 000s of PBXs are ackea to the tune of Billions yr While VOICE MAIL HACKING details how VMSs are hacked for phun and profit Including VMS methods lor hacking PBXs themseives PBX HACKING ad dresses ALL Issues relating to PBX hacking Including countermeasures Can your business or agency attord a 90 000 phone fraud loss the average loss due to hacked PBXs As described In Forbes Magazina 29 PHREAKING CALLER ID amp lt ANI Details on how they work and dozens of effective ways of defeating Caller ID ANI 69 57 and Cali Block Ing and 67 Also describes Caller ID Orange Belgas Chee
201. logies cata Call 513 752 0279 ro it P O Box 421 Batavia OH 45103 Educational Kits for the Serious Hobbyist 50 MHz Frequency Counter Reads frequency from tHz to SOMHz and displays it on a 16x1 character LCD display Auto range feature provides floating decimal point and automatically affixes the correct suffix Hz KHz of MHz Microcontroller based very few additional components 46 50 Caller ID RS 232 Connects between a telephone wall jack and an RS 232 serial port Decodes the caller ID data seni over the phone line and sends It to your computer in a pre formatted ASCII character string Create your own program to log the name number date time of all incoming calls 34 50 Home Automation Connects between a TW523 and an RS 232 serial port Use your computer to receive and transmit all X 10 commands Create your own program to control your home f automation system turning on off any device plugged into an electrical outlet with responce to time date or another X 10 transmission 38 50 Telephone Call Restrictor Connects to telephone wall jack Disables all phones on the line if attempting to either dial a number that has beer stored in memory Block Mode or dial a number that has not been stored in memory Allow Mode Use touch tone phone to enter telephone numbers into memory and choose mode Program from any phone onthe line using your password 35 00 DTMF
202. lver gray mineral which breaks into squares with mirror like surfaces In its essential parts a crystal detector consists of a piece of galena crystal mounted in such a way that a fine piece of wire at tached to a flexible handle can be made fo touch the surface of the mineral Crys tals of that mineral are not uniformly sensitive so that there are some spots that are not as sensitive as others In the operation of a crystal detector therefore the wire must be shifted with its flexible handle on the surface of the galena until a highly sensitive con tact is found If however the surface is jarred the sen sitive contact might be lost and even with use the sen sitiveness of a particular spot is likely to change No adjustment for receiving ra dio currents from only one transmitting station tuning is possible with a simple receiving set as all near by stations come in at the same time There are usu ally however few difficulties in its use because its range is very limited On the other hand it is very satisfactory for picking up radio broad casting from powertul nearby stations That about sums up Bob s and my own experience with those cranky little con trivances However it s important to note that the Meyer and Wostrel descrip tion refers to the simplest possible crystal set just a crystal detector set of phones antenna and ground With no tuned cir cuits then all radio stations wit
203. ly the system will advance through programming instead of commer cials That usually occurs when less than One minute of programming is shown be tween commercial breaks or if a program segment contains a lot of dark quiet scen es which could be misconstrued as black frames Having read those caveats before testing the Commercial Advance VCR we were prepared to be disappointed in its perfor mance Instead we were delighted The instances in which the VCR failed to de tect and skip a commercial were few and far between and those in which it passed over programming even fewer We re accustomed to watching taped programming with the remote control in hand ready to hit FAST FORWARD at the first sign of a commercial But even with years of practice under our belts we re no match for the Commercial Advance We tend to overshoot the commercial break and then have to rewind a bit to see the program ming we missed By the time we finish moving forward and back forward and back we might just as well have muted the TV during the commercials we really didn t save much time The Commercial Advance however fades in and out pre cisely on cue almost every time It s wonderful to automatically bypass all the commercials The television view ing experience is enhanced dramatically when it s not interrupted every few minutes by loud flashy exhortations to spend spend spend Gizmo is published by Gernsback Publica t
204. m R3I 12 000 ohm R4 R7 100 000 ohm RS5 000 ohm R amp 120 ohm CAPACITORS Cil 470 pF 16 WVDC dirti C2 47 pF 16 WYDC electrolytic C3 CS C7 0 01 pE ceramic dise C4 10 pF 16 W DC electrolytic ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS RY1 9 volt relay normally open contacts SPKRI 8 ohm speaker f Perforated board IC sockets wire solder hardware ete ect you have to replace the battery regularly As the battery voltage de creases the circuits sensitivity will change that is particularly true if the unit is triggered often To avoid the 12V extra expense of replacing batteries you might want to replace the battery Clip with two wires red and black can be used to indicate polarity so that you can hook up a 9 volt power sup ply Now you can install the ultrasonic transducer pair If you are not building the project from the kit you should make sure you are using a matched pair of 40 kHz transducers or the proj PARTS LIST FOR THE ULTRASONIC MOTION DETECTOR Fig 1 _ SEMICONDUCTORS 1C1 LM324 quad op amp dntegrated circuit 1C2 4049 hex inverter integrated Reeser sj panes ICT 78L 05 5 volt regulator integrated circuit QI BC639 NPN transistor D1 D4 1N4148 silicon diode DS5 1N4002 silicon rectifier diode LEDt Light emitting diode red RESISTORS AIL fixed resistors are 4 watt 3 lt units Rl R2 R15 100 000 ohm R3 Ri Rib R23 10 meg
205. mbled and ready for wiring To make a neat job of the wiring decided to run all of it beneath the board In order to accom plish that drilled a small pass through hole in the board near each terminal of each of the sets compo nents The interconnecting wires were then run from point to point under the board being fed up through the holes to con nect with the components used a bare bus bar wire similar to that found in early battery radios fo make the connections Short strips of electrical tape took care of insulating the wires where they crossed each other and strategically applied staples held the wires in firm con tact with the board thought that the result had an interesting period look something like the un derside of an Atwater Kent breadboard set The top of the set looked great foo especially after the two 01 A tubes were plugged in WE FAIL THE SMOKE TEST Wiring completed con nected a set of phones as well as a couple of surplus 45 volt B batteries To light the tubes hooked up a 6 volt DC wall transformer originally intended fo run a Sharp printer It was rated at a 1 2 amps more than twice the current drawn by the two 01 A filaments I d always wondered if one of those little power supplies would be suitable for firing up an 01 A So without waiting to connect the antenna and ground plugged in the wall trans former and advanced the filament rheostat
206. mcorder perfectly still so that the composition of the scene remains constant and just move the Flex iZone frame over the area of interest It s not quite automatic but we can t imagine it being more so The advanced features of the ES2000 do not make it a difficult camcorder to use A full auto mode lets the camcorder make all of the exposure and focus decisions Four other auto exposure modes are available to compensate for special recording environ ments Sports Portrait Spotlight and Sand amp Snow An auto exposure control wheel on the Jeft side of the camcorder is used to select the appropriate setting In the Sports mode the camcorder chooses the highest shutter speed possible for the lighting conditions That produces clearer images that can be analyzed frame by frame during slow or still playback but not on the ES2000 which doesn t support frame by frame playback The Portrait mode reduces the cam corder s depth of field so that the intended subject stands out from a softened fore ground and background The Spotlight mode is designed for recording scenes in which the subject alone is brightly lit such as a piano recital The Sand amp Snow mode is intended for recording when the back ground is so bright that the subject would normally be underexposed as the sun glares off the snow or water A backlight compensation button is provided to manually brighten the ex posure for scenes that have strong b
207. miles away was heard asking for a navigator to help him through shallow water These small regenerative receivers are ex tremely simple but do they ever perform This is a must book for the experimenter the survivalist who is concerned about basic com munication shortwave listeners ham radio pester who collect old receivers and just about anyone interested in old time radio Great book Fun to read ONE OF THE BEST old time radio books to turn up in years Heavily illustrated Order a copy today 8 1 2 x 11 paperback 260 pages only 16 70 Postpaid Guaranteed Free catalog included BIG CATALOG Discover exciting old radio books from de cades ago Big catalog packed with how to books on old time radio shortwave television Tesla coils lightning bolt generators motors magnets unusual science projects and equip ment amp much more Quality Write for your personal copy of this great catalog ee ee eee ee ee Tarn n 1 no s Technical Books Box 538 WJ1 Bradley IL 60915 pe e a copy of Short Wave a re SS So Manual Enclosed is 16 70 Chk MC f Visa Include a free catalog sisi J Name Address Cip eee OS Zip ee ee I l l CABLE TV DESCRAMBLERS WE CARRY A FULL LINE OF PREMIUM CONVERTERS AND DESCRAMBLERS e Scientific Atlanta Compatible e Jerrold Compatible e Tocom Compatible e Zenith Compatible e Pioneer Compatible e Oak Compatible SATI
208. mmediately be made aware of it via a flashing LEDI 100 POSITIVE INDICATION The CSD 18 also flawlessly detects Series and Paraliei telephone transmitters and Telephone Recording Devices And a separate feature silently indicates when extension phones are picked up or being used The CSD 18 completely eliminates all doubt and guesswork EXCLUSIVE LISTEN IN FEATURE The CSD 18 will even allow you to isten in to exactly what the eavesdropper is surreptitiously monitoring And without the eavesdropper ever becoming aware that he has been detected We are unaware of ANY other detection equipment having this combined capability AT ANY PRICEI eavesdropping device DETECTS THE LATEST SUPER BUGS Exclusve GSS proprietary circuitry assures the utmost privacy protection possible today The CSD 18 detects even the very latest ultra sophisticated eavesdropping devices specifically designed to defeat detection including sophisticated Frequency Hoppers and Burst Bugs Also Includes multi line option for testing business phones MAXIMUM PROTECTION The CSD 18 detects and locates ALL major categories of surveillance equipment including BUMPER BEEPERS BODY TRANSMITTERS TELEPHONE RECORDING DEVICES SERIES amp PARALLEL PHONE TRANSMITTERS INFINITY MICRO WAVE AND LASER BUGS amp ALL TYPES OF CONCEALED TRANSMITTERS including Video Computer and Fax Transmitters CSD 18 Complete Includes he
209. mponents in ine Audax of America A652 speakers Sel of drivers for two speakers 335 Cabinets specify black of clear oak sepa oo si Pre assemblad crossavers 102 palr Noes ianeous parts tor two Speakers There i g 10 chscourit when the entire kit is purchased Contact Madisound directly regarding curent pricing Bri shipping ang handing zie gaskets in the kit but there weren t any There was a roll of adhesive backed sponge rubber tape though so we figured that was for the gaskets It was no trouble at all applying the tape to the speakers perhaps even easier than applying actual gaskets would be The last step is to trim the speaker leads and solder them to the drivers That should be done as quickly and with as little heat as possible to avoid damaging the expensive drivers We trimmed off the excess wire tinned the leads and soldered That s all there was to it Before testing out the speakers the instructions say to check each speak er with a D cell for proper polarity Connecting a D battery to the speak er terminals should cause all drivers to move in the same direction It is also suggested to test them in mono with pink noise or FM interstation noise be fore applying an audio signal Break In Those tests out of the way we were ready fo have a listen to the A652s We won t get into the speaker wire debate but we will say that you Madisound FO Box 44263 Madison Wi 53744 Tal 608 831 44
210. mputer or automobile dashboard 7 cable with stereo 3 5mm plug Beige mike holder and cord CAT MIKE 25 50 eac RECHARGEABLE GEL CELL 12 VOLTS 3 A H Maintenance free recharge gt able gel cell battery An excellent back up power source for alarms communi cations equipment lighting or computers Can be used in any position and can be trickle charged for tong periods of iF d y time 5 3 X 2 63 X 2 39 case of 10 1 20 00 i TILLT SWIVEL MOUNTING BRACKET Ideal for video cameras small speakers video monitors and other equipment these aluminum brackets feature locking multi posi tion ratchet joints and a 360 degree swivel ratchet bast to YA provide endless mounting pos AY sibilities Originally designed for mounting cellular phones on j automobile consoles these c g4 brackets could be used for ham YS and CB applications as well The base plate is 3 55 X 1 97 The end plate is 2 08 X 1 77 and has an assortment of pre drilled holes for vari 00 9 FOOT DUAL AUDIO CABLE ARGE A R pA X 9 shielded dual audio cable with color coded Bae i red and yellow RCA style pin plugs either end Black cable 5 00 each _ ous applications Arms are CAT DCB 108 1 X 0 2 die cast aluminum 10 10 for 8 50 100 for 75 00 reach fully extended Flat black 1000 for 500 00 CAT SMB 1 00 each 10 for 65 00 Denso Brand 12 Vdc GEAR MOTOR
211. n s wireless Bay 09 7 video broadcasting Mi ag o y your system one trans F V station mitter and one re ne ithout the ceiver for the low expense For price of 99 You Py _ ust a the can order addition 4 Recoton system al receivers for oth a is like adding a er TVs for just 59 3 cable box vcr each ig and satellite Risk free offer 7 a y Ty The wireless video ia War Hore broadcasting sys tem by Recoton is backed by Com trad s exclusive risk free home trial Try it and if you are not completely satisfied simply return it within 30 days for a full No Questions Asked refund It also comes with a 90 day manufacturer s limited warranty Most orders are processed within 72 hours and shipped UPS Video Broadcasting System 99 9 S amp H Includes one transmitter and one receiver Additional receivers each 59 7 S amp H Please mention promotional code 173 PL 6647 For fastest service call toll free 24 hours a day o a To order by mail send check or money order for the total amount including S amp H VA residents include 4 5 sales tax Or charge it to your credit card by enclosing your account number and expiration date ELDERS poses INDUSTRIES 2820 Waterford Lake Drive Suite 106 Midlothian Virginia 23113 ae RICAN Out Out Ad Spots RCA COMMERCIAL ADVANCE MODEL VR678HF VCR Manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics 10330 No
212. n s Macintosh Handbook and more While the books include 4300 pages you only read what you have to based on your test results step 3 is where you evaluate your competency and practice taking tests until you re confident You test yourself against the clock just like the real exams Once you pass the first test in under an hour you can take the second third fourth and fifth tests to fine tune your test taking skills Each test presents 100 questions similar to the ones you would face in the real test Becoming A certified is a terrific way to advance your computer ser vicing career and the Heathkit indi vidual Learning System for the A Certification Program is a terrific way to prepare for the certification exams For more information on it contact Heathkit Educational Systems at the address given below or circle 119 on the Free Information Card E FOR MORE INFORMATION Heathkit Educational Systems P O Box 1288 Benton Harbor MI 49023 WE ACCEPT VISA MC MO coD F V5 SHIPPING amp HANDLING EXTRA GO ai BUY WITH CONFIDENCE FROM XANDI 30 DAY REFUND POLICY Powerful 2 stage audio amplifier Tunes 88 108 MHz XJ Up to 1 mile range w Requires 9V battery Not ind Sensitive picks up sounds at the level of a whisper SUPER MINIATURE FM TRANSMITTER Super small FM transmitter Use with any FM broad cast receiver Easy to assemble ali chip SMT parts are pre assembled to the circui
213. nd LED2 are selected to have c forward voltage drop of about 1 75 volts each 3 50 volts total at a current range of 4 to 15 mA as provided in the circuit Tran sistor Q1 has a dynamic V of about 1 50 volts so the LEDs provide a 2 00 volt ref erence across R2 with some temperature compensa tion Integrated circuit IC3 ta TLC272 is configured as a peak detector the output to your DMM should be a wisted pair wire not a shielded cable The 78L12 IC2 which can be powered by two 9 volt batteries in series provides a regulated 12 volts to the circuit The R terminals BP1 and BP2 must be heavy duty binding posts do not use test leads as that will intro duce errors greater than the value of R Resistor Rd the 0 005 ohm trimmer po tentiometer is simply a 2 inch length of tinned 24 gauge bus bar wire with the lead from pin 3 of IC3 terminated in a clip that will slide on the bus bar The circuit layout is not critical use short leads and mount the board in a shielded enclosure To calibrate the circuit first use a heavy shorting bar between the input ter minals push 1 test and adjust R5 NuLL for an output of 1 00 mV or whatever val ue is convenient for you The output can t ever actu ally reach 0 00 mV You ll have to subtract that null value from your actual readings Next replace the shorting bar with an accu rate resistance such as two 10 00 ohm 1 resistors in par
214. nd salvaged the switch tension springs from a scrapped farm generator Knobs were crafted from hardwood instead of the phenolic rod now ex coil tremely expensive specified in the article He did buy new binding post thumb nuts because spent No 6 dry cells the Original suggested source for those nuts are no lon ger part of the American scene I substituted some Fahnestock clips that had on hand THE AIR TEST Like me Bob quickly lost patience with the touchy Galena and cat s whisker detector substituting a more modern Crystal diode for the initial testing As it happens he lives within a mile of three brute AM transmitters operating at 780 920 and 960 kHz The stations at 780 and 920 come in clean on the NBS set 960 can be heard but has some crosstalk Audio level was good with the galena crystal and excellent with the 1N34 However Bob s visitors find the cat s whisker and rock so entrancing that the 1N34 is now permanently retired CRYSTAL RECEPTION FROM A 1920 S POINT OF VIEW While we re talking about crystal sets thought it might be fun to include a description of crystal detec tors written for beginners from Practical Radio by Moyer and Wostrel McGraw Hill Second Edi This ts the jig on which Bob wound his neat Ovaltine canister a TEN tion 1926 The crystal mineral that is most used is Galena lead sulphide This is a si
215. nd volcedata scramblingtncod ing Includes small recelversAransmitters telemetry antenna optimizations remote monitorin and control security survelllance and ultrasonic flber optlc and Infrared commo 70 circuit plans tables 29 VOLTAGE DEVICES iy devices pians aser Prod Lane fias ter Flasher Zapper AuR dar Jarier Fence Charger Plasma amp Van de Graal Gens Jacob s Ladder Galger Counter Ozone Gen Fish Stunner Plant Stim Kirllan more Alt plans for only 29 UNDER ATTACK Electromagnetic Interference and Electronic Waapon Attacks cause Cancer birth defects and profound psy chological neurological cardiovascular and Immune system disorders Destructive to people animals plants equipment includes ACTUA SE A ii Investigated I Includes how to vertly and pinpoint MI and electronic attack sources and effective counter measures 29 E Tutorlal and LAB DEVICES Optimum circuits freqs wavelorms duty cycles Intensities Thorough 29 Both 49 RADIONICS MANUAL citing electncat electronic electromagnetic therapeu tic diagnostic amp preventive devices mostly experimen tal History descriptions plans dozens avallabilitles cost 100s electricity costs pennies 29 HEAL THYSELF Plans for 3 major electronic therapeutic devices of types approved by FDA 19 Both 39 CRYPTANALYSIS TECHNIQUES iva powerlul mefiu driven yn programs in BAS source
216. ners Can build simple gadgets to promote suc cess where the elements work against you Some of the projects are over under temperature monitoring dusk dawn switching automatic plant watering warming cables etc Electronic Proj ects for the Garden eny 9 95 price includes Sipping ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY TO DAY inc PO Box 240 Massapequa Park NY 11762 0240 SILENT SAM Turn Signal Reminder This pat ented reminder keeps you from going down the road flashing inadvertently Just 30 00 postpaid Visa MC 30 day money back guarantee Great gift tor that forgetful someone Literature available oll Free 1 800 398 5605 l ELECTROSTATIC speaker kits Enjoy building and listening to this high tech 1 8 inch thin mane Easy low cost kite produce the udimate in sound quality Trade secrets revealed Caiaing starl manual 5 00 DAVID LUCAS Dept PE 924 Hulton Ad Oakmont PA 15199 pan FREE electricity using induction generator De tailed information 5 00 POWER PO Box 308 Caledonia Mi 49316 TEST EQUIPMENT TEST Aids All types RFT 1 s FTG s and cubes Internal or external 1 800 866 9511 909 986 0971 TEST Equipment Ballantine 323 RMS Voltmeter 150 00 HP 8553B RF Section 300 00 HP 7550A Plotter 250 00 HP 6140A Current Source 300 00 HP 1725A 275 MHz Oscilloscope 450 00 HP 3437A voltmeter 200 00 HP 5005A Signature Multimeter 300 00 HP 5006A Sig nature Analyzer 200 00
217. ng apologized for that and even fast forwarded through some of the dullest moments But there is no excuse for presenting such unexcep tional videos when there are easy solutions for editing the tape to remove the bad scen es and leave only the good Two products from Gold Disk VideoDirector Home and VideoDirector Suite not only make the process easy but they also make it fun by removing most of the tedium that is usu ally associated with manual editing VideoDirector Home is an entry level home video editing package Inter estingly nowhere on the package do the words edit or editor show up Per haps Gold Disk thinks that the idea of video editing would be too scary for con sumers Instead such phrases as Now your PC can make highlight videotapes automatically line the box The minimum PC system requirements for running VideoDirector Home is a 386 based computer with two megabytes of RAM and Windows 3 1 The package con sists of software and a smart cable that controls the source camcorder and the re cording VCR Installation is a snap The software on two diskettes installs like any other Windows software The smart cable plugs into either a 9 pin or 25 pin serial port The other end of the smart cable con trols the source deck and the record deck that are required for editing The source deck must be a camcorder that offers either infrared remote control capability or a LANC remote jack
218. ng to be said for giving them a listen now and again even when you aren t interested in knowing the weather Now that many modern scanners have instant one button access to this band its no bother to zero in on them Realize that virtually all populated areas of North America can regularly re ceive local forecasts on at least one of those frequen cies That represents a continuous signal source of a known strength that can be monitored at any time Its a perfect signal to use for comparison checking different scanners or anten nas Or you can use the signal to check out possible damage to your antenna system after a storm If the signal has decayed then your antenna system has a problem that might not oth erwise be readily noticed while scanning two way communications Next sometimes temper ature inversions and other short term conditions exist that produce unusual re ception on those frequencies For brief peri ods of time stations from considerable distances have been known to blast through at such strengths that they knock out the lo cal service on the same frequency Keep in mind that not all weather stations are high powered Many run less than 100 watts Some do no more than simulcast larger stations in nearby areas For the full scope of weather broadcast chan nels tune in to 162 40 162 425 162 44 162 45 162 475 162 50 162 525 and 162 55 MHz In Cana da try 161 44 and 161 775 MHz D
219. ng less than ImV e Line Load regulation rated less than 2mV e Output enable disable and Power off memory e Optional RS 232 interface capability LPS 304 LPS 305 f 30V 1A 30V 2 5A E 30V 1A 30V 2 5A SV 2A 3 3 5V 3A_ IE 399 599 LPS 105 LPS 106 LPS LPS 301 LPS 302 30V 34 K GOV 1A 15V 2A H 15V 4A H 30V 3A 30V 1A L 30V 2A L 3 6 5V 5A i95 245 249 29 LPS 303 30V 3A 369 469 219 199 285 350 379 569 20911 O Eg 800 245 0038 CIRCLE 46 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Mare you overpaying o your cable company You are if lt gt you are leasing their equipment e Forest Electronics Inc offers a complete line of New Cable Decoders and Converters that are fully Compatible with your cable system e All systems come with Remote Control amp Parental Guidance Feature Volume Control is also available e All Equipment is fully guaranteed amp comes with a 30 day money back option For More Information Call Us 24 Hours a Day At 800 332 1996 FAX 708 860 5048 DIGITAL STORAGE OSCILLOSCOPE printer port and turns it into a DSO 1 i gto Spectrum Analyzer Freq Counter DVM and Data a Accepts standard probes The O SCOPE is a pocket Size 89 3 module that plugs into a PC s 2 HHH TE BEE 3 ine i jil at L J E SPECTRUM Includes software amp instructions Made in U S A In
220. nge it emits a grow that increases to a high pitched squeal as the signal Strength increases XBD200 C Kit Uninterrupted coverage of 800 to 950 MHz Works with any scanner that can receive 400 to 550 MHz 800 950 MHz SCANNER CONVERTER K If your scanner can receive 400 550 MHz just add the XLC900 for uninterrupted 800 950 MHz cov erage It converts all 800 950 MHz signals down to 400 550 MHz so yOur scanner can receive them Add our custom case kit for that Professional took XLCIOG C ee 1 800 336 7389 1 602 731 4748 CIRCLE 134 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Smallest Phone transmitter an Tunes 88 108 MHz Up to 1 4 mile range Attach to phone line anywhere in house No batterie required 5 powered by phone line SUPER MINIATURE PHONE TRANSMITTER Worlds smallest FM phone transmitter Use with any FM broadcast receiver Easy to assemble all chip com ponents are pre assembied to the circuit board Law XSP250 E 2 Kit Use with any FM broadcast receiver Hear every sound in an entire house Up to 1 mile range Fes d a i Powerful 2 stage audio amplifier MINIATURE FM TRANSMITTER The XFM100 has a super Sensitive microphone and Is capable of picking up Sounds at the level of a whisper and transmitting them to any FM broadcast receiver Transmit high quality Stereo to any FM stereo receiver Built in output tevel monitor for quick and easy tuning ideal
221. nging Continued on page 9 S91U01 98 3 IeINdOY 9664 YEW March 1996 Popular Electronics co Creative Camcorder ES2000 CAMCORDER From Canon U S A Inc One Canon Plaza Lake Suc cess NY 11042 Tel 516 488 6700 Price 1599 A simple feature stripped camcorder can be an excellent choice for home vid eographers who are more interested in get ting something on tape than the process of shooting videos They want taped memen tos but they don t see videography as a fun hobby However videographers who want to make good looking interesting Creative videos need the proper tools Canon s newest top of the line compact Hi8 camcorder the ES2000 is an ideal tool for the creative videographer It has a slew of convenience features and an extra helping of quality built in The first feature worth noting is the unit s 20 X power zoom leris to date the industry s longest True you might see a camcorder offering a greater zoom range but it won t be an optical zoom Instead many camcorders offer a combination of optical and digital zoom for example an optical 10 X zoom lens with a 2 x digital zoom Unfortunately digital zooming in herently reduces the picture s resolution because it works by magnifying the image on the camcorder s CCD image sensor The result is a picture that is composed of fewer pixels As the magnification in creases the image s resolution decreases The ES2000 s
222. nlimited technical support syntax errors e 30 day money back guarantee And in minutes Not hours or days Engineer s Pack 9599 Electronics Workbench You ll be up and running sooner And create 2 450 models Import Export SPICE netlists better designs faster with Electronics Workbench e Export to PCB packages We guarantee it To discover more about the affordable mixed signal simulator call us today at INTERACTIVE IMAGE TECHNOLOGIES LTD 908 Niagara Falls Blvd 068 North Tonawanda NY 14120 2060 g QO 0 2 6 3 dii 5 5 5 2 Telephone 416 977 5550 BBS 416 977 3540 CompuServe 71333 3435 E mail ewb interactiv com Fax 416 977 1818 Internet http www interactiv com Australia 25193933 Brazil 114535588 Cyprus 262 1068 Czech Replubic 424823454 Denmark 33250109 Finland 0297 5033 France 149089000 Germany 711427740 Greece 15249981 llungary 12150082 Indiz 11 5441343 Ys Indeanesia 21 4700815 Israel 3647 5613 Italy 11437 5549 Japan 343823136 Malaysia 3774 2189 Mexico 55945260 Netherlands 18031 7666 New Zealand 9267 1756 Norway 2216WH3 Philippines 973770118 Portugal 18146609 Singapore 777 2303 Slovenia 61 317830 South Africa 33468309 South Korea 222223431 e Spain 13838335 Sri Lanka 1 965970 e Sweden 87405900 Taiwan 886 2300008 Thailand 6623986952 UAE 4453505 UK 204233216 INTER TIVE Trademarks are property of their respec
223. now in a challenging and rewarding new field where only the sky is the limit Daniel Wade Reynolds industrial Electrician Ore ida Foods CIE was recommended to me by my boss it was appealing since could study at my own pace at home and during business travel Dan Parks Marketing Manager Consumer Products Analog Devices inc loved the flexibility CIE offered it was the only way could continue both school and my demanding job Britt A Hanks Director of Engineering Petroleum Helicopters inc liked the way the school was set up with laboratory assignments to enforce conceptual learning The thing which impressed me the most about CIE s curriculum is the way they Show application for ail the theory that is presented Daniel N Parkman Missile Electro Mechanical Technician U S Air Force Completing the course gave me the ability fo efficiently troubleshoot modern microprocessor based audio and video systems and enjoy a sense of job security Tony Reynolds Service Manager Technician Threshold Audio amp Video Graduate with an Associate ee from CIE career skills Each lesson is designed to take you step by step and principle by principle And while all of CIE s lessons are designed for independent study CIE s instructors are personally available to assist you with just a toll free call The result is practical training the kind of experience you can p
224. nsed transistor QI switches on lighting LEDI 33pF p 1 5 8 INCHES Fig 2 If you d like to etch your own board use this full size template SIGNAL OUT 33pF 1 6 4049 en CH BZ2 SOIUOIVE A JENdOd 9661 YEW n aN Electronics pular a ae 8 9g P e o a ees O a a na ee ee e T E those two parts look alike so be care fulnottowconfiuse them Also install the LED Make sure all those parts are ori ented as shown in the parts place ment diagram Now solder IC sockets for IC1 and 4 t 2 to the board noting the proper SIGNAL OUT SEE TEXT Fig 3 When assembling the circuit use this parts placement diagram as a guide Note that BZ and BZ2 surface mount on the foil side of the board Fig 4 This simple circuit can be used with the Motion Detector to provide a two __ minute alarm tone when motion is detected placement of the notches indicated in Fig 3 Insert the ICs into their respec tive sockets Connect the leads of the 9 volt bat tery clip to the board next Now is a good time to note that if you do plan on using a battery to power the proj PARTS LIST FOR THE ALARM CIRCUIT 4 C1 iC3 555 timer mera circuit Ol 2N3055 NPN transistor DI IN4148 silicon diode D2 D4 IN4001 silicon rectifier diode RESISTORS AIL resistors are 4 watt 5 units Ri 2 2 megohm R2 R6 10 000 oh
225. nteer basis a local TVI committee found a situation where a complainant s FM yagi an tenna was aimed directly at the ham s HF antenna The short distance between them caused a huge over load situation When we reoriented the antenna the BCI disappeared The pat tern of the typical FM TV antenna is not very narrow so it can be oriented a little off axis and still work well TVI BCI can be a perplex ing and maddening problem to both the ham and his neighbors If some one complains remember your manners in dealing with it Until we meet again can be reached via snail mail at PO Box 1099 Falls Church VA 22041 and by e mail at carrjj aol com E temperature compensated by D1 a 1N34A germanium diode A stabile voltage of about 375 mV is then pres ent across R1 and a constant current of 0 5 mA flows through the resistor divider The net tempera ture coefficient is complex but remains below 2mv P C due to the inter action of the diode and transistors Darlington pair Q2 handles all the bias cur rent except for the 600 pA needed to bias the refer ence All parts are available from Electronic Goldmine PO Box 5408 Scottsdale AZ 85261 Skip Campisi S Bound Brook NJ Wow you put a lot of thought into this relatively simple circuit As Skip point ed out in his original schematic the resistors need only be watt units We re completely out of room for this month l Il see you all a
226. nto lie detectors deceived and much morel A comprehensive information package JAM PACKED FULL of some of the most exciting and fascinating reading Imaginable Reads like a James Bond novel with one Important exception TS NOT FICTIONI THE ONE BUG TO FEAR MOST While most individuals are now somewhat guarded in their telephone conversations they still rather naively feet secure in the privacy of their own home or office However the most common type of tap presently used by eavesdroppers now picks up ALL SOUNDS AND CONVERSATION WITHIN A ROOM WITH THE TELEPHONE STILL ON THE HOOK Due to this devastating capability this infinity tap variously referred to as Infinity Transmitter Hookswitch Bypass 3rd Wire Harmonica Bug etc has become the bug of choice In flagrant violation of federal law prohibiting their use and sale these devices in various forms are openly advertised In many technical publicatlons for as ltte as 30 Literally thousands of these devices are now in the hands of unscrupulous individuais all over the country In response to this ever growing threat a uniquely engineered feature of the CSD 18 now also detects Infinity type devices anywhere down the line In other words if ANYONE ANYWHERE is utilizing the telephone tip and or ring wires to monitor your private room conversations while your telephone is on the hook you ll i
227. numbers for easy dialing and can display caller ID infor mation It has been in the marketplace for eight months and has been well received by consumers M H AT amp T Consumer Products Parsipanny NJ TRANSISTOR HISTORY Many of your readers will know that the transistor was dis covered by Bardeen and Brattain of Bell Laboratories in late 1947 use the word dis covered rather than invented because they had a good idea what they were looking for and the device that they accidentally created the point contact tran Sistor was nothing like it It was to be four more years before a working junction transistor which is what Schockley the Bell Labs theorist was really seeking was made In the interim Bell licensed their point contact technology to many commercial firms and millions of point contact tran sistors were made That was despite the fact that the opera tion of the device was very poorly understood in theoretical terms and its production used a highly empirical technique so called forming That involved fusing the point contacts to the germanium die using current pulses and was far more of an art than a science The resulting Structure usually of PNP polar ity had a common base current gain alpha considerably greater than one That shows just how different the device was from the standard transistor that we all know About 100 different types of point contact transist
228. o 49 95 ea MC SPECIALTIES I Year Warranty No FL Sales Not for use in cable vo owned equipt For test or repair only Name City State Address Phone BE AN ELECTRICIAN E AN ELECTRICIAN Home study Maintain and install electrical systems wiring utilities phones and more FREE LITERATURE 800 223 4542 Age The Electrician School PCDI OPT TEC341 6065 Roswell Road Attanta Georgla 30328 ee ee ee Oe ee ee CRYSTAL CONTROLLED SURVEILLANCE VHF amp UHF Sonena aee Countersurveillance Aiso Tunable 70 to 305 MHz Kits We Design amp Manufacture Our Equipment Custom Design FOR CATALOG SEND 2 00 TO SHEFFIELD ELECTRONICS CO P O Box 377940 B Chicago IL 60637 7940 Tel 312 324 2196 There s No Easier Way to TROUBLESHOOT AND REPAIR Your Electronics It s easy fast and rewarding to do it yourself with the Electronics Repair Manual ES HiFi Stereo ethic rene ie Amplifiers ache Electronics Repal Manual e 900 PAGE MODULAR FORMAT MANUAL TROUBLE ANALYSIS FLOWCHARTS SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS HANDS ON DETAILED TROUBLESHOOTING INSTRUCTIONS e HOW TO PRIMER FOR TEST EQUIPMENT SUCH AS Turntabless Shortwave Radios a ir Instructions OSCILLOSCOPES specific PeT ratic Diagrams FREQUENCY component Manufacturer Indices COUNTERS AND VIDEO ANALYZERS SAFETY PRECAUTION CHECKLISTS
229. o R15 where R15 2 x R17 When the output of IC3 b goes positive it is integrated by R10 and C16 for a fast response During pauses in speech or under stress the voltage developed on C16 bleeds off through the longer time constant caused by C16 R18 and R19 That allows the bar graph display DISP4 to show the sig nal quickly and with a fast attack time and to hold the value with a slow re lease time during pauses in the speech process The display is controlled by IC4 an LM3914 bar graph driver Transistor Q2 is configured as an emitter follower that buffers the output voltage refer 9V C13 17 10 DISP1 F Sey fe Sale 18 12 AN w 17 13 Paas w AAN s Slo fig 1a 10 SHS fig w 19 7S Ia 12 ol SH Lig 1 wo SEQ 2 fig so 20 Sey avr 9V 22 1 iH 4 SHUOIOG seiNdoY 9664 YOIEW Fa ow March 1996 Popular Electronics J J 0000000 09 e A Aa 5 yt t Oi og Dilah FEE seclCebunee tt re 00 o o Foa 00 5 Odo 0 o pene DO 000 2 5 8 INCHES je 2 5 8 INCHES _ Fig 3 The solder side of the Analyzer PC board is shown here ence of IC4 to reduce power con sumption The transistor supplies a regulated voltage to U1 and the high end of the voltage divider that makes up the internal reference voitages for the comparators inside IC4 The low end of that voitage divider string is referenced by IC2 an LM336Z at
230. o build things Speakers should be no exception If you are good at woodworking you might want to consider doing the job from scratch But if you are not or would like the security of having someone else do the work of selecting drivers and doing the cabinet and crossover design why not consider going the kit route In the balance of this article we ll examine the authors experience in building a speaker kit After that you can decide for yourself whether or not it is something you would want to tackle on your Own The A652 Speaker Kit speaker building is a hob by within itself within the electronics hobby in gen eral But people who de sign good sounding speakers have acquired very special skills that are highly regarded by audio enthusiasts One such indi vidual is Vance Dickason who was hired by French speaker manufac turer Audax to design a series of speaker kits The kit we ll be looking at is the Audax Of America A652 from the Vance Dickason Signature Series which is distributed by Madisound speaker Components The A652 is sort of a middle of the road in the high end arena and when the com plete kit is purchased costs less than 650 for a pair You can pay more and you can pay less for speakers so we decided to go halfway and build a pair of A6 52s The Audax A652s are a hefty pair of speakers for their size considering that they measure only 25 inches high
231. of Y_2 the units but they NI are unused and CATH e functional sH 10 for 45 00 each PHN 8 ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER SET Murata Erie MA40A3R amp MA40A3S 40 Khz transmitter and receiver matched pair Band width 4K hz Ideal for remote control systems burglar alarms flow rate detectors etc 0 64 diameter X 0 47 high CAT UST 40 MINI 12 VDC wae a nde 12vdc 54 ohm miniature sale noid Coil mounted on U bracket Bracket size 0 36 x 0 43 x 0 81 long 1 65 long plunger extends DE from both sides E i of coil Spring return Can be 10 for 10 00 used for both CAT SOL 23 push and pull action Special Pricing 2 CONDUCTOR LINE CORDS 6 18 2 WHITE SPT 2 insulation Polarized 2 prong plug 50 per pair CAT ih a 15 C 30 AUDIO CASSETTE Manufactured without record prevent knockout IN TERNET T USERS Visit Our Web Site http www allcorp com alicorp MULTI MEDIA ELECTRET MIKE amp HOLDER This is a very cool looking micro 24 phone originally designed for use with a Media Vision multi media package It has an i electret element so gt it requires a little A voltage to operate The overall size of the mike is 1 5 high and 0 64 thick including the pocket clip on the back Also included is a little plastic holder with an adhe sive backing which allows the mike to be stored or used while attached to a co
232. oftware includes SCS Interface Card 359 A6000C TK Optional Transparency Kit 359 DIGITAL PANEL METERS 200mvV Full Scale Input sensitivity Single 9 Volt DC Operation Decimal Point Selectable e Auto Polarity Indication 259 e High Input impedence AS LOW AS 5 25 EACH gt 100M ohm PRICE EACH CAT NO DESCRIPTION 1 10 25 100 250 PM 128 3 1 2 Digit LCD Panel Meter 9 90 7 09 640 5 86 5 25 11 49 954 867 7 95 6 95 19 88 1640 1490 13 66 11 93 PM 129 PM 328 3 1 2 Digit LED Panel Meter 4 1 2 Digit LCD Panel Meter Teac Tape 700 1 1 4 This very easy to use tool is a must have if you need to straighten the pins on your IC s Made from anti static material this tool is suitable for IC s from 8 to 20 pins narrow side and 24 48 pins wide side A grounding terminal is also built in to the tool al T PRICE EACH lowing for easy groundingwhen using catno 1 10 100 this tool at a fixed location ICS 01 7 18 6 44 4 89 PC21 8902 AT BUS PC232904 Multi BUS Soad Length 13 1 8 333mm Board Width 4 5 16 110mm e Double Sided 3 Hole Solder Pads and Power Buses Space Reserved for Header 32x2 0 1 Spacing and Pin Grid Array Vector Cross Ref 4617 Board lence 12 305mm Board Width 6 3 4 171mm Double Sided Pad Per Hole and Power Buses Space Reserved for 1 Header 100x2 0 3 Spacing PRICE EACH Vector Cross Ref 4608 CAT NO 1 5 PRICE EACH PC
233. ohm R4 2200 ohm R45 220 000 chm R6 R20 1000 ohm RE RIO Ri4 I megohm RIT RI2 1 2 megohm R13 R16 R19 10 000 ohm R17 47 ohm R22 150 00 ohm R23 1 megan potentiometer CAPACITORS Cl CIQ l uF ceramic disc C2 C6 CT00L HE ceramic dise C3 C4 C8 0 dT uF ceramic disc C5 100 pF ceramic disc C9 100 LF 1 WVDC electrolytic CH Cl2 33 pF ceramuc dise ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS XTALI 40 kHz crystal B24 1 40 kHz ultrasonic receiving transducer part of matched pair See text B2Z2 40 kHz ultrasonic transmitting transducer pan of matched pair see Text Bi 9 volt battery see teat Prnted circuit matenals IC sockets battery connector with leads wire solder hardware etc Note The following is available from Marlin F Jones amp Assoc Inc 33403 0685 Tel 407 848 8236 Fog 800 4 FAX YES complete kit of parts including printed circuit board 6049 KT 27 95 plus 5 00 shipping and handling Florida residents please add 6 sales tar ect will not work You can get the Transmitter Receiver Pair from Elec tronic Goldmine FO Box 5408 Scotts dale AZ 85261 Tel 602 451 7454 as part number G5721 Contact them for more information The transmitting transducer BZ2 has a T suffix on the number stamped underneath it The receiving trans ducer B21 has an R suffix Neither part is polarized Tag solder each trans ducer on i
234. oke and Tobie Clock alam or alarm Clock your choice Wide fied of vew Video Cameras and super 1 lux low light sensitivity Undetectable TC 70 High quality B W with 420 lines of 1 a SC 600 Ea 7 resolution for ultra sharp images Direct output of videa and audio 2 9 95 ea Best price on surveillance cameras ras anywhere Telephone Transmitter Kit hidden in duail moduiar adaptor Transmits both sides of conversation to ny RM radio up to a mile SnapKit technology Uses phone tine for er and antennal Goes completely unnoticed Mia 100 95 5 9 5 ST High quality cassette deck plugs LLA directly into telephone jack Records up to THRG S N A Recording starts and stops automatically when ed prone is used Vig a MC 214 255 7490 ecomer 99 95 Free shipping Check Money orders also accepted Seymor Radix Inc Box 166055 E Irving TX 75016 Now you can visit us on the intemet at ttp Awew why net home sr Complete Grid 265 Five Year Warranty 12 hours of conversations on a single cassette Quality Microwave TV Systems WIRELESS CABLE ITFS MMDS ATV INTERNATIONAL S BAND Amplifiers Antennas Books Components Filters Systems Video Products e RF Frequency 1990 2700 MHz e Cable Ready VHF UHF Outputs e SASE For FREE Catalog or Send 1 PHILLIPS TECH ELECTRONICS PO Box 8533 Scottsdale AZ 85252 CHALLENGER SYSTEM ORDER LINE 8O00 880 MMDS 33 Channel 52dB Gan CATALOG INFO 6
235. omponent radio CD player tape player and an RCA Digital Satellite System receiver Many of the buttons on the remote play dual roles depending upon which compo nent has been selected Despite its multi functionality we found ourselves using the remote less often than usual thanks to the Commercial Advance feature So have we cut down on our consumer spending since we began using the Com mercial Advance VCR Definitely not now we want to go out and buy our own Commercial Advance VCR a S 21U01 99 3 JeINdOY 9661 YHE wo March 1996 Popular Electronics ooh O That s a Wrap VIDEO DIRECTOR SUITE V2 5 and VIDEO DIRECTOR HOME V1 0 Pub lished by Gold Disk Inc 2475 Au gustine Drive Santa Clara CA 95052 Suggested retail prices 199 95 Suite and 99 95 Home Estimated street prices 99 95 and 49 95 Yes little children can be cute and ev eryone deserves a nice vacation once in a while yjust don t force us to watch a video of either one Of course like everyone else we ve found ourselves at a friend s or relative s parked in front of a TV with no way out watching 45 minutes of something such as little Billy s first birthday party How excit ing Now we love little Billy too And to be honest there were several truly entertain ing scenes in the video along with the 40 minutes of boring footage At least our friends recognized that most of the tape was less than stimulati
236. on Technology New clocking circuits to stabilize color and picture performance The most advanced picture locking circuitry Inverted Video Option is available f NOCONVERTER BOX is necessary The Halcyon Group 0 60A SURVEILLANCE FM TRANSMITTERS MINI KITS e 3 VOLT FM XMTR up to 300 ft indoors 1500 ft outdoors PHONE XMTR range to 500 ft uses phone line power Sound Activated XMTR range to 500 ft 2 STAGE XMTR 9 Volt very powerful All above require simple soldering at 2 to 4 places 29 95 ea TELE FM WIRELESS MONITORING SYSTEM Kit 99 00 TELE CALL FORWARDER Transfers incoming calls 99 00 CALLER ID Registers incoming number 99 00 TEL REGISTER WITH PRINTER Records dialed number duration and prints record 139 00 12 HOUR LONG PLAY RECORDER Modified Panasonic Records 6 hrs on each side of 120 tape supplied Compatible with VOX and Tel Rec Adapter 119 00 VOX VOICE ACTIVATED SWITCH Makes re corder self activating with voices or other sounds 28 50 TELE RECORDING ADAPTER Records incoming and outgoing calls 28 50 TELEPHONE SCRAMBLERS Over 4 000 separate codes 199 00 VOICE CHANGER Changes man s voice to lady s and vice versa 49 00 For Shipping amp Handling add 5 00 and 2 00 per item Colo residents add sales tax Mail Order VISA M C COD s y o k Inquire for dealer prices Free catalog
237. on t write those sta tions off FROM READERS Neil Oosten of Hornby Ontario Canada suggests that Toronto scanner owners punch up 150 67 and 151 79 MHz on their scanners Those are the CHFI AM FM traffic heli copter frequencies and offer excellent monitoring COMPUTER BITS Continued from page 6 sponding switch settings and drive letier specifica tions for booting various operating systems One concern had in building the SCSI Switch was whether running the ID lines through the RF noisy en vironment of the computer would cause trouble lve experienced none but caution is advised Another concern is that the 2 mm pins are very short so the connection is not rock sta ble As long as the PC remains stationary prob lems are unlikely but jostling the computer could dis lodge a jumper Using the device is sim ple just set the DIP switch to the desired operating sys tem configuration and reboot Apparently the jum fare They are also used by CHYM FM in Kitchener On tario Toronto s CHUM AM FM runs its traffic helicopter operations on 153 35 MHz while CFRB does the same on 162 33 MHz Neil asks if we can come up with the frequencies used by his favorite IndyCar drivers No problem so be sure to fake your scanner along next time Scott Goodyear uses 463 7375 and 468 7375 MHz Jacques Villenueve is on 466 5375 MHz Bobby Rahal hoids down 463 8875 466 3125 468 2625 and 469 2625 MHz P
238. ope Page 46 POPULAR ELECTROMICS SSM 1042 170 Published manthly by Gornsbeck Publicafions Inc 500 Bi County Boulevard Farmingdale NY 11735 Second Closs postage paid af Farmingdale NY ond ot additional mailing offices One year henbe issues subscription rote U S ond possessions 21 95 Conoda 78 84 indudes G 5 7 Conodion Goods and Services Tax Registration No 21257646280 oll other countries 2945 Subscription orders payable in U S funds onty Internofional Postel Money Order or check drawn en a US bank U S single copy price 2 50 Copright 1995 by Gernsback Publications Inc All fights reserved Hands on Eloctronics and Gizmo trademarks ore registered in U S and Canedo by Gersback Publications Inc Popular Electronics irode mork is registered in U S and Canada by Electronics Technology Taday Inc and is licensed te Gerneback Publications Inc Printed in USA Postmasier Please send address changes to Popular Electronics Subscription Dept P O Bax 338 Mount Morris IL 41054 9932 A stomped sel oddressed envelope mus accompany all submitted manuscripts and or artwork or photogrophs if their raum is desired should thay be rejected We disclaim any responsibility for the loss or damage of manuscripts and or artwork or photographs while in our possession or otherwise As o service to readers Popular Electronics publishes available plans or information relating to newsworthy products techniques and scientific and techna logic
239. or were made the majority in the US a dozen or so in England and even one or two in France and Germany Today the existence of that device type is known only to historians and very few Specimens survive The early development of the semicon ductor industry from 1947 up to about 1960 is a major interest of mine particularly the point contact transistor lf any readers have interesting information or anecdotes from that period data books or sheets circuit cards or early semiconductor devices would like to hear from them DR ANDREW WYLIE 21 Brancaster Lane Purley Surrey CR8 1HJ England HAVES amp NEEDS am a student in an electronics class and would be very grate ful if any of your readers would send me a schematic diagram of the Sherwood amplifier model S 9500 serial number T 501859 Thanks CHARLES KWONG WOH 319 8511 Westminster Highway Richmond B C Canada V6X 3H7 am in need of the schematic for a Panasonic RF 4800 or RF 4900 communications receiver and a schematic for a Bogen LS 330 PA amplifier made by Lear Siegler Inc also need a C R T T52P2 for a Tektronix 532 scope need an old VTVM to make into an impedance meter and a bench power supply about 30 to 50 volts adjustable single or dual type l have the 1804 and 1821 plug ins for a Hewlett Packard scope If anyone needs them will sell both for 120 but they need repairs CRAIG KENDRICK SELLEN Box 1038 RR 1 58 B Wayma
240. ork with the latest and greatest cards and hear nothing but woe from IDE users about backward compatibility In conclusion the PC ar chitecture has its faults such as the way it wastes disk sector storage space but its openness and flex ibility allow creativity in finding solutions to unusual problems S94u0193 3 JeiNdod 9664 YEW y March 1996 Popular Electronics This book and CD ROM pack fifth edition are state by state The CZ 20 QuickSilver is an age contains a wealth of frequency lists which appear On underwater version of Fisher s information for the modern ama the pages facing the maps The popular QuickSilver target ID teur radio operator PerCon frequency lists are organized detector The CZ 6a is hailed as Incorporated s CD ROM which alphabetically by city for ease of the next generation QuickSilver will operate on DOS Windows use metal detector and Macintosh systems con The U S Repeater MapBook The Metal Detector Catalog tains the complete FCC with CD ROM costs 29 95 and ig free upon request from Fisher Amateur Radio Callsign is published by Artsci PO Box Research Laboratory Dept PE y S Re eater database enhanced with addi 1428 Burbank CA 91507 200 West Wilmott Road tional information not available Tel 818 843 4080 Los Banos CA 93635 K apBook from any other source The Fax 818 846 2298 Internet Tel 800 M SCOPE 1 book shows open repeaters http www eart
241. orld Recordings of actual off the air reception are wel comed and cassettes will be returned No return postage is required and a program schedule is free for the ask ing Fredheim says Radio Norway International beams programming to North America at 0300 UTC on 6 030 kHz and at 2200 UTC on 6 195 kHz The half hour English program Norway Now featuring news commentary and features is heard only during the Sunday trans missions Remember though that because of the time differences from UTC the 0300 UTC Sunday transmis sion is actually heard Saturday night in North America The station spokesman reminds SWLs that a good shortwave radio an antenna and a measure of patience are necessary prerequisites for short wave listening Since Radio Norway International broadcasts in English only once a week contact with listen ers is particularly important We need to know you are with us NORDIC NEIGHBOR Once quite a few years ago Norway s neighbor to the south Denmark was itself something of a major shortwave player That was back when Radio Denmark s 50 kilo watt transmitter could match the SW signals from any European country Little Denmark though failed to keep up when other international SW broadcasters upped the ante first to 100 then to 200 and finally to as much as 500 kilowatt transmitting units Several years ago Denmark opted for a different path for its inter national radio s
242. ot only test your radar detector BUT it s tuned to the amateur radio band e While your out on American highways personally test yours and your fellow travelers radar detectors The ZAPPER ll is a 10 450 GHz to 10 550 CW oscillator It has a code key jack installed for those who want to send Morse code eur 49 TV NOTCH FOR CHANNELS 2 thru 22 ONLY 839 FILTERS Our TV filters eliminate unwanted TV channels or interference that alters both sound and video with a beep beep beep Works on cable channels 2 thru 22 only NOTE All TV Filter Kits are sold for educational purposes only You must obtain permission from your local cable company before using these filters on your cable system kit 14 95 Do you need an attention getter warning light or flashing light for model airplanes Then this kit is for you Use it as an emer gency light for your auto radio tower even use it on your bicycle Has a variable flash rate Power requirement 6 or 12v DC Size 3 5 x1 9 ST 1 Kit 9 95 MICRO LIGHT Visible Over 1 Mile This is truly an indestructible flash light e Comes in red or sane light gt Bulb will not burn out Uses a 5 year shelf life lithium battery Case made of tough ABS Great for making a gun sight use as a transit makes a super experi menters project The beam is visible with a wavelength of 670 nm Size of beam is 6mm at 5 meters Power requ
243. out from the local broadcast station ABC CBS NBC ete They interface with your home s AC power line system a huge aerial antenna net work of wiring as large as your home itself When the Spectrum Antenna interfaces with the AC line the signal is sent to its signal clearly Who can use Spectrum cable but you can t get certain local statians in don t have cable and want the stations to come in more clearly have a digital satellite system but can t cet local stations in clearly processing circuit It then processes and sepa rates the signal inte 12 of the best antenna con figurations These specially processed signals route themselves into 12 separate circuits The Spectrum Antenna includes a 12 position rotary tapping switch the Signal _ Switch control which gathers twelve of the best antenna con figurations The Signal Search offers varying antenna configura tions for the user to select from the best signals of all those be ing sent The signal then pass es through the Spectrum Antenna s special Fine Tuner circuit for producing crisp clear reception Risk free offer The Spec trum Universal Antenna Tuner comes with our exclu sive 90 day risk free home tri al and a 90 day manufacturer s warranty Try it and if you re not satisfied return it for a full No Questions Asked refund You have You You We realize that most people have more than one
244. perts if you live in California particularly near the 800 mile long San Andreas Fault you and your electronic gear face the threat of a major earthquake in the next five years TVs stereos and other home electronics are vulnerable to damage from even moderate seismic movement Trevco s 129 East Colorado Blvd Suite 462 Monrovia CA 91016 Tel 818 301 0891 Quake Hold straps are a line of easy to use adjustable fasteners that keep your electronic equipment safely in place in the event of an earthquake The straps attach to furniture without damaging the finish and can be removed quickly for moving or cleaning The Quake Hold products are interchangeable and can be mixed and matched to secure top heavy items such as tall speakers and large monitors The line includes a VCR Stereo Strap that can also be used to secure fax machines computers microwaves copiers and small appliances TV straps furniture straps in decorator colors big screen straps that can also secure large appliances such as refrigerators and bookcase straps Now if they could only do the same for the walls and ceilings Prices N A Sys CIRCLE 66 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Quaxe Holc Straps ELECTRONICS WISH LIST Widescreen TV According to Toshiba America Consumer Products Inc 82 Totowa Road Wayne NJ 07470 its TheaterView line including the widescreen Mode TW56D90 represents the most advanced rear screen projection TVs in the indus
245. pon sibility to make sure that your signal is clean A high frequency HF transmitter might have harmonics i e spurious signals that are in teger multiples of the main operating frequency 2f 3f etc One way to make sure your transmitter s output is clean is to connect your HF equipment as shown in Fig 2 In that figure the anten na output of the transmitter is connected first to a low pass filter with a cut off fre quency between 30 and 40 MHZ The TV bands start at 54 MHZ in the U S and Canada so a 30 to 40 Fig 1 Here s how a high pass filter is installed on a TV receiver Fig 2 To help ensure that your transmissions are clean use this set up MHz cut off on a low pass filter will give good at tenuation of the second harmonic of a ten meter band ham signal The at tenuation is even better for lower HF band signals Good low pass filters are readily available through ham radio distributors Be sure to look at the power rating when buying a filter I ve seen 150 300 and 2000 watt models available If you think you might ever run a linear am plifier then go ahead and buy the higher power unif You can always use a filter rated for a higher power than the transmitter but if you attempt to run a high power rig into a low power filter it will become toast in a real short period of time Another way to suppress harmonic energy is to use a proper antenna tuning unit ATU By
246. quiries and Orders Accepted at 1 800 980 9806 Same day shipping ALLISON TECHNOLOGY CORP Technical Phone 713 777 0401 FAX 713 777 4746 BBS 713 777 4753 8343 Carve Houston TX 77036 U S A SOU0IOa Q JeINGOY 9664 YMHEN oO March 1996 Popular Electronics ve EARN LICENSED ELECTRONIC bao ll Earn up to 60 an hour Learn at home in spare time No previous experience needed I No costly school No commuting to class The Original Home Study course prepares you for the FCC Commercial Radio telephone License This valuable licenseis your professional ticket to thousands of exciting jobs in Communications Radio TV Microwave Maritime Radar Avionics and more even start your own business You don t need a college degree to ae i but you do need an FCC License No Need to Quit Your Job or Go To School This proven course is easy fast and low cost GUARANTEED PASS You get your FCC License or money refunded Send for FREE facts now MAIL COUPON TODAY Or Call 1 800 932 4268 Ext 240 COMMAND PRODUCTIONS FCC LICENSE TRAINING Dept 240 P O Box 2824 San Francisco CA 94126 Please rush FREE details immediately NAME ADDRESS Ta CITY STATE PP c p e a n ma man ka m a a TOP SE CRE SEE amp 2011 Crescent Dr P O Drawer 537 Alamogordo NM 88310 I Voice od edie 1776 439 8551 7PM MS
247. r One changes the video audio jacks from out puts to inputs for recording The other turns the tally lamp a blinking LED that indicates that the camcorder is recording and the remote sensor on and off An in frared remote control is supplied with the camcorder A small flip open panel on the back panel covers the audio and video com posite and S video connectors as well as the LANC jack that allows the camcorder to be remotely controlled by editing equip ment A microphone input and headphone Output are provided on the camcorder s front right side The ES2000 s viewfinder provides sev eral important pieces of information and includes a zoom meter as well as icons to indicate the exposure and focusing modes and whether the high speed shutter and image stabilization are on and off A re cording reminder advises users to record each scene for at least 10 seconds for easier editing The viewfinder is a 0 55 inch color LCD Normally we don t like color viewfinders because of their lower resolu tion We have no complaints about the ES2000 s It s the first color viewfinder we ve used that we prefer over black and white Titles can be added easily Up to two lines each of 16 characters can be stored in memory When in the title mode the FlexiZone is used to scroll through the lines and also through the characters Ei ther the time date or both can also be used as titles If you are an experienced videographe
248. r looking to move beyond the ordinary the ES2000 offers the tools to bring out the artistic side of you and uncompromised Hi8 performance a SANYO CAMCORDER Continued from page 7 conditions The automatic balance cor rects color for different lighting situations by analyzing picture information from 64 image areas The VM PS12 also features automatic backlight compensation There s no doubt about it the VM PS12 is quite a departure from any other camcorder we ve ever seen Although it s missing some features that we previously could not have imagined doing without it made us appreciate that sometimes sim ple can be better For example we had come to consider power zoom lenses and automatic focus to be indispensable fea tures But the VM PS 2 s manual zoom lever let us frame the shots quicker than any power zoom we ve used The fixed focus lens ensured that we got the shots we wanted and that the camcorder was never fooled by the situations that tend to trip up auto focus mechanisms Lately we ve found ourselves tom be tween black and white and lower resolu tion color viewfinders Without question the simple optical viewfinder of the VM PS12 is the sharpest most realistic that we ve ever seen in acamcorder Of course it can t do some of the things that conven tional camcorder viewfinders do so well such as showing the length of a scene or how much tape and battery life is remain ing
249. r buy a pre etched board fromthe source mentioned in the Parts List Use the parts placement diagram shown in Fig 3 to make assembling the board easier Begin by mounting the resistors then go on to install the capacitors Be sure to check the po larity of the latter Continue by soldering the diodes and transistor to the board making sure they are oriented properly Next Continued on page 96 AN ELECTRO OPTICAL SHAFT ENCODER Here s a way to turn the rotation of a mechanical shaft into a signal that can be used by digital circuits enerating a digital number as G an input for a digital system is often a critical problem in the man machine interface For example the digital input for tuning a frequen cy synthesizer is often generated with thumbwheel switches or a keypad but they are inconvenient in many applications such as when you wish to step tune through an entire band In this article we will present another solution to that problem a number generator based on an electro op tical shaft encoder that interfaces the familiar control knob to the digital world An electro optical shaft encoder generates a pulse stream whose rate is determined by the speed of rota tion of the shaft and whose sense that is whether if is counting up or down is determined by the direction of rotation of the shaft The electro optical encoder described here uses asimple encoding disc and common 4000 series CMOS I
250. r own FM radio sta f tion Any stereo signal you plug into the FMST 100 will be transmitted to any FM radio tuneable from 76 to 108MHz FM Transmit a wireless link through an auditorium from your car to your camper listen to your CD s while mowing the iawn Play music on one channel sing on the other Clarity is excellent aprox 40dB stereo separation Length of antenna deter mines the distance of transmission Complete with stereo input level controls amp crystal for stereo separa tion Ov battery operation SIZE 1 5 x 2 5 x 3 FMST 100 Km 29 95 Cabinet 8 95 PHONE TRANSMITTER Small but mighty it fits sa anywhere Phone line powered never needs batteries Transmits both sides of a phone conver sation loud and clear wireless to any FM radio at great distances Variable tunes from 70MHz to 130MHz FM You can also use it as a speaker phone SIZE 1 25 x 6 TEL B1 kit 12 95 BUILT 29 95 SUPER SNOOPER BIG EAR f Listen through walls A hear conversations fm across the room Add a a parabolic reflector and hear blocks away The TBIG EAR can be hidden about any where Makes an ultra sensitive inter com Can be used as a 1 5W AMP We SUPply a mini electret mike in the kit Power requirement 6 toi2v DC SIZE 1 75 Lx AAT KIT 10 95 BUILT 29 95 MICROPHONE The 10GHz Transmitter g is back The ZAPPER IT With it s new and improved design it will n
251. r plot of Received Signal Strength Indicator RSSI response Note that the slope or gain around small input signal point PI is high while the gain for a larger signal at a higher point P2 is smaller received a patent on the Psychologi cal Stress Evaluator PSE The PSE de tects the resulting frequency modula tion produced by micro tremors and produces a complicated output sig nal on a chart recorder That chart is interpreted by a skilled examiner as are polygraph results A few years after the introduction of the PSE Fred Fuelleris invented the Vo cal Stress Analyzer VSA The VSA works by detecting low frequency ampli tude vibrations in the subjects voice Such amplitude modulation of the voice generates upper and lower sidebanas Io determine the degree of stress the VSA measures the ampli tude of those sidebanas To interpret the results of either a PSE or VSA machine you must undergo extensive training Who uses them Mostly the machines are bought by investigators insurance claims ad justers and law enforcement agen cies The machines are quite expen sive costing a couple thousand dollars including training A Simpler Approach The Voice Stress Analyzer described here is based on a new detection scheme that directly measures the percent age of amplitude modulation in a voice The chip that makes the Ana lyzer design possible is the Signetics NE614 high performance FM IF inte grated circuit While
252. rated circuit UI8 CD4050 hex buffer integrated circuit UI9 LM780SCK volt regulator integrated circuit DISP1 DISP6 7 segment display orange MAN3640A or equivalent QI Q7 2N3704 NPN transistor D1 D3 IN914 general purpose silicon diode LED I Light emitting diode red RESISTORS ts All resistors are 44 watt 5 units R 3 megohm R2 R4 R21 2 600 ohm R5 R18 100 ohm R19 220 ohm R20 R24 R25 R29 R37 10 000 ohm R22 33 000 ohm R23 2700 ohm R26 3300 ohm R27 10 megohin R28 2200 ohm XTAL1 A 1 MHz divider input is taken from the first stage of U2 o The 1 MHz input is further divided by six stages of decade frequency division three CD4518 decade counters U3 U4 and ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS CI C3 0 001 F ceramic disc Capacitor C4 C19 0 l uF ceramic disc capacitor XTALI 2 MHz crystal S 1 SPDT switch mini toggle S2 Rotary switch 4 position 3 pole Digi Key EG 1956 ND or equivalent S3 Pushbutton switch normally closed J1 Coaxial jack J2 Power jack should match power plug of adapter Perforated board project enclosure TO 220 heatsink for U19 Jameco P N 70771 or equivalent wall transformer 120 volts AC to 9 volts DC l amp Jameco P N 100888 or equivalent round knob with dial black transfer lettering IC sockets wire solder hardware etc US each provide two stages Latch and reset pulses are
253. rd on screen recording menus VCR Plus re lies on PlusCodes that are printed in most magazine and newspaper TV schedules Instead of entering the start and stop times you just enter the numeric code You still have options as to tape speed and how often to record the program once daily weekly or weekdays And the VR678HF s VCR Plus includes end time adjustment which allows you to ad just the end time of any show you suspect will overrun its allotted time a football game that goes into overtime for instance Standard timer recording uses easy to follow on screen prompts to request how often to record the start and stop times the channel and the tape speed With both time shift methods on screen displays verify the times and dates of the programs you ve selected and even remind you to turn off the VCR before recording time It s easy to record shows from cable or DSS channels using the VR678HE An infrared transmitter located on top of the VCR will send a signal to the cable box or DSS receiver which should be posi tioned directly above the VCR to turn it on and tune in the correct channel for time shifted recordings The Commercial Advance VCR s Pro Tect Plus locking feature can be put in Continued on page 9 Just Point and Shoot MODEL VM PS12 8mm CAMCORDER From Sanyo 21350 Lassen Street Chatsworth CA 91311 2329 Tel 818 998 7322 Price 499 Peopie buy camcorders to record the importan
254. re the inputs of the quad ICs three unused gates IC b IC d pins 5 6 8 9 12 and 13 must be tied fo ground You could modify the launcher to meet your needs but in any case use IC sockets and keep alll component leads short and neat And above alll be sure to observe all safety precautions PARTS LIST FOR THE COUNTDOWN LAUNCHER Fig 2 SEMICONDUCTORS ICI ISD1000A voice record playback chip integrated circuit IC2 4528B dual monostable multivibrator integrated circuit IC3 7805 5 volt voltage regulator integrated circuit IC4 4011 quad two input NAND gate integrated circuit QI IRF520 hexFET transistor D1 IN914 silicon diode LEDI Light emitting diode any color RESISTORS All resistors are Y s watt 5 units R1 2200 ohm R2 10 ohm R3 Il megohm R4 470 000 ohm R5 10 000 ohm R6 100 000 ohm CAPACITORS Cl C2 0 1 pF ceramic disc C3 47 F 16 WVDC electrolytic C4 4 7 pF 16 WVDC electrolytic ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS SPKRI 8 ohm speaker S1 S2 SPST toggle switch IC sockets breadboard wire solder etc PARTS LIST FOR THE LED COUNTDOWN LAUNCHER Fig 3 SEMICONDUCTORS IC1 4017 decade counter divider integrated circuit 1C2 4011 quad two input NAND gate integrated circuit QI IRF520 hexFET transistor LED1I LED10 Light emitting diode any color RESISTORS All fixed resistors are Y watt 5 units R1 10
255. ree main areas The top contains a picture of a cam corder its controls operate the source camcorder and let you define and select the video clips that you want to include in your final edited highlight tape If you have an MCI compatible video overlay card installed in your computer a TV will also be displayed at the top of the screen It can be used to preview the video clips that you mark If you don t have a video over lay card you will need a separate com posite video monitor to view the clips that you choose The bottom left of the screen contains a catalog of tapes and a script book The catalog of tapes lets you choose a tape that has scenes you want to include or to add a new tape to the list The script book is where you organize the clips in the order CIRCLE 62 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD that you want them to appear on the tape A script can consist of scenes from multi ple tapes Tucked into the bottom right portion of the screen are tools a help book a config uration toolbox printer configuration and a trash can Editing a tape is an easy process But before you can get started selecting your clips you must first tell VideoDirector about your camcorder and VCR If you are using infrared signals to control your cam corder you must pick the brand and model from a list If you are using the LANC bus you must indicate so but you don t have to worry about the specific brand or model You must also se
256. reet Omaha NE 68114 JERROLD STARCOM PANASONIC ZENITH PIONEER OAK SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA EAGLE HAMLIN and TOCOM are all registered trademarks All references to the above mentioned equipment is for identification purposes only We are in no way implying that any of the products in this advertisement are original equipment M D Electronics is in no way affiliated with the above mentioned companies or corporations So1u0l09a 3 JeINdOY 9661 YaleW Q9 Go AMAZING Electronic and Scientific Products SEA March n Eux Electronics Mystery Levitating Device Remember War of the Worlds aoe float in air and move to the touch Defies gravity amazing gift conversation piece magic trick or great science project ANTIK Easy to Assemble Kit Plans sssssssssss 19 50 Laser Ray Gun puuri EAEE e T gi D A N GER pao An gt c RD ee On i ER rH ARECA aT EA AAT CLASS IV IASER PRCOUET Advanced project produces a burst of light energy capable of burning holes in most materials Hand held device uses rechargeable batteries 500 joules of flash energy excite either a neodynium glass yag or other suitable 3 laser rod This is a dangerous CLASS IV project individual parts assemblies available LAGUNI PIAMS saessssesesssssessessssssssssssseersssssee 20 00 LAGUNIK Kit f PRAMS w ssssssssssesssessenssen snare as on Request Extended ee Play Telephone Recording System READY TO USE A
257. resistance under test and measures the resulting current drain with an overall accuracy of 0 1 when driving a 4 2 digit DVM The resulting output volt J4 TO DVM Vour fo J1 3V breast RESISTANCE 3N l4 i UNDER TEST il J2 BP1 2 R10 1 000 MEG 1 R9 R7 10MEG 680K 3V Fig 1 This extension for your DMM allows it to measure very large resistance values It s also useful for checking component leakage age of the device is related to the conductance at the input the reciprocal of the resistance at 1 00 nan omho per millivolt The maximum output is 2 00 volts 2000 nmhos repre senting 500 000 ohms or 2000 nA with a resolution of 0 01 nmho or 101 ohms Only two precision re sistors are required R2 and R10 Use your DMM to select R10 from a 1 lot to be 0 1 accurate The other resistors are VYa watt 5 units Capacitors C1 and C2 are ceramic and C3 is a tantalum unit Resistors R3 and R are multi turn cermet trimmer potentio meters Batteries B41 and B2 are 3 0 volt lithium coin cells CR2016 2025 2032 Integrated circuits IC1 and IC2 are TLC271C CMOS op amps and D1 is an ICL8069DC 1 2 volt band gap diode All parts are available from Mouser Elec tronics Tel 800 346 6873 Layout of the project is not critical but due to the low currents involved pin 2 of IC2 must be isolated from the PC board as fol lows Before installing IC2 bend pin 2 aw
258. rganized those who are you guessed if never organized and those of us in the middle who oscillate back and forth between the two extremes For the past few months I ve been chronicling some of my effarts fo get the pendulum swinging away from never organized and toward al ways organized S1 a St h One of the biggest prob lems has involved storage In short wanted my main PC to be able to boot several different operating systems but run a common set of applications from each For example was hoping to avoid installing separate copies of MS Of fice at a space premium of about 100 MB each to run from each operating system Tne ideal solution would have been simply to buy another machine but cash flow prevented that for now there is some space fo play Originally hoped to be able to create this multi boot system from a single 4 GB hard drive possibly using disk compression fo create multiple virtual driv es that could be re arranged to fit the needs of a given computer operat ing system didn t want to spend any money because up grading that particular machine was no longer You can build your own SCSI switch using a DIP switch some ribbon cable and some female header blocks cost effective But after con sidering Numerous ways of accomplishing my goals and counting in the ex pense for possible lost time in trying and fixing various solutions ended up adding another SC
259. ries Amplifiers Analyzers Ant ennas Counters Generators Logic Analyzers Meters Microwave Com ponents Oscilloscopes Power Supplies Recorders and Telecom munications Swap Meet Le Pe As far as selling directly to the com pany goes they have an e mail quot ing service where you can send in a description of a piece of equipment and wait for an e mail price quote What will Western buy The company makes the claim that they will buy any thing ranging from a single piece of equipment to an entire business They go on to add that any piece is of interest from an antique scope to a multi million dollar research facility We even do trades But the neatest feature of the site is one that is only maintained by Western That s the open Online BY DAN KARAGIANNIS Swap Meet which allows users to both post equipment for sale and peruse what others have posted Judging by some of the posts you might even be able to work out a trade with someone was impressed with the variety of headings available in the Swap Meet but even more impressed with the number of postings in some of them You can choose from Test and Measurement Equipment Computer Hardware Software Radio Equipment For Sale Radio Equipment Wanted Consumer Audio Pro Audio and Other Misc Ads Both Radio sections and the Test and Measurement Equipment section seem to be the most active A similar site but one that is not as
260. rin BUILD YOUR OWN amp RF TROUBLESHOOTING AND REPAIRING k NPAT Die TEST EQUIPMENT CONS MER Howto 8ulld Dy ELECTRONICS A Earthquake FLATERS weather and WITHOUT Solar Flare Nonitors __A SCHEMATIC irs Kir 0350787 XX 44 95 0156492 34 95 Counts as 2 Hardcover fardcover SN rT TE Se COMPUTER gt TECHMICIAN S How to Read HA DBOOK Elect Circuit E Diagrams Sidia Ta m aAA l 0052238 P 28 95 ha matma bern Pat aero are Hardcover Paa t x i j ir P F T eee 1554637 15 95 Sn i a A M OO ems oe 0303032 16 95 THe NS A REP ES CIRCUITS PR aces deste d Cathey 0102740 12 95 REEAIR ILLUSTRATED pessan C70 618 19 95 Basit Electronics Course 2ra phin 0487375 24 95 1574875 19 95 MICROWAVE OVEN REPAIR 0501130 XX 36 95 0535469 29 95 0458363 XX 21 95 0112738 XX 45 00 Counts as 2 Counts as 2 Counts as 2 Hardcover Bletni i inlestooting TROUBLESHOOTING amp REPAIRING BASIC CIRCUIT ANALYSIS died fate ty Erd Mitina GORDON McCONG B etii Handbook MHR BAY HBUS 0478244 13 95 304068 15 95 015676X X3 69 00 0304165 26 95 1570519 17 95 155016X 34 95 Counts as 2 Hardcover Hardcover Hardcover _ As a member ember of 1 the ELECTRONICS BOOK OK CLUE youll enjoy recening Club bulletins every 3 4 i weeks containing exciting offers on
261. ripherals Although most power strips feature a power switch plugging everything in to an ordinary outiet strip has some unfortunate drawbacks First of all placing the strip in a place where the switch can be easily reached usually means that the strip will also be easily seen And who wants to look at an ugly mess of wires Another problem in the case of connecting all your TV equipment to one strip is that disconnecting power from a VCR will clear any timer preset programs and reset the clock to that annoying blinking 12 00 Further more even when remote contro de vices are plugged into an outlet strip the strip must still be turned on man ually What can you do fo avoid all those problems The answer is simple Build the Smart Strip described in this arti cle It solves power controi problems by sensing when one device is powered on and automatically turn ing on the other devices plugged into it For example a VCR can be plugged into the sense outlet of the Smart Strip and a TV home theater system and cable box can be plugged into the switched outlets The VCR would retain its clock setting and programs and all of the ofher plugged in devices will come on to gether just by turning on the VCR Computer equipment can also be easily controlled A monitor printer BY RODRICK SEELY and external modem could all come on just by turning on the computer Circuit Description The schemat
262. rophone MIC1 is coupled to the NE614 logarithmic amplifier C 1 The 9V R1 K 6 8K C1 w 100 1 6K R2 3K MIC1 1 4 LM324M 1 4 LM324M configuration allows voice frequen cies ranging from 500 Hz to 10 kHz where the human voice exhibits the greatest energy to pass through The RSSI output at pin 5 of IC1 is low pass filtered by R and C10 One section of an LM324M op amp IC3 c buffers the RSSI signal to drive IC3 d which is configured with a gain of two and a center frequency of 42 Hz 6 Hz That results in a low Q value of one The output at that point is a clean signal of the micro tremor and does not contain artifacts due fo signal processing Op amps IC3 a and IC3 b form a full wave peak detector with an over all gain of 4 2 IC3 a operates on its own as a negative half wave detec tor with a gain of 1 Low gain is re quired at that point because the non inverting input of IC3 a is biased a bit R5 Os R11 C7 2 7K 015 100 10K C6 N 047 15 ja fra liz a 1N4148 Fig 2 Here s the schematic for the Voice Stress Analyzer At the heart of the circuit is ICI an NE614 IF logarithmic amplifier which allows the circuit to interpret the human voice frequencies picked up by MIC1 IC3 b 1 4 LM324M higher than 2 5 volts The high gain occurs in IC3 b because its output swings positive during either cycle of the AC signal the overall high gain is established by the ratio of R18 t
263. rt PA 18472 9712 have a Hammarlund HQ 170A VHF and wouid appreciate if anyone could send me the man ual or schematic Thank you MICHAEL J Di STEFANO 1 Willow Street Exeter NH 03833 have been reading Popular Electronics for more than 40 years and I ve found it to be the leading magazine in its field always read the Letters column and I ve seen a lot of people who have been helped with electronics problems by other readers hope they ll be able to help me too need schematics for three oscilloscopes am trying to repair two of them a Tektronix model 524 A D and an Analab model 1120 The third a Du Mont type 304 now have working The schematics or other information can be good quality photocopies for which will cover the costs LEWIS E WILLIAMS 40 River Road Apt 8 Halifax NS Canada B3R 1V3 E can Now you can get the equipment experience and credentials you need to make money installing maintaining and upgrading Local Area Networks Discover what developments in LAN technology can mean for you Today s LANs are able to transform individual PCs departments divisions and entire Corporations into productive information resources This dynamic in demand technology can be your specialization with NRI training the ticket to a new secure future Now you can be one of the key technicians able to sell select install use maintain and manage office networks And this kno
264. rth Meridian Street Indi anapolis IN 46290 1024 Tel 317 587 4450 Price 499 They say that the secret to being happy in life lies not in having all that you wart but in not wanting what you don t have Unfortunately modern American life con spires against such contentment Open a newspaper Or magazine turn on the radio or worst of all the TV and someone will try to sell you something be it a bigger car a cleaner floor a new toy or sweeter breath Those insidious messages are bombarding our children as well In fact the commercials that interrupt chil dren s programs use much more direct high pressure pitches than do ads aimed at adults After a Saturday morning cartoon marathon you re more than likely to hear about all the new toys that your kids need Its impossible to avoid all of the adver tisements that are thrown your way You can however get rid of the ones on your television All it takes is the RCA Com mercial Advance Model VR678HF VCR Record a program on the Commercial Ad vance and during playback the VCR will automatically fast forward through the commercial segments You can watch a taped program virtually commercial free without even having to pick up the remote control to skip through the ads Three minutes of ads recorded in the SLP mode take about 10 seconds to pass by You can opt to see a plain blue screen for that period or to watch the commer cials zoom by in forward
265. s The Crayon Factory from Philips Media tells the story of a crayon facto ry run by robots Children can simply watch the story or explore the factory where they can mix and make their own crayons repair and adjust things sort colors and more Ml OVER 1100 PAGES AND 350 ILLUSTRATIONS Utilize this manual and the power of diagnostic software to troubleshoot and repair personal computer It s all here in an easy to use format that focuses on hands on repair practices rather than complicated theories This practical book disk package puts the largest compilation of diagnostic shareware and freeware ever offered in a single resource including critical information on diagnostic software applica tions at your fingertips You ll have clear step by step explanations and easy to understand illustra tions along with professional tips and tricks to allow you to do even the most difficult jobs quickly and easily Real World Hands On Strategies Sure to set the standard for all technician level computer troubleshooting and repair Trouble shooting Maintaining and Repairing Personal Computers A Technician s Guide by Stephen J a Bigelow is the only guide that will give you the OTEP HE Ny nuts and bolts knowledge that you as a techni E cian must have Computers A F CRN C hay Full range of PC information at your fingertips This massive guide covers all microprocessors from 8 bit to 64 bi
266. s plugged into a standard AC outlet The Camcorder Plus line also includes a Fuel Gauge unit that tells the user how much power remains and the Combination battery pack which combines the built in charger and the fuel gauge features with high capacity 2000 mAH cells The Combination unit delivers two hours of running time instead of the standard 1 5 hours The Camcorder Plus units are universal batteries that fit most 8mm and VHS C camcorders including those manufactured by Sony Sharp and JVC Prices Fuel Gauge M 6033 1 59 Self Charging M 6033 2 69 Combination M 6033 3 99 CIRCLE 68 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD CAMCORDER REPLACEMENT BATTERY THX Amplifier Carver Corporation s P O Box 1237 Lynnwood WA 98046 Tel 206 775 1202 Model A 400x stereo power amplifier delivers 200 watts 8 ohms per channel and Home THX certification at a reasonable price The amp which is made in the United States provides more than enough power to drive most loudspeaker systems If more power is desired the A 400x can be bridged to deliver 600 watts mono into an 8 ohm load The amplifier features high quality components in a simple rugged chassis It uses gold plated RCA input jacks and premium quality five way binding posts Price 685 CIRCLE 69 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Digital Speed Readout Aimed at vintage sound enthusiasts as well as dealers and repair technicians the SpeedStrobe digital speed readout from KAB Electro Acoustics
267. s also connected to a 78L05 regulator IC3 which provides a 5 volt DC power source for other sections of the circuit The transmitter section of the De tector is basically a crystal controlled relaxation oscillator built around a 4049 hex inverter IC2 One of the 4049 sections IC2 c along with re BUILD AN ULTRASONI MOTION DETECTO sistors R21 and R22 and capacitors C11 and C12 pings the 40 kHz crys tal into sustained oscillation The re maining 4049 sections act as linear buffers to drive a 40 kHz ultrasonic transmitting transducer BZ2 For an in depth review of crystal oscillator circuits see Joseph J Carr s excellent article All About Crystal Oscillator Circuits in the August 1995 issue of Popular Electronics The receiver section of the circuit is made up of four AC coupled stages each built around one of four sections of an LM324 op amp IC1 In the first stage the input voltage developed across R41 and R2 is modulated by a 40 kHz ultrasonic receiving trans ducer BZ1 and is then fed to C1 a where it is amplified The receiving transducer detects any reflected sound produced by the transmitting transducer BZ2 If there is no move ment the resulting envelope signal is just a straight line diode D1 and re sistor R8 operate as a negative peak detector to recover the envelope sig nal It s a simple circuit that lets you keep tabs on anything that moves So
268. s connected to the load switched lines SO U0NIA A JEINdOY 9664 YEW an D March 1996 Popuiar Electronics Because the output of IC1 a is half wave rectified diode D2 and capaci tor C3 are used to form a peak hoid circuit As long as C3 is charged to 0 7 volt or more when a powered up load sense device is detected tran sistor Q1 will be on and relay RY1 will close When those normally open contacts close the hot line is con nected to the load switched sock ets effectively turning on any devices that are connected to those outlets Diode D1 resistor R and capacitor C1 provide a DC supply for the 12 volt coil of the relay diode D3 acts as a clamping diode Construction Let s begin our discus sion of building the Smart Strip with a warning Because the circuit con nects directly to 117 volts AC extreme care should be taken in its assembly and use Be sure to observe all safety PARTS LIST FOR THE SMART STRIP SEMICONDUCTORS IC1I LM358N dual op amp integrated circuit Q 1 2N3904 NPN transistor D1 D3 1N4004 silicon rectifier diode D4 1N4744 15 volt l watt Zener diode RESISTORS All resistors are Ys watt 5 units unless otherwise specified R1i 0 1 ohm 10 watt R2 R3 1000 ohm R4 470 000 ohm R5 27 000 ohm watt R6 4700 ohm 2 watt R7 10 000 ohm CAPACITORS Cl 10 F 100 WVDC electrolytic C2 10 pE 35 WVDC electrolytic C3 1 F 35 WVDC
269. s or pleasure school or col lege you will build exceptional skills from this major breakthrough in effective reading cre ated by Dr Russell Stauffer at the University of Delaware Not just speed read but speed reading understanding Bp an BE and learning The new Speed Learning Program shows you step by proven step how to increase your reading skill and speed so you understand more remember more and use more of every thing you read The typical remark from over one million people taking the Speed Learning program is Why didn t someone teach me this a long time ago They were no longer held back by their lack of skills and poor read ing habits They could read almost as fast as they could think What makes Speed Learning so successful The new Speed Learning Program does not offer you a rehash of the usual eye exer cises timing devices and costly gadgets you ve probably heard about in connection with speed reading courses or even tried and found inef fective In just a few spare minutes a day of easy reading and exciting listening you discover an entirely new way to read and think aradical departure from anything you have ever seen or heard about Speed Learning is the largest selling self study reading program inthe world Successful with Fortune 500 corporations colleges government agencies and accred ited by 18 professional societies Research shows that reading is 95
270. sarily incorporated in RCA s VCRs In this version RCA notes that it works only with recordings at least 15 minutes long and that commercial groups within the first and last two min utes of a show won t be skipped Ditto if recording begins or ends during a commercial break Commercial groups is a key work basically CA looks for the telecaster s typical ganging of com mercials RCA says it should work fine with clusters of 30 45 and 60 second commercials but won t skip an isolated ad or a single one that runs beyond a minute Besides skipping commercials it might zoom past a snippet of program less than a minute long and jammed between commer cials an unlikely occur rence or programming with frequent dark and quiet scenes not so un likely Again we put CA through the paces with a wide vari ety of TV bill of fare children s programming primetime live sports and movies and it worked just fine Parents will do hosan nas for the way it bumps those manipulative ads aimed at kids a tough as signment because of the way cChildren targeted commercials mimic pro gram content and come ganged in rapid fire se quence For more on the technology behind Com mercial Advance see Gizmo elsewhere in this is sue BEYOND CA Among the VR678HF s other features is infrared cable box control for unat tended recording That is married to Gemstar s VCR Plus programming sys tem
271. scan mode The VR678HF s on screen menus are used to activate the Commercial Advance feature In the Preferences menu CF Marking must be turned on for Commer cial Advance to work At the same time WS PIS Steaee 4 O84 crate sostee CIRCLE 120 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD you can set CF Playback to blue or video In timer express or VCR Plus recording modes Commercial Advance works automatically marking the com mercials as soon as the recording is finished In manual recording mode when you stop recording an on screen display will ask if you want to mark the commer cials right away later or not at all During recording and playback the Commercial Advance technology is invis ible to the user It is only noticeable imme diately following recording when the VR678HF requires a short period of time in which to locate and mark the commer cial segments on the tape You can hear the VCR rewind to the beginning of the re corded portion of the tape advance until it finds a commercial break pause to mark it and then advance again repeating the process until all commercial breaks have been marked Marking a 30 minute prime time sitcom for instance takes about three minutes As it finds and marks the commercials mark and comm appear alternately in the front panel dis play panel When the process is complete the tape does not rewind it remains posi tioned at the end of the
272. scillation should be greater then the response time of the feedback loop to provide smooth control Now back to the muscle pair exam ple Under stress and the action of adrenaline the opposing muscles become more highly tuned and re sponsive The dead zone of the mus cle pairs is then reduced and the body becomes ready for fight or flight Consequently the micro vibrations of muscle pairs diminish with stress Because the membranes that form the vocal cord are controlled by three such muscle pairs it is believed that the pitch of a person s voice will also experience a low frequency modula tion and the level of that modulation should be inversely related to the level of stress Those vocal tremors are found in the 7 to 15 Hz range and are referred to as physiological or micro tremors it is believed that micro tremors pro duce both frequency modulation as well as amplitude modulation Be cause micro tremors are small they are usually inaudible and must be de tected electronically That type of de tection is very difficult because human voice frequencies are by nature quite variable In the mid seventies Alan Bell Charles McQuiston and Wilson Ford dy 186MV p 1 8 186mV 1 dy 3 RSSI VOLTS 10 35 60 85 m a a ee hi o _ wa So o lt M aM 135 160 185 210 235 uVOLTS RMS 60V 15uV N 25 OpV 162V 40 5pV N 25 Fig 1 Shown here is a small portion of a linea
273. se and CF Boxes ESS SS7 E 911 various CLASS services CNA NON PUB DA CAMA DNR 800 ECR Diverters Exlenders Cantrex more 29 Beyond PHONE COLOR BOXES Dozens p one color boxes described many circults Plus Call Forwarding eee Phreak History Glossary Diverters Esenter L oops REMOBS Bridging Heads amp Cans Optocom rd Party and many other non box Methods more 39 ROBOFONE AUTODIALER Powertul versatile menu driven Wargames autodi CaVong distance numbers In any order over any length of time whelher busy or answered your choice and log the times commands and results to monitor printer and or disk Quick dlal directory of up lo 600 numbers BUSY redial options Direct modem com mand and control All Result Codes Including VOICE and RINGING Optional shell to terminal program upon CONNECT Exit to menu or ODS for batching Manual Disk 29 By an ORDER of the MAGNITUDE The most comprehensive hard hitting hi tech sur g vivat book ever written Topics k electronics computers energy wea ons concealment revenge alarms etc to survive today s dangerous world We all face increasingly financially and physically bruta times Field expedient use of technology in various threat and confilct environments and scenarios 42 So Or guca ona DuUurposea on m Magazine BBS advice DetectorsRecelvorsXmitters 1 100s
274. sed as a stand alone personal financial manager or as a data capture system that communicates with desktop ver sions of Quicken It includes a Mac IBM compatible serial port to use with a serial cable and Pocket Quicken Connect for Windows software Mac soft ware is also available Pocket Quicken on Bookman costs 99 For more informa tion contact Franklin Electronic Publishers One Franklin Plaza Burlington NJ 08016 4907 Tel 609 386 2500 Fax 609 387 7420 or order di rectly from Intuit at 800 243 4650 ext 810288 CIRCLE 87 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD PC BASED OSCILLOSCOPE The O Scope I from Allison Technology is a compact mod ule that plugs into any printer port transforming a PC into a dual trace digital storage os cilloscope Applications include testing audio equipment auto mobile diagnostics data logging field service noise analysis and vibration analysis Displayed sweeps can be frozen on the screen printed out or saved to disk Operating parameters such as input range sweep rate and trigger level are displayed and easily adjusted through the computer keyboard A versatile external trigger is included In the Fre quency Spectrum mode sweeps of a selected frequency range are presented on a cali brated graph with the option of averaging The O Scope li features si muitaneous two channel data capture for accurate phase measurements in an X Y pre sentation Bandwidth is 250 kH
275. ses the code to bypass commer ciais The electronic indicators used by the Commercial Advance VCR are tempo rary If you reuse a videotape recording over previously taped shows the VCR will ignore the old marks and create new ones for the new programs A tape recorded on another VCR can be played back on the VR678HE but the Commercial Advance feature will not work Tapes that have been SoUOIOa JEINdO 9664 YEW March 1996 Popular Electronics oa marked by the Commercial Advance system will play back on any other VCR with no discernible differences The Commercial Advance technology is good but not perfect Thomson is can did about its imperfections listing them in the manual Several common broadcasting situations cause trouble For instance if a commercial break begins during the first or last two minutes of a recording or the recording starts in the middle of a commer cial it won t be skipped One isolated commercial or an ad that runs longer than one minute won t be skipped either Commercial Advance is designed to work with 30 45 and 60 second commer cials and won t mark commercials that run for odd lengths of time Because local Stations use different methods to insert their own commercials than do national networks the system does not work as accurately with local spots Station pro motions identifications and announce ments are not considered commercials so are not skipped Occasional
276. srserssesteesecereenees 9199 00 oa 5mw Visible Red Pocket Laser Utilizes our touch power control VRL5KM Kit Plans osooso 14 50 ge ily Puts tun inde control using highly effective electronic stimuli Intended for parties and entertainment but must be used with caution Includes valuable text book reference and plans 19 50 EH2 Plans and Text Book u ccsssscsscsscsecccsscessesseseessr Automotive Easy to Install 4Tube Kit for Cars Trucks Vans a Toss Available in Pink Purple Blue or Green D al pia please specify color when ordering i RGAK Specity Colon meed 128 50 Fir Flash To Music Option for above Specify Color Kit FMU es esesssssssn 29 50 LICIK ennnenne 24 50 3 Mi FM Wireless Microphone Subminiature Crystal clear ultra sensitive EE aici voices and sounds to FM radio Excellent for security monitoring of children or invalids Become the neighborhood disk jockey FMV1 Pians 7 00 FMVIK Kit and Pians 39 50 Telephone Transmitter 3 Mi Automatically transmits both sides of a telephone conversation to an FM radio Tunable Frequency Undetectable on Phone Easy to Build and Use Up to 3 Mile Range Only transmits during phone use VWPM7 PIans csscesscsesesessseseeseere 7 00 didal Kit Plans e aaa N p reas elas atk i CATALOG Order byt Mail With many Pa Ta pa ieee more items or send 1 P amp H se
277. ster Charge Accepted Fullerton CA 92635 Add 12 00 S amp H CA residents please add sales tax Low Cost CAD Software for the IBM PC and Compatibles Now In Windows w Design amp Simulation e Easy to use schematic entry program SuperCAD for circuit diagrams only 149 Includes netlisting bill of materials extensive parts libraries More parts and automatic wiring available in enhanced CAD package SuperCAD for only 249 e Powerful event driven digital simulator SuperSIM allows you to check logic circuitry quickly before actually wiring it up Works directly within the SuperCAD editor from a pulldown menu and displays results in logic analyzer display window Starting at 149 this is the lowest cost simulator on the market Support for PALs a larger library and a separate interactive logic viewer afe available in full featured SuperS M for only 399 Library parts include TTL CMOS and ECL devices e Circuit board artwork editor and autorouter programs SuperPCB starting at 149 Produce high quality artwork directly on dot matrix or laser printers You can do boards up to 16 layers including surface mount Includes Gerber and Excellon file output Autorouter accepts netlists and placement data directly from the SuperCAD schematic editor e Low cost combination packages with schematics and PCB design 2 layer for 399 16 layer for 649 DOS version available Write or call for free demo disks
278. story although not as long as some other European countries SW programming began in the late 1930s from a 5 kilowatt trans mitter modest power even for those early years at Lambertseter near the Capital Oslo World War II and the Nazi occupa tion of Norway ended those transmis sions although the Norwegian government in exile continued to broadcast back to the homeland from BBC transmitters in England and from an American SW outlet WRUL in Massachusetts When the war ended the Norwegian government built a new and more powerful shortwave trans mitter at Fredrikstad in the southeast ern part of the country Its primary purpose then and still a significant one today was to reach Norwegian merchant sailors and fishermen in the North Atlantic Norway always has been a major maritime nation Radio Norway s programs mostly in the Norwegian language also were and are aimed at ex countrymen especially those living in North America A weekly program in English the only other language used by the station was soon added Though on a smaller scale than the major European broadcasters Radio Norway International has invested in the high powered transmitters so nec essary to provide solid signals around the globe Today it operates a 350 kilowatt transmitter at Fredrikstad Environmental concerns however barred installing newer and even more powerful transmitters there Instead a pair of 500 kilowatt transmitters
279. t Assembly Power supply amp Laser are required Call cr fox for FREE FLYER S VS 1273 Industrial Phy West Bldg 460 PO Bo 55125 Hayward CA 94545 0125 Light amp Motion Voice 510 582 6602 in kit form Fax 510 582 6603 The Pocket Programmer Een es 5129 95 ma The portable programmer my that uses the printer port of your PC instead of a internal card Easy to use software that programs E E prom Flash amp Dallas Ram 27 C 28 C F 29 C F 25 series from 16K to 8 Megabit with a 32 pin socket Adapters available for MCU s 874X 875X Pic 40 Pin X 16 amp Serial Eprom s PLCC 5 Gang and Eprom Emulator to 32K X 8 ma n i THE POCHET PAA A main ie Same Name Address amp Phone for 13 Years Isn t it Amazing Intronics Inc Box 13723 612 Newton St Edwardsville KS 66113 Add 4 75 COD Tei 913 422 2094 Add 4 00 Shipping Fax 913 441 1623 Visa Master Charge BAITISH AWARD MGA CGA EGA amp VGA compatible boards One level pull down menu and guick keys far fast layout Dot matrix lazer plotter Gerber amp N C drill output 6 Month Free update Free Demo HIO UTOMATION A A 7840 ANGEL RIDGE ROAD ATHENS OHIO 45701 614 592 1810 Visa amp MasterCard Accapted CLASSIFIED PLANS KITS SCHEMATICS FIBER Optic projects Swing into the new technology 44 assembling tried and true
280. t multimedia PCs sound boards video CD ROM Pentium and the Power PC It includes both IBM PCs and compatibles 912098 9 TS COMPUTER 70 00 Get The Computer SUPPORT Support Directory Woe Order now to give yourself the with your paid order technical edge Se Your Satisfaction is Absolutely Guaranteed If you FOR FASTEST SERVICE ON CREDIT CARD ORDERS CALL TOLL FREE are not satisfied with your selection simply return it 7 80 O 822 a 3 4 58 postage paid for replacement or a full refund 24 hours day Mail coupon to 4 Easy Ways to Order THE McGRAW HILL COMPANIES P O Box 182607 Columbus OH 43218 2607 e YES Please rush my copy of Trouble 1 Call toll free shooting Maintaining and Repairing Per PAYMENT METHOD shooting Maintaining and Repairing Per Check or Money Order enclosed i sonal Computers A Technician s Guide 1 800 822 81 58 912098 9 for just 70 00 plus 6 S amp H and Payable to THE McGRAW HILL COMPANIES ours a day applicable taxes and my FREE copy of The Please charge my credit card l Computer Support Directory 4 2 Complete and mail i mm em Oe E z i Acct No D 3 FAX 1614 759 3644 a a Address SS ee eS Exp Date 4 EMAIL City ee oe SET EJ INTERNET 70007 1531 Order invalid without signature COMPUSERVE COM or late NEE eee Professional books may be tax COMPUSERVE GO MH deductible Ask your tax advisor Phone a ee ee KEY SP36PEA March 1996 Pop
281. t board XST500 E Z Kit Dial your phone from any where and listen to the sounds inside your home Two digit Touch Tone code Sag for Secure operation TELEPHONE SNOOP The latest in home or office security Call home from any where enter a two digit secunty code and hear the sounds in your home Automatically turns on without ringing the phone verifies code then activates for one and a half minutes XPS CASE KIT Digital voice changing male to female female to male adult to chiid child to adult Anonymity on any call Button for normai operation 16 levels of voice masking VOICE CHANGING TELEPHONE STOP THOSE ANNOYING TELEPHONE CALLS Sound older and tougher when you want to Not a kit Fully assembled Single phone sea only TRANSITION 2000 89 95 g Serving the public since 1981 ENC 1270 E Broadway Rd 113 Tempe AZ 85282 2 XAVI GR ELECTRONICS broadcast receiver Sensitiva audio amplifier picks up sounds at the level of a whisper 4 i Tunes amp 8 108 MHz P Up to 1 2 miie range a Miniature photo battery mounts right on circuit board included MICRO MINIATURE FM TRANSMITTER Including the battery this is the Worlds smallest FM transmitter Use with any FM broadcast receiver Easy to assemble uses pre assembied circuit board XWB1000 E Z KIT s n Transmite a continuous beeping tone Adjustable from 88 to 108 MHz Up to 1 mile r
282. t events in their lives And top ping the list of important events in people s lives is having and raising children Unfortunately camcorders and children are often incompatible That s because children by nature are spontaneous while most camcorders require quite a bit of fussing and adjusting before they are ready for use By the time you get all the Settings just right the kids are finished doing whatever it is you wanted to record in the first place That goes for kids of all ages starting right at birth We re not advocates of cam corders in the delivery room where there s enough noise and confusion and way too little privacy without the addition of ex traneous electronic gadgets But for the expectant father who does opt to play vid eographer as well as birth coach point and shoot is the way to go He won t want to miss any of the action while playing around with a sophisticated camcorder As the baby grows videotaping the milestones in his or her life doesn t get much easier Kids just don t give you any warning when they re about to do some thing worth videotaping be it rolling over taking a step or saying Mama If you want to be sure to capture those moments it s best to have a camcorder that s as easy to use as an auto everything still camera There are two more reasons for new par ents to go with a simple camcorder All of the other accouterments of babyhood and childhood
283. t jacks The wire is included with the kit The trickiest part is soldering two leads to some of the crossover terminals you might need a third hand Certain wire lengths are specified but we mea sured before cutting and there was plenty of extra wire to add a couple of inches to each one They would be trimmed down later anyway The inside of a quality speaker cab inet is not empty as one might imag ine Two panels of a spongy rubber like material with concentric ribs molded into them are glued onto the inside surface of the top and bottom rear panels The glue is included with the kit The panels are specially de signed to absorb shock and vibration SI1UONDEF JeiIndoY 9664 YQeW March 1996 Popular Electronics amp he 7 E m a SERE a nee We are almasi done Here the cabinets are shown lued ery el and waiting F the drivers yet work with the acoustic energy af the same time If purchased sepa rately they would sell for 13 each and the A652s need four of them Next the crossover boards are mounted with four screws each to the top rear panel of each speaker This part of the job involves the most work as making the pilot holes inside the cabinet is difficult we only had room to work with an awl and driving screws into the hard particle board would be next to impossible without piloting But the screws do go in after some fuss The next step is to pull the input leads throu
284. t that the assorted software and hardware found haise your standard to Wavetek hy choose between paying more for a brand name or getting more functions for your money Get the best of both worlds with Wavetek Worldwide Service Support whenever and wherever you necd it Tech preferred Features The XL meters have the largest displays auto off data hold manual and autoranging models in pocket size convenience Quality Less than 0 5 warranty returns assures continuous reliability Selection Over 35 different Wavetek DMMs to meet any measurement need User Safety Conservative voltage ratings fused inputs warning beepers shrouded test leads and designs that meet worldwide agency approvals Total Value Eight XL Series meters from 29 95 to 99 95 to meet any requirement You don t need to pay more You can t afford to settle for less For the name and location of the Wavetek dealer near you call 1 800 854 2708 Wavetek Corporation outside the U S call 619 279 2200 9045 Baiboa Avenue San Diego CA 92123 so1uosjoa y yejndog 9661 Yyaley AV V A NV ETEK waretek Corp 1995 Wavetek and the Wavatek logo are registered trademarks of the Wavetek Corporation i s 29 Ga CIRCLE 178 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD March 1996 Popular Electronics iaaea Shaani Mena N Viet Often We re bringing you m
285. tandard home VCR The package includes the SED 2 video audio mixer which takes video output from the PC and blends the newly created titles graphics and pictures into the original video footage Price 199 CIRCLE 72 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Handheld Travel Guide Eliminate navigation hassles on your road trips with U tradata Systems 9375 Dielman Industrial Drive St Louis MO 63132 Tel 800 747 2605 Ultra Finder a handheld computer that provides instant access to more than 100 000 services along the nation s highways and in more than 70 American and Canadian cities Replacing unwieldy road maps the UltraFinder puts the information you need in your hand with just a few keystrokes Simply press a button to let it know where you are In the highway mode you ll immediately see the distance to the next exit the exit number and directions and distance from your exit to your destination You can also get information regarding gas lodging 24 hour food services rest areas Campgrounds hospitals and attractions UltraFinder pro vides toll free numbers for motels and telephone numbers for highway patrol weather road conditions and tourist information In the city mode you get immediate access to hotels restaurants 24 hour copy centers 24 hour phar macies museums attractions car repair services and hospitals You can also get detailed directions from one major location to another It provides specific directions to large cit
286. ter latch input is held high When S2 is set to Pero time mea surement is limited to a single cycle in the following manner The initial lead ing edge trom pin 11 of U10 clocks U11 a Four Mode Build a Counter It s a great way to measure frequency and time BY CLEMENT S PEPPER a A resulting high on pin 1 of D type flip flop U11 a enables ano gate U12 a and 1 MHz clock pulses are then fed to or gate U14 a for counting The next input leading edge toggles U11 b locking U11t a in the reset mode and shutting off the flow of clock pulses through U14 a Gate U12 b in hibits further pulses to U11 b and U12 d inhibits the period operation when 2 is in the FREQUENCY Mode In the event and Puise woh modes U13 channels the inputs For inputs in the PULSE WIDTH Modes pin 8 of anD gate U12 c is held high to enable clock pulses to U13 Another CD4503 U15 selects be tween the counter latch and reset functions of the modes The counter latch is held high when the unit is in the EVENT or PULSE modes reset is per formed manually by pressing switch 3 Two four digit counters U8 a 740926 and U9 a 74C925 are used in the circuit Both have internal out put latching and multiplexed drivers for seven segment displays The mutti plexing operations are performed in ternally providing a rotating pulse sequence that drives switching tran sistors Q1 Q6 which allow for the dis play of each dig
287. the IC by closing S3 and then placing 2 in the rec ord position for a minimum of 25 seconds After you are satisfied with the countdown record ing you are ready to build the launching circuit shown in Fig 2 But for now leave your breadboard circuit to gether and the ISD1000A chip in place Before we start gathering parts here s a look at how the ignitor circuit operates The ISD1000A chip con taining your previously recorded message IC is connected in a simple playback only circuit that operates when power is supplied by closing the start switch 1 A 7805 voltage regulator IC3 is used to drop the 12 volt input volt age to 5 volts When the audio message is completed IC1 produces a 16 millisecond low output pulse at pin 25 That low output pulse is fed to the input pin 5 of a monosta ble multivibrator IC2 That IC produces a long timed output pulse at pin 6 which turns Q1 on suppiying power to the ignitor and PARTS LIST FOR THE VOICE CHIP ENCODER Fig 1 RESISTORS All resistors are 4 watt 5 units RI R2 47 000 ohm R3 2200 ohm R4 4700 ohms R5 470 000 ohm R6 10 ohm CAPACITORS C1 C3 0 1 F ceramic dise C4 C6 0 22 uF ceramic dise C7 C8 47 F 16 WVDC Electrolytic C9 4 7 wF 16 WVDC electrolytic ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS ICci DI ING14 silicon diode S1 S3 SPST toggle switch SPKR1 8 ohm speaker MICi electret mike ISDIGOOA voice record
288. tion contact American Reliance Inc 11801 Goldring Road Arcadia CA 91006 Tel 800 654 9838 Fax 818 358 3838 CIRCLE 86 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD POCKET QUICKEN ON BOOKMAN Intuits Pocket Quicken personal financial tracking system is now availabie on Franklin Elec tronics Bookman electronic book system Bookman is a line of handheld electronic books that feature a QWERTY key board color coded keys for different functions and a com pact LCD screen The IC ROM based Pocket Quicken on Book man the first dedicated portabile device for the financial software program also has two cartridge slots on the back that allow instant access to other plug in reference works Diction aries encyclopedias and entertainment publications are available in the Bookman for mat Pocket Quicken is speciaily designed for easy use on the go allowing users to keep track of cash check credit card and savings transactions as they oc cur Users can easily fill out and categorize a simple transaction form as quickly as they would write and record a check in a traditional checkbook register They can also categorize busi ness expenses by trip project or client At the end of a trip or project all the related informa tion can be collected to generate an expense report Pocket Quicken provides up to date spending information to help users make financial deci sions on the spot Pocket Quicken on Bookman can be u
289. tive holders Offer Is in U S dotlars and valid only in the United States and Canada All orders subyect to 15 shipping and handling charge SEA3FP4 CIRCLE 13 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD MARCH 1996 Vol 13 No 3 A A GERNSBACK PUBLICATION Popular Hectroni COVER STORY 41 Build a Voice Stress Analyzer An easy to build easy to use project that lets you answer at a glance that age old question Are you being lied to Richard Panosh CONSTRUCTION 52 Build an Ultrasonic Motion Detector A versatile circuit that accurately detects motion within its range Use it to control outdoor lights attention getting sound effects or a burglar alarm like the one described in the article Ronald A Reis Page 5 56 Build a Four Mode Counter Use it to measure frequency period pulse width and to detect ran domly occurring events Clement S Pepper 59 Build the Smart Strip Ideal for use with computer set ups home entertainment systems and more this intelligent power strip turns on up to three other devices or appliances when a fourth one is turned on Rodrick Seely FEATURES 46 Building a Speaker Kit Invest a few evenings of work and get years of listening pleasure when you build this affordably priced audiophile quality speaker kit Mare Spiwak 61 An Electro Optical Shaft Encoder Convert the rotation of a mechanical shaft into an electronic signal that can be used by digital circuits Parker R C
290. tly research has in dicated that those micro vibrations might diminish with stress Because muscles only exert force by contracting movement of the body is produced by muscles that work in Opposing pairs In a relaxed state it is believed that the muscles in the body are similarly relaxed and somewhat sluggish which results in a dead zone in the control position of a SUOMI AeiNdOY 9661 YEW amp b March 1996 Popular Electronics A N pair of opposing muscles The body then alternately tenses opposing muscles to gain a sense of their posi tion Those vibrations occur at fre quencies of 10 Hz You might have experienced a good analogy of that concept if you ve ever driven an old car with a lot of play in the steering wheel That play in the steering produces a dead zone around the control position that main tains a straight motion down the road The dead zone can be handled in one of two ways You can hold the steering steady let the car wander off to one side until the error becomes excessive and then jerk the wheel to correct your course Or you can rock the wheel back and forth through the dead zone sensing the end control points and slowly controlling them to maintain a steady and straight path The latter method provides smooth er control and is akin to adding a small oscillation to a servo loop that exactly matches the amplitude of the dead zone It should be mentioned that the frequency of that o
291. tly to the antenna ter minals on the back of the TV receiver Unfortunately the length of transmission line from the terminals on the TV cabinet and the in put of the tuner acts like an antenna and could render the filter useless The prob lem is signal being picked up on that piece of anten na lead after the filtering takes place If the filter fails then it must be installed inside the TV set as close as possible to the tuner input terminals Here s one real good piece of advice Don t you do any modifications at all to your neighbor s TV set Let a professional television re pair technician do the job The reason is that if you do it yourself you assume some FROM TV ANTENNA OR CABLE CONNECTION liability for the action Your neighbor will assume that any reception defect there after or any repair that s needed for the next year or two is your fault The as sumption will be that you either did something wrong or something is wrong with that darn filter Be wary and let a professional do it You might wish to pay for the modification to your neighbor s set if you re a good guy but thats not a good idea because all your neighbors will want the same treatment Besides the defective design of your neighbor s TV is not your responsibility FIXING THE TRANSMITTER It might not be your re sponsibility if your neighbor s set responds inap propriately to large local signals but it is your res
292. to 20 MHz 5 digit LED Display e AM amp FM Internal or External Modulation e Sine Square Triangle TTL CMOS Outputs e Burst Operation e External 30 MHz Frequency Counter 60 MHz QS 3060 1 899 00 Bandwidth 20 MHz 40 MHz Model QS 3020 OS 3040 SALE Price 1 199 00 i 1 599 60 Don t Leave Your Computer Unprotected Fairstone Uninterruptible Power System Reliable Blackout Brownout Spike and Surge Protection e Sleek Good Looks and Smali Footprint Design Cold Start Function LCD Status Display Automatic Monitoring and Shutdown Software for Windows with cable Only 79 00 750 P750 329 00 600 P600 269 00 VA Rating Model SALE Price Full line of Oscilloscopes RF Video amp Audio Test Equipment M FOTRONIC Power Supplies Meters Probes and Accessories CORPORATION S moC00 TOLL FREE 1 800 99 METER st os PEE TS of Equipment Subject to Prior Sale K 617 665 1400 Prices Subject to Change Without Notice 1 800 9 9 6 3 8 37 FAX 617 665 0780 March 1996 Popular Electronics eo D ta Shes gis SH fee Se eee GPA lt 4 Sey Sva z ni z rts 14 ole So ex Re RIDENT TROS if mom M amai ES WIDE Raya tor er ee Sd SARL ze ial Pir Wa T amp R N SACA Stes a Aaa ay Tear tho ey A a ee rt
293. to your credit card by enclos ing your account number and expiration date 32 2820 Waterford Lake Drive Suite 106 Midlothian Virginia 23113 yous KNOW WH Is GOING T A O TRANSMIT R elar There s no need to get uptight about missing that important fre quency With Scout Reaction Tune Capturing _Tequencies i like a day a beach Pure bliss Interface the Scout to the AOR AR8 and the Sc will not only show you which frequency is being transmitted but you i be able to instantly hear the conversation from the AR8000 as well The Scout can record 400 trequencies into memory with up to 255 hits per fre quency From 1OMHz 1 4GHz The Scout distinctively beeps indicating frequency hits or switch to a pager style vibrator for discreet recording Built in rapid charge NiCads provid full ten hour discharge time Portability functionality and the yT hand held size of the Scout make it great for mobile operations Ean Take it anywhere even fi wa i a 16 segment RF signal strength bargraph 10 digit LCD display w EL backlighting Reaction Tune the AOR AR amp 000 2700 ICOM R7000 R7100 and R9000 and Realistic Pro 2005 6 w OS456 Pro 2035 w OS535 Scanners not sold by Optoelectronics Download frequencies into PC using optional CX12AR Beeper Vibrator to indicate frequency capture Ful on screen function annunicators Memory Tune Scroll through Scout memory to tune receiver Seuur
294. tomation 86 177 MicroCode Engineering 23 Modern Electronics 98 166 VIOUS 8 E a 98 NRI Schools 19 Ohio Automation 106 43 Optoelectronics CV4 148 Parts Express 88 PC Boards o ee oe es 93 164 Phillips Tech 109 47 Prairie Digital Inc 98 46 PRG cae ein ee 89 130 PEs eee 92 RNJ Electronics 104 Self Reliance Co Inc 96 Show Time 103 Silicon Valley Surplus 106 Skyvision Inc 99 Summit Design Group 98 Tab Books 27 51 136 UCANDO Videos 91 Vision Electronics 103 Visual Communications 108 178 Wavetek Corp 29 Weeder Technologies 79 Weka Publishing 105 World College Div of C LE 25 WPT Publications 103 134 Xandi Electronics 33 ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE Gernsback Publications Inc 500 Bi County Blvd Farmingdale NY 11735 3931 1 516 293 3000 Fax 1 516 293 3115 Larry Steckler EHF CET President ext 201 Christina Estrada Assistant to the President fext 209 For Advertising ONLY 1 516 293 3000 Fax 1 516 293 3115 Larry Steckler publisher Arline Fishman advertising director ext 206 Michele Torrillo advertising
295. tomation wiring Supplies and much more 68HC705 68HC711E9 PICL6CXX TMS7742 ty ADAPTER REQUIRED DIAGRAMS INCLUDED Home AUTOMATION SysTeMs INC i s N SOFTWARE READ VERIFY PROGRAM COPY D imeem DISK FILE LOAD SAVE CHE CKSUM FULL S28 151 Kalmus Drive Ste L4 Costa Mesa CA 92626 TER Questions 714 708 0610 FAX 714 708 0614 FAST DEVICES PROGRAM IN UNDER 20 SEC aa 5 RUGGED 9 X6 X3 ENCLOSURE W HANDLE 5 00 C O D Iji 7 Call 24hrs for FREE MADE IN USA 1 YEAR WARRANTY VISA MAS TERCARD 64 page Color Catalog ANDROMEDA RESEARCH P O BOX 222 MILFORD OH 45150 513 831 9708 FAX 513 831 7562 a Fr Satellite TV Buyers Guide gfe SAVE 40 60 4 800 334 6455 P 218 739 5231 Int l 218 739 4879 Fax L Skyvision Inc it GMela otee lcam how to repair VCRs earn how to repair VCRs Home study Leam low overhead high profit repairs step by step Start a great career or open your own business Free career literature 800 223 4542 l Name Age ____ l Address Phone City State Zip l The School of VCR Repair DEPT VRC341 PCDI 6065 Roswell Rd Atlanta GA oe One tree can make 3 000 000 matches F 3 i Ee 2 lt Mra end oH T2 MINUTE TPE Dred height auta polarity indication zero reading af a stepper motor You con move the motor in one They were recorded on once ond hioyasi One match can burn for 0 volt input Measures 2 67 x 1 73 x
296. try storage standard The CompactFlash storage card is the world s smallest removable data storage system First introduced in 1994 by SanDisk the solid state CF cartridges about the size of a matchbook 1 4 X 1 7 x 0 13 inches are available in 2 4 10 and 15 mega byte capacities The founding companies are Apple Computer Inc Canon Eastman Kodak Hewlett Packard LG Semicon formerly Goldstar Matsushita Motorola NEC Polaroid SanDisk formerly SunDisk Seagate and Seiko Epson It is expected that the member companies will begin in corporating CF storage cartridges in some of the many different electronic platforms and products that they produce for mass consumer markets The CFA is actively recruiting new members and expects sev eral other companies to join in the near future The founding members cite various rea sons for backing the CF platform Canon believes that CF cartridges will become the film for next generation digital cam eras while Eastman Kodak considers CompactFlash to be an excellent solution for Kodak s Digital Imaging products where small size storage is appropriate Hewlett Packard sees CF as an enabling technology that could allow the compa ny s handheld products to seamlessly in tegrate with numerous mass market products such as video cameras pagers and cellular phones Motorola strongly endorses the establishment of a CF stan dard because a PC
297. ts are different the output is rotation of the disc and turns it into a string of pulses that indicates rotation rate and low Therefore U1 b generates a ere don negative pulse for every transition of sensor U3 and U1 d generates a negative pulse for every transition of U4 The states of U3 and U4 determine whether the pulse is sent to the X out put of the data selector U2 pin 13 to eae indicate a CCW pulse or the Y output GENERATOR pin 3 to indicate a CW pulse In Fig 2 a 4052 data selector is shown for U2 but any dual four chan nel data selector such as the Motorola MC14539 or MC14529 will work equally well with the appropri ate pin number changes The data CW 4V selector is akin to a two pole four po sition switch with the switch position set by the address inputs pins 9 and 10 Fig 3 This circuit takes the output from the pulse generator and produces a BCD count of those pulses Counting Circuits The output pulses of the encoding circuit can be counted with any counter With a BCD up down counter such as the 40192 shown in Fig 3 a binary coded deci mal BCD number is produced Those counters have separate up and down clock inputs For example as long as the count input pin 11 is high the counter will increment one count for every positive edge at the clock up input pin 5 and decre Fig 4 Here s a different counter based on the 4029 The output is binary or BCD ment
298. ts proper pads directly on the foil side of the PC board The leads should rest flat on the pads and the fronts of the transducers should point away from the PC board Finally install two wires to provide a signal out connection for attaching various output transducers and cir cuits You might want to use one red and one black wire as the signal is polarized Checkout Power up your circuit with either a battery or fixed power source Set up the Motion Detector in a quiet room with no one moving about Even air moving hot air rising wind blow ing and believe it or not someone talking will trigger the device when set to its greatest sensitivity After you connect the power let the unit stand for at least 20 seconds so the whole circuit will settle down elec trically Set the 1 megohm trimmer po tentiometer to about 400 000 ohms by eye in other words imagine that the potentiometer has settings for zero through ten and set if af four Below about 300 000 ohms the De tector is often too sensitive and will self trigger Trial and error will show the best setting for your particular re quirements Some Applications Referring back to Fig 1 note that transistor 1 turns on and delivers a continuous unregu lated 9 volts to a suitable load as lang as something is moving within the De tector s range If the load is a 9 volt relay virtually any electronic device can be turned on in response to mo tion That might be
299. uding Super VGA O Copper Flooding for Building Ground Areas Al 6600 Phone Tap Detector Detects Radio Frequency Taps Series and Parallel Taps Line Impedance Taps Extension Phone Listeners 149 95 PHOME TAP DETECTOR Al 2100 ie ie brs erimmann ries O Gerber and Excellion Output om co O Create Negative amp Positive Printouts one e B r n BOOY WIRE Body Wires O Autoroute Singie amp Double Sided Boards DETECTOR eFM Wireless Mics O Mirror Image Output for Laser amp DeskJet tm o NEW DOS Pricing Ask for New Price List AM Transmitters UHF Transmitters Al 5500 o AutoCADm DXF output sala li sin O Parts Library Silk Layer Includes All Ouput Drivers arp ae aas O Great for Ali Circuit Design Projects ind UHE Transmiter a muasi Demos from BBS 205 933 2954 Defeats wtf conan 2 L A A PCBoards Layout Only G white noise signal breaker 379 95 We sell a variety of covert cameras transmitters night vislon equipment video Same Wi n d OWS tm Layo ut sta rts at 1 4 9 lapse recorders remote video monitoring systems body armour and much more Request Our Full Catalog for 5 00 Receive 10 00 OFF First Order Call or Write for Full Product Line Prices amp Demo Packages FREE WITH ANY PURCHASE AMERICAN INNOVATIONS INC PCBoards 800 473 7227 2110 14th Ave South Fax 205 933 2954 Birmingham AL 35205 Phone 205 933 1122 o1u0s 99 3 JEINdOY 9664 YEW 11
300. uency response re 100 modulation Additional Data Fast forward time T 120 tape Fast rewind time T 120 tape Power requirements Weight Dimensions HxWxD inches RCA VR678HF VHS Hi Fi VCR 499 1 34 dB 2 0 MHz 19 4 dB 3 0 MHz 45 2 dB 44 6 dB 43 5 dB 40 5 dB 40 4 dB 2 65 volts 3 0 0 003 0 004 89 6 dB 20 Hz to 20 kHz 0 19 0 28 0 27 0 38 volts 3 00 0 06 0 08 90 3 dB 200 Hz to 10 0 kHz 0 71 0 53 0 25 63 8 dB 0 36 99 Hz to 12 5 kHz 26 dB 64 3 dB 0 33 96 Hz to 3 2 kHz 66 7 dB 0 84 60 Hz to 10 1 kHz 2 min 22 Sec 2 min 18 Sec 20 watts 10 Ibs 3 5625 x 15 4475 125 Frequency response and Stereo separation for Multichannel TV Sound broadcasts are measured using real world reception conditions of 20dB relative to 100 signal modulation on the remote control And if you don t use CA at all you can still use the VCR s Skip Search function to fast forward through the tape in 30 second incre ments Although our in use eval uation found CA to be pretty much on target and even to work beyond nor mat skeptical expecta tions both the inventor and RCA concede it isnt per fect That is due to vagaries in current broadcast prac tices and to some extent sheer flukes of similarity be tween ad and program appearance For the record CA is one implementation of a tech nology that has additional features and functions not neces
301. uitMaker now ships with more devices at no additional cost than any competing product If you need a device that isn t provided CircuitMaker provides industry standard SPICE import and a pow erful Macro capability to enable you to create new devices CircuitMaker provides you with the tools to get the job done right Analog Digital and Mixed Mode Simulation CircuitMaker s SPICE3 based analog simulation is fast and accurate SPICE sub circuits for all base level digital devices provides advanced mixed mode simulation capability Digital simulation is live and highly interactive This power ful simulation trio is tightly in tegrated into one package and will confirm your circuit de signs with accuracy and ease Professional Schematic Layout CircuitMaker s schematic capabilities are unmatched and include many ad vanced editing features not found in similar programs These powerful fea tures minimize the time and task associated with drawing a schematic and insure a professional looking final product Printout and export options are numerous and results are of the highest quality But that s what people have come to expect from CircuitMaker as a 7 a Eman Onay Mix Say Oop i Soy sS e x e S S e CircuitMaker YES YES YES YES YES YES 299 _ Ernies woen YES NO YES NO NO NO 5299 CircuitMaker Shorts The Competition Out With An Unbeatable Bottom l
302. ular Electronics NET Shopping for Electronics Bi face it electronic compo nents and equipment can get expensive For that reason many hob byists are forced to cannibalize parts from old gear and use outdated equip ment and computers But that doesn t have to be the case there are bar gains out there And as you might have guessed considering which column you re reading many of those bar gains are on the Internet FS tah rial azpi Pe a e a ee cd JEE i E oe are Saree F pi J Looking for Swap Meet contains lots of bargains From online swap meets to store fronts each of the sites we ll look at this month contains an innovative way of finding just what you re looking for at just the right price So get out those credit cards and checkbooks it s time to go shopping SURPLUS AND SWAPPING Our first site this month is the Western Electronic Surplus page an easy to use virtual electronic equip ment trader that allows you to both buy and sell equipment Whats great about the site is that it gives two 28 options for doing each Netscape Online I T a A es Ta ale ee ear Tape a en T ge i ir R 1 G5 i LE N J a good deal on electronic equipment The Western Electronic Surplus Online One way to buy and sell equipment is directly from Western If you d like to buy something you can check their online searchable list of available equipment inciuding the following cat ego
303. unction Generator 2Mhz Sweep Function Gen w Freq Counter 1 0GHz Frequency Counter High Resolution Reg S249 1 49 00 s 0 2 Hz 2 0 MHz FG 1 50 o l FC 200 1 0 Hz 1 0 GHz Spee Reg 399 229 00 s2t 0807 Ae s399 219 00 soiatied Triangle Pulse Triangle TTL Eey s ee M8 vaner mu __ rene anni Auto amp Manual pan a Pulse Ramp A REEE A Skewed Sine EEE ie EEE Lincar ogarithmic Ramp Skewed Sine VCF Symmetry r Range EEn TEN e 4 Selectable Gate Pr 7 Sweep fai E ee cess gy fp Times Variable DC ee ee 10 Miz Frea i a 103 os Tite E f e IMQ amp 500 Input Offset Control Oscilloscope Probe Set HP 9060 60MHz Switch Selectable X1 X10 Reg 29 17 00 prng HP 9150 150MHz i Reg 49 27 00 eee HP 9250 250MHz Reg 59 37 00 Counter Impedance PS 500 DC Power Supply PS 540 DC Power Supply rar Reg 249 159 00 fq s392 249 00 en panii 0 30 VDC m mamoa sae 0 16 VDC es i F 01 3A ee i h 0 1 10A i ai i T Short amp Overload Protection Short amp Overload Protection m Deluxe O scopes w Phillips CRT BEST BUY OS 3304 Reg 499 OS 3304 25MHz Dual Trace 0S 3315 349 00 T 0c t025 mHz DuaiChannei 4OMH2z Dual Trace Bel MERIT e 6 Rectangular CRT with C Internal Graticule 10x8cm Sweep Delayed BMA CO Phillips P31 Uncalibration LED
304. ur head hi fi unit We examine Commercial Advance in depth look at some of the VCR s other features and put the deck through its paces both on the bench and in the home Incidentally first generation DSS owners will be especially interested in the deck as it can be used to control a DSS receiver thereby adding a timer recording capability to that unit Bench tests for the deck can be found in Product Test Reports which begins on page 34 User impressions can be found in Gizmo which begins on page 5 Oe L Carl Laron Editor EARN YOUR B S DEGREE COMPUTERS ELECTRONICS By Studying at Home Grantham College of Engineering now in our 45th year is highly experi enced in distance education teaching by correspondence through printed materials computer materials fax modem and phone No commuting to class Study at your own pace while continuing on your present job Learn from easy to understand but complete and thorough lesson materials with additional help from our instructors Grantham offers three separate distance education programs leading to the follow ing accredited degrees 1 The B S E T with Major Emphasis in Electronics 2 The B S E T with Major Emphasis in Computers 3 The B S C S the Bachelor of Sci ence in Computer Science An important part of being pre pared to move up is holding the right college degree and the absolutely neces sary part is knowing your
305. ut to work in today s marketplace CIE is the best educational value you can receive if you want to learn about electronics and earn a good income with that knowledge CIE s reputation as the world leader in home study electronics is based solely on the success of our graduates And we ve earned our reputation with an unconditional commit ment to provide our students with the very best electronics training Just ask any of the 150 000 plus graduates of the Cleveland institute of Electronics who are working in high paying positions with aerospace computer medical automotive and communications firms throughout the world They ll tell you success didn t come easy but it did come thanks to their CIE training And today a career in electronics offers more rewards than ever before electronics And every CIE Course earns credit towards the completion of your Associate in Applied Science Degree So you can work toward your degree in stages or as fast as you wish In fact CIE is the only school that actually rewards you for fast Study which can save you money LEARN BY DOING WITH STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING CIE pioneered the first Electronics Laboratory pra p Cy Course and the first Microprocessor Course Today no other home study school can match CIE s state of the art equipment and training And all your i P laboratory equipment books and lessons are in
306. uter parts plus much much more FAX us your name and address or call 800 811 5203 ext 5 to leave a message on our catalog request line CIRCUIT SPECIALISTS SINCE 1971 800 811 5203 602 464 2485 602 464 582 4 rax WE ACCEPT Enee souodjoaly Jeindod 9661 Yyauey es March 1996 Popular Electronics s a Official 1934 SHORT WAVE BUILD simple high performance old time shortwave radios ly All of the secrets are here the circuit diagrams parts lay Out coil aper galion construction details operation hints and much more This is a compilation of shortwave con struction articles from Short Wave Craft magazines yeh in the 20 s amp 30 s It s wall to wall how to Included are CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS PHO TOGRAPHS AND DESIGN SECRETS of all shortwave receivers being manufactured in 1934 including some of the most famous SW 58 the SW 5 Thrill Box the deForest KR 1 the Hammarlund Comet Pro amp many more Also included is a new chapter showing how you Can use transistors to replace hard to find vacuum tubes You ll even see the circuit that was lashed together on a table top one night using junk box parts a hair curler and Sist clips Attached to an antenna strung across the basement ceiling and a 9 volt bat tery a started POPPING in like crazy in a couple of minutes an urgent message from a ship s captain off Seattle over 1500
307. utomatically controls and records on our X 4 extended play recorder taping both sides of a telephone conversation intended for order entry verification Check your local laws as some states may require an alerting beeper TAP20X ey to Use SyStem usesusunrsusersorsonosrnssennnnr ssn 129 50 eS Zz 2 fag Shoiker Force Field lt 7 AA Vehicle Electrifier Neat little device allows you to make hand and shock balls shock wands and electrify objects charge capacitors Great payback for those wise guys who have wronged you SHKIK Easy to Assemble Electronic Kit sss 29 50 Electric All New Technology Stuns immobilizes attackers up to 15 feet away E sLegal in most state not in NY NJ MA WI More knock down power than most handguns No permanent injury ID coded Free 80KV stun gun with every purchase ECG1 Data Packet Creditable toward purcase 10 00 ECG10 Charge Gun Ready to Use w Free 80KV Gun 249 50 Homing Tracking Transmitter Beeper device 3 mile range HOD1 Plans 10 00_ HODIK Kit Plans 49 50 Listen Through Walls Floors Highly sensitive stethoscope mike eae 00 STETHI Ki Wir es a 50 STETH1 Plans Infinity Transmitter Telephan Line Grak Room Monitor Controller All New The Ultimate in Home Office Security amp Safety Simple to use Call your home or office push a secret tone on your telephone keypad to access On
308. vate conversations overheard monitored and or recorded Almost without exception and AFTER the fact the victims make a statement something along the fines of But never thought it AN OUR FINEST ir icon Counter Survetilance Device THE ULTIMATE IN BUG DETECTION EQUIPMENT DEBUGS ROOMS AND TELEPHONES if you require GUARANTEED PROTECTION against electronic telephone monitoring devices and COMPLETE CONFIDENTIAL PRIVACY in certain rooms and areas we highly recommend the COUNTER SURVEILLANCE DETECTOR CSD 18 K Grew quai hers EXTREME SENSITIVITY This is our finest piece of detection equipment The CSD 18 quickly locates electronic eavesdropping devices in telephones homes Offices vehicles boats or concealed on the body It will actually pick up many eavesdropping transmitters at ranges up to 25 ftl Extreme sensitivity is obtained via ultra efficient amplification circuitry directly following the AF detection stages Excelent quality dynamic headphones exclude all external sounds to further enhance detector output Encompassing an extremely wide band frequency coverage of under 1 Mhz to over 3 Ghz the CSD 18 quickly homes in on any CONDUCT A PROFESSIONAL SEARCH ANYTIME ANYWHERE i dropping transmitter and immediately pinpoints its location FULL RANGE Every newspaper and magazine article and every radio and TV eaves f andi story discussing some new episode invo
309. vide its students with the most advanced education tools From the latest equipment and reference books to breakthrough computer simulated experiments students are exposed to the latest technological advancements All the equipment parts and soft ware you need are included in your affordable tuition including more than 300 hands on lab experiments you can complete in your home Choose your own pace Earn your bachelor s degree on your time and at your pace because you pay tuition to World College only as you complete the upper level semesters close to graduation The faster you make it through the less you pay So you have an incentive to make your future happen quickly yet the freedom to choose your own pace Send today for your FREE course catalog and give yourself that future you ve always wanted with an electronics degree education from World College 4 ia Take charge of your future in electronics Four Powerful Reasons To Connect With World College Today 1 Earn your four year a degree 2 Self paced is training 3 Independent study in yourhome Expert a instruction lt Give Me The Power Send me a FREE World College course catalog today Please Print Neatly Name Address City State Zip Phone Age For faster service call 1 800 696 7532 or call 1 804 464 4600 Or fax this coupon to 1 804 464 3687 WORLD COLLEGE Lak
310. w how will earn you top dollar Only NRI the leader in at home training for over 80 years gives you everything you need to start a new career or business of your own as a sought after LAN servicing technician Train with and keep the most advanced computer system available in home study today NRI knows To master a revolutionary technology like LAN you need to train with exceptional equipment That s why your course includes a 486DX4 100 MHz PC with all these exciting features Space saving mini tower design 8 meg RAM 128K cache memory 540 meg hard drive Super VGA color monitor with 1 meg video memory 14 400 baud fax modem with 10 free hours of America Online e Quad speed CD ROM drive 16 bit sound card with stereo speakers Windows 95 Two network interface cards Thin Ethernet cable Special coax cable assembly tools And more Using LANtastic award winning LAN software you connect this top of the line system to your existing computer 386SX or es T E Includes 486DX4 100 better with hard drive 3 5 floppy drive and at least one meg RAM Then you re set tor available throughout your training and to explore first hand the tremendous potential of today s LAN technology m pariat f f Schools eS eee 1 Lessons cover entire LAN spectrum NRI s bite sized lessons explain computer electronics and LAN technology step by
311. w and how well it works The feature is activated through the VR678HF s on screen menu which is to say you needn t use it if you like to watch the commer cials or use them to signal Paviovian refrigerator raids or comfort breaks In any event CA doesn t eliminate commercials They re re corded with the rest of the telecast but coded so that the VCR advances past them to the next program sequence during playback While the deck fast for wards past the commercial CA normally displays a blue field on your TV screen As an option if can maintain a blur of fast forward video while the commercials ad vance at 6x normal speed The math works out like this A three minute commercial break scans through in about 30 sec onds in SP Standard Play mode or 10 seconds for EP SLP recordings The marking and coding actually takes place after recording or after a se quence of closely spaced time shift recordings CA rewinds the tape analyzes it at high speed for various tell tale signs of a sponsor s presence and marks the in and out points of those segments Normally it would blast past the ad blitz on playback but if you wish to view the commercials you d activate the Manual setting in the on screen program You still have the option to skip past the ads by hitting the Search button Just like these Fully Trained Electronics Professionals Thanks to CIE have tripled my previous salary and am
312. you will need to spend at least twice that amount And needless to say better systems will warrant better speakers What Makes a Good Speaker Aside from the drivers themselves a good speaker needs a solid heavy cabinet one that doesn t vibrate at all when it cranks out sound A good speaker cabinet is much like the finely BUILDING A oudspeaker KIT Have fun for a few evenings building your own high end loudspeakers then listen to them for years to come BY MARC SPIWAK tuned body of a musical string instru ment guitar violin etc The body must resonate agreeably with the sound it produces or else you ve got a sour instrument The same is true of a speaker cabinet flimsy plastic or plywood just won t do A speaker cab inet must also be designed specifical ly for the drivers that will be installed in it speaking of the drivers today s high technology has greatly extended the realm of what are considered to be high end speakers For years and years speaker cones were made mostly from simple paper products or other materials that didn t age well and couldn t be rocked like modern speakers can Today exotic materials such as gold platinum titanium carbon fiber and other composites are used to make speakers that can really take a beat ing while still delivering per fect sound Build from Scratch or Kit If you are reading this magazine the odds are good that you like t
313. z with sampling rates up to 1 000 000 per second The min imum PC required is a 286 with 12 MHz speed The O Scope Il module costs 349 For further information contact Allison Technology Cor poration 8343 Carvel Houston TX 77036 Tel 800 980 9806 or 713 777 0401 Fax 713 777 4746 BBS 713 777 4753 CIRCLE 88 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD REWRITABLE OPTICAL DRIVE CD ROM PLAYER The Plasmon PD CD system is a technically advanced optical drive that provides the ca pabilities of a removable high capacity hard drive a reliable iape backup drive and a high speed CD ROM player in a sin gle half height slot Its micro optical head assembly offers unprecedented flexibility In ad dition to providing read and direct overwrite capabilities for large capacity phase change optical disks the PD CD also reads CD ROMs audio CDs and Photo CDs at a minimum of 600 kilobytes per second KB sec The compact system has an access time of between 100 and 150 milliseconds and when used with a rewritable phase change optical disk transmits data at an average speed of 870 KB sec The PD CD system was de signed for multimedia and desktop publishing presentation development as well as system backup and secure data storage applications With the re movability of the rugged 650 MB optical disks the system is also suited for large scale graphics engineering and sci entific applications because work can be organized
314. zoom lens is controlled by a small lever convenienily located near the index finger Seven zoom speeds are provided and depend on how far the zoom CIRCLE 61 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD lever is pushed or pulled The variable speeds allow the full zoom to be traveled in as little as 4 or as much as 20 seconds As you might imagine it is difficult to hold the camera steady enough to get a good picture at maximum zoom For tunately the ES2000 offers an image sta bilization system Again Canon chose to go with an optical system instead of an electronic one so as not to degrade picture quality The image stabilization system is based on Canon s Vari Angle Prism VAP tech nology The prism is made up of two glass elements that are joined by a flexible plas tic material The space between the ele ments is filled with a special transparent silicon based oil Motion sensors detect horizontal or ver tical movement and relay information to a microprocessor that controls prism actu ators The prism like all other prisms bends or refracts light The motion of the prism compensates for camera shake by keeping the image centered on the CCD The camcorder is able to compensate for different kinds of motion caused by vari ous shooting situations For example a stationary videographer holding the cam corder in his hand will produce completely different motions from one who is walking or riding in a car The ES2000 s system

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