06 April 2009

Connecting Puppy Linux to the Internet via a network cable is a piece of cake. Wireless networking can be slightly more difficult but is still easy to do. Here's how.

04 April 2009

You probably think that a dimmer is a dimmer is a dimmer, right? This little beauty will definitely change your mind!

02 April 2009

Last month, we discussed the details of the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC+) used in Digital Radio. This month we discuss how the AAC+ data is transmitted and received. The transmissions combine data with program content and the entire transmission is a multiplexed combination of the many programs.

22 March 2009

Versatile unit indicates signal levels in mV, dBv & dbm

Want to measure small signals at audio frequencies? Here's a low-cost digital audio millivoltmeter which will allow you to measure audio signals from below 5Hz to above 100kHz. As well as indicating the level in both millivolts and dBV, it also shows the corresponding dBm level into 600 ohms.

16 March 2009

Digital Radio broadcasts will use Advanced Audio Coding (AAC+) of the digital audio signals. AAC+ is a complex compression process which greatly reduces the amount of RF bandwidth and transmission power necessary to broadcast a high quality signal.

14 March 2009

Thanks in no small part to the SILICON CHIP promotion over the last five years, popular and cheap PICAXE micros are widely now considered the best value educational microcontroller. However, motivated pre-teens and fuzzy-eyed seniors who are "keen to learn about micros" may find PICAXE PC board soldering or breadboard circuit assembly too fiddly. So here's a nifty approach that fits a PICAXE-08M micro-controller into the gutted sound module from a colourful "Snap Connector" electronic kitset.

10 March 2009

Tired of resetting the time on your wall clock? This GPS circuit will convert a standard battery wall clock into a precision timekeeper that never needs to be corrected. It will even automatically adjust for daylight saving time.

08 March 2009

Laptop getting a bit long in the tooth? Does it now run like an old dog under Windows? You need a puppy - Puppy Linux, that is. Puppy runs like a scalded cat, even on old hardware (well, almost).

06 March 2009

Interesting circuit ideas which we have checked but not built and tested. Contributions from readers are welcome and will be paid for at standard rates.

04 March 2009

This design is an upgrade of our most popular Theremin which was featured in the August 2000 issue. We have added a voicing control, incorporated a larger loudspeaker and increased the power output. We've also changed the power supply to avoid problems with switchmode DC plugpacks.