15 July 2011

Elsewhere in this issue, we present the updated Ultra-LD Mk.3 Audio Power Amplifier Module. It has a new frequency compensation arrangement which helps it achieve even lower distortion than the Mk.2 version. In this article, we explain why amplifier frequency compensation is necessary and how it works.

09 July 2011

The evolution of electric cars: Could There Be A SIM-LEI Electric Car In Your Future?

07 July 2011

Not too long ago we heard of an Australian company offering high performance digital hearing aids, based on new technology developed in Australia, at a fraction of the cost of other aids. I was intrigued - it's been a subject close to my heart ears for decades! Were they any good? Were they value for money? Did they work? And what is this latest technology in hearing aids, anyway? SILICON CHIP likes to look at electronics that are slightly out of the ordinary!

17 June 2011

Marantz is one of the few mainstream hifi manufacturers still making dedicated CD players. In fact, they make quite a few, ranging in price from affordable to very expensive. We take a look at a machine which is somewhere in-between, offering pitch control and a USB input so MP3 and other files can be played.

09 June 2011

Not long ago, Queensland endured some of the worst flooding on record. During this time I was offered the opportunity to recover some radio receivers that would otherwise have ended up as landfill.

03 June 2011

During the past few years, SILICON CHIP has exposed some decidedly "shonky" power-saving devices. So it gives us great pleasure in "exposing" another power-saving device . . . one that actually lives up to its claims. The FutureWave Energy Saver WILL save energy and therefore money. And we have the test figures to prove it.

20 May 2011

14 May 2011

An increasing number of SILICON CHIP projects use memory cards for storing data, loading software and the like. Originally intended for digital cameras, mobile phones etc, these cards are small, now quite inexpensive and can store an enormous amount of data (8 and 16GB cards are now common). But as some readers have discovered, there can sometimes be issues . . .

08 May 2011

While Jaycar is now the dominant electronic parts retailer in Australia it had very small beginnings, 30 years ago. Since then it has grown from a single run-down store in a virtual dungeon in a Sydney lane to an operation with 72 stores (and climbing) and employing over 1100 people in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. Leo Simpson recently sat down with the owner, Gary Johnston, to chew the fat and review some of the high points.

02 May 2011

Have you got a horde of old junk, er, good stuff, that is now taking up too much space in your home? Here's the good oil on how to get rid of it at the best price, by selling it on eBay.