2 Mar, 2009

4 Mar, 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.

8 Mar, 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).

10 Mar, 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.

14 Mar, 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.

16 Mar, 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.

20 Mar, 2009

Letters and emails should contain complete name, address and daytime phone number. Letters to the Editor are submitted on the condition that Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd may edit and has the right to reproduce in electronic form and communicate these letters. This also applies to submissions to "Ask SILICON CHIP" and "Circuit Notebook".

22 Mar, 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.

24 Mar, 2009

Deadly equipment and difficult faults can present real challenges when restoring vintage radio gear. Sometimes, you just have to say "no" to a set that's just too dangerous to use unless it's correctly modified.