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THE WAY I SEE IT By NEVILLE WILLIAMS Today they're tagging animals tomorrow, it might be humans! Electronic implants are becoming more common. Now there is an electronic implant system which makes it possible to identify individual animals, with virtually 100% accuracy. The idea is intriguing until you realise that similar technology might be all too easily applicable to humans. So that you'll have some idea of what I'm on about, I suggest that you read the letter in the accompanying panel. The article referred to in the reader's letter appears on pages 73/74 of "Farm" magazine for June 1989, being featured in a segment headed - significantly - "Farm Computer News". Described in the article as a "microchip transponder" the identification device is permanently sealed inside a tiny, biologically inert glass capsule about 12mm long and a couple of millimetres in diameter. A half-dozen of them, each weighing about 54 milligrams, could be laid side-by-side within the area of a 5-cent coin, The capsule is normally implanted in a position clear of potentially edible flesh, using a springloaded 12-gauge syringe. A retractable needle and an in-built depth limiter allows the capsule to be implanted at a depth of 13-32mm, depending on the animal and implant area. Each tiny transponder is preprogrammed with a distinctive number - one of the 34 billion said to be available with the particular coding. The number can be checked and displayed with a portable scan86 SILICON CHIP ner both before and after implant and recorded in a computer data bank, along with other relevant information about the animal. The reading range is about 75mm. Should an animal need to be identified, the implant can be read at any time with a suitable scanner. The new "Destron Electronic Identification" system is said to enjoy the enthusiastic support of the RSPCA and other animal welfare groups and is being evaluated by a number of other organisations concerned with the positive identification of livestock. It is being offered here and in New Zealand through AGTEC AustraHa Pty Ltd, based in Adel- THE AGTEC MICROCHIP transponder is only about 12mm long and 2mm in diameter. It is programmed with one of 34 billion different codes. aide (phone 08 388 8344). According to AGTEC, the system can provide positive identification of individual animals, a big advance on conventional branding. As well, an implant is less disfiguring than either fire or freeze branding and not as vulnerable to loss, damage or interference as external tags. AGTEC uses the equipment to monitor its own breeding herds. At any one time, there may be more than 1000 cows implanted with expensive imported embryos, so there can be no room for mistakes with animal identification. If universally adopted, according to AGTEC, The Destron Electronic Identification system would effectively eliminate the substitution racket in the racing industry and greatly reduce cattle rustling. The wider picture "Im sure you will have heard about the system", says our correspondent P.D. Well, yes and no! I vaguely recall having seen something about it in a TV program but at the time, I had no opportunity to seek out the technical details. Logically, subminiature implants had to be more "humane" than fire branding and I simply assumed that such a system would involve yet another application of the now ubiquitous bar code. One way and another, scientists and research workers have been electronically tagging animals for years to learn more a bout their movements and behaviour. Right now, for example, an Australian team is monitoring penguins in the A pain in the posterior! Dear sir, I'm sure that you will have heard about the electronic identification system described in the attached clipping from a recent issue of "Farm" magazine. I first did so when it was in the final s tages of development and, at the time, regarded it simply as yet another marvel of electronics. Now it is a fact , I see implications of another kind, rais ing questions that need to be asked and answered. Today, it is being used on animals. After it passes that test, could it become the next s tep up from present impositions like tax fil e number, credit card Antarctic, in an effort to gain a better understanding of the food chain. Prompted by P.D.'s letter, however, I began asking specific questions, which brought me into contact firstly with the NSW Department of Agriculture and later with the University of New England, at Armidale, NSW. Based at the university, I learned, are two specialist research groups more or less unique in Australia: the AGBU [Animal Genetic & Breeding Unit) headed up by Dr Keith Hammond, and the University Centre of Electronics in Agriculture, headed by Dr Royden Lake. Dr Hammond kindly offered me a copy of his own recent paper entitled "Electronic Identification of Animals and Automatic Cattle Handling". He also referred me to AMLRDC in Sydney - short for the Australian Meat & Livestock Research and Development Corporation. As I write, literature from both sources has just landed on my table. By the time it's been digested and discussed with an acquaintance who happens to be well versed in the cattle business, I should have a much clearer picture of the whole subject. In the meantime, I gather that AGTEC's Destron Electronic Identification system is best seen as one interesting piece in an electronic jigsaw that is gradually being number, licence number and so on? With 34 billion possible codes, the system could identify the world! Technically, I'd be interested to know how it works and how reliable it is throughout the life of a typical animal , especially if subjected to electrical storms. But what about the implications? Assuming that the device would be injected into humans in the same place as in animals , a lot of people might find it a real pain in the posterior! P.O. (Murchison, Vic) . superimposed on Australia's huge meat and livestock industry, estimated to be worth about 14 billion dollars in annual export earnings. It is one of more than a dozen electronic identification systems listed by an AMLRDC report as being in existence or under development. "Automation", the key word In fact, Dr Hammond was disinclined to talk just about identification. Research at the University of New England, he said, is best described by the term "automation", aimed towards higher efficiency and increased productivity in all areas of the livestock industry. As such, identification of animals is but one aspect of it. The section "Farm Computer News" in "Farm" magazine indicates an evolution in rural attitudes and methodology, covering records, management and communication. The gradual replacement of cattle yards and cattle sales with video and computer-based auctions is yet another important development, minimising unproductive shipping of livestock. At the other extreme, satellite surveillance promises closer monitoring of overall water and pastoral conditions. As far as animal identification goes, Dr Hammond suggested that AGTEC's Destron Electronic Identification system is more suitable for "intensive" situations, involving detailed supervision of relatively small numbers of valuable animals as for stud and breeding purposes. The mere fact that the reading range is less than 10cm means that you have to walk right up to each animal to obtain the required data. This would be too time-consuming for most operations involving larger numbers of cattle. For these, a reading range of at least one metre is needed, so that cattle can be checked as they pass through a race. For more open situations, a reading range of from 5 to 25 metres would be an advantage. Subminiature implants face an inherent problem in this context because sensitivity is limited by their small physical size and because of signal attenuation due to the body of the animal. With these aspects in mind, the university group itself has four different systems under development. Two of them, one optically enabled, the other using ear tags, are apparently well advanced; the remaining two are still in the prototype stage. According to Dr Hammond, it is unlikely that any one method will satisfy all stock situations. However, he hopes that the cattle industry will adopt a common standard for all recorded data. This would allow it to be transferred easily, irrespective of how it is recorded, stored and read at the property. Back to P.D's letter P.D. wonders how reliable electronic implants might be over the life of an animal and whether they will be vulnerable to lightning. Frankly, I doubt whether any device that depended on a magnetic pattern would be taken seriously vulnerable not only to lightning but to a mains-powered eraser! Much more rugged technology is available in the form of SAW [surface acoustic wave) devices chip-like resonators with a coding pattern of microscopic metal OCT0BER1989 87 plant device which, as fas as animals are concerned, involves a routine that differs little from an ordinary injection. What concerns P.D. is whether the experience and expertise gained by implanting livestock will end up as a routine that, for humans, would be no more difficult than an inoculation. Indeed, in terms of after-effect, it might well prove to be less traumatic than some of them! Real or imaginary? THE MICROCHIP TRANSPONDER is injected into the animal's rump to a depth of 13-32mm using a spring-loaded 12-guage syringe. The implant is far less vulnerable to damage or loss than external ear tags. fingers deposited on the surface. An incoming pulse of RF energy initiates a piezo-like surface wave, which is affected, in turn, by the metal fingers . When triggered, the device radiates an RF pulse of its own, modulated according to the coding pattern. At present, the industry is talking in terms of a 5 to 10 year life for electronic tags, even when battery powered. The life of Destron Electronic Identification capsules, activated by external HF induction, is rated as "indefinite". Details aside, however, P.D's interest in implant tagging is understandable. The idea would appear to be particularly attractive for island countries like Australia 88 SILICON CHIP and New Zealand, where a properly maintained national registration system should make it possible to identify valuable animals - or carcases. But if there is reason for P.D. to show initial enthusiasm for the scheme, I can also understand his reasons for having second thoughts about it: animals today, humans tomorrow! Looking back over the past 100 years in particular, homo sapiens has established a brilliant record in developing new technology. Unfortunately, over the same period, society has failed dismally to take proper account of its possible effects and implications. So now we have an electronic im- The tagging of humans couldn't happen, of course. People, as distinct from animals, wouldn't put up with such a blatant invasion of their rights as an individual. Or would they'? It's amazing what people can be forced to put up with under duress from a dominant military, political or religious dictatorship. Fit names to that statement if you want to! Nor are we talking about simple matters of right or wrong. As with our own tax file numbers and credit listings, a powerful " Yes" case can be assembled in terms of communal responsibility. But the more pervasive a measure, the more it can be abused by anyone who has a mind to do so. Technically, the step from animal to human implants would seem to be relatively small. It is conceivable that an administration, somewhere, in the forseeable future could decide that this was the most effective way to regiment the citizenry, for whatever purpose. But humans are resourceful, cantankerous creatures and it wouldn't be too long before the technogical peers of those who devised the implant in the first place would come up with a way to falsify, remove or replace it. Electronic implants might, in fact, prove easier to deal with than the tattoos which many victims of the infamous holocaust still carry. On an international scale, the organisation needed for a truly universal and unambiguous implant/registration scheme would seem to be impossible of achievement. Historically, nations fail to reach consensus on just about everything. I fail to see why it would be any different with a PHILIPS FLUKE should be without them! Accessories From the world's leader in Digital Multimeters - Fluke Fluke has an unrivalled range of high quality DMM accessories, all designed to make your life easier and safer. This range includes The BIT PEP family of Printer Enhancement Products gives you almost infinite printing power. ::---:; Choose your ideal combination of PEP switch, buffer, - sharer, channel extender, net and converters to: r~ mix and match, add and subtract BIT PEP family '- members to tailor your printer network to your individual needs. 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T.- John Pope Electrical 80 6576, - Ae rom o tive Main te nance services 85 2377, Geo r ge Brown Group 00 4355, N.S.W. - Am es Agen cy 699 45 24, - George Brown & Co. 519 5855, -DGE Systemsf049I 691625, - W.F. Di xon f049J 69 5177, -Ebson 707 2111 , Macelec f042I 29 1455, -Novaca strlan Elect r onic Supplyf049I 62 1358, -0biat 698 4776. - Petro-Ject696 9655, -David Reid 267 1385, N. T. - J. Blackw ood &Son 84 4255, -Thew & Mccann 84 4999, OLD . -AuSlec 277 6055, - Petro-J ect f07I252 2777, -st. Lucia Electronics 252 7466, - l.E . Boughen 369 1277, - Haytech 844 9396, - Th o mpson Instruments f070J 51 2404, - Nortek f077I 79 8600, - Colou rvl ew Electroni cs 275 31 88, s.A. - Electecn 277 1533, - Petro-Ject 363 1353, - George Brown Gro up 35 2 2222, TA S. - George Harvey Electric 31 6533, - Petro-Ject 10031 44 8400, VIC. - Radi o Pa rts Group 329 7888, - George Brown Group 878 8111 , -Electech 482 1577, - Petro-Ject 1031419 937 7, - Factory controlS 10521 78 8222, - Mektron ics !031 587 3888, W.A. - Atkin s Ca rl yle 481 1233, - oobb ie Instr uments 276 8888, - Petro-Ject 479 1822, OCT0BER 1989 89 context, "imaginary" ailments may indeed respond to imaginary cures. The above is a mere precis of K.W. 's original remarks enlivened, I gather, by the fact that, years ago, he shared a flat with a lady who _was so far into all this that some may have considered her to be "a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic, having already mislaid the thermos"! Among her prized possessions was what she described as a "Radioaesthesia" transmitter obtained, apparently, from a company that appeared to specialise in electronic gadgets for alternative practitioners. Unfortunately, something appeared to be loose inside and while the unit was still "working"'. K.W. was entrusted with the job of checking it out. He says (somewhat abbreviated): "The unit was housed in a wooden box, a little larger than a house brick and covered with leatherette, much like an old-time portable radio. The front and sides carried an array of knobs, all identical and marked with the numbers 1-10 but with no clue as to their function. Under the lid was a sort of control panel, with a mains switch a pilot light and a couple of shin; plates. The non-circuitry THE NU~BER ~NCODED into the transponder can be checked and displayed at any bme using a portable scanner. The reading range is about 75mm. universal identification scheme. But that certainly doesn't mean that we shouldn't remain alert to the possibility. In the meantime, let's change the subject from hightech to the other end of the electronic spectrum. "Snake oil" machines Keith Walters, whose observations about high definition television were featured in these columns in the last couple of issues, has come up with some further observations about "alternative" therapeutic treatments and what he calls "snake oil" machines. That he should have outspoken views on the subject is not 90 SILICON CHIP altogether surprismg, since he is apparently associated with Australian Skeptics. A lot of "ailments", he claims, are psychosomatic in origin; the symptoms are real enough to the person concerned but they still have their origin in the brain. Conventional medical practitioners are well aware of this but they are also aware of patients' reluctance to accept such a diagnosis. But introduce them to someone who is prepared to blame food additives, or recommend colonic irrigation, or specify a special diet, or pills and potions from a health shop, or endorse a crystal whatnot ... and they go along with it. In that "Unscrewing this panel revealed what looked like an array of army surplus pots, wired together higgledy-piggledy, with no evidence of any logical wiring pattern or of other associated components. I could find no internal connection whatever to the shiny plates. "There was also a circuit board and a small power transformer the latter being responsible for the 'something loose' complaint, having come adrift along with the PK screws that were supposed to secure it to the wooden baseboard. In the process it had crunched three germanium diodes on the circuit board. "As for the latter, any electronics enthusiast from the 1960s and 1970s would have recognised it as a Burroughs (or other such) computer board that represented hightech for the era but which ultimatecontinued on page 111 Notes & Errata Touch Lamp Dimmer, June 1989: As noted in the article, the revised version of the SLB0586 does not require diodes D1 and D2 but they will not affect circuit operation if they are left in. However, now that the revised chip has been released, as SLB0586A, it has been found not to work in the circuit as published. To make it work, two components must be changed. The 680k0 resistor must be swapped for a 0.33µF capacitor while the .0022µF capacitor should be swapped for a 1ookn resistor. These components will fit without any modifications to the PCB pattern being required. If your kit has the original SLB0586 IC, no circuit changes are necessary. Studio Series 32-Band 1/3 Oct- ave Equaliser, March, April 1989: one of the four 220µF electrolytic capacitors shown on the main equaliser in the wiring diagram (Fig.1(b} on page 48 of the April issue} is reversed in polarity. The capacitor in question is connected to pin 4 of IC2. Ultrasonic Car Burglar Alarm, July 1989: the wiring diagram on page 63 shows one side of the siren connected to chassis. It should connect to + 12V, as shown on the circuit on page 61. Garbage Reminder, August 1989: the .047 µF supply bypass capacitor shown between IC6 and IC7 on the wiring diagram of page 50 is shown as 0.1µF on the circuit of page 49. The value is not critical though and either 0.lµF or .047µF is OK. Advertising Index Allied Capacitors .... .... .. .... .... 65 Altronics ...... .. ...... .. ....... 46-49 Arista Electronics ............. .. .. 1 7 Banksia Information Tech ...... 89 Board Solutions .. .... .. ... .......... 9 Dauner Electronics .. .. .. .. . .. ... 1 3 David Reid Electronics ..... 56,57 Dick Smith Electronics ..... 68-73 Electronic Solutions .. ..... . 14, 15 Elmeasco .... ..... .. .. ..... .... .. OBC Geoff Wood Electronics ..... .. IFC Harbuch Electronics .. ... .. ... .. . 94 Hycal Instruments .. .... .. .. ...... 13 Jaycar Electronics .. .. .. .... 36-39 80-83 J.V. Tuners .. ... ............. .. ..... 94 Kepic .... ... .. .... ... .. ........ .. .... . 95 Novocastrian Electronics .... .. 1 9 PC Marketplace ....... .. ..... ..... 31 Pelham .. .. .. .................... .. . 112 Power-Sonic Corp .... .... ..... . IBC Philips Test & Measurement .. 89 RCS Radio ... .... .. ...... .. .. .. ... 102 Rod Irving Electronics .. ... 96,97 WIA .. .. .. .. .... .. .... ............... 103 tell me where I can get one? SILICON CHIP is a great magazine. I like the Vintage Radio section and the Serviceman's Log. What happened to the Technology Letters? (A.R., St George, Qld}. • Tunnel diodes have become very rare. In the 1960s they were regarded as the wonder diode but very largely they look to have been a solution looking for a problem. Their special claim to fame is that they have a "negative resistance" characteristic which enables them to be used as amplifiers or oscillators right up to microwave frequencies. Now, most of the applications for tunnel diodes appear to be fulfilled by more conventional devices such as microwave transistors and Gunn diodes. General Electric was at one time the major manufacturer of tunnel diodes but this is no longer the case. However, we have been in contact with the agents for General Electric, GEC Components, and they have indicated that they may be able to source tunnel diodes, depending on the type number and quantity required. If you want to make further enquiries, you can contact GEC Components by phone on (02} 887 6222 or by fax on (02} 805 0272. Remote Control ctd from page 8 secure and military designers are constantly searching for better ones. Some of the more complex included frequency hopping, chopped chirp, exotic encoding and above all else, making the vehicle as intelligent as possible, so that it can perform its task with as little outside assistance as possible. All of this and more will be discussed in columns to come. There'll be simple explanations covering the installation of the equipment into models, care and feeding of nicads, and the correct use of servo arms, plus the exotic. It should be a lot of fun. See you next month. ~ The Way I See It ctd from page 90 ly turned up in disposals stores for 50c each or three for a dollar! "As far as I could see, the only thing the power transformer did was to operate the pilot light. A single wire ran to the nest of pots and another to the circuit board, PC Boards Printed circuit boards for SILICON CHIP projects are made by: • RCS Radio Pty Ltd, 651 Forest Rd , Bexley, NSW 2207. Phone (02) 587 3491 . • Jemal Products, 5 Forge St, Welshpool, WA 6106. Phone (09) 350 5555 . • Marday Services, PO Box Avondale, Auckland, NZ. Phone 88 5730 . 19-189, being soldered, of all things, to the piece of PCB foil spelling out the manufacturer's part number! "What does a friend do in this situation? Does one protest that the $300 miracle healing machine is just a con and refuse to proceed any further with the farce? "Knowing the lady as I did, I replaced the crunched diodes with three new ones and assured her that they were a close equivalent to the originals. And of course, as soon as she turned it on, she noticed the difference!" K.W. observes that "thousands of electronic enthusiasts have pulled apart discarded computer boards. How many can claim that they've actually repaired one?" ~ OCT0BER1989 111