SILICON CHIP
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus.
Editor
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Staff
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Robert Flynn
Advertising Manager
Paul Buchtmann (02) 982 9553
Regular Contributors
Bryan Maher, M.E. B.Sc.
Jim Yalden, VK2YGY
Garry Cratt, VK2YBX
Jim Lawler, MTETIA
John Hill
Jennifer Bonnitcha, B.A.
Bob Young
Photography
Bob Donaldson
Editorial Advisory Panel
Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW
Norman Marks
Steve Payor, B.Sc., B.E.
SILICON CHIP is published 1 2 times
a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. All material
copyright (c). No part of the contents of this publication may be
reproduced without prior written
consent of the publisher. Kitset
suppliers may not photostat articles without written permission
of the publisher.
Typesettlng/makeup: Magazine
Printers Pty Ltd, Rozelle, NSW
2039.
Printing: Macquarie Publications
Ltd, Dubbo, NSW 2830.
Distribution: Network Distribution
Company.
Subscription
rates: currently
$42 per year (12 Issues) inside
Australia. For overseas rates,
refer to the subscription page in
this issue.
Liability: Devices or circuits
described in SILICON CHIP may be
covered by patents. SILICON CHIP
disclaims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the
manufacturing or selling of any
such equipment.
Address all mail to: Silicon Chip
Publications Pty Ltd, PO Box
139, Collaroy Beach, NSW
2097. Phone (02) 982 3935.
Fax (02) 982 9553.
ISSN 1030-2662
2
SILICON CHIP
POBUSHER'S LETTER
On taking risks
and picking winners
This month we begin presentation of a project which represents our
biggest R&D effort so far - our new 16-Channel Mixer. We believe
that this project would represent a large investment for any commercial organisation but for us it has been very large indeed. We're very
proud of it. From start to finish, it has been more than a year in
coming.
Such a large project is not without a considerable element of risk.
There is firstly the risk that a fair number of readers may not be interested or impressed, or may even be turned off completely, because
it doesn't contain some feature or other. Second, there is always the
risk that the unit may have some bugs which will cause us some pain in
the future. Still, these are the risks in publishing a technical magazine.
These are risks that we gladly take on as we are here to push the
technology forward.
In fact, we take these risks every month to some degree. In the
December issue for example, we published the Digital Voice Board using the new Texas Instruments TMS3477 chip. We did so because we
thought it contained some very interesting new technology and
therefore merited space in SILICON CHIP. We didn't think it would be
popular with many readers. Well, we were completely wrong. Both we
and the stockists for Texas chips were overwhelmed with the interest
from readers. All Australian stocks of the TMS3477 chips were exhausted within days of the magazine going on sale. More than that,
large back orders were placed on overseas sources.
The expressions of interest, and orders, came from everywhere from technical people in security firms, PA and audio manufacturers,
government railways and other instrumentalities, radio stations, and
even the NSW Conservatorium of Music. With the benefit of 20:20
hindsight, it would have been nice to have cornered the market in
TMS3477 chips.
So sometimes you can be wrong and other times you can be right.
Most of the time, luckily, we are right.
This month we take the risks again, in particular with the mixer. We
have spent a large amount of time and money designing and presenting
it. However, while we think that many readers will be interested to
read about its up-to-the-minute design, we don't think it will be built in
very large numbers - perhaps hundreds at the most. But then, we
could be wrong again, couldn't we?
Leo Simpson
