Silicon ChipMarket Centre - April 1994 SILICON CHIP
  1. Outer Front Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Publisher's Letter: Should we reduce our mains voltage to 230V?
  4. Feature: Electronic Engine Management; Pt.7 by Julian Edgar
  5. Project: Remote Control Extender For VCRs by John Clarke
  6. Project: Sound & Lights For Level Crossings by John Clarke
  7. Project: Discrete Dual Supply Voltage Regulator by Darren Yates
  8. Project: Low-Noise Universal Stereo Preamplifier by Darren Yates
  9. Feature: Microcontrollers With Speed by Darren Yates
  10. Serviceman's Log: Nothing unusual happened this month by The TV Serviceman
  11. Order Form
  12. Review: PC Product - The Video Blaster by Darren Yates
  13. Project: Build A Digital Water Tank Gauge by Jeff Monegal
  14. Feature: Spectrum Analysis With The Icom R7000 by James Lloyd & John Storey
  15. Product Showcase
  16. Feature: G-Code: The Easy Way To Program Your VCR by Leo Simpson
  17. Back Issues
  18. Vintage Radio: Bandspread tune-up for an Astor multi-band receiver by John Hill
  19. Notes & Errata: Stereo Preamplifier with IR Remote Control, September-November 1993
  20. Market Centre
  21. Advertising Index
  22. Outer Back Cover

This is only a preview of the April 1994 issue of Silicon Chip.

You can view 28 of the 96 pages in the full issue, including the advertisments.

For full access, purchase the issue for $10.00 or subscribe for access to the latest issues.

Articles in this series:
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.1 (October 1993)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.1 (October 1993)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.2 (November 1993)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.2 (November 1993)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.3 (December 1993)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.3 (December 1993)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.4 (January 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.4 (January 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.5 (February 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.5 (February 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.6 (March 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.6 (March 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.7 (April 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.7 (April 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.8 (May 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.8 (May 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.9 (June 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.9 (June 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.10 (July 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.10 (July 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.11 (August 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.11 (August 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.12 (September 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.12 (September 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.13 (October 1994)
  • Electronic Engine Management; Pt.13 (October 1994)
Items relevant to "Remote Control Extender For VCRs":
  • VCR Remote Control Extender PCB pattern (PDF download) [15303941] (Free)
Items relevant to "Sound & Lights For Level Crossings":
  • Level Crossing Sound and Light Simulator PCB pattern (PDF download) [15203932] (Free)
Items relevant to "Discrete Dual Supply Voltage Regulator":
  • Discrete Dual Voltage Regulator PCB pattern (PDF download) [04103941] (Free)
Items relevant to "Low-Noise Universal Stereo Preamplifier":
  • Low-Noise Universal Stereo Preamplifier PCB [01106941] (AUD $5.00)
  • Universal Low Noise Preamplifier PCB pattern (PDF download) [01106941] (Free)
MARKET CENTRE Cash in your surplus gear. Advertise it here in Silicon Chip. ANTIQUE RADIO CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES Advertising rates for this page: Classified ads: $10.00 for up to 12 words plus 50 cents for each additional word. Display ads (casual rate): $20 per column centimetre (Max. 10cm). Closing date: five weeks prior to month of sale. To run your classified ad, print it clearly in the space below or on a separate sheet of paper, fill out the form & send it with your cheque or credit card details to: Silicon Chip Classifieds, PO Box 139, Collaroy, NSW 2097. Or fax the details to (02) 979 6503. _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ ANTIQUE RADIO RESTORATIONS: specialist restoration service provided for vintage radios, test equipment & sales. Service includes chassis rewiring, recon­ densering, valve testing & mechanical re­­furbishment. Rejuvenation of wooden, bakelite & metal cabinets. Plenty of parts – require details for mail order. About 1200 radios within 16,000 square feet. Two-year warranty on full restoration. Open on Saturday 10am-4.30pm; Sunday 12.30-4.30pm. 109 Cann St, Bass Hill, NSW 2197. Phone (02) 645 3173 BH or (02) 726 1613 AH. FOR SALE _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ THE HOMEBUILT DYNAMO: (plans) brushless, 1000 DC watt at 740 revs. $A85 postpaid airmail from Al Forbes, PO Box 3919 - SC, Auckland, NZ. Phone Auckland (09) 818 8967 any time. Rotor magnets (3700 gauss) kit now available. WEATHER FAX programs for IBM XT/ATs *** “RADFAX2” $35 is a high resolution, shortwave weather fax, Morse & RTTY receiving program. Suitable for CGA, EGA, VGA and Hercules cards (state which). Needs SSB HF radio & Radfax decoder. *** “SATFAX” $45 is a NOAA, Meteor & GMS weather satellite picture receiving program. Needs EGA or VGA plus “WEATHER FAX” PC card. *** “MAXISAT” $75 is similar to SATFAX but needs 2Mb expanded memory (EMS 3.6 or 4.0) Enclosed is my cheque/money order for $­__________ or please debit my ❏ Bankcard   ❏ Visa Card   ❏ Master Card ✂ Card No. RCS RADIO PTY LTD Signature­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________ Card expiry date______/______ Name ______________________________________________________ Street ______________________________________________________ Suburb/town ___________________________ Postcode______________ 94  Silicon Chip RCS Radio Pty Ltd is the only company that manufactures and sells every PC board and front panel published in SILICON CHIP, ETI and EA. RCS Radio Pty Ltd, 651 Forest Rd, Bexley 2207. Phone (02) 587 3491 and 1024 x 768 SVGA card. All programs are on 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch disks (state which) & include documentation. Add $3 postage. Only from M. Delahunty, 42 Villiers St, New Farm, Qld 4005. Phone (07) 358 2785. MJ802 $6.00, B/rect CM3504 35A400V $3.00, WO4 $0.50, 1N5404 $0.12, SCR/C106DI (equiv.) $0.75, LM324CN $0.55, CD4001 $0.45, CD4071 $0.35, BC547/548 $0.07, BC547C/558C $0.08, BC327/337 $0.10, 5mm LEDs RED/GRN/YEL $0.15. Capacitors: 1000µF 35V RB $0.60, 1000µF 25V RB $0.50, 0.1µF 250V AC $0.35. 2-way PCB-mounting screw term blocks $0.40. Payment cheque, money order, Bankcard. Minimum order $10.00. Add $4.00 for postage. Fax: (049) 42 2984. LE Agencies, PO Box 770, Charlestown, NSW 2290. ROMLoader EPROM EMULATOR (EA Jan/Feb 92) - upgrade to handle 27128, 27256 EPROMs. Includes memory edit facility. 8051 Proto-Boards (EA Feb 93) also available. Send SAE for details. Tantau Australia, PO Box 1232, Lane Cove 2066. AH (02) 878 4715. PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS for the hobbyist. For service & enquiries contact: T. A. Mowles (08) 326 5590. SUBSTITUTE FOR A HANDFUL OF ICs: Parallax “BASIC STAMP”. A gen­er­al purpose small circuit module, it is really a 25 x 50mm board with a computer chip (4MHz PIC 16C56), EEPROM, 8 I/O pins, board space includes prototyping area. Program it on a PC (only 33 instructions) with development kit which includes one “BASIC STAMP” ($249 plus S/T & post), extra modules ($66 plus S/T & post). Send 45c stamp for more information. Parallax distributor and techni­cal support in Australia: MicroZed Computers, PO Box 634, Armi­dale, NSW 2350. Facsimile (067) 72 8987. MICASOFT Electronics and Computing tutor program, written in UK, ideal for TAFE, schools, or individual use. Now available in Australia. Send $1.80 in stamps for demo disk (tell us what size). MicroZed Computers, PO Box 634, Armidale 2350. UNUSUAL BOOKS: Electronic Devices, Fireworks, Locksmithing, Radar Invisibility, Surveillance, Self-Protection, Unusual Chem­istry and more. For a complete cat- Silicon Supply and Manufacturing 4002B 4010B 4011B 4012B 4013B 4014B 40150 4017B 4019B 4023B 4025B 4027B 4040B 4048B 4050B 4053B 4060B 4069B 4070B 4071B 4075B 4082B 4094B .86 .70 .86 .77 .82 1.53 1.55 1.88 .82 .67 .67 .67 2.13 1.15 .77 1.39 1.71 .69 .69 .69 .69 .69 1.31 74LS11 74LS12 74LS13 74LS14 74LS20 74LS21 74LS27 74LS30 74LS33 74LS49 74LS73 74LS74 74LS83 74LS85 74LS90 74LS92 74LS109 74LS126 74LS138 74LS139 74LS147 74LS148 74LS151 .60 .60 1.00 .65 .65 .50 .50 .50 .60 2.85 1.35 .55 .90 .75 1.10 1.45 1.10 .60 .75 .75 2.85 1.25 .60 74LS155 74LS158 74LS160 74LS164 74LS175 74LS191 74LS193 74LS196 74LS240 74LS241 74LS245 74LS257 74LS273 74LS366 74LS368 74LS373 74LS374 74LS393 74HC11 74HC27 74HC30 74HC76 74HC86 .60 .85 .90 .90 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.65 1.10 1.15 1.00 .75 1.00 .65 .75 1.00 1.05 1.05 .55 .50 .50 .65 .55 All prices include sales tax. Phone (02) 554 3114; Fax (02) 554 9374. After hours only bulletin board on (02) 554 3114 (Ringback). Let the modem ring twice, hangup, redial the BBS number, modem answers on second call. PO Box 92, Bexley North, NSW 2207. TRANSFORMER REWINDS ALL TYPES OF TRANSFORMER REWINDS TRANSFORMER REWINDS Reply Paid No.2, PO Box 438, Singleton, NSW 2330. Ph: (065) 76 1291. Fax: (065) 76 1003. SECONTRONICS COMPONENTS, COMPUTERS, ELECTRON TUBES S/H TEST EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER REPAIRS PC COMPATIBLE KEYBOARDS 101 AT:$39 I/O + IDE/FDD $35 RECYCLED EPROMS AT I/O CARDS $22 2716 $1.50 2SD1169 $2.00 2732 $1.50 2N3440 $0.80 2764 $2.00 2N3439 $0.80 27128 $3.00 2SC3157 $4.00 27256 $3.50 27C41 $0.80 27512 $3.50 7406 $0.20 27C101 $4.00 8250 $5     8251 $2 8259 $2    6809 $8 MC8050 $2 MCT275 $1.20 MOC3032  $2 VALVES: QQV07/50 $25 3D21   $8 12AU7   $6 6SG7   $8 6U8A   $8 1S2   $3 1T4   $6 CV553   $3 2C39A $30 2C40A $40 3A4   $8 5651   $6 5651A   $6 6AK5   $6 6J6WA  $7 6AM6  $5 6BA6  $4 SPECIAL: SURFACE MOUNT COMPONENT PACK – 180 RESISTORS, 40 ZENERS, 30 TRANSISTORS AND 2 ICs. $6.50 INC. PACK & POST PHONE OR MAIL ORDERS, CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED FOR ORDERS $20 & OVER, DISCOUNTS FOR QUANTITY ORDERS. NOW AT SHOP 5, 79 RICKSTON ST, MANLEY WEST, QLD. 4179. OPEN TUES - FRID 9.30AM - 5PM, SAT. 9AM - 2PM. MAIL ORDERS TO PO BOX 34 CANNON HILL QLD. 4170. PHONE (07) 396 1859, FAX (07) 855 1014. MEMORY & DRIVES PRICES AT MARCH 7TH, 1994 SIMM 1Mb x 3 1Mb x 9 4Mb x 9 4Mb (72-pin) 8Mb (72-pin) 16Mb (72-pin) 70ns 70ns 70ns 70ns 70ns 70ns DRAM DIP 1 x 1Mb 256 x 4 70ns $8.50 70ns $8.50 IBM PS.2 50/55/70 70/35 90/95 2Mb 4Mb 4Mb $150 $265 $265 MAC 4Mb 4Mb x 80 80ns 6Mb P’Book $125 $420 $63 $72 $265 $265 $545 $985 CO-PROCESSORS 387SX to 25 387DX to 33 $105 $105 LASER PRINTER HP with 4Mb $260 TOSHIBA T3200SX T44/6400 T5200 4Mb 4Mb 2Mb $360 $305 $160 SUN SPARC 10/20 16Mb $1140 1Mb V2 BAT SRAM $230 2Mb V2 BAT SRAM $380 2Mb V2 FLSH SRAM $380 Sales tax 21%. Overnight delivery. Credit cards welcome. 5-Year Warranty Ring for Latest Prices 1st Floor, 100 Yarrara Rd, PO Box 382, Pennant Hills, 2120. Tel: (02) 980 6988 Fax: (02) 980 6991 alog, send 95 cents in stamps to Vector Press, Dept S, PO Box 434, Brighton, SA 5048. A WORD IS only worth a micro-picture. Need the full pic­ture? Send $2 in stamps, cash, or food parcels for Don’s 3.5-inch MS-DOS DEMO/PROMO disk. Covers all of my hardware kit projects. Don McKenzie, 29 Ellesmere Crescent, Tullamarine 3043. Phone (03) 338 6286. VALVE AMPLIFIERS: Australian made. Mono, stereo, guitar using 2A3, 211, 6L6 or 807 valves. Williamson reproductions. Parts available for DIY constructors. Circuit diagrams and construction details for many types of valve amplifiers. Valve equipment repairs. Lancroft Pty PELHAM Ltd, PO Box 439, Bexley 2207. Phone (02) 567 5390. SOSUTHERN CROSS SBC, accessories & EPROM emulator. See SC 8/93 & 12/93. Ideal for TAFE, schools & individual use. Alpine Technolo­gies, tel/fax (03) 751 1989. NETWORK YOUR PCs with “Little Big LAN”. Share disk drives and files (multi-user record locking), CD-ROMs and printers (with spooling). Connect PCs via serial or parallel ports, Arcnet and/or Ethernet cards. Supports up to 250 computers per network for only $95 ($100 for 3.5") for a whole network. Add $3 for postage in Australia. Works with MS-DOS, DR-DOS and Windows. April 1994  95 Software & Parts PC Voice Recorder V1.3 (SC 8/91) PC Talking Voltmeter V1.2 (10/91) Serious Guide to Building Kits V2.2 Transistor Specification Index V1.3 Op Amp Specification Index V1.3 $12 $17 $12 $15 $15 5.25 or 3.5" disc/PC CGA-VGA required LM3876T 50W amplifier IC $14 10 or more - 10% off Send Cheque/Money order to: Darren Yates, PO Box 134, French's Forest, NSW 2086. For more information, write to GRAN­ TRONICS, PO Box 275, Wentworth­ville 2145. Phone A/H (02) 631 1236. 68705 DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM: in-circuit simulator/emulator and pro­ grammer board for $250. Supports 68HC705C8/C4/J2/K1, 68705P3/U3/ R3 micro controllers and more. Contact Robert Priest­ley, PO 38/4 Illawong Village, Fowler Road, Illawong 2234. Phone/Fax (02) 541 0734. BINARY CLOCK - OCTOBER 1993: complete documentation supplied, includes introduction to binary, how it works, PLD source list­ings, conversion tables. Kit with PCB and all components $75 + $5 p&p. Optional Z frame stand (includes spacers and chassis DC connector) $25 + $5 p&p. Prototype Electronics, 1/29 Stewart St, Parramatta, NSW 2124. Phone (02) 683 3510; Fax (02) 630 3148. Pay by cheque, money order, credit card. FLUORESCENT INVERTER KIT (SC Feb 91) 12V or 24V/5W-21W.48V ver­ sion on request. Secondary wind, board plus components $30.00 plus ICL 286 Board Kits All in one board with two serial, printer, IBM keyboard, high density floppy & IDE mono video interface. Up to 4Mb RAM, 80286-16cpu, MS-DOS compatible, 130 page manual, small size 170mm x 255mm. Max I/O kit for PCs, 7 relays, ADC, DAC, stepper driver, TTL inputs, with software $169 PC I/O card with 8255 chip 24 I/O lines programmable as inputs or outputs $69 1.5 watt AM broadcast transmitter XTAL locked $49 2.5 watt FM broadcast transmitter 88-108MHz. $49 Digi-125 audio power amp (over 19,000 sold since 1987) 50 watt/8 $14 125 watt/4 $19 New 200 watt/2 version $29 Infrared relay kit $9 Remote control tester $4 $299 Ampo little PC All in one NEC V40 CPU board, MS-DOS compatible, high density floppy. SCSI hard disk, 2 serial, printer, solid state hard disk, IBM keyboard interface, (4W), CMOS single +5V rail, up to 768Kb RAM, 384Kb ROM, 145mm x 250mm, 98page manual. $299 P.C. Computers 36 Regent St, Kensington, SA. Phone (08) 332 6513. Altronics ................................ 26-28 Antique Radio Restorations.........94 A-One Electronics........................59 Av-Comm.....................................33 Ctoan Electronics........................96 David Reid Electronics ..............57 Dick Smith Electronics........... 12-15 Electronic Fault Info.....................83 Harbuch Electronics....................57 Instant PCBs................................95 CTOAN ELECTRONICS Low voltage lighting systems designed for your garden. Lights that dim up as the sun goes down create a great showpiece. Call us for your controlled garden lighting system. PO Box 211, Jimboomba 4280. Phone (07) 297 5421. Jaycar ................................... 45-52 JV Tuners.....................................41 L & M Video.................................69 Macservice....................................9 Nilsen Instruments.....................IFC P&P $4.00. Fluorescent inverter kit (SC Nov 93) 12V/24V/48V, 18W and 38W P.O.A. Solar battery charging regulator short form kit 12V or 24V (series) (SC Jan 94) employs Mosfet to switch solar array max current 10A $54.00 plus p&p $4.00. Additional Mosfet $8.00 and Schottky diode $5.00 to make 20A regulator. Cheques and postal money orders accepted with mail orders. Send orders to Otakar Priboj, PO Box 362, Villawood, NSW 2163, Austra­lia. Phone (02) 724 3801. KIT REPAIRS KIT REPAIRS and assembly. All work guaranteed. Phone (047) 51 5620. SILICON CHIP FLOPPY INDEX WITH FILE VIEWER Now available: the complete index to all SILICON CHIP articles since the first issue in November 1987. Now you can search through all the articles ever published for the one you want. The index comes as an ASCII file on a 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch floppy disc to suit PC-compatible computers and you can use any word processor or our special file viewer to search for keywords. Now with handy file viewer: the file viewer makes searching for that article or project so much easier. You can look at the index line by line or page by page for quick browsing, or you can make use of the search function.Simply enter in a keyword(s) and the index will quickly find all the relevant entries. All commands are listed on the screen, so you’ll always know what to do next. Note: requires CGA, EGA or VGA graphics card, IBM-compatible PC, MSDOS 3.3 and above. Price $7.00 + $3 p&p. Silicon Chip Publications, PO Box 139, Collaroy 2097. 96  Silicon Chip Advertising Index Oatley Electronics...................39,73 PC Computers.............................96 Pelham........................................95 Plough Book Sales......................89 RCS Radio ..................................94 Resurrection Radio......................89 Rod Irving Electronics .......... 75-79 Secontronics................................95 Silicon Chip Back Issues....... 84-85 Silicon Chip Binders..................IBC Silicon Chip Software..................93 Silicon Supply & Manufact...........95 Transformer Rewinds...................95 Yuga Enterprise...........................81 _________________________________ 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. • Marday Services, PO Box 19-189, Avondale, Auckland, NZ. Phone (09) 828 5730. • H. T. Electronics, 35 Valley View Crescent, Hackham West, SA 5163. Phone (08) 326 5590.