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Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus. Editor Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Robert Flynn Rick Walters Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Advertising Enquiries Leo Simpson Phone (02) 9979 5644 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Garry Cratt, VK2YBX Marque Crozman, VK2ZLZ Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed John Hill Jim Lawler, MTETIA Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Jim Yalden, VK2YGY Bob Young Photography Stuart Bryce SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 003 205 490. All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Macquarie Print, Dubbo, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $49 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 34, 1-3 Jubilee Avenue, Warrie­ wood, NSW 2102. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9979 5644. Fax (02) 9979 6503. PUBLISHER'S LETTER Electronics servicing is changing Recently, a longtime reader rang to say how much he en­joyed reading the “Serviceman” stories each month. A TV service­man himself, he went on to wonder aloud how long he would be able to keep going in the industry. Indeed, he had a very pessimistic view and said that there was little point in anyone training to do electronics servicing. From one point of view, he was absolutely correct. As time goes on, there will be less and less servicing done on TVs and other consumer electronic equipment. There are several continuing developments which are combining to bring this about. First, most consumer electronic equipment is now extremely reliable. Most purchasers of new TV sets could count themselves quite unlucky if they needed any service within the first five years; most would go 10 years or more before a visit to the serviceman became necessary. Second, in real terms, TV sets are still becoming cheaper, in spite of the trend to larger screen sizes, stereo and Dolby surround sound, multi-system capability (PAL & NTSC) and picture-in-picture. Combined with the gradual increase in labour and other costs involved in servicing, this means that the older a set is, the more likely that it won’t be worth fixing when it finally does fail. The accelerating trend to surface mount com­ponents is not helping in this regard because equipment with lots of SMDs can be virtually impossible to service at board level. Indeed, many servicemen would be out of business today if it were not for their bread-and-butter work with VCRs and mi­crowave ovens. Being largely mechanical and subject to plenty of wear and tear, VCRs can be expected to be an oft-serviced item for many years to come. And microwave ovens, because they operate under stringent conditions (high voltage and high temperature in grease and moisture-laden conditions), can also be expected to need service frequently. But even with these appliances, the cost squeeze is apparent. Some smaller microwave ovens are now very keenly priced and when they fail it is almost certain that it will be cheaper to dispose of them than to have them fixed. Fortunately, there is a raft of new equipment which does need servicing: computers with their disc drives, power supplies, monitors, printers and other peripherals, and in the business environment there are photocopiers, fax machines and so on. True, like all electronic equipment, these are becoming cheaper and more reliable. In fact, servicing has always been an evolving business. At one time, servicemen had all the work they could do with valve radios. In the fifties and sixties, they had the boon of TVs with lots of valves. With the advent of colour TV they got another boost. In the meantime, all the stuff they used to fix, such as irons, toasters and electric jugs, fell by the wayside. In the future, there will still be lots of gear to be fixed and people will be employed to do it. But whether there will be a friendly TV/video serviceman in your area could be open to doubt. Leo Simpson ISSN 1030-2662 WARNING! SILICON CHIP magazine regularly describes projects which employ a mains power supply or produce high voltage. All such projects should be considered dangerous or even lethal if not used safely. Readers are warned that high voltage wiring should be carried out according to the instructions in the articles. When working on these projects use extreme care to ensure that you do not accidentally come into contact with mains AC voltages or high voltage DC. If you are not confident about working with projects employing mains voltages or other high voltages, you are advised not to attempt work on them. Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd disclaims any liability for damages should anyone be killed or injured while working on a project or circuit described in any issue of SILICON CHIP magazine. 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. SILICON CHIP also disclaims any liability for projects which are used in such a way as to infringe relevant government regulations and by-laws. Advertisers are warned that they are responsible for the content of all advertisements and that they must conform to the Trade Practices Act 1974 or as subsequently amended and to any governmental regulations which are applicable. 2  Silicon Chip