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PRODUCT SHOWCASE High-voltage oscilloscope probe The first high-voltage (above 1.5kV) oscilloscope probe to win safety certi­ fication from Underwriters Laborat­ory (UL) has been introduced by Tektronix. UL certification also quali­fies the Model P5 100kV probe for safety certification by two internation­al standards-setting bodies: the Euro­pean Economic Community’s IEC (In­ternational Electrotechnical Commis­ sion) and Canada’s CSA (Canadian Standards Association). The P5100 high-voltage probe com­ bines unprecedented safety ratings, a bandwidth of 250MHz and the lowest input capacitance (less than 2.75pF) of any probe in its class. It lets users exploit the high bandwidth capacity of Tektronix TDS300-400- and 500- series digitising oscilloscopes or max­imise the performance of other manu­ facturers’ scopes. Combined with Tektronix’ scopes, the P5100 probe For further information, contact Tektronix Australia Pty Ltd, Test and Measurement Products, 80 Waterloo Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113. Phone (02) 888 7066. CD-ROM based shopping system enables safe, accurate measurement of high-frequency, high-voltage sig­nals. The P5100 probe has accessories designed for safely gripping large high­ voltage test points. One P5100 acces­ sory is a retractable hook tip, useful for gripping large bolts (up 1/4-inch diameter) and hooking the probe in place while making signal measure­ ments. Using the hook tip rather than securing the probe with wires elimi­nates a high-voltage testing safety haz­ard. InfoMagic Australia has announced InfoExpress, a free CD-ROM based shopping system that gives informa­ tion on more than 2000 software prod­ucts. InfoExpress includes profes­ sional product reviews to help shop­ pers evaluate products before buying. If the shopper wishes to make a purchase, they simply click on the ‘order’ button to add the product to their shopping list. Pricing and order­ ing details are displayed at the bottom of the screen and orders can be made by telephone or fax. Phone advisers are available seven days a week be­ tween 8am and 8pm to fulfil orders and supply additional information. Speak to program your VCR There are currently over four and a quarter million remote control VCRs in Australia and most of their owners have difficulty programming them. Accord­ing to Dick Smith Electronics, the solution is now at hand. The new VCR/TV Voice Programmer is a handheld infrared remote control which makes child's play out of programming a VCR. Forget trying to work out which buttons to press - all you have to do is simply "tell" it to change channels, fast forward, play, record, etc and it will do as you say! Programming your VCR will become as simple as talking. The features incorporated in the "VCR Voice Pro­ grammer" include: Voice command to change chan­nels, operate the video functions, play, rewind, fast­forward, pause, record, stop etc; up to 15 recording periods may be programmed for up to six days in advance; ability to recognise and respond to four different voices; the voice command "Zapit" quickly disposes of advertisements in a recorded program. A single "VCR Voice Programmer" will replace existing TV or VCR remotes for up to two complete VCR/TV systems. The VCR/TV Voice Programmer is available at all Dick Smith Electronics stores for $199. 86  Silicon Chip InfoExpress offers discounted prices for volume purchases or smaller discounts plus ‘frequent buyer’ points. Once registered, customers will automatically receive updated versions of the CD-ROM every 3 months. InfoExpress is available for Apple Mac­intosh computers with a Windows version, due for release in the first quarter of 1995. An Apple Macintosh 68020 based computer is required to run InfoExpress, running System 7.0 and above, with 2Mb available in RAM and 3Mb available on the hard disc. The Macintosh will need to have Ap­ple QuickTime 1.6 software loaded to run the demonstrations, be fitted with a 13inch colour monitor for easy view­ing of InfoExpress scenes and have an internal or external CD drive con­nected. The InfoExpress CD-ROM is avail­able now free from InfoMagic resellers or by calling (008) 804 895. Quadruple speed CD recorder Yamaha Music Australia has announced the new CD Expert Series Compact Disc recording system, claimed to be the world’s first quadru­ ple speed CD recorder. The Expert Series by Yamaha represent the organisation’s third genera­tion recordable CD product, a CD re­corder/ reader supporting SCSI-2 that operates in real time, 2-times (double speed), and 4-times (quadruple speed) modes for data, text, image and audio applications. It handles all standard Compact Disc formats including CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-ROMXA (ex­tended Architecture), CD-I (Interac­tive) and CD-DA (Digital Audio). Three recording modes are available: (1) Disc-at-once, recording the entire disc in one session with no data added later; (2) Track-at-once, recording only part of the disc, adding data later (up to 99 times, as defined by the Orange Book specifications) but not reading from the disc in the interim, New CD-ROMs from TDK TDK has a new line-up of CDROMs for both recordable CD and computer data storage applica­ tions, available in 74/63 and 21/18 minute playing times. The new CD ROMs have been designed with convenient Title/ Date/Contents labels for easy identification and employ a pro­ prietary protective back coating so ink or marker pens will not and (3) Multisession, recording part of the disc in one session, reading in the interim and adding data later until the disc is fully recorded. Available in 8cm/18 minute, 12cm/ 63 minute and 12cm/74 minute formats, the CDM Series discs are guaranteed for accurate data reading, even by players employing ‘Phase Differ­ential Tracking’. The Expert Series is available in internal mounting or external ver­sions. The CDR100 is a single, half­-height 5-1/4 inch FDD format unit for internal mounting and powering by the host computer. The CDE100 is supplied in an external case with in­tegrated power supply, while the CDE100H10 also includes an internal 1 gigabyte hard disc drive, to prevent buffer under-run experienced with transfers from some hard drives. All are linked to the host computer through an advanced SCSI-2 data transfer interface for fast handling of large volumes of data. penetrate into the disc substrate. TDK are also marketing their 74 and 63 minute recordable CDs with a printable surface. Both the labelled and printable CD-ROMs feature quadruple speed recording capa­bility with guaranteed playback stability for over a million plays and life expectancy of over 10 years. For further information on these and other TDK commercial and professional products, contact Mark Gribble on (02) 437 5100. For further information contact Mitsui Computer, 14 Aquatic Drive, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086, phone (02) 452 0433, or SCSI Corporation, 19/9 Hudson Avenue, Castle Hill, NSW 2154. Phone (02) 894 6033. High-energy tape eraser Amber Technology has announced the new Weircliffe BTE220 High-Energy Degausser, a shielded bulk eraser complying with the recommended magnetic field emission levels currently being considered in the EC January 1995  87 Physical Agents Directive. The BTE220 is designed to erase Hi-8, 8mm, VHS and S-VHS video cassettes, as well as all formats of audio cassettes and cartridges, includ­ ing DAT and DCC. The new BTE220 incorporates a powerful erase coil, enabling Hi-8 and 8mm video cassettes to be erased at a rate of six per opera­tion. The BTE220 is compact, with dimensions of 383 x 364 x 177mm. With Weircliffe’s magnetic shielding, the unit requires no additional free space surrounding it and may be located in close proximity to sensitive instruments. In addition, the BTE220’s internally shielded degaussing compartment gives enhanced protection to the operator from extraneous magnetic fields, in line with current NRPB recommendations. The BTE220 offers better than -80dBR erasure with Hi-8/8mm me­dia coercivity and features simple and efficient operation. The easily acces­sible media degaussing compartment is electromagnetically interlocked with the unit’s semi-automated erase head assembly and automatically en­gages the dual pass erasure cycle when the compartment is closed. For further information, contact Amber Technology Pty Ltd, Unit B, 5 Skyline Place, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086. Phone (02) 975-1211. Fischertechnik robotic construction kit Fischertechnik has released a new robotic construction kit for use with the IBM-PC, PS/2, Amiga and Atari computers. Known as PROFI COMPUTING, the kit provides 888 parts with a 164-page manual describing the construction of 12 computer-controlled models. These include a CD player, a parcel-turning machine and a robot with a motor-driven gripper. Book Reviews – continued from page 71 and will probably spark some to head off for the tool shed and workbench. While some of the larger designs may be impracticable for most people, there is enough to interest the more determined. The book also contains many photos, some in colour, of the earliest Marconi equipment. 88  Silicon Chip This kit is useful for educational and training purposes in the fields of computer control, factory automation and mechanical and electrical engineering. It is also useful for simula­tion and prototyping applications. The Fischertechnik interface provides eight digital and two analog in­puts and four bidirectional motor out­puts. It connects to any parallel printer port and allows a second unit to be connected for a total of 16 digital in­puts and eight motor outputs (or 16 lamp outputs). The analog inputs may be used with potentiometers (for position control), light dependent resis­tors (for measuring light), thermistors (for measuring temperature), or with any resistive device from 0 to 5kW. Fischertechnik software called Lucky Logic provides an interactive, mouse-driven, user interface that is similar to a Sequential Flow Chart (SFC) style of control that is used by major industrial equipment suppliers such as Allen Bradley. Also available is a Programmable Control Language (PLC), developed by Procon Technology, that simulates the operation of relay-ladder-logic control. Finally, ex­ample programs are also available in C.BASIC and Pascal. The kit provides three motors and gears, six microswitches, two phototransistors, a 20-pin connection socket and construction base plate. For further information, contact Peter King, Procon Technology, PO Box 655, Mount Waverley, Vic 3149. Phone (03) 807 5660. Some of the more interesting photos include a look at a couple of early Australian transmitters at Queenscliff, Victoria and Devonport, Tasmania. There are seven appendixes which include letters between Marconi and his long time supporter, Sir W M. Preece, the first two technical reports on the Marconi system, two early pat­ents and a report made by Capt. H. B. Jackson to the Admiralty on the worthiness of the Marconi system for the Royal Navy. There is also an extract from the 1912 New York Times from the wireless operator on board the Titanic. Overall, this is a great read. For anyone who has ever been captivated by the thought of transmitting their voice over the air waves, this book will serve as a good reminder of how it all began. (D.B.Y.) SC