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PRODUCT SHOWCASE Non-contact temperature meter Macservice has just announced the release of the QuickTemp, a pocket size non-contact temperature sensor. This device can safely and accurately measure the temperature of moving objects, dangerous materials and electrical components. All materials emit infrared energy. The QuickTemp uses special optics to gather this energy from a target surface and focus it onto a custom detector. The temperature measurement is shown on a 3-digit LCD. Using it is simple – just point it at the object to be measured, press the membrane switch below the LCD window and the temperature is displayed within one second. The reading is held for six seconds after the button is no longer pressed. The tem­perature range is from -18°C to 315°C. Resolution is 1°C and accu­racy is ±2% of reading or ±2°C, which ever is greater. Because it measures temperature without physically touching objects, the infrared sensor has advantages over conventional contact temperature sensors such as thermocouples or therm­ist­ors. Any contamination due to touch is eliminated and where objects are operating at high voltages, it offers safety and convenience. The unit is powered by a 9V battery. In use, it requires a minimum target diameter of 25mm and a minimum measurement dis­tance of 75mm; ie, the distance/target ratio is 3:1. However, it will still give useful indication at much closer proximity. We tried out the QuickTemp in our laboratory and compared its reading with thermocouple test setup accurate to within ±1°C. When measuring objects in close proximity, at around 10mm, the QuickTemp indicated about 2°C higher than actual. But when the distance was extended out to 75mm, giving a target area of 25mm, the indicated temperature was within 1°C of the actual value. But even though the readings at close proximity were a little high, we would regard it as very useful for measuring the temperatures of semiconductors mounted on heatsinks where other methods are inconvenient. The QuickTemp is available at $245 from Macservice Pty Ltd, 20 Fulton St, Oakleigh South, Vic 3167. Phone (03) 9562 9500; fax (03) 9562 9590 12VDC to 230VAC 1500W inverter This 12V switchmode inverter will deliver up to 1500 watts for 25 minutes or up to 1700 watts for 10 minutes. Its continu­ous output rating is 1200 watts and it can deliver short term surges up to 2500 watts. The output waveform is a modified square wave. The unit will operate from 10-15VDC and emits a low battery alarm at 10.7V. Conversion efficiency is listed at 85-90% depending on load and the no-load current drain is 600mA. With such a high surge output, the inverter can be used to drive power tools, refrigerators and freezers, vacuum cleaners, food mixers and blenders, VCRs, TVs and computers. It will have a wide 86  Silicon Chip range of applications at remote farm and home sites, on boats, in recreational vehicles, caravans, and so on. When used at high power outputs from a vehicle, it would be wise to have the motor running to continually charge the battery. For example, when delivering 1500W at 85% conversion efficiency, the current drain will be around 147A at 12V! Only a very large battery system can sustain this current for more than a short period. The unit measures 425 x 240 x 77mm and weighs 3.6kg. Its recommended retail price is $995 from Altronics, 174 Roe St, Perth, WA 6000. Phone 1 800 999 007 Jaytech digital clamp meter Digital clamp meters used to be quite expensive and many still are but this Jaytech QM-1560 is quite affordable. It is compact unit with a 31/2-digit display and will measure AC voltage up to 500V and AC current up to 400A. Its voltage accura­cy is ±1% while the current accuracy is claimed as ±2%. To measure current, you press the clamp open and place it around the circuit conductor to be measured. To measure voltage, you use conventional meter leads which plug into the end of the meter. The meter leads are supplied. The QM-1560 is powered by two LR44 button cells which give a claimed life of 100 hours. Available from all Jaycar Electronics stores and resellers, the Jaytech QM-1560 sells for $79.50. It comes complete with a vinyl carrying case. New Electronics Workbench EDA The new version of Electronics Workbench EDA from Emona Instruments has analog, digital and mixed analog/ digital SPICE simulation plus a full suite of analysers and over 8000 devices. Electronics Workbench EDA’s simulation engine is based on Berke­ley SPICE 3. Claimed to be the easiest interface to learn and use, users can be working productively in 20 minutes. Windows support also means users can cut-and-paste schematics and graphs to word processors to create reports. Other features include a custom­is­able parts bin, automatic reference de­ signation, easy-to-edit model parameters and component values, industry standard ANSI and DIN symbols and easy output of materials lists and hierarchical schematics. SPICE simulators are used to verify that analog and mixed-signal circuits will yield the expected outputs. A schematic netlist file and circuit input values are fed to the SPICE soft­ware which simulates the circuit’s behaviour. Voltage and current levels can then be observed at any circuit node as they change with frequency and time. For more information, call Emona Instruments on (02) 9519 3933 or fax them on (02) 9550 1378. SILICON CHIP This page is blank because it contained advertising which is now out of date and the page has been removed to prevent misunderstandings. June 1997  87 Versatile touch pad for PCs VersaPad, a new computer touch pad, has been released in Australia by BJE Enterprises. VersaPad offers precise cursor control via fingertip or stylus, one-touch pan and scroll cap­ ability, a toolbar and on-the-fly signature and graphics capture. For added convenience, VersaPad provides dedicated pan and scroll bars for “one touch” screen control. These variable-pressure controls can be operated by any of three methods: (1) by applying pressure to the arrows at the ends of the bar – slight pressure to scroll or pan slowly and heavier KITS-R-US RF Products FMTX1 Kit $49 Single transistor 2.5 Watt Tx free running 12v-24V DC. FM band 88-108MHz. 500mV RMS audio sensitivity. FMTX2A Kit $49 A digital stereo coder using discrete components. XTAL locked subcarrier. Compatible with all our transmitters. FMTX2B Kit $49 3 stage XTAL locked 100MHz FM band 30mW output. Aust pre-emphasis. Quality specs. Optional 50mW upgrade $5. FMTX5 Kit $98 Both a FMTX2A & FMTX2B on 1 PCB. Pwt & audio routed. FME500 Kit $499 Broadcast specs. PLL 0.5 to 1 watt output narrowcast TX kit. Frequency set with Dip Switch. 220 Linear Amp Kit $499 2-15 watt output linear amp for FM band 50mW input. Simple design uses hybrid. SG1 Kit $399 Broadcast quality FM stereo coder. Uses op amps with selectable pre-emphasis. Other linear amps and kits available for broadcasters. 88  Silicon Chip touch speeding up the action; (2) by placing a finger or (stylus) on a specific portion of the bar to pan or scroll to that position in the document; or (3) by sliding your fingertip along the bar to pan or scroll in that direction. VersaPad is available through selected retail outlets. It has a suggested list price of $99.00 and includes the VersaPad touch pad (serial and PS/2 connector), VersaPad Windows 95 soft­ware, User’s Guide and a limited lifetime warranty. For more information, call BJE Enterprises Pty Ltd at (02) 9858 5611, or visit Interlink’s web page at http:// www.interlin­kelec.com Single-chip DC/DC converter Philips has introduced a low-voltage DC/DC converter with a peak output power of 8W and a conversion efficiency greater than 95%. Targeted for use in cordless and cellular tele­ phones, where battery power is at a premium, this new single-chip DC/ DC con­verter will allow considerable extension of standby and talk times with the available batteries, even PO Box 314 Blackwood SA 5051 Ph 0414 323099  Fax 088 270 3175 AWA FM721 FM-Tx board $19 Modify them as a 1 watt op Narrowcast Tx. Lots of good RF bits on PCB. AWA FM721 FM-Rx board $10 The complementary receiver for the above Tx. Full circuits provided for Rx or Tx. Xtals have been disabled. MAX Kit for PCs $169 Talk to the real world from a PC. 7 relays, ADC, DAC 8 TTL inputs & stepper driver with sample basic programs. ETI 1623 kit for PCs $69 24 lines as inputs or outputs DS-PTH-PCB and all parts. Easy to build, low cost. ETI DIGI-200 Watt Amp Kit $39 200W/2 125W/4 70W/8 from ±33 volt supply. 27,000 built since 1987. Easy to build. ROLA Digital Audio Software Call for full information about our range of digital cart players & multitrack recorders. ALL POSTAGE $6.80 Per Order FREE Steam Boat For every order over $100 re­ceive FREE a PUTT-PUTT steam boat kit. Available separately for $19.95, this is one of the greatest educational toys ever sold. when they are approach­ing complete discharge. The TEA1204t can be used to up-convert the output of a 2 or 3-cell NiCd/NiMH battery pack or a single cell Li-Ion battery pack to 3.3V or 5V, or it can be used to down-convert the output of a 4-cell NiCd/NiMH or single-cell Li-Ion battery pack to 3.6V or 3.3V. These output voltages cover the power supply require­ ments of virtually all mobile phones. For more information, contact Philips Components, 34 Water­loo Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113. Additional in- Magnetoresistive sensor has flipping coils Philips’ latest magnetoresistive sensor has coils integrat­ed into its package to compensate for temperature drift and sensor offset. By eliminating the need for external coils, the KMZ51 sensor simplifies system design in applications requiring the measurement of weak magnetic fields. The integrated coils have an excellent magnetic coupling factor, so the KMZ51 also has very low power consumption, allow­ ing it to operate from a 5V supply. Even operating at this low supply voltage, the sensor requires no DCDC up-converter to provide sufficient coil current, as required by some sensors with integrated coils under the same conditions. The KMZ51 is the first device in a new family and is suited for electronic compasses, earth magnetic field compensation circuits, traffic detection units and applications such as virtu­al reality glasses. For more information contact Philips Components, 34 Water­loo Rd, North Ryde NSW 2113 or access the Philips web page at: http:/www.semiconductors.philips.com BassBox® formation can be obtained by accessing the Philips web site at http://www. semiconductors.philips.com EMC filters up to 2500A A new family of AC line filers for frequency converters in electrical drives has been added to the range of Siemens Mat­sushita Components. The filters are designed for use in 3-phase systems and are available as standard filters for rated voltages up to 690V and rated currents up to 2500A. In modern electrical drives, 3-phase motors are con­ trolled by frequency converters. This has the advantage that the speed of the motor can be precisely controlled, allowing for smooth acceleration and deceleration. The disadvantage is that rapid switching operations at high currents with steep signal edges produce high electro­ magnetic interference. Such high-frequency interference can be suppressed with EMC filters designed specifically for converter applications. The flagship of the new three-conductor filter family from Siemens Matsushita has been developed specifically for 690V IT industrial supply systems and is suitable for current loads of up to 3 x 2500A. For such a high connected load the filter is quite compact, measuring 650 x 320 x 220mm and weighing 105kg. This new filter has a high attenuation of 85dB, a volume resistance of only 15µΩ, a leakage current of less than 6mA and a power loss of 280W. For further information, contact Advanced Information Pro­ducts, Siemens Ltd. Phone (03) 9420 7716; fax (03) 9420 7275. 13.8-inch colour LCD monitor Click Electronics has released the PD-50 range of colour LCD monitors. There are two inherently low radiation models in the range, the PD-50F with a 13.8-inch (viewable) TFT display and the PD-50N with a 13.8-inch (viewable) DSTN display. The PD-50F TFT monitor has a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels with 262,000 colours, a brightness of 200 Cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 300:1 (typical). The PD-50N DSTN monitor has the same maximum resolution and brightness, 4096 colours and a contrast ratio of 20:1 (typical). The monitors have on/off, brightness and contrast controls, and an operating temperature range of 0-40°C. For further information, contact Click Electronics, 29 Bachell Ave, Lidcombe, NSW 2141. Phone (02) 9649 4155; fax (02) 9649 4206. email: SC comgiant<at>ca.com.au Design low frequency loudspeaker enclos­ures fast and accurately with BassBox® software. Uses both Thiele-Small and Electro-Mechanical parameters with equal ease. Includes X. Over 2.03 passive cross­over design program. $299.00 Plus $6.00 postage. Pay by cheque, Bankcard, Mastercard Visacard. EARTHQUAKE AUDIO PH: (02) 9949 8071 FAX: (02) 9949 8073 PO BOX 226 BALGOWLAH NSW 2093 TOROIDAL POWER TRANSFORMERS Manufactured in Australia Comprehensive data available Harbuch Electronics Pty Ltd 9/40 Leighton Pl. HORNSBY 2077 Ph (02) 9476-5854 Fx (02) 9476-3231 THE “HIGH” THAT LASTS IS MADE IN THE U.S.A. Model KSN 1141 The new Powerline series of Motorola’s 2kHz Horn speakers incorporate protection circuitry which allows them to be used safely with amplifiers rated as high as 400 watts. This results in a product that is practically blowout proof. Based upon extensive testing, Motorola is offering a 36 month money back guarantee on this product should it burn out. Frequency Response: 1.8kHz - 30kHz Av. Sens: 92dB <at> 1m/2.83v (1 watt <at> 8Ω) Max. Power Handling Capacity: 400W Max. Temperature: 80°C Typ. Imp: appears as a 0.3µF capacitor Typical Frequency Response MOTOROLA PIEZO TWEETERS AVAILABLE FROM: DICK SMITH, JAYCAR, ALTRONICS AND OTHER GOOD AUDIO OUTLETS. IMPORTING DISTRIBUTOR: Freedman Electronics Pty Ltd, PO Box 3, Rydalmere NSW 2116. Phone: (02) 9638 6666. June 1997  89