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PRODUCT SHOWCASE Clever learning remote has LCD panel The control screen changes according to the device selected. These photos shows the displays for a TV (left) and a CD Player (right). These days, virtually every TV, video and audio appliance comes with an infrared remote control. Everyone would agree that these remotes are wonderful, even if they do possibly contribute to expanding waist lines. On the other hand, if you have more than two in use, it can be frustrating if you grab the wrong one to change a channel or some other function. If you have a Dolby surround sound setup in your home you could easily end up with four or five remotes in the living room alone. Some people we have seen keep their remotes in a little rack on a coffee table in front of their listening/viewing posi­tion but most people are just not that organised. If you are one of the latter, this learning remote could be Video capture IC from Philips Philips has announced the industry’s first single-chip video capture front end to connect directly to a VGA graphics controller. The SAA7112 is the first in a new generation of ICs from Philips designed to make possible a new range of multimedia-enabled VGA cards. With its multistandard decoding of NTSC, PAL and SECAM, high-performance 3D scaling, versatile image port interface and digital video expansion port, the SAA7112 eliminates the need for 68  Silicon Chip glue logic in the design of VGA/ video systems. The video image port interfaces directly to the majority for you. It will learn and reproduce all the functions of up to eight infrared remote controls and it does so without the need for any buttons on its control panel. By contrast, most learning remote controls seem to have a huge array of buttons and while they might “learn” all the wanted functions with ease, the human user generally has a harder time trying to figure out which button to press. The other big problem with IR remote controls, learning types or otherwise, is that you can’t use them in subdued light or in the dark. In fact, most remotes are pretty hard to use at the best of times if you are calling for some of the lesser used functions. This is where the Touchlight SUR9000 comes into the pic­ture. Instead of making do with a large array of tiny pushbuttons with legends that only people with microscope-vision can read, it has a large backlit LCD screen with 40 function “keys”. Each “key” is activated merely by pressing the relevant portion of the screen. If you want, it will emit a soft beep each time you press a key and if you are using it in subdued light or in the dark, it will light up the keyboard of VGA controllers and is configurable to support a variety of setups. In addition, a bidirectional video expansion port with half-duplex capability allows either real-time decoded YUV data to be output from the decoder or a second video stream to be input directly to the scaler (eg, from an MPEG decoder or video phone CODEC). More information on Philips semiconductors can be obtained by accessing the Philips Internet Home Page located at http://www. semiconductors.philips.com; or contact Philips Compon­ents, 34 Waterloo Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113. BassBox® Smoke alarm panel from DSE Those who want to build the Smoke Alarm Control Panel pub­ lished in the January & February 1997 issues of SILICON CHIP will be interested in this full kit from Dick Smith Electronics. It features a drilled and screen-printed plastic case with square buttons instead of the round buttons featured in the prototype. The top has a thick steel panel which covers the entire case and it is nicely finished in grey enamel and is punched for the buttons and LEDs. In fact, the sample assembled kit looks more attractive than our prototype. Inside, the two fibreglass PC boards have rolled solder tracks for ease of soldering. The backup each time a key is pressed. The backlighting is only activated if the SUR-9000 senses low light conditions and then it automatically turns off about five seconds after a key is pressed. Once all the remote control functions have been learnt for each of your appliances, it can then provide a particular control screen for that device. For example, if your press CD, it will bring up a screen with CD play functions such as Play, Pause, Fast Forward, etc. The unit is powered by four AAA cells and these have an estimated life of 2-3 months, depending on how much it is used. It also has a further 3V cell buried inside it to back up all the programming so that you don’t lose anything when the main batteries go flat or are being replaced. This 3V battery will maintain the programming for up to three years. For anyone who wants the ultimate remote control, this has to be the one. It is available at $199 from Altronics, 174 Roe St, Perth, WA 6000. Phone 1 800 999 007. Fluke automotive multimeter GEC Electronics has announced the introduction of the new Fluke 18 automotive meter, a rugged, easy to use multimeter for most common measurements. As well as measuring DC and 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. battery and five smoke detector boards are included in the price. It sells for $159 (Cat. K-8001). Extra smoke detector PC boards are available at $5.50. The Smoke Alarm Control Panel kit is available from all Dick Smith Electronics stores and resellers. $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 STEPDOWN TRANSFORMERS 60VA to 3KVA encased toroids Harbuch Electronics Pty Ltd 9/40 Leighton Pl. HORNSBY 2077 Ph (02) 9476-5854 Fx (02) 9476-3231 AC volts, resistance and continuity, it measures capacitance and min/max in all modes. It is auto-ranging although a particular range can be selected and locked in by pressing the range button a number of times. No current ranges are provided, in keeping with the in­tended automotive application of the meter. The Fluke 18 is supplied with a holster, leads and alliga­ tor clips. It comes with a 3-year warranty. For further information, contact GEC Electronics Division, Unit 1, 38 South St, Rydalmere 2116. Phone (02) 9638 1888; fax (02) 9638 1798. Labelling machine for PC boards Brady Australia has announced the release of their new Printer Applicator Machine (PAM). It prints via a thermal trans­fer process and is designed to apply labels to PC boards and components. Features of the machine include programmable label positioning, barcode scanner, label repeat and recovery and on or off-line configuration. For more information, contact Brady Australia by telephon­ing 1 800 620 816. May 1997  69 Monolithic accelerometer Analog Devices’ new ADXL250 is the first dual-axis ±50g accelerometer available commercially with signal conditioning, on a single monolithic IC. A radical redesign of acceler­ -ometer circuit architecture has enabled greater integration for higher performance and 1/5th the power consumption of the first-generation devices. The ADXL150, a single-axis version, also includes on-board signal conditioning. Both devices provide reduced drift, lower noise, and smaller packaging, compared to existing solutions. 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. 70  Silicon Chip The ADXL150/250 devices are available in a hermetic, 14-pin, surface-mount CERPAK package. For further information, contact Hartec, 205A Middleborough Road, Box Hill, Vic 3128. Phone 1 800 335 623. They are available from Oatley Electronics at the following prices: blue $1.50 each or 10 for $10; red $1.10 each or 10 for $7.00. Oatley Electronics are at 66 Lorraine St, Peakhurst, NSW 2210. Phone (02) 9584 3563; fax (02) 9584 3561. Super bright blue & red LEDs 0-30V 2.5A power supply LEDs just keep getting brighter and brighter as these clear-lensed 5mm devices demonstrate. The red version puts out three candelas while the blue version puts out 400 millicandelas, both at the maximum current of 20mA. As is usual with high-brightness LEDs, these have a narrow beam by virtue of the integral lens. Readers wanting to build a power supply for their workbench will think twice when they see this fully built supply rated at 0-30V at up to 2.5A. It is quite a large unit considering its fairly modest power output although that may reflect the manufac­turer’s use of a standard case for a range of supplies. It measures 149mm wide, 142mm high and 237mm deep, including the knobs and output terminals. It weighs 2.8kg. Two LCD panels provide readouts for the current and voltage settings which are adjustable via the adjacent knobs. The main output is available from the large binding post terminals on the lefthand side of the panel. As well, there are two pairs of spring-loaded terminals for fixed 5V and 12V 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. Free instrumentation reference & catalog National Instruments has announced its full-colour 1997 Instrumentation Reference and Catalog. This free 696-page catalog describes the company’s software and hardware products that engineers and scientists can use to develop integrated, PC-based instrumentation systems for test and measurement and industrial automation. The catalog includes tutorials on data acquisition, GPIB, VXI, industrial automation, product line overviews and selection guides. New product highlights include object-oriented Lookout MMI/SCADA software, Bridge VIEW industrial automation software, a new line of VXI-DAQ instrument modules, IMAQ Vision (machine vision) software and the company’s first image acquisition board. The catalog also describes new versions of LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, HiQ, Measure, Virtual­ Bench and Component Works application software products, as well as numerous new data acquisition products. For more information, contact National Instruments Austra­lia, PO Box 466, Ringwood, Vic 3134. Phone (03) 9879 5166; fax (03) 9879 6277. Readers can also access information by email at info.aust­ ralia<at>natinst.com or through the Instrumentation Web at www.natinst.com/ outputs which can both deliver up to 500mA. The supply is priced at $199 and is available from Altron­ics, 174 Roe St, Perth, WA 6000. Phone 1 800 999 007. Low loss IGBTs BBS Electronics, Australian distributor for Harris Semicon­ ductor, has released the Harris HGTP7N60C3. This IGBT boasts the industry’s lowest overall losses at its 7A (110°C) 600V rating and can switch higher currents than more expensive Mosfets at 50-100kHz switching rates in some supply configurations. Applications for the ultrafast switching IGBT consist of line-voltage switching power supplies and fractional-horsepower motor control. The switching supply uses include PCs, home entertainment systems and small un­interrupt­ible power supplies. Motor-control uses include power tools and small appliances. The new 600V 7A IGBT is available in TO-200, TO25x and TO-26x package variations, including through-hole and surface mount. There are versions with and without internal “hyperfast” anti-parallel diodes. Depending on the package and for quantities of 1000, IGBTs without a diode range in price from $1.43 to $1.51. With a diode, prices range from $2.04 to $2.46. The new IGBT is rated at 14A and 600V breakdown at a 25°C case temperature (7A at 110°C). At 150°C, the maximum saturation voltage at 7A is 2.4V. For further information, contact BBS Electronics Australia Pty Ltd, Unit 24, 5-7 Anella Ave, Castle Hill SC 2154. Phone (02) 9894 5244. FM radio receiver for PCs Dubbed the Wizard Radio, this nifty little stereo FM broadcast band receiver plugs into a spare RS232C serial (COM) port on your PC. It has an audio output which connects via a short cable to the line input of your PC’s sound card, plus an input for a dipole antenna (supplied). The unit is driven using software which works with both Windows 3.1x and Windows 95. This features electronic tuning, 10 pre­ settable memories for favourite stations, auto-seek tuning, and a digital frequency readout. It can even be set to switch on and off at preset times and you can record and replay selections using the Sound Recorder & Player. The unit is priced at $49 from Altron­ics, 174 Roe St, Perth, WA 6000. Phone 1 800 999 007. The Wizard radio plugs into a spare COM port on the computer & connects to your sound card & to a dipole antenna. The on-screen display for the Wizard Radio lets you tune and scan channels. You can also store and edit up to 10 preset channels and record and replay selections using the Sound Recorder & Player. May 1997  71