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Contents Vol.16, No.5; May 2003 www.siliconchip.com.au FEATURES 8 Motherboard Capacitor Problem Blows Up Faulty electrolytic capacitors could be a ticking time-bomb in your PC. Here’s how to identify the problem – by Peter Smith 11 HID Car Headlights: How They Work High-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights are now finding their way into many up-market cars. Here’s a look at how they work – by Peter Smith 64 The Brightest White LEDs On Earth So you think the latest 5mm white LEDs are bright? Well, you “ain’t seen nothing” until you’ve seen these – by Julian Edgar PROJECTS TO BUILD 22 WidgyBox – A Guitar Distortion Effects Unit WidgyBox: Guitar Distortion Effects Unit – Page 22. Plug into those great guitar sounds with this unit. It’s cheap, easy to build and can be run from a 9V battery or a plugpack supply – by Peter Smith 32 A 10MHz Direct Digital Synthesis Generator This low-cost function generator offers both sine & square wave output and can be set to any frequency between 1Hz and 10MHz – by David L. Jones 56 The Big Blaster Subwoofer Easy-to-build unit offers thunderous bass, can handle up to 250W RMS and is built into a compact enclosure – by Julian Edgar 80 Printer Port Hardware Simulator Simple circuit let’s you test printers or other hardware that connects to a PC’s parallel port without the need for a PC or software – by Jim Rowe 10MHz Direct Digital Synthesis Generator – Page 32. 84 More Fun With The PICAXE, Pt.4: Motor Controller A few changes to the PICAXE’s output circuit and some new code are all that’s required to build an effective motor controller – by Stan Swan SPECIAL COLUMNS 40 Serviceman’s Log Fix the roof, then fix the TV– by the TV Serviceman 53 Circuit Notebook (1) Single Entrance Vehicle Counter; (2) Test Interface For PC Soundcards; (3) White LED Torch Driver Circuit; (4) Adding Outlets To An Irrigation Controller Big Blaster Subwoofer – Page 56. 75 Vintage Radio The HMV C43B console radio – by Rodney Champness DEPARTMENTS 2 4 69 71 Publisher’s Letter Mailbag Product Showcase Silicon Chip Weblink www.siliconchip.com.au 90 92 93 95 Ask Silicon Chip Notes & Errata Market Centre Advertising Index Printer Port Hardware Simulator – Page 80. May 2003  1