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Contents Vol.16, No.11; November 2003 www.siliconchip.com.au FEATURES 8 Electronic Noses Smell A Big Future Don’t sniff – electronic noses have a big future, from checking your morning coffee to sniffing out explosives. And they’re here now – by Peter Holtham 14 Logging Your Every Driving Moment Some airbag controllers do more than just trigger the airbags; they also log your speed and a range of other driving actions – by Julian Edgar 85 PC Board Design Tutorial, Pt.2 The basics of component placement and routing, plus a few tips to make your boards look good – by David L. Jones A 12AX7 Valve Audio Preamplifier – Page 24. PROJECTS TO BUILD 24 A 12AX7 Valve Audio Preamplifier And we swore we’d never do another valve audio project. Who was it that said “bottles” were dead? – by Jim Rowe 41 Our Best LED Torch . . . Ever! It’s based on a Luxeon Star/O 1W ultrabright LED, runs off two “D” cells and blasts our previous LED torches into the weeds! – by John Clarke 62 Smart Radio Modem For Microcontrollers This low-cost project will enable your Picaxe, Stamp or other microcontroller to communicate without wires – by Nenad Stojadinovic 74 The PICAXE, Pt.8: The 18X Series Our Best LED Torch . . . Ever – Page 41. You’ve guessed it: the Picaxe 08 chip has several big brothers. Here’s a look at the “18A” version, along with a simple temperature sensor – by Stan Swan 78 A Programmable PIC-Powered Timer This PIC-based timer can be set for any period from one second up to 680 days and even (theoretically) up to nearly 60 years – by Trent Jackson SPECIAL COLUMNS 36 Serviceman’s Log The JVC TV set that whistled – by the TV Serviceman 71 Circuit Notebook Smart Radio Modem For Microcontrollers – Page 62. (1) Making The Flexitimer Cycle On And Off; (2) Low Battery Indicator; (3) A Simple 9-Way Cable Identifier; (4) Clipping Indicator For Audio Amplifiers; (5) 8V DV Supply With Overvoltage Protection; (6) Cheap Switchmode DC-DC Converter 90 Vintage Radio The 1953 4-Valve Precedent Mantel Receiver – by Rodney Champness DEPARTMENTS 2 4 13 59 Publisher’s Letter Mailbag Order Form Product Showcase www.siliconchip.com.au 61 96 98 99 Silicon Chip Weblink Ask Silicon Chip Notes & Errata Market Centre/Ad Index Programmable PIC-Powered Timer – Page 78. November 2003  1