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MARKET CENTRE Cash in your surplus gear. Advertise it here in SILICON CHIP ELNEC IC PROGRAMMERS FOR SALE questronix.com.au – audiovisual experts solve home, corporate security and devotional installation & editing woes. QuestAV CYP, Kramer TVone (02) 4343 1970 or sales<at>questronix. com.au OLD RADIOS, VALVES, ICs, SPEAKERS, etc, etc. Retired engineer/hobbyist clearout sale. 4-5-6-7 April, at 62 Victoria Rd, Pennant Hills, Sydney. Phone 0439 461 455. SOLAR PANELS LOW COST: full range 5W to 250W, eg: 40W/12V Poly $69, 130W/12V $169, 190W/24V $165, 200W/12V $225, 250W/24V $225, 230W Poly $190. AGM Batteries: 7AH $19.50, 9AH $24.50, 20AH $52.50, 55AH $129, 105AH $199, 220AH $399. (03) 94705851 or (03) 9478 0080 chris<at>lowenergydevelopments.com.au www.lowenergydevelopments.com.au 544 High St, Preston 3072, Melbourne. PCBs & Micros: Silicon Chip Pub­ lications can supply PCBs and programmed micros for all recent (and some not so recent) projects described in the magazine. See the SILICON CHIP PartShop advert in this issue. Phone High quality Realistic prices Free software updates Large range of adaptors Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2k/XP (02) 9939 3295 or email silicon<at> siliconchip.com.au LEDs! Nichia, Cree and other brand name LEDs at excellent prices. LED drivers, including ultra-reliable linear driver options. Many other interesting and hard-to-find electronic items! www.ledsales.com.au PCBs MADE, ONE OR MANY. Any format, hobbyists welcome. Sesame Electronics Phone (02) 8068 2713. sesame<at>sesame.com.au www.sesame.com.au CLEVERSCOPE USB OSCILLOSCOPES 2 x 100MSa/s 10bit inputs + trigger 100MHz bandwidth 8 x digital inputs 4M samples/input Sig-gen + spectrum analyser Windows 98/Me/NT/2k/XP IMAGECRAFT C COMPILERS ANSI C compilers, Windows IDE AVR, TMS430, ARM7/ARM9 68HC08, 68HC11, 68HC12 GRANTRONICS PTY LTD www.grantronics.com.au WANTED MEMBERS FOR a new BLUE MOUNTAINS discussion/social group for hobbyists, experimenters, or anyone else interested in any area of applied technology. Telephone Robert on (02) 4757 3260. CUSTOMERS WANTED: Truscotts Electronic World – large range of semiconductors and passive components for ADVERTISING IN MARKET CENTRE Classified Ad Rates: $29.50 for up to 20 words plus 85 cents for each additional word. Display ads in Market Centre start at $110.00. All prices include GST. Closing date: 5 weeks prior to month of sale. To book, email the text to silicon<at> siliconchip.com.au and include your name, address & credit card details, or phone Glyn (02) 9939 3295 or 0431 792 293. industry, hobbyist and amateur projects including Drew Diamond. 27 The Mall, South Croydon, Melbourne. Phone (03) 9723 3860. www.electronicworld. com.au CIRCUIT & DESIGN IDEAS: SILICON CHIP pays up to $60 for Circut Notebook items or you could win a $150 gift voucher from Hare & Forbes. KIT ASSEMBLY & REPAIR KEITH RIPPON KIT ASSEMBLY & REPAIR: * Australia & New Zealand; * Small production runs. Phone Keith 0409 662 794. keith.rippon<at>gmail.com Issues Getting Dog-Eared? Keep your copies of SILICON CHIP safe with these handy binders REAL VALUE AT $14.95 PLUS P & P Order now from www.siliconchip.com.au/Shop/4 or call (02) 9939 3295 and quote your credit card number or mail the handy order form in this issue. *See website for overseas prices. siliconchip.com.au April 2013  95 Advertising Index A To Z Electronix.......................... 55 ADM Instruments........................... 9 Altronics.................................. 70-73 Blamey & Saunders Hearing........ 11 Embedded Logic Solutions.......... 10 Emona Instruments...................... 29 Front Panel Express....................... 6 Futurlec........................................ 93 Grantronics................................... 95 Harbuch Electronics..................... 88 Ask SILICON CHIP . . . continued from p94 burners of a stove that no longer has a functioning igniter. I am using a hand igniter but it would be so much more elegant to just press a button! On another topic, I built myself a 3-bedroom house in the late 1990s, with 230VAC power points and all lights wired for 12V DC. Solar panels and wind generators charge a 12V battery bank for the lights and a 24V battery bank for a 2500W inverter. Over the years, I have replaced all halogen and fluoro lights with LEDs, mostly strip lights. This works well for one person and occasional visitors but in winter needs supplementing with a generator. (J. V., via email). • Have a look at the Jacob’s Ladder project in the February 2013 issue. It would do the job but it is probably considerable over-kill and would require a beefy 12V power supply. It would be more efficient if you could adapt the piezoelectric igniter commonly used on outdoor barbecues. Different module for GPS Frequency Reference Is it possible to use the EM-406 GPS module rather than the specified Garmin device for the GPS Frequency Reference (SILICON CHIP, March to May 2007)? If so, will the PIC need to be reprogrammed? (M. O., Warrandyte South, Vic). • It should be possible to use the EM406 GPS receiver module in place of the Garmin GPS 15L receiver originally used in the GPS Frequency Reference, without any modifications to either the PIC program or the other hardware. However, you will need to 96  Silicon Chip Hare & Forbes.......................... OBC DOWNLOAD OUR CATALOG at www.iinet.net.au/~worcom WORLDWIDE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS PO Box 631, Hillarys, WA 6923 Ph: (08) 9307 7305 Fax: (08) 9307 7309 Email: worcom<at>iinet.net.au Instant PCBs................................ 95 Jaycar .............................. IFC,45-52 Keith Rippon................................. 95 KitStop............................................ 6 LED Sales.................................... 95 Low Energy Developments.......... 95 make sure that the EM406 receiver module is placed in a location where it can get a good “view” of the sky, since it incorporates its own patch antenna rather than using an external active antenna as used by the Garmin module. You might need to have the module external to the GPS Frequency Reference box, like the one described in our recent GPS Timebase projects in February 2013 and in this issue. Dog Blaster not effective on wallabies The recent hot dry weather in our region has forced the local wildlife to venture into suburban areas looking for food. It seems my vegetable garden has proved irresistible for some wallabies. In an attempt to scare them off, I have set up a solar-powered security light but that has no effect. I am wondering if the Barking Dog Blaster kit (SILICON CHIP, September 2012) would keep the veggie thieves at bay. I was thinking of using the security light PIR sensor to trigger the device. If the Dog Blaster is not suitable are there any other detergents (sic) I could use? (B. A., via email). • Detergents might work if you sprayed the wallabies but is not something we would suggest. Just kidding. An Ultrasonic Barking Dog Blaster Microchip Technology..................... 3 Mikroelektronika......................... IBC NPA Pty Ltd.................................. 59 Ocean Controls............................ 19 Premier Batteries........................... 7 Quest Electronics......................... 95 Radio, TV & Hobbies DVD............ 93 RF Modules.................................. 96 Satcam........................................... 8 Sesame Electronics..................... 95 Silicon Chip Bookshop................. 89 Silicon Chip Binders..................... 88 Silicon Chip Order Form............... 35 Silicon Chip Partshop................... 34 Silicon Chip Subscriptions........... 25 Tekmark Australia........................... 8 Tenrod Pty Ltd.............................. 57 Trio Test & Measurement................ 4 Truscotts Electronic World............ 95 Wiltronics........................................ 5 Worldwide Elect. Components..... 96 operated by a security light detector is unlikely to deter wallabies. That only leaves more conventional approaches such as having wire meshing or even an electric fence around the garden. If you have a dog that also might work although some dogs are quite tolerant SC of wild life. siliconchip.com.au