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PRODUCT SHOWCASE New base receiver from Icom raises the bar With the move towards digital radio technology for two-way communications, the requirements to monitor frequencies becomes more complex. With government organisations moving to advanced technologies such as APCO P25, the role of a traditional analog receiver has narrowed. The new Icom IC-R8600 Wideband Receiver raises the bar. It uses the experience gained in the development of the IC-7300 (SDR) amateur transceiver, to deliver a receiver covering 0.01-3000MHz through AM, FM, USB, LSB and CW modes. The IC-R8600 will decode multiple digital protocols, including APCO P25, dPMR, D-Star, NXDN, IDAS and RTTY. The receiver features a large 4.3’’ TFT touch screen but can connect to a PC for remote control using the RS-R8600 software. The fast moving, real-time spectrum scope and waterfall functions aid tuning. The optional matching SP39AD speaker also features an integrated power supply. Contact: This is an ideal solu- Icom Australia Pty Ltd tion where effective Unit1 103 Garden Road Clayton, Vic 3168 audio output is re- Tel: (03) 9549 7500 quired. Website: www.icom.net.au Electrolube solves unusual underwater LED application Electrolube was recently approached by a company in Australia for assistance with a particularly unusual application. The customer needed protection for an underwater LED lighting unit. The encapsulation resin needed to be light blue for aesthetic purposes and had to be able to withstand water temperatures between 5 to 40°C, as well as being flame retardant. The customer specifically asked for a sample of a very flexible encapsulation resin that could resist attack from constant immersion in pool water. Critically, this could be salt or fresh water. The first issue to overcome was the material was sedimenting over time and was increasingly more difficult to reincorporate back into the resin mix; the second was that there was a slight bleed of resin through the gap between the resin and the LED unit. With a bit of lateral thinking, the logical solution was to increase the thixotropic nature of the resin, which would help to slow down the rate of sedimentation to an acceptable level and prevent the resin bleeding through the gap. Following two weeks’ laboratory work, where a number of different options were tested, Electrolube’s R&D team produced a material that was still very easy to mix and pour into the unit; in fact the increase in the mix viscosity of modified resin was only slightly higher than the original resin and the colour of UR5097 was altered to the desired colour shade, matching against a RAL standard. This produced a completely bespoke solution that effectively resolved the customer’s issues. The polymer used in the resin is also highly resistant to the transmission of water even at various pressure differences experienced due to the depth of the water. Contact: HK Wentworth Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth Tel: (02) 9938 1566 Web: www.electrolube.com.au OrCA D PSpice Designer The fastest and most accurate mixedsignal S PICE simulator available. Normally $9,695, now just $1,650* (for a full licence including 1year of software updates) With more than 35,000 FREE PSpice behavioural models available, you can create simulation-ready designs using more parts from more vendors AND simulate them faster and more accurately than with any other SPICE tool. Don’t miss this amazing offer! 92  Silicon Chip Ends June 30, 2017* ecadtools.com.au / pspice-on-sale.html siliconchip.com.au Creating a 3D Scanner with Raspberry Pi and MATLAB This project by Siddharth of MathWorks lets you build your own 3D scanner which can then be used to recreate the scanned object with a separate 3D printer. It works by fixing an object to be scanned onto a turntable driven by a stepper motor, then taking two photos of the object; one with a vertical laser line at a fixed angle from the camera and one without. The difference in the two images (the points where the laser intersects the object) gives one part of the points required to recreate the image in 3D. This process is then repeated for the next 360° in fixed increments (default 0.225°). The MATLAB program that is run to perform this task is not too complex and relies on some trigonometry among other things. The point cloud that is created is a series of point values in 3D space that can then be imported into the free open-source software MeshLab (www.meshlab.net). The 3D mesh created can then be cleaned and converted with software such as Netfabb for use in a 3D printer. The project requires a few parts such as a Raspberry Pi with camera, line laser diode, stepper motor and driver, along with the parts needed for the frame as listed in the link at the end. A complete guide can be found at: http://siliconchip.com.au/l/aact Contact: MathWorks (Australia) Website: au.mathworks.com Accelerated 4G Router provides backup for ADSL The Accelerated 6300-CX router has an embedded, carrier-certified cellular modem that provides Internet connectivity via 4G LTE and 3G cellular wireless data networks. The compact devices, which are designed and developed by a specialist engineering team based in Brisbane, are sold globally by US-based Accelerated Concepts Inc. The 6300-CX include all modern mobile modes including LTE, 4G, 3G, UMTS, HSPA+, HSPA, EDGE, GPRS and GSM. It can be used for a dedicated internet connection or in fail-over mode to back up an existing ADSL connection. It incorporates firewall, port forwarding, blocking/filtering and NAT/routing functions and supports both IPv4 and IPv6. The 6300-CX can be placed in a location with the best 4G/3G signal strength and connected to the network via a standard Ethernet cable. It includes a battery for site survey, to identify optimal signal strength placement. It uses two dipole antennas for the best possible perfor- Contact: mance and supports Accelerated Concepts Pty Ltd Power over Ethernet 250 Sherwood Rd, Rocklea Qld 4106 for situations requir- Web: www.accelerated.com/products/6300 _cx_lte_router ing remote power. siliconchip.com.au Shown above is the complete project in action and below is an example point cloud of a torus. Master Instruments’ big move Master Instruments Pty Ltd, family owned and operated for 75 years, has recently completed a move into new premises in Milperra, south-western Sydney, kicking off the next exciting phase of business growth. Having outgrown its spiritual home for the past 60 years in Marrickville, the directors of Master Instruments have invested heavily into finding and acquiring suitable, and much larger, premises to build on its already growing market share. The 5,500m2 building will house the administration and main sales office, battery manufacturing lines and packaging, Contact: engineering & tool shop, Master Instruments Pty Ltd electronics laboratories, 13 Sheridan Close Milperra, NSW 2214 R&D, meter production Tel: (02) 9519 1200 and two warehouses. SC Web: www.master-instruments.com.au June 2017  93