Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

Net Work Alan Winstanley This month’s column brings updates on the SpaceX Starship program, welcome news for Windows 10 users, some puzzlement over using smart battery chargers and the end of an era for one of the most popular names in electronics book publishing, Bernard Babani. I t’s easy to forget that it will soon be 60 years since people first set foot on the moon. NASA’s Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in a lunar module that landed on July 20th, 1969, with a global audience watching the mission unfold live on their television screens. A YouTube video uploaded by the Associated Press captures the tension of the time at https://youtu. be/hzApsIPHRwo The idea of using hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants for a rocket is attributed to Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1837-1935). Tsiolkovsky developed the earliest principles of aerodynamics and liquid-propellant rockets, and his pioneering work was published at the turn of the last century. Ideas for a Sputnik-like spacecraft were scribbled out nearly 150 years ago in 1883, as shown in Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Konstantin_Tsiolkovsky Today, the development of Starship, the world’s largest rocket, is continuing unabated. Starship could carry a payload of 150-250 metric tonnes, and SpaceX has an ambition to land on Mars. The eleventh test flight was scheduled to launch in mid-October, just before this magazine went to press. SpaceX also planned to test a new configuration of engine burns during the final descent phase, before the Super Heavy booster plunges into the Gulf of Mexico. Once in orbit, the upper stage would launch more ‘dummy’ nextgen Starlink 2.0 satellites, which will have roughly four times the bandwidth of their earlier satellites. Currently, about 8500 Starlink satellites are operating in low-Earth orbit. As the new V2.0 satellites are four times heavier, SpaceX says that Starship will be the only vehicle capable of mass-launching them. A previous Starship mission demonstrated something that’s been likened to a Pez dispenser (a character toy that pops out Pez 60 lollies, a sort of compressed sherbet). It ejected a series of dummy units the same size and weight as the new V2.0 satellites, like slices of toast popping out a toaster, as shown in time lapse at https://youtu.be/ ZUKi2IVTwKc According to SpaceX, certain thermal shield tiles have also been removed to test some vulnerable areas when Starship deorbits and splashes down in the Indian Ocean. While some may goggle at the sight of a rocket plunging into the sea, as though the mission has failed, Starship’s eleventh flight is essentially another crash test in a long line of trials designed to capture more data. The ability of the Super Heavy booster to land vertically and be captured by ‘chopsticks’ is an astonishing spectacle, which can be seen at https://youtu.be/RYUr-5PYA7s Lunar power Meanwhile, NASA’s Artemis SLS (Space Launch System) will ultimately take people back to the moon; a crew of four is due to slingshot past the lunar body on the next Artemis mission. As Artemis aims to establish a permanent US presence on the moon, NASA recently published their Directive on Fission Surface Power (FSP) Development, which proposes accelerating the construction of nuclear fission micro-reactors both on the moon and, eventually, on Mars. They cite the need to support a future ‘lunar economy’, generate high-power energy on the lunar and Starship launching Starlink V2.0 satellites into low-earth orbit, using a system dubbed the ‘Pez dispenser’. Martian surfaces, and strengthen America’s national security in space. The NASA Directive pulls no punches in expressing a newfound urgency for the project, warning that China and Russia may jointly build a nuclear plant on the moon by the mid 2030s, and then attempt to establish ‘keep out’ zones that block the US from doing the same (think of the hotly contested South China Sea). A new space race is in the making, as the US endeavours to be the first to build a nuclear power plant on the moon within the next five years. Back on Earth, there are increasing concerns that China is striving to take the lead in the emerging nuclear fission sector. The country is reportedly harnessing laser inertial fusion (see https://w.wiki/FXhw) and existing technologies in an effort to leapfrog anything currently available in the West. SpaceX’s Starship is the largest rocket ever built. It is being ‘crash tested’ into the Indian Ocean after gathering more test flight data. Practical Electronics | December | 2025 A concept image of NASA’s fission surface power (FSP) Project, a nuclear power plant destined to be constructed on the moon. Source: NASA. Chinese scientists recently voltage, so it isn’t over-­charging or claimed a world record for a fully under-­charging the battery. superconducting magnet, which Popular smart charger brands could ultimately be harnessed to include Sweden’s CTEK and the generate extremely strong magnet- US manufacturer NOCO. During ic fields for applications in nuclear demanding conditions (cold winfission, for example. This is a sign ter weather, short journeys, heavy of how urgently the country is re- loads etc), the Author sometimes searching all aspects of generating trickle-charges his car battery in nuclear fusion energy, with a view situ in the garage, either using a to entirely dominating the market. special CTEK connector permanently fitted under the battery Charging up for winter posts, or by hooking up crocodile Back home in England, with clip leads instead. wintertime gradually approaching (“winter drawers on”, as my old The Lawnmower Man aunt used to say), attention is driftNext in line for winter treatment ing towards the matter of main- was a small 12V sealed lead-acid taining certain types of battery (SLA) battery that’s used to power and battery-­ powered equipment a lawnmower starter motor. Althrough the cold season. though new battery chemistries Most car owners know how a come along all the time, there is vehicle’s lead-acid battery can be plenty of life left in the rugged punished by the heavy use of heat- SLA, with millions of them in coned screens, demisters and cabin stant use today. heaters, with short journeys, heatIn my own application, the best ed steering wheels, seats and light- known battery type is the Enersys ing all adding to the battery’s load. Cyclon brand (see https://pemag.au/ The judicious use of stop-start link/ac8w). In my experience, they systems can also hammer even the have peerless reliability and perforbest absorbed glass mat (AGM) car mance - a Gates (now Enersys) Cybatteries (which is why I disable clon battery came fitted to the lawnstop-start anyway). mower when new and it endured Depending on your lifestyle, if car many years of punishment. usage is only occasional or interFor anyone interested, some mittent, then a maintenance trickle notes and the application data for charge through winter will keep a Cyclon batteries are downloadable battery primed and ready for ser- in PDF format from https://pemag. vice. This also helps avoid the risk au/link/ac8x of a battery self-discharging through This type of compact SLA battery neglect, and possibly becoming appears in garden machinery, tractors damaged beyond recovery. and other equipment, as the Cyclon’s The problem of maintaining bat- AGM design and chemistry offer a teries during winter can affect not high energy density while withstandonly car owners but also those who ing vibration and rough treatment. own, say, a motor home, motorcy- These rugged batteries are easy to live cle or classic car. If you’re going to with, and they also have a low selfleave a battery on charge long-term, discharge rate. Consequently, they’re you need to make sure the char- utilised in a very wide range of ger is supplying the correct float demanding applications. Practical Electronics | December | 2025 The classic two-pole SAE connector. If I need to replace the battery, I’ll look for the six-cell module type (ie, 2V/cell), similar to the Cyclon, rather than imported blockshaped so-called ‘leisure’ batteries that perform badly. A compatible equivalent (though not a genuine Cyclon) that I’m currently using is available from Amazon at https:// pemag.au/link/ac8y When used in garden machinery or, say, motorcycle applications, one thing this style of battery has in common is the two-pole bullet connector, known as SAE (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers). The two-pole SAE is something of an enigma, as it seems to have evolved from automotive use over many decades, but there appears to be no specific design standard. These days, the SAE finds its way into low-voltage solar panel applications as well. The Wikipedia entry at https://w.wiki/FXiG sheds a little more light on the background. Several electronic ‘smart’ battery chargers offer a variety of 12V connectors, including SAE types, which would cater both for my car and the lawnmower battery. The CTEK MXS 5.0, for example, is used by leading vehicle makers. CTEK sells a huge range of connectors, panel-mounting sockets and extension leads to go with their chargers. At one time, I hard-wired a trailing CTEK socket to my car battery (a ring terminal goes under the battery post clamp nut), so I could simply lift the bonnet (hood) and hook up the charger when I wanted to top it up overnight. What piqued my interest is that the SAE connector is of course keyed for polarity, which I found becomes very relevant when using a smart charger to charge a compatible battery. If you hook this style of battery directly to such a charger, 61 The CTEK MXS 5.0 is a popular 12V smart charger used by vehicle manufacturers, but note the polarity of the SAE connector. the polarities are reversed, which technically shorts out the charger; its protection circuit is relied upon to detect the fault. More recently, I tried a small mains-adaptor style ‘smart charger’ produced by Sealey Tools. Their Autocharge100HF is a 1A 6V/12V compact charger that comes with a few connectors, including the SAE type. It had the same battery polarity issue – plugging them together will short the charger. As shown in my photo, what’s needed is an SAE polarity changer, which is widely available from AliExpress etc. It seems this workaround is common knowledge in automotive circles, but nowhere did battery charger manufacturers point it out. CTEK was initially unaware of this anomaly until I sent them photographs. I found Sealey’s operating instructions were not the best, and Sealey did not respond to my query. The lesson is clear: double-check the polarity is correct when connecting these types of products. tings. This feature helps when you’re busy prodding around a circuit board with your test probes. After waiting for a discount offer or two, the M109 came in at a miserly £4. Two more low-cost digital multimeters from the same manufacturer recently arrived that will offer hobbyists a choice of features and convenience. They may also appeal to younger enthusiasts or anyone operating with a modest budget. If a talking multimeter such as the M109 isn’t for you, a basic DMM is offered in the Aneng M113. This compact auto-ranging 1999-count digital voltmeter is rated up to 600V AC/DC, and it measures resistance up to 10MΩ. With only three buttons, it’s very easy to use and will suit anyone who doesn’t need advanced features. The meter includes a continuity buzzer, data hold and non-contact voltage testing. The NCV function worked well enough, but is probably best used as a guide only. Both red and black housings are available, and the price weighs in at less than £5 on AliExpress and Temu. Some keen reviewers say they buy several at a time so that a basic multimeter is never far away. The Aneng 620A sports a large, easy-to-read LCD screen with digital and bargraph segments. As well as the usual ranges, it measures lower values of capacitance and frequency, and a thermocouple bead (supplied) can be used to measure temperatures up to a claimed 1000°C. The instructions aren’t as clear as they could be, I felt, and a mystery ‘single watch pen wire test’ is, in fact, a live voltage probe. Touching the positive probe tip to a live mains contact turns the LCD backlight red, and it flashes up a warning. I liked the large screen display, which made it easier to view readings, but I found the NCV function somewhat hit-or-miss. A built-in torch (or ‘flashlight’) offers a little direct illumination. The socket legends are displayed on the LCD screen rather than the meter body itself, and a silicone rubber sleeve guards against knocks. You need to look closely to determine the button legends, though. The case has no tilt prop. The LCD would not survive a direct hit on the workbench, but Aneng packs a lot in for such a low cost. I’ve seen it listed at up to £35, but my model arrived for under £6. Look out for extra kits bundling a full set of test leads, available from the usual sources. A polarity changer is needed to charge an SLA battery from a smart charger. Testing protocols I’ve previously mentioned a range of USB adaptors sold under the Kowsi brand that contain a digital display to monitor current, voltage and more besides. I find them useful for checking progress when charging power banks, tablets and smartphones. When Power Delivery (PD) is used for faster charging, this is also denoted on the display. The Kowsi KWS-X1 is a USB-C dongle that measures ripple voltage, current and PD/QC protocols, showing digital data or a ‘scopelike curve on its colour IPS display. The sampling speed is selectable from thirty seconds to two hours. 62 Practical Electronics | December | 2025 Looking for Live wires Regular Net Work readers will recall that I picked out some digital testers and multimeters that highlighted the low prices of some test gear that’s now available from overseas. Last month, I suggested the Aneng M109 “Smart Voice Broadcast” meter, a pocket-sized DMM that announces the readings and range set- The Kowsi KWS-X1 low-cost inline USB-C monitor. It’s feature-packed and rated at 4-30V/0-12A, but getting to know the device takes some effort. I use one just to display a power bank charging curve at a glance over a few hours, but some enthusiasts are already hacking the firmware to fix minor bugs. The Kowsi KWS-X1 is about £12, but mine came from Temu for just £6. If you need to check out charging protocols, this low-cost USB-C inline tester might be worth considering. Windows 10 updates – a respite! Recently, while I was glued to the television, an advertisement appeared for the Currys electrical chain. They were very excited about selling so-called “AI PCs” and the ad played heavily on consumer fears that Windows 10 would suddenly become vulnerable, as if overnight, once Microsoft halted any further security updates for this decade-old operating system. Net Work isn’t a computer column, but many readers will be affected by the fact that the official cut-off date for Windows 10 security updates was October 14th, 2025. Back in September 2021, I wrote that Windows 11 was coming over the horizon but, because of stringent hardware requirements, not every PC would be able to upgrade to it. The trusted platform module (TPM) is a device for storing security keys embedded on the PC motherboard. It is designed to nail down the PC’s security. Without a TPM, Windows 11 could not be installed – that was Microsoft’s ambition, anyway. At the time, there was an outcry about the elite hardware specifications needed to run Windows 11. Predictably, the ‘lack of security’ of Windows 10 was used by the industry to fret users into buying new hardware, and the same thing is now happening all over again. On many more recent machines, a TPM can be enabled in the computer’s BIOS (basic input/output system) or by upgrading the BIOS version. A visit to the motherboard maker’s website will confirm what’s possible with your machine. On the author’s home-brew Asus PC, simply by updating the BIOS, the system became Windows 11 compatible. My computer colleague pointed me towards FlyBy11 (now called Flyoobe), a workaround that lets Windows 10 systems upgrade to Windows 11, whether or not they meet the hardware requirements. (Barry Fox also suggested it in the October issue.) Flyoobe is donation-ware that installs a version of Windows Server to set up a ‘normal’ installation of Windows 11. It’s probably a job best left to confident PC users with time on their hands; it can be downloaded from https://github. com/builtbybel/Flyoobe Before toying with a Windows 11 upgrade, I discovered that a workaround had sneaked onto my system following a Windows update. Consumers using a Windows 10 PC can now enjoy one more year of critical security updates until 2026, which may be free of charge or cost $30. You can also ‘pay’ for the extension by cashing in 1,000 Microsoft Reward Points (click the toolbar Search icon, and your Points balance shows along the top). Those who live in the EU don’t even need to do that; Microsoft has agreed to let them have the year of updates for free. Where a PC is eligible for Windows Extended Security Updates (ESU), an “Enrol Now” link will appear in the Windows Update section of Settings. A few basic conditions have to be met, but it’s likely that most consumer systems that are up to date will automatically be eligible for ESU. I followed the on-screen instructions to ‘enroll’ my PC to receive another year of security updates. If I decide to upgrade to Windows 11, I shall use Macrium Reflect to create a disk image first on a spare disk, so that I can revert to the old OS if necessary. Otherwise, I’ll install a clean OS upgrade onto a new SSD. You can read all about Windows 10 Extended Security Updates at https://www.microsoft.com/enGB/windows/extended-securityupdates The Aneng M113 pocket-size DMM. The Sealey Autocharge 100HF compact smart charger. Practical Electronics | December | 2025 The Aneng 620A. 63 Windows 10 consumer PCs can now extend updates for one more year. The future is… AI? Given the way things are going in the personal tech world, to get the best out of Windows 11, a modern “AI” PC warrants serious consideration. There’s no avoiding the fact that AI is increasingly having an impact on everyday workflows and PC usage. The days of googling for information are fast receding as users can now interact with AI in a human-like way. Online, Amazon’s Rufus AI chatbot produces eerily human responses when quizzed about a particular product. Increasingly, I have to stop and remind myself that I’m talking to ChatGPT, which costs anything from free to £200 a month – an app is available from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft’s Copilot has also found its way onto the Windows desktop and, when the microphone’s ‘hot’, it will soon start burbling away. I must admit that Microsoft Copilot has turned up trumps on more than one occasion. For example, using some legacy email software, I wanted to configure some arcane port settings for use with a new service provider. I was stumped for the answer, but Copilot immediately pointed me to a file deep in the software along with instructions to drag and drop a certain file into the main program folder. Astonishingly, this worked immediately, and the port settings became accessible. Copilot also reminded me of some Excel spreadsheet shortcuts. I’m also expecting to move towards using voice recognition for drafting written copy. Windows 10 users will find options in the Ease of Access area of Settings, but my experience with a headset was very poor. Windows 11 ‘AI’ PCs have a neural processor unit (NPU) optimised for such tasks. Suffice it to say that my computing counterpart, who is seldom easily impressed, had nothing but praise for a client’s Windows AI laptop that was using voice recognition. He was actually “blown away”, so perhaps that’s something to go on my Christmas wish list. One thing’s for sure, AI for desktop and web users is here to stay, and it 64 will only become more prevalent – and intrusive – over time. Bye Bye, Mr. Babani I’m very grateful to reader Andrew Gale, who dropped me a line with some news: I’ve always enjoyed your pieces in PE and posted on your website (alanwinstanley.com), especially your historical/nostalgic writings about hobby electronics. I couldn’t help but notice that Babani Publishing has recently wound-up. I always loved their books, which were a big part of my introduction to electronics (along with Everyday Electronics and books by Forrest M. Mims III). I was surprised that their closure seems to have passed without comment, and wondered if you knew anything about it. I guess Michael Babani must have reached retirement. Thanks for maintaining a fascinating website and, if you do know anything about Babani, I’d love to hear! British electronics constructors of a certain age (mine) will fondly remember the pocket-money paperback books published by Bernard Babani over many decades. London-based Babani Electronic Books found a place on every hobbyist’s bookshelf at one time or another, in an era when hobbyists relied completely on the printed word as a source of essential technical data, project circuit ideas and inspiration in general. Eventually, hundreds of modestly priced Babani books would embrace technical topics, software, microprocessors and the web, including the 1996 title The Internet and World Wide Web explained, published in the same year that Net Work was founded. Many regular and well-known PE/EE magazine writers contributed to the catalogue of Babani titles, including Robert Penfold, the late Frank (F.G.) Rayer (who was also a science fiction writer), R. N. Soar, E. A. Parr, O.N. Bishop and D. W. Easterling amongst others; names that will be familiar to old hands. The Wiki page at https://pemag. au/link/ac8z has a lot of interesting background about its founder, Ber- This 1996 book was typical of the ubiquitous handbooks published by Bernard Babani. nard Babani. I was not aware that a teenage Clive Sinclair (1940-2021) ran the firm’s publishing side for several years. The publisher’s cryptic address of “The Grampians” in Shepherd’s Bush Road, London, conjured up images of a mysterious place that seemed a world away for young Babani readers like myself. Thanks to Google Street View, it can now be revealed in all its glory: it’s a ground-floor business property under an apartment block (see https:// pemag.au/link/ac90). Reader Andrew visited The Grampians in London and emailed me some up-to-date photos! I wonder what Bernard Babani would have thought about that idea. Enquiries show that Bernard Babani Publishing was wound down earlier this year after, and it’s safe to assume, its dedicated director, Mr Michael Babani, the son of Bernard, finally retired. Sadly, this means that the book catalogue is likely to go out of print as a matter of course, but used copies will appear on the likes of abebooks.co.uk and Amazon. So, on behalf of readers and hobbyists everywhere, I’d like to wish Mr Babani a very happy retirement, and a sincere thank you from every one of us, for being a staple part of our adventures in electronics that inspired us for more than half a century. That’s all for now – join me next time for more Net Work. You can contact me at alan<at>epemag.net PE Practical Electronics | December | 2025