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Contents Vol.39, No.03 March 2026 16 The History of Intel, Part 2 Part two in our three-part series concentrates on Intel’s technological developments from the early 1990s to now. They were dominant from the 1990s until the 2010s, but have been struggling a little of late. By Dr David Maddison, VK3DSM Electronics feature 40 Power Electronics, Part 5 In this series of articles, we explore the principles of power electronics. This month, we cover the active techniques that help with power factor correction and electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering. By Andrew Levido Electronic design 60 Self-powered Wireless Switches Also called ‘kinetic’ switches, these wireless switches do not need an external power supply, and are commonly found in doorbells and remotecontrolled light switches. By Tim Blythman Low-cost electronic modules 66 Wiring up a New Home Here are some helpful tips and tricks for when you’re building your own house, or are just interested in the process. There’s a lot to consider with the wiring, from mains, audio-video, internet and even temperature sensing. By Julian Edgar Domestic wiring 28 Solar Panel Protector This simple design reduces the chance of lightning-induced surge damage to your solar panels, and provides an ‘ideal’ diode function, so that you can still get power from the panels even when some are shaded. By Ian Ashford Solar power project 49 DCC Booster The capstone piece for our model train system is this functional DCC Booster, Reverse Loop Controller, and even a simple Base Station all-in-one. It functions over a standard voltage range of 8-22V and handles up to 10A. Part 5 by Tim Blythman Model train project 71 The Internet Radio, Part 2 Sporting a large touchscreen and running Linux, this Internet Radio uses your choice of media player software to play audio. Because it uses preassembled modules and 3D-printed parts, you can build it in one afternoon. By Phil Prosser Audio/radio project 78 Graphing Thermometer Taking just a temperature reading isn’t always enough; our low-cost Graphing Thermometer shows you how the temperature changes over time, and can take samples from once per second to once every 900 seconds. By Andrew Woodfield Measurement project The History of Intel Part 2: page 16 Image source: Konstantin Lanzet https://w.wiki/GVqx Power Electronics Part 5: Page 40 Tips & Tricks for Wiring New Homes Page 66 Page 78 Graphing Thermometer 2 Editorial Viewpoint 4 Mailbag 39 Circuit Notebook 59 Subscriptions 84 Serviceman’s Log 90 Online Shop 92 Vintage Radio 100 Ask Silicon Chip 103 Market Centre 104 Advertising Index 104 Notes & Errata 1. Converting a mousetrap into a helping hand for soldering SMDs RCA Radiola 17 (AR-927) by Jim Greig