Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1993ELECTONI :
Electrnnics,
EXPERIMENTERS
handbook.
Build A Simple FM Transmitter
in,
All About Voltage Doublers
SOLID-STATE
Build A Speaker Protector
TESLA COIL
Color Bar Generator
Compass
Semiconductor Memory
Technology
Experiments In Voice
Recognition
KEEP TABS ON YOUR ELECTRICITY USAGE
All About Cable TV's Infamous Bullet
- 180 RESET
9128 49604 27 W
7
100W / VOLT
O
1111..421111.131111C
Big r Display Big 1- Display Diodes / with case Model 12 $79.95 Model 87 $289.00
Quad Power Supply XP -580 Triple Power Supply XP -620 AM/FM Transistor True RMS 41/2
$ 69.95
Assembled $75 Radio Kit Digit Multimeter
2-20v @ 2A
Kit $50 with Training Course M-7007
2to15V@1A,
@ 14
15V @ 3A
-2 to -15V @ 1 A Model AM/FM 108 $135
(or 4 to 30V @ 1A)
-5V @ .5A .05% DC Accuracy
and 5V @ 3A $27.95 .1% Resistance
All the desired features for doing experiments. 14 Transistors 5 Diodes with Freq. Counter
Fully regulated and short circuit protected
Features short circuit protection, all supplies Data Hold
Makes a great school project
-12VDC @ 1 Amp
Computers with this Kit Signal Generators .5VDC @ Amp 1
Includes: All Parts. Assembly and Lesson Manual 30VAC Center tapped
@ 15VAC at 1 Amp
Model Analog - Section
MM -8000 Function Generator Sine,
Triangular, Square wave forms
$129.00 Frequency adjustable in five
ranges from 1 to 100KHz
Fine frequency adjust
Amplitude adjust
DC offset
Modulation FM -AM
Digital - Section
Eight data swiches
Two no bounce logic switches
SG -9000 $129 8 LED readouts TTL buffered
RF Freq 100K-450MHz AM Modula- Clock frequency 1 to 100KHz
Starting from scratch you build a complete system. Our tion of 1KHz Variable RF output Clock amplitude 5VPP square wave
Micro -Master trainer teaches you to write into RAMs, Breadboards
ROM% and run a 8085 microprocessor, which uses SG -9500 w/ Digital Display & $159.95
2 breadboards, each contain:
similar machine language as IBM PC. 150 MHz built -In Counter $249 840 tie points (total 1,680) Assembled $129.95 Kit
79 SPEAKER PROTECTOR
84 MUSIC ON HOLD
95 BUILD THE HYPER CLOCK
104 LINE POWER FROM 12 VOLTS
79
115 BUILD AN ELECTRONIC COMPASS
109
123 RS -232 TERMINAUMONITOR
TECHNOLOGY
4 FUEL CELLS
"DEASTIE"
42 SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY
SPEAKER
LADLES
65 CABLE TV'S INFAMOUS BULLET
IMPROVE
YOUR AUDIO? 75 AUDIO FORMAT CONFUSION
90 WILL BEASTY CABLES IMPROVE YOUR AUDIO?
119 VOLTAGE DOUBLERS
2 EDITORIAL
98 FREE INFORMATION CARD 1
67 27
1 993ELECTRONICS
EXPERIMENTER'S
EDITORIAL handbook
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Brian C. Fenton, editor
Marc Spiwak, associate editor
Neil Sclater, assistant editor
Learning electronics can be fun! Teri Scaduto, assistant editor
Jeffrey K. Holtzman
computer editor
Welcome to the 1992 edition of the Radio -Electronics Robert A. Young, assistant editor
Experimenters Handbook! In buying this issue, you've Robert Grossblatt, circuits editor
Larry Klein, audio editor
taken the first step in what could be a rewarding experi- David Lachenbruch
ence for the education you'll gain and the fun you'll have. contributing editor
We've picked our favorite stories that have appeared in Don Lancaster
contributing editor
Radio -Electronics Magazine over the last year or so. Kathy Terenzi, editorial assistant
We've printing them here as 128 pages jam-packed with Andre Duzant, technical illustrator
great projects and the latest technology. Injae Lee, assistant illustrator
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
We've done our part. Now it's up to you. Have you always Ruby M. Yee, production director
Karen Tucker, advertising production
been fascinated by high -voltage sparks? Then build our Marcella Amoroso, production traffic
Tesla coil and learn how it works. Bothered by high
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
electric utility bills? Then build our energy consumption Jacqueline P. Cheeseboro,
monitor and keep track of how much individual appli- circulation director
Wendy Alanko,
ances consume. Concerned about low -frequency mag- circulation analyst
netic radiation? Build our magnetic -field monitor and Theresa Lombardo,
find out if you need to take action. circulation assistant
Typography by Mates Graphics
Cover photo by Diversified Photo
For the serious experimenter, we show how to build a
Services
direct digital sinewave synthesizer. Our THD analyzer Advertising Sales Offices listed
lets you see just how good your audio equipment is. on page 130.
Gernsback Publications, Inc.,
For the technology buff, we look at Sony's Mini Disc and 500-B Bi -County Blvd., Farm-
ingdale, NY 11735. 516-293-3000
cells- -
Philips' Digital Compact Cassette. We explain how fuel
perhaps the energy source of the future work.
And we see how cable TV fired their infamous "bullet."
As a service to readers, Radio-Electronics Elecrtonics
Experimenter's Handbook publishes available plans or
information relating to newsworthy products, tech-
niques and scientific and technological developments.
Because of possible variances in the quality and con-
dition of materials and workmanship used by readers,
So before you pop that videocassette into your VCR for we disclaim any responsibility for the safe and proper
functioning of reader -built projects based upon or from
another evening in front of the tube, think of what you plans or information published in this magazine.
might be missing. Building electronic projects is a lot of Since some of the equipment and circuitry described in
Radio-Electronics Electronics Experimenter's Hand-
fun. And you'll learn something, too! book may relate to or be covered by U.S. patents, we
disclaim any liability for the infringement of such pat-
ents by the making, using, or selling of any such equip-
ment orcircuitry, and suggests that anyone interested in
-THE EDITORS such projects consult a patent attorney.
2
Home Remote -Control ROBOT BUILDER'S
& Automation Projects BONANZA
99 INEXPENSIVE
FEATURING 77 ROBOTICS PROJECTS Electronic
STEP-BY-STEP Troubleshooting
ILLUSTRATED
PROJECTS Procedures
Second Edition
and
Servicing
Techniques
COMPUTER
TECHNICIAN'S
Itj.,, ELECTRONICS
FitI4WS when you join the Electronics Book Clubs"'
THE ELECTRONIC
ELECTRONICS COiiPONBNI'S
WORKBENCH
Tmk. Toro.
Tad Tq..
V.H rtr
Basic
Electronics
Vn .,iIM,N.mn
Tr Eidem
-
Course
j
2nd Edition
3672P $18.95 3671 2613P $17.95
$29.95
Softcover Softcover
TVZ GREPAIR
N N E R S
13Ib iCilf ;,h111
it 1
HANDBOOK
the complete
OF book of
IBh1 Ccenatlhlg OSCILLOSCOPES
w.. a PRACTICAL
ELECTRONIC -second edition -
CIRCUnS
Now to Test
Almost Everything
Electronic
2925P $10.95 3804P 519.95 3627P $19.95 2980P $19.95 3825 $26.95
3777-X$ $32.95
3258 $28.95 Softcrrv,>r Counts as 2
Softcover Softcover Softcover
It coupon is missing, write to: Electronics Book Club, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0810
As a member of ELECTRONICS
the Electronics Book Club .. . BOOK CLUB SM
... you'll enjoy receiving Club bulletins every 3-4 weeks Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0810
containing exciting offers on the latest books in the field YES! Please send me the books listed below, billing me for just $4.95 plus shipping/hand-
at savings of up to 50% off of regular publishers' prices. ling & tax. Enroll me as a member of the Electronics Book Club according to the terms
If you want the Main Selection do nothing and it will outlined in this ad. If not satisfied, may return the books within 10 days without obligation
I
be shipped automatically. If you want another book, and have my membership cancelled. A shipping/handling charge & tax will be added to
all orders.
or no book at all, simply return the reply form to us by
the date specified. You'll have at least 10 days to
decide. Your only obligation is to purchase 3 more
you select a bc.ok that counts as 2 chobes, write the book number in one box and XX in the next.
books during the next 12 months, after which you may If
If you select a Counts as 3 choice, write the book number in one box and XXX in the next 2 boxes.
cancel your membership at any time.
(Publishers' Prices Shown) 51992 EBC
Address
and comprehensive City/State ._
1
693
;'i
i
750 807
( N2
863
1
919 980
ELECTRICAL POWER SUBSYSTEM
1040 1090
02
1141 1191 1249
FCP SUBSYSTEM
11
27.5
KW CONTINUOUS/2/
TO 32.5 VOC
KW PEAK
FUEL
REACTANT STORAGE
(p7y
CELLS
t.:/ 1J H H2 2370 KKH DELIVERED ENERGY
168 POUNDS 02 FOR ECLSS
92 LB 62/TANK TOTAL LOADED
781 LB 02/TANK f WANT ITY/TANK
HYDROGEN DEBARS
OXYGEN DEWARS
FCP/ECLSS
HEAT EXCHANGER
PROOUCT WATER
Could fuel cells be
VALVE NODULE
420 VENT
the ideal energy
source of tomorrow?
COOLANT LOOP PRELAUNCH
MAIN BUS DISTRI 10M
ASSEMBLIES - TYPICAL
3 PLACES
F CELL
EL
.1111111/4
POWER PLANTS (3)
SERVICE PANEL
OXYGEN DEWARS
UMBILICAL
(DISCONNECTED RALPH HUBSCHER
AT T-4 HOURS)
FUEL CELLS COULD POTENTIALLY BE converts potential chemical ener- WARNINGHThis article deals with and
the most efficient and environ- gy of fuel into electricity. It oper- involves subject matter and the use of
mentally clean source of power ates at a constant -temperature materials and substances that may be
ever developed. Fuel cells are an during the electrochemical pro- hazardous to health and life. Do not at-
attractive alternative to conven- cess, therefore it's efficiency is tempt to implement or use the information
tional power generation because not limited by thermodynamic contained in this article unless you are
they are highly efficient, and pro- experienced and skilled with respect to
laws governing heat engines. such subject matter, materials and sub-
duce drinking water as an added Pollution is a result of combus- stances. Neither the publisher nor the au-
by-product. What more could you tion, industrial processing, and thor make any representations as to the
ask for in an energy source? The vehicle exhaust. Those pollu- accuracy of the information contained
principle of fuel cell operation tants consist of unburned fuel, herein and disclaim any liability for
was discovered by Sir William partially burned fuel, carbon, damages or injuries, whether caused by
Grove in 1839. He found that carbon monoxide, carbon diox- or resulting from inaccuracies of the infor-
mation, misinterpretations of the direc-
electricity could be generated by ide, dust, sulfur dioxide, nitrous tions, misapplication of the information or
supplying hydrogen and oxygen oxides and so on. Waste heat otherwise.
to two separate electrodes immer- from power plants warms up the
sed in sulfuric acid. For more rivers, causing havoc to the natu- where it is oxidized, releasing
than a century, however, fuel cells ral balance of fish and wildlife. electrons to the load. Oxidation is
remained a mere curiosity. And we all know of the devastat- the process of removing one or
The theory of fuel cell operation ing effects of acid rain, which re- more electrons from an ion or
defied commercial applications sults from man-made emissions molecule. In fuel cells, hydrogen
for so long because of technical of sulfur and nitrogen in the air. ions are formed at the electrode
and financial obstacles. It wasn't The by-product of a fuel-cell reac- by electrochemical oxidation of
until the 1960's, during the tion, however, is water. Who the fuel. If the fuel is hydrogen,
growth of the space program, would object to that? hydrogen ions are created by the
that there was a renewed interest following ionization reaction:
in developing fuel cell technology H2 -2H+ +2e
into a viable energy alternative to Fuel -cell chemistry Oxygen, air, or hydrogen perox-
standard power generation. Fuel cells operate by converting ide (a source of oxygen) is fed to
There are two important con- the potential energy of certain the cathode, where it is reduced,
cerns in conventional power gen- chemical reactions directly into whereby the 02 oxygen molecule
eration: efficiency and pollution. electrical current in a flameless, splits apart. Ionic conduction
Most of the power in the world is catalyzed reaction. Some types of completes the circuit through
generated from heat engines fuel cells work very well at room the electrolyte. Hydrogen and
using the heat from combustion temperature. oxygen react to form water, as
of fossil fuels. Mechanical sys- A basic fuel cell consists of an this chemical equation shows:
tems involve many energy con- anode (+) and cathode (-) sepa- 2 H2+02 -.2H20, or
version steps, and their efficien- rated by a conducting electrolyte Hydrogen + Oxygen -.water
cies are limited by the laws of such as a solution of potassium If hydrazine is oxidized, addi-
thermodynamics. That results in hydroxide. A fuel, such as hydro- tional nitrogen is formed which
considerable power losses. gen gas, or hydrazine, is intro- is a normal constituent of air,
A fuel cell, on the other hand, duced to the negative electrode and also safe:
GET THE LATEST ADVANCES IN ELECTRONICS
WITH A SUBSCRIPTION TO
Electronics
Beal NOW
Radio Combined with
-m cs
ENJOY THE WORLD OF ELECTRONICS EACH MONTH!
Eaarto-eund
much more.
DIGITAL ALTIMETER
is a fun protect,
Band a
DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM
Electronics Now looks to the future and shows
0. 1802 microprocessor
you what new video, audio and computer
far
and commi I.
SOLIO$TATE RELAY
world
alb diana, orcults,
Plus * Video News
you'll find helpful, monthly departments such
*
*
Cw.polet Connection
Asap Update as Video News, Equipment Reports, Hardware
* New Products
Hacker, Audio Update, Drawing Board,
Electronics Now gives you Computer Connections, New Products, and
exciting articles like: more. All designed to give you instruction, tips,
and fun.
Buyer's Guide to Digital
Oscilloscopes
Build A Scanner Converter
I
MR'S GUIDE TO
Single -Chip Voice Recorder DIGITAL MUMMERS
1-800-999-7139
DON'T DELAY SUBSCRIBEmailTODAY!
it in today.
Just fill out the order card in this magazine and
5X P37 5
N2H4+02-21120+ N2, or H2 02
Hydrazine + Oxygen-Water + Nitrogen
You may be tempted to say that
if hydrogen is such a "clean" fuel,
we can just burn hydrogen in air
and get pure water as the com-
bustion product plus power.
Burning hydrogen would indeed
be a considerable improvement
over burning coal, oil, or gas-
oline. However, when air is
burned, a large amount of nitro-
gen is drawn into the combus-
tion chamber and heated to
roughly 1000C. At that tempera-
ture, it partially reacts with oxy-
gen and forms oxides of nitrogen. GLASS -DISPERSION TUBE
WITH GLASS FRITS
SEMIPERMEABLE
MEMBRANE
So, even though the reaction
product of the main reaction is
pure drinking water, the side re- FIG. 1-THE AUTHOR'S FUEL CELL uses two adjoining chambers separated by a semi-
permeable membrane. The chambers are filled with an electrolyte. Hydrogen is directed
action spoils it all by making the to one electrode, oxygen to the other.
resulting water unsuitable to
drink. If hydrogen and oxygen re-
act in a fuel cell at room tempera- GEL ION BRIDGE
ture, that problem is eliminated. IN GLASS
ELECTRODE
"U" -TUBE
Space-age power
The desirable characteristics
of fuel cells led to the develop-
ment of various systems ranging
in size from 5 -watt portable ELECTROLYTE
units, to the kilowatt (kW) power
level for military applications, on FIG. 2-IONS TRAVEL ALONG a gel -on bridge in a glass tube placed in the electrolyte
up to large stationary plants de- solution.
livering megawatts of power. The
lower-power fuel cells were de-
signed primarily for the space
program and front-line military
use where ease of operation, low
maintenance, and low noise are 2
important.
Fuel cells are used solely for
power generation of space crafts
because of one chief advantage:
when power is required for more
than a few hours, the battery
weight per kilowatt-hour as a
function of its operational life is
far superior to that of conven-
tional battery cells. A relatively TOP VIEW SIDE VIEW
light-weight fuel cell can have a FIG. 3-THE CONTAINER used for the fuel cell consists of square -based 250 -ml poly-
lifespan of five to ten times that of ethylene bottles with holes cut in their sides. A round piece of fine glass was cemented in
a primary battery. with sealing wax and an additional layer of beeswax.
Fuel cells built between 1960
and 1970 for the Gemini and Ap-
ollo space missions and in 1980 electrolyte (SPE) technology in The Gemini system used three
for the Space Shuttle Orbiter are the construction of their fuel 1-kW SPE fuel -cell stacks. The
among the most successful fuel cells. That type of fuel -cell assem- Apollo system used a larger 1.5 -
cells to date. They were needed bly consists of an ion -exchange kW fuel -cell stack based on a con-
because of their chief advantages membrane -electrode system with centrated 45% potassium -hydro-
over batteries-weight and life - gas distribution, current collec- xide electrolyte. The Apollo power
span. Those fuel cells used tion, heat removal, and water plant was designed to operate for
cryogenic reactants of hydrogen management. Many of those as- over 400 hours. The fuel cell in
and oxygen. semblies are bolted together be- Apollo 8 lasted for 440 hours, the
Some space -craft power gener- tween end plates to form an SPE system produced 292 kWh of
ation systems use solid polymer stack assembly. power, and 100 liters of water.
Your choice for only $9.95
when you join the Electronics Engineers' Book Club
Your source for .. .
...0oo"",
ffl
$104.50
Value
STANDARD HANDBOOK
FOR ELECTRICAL
ELECTRONICS
ENGINEERS, 12th Ed.
Edited by Donald G. Fink ENGINEERS'
and H. Wayne Beaty HANDBOOK, 3rd Ed.
the essential on-the-job THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF by Donald G. Fink
reference for Electrical and Donald Christiansen
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS This fully revised and updated
Engineers
latest information on
-Volumes 1 & 2 edition of the standard desktop
rapidly changing areas by R.F. Graf reference shows you how to use
such as nuclear power These comprehensive sourcebooks the latest design and cost-cutting
and high -voltage put over 1,900 of the latest and most solutions at work in the industry
transmission systems useful circuit designs at your today. You'll find a wealth of new
all the essentials including fingertips. The format, generously material on electronic systems
circuits, telecommunications, illustrated and cross-referenced, is design, computer systems and
power distribution and organized for quick access to 108 digital recording, telecommunica-
electrical standards distinct categories. tions, process control, laser
Written and compiled by 115 technology, and CAD of electronic
Volume 1-768 pp., 1762 illus.
recognized experts circuits.
Volume 2-744 pp., 728 illus. 2,258 pp., 1,800 illus.
2,248 pp., 1,863 illus. and tables
Order#020975 Order #585785 Order #9255H
you'll enjoy receiving Club bulletins every 3-4 YES! Please rush me the book(s) indicated below for just $9.95 plus shipping/handling &
weeks containing exciting offers on the latest books tax. Enroll me as a member according to the terms outlined in this ad. If not satisfied, may I
in the field at savings of up to 500/o off of regular return the book(s) within ten days without obligation. A shipping/handling charge and sales
tax will be added to all orders.
publishers' prices. If you want the Main Selection
do nothing and it will be shipped automatically. If Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, 12th Ed. #020975
you want another book, or no book at all, simply Encyclopedia of Electronic Circuits, Volumes 1 & 2 #585785
return the reply form to us by the date specified. Electronics Engineers' Handbook, 3rd Ed. #9255
You'll have at least 10 days to decide. Your only
obligation is to purchase 3 more books during the Name
next 2 years, after which you may cancel your
Address
membership at any time.
A shipping/handling charge and sales tax will be added to all orders. City/State
All books are hardcover. (Publishers' Prices Shown) 1992 EEBC
If coupon is missing. write to: Zip Phone
Electronics Engineers' Book Club, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 172940860 Valid for new members only, subject to acceptance by EEBC. Canada must remit in U.S. funds. Applicants
outside the U.S. and Canada will receive special ordering instructions. RPIFX992
The Space Shuttle system was with semipermeable membranes
more advanced in design than ei- CHEMICALS USED IN FUEL and catalysts. Semipermeable
ther the Gemini or Apollo fuel CELLS means that only some ions can
cells. The Space Shuttle fuel cells
Hydrogen-A colorless and pass through it but other matter
odorless gas which is sold com-
are 20 kilograms lighter and de- pressed in steel bottles. Small lab - is retained. In actual applica-
liver six to eight times as much size bottles are available together tions, separation of ions is not
power. Each fuel cell power plant with simple low-priced reducing perfect, and some leakage usu-
consists of a power section where valves. Hydrogen is not poi- ally occurs, and is permissible.
the chemical reaction occurs, sonous, but extremely flammable Zbtal blockage on the other hand
and forms explosive mixtures with
and a compact accessory section air.
would inhibit a reaction. The fol-
connected to the power section, Oxygen-Also is sold in com- lowing materials could be used as
which controls and monitors the pressed form in lab -sized bottles. semipermeable membranes:
power section's performance. It is not toxic but must be kept Unglazed discs of baked clay
The three fuel -cell power plants from fire or flame since it will sup- (an old clay flower pot).
are coupled to the hydrogen and port combustion and can make a Fine glass frits (the partly
four alarm fire out of a glowing
oxygen reactant subsystem and match. fused mixture of sand and fluxes
the power distribution sub- Hydrazine-Anyone not used to which glass is made of).
system. The fuel cells generate working with dangerous chemi- Cellophane.
heat and water as by-products of cals should not handle this com- Wet plaster.
electrical power generation. The pound. It is carcinogenic and Moist, or hardened cement.
excess heat is directed to Freon should be dispensed in a hood Zinc oxide or zinc chloride
only. Hydrazine should be handled
coolant loops, and the water to a with rubber gloves. cement.
potable water storage subsystem. Hydrogen peroxide 30%-Most Certain types of plastic foam.
Some power specifications of everyone knows this chemical as a Silicic acid gel, prepared by
each fuel -cell power plant are: 3% solution for bleaching or slowly acidifying sodium silicate
2 kilowatts at 32.5 VDC. wound treatment. The 30% con- solution.
12 kilowatts at 27.5 VDC. centration will bleach the skin and Gelatin saturated with salt.
is dangerous when swallowed.
7 kilowatts continuous power. Handle with rubber gloves. Clay, cement or plaster discs
12 kilowatts peak. Sulfuric acid-It is poisonous should be as thin as possible.
All three fuel cell power plants when swallowed. It can blind you if The gels should be used to build
are capable of supplying a max- splashed in the eye. It will burn ion bridges according to Fig. 2.
imum continuous output of holes in your clothes. A solution in Glass frits can be bought at lab
21,000 watts with 15 minute water should be prepared by slow- supply houses and are best for
ly pouring small amounts into
peaks of 36,000 watts. plenty of cold water while stirring this use. If glass frits are used,
Some experimental fuel cells with a glass rod. Handle with rub- the gases move upward, and stay
have been considered for use ber gloves. in the proper place. Any fair sepa-
with vehicles. The major pro- Potassium hydroxide solution ration will do. The author used
hibiting factor in their use is the 30%-Potassium hydroxide is a two square polyethylene bottles
difficulty in reliably containing strong base and is poisonous. 300 and a large fine glass frit which
rams are dissolved in 900 milli- was glued into holes cut in the
hydrogen gas, and the possibility liters of cold water. Let it stand and
of an explosion. Also, special cool off. Store in a plastic bottle sides of the bottles (Fig. 3).
fuels such as hydrogen, meth- with cap. Handle with gloves, it In order to get hydrogen and
anol, and hydrazine are more ex- can damage the skin. oxygen to react at room tempera-
pensive than hydrocarbon fuels. Palladium dichloride-Dark ture they must be coaxed a little.
Many advanced fuel -cell de- brown crystals soluble in water. Without the proper catalyst,
Moderately poisonous when swal-
signs have been developed for lowed. Dissolve 2 grams in 100 mil- nothing at all happens.
power utility applications, but liliters of water. A catalyst is a compound that
because of the typical problems of hastens reactions without actu-
fuel storage and cost effec- ally taking part in the reaction. If
tiveness, they have not been chemicals are listed in the side- you set up a H2/02 fuel cell with
widely used. bar. You must be familiar with sulfuric acid and carbon elec-
proper handling and disposal of trodes for instance, there will be
An experimental fuel cell any chemicals used. no electrical energy generated. If
The author was able to build a The author's experimental fuel platinum- or palladium -coated
successful experimental fuel cell cell uses two adjoining chambers carbon electrodes are used, the
by the technique described be- separated by a membrane, as reaction gets going. Union Car-
low. We must, however, issue this shown in Fig. 1. An electrode bide has used this method and
word of caution: This product with catalytic properties is placed supply such electrodes.
should NOT be built or experi- into each chamber. Both cham- The method the author used to
mented with in any way except bers are filled with a liquid elec- plate carbon was to wrap plati-
under the direct supervision of trolyte. One electrode is then num wire and a platinum net
someone who is highly qualified purged with hydrogen gas, the around the carbon rods, which
in the fields of chemistry or other with oxygen or air, and a works very well. An easy and low-
chemical engineering. Some voltmeter is connected across the priced way of producing a large
chemicals and gaseous by-prod- electrodes. surface of palladium is to coat
ucts in a fuel cell could be toxic In order to be able to build a nickel netting with palladium.
and/or explosive! All dangerous fuel cell you should be familiar That can be done by immersing a
With NRI hands-
on training, you
can experience
the rewards
of a career
in computer
programming
Now you can get the practical training Plus you
and experience you need to succeed in explore the
computer programming, today's top - extraordinary
growth computer career field. capabilities of
NRI at-home training gives you not one or
real -world programming skills in four of two but our
today's hottest computer languages' in -demand
BASIC, Pascal, C, and COBOL. You get computer
hands-on training that now includes a languages. You learn to design, code, run, from the important fundamentals to real-
powerful 386sx/20 MHz mini -tower debug, and document programs in world methods and techniques. Backed up
computer, modem, and programming BASIC, Pascal, C, and throughout your course by your experi-
software ... all yours to train with and COBOL. In the enced NRI instructor, you quickly gain the
keep! Best of all, NRI gives you the process you become skills you need to handle a wide variety of
programming know-how you need uniquely prepared for programming tasks with confidence. You
to succeed on the job, in a new the wide variety of even use your modem to "talk" to your
career, or in a business of your programming opportuni- instructor, meet other NRI students, and
own. ties available today. download programs through NRI's exclu-
Job opportunities for the sive programmers network, PRONET.
skilled computer programmer
V No previous
will increase by 71.7 percent experience necessary V Send today for
over the next 10 years according to Immediately, you start getting the your FREE catalog
Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts. And money -making job skills you need to Now you can experience the professional
now, with NM training, you can be one of
the increasing number of computer -
secure a future in computer programming
no matter what your background. NRI's
and financial rewards of a career in
computer programming. See how NM at-
- -
programmers using their skills to build a unique Discovery Learning Method guides home training gives you the know-how,
top-paying career even a business of you swiftly from computer novice to com- the computer, and the software you need
their own in this professionally and puter professional with step-by-step lessons to get started in this top-paying field. Send
financially rewarding high-tech field. covering program design techniques used today for your FREE catalog!
every day by successful PC programmers. If the coupon is missing, write to us
V The only programming You'll find no heavy textbooks to as the NRI School of Computer Program-
course that includes a powerful plow through. No night classes to attend. ming, McGraw-Hill Continuing Education
386sx-based computer system Instead, NRI's at-home, step-by-step Center, 4401 Connecticut Avenue, NW,
and programming software training covers all the bases, guiding you Washington, DC 20008.
you keep SEND FOR YOUR FREE NRI CATALOG TODAY!
Right from the start,
NM training gets you
actively involved in
the challenge of real-
world programming.
M ff Schools
McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center
4401 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 r:Al,
You learn how to
[ f Check one free catalog only
create the kinds of
full -featured, Computer Programming Programming in C++ with Windows
powerful pro- Microcomputer Servicing Desktop Publishing & Design
grams today's PC Applications Specialist Bookkeeping and Accounting
employers and
clients demand. Name Age
(please print)
And, unlike any other school, NRI lets you
experience first-hand the power of an IBM I Address
PC/AT-compatible, 386sx-based computer I
system, complete with modem, a full City State Zip
-
'
megabyte of RAM, disk drive, and monitor Accredited Member, National Home Study Council
all yours to train with and keep!
nickel net in a 2% solution of pal- drogen to disperse. Rotameters nents that react at room tempera-
ladium dichloride over night. were used to check gas flow. They ture are shown in Table 1. The
The coating looks black. Pal- can be replaced by bubble indica- fuel cell can also be used as a one-
ladium coated nickel acts like tors if you prefer. Gas flow was shot unit for liquid fuel, namely
pure palladium. The author had 10-20 liters per hour (1/h) but can hydrazine, and 30% hydrogen
a supply of platinum on hand or be varied. Oxygen flow should be peroxide. Both compounds are
he would have used the approach about 1/2 that of hydrogen flow. rocket fuels but can be controlled
just mentioned. The reaction is sluggish at the very well. They are, however,
The amount of palladium di - beginning as hydrogen has to highly toxic and poisonous. Be-
chlorides you need costs about saturate the platinum metal sur- cause hydrazine is known to be a
$20.00. Platinum, palladium, sil- face. carcinogen, one should not work
ver, nickel (especially Raney nick- An indication of about 10 mV with it unless you are familiar
el) have been used as catalysts in may occur for several minutes, with handling very poisonous
different fuel cells. Platinum - which will then rise. There may substances. Hydrogen peroxide
group metals work so well be- be steps in this rise, therefore it at 30% concentration will bleach
cause they have an affinity to hy- may be necessary to put a little your hands and should also be
drogen and will pick up consid- drain on the system by using a handled very carefully.
TABLE 1
FUEL -CELL COMPONENTS THAT REACT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
erable amounts of it for storage 100-ohm resistor connected Fuel cells have been run with
in their crystal lattices. A plati- across the 2 chambers. It can be "steam reformed" methyl alcohol.
num electrode saturated with hy- removed again after a few min- At 200C, methyl alcohol reacts
drogen, therefore, is practically utes. That helps overcome polar- with water to form hydrogen and
an electrode of solidified hydro- ization effects. The author mea- carbon dioxide as shown in the
gen. The pure metal is too expen- sured 998 mV after about 10 following equation:
sive, so palladinized nickel, minutes. To compensate for the
platinized carbon or Raney nick- slow start, the cell will generate a CH3OH + H2O-.3H2 + CO2, or
methyl alcohol + water-hydrogen + carbon
el on a carrier matrix are the first voltage for some time after the dioxide
choice. hydrogen is turned off.
Impinger-type glass tubes with After you finish, the potassium At temperatures higher than
frits or aquarium -type disper- hydroxide solution should be room temperature many other re-
sion tubes are used as gas inlet poured into a well-capped plastic actions are possible. Some of
tubes. The electrodes are wound bottle. It can be used over again, them allow a separation and col-
around the tube in a coil. Copper but it will accumulate carbonate lection of the water formed.
wire leads are connected. The which makes it less effective. You're probably wondering why
electrolyte is a 30% potassium Some prefer diluted sulfuric acid fuel cells are not more widely
hydroxide solution. Oxygen and for the same purpose because it used. The first big drawback is
hydrogen can be bought in small keeps longer. Air can, in most cost, which is always a primary
laboratory bottles with reason- cases, be substituted for oxygen. consideration in power genera-
ably priced lab -reduction valves. The amount must be raised, tion. Hydrogen is an expensive
Hydrogen can also be produced however, since only 1/5 of air is fuel compared to other types of
from zinc and diluted hydro- oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide can fuels, and the storage of hydro-
chloric acid. That leaves you with be used in place of oxygen but it gen is still a problem. Perhaps in
a solution of zinc chloride which dilutes the electrolyte. the future, we'll use solar energy
is hazardous to the environment Hydrogen can be replaced with on a large scale to decompose
and must be disposed of in a hydrogen-containing gases such water into hydrogen and oxygen,
manner prescribed by law. as "city gas" produced from coal, which can then be stored. When
The entire experiment was containing hydrogen, methane, energy is needed, the two gases
conducted in the open air in and carbon monoxide. Several can be recombined to water in a
order to allow the flammable hy- variations of fuel cell compo- fuel cell. R -E
ELECTRONIC
'r-
AMAZING
NEW CONCEPT!
PRODUCTS and KITS
Mystery
Levitating
Device
NEW!
Amazing GlowTron!
\
-
//,, '' '
i\'::: m .4E-
Order by Mail,
INFORMATION UNLIMITED or by 24 Hour
Dept REH12, Box 716, Amherst, NH 03031 with many more Items
Orders -Only Phone:
Phone: 603-673-4730 FAX 603-672-5406 FREE with Order,
MC, VISA, COD, Checks Accepted. Please Add $5.00 Shipping & Handling Or Send $1 P&H 800-221-1705 13
If your home or office has more
than one telephone extension,
you've probably had the unpleas-
ant experience of picking up the
phone only to find it already in
use. You may get an angry re-
sponse from the person on the
other end. If a modem is in use,
you'll be greeted by the obnoxious
squall of two computers ex-
changing bits. Such an interrup-
tion usually means lost
a
connection, or the corruption of
a file being transferred.
A solution to that problem is
THE PHONE
the Phone Sentry-an inexpen-
sive, simple, reliable indicator
that warns you when a phone ex-
tension is in use. The Phone Sen-
try is easy to build and install in
SENTRY
one evening, and presents no
load to the phone line. It's small, "Stop! Don't pick up that
inconspicuous, and costs only $5
a copy. phone!" The Phone Sentry
How it works will warn you when a
To understand how the Phone
Sentry works, you need to under- telephone extension
stand how the telephone system
works-or, at least, how the local
is in use.
subscriber loop works, since DANIEL B. COOPER
that's the part that enters into
your house.
The telephone line is held at
about 45 volts DC by the local
switching office when it's hung
up. When a telephone is taken off
its hook, a 1K load brings the line
I IIIII/IIIIe 0I,IIIIII/
down to 6 volts DC. The line stays
at 6 volts DC until you hang up,
then it returns to 45 volts DC and
is disconnected. CMOS's good points. However. called the hysteresis gap, or dead
The Phone Sentry operates by when a CMOS input is presented band. Hysteresis permits a
monitoring the telephone line with a slowly changing or noisy Schmitt trigger input to respond
voltage and switching on a flash- input, the symmetrical switch- very cleanly to noisy or irregular
ing LED whenever the voltage ing characteristic can cause the input signals. It also permits
drops below 20 volts. The Phone circuit to jitter or oscillate as the some fancy tricks, such as one -
Sentry can be placed anywhere input nears the 0.5 + V point. gate oscillators. It is the latter ca-
on a phone line, not just on an The Schmitt trigger input han- pability for which a Schmitt NAND
extension in use. dles noisy environments by sepa- gate is used in the Phone Sentry.
rating the rising and falling Figure 1 shows a block diagram
Circuit operation voltage -switching points. A of the Phone Sentry. The four
The Phone Sentry circuit is de- Schmitt trigger input will react gates of the CD4093B are used as
ceptively simple, yet elegant in to a rising input voltage only three separate elements. One
design. At the heart of the circuit when it passes a threshold that is Schmitt -trigger NAND gate acts as
is IC1, a CMOS CD4093B quad higher than 50% of the supply an input comparator to monitor
NAND gate Schmitt trigger. voltage, usually about 70%, or a phone line. It in turn gates an-
Ordinary CMOS gates switch 0.7 +V. A falling input voltage other NAND gate used as an os-
midway between the voltage of will cause a change only when it cillator, which drives a high -
the positive and negative sup- falls below a much lower thresh- current buffer for LED1.
plies. For a circuit powered from old of about 30% of the supply, or The schematic of the Phone
5 volts, this point (called 0.5 V+ ) 0.3 + V. An input voltage between Sentry is shown in Fig. 2, with its
is 2.5 volts. When the input volt- those two thresholds will have no circuit waveforms at critical loca-
age rises past or falls below that effect until it rises above 0.7 +V, tions shown in Fig. 3. Bridge rec-
point, the output will switch. or falls below 0.3 +V. tifier Dl-D4 eliminates any
Normally, that's a desirable The region between the 70% phone -line polarity problems. It
characteristic, and is one of and 30% switching levels is also removes the 80 -volt peak-to-
The Importance
Of Setting
Standards.
[1 megchm/(1 megohm + 2.7 FIG. 1-BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE PHONE SENTRY. The rectified phone -line voltage
megohm)] = 0.27 drives a comparator, whose output gates a low duty -cycle oscillator. The oscillator drives
The bridge always presents two a CMOS buffer/driver. The period and duty cycle of the oscillator are controlled by timing
of the four diodes as a phone -line components R3, R4, and C2.
load, D1 -D4 or D2 -D3, dropping
the line voltage down by 0.7 volts IC1-c
DC each, or 1.4 volts total. Since 12 IC1-b 141 '/4 CD4093B
V-1.4 V=43.6 V.
45 ss
B7 3
R2 9V
PHONE LINE 4.7MEG
The voltage at pins 12
and 13 S D5
;
1 MEG IC -U 7
(POLARITY - 1N914
with the phone hung up is there- INDEPENDENT)
C1 T. +4r VW
1/4
CD40938
LEDI
fore o 0.005 C2 R4
The Ultimate
TRL E RAS - LCR - Hz
Mr - cBm
Kelvin Meters backed by a
Warranty - Parts & Labor
2 Yr
aC14t#3DR
-239092
lTl
20MHz FREQ
3999i
a 40
BATTERY TEST TRANSISTOR hFE TRANSISTOR hFE
t INUWIIIHIIIlIIYMIii
4.e, 20 ??.,
;
,
*
TRANSIS -OR hFE
100 Basic 150 Basic+ 200 Advanced LED TEST -
WRY GCODA3AD
$1995 $2995 $3995 KELVIN
ONIMAX Mi1tAV0 IE1A-l'E 0C/ AC
Protective
li
# 990092
Cases PRO 400
For Models 100, 150, 200 $4.95 (990088)
$6995 utnE
z
t
Case For Model Pro 400 $9.95 (990094)
``
V
lo
4
,
moor= 400 t 2
:5^-
10a
- 40N
4H nF
Model 92 Model 93 Model 95
PERFORMANCE DIAGNOSTIC "' ENGINE ANALYZER (714/8*40e84DNf41eFf [X
$11995
Complete with aoove Standard Features plus
WATER RESISTANT (92 & 94 Models only),
2 YEAR WARRANTY, YELLOW HOLSTER,
PROBES, BATTERY, FUSE, STAND
Complete with Standard & Model 92 Features plus
OINBEI
KELVIN
,10A MAX
TRUE
FUSE
T1_
RV`TS
L'1
ma-
te
" 94
D/AGNOS77C a LOGIC PROBE, CAPACITANCE TESTER,
Modal 93 # 990110 TRANSISTOR TESTER, TEMPERATURE
TESTER & K-TYPE PROBE, HIGH VOLTAGE
$14995 WARNING BUZZER
Complete with Standard & Model 92 Features plus
ENGINE ANALYZER "we TEMPERATURE, TACHOMETER & DWELL 12 INSTRUMJYT5 .N ONE - DC CL TN E IER, AC iOLTM ETER,
ANGLE TESTER, DUTY CYCLE, 10 MEGA OHMMETEF , AC CU 4RENT, DC CURR ENT, aC DE T =SIE 3, AUDIBLE
^n
Model 95 990112
OHM IMPEDANCE, ANALOG BAR GRAPH, ,CAPAC 'LANCE NETER,
CONTNUITYTESTE 3,d 3m,FREQCOON-:
$19995 K-TYPE TEMP PROBE, ALLIGATOR CLIP
INDUCTANCE PETER. LOGIC PROBE
TEST LEADS, INDUCTIVE PICKUP CLIP,
6' TEST LEADS & CARRY CASE 0.1% ACCURACY
on DC Vo liges
10 HUB DRIVE
Water
Resistant
10 MEGA OHM WED, I,CE
r 95
IODEL 94
1990111
KELVIN MELVILLE, NY
(800) 645-9212 Established 1945 Regular Padde[ 3ippeed $9.95 (#990 '4)
aoco.darce wtt reevalt safety
..
ra ui-emercs asspc-:ifled In IEC-
(516) 756-1750 (516) 756-1763.FAx Deluxe Paddac 3p-)erzc .... $14.95(#990 's) 313, JL-124L ar d % DEJ411.
17
CIRCLE 98 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
PHONE LINE VDC charge to the lower threshold the
(ON -HOOK) first time. Therefore, the first
43.6 flash of the LED is longer and
brighter than those that follow.
(OFF -HOOK)
That's a nice touch, because all of
4.6 the Phone Sentries in the house
will give an initial bright flash
IC1-a PINS 12 AND 13, VDC (RELATIVE TO CIRCUIT GND) when a phone is first picked up to
answer a call.
11.78
9 -
Construction and installation
2.7 The Phone Sentry can be as-
1.24.
PROTECTED
sembled on either a PC board,
BY R1 AND shown here, or on perforated
INTERNAL ICt-a PIN 11 VDC construction board of similar
DIODES IN
IC1-a 9
size. The PC board is about the
size of B1, so housing the unit is
simple, and its construction is
straightforward. Figure 4 shows
the parts placement diagram;
use a socket for IC1, and install it
IC1-b PIN 3, VDC using proper anti -static han-
dling techniques.
1
Ulm The Phone Sentry is small,
with several installation options.
Once you decide how to mount it,
you can select how to wire both
the phone line and LED1. If you
IC1-b PIN OR Vc2, VDC
put the Phone Sentry inside an
1
extension or a wall -mount jack,
9
then solder a foot of 22-AWG wire
6.3
to each input terminal.
If you use a small case for plug-
2.7 ging into a wall socket, solder the
green (tip) and red (ring) wires of
VIEDI (THE OUTPUT), VDC
a modular plug -to -bare -wire
phone cord, and clip the yellow
s--- and black wires. You may want to
solder LEDI directly to the PC
board, or mount it in a visible
- location with two 6 -inch pieces of
stiff wire.
FIG. 3-CIRCUIT WAVEFORMS OF THE Phone Sentry. Shown are the voltages on the You can mount both the PC
phone line, pins 12 and 13 of IC1-a, pin 11 of IC1-a, pin 3 of IC1-b, pin 1 of IC1-b (the voltage board and B1 in a standard desk
across C2), and across LED1. phone. Open the phone and se-
cure both the PC board and bat-
going back on -hook. tery clip to the baseplate with
The output of the oscillator double -sided foam tape. Drill a
(pin 3) is inverted and used to small hole in the dialing button
-R1 escutcheon, and use silicone sea-
02
drive the indicator LED. When
the oscillator's output is high, lant or an LED clip to mount
C1 R2 the output of the driver (pins 10 LED1. Connect the two input
I I and 4) is low, and the LED is off. wires to the tip and ring wires,
When the oscillator output is low, insert B1, replace the cover, and
D4 -C2- +
the driver output is high, and the plug the phone back in.
LED is on. Since the capacitor If there's no space for the Phone
PHONE
discharge time (oscillator output Sentry and BI, use a small plastic
LINE
low) is much shorter than the box on the side of the phone for
charge time (oscillator output the PC board, B1, and LEDI, and
FIG. 4-THE PARTS PLACEMENT DI- high), the LED is on much less pass the tip and ring wires
AGRAM of the Phone Sentry. You can
mount LED1 in several ways, depending time than it is off, resulting in a through a hole in the box and
on how you mount the PC board. very low duty cycle, and low bat- phone case to the connecting
tery drain. points inside the phone. For a
Because the capacitor starts wall phone, mount the same case
es low again and the process each cycle charged much higher near the wall jack and run the
repeats until the gating input is than the Schmitt input's upper wiring into the wall jack, so it's
again brought low by the phone threshold, it takes longer to dis- independent of the phone. R -E
Here are two simple UGHTS
TURN RIGHT
GO
EXPERIMEN
IN Iii
VOICE
RECOGNITION DANIEL B. COOPER
SOME OF THE MOST FASCINATING for the VCP200. Rather than lim- Voice recognition
things that electronics experi- it this interesting device to a sin- The basic elements of voice or
menters can do are those that gle -purpose project, we are pres- speech recognition have been
seem impossible. Remote control enting two separate projects: one known for a number of years.
and voice synthesis are two areas is suitable for experimentation- Human speech consists of
of experimentation that were and also makes a nifty science - phonemes, which are the small-
once nearly impossible for hob- fair project-and the other is less est individual units of sound that
byists and amateurs to work ideal for experimentation but make up words and sentences.
with, but integrated circuits better for actual use in an ap- The "ah" sound in "father," the
have brought both within the plication of one sort or another. A "t" sound in "top," and the "rr"
reach of even novice tinkerers. variety of adjustments and inter- sound in "radio" are all examples
Another area that has always facing techniques will be dis- of phonemes. Any word in a par-
been very difficult to work with is cussed, and some flexible inter- ticular language can be created
voice recognition. And now there face and driver circuits will be by stringing together the proper
is a new IC which brings simple presented. None of the parts, sequence of phonemes and
speech -recognition technology with the exception of the VCP200 spaces of silence. Not all lan-
within the reach of novice experi- itself, are exotic or costly, and guages use the same phoneme
menters. most are probably in your junk sets; English, for example, lacks
Most voice -recognition proj- box or parts collection. a glottal stop and the click found
ects and experiments have used The experimenter's version is a in many African languages.
personal computers as the back- self-contained device with a mi- Electronic voice recognition
bone of the recognition device. A crophone and eight indicator consists of analyzing the ar-
number of voice -recognition ex- LED's. The addition of a power rangement of phonemes in a spo-
pansion cards for both Apple and supply is all that's needed. The ken sequence and matching
IBM-compatible computers are project will recognize eight words them against stored patterns or
available, but they're relatively and short phrases from almost templates to determine the word
costly and require the computer any speaker, and light the corre- or phrase. There are many varia-
in order to be usable. The voice- sponding LED in response. Out- tions in the actual processes
recognition IC, the VCP200 puts are provided for driving used for each of the three steps:
speaker -independent word rec- other circuits or devices. storing the patterns, analysis,
ognizer, is a stand-alone device The "working" version of the and matching. However, the
that provides all of the essential circuit eliminates the indicator basic techniques used for voice
elements for speech recognition LED's and their driver IC's, and recognition can be loosely
in a single 20-pin package. uses a much smaller PC board. grouped into four categories.
However, it retains the eight out- In speaker-dependent voice
The project puts and all other circuitry, and recognition, the intended user of
There are a number of applica- is therefore more suitable for the recognition device "trains" it
tions, both serious and fun, building into a motorized model by carefully pronouncing the list
useful and merely entertaining, or other project. of recognized words, several 19
times each. The system creates
detailed templates, or patterns of LED
that speaker pronouncing those + 5V
INDICATORS,/
words, and stores them. The sys-
tem will have a very high success
rate in recognizing that speaker
pronouncing those words, but it
0
will be less able (if at all) to recog-
nize another speaker saying the
same words-and, of course, it MIC
will only recognize those specific LED
VCP
words that it has been trained to X800
200
DRIVER
recognize.
A discrete -word speech recog- HIGH -GAIN CLIPPING
nizer can only decode speech AMP COMPARATOR
when it is a series of separately O
spoken words. It could not un- s o
derstand "Move the cursor to o
field one," but the sequence o
"Goto" (pause) "Field" (pause) o
"One" would be understood. o
Speaker-dependent discrete - O
word recognition systems are the
most common types in use. FIG. 2-BLOCK DIAGRAM of the voice-recognition circuit. The VCP200 contains almost
A speaker -dependent con- all of the required circuitry, and needs only a power supply, microphone, and high -gain
nected -word recognition device amplifier with clipping comparator output for operation. The LED indicators and their
must be trained to recognize drivers are optional.
each different speaker's pronun-
ciation. However, more powerful marked. That natural variation speakers pronounce the word
analysis capabilities allow decod- makes it very difficult for a sys- "stop" with the following sim-
ing of words strung together in a tem to recognize, with a high suc- ilarities: an initial sibilant ('sss'),
long phrase or sentence. This cess rate, the same words spoken a short plosive CO, a soft vowel
type of recognizer could decode by different people. ('ah'), and a final plosive ('p'). By
"Move the cursor to field one," Speaker -independent voice matching selected phonemes
but is typically costly and com- recognition follows the principle and allowing for variation in the
plex. The success rates are also that all speakers have certain matching algorithm, the same
typically lower than for speaker - similarities in their pronuncia- words can be identified and de-
dependent discrete -word recog- tion. For example, nearly all coded from a variety of speakers.
nition systems.
A much more difficult process
is to decode the speech of a vari- PARTS LIST
ety of speakers. No two people
pronounce words in quite the All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5% IC3-VCP200 speaker -independent
same way. When analyzed elec- R1-2200 ohms word recognizer
tronically and graphically, varia- R2-1000 ohms IC4, IC5-CD4011B quad NAND gate
tions, even with very similar - R3-10,000 ohms (optional, see text)
R4, R7-470,000 ohms Other components
sounding speakers, are quite R5-11,000 ohms JU1-switch or jumper (see text)
R6, R8-5600 ohms MIC1-electret microphone
,S 1 R9-4700 ohms XTAL1-10 MHz crystal
GROUND -I 1, rRESET
1',20s)--
,I, ,I R10-10 megohms Miscellaneous: PC board (See
+V 42 19 1- MODE R11-100,000 ohms text), bus wire, SPST power switch,
sI. R12-19-470 ohms SPDT mode switch, normally open
+V-4 35, (18)-GROUND
,I. I Capacitors pushbutton reset switch, 9 -volt bat-
XTAL-I4, 17r+V
C1-0.22 F, 16 -volts, tantalum tery or 8-15 volt DC power supply,
C2, C3, C12-0.01 F disc 9 -volt battery clip, three 14 -pin IC
EXTAL-, 5\I 1.1'6',- +V
` C3-39 pF disc sockets, one 20 -pin IC socket,
GROUND -'I'6',
VCP200
i 15,LIGHTS
I C5-4.7 pF disc mounting screws and standoffs,
C6-C8-0.1 F disc
4-40 x 3/8 -inch screw and nut,
AUDIO IN -15 7 ) 1:14)- LEFT TURN
C9, C10-27
pF disc hookup wire, solder, aluminum
GO(NO/ON1-4 8 I 1 13 1- RESET
C11-10 F, 16 -volt tantalum sheet for heatsink.
,I Note: The VCP200 may be avail-
9) 112)-
Semiconductors
TURN RIGHT (VES/OTE1-1 STOP
able from Radio Shack (it has
REVERSE (NOT SUREN 100' ( 11 sr SLOW D1-08-red light -emitting diode been discontinued but many
(optional, see text) stores still stock them) as part
FIG. 1-THE PINOUT OF THE VCP200. The IC1-LM324A quad op -amp number 276-1308, or from VCPI,
output pins 8, 9, and 10 respond to dif- IC2-LM7805T 5 -volt, 1.5 -amp 1 Willings Place, Monterey, CA
ferent words or phrases, depending on voltage regulator 93940, for $14.95 postpaid.
the operating mode selected.
The drawbacks to speaker-in- phoneme analysis and matching pins 3, 6, and 1, and must pro-
dependent systems are that the program using a proprietary al- vide about 15 milliamps. Its os-
number of separately recogniz- gorithm. The algorithm analyzes cillator crystal connects to pins 4
able words is limited, the recog- a modified voice input signal and and 5, each of which must also be
nition success rate is generally matches it against a selection of tied to ground via 27-pF capaci-
lower than that of speaker-depen- stored word -recognition tem- tors to complete and stabilize the
dent systems, and the system can plates to identify twelve different oscillator tank circuit.
be easily fooled by similar words. words and short phrases: Yes, Pins 2, 16, 17, and 18 of the
For example, "swap," "stat," No, On, Off, Lights, Left'llarn, Re- VCP200 are not used in a stan-
"spat," "spot," and "spit" all have set, Stop, Slow Reverse, Turn dard application. They are spe-
phoneme patterns that are sim- Right, and Go. cial-purpose control pins that are
ilar to "stop." Most speaker-inde- The chip is switchable between usually tied to + V or ground, and
pendent word recognition sys- On/Off and Command modes. In are connected that way on our PC
tems will be unable to dis- the On/Off mode, it recognizes board. Generally, these pins may
tinguish between those words. only the two word pairs On/Off be ignored, as they are normally
Most dedicated voice- or word - and Yes/No. In the Command used to set the VCP200 into vari-
recognition systems are speaker- mode, it recognizes the other ous test and special -application
independent discrete -word eight words and phrases. A sepa- modes that are not useful to the
types. Although they have some rate output for each word is pro- experimenter.
severe limitations, they excel at vided, which is latched low when The reset input, pin 20, is held
simple voice -control tasks involv- the word is successfully recog- high for normal operation and
ing a few carefully chosen words nized. If the VCP200 cannot find brought low for a reset. A simple
and phrases. The VCP200 is a a close match among its word resistor-capacitor pair connected
speaker-independent discrete - templates, all eight outputs are to this pin will cause a power-on
word recognizer. left high. reset. The VCP200 can be man-
The dream of designers, con- The VCP200 is virtually a ually reset by strobing the pin low
trol engineers, and science-fic- stand-alone device, requiring at any time, by holding it low, you
tion writers is a system that can only a 10 -MHz crystal and four can safely disable the chip's oper-
recognize normal, connected passive components for opera- ation.
speech from a wide variety of tion. The only outside circuitry Pin 19 is the operation -mode
speakers. Despite much effort, that is required is a special input select input. When this pin is
no such system yet exists. The amplifier, built from a common high, the chip is set to the Yes/No
first successful "natural speech" Yes/Off
recognizer will almost certainly clipped and amplified voice sig- No/On (pin 8), and Not Sure (pin
demand the resources of a dedi- nal. That quasi -digital signal can 10), which indicates a recogni-
cated supercomputer to handle be easily analyzed by the micro- tion failure, are active. When pin
the massive analysis and com- processor. 19 is low, the VCP200 is placed in
putational steps required. How- The VCP200's biggest disad- the Command mode, and all
ever, keep in mind that speech vantage is the limited and non- eight outputs are active, with
synthesis, now achieved with expandable word list. However, each corresponding to a different
single dedicated IC's, also once considering that the chip is inex- recognized word or phrase.
required a full-sized computer. pensive and easy to use, that lim- The VCP200's audio input, pin
itation shouldn't bother anyone 7, requires an input signal that is
The VCP200 who is interested in exploring either quiescent, or swings past
The VCP200 speaker-indepen- voice -recognition technology the digital logic thresholds. That
dent word recognizer, from Voice without making a heavy invest- requirement translates into a
Control Products, Inc. (VCPI), is a ment of time or money. highly amplified, sharply clipped
mask -programmed Motorola Unfortunately for experimen- signal that is "shut off' when it is
6804 microprocessor. The 6804 ters, VCPI regards the VCP200's not of sufficient amplitude. Such
is a 20 -pin device that imple- program and word -recognition a signal is easy to achieve with a
ments most of the standard algorithm as proprietary infor- standard op -amp, as we'll see.
6800 -series instruction set and mation. Few details are available, Finally, pins 8 through 15 are
capabilities, and contains one and VCPI's literature and docu- the VCP200's outputs. During or
kilobyte of onboard ROM. Al- mentation discusses the tech- after a reset (pin 20 brought or
though an EPROM version is nology only in general terms. An held low), all eight outputs are
available for user development, interesting exercise for the ad- held high. When the chip suc-
production devices such as the vanced experimenter would be cessfully recognizes a word or
VCP200 use a ROM that is mask- attempting to work out the es- phrase in Command mode, the
programmed at the time of man- sential elements of the al- corresponding output will be
ufacture with the appropriate gorithm, using standard refer- latched low until the next recog-
data and control information. ence information on voice recog- nition attempt occurs. If the
That approach, used for many nition, digital analysis of analog VCP200 fails to find a match to
computationally -based special- signals, and pattern matching. an input signal, all eight outputs
purpose devices, is a viable alter- The pinout of the VCP200 is will remain high. In the Yes/No
native to designing a costly sin- shown in Fig. 1. The chip is mode, during or after a reset,
gle -purpose chip from scratch. powered from a single-ended 5 - pins 8, 9, and 10 (as well as the
The VCP200's ROM contains a volt supply, which connects to five unused outputs, pins 11-15)
N R -E EXPERIMENTERS HANDBOOK
+ 5V
O + 5V OUT
14
We. O GO/NO-ON
R12
fJ 4700
C3 C5 IC4-a
39pF 4.7pF 1/4 4011B O
LED1
R5 R11 TURN RIGHT/
R170
C2
IF- e 11K
IE- 100K WW O YES -OFF
R1 R4 R7
>2.2K 0.01 470K 470K
'OA MA IC4-b
1/4 40118
IC1-a R14
R2 R3 IC1-b LED2
MIC1 1/4 LM324A C4 4700
1K 10K g' R6 LM324A REVERSE/
0.01 M#1, O NOT SURE
It 5.6K
mm 8
CC7- 11 h 2 3116 17
1/ I( 1
0.22 lr0 IC4-c
4
94 40118
12 + R15
LED3
4700
IC1-c 20
We. O SLOW
1/4 LM324A 12
11 rr
10 IC4-d
R8 R10
1/4 4011B
5.6K 10MEG JU1 0 13
LED4
yy4 10.6 MODE 11
r O IC3 R16
VCP200 4700
1 L -0
R9 Wr-0 STOP
12
4.7K C8
14
0.1
13 IC5-a
C9 1/4 4011B
27pF R17
LED5
14 4700
XTAL1 WW OTAXI
10MHz T 15
010
27p 1 6 18 R18
4700
IC2 W O LEFT TURN
LM7805T
1 3
0 +5V
R19
4700
W O BUCKETS
+ 2
9-12VDC IN 11 %'
IC5-d
C11 C12
1/4 4011B NO
10F 0.01 3
LEDE
GROUND
O OUT
will be high. Some recognition ther quiescent (flat -line) or omission of LED's 1-8 and IC4
failures in the Yes/No mode can switching between the supply and IC5.
also cause all three active outputs limits-a quasi -digital signal. Power for the voltage regulator,
to go high. The output of the amplifier is IC2, can be from 7.5 to 15 volts.
passed to the VCP200's audio in- Since the circuit draws only
The circuit put, where the signal can then be about 22 milliamps peak, a 9 -volt
As said earlier, there are two analyzed. battery is a good choice. Capaci-
versions of the circuit. A block The VCP200's eight outputs tors C10 and C11 filter and sta-
diagram of the experimenter's are made available, via current - bilize the regulator's output.
version is shown in Fig. 2. The limiting resistors, so that exter- The signal from the electret mi-
circuit contains a power supply, nal interface circuits may be add- crophone, MICI, is coupled to the
an input amplifier and com- ed to control motors, solenoids, LM324A op -amp, IC1, through
parator, the VCP200, and output and other active elements. Eight Cl. The amplifier uses IC1-a and
drivers. The power supply is LED's are added to give a quick IC1-b to form a two-stage device
quite conventional, using IC2, and easy indication of the cir- that amplifies the microphone
an LM7805T 5 -volt regulator. cuit's response. The LED's are signals with a gain of 500-800.
The input amplifier is not a driven by CMOS buffers, which That transforms the weak input
conventional design; the output isolate the LED's from the out- signal (under 5 mV) to a signal
signal, if it were connected to a puts, preventing either the in- that swings from one output lim-
speaker, would be quite distorted dicators or any outlying circuits it to the other, often with consid-
and unlistenable. The purpose of from interfering with each other. erable clipping.
the two -stage amplifier, with its Figure 3 shows the complete The amplifier has a restricted
overall gain of about 800, is to schematic for the experimenter's bandwidth, with a more or less
increase the microphone signal version of the voice -recognition flat response from about 500 Hz
to a useful level. The output is project. Note that the schematic to 9 kHz. Signals under 300 Hz
then passed to a comparator that of the working version would be and over 15 kHz are sharply at-
keeps the final output signal ei - exactly the same, except for the tenuated. That covers the
iv
\\
FIG. 4-AMPLIFIER (a) AND COMPARATOR (b) output waveforms. The comparator con-
verts the amplifier signal into a clipped, quasi -digital 4 -volt p-p signal only when the
amplitude of the amplifier's signal exceeds the comparator threshold. 23
VCP200's input range of 300 to RESET
5500 Hz, with some additional 79V
headroom for the easily -lost --o+5V OUT
R11
J
-912- r'- o LIGHTS
O
fier's characteristics are impor- C11+ -R13- /11.---0 LEFT TURN
tant, because the quality of the C12 ) IC4
GC
within one-half volt of each sup-
ply rail. A comparison of the am-
plifier and comparator output
signals is shown in Fig. 4.
Since the LM324A is operated FIG. 6-THE VOICE -RECOGNITION CIRCUIT offers eight voice -activated outputs for
from a single -ended supply, a experimenting with voice control.
"false ground" or offset voltage
must be provided. The offset, 19, is controlled by setting JUl. common chips could be sub-
along with the comparator On the PC board, JU1 is actually stituted here, among them the
threshold voltage, is provided by three pads which may be con- CD4001B quad NOR gate and the
the voltage divider string R5-R8 - nected to an SPDT switch, or CD4093B quad NAND Schmitt
R9. The amplifier offset is pro- simply jumpered. However, jum- trigger.
vided by the upper junction, and pering is not recommended; a
the comparator threshold by the switch will make it easier to ex- Construction
lower; C6 and C7 stabilize those periment with both operation Foil patterns are provided for
voltages. That design forces the modes. both versions. Although a PC
center voltage of the op -amp's The eight outputs, pins 8 board is recommended, perfo-
output signal to be separated by a through 15, are left open for the rated construction board and
volt or so from the comparator's experimenter to use as necessary. point-to-point wiring could also
threshold, and is the key to cor- Since the outputs are active-low, be used. If you use point-to-point
rect operation. Adjusting the di- they can sink about 10 mA and construction, be sure and keep
vider string is one of the ways source somewhat less. That is all wiring, especially in the area
that the circuit's performance sufficient enough to drive logic of the input amplifier, short. The
can be modified. devices and transistor drivers. If very high gain of the amp will
The output of the comparator high-current devices such as re- cause it to pick up and amplify
is then routed to pin 7 of the lays or motors are to be driven, a electrical noise if excessively long
VCP200. The 10 -MHz crystal, buffer/driver must be used. To connecting wires are used. You
XTAL1, provides the chip's mas- prevent damage to the VCP200 should use sockets for all the IC's
ter clock frequencies, with the from an accidental overload of an to make them easier to replace if
oscillator tank circuit completed output, 470 -ohm current -limit- necessary.
and stabilized by C9 and C10. lb ing resistors (R12-R19) are pro- If you are going to build the
provide a power-on reset, the RC vided. They limit the output experimenter's version of the
pair R11 and C8 hold the current to about 9.5 mA, even project, follow the parts -place-
VCP200's reset input low for a few under worst -case conditions. ment diagram shown in Fig. 5. If
milliseconds after power comes The eight LED indicators, you are going to build the smaller
on. As C8 charges through R11, LED1-LED8, are driven from "working" version, simply use
the reset pin is brought high, re- CMOS drivers IC4 and IC5, the smaller foil pattern; parts
setting the VCP200. which are CD4011B quad NAND placement is the same as the
The VCP200's mode input, pin gates. However, several other larger version, except that the
LED's and their drivers, IC4 and
IC5, are left out. On both, keep
the wire jumpers and resistors Command Pronunciation Comments
close to the board. Insert the disc Yes yeSSS Both of these words should be
capacitors so that their bodies longer than "No" or "On," with
are seated against the board, but Off awFFF
emphasis on the final sibilant.
don't chip the dielectric material.
Be careful to observe the polarity No no These words should be kept very
on the two electrolytic capaci- On on short. You'll find that almost any
tors, Cl and Cll. short, sharp sound will be
Go go interpreted as one of these words.
The voltage regulator, IC2, re-
quires special mounting. The Lights LytSSS Emphasize L and S.
middle lead should be bent about Left Turn LeFFFT Turn Emphasize F and the two T's, and
0.1 inch farther from the body separate words clearly.
than the two side leads, and all Reset rESSSeTT A difficult word for the VCP200 to
three bends should be made so recognize. Emphasize the first E, S,
that the regulator's mounting and final T.
hole lines up with the hole in the
board (see the photo in Fig. 6 for Stop SSSTawPP Emphasize T and P. Keep short, but
details.) If you are going to be longer than "Go".
using the project by itself, with Slow SSSIoh Emphasize S and vowel.
no outlying devices powered from Reverse rEverSSS Another difficult word for the
the board, no heatsink is needed VCP200. Emphasize first E and final
for the regulator. If you are going sibilant, but do not separate
to be powering other devices syllables.
from the regulator that will in-
Turn Right Turn-ryT Emphasize T's and slur words
crease the load to more than 100 together slightly.
milliamps, a heatsink should be
added to the regulator. A flat alu-
minum stock heatsink can be a thick plastic base using spacers with nothing in between. If
bent into a shallow "U" shape and and screws, and the battery clip you're using an oscilloscope, look
installed under the regulator. Be- is secured by smaller screws. Al- for a 0-4 volt signal at pin 7, and
cause there is no space for a large though the prototype has no re- a 0 or 4 volt clipped signal at pin
heatsink, the current drawn set switch and is strapped into 14.
from the regulator should be lim- the Command mode, you can Once the board has passed
ited to no more than 250 mA even easily add the controls. Just use these tests, remove the power
when using as large a heatsink as a slightly larger mounting base and insert the rest of the IC's.
possible. and mount the switches in the When you reconnect power, all
For most experimenters, same manner. If you are using LED's should remain off, or if
mounting MIC1 directly to the the working version, and will be you're using a board without the
board will be adequate. In some using it as a part of a complete indicators, all of the outputs
cases, though, it may be better to project or more complex setup, should be high. Say "Go." The ap-
mount the microphone remotely. use your judgment as to mount- propriate LED should light (or
In that case, light -gauge shielded ing the board. the output will go low). '11y the
cable should be used to connect other phrases to make other
the microphone to the board. Nesting LED's light. Don't worry if the cir-
Electret microphones are polar- When you have the board (ei- cuit doesn't seem to respond
ized, so be sure the positive ter- ther style) finished, leave the IC's well-it takes a little practice to
minal is connected to the pad out of their sockets and connect speak the words and phrases
that leads to Cl and RI. the power terminals to 9-15 volts clearly enough for the VCP200 to
If you like, the eight LED in- DC. Then check for + 5 volts DC understand. Table 1 explains how
dicators can be mounted re- at pin 3 of the regulator, pin 4 of to pronounce the words so that
motely with a length of ribbon IC1, pin 2 or 3 of IC3, and (with the VCP200 will understand
cable. If you mount them on the the experimenter's unit only) pin them.
board, be sure to position them 14 of IC4 and IC5.
all at an even height. How you Disconnect power, insert IC1, Modifications
finish the remaining steps de- and then connect power again. The gain of the amplifier may
pends on how you want to use the Check for an AC voltage at pin 7 be adjusted by changing the val-
board. For display and experi- of ICI. It should vary with the ue of R4, R7, or both. Adjusting
mentation, you'll want the input level of sound up to about 2 volts R7 is preferred. The higher the
and outputs of the circuit easily peak. Check the voltage at pin 14 resistor values, the higher the
accessible with test points. Oth- of IC1. When the sound level is gain of the amplifier. Lowering
erwise you can hardwire driver high enough, a 2 -volt signal the gain will lessen the circuit's
circuits and the like directly to should be present. If the com- sensitivity to background noise,
the board. parator is functioning correctly, but will require the operator to
In the prototype, the PC board pin 14 should switch between no speak rather loudly and directly
and power switch are mounted to signal and a 2 -volt AC signal, into the microphone. Raising the 25
TOGGLED
OUTPUT
RESET
OUT
TO
RESET PIN
(VCP200
PIN 201
FIG. 7-BASIC POWER DRIVER CIRCUIT
for interfacing the project to motors,
lamps, or other high -current devices. The FIG. 8-TOGGLED, LATCHING interface FIG. 9-THIS CONTROL CIRCUIT allows
relay must have a 5 -volt coil, but can have circuit. The output switches states on the project to be latched into forward or
any arrangement of contacts suitable for successive occurrences of the associated reverse motion while permitting other
the application. voice command. voice commands to be processed.
()REVERSE OUT
= as possible, to ensure proper am- REVERSE INO
9 CD4011B`- S
w series value of R8 and R9 should FIG. 10-A "SUICIDE" RESET CIRCUIT permits the voice -recognition circuit to be reset
always be the same as that of R5. via voice command.
w If the comparator threshold is
X very close to the amplifier offset, operation over distance or with from the amplifier offset, noise
w very low-level sounds will be "dig- softly-speaking users, but would will be rejected but louder speech
itized" by the comparator and make the unit prone to inter- or shorter-range operation will be
make their way to the VCP200's ference from noise. If the com- required. For extensive experi-
26 input. That would permit better parator threshold is set further continued on page 57
DIGITAL STEVEN D=WFT
SINEWAVE SYNTHESIZER
Build this direct digital synthesizer,
and generate low-distortion sine waves digitally.
HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU WISHED YOU frequency synthesizer small whose length is arbitrarily set to
had one of those fancy frequency enough to fit on even the mes- one. The radial line labelled R is
generators that let you set your siest workbench. And it's perfect allowed to rotate about the circle
frequency accurately without for providing that odd -ball fre- through an angle P, which will be
having to fiddle with the uncali- quency that your new project referred to as the phase. Drawing
brated tuning knob? Without a needs. a horizontal line from the tip of R
high -quality frequency counter until it intersects with the ver-
and without nearly infinite pa- Direct digital synthesis tical axis defines the length S
tience, it is impossible to keep As the name implies, direct shown in the figure. As the radi-
your audio oscillator on frequen- digital synthesis (DDS) is a meth- us, R, is allowed to make a com-
cy without constant tweaking. If od of frequency generation that plete rotation around the circle,
you eliminate the expensive ex- uses digital methods rather than the length of S takes on all values
tras, while retaining resolution the traditional analog oscillator, between +1 and -1, while P var-
and stability, you'll end up with phase -locked loop, or bank of ies from 0 to 360 degrees. The
the synthesizer project presented crystals. The availability of fast length S is precisely the sine
in this article. digital circuits and D/A convert- function of P, sin(P), shown in
While this synthesizer doesn't ers make this technology avail- Fig. 2-a.
have the features of some very ex- able to the average electronics If, rather than allowing R to ro-
pensive products, it does provide enthusiast. tate smoothly around the circle,
1 -Hz resolution at over 500 kHz A review of trigonometry is im- we make 8 equal steps around
with crystal -controlled precision, portant to the understanding of the circle, then the values of S
all for less than $70. Once you DDS before delving into the de- form the stepwise approximation
add a suitable enclosure and tails of the electronics. Figure 1 shown in Fig. 2-b. As the number
power supply, you'll have a digital shows a circle with a radius of steps are increased, the ap- 27
(0,1)
instant, then by varying the step rather than incrementing its out-
size the number of steps around put by one on each clock pulse,
the circle can be varied. The the output advances by the value
fewer the steps, the faster the set by the step size programmer
complete circle is covered, hence on each clock pulse. The block
the higher the frequency of the labelled SIN(P) converts the value
(-1,0) (1,0)
sine -wave approximation. Note stored in the phase accumulator
that fewer steps means a coarser to a sine amplitude approxima-
approximation to the actual sine tion. The step size programmer is
function, with the output even- simply a bank of DIP switches,
tually reducing to a square wave, the phase accumulator is a series
(0,-1) of cascaded 4 -bit adders, and the
which points out one of the limits
FIG. 1-THIS CIRCLE HAS A RADIUS of this technique. All we need SIN(P) block is a sine look -up ta-
whose length Is arbitrarily set to one. As R now is a circuit that will syn- ble contained in an EPROM.
rotates around the circle, S takes on all chronize the variable -phase The digital data present at the
values between +1 and -1. steps to a precision clock. output of the SIN(P) block must
Figure 3-a shows a block di- be converted to an analog voltage
1.OV agram of the system. The block in order to be useful. A method
labelled Phase Accumulator re- for doing this is shown in Fig. 3-
0.5 petitively adds the value set by b, which consists of a D/A con-
the Step Size Programmer to the verter, filter, and output ampli-
0.0 sum performing the function of fier. The filter helps to smooth out
stepping the radius (R) about the the jagged steps in the sine ap-
circle in equal phase increments. proximation, while the output
0.5V
The phase accumulator behaves amplifier buffers the output of
like a simple counter, except that the D/A converter. In the actual
1.0V
MIMBE
1.0
0.5 tc
PHASE
ACCUMULATOR
P - SIN(P)
0.0
111111111.311 STEP SIZE
PROGRAMMER
-0.5
1111111111.11
a
10
100 250
1.0
MI n, n \ \ :l
....
LOW PASS
rau1uI
SIN(P)--0- ")NV FILTER I[
0.5
0.0
_0.5 uutuuE FIG. 3-BLOCK DIAGRAM of the phase accumulator and phase -to -sine converter (a), and
the block diagram of the digital -to -analog converter and output stage (b).
10
c
\
S22 5
I I
2
!118
6
PI
12
31 Sa
14 13 13
S3
3 42 S.
4
Al S
81 IC14
IC17
= 74LS283 74(3374
R13
4 7K ILK 20
(>9) VC0 t16
CO C411- C DC
18
0' 19 523/
VC(
J J \ .I
B4
B3
D7
D6 06
16 522/
\'11 : S21/
\
15
82 1.1 D5 05,
9 1
016 B1
1'1
D4 04
12 S20/
14
3
A4
53 S3 13
10
8
4
I+ 03
02
9
6
5
$19/
518
517
//
S2 l il 1 01
I SI 4 DO 00 2 516/
81 IC 3
= 74L3283
cc
S2
\ 515 11
CO C41-2-
0---19 \\ $14 15
(34
83
S20
4O
DI
\ 513
512 6
12
62
81
10
A4 S4
---0e 15
14
4
A3 S3 1'3
A2 52
13
At St 4
9' d.o
1l G
12
11
1= 74LS283
IC 2
IC16
74L8374
vcc
6 CLK 2t)
CO C4t-L 1aDC
C19 \sii 11
84
18
DI 97
19 S15
0.110 \ 510 /
\
IS 17 D6 16 S14
83
59 82 14 15 513/
05
\58 ti12/
/
13 12
BI 04
12 9 L111
s D3 03
Sto/
/
14 13
S3 D2 02 6
5
Si '1 I 1
01 59
Si
4 3 1,A 0 58/
8 IC11
811 R12
1
4,76 74(3283
17K
(,9) C
6
\
7
57
e e # # e 11
414
S6 15 Bi
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 A 11 1
N S5 2 B2
2 0 0 19 N 54 6
Bi
3 00 7
12 AS
14
S4
13
Al S3
6 3
51 0Ar0 A2 S2
5
6 0..0 15
A.1 51
4
14
81 IC1O Vcc
13 = 74LS283 IC15
7413374
2 v,e 20
ti6 CIK
11
a
\\ S3 il
CO
B4
CA 11-2- 1
18
Dc
11- 19 S7
S6/
\\ n6 i6
//
S2 17. D0
B3
S1 2 Bo 14 15 S5
os
SO 6 13 S4
hI 04 04 12
12
`I 10 8
D3 03
9 53/
14 3 7 U2 6 S2/
3
i D1 01 5 S1/
Al .` 1
4
0ll _ 50_/
-
81 IC9
74LS283
1
FIG. 5-HERE'S THE COMPLETE SCHEMATIC for the phase -accumulator circuitry. 29
o
+5V<Vc
V1'C
UFF
POWER
Vcc 1 <,ND
INPUT
R2 e 1 C3
VFF o
124 102 0.1
C6 Vcc
^.1 1
VPP
Vcc
20 IC3 C12
OE
0.1
18 741.3374 ^0 3
-i
19
Aio 2716
102
1a 0C
v,
VR- COMP
16 010
100pF
1^ 1/2 LF353N
2 4
22
Ay
4
y 11
3 .1 VR+ VLC 3 104 a
1R AR
17 18 13 5 8
I(11Ii R6
S17 A7 D7 D7 07 111
16 15K C11 C8
16 17 6 R7 {{
S16 A6 D6 D6 06 R^ 22pF 100F
C9 3.3KS
3 15 14 15 7
S15 A5 D5 D5 05 R:1 100pF
'Cl
FROM
FIG.5
S14
5
A4 D4
14
13
13
D4 04
12 8
9
Ra DAC08 -I R9
S13 A3 D3 D3 03 135
1K
6 10
S12
6
A2 D2
11
D2 02
11
B6 4Mr SINE
OUT
7 10 5
511 Al D1 D1 01 B7
12 6
S10 AO DO DO 00 B8 IOUT
V+ 1C4 -b
5
12 10 13
R8 + 1/2 LF353N
F15
4.7K
Vcc 1M 71000
,
R3
100
CLK-
1
yW
C2
0.1
-^
0 4.194304MHz
XTAL1
' Cl R1
Vcc
30pF 1MEG
14 R4
08-a 10
3.3K
4 a 14 1/2 74HC74 PR
11(
IC5 a 'We
PR 1/8 74HC04 12
fi D Q
5
( 8 IC5-d IC5-c 0
11J 8
CLK n
1/s 74HC04 1/6 74HC04
C7
10F
Q
CL
1
CLK
1/6 74HC04
IC5-b
C17
22pF
- CL
lay IC8-b
1/2 74HC74
1 )1 +
NOT USED
PL1
120VAC
implementation, the buffering accumulator. For the binary ac- than N/4 to minimize distortion
and the filtering functions are cumulator that we have here, the at the output.
combined. resolution is then fc/2N. If the
The frequency resolution of a step size programmer is set to a Circuitry
DDS system is set by the master binary value, M, then the output There are several manufac-
clock frequency, fc, and the frequency is M x ff./2N. The de- turers of complete integrated cir-
30 number of bits, N, in the phase sign presented here keeps M less cuits that can perform the digital
portion of the block diagram, but That matches the function to the rent proportional to the digital
these parts are expensive and not 2716 EPROM with its 11 -hit ad- value present on its 8 -bit parallel
readily available. Figure 4-a dress space and with its 8 -hit input. The current is set by R8 to
shows a partial schematic of the output range. A C -program used a maximum of 1.06 mA. The dig-
phase accumulator using compo- to generate the values in the table ital word presented to the I)/A
nents that are inexpensive and is shown in Listing 1. Since the varies from 0 to 255, forcing the
easy to get. EPROM has only 11 address lines, current output to vary from 0 to
The complete phase ac- only 11 lines from the ac- (255/256) x 1.06 mA. The current
cumulator consists of six cumulator are used in this ap- is then fed to op -amp IC4-b
74LS283 4 -bit adders, with their plication. The 8 hits at the output which converts it to a voltage that
outputs latched by three of the EPROM are a digital repre- varies from 0 to approximately
74LS374 octal D flip-flops. The sentation of the amplitude of the 1.0 volt. The complete schematic
outputs of the 74LS374's are fed sine wave and must be converted for the phase accumulator cir-
back to the B inputs of the to an analog voltage before being cuit is shown in Fig. 5, and the
74LS283, which forces the sum filtered and buffered. schematic for the analog section
stored in the latches to be added Since simplicity and low-cost is shown in Fig. 6.
to the value set by the switches were design goals, the output of First -order filtering is accom-
on the A inputs. Since the the EPROM is latched by another plished by C9 in this conversion
74LS374 stores data only at the 74LS374, which allows the full stage. Op-amp IC4-a provides ad-
positive edge of its clock input, clock period for the EPROM out- ditional filtering to further
the fact that the data presented to put to settle, permitting the use smooth out the steps in the sine
its inputs will be changing short- of inexpensive slow EPROM's. approximation. The output of
ly after the clock causes no er- The latch also guarantees a glit- this two-pole filter is AC -coupled
rors. The delay through the latch ch -free input to the D/A converter to the output connection. Figure
and adder guarantee glitch -free section. 7 shows the relative response of
operation. At each clock pulse a Figure 4-b shows the D/A con- the filtering provided in the out-
new sum is present at the output verter circuitry. The D/A con- put stage. The corner frequency
of the latch. The output of each version is accomplished using a of the filter is set by the formula
adder then stabilizes with the DAC08 8 -bit D/A converter (an f0 = 1/(2nVR7xC10xR6xC11)
new sum allowing the cycle to re- MC1408 can be substituted with
peat continuously. This sum rep- some loss in performance). The which, for the values shown, is
resents the value P in the output of the converter is a cur equal to 482 kHz. A high-speed
theoretical discussion, while the
value set by the DIP switch repre-
sents the size of each phase step. LISTING 1
::--P
O
5 000000000
gCOMPONNENT
0
0000000009 0 9 0000000009
0 OUT GND
U90 a UI00 U12 o a U13 o b U14 0 8 O
10 o o o-o o O 0 O O 0--00-0O
o
- 20
O
O
o
o
O
o
o
o
O
o
o
o
o
O
o
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
0
O
O
O
O
O
O O 0
O---O--O
O O 0
o
O-o
4(3_4
3 0 9
- 35 O
o U Is nuis. 4,--0 00000
-e i 6
10kHz 30kHz 100kHz 300kHz 1.0MHz 3.0MHz o U17 o
--O ---0O
FREQUENCY
I
O
0
a`
o
o
0
O
o
O
o
o
0 0
O
0
o
O
0
q
0-0o
o
0
o
o
P o
o
o
0 0O0
o o
op-amp is required in this stage 000odop000 VE
to filter the waveform effectively.
`
E
/
cumulator clock and EPROM FOIL PATTERN for the component side of the digital synthesizer.
latch clock. Additional inverters
are used as delay elements to en- O000000000 00000000o
sure that the latches are clocked
at precisely the right instant to
O LF DDS SYNT H 01991 NOVATECH INSTRUMENTS, INC
Douo00to
MADE IN o 000000000
O
prevent glitches. With the clock USA
and timing as such, EPROM's O
with access times as slow as 475
ns can be used.
With 21 bits of the phase ac-
cumulator used and a clock fre-
quency of 4.194304/2 MHz (fc), O
the output resolution is precisely
1 Hz. Since 19 bits are presented O
as the input to the phase ac-
cumulator by the DIP switch, the
maximum output frequency is: o
219x f/221 = fc/4 = 524.288 kHz
While a DDS system can ap-
proach fc/2, fc/4 was chosen as a
maximum to limit the total dis- OO
tortion in the output waveform.
The top frequency is actually 1 Hz
less than that because the max-
imum setting is 219-1 for a 19 -
bit binary input. The filter rolloff f1100 00
shown in Fig. 7 attenuates clock-
related distortion by over 30 to 1. bo01:10113o
Construction
0
A double -sided PC board is
available from the source shown `II 5 INCHES
in the parts list, and we've also
provided the foil patterns in case FOIL PATTERN for the solder side of the digital synthesizer.
you want to make your own
board. If you're using the PC ment diagram shown in Fig. 8. speed CMOS and must therefore
32 board, follow the parts -place-. Note that IC5 and IC8 are high- be handled carefully to prevent
v
S?
-o
R11 OUT
C1-5-30 pF trimmer
113
C2. C3, C6, C12, 018-020--0.1 F,
ceramic disc IC5 IC2 GND
C4. C5-not used ...L
C7. C14, 015-10 F, 35 volts,
electrolytic
08-100 F, 16 volts. electrolytic cs
C9, 010-100 pF, ^eramic disc FIG. B-PARTS-PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. Follow this diagram if you're using a PC board.
C11, C17-22 pF, ceramic disc The smaller IC outline beneath IC2 is for experimenting with a faster EPROM such as a
C13, C16-470 F, 16 volts, elec- 74S472 (see test).
EI'RUM
trolytic (optional for power supply)
Semiconductors
IC1-DACO8CN 8 -bit DA converter
POWER
102-2716 2K x 8 -bit EPROM
INPUTS
IC3, 1015-1C17-DM74LS374N oc-
tal latch
IC4-LF353N dual op -amp
IC5-MM74HCO4N hex CMOS
inverter
IC6-LM7805 : 5 -volt regulator (op-
Other components
XTAL1-4.194304 MHz crystal
S1, S2 -10 -position DIP switch SINE WAVE OUTPUT DIP SWITCHES USED TO SET OUTPUT
power supply) FIG. 9-THE COMPLETED UNIT. This compact PC board can easily be installed in almost
any kind of project case.
T1-120VAC12.6VAC transformer
(optional for power supply)
damaging them. Use a grounded - built using wire -wrap methods
Miscellaneous: PC board, solder. tip soldering iron (if you've got for the digital section and point-
case. mounting hardware. etc. access to one) and ground your- to-point for the analog section. If
Note: The following items are self before picking up the board you're wire -wrapping the circuit,
available from NOVATECH IN- or an IC. Space for the optional some care must be applied to the
STRUMENTS, INC., 1530 East- power supply (shown in Fig. 6) is analog section to prevent digital
lake Ave. E, Suite 303, Seattle, not provided on the PC board, switching noise from getting into
WA 98102 (206) 328-6902: but it can be made on any kind of the output. The ground returns
board. The power -supply circuit for all of the analog section must
Complete kit of parts (except a is not critical, but be careful due connect to the power supply sep-
case and the optional power - to the line voltages present. Fig- arately from the digital section
supply parts)-$69.95 ure 9 shows the completed unit. and the analog bypass capacitors
Please add $5.00 shipping and Since the majority of the cir- must be connected as close as
handling. Washington State res- cuit is digital, simple wiring possible to the analog integrated
idents must add 8.2% sales tax. techniques can be used. The au- circuits. The oscillator, consist-
thor's original prototype was ing of IC5-a, R1, R4, Cl and 33
nect it to pin 5 of IC8-a. If you
don't have a counter, adjust CI to
mid -range; with the crystal spec-
ified, your error should be no
more than about 0.02%. Apply
power and, using an insulated
adjustment tool, adjust C1 to ex-
actly 2.097152 MHz if you have a
counter connected. With an os-
cilloscope connected to the out-
put, vary the DIP switch setting;
you will see the frequency
change. For higher and higher
frequencies the distortion will in-
crease with the maximum distor-
tion at the highest setting.
The frequency output is equal
to the binary value set by the DIP
switches, with a logical 1 corre-
sponding to an "off' position. For
a switch setting of
001,1000,0110,1010,0000 (100
kHz), the author's prototype gave
FIG. 10-OUTPUT OF THE AUTHOR'S PROTOTYPE at 100 kHz (5s/div. horizontal, 0.2V/
div. vertical).
the waveform shown in Fig. 10. A
spectrum -analyzer display of the
100 -kHz output is show in Fig.
11. Note that the harmonics are at
least 40 dB down, corresponding
to about 1% distortion. Varying
the least -significant DIP switch
will change the frequency output
by 1 Hz. Since the frequency is set
by the DIP switch and the ac-
curacy of the crystal oscillator,
the output will be the same even
after a power -down, power-up cy-
cle. Table 1 summarizes the spec-
ifications for the completed dig-
ital synthesizer.
Experiments
If the digital parts are changed
from 74LS to 74F, the EPROM
changed to a bipolar PROM (such
as a 74S472 which is accommo-
dated on the circuit board), and
the clock oscillator replaced by a
faster one, the output frequency
FIG. 11-SPECTRUM ANIALYZER PHOTOGRAPH of the 100 -kHz output. 100 kHz/div. can be increased at the expense
horizontal, 10dB/div. verical, 500 kHz center frequency, 10 kHz resolution bandwidth) of resolution. The author has
successfully operated the circuit
TABLE 1-SPECFICATIONS up to a 5.0 -MHz output frequen-
cy, providing 10 Hz resolution.
Frequency Range: 1 Hz to 524.277 kHz The circuit is simple and com-
Resolution: 1 Hz over complete range pact enough that several units
Accuracy: Depends on crystal, typ. 0.005% can be built to provide fixed cal-
Output: Low distortion sine wave ibration frequencies needed on
Output amplitude: Approx. 1 vollt peak -to -peak, decreases at top end your bench. High-speed CMOS
Power requirements. +5V at approx. 250 mA logic may be substituted for the
- 5V at approx. 50 mA low-power TTL devices for lower-
power operation. If you decide to
XTAL1, must be tightly wired. Operation change to CMOS, IC3 must be a
The author's original prototype Before turning on the power. 74HCT374 as the output of the
had the discrete components sol- carefully inspect the hoard for EPROM is TTL-compatible. Ad-
dered directly to the wirewrap- shorts, solder bridges, wiring er- vanced CMOS, 74AC or 74ACT,
socket pins of IC5. A board with rors. etc. Set the DIP switch to should not be used because of
an existing ground plane is ideal any non -zero value. If you have a noise induced by its fast edge
34 for wire -wrap construction. frequency counter available, con- rates. R -E
Our solid-state Tesla sOLID STATE
coil can produce
sparks as long as 8 L- J
inches with a peak J l
C8
.02
T3
S1
OPERATE D1
MR751
C
C7
COM T2F
120VAC
T1
INPUT T4
BR1
+
C5
+21V
o
L5
D7
1N4936
* TESLA
SECONDARY
VM08 COIL
30F
C9
GND ^.02 6
YV
R8
o T2
.5652 03
R7 L3 ZN6678
330e
5V
R11
3.3K
R10
3.3K
9 15 L5 . C3
D10-013
1N4004 (x4)
d
16 10F
2 4 )1+
R1 L2
1K 01 D8
TUNE SK9155 L
1N4936 T
6 IC1
JNh 6
SG3524 L7
R2 1
3.9K - VN LED1
R9 Q4 D3 -D6
TUNE
1N4934 0(41
Cl 56e 2N6678
001
10
QL4
b H N N
D14-1)17
N D3 4
D41
Q2 D5
i1 4 5 R5 C4 1N4004 (x4)
SK9156 10F +
2.2K D6*
FIG. 2-SCHEMATIC FOR THE SOLID-STATE TESLA COIL. The secondary of the Tesla coil
appears like a series RLC circuit due to the self -capacitance of the coil with respect to
ground.
PARTS LIST
All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5%, un- 03, Q4 -2N6678 or SK9140 NPN net wire for T2 primary, 26 -gauge
less otherwise indicated. transistor hook-up wire for T2 secondary, 18 -
R1-1000 ohms, 10 -turn LED1-red LED. See text gauge magnet wire for both wind-
potentiometer Other components ings of T3, brass rod, discharge
R2-3900 ohms F1 -3 -amp, 250 -volt, fast -blow fuse ball, hardware, AC linecord, etc.
R3, R4-2200 ohms, Y watt BR1-VM08 bridge rectifier, Varo
R5, R6-2200 ohms T1-hand-made transformer (the
R7-330 ohms, 1 watt core is TDK # PC3OEER25.5-Z Note: The following items are
R8, R9-0.56 ohms, 2 watts, and the bobbin is TDK # available from Corona Coil, PO
flameproof BEER-25.5-118CP) Box 474, Riverton, UT 84065
R10, R11-3300 ohms T2-hand-made transformer (the (801-254-7653):
Capacitors core is TDK # PC3OEC70-Z and Core, bobbin, and wire for T1, T2,
C1-0.001 F, 50 volts, 5%, polyester the bobbin is TDK # BEC -70-5116) and T3-$30.00
C2-110 pF, 50 volts, polyester T3-hand-made transformer (the Set of T1, T2, and T3 (as-
C3,C4-10 F, 35 volts, tantalum core is TDK # PC3OEER25.5-Z sembled)-$50.00
C5-330 F, 35 volts, electrolytic and the bobbin is TDK # Tesla secondary coil-$35.00
C6, C7-2 F, 200 volts, nonpolar BEER-25.5-118CP) PC board-$15.00
film -type T4-115VAC/15VAC center-tapped Aluminum angle bracket
C8, CO 0.02 F,1000 volts, ceramic transformer (Triad F -132P) (heatsink and PC -board
disc S1-SPST key switch mount)-$5.00
Semiconductors Miscellaneous: enclosure, alumi- Please add 10% S&H for all items.
IC1-SG3524 pulse-width modulator num angle bracket, high -voltage
Dl-MR751 diode wire (to connect main unit to Tesla A 124 -page book by the author,
D2-D6-1N4934 diode secondary), 30 -gauge magnet wire Modern Tesla Coil Theory, is
D7, D8-1N4936 diode for Tesla secondary and L1 and L2, available for $19.95 plus $2.50
D9-not used 24-gauge magnet wire for L3 and shipping from the Tesla Book
D10-D17-1 N4004 diode L4, 18 -gauge stranded hook-up Co., PO Box 12187, Tulla Vesta,
01, Q2-SK9155 power MOSFET wire for L5 and L6, 15-gauge mag - CA 91912 (619-437-8515).
37
change the characteristics of the
BANANA
PLUG/JACK,
I TESLA
SECONDARY
coil and it may not operate with
3 -FOOT H.V. WIRE the driver unless modifications
in the driver are made. Any
change in physical dimensions
or wire size will alter the resonant
04 C7 CO + 017 frequency and effective imped-
07 DB C4 ance of the coil. Any change to
05 the discharge electrode will effect
L5 L6 -'D15 the maximum energy obtainable.
L2 14i -413,14 The coil form for the secondary
02Q -R9- winding is a standard 5 -gallon
1
plastic container 10 inches in di-
CUD -R8--, ameter at the bottom, 12 inches
R7- L1 1_14_D10 in diameter at the top, and 14
-R4- -R6- H011
44212 inches long. The bottom of the
-R3- -R5-
T3
D2
$D13
container becomes the top of the
ff
_
C3 coil. To make winding easier you
R10 ) should drill a hole about an inch
3
IC1
T4 C BR1
+
+ in diameter through the center of
-' 00060` IC51 021
Rtt R2
I
IC1
the bottom of the container. A
I
TI Ti T2 PRIMARY 04 COLLECTOR
C0R[ CORE
D1
EMITTER
`4fi,4SM.:egx,"T
qq.qn.,i:;S
-1,: ..
! ^..::fiae6VY'..^."`
. ^D.:
L1
03
a COLLECTOR b
FIG. 6-TRANSFORMER Ti IS MADE by winding coils L1 and L2 first (a). After putting a
layer of cellophane tape on top of the first windings, coils L3 and L4 are wound on top of L1
and L2. Coils L5 and L6 are wound after tie transformer is mounted on the board (b). See
text for detailed instructions.
STEPHEN J. BIGELOW
STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL OF DIGITAL structions or numerical con- relatively large amounts of elec-
information has sparked an ex- stants that do not change during trical and physical abuse, yet still
citing revolution in computers the life of a product. For example, maintain its contents. The auto-
and consumer electronics. You personal computers use perma- mobile industry uses ROM's ex-
find semiconductor memories in nent memory to hold the basic tensively in on -board computers.
nearly all "intelligent" electronic input/output system (BIOS) that
systems, including car radios, initializes the computer and pro- PROM
televisions, VCR's, compact -disc vides it with a core of low-level The programmable read only
players, and computers. Without functions. There are four basic memory (PROM) offers a tremen-
the on -going advances in memo- types of permanent memory: dous advantage over the ROM in
ry technology, the high-tech revo- ROM, PROM, EPROM, and that it can be programmed by the
lution would rapidly grind to a EEPROM. Let's discuss each end user, who is then less depen-
halt. type. dent on manufacturers' lead
In this article, we will examine times. A PROM can be "burned,"
several important concepts be- ROM or programmed, only once be-
hind semiconductor memory de- The read only memory (ROM) is cause it cannot be erased.
vices, including basic tech- the oldest and most straightfor- The term burn comes from the
nologies, memory organization ward type of permanent semicon- method used to program a
and configuration, design con- ductor memory. The information PROM. A factory -fresh PROM
siderations, and applications. that's programmed into a ROM is consists of a matrix of fusible
specified by the buyer, but the links. An intact link produces a
Memory types ROM itself must be built by the binary 0 at the selected location;
Semiconductor memory de- manufacturer. a burned (open -circuit) link pro-
vices can be classified in one of A ROM is relatively inflexible- duces a binary 1, as shown in
two ways: permanent or tempo- after it's been programmed, it can Fig. 1. (We'll discuss how to get at
rary. Although basic operating never be altered. If the informa- a particular location in a PROM
principles of both are similar, tion in a ROM must change, a later in this article.)
each plays a different role, and whole new device must be man- To burn a PROM, a special
each has unique advantages and ufactured and substituted for the piece of equipment called a
disadvantages. We will discuss old ROM, and that is an expen- PROM burner generates high-en-
both types in detail. sive, time-consuming process. ergy pulses which destroy the de-
As the name suggests, infor- Hence the ROM is economically sired links to match the contents
mation in permanent memory is feasible only when used in great of a user data file.
retained at all times, even after volumes for thoroughly debug- PROM's are slightly more ex-
removal of system power. Perma- ged applications. pensive than ROM's on a per-unit
nent memory is also called non- One advantage of the ROM is basis, but their flexibility often
volatile and read-only memory. its ruggedness. Since the pro- justifies higher cost. Many
Permanent memory is most often gram is an actual physical part of PROM's are available through re-
42 used to store fixed program in - the device itself, it can withstand tail electronics outlets.
sunlight, fluorescent light and
ADDRESS COLUMN
"black -light", may contain
BUS SELECTOR enough UV to trigger random
BLOWN
charge dissipation and introduce
LINK errors in the device. So be sure to
(BINARY 1) o o cover the quartz window with a
piece of opaque material.
o EPROM's cost more than
o PROM's, but cost -per-bit is actu-
ally lower because MOS tech-
nology allows the designer to
ROW squeeze several times more infor-
SELECTOR
mation in the same amount of
..o space. One disadvantage of the
o EPROM is that it must be phys-
ct o ically removed from the system to
o
be erased and re -programmed.
CELL
MATRIX EEPROM's
The electrically erasable pro-
grammable read only memory
FIG.1-A PROM BEFORE PROGRAMMING consists of a matrix of fused links joining each (EEPROM) is similar to the
row -column intersection. Programming blows desired links.
EPROM, but overcomes its main
disadvantage: the inability to
EPROM program it in -circuit. That fea-
The erasable programmable SOURCE
ture offers exciting possibilities
read-only memory (EPROM) over- GATE 01 in applications where software
comes one of the main disadvan- DATA MOS
must adapt to changes in the op-
BIT_ TRANSISTER
tages of the PROM: its inability to erating environment.
be reused. After a link has been C1* DRAIN The EEPROM is no panacea,
burned, it can never be restored. STORAGE however. It's slower than other
By contrast, typical EPROM's can
I
MOS
01 Static RAM Dynamic RAM
TRANSISTOR Static RAM (SRAM) is the Dynamic RAM (DRAM) uses an
oldest and most straightforward entirely different technology to
DATA
C1
form of temporary semiconduc- accomplish data storage. The key
STORAGE tor memory. A typical SRAM con- difference lies in the design of the
CAPACITANCE sists of several flip-flops, or cells, cell itself. As shown in Fig. 4,
as shown in Fig. 3. Each cell each cell in a DRAM stores infor-
FIG. 4-CAPACITANCE is the basic unit of stores one bit of information; mation as a packet of charge
storage in the DRAM. multiple cells are arranged in a across a MOS transistor, similar
in principle to way the EPROM
works, but it is unlike the SRAM,
which uses a flip-flop to hold one
CONTROL
bit of data.
ADDRESS ADDRESS AND REFRESH To allow frequent updates,
BUS BUFFER
COLUMN
LOGIC
CONTROL
each cell must be capable of
SELECT SIGNALS changing state almost instantly.
i To allow rapid change, the stor-
age capacitance must be ex-
tremely low, so low in fact that it
DYNAMIC MOS
cannot sustain its charge for
ROW MEMORY
DATA
I/O
DATA more than a few milliseconds.
SELECT CELL BUFFERS
BUS Therefore each DRAM location
MATRIX must be refreshed about every
two milliseconds. If a cell is not
FIG. 5-INTERNAL DRAM STRUCTURE. The control/refresh circuitry increases complex-
refreshed, it will simply lose its
ity but drastically increases storage capacity. data. However, refresh cannot
happen by itself; external circuit-
ry is required, as well as addi-
AO-- tional circuitry within the DRAM
Al
ROW PRE PROGRAMMED
itself. Fig. 5 shows a block di-
32
A2-+ SELECT BITS MEMORY CELL MATRIX agram of the internal structure of
a DRAM. The added complexity
and cost of refresh circuitry is the
ADDRESS main disadvantage of DRAM.
LINES
8 8 8 8 On the other hand, DRAM of-
BITS BITS BITS BITS fers several distinct advantages
i r over SRAM. Storage capacity is
A5
1 OF 8 1 OF 8 1 OF 8 1 OF 8
much greater. Common DRAM's
A6
DECODER DECODER DECODER DECODER provide one megabit (22O) of stor-
A7 age, and four -megabit IC's are
just over the horizon. In addi-
COLUMN
SELECT
tion, 16 -megabit memories are
being developed, and 64 -megabit
DRAM's are on the drawing
READ
o-
board.
ENABLE
(CHIP SELECT) o o
Power is another considera-
o o
,DO Di D2 D3 tion. DRAM's require less current
OUTPUT
to operate; there are far fewer
BUFFERS components per cell to dissipate
power. The power savings can be
FIG. 6-A BASIC ROM consists of row- and column -select circuitry, the memory array, substantial in applications that
and three -state output buffers. need a great deal of memory.
DRAM's also have a standby
Most electronic processing sys- two-dimensional array. To access mode that essentially disables all
tems require at least some RAM. a particular cell, row and column functions except refresh. In
The amount that's required de- addresses must be set up, and standby mode, a DRAM requires
pends on the application. A sim- then several control signals must just a few milliwatts of power to
ple system, such as a program- be pulsed. maintain its information. In
mable digital thermostat, may Since data is always available some cases, the low power re-
require only a few bytes of RAM. from the flip-flop matrix, the quirement makes battery backup
But a computer may require mil- SRAM tends to be a fast device. practical. SRAM's also have a
lions of bytes of RAM. Its primary disadvantage is lim- standby mode, but they typically
There are two basic types of ited capacity. Each flip-flop oc- need more than 100 milliwatts of
RAM: static and dynamic. Each cupies a relatively large area on power. Now let's examine some of
the technologies used to fab- Memory operations
ricate semiconductor memory AO- To the external world, the or-
devices. Al
ganization of a semiconductor
MOS MEMORY CELL
A2 ROW
MATRIX
memory device appears as a se-
Fabrication technologies A3
SELECT
quence of locations. Each loca-
Every semiconductor memory A4 tion may have 1, 4, 8, or some
chip houses sophisticated, sen- A5 other number of bits, but re-
sitive microcircuitry. Each min- gardless of the number of bits per
ute component must be inte- location, each location has a
grated deep into the substrate of DATA
BUFFER COLUMN
unique address. The number of
the chip (or die), which itself I/O SELECT unique addresses depends on
rests within a hermetically sealed the number of address lines. If
case of plastic or ceramic. The CHIP I I I there are 8 address lines, then
process of circuit integration in- SELECT A6 A7 A8 A9AtOAll there are 28 or 256 addresses. Al-
volves a complex combination of READ/WRITE though externally a semiconduc-
optical and chemical processes to DATA PIN
tor device appears to have a
form a working IC. Memory de- FIG. 7-THE BASIC SRAM is more compli- sequential organization, inter-
vices manufactured today are cated than a ROM because of the addition nally the cells are arranged in a
typically made using either bi- of a READ/WRITE line. square.
polar or MOS fabrication tech- The relationship between the
nologies. In addition, a new MOS technology number of physical cells (bits)
hybrid of the two technologies, The development of MOS tech- and the number of logical loca-
called Bi-MOS, has begun to ap- nology is largely responsible for tions (addresses) depends on the
pear. Although the actual man- the incredible advances in high- number of bits per address. For
ufacturing processes of these tech electronics since the late example, a memory IC could have
kinds of devices are too involved 1970's. The materials and chemi- 1 megabit of cells arranged as
to cover here, we can review the cals used in MOS fabrication are 1 x 1 megabit, as 4 x 256K, or
characteristics and uses of those different from those used for bi- even as 8 x 128K. Internal decod-
technologies. polar fabrication, but the process ing circuitry varies depending on
is fundamentally the same. The how the organization is to appear
Bipolar technology most familiar MOS family is com- externally.
The bipolar transistor (with plementary MOS (CMOS), but For example, Fig. 6 represents
emitter, base, and collector) was there are many variations, in- a simple ROM. The format of the
the first component successfully cluding PMOS, NMOS, VMOS, ROM is 256 addresses with four
integrated into a semiconductor DMOS, and HMOS. bits per address. The memory ar-
wafer in the form of the TTL IC. CMOS, NMOS, and HMOS de- ray is a 32 x 32 square, giving
Many simple logic functions vices are the most widespread 256 addresses. And for 256 ad-
could thus be synthesized easily variations of MOS technology in dresses the chip requires eight
and efficiently. The resulting low use today. CMOS has been used address lines (28 = 256) to identi-
cost and high availability made extensively in memories, and to fy each location uniquely. The
TTL a mainstay of digital logic produce a family of devices that is lower five address lines (AO-A4)
design through the 60's and early functionally similar to the TTL select one of 32 possible rows
70's. Even to this day, TTL re- family. CMOS dissipates far less (25=32). The upper three
mains a cornerstone of basic log- power than TTL and can run on a (A5-A7) select one of eight col-
ic design. When memories were much wider range of supply volt- umns (23= 8). There are four 1-
needed, TTL was the obvious age (3-15 volts DC). N -channel of-8 decoders, so four columns
choice. MOS (NMOS) technology is used (one from each group of eight)
Although there are several to produce memories that are will be active for each selection.
SRAM chips in the TTL family fast, dissipate little power, and After a valid address is pre-
(notably the 74S200 and can fit many components on a sented to the address lines, the
74S201), TTL suffers from sev- chip. Although early devices re- data bits at the intersections of
eral major drawbacks that se- quired several supply voltages, the selected row and columns will
verely restrict the capacity of modern NMOS IC's operate from be sent through the respective 1 -
bipolar SRAM. First, bipolar logic a single 5 -volt supply. High-per- of-8 decoders to several three -
requires a relatively large area on formance MOS (HMOS ) is an state buffers. If the READ ENABLE
the chip for each logic gate. Many NMOS variation that's used in signal is brought low, the data
gates are needed to build a modern high-speed low -power present at the buffers will be de-
SRAM, so space is depleted microprocessors. livered to the ROM's output. But
rapidly. In addition, bipolar logic In spite of their obvious advan- when READ ENABLE is high, the
requires significant operating tages, all MOS devices suffer high impedance of the three -
current per gate. Since current from one key weakness: they're state buffer will simply discon-
ultimately translates into heat, extremely sensitive to static elec- nect the ROM's outputs from the
the number of cells is limited tricity. There are important pre- circuit.
even further. Size and power re- cautions that should be taken. SRAM's, along with PROM's,
straints usually limit the number Be sure to follow manufacturers' EPROM's, and EEPROM's, are
of bipolar memory cells to fewer guidelines for handling MOS de- more sophisticated. Figure 7
than 1000 bits. vices. shows a simple SRAM organized 45
as 4096 x 1. Addressing is sim-
ilar to the ROM in the previous RAS --o
example but, in this case, there CAS O
CONTROL REFRESH
are 12 address lines that provide R/1N
-o LOGIC CONTROL
212 or 4096 (4K) addresses. One O
CHIP SEL
bit of data is available at each ad-
dress location. COLUMN
A READ/WRITE control signal de- SELECT
THE ELECTRONIC FUSE IS A SEN- "trips," a red LED will light and ter to help reduce spikes and line
sitive fast -acting adjustable cir- power is cut off. When you're noise.
cuit breaker that will quickly ready to continue, simply press Op -amp ICI -a amplifies and
become one of your most useful the reset button. rectifies the AC input and applies
bench -top accessories. If you it to IC2-a, an LM339 com-
have been stumped by a faulty Circuit description parator, which is used to adjust
electronic circuit and consumed As shown in Fig. 1, two test the threshold, or current, via po-
a number of costly or hard-to -lo- leads are connected in series with tentiometer R4. A clamp is
cate fuses, you will appreciate the normally closed relay con- formed by D3 which holds the in-
this inexpensive circuit breaker. tacts of RY1, a 12 -amp fuse (FI), put of IC2-b to a constant level. A
All you have to do is connect the and the two-turn primary of Tl, a filtered DC output is amplified by
electronic fuse to the device un- torroid transformer. The second- IC2-b and fed to Ql, a 2N3904
der repair, and then adjust the ary of Ti is wound underneath transistor. The transistor
current threshold control to the the primary on the half-inch tor- changes the output of IC2-b to
value you need anywhere from 'ho riod. The secondary coil is 100 the proper level and polarity in
to 10 amperes. turns of 30 -gauge magnet wire order to trigger SCR1. When the
Additional applications for the with a total resistance of 8 to 10 input current exceeds the
electronic fuse include charging ohms. The secondary is con- threshold set by R4, the SCR will
circuits for marine/mobile/air- nected to a high -low RANGE turn on. The relay will now open
craft systems, as well as new cir- switch (Si). The switch connects and LEDI will indicate that the
cuit designs. The electronic to a resistor network to provide circuit has been "tripped." The
circuit breaker could be used stability and ease of operation. LED will remain on and the
after the design of a new circuit The low range permits values power to the device under test
to help choose the correct value from 'ho to 6 amperes, and the will remain off until the reset but-
fuse. The electronic circuit high range includes values from ton (S3) is pressed.
breaker is connected in place of 1 to 10 amps, with overlapping Current consumption for the
the original fuse of the device un- between ranges. Capacitors Cl electronic fuse is about 10-15 mA
der repair or test. If the breaker and C2 form a high -frequency fil- at idle and about 100 mA when
PARTS LIST I ,)/11 F1
Ii'
R2 12A S3
R4
442K
All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5%, un- Cl
S1; 165K
-- LED1
less otherwise noted.
R1-107,200 ohms, 1%
200pF R1
107.2K
R3
387K
PRI OBE
RY1
I
.__1N4004
D4 R15
R2-442,000 ohms, 1% SEC 1K
R3-387.000 ohms, 1%
R4-165,000 ohms, 1%
R5, R6-300,000 ohms
4.46
R6
300K
C2
t00pF
+C3
1F
D3
1N914
R9
12K
Vcc
. +
C5
00F 2K
R13 NIE
5404
z_ o-
.
SCR1
R7-50,000 ohms, audio -taper Vcc 1~ R11
potentiometer Dt 5
S2 # 13K
R8-1500 ohms 11N914 3 2 R14
R9-12,000 ohms l1 1N914 1K
R12
R10-18,000 ohms N IC2-b 4.7K 01
V2LM358 +V
R11-13,000 ohms V4LM339 /4LM339 2N3904
R12-4700 ohms R5 R7
12
R10t +J_
R102 C4
C4IC2-a
1
S2
R4
S1
R2
+
-C2 -
C3
i4-
D1
rectifier _ SEC
-R8-4 I
R9
Q1 -2N3904 NPN transistor F1 I R1lY5
C5
C4 Cl
Other components IC2 C c1 C
+\
T1-hand-made transformer (see
text) on 0.5 -inch powdered -iron tor- RY1 R7
LE D 1 1611
13121
R11l+
IF YOU'RE INVOLVED IN TV SERVICING let's briefly discuss the various tically over the screen. As the
and repair, or just enjoy tinkering components that make up the beams scan, their currents and
around with video or amateur composite NTSC video signal: amplitudes change to create the
television, you'll be interested in synchronization, luminance, light and dark areas on the pic-
this color-bar test generator. This and chrominance information. ture -tube face and form the im-
convenient device produces an age that you see displayed on the m
NTSC color-bar pattern that can The NTSC signal screen. m
X
be used for video performance A typical NTSC composite color The composite video signal is m
testing and monitor adjust- video signal is shown in Fig.. 1-a. made up of three basic compo- 3m
ments. For added flexibility, just (NTSC is the National Television nents: the scan control informa-
the encoder section can be used Systems Committee, who has set tion called the synchronizing
to generate composite video from the standards for color encoding pulses (Fig. 1-b), the luminance A
your computer's RGB and sync and decoding systems in the U.S. signal, which is the brightness x
outputs. With a dedicated color- since 1953.) The picture on a information and is often referred z
bar generator, you can eliminate color TV is formed by three elec- to as the Y signal (Fig. 1-c), and
the need for a test tape or your tron beams of varying ampli- the color information called the ao
camera-all for under $70! tudes and phases: red, blue, and chrominance signal (Fig. 1-d). 8
Before we delve into the theory green. Each of those beams are Let's briefly discuss each type of
behind the color-bar generator, scanned horizontally and ver- video information. 51
start at the top are called vertical
YEL sync pulses, while those that
WHITE
CYAN
GRN
start scanning each line at the
MAGTA left are known as horizontal sync
v RED
BLUE
COMPOSITE COLOR pulses.
VIDEO
In the NTSC system, each
frame, of complete video image,
COLORBURST contains 525 lines. That is ac-
complished by horizontally scan-
ning at approximately 15,750
lines per second, and vertically
scanning at 30 frames per sec-
ond. (The vertical scan rate is ac-
HORIZONTAL
tually 60 Hz, but it takes two
63 s SYNC trips, or fields, down the screen
to complete one frame.) The pro-
a
cess of returning to start a new
scan is called retrace or flyback.
SYNCHRONIZING
COMPONENTS
Luminance
b
Black and white information is
contained in the Y or luminance
signal, which determines the in-
stantaneous brightness of the
electron beams as they scan over
LUMINANCE
SIGNAL
the screen. In fact, it is all that is
used for the single electron beam
BLACK-AND -WHITE in a black -and-white TV set. A
r INFORMATION
negative -going video detector de-
tects a luminance signal in
c
which the negative signal ex-
tremes correspond to bright
areas of the picture. The wave-
form shown in Fig. 1-c would,
COLOR
INFORMATION
therefore, produce vertical bars
of decreasing brightness from
left to right. Note that the output
-COLORBURST is black during retrace so the
electron beams will not be seen.
d
In the NTSC color system, the Y
signal is made from the red,
FIG. 1-A COMPOSITE VIDEO SIGNAL (a) includes sync pulses (b), black -and -white green, and blue cameras by an
information (c), and the colorburst signal (cl).
additive technique: 30% of the
red signal, 59% of the green sig-
Synchronizing components sent to the camera telling it when nal, and 11% of the blue signal
In order for a picture to be re- to start at the top of the screen are added together to form the Y
produced properly, the TV re- and when to begin a new line at signal. The luminance signal can
ceiver must scan its screen the left of the screen. Those same also be expressed as
exactly in step with the camera in pulses are sent to the receiver Ey=.30ER+.59E6+.11EB
the studio. To make sure the along with the video informa- where ER, EG, and ER are the volt-
camera and the receiver are syn- tion. The signals that tell the ages of the red, blue, and green
chronized, a series of pulses are camera and receiver when to signals, respectively.
The combination of different
amplitudes of color signals is
TP1
what determines the various
COMPOSITE shades of gray in a monochrome
SYNC
receiver-white having a lumi-
fTP2
TP12 nance of one, black a luminance
SYNC CLOCK of zero. The ability of a receiver to
COLOR
GENERATOR (J28 RED
ENCODER
determine a corresponding level
COMPOSITE IJ2Cl GREEN
COMPOSITE
VIDEO
of gray from color levels is an im-
BLANKING
TP4
OUTPUT portant feature in the com-
\
RGB GENERATOR
1
(AN BLUE
'
patibility of color and mono-
chrome TV's because the black-
and -white signals can be ob-
FIG. 2-A BLOCK DIAGRAM of the color -bar generator shows the main components of tained from the three primary
52 the circuit: RCA's CD22402E sync generator and Motorola's MC1377P color encoder. color signals.
+5v
m TP6
0
+5V
TP6
1iG
IC5
CD22402E
R15
4.7K n
4
1c 3
.,/ 14
13 BLUE 2
4
Y
XTAL2 0 GENLK GEN LCK R 2=1.
C20 2 IR R14e
B
C
OU
12 RED
IC2-a
574LS02
\,., 1 TTL BLUE
2 23 1 14 4.7K OC
P7 3
'
6 11 GREEN
-0-
OSC FBK CLK IN VccIC3-a
C19 3 C18 1N '/2741374
OD
5
h UI11VI GEN ICE DLY ENT
0 r- OMP SYNC GEN
20
CI.
2 16
/,74LS02
COMP SYNC I
+5V CLK Vcc
19
6 GENLK CAP BLANK =-0
= V22 LOAD C24 8`
5V 18 C1 .1 IC2-c 10
BEAM BLNK 525625 TTL GREEN
, 1 CLR 'A74LS02
VP8 .IL
9
1P3 8 V CNTR RST
R1 IC1
16
4.7K o--9 V DRIVE SVD 7418103 11
10 15 103-b 13
V RESET FRM SYNC TP4 IC2-d
14 '/2741574 '/ 74LS02
H CLAMP HPB 12
1
UNUSED
TP2 13
_t2 MPB Y 14
O Vss
C25
CLK M 1
+12V TP12 O
VIDEO OUTPUT
02K
1
O
.12A
O COMP SYNC
MC1377P
IC6
4/-< J3-1
\ TTL RED
XTAL1
3.'B6MIHz
1112--2-% PALMTSC
17
OSC 8.2VDC REF
V,x 14
16
R2
561(
C5
.001
^26 18
R10 RED 0J2B0 10pF C13PS OSC BURST CONT 75
5K C17 220pF,j 2
VIDEO OUT
\
SYNC
16pF
RED 3 8
TTL GREEN C14 RED Y IN
012 GREEN a,.
2-12pF 220PFT GREEN Y OUT
R8i y+ GREEN 0J2C R4
SK
J C16
1 BLUE 5
BLUE CLAMP CAP
7
tls.2K
19 it C7
K C6
16pF VCO CAP
\TTL BLUE +12V 1p CHROMA .01 L1
13 CHROMA AMP R -Y CAP
12 000
R9 BLUE 0J2D0 R6 11 1(03
N Cl) -. L2
1pF 220
GND B -Y CAP R5
5K 015
16pF
1
+800 K
-1 K 04
1 7.1 2K
L__ --J C8 .1
001
R3 K C11
6.8K 47pF
AM,
FIG. 3-SCHEMATIC OF THE COLOR -BAR GENERATOR. Sync generator IC5 provides the
composite -sync timing signals, color encoder IC6 takes the separate red, green, and blue
video signals and composite sync to generate the composite video signal. Chrominance
The color information, or chro-
minance, (which is ignored in a
black -and -white TV) is made up
of red, blue, and green signals re-
quired to drive the picture tube,
All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5%, unless Motorola minus the luminance signal.
otherwise indicated. Other components Those "color -difference" signals
R1, R14, R15- 4700 ohms L1-400-ns delay line (TK1001)
R2-56,000 ohms L2-30 H, 2.52 -MHz transformer
are designated as R -Y (red
R3-6800 ohms (TK1603) minus Y), and B-Y (blue minus
R4, R5-1200 ohms XTAL1-3.58-MHz colorburst crystal Y). Color-difference signals are
R6-220 ohms XTAL2-503-kHz ceramic resonator used solely for color reproduc-
R7-75 ohms Miscellaneous: enclosure, stand- tion. A special matrix circuit in
R8-R10 -5000-ohm potentiometer offs for mounting circuit board, 4 -
R16-1 megohm pin friction -lock connector for J1,
the receiver can extract a G -Y
Capacitors straight -header connector for J2, (green minus Y) signal from the
C1 -C4, C10, C20, C24, C25-0.1 F, bi- 2 -pin friction -lock connector for J3, B -Y and R -Y signals. The ad-
polar electrolytic four shorting jumpers, wire, solder, vantage of changing the color sig-
C5, C8-1000 pF, mica etc. nals into color-difference signals
C6, C7-0.01 F, bi -polar electrolytic is the reduction of three color sig-
C9, C18, C19-100 pF, mica Note: The following items are nals into two.
C11-47 pF, mica available from Geko Labs, 13019
C12-2-12 pF variable ceramic capacitor 250th Place SE., Issaquah, WA The R -Y, B -Y, and G-Y sig-
C26-10 pF, mica 98027-6730, (206) 392-0638: nals are decoded at the receiver
C13, C14-220 pF, mica etched, drilled and plated - by adding the Y signal back to
C15-C17-15 F, electrolytic through PC board $30.00; a com- each of the difference signals. A
Semiconductors plete kit including all parts, PC 3.58 -MHz subcarrier is sent by
C1-74LS163 counter board, and assembly instruc- the transmitter and used in the
C2 -74L02 quad NOR gate tions $80.00; a complete as- receiver to restore the original
C3-74LS74 flip-flop sembled and tested unit $125.
C4-not used Add $5.00 S & H with any order. color information.
C5 CD22402 sync generator, RCA Washington residents add 8.1% The frequency and phase angle
C6-MC1377 color encoder, sales tax. of the 3.58 -MHz subcarrier in the
receiver must be the same as that 53
VP -p CLK TP20 TP5
J2C
1.0 - GREEN -R15-
XTAL2 ...P, C20
-R16-
C19 40E cia
IC3
J1
1 3
C5A
C12( C26
SR2-
2 4 R10 L1 J2
C24 C?5 C17 XTAL1
C1 -Q- + C1314
Vp-p IC5 R4C[]G C10
R1 IC1
I
C16
Io B IC6
C2 C9
J2B R14 IC2 R8E:1 -CO-
1.0 RED Ir C3-R6-
Rb J3D 2
R91,JC15
( -R7 -CB
- C4 -R3-
TP3^COMP O o 6
SYNC TP4 TP8
o TP6 TP12
BLANK
t TP1V TP7
SYNC
VPP
J2D
1.0 BLUE
FIG. 5-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM of the color-bar generator.
The 3.58 -MHz colorburst crys- board are shown in the article if
r-- -- - t
FIG. 4-OUTPUT SIGNALS of the color -
tal, XTAL1, is the reference os-
cillator for the chroma informa-
tion. Capacitor C12 allows fine
tuning of the reference oscillator
to be exactly 3.579545 MHz. The
you wish to make it yourself.
Construction is fairly straight-
forward. Install all components
according to the parts placement
diagram shown in Fig. 5. Make
bar generator. The TTL signals are re-
duced to 1 V p-p by R8, R9, and R10.
combination of R2 and C5 set the sure C15-C17 are inserted into
timing for the insertion of the the board with correct polarities.
colorburst signal on the back Install all IC's last, observing cor-
in the transmitter for proper porch of the composite video sig- rect orientation. Since the IC's
color reproduction. Syn- nal. The values used for R2 and are static sensitive, make sure
chronization is performed by C5 set the burst timing to ap- you follow the manufacturer's
transmitting a small sample of proximately 0.4 s after sync, recommendations for proper
the 3.58 -MHz subcarrier during and a burst width of 0.6 p.s. The handling.
the horizontal snyc pulse. That network of L2, C9, R6, C8, C11,
color sync interval is also known and R3 provide bandpass filter- Checkout
as the colorburst. The colorburst ing for the chroma component. A The measurements listed in
signal is used as a reference to delay for the luminance channel this section will help to make
synchronize the phase and am- (-Y) is provided by R4, Li. and sure the video generator is work-
plitude of the color subcarrier. R5 to compensate for the internal ing properly. The power on tests
The colorburst also determines delay of the chroma signal. should be made with the + 12 -
the tint and saturation of the RGB generators ICI, IC2, and and + 5-V power sources on. Set
color that is displayed. IC3 make up the red, green, and R8, R9, and R10 to mid range. If
blue video signals that drive the you are the impatient type you
Theory of operation video encoder section to make can go right to the video output
Figure 2 shows a block di- the color bars. One half of IC1 is test point TP12 and see what you
agram, and Fig. 3 a schematic of used as a divide -by-2 counter, get. If you're lucky you'll have a
our video generator. Sync gener- which generates the 252 -kHz video signal that probably needs
ator IC5 is used to provide the clock for the four-bit counter IC1. some adjustments. If that's the
composite -sync timing signals. The non -inverted blue, red, and case you can proceed directly to
The outputs are composite sync, green signals are the divide -by-4, the video adjustments section. If
composite blanking, and a buff- -8, and -16 outputs of IC1, respec- not, proceed slowly through the
ered output of the sync oscillator. tively. The blue, red, and green following steps to isolate the
The sync generator uses a 503 - signals are inverted, and blank- problem and verify each of the
kHz ceramic resonator (XTAL2) ing is added by IC2. The TTL level listed voltages, frequencies and
as a base oscillator. The 503 -kHz is reduced to 1 volt p -p by R8, R9, waveforms. Keep in mind that
frequency is divided by 32 for the and R10, as shown in Fig. 4. you will need an oscilloscope for
horizontal sync, and is further the video level adjustments.
divided to derive the vertical Construction Pin 2 of Jl and +5 V-> 2000
sync -timing signals. Those sig- The video generator uses a ohms (power off)
nals are all combined into the double -sided PC board that is Pin 4 of J1 and +12 V-> 1
composite-sync signal which is available from the source men- megohm (power off)
sent to the MC 131377 color en- tioned in the parts list. We recom- Power-on Tests
coder (IC6). The color encoder mend that you use a PC board for + 12-V supply-57 mA
takes the separate red, green, this project because the frequen- + 5-V supply -29 mA
and blue video signals and com- cies involved require a large ICI pin 16-+5V
posite sync to generate the corn- ground plane. Both the compo- IC2 pin 14-+5 V
54 posite-video signal. nent and the solder side of the PC IC3 pin 14-+5 V
FOIL PATTERN OF THE COMPONENT side of the double -sided PC board.
81-0101-1
I.
-f
s -
-- --_
.--
ele_y-
s11- f
s--.
IF
/
\
/
-
~
i -,-4. i
f---a
f
_ ..-
05-107-11:5
i
6' INCHES
IC5 pin 19-+5 V IC1 pins 11-13 (TP6, 7 and 8)- IC6 pins 3-5-1 V p -p signal
IC5 pin 6 (TP2)-2.504-kHz, 5- Divided down signals as shown IC6 pins 17 and 18-3.58 -MHz
V p -p (TTL level) square wave in Fig. 4 oscillator signal
IC5 pin 5 (TP1)-TTL-level Color Encoder IC6 pin 16-8.2 VDC
composite -sync signal IC6 pin 14-+ 12 V IC6 pin 1-Ramp signal
IC5 pin 13 (TP4)-TTL-level IC6 pin 2-TTL-level com- IC6 pins 10 and 13-Chroma
blanking signal posite-sync signal (Fig. 1-b) signal (Fig. 1-d)
IC3 pin 5 (TP5)-252-kHz IC6 pins 6 and 8-Luminance
signal signal (Fig. 1-c)
ICI pins 11-13 (TP6, 7, 8)-Di- Amateur Television Quarterly
IC6 pin 9-2 V p -p (Fig. 1-a
vided down signals This article originally appeared in ATV() signal)
Sync Generator magazine. ANC) is a quarterly publication Video Level Adjustments
IC5 pin 19-+5 V featuring technical articles on subjects re- IC6 pin 4 (J2C)-Adjust R8 to 1
IC5 pin 5 (TP1)-TTL-level lated to ham radio, including VHF, UHF, V p -p
composite-sync signal amateur N (AN), computer programs, IC6 pin 3 (J2B)-Adjust RIO to
IC5 pin 6 (TP2)-504-kHz, 5-V and repeater projects. ANC) is enjoyed by
1 V p -p
p-p TTL-level square wave hams of all levels, from beginner to Extra
class. A subscription to this magazine is IC6 pin 5 (J2D)-Adjust R9 to 1
IC5 pin (TP4)-TTL-level
13 available for $15 per year, $4.00 for a sam- V p -p
blanking signal ple copy (Visa and Mastercard are accept- J3 pin 1-Terminate into a 75 -
RGB Generator ed). For more information contact ohm connector
IC1 pin 16-+5 V Video Output (TP12)-Com-
IC2 pin 14-+5 V Amateur Television Quarterly
posite 1-V p -p signal. If you can't
IC3 pin 14-+5 V 1545 Lee St. #73
Des Plaines, IL 60018 get this signal, adjust R8 for the
IC3 pin 5 (TP5)-252-kHz (708) 298-2269 proper peak level and null out the
signal continued on page 129 55
Welcome to...
SCIENCE
OBE!
The Amateur Scientist's Journal
Embark on an irresistible new journey into the realm
of mystery, challenge, and exploration! The perfect
magazine for the budding scientist, the serious
amateur, the professional who would like to relax,
and those who simply want to gaze at the stars.
Scientists! If you are fascinated by sci- Inside Internet-A Scientific Computer Network
ence in all its many forms ... if you can't Make your own Seismometer
scope, calipers, or test tube -
stay away from a microscope, tele-
we in-
vite you to share the wonders in every
Operate a Solar-Powered Weather Station
Assemble a Solid -State Portable Barometer
issue of Science PROBE! You will join
a community of Amateur and Student
The Bicycle-A Traveling Scientific Laboratory
Scientists who enthusiastically seek
scientific knowledge or follow scientific If you're fascinated by science in all its many forms,
pursuits for their own sakes and not if you are compelled to experiment and explore, then
merely as a profession. Science PROBE! is your kind of magazine!
Obtain your next issue of Science For Faster Service-Call Today:
PROBE! by visiting a quality News- 1-800-777-5489
stand, Convenience Store, or Super-
market or by reserving your personal 5XP37 i
copy through the mail by completing Science PROBE!
500-B Bi -County Boulevard
the coupon below. Farmingdale, NY 11735
From your very first issue of Science Please forward my copy of Science PROBE! as soon as it comes off the press.
PROBE! you will be involved in a world I am enclosing $3.50-U.S.A. ($4.23 -Canada -includes G.S.T.) plus $1.00 for
of scientific facts, experiments, and shipping and handling. Better still, please enroll me as a subscriber and send
the next four (4) quarterly issues of Science Probe. I am enclosing $9.05-
studies pursued by amateur scientists U.S.A. (Canada: $16.00-includes G.S.T.)
who are university students, investors, PI Next Four Issues )1 Year)
HI Next Issue Only
academicians, engineers, or office Offers valid in the U.S.A. and Canada only. No foreign orders.
workers, salesmen, farmers-whose Name
quest is to probe into the mysteries of Address
science and reveal them to all.
City State ZIP
Plan to become a Science PROBE! All Orders payable in U.S.A. Funds only.
reader!
Popular Electronics
Get the latest electronic technology a
CREATE A HIGH -VOLTAGE MINIATURE T ORNADO
and information monthly!
Now you can subscribe to the magazine that plugs you into
the exciting world of electronics. With every issue of Popular
Electronics you'll find a wide variety of electronics projects
Ponular Electrorn
NEW GEAR COMING AT YOU
you can build and enjoy. Get your first look at wide-screen TV's. recordable video-
discs, "full -motion" picturephones, "shock -proof"
Popular Electronics brings you informative new product and CD players, and the rest of the new generation
literature listings, feature articles on test equipment and of high-tech electronic products
tools-all designed to keep you tuned in to the latest devel- POP-UP OUTDOOR LIGHTS
opments in electronics. So if you love to build fascinating Build a walkway lighting system that
ducks out of your way for mowing
electronics, just fill out the subscription form below to sub- and other gardening chores
scribe to Popular Electronics...lt's a power-house of fun for
WIRE BEAMS:
the electronics enthusiast. GAIN ON THE CHEAP
These antenna designs
work where
EXCITING MONTHLY FEATURES LIKE: others tail
BUILD YOUR OWN
CONSTRUCTION-Building projects from crystal sets to HIGH -VOLTAGE
electronic roulette CAPACITORS
Can't find or afford
that special capacitor
FEATURES-Educational training on digital electronics, for your Telsa coil or
Ohm's Law, Antennas, Communications, Antique Radio, other high -voltage
Simplified Theory project? Then build
your own using our
easy-to -duplicate, low-
HANDS-ON-REPORTS-User test comments on new and 4.062442107
cost designs
unusual consumer products Product Reviews
Sansui L'Y Amplifier
Memorex Extended -Ploy Personal
SPECIAL COLUMNS-Think Tank, Circuit Circus, Com- 3 NEW Stereo
FocIColds Plug 'N Power Computer Interlace
puter Bits, DX Listening, Antique Radio, Amateur, Scanner Dtf The IN ISIS ISSUE Zenith 27-Inch Surround -Sound TV
Ana More
Scene
NEWSSTAND
Rate
PLUS: ALL OUR GREAT DEPARTMENTS!
You'll get 12 exciting and informative issues of Popular Elec- FOR FASTER SERVICE CALL TODAY
tronics for only $18.95. That's a savings of $23.05 off the regular
single copy price. Subscribe to Popular Electronics today! Just fill
out the subscription order form below. 1-800-827-0383
(7:30AM-8:30PM)
EASTERN STANDARD TIME
AXP93 i
Popular Electronics SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM
P.O. Box 338, Mt. Morris IL. 61054
Payment Enclosed J
Bill me later
ADDRESS
Please charge my: Visa Mastercard
`
In Canada add $5.55 Postage 'Include. t .S.TI. All Other Porrign add $7.511
Signature Exp. Date
58
PAUL BRULE sumption to that of the average the monitored load is fairly con-
Long Islander. Let's see how this stant at about 117 volts, we can
useful device works. say that the power is propor-
IF YOU'RE CONCERNED WITH ENERGY tional to I x cos(). lb obtain the
cost and conservation, as most About the circuit phase angle, both the voltage and
people are, you'll be interested in The ECM circuit consists of current must be monitored.
our energy consumption four sections, as shown in the liansformer T1 supplies the volt-
monitor (ECM). Without the block diagram of Fig. 1. A power age, while the current -propor-
ECM, it's difficult for the average converter generates a voltage that tional voltage is obtained by
person to determine how much is proportional to the true or real stepping up (by a factor of 20) the
an individual home appliance power consumed by the load. voltage drop across shunt re-
costs to run. That's especially That voltage feeds both a bar- sistors R1-a-d via T2.
true for appliances with variable
duty cycles such as a refrigerator
which will have its compressor
and fan motors, lights and other
loads on at different times.
Our energy consumption
monitor can display the accumu- ENERGY CONSUMPTION
lated cost in cents for the con-
nected home appliance load.
What did you spend to operate
your toaster yesterday? What
MONITOR
about your TV or air con-
ditioner? Is the cost of energizing
that spare freezer unit worth the
few pennies saved when you
bought your meat on sale? The
ECM will help you to answer
those questions quickly.
The ECM can also be used as a
power meter by connecting a
DMM to the voltage output of the
monitor. Using the DC scale of
your meter, each volt represents
100 watts. For example, a reading
of 0.56 volts would translate to 56
watts.
lb give you an idea of what the
average residential Long Island, Build this energy consumption
NY consumer pays monthly for
operating various appliances, re-
fer to Table 1. The monthly cost
monitor and find out how much it costs
was based on a rate of 13C per
kilowatt-hour (kWh). The average
to run your household appliances.
Long Island resident uses about
600 kWh's per month, which graph and a voltage -to-pulse con- The ECM is capable of accu-
translates into a monthly electric verter. The bargraph gives an rately monitoring the effective
bill of $91.81. approximate indication of the power of inductive loads. If a ca-
The current electric rates for amount of power used, and the pacitive load is connected to the
the Long Island, NY area are voltage -to -pulse converter pro- ECM, only the apparent power,
among the highest in the U.S. duces a pulse whose frequency is not the effective power, will be
and vary depending on the sea- proportional to the power. The monitored, causing some degree
son and the total amount of pulse triggers the counter mod- of inaccuracy. That shouldn't
kWh's used. The summer rates ule which displays the cost of pose much of a problem because
are 12.87e for 0-250 kWh's used powering the monitored load. just about all reactive household
and 14.14 for 250-350 kWh's. loads are inductive. However,
The winter rates are 12.87e for The power converter some appliances such as re-
0-250 kWh's and 12.334 for In order to determine the actu- frigerators, freezers, and air con-
250-350 kWh's. Of course elec- al power consumed by an appli- ditioners use capacitor-start in-
tric rates will vary, depending on ance, we must find the phase an- ductive motors, which are
the size of your family, the region gle between the voltage and characterized by a high starting
of the country in which you live, current in the overall circuit. We torque. Those types of motors
and the utility company who ser- know that will present a capacitive loading
vices you. The information pro- P=Vxlcose effect on the power line, but only
vided is only a rough basis to where cos() is known as the during start-up, which is a very
compare your own power con- power factor. Since the voltage of short time interval compared to 59
TABLE 1 -AVERAGE WATTAGE, USAGE AND COST OF HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES
Estimated Monthly
Monthly Usage Consumption
Appliance Wattage (Hours) (kWh) Monthly Cost*1
Food Preparation
Broiler 1,140 6.3 7.2 $0.94
Home Entertainment
Color TV (tube) 240 180.0 43.2 $5.62
Refrigerator
Frost free, 10-15 years old - continuous 141.2 $18.36
Air Conditioning
Room AC, 6,500 BTU's*4 (before
1980) EER*2 7.2-930 116.0 108.0 $14.04
Room AC, 6,500 BTU's (after 1980) EER 8.5-770 116.0 89.0 $11.57
Room AC, 6,500 BTU's (after 1980) EER 9.5-680 116.0 79.0 $10.27
Notes*
1. The monthly cost is based on an average rate of 130/kWh.
2. Energy efficiency ratio.
3. Seasonal energy efficiency ratio.
4. BTU's/EER = watts.
All figures noted in this table were obtained from Long Island Lighting Company's (LILCO) Energy Conservation Department.
60
LINE VOLTAGE o OUTPUT TO VOLTMETER
POWER
CONVERTER
LOAD CURRENT o
ICI
PEAK DETECTOR
AND
VOLT. FOLLOWER
FIG. 2-THE BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE POWER CONVERTER section of the ECM.
120V
HOT
R1-c
-1NMR1
6V
_
--L0
T1 T2
000
000- +V
D1 -V
D4
104002
I IC4 0 0 + 18V 1N3034 D7 VOLTMETER
7815CT 14 1N914
I1
+
C 1/V
R2 1
D3
1N3034 TP2 O
3
ICI -a
," +_ R12
IC1-b
TP1 1/2 LM1458
0- C1
470F
7Z
02
273
2.2K C2
1F C111
1/2 LM1458 C9
100K
D2
1F
i
1144002 R11
I IC5 47K
N
I
79L12 I
0 12V 5K
220F
C3 "6'7-
C + 2.2F
C4
= D5
R20
+ 18V
I 10344
3.6K
R6 R9 AAA.
2.2K 22K 01 R25
2N4402 2.7K
R7 R8
2.2K
{1
6
5K 6 1
R10 D6
C5T
0.47
(
0.47
Cl
0.47
10K S 1N914
R21 1/4
IC3-a
LM339
LEDI
D10
2.2K :1
1N914
R26
+ 2.7K
4 2
LED2
IC3-b
R22 LM339 D11
00.00
LED3
1M 150K IC3-c
R14 1/4 LM339 D12
10K D9
680
R23S2 1N914
+ IC2
.-. 110741
1N914 12- R28
+ 2.7K
C10
1000F Vy 8 14
R16 R19
R17 IC3-d LED4
100K 7' 10K R24
1.8K
1202 e 1/4 1M339
network, which switches 01 on. R11 calibrates the peak detector output so that it pro-
duces 1 volt for every 100 watts consumed by the load. For greater power -handling
capability, R1 -a -R1 -d can be replaced by three 0.33-ohm, 10 -watt resistors.
unplugged, or in the event of a the previously lit LED is turned
power failure. off as the power increases, thus
At the heart of the bargraph is allowing no more than one LED
IC3, a quad comparator. The to remain on at a time.
power voltage drives all of the The power -supply section is
comparator's inverting inputs fairly straightforward. The trans-
while each of the non -inverting
inputs are tied to different volt-
age references derived by the volt-
age divider network of R20 to
former's (T1) voltage is half-wave
rectified, and is then filtered by
Cl. The voltage divider R2 and R3
is used to boost the output volt-
i b
GROUND R1a-d
R24. As the voltage signal in- age of regulator IC4 to approxi- LUG
iI3
D1
!=
-it--
D2 lD1U--j- -, doubling or halfing of VIAL
IC4
C4 R25
^-R21- -R20- should approximately double or
R6 R7 D44`)(:5
I
D 7 ) IC1
J
R13
ell
-Mt-4 rel-
R75 ) IC2_ RI18 j
IRf8
r
> half the pulse rate. Remember,
each pulse represents '/i000 of a
cent.
b5('
+
Disconnect the jumper used in
C6
1 1
R8 C7 R9p
1 1
+ R14
C10 R17
LED3\,>1 the previous procedure and con-
C5 12
-,.,
-C9^
IR119 nect a 100 -watt light as a load.
1,11k1( R11
Using an oscilloscope, monitor
01
LED2~ the waveform at TP2 and set R7
Ti!
T2 so that the sampling ends at the
COUNTER
TERM. #4
very peak of the incoming wave-
sOl HOT form, which should look like the
L1 waveform of Fig. 3-g.
NEUTRAL
Finally, power calibration is the
last to be performed. With the
S1
100 -watt light connected adjust
R11 so that a DMM, connected to
4
the external voltmeter jacks, dis-
3 plays 1.00 volt DC. You may want
J w
to verify that wattage by measur-
ing the voltages across shunt re-
R1, and the line. With
V GROUND sistor
NEUTRAL TERMINATION those two voltage readings, the
power maybe calculated using
FIG. 6-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM AND WIRING connections. Use 14 AWG wire for the formula
make you wire the hot and neutral leads of the power Supply P(wattS) = VSHUNT X VLINE/RSHUNT,
cord to the proper terminations on the AC socket. where RSHUNT is the shunt resis-
tance (four 0.39 -ohm resistors in
parallel = 0.0975 ohms). `SHUNT
- rt- is the voltage drop across R1 and
VLINE is the AC line voltage.
How good
is your amplifier?
Our inexpensive
THD analyzer voltage level for voltage ampli- tion. After passing through fixed
fiers, or a desired power level for and variable attenuators, plus a
will let checking power amps up to 600 buffer amp (IC2), the signal
watts. It will detect THD levels emerges at output jack Jl.
you know down to 0.005 percent! It fea- The output signal from J1 driv-
tures a built-in one-percent THD es the input of the device under
calibrator, a full array of input test (DUT), usually an amplifier.
and output processing controls, The DUT's output, which in-
JOHN F. KEIDEL and uses your digital multimeter cludes some degree of distortion,
(DMM) as a readout device. is applied to the input of the ana-
lyzer at jack J2. The fundamental
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED EXACTLY Circuit description frequency (1 kHz) is then re-
how good an amplifier is, or As shown in Fig. 1, an moved from the output signal of
whether it actually measures up NE5534N low-noise, low-distor- the DUT, leaving only harmonic
to the manufacturer's specifica- tion op-amp, IC1, is configured as distortion components.
tion of its lbtal Harmonic Distor- a Wien Bridge sine -wave os- Combination notch/high-pass
tion, or THD? Or are you curious cillator. Carefully matched RC filter circuits IC3 and IC4 (both
if the amplifier you've designed is values (R2 -C1 and R3 -C2) in the TL074's) perform the removal
better or worse than a store- frequency-selective positive feed- function. One feature of IC3's
bought one? If the answer is yes back network contribute to its three -stage RC active filter is that
to any of those questions, then low distortion level. Resistor RI it maintains a constant 45 -dB
you should build our inexpensive and bulb LMP1 form the sta- notch depth over its full tuning
THD analyzer. You can use it to bilized negative feedback net- range. The filter is connected in
test "home-brew" amplifier work that provides a constant - series with an identical second
breadboard circuits or commer- amplitude output signal. DC off- filter (IC4), to provide a 90 -dB
cial equipment such as stereo re- set control R4 keeps DC current notch of the fundamental signal.
ceivers, preamps, and power out of LMP1, which minimizes The resultant frequency re-
amps. The analyzer uses an ul- second harmonic distortion con- sponse of the combined filters is
tra -pure 1 -kHz test signal to mea- tent. Filter network R6 -C6 fur- 27 dB down at 20 Hz, which
sure THD at a user-selected ther reduces any residual distor- helps suppress 60 -Hz hum and
IC7 + 15V
J4 0 -O *f- 17815 O
INPUT T1 24VAC' F1 S6 o D4
G
120VAC 24VAC INPUT o 0.5A POWER D3 Iv 1N4002 1+ C22
= 1N4302= C23 C24
OUTPUT 220F
1F .33
(TO J4)
R46 = D5
C4
680e 7 1N4002 - 15V
Rl IC8
O
'0F 7915 O
43052
R4
100K
RS
22K
+
R12
62052
J1
OUTPUT O LEDI
C25
220F
= LL1
G
C27 1 C28
+ .33
+ 1F 1F
C3 j
**"..22pF
1
8
5 + 15V
IC1
5534
0dB R53
3 C2 R7 R10A
4 S1 10K
-.01 20K
AT TEN
5.6K
TC5 AA
20dB +
Ci R8 R9 S R52 C31 R54
-15V 1'0F 40dB q 50K
= 100K 100F 10K
01
-)I
2K 22052
T
1
R2
15.8K
15.8K
THD
J5
I(
C30
01
R51
100K 1M
^ C21
.01
'T 7 R49
T,
R50 IC6
62052
J7p
DVM
J2 5 J3 C15 1 - 15V
INPUT SCOPE 22pF
R43 R44
10K 10K
' 1.C14
C16
I
2
C9 _
^ S5 .01
I(
D2
We
.01 THD/REF R41
S2
01
1N914
C191 1MEG
C20
1/4 11074 1N914 1F^
t op o
1
<20VINPUT EFOTHD R36 4 10MEG
5
yN
R13 R15 #R39
100K
1>20V
1K
-15V
R35
100K_
C17
.2
R38
10.OK T C18
1F 10K
R40
4.53K
R14 I( We
11K
R25
10K
r R32
2.00K
R33
18.2K
M1ti
R24 +15V.
C13.1.
NULL 10K 13 .01
o 0 Wr R27 6 +
1/4 TL074
15.8K R30
JU1
1/4 TL074 1N 50K 1/4 TL074
O O NULL 2 R34
OPER 11 R26 R28 /4 TL074 1K
5.1K 7.5K
C12 We *AN
T.001
R22 2
J77
50K OPTIONAL
NULL 1 IC3-a
EXT.
1/4 TL074 1/4 TL074 V4 TL074 EARTH
R21
10
R19 R23 t2 130K
GND.
5.1K 7.5K
C10-
0017
FIG. 1-SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM of the simple THD analyzer. An NE5534N op -amp (IC1) is
configured as a Wien Bridge sine wave oscillator. Carefully matched RC values in the
frequency -selective positive feedback network contribute to the low distortion level.
68 Resistor R1 and incandescent bulb LMP1 form the stabilized negative feedback network
that provides a constant -amplitude output signal.
other low -frequency noises.
Above the 90 -dB notch frequen-
cy, the response is flat ( 0.5 dB)
from 2 kHz to 100 kHz.
When S4, the THD/REF switch,
is in the THD position, a signal
containing only THD compo-
nents is channeled through from
the output of the x 1/ x 10 THD
amp (IC4) to the input of the AC -
to -DC converter, IC5. Although
both polarities of the applied sig-
nal are rectified by this circuit,
only the positive averaged signal
is fed to the low-pass filter R41 -
C20. The output buffer, IC6, is a
CA3193 precision op -amp, stable
enough to provide accurate volt,
millivolt, and microvolt DC level
output signals to an external
DVM.
Dual op-amp IC9, a CA3260,
serves as a calibrator. The first
stage affords precision half-wave
rectification of the master os-
cillator's signal. That same ap-
plied signal is AC coupled by C30
to the second stage, biased at '/a
Vcc, for linear transfer to its out-
put. Voltage divider R49 -R50
mixes a very small portion of half-
wave output at pin 7 of IC9 with a
much larger full sine wave seen at
pin 1. Since the signal swings
slightly more positive from its
quiescent level than it does in the
negative -going direction, it is
considered to have a specific
amount of second harmonic dis-
tortion. That amount, by design,
is one percent.
Wall transformer T1 feeds half-
wave power diodes D4 and D5
through connector J4, fuse F1,
and power switch S5. Capacitors
C22 and C25 are the principal
filters for the positive and nega-
tive supplies, respectively. Small-
er filters, C23 and C27, along
with high -frequency transient
suppressors C24 and C28, are in-
cluded at the output side of reg-
ulators IC7 (a 7815 + 15 -volt
regulator) and IC8 (a 7915 -15 -
volt regulator).
Construction
Breadboard assembly of the
analyzer is not recommended, al-
though a seasoned builder may
wish to attempt it. It's best to ei-
ther make your own PC board
from the foil pattern we've pro- FOIL PATTERN for the THD meter shown actual size.
vided, or order one from source
mentioned in the parts list. tion of all polarized parts as you line wiring, including the LED1
Mount all components as install them, and the use of IC indicator, uses two wires plus a
shown in Fig. 2. Check orienta - sockets is suggested. All power- shield. Connect the shield wires 69
J8 J4
EARTH POWER
IN
LEDI
R44 --o
R I!-p
CO1
R22 90-
R15 --
J7
J5
`-..
DVM
1%
THD
20dB 40dB
CAL
OUT
S2
R8 RIGA >20V
L R10 9<20V
VAR.
J1
OUTPUT w
R13
I(
C9
6J2
SOLDER
TO FRAME
OF R10
FIG.2-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. Note that JUl is actually an 8-pin DIP socket in
which a jumper is placed in either the far -left or -right side (see text). Also note the six your DMM on its 20K resistance
components soldered to the front -panel -mounted controls. range, select two 15.8K resistors
that are the closest in value. If the
together and then to ground, to than their marked 1% values. If match is less than perfect, solder
prevent hum pick-up. Also, you don't own or can't borrow a a small -value resistor in series
ground the frame of potentiome- capacitance meter, you can build with the lower value to raise it to
ter R10. Bare ground wires for and use the simple circuit shown the exact value of the higher one.
each BNC connector may be in Fig. 3. Adjust the calibration You can mount two resistors in
wrapped around the connector potentiometer with any one of place of one by putting one
body prior to installing the re- the four 0.01 F capacitors (C1, through each hole in the board
taining nut. The ground binding C2, C11, or C13) inserted as Cx, and soldering the raised ends to-
post (J8) on the rear panel pro- to read 1.000 volt on your DMM's gether. Again, the leftover 1%
vides an optional, external earth- 2 -volt DC range. (You can consid- 15.8K resistors can be used for
ground connection when mea- er the reading to be 0.01000 F.) R18 and R27 without having to
suring microvolt -level THD sig- Now measure the remaining be closely matched.
nals. Just connect J8 to circuit three capacitors and select the You may wish to build your
ground. The grommet used to two that are closest in value. Ab- own enclosure for the THD meter.
hold bulb LMP1 should have a 1/4 - solute value is not important; we A silk-screened front panel mea-
inch inside diameter. It is glued simply want them to be the same suring 93/4 inches wide by 3
to the top side over the hole for value. However, if one capacitor inches high can be purchased
maximum resiliency. measures 80 pF lower than an- from the source mentioned in the
In addition to the components other, you can solder an 82-pF parts list. If you decide to pur-
that are soldered to the circuit mica capacitor on the underside chase the front panel, and build
board, also note that five re- of the PC board in parallel with your own enclosure, build it to fit
sistors and one capacitor are sol- the selected capacitor. The left- the front panel and drill several 1/4
dered across the terminals of over 1% 0.01 F capacitors can be -inch holes in the top panel near
panel -mounted controls Si, R10, used for C11 and C13 without the voltage regulators to allow
S2, and J2 (see Fig. 2). having to be closely matched. heat to escape. Otherwise you
Capacitors Cl and C2 must be Likewise, resistors R2 and R3 can purchase the same enclosure
matched to better tolerances must be close in value. Using used for the prototype; the exact
PARTS LIST
All resistors are'/a watt, 5%, unless R46-680 ohms LED1-Red light -emitting diode
otherwise indicated. R50-249 ohms, 1%, metal film Other components
R1-430 ohms R51, R52-100,000 ohms, 1%, metal S1 -Panel -mount, 2 -pole, 6 -position
R2, R3, R18, R27-15,800 ohms, film switch
1%, metal film Capacitors S2, S4 -S6 -Panel -mount miniature
R4-100, 000 ohms, PC -mount Cl, C2, C11, C13-0.01 F, 100 volts, SPDT toggle switch
potentiometer 1% Mylar S3-Not used
R5-22,000 ohms C3, C7, C15-22 pF, 300 volts, mica JU1-8-pin DIP socket or jumper
R6, R11, R15, R34, R36-1000 ohms C4, C5-10 F, 25 volts, tantalum block
R7-20,000 ohms C6, C8, C20, C29, C32-0.1 F, 50 T1-120VAC/24VAC, 200 mA wall
R8, R48-2000 ohms volts, Mylar transformer
R9-220 ohms C9, C14, C21, C30-0.01 F, 50 J1 -J3, J5 -Panel -mount male BNC
R10-50,000 ohms, panel -mount volts, Mylar connector
potentiometer C10, C12-0.001 F, 100 volts, 1% J4-Coaxial power input jack
R10A-5600 ohms Mylar J6-J8-Panel -mount binding post
R12, R45 620 ohms C16, C17-0.2 F, 50 volts, Mylar LMP1-Incandescent bulb, #327
R13, R35-100,000 ohms C18, C19, C23, C27-1.0 F, 25 F1 -Fuse, 0.5A, 120 VAC
R14-11,000 ohms volts, tantalum Miscellaneous: Project case (Jam -
R16, R17, R24, R25, R38, R39, C22, C25-220 F, 50 volts, eco Electronics H2507), two '/a
R49-10,000 ohms, 1%, metal film electrolytic inch diameter instrument knobs,
R19, R26-5100 ohms C24, C28-0.33 F, 50 volts, Mylar seven 8 -pin IC sockets, (not includ-
R20, R31-9090 ohms, 1%, metal C26-1 F, 50 volts, tantalum ing JU1), fuse holder, LED bezel,
film C31-100 F, 25 volts, electrolytic grommet, shielded cable, wire, sol-
R21, R29-130,000 ohms Semiconductors der, hardware, etc.
R22, R30-50,000 ohms, PC -mount IC1, IC2, IC5-NE5534N low -noise Note: The following items are
potentiometer op -amp available from Instrumex, P.O.
R23, R28-7500 ohms IC3, IC4-TL074 quad low -noise Box 490, Blue Bell, PA 19422:
R32-2000 ohms, 1%, metal film op-amp Etched, drilled, and plated PC
R33-18,200 ohms, 1%, metal film 106 CA3193E precision op -amp board and silk-screened plastic
R37-10 megohms IC7-7815 positive 15 -volt regulator front panel (both to fit case men-
R40-4530 ohms, 1%, metal film 103-7915 negative 15 -volt regulator tioned above -$25.00 + $3.00
R41, R42-1 megohm IC9 CA3260E dual MOSFET-input S&H
R43-10,000 ohms, PC -mount op -amp PA residents must include 6%
potentiometer D1, 192-1N914 diode sales tax.
R44, R47, R53, R54-10,000 ohms D3 -D5-1N4002 diode Allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.
DVM INPUT
OUTPUT THD J2
Jt ANALYZER
OUT
AMPLIFIER
OR I 852
INPUT D.U. T.
O
POWER RESISTOR
LOAD (IF REQ.)
THD MEASUREMENT
LECTRET
MICROPHONE
R2
15K
R3
6.8K
R4
10K
R5
4.7K
+9V
01
2N2222
+
C2
ooG
10F
C3
'
R6
R8
2.2K
_C4
R7
4.7K
5 60pF
02
2N2222
6T
ANTENNA
R9
22052
\ /
VV
L1.
C7
1
'SEE TEXT
about 1 inch of twisted wire, stop
and cut the looped end off leaving
about 1/2 -inch of twisted wire
(this forms the capacitor) and 1/2 -
inch of untwisted wire for leads.
Capacitor C7, a 0.1F capaci-
tor, is one of the most critical
components in the circuit. You
must place it across the L1 -Q2 -
R9 assembly, as shown in Fig. 1,
to reduce the amount of RF feed-
back you'll get into the rest of the
circuit. The antenna (more 24-
gauge wire) should be soldered to
the coil you made, about 2 turns
FIG. 1-FM TRANSMITTER SCHEMATIC. When powered from a 9 -volt battery and used
with an antenna no longer than 12 inches, the radiated power will be within the FCC limits. up from the bottom, or the tran-
sistor side, and should be about
8-12 inches long.
ANTENNA TRIMMER CAPACITOR HAND-MADE COIL
Operation
lb use the transmitter, set up a
radio in the area at least 10 feet
from the project. Find a blank
spot on the dial and turn the ra-
dio up so you can hear the static.
Connect a 9 -volt battery to the
transmitter and listen to the ra-
dio. Slowly adjust the tank capac-
itor (C5) until you "quiet" the
receiver; this is the tuned spot.
Note that when you remove your
hands from the transmitter, you
MICROPHONE HAND -MADE CAPACITOR will detune the circuit some-
FIG. 2-THE AUTHOR'S COMPLETED PROTOTYPE. Notice how the antenna is soldered what. It is usually best to leave it
to the coil, about 2 turns from the transistor side. detuned, and tune the radio in to
get the best reception. If you can-
board, making sure that the PARTS LIST
not get the tuning range you de-
ground lead of the microphone sire, you can squeeze the coils in
can be soldered to the ground bus All resistors are 1/8 -watt, 5%. the tank circuit closer together to
on the board. Route the lead from R1,R6-1000 ohms raise the frequency, or pull them
RI to the positive lead of the mi- R2-15,000 ohms apart just a little bit to lower it.
crophone and solder it. The R3-6800 ohms The circuit works best when
10-F capacitor, Cl, should be R4-10,000 ohms powered by a battery, but if a wall -
placed in the middle of the board, R5,R7-4700 ohms derived supply is needed, make
oriented as shown on the sche- R8-2200 ohms certain that the ripple voltage is
matic, and soldered to the micro- R9-220 ohms as low as possible, or you will get
phone/Ri junction. Capacitors hum in the receiver. R-E
C1, C3-10 F, 25 volts, electrolytic
This project requires two C2-2.2 F, 25 volts, electrolytic
hand -made parts-coil L1 and C4, C7-0.1 F, 25 volts, ceramic
capacitor C6-but you make C5-5-60 pF trimmer
both of them yourself using only C6-hand-made capacitor (see text)
wire and a common pencil for a Semiconductors
coil form. The inductor is made 01, Q2-2N2222 NPN transistor
by winding two pieces of 24 - Other components
gauge insulated wire, laid side by L1-hand-made coil (see text)
side, around a pencil six times. Miscellaneous: perforated con-
Remove the coil you have formed struction board, 9 -volt battery, bat-
and unscrew the two coils apart tery clip, electret microphone, 24 -
from each other. One of these gauge insulated wire, bare wire,
coils, the better-looking of the solder. etc.
two, will be used in the tank cir-
cuit (Li) and the other can be
used in the next one you build. inch piece of 24-gauge insulated
The other hand-made compo- wire, bend it over double and, be-
nent, capacitor C6, is part of the ginning 1/2 -inch from the open
oscillator feedback. lb make this end, twist the wire as if you were
small value capacitor, take a 4 - forming a rope. When you have
IT'S BEEN ONLY A DECADE SINCE COM-
pact disc digital audio was intro-
duced. In that short time, the
compact disc or CD has brought
high -quality audio reproduction
to the masses, and taught us to
appreciate good sound. We're not
exaggerating when we say that
the CD has changed the way we
listen to music.
It's rare for a new technology
and format to catch on so quick-
ly-especially one that threatens
to make its predecessors ob-
solete. CD was a success not only
because of consumer acceptance,
but because it also offered some-
thing to manufacturers, record-
ing companies, and retailers.
It wasn't the CD's "gee whiz"
appeal-nor was it the promise of
perfect audio reproduction-that
caused sales to catch fire. It was
convenience. When compared to
the LP that it replaced, CD's were
a dramatic breakthrough. They
can store more audio in a pack-
age a fraction of the size. They
can be lent to even your most
careless friends without getting
scratched. They even play back
more conveniently, because you
can skip tracks that you don't
want to listen to, or re -arrange
the order in which the songs play
back.
It's convenience, also, that
makes the venerable compact
cassette our music medium of
choice. (Cassettes outsold CD's
every year until last year.) They fit BRIAN C. FENTON
in your shirt pocket, and they
stand up reasonably well to
abuse. They're ideal for use in a
car or in a personal stereo be-
cause they're relatively immune Two new digital audio formats-Sony's
to shocks. So what if they can't
come close to the audio quality of Mini Disc and Philips' Digital Compact
a CD or even an LP?
Cassette-promise to battle each other as
How about DAT?
In the belief that consumers they create consumer confusion.
had fallen so much in love with
the idea of digital audio because chines to the U.S. The RIAA was general press.
of their exposure to CD, Japa- concerned about DAT's potential Although some DAT machines
nese manufacturers reasoned to make virtually perfect copies of were available on the "gray mar-
that Digital Audio Tape (DAT) CD's. (They seemingly missed the ket" of unofficially imported
would be to the CD what the com- fact that, for most people, cas- goods, DAT officially arrived in
pact cassette was to the LP Unfor- settes do the same thing. And de- the U.S. market in 1990-with
tunately, it didn't work out that spite that, pre-recorded cassettes generally disappointing results.
way for a number of reasons. have outsold both LP's and CD's Whether it was the years of delay,
First, the record industry, combined since 1982! They've the taint of the lawsuits, the ex-
spearheaded by the RIAA (Re- outsold blank tapes as well.) The pense of the machines, or the
cording Industry Association of threats of lawsuits were enough lack of pre-recorded software that
America), threatened lawsuits to stop DAT dead in its tracks, have killed DAT in the consumer
against any Japanese manufac- despite considerable accolades market, we'll never know for
turer who exported the DAT ma - for the format in the audio and sure. Perhaps DAT failed because 75
enter into the field of digital re-
107.5
cording." 'Dandy Corporation an-
nounced that they would be the 80
8x195=1560
4 1852.5
DCC is that it doesn't make the 0.02 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.5 1 2kHz 5 10 20
5 familiar cassette obsolete. All FREQUENCY -kHz
'J.
6 a
4
ward compatibility" could con- 0.02 0.05 0.1 0.2 0 5 2kHz 5 10 20
vince some consumers to up-
1
FREQUENCY -kHz
3
grade to DCC even though they
2 like what they already have. After b
t a ti t tii
DISC
ROTATION
NEW OLD Ever since we forecast that DAT
MO LAYER would be a sure-fire success,
(CROSS-SECTIONAL VIEW) we've been reluctant to make pre-
OBJECTIVE LENS
dictions. But let's look at some of
the issues involved, and how
DCC and MD stack up.
N For consumers-assuming
that both formats offer high -
quality audio-DCC has the de-
cided advantage in that existing
libraries of cassettes won't be ob-
solete. Both formats have the po-
LASERN tential to supply such con-
venience features as song title
MAGNETO -OPTICAL OVERWRITE TECHNOLOGY. When the magnetic layer is heated by and lyric readouts, but MD offers
the laser, it becomes possible for the magnetic head to change Its polarity. The polarity is much faster random access of
then detected by the laser during playback by noting the direction of reflection. tracks. Although it's too early to
say for sure, prices for home DCC
change polarity when subject to a decks should be around $600
very small magnetic field. The MINI DISC when introduced, while a porta-
new material fills the bill. ble MD player is expected to cost
The Mini Disc requires both a more than $400. For consumers,
laser and a magnetic head for re- 1.4 MBIT/SECOND
we give DCC a slight edge.
cording. When the magnetic The recording companies will
layer is heated by the laser (to a have a hard time taking sides.
temperature of about 400F), it OPTICAL PICKUP
Both technologies will use the se-
loses its coercive force-that is, it rial copy management system or
becomes very easy to magnetize. MBIT MEMORY
SCMS, an anti -piracy system.
The head then supplies a mag-
1
(3 SECOND CAPACITY)
Manufacturers will be able to du-
netic field to set the material's plicate DCC at 64 times normal
magnetic polarity. When the 0.3 MBIT/SECOND
speed on equipment similar to
'.
DIGITAL MUSIC DATA
heated spot cools, the new polar- DECODJ
I I
ANALOG MUSIC
what is now used for standard
ity is "locked in" and, thus, the
I I
\ L/ R6 -- R6
R5
15K
30W
35W
40W
11.0V
11.8V
12.7V
15.5V
16.7V
17.9V
12.5K
13.8K
15.2K
3.9A
4.2A
4.5A
15.5V
16.7V
17.9V
21.9V
23.7V
25.3V
19.6K
21.5K
23.3K
2.7A
3.0A
3.2A
15K - 15K
50W 14.1V 20.0V 17.4K 5.0A 20.0V 28.3V 26.6K 3.5A
a
60W 15.5V 21.9V 19.6K 5.5A 21.9V 31.0V 29.6K 3.9A
75W 17.3V 24.5V 22.4K 6.1A 24.5V 34.7V 33.7K 4.3A
85W 18.4V 26.0V 24.1K 6.5A 26.0V 36.9V 36.0K 4.6A
100W 20.0V 28.3V 26.6K 7.0A 28.3V 40.0V 39.6K 5.0A
120W 21.9V 31.0V 29.6K 7.8A 31.0V 43.8V 43.9K 5.5A
140W 23.7V 33.5V 32.4K 8.4A 33.5V 47.3V 47.8K 5.9A
150W 24.5V 34.7V 33.7K 8.7A 34.7V 49.0V 49.7K 6.1A
175W 26.5V 37.4V 36.8K 9.4A 37.4V 52.9V 53.9K 6.6A
200W 28.3V 40.0V 39.6K 10.0A 40.0V 56.6V 58.0K 7.0A
250W 31.6V 44.7V 44.8K 11.2A 44.7V 63.3V 65.3K 7.9A
300W 34.7V 49.0V 49.7K 12.3A 49.0V 69.3V 72.0K 8.7A
b
circuit depends on the intended place R4 and R5 with 3 -volt Zener levels below 100 watts, you can
use. Once you have a clear idea of diodes. That will ensure that the use the 5 -amp relay shown in the
the application, then you can window -comparator reference parts list; above 100 watts, you
customize the circuit to meet voltages, with respect to analog must use a 15 -amp relay.
your needs. To use the circuit to ground, will be independent of The parts -placement diagram
protect car -stereo speakers, re- the DC supply voltage. For power continued on page 129 83
IF YOU THOUGHT A MUSIC ON-HOLD line's 48 volts
feature for your telephone was DC from enter-
only for high -budget profession- ing the ampli-
als, think again. Well show you fier. The ring-
how you can add FM music on - ing -voltage is
hold to any analog telephone line limited by R1
with a Touch lbne telephone. It's and R2. The
ideal for home offices or for peo- ratio of R3 to RI
ple who want to project a high- sets the gain of
tech appearance. IC3-d td 0.1. Re-
Some of the features of this de- sistor R4 biases
sign include; LED status indica- IC3-d between
tor, audio volume control, built- its supply volt-
in antenna, only one operating age and ground
adjustment, and a mute function allowing, it to
to eliminate "hiss" in between operate from the
stations. You can build this im- single + 6.0
pressive device in under three volts DC power -
hours, for only $70. supply line. The
Construction, test, and align- output of the
ment is made easy due to the use balance ampli-
of specialized IC's, namely a sin- fier passes
gle FM receiver chip, IC4, and a through coup-
DTMF decoder, ICI. There are no ling capacitor
special coils to wind, and no C3 and is then
tricky circuit adjustments are re- decoded by ICI,
quired. All you need is a DMM to a Motorola
test and align the circuit. Let's MC145436 dual -
now take a look at how the unit tone multi -fre-
works. quency (DTMF)
decoder IC.
On -hold circuit The output of
A block diagram of the unit is IC1 is a 4 -bit
shown in Fig. 1, and the sche- word, whose
matic in Fig. 2. The FM on -hold codes are listed
device connects to an analog tele- in Table 1. It is connected to IC2- such as music, that occur during
phone line via an RJ11 modular b, a 4082 dual quad -input AND normal telephone usage.
jack. It's powered by an external gate, so that the output of that IC When the "*" key is depressed,
+ 15 -volt DC, 150 -mA power pack (pin 13) is normally low, and goes IC2-b pin 13 goes high, which in
that plugs into a standard 120 - high only when the "*" key is turn charges C4 and turns on
volt AC outlet. The 15 -volt DC pressed. Therefore, when the "*" switching transistor Q1. That ac-
supply passes through polarity- key is decoded by IC1, pins 1, 2, tivates relay RY1. Diode D1 pre-
protection diode Dll to the input and 13 are high while pin 14 is vents DC voltage from bleeding
of IC5, a 7812 + 12.0 -volt DC volt- low. lb switch the output of IC2-b back into IC2-b pin 13. The time -
age regulator. Capacitors C24 high, four logic -high inputs base oscillator for IC1 is formed
and C25 provide decoupling and must be present. The high in- from a 3.58 -MHz crystal XTALI
anti -oscillation protection for the puts are provided by ICI pins 1, 2, and R5.
regulator. The regulated output and 13 and IC2-a pin 1. The normally open contacts of
of IC5 is fed to the input of IC6, a In order for IC2-a's output to go RY1 close and D7, R9, RY2, R10,
78L05 voltage regulator, to pro- high, it must also have four logic - C5, LED1, transformer Ti (Sec),
vide a 5 -volt supply for IC4, a high inputs. Tivo of those are pro- and the four diodes from the po-
TDA7000 FM receiver. Decoup- vided by R7, D 10, and C27. Those larity bridge (D3-D6) are con-
ling and anti -oscillation protec- components ensure that the in- nected across the telephone line
tion for IC6 is provided by C26. ternal power supply is operating. and effectively "seize" it. That
Voltage divider R16-R17 provides That will prevent the unit from combination of components is
the + 6 -volts DC power-supply seizing the phone line if power is referred to as the seizure net-
output, which is filtered by C28. lost or removed while it is con- work. The unit is now in a
When a key on any Touch Tone nected to the phone line. The re- "standby" mode and LED1 lights
telephone is depressed, the sig- maining two inputs are provided dimly. If jumper J1 is in the IN
nal is passed through IC3-d, an by a logic high from IC1 pin 12, position and a station is tuned in
LM324N balanced amplifier. The which is the DV, or DATA VALID, on the FM tuner, that station will
purpose of this amplifier is two- output pin. Dv assures proper op- be heard on the telephone line. If
fold; it acts as a balanced to un- eration of IC1 by providing inter- Jl is in the OUT position, the sta-
balanced matching network, and nal checks. When those checks tion will not be heard until the
its gain is set to 0.1 to act as a are valid, Dv will output a logic phone is hung up.
line -voltage attenuator. Capaci - high. That prevents false trigger- RY1 will stay activated for ap-
84 tors Cl and C2 block the phone ing due to voice or other tones, proximately four seconds. That
To return to quency-locked loop system with
the call, the tele- an intermediate frequency (IF) of
phone can be 70 kHz. The IF can be chosen by
picked up. The active RC filters. The only func-
loop current tion that needs tuning is the os-
flowing through cillator's resonant circuit, which
the seizure net- selects the reception frequency.
work is reduced The antenna is made up from
because of the the telephone line and the RJ11
double termina- cable. The RF signal travels
tion (the tele- through that path and is coupled
phone and sei- via DC blocking capacitor C6 to
zure network). the RF input bandpass filter. This
RY2 deactivates, broadband low-Q filter consists of
and the seizure C10, C11, and Ll. Its primary pur-
network is dis- pose is to pass RF energy in the
connected. 88.0- to 108.0 -MHz range while
Kick -back ca- attenuating RF energy from
pacitor C5 en- above and below that frequency
sures the loop range. The bandpass filter serves
current is re- to suppress potential interfering
duced below the energy from outside the commer-
drop -out cur- cial FM broadcast band.
rent for RY2. The bandpass filter also acts as
`That reduction a split -capacitor (also known as a
in current turns tapped capacitor) input imped-
off LED1, dis- ance-matching network to IC4. It
connects the matches a 75 -ohm RF input im-
music, and re- pedance to IC4's 1.5K input im-
connects the pedance. The reverse RF input is
caller. decoupled by C12.
If the tele- After the RF signal passes
phone is not through the input bandpass fil-
hung up within ter, it goes to the input of the in-
the four-second ternal Gilbert cell mixer where it
time-out period, is mixed with the local oscillator
Impress your callers by RY1 will deacti- (LO) signal. As mentioned earlier,
adding an FM music on -hold vate and the the frequency of the LO is de-
project will be signed to produce an IF of 70
taken out of the kHz. The tunable LO, connected
feature to your telephone. "stand-by" between pins 5 and 6 of IC4, con-
mode and sists of tank components L2 and
placed in the D9.
delay is determined by the RC "normal" mode. Varactor diode, D9, is DC -volt-
network of R6-C4. Diode D2 pre- LED1 will not be lit, and the caller age tuned by the voltage -divider
vents relay-coil induction -induc- will be disconnected if the tele- circuit consisting of R13, R18,
ed "spikes" from appearing on phone is hung up. and R12. The low end of the tun-
the + 12 -volt DC power-supply Latching push-button switch ing range is set by R13 while the
line. Si is used to tune in the desired high end is set by R12. A high
If the telephone is hung up station. When it is in the IN posi- impedance path to the oscillator
within the four-second time-out tion, the seizure network is is provided by R11, keeping it
period, additional loop current placed across the telephone line from appearing on the DC tuning
will flow through the seizure net- and the output of the tuner is control voltage. C21 acts as an RF
work and activate RY2. That also connected (regardless of the "short" to ground which prevents
causes normally open contacts of status of J1). That allows you to the oscillator's RF from entering
RY2 to close. The project is now hear the output of the FM tuner D9. The IF output of the mixer is
in the "on-hold" mode, LED1 will and adjust the station tuning routed to a three -stage broad-
be brightly lit, and the selected and volume. (A feature of the re- band low-Q IF filter network.
radio station will be heard in the ceiver is the elimination of inter- The first section (C20 and C19)
telephone line regardless of the station "hiss," therefore no audio determines the cut-off frequency
position of jumper J1. After the will be present until a station is for the second -order low-pass IF
four-second time-out period, RY1 tuned in.) filter. The second section (C8 and
will deactivate. The loop current C7) determines the upper and
flowing through RY2 keeps the FM receiver circuit lower passband. The third sec-
seizure network across the tele- At the heart of the receiver cir- tion (C9) determines the pass -
phone line and the unit remains cuit is IC4, a TDA7000 Signetics band of the third section of the
"on -hold." FM receiver. This IC has a fre- low-pass filter network.
TABLE 1-DTMF DECODER
ON-HOLD LOGIC OUTPUT CODES
O IC2-b) RY1
IC1
Digit D8 D4 D2 D1
INPUT FROM
IC3-d DTMF
PHONE LINE
DECODER 1 0 0 0 1
0 2 0 0 1 0
BALANCE "+" KEY
ANTENNA DECODE 3 0 0 1 1
V
AMPLIFIER
4 0 1 0 0
5 0 1 0 1
SEIZURE 6 0 1 1 0
RY2
NETWORK 7 0 1 1 1
AUDIO 8 1 0 0 0
AMPLIFIER
A 9 1 0 0 1
FM RECEIVER
Es
T1
' 1 0 1 1
_el I4 # 0 0
TUNER
IC3-c
3II A
1
1
1
1 0 1
f"1 B 1 1 1 0
C 1 1 1 1
D 0 0 0 0
FIG. 1-THIS IS THE BLOCK DIAGRAM of the FM on -hold unit. The circuit consists of three
basic sections; a DTMF decoder/on-hold logic, seizure network, and an FM receiver.
After the signal is passed of C22 and R14. A load for the Construction
through the IF filter section, it is audio output current source is The author's prototype is
demodulated. The quadrature also provided by R14. shown in Fig. 3. The entire FM
detector is tuned by C14. The fre- The audio signal passes on -hold circuit is mounted on
quency-locked loop (FLL) filter, through C23 and R15 to the in- one double -sided PC board. The
which suppresses IF harmonics verting input of audio amplifier use of a single -sided board will
and prevents them from appear- IC3-c. Feedback resistor R19 con- work as long as the jumper wires
ing at the output of the demod- trols the gain of the amplifier are added to the top where neces-
ulator, is controlled by C18. from 0 to 10. Transformer T1 sary. We recommend that a PC
The demodulated audio signal matches the amplifier's output board be used because of the VHF
from pin 2 passes through a impedance to the telephone line range involved in this project. We
deemphasis network consisting impedance. have provided foil patterns of the
PARTS LIST
All resistors are'/4-watt, 5%. C28-100 F, 25 volts, 20% T1-audio transformer, 500-ohm pri-
R1, R2, R11-100,000 ohms electrolytic mary, 200 -ohm secondary
R3, R4, R7, R13, R15-10,000 ohms Semiconductors (Mouser no.42TM002)
R5-1 Megohm D1-07, D10, D11 -1N4003, 1 amp S1-DPDT latching push button
R6-39,000 ohms 200 PIV rectifier diode switch
R8-2000 ohms D8-not used XTAL1-3.58-MHz parallel resonant
R9-2700 ohms D9-MV209 varactor diode crystal, HC -18/U case
R10-1200 ohms (Motorola) or ECG -604 J1--0.1-inch single inline jumper bar
R12-130,000 ohms LED1-Red LED and strap
R14-20,000 ohms IC1-MC145436 DTMF decoder Miscellaneous: Male power jack,
R16, R17-470 ohms (Motorola) female PC board -mounted lug re-
R18, R19-100,000 ohms horizontal 102-4082 dual 4 -Input AND gate ceptacles, 117-VAC power pack (15
PC -mounted potentiometer IC3-LM324N quad op -amp VDC at 150 mA), PC board, 6 -foot
Capacitors. All are 50 volts DC, IC4-TDA7000 FM Receiver (Sig- modular line cord, male RJ11 to
10% tolerance, mono or ceramic netics-Philips) lugs, project case (Builder's
disc unless otherwise indicated. IC5-7812 +12-VDC, 1 -amp Choice), and 3 14 -pin IC sockets
Cl, C2, C6-0.022 F, 250 WVDC, regulator
20% tolerance IC6-78L05 +5-VDC, 0.1 -amp
C3, 013, C17, C23-C26-0.1 F regulator
C4, C27-10 F, 10 volts, 20% Q1-MPSA13 NPN Darlington
tantalum transistor
C5-47 F, 63 volts,
20% electrolytic Other components
C7, C20, C21-3300 pF, 50 volts L1-0.138 H fixed inductor
C8, C14-330 pF (Coilcraft no. 132-09 or
C9-150 pF equivalent)
010, C11-39 pF ceramic disc L2-0.060 H shielded variable in-
C12, C22-2200 pF ductor (Coilcraft no. 150-02J08S or
015-220 pF TOKO no. MC122)
C16, C18, C29-0.01 F, 20% RY1, RY2-DPDT relay 12 VDC (Aro -
019-180 pF mat no. DS2YE-S-DC12)
86
le +6V +6V 01 +12V
PHONE LINE
O - 7
3
N
41 51 61
GT XENDB 13
D2
01
2
10
12
11
IC2-b
MC14082
t14
13
01
1N4003
R6
39K
MPSA13
D2
1N4003
C4
XTAL1
1.9
0 XOUE
IC1
ATB 1I 9 10F _
3.58MHz MC145438
12 4
10 DV
1 5 IC2-a 1
XN GND D4
-
3 MC14082
1MEG 8V R7 SL 114 03 = D5
-1N4003
rh
2 7
-- 1N4003
o f
or
01014 6+1 (Tir:-. 1 1N4003 = 1N4003
D4 D6
1N4003 10F -
ANT.
-- C6 0 W RY1
022 10 IF INT
-4-
R12 \S1 -a R8
1B4 9
C20 130K ---0- 2K
I
FILTER CAP CAP
+5V C8
^3300pF+5V
330pFR
4
eN 11 IF 2'' INT 8 t R18 O
FILTER CAP CAP C19 100K -
C7
331150pF
C9 180pF R11
R13
-TA R9 D7
12 IF LIMITER INT Dy 100K
1M 7 2.7K *1N4003
C10
CAP CAP
VCO
6 MV209 10K
39pFu 13
I
RF IN IC4 L2 C21 RY2 R10
+6V
C12
2200pF
I
cl l Li
T39pF .138H i 14
MIXER
TDA-7000
Vcc
5
.0601.1H
C29
^3300pF 4C5FT>1.2K
. .
C13
1
15 LOOP 4=
T .01 St-b J1
LEDI
IC6
78L05 0+5V
C26
0
0
+0
15VDC
h IC5
L7812CV R16
0+12V
011
150mA 1N4003 4700
POWER
C24
-C25 +6V
JACK 1
R17 C28
4700 100F
-0 cl
FIG. 2-SCHEMATIC OF THE FM ON-HOLD unit. The output of IC1, a DTMF decoder, is a 4 -
bit word that controls the on -hold logic. The FM receiver, IC4, uses a frequency -locked ual semiconductors as well as the
loop system with a 70 -kHz intermediate frequency, which is tuned by a tank circuit completed circuit board.
consisting of L2 and D9. Spurious reception is eliminated by a mute circuit in the IC.
Component leads-Pre-form
component leads before install-
component side and solder side ment diagram of the unit. Before ing them in the board.
of the PC board if you wish to you begin construction, there are Non -polarized capacitors-
make it yourself. If you choose a few things to keep in mind: When installing these compo-
not to use a PC board, the use of a Use proper soldering tech- nents, orient them so their val-
prototype style board is recom- niques-The importance of prop- ues can easily be read. This will
mended. You should note that er soldering cannot be empha- help if troubleshooting is needed
the use of wire wrapping will not sized enough for VHF circuits. later on.
work for the receiver portion of We recommend that the flux resi- Resistors-Mount resistors so
this project due to ground return due be removed from the com- they can be read from left to right
path impedance problems. You pleted PC board using a mild and top to bottom. This also aids
can use IC sockets for all IC's ex- non-CFC cleaner that's not in troubleshooting.
cept IC4, the TDA7000 FM re- harmful to plastics. Always read T1-Bend the tabs flush
ceiver. The use of an IC socket at the manufacturer's label. against the PC board. The audio
VHF frequencies should be avoid- Static sensitive devices-Ob- transformer has a "P" indicating
ed. serve electrostatic discharge pre- the primary side. The primary
Figure 4 shows the parts -place- cautions when handling individ- mounts towards the outside of
the board. If in doubt, the pri-
mary should measure about 500
ohms.
C6-Mount vertically with the
body in the hole closest to D4 and
D6.
L1, L2-It's important the
shield have a good electrical con-
nection with the PC board
mounting pads. Don't leave the
soldering iron on too long as this
plastic part might melt.
IC4 (TDA7000)-When solder-
ing this chip, be careful not to
keep a hot soldering iron on the
pins too long.
LED1-For proper mounting
height of the LED, cut two 1/2 - + 15VDC PHONE LINE R18 R19
inch pieces of insulating tubing. INPUT TUNING VOLUME
Insert the tubing over both leads. FIG.3-THE AUTHOR'S PROTOTYPE. Do not use an IC socket for IC4, and be careful
Install the LED with the flat side when soldering it as excessive heat can damage the chip.
(short lead) toward Tl.
D9-Mount flush against the
board. That will minimize any
stray capacitance effects.
IC sockets-Mount three 14 -
pin IC sockets (IC1-IC3) flush _-R14
C251:
/
o
O o o o receiver section was designed
,.00. o with a mute function built-in to
CAC: 0 0 o0 0 0 0 oev allow only the strongest stations
D
O
0 00
0 0 0
O
O
O 0 00 0o to be received. That makes tun-
G C G C
a0 a a o c 171"
0 00
" / 00 0
O
aP oo
o0
0 o000 o0
NM
oICE
0 0 0
o ing easier and suppresses im-
ages ("ghost" stations that ap
pear in the wrong part of the
o
0 0O ICE 1:11 0
n O O 00 o o tuning dial). Release the push -
0 0 0 C 0 0 D O O 0 00 o ra 0 0 0 O button and hang up the phone.
O 00 0 00 0 0
00 0 am00
o
0 You can check for proper opera -
O 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 000 0 tion by having a friend call and be
00 0 0 000 o placed on hold by depressing the
star "" key (LEDI lights dimly)
o
o O
0
oo 00
0 0
0
Es
o
0
O O
0 0 0
o
0
`moo
00 0 00 0 0and
000
then hanging up the phone.
Installation and use
O O
o O
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A special feature of this project
O allows you to select when the mu-
o
00 0 0 sic is present in the handset.
0 Some telephone services (call
waiting, call forwarding, voice
mail) require the use of the ""
4u/he INCHES
"DEASTIE"
SPEAKER
CABLES o
IMPROVE
YOUR AUDIO?
90 RICHARD A. HONEYCUTT
peared in professional trade jour- RESISTANCE, INDUCTANCE, in series with the speaker. Since
nals mentioning the likes of Lu- AND CAPACITANCE OF CABLE
the simple loss calculation in Fig.
casfilm using the enormous ca- 2 depends upon the combined re-
bles, so some real research was in sistance of the speaker and the
order. cable, the resistive power loss will
The goal was to find out ROUGH
APPROXIMATION
be related to the damping factor.
whether beastie cables did in OF SPEAKER Thus we can find a relationship
fact: between damping factor and low -
Reduce the amount of power frequency loss. In the Audio
lost in the cable enough to pro- FIG. 1-THIS CIRCUIT roughly equiv-
IS
Cyclopedia Howard TYemaine es-
vide a significant improvement alent to an amplifier, speaker, and length tablished that there is no value in
in efficiency, or of cable. trying for a damping factor great-
Increase the damping factor of er than 204. That is based on the
the speaker/amplifier system cable for amplifiers up to 100 fact that the speaker's voice -coil
enough to provide audible im- watts feeding impedances of 8 resistance appears in the circuit,
provement, or ohms or more with runs of 25 feet and its value-typically 6 to 7.5
Provide any significant benefit or less. For each halving of im- ohms for an 8 -ohm speaker-
in the frequency response of the pedance or doubling of amplifier sets a practical limit on the bene-
system. power or distance, the wire size fits of reducing other resistances.
No other benefits are claimed for would increase by two gauges; 16 The effective damping factor is
these cables, so it is not neces- gauge for 100 watts into 8 ohms equal to:
sary to look for undiscovered or at 50 feet or 4 ohms at 25 feet, etc.
presently unmeasurable effects. That rule of thumb includes a TOTAL
The problem was attacked both safety factor so that the loss will CABLE
RESISTANCE
analytically and experimentally. always be less than 10%.
The equivalent circuit of a real The National Electrical Code
loudspeaker driven by a real am- specifies cable gauges based SPEAKER
IMPEDANCE
plifier through real cables is upon safety considerations; if a
shown in Fig. 1. Any effects pro- wire carries too much current
duced by the cables must show over a long enough period of 1. CABLE RESISTANCE
up in the cable resistance, capac- time, it can become dangerously 0.1 x SPEAKER RESISTANCE
itance, or inductance. The effi- hot and start a fire. Going back to 2. RESISTANCE PER FOOT =
TOTAL CABLE RESISTANCE
ciency and damping -factor ques- the rule of thumb, a speaker with TWICE THE AMPLIFIER -TO -SPEAKER DISTANCE
tions depend almost exclusively an average impedance of 8 ohms 3. SELECT GAUGE FROM TABLE 1
upon the cable resistance, where- fed by a 100 -watt amplifier will
as the frequency -response ques- draw about 3.5 amperes at full FIG. 2-HERE'S THE TRADITIONAL meth-
od normally used to determine speaker -
tion is mainly a function of the power. However, even running at cable gauge by loss.
capacitance. Wire inductance is full tilt, it's unlikely that the aver-
so small compared with the semi- age power will be greater than
inductive nature of speaker im- one-third of your amplifier's max- ZsPEAKER
pedance at high frequencies that imum, so the rule of thumb pro-
it can be ignored, as we will see. vides a large safety margin from a RVOICE COIL + RAMP + RCABLE
The cable resistance is made fire -prevention standpoint. A stated amplifier damping fac-
up of three components: the con- The damping factor can be de- tor of 20 would represent a total
tact resistance, the ohmic resis- fined as the ratio of a speaker's resistance of 8 ohms divided by
tance of the wire, and any impedance to the total resistance 20, or 0.4 ohms in series with the
contribution from skin effect. amplifier. That would give an
The ohmic resistance can easily effective damping factor of:
be found from wire tables in most TABLE 1
electronics reference books. Ta- 811
ble 1 shows the resistance of a
RESISTANCE OF COPPER WIRE
Gauge Resistance 61Z + 0.411
- 1.25
representative sampling of cop- (ohms foot)
per cables, listed according to assuming a 6 -ohm voice -coil re-
gauge. For years, selection of ca- 0 0.000098 sistance. With most amplifiers
ble gauge has been made accord- 2 0.000156 having output impedances on
ing to the criterion of 10% loss. In 4 0.000249 the order of 0.1 ohm or less, this
other words, for a given cable 6 0.000395 would mean that the cable resis-
length, what resistance will give 8 0.000628 tance could be 0.3 ohms. The loss
no more than 10% (0.46 dB) 10 0.000999 in dB corresponding to an 8 -ohm
power loss at the speaker? Figure 12 0.00159 speaker fed through a 0.3 -ohm
2 shows the calculations involved 14 0.00253 cable is:
16 0.00402
in determining that value. For 18 0.00639 811
short cable runs, the resulting = 201og1O( = -0.32dB
gauge is surprisingly small. 811+ 0.311
Note: The wire must make a com-
About fifteen years ago when plete round trip, so there's 20 feet of That means that for an op-
the author was an audio consul- wire in a 10 -foot speaker cable. timum effective damping factor,
tant, he would specify 18 -gauge the resistive cable loss should be
less than 0.32 dB. Just for com-
parison purposes, a 1 -dB cable TABLE 2-MEASURED CHARACTERISTICS OF CABLES
loss, which would result from a
0.9 -ohm cable resistance, would Cable Type C L R*
result in an effective damping (pF/ft) (Haft) (ohmsift)
factor of 1.14, which is not much
lower than 1.25. 22-ga. cheap 10.7 0.29 0.0178
As mentioned earlier, skin 18-ga. zip 14.0 0.28 0.007
20-ga. twist 18.0 0.36 0.0107
effect increases the effective im- 0.0007
4-ga. cable 50.8 0.29
pedance of a wire, and can be 16-ga. "drop cord" 22.4 0.38 0.006
best explained by looking at Fig. shielded "guitar cord" 105.8 0.30 0.048
3. The skin depth of a conductor 16-ga. zip 12.5 0.23 0.0127
is the distance into that conduc-
tor, measured from the outside *One-way resistance, not loop resistance; that includes the contact resistance of
surface, at which current density the terminations.
is 1/e times that at the surface.
(The symbol e stands for the base
of natural logarithms, and nificantly above 1, skin effect may using stranded wire that has less
equals approximately 2.72.) For a begin to matter. We say may, be- skin effect.
direct current, the current densi- cause it only matters if the total The actual resistance, capaci-
ty (amperes per unit cross-sec- resulting increase in cable resis- tance, and inductance of a cable
tional area) is the same through- tance causes a perceptible effect are distributed evenly along its
out the wire. For AC, the current in the reproduction. For a fre- length. Telephone engineers
density is less at the center of the quency of 15 kHz, RAc/RDc found out long ago that, for anal-
wire and greater at the surface. equals 1.1 when a 15 -gauge solid ysis purposes. a cable's R, C, and
At low frequencies, the skin wire is used. Larger wires will ex- L can be lumped into a single
depth (which depends on charac- hibit a greater proportional in- component if certain conditions
teristics of the bulk conductor crease in resistance as frequency are met. The conditions depend
material) is usually greater than increases. Of course, since the re- upon the attenuation constant
the radius of the conductor, sistance of large wires is lower to and length of the cable. The at-
which means that for all practical begin with, the actual change in tenuation constant (a) is given
purposes the current density is measured resistance may or may by:
the same throughout the con- not matter. a = V(R2 + w2L2)(G2 + w2C2) +RG - w2LC/2
ductor. Larger-diameter conduc- Stranded wire is extremely dif- where R, L, C, and G are the ca-
tors can exhibit measurable skin ficult to analyze. Naturally, each ble's resistance, capacitance, in-
effect at relatively low frequen- strand has a certain surface area, ductance, and leakage con-
cies, including audio frequen- so that all the strands connected ductance per unit length, and
cies. in parallel would have a very large is the angular frequency, or 2nf.
The simplest indicator of skin surface area. In actuality, The author does not like to lie
effect is the ratio RAc/RDc, where though, much of the surfaces of awake nights solving equations
RAc is the resistance per unit the individual wires are in con- like that, and tables of attenua-
length of a wire to alternating tact with each other, making the tion constant versus frequency
current of a certain frequency actual effective surface area vir- are not generally available for the
and RDc is the ohmic resistance tually impossible to determine- kinds of cables used for speaker
per unit length. As long as RAc/ unless the individual strands are leads. However, tables for 19 -
RDc equals 1, skin effect is negli- insulated from each other, as in gauge pulp -insulated telephone
gible. When RAc/RDc rises sig- litz wire. At any rate, we can use cable indicate that a 3 -kilometer
solid wire as a worst case to ana- cable section can be analyzed
lyze, knowing that we'll really be using the lumped -constant
OUTSIDE SURFACE
OF CONDUCTOR
+4
+3
+2
SKIN +1
DEPTH
0
- 1
FIG. 3-THE SKIN EFFECT increases the 22 -GA CHEAP 18 -GA. ZIP 4-GA CABLE
speaker cables anywhere near FIG. 6-THE MEASURED IMPEDANCE CHARACTERISTICS of the test speaker.
that far, we can safely use the
lumped -constant method with +4
---
LEGEND
were used in the calculations. In- 22 -GA CHEAP 1B -GA. ZIP 4 -GA. CABLE
used ones that were on hand, in- FIG. 7-SEE HOW THE ACTUAL MEASURED CABLE LOSSES compare to the predicted
cluding a very large (4 -gauge) losses of Fig. 4.
stranded cable. If those cables
showed no measurable detri- always trustworthy, so the actual amplifier and, if the distance is
mental effects on efficiency, response of the cables was mea- short, no serious detriment to
damping-factor, or frequency re- sured on the setup shown in Fig. efficiency will result. Damping
sponse, then the alleged beastie 5. The impedance characteristic factor is degraded slightly when
benefits would turn out to be so- of the test speaker is shown in cables lighter than 18 -gauge are
lutions to a nonexistent problem! Fig. 6. Although the amplifier used, as shown by the loss ex-
A computer solution of the cir- was flat within 0.2 dB from 20 ceeding 0.32 dB. But what will
cuit of Fig. 1 yielded the results Hz to 20 kHz, the amplifier's cal- happen if longer cables are used?
plotted in Fig. 4. A 10 -foot length ibration curve was nevertheless From previous measurements,
was assumed for each cable, and subtracted from the measured ordinary Romex house -wiring ca-
it included the effects of cable ca- results in order to provide max- ble is found to have about the
pacitance and inductance, but imum accuracy. The test results highest capacitance per foot of
not the skin effect. Notice that are shown in Fig. 7. any common wire. With the fac-
the worst -case loss was well un- Initial results seem to indicate tors mentioned earlier that con-
der 1 dB at 20 kHz. that virtually anything can be trol skin effect, it is also clear that
Computer solutions without used to connect a speaker to an small wires will not experience
experimental verification are not
+4
X -Y RECORDER +3
O TRACKING
+2
OSCILLATOR
O OUTPUT +1
CABLE 0
UNDER TEST
EST
POWER
0 AMP
o - 1
00 0 0,4
SPECTRUM
DUMMY -2
LOAD
ANALYZER OR -3
TEST
SPEAKER -4
20 50 00 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K
+2
+1
E72- 0
2 -1
cL
up -
-2
\\
COMPONENTS -3
11
Whether you order 1 part or
-4
all 41,361...MOUSER stocks
and...can ship today!! -5
20 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 50K
FREQUENCY (Hz)
CALL...
-- -
INCLUDING SKIN EFFECT
(800) 992-9943 R, L, AND C ONLY
I , I I
;
33 24
SW7 DE3
34 35
y CHIME DE4
I
7,20
SAMPLE LINE CYCLE FROM GROUND
LINE INPUT
r--- ---
SEGMENT
DOES THE DISPLAY
NEED TO BE UPDATED?
NO
FIG. 3-THE PINS ON THE 8749 micro -
I
controller are assigned various func-
END DATA
tions by the HyperClock program.
RETURN TO MAIN PROGRAM BUFFER
-- ------ J
I I
L
YES the outputs labeled DEO-DE4
(pins 21-24 and 35) control the
L
UPDATE LED SEGMENT anode drivers for the display via
SEGMENT DATA DATA BUFFER
i demultiplexer chips, which
TO BUFFER
we'll discuss later.
The pins labeled S1 -S7 (pins
27-34) are used as function -
INPUT KEY SWITCH ROUTINES switch inputs. The switches
FOR PROGRAMMING CLOCK
OPERATION
connected to those inputs
(DISPLAY MODE, DISPLAY DATE, DIS-
PLAY ALARM, INCREMENT HOUR/
MONTH/MODE, INCREMENT MINUTE/
CHIME SOFTWARE FUNCTIONS DAY, SNOOZE/rIDE ADVANCE, and
ALARM TOGGLE, respectively) ac-
tivate various chip functions by
ALARM SOFTWARE FUNCTIONS grounding those pins. A com-
i plete explanation of the switch-
es' functions will be presented
FIG. 2-HYPERCLOCK'S SOFTWARE can be broken down into two distinct code later.
segments: a clock -scheduled interrupt routine, and a main -program loop. Low -going pulses from the
pin labeled CHIME (pin 34) acti-
ms. Using an interrupt -pro- mode. In that mode it shuts off vate the chime circuit, which is
gram segment in this way al- the display and allows the mi- composed of discrete compo-
lows the display's fading effect crocontroller to "invisibly" keep nents. The microcontroller trig-
to appear gradual because the track of time via a 6 -MHz crys- gers the chime circuit with a
process of updating the display tal. The main loop also pro- 12.8-ms wide low -going pulse at
occurs at regular intervals. This cesses input from the clock's one -second intervals. When not
routine is also responsible for switches (we'll talk more about in alarm mode, the chime sig-
checking a powerline-frequency that later). nals the hour by chiming an ap-
input on the microcontroller to For all that goes on inside the propriate number of times, and
determine if a powerline cycle microcontroller, the functions signals each half-hour by chim-
has passed. If so, it informs the assigned to its pins by the Hy- ing once.
main loop of the program. perClock program (see Fig. 3) When the microcontroller is
The main loop keeps track of are relatively easy to under- in the "alarm" mode, the chime
the number of cycles that pass stand. Let's take them one circuitry is used as an alarm an-
so it knows when to update the group at a time. nunciator. In this mode the
segment -data buffer or initiate The pins labeled A through G clock does not chime on the
the alarm or chime. If no and DP (pins 12-19) in Fig. 3 are hour and half hour. That per-
powerline cycles are detected, the outputs for the display-seg- mits you to use the HyperClock
the main loop assumes AC ment data. They indirectly con- as an alarm clock without the
power has been terminated and trol the cathode drivers for the chimes disturbing you until the
puts the clock in power -fail multiplexed display. Similarly, appointed time. 97
SECOND/TIDE ANODE DRIVERS
7 7'
6 D7
DIG EN4 12
5,8
\\010
-
D
DIG EN2 13
a5
661 14
B 3D4
DIG ENO 15 A
2 D3
D2
--
1
+
7468145
IC5
O9
7K# 0117
R44
4.7K
t 012 R45S 013
202087
R46
4.7K
{ 014
202187
R47
4.7K
ti O15
202p7
d.R417K .` 20Y 2X2157 4.716
R40
to 33011 CB1
7 R29 R31
[1> IC7-0 R39
R24
4.714
R26
4711
R27
4.7K
R28
4.7K 4.7K 4.71
/IC7-f _
23
R38
13
5
IC7-e
01.N26025
R37
We
C83
C84
C82
C83 rr0
082
C83
CB2
CB3 rr\ l
C82
CB3
Alrl%
O rr,
CB2
N
CB2
C83
r!.-.
CB3
r()
,e
IC7-e
0162083
R38
CB4 rr 0134 OB4 584 rA(0 CB4
rr C84 rrV CB/ 84 rrv
r
'14 CB5
15 ULN2010
7-c R35
33041
WA
CB6
C85 ,./"C) 0135 C85
r '
C85 e,0 C85
r 0 C85 rrv LED57-1E080
N N
1C7 -b R34 C136N
C 41(C) C86
rf C86 C86
rr.. rOCB6 c86
rr..
r
SECOND OR
6602253 1 16 CB7
N
C67
rrO C87
rr C87 rr 10
rr
110E LEDS
1C7-a 633 87
B7
rr CB7
rf
CD- Ole
111.712103 33044
We C88
4338 rrV CB8 rrlJ C88 A7rl! C88 ,r`J CB8 rr` 00 rrlJ CN rr\J
202222 017
LEDI -LED8 LED9-LE016 1.E017 -LED? LED25-LED32 LED33-LED40 1.E041 -1E548 1E549-LED56
202222
CATHODE BUS
.
432 SECOND 1 SECOND 0
PM ALARM ON
4716 1E063 LED64
16061 16062
LED CATHODE SEGMENT DRIVERS
DIG EN2
12
13
D 4
5
4
C 3
DKi EN1 14
B 2
DIG ENO 15 2
A 1
106
741.5145 R54
4.7K
t 03
2021 7
9.2K,
4
53 04
202
R52
4.7K
R50
4.7Kf
07
202110
47
DIG ENO. 41
=
4.7K 4,7K
14 13 13 1
-1
b1 6 CB4 CBI 2
2 6 CB4 004 02 6
re
C84 2 2 U2
'
dl d1
CBS 1
IMII 6 CBS, B5 1
e2
5 CB5 CBS 1
0 82 e2S 915
el 211 52 e1 et
086 18
n
ell le 1c2
f2
12 C86, 86 18
n
et cl c2 f2 12
CB6 C86 18 c1
f2
12 CBF
87 17 CBI CB7 17 dl
7 fH'
87 17 d2 92
7 007 V2 d2
dl c1 01
DISP2 DISP3
D1SP1
LN524RA L0824RA
606240*
FIG. 4-THE HYPERCLOCK DISPLAY is controlled by only 13 data lines from the the A-G and DP pins of the micro -
microcontroller.
controller. The A-G signals are
sent to a ULN2003 buffer/driver
The LINE input (pin 6) is used tainly not least, are the 5 -volt (IC7) which contains seven
by the IC to accept a 50- or 60 - power inputs (pins 5, 26, and high -current drivers. Each out-
Hz square wave. The square 40) and the grounds (pins 7 and put is capable of providing 500
wave is used for time keeping 20). Those inputs of course, are mA of peak drive current. Since
and to detect AC -power failure self explanatory. the ULN2003 contains only
as mentioned earlier. The seven of the eight cathode driv-
50Hz/60Hz input (pin 1), tells The display circuit ers required, a Darlington driv-
the 8749 what frequency to ex- While the microcontroller er was made out of two 2N2222
pect at the line input. If pin 6 is does a great deal, the Hyper- transistors to drive the DP line.
low, the 8749 assumes the line Clock requires some additional The DEO through DE4 outputs
signal is at 60 Hz, but if that pin circuitry to make it a complete generated by the micro -
is high the 8749 prepares for timepiece. For example, the mi- controller are decoded by two
50 -Hz operation. crocontroller cannot provide 74LS145 decoder/driver IC's
its name implies, the
As nearly enough current to drive (IC5 and IC6). Only one decoder
RESET input (pin 4) initializes the LED display. For that reason output is driven low at any time.
the microcontroller. A low at additional anode and cathode Each 74LS145 output supplies
that input will erase all modes drivers were included in the de- current to a 2N2907 drive tran-
and settings previously entered. sign. They are shown along with sistor that sources current for
The xi and x2 inputs (pins 2 the other display components the anodes of a group of LED's
and 3) need to be connected to in Fig. 4. or a display digit.
the 6 -MHz crystal, XTAL1, men- The control signals for the Note that there are additional
tioned previously. Last, but cer- LED cathodes originate from LED's to provide an AM/PM in-
Vcc 26 40
T. Cl
20pF -r- 5 Vcc 12
XTAL1
Jul Vcc
>e C2
6MHz y 2
Vcc
X1
IC4
B
13
B
50Hz 20pF 8749
3 14
03 X2 C C
2
1+ C RESET D
15
D
60Ht C7 16
` 01 E
2.2F
17
50/60 F
6 18
LINE G G
5 30
29
S4 DE3
24
35
DIG EN3
DIG EN4
4
S3 DE4
3 28 S2
CHIME 34
.2 27 S1
GND GND EN(0..41
014 014 614 DIG EN(O.DIG
-
20
1 OIS7
ALARM
0IS6
SNOOZE
o1 S5
MINUTE
OIS4
HOUR
0113
DISPLAY
p0112
?DISPLAY
0151
DISPLAl
Tii
1+
C3
+
%-.C4
C15
.1
- C16
.1
C6
22F
=
`t
T C17 R1 CB
C9
.01
2 10001rF .1
IC2-a
1/2 LM393 4
019 T.0033
2N2222 JU2
2N2907 1/4 LM324 CHIME
R55
4.7K VOLUME
VW R10 JUMPER
D3
47K C12 14
- 1N914A
N
560pF
R11
1/4
IC3-d
LM324
=
1/4
IC3-a
LM324
R15
4.7K i
? C11
560pFT
47K
R16
47K
5-THIS SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM FOR THE HYPERCLOCK circuit (less the display
FIG.
components) shows the support circuitry required by the microcontroller.
0.47 seconds. The exponen-
tially decaying signal produced
dication (LED61), tell you if the controller generates a low -going by the discharge is buffered
alarm-mode is active (LED62), pulse on pin 34, it activates through a unity -gain amplifier
and provide a winking second Q19. That transistor then pro- (IC3-a) to a 1N914 diode (D3).
display (LED63 to LED65). vides sufficient current to drive The cathode of D3 is con-
That's all there is to the display Q1 into saturation. nected to the output of a 50%
circuit. With Q1 on, the negative side duty cycle 5 -kHz square -wave
of C13 is effectively grounded, oscillator consisting of IC2-a,
The remainder which causes it to charge. When R7, C10, and Q2. Transistor Q2
The most noteworthy of the Q1 is turned off, C13 discharges serves to provide a dynamic
clock's remaining circuitry through a 470K resistor (R13). pull-up for that oscillator since
(shown in Fig. 5) is the chime The resistor/capacitor com- the LM393 is an open -collector
circuit. When the micro - bination has a time constant of type comparator. The 5 -kHz 99
PARTS LIST
All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5%, unless IC3-LM324 quad -op -amp Miscellanious: T-220 style heatsink,
otherwise indicated. IC4-8749 microcontroller with Hyper- PC board or perforated construction
Clock program board, battery clip, shorting blocks,
IC5, 106-74LS145 1 -of -8 solder, etc.
R1, R6 -R8, R10 -R12, R16, R17- decoder/driver Note: The following items are avail-
47,000 ohms 1C7-ICLN2003 high -current driver able from SkiTronix, P.O. 9685,
R2, R3, R5, R14, R15, R18 -R32, D1, D3-1N914A diode Spokane, WA 99209:
R41 -R57-4700 ohms D2-1N4001 diode A pre-programmed HyperClock
R4, R13, R58-470,000 ohms 01, Q2, Q17, 018-2N2222 NPN 8749 microcontroller with firmware
R9-2700 ohms transistor 1icense-$11.00.
R33 -R40-330 ohms, 1/2 -watt, 5% Q3-016, Q19-2N2907 PNP transistor An etched and drilled PC
BR1-1-amp, 50 volts PIV bridge board-$25.00.
rectifier The foil pattern artwork suitable
Capacitors DISP1, DISP3-Panasonic LN524RAor for conversion to film-$3.00.
Cl, C2-20 pF ceramic 7 -segment display (for the
similar Software on floppy disk -$5.00
C3-1000 F, 16 volts, electrolytic
smaller digits) postpaid
C4, C5, C15, C16-0.1 F, ceramic DISP2-Panasonic LN526RA or similar A complete kit of parts including
C6-22 F, 16 volts, electrolytic 7 -segment display (for the larger digit) the PC board, programmed 8749
C7-2.2 F, 16 volts, electrolytic LED1-LED65-light-emitting diodes IC, LED's, displays, electronic
C8, CO 0.01 F, ceramic Other components components, and the wall -mount
C10, C14, C17-0.0033 F, ceramic XTAL1-6-MHz crystal transformer -$75.00.
C11, C12-560 pF, ceramic
C13-1 F, 16 volts, tantalum
T1 -9 -VAC 500 -mA wall -mount A detailed drawing of the HyperClock
transformer wood case, will be supplied with all
BZ1-piezo transducer orders. Please include $4.00 for
Semiconductors S1 -S7 -miniature momentary -contact shipping and handling. Wash-
1C1-LM340T-5 5 -volt regulator pushhutton switch ington residents must include an
IC2-LM393 dual -comparator B1 -9 -volt battery additional 8.0% sales tax.
square wave present at the ply.The 12 -volt supply powers The line input (pin 6) of the
emitter of Q2 is clamped in am- the display circuitry, op -amps, microcontroller cannot be driv-
plitude by the buffered expo- the comparators, and an en directly from the 12 -VAC wall
nential waveform from IC3-a, so LM340-5 (ICI) 5 -volt regulator. transformer. So the trans-
the 5 -kHz signal decays in am- The regulator former signal is conditioned by
plitude in step with the dis- the 5 -volt supply line. a Schmitt -trigger circuit to gen-
charge of C13. If AC power is interrupted, a erate a suitable square wave.
The decaying 5 -kHz signal is 9 -volt battery connected to J1 First the signal's amplitude is
fed through C14 to a second - sources current to the regulator reduced by a voltage divider
order low-pass filter tuned to ap- to keep the HyperClock func- consisting of RI and R58, and
proximately 5 kHz. The filter is tioning. If you plan to unplug its positive excursions are lim-
composed of a LM324 op -amp the clock for any length of time, ited to about 5 volts by Dl. The
(IC3-d), C11, C12, CM, R10, and the battery should be discon- limited signal is then sent to the
R11. It removes the high -fre- nected to conserve its life. inverting input of the LM393
quency components contained comparator. Positive feedback
in the decaying square wave to A BIT ABOUT TIDES
is applied to the comparator's
smooth it out. From there the non -inverting input by R4 to
signal is passed to two more op- Predicting the tides in any given locale prevent it from generating false
amps (IC3-b and IC3-c) that is not a simple job. Tides are affected by signals. The comparator drives
form a push-pull amplifier, many cyclic astronomical forces: the the microcontroller's line input
which provides the piezo trans- declination in the orbits of the moon and with the resulting square wave.
sun relative to a point on the Earth, and
ducer with a 10 -volt peak -to - the local geography of the coast line in
peak drive signal. the area in which you live, to name a few. Construction
While the output signal is not HyperClock predicts the tidal levels from In order to build a Hyper -
exactly a pure sine wave, the au- the most predominate of these forces, Clock, you'll need a pro-
dible result sounds pretty much the moon. The moon requires 29.53 grammed 8749 microcontroller.
like a small bell. If you feel the days to orbit Earth, and that combined A preprogrammed and tested
with the 24 -hour solar day causes a high
chime is too loud, you can elimi- and low tide in every 12 hour and 25.5
microcontroller is available
nate half of the push-pull ampli- minute interval. HyperClock tracks the from the supplier mentioned in
fier by jumpering one side of the moons primary affect on the tide. You the parts list. The executable
transducer to the 5 -volt supply, can find out about the level of local tides code to program an 8749 is
which is available via JU2. in your area from your newspaper or available from the RE-BBS
The entire circuit receives library. The information can be used to (516-293-2283, 1200/2400,
power from a 9 -VAC wall -mount
initially set the tide indication on your
HyperClock to a low or high point. From
8N1), as a file called
transformer. The 9 -VAC supply then on the graphic display will be an aid HYPER.HEX. The file is sup-
is fed to a full -wave bridge rec- in the determination of the relative level plied in Intel's Hex format,
tifier and filtered by C3 to act as of the tides in your locality. which is directly compatible
an unregulated 12 -volt DC sup - with most EPROM program-
LED60 LEDI
r.). (i)
113477
tI
R48
e
16
IND
0R1
a -/ le;J
..
105
SOFT
JU2
LOUD
L
R25
R42.
11
e_
R6 R27
R43 R44
R !
r
R45
R2
46
LED10
R54 R1 a1t
. R18
flT
e
LED63
U57 R5516
11
`JR4-" eLED20
06-32 NUT
C6
LED40
FIG. 6-DISPLAY-SIDE PARTS -PLACEMENT diagram can be used to locate most of the
HyperClock's components.
connector pads on the board so
mers. The software is also avail- nique, so we'll discuss that you can run wires to the switch-
able on floppy disk from the briefly later on. es should your cabinet design
source mentioned in the parts Figures 6 and 7 show the require that they be located off
list. parts -placement diagrams for the PC board. Figure 8 shows a
A 6.5- x 6.5 -inch octagon - the HyperClock (6 shows the completed HyperClock board.
shaped PC board is also avail- display side and 7 shows the The design readily lends itself
able from that supplier to help solder side) for those of you that to many different project cases.
you assemble a HyperClock of will use a PC board. All compo- However, make sure that the
your own. If you wish, you can nents, except for the wall - cabinet you choose has some
make your own double -sided mount transformer, are shown openings in the back to allow a
printed-circuit board from the mounted on the circuit board. little cool air to flow around the
foil patterns included in this ar- Note that the switches can be clock's 5 -volt regulator and heat
ticle or using artwork from the placed on either side of the sink. If you like the case used for
supplier listed in the parts list. board, depending on the cab- the prototype, you can build one
Of course, you could even use a inet you wish to place the clock out of a length of wood molding
point-to-point wiring tech- in. There are some additional as the author did.
The PC board was designed to
work with many different dual -
digit displays, so you don't nec-
essarily have to restrict yourself
to the Panasonic units men-
tioned in the parts list. Just
make sure that whatever you
use is a pin -for-pin same -size re-
placement. If you do use the rec-
ommended units, be sure to
raise the two minute displays
up from the board so that their
viewing surfaces are flush with
that of the hour display.
Lastly, the PC board provides
some holes for wire ties to hold
the 9 -volt battery and the wall -
mount transformer leads. You
should take advantage of them.
Remember to install the 9 -volt
backup battery and connect
JUl and JU2 to select 50- or 60 -
Hz operation and the volume of
the chime, respectively.
When you connect the clock
to power it should come up at
12:30 AM and will be ready to
accept the current time, alarm #6-32 SCREW BATTERY CLIP
WIRES
time, date, and the tide level if
desired. Ifyou run into any diffi- HEATSINK
BATTERY TIE WRAP
culty, you may find some of the
troubleshooting tips provided To
J2
in the following section useful.
However, if all is well, you can FIG. 7-THIS PARTS -PLACEMENT DIAGRAM should be used to position the regulator,
proceed to the "operating" sec- battery, a capacitor, and the switches.
tion to prepare the clock for use.
"minutes before the hour" is required to drive the LED's
Point-to-point wiring mode. sufficiently.
Working with perforated con- It is also suggested that you If the power-supply circuitry
struction board and point-to- don't place the 'splay compo- is okay, check the wiring
point wiring gives you the free- nents on the same side of the around the LM393 (IC2) from
dom to design your own display board as the heatsink/regulator the bridge rectifier and going to
layout. One nice alternate de- assembly, C3, and the 9 -volt IC4 pin 6; the microcontroller
sign would be to place the 60 battery. Doing so would in- looks at that line and if there is
LED's in the form of a full cycle crease the profile of the display no line frequency at that input,
of a sine wave, especially if you side of the board, forcing you to the clock will shut down the
set the clock to display the tide place the LED lens at an un- LED drivers (as we explained
level. desirable distance from the dis- earlier).
An early prototype of the clock play components. Since most of the wiring in
was built using wire wrap. Re- Aside from those sugges- the clock runs between the LED
gardless of the wiring tech- tions, layout is not critical, so if drivers and the LED's, it is likely
nique, you should invest in a you observe good construction that you could have made an er-
large enough piece of perforated and wiring techniques you ror in one or more of those con-
construction board (at least 6 X should not have any problem nections. If you observe that any
6 inches) so that you can make getting the clock to function. active LED segments do not
your custom display with plenty However, if you should encoun- form numbers, then you should
of room to spare for all the sup- ter some difficulty, the following check the connections from IC4
port electronics. hints ought to help: to IC7 and the corresponding
Furthermore, when you are If no LED's are illuminated connections to the cathodes of
shopping for the hour and min- when you apply power, first the LED displays. A mistake be-
ute displays, select minute dis- check the unregulated supply tween IC4 to IC5 and IC6 will
plays that are somehow dis- for a minimum of 10 volts DC. make the displayed digits and/
tinctly different than the hour While only 2 to 3 volts of over- or seconds appear out of order.
display. That will make the dis- head are required to operate the An error in wiring from the out-
play more easily readable in the 5 -volt regulator, at least 10 volts puts of the 74LS145's to the
QQO0l9A64 TABLE 1-MODES AND THEIR FEATURES
A AI
1m
Yir,!'
arRi'
6 Feature
2
Mode
3 4 5 6 7
Ci e, 0 1
Fading Updates
Plain Updates
Before -The-Hour Display
e Plain Display
Tide Light Chaser
Seconds Light Chaser
FIG. 8-A FINISHED HYPERCLOCK. The
r.
PC board makes assembly neat and
straightforward.
.
L .tif
.2__17%\"5-1.--.---&-:
:i.`.
-.A.:.'
M `-..
--r
.-H
.. ..;.
J
- ,
SQSq SN
;....,p
i
,, 5. i sn
:,/Telf
:.. i.i jT -.
ime
..
.--. ----''. - M HH J- /, .
t'.;...: . , .
.
--L
,..Ly, 7
/ %- - -
.t.. e ..T..
,1.
-_
t-- .LL.
: - C!
/~ ;-I.
r.--.
,.,r -.
..
:r.
\IIr.I.;.
I
'.- .-.
THE DISPLAY-SIDE FOIL PATTERN can be used to generate one THIS FOIL PATTERN can be used to generate the solder side of
side of the clock's PC board. the clock's PC board.
driver transistors, which con- modes and the features they on power-up the hour chime is
nect to the LED anodes, will support are listed in Table 1. enabled and the alarm is dis-
cause the same effect. If you depress and hold switch abled. If S7 is pressed once, the
S2 (the Display -Date button) alarm is turned on and the hour
Operation the current month and day are chime is disabled. Depressing
The functions performed by displayed. With that switch de- the switch again will turn off
S4 and S5 in the HyperClock pressed, the month and day can both the alarm and the hourly
depend on the state of the three be advanced by pressing S4 and chime.
display switches (S1 through S5, respectively. The Snooze/Tide Switch (S6) m
S3). If none of the display Activating switch S3 will has a dual purpose. If the Hyper- X
switches are depressed, press- cause the clock to display the Clock's alarm was armed and m
ing S4 advances the current time the alarm is set for. By goes off, that button will silence
hour displayed and pressing S5 pressing S3 along with S4 you the alarm for an additional ten m
advances the minute display. can alter the hour setting, and minutes. You can forestall the
That is how you set the time. by pressing S3 and S5 simulta- alarm in this way as many times m
Pressing and holding down neously you can change the as you like. If the alarm is dis- co
Si (the Display -Mode button) minute setting. abled, and the clock is in a mode
causes the clock to display the Moving on to the last two that supports the tide -level dis- z
v03
number of the current operat- switches, the Alarm Toggle play (modes 4 through 7), press-
ing mode, which can be altered switch (S7) determines the ing S6 will advance the tide 8
by pressing S4 (S5 will do state of the alarm and the hour indication on the 60-LED dis-
nothing). The various operating chime of the clock. For example, play to set its position. R -E 103
LINE POWER
FROM
12 VOLTS
Build a appliances
40 -watt from your
DC -to-AC automobile
inverter, and cigarette
power AC lighter.
DAVID CUTHBERT
WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS ARTI- never know the difference. The cy. The 75 Hz, rather than 60 Hz,
cle was written on an electric rectangle -wave operation greatly is used to avoid transformer sat-
typewriter while the author was increases efficiency. The wave- uration. Some electric clocks will
sitting next to a stream on a form would look similar if dis- run fast with that frequency, but
camping trip? The typewriter played on an oscilloscope. most electronic gear will work
was powered from our 40 -watt in- just fine. Decade counter IC2
verter that can be plugged into an Operation controls the timing of the refer-
automobile's cigarette lighter The inverter, the schematic of ence signal and the gating -on of
socket. The unit has enough which is shown in Fig. 2, is actu- the error-amp signal to the prop-
power for many items that nor- ally a push-pull audio amplifier. er set of FET's.
mally don't go on camping trips, The "input," or reference signal, Figure 3 shows the timing rela-
such as a TV, a stereo, an electric is a 5 -volt square wave. The out- tionships in the inverter. When
razor, or a desk lamp. However, it put is 340 -volt peak -to-peak AC IC2 pin 3 goes high, the output of
also has some uses that may not signal. The feedback signal is buffer IC1-c is high. That reverse
be as obvious; it can be used to rectified in order to match the DC biases D1 and allows the error
power items such as an os- reference signal. On one half of amp signal to reach Q!, Q2, and
cilloscope or soldering iron when the AC waveform, the upper three Q3. At the same time, IC2 pin 4 is
doing electronics work in the FET's are gated on, and on the low, which causes the output of
field. On road trips, the inverter other half the lower three FET's buffer IC1-d to be low. That
can be used to power a camcorder are on. grounds the gates of Q4, Q5, and
battery charger. Normally, 120 -volt AC outlets Q6 thereby turning them off.
The inverter draws a max- have one side at ground and one Pins 2 and 7 of IC2 are also low, so
8 imum of 5 amps, which is com- side that's "hot." The hot side al- Q7 is off. A 5 -volt reference from
pletely safe for an automobile ternates from - 170 to + 170 regulator IC3 is now present at
cigarette lighter socket, and the volts. The inverter output is a lit- the error-amp's (IC1-b) non -inver-
_ no-load current is only half an tle different. On one half of the AC ting input. The reference-signal
co
w amp. The output voltage is regu- cycle, one side is near ground rise time is slowed by R12 and C2
zw lated and remains fairly constant and the other is at +170 volts. in order to avoid output over-
3 from no-load to full -load. Figure 1 During the other half of the cycle shoot, and the gain and frequen-
shows the output -voltage wave- the situation is reversed. cy response of the error amp is
w
O. form superimposed over a sine Op -amp IC1-a and its associ- set by R15, R25, and C3.
X wave. The rectangular output
w ated components form a 300 -Hz Next, pin 2 of IC2 goes high,
w waveform has the same RMS and clock oscillator, and counter IC2 which turns Q7 on and the refer-
peak voltage as the sine wave, so divides the clock signal by four to ence signal is pulled to ground.
104 the device being powered will obtain a 75 -Hz inverter frequen- Pins 3 and 4 of IC2 are now low
nected. Although the FET's have Q3 share a 1.5- by 4 -inch heat -
-1 no current -equalizing source re- sink, and Q4, Q5, and Q6 share
sistors, they still share current another; the heat sinks are made
fairly equally. (When a FET "hogs" of aluminum sheet. Figure 4
current it heats up more and its shows an internal view of the in-
on resistance increases, causing verter. In the prototype, the FET's
it to draw less current.) were not insulated from the heat -
sinks because the heatsinks are
FIG. 1-BECAUSE THE OUTPUT -VOLT- Construction isolated from ground and all
AGE waveform, which is shown here su- The inverter circuit was built other circuitry. If you use any
perimposed over a sine wave, has the on a perforated construction other heatsinking configuration,
same RMS and peak voltage as the sine board. 11-ansistors Q1, Q2, and the FET's should be insulated.
wave, the device being powered will never
know the difference.
+Kc8 R17 1M
1116 1128
470F
-Z 10K
VOLTAGE
ADJUST
10K
R15
10K
04M-1(-
C3
0047
470K
R1
D3 D4
1N4003 x 4
10052
N
D7
1N4003 R26 1125
D6 w D5
IN
12VDC
+ CS1-
470F
.01
2N2222
Q7 R11
4.7K
Q3
IRF511
T11-
R9
1K
12 6V J
J2 = R4 Q4
P
120V NE1.
C7 R13
T0.116
110 115
10K
10052 IRF511--r - C4-
-MA 0112
9
D1 .05 L -_I_ _J
1114 1N4003 R5
7
1129 R27 10K 10
1MEG 1 470K
IC2 10052
R20 R21
i
4017
Cl 14
ICt c
LM324
22K 22K
1/4
=.001-+
- 3/ICI-a
3
12
14
1/4 LM324 4 DRAIN 01-Q6
R24 13
100K 8 131 D2 O
ICI -d 1N4003
1122 R23 1/4 114324 IRF511
100K 100K
SOURCE G lDi
FIG. 2-THE INVERTER is actually a push-pull audio amplifier where, on one half of the AC
waveform, the upper three FET's are gated on, and on the other half the lower three FET's
are on.
ff IGITAL VIDEO STABILIZER
ELIMINATES ALL VIDEO COPYGUARDS
IC1
PIN 1 (CLOCK) I --71_ L_,
I
BILIZER IS INTENDED FOR
PRIVATE HOME USE UNCONDITIONAL
30 day money
-
FRINGEMENT.
FIG. 3-THE TIMING RELATIONSHIPS in the inverter. When IC2 pin 3 goes high, the output
of buffer ICI -c (pin 8) is high. That reverse biases D1 and allows the error amp signal to
To Order: $59.95 ea +$4 for p & h reach 01, Q2, and 03. At the same time, IC2 pin 4 is low, which causes the output of buffer
Visa, M/C, COD Mon-Fri: 9-6 EST
ICI -d to be low. That grounds the gates of 04, Q5, and 06 thereby turning them off.
1-800-445-9285
ZENTEK CORP. DEPT. CEHA
3670-12 WEST OCEANSIDE RD. OCEANSIDE, NY 11572
The horizontal
output transistor is
a critical component
in any TV set.
Let's examine some
of the procedures
involved in
measuring its output.
BRIAN PHELPS
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER TRIED TO It generates 15,000-30,000 must be capable of measuring,
repair a television with defective volts DC for the picture tube. and have input protection up to 2
signals throughout, or changed a It generates 3,000-8,000 volts kilovolts or more. Also, a digital-
horizontal output transistor only DC for the focus circuit. readout oscilloscope, although
to have it fail once more, we have It delivers "trace -derived" high - not essential to troubleshooting,
a technique that can save hours current DC power from 16 to 30 will make it easier to make the
of work and needless replace- volts to operate most circuits. measurements.
ment of parts. All you have to do It delivers "retrace -derived" The first thing to check when
is check the "HOT pulse," or the low -current DC power of 185 to analyzing the horizontal output
signal at the collector of the hori- 220 volts. pulse is the wave shape; it should
zontal output transistor. Let's see It provides 6.3 volts for the look like the one shown in Fig. 1,
why this waveform is so impor- pulse current of CRT filaments. and be symmetrical in shape dur-
tant, and some key procedures It is a critical safety feature. ing the retrace time. A wide peak
for measuring the signal. It provides accurate pulse volt- at the top of the retrace, or deep
The HOT pulse is important ages for the tuner's frequency - saddle conditions, can be caused
because it performs many func- synthesis power source. by an off frequency or glitch in
tions other than just sweeping the horizontal transistor base -
the CRT beam horizontally. Some What to look for drive signal. Such problems are
of the key functions of the hori- The horizontal output pulse often caused by a change in the
zontal output waveform are: supplies operating voltages for value of the output -transistor
It generates 0.7 amps of hori- the entire TV. It is therefore the timing capacitors, or by an exces-
zontal deflection current every most important waveform to sive load on a B + supply.
63.5 microseconds. check on every TV before and Any excessive ringing or noise
It generates a 700-1,500 volts after changing parts. Note: In is a clear indication of deflection-
peak -to -peak retrace pulse every order to make any of the follow- system problems, such as a
63.5 microseconds. ing measurements, your scope cracked integrated high voltage
107
an amplitude reaching 1500 volts
peak -to -peak. The noise could
cause symptoms from drive lines
in the video picture to faint noise
throughout the TV's circuits.
First measure the DC voltage
level of the horizontal waveform.
In Figs. 1 and 2 you can see that
the digital display shows approx-
imately 118 VDC, which is the
regulated B + voltage. Next mea-
sure the peak -to -peak voltage of
the waveform. As you can see
from Fig. 3, the display shows
905 volts peak -to-peak.
The frequency of the waveform
must also be measured. That's as
INTEM9" .r,,NN CHAN B: Aia esci FOCUS simple as pushing a button on a
digital scope. Figure 4 shows the
e) MIS fn
FIG. 1-THE WAVE SHAPE should be sym-
metrical during the pulse retrace time.
108
BUILD THIS
MAGNETIC FIELD METER
Determine your exposure
to line -frequency magnetic -fields
with our easy-to -build portable
ELF gaussmeter.
REINHARD METZ
%
contains analyses of 64 scientific of a coil, N, times the rate of circuit board. For remote sens -
3,/,6 INCHES i F- 3'/16 INCHES
tt
.t.t221.27LL 1--1. .1.
i
IlLjr::
j 7
.
4 .
4:34,
: !, 5
L
POWER GENERATING STATION STEP-UP TRANSFORMER TRANSMISSION LINES STEP-DOWN TRANSFORMER PRIMARY DISTRIBUTION LINES
(20KV), 3.OmT -
5 20T (69- 765KV) 5 - 20T (4-35KV)
5-70T, WITH 1-5T, WITH MAGNETIC
MAGNETIC FIELD DROP-OFF FIELD DROP OFF AT 1/r2
AT 1/r2
I
LIP
REFRIGERATOR
0.1-1T,SOURCE
OF MAGNETIC FIELD
.
IS FROM MOTOR IN
BACK OF THE APPLIANCE,
ELECTRIC RANGE TELEVISION
SO EXPOSURE IS LOW, DROP-OFF
6-2000', MAJOR SOURCE 2-50T, MOSTLY
IS 1/r3
OF MAGNETIC FIELD RF FIELDS BUT
IS RESISTIVE HEATING POWER TRANSFORMER
ELEMENTS, DROP-OFF AND VERTICAL SWEEP
IS 1/r3 PRODUCE MAGNETIC FIELDS,
DROP-OFF IS 1/r3 m
m
X
vm
11
'S
m
z
m
C4 R11 R15
C14 1 10B
11 24
1013
33.2K 332K e R20 1T 10 15
/ 42.2K
C -R 10C 10C
D2 32 9 14
IC3-c R27 COM 10D 10D
R12 1N4148
1 MEG
IC3-b 1/4 LF347 +9V 31 14 13
10K C8 R16 +IN 10E 10E
1/4 LF347 1
IC3-d
+ 4 4.7F 42.2K C15 13 26
LF347
R9
1M 13 1/4
T., 10F 10F
+/ 14H
100K 8 +K 0
IN 10G
25 27
10G
We C7 11 12
D1 29 23 30
AZ 100A 100A
C5 '11- AM +9V
1N4148 C161 R29 16 29
6.8pFT R3 R17 C12 + .047 464K
100B 100B
100K 8 24 11
100C
II
IC3-a
10F
F114
C2
.1
1KAB
POL
19
20
3
40
1KAB
BAT
P3
P2
16
12
C3 1/4 LF347
1K BP 2-1-1 BP P1
R4
1052
3
21 IC2-a
1/4 4070
02 R24
1MEG 4
6) IC2-b
1/4 4070
S2 -b
1 / a-
! R23
1MEG 10
IC2-c
9)
/
`
+ 9V 1/4 4070
14
S2 -cl
.
,' a-
. R22
1MEG
13.
12
11 IC2-d
7 1/4 4070
FIG. 3-SCHEMATIC OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD METER. The magnetic field is picked up
by L1 and appears as a voltage that is proportional to the field strength at the input of IC3-
a, which amplifies the signal to 100 V per T. The signal is then further amplified by IC3-b
and IC3-c to achieve the three tesla ranges.
PARTS LIST
All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 1%, unless C3, C7, C15-0.1 F, polyester L1-18 turns, 3" diameter remote -sensing
otherwise indicated. C4, C6, C10-10 F, electrolytic coil (optional, see text)
R1, R3, R12-10,000 ohms C5, CO 6.5 pF, ceramic disc or mica B1 -9
-volt alkaline battery, with connector
R2, R11, R15-33,200 ohms C11-100 F, 10 volts, electrolytic Case-Pac-Tec, HPS-9V8
O R4-10 ohms C12-22 F, 10 volts, electrolytic
O NOTE: The following items are avail-
R5 -R7, R22 -R24, R27-1 megohm C13-330 pF, polyester
R8, R29-464,000 ohms C16-0.047 F, polyester or ceramic disc able from A & T Labs, P.O. Box 4884,
z C17-0.68 F, polyester Wheaton, IL 60187: A kit of all parts
R9, R13, R28-100,000 ohms
_ R10, R14-1000 ohms Semiconductors including PC board and case, with-
tr R16, R20-42,200 ohms D1, D2 -1N4148 switching diode out battery, $79.00; an etched, drilled
w R17-4.7 megohms Q1, Q2 -2N4124 NPN transistor and plated through PC board with
zw
F-
R18-51,100 ohms 1C1-ICL 7106 A/D converter solder mask and silk-screened parts
2 R19-46,400 ohms IC2-4070 or 4030 quad 2 -input placement, $15.00; a fully assembled
R21-1-megohm potentiometer, 5% exclusive -OR gate and tested unit, $109.00. Add 6.75%
w R25-22,100 ohms IC3-LF347 quad JFET input op -amp sales tax for Illinois residents, 5%
R26-20,000 -ohm potentiometer, 5% DISP1-LCD-002 liquid crystal display shipping and handling in U.S., 12%
w shipping and handling in Canada.
w Capacitors Other components
Cl, C8-4.7 F, 10 volts, electrolytic S1-MSS1200, SPST (Alco) Check or Money order (UPS COD in
C2, C14-0.1 F, electrolylic or polyester S2-MSS4300, SPDT (Alco) contiguous U.S. only) is accepted.
112
ing, an external field coil probe
can be used. Figure 3 shows the
complete schematic of the cir-
cuit. The magnetic field picked
up by the coil appears as a volt-
age, which is proportional to field
strength and frequency at the in-
put of a cascaded amplifier IC3-a,
-b, and -c. With a first stage am-
plifier gain of 3.3 set by R12 -R10,
the overall sensitivity is 100 V
per T, or 100 mV per mT. The
meter sensitivity is nominally 2
volts full scale, leading to the
lowest level sensitivity of 20 mT
full scale.
Op -amp IC3-a amplifies the
signal to a normalized level of 100
V per 1T. That voltage is fur-
ther amplified by 1, 100, or
10,000 by IC3-b and -c. The three
amplifier stages provide the three FIG. 4-THIS IS AN INTERNAL VIEW of the magnetic field meter. Assembly is easy, just
magnetic field ranges of 2 mT, install all components below the LCD first.
200 T, and 2 uT (full scale).
Components R3 -C3 and R12 -C7 TP49 4 TP3
establish a frequency roll -off
characteristic that compensates
for the frequency -proportional ..... le:,,::.
sensitivity of the pickup coil, and e+ 4414
set the 20 -kHz cut-off point.
Finally, IC3-d is a precision rec- -E19`
---- DISP1
e
- ------
tifier and peak detector. Its out- H21 St ---R2-41#
put drives IC1, a combination
analog -to-digital (A/D) converter - R17-+ ,
-0214-e
and LCD driver. Components -618-- -R16-44
R25-R29 and C13-C17 are used +-R19-ig -R4---
by ICI to set display-update IC3
BUILD AN
ELECTRONIC
ANTHONY J. CARISTI has no moving parts and elimi-
2
- --+
sensor is placed in a magnetic POWER
-
1
-1( IC3 R1
+9V
field with the flux at right angles Cl C2 2 UGN3503U IC2-b
to the flow of current, a voltage 1 .1
- OUT -1N1r+
3_
45K R5
47.5K 1/4 LM324
output directly proportional to B1
R2 1 6
the intensity of the magnetic field +iy9V _IF 2 - OUT
3
4.75K
V* + IC2-a
MAGNETIC
LINES gain of 100 to further increase
OF
FORCE
the change in voltage. A DC off-
set, provided by sensitivity-ad-
just potentiometer R9 and volt-
age follower IC2-c, permits the
FIG. 1-THE BASIC HALL-EFFECT sensor DC output voltage of IC2-b to be
is a small sheet of semiconductor material set to a usable level to drive the
in which a bias current flows. The output next stage.
voltage, measured across the width of the Op-amp IC2-d is used as a volt-
conducting material, is negligible in the age comparator with a fixed refer-
absence of a magnetic field. If placed in a FIG. 3-THE LED WILL BE ILLUMINATED
magnetic field, the output is directly pro- ence of about 3.4 volts fed to its over a small arc as the compass is rotated
portional to the intensity of the magnetic negative input. Thus, when the full circle. True magnetic north is the posi-
116 field. output of IC2-b fed to the positive tion at the center of the arc.
the arc. Once the two LED
switching points are determined,
true magnetic north is then the
position at the center of the arc.
Power is provided by a common
9 -volt battery. The circuit draws R9
about 25 mA and, since it's usu-
ally powered for only a few sec-
onds at a time, battery life is
extremely long; several hours of
continuous compass operation is
also possible. Circuit stability
with a falling battery voltage is
ensured by the 5 -volt regulator,
IC5. When the battery is ex- FIG. 4-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. The Hall generators must be placed in opposite
hausted and cannot deliver suffi- directions and exactly parallel as shown. Pin 1 of the Hall sensors is on the left side when
cient current to operate the looking at the markings on the face of the device.
circuit, the LED will appear dim
or will not illuminate at all. sistors are not temperature -sta-
ble and should not be used in
Construction PARTS LIST place of metal -film types. Also, it's
The circuit, when built on the a good idea to use a socket for
printed circuit board (for which Al[ resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5%, un- IC2.
we have provided the foil pat- less otherwise noted. It is recommended that you use
R1, R2-4750 ohms, 1% metal film a miniature momentary push-
tern), is very compact; the pro- R3, R12=-100,000 ohms, 1% metal
totype is housed in a 21/2 -inch button switch for Si. That will
film ensure that battery power will
square by 1 -inch high plastic en- R5, R7, R11-47,500 ohms, 1%
closure, that has sufficient room metal film
never be inadvertently left on
to accommodate both the board R6-475,000 ohms, 1% metal film
when the project is not in use.
and the 9 -volt battery. A metal en- R8, R10-249,000 ohms, 1% metal
The sensitivity control, R9, may
closure must not be used for this film be placed on the side of the en-
project-it can attenuate or dis- R9 -50,000-ohm, potentiometer closure to allow circuit adjust-
tort Earth's weak magnetic field. R13-47,000 ohms ment when necessary. You
The power switch and sensitivity R14-560 ohms should use a battery clip for B1. If
control are mounted on the side Capacitors desired, a suitable clip can be ob-
of the enclosure to allow easy op- C1 -C3--0.1 of, 50 volts, ceramic tained from a discarded 9 -volt
eration of the compass. disc battery (just peel away the metal
Figure 4 shows the parts C4-0.01 of, 50 volts, ceramic disc case and rip the top off). Be very
layout. The position of all polar- Semiconductors careful to wire the battery clip
ized components (especially the IC1-AN78L05 5 -volt regulator with the correct polarity.
Hall sensors) must be followed IC2-LM324N quad op-amp When the circuit board is com-
exactly as shown. The operation IC3, IC4-Sprague UGN3503U pleted, examine it very carefully
of the project depends upon the Hall generator for shorts, opens, and cold solder
Hall generators being placed in LED1-red light -emitting diode joints. It is much easier to correct
opposite directions and exactly -2N3904 NPN transistor problems at this stage rather
Other components than later on if you discover that
parallel as indicated in Fig. 4. B1 -9 -volt alkaline battery
Note that the orientation of the your project does not operate. A
S1-SPST pushbutton switch, nor- photo of the finished board is
sensors is determined by the mally open
marked face of the device, with Miiscellaneous: Plastic enclosure,
shown in Fig. 5.
pin 1 being on the left side when battery clip, control knob, IC sock-
Use a photocopy of the artwork
looking at the markings. The et, wire, solder, etc.
in Fig. 6 for the top of the com-
sensors must be positioned so Note: The following items are
pass; you can simply glue it in
that they are aligned square with available from A. Caristi, 69 place. Indicator LED1 is placed at
the rectangular shape of the White Pond Road, Waldwick, the north indication of the com-
printed circuit board. That way NJ 07463: An etched and pass by drilling a suitable size
the compass direction will be drilled PC board, $9.95; set of hole in the plastic top where the
accurate when the project is as- two Hall sensors, $9.75; IC1, letter N would be. Be very careful
sembled into the enclosure. (Use $2.00; IC2, $2.00; set of 10 met- when drilling; some plastics will
the "north" indication of Fig. 4 to al -film resistors, $4.95. Please shatter if subjected to excessive
determine the relationship be- add $3.00 postage/handling. stress. Be sure to properly orient
tween the PC board and compass the top of the enclosure in accor-
scale when final assembly is dance with the final position of
done.) bility of the circuit with varying the PC board.
Many of the resistors specified ambient temperature changes,
in the parts list are metal -film and reduces the need to Checkout
types. The use of such compo- periodically adjust the sensitivity When you are satisfied that all
nents ensures maximum sta - control. Ordinary carbon re- wiring is complete and correct,
the checkout procedure m,ust be netic fields nearby, and the proj-
performed, and be sure to use a ect is not shielded by a large mass
fresh 9 -volt battery. Checkout re- of iron or steel.
quires a DC voltmeter connected While holding the unit hori-
to ground and the output termi- zontally in any direction, apply
nal of ICI. Apply power to the cir- power and carefully adjust R9 so
cuit check for +4.75 to +5.25 that the LED is at the switch -over
volts. Measure the resistance be- point between on and off; allow at
tween the 5 -volt bus and ground; least 10 seconds for the circuit to
a normal reading is about 600 stabilize. Flicker of the LED is
ohms. Measure the terminal volt- normal as the circuit switches
age of the battery to be sure that back and forth. Once R9 is set,
it is delivering at least 7 volts un- rotate the compass over a 360 -
der load to ICI. Replace a weak degree arc (full circle) and note
battery if necessary. that the LED will be on over part
Next, measure the output volt- of the arc, and off over the rest. If
age of IC2 pin 1, and verify the necessary, readjust potentiome-
voltage range of potentiometer ter R9 very slightly to obtain this
R9. (Compass orientation is not result. The optimum setting for
important at this time.) The volt- R9 will be at the point where the
age should be about 2 to 3 volts arc of illumination is as small as
DC. Measure and record the DC possible.
voltage that you observe at IC2-a As the compass is rotated over
pin 1. the illuminated arc, note the two
FIG. 5-EXAMINE THE COMPLETED on/off points. When the compass
Measure the voltage change at board for shorts, opens, and cold solder
IC2-c pin 8 as the sensitivity con- joints before installing it in a plastic case. is positioned halfway between
trol is rotated over its entire those points, it is facing the mag-
range. The difference between netic north pole, and the scale
the highest and lowest readings indications on its face indicate all
should be about 0.45 volts. Ide- other directions.
ally, the center of the measured
voltage range should be close to Using the compass
the voltage recorded earlier at IC2 Always be sure that the battery
pin 1. is reasonably fresh, and take
If necessary, change the value along an extra one before start-
of R8 and/or R10 so that the volt- ing out on an excursion with the
age range obtained at IC2-c pin 8 compass. (A weak battery will be
is somewhat centered about the indicated by a dim or totally unlit
voltage reading at IC2-a pin 1. LED.) Avoid taking a compass
This ensures proper adjustment reading in any area where there
range of the sensitivity control may be a magnetic field from a
for the particular pair of Hall gen- nearby device, or where Earth's
erators that are used in your FIG. 6-USE A PHOTOCOPY of this art- magnetic field is shielded by a
compass project. work for the top of the compass, and glue large mass of metal.
Once the sensitivity range is it in place on top of the case. Hold the compass in a horizon-
correct, rotate R9 over its range tal position and rotate it full cir-
while observing the LED. At one
end of the setting, the LED r cle while observing the LED.
Adjustment of the sensitivity
should be extinguished, and at control is indicated if the LED is
the other end it should be illumi- totally on or totally off as the com-
nated; if not, check the polarity of pass is rotated. Always allow at
LEDI and the orientation of Ql. least 10 seconds operating time
Check pin 14 of IC2-d to be cer- for the circuit to stabilize. Once
tain it swings from about zero to the sensitivity control is ad-
battery voltage as R9 is rotated justed, it should not require read-
_ justment unless the project is
over its range. Check pin 13 of Z
IC2-d for a voltage of about 3.4 subjected to an extreme change
volts as set by R11 and R12. Prob- in temperature.
lems in this area may warrant re- Don't forget that the electronic -
placing IC2 if everything else compass circuit can be used for
checks out alright-check your things other than a simple direc-
soldering before changing the IC. tion finder. It provides an elec-
When the LED operates as de- tronic means of finding north, so
scribed, the project is ready to be it should be easy to interface the
tested under actual operating L J compass to other devices that
conditions. Before you start, FOIL PATTERN for the electronic com- may need to know where north
make sure that there are no mag - pass, shown actual size. is-a robot, for example. R -E
T
1-1;-1
)I
( _
N
I(
, )I
K
)I
=
I(
s
)I
7
I(..I
=
N
_ N
G
( (. N
_
I(
14
iD
-f
EVX 3JOU
Voltage doublers are an easy and inexpensive way to
experiment with high voltage. RALPH HUBSCHER =
( +--i( IF
N
4 )I )1 )I N 1 )I ( )1-
IF YOUVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A WAY Full -wave doubler Unlike the half -wave voltage
to generate high voltage, you've Let's see how a full -wave voltage doubler, the full -wave version has
undoubtedly run across the volt- doubler is related to and built two capacitors across RL rather
age doubler. Voltage doubling from both positive and negative than one. Whereas Cl shown in
using diode -capacitor combina- half-wave rectifiers. Figure 2-a Fig. 1 is cut off and unsupplied
tions is a common practice. How- shows a half-wave rectifier with a for half of every cycle, Cl and C2
ever, whole banks of doublers, positive output, Fig. 2-b shows in Fig. 3 are supplied on alternate
called cascades, can also be used the same version with a negative half cycles. When the capacitor
for producing extremely high DC output, and Fig. 2-c shows the corresponding to the diode that's
voltages from moderate to high two combined into a full -wave cut off discharges, it can only do
AC voltages. Such high DC volt- voltage rectifier. so through the capacitor being
ages may be needed for TV sets, The full -wave voltage doubler supplied, slightly decreasing
lasers, air purifiers, industrial shown in Fig. 3 has been redrawn both its current and the max-
smoke -stack dust removers, for greater clarity; it has better imum voltage it reaches.
negative -ion generators, and, of regulation than a half-wave ver-
course, for experimenting, on sion, and is easier to filter. The Measuring high-voltage DC
which we'll concentrate here. circuit produces nearly double Voltage measurements will be
the peak AC voltage of 170 volts, possible only to about the second
Half-wave doubler or about 340 volts peak across or third stage of a cascaded volt-
Figure 1 shows a half-wave volt- RL. For the first half-cycle (a), D2 age doubler with most volt-
age doubler; we'll assume that Cl is cut off and D1 conducts, so meters. Beyond that, youll need
and C2 are initially discharged. that Vc1 equals approximately to use either a high -voltage DC
During the first half-cycle shown 170 volts DC. On the next half- meter or an external voltage di-
in a, the upper input terminal is cycle (b), the positive voltage is vider for use with a standard
positive and the bottom negative, replaced by a negative voltage, so high -impedance voltmeter (10
so D1 conducts and Cl charges to D2 conducts and D1 is cut off. RL megohms or more).
about 170 volts peak. Diode D2 goes across Cl and C2 in series, A good voltage divider that can
can't conduct, since it's back -bi- effectively creating a doubled be used for the purpose of high -
ased, so C2 discharges through level of about 340 volts DC. voltage measurements is the
RL. In the second half -cycle (b), RCA SK3868/DIV-1, a high-volt-
the analysis is similar, except age DC divider; it's used in TV's to
that D2 conducts and C2 Warning!! This article deals with and reduce the final anode voltage go-
charges. involves subject matter and the use of ing to the CRT to the level re-
The circuit is really a transfor- materials and substances that may be quired for the focus voltage. It
merless voltage amplifier. While hazardous to health and life. Do not at- consists of resistors R1 (200
T1 can provide isolation, as well tempt to implement or use the information megohms) and R2 (40 megohms)
contained herein, unless you are experi- in series, as shown in Fig. 4.
as increase the AC voltage ini- enced and skilled with respect to such
tially going into the doubler, the subject matter, materials, and sub- There are three leads, one for the
amplification due to the doubling stances. Neither the publisher nor the au- free ends of each resistor, and the
action would occur without it. thor make any representation as for the other at their juncture. If you put
When the polarity reverses, both completeness or accuracy of the informa- both a 10-megohm meter (shown
the input voltage and the charge tion contained herein, and disclaim any as ZM in Fig. 4) and a 2.7-
liability for damages or injuries, whether megohm resistor (R3) in parallel
across Cl are in series like two caused by or arising from the lack of com-
batteries, producing about 340 pleteness, inaccuracies of the informa- with the 40-megohm resistor
volts peak. One problem, though, tion, misrepresentations of the directions, (R2), you can achieve almost ex-
is that a half-wave doubler can't misapplication of the information, or other- actly 100:1 range multiplication,
be used with a load that draws wise. for a full-scale deflection of 20
much current. kilovolts DC.
119
02
C2 DISCHARGES
SLIGHTLY, IF
PREVIOUSLY
CHARGED
D2
340V
01 PEAK
Cl
a
T1
- D1
_
FIG. 3-FULL-WAVE VOLTAGE DOUBLER, redrawn for greater clarity. For the first half -
cycle (a), D2 is cut off and D1 conducts, producing about 170 volts DC across Cl. On the
next half -cycle (b), D2 conducts and D1 is cut off. The output voltage is now across Cl and
C2 in series, doubling the level to about 340 volts DC.
WHITE R3
O
BLACK
WIRE 2.7MEG WIRE
enZ
M
10MEG
DC
VOLTMETER
-
FIG. 4-TO MEASURE HIGH VOLTAGES
with an ordinary 10-megohm meter, you
can use the RCA SK3868/DIV-1 high -volt-
age divider. The circuit provides a 1:100
voltage division, allowing 20 kilovolts to
be measured on a 200 -volt scale.
FIG. 2-TWO HALF -WAVE RECTIFIERS,
one with a positive output (a) and one
Cl C3 C5 FIG. 6-THIS VOLTAGE DOUBLER is the
negative (b), combine to make a full -wave
voltage doubler (c). same as the one shown in Fig. 5, although
it's drawn differently. You should be able
to recognize both versions.
Cascaded voltage doublers
Figures 5-8 show four addi- C2 C4 C6 sing noise. (We'll shown you how
o tional voltage doublers. The one to demonstrate the "wind" later
o shown in Fig. 5 is the most FIG. 5-THIS CASCADED DOUBLER uses
on.) The circuit delivers 3.75
o straightforward. If you build it, 1N4007 diodes rated at 1 kilovolt PIV, and
kilovolts DC when powered from
z capacitors from 0.068-0.14F with a 400 -
x use 1N4007 diodes with peak in- volt DC working voltage. 120 volts AC, or 7.5 kilovolts DC
Ci) verse voltage (PIV) ratings of 1 when powered from 240 volts AC.
CC
w
I-
kilovolt for D1-D6, and stabilized for moderate -current The output of a cascaded volt-
zw 0.068-0.1 F capacitors with applications; it's called either a age doubler should be termi-
working voltages of 400 volts DC. Cockcroft -Walton or Greinacher nated with no less than 200
ir
w
Figure 5 is electrically identical to cascaded voltage doubler. megohms, and only then be al-
a
xw the one in Fig. 6, so keep that in You can use a sewing needle as lowed to extend beyond a protec-
mind if you should come across an emitter for the doubler shown tive plastic case, for safety.
w either format. Figure 7 shows an in Fig. 8 to generate "corona Voltages as high as 5 megavolts
extended version that's better wind." That will sound like a his - DC have been generated using
120
cascaded voltage doublers, es- should all have infinite resis-
pecially when operating in a pres- tance.
surized atmosphere. The biggest To properly discharge capaci-
advantage to using voltage dou- tors, build a discharging wand
blers is that they use inexpensive like the one shown in Fig. 10. Use
low -voltage parts. Otherwise, if a 2 -foot wooden (or plastic)
all the parts had to be of the high - dowel, and connect a stiff wire tip
voltage variety, you would have to
use expensive and rather large
capacitors like the one shown in FIG.12-A TYPICAL CASCADED voltage
doubler. Note the wide spacings between
Fig. 9. the diodes, the long connecting wires,
If you have problems with the and the smooth solder joints.
circuit in Fig. 8 (or any other
high -voltage circuit), you must
discharge every capacitor (we'll
tell you how in a minute) before
you check for malfunctions.
When examining the circuit for
problems, closely check the sol- FIG. 9-HIGH-VOLTAGE CAPACITORS. A
der connections, and then the di- 0.25 F, 7.5 -kilovolt capacitor is on the
ode directions and continuity. left; a 100 pF, 15 -kilovolt capacitor is in the
The 1N4007's should have a re- middle; and 0.0005F, 5 -kilovolt capacitor
sistance of 1.1K when forward- is on the right. FIG. 13-THIS IS THE DOUBLER from Fig-
biased and be open when reverse - ure 12, after being sealed in candle wax.
biased, while the capacitors METAL TIP For better protection, you can immerse it
WATER (PIANO WIRE( in pure paraffin oil.
PIPE
j
to an earth ground, such as a cold -water pipe, or you may blow a fuse or
pipe. damage parts.
Figure 11 shows a switch for
high -voltage DC that you can use
with any of the cascaded voltage -
doublers shown here; standard
switches may present a shock
hazard. Also, use an electromag-
T1 netic interference (EMI) line filter
like the one seen at left in the
126 OVAC O
photo to keep high -voltage DC
FIG. 7-THE COCKCROFT-WALTON, or FIG. 11-HOMEMADE SWITCH for high - out of house wiring, and to pre-
Greinacher cascaded voltage doubler, voltage DC. The line filter at left is a safety vent shock from static charge.
has improved performance for moderate- measure to keep high -voltage DC out of The EMI filter is from Corcom
current applications. the house wiring. Corp. (1600 Winchester Road,
K -C-
Cl C3 C5
-I
Cl
`
C11 C13 C15
---I
C17 C21 C23
I(
C25
4,401
SEWING NEEDLE
AS EMITTER
ELECTRODE
FIG.
r
C10 C12
I
C14
)f I
8-THIS 25 -STAGE VOLTAGE DOUBLER will generate "corona wind." It delivers 3.75
C16
)I 1
C18
)I
C20
)
C24
---
C26
D26
01
Cl
-D26: 1N4007,
- C26:
1kV PIV
kilovolts DC when powered from 120 volts AC, or 7.5 kilovolts DC when powered from 240
volts AC.
121
good for corona generation and
electron emission. The sharp-
ened ends will have a small radi-
us of curvature (a tight curve or
bend), giving rise to a highly dis-
torted electric field at its surface.
The high electric field is what
tends to ionize air molecules in
the vicinity.
Another experiment you could
try involves holding a fluorescent
tube near the emitter. The tube
will glow, but be careful not to
touch the terminals on the ends,
or you'll get a shock.
Lines of force of an elec-
trostatic field can be demon-
strated by placing the electrodes
(the high -voltage DC output and
ground) in a tray covered with
FIG. 14-CORONA WIND DEMONSTRATION. The flame will deflect toward the ground castor oil containing some
plate. Note the black ground wire attached near the screw threads. farina. The farina will produce
the pattern of the electric field
When you build a cascaded lines; similar to iron filings
RIVET
voltage doubler, you can encase shaken lightly on a piece of paper
the circuit in pure paraffin oil or in the presence of a bar magnet.
candle wax to reduce the chances If you place two round door
WIRE of getting shocked. It will also knobs on insulated stands made
SOLDER WIRE
minimize corona loss, so the from plastic cups filled with can-
ONTO SIDE high -voltage DC arrives where it's dle wax, and then charge them,
needed. Figures 12 and 13 show a then a plastic ball suspended
FIG. 15-THIS ION -MOTOR ROTOR, when from a string will be drawn to and
placed on top of the sewing -needle emit- typical ladder-type voltage dou-
ter, will spin in a circle. bler before and after being sealed touch the positive electrode, and
in wax. fall back to center when the
SPHERICAL SPHERICAL
spheres are discharged (see Fig.
ELECTRODE ELECTRODE Experiments 16-a). A plastic ball coated with
There are many experiments conductive lacquer swings to-
chat can produce observable ward the positive electrode like a
effects due to the high -voltage DC pendulum; when the ball and
PENDULUM produced by voltage doublers. doorknob touch, the ball be-
USING LAC- With a high -voltage emitter comes positively charged, so they
QUER-COATED
PLASTIC BALL pointed at a ground plate (used to repel one another. It then swings
a attract ions), with a burning can- toward the negative side, ab-
SPHERICAL SPHERICAL dle placed in between them (see sorbs electrons, becomes nega-
ELECTRODE ELECTRODE
Fig. 14), you'll see the candle tively charged, and is repelled
flame deflect toward the metal back to the positive. The process
ct'r, repeats indefinitely as long as the
plate.
VERY You can make a rotor for an ion high -voltage DC is present, and it
LIGHT motor, using a light pivot made will continue to operate for some
COTTON
BALL
from a rivet with thin, stiff wire time after it's shut off. The charge
(like piano wire) attached, as exchange is slow, and there'll be
b shown in Fig. 15. The rotor must arcing at the positive electrode.
FIG. 16-TWO CHARGED DOOR KNOBS be balanced on top of the sewing- A grounded metal ball alter-
cause a suspended, lacquer -coated plas- needle emitter (much as in a nates between both electrodes,
8m tic ball to behave like a pendulum (a). A compass) used for the doubler like the conducting plastic ball.
light cotton ball will bounce back and shown in Fig. 8. (We ran a similar However, the arcs are smaller due
forth without being suspended on a string construction project in Radio - to its greater weight, and should
_ (b).
Electronics, February, 1991.) be observed at both ends, but
Q Libertyville, IL 60048, tel. When powered up, the rotor will more on the positive side.
w
312-680-7400), Model 2061 is spin and a hissing sound will be A light cotton ball should be
w rated at 20 amps, 250 volts, and heard. Both ends of the wire are drawn to the positive electrode
50-400 Hz. The high -voltage DC bent at opposite right angles, so and hang there by itself, as
Fr
w switch in Fig. 11 also uses an old the emitted electrons propel the shown in Fig. 16-b. It's then re-
a 100 -amp fuse box, shown on the wire in a circle. You should pelled 0.5 -inch toward the nega-
w tive electrode, and the process
w right; it may look like an antique, sharpen both ends of the rotor
but it will prevent any shocks. wire to provide a sharp surface should repeat indefinitely.
122
Build this powerful serial-bus
analyzer for a fraction of the cost
of commercial units-and learn
about the ever-popular 68705
microcontroller in the process.
RS -232
TERM I NAL/MON TOR
built-in serial port, a second one frequency of exactly 2.4576 MHz
STEVEN AVRITCH has been implemented in soft- in order to generate the correct
ware. However, the second port baud rates. The keyboard is a
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FRUSTRATED still requires a 12 -volt RS -232 surplus unit from an old TI -99/4
by a problem with an RS -232 interface. The schematic is personal computer; the keyboard
line? Inexpensive breakout boxes shown in Fig. 1, and the wiring is inexpensive and readily avail-
with five or six LED's suffice for diagram is shown in Fig. 2. able through many suppliers.
solving simple problems, but A Maxim MAX232 RS -232 A beeper may be connected to
they don't provide enough infor- transceiver (IC2) provides the pin 19 (port B7) of the micro -
mation to debug the serious transmission portion of the in- controller. The beeper will sound
kind. On the other hand, full -fea- terface; it converts TTL signals whenever the monitor detects a
tured serial bus analyzers (SBA's) from the microcontroller to bell character (ASCII 07 or Cntl-
give you all the debugging infor- RS -232 levels. Unlike most G). The beeper must be TTL-com-
mation you need, but can cost RS -232 transceivers, which re- patible (meaning that it must be
close to $ 1000. quire separate + 12- and -12 - powered from a 5 -volt supply and
However, you don't really have volt power supplies, the MAX232 draw less than 3 mA).
to spend that much. Now you can has built-in charge pumps that The low power consumption of
build a powerful RS-232 monitor generate the required voltages the microcontroller allows it to
that does most of what the expen- from a single 5 -volt supply. A operate over a wide range of input
sive SBA's do, yet doesn't cost standard 1489 device (IC4) con- voltages (8-15 volts DC); IC3 pro-
much more than a quality break- verts incoming 12 -volt signals vides voltage regulation. The out-
out box. In addition, this project to TTL levels. put of IC3 is 6 volts; diode D2
can also be used as a portable, Switch S1 is a DPDT unit that drops voltage even further, to
battery-operated terminal. Fea- selects terminal or monitor about 5.3 volts. D1 provides re-
tures are summarized in Table 1. mode. In terminal mode the CPU verse -polarity input protection.
controls the logic levels of both
Hardware design lines. However, in monitor mode, Operating modes
The heart of the project is all lines from the primary port The RS -232 Trminal/Monitor
Motorola's MC68HC705C8 sin- (J1) are directly connected to the has four basic modes of opera-
gle -IC microcontroller, a 40 -pin secondary port (J2), in which tion, as shown in Table 2. You use
DIP containing built-in PROM, case all signals pass straight the keyboard to select mode, as
RAM, serial and parallel I/O through and the device simply well as a variety of operational pa-
ports, timer, and clock. monitors TXD and DTR. rameters. In use, you must place
The monitor requires two se- Other notable components in- 51 in the Terminal position when
rial receivers: one for the TXD line clude XTAL1 and the keyboard. in terminal mode, and in the
and one for the RxD line. Because The crystal is a standard, readily Monitor position when in any of
the microcontroller has only one available device; it must have a the three display modes. 123
The terminal -mode display is TABLE 1-FEATURES
similar to a dumb ASCII termi-
nal, except that the display is lim- 40 -character x 2 -line LCD display
ited to forty characters by two Full keyboard
lines. The CPU converts key- Selectable baud rate (300 -19,200)
board characters to ASCII, then Selectable protocol (number of data and parity bits)
transmits them over the serial Programmable scroll rate
link. Conversely, received charac- Recall of last two lines displayed
ters are displayed in ASCII on the 8- to 15 -volt DC power (9V battery is perfect)
LCD screen. CMOS design for low current drain and long battery life
The Display Bits mode contin-
uously displays the status of the
six primary RS -232 signals, as
shown in Fig. 3-a. The Display TABLE 2-MODES OF OPERATION
ASCII mode shows activity on the
Tx1) and Rx1) lines. TXD data ap- Terminal The unit acts as a simple RS -232 "dumb" terminal. The unit
pears in ASCII on line one and can be connected anywhere a dumb terminal is needed.
RxD data on line two (Fig. 3-b).
Display Bits Displays status (high or low) of the six primary RS -232 lines
The Display Hex mode is similar, (TXD, RXD, RTS, CTS, DSR, DTR).
except that each character ap-
pears in hexadecimal format, as Display ASCII Displays TXD (line 1) and RXD (line 2) activity in ASCII
shown in Fig. 3-c. (A period "." format.
indicates that the line was inac-
tive when a character was re- Display Hex Like Display ASCII mode except hexadecimal display.
ceived on the other line.)
J1
6 RXD 8 R1 IN R1 OUT D SPLAY Vcc
7 DSR 13 MODULE
R2 IN R2 OUT
TXD 14 2
T1 OUT T1 IN
DTR 7 I,^ 011t T2 IN 3
R1
10K
IC2 C2+
e7 1 t'1+ C9
10F"1-3 MAX232 10F 21 14
PC7
22 13
C3 PC6
C8+-2
Vcc GND 23 12
10F 161
010 PC5
10F 24 11
Vcc 4 IC1 PC4
MC68HC705C8S 25
PC3
Vcc
26 6
14t R13 PC2
10K 27 5
3 DTR 10 DTR
We PC1
4 RTS 1 3 RTS 36 28 4
PD7 PC0
IC4 19
2 CTS 4 CTS 34
MC1489 PD5/SS PB7
1 TXD 13 33 18
PD4/SCK PB6 BZ1
32 17 8 BEEPER
J3 PD3/MOSI PBS
RS -232 11 TXD 31
PD2/MISO PB4
16 9
(OPTIONAL)
INPUTS
1 30
29
PD1/TDO PB3
15
14
12
15
PD0/RDI PB2
XTAL1 13 14
39 OSC1 PB1
-- -iDl
2.4576MHz
38
37
OSC2
TCAP
PBO
PA7
12
4
13
11
R2 5 10
m C3 10ME6 35 TCMP PA6
O C2 Vcc 6 7
18pF 2 IRO
Z 18 pF
PA5
40 VDD 7 5
2 FA4
8 4
Cf) = Vcc Vss PA3
cc "1.20
w D1 02 PA2
9 3
I- ,,,, 1N4148 J2
Z 1N4148 ,
R3 10 2
Lu 10K
PA1 KEYBOARD
2 +8-15V 1 RESET PAO
11
w C4 C1
a 100F R4 -K12
1F
X 10K
w SIP Vcc
w
Q
FIG. 1-SCHEMATIC OF THE TERMINAL/MONITOR. The keyboard is a surplus unit from a
124 TI 99/4 computer.
RS-232 DSR DTR
J3 15
TXD RXD RTS CTS
INPUTS
0 0 1 1 0 1
2 3 4 8 6 7
a
2 2
3 3
6 67
7 b
a 48
20 TER- 20
CO 42 ... 77 90 44 22
J4
PRIMARY
0MINAL
;MONITOR SECONDARY
55
.
54 22 88 42 43 44 45 56 66 76
.
0
Si C
TERMINAL/MONITOR
FIG. 3-DISPLAY SAMPLES. The Display Bits mode is shown in a; the ASCII mode is
FIG. 2-WIRING DIAGRAM for the termi- shown in b, with TXD on top and RXD on the bottom; and the hex mode is shown in c,
nal/monitor. Connectors J4 and J5 are again with TXD over RXD.
standard DB -25 males.
During operation in ASCII or
hex mode, you can press Cntl-S
to halt input temporarily and
TABLE 3-FUNCTION REQUESTS
read what is displayed. Then sim-
1st Description 2nd Description ply press Cntl-Q when you're
ready to continue.
M Select mode 1 Terminal The monitor has several keys
that can produce more than one
2 Display Bits symbol. For example, the ques-
tion mark symbol is located on
3 Display ASCII the front of the "I" key. To produce
a question mark, press I and the
4 Display Hex FCTN key simultaneously.
0 Display current parameters
Function requests
1 Set baud rate 0 19,200 You can change several operat-
ing characteristics by pressing
1 9600 special key combinations, as
shown in Table 3. lb set a given
2 4800 parameter, press FCTN and the
key shown in column one of the
3 2400 table.
4 1200
Select Mode. Press FCTN-M,
then press 1-4 to select mode.
5 600 Current Parameters. Press
FCTN-0 to view current settings
6 300 for mode (terminal), baud rate
(1200), protocol (7E1), scroll rate
2 Set Protocol 0 8N1 (0), scroll mode, linefeed status
(enabled), and on/off-line status
1 7N1 (on-line). (Default values shown m
m
7E1
in parentheses.) x
2
Set Baud Rate. Press FCTN-1 m
3 Set scroll rate delay 0-9 0= off, 9= max to set baud rate. The monitor
runs from 300 to 19,200 bits/sec, m
z
4 Toggle scroll/two- line mode but the maximum rate in ASCII m
and Hex Display modes is 9600.
5 Enable/disable linefeed Protocol. Press FCTN-2 to de- _
fine the number of data bits (7, z
6 Recall last two lines 8), parity (Even, Odd, None), and o
CD
stop bits (1, 2) in each byte sent
L Toggle local/online modes
or received. The terminal cur-
H Display help information rently supports three popular for-
mats: 8N1. 701, and 7E1. 125
PARTS LIST
S- +8 TO + 15VDC
INPUT
} TO J4,J5
D1 I d6
6
R2-10 megohms C4
CBt+
R3, R13-10,000 ohms R4 -R12
C2
IC4 C9 -IF IC2
___Yr, 7_-022/
message should appear on the
: 5. ----21,___
.,... ___ _____7__4I
display. Adjust Contrast potenti-
ometer Rl for best effect. Now set
switch Si to the appropriate posi-
tion, and set the desired mode
thor's completed unit, con- er with a CGA board (or other vid- $50.85.
taining a protector circuit for eo card with NTSC-compatible
both the left and right channels sync) you can use just the en- Each volume provides a comprehensive list-
and one power supply, is shown coder section to generate NTSC- ing of all commonly used TTL integrated
in Fig. 7. compatible sync and RGB video circuits within the range of types noted. The
The completed boards can be outputs. R -E combination of three volumes covers 7400
through 7430640 TTL products from all ma-
jor manufacturers. All current families are
covered: standard, low power, Schottky, low
power Schottky, advanced Schottky, ad-
vanced low powered Schottky, high speed
and fast Schottky. There are eight sections to
the book. Section 1 illustrates the device
schematic using a clear and simple logic di-
agram. Next a brief description of the compo-
nents, providing gt,ick reference to the
internal structure. The next section details
input signals or levels at individual pins. The
fourth section lists major applications and is
followed by a summary of essential data.
Below this, a table indicates the TTL families
in which the device is available, and finally,
FIG. 7-HERE'S THE AUTHOR'S PRO- device description and type number are high-
TOTYPE. It contains a protector circuit for lighted for easy reference. A manufacturer's
index at the back of the book shows in tabular
both the left and right channels and one
power supply. The entire unit is only about
4 inches wide by 6 inches long.
You Need form which companies manufacture each
package.
mounted in a case like the one Tree City USA MAIL TO: Electronic Technology Today, Inc.
P.O. Box '240
pictured in Fig. 7. When drilling Massapequa Park, NY 11762-0240
holes in plastic cases, start with a City trees add the soft touch
small drill bit and work your way of nature to our busy lives. SHIPPING CHARGES IN USA AND CANADA
They cool our cities, fight pollu- $0.01 to $5.00...$1.50 $30 01 to $40.00. $5.50
up. $5.01 to $10.00..$2.50 $40 01 to $50.00. $6.50
As a final word, the circuit is tion, conserve energy, give
$10.01 to $20.00. $3.50 $50 01 and above $8.00
wildlife a home, and make our
designed to protect speakers neighborhoods more liveable.
$20.01 to $30.00. $4.50
from excessive DC levels caused SORRY, No orders accepted outside of USA and
Support Tree City USA where Canada
by amplifier failure. However, it you live. For your free booklet, Total price of merchandise $
will not protect a speaker that's write: Tree City USA, The Shipping (see chart) $
rated at power levels much less National Arbor Day Foundation,
Subtotal $
than the driving amplifier can Nebraska City, NE 68410.
Sales Tax (NYS only)
Total Enclosed
$
-------------------J
1800 North Highland Avenue
2245 Perimeter Park, Dept. VP351, Atlanta, Georgia 30341 Suite 717
-
92067.
2 Information Unlimited 13
CITIZEN BAND RADIO DX. Details $1.00. CBR, Box 212,
Rochelle Park, NJ 07662.
rn PLANS AND KITS CORDLESS SOLDERING IRON. Increases mobility, im-
96 Jensen Tools 57 proves accuracy! Rechargeable. $14.95. Free information.
-
Z
DESCRAMBLER KITS. Complete cable kit
$44.95. Complete Satellite kit $49.95. Add $5
McGregor Imports, PO 428135-S, Chicago, IL 60642.
98 Kelvin Electronics 17 BURGLAR ALARMS! WHOLESALE. Send $5.00 For
shipping. Free Brochure. No New sales. Amazing Catalogue. Global Security, 672 Oldmill Road,
Summit EH, Box 489, Bronx, NY 10465. 93 Mouser 94 Suite 320, DPT(A), Millersville, MD 21108.
CC
W
a - NRI Schools 11
MONITOR CORDLESS TELEPHONE Conversations from
your home or car. For details send $10.00 to: Bennett
Distributors, 824 EA. Rand Road, Suite 186, Arlington
Heights, IL 60004.
EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION 92 School of VCR Repair 130
UJ EMPLOYMENT
Q FREE! Catalog of educational and fun electronic 94 U.S. Cable 106 JOB MARKET TOUGH? Consider Professional Retire-
kits. LNS TECHNOLOGIES, 210993 Foothill ment Counseling. Complete Details: New Careers, 3871
Blvd., Suite 307G, Hayward, CA 94541-1551. Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA 94611.
130 95 Zentek 106
Electronics Paperback Books
GREAT PAPERBACKS AT SPECIAL PRICES
1 BP248-TEST n BP267-HOW TO 1 BP265-MORE M MroAeNlon ti BP256-INTRO TO
EQUIPMENT CON- Tenevmpm.nt oweUfra USE OSCILLO- ADVANCED USES Lo+awpaalaea aae LOUDSPEAKERS
STRUCTION CDnetru.tlal Deolimeepaa
SCOPES AND OF THE MULTI- erwla... Daal.n AND ENCLOSURE
aeean.T*
$5.95. Details con- wrewe.al OTHER TEST EQUIP- METER..... $5.95. Use DESIGN $5.95. We
struction of simple, in- MENT $6.95. Mas- these techniques to explore the variety of
expensive, but ex- tering the oscilloscope test and analyze the enclosure and speaker
tremely useful test is not really too difficult. performance of a vari- designs in use today so
equipment. AF Gen, This book explains all ety of components. the reader can under-
Test Bench Ampl, Au- the standard controls Also see how to build stand the principles in-
dio Millivoltmeter, Tran- and functions. Other ad-ons to extend multi - volved.
sistor Tester and six _ ___________ _J equipment is also de- meter capabilities.
more. scribed.
CMOS1-CMOS POCKET GUIDE 1 BP249-MORE
$18.95. Works like the TTL Guides but covers I 1 BP299-PRACTICAL ADVANCED TEST
all commonly used CMOS standard devices. ELECTRONIC FILTERS EQUIPMENT CON-
Six major sections. The first shows the device $6.95. Presents a doz- STRUCTION
schematic. Next is a brief description of the en filter -based practical $6.95. Eleven more
component and is followed by full operating projects with applications in test equipment con-
details. The fourth section lists major applica- and around the home or in struction projects.
tions, while the 5th and 6th sections present the constructor's workshop. They include a digital
essential data for that device and a list of the Complete construction de- voltmeter, capacitance
relevent manufacturers. The final two sections tails are included. meter, current tracer
are a valuable cross-reference. and more.
n BP309-PREAMPLI-
FIER AND FILTER CIR-
Digital Audio
n BP245-DIGITAL n BP247-MORE Tl BP257-INTRO TO
Preamplifle,
end
Filter Circuits CUITS $6.95. Provides
Prolects AUDIO PROJECTS ADVANCED MIDI AMATEUR RADIO
circuits and background
$5.95. Practical cir- PROJECTS $5.95. $6.95. Amateur is a
info for a range of pre-
cuits to build and ex- Circuits included are a unique and fascinating
amplifiers, plus tone con-
periment with. In- MIDI indicator, THRU hobby. This book gives
trols, filters, mixers and
cludes A/D converter, box, merge unit, code the newcomer a com-
more. All are high-perfor-
input amplifier, digital generator, pedal, pro- prehensive and easy to
mance circuits that can be
delay line, compander, grammer, channelizer, understand guide to
built at a reasonable cost.
echo effect and more. and analyzer. the subject.
n PCP115-ELECTRONIC
PROJECTS FOR HOME SECUR-
ELECTRONIC
n BP251-COMPUT- ITY $10.00.25 projects ranging
PROJECTS
f BP303-UNDERSTANDING
1 ER HOBBYISTS from a single-door protection cir-
PC SOFTWARE $6.95. This HANDBOOK cuit that can be completed in an HOME SCURnY
book will help you understand the $8.95. A wrapup of ev- hour or two, to a sophisticated
basics of various types of business erything the computer multi -channel security system.
software in common use. Types of hobbyist needs to Each project is described in detail
software covered include word pro- know in one easy to with circuit diagrams, explanations
cessors, spelling checkers, graph- use volume. Provides a of how it works, instructions for
ics programs, desktop publishing, range of useful refer- building and testing, and how to
databases, spreadsheets and util- ence material in a sin- adapt circuits to meet special re-
ities. gle source. quirements.
BP195--INTRODUCTION TO SATELLITE TV $9.95. A definitive introduction to BP239-GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR MULTIMETER..... $5.95. Covers
the subject written for the professional engineer, electronics enthusiast, or others basics of analog and digital meters. Methods of component testing includes
who want to know more before they buy. 8 x 10 in. transistors, thyristors, resistors, capacitors and other active and passive devices.
n BP234-TRANSISTOR SELECTOR GUIDE $10.00. Companion volume to RADIO -100 RADIO HOOKUPS $3.00. Reprint of 1924 booklet presents radio
BP235. Book covers more than 1400 JEDEC, JIS, and brand-specdic devices. Also circuits of the era including regenerative, neutrodyne, reflex & more.
contains listing by case type, and electronic parameters. Includes Darlington
transistors, high -voltage devices, high -current devices, high power devices.
n BP42-SIMPLE LED CIRCUITS 95.50.A large selection of simple applications
BP99-MINI-MATRIX BOARD PROJECTS $5.50. Here are 20 useful circuits for this simple electronic component.
that can be built on a mini-matrix board that is just 24 holes by ten copper -foil strips.
BP117-PRACTICAL ELECTRONIC BUILDING BLOCKS-Book 1 $5.75. BP122-AUDIO AMPLIFIER CONSTRUCTION $5.75. Construction details for
Oscillators, Timers, Noise Generators, Rectifiers, Comparators, Triggers and more. preamps and power amplifiers up through a 100 -watt DC -coupled FED amplifier
P0. Box 240, Massapequa Park, NY 11762-0240 outside of USA & Canada
$0.01 to $5.00 $1.50 Total price of merchandise S
$5.01 to $10.00 $2.50 Shipping (see chart) $
Name
$10.01 to 20.00 $3.50 Subtotal S
Address $20.01 to 30.00 $4.50 Sales Tax (NYS only) $
t.
City State Zip
EH93
$30.01
$40.01
$50.01
to 40.00
to 50.00
and above
$5.50
$6.50
$8.00
Total Enclosed
a Y ments must be in U.S. funds
payments
$
j
Countersurveillance
Never before has so much The professional discussions seen on
professional information on the art the TV screen in your home reveals how
of detecting and eliminating to detect and disable wiretaps, midget
electronic snooping devices-and
CALL radio -frequency transmitters, and other
couN1En-
how to defend against experienced NOW! bugs, plus when to use disinformation to
information thieves-been placed suaE11awcE confuse the unwanted listener, and the
in one VHS video. If you are a 1ECwN1011ES technique of voice scrambling telephone
"
There is a thriving professional service cording studio the world had ever vated (VOX) and remote -activated bugs.
steeped in high-tech techniques that you known. The building had to be torn Some of this equipment can be operated
can become a part of! But first, you must down in order to remove all the bugs. by novices, others require a trained coun-
know and understand Countersurveilance tersurveillance professional.
Technology. Your very first insight into Stolen Information The professionals viewed on your tele-
this highly rewarding field is made possi- The open taps from where the informa- vision screen reveal information on the
ble by a video VHS presentation that you tion pours out may be from FAX's, com- latest technological advances like laser -
cannot view on broadcast television, sat- puter communications, telephone calls, beam snoopers that are installed hun-
ellite, or cable. It presents an informative and everyday business meetings and dreds of feet away from the room they
program prepared by professionals in the lunchtime encounters. Businessmen need snoop on. The professionals disclose that
field who know their industry, its tech- counselling on how to eliminate this in- computers yield information too easily.
niques, kinks and loopholes. Men who formation drain. Basic telephone use cou- This advertisement was not written by
can tell you more in 45 minutes in a pled with the user's understanding that a countersurveillance professional, but by
straightforward, exclusive talk than was - someone may be listening or recording a beginner whose only experience came
ever attempted before. vital data and information greatly reduces from viewing the video tape in the pri-
the opportunity for others to purloin vacy of his home. After you review the
Foiling Information Thieves meaningful information. video carefully and understand its con-
Discover the targets professional r 1
tents, you have taken the first important
snoopers seek out! The prey are stock CLAGGK INC. EH step in either acquiring professional help
brokers, arbitrage firms, manufacturers, P.O. Box 4099 Farmingdale, NY 11735 with your surveillance problems, or you
high-tech companies, any competitive may very well consider a career as a coun-
Please rush my copy of the Countersurveillance Techniques
industry, or even small businnesses in the Video VHS Cassette for a total cost of 553.95 each (which
tersurveillance professional.
same community. The valuable informa- includes 54.1X) postage and handling).
tion they filch may be marketing strat- No. of Cassettes ordered
The Dollars You Save
egies, customer lists, product formulas, Amount of payment $ To obtain the information contained in .d:
manufacturing techniques, even adver- Sales tax (N.Y.S. only) the video VHS cassette, you would attend
Total enclosed
tising plans. Information thieves eaves- a professional seminar costing $350-750
Bill my VISA MasterCard
drop on court decisions, bidding Card No. and possibly pay hundreds of dollars more
information, financial data. The list is Expire Date / if you had to travel to a distant city to
unlimited in the mind of man-es- Signature attend. Now, for only $49.95 (plus
pecially if he is a thief! Name $4.00 P&H) you can view Countersur-
Address
You know that the Russians secretly City State ZIP
veillance Techniques at home and take
installed countless microphones in the refresher views often. To obtain your
All payments in U.S.A. funds. Canadians add 54.10 per VHS
concrete work of the American Embassy cassette. No foreign orders.
copy, complete the coupon or call.
building in Moscow. They converted L J