Modern Electronics 1989 08

YOUR ONE -STOP SOURCE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION
ICD 0E559
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AUGUST 1989 $2.50
CANADA $3.50
TM
THE MAGAZINE FOR ELECTRONICS & COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS
"Pick Six Lottery"

Number Selector
Relative Humidity
Metering Device
Also: es (p.
Random number selector for Pick Six lottes 22)
A Blackout /Brownout Audible Alarm

Beep Tone Converter Fabricate PC Boards Without Photography
Final Two Modules For Smart Weather Monitor
f .CO
Magnavox's new 3" t and -held LCD color TV receiver (p. 14) All-electronic Relative Humidity Meter (p. 44)
Plus: Forrest Mims' Piezoelectric Experiments Evaluating Nemesis GO

o Game! First Look at Gazelle Systems' OPTune Software Pyroelectric Infrared
Sensors & a Power Operational Amplifier Electronics & Computer News ... more.
74820 08559 i
www.americanradiohistory.com
"TOELECTRONICS
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850 MHz mv < < 20 mv
3 < 5 mv NA < 5 mv
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2.2 GHz 30 mv < NA < 30 mv NA < 30 mv
ACCURACY ALL HAVE +/- 1 PPM TCXO TIME BASE.
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provide 2 -5 hour portable operation with continuous operation from AC line charger /power supply supplied. Model
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Save $141 LIST PRICE SAVE
V-223 20MHz D.T., 1mV sens, Delayed Sweep, DC Offset, Vert Mode Trigger $770 $695 $75
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20MHz Dual Trace Oscilloscope V-422 40MHz
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CIRCLE NO. 136 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 3
EDITORIAL STAFF
Art Salsberg
Editor -in -Chief
THE MAGAZINE FOR ELECTRONICS & COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS
Alexander W. Burawa
Managing Editor
AUGUST 1989 VOLUME 6, NUMBER 8 Dorothy Kehrwieder
Production Manager
FEATURES Elizabeth Ryan
Art Director
Barbara Terzo
14 Practical Printed- Circuit Boards Artist
Direct -mask method of producing single-quantity pc Pat Le Blanc
boards. By Wayne Richardson Florence V. Martin
Phototypographers
22 6/49 Lottery Number Selector Hal Keith
Lets you choose six random numbers from a possible Illustrator
49 for playing Pick Six state lotteries. Bruce Morgan
By Walter W. Schopp Photographer
39
Forrest Mims III, Ted Needleman,
PC Volume Control & Beep Tone Converter Curt Phillips
32 Contributing Editors
Add -on devices that can make working at your com-
puter a more pleasant experience. BUSINESS STAFF
By Adolph A. Mangieri Richard A. Ross
Publisher
39 Blackout /Brownout Alarm Art Salsberg
Sounds a buzzer when ac line power drops below a cer- Associate Publisher
tain level or disappears altogether. By Istvan Mohos Dorothy Kehrwieder
General Manager
44 Relative Humidity Meter Frank V. Fuzia
Measures relative percentage of moisture in the air and Controller
44 displays it in bargraph or analog meter format. Arlene Caggiano
By Anthony J. Caristi Accounting
Catherine Ross
52 A Smart Weather Monitor (Part III) Circulation Director
How the project's A/D Memory Expansion and Melissa Kehrwieder
Keyboard modules work. By Tom Fox Data Processing
Kathleen Bell
Customer Service
COLUMNS SALES OFFICES
Eastern /Midwest
60 Electronics Notebook Modern Electronics
More Piezoelectric Experiments. 76 North Broadway
76 By Forrest M. Mims III
Hicksville, NY 11801
(516) 681-2922
69 Solid -State Devices FAX: (516) 681 -2926
®
o a
7-
z9 Pyroelectric Infrared Sensors & a Power Operational
Amplifier. By Joseph Desposito
Jonathan Kummer
Advertising Manager
Western Advertising Representative
72 PC Capers JE Publishers' Representative
6855 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 302
A Disk- Optimizer Software Package & Something
6
5
Special for Your Computer. By Ted Needleman Los Angeles, CA 90038
CD m
tr s ^-116 (213) 467-2266
FAX: (213) 462 -0684
76 Software Focus Jay Eisenberg, Director
Nemesis GO! By John McCormick
Offices: 76 North Broadway, Hicksville, NY 11801. Tele-
phone: (516) 681 -2922. FAX (516) 681 -2926. Modern
z Electronics (ISSN 0748 -9889) is published monthly by
IIED
a a
Q
DEPARTMENTS CQ Communcations, Inc. Subscription prices (payable
in US Dollars only): Domestic -one year $17.97, two
z
° 1. 23 years $33.00, three years $48.00; Canada /Mexico -one

6 Editorial year $20.00, two years $37.00, three years $54.00; For-
eign -one year $22.00, two years $41.00, three years
By Art Salsberg $60.00. Foreign Air Mail -one year $75.00, two years
$147.00, threeyears $219.00.
7 Letters Entire contents copyright 1989 by CQ Communications,
a 12
Inc. Modern Electronics or CQ Communications Inc. as-
U 10
%
CO i30 8 Modern Electronics News sumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. Al-
low six weeks for delivery of first issue and for change of
address. Printed in the United States of America.
10 New Products Postmaster: Please send change of address notice to
Modern Electronics, 76 North Broadway, Hicksville, NY
22 82 Advertisers Index 11801.
4 / MODERN ELECTRONICS I August 1989 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics
BOB HANSON
MAY WELL HAVE HAD 200,000 FRIENDS.
NOW HE NEEDS THEM ALL ...
The world of communications has lost a great friend and
devoted public servant. On Wednesday, May 8, 1989 Bob
Hanson, W9AIF, passed away on the operating table during
a delicate and enormously costly liver transplant operation.
Bob will be mourned by literally hundreds of thousands of

individuals whose lives he touched throughout the world as
a noted columnist ... public service association executive
(SCAN, REACT, Community Watch) ... communications
industry advertising and marketing manager... and active
radio amateur.
But mourning alone cannot pay adequate tribute to Bob's

total dedication to serving others -including his wife of
23 years, Marilyn, and two teenage sons, Peter and Andrew.
Since liver transplants are regarded by some as "experimental surgery," not one dime of the
expense- estimated in excess of $200,000 -was covered by insurance. We simply cannot
allow Bob's wonderful family to live with that impossible burden.
Your help is desperately needed. Immediately.

Please, please send your contribution today.
Make checks payable to: Organ Transplant
Fund Inc. /Robert Hanson a legally constituted
non -profit organization. Any funds collected
in excess of those required to pay actual
medical expenses will be used to relieve
similar transplant victims.
The Robert Hanson Fund.

A Living Memorial.
Organ Transplant Fund Inc. /Robert Hanson

P.O. Box 766 Morris, IL 60450 -0766
llIiI/EDITORIAL I/Ill!!1=111
HAM RA010
A Taxing Approach
IS FUN!
"Tax us," says Zenith Electronics' prez high -resolution displays, advanced
It's even more fun for begin- in a quest for high-definition TV fund- VCRs and memories.
ners now that they can oper- ing. He proposed that Congress establish If we want to win the global electron-
ate voice and link computers an "HDTV Trust Fund" to pay for a por- ics /computer war, we'll have to nurture
just as soon as they obtain tion of HDTV research by U.S. compa- and protect the U.S.'s R &D with the help
their Novice class license. You nies. The money would come from a $5 of government financial links. There's
excise tax on each TV receiver sold here. too much riding on this to ignore such
can talk to hams all over the
With 20- million sets sold annually, this need: Reducing the trade deficit, jabs,
world when conditions per- would raise about $100-million. Zenith etc.
mit, then switch to a repeater suggests a fixed term for the Fund of Japan's NHK, the Japan Broadcasting
for local coverage, perhaps three to four years. Corp., has been the HDTV world pio-
using a transceiver in your car Some true-blue capitalists might object neer. It's already selling HDTV broad-
or handheld unit. to this or other forms of governmental cast studio equipment and has prototype
partnerships. But in today's world, pri- receivers and VCRs. Sometime in 1990
vate companies do need more federal it's expected to launch a satellite to start
support in selected areas in order to re- direct -broadcast HDTV in Japan.
main competitive with other countries A bevy of companies have demonstrat-
that have enormous government backing. ed their HDTV transmissions in the U.S.,
HDTV represents a future industry among them being Zenith Electronics
that'll be in the many billions of dollars. and Philips Labs at an NAB (National
Japan's Ministry of International Trade Association of Broadcasters) convention
and Industry, for example, predicts that some months ago. Around the same time,
HDTV will be a $27-billion market in a the first commercial over -the -air trans-
decade. While our companies struggle on mission of an Advanced TV signal was
their own, Japanese and European gov- broadcast from WNBC -TV. It took place
ernments have been investing in HDTV on the same day of the 50th anniversary
research and development for years now. of TV's debut at the 1939 New York
As a result, they're far ahead of us in the World's Fair, and was received on proto-
HDTV area, among others. type ACTV (Advanced Compatible TV)
We'll continue to be hurting without a receivers at the David Sarnoff Research
supportive environment, I think. What- center in Princeton, NJ. Home viewers
ever plan is adopted, whether it's raising received a normal picture on convention-
money by a sales surcharge or tax -break al NTSC receivers.
incentives, we have to have some firm Apparently, we're still in the HDTV
strategy to meet the challenges of other game, though far behind Japan. In the
industrial countries. With military elec- event that some readers are unfamiliar
tronics declining, consumer and com- with the promise of high- definition TV, it
Your passport to ham radio adventure is
mercial electronics will hopefully fill the will yield color pictures that rival 35 -mm
TUNE -IN THE WORLD WITH HAM
RADIO. The book tells what you need to
vacuum. With production of Free -World film, stereo sound with compact -disc
know in order to pass your Novice exam. electronic equipment expected to exceed quality, and full compatibility with exist-
Two cassettes teach the code quickly $500- billion this year, we've got to get ing TV sets that will receive a normal pic-
and easily. our fair share. As it stands, the Far East ture from an HDTV transmission (you'll
Enclosed is my check or money order for and Western Europe have consistently need an HDTV receiver to get motion -
$15.00 or charge my displayed greater growth rates than the picture quality, of course).
( ) VISA ( ) Mastercard ( ) Am. Express U.S. Let's hope that the U.S. becomes a
Signature Along these lines, a business plan for leader in this field, slowing down or re-
Acct. No. obtaining significant government incen- versing our losing of market share in the
tives for private companies to invest in electronics industry. To make it happen,
Good from Expires
HDTV products has been developed by we need government cooperation- fast.
Name
the Boston Consulting Group with the
Address
sponsorship of 36 companies. Presented
to a Senate Committee in May, it ob-
serves that a government- supported, in-
City State Zip
dustry-led effort is needed to overcome
technology gaps, and to establish world -
THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE class manufacturing infrastructures for
225 MAIN ST.
NEWINGTON. CT 06111
CIRCLE 52 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

6 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics
LETTERS
A Matter of Law
CABLE -TV
According to FCC Rules Part 68, Sub-
part D: "The dc resistance between tip S
ONE'S
and ring conductors, and between each of BEAT AALE PRICES!
the tip and ring conductors and earth MATCH OR WHOLES
ground shall be greater than 5 megohms OR
for all dc voltage up to and including 100
WELL R
RETAIL
volts." This minimum on -hook resis- ADVERTISED
tance is specified to enable the telephone
company to check a subscriber's line for
leakage from the central office test board
and to minimize on -hook current drain
on the central office battery supply.
Figures 5 and 7 in "4- Add -On Phone De-
BONANZA! ITEM UNIT ñ ó E
HAMLIN MCC 300036 CORDED RE'.' .. 2900 180
vices" in the February 1989 issue do not
-
PANASONIC WIRELESS CONVERTER ;04 n.,r )

9800 79 On
meet this requirement by a very large MOVIETIME VR7200A (manual fine tune, 8800
119
690
(0
' JERROLD 400 COMBO
169 00
margin. The problem is compounded JERROLD 400 HAND REMOTE CONTROL 29 00 18 0(.
since in both cases it is expected that more 'JERROLD 450 COMBO 199 00 139 00
' JERROLD 450 HAND REMOTE CONTROL

2900 1800
than one such device will be connected JERROLD SB- ADD -ON 9900 6300
across the same line. Thus, it is illegal to ' JERROLD SB- ADD -ON WITH TRIMODE 10900 7500
'M -35 B COMBO UNIT ICh 3 output only) 9900 7000
connect either of these circuits across a "M -35 B COMBO UNIT WITH VARISYNC 10900 7500
phone line. ' MINICODE IN -121
9900 6200
10900 6500
T.M. Lott MINICODE IN -121 WITH VARISYNC
'
145 00 105 00
MINICODE VARISYNC WITH AUTO ON -OFF
San Mateo, CA
'
ECONOCODE (mm;code substitute) 6900 4200

ECONOCODE WITH VARISYNC 7900 4600
A Matter of Values MLD- 1200 -3 (Ch 3output) 9900 6200
After building the 10 -Hz to 2.2 -GHz 'AMLD- 1200 -2 (Ch 2 output) 9900 6200
Frequency Counter featured in the April "ZENITH SSAVI CABLE READY 17500 12500
1400
INTERFERENCE FILTERS) CO 3 only) 2400
issue, I thought I would advise you and "EAGLE PD -3 DESCRAMBLER ICh 3 output only) 119 00 65 (10
any other readers who are considering 'SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA ADD -ON REPLACEMENT DESCPANIBL ER 11900 8500
building this project of some changes that

will assure that it operates properly. The Output Price TOTAL
Quantity Item
following changes, verified by kit suppli- Channel Each PRICE
er Optoelectronics, should be made in the
Parts List: Y1 -10 MHz; Y2- 3.90625
MHz; R18,R19 -1,000 ohms; R11-
75,000 ohms; R12- 100,000 ohms; and
C31 -Not Used. All resistors are 'A-watt California Penal Code #593 -D forbids us SUBTOTAL
units. Once these adjustments have been from shipping any cable descrambling unit Shipping Add
$3.00 per unit
made in building the project, a bit of cali- to anyone residing in the state of California.
-
& Credit
bration will yield top -notch perfor-
mance from this counter. -. -
Prices subject to change without notice. ards
Cards Add 5%
TOTAL
As a new subscriber to Modern Elec- Name

tronics, I have one comment to make: Address City
Keep bringing us excellent construction Zip Phone Number j
State (
articles like the one above. Visa Mastercard

Cashier's Check Money Order COD
Hugh Duff VE30YH /W 1
Acct # Exp. Date
Marlborough, MA
Signature
The author has informed us that the fre-
quencies for the two crystals were acci- FOR OUR RECORDS:
dentally transposed just prior to finaliz-

DECLARATION OF AUTHORIZED USE - I, the undersigned,
that all products purchased, now and in the future, will only
do hereby declare under penalty of perjury
be used on cable TV systems with proper
ing the Parts List. Resistor values were authorization from local officials or cable company officials in accordance with all applicable federal and
state laws. FEDERAL AND VARIOUS STATE LAWS PROVIDE FOR SUBSTANTIAL CRIMINAL AND CIVIL
changed to add stability to the project PENALTIES FOR UNAUTHORIZED USE.
and assure reliable operation, and C31 Dated: Signed
was eliminated as not needed in the final
design of the instrument. These changes
were discovered by the author after we Pacific Cable Company, Inc.
went to press. Readers who purchase the 73251/2 RESEDA BLVD., DEPT. #ME RESEDA, CA 91335
kit from Optoelectronics will automatic- No Collect Calls
(818) 716 -5914 (818) 716 -5140
ally receive the update and components
of appropriate value. -Ed. IMPORTANT: WHEN CALLING FOR INFORMATION
Please have the make and model # of the equipment used in your area. Thank You
A NEWS/il/ill
VIDEO CASSETTE PRODUCT DEMO. More and more companies are using
video cassettes to promote their products. The latest Free
examples in the oscilloscope area are available from Hewlett
Packard and John Fluke. The former demonstrates its new 100 -MHz
digitzing scope, Model HP54501A ($3,465). Call 1 -800- 752 -0900,
Ext. 222 for the free copy. Fluke, in turn, offers a video that
discusses its digital storage oscilloscope technology and what to
look for when selecting a scope. To get the 11- minute video,
"DSOs with a Difference," call 800 -443 -5853, Ext. 77....In the
consumer world, Stanley Home Automation includes a video cassette
that demonstrates how to install and adjust its garage -door
chain -drive openers (except the 1/4 horsepower models).
VIDEO GAME NEWS. Nintendo was denied its legal motion to

temporarily restrain Tengen Inc., a subsidiary of Atari Games
Corp., from distributing its independently manufactured Nintendo -
compatible version of the the video game "Tetris." The legal
battle will continue, though....The $40 game, said to be the
hottest arcade one, was originally developed by two computer
programmers from the Soviet Union. It challenges a player's
dexterity and spatial perception with geometric shapes dropping
from the screen top that have to be rotated and placed in rows.
Starting off slowly, pace and complexity increases. Russian folk
tunes accompany video action.
Atari Corporation (not affiliated with Atari Games), which
essentially founded the video game business, introduced the
world's first hand -held color video game system recently. It
claims high -resolution color graphics, realistic sound and vivid
colors. Six arcade games are already available.
WIRELESS TV. Distributing TV signals to multiple TV sets without

wires has been tried in the past. The devices used weren't legal,
though, and there aren't any of them sold openly on the market
now....But there promises to be legal wireless TV distribution in
your future, based on FCC rules changes that open up five new
frequency bands for wireless signal transmission purposes. The
frequencies became legal last month: For video, 24 to 24.5 MHz,
902 to 928 MHz, 2400 to 2483.5 MHz, 5725 to 5875 MHz; for audio -
only, it's in the 49 MHz band, sharing it with cordless phones.
So you can look forward to being able to play a TV set anyplace
in, say, your back yard, without connecting your antenna's cable
to it in order to get good reception.
JAPAN MILESTONES. Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Matsushita

Electric (parent company of Panasonic, among 164 others, with
some 135,000 employees worldwide), died at 94 years. He had
hocked his wife's kimono when he was 24 to start the company,
which made sockets for a plug and a light bulb....The Society of
Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) bestowed its
highest award, Honorary Member, upon 89- year -old Kenjiro
Takayanagi, supreme advisor to JVC. The TV pioneer, who developed
the two -head helical -scan video tape recorder, is the only
Japanese ever to be so honored in the association's 72 -year
history, joining the likes of Thomas Edison, Vladimir Zworykin,
and Walt Disney.
Radio Ihaek Parts PIaee
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accessories not shown in our catalog
tubes, ICs, phono cartridges and styli.
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(3) PC Board Kit. Includes two 41/2 x 3" copper -clad boards and every- microprocessor chips, scanner and CB
thing needed to etch them. #276 -1576 9 95 crystals, modules for TV/audio equip-
(4) Package of Five Photocells. #276 -1657 1 98 ment, even SAMS Photofacts'. There's
(5) IC Pin Aligner. For 6 -pin to 40 -pin DIPs. #276 -1594 3 49 no minimum order or handling charges.
(6) Jumper /Test Cables. Set of 10, 5 different colors. #278 -1156, 3.99 Come in for details.
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For more information on products
described, please circle the appropri-
ate number on the Free Information
Card bound into this issue or write to
the manufacturer.
Keyboard With Trackball

KeyTrack from Octave Systems
(Campbell, CA) combines for the
computerist a trackball and a tradi-
tional keyboard in a single device.
The trackball is said to be compatible
with both MicroSoft and Mouse Sys-
tems serial mouse drivers. AT and
XT switchable, KeyTrack comes Three mouse buttons are located the keyboard for greater operator ef-
with a Y- shaped cable that plugs into above the trackball, and the primary ficiency. $189.
the keyboard port and a serial port. button is duplicated on the left end of CIRCLE 90 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
Mini LCD Color TV Set

Philips Consumer Electronics is now
marketing a tiny pop-up 3 -inch col -
or-TV receiver under the Magnavox
brand name. The Model CK1050CH
TV receiver features a liquid -crystal
display (LCD) that uses 92,160 pic-
ture elements (pixels) to produce a
high-resolution picture display. A
backlight that operates on six AA
cells, included with the product, is
provided for viewing enhancement.
Tuning of vhf and uhf channels is
done electronically with keys that
permit scanning in either direction.
In addition, the TV tuner has channel
memory and channel recall func-
tions. On-screen color graphics show
the state and action of the all -elec-
tronic color, tint and brightness
adjustments.
In addition to its video functions,
the Model CK1050CH TV receiver
also has built in an AM/FM- stereo
radio, a stereo headphones jack, an whip antenna is supplied as standard cells. Available as options are a re-
audio /video input jack that permits equipment. chargeable battery pack, an external
operation as a video monitor for a Supplied with the TV receiver are: antenna adapter, stereo earphones;
camcorder, and an external -antenna an ac power adapter, an antenna headphones, an audio /video cable,
jack for connection to a cable system adapter, an earphone, a soft carrying and a car -battery adapter. Weight is
or an outboard antenna. A loud- case, a shoulder strap and six AA just 1 lb. 4 oz. $449.
speaker is built in, and a telescoping CIRCLE 91 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
Coaxial Cable Strippers same model number as before, the
new speaker system now has a foam
A new precision coaxial cable strip- surround that increases weather re-
per has been announced by Paladin sistance and improves bass response.
Corp. (Newbury Park, CA). The The inside of the enclosure is now
Models CST PA 1241 and 1240 strip- coated with a special damping corn-
pers are small and lightweight enough pound that is claimed to virtually
(they measure 3.34 "L x 1.65 "H x eliminate unwanted resonances. The
1.02 "W and weigh just 2.3 oz.) to fit enclosure features a beige finish to
blend better with a variety of envi-
cursor or as a duo in eight different ronments and is easy to paint.
directions. Designed to deliver high -quality
Both models feature "A" and sound out of doors, the speaker sys-
"B" sweeps with delayed sweep and tem features an omnidirectional 360 °
segment amplifications; TV sync dispersion pattern. The combination
coupling for video servicing; a cam- of weather -resistant 6" woofer and
era -mount CRT bezel, variable scale 1 % " tweeter and an enclosure that
illumination and single -sweep opera- can tolerate snow, rain and high hu-
tion for waveform photography; Z- midity make this speaker system
into a shirt pocket. They can be used
axis input for blanking or intensified ideal for use around a pool, in the
to strip wires that measure from
markers; and variable hold -off con- garden and on a patio. Also, because
0.100" to 0.315" in diameter. The
trol to ensure proper triggering on of its weather resistance, the speaker
tool offers reduced friction, thanks
complex signals. system can be left out -of-doors the
to roller support. Reproducible cut-
Both scopes come with two switch - year around. For stereo listening,
ting force is controlled by an adjust-
able x 1 /REF/ x 10 probes. $865 for two such speaker systems, each con-
able stop, and cam-wheel action helps
Model 9202; $1,095 for Model 9204. nected to one channel of a stereo am-
in precisely locating the cable.
plifier, must be used.
In use, after inserting the cable, the CIRCLE 93 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
The Model DA-360 comes with a
user simply advances an orange-col-
swivel mounting bracket, and a stan-
ored cam wheel and rotates the tool
Outdoor Speaker System dard 1/2" threaded coupler provides
around the cable. No pulling, tug-
ging or extra work is involved. The for convenient post -mount installa-
Design Acoustics (Stow, OH) has in-
tool utilizes optional interchangeable tion. $120.
troduced an improved version of its
stripping cassettes for fast reset of Model DA-360 omnidirectional out- CIRCLE 94 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
stripping length when required for door speaker system. Retaining the
different applications, which elimin-
ates time -consuming readjustment. Laptop & Stand-Alone
CIRCLE 92 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD Computer Workstations
Heath /Zenith Computer Based Sys-
tems has a line of eight pre- config-
Oscilloscopes ured laptop and stand -alone work-
A pair of new oscilloscopes that fea- stations designed for use in trouble-
ture on- screen displays of cursor po- shooting, engineering- design, manu-
sitions and scale settings are available facturing /process -control, produc-
from Beckman Industrial. The 20- tion-testing and data -acquisition ap-
MHz Model 9202 and 40 -MHz Mod- plications. These workstations are
el 9204 both feature cursors that modular PC based, making it a sim-
measure amplitude, time, frequency, ple procedure to upgrade, expand or
duty cycle and phase shift. Called nu- modify them for future uses.
meric readout display, the on- screen Four configurations of pre- config-
feature is said to increase the ease and ured laptop workstations are avail-
accuracy of waveform analysis. The able for use in engineering design and
readout has two unique sets of cursor data acquisition. These workstations
pairs, each with a reference and delta can be used for spot checking on -line
NEW PRODUCTS .
tion data -acquisition modules.
Pre -configured stand -alone work-
stations are also available in four sys-
tem designs: separate digital and ana-
log ATE for production testing and
two data -acquisition systems for
manufacturing and process control.
Each stand -alone workstation is built
around a Heath /Zenith SW-3000 in-
dustrial computer that delivers high-
speed processing in tough working
environments. Each comes with an
industrial EGA video monitor and
101 -key keyboard.
One data- acquisition workstation
features analog input and output,
digital I /O, digital and analog ter-
mination panels, digital and analog
signal cables, and a carrier board.
Another features high -speed analog
production and performing diagnos- tion comes with a computer, logic input. The analog ATE workstation
tic tests at remote sites. Each features analyzer and digital storage oscillo- comes with DMM, triple power sup-
a Heath /Zenith SuperSport 286 lap- scope. Data acquisition workstations ply, universal counter and 11 -MHz
top computer with 3.5 -inch floppy are available in three configurations. function generator. The digital ver-
and 20 -MB hard disk systems and its Choices include a computer and digi- sion offers a digital word analyzer
own battery pack. tal storage oscilloscope, and comput- and digital word generator for test
The Laptop Engineering Worksta- er and either high-speed or combina- and repair of digital circuitry.
Heavy-Duty Controllers conditioners by remote control or which is the kind of wiring system
timed control or from any telephone used in most private homes. They do
With a series of new modules from anywhere on Earth. Two versions of not work on three-phase systems
X -10 (USA) Inc., you can now con- the basic controller modules are sometimes encountered in apart-
trol heavy -duty 220 -volt room air available -the HD243 rated at 15 ments. Also, for safety, the modules
amperes and the HD245 rated at 20 do not respond to the "all lights on"
amperes. Both are for 220 -volt pow- code but do respond to the "all units
ered air conditioners but can also be off" code issued from the main con-
used with plug -in water heaters to troller. These modules plug directly
turn them off while the user is sleep- into local ac outlets, between the ac
ing to conserve energy. line and appliances they control.
These modules are compatible They provide no local control.
with all X -10 controllers and timers CIRCLE 96 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
so that the user can set his air condi-
tioner to turn off while he is away and
turn on an hour before he returns. Motorized Cellular Antenna
For users who do not leave and re- A fender -installed, fully automatic
turn on a regular schedule, the Model motorized cellular /AM -FM combin-
TR2700 Telephone Responder /Con- ation antenna has been announced
troller is also available. by ORA Electronics (Chatsworth,
Both heavy-duty modules are de- CA) as the Model CMX1000. A spe-
signed to work on single split -phase cially designed motor is used to as-
117/220- or 117 /240 -volt ac systems, sure an electrically and mechanical-
powerful jet blasts, using a higher - as a complete reusable system for
gauge pressure (120 psi) than conven- high -volume users. The system in-
tional dusters. It will not contamin- cludes a surgical -grade chrome trig-
ate or scratch delicate surfaces, it ger valve for precise flow control,
leaves no residue, and it meets Feder- rigid 4 -inch stainless -steel nozzle,
final filtration disc, flexible 36 -inch
extension hose, and an E- Series Ul-
trajet 12 -ounce refill can.
VHS Camcorders
RCA's new Models CC310 and
CC320 VHS camcorders have a Pro -
Edit system that provides more flexi-
bility and allows users to achieve
more professional editing results. It
offers five special features: a flying
erase head that eliminates video in-
terference and noise between recorded
segments; audio/video dub to insert
new video segments or records new
sound tracks onto the tape; micro-
phone mixing to add narration or
al Specification BB -F -1421. The pro- new sound to an audio track already
duct is packaged in a seamless 12- recorded; Edit Search to precisely
ounce can that features an extra -wide position the tape at the start of a new
pushbutton valve for improved flow recording; and Synchro-Edit that,
ly reliable antenna. In addition, a control and an extension tube for with an optional editing cable, per-
unique stub matching device keeps pinpoint application.
the antenna tuned at all times and a E- Series Ultrajet is also available (Continued on page 82)
tri- linear system is used to elevate the
mast and extend the bandwidth of
the antenna to full spectrum specifi-
cations. On the cellular side, the an-
tenna has a rated SWR of 1.5:1 and 3
dB of gain, while on the radio side its
1989 GIC MASTER
specified insertion loss is rated at 0.3
dB and impedance is 75 ohms.
The 1989 IC MASTER is the only complete directory that
CIRCLE 97 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD references, cross -references and organizes information
on every available IC and related product. No other
source offers you so much practical, useful data about
ICs, microcomputer boards, development systems, gate
Safe Dust Removal arrays and more.
E- Series Ultrajet from Chemtronics
is an environmentally safe ozone -free Updated 16th annual 3-volume edition includes:
aerosol -spray dust remover for Volume 1 -Over 80,000 standard ICs, including 12,000+ new devices
cleaning electronic equipment, op- Volume 2-Technical Data Pages from the leading IC manufacturers
tics, photographic apparatus and Volume 3-Systems Level Volume covering ASICs, CAE /CAD Design Tools, MPU
Development Systems, and Microcomputer Boards.
precision instruments. Ultra- filtered
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Technology
Practical
Printed- Circuit Boards
A simple direct -mask method of producing single-
quantity printed- circuit boards
By Wayne Richardson
Horne fabrication of printed -
circuit boards can be a frus-
trating proposition. Those
of us who have made our own pc
boards are already familiar with the
little things that make it so. Leading
causes are the resist ink pen that
works on everything but the copper
on a pc blank, dry -transfer patterns
that float off the blank in the etching
bath, and messy photoresists that are
costly and complicated to work with.
Presented here is a reliable procedure
for making pc boards inexpensively,
though it does take a lot of patience.
Being limited to single -quantity
boards does not negate the utility of
the procedure we are about describe.
After all, it is only the rare project for
which you want two identical pc
It is assumed that before you begin Step 1. Begin fabricating your pc
boards. On the plus side, the material
needed for the resist pattern is com- laying out your pc board you know board by cutting to the size needed a
exactly what the copper -trace pattern piece of copper -clad pc blank. Smooth
monly available at any housewares
is to look like in 100 -percent scale. If the cut edges of the blank and then
supply or hardware store at relatively
you are starting with a pc etching - scrub the copper cladding with scour-
low cost.
and- drilling guide in a magazine or ing powder and water until the cop-
book, full-size artwork is already per is bright and shiny. Thoroughly
By The Numbers available. However, if you are fabri- rinse off the scouring powder and air
There are five basic steps involved in cating a pc board for a circuit of your dry the cleaned blank. From now on,
the procedure described here. No own design, you must prepare on pa- handle the blank only by its edges.
special training or experience is need- per a full -size pc guide from which Now trim the photocopy of your
ed to fabricate working printed - to work. actual -size artwork to the final size of
circuit boards using this procedure. Whichever type of guide you are the board and rubber cement this to
You can use it to fabricate very sim- going to work from, it is a good idea the copper -clad side of the now dry
ple single -sided boards, more com- to work directly from an exact -size pc blank. Use only enough rubber ce-
plex boards and even some fairly photocopy of it. This way, you will ment to prevent the artwork from
complex double -sided boards if you not ruin the original, to which you moving as you handle the board.
work carefully and follow the steps can always return if you make an er- Once the cement has dried, drill an
detailed exactly. ror during the procedure. appropriately sized hole for each
August 1989
IIllhl'?iWPJ,,cs
any holes you might have missed. If

you did miss one or more holes, drill
them now.
Slowly and carefully to avoid tear-
ing it, strip the artwork from the pc
blank. If you are successful in peeling
away the artwork in one piece, you
can keep it for use at another time or
later reference. Now examine the
copper cladding to see if any rubber
cement has been left behind. Remove
any you find by rubbing it away with
a fingertip.
If you are fabricating a double -
sided pc board, turn over the drilled
pc blank and use very fine sandpaper
to smooth the rough copper edges
only around each drilled hole (see
Fig. 2). Next, test position the actual -
F°g. 1.After rubber cementing photocopy of original actual-size artwork to cop- size artwork for the other side of the
per-clad side of pc blank, drill all component lead and pin holes and mounting board against your work thus far. It
holesfor board.
is helpful at this point to backlight
the board to aid in positioning the
artwork. Your second -side artwork
component lead or pin and mounting and allow the drill to do the work. should exactly mesh with the hole
hole in the pc guide. Use of a drill The procedure up to this point is pho- pattern already drilled in the blank.
press stand or a hobby type drill will tographically illustrated in Fig. 1. Set the artwork aside.
make this part of the procedure easi- When you are finished drilling all Step 2. Now cut a piece of clear
er to perform. Work carefully, espe- component lead and pin holes and ContactTM or other self- adhering
cially when drilling holes through the the mounting holes for the board, plastic sheet of the kind used to cover
centers of IC pads. Use a sharp bit backlight the pc blank and check for shelves to dimensions large enough
to completely cover the copper clad-
ding on the board. (You need two
such sheets of clear plastic if you are
fabricating a double-sided board.)
Remove the paper backing from the
plastic sheet.
Working carefully, roll the plastic
sheeting, adhesive side down, onto
the copper cladding. Firmly burnish
the plastic sheeting onto the copper
cladding to avoid wrinkles and elimi-
nate trapped air bubbles. Work from
the center outward in all directions.
When you are finished, trim the plas-
tic to the exact dimensions of the pc
blank, using a safety or hobby knife.
If the board is to be double sided, re-
peat the procedure for the second side.
Lightly sand with very fine emery
cloth the entire exposed surface(s) of
Fig. 2. Sharp copper edges will appear on the exit side of holes drilled through the plastic to give it a "tooth" on
double -sided pc blank. These must be smoothed with very fine emery cloth. which to draw. Do not push down
hard or cut through the plastic with
the sandpaper!
Step 3. It is now time to draw the
conductor pattern onto the plastic
exactly as it appears in the original
artwork. Place your artwork beside
the pc blank in the same orientation
as the holes you drilled in the latter.
Now use a soft lead pencil with a
rounded -not sharp -point to draw
each pad outline and conductor run
on the dulled plastic sheeting exactly
as it is shown in the original artwork.
Work carefully, and draw each com-
plete conductor run from beginning
to end before proceeding to the next.
This way, you are less likely to miss a
conductor run. If you make any er-
rors during this phase of the proce- Fig. 3. Carefully following original artwork, conductor pattern is drawn on self-
dure, simply erase your mistake and adhering plastic sheet with a soft lead pencil.
correct it immediately.
If desired, you can adjust the
width of the board perimeter (usually
a surrounding ground trace) to make quite wide, leaving only '/,6 inch of technique' for fabricating pc boards,
it possible to remove a minimum space between them to cut down on your pace will pick up considerably.
amount of copper during the etching etchant usage. This is safe to do be- After cutting all trace shapes, you
operation -provided this does not cause of the natural undercutting ac- are ready to remove the unwanted
interfere with circuit performance. tion of the etchant. Work only a few portions of the plastic sheeting in the
By reducing the amount of copper to minutes and then rest for a few min- areas to be etched. To do this proper-
be removed to a minimum, you can utes. As you gain experience with this ly, slide the tip of your hobby knife
extend the life of your etchant.
Step 4. When you are finished draw-
ing the copper -trace pattern (see Fig.
3), compare it point for point against
the original artwork -for both sides
of the blank if you are making a dou-
ble -sided board. If you discover any
errors at this point, correct them im-
mediately. Then, when you are satis-
fied that everything is okay, use a
very sharply pointed hobby knife to
score the plastic around every drawn
trace down to the copper surface(s).
Think of each trace as an elongated
circle. Before you do this, however, it
is a good idea to practice on a scrap
plastic-clad board. Spacing between
cuts, working around IC pad loca-
tions and the amount of cutting pres-
sure are the only difficult -but easily Fig. 4. After scoring around drawn trace pattern with sharp hobby knife and re-
mastered -parts of this simple pc- moving unwanted plastic sheeting, examination of result may show such poten-
board- making procedure. tial problem areas like left- behind adhesive (inside large circle) and notches re-
If needed, you can make the traces movedfrom traces (small circle).
16 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw it In Modern Electronics
allow the etchant to begin removing
copper in the exposed areas of the
blank and then remove it from the
solution. Check for air bubbles
trapped against the copper cladding
(break them with the point of a pin)
or spots where you missed seeing left -
behind adhesive before (remove
them as described above) while the
blank is wet.
Return the blank to the etching
bath, but periodically remove it to
check for problems. Rectify these as
you encounter them. Problem areas
will be clearly visible. You can rectify
these problems before permanent
damage is done to the pc blank.
Once the etchant has done its
Fig. 5. After etching the pc blank and removing plastic -sheet "resist" and clean- work, rinse the board under cool run-
ing the blank, copper traces are sharply delineated from board substrate. ning water to remove all etchant and
stop the chemical action. Peel away
and discard all plastic resist from the
remaining copper traces. You will be
under a path to be removed and very when the plastic sheeting was re- left with sharply defined copper
carefully peel it away. If you en- moved. The other, in the small circle, traces on the board substrate, as
counter a point where your previous shows a notch of the plastic that was shown in Fig. 5.
cutting failed to cut all the way erroneously removed from a conduc- Once again clean both sides of the
through the plastic, stop and use tor run. board with scouring powder and wa-
your hobby knife to cut all the way Remove unwanted adhesive with a ter until the copper traces are bright
through. Then continue peeling away cotton swab dampened with ether - and shiny. Then thoroughly rinse the
the unwanted plastic sheeting until based engine starting fluid (work in a board to remove all vestiges of scour-
all of it has been removed. If you are well -ventilated area). Alternatively, ing powder, especially in the drilled
working on a double -sided board, re- stop by an art -supply store and pick holes, and then air dry it or force-dry
move the unwanted plastic sheeting up a rubber -cement pickup block and it in a warm oven.
from the other side as well. use this to "erase" the adhesive. Re- When the pc board is completely
After discarding the unwanted pair a missing piece of plastic by re- dry, handle it only by its edges. If you
pieces of plastic, place a sheet of pa- moving the damaged plastic and re- wish, you can immerse the new pc
per over the blank and firmly burnish placing it with a strip of Scotch board in a solution to plate all con-
through it the remaining pieces of Magic Transparent TapeTM. Do not ductors with a thin layer of tin to pro-
plastic sheeting into place on the cop- substitute another brand or type of tect them from oxidizing and make
per cladding. This second burnishing tape or you will run the risk of the them much more solderable.
operation will reseat any plastic tape floating off the copper in the Your printed- circuit board is now
pieces that might have lifted from the etchant. An alternative approach to ready to be populated by the compo-
copper surface during the removal repairing a damaged piece of plastic nents for which it was designed. It is
operation. "resist" is to paint onto the accident- best to wire the board as soon as pos-
In bright lighting, carefully exam- ally exposed area of copper clear fin- sible after fabrication to prevent oxi-
ine your board to locate any errors gernail enamel. dation of the copper traces from be-
and remains of unwanted plastic Step 5. Burnish down your plastic - coming a problem during the solder-
sheeting and left- behind adhesive. At sheet resist pattern one last time ing operation. Of course, if you
the center of Fig. 4 are shown two through a sheet of paper. Then place plated the traces with tin, you can
things to keep an eye out for. One is the prepared blank in the etching sol-
in the large circled area, which shows ution of your choice. Leave the blank
some adhesive that was left behind in the solution for a few minutes to (Continued on page 82)
Learn to troubleshoot and
service today's computer
systems as you build a fully
XT-compatible micro,
complete with 512K RAM and
powerful 20 meg
hard drive
Train the NRI Way- and
Earn Good Money Servicing
Any Brand of Computer
Jobs for computer service technicians will almost double in the
next 10 years according to Department of Labor statistics,
making computer service one of the top 10 growth fields in
the nation.
Now you can cash in on this exciting opportunity
either as a full-time industry
-
technician or in a computer
service business of your
own -once you've mastered
electronics and computers
the NRI way.
NRI's practical
combination of "reason- technology, NRI includes the
why" theory and hands-on powerful new Packard Bell
building skills starts you VX88 computer as the
with the fundamentals of centerpiece of your training.
electronics, then guides you As you assemble this fully
through more sophisticated IBM XT- compatible micro
circuitry all the way up to from the keyboard up, you
the latest advances in actually see for yourself how
computer technology. You every section of your
even learn to program in computer works.
BASIC and machine YoL assemble and test
language, the essential your computer's "intelligent"
language for trouble- keyboard, install the power
shooting and repair. supply and 51/4 " disk drive,
vi WI di
then interface the high -
Train With a Powerful 44. resolution monitor. But
XT-Compatible
Now With 20
- that s not all.
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Project
6/49 Lottery Number Selector

Allows you to choose six random numbers from a
possible 49 for playing Pick Six state lotteries
By Walter W. Schopp
Many states have adopted the Pick

Six (from 49 numbers) for their offi-
cial lotteries. With payoffs frequent-
ly topping tens of millions of dollars,
"lottery fever" is sweeping the coun-
try. Picking six numbers (hence the
name of the lotteries) is easy. Players
often select their numbers based
upon birthdays, Social Security num-
bers, ZIP codes, etc. A more sophis-
ticated way of selecting numbers is to
use our all- electronic "6/49 Lottery
Number Selector," though we do not
guarantee that this project will pro-
vide you with "better" numbers than
you can arrive at using other selec-
tion methods.
Our 6/49 Lottery Number Selector
choices of six numbers are displayed
by light- emitting diodes that are laid
out in a 7 x 7 matrix layout. Using
this arrangement, rather than a series
of numeric displays, keeps down the the 1 through 49 range used for Pick As is the case with most laws, the
cost of the project. The project is "laws" of probability have certain
Six lotteries, however, odd and even
very easy to use, requiring only that
selection of numbers will not be ex- stipulations that limit their applica-
you power it up and press a pushbut-
actly 50 -50. Too, on the first draw, tion. For the foregoing statement to
ton switch to get it started selecting be true, an extremely large number of
the number has an even chance of be-
numbers. If you do not like the num-
bers selected on any try, you simply
ing above or below 25 and a 1 in 49
chance of being 25.
samples -thousands to millions -
must be taken, tallied and averaged.
press and release a RESET button and In the reall world, you are interested
Beyond the foregoing, the odds
once again press the first button. in just six unique numbers out of the
start changing as more odds or evens
That is all there is to it. and highs and lows are removed with possible 49. Hence, you would "roll"
each selection from the original 49 the project only six times. As you do
Predicting Random Numbers numbers. One law of probability so, you might discover that your se-
Very few rules govern the prediction states that out of six numbers chosen, lections, based on such a limited
of random numbers. One is that, on it is possible that three will be odd number of samples, are weighted
the first draw, the number chosen and three will be even. This same law more heavily on the odd or even side
will have a close to 50 -50 chance of implies that three numbers will be or /and on the high or low side. Con-
being either odd or even. Since there high (in this case, greater than 25) sequently, for all practical purposes,
are 24 even and 25 odd numbers in and three will be low (less than 25). selection of any six consecutive num-
14 e > 6A
R20
314
R1 > 5A
20K
R19
4
2
IC31A R3 IC31t3
IC27 12 15 ) 4A
Cl CD4017
1M ?R18
100pF
IC29
) 3A
6
74C373 6
I R17
20 > 2A
IC31C
? R16
R5
20K V+
>1A
IRIS
S1
o- -YV1.
R6 )OA
PRESSFOR
NUMBER 20K 1R14
91 \ 10
IC31D
C3
0.1 pF
N
-
1
) 6B
78
JWe 10
R2 )5B
22K
4
11 12
13.14 15
IC28
IC31F C2 R4 IC3 E C D4017
4 12 > 4B
100pF 1M
IC30
74C373 u ) 3B
S R10
NOTES:
R7 thru R20 = 10K
20 ) 2B
IC31 = CD4049 R9
V+
)1B
R8
2 ) OB
Fig. 1(A) 2 R7
Fig. 1. Complete schematic diagram is shown here in three parts: (A) dual oscillator/counter /driver; (B) gate /flip-
flop /LED system; and (C) power distribution and capacitor bypassing.
bers can have just as good a chance of be added. In our Number Selector, a ton down to a few microseconds, the
winning as do six very carefully chos- matrix is used. Each side of the ma- numbers you pick with this project
en numbers. Obviously, then, pick- trix is fed a different counting fre- will be almost totally random.
ing numbers for a lottery, no matter quency. This arrangement produces As you can see, with this project
how sophisticated or crude the meth- a very long repeatability pattern. If you can pick six truly random num-
od used, still requires an abundance each number were automatically bers with which to play the lottery.
of luck to win. chosen by electronic circuitry at a The way the system works is like hav-
Picking numbers randomly by precise time interval during the span, ing a bin of 49 numbers pass you by at
electronic means is difficult to ac- the same number would be chosen a rate of thousands of numbers per
complish because random -number each time. Hence, by making you do second so that you cannot see indi-
generators are so precise that they al- some of the work (pressing a button), vidual numbers as you "draw" one
ways follow a repeatable pattern. If the human element brings into the of them at a time until you have the
the span of the pattern is long enough, equation the random factor. six needed for the lottery card.
though, a few numbers selected from You select your six numbers by Built into the project is a memory
the pattern will appear to be truly pressing a PRESS FOR NUMBER button system that stores each number as it
random -even if they really are not. on the project an equal number of is drawn. You keep drawing until six
To make the selection of numbers times. Since there is no way you can numbers are displayed. These num-
truly random, the human factor must accurately time the presses of the but- bers will continue to be displayed un-
4B 3B 2B 6B
n n n
13 6 6
®l 2
--
®
6
®
11 10 12 6
9
m 9 10 9
I/ 10 11 12 1 =2 11
Ñ Ñ
14
= = - =
1
® 3
5 9 12
®
2
6
1 lC
16
0
1-
1
18
6
10 <
]
Q 2
19
13
® 11 1C
1s
O
N
1
110
'® ] i
,-NA.,--
=11
=
_
=
=
G z
t1
+p_
(,1
a 215
6
6
a 6
m 9
16
6
6
a z
'1
E17
9
G
III =1$
= - _ =
13 2 12
®11 14 14
iw-122
] 4 ] 11 0
is
C ' Q O
rx
15 a 3° 2
123 16 u2
1
124 3 in
25
g
®0 6
CO
...M.-
129
2 ® 3 '2
co
,0
130
3
12 ® 11 <
4
m
6
® = t.`
7 CO
+ ] 131 132
3 12
U
°
10
L 36
/ 2 Ell
11 6
z °
9
137
6
6
C t]
" .-
:..7 10
= 38
e
g®
t0 6
'
CO
9-
t 39
a a
.° .-/,--,
1 I
*43
6
m a
3
Q - 144
_
] ,a
1s
G ,
145
19
i
,
a
Q ,M
..
--
y
FriOn
o O ) V+
NOTES:
IC1 thru IC13 = CD4043
IC14 thru IC26 = CD4081
Pin 7 = Ground on all ICs
R22 thru R71 = 10052
til you press a RESET switch. At this About the Circuit Our discussion begins with the two
point, you can once again press the pulse generators that are the heart of
PRESS FOR NUMBER switch to draw Because of its very large size, the the project. Each pulse generator is
six more numbers for the next game schematic diagram of the Lottery made up of two inverter /buffer stages
on your card. Number Selector is shown in Fig. 1 in and RC components, and both oper-
Though selecting numbers for the four parts. Part (A) contains the cir- ate at a frequency of about 100 kHz.
Pick Six lottery is one fun way to use cuitry for the dual- oscillator /count- Clocking pulses for counter 1C27
the Number Selector, you can also er /driver circuit; Part (B) contains are delivered from the first pulse gen-
use the project to study the laws of the circuitry for the gate /flip -flop/ erator. This generator is made up of
probability. You do this by selecting LED circuits; and Part (C) shows inverters IC3IA and IC31B, resistors
many sets of random numbers and power distribution and capacitor by- RI and R3, and capacitor Cl. Simi-
see how they apply to the game. passing for all ICs. larly, counter 1C28 is clocked by the
24 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw If In Modern Electronics
PARTS LIST
"
]
OB 5B 1B
Is n
Semiconductors
6
9® o z 6
ICI thru IC13- CD4043 quad set /reset
® 7
MI
fO
-g1hr-
15
11
U +1-0-
16
-
® a7 -9Mr-
7 flip -flop
IC 14 thru IC26- CD4081 quad 2-input
-
-
I
AND gate
. 1A
IC27,IC28- CD4017 decade counter
12
]
1+ 12
12
13
11 lC
0 +
2
1
® IC29,IC30- 74C373 tri -state octal
11 10 12 15 113 M
1 14 buffer
C10 IC31-CD4049 hex inverter/buffer
LED1 thru LED49 -Jumbo red light -
> 5A emitting diode
12 ,., Capacitors
I
1
® n i
,o
--W-2
19 13 1 ^ Z20
3 6
>'
m
] 21
C1,C2- 100 -pF ceramic disc
C3 thru C6- 0.1 -µF ceramic disc
a
.--..
Resistors (%- or''/, -watt, 10% tolerance)
Rl ,R5,R6-20,000 ohms
9
ID 10 14
15
C-NV-
10 + I 26
9
fi
t0 0
15
0 -
1
V tl
Z 27
.
5
6
0
....
Q
]
OA
28
R2- 22,000 ohms
R3,R4 -1 megohm
R7 thru R21- 10,000 ohms
R22 thru R79-100 ohms
®< 6
O1
9
t 33
2
3 1
--,
°1 34
9
6
® o
i J
vg-
°'
- --)
¡ 35
A
Miscellaneous
BI -9 -volt battery (six AA cells in
series)
S 1,S2- Momentary- action pushbutton
l
/3
12
1+ 12
U
-
6
5
i
1
12
-
8
9
MI
10 6
- - 6A
switch (Radio Shack Cat. No. 275-407)
S3- Miniature spst toggle switch
(see text)
Printed -circuit board or perforated
11
0,
10
40 11
10
141 7
m.,
i 42 board with holes on 0.1 " centers and
suitable soldering or Wire Wrap
-- . - hardware (see text); suitable enclo-
3A
sure (see text); sockets for all ICs; six
e
9
10 a
3
aN -
2
=, 47
2
ED 3 lC
15
CI
..- 148
12
13 CO
.,
a
49
AA -cell holders for B1; red -tinted
clear -plastic sheet for top panel of en-
R21
closure; labeling materials (see text);
narrow graphing tape (see text); '/-
4A - inch spacers; machine hardware;
hookup wire; solder; etc.
Fig. 1(B)
IC29 AND
IC30 1031 IC1n 1027
Pin 20 Pin 1 Pin 14 Pin 16 +9V pin Ground pin
+9V
B1_
9V
S3
Powa
i C3
10.111F
1C4
0.1µF
105
0.1µF
106
10.1µF
IC 1-IC26
IC27,IC28
IC29, IC30
11
16
20
8
10
IC31 1 8
Ground
Pin 8 Pin 10 Pin 7 Pin 8
Fig. 1(C)
..N
EE:
Fig. 2. Actual-size etching- and-drilling guides for top (left) and bottom fright) ofprinted- circuit board
pulse generator made up of inverters make SI "bounceless." When the two intersecting lines of
IC3E and IC3F, resistors R2 and R4, Switch SI is shown in its normal the matrix are positive, the appropri-
and capacitor C2. "run" position. Pushing it down, ate AND gate (IC14 through IC25) is
Decade counters IC27 and IC28 breaks the circuit to the upper con- turned on and sets one of the set-reset
count the pulses applied to their pin tact and makes the circuit to the low- flip -flops (ICI through IC13) and ap-
14 inputs. At the seventh count, they er contact. When this occurs, a posi- plies a voltage to the LED connected
reset. The outputs of the counters are tive voltage is applied to enable pin to the output of that particular flip -
applied to the inputs of tri -state buff- 13 of IC27 and IC28, which stops the flop . Because of the latching action
ers IC31 and IC32. These two buffers count operation. At the same time, a of the flip -flop, the LED remains on
supply count pulses to the two sides negative voltage is applied to pin 1 of until RESET switch S2 is pushed and
of the seven -by -seven matrix network. IC29 and IC30 to enable the outputs released. When S2 is operated, all
Note here that two buffers, IC31B of the tri -state buffers. When this oc- flip -flops, except the last one that
and IC31 C, are used to condition the curs, one vertical and one horizontal was set, are reset.
inputs from PRESS FOR NUMBER lines of the matrix are made positive. One of the quirks of this type of
switch SI to prevent the circuitry When S1 is released and its contacts circuit is that the counter must rest on
from responding to each pulse gener- return to their normal closed and one output, leaving one output on
ated due to mechanical contact vibra- open conditions, the counter starts when it is stopped. This always leaves
tion. Thus, the two inverter /buffers running again and the buffers float. the LED for the last number selected
o
lit after RESET switch S2 is pressed able current are the light- emitting di- using the actual -size etching -and-
and released. The way around this odes, of which a maximum of only drilling guides shown in Fig. 2. If you
when you are selecting numbers with seven can be on at any given time. prefer not to make a pc board, you
the project is to press and release the Thus, the power demands of the cir- can use perforated board that has
RESET switch after selecting the first cuit are minimal. Consequently, you holes on 0.1 -inch centers and suitable
number of the series. This way, the can easily use a 9 -volt battery made Wire Wrap or soldering hardware.
first number will be retained, while up of six AA cells connected in series Whichever wiring scheme you de-
the last number of the previous set to power the project, making it a tru- cide to use, sockets are recommended
will be "erased." After doing this, ly portable device that you can take for all ICs. Note, though, that if you
proceed with selecting your next five right to the lottery- ticket vendor for fabricate a double -sided board you
numbers by pressing and releasing on -site number selections. will not be able to use ordinary DIP
PRESS FOR NUMBER switch S1 five sockets, which do not give top- and
more times.
Construction bottom-of -the board soldering ac-
As you can see by examining Fig. 1 Except for the battery and two cess to all pin pads. However, you
and the Parts Lists, the entire Lottery switches, all components that make can easily solve this dilemma by sub-
Number Selector circuit is built up the Lottery Number Selector circuit stituting strips of Molex Soldercon
around low -power CMOS devices. mount on a single circuit board. You socket connectors.
The only devices that draw appreci- can fabricate a double-sided board Assuming you are using printed-
Say You Saw It In Modern ElectronicF August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 27
M 1i AINIa
C5
Y -R13-
MI
-R- -R- Iv
U
Ic1
} IC2 U
a,
Y Y Y Y ¡
IC17 I C6
R19
Y y Y y I I
IU 1
CC
1
I -R5-
co -R6- NC
iC4 U IC5 IC19 NO
s1
COM
a)
CN -R- M N N
U N N Y Y N Y o
-Y
I
R14
R20 IC20
R16 -R10-
-R- -R- W YIN C
-R12-
NI O M -R- M CN Y M
U
IC21 IC22 1C25
MCOr _R- -R-

rM my -R --R- 'co
Y I
-R-
C!
co
IC10 Ú IC12 IC13
I
-R18-
y Iv -R- MY
-R-YIr ' 1
YIV
co -R- a)I
v Y
rn
2
C3 I
NOTES: 9Vdc
R = R22 thru R71 = 10052
1 thru 49 = LED thru LED49
Fig. 3. Wiring guidefor pc board. Use this as a rough guide to laying out components if you opt for perforated -board
construction instead of a pc board.
circuit construction, orient the board tor pattern was laid out to accom- lead in each case goes into the hole
in front of you as shown in the wiring modate 'A-watt resistors, though you that is farther away from its asso-
diagram in Fig. 3. (Use this illustra- can use ''/ -watt ones instead if you ciated IC than is the anode hole.
tion as a rough guide to component mount them upright. You will note Space each LED so that the bottom
placement if you assemble the proj- that there are a number of locations of its case is about ''/ inch above the
ect on perforated board.) Note that for the resistors identified with an surface of the board.
Fig. 3 shows component installations "R." These are the R22 through R79 Strip 'A inch of insulation from
against the conductor pattern on the 100-ohm current -limiting resistors for both ends of eight 6- inch -long hook-
top side of the board. the LEDs. up wires. If you are using stranded
Begin populating the board by in- The light -emitting diodes are sim- hookup wire, tightly twist together
stalling and soldering into place the ply numbered 1 through 49, with no the fine conductors at both ends of
strips of Soldercons. Do not install "LED" identifier preceding them. each wire and sparingly tin with sol-
the ICs in the Soldercon "sockets" Mount the LEDs in the locations in- der. Plug one end of these wires into
until after you have performed preli- dicated, making certain that each is the holes labeled 9VDC, Sl, S2 and
minary voltage tests. Follow with in- properly oriented before soldering its S3 and solder into place. Plug the
stallation of the capacitors and then leads to the pads on both sides of the wires into the holes labeled 9VDC
the resistors. The pc board conduc- board. As you can see, the cathode from the bottom of the board.
At this point, all holes that should six cell holders in all for the AA cells power up the circuit-board assembly
have component leads or pins that make up the battery. Wire the by flipping the POWER switch to ON.
plugged into them should be occu- holders so that all are in series with Now, using a dc voltmeter or a multi -
pied. Any unoccupied holes- except each other. Then crimp and solder meter set to the dc-volts function,
the four large mounting holes in the the free ends of the two 9VDC wires to check out the voltage distribution in
corners of the board-must be filled the lugs at the ends of the series the circuit.
with short wire jumpers. Use cut -off string, making sure you observe pro- Clip the meter's common lead to
resistor leads or bare solid hookup per polarity. Temporarily set aside any convenient circuit-ground point
wire for these jumpers, soldering the circuit -board assembly. on the circuit -board assembly. Then
them to the pads on both sides of the Now, use either etching- and -drill- use the "hot" lead to probe for the
board in each case. ing guide in Fig. 2 as a template to presence of + 9 volts at the points in-
When you finish installing all mark where the mounting holes dicated in the table that accompanies
jumper wires, carefully check all for the circuit -board assembly and Fig. 1(C). If you do not obtain a read-
components for proper values and switches must be drilled in the top ing of +9 volts (or whatever the po-
orientations. Also check your solder- panel of the enclosure. This panel tential of the battery) at any point in
ing against both top and bottom should be a sheet of transparent red - the circuit, power down the circuit -
views of the board shown in Fig. 2. tinted plastic that both protects the board assembly and check all wiring
Remember that all connections must circuit -board assembly from physi- and soldering.
be soldered to the pads on both sides cal damage and enhances the visible When checking out the circuit -
of the board. Solder any connection effect of the LEDs when they are lit. board assembly, make sure that all
you might have missed, reflow the Drill appropriate size holes in the connections have been made to both
solder on any connection that looks marked locations. sides of the board, that all connec-
suspicious and remove any solder Punch 49 /,- inch -diameter rounds
'' tions look okay and that no solder
bridges with desoldering braid or a or cut ''/ -inch squares of self-stick bridges have been created between
vacuum -type desoldering tool. blank paper. Also, cut three ''/ x f- the closely spaced IC pads and con-
Once you are satisfied that you in- inch pieces to use as labels for the ductors. If you missed a connection,
stalled each component in the correct switches. Mount the circuit -board as- solder it. If a connection looks suspi-
location and in its proper orientation sembly to the top panel using'/ -inch cious, reflow the solder on it. Use de-
and that all soldering is okay, tempo- spacers and suitable machine hard- soldering braid or a vacuum -type de-
rarily set aside the circuit -board ware. Determine where the dividing soldering tool to remove any solder
assembly. line for each square, containing a sin- bridges discovered.
Now prepare an enclosure in which gle LED in the center, will be and use When you are satisfied that the
to house the project. You can use any ''Á6 -inch -wide graphics tape to make project has been properly wired. In-
enclosure that has interior dimen- up a "checkerboard" pattern con - stall the ICs in their respective sock-
sions of at least 6'/, x 5'/ x 1 to 1Y, sisting of seven squares horizontally ets. Make certain that the correct IC
inches. It can be made of plastic, and seven vertically; this tape is avail- goes into any given socket and that it
metal, a mixture of both or even lum- able at many stationery stores. is properly oriented. Also check to
ber and Masonite or Plexiglas. When you are finished laying out make sure that no IC pins overhang
Machining of the enclosure re- the squares, place a self- adhering the sockets or fold under between ICs
quires very little effort. All you need paper round or square in the upper - and sockets. Handle the ICs with the
are three holes in which to mount the left corner of each square, where it same precautions you would use for
switches, four holes for mounting the will not interfere with your view of other CMOS devices.
circuit-board assembly in place and the LEDs. Number the rounds or Mount the circuit -board assembly
as many holes as are needed for squares from 1 through 49, starting to the top panel with the hardware
mounting the AA -cell holders. Of at the upper -left and ending at the you previously used to lay out the
course, if you are fabricating a wood- lower -right and working horizontal- checkerboard pattern. Then mount
en enclosure, you might want to add ly. Each round or square should bear the entire assembly inside the
embellishments like insetting the cir- the same number as the LED it goes enclosure.
cuit -board assembly into shallow with (see Fig. 3). Place the three long To use the project, simply flip the
grooves in the walls to eliminate labels near the switch holes and label POWER switch to ON, press and re-
mounting hardware and spacers. them accordingly. lease the RESET switch and press and
Wire the battery holder into the release the PRESS FOR NUMBER Switch
circuit via the two wires coming from Checkout & Use six times to obtain your six lottery
the bottom of the board. You need With no ICs plugged into the sockets, numbers. ME
Project
PC Volume Control &

Beep Tone Converter
Add-on devices that can make working at your
computer a more pleasant experience
By Adolph A. Mangieri
Speakers built into the IBM

PCs and compatibles produce
a variety of beep tones, musi-
cal chords and other sound effects
under software control. Unfortun-
ately, the sounds that come from the
speaker built into a computer can be
just as irritating to listen to as they
are utilitarian. Beeps can be too loud
for a quiet home or too soft for a
noisy office. Few computers provide
a volume control for adjusting the
tone level to suit different ambient
noise conditions, and none permit
changing a beep tone without a setup
option or utility. Our PC Volume
Control permits you to adjust the
sound level from the existing speaker
in your computer, while our Beep
Tone Converter permits you to set speaker circuit via jack J4 and plug
About the Circuit PL1. Potentiometer R10 in Fig. 1 re-
the tone of the beep signal more to
your liking. Shown in Fig. 1 is the complete sche- places the original speaker load and
The Volume Control operates just matic diagram of the circuitry for the permits adjustment of speaker vol-
as any other volume control does, al- PC Volume Control. At the far left, ume from full off to full on. This pot
lowing you to adjust the sound level the speaker plug on the motherboard can have any value between 200 and
over a wide range to suit almost any of the computer is a male four-pin 500 ohms.
possible situation. The separate Beep Berg connector that has one unused For the Beep Tone Converter, the
Tone Converter accepts an incoming pin. This connector accepts the mat- circuit for which is shown schematic-
audio tone from your computer and ing female speaker shown at the far ally in Fig. 2, the audio signal passes
produces an audio tone of similar right. The speaker conductors con- through dc blocking capacitor CI
duration at a frequency of your nect to + 5 volts and the speaker and to OUTPUT jack JS. The square -
choice. The internal speaker and the signal line from the motherboard. wave audio- frequency signal drives
one you build into the Beep Tone The 8 -ohm speaker is driven by a transistor QI, which amplifies the
Converter can operate simultaneous- TTL -level audio output stage in the signal to TTL level for operation of
ly to provide a pleasing sound that is computer. The Speaker Volume one section of dual retriggerable
reminiscent of two -tone car horns. Control circuit patches into the monostable multivibrator IC/.
J4 PL1
PARTS LIST
SPK33
C71
w SPKR
Semiconductors
10µF ,SPKR2 D1- 1N4001 or similar silicon rectifier
J5
o 8S2
diode
R9
4.7K
IC1- 74LS123 dual retriggerable mono -
GND
stable multivibrator
R10 IC2 -NE555 timer
200 IC3 -78L05 + 5 -volt fixed voltage reg-
+5V ulator
Q1- HEP730, ECG123 or similar high -
gain silicon npn transistor
Fig. I. Schematic diagram of PC Volume Control circuitry.
Capacitors (25 WV or greater)
C1 -1 -µF tantalum
C2-0.047 -µF polyester film
C3- 0.01 -µF ceramic disk
With pins 2 and 3 of ICI pulled up through R6 and R7. Then when the C4,C5,C6 -47 -µF electrolytic
to + 5 volts through resistor R3, a potential on Cl reaches 33 percent of C7 -10 -µF electrolytic
pulse from high to low at pin 1 causes the supply voltage, another internal
the Q output at pin 13 to go high and comparator senses this new condi- Resistors ('/ -watt, 10% tolerance)
R1 -300 ohms
subsequently fall low after a period tion and stops the discharge of Cl,
of time determined by the values of allowing the charge to rise again to 66
R2- 12,000 ohms
R3,R4,R9 -4,700 ohms
R5 and CI. If theINPUT at pin 13 has percent of the supply voltage, and the R5- 100,000 ohms
timed out, the device retriggers and cycle repeats. R6 -1,200 ohms
lengthens the output pulse. With each cycle, a flip -flop in the R7- 100,000 -ohm panel -mount poten-
By continuously retriggering ICI output stage of ICI is toggled and tiometer
on each cycle of the audio beep tone produces a rectangular pulse at OUT- R8,R10 -200 -ohm, '/ -watt carbon or
from the computer, the output at pin PUT pin 13. The output frequency de- wire -wound potentiometer (see text)
13 is forced high for the duration of pends on the setting of FREQUENCY
Miscellaneous
the beep tone plus one time -out peri- control R7. The frequency of the out-
J1,J2,J3,J5 -% -inch miniature phone
od. The values of Cl and R5 deter- put tone varies from about 200 Hz to jack
mine the minimum width of the pulse 4.5 kHz, depending on the setting of J4 -4
-pin female Berg connector (see
that appears at pin 13 of IC1. This R7. The rectangular output signal text)
was set to about 25 milliseconds to pulses of ICI are fed through dc PL1 -4-pin male Berg connector (see
convert very brief and nearly inaudi- blocking capacitor C4 to VOLUME text)
ble ticks of a keyboard key click util- control R8, which is used to adjust SPKR1 -8 -ohm miniature speaker (see
ity to more discernible brief beeps. the level of the tone heard. text)
The audio output of the Beep Tone The Beep Tone Converter circuit is SPKR2- Existing 8 -ohm speaker in
Converter is generated by 555 timer powered from a plug -in wall -type dc computer
IC2. This timer is wired to function source that supplies 9 to 18 volts dc to Printed -circuit board or perforated
board with holes on 0.1 -inch centers
as a variable- frequency multivibra- the power -supply circuit shown sche-
and suitable Wire Wrap or soldering
tor that delivers a continuous tone matically in Fig. 3. The dc voltage hardware for Beep Tone Converter
when RESET pin 4 of IC2 is pulled from the supply is applied to the and suitable enclosure (see text);
high by the Q by the output pulse of power -supply circuit through POWER sockets for DIP ICs; plastic panel or
IC1. In operation, capacitor C2 be- jack J3. Rectifier diode Dl protects aluminum bracket and aluminum
gins to charge up through timing re- the circuit from application of re- stock for making brackets for PC
sistors R4, R6 and R7. versed-polarity voltage from the ex- Volume Control (see text); 9-to -18-
When the potential across C2 ternal supply. volt dc plug -in power supply; point-
reaches 66 percent of the supply volt- Audio output stage IC2 in Fig. 2 is er -type control knobs for potentiom-
age, a voltage comparator inside IC2 operated at a potential that can range eters; 1/2-inch spacers; 4 -40 machine
from 9 to 18 volts dc. Voltage regula- hardware; hookup wire; solder; etc.
senses this condition and switches on
an internal transistor to discharge Cl tor IC3 in Fig. 3 supplies regulated
+5V o o +9/+18V
R2
12K
j R3
4.7K
R5
100K
R4
4.7K
R7
100K IC2
555
IC1 R6 SPKR1
1.2K R8
74LS123 8S2
200
2 1s
R1
J1
INPUT
300
C2 J2
0.05µF OUTPUT
o
i
Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of basic Beep Tone Converter Circuitry.
+5 volts for ICI and 1 in Fig. 2. length and height of the existing cov- When you are done, these brackets
should look like those shown in the
Optional audio OUTPUT jack J3 in er on the bay. Cut the replacement
Fig. 2 provides an audio signal that plastic panel to these dimensions. photo of the completed assembly in
can be used to drive an external audio Before removing the top of your Fig. 4. Ti- e vertical elongated slots in
power amplifier. computer, carefully measure the dis- the brackets permit vertical position-
tance from the installed disk drive to ing of the panel during installation,
Construction the top edge of the cover to be re- using the two retaining screws.
One way to build the PC Volume placed and record your measure- Drill mounting holes for and
Control is to mount the VOLUME po- ment. Unplug your computer from mount the brackets in place, each
tentiometer and OUTPUT jack on a the ac line. Then remove the five with 4 -40 machine hardware. Then
plastic panel that replaces the one on screws that secure the cover of the drill mounting holes for the jack and
an unused user -accessible disk -drive computer in place. Standing in front potentiometer and mount these com-
bay, as shown in the lead photo. of your computer, carefully slide the ponents in their respective holes.
Choose a panel that matches the bez- top of the case off and set it aside. Place a control knob on the shaft of
el(s) of the other drives mounted in Follow the instructions for this de- the potentiometer. Then refer to Fig.
your computer. tailed in the manual that accompa- 1 to wire together the capacitor, resis-
If you lack space up front on your nied your computer. tor, potentiometer and jack. Be sure
computer, you can fabricate a panel With the cabinet top removed and to properly orient the capacitor.
that can be bolted in one of the un- set aside, dismount the blank disk - Mount the fixed resistor directly
used connector cutouts on the rear of drive cover plate from the front of across the two lugs on the jack. The
your computer. This panel can be the chassis by removing the two re- capacitor mounts directly between
made from a spare piece of sheet alu- taining screws. For safe keeping, re- the "signal" lug on the jack and the
minum or a strip of %6- inch -thick place the screws in the mounting rails lug on the left when viewing the po-
plastic that has been bent to required from which they were removed and tentiometer from the rear. Do not
shape. Cut it to the same dimensions tape the removed cover plate to the solder any connections just yet.
and shape as a standard bracket for a floor of the chassis in the open bay. Determine how long the conduc-
plug -in expansion board and bend it Fashion a pair of brackets with tors from J4 to the + side of C7/
accordingly. which to support the new cover plate R10, ground side of R9/J5 and RIO
Assuming you are planning to that will accommodate the compo- and from PLI to the center (wiper)
mount the PC Volume Control cir- nents for the PC Volume Control cir- lug of RIO and right lug of RIO
cuit on a panel that fits over an unoc- cuitry in the open disk-drive bay should be Cut to length these five
cupied disk -drive bay, measure the from light-gauge sheet aluminum. wires, using standard (color-coded)

stranded hookup wire. Strip 1/4 inch likely located up front near the left eter fully clockwise and use your
of insulation from all wire ends, wall of the hard disk bay. ohmmeter to verify a resistance of
tightly twist together the fine conduc- When you locate the Berg plug, about 8 ohms between pins 1 and 4 of
tors and sparingly tin with solder. unplug it from the strip connector J4. Rotate the knob on the potenti-
Crimp the end of one wire to the and carefully note wire colors. Code ometer to its fully counterclockwise
lug of R10 to which the + lead of C7 both plug and jack in the PC Volume position and verify that the resistance
is connected and solder the connec- Control circuit with a dot of paint or reading is now about 200 ohms (or
tion. Crimp and solder one end of an- fingernail enamel to ensure correct whatever other value you used for
other wire to the ground lug of J5. replacement. R2) between pins 1 and 4. You should
Solder the connections made to both Use an ohmmeter to verify a resis- also obtain a reading of essentially
lugs of the jack. Crimp and solder tance of about 8 ohms between the infinity from ground pin 3 to pins 1
one end of a third wire to the center pins at both ends of the unplugged and 4 of this connector.
lug of the potentiometer. Then crimp speaker connector. Also verify that Use cord to tie the speaker cable to
and solder one end of both remaining pin 3 on the motherboard is electric- a card guide or other convenient
wires to the remaining lug of R10. ally tied to ground (the chassis of the place to keep the speaker plug from
Terminate one of the two wires computer). touching the motherboard. Slide J4
connected to the left lug of the poten- Now plug the line cord of your onto the Berg connector on the moth-
tiometer, ground lug of the jack and computer back into the ac outlet erboard from which you removed the
one of the wires from the left lug of from which it was removed and turn speaker cable.
the potentiometer in the four -contact it on. Clip the common lead of a dc Now mount the PC Volume Con-
jack. Terminate the other two wires voltmeter or multimeter set to the dc- trol assembly into place, using the
in the four- contact plug. The Parts volts function to circuit ground. two retaining screws that formerly
List specifies Berg connectors for the Touch the "hot" probe to pin 4 of held the blank panel in place in the
plug and jack. Difficult to find at the strip connector on the mother- drive bay being used for the project.
best and impossible to find in some board and observe the reading ob- As you do this, adjust the panel of the
locations, these connectors can be tained. It should be + 5 volts. Exer- project horizontally by bending both
home made. For J4, I cut down a cise caution to avoid shorting pin 3 to brackets to the left and right. If nec-
low- profile DIP socket capable of ac- pin 4 with the test probe as you take essary, remove the brackets and trim
cepting a Wire Wrap pin to obtain the measurement away excess metal to prevent inter-
four contacts. For PLI, I used a strip After verifying connector pin as- ference with replacement of the top
of micro board and two Wire Wrap signments, power down your com- of the computer or later installation
posts. If you do as I did, be sure to puter and unplug it from the ac line. of the second disk drive.
use tape to prevent short circuits and Then slide J4 from the PC Volume Secure the PC Volume Control as-
double check your wiring. Control assembly onto the Berg strip sembly in place and trial fit the top
Trace the pair of wires that run connector on the motherboard and back on the computer. Note any
from the speaker in your computer to plug PL1 onto the end of the speaker small adjustments that must be
the Berg strip connector on the moth- cable. Make certain you observe made. After properly positioning the
erboard. In an AT or compatible proper polarity. panel assembly in several trial fit-
computer that uses a full -size moth- With the speaker connected to the tings, mark the positions of the
erboard, this strip connector is most project, turn the knob on potentiom- brackets to allow you to remove and
easily replace the assembly. Dress the
cable runs and secure them with cord
so that the conductors will not be
o +9V/+18V pinched when you replace the top of
D1 the computer.
J3
1N4001 If you built the project on a brack-
POWER IN 1C3
78L05 o+5V
et that fits into an unoccupied slot on
C5 C6 1C3
47µF
COM the rear panel, mount the assembly
47pF O,µF
into place. Once again, secure the ca-
oGND ble runs neatly to avoid having them
interfere with anything else inside
Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of simple power-supply circuitry used to operate Beep your computer, and tie the speaker
Tone Converter. cable to a point inside the computer
that keeps the speaker connector
from touching the motherboard or
anything else inside the computer.
Replace the top of the computer's
enclosure and secure it with the five
screws you removed earlier. PIug the
computer back into the ac outlet,
turn it on and boot it up. Do this sev-
eral times with the potentiometer set
for a high and a low volume to check
operation of the PC Volume Control
circuit. If everything appears to be Fig. 4. PC Volume Control unit built onto plastic panel that has user fabricated
working as it should, proceed to as- aluminum brackets (shown in black) at opposite ends tofacilitate mounting pan-
sembly of the Beep Tone Converter. el in open drive bay.
To house the Beep Tone Converter
circuit and its dc power supply (not
including the external plug-in wall
transformer), I used a TV remote citors and rectifier diode, followed beler. If you use the former, protect
speaker unit that included a speaker by the transistor and voltage regula- the lettering with two or more light
and 200 -ohm wire -wound potenti- tor. Make sure the electrolytic capa- coats of clear acrylic spray.
ometer and perforated -board con- citors are properly polarized and that When the enclosure is ready,
struction, as shown in Fig. 5. the transistor and voltage regulator mount the jacks and potentiometers
Since component locations and are properly based before soldering in their respective holes. Strip '/a inch
conductor runs in this circuit are not their leads into place. of insulation from both ends of six
critical, you can use a printed -circuit When you finish wiring the circuit - 5- inch -long hookup wires. If you use
board of your own design on which board assembly, set it aside and ma- stranded wire, tightly twist together
to mount and wire together the corn- chine the enclosure in which you will the fine conductors at both ends and
ponents of the circuits shown in Fig. house the project. You can use any sparingly tin with solder. Solder one
2 and Fig. 3. If you elect point -to- type of enclosure that is large enough end of one wire to any convenient cir-
point wiring, use perforated board to accommodate the circuit-board cuit- ground point a second wire to
that has holes on 0.1 -inch centers and assembly, speaker, jacks and con- wherever the negative ( -) lead of C4
suitable Wire Wrap or soldering trols without crowding. is connected. Similarly, solder one
hardware. It is a good idea to use To prepare the enclosure, deter- end of another pair of wires into the
sockets for the DIP ICs in this project. mine where the circuit -board assem- circuit where R7 is to install and the
When selecting components for bly and the various off-the -board final pair to the free end of RI and a
the Beep Tone Converter, Ql can be components are to be mounted. The ground point near this resistor.
any high -gain npn milliwatt transis- best locations for the INPUT and OUT- Mount the circuit board in place
tor. Potentiometer R8 can have any PUT jacks is the front or side and with 1/2-inch spacers and 4 -40 x 3/4 -
value between 200 and 500 ohms. POWER jack is the rear panel. The inch machine screws, nuts and lock -
Also, the speaker can be any size 8- front panel is the best location for the washers. Crimp but do not solder the
ohm unit. As you assemble this cir- speaker, while the two potentiome- free ends of the two wires you just in-
cuit, wire potentiometer R7 so that ters can mount on one side wall (the stalled to the two outer lugs on VOL-
volume increases when the shaft of one opposite the INPUT and OUTPUT UME control R8, the ground wire to
this control is rotated in the clock- jacks if these are on a side wall). the right lug and the C4 wire to the
wise direction. Machine the enclosure according- left lug as you view the pot from the
When wiring the components onto ly. Remember to drill a couple of rear. Solder the C4 /R8 connection.
the selected board, begin with the dozen small holes in the front panel Prepare four more 5-inch -long
DIP IC sockets. Do not install the to allow the sound from the speaker hookup wires as before. Crimp and
ICs in their respective sockets until to escape freely. If you are using a solder one end of two of these wires
after preliminary voltage checks have metal enclosure, deburr all holes. to the center lug of R8. Similarly,
been performed. Once the sockets When you are done, label the func- crimp one end of the other two wires
are in place, install and solder into tions of the two potentiometers with to the right lug of R8 and solder the
place the resistors and then the capa- a dry-transfer lettering kit or tape la- three wires now connected to this lug
into place. Crimp the free ends of the speaker and press the speaker into and note if the reading is + 5 volts. If
wires connected to the center lug of place on its panel. Allow the adhesive not, touch the probe to the input pin
the potentiometer to the "hot" to cure for at least two hours and of the regulator, this time noting if
speaker lug and signal lug of the OUT- preferably overnight. the reading is + 9 to + 18 volts. If you
PUT jack and solder both connec- still do not obtain the proper read-
tions. Then crimp and solder the free ings, power down the project, trou-
ends of the two remaining wires to
Checkout bleshoot it and rectify the problem
the unoccupied lugs of the speaker With the ICs still not installed in their before proceeding.
and OUTPUT jack. sockets, plug the external wall - Once you obtain the proper read-
Crimp and solder the free ends of mount dc power supply into the jack ings, power down the project and in-
the two wires coming from RI and on the back of the project and then stall IC2 in its socket. Make sure it is
the ground near it to the signal and into an ac outlet. Clip the common properly oriented and that no pins
ground lugs, respectively, of the IN- lead of a dc voltmeter or multimeter overhang the socket or fold under be-
PUT jack. Strip an additional 1/2 inch set to the dc-volts function to a con- tween IC and socket. Then bend a
of insulation from the wire connect- venient circuit ground. Touching the small -gauge length of bare solid
ed to R6 on the circuit -board assem- "hot" probe to pin 16 of the ICI hookup wire into a U shape and plug
bly. Thread this wire through the left socket should yield a reading of + 5 it into pins 8 and 13 of the ICI socket
and center lugs of R7 and solder it to volts. Touching the probe to pin 8 of (this forces RESET pin 4 of IC2 low on
both lugs. Then crimp and solder the the IC2 socket should yield a reading power-up). Set the VOLUME fully
free end of the other wire to the unoc- of + 9 to + 18 volts. clockwise for maximum volume.
cupied lug of this potentiometer. If you do not obtain the above Power up the project and verify
Run a thick bead of silicone adhe- readings, touch the "hot" probe of that no tone is heard from the speak-
sive around the perimeter of the the meter to the output pin of IC3 er. If so, power down the project and
move the jumper in the ICI socket so
that it bridges pins 13 and 16 now to
pull RESET pin 4 of IC2 high. Once
again, apply power to the project.
This time, you should hear a tone
coming from the speaker and it
should change frequency as you ro-
tate the knob on the FREQUENCY
control in both directions, increasing
in frequency as you rotate the knob
clockwise.
With power to the project discon-
nected, remove the jumper wire and
install ICI in its socket. Connect the
project to the PC Volume Control
unit with a suitable cable plugged in-
to the INPUT jack on the former and
the OUTPUT jack on the latter. Power
up your computer and the Beep Tone
Converter and boot the computer.
Verify that the Converter beeps.
After the project beeps, load a BA-
SIC interpreter into your computer
and type "10 BEEP." Press function
key FI on your computer to run this
one -line BASIC program. You
should again hear a beep tone from
the speaker in the project.
of wired Beep Tone Converter circuit built on perforated
Fig. S. Interior view If the project fails the beep-tone
board and mounted inside a commercial TV extension speaker enclosure. test, feed into the INPUT jack on the
Converter a source of audio, such as The background noise heard the controls with dots on the panel
from a sine -, square- or triangle - through an earphone plugged into J2 for quick setup.
wave generator. You can also use the seems to be noise on the + 5 -volt line Key -click utilities generate audible
sawtooth output from an oscillo- or /and crosstalk in the computer cir- ticks that help to maintain typing
scope if you have this handy. Verify cuits. If you wish to use earphones rhythm. These ticks tend to "wash
the pulse at pin 1 of ICI in the proj- with the project, set R10 to full coun- out" when a turbo computer is oper-
ect. At input frequencies beyond terclockwise to reduce background ated at maximum speed. Also, the
about 30 Hz, pin 13 of ICI should go noise to a minimum. computer beeper delivers very little
high and remain there as the project Several modes of operation are power with brief clicks. The Beep
continually retriggers. At lesser fre- possible with the Beep Tone Convert- Tone Converter alters faint key clicks
quencies, pin 13 of IC1 should show er. For a monotone beep, set the VOL- to louder brief beeps at a tone of your
positive -going pulses that time out UME control in the PC Volume Con- choice. To obtain this function, set
before the next cycle of the input sig- trol unit fully counterclockwise to si- toe VOLUME control on the PC Vol-
nal can retrigger the monostable mul- lence the speaker in the computer. ume Control unit for maximum vol-
tivibrator. If you do not observe this Execute the BEEP command in BA- ume, and adjust the settings of the
action, check the wiring of QI and SIC, and adjust the FREQUENCY and two controls on the Beep Tone Con-
ICI and replace possible defective VOLUME controls on the Beep Tone verter to suit. If you prefer to reduce
devices. Converter for a tone of a frequency the duration of the brief beep that re-
and level to your liking. places the click, reduce the value of
Application Lacking distinction, the monotone resistor R5 in the Converter circuit.
A common complaint is that the beep can be enhanced by operating Sound effects produced by arcade -
beeper in PC and compatible com- the speaker in the computer and that game software run on a computer are
puters is too loud in a quiet environ- in the Beep Tone Converter simul- often hampered by insufficient pow-
ment. If this is so in your case, adjust taneously to produce pleasant stereo er in the audio system of the com-
the audio to any comfortable level, polyphonic chords. To achieve this puter. In many cases, the Beep Tone
using the VOLUME control in the effect, set the VOLUME control on the Converter can liven up these sound
Beep Tone Converter. PC Volume Control unit to about effects. For example, you can try
Audio OUTPUT jack J5 in the PC mid-rotation. Then carefully adjust running the speakers in the computer
Volume Control circuit is not intend- the Beep Tone Converter for an out- and Beep Tone Converter simultane-
ed for earphone use. If you plug an put beep frequency that comple- ously for a richer effect. With the
earphone into this jack, you may ments the tone generated by the power supply that drives the Beep
hear a faint high -pitched tone and speaker inside the computer. Balance Tone Converter at a level of 18 volts
random ticks as DOS performs its the relative sound levels of the tones . dc, the level of the sound produced
tasks. Also, the audio output signal produced by both speakers. When by the speaker in the project is great
at this jack is little affected by VOL- you find the preferred settings, mark enough to be heard throughout a
UME control R10. the locations of the knob pointers on house. If you want the earth -shaking
effect produced by real arcade
games, patch from the OUTPUT jack
on the Converter into the input jack
SUBSCRIBER SERVICE on a stereo sound system.
CHANGE OF Certain "quiet" games like com-
ADDRESS puter chess use a low- frequency tone
Planning to move? Please let us ATTACH LABEL HERE to signal an error and a high- frequen-
know six weeks in advance so cy tone to signal select or move.
you won't miss a single Issue of
These tones may not benefit from use
MODERN ELECTRONICS
NEW ADDRESS HERE PLEASE PRINT
of the Beep Tone Converter. Try jug-
Attach old label and print new
address in space provided. Also gling the settings of the VOLUME and
include your mailing label NAME FREQUENCY controls On the PC Vol-
whenever you write concerning
your subscription to insure ume Control and Beep Tone Con-
ADDRESS
prompt service on your inquiry verter units for best overall effects.
Modern Electronics CITY STATE Whatever the situation, though, it is
76 N. Broadway, usually possible to improve the audio
Hicksville, NY 11801 DATE ZIP
effects.. ME

Blackout /Brownout Alarm
Sounds a buzzer when ac line power drops below
a certain level or disappears altogether
By Istvan Mohos it into a conventional en:losure. All and delivers a pulsating -dc waveform
components specified for the Alarm between the + and - points of the
Brief power outages and are readily available from Radio rectifier. Because peak values of the
"brownouts" can occur fair- Shack or other local sources. rectified potential can reach as high
ly often during periods of as 180 volts, it is important that the
peak power demand and severe elec- bridge rectifier selected for RECTI
trical storms. When either occurs
About the Circuit have a rating of at least 200 volts.
when you could not be aware of it Shown in Fig. 1 is the complete sche- As you can see, the lower set of re-
because you are not using electricity matic diagram of the Blackout/ lay contacts is in series with piezo-
apparent to you at the moment or are Brownout Alarm circuit. The circuit electric buzzer PBI and super capaci-
sleeping,, you will appreciate the forms a power loop when PL1 is tor Cl. With the relay energized, the
audible Blackout /Brownout Alarm plugged into any ac receptacle. When ground return bus for PBl is broken
described here. It will save you from the project is plugged into an ac re- and no driving power appears across
oversleeping because your alarm ceptacle and the power loop is inter- the buzzer. Thus, the buzzer is silent.
clock could not do its job, alert you rupted by the contacts of relay Kl, The pulsating dc voltage is fed
early to the possibility that meat in the Alarm is in its "standby" condi- through current-limiting resistor R2
your freezer could spoil, and so on. tion. It is placed in its "'armed" con- to zener diode Dl. The avalanche
A novel design approach is used in dition by briefly pressing and releas- path through DI provides a low -im-
our Blackout/Brownout Alarm. In- ing momentary- action pushbutton pedance sink for any dc potential in
stead of a battery that must be pe- switch Sl. excess of 5 volts. The 5 volts dc main-
riodically replaced. the project uses a Pressing SI causes current to flow tained across DI charges super
super capacitor that can store enough through the coil of Kl. This energizes capacitor CI at an approximately
energy to power its piezoelectric aud- the relay, causing its upper contacts 0.5- milliampere rate. Thus, several
ible signaling device for a minute or to latch the relay on and maintain minutes of charging is required for
so. This should be long enough to current through its coil even after 51 Cl to assume a full charge.
alert anyone who :s in hearing range is released. When a blackout or brownout oc-
to the fact that a power "emergency" Whenever Kl is energized, neon curs, ac power is either no longer -de-
has occurred. Because no battery indicator lamp II glows to indicate livered to the circuit or is too low in
ever has to be replaced in this project, that the Alarm is armed. Full -wave amplitude to maintain the relay in its
you have the option of sealing it in bridge rectifier RECTI converts the energized condition. This being, the
epoxy potting compound or building incoming 117 volts from the ac line case, KI deenergizes. The contacts of
311
ARM
F II
+,o
. R1
220K
RECT1
200PIV
+
R2
220K
1
D1
N47337`
(5.1V)
Cl
0.1F
PL1
117Vac
© 11
NE2
Fig. 1. Complete schematic diagram of the Blackout/Brownout Alarm's circuit.
any traditional means of wiring to

PARTS LIST K1 -Dpdt, 117 -volt ac, 15 -mA, 4,500 - build the Blackout /Brownout Alarm.
ohm relay (Radio Shack Cat. No. However, a printed -circuit board,
Semiconductors 275 -217 or similar)
the actual -size guide for which is
D1- 1N4733 or similar 5.1 -volt, 1 -watt PB1- Pulsing piezoelectric buzzer shown in Fig. 2, is recommended for
zener diode (Radio Shack Cat. No. 273 -066
this project if you plan on potting the
RECT1- 200-PIV minimum bridge or similar)
rectifier (Radio Shack Cat. No. 276- PL 1-Quick-connect as plug or ac line finished assembly. If you decide not
1173 or similar) cord with plug (see text) to pot the circuit -board assembly,
Capacitors S1 ,S2- Miniature normally -open, you can use perforated board and
C1 -0.1 -F super capacitor (Radio momentary-action pushbutton switch suitable soldering hardware instead
Shack Cat. No. 272-1440 or similar) Printed -circuit board or perforated of the pc board.
Resistors (h. -watt, 1007o tolerance) board and suitable soldering hard- After etching the printed- circuit
R 1,R2-220,000 ohms ware (see text); 2- fluid -ounce clear board according to Fig. 2, cut the
Miscellaneous epoxy potting compound or suitable narrow slots at the top for the prongs
I1 -NE2 neon lamp or panel -mount enclosure (see text); materials for of the ac plug. One way to do this is to
neon -lamp assembly with built -in making potting frame (see text);
drill a small hole at both ends of each
limiting resistor-see text) hookup wire; solder; etc.
slot and chip out the unwanted board
substrate with a sharp safety knife.
As you work, periodically plug the
KI now assume their standby config- than it takes to deplete the charge on prongs of the plug into the slots to
uration. That is, the latching action CI). The only way to shut off the check your progress. When the slots
of the upper contacts is defeated as audible signaling device and restore are finished, trim the board to size.
the contacts spring open, and II ex- the alarm to its "armed" condition is Then scrub the copper -trace side of
tinguishes. More importantly, the to briefly press and then release SI to the board with scouring powder until
ground- return line of the piezo buzz- latch the relay on, as detailed above. the traces are shiny bright, and tho-
er is completed and the energy stored Switch S2 is an option that was roughly rinse the board and dry it.
in CI is applied directly across PB1, added to the circuit to provide a You will notice that very Iittle cop-
which then emits an audio tone that "snooze" capability. Momentarily per has been removed during the
serves as the audible alarm. Enough pressing and releasing this switch etching process. The reason for this is
energy is stored in the fully charged short -circuits the super capacitor and that the epoxy potting compound is a
super capacitor to cause the buzzer to silences the piezo buzzer. poor conductor of heat. Therefore,
continue to sound for a minute or so. by leaving behind the maximum
When power is restored or comes amount of excellent heat -conducting
up to a level that permits normal cir-
Construction copper on the board, the copper itself
cuit operation, PB1 will continue to Owing to the fact that there are no re- will serve as an adequate heat sink for
sound (assuming that the power out- strictions on component placement the circuit.
age was for a shorter period of time or conductor routing, you can use Whichever method of mounting
and wiring together the components, these wires to the appropriate copper
refer to the wiring diagram shown in traces near the top of the pc board.
Fig. 3 for component placement and Strip''/, inch of insulation from one
orientation. Note in Fig. 3 that when end and % inch from the other end of
wiring the pc board that the compo- two 2- inch -long hookup wires. Crimp
nents mount on the conductor side, and solder the ends from which the '/,
using a technique similar to that em- inch of insulation was removed to the
ployed for surface -mount compo- remaining large and the indicated
nents. small lugs on the relay. Then tack -
Begin populating the printed -cir- solder the free ends of both wires to
cuit board by trimming the leads of the indicated points on the board.
the two resistors and zener diode to If you are planning to pot the proj-
appropriate lengths according to the ect, tack -solder the leads of the pie-
conductor pattern. Carefully bend zoelectric buzzer to the indicated
the leads so that they will safely copper conductors at the top -left of
bridge copper traces they are not sup- the pc board, making sure you ob-
posed to contact. Tack -solder the serve proper polarity. Leave the leads
leads of both resistors to the appro- of the buzzer full length. If you are
priate points on the copper traces as planning on housing the project in-
shown. (Note: if you are planning to side a standard enclosure, do nothing
house the circuit -board assembly in- with the piezo buzzer at this point.
side a conventional enclosure, you Again, if you are sealing the cir-
can substitute a panel -mount neon - Fig. 2. Actual size etching guide cuit -board assembly in potting com-
lamp assembly that has a built -in for the printed- circuit board for pound, slide over both leads a 1 -inch
limiting resistor for the separate RI the project. length of plastic tubing to insulate
resistor and II lamp called for in the them from each other and the rest of
Parts List. If you, do this, do not in- the components on the board. If ne-
stall RI on the circuit board.) judiciously and permit the assembly cessary, trim the leads of the lamp so
Set the zener diode in place to de- to cool after each soldering operation that only about', inch protrudes be-
termine where on the copper traces is performed. yond the ends of the tubing. Tack -
its leads will touch. Tin with solder Bend the leads of the super capaci- solder the leads to the two indicated
both touch points and then tack-sol- tor outward and clip them so that on- conductors on the board. Otherwise,
der the diode's leads into place, using ly about /,6' inch protrudes beyond wait until after the circuit -board as-
heat judiciously and waiting for the the housing. Making sure the capaci- sembly is mounted inside its enclo-
first connection to cool before mak- tor is properly oriented, tack -solder sure to connect the lamp to it.
ing the second connection. Make its leads to the appropriate copper Connection of the two switches
sure the zener diode is properly ori- traces on the board. (assuming you have decided to in-
ented before soldering either lead in- Note in Fig. 3 that a jumper wire is clude SNOOZE switch S2) depends on
to place. needed, shown just above where R2 whether the circuit -board assembly is
Carefully bend all four leads of the is mounted. Use a suitable length of to be potted or housed inside a con-
rectifier assembly so that they are in insulated hookup wire for it. ventional enclosure. If the former,
line with the rear of the assembly and Strip 'A inch of insulation from one you can tack -solder the lugs of each
parallel to each other. When the as- end of three 4- inch -long hookup switch directly to the copper traces
sembly is laid flat on its back, the wires. Remove an additional % inch on the board, making sure that both
leads and rear surface should be in of insulation from one wire. Thread switches sit perpendicular to the sur-
the same plane. the stripped end of this wire through face of the board. If you are planning
Pretin the copper traces on the the large lug to the specified smaller on using a conventional enclosure,
board to which the leads of the recti- lug of the relay as shown. Solder both connect the switches into the circuit
fier assembly are to be soldered. Set connections. Then crimp and solder via suitable -length hookup wires.
the rectifier in place and solder its the stripped ends of the other two Finish wiring the circuit -board as-
leads to the appropriate copper wires to the indicated lugs of the relay. sembly by installing and soldering in-
traces. Again, make sure the assem- Strip % inch of insulation from the to place plug PL1. If the assembly is
bly is properly oriented before sol- free ends of the three wires attached to be potted, you need only the insert
dering into place any leads, use heat to the relay. Carefully tack solder portion -the part with the prongs-
tional enclosure in which to house
PL1 your Blackout /Brownout Alarm,
you can choose one that is all metal,
all plastic or a combination of the
two. Machine the enclosure as needed:
drill mounting holes for the neon
lamp assembly, both switches and
the buzzer and the entry holes for the
ac line cord and buzzer leads. If you
drill any holes through metal, deburr
them and line the ones for the ac line
cord and buzzer leads with small rub-
ber grommets.
Route the free end of the line cord
through its hole and into the enclo-
sure. Tie a strain -relieving knot in it
inside the enclosure about 2 inches
from the free end. Tightly twist to-
gether the fine wires in each conduc-
tor and tin with solder. Trim the bare
tinned conductors to about % inch
long and tack -solder them to the
copper traces.
Mount the circuit -board assembly
to the floor of the enclosure with
thick double -sided foam tape. You
can now mount the relay with the
same tape, fastening it to the area re-
served for it at the bottom of the
board or on the wall of the enclosure
near the bottom of the board.
It is more convenient to replace the
separate R1 resistor and Il neon
lamp with a panel -mount neon -lamp
assembly with built -in limiting resis-
tor. If you do this, mount the lamp
assembly in its hole and secure it with
the supplied clip. Tack -solder one
Fig. 3. Wiring diagram for pc board. Note that all components mount on the lead to the copper trace to which the
copper-trace side of the board. left end of R1 in Fig. 3 is shown con-
nected. Then tack -solder the other
lead to the trace to which the right
of a quick- connect ac plug here. Dis- row slots cut for them from the com- lead of the lamp is shown connected.
card the shell in this case. If you at- ponent side of the board and solder Of course, if you do this, eliminate
tempt to use the insert portion as is, the prong sides to the copper conduc- R1 from the circuit. Plug the switches
the prongs will be shorter by the tors along the accessible edges. Make into their respective mounting holes
thickness of the board and may not these connections mechanically and secure them in place with the
provide solid plugging action. To sound, using as much solder as possi- hardware supplied with them.
offset this, use a saw or file to trim ble. Otherwise, use a standard ac line Route the leads of the buzzer
enough of the anvil -like plastic por- cord with plug, which will be wired through their hole and mount the
ion between the prongs to restore full into the circuit after the circuit-board buzzer in place with suitable machine
length when they are inserted into the assembly is mounted inside the se- hardware. Tack- solder the positive
slots in the board. lected enclosure. (+ ) buzzer lead to the trace at the up-
Now insert the prongs in the nar- Should you decide to use a conven- per -left of the board and the negative
( -) lead to the trace right next to it. (and add solder if needed). If you dis- Mix another small batch of the
Readers who wish to encapsulate cover a solder bridge where there compound and pour it over the rest
the circuit-board assembly in epoxy should not be one, use desoldering of the board, positioning the indica-
potting compound should first con- braid or a vacuum -type desoldering tor lamp so that it will easily be seen
duct a test to assure that the project tool to remove it. Do not attempt to when the project is in operation.
has been wired and is working prop - encapsulate the project or put a non- Place a strip of tape over the sound -
erly. When you conduct this test, functioning project into service. exit hole in the buzzer and use some
practice extreme caution because you When you are certain that the proj- already setting compound to cover
will be dealing with potentially lethal ect is operating properly, you can en- the three small holes in the bottom of
117 -volt ac line power. capsulate the circuit -board assembly the buzzer and allow it to set awhile.
You will need an extension cord to in epoxy potting compound. To do This will prevent liquid compound
conduct the operational test for a so, you will use the "frame -and- from entering the buzzer and inter-
project that is to be encapsulated but pour" method, similar to framing fering with its operation. Mix some
not for one that it to be housed inside and pouring concrete walkways only more compound, pour it into the
an enclosure. Plug PL1 on the proj- in miniature. frame and press the buzzer into the li-
ect into the extension cord and place A slab of lumber of any type with a quid compound.
the project on an insulating surface. hole cut in it for the prongs of the ac Mix some more of the compound
Plug the extension cord into a con- plug protruding from the bottom of and pour this into the frame. Con-
venient ac outlet. The alarm should the circuit -board assembly makes up tinue mixing and pouring until you
not sound and the neon lamp should the bottom of the frame. Lay this flat have filled the frame up to the shoul-
be dark. Carefully press and release on your work surface. The walls of ders of the switch frames and the
ARM switch Sl. The neon lamp the frame are made from four pieces buzzer is encased in what will become
should now be lit but the buzzer of thin lumber that have been cut to a a rigid block of epoxy. The process
should not sound. Allow the project size to form a surround that has the may take as many as 10 mixings and
to sit in this condition for several same inner dimensions as the length pourings to complete. Use a home-
minutes to allow the super capacitor and width of the circuit -board assem- made plastic spatula to smooth each
to charge up. bly and is 1 inch deep. Hold the frame layer of compound as it is poured.
When sufficient energy has been together with rubber bands or tape. As you approach the end of the
built up in CI, pull the plug of the ex- Use double-sided tape to line all potting operation, you will notice
tension cord from the ac outlet. The surfaces that are to come into contact that the potting compound tends to
neon lamp should now extinguish with the potting compound with run up the sides of the frame, making
and the buzzer should sound. While strips of clear acrylic or acetate. In a the surface slightly concave, with
the buzzer is sounding, press and re- pinch, any transparent plastic film ridges at the edges. This does no
lease SNOOZE switch S2. The buzzer can be used. I have had good results harm to the finished project but can
should immediately silence. with strips cut from the "bubbles" be less than aesthetically appealing.
When conducting the operational used on display packages, soft -drink To correct for this, you can cut a tem-
test on a project that is housed inside bottles and other plastics. The plastic plate from some more clear plastic
an enclosure, be sure to have the en- will not adhere to the epoxy potting with holes cut or punched for top of
closure closed. Also, plug the proj- compound, allowing the lined strips the buzzer and switch buttons.
ect's line cord -without benefit of an of wood to easily pop off after about With template in hand, mix and
extension cord -into the ac outlet. 24 hours as the compound sets. pour the last thin layer of potting
Conducting an operational test on Once the frame is ready, place the compound, smoothing it to the top
this version of the project requires no circuit -board assembly inside it, of the wall. Place the template over
special precautions. blank side down. The relay now be- this layer, rolling it over the top of the
If you do not obtain the proper re- comes the "cornerstone" of the unit. form to avoid trapping any air bub-
sponses from the project, unplug it After mixing a small amount of the bles between it and the compound.
from the ac outlet and carefully re- two parts that make up the potting Allow the assembly to sit undis-
check all wiring and component in- compound, pour a thin layer of it in turbed for at least 24 hours to allow
stallations. Make certain that zener the area in which the relay is to mount the potting compound to fully cure.
diode DI, bridge rectifier RECT1 and push the relay into it, squaring it When the compound has cured, re-
and piezoelectric buzzer PB1 are all up against the lower -right corner of move the rubber bands or tape and
installed in proper polarity. the frame. Work with the epoxy pot- snap away the wood and plastic
Check all soldering. If you suspect ting compound in a well -ventilated strips. The project is now ready to be
a connection reflow the solder on it location. put into service. E
Project
Relative- Humidity Meter

This all -solid-state instrument measures the relative
percentage of moisture in the air and displays it in
bargraph or analog meter format
By Anthony J. Caristi
Relative humidity is a measure
of the quantity of moisture
contained in the air at a
given temperature. Higher tempera-
tures can accommodate a greater vol-
ume of moisture than can cooler tem-
peratures. Because of its importance
to our well-being, it is always a signi-
ficant factor in any forecast of wea-
ther conditions.
Our personal comfort is intimately
related to humidity. In the summer,
even mild temperatures accompan-
ied by high levels of relative humidity
make us uncomfortable because it in-
terferes with one's natural body cool-
ing system- evaporation of perspir-
ation. Conversely, in winter, when
indoor air is heated, the natural re-
duction in relative humidity causes us
to feel cold unless the temperature is
raised to 72 ° Fahrenheit or more.
Described here is an instrument
that can be used to measure relative
humidity with significantly better ac-
curacy than can be obtained by a
common low -cost consumer -type de-
vice. With it, you can readily deter-
mine if you should turn on a humidi-
fier or dehumidifier. The Relative
Humidity Meter is also an excellent
indicator of any improvement made (water vapor) present in a given vol- Most of us are aware of the effects
in humidity level after you take reme- ume of air compared to the maxi- excessive moisture or lack of suffi-
dial action and helps in determining mum amount of moisture that can be cient moisture have on our comfort.
if your humidifier, dehumidifier or contained in the same volume of air But our bodies are not the only things
air conditioner is doing its job. at the same temperature. A condition that can suffer adverse reaction to
of 100 percent relative humidity is too much or too little humidity in the
said to occur when the air is saturated air. For example, wooden drawers
Some Background with moisture and any increase in and doors tend to expand and jam in
The term relative humidity is used to water vapor will result in precipita- hot, humid weather but fit too loose
describe the percentage of moisture tion (rain or snow). in cold, dry weather. Wood furniture
> o
z
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r0 o
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LU
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and fixtures may shrink and crack in
the winter as well.
:
aá ma)
Even such things as photocopy _ J

machines and computers may fail to
perform properly unless the relative
humidity in their working environ-
ments is held to within certain limits.
In extreme cases of humidity coupled
with high temperatures, mildew can U
form everywhere and, when it does,

causes significant damage. o Y
There are several ways in which Q N
relative humidity can be detected and
measured, using a family of instru-
ments called "hygrometers." One
way is to detect the rate of water
evaporation by an instrument, known
as a "psychrometer," that uses two
thermometers. One has a continu- _ z
e M <
ously moistened cloth covering its U rn
bulb and senses the rate of evapora- -J
tion by the resulting reduction of
bulb temperature; the other, against
which the cooler temperature is com- o
pared, simply monitors the ambient
temperature.
Using the psychrometer method of
detection, a chart can be consulted to
determine the relative humidity level EC
co
v Y
that corresponds to the two tempera- E, Z d- Y
LO
ture readings. While a very accurate 0 - r o C v

LL o
indicator of relative humidity, this 0
CO N II
method may not be convenient to use. U ó

Another way to measure relative Li
I-
-
Ú
ó
humidity is the one used by the many O
low -cost relative- humidity gauges
z Q
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v m
o
that have been around for many
11/,/1
years. These instruments are de-
signed to respond to the percentage
of humidity by monitoring the length rO m =
u_
co
of a strand of hair, which lengthens
or shortens according to the amount
of moisture in the air. It is not sur-
prising that such devices are not very m
accurate and that any reading of rela- ILw
n
O
tive humidity given by them may not > D
oLo u,N
CO
be very meaningful. This is especially
so at very -low or very-high levels of
humidity.
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of Relative

Humidity Meter circuitry.
PARTS LIST present in the ambient air. Conse-
Semiconductors Miscellaneous quently, the capacitance of the sen-
D1- 1N4148 or similar signal diode B1 -9 -volt alkaline battery sor is a function of the percentage of
D2,D3- 1N4004 or similar silicon HSI- Humidity sensor (Mepco/ relative humidity.
rectifier diode (optional -see text) Centralab Inc., P.O. Box 760, Figure 2 illustrates the variation in
ICI- AN78L04 fixed + 4 -volt regulator Mineral Wells, TX 76067; specify sensor capacitance as a function of
IC2,IC3- CD4001BE quad -2 -input Part No. 691 90001) relative humidity. As you can see, the
NOR gate M1 -50 -µA dc panel meter movement
response of the sensor to changes in
IC4,1C5- LM3914N LED driver with 1,000 -ohm coil (optional-
relative humidity is not exactly linear.
LED1 thru LED17 -2 -volt, 20 -mA see text)
Sensor HSI in Fig. 1 makes up one
light- emitting diode (see text) S1 -Spst momentary- action, normally-
Capacitors open pushbutton switch (or slide or element in a multivibrator circuit
C1- 10 -µF, 16 -volt electrolytic toggle switch if using ac-operated composed of IC2A, IC2B and RI.
C2,C3- 0.22 -µF, 25 -volt ceramic disk power supply; see text) Connected between the inputs and
C4,C5- 47 -pF, 25 -volt NPO ceramic T1- 12.6 -volt C.T. power transformer output of the NAND gate, the resis-
disk (Radio Shack Cat. No. 273 -1365 tor causes this section of IC2 to be
C6- 6- to -50 -pF trimmer (Radio Shack or similar) biased in its unstable state. Positive
Cat. No. 272 -1340 or similar) Printed- circuit board or perforated feedback through HSI results in os-
C7- 68 -pF, 25 -volt ceramic disk board with holes on 0.1 -inch centers cillation of the circuit at a frequency
C8- 0.1 -SF, 25 -volt ceramic disk and suitable Wire Wrap or soldering that is determined by the RC time
C9- 100 -µF, 16 -volt electrolytic hardware (see text); sockets for all
constant of the capacitance of HSI
(optional -see text) DIP ICs; snap connector and holder
Resistors for 9 -volt battery; suitable enclosure
and the value of RI. In this particular
(y -watt, 1% metal-film) (see text); red plastic filter; 1/4-inch arrangement, with the specified val-
R1,R2-475,000 ohms spacers; machine hardware; hookup ue for RI, frequency of oscillation is
R5 -4,750 ohms wire; solder; etc. about 8 kHz.
R7- 19,600 ohms In a similar manner, IC2C and
R11- 23,700 ohms (optional-see text) Note: The following items are available from IC2D, also wired in a multivibrator
A. Caristi, 69 White Pond Rd., Wald-
(1/4-watt, 5% carbon) configuration, develop an oscillator
wick, NJ 07463: Ready-to -wire main pc
R3 -150 ohms signal of a frequency determined by
board, $12.95; ready -to-wire display pc
R6 -1.1 megohms board, $4.95; AN78L05 and CD4001BE, the values of R2 and the sum of C4,
R8,R9 -1,500 ohms $2 each; LM3914N, $6 each; set of four C5 and C6. Since pin 6 of IC2B is
R 10- 22,000 ohms metal -film resistors, $2. Add $2.50 P &H. connected to both inputs of IC2C,
R4- 10,000 -ohm pc -mount cermet New Jersey residents, please add 6% state
trimmer potentiometer sales tax.
the two discrete oscillator circuits are
forced into synchronization. This re-
sults in both circuits operating at the
same frequency but with different
duty cycles.
Several electrical methods for bargraph -style the current relative In Fig. 3 are shown the waveforms
measuring relative humidity also ex- humidity. A circuit option that per- that appear at the outputs of IC2B
ist. One uses a solid -state humidity - mits use of a standard analog micro - and IC2D. Note that the duty cycles
detecting device developed by Mep- ammeter panel meter movement in of the two waveforms are not equal
co/Centralab, Inc. of Mineral Wells, place of the discrete LEDs will also in length. This is because the values
TX. This device has the ability to be described. of capacitance used in the two oscil-
change capacitance in accordance lator circuits are different.
with the percentage of relative hu- Referring back to Fig. 1, you will
midity in the air. It is this device that About the Circuit note that the four sections that make
is the subject of this project. With Shown in Fig. 1 is the complete sche- up IC3 are wired in parallel with each
this device, you can build a low -cost, matic diagram of the circuitry used in other. This is to provide a lower out-
accurate hygrometer that provides the Relative Humidity Meter. At the put impedance than can be obtained
relative humidity readings ranging heart of the humidity- measuring cir- from just a single section of this chip.
from 10 to 90 percent in increments cuit is sensor HSI, which contains a The inputs of IC3 perform a NAND
of 5 percent. plastic film that is coated with gold operation on the outputs of IC2. As a
Our Relative Humidity Meter uses on both sides. This film forms a ca- result, the pulse width of the output
a set of 17 light-emitting diodes ar- pacitor and its dielectric constant va- waveform is the difference in duty
ranged in a single line to indicate in ries with the amount of moisture cycles of the two oscillator circuits.
Reference oscillator
150
IC3, Pin 2
140
co
U
Variable- duty -cycle oscillator

IC3, Pin 1
ó
N
110
100 I 1 1 I 1 I I 1 1
0 20 40 60 80 100
Relative humidity (percent) Pulse out
IC3, Pin 3
Fig. 2. Variations in sensor capacitance vs. relative

humidity.
Fig. 3. The waveforms that appear at the outputs
IC2B and IC2D.
Total capacitance of C4, C5 and tance- versus -humidity (see Fig. 2), it most closely represents the voltage
C6 is adjusted to equal the capaci- is necessary to add a small amount of fed to pin 5. The illuminated LED
tance of HSI, which is about 118 current, through R6, into C8 to li- then indicates the relative humidity
picofarads when the relative humid- nearize the circuit. This results in the within 5 percent.
ity is zero. Under this condition, the output voltage across C8 to be a li- The project is powered by 9 -volt
duty cycle of each oscillator is essen- near function of relative humidity transistor radio battery BI, which
tially equal and the output of IC2 is a detected by the sensor. frees you from dependency on ac line
pulse train of very narrow spikes. Integrated circuits IC4 and IC5 are power. The output voltage from the
When relative humidity is greater LED bar and dot driver chips that are battery will decrease as time goes by
than zero, the resulting increase in capable of each driving 10 LEDs. and the project is used. To preserve
sensor capacitance and change of du- Each of these ICs contains a voltage - humidity- reading accuracy of the hy-
ty cycle of the oscillator built around divider string and 10 comparator cir- grometer, the terminal potential of
IC2A and IC2B causes the width of cuits that provide detection of 10 lev- 131 is regulated to 4 volts by means of
the output pulse from IC3 to in- els of voltage fed to input pin 5. The fixed regulator ICI. This means that
crease. In this manner, pulse dura- two chips are wired in cascade so that the circuit will operate properly over
tion becomes a function of relative 20 voltage levels can be detected and the useful lifetime of the battery,
humidity. a total of 20 LEDs can be driven. In which is virtually depleted by the
The average value of the output this project, only 17 LEDs are re- time its terminal voltage decreases to
pulse from IC3 is stored in C8, which quired to represent levels of humidity about 5.5 volts. Since the battery is
is charged through DI, R4 and R5. from 10 to 90 percent in 5- percent in- normally called upon to deliver cur-
This dc voltage is calibrated using po- crements. The two chips are pro- rent for only brief periods of time as
tentiometer R4. It will vary from al- grammed to operate in the "dot" you take a humidity reading, it should
most zero at zero percent humidity to mode, which means that only one last a very long time.
about 1.25 volts at 100 percent rela- LED will be on at any given moment. If you wish to have a continuous
tive humidity. Pin 7 of IC5 generates a 1.25 -volt display of relative humidity, you will
Any voltage developed across C8 reference that is fed to the top of its want to power the project from the ac
can be directly used to drive a 50 -mi- built -in voltage divider string at pin 6 line to obviate having to frequently
croampere analog meter movement of IC5. The bottom of the string con- replace spent batteries. The circuitry
through a suitable -value limiting re- nects to circuit ground at pin 4 of for this option is illustrated schema-
sistor, as shown in Fig. 4. This will IC4. This circuit arrangement per- tically in Fig. 5.
provide you with an analog indica- mits the cascaded LED driver chips
tion of relative humidity with a scale to detect potential levels from 0 to
range of zero to 100 percent. 1.25 volts in increments of 62.5 milli-
Construction
Since sensor HS1 does not have a volts. When a voltage is detected, With the exception of the 17 LEDs,
straight -line response of capaci- either of the chips lights the LED that the entire circuitry of the Relative
Next, carefully following Fig. 7, to do so later during checkout. Keep
install and solder into place the resis- this fragile component in a safe place
R11
tors and trimmer potentiometer R4. until it is ready to be installed.
23.7K M1
Note that some resistors are precision If you elected to use the analog me-
50 µA dc
metal -film types. These are used in ter- movement feature, connect the
the circuit to ensure that calibration microammeter to the circuit in ac-
of the hygrometer does not change cordance with Fig. 4. LED drivers
Fig. 4. Optional analog microamme- with changes in temperature and 1C4 and 105 and the LEDs are not
ter movement can be used in place of component aging. Make sure you in- used in this version of the project and
individual LEDs for display. stall these resistors in the correct lo- should be omitted.
cations on the board. Assuming you are building the ver-
Continue wiring the board by in- sion that does include the LED dis-
Humidity Meter wires together on a stalling and soldering into place the play, you can use 17 discrete light-
single compact circuit board. You diode and capacitors. Do not use or- emitting diodes or LED assemblies
can use a printed- circuit board for dinary ceramic -disc capacitors for that contain five or more individually
this, home fabricated using the actu- C4 and C5. The values of these two accessible light- emitting diodes in a
al -size etching- and -drilling guide capacitors affect calibration of the single package. The lead photo shows
shown in Fig. 6, or purchase a ready- hygrometer. The best choice for C4 the project built using discrete LEDs.
to -wire board from the source given and C5 is silver mica or NPO cera- If you use the LED display, you
in the Note at the end of the Parts mic -disc units that have very low will need a separate printed- circuit
List. Alternatively, you can use per- temperature coefficients. Before sol- board (or perforated board with suit-
forated board that has holes on 0.1- dering the leads of the diode and elec- able hardware) on which to mount
inch centers and suitable Wire Wrap trolytic capacitors into place, make the LEDS and to wire to the main
or soldering hardware. Whichever sure each of these components is pro- board. You can fabricate the board
method you choose, be sure to use perly oriented. yourself using Fig. 8(A) or buy a
sockets for all DIP ICs. Next, install and solder into place ready -to -wire board from the source
From this point onward, we will voltage regulator IC1. Make sure this given in the Note at the end of the
assume printed- circuit construction. device is properly based before sol- Parts List.
Place the ready -to -wire board on dering its leads into place. If you are When the board is ready, install
your work surface oriented as shown including in your project the optional and solder into place the 17 LEDs.
in Fig. 7. (Note: If you elect perfor- ac- operated power supply, install Make sure each LED is properly ori-
ated -board construction, use Fig. 7 C9, D2 and D3. Make sure each of ented and that the top of its case is a
as a rough guide to component place- these components is properly ori- uniform Va-inch height above the sur-
ment and orientation.) Begin wiring ented before soldering their leads to face of the board before soldering its
the board by installing and soldering the copper pads on the bottom of the leads into place.
into place the sockets. Do not plug board. Similarly, if you are including Interconnect the two circuit -board
the ICs into the sockets until after the analog meter -movement option, assemblies as detailed in Fig. 7 and
you have conducted preliminary install and solder into place R11. Fig. 8(B), using suitable length light -
voltage checks and are certain that Do not mount or handle humidity gauge stranded hookup wires. After
the circuit has been properly wired. sensor HS1 until you are instructed cutting all wires to length, strip
inch of insulation from both ends.
Tightly twist together the fine con-
ductors at both ends of all wires and
T1
o+9V sparingly tin with solder. Plug one
F1 D2 end of the wires into the holes for
1/2A 6.r V 1N4004 them in the main circuit board from
S1 > GND the component side and solder into
D3 place. Then plug the free ends of the
6.3V
1N4004 wires into the appropriate holes in
H the display board from the solder
side and solder into place.
117Vac Tightly twist together the fine
wires at the unfinished ends of both
Fig. 5. Schematic diagram of optional ac-operated power supply. leads of a 9 -volt battery snap connec=
tor and sparingly tin with solder.
Plug the leads into the B1 + (red insu-
lation) and Bi - (black insulation)
holes in the main circuit board and
solder into place.
Strip1/2 inch of insulation from
both ends of two 5 -inch hookup
wires. If you are using stranded wire,
tightly twist together the fine conduc-
tors at both ends of both wires and
sparingly tin with solder. Plug one
end of these wires into the holes la- Fig. 6. Actual-size etching- and -drilling guidefor the main printed- circuit board.
beled SI on the main circuit board.
Crimp and solder the other ends of
these wires to the lugs on Sl. This can filter over the cutout for the LED dis- If you are using the ac- operated
be a momentary- action, normally - play. As the glue sets, examine both power supply, mount the jack for it
open pushbutton switch for the bat- circuit -board assemblies for proper in its hole and crimp and solder the
tery- powered version of the project component installations, especially free ends of the wires coming from
or a standard miniature toggle or orientations. the Ti holes on the main board to the
slide switch if you want continuous Turn over both circuit -board as- lugs of the jack. Be sure to observe
humidity display when using an ac- semblies and carefully check all sol- proper polarity as you do this. Then
operated power supply. dering. If you missed a connection, mount the battery clip with suitable
If you plan on using the ac power solder it; if a connection looks suspi- machine hardware via the hole you
supply, prepare two more 5 -inch- cious, reflow the solder on it and add drilled for it and the switch in its hole
long wires as described above. Plug solder if needed; and if you locate a with the hardware supplied with it.
solder bridge -particularly between
one end of these wires into the holes
labeled Tl on the main board and the closely spaced IC socket pads
remove it with desoldering braid or a
- Checkout & Calibration
solder into place.
You can house the project in any vacuum -type desoldering tool. To check out the project, you need a
type of enclosure that will accommo- When you are satisfied that your dc voltmeter or multimeter set to the
date both circuit -board assemblies wiring and soldering are okay, dc-volts function. You will also need
without interference with each other. mount the display in the cutout using 118- and 159 -picofarad test capaci-
Machine the enclosure as needed. -inch spacers with a lockwasher at tors upon which the accuracy of cali-
That is, drill mounting holes for both each end and 4 -40 x 1/2-inch ma- bration will depend. These are not
circuit -board assemblies (just the main chine screws and nuts. Also use 1/2- standard capacitor values, but you
board if you opted for an analog me- inch spacers to mount the main cir- can make the capacitors you need by
ter- movement display). Then make cuit -board assembly to the floor of connecting in parallel two or more
the cutout for the LED display or me- the enclosure. capacitors of different values. Just
ter movement and drill mounting
holes for the battery clip and switch.
If you decided to incorporate the
ac power supply into your project, al-
so drill a hole for the jack that mates RS
R7 - -R1-
with the plug -in ac wall transformer. 103 1C2
Also, drill a dozen or so small holes
-
105 1C4
through the wall of the enclosure
near where HS1 will be when the cir- i 17 15 13 11 7 5 3 1
I
Ix - R2
C4
cuit -board assembly is mounted in I 11 I 1 I 11 I I l I 1 I 1 I 1 I
IÚ C2
place to permit ambient air to enter LED cathodes
Cl
R10 -R6-
the enclosure. IN OUT
A, LED
If you are using a metal enclosure B1_ anodes
COM
or have drilled holes through or cut a s1 A

slot in a metal panel, remove any
sharp burrs. Glue a clear red plastic Fig. 7. Wiring guide for main pc board.
If you enjoy Amateur Radio,
you'll enjoy CQ.
8ssssss8s8s$gs8ss9
105 Pins 1C4 Fins
A
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18'
T 1
I I I I 1
1 1 1
I
1 1 1 I
All
cathodes
e
7T 77
I I I
ú,
j
I I
LED i I T Ì
Fig. 8. Actual-size etching-and-drilling guide (A) and wiring guide (B) for dis-
play board.
It's a different kind of ham magazine.
Fun to read, interesting from cover to
cover, written so you can understand it. keep in mind that the effective total ing the resistance between the
That's CO. Read and enjoyed by over capacitance of two or more values in + 4 -volt regulated supply rail and cir-
80,000 people each month in 116
countries around the world.
parallel is the sum of the values. Use cuit ground to make sure that a short
2- percent precision capacitors for circuit does not exist. Then check the
It's more than just a magazine. this arrangement. orientations of Cl and ICI and mea-
It's an institution. An alternative method of obtain- sure the terminal voltage of the bat-
ing test capacitors of the required tery if you are using it to make sure
CQ also sponsors these thirteen world
famous awards programs and contests: The values is to parallel connect a fixed - the battery is not depleted. The cir-
CQ World Wide DX Phone and CW Contests, value and a variable capacitor. If you cuit will operate properly as long as
the CQ WAZ Award, the CQ World Wide WPX have access to a capacitance bridge, the battery can supply at least 5.5
Phone and CW Contests, the CO World Wide
VHF WPX Contest, the CO USA -CA Award,
you can use it to measure the total volts to the regulator, measured un-
the CQ WPX Award, the CQ World Wide 160 value of capacitance as you adjust der operating conditions.
Meter Phone and CW Contests, the CQ Five the trimmer capacitor for the appro- The next step in the procedure is to
Band WAZ Award, the CQ DX Award, and the
highly acclaimed CQ DX Hall of Fame.
priate value. check out the display section. For
Accept the challenge. Join the fun. Read CQ. Connect the 118- picofarad capaci- this, it is necessary to plug IC4 and
tor to the main circuit -board assem- IC5 into their sockets. Be sure to ob-
Also available in a Spanish language
edition. Write for rates and details. bly where sensor HS1 is to be located, serve proper orientation and to avoid
using one set of copper pads. The having any pins overhang the sockets
SUBSCRIBE TODAY! other set of pads is reserved for the or folding under between ICs and
sensor, which will be wired into the sockets. You also need a source of
The Radio Amateur's Journal circuit later on. positive dc voltage that is adjustable
76 North Broadway Clip the common lead of the meter from 0 to 1.5 volts. A suitable regu-
Hicksville, NY 11801
to any convenient point that is at cir- lated dc power supply can be used, or
Please start my CO subscription with the cuit ground, such as the negative ( ) - you can temporarily connect a
next available issue. lead of Cl. Then snap a fresh 9 -volt 10,000 -olxn potentiometer across Cl
Enclose payment or charge Information
with order. Term and Rate (check one):
battery into the snap connector or and use the wiper terminal as the va-
plug the transformer into the project riable voltage source.
USA VEIXE Foreign and a convenient ac receptacle. Connect the positive side of the va-
1 Year 19.95 22. 24. Apply power to the project and riable- voltage source to the junction
2 Years 38. 42. 46.
measure the voltage at the our lead between R6 and R7. This is the pin .5
3 Years 57. 63. 69.
of regulator ICI with the "hot" inputs of the LED driver ICs. Set the
Paid by: Check PT Money Order
VISA MasterCard
probe of the meter. Use a jumper voltage of the supply to zero. Then
lead to temporarily bridge the lugs of apply power to the project and mea-
Card Number:
the switch to apply power continu- sure the voltage, referenced to
ously to simplify checkout. You ground, at pin 6 or 7 of IC5. You
should obtain a reading of + 4 volts. should obtain a reading of about
Allow 6 -8 weeks for delivery of first issue If not, power down the circuit and + 1.2 to + 1.3 volts at this point. Re-
troubleshoot it to isolate the cause of cord this reading.
Name
the problem and correct it. Connect the "hot" probe of the dc
Street
Begin troubleshooting by measur- voltmeter (or multimeter) to the
City
State or Country Zip
Put Professional Knowledge and a
COLLEGE DEGREE
in your Technical Career through
junction of R6 and R7 and very slow- scope. Examine the circuit wave-
ly vary the adjustable dc source so forms to verify that both multivibra-
that the voltage increases from zero tors are oscillating. When C6 is prop-
to the potential you recorded. As you erly set and 118 -picofarad test capa-
do this, the LEDs should light in se- citor is installed, the waveforms at
quence from 10 to 90 percent. pins 1 and 2 of 1C3 will be approxi-
As the voltage crosses over any two mately square and 180 degrees out -
sequential indications, you will note of-phase with each other.
that one LED will fade out as the next If either or both multivibrators are
one turns on. This feature is built in- not oscillating, check the wiring asso-
to the driver chips to assure that at ciated with 1C2 and 1C3 for short- or
Add prestige and earning power to
least one LED will be lighted at a time open -circuits. Also, check the values
your technical career by earning
over the voltage- detection span of of circuit components to be sure that your Associate or Bachelor degree
the circuit. You will also note that at they are correct, and check the orien-
through directed home study.
the extremes of the voltage excursion tation of DI. If all check out, try new Grantham College of Engineering
no LED will be on since the indicat- ICs in the circuit. awards accredited degrees in
ing range of the hygrometer is limited For the final adjustment, you need electronics and computers.
to 10 percent humidity at the low a calibrated source of relative humid-
end and 90 percent humidity at the ity. One way to make this adjustment An important part of being pre-
high end. is to obtain an accurate hygrometer pared to move up is holding the
If you do not obtain the above re- to measure the ambient humidity lev- right college degree, and the abso-
sponse, check the LEDs to be sure el and calibrate C6 accordingly. If lutely necessary part is knowing
that all are wired into the circuit in you use this method, simply install your field. Grantham can help you
the proper polarity. Check the an- HSI on the main circuit -board as- both ways -tolearn more and to
odes of the LEDs and pin 3 of 1C4 sembly in place of the test capacitor earn your degree in the process.
and 105 for the presence of + 4 volts. (HS1 is not polarity sensitive), apply
Check pin 5 of the ICs for the vari- power to the circuit and adjust C6 so Grantham offers two degree pro-
able dc input voltage, and make sure that the display indicates the relative grams -one with major emphasis
that the ICs are properly oriented in humidity level as measured by an- in electronics, the other with major
the sockets. other hygrometer. It is best if you emphasis in computers. Associate
Next, set trimmer capacitor C6 choose a day that has a relative hu- and bachelor degrees are awarded
and scale calibration potentiometer midity level of 40 to 60 percent to ob- in each program, and both pro-
R4 as follows. Plug the remaining tain the most accurate adjustment. grams are available completely
two ICs into their sockets, observing A more accurate method of cali- by correspondence.
the same details described above for brating C6 is to place the sensor in an
the other ICs. Check to make sure enclosed environment that contains a No commuting to class. Study at
that the 118 -picofarad test capacitor known level of humidity. Remove your own pace, while continuing
is soldered to the circuit board . the test capacitor from the circuit, on your present job. Learn from
Connect the "hot" lead of the and connect the sensor into the cir- easy -to- understand lessons, with
voltmeter to the junction formed by cuit using about 6- inch -long leads. help from your Grantham instruc-
RS and C8 and the common lead to Dissolve some potassium carbonate tors when you need it.
the negative lead of Cl. Set the meter in a jar half filled with water.
Write for our free catalog (see ad-
to a low range, apply power to the cir- Place the sensor in the jar, taking
dress below) or telephone us at
cuit and adjust C6 for a minimum care to avoid having it touch the solu- (213) 493 -4421 (no collect calls)
reading-about + 0.1 volt. tion. Cover the top of the jar so that and ask for our "degree catalog."
Turn off the hygrometer and con- the humidity level inside the jar
nect the 159 -picofarad capacitor in reaches its final value, which will be Accredited by
place of the 118 -picofarad unit. Re- 44 percent at room temperature. Ad- the Accrediting Commission of the
apply power to the circuit and set R4 just C6 so that the 45% LED lights. National Home Study Council
to obtain a reading on the meter Remove the temporary wires that
equal to that you recorded earlier.
If you do not obtain the results
connect the sensor to the circuit -
board assembly and place the sensor
GRANTHAM
specified above, it is best to trouble- on the board. Calibration of the
College of Engineering
shoot the circuit using an oscillo- project is complete. AE 10570 Humbolt Street
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Project
A Smart Weather Monitor

(Part III)
How the project's A/D Memory Expansion and

Keyboard modules work
By Tom Fox alog -to- digital) memory- expansion Optional "user" EPROM 1C202 can
module is to provide the calibration be employed without having to modi-
n the first two installments of
this article, we described opera-
and interfacing circuitry needed to fy the other firmware in the system.
supply the CPU module with temper- To make it possible to use the 2716
tion, construction and initial
ature information in a form it under- EPROM, position 1 of DIP switch SI
tests of the CPU and Display/Output
stands. A secondary purpose of the must be set to OFF. This permits sim-
modules, the two basic elements that
make up this sophisticated stand-
A/D module is to provide memory ple and inexpensive customizing of
expansion. The A/D module can ac- WISARD and permits some educa-
alone system. This time around, our
focus is on operation and construc-
commodate six general -purpose ana- tional possibilities.
log inputs, in addition to the two A back -up battery is provided for
tion of the two modules that remain
temperature sensors. 2K CMOS static RAM 1C201. When
to complete the system, an A/D (ana-
Shown in Fig. 9 is the complete it is installed in the project, this chip
log-to- digital) Memory Expander and
schematic diagram of the circuitry expands WISARD's non-volatile
a data -entry /command Keyboard.
used in the A/D memory-expansion user RAM from its basic 8K to a total
module. Temperature forecasting of 10K.
About the Circuits firmware for the project is pro- Notice that 1C210 in the A/D cir-
The primary purpose of the A/D (an- grammed into 2732A EPROM 1C207. cuit is an eight -bit ADC0809 analog-
52 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw Is In Modern Electronics
to- digital converter with an eight-
channel multiplexer. Though this
chip can accommodate up to eight Q
different analog inputs, it can handle

only one analog input at a time be-
cause it contains just one A/D con- :*4-<
verter. Nevertheless, being able to o - -á
convert all eight inputs into digital N
- -- â
form in less than a hundredth of a se- <- Ñ
^á
CO
çi Ñ
cond, operation of the multiplexer is
invisible in human terms.
- --iá
-ÿá
Response of the A/D converter N_
O%-- e Q
LL
chip is to addresses 5000H through N N

LL
> U U
5007H, decoding for which is accom-
U o
plished primarily by 1C203, 1C204 z z
o
and 1C206. The A/D converter has Ls,
an internal three -bit address decoder

that selects a particular input chan-
nel. (Address lines AO, Al and A2 are
connected to the internal address
U
latch and decoder of 1C210. A write
operation to address 0101 0000 0000
0001 or 5001H, for example, selects ó `D
N
pin 27, connected to the calibration U Ñ
circuit of temperature sensor TSI.)
Operational amplifier 1C209 pro-
vides the reference and supply volt-
ages for the A/D converter. (The CO
o
ADC0809 requires only 1 milliam- U
pere of current for operation.) Oper-
ated here as a voltage -follower, the
LM301 op amp is over -compensated o
to assure operating stability.

Precision voltage source D209, an
LM239 device, provides an extremely
stable 6.9 volts for use as a standard. N
N
The output of the voltage -follower is Q
set by the trimmer control R229. U

(During calibration, this control is
set to produce + 5.00 volts at pin 6 of
1C209.)
Integrated circuit 1C210 is wired in
this module for continuous A/D con-
version. This is accomplished by con-
necting START input pin 6 to END -OF- Q ä
M
CONVERSION output pin 7. To assure O
start-up, an external pulse is applied
on power-up. This external pulse is
n
(o 1.11 v v Y M
Q Q Q Q Q
N
Ir
¡ N
CC
O
Fig. 9. Complete schematic diagram

of A/D Memory Expansion module
circuitry.
s 00
N
VL^_Ann CC
V V V
u, ',-
O O
N O M O O
N Y Z Ó Z Z
CC
"Ne
p
N
U
>
r
U-
+0
N m
Z
CO
M M
N N
CC Q_
U
m
W I I I
o N
¡ U
+0
LOY
oLo
N
o o
> >
N
P408 +5V P407
P408A
8-9 FFFH 1
o 8 9 FFFH HST
2 A-B FFFH 2 R231 ÌR230 R/W
O O A B FFFH 8.2K 8.2K
3 20
A15
o o > A15 D7
A14 4
o o 7 > A14 D6
A13
O o 4 > A13 D5
6 Al2 6 IC208 16
O o 5 74LS541 15 > Al2 D4
7 All
o O 14 >A11 D3
8 A10
o O A10 D2
9 A9 9
O o >A9 D1
10 A8 10
o o >A8 DO
1 10 19
P406A P406 P1001-AD +5V +12V -5V BBV

0 o o o
4 5 FFFH
IC213A
\ ,
A7
A6 A
5' 6 9 8
14
e
A5 R239
A4 3.3K
LoIC212C V IC212D
C209 C211
A3 10µF 10µF
A2 6-7 FFFH
IC213B C208 C210
Al 10µF 10µF
AO
obtained by connecting the inverted Two reference pins are available ties in their firmware), using an in-
reset pulse to the ENABLE pin of on IC210. These are pins 16 and 12, trinsically linear sensor does help in
three -state buffer IC213. The "nor- -
which are the Vref and + Vref in- simplifying matters. In addition to
mal" input of this buffer is con- puts. In this circuit configuration, outstanding accuracy, the LM335 is
nected to the + 5 -volt rail. pin 16 is tied to ground (0.0 volt) and commonly available and inexpensive.
The 614.4-kHz ENABLE line from pin 12 is tied to pin 11, which is con- While the LM335 is a simple com-
the CPU module connects to CLOCK nected to a stable and accurate + 5.00- ponent around which to design, it
input pin 10 of IC210. You can use volt source. With this arrangement, isn't so simple that you just hook one
the A/D module to convert up to six an input of + 5.00 volts will result in up to an A/D converter and expect
analog inputs of your choice to digi- a binary 11111111 or decimal 255 or the firmware to do all the rationaliza-
tal form. These "freebie" inputs hex FF output. An input of 0.0 volt tion! A bit more is needed to give
wire to connector to P210. One- results in a digital output of 00000000, WISARD a full temperature range
megohm resistors identified as R232 or simply zero. The smallest standard capability. With a Vref at circuit-
through R237 reduce the possibility step the A/D converter circuit can ground potential, the lowest temper-
of an electrical charge building up on make is one LSB, which corresponds ature to be measured is converted to
an unused input. If external inputs to 5/256 or 0.001953 volt. 0.00 volt. Also, with a + Vref set at
are made to the inputs, these resistors Temperature sensors TS1 and TS2 + 5.00 volts, the maximum tempera-
can be eliminated. are precision integrated- circuit LM- ture is converted to + 5.00 volts.
Also connected to P210 are the 335 devices. They can be viewed as According to published specifica-
- 5V and + í2V supply lines, circuit zener diodes whose "zener poten- tions, the LM335 has an operating
ground and the + 5.00V reference tial" is linearly related to tempera- temperature range from 40 ° to -
lines. These lines make life a bit eas- ture. Though MCU-based instru- 100° C (-
40 ° to 212 ° F). Conse-
ier for those people who wish to ex- ments aren't fussy about linearity quently, if 1 LSB is specified to cor-
pand the basic project. (they can compensate for nonlineari- respond to 1 ° F and the lowest tern-
PARTS LIST (A /D Module)
Semiconductors Capacitors P406,P407,P408 -10 -pin single-row

D201 thru D204-1N914 or similar di- C201,C202,C208 thru C211- 10 -µF, male header with 0.1 -inch spacing
ode 25 -volt electrolytic (Digi -Key Part No. 929834-03-36-
D205 -LM329 precision voltage refer- C203,C204,C205,C212 thru C218- solder or 929647 -03- 36 -gold
ence 0.1-µF, 50 -volt monolithic ceramic P1001AD -8 -pin 0.156 -inch center
IC201 -2716 EPROM (optional -see C206- 1,000 -pF, 100-volt monolithic header (Digi -Key Part No. WM4406
text) ceramic or WM4606)
IC202- 6116LP static RAM (optional C207- 10-µF, 25 -volt solid tantalum Printed-circuit board or perforated
-see text) Resistors (''A -watt, 5% tolerance) board with holes on 0.1 -inch centers
IC203- 74LS260 dual 5 -input NOR R201 ,R202,R230,R231-8,200 ohms and suitable Wire Wrap or soldering
gate R203- 10,000 ohms hardware; suitable enclosure (see
IC204- 74HC20 dual 4-input NAND R204,R215,R225,R226 -1,000 ohms text); cable and connectors for pow-
gate R205,R206- 15,000 ohms er-supply hookup (see text); sockets
IC205- 74HC10 triple 3 -input NAND R207,R208,R211,R212,R219thru R222 for all DIP ICs; cables and connec-
gate -100,000 ohms tors for temperature, moisture and
IC206- 74HCO2 quad 2-input NOR R209,R216- 20,000 ohms light sensors; heat -shrinkable tubing;
gate R227,R228 -1,500 ohms machine hardware; hookup wire; etc.
IC207-2732A EPROM (programmed, R232 thru R237 -1 megohm
see Note below) R239 -3,300 ohms
IC208- 74LS541 octal buffer with 3- R213,R218- 23,700 ohms, 1% toler- Note: The following items are available from
state outputs ance Magichnd, 4380 S. Gordon, Fremont, MI
IC209 -LM301 operational amplifier R214,R224- 25,160 ohms, 1% toler- 49412: complete No. ADME1 kit of A/D
IC210- ADC0809 8 -bit A/D converter ance module parts, including pc board, 6116
with multiplexed inputs R223,R238- 10,000 ohms, 1% toler- RAM,2715 without programming, all ICs,
IC211- 74HC32 quad 2 -input OR gate ance sensors, DIP IC sockets and connectors
IC212- 74HCT04 TTL -compatible R210,R217- 10,000-ohm vertical pc- but not including programmed 2732A
CMOS hex inverter mount trimmer potentiometer EPROM, $65; Set No. PRAD89 of 16 pre-
cision resistors, $5; programmed 27128
IC213- 74LS126 quad buffer with R229 -5,000 -ohm, 15 -turn pc -mount
EPROM, $18, programmed 2732A
three -state output trimmer potentiometer EPROM, $12, (both programmed
I C214 -LM324 quad low -power opera- Miscellaneous EPROMs, $25); No. 680 -ADM double-
tional amplifier P210,P406A,P408A-10 -pin single- sided A/D pc board with plated- through
IC215,IC216- LM335Z precision tem- row male header with 0.1 -inch spac- holes, $22.00; for part number 680X-
perature sensor ing (Digi -Key Part No. 929834 -01 -36) ADM-2.
perature to be measured is 40 ° F, - volts. Using this information, the heated to 215 ° F. A non-inverting
the maximum temperature (in Fah- first step is to design a circuit that has amplifier with a gain of 3.516 accom-
renheit) that can be measured with a a 0.00-volt output when its input is plishes this admirably. Such a circuit
single byte of data is 256 ° -
41 ° + 2.33 volts. This can be done with a is made up of another op amp in
215 °. This is just a shade beyond the symmetric unity -gain differential IC214 and precision resistors R214
recommended maximum of 212 ° F. amplifier that has 2.33 volts applied and R238.
(Actually, the specs state that the sen- to its inverting input. Circuitry for temperature sensor
sor can take temperatures up to 257 ° The circuitry for the above for TS1 TS2 is handled in an identical manner
F for short periods of time.) There- is shown in Fig. 9 as one op amp in as that for TS1. Diodes D201
fore, - 40 ° to 215 ° F appears to be a IC214 and resistors R207 through through D204 protect the inputs of
common-sense choice for the tem- R213. When R210 is properly ad- IC210 from extremes of voltages,
perature range. justed the voltage at its wiper termin- while capacitors C204 and C205 re-
The data sheet for this device also al should be close to 2.33 volts refer- duce electrical noise noise.
reveals that 0.01 volt corresponds to enced to ground. Address decoding for optional
1 ° Kelvin, which is the same as Celsi- The next step is to design a circuit
us. So 2.73 volts corresponds to 0 ° C, that multiplies this referenced -to-
which implies - 40 ° C (- 40 ° F) cor- ground voltage by a .'actor that has Fig. 10. Complete schematic diagram
responds to 2.73 ° - 0.40 = 2.33 an output of 5.00 volts when TS1 is of Keyboard module circuitry.
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PARTS LIST (Keyboard) with IC211. Integrated circuits S4 S3 S2 S1
Semiconductors IC205, IC206 and IC212 perform the VERSION

TOP MAX. MIN.
PAGE TEMP TEMP
IC301- 74C923 20 -key keyboard en- required address decoding for the op-
3 2 1 7
coder tional 2K CMOS static RAM. NAND SS S7 S6 S5
IC302- 74LS138 3 -of-8 decoder gate IC205C and resistors R203 and TIME
IC303- 74LS541 octal buffer with 3- R204 make up a write -protection cir-
DAY HOUR MINUTE
SET
state outputs cuit that eliminates the possibility of T 6 5 4
IC304- 74HC04 hex inverter S12 S11 S10 S9

an erroneous write to 1C202 during a
Capacitors
power shutdown. * PRINT YEAR MONTI-
C301,C304,C306- 0.1 -µF, 50-volt
monolithic ceramic Having dealt with the A/D Memo- B A 9 a
C302- 2.2 -oF, 25volt tantalum ry Expansion module, turn now to S16 S15 S14 S13
C303- 1,000 -pF, 100 -volt monolithic the schematic diagram of the Key- FORECAST
TEMP
DISPLAY * *
ceramic board Module circuit shown in Fig. F E D C
C305- 10-oF, 25 -volt electrolytic 10. The simplicity of this circuit is S20 S19 S16 S17
Resistors (1/ -watt, 5010 tolerance) due primarily to 1C301, a 74C923 * * * *

R301 thru R308 -8,200 ohms 20 -key encoder chip that uses the
R309- 10,000 ohms IRQ pin of the MCU to "announce" 13 12 11 13
Miscellaneous a switch closure.

P 1 5K-K-20-pin dual -row male header Fig. 11. Drawing showsfunctions as-
When a key is pressed DATA AVAIL- signed to each key in Keyboard mod-
with holes on 0.1 " centers (Digi -Key
ABLE line pin 13 of 1C301 goes high. ule. Keyswitch locations shown with
Cat. No. 929836- 01 -36, solder plat-
ed, or No. 929665- 01 -36, gold plated After inversion by IC304A, the sig- asterisks have no assigned functions
P301 -10 -pin single -row male header nal couples through C303 to the IRQ and can be eliminated for sake of
with 0.1 "hole spacing (Digi -Key Cat. line. In essence, a negative pulse ap- economy.
No. 929834- 01 -36) pears at the IRQ pin of the MCU
Si thru S20-Momentary- action s.p.s.t. when a key is first pressed. Upon re-
switch (pc board accommodates Pan- ceipt of the Interrupt Request, the
asonic Part No. EVQ-PYR12K, Digi- MCU program jumps to a switch
Key Cat. No. P9952; only 13 switches
the keys that make up the keyboard
routine that reads the data at address are detailed in Fig. 11. Notice that
are used by ME1 firmware); cable to 5010H, assigned to 1C301.
connect Keyboard to CPU board only 13 keys are used by WISARD.
The program checks data lines DO This leaves seven keys for future
(Digi -Key Cat. No. R8322- 18 -ND);
printed- circuit board; sockets for all through D4 to determine which growth of the project.
ICs; machine hardware; hookup wire; switch was pressed. The program con-
solder; etc. tinues from there. Capacitor C301
Note: If you have any questions about determines the "scan" rate of the
WISARD, write to: Tom Fox, Magicland, chip. With the specified 0.1- micro- Coming Up
4380 S. Gordon, Fremont, MI 49412; in- farad value for C301, the scan rate is
clude a self- addressed stamped envelope This completes our discussion of the
about 800 Hz. Capacitor C302 sets
for reply. operation of the A/D Expansion and
the debounce period of the circuit at
about 35 milliseconds. Keyboard modules. Next month, we
Three -state octal buffer 1C303 will present details on wiring of these
provides additional switches that are two circuit -board assemblies and fa-
2716 EPROM 1C201 is carried out by polled by the MCU and do not make brication of the light and heat sen-
IC204, IC206 and 1C212. This use of the Interrupt Request line. sor /cable arrangements used with
EPROM responds to addresses Connected to P301, these switches the project. We will also give details
4800H through 4FFFH. (Recall that can be used as supplementary option on chassis construction.
the 4 -5FFFH address line that origi- switches. When a read calls address In the concluding installment of
nates in the CPU module is low when- 5011H, pins 1 and 19 of IC303 go this series, which will be presented in
ever hex addresses 4000 through low, enabling all of the buffers in this the October issue, we will discuss
5FFFH appear on the address bus). integrated circuit. When this occurs, placement of the sensors to obtain
The temperature- forecasting firm- the data at P301 transfers to the data the most accurate and reliable read-
ware is contained in IC207. This 2732 bus. Address decoding for IC301 and ings, getting WISARD up and run-
EPROM responds to addresses 1C303 is accomplished by 74LS 138 3- ning and expansion of the basic proj-
6000H through 6FFFH. Address de- to 8 line decoder IC302. ect with hardware and software mod-
coding for this chip is accomplished Function assignments for each of ifications. AE
11111111111 ELECTRONICS NOTEBOOK/Ill/IllMI
More Piezoelectric Experiments
By Forrest M. Mims III
Last month's column covered basic pie-

zoelectric principles, materials and appli-
cations. In addition, we experimented
with a unique piezoelectric fan that has
no rotating or frictional parts. This
month, we'll conclude this two -part ex-
amination of piezoelectronics by experi-
menting with piezoelectric high -voltage
trip hammers and sound disks. We'll also
take a close look at a remarkable piezo-
electric clear plastic film.
Piezoelectric
High-Voltage Sources
Piezoelectric trip hammers provide igni- Fig.1. A disposable cigarette lighter
tion sparks for gas heaters, cigarette shown alongside the piezoelectric trip Fig. 2. A Vernitron piezoelectric sparker
lighters, outdoor gas -type barbecue grills hammer that supplies the ignition spark. for outdoor gas barbecue grills.
and gas lanterns. Hand -held piezoelectric
sparkers are used to ignite pilot lights in
gas furnaces and stoves and even the ment piezoelectric igniters from stores like the one pictured in Fig. 2. Mount the
burners of hot -air balloons. that sell or/and service outdoor gas cook- discharge wire so that its bare end is with-
You can perform many interesting ex- ers. (Another possible source is your local in Y. inch of the frame of the igniter. For
periments with a piezoelectric high -volt- Sears store -Ed.) A cheaper alternative best results, operate the device in sub-
age trip hammer. Trip hammers made by is to salvage the piezoelectric trip hammer dued light, and place dark paper behind
Vernitron Piezoelectric Division for use mechanism from a cigarette lighter that is
in outdoor barbecue grills generate about equipped with a piezoelectric igniter.
18,000 volts when tripped. The active ele- Figure 1 is a photo of a Scripto Electra
ment is a small cylindrical slug of piezo- cigarette lighter alongside the piezoelec-
electric ceramic that measures only about tric trip- hammer mechanism that it con-
% x M. inch. This slug is installed at one tains. The piezoelectric slug inside the
end of a plastic cylinder, the remainder of trip hammer measures less than '/,6 inch
which contains a plastic rod, a pair of on a side yet is capable of producing
springs and a cam and hammer. around 15,000 volts!
When a push button at the end of the Shown in Fig. 2 is an older piezoelectric
rod is pressed, the upper spring is com- pushbutton with which I have experi-
pressed against the hammer. Initially, a mented for several years, the Vernitron
small pin resting against a plastic shoul- Model 3652. Figure 3 identifies the main
der holds the hammer securely in place. components of this device. Note that this
As the button is pressed farther down, sparker is equipped with a single wire
however, a cam gradually moves the pin lead. A spark is generated between the
away from the retaining shoulder. end of this lead and the metal frame that
When the pin moves off the shoulder, holds the pushbutton assembly.
the hammer is released. It then strikes the Piezoelectric igniters used in cigarette
piezoelectric slug with great force to pro- lighters have small metal terminals in-
duce an 18,000 -volt spike. The second stead of leads. Be sure to use wire with
spring in the igniter, compressed by the high -voltage insulation if you connect an
downward motion of the hammer, additional lead or leads to a piezoelectric
pushes the hammer back to its resting po- pushbutton.
sition when the push button is released. You can easily view the high -voltage Fig. 3. Annotated drawing of the piezo-
You may be able to purchase replace- arc produced by a piezoelectric igniter electric sparker shown in Fig. 2.
ELECTRONICS NOTEBOOK ...
the discharge point to obtain a better view

LOO i
of the spark.
I I
f I I I
Each time you press the trip -hammer INPUT VoL;AGE : s VOLTS PE AK ïD- PEAK
button, a spark should jump between the DISTANCE 1p : C v'
discharge wire and frame. Try moving
the discharge wire farther away from the
frame to increase the length of the spark.
You may have to modify this proce-
r,
dure for other kinds of trip hammers. For
example, the miniature units used in ciga-
rette lighters have no wire leads. You can
use ordinary alligator -clip leads to make 70 /
connection to the discharge point at the 2
top end of the hammer and the metal ter- O
minal along the side of the hammer. The I I I I I I I I I
leads must not touch each other. 1 2 3 S ro 7 8

An interesting experiment to perform
is to discharge a piezoelectric trip ham- F-1ZEczUErJCY ( KNz
mer through a xenon flash tube. Use clip
leads to connect the discharge terminals
of the tube to the trip hammer. When you Fig. 4. Sound pressure output of MuRata No. PKM11 -4A0 piezoelectric disk.
actuate the trip hammer, a thin violet arc
will discharge between the two electrodes
inside the tube. There is no need to apply sources are made by bonding a thin disk If you have experimented with piezo-
of piezoelectric ceramic to a circular met- electric sound sources, you've probably
a voltage to the trigger terminal of the
tube since the voltage produced by the al plate. When an alternating voltage is noticed that rihey can produce a very long
trip hammer far exceeds the breakdown applied to the element, the ceramic be- pure tone. While this tone is ideal for
potential of xenon. comes alternately concave and convex. warning and notification purposes, it can
This mechanical movement is amplified be annoying. Moreover, very pure audio
Caution: Be careful when experimenting
with any high- voltage source, including by the metal plate. The result is a sound tones can establish regions of construc-
wave that has the frequency of the ap- tive and destructive interference within a
piezoelectric trip hammers! The dis-
charge from a piezoelectric trip hammer plied signal. room that has smooth walls and little
can produce a potent tingle. While this in Piezoelectric sound sources weigh only sound -absorbing material.
a few grams, but they can produce sound As you walk through such a room in
itself may cause no harm, it may startle
you or cause an involuntary muscle reflex levels of from 60 to 90 decibels. When which a piezoelectric sound disk is oper-
housed inside an enclosure that directs ating, you'll notice distinct changes in the
action. Protect yourself from an acciden-
tal shock by working on an insulated the sound into a directional beam, the amplitude of the sound. In regions of de-
work surface and using well -insulated sound pressure level can exceed an structive interference, the sound level is
connection wires. If you use only one audibly painful 110 decibels. substantially lower than in other areas.
As you might expect, piezoelectric These regions can have very sharp boun-
hand at a time, you'll avoid a shock
through your body. sound generators have a particular reso- daries and can be very small. Many times,
nant frequency at which they produce I've noticed that moving my head a small
their highest sound level. They often res- fraction of an inch will cause a substan-
Piezoelectric Sound Sources tial change in the sound pressure level
onate well at harmonic frequencies, and
Such piezoelectric sound transducers as even at non- resonant frequencies can pro- produced by a sound disk.
phonograph pickups and microphones duce substantial sound pressure levels. For optimum results, it is important
have been in use for many years. The Figure 4 shows the output from a typi- that you mount a piezoelectric sound gen-
high- frequency audio drivers known as cal piezoelectric sound generator, MuRa- erator properly. To illustrate why this is
"tweeters" often have a piezoelectric ta's No. PKM11 -4A0. As expected, this so, I made a series of photographs of a
driver element. Various kinds of buzzers, graph shows that the sound generator sound disk that I connected to a signal
warblers and sirens have become by far works much better over some narrow fre- generator. First I poured some white
the most common users of piezoelectric quency ranges. It also shows that the de- beach sand over the disk, as shown in Fig.
audio transducers. vice produces usable sound over a wide 5(A). I then switched on the signal gener-
Most of these piezoelectric sound audio spectrum. ator and noticed that, almost immediate-
EDGE MouNT AIODPL MOu NT
CENTER MOUNTS
Fig. 6. Mounting arrangements for pie-

zoelectric buzzer elements.
drive both standard sound disks and

disks that have feedback tabs.
You can better understand the opera-
tion of the feedback electrode with the
help of the circuit whose schematic dia-
gram is shown in Fig. 9. Connect the
anode of a light- emitting diode to the un-
used feedback tab of the sound disk.
Fig. 5. A piezoelectric disk (A) silent and covered with sand; (B) a few moments after the When the driver circuit is switched on and
driving signal is applied; (C) with sand vibrating away from center; and (D) the ring of the sound disk is emitting sound, the
sand that marks the annular mode of the disk. LED will emit a dim glow.
If you try this experiment, remember
that the anode of the LED connects to
only the feedback tab. There is no elec-
ly, the sand around the perimeter of the sound disk. The nodal mount takes ad- trical connection between the feedback
disk flew up and away from the disk, as vantage of the non -vibrating, circular tab and the other electrodes on the sound
shown in Fig. 5(B). node shown in Fig. 5(D). The edge mount disk. The LED is powered solely by the
When I increased the amplitude level permits the entire disk to vibrate. The two piezoelectricity generated by the ceramic
of the drive signal, the sand at the center center mounting methods illustrated in in the vicinity of the feedback tab. This
of the disk began violently bouncing, as Fig. 6 permit the outer rim of the disk to simple demonstration shows how a pie-
illustrated in Fig. 5(C). After several sec- freely vibrate. zoelectric slab can be used as a solid -state
onds, most of the sand in the center of the Many different circuits can be used to signal isolator or transformer.
disk had bounced away, leaving behind drive piezoelectric sound disks. The na- You need to be aware of some basic op-
the thin ring of sand shown in Fig. 5(D). ture of the drive circuit is dependent upon erating precautions that must be ob-
This ring marks the annular node of the the design of the the sound disk's elec- served as you work with or use piezoelec-
disk. This is the region of the disk that trodes. Figure 7 shows both a standard tric sound sources. The very high sound
doesn't vibrate when the disk is driven by sound disk and a disk that has a third elec- level produced by many of these devices
an oscillating frequency. This region can trode known as a feedback tab. The feed- can be annoying at best and dangerous to
serve as one of several mounting points back tab produces a small voltage when hearing at worst. You can reduce the
for the disk. the disk moves in response to a signal ap- sound level of a piezoelectric disk by re-
It is very important to mount a piezo- plied to the main electrodes. ducing the amplitude of the drive signal.
electric disk properly. If the vibrating Shown in Fig. 8 is the schematic dia- If the sound disk is installed inside a
portion of the disk is cemented or at- gram of a single- transistor driver circuit plastic housing, you can reduce the level
tached to a mounting support, the sound that can be used to drive disks that have a of the sound by blocking the opening
produced will be severely attenuated. feedback electrode. Figure 9 is the sche- with tape, putty or clay.
Shown in Fig. 6 are several methods matic diagram of a standard oscillator A second precaution that must be ob-
that can be used to mount a piezoelectric built around a 555 timer chip that will served is based upon the fact that piezo-
ATTENTION ELECTRONICS NOTEBOOK...
VCR
TECHNICIANS
P1SXVPA VCR REPAIR PARTS
o METAL DtSC -
PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC
CoND uCT IV E FILM
TYPICAL COLOR CODE
VCR REPAIR PARTS KIT

1- BLACK
Now you can do most of your VCR - RED
repair jobs the same day. Parts Express
VCR Parts Kit makes this possible. It 3 - BLUE
contains over 45 of the most commonly 2 L
used parts to repair RCA, Hitachi,
Fisher, Sanyo, Lloyds, Panasonic, Sony, STAKIDA RD WITH FEEDBACK TAB
Sharp, JVC, Samsung, TMK, GE, Mag-
navox, and more. Idler assemblies,
pinch roller, sensing transistors, Fig. 7. Typical piezoelectric sound disks.
switches, and lamps are included in
this comprehensive kit. Ydu also save
over $20.00.
Kit contains replacements for Sharp'. (2) NIDL0005. (2)
NIDL0006, (1) NPLY -V0051 Panasonic. (2) VXP0329, (2) electric sound disks can produce a sub-
VXP0401. (2) VXP0344. (2) VXP0521 RCA. (1) 150614, (1)
164113, (1) 150650 Hitachi: (1) 641311 Fisher/Sanyo. (1) 143- stantial voltage when they are subjected f3 TO +15V
0- 4204 -00300 (2) 143 -0- 4804-00100, (1) 143 -0- 4904-0090, (1)
143 -0- 7417 -2002 RCA /Hitachi (2) up/down switch. (5)
161757 sensing transistors. Panasonic lamps (2)
to mechanical shock or vibration. If great
XAM027P150W (5) XAMV019. (5) XAMV125 (1) Molybdenum
grease Normal dealer cost of over $110.0 (All parts are avail-
enough, this voltage can damage the
able Individually for reorders ) drive circuitry. Proper mounting of a
Order # $8995 sound disk will reduce the chance of a me-
400 -950 Plus shipping chanical shock of the kind that may pro-
duce a high -voltage spike. Connecting a
le1,704., ..,1,......,a>
zener diode across a sound disk will
short -circuit any voltage that exceeds the
breakdown voltage of the diode.
ii1imi1r:Mt' Piezoelectric Plastic Film
VCR IDLER TIRE KIT
This popular kit contains 150 of the most Piezoelectric plastic film is used in
popular idler tires (10 each of 15 different
sizes). With this kit in your stock room, switches, microphones, speakers, ear-
you can do over 90% of VCR repair jobs phones and in guitar and other stringed - Fig. 8. Schematic diagram of a single-
the same day, saving time and money! instrument pickups. The material is also
Also included is our comprehensive cross
transistor piezoelectric buzzer driver.
reference listing over 80 manufacturers' used in sensors that detect pressure, vi-
assembly numbers and over 200 model bration, impact, liquid level and infrared
numbers. A $400.00 retail value. (All tires
are available individually for reorders.) radiation. It is also used to make motor- electric ceramics produce greater volt-
less fans, ink -jet pumps and optical shut- ages than do films, but the latter is more
Order #
400 -900
$5500
Plus shipping
ters. In fact, piezoelectric film has so sensitive to pressure and can withstand
many potential applications that it's im- higher voltages.
possible to describe all or even most of
FREE $$ them in these pages.
The Kynar Piezo Film Department of
the Pennwalt Corp. (P.O. Box 799, Val-
CATALOG As the sheet of piezoelectric plastic ley Forge, PA 19482) manufactures poly -
Elms film shown in Fig. 10 clearly reveals, pie-

zoelectric plastics and ceramics have little
in common. Ceramics are rigid, brittle
and restricted in size. Plastic films are
vinylidene- fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric
film under the Kynar registered trade-
mark. Kynar film is tough, flexible and
transparent.
1 uona l lnc.
/
flexible and can have very large surface
areas. These films can be cut or stamped
into many different shapes, and they can
Pennwalt manufactures Kynar film in
continuous sheets up to 3,000 feet in
CALL TOLL FREE length and in various complex shapes.
easily be laminated or incorporated into The company supplies the material with
1 -800- 338 -0531
340 E. First St.. Dayton OH 45402
many different materials, including fa- various kinds of screen- printed and sput-
Local -1 -513- 222-0173 brics, plastics, wood and metal. Piezo- tered conductive electrodes.
stration kits that include complete in- also displays a fluctuating voltage wave-
structions and Kynar components. Shown form. This illustrates the pyroelectric
in Fig. 11 is the Basic Design Kit made by property of the film.
Pennwatt. A xenon strobe or flashbulb produces a
For detailed information about these much greater output. I used a plastic in-
and other components and kits, write the frared Fresnel lens purchased from Ed-
company at the address given above. If mund Scientific Co. to increase the detec-
you decide to place an order with Penn- tion range of the film. It detected my
walt, keep in mind that the company has hand at a distance of several feet.
a $50 minimum. Another simple experiment that can be
conducted with the sample piece of Kynar
Experimenting With film involves connecting it to the output
Kynar Film of a signal generator. In this experiment,
the film will emit a clear tone as the gener-
Shown in Fig. 12 are some samples of Ky- ator is swept across the audible range of
nar film with which I have experimented. frequencies. If you don't have a signal
Fig. 9. Schematic diagram of a piezoelec- The small sample that has no electrodes generator, you can use a radio. Alterna-
tric buzzer driver circuit built around the was included in some literature sent to me tively, you can build a simple oscillator
popular 555 timer chip. by Pennwalt. It was taped to a card that using a 555 timer chip and use this to drive
describes several experiments that can be the Kynar sample.
performed to quickly convince even a You can obtain greater sound levels by
Pennwalt sells many different kinds of skeptic that Kynar has lots of potential taping the Kynar sample to an index card
piezoelectric components, including applications. or even an inflated balloon. Another way
small rectangles of Kynar with and with- The simplest experiment that can be to boost the level of the sound emitted by
out attached wire leads, vibration detec- conducted involves connecting the Kynar the Kynar film is to connect a step -up
tors and bimorphs. A 15 x 20 -mm sheet sample to an oscilloscope with a pair of transformer between the signal generator
of Kynar without wire leads, which can clip leads. When you touch the film or and the Kynar sample. I've used a stan-
be added for $2, costs only 50 cents. A bi- press it against something, the scope indi- dard 117- to -6.3 -volt power transformer
morph with attached leads costs $15. The cates a fluctuating voltage waveform. for step -up purposes with good results.
company also sells a variety of demon- When you breathe on the film, the scope A miniature high -voltage dc-to-dc con-
verter transformer like those used in pho-
tographic strobe lights also works well as
a step -up device. You can salvage dc-to-
dc converter transformers from defective
strobe units. Otherwise, you can pur-
chase a brand new one for only $2 from
The Electronic Gold Mine (P.O. Box
5408, Scottsdale, AZ). With this com-
pany, your minimum purchase order is
$10; so get the company's catalog before
you decide to place an order.
Incidentally, even very small pieces of
Kynar film will function as sound sources.
For example, I used scissors to cut a 0.25 -
inch square of Kynar film and used this to
generate sound. Of course, the sound lev-
el was not nearly as great as that emitted
by a larger sample, but the tiny piece of
film did produce audible sound.
Another experiment you can conduct
involves attaching the Kynar sample to an
index card or a credit card with double -
sided tape. In this experiment, the Kynar
Fig. 10. Kynar flexible piezoelectric film. (Photo courtesy of Pennwalt Corp., Inc.) sample will generate a voltage when the
ELECTRONICS NOTEBOOK...
KYNAR PIEZO FILM the Kynar sample will function as a ¡mi-

TECHNICAL MANUAL
crophone_
You can increase the level of the signal
generated by a Kynar microphone with a
syNAR Pi El° step -up transformer, as described above.
The literature from Pennwalt suggests at-
taching the Kynar element to the bottom
of a foam plastic drinking cup with dou-
ble -sided tape.
You can make various kinds of switches
with Kynar film. Kynar will generate a
signal amplitude of up to 10 volts when ii
is struck by a domed snap button. Simply
touching t'.le film with a finger will also
generate a voltage, though a smaller one.
Pennwait's Kynar literature describes
several interface circuits you can build.'
The material will directly drive liquid -
crystal displays (LCDs) and CMOS cir-
cuits. It can also be connected to the in-
Fig. 11. Kynar film demonstration kit. (Photo courtesy of Pennwalt Corp., Inc.) puts of operational amplifiers and com-
parators to serve as a drive signal source.
card is bent in either direction. The polar- crophone jack of a small audio amplifier
ity of the voltage depends on the direction or tape recorder. If you want to be for- Going Further
in which the card is bent. This application mal, tape each end of the Kynar sample to
illustrates how Kynar can be used as a a business card, allowing the center of the If this two -part series about piezoelectric-
strain gauge. sample to bow upward. Alternatively, ity has stimulated your interest, you'll
It's easy to make a Kynar microphone. simply allow the Kynar sample to hang undoubtedly want to read more on the
Just connect a Kynar sample to the mi- from a pair of clip leads. In either case, subject. If you do, I direct you to the ex-
cellent literature on the subject available
from some of the companies that manu-
facture piezoelectric materials. Litera-
ture published by Pennwalt, the manu-
facturer of Kynar plastic film, is particu-
larly good. So are the various brochures
and booklets published by Vernitron Pie-
zoelectric Division (232 Forbes Rd., Bed-
ford, OH 44146) and Burleigh Instru-
ments (Burleigh Park, Fishers, NY 14553).
Many of the manufacturers of piezo-
electric sound disks publish literature
about their products. Especially good is
the literature published by MuRata Erie
North America, Inc. (2200 Lake Park
Dr., Smyrna, GA 30080) and Projects
Unlimited, Inc. (P.O. Box 14538, Day-
ton, OH 45414- 2539).
Finally, more experimenter applica-
tions for piezoelectricity are included in
Forrest Mims'Circuit Scrapbook II pub-
lished by Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc.
(1986); see especially pages 215 through
Fig. 12. Typical Kynar piezoelectric elements. 229 of this book. AE
IIIiI/ SOLID - STATE DEVICES 11111111111
Pyroelectric Infrared Sensors & a Po wer Operational Amplifier
By Joseph Desposito single element dual element dual element

(series) (parallel)
A passive infrared detector works much
like the human eye in that it is a one -way
receiver. At the heart of this type of de-
vice is something called a ceramic pyro-
electric infrared sensor. The sensor con-
sists of an infrared detecting element and
a low -noise impedance- matching circuit,
both contained in a metal package with
an infrared transmitting window.
The sensitive element is an electrically
polarized ceramic slice with infrared Fig. L An infrared sensor can be electrically represented by one or two capacitors, an n-
transmitting metallic electrodes deposit- channel FET and a non-linear network.
ed on opposite faces. The pyroelectric na-
ture of the ceramic causes the electrodes
to produce an electrical output signal in Curie temperature, the crystallites have by increased randomness of the orienta-
response to changes in temperature. Sen- no dipole moment. Below the Curie tern - tion of the dipoles due to thermal agita-
sors intended for movement detection perature in freshly manufactured mater- tion. Thus, when the temperature of the
have a daylight filter that ensures that the ial, the electric dipoles are randomly ori- material increases, the captive surface
device is insensitive to short wavelength ented (see Fig. 2A). If the material is heat- charge is reduced. This leaves a surfeit of
infrared, as emitted by the sun. ed to just below the Curie temperature in induced charge on the electrodes. The ex-
Electrically, a sensor can be represent- an electric field, the dipoles tend to line cess charge gradually leaks away through
ed by one or two capacitors (depending up with the applied field (see Fig. 2B). Af- the circuit to which the pyroelectric ele-
on whether it is a single- or dual -element ter the material has cooled and the field ment is connected. This leakage effect
device), an n- channel FET, and a non- has been removed, the dipoles remain in means that a pyroelectric sensor cannot
linear network , connected as shown in the "poled" position, giving rise to a be used in a dc mode. However, it can be
Fig. 1. The dual- element devices have two remanent polarization of the ceramic. operated at very low frequencies down to
differentially connected sensitive areas The pyroelectric effect arises because less than 0.1 Hz.
with a single impedance- converting am- of a change in polarization with tempera- The pyroelectric element will only pro-
plifier to provide immunity from com- ture and may occur in several ways. For duce an output signal if the infrared radi-
mon -mode signals such as those generat- example, the individual dipoles may ation incident on it changes. This may be
ed by variations in ambient temperature, shorten with increasing temperature, or achieved either by moving the object of
background radiation, and acoustic noise. the total dipole moment may be reduced interest into and out of the field of view,
The pyroelectric ceramic material used
in sensors developed by the Amperex
Electronic Corp. (Smithfield, RI) is a applied electric field
doped lead zirconate titanate, which is
optimized for infrared applications. It is
insensitive to water, is rugged, and can be
handled by mass production techniques
similar to those used in the manufacture
of conventional semiconductor devices.
surface
The material has a high Curie tempera- electrodes
ture, and can operate up to 70 degrees
Fahrenheit. Furthermore, responsivity is
only slightly temperature dependent. - +
What is Pyroelectricity?
(a) (b)
A pyroelectric ceramic is composed of a
mass of minute crystallites, each of which Fig. 2. A pyroelectric ceramic consists of a mass of minute crystallites, each of which be-
behaves as a small electric dipole. Above haves as a small dipole, that are randomly oriented (A) below and are aligned (B) when
a certain temperature, known as the heated to just below the Curie temperature and an electrical field is applied.

SOLID -STATE DEVICES...
or by interrupting the radiation incident high sensitivity, monitoring up to at least ger an alarm. A precision mirror focuses
on the sensor. 12 meters with 90 ° angular coverage. the radiation onto a parallel opposed
Figure 3 shows the block diagram of a dual pyroelectric detector. This will pro-
Passive IR Detection simple passive infrared intruder alarm duce a defined signal from a moving ob-
system. The output from the PIR sensor ject while canceling common mode signal
Each person, object or animal emits in- with its Fresnel Lens array is amplified by received simultaneously by both sensing
frared energy as a function of its surface two bandpass amplifier stages. A win- elements.
temperature and size. For temperatures dow comparator with positive and nega- Two -stage optical filtering restricts the
around ambient, the maximum radiated tive threshold then drives a logic circuit. radiation to the so- called atmospheric
energy is in the region of 10 microns (20 This performs simple signal processing window (8 -14 microns). Here the effects
times the wavelength of visible light). Ra- and drives the output alarm relay circuit. of normal constituents of the atmosphere
diation changes produced by a moving For detailed information and a sample (particularly humidity) least affect the
object can be detected by a pyroelectric device, write on your company letterhead transmission of infrared radiation. This
infrared sensor. to Amperex Electronic Corp., A North double optical filtering blocks all un-
A pyroelectric infrared sensor can be
American Philips Co., George Washing- wanted radiation from sunlight and
used as the basis for a passive infrared headlights, which otherwise may produce
ton Hwy., Smithfield, RI 02917.
(PIR) alarm system. This type of system false alarms.
detects the presence of an intruder within
a protected area when movement modu-
Long -Range Detection Sophisticated signal processing within
the eye is used to discriminate even very
lates the radiation incident on pyroelec- Eltec Instruments, Inc. (P.O. Box 9610, weak signals caused by a moving target
tric sensors that respond only to changes Daytona Beach, FL 32020-9610) manu- from unwanted signals caused by wind,
in radiation. An intruder will emit a factures the Eltec IR -EYE 862, which can clouds and precipitation.
steady infrared radiation. One way that detect people outdoors to a distance of Eltec has produced a brochure that de-
radiation can be collected is by a Fresnel 500 feet (vehicles can be detected to even scribes the principles of operation, func-
lens array (a Fresnel lens is a thin polyeth- greater distances). tioning, detectability considerations, and
ylene sheet that is essentially equivalent A person or vehicle will always have a
installation of non -imaging passive infra-
to thick conventional lenses). temperature contrast in respect to the red telescopes. Copies of the brochure are
Discrete fields of view from each ele- background, producing a change of radi- available from Eltec Instruments, Inc. at
ment ensure significant changes in inci- ation within the field of operation of the the address given above.
dent radiation when an intruder passes sensor when passing through it. For the
from an unmonitored gap to a monitored IR -EYE 862, this temperature contrast
zone or vice -versa. A Fresnel lens array is can be as little as 1 degree centigrade or
Power Op Amp
suitable for most general -purpose mov- less (either positive or negative) for a per- A versatile and forgiving power opera-
ing- sensing PIR applications. It provides son at a nominal distance of 150m to trig- tional amplifier is now available from the
FRESNEL LENS
POSITIVE
THRESHOLD
WINDOW LOUIC ALARM

COMPARATOR CIRCUIT UNIT
SENSOR
BANDPASS AMPLIFIERS
INTRUDER
NEGATIVE
THRESHOLD
Fig. 3. Block diagram of a simple passive infrared intruder alarm system.

They're here... consider the
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and
SOURCE
Make
1989 Antenna Buyer's Guide
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Both guides have buying tips from the ex-
Fig. 4. Typical application of the ULN- perts. How do you select the right H.F. anten-
3751Z operational amplifier as a non -in- na? Who do you talk to and what do you say to 1- 800 -992 -9943
get that tower permit? You'll find those ques-
verting power amplifier. tions answered in the Antenna Buyer's Guide. CIRCLE NO. 123 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
What are all those "bells and whistles" on the
Semiconductor Group of Sprague Elec-

new rigs for? Which computer is best for the
shack? The Equipment Buyer's Guide an-
swers these questions and many, many more.
LEARN VCR
tric Co. (41 Hampden Rd., P.O. Box Which one is right for you? Do yourself a
CLEANING /MAINTENANCE/REPAIR
9102, Mansfield, MA 02048). Operating big favor -Buy both! It'll be the best invest- EARN UP TO $1000 A WEEK,WORKING
with power supply voltages of ± 3 volts to ment you've made this season. PART TIME FROM YOUR OWN HOME!
± 13 volts or 6 volts to 26 volts, the ULN- USA: $3.95 each (includes postage).
Secrets
3751Z delivers peak output current levels Foreign: $5.00 U.S. each (includes post-
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to ± 3.5 amperes. This integrated circuit only by check drawn on a U.S. bank, or by U.S.
is ideal for use in servo systems, robotics, Postal Service Money Order. NOSpecial
Tools or
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THE MONEY MAKING OPPORTUNITY
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w
IF you are able to work with common small hand
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rent and voltage offsets of 10 nA (typical) use voltmeter, understand DC electronics) ....
IF you possess average mechanical ability, and have
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vice simple and convenient to use. A self - o teach YOU VCR maintenance and repair!
FACT: upto9O of ALL VCR malf unctions are due to
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IIII PC CAPERS /1111
A Disk - Optimizer Software Package & Something

Special For Your Computer
By Ted Needleman
This month, we'll be talking about a disk
performance booster, as well as a com-
puter product that is neither hardware or
software. Before I get to the actual prod-
ucts though, it might be helpful to briefly
review how disks, both floppy and hard,
are organized. That way, the product dis-
cussion will make a bit more sense. If you
already have a fair idea of disk organiza-
tion, please feel free to skip ahead.
All disks, whether they are "hard" or
"flexible" (that is, floppy), have certain
things in common. They consist of a mag-
netic recording surface that is bonded to a
supporting substrate. In the case of a
hard disk, this substrate is usually alumi-
num. Floppies generally use a Mylar sub-
strate. Both sides of the substrate are cov-
ered with the magnetic covering, though
with some floppy disk drives, only one
side (or surface) is used. Hard disks with OPTune features pull-down menus and on -line help.
capacities over 10 megabytes usually con-
tain several of these magnetic -coated
aluminum disks, called platters. The skippage will always be the same number the computer issues a read instruction to
platters are mounted on a common spin- of sectors for a particular disk. If Sector 2 the disk controller. The controller then
dle, and each surface of each platter has is offset by 2 sectors from Sector 1, then positions the head to the correct track
its own read /write head. On both the Sector 3 will also be offset by 2 sectors and starts looking for the desired sector.
floppy and hard disk drives the heads from Sector 2. This offset is called the When it finds it, it reads the sector, trans-
move linearly from the edge of the disk disk interleave, and is often given in the ferring the data first to the disk control-
toward the center and back. form of a ratio such as 1:3. This particu- ler, then into RAM memory within the
As the disk's read /write head steps in lar ratio indicates that there are three computer. It then goes through this pro-
toward the center from the outer edge, a physical sectors between each sequential cess again for the second sector. In the
circular swath of the disk surface, which logical sector. meantime, the .disk has continued to ro-
is being rotated, sweeps underneath it. At This is a very confusing state of affairs tate under the dusk head, most likely a fair
any one position, this swath is known as a until you understand the reason for it. In- distance past where the second sector is
track. The entire disk's surface is divided terleaves exist because of two characteris- located, depending on how fast the disk
into these tracks, which vary in number tics of disk drives -rotational speed and controller functions.
from 40 up, depending on the formatting data transfer rate. To visualize what's By the time the controller implements
method, track width, and whether the happening, let's first imagine that you the second read request, the sector it
disk is a floppy or hard disk. want to read two sequential sectors from wants to read has already passed by the
Each track is further subdivided into a floppy disk that is interleaved at 1:1; head, and the controller must wait most
sectors. The number of sectors in a track that is, each sequential sector is physical- of an additional revolution to read the
again varies, usually according to the ly located immediately following the pre- second sector. Multiply this process by
density that the sector can be recorded at. vious one. Most floppy disks spin at ei- thousands of reads, and you begin to get
Sectors are located physically adjacent to ther 300 or 360 rpm, which means that the an idea of how slow this type of sectoring
each other, but are not usually labeled or disk surface is passing beneath the read/ scheme can be.
addressed sequentially. Therefore, Sec- write head at a pretty good clip. Hard - Now, if you move the second sector a
tor 2 is not usually the sector immediately disk platters spin even faster, usually at a bit further down the track, you give the
following Sector 1. It may be two, three, rate of 3,600 rpm. disk controller a bit more time to set up
or even more sectors down the track. This When you go to read from this disk, for the second read operation. This is the
72 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw It in Modern Electronics
function of a disk interleave, and the ac- whatever sectors it happens to have free are then read) run OPTune.
tual interleave implemented is a function and writes a pointer to this new part of the OPTune's main menu uses pull -down
of both how fast the disk rotates and how file in the previous end of the file. menu bars. The Selections across the top
fast the disk controller is capable of set- What this results in are files that are lo- are to OPTIMIZE, TUNE -DISK,
ting itself up for multiple reads. cated all over the disk, one part here, an- CHECK -DISK, VERIFY /FIX-DISK,
In some of the fastest hard -disk and other part there. This is particularly prev- and QUIT. The usual sequence that you
controller combinations, the controller is alent with files that are constantly being will use is to first run CHECK -DISK to
so fast that, when coupled with very high updated and rewritten, such as databases lock out bad sectors, use the TUNE -
access speeds on the hard disk head posi- and word processing files. This file frag- DISK selections to test and possibly reset
tioning mechanism, the combination is mentation results in a gradual deteriora- the disk interleave, then run OPTIMIZE
capable of operating efficiently at 1:1 in- tion in performance over time. By reor- to reorganize the files.
terleaves (where the logical sectors are ganizing the files, so that they reside in VERIFY /FIX -DISK performs con-
also physically adjacent). A more com- logically contiguous sectors, you can troller /disk level testing at one of three
mon hard disk interleave is 1:3. sometimes gain substantial access per- confidence levels. This can take between
Sometimes, however, the disk inter- formance. 20 minutes and 6 hours for a 20 -MB disk,
leave specified for a particular brand and depending on what level is selected. Ga-
model of disk and controller is not really zelle recommends that these tests be per-
optimum for the specific units you have.
OPTune
formed at least twice a year, as at the very
Factory specifications are based on aver- Gazelle Systems is pretty well known for least, they re-magnetize areas of the disk
ages, while the particular units can vary its Q -DOS DOS shell and Back -It disk which may be slightly weak. This makes
enormously from this average (on either backup and restore utility. Their newest sense-as not every bit on the disk's sur-
side of the performance curve). What this product, OPTune, addresses two of the face has the same magnetic retentivity.
means is that your disk may not be oper- disk performance problems mentioned If a particular bit on the surface con-
ating at its most efficient interleave. By above, interleave optimization, and file tains data that is not rewritten fairly of-
changing the interleave (discussed a bit reorganization. This inexpensive ten, and if it is slightly magnetically
further on), you can sometimes substan- ($99.95) utility helps you determine the "weak," there is a chance that the infor-
tially improve the performance of your best interleave for your specific disk and mation may just, for all purposes, "fade
hard disk. controller combination and, if necessary, away." As a result, a sector or cluster of
Another performance factor, especial- allows you to reset the interleave on your sectors containing data can go bad on
ly in hard -disk operations, is how the files disk without destroying existing data res- you, corrupting a file. By re-writing the
on your disk are organized. MS -DOS was ident on the drive. sector every several months, you can en-
designed to allow you to re -use disk space The program does the above by read- sure that the sector has not gone bad, or if
formally taken up by files you no longer ing an entire track into a RAM memory it has, increase your chances of recover-
need. When you DELete or ERAse a file, buffer area, performing a low-level for- ing the data.
you are not really physically removing the mat on the track it just read, re-inter- OPTune also accomplishes this func-
file from the disk's surface. What DOS is leaves the disk sectors on that track, and tion to some extent when you reset the in-
doing is removing the location of that file then writes the sectors it is holding back terleave. Every specific disk and control-
from a special index on the disk called the onto the disk. It does this for each of the ler has an optimum interleave, and this is
File Allocation Table, or FAT. The FAT tracks on the disk. When you've finished determined only by actually changing the
contains the names of all the files on your using OPTune to reset the disk interleave, interleave on the disk and measuring the
disk, along with other file information, you can then use another of its functions, data transmission rate. OPTune deter-
called attributes. disk reorganization, to further improve mines the optimum interleave for your
It also contains the starting address of performance. specific combination by exactly this
each file (that is, the first sector of the Using OPTune is easy. It installs itself method, using an unused track for the in-
file). Each sector in the file contains a on your hard disk by just placing the pro- terleave change.
pointer to the next (the sector address). gram disk in drive A: and typing "OP- Once it has determined the best inter-
To enable the most efficient use of disk START." This creates a subdirectory leave, you can tell it to reset the interleave
space, files are not usually made up of named OPTune on drive C: (or any other across the entire disk. It does this across a
contiguous sectors (sectors that sequen- drive you specify) and transfers all the logical, rather than a physical drive. For
tially follow each other, either physically files to this subdirectory. If you want to example, my PC has a 40 -MB drive with
or logically). Instead, as new files are modify the display colors, you can then one 32 -MB partition, named Drive C:
written, DOS places these records in run a program called OPCOLOR. You and one 8 -MB partition, Drive D:. When
1
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CIRCLE NO. 113 ON FREE INFORMATION C9 RD
ATTENTION! A disk is organized by concentric tracks that are further subdivided into sectors.
E
LE
ÑÑia OPTune was run, it reset the interleave new files at the end of all the used space.
This option takes a few minutes more to
only on the portion of the drive designat-
T ed as Drive C:. To reset the interleave on perform, and could provide slightly bet-
EARN YOUR \ the rest of the physical disk unit, I had to ter performance. In actual use, I saw a
tell OPTune to perform the operation on significant improvement in speed using
B.S.E.E. Drive D:. NORMAL, but not much apparent im-
provement between NORMAL and
DEGREE The software also offers three levels of
reorganizing fragmented files, or optimi- PACKED.
THROUGH HOME STUDY zation. Each offers a slightly higher level "FILE REALIGNMENT" is the most
Our New and Highly Effective Advanced- Place- of performance, but also takes more time comprehensive of the three. It works
ment Program for experienced Electronic Tech- much the same as PACKED, but also ar-
nicians grants credit for previous Schooling and
to perform. At the most basic level,
Professional Experience, and can greatly re- "NORMAL" de- fragments all of your ranges the files in the same order they ap-
duce the time required to complete Program and pear in the directory. If you generally ac-
reach graduation. No residence schooling re-
files, sorts the files according to your set-
quired for qualified Electronic Technicians. ting (ascending or descending alphabeti- cess files in sequential order, this will be
Through this Special Program you can pull all of
cal order), and squeezes erased files out the most efficient method to reorganize
the loose ends of your electronics background
together and earn your B.S.E.E. Degree. Up- of your directories. It is the fastest of the your files, but it also takes the longest
grade your status and pay to the Engineering
three options offered, but does not offer time. Again, with my particular applica-
Level. Advance Rapidly! Many finish in 12
months or less. Students and graduates in all 50 some of the performance gains that the tions and files, I did not notice an appre-
States and throughout the World. Established next two levels do. ciable improvement over "NORMAL"
Over 40 Years! Write for free Descriptive Lit-
erature. "PACKED" is the next option. It per- reorganization.
forms the above tasks, but also places The first time you run OPTIMIZE, it
COOK'S INSTITUTE your files on disk so that they are end -to- takes a while to straighten everything out.
OF ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING end. Because there are no open spaces be- For the 32 -MB partition on my PC, this
tween files, DOS will most likely write was 20 minutes and 45 seconds on the
4251 CYPRESS DRIVE
CalelE JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39212

first run through. Daily "tune-ups" with One of the most prevalent causes of in- company is into setting up various distri-
OPTIMIZE, however, are averaging only termittent operation in any piece of elec- bution methods. If you drop them a card
between one and three minutes, depend- tronic equipment, whether it is a comput- or call, they'll let you know where you
ing on how extensive the previous day's er or audio system, is a deteriorating con- can purchase the product. Or, you can or-
use has been. tact. This can be between an IC and its der directly from them. Though they gen-
I haven't benchmarked before and af- socket, an expansion card and its socket, erally prefer to deal in large quantities,
ter results, but resetting the interleave or between a plug and jack. This can oc- they have assured me they will be glad to
from 3:1 to 2:1 and reorganizing the files cur even in computers that use gold -plat- accommodate Modern Electronics readers.
have produced a noticeable improvement ed contacts. In fact, one of the first things
in file access times on my 386 PC. On an most experienced troubleshooters do Companies Mentioned
80286 or 8088 system, I imagine the im- when confronted with an intermittent OPTune
provement would be even more notice- problem is re -seat all the ICs that are Gazelle Systems
able. I like OPTune and I'm glad I in- socketed, and burnish the edge contacts 42 N. University Ave.
stalled it on my PC. I should warn you, of peripheral boards with a pencil eraser. Provo, UT 84601
however, that the disk interleave reset Often, this will clear up the problem, at (800) 233-0383
does not work correctly on the Compaq least for awhile. STABILANT 22
DeskPro (and possibly several other eso- STABILANT 22 can be applied to the D.W. Electrochemicals, Ltd.
teric controllers). This is because the disk edge connectors of a board with a swab, 9005 Leslie St., Unit 106
controller itself contains cache memory or squirted into the IC socket with a syr- Richmond Hill, Ont., Canada L4B 1G7
to speed up data transfer. Because of the inge, where it flows down between the (416) 889-1522
cache, the controller /interleave tests that IC's pins and the socket, then becomes
OPTune performs do not deliver consis- conductive where the pins do not make
tent results. Other than this problem, good contact.
OPTune has worked perfectly for me for
several months, and is an inexpensive
I tried STABILANT 22 on a PC that
had experienced intermittent problems
CONSOLIDATED
E L E C T R O N I C S
way to squeeze additional performance with the hard disk; sometimes the PC rec- . +
from your PC (even if it is a fast 386) at a ognized the disk was there, sometimes it
reasonable cost. didn't. I treated all of the socketed ICs in
the disk controller, the edge connector of
the card, and the two ribbon cables on
STABILANT 22 both the controller and disk ends. This
At last November's COMDEX show, was several weeks ago, and so far the disk
there was one exhibit that really caught has been behaving itself. Of course, this
my eye. It was a gentleman playing with isn't proof positive that STABILANT 22
Microsoft's Fight Simulator, and the works since the very act of taking the
computer he was using was underwater! board out and putting it back could very
Having grabbed my attention, the well have cleared up a contact problem,
booth's personnel were quick to point out as could the act of removing and replac-
that the substance the computer was sub- ing the cables.
merged in was not water, but STABIL- But at $36 (plus shipping) for a 15 -ml
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This property makes STABILANT 22 ize" each of my computers as I have occa- Consolidated Electronics, Incorporated
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11111111I SOFTWARE FOCUS 111111111
Nemesis GO!
By John McCormick even give an explanation of why it made

each move.
Familiar to most computer enthusiasts Since this program is also intended to
only in the extremely limited Go -moku teach how to play GO, you can back up
version, GO is an Oriental game with during a game and replay a section, edit a
rules as simple as checkers and strategic game in progress, and pause to explore a
play more complex than chess. library of set strategy (called Joseki) for
In fact, GO is so difficult to master that corner moves (only the restrictions im-
there is only one significant GO game ma- posed by corners allow set strategies).
chine in the United States competing for To play the Nemesis GO program OT
the $1-million prize to be awarded to the game computer you select color (soft-
one game to play at a Master level. ware only) and players (one, two, or no
After 17 years in development (starting human players), play level, Chinese or
with a National Science Foundation arti- Japanese rules, and handicap. The major
ficial intelligence research grant), an difference between Chinese and Japanese
American is now marketing both a pow- rules is that in Chinese play you can com-
erful GO software package for several mit "suicide" by moving to a position
computers and the world's first GO game where you are instantly captured by your
capable of actually playing the game opponent, while the Japanese rules sim-
(rather than merely recording moves). ply make this move illegal.
The hand -held Nemesis game computer This can make a difference because the
offers both a training opportunity for be- number of captured pieces also counts in
ginners and stiff competition for all but determining the winner. In general,
the highest-ranking players. though Chinese rules are a bit simpler,
This flexibility is possible because GO they are largely restricted to use in China.
is a game traditionally played in a handi- Japanese rules are in force in the rest of
cap mode. When two players of different the world. Of course, there are a lot of
abilities wish to play, the weaker player is Chinese, so this variant can be important
given a one- to nine-"free" -move handi- games to start playing, but when two ex- for some GO players.
cap advantage. This makes it much easier perienced players are facing each other, Alternating moves are selected by
for GO players to match up on an equal the strategic complexity of the game moving the flashing cursor with the ar-
basis than chess players, where fair han- starts to become apparent. row keys. One hurdle to overcome in
dicapping is much more difficult to Research has shown that many of the playing GO is scoring or calculating
achieve. best chess players actually have phenom- which areas of the board are controlled
The rules of GO are simple. Two play- enal memories and can play so well be- by each player. This alone is enough rea-
ers alternately place markers (traditional- cause, no matter what the board position, son for many players to use Nemesis be-
ly small stones) on a board's intersections they have played a similar game before. cause you can pause to see who is ahead at
formed by 19 horizontal and 19 vertical With the far less restrictive rules of GO, any time. This is more important than it
lines: a small board game for quick play there are so many permissible moves that might seem because play can get so com-
has 9 by 9 lines. The winner is the person no one can memorize a useful fraction of plex that inexperienced players just can't
who controls the most area at the end of the possibilities. This leads to a game that tell if a certain move was good or not.
the game. Each player has 18 stones, is both easy to start playing and impossi- The software version of Nemesis plays
black or white. ble to completely master. Yet, unlike at the same level as the hand -held com-
Pieces are captured when an enemy such complex games as backgammon, puter. However, it offers the advantage
group is completely surrounded and has the game of GO involves pure logic with of being easier to upgrade as well as ex-
no pair of "open" intersections inside its no room for bad luck. planations for its moves.
group. The end is reached when neither In both the software and hand -held This explanation option ranges from
player can see another advantageous versions, Nemesis allows you to choose a practical tactical analysis to jokes, and
move or when all the stones have been small board for a quick game or the 19 by you can even have a mix of the two to
placed on the board. 19 world- standard game board along lighten up a session.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? with the handicap and the skill with
Actually, it is nearly this simple to start which the game computer plays. Level Play
with, which explains much of GO's popu- As with some chess games, Nemesis
larity in the Orient. It is the simplest of will offer hints; the software version will GO players are ranked in a way similar to
judo competitors. Bruce Wilcox, the de- take many minutes when played at the If you are looking for a captivating
signer of Nemesis, for example, is ranked higher levels. game suitable for children or mathemati-
six -dan, making him one of the top Unit- One would think that the opposite cians (I first encountered GO in the Math
ed States players. playing times would prevail. Just consid- Department of Northeastern University),
Below first -dan, a professional rank, a er that in a chess opening you can select I strongly recommend you try the Neme-
pretty good amateur player might have a from only 20 possible first moves and sis software. I think that many who get
rating of one kyu or degree, from which your opponent is limited to the same. hooked on the challenging game may
he or she can move up to the first -dan (Eight pawns can move one or two want the portable version too.
ranking. Beginners are rated at 35 kyu. squares ahead and either knight can move Membership in the American Go Asso-
Each kyu rating typically earns a one - to one of two squares.) ciation costs $20/year. Contact AGA,
stone handicap. In comparison, there are 361 possible P.O. Box 397, Old Chelsea Station, New
The range from the rank amateur to opening moves in GO (19 by 19 intersec- York, NY 10113.
the best GO player in the world, accord- tions) with 360 possible, perhaps, for the Nemesis costs $79 for the game; Joseki
ing to Bruce, is a 45 -stone handicap. This second move, so there is no possible way Tutor is $49, or both for $128. Toyogo,
is about twice the range between the to test every move in an acceptable Inc., 76 Bedford St., #34, Lexington, MA
worst and best chess players. amount of time. 02173. (617) 861 -0488. It requires an IBM
Nemesis currently plays at a maximum Even after chess pieces are spread out PC or compatible with 256K, one disk
of 15 kyu. It is intended for players up to during the middle game, there are fewer drive, and DOS 2.1 or higher. The new
10 kyu (using handicapping) and even squares, fewer pieces, and lots of compli- color version will support EGA color.
provides useful practice for players up to cated restrictions on how pieces can (Also available for Macintosh.) AE'
one -dan. move, as compared to GO.
With GO, however, no matter how far CIRCLE 73 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
you analyze the games, there's always a
AI and Games vastly larger number of possible moves
For those of you who might be thinking

of programming their own GO game, you
(the total can reach 10 to the power of
750). Given the foregoing, the only way a
computer program can play GO effi-
Be an FCC
can get a hint of the difficulty (and possi-
ble rewards) from the fact that the Multi -
tech Industrial Corp. of Taiwan has of-
ciently is to make extensive use of artifi-
cial intelligence to eliminate weak or im-
practical moves. In real life, playing GO
LICENSED
ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN!
fered a $1 million prize for the first GO usually takes a lot of time. A single move
game to beat a human master. can take a half hour.
After 15 + years of work, some of it on
a National Science Foundation Grant,
Bruce clearly intends to obtain this prize.
But the fact is that, at the moment, there
Conclusions
is not a program that comes even close to Ole
I applaud Toyogo's non -copy protection
meeting that goal. This is in contrast to and its policy of posting a $10 reward for Learn at home in spare time.
many good available chess games that the first purchaser to locate any specific Jr t h
No previous experience needed!
can consistently beat all but the best hu- No costly School. No commuting to class.
bug and bring it to their attention. The The Original Home -Study course pre-
man players. company also has a liberal upgrade policy pares you for the "FCC Commercial Radio-
There is also a big difference between to let players move up to more sophisti- telephone License". This valuable license
the way chess games and the Nemesis cated versions as their skills improve and is your "ticket" to thousands of exciting
software tackle the games. Chess -playing
jobs in Communications. RadioTV, Micro-
the program advances. wave. Computers, Radar, Avionics and
software takes a look at every possible GO games will probably never catch on more! You don't need a college degree to
move and tries to pick the best. The long- as well as portable chess games have. qualify. but you do need an FCC License.
er it takes to make a move, the more plys Nevertheless, there are already an esti- No Need to Quit Your Job or Go To School
or "layers" ahead the program can look
before choosing a move.
mated 10- million GO players worldwide,
with about 50,000 in North America and
cost! GUARANTEED PASS You get your -
This proven course is easy, fast and low
FCC License or money refunded. Send for
Even when playing at the higher levels, Europe. The availability of a training FREE facts now. MAIL COUPON TODAY!
however, Nemesis normally takes less game such as Nemesis will help many (in-
than 30 seconds to complete its next cluding myself) who found it impossible
commanD PRODUCTIOnS
FCC LICENSE TRAINING, Dept. 220
move. With computerized chess games, to locate enough competition to improve P.O. Box 2824, San Francisco, CA 94126
it's not unusual for a program's move to their game. Please rush FREE details immediately!
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ly $29.98 tax incl. pricing! (Example: Hamlin Combo's, $44
Call or send MO, VISA, MC for immediate delivery.
Single kit orders include $1.50 S &H. FREE SHIPPING
COMPUTER REPAIR DEPOT. IBM, Com-
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each ... minimum 10 orders). DEALERS
on orders of 2 or more. All orders shipped by U.S. Mall. ONLY! Call West Coast Electronics, (818)
COD add $4.00. Personal checks allow 21 days. Bi- Tronix, Inc. (408) 236 -3385 or (209) 952- 709 -1758.
DECO INDUSTRIES 7116, PO Box 23069, San Jose, CA 95153.
BOX 607, BEDFORD HILLS, NY 10507 CABLE TV CONVERTERS
914.232.3878 NEW! Special application IBM compatible
YOUR cable TV converter and descrambler
software for professionals, technicians, and
CIRCLE 20 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD bargain headquarters: Zenith, Tocom, Ham-
hobbyists. Free catalog. INNOVATIVE
lin, Scientific Atlanta, Oak, Jerrold. Order
Surface Mount Chip Component SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS, Box 17554 -B,
Prototyping Kits-
, Only -T Greenville, SC 29606.
LEARN BEFORE YOU LEAP, plain -English

yours today. VISA-MC COD. (415) 584 -1627..
ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
54995 guide to buying computers. What questions to FREE 192 -page catalog including capacitors,
ask, what answers mean. $8.50 PP, Check, resistors, relays, connectors, soldering equip-
MC /Visa. HMI, 5908 -M Pleasantridge Road, ment and supplies. BOX 699, MANSFIELD,
Arlington, TX 76016. TX 76063.1 -800- 992 -9943.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM

Mail this form with payment to MODERN ELECTRONICS, Classified Dept., 76 N. Broadway,
Hicksville, NY 11801.
CC-1 Capacitor Kit contains 365 pieces, 5 ea. of every
10% value from 1pf to .330. CR -1 Resistor Kit contains
Name:
1540 pieces; 10 ea. of every 5% value from 1001010 meg0.
Sizes are 0805 and 1206. Each kit is ONLY $49.95 and Street Address:
available for Immediate One Day Delivery!
Order by toll -free phone, FAX, or mail. We accept State: Zip:
VISA, MC, AMEX, COD, or Pre -paid orders. Company
City:
P.O.'s accepted with approved credit. Call for free
detailed brochure. Check category you wish to be listed under or note a special heading ($6 additional) you want.
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS, INC.
426 West Taft Ave. Orange, CA 92665 -4296 ( ) Audio ( ) Communications ( ) Computers ( ) Electronics ( ) Video
Local (714) 998 -3021 FAX (714) 974 -3420 Special Heading
( ) Miscellaneous ( ) Wanted ( )
Entire USA 1 -800- 854 -0547
CIRCLE 62 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD PRINT EACH WORD SEPARATELY. Note that P.O. Box numbers* and telephone numbers must
be counted as two words each. Circle additional words you wish boldfaced at 200'o more each (initial
CABLE T.V. CONVERTERS boldface word is free). Minimum charge is for 15 words.
WHY PAY A HIGH MONTHLY FEE?
Free Boldface 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
All Jerrold, Oak, Hamlin, Zenith, Scientific

Atlanta, Magnavox and all specialized cable 13 14 15 ($15) 16 ($16)
equipment available for shipment within 24
hours. For fast service MC/VISA or C.O.D. (PLEASE ADD)
telephone orders accepted (800) 648.3030
60 Day Guarantee (Quantity Discounts) $ Extra Bold Words @ 20 cents $ Special Heading ($6)
8 A.M. to 5 P.M. C.S.T. CLOSED WEEKENDS.
Send self- addressed Stamped envelope TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED (Check or Money Order): $
(60c postage) for Catalog.

Payment may also be made by MasterCard or Visa. For this, please fill in information below.
P.O. Box 500,
(MIDWEST Surte 311 (ME),
C ICS inc. Carpenterevllle, IL 60110
Credit Card Number Expire Date
No Illinois Orders Accepted.
CABLE TV DESCRAMBLERS
JERROLD, Scientific Atlanta, Zenith, all ma-
They're Here! FUN PROJECTS
jor brands available. Dealer inquiries wel- You'll want these two exciting proj-
come. VISA /MC accepted. Call for informa- ect books, packed with complete The Fun Projects are capped by introduc-
tion -800- 638 -6898. E & O Video Inc., 9691
1
tory information on building projects and
E. 265th, St. Elko, MN 55020. plans for building a wide variety of
kits (tools needed, parts sources, etc.)
useful electronic devices.
TONER CARTRIDGE Look at what you can build de take pride In: and advanced design techniques that il-
TONER CARTRIDGES FOR LASER *Digital voltmeter accessories-high- lustrate how a designer thinks and plans
PRINTER AND COPY MACHINES, $36 frequency ac probe, true -rms adapter, when putting together a practical end
SAVE 65%. TRAINING AVAILABLE NO temperature probe product.
EXPERIENCE FOR OPEN YOUR OWN
BUSINESS. FOR MORE INFORMATION
Car projects -anti -theft alarms, engine From beginning to end, MODERN ELEC-
AND TO PLACE ORDERS PLEASE CALL tachometer TRONICS FUN PROJECT BOOKS are for
GROCOMPUTER LASER CARTRIDGE Life-saving detectors -gases & micro- you! Order them today for a fast start in
(313) 843-7080; 800-999-8627. wave leaks the world of electronics.
VIDEOCIPHER II
MODERN ELECTRONICS
VIDEOCIPHER II Manuals. Volume - 1
78 N. Broadway, Hicksville, NY 11801 Order Date:
hardware, Volume 2 - software. Either $32.45.
Both $54.95. Volume 3 - Projects /software - QTY Title Price Total
$42.50. Volume 4 - Repair - $97.45. CODs - Name
1- 602 -782 -2316. Catalog -$3.00. TELECODE, First Book $12.95 ea.
Box 6426 -ME, Yuma, AZ 85366 -6426. Address of Modem
Electronics
City Fun Projects
MISCELLANEOUS State Zip Second Book S1295 ea
ASIAN LADIES want correspondence for of Modem
friendship, marriage, SUNSHINE INTER- ( ) Check ( ) MasterCard ( ) VISA Electronics
NATIONAL, Dept. TW, Box 5500, Kailua- Fun Projects
Card No
Kona, HI 96745. (808) 325 -7707.
Total
Expires
CAPITAL for business start -ups oriented to- *Shipping
ward conservation, recycling. $10,000- up.
Write: FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS, 1539 Signature Grand Total
North China Lake, Suite 158 -ME, Ridgecrest, 'Shipping cringes 32 par order. Orders processed day
CA 93555. (Signature required on all charge orders) received, but please allot 30 days for delivery.
l
TEXT TO SPEECH BOARD! *OUALITY PARTS *DISCOUNT PRICES *FAST SHIPPING
PC /XT COMPATIBLE. MAKE YOUR COMPUTER TALK!
A VERY POWERFUL AND AMAZING SPEECH CARD. USES THE NEW GENERAL
INSTRUMENTS SP0256 -AL2 SPEECH CHIP AND THE CTS256A -AL2 TEXT TO SPEECH
CONVERTER.
(iLL ELECTROf11CS CORP.
10 AMP SOLID STROBE KIT CASSETTE MECHANISM
THIS BOARD USES ONE SLOT ON THE
MOTHERBOARD AND REQUIRES A COM STATE RELAYS \,II/ Alpine
SERIAL PORT. BOARD MAY ALSO BE USED IN A ELECC 52181 /Ly mechanism. a
41Cr
i
STAND ALONE ENVIRONMENT WITH ALMOST
ANY COMPUTER THAT HAS A RS232 SERIAL 1r Rated 5.510 10 Vdc yL
.T, Includes sbreoG 4,44.141.,..._
PORT. FEATURES ON BOARD AUDIO AMP OR (will operate on 3-32 Vdc). \-`','1 tape head
MAY BE USED WITH EXTERNAL AMPS. ? .'- LOAD: 10 amp @ 240 Vac ' Variable rate strobe kite hashes be Mitsubishi R MET -3RF2B 13.2 Vdc
2 1/4- X 1 3/4' X 7/8 Iween 60 to 120 times per minute. Will motor. belt. pulleys. capstan, fast -
DEMONSTRATION SOFTWARE AND A LIBRARY forward. rewind and eject actuator.
BUILDING PROGRAM ARE INCLUDED ON A 5' / CAT* SSRLY -10B $9.50 each oprs%on Other 6 or 12 Vdc depend-
in9 upon how you wire the circuit. Does not include amplifier section.
INCH PC/XT DISKETTE. FULL DOCUMENTA- QUANTITY DISCOUNT
Comes complete with P.C. board and 61/2- X 5 /a- X 3/4-.
1 1
TION AND SCHEMATICS ARE ALSO INCLUDED. 10 for $85.00 25 or $175.00

Instructions for easy assembly. CAT* CMEC-5 $7.50 each
111
$6995 50 for $300.00 100 for $500.00
CAT* STROBE -1 $7.50 each 10 for 865.00
NEW! ?\C G ASTESBLD PIEZO

WARNING
p/,
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TRANSISTORS
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TRANSFORMERS
WALL LED'S
20RO' o
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DEVICE WW roe uwua
NEW! IC TESTER! $149.00 1,í. o ex
RED -1
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421103
won 2040 034.4,2 73P
T. OREEM GAT. LEO.
SIMILAR TO BELOW EPROM PROGRAMMER. PLUGS IN TO YOUR PC OR XT. TESTS
ALMOST ALL 14, 16, AND 20 PIN 74XX SERIES. INCLUDES STANDARD POWER, "S" AND
e: ,...ve,sm,,.,. NPR
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"LS" DEVICES. ALSO TESTS CD4000 SERIES CMOS. SOFTWARE INCLUDED CAN EVEN
DETERMINE PART NUMBERS OF MOST UNMARKED AND HOUSE NUMBERED DEVICES XENON ,TUBE Ea . 17 v
,. V41.2.
m P.
CAT. CCrEJ2.
CAT. Ac
CM11 RCM,. um
FLASHING LED Tm
4242.321
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WITH SIMPLE MOD. THIS UNIT CAN ALSO TEST 6.4K AND 256K DRAMS! WITH MANUAL
AND SOFTWARE $149. PERFECT FOR SCHOOLS.
, 14.=._ a sM203 tw 1em.wn
422
SWITCHES WE 4A1
2120.2
2277,,,2 nes vm. v0.M W,222 ro, 174 ITT PUSH BUTTON GREEN .,20.2
c.T. FL T-7 24.. IuBTMT 1003 100 M. % Gl. 12 4rm
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PC /XT EPROM
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ASK ABOUT
NICKEL -CAD
BATTERIES "F"'
mm
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BIPOLAR LED
BI-POLAR
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(ECHAOELE) tom T.. 117332 1074 220.00

1141 NPn OLDER
OUR NEW
PROGRAMMER , PAL
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$169 PROGRAMMER! `ana-OP-111.40
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CMS MC 21.20 WIDE BAND AMPLIFIER
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TO USE MENU DRIVEN SOFTWARE THAT RUNS UNDER PC CR MS -DOS. * USES AN /Eqq,,
INTELLIGENT PROGRAMMING ALGORITHM FOR SUPEF, FAST (8X) EPROM 4 sits ROO*
102324 200 203
N- CHANNEL 03 MOSFET
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P.C. rro.00likpins ow OW .20427
BURNING. * THIS PLUG -IN BOARD ATTACHES TO AN EXTERNAL MINI CHASSIS
CONTAINING 4 TEXTOOL Z.I.F. SOCKETS. * NO PERSONALITY MODULES
REQUIRED * AUTOMATIC VPP SELECTION: 12.5V. 21V, OR 2541.* EPROM DATA CAN
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ALSO BE LOADED FROM OR SAVED TO A DISKETTE. * PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE CAT. NC.. 1C4í2.20 1204.1300
2
1042 074.4.
1.2a
22
SUPPORTS: 2716, 2732, 2732A, 2764, 2764A, 27128, 27128A, 27256, 27256A, 27512, AND
27512A. * ASSEMBLED AND TESTED, BURNED. IN WITH MANUAL. $169 WITH
SOFTWARE.
C.
1244a ..4d1 1270
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12 422 1203.0
OPTO SENSOR
u.4017 w,
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JUST RECEIVED. SAME AS ABOVE PROGRAMMER, BUT PROGRAMS 8 UNITS AT ONE
TIME - $299. CALL OR ORDER TOLL FREE
WRITE fl,,i.,,: ":Lj MAIL ORDERS TO:
ALL ELECTRONICS 800- 826 -5432
Digital Research Computers ir:
.
FOR OUR `.'' INFO: (818)904 -0524

P.O.BOX 567 FAX: (818)781 -2653 qu,w.
FREE VAN NUYS, CA 91408 MINIMUM ORDER MAO
P.O. BOX 381450 DUNCANVILLE, TX 75138 (214) 225 -2309 CATALOG fit TWX- 21B1E1E1 E2 )ALL ELECTRONIC)
OUAMTITIES LIMITED
--~
_
CADF. ADD SALES TAX
OVER - OUTSIDE THE USA: 03.00 SHIPPING
*it
U.S.A.
TERMS: Add 53.00 postage. We pay balance. Orders under $15 add 756 handling. No 4000 SEND $2.00 POSTAGE
FOREIGN ORDERS
INCLUDE SUFFICIENT
C.O.D. We accept Visa and MasterCard. Texas Rea. add 6 -1 /4 °/3 Tax. Foreign orders PARTS!
ffff,,,,RRRR
FORA CATALOG!!
(except Canada) add 20% P & H. Orders over S50 add 855 for insurance. SHIPPING. NO C.D.D.
CIRCLE NO. 129 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD CIRCLE NO. 130 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
ADVERTISERS' Practical Printed Circuit (from page '7)
INDEX
RS# Page + tence, dexterity and experience with
113 AMC Sales 74
wait longer to populate the board, if
46 ARRL 7 you wish. this procedure. Do not try to make
130 All Electronics 81 When working on a double -sided several of the same board, micro-
- B &B Inc 78
pc board you made yourself, keep in wave inductors or computer mother-
136 C &S Sales 3
98 Cleveland Institute of Elec..Cov.III mind that the holes are not plated - boards with this technique. If you
Command Productions 77 through. Therefore, you must solder do, the attempts will be destined to
78 Consolidated Electronics 75
fail. Such applications are jobs for
126 Cook's Institute 74
component leads and pins to the cop-
20 Deco Industries 80 per pads on both sides of the board the photographic technique.
174 Digi -Key Corp. 79 and install bare wires in each hole As you work with the procedure
129 Digital Research Computers 81 described here, keep in mind that it is
31 Electron Processing Inc 78
that signals continuation of a con-
Grantham 51 ductor on the other side of the board. best to perform Steps 2, 3 and 4 at
149 Hearst Business Comm. 13 Also, if you are building a project one sitting, if at all possible. The rea-
95 Kenwood, USA Coy. IV that uses DIP ICs and wish to use soc- son for this is that the adhesive on the
- Listen Electronics 78
Midwest Electronics 80 kets, do not use ordinary sockets that plastic sheeting has a tendency to
123 Mouser Electronics 71 offer soldering access on only one "grab" after a few hours, making re-
NRI Schools 18, 21
side of the board. Instead, use Molex moval much more difficult.
12 OptoElectronics Coy. II
Pacific Cable Co., Inc 7 Soldercon® socket strips instead. Making a printed- circuit board by
74 Parts Express International 64 the method described above is more
Penn Research 80 dependable and no more difficult or
89 Radio Shack 9 Some Caveats time -consuming than other fabrica-
Trans World Cable Co ...80
Video-Link Ent, Inc 78 The size and complexity of any tion techniques. It is easy to master
124 Viejo Publications 71
printed- circuit board you attempt to and requires no expensive and tem-
Visitect Inc 78
WSYI 78 fabricate using the method detailed peramental chemicals (other than the
above will depend on your persis- etchant of your choice, of course).AE
We'd like to see your company listed here too.
Contact Jonathan Kummer at 516 -681 -2922 to
work out an advertising program tailored to suit
your needs.
NEW PRODUCTS (from page 13)
mits the camcorder to control a corn-

patible VCR to put together an edited
tape of selected scenes.
A fun feature built into the new
camcorders is animation recording
/ANzw4iíl
401 UMNfi
71jo,iEV capability. With this feature, one can
animate toys, dolls and drawings
by moving them and shooting one
"frame" at a time and playing the
Free Product Information tape back at normal speed to view the
"action." Other features include:
Readers can obtain free information on time -lapse recording that permits one built -in titler /character generator
products advertised by the above com- to compress (speed up) slow- moving for superimposing information on a
panies, as well as for some editorially action; index recording; 8:1 power tape in eight different colors and two
mentioned products. Simply circle the zoom lens; automatic focus; macro sizes of characters. The CC320 also
appropriate number printed below an focus; constant automatic while bal- has a recording capability that
advertisement onto the Modern Elec- ance; high -speed shutter with AE changes normal video into a "nega-
tronics "Free Information Service" (Automatic Exposure); on- screen tive" image and two -speed record/
card bound into this issue. After filling playback that permits a maximum re-
viewfinder display graphics; built -in
in your name and address, just mail the
microphone with wind -noise filter; cording time of 8 hours using a T-160
postpaid card. Your request will be for-
warded directly to the advertiser with a and earphone speaker. tape in SLP mode. $1,595 Model
mailing label prepared by our reader- Both models feature all of the CC320; $1,495 Model CC310.
service department to ensure speedy re- above, and the Model CC320 adds a CIRCLE 99 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
sponse.
EXPAND YOUR CAREER HORIZONS...
ELECTRONICS
EDUCATION
OF
TDMORROW
TODAY
mismormermammill11101111111111111
The CIE Microprocessor Trainer helps you to learn how circuits with
microprocessors function in computers.
START WITH CIE. the handy reply coupon or card below to:
Cleveland Institute of Electronics,
Microprocessor Technology. Satellite Communications. 1776 East 17th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44114.
Robotics. Wherever you want to go in electronics...
start first with CIE.
Why CIE? Because we're the leader in teaching
electronics through independent study. Consider this.
CIE World Headquarters
Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Inc.
AMO -148
We teach over 25,000 students from all over the 1776 East 17th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44114
United States and in over 70 foreign countries. And Please send your independent study catalog.
we've been doing it for over 50 years, helping
thousands of men and women get started in
electronics careers.
contact you -
For your convenience, CIE will try to have a representative
there is no obligation.
Print Name
We offer flexible training to meet your needs.
You can start at the beginner level or, if you already Address Apt
know something about electronics, you may want to
City State Zip
start at a higher level. But wherever you start, you
can go as far as you like. You can even earn your Age Area Code/Phone No.
Associate in Applied Science Degree in Electronics.
Check box for G.I. Bill bulletin on Educational Benefits
Let us get you started today. Just call toll-free
Veteran Active Duty MAIL TODAY!
1- 800 -321 -2155 (in Ohio, 1- 800 -362 -2105) or mail in
Just call toll -free 1- 800 -321 -2155 (in Ohio, 1 -800- 362 -2105)
KENWOOD
pacesetter in Amateur Radio
POWER
ON
a OFF 1 P
.l ,
VOICE TIMER DIM 3.
Ed.0 Áte a1 R -scopj

COMUNICATIONSRECEIVER
MODE /KEY
BUSY
-- ---'.
, I M SCR F LOCK
r RESET, NB -S)-- F SHIFT AF RF

CLOCKI OFF CLOCK2
HOUR MINUTE
STEP A.
-_ - - -- -HF /VHF N81 N82 MJ1CH

tID 1MHz m
O, OH Uli SLCh1
1+-2006
The R -2005 is an all band, all mode
receiverwi :h 10 memory channels and
many deluxe features such as program-
Scan the entire frequency
range from 100 kHz to 905 mable scanning, dual 24 -hour clocks
MHz with Kenwood's with timer, all -mode squelch and
R -5000, R -2000 and noise blankers, a large, front -
RZ -1. Listen in on mounted speaker, 110 volt AC or
foreign music, news, 12 volt DC operation (with the
and commentary. DCK -1 cable kit), and 118 -174
Monitor local police, MHz VHF capability with
-
fire, and other public 4p.. --VC -10 option.

safety services, as well as th. e Optional Accessories
Marine channels, and the ma ny ether R -2000:
services 50 MHz and above. super easy! Other useful features VC-10 VHF converter DCK-1 DC
(The VHF converter options must be used In theR -5000 include programmable scanning, large, cable kit for 12 volt DC use.
and R-20001 R -5000:
built -in speaker, 110 volt AC or 12 volt DC
R -5000 operation (with optional DCK -2 cable), VC -20 VHF converter VS -1 Voice
The R -5000 is a high performance, -op- VHF capability (108 -174 MHz) with the module DCK-2 for 12 volt DC operation
of- the -line receiver, with 100 memory VC -20 option, dual 24 -hcur clocks with YK -88A -1 AM filter YK -88SN SSB
channels, and direct keyboard or main timer, and even voice frec uency readout filter YK-88C CW filter MB -430
dial tuning -makes station selection with the VS -1 option. Mounting bracket.
Other Accessories:
SP-430 External speaker SP-41
RZ -1 easier. One hundred memory channels
with message and band marker, direct Compact mobile speaker SP-50B
Wide -band scanning receiver keyboard or VFO frequency entry, and Mobile speaker HS -5 Deluxe head-
versatile scanning functions, such as phones HS -6 Lightweight headphones
memory channel and band scan, with HS -7 Mini -headphones.
four types of scan stop. The 9Z -1 is a
12 volt DC operated, compact unit, with
The RZ -1 wide -band, scanning receiver

built -in speaker, front -mounted phones
jack, switchable AGC, squelch for narrow
FM, illuminated keys, and a'`neeper" to
confirm keyboard operation.
KENWOOD
covers 500 kHz -905 MHz, in AM anc KENWOOD U.S.A. CORPORATION
narrow or wideband FM. The autc mabc Optional Accessory 2201 E. Dominguez St., Long Beach, CA 90310
mode selection function makes lister ing PG -2N Extra DC cable PO. Box 22745, Long Beach, CA 90801 -5745
Specifications. features, and prices are subject ta change without notice or obligation NO. 95 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

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YOUR ONE -STOP SOURCE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION

THE MAGAZINE FOR ELECTRONICS & COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS

"Pick Six Lottery"

A Blackout /Brownout Audible Alarm

Plus: Forrest Mims' Piezoelectric Experiments Evaluating Nemesis GO

You Have Counted on Us for 15 Years

Hand Held Series Frequency Counters and Instruments

CIRCLE 12 ON READER SERVICE CARD

ELENCO PRODUCTS AT DISCOUNT PRICES

$359 SCOPE PROBES $495

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Frequency, Period, Totalize,

Self Check with High Stabilized Crystal Oven

° 1. 23 years $33.00, three years $48.00; Canada /Mexico -one

4 / MODERN ELECTRONICS I August 1989 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics

Bob will be mourned by literally hundreds of thousands of

But mourning alone cannot pay adequate tribute to Bob's

Your help is desperately needed. Immediately.

The Robert Hanson Fund.

Organ Transplant Fund Inc. /Robert Hanson

CIRCLE 52 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

PANASONIC WIRELESS CONVERTER ;04 n.,r )

' JERROLD 450 HAND REMOTE CONTROL

ECONOCODE (mm;code substitute) 6900 4200

building this project of some changes that

As a new subscriber to Modern Elec- Name

articles like the one above. Visa Mastercard

dentally transposed just prior to finaliz-

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 7

VIDEO GAME NEWS. Nintendo was denied its legal motion to

WIRELESS TV. Distributing TV signals to multiple TV sets without

JAPAN MILESTONES. Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Matsushita

One -Week Delivery on Most Items

(4) Your Radio Shack store manager can

RS -232 Connectors and Accessories General Class Ham General Class

Alligator Clips Sight 'n Sound R & C Bargains AC -Line Insurance

Cable and Ties Audio Connectors Instrument Cases DC Hobby Motor

I (1) (3) High Torque

Handy Assistants Speech- Recognition IC Universal Breadboard

CIRCLE 89 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

Keyboard With Trackball

Mini LCD Color TV Set

10 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 11

12 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics

CIRCLE NO. 149 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 13

14 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics

any holes you might have missed. If

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 15

16 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw it In Modern Electronics

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 17

the data storage capacity of your

NRI Builds It In Digital Electronics Servicing Automotive Servicing Paralegal

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Many states have adopted the Pick

22 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 23

24 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / August 1989 Say You Saw If In Modern Electronics

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics August 1989 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 25