iWlB.UT S-. 770268 45 r f 1 ■ a ■— ’• 1 l' • 1* ’ 1 Tfcc— qL ( c ^ ,- ii ) P| ( C ' - _ ■ | a ^ LiL — — J - ' *11 “ ™ — *™ . : A i n i» i r jTi m_ ■ a W ~ 'm ■in ni , — The leaders in PIC development ♦ Ail you need to get started with PIC ♦ Industry standard/quality board ♦ Open the box and get coding ♦ Available with C compiler or. use our PicScript to write programs using simple commands... NO ASSEMBLER, NO COMPILER, JUST WRITE AND RUN AUTOMATION EASE OF USE SCRIPTABILITY PicDev Board with PicScript £99.00 (plus P + P) This is a complete development suite for the novice or non programmer. It is shipped with: . PicDev Board . PicShell and PicScript software • Breakout board • Cables . Example scripts Both Items require Xo order: • PC with serial port available ■ Power supply adapter PicDev Board with C Compiler £165.00 (plus P+P) This is a complete development suite for the more advanced programmer, it is shipped with: . PicDev Board . PicSheil and PicScript software . C compiler . 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Cables Example scripts ICD1 sa tesdTpa gin .co.uk www.pagrrLco.uk Tel: -44 (0j 1792 891927 Output H to t DfOAQ Temperature External sensors: Humidity Temperatu 02 In Air Reed Swib • Low cosh^under £60 • Built in sensors, for light, temperature and sound (level and waveforms) • Use DrDAQ to capture fast signals • Outputs for control experiments • Supplied with both PicoScope (oscilloscope) and PicoLog (data logging) software For more information on DrDAQ, please visit pieotech.cotm/drdaql 06 Scope and spectrum analyser functions A fraction of the cqst^of benchtop scope Save multiple setu^, for ease of use Save, print and e-mail your traces FREE technical support for life a FREE software and upgrades * f Automated measurements l AVS-SfS VJrfuaf /nstnjment For more information on our scopes, please visit: g www.picotech.com/scope211 Tel: 01480 396395 Fax: 01480 396296 E-mail: salesfS)Dicotech.co 7U Instruments '>.-•51- ' Swordfish’ PS40H10 Hand Held USB Oscilloscope A ' • **■ * + tund tteiri eerier dot maUW tfte fcftSoci of E5alfc*t=>*, date wsw t'ifse, kA idCt sid freC’-MSSCy ratter At 2 Hsgfle rasnfn«2. fStGrtlO- fwttrtt 4 user tqj KWMf feeds*** sprteg fiifit tjp which ao fie cryl Ea probe n« erf Scud ma« W B t- TTse probe esn be nmnd ts *&w PS40WKJ t5 «*»«£ to ttandard oscifcScccwt SRtei 7- =^Z nz a X res.-Jj=a emu COr- ++X «ip n-z^zzzc= i~Z daa fc^ig efiftaort- The f^ppfied wtadam OLLi lill^ri 7r= fttf aWlo*™ £.Y2C- £d f_ Ez&t-sSc oede in *M**i pepper pmjji wieii nj ti Pfr mfl tt jrr jr-j.’.i - i lh'i'vaoBi CE = "-: Ur . t a -,xn ire i4 i-. n = 1 ■= or rei .ee. 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Multi-Function instrument S--zrsf DSlKiJ rijrt a*,* H- — r-s-j 7_i_ :ii ::::;■= ■ i - e : ;;■ : e :v :r: :■; - meter Ej^toss Dsijiti a bv cpsl, CS iW 12 ftlfli t i^Ati cf fcjfe«s ] N S/i sesT-hbrq n£v il fit CB umwj . dqlte fcig$w «9Dd«£, AC/ C-J 4 ’‘Mi .’imllslpHl ' ' n -Li JO i-Jt res-: Stissc , - shipping & VAT £125 + shipping & VAT Fedtnicaj Information Por Wi*rt iHMint fiiBiiiln f-j dc-fmU-iii r+iie . i,t n -H n f . j teed i Sales information US 5 ins .- - r . p Cs ■ -7 -Z .--I -c-n cf zili’Splv: LlZE I'?j k;':'.;.-; 5 +st! 1 M 4 iw C 25 SQa, L'X 7S G14 1 A is. 1 1 i 1 fit ■ Cm 410 0110 : *4to9*WrfTl>hJ3M* >. :: -iir-r. - : a* ’ufc 'Stilt gray’ DS1M12 Features * Cuej Ur iv: sr sar-iar3 t.^C r C si - : . _ . “ fcijt*’ c- v m * 2C?w Sj : sr-r 1 -- 1 ' r^-TrH-z p i : ut s, i r-E7 * 5 7 T 2' 7i:£££r; Sire - ; rri- ji-i- * ? J - j — .— k* T*-: vcfisge - - - f l , * AC ‘ DC C--.v-; --; - ; :*.r -- 1 - -ii el - :' ■f-e.'j-, e ; » An'-j} Bartn'O iK-Oi; * 5-t 1 Pi ,Li 'ii uS6 ■ -7 -i'j rti_Lfa: » 3 - : ? l - 7 cap >7- L P>; - h, is e support f cr ,-r:i : * .h-ir : -> ei e l. Eez-'e : > t~ 'Js 3 Layout Software 0WN10AD software free CAD our SIGN Doards four layer PC two your or HI dick desig just a n us your jalfty boards in just days m Use! Very LOW Cost! Extremely FA$T Turnaround! Easy- from High performance Windows based PCB Design Capture, Simulation and Layout softvme at prices you'd expect from your local computer store! Stop press... by customer demand, now with Tsien Boardmaker 2 design import... / NEW! in Easy-FC 7 • Library Databook 0 Step and repeat plotting a Swap Connection Mode Dimensioning Copy to Metafile plus much more De&gried W ’.EC? 75^ V/'dcns-KP iOM.ME.3S Viead^irs KT? Number One Systems delivers true 32 bit Windows software applications including feotures that a few short years ago would only have been available in software tools priced in the thousands! Test drive Easy-PC and Easy-Spice for yourself and be prepared to be amazed at the super value... Call for a brochure, price list and demo CD on +44 (0)1684 773662 or email saies@numberone.com 4 ckktor elttlTGiitcs UGr 20 [*4 Tour de force About o year ago the editorial and in-house design team cheer- fully planned measurement technology and measurement soft- ware for PCs' os the central theme for the October 2004 issue — blissfully unaware of the arrival, on I May of this year, of our new International Editor Mat Heffels. In one of our June meetings, while perusing the rheme plan for the year 2004, Mat, who has the gift of the gab, surprised us with the seemingly harmless question “so what does everyone use to test and measure circuits, and can we publish a grand rest?" The answer was quickly given: on oscilloscope becouse that's every engineer's, designer's and editor's (1) most trusted and highly valued bit of test equipment on the workbench. Next came the inevitable 'how many' question and after some brainstorming the answer was straightforward yet demanding: 'as many os possible'. David Daamen, our youngest edi- tor in the Dutch editorial department, accepted the challenge. He called in the help of a few fellow students and other cronies from his former University to lobby for the short-term use of a professional test laboratory complete with qualified engineers 'to press the buttons'. The result of this remarkable tour de force is printed in this issue: 'Scope for Scopes, a review of 22 oscilloscopes ranging from 10 MHz to 2.5 GHz (and representing rrp values of just 109 right up to a whopping 22,000 pounds), with up to date technology backgrounders thrown in as a bonus. Personally, I am happily using on old HP 1 00-MHz 'scope picked up for 25 pounds at a radio rally. Also reviewed, though by different authors and with a different slant From the Scope for Scopes article are two programs, LabView and Profi Lab-Expert, that cover measurement software for PCs at widely different cost. Further articles that cover tne iheme we set out to explore include David Jewsbury's Poor Mon's 1 -GHz Probe (directly related to oscilloscopes), the E-Online instalment 'Soundcard as Test instrument' ana 'Air Quality Sensor'. Of course, other subjects are covered as well besides test & measurement This month's instalment of the popular 'start here' feature has four designs presented in the usual compact way, all aimed at triggering your inspiration. From readers' feedback we know that the 'kitchen table' feature is now particularly popular with youngsters and other beginners. I'm sure this month's subject, an add-on Far digital cameras, will not turn out to be a flash in the pan. For more amusement there's Steve leal's electronic version of the Four in a Line game and to cap it all, professor Ohs- mann's Guizz'away page presenting a mysterious hyper-active amplifier. Jan Buiting, Editor Volume 30, Number 336. October 2004 ISSN 0268/45 : 9 Elektor Electronics aims at inspiring people to master elec- tronics at any persona! level by presenting construction proj- ects and spotting developments in electronics and informa- tion technology. r- t- *;.- L'zttr-.zs s produced etc ty r dcior Becnercs : P.jcj' “ eg... PO- Box 1 90 * laibckjge Wfefc TN 5 7 WY. TeL: ( 4 - 44 ) ( 0)1 580 200657 . fe*.* -44j{0)«5SQ2CCS:6,Erra — 3 : : . / • The magazine isavafebie from hooJshops £r»d e&sctranks reisJI cat- '■Eis. cron SiitKtnption, Efefer fectTEfrcs is pubn*hed 1 1 times a year wari a double raue for July & Au^st Ur-der ihe n isms 8=^tsr ire rrapz"- s alsa -XifaFshed it French. German e jvd Du-xn. Tcgetr.er rax/vsed ed.ixxTS ire rragax-e .= :n c rcL-H- tbr. r Iren 51 cz..-‘r^i Icitemationil Editor Mat = Editor: si Baiting (at - - - - -c — International editorial staff; Herr-' G-trie - De/e Deu--e _ D cr GefstEnoorT. G-jv Design staff: Kane* Wakaven (head of design). Too Gesbsts. feuJ Gaoscns. -AjZ L^T'.rr^rti ■ t=g ■ ; : - Editorial secretariat: — ^ He" . -j ■ • Graphic design / DTP: Ten Gl ei G e De s Managing Director Publisher: S>'e>_-..£r$ Circulation Control: Margot Dee-e • - " ert r ) Subscriptions .Vcrid^soe SUbscrp&or: Ssvxg ltd., J- 14. Gtfcs Reed feirn . FasTa,- Road Tcehisat TM5 7 HE, z^-rird telsphane: (+44) K 0j 530205657. ==■ 5?o“:036 6 Ene. Fete-t ard terms are g er. •-= S--^yz~zr_-- Oe:-"Fc™ Head Office: Seventh. v. FO Bet 75 '^1-6 : 90^3 Bee* T n e Tefephere: -3 . 46 43B9444. Fa-:: (-] .46 4570 6 Distribution: Se>7roue hfe Arran Sirea:. _c:"ee- .V . F 3UD. Erg---.c UK Advertising Befrsrd Hafctsni 3 Crei-Z£" T efface, 1 "sterHsrn GL: J 3P£ Errand. IPhone i- 44« ;0i 242 S? 0760: fee -44 £.): 242 226626 EmcE: i-i^tzc . 7 . HT.ee : ng ieaes eM lerrra zetar e or International Advertising K it: Casier z.t s&Hes » Head O^zc Levs 1 1 ' .Hf-*erts: - g "stes End Zfi'rrs eve . it - ■= ■esc nequesr Copyright notice THe orciEts tiescrZasd in tfe m^zine =re for tkjmestk: use onSy. Ai drawings, photo- geire- peruse r ct be reb'^oduCed or ifEnsrr eee - any T™, c j t.- =r . me*ns. “C'^e : "ceezopy eg sore recenteg - e ;r " can .ver-Tue pnee Ae^er p^riri^cr; fiexn Ti FUblshefs. Such pe^-ttsc-n — -et ceo b€ caeDe=ss sr;. TTe c y t e e: czE'icn s r.c'£-: - e t -v e.e ^itern o' an-, _ rre:-. F*tera o-eiteotc - nav ecHr - resped cF treats be-ees. cc ^Tpc^eer e:e zeic^ee: - tr s n-aEhXee. Tt* z :-zz zzzzz: re^ar^o r- for e "z it e_:- pEema) or eb z- T'Cteolco, ' re soDTiss z" o : c.- lecie; e: es pe.Tr :z z ~ to T ez to iier ire ta>t ciesgn. tc ._ze ir-e corteeti n cirer z^z _ e _ t tot ztz aot'.e -:-e _ "z PTo'ah.-ere ca-ect r.z.a _ :e-z :c ar ■ fiEXs^: s^mlied to then. C 1 Segment b.v. 2004 Printed in the Netherlands 10/2004 - el&klcr el=diobics 5 14 \rj / / » * * I t ■ t. Harm. Analyz. SI NAD Anatyz. tu3 PSD [HD £ FFT mn TFT 4® — FftF IKK Cfoii Qkl! Ct* ss 'Soft' Measurements — LabVIEW and Profilab-Expert If you don't already have an oscilloscope, or if you're looking to acquire a new one in the near future, our survey of 22 (actually, 23) instruments currently on the market will help you select the proper one. Apart from instrument reviews and specifications, the article contains valuable information on the latest digital technology applied to oscilloscopes. Sure, these two programs play in different leagues: LabView is now virtually an industry standard, its 4th generation programming language being tailored to just about any measurement & control task you can throw at it. Although Profilab-Expert is much cheaper, it excels in compactness and ease of use particularly when linked to PC measurement ca rds. Informative Articles Regulars 14 Scope for 'Scopes: 22 oscilloscopes tested 5 Foreword & Colophon 28 Virtual Soldering (LabView) 8 Mailbox 32 Profilab-Expert 10 News: YEDA & Young 40 Soundcard as Test Instrument Engineers for Britain 46 Air Quality Sensor 12 New Products 62 Goodbye '1 6, Welcome PIC1 8F 79 Quizz'away 74 inside out: USB Memory Stick 82 84 84 Readers Services Sneak Preview Index of Advertisers ¥oEume 30 October 2004 no* 336 / 9 Slave Flash for Digital Cameras When it is required to moke a measurement at a node of an RF circuit, connecting to the cir- cuit using a normal oscilloscope probe, even on the xlO setting can change the behaviour of the circuit. For those difficult cases, you need a special probe. David Jewsbury's clever design saves a lot of money as compared with a commercial product. Although most digital cameras have a built-in flash, a connection for an external flashlight is rarely seen. Still, on some occasions its useful to hove just a tad more light and that's why this month's kitchen table pages pre- sent a simple add-on. With ordinary [board) games there is always the possibility that some parts get lost over time, such as playing pieces, cards or dice. An electronic ver- sion of the game obviously doesn't suffer from this. But this is not the only advantage that modern technology offers us... Construction Projects 36 Poor Man's 1 -GHz Probe 50 CiarlTy 2 x 300 W Class-T Amplifier (3) 58 kitchen table: Slave Flash for Digital Cameras 66 Four in a Row 76 start here: One-component metal detector; Ultra low-profile 1C socket; Ltne-2 -mic for notebook; RF control interface Come see us at electronic 2004 9-12 November 2004 New Trade Fair centre, Munich, Germany Booth A5. 1 64 mailbox Impossible PC B designs Hello Jon, if you check ihe June 2004 issue, PCB boards section, you will see that left side of Rail Router Is sari or cut off — it seems that one portion of layout is missing. The same applies to ihe Multi Programmer [left side). ! don't know if pdf files in ihe Free Downloads sec lion are correct or not, but do 1 have to have Internet to read your maga- zine? Another thing is the design of PCBs. I am not sure if you really want an average hobbyist to build those PCBs himself. Your PCBs are very complicated to build because traces and pads are so small. I often had to fake felt-pen and make them bigger (if space allowed). Making a PCB by a machine is one thing, making it in a garage shop is totally different thing, 1 am just look- ing at some pads an Multi Programmer of June issue and tell you what, I don't have that smolf drill size to moke the holes. Another thing, double- sided board means you have some vias involved. No hob- byist (or ot least most of them) has the ability to tin plate through holes. That means that some of the components have to be soldered an both side of PCB. I don't see any vias marked up on any of your double-sided PCBs. It some- times seems to me that you want to force readers to buy a PCB, not to build it. Another thing, instead of putting out 20 projects inone issue, It would be better to see iwo, but quali- ty ones. I don't realty core □bout quantity. Anyway, don't think about this os an attack on you, but rather os a friend- ly advice. We lost Poptronics here In the US, thus Elektor is one of rare electronics maga- zine that is available here. Ben (USA) Thanks for your comments, it 's very nice to get ihe odd email from the US of A. Regarding ihe hvo layouts on the PCB Lay ours page, the artwork was acciden- tally trimmed as a result of a printing error Our website has the complete I avoirs in pdf for- mat, see Free Downloads June 2004. Since you are an email / can only assume you con access the internet as weft. Readership surveys indicate that about 65% of our readers are professionals or send -profession- als. so were not publishing just for hobbyists as you seem to assume. We believe this is reflected by the consistent design as well as the quality of ihe ready- made boards we sell. Sure , some boards are almost impossible to make yourself hence we sell them ready-made. The times when boards were hand designed using mask up tape ore about 15 years behind us and we would not like think of a project like the Multi Programmer on USB mounted on a board twice the size now achieved by careful designing. You may’ have missed some of the developments in PCB design and manufacturing, os very' small drill sizes ore available from Fame RS Components and others. Similarly c method for through contacting PCB hobs in the home workshop was described in the April 2004 issue (Start Here section J. Printing rwo articles of heavy con- tent os opposed to. say. ten of smoker size has the proven chad- vantage of narrowing readership down to a few die hard enthusi- asts and cannot he defended os be: no in the interest or a commsr - c/aty operating publishing house like ours. The July/August and December magazines with their Smell Circuit Collections have consistently been ihe best selling issues these past 30 years so lots of short to the point articles ore highly valued as are full-size arti- cles covering technical intricacies in great depth. No electronics magazine has more circuits and ideas per year than Elektor Elec- tronics and the most frequently heard post live point we hear about our magazine is that it has such a wide range of articles. Message from Canada Dear Editor - — your maga- zine is not readily available in my country. I drove 60 km to a specialty shop to pur- chase the April 2004 issue due to my interest in the Pandora CD-ROM project. I have been reading the occa- sional copy of elector [sic] publications since the 70's (and yes it wos easier to find then). The largest chain of magazine shops Chapters/ Indigo/Coles/WHSmith deny you exist yet carry your UK competitors — you may wont to speak to the current distrib- utor about that! Dave Lag Readers in Canada and (o pad of) ihe US 4 experiencing problems finding copies of Elektor Electronics fVi Canadian ana US newsstands and bookshops should contact Customer Service ot LMPi. 8 1 55 Larrey Street Anjou (Quebec), HU 215 , Canada. Phone (514) 355-56 ID Fax: (5 1 4} 355-5676. Stores stocking copies ot Elektor Electronics may be found using DA PI s websi te: www. Impi . con?. Email: lmpi@lmpi.com. Freephone 1-SG0-263-9661 Hard to find Dear Jon — in Soeren Peters e ns's exceh tent article 'Drop-in Microcontroller Board' [April 2004, Ed.) you mention that PSDsoft Express moy be obtained free of charge from the ST M i croe leefron i cs web- site, VAw.st.com. After searching for the program for about an hour, also using various search engines, I gave up and decided to drop you an email, Will you spill the beans? Alex Refiling You are right , the link should have been more accurate. Here is ihe one hr PSDSo ft- Express: www. steam / s ionltne/ producis/fo milies/memones/psm/ soft c2.htm as well as overviews at: www. st. com / s fonlin eZ products/ fa mikes/ memories/ mm / tvfejfeft ft frn nfe: ■ www.sl.com 7 csd Mu Iti prog rammer on USB Hi jan — I have down loaded the free soft- ware for the USB Multiprogrammer from the June 2004 magazine. Unfortunately, just as with some other projects, transla- tion of the Delphi program reveals that components are missing, for example, the hex editor. Can you supply the relevant components? And another question: will the project support the AT89C55WD? Edgar Schachler The author. Andreas Oyrer, replies: Here are ike links that should enable you io downlead the components: HID component: www.soft-qems. net/ Controls, php Hexed For: htfp:/ /www. mirfces » de/ de/ c : - : vek/h exedi i. one Regedit: www. sokimlaborotories. co.zo/do wn hod, php ?fi!ename^reQedit.zip DIY movrng-coif scales Dear Editor — I om once again faced with having to design a case for a power supply inlt and one recurring aspect is making a custom scale for moving-coil meters. Do you know of software that produces a graphic image of 3 slfltfM elsdramu - 10/2004 0 scale when I enter some parameters like size, start and fsd values? To be honest, 1 have become weary of tin- kering with Autocad. Tom Lingerer Well Tom the problem is neither new nor oddball because of www.qsl.ne t/ wbob! a. / index we found software that goes back to the DOS age. Just before printing this issue, the ccn tents of the q 5 i.net website appeared to hove bean moved to http: //ton nesoft- wpre.com. The meter scats design software is still tree and nos been upgraded to run under Win dew si Symmetrical mod for preamp Dear Jon — l was much impressed by the Digital Controlled High-End Preamp published in Ehe April 2004 issue and wondered if you have any plans to do a ver- sion with symmetrical outputs? M. Crop There no firm plans hut as always we might be persuaded if suft'r dent interest is expressed by other readers. Meanwhile, why no? use an existing circuit from our mas- sive archive, for example , Bal- anced/ Unbo Ian ced Con ve rters for Av dio Sign als f ram the Mo rch 1998 issue. MC input an Valve Preamp Dear Elektor — t would like to know if it would be possible lo connect an MC (moving-coil) pickup ele- ment to the input of your Valve Preamplifier (September 2003, Ed.) 8. Gallon The existing phono (MDj input is not easily modified or adapt to AlC elements because of insuffi- cient gain and 0 too high noise level ., There exist JACdoMD mc/ching Irons forme rs ( fa r exc m - pie. Ortolan). The same function is obtained tram our Ultra low Noise MC Amplifier published in December 1998. The high-end electronic circuit may solve your problem if the transformer alter- native is expensive ar difficult to get. Another suggestion would he to use a dedicated MC preamp, for example, the one from the June 1 999 issue, although we realize that may defeat the pur- pose of using valves for their chare c f eristic so an a. Well done guys Dear Editor — last time ! wrote to you about the lack of source code for projects comprising on MCU in general and your PIC Prog 2003 project in par- ticular [existing correspon- dence refers, EcT}. I guess that if I can complain when I find something to be below my expectations, then I should olso be prepared to communicate praise when o subject brings more than I anticipated. This is how I find the Multi Programmer on USB published in the June 2004 issue. Not only is the source code publicly available but the programmer in Itself is more versatile than the PICProg 2003 ever was. I very much like the adoption of the USB as the communica- tion interface, and I find the possibility to keep the abject code in a serial EEPROM to be simply brilliant! I know that this is a feolure of the chosen MCU but since I didn't know about this beforehand t was very pleased to have if brought to my attention. Despite my pleasure with the design I do not plan on build- ing the Multi Programmer, t have purchased a PICStorf Plus Programmer which once and for all has solved all of my problems with burning Microchip MCUs. Klaus Klug Christansen About nine out of ten T’CU- based projects published In Elektor Elec- tronics now came with the source code freely available from our website or on a disk fat nominal cost). In the case of the PICProg 2003 , the author receives royalty payments for every copy sold of the MCU. hence the source or hex code could not be made publicly available. We will endeavour to avoid such situations in the future , but can no: rute out that a project containing ’closed software is so goad Trot we feel it deserves pub- lication. The response to the FiCFrcg 2CC3 project, by the way was beyond cur expectations. Im age tracking Dear Jon — I always look forward to the July /August edition of your magazine with its circuit ideas. They remind me of the Engineers Notebook section of McGrow Hill's Electronics in the ] 970s. ft was also nice to see a much brighter cover than of late. So much easier to find on the maga- zine rack. The TV Commercials Killer project was most Impressive and although I would like to use it, os you know terrestrial TV in this country doesn't hove these logos. However you should consider the pos- sibility of making it into a more general purpose image processor. Take a look at http://www-2 .cs.cmu . odu -cmucam which uses the same hard- ware for image fracking in a robotic application. Keep up the good work and keep a tight reign on your graphic designers. White-out text on pictures is particularly difficult to read. Peter Cottriall Th e design should be suitable for many stations broadcasting 'da satellite, image tracking in robots is a hot item, perhaps other read- ers have further information that would help us design a project. Corrections 4& Updates Canon EOS Cameras 90 Wireless July/ August 2004, p. 102-14. 03043 2- 1. A 9-V battery is shown in the circuit diagram of the transmit- ter This should be o pack of three AAA batteries [4.5 V). The ports list should be amend- ed to read: BT1 = 4.5 V, 3 AAA batteries with holder. Afmel Programmer -Ssptsmbe^ 2001 p. 52. 010005-1 . The aulhar has supplied yet another update for the Windows software. The latest version now reads signature bytes correctly in all cases. Free Download, file number 01 C005-1 I , September 2001 . The firmware In controller no. 010005-41 remains unchanged. MailBox Terms — Pubi ips :;q- g ; r= 5 ear ' 5 cc r :es p 0 n - mnee is at the discretion of ire Editor. — Viewpoints expressed by corres- pondents are rat neeesssnfy those of the Editor or Publisher* - Correspondence may be translated □ r edited for length, clarity ard style. - When reply ng to Mahbe> corre- spondence, p’ease quote issue number. Please send your MailBox corre- spondence to: ed fori 3 gj ektQfdgtgg&on :: c: E ektor E fee Ironies, The Editor, RG. Box ISO. Tunbridge V/et:$ TUB 7 VYY. England. 1B/2DQT - eleklor ebcfronlcs 9 news & new products Young Engineers for Britain and YEDA combined Annual celebration of engineering awards announced The results of she first combined industry-sponsored Young Engi- neers for Britain and YEDA (Youth, Electronics, Design, Applications) Awards under ihe 'Annual Celebration of Engineer- ing Awards' have been announced at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. Open to students up to age 19 from across Britain, the event also featured the junior Engi- neers for Britain K Nex Chal- lenge final and best Young Engi- neers Clubs of the ye or. The Annual Celebration of Engineering is organised by Young Engineers, the national network of engineering, elec- tronics and technology clubs In schools and colleges, who proudly announced during the Awards that His Royal High- ness The Duke of York has become Patron, His Royal High ness has been Patron of the YEDA Trust for the past ten years and has welcomed this organisation's recent merger with Young Engineers, which has brought an added dimen- sion to the Clubs network by virtue of its electronics and technology industry sponsors, ond created one major Awards event in the Annual Celebration of Engineering in place of the previously separate YEDA Awards and Young Engineer for Britain events. More than £50,000 worth of prizes was an offer at the Annua! Celebration of Engineer- ing with the two top prizes being Young Engineer for Britain 2004 and the Duke of York's Award for the most creative use of elec- tronics technology in addition to the £2,000 and £1 .000 prize money (respectively) for each of these winners and prestigious trophies, they each received an all expenses trip to Phoenix, Ari- zona in 2005 to take part in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The prize winners The Duke of York's Award for the most creative use of electronics technology: Alexander Warren, ( 1 8] John Hampden Grammar School, High Wycombe — Fire Fighter Helmet Range Finding Sensor. Young Engineer for Britain 2004 Alexander Warren , [I 8) John Hampden Grammar School, High Wycombe — Fire Fighter Helmet Range Finding Sensor. Class A 10-14 years awards Winner: Alex Cartey, Alex Cook, Alex Waters, St. Anthony's RC Girls School, Sunderland — ■ A mechanical toy for year 6 Students. Runner Up: Oliver Jackson and Matthew Tuck, Sllverdate School, Sheffield — Hydro Electric Plumbing System. Class B 15-16 year awards Winner; Jamie Gordon, Mer- chiston Castle School, Edin- burgh — Manual Snow Plough. Runner Up: Andrew Nowell, Nottingham High School — The Dirt Thrasher, Class C 1 7-19 years Winner: Richard Entwisle, Can ford School, Wim bourne — Wheelchair Seat Height Adjuster. Runner Up: Jason Lowe, Lan- caster Royal Grammar School — Point Roller Cleaner. Class D awards — Alexander Warren — Fire Fighier Fielmet Range Finding Sensor. Prize winner Alexander Warren and science and engineering TV personality CareiU Jones . 10 d defer eledionlo- 10/2301 Working in Industry Winner: Matthew Banning, Darchem Engineering Ltd. — The Autocropper. Runner Up: Rosie Singleton, Jonathon Waring, Joseph Rees and Ian Hardy, St Mary's High School, Chesterfield — A Pipe Testing Nut Cracker, Young Engineers Club of the Year The Community College, Bish- ops Castle: Ruth Watson, Rebecca McLmfock, Esme Hicks and Edward Middleton. Junior Engineers Club of the Year Uplands Junior School, Wolver- hampton: Naomi Hopkins, Gurmes Kaur Dhinsa, David Allen and Anthony Pearce. Most Innovative Club of the Year Coopers Technology College, Chislehursi:- Danielle Langley, Amy Orf, Melissa Miles and Aron Mayer. Best Supporting Young Engineers Club Leader Glen Harrison, Baltasound junior High School. Young Engineers — Best Supporting Compony/lndividual 1EE. Young Engineers - Best Supporting Net- work/Organ rsaf ion Geoff Clack, Education ond Training Manager, The Engi- neering Employers Federation, Northern. Royal Navy Award for Engineering Success through Teamwork Brighton College Preparatory, Brighton: Marco Gonzalez, Thomas Small wood, Anya Caister ond Jana Majevadia. Best Project that Meets a Disability Need Winner: Richard Entwtsle, Conford School, Wimbourne — Wheelchair Seat Height Adjuster. A lex Cartey Alex Cook , Alex Wafers — A mechanical toy for year 6 Students „ Oliver Jackson and Matthew Tuck — Hydro Electric Plumbing System . 1 I f 1 k J ■ g ■ " Jamie Cordon — Manual Snow Plough . Best School Entering for the First Time with the Most Innovative Project Winner: St Anthony's RC Girls School, Sunderland Innovation Solutions for a Sustainable Environment Award Winner: Jason Lowe, Lan- caster Royal Grammar School — Rolla Cleon Most Innovative Use of Technology Winner: John MacMarland, The Sandon School, Chelms- ford — Integrated Car Hinge. Most Innovative Electrical Engineering Application Winner: Hilda Mansuknoni, Nichola By ram, Joanna Wong and Winnie Leung, StSwithun's School, Winchester — Satellite Antenna Test Cop. Best Project for the Built Environment Winner: David Hogg, Fan Court School, Esher — Autonomous Gutter Cleaner Award for Engineering Craftsmanship Winner: Mark Hylands, Porta- down College — The Heli- porter. Junior Engineers far Britain K'Nex Challenge Winner: Megan Thomas and Simon Bentley, Ysgol Demiol, Wrexham. Runner Up: David Kelly and Nicholas Roberts, Charlton Kings junior School, Chel- tenham. More information con be found at ww w , y o u n g 6 n a . orq and wwv/, ye da _ pro . u k Andrew Nov/ell — The Dirt Thrasher. Richard Entwisle — Wheelchair Seat Height Adjuster. Jason Lowe — Point Roller Cleaner. 1 0/2004 ~ ekktor eletinrois 11 slews & new products Ultra low power GPS modules enable portable tracking systems A new family of GPS modules from Line One offers designers an ultra low power solution for obtaining high accuracy position, speed and time information from the Global Positioning System (GPS). The XE 1 61 OOEMPVT from Xemics is o fully autonomous GPS receiver suited to applica- tions such as automotive GPS sys- tems, asset management/ track- ing and portable appliances. The XE 161 OOEMPVT uses an ultra low power 1C design, with optimised RF and DSP architec- tures, It features a current can- sumption of under 20 mA at 3,3 V, when operating at full power, with three additional low power modes also available* On-board RAM handles storage for the GPS navigation data and temporary configuration changes while on-board Fla sh provides a non volotile storage for the GPS almanac, ephemerls and permanent profile changes. Based an the Trimble FirsfGPS architecture, the XE1610-OEM- PVT provides a high level of sen- sitivity (to -143 dBm tracking) and positional accuracy (less than 5 m CEP without 5A, in the horizontal axis). The XE1610- OEMPVT can provide time and positional information under 1 2 seconds, in hot start operation, and under 40 seconds from a warm start. Designed far simple integration into embedded systems, the XE 1 6 1 OOEMPVT has a direct digital interface that supports standard bidirectional NMEA- 01 83 data sentences via a logic level serial port, as well as XEMICS vendor speciFic sen- tences. Trimble's FirsfGPS solu- tion includes GPS software libraries which, in the XE1610- OEMPVT, run on a low power ARM7TDMI microcontroller from AtmeL The XE 1 6 1 OOEMPVT helps con- serve the system power budget even Further via the provision of three simple power saving modes. These modes are: Power Sove mode, in which both the RF section and GPS engine are powered down; Stand-by mode, whereby the MCU clock is also turned off while the main power supply remains an, with the real- time clock (RTC) running; and main power supply is also turned off, leaving the RTC run- ning on the back-up supply. Ideal far any handheld or bat- tery operated equipment requir- ing high accuracy time or posi- tional information. Xemks, Maladlere 71, PQ Box 31, 2007 Neuchotel, Swifteriand. TeL [+41] 32 720 551 L wwvr.xemics.com 47 - Instant pin-point heat for 1C testing Thermo-Probe from Micro Tech- nical Industries lets you heat-test integrated circuit components with ease and accuracy. Easily accessible for test bench or pro- duction line testing and no ovens or heat chambers required! The instrument applies heat with an accuracy of ±1 degree Centi- grade and can be used an ICs, 1C diodes, resistors, transistors, etc. if takes just seconds to bring the probe from ambient to 1 60 degrees C. An internal con- troller continuously monitors heat. An analogue output on the Thermo-Probe allows heat recording to all types of instru- ment. The instrument is said to be ideal for design engineers, QPL managers, technicians and trouble-shooters. Micro-Technical Industries, 505 N. Tustm Avenue, Suite 156, Sonto Ana CA92705, USA. TbL [+1)714 547- 9900. www.thermoprobe.com (047 47-4 12 ckktof ekctraaiG < 10/2004 A hot look for a cool logger * Lascar Electronics has launched the EL-USB-1 , the world's firs! bat- lery powered temperature dale logger v/ith a direct USB inter- face. Using the Windows compatible software supplied, the EL-USB-1 can be configured to measure temperatures from —25 to +8G = C (-13 to + 1 76 F). User selectable logging intervals from 10 sec- onds to 12 hours and a memory capacity of more than 16,000 readings moke this data logger ideal for many temperature dependant industrial and con- sumer applications. The loggers housing provides an IP67 rated waterproof seal enabling the product to be used in harsh envi- ronments* The EL-USB-1 has user program- mable high and low temperature alarms, which are shown locally by a bright red LEO and can be set to remain active once an alarm level has been triggered. Additional green and amber LEDs inform the user of other log- ger conditions, including mem- ory capacity and battery status. All readings are stored In non- volatile memory ensuring impor- tant dala is never lost. Simply plug the EL-USB-1 into a USB socket on a PC for instant download and graphing of logged data. Once the data has been downloaded, the logger can be instantly reconfigured to begin the next application. The EL-USB-1 is available immedi- ately from Lascar Electronics Ltd. at a price of £35 + VAT. Dis- count is available for volume orders. Lasufi il&rtromcs Limit ei Module Hose, Whitepansh, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 25 L Tel. (+44) (0)1794 884567, Fax (+44) (0)1794 834616. Internet; wwwJgscarelett rentes .cam Drop-in Bluetooth product family SMART Modular Technologies, Inc. announces its new line of fully integrated 90191 Bluetooth modules. Designed lo reduce development time and speed time-to-market for Bluetooth- enabled products, these innova- tive modules can be easily inte- grated into new or existing prod- uct designs to provide Bluetooth functionality. Th Is product family includes board-to-cable modules and board-fo-board modules measur- ing 17.65mm x 32.5mm x 4.9mm and 17.65mm x 32.5mm x 4.2mm, respectively. Available configurations include universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) and universal serial bus (USB) interface modules support- ing open host controller Interface (OHCI) and upper host controller interface (UHQ). Featuring an integrated onboard antenna, these Class 2 products offer low power consumption and are equipped with six programmed Input/ output (PiO) lines. The 90191 product family complies with the newly-released Bluetooth specification vl .2. SMART s 90191 product line is a certified modular solution designed for ease of Integration and JJ drc-f> In' Bluetooth functionality. Based on a single-chip design, the 90191 product family includes Bluetooth firmware up to the Host Controller Interface [HCIj level, which allows cus- tomers to add their own upper- level stacks, and a serial pod profile (5PP), which enables the modules to serve as cable replacements. Ideal far use In consumer elec- tronic, telematic, medical, telemetry, and industrial applica- tions, the Bluetooth modules in SMART's 901 91 product family allow OEM/ODMs lo focus resources on their core compe- tencies instead of expending valuable time and resources to implement wireless technology. Smart Modular T&thndogies, 421 1 Starboard Dr, Fremont, CA 94538-6427, LISA. wv/WiSmarirruom (047147-8) 1G/2(!(M-g!iktitf ei&tirorJu 13 22 oscilloscopes tested For electronic engineers and technicians/ the benchtop oscilloscope is an indispensable tool. If you don't already have a 'scope'/ or if you're looking to acquire a new scope in the near future, our survey will help you select the proper one. Test engineers: Ai|an Floris Marcel Koenders Henny Kuipers Geerf-Jan laansfra Stefan Lenk Text and project supervision: David Daamen ► At first glance, the number of different makes and models of oscilloscopes currently available appears to be too large for o comprehensive survey. Even making a respon- sible choice when purchasing an oscilloscope appears to be practically impossible. However, the product range of most manufacturers actually consists of only a few basic types, which are available in models having different specifications. If we assume mat the members of such a product family are more or less the same with regard to design, construction and basic functionality, the problem is considerably simplified. Selection That is thus more or less the method we used in selecting the oscilloscopes for our survey. From manufacturers and dealers that actively offer equipment, we requested demo models that ore representative for a particular family or brand. However, not all product families of all brands are represented here, largely due to limitations related to the scope of the test. Nevertheless, we are confident that the present selection gives a goad impression of what is available in the area of oscilloscopes and bow the vari- ous brands generally score. Preliminary remarks Before introducing the instruments to you, we have sev- eral general comments. The fi rm Chauvin-Arnoux, which manufactures the Metrix brand, was invited to participate in the test but declined. As they will soon be introducing new models, they decided not to participate in this test. from 109 to more them 22,000 pounds If you examine the list of selected instruments, you will probably notice that several other brands are missing. For example, Philips is missing, but they no longer moke oscilloscopes. Hewlett-Packard is also not repre- sented, since the 'test and measurement' division of Hewlett-Packard is now called Agilent - and Agilent is Indeed represented here. Other big names, particularly in the digital segment [such as LeCroy and Tektronix), are also included. For some brands, such as Iwatsu, Protek and Kenwood, we were unable to Find o dealer who was prepared to make a demo instrument available. We had also originally planned to examine the Voltcraft 320 [GW Instek GDS830). However, the screen remained blank after the unit was switched on, so it was not Included In the results. We also made a few Interesting discoveries. For instance, certain brands turn out to be Yebadged' Asian products. This is not particularly surprising, since os you doubtless already know, some vendors sell a lot of equip- ment under house brands, such as Conrad with Voltcraft. The same is irue of Peaktech and Dynafek. What is actually Interesting is the following: we found one instrument [EZ Digital 03-5030) that is offered under these three brond names at three distinctly different prices. Depending on the label on the front, you can pay anywhere from £227 (€329) to £400 (€579). The dif- ference can thus be as much as £172 (€250). That's something we thought you'd like to know. Also, many Goodwill Instek oscilloscopes are also avail- able under other brand names, for example Voltcraft. All of the selected participants ore listed on the following pages. Technospeak Bandwidth Y range X range X-Y-made Z-madulalion Rise time Trigger auto normal single edge pattern pulse width TV Delay range Sample rale The frequency range within which ihe signal level (amplitude) has not dropped more than 3 dB. Input impedance, a combination of resistive and capacitive components. Range of the vertical scale. Indicates the amplitude of an externally applied signal. Range of the horizontal scale. Indicates time. Normally controlled by timebose. Bath the horizontal and the vertical scale is controlled by an externally applied signal Light intensity variation under the control of an externally applied signal. Minimum time required to move the electron beam from 1 0 % to 90 % of screen height. Signal indicating readiness to start writing to the screen. Trigger automatically reset by next trigger. As with auto, however electron beam quenched in the absence of a trigger. Trigger is no longer reset. With memory oscilloscopes, ihe triggered waveform remains on the screen. Triggering takes place on signal edges. Triggering takes place on measured signal Triggering takes place on a certain pulsewidth found In the measured signal Triggering takes place on a video signal The range available for delaying write actions to the screen (post-trigger) . If a delay line Is available, neg- ative times are also possible. A part of the waveform far triggering moy then be displayed (pre-trigger). Rate (frequency) ot which samples of the input signal are taken. 15 10/2004 - tilde* ektTQ-jfi Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Z in Y range Modes Max, Input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Induding Price {rrp) Volte raft 610-3 Votlcrafi / Goodwill insiek 6KT3 /GOS310 CRT, analogue I 1 0 MHz (-3 dB, DC) 1 MO, 30 pF +5 %) 5 mV -5 V / div (< 5 %) X-Y via addillono! Inpus 400 V unknown 0,1 JJ.S -0.1 % / div (< 5 %} aulo, norm, TV internal, power, external 1 35 x 200 x 300 mm (W xhxL] approx. 3 kg user manual, measurement Gable with two croc dips, power cord £109 (€159) [Conrad) Digimess MOIO Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Y range Modes Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight including Price (rrp) Grundig Digimess HUC70-G1 MOIO CRT, analogue 1 (second conne! for x-y mode only) 10 MHz (-3 dB, DC) approx. 1 MQ, 30 pF 5 mV - 5 V / div (3 %) X-Y via separate input 400 V < 35 ns 0J ps 0 ,1 s / div (3 %] aura, norm, TV int, line, ext 220 x 90 x 270 mm (WxHx L) approx. 3 kg user manual power cord, measurement probe £119 (€172,49) (Digimess), £132 (€191.32) (ex, VAT, Parnell) Dig imess MO20 Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Z in Y range Modes Max, input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Price (rrp) (from ihe same series: Grundig Digimess HUC70-02 MO20 CRT, analogue 2 20 MHz (-3 dB, DC) approx. 1 MQ (3 %] t 25 ±5 pF 5 mV - 5 V/div (3%) chi , ch2, odd, alt, chop p invert cb2, x-y 400 V < 17,5 ns 0.2 ps -05 s/ div (3 %) auto, norm, TV, auto PP int, cht, ch2, alt, line, ext z-modulaiion 320 x 130x418 mm (WxHxl) approx, 6.5 kg user manual, power cord, two measure- ment probes £305 (€442.48} (Digimess), £332 (€480.79) (ex. VAT, Famell) MO40, MO 60; both 40 MHz) GW Instek GOS620 Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Y range Modes Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Induding Goodwill Instek (also sold os Isoiech and Voltcraft) GOS620 CRT, analogue 2 20 MHz (-3 dB, DC) approx. 1 Mil, 25 pF 5 mV - 5 V / div (3 %} chi, ch2, add, chap. invert ch2, x-y 300 V 17.5 ns 0.2 us - 0,5 s / div (3 %) auto, norm, TV-h, TV-v chi , cb 2, alt, line, ext z-medubiion, ch i output 3 1 0 x 1 50 x 455 mm (W x H x i) approx. 8 kg user manual, power cord, two measure- ment probes Price (rrp) £350 (€508) (Have-Digitap) (from the same series: various 20-,. 30- and 50-MHz Instruments) 16 ctektor skcltcnks- 10/200-1 B+IK Precision 2 1 20B Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Y range Modes Max. input Rise time X range Triggering B+K Precision 2120B CRT, analogue 2 30 MHz (“3 dB, DC] 1 MQ{±2%), 22 ±10 P F 5 mV 5 V / div [3 %) ch 1 r ch2, add, all, chap, invert ch2, x-y 400 V 1 2 ns 0,1 ps - 2 s / div (3 %) auto, norm, fix, single, TVTi, TV-v, vari- able holdorf Trigger inputs Dimensions Weight including Options Price (rrp) (from the same series: various chi, ch2, alt, line, ext 370 x 1 80 x 440 mm [W x H x L) 7,8 kg user manual, power cord, spare fuse, two measurement probes various probes, carrying case £322 (€466.65) (Prmfteo) 3Q-, 60- and 1 00-MHz instruments, same including on internal frequency counter and component tester) Hameg HM303-6 Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Zin Y range Modes Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight including Price (rrp) [from the some series: Hameg HM3 03^ CRT, analogue 2 35 MHz (-3 dB, DC) approx, 1 MO, 20 pF 5 mV - 20 V / div (3 %) chi , ch2, add, chop, invert ch2, x-y 400 V < 10 ns 0J ps - 0.2 s / div (3 %] auto, norm, TV ch i f ch2, line, ext component tester 285 x 125x380 mm (WxHxt) approx. 5.6 kg user manual, power cord, two measure- ment probes £455 (€659,26} (DD5 Electronics], £485 (€702,91) (Conrad) a 50-MHz model) EZ-digital OS-5030 Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Y range Modes Max. input EZ-digital (formerly Goldstar / LG Preci- sion) / Dynafek / Volfcrafi / Peaktech 05-503 G / 8300 / 630-2 / 2035 CRT, analogue 2 30 MHz [-3 dB, DC) approx. 1 MQ, 30 pF 5 mV- 20 V/ div (±3 %) ch 1 , ch2, add, dual, chop, alt, x-y 400 V Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Price (rrp) (from the some series: Also digital up to 250 approx. 12 ns 0.2 ps - 0,2 s / div (±3 %} outo, norm, TV-v, TV-h vert, (duol/olt), chi, iine, ext z-modulaiion, chi output, blanking inpi 3 1 6 x 132x410 mm (W x H x Lj approx. 7,8 kg user manual, spare fuss, power cord £227 (€329) (Conrad) , £399 (€579} (DD5 Electronics) various 20-, 40-, 60- and 1 OChMHz instruments MHz/200 MS a/s) Hameg HM 1 004-3 Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Y range Modes Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Price (rrp) Hameg HM 1004-3 CRT, analogue [microprocessor con- trolled) 2 100 MHz (-3 dB, DC) approx. 1 MO, 15 pF 1 mV- 2 mV [5 %], 5 mV - 20 V / div (3 %) ch i , ch2, odd, chop, invert cn2 r x-y 400 V < 3.5 ns 50 ns - 0.5 s / div (3 %] auto, norm, TV chi, ch2, line, exi second timebase, component tester, con- figuration memory, cursor measure- ments, autosst, RS232 interface 285 x 125x380 mm |Wx Hx L) approx. 5.9 kg user manual, power cord, two measure- ment probes, FC software £1008 (€1463.70) (DOS Electronics), £1032 (€1497.02) (Conrad) 10/2004 - elrklof electronics 17 Leader LS8105A Broad Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth *in Y range Max. inpul Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Price (rrp) (From the some series: with cursors) Leader LS8105A CRT, analogue 3 ch 1 , ch2: 20 MHz @ 1 mV/div, 1 00 MHz @ > I mV/div; ch3: 100 MHz (- 3 dB, DC) 1 MQ (±1 %), 20 pF 1 mV - 2mV / div [5 %), 5 mV - 5 V/div (2 %) 400 V (ch3 50 V) 3.5 ns (5 mV -5 V/div), 17.5 ns (1 mV - 2 mV/div) 50 ns - 0.5 s / div [3 %) auto, norm, fix, single, TV-h, TV-v, vari- able holdoff dil, ch2, ch3, all, line, ext z-mcdulotion 300 x 150x400 mm [Wx H x L) 8.8 kg user manual, power card, spare fuse, two measurement probes rackrr.ounl adapter, probe cose, front cover, various probes £1148 (€1665) (elQuip) 20- and 50-MHz instruments and 1 CO-MHz GW Instek GOS6103 Brand Model Display and type Goodwill Instek (also sold as I so tech and Vo Iter aft) GOS6103 CRt, analogue (microprocessor con- trolled) Channels Bandwidth 7- Y range Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Miscellaneous Cursor measurements Dimensions Weight Including Price (rrp) (from the same series: various 100 MHz, 20 MHz @ 2 mV/div (-3 dB, DC) 1 MO (±2 %], aporox. 25 pF 2 mV - 5 V / div (< 3 %) 400 V 3,5 ns (17.5 ns @ 2 mV/div) 50 ns - 0.5 s / div (3 %) auto, norm, TV, holdoff ( 1 us - 5 s] chi , ch2, line, ext z-modu lotion, trigger output, auto-range (Kme/div) frequency, period, pulsewidlh, duty-cycle 3 1 0 x 1 50 x 4 55 mm (W x H x L) approx. 9 kg user manual, power card, two measure- ment probes £948 (€1376) (Have-Digitap) 60- and 200-MHz instruments) Volte raff 650AD f • 9 JJ nVsiS.-iS .. 1 507-3 Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth ^in Y range Max* input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Cursor measurements Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Price (rrp) Voltcrah / Goodwill Instek 320 / GRS6052A CRT, analogue & digital 2 50 MHz (f3 dB, DC) 1 MO (±2%), aporox. 25 pF 1 mV - 20 V / div (±3 %] 400 V approx. 7 ns (5 mV - 20 V/div) analogue: 0.2 us - 0.5 s / div (±3 %), digital: 0.2 ps - 100 s auto, normal, TV, variable holdoff unknown chi , ch2, line, ext 8 bits @ 100 MSa/s (real-time) 1 6 kB (per channel) sample, peak detect (> 25 ns], overage, envelope, persistence AV, At, 1/At autoset, waveform-save/ recall, configu- ration memory, R5232 interface, z-med- ulation, chi output 275 x 130x 370 mm (Wx H x L) 8,5 kg user manual, power cord £699 (€999) (Conrad) [from the same series: □ 30-MHz version from GW-lnstek) Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Y range Horn eg 1507-3 CRi. analogue & digital 2 150 MHz (-3 dB, DC) approx. 1 Mf2, 1 5 pF 1 mV - 2 mV/div (5 %), 5 mV - 20 V / div [±3 %) Max, input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Cursor measurements Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Price (rrp) 400 V < 2.3 ns analogue: 50 ns — 0.5 s / div (3 %\ r digital: 0.1 ps - 100s/ div (3 " 3 ) auto, normal, single, TV, Kme delay/event delay, edge, pulse width approx. 70 ns chi , ch2, line, exi 8 bits @ 200 MSa/s (real-time) 2 kB (per channel] sample, peak detect (> 5 ns), overage, single, roll, envelope AV, At, 1/At second limebase, autoset, component tester. KS232 interface 285 x 1 25 x 380 mm (W x H x 1} approx. 6.5 kg user manual, software, two probes multifunction interface, optical interface £1413 (€2049) (Conrad), £1 446 (€2098)) (DDS Electronics) (From the same series: 200-MHz variant) debtor dedicnks - 10/2004 Witticp 22-300 Brand Mode! Display and type Channels Bandwidth 2- A sf> Y range Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight including Options Price {rrp) [ham the same series: Wittig Techno fogies 22-300 (Bench Scope) LCD (monochrome, 320 x 240 pixels), digital 2 20 MHz (-3 dB, DC) 1 MH, 20 pF 1 mV - 4 V / div (±2 %} 40 V approx, 3.5 ns 200 ns - 200 ms / div (±0,5 = =] auto, inf., line, TV ch 1 , ch2, ext 8 bits @ 100 MSa/s (red-time) 16 kB (per channel] second timebase 300 x 138 x 70 mm (W x H x L) approx, L35 kg user manual, power cord, probe, PC software (via RS232 or USB; ind. FFT) £482 (€699) (Conrad) a 4-channel version) Voltcraft 6150C Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Z in Y range Max, input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Voltcraft / Goodwill Instek 6150C / GD5820C LCD (colour, 320 x 240), digital 2 150 MHz (-3 dB, DC) ] tMl \±2 %\ t approx. 22 dF 2 mV - 5 V / div (±3 %) 300 V approx. 7 ns [5 mV - 20 V/div) I ns - 1 0 s / div (±0,01 %) auto, normal, single, TV time defay/ event delay, edge, pulse width 100 ns - 1 .3 ms / 2 - 65000 events chi, cb2, li ne, ext 8 bits © 100 MSa/s (tea Mime) 125 k (per channel) samcle, peak detect {> 10 ns], average, fft‘ Cursor measurements Miscellaneous _\V, At, 1 /At autoset, save/recall, waveform trace save/recall, RS232, proheoaiibralion 254 x 142 x310 mm (W xHxi) 4 A kg user manual, power cord, 2 measure- ment probes £896 (€1299) (Conrad) (From the some series by GW-lnstek: various 1 00-, 200-MHz instru- ments, also with colour display) Dimensions Weight Including Price (rrp) Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Zin Y range Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Cursor measurements Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options IDS Test and Measurement Sigma 60-4 LC0 (colour touchscreen, 800 x 600), digital 4 200 MHz (-3 dB, DC) aparox. 1 MQ, 9 dF 2 mV- 5 V/div (±1 % ±2 LSB) 400 V unknown 50 ns - 1 GO s / div (±25 ppm) aulo r pro- and post trigger edge, pulse width and misc. cdv, trigger options 399 s chi , ch2, ch3, ch4 r ext 8/10 bits @ 200 MSa/s ( real-time) 200 k (per channel, cascade with fewer channels) +, - *, ±, invert filter, FFT, averaging 2 vertical cursors, 2 horizontal cursors VGA, RS232, Centronics, Ethernet, USB, PS2, soundcard, HD recordina 378 x 254 x 302 mm [W x H xL) approx- 8.2 kg user manual, power card Enhanced Aanalysis, Synchroscope, Direct to disk Price (rrp) £5045 (€73 1 6) (Abtronix) (From the same series: 5 MHz/1 0 MSa/s and 25 MHz/1 00 MSa/s models) Tektronix TDS2024 Brand Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Zin Y range Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Cursor measurements Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Price (rrp) (From ihe same series: various Tektronix TQS2Q24 LCD (colour, 320 x 240), digital 4 200 MHz (-3 dB, DC) 1 MO (±2 *□), 20 ±3 pF 2 mV - 5 mV / div (±4 %], 10 mV - 5 V / div (~3 C c) 450 V (< 100 ms), 300 V ms < 2- Ins 2.5 ns - 10 s / div (±0.001 %} auto, edge, video, pulse width (glitch), hcldoff (500 ns - 10 s] * 4 div x s/div - 20 ms chi, ch2, ch3, ch4, ext 8 bits © 2 GSa/s (real-time) 2500 samples per chonne! normal, average, peak detect (> 1 2 ns) AV, At, 1 / At set up and waveform save/recoll, trig- ger output 323.8 x 151.4 x 124.5 mm [W x H x L) 3-6 kg user manual, two measurement probes GPIB and R5232 -interface, rcckmaunt kit, programmer and service manual, various corryinc cases £2020 (€2930), TD52022: 2 channels £1731 / €2510 [ex. VAT, CN Rood] 60-,l0a and 20CTMHz models) 10/2004 - ekktor e'etlrnnks 19 Yokogawa DL1 740EL Brand and Model Display and type Channels Bandwidth Ztn Y range Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Yokogawa DL1740EL LCD (colour), digital 4 500 MHz ® 1 0 mV 1 0 V/div, 400 MHz @ 2 mV - 5 mV/div [©50 Q, -3 dB r DC) IMQ(±1 %) /50Q(±1 %) 2 mV - 1 0 V / div (± 1 .5 % * 8 div) 400 V@ 1MQ / 10 V@ 50 0 700 ps (=0.35 / Bandwidth] l ns - 50 s / div auto, normal, single, event/lime-delay, edge, pattern, pulse width, (HDjTV. KC, SPi 0-4 s chi- ch4, line, ext 8 bits @ 1 GSa/s (real-time) 4 MW (per channel} 8 MW (interleaved) normal, envelope, average, +, -, ", binary operations, inverted, different!- Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Price (rrp) (From the same series: options) ate, integrate, FFT I2C-, CAN-, SPI-ana lysis, USB, VGA, GFIB 220 x 265,8 x 264.1 mm (W x H x L) approx. 5.4 kg user manual, one probe per channel, floppy or card interface R5232 and Ethernet, inbuilt printer, probe power supply, various probes approx. £5862 (€ 8500] (Yokogawa Europe) comparable models with fe wer Memary/other Agilent Brand and Model Display and type Bandwidth Channels Zm Y range Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight including Agilent 54642D CRT (monochrome), digital 500 MHz [-3 dB r DC) 2 1 MH (± 1 %)/ 50n(±l %) 2 mV - 5 V / div (±2 % full scale) 400 V@1M Q/S V ms © 50 Q approx. 700 ps (-0.35 / Bandwidth) 1 ns - 50 s / div (±0.005 % value / ±0 . } % screenwidih / ±20 ps) auto, normal, single, edge, pattern, pulse width, TV, duration, sequence, |2C, SPI, CAN, LIN, USB 60 ns - 10s chi, ch2, ext 8 bits © 1 GSa/s (real-time) (2 GSa/s real time interleaved) 4 MB per channel normal, envelope, average, peak detect (1 ns), math, binary operations, FFT 16 dig. inputs, set-up and waveform save/recail, RS232, Centronics, trigger out 322.6 x 172.7x317.5 mm (W x~H x l] 6.82 kg user manual, various probes, software & R5232 cable Options screening, rackmount kit, cover, printer, carrying case, GPIB Interface £6436 (€9332) (£4614 / 6691 with- out digital inputs, prices ex. VAT, Agilent) (from the same series: various 6Q-, 100- and 350-MHz instruments. Also 600’MHz and 1-GHz models} Price (rrp) LeCroy Wavesurfer 424 Brand and Model Display and type Bandwidth Channels ^fn Y range LeCroy Wavesurfer 424 LCD (colour, 800 x 600), digital 200 MHz {-3 dB, DC) 4 1 M£l/ 16 pF, 500 (±1 %) 1 mV - 1 0 V / div [±1 ,5 % value + 0.5 % full scale) Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Price (rrp) [From the same series: 400 V @ 1 MQ / 5 V rm , @ 50 Q. 175 ns 1 ns - 1000 s / div auto, normal, single, stop, edge, glitch, pattern, pulse width, TV, line 2 ns - 20 s chi, eh2, ch3, ch4, sxt 8 bits © 1 GSa/s (real-time) ) (2 G5a/s real-time interleaved) 250 kpfs © 3-4 ch, 500 kpfs © 1-2 ch normal, envelope, average, FFT, math ssKip and waveform save/recall, auxil- iary- and DC output, e-mail, Centronics, Ethernet, USB, VGA, R5232 322.6 x 172.7x317.5 mm (W x H x L) 6.82 kg user manual, measurement probes, soft- ware additional memory, advanced trigger- ing, extended math £3070 (€4450) (ex. VAT, EMV Benelux) various 200-, 350- and 500-MHz instrumenisj Tektronix TDS7154B Brand and Model Display and type Bandwidth Channels Z in Y range Max, input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Price (rrp) (from the same series: ments] Tektronix TDS7 1 54B LCD (col. touchscreen, 1024 x 768), dig. 1 .5 GHz {-3 dB, DC) 4 50 n (+2.5 % @ 25 =C) 2 mV - 1 V / div (±2.5 7.-3%) 1 Vrms 3 < 100 mV/div, 5V sf ,^@> 100 mV/div approx. 200 ps 50 ps - 10 s/div auto, edge, glitch, div. adv, triggers 5 ns - 250 s chi - ch4, line, ext 8 bits @ 1 ch @ 20GSo/s, 2 ch © 10 GSq/s, 3-4 ch © 5 GSa/s (real-time) 4M @ 1 ch r 2M @ 2ch, 1 M @ 3-4 ch normal, envelope, overage peak detect [> 400 ps), math, spectrum analysis set-up and waveform save/recall, trigger- reference- and ch3 output, Centronics, Eth- ernet, GPIB, USB, 2 x VGA, R5232 455 x 287 x 435 mm [Wx H x L] 17.7 kg incl. manual, two probes, software, SMA-and BNC input modules and. memory, probes, trigger functional- ity, software modules £18034 (€26150) (ex. VAT, CN Rood} various 500-MHz, 1-, 2,5-, 4- and 7-GHz Enstru- 20 dtktc-r vlsdrama ■ 10/1004 LeCroy WavePro 7200 Brand and Model Display and type Bandwidth Channels Zin Y range Max, input Rise time X range Triggering Defay range Trigger inputs Sample rale Memory Acquisition Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Price (rrp) (from the same series: 1-and LeCroy WavePro 7100 LCD (colour louch screen, 800 x 600), digital 1 GHz [-3 dB, DC) 4 1 MQ /II pF, 50 £3 (±1 %} 2 mV -IV/ div (± 1 % typical) 100 V @ } MD / 5 V rfm @ 50 Cl approx. 225 ps 20 ps - 10 s/div edge slope, line, glitch, pattern, width, state, logic, hold-off (20 s] -hor, iimescote - 1CGQG divisions chi - ch4, line, exl. 8 bits, 1-2 ch @ 20 G5a/s, 3-4 ch @ 1 0 GSo/$ {real-time) iMpts © 3-4 ch, 2 Mpis © 1-2 ch normal, envelope, floor, averaging auto set-up, auxiliary input and output, floppy drive, Centronics, Ethernet, USB, VGA, R3232 397 x 264x491 mm (W x H x 1} 1 8 kg user manual, caver, power cord inch additional memory, probes, advanced triggering, extended math, fix- ing material, GRIB approx. £15835 (€22950) {ex. VAT, EMV Benelux) 3-GHz models) Agilent 54843A Brand Model Display and type Bandwidth Channels Zin Y range Max. input Rise time X range Triggering Delay range Trigger inputs Sample rate Memory Acquisition Miscellaneous Dimensions Weight Including Options Agilent 54843A Infinitum LCD [colour, 640 x 480), digital 2.5 GHz (-3 dS, DC) 4 50 0 {±1 %) 1 mV - 1 V / div (±2 % full scale) 5V fms @50O approx. 1 68 ps 1 0 ps - 20 s / div (fimebase accuracy: 1 ppm) auto, normal, single, edge, glitch, line, state, delay, pulse width, transition 80 ns - 320 ms chi -ch4, line, ext 8 bits © 20 GSa/s (real-time per chan- nel) 262 k per channel normal, average, peak detect, +, - *, /, invert, differentiate, integrate, EFT set-up and waveform save/recall, RS232, Centronics, GPIB, trigger- end time base output, VGA, VGA [waveform] 437 x 216 x 440 mm [W x H x L] 13 kg user manual, power card, software inch rackmaunt kit, various software extensions Price (rrp) £19488 (€28259) (ex. VAT, Agilent) (From the same series: 2-, 4- and 6GHz instruments) Gameboy oscilloscope Did you know Elektor Electronics supplies a homebrew digital memory oscilloscope? A brilliant design by Steve Willis, the GBDSO [Gameboy Digital Sampling Oscillo- scope) was published in the October and November 2000 issue. It is an extension card lhat turns the Game- boy Classic, Pocket, Colour or Advanced into a digllal 'scope. The GBDSO rocked the electronics hobby world and that's why we continue offering ready-built GBDSO modules for just £90 plus P&P. Of course, the GBDSO Is no match for any of the digital oscilloscopes discussed in this article, but it Is and remains o useful little instru- ment with an excellent price/performance ratio. For those who do not remember the above articles, the main GBDSO specs ore: - Dual trace display - Bandwidth 1 00 kHz - Sample^rate max. 1 MSa/s - Timebase 5 ps - 100 s/div - X-Y recorder - Real-time FFT-made with dB scale - Adjustable persistence In X-Y mode - PC link for image and or date transfer - 5-hour operation from NiMH battery pack -Averaging and auto-trigger functions - Reference trace storage -Available ready-built and tested from Elektar Electronics 1 0/2004 -dekf&r tbrtronrcs 21 About the selection Elektor Electronics has attempted to make a selection of relevant products that is representative for the current market situation while including the availability factor. We realise this overview Is nor complete — space restrictions far printed articles hod to be observed. For completeness 1 ' sake the table shows on overview of brands and websites of associated manufacturers, importers or national representatives. Nat all brands and models are available in the UK or other countries where Etektor Electronics is pub- lished. A list showing a complete overview of all current models supplied by the manufacturers participating in this test may be found on our website. Manufacturer Website Representative Agilent Technologies www.aglfenl.carn www. a g 1 1 e n t.co . u k B&K Precision www. bkpreo5ion.com www. me ir ix-e 1 ec Iron i c s .com Chauvin Arnaux (Metrix) w ww . c h a a vin-arn o u x . cam www.chauvin-arriGux-CO.uk EZ Digital [Goldstar, LG Precision) www.6 zd g \ . c o m/e n a www. s j e 1 ec i ra n ios .ao . u k * www. c a n ra d .c om T Grim d I g*D Eg i m e ss www.digrniess_co.uk www.di gimess.co.uk, ya-av. tefon Ic * co. uk GW Instek v/w w. g ood wl 1 Lcom . tw www. s | electro nscs.ca.uk www. con r a d . ca m T Ho meg w\v w. hameg.com www. s \ electro nics.co.uk Hitachi Denshi www.hita chi. coin www. s i e lectron i cs .c a .u k Iwoteu Test Instrumenst www.ituwafcu.co.jp/e/ Kenwood [Tec star) v/vav. tecstar.co.uk v avw. tec sta r co.uk Leader Instruments www. f ea denis a com www.elquip.nl LD5 Nicole! www. Id s-g rau p . ca m v Avw.gau Id ■ n ico! et.co. u k LeCroy www. bcroycom v avw. 1 ecroy. co. u k PeakTech www.peaktech.de v avw. pe □ ktec h . d e Profek [Hung Chang) www. protektesi.com Tektronix www. tektro nix .ca m www. lektronix.cc.uk Voltcraft www.conrad.nl v avw c on ra d . co m Witrig Technologies www. w i tilg fe c h n a 1 eg I e > .ca m Yokogcwa v/ww.yo fcogawa . c o m / i m/ wwv/.yo kog a wa .co . u k T same models under different brand names Test method Due to the nature of the selection, in this comparison the emphasis by definition cannot lie on the 'standard sped- ficatlons. We thus didn't verify any input sensitivities or band widths. However, that's not strictly true — we were indeed curious with regard to o few instruments, but more about that later. In the context of a test such as this, there's also not much point in comparing specs. That's because manufacturers in this segment think twice before stating a specification they can't prove. So how did we actually do the survey? We connected a PAL video signal (from the Test Pattern Generator in the September 2003 issue of Etektor Electronics] to each of the oscilloscopes. This is a relatively complex signal, so we had to spend some time with each instrument before obtaining an image on the screen. Thor proved to be a good way to quickly obtain an impression of the general quality and usability of the instrument in question. In the following descriptions, we give our opinions regarding image quality, ease of use and triggering performance, as well as our general impression of the instrument's relia- bility. The pipsqueaks Let's start at the bottom end of the selection with fwo sin- gle-channel 10-MHz oscilloscopes, the Voltcraft 61 0-3 and the Digimess MO 10, In all honesty, we must admit that we had certain preconceptions here. We assumed these instruments wouldn't have oil thot much to offer. Thai turned out to be only partly justified. Although their miniature screens are far too small for making serious measurements, they accepted the video signal without any complaints. They ore thus suitable Far quickly obtain- ing an impression of o signal, but not anything more than that. In this regard, their prices are an excellent match to their performance. No-nonsense two-channel scopes Next we have a set of five 20- and 30-MHz oscillo- scopes. The GW Enstsk GOS620 has o convenient layout and is very pleasant to use. The image of the test signal is especially stable and sharp, but the display is quite a bit less bright than that of the Digimess MO20, far example. The latter also has an adjustable trigger delay ('holdoFP function). This can be handy for display- ing complex signals, since it allows an event that would otherwise generate a trigger to be skipped. That's a nice bonus fora scope in this price class. However, we must note that this instrument makes a somewhat less sturdy impression than its direct competitor, and the display of the test signal Is somewhat less steady than with compa- rable scopes. The Hameg 303-6 is also very easy to use, although it is annoying thot the focus setting also changes [consider- ably) when the intensity Is changed. Most of the other Instruments suffer far less from this problem. Other than that, this model is especially sturdy; it gives the impres- sion that it will never break. It also includes the hoi doff function. The EZ Digital 05-5030 does not have trigger hoi doff, but it is still an excellent instrument. Ease of use Is right on, and the signal display is bright and clear. As already mentioned, this scope is also available from Conrad, Dynatek and Peaktech under their own brand names and model numbers. Finally there is the B+K Precision 2120B. This scope looks quite robust, and the display Is basically good. However, the sample we received for exomi nation had on interference signal that ran across the display. Unfor- tunately, we were unable to discover the cause, but we 22 ekfclor ebtirorJts - 10/2004 assume it was something particular to this specific unit. In other respects, this instrument is just as good as the others with regard to features and operation. More megahertz Next we have three analogue oscilloscopes with a band- width of 1 00 MHz. As expected, all three perform a good deai better than the less expensive instruments. This shows once again that it's too simple to just compare specifications. We'd like to reiterate that it's quite proba- ble that the models of the brands in the previous group with bandwidths of 100 MHz (or more] would also per- form much better. The larger bandwidth increases the quality of the dis- played test signal. Nat only is the image sharper, which makes it easier to distinguish rapid changes, but the writ- ing speed of these instruments is also quite a bit higher. The display is refreshed more often, making the image considerably more steady on the screen. The Hameg 1004-3 and GW Insfek 6103 are microprocessor-controlled. The advantage of this is that certain settings can be stored in memory. In situations where a number of similar signals must be regularly mea- sured, that can save a considerable amount of time. However, it also has drawbacks. For instance, it some- times takes a bit of searching to find out exactly how the instrument is configured, and displaying the various set- tings on the screen affects the displayed waveform. The [otter factor is sometimes annoying with the 6103. The Hameg and GW Instek instruments also allow mea- surements to be made on the displayed waveform using cursors. We think that once you've worked with cursors, you'll miss them if your scope doesn't have this feature. If your budget permits it, this function is thus to be recom- mended. The Leader LS8105A does not hove cursor capability, but a 1 00-MHz scope with cursors is also available under this brand name. With regard to the 158 105 A, we noted that it is pleasantly easy to use, solidly built and has outstanding image quality. The accompanying manual is not brilliant, but that's actu- ally the only criticism. Digital or analogue? The Volfcraft 650AD and Hameg 1507-3 are combined instruments. They ore actually 'normal' 50- or 100- AAHz scopes [respectively) with addi- tional digital storage scope capability. This directly overcomes one of the most significant drawbacks of digital scopes, which is that a purely digital oscilloscope can never display the actual waveform. What it displays is always a reconstruction of a sampled signal. As a result, it can happen that the image on the screen has no resemblance at all to the measured signal. With a combined scope, you can always quickly check whether the digital result is accurate. In this regard, we must note here ihat the digital capability of the combina- tion models included in this rest is only limited. They have several cursor Func- tions for making measurements and con be operated via o PC, but the sampling rale is actu- ally too low for good reproduction of a signal such os our test signal. In practice, the specified band width is thus only usable in the analogue mode. Another factor is that the noise contribution from the A/D converters is generally rather large. This causes the traces of digital oscilloscopes to be Totter', so details more quickly become literally lost in the noise. Other than that, there are no remarkable differences or derails ro be reported with regard to these combined instruments, and the performance of the analogue portion is good. Digital storage oscilloscopes The Wiftig 22-300, the simplest instrument in the pure digital' category, is limited with regard to more than just its bandwidth and sampling rate. Its operation, measure- ment capabilities and display Fall short of qualifying it for serious use. This is offset by its modest price. However, you would be wise to consider purchasing a good ana- logue instrument for the same money, if you specifically need storage capability, it's worth giving thought to sav- ing up for an instrument with greater capability. The some feeling prevails with the Voif craft 6150, although it has significantly more extensive features. It has a variety of measurement functions, including spec- tral analysis using fast Fourier transform (FFT), that can be used via a clear, well-organised menu. Nevertheless, we could nor obtain a good display of the test signal, but as already noted, that can't be expected from an instru- ment with such a limited sampling rale. The next instrument, the LD5 Sigma 60*4, is some- what unique. Although the sampling rate of this Instru- ment is 200 M5o/s, which cannot be considered to especially high, it does have several unusually useful features. The Sigma is particularly suitable for long-term 10/20114 - chkta dcttonks 23 signal analysis. This is demonstrated by features such as harddisk recording, extensive triggering options, analy- sis functions and report-generation options. This is also the first instrument in this test that is built on a PC plat- form, Standard MS Windows is used os the operating system, so data from the measurement programs can be easily transferred to other programs [including user-writ- ten programs). Despite the fact that the acquisition software runs under Windows, a non-standard menu structure has been cho- sen. We don't consider this to be a logical choice, since it costs significant extra effort to become adept at oper- ating the scope. This is further complicated by the fact that only a few real knobs are present for changing set- tings, These knobs are constantly assigned different func- tions, depending an the menu selected using the touch screen [or the keyboard and mouse). We don't consider this convenient. The Tektronix 2024 is the first digital scope in this test with a serious sampling rote — no less that two gigosam- ples per second. This is where the concept digital' starts to become attractive. Atl of its functions — triggering, measurement options, etc, — ore just right. This full- grown digital scope is also packaged in an especially small housing. However, you should bear in mind that with regard to screen resolution, this instrument is far from being the equal of a good analogue scope. Next we hove the Yokogawa DL1740EL. This scope Is also packaged in an unusual enclosure with an attrac- tive colour screen. In addition, the sample we received was equipped with a built-in thermal printer. Like the Sigma 60-4, this instrument is based on a PC platform and has its own operating system. Although some of the knobs are also assigned different functions depending on the menu selection, it hos dedicated knobs for the basic settings (unlike the Sigma scope). It is thus possible to quickly learn how to use the instrument, despite its exten- sive features. Th is instrument is also distinguished by extensive trigger- ing options. For instance, it can be triggered on a spe- cific l 2 C pattern, which allows the values of the bits to be viewed directly. Triggering on the test signal did not pre- sent any problems. With regard to technical aspects, this instrument is perfectly in order. Actually, ihat's true of all of the brands at this level and above — the technical aspects ore not the issue. The most significant differences among the various instru- ments lie In their housing, operation, features ond display quality, among other things. The Agilent 54642D hos remarkably good display quality for a digital scope, despite the fact that it uses o relatively small monochrome screen. However, the on- screen menu could have been mode a bit smaller; we found it rather obtrusive. In contrast to the -A version of this Agilent model, the -D version has a full sixteen digital inputs in addition to two analogue inputs. Besides stan- dard triggering, this scope can also svork with l 2 C, SP1, CAN, UN and USB signals. The final member of this group is the LeCroy Wavesurfer 424. We are enthusiastic about this instru- ment, although it also has its own peculiarities. For instance, the automatic calibration feature often 'gets in the way', although the frequency of automatic calibration does decrease after the instrument reaches its operating temperature. In addition, it con be switched off for mea- surements where accuracy is not important. We were pleased that we could quickly figure out how to do this, without using the manual. That's probably in part due to the fact that a 'Windows-like' user interface was chosen for this instrument. As a result, using the Wavesurfer is generally reasonably intuitive. The display is excellent ond generously sized. Using the extra functions, such os zoom- ing in on a portion of the signal, Is thus a real pleasure. The instrument could handle our test signal without any problems, although when we experimented with the mathematical functions we noticed thot everything slowed down. That's hardly surprising when you consider how much data has to be processed every second. Ultimately, all of the instruments in this group suffer more or less from this problem. IF you're considering purchas- ing on oscilloscope in this price class, we recommend making comparative tests of several different Instruments using your own specific measurement setups. This advice is certainly applicable to the final three instru- ments in this test: the Agilent Infiniium 54843A, LeCroy Wavepro 7100 and Tektronix TD57I54B. 24 tUklof electrc'ia - 10/^004 fiteou 15 gogag§mpQ«§ p><§r §@s@o^ The three top-end models in the test collectively achieve a sampling rate of no less than 35 GSa/s. The Agilent inftniium 54843A, LeCroy Wovepro 7100 and Tektronix TD57154B are all high-quality instruments that ore typically used in research and develop- ment environments, such as in universities and the high-tech industry. The fact that these instruments are intended to be used for spe- cific measurements on very brood bond signals can for example be seen from the fact that the standard versions of the Agilent ond Tektronix instruments have only 5042 inputs. This means that normal probes cannot bs connected to them. You should pay attention this when purchasing an oscilloscope, as good probes can rake up o significant portion of the budget - as much os 20 per cent or more. In this area, DIY pays off, see Poor Man's 1 'GHz Active Probe design elsewhere in this issue. With the rest of the scopes we did not check any of their specifications, but with these instruments we couldn't restrain our curiosity. After all, bandwEdths on the order of several gigahertz are nor a matter of course, even with modem technology. However, our measurements showed that all three of these instruments easily meet (or even surpass) ihelr specifications. Agilent Infinitum 54843A This instrument has the smallest housing of them oil, its design is relatively simple ond the front panel has a good, well-organised layout. It's a pity that the screen is too small for the opening in the front panel, so the metal surround Is visible. This may not matter to its performance but it's still a bit untidy for an instrument in this price class. The screen has the lowest resolution of the three, but it is the brightest. The user interface, in which a lot of the 'Windows look' can be seen, does no! give the impression of being particularly well thought through. The response rime is short, and the most important settings are readily accessible. Hosvever, it is often necessary to use the mouse to adjust the settings. The triggering options are not especially extensive, but they should be adequate far most applications. Severe! standard auto- matic measurement functions are present, such os measuring and analysing amplitude, time, frequency, eye patterns ond jitter Besides the standard mathematical functions that con be used far signal processing, several analysis options are available far this instruments. Signals can be displayed in up to four separate grids (multi-grid), or in a maximum of two grids using the megozoam function. Tektronix TDS7154B The housing of The Tek r is significantly larger, and the layout of the front panel is rather crowded. The knobs appear sturdy, but they ore somewhat difficult to operate. The display is large., but unfor- tunately the reproduction of the woveferm does not match the high resolution of the screen. All func- tions con be controlled using the touchscreen. The response time is reasonably good, but it some- times takes a rather large effort to adjust even simple settings. The instrument can also be operated using on optional mouse and keyboard. Besides the usual connectors, this instrument has a display ouiput for the scops image, in addition to the normal VGA output. The triggering options are quite extensive, as ore the automatic measurement functions. Besides the standard mathematical functions, be entered as formulas for manipulating signals, functions, measurements or data in the memory, own together in a single grid, and the zoom functions appear together in a larger grid. four The Functions can signals are sh LeCroy WavePro 7100 This instrument is packaged In the largest enclosure of all three, and its front panel also has a rather busy layout. However, this does mean that many functions are directly accessible. The knobs appear simple, bur they are quite pleasant to use. The user Interface is well organised and appears to be carefully thought through, dawn to the last detail. The screen Is large, and the dis- play is well matched to the screen resolution. All functions con be readily controlled using the touch screen. The ultimate result is very nice. Once you ve gotten accustomed to it, you won't wont to use anything else. The scope con also be operated using an optional mouse and key- board. Just ijke its little brother, the Wavesurfer, this instrument occasionally has a somewhat long response time due to constant recalibralian. This can of course be disabled, but by default it is enabled. This approach Es differ- ent From the other instruments, for which automatic calibration is disabled by default. LeCroy dearly assumes that you want the measurement results to be accurate! just like the other two scopes, this instrument runs an a PC platform with Windows. This works quite well, but we do consider a working memory of 256 MB for this LeCrGy to be on the meagre side. The input channels are suitable for 1 Mil as well as 50 Q. This means you have o bit more choice in your connection options. The triggering options are quite extensive, with a particularly notable feature being that the Aux input can be used os an extra channel far all triggering. The automatic measurement options are also very extensive, and they are divided into amplitude, lime custom, disk, eye, jitter, power, pulse, statistical ond miscellaneous measurements. The mathematical functions provide extensive options for manipulating signals, functions, measurements, or data in the memory, this signals are displayed in up to eight separate grids. Conclusion it s dear that all three instruments have both positive ond negative aspects. The Agilent Is quite fast with regard to bandwidth rela- tive to the number of channels and sampling rate, but it falls short of the other two with regard to features, ease of use ond finish. The Tektronix is fast In operation and has an especially large number of features. Our only real complaint is that touchscreen opera- tion could be improved, and it's a pity that the instrument doesn't do justice to Ine resolution of the screen. Finally, the LeCroy is sometimes somewhat slow, but has more flexible features and is more nicely finished than the other two. We'd like to again emphasise that these three Instruments are more analysis instruments than oscilloscopes- They are intended fa be used to quickly execute highly complex measurements and calculations. There Is a comparable instrument In the lab of one of our test engineers, and even a year after acquiring it they ore still discovering new functions! The descriptions of these instruments In this article are thus only intended to serve as an initial introduction. We recommend that you allow yourself to be thoroughly informed by the importer of manufacturer if you contemplate purchasing such an instrument. 10/2004 - dektof eVrircnks 25 Although even more expensive oscilloscopes are avail- able, for this test we considered them to be the top end of the normal market. For this reason, v/e gave more attention to them than to the rest of the selection. The results are presented in a separate inset. Recommendations To start with, it is important to determine how much band- width and how many channels you need for the measure- ments you will be making - both now and in the future. After all, an oscilloscope's bandwidth and number of channels cannot be upgraded later on. The next thing to consider is that on oscilloscope cannot be Interfaced' to the object to be measured without the proper probes and adapters. You are thus well advised to reserve a portion of your budget For such items. It is also important fo pay attention to the lifetime' of the instrument, with regard to the availability of spare parts. The question of whether you should select an analogue scope or a digital scope depends on what it will be used for. Digital instruments suffer from noise, which can cause waveform details to be lost. However, a good digital instrument can have quite extensive memory and trigger- ing functions, while analogue instruments are clearly firm iled in this regard. If you decide on a digital storage oscilloscope, when determining the required sampling rate you should bear in mind that many of these instruments can measure in two different modes. The real-time mode is specifically intended to be used for making single-shot measurements up to the physical sampling rate limit of the A/D convert- ers. In the repetitive mode, a periodic signal can be sam- pled at a higher rate than what the A/D converters can actually handle. This involves making repeated real-time measurements at intervals that are successively offset by a small fraction of the period of the waveform. As the sig- nal is repetitive, the results of these measurements can be combined. As a result, it appears that the signal was sampled at a (much) higher sampling rote. But note that this is strictly limited to repetitive signals. Some manufacturers are occasionally inclined to adver- tise this higher sampling rate, although the true physical rate is significantly lower. You also have to pay attention to the memory depth. The larger the memory, the higher the sampling rate can be For a relatively long time interval (time base range). But a large memory is not always necessary, and sometimes it can even be undesirable, since processing an enormous amount of data generally slows down the operation of the oscilloscope. You should also pay attention to the trigger options, and with digital oscilloscopes in particular, the functions that allow infrequent events (glitches) to be detected. Here the instrument's performance also depends on the sampling rote and resolution in relatively large time Intervals. Finally, you should also consider the (mathematical) analysis functions and report-g eneraflon features. Several basic functions are present with most of the manufactur- ers, and it is often possible to use supplementary soft- ware modules to expand the available features. Both the analysis software and the firmware of mast digi- tal oscilloscopes are often subsequently upgraded, so It's a good idea to keep track of these updates. Incidentally, in the more expensive Instruments all of the options are often already present, and they only have to be activated using the appropriate software keys. With digital oscilloscopes that run on a Windows platform, it is often possible to also run 'normal software, such os Mat- lab, on the same platform. This can also form a way to add extra functions. Conclusion We don't want to claim that choosing an oscilloscope is an easy task, even with this survey to help you. As already mentioned, It s a good idea [or even essential) fa base your choice on your specific measurement tasks, taking future wishes into account as well. This survey and the reported results should then help you to more quickly sort through the available options. The test results show that in particular, all of the relatively simple digital oscilloscopes are still surpassed by practi- cally all analogue instruments with regard to display capabilities. To start with, in our view buying a digital oscilloscope is only justified Sr you hove a particular need for specific triggering and/or memory functions. This will in particular be true if you have to make measurements on signals in which relatively infrequent special events occur, or if you wan! to use the oscilloscope for auto- mated measurements and reports, possibly even operat- ing under remote control. For garden variety' applications, if you'll pardon our use of the term, buying a combined oscilloscope is worth seri- ous consideration. Regardless of which instrument you're interested in, if at all passible you should first try it out in your own mea- surement setup. With the more specialised Instruments, this is practically unavoidable, since the suppliers v/ill be only to pleased to demonstrate all the features to you. We certainly consider this to be a good idea, since if should now be dear that although mast oscilloscopes are handy and versatile instruments, each one has Its own particular faults and shortcomings. .■;M 'i-i. Elektor Electronics would like to thank the University of Twente, the Netherlands, and in particular the Chair of Signals and Systems and the Scintilla study association , far their cooperation and contributions to ihis project. Naturally, we would also like fo thank all of the partici- pating manufacturers , importers and suppliers for making the oscilloscopes available . 26 tk&te tkdrr'it - WViV* A INTELLIGENT ELECTRONICS START WITH MICROCHIP The World’s Smallest 8-Bit Microcontroller - The Microchip P1C10F Family Interna] Product Memory Bytes RAM Pins Comparators Timers/WOT Packages ICSR" P1C10F2Q0 Flash 3S4 16 6 0 1-ebft. t-WDT SOT-23 yes 4 MHz - FiC10F202 Flash 763 24 6 0 1-8 bit, 1-WDT SOT-23 yes 4 MHz PSC10F2O4 Flash 384 16 6 1 1-8 hit, 1-WDT SOT-23 yes 4 MHz PIC10F206 Flash 763 24 6 1 1-8 bit 1-WDT SOT-23 yes 4 MHz ~ • ~ ~ ~ • — - - Thought you couldn’t use a microcontroller in your design? Think again! Microchip has packed a high- performance 8-bit PIC 1 microcontroller into a tiny 6-pin SOT-23 package. The PIC10F solves cost or board space problems in your applications. Fully code- compatible with larger PIC microcontrollers, you can start developing today with Microchip’s existing development tools, including the MPLAB 1 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that can be downloaded FREE from the Microchip website. First choose the PIC10F and then create your design! Go to buy.microchip.com or contact your local distributor today. mic&qchip ATVTVDUV/- YA'AY.buymlcroch ip.com Arrow Electronics Tel: 01279 626777 Fee 01279 455777 V PARNELL ™ in one Fame 1 1 In One Tel: DS701 200200 F&f 06701 2CG2C-1 & FTJm-IRF Future Electronics Tel 1 . 01753 763000 Fejc 01 753 7577-5 Memec -V Memec Unique Teh 012&5 332376 Fsc01B442U£23 Microchip wv/w.microchip.convpiciOF ::: e.~i f.=; oi Mjorsdiip T e chnology IntMupofated hi fts USA sraf tflfcsr cgLartrieE. AB oflig and mgstesd SatoEffes ge pnapaity tA theff respeflwg owners: €• 27C- M crocr.Q TcCj-,-.;.'ojy "C Ail rigtrts V5 ' 30&g 09 04 Virtual Solder Dr. Thomas Scherer Even experienced electronics engineers occasionally find themselves confronted by the need to swap soldering iron for keyboard: not all projects can be realised purely in hardware. LabVIEW makes an excellent choice of programming language for engineers! When a PC forms an integral part of a technical solution and no suitable software is available off the shelf, some programming Is required. There are various solutions fo this problem: suitable modern programming languages include C in its various forms such as C++ or C#, Visual Basic from Microsoft, Delphi from Borland or even Lab- VIEW from National Instruments (Nt). Visual Basic 3s designed rather far smaller applications, whereas C has for a long time been a universal tool. Del- phi is an alternative for those who are not comfortable with C r s idiosyncrasies and prefer the structured style of Pascal. The majority of all large applications and all modern PC operating systems ore written in C: and with good reason. This gives rise fo the generally-held opinion that Veal programming" should be done in C, since C, of all the third-generation languages, produces the most ele- gant and fastest solutions. So what about LabVIEW? Fourth-generation language First, all the arguments that persuaded Microsoft, Apple, Linus Torvafds ond many other professional programmers to use C as the basis for various operating systems are quite beside the point for the casual programmer. What counts Is only how much effort it takes to write a good program. And by 'good program we mean one that does not just function correctly in principle, but one that is above all else reliable and easy fo use. When you consider that, when you buy a PC today, you have to download some 1 00 MB of patches ond extensions from the Internet In order to bring Windows XP up-to-date, perhaps you might think twice before using C. Every month Microsoft issues updates to fix bugs and close security holes. And this is not just fo quesfion the abilities of the Microsoft software engineers: the situation js no different for OS X or Linux. The complexify of the software Is not solely to blame for the problem. Also at fault is the programming language. C does not make if easy to find errors, and nor does it help to ovoid them in the first place. C is just text, and typing errors con easily creep info text riles. Modern software consists of incredi- ble amounts of text (Windows, for example, is millions of lines of code). Even understanding It in outline is a sci- ence in itself. A casual programmer has neither the know- how nor ihe organisational means fo get a complex piece of software into a usable state in a reasonable amount of time. Of course this problem did not just arise yesterday, and there have been solutions available for some time: fourth- generotion programming languages. Essentially these are program generators that, usually with the help of a graphical user interface, create the actual code accord- ing to the abstract arrangement of functional blocks and control units. This high level of abstraction makes devel- opment much faster, since there is no need constantly to reinvent the wheel. This is akin to developments in electronics where inte- grated circuits are now used instead of discrete compo- nents. It is clear that integrated circuits, which offer ready-made professionallyroptimlsed subsystems, allow an individual to solve more complex problems than before, and with a drastically reduced likelihood of mak- ing a mistake. In software this in analogous to a program generator that produces code which has been optimised ond thoroughly tested by professionals. Of course there are also disadvantages. The conse- quence of a higher level of abstraction is an inevitable loss of flexibility. Solutions can no longer be tailored so precisely to particular problems. The programs do not run as quickly os those written In C, and the files gener- ated are considerably larger, in the same way as the number of transistors in on integrated circuit has grown explosively. However, in view of the sizes of hard disks and memory available today, the large files do not present a problem. The difference in speed is relatively small these days (and an assembler program Es gener- ally faster than one written in C). The limited flexibility, however, definitely makes a difference: program gener- ators are not equally good In all applications. They are more or less specialised to certain application areas such as databases, data capture, or measurement, con- trol and regulation. 28 siller- 10/203-5 LabVi@w: prog res m ii- d eig lor electronics engineers 1 . I* . 1 ! ” T" "T't TT" ; PS- Shir j i :*•>.« ~ r i £- J □ |x| File Edit Operate Tods Browse Window Help luaajpl 0 # § II 18pt Application Font - f 0 4 ■Da 1 Output Numeric Input 4 i 2,50 0,0 2,0 \ 4,0 6,0 $ ? 8,0 A 10,0 li U/a Unfortunately our analogy now breaks down; ICs From different manufactur- ers are generally compatible with one another: this is not the case v/ith pro gram generators. A piece of code from one manufacturer cannot be com- bined with one from another (as if one had to buy a complete set of ICs from a single manufacturer). This also goes far LobVIEW. Besides factors such as the compre- hensiveness and ihe range of functions provided, an important selection crite- rion is the level of maturity of the included modules. Another factor that should not be underestimated is the size of the user community for support. It is also important to consider the field in which the programming language is to be used. Ultimately one is going to sell a product, and if the prospective customer's technical department turns up its nose (justifiably or not), then you have a small problem. In this regard LobVIEW presents no great difficulties. In the car industry the use of LabVIEW far measurement and testing is standard from Alfa Romeo to Volvo. LabVIEW can be found somewhere in practically every field of scientific endeavour. And, as product cycles get shorter, the sheer flexibility of LabVIEW is becoming more and more highly valued in the production environment. Overall, then, LabVIEW offers the most mature fourth-gen- eration language code base and the largest developer community in the fields of measurement, test and control. However, LabVIEW is no software jaek-of-all-trades: you could not, for example, write an office suite using it, although it is perfect for instrumentation data processing. The most important limitation Is that LabVIEW may not, according to the manufacturer, be used in safety-critical applications. Nf is covering itself here From a legal point of view: it is hard to find any practical reasons not to use it. What is LabVIEW? The first version of LobVIEW (1 .0) appeared in 1986, ini- tially only for the Apple Macintosh computer. At that point the Mac itself was already two yeors old and repre- sented a revolution in user-friendliness in the history of personal computing. Text-based entry was replaced by graphical metaphors, including a desktop with windows, waste basket and mouse. High-resolution bit mapped dis- plays replaced the chunky graphics we were accustomed to from DOS and Its cousins. Nl translated this mefophor into the field of measurement and test. At that time various computer-controlled instruments had already been available for some time, although they were very expensive. They were based on the GPIB [gen- eral purpose interface bus). The essence of NTs idea was to create o graphical programming interface where these instruments were represented by Icons. In addition, math- ematical functions, input units (such as switches) and out- put units [such as LEDs or oscilloscope displays) were also represented using graphical symbols. The icons were linked not by a couple of fines of code, but by a kind of 'wire'. Following ihe metaphor, the corresponding tool is represented in the user interface by a wiring pen, as frequently used In prototyping. Figure 1 shows the appearance of a very simple arrangement of data source, data processing and data display units, forming a 'wired circuit'. The program does simply this: the input value entered on the control panel (2.5) is multiplied by a factor (2), and the result (5) Is dis- played on the scale of a simulated analogue meter. The function is displayed in the diagram using an amplifier symbol with the factor 2 shown. Wires run from the numeric input unit and the constant to the two inputs of a multiplier unit, and from the output of the multiplier to the input of the output unit. Data and numeric values, rather than currents, flow Figure /; Front panel hr the example program and (below) its ' code ’. 10/2004 -ekhw 29 Figure 2: A selec- tion of i he LabVtEW too! palettes gives only on approxi- mate impression of the enormous range of functions avail- able. Mast of the icons are in other palettes , wffih hun- dreds at Vis in total ►H^Funetions 1 B fl23| ► o HEP fobc' ^ j ED mi H ■■ i CD 0 > laal In mJ £_► m WV.I ■ • * ■ * ** U At lUtA, T RSni sc 2 ► j yfitlk rf w flgL ► m w OIOI ► © ,H)3)Communitation imruni> B«B IHTol ► B*-»B fTCPl ► ■— -*W- MB * (i»l rsi lUOftl ► t - : - | >H)3)ftnalyze Qw i ► aA a 1 HMrilters K T L K * x . ^ rertif oUfjfs n.hhJs he, ttsu t Ilk Kftr CMS f WJt fk 6 K2C X T * ttfXf f U1J* hr FfR P— K »na>i l r.n»n through these virtual wires, in this example from left to right. A module or icon executes its Function when data are present at oil its inputs. The sequence of processing operations is therefore not like that in normal program- ming languages where the flow of the text is followed from top to bottom [except where jumps occur), but depends instead on the flow of data. This is called a data flow driven architecture and gives great flexibility. N1 generally refers to the individual modules as Virtual Instru- ments (Vis). An important further consequence of the architecture is that a number of independent [that Is, not interconnected] Vis can be placed in a diagram and they will be processed in parallel: multitasking is thus a built-in Feature of LabVIEW. Further, it is possible to select either a port or the whole of such a module, along with its wiring, and with the click of the mouse bring it into a new module which con hove its own icon. In this way code can be written once and then easily reused. This process is analogous to the organisation of code in normal programming languages into functions ond procedures. In LabVIEW, by compari- son, things are much more transparent. From our example we can clearly see that program- ming in this style is the most natural process imagina- ble. It is very similar to drawing a circuit diagram, where the individual Vis represent electronic compo- nents, It is an easy intuitive step to go from constructing electronic circuits to programming in LabVIEW. Far classically-trained pro- grammers and computer scientists, on the other hand, accustomed to the tra- ditional methods of writing software, this technology takes same getting used to. A completely new way of thinking is required. Perhaps they would find it worth changing? What can LabVIEW do? LabVIEW has practically everything one would expect from a normal program- ming language: all the usual variable types from bits through double-precision floating-point to arrays and compound types. Even complex numbers are avail- able. It can in some cases calculate directly with physical units. The usual constants from e to the gas constant R are available to high accuracy. Or course, all the usual canirol structures can be implemented using various types of loops and other commands: if is not compulsory simply to execute every- thing In parallel. Debugging is possible using single-step- ping and semmufomati colly. Values of selected variables can be displayed at any time using so-called probes' (anal- ogous to test points in electronics). Memory allocation can also be con- trolled. The most outstanding feature of tab- VI EW, however, is the incredible num- ber of ready-made Vis for practically any application. There is the full range of usual mathematical operations includ ing trigonometric and logarithmic func- tions, as well as on arsenal of Vis for string ond array processing, and for file I/O. Of particular interest to electronics engineers will be the wealth of filtering functions offering all the usual filter characteristics with adjustable parame- ters. There are also Vis for spectrum analysis (FFTs) and complex waveform-reloied functions such as peak detec- tion. Results con be displayed using two-dimensional dis- play units (analogous to on oscilloscope] or in three dimensions. Simple database and statistical functions are also available. The importance of integrated support for communications protocols and various types of bus should nor be underes- timated. Not only are GPIB, CAN and serial ports sup- ported, but there is also o complete set of Internet proto- cols. It Is therefore straightforward to implement remote measurement and control applications, without having to learn a great deal about network technologies. Last but not least we should mention the large number of data acquisition cards available with PCI or PXI inter- faces. There is no major vendor of such cards that does not offer a driver for LabVIEW, allowing one to configure and use o card in a hardware-independent fashion using abstract Vis. Figure 2 shows some of the typical Lab- VIEW tool palettes with their corresponding Vis. If the functions built in to LabVIEW are not sufficient, there are many software companies that offer optimised 'tool sets for specific areas, such as She chemical indus- try, electronics For the construction industry, quality con- trol, automotive technology, vibration analysis, image 30 clrktor ■ 1 0/2 00 4 processing, video monitoring etc, It is possible to write your own low-level Vis in C and integrate them: examples and support are available. On the subject of support: early versions of LabVIEW came with about half a metre of manuals, but today all the documentation is provided on CD or in the form of context-sensitive help, so I hat with a little experience you will practically never need to look anything up. What else can LabVIEW do? Any program created using LabVIEW can be stored os a collection of Vis in an individual file which can then be run (within the development environment) with a double- click. There is also a compiler which can generate EXE or DLL files, protecting your ideas from being copied. For those hardy souls who want to integrate fragments of LabVIEW code in their projects written in C there is a special version of LobVlEW available in the form of a C code library. A further version is available fo run code generated by LabVIEW on dedicated single-board 19- inch rack computers, making it possible to build real-time instrumentation systems. there is little else to note: LabVIEW is available for all the main operating systems [Windows, Mac OS 9, OS X, Linux, Solaris and HP/UX] and changing between plat- forms is straightforward. LabVIEW is also available for PDAs and FPGAs and in foreign languages. However LabVIEW is not cheap: o standard licence costs in the region of seven hundred pounds, and the complete pack- age including compiler and other functions costs around three thousand pounds. In view of the range of functions provided and the possible time savings, this seems rea- sonable. Research suggests that o threefold increase In productivity can be obtained, which the author con con- firm from his own experience. A significantly cheaper version, LabVIEW Express 7, is available to school pupils and students. It costs around twenty pounds and offers full Functionality, but of course may not be used for commercial purposes. Special prices are also available to universities buying a number of licences. If you wish to try out LabVIEW, a free demonstration ver- sion, offering full functionality bur time-limited to thirty days, is available from Nl, Web pointers http:/ / en cyclop edia -the Freed ictiona ryicom/ 4th s c2Q Genera tlcm ~ izGLqnquoae hffp://www.ni.cQm/lpbview http: // wv/v w 2 k. o a i . a s /fo bvi e w/d c-c u m e n t . h t m See your design in print! Elektor Electronics (Publishing) are looking for Freelance Technical Authors/ Designers If you have # an innovative or otherwise original design you would like to see in print in Europe's largest magazine on practical electronics # above average skills in designing electronic circuits # experience in writing electronics-rehfed software # basic sfeiJ/s in complementing your design with an exp/cmafory text # a PC email and Internet access for efficient communication with our in-house design staff then do not hesitate to contact us for exciting opportunities in getting your designs published on a regular basis. f/ekfor Electronics K , Walraven , Head of Design Dept RO. Box 75, NL-6190~AB Reek, The Nef/ier/ands, Fax: ( +37J 46 4370167 Email: k,wa/roven@segmenf.rT/ 1 0/2004 -eWfof 31 Profilab Applications for PC data acquisition cards Hans Koerfer, Kolter Electronic The field of measurement, control and process technology is now dominated in the professional arena by PC-based data acquisition cards. The spectrum of applications is covered by digital I/O cards, relay cards, A/D and D/A converter cards, as well as cards offering a combination of these features. The cards are available in a range of variants from a number of different manufacturers. Although the selection of a card on the basis of its suitability for the project and price- performance ratio is straightforward, the problems start when considering which software will provide the most economical, simple, quick and flexible solution. Data acquisition cards come equipped with only the minimum 'intelligence' required to make them work as universally as possible. Some software companies offer suitable programming environments for driving PC data acquisition cards and for visualising the results. There is a small number of very specialised dafo acquisition applications that demand particularly powerful and hence very expensive develop' men! systems, but for everyday requirements there are generally programming environments available that are not too costly and that do not make any sacrifices in terms of user-friendliness or flexibility. A graphical pro- gram development environment, such as that offered by PrafiLat>Experf, is essential. As well os being reasonably priced, it also offers ihe further advantage that the pro- gramming environment is easy to understand and free of exotic functions. The user can quickly find their way around the component library and fools available, and rapidly become familiar with the software. A powerful programming environment At around one hundred Euro (about sixty pounds) Profi- Lab-Expert is an inexpensive and yet powerful program- ming environment that con be used in a multitude of data acquisition projects, whether they involve analogue meas- urements, digital controls, or some combination of the two. Almost any monitoring, regulation or control func- tion can be realised without having to write a single line of program code. Given its Features and price, the pro- gramming environment should also be of interest to schools: the program offers an easy-fcHJse simulation function which allows the construction of virtual logic cir- cuits (Figure 1). The program offers a graphical programming environ- 32 e'sklsi elcdTcntts-10/20EM 4 merit with a symbolic display. For example, a circuit can be wired up on the screen os a block diagram. Items con be selected From an extensive library of electronic func- tional units From switches and various logic functions to complete data acquisition cards, placed in the work area using "drag and drop", and ihen wired up. IF a particular component requires configuration settings, these con be entered on a component-by-component basis using the "Properties' dialogue accessed from the context menu. The controls and monitor points of the circuit are placed in an additional window (Figure 2) imitating a front panel. The layout of ihe individual control and display elements can be freely chosen, and con be annotated if required. The characteristics (appearance and range) of the elements con be configured if desired or as needed. Using the front panel the simulation or actual application can be started and then monitored and controlled using the various elements. Despite ihe complexity of the software, it is very simple to use: after just a little familiarisation operation soon becomes intuitive. The components needed for the project can be found in the extensive library, which includes oil the logic and arithmetic elements needed to combine and process signals. The library includes not only logic com- ponents such as gates, flip-flops, counters, registers, ROMs and RAMs, but also Instrumentation components such as trigger circuits, formula boxes, sample-and-hold units, comparators and so on. A wide range of modules for displaying results is also available: from light-emitting diodes, analogue meters, digital displays and tobies for showing measured values all the way up to X-Y plotters and oscilloscopes. Data acquisition cards from various manufacturers con be incorporated into the component library, bach of these data acquisition cards appears as a normal compo- nent (Figure 3) with all its connections: the user just needs to wire up ihe desired inputs and outputs. The PC will now simulate ihe circuit in real time at the click of a button. Incoming measured values are processed or dis- played, and outgoing signals are generated. Incorporat- ing a data acquisition cord just requires entering the I/O address, adding the desired control and monitor compo- nents and wiring the external connections [Figure 4). Developing the project Is just like drawing a circuit dia- gram. The needed components are simply dragged from the library into the working window and then wired up os required. The individual components can be combined in any way desired. The simulation can then be started to test the function in real time. It is possible to Interact directly with the system using the front panel controls. Also, the current state of the components (far example whether a switch is open or dosed) and signal flow con be superimposed on the err- Figure 1. Simufatin a data logger usir.c PrcfiLab-Experi. Write Probe to File Clear File Figure 2. Front panel layout for control and visuali- sation of the data logger. Figure 3. Example application using a PQ D/A convener card. Figure A Front panel design tor ths dig ita I ■ fa - an □ Ic-gue converter card . 10/2004 -dikturdfitrciMS 33 Figure 5 , This block diagram shows how the data values ore transferred from the data acquisition card to the appro- priate software module and vice versa. Figure 6 . Circuit block diagram for the example project. Analog Out Digital m/our ◄ ► Anatog in ■ V-- £ Application ProfiLab - Expert System Driver Gwoporsys t Kernel Operating System cult diagram. All incoming measured values and signals are processed and displayed immediately. The simulation can be halted at any time to moke changes to the circuit. A bonus Feature of the development environment is a compiler which can take a completed project and turn it into a stand-alone application. The resulting application can then run on any Windows PC without having to Install ProfiLab, Example project The data acquisition hardware can either be connected to one of the PCs ports or can take the form of an inter- nal expansion card. Before we can start on a project if is of course necessary to install the acquisition hardware (whether it is a PG card or a USB device) along with its software, as well as Profi Lab-Expert. In this example we are going to measure the temperature of a process and display how it changes over time. We want to be able to calibrate the measurements in ] % steps to ±1 C. We also want a direct indication of when the temperature goes above or below a threshold of 1 0 = C, We will use a PtlOO platinum resistance thermometer with a signal conditioner connected to the analogue input of the data acquisition card iFigure 5). Start Profi Lab-Expert and create a new project. Select the acquisition card from the component library and drag it to the work area. In the "Properties dialogue (reached via the context menu) enter the port number and A/D range. Next the circuit must be entered info Profi Lab-Expert as shown in the example circuit diagram (Figure 6). The input signal digitised by the data acquisition cord is first taken to an averaging unit (MW1) to smooth the value. Then it is scaled by a fixed value (FWI) by a multiplier (MUU). The scaled signal is now taken to an adder to allow For calibration: using potentiometer PTI a positive or a negative offset can be added to the scaled value to correct the measured value. At the same time the offset value is displayed on the application's front panel using ND2. The parameters for the offset adjustment and for the offset value display can be configured using the "Properties' dialogues. The signal at the output oF the adder (which is the measured temperature plus or minus the offset} is displayed using digital display ND1; its changes over time are recorded using the Yft] plotter. The measured signal is also token to a comparator. This switches two lights according to whether the temperature is above or below preset value FW2. FW2 thus repre- sents the desired temperature threshold. The circuit can be tested in simulation. The settings of var- ious parameters (such as offset voltages and fixed values) can be altered while the simulation is running. If the application is to run in stand-alone mode on another computer the project must be compiled. Adjust- ment of port settings may be needed when running on another machine. Conclusion The example shows how simply, quickly and economi- cally a data acquisition project con be realised. Even though, for reasons of clarity, we have chosen a rela- tively simple scenario, if should be enough to give a clear idea of how to approach solving problems of a similar nature. Using ProriLab-Expert is definitely an alternative to consider for tackling a range of measurement, regula- tion and control problems. Web pointer www.oba corn-online. de/uk 34 thltcr electronics - 1 0/2004 PicoScope 3000 Series The PicoScope 3000 series oscilloscopes ore the latest offerings from the market leader In PC oscilloscopes combining high bandwrdths with large record memories. Using the latest advances in low power electronics, the oscilloscopes draw their power from the USB port of any modern PC, eliminating the need for mains power. High performance: lOGS/s sampling rate & 200MHz bandwidth 1WIB buffer memory Advanced display & trigger modes Compact & portable Supplied with PicoScope toscHloscope/spectrum analyser] & PicoLog (data acquisition] software 0 t* K4**"I Tel: 01480 396395 www.picotech.com/scope210 Technology Li mm uf lektor lectronics CD-ROM Robotics RHP E12.D5 (USS 21.25) In Robotics, electronics meets information technology as well as mechanical engineering. The meeting results in a boundless experimental field. Do you want to explore it? For beginners the shortest way is along the kits line, while experienced users and programmers are best served by DIY construction. Both options are available on this CD-ROM thanks to a large collection of datasheets, software tools, tips en tricks, addresses, Internet links to assorted robot constructions and general technical information. All aspects of modern robotics are covered, from sensors to motors, mechanical parts to microcontrollers, not forgetting matching programming tools and libraries for signal processing. Robots built from LEGO' 5 bricks also get a fair amount of attention. Enter the fascinating world of robotics! Order now using the Order Form in the Readers Services section in this issue. Elektor Electronics (Publishing) P.Q Box 190 Tunbridge Wells TN5 7WY England Telephone +44 (0) 1580 200 657 Fax +44 (0) 1580 200 616 See also www.elektor-efectronics.co.uk 1 'Q/2004 - eldlflf tLrffijllks 35 Poor GHz Mans 9 David Jewsbury DIY saves a pretty penny When if is required to make a measurement at a node of an RF circuit, connecting to the circuit using a normal oscilloscope probe, even on the xlO setting can change the behaviour of the circuit. For those difficult cases, you need a special probe like the one described here. Any probe presents extra Impedance for the circuit to drive, usually consist- ing of some resistance and stray capacitance, resulting in reduction in gain, or in extreme cases, causing instability. The loading effect of the resistance and stray capacitance can be largely removed by using an active probe. The major manufacturers in the oscillo- scope market all offer suitable models (see also ‘Scope for Scopes 1 elsewhere in this issue), but costing over a £1000 they are too expensive for amateur use. This article describes a probe that can be constructed at home, for very little money and has useful performance. Specifications This probe has some compromises in performance, as you would expect. In Table 1 it is compared to a commonly available commercial probe, the type 85G24A from Agilent* Admittedly the commercial probe, with 0 dB loss, is more convenient to work with, but for most applications a home- brew probe is no disadvantage. Circuit Description The circuit is shown in Figure 1 , It is hard to imagine anything simpler. A dual gate MOSFET, Tl, is used in a source -follower configuration. This provides a low output impedance to drive the coax cable and test equip- 36 ilekfwr ‘4/2GQ4 Active Probe BF998 ici Figure 1 , Circuit diagram of the DiY active probe. A duahgate MOSFET guarantees light r uniform loading of RF signals over a frequency range extending well beyond the 1 GHz mark. ment. The signal at the probe tip is applied to gate 1. The impedance at gate 1 is a very high resistance shunted by a few picofarads of capacitance. The choice of MOSFET used in the circuit is not critical r any one of the types listed in Table 2 and housed in a S0T143 case can be used with impunity. Be sure how- ever to steer clear of ‘-R 1 suffix devices because they have a differ- ent pinout and will not work on the proposed PCB, Capacitor Cl has a value of about 0.5 pF, and is made by patches of cop- per on each side of the board. The gain of the buffer itself is a little less than one, but because of the voltage divider action of Cl and the input capacitance of Tl t the overall loss of the probe is approximately 20 dB, or the input volt- age is divided by 10. ICI regulates the supply voltage to a stable 5 volts. D1 protects the probe in the event of the supply leads being reversed. Construction The PCB artwork is shown in Fig- ure 2, The board has been designed to allow fitting in a metal tube. All Table 1 . Commercial / homebrew comparison Agilent 85024A Homebrew probe Input Impedance 0.75 pF // 1 MO 0.75 pf // 1 0 Mfl Bandwidlh 300 kHz to 1 GHz (± 1 ,5 dB), or 1 GHz to 3 GHz (= 2.5 dB) 100 kHz to 1.5 GHz (± 2.5 dB) Gain 0 dB nominal —20 dB nominal 1-dB compression point 0.3 V RMS noi measured Table 2. MOSFET selection guide Type c ;gi (pF) Noise figure (dB) BF990 2,6 2 BF991 2.1 1 BF992 4 1,2 BF998 2.1 1 4/2004 - cliktouj 37 Masterclass \t is Important to realise ihat the probe h measuring RF voltage, but the dis- played quantity is usually the power that the probe is delivering to ihe spectrum or network analyser. The voltage at the probe tip is given by: Where P is ihe displayed pav/er in dBm, and L is the lass in the probe in dB, If the probe Is being used tor faultfinding purposes or only an approximate measurement is needed, l con be taken os 20 dB. For accurate measure- ments the probe can be calibrated over its frequency range, using the setup shown here. The 50-0 load can be a 5 1 -Q 0805-siyle surface mounted metal film resis- tor, soldered at the end of a piece of semi-rigid coox. The resistor should be reasonably nan-reactive up to 1 GHz. The loss of ihe probe Is designed to be slightly less than 20 dB so than if needed it can be set to exactly 20 dB by trimming small amounts of copper from Cl with o scalpel. After calibration, very accurate measurements are available in 50-0 systems. With other Impedances there is an additional small error due to the unavoidable residual loading effects of the probe. the components are surface mounted (SMD), but assembly by hand is rea- sonably easy with a fine tipped sol- dering iron and tweezers. The parts are assembled on one side of a dou- ble sided LG -mm thick PCS. Connec- tions are made between the ground plane ou each side of the board with solid wire soldered on each side. Fly- ing leads lake the power to the probe and a length of coax ending with a BNC plug take the output to the test instrument. Heat shrink coax is used to strain relieve the leads, Tne RF and Ground probe are made from steel pins filed to a point. Pins “borrowed" from the family r s clothes repair kit are excellent. Testing and use of the probe After connecting the probe leads to a suitable power supply, the probe should draw between 10 and 30 niA. If ah is in order, connect the probe to a spectrum analyser. Applying an RF signal to the probe should result in an output seen on the spectrum analyser. To get accurate results it is important that the ground probe contacts an RF ground close to the probed point on the circuit. It is also important to hold the board by the edges to prevent stray effects from fingers on the circuit. If the imped- ance at the probed point is 50 ll t Figure 2. The PCB has been designed with compactness and low input capacitance in mind — Zience /he use of SMD parts , COMPONENTS S4 = 47Q LIST Capacitors: Cl - PCB capacitor C2,C4 = InF C3 - IGQriF All resistors and capacitors: SMD, '0805' case C5.C6 = 470nF Semiconductors: Resistors: D1 = 1 A diode, SMD R1 = 10MQ T1 = BF998 in SOT143 ca;e R2 = 4k07 [>ee Table 2] R3 = 6kQ8 ICI = 7 8 105 in SG-S case then the peak on the spectrum analyser should be about 20 dB less than the power at that point in the circuit. Commercial probes were notoriously sensitive to electrostatic discharge, but seem more robust these days. Although T1 has internal diodes to protect against ESD it is wise to take normal precautions against unwanted static, while using the probe, as for any sensitive electronics. :4: Mo-: 38 sUtouM- VM4 Handyscope HS 3 2 Ch Resolution Menu - 12, 14 or 16bits Sample Rates - 5,10,25,50,100 Ms/s models / Oscilloscope / Spectrum Analyzer / Voltmeter plus! / Transient Recorder / Arbitrary Waveform Gen. / Two hi-z probes 1:1-1:10 / USB 1.1 or 2.0 / Windows OS- all • rwi iTp Ltd 28 Stephenson Road, Industrial Estate. St tves r Cambs. Fe27 3WJ Telephone: 01480 300695 Fax: 01480 461654 info@itp101.com www.jtpl01.com www.tiepie.com 1 fnz+mmiUB jutt osoo-a® 9 Simp!'/ send your fe and order QHUtiE WWW. PCS -POOL COM - ^ m h.rtra.’ i _r_’ EUROCARD in fn + Tooting + Pholoplols + VAT £ 29 . ' String m?/ vaiy. Pjice O Prototypes at 5 /faction oft! te cos! O Too: : BQ Eh ti Sfifiyj «> 4nyam?o£// O F/4 7.6mm r 35jJ!7lCu 0 Miisfry sfe/itfafri O tp Sfifr'eS /XSJS 0 CAfii / CAD nonsuiting Servicing Your Complete Prototype Needs Flash, SRAM, DRAM. •Suppote:-^.. MHone & Colour LCD's, ►ToSarPanels & Keypads, '*■ Target easily & quickly. jjj ^ ulPANSI ‘C 7 compiler, assembler linker all Windows32 based. jjfc* Source Level Debug, jp Fun Driver Support with Libraries. m ‘---fc I Time Multitasking OS with a free run time licence. MM EE Unlimited email support./ CTj ^ej 1 E*;J l / {(ijrra I i ■ h pill 1 f » ] 1 1 1 j] n ml ima 1 1 1 iTTk^^Ti i i'u.73 . TT www. cms. uk. com see our web site for full details CAMBRIDGE MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEMS LTD Unit 17-18 Zone 'D' Chelmsford Rd. ind. Es' Great Dunmow, Essex CM6 1XG Telephone: 01 371 875644 email: saies@cms.uk.com E-ONLINE oOUNDCARD AS Test Instrument Perfect for audio frequency measurements! Harry Baggen It's safe to say that every modern PC for home or office use has an internal soundcard. In general, the quality of the PC's sound subsystem is sufficient to allow measurements in the audio frequency range. With software in abundance on the Internet, nothing to keep you from turning your PC into an oscilloscope or a function generator. 40 dcktor ehdjoriEB ~ 1 0/2-D04 Tnese days it's hard to find o new PC without an internal soundcard or a sound chip integrated on the mother- board, Whomever the configuration, the 'sound' hard- ware in the PC often offers advanced features like 5 . 1- surraund sound. Although such 'bells and whistles' will not be used by everyone, technical developments in PC sound technology have resulted in much Improved audio reproduction characteristics as compared with a few years ago. Not only do we have a wide frequency range available, there's also a good signal/ noise ratio and low distortion. All in all, the perfect behaviour to enable you to perform the occasional measurements in the audio range, especially if you do not want to splash out on a real oscilloscope or an external PC 'scope. Today, advanceo soundcards are available at reasonable prices from, among others. Creative, Hercules and Terrotec, These products offer 24-bit resolution and 192-kHz sam- pling. An excellent starting point for a modest PC-based measurement system I As far as software is concerned, lots of programs are available that give the PC the functionality of an oscillo- scope, a spectrum analyser or a function generator, all relying on the specifications of the soundcard. Lots of soft- ware comes as freeware or shareware, so there's really no reason why electronics engineers and hobbyists should not have a go at PC-based rest & measurement. If you are satisfied with displaying just a rev/ waveforms on your PC screen, you're perfectly served by Konstantin Zeldovich's Oscilloscope for Windows [1], a pro- gram that's not only small (90 kB, how's that) but also free, the program may be found on the University of Moscow's website. David Taylor's Audio Sweep Generator [2] is a gooa add-on for the above mentioned oscilloscope pro gram, David's software is easy to operate, yet offers all necessary ingredients to produce o single frequency or a sweep. The start and end frequencies may be set, as well os the sweep rate, a linear or logarithmic sweep and the output signal levels, A few extra programs are available, too, like a tonebursf generator and a vectorscope. The Daqarta Signal Generator (DaqGen) [3] Is another signal generator for the PC soundcard, but one with lots of bells and whi sties. It allows you to choose from different waveforms like sinewave, triangular wave, sawtooth, square wave and even custom defined ones. Various modulation types may be added like PWM, AM and FM, while swept frequency ranges are also possible — - of the latter, the program will also display the wave- form and the Fourier analysts. Software Oscilloscope [4] is a free program by Toshio Iwata that does more than just display the signal applied to the soundcard input — one window shows the rime domain and the other, the frequency domain. This website also has lots of other interesting software in store, including advanced filter calculations. On the website published by Thimo Esser \5) we found a variety of small audio-related programs of which -r* = 5 t §5 : . _ r : -2.-.U -j-.z - 1 ■ evaluation versions may be downloaded. The available utilities include a test tone generator, a multffone genera- tor and — quite uncommon — □ Home Audiometer that allows you to evaluate your own hearing ability. All pro- grams can be bought at low cost if you want to continue using them. VUMefer [6] by Joach i r r i /^4ichaehs and Loss Tossing is also a rather specialised program. Besides the two usual bar-type level displays we alt know from traditional VU , i; An — . j-i t “zra yn 'I Qj d j t , ‘vz.-i-. Y i- 3 L - 1- jnr __ . - "Lr t - j- i 10/2004 - dektor electronics 41 meters, the program offers a separate window where you can select the phase difference between the two chan- nels, the waveforms (oscilloscope), an RMS, peak or stereo phase FFT Image. Very useful to watch soundcard input signal levels, or analysed them. The Dazyweb Laboratories website [ 7 ] offers a whole range of free PGbosted instruments for test & measurements: oscilloscope, spectrum analyser, function generator, frequency meter, sine generator, a complete audio test system and various utilities For audio calcula- tions* Most programs are written In Visual Basic 6 and the author normally makes the source code files of his programs freely available. [f you do not have too much experience with Fourier analysis, you may want to ploy around with Sound Fre- quency Analyzer by Reliable Software [8]. This little program employs a FFT (fast Fourier transform) to per- form real-time analysis of the signal at the soundcard Input, for example, a speech signal picked up by a microphone. This supplies a beautifully coloured land- scape' providing a good impression of the signal's com- position in terms of frequency. Ulrich Muller's AudioTester [9] comprises several instru- ments like an extensive spectrum analyser, a signal genera- tor and an oscilloscope. This software suite allows you to do measurements on loudspeaker boxes with Hie aid of so- called MLS pulses, which largely eliminate the room effects. Distortion, spectrum analysis and even a 3-D waterfall spectrum are within the possibilities. The program is not free but may be given a try as shareware. For just 28 euros (approx. 20 pounds), the full version is certainly worth buying* The AfSpec Spectrum Analyzer [10] is more aimed at pure Fourier analysis, offering lots of specialised control and analysis options. A built-in generator allows tones or noise to be generated. This is also shareware (the life ver- sion costs $29). Finally, at The Sonic Spot [1 1] we found an interesting collection of programs and utilities for measuring and pro- cessing audio signals. Well worth exploring* 42 ehklar ebctrcnid - 10/MQ4 Visit our website www.distel.co.uk 1 THE ORIGINAL SURPLUS WONDERLAND! THIS MONTH'S SELECTION FROM OUR VAST EVER CHANGING STOCKS Surplus always wanted for cash! GIANT 10” 7 SEGMENT DISPLA YS I IC's -TRA NSISTORS - DIODES A brix puctiisso enables us to befog to ycu these GLAK7 7 saynert dgfei £ a now ffffiydabto pree^ The 10“ cteradEf &iza gp^es road- ability ^ trig decrees arri sroaies a hg^ dt acplca- xrs fodLdng icon beards. dJgfei dodo, coun- ts r*, event timers sto. 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Saw £££Fs • « * ■ « 1 ■ ft • • * * v a * ft ft ft « * * * a* • *•# * h ft W ft ft H ft ft ft ft ft* ll|| ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ■ ft ■ ft * ft ft * ft ft ■ ft « -ELECTRONICS- V> ALL MAIL TO Dept EK, 29 / 35 Osborn© Rd Thornton Heath Surrey CR7 SPD, UK Open Mon - Fri 9.00 -5:30 18 Million items On Line Now ! Secure Ordering, Pictures, Information www.distel.co.uk email - admin@disteico.uk Secure Lre ALL ® ENQUIRIES 0208 653 3333 FAX 0208 653 8888 r 26 Ytars -'S>i~z "_i r 'ite -s c ~ v rj? add 17^rt VAi c TOTAL u ik sneute. LItutlit: cr~s-: s " I Scr-a Fos ccccute cro^re ezze itsi tere v-- l z-r_r, l Lirr*sstes and Uca Aijxrtes - mnrrxm acoxrt erbar £100. Ctiaja cMer£10D yeeubjoct t>7 wde^ngda^deamnee Csrrsge c {A pfim (R pffipn (0)^10, (E)=C1B.C0. iFpCAteL .AJin.v axrex 3 deys for sheping - fessr GALL Al goods g.cpigrj to our^s"id=rC Gcndto rs dSde whstii rar- =n- ve, ,-ai ^ dlf ss.-sbis =i->z izaiici g^sfa'r^*^ ter K rare. AJ pjaranss -zr, s rsLm 1> base Al rcfls rBsecved to diange prices / vj'thouf prir rcfce_ Orders giyr* ^ sfocA Dsxxxra ter Top CASH press pe'd trsjpUsgocss. Al ^adsrra^s, (ra=-ire=rere-i re: aP^rofttedaeti S Dzss, Eerozn re IlCI EtDi 1 0/2 DO 4 - deleter tigclfomu 43 leading the way Take out an 18-month subscription to elektor electronics and receive a free 128-MB USB Memory Stick*. Please fill out the Order Form with this issue. Subscription rates and conditions may be found at the back of this issue. * Offer available to Subscribers who have not held a Subscription to Elektor Electronics in the last 12 Months. Offer Subject to Availability. Air Quality S Christian Voit - Unitronic AC A CC>2 sensor has been developed for specialist applications in air quality monitoring and control, offering good long-term stability, high selectivity, and a low humidity dependence. The concentration of CO 2 can be used as a good indi- cator of air qualify in the office or in the home. Until now, on obstacle to the widespread adoption of control systems based on CO 2 concentration measurement has been the lack of stable, accurate and yet economical sensors for this unreacrive gas. Now, however, with the introduction of new solid electrolyte sensors, rapidly- readtng measurement systems for air quality control can be produced. The concentration of CO 2 in fresh oir is generally around 350 ppm (ports per million), although this is of course subject to variations due to natural as well as artificial causes. These variations are neverrhe- less of low amplitude and take place over long periods. In inhabited living and working spaces the CO 2 concen- tration can quickly rise to many thousands of parts per million as a result of respiration, smoking for other rea- sons. Fig lire 1 shows the evolution over time of CO 2 concentration in a test room holding between 10 and 80 people. Of course many other substances have an influence on air quality (and in particular on the percep- tion of odours). Research has shown, however, that CO 2 is the key Indicator for determining air quality. Subjec- tive perceptions of air quality certainly correlate with a gradual rise In the level of COj, especially bearing In mind that CO 2 is an odourless gas. If one goes into a room with a high CO 2 concentration, one immediately feels the need for fresh air (the so-called 'meeting room effect'). Table 1 shows the effect of various levels of CO 2 on humans. A range of sensor technologies The most widely-used technique for CO? measurement is by NDIR (non-dispersive infra-red) absorption. This exploits the physical property of CO 2 lhat it absorbs infra-red light ol a wavelength of 4.27 p.nm The CO 2 partial pressure can be measured very selectively and accurately using this method (especially in the case of high absolute concentrations of CQ 2 , even up to 1 00 %). Unfortunately, for measuring lower concentra- tions o long optical path through the gas is required in 46 daHcr ebctreo.ifi- 10/M FK/^O/? N ? w c °i sen “>” *?<■ LI N \J I \ air quality monitoring order to obtain a sufficiently significant absorption effect. The infra-red method is stable over long periods af time and has no moving parts. It is, however, bulky and requires precision optics and is therefore corre- spondingly expensive. There ore a few CO 2 sensors employing liquid elec- trolytes on the market, A decisive disadvantage of these cells is their limited life, fhe poor stability of their outputs and hence the Jack of reproducibility of readings. There is also a general risk of leakage with cells that contain a liquid: this can lead to damage to the sensor or to nearby components. These sensors have therefore not been used in ventilation control systems. Certain solids possess the property that ions can move within them. This makes them ideal to Function as the electrolyte in a gas sensor. Particularly well suited to detecting gaseous oxides such as COj or NO x are mate- rids based on a natrium [i.e., sodium) super-ionic con- ductor, or NASICON, structure, NASICON materials, which have been known for some time, are ceramics capable of conducting sodium ions. The chemical for- mula is Nai +x Zr 2 Si x P 3 _ x O] 2 x with 0 U2CO3 and the anode reaction is: 2No* f V 2 <=s NajO Since the anode is sealed from the atmosphere, the equilib- rium point of the anode reaction depends only on the par- tial pressure In the small volume between the NASICON disc and the aluminium oxide disc , Each reaction gives rise to a particular electron concentration in the corresponding elec- trode. The charge difference can then be measured as o volt- age between the two electrodes. The exact nature of the processes within the sensor cell , one 1 in particular the interac- tions at the cathode boundary layers, are ta a large extent not understood. Empirical research has established, however r that the behaviour of the cell accurately follows the Nernst equation: EMF[mV] = E C IR T)/(2 F) - btffCOa where PfCCyj is the CO 2 partial pressure , Eq is a constant for the cell R is the ideal gas constant, T is temperature in Kelvin, F is the Faraday constant, and EMF is the electromo- tive force of the cell Since the sensor is designed for use in atmospheric condi- tions f the dependency of the cathode reaction on the O 2 par- tial pressure con be neglected, os the O 2 concentration only ever deviates slightly from the value of 2 J % by volume . Fig~ ure A shows the step response of the TGS4 160 to changes in gas concentration. The sensor has o linear temperature dependence as shown in Figure B , ’which can be taken info account in the signal conditioning circuit with the help of the built-in thermistor. TG54 1 60s have been in continuous testing since 1996. So for no noticeable changes in performance or sensor failures have been observed. Example circuit The algorithm described above has been optimised in the light of practical experience and programmed into a microcontroller, which is available as a standard compo- nent. Figure 6 shows the TGS4160 along with the ready-mode AM4 module, which includes all the elec Iron- ies required for a ventilation control system apart from the power driver stage. The sensor has already been suc- cessfully used in ventilation control applications, and its suitability for mass production has been demonstrated. 1353122 -*) Figure 5. Determining the reference level in software. Data sheet: www. unitronic.de/CQ2 (German website, data sheet in English) Figure 6. For experimentation and application: the AM 4 module. ] 0/2004 - Elckter Elettr&nks 49 Ton Giesberts As already mentioned in the previous parts of this article, this final amp needs more than just a heavy-duty symmetrical power supply. In this final part, we examine the main power supply, the other power supplies, final assembly and alignment. The analogue input portion of the TA3G2Q operates from a stabilised 5-V supply voltage. A stabilised iO-V auxil- iary voltage is also needed for driving the MQSFKlS. The power supply board also has a switch- on delay for the mains voltage (current limiting). An additional feature is a buffer circuit with a phase inverter, which allows the two channels to be easily operated in a bridge configuration without requiring any modifications to the amplifier board. Naturally, the required mains power indicator and mute signal are also present. 50 ekktcr dedroniB - 1 0/2004 Anmiugue power sup- ply smd mute circuit The analogue 5-V power supply has its own transformer (TR1 t 2x 9 V). A small, discrete-component circuit for generat- ing a well-defined mute signal is added here (see Figure 1). Toe supply voltage for this circuit is taken directly from the output of the bridge rectifier (Bl} r fil- tered by a small capacitor (C14), so the amplifier can be switched to mute mode as quickly as possible when the mams voltage drops out. The mute circuit is the height of sim- plicity; after C 13 has been charged, T2 has enough voltage to fully drive the optocoupler on the amplifier board. C13 is slowly charged via Rll until it reaches the level defined by voltage divider R9/R10. D2 limits the voltage at the mute output, but the ultimate value is not especially critical. When the mains voltage drops out, C13 is quickly discharged by D3. The mute signal can be connected to the ampli- fier board via pin header K2, The negative supply voltage is only needed for powering the phase inverter Standard positive and negative voltage regulators are used for the +/- 5-V sup- plies. The —5-V supply can be con- nected to the amplifier board via Kl. The negative voltage is also available on a solder pin. so It is also available for user-defined applications. Auxiliary voltage Mils? swi&€h“@i!i d&huy The 1G-V supply for the output stage is also powered by a separate trans- former (TR2). After rectification and fil- tering, the voltage is stabilised using a standard positive 10-V regulator. If a 10-V regulator is difficult or impossible to obtain, a 9-V type can also be used. Two different types of transformer are shown on the schematic diagram for this supply. The PCB is designed to accommodate a transformer with two separate windings (2 x 6 V) or one with a single winding (l x 12 V), In either case, a 12-V ac voltage is thus made available. Just as with the ana- logue supply, the filter is placed after an extra diode, rather than directly fol- lowing the bridge rectifier. The voltage provided by rectifier B2 is used to power the relays of the mains switch-on delay circuit. This voltage also has minimal filtering : CIS). This causes the relays to disengage as quickly as possible when the mains voltage drops out. The switch- on delay circuit consists of two relays. The first relay (REl) svritches on power to the amplifier via a set of high-power resistors in order to limit the magnetising current of the transformer and the charging current for the electrolytic capacitors of the main power supply. These high-power resistors consist of five 10-W T 22G-Q resistors connected in parallel. Two of them are mounted above the other three, separated by a certain amount. The peak load capacity must be taken into account in dimensioning these resistors. The transient power dissipa- tion Is mound 1200 W, and the absolute peak dissipation Is actually more than 2 kW! The second relay (RE 2) shorts out the resistors and connects the main power supply transformer (a 100 0-VA type in our prototype) directly to the main volt- age. This allows the amplifier to man- age with a relatively small mains switch (6- A rating). With the delay cir- cuit, the effective value of the switch- on current does not exceed 5,2 A. The drive circuit for the switch-on delay is a standard design. Voltage divider R6/R7/R8 ensures that the volt- age at the base of T1 is not high enough for it to conduct enough cur- rent to energise RE 2 until the supply voltage has reached two thirds of its nominal value. The time required for this voltage to be reached Is delayed by the charging time of C2Q. The value of C20 can be kept to a minimum by using equal values for R6 and R7 to set the delay time. When the mains volt- age drops out, D5 causes C2G to be rapidly discharged. With this arrange- ment, the delay time remains as nearly as possible constant if the supply is switched off and then quickly switched on again. The required mains power indication is provided by LED D7. It must therefore be clearly visible on the front of the amplifier. Men in p@we r supply The compactness of the amplifier is off- set by the sheer mass of the power supply. Of course, we could have also developed a switch-mode power sup- ply. but it would have to be a supply that could deliver a good 40 A at a bit less than +/- 60 V That would be a challenge, to put it mildly. It should thus be clear why we choose to use a conventional design. In consideration of the current levels involved here, we selected a heavy- duty rectifier that can handle a rated current of 46 A and a peak current of 90 A, For the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply, we selected types that can handle strong ripple currents. Normal power- supply electrolytic s are not intended to be used in such severe applications. From the BCcomponents 2222 154 line, we selected a capacitor that can handle ripple currents of around il A at 10 k Hz (or 20 A at 100 Hz) and has low values of self- inductance and ESR (a tall electrolytic capacitor with a small diameter). A long service live is ensured by connect- ing four capacitors in parallel for each half of the power supply. Here we can give you a small tip; if you order ten capacitors in a single lot from FamelL it will cost you less than buying eight of them at the single-quantity price. If you think the power supply is per- haps somewhat over-designed with the 1Q/20Q1 - thhw eletiroaks 51 Ft Figure I . Besides the auxiliary supply voltages , the power supply board provides the switch-on delay, the mure signal and a phase inverter ter bridge-mode operation. COMPONENTS LIST power supply board Resistors! R1-R5 - 2200 10W (e.g. AGIO BCcomponents) FAR7 - 220kO R8 = 68 kn R9 = 5kQ6 RIO - lOkO R1 1 = 10MO R12,RJ3 = 20kQ0 1% R14 = 5600 Capacitors: C1,C3,C5,C7,C]5,CI7,C25,C26 = IQQnF ceramic C2,C6,C16 - lOpF 63V radial C4,C8 - 470pF 26V radio! C9-C1 2,021-024 = 47nF ceramic 013 =470nF 014 = 4pF7 63V radial Cl 8 - lOQQpF 25V radial 019 = lOQpF 25V radial C20 = 22pF 40V radial Semiconductors: D1 ,04,05 - 1N4002 02 - zener diode 5.6V Q.4W 03 - BAT 8 5 06 - 1N4148 07 - LED, red, low -current II J2 = BC517 10 1 = 7805 IC2 = 7905 IC3 =7810 104 = TS922IN ST [Parnell # 332-62 75) Miscellaneous: B1,B2 = B80C15GG, straight case [- ~ + ~) [80V piv, 1 .5A} K1 - 2-way FOB terminal black, lead pitch 5mm K2 = 2-way pinheads r K3,K4,K5 = 2-way ROB terminal block, lead pitch 7.5 mm FI „F2 = fuse, 200mA/T (time lag) with ROB mount holder F3 = fuse, 500mA/T (time lag] with ROB mount holder F4 = fuse, 5A/T (lime lag) with FOB mount holder F5 - fuse, 50mA/T (time lag) with PCB mount holder F6,F7 = Fuse, 16A/FF [very fast), 6.35x32 mm [Fornell # 534-699 with fuse dies # 230-480) RE1,RE2 = RP710G12 16A/12V/270H (Schrack, Farnell # 388-312] TR1 = mains transformer, 2 x 9V/3.3VA (e.g., Myrra 44200, 2 x 1 VA6) TR2 ~ mains transformer, 2 x 6V (or 1 x 1 2VJ/4VA5 (e.a., Myrro 44235, 2 x 2VA5) } x spade terminal, PCB mount, 2-way, straight 6 x spade terminal, PCB mount, 3mm screw/bolt mounting Heat-sink 15 K/W for IC3 (ICK355A Fischer) 51 = mains an/aff switch rated for 6 A main supply Mains transformer 10GOVA, 2 x42V/1 1.9 A (e g., Amplima/Joyiee Z8022) Bridge rectifier 140V/50A (e.g. Diotec Semiconductor KB PC 5002 FP, Fame II # 393-5292] 8 electrolytic capacitors, 63V/1 5,0DOpF (e.g, BCcomponents # 2222 1 54 18153, Farnell # 248-022) 4 mounting damps For 35-mm diameter electrolytic s (Farnell # 306-526) IEC mains appliance socket, chassis mount PCB, order code 0302 1 7-2 52 eleklor ebrir&r'ts- 10/2004 Figure 2. The power supply oaord ako has room for several fuses , which provide good protection for the amplifier specified component values, we would- n't immediately disagree. However, you should bear in mind that at 2 x 200 W sine-wave power, the output voltage of this supply already drops by 5 VI Pr@0©gpf®fit ■ The mains voltage is routed to the power supply hoard via K4. The pri- mary fuse for the main transformer (F4) is also fitted here, so it isn’t necessary to use a mains connector with a built-in fuse. The mains voltage for the auxil- iary voltages is tapped off after the fuse for the main transformer. If the pri- mary fuse blows, power will also be removed from the rest of the amplifier. In the opposite case, a similar situation exists. If the fuse for TR1 and TR2 blows, the supply voltage for the mains switch- on delay circuit will drop out, and power will be removed from the entire amplifier, A situation in which only part of the amplifier is without power can occur of FI and/or F2 blows. In this case, at most the +5 V supply voltage will be lost, and there will no longer be any signal. That will nor have any further detrimental effects; the most that can happen is that a small ‘pop 7 will be heard from the speakers. For additional safety, the main supply voltage for the final amp is protected using two I6-A FF fuses in 32-mm cases. This ensures that the voltage decays as quickly as possible in case of a short circuit, rather than requiring the power supply capacitors to first be discharged. These fuses are also fitted on the power supply board, and they are connected between the large power supply capacitors and the amplifier board using screw-mounted flat connectors (car connectors). The advantage of using separate fuse hold- ers is that the PCB-mouni fuse clips used here can handle a continuous cur- rent of no less than 15 A (with ade- quate copper area on the circuit board). Most PCB fuse holders are only rated at 5 A continuous current. Mss©mkiy For our prototype, we chose the ‘not so quick- and -dirty’ method and fabri- cated our own enclosure from a sheet of aluminium. This results in an uncon- ventional design, whose shape and proportions are determined by the dimensions of the heat sink, toroidal transformer, pov/er-supply capacitors and power supply board (Figure 2). The heat sink forms the front of the unit. The mains entry, input sockets and speaker connectors are fitted at the rear. Of course, you are free to package everything into another type of (standard) enclosure. In our design, we tried to keep the power supply connections as short as possible, and we fitted the power sup- ply board above the large toroidal transformer. The four fastening holes for this board are far enough apart to allow it to be secured to the base with ample clearance from the transformer. The two rows of four electrolytic capac- itors each are placed next to each other in a single group. Their terminals are connected together using small 2-mm aluminium plates. Be sure to provide adequate separation between the plates for the F p 0 and - polarities. We recommend fitting screw- mounted flat connectors to the plates, to simplify wiring and maintenance. The capacitors can be adequately secured using four mounting clamps. Where necessary, one mounting tab must be broken off of each clamp. The wiring diagram is shown in Fig- ure 3, which also shows the filter boards. These still have to be described. The two centre taps of the transformer (neutral/ground) are connected to one 30/200! -ekktardertHifllB 53 I EC appliance socket 230V *\i 03G2J7 - j ■ 11 Figure 3. The wiring diagram also shows the filters- Be sure to keep the connections as short os possible ! side of the common ground plate for the electrolytic capacitors, between the plus and minus leads from the bridge rectifier. In our design, the bridge rectifier is fitted to the side panel, which provides it with an ade- quate cooling surface. On the opposite side of the elect rolytic capacitors, the three power supply ter- minals (including neutral) are con- nected to the terminals on the power supply board marked with ‘input 1 arrows. The four terminals for the sup- ply voltages are thus available on the power supply board. The path to the amplifier board must be as short as possible. This also applies to the 1G-V auxiliary voltage! For the main supply voltage, stranded wire with a cross section of at least 4 nmi^ must be used. The mute signal for the amplifier is generated on the power supply board. It is connected to the amplifier board using a twisted pair of small-diameter stranded wires. The analogue supply voltage is con- nected to the amplifier hoard using a twisted pair of stranded wires (1.5 nun 2 ). The mains voltage output from the power supply board is connected directly to the large toroidal trans- former. There is room to fit a small fan on the rear panel for internal cooling, if so desired, TVy to route the cables for the input signals as far away from the transformers as possible. The loud- speaker leads must be wired as a twisted pair for each channel to counter the effects of interference fields. The only alignment that is required is to adjust the do offsets of the outputs, which can be done after the amplifier is assembled but should preferably be done during testing before final assem- bly Naturally, the dc offset voltages must be set to zero. The offsets must be adjusted {using PI and P2 on the amplifier board) with the amplifier li fig fifties? 54 dikfrr efsrirc-'Ts- 10/21)04 Two channels in bridge vnode If a riereo amplifier is to be used in bridge mode, the two channels must be supplied with signals having the same amplilude and opposite phases. To avoid having fo change ony connections or components on the amplifier board, a sim- ple buffer circuit is provided on the power supply board. 1C 4 a is wired as a voltage follower, and IC4b is configured as an inverting amplifier. This means that besides two decou- pling capacitors for the supply voltages, only two opamps and two resistors are necessary. Since balanced supply volt- ages are used, no decoupling capacitors are required for any dc offsets that may be present at the inputs or outputs. Due fo the simple design, small offset voltages may be present at the outputs, but the final amplifier is ac coupled and thus totally immune to such offsets. For proper operation and low distortion, careful altenfion must be given to the polarity of the loudspeaker filter connec- lions when the final amplifier beard is operated in bridge mode* In this case, the amplifier is wired exactly ihe same as for stereo operation. Naturally, it's only necessary to build the input filter for a single channel. The output from ihe input filter goes to the buffer circuit on the power supply board (IC4). Two signals go from the buffer to the inpuls on the final ampli- fier board. It goes without saying that these connections must be made using good-quality, screened audio coble. The two LS+ outputs from the loudspeaker filters form the speaker fen minals of the bridge amplifier. As the return currents from the fitters would have nowhere fo go if ihe 15- outputs were left open, the two LS- outputs must be connected together. If the amplifier is used in bridge mode, it is essential to ensure that ihe amplifier outputs are not accidentally shorted together (due to incorrect wiring, for example). switched on and operating in normal mode (not muted), with its rated load but without any drive signal. In the mute mode without any load, the amplifier has an output impedance of approximately 10 Ml In this situa- tion, there will be a small voltage on the output; but this does not have to be adjusted. Besides adjusting the offset, the only other alignment is the dead-time set- ting for the MOSFET drive circuitry. This is determined by the positions of jumpers JP1 and JP2 (or BBMO and BBM1). Set the dead time to 80 ns by setting JP1 to T and JP2 to 'O’, There’s no point in experimenting with other values. Using a larger value causes increased distortion, and using a Table 1. Dead-time jumper settings JP2 JP t BBMI BBMO ns 0 0 120 0 1 80 1 0 40 1 1 0 smaller value causes short-circuit cur- rents to Bow through the MOSFETh, which can be fatal for them. All possible settings are listed in Table 1. The component overlay on the amplifier board also clearly indicates the proper positions of the jumpers. Final re mss irks There are a couple of things we still have to tell you. The first is that the amplifier can be used bridge configu- ration, as explained in the ‘Two chan- nels in bridge mode' text box. Another essential aspect is the measured per- formance, which is also described in a separate box. The measurements were made using the complete amplifier, which means including the filters. Unfortunately there is not enough room to describe the filter circuits in this article. For the time being, you can also use the amplifier without the fil- ters, but we strongly recommend including them in the overall system. CSS 17*3 Measured performance Ths results descrioed here were measured using a 1000-VA power supply transformer with two windings rated at 42 V / 1 1 .9 A, together with two sets of four 15,000-pF / 63-V electrolyiic capacitors. The measurements were made using the Fully assembled prototype. An additional 40-kHz passive second-order Bulterworth Filter with an air-core inductor was used For meas- uring iniermodulalion distortion ond dynamic IM distortion. Input sensitivity (2 x 300 W / 4 O) Input impedance Sine-wove power (1 kHz / THD+N = 0. 1 % / B = 22 Hz - 22 kHz) Sine- wave power (1 kHz / THD+N = 1 % / B = 22 Hz - 22 kHz) Sine-wove power in bridge mode [1 kHz / THD+N = 1 % / B = 22 Hz - 22 kHz) Bandwidth [via 9 tn -order elliptic filter with B = 180 kHz) SNR (B = 22 Hz - 22 kHz) Harmonic distortion (1 kHz) 2x1 W / 4 Q (B = 22 Hz - 22 kHz) 2 x 1 W / 8 O 2 x 200 W / 4 a 1.13 V [THD+N = 1.5 %] 18.9 k a 2 x 266 W / 4 O 2 x 1 56 W / 8 n 2 x 291 W/4 a 2 x 167 W/ 8 Q 600 W / 8 Q 735 W / 6 a 2.4 Hz - 98 kHz [40/ 1 W) 2.4 Hz -122 kHz [8 Q / ] wj > 68 dB (referred to 1 W / 4 Qj > 7 1 dB (referred fo 1 W/8tl| < 0.04 % < 0.03 % < 0.02 % 10/2051 - eltklor eiertrontts 55 2 x 100 W / 8 Q < 0.02 % 2™ harmonic done 2 x 1 W / 4 a <0,01 % [THD+N = 0.037 %] 2 x 1 0 W / 4 f 2 < 0.02 % fTHD+N = 0,023 %) 2 x 25 W / 4 Q < 0.025 % fTHD+N = 0.026 %) 2 x 100 W / 4£1 < 0.013 % fTHD+N = 0.017 %] 2 r ^ and 3 fd harmonics 2 x 200 W/4Q < 0.015 % fTHD+N = 0.018 %) Intermediation distortion 1 W/4 Q <0.1 % [50 Hz : 7 kHz = 4 : 1} 1 W/8 Q < 0. 1 % 300 W / 4 n < 0.06 % 150 W/ 8 n < 0.0 % Dynamic IM distortion 1 w/4 a < 0.035 % (3.15-kHz square wave with 15-kHz sine wave) 1 W/8 Q < 0.03 % 300 W / 4 Q < 0.025 % 150 W / 8 a < 0.01 % Damping [8 £1 / 1 kHz) > 140 Channel separation 200 W / 4 n / 1 kHz > 94 dB 100 W / 8 a / 1 kHz > 100 dB 200 W / 4 Q / 20 kHz > 77 dB 100 W / 8 a/20 kHz > 77 dB Besides these 'clinical' measurement figures, we have also recorded several curves. They probably give a better picture of the character of the amplifier, although ultimately only a listen- ing test can provide o reliable conclusion. Figure A shows the effect of the output filter (on the final amplifier board) on the amplitude response. The upper curve is measured v/iih an 8-11 bod and shows a rise of +0.7 dB at 20 kHz and -s-4.6 dB at 70 kHz. Comparison with the meas- urement for 4 o clearly shows that the filer is optimised for 4 O, for which it exhibits an exemplary straight-line character- istic. The sudden sharp drop-off in the curve at the end of the measured range is due to the ninth-order elliptic filter used for this measurement. Figure B shows THD+N versus output level for a bandwidth of 22 Hz to 22 kHz with o 4-£l load. The rise in the middle of the curve (around 20 V/) is partly due to the Influence of the other channel (additional noise). All in all, the distortion over the entire output power range up to 200 W can be considered fo be nicely constant At levels above 200 W, distortion increases due to the additional modulation applied to the amplifier output. Here the amplifier exhibits behaviour that resembles soft dipping, but true limiting only occurs at around 300 W into 4 O. This is also strongly dependent an the strength of the power supply. An additional second-order filter was used for this measurement to slightly smooth the curve. Without this filter, the distortion is somewhat lower (e.q. 1 % at 291 W). Figure C shows the maximum output power for loads of 2 x 4 Q and 2x80. For 4 Q, the distortion was held con- stant at 1 %, and for 8 Q if was held constant at 0.5 %. Both measurements were made over a bandwidth of 22 Hz to 22 kHz. The power appears to increase starting at around 6-8 kHz, but this is naturally due to the fact that the filter sup- presses harmonics above these frequencies. The curves should be drawn with a slightly dropping line starting at 5 kHz. The maximum power is slightly greater at low frequencies than at high frequencies. At 50 Hz it is approximately 163 W into 8 Q or 306 W into 4 Q, while at 1 kHz it is approximately 160 W into 8 0. or 291 W into 4 £1. The effect is thus slightly greater at lower impedance, but this is not perceptible in actu- al practice. Finally, Figure D shows the frequency spectrum of a 1-kHz signal for 1 W into 4 H,. This wos measured using an addi- tional 40-kHz second-order Butierv/orth filter in order to prevent HF noise in the A/D converter From affecting the FFT analysis. The second harmonic thus actually lies slightly below 80 dB (< 0.01 “= distortion). No power-supply ripple or other irregu- larities are visible here. Despite the fact that a portion of the pulse-width modulation can be seen with 1 W at the output of the amplifier, the spectrum within the audio band can be con- sidered to be quite dean. The small bump at 50 kHz does not require any comment. 56 eSekt&r elrctrcnirs- 10/2004 For rapid development of electronic systems 8 BLDCKS E-ttoAs are small circuit Scares each of wttch contacts a biodr of electronics typically found in sn electronic system E-b'ccks cafl oe programmed in C r Assam bly and are Eghtty iittagralad wfti FI cwootie - which Enstarflfy converts fiew charts Into PlCmicru code NEW Low cost USB PIC programmers (SterSng si £27 1 mod^ SfacwnEeS) .plus a wide range of add-on boards and accessories... plus Incredibly easy to use software based on flow charts,,. -..equals extremely rapid system development like this mobile text messaging system built from E-bfocks. ..and solutions for learning and development.. Hands on training courses training courses h PlCrracn&tR) Programming, CPLD programming and EGAD mp? ii Resources for learning CPLD programming Complete courses In electronics and programming see www.matrixmultimedia.co.uk Equipment for datalogging, control end PC 'scopes ..and more at' Matrix Multimedia Limited sate s @ ma tri xm u Hi m e d ia .co. u k L 0878 700 1831 f. 0870 700 1832 lektor lectronics 2x300W Amplifier board with SMDs pre-fitted RRP £34.50 (USS 55.70) This top-end amplifier proves that high power does not have to mean a large, heavy design. Although this amplifier is highly efficient (and thus compact), its specifications easily surpass those of quite a few conventional designs. This 2 x 300 watt amplifier board has modest dimensions thanks to the use of SMD parts fitted at the underside. Elektor Electronics greatly simplifies building this project by offering the stereo amplifier board with all SMD parts already mounted, for just £34.50 (or USS55.70)! Also included are the two toroid cores for the output filters. More information on this powerhouse may be found in the June and September 2004 issues of Elektor Electronics magazine. RO-Box 190 Tunbridge Wells TI45 7WY England Telephone +44 {0} 1580 200 657 Fax +44 (0) 1580 200 616 See also www.ele ktor-e I eciro n ics.co. uk 30/5001 - ebkfar t!cjlror:cs 57 kitchen table Udo Burret Although most digital cameras have a bui It-in flash, a connection for an external flashlight is rarely seen. Still, on some occasions it's useful to have just a tad more light and that's why we propose a simple add-on. 58 delta clctir&rtki - lfl/2004 Cameras Don't throw away your old flashlight! Figure \ , The circuit counts a user-defined number of flashes before firing a powerful external flashlight. 4 As many of you will be able to avow, the light capacity of the flash facility on low-cost digital cameras is often marginal if not insufficient. Problems typically occur where the object to be photographed is too far away or if a (very) short shutter time is required. In those difficult cases, the slave flash we’re about to describe may come in really useful. The idea is simple: detect the flash from the camera and use it to trigger a powerful external flashlight with the aid of a thyristor. A cursory look at the circuit diagram in Figure 1 reveals that the practical side of things is rather more complex than you aright have expected. In many cases, a digital camera supplies a short "pre-flash 1 that serves, among others, to adjust the white balance of the internal CCD (charge-coupled device) chip. Lots of cameras also fea- ture ‘red eye correction' where several pre-flashes cause the pupils of humans and certain animals to close to some extent. Some cameras supply just one pre-flash, others a whole series. Of course we do not want our slave flash- light to respond to these pre-flashes, else it would be triggered too early! This problem has been taken into account in the circuit design, which is in stark contrast with many off-the- shelf slave flash controllers. €©«m#/ng flashes The author of the circuit employed an almost antediluvian design from Elek- tor's 1979 Summer Circuits issue. With reference to Figure 1, phototran- sister T1 detects the camera’s flashes. The resulting pulses across C3 are applied to the clock input of decade counter IC1. The circuit around T2 operates as a kind of zener diode, with C2 prevent- ing instability ovring to too rapid fluctu- ations of the "zener’ voltage. Without this precaution, the counter would run the risk of missing the Gdd pulse. The capacitor also eliminates any 100-Hz hum that may be picked up. Switch SI enables the circuit to be reset, causing output GO to go high and transistor T3 to switch on LED D2. With the LED on, the slave flashlight is ready for use. T3 also ensures that capacitor C4 is discharged and the 10/2004 - ebtlflf ektronia 59 reset input of IC1 is returned to Low, At each light pulse on Tl, the next out- put of IC1 will go high — G1 on the first flash, G2 on the second, and so on. A jumper or wire link on K1 allows you to select the flash that should actually trigger the slave flashlight. The LED in opto isolator IC2 is then switched on and C5 causes T4 to conduct briefly. This in turn causes thyristor Thl to be fired and the terminals of connector K2 to be short-circuited briefly. The optoisolator ensures that the flash- light voltage remains isolated from the (battery) supply of the rest of the cir- cuit. The connections of older flash- lights may well carry voltages of 150 V to 20(3 V. These are reduced to safe lev- els by voltage divider R12-R13. Modem flashlights use much lower voltages (5- 10 V], in which case R12 may be replaced by a wire link. Construction Building this circuit is unlikely to cause problem if you use the printed circuit board artwork shown in Figure 2. Do pay attention to the orientation of the diodes, IGs and Tl. The phototransis- tor s case is not unlike that of an LED. The collector terminal is near the flat- tened side. Having finished the soldering work it's a good idea to check if all components have been mounted correctly before switching on the power supply. In rare cases D2 will light immediately when the supply is switched on as IC 1 will randomly activate one of its outputs. However, D2 must come on in response to SI being pressed briefly. Preset PI allows the input signal for the decade counter the adjusted. Some experimentation may be required before you find the opt imum setting for PI: -turn the wiper to the 'ground' extreme position. Figure 2. Once built up the circuit's sensitivity may be adjusted with the preset. COMPOS ’NTS LIST C4 = IpF 16V C5 = 2nF2 - press SI - slowly advance the wiper of Pi - stop when LED D2 goes out - back off a little in the 'ground 5 direc- tion Finally a note on hooking up the exter- nal flashlight: pin 1 of K2 — connected to the anode of Thl and resistor RIO — should be taken to the centre contact of the flashlight socket. Resistors: R] = 27kQ. R2 = 390kn R3 = 56kO R4,R5 - 10kn R6 - \ kn R7 - 2kQ7 RS = 2kD2 R9,RI0 = 470kO R1 1 = IBOkfl R12 = 4MQ7 R13 - IMP. PI = 250kO preset Capacitors; C1,C6= fOOnF C2 = 1 nF C3 = 22GnF Semiconductors: D1 ,D3 - 1N4U8 D2 - LED, 3 mm r low current Tl = BPW4G T2J3 - 8C547 T4 = BC557 Thl = TEC 1 06 JC1 = 4017 !C2 = SFH6G1 Miscellaneous: Bt 1 = 9-V battery v/ith dip-on lead 51 = pushbutton with 1 make coniad K 1 = 20- way boxheader with jumper, or a double-row pinheader [2 x 9) with jumper PCB, available from The PCBShop, ref. 040224. 60 ebklor e]jeftronic5 - 10/2004 GPATRON BS2P/24 Parallax BASIC Stamps - still the easy way to get your project up and running! Serial Alphanumeric and Graphic Displays/ Mini-Terminals and Bezel kits Animated Head 3 -Axis Machine □ Robotic Arms Biped Six- Legged’ Walkers Robotic models for both the beginner and the advanced hobbyist U/Sound Ranging | Servo Drivers j | Motor Drivers | I 1 On-Screen Displays | 1 DMX Protocol Animatronics and Specialist interface- Control Modules Quadra vox Sensory Inc ( Parallax lech -Tools BAS 1 CM i era j MP3 & Speech Systems Voice Recognition | Ubieom Tool Kits PIC & Rom Emulators PEC BASIC Compilers Development Tools Milford Instruments Limited Tel 01977 683665, Fox 01977 681465, sales@milinst.com meet the PIC18F series (part 1) Ron Coates 1 I > s - . in this Data Sheet. Devices Included in tnis . fUC1fc>F&/ 1 , piclt! ‘ '' Miccoconuoue, C«e gg| • High P erfDrman j'.pslructionb lo team .• "mstructions except for program . All sing'- Kv-o-cycle branches _ Q wHz dock input . operating speed. DC ^ ^ mstaicUon cycle < n ASH Program Memory . 2K v. 14 word 3 JW Memory {RM-* 128x8 hytes - ppOM Data ' Memory 64 x 8 bytes o< E p lCl6 CXX‘ cinti . Pinout Connie to the 40-pin devices n sources' 5 . mter,uptcapabn^; tack ‘ S9W le ‘^ ^Tand Pmlative Addressing . Direct, indirect and r parer-on R" Ml lP0RI a ■ m 25?£Z** **** mediator tor «o • Prp 9 rarnma “" SLEE P mode . setecau. oscillator ^ 2 1 V TTtTr-V"- * r ' v ■ RA.C-ANS RAl ' AN 1 p t \ 4 - • 7 ; _ k ' Rr-B RD--" R c* 5 rH_ - v+ * ; OSC^CLK’ OSC-2 CLKO bc vroso rmr.i rcvtv^i RCZCCP 1 pjyi 7 5 - RL ■ P ^ P1 Peripheral Feature* . Tim#* kb* R gOJinT VC -3 ■V£S ^p?;P 5 F R 06 PBPc- .RCt-PSRt RLr 4 PSP 4 rct RcerrtfcK t PC 5 RC 4 P.D5 PSPi R Q 2 PSP 2 / Severa articles using the PIC1 6 series y of Microchip microcomputers have appeared in this magazine but so far there has been little or no £. .1 J.L but so tar there has been little or r practical use of their more powerful cousins in the 1 8F series. The devices in the 1 8Fxx2 series of microcontrollers that has been recently introduced are pin for pin compati » , I ,t * | r ] I i / r n y * . ... . , ! senes, i ne aevices m ifie i orxxz beneb ui miuuuumiuiiBia that has been recently introduced are pin for pin compatible with their predecessors from the 1 6F87x series and incorporate some significant improvements. 62 ebklor elKTrcrtia ■ 10/2004 K* Jn this first of two article instalments we look briefly of the main differences between the 16F and 1 8F series and in detail at the changes to the structure of the RAM {Data Memory], Table I summarises the key features as com- pared to the 1 6F series. There is an increase in ROM and large increase in RAM and this alone will justify their use far some people. Bur there are lots of other improvements too: - Up fo 40 MHz clock (compared to 20 MHz), - Single cycle hardware multiplier. - Lang look up tables. - Ability to write to Flash ROM during program operation. - Many new instructions. -Much improved addressing far boih RAM and ROM. Memory and its access Among the main improvements over older PIC series is not only the larger amount of ROM and RAM but also the metnods of addressing it. Betore discussing this in detail we need to clear up some of the terms Microchip uses. EEPROM is straightforward since it is never referred to as anything but EEPROM, EEPROM is non-volatile, and its contents may be modified not only during chip pro- gramming but also by the code executed by the PIC, EEP- ROM is also the area of memory that Is best employed for the storage of user preferences. An example would be the display of a temperature measuring system that could be in Centigrade or Fahrenheit. If the variable that controls this is held in EEPROM, the user can change it and it will then be remembered, even when the power is turned off. RAM and Flash ROM are referred to by Microchip as data memory and program memory respectively. Confus- ing, sure, especially on the PIC I 8F series as large blocks of data in the form of lookup tobies would be stored in ROM. Data stored in RAM is lost when the PIC supply voltage is switched off. ROM data, on the other hand, is retained. Both RaM and ROM data may be changed by the running program. In the first application the author used an 1 8 series chip for, 1 2 k of ROM was used for daia and less than 1 k for program. In this two-part arti- cle we will use tne terms RAM and ROM for these areas of memory. Table 2 shows the memory map for the RAM. When we access RAM directly, we only have one byte (the address byte ) available to identify the location (address). Typically you would give your RAM locations — usually called registers — a name that relates to their general function and defines them at the start of your pro gram, for example: COUNT EQU 0x24 The 0x24 is the location (in hex) in the RAM and you only have a range of 256 possible locations. Since there are far more than 256 bytes of RAM, a banking scheme has to be used to access them all. This was also the case in the PIC 1 6 series but the arrangement in the PICT 8 series is completely different. There are potentially sixteen banks available, numbered rrom 0 fo 15. Only banks 0, 1,2 and 15 are imple- mented in the '242 or '442. The '252 and '452 have banks 3, 4 and 5 Implemented as well. Bank 15 is used by the Special Fundi on Registers so either three or six banks [768 or 1536 bytes) are available for general pur- pose registers. These bonks can be selected using the Bank Select Register BSR but as we shall see, we would not normally need to worry about this. Direct addressing Direct addressing is much easier than with the PJC1 6F series and we've reasons to doubt if most programs will need fo use bonking commands at all. As you will see from the memory map, the first half of bank 0 and the second half of bank ] 5 have been desig- nated as the Access Bank . From reading the Microchip data sheet, you would think that this gave you 1 28 Gen- era! Purpose Registers and all the Special Function Regis- ters which you could access directly without using bank- ing commands. This would be good, but the reality is even better, since you can, in practice, use all 256 registers in bank zero ond all the Special Function Registers without using bank- ing commands and without running into conflicts. Since we just said above that you could only ever access 256 bytes without a banking command, how does this work? It works by using the access bit [a) to select either the access bank or the bonk selected by the BSR. Suppose we define a register calf TESTREG as follows TESTREG EQU 0x84 A look at the Special Function Register map will show you that 84 in the Access bank Is Port E. You would think that a conflict would then exist between these, and indeed If could but for the way Microchip have defined the default value of the access bit. Consider the following code: MOVLW 02 MOVWF TESTREG MOVLW 04 MOVWF PORTE Although we have not used the access bit, these lines will be translated by the compiler os if we had written: MOVLW 02 MOVWF TESTREG, 1 MOVLW 04 1 0/5004 - s-tklGf tlfcdroma 63 Table 1. PIC 16 vs PIC1SF quick comparison Type Code Package I/O (tines) RAM (bytes) FLASH ROM (bytes) EEPROM (bytes) 16F873 28 pin DIL 22 192 4k 128 56F874 40 pin DLL 33 192 4k j 128 16F876 28 pin DIL 22 368 8 k | 256 16F877 40 pin DIL 33 368 8 k 256 1 8F242 28 pin DIL 22/23 * 768 8/16 k ** 256 1 8F442 40 pin DIL 33/34 * 768 8/16 k ** 256 18F252 28 pin DIL 22/23 * 1536 16/32 k *- 256 1 8F452 40 pin DIL 33/34 * 1536 16/32 k *- 256 * The extra output pin (RA6) can be implemented in place of the OSC2 pin where an external clock is used. T * See description of the Flash ROM for the explanation of these dual figures. MOVWF PORTE f 0 For the first MOVWF command the access bit is 1 which means use ihe bank specified by the B$R, the default value of which is zero. The 02 will thus be put in location 0x084. For the second MOVWF command the access bit Is 0 which means use the access bank. The 04 will then be stored in 0xF84, The clever bit is that we don't have to think about this at all, the compiler does it all for us f provided, of course, all the necessary 'declarations' [label and/or function state- ments) are present at the start of the program code. Don't worry if you don't fully understand all of the above, all that matters is that you can use all the General Pur- pose Registers you want from 00 to FF, and all the Spe- cial Function Registers that you need to, without having to worry about banking ot all. If you need more than 256 registers, you should probably be using indexed address- ing anyway. For the purpose of this explanation we shall only talk about FSR0 and 1NDF0 but exactly the same rules apply to the other two. The big difference is that there is now an FSROL (L= low) register which is an 8-bit register and Is equivalent to fhe FSR register in the 16F series. We now also have an FSR0H (H= high) register of which only the lowest four bits are available, as these ore all that ore needed to address the sixteen banks. By using these two registers together we can point to any- where in the RAM memory space. Better still, if we ore incrementing FSROL, then when we get to OFF and incre- ment FSROL again, FSROL changes to 00 and FSR0H is automatically incremented so we can move seamlessly from, soy, FF in bank 2 to 00 in bank 3. it gets better still because additional ways of manipulat- ing indirect addressing have been introduced. These are: [where n is 0, I or2) Indirect addressing if you thought, direct addressing was good, things get even better with Indirect addressing. This Is because we have □ 12-bit number to use for addressing, giving us direct access to all 16 bonks. After all, both 2 ^ and 1 6 x 256 equal 4,096. First of all, there are now three FSR registers, FSR0, FSR 1 and F5R2. Associated with these are ihree INDF registers. Table 2. PIC18F RAM memory map Bank no* /name Address Range Comment 0 000 - OFF 00 -7F is Access Bank 1 100- IFF 2 200 - 2FF 3-5 300 - 5FF where implemented 6-14 600 - EFF not used 15 F00 - F7F not used Special Function Registers F80 - FFF (Access Bank] INDFn Carries out the command to the indirect register and does nothing else. The same as the 1 6 series INDF. POSTDECn As above, but after carrying out the com- mand, ihe FSR is automatically decre- mented. POSTINCn After carrying out the command ihe FSR is Incremented. PREINCn The FSR is incremented before carrying out the command. PLUSWn The value in the W register is used as an offset to the FSR. After the command both the FSR and W registers remain the same. An example of the last of these commands would be: INCF PLUS W0 If the value in FSR0 was 0x023 and the value In W was 04, then the effect of the above command svould be to increment the value In location 0x027, After the com- mand ihe values in FSRO and W would be unchanged. Consider the following pieces of code which you should always use in the initialisation port of any program to clear the RAM. tVU'i ckdftmia- 1 0/ 2004 All Greek to me . can well imagine that this article is daunting to beginners. Much of the difficulty in making sense of articles on micro- controllers is the perplexing number of abbreviations used by manufacturers and died -in-fhe-wool programmers. PIC originally thought to mean Programmable Interface Controller but Microchip have since advised that the abbre- viation is meaningless. RAM ROM D1L F E EPROM BSR REG SFR GPR random access memory read-only memory dual-in-line En PiC 1C type cades, usually 'Flash' electrically erasable programmable read only memory bonk select register register special function register general purpose register For the 16F series we would have written: NEXT MOVLW 0x2 0 MQVWF FSR CLR INDF INCF FSR BTFSS FSR, 7 GOTO NEXT (his segment of code starts at RAM location 0x20 [after the Special Function Registers) and clears each RAM location until 0x7 F t.e, the whole of bank 1 . Because Ox3O-0x9F are Special Function Registers, you would have had to write similar separate segments Far banks 2, 3 and 4. For the PIC 1 8F devices we can write LFSR NEXT CLRF BTFSS GOTO FSRO, 0x000 POSTINCO FSR0H r 0 NEXT Examining this line by line, line 1 starts with a new instruciion LFSR. You can put values in FSROL and FSR0H separately using the normal MOVLW and MGVWF com- mands. However you can also initialise both registers at once using the LFSR command, followed by FSR0 (or I or 2), then o comma followed by a three digit hex number. The first digit will go into the low byte of FSR0H and the other two into FSRL. So the effect of our first line is to ensure that the FSR is pointing to the first register En our RAM space. The next line is a label, NEXT, followed by the familiar CLRF. The POSTINCO operand would result in the regis- ter at location 000 being cleared and the F5R0 register then being incremented. After She GOTO NEXT instruction the value in 0x001 will be cleared ond this sequence will be continued until the BTFSS FSROHjO command causes the program to jump out of the loop when the value in FSR0 reaches 0x100. The lost memory location to be cleared will be 0x0 FF. With the P1CI8F series, only four lines of cade have cleared all 256 bytes of bank 0. To clear this much mem- ory on the PIC 16 series we would have had to repeat the six lines shown twice more for banks 1 ond 2 making o total of eighteen lines. Next month,.. The next instalment will look at the improvements to ROM addressing and ihe implementation of long look up tables. MEflfrl) Web pointer PiC 1 8 F24 2/ 252/442/452 datasheet at h tip:/ / ww } . m icroc h ip , com /do \vn l pads/ en / DeviceDoc/39564b pdf Double Sided, 1.6 mm, Plated Through, Green Solder mask, Hot Air Level, 1 White Legend. jJroEPE-: / : :e: JjTCUjX ej Z r. TIC Price including tooting + plotting + VAT 100 mm x 160 mm 1 pc = 45.74 Euro 100 mm x 80 mm 5 pcs = 68.97 Euro 10/20B4 - thktar eiErtrcnrrs 65 Steve Teal ^ a Row Play against each other or against the micro! With ordinary (board) games there is always the possibility that some parts get lost over time, such as playing pieces, cards or dice. An electronic version of the game obviously doesn't suffer from this. But this is not the only advantage that modern technology offers us. Apart from playing against another human opponent you can also play against the microprocessor. A handy undo' function is included, which lets you correct any mistakes you made (usually some silly move!). The game First we’ll explain the rules, just in case you're not familiar with them. Four in a tow is normally played with two play- ers, who each use different coloured discs. Toe players take it in turn to drop a disc into any of the columns of a name. The first one who manages to get four of his discs in a row (horizon- tally, vertically or diagonally), wins. In this instance the game can also be played against the micro controller. There are several methods that can be used to implement an automatic oppo- nent. A large number of examples can be found on the Internet. Most of these are based on Alpha -Bet a algorithms and there is even one that uses an enor- mous table to search for the best move. Tne algorithm in our version isn't quite an Alpha-Beta one. but it still makes a very capable opponent. The automatic opponent can be turned on at any time. The micro will then make the next move. Tne play area is represented by a matrix of 42 hi- colour LEDs. Tne play- ers drop a disc down a column using the switches that are underneath each column. When ’four in a row’ are detected the winning line will hash and the game is over. Every move made is also stored, so it is always possible to go back. Tnis even works when a winning line flashes. Tne game is built round an AT90S2313 microcontroller by Atm el, which runs at 10 MHz. Tne circuit diagram is shown in Figure 1. As you can see, the LED matrix takes up most of the board. Tne 12 cathode lines are driven by IC2. This is aBEF4894B, a relatively new addition to the 400 OB CMOS family. It The circuit 66 drklQrelHtrs'ks ■ 10/M4 eaETic-ii Figure L The circuit contains 42 hhcotour LEDs for the play area. is a 12-channel serial to parallel shift register with open drain outputs. This IC was specifically designed as a LED driver and is therefore particularly suit- able for our application. With this IC the use of common anode LEDs was the logical choice. The LEDs are multiplexed. The columns axe activated in turn, while the right rows are activated at the same time, ma kin g the required LEDs Light up. The LEDs aren't very bright, but it's sufficient for indoor use. The current through the LEDs is limited to 20 mA r because the HEF4894B cannot sink more than that. Since they are multiplexed at a ratio of 1:7, the aver- age current is only about 2 to 3 mA. The anodes are driven by IC3 T an 8- channel source driver that is connected to port B of the microcontroller. The software goes through all the columns. Pin PB3 is skipped because this connects to the piezo buzzer. Dur- ing the scanning of the columns a check takes place to see if a switch is pressed (see the sidebar). This uses a common return signal, which is con- nected to FDD of the microcontroller. The extra diodes prevent more than one column becoming active when several switches are pressed. The circuit contains a voltage regula- tor, so the power source can either be a 9 V battery or mains adapter. The maximum current consumption is about 150 mA, so we would recom- mend that you use a 300 mA mams adapter. The idle current of the circuit is 800 uA. 1 This is a bit too much to leave the cir- cuit permanently powered by batteries, so an on/off switch is recommended. The circuit will also work with four AA ceils and a diode instead of IC4. Tne idle current without a voltage regulator is only 1 uA and an on/off switch is no longer necessary. This is feasible since the circuit goes into a sleep mode auto- matically when it hasn’t detected any activity for a certain length of time. Tne memory contents are saved in this state and it is possible to resume a game again at any time. 1 0/2004 - ekklcr eleftrcrJcs 67 Operation When used in combination with shift key SI, column switches 1 to 7 (52 to 58) have a different function. To access these func- tions you first have to hold down the shift key, then momentarily press the required column switch. The shift key can then be released again. Switch Function 1 New game 2 Undo the last move 3 Two players 4 One player / micro 5 Sound off 6 Sound on 7 Kaleidoscope New game When this switch is pressed during a game, the board is wiped dear and a new game starts. When you play ogoinst the microcontroller you will have the first move. Undo the last move Every move can be undone. If you press this switch repeatedly It is even possibfe to go right back to the beginning of a game. After you have gone back o move, it Is always the turn of the human player. This can result in a change of sides during the game. !n that case you should press switch 4, which forces the micro to make a move. Two players If you press on Two players' then two people can play against each other. One player / micro This switch lets you play against the AT micro. It can also be used to force the micro to make a move at any time. Pressing It repeatedly therefore makes the microcon- troller play against itself. Sound on /off These switches turn the sound effects on and off. Each player is represented by different sounds. A short beep is made whenever a switch is pressed. Kaleidoscope This was added just for fun, os there was still some room left in the Flash memory and a spare switch was available, LEDs are randomly turned on and off in symmetrical patterns on the display. The colours are limited to red and green; the yellow/orange combination isn't used. Note that you will lose any game in progress when you select the kaleidoscope function. Furthermore, the power-down timer is not active in this mode, so you have to take care that you don't drain the batter- ies. Pressing any of the column switches will exit from the kalei- doscope mode. Construction You should choose a suitable case before starting with the construction of the PCB. We've chosen a Factec case without a battery compartment. The bare PCB can then be used as a drill template. We have added some extra holes for this in the centre of the switches. TYy to keep the height of the populated PCB as low as possible. The LEDs and switches should rise above all other components. Keep this in mind when you buy the components and mount the electrolytic capacitors horizontally if necessary (first measure the available space in the case). You can also gain some space by avoiding IC sockets. If you find this a bit scary, you should consider the method we've used in our proto type (Figure 3). This is covered in more detail in one of the design tips else- where in this issue. As always, you should start with the wire links on the PCB. You should then solder the rest of the components, but leave the LEDs till last. Check the polarity and make sure that they are all at the same height above the PCB. The microcontroller can be programmed in advance or via connector PL1. There may be some unusual behaviour during testing. Especially when a 6 V supply with diode (instead of 9 V and a voltage regulator) is used, you'll find COMPONENTS LIST Resistors: R l -R 1 2 - 47Q R 1 3 , R 1 6 “ 1 00 ka R14 = 4ka7 R1 5= I son Capacitors: Cl ,C2 a* ICjiF 16V radio! C3,C4,C5 = lOQnF C6 = lOnF C7,C8 = 33pF Semiconductors: D1-D7 - IN4148 D8-D49 = bi-colour LED (red/green) with common anode IC1 = AT90S23 1 3-1 GPC, programmed, order code 030 146-41 IC2 = HEF4B94BP EC 3 - UDN2981 A IC4 - 7805 or 1 N4004 * Miscellaneous: 51-S8 = mimalure pushbutton, 1 make contact BZ1 = 6V DC (active) buzzer XI = 1 0MHz quartz crystal K1 = 6-way SIL header Cass, s.g,, PacTec type HP PCB, order code 030146-1 Disk, conjoins source and hex code files, order code 030146-11 or Free Dov/nlood Figure 2 .During construction you should keep in mind the limited height available in the case , 68 eblttor ekdroiiUs - Tfl/2004 Algorithm The bed move' algorithm is the intelligence behind the comput- erised opponent. The algorithm that finally found its way into the processor was first tested extensively on the PC. The program (and the C code) are included in the download package. This code makes it easier to follow the workings of the algorithm and it is simpler to experiment with. The algorithm looks several moves ahead. Every possible move is given a score and the move with the highest score will finally be chosen. There are two important functions: AVRMove (AufoMove in the C version) searches far any obvious moves. The second function, NextSearch, is called when no move is found that gives an immediate win. This function is recursive and is called until a winning move is found or a certain maxi- mum search depth has been reached. Winning lines When a search has reached the maximum depth without finding a winning move, the NextSearch routine determines the state of the board. During this process the board is not considered os a matrix, but as 69 potential winning lines. The number of discs belonging to each player is counted for every possible line and this information is used to assign a score. When a line has discs from bath players, and can therefore never be a winning line, it is allocated a score of zero. The total score for player 1 is calcu- lated by adding the scores of all possible lines and then sub- tracting the scores of [he lines of player 2. The score for player 2 is the some, but with a minus sign in front of it. Next a small random value is added to [he scores to give a bit of chance to the gome and to reduce the possibility of identical games. Optimisation The search depth is limited to five levels, which means that NextSearch will be called recursively up to a maximum of five times after AVRMove has been called. Theoretically something like 20,000 discs can be played and removed. This requires a fair amount of processing power and time, and we have there- fore made the search routine as efficient as possible. When NextSearch is called it receives the best score of the pre- vious search level. After NextSearch calculates a new score for a certain column, the scores are compared. Should the result be worse than the current best score, this search is broken off. The danger here is that a move could be arrived at which is worse than the calculated score would suggest, since this method doesn't look at every possible combination of moves. To avoid a bad move as much os possible, the search is never bro- ken of as long as it is at the first search depth. that the voltage on the FCB drops very slowly after the battery is discon- nected, due to the very low current consumption. One consequence of this is that the voltage doesn’t drop far enough for the power-up reset to work when the battery is reconnected. This makes it appear as if the circuit is no longer working, even though power is applied. If this happens you could reset the processor manually by brieOy shorting C6. Playing a game When power is first applied a diagonal line of burning LEDs moves across the play area. The default setting is for one player to play against the microcon- troller. When one of the switches underneath a column is pressed, a dropping disc is simulated. Next it is the micro's turn and after about a second it will make its move using the other colour. Then it is the first player’s turn again and this continues until one of the players has ’four in a row’ (horizontally, vertically or diagonally), or until the board is full. Flashing LEDs shows a winning line. This is shown for about 12 seconds, after which a diagonal line of LEDs clears the board and a new game can be started. When the playing field is completely full, without there being a winner, it becomes a draw. The game will stay in this state until a new game is started or the last move is undone. Figure 3. Homemade iC sockets keep the height limited. I0/2GO1 - e’ritc-r electronics 69 If no switch is pressed for about a minute, the processor turns itself off. The shift key (SI) should then be used to turn the game on again. The game then carries on from where it left off previously. Should there be no active game in the memory the diagonal line moves across the board, indicating the start of a new game. Software The software for the microcontroller is written Ln assembler and developed using AVR Studio from AtmeL This is freely available from the manufac- turer’s website. Apart from the source code (found in the file ‘inaLine.asiri), you will also need an include file (2313def*inc), which is included as standard with AVR Studio. Unfortunately, there is not enough room here to explain the workings of the software In detail, but we can give an overview of the more important rou- tines. There is also a further explana- tion of the search algorithm in the side- bar. Apart from running the usual initialisa- tion routines and setting up the timer, the processor also checks at switch- on if a game was still in progress. This is easily done by inspecting the value of the variable NEXT MOVE. The value here holds the number of moves made, starting at zero. Therefore any value other than zero means that a game is still in progress. Tire program checks continuously how many times the timer, which was set up at the start, has overflowed. Every time a switch is pressed the counter will be reset . This is how the program determines if it is time to turn itself off automatically* Before the device is turned off, the processor first checks if a winning line is flashing. If that is the case, the board is cleared using the moving diagonal line of LEDs and the game is reset. The timer then has to run its course again before fin ally turning off. Once the microcontroller is in its sleep mode there is not much that can wake it up again, It so happens that all inter- nal clocks have been stopped. But just before the sleep mode is started, exter- nal interrupt 0 is activated. Shirt key SI can then be used to start the associ- ated interrupt routine. The most impor- tant task of this routine is of course to clear the bit for sleep mode in the con- trol register of the microcontroller. Strength of play We’ve compared our program to sev- eral others on the Internet and of course to some human players as well hi general we found that our device plays quite well, especially when you compare the processor speed to that of a typical PC platform I And finally we would like to draw your attention to the website of Keith Po maki s , www.pomakis -com/ -pomaMs/ c4. Although there are numerous other sites about games such as four In a row and artificial intelligence, this site is one of the few which has a great example of a true Alpha-Beta game called con- nect 4\ Furthermore, the fully docu- mented source code is freely available. Internet wvAv.Qtmel.com (AVR Studio) E i * 0 ) lectroni £69.00 /U5$ 112.50 (plus postage) Flash Microcontroller Starter Kit t 4* Elektor Hardware & Software Contents of Starter Kit: Step into the fascinating world of microcontrollers 89S8252 Flash Microcontroller board (ready-assembled and tested RGB), 300-mA mains adapter, serial cable for COM port an a software bundle on CD-ROM. Article compilation on CD-ROM: • 89S8252 Flash Microcontroller Board (December 2001) • Microcontroller Basics Course parts 1-6 (January through June 2002) • Microcontroller Basics FAQ (September 2002) • Port Line and ADC Extension for 89S8252 Flash Micro Board (December 2002) • Chess Computer using the Flash Micro Board. Order now using the Order Form in the Readers Services section in this issue. Elektor Electronics (Publishing) P.O. Box 190 gland Telephone +44 (0) 1530 200 657 Fax +44 (0) 1580 200 616 See also www.elektor-etectronics.co.uk 70 Editor ilctfroiHE - 10/2004 QUASAR e I ectron i cs H&prg you rmm ffm rigrV ocnngQflcrji. Quasar Electronics Limited PO Box 8935, Bishops Stortford, CM23 4WP Tel; 0B70 246 1026 Fax: 0870 460 1045 E-mail: saies@quasarelectronics.com Add £2.95 P&F to all UK orders or 1st Class Recorded -£4.95, Next Day (Insu red E250J - £7,35 , Europe - £5 J5. Rest of World - £9.95 (order online for reduced price UK Postage]. We accept ail major credltdebit cards. Make chequ&Si'FO's payable to Quasar Electronics. Prices include 17,5% VAT, Call now for our FREE CATALOG U E with details of over 300 kits, projects, modules and publications. MAIL ORDER ONLY. CREDIT CARD SALES Motor Drivers/Controllers Here are just a few of our controller and driver modules for AC, DC, unipolar-bipolar stepper motors and servo motors. See website for full details. DC Motor Speed Controller (5A/100V) Control the speed of almost any common DC motor rated up to 100V/5A. Pulse width modulation output for maximum motor torque at all speeds. Supply: 5-15VDC. Box sup* plied. Dimensions (mm): 6QWx1Q0Lx6OH. Kft Order Code: 3G57KT - £12.95 Assembled Order Code: AS3Q67 - £19,95 NEW! PC / Standalone Unipolar Stepper Motor Driver Drives any 5. 6 or 8-lead unipolar stepper motor rated up to 6 Amps max. Provides speed and direc- tion control. Operates in stand-alone or PC- controlled mode Up to six 3179 driver boards can be connected to a single parallel port. Supply: 9V DC. PCB: 60x50mm. Kit Order Code: 31 79KT - £9.96 Assembled Order Code: AS3179 - £16.95 PC Controlled Dual Stepper Motor Driver independently control two unipolar stepper motors (each rated up to 3 Amps max.) using PC parallel port and soft- ware interface provided. Four digital inputs available for monitoring external switches and other inputs. Software provides three run modes and will half-step, single-step or man- ual-step motors Complete unit neatly housed in an extended D-she3l case. All components, case, documentation and software are sup- plied (stepper motors are NOT provided). Dimensions (mm): 55Wx70Lx15H. Kit Order Code: 31 1 3 KT - £15.96 Assembled Order Code: AS31 13 - £24.96 NEW! Bi -Polar Stepper Motor Driver Drive any bi-polar stepper motor using externally sup- plied 5V levels for stepping and direction control. These usually come from software running on a computer. Supply: 8-30 V DC, PCB: 75x85mm, Kit Order Code: 3158KT - £12.95 Assembled Order Code: AS31 58 - £26.95 Most items ars available in kit form (KT suffix) or assembled and ready for use (AS prefix). Controllers & Loggers Here are Just a few of the controller and data acquisition and control units we have. See website for full details. Suitable PSU for all units: Order Code PSU445 £8.95 Rolling Code 4-Channel UHF Remote State-of-the-Art. High security. 4 channels. Momentary or latching relay output Range up to 40m . Up to 1 5 T x f s can be learnt by one Rx (kit in- cludes one Tx but more avail- able separately). 4 indicator LED s. Rx: PCB 77x8Smm r 12VDC/6mA (standby). Two and Ten channel versions also available. Kit Order Code; 3180KT - £41.95 Assembled Order Code: AS31 80 - £49.95 Computer Temperature Data Logger 4-channel temperature log- ger for serial port, 5 C or °F. Continuously logs up to 4 separate sensors located qi 2Q0m+ from board. Wide range of free software appli- cations for storing 'using data. PCB just 38x38mm, Powered by PC. includes one DS1820 sensor and four header cables. Kit Order Code: 3145KT - £19.95 Assembled Order Code: AS31 45 - £26,95 Additional DS1820 Sensors - £3,95 each NEW! DTMF Telephone Relay Switcher Call your phone number using a DTMF phone from anywhere in the world and remotely turn orv'off any of the 4 relays as desired User settable Security Password. Anti- Tamper, Rings to Answer, Auto Hang-up and Lockout. Includes plastic case. 130x110x30mm, Power: 12VDC, Kit Order Code: 31 40KT - £39,95 Assembled Order Code: A331 40 - £43.95 Serial Isolated I/O Module PC controlled 8-Relay Board. 115/25GV relay outputs and 4 isolated digital inputs. Useful in variety of control and sensing applications. Uses PC serial port for programming (using our new Windows interface or batch files). Once programmed unit can operate without PC, Includes plastic case 130x100x30mm. Power Supply: 12VDC/500mA. Kit Order Code: 31 03KT - £54.95 Assembled Order Code: AS31 08 - £64.95 Infrared RC Relay Board Individually control 12 on- board relays with included infrared remote control unit. Toggle or momentary. I5m+ range, 1 12x1 22mm. Supply: 1 2VDC.0.5A Kit Order Code: 3142KT - £41,95 Assembled Order Code: AS31 42 - £51.95 PIC & AYMEL Programmers We have a wide range of low cost PfC and ATM EL Programmers. Complete range and documentation available from our web site. Program mer Accesso ries : 40-pin Wide ZIF socket (ZIF40W) £15.00 18V DO Power supply (PSU010) £19.95 Leads: Parallel (LEAD108) £4.95 / Serial (LEAD76) £4,96 / USB (LEADUAB) £2.95 NEW! USB ‘AJI-FIashVPlC Programmer USB PIC programmer for all ‘Flash’ devices. No external power supply making it truly portable. Supplied with box and Windows Software. ZIF Socket and USB Plug A-B lead not IncL Kit Order Code: 3128KT - £29.95 Assembled Order Code: AS3128- £39.95 Enhanced PICALL” ISP PIC Programmer Will program virtually ALL 8 to 40 pin PlCs plus a range of ATMEL AVR, SCENIX SX and E EPROM 240 de- vices. Also supports In Sys- tem Programming (ISP) tor PIC and ATMEL AVRs. Free software. Blank chip auto detect for super fast bulk programming. Requires a 40-pin wide ZIF socket (not included). Available in assembled format only. Assembled Order Code: AS31 44 - £54.95 ATMEL 99 xx xx Programmer Uses serial port and any standard terminal comms program. 4 LED’s display the status. ZIF sockets not included. Supply: 16-1 Kit Order Code: 3123KT - £29.95 Assembled Order Code: AS3123 - £34.95 NEW! USB & Serial Port PIC Programmer USB/Serial connection. Header for ICSP. Free Windows software. See website for PiCs ZIF Socket/USB Plug A-B lead extra. Suppfy: 18VDC, Code: 31 49KT - £29.95 Assembled Order Code: AS31 49 - €44.95 Secure Online Ordering Facilities Full Product Listing, Descriptions & Photos Kit Documentation & Software Downloads hT2Q04- riskbf dsrircrts 71 igu.ll ah* *J|prsTHL# lektor lectronics Micro Web Server for i Internet and Intranet Our incredibly popular MSC1210 microcontroller board (also known as Precision Measurement Central') now provides network and Internet connectivity, allowing the processor to publish its own data pages onto the web. The article describes a temperature logger allowing the user to enter, via the Internet, temperature limits and an email alarm address. The Micro Web Server can also switch network ports from an Internet-connected PC T literally anywhere on the globe. /_■ it $ ~ b ■ tt : All software for the project is available free of charge from our website! Order now using the Order Form in the Readers Services section in this issue. Now available: * MSC121 0 board (assembled and tested) * Network extension (assembled and tested) * Combined package (incl. all related Elektor Electronics articles on diskette) £ 69.00 (US$112.50) £ 41.95 (USS 73.95) £103.50 {USS 184.95) Elektor Electronics (Publishing) P-O. Box 190 Tunbiidge Wells "FN5 7WY England Telephone +44 (0) 1580 200 657 Fax +44(0) 1580 200 616 See also www.el eklo r-e lectronics .co.uk Special Offers :: * ,! * TEKTRONIX 2445A -I' ■ '■zZV'z Dei, Ctusors “I: iV.tb 2 TtVirGiO T ttiit-.i i 773? L r -J - y.: ;-:: izz-ze l -1 Tile '■!'! 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'.V, -V E M ■ “L E ■ :v-- £2=3 KEHWOOD CS4S2S tfeeSSKCS* TfJO* HWttt - £12S le*4er L39S23 OaeifoKOt* Trass 35WHz m3 GOULD 0S3M DsdSoscope Dull Trxg 5GUHz H6 *iA7LDJi.LLW>iASC'l ^ 1 r«i5 KERW3D0 VT17S V \i.--f--2Cfe-s ISO KEXW DD0 FLT40 i F3_T2f Uffff £S0 KEKW00D FUBM Won A FfcttErlftJ^fUi^ J £73 Mef £50 BOJ « )Uefer Ha Etarafift: far £ 2 a MARCOMt 5-33C += E ---r UfssseJ ON tfcaJ ESI hLARCOKl 5Sia 7f _ t - MS. - SSIto El 95 GOULD USStefSq Os: 1 0S - £75 - £125 A*'Gi M't .5 n ^. = -^= tic. _ 3 !f — -iic? r!: Qtffif Wftte GQOOWILl GVT477 ihii!DilClMbe^13Ur3)7f II i -;r: 1 C«j- 1LR3 SOLARTRDM 7153 D f JA.' l :J - : >=. la-JZ? ! “ : r-i if -A F ARMfil h£E 53 3 -&j 7 I-i-H FAJWEU -+: 1 ?3 C-KV: >2=i Fewh K PS] 5 : 0 0-2Z , ■> ■ ■: A FARRELL EXM PKJ XM5-2T Q-S5U £-IA Tw^a GAffi. LCD DeSp^f £1EB FABJiRL > 2 ; Fatnell DTV 12-14 Oscilloscope Dual Trace 12 /rtKz TV Coup I in g Dni^ Fame II LFI Sine/Sq Oscilloscope IDHi-IMHi Only High Quality 6.5 Digit Bench Muitfmeter Hi-f r^s! PcwfT Si^jusiara-iiile. ITJi/lL L 5 U j-M-j LdI 02 F ^ -Til H r gj.VL 5 ••;?: C-:: 7 -L r ---J 8 i L > E 29 M Tfue RMS 4 viira Current Converter fe-jEnr- 7 =f 241 .' ••-‘Ts 1 - jl't'A . £ 4 ft H.P.S 342 A tEKi - f-StjSffcl 1 L-_- 7 - u p t tr. - - ... . „ r ■:,- ----- £ . EJ-S 3 5 TIWART of KEAP 0 WQ 22 i 5 IfeP kfefiEj m'.>£ - 2 S-r Era 110 WTKEHAM ROAD, REAOIftD, BERKS. RQ6 1PL Telephone: (0118) 9268041. Fax: (0118) 9351693 vAnv. Stewart- Qf-roading.co.uk Caton llTEOTa Kcm IStsCTii - ^-inr- :— =r: 5— t--:--— r OSCILLOSCOPES lEXfBMUX TDSSQ Eteri l as t SiOWftz 1 &S — TEEntOm TBS3 33 C-i6? 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SaE>ttS^ EbJeSob :& fl DC ' SOCKrtl £»M£t2Si = _*:■ 5 : 1 = ::-7 - •• • = - : i:iz *•: a: r-:=.-'f H.P. S1I&4 Fslt» ant?atr £tWi hp, se^ra s^n ei-jcswie bsh Efl-AtlAL S'nTTCH 1 5 G_-TI £45 ifECioa Eli Radio C a mm uoi cations Test Sets KIBiEe^ r :-iz i :;-i. : ■ '>574 smtwsissBi 47^: -T.-P r r inn ^EE 1751 Used Equip me k t - GUARANTEED. Manuals supplied. Tnii is a VERY SMM1 SA.VFTE 0? STOCK. S££ or T^une fur fek. F&ase deck bekv wffering. CARRIAGE ail im3s £1 E. VAT to he atfted to ct Goods an) CBsilage. 72 ek Sctar el^clruTiIrs - 1D/2GD4 FRUSTRATED! ^ ^ ^ Looking for ICs TRANSISTORS? A phone cal! to us could get a result. We offer an extensive range and with a world- wide database at our (Inge nips, we are able to source even more. We specialise in devices with the follow ing prefix (to name but a few t. 2N 2SA 2SB 2SC 2SD 2P 2SJ 2SK 3N 3SK 4N 6N 17 40 AD .ADC AN AM AY BA EC BD BDT BDY BDW BDX BF 1 BFR BFS BFT BFX BFY BLY BLX BS BR BRX BRY BS ! BSS BSV BSW BSX BT BTA BTB BRW B U BUK BUT IUJY BUW BUX BUY BUZ CA CD CX CXA DAC DC DM DS DTA DTC GL GM HA HCF HD HEF ICL ICM 1RF J KA KIA L LA LB LC LD LF LM M M5M MA MAS MAX MB MC MDAJ MJE MJF MM MN MPS MPSA MPSH MPSU MRF NJM NE OM OP PA PAL PIC PN RC S SAA S AB SAD S.AJ S.A.S SDA SG SI SL SN SO ST.A STK SIR STRD STRM STRS SV1 T TA TAA TAG TBA TC TCA TDA TDB TEA TIC TIP T1PL TEA TL TLC TAtP TMS TPU U UA UAA UC UDN' ULN UM UFA UPC UPD YN X XR Z ZN ZTS + tnan_\ others YVe can also ofTer equivalents (at customers' risk) W'e also stock a full range of other electronic components Mail, phone. Fas Credit Card orders and callers welcome Cricklewood Electronics Ltd 40-42 Cricklewood Broadway London NAY2 3ET Tel: 020 8452 0161 Fax: 020 8208 1441 Creating a v^b browser or mob ;e phone basal interface is simple using the rmxJufar LcoServ system. The PicoSe tv web module takes care of • fVeb'iWk interfacing o internet protocols 9 WPP page stcrega PicoSer, E 0 modules pro, be s mp!e analogue she digital : 'terraces to the real Vi'orid and the SMS gateway module s: oas remote access us : ngs mobile phone, Basic KTUL programming is a': that is required for >ou to be rapidly in control of your system mom 6 n yVinete! HUEJurouinw ■ LYCHjSTTTU JU/WHJHk'. O PEYOTE S£KS£V6 9 REMOTE CtyiTRQL 9 P. T i 5 fift'i Lf£*iTA£. MO.WO 3: .Vu o PicoServ provides all that is required to enable an Internet web server to be integrated into your system or product, providing remote control and remote access via the Web or mobile phone .TO.NTTORWG * c?T£7»£?»Cy CiJl ■ IDW ttl$F • WtVPOiVST • S'iUUSSe * F?d Cut T'CYE... www, compulogic, in fo iirfb@c ompulogic-CQ , uk :-:e +44 1234 75EG48 efeftor iactronics ECD (Edition 2) Elektor’s Components Database The program package consists of four databanks covering ICs, transistors, diodes and optocoupfers. A further nine applications cover the calculation of, for example, zener diode series resistors, voltage regulators, voltage dividers and AMVs. A colour band decoder is included for determining resistor and inductor values. The ECD gives you easy access to design data for over 5,700 ICs, more than 35,000 transistors, FETs, thyristors and triacs, just under 25,000 diodes and 1,800 optocouplers. All databank applications are fully interactive, allowing the user to add, edit and complete component data. This CD-ROM (Windows XP compatible) is a must-have for ail electronics enthusiasts. RHP £12.35 (US$22.30) Now extended with even more ICs, transistors, FETs, thyristors and triacs! Order now using the Order Form in the Readers Services section in this issue. Elektor Electronics (Publishing) RO. Box 190 Tunbridge Wefts TN5 7WY England Telephone +44 (0) 1580 200 657 Fax +44 (0) 1580 200 616 See also ww w.ef e ktor-e I eciro mcs.co.uk 10/2004 - ele-klof etetfionks 73 inside out Harry Baggen in no time at ail, the USB Flash Drive or Memory Stick has become one of the most popular memory devices: small, robust, large capacity, no battery. Now that Elektor Electronics are offering a 1 28-MB USB Memory Stick as a welcome gift to new subscribers, it's high time your favourite electronics magazine told you how it works. Really useful, such a USB Flash drive. It will fit in your trouser pocket, does not eat b arteries and. holds lots and lots of computer data. Around for a number of years already, this memory device has become incredibly popular. So what’s inside a Flash Drive and how does it work? Using oux welcome gift to new {18- month) subscribers we’ll teO you, with a note that the description is applicable to other brands and types, too. The photograph shows that there’s preciously little inside a Flash drive* The main com- ponents are the Flash mem- ory (the big back slice at the top side) and the controller (with this type, at the under- side). There are also a couple of smaller SMD parts, a quart z crystal and an indica- tor LED signalling data access. A small slide switch is fitted at the side to provide write protection. Two ICs The block schematic structure of the two large ICs is shown in Figure 1. The Flash disk controller (here, an OTi-2168) is specially designed for this sort of application, it contains a fast RISC core that handles the complete communication vrith the Flash memory, enabling the computer connected to the Flash drive to ’think’ that a ordinary hard disk is con- nected to one of its USB ports. Furthermore, the OTi chip con- tains an integrated fast UB2.0 interface allowing the highest possible data speed of 480 Mbit/s to be achieved. You may wonder why so much computing power is neces- sary, The answer is we’re not just looking at serial/parallel conversion but also at all the protocols that apply to access- ing the Flash memory. Com- plying with a protocol and thus establishing communica- tion with the Flash memory device over a number of I/O pins is radically different from driving a set of address and data pins on conventional RAM or EE PROM. The Flash memory is a 1024 Mbit (128 Mbyte) ’NAND’ type from Samsung driven via eight I/O lines. The controller issues commands for reading, writ- ing or erasing while also sup- plying the relevant addresses and data. Changing the drive letter Normally, Windows XP will automatically assign the next available drive letter in fhe sysiem when a memory stick is plugged into a USB port for the first time. However, prob- lems may arise In a network environment where access is granted to drives on a another computer (like a server). In such eases, ir may happen lhat the memory stick is assigned [he same letter as one of the network drives, or Is not Visi- ble at all. Such problems may be prevented by assigning a different drive letter to your memory stick. In the Start menu, go to Settings/Control Panef/Administrative Tools, and open Computer Management. In the left-hand area of the window, dick on Storage - Disk management, this will make all available drives show up in the right-hand area. Find the USB memory stick and right-click on its sym- bol. Select Change Drive Letter and Paths, and ossign a free letter to the drive, for example, Z/ 74 elckt-zr dedronks - 1 0/2004 0T1 -2168 The block diagram gives a fair impression of the memory chip complexity — a lot of intelli- gence lurks inside the memory to make sure all processes run properly. One of the main points to note with any Flash memory is reli- ability- Flash memory cells do not have eternal life an the odd cell may malfunction dur- ing operation. That's why an extensive internal error check- ing system is available (ECC, error correction code). With all operations, (read t write, but also erasure), the data integrity is checked. In case an error is found, it is corrected and the contents of the entire block' containing the error is copied to another, free, block in the memory. Toe manufacturer claims a life- time of 100,000 erasure and write cycles to the device. Data is held in the memory cells for at least 10 years. How does a Flash memory work? The basic construction of Flash memory is derived from the EPROM. Each memory cell consists of MOSFET with two gates (Figure 2). A floating gate is “inserted' between the control gate and the substrate of the FET. This floating gate employs an extremely thin layer of silicon dioxide hence forms a nearly perfect isola- tion, preventing electronics injected into the gate from leaking away when the supply voltage is switched off. The number of electrons present on the floating gate determines if a logic High or Low level is being stored. Cell program- ming and erasure is effected by applying a relatively strong held between gate and sub- strate, allowing electrons to travel across the isolation bar- rier. This process is called Fowler-Wordheim tunnelling. In the mean time, millions of USB memory sticks and cards have proved the reliability of Flash- based memory devices — they can be relied upon to keep your data secure for many years. «w3QZ?3-1 12, VH.Z CTj-ttEj n- j t Figure L r.-o complex iCs rule in a USB Flash drive a dedicated microcontroller and c NAND Hash rr,emor> Programming Erasing -iszzm - lj Figure I. Basic operation of a Flesh men ary cell (source Toshiba}. 10/2004 ■ elehor elcdroda start here One-component Meal Detector Rev. Thomas Scarborough The principle behind a metal detector is really quite simple. The proof: this article, which demonstrates that a detector may be built in a jiffy from just one active component and easi- ly accessible auxiliary items. LI Faraday Shield IC1 =401068 Af. w. Radio Aerial The design shown here is quite sensitive: depending on tuning, metal coins may be delected at a distance of 80-90 cms. As opposed to many other designs, the circuit shown here is relatively stable in respect of tuning and therefore easy to use. Operation Just as with many other metal detectors, this instrument employs the 8FO (beat frequency oscilla- tor) principle. A tone is produced whose frequency Is the difference between a variable and o refer- ence oscillator. In this circuit, □ pocket medium-wave radio is used for the frequency reference. The variable oscillator in the detector is built around a hex (six-fold) Schmitt trigger inverter 1C, the 40106EL The home- made detection coil is inserted between the input ana the output of one of the gates in the 40106. Electronics textbooks will tell you that an inductor will oppose fast changes in an applied voltage. Looking at the circuit diagram shown here, any change in the logic level at pin 2 of 1C1 .A will be delayed before It is copied to input pin 1. This delay will cause the circuit to starl oscillating, and the resulting signal is inductively coupled fa the antenna on or In the MW radio. Although the MW radio will be tuned to a frequency that's much higher than the one generated by the 40106 gate, the BFO princi- ple works equally well with oscil- lator harmonics. If metal is present in the vicinity of the coil, the inductance of LI will increase or decrease, causing the oscillator frequency to drop or rise respectively. This effect is made audible via the radio's loudspeaker. Depending on ihe make of the 40106 you're using the oscillator will operate at 200-300 kHz, IC1 .5 is used as o buffer, ensur- ing that the oscillator only sees a light, fairly constant lead and so guaranteeing that the output fre- quency remoins stable (within lim- its, of course). Coil winding The detection coil consists of 70 turns of 0,35 mm diameter (28 SWG) enamelled copper wire an a former with diameter or 1 20 mm. The construction of the coil is no! critical. As you wind, the turns may be held together with small pieces of sticky tape. Once the winding is complete, the coif has to be fully isolated with electrical tape. Keep the two inductor ends free, however. Screening and connecting Next, the coil has to be screened using a couple of strips of thin sheet metal. First wind approxi- mately 1 00 mm bare copper wire around the Isolated coil This wire will be in electrical contact with the screening later. The metal strips are now fitted around the coil, covering the bare copper wire. Although the screen- ing has to cover the full circumfer- ence of the coil, a small gap of about 1 0 mm has bo allowed for, in other words, the start and end of each metal strip may not touch. Secure the screening with electri- cal tape. Next, connect the coil ends to the circuit by means of screened microphone cable of undisputed quality. The order of the connec- tions is not Important, as long as you make sure the coil screen is connected to the cable screen (braid) and the circuit ground. Of course, the detection coil may be given a professional look and finish using, for example, a disc and a handle. Detection Pin 4 of the 40106 1C has to be connected to the radio by way of screened coble. If the radio does not have a separate antenna input, feed me metal detector out- put to the whip antenna by means of a small croc clip. Switch on the metal detector power supply, then the radio, and select the MW (medium-wave) range. Tune the radio until a loud whistle is heard. The detector can distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The first will cause the fre- quency to rise, the latter, to drop. There's room to experiment with ihe oscillator output frequency. This Is easiest done by raising the supply voltage (max. 15 V). 76 dtfctor detircnlcs - 10/2 004 Ultra iow-profile IC socket Line-2-mic for notebook Even if you have made something yourself you often want It to have a professional look. Also, if you know space constraints well before starting out on a project, it is perfectly possible to achieve nice looking results. Size of a finished project often equates to 'os small as possible' so in many cases it is sufficient to make sure a circuit board takes up as little space as possible. SMD parts are then □ logic choice but unfortunately not o I ways. For example, devices may be available in conventional leaded cases only. Even more problematic are relatively expen- sive ICs like microcontrollers. To prevent damage during solder- ing, these precarious parts are preferably fitted in on IC socket, which will also prove Invaluable when the IC needs to be replaced or programmed. Still, conven- tional IC sockets increase the height of the finished PCB and are therefore omitted in many cases. Fortunately there's a relatively sim- ple solution to this dilemma as with a bit of skill you can make an IC socket that adds very little height indeed. The DIY socket employs individual receptacles supplied on a carrier strip, far example order code 739049 from Conrad Electronics. These ore not the same as the 511 socket strips you con buy to make your own 1C sockets. The device used here consists of a carrier with pins onto which round receptacles are secured. The carrier only serves to keep the receptacles aligned with the grid for IC pins. The carrier Is cut to size and the receptacles pushed Into the PCB holes before they are soldered. Next, the carrier can be pulled off laving he receptacles firmly seated in the board and acting like a very low profile IC socket. The empty strips are best dis- carded straight away os they can naf be used to make further 1C sockeis. As we learned the hard way, ICs will not fit... Modern laptop and notebook PCs almost invariably come with a microphone input but not a line input for audio signals. A reader asked us for a simple circuit lhat world enable him to connect an audio line signal to the micro- phone input. We do like the easy ones! Because the microphone input is usually monaural, a stereo line signal requires not only attenuating but also summing to turn stereo Into mono. A voltage divider comprising just three resis- tors [R3, R4, R5) does the job. A couple of measurements on a Creative SB Live! Soundcard showed that the microphone input can handle input signals up to about 15 mV when the 'Mic- baost' function was enabled. Lev- els exceeding 1 5 mV or so cause dipping. Based on this research we can only assume that sound- cards in laptops respond in a sim- ilar way. The calculation of the voltage divider Is based on o line level of 2 x 2 V [as, for instance, from a CD player). R 5 takes a value of 2.2 kQ for a reasonable micro- phone impedance simulation. Inis results in an associated series resistor of 680 kQ which even affords some headroom to cope with slightly higher line levels. Two capacitors. Cl and C2, have been added to the circuit to afford decoupling of any bios voltages that may be supplied by ihe mic input for condenser microphones, a well as fa prevent plops when the plug Is inserted. R1 and R2 serve to keep the capacitors dis- charged as well as to lower [he input impedance to the standard value of about 47 kQ. far fne Inputs you may apply cinch sockets or a 3.5-mm stereo jack. If the microphone input on your PC is considerably Jess sensi- tive without MEc-boost of about 20 dB, (Le., 10 times less) then the resistor values moy be adapted. R3 and R4 take 10 times smaller values while the apposite applies to Cl and C2. To maintain a nominal input impedance of 47 kil R1 and R2 then need to be increased to iso ka. This circuit is of course also per- feet if you want to add on extra line input to a soundcard in a desktop PC. 10/2004 - eh ktor electronics 77 start 'iere Figure 1 . Eight resistors and eight transistors fit comfortably into the 25- way connector housing . RF Co Interface Parallel interface for remote appliance switching Karl Kockeis There are a number of 'home automation’ systems available that use a hand-held RF control unit to switch household electrical appliances remotely. This article describes some simple interface hardware to link the control unit to your computer’s parallel port and allow automatic control from your PC. The vast majority of printers man- ufactured today connect to the USB port on your computer* This means that the para! Id printer port is often left just gathering dust. The interface described in this article connects to the pa rol- ls! port and uses very simple and inexpensive hardware to convert a commercially available RF appliance controller for automatic control from a PC. The computer parallel port has an eight-bit wide data bus [DO to D7) available on pins 2 to 9 of the 25-pin sub-D printer port socket. Each of these eight signals is used In this circuit to independ- ently switch eight transistors. These transistors are in open-col- lector configuration and wired In parallel to the pushbuttons on a commercially availoble control unii so that when the control soft- ware switches one of ihe transis- tors for approximately 0.5 s, it has the same effect as if that but- ton were pressed manually. Resis- tors R1 to R8 serve fa limit the transistor base drive current. A standard printer cable (make sure the connectors are not the moulded-on type) Is adapted to connect the PC to the remote con- trol handset. The 25-way sub-D connector housing Is first disman- tled and each wire connection desoldered. Any cobles not required can be dipped off to give more spoce inside the hous- ing for the eight transistors and resistors. With reference to the cir- cuit diagram, solder the eight resistors and transistors between the 25-way connector ond the coble. Ensure that the finished assembly will fit inside the con- nector housing without shorting when it is reassembled. Next sol- der the 9-way sul>D connector at the other end of the coble. After testing, the connector covers can be reassembled. It is necessary to fit o 9-way con- nector to the hand-held unit to provide a connection to the com- puter cable. Whenever manual operation is required it is a sim- ple matter to just unplug the unit from the PC coble and use it as normal. The unit must be opened- up to fit the 9-way sub-D connec- tor os shown in the circuit dia- gram. hirst locate the earth track on the PCB (the battery minus connection) and solder a wire connecting this point to pin 9 on the connector. Next identify the connections for the eight switches in the unit and solder eight wires to the PCB pads to connect these with the correct pins on the con- nector. The unit will be ready for use once the cables hove been tidied and the unit reassembled. The connector will now be acces- sible via the battery compartment. So much for the simple hardware, control software for the unit is also available ond will be fea- tured in an upcoming edition of F/ekfor Electronics so be sure not to miss out! 78 dcktBr dedraiks - 10/2004 Martin Ohsmann is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at FH Aachen and a long- time contributor to Elektor Electronics , Through Quizzaway he aims at stimulating thought, speculation , construction and simulation as well as raise interesting questions . As of the September 2004 issue Quizz'away is a regular feature in Elektor Elec- tronics, The solution to the September 2004 problem will be published in the November 2004 issue. The problems to solve ore supplied by Professor Martin Ohsmann. This month's problem is: The two-transistor amplifier shown in the diagram has a small-signal voltage gain of about 1800, or 65 dB „ How do you explain this extremely high gain? 3f you doubt the claim regard- ing the high gain, do feel free to actually build the circuit and check its behaviour. Alternatively, you may want to enter the schematic info your electronics simulation pro- gram, Why is the gain so high, considering that a clas- sic combination of a common- emitter and common-collector circuit typically supplies a gain of up to 200? +12V j * Quizz'away and win ! Send in the best answer to this month's Quizz'away question and win this Flexipone! Bluetooth Module v/a rth S 1 0 0 ( www. fl exipa n el . earn) . All answers are processed by Martin Ohsmann in cooperation with Elektor editorial staff. Results are not open to discussion or correspondence and a lucky winner is drawn in case of sev- eral correct answers. Quizz'away conditions Please send your answer to this month's Quizz'away problem by email , fax or letter to: Quizz away , Elektor Electronics, PQ Box 1 90, Tunbridge Wells TN5 7WY, England. Fax (+44) (0)1580 200616 . Email editar@elektor-electronics.co, uk* subject: quizzaway 1004 \ The dosing date is 22 October 2004. The outcome of the quiz is final. The quiz is not open to employees of Segment b.v. r its business partners and/or associated publishing houses . 1 0/2 004 -dekior dstkeiiio 79 LINKS To book your website space contact Bernard Hubbard Tel > 44 (0)1242 510760 Fax: 0044 (0)1242 226626 ALLGOOD TECHNOLOGY www. a! i oGodtec ft n of o g v. com Low-medium volume sub -con tract assembly. SMT specialist since 1 990. Customers include military, aerospace etc. 0402 to 8GA capabilities, automatic assembly and hand built prototypes. 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Vfr&rre sctta-ste FMS Flight Simulator Encoder @ 0365-1 PCS 03006641 37LPG767&JL paigrsrmsd LEO Roulette 3 030160-1 PC S g 0301 63-1 1 C ; k s&jrce a*- d hex r is 030168-41 S9C205 M2PC. pfUQfarened Multi-event Alarm Clack @ 020304-1 1 Dt^p C (hkidb) tea flea 0203044 1 AT 69C2051 - 1 2FC. pn^nmad PAST ISSUES Pasl issues, if aniab^ i m .- : :e crosred ton Wurldiids Siifcsiriptafl Semce Ltd, 0' 1 4. G:^s Reed Earn. PejhFej ftoal TLCEHUHST T)i5 7HE. Ee^I tslsp^::e (+44) 1E::3 2C0&57, fn (+ «) 1 S£G 2056 Iff eraLl de r+u co tt Pfsces pf pi=: : £ i _££ 'i- 'er. L } ~-Z-i: £"] lererPe-:- r : _i : :::rr e r z ::: er re £4.73 (UK avJ Br): £550 (ar nsl Europe); £5.1 Q :p— ir, G.r.ie =L-D:e . Pr-rea ti put 4_:u! e- r Qecenfecr fesysa. i>PkjSn§ poerpe lor siogfc rcp.ep are £6.65 iP\ =xi Ere £7.75 'ir~i E_"pe- 1-3 £5 45 i~i r.'j i_ _ r : r PAST ARTICLES ref r'r— it rr on pul i'l-rei, r :::e ccr£SPi : j* E-=:rn r: .-r - - iVi-. ir L" r e e Le er^r-e 131586 £<557; fee ££C6i 6 +ra. eieegeevir- e'ect-D-jpi.c- . ■. £ USS 8.65 17-55 31^ 8-60 15.20 4-^D 6.65 10-60 18.75 4- &D 6.65 20 55 35 40 5- 50 15.50 9-10 1B.1B 4-90 8.65 9-&3 16.95 4-90 3.65 14-70 26.G0 690 1575 490 8.^ 33-40 59.10 4 90 B.65 3 70 15 40 9-35 1 555 4-90 8.85 7-95 14.65 4-^1 3.55 15-20 26.90 7-50 13-30 13-93 24.69 3-50 15.05 4^ 6 65 6-15 !0.&0 5- 35 16.55 4-90 6.65 10-00 IF JO 6- 10 10,60 7T5 13.70 4 90 8.65 10-20 16.05 17-05 mis 17-99 31.60 4-9Q 3.65 605 14 25 4-9*3 3.65 orfCi IQ SB Build Your Own 0RM Receiver m 030365’ 1 PCS .gi Q30365’ 11 D-iLc DH’.f^as Qode Lock m 020434-1 PCS .S 028434- li 1 DsK s-'-Ci 5 re». :K-e Ofes 02S434^1 F :16?E4A-4R Hands-on CPLDs (2) § 030052-1 PCS 5 9-0052-1 1 5ofnft£ 63C052-41 EFM7l285iC34-15, Multichannel Failsafe for Radio CanUolled Models % 0203S2'11 Disk cppp r > 020332-4 T ATS 9C52-24j1 . p T.tngd lil u IliEunctiaki Frequency Meter g 030136-1 FC3 g 030135-11 lLL rrr.)fd s-jttiiVi^ 0301 36-41 AT90S231 3-1 C 3 C. pn^2fnmEd Digital Alarm Clock g 030096-11 Disk. FsC so tzzz sKf h£t ttxfe 030095-41 PC16BWJ4U iAccess I 0201 63-1 " D-sx set sets code ard {-:,jl s^r.vare 020T 63-41 4169^2 52-1 2 F€ e po^T^u Simple 12 -l 0 ’ 23 DV Power Inverter @ 020435-1 PC6 Touch’CQnlrolled Switch 3 0302 1 4- n DsX FiC =3v^c e cc'dg 0302 =4-41 RC1 2 CEO E7D- EEL pasgrartfised 82 etikter i]EdTtml£S ’ 10/2804 £ USS Stepper Maters Uncovered 020127-41 FIC1BF373-2 H3P 19-10 33.80 No, 327 DECEMBER 2003 FM Remote Control Transmitter £ Receiver 3. 034044-1 PCS 10-20 1695 LED Christmas Decora lion @ 630157-1 PCS 755 13.35 PB7LPC76x Programmer @ 033313-11 KCjsCi 4-90 B.55 Prajecl Timekeeper •© 020350-1 1 Sit*-, iffjrre i Dbasd cod5 f?es 490 5.55 020 350-4 1 P; Cl cf B4 -1 Op pro^aivr<£d 12-15 2325 Stepper Motors Uncovered [2) 3 020127-11 Dsfis; SOMceciKisfe 490 8.65 Universal Clock Generator 51 020395-11 DsK =Oiin>& rafe fe 4-90 5.65 Wireless RS232 Link @ 030204-1 PCS 3-70 15.40 No* 326 NOVEMBER 2003 Precision Measurement Central @ &30S56O-4 PCB 6-70 15,40 No. 326 NOVEMBER 2003 Rev Counler lor FLC Models s 024111- « pcs 17-50 31,00 D 24 1 ii -1 1 Dss. sotf c e arte “■[ Kte 4-SO 8.65 024111-41 830205 1 -1 2PC. programme B-85 15.65 Running Text Display W 0204 07- 11 C'.5‘, saurc 2 2 id fee cede *90 6.65 USB Analogue Converter @ 020374-1 PC a 7C5 1350 020 374-11 Qft ■ r t 1 e 2 and Wtetows sefv. s?= 4-90 8.65 020374-41 RC16C765. programed 13-25 23.45 No, 325 OCTOBER 2003 DDS RF Signal Generator :§ 0202354 PC5. generstGf 11-60 20.55 $ 020299-2 PCS. cc^rc', EiippJy 12-10 21,45 025299-4 T AT SOS 6515 6 PC, p'og: c/itT M 20-55 54.05 Minimalist Induction-Balance Metal Detector ■m 020290-1 PCS B-55 15 85 Xiiim PROM Programmer m 010109-1 1 Sof; 4-90 9.55 No, 324 SEPTEMBER 2003 ATV Picture Generator © 020295- it C-7* source £ fea «■& fis 409 6.65 C r 202 3-5-4 1 AT 90 55 51 5-ErC, picee.TiTisd 15-20 25.SQ 02 022 5-42 AT 90 5 i 2 CO -1 2FC , pm c-srLT.TPd 1390 2460 DTMF Remote Telephone Switch 33 050204-1 PC 5 It 65 20.60 2 020294-11 De'^ proper arftft-sje 490 8.65 02029 4-4 ■ FiC 1 6FB4 A-2S P progranniat 14-70 2600 LC Display with l 2 C Bus @ 030&5D-2 PCS 7-3-5 1100 PJCProg 2003 ■@ D1 0202-1 PCS 905 iD.oa , 3 . 010205-1 i Oft- i\ iidows 490 165 010295-41 P/C1 61374-20 p pregraffined 2355 41.65 Polyphonic Doorbell ■7; 020354-H Oft- soffazJTe 4-90 5.65 [20154-4 1 FfC 1 6FE4A-1 0 ? pnee 14-45 25.55 Precision Measurement Central 0-3DO6Q-9 1 = 2 amfed 5 ; i bs±Jd &S-QD 11250 Valve Preampiilier (1} % 020333-1 PCs. c.Tg-ifiE.r tc-L-d 11-55 20 40 3. 0205-53-2 PC 5 fWivar supjTy faard U-40 20.20 @ 020303-3 PCB r 1 0 costf 10-10 17.&0 No, 323 JULY/ AUGUST 2003 Add a Sparkle @ 0202 33-1 1 Dft._ HEX m Sfijce fez 4-90 5.65 020253-41 FTC12C5-69A-04 prv-gftikred 7-40 13.10 AT90S2313 Programmer 3 034036-1 F£3 9-05 16.00 Hard Disk Selector @ 034050-1 PCs 3-45 !6J5 Mini Running Text Display 3 020365-11 D -ft 7 5£. r« code fe 4-30 365 Mini Test Chari Generator @ 029403-11 Disc F.-C soacs cafe 4-90 5.65 Programming Tool lor ATlinylS 1 D3Q030-1 PCS 7-55 1335 § Q30&3Q-11 Oft*, preset sett-ware 4-30 6.55 £ USS Quod Bridge Car Amp m 034039-1 FC5 8-70 15.35 Hemole Light Control with Dimmer -3 020337-11 frii-i KEX £Y3 i-r-t.r f-'es 4-SO a. 55 020337-41 ATE'5€2G61-12. paHrarrmed S-£5 ms No. 322 JUNE 2003 AVR TV Tennis @ 030025-1 Mi-r PCS e-70 1 3.4 J : ; 3 03 X 1 25-2 Puzbr Lftn-n FC 9 6-50 15-25 .1; 030026-11 DftV r AVI soc:Ee cste 4-90 5.65 D30Q25-41 - T 9C5515, preffisrivised 15-20 26.90 Efeclrunic Knotted Handkerchief 3 D20303-1 1 C ,z X PC et softA'srE 4-90 865 O2035E-4 T 41995231 2-1 QFC, pfug^Toj 12 &□ 22.3Q Luw-CdsI LCD Conlrolter {2) g 020114-1 PCB 5-70 T5.35 © 020114'! ' D ft - . preset sofTA-E/s 4-90 £.65 Right Light Control @ 02011 5- 11 C feit 5/7 d sskitcs coftz 4-99 3.55 02 D11S4* AT00523 T3-5 £ =C. prt^-L , i -:i 12-35 22.75 Universal XA Deveinpmenl Board @ 510103-1 FCS 1329 23-35 @ ulOlDQ'l 1 E £41 [oftf. EPROU fe* f X4D-Ev 4-9C S.65 0 1 0f 03-21 E PR m : C 5 27C2 5391. proa remiad 1000 17.70 G 1 01 03-22 EPfl C V : 2 2. 27C256-90 pumTnisd 70-GG 17.70 Ot 01 03-31 GAL 16V-5 pfcgfeT^-d 4-60 3.50 No, 321 MAY 2003 Countdown Timer © O2O205- 1 1 Cft'.. soiafe and fe< e&d3 4^3 S-65 020296-41 AT9&S12O0, 1390 24.60 USB Audio Recorder § 0 1 20 1 ^ 11 G ' ft> . ERR D M fev cod-5 4-0Q 3 55 012013-21 EPROM 27C512, 12-60 22.20 Valve Final Amp {2J a; 0 2007 T - 1 A its fe ; i cri cfe'fe ’ i 15-10 25.75 © 026071-2 fflgjpf,' dOeJd 10^5 17.75 No, 320 APRIL 2003 6-Channel Disco Light Controller @ 0101314 FC6 ’ 13-10 23.15 0 1 0i 3 1 -4 1 B7€ 750 w fi7C7 1 , prograrmfe. d 23-00 40-70 Pico FLC 3 010659-1 PC3 18 70 33.10 3 01625341 0',it less pfogram 4&D S.-65 Singie-Chip Tune Control © 020654-4 PCS 1(790 19.30 Swilched- Outlet Power Bar with HS232 Cunlral 3 020298-1 PCS 10-SD 19.10 ^ 020238-11 t>is4 ptfC T'ft sofr^'c 4 -SO 3,55 Temperature Indicator lor ihe PC 3 G2O3&0-11 &ftT. ajtirrj -A CC-m^ted 4-90 5,65 0263 : 1 ATB9C2U5 1 . 1S>25 15.15 No, 319 MARCH 2003 17 V IGA Switch-Mode Power Supply © 020054-3 PCB 0-45 16.65 Add-on Switch unit lor R. C Models © £20125-1 PCB 8-55 15.85 © 920126-1 ' Dfs* fei *rz sotptc fes 4 -SO 865 &2012&41 P1C16C7 12-941 SO, pnjg»t7¥Ti£d 15-20 26.?j AVRea Development System @ C263514 FCS 13-20 21.25 020351-11 EftA cii'iffife prograns 490 3.65 Guitar Effects Swllchhox M 020181-1 PCB T3-15 2330 InleEIEgenl Fan Timer ® 020170-11 Dftl. scftA-as- 450 8.65 020 1 70-4 1 U £ R4 30F1 1 21 . pfiaanimsd 11-30 20 90 SAA3049 Replacement @ D2D655-1 F-:E 13-05 23.10 ft 0202254 •• G : : ■ Knars End ha code 4-&0 3.65 02OO35-4 1 S7lF€ 7 04 BJi, p'cc-'^T rad 9K 17 55 Two Colour Running Light © 0*0134-' PCS. :.:-z7c r : : i r C; B25 14.60 ©G10134-2 PCB* LED board 10-65 13.80 @ Cft 0 1 34- 1 1 Disk p rajed sofrwse 4&.G 665 010134-11 ATE 2C205 1 -12FC, p'D^fammsd 7-15 12.65 No, 318 FEBRUARY 2003 2U 40 MHz Logic Analyser @ C20032-1 PCi 15 20 26.65 @ 020032-11 tlsfc. demo program 4-90 6.65 Praotecfs for o/tfor projects (if available} may be found on our web site http: //www, efektor-electronics. co„ uk 1 0/2004 - c'iklor cleflronks 83 eak preview Cuk Converter The Cuk converter is a type of electrical inverter converting power at one DC voltage to power at o different voltage. Unlike most other types of converter which use an inductor, it employs a capacitor as tls main energy-storage com- ponent, The converter k named after Slobodan M. Cuk of the California Insti- tute of Technology, who First presented the design in the early 1 990s, In good Elektar tradition we describe the theory as well as a practical design in the form of on editable G-50V, 0-5A power supply unit. Solutions to Counter Electronic Waste In 2C06 European legislation an electrical and elec- tronic waste comes into full force. As any electronics enthusiast who has recently tried to repair a consumer product will know, it is more likely to be cheaper to dis- pose of and replace an item than to repair it. The EU esti- mates that 4% of household waste consists of electrical and electronics products and this figure is increasing at a rote of 1 6-28% every five years, A glance at the statistics and listening to green organizations would suggest o depressing future. There exists however, a movement to exploit the electronics waste problem where a positive attitude and creativity results in navel solutions. . -3 Ik O * ftPVod u * Also... FiCXEXl 8 Operat- ing System, 1 2- volt Dimmer, Body Fat Meters, Filter Boards for the ClariTy Amp, Ther- moelements, Whis- tle Beacon, Auto- matic Preselector Far DRM Receiver, RESERVE YOUR COPY NOW! Tn? fatntir m issue era ci s-ir gr friay 15 Oclukr 2004 fUKtfefr&ytisn UK subscribers will receive the mag mine a lev. >kys before \mi ante. Article titles ond magazine tcmtofils subpd to change. NEWSAGENTS ORDER FORM SHOP SAVE / HOME DELIVERY Please save / deliver one copy of Ffektor Electronics magazine for me each month Name: . . , ♦ - ■****-- Address: — ------ * i + Post COC10- - ¥ - ■ - - - - " ■■ ■ ' ' 1 i »I ****.----. - - - ’ • 4 < < ........ Telephone: - - — ......... D e, | Signature: Please cut out or photocopy this form, com- plete details and hand to your newsagent, Elektar Electronics is published on the third Friday of each month, except in July. Distribution S.G.R. by Seymour (NS), Index of Advertisers A. 'good Tettuiclogy, Net Links . . Beta Layout Net Lin ks . . . BK Electmrecs ..... Burn Tecftnok>gy LTD. Net links CMS .. .wt\w.a};goQtfiectoQtegf.£om — 80 wav* pc&imf. cm . ........ 39. BO ...... jmnvMkSljBG.com .37 w,v humtec.coiTi .......... ...00 ...... Aw/sicms.LiriCQm ..J9 Compueut Net lifts Compulogic . Crmfcrd Etctronics, list Links iV', \ V. CG-mpUCVUCfS-COsT} MWiY.CQWUfQS&MW '■,YW.CyP?Crde sz.co.uk .-.BO . . .73 . , .80 CricWewooti Danbury. Net Links ....... Debug Innovations, Net Lin vs Display Electronics ....... EasyayiiG, Net Links ...... Serai, Net Links Elnec. Net Links .......... Ervan fnternatjonal Net Links Emodruirts SpressPCB . av/a: r. : - 1 re • ‘ •: r com* .... . a a \ ■, ■ 6s & ug ~ no ;-i ns. c:~ . mwa disteuo l- * AWfV/.mSi'Bj^C.CO.L/ j/a\v*m& com .... erflec.cc?, m .......... .ww.en^-.rrr.cc.'?? 4 v v, v/. (hep ebs fWD.com . . . . . //m&pre-sspcb-ccm ...... Forest Net Links ftiinre Technology Devices, Net Links Fuiurfec, Net Links Hammond Beclmnlcs, Net Links . . . fpsva Limited, Net Links .tVAVt.fOf ec COM ■. .......... .v/AV.'iWiC- n €Ofn ......... MAvrfuiunsc.CQm ymvbmmmimfg.tQm 4 ^5 iV5.C0m n? \YiwjtptQ} cm .* Komcard, Net Links m/a ■ : mcard. com - . - . * Labcenter A/M/Jsbcwtuco.uk . . . . London Electronics College, Net Links . . .v/av, ?: •: ...... ...B0 ...SO . . .43 .4, 80 . . .80 , . .80 ...80 . . .55 ....4 . . ,80 ...80 . . .80 ...80 ....80 - . . .33 ....SO . . . .93 Matrix MultirnedB Ltd - x/Aw,maiiiiinuftjiTmf&.CQMk . . . Microdip AYAv/Mnwcr a c _v .......... Milford Instruments .Y/YCA’.mi!irjSldmon,coMk — MOP Bectrofucs, Net Links ......... NgI Links .... . . N=.v Vfeve Concepts, Net Links . . Number One Systems ......... PAGM FOB World, Net Links ... Peak Electronic, Net Links PHYZX, fist Links ............ Florins, Net Links ,. . .. — .. ,vmvjDqp^e€tromcs r co uk . . . . AWA\ne/M'tave-CQncepts com . . /M/A.-emt-s-c-ns cm w/.pagm.cs fJ ... :Av/A\p€hA m Qfid,Cfg.uk .AWiV.GB2*e!e£CQMk . ,.\,\Y^/ZX.COMk ... .Y./v/.c 'c6cs.com .. . . * - .57 ..27 .61 ..SO fLBI .,80 , . A ..,2 .,81 . .81 .81 .,81 PjCO Quasar Bedromcs, Net links- . . Pcbut OeciTorilcs, Nei L f nks . . . ,JVt»V/.Cf.^.CS7T — .. . .. w/ttqttasafe&lwkcs.corrt ,ViWi\ rohc:-e-Tc: r ~ r cs co .3, 35 71,81 ...SI Stewart of Reading TechnDbDLS. Net Unks .. . . . Tebret Net Links ... . Uttrateds, Net Links US9 Instruments. Net Links V r iB'ivacm, Net Links - .Y/A-v/st&ttftsf" r aac -^.cD.t r * . , ... ,72 /WAV. lett/fQbQtS CQ U : - .81 .i'.THKfefrfif.u* com 61 4;v;Vi'. l T/SsSOS cock ........ .61 MWACiJslHnstfiiiJfsnts.com .81 , . 5ircomJ3mttk .81 ADVERTlSiNG SPACE for ire issue of 16 November 2004 may be reserved m taief dun 20 October 2004 with Bektor Bectnuiks (PuhSshhgl Atr.-ertisemerf Office - 3 Crescent Terrace - Drelsniiam GL50 3PE - England - Telephone 01242 510 760 - Fax 01242 225 626 - e-mail: -rrv n ~ -= :: to wiiom a?i conespwdence* copy instructions and artwoik shoo'd ha addressed 84 diUor c1=rtidnirs - 10/ 20(14 Please supply the fa I lowing. For PCBs. front panel foils, EPROMs. PALs T GALs r mrcroeantrollers end diskettes, slate the part numbe and description: for books, state the fuli title: for photocopies Df articles, state fall name of article and month and year of publicatio PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS. Description Price eaGh Qly. Total Order Code 1 -+ £ 34.50 with SMDs pre-fitted Micro Web Server: USC 1210 board £ 69,00 Network extension t 41.95 Combined package e 103,50 Flash Microcontroller Starter Kit £ 69. oo CD-ROM RobotfCS £ 12.05 Prl css and rtsm dec np !• ■: f© su bjeci to cfwjtge. Subtotal publishers f r->=?vi in* rqftt to oraes without jifior liUliffdafan/Fn^ and iism descriptions r,an shown here supersede those in pievicus issuss. EL & O. E. * <-** Total paid METHOD OF PAYMENT (see reverse before ticking as appropri Note: cheques not made out in sterling must be increased by the equivalent of £15.00 □ □ □ □ □ Bank draft Cheque (payable tn Efektor Electronics Publish] n Giro transfer (aur account no. 34 152 3301) Postal/money order P ease send this order form " •see re'/ers e f o r eg n d iti o ns Elektor Electronics (Publishir SWITCH only: issue number: Name P.O. 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Our account number is 3512 5225, Sorting Code 60-22-15* IBAN code: GB4D NY/B K6 022 15 3512 5225 BIG code: NWB KGB 2L COMPONENTS Components for projects appearing in Elektor Electronics are usually available from certain advertisers in this magazine. If difficulties In the supply of components are envisaged a source will normally be advised In the article. Note, however, that tbe sources) given is (are) not exclusive. TERMS OF BUSINESS Delivery Although every effort will be made to dispatch your order within 2-3 weeks from receipt of your instructions, we can not guarantee this time scale for all orders. Returns Faulty goods or goods sent in error may be returned for replacement or refund, but not before obtaining our consent. All goods returned should be packed securely in a padded bag or box, enclosing a covering letter stating the dispatch note number. If the goods are returned because of a mistake on our part, we will refund tbe return postage. 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(excluding Europe * £51 .30 £57,30 Economy Mall Rest of the World i excluding Europe} £76,95 £82,95 Priority Airmail Europe £ E ; re £52.50 £58.50 Priority Airmail Europe & Eire £75.75 £84.75 Middle East Africa .Southwest Asia. Central & South America £64.00 £70,00 Middle East, Africa, South west Asia, Central & South America £96.00 £102,00 Au s tra Ma , N ew Ze a! a no.. Far East & Pacific Tsrritor es £66.00 £72.00 Australia. New Zealand. Far East & Pacific Territories £99.00 £105.00 Airfreight USA £ Canada only USS88.G0 USS96.50 Airfreight USA ek Canada only US$132.00 USS140.5Q Payment should be made by: * Cheque or bankers’ draft in sterling drawn on a London clearing bank (except in the USA and Canada — see below); » USS cheques drawn on a US or Canadian hank — only by subscribers in :'!? USA or Canada. * Direct transfer to our bank (NAT WEST PLC, 1 St James's Square, Wadhurst. East Sussex Iff 5 5BP, England), Our account number is 3512 5225. Sorting Code 60-22-15. IBAN code: G04Q NWB KB 022 15 3512 5225 BIG code: NWB KGB 2L * Postal order. * Credit card: VISA, ACCESS, Euro/MasterCard, JOB Electron or Switch. ■ Transfer to bur Giro Account number 34 152 3801, Giro transfers should be made by completing and sending the appropriate transfer/ deposit form fo the National Giro Centre (UK) or to your national Girc Centre SUBSCRIPTION CONDITIONS Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to Elektor Electronics (Publishing). Do not send cash through the mail. The standard subscription order period is twelve months. If a permanent change of address during tbe subscription period means that copies have to be despatched by a more expensive service, no extra charge will be made. Conversely, no refund will be made, nor expiry date extended, if a change of address allows tbe use of a cheaper service. Student applications, which qualify for a 20% (twenty per cent) reduction in current rates, must be supported by evidence of studentship signed by the head of the college, school or university faculty. A standard Student Subscription costs £31.60. a Student Subscription-Plus costs £37.60 (UK only). Please note that new subscriptions take about four weeks from receipt of order to became effective. Cancelled subscriptions will tie subject to a charge e* 25% (twenty-five per cent) of the full subscription price or £7,50, whichever is the high- er, plus the cost af any issues already dispatched. Subsections cannot be cancelled alter they nave run for six months or more. January 2004 f _„ . . ML .. . DSP 19 INCH STEREO AM PUFIERS-ACTIVE CROSS/OVERS B.K ELECTRONICS OMP MOS-FET POWER AMPLIFIERS HIGH POWER, TWO CHANNEL 19 INCH RACK XLS 200 Subwoofer Sytem Save £1 GQ T s buying factory direct 10,000 s SOLD TO PRO USERS THE RENOWNED 1VIXF SERIES OF POWER AMPLIFIERS FOUR MODELS;- MXF200 (100W + 100VV) MXF400 (20QW + 20DW) MXF600 (300W + 300W] MXF90G (450W + 450WJ ALL^POWER RATINGS ARE R.M.S. INTO 4 OHMS, WITH BOTH CHANNELS DRIVEN FEATURES:- T Independent power supplies with two toroidal transformers :.D. Vu Meters ’ Lgy-e" controls * liuminated or'ofr switch ’ iv.tn LE Jack , XLR Try us for Tivoli Radio TrauG Radio 1 Just £91 .95 Carnage £8.00 We have combined the famous Peerfes XLS 10 >vr. -o:’ i : :■£ j - E_r rn a compact MDF cabinet that measures only D390 x H295 x H295 lo produce a truly awesome sub woofer system suitable for both Hi-Fi and AV use. rStCfniO'r C^rnFRoriti- T ip 1 Features:- 'High ard :o\\ teve Inputs ‘Frequency adjust "Conttoous phase control '20GVV RMS 'Seperaie control of high and low level gain ‘Automatic Speaker Protection, Comes complete with mains feed 5m stereo phono lead. 10m High to 1 ,*] lead end Spikes Available in Silver or Black, for further Information please look on our website at httpr/Avww-bkelec.com £279.00 Each plus £3.00 carriage within the UK mainland. International carriage charges to Germany, France, Belgium, Luxebourg and Holland at only £18.00 per XL 5200 MXF1200D 60 0W F mill Class D Price:- 469.95 Inc. V.A.T. Carnage £8.00 UNIT 1 COMET WAY, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, ESSEX. SS2 6TR. TEL.: 01702-527572 FAX.: 01702-420243 Web:- http://www.bkeiee.com E-Mai) sales@bkelec.com Price:* £137,85 + £6.00 P&P OMP/MF 1000 Mos-Fet Output Power 1000 watts R.M.S. Into 2 ohms. frequenc, response 1Hz - iGOfcHz -3d 8, Damping Factor >300. Slew Rate 75V/uS, T.H.D. typicarO-O0 1 %; tnpJt Sensitivity 500mV, S.N.R. MOrfB^ Fan Cooled, D.C. Loudspeaker Pratsction r 2 Second Anti Thump Delay. Size 422 x 300 x 125mm Price:- £264-00 + £12,00 P&P ’ I "E M 3SFETMCDL1£S ARE WMLASJE N IVyO VBSON^ swcwpu KIJd-iL OR PRO (FRDFESSO^L EQg|^B7r_OOt JFATSeLE^ - tsfXJT 3BY5 ~frr V. SA £hVDTH ORDER ST AKWRD OR PEC USED THE WORLD OVER L'J CLUBS, PUBS, CINEMAS, DISCOS ETC MXF2G0 V, 19' Dll' H3 H I2U cl -, tC! MXF400 W19" D12’ H57* + (3D SIZES:- MXF600V.19 D13 H57/ 3U MXF9D0 W19" D14* H5‘ • ' (3U PRICES:- MXF200 £175,00 MXF400 £233,85 P4XF600 £329.00 MXF900 £449.15 SPECIALIST CARRIER DEL £12.50 Each ABSOLUTE HIGH END CLASS D AMPLIFIER The OMP MFD60Q can be used as a stand atone monoblock amplifier or fitted into existing loudspeakers to make them active • Compact design due to switch mode P. S. U. • 90% Efficient high switching frequency • Small size T fits in a 11 0mm x 92mm opening • Neutrik® Combi input balanced / unbalanced m Output fully profecfed • Status LEDS - Presence / Clip / Protect • 600W/ 2 Ohm - 500W/4 Ohm - 300W/8 Ohm • All powers in RMS. • Volume control. Input sensitivity 775m V m Freq. Response 2Hz-20kHz • Light weight 3kg For further information please look at our website at vAAAv.bkelec.com and click on the modules and hybrids button Special quantity pricing and customised artwork for OEM’s. Price £281.12 Inc Vat Each or £499.00 Per Pair when quot- ing this advert Carriage UK Mainland Only £8,00 Stunning performance Audiophile Quality * - Z LLJ ■ SHiFtf-- l. r 'J nr* Xi MP IsyJ it SOW to 500 WATT ACTIVE SUB BASS AMPLIFIER PANELS The BSB Range of Sub Bsbs- Ampjfiefs consete of 5 panels wfth power outputs of SOW to 500W Id suH most of toe DIY enlhusaasfe needs. A! panels ara aafightand come equipped with bath hsgh and Paw level inputs v.iih seperale ^ln ccutrols, frequent^ a cpsl and (T1 SO Deg, conllrwxis phase control adjustment A fu l cenneefexi lead pack onduefed MODEL PRICE IMP. * Please BSBP50 £89.95 8 Ohm State 4 BSBP10Q £117.44 '4/3 Ohm or 8 Ohm B5BP200 £149,50 *4/8 Ohm when BSBP300 BSBP500 £184.50 £219.50 4 Ohm 4 Ohm ordering r->«A - Ci n -m O ■ ■ — = 1 r ■ o n i ■ The MXF12GQP s not orty a rm^t for PA end Disco use. btii ifs sfrmng peribrmance lends teeif reaeffy to StusJo end H^i AV Cirenrsa inElafe, i m. ^so s^abte fcir HS-Bid i+Fi use. | Can be driven dredfrt*n a CO pfetyerend has balanced XLR inpuL unbalanced jack input. The latest in hlgMech Class O ampfifiers coupled to two independent swilch-moele power suppBes. Front Panel:- Presence Lecfs, C%i Leds t Indepandanl vdfome control and po r i’i'er Oa r Off svYltch with ooof bhie nJuminaled sumounds. Rear Pane!:- Mains IEC input Neutrik Speakon outputs and Neutrik Comc-i nputs G- QtfBall Heigh t Specification:- Output pov.er 600W ™s into 2 Ohm, 50QW RMS into 4 Ohm. 3GGW RMS into 8 Ohm Frequency response 2 Hz to { 1 22kHz. Input sensifivty 775mV. Input lmp,7.5k Ohms. T.H.D. 0.1%. ™ &N 85dB, Pw/er Supply 230V AC 5QHz, Switching Frag. 450kHz, Weight 8_0ka r Size H44 x W482 x L376mm POWER AMPLIFIER MODULES SUPPLIED REA DY BUILT AND TESTED ire^cnodd^sncK^r^py a reputed ^qu^y r fc^a%^ a areals^' F djt mcd^E zre svgSgfcfe In sal file needs cf the p n^gssprgi said hobby mart^ Je. lncfcis^y H LesLre. IreSLmarfe and K -H Vi*hen coT^zig prices. NOTE iiat a3 moaeis rriide farokia p^.\er sippV . hestarK grass fee P,C.B. mddme csru^s id Vu mg'er. AJ models are open shd short creui pnxd THOUSANDS OF MODULES PURCHASED BY PROFESSIONAL USERS OMP/MF 100 F.toe'Fet Ojtoui Power 110 watts R M.S. into A chme.frequeric\ res sense 1Hz - 100kHz -3dB, Damptnu Factor >30u t Stow Rate -3. _S "ri.D. " 1 . 1 1 2 : r - : S='=;,i. SCKJmV, S.N.R. IIOdB. Size 3C0 x 123 x &2mm- Pripe:- £43.05 4 £4.00 P&F OMP/MF 200 Mos-Fet D. F ZZj 3 1-.^ R-M-S. m\ o 4 oh ms, frequency response 1Hz - 100kHz -3dB. Damn'ng Factor >300, Slav. Rate 50 V/uS t T.H.D. lyutcaL 0.001%, Input Sensifiviy SCOmV S.N.R. 11Cd5. Size 3C0 >: 155 x 100mm. Price:- £67.35 + £4.00 P&P OMP/MF 300 Mos-Fet OutpurPdwer 300 watts R.M.S. into 4 ohmsjfequency response 1Hz - 100kHz -3dE Damping Factor >3 00. Stow Rate BQV/uS. T.H.D h : ^I O:ro c >&riripiit Sen£«y JOGriiti S.N.R; IIOdB- Size 330 x 175 x 100mm. = Price:* £84,75 + £5 .00 P&P OMP IT F 4 50 Mo s-Fei C ji F : ,v e J 5 1 = : j .e R.M S. into; 4 ohms.frequency response 1Hz - IGOkHz -3dB, Damping Factor >300, Stow Rate 75'7/us, TH.D. Eyptoei O.QD1%- Input Sexisrtwiy. 500riiV S.N.R, IIOdB. Fan Cooled, D.CL :_c^c?ae 2 -ier t'rz-izzcz- . 2 Sezz~.z A^i rfclsu Si7P 'Ifin Y 54A ¥ Peerless XLS10 Sub Woofer Dri Model Shown:- BSBP200 SPECIFICATIONS:-' POWER 200W RMS @ 4 or 8 OHMS T FREQ RESP. 10Hz 15KHz -3dB - DAMPING FACTOR >200 T DISTORTION 0 05% * SrN A WEIGHTED >100dB * SUPPLY 230V A.C. ’WEIGHT 5.0Kg ' SIZE H254 X W254 X D95mm THERE ARE 2 VERSIONS OF THE ABOVE PANEL AVAILABLE :-SSB20Q/E 8 OHM VERSION BSB200 ? 440HM VERSION CHECK WEBSITE FOR PANELS UP TO 500 W i he rertep wrt@d Pee-'-es^ XLS 1 0 D ri ■. e un i is pcs e. bty ere at the best 1 0 , , - ' . ihef! sub woofer drr/ers. today. Made in Denmark by Peedess, A k 5 ccrpS'-.j i = _s v ,-.^ -_r ry arj crafts rr 5 nsh'p Tr: s dnve : e 5 - el -*= r z_- m i r ~ : -z =■ 1 WJr a'.sa Ugh: cantrui ed issr. isss oulput To fuitlie? enhance me qua ■ lies c f this- sir =t q sa.1 2 r o utput s " d deeper csss can besen-eved t. ecu- ^ p na the XLSlO. v/ith jVs comper on psssfve fad'ajcr the XLSlG? Peerless XLS 10 £89.00. Peerless XLS10P 32.90 Carriage £8,00 For full specification and prices goto our website at http://vAvw.bkcfec.com and try our new shopping basket facility VISA DELIVERY CHARGES:- PLEASE INCLUDE AS ABOVE A MINI- MUM CHARGE OF £6.00 TO A MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF £30,00, OFFICIAL ORDERS FROM SCHOOLS. COLLEGES GOVT. PLCs ETC. PRICES INCLUSIVE OF VAT. SALES COUNTER. CREDT CARD ORDERS ACCEPTED BY POST PHONE OR FAX. Simulation irni^HTitrn a a Auto Routing The Conipgete Electronics Design System Schematic & PCB Layout Powerful & flexible schematic capture. Auto-component placement and rip-up/retry PCB routing. Polygonal gridless ground planes. Libraries of over 8000 schematic and 1000 PCB parts. Bill of materials, DRC reports and much more. -kLL in Version 6.5 Textual library part search. User defined keyboard map. CADCAM output to ZIP file. Mixed Mode SPICE Circuit Simulation • Berkeley SPICE3F5 simulator with custom extensions for true mixed mode and interactive simulation. • Bitmap import function. • Truetype fonts on PCBs. • Enhanced printer output. 6 virtual instruments and 14 graph based analysis types. 6000 models including TTL, CMOS and PLD digital Fully compatible with manufacturers' SPICE models. Call Now for Upgrade Pricing Proteus VSM - Co-simulation and debugging for popular Micro-controllers • Supports PIC, AVR, 8051, and BASIC STAMP micro-controllers. • Co-simulate target firmware with your hardware design. • Includes interactive peripheral models for LED and LCD displays, switches, keypads, virtual terminal and much, much more. • Compatible with popular compilers and assemblers from Microchip, Crownhill, IAR, Kefl, and others. www.labcenter. co. uli info @labc enter. co. uk : ra-f] &