Projects you can build!

'GERNSBACK SPECIALTY SERIES 03 49604

sumituELEC RONICS
EXPERIMENTER'S
Beargliad;OW handbook.
A solid-state version that will add '4;

spark to your hobby activities -11

COLORIMETER
Identify more than 1000
colors with this $29 project

MICRO-CONDUI:TOR
It helps children play simple
tunes on a keyboard instrument

TELEPHONE -CALL
RESTRICTOR
Block access to 900
and 976 phone numbers
and save bucks

LIGHT-CONTROLI
SOUND -EFFECTS talitHATOR
Just wave your hands and create
weird and unusual sounds Plus!
Power up Night -Vision Scopes
52> $3.95 U.S.
$4.50 CAN.
Make PC Transcripts of TV Programs
Rechargeable LED Flashlight
A GERNSBACK
Build our own Computerized Game
9128 4960 4
0 7
Y
PUBLICATION
'Grab Bag of Simple Circuits
 TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Unlimited extensions-no monthly

charge. Most phone lines can only handle
up to five extensions with regular phone jacks.
New device turns any Not with the Wireless Phone Jack. All you
need is one transmitter, and you can add as
many receivers as you want. Six, ten, there's
electrical outlet into no limit. And with the Wireless Phone Jack,
you'll never get a monthly charge for the ex-
tra receivers.
a phone jack Works with any
phone device.
Engineering breakthrough gives you unlimited This breakthrough
Phone extensions without wires or technology will
fulfill all of your
expensive installation fees single -line phone
needs. It has a spe-
cial digital interface
for use with your
fax machine or mo-
dem. You can even
use it with your an-
swering machine
just by plugging
it into the Wireless
Phone Jack receiver.
Special factory -
direct offer. To
introduce this new
technology, we are
offering a special
you don't have to have a teenager to able to move your phone to rooms or areas factory -direct pack-
appreciate having extra phone jacks. that have never had jacks before. age. For a limited
Almost everyone wishes they had more Clear reception at any distance. The time, the transmit-
phone jacks around the house. Wireless Phone Jack uses your home's exist- ter is only $49. One
When I decided to put an office in my ing electrical wiring to transmit signals. This transmitter works
home, I called the phone company to find gives you sound quality that far exceeds cord- an unlimited num-
out how much it would cost to add extra less phones. It even exceeds the quality of pre- ber of receivers The Wireless Phone lack lets
phone jacks. Would you believe it was $158? vious devices. In fact, the Wireless Phone Jack priced at $49 for the you add a phone, modem,
No more excuses. has ten times the pow- first one and $39 for fax machine or answering
Today, there are a er of its predecessor. each additional re- machine almost anywhere.
thousand reasons to Is the Wireless Phone Jack Your range extends ceiver. Plus, with
get an extra phone jack
right for you? as far as you have elec- any Wireless Phone Jack purchase, we'll throw
and a thousand excus- The Wireless Phone Jack works with trical outlets: five feet in a phone card with 30 minutes of long dis-
es not to get one. Now any single -line phone device. Almost or five hundred feet. If tance (a $30 value) for only $9.95!
an engineering break- anyone could use it, especially if... you have an outlet, Try it risk -free. The Wireless Phone Jack
through allows you to Few jacks. You want more phone you can turn it into a is backed by Comtrad's exclusive 30 -day risk -
add a jack anywhere extensions without the hassle and ex- phone jack-no matter free home trial. If you're not completely satis-
you have an electrical how far away it is. The fied, return it for a full "No Questions Asked"
pense of calling the phone company.
outlet. Without the Wireless Phone Jack's refund. It is also backed by a one-year manu-
hassle. Without the ex- Bad location. You have jacks, but advanced companding facturer's limited warranty. Most orders are
pense. And without not where you need them most, like noise reduction fea- processed within 72 hours and shipped UPS.
the miles of wires. in the kitchen, garage, home office or tures guarantee you Wireless Phone Jack transmitter ...$49 $4 S&H
outside on the deck. crystal-clear reception
Like plugging in an Wireless Phone Jack receiver $49 $4 S&H
appliance. Now you Renting. You want to add exten- throughout even the save $10 on c..-ch rrlditional receiver -$39
can add extensions sions, but you don't want to pay each largest home.
with a remarkable new time you morn. Privacy guarantee. 30 -minute long distance phone card .n1
device called the Wire- You can use The Wire- $9.95 with Wireless Phone Jack purchase
Other phone devices. You have
less Phone Jack. It an answering machine, modem or fax less Phone Jack in any
allows you to convert electrical outlet in or Please mention promotional code 017 -ET -1112.
machine you want to move to a
your phone signal into around your home, For fastest service, call toll -free 24 hours day
more convenient place.
an FM signal and then
broadcast it over your
even if it's on a differ-
ent circuit than the
800-992-2966
The Wireless Phone Jack System
home's existing elec- consists of a transmitter. Each Wire- 4110 =
trical wiring. transmitter less Phone Jack uses To order by mail, send check or money order for Mr total
Just plug the trans- (right) and a one of 65,000 different amount including S&H (VA residents add 43% sales tax). Or
receiver (left). charge it to your credit card by enclo,ng your account num-
mitter into a phone One trans- security codes. You can ber and expiration date.
jack and an electrical mitter will be assured that only
outlet. You can then operate an
unlimited num-
your receiver will be rrtmTnne
insert a receiver into able to pick up trans- INDUSTRIES
any outlet anywhere in ber of receivers.
missions from your 2820 Waterford Lake Drive, Salto 106
your house. You'll be transmitter. Midlothian, Virginia 23113
 An
ELECTRONICS
EXPERIMENTER'S Electronics
NOW
htIfldbOOkTM summer 1995 Publication
Contents
Telephone Line Grabber 14
A unique way to make your telephone subservient to you.
Minute Marker 20
Inexpensie gadget generates variable -duration output pulses with selectable polarity and a wide range of time intervals.
Low -Cost Colorimeter 22
Identify mare than 1000 colors with this budget circuit.
Micro -Lights 26
Produce your own mini -light show with Micro -Lights.
Solid -State Tesla Coil 32
Get more spark per ounce than Tesla did!
The Microconductor 35
Encourage children to learn to play musical instruments with this microcontroller-based training system.
Telephone Call Restrictor 43
Prevent access to 900 and 976 calls with this inexpensive gadget.
Night -Vision Scopes 49
View scenes in near total darkness with a passive night -vision scope, or illuminate the scene with infrared for an
active scope.
Light -Controlled Sound -Effect Generator 55
Create weird sounds with a light -controlled, tone -burst oscillator.
The Text Grabber 58
Make transcripts of your favorite television programs and download them to your PC.
Creating Chaos 67
This fascirating project's moving ball can hypnotize and captivate you with its unpredictable movements.
Motorcycle Circuits 72
Electronics makes road travel smoother and safer.
Automatic Rechargeable Flashlight 74
A bright. high -efficiency LED can save the day.
The Picture Stick 78
Light up the night with computer generated graphics.
Frequency Doubler 85
Double the frequency of CMOS or TTL clock signals with this easy -to -build circuit.
Computerized Game 88
Learn how computerized games work; then have fun playing one that you built.
Grab Bag of Circuits 93
The mini circuits that are functional and fun to build.
Retro-Remote 95
Add remote -control capability to anything that doesn't have it already.

DEPARTMENTS
Editorial 2 Advertising Sales Offices 111

New Products 4 Classified Advertising 112

New Literature 8 Advertising Index 112

Free Information Card 112

Maga
ELECTRONICS
EXPERIMENTER'S
handbook.
Summer 1995 Editorial
Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967) founder

Larry Steckler, EHF, CET.

editor -in -chief and publisher

Julian S. Martin
handbook editor
While in grade school I read a story about an old man who se-
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
cretly saved odd lengths of string. He knew that one day that string
Brian C. Fenton, editor
Marc Spiwak, associate editor would be valuable to him. As the story goes, a lady of wealth, not
Neil Sclater, associate editor necessarily manner, lost a string of pearls somewhere on a road.
Teri Scaduto, assistant editor The old man's wagon traveled that road and he was seen hop-
Jeffrey K. Holtzman
computer editor ping off the wagon to pick up and put away a rope -like object in
Dan Karagianniss, assistant editor his pocket. Naturally, he was accused of stealing. No one believed
Robert Grossblatt, circuits editor his story that the object was a length of string. He would have
Larry Klein, audio editor
David Lachenbruch
been banished from his town had not another villager discovered
contributing editor the string of pearls the next day. There's a moral to this story that
Don Lancaster I don't recall; however, I tell the world about my spare parts box
contributing editor
Evelyn Rose, editorial assistant and ask everyone to contribute their new and used parts to me.
Andre Duzant, art director
Russell C. True!son, illustrator During the past year I dug deep into my spare parts box (actually
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT they are three large boxes) and found some 3000 -volt, silver -mica
Ruby M. Yee, production director capacitors that were just right for a Tesla coil I was building. I also
Karen Brown, advertising production
Kathy R. Campbell,
discovered a bag of 1000 -volt disc capacitors that are like hen's
production assistant teeth for those with budget pocketbooks. Dosn't let me get started
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT on wire. I have all sizes and colors. IC's? You can bet I have a
Jacqueline P. Cheeseboro bushel full.
circulation director
Theresa Lombardo, circulation assistant
Michele Torrillo, reprint bookstore So why am I talking up my spare parts box. Put it this way: I made
Typography by Mates Graphics a rough calculation and discovered I saved over $800 last year
Cover design by David Loewy by using parts that I squirreled away. Not only that, think of the
Cover art by David Kahl phone calls and trips to stores that weren't made. Imagine the time
Advertising Sales Offices listed I saved not waiting for shipments to come in.
on page 111.
Gernsback Publications, Inc.,
500-B Bi-County Blvd., Farm- There's a moral to my spare parts box story. It is: A part in the box
ingdale, NY 11735. 516.293-3000
is worth a page in any parts catalog. I urge you to start salvaging
As a service to readers, Summer1995Electonics Experi-
parts whenever possible from old projects and equipment. Only
menters Handbook publishes available plans or infor-
mation relating to newsworthy products, techniques and
go one step better than me, use your computer to catalog the items
scientific and technological developments. Because of
possible variances in the quality and condition of mate-
you have. It's too late for me, I have just too much!
rials and workmanship used by readers, we disclaim any
responsibility for the safe and proper functioning of
reader -built projects based upon or from plans or infor-
mation published in this magazine.

Since some of the equipment and circuitry described in

Summer 1995 Electronics Experimenter's Handbook
may relate to or be covered by U.S. patents, we disclaim
any liability for the infringement of such patents by the
making, using, or selling of any such equipment or cir-
cuitry, and suggests that anyone interested in such proj-
ects consult a patent attorney.

Electronics Experimenters Handbook is published

semiannually by Gemsback Publications Inc. All rights
Julian S. Martin,
reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Single copy price $3.95, Editor
Canada $4.50. Canadian GST Registration No.
8125186280. (C) Gernsback Publications Inc., 1994.
1995.
 Electronic and
AMAZING
Mystery Infinity Transmitter ++
Scientific Products
Levitating
Device!
Remember War of the World? Objects float in air and move to
TV IL FM Joker / Jammer
Defies gravity, amazing gift, conversation piece, magic
the touch. Shirt pocket device allows you to totally control and remotely
trick or great science project. disrupt TV or radio reception. Great gag to play on family or
ANT1K Easy to Assemble Kit I Plans $19.50 friends. Discretion required.
EJK1KM Easy to Assemble Electronic Kit $24.50
Laser Ray Gun
Telephone Line Grabber/
Room Monitor / Controller ATTENTION: -

All New - The Ultimate in Home/Office Security & Safety! High Voltage Fans!
Simple to use! Call your home or office, push a secret tone 4,000 volts in the palm of your hand! Experiment
on your telephone keypad to access: On premises sounds with anit-gravity, hovercraft, ion guns, force fields,
and voices Ongoing phone conversation w/break-in capability plasma guns, shock devices, wireless energy and
Up to 10 external electrical functions, lights, TV, alarms, coffee electrical pyrotechnics. Input: 9-14VDC.
MINIMAX4 Ready to Use .$ 19.50
DANGER pots, heater, etc. CAUTION! Check legality with your state's
attorney general's office before use for monitoring of voices.
RAUSE LASER SECIATION
ANKTIO EYE OR SKIN DIPOSIOS $149.50
TELECOM2 Kit, Includes PC Board
TO MAW 00SCATIEv fISCSSTOi
CUSS 14 1 LASER PACCUCT TELECOM2 Ready to Use $199.50
Advanced project produces a burst of light energy capable of
burning holes in rest materials. Hand-held device uses Visible Beam Laser
rechargeable batteries. 500 joules of flash energy excite either a Easy to build, RED Beam, visible for miles. Use for light "Laser Bounce" Listener System
neodynium glass, yag or other suitable 3' laser rod. This is a shows, window bounce holography, cloud illumination and much NEW Latest Technology! Allows you to hear sounds from a
dangerous CLASS IV project (individual parts/assemblies more! LAS1KM Kit wit mw Laser Tube, Class II.... .$69.50
premises without gaining access. Aim at room window and listen
available). LAGUN1 Plans $20.00 LAS3KM Kit w/2Smw Laser Tube, Class IIIA ........ ........ $99.50
to sounds horn within via reflected laser light. Not for illegal use.
LAGUN1K Kit I Plans Price on Request
Requires video tripods.
Life is Precious - LWB3K 5mw Laser and Receiver Kit $149.50
Extended Protect It! LW1130 Ready to Use, includes Laser Gun Sight $199.50

Play Hard hitting 200.000 volts of 5mw Visible Red Pocket Laser
crackling, sizzling plasma. Stuns an immobilizes most attackers Utilizes our touch power control!
Telephone Recording-gistem STUN40 Ready to Use $69.50 VRL5KM Kit / Plans $ 74.50
READY TO USE! Automatically controls and records on our X-4 STUN10 Smaller Unit $39.50
extended play recorder, taping both sides of a telephone Electronic
I
conversation. Intenced for order entry verification. Check your
local laws as some states may require an alerting beeper.
Hypnotism
TAP2OX Ready to Use System $129.50 Puts subjects under control using highly effective electronic
stimuli. Intended for parties and entertainment but must be used
with caution. Includes valuable text book reference and plans.
EH2 Mans and Text Book $19.50
Ion Ray Gun
Shocker Force Field/ Projects charged ions that induce shocks in people and objects Automotive
without any connection! Great science project as well as a high
Vehicle Electrifier
Neat little device allows you to make hand and shock balls, shock
tech party prank. 10G3
IOG3K KitiPlans
Plans $8.00
$69.50
NEON!
wands and electilly objects, charge capacitors. Great payback
--- z
for those wise guys who have wronged you!
SHK1KM Easy to Assemble Electronic Kit $24.50
Invisible Pain
Field Generator $)))
Easy -to -Install
4 -Tube Kit
for Cars, Trucks, Vans!
\ \ \IIII
Electric Available in Pink, Purple, Blue or Green -,NUMBERE
Charge
Shirt pocket size electronic
device produces time variant
please specify color when ordering.
RG4K (Specify Color) $ 129.50
\\
complex shock waves of intense directional acoustic energy, License Frame Kit
Gun capable of warding off aggressive animals, etc. er Flash -To -Music Option for above (Specify Color)
IPG7 Plans $8.00 IPG7K KIt/Plans $49.50 kit FMU1 $ 29.50 LIC1K $ 24.50
All New IPG70 Assembled $74.50

Technology! 3 Mi FM
Stuns/immobilizes attackers up to 15 feet away! 1000 Ft++ Wireless
*Legal in most state (lot in NY, NJ, MA, WI) More knock -down
power than most handguns No permanent injury ID coded tato Cannon Microphone
Free 80KV stun gun with every purchase. NOT A TOY. Uses electronic or piezo SubrrXniature! Crystal clear, ultra sensitive pickup transmits
ECG1 Data Packet, Creditable toward purcase $10.00 ignition. CAUTION REQUIRED! voices and sounds to FM radio. Excellent for security, monitoring
ECG10 Charge Gun, Ready to Use, w/Free 80KV Gun $249.50 POT1 Plans....... of children or invalids. Become the neighborhood disk jockey!
(Dangerous Product) $10.00
FMV1 Plans 47.00 FMV1K Kit and Plans $39.50
Homing / Tracking Transmitter
Beeper device, 3 mile range. Telephone Transmitter -3 Mi
HOD1 Plans $10.00 HOD1K Kit / Plans....... $49.50 FireBall Gun Automatically transmits both sides of a telephone conversation to
Shoots flaming ball - two shot capacity an FM radio. Tunable Frequency Undetectable on Phone
Listen Through Walls, Floors Great for special effects and remote Easy to Build and Use Up to 3 Mile Range Only transmits
Highly sensitive stethoscope mike. fire starting. CAUTION REQUIRED! during phone use. VWPIA7 Plans $7.00
STETH1 Plans $8.00 STETH1K Kit/Plans $44.50 FIREBALL Plans (Dangerous Product) $1 0 CO 4111.
VWPM7K Kit/Plans $39.50

CATALOG Order by Mall

Dept ENS18, Box 716, Amherst, NH 03031 With many or by 24 Hour
TION Phone: 603-673-4730 FAX 603-672-5406
more items!
Free with Order
Orders -Only Phone
800-221-1105
NLIMITED MC, VISA, COD, Checks accepted Please add $5.00 Shipping & Handling
or send $1 P&H

CIRCLE 14 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD

 NEW PRODUCTS
The Model 930 is priced
PC TRAINING KITS. The at $115.
Tech -Knowledge system is Calex Manufacturing
intended for teaching per- Company, Inc.
sonal computer servicing, 2401 Stanwell Drive
troubleshooting, and net- Concord, CA 94520
working. Offered by Heath - Phone: 800-542-3355
kit Educational Systems, it Fax: 510-687-3333
is now available in a single,
comprehensive package,
the EZS-400 for PC servic- SMART EISA EXTENDER
ing, troubleshooting, and CARD. The EISA-EXT EISA
networking, or as three extender card from ICS
separate complementary Electronics allows EISA
units. They are the and ISA bus add-on cards
CIRCLE 20 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
EZS-401 for PC Sericing, for IBM or compatible per-
the EZS-402 for PC Trou- manufacturer's technical text book, student work sonal computers to be
bleshooting, and the manuals and schematics. book, instructor's guide tested and debugged in the
EZS-403 for PC local area That knowledge can be ap- and course experiment PC card cage without
networking. plied to troubleshooting parts packages. powering the computer up
Each training unit is com- personal computers with The complete EZS-400 and down to change cards.
plete with hardware, soft- the aid of diagnostic soft- package includes two The EISA-EXT card pro-
ware, and course materi- ware and standard test Zenith Data Systems com- tects the computer against
als. The system is based equipment. puter trainers with multi - power -supply overloads
on an IBM-compatible per- Instruction is also given frequency color monitors, caused by the card under
sonal computer with an In- in specifying, installing, and 210 Mbyte hard -disk drives test. Solid-state switches
tel 486 microprocessor. troubleshooting local area and PS/2 compatible key- on all signal lines permit the
The PC can be upgraded networks. The course also board and mice. If pur- card under test to be
by replacing the 486 pro- explains how to install and chased as separate units,
cessor with an Intel P24T configure modems and the EZS-401 and EZS-402
Pentium processor. communications software. packages each contain one
The personal computer It includes Microsoft Win- computer and monitor. The
servicing course covers dows for Workgroups Soft- EZS-403 package includes
substantially all a student ware and Novell Personal two computers and two
needs to know about ser- NetWare. monitors.
CIRCLE 23 ON ,FREE
vicing, maintaining, up- The courses include The pricing of the in-
INFORMATION CARD
grading, and optimizing a seven of Heathkit's fault in- struction packages is as
personal computer. Hands- sertion and removal mod- follows: EZS-400-$7495, changed while the comput-
on exercises reinforce ules (FIRMs), circuit EZS-401 and EZS-402- er is running. The card can
each topic covered in the boards with DIP switches $2495, and EZS-403 - be operated either by a
textbook. that permit the simulation $5995. switch on the card or by l/
Students will be able to of circuit faults without al- Heathkit Educational O commands from the test
study the operation of vari- tering the training comput- Systems program.
ous computer circuits with er or its peripherals. Each 455 Riverview Drive The turn -on sequence
the guidance offered by course includes a student Benton Harbor, MI 49022 applies power and signals
to the card under test in a
sequence that avoids any
CONSTANT -CURRENT potentiometer for setting conflict with the computer
POWER SUPPLY. The Model constant current from 0 to bus signals. The card con-
930 constant -current +50 milliamperes. tinuously monitors the
power supply from Calex The Model 930 can func- power lines to the card un-
has a temperature coeffi- tion as a bridge excitation der test and shuts down all
cient of 0.001%/C and an supply. By adding a 10,000 - power and signals if an
output impedance of 10 ohm resistor, the supply overcurrent condition is de-
megohms. Its power re- becomes a stable 100 -mi- tected. Light -emitting di-
quirements are +12 to croampere current source odes on the card indicate
+32 volts. It is sold with a for resistance -temperature CIRCLE 22 ON FREE power, signal connection,
mounting kit that includes a sensors (RTD). INFORMATION CARD and overcurrent.
24 HOUR ELENCO HITACHI B&K PRODUCTS CA_ _ ITIOTOnRi? EFRR

1-800-292-7711
EE

SHIPPING GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES 1-800-445-3201 (Can)

AFFORDABLE - HIGH QUALITY ELENCO OSCILLOSCOPES Hitachi Compact Series Scopes

V-212 - 20MHz Dual Trace $399
2 YEAR WARRANTY V-525 - 50MHz, Cursors $995
V-523 - 50MHz. Delayed Sweep $949
V-522 - 50MHz, DC Offset $895
V-422 - 40MHz, DC Offset $795
V-222 - 20MHz, DC Offset $849
V-660 - 60MHz, Dual Trace $1 149
V -685A - 6OMHz,DT, w/cursor $1 325
V-1060 - 100MHz, Dual Trace $1 395
V -1065A - 100MHz, DT, w/cursor _$1,649
V-1085 - 100MHz, 07, w/cursor 995
V -1100A - 100MHz, Quad Trace $2 495
STANDARD SERIES DELUXE SERIES V-1150 - 150MHz, Quad Trace 895
S-1325 25MHz $349 S-1330 25MHz $449
S-1340 40MHz $495 S-1345 40MHz $575 B&K OSCILLOSCOPES
S-1365 60MHz $849 S-1360 60MHz $775 2120 - 20MHz Dual Trace $389
Features: 2125 - 20MHz Delayed Sweep $539
Features:
High Luminance r CRT TV Sync IM Delayed Sweep Dual time base 1541B - 40MHz Dual Trace $695
lmV Sensitivity IN 2 -xl, x10 Probes Automatic Beam Finder III Illuminated internal 2160 - 60MHz Dual Trace, Delayed Sweep,
Complete Schematic Z Axis Modulation gradicule Dual Time Base $949
X -Y Operation
Voltage, Time, + Frequency differences displayed Built-in Component Test 2190 - 100MHz Three Trace Dual Time Base,
on CRT thru the use of cursors (S-1365 only) Plus all the features of the 'affordable" series Delayed Sweep $1 395
Plus much, much more 2522A - 20MHz / 20MS/s Storage $875

IP 4gRal Ca chance Meter Digital LCR Meter Digital FLUKE MULTIMETEfIS

CM -15508 LC -1801 Multlmeter Scopemeters (All Models Available Call)
by Elenco 70 Series
$125 DVM-638 Model 93 $1,225.00
Model 95 $1,549.00 Model 7011 $65.00
$58.95 Measures:
Coils 1uH-200H
$39.95 Model 97 $1,795.00 Model 7711 $149.00
9 Ranges 11 Functions with $169.00
Caps .1p1 -200u1 Case
10 Wes Model 7911
.1p1-20,000ufd Model 10 $62.95 80 Series
Res .01-20M
.5% basic accy. Model 12 $79.95 Model 87 $289.00
Zero control w/ Big 1" Display by Elenco

Quad Power Supply XP -580 88K 390 Dual -Display LCR Meter
12A DC Power Supply WOO.
w/ Stat Functions
B+K 1686 by Elenco $139 B+K 878
$169.95 3.3/4 Digit DMM
Bargraph $239.95
3.14V @ 12A 9 Functions Auto/Manual Range
Including Many Features
Fully regulated & protected
$79.9g 2-20V @ 2A 5V (4)3A Temp, Freq w/ 0 Factor
Separate volt & current meters
with current limiting , low ripple
"' 12V @ A-51/ ei .5A Rubber Boot High Accuracy
Fully regulated and short circuit protected

Sweep/Function Generator Audio Generator 2MHz Function Generator Digital Multimeter Kit
with Freq. Counter with Training Course
Elenco GF-800
Elenco
$239 $59 M -2665K
Elenco 20Hz-150KHz
GF-8026 Sine/Square $49.95
Waves Fun & Easy
Int/Ext operation to Build
Handheld
Sine, Square, Triangle, Pulse, Ramp
.2 to 2MHz, Freq Counter .1-10MHz
Full Function 34 Ranges, Includes
Learn to Build and Program Elenco Wide Band B+K 3011B $219.95 Capacitance,Transistor/Diode Testing
Computers with this Kit Signal Generators LED Display, Sine, Square, Triangle, Ramp 20Amp AC/DC, Extra Large Display, Ideal
Includes: All Parts, Assembly and Lesson Manual & Pulse Waves. TTL & CMOS School Project M-2661 (assembled) $55
Model
TELEPHONE PRODUCT TESTER Multi -Function Counter
MIA -8000
Elenco F-1200
$129.00 1.2GHz

by Elenco $229

SG -9000 $119 B+K 1045A $499.95

RF Freq 100K-450MHz AM Module - Provides basic operation tests for corded Measures Frequency, Period, Totalize
Swift Immo:midi you build a complete system. Our !Ion of 1KHz Variable RF output
Mao -Master trainer awhile you b wits into RAMS, 8 cordless telephones, answering 8 LED digits, Crystal oven oscillator,
ROM, and run a 8065 microprocessor, which uses SG -9500 w/ Digital Display & machines and automatic dialers. .5ppm accuracy
similar mactilne language as IBM PC. 150MHz built -In counter $239
15 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD C&S SALES INC.
!ATP; 7 01H1 HS CAL! FULL FACTORY WARRANTY
1245 ROSEWOOD. DEERFIELD, IL 60015
it Hi ti (1,1 1! I (IX WRITE FOR FREE CATALOG
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FAX 708-520-0085 17081 541-0710
PROBES INCL LL SCOPES & METERS
CIRCLE 11 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
 NEW PRODUCTS
The EISA-EXT card, in-
cluding a disk with sample VIDEO COMPUTER DISC
control programs and inte- CHIP SET. Texas Instru-
grating software for Win- ments has introduced the
dows, is priced at $595. industry's first video CD
ICS Electronics Corporation chipset that is expected to
473 Los Coches Street simplify the design of Mov-
Milpitas, CA 95035 ing Picture Experts
Phone: 408-263-5896 Group -1 (MPEG-1) video
and audio decompression
ULTRA -THIN TEST CLIPS. subsystems. The chip set
The Ultra -Thin Micrograb- decodes, synchronizes,
ber series test clips from and decompresses audio/
ITT Pomona are intended video data that has been
for microcircuit packages encoded to the MPEG in-
with finely spaced pins with ternational compression
up to 0.050 inch pitch. Nar- standard.
row bodies that measure Capable of introducing a
0.12 inches permit close full -motion video (FMV) CIRCLE 21 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD
stacking of the clips. subsystem to home -enter- verting the audio output, decoder is packaged in a
The clip wiring is flexible tainment products such as will turn a CD player into a 160 -pin QFP, and the
to permit easy access from CD -based movie players, video CD player. The set NTSC encoder is pack-
video games, and karaoke produces a video signal en- aged in an 80 -pin QFP.
systems, the set consists coded in the NTSC format The high -volume pricing
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ELECTRONICS
EXPERIMENTER'S
handbook.
SUMMER 1995

TELEPHONE
LINE GRABBER

This listening circuit can be called from a remote phone

so you can intercept phone conversations
or monitor room activities
ROBERT IANNNINI

TELEMIKE IS A TELEPHONE CIRCUIT It also contains circuitry that be miles away, in the same home
that, when located in a room will permit it to access a tele- or building as Telemike, or any -
miles away, permits you to listen phone on a separate line termi-
in on the activities that are tak- nating in the same room or even WARNING: The publisher makes no
ing place in that room. It also at the place where the phone representations as to the legality of con-
line enters the home or build- structing and/or using the Telemike tele-
permits you to listen to or inter- phone security device referred to it this
rupt a conversation on a sepa- ing. Sequential pressing of the article. The construction and/or use of
rate phone line located wherever pound (#) key cycles the circuit the device described in this article may
Telemike can gain access to it. to the next mode, that of inter- violate federal and/or state law. Readers
lelerrike contains a sensitive cepting a second telephone line are advised to obtain independent ad-
microphone which is activated and the third mode that resets vice as to the propriety of its con-
the circuit after it has been in struction and the use thereof, based
by calling the telephone number upon their individual circumstances and
assigned to the outlet where it is either of its listening modes. jurisdictions.
plugged in and entering a code. The "called to" telephone can
where Telemike can gain ac-
cess to the "called from "
number.The Telemike circuit
can be located anywhere in the
room where the "called to"
phone jack is located or at the 1. LISTEN CALLED NUMBER TELEMIKE
entry point of the phone line- #

conspicuous or inconspicuous.
Figure 1 gives the number of WALL (CALLED TO)
OUTLET
CALLED FROM
times the pound (#) key must
be pressed in sequence to initi- TELEMIKE
ate lelemike's two operating A
modes. It also shows the third PL1 PL2

fi
key pressing needed in se- 2. INTERCEPT
CALLED NUMBER
WALL OUTLET
quence to terminate the first PHONE
CONVERSATION ##
NO. 1

two modes so the "called to

phone" is not left "off hook." B
In the listen mode 1, you can CALLED FROM WALL OUTLET
listen to conversations, music, NO. 2 SECOND LINE
security alarms, the sound of
essential building service ma-
chinery, or even the sounds of 3. RESET
CALLED NUMBER RESETS
intruders. lb make use of the CODE
FUNCTIONS OH MODES 1 & 2
intercept phone conversation
mode 2, you must have access CALLED FROM
to its phone wires or jack for
plugging in the second plug FIG. 1-CODES AND OPERATING MODE for the Telemike telephone Ilne monitor.
from Telemike. The circuit
forms a "bridge" between the This article does not provide gate CMOS LSI IC containing
two lines. Then by keying the details for packaging the lble- the filter and decoder for the de-
pound (#) key twice, you will be mike circuitry. However, the cir- tection of a pair of tones con-
on line with both parties of the cuit can be housed in any forming to the DTMF standard.
intercepted phone line. suitable metal or plastic project The output of IC1 indexes the
If you own your own business with provision for mount- CD4017 decade counter IC5 to
or vacation cottage that is lo- ing the on -off switch on the out- the logic 1 -state, latching tran-
cated some distance from your side, a battery pack inside, and sistor Q1 ON. This response
home, or if you are away from openings for the phone cords. then turns on the 741 opera-
your own home, an installed tional amplifier IC6.
Iblemike will let you find out if a Circuit function Any sounds in the room
security alarm is sounding, an Refer to the schematic Fig. 2. where lblemike is located are
essential heater or pump is Six volts DC is applied to the picked up by microphone MIC1,
working, or if unwanted per- circuit by switching S1 ON. With amplified, and fed back through
sons are present in the room. It this voltage applied, the 555 transformer T2 to transformer
could also be useful in unob- timer IC3 momentarily holds a T1 from which they are sent over
trusive monitoring of a bed -rid- high and resets NAND gate IC4- the phone lines. A person listen-
den patient or child, a teenagers a to zero, "priming" the circuit. ing on the "called from" phone
rock and roll party or a romantic lb initiate the listen mode 1, can then hear any sounds or
adventure in progress. call the number of the "called to" voice within the range of the mi-
The intercept phone con- telephone line that is connected crophone. This is the listen
versation mode will permit you to plug PL1. A negative ring sig- mode.
to interrupt a call in progress to nal triggers 555 timer IC1, caus- The Telemike circuit can be
announce a call waiting, emer- ing transistor Q1 to conduct. switched to the intercept phone
gency, or some other event from That sends current through the conversation mode by pressing
wherever you are located-in coil of reed relay RY1 and closes the pound (#) key a second
the house or miles away. its contacts, connecting trans- time. This sequence connects
former T1 to the telephone line. the "called from" phone
Adaptation required A tone signal initiated by through the to the second
Telemike was designed to be pressing the pound (#) key of phone line through plug PL2 of
compatible with the AT&T Cor- the "called from" phone imme- Telemike. This permits any con-
poration's ESS electronic diately after you have keyed in versation on the second line to
switching system. Con- the "called to" telephone initi- be interrupted or monitored
sequently, there might be dif- ates a response after Telemike from the "called from" phone.
ferences in its performance if it has been primed. The tone is A second pressing of the
is installed in a telephone oper- decoded by dual -tone multiple pound (#) key causes decade
ating system based on a dif- frequency DTMF filter/decoder counter IC5 to index its count to
ferent design. MC145436 IC2. It is a silicon - mode 2. That sets pin 4 high
which holds Q2 in a conducting turns off Q2 and all other func- away from the "called to" tele-
state, energizing relay RY2 and tions, restoring normal tele- phone or its jack.
closing its contacts. This con- phone operation. Diode D14, lb make the most effective
nects transformer T1 to plug connected across RY1's coil, use of all of the three modes of
PL2, the connection to the clips the inductive pulse that lblemike, you should subscribe
"called to" phone. occurs when relay RY2 is turned to a dedicated telephone line.
Any audible signals at plug off. Caution: the "terminate (about $15 per month in most
PL2 are now connected by the function" must be keyed in be- locations).
telephone line at plug PL1, al- fore hanging up the "called It is important that initial ac-
lowing you at the "called from " from" phone or the "called to" cess time be selected properly if
phone to interrupt a con- telephone might remain off - you intend to use only a single
versation on that line or just lis- hook. The telephone company line. This will be discussed later
ten. Complete DC isolation will terminate service if it is not in this article.
between the two telephones corrected within a reasonable
connected to plugs PL I and PL2 length of time. Circuit construction
is achieved by the isolated con- If you fail to rest ltlemike Refer to the schematic Fig. 2
tacts of relay RY1. properly before hanging up the and the parts placement di-
The third reset code func- "called from" phone, you must agram Fig. 3. The components
tions mode is achieved by press- reset the circuit manually by go- of the prototype circuit were
ing the pound (#) of the "called ing .to it and turning it off and wired point-to-point on a rec-
from" phone a third time. This on again. This is an obvious in- tangular piece of perforated
indexes decade counter 1C4 and convenience if you are miles board measuring 61/4 x 41/2
+6V
C9 R26
C!) RI VC K
+ C1 0.1 1051
1011
10OF
C8 ,r el()
4110 R5
0.1 0.1 PL2
100K 6
CALLED
MC14011 FROM
R2 $ C4 6 3 4 PHONE
CALLED TO
B1 56007 .47
13 1
14
6V 14 16
PHONE 3
C4 -a 13
PLI C2 14 2
C7
0
D1
N4007
0.1 MC145436
8
MC14011
8 C5
D9
1N914

C2 R29
X 7 -a_ CD41:11713

-
47
R32 $ 4 8 10MEG 9 10 $ 010
390K 7 2 4
2 6
*HOF. 1MEG
4 D8
IC1 7 XTAL1
R31 t R4
D7
114914
NE555 1N914
3912, 10K 7. CO
3
030 IC3
INF 6 NE555
10MEG R9 $ R11
D15 w 5
1K
C5 1MEG
1N4007 2 5 RESET
C12 1
.01 M
C3 D2 -r 1.0F
zatC13
4.7f 1N4007 01

R3
RY1
LT ..,-
- D13
1N4007
"LT
R6
1N4007

56011 7" c 1K
Vv.* INITIATE LINE
01 D3 02
1N914 R25 04005
8 R7 LEDIO
1K 1K
Sokk
ROOM LISTEN
D4
1N914
R27 R8
100K 1K
uiLD45 SA.A.
LISTEN TO PHONE/
74- D5 C16
1N914 CALL INTERRUPT
T1'
I DO
1N4007

iii
AAA
R14
C17 1K
2.2F R18 C19 021 R22 C21
R20
1MEG 2.2pF 10K 1 1K 100y1F
03 10K
7
2N2222
7R15 MH
15K
3
C18 MIC1
NOTES: 4
2 211F...".:
1. R32 SELECTED FOR LM741
TRIGGERING IC1. $ 816
2. R15 SELECTED TO PROVIDE 1K
$ R17 R19
A DC QUIESCENT 2 TO 4 R23 C20
10K 10K
VOLTS AT 05 COLLECTOR 1K 100F

FIG. 2-SCHEMATIC FOR TELEMIKE. All of the Integrated circuits and reed relays are
Inserted In DIP sockets.
 6V
RED
CLIP e." -I

BLACK

I I I

RED R1
1C4
GREEN cio
I I I I I
IC5
11 -C1-+
D2 iii t
R33
xrALI 119 I
C13 O4

R31 c4R 2
, C84 R18
RY2
1
C7 I E
C15
C5-4 C12R10 \'&\ B
6 C6 3
D151 D3
F-nR29 / D7 i LED10
C
02
R3 3 B ---R7 RED
E D4 R25
01 ' N
010 'a' D5

Dll
013
PR I R26
D6 y
D12

0.-- R14-
IIIC17 .618
R17
GREEN
R15 aC B R1. R18
JE 03
R22 C21

FIG. 3-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. The entire circuit fits on a 5% x 4 -inch perfo-
rated circuit board. The components are Interconnected by point-to-point wiring and and the 1200 -ohm primary
power and ground bus wires. Switch S1 can be mounted off the board. turns should have a DC resis-
tance of about 75 ohms.
inches with 0.42 -inch pre - Identify all components and Insert the transformers in the
punched holes in a standard set them out on a table as board in the correct orienta-
0.1 -inch grid. shown in Fig. 3. Start by posi- tion, being careful not to stress
The component positioning tioning the seven IC sockets (for the pins because that might
shown in Fig. 3 generally fol- ICs and reed relays) on the break the winding connections,
lows that shown in Fig. 2. The board with the approximate destroying the transformer.
component spacing was se- spacing shown in Fig. 3. Place a Start inserting all passive
lected to minimize the length of drop of fast -drying glue under components from left to right
interconnecting wires without each socket to hold it in posi- across the board in small clus-
unnecessarily cramping the tion on the board. ters, noting the polarity and ori-
space between components. The circuit has three identi- entation of all diodes and
This would make the soldering cal isolation/impedance-match- polarized capacitors. (Sugges-
operation more difficult. There ing transformers T1, T2, and tion: position some of the re-
are no critical component rela- T3. They are rated for a primary sistors vertically to conserve
tionships in this circuit that impedance of 600 ohms and a circuit board space.)
dictate either close spacing of secondary impedance of 1200 Ibmporarily fold the leads of
specific components or isola- ohms at 1000 Hz. Measure the all inserted components back
tion between them. DC resistance of the windings flush with the solder side of the
If you want to construct the with an ohmmeter to verify the board so they will not fall out
circuit on a smaller board to fit continuity of the windings, and when the board is handled. Do
in a smaller case, you can re- confirm the markings for the not trim the leads at this time.
duce the spacing between com- primary and secondary sides. Certain component leads will
ponents. However, it is recom- The 600 -ohm secondary connect with adjacent compo-
mended that component orien- turns should have an approxi- nent leads as part of the com-
tation remain the same. mate DC resistance of 50 ohms, plete circuit.
 Just like these
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 Solder the leads of the compo- Strip back the jacketing from two black and yellow wires flush
nents that have been inserted in both ends of the telephone with the ends of the cord jacket.
small groups before proceeding cords to expose the multi- Assemble the RJ-11 plugs PL1
with the next group. Form the colored wires. Strip back the in- and PL2 to the other ends of the
power and ground buses from sulation from the red and green telephone cords and crimp
bare copper wire, and solder wires and solder them to the them in position.
them as shown in Fig. 3. proper locations on the circuit Verify that all diodes, polar-
Solder in the clip for the four - board, as shown in Fig. 3. The ized capacitors and transfor-
cell battery pack, with the red red wires go to the ground bus mers have been inserted cor-
wire to plus ( + ) and black wire and the green wires go to the rectly with their correct orienta-
to negative ( - ). input points. 'him off the other tion and polarities observed.
Examine all soldered joints to be
sure they are clean and shiny,
PARTS LIST and that there are no inadver-
tent solder bridges. Resolder
All resistors are Y4 -watt, 10%, un- IC5-CD4017B decode counter, any "cold" solder joints that ap-
less otherwise specified. Harris or equiv. pear as dull gray, irregular sol-
R1, R26-10 ohms IC6-LM741CN operational ampli- der bonds. 'aim any leads that
R2, R4, R19, R20, R21-10,000 fier, DIP package, National or overlap or form inadvertent
ohms equiv.
R3-100 ohms Q1, Q2-D40D5, NPN power tran-
short circuits.
sistor, TO -220 package, Harris or
Insert the two reed relays, RY1
R5, R12, R27, R28-100,000 ohms
R6, R7, R8, R11, R14, R16, R22, equiv.
and RY2, in their sockets. Insert
R23, R24, R25-1000 ohms 03, 04-2N2222 NPN transistor the ICs only as directed in the
R9, R10, R18-1 megohm Other components circuit test procedures.
R13-470 ohms MIC1-microphone, omnidirec-
R15-15,000 ohms tional, electret, 20 to 15,000 Hz, Circuit test
R17, R29-10 kilohms trimmer po- Radio Shack 270-090 or equiv. Measure the continuity be-
tentiometer, PCB mount PL1, PL2-RJ-11 modular tele- tween the following points and
R30-10 megohms phone plugs the circuit board ground bus.:
R31, R33-39 ohms RY1, RY2-relay, 1 form A SPST IC1-pin 1; IC2-pin 8; IC3-
R32-390,000 ohms NO DIP reed, Mouser D31A310 pin 1; IC4-pin 7; IC5-pins 8
Capacitors S1 -slide switch, SPST, Radio and 13; IC6-pin 4; emitters of
C1, C20, C21 -100F, 25 volts, alu- Shack 275-401 or equiv. transistors Ql, Q2, Q3,and Q4;
minum electrolytic, radial T1, T2, T3 -transformer, audio, iso- T1 secondary.
C2-0.47 p.F, 100 volts, polyester lation, interstage, 1200 ohm pri- Connect the four AA cells
C3, C15, C16 -4.7F, 100 volts, mary, 600 ohm, Mouser TL022 or which form the 6 -volt DC bat-
non -polarized aluminum elec- equiv. tery pack to the battery clip. Ver-
trolytic XTAL1-crystal, 3.579 kHz, metal, ify that 6 volts appears between
C4-0.47 F, 50 volts, film radial -leaded case, MTRON of the following test points and the
C5, C13-0.01 pc ceramic disk equiv.
ground bus with a voltmeter.
C6, C22-10 j.t.F, 25 volts, alumi- (The current drawn should be
num electrolytic, radial lead Miscellaneous -perforated circuit
C14 -deleted board; project case (see text); 0.1 to 0.2 milliamperes):
C7, C8, C9, C10, C11 -0.1F, three 8 -pin DIP sockets; two 14 - IC1-pins 4 and 8; IC2-pins 3,
25volts, ceramic disk pin DIP sockets; one 16 -pin DIP 4 and 6; IC3-pins 4 and 8;
C12-1 pr, 25 volts, aluminum elec- socket; holder for four AA power IC4-pin 14; IC5-pin 16; IC6-
trolytic, radial leaded cells; four alkaline AA power pin 7, collectors of transistors
C17, C18, C19-2.2 p,F, 25 volts, cells; solid, tinned copper wire Q1 and Q2.
non -polarized, aluminum elec- (22 AWG), insulated hookup wire Plug PL1 into a telephone jack
trolytic, radial leaded (22 AWG), two lengths of tele- connected to a "test" telephone.
Semiconductors phone cord; 12 -volt battery clip; (It might be necessary to obtain
D1, D2, D6, D12, D13, D14, D15 - cable ties; solder. a modular duplex jack such as
1N4007 silicon rectifier diode Radio Shack's 279 386.)
D3, D4, D5, D7, D8, D9 -1N914 - Note: The following Items are Insert both the 555 timer IC1
silicon signal diode available from Information Un- and transistor Q1 in their sock-
D10, D11 -1N5245, 16 volts, Zener limited, P.O. Box 716, Amherst, ets. Connect one lead of a volt-
LED10, LED11-light-emitting di- NH 03031; phone 603-673-4730, meter set on the 10 -volt DC scale
odes, red, T-13/4 (optional, see Fax 603-672-5406: to the collector of Ql, and verify
text) Complete kit including per- a reading of 6 volts.
IC1, IC3-NE555N, Philips or forated board, all active and Short-circuit plug P1 and ob-
equiv. passive components, and tele- serve the voltmeter scale to see if
IC2-MC145436P, dual -tone multi- phone cords and plugs. - the voltage momentarily drops
ple frequency receiver, Motorola $99.50
or equiv. Include $5.00 for shipping and to near zero. Resistor R32 is
IC4-MC14011BCP, NAND gate, handling. Allow two to four specified as 390 kilohms, but it
Harris or equiv. weeks for delivery. might be necessary to sub-
stitute a lower value for reliable
triggering of IC1 via pin 2. How- ic high on pin 3 of IC5. This tone from the second phone line
ever, make that substitution in verifies the operation of the re- indicating that you have gained
gradual increments because if set code, mode. Pins 2 access. This tone indicates that
the value is too low, the reed and 4 of IC5 should be at a logic you have intercepted the line
contacts of RY 1 will chatter and low. and will be able to hear any con-
the circuit will not work. If all of these tests have been versation on it.
Switch off the 6 volts with passed successfully, the correct Make arrangements for two
switch S1, insert the DTMF de- functioning of all Iblemike con- other persons to converse over
coder ICI in its socket, and set trols has been verified. the second phone line, and then
trimmer potentiometer R29 to The following procedure re- call the "called to" number and
its midrange. Restore power quires two separate telephone key the pound sign twice to lis-
with Si. lines in the room where the test- ten in on an actual call in pro-
Verify that a logic high ap- ing is performed. Line A and gress. When you are ready to
pears on pins 13 and 14 each line B. quit this mode, be sure to press
time the pound (#) key is Plug the RJ-11 phone plug PL1 the pound key again to reset
pressed on the connected test into the outlet jack of Line B. (A Iblemike.
telephone to verify the opera- telephone need not be con- Note: The audio level on the
tion of decoder IC2. nected to this jack.) Set a volt- intercepted conversation might
Switch off the 6 volts with Si meter on the 100 -volt DC scale be weak in this mode, forcing
and insert NAND gate IC4. Re- and connect it to measure 50 you to listen very carefully. If you
store power and verify a logic volts across the red ring and intend to interrupt a con-
low on pin 3 each time the green tip telephone wires, and versation with a message, you
pound (#) key is depressed. look for the expected 50 volts. might have to speak loudly to be
Measure the inverted signal at Switch on S1 and verify that heard.
pin 4 to perform this test. there is no change in the 50 -volt
Switch off the 6 volts with Si, reading on the voltmeter other 'ftlephone compatibility
and insert the second 555 timer than a momentary drop. Repeat Not all telephones have the
IC3. Verify that there is a mo- this step making the measure- same encoding signal output
mentary 5 volts on pin 3 each ments at the plug. levels. This could cause circuit
time power is restored with Si. Pick up the handset from the unreliability when accessing a
Switch off the 6 volts with Si. Line A test phone and key in the second telephone line. If that oc-
and insert the decade counter number of the Line B phone. It curs, you might be able to cor-
IC5. Restore power and verify is important that you press the rect the problem by setting
that pins 2 and 4 are at logic low pound key immediately to ac- trimmer potentiometer R29 on
and pins 3 and 15 are at logic cess the line during its receptive the Iblemike.
high. interval. You should be able to
Press the pound (#) key and hear low-level sounds in the Dedicated line
verify that pins 2 and 4 of IC5 room where Mlemike is located Consider leasing of a dedi-
show alternating logic levels, clearly. Thirri on a radio in the cated line to Iblemike as part of
each repeating every third key- same room if you want a steady a permanent installation. This
ing step. These tests verify the audio signal source. will eliminate possible ring sig-
proper operation of the logic, re- Press the pound (#) key a sec- nal "sneak through" and the
set digital processing, and func- ond time, putting Iblemike in critical timing of the 555 ICI for
tion counter. its intercept phone con- allowing access control. Never-
Switch off the 6 volts with Si, versation mode (non function- theless, it would still permit all
insert op -amp IC6, set trimmer ing at this time), and then key it incoming calls to be completed
potentiometer R17 to midscale, a third time to reset the lble- and would have no effect on out-
and turn on the power. Press the mike. going calls.
pound (#) key on the test tele-
phone and listen for any sounds Intercept function Timer values
picked up by the microphone to The next test requires a third The initial access time estab-
verify the operation of the listen telephone line (the one to be in- lished by the time constant of
mode. tercepted). resistor R5 and capacitor C6
Connect the leads of a volt- Plug PL2 into the jack of the can be set in most systems to
meter to the collector pin of Q2 third telephone line in the room permit a normal incoming tele-
and ground to verify the pres- so you can intercept and phone call to be made. If this
ence of 6 volts. Press the pound monitor any conversations on time is too long, and an "off -to -
(#) key of the test telephone, that line. Switch on S1 and ver- on" hook condition is created
and observe that the voltmeter ify that 50 volts DC appears that will disable the connection.
shows a momentary dip to zero. across both ring and tip wires. If it is too short, the encoding
This energizes relay RY2 for the Call the Line B phone from tones might not pass. This con-
intercept phone conversation the test Line A phone, and ac- dition should not interfere with
mode. cess the second phone line by outgoing calls. In most cases,
Press the pound (#) key of the pressing the pound key (#) the longer time constant will as-
test telephone and observe a log- twice. You should hear a dial sure encoding control. st
 The inexpensive Minute Marker can generate variable-
duration output pulses with selectable polarity and a wide
range of time intervals.
MANY HOBBY PROJECTS REQUIRE rectified by DI and regulated by output, which is fed to the in-
the timing of intervals between IC4, an LM7805 regulator, to put IC1, a CD4040 12 -stage bi-
a fraction of a second and a min- provide 5 -volts DC for the cir- nary counter.
ute. This article describes the cuit. The unrectified AC is The outputs of the counter
Minute Marker, a simple device bandpass-filtered by R1, R2, R5, are decoded a 4081 quad AND
that uses low -voltage 60 -hertz Cl, and C2. Resistors R2 and R5 gate (IC2), and the decoded out-
AC from a power -supply trans- also form a DC -voltage divider put is fed back to the reset input
former for synchronization. It which biases the input of of the counter, which resets the
provides a variable -duration Schmitt trigger IC3-a to 2.5 counter when the desired count
output pulse with selectable po- volts. The Schmitt trigger gen- is reached. Table 1 shows some
w) laxity and a wide range of time erates a 60 -hertz square -wave useful time intervals that can be
SI intervals. decoded with four decoder out-
Figure 1 shows a block di- 120VAC puts or less; the desired outputs
agram of the Minute Marker. 60Hz are simply AND-ed together. (The
(19 The power supply generates the
POWER
schematic in Fig. 2 is shown
A required 5 -volts DC for the cir- SUPPLY
CLOCK
with the decoder outputs wired
g cult, and also provides a 60- GENERATOR
for a one -minute interval.)
i hertz signal for the clock gener-
60Hz CLOCK
The pulse from IC2-d is inver-
ator, which generates a 60 -hertz ted by Schmitt trigger IC3-d,
square wave. The square wave and passed along to the output
y is fed to the decoder, which DECODER
OUTPUT
PULSE
pulse generator. The output
counts cycles and decodes the GENERATOR pulse is generated by two
5
a.
desired time interval. The out - Schmitt triggers cross -con-
x put pulse generator, as you nected as an RS flip-flop (IC3-b
8 probably guessed, generates the o PULSE OUTPUT and IC3-c). The output of the
output pulse. flip-flop is fed to R3, R4, and C3,
FIG. 1-MINUTE MARKER BLOCK DI-
Figure 2 shows the schematic AGRAM. A 60 -hertz square wave Is gen-
whose values set the output
!-2 of the Minute Marker. The out - erated from a 60 -hertz signal, which is pulse duration. The output
W put of transformer Ti is 12.6- then used to decode desired time inter- pulse duration (T) can be ap-
20 volts AC at 60 hertz, which is vals. proximated by the formula T =
 r- 1
+5V +5V
I 60Hz SQUARE WAVE
__C1 R2 CLOCK OUTPUT
14
T.' .1 R1 100K
1MEG 3

IC3-a
120
VAC C2 -1- 1/4 4093

POWER SUPPLY CLOCK GENERATOR

-r

r 5
IC3-b
1/4 4093

IC2b) 4 12
4

6 1/4 4081 IC2-d 11

POSITIVE
+5V 3 1/4 4081
PULSE
6 S1
191 OUTPUT
Q12 +V O
2 15 NEGATIVE +5V
06 Q11
10 PULSE
3 14 IC2-c
05 Q10 1/4 4081
9 IC3-c f14
4 1
07 IC1 Q83 1/4 4093
13 R3
5 CD404 109 12 IC2-a

6
04
11
470K 1/4 408)
03 AST
7 10 7-4 R4LEG 17
02 CLK 1m
8
GND Q1
9 CLOCK INPUT LA- PULSE DURATION

OUTPUT
DECODER PULSE GENERATOR
L
FIG. 2-MINUTE MARKER SCHEMATIC. 12.6 -volts AC, at 60 hertz, is rectified and
regulated to 5 -volts DC for the circuit. Unrectified AC is fed into a Schmitt trigger,
which generates s 60 -hertz square wave. The square wave is fed to a CD4040 12 -stage
binary counter, which decodes time intervals.
TABLE 1-TIME INTERVALS

PAR'E'S UST Interval Number of

Seconds 60 -Hz Cycles Decoded Outputs
All resistors ale 1/4 -watt, 5% 6 02, Q3
0.1
R1-1 megohn'' 60 03, 04, 05, 06
1.0
R2, R5-100,00 ohms 10.0 600 Q4, Q5, Q7, Q10
R3-470,000 ohms 60.0 3600 Q5, Q10, Q11, 012
R4-1 megonrn, potentiometer
Capacitors
C1-0.1 F, ceramic Building the marker
C2-0.01 p.F, ceramic Construction is not critical,
C3-1.0 ele*trotytic but be careful when working
C4-1000 p.F, electrolytic with AC voltages. The circuit
Semiconductors can be built on perforated con-
IC1-CD4046 12 -stage binary struction board using point-to-
counter point wiring. The selected time
1C2-CD4081 quad two -input AND interval can be hard -wired to
gate IC2, or you can use a DIP switch
IC3-CD4091quad two -input or header to make changing the
NAND Schm trigger time interval easy. The output -
1C4 -1.M7805 11;volt regulator
01-1N4001 duCde
pulse duration and polarity can
FIG. 3-COMPLETED PROTOTYPE. The be left adjustable, or the polarity
Other components wired project is capable of generating
F1 -0.5 -amp fuse timing Intervals between a fraction of a
can be fixed, and R3 and R4 can
11-120/12.6 MAC transformer second and a minute. be replaced with a single re-
S1-SPDT switch sistor to suit a specific applica-
MiscellaneouE Project case, per- 1.2 x C3 x (R3 + R4.). A positive - tion. Figure 3 shows the
, forated constriction board, wire or negative -going pulse is se- author's completed prototype
wrap, solder, etc lected by Si, and buffered by the installed in a common plastic
remaining AND gate (IC2-a). hobby case. f2
 LOW-COST
COLORIMETER
Identify more than 1000 colors with this $39 circuit.
JOSEPH SCHNABLE, GEORGE ALESSANDRO, AND ROBERT ORR*
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE COLOR - continuity among adjacent LED Every time pin 19 of IC1 goes
formulation systems, color- colors could skew results, so the low, IC3 latches the current con-
imeters, and spectrophotom- circuit provides built-in com- tents of the 8 -bit data bus.
eters are suitable for identifying pensation for this error. These latched values in turn
the visible color of a surface. 1\vo simple BASIC programs drive the seven LEDs. (LED2 is
These instruments typically control the circuit's operation. a dual unit containing both red
scan a surface with 400-700 One allows you to define a set of and yellow LEDs, so there are
nanometer (nm) visible light, standards by measuring known only six actual devices.) Pin 19
compare the sample with color color samples and recording the of IC1 also drives the ii5 input of
references, and determine the values with an associated IC2, an 8 -bit ADC. That causes
best color match based on a set name. The other program mea- IC2 to sample the voltage ap-
of built-in standards. Most sures unknown samples and pearing at its input pin 6.
commercial instruments de- provides the best match with That voltage depends pri-
pend on expensive optics and the defined standards, as well marily on the amount of light
cost $1000 or more. This article as a relative error factor. shining on Q1, a general-pur-
describes a $39 color -identifier pose phototransistor. The au-
circuit that can easily identify Circuit description thors used a PN168PA-ND sold
1000 or more colors with 100% Figure 1 shows the complete by Digi-Key Corp. The photo-
accuracy. For $39 it's impossible circuit. Three ICs do the work. transistor must be mounted so
to build a very intelligent device. First is IC1, a 74HCT688 8 -bit that when a measurement is
However, most of us own per- comparator that provides a low - taken, it will only detect light
sonal computers; why not use it going signal on pin 19 when the from the LED array. The input
as the brain? That's what we did values on IC1's P and Q inputs voltage to the ADC also depends
here. are equal. That happens when on the state of pin 19 of IC3.
A hardware/software com- there is no direct -memory ac- When that pin is low, resistor R3
bination activates, in turn, one cess (DMA) occurring (i.e., AEN is effectively in parallel with R2,
of several LEDs; each emits a is low), when address line A9 is thus changing the bias on the
portion of the visible spectrum. high, and when address lines phototransistor, hence the volt-
A phototransistor measures the A3-A8 are low. If you work out the age at pin 6 of the ADC. The
light reflected by the surface math, you'll see that this occurs ADC's clock frequency depends
being measured, and an 8 -bit whenever any I/O port in the on the values of RI and Cl,
analog -to -digital converter range 512-519 is accessed. If which gives a frequency of
(ADC) translates the phototran- those port addresses are used about 400 kHz.
sistor's output into a digital for- on your system, you can easily Note that an A/D conversion
mat that the computer can change the values by con- occurs whenever the system ac-
interpret. Seven LEDs (blue, necting different Q inputs to cesses I/O port 512-19. But
aqua, green, yellow, orange, ground and + 5 -volts DC. You other events happen as well, de-
crimson, and red) provide a will also need to change the val- pending on whether an I/O read
range of readings across the vis- ue of ADR as defined in line 2 of (IWO or an I/O write (vow) has
ible spectrum. Lack of spectral both BASIC programs. occurred.
If CPU signal ix' goes low, pin
*Delaware Valley College Chemistry Department, Doylestown, PA 3 of the ADC in turn goes low,
 PC +5V I lected to provide an ADC re-
EXPANSION sponse range from approxi-
BUS 14 20 20 RS t R8 mately 5 (for a black surface) to
16K
A9
13
P5
05 VCC VCC 470047 200 (for a white surface) for
A8
15
P6 00-3 each LED. That will provide a
A7
A24 17
P7 oil. R7
1
maximum response range for
A25 8 IC1 7
IC3 470 BLUE most colors. Higher ADC values
A6 P3 74HCT688 74HC7633
might cause the phototran-
A5
A26
P2 03- 9
21 400
R8
sistor to saturate, thereby pre-
A27 4
A4
2
P1 GND 1-0
3300
GREEN
venting the circuit from reliably
A3
428
PO 04 la distinguishing different colors.
All Q6 16 11/4.
AEN
11
P4 Although there is some over-
+12V ea O +12V 07
18
lap between the two, there is a
GND
B31 P=0
19
large spectral gap between the
+5V
2 Yw aqua (LED6, 482 nm) and green
ITA1KT01,1
R10
2 4.7K
R6
1.2K
(LED2, 560 nm) LEDs. We
COMP solved the problem by energiz-
IC4-a
ye 7408 V4s*
ing both LEDs simultaneously
24 12
813 3 R4 and decreasing ADC sensitivity.
IOW
1C4-8
E 4.7K
MOON By keying a value of 194 (128 +
ye 7408
9 + 2), both LEDs are turned
ID
DO
A8 4 IC441 on and R3 is enabled via diode
D1
A7 7
2D ye 7808 LEON)
RED
Dl. This increases the number
D2 3D
12 to
of colors that can be identified
D3 40
1C44
11

1C44
from a few hundred to more
D4
A5 13
5D
110 7408 vil 7401 than 1000.
D5
14
6D +12V
The authors used a separate
D6
17
7D IC5
/lit 7805 voltage regulator, driven
18 3 7805 i 1
by the host computer's + 12 -volt
D7 80 00 I

2A
,
m_, C- supply, to power the other ICs in
R1 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 GND OE 02
.111F
2
AQUA the circuit. This minimized in-
10K DO Di D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7
CLK IN
101 I1 consistent results obtained by
19 20 running the circuit in different
71z Cl
CLK R VCC +5V
computers with slightly dif-
220PF 01 ferent + 5 -volt supplies. Thus
IC2
ADC803
WR SEE
TEXT D1
calibration is generally much
CS INT
1N514 machine independent.
7 YIN_ 4AA
VIN+
GNOA
R2 220K
Software considerations
10
GNDD
470K Listings 1 and 2 present the
V calibration and identification
FIG. 1-COMPLETE SCHEMATIC. IC1 is an address decoder hard -wired to respond to I/
programs, respectively. (These
0 ports 512-519. IC2 is an A -to -D converter that measures the voltage across R2, files are available on the Elec-
which depends on the amount of light shining on 01. IC3 is an 8 -bit Inverting latch that tronics Now BBS, 516-
the software drives to successively light each LED during a scan. 293-2283, 9600 baud, as file
1KCOLOR.ZIP.) The calibration
forcing the ADC to present its enable or disable several LEDs program uses two external files,
most recently collected value to at once. CALI and CAL2, to store infor-
the data bus. On the other Note that LED6, the aqua mation. CALI stores standard
hand, if CPU signal goes emitter, requires direct connec- values, and CAL2 stores corre-
low, pin 11 of IC3 goes high, tion to + 12V. At $12.50, it was sponding names.
thereby latching the values on rather expensive when first in-
the data bus into IC3. Each regi- troduced, but the price has
ster in IC3 provides a latched, dropped slightly. (The LED is TABLE 1-LED COLORS MD
inverted output capable of sink- available, as part 48-6E for COOE8
ing 35 milliamperes. $10.26 plus shipping from LED Wow Coior Aattwition
Parts 1, 1995 County Rd. B2, length Wise
LEDs Roseville, MN 55113;
Table 1 summarizes impor- 800-424-6204.) LED1 470 ton Blue 2Gm1

tant information about the Both LED3 and LED4 are Lev 560 nm Green 21.2
LED3-a 890 nm Yellow 22,4
LEDs. The activation code is the dual units. The circuit includes LED3-b 700 nm Red rail
value that must be set into the both the yellow and red units in LED4 830 ma Orange 24016
assigned I/O port to activate or LED3, but it uses only the or- LEDS 665 ran cdrason 2B32
deactivate a given LED. Values ange unit in LED4. LED6 482 nm Ace* 24.64
can, of course, be summed to The values of R4-R9 were se-
 LISTING 1-CALIBRATION PROGRAM $4.99 72 -pin prototype card. If
10 'CALIBRAT.BAS calibration program
you use the specified interface
20 CLS:KEY OFF:N=0:ADR=512:0PEN'R'.1,'CAL1",16:0PEN'r',2,'cal2',24 card (see the Parts List), care-
30 FIELD 1,2AS B5,2AS G$,2AS 11,2AS O$,2AS CS,2AS R$,2AS A5,2AS AG$
40 FIELD 2,24AS IDS fully file exactly 1/2" from the
50 PRINT 'reference number",N+1:OUT ADR,255:BEEP:INPUT 'Enter Name of Standard
or 'E' To End';TEMPIDS
edge connector to make it fit the
60 IF TEMPID5='E" OR TEMPIDS="e' THEN N=0: GOTO 200 62 -pin PC slot. The complete
70 IF TEMPID5='n' THEN INPUT'enter n to redo ',N:N=N-1:GOTO 50
80 N=N+1:FOR H=0 TO 7:K=0:IF H<7 THEN 2.2^'H ELSE Z=194 board should appear as shown
90 OUT ADR,Z:FOR I.1 TO 500:NEXT I
100 FOR 3=1 TO 50:K.K.INP(ADR):NEXT 3
in Fig. 2. (Note that the authors
110 IF H=0 THEN LSET /35.MK/$(K) split the cable in two, attaching
120 IF H.1 THEN LSET GS.MKIS(K)
130 IF H=2 THEN LOFT YS.MKIS(K) the separate sections with a
140 IF H=3 THEN LSET 05=MXI5(K)
150 IF H=4 THEN LSET 00.M1(I5(K)
pair of 25 -pin, D -style, I/O con-
160 IF H.5 THEN LSET R5=MKIS(K)
170 IF 11.6 THEN LSET AS.MKIS(K)
nectors.)
180 IF H=7 THEN LSET AGS=MXIS(K) Figure 3 illustrates the reflec-
190 NEXT H:LSET IDS.TEMPIDS:PUT 1,N:PUT 2,N:CLS:GOTO 50
200 N.N.1:GET 41,N:GET 02,N:IF N>(L0F(1)/16) THEN END
210 B.CVI(85):G=CVI(GS):Y.CVI(YS):0.CVI(05):C.cVI(CS):R=CVI(RS):A.CVI(AS):
AG=CVI(AGS) PARTS LIST
220 PRINT N,IDS:GOTO 200

All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5%, un-

less otherwise noted.
LISTING 2-IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM R1-10,000 ohms
1 'IDENTIFY.BAS identification program R2-470,000 ohms
10 ADR.512:OUT ADR,255:PRINT:INPUT 'Nit Enter To Scan/Identify Unknown
Color';A R3-220,000 ohms
20 IF A=9 THEN RUN'fcal' R4, R10-4700 ohms
30 ERP.1E.20:0PEN'R',1,"call",16
40 FOR H=O TO 7:K.01/F H<7 THEN Z.2^H ELSE Z.194 R5-1200 ohms
50 OUT ADR,Z: FOR 0.1 TO 500:NEXT I
60 FOR J.1 TO 50.E=K+IN2(ADR);NEXT R6-330 ohms
70 IF H=0 THEN BU=K ELSE IF H=1 THEN GU=K ELSE IF H=2 THEN YU=X R7-47 ohms
80 IF H=3 THEN OU=K ELSE IF H=4 THEN CU.K ELSE IF H.5 THEN RU -K
90 IF H=6 THEN AU=K ELSE IF H=7 THEN AGU=K R8-15,000 ohms
100 NEXT H:BEEP R9-470 ohms
110 OUT 512,255:0PEN'r',2,'ca12',24:FIELD 1,2AS B$,2AS G$,2AS Y$,2AS OS,2AS
C5,2 AS R5,2AS A$.2AS AGS:B=L0F(1)/16 Capacitors
120 FOR N.1 TO B:GET 41,N:/F ABS( CVI(B5)-BU)>400 THEN 140 C1-220 pF disk capacitor
130 ER.(CVI(135)-15U)^2.(CVI(G$)-GU)^2+(CVI(Y5)-YU)A2*(CVI(05)-OU)72.(CVI(CS)-
CU)A 2+(CVI (RS) -RU)'2.1* ( (CVI (AS) -AU) "21 ( (CVI (AGS) -AGU)^2) :IF ER<ERP C2-0.1 iLF disk capacitor
THEN ERP= ER:NN.N
140 NEXT N Semiconductors
150 FIELD 2, 24AS 105: GET 02,NN
160 CLS:PRINT 'Best Color Match',IDS:PRINT'Relative Error',ERP:PRINT'reference
D1 -1N4148 diode
number',NN:RUN IC4-7406A hex inverter with open
collector outputs
IC1-74HCT688E octal com-
lb create the calibration files, samples each LED (or combina- parator
run CALIBRAT.BAS. The pro- tion) 50 times and sums the re- IC3-74LS533E octal latch with in-
gram will ask you to enter the verted outputs
sults. The program then com- IC2-ADC803LCN analog -to -dig-
name of a standard, or press "e" pares the sum against the ital converter (Burr -Brown)
to end calibration. If you enter values stored in the standard IC5-7805 5 -volt regulator
"e," the program will end, dis- file and finds the closest match. LED1-470 nm blue LED (DigiKey
playing a list of currently cali- The program calculates error as 103CR-ND or equiv.)
brated color standards. Other- the sum of the squares of the LED2-560 nm green LED (Di-
wise, it will create a new differences, with double weight- giKey P312 or equiv.)
standard using the name you ing given to the dual (aqua/ LED3-590/700 nm yellow/red LED
entered. It creates the standard green) LEDs. On a 20 -MHz 286 - (DigiKey P394 or equiv.)
Co' values by enabling each LED (or based PC, it takes less than LED4 -56%30 nm green/orange
the LED2/LED6 combination) three seconds to determine the LED (DigiKey P509 or equiv.)
z
UJ in turn, then reading 50 times closest match from a list of 1000 LED5-665 nm crimson LED (Di-
in succession the value sensed values. giKey P405 or equiv.)
Cr) by Ql. Each color value (which LED6-4 8 2 nm aqua LED
is summed in variable K) is Construction (Ledtronics, Torrance, CA,
Z
plugged back into the appropri- The authors built the pro- L200CWGB6 or equiv.)
ate field of the data file in lines totype on two cards. One is an 01-phototransistor (Digi-Key
so 110-180, then written to disk in interface card that can be inser- PN168PA-ND or equiv.)
line 190. If you want to re -do a ted in any standard 8 -bit PC ex- Miscellaneous: 14 -pin DIP socket
6 standard value, enter "n" at the pansion slot. This card con- (1), 20 -pin DIP sockets (3), 5 -foot
length of 14 -conductor ribbon ca-
E prompt. The program will ask tains everything except the ble, box (Radio Shack 270-230 or
X you the numerical value of the LEDs and phototransistor. equiv.), plug-in PC board (Radio
standard you want to re -do, and They are located in a separate Shack 276-192 or equiv.), hookup
then update the appropriate nu- box called the reflectance probe; wire, wire cutters, soldering iron,
merical values. it connects to the interface card solder, drill, 1/2" drill bit, small drill
lb identify an unknown color, via a 12 -conductor ribbon cable. bit, file, glue gun, and black plas-
Li; run IDENTIFY.BAS. As in the lb save money, the authors tic electrical tape.
24 calibration program, IDENTIFY built the interface card on a
 Usage notes
Thermal stability is an issue
with this circuit. You should al-
ways turn it on several minutes
before using it. The larger the
number of standard colors you
have defined, the longer you
should let the tester warm up.
The authors found that with a
1000 -sample standard file, a
warm-up time of one hour was
required for accurate results.
The authors also found that the
best thermal stability was
achieved by leaving the LEDs
on. This is the reason for the
OUT ADR,255 instructions in
the initialization sections of
both programs. Of course, dur-
ing a scan, the software turns
on only one LED at a time.
FIG. 2-THE PC INTERFACE CARD requires just enough space for five ICs, ten The methodology paid off.
resistors, a couple of capacitors, and a diode. The reflectance probe contains six
LEDs and the phototransistor cemented together with hot -melt glue and sealed in a After it was calibrated, the au-
light -tight box. thors' prototype was able to
identify 900 shades of Sears'
tance probe, which contains the sistor leads to the individual standard paint colors, plus an
six LEDs arranged in a circle wires of the ribbon cable. additional 100 "Weatherbeater
around the phototransistor. All Premium" paint sample colors.
components are mounted on Testing and final assembly In addition, the circuit gives
perforated construction board, Test the unit before gluing the reasonable matches for typical
which could be removed from optics in place. First check all random color samples. For ex-
the top of the interface card. wiring carefully. An inadvertent ample, the best match to the
Each LED must be tilted so that wiring error or short circuit blue background on page 37 of
the brightest emission from could cause your PC to crash, or the September 1992 issue of Ra-
each LED illuminates the sam- even damage it. Turn off PC dio -Electronics was identified
ple and reflects back into the power, install the circuit card, as "Oriental Blue."
phototransistor. Tilt angle is turn the power back on, and Magazines typically print col-
particularly critical for the blue start BASIC. By typing a series ors as discrete dots of a specific
LED. of statements in the following color, not as continuous tones.
Glue a 6 -centimeter (cm) form, you should see each LED Under normal circumstances,
piece of perforated construction light up in turn. the dots shouldn't affect the
board into the bottom of the box out (512,n) color -matching process. If the
with the solder pads up. Then where 512 is the address at dots are very large, or if for any
drill a small pilot hole, followed which you wired ICI to respond other reason you have trouble
by a larger 1/2 inch hole, through (default = 512), and N is 1, 2, 4, getting consistent results, try
both the board and the box, in 8. 16, 32, or 64, which should in covering your sample with a
the approximate center of the turn illuminate the blue, green, thin sheet of clear plastic.
box. Cut the shorter leads of the yellow, orange, crimson, red, or "Gloss" and texture are, how-
LEDs and phototransistor to aqua LED. ever, subjects of concern. Sam-
about a 1 centimeter length, Now run the calibration pro- ples with slight texture or gloss
and the longer leads to about gram (Listing 1) and calibrate a can usually be matched fairly
1.5 cm. Spread the phototran- few values. Next run the IDEN- well, but don't use textured,
sistor leads 180 and solder the TIFY program (Listing 2) and glossy, or plastic -covered sam-
phototransistor so that it verify that the unit works. Read ples for calibration.
points straight out the center of the usage notes before con- Identifying 1000 colors with
the hole. Now solder in the cluding that it doesn't work. 100% accuracy is an impressive
LEDs. All devices should be al- When you're satisfied that it feat for so simple a device. We
most flush with, but not pro- works correctly, seal the LEDs hope that someone will develop
trude through. the bottom of and phototransistor in the box the idea further by improving
the box. with hot -melt glue. Attach the the statistics, writing the soft-
Connect all the common LED cover on the box with screws, ware in a language more power-
leads and the collector of the and seal the box with electri- ful than BASIC, developing a
phototransistor to a common cian's black vinyl tape to prevent serial (RS -232) version for lap-
+ 5 -volt line. Connect the re- stray light from leaking in and top computers, and even a
maining LED and phototran- corrupting the results. pocket-size EPROM version. 11
MICRO
LIGHTS
Learn how the PIC16C71
microcontroller works and
produce your own mini light
show with Micro -Lights.
DAN RETZINGER
FLASHING LIGHTS ATTRACT THE AT aged in an 18 -pin DIP package the display routine) for 20% of
tention of people and can lure or that contains a central pro- the total display time, or about 1
warn them. Police cars and am- cessor, clock, EPROM, RAM, millisecond. A complete display
bulances are equipped with eight -bit analog to digital con- refresh occurs every 5 millise-
flashing lights. Retail stores use verter. 13 TTL/CMOS-compati- conds, or 200 times a second.
strobe lights to attract attention ble input/output (I/O) lines, and This rate is fast enough so that
to opening day and special a timer. the human eye will see no visi-
sales, and aircraft strobe lights An electret microphone ble flicker.
call attention to them day or (MIC1) is connected to the non - The select pushbutton is con-
night. This article describes inverting input of dual, low - nected to I/O RA3 (pin 2). The pin
how to build a pocket -sized power operational amplifier is routinely sampled under soft-
miniature light show called IC2-a, and a National Semicon- ware control. By repeatedly
Micro -Lights. It's a neat little ductor LM358, which amplifies pressing the select pushbutton,
project that's sure to get the at- the microphone signal by a fac- the circuit cycles through all
tention of anyone passing by tor of about 1000. The -op amp's eight of Micro -Light's display
your desk or coffee table. The output feeds two inputs to the routines.
cigarette -pack -sized device is PIC16C71. Both inputs can be The PIC16C71's clock circuit
controlled by a versatile PIC mi- internally routed to the A/D con- can be controlled by a standard
crocontroller. verter inside the micro - quartz crystal, a resonator, or a
The display is composed of 19 controller. The signal on one simple RC combination. For
LED lamps arranged in a geo- input (RAo) is partially filtered by power considerations and
metric pattern. A microphone D1, C5, and R7, making the simplicity, an RC clock was se-
built into Micro -Lights makes it sound amplitude easier to dis- lected. Resistor R8 and capaci-
responsive to sound. A push- tinguish. The other input (RAI) tor C7 form the PLC's clock
button selects one of eight pre- is fed directly from the op -amp. which runs at approximately
programmed sound -display Software determines which in- 100 kilohertz.
routines. The circuit is powered put will be selected at any given Switch S2 turns power on
from a 9 -volt battery, so it's com- time. and off. A 78L05 regulator (IC3)
pletely portable. An LED array -19 LEDs ar- supplies power to the circuit.
ranged in a snowflake -like pat- Capacitors Cl and C2 stabilize
The circuit tern-is connected to nine of the regulator output.
Figure 1 is the schematic di- the PIC's I/O lines. Resistors R10
agram of the Micro -Lights cir- through R13 limit the LED cur- The PIC16C71
cuit. At the heart of the circuit rent, and help to reduce power Figure 2 is a block diagram of
is a Microchip Technology drain. The LEDs are multiplex- the PIC16C71. Only 35 single -
PIC16C71 eight -bit, CMOS mi- ed under software control, with word instructions make up the
crocon troller with built-in each column of three or four microcontroller'sRISC-like in-
EPROM. The PIC16C71 is pack - LEDs turned on (if dictated by struction set.
 PARTS LIST

All resistors are'/4-watt, 5%.

R1, R8, R9-10,000 ohms
R2, R6, R7-1 megohm
R3-100 ohms
R4-100,000 ohms
R5-1000 ohms
R3 R10 -R13-160 ohms
1000 Capacitors
b- +5V
r5V C1, C3-C6-0.1 p.F., 50 volts, ce-
R1 ca
10K Cs 100 ramic
M1C1
114413286
C2, C8 -101.1,F, 16 volts, radial elec-
trolytic
C7-100 pF, 50 volts, ceramic disc
A4
14 4
100K
Semiconductors
MCLR IC1-PIC16C71 microcontroller
RA1 (Microchip Technology)
IC2-LM358 dual op -amp (Nation-
RAO al Semiconductor or equivalent)
'Cl C4 ,Cs R6 IC3-78L05 100 milliampere, 5 -volt
PIC16C71 t uE03
R7 .1 1A4C-0
regulator
D1 -1N914 diode
LED1-LED19--green light emitting
RA2
RB7
13 diode, T13/4 package
12 Other components
ABS
10K
6 ABS
11
S1-Pushbutton switch, PC -mount
10
RB4 S2-Slide switch, SPST PC -mount
16 MIC1-Electret condenser micro-
ROW 4 phone (Panasonic WM54BT or
C7 PI equivalent) B1 -9 -volt alkaline
RB3
100pF battery
Miscellaneous: PC board, 9 -volt
V battery clip, 9 -volt battery holder
R82 (Keystone part No. 71), ore 18 -
pin IC socket, one eight -pin IC
socket, PC board backing materi-
R9 R81
al, four No. 2 screws and nuts,
10K R12 LED10 LF_D14 solder.
-I eon Note: The following parts are
ROW 1 available from Silicon Sound,
RBO P.O. Box 371694, Reseda, CA
3 R13 COL 1 COL 2
81 RA4 1000 91337-1694 (818) 996-5073:
SELECT 11 V. OSC2
15
Starter kit (includes PC
Board and programmed
PIC16C71 microcontroller)-
FIG. 1-MICRO-LIGHTS SCHEMATIC. At the heart of the circuit is Microchip Tech- $39.00
nology's PIC16C71 8 -bit, CMOS microcontroller with built -In EPROM.
Complete kit (includes all
parts)-$59.00
The PIC16C71's 13 I/O pins Software Assembled and tested
and The Micro -Lights software Micro-Lights-$69.00
(made up of RAO-RA4 Please add $3.50 for shipping
RBO-RB7) can be programmed takes advantage of several PIC
features. Figure 3 is a simplified and handling. California resi-
individually as inputs or out- dents add 8.25% sales tax.
puts. Configured as outputs, flow chart. The key to control-
each pin can source 20 milliam- ling the LED display is a timed
peres of current or sink 25 milli- interrupt routine. Immediately for each LED corresponding to
amperes. This feature is very after power -up, an initialization the bit values in the RAM. One
convenient for driving LED routine presets and enables a column of LEDs is updated per
lamps directly. timer within the micro - interrupt. Within 5 millise-
The PIC16C71 has four inter- controller. The timer continu- conds all LEDs are refreshed.
rupt sources and an eight -level ously counts up, and upon over- The select switch is also
hardware stack. The A/D con- flow causes an interrupt rou- sampled during the interrupt.
verter has four channels, eight - tine to be executed. At approxi- The main program loop decid-
bit resolution, built-in sample - mately 1 -millisecond intervals. es which display routine will be
and -hold circuitry, and can per- the interrupt software reads in- entered. The display routines
form a conversion in under 30 ternal RAM locations (LED buff- decide which LEDs will be lit by
microseconds. ers) and outputs on/off states writing to the same internal
 19 TA BUB 41>
PROGRAM COUNTER
RAO/AINO
EPROM
PROGRAM
RAVAIM
MEMORY
1K x 14 REGISTER
8 LEVEL STACK FILE RAVAIN2
(13 BIT) RAM

...j......
PROGRAM
38 x 8
AI
111 111111M IS I= 6.
RA3/AIN3/

BUS <14> RAM ADDR <8>

RT
ADDR MUX
IINSTRUCTION REG.1

DIRECT ADM <7> ADDR <8>

INDIRECT RTCC/RA4
FSR
14111.
STATUS REG IN 11111111111.

1/4C.122.19

\ MUX
PORT B
INSTRUCTION OSCILLATOR
DECODE &
CONTROL
START-UP TIMER
117-`A--"i7Lu
POWER ON

G
RESET
WATCHDOG
4
W REG I
GENERATION TIMER

S1
OSC2/CUCOUT

FIG. 2-FIC1EC7I BLOCK DIAGRAM. The chip includes fully static CMOS circuitry,
flexible I/O pin programming, timed interrupts, and a built-in eight -bit A/D converter.

t("-1 76
t_4(-347-Th
74
LP*

lik
tt__j 11111
\-
IP ila
fill".
Lf ''
... : : :
?
2 3/4 -INCHES
rThil

2 3/4 -INCHES 1-1

28 MICRO -LIGHTS COMPONENT SIDE. MICRO -LIGHTS SOLDER SIDE.
RAM locations accessed by the LISTING 1
interrupt routine. The display
routines have access to several 1021 ;Routine 5: Star From Center
subroutines: one reads the A/D 1022 ;Lights emanate from center, proportional to sound
converter, and the other gener- 1023
1024 024C 1C1E r_5 btfss bitvar,0 ;check pushbutton
ates a random number. 1025 024D 281C goto main ;if pushed, we're done
;check for auto select
The value produced by the A/ 1026 024E 199E btfsc
goto
bitvar,3
r 5ok ;ok to continue
024F 2A52
D converter corresponds to the 1027
1028 0250 LA1E btfsc bitvar,4 ;0 = continue
sound intensity at the micro- 1029 0251 281C goto main ;if 1, new routine
;get A/D value
phone. Some display routines 1030 0252 2284
1996
r_Sok call
btfsc
getad
adata,3 ;skip if bit 3 low
distinguish between different 1031
1032
0253
0254 3001 movlw Ox01 ;value for center led
values read from the A/D con- 1033 0255 1096 btfss adata,3 ;skip of bit 3 high
;center led off
clrw
verter to determine how to turn 1034
1035
0256
0257
0100
008C movwf col l ;write to led buffer #1
on the LEDs, and others just 1036 0258 1A16 btfsc adata,4 ;check bit 4 (A/D)
look for a minimum amplitude 1037 0259 300F movlw
btfss
OxOf
adata,4
;value for 4 leds cc1_2
;check bit 4
for triggering a pattern. The fre- 1038
1039
025A
025B
1E16
0100 clrw ;turn leds off
quency of sounds can be deter- 1040 025C 008D movwf col 2 ;write to led buffer #2
mined by rapidly reading the A/ 1041 025D 1A96 btfsc adata,5 ;check bit 5 (A/D)
;4 leds col 3
D amplitudes. A delay sub- 1042
1043
025E
025F
300F
1E96
movlw
btfss
OxOf
adata,5 ;check bit 5
routine helps control the on and 1044 0260 0100 clrw ;turn leds off.
;write to led buffer #3
off duration of the LEDs. 1045 0261 008E movwf
btfsc
col 3
adata,6 ;check bit 6 (A/D)
1046 0262 1316
Table 1 lists the eight Micro - 1047 0263 300F moviw OxOf ;4 leds col 4
Lights routines and includes a 1048 0264 1F16 btfss adata,6 ;check bit 6
;turn leds off
brief description of each. For ex- 1049 0265 0100 clrw
movwf col ;write to led buffer #4
008F 4
ample, look at the description 1050
1051
0266
0267 1896 btfsc adata,7 ;check bit 7 (A/D)
for routine 2, "Random Single 1052 0268 300F movlw OxOf ;4 leds col 5
;check bit 7
LEDs." When this routine is se - 1053 0269 1F96
0100
btfss
clrw
adata,7
;turn leds off
1054 026A
1055 026B 0090 movwf col 5 ;write to led buffer #5
1056 026C 0816 movf adata,w ;adata -> w
1057 026D 3C40 sublw 0x40 ;is there sound?
START skpnc ;if sound, skip
1058 026E 1803
1059 026F 2A73 goto r5b ;no sound
1060 0270 3006 moviw Ox06 ;outside leds
INITIALIZE PORTS 1061 0271 048C iorwf col l ;turn on leds
INIT. INTERRUPT TIMER 1062 0272 2A75 goto r_5c ;skip turn-off steps
SET 1063 0273 108C r_5b bcf col 1,1 ;turn off led 2
ROUTINE # 1064 0274 110C bcf col 1,2 ;turn off led 3
1065 0275 3007 r_5c moviw 0x07 ;get hex 07
1066 0276 0093 movwf delay ;set delay variable
1067 0277 228A call delayl ;wait, show leds
1068 0278 2A4C goto r_5 ;continue with r_5
POINT TO NEXT
ROUTINE
lected, the software controls the
flashing of single LEDs, one at a
time, in random locations on
the LED array. When a sound of
sufficient amplitude occurs, the
rate at which the LEDs are lit is
increased correspondingly. The
START OF INTERRUPT
effect is a pleasing twinkling
pattern. The other seven rou-
BRANCH TO 1 OF 8 tines produce their own unique
DISPLAY ROUTINES INCREMENT COLUMN
DISPLAY #
effects, as mentioned in Table 1.
Listing 1 is a portion of the
Micro -Lights source code. The
1 OF 8 ROUTINES
READ LED BUFFERS complete source code (a file
(ACTIVELY UPDATES called MLIGHTS.SRC) can be
LED BUFFERS) INTERRUPT
ACTIVATE LED
downloaded from the Electronics
EVERY 1 MS
COLUMN Now BBS (516-293-2283, V.32,
V.42bis) as part of a ZIP file
called MLIGHTS.ZIP. The hex
CHECK SELECT
PUSHBUTTON
code (MLIGHTS.HEX) is also
part of the ZIP file. Listing 1
shows the assembled code for
EXIT INTERRUPT the Star From Center routine 5,
and Fig. 4 is the flowchart for
FIG. 3-SIMPLIFIED FLOW CHART. Immediately after power -up, an initialization rou- that routine.
tine presets and enables a timer within the microcontroller. The status of the select push-
 ( DISPLAY ROUTINE N5

TURN ON 4 LEDs
(COLUMN 3 LEDs)

EXIT TO MAIN LOOP

TURN ON 4 LEDs
(COLUMN 4 LEDs)

( EXIT TO MAIN LOOP )4,-

TURN ON 4 LEDs
TURN OFF CENTER LED TURN ON CENTER LED (OUTERMOST BOX)

TURN OFF 4 LEDs TURN ON 4 LEDs TURN OFF 2 LEDs TURN ON 2 LEDs
(INNERMOST BOX) (INNERMOST BOX) (RIGHT & LEFT SIDE LEDs) (RIGHT & LEFT SIDE LEDs)

CALL DELAY
(WAIT AND SHOW LEDs)

l
Lo

cr
FIG. 4-FLOWCHART for the Star From Center routine. The select pushbutton is
checked near the top of the routine; If the button is pressed, the routine is exited. checked. If it is enabled it will
cause the routine to be exited
TABLE 1-MICRO-LIGHTS ROUTINES AND FEATURES after approximately five min-
w utes of operation.
Routine Features Effect of Sound A subroutine to read the A/D
a 1 Spinning Bars Triggers Speed & Direction converter is then called when
2 Random Single LEDs Triggers Speed sound amplitude is sampled.
1 The main body of routine 5 then
0 3 Bar Graph Increased LEDs with Amplitude
.,z
-cr

4 Random Lights Triggers Speed

decides which LEDs to turn on,
tr,
depending on the magnitude of
2
E
5 Star From Center LEDs Extend from Center the A/D value. If the magnitude
w
.
ci_ 6 Boxes Hold Triggers Various Groups is high (loud sound), all LEDs
w 7
will be turned on; if the sound is
Worms Run Rampant Selects "Worm" and Rate
co
(3 low, only a few LEDs will turn
0
8 Bars Hold Selects Bar to Display on.
The testing is accomplished
..,
by checking each bit value in
iti button is checked near the top pressed, the routine is exited. the A/D's byte. When all LEDs
30 of the routine; if the button is Next, the autoselect mode is have been turned on, a delay
 ,
......
LED1

.F.., .1/.... NP.....

,.
...._
LED2
as well. For the best finished ap-
pearance of the project, a
printed circuit board should be
used. Foil patterns are provided
here for those who wish to make
Nhs. LEDs..---eLED4 ----eLED5
their own boards. Note that
...._@ Micro -Lights is designed so that
it does not require an enclosure.
v...... Figure 5 is the parts place-
---- e LEDS'''. a LED9 ----,LED10 Q> LED11 e LED12 ment diagram for Micro -Lights.
v. Be sure to mount all the LEDs
"'a LED13
v....
is, LED14
with their cathodes facing to
the left (as you view the compo-
-...... ......._

LE.015
e. Nk,
LEW.)....... LED17
nent side of the PC board). Any
brand of LED lamp will work,
although the best is a bright,
LED18 ~e LED19 diffused -lens lamp in the stan-
dard 5 -millimeter (T13/4) plastic,
radial -leaded package. Stan-
-R10 - dard LEDs have flattened edges
t..)3 (321
1C8 R4
on their bases to indicate the
- R12 - cathode lead. Mount the LEDs
-R1- -R13 - flush with the PC board to pro-
+9V --C3-
- R6-
IC1 -C8- - tect the leads from being bent if
the LEDs are bumped. Install
sockets for the PIC16C71 and
the op -amp.
lb protect your fingers from
any sharp edges of cut off leads
- S1
on the back of the PC board, and
____ R8 -
to help make Micro -Lights look
more like a professionally made
product, install a plastic back-
FIG. 5-PARTS-PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. Be sure to mount the LEDs flush with the
ing on the PC board. Install a
board so that all cathodes face to the left.
1/46- to 1/40 -inch thick ABS or
acrylic plastic rectangular piece
cut to the outline dimensions of
the PC board. As shown in Fig.
6, drill four holes and attach the
backing with No. 2 screws and
nuts.
The two lower backplate
mounting screws also secure
the 9 -volt battery holder in
place. The 9 -volt battery and
1.175 " 0.44"
battery clip act as a stand to
BATTERY
support Micro -Lights when it is
C1
ca
r HOLDER placed on a table for viewing
i I
(see Fig. 7). Be careful when po-
sitioning the holes for the bat-
- -f - - tery holder. Their placement
I I

L
L
J
0.86^
FIG. 7 -THE 9 -VOLT BATTERY and bat- determines the angle at which
S2
tery clip act as a stand. the PC board will rest on a table.
POWER LEADS Figure 8 shows the completed
PASS THROUGH
THESE HOLES
Construction Micro -Lights board.
FIG. 6-DRILLING GUIDE. Four No. 2 There are no critical require-
screws and nuts hold the plastic backp- ments in the construction of Checkout
late and battery holder in place. this circuit. All of the compo- After you verify that all parts
nents are available from the are installed correctly, connect a
routine is entered to freeze the source given in the Parts List, battery and turn on the power
display for a few milliseconds. including a pre-programmed switch. Micro -Lights should im-
The overall effect of routine 5 is PIC16C71 microcontroller and a mediately enter routine 1 and
a star that increases and de- double -sided silk-screened PC display a pattern of spinning
creases in size, according to board. The parts are available bars. The bar's speed of rotation
sound intensity. from many other distributors, (Continued on page 104)
 BRENT C. TURNER

NICOLA TESLA'S COIL IS ALIVE AND

BUILD A
well today, living in school labs
and hobbyist's workshops as a
tool for learning and experi-
mentation. The classical air -
SOLID STATE
core transformer with a spark
gap and capacitor produces a
high voltage at high frequen-
cies. However, new designs of
that concept based on solid-
TESLA COIL
state components and improved
transformers make the con-
struction of a Tesla coil easier
and safer.
When Tesla devised his coil,
the spark gap oscillator was the
only practical method for gener-
ating the necessary radio fre-
quency current across a trans-
former primary that would
result in high -voltage at the sec-
ondary winding. However, the
drawback of the classical Tesla
coil is the ability of its high -volt-
age transformer to impart a life -
threatening electrical shock to
anyone experimenting with it.
Fortunately, high -voltage
power transistors designed and
built to meet the demand from
switchmode power supply man-
ufacturers are now readily avail-
able. Some power MOSFETs are Build a solid-state version
capable of switching up to 1500
volts safely. Moreover, the task of of Tesla's famous coil. It is easier
building a suitable transformer
has been simplified with the de- to build and safer to operate.
velopment of ferrite core materi-
als that permit transformers to secondary winding, as shown high voltage will be produced. In
be made smaller and lighter and in Fig. 1. The Q or figure of merit the classical Tesla coil, the pri-
confine their magnetic fields. for a resonant circuit and the mary side of the transformer is
applied frequency determine fed by a spark -gap oscillator.
How the Tesla coil works the voltage developed across the The capacitor and primary in-
The voltage output of a classi- inductor. ductance determine its operat-
cal Itsla coil's secondary, a se- If a voltage generated at the ing frequency. An electromag-
ries -resonant circuit, is pro- resonant frequency of the Tesla netic field from the primary
duced by oscillations in the coil is coupled to its secondary, a winding couples the energy into
the secondary system.
This original design works
well, but it is inefficient: only a
fraction of the primary wind-
PRIMARY
RFC SPARK ing's magnetic field is effective
TRANSFORMER
rIstrom in inducing energy into the sec-
120
GAP ondary. This inefficiency is
VAC KILOVOL5 TS
PRIMARY
CAPACITOR
PRIMARY SECONDARY caused, in part, by the expan-
sion of the primary magnetic
I field. It was seen that if this field
RFC could be confined to a smaller
volume, the system would be
more efficient.
Ferrite transformer core ma-
FIG. 1-IN A TESLA COIL, the voltage is produced by resonant oscillations created in a terials make it possible to con-
secondary winding. fine magnetic fields. Various
powdered compositions of fer- The coil circuit PARTS UST
ric oxide and other metals such Refer to Fig. 2. The lbsla cir-
as nickel or cobalt are com- cuit consists of a pulse gener- All resistors are Y4 -watt, 5%, un-
pressed and sintered to form ator, a driver circuit, and a high - less noted.
solid cores. Their high resis- voltage transformer. The pulse R1-7500 ohms
tance makes eddy current generator, a 555 timer (IC1), is R2-10,000 ohms, potentiometer
losses very low at high frequen- organized to run in its astable R3, R6, R9-10 ohms
cies, and coupling efficiency is mode to generate a continuous R4-5000 ohms, potentiometer
improved. pulse train. Resistors RI and R2 R5-180 ohms
The operating principle of the determine the time duration R7-180 ohms
primary system in the solid- that the output at pin 3 is off, R8-150 ohms, 1/2 -watt
state coil design discussed in while R3 and R4 along with RI R10-1 ohm, 5 watts
this article differs from the and R2 determine the on time. Capacitors
principle of the classical spark - Inductor LI and regulator IC2 C1-220 F, 25 volts, electrolytic
gap design. If a spike of energy provide a clean, stable power C2-0.0047 p.F, 50 volts, Polyester
is applied, the coil responds source for the timer. C3-0.05 RF, 50 volts, Polyester
with an oscillating burst that 11-ansistors Q1 and Q2 act as C4-0.01 RF, 1200 volts, Polyester
decays with time, analogous to non -inverting buffers, effec- Semiconductors
the ringing of a bell when struck tively isolating IC1 from the IC1-NE555 timer
highly capacitive load present IC2-LM7809, + 9 -volt regulator
by the clapper. Q1, Q2 -2N2222 NPN transistor
If there is no instant damping on the gate of Q3. Resistor R8
determines the rise time based Q3-SSM5N55 FET transistor
of the ringing, it will occur at (Samsung or equivalent: Mini-
the natural resonant frequency on the time constant developed mum Vas rating of 550 volts, max-
of the coil. A higher voltage out- by R6 and the inherent gate ca- imum Reis-on rating of 4 ohms)
put will be produced by a phe- pacitance of Q3. Resistor R10
limits current so that excessive Other components
nomenon known as Q factor L1-100 RH choke (Radio Shack
multiplication. current will not damage Ti's pri- No. 273-102 or equivalent)
The solid-state lbsla coil in- mary winding. Capacitor C4 ab- T1-Flyback transformer (Penn-
cludes a stock, off -the -shelf, sorbs some of the back EMF Tran No. 1-017-5372-or equiv-
high -frequency pulse trans- generated in Ti's primary. An- alent, provided that the high -volt-
former. It is essentially the same other function of C4 is to pro- age rectifier is not embedded
as the transformer that you will vide an extra kick to drive Q3 to within the transformer)
find in the high -voltage genera- an on state. Miscellaneous: Heatsink for 03,
tion circuit of a standard televi- The pulse waveform from ICI eight -pin socket for IC1, wire,
sion set. is applied to QI and Q2, which high -voltage wire, perforated con-
struction board.

act as non -inverting buffers,

+12-18VDC providing the high current nec-
OUT IC2
100H essary to offset the high capaci-
3 7809 IN, 6aao 4Ak
RIO
tance of Q3. When Q3 starts to
2 GND 10 conduct, current flows through
Ti Ti's primary, building a mag-
C1 FLYBACK
220F netic field in the core. After a
RED
DOT
short time interval, the core sat-
urates, preventing any further
R8 aa generation of magnetic flux.
R2 4 8
15004- ca Prior to this, Q3 is switched off,
10K
AAA. t-
7
0.01p.F
1200V
BLACK
DOT
causing the magnetic field to .
R6 collapse and producing a sharp
ON
R3
1800 ORANGE
DOT
voltage spike in both windings.
10o IC1 03 Capacitor C4 partially ab-
555 02 sorbs the primary EMF, reduc-
2N2222A
R4 ing the stress on Q3. The spike
5K
'VV4
produced in the secondary cre-
ates a ringing oscillation. When
OFF this oscillation begins to decay,
7.5K HEATSINK Q3 is once again switched into
PC
C2 C3
its on state. This dumps the en-
.0047 0.05 ergy store in C4, and builds the
magnetic field in T1. If the
timing of both the on and off
FIG. 2-THE SOLID-STATE TESLA CIRCUIT consists of a pulse generator, a driver states of the pulse train are ad-
circuit, and a high -voltage transformer. The 555 timer (IC1) runs In Its astable mode, justed correctly, the secondary
producing a continuous pulse train. of T1 produces a nearly con-
 the components, and wire the Applications
remainder of the circuit. Leave Many interesting experi-
the connections to the primary ments can be performed with
winding of T1 open. Apply this circuit. By attaching a
power and examine the wave- small brass drawer knob to the
form on the collector of Q2 with high -voltage lead, sufficient RF
an oscilloscope. Verify that the energy will be radiated to light
waveform is the same as that low -wattage fluorescent lamps
present at pin 3 of ICI. (There up to several inches away, with-
might be slight rounding of the out wires (see Figs. 4 and 5).
leading edges due to the capaci- The solid-state Tesla coil has
FIG. 3-THE PULSE GENERATOR can be tive effects of Q3.) Temporarily enough power to drive deco-
built on a small piece of perforated con- connect a 10 -ohm, 10 -watt re- rative plasma lamps. By adjust-
struction board. sistor in place of the primary of ing R2 and R4, various dis-
Ti. Verify that Q3 is switching charge patterns can be ob-
the current on and off in sync tained. A modulating voltage on
TI tNSULATED METAL PLATE
with the signal at pin 3 of IC1. pin 5 of ICI will modulate the
RE ENERGY
If the circuit appears to be op- output and create more inter-
erating correctly, adjust R4 to esting visual effects.
produce an off time of about 10 The low -current output of the
FLUORESCENT LAMP
microseconds (,$), and adjust solid-state Telsa coil is not an
4-SUFFICIENT RF ENERGY is radiated R2 for an on time of 60 to 70 s. extreme hazard to healthy
to light small fluorescent lamps up to Remove power and the tempo- adults. However, the high -volt-
several inches away, without wires. rary 10 -ohm resistor. Connect age should still be treated with
T1 to the circuit and apply respect. The shock can be dan-
stant, high -frequency, high - power, observing the current gerous to people with heart
voltage current. that the circuit draws. With all problems, and the arc can easily
circuitry operating correctly, start a fire.
Construction and adjustment some corona should be visible Readers may write to author
Begin construction with the on the high -voltage lead of T1, at P.O. Box 3612, Fullerton, GA
pulse generator. It can be built accompanied by a slight hissing 92634-3612. ci
on a small piece of perforated noise. (There might also be a
construction board. After in- faint whistle from T1.)
stalling all components, verify Attempt to create an arc from
all connections, and apply 12 the high -voltage lead of T1 with It's a Boss's
volts to the circuit. Verify that a a grounded lead. The voltage World
pulse train is present at pin 3 of should be high enough to strike R /D
IC1 with an oscilloscope. While an arc of over 1/2 inch in length.
examining the waveform at pin By adjusting R4, maximum
3, determine that both potenti- voltage output can be obtained.
ometers (R2 and R4) function Similarly, small adjustment to
correctly by changing both the RT2 will also affect output
on and off time periods. power. Figure 3 is a photograph
If that circuit works satisfac- of the author's prototype.
torily, turn off the power, insert

"First, Larry, the good news.

"Byron, when I asked you to build a

FIG. 5-THE FLUORESSCENT LAMP lights above the insulated metal plate. time machine, I didn't mean a watch!"
Encourage young children to learn micioconouccoq
to play the piano or organ with this
microcontroller-based training system.
JAMES E. TARCHINSKI
MUSIC BRINGS PLEASURE TO ALL OF and musical scales. Moreover,
us and adds to the quality of our it's a great starter project if
lives. While most of us just lis- you've never built a computer -
ten to music, others play musi-
cal instruments for pleasure or
profit. Parents, relatives, and
controlled system. Pre -pro -
frammed chips are available
rom the source given in the
tincRoconouctoR
u
e
friends of young children might Parts List if you prefer not to
want them to learn to play and program the microcontroller.
enjoy music at an early age-
even before they are old enough Circuit operation
to profit from formal training in Figure 2 is the schematic for
an instrument. Micro -Conduc- Micro -Conductor. The heart of
tor overcomes this problem. the system is a Motorola
This electronic trainer makes it MC68705P3 microcontroller
possible for children to play which contains random-access
simple tunes on a piano or memory (RAM) and field -pro- Ct. E
organ without formal training.
Fifteen LED lamps on an in-
grammable read-only memory
(EPROM). Most of the chip's 28
-micioconaucroi,
dicator panel light up in the pins perform input/output
proper sequence under micro- functions. Reprogrammable
computer control to prompt EPROM makes it easy to modify
youngsters to press the associ- the operation of the trainer and
ated keys to play nine familiar add new songs when the first
tunes. The tempo of the music set has been overplayed.
can be regulated from slow to The nine pieces and musical
fast as children catch on, and a scales, numbered 0 to 9 and
LED display identifies the tune listed in Table 1, are pro-
being played. grammed into the microcon-
The attraction of Micro -Con- troller. Number 9, scales, is the
ductor for children aged 4 to 6 is default tune when the unit is L*6
instant satisfaction. With a lit- first powered up. The number of
the tune being played is dis-
MICRO COI1DUCCOR
tle practice in following blink-
ing lights with their fingers, played on seven -segment LED
children-even those with short display DISP2. It can be in-
attention spans-are rewarded creased by pressing switch S3
with the sounds of music. More- or decreased by pressing switch
over, Micro -Conductor should S4. Whenever those switches
discourage children from ran- are pressed, the circuit zeros an
domly hammering on the keys internal counter so that the new
of the family piano and driving song begins to play on its first LFe
even the most permissive par-
ents to distraction.
note.
lb accommodate children of -micioconauccoi
The cable -connected indica- different ages and abilities, ten
tor panel is placed just above different tempos have been in-
the keyboard, and the circuit cluded: zero is the slowest and
board is placed out of the way on nine is the fastest, with the sec-
top of the organ or piano, as ond value assigned to default.
shown in Fig. 1. Power for Micro - DISP1, another seven -segment
Conductor is obtained from an LED display, shows the tempo
AC -to -DC adaptor that plugs selected. Tempo can be in-
into a wall outlet (saving you the creased by pressing switch Si
expense of a lot of replacement and decreased by pressing S2.
batteries). Unlike tune number, however,
Micro -Conductor can be built tempo can be changed at any
from readily available compo- time without restarting the
nents, and its microcontroller is piece being played.
programmed with nine tunes Micro -Conductor's controls
 AC ADAPTOR
(5 -VOLT DC
SOURCE)

25 -PIN CONNECTOR

CIRCUIT BOARD

.0---25-CONDUCTOR
FLAT CABLE

15 LED'S ON
INSULATING
SUBSTRATE

ORGAN OR
PIANO KEYBOARD

41)

qb

V5
41.

FIG 1-MICRO-CONDUCTOR SYSTEM INCLUDES (top to bottom) outlet -mounted AC-

to -DC adaptor, circuit board with microcontroller, function displays and switches, and
a fict-cable connected indicator panel that is placed above the right keys on the piano ICI's Port C (PCO to PC3) does
or crgan keyboard. most of the work of Micro -Con-
ductor although it only has only
are simple enough to permit er. Microcontroller ICI's Port B four of the 20 Input/output
youngsters to operate the sys- (PBO to PB7) controls input pins. Port C drives IC2, a 74154
tem by themselves. The four switches Si to S4 and those four -to -16 -line demultiplexer. In
LED lamps on the PC board four board -mounted LED's. response to the 4 -bit Input from
(LED1 to LED4) are not a re- Software (ORGAN5.S05) illumi- IC1, IC2 drives the 15 LED's
quired for the operation of the nates each of those LED's when- (LED6 to LED20) in the cable -
circuit, but were included to ever the related pushbutton is connected indicator panel
make software debugging easi- pressed. shown in Fig. 1.
 +5V , +5V + 5V
'" C3 C4
0.1E
RN3 TEMPO
?0.1F 16 4700 DISP1
14 3
20 7 1 AN1
PAO A D13
12 2 13 13 14
21 1
AN2
PA1 2 0 AAA B

1C3 11 12 10 LED5
10K 22 3
PA2

PA3
2

4
6
8
7447
D D9
4

5
Vvs.
A.0.0*
11

10
8

7
C

D \\
R9
6-0 BI/RBO E 1604. E
5 9 2 47052
6-30 RBI E D15 F

8 11
0-0 LT G 014 G P
XTAL I
4MHz 8 C5
X
lEl"PF RN4 SONG

I c
27pF
PA4
24

25
7

1
1
16

A
13
12
1

2
47052
14

13 13
DISP2

AN I
14
PA5 2 011 AN2
26 2 1C4 3 12 10
PA6 4 0 C
28 7447 10 4 11 8
2 6
-0 RESET PA7 8 D0 VIA
S5 2 OINT
_ 4
0-0 BI/RBO F 09 10 7
E

RESET
7- TMR -C
5
RBI 014
6 Av% 9 2

-
SPST 15 11
--d LT
7 8
G P

-o o- ICI
R1
5V
MC88705P3 8
47051
C2 1
P80
1pF R2
47051 LEDI
1
P81 AAA.
R3
4700 LED2
1
PB2
R4
47052 LED3
1
PB3
LED4
PB4
1
0 SI SOI
PL1
PB5
1
SPST
o 13

25 13
S2
1 SPST 12 25
PB6 O
S3
-T-. 24 12

P87
19

4.7K
R5 t R6
4.7K ?
R7
4.7K
SPST

R8
4 .7K
i 0
S4
SPST
+ 5V
11

23
0 24

11

10 23
+ 5V RN1 0
22 10
39052
16 9 22
24
0 0
15 2 21 9
C6 pc 0 2 LED6
0.1pF 3 14 3 8 21
2 0 0 116,
1C2 13 4 20 8 LED7
0
+5V 23
A
74154
3

0 5 12 7
0 20 R lef Algok
LEDS
PCO

PC1
22
4

0
6 11 6 19 7', fP'h LED9
NUM B 5 ED10
19
PC2
10 21
C 6 10----14/47r-- 10 7 6
-0
LED11
10,
11 20 8 9 18 6
PC3 7 ED12
18 N1/4

16 5 NC 416k LED13
8 "1,, ED1
15 2 17 17 diP%
9 D10
CONNECT TO 120 -VOLT AC 14 4 4'R /ft LED15
10 D11
3
0
TO 6 -VOLT DC CONVERTER
(SEE TEXT(
13 4 16 16 `r- Oft ED16
11 013
12 3 3 `0. /16t LED17
+5V + 5V 12 D14 0 %by ED1
D5 11 6 15 15
13 015
1N4001 2 .k LED19
C7 a -0 G1 18
14 616
10 7 2
0 AOPh

0.1F 70pF G2 15 017

9 14 14

12 RN2 LED20
3900

FIG. 2-SCHEMATIC FOR MICROCONTROLLER and indicator panel.

MIENIMWSWIRMINI
TABLE 1-SONG TITLES

0 Three Blind Mice

1 This Old Man
2 Twinkle -Twinkle Little Star
3 London Bridge
4 Mary Had A Little Lamb
5 Rock -A -Bye Baby
6 Yankee Doodle LED20
7 Pat -A -Cake
8 Hickory-Dickory Dock
9 Scales

There is no connection on pin

9 of connector PL1 for IC2's out-
put 0 (pin 1). This permits a de-
lay note, a binary code of %0000
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A
)).
B C D E F

on the input lines of IC2 that MIDDLE C HEX CODES

can turn off all the indicator
panel's LED's. That delay note FIG. 3-DIAGRAM SHOWING LOCATION OF LED LAMPS in the indicator unit over the
piano or organ keyboard. Hex codes permit coding additional tunes in the micro -
occurs between tunes and is im- controller.
bedded within them.
Because IC2's outputs run on
negative logic, the 15 LED's on of the wire together to pull the board and trim excess wire
the indicator panel are all tied case snugly against the top sur- lengths.
through current -limiting re- face of the board. Solder both Insert the 25 pins of the right-
sistors to + 5 volts. When the the crystal case leads and wire angle D -type socket comnnector
voltage on the outputs of IC2 go strap ends where they exit the SOI into the matching holes of
to their low value, the connected
LED's are illuminated. Figure 3 PARTS LIST
shows how the LED's are
matched with the organ or All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5 % S01 -25 -pin, type -D connector
piano keys. As shown, Middle C R1-R4, R9-470 ohms with right-angle mounting brack-
on the keyboard is related to R5-R8--4700 ohms ets (Ampheno1177 or equivalent)
LED9. Figure 3 also shows the R10-10,000 ohms PL1-25-pin, type -D connector,
four -bit single hexidecimal RN1, RN2-390 ohms, eight -re- MTIDC
character code programmed sistor DIP (CTS 8916 or equiv- Miscellaneous: Micro -Conductor
into microcontroller IC1 that is alent) PC board, 28 -pin DIP socket for
associated with each key. RN3, RN43-470 ohms, seven -re- IC1, 24 -pin DIP socket for IC2,
sistor DIP (CTS 8825 or equiv- two 16 -pin DIP sockets for IC3
alent) and IC4, length of 25 -conductor
Control circuit construction Capacitors 0.050 -inch, 7 x 36 28 AWG flat
The foil pattern for Micro - C1-27 pF, 16 -volt disc cable (see text), AC -to -DC adapt-
Conductor's PC board is in- C2-1 ,F, 16 -volt disc er, 120 -volts AC outlet mounted,
cluded in this article. Referring C3-C7--0.1,F, 16 -volt disc 6/7.5 volts DC, 700 mA, (Radio
to the schematic Fig. 2 and the C8-470 p.F, 10 -volt electrolytic Shack No. 273-1655 or equiv-
parts placement diagram Fig. 4, Semiconductors alent), DC jack (Radio Shack No.
insert all resistors, resistor net- IC1-MC68705P3, microcontroller 274-1563 or equivalent), 4 PC
works, capacitors, switches, (Motorola) board rubber feet with adhesive
and LED's 1 to 5 In the PC board IC2-74154N, 4 -to -16 line de - backing, strip of wood or plastic
and solder them. itim all excess multiplexer (see text), tinned copper wire,
leads close to the board. IC3-1C4-7447AN, 7 -segment solder.
Bend both leads of crystal LED display drivers
case XTAL1 at right angles ap- LED1-LED21-red light -emitting Note: The following software is
proximately 1/2 -inch from the diodes, 13/4 avialable from James Tar-
bottom of the case and insert DISP1, DISP2-7-segment, com- chinski, P.O. Box 080133,
them in the holes as shown on mon -anode LED displays in stan- Rochester, MI 48308-0133
Fig. 4. Then bend about a 4 - dard 14 -pin DIP packages Programmed disk formatted for
inch length of tinned copper Other components MS-DOS compatible computer
wire in a "U -"shape with its ends XTAL1-4MHz quartz crystal, containing all files: 5.25 -in. disk-
HC -18 case, (ECS, Digi-Key $6, 3.5 -in. disk-$8.
1/2 -inch apart. Insert those ends X006 or equivalent)
over the crystal case into the S1-S5-SPST momentary push- Please include $2.00 for shipping
holes on both sides of the metal- button switch, PC -mount, (Pan- and handling. Michigan residents
ized shield patch on the under- asonic P8034S or equivalent) must add 6% sales tax.
side of the board. Pwist the ends
the PC board and seat the con-
nector flush with the edge of the
board. Fasten the connector to
the PC board with one of two
methods. Drill two holes
through the board using one of
the two holes on each bracket as
a template. (Be sure that you do
not drill into a conductive trace
on board underside.) Fasten the
brackets with nuts and bolts, + 5V
solder the conductors and trim
excess lengths. Alternatively,
place drops of epoxy or a suit-
able cement in the bracket holes
to bond the brackets to the
board after the leads are sol-
dered and trimmed.
A socket is reqired for ICI so
that the microcontroller can be
removed for reprogramming. $i S2
While not mandatory, sockets
are recommended for IC2 to
1C4. Position the sockets, solder
them, and trim excess leads.
The prototype has a jack for
the coaxial plug from the AC -to -
DC adaptor wired to the PC FIG. 4-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. Integrated circuits IC1 to 1C4 are mounted In
board with short lengths of sockets. Note wire clamping crystal XTAL1 case to board. A DC jack can be mounted in
insulated wire. However, you a drilled hole on the board (not shown).
can cut off the plug, strip the
wire ends, insert them in the ever, if you elect this option you for standoffs before doing any
holes, and solder them directly will need additional parts not component assembly. Mount
to the board as shown in Fig. 4. listed in the Parts List. Also, the the LED displays on right-angle
You can also drill a hole in the construction procedure given connectors and cut windows for
PC board and mount the jack so far must be changed to allow them in the side walls of the
directly on the board. (Be sure for this alternative. case at the right locations. Also
to observe the polarities for If you want to put the circuit cut openings for the D -type con-
both adaptor plug and PC board in a case, first drill holes nectors and drill a hole for the
board.) Solder the connecting at the four corners of the board DC jack on a side wall. Mount
wires between board and jack,
and trim excess lengths. Tape or CABLE 25-COMMOR
pot the exposed jack terminals PLASTIC OR WOOD CLAW) RAI' CABLE

with RTV compound to insulate SUBSTRATE

V TO 3/is"
them. THICK PL1
Place the adhesive -backed PIN 8
m
rubber feet on the four corners COMMON ANODE
of the underside of the PC board CONDUCTOR
-4

to elevate it board above any PIN 22 9

5
conductive surface that could
short exposed traces and sol- m
-a
dered joints. Insert the inte-
grated circuits ICI to IC4 in 1 mm

their sockets, taking all precau- PIN 21'

tions to prevent IC damage from CPDIOCIE
electrostatic discharge. PL1 LED1 RAT
You can improve the ap- PIN 20
pearance of the system and pro-
vide better protection for the 1
circuitry by enclosing the cir- (.1)

cuit board in a suitable plastic CATHODE

m
or wood case. Its inside dimen- CONNECTIONS 21

sions should accommodate the FIG. 5-DETAILS FOR BUILDING THE INDICATOR PANEL. LED leads are bent and
circuit board and allow ade- Inserted in drilled holes in wood or plastic strip and soldered connections are made as (II
quete vertical clearance. How- shown. Protect exposed conductors with tape or covers (not shown). 39
switches Si to S5 on the front observing the proper spacing and trim excess wire.
panel and wire them to the cir- and alignment. Insert the bent Locate the indicator unit on
cuit board with lengths of hook- sections of the LED Leads into an insulating surface so that no
up wire long enough to permit the holes and press the LED's leads are shorted, and check all
the board to be removed from down gently so their leads are connections both visually and
the case. (You might want to re- flush with the surface of the with a continuity meter to be
place them with switches more strip. The terminals should sure that the LED's are con-
suitable for case mounting.) project above the surface of the nected in the specified order.
When the board is complete reverse side. (The leads should Repair any errors and replace
but before inserting the IC's, fit snugly in the holes so the any faulty LED's. Protect the ex-
fasten it to the bottom of the LED's will not fall out when the posed conductors of the unit.
case with screws and stand- strip is handled.) They can be covered with vinyl
offs-plastic or metal tubes Reverse the strip and position electric tape or, for a more pro-
about 1/2 -inch long. it as shown in Fig. 5. Allow fessional appearance, covers.
enough cable length for conduc- Cut matching covers from suit-
Indicator panel construction tors to reach the last LED in the able sheet plastic and drill holes
Determine a satisfactory series, and clamp the cable to along their lengths to permit
length for the 25 -conductor flat the strip as shown. The clamp them to fastened to both sides of
cable (up to three feet) and cut can be an aluminum or copper the strip with nuts and bolts,
one end square. Insert and seat strap wrapped around the strip forming a protective sandwich.
that end in the slot of connector and squeezed in a vise or fas-
PL1 (with mass -termination, in- tened with screws near the Microcontroller software
sulation -displacement con- edges of the strip. Due to limited space, only
tacts). Position the connector With the cable securely clam- part of the assembly language
and cable in a vise and, holding ped to the indicator strip, sepa- program has been reprinted
both cable and connector firmly rate the conductors carefully here. The complete program is
together, slowly close the vise to
drive the row of contacts uni-
formly into the cable to form se- LISTING I-SOURCE CODE DEFINITION OF SCALES
cure bonds with each of the
conductors. SCALES
Referring to Fig. 5, select a TUNE9 PCB $00,$12,$34,$.56,$78,$9A,SBC,SDE,SFO,$FE,SDC,SBA,S98
suitable strip of wood or plastic FCB $76,04,$32,$10,$FF
from V8 to 3A6 -inch thick, about
2 inches wide and up to 20
inches long. Determine the ac- with a razor knife back to about available on the Electronics
tual length by referring to Fig. Y8 inch from the clamp. Refer- Now BBS (516-293-2283, V.32,
3. Add the center line distances ring to the schematic Fig. 2, cut V.4 2 bis). Download file
between 15 keys on your piano off the open -circuited conduc- ORGAN5.ZIP, an archived file
or organ's keyboard, and allow tors 13, 25, 12, 24, 11, 23, 10, 9, that must be "decompressed"
about 2 inches on each end. and 1 close to the clamp. Find with the PKUNZIP utility, which
Measure in about 2 inches from conductor 22 and cut it off near is also available on the system.
one end to allow for clamping the anode terminal of LED6, al- (Note that the Electronics Now
the cable to the strip, and mark lowing about 1/2 inch for strip- BBS is always free of charge.)
the center line locations for ping and wrapping bare wire The four files of software are:
each of the 15 LED's (LED6 to around the exposed LED posts. ORGAN5.S05-Source code file
LED20) to be mounted. Wrap one end of a 20 -inch for the software.
Carefully bend all LED leads length of tinned -copper wire ORGAN5.LST-Output listing
at right angles (as shown in dot- around the LED6 anode post, file generated by the assembler.
ted lines on Fig. 5) to account and continue wrapping all ex- ORGANS.P05-Motorola S -rec-
for the thickness of the insulat- posed anode posts to LED20 to ord listing of the code that can
ing strip selected. The bent form a common conductor. Sol- be sent directly to a PROM pro-
ends of each LED should equal der all anode connections and grammer.
the strip thickness plus about trim excess wire. Now, starting README.TXT-An ASCII file
VI 6 inch to act as exposed solder with the cathode post of LED6, containing any important last-
terminals when the LED's are cut and strip conductors 21 to minute advisory notices.
seated. (Note that LED cathode 14 as shown in Fig. 2, making lb program microcontroller
leads are shorter than anode allowance for increasing length. ICI from your PC, follow the
leads and are closest to the Also allow enough slack on each manufacturer's procedure. An
packages flat surfaces.) conductor to minimize overlap- article entitled 68705 Micro -
With a handheld pin drill and ping and permit it to be pressed controller by Thomas Henry,
bit slightly smaller than the di- close to the surface of the strip. Sept. 1989 R -E includes that
ameter of the LED leads, drill Wrap one turn of the stripped procedure.
two rows of 15 holes in the strip wire ends around each cathode The assembly language code
for the leads as shown in Fig. 5, post, solder the connections for Micro -Conductor is in five
 6 INCHES

BOTTOM FOIL (SOLDER SIDE) for micro -conductor PC board, shown half size.

sections. The first contains all Initialization of all I/O ports After the inputs are debounced
housekeeping functions for the Clearing of the entire RAM via software, the program
program (e.g. title and version memory to a value of $00 checks each switch state in se-
information, RAM variable as- Initialization of the registers quence. If a specific switch is
signments, general constant for creating a regular interrupt pressed, either the SONG
equate statements, and defini- frequency variable or the TEMPO variable
tions of both the processor's Setting of initial values for are incremented or decre-
mask option register and vector several RAM variables mented by one. After changing
table). When the microcontroller either of these variables, the
Next, there is code section completes initialization, it software automatically checks
headed Initialization. When the switches to the main execution to prevent a user's attempt to
microcontroller detects the end loop labeled MAIN in the source call for a variable beyond the mi-
of a reset condition (i.e. when code. That loop handles all Port crocontroller's permitted range.
power is first applied), it starts A and B I/O functions except en- The last block of code in the
to execute the START label, abling the 15 indicator unit MAIN section updates the LED
which is at the beginning of the LED's. displays DISPI and DISP2. The
initialization block. This sec- The first function of the MAIN four bits of the SONF variable are
tion of code performs the follow- loop is to read the state of the rotated over into most signifi-
ing duties: four input switches Si to S4. cant nibble within the ac-
 cumulator and oRed with the
four significant bits of the
SPEED counter. The resulting
byte is then available at Port A
(PAO to PA7) of the micro -
controller for the LED driver IC's
(IC3 and IC4) and display mod-
ule to indicate tempo and song
number.
The fourth section of code in
the file source begins with the
label TM-INT, which marks the
start of the timer interrupt rou-
tine. At regular intervals of
about 31 milliseconds, the mi-
crocontroller stops executing
the MAIN program loop and runs
the code between the TM-INT
and RTM-INT labels. That sec-
tion of code controls the 15 in-
dicator LED's (LED6 to LED15)
connected ICI's Port C.
If enough time (dependent on AUTHOR'S PROTOTYPE of the Micro -Conductor. its neat as can bet
the TEMPO setting) has elapsed
since the keyboard LED's were coding system shown in Fig. 3. project's source code that de-
last updated, the software ei- To conserve PROM, two notes fines the Scales tune.
ther turns off any lighted LED (requiring only four bits each) When both components of
or turns on the next one in the are placed in every byte of the Micro -Conductor have been
song due to the value of the FCB statements. built and plugged together, it is
NOTE variable. Because ICI Note that there are two special ready for a test run. Plug in the
lacks an addressing mode that codes in each of the ten songs. wall -adaptor and start the in-
can handle 16 -bit offsets, each Every song begins with a $00 cluded program.
tune must tested in sequence. code, which allows time for a Micro -Conductor will give
The last section of code in the child to move his fingers back to children a pleasant introduc-
source file is the song data. After the keyboard before the song is tion to formal music instruc-
an appropriate "TUNEx" label, displayed. Similarly, every song tion. The child will soon learn
form constant byte (FCB) ends with a ?? code, indicating the relation between the keys
pseudo instructions insert the to the software that last song and the musical scale and, it is
notes of the songs into the file. being played is finished. See hoped, take an early interest for-
This data is encrypted with the Listing 1 for a section of the mal music instruction.

From the
Women
Side "It's not really an antique . it's a
. .

kit that took him 43 years to finish."

"When you said you were assembling a clone "Yeah. I know. Roger's computer -controlled "Just listen to that, Karen,
I thought you were talking about a computer." pancake flipper still has a few bugs in it." now I know our line is tapped!"
 BUILD THIS

TELEPHONE CALL RESTRICTOR

Restrict access to those expensive "900" and "976" 171

numbers with this inexpensive call restrictor. -4

Ox

TERRY WEEDER access to your phone can call be blocked are entered into the 0
these numbers, forcing you to call restrictor's memory from a m

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE pay the bill. Most people would Tbuch-lbne phone. The restric- -1

33

"900," "976," and "540" tele- not leave their credit cards lying tor can also be programmed to m
phone exchanges have become around the house for anyone to block all telephone numbers ex- -4
fll
an easy way for people to spend use, but in a sense, that is what cept those which you have en-
a lot of money-too easy, per- you are doing if you allow others tered into memory. That feature
haps. Some of those numbers, to have dialing access to all is ideal for your business if you
which provide access to a wide phone numbers from your want to allow incoming calls,
variety of services from sports phone. but only outgoing emergency 8
scores to sex chat lines, can cost The lblephone Call Restrictor calls. C
several dollars per minute. You described in this article can The restrictor can be plugged
won't even see the damages-a block access to any particular into any phone jack in your ITI

huge phone bill-until the end telephone number, or any group home or office to control all the CO

of the month. What makes it of numbers beginning with a phones on that line. The restric-
worse is that anyone who has certain prefix. The numbers to tor can be disabled on a single- 43
 01
2144401 LED1

AN4- 0,+5V
1477Hz
'IN R4
R1 R2 1600
PC 7.5K
C3 4.7K 941Hz C9
0.1
+6V 0.1
+5V 10K
C6
' 0.1 IC2
PIC18C54
C2 C4 3
0.1 2.24J.F
RB7 VDD
12 3 IC3
RED RB6 RTCC 93LC48
PL1
MODULAR
D1
1N748A 4
0--
IC1
MCI 45438
DV 12
11

10
RB5
RB4
RAO

RA1
17 1

2
CS
\>CLK
VCC
NU
1--
PHONE PLUG 3.9V VDD
_6 13 3 CIO
GT D8 RB3 ORG
- 0.1
---V
GREEN RA2 DI
3 4
EN D4 RB2 RA3 DO VSS
D2 6 1 7 4
XEN D2 RB1 MCLR
1N748A
3.9V GND D1 RBO VSS 5
10 51>
L. K ANO
XIN t"--
XTAL1 16
OSC2
OS C1
C1
0.1
V ce 3.58MHz
.01 40-101-4
C7 PC Pt C8
15pF 15pF
IC4
R5
2805
10K
14 414. +5V
lot
D3 D4
114759A I N75A
12V 12V

C13
0.1

TO
9VDC OR
12VDC
ADAPTER

FIG. 1-THE MICROCONTROLLER (IC2) COMPARES the decoded DTMF tones from
IC1 with the telephone numbers stored In the EEPROM (IC3).
pulls IC2's reset pin low. Diodes
D3 and D4 provide a threshold
call basis with a four -digit pass- cuit from high -voltage spikes voltage that is high enough so
word. The password also pre- on the line, and D1 and D2 pro- that voice or DTMF tones will
vents others from reprogram- vide protection from ringer volt- not trigger a reset.
ming the unit. ages. The DTMF receiver con- A low -current voltage reg-
The restrictor is programmed verts the 'Much lbnes into 4 -bit ulator (IC5) drops the voltage
from a lbuch-lbne phone. An TM -level data. The PIC16C54 from a 9- or 12 -volt DC adapter
EEPROM provides non-volatile microcontroller (IC2) processes to 5 -volts DC; C11 and C12 sta-
storage of the programmed in- the data from IC1, stores the bilize IC5's output.
formation. Therefore, the re- user -entered telephone num- The disable tones generated
strictor will not lose its data bers in EEPROM (IC3), and gen- by IC2 (discussed later) are at-
because of a power failure or re- erates the tones necessary to tenuated by R1 and R2, smooth-
location of the unit. disable the telephone. ed out by filter capacitor C3, and
Optoisolator IC4 generates a then coupled to T1 by capacitor
Circuit theory reset pulse for the micro - C4. 11-ansistor Q1 turns LED1
A schematic diagram of the controller every time the hand- on when pin 13 of IC2 goes high.
call restrictor is shown in Fig. 1. set is picked up or put back on
Capacitors Cl and C2 and hook. The change in voltage Microcontroller and EEPROM
transformer T1 isolate the cir- from tip to ring (when the line The PIC16C54 is an 8 -bit
cuit from the phone line. Those goes from on -hook to off -hook CMOS microcontroller man-
components also couple the or vice versa) causes current to ufactured by Microchip lbch-
DTMF (dual -tone multiple fre- flow through the optoisolator as nology, Inc. This micro -
quency) tones from the phone C13 charges or discharges to controller has one eight -bit I/O
to pin 7 of IC1, an MC145436 the new voltage level. The cur- port, one four -bit I/O port, 512
DTMF receiver. A metal -oxide rent flow forward biases the x 12 bits of on -chip EPROM,
varistor (MOV1) protects the cir- transistor output of IC4, which and 32 x 8 bits of data RAM.
FIG. 3-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. Mount components as shown here. Watch for
solder bridges on 01 and IC5. IC2 through four input lines:
CHIP SELECT, CLOCK, DATA IN, and
The PIC16C54 contains a an AC adapter so low -power op- DATA OUT. After a high is de-
two -level stack, an eight -bit eration is not essential. tected on CHIP SELECT, data is
wide arithmetic logic unit A preprogrammed PIC16C54 then transferred to and from
(ALU), and a real-time clock/ is available from the source the 93LC46 on the positive
counter register with a pre - given in the Parts List. The transition of the clock signal.
scaler. The instruction set con- source and object code files are Each transfer of data consists
sists of 33 single -word opera- available on the Electronics of one start bit, a two-bit opcode
tions which require one cycle Now BBS (516-293-2283, V.32, that identifies the function to be
(four clock pulses) for execu- V.42bis) for those who wish to performed, then a 6 -bit ad-
tion. Instructions that force a program their own micro - dress, followed by the 16 bits of
program branch require two cy- controllers. A programmer for data which is being read from or
cles. Each pin of the I/O ports the microcontroller was de- written to that address. Imme-
can be configured individually scribed in the January 1994 is- diately preceding and following
as either an input or output sue of Electronics Now. all write operations, the micro -
through software. The The internal RAM of the controller sends instructions to
PIC16C54 also has its own PIC16C54 functions as working the 93LC46 that enable or dis-
built-in "watch dog" timer registers for the operating pro- able the write function, thereby
(WDT) and "sleep" mode, but gram. All user -entered data is protecting the data.
neither are used in this circuit stored in IC3, a 93LC46, 1K se- The data in the 93LC46 is
because the chip is reset every rial EEPROM, also manufac- stored in 16 -bit blocks, while
time the handset is picked up. tured by Microchip. The the data output from the DTMF
Also, the circuit is powered by 93LC46 is connected to Port A of receiver is in 4 -bits. To make
at ELECTRONICS EXPERIMENTER'S HANDBOOK SUMMER 1995

YES SET MODE TO

'BLOCK GROUP'

START

INITIALIZE PORTS
LED OFF
NO

GET NUMBER
FROM PHONE TURN ON LED

GET NEXT FOUR

NUMBERS
FROM PHONE GET/STORE NEXT
FOUR NUMBERS SET MODE TO
FROM PHONE 'ALLOW GROUP'
YES

GET FIFTH
NO NUMBER
GET NEXT NUMBER
FROM PHONE FROM PHONE

YES

OUTPUT
ERROR TONE
SET BYPASS BIT

GET NEXT NUMBER

FROM PHONE
WRITE NEW
PASSWORD WRITE MODE
GET NEXT NUMBER TO EEPROM
TO EEPROM
FROM PHONE
CLEAR BYPASS BIT

TURN ON LED

GET NUMBER AND

STORE IN REGISTER

YES

WRITE REGISTER YES

TO EEPROM
OUTPUT
DISABLE TONE

CLEAR BYPASS BIT

GET NEXT NUMBER
FROM PHONE

LOOP UNTIL RESET

WRITE REGISTER
TO EEPROM

FIG. 2-FLOW CHART OF THE OPERATING PROGRAM. The source and object code files are available on the Electronics Now BBS for programming your own micro -
controller, or you can purchase a pre-programmed chip from the source given in the Parts List.
 PARTS LIST
.
00 00
-410
All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 10%, un-
less noted otherwise. O 0 0
R1-4700 ohms II
R2-7500 ohms
R3, R5-10,000 ohms
R4-150 ohms 008
0 0-0
0--0-6-1
IN a .13
0
z
Capacitors to --1
? ._. .y E :
qf "
cA
C1-C3, C5, C9-C13--0.1F, Mylar
C4-2.2 p.F, 16 volts, tantalum 6 0
C6 0.01 i.LF, Mylar
C7, C8-15 pF, ceramic disc I- 1111718 -Will 0 6-g
Semiconductors
IC1-MC145436 DTMF receiver 111
1 1111 111100101-17.
IATTCR.
(Motorola)
IC2-PIC16C54-XT P micro - L
I
1
controller (Microchip) COMPONENT SIDE of the call restrictor.
IC3-93LC46 serial EEPROM (Mi-
crochip)
IC4-2505-1 optoisolator (NEC or -1
0
equivalent)
IC5-78L05 low -power 5 -volt reg- 011
ulator
D1, D2-1N748A 3.9 -volt Zener di- ILI ISOM
ode k-O\-
D3, D4-1N759A 12 -volt Zener di- 0014/)11/1/ 4
ode
LED1-light-emitting diode, any
11
0 "
color
Q1 -2N4401 NPN transistor
Other components
MOV1-130 VRMS metal -oxide
varistor
T1 -600 -ohm primary, 600 -ohm kr:1:" a (1 11.
secondary, audio transformer
XTAL1-3.58 MHz TV colorburst L
O 0 0 \O J
crystal
SOLDER SIDE of the call restrictor.
Miscellaneous: Enclosure, PC
board, IC sockets, wall adapter
(9- or 12 -volt DC), telephone cord tions when storing the num- l's in its registers. Therefore,
with modular plug, hook-up wire, bers in EEPROM, then extract the microcontroller can deter-
solder, hardware the numbers in the correct mine if a password has been en-
Note: The following items are order when reading back from tered. If a password is found,
available from Weeder Tech- the EEPROM. IC2 reads the next four num-
nologies, P.O. Box 421, Batavia, bers from ICI and determines if
Ohio 45103: Software they match the password stored
Double -sided PC board (WT- A flow chart of the operating in EEPROM. If a valid password
TCR-B)-$9.50 program is shown in Fig. 2. has been entered, the caller can
Kit of all board mounted After IC2 resets (which occurs then program the EEPROM. If
components including pre- when the phone is taken off - an incorrect password is en-
programmed PIC16C54 (WT-
TCR-C)-$25.50
hook), the chip looks for a tered, or if a mistake is made in
Pre-programmed PIC16C54 number entered from the tele- the programming sequence, an
only (P1C-TCR)-$16.00 phone. This microcontroller error tone is transmitted on the
All orders must include $3.50 for waits for a high on the DV (DATA phone line. It continues until
shipping and handling. U.S. VALID) pin of ICI, reads the 4 the phone is replaced on hook
and Canadian orders only. data lines, and then waits for a (causing a reset of IC2).
Ohio residents must add 6% low on the DV pin. The micro - If the first number entered
sales tax. controller then checks to see if from the phone is not the # key
the pound (#) key is pressed. It (indicating that a call is being
indicates a request to program attempted), IC2 stores the
use of all the memory available the EEPROM. number in one of its registers
in the 93LC46, the micro - If a # is detected, IC2 looks for and then looks for a match in
controller's software is written a password in EEPROM. Ini- EEPROM. IC2 disables the tele-
so that it will stack four num- tially, a non -programmed phone if there is a match, and
bers at the same address loca- 93LC46 EEPROM contains all then places the next number
entered in an adjacent register pin 11. The two tones are the Construction
and looks for a match making same as those generated by The circuit fits on a double -
use of both numbers stored in pressing the # key on the sided, 27/8- x 23/8 -inch printed
its registers. The process is re- phone. Upon detection of this circuit board. Artwork is pro-
peated, adding each new tone pair by the central office, a vided here for those who wish to
number to the string of num- busy signal is automatically is- make their own boards. Man-
bers stored in IC2's registers sued so that the call cannot be ufactured boards can be pur-
and comparing this string with completed. (The same tone pair chased from the source given in
numbers stored in EEPROM is also indicates an error as the Parts List. Refer to the
until either a disable condition mentioned earlier.) parts -placement diagram in
is met or the string exceeds 11 In areas where the central of- Fig. 3 and start by inserting and
characters. fice does not generate a busy soldering IC sockets for IC1
If a disable condition is met, signal when the # key is through IC3. Mount IC4 directly
IC2 outputs two tones on port pressed, the tone generated by to the board and then solder Q1
B; 1477 hertz is output on pin the restrictor will interfere with and IC5 to the board, carefully
12 and 941 hertz is output on any conversation. avoiding solder bridges be-
Notice from the flow chart tween the closely spaced pads.
that when programming the Next, mount the resistors, ca-
EEPROM, the microcontroller pacitors and diodes. When sol-
sets the bypass bit immediately dering the crystal (XTAL1), leave
after verifying that a correct a small space between the bot-
password has been entered. It tom of the crystal and the PC
then clears that bit after receiv- board. Caution: The metal case
ing another number from the of the crystal could short the
phone. If the caller enters the two solder pads together if it is
correct password and then pushed flush against the board
hangs up the phone without en- when soldering. Finish assem-
tering any additional numbers, bly by mounting the trans-
the bypass bit will be set. There- former (T1) and the varistor
fore, when the handset is (MOV1).
picked up to place the next call, After all components have
the set bypass bit will be de- been soldered to the board, dou-
tected, and the program will ble check for solder bridges on
branch to an endless loop that both the top and bottom side of
keeps the blocking action of the the board, and re -solder them if
FIG. 4-MOUNT THE BOARD In the en- circuit disabled until a reset oc- necessary. Carefully plug IC1,
closure and cut two slots in the seam of curs. Placing the handset back IC2, and IC3 into their sockets.
the plastic case for the power cord and on -hook resets the circuit. The board will mount directly
the phone cord. in a plastic enclosure available
from Digi-Key (Part No.
TABLE 1-PROGRAMMING
SR131G-ND), but it is not essen-
tial that you use this case. Be-
To Change / Enter Password: cause this unit can be operated
# - Password - - New Password -# remotely with any lbuch-Tone
phone on the phone line, you
To Disable for Next Call: might want to build the circuit
# - Password (hang up) without a case.
LED1 can be mounted to the
To Program "Block Group" Mode: top of the enclosure or soldered
# - Password -#- 1 -# directly to the PC board. Use a
Number -# - phone cord with a modular jack
Number -# - on one end and solder the red
Number -# - and green wires to the correct
(up to 248 characters) locations on the board-you can
Number -# - cut off the black and yellow
wires. After determining their
To Porgram "Allow Group" Mode: polarity, solder the AC adapter's
# - Password -# -2 -# leads to the points labeled POS
Number -# - and NEG.
Number -# - Mount the board in the en-
Number -*- closure and cut two slots in the
(up to 248 characters)
Number -# - *
seam of the plastic case for the
power cord and the phone cord.
Note: "Number" can be any telephone number (1 to 11 digits long). Figure 4 shows the inside of the
(Continued on page 110)
 NIGHT-VISION
BRANCO JUSTIC and
PETER PHILLIPS
NIGHT -VISION SCOPES WERE DE-
veloped as military surveillance
devices to permit viewing en-
emy activities and aiming weap-
ons at night without revealing
the observer's presence. The
sensitivities of their principal
components, image tubes, have
been improved with fiber-optic
SCOPES
lenses, more gain stages and
better photocathodes. In addi-
tion. miniature, solid-state, ex-
tra high -voltage power supplies
have reduced their size, weight
and power needs.
Two night -vision scopes are
described in this article. One is
passive, meaning that it will
work in faint natural light, and
the other is active, meaning
that it requires supplemental
infrared illumination. They in-
clude surplus first -generation
imaging tubes. Although they
have been superseded by more
advanced devices, they will, nev-
ertheless, provide adequate sen-
sitivity for most hobbyists and
science experimenters.
The active scope will permit
police to observe suspected
criminal activity at night and
citizens to monitor their homes View a scene in near total darkness
or property without being de- with a passive night -vision scope,
tected. The scope will also per-
mit hunting, nature study, or illuminate it with infrared
marine navigation, and many
other nighttime applications. for an active scope
The active scope is suitable for
some of these activities, but the
scene must be illuminated by an siles, and "smart" bombs. tive lens, positioned at the cath-
infrared source. Neither will Night -vision systems were con- ode end of the tube, focuses the
disturb the eyes' adaptation to sidered military secrets for image on the photocathode. It is
darkness. many years. After they were de- selected for its intended ap-
The first night vision scopes classified, they could be sold as plication-long-distance or
were designed for use by for- military surplus and commer- short-range viewing. The eye-
ward observers, snipers, avi- cial versions based on the tech- piece at the anode is for viewing
ators, and tank crews. Some nology were offered for police the enhanced image. It is a sim-
that were made as monoscopes surveillance and as nighttime ple lens that magnifies the im-
to mount on rifles looked like marine navigational aids at age on the screen. It can be
the devices shown in Fig. 1; prices that often exceed $2000. removed and replaced by a tele-
others were made as bin- Both of the night -vision vision camera, camcorder, or
oculars. The most sensitive pas- scopes described in this article film camera for transmitting or
sive units are called starlight are based on military surplus recording the image.
scopes. Night -vision goggles equipment that includes both The image tubes are the
are lightweight binoculars for an image tube and optics. The hearts of the night -vision
helicopter crews that mount on parts for the active unit cost scopes. Before you start build-
their helmets. $90, and parts for the active ing one (or both), you might
Active night -vision scopes, unit cost $220. want to learn more about how
such as the one shown in Fig. 2, they work. See the sidebar en-
depend on infrared illumina- Night -vision scopes titled "Image Converter and In-
tion from sources such as lasers Figure 3 illustrates a typical tensifier Thbes."
for aiming artillery, guided mis- night -vision scope. The objec- The only electronics needed
 in both projects described in
this article is a high -voltage
power supply capable of provid-
ing a typical working voltage of
13.5 kilovolts. This efficient and
compact regulated supply oper-
ates satisfactorily from a 9 -volt,
alkaline battery. The current
drain of both tubes described
here is small, so that their
power consumption is low.
The compact power supply is
built into a small plastic project
case that is fastened directly to
the surplus night -vision scope
that contains the imaging tube.
The Russian -made monocular
viewer shown in Fig. 1 is actu-
ally one half of a binocular. It is
FIG. 1-A PASSIVE NIGHT -VISION MONOSCOPE made from half of a Rus- complete with an objective lens
sian night -vision binocular with an Image intensifier tube and all optics. and an eyepiece. This assembly
includes a first -generation, sin-
gle -stage image intensifier
tube.
The active night -vision scope
shown in Fig. 2 contains a sin-
gle -stage image converter tube.
Instructions on how to make
several different low-cost in-
frared illumination sources are
described in this article.
Active military night -vision
weapons aiming systems typ-
ically include an infrared -emit-
ting laser. It pinpoints the
target for a heat -seeking weap-
on or for aiming other kinds of
guns or missiles while also act-
ing as a non -visible searchlight
for the observer (bombardier or
FIG. 2-THIS ACTIVE NIGHT -VISION SCOPE requires an infrared illumination gunner) with an active scope.
source but it works from the same power supply as the scope In Fig. 1. Various systems have been built
for use on land, in the air, or on
ANODE the sea at night.
Infrared -sensing missiles
IMAGE TUBE
and "smart" bombs actually
"home" on the IR-illuminated
target which has been identi-
fied by the observer who directs
the laser beam and watches it
with the active scope. Needless
to say, aiming and firing must
be fast because enemy gunners
with active scopes can also see
the laser illumination and take
evasive action or retaliate.
A Power supply design
Figure 4 is the schematic for a
high -voltage power supply that
TARGET will power both night -vision
. OBJECTIVE
LENS
POWER
SUPPLY
scopes described here. It pro-
duces about 13.5 kilovolts from
FIG. 3-ALL NIGHT -VISION SCOPES have objective and eyepiece lenses, an image a 9 -volt battery. The tubes draw
tube, a high -voltage power supply, and a battery. about 20 milliamperes so about
 150V
0.5V- -annimmus

TAB HEAT
OV SINK
TOWARD
0 8ms 0 8ms NE2
01

SCR1
10i C2 C3 TO C8 = 22OpF TO 0.001p,R5kV
D2
9NDC
\ R1
22K P
1J 1N4007
NE1
0.0471IF
350V
D3 TO 08 = BUY509

C3 C4 CS
I Fl A NOTE 1
-1-2) )I +13.5kV
S1
NE2 OUTPUT
6.4VDC 0
C1
100$1F 01 r
2N2219A R2 SCR1
Cl 06D
22K
B1 G K
C7 C8
9i C6
R3 4.5kV 9kV
22K
L 1N914
D1

NOTES:
NOTE 2

1 -RED HV WIRE TO IMAGE TUBE

2 -BLACK GROUND WIRE TO IMAGE TUBE
FIG. 4-THIS HIGH -VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLY has an inverter around 01 that supplies
150 -volt pulses to the converter of SCR1 and C2. The output of T2 is a 4.5 kilovolt pulse
that is multiplied by the voltage-tripier network (right) to produce 13.5 kilovolts.

36 hours of useful life can be

obtained from a 9 -volt alkaline LIGHT UNITS
battery. The output voltage will
remain essentially constant for The standard (S1) unit of light in- TABLE 1
battery voltages of 6 to 12 volts. tensity is the lux. and a typical rec- RELATIVE VALUES OF
The power supply has three ommended minimum illumination NATURAL LIGHT SOURCES
sections: the inverter, the con- level for a video camera is around 50
lux. However, some some video cam- Source Illumination (lux)
verter., and the voltage multi- eras will work with light levels as low
plier. The inverter section, a as 1 lux. With this frame of reference. Direct sunlight 100,000
ringing -choke oscillator, con- you can get a better idea about how Bright sunlight 10,000
sists of transformer T1, resistor sensitive night -vision systems are. Overcast day 1,000
R1, diode DI, and transistor Ql. The recommended light level for Very dull day 100
Resistor R1 provides bias cur- the safe operation of these tubes is Twilight 10
from 50 militia( down to 500 micro -
rent for starting the oscillator, lux (0.0005 lux)- very low light lev- Deep twilight
and it also supplies the feed- els. Table 1 lists familiar light levels Full moon 0.1
back to maintain oscillation. and their light intensity in lux units. Quarter moon 0.01
Diode D1 protects the base - By contrast. a typical first -genera- Starlight 0.001
emitter junction of Q1 when the tion image intensifier tube will not Overcast starlight 0.0001
base voltage swings negative. be damages if the illumination level
is as high as 100 millilux (one tenth
The oscillator operates at about of a lux), but tube life will be reduced
120 Hz, set principally by the if it is exposed for long periods to
transformer. The resulting AC that light level. ing from a quarter moon. By con-
voltage at the primary of T1 is Sensitivity is the most important trast, a very sensitive night -vision
stepped up by the secondary specification for of a night -vision scope can operate at I mix, which
scope. An average scope has a sen- corresponds to starlight conditions.
turns. The secondary voltage, sitivity of 10 millilux (rnlx), a value For this reason. very sensitive scopes
which is rectified by diode D2, that makes it effective in night light - are called "starlight" scopes.
charges C2 through the pri-
mary (low -resistance) winding
of transformer T2. primary winding of T2. When is applied to the three -stage
When the voltage across C2 C2 is discharged, the lamps ex- Cockcroft -Walton or Greinacher
exceeds the breakdown voltage tinguish, SCR1 turns off, and voltage -multiplier circuit con-
of the two series -connected the charge cycle starts again. sisting of diodes D3 to D8 and
neon lamps NE1 and NE2 During the discharge cycle of capacitors C3 to C8.
(about 150 volts) the lamps turn C2, a pulse with a peak -to -peak The multiplier triples the 4.5 -
on. This conduction triggers voltage of 4.5 kilovolts is pro- kilovolt input to provide the
SCR1, and C2 is quickly dis- duced at the secondary of trig- 13.5 -kilovolt output with very
charged through SCR1 and the ger transformer T2. This pulse low current. The capacitors and
 OUTPUT TO
C3
put is nearly constant for DC
input voltage from 6 to 12 volts,
the operating frequency of the
inverter/ oscillator increases
with the DC input voltage. The
FOR DETAILS
waveforms and frequencies
OF DIODE -
shown on Fig. 4 were obtained
CAPACITOR with a 9 -volt input.
NETWORK
SEE FIG. 4 Building the power supply
All the electronic components
of the power supply except the
capacitors and diodes in the
voltage tripler are mounted on a
OUTPUT TO
1'5/16 x 1V5 -inch printed -circuit
C6 board that will fit with a 9 -volt
'MOUNT R1 VERTICALLY
BLACK GROUND rectangular battery inside a 2 x
W RE 31/4 x 1 -inch plastic project case.
FIG 5-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM for the high -voltage power supply. Refer to Fig. A foil pattern has been provided
4 for the layout of the voltage-tripler network that Is connected to Its output. here for those who want to make
their own circuit boards.
PARTS LIST Refer to parts placement di-
Resistors are 1/4 -watt, 10%
agram Fig. 5. Insert SCR1 so
switch, PCB mounted; plastic that its metal heatsink faces
R1, R2, R3-22 kilohms sleeving; RTV silicone potting
Capacitors neon lamp NE2. When inserting
compound; tinned copper wire, electrolytic capacitor Cl and di-
C1-100 1.1.F, 25 volts, aluminum 22 AWG; insulated hookup wire,
electrolytic 22 AWG, solder.
odes DI and D2, observe their
C2 -0.47F, 350 volts, polyester polarities. Mount resistor RI
C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8-220 pF, 5 Note: The following items are vertically on the circuit board.
kV breakdown, ceramic available from Oatley Elec- Solder all components and trim
Semiconductors tronics, P.O. Box 89, Oatiey, excess lead lengths.
D1 -1N914 silicon signal Sydney, NSW, Australia 2223: Refer back to the schematic
D2 -1N4007, 1000V, 1A silicon di- Phone 011 61 2 579 4985 (Time Fig. 4, and wire the leads of ca-
ode (DO -41 case), Motorola or zones USA-East 7 PM to 2 AM, pacitors C3 to C8 and diodes D3
equiv. Central 6 PM to 1 AM, Mountain to D8 together mechanically to
BY509-silicon diode, 10 kV, 3 mA, 5 PM to 12 AM, Pacific 4 PM toll form a rigid unit according to
Philips or equiv. (rating must be PM), Fax 011 61 2 570 7910. Mas- the schematic. Keep all exposed
greater than 6 kV, 2 mA) tercard and Visa accepted with lead lengths about'/4-inch long.
2N2 219A-NPN transistor, telephone or fax orders, Inter- Then solder the network to-
Motorola' or equiv. national bank drafts and gether as rapidly as possible to
MCR106-6 (C106D)-SCR, 400 V, money orders accepted by avoid applying damaging exces-
4 A in a T-126 package, Motorola mall. Customers please in- sive heat to the capacitors and
or equiv. clude phone and/or fax diodes. The cathodes of some
Other components number.
NE1, NE2-neon tubes, miniature Complete kit of passive diodes are identified with a red
T1-transformer, inverter, 3 kilohm night -vision scope and parts
dot on the cathode lead.
CT, iron core, audio, miniature PC for the HV power supply- Figure 6 shows the completed
mount $220.00 power supply with the tripler
T2-transformer, trigger type, 250 Complete kit of active night - network to the right of the
V primary, 6 kV secondary vision scope and parts for HV board. Battery B1 and switch
Miscellaneous printed circuit power supply-$90.00 Si, both off -board components,
board; passive night -vision Kit of parts for HV power are not shown. Solder one lead
monoscope with imaging tube supply only-$24.00 from C3 and one lead from C6 in
and optics (see text); active night - Kit of non-standard parts the tripler network to the termi-
vision scope with converter tube (T1, T2, NE1, NE2, and C2)- nal points on the circuit board,
(see text); plastic project box (see $8.00 as shown in Fig. 5. (The tripler
text); 9 -volt alkaline transistor Include $15.00 for shipping and will be potted in silicone after
battery, 9 -volt transistor battery handling, $6.00 for air mall the system has been tested.)
clip with wires; miniature toggle from Australia. NOTE: The image converter
tube in the active night -vision
scope shown in Fig. 2 requires a
diodes must be rated to with- The neon lamps regulate the positive ground. If you build
stand at least 4.5 kilovolts. For output so that the voltage ap- this unit, reverse diodes D3 to
this reason, the capacitors are plied to the primary of T2 is con- D8 to convert the supply from
all rated at 5 kilovolts, and the stant at 150 volts, peak. one with a positive to a negative
diodes are high -voltage units. Although the power supply out- output with respect to ground.
Mechanical assembly.
Drill a hole in the body of the
plastic project case for mount-
ing the miniature toggle switch
Si. The location of the switch is
not critical, but it should not
interfere with the other compo-
nents. In the passive night -vi-
sion scope, it was positioned at
the end of the case facing the
eyepiece.
Drill the hole in the case for
mounting it to the passive
scope body with a single screw.
The hole for this screw, already
drilled and tapped in the body of
the scope, is located under the
coupling bracket. Drill another
hole large enough to pass the
power cable to the image tube.
Its location will depend on the
project you build. Mount switch
Si in the sidewall of the case. FIG. 7-POWER SUPPLY CIRCUIT, battery, and switch in the project case. The tripler
Fasten the case to the passive network potted In silicone Is shown as the white patch at right.
viewer with a screw. If you build
the active viewer, cement the
case to the scope body with ep-
oxy, as shown in Fig. 2.
Cut the supply lead from the
scope about 6 inches long, and
strip back about 1 inch of the
jacket to expose the braid and EYE,
the insulated central conductor. OR VCR
Thrlst the braid into a lead and
insulate it with a length of plas-
tic tubing. Insert the cable lead
into the project box, solder the
braid to the ground connection
of the circuit board, and solder PHOSPHOR
the inner conductor to the high - SCREEN
voltage terminal of the tripler (ANODE)

network, as shown in Fig. 4.

Verify that there are no short PHOTOCATHODE
circuits in the construction of (CATHODE)
the tripler and that the leads are CUTAWAY VIEW OF SINGLE -STAGE Image tube showing the position of Its key parts.
spaced by at least 1/4 -inch from
each other. Wire toggle switch enough to permit lifting the cir-
Si in series with the positive cuit board out of the case. Insert rg
lead from the battery clip. Cut the battery and wiring in the
the battery leads from the cir- case, but leave the tripler net-
cuit board so they are long work and circuit board outside
temporarily.
lest and checkout
After rechecking your work
and verifying the polarities and 1 15/18 INCHES --PI
orientation of all components, FOIL PATTERN FOR POWER SUPPLY
snap the battery to the battery circuit board.
clip. The current drain on a 9 -
volt alkaline transistor battery about 13.5 kilovolts, and is ca-
should be about 20 milliam- pable of giving you a startling
peresin a correctcircuit. electric shock. While not nor-
FIG. 8-COMPLETE HIGH -VOLTAGE
power supply circuit board with the volt-
WARNING! The power supply mally life -threatening, it can
age-tripler, diode -capacitor network described in this article pro- have a temporarily debilitating
shown unpotted at right. duces an output voltage of effect. Consequently, treat it
with respect and always make on a DMM. The AC voltage at the
sure switch S1 is off and the ca- IMAGE CONVERTER AND base of QI was about 0.45 volt
pacitors are discharged before INTENSIFIER TUBES RMS.
An image tube is a vacuum tube
handling the circuit board. that'converts an image in one part of When the scope is working
When you switch on Si, a cor- the electromagnetic spectrum to an- properly, switch off the power
ona discharge might appear other part of the spectrum. usually and wait for the tube to dis-
around the tripler network. with an increase in intensity. If, for charge completely. Insert the
This is non-destructive, but example. you want to convert a near -
infrared (IR) image to a visible light
tripler section carefully inside
avoid electrical shock by keep- image. you would use an image con- the case as shown at the right
ing your hands away from that verter tube. This is the tube in the side of Fig. 7. Encapsulate it
part of the circuit. active night -vision scope described with neutral -cure, room -tem-
Alternatively, you can test the in this article. However, the scene perature vulcanizing (RTV) sil-
power supply by placing a wire must be illuminated by an infrared icone potting compound to
connected to the circuit's source if the scope is to function.
However, if you Just want to inten-
prevent high -voltage corona
ground bus close to the high - sify a scene in darkness you would and discharge, which increases
voltage output lead. It should use an image intensifier tube, the with relative humidity. The
produce an arc as much as 1/4 - kind included in the passive night - compound will also fasten the
inch long. vision scope described here. The fig- tripler network inside of the
When the switch is off, con- ure shows a simplified cutaway view case.
nect the ground wire directly to of this kind of tube. While it is also
the high -voltage output to dis- sensitive to near IR, it is still called Viewing with the scope
an image intensifier.
charge all the capacitors. Be- Both tubes have photoemissive in- The lens of the surplus Rus-
cause of the short -duty cycle put surfaces at their cathode ends sian passive night -vision scope
discharge pulses, the illumina- that form an electron image of the specified in this article is
tion of neon lamps NE1 and NE2 scene being viewed when a voltage of focused to infinity, making it
will be visible only in darkness. 4 to 20 kilovolts is applied between useful for viewing images more
If power supplies have been the cathode and anode. Photons than a few meters away. By
from the scene or target are focused
built and installed correctly, the on the photocathode which triggers loosening a small locking screw,
phosphor screen of the image an avalanche of electrons. The anode the lens can be adjusted. This
tube should emit a green glow, accelerates the cascaded electron will permit viewing objects more
whether or not light is incident emission from the photocathode and than 100 meters away under
on the cathode. The green glow focuses them on a phosphor screen near starlight illumination.
to display
persists for a about a minute Image tubes are now made in Imaging tubes will be
after the power has been switch- many different sizes with different damaged if they are exposed to
ed off, indicating that sufficient photocathodes. electron focusing bright light for long periods.
voltage still exists between the techniques, and gain mechanisms. Don't use either scope in sun-
anode and cathode to form an The tubes in the night -vision scopes light, or even in well lighted
image. described here are examples of first rooms. Always cover both ends
If, after following the direc- (or zero) generation, single -stage
converters that are electrostatically of a night -vision scope with
tions closely and checking your focused. More advanced tubes ob- suitable lens caps when it is not
workmanship, the scope still tain higher gain by cascading two or in use to keep the imaging tube
doesn't work, check the volt- more converter stages. in darkness. The monocular
ages at the base and collector of For night -vision applications, the passive scope offered by the
transistor QI with a digital volt- earlier generations of image tubes source given in the parts list
meter. The values shown on the had simple glass lenses and S25 pho-
tocathodes that closely match the has a rubber lens cap that can
schematic, Fig. 4, are DC values peak sensitivity of the human eye. be snapped in place. It also has
expected with a 9 -volt power These tubes produce a high -defini- a focusing eyepiece.
supply. tion black and green image. The Both of the night -vision
Do not attempt to measure latest versions now have fiber-optic scopes will detect IR energy, so
the high -voltage output directly lenses, gallium -arsenide pho- they can verify the operation of
unless you have a suitable high - tocathodes, and gain stages called
mtcrochannel plates. stereo and TV remote controls.
voltage probe on your meter. In night -vision scopes, the image In a darkened room, point the
The waveforms shown were also must be formed on the cathode by an emitting face of the control at
obtained with a 9 -volt supply. If objective lens similar to a camera the scope. A pulsing green light
you don't have an oscilloscope lens, and the scene is viewed at the will be seen when any of the re-
available, measure the AC volt- anode end with an eyepiece. mote control's keys are pressed.
age at the test points shown on It is important to remember that
no passive image intensifier tube will A TV remote control can also
Fig. 4. work in complete darkness. It must serve as a temporary IR il-
The reading on most digital gain enough light from natural back- luminator.
voltmeters will be RMS values, ground sources to work. These
but they will give you a valid in- might only be barely perceptible even IR light source
dication if there is a signal. The to the night -adapted human eye. A better IR source can be
The sources could be faint sky glow
AC voltage at the cathode of D2 on a cloudy night, starlight on a clear made by covering a flashlight
(to ground) of the prototype night or moonlight. with an IR filter. You can pur-
measured about 45 volts RMS (Continued on page 57)
 Generate weird sounds with our sound -effect generator
based on a light -controlled, tone -burst oscillator.
JOHN CANIVAN

SOUND EFFECTS MEAN BIG BUSI- Figure 1 shows the pinouts of basically a resistor whose value
ness nowadays, from those in- both the 555 and the 556, and depends on the amount of light
tended to enhance home videos the equivalent circuit of a 555. to which it is exposed. Its resis-
to silly ones for your phone -an- Positive feedback, which con- tance is inversely proportional
swering machine. In the past trols the frequency and duty cy- to the intensity of that light. In
we've run articles on how to cle of the 555 timer, is obtained bright light, the resistance of a
build very sophisticated-and from the charging and dis- typical photo -cell can drop to
expensive-sound generators, charging voltage across capaci- 100 ohms, while in darkness its
but this time we present a sim- tor C through resistors RA and resistance can easily exceed
ple novelty sound -effect gener- RB. During oscillation, voltage 500 kilohms.
ator that's sure to give you and across the capacitor changes If we use a photocell to replace
your children hours of fun. from / V CC to /3 VCC. and back
1. 3
RB (in Fig. 1), those minimum
The generator contains two again. and maximum resistance val-
photo cells that control a tone - The time it takes for the volt- ues (100 ohms and 500K) can be
burst oscillator circuit: tone is age on C to drop from 2/3 Vcc to used to calculate the range of
controlled by one photo cell and i/3 VDc is known as the dis- frequencies that can be gener-
the burst interval is controlled charge time (tD). When 1/2 Vcc is ated by the 555:
by the other. All you have to do is reached, the 555's flip-flop re- Cycle time = 0.7(RA + RB)C +
wave your hands above the pho- sets and allows C to charge (0.7 X RB X C)
to cells to generate all kinds of across RA and RB. The time it If RB is very small, the cycle time
sounds. takes C to charge to 2/3 Vcc is equals 1.4 x RB X C. If C is 0.1
known as the charge time (tC). F, the maximum cycle time
Circuit theory When that level of charge is equals 700 milliseconds to give
The tone -burst oscillator cir- reached, the 555's flip-flop sets a frequency of 0.7 hertz, and the
cuit uses a 556 timer IC and and causes C to discharge minimum cycle time equals 0.2
positive feedback to create the across RB, and then the cycle milliseconds for a frequency of
strange sounds. The 556 chip begins again. 5000 hertz.
contains two completely inde- Figure 2 shows the complete The power supply for this
pendent 555's and, in our ap- circuit for our light -controlled project should be capable of
plication, the output of one 555 tone -burst oscillator. You'll supplying between 5 and 15
controls the interval of oscilla- notice that two light -dependent volts DC, and it should be able
tion-or the burst time-of the resistors, or photocells, are to provide at least 1 amp at 5
other. used: R8 and R9. A photocell is volts. The output should never
 PARTS LIST
555 , LJ , 14
DISCHARGE
All resistors are 14 -watt, 5%, un-
2 13
GROUND Vcc THRESHOLD DISCHARGE less otherwise noted.
2 3 CONTROL 12 R1-10,000 ohms
TRIGGER THRESHOLD
DISCHARGE
TIMER 1 < NOLT R2, R4-1000 ohms
-1- OUTPUT THRESHOLD RESET CONTROLNOLT 11 R3-100 ohms
TIMER 2 R5-470,000 ohms

-
4 5
RESET CONTROLNOLT OUTPUT RESET 12 R6-10 ohms, 1/2 -watt
6
TRIGGER OUTPUT
9- R7-50,000 ohms, 1 -watt potenti-
ometer
8-
GROUND TRIGGER - R9, R9-photo cells (values are not
critical)
vcc Capacitors
Vcc C1-3000uF, 25 volts, electrolytic
C2-1uF, 50 volts, Mylar
C3-0.1 pi.F, 50 volts, polyester
C4-10 ,F, 50 volts, electrolytic
5K
RA
Semiconductors
IC1-556 dual timer
Q1, Q2 -2N4411 NPN power tran-
sistor
BR1-50 PIV 1.5 -amp bridge rec-
Re tifier
Other components
F1 -1 -amp fuse and holder
S1-S3-SPST switch
5K
555 EQUIVALENT C PIC T1-120/12VAC 1 -amp power trans-
former
SPKR1-8-ohm speaker
Miscellaneous: perforated con-
struction board, enclosure, 14 -pin
DIP socket,
FIG. 1-PINOUTS OF THE 555 AND THE 556, and the equivalent circuit of the 555 timer. ware, etc.
Note: For complete operating In-
structions, set of sound reci-
OFF T1 pes, schematic, and detailed
0 120/12VAC BR1 plans for the cabinet, send $5
SI
Vcc
to John Canivan, 20 1yler Ave.,
120
VAC C.N.
POWER W Sayville, NY 11796
+5 TO +15V
INPUT
C1
F1
3000F

V, V%
1A
struction technique. The au-
R4
thor mounted the components
1K on a piece of perforated con-
R3
Lc)
1000
R2
1K R9 struction board and wired them
rn
a) point-to-point. The board,
cc
C4
speaker, transformer, switches,
2
2 10F 14 12 11 10 9 8
C3
.1
and photocells were then in-
stalled in a homemade wood
cabinet, as shown in Fig. 3. It's
550
best to mount the photocells at
Vcc
least a foot away from each
SPKR1 other so that one hand can con-
giARD
trol frequency while the other
z
w
R1
10K
C2
1F TONE # R5
hand controls the burst inter-
2 R8
470K
gp SOFT
val. This avoids having motion
S2c, BURST 63f from one hand interfere with
0.
the other hand.
FIG. 2-LIGHT-CONTROLLED TONE -BURST OSCILLATOR. Two light -dependent re-
sistors (R8 and R9) are used to create unusual sound effects. Operation
0
cc
The circuit should be used in
Li exceed 15 volts under no-load Construction room that has plenty of over-
tri conditions or else you risk dam- This project is very easy to head light, because the frequen-
56 aging the circuit. build with any acceptable con - cy and burst intervals are
 hand 3 inches. Repeat the pro-
cess.
Radiation warning-Set
41
TONE/BURST switch S2 on burst
and set HARD/SOFT switch S3 to
hard. Cup your right hand 1
OFF
inch above photocell R9 and
then cup your left hand about 2
inches above photo -cell R8.
Foghorn-Set TONE/BURST
switch S2 on burst and set
HARD/SOFT switch S3 to hard.
Place your right hand on pho-
tocell R9. Place your left hand
on photocell R8.
Smoke detector-Set TONE/
BRAD BURST switch S2 on burst and
set HARD/SOFT switch S3 to hard.
Place your right hand 3 inches
VoLur-n _
above R9, and place your left
hand 1 inch from R8.
The light -controlled tone -bur-
FIG. 3-THE AUTHOR MOUNTED THE COMPONENTS on a piece of perforated con- st oscillator is basically a musi-
struction board and used point-to-point wiring. Everything was then installed in a cal instrument, and the quality
home-made wood cabinet. of sound depends on the skill
controlled by light intensity. Place your right and left hands and creativity of the musician.
The tone burst feature can be over the photocells and raise If you've ever been searching for
modified by opening and clos- your left hand (or whichever a circuit that can create special
ing S3. That either makes a di- hand is over R8) slowly. sound effects, then this project
rect connection between the Airplane starting-Set TONE/ is right up your alley.
output of the burst timer and BURST switch S2 on tone and
the reset of the tone oscillator, place your right hand on pho-
or replaces the direct connec- tocell R9 and raise it slowly. NIGHT VISION SCOPES
tion with resistor R5 for a com- Stop at 2 inches.
pletely different sound effect. By UFO landing-Set TONE/BUR- Continued from page 54
opening S2, the burst feature is ST switchS2 on burst and set
eliminated, and the pure tones HARD/SOFT switch S3 on hard. chase a suitable IR filter at most
which result can be controlled Raise your hands above your retail camera stores, or you can
by hovering one hand above R9. head and lower them slowly stack four or five layers of com-
Remember that the amount onto the photocells. pletely exposed, developed film
of light striking photocells R8 Birds chirping-Set TONE/ negatives between the incan-
and R9 is critical for proper cir- BURST switch S2 on burst and descent lamp and flashlight
cuit operation. Since the sen- set the HARD/SOFT switch S3 on lens. This film can be obtained
sitivity of photo cells can vary, hard. Place left hand 2 inches as scrap from local photo de-
you should adjust the light to above photocell R8. Spread the veloping shops. Cut four or five
the range of frequencies desir- fingers of your right hand and disks from this exposed film to m
ed. If the adjustment is not suf- wave them across photocell R9 fit inside the plastic or glass m
ficient, you can adjust the range at a distance of about 2 inches. lens cap of your flashlight.
of available frequencies by Ghosts moaning-Set TONE/ A complete kit of parts to
changing the value of timer ca- BURST switch S2 on tone and set build both of the scopes de-
scribed in this article can be ob- m
pacitors C2 and C3. the HARD/SOFT switch on soft.
Flutter your right hand above tained from the source given in
Sound recipes the photocell R9 while raising it the parts list. If you elect to buy
The following is a list of dif- up and down between 1 and 3 a surplus image tube to make a
ferent sounds you can make inches. night -vision scope from
and instructions on how to Frankenstein-Set TONE/BUR- scratch, purchase or obtain a
make them: ST switch S2 on burst and set "fast" camera lens and a magni-
Police siren-Set TONE/BURST HARD/SOFT switch S3 on soft. fying glass for use as an eye-
switch S2 on tone and raise and Raise your hands above your piece. You can then assemble all
lower your right hand between 1 head and lower them slowly un- of these parts in a suitable met-
and 3 inches above R9, once til you touch the photocells. al or plastic tube. The power
every second. Raise your left hand about 3 supply described here will
Old car starting-Set TONE/ inches and then lower it to with- power most imaging tubes, re-
BURST switch S2 on burst and in 1 inch of the switch. At the gardless of their size or country
of origin. 57
set HARD/SOFT switch S3 to hard. same time, raise your right
 HAVE YOU EVER WANTED A HARD what is being said during the ing permits the two data
copy of the script from your fa- program as the words flash on streams to be transmitted on
vorite television program? Do the screen. Closed captioning is the same television channel.
you wish you could receive tran- now included in most program- Moreover, captions and teletext
scripts of important news pro- ming on the major networks. each support two different lan-
grams without the trouble and Teletext information is also guages. Therefore, the following
expense of sending for them sent by the VBI transmission. four separate data streams can
through the mail? The Text - In this mode, a decoder blanks exist on a single television chan-
Grabber will let you capture a normal programming and dis- nel simultaneously:
transcript of any closed -cap- plays other information on the 1) Captions Language 1
tioned television pro- 2) Captions Language 2
gram for the hearing 3) Teletext Language 1
impaired. All you do is 4) Teletext Language 2
connect a video source In the United States,
to the TextGrabber, Teletext and second lan-
and connect the Text- guage information is
Grabber to your normally transmitted
personal computer only during prime -time
through its serial port. programming. The Tele-
Then by running suit- text mode, for example,
able communications can transmit a pro-
software, you can cap- gramming guide listing
ture the text encoded upcoming shows that
with the broadcast TV coo.pntioin,uelnstgramnigse wsinoen: o
are closed -captioned.
signals! Note that the worlds, to seek out The second language
lextGrabber works by new tile and new
mode (Language 2)
civilizations -lo bolder,
itself, and does not re- go where no one ha, usually displays a mes-
quire a separate gone helot..
sage advising the user
closed -caption de- to switch his decoder
coder. back to Language 1 to
receive program cap-
VBI data transmission tions. The vast majority
Closed captions are of closed captioning is
added to the NTSC seen with a decoder set
television signal as se- to the Caption mode for
rial bit streams that Language 1.
occur on line 21 of the Figure 2 shows the
odd field during the format of the serial data
vertical blanking inter- in the VBI. Each "block"
val (VBI). Figure 1 shown represents a
shows the data format start bit and two seven -
in which two charac- bit characters with par-
ters are sent on line 21. ity. Several of the impor-
The text transmission tant control codes are
rate of the VBI data sys- shown. Those are the
tem is determined by
the number of VBI
lines transmitted, the
number of characters
The TextGrabber only codes to which the
lextGrabber responds.
There are other con-
trol codes that affect
per line, and the frame
rate of the television Make transcripts of your different parts of the
display of an on-
signal. For closed -cap- favorite television programs screen caption de-
tioning, the data rate coder. Those include
is: and download them to your PC. codes for italics, un-
lino characters/line x derlining, text color,
one line/frame x 30 and position. Those
frames/second = 60 KELLY McARTHUR
codes are ignored by
characters/second the TextGrabber and
VBI data transmission can full screen. Teletext is not widely eliminated from the output
deliver different kinds of infor- used in the United States, but it unless its "raw" data mode is
mation. With an inexpen- is popular in some countries in selected. The TextGrabber has
sive,settop, closed -caption de- Europe. no use for those codes. The raw
coder or a newer television set Closed caption and teletext data mode is provided in case
with built-in decoding, the transmissions both use line 21 you have an application that
hearing -impaired can read of the odd video field. Multiplex- can use them
 level. The overall gain given by
100- BLANKING
LEVEL
1+ R6/R7 = 2. Amplified video
PROGRAM /7 CYCLES OF 0.503MHz is buffered to J2 by emitter -fol-
COLOR BURST (CLOCK RUN-IN) lower transistor Q3.
50-
TWO -7 BIT + PARITY ASCII
Unbuffered video is sent to
z 25- CHARACTERS (DATA) ICI, an LM1881 sync -separator,
w
20- which extracts timing informa-
wcc
G. _
1.1'' START BIT
tion from the video signal. The
-20- 11.4-- 12.910p 33.7464p following signals are extracted:
CSYNC (composite sync), VSYNC
!!
(0.20H) (0.53H)
kr- 3.972ps
-40-
27.452ps (0.06H)
(vertical sync), BURST (color -
(0.43H) burst), and EFIELD (even video
10.074ps 51.2680
(0.8H)
field).
(0.16H) 1'4

61.342p
CSYNC is applied to one-shot
(0.965H) IC2-a, set to around 45 microse-
conds, and then to IC2-b, set to
FIG. 1-CLOSED CAPTION DATA FORMAT. Captions are added to the television signal around 10 microseconds, to fil-
as serial bit streams that occur on line 21 of the odd field during the vertical blanking ter the serrations out of the
interval (VBI). composite sync signal and pro-
vide a clean horizontal sync sig-
END OF CAPTION CODE
PREAMBLE CODE
(SENT TWICE)
nal i-y---Nc) for the counters.
(SENT TWICE) TEXT (UP TO 32 CHARACTERS PER ROW)
The BURST signal from the
sync separator momentarily
closes analog switch IC7 during
the colorburst signal, which ap-
plies the video signal to the
sample -and -hold circuit formed
by R19, C28, and IC8. The time
constant of R19 and C28 is slow
S b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7I P b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7 P
b1
enough to filter out the 3.58 -
MHz color subcarrier present
during the burst. As a result,
START CHARACTER 1
PARITY
BIT
CHARACTER 2
PARITY
BIT
C28 maintains a voltage equal
BIT
to the black level of the video
signal. Diode DI is biased to
provide a reference voltage
equal to the voltage drop across
- PREAMBLE CODES the diode that tracks the varia-
CHARACTER 1 tions in the black level. A voltage
11 H - 14H PRIMARY LANGUAGE divider consisting of R29 and
19H - 1CH SECONDARY LANGUAGE R30 provides a clipping level
CHARACTER 2 about 0.3 volt above the black
20H CAPTION DATA START
level as a reference to the com-
2AK2BH TELETEXT DATA START parator IC5. Digital data is then
extracted from the video and
END OF CAPTION CODES sent to the inputs of the shift
CHARACTER 1 registers shown in Fig. 5.
11H - 14H PRIMARY LANGUAGE
Positive -going HSYNC pulses
19H - 1CH SECONDARY LANGUAGE are applied to the input of IC3, a
CHARACTER 2
74HCT4046 phase -locked loop
2DH CARRIAGE RETURN
(PLL) IC. This PLL contains
2FH END OF CAPTION both an edge -triggered phase
comparator and voltage -con-
FIG. 2-VBI SERIAL DATA. Each "block" as shown represents a start bit and two trolled oscillator (VCO). A low-
seven -bit characters with parity. pass filter consisting of R13,
R14, C27, and C42 smoothes
TestGrabber hardware output jack is left unconnected. out the phase error signal and
Figure 3 shows a simplified Relay RYI bypasses the buffer applies it to the input of the
schematic of the TextGrabber. A when the unit is turned off. VCO at pin 9. The output clock
baseband video source such as The video buffer and PLL sec- signal is sent to counter IC4,
a VCR is connected to JI. The tion is shown in Fig. 4. Video is which divides the signal by 32.
video signal is terminated on decoupled by capacitor C39 and A reference signal is then fed
the TextGrabber, and a buffer then buffered by an amplifier back to the second phase -com-
drives the video back out to J2. formed by QI and Q2. Resistors parator input, closing the loop.
No termination is required if the R3 and R4 set the input bias This response sets the operat-
ing frequency of the PLL to 32 (shift -register clock) of the shift line 21 of the video signal is
times the video's horizontal fre- registers, which causes them to present, and the EFIELD signal
quency, or 504 kHz. sample the data and shift it that indicates that the odd video
The digital data stream from through the registers. field is present. The PAL then
the comparator is sent to a pair Programmable array logic asserts the RCLK signal that
of serial -to -parallel shift regis- (PAL) IC9 decodes the five bits causes IC10 and IC11 to latch
ters, IC10 and IC11, in Fig. 5. from counter IC4. It also detects the data in the shift registers on
The regenerated 504 -kHz clock a signal from the micro - the particular clock cycle when
signal (Ti)32 drives the SRCLK pin controller that indicates that the two bytes from the sampled

J1
RCA
VIDEO IN
J2
RCA
3 VIDEO OUT
R1
4 4
750
9
8
VIN 4-5
4 +5V
VIN R2
VOUT 7512
VOUT SHIFT REGISTERS 10
SDATA
SDATA SDATA (FIG'S) RY1
32H MICROCONTROLLER
32H 32H
(FIG.6)
32H P(0..7) PORT BUS 8031
VIDEO BUFFER P(0..7) 4 P(0..7) P1
(FIG.4) SYNC BUS
A(0-16) ADDRESS BUS RS232
S(0..4)
S(0..4)
S(0..4)
A(0..15) 4 A(0..15)
FEMALE 01326
D(0..7) DATA BUS 13 "...%
COUNTER REG BUS D(0..7) 4 D(0..7)
26
0
R(0..4) 1(0..7) I/O BUS 12
R(0..4) R(0..4) 1(0.3) 1(0..7) O
24
11
23
0
t0 0
V 22
16

C31
10F
1
C1+
"CC
2 -0
21
8
20

C1- V 0
11 RDATA 11
9
C34 0
T1IN IC16
10 TDATA 12 10F
R1OUT MAX232 18
CTS 6
T2OUT 0
C2+ 17 0
C32 RTS 4
R2IN O
10pF 16
6 0
C2 14 RD 3
10 T1OUT 0
T21N 16
0
13 2
R2OUT R1IN 0
14
GND
J3
POWER IC18 11;6
7.5VDC LM7806
1 3
IN OUT +sv
2 C37 C160
GND
3 47F C25 C38 0.1

0.1 22PF V00

+6V A+6V VCC
ir - - - _
I I
C43
847pF
+ C36
AC 47F
....
"'" 0.01
C2 ..me
" 0,01
C4 ,r.
" 0.01
C6
a4 0.01
C8
"
... C10
0.01
me C12
" 0.01
C14
0.01
7It
C29
0.01
2M

C35 C1 ,e C3 siE C6 C7 C9 C11 Nit C13 C15

Pt
.4'

47F '"` 0.01^ 0.01- 0.01- 0.01" 0.01- 0.01 0.01-

I 0.01

. V
AGND v-EE Vss

FIG. 3-TEXTGRABBER BLOCK SCHEMATIC. A base -band video source Is connected

to J1. The video signal is terminated on the TextGrabber, and a buffer drives the video
beck out to J2.
 VIN
VOUT >
C39 A+5V
2211F + R17 t
21( '41*

R130
D1 13K
14t147-a
IC5
SDATA
1N41411 2
Re 1/4 CD40116
4700 VIDEO 4
WF I WivC4L
71 1,13 18K
R7
4700 V' RIOS
AGND
81 g 8j if vonio3
R3 R18
C28 IC3
43K AGM) 2K
IC8-d 0.1 Luxe 74HCT4046
18
C22 R13
ye 74H014
V 270pF 4700
AGND C1A PC2 VV!
+5V IC2-a PULSE
C19 R14 C27
1/2 74HC221 C1B
"Pt 0.1 18 PC1 2400 0.22
491A, R1 15
3 PC3
EN R11
22 100K R10 10 t R12 C42
A DEMOD 7' 560K
100K 12
2.2pF
-45s
47K
15 V4 R2
5 VCO IN
INH
14
C 14 4 +61/
K 13 SIG IN VCO OUT
020 4
C V
0.001

33
t
IC1 CY H 32H
LM1881 10
A
VIDEO CSYNC S3 3-2-IH32H >
CSYNC EN 011

VSYNC
VSYNC 82
IC2-b R16 -c CLK
10
07
2
4
R(0..4)
Si 1S R(0..4)
BURST 1/2 74HC221
10K Q8 06
BURST 3
EFTBD SON 12 05
09
FIELD 14 5 R3
C21 04
-10ps 010
RSET 0.001 R2
16
6 all 03
R1
1 7
012 Q2
C17 12 HSYNC 11 RO
0.1 "4 RST 01
84
IC4
74HCT4040
S(0.A)
V S(0..4)
AGM

FIG. 4-VIDEO BUFFER AND PLL. Video is decoopled by capacitor C39 and then
buffered by 01 and 02.

video "line up" with the two - code, but jumper J4 permits put 0. When the vertical sync
byte wide registers of the larger EPROMs, such as a signal is detected, the internal
74HC595s. 27512 to be substituted. Pro- counter starts counting down
The microcontroller now has grammed EPROMs and PALs from 21. When it reaches zero,
a delay until the next odd field are available from the source the processor toggles Port 1, Bit
arrives to retrieve the data. The given in the Parts List. The 0 (pin 1) high, so that IC9
PAL also decodes some of the source code can be downloaded latches the shift register data.
microcontroller's address lines from the Electronics Now BBS Firmware running on the 8031
to map the shift register's read (516-293-2283, V.32, V.42bis) then extracts the captions from
ports into the microcontroller's as a file called TEXTGRAB.ZIP. the data stream and sends them
external memory. The microcontroller tracks to the serial port at 9600 baud.
The firmware for the 8031 mi- the video timing by monitoring A MAX232 chip (designated as
crocontroller is contained in vsyrvc, which is connected to IC15 in Fig. 3) provides the
EPROM IC14 (see Fig. 6). A 2764 External Interrupt 0, and HSYNC proper 10 -volt levels needed
has enough memory for the which is connected to Timer In- for RS -232C.
 +54

t16
IC10 D(0..7)

SDATA SDATA 4 SER

74HC596

GA 15
OB
07
De
/
32H
5-2i4 > 11
YSRCLK QC
2 05
HSYNC 100 04
SRCLR OD
32H 4 D3
OE
RCM
B1EN
12
130
RCLK
O
OF
QG

OH
8

7
D2
01
DO
/
OH'

+5V

1'18
1C11

74HC596
14 D7
SER OA 15
De
OB
+5V 32H 11 D5
DSRCLK OC
HSYNC HSYNC 10-0 D4
SRCLR OD
120 OE 4 D3
IC9 RCLK 12
> RCLK OF 5 02 /
32H 1
11
G AL 1

01 319 RCLK
BOEN 13
0 OG 6 DI /
S4 HSYNC 2 318 gi'.50Z OH
12 02
so EFIELD 3 317 MEN OH'
13 03
L21 MEN
4
14 04 315
R4 5 15
05 315 AO
+54 +5V
S(0.A) 03 6
16 06 14 A14
R2 7 A16
17 07 313 033
P(0..7)
RI
RD
8
9
18 08 ---
12 22011

10 CAPTION POWER
19 LED1
RD 11 DETECT
R(0..4)
17
110
\N.
1E02
AD 4PS 05
1(0.. 7) R27 2N3904
A14
< 1(0 7) ) 10K
A15

A(0..15)
15) +6V +5V +5V
rA(0
CAPTION LANGUAGE FILTER
TO
MODE
\12 INTO
MODE MODE

R28 R32 R31

N PI LED
4.7K 4.7K 417. 4.7K
P5 RAW

\ P6 LANGI
LA P7 CAPMODE
rn
NP4 gC 03
cn
SO EFIELD 6
S3 2
5 ; 5
'S3- I
S4
4
3 S2 VSYNC 6
2
3 S4 HSYNC

FIG. 5-THE DIGITAL DATA STREAM from the comparator Is sent to a pair of serial -to -
parallel shift registers, IC10 and IC11. PAL IC9 asserts the RCLK signal that causes IC10
1 and IC11 to latch the data In the shift registers.

2 Construction make your own board, be aware diagram in Fig. 7. If you have
LA,
A printed circuit board is rec- that there are several vias on the made your own double -sided
ommendedfor the construction board where copper traces must board, be sure to solder all of the
of the 1BxtGrabber. You can fab- jump from one side of the board component leads on both sides
c2) ricate a PC board yourself from to the other. Short lengths of of the board because many of
iE the artwork provided in this ar- bare copper wire must be inser- the traces depend on compo-
tide, or obtain an etched and ted and soldered on both sides. nent pins to provide a connec-
Lij drilled board from the source Install the components as tion from one side to the other.
62 given in the Parts List. If you shown in the Parts -Placement Also, install a wire jumper in
 J4
CON3
JUMPER FOR JUMPER FOR
27512 I 2764, 27128
tl 2
li VCC

20
+5V
281
+5V S
140
IC12 IC13 IC14
8031 7414C7573 27128
/N\ DO 2 19 AO 10 AO 11 DE,/
1
MVP P0.0 39 DO
D1 01 00
C23 38 DI /-*\.D1 3
02 18 Al 9
Al 01
12 DI /
P0.1 D2
22pF 02 /11
9 po2 37 02 II212 03
17 A2 8
A2 02 13
D3
RESET
--)1 XTAL1
X
P03 36 D3 /'\D3 5
D4 04 16 A3 03 15 D3 /
VCC
1=3 11.052MHz
T P0. 4 35 04 /\04 05
6
05 15 A4 6
A4 04
16 D4 /
C24 PO5 34 05 /\\ D5 7
D6 06 14 AS 5
A5 05
17 05
22pF
P0.6
33 D6 /N126) D7 07 13 A6 4
A8 06
18 D6 /
D2 R24
10K 2 P0.7
32 07 D7 9
D8 08 12 A7 3
Al 07
19 077
1N4148 13 RST
RESET 11 A8 25
9 C A8
IC6-1 24
21 A8 10 A9 A9
1/6 74HC14 P2.0 OC
C31
22 A9 Al 0 21
S1 10F P2.1
A10
tr. All 23
12 INTO 120
INTO P2.2 23 A10 All
130 All Al2 2
Al2
INT1 P2.3 24
6
14 TO 14 25 Al2 A13
TO P2.4
20
15 A13 CF
Ti P25 26
22
A14
P2.6 27 OE
A15 27
P27 28 PGM

PO
P1.0
VCC. VPP 14,

-/ P1 2
P1 1 RD
17 RD 17

3
P12 WR
16 WR I6\
/P3 4 PSEN
P1.3 PSEN 029
5
P1.4 ALE/I5 30 ALE
/P5 PI 5 TXD
11 RDATA
D(0..7)
/P6 7 RXD
10 TDATA 10\ DO 7) >
P1 6

/ 8
P1.7
20
74.
A(0..15)

P(0 7)
A(0. 15) >

P(0. 7) >
1(0..7)
1(0..7) >

FIG. 6-FIRMWARE FOR THE 8031 MICROCONTROLLER is contained in EPROM IC14.

Jumper J4 allows the use of larger EPROMs.

any through holes that don't PARTS LIST C19, C28-0.1 F, 25 volts, Poly-
All resistors are 1/4watt, 5%. ester
contain a component lead. (Cir- C20. C21-0.001 F, 25 volts, Poly-
cuit boards purchased from the R1, R2-75 ohms
R3-43,000 ohms ester
source in the Parts List have C22-270 pF, 25 volts, ceramic
plated through -holes so that R4-56,000 ohms
R5-3000 ohms NPO
step is unnecessary.) Figure 8 R6, R7, R13-470 ohms C23, C24-22 pF, 25 volts, ceramic
shows the completed PC board. R8-680,000 ohms NPO
R9-47,000 ohms C27-0.22 F, 16 volts, tantalum
Checkout R10, R11-100,000 ohms electrolytic
Connect a serial cable be- R12-560,000 ohms C31-C34, C41-10 !IF, 16 volts,
tween the itxtGrabber and a PC R14-240 ohms Tantalum electrolytic
that is running a communica- R15, R24, R27-10,000 ohms C35-C36, C43-47 F, 16 volts,
tions program. The software R17, R18-2000 ohms Tantalum electrolytic
should be set to communicate R19-270 ohms C37-220 F, 25 volts, electrolytic
over a direct connection at 9600 R20, R28, R33-220 ohms C38, C39-22 F, 16 volts, tan-
bps. Then connect a "clean" vid- R22-1000 ohms talum electrolytic
eo source to the video input con- R26, R31, R32-4700 ohms C42-2.2 F, 16 volts, tantalum
nector. Apply power to the R29-18,000 ohms Semiconductors
TextGrabber; the message R30-13,000 ohms D1, D2 -1N4148 diode
"<READY" will appear on the Capacitors LED1-green light -emitting diode
screen. This indicates that the C1-C15, C29-0.01 pt.F, 25 volts, LED2-red light -emitting diode
microcontroller is up and run- monolithic 01, Q3, Q5 -2N3904 NPN tran-
ning. If no video source is de- C16, C17, C25-0.1 F, 25 volts, sistor
monolithic Q2 -2N3906 PNP transistor
tected, the TextGrabber will also IC1-LM1881 sync separator
send "<NO VIDEO SIGNAL" to C18, C26, C29, C30, C40-not
used IC2-74HC221 multivibrator
the terminal.
 C9
J1
VIDEO IN RY1
111 R5 1
1 ) IC7
R3 R6
I R4 R7
J2

rc'si )
VIDEO OUT ..0011.111411,1
1C10
C29 42 I R 8 ikR 9 1 R29 ;Y- J4
1
S2
C36 ) Ica ) IC5
F120

11
1
11) t'sj
D1 R30
-C14-
R17 C28
-R22-- R26 --.
P1 F19- C -Of -R32-
1
- R31---
C2 ) IC2
IC34 1 "."'

R2J._
LED1
1C32
-C13--
C42 C27 ---R28----
IC15
(C31 -R14 - CO5
-C3 - R13-
1

C15
1-1

(C33
-R12- -C12-
+ C35

-R10- C22

-R11 --
S1
-14-02-
-R24- jC41 -C9- -R27-- C24 C23

IC16 XTAL1
NMI -C6- ex,<ity
J3 C37 C38
LED2
) IC6
POWER -C25-- -C16- C43
-R33-

FIG. 7-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. If you make your own double -sided board,
solder all of the component leads on both sides of the board, and install a wire jumper
In any through holes that don't have a component lead in them.

If the microcontroller is work-

PARTS LIST Continued
ing properly, check the video
(push -on, push -off type) section by first examining the
IC3-74HCT4046 PLL XTAL1-11.0592 MHz crystal outputs of the sync -separator
IC4-74HCT4040 counter Miscellaneous: PC board, 7.5 -volt (IC1) with an oscilloscope to
IC5-LM311 comparator DC 500 milliampere power sup-
IC6-74HC14 hex inverter ply, project case, cables.
make sure they are active. Then
IC7-CD4066B quad bilateral follow the path of HSYNC through
Note: the following items are to the PLL, and verify that it is
switch Harris or equiv. available from 5860 SW 18th,
IC8-LM358 op -amp National or Portland, OR 97201:
oscillating at the proper fre-
equiv. Complete TextGrabber kit in- quency (504 kHz), and that this
IC9-GAL16V8-25 programmable cluding PC board, and all elec- clock signal is present at the
logic device trical components (no case or shift registers (IC10 and IC11). If
IC10, IC11-74HC595 shift register power supply)-$149.95 you have a two -channel os-
IC12-8031 microcontroller PC board-$20 cilloscope, verify that the out-
IC13-74HCT573 latch Programmed PAL and put of the sample -and -hold
IC14-27C64 EPROM EPROM-$20 circuit (IC8 pin 1) tracks the
IC15-MAX232 RS232 transceiver Please add $5 for shipping and black level of the buffered video
IC16-LM7805 voltage regulator handling on the complete kit, signal, and that the comparator
Other Components $2 for PC board and PAL/ reference at pin 2 of IC5 remains
J1, J2-PC-mount RCA connector EPROM orders. Check or about 0.3 -volt above the black
J3-PC-mount coaxial power con- money order only. level.
nector A fully assembled and tested
RY1-DPDT-relay, 5 -volt coil TextGrabber with case and Using the TextGrabber
P1-PC-mount female DB25 con- power supply is available for Figure 9 shows a typical oper-
nector $249.95 from Sunbelt Indus-
S1-SPST momentary -contact
ating setup for the lextGrabber.
tries, 1254 Fishhook Way, The program being transcribed
pushbutton switch Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082;
S2-S4-PC-mount DPDT switch (904) 285-4788.
can be viewed either on a televi-
sion connected to the VCR's RF
 allows you to select whether the
TextGrabber sends just the
ASCII captions to the terminal,
or raw data which includes a
stream of control characters
and codes.
Also note that, because cap-
tions are generally transmitted
in all capital letters, the Filter
mode of the TextGrabber will
convert all the characters to
lower case except those at the
start of a sentence.
The LANG1/LANG2 switch (S3)
selects the multiplexed lan-
guage data streams to be dis-
played. At the present time,
Language 2 data is not in wide
use by any of the American
broadcasters.
The CAPTION/TELETEXT switch
(S2) selects either the closed
caption data stream or the tele-
text data stream which is multi-
FIG. 8-FINISHED PC BOARD. This is an early prototype, so some of the parts might plexed onto the same channel.
not be the same as those that you will be installing.
Again, leletext mode is seldom
used by American broadcasters,
pass -through, or on a video indicate that the unit is but the ABC television network
monitor connected to the Thxt- powered. The green LED on the programming sometimes trans-
Grabber's baseband video pass - right side will indicate a Cap- mits information on this chan-
through. tion Detect. It lights whenever nel. In general, you will find that
The computer is running ter- the unit detects a valid caption the desired setting for each of
minal communication software data stream, and it stays on these switches is in the "out"
set to 9600 baud, 8 data bits, no while the data is being trans- position.
parity bit, and one stop bit mitted. The microcontroller will be re-
(8N1). The data from the Text - If the Caption Detect LED is set by pressing reset button Si
Grabber is captured on the hard not flashing periodically, then on the back panel, and it will
disk drive of the computer with the television program you are then transmit the "<READY"
the ASCII download feature of watching probably doesn't have message. This feature is pro-
the terminal software being closed captions. vided so that you can easily test
used. Three front -panel switches the serial connection to the PC
The red LED on the left side of control various modes of opera- in the absence of a video signal
the front panel of the unit will tion. The FILTER/RAW switch (S4) that contains caption data.

)411111
Moo I
II

Oa

it "III
..1 7 17:
O

s (I)

1 :11.
INCHE 41:4
f- -1
Cri

COMPONENT SIDE of the TextGrabber PC board. SOLDER SIDE of the TextGrabber PC board. 65
5(088
ELEL,1KONIC
ANTENNA OR CABLE
RF INPUT

RF OUTPUT
COMPONENTS
TELEVISION
Whether you order 1 part or
all 50,388...MOUSER stocks C3=1:ZITO MIME
OR
and...ships same day!! VCR

CALL... (800) 992-9943

TEXT GRABBER
for your VIDEO IN
MEI MI
FREE
VIDEO MONITOR
CATALOG

2401 Hwy 287 N.

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MOUSER' RS232

ELECTRONICS igzarasimist,
Sales & Stocldng Lomb= Natiorsside
CIRCLE 17 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD COMPUTER TERMINAL

Invest FIG. 9-TYPICAL TEXTGRABBER SETUP. The program being transcribed can be
viewed either on a television connected to the VCR's RF pass -through, or on a video

a stamp monitor connected to the TextGrabber's baseband video pass -through.

Save
a bundle
For the price of a stamp, you can get the latest
edition of the federal government's free
Consumer Information Catalog. It lists more
than 200 free or low-cost publications on federal FIG. 10-THE TEXTGRABBER can be built in a compact cabinet.
benefits, jobs, health, housing, education, cars,
and more, to help you save money, make For best results, the Text - recorded on videocassette
money, and spend it a little more wisely. Grabber requires a clean video tapes. However, be sure that you
source. Like any other telecap- record tapes intended for use
So stamp out ignorance with our free Catalog. tion decoder, characters will be with the TextGrabber at your
Send your name and address to: dropped and text will be garbled VCR's fastest tape speed (SP).
as the quality of the video signal and be sure that you have high -
Consumer Inforniation Carter degrades. quality tapes for optimum video
Department SB The TextGrabber will work viewing and closed -caption de-
Pueblo, Colorado 81009 with programs that have been coding quality.
 (0

im)

This fascinating project whose moving ball can hypnotize

and captivate you with its random (chaotic) motion.

DO YOU WANT RELIEF FROM THE MO- ROGER SONNTAG an operational amplifier and a
notonony of routine activities network of external compo-
that get you down-daily com- and infinite space that is said to nents. Three other circuits sim-
muting, your job, or those have existed before the universe ilar to that shown on the left
pesky chores that you must do was ordered. In short, it's the side of the diagram all feed the
every day? What you need is a opposite of orderly and predic- same common bus. The
little chaos in your life-safe table. summed output of all four os-
and controlled, of course-at Figure 1 shows one Bonker cillators provides a variable
desktop scale. How do you do setup. Small wooden balls on pulsed drive signal for the
this? Build the Bonker and go a the end of wire springs are sent MOSFET gate.
little crazy watching its bounc- into wild gyrations by oscillat- The MOSFET is in series with
ing ball whirl and spin in ran- ing solenoids whose motion is the solenoid's coil. When the
dom loops. Then you'll be ready controlled by a four -stage pulse MOSFET conducts, current
to return to your dull routine. generator. It's a fascinating and flowing in the coil causes the
Unlike a clock pendulum or eye -riveting gadget that will evo- solenoid shaft to oscillate back
that executive toy with all its lit- ke a lot of comments when it's and forth within a limited an-
tle suspended bearings that running on your desk. gular sweep. Solenoid oscilla-
clatter back and forth, Bonker's tion is controlled by the
action is completely unpredicta- How does it work? summed output of the four os-
ble. And you can turn it off Figure 2 is a simplified sche- cillator stages.
when you've had enough chaos matic showing only one of the The op -amp shown in Fig. 2 is
for the day. Chaos is defined as four pulse oscillator circuits IC1-a, one of four op -amp cir-
extreme confusion or disorder that drive the rotary solenoid. cuits in a quad LM324 shown in
and the kind of formless matter Each oscillator is formed from Fig. 3, the complete schematic.
Each of the four op -amp -based
oscillators is identical except for
different values of their charge

FIGS. 1A and 1B-WATCH THE DANCING ball on the

end of the spring. An erratically oscillating solenoid on
the Bonker sends the ball into unpredictable gyrations
captured with time exposure (a). The Bonker at rest (b).
Spring -mounted balls on stationary bases add to the
chaotic effect.
and discharge resistors. In Fig. in the other three oscillator cir- of the discharge resistors R1,
2, R2 in the feedback loop of the cuits perform the identical R6, R11 and R25 (25 to 180 kilo-
op -amp is the charge resistor, functions. hms) determine the pulse duty
and R1 is the discharge resistor. Figure 3, the complete sche- cycle, and the 1-kilohm values of
Diode D2 couples the output matic, shows each of the four the charging resistors R2, R7,
of the oscillator to the base of Q1 oscillator stages that include a R12, and R24 determines pulse
through resistor R23. Diodes LED. The first and fourth stages width.
D4, D6 and D8 perform the include a trimmer potentiome- Bonker action is initiated by
same functions for the other ter to introduce additional vari- closing switch Si. Light -emit-
three oscillator stages formed ation in the pulse train. ting diodes LED1 to LED4 give
from op -amps ICI -b, IC1-c, and The differences in the value of visual indications of the output
IC1-d. When the output of any resistors RI, R6, R11 and R25 in from each oscillator. Linear po-
two oscillators is positive, Q1 parallel with grounded alumi- tentiometers R27 and R28 con-
conducts. num electrolytic capacitors Cl, trol the swinging of the ball.
Resistors R4 and R5 divide C2, C3 and C4 provide different They can adjust the motion
the 12 -volt power from a wall time constants for each os- from a gentle swing to a wild,
outlet adapter to obtain 6 volts. cillator. The approximately eccentric movement. Elec-
Positive feedback through re- 20 % variation in tolerances of trolytic capacitor C5 shunts any
sistor R3 cleanly switches the those capacitors imparts addi- AC transients that might ap-
oscillator at each output state. tional randomness. pear on the 12 -volt source to
Resistors with identical values The differences in the values ground. Table 1 summarizes the
variations in pulse repetition
R1 R2 D1 rate that can be be set in each
47K 1K 1N914
+V - oscillator stage, as well as varia-
4Ak ANS 02 tions that can be introduced by
2
R26* the capacitor tolerance.
2K
C1
3 30 FPC
3 OUTPUT FROM Circuit construction
1/4 LM324 NEXT THREE
OSCILLATORS
A printed circuit board is
V Al available from the source given
R3 IC1-b IC1-c IC1-d in the Parts List. However, a foil
R4 4t R5 100K D4 D814 pattern is included in this arti-
100K 3100K 1M914 1N
cle for those who want to make
+V
D2 D6
1N914
R23 their own circuit boards. There
1N914 4.7K
01 is nothing critical about parts
2P42222 placement in this circuit, so it
NOTE: POTENTIOMETER & LED
OMITTED FROM FIRST
could made with point-to-point
OSCILLATOR wiring techniques if the parts
placement diagram is followed.
FIG. 2-A SIMPLIFIED SCHEMATIC to explain how the Bonker's solenoid drive circuit Refer to the parts placement
works. diagram Fig. 4. Begin assembly

+V

R1 C
47K 7
R27
27K
J-
R6
180K
t7 R7
1K
Ar
- R11 t
150KVN
R25
47K 4.
4)44
R28 *
27K
*--314A
R2 = 01 D3 D5 R24
1K IC1-a 1N914 IC1-b = 1N914 IC1-c = 1N914 1K
ICI -d Z 1N914
1/4 LM324 1/4 LM324
1/4 LM324 1/4 LM324
2 C2 C3 C4 +v
330F 6- 330PF + 9
tgeep IS 4
C1 2Ic+
330F sir3 + 5+ vp. 0 12%f11Ll

R4 R3 1/
LED1
R9
%
Re
44
LED2
R14
VA
R13 'I R16
LED3
VIA
R18
100K 100K 100K 100K 100K 100K 100K 100K
R5 R19 R10 R20 R15 *iR17 P22

-
4 100K
D2
1N914
1K

+V
:70"100K
V D4 r
1N914
1K

+V
1.=
100K
06
1N914
R21Ki

+V
V 08 r
1N114
1K
C
01
R23
4.7K
+12V -4-0"..0-40--0 +V
C5

3311F

FIG. 3-SCHEMATIC FOR BONKER SOLENOID drive circuit. Four oscillator stages are
formed from a quad LM324N op -amp IC. LEDs provide a visual indication of the pulse
output of each stage.
 D *
0 02 S
O SOLI
*
TO -220 FIAT ON PCB

-05-
7.1
R2S-
DE _401
TO 120VAC
118 I TR124 C4 TO 12VDC
R18 ADAPTER
91 I 4
13 I
I
R9
11;7
R28 S1
R27 R15
I R6
IB R13 R25

-
R11
RI tRr 1 18
03
-OH 4
-4D5*
D6
I I

D4
*
1

C2 C3

TT R1

NOTE: CLEAR DRILLED HOLES

LED2

FIG. 4-PARTS PLACEMENT DIAGRAM for Bonker drive circuit. Bend the leads of
MOSFET Q2 so It Iles flat on circuit board.
01140
TO -220 package will lie flat on
the board when the leads are in-
serted in the proper holes of the
board.
Insert trimmer potentiome-
ters R27 and R28 and the four
light -emitting diodes (LED1 to
LED4) as shown in Fig. 4, but
45.0 do not twist their leads to clamp
- them. Now solder the leads of
the second group of compo-
nents inserted.
O O
Carefully file or trim off about
one-third of the width of each of
k 4 15/10 MKS 4 the four flat terminals of slide
FOIL PATTERN for Bonker drive circuit board. switch S1 uniformly so that they
can be press fit in the assigned
Then insert the radial -leaded holes in the circuit board. In-
TABLE 1 aluminum electrolytic capaci- sert the switch in the circuit
OSCILLATOR STAGE tors (C1 through C5) observing board and solder it.
PULSE FREQUENCY their polarities, as shown in Identify the plus ( + ) and ( - )
Fig. 4. Bend their leads inwards wires of the DC output cable of a
Oscillator Pulse Limits 120 VAC to 12 -volt, 1 ampere,
Stage (Seconds)
to clamp them to the board.
Then insert all diodes (DI DC -regulated adapter, cut off
1 4-10 through D5), again observing the coaxial jack, and trim the
2 20 + 20% the positions of their anodes, as insulation back on the two
3 26 + 20% shown on Fig. 4. Bend their wires. Insert them from the
4 4-10 leads to clamp them in position. component side of the board in
Solder all of these components the ( + ) and ( -) positions
to the circuit board, but do not (marked on the foil side of the
of the components to the circuit trim the leads at this time. board), and solder them in posi-
board by inserting all fixed re- Next, insert transistor Q1 and tion. Trim all excess lead
sistors (R1 through R26) in the bend its leads to clamp it tem- lengths close to the board.
board as shown. Bend their porarily. Bend the leads of Note: The circuit and solenoid
leads together to clamp them in power MOSFET Q2 at right an- can be run from a battery pack
position close to the board. gles so that the heat sink of its consisting of eight 1.5 -volt C or
 BEND WIRE PARTS LIST
All resistors are 14 -watt, 10 %
WOOD OR R1, R25-47,000 ohms
PLASTIC BALL
W/CENTRAL HOLE
R2, R7, R12, R12, R19, R20, R21,
R22, R24-1000 ohms
R3, R4, R5, R8, R9, R10. R13, R14,
R15, R16, R17, R18-100,000
SPRING WIRE ohms
R6-180,000 ohms
R11-150,000 ohms
R23-4.700 ohms
WOUND COIL R26-2000 ohms
R27, R28-25,000 potentiometer,
slide, PC mount, Slide-Trol 112 or
DETAIL A
BALL - SPRING ASSEMBLY equiv.
Capacitors
C1-05 -330F, 25 VDC, alumi-
num electrolytic, radial leaded
. Semiconductors
01-D8 -1N914/4148 silicon switch-
SPRING ing diode, 75 PIV
HOLES (4) LED1-LED4-light-emitting diode,
red, T-13/4 package
11/2" MILL RECESS
(2) SEE TEXT
Q1 -2N2222 silicon transistor,
Motorola or equiv.
02-IRF9Z20 power MOSFET, N -
channel, TO -220 package, Inter-
national Rectifier or equiv.
ICI-LM324N quad operational
DRILL THRU 3/4 amplifier, 14 -pin DIP, National
vie" CLEAR **"*"-,6):"' Semiconductor or equiv.
Other components:
DETAIL
SECTION VIEW OF DETAIL C
SOL1-rotary solenoid, Ledex
SOLENOID SHAFT SOLENOID/PC SUPPORT 188687-001 or equivalent.
ADAPTER BLOCK POST (SECTION VIEW) S1-slide switch, SPST, 5A, PC
(1/4" THICK PLASTIC) (r THICK HARD WOOD) mount
Miscellaneous: Wood or plastic
FIG. 5-DETAILS OF MECHANICAL PARTS: ball -spring assembly (Detail A); solenoid base (see text); wood ball, 3/4
shaft adapter block (Detail B); solenoid/PCB support post (Detail C). diameter; steel spring wire (0.018
in.), 15 inches long; solenoid/cir-
D alkaline cells, if you prefer not from the ends of the two sole- cuit board mounting bracket (see
to run it from an adapter. noid wires. insert them in the text); 120 VAC to 12 VDC, 1 A,
'Run on switch Si to apply holes as shown on Fig. 4. and regulated wall -outlet adapter;
power. All of the LEDs should solder them temporarily in posi- round or pan head wood screws;
turn on and then go off. Then tion to check the drive circuit's insulated hookup wire; solder.
illumination patterns will be es- operation. Note: The following options are
tablished: LEDs 1 and 4 will When Si is switched back on, offered by General Science
turn on every 4 to 10 seconds the shaft of the solenoid should and Engineering, P.O. Box 447,
and continue to repeat that cy- oscillate back and forth over a Rochester, NY 1 4 5 6 0 3,
cle, and LEDs 2 and 3 will turn 716-338-7001
limited angular sector. Check to
on every 15 to 25 seconds and see that a LED lights whenever Printed circuit board -87.50
repeat that cycle. After you have the shaft oscillates. This re- Bonker kit including printed
verified this, turn off switch Si. circuit board, all electronic
sponse verifies that the circuit components, rotary solenoid,
Place the rotary solenoid with is operating properly. spring wire with coil, and wood
its shaft side down and find the sphere-$38
end of the spring that is coiled Special mechanical parts Finished Bonker ready to op-
around the back end of the shaft Refer to mechanical detail erate-$89.00
within a slotted enclosure. With drawing Fig. 5, Detail A. Se- Alternative wood bases and
needle -nose pliers and a small curely clamp the 3/4 -inch diame- solenoid mounting posts:
screwdriver, pry up the end of ter wood ball in a vise and pine -89.50; veneer-$12.00;
the spring and re-insert it two carefully drill a hole through its oak -816.00; ceramic insulator
places to the left (counterclock- center with a No. 60 drill bit. and oak base-$16.00
wise). Releasing the spring ten- Clamp the end of an approxi- Money order, Visa, or Master
sion permits the solenoid to be mately 15 -inch length of 0.028 Card accepted. Add $3.00 S&H.
operated from a 12 -volt source. steel piano wire in a vise and New York State residents add
Strip the insulation back wrap the other end of the wire local county sales tax.
 from one end (as shown) so that
it can be press fit over the rotary
SOLENOID solenoid shaft. Push the block
BALL &
SPRING
onto the shaft and mark the
(SEE DETAIL ends of the cross -pin on the sur-
SOLENOID
A, FIG.5)
MOUNTING
face of the block.
SCREWS (2) Remove the block and cut or
mill out short slots on both
SHAFT sides of the hole so that the
ADAPTER
(SEE DETAIL
cross pin and shaft will seat se-
B, FIG.5) curely in the block. With a 1/16 -
inch diameter bit, drill four
SOLENOID/PC small holes in the block in a
BOARD SUPPORT
POST (SEE
square pattern, and set it aside.
DETAIL C FIG.5) Refer to Fig. 5, Detail C. A
supporting post that is fastened
to a base board is suitable for
mounting both the solenoid
and the apex of the circuit
board. The general dimensions
for a post are shown in the de-
CIRCUIT
BOARD
I POST
MOUNTING
SCREWS
(2)
tail. It is suggested that it be
made of wood that is hard
enough so that it will not split
when drilling the holes in it and
fastening the base and circuit
board to it.
The general outline of the
post can be changed to suit your
taste, but it has some critical
dimensions: the size and spac-
SUPPORT BASE
(SIZE OPTIONAL)
ing of the drilled and counter-
sunk holes for mounting the
solenoid, the spacing between
FIG. 6-ASSEMBLY DIAGRAM: The support base can be round or rectangular pro- the drilled holes for mounting
vided it is thick enouugh and has an area larger than about 30 square inches so It will the circuit board to the shelf,
be stable. and the width and depth of the
notch for accepting the end of
about eight times around a 1/8 - the solenoid. You might want to
inch dowel to form a coil spring paint or varnish this post before
with the aid of pliers. (Expect assembling it to a base.
the diameter of the coil to ex-
pand after releasing tension on Beaker Assembly
it.) Refer to the mechanical as-
Insert the free end of the sembly drawing Fig. 6. The
spring wire in the hole drilled bonker must have a suitable,
through the ball, and then bend sturdy base. This can be cut
about 1/4 -inch of the end of the from wood or plastic in a round
wire back on itself and push the square, or rectangular shape
bent end back into the drilled but should be large and heavy
hole to assure a secure press fit. enough to provide a secure sup-
Note: It is important that the port for the solenoid and circuit
ball be fastened securely to the board. (A minimum of 40
wire so that it will not fly off square inches of material that is
when the solenoid is oscillating. at least 3/4 -inch thick is recom-
If you want to paint or spray the mended.) Again, you might
ball with bright red or yellow want to paint or varnish the
enamel to make it more conspic- base before proceeding.
uous, this a good time to do it. Drill and countersink two
Refer to Fig. 5, Detail B. Cut a holes near the edge of the base
rectangle measuring 11/2 x 3/4 - with the same spacing as the
inch from 1/4 -inch thick hard THE BONKER CAN BE BUILT in many
matching holes in the base of
plastic and file the edges different configurations with a choice of the support post (Detail C, Fig.
smooth. Drill a 3/16 -inch hole base styles and materials. This one Is 5). Fasten the post to the base
through the block 1/2 -inch in designed to drive cats wild. (Continued on page 104)
 Motorcycle Circuits
CHARLES D. RAKES

With the temperatures (TO

rolling. Riding without your electronic Ignition system.
MOTORCYCLE
warming and the light on will get you a ticket BATTERY) On the older twins, with the
days growing longer, it's a fit every time. HEADLIGHT
standard breaker -point ig-
and fine time to go motor- One solution is to add a nition system, it was possible
cycle riding. So what does simple headlight monitor to Just pull the spark -plug
that have to do with elec- like the one in Fig. 1. That wire from one cylinder and
tronic circuitry you might circuit consists of Just an LED make your carburetor ad-
ask? Stick around and you'll and a current -limiting re- justment on the running
see, as we share a number sistor wired across the cylinder. You could then re-
of simple electronic ac- headlight switch as shown peat the procedure for the
cessories that you can build in the figure. When the igni- other cylinder.
to add to your cycling tion is on and the headlight But on one of the newer
pleasure. switch is off, the LED will bikes equipped with an
glow. A super -bright Jumbo - electronic ignition system,
HEADLIGHT MONITOR size LED (see Parts List) was pulling the plug wire with
Our first entry, see Fig. 1, chosen to be seen better In the engine running would
could help keep you from bright sunlight. blow the ignition coil. The
harm's way, and save you reason is that the newer
from a ticket at the same IMPROVED HEADLIGHT ignition systems generate a
time. The headlight on most MONITOR Fig. 2. If the LED in this much higher voltage and,
newer bikes is keyed on A second solution to the circuit is flashing and the when there is no ground for
with the Ignition switch to previously mentioned lights - piezo sounder is buzzing, the spark to Jump to, the
guarantee that you are off problem is shown in Fig. then your headlight is not on.
spark can Jump between
2. In that circuit, a 555 IC coil's windings. If a car-
your headlight being on. timer is connected in a power to the piezo sounder. bon path is formed by an
very -low -frequency os- Use a bright LED so that internal breakdown, the
cillator circuit. That you will be able to see it in coil's output voltage will be
(TO
MOTORCYCLE
configuration adds an on/ the daytime. If you use an greatly reduced and the
BATTERY) off flashing output to the LED other than the one coil could be ruined.
LED and powers a piezo specified In the Parts List, Our simple tune-up aid
4700 sounder that chimes in with select a value for R3 that always supplies a gap and
HEADLIGHT
a beep for each flash. will allow the maximum - ground for the high voltage
SWITCH When the ignition switch is rated current of that LED to to jump to. in Fig. 3, a spark
HEADLIGHT on and the light switch is flow. Just divide the LED's plug is shown mounted with
off, power is supplied to the maximum current into the nylon cable ties to one end
555 circuitry. The oscillator's supply voltage (12 volts) of a 1/4 -inch thick piece of
Ar"
frequency is set by the val- and use the nearest stan- plastic or plexiglass (to pro-
Fig. I. With this simple ues of R1, R2, and C1 to dard resistor value. vide adequate insulation).
circuit, you'll never again about 1 Hz. Increasing the
forget to turn your headlight Remove the ground gap
on.
value of R2 or C1 will lower TUNE-UP AID tab located at the base of
the oscillator's frequency Our next item (see Fig. 3) the spark plug. Make the
and decreasing one of can be a big help if you like fixed gap from a metal
However, many older bikes those values will Increase to do your own carburetor screw, or some similar item,
have a factory headlight the frequency. The IC's out- tune-up and happen to and space it about 0.025
switch, and a growing put at pin 3 drives the LED own a newer twin -cylinder inches from the plug's end.
number of the newer bikes through R3 and sends motorcycle that has an Connect an end cap to the
are owner -modified in the fixed gap and hold it in
same way. That switch is place with a couple of
often added to lessen the PARTS UST FOR THE nylon cable ties. Also con-
load on the battery when
HEADUGHT MONITOR Wig. 1)
ned one end of a knife
starting up the bike, but the LEDI-Jumbo light -emitting diode (Radio Shack 276-086 or switch, S1, to the fixed gap
problem is that you must equivalent) and connect the other ter-
remember each time to RI -470 -ohm, 1/2 -watt, 5% resistor minal to a grounding clip.
turn the headlight switch Ware, solder, etc. Be sure that the knife switch
back on before you get has an insulated handle. Do
 PARTS LIST FOR THE IMPROVED PARTS LIST FOR THE
HEADLIGHT MONITOR (Fig. 2) TUNE-UP AID (Fig. 3)

SEMICONDUCTORS 51 honk: itch (see text)

(
\\ lie. solder. spark plug. hardware, end cap, plastic material (see
1.1 I :Nude (Radio 276-086 or texrl. etc.
equivalct.t
(TO
RESISTORS MOTORCYCLE
fixed resistors are 1/4 -watt. 5% units, unless otherwise noted.) BATTERY)
N. I -4700 -ohm
k 2 -100,000 -ohm
k 3 -330 -ohm. R1
100K
ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS 1 MEG
R3
( !-l0 -F, 25-WVDC, electrolytic capacitor
ii/I -Piezo sounder R2 4 8
(TO
100K
\\ ill'. solder, IC socket, etc tll SIREN
W1, 555 7 OR
HORN) 0-
(TO 3
r-o. IGNITION C1 c2
0,100
.1
COIL)

END
03 01
IRF811

CAP S2*

MERCURY
SWITCH

SPARK
PLUG *SEE TEXT ---zz

Fig. 4. Feel safer with this alarm circuit. When you're away,
S3 makes sure no one touches your bike,. when you're on it,
S2 doubles as a panic switch.

build and could save your switch closes, pin 2 of U1

1/4 -INCH -THICK 025 -INCH GAP' bike from being stolen or goes low. That triggers the
PLASTIC MATERIAL' messed with. A 555 IC Is IC to produce a positive
connected in a one-shot output at pin 3 and sounds
timer circuit that turns on a the alarm for the time
FET transistor and either a period set by R3. The mer-
siren or the bike's horn for a cury switch, S3, is the switch
pre-set time period. S1 is that activates the alarm
used as an on/off switch. should someone move your
Closing either of two bike. Switch S2 can be used
switches, S2 and S3, will as a panic switch If you
END trigger the IC. When either (Continued on page 101)
CAP (TO SPARK
(TO m
PLUG IN
ENGINE
'SEE TEXT ENGINE)
GROUND)
PARTS LIST FOR THE 0
BURGLAR ALARM (Fig. 4)
Fig. 3. Performing a tune-up on a newer bike is made a lot easier
with this helpful circuit. Because of the high voltages present, SEMICONDUCTORS
make sure SI has an insulated handle and that the fixture is - 555 tinier, integrated circuit m
grounded. IRF51 I H -.T transistor
not use an old switch with a and start the engine. Then, RESISTORS
wood handle. Ifs no fun close S1; the cylinder with (All fixed resistors are watt. 5% units
being the lightning rod for the fixture should not fire RI, R2 100,000 -ohm
and a spark should be seen 10- inegohm, potentiometer
a high-tech ignition system!
With the ignition turned at the fixed gap. Be sure CAPACITORS
off, remove one of the that the fixture is connected CI u. I l.. ceramic disc
spark plug wires and con- to the engine ground. (.'2 100-H.1. electrolytic
nect it to the spark plug on ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS
rit
the fixture. Slip the fixture's BURGLAR ALARM S I . 52 SPST switch 21

end cap over the spark The simple burglar -alarm S Mercury switch
plug on the cycle and circuit shown in Fig. 4 will Wire, solder, 1C socket, siren, etc.
you're ready to go. Open S1 only cost a few bucks to 73
AUTOMATIC
RECHARGEABLE
FLASHLIGHT
Build this combination
rechargeable emergency
light/flashlight with a bright,
high -efficiency LED lamp.
A BRIGHT LIGHT EMITTING DIODE MARC SPIWAK
(LED) with a rechargeable bat-
tery and recharging circuitry in A flashlight with a high -in- cause each cell has a nominal
one module and a step-down tensity LED lamp would proba- output of 1.2 volts, four cells in
transformer for battery recharg- bly not be your first choice as an series provide about a 4.8 -volts.
ing in a second module form illumination source for explor-
this unusual combination ing under the hood of your car Flashlight module
emergency light/flashlight, the at night to find out why it wont't Figure 1 is the schematic for
subject of this article. The LED start. Moreover, you'd probably the flashlight module. When the
in the portable module turns on find the light inadequate for battery pack consisting of the
automatically when it is re- searching for lost objects or four Ni-Cd cells is fully charged
moved from the transformer summoning help at night. (and there is no voltage at J1),
module. Its light source is a However, it will provide 4.8 -volt DC flows through trim-
high -intensity, aluminum gal- enough light for you to read a mer potentiometer R2, the nor-
lium arsenide (AIGaAs) LED roadmap or find the circuit mally closed contact of relay
that can beam a saucer -sized breaker that kicked out, RY1, and push -on, push off
red spot on a wall three feet darkening your house. It might power switch Si. 11-immer R2
away. also help you find your way limits the current flowing
The Hewlett-Packard around a campsite, or even through LED1. Switch Si can
HLMP-8150 red, T4 -size LED change a tire at night. turn LED1 on and off when the
lamp emits a typical intensity of The LED flashlight module is battery is not being charged.
15 candelas (cd) at 20 milliam- powered by four AA nickel -cad- (The trimming function of R2
peres. (This compares with mium (Ni-Cd) power cells. Be- will be discussed later.)
about 4 millicandelas (mcd)
from a typical gallium arsenide COAXIAL
phosphide (GaAsP) red T13/4 - JACK
+5V
size LED lamp.) See the sidebar J1 IC1 0
12.6
"What is a candela." VAC
LM7805 3 02
The forward voltage of the INPUT C 2 1N4001
LED is only 1.85 volts. It offers C1 C2 03
longer life and lower power dis- 33t.LF
33pF T 1N4001 9RY1
sipation and cooler operation
than an incandescent lamp, the 01
1

usual light source for most 1N4001 B1

1

flashlights and emergency

lights. Its clear, nondiffused, R2 O {N C
1K
bullet -shaped lens focuses the (SEE TEXT) OFF
light into a narrow, intense 4 LED1
R1
1K
S1
beam. The LED's dominant red \10 (SEE TEXT) (SEE TEXT)
O

(637-nanometer) wavelength
will not disturb the eye's adapta- FIG. 1-SCHEMATIC FOR FLASHLIGHT MODULE. When relay RY1 is energized, it cuts
tion to night viewing. the power to the LED; when power to the relay is removed, the LED lights.
 If 12.6 -volts AC is present at totype are 33 I.LF, but they are voltage taken from a 120 -volt AC
J1, it is full -wave rectified by not critical values. Any capaci- outlet is transformed to 12.6 -
bridge rectifier BR1. Capacitor tor from 20 to 40 p.,F would volt AC by transformer T1. The
Cl smooths the rectified AC rip- work. line cord is terminated with
ple. Five -volt regulator ICI, a Na- When the relay is energized, plug PL1, and the 12.6 -volt AC
tional Semiconductor LM7805, AC power from J1 flowing appears at coaxial power plug
provides the 5 -volt DC output. through D1 is half -wave rec- PL2. The plug mates with coax-
This output, sustained by C2, tified to form a pulsed -DC out- ial jack Jl on the flashlight
energizes the coil of relay RY1, put for charging the Ni-Cd cells. module for recharging. As long
which opens the normally Potentiometer RI limits the as the transformer module is
closed contacts. Diodes D2 and charging current to the cells. A plugged into the AC line, 12.6 -
D3 stabilize the relay. When the voltage of 12.6 volts is enough to volts AC appears. When PL2 is
NC contacts of the relay open, charge the 4.8 -volt battery plugged into J1, 12.6 volts ap-
power to LEDI is cut off-even if pack. pears at J1.
Si is in its oN position. The val- When the batteries are being
ues of Cl and C2 in the pro - charged, the relay is energized, Building the flashlight
inhibiting LED illumination. Refer to Fig. 3. The modular
When charging current is re- case for the flashlight measures
moved, the relay provides a con- 43/4 x 21/2 x 13/8 inches, and has
ducting path to the LED. Thus four raised round surfaces
the LED turns on whenever the molded on its bottom surface
AC -line voltage is cut off if Si is that act as feet. Sand or file
ON. these bumps flush with the bot-
FIG. 2-SCHEMATIC for transformer tom surface so they will not in-
module. The 12.6 -volt output from coax-
ial plug PL2 powers the flashlight when
Transformer module terfere with the insertion or
It is mated with Jack J1 on the trans- Figure 2 is the schematic for removal of the flashlight module
former module. the transformer module. Line from the transformer module.
Cut out an approximately 1/2 -
inch diameter hole in one end
COVER SCREWS (4) wall of the case to admit the
LED lens and a second hole in
the opposite end wall for jack J1,
SWITCH as shown in Fig. 3. When cut-
S1 ting the hole for the jack, be
sure the center conductor
rather than the body of the jack
is centered on the end wall. Drill
the two mounting holes for the
jack.
Cut a piece of perforated con-
NI -CD CELLS (4) struction board 31/2 x 21/4
BATTERY HOLDER inches to fit snugly in the bot-
R1 tom of the case. Insert the elec-
IC1 tronic components for the flash-
light on that board, and connect
RELAY R1
JACK J1
SCREW (2)
them by point-to-point wiring.
NUT (2)
Mount LED1 on the end of the
LED1 board, and solder it so that its
leads can later be bent at right
angles to permit the lens to ex-
tend through the hole in the
case. Figure 3 shows the loca-
tions of the largest electronic
components, but their loca-
tions are not critical.
Make only mechanical con-
nections to potentiometers R1
and R2 so you can later put an
ammeter in series with them to
adjust both charging and LED
CUTOUT FOR
forward current. Fasten the bat-
LED LENS - 112 tery holder for four AA cells on
the board with double -sided ad-
FIG. 3-FLASHLIGHT MODULE ASSEMBLY. The circuit board contains the electronic
components and battery holder. The LED lens projects through a hole in the case. Jack
hesive tape.
J1 is at the other end of case, and switch S1 is on the cover. Cut a hole in the plastic cover,
and fasten the push -on, push - COVER SCREWS (4)
off switch Si in position with a
CUTOU/ TO ADMIT
ring nut. Fasten jack Jl in the FLASHLIGHT MODULE
case with small screws and
nuts.
Complete all of the wiring to
the switch S1 and jack Jl ac-
cording to schematic Fig. 1, al-
lowing enough slack in the
wires to permit the board to be
removed for later adjustments.
Fasten the circuit board to the PERF BOARD
bottom of the case with double -
sided adhesive tape, and care- CUTOUT FOR
COAX JACK
fully bend the leads of the LED
so that the lens projects ADHESIVE -BACKED
through the end hole in the PADS (3) STANDOFFS
case. PLUG PL2
we" (2)
PERF BOARD

Building the XFMR module TRANSFORMER

Refer to the transformer as- T1
sembly drawing Fig. 4. Cut a1/2 -
inch diameter hole at one end of
a second plastic project case
that measures 4'3/4 x 21/2 x 13/a
inches to admit the line cord ter-
minated by line plug PL1. THREADED
Cut a rectangular hole that BUSHING
measures approximately 29/16 50e" (2)

PERF BOARD
SCREWS (2) HOLD
PARTS LIST BUSHINGS TO BOARD
Resistors AC LINE CORD & PLUG
R1, R2-1000 ohms, multiturn po-
tentiometer (A 1K resistor might
be needed in series. See text)
Capacitors FIG 4-TRANSFORMER MODULE ASSEMBLY. A cutout in the cover admits the flash-
C1, C2-33 aluminum elec- light module. The upper board supports the flashlight when jack J1 is plugged into
trolytic (see text) plug PL2 on the middle board. Transformer T1 is on the bottom board.
Semiconductors
IC1-LM7805 5-V regulator, Na-
tional Semiconductor or equiv.
D1-D3-1N4001 rectifier diode
LED1-light-emitting diode, T-4
Hewlett Packard HLMP-8150 or
equiv.
BR1-1A bridge rectifier, Radio
Shack 276-1161 or equiv.
RY1-SPDT relay, 5-VDC, 90 mA
coil, 55 -ohm, Radio Shack
275-240 or equiv.
Other components
S1-SPST switch, push on/push
off, Radio Shack 275-1565 or
equiv.
51-four AA Ni-Cd cells
J1-coaxial power jack, Radio
Shack 274-1565 or equiv.
PL1-AC line cord
PL2-coaxial power plug, Radio
shack 274-1578 or equiv.
11-120/12.6 VAC, 300 mA, trans-
former, Radio Shack 273-1385 or
equiv.
Miscellaneous: two project cases
(seetext); perforated construction
board; holder for four AA cells;
adhesive pads, double -sided
ashesive tape, screws and nuts;
hookup wire; solder FLASHLIGHT MODULE with cover removed showing the four NI-Cd cells, LED, and
circuit components.
 forated board 21/4 x 3 inches. of the case. Place adhesive -
WHAT IS A CANDELA? Notch out two corners at one backed plastic pads around the
The amount of light produced by a end so it does not interfere with central hole on the upper board
Wit source is called luminous intensity. the posts at the other end of the to cushion the "docking" pro-
The standard for measuring luminous case. Cut a 1/2 -inch diameter cedure.
intensity is the candela (cd). It was for- hole in the center of the board to
merly the candle based on the luminous
admit the outer shell of jack J1 Current adjustments
intensity of a single wax candle. By com- Adjust potentiometer R1 first.
parison, a 40 -watt light bulb has a lumi- when the flashlight module is
nous intensity of about 3000 candela. "docked." (Potentiometer R2 can't be ad-
The candela is the amount of light that Stack the three boards as justed accurately until the bat-
shines out through a hole with an area of shown in Fig.4, and drill holes tery is fully charged.) Before you
143th of a square centimeter in one side on each side through all three insert the batteries in the hold-
of a ceramic box that has been heated to
boards to admit screws so the er, set R2 so that its maximum
the temperature of molten platinum resistance value is in series with
(1772C). It is the basis for both the cal- boards can be fastened in a
culation of the lumen (tm) and the foot- three -deck stack. the LED.
candle(tc).
A 1-cd light source produces a 1-Im
light beam that provides 1 fc of illumina-
tion on a 1 ft2 area located on a radius of
1 foot from the source (1 fc = Im/ft2). The
Intensity of light falling on a surface var-
ies inversely with the square of the dis-
tance between the source and the
surface.

x19A6 inches in the cover of the

case so that it will admit the end
of the flashlight module. Scribe
the outline of the end dimen-
sions of the case on the top of THREE -DECK ASSEMBLY in transformer module permits "docking" the flashlight
the cover with a sharp cutting module.
tool, leaving a pronounced rec-
tangular mark. Drill holes in Fasten the power plug (PL1) in Charge the Ni-Cd cells slowly
the four corners and saw an "X" a vertical position in the middle at a 45 -milliampere rate for 45
diagonally across the scribed of the board with hot -melt glue. hours, or fast charge them at
marks with a fine coping saw. Mount transformer T1 on the 150 milliamperes for four
Snap off each of the four tri- lower board near one end, as hours.
angular -shaped pieces along shown in Fig. 4. Once the battery is fully
the scored lines. 'aim the ends of the wires in charged, set RI for a trickle
There are three perforated cir- the line cord to expose about '/8 charge of about 10 milliamperes
cuit boards in this module. The inch of bare copper wire, and by temporarily inserting an am-
largest is positioned at the bot- insert the cord through the hole meter in series with RI. If the
tom of the case to support in the case. Solder the leads to current can't be set low enough,
transformer T1, the middle one the primary terminals of Tl. Cut insert a fixed 1-kilohm resistor
supports the plug PL2, and the two 5 -inch lengths of insulated, in series with R1-or use a po-
upper one acts as a shelf and stranded, hookup wire, and sol- tentiometer with a higher resis-
support for "docking" the flash- der them to the secondary ter- tance value. Once RI is set,
light module. These three minals of T1 and the terminals solder it permanently.
boards will be fastened together on plug PL2. Adjust R2. The forward cur-
to form a three -deck assembly Assemble the three boards to- rent through the LED should
with threaded bushings, stand- gether to form the three -deck not exceed 30 milliamperes. Set
offs, and screws. assembly. Fasten the lower the maximum forward current
Cut the large base board from threaded bushings to the top of to 300 milliamperes and adjust
perforated board 31/2 x 21/4 the base board with screws from R2 as was done with RI. If the
inches. Notch out two corners the underside of the board. current can't be reduced low
of the board so it can be posi- Then assemble the second enough, add a 1-kilohm fixed re-
tioned against one end wall of board on the bushings and sistor in series with R2. Then
the case without interfering place the top board in position solder R2 permanently.
with the internal posts. with screws through the two Plug the charger into an out-
Cut the small board from per- standoffs. let, and set Si in its ON position.
forated board 21/4 x 1 inch to When the assembly is com- LED1 should light when the
form the plug support. Drill a plete, fasten it in the bottom of flashlight module is removed
central 1/4 -inch hole to admit the case with double -sided ad- from the charging module and
plug PL2 when the flashlight hesive tape. It can also be fas- go off when it is in the charger
module is "docked." tened with sheet metal screws module. You now have a nifty
Cut the upper deck from per- through holes from the bottom emergency light/flashlight. n
 SCOTT EDWARDS

ON A MILD SUMMER EVENING, YOU

walk to the top of a small rise
overlooking the park. In your
THE **** ....
left hand you carry a small cir-
cuit board and a battery pack
and in your right hand you car-
ry a wooden yardstick studded
PICTU
with LEDs. The two parts are
connected by a short length of
cable.
STICK
You connect the batteries to
the circuit and the yardstick be-
gins to glow with a flickering
green light. People in the park
below notice you now, and turn
to watch. You wave the stick
over your head and the flicker-
ing magically changes into im-
ages: stars, circles, diamonds.
You watch the faces of the peo-
ple below register amazement,
delight, and curiosity. They
come closer, smile and ask the
question "How did you do
that?"
You did it by building the Pic-
ture Stick, a project whose parts
cost $35. It combines ICs and 16
LEDs, a yardstick, batteries,
wire, and duct tape into a
unique demonstrator of the vi-
sual principles underlying
movies, television, and comput-
er displays. Components pre-
programmed with 15 images are
available, but if you're creative,
you can program your own im-
ages with a personal computer
and free software.

Build the Picture Stick and light up the night

with computer -generated graphics.
7
How it works turns the LEDs off, waits an- tures. It also lets electronic cir-
The Picture Stick consists of other 2.3 milliseconds, loads cuit designers use fewer compo-
two major components: the the next pattern, and repeats nents to drive an LED display-
a control electronics and the the process. only one digit of the display is
"wand." The wand is just a As Fig. 1 shows, the individu- on at any given instant, but the
wooden yardstick with 16 green al LED patterns are pieces of a digits are scanned so rapidly
L L,
LEDs spaced at 1 -inch intervals larger picture. Since the human that the eye sees them as a sin-
near one end. The LEDs are eye briefly retains the images it gle, stable image. The Picture
E
., wired to a ribbon cable that con- sees because of an effect known Stick takes that one step fur-
nects them to the controller. as persistence of vision, the ther, eliminating the additional
w The controller turns on the viewer's eye assembles the se- displays in favor of a single mov-
2 LEDs at 2.3 -millisecond inter- quence of LED patterns into a ing column of LEDs.
cc2
vals, in accordance with one of a composite image. Persistence of
r2, series of patterns stored in vision makes it possible for us Hardware
LT; memory. It leaves the LED pat - to see movies and television as The controller, shown sche-
78 tern on for 600 microseconds, seamless, lifelike moving pic- matically in Fig. 2, has two
 TIME (MILLISECONDS) input/output pins. Darlington inverter/driver (IC3
The wand program is written and IC4).
11 11111 1
0 5 10 1511 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
in assembly language, and is When a pin of port RB or RC
LEDs FLASH ON FOR 600 MICROSECONDS
available from the Electronics outputs a logic 1 ( + 5 volts) to
2.3 MILLISECONDS BETWEEN FLASHES
Now BBS (516-293-2283, V.32, the connected driver, the driver
O 0000 o00000000000 V.42bis) as part of the file grounds the cathode (negative
00000 0 0 0000000000
0r110

000000000000000
ono o ooo 00 o 000 WAND.ZIP. A programmer for end) of the corresponding LED.
00000000000
00000000c PIC16C5X devices was de- Since all of the LED anodes are
00o0o 00
o
00 scribed in the January 1994 is-
sue of Electronics Now. Com-
mercial programmers are also
wired to the positive supply, this
lights the LED. Resistors R6
through R21 limit the max-
00000000000
0 imum current through the
00000
000 00
available.
000000 The PIC has three sets of in- LEDs to about 64 milliamperes.
0000 0 o 0000
oo oo o 0o 00000 put/output pins: ports RA, RB, The LED current is calculated
000000000000
0000000000 ooo0 and RC. Through RA, the PIC by the supply voltage, minus
retrieves pattern data from stor- the LED's forward voltage drop,
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910111213141516 0 1 2 age in EEPROM IC1 in 16 -bit plus the driver's voltage drop,
ADDRESS IN EEPROM
words. The PIC writes these pat- divided by the series resistance
MOTION (APPROXIMATELY 29 FEET/SECOND) terns to ports RB and RC. Each calculated as: (6 - (2 +1))/47 =
EEPROM PATTERN MEMORY of those output ports is con- 63.8 milliamperes.
ADDRESS DATA (16 -BIT WORDS) nected to a ULN2 8 0 3 The PIC lights the LEDs
0 0000000010000000
0000000110000000
1

2 0000001110000000
ir
3 0000011110000000
81
6V
I 1 Dl
4004
C2
0.1

4 0000111111111111 C3
S Rt 10eF
5 0001111111111111 7' 1K IC2
IC1
6 0011111111111111 93LC66 PIC16C55
28
7 0111111111111111
SI
CS VCC
8
1 RTCC MCLR
OSC1
8 1111111111111111
CK NC OSC1
VDD
9 0111111111111111 C1
0.1 3 26
10 0011111111111111 DI ORG N/C OSC2
10K - ic3:a1 R6-470
R2 1 LED1-16
11 0001111111111111 18wv c.4)
VSS 5 25
DO Vss RC7
12 0000111111111111 Ae. ":1
13 0000011110000000 5 2
R5 N/C RC6
i1.146S-
14 0000001110000000 1K
2
RAO RC5
15 0000000110000000
16 0000000010000000
RA1 RC4 2

4173K
FIG. 1-INDIVIDUAL LED PATTERNS are RC3
R4
pieces of a larger picture.
22K 9
RC2

modes: display and download. 10

RBO RC11
Assume that there is a series of EJ1
RS232IN
images stored in IC1 as the dis- 11
RBI RCO

play function is described here. 12 17

The PIC16C55 microcon- RB2

troller (IC2) is a self-contained 3

R83
16

computer with onboard read- j_ 3. C>io

only memory (ROM) for perma- RB5
15
IC4-c
nent program storage and ran- 4: No 15 W.-
dom-access memory (RAM) for
storing temporary variables. 6 No 14,0AC)0
The chip also includes logic for friC4-e
addition, subtraction, and deci-
OIC41:13w.
sion operations. Program con-
trol operators allow the pro-
grammer to create and call
subroutines, or change the
6;6;6 -4)
IC4-gi

order of program execution.

The microcontroller in the ULN2603
(GROUND PIN 9
wand controller has ROM for OF EACH IC)

512 instruction steps, 24 bytes

of general-purpose RAM, and 20 FIG. 2-THE CONTROLLER HAS TWO MODES: display and download.
 based on the 16 bits of data it
retrieves from IC1, then turns J2
all LEDs off 600 microseconds 6VDC IN
c2 -71
1osci
later. It then waits 2.3 millise- R6 -R13

conds, loads another 16 bits, C1

and flashes the LEDs again. It IC3 LED1LED8

repeats this process-cycling IC1
through 17 addresses of 16 bits IC2
ilPi
each-to create the basic 16 -row W
-R3-
by 17 -column image. R14 -R21
Periodically the PIC checks -R4- 11911
11,
pin RA1, which is connected to J1
SERIAL
pushbutton switch Si. When Si INPUT IC4 LED9-I-LED1 6

is open, RA1 sees a logic 0 be- -R2-

cause resistor R2 pulls it to /Mk
ground. When Si is closed, RA1 -R1- S1

sees the voltage divider formed FIG. 3-PARTS-PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. Install sockets for IC1 and IC2, but don't
by R1 and R2. Assuming that Insert the ICs Into the sockets until tests are complete.
the positive supply is 5 volts,
the voltage drop across RI be-
comes 5(R1/(R1 +R2)) =
5(1000/11,000) = 0.45 volts.
Therefore, RA1 sees 4.55 volts (5
volts minus 0.45 volts, which is
a logic 1).
When the program detects
this high (the logic 1), it adds an
offset of 17 to the addresses it is
cycling through. This causes it
to retrieve the next image that is
stored in IC1 and display it.
The microcontroller can hold
up to 256 16 -bit words, but the
patterns occupy only 15 pic-
tures x 17 words/picture = 255
words of memory. The leftover
memory location isn't wasted; it
holds a value that controls the
highest frame number to dis- 3 3/8 INCHES
play. Therefore, if you have pro- FOIL PATTERN for the Picture Stick.
grammed only 5 of the max-
imum 15 pictures, you can DB-9 FEMALE (FOR PC/AT AND LATER)
avoid cycling through the (SOLDER SIDE)
blanks.
In the preceeding descrip-
tion, the role of IC1, the serial 1 -4 ----(NO MORE THAN 8 FEET) --.4 TOP
electrically erasable/program- PL1
mable ROM (EEPROM) was ne- PL3
(TO J1)
NOT CONNECTED
glected. As in normal ROMs and 4 -PIN FEMALE
erasable/programmable ROMs HEADER PLUG
(EPROMs), EEPROMs retain
their data when unpowered. DB-25 MALE (FOR PC/XT)
Unlike ROMs and EPROMs, 13
(SOLDER SIDE)

EEPROMs can be written to or 1

erased while in an operating cir- V0 0 0 0 0Q0

cuit. Therefore, the PIC can up- 00000 00000
date the data in the EEPROM. A
When power is first applied to B
the wand, the PIC determines FIG. 4-SERIAL DOWNLOADING CABLE. Install a DB-25 male connector on one end of
whether the wand should this assembly and a 4 -pin female header plug on the other end.
switch to its standard operating
mode or its download mode. If the positive power rail through -10 volts is impressed on the
the serial port is not connected resistors R3 and R4. However, junction of R3 and R4. Pin RA3
to a PC, the PIC sees a logic 1 on when the serial port is con- sees that voltage as a logic 0. So,
pin RA3, which is connected to nected, its resting voltage of upon startup, the PIC executes
 tra connection on the circuit
CATHODE (FLAT)
board. But imagine a syn-
chronous version of the stan-
4 -CELL (C OR 0)
dard telephone modem. It

II
BATTERY HOLDER
would require two phone lines,
one for data and one for the
clock signal.
Asynchronous connections
16
HOLES 1111 work on a more complex princi-
ple: After receiving a start bit,
TOP
the receiver expects a fixed
number of data bits at fixed in-
tervals of time, followed by a
1
NOT CONNECTED PL2
(TO J2)
stop bit that is opposite in polar-
FIG. 5-BATTERY HOLDER WIRING. DC 1111\ ity to the start bit. The use of
power is connected to the PC board at start and stop bits makes an
J2.
a b
asynchronous link less prone to
the display program if RA3 is 1, SOLID
timing errors. Look at it this
and the download program if LED LEADS 22 AWG way: at 1200 bits per second, a
RA3 is 0. i WIRE bit occupies an 833 -microse-
cond slice of time. With start

II 4
Once in the download mode, and stop bits, the sender and
the PIC handles two types of se- receiver can have a combined er-
rial communication: syn- ror of 416 microseconds (half
chronous and asynchronous. a bit) over the time required for
Communication with the 10 bits (8.33 milliseconds).
EEPROM takes place over a syn-
chronous or "clocked" serial That's a total permissible tim-
connection, while the PC serial ,43 ,,,,. ing error of 5%; 2.5% for the
sender and 2.5% for the re-
port is an asynchronous or "un- ceiver. An alarm clock with that
clocked" connection. The basic accuracy could be off by almost
difference between the two is
that synchronous communica- &,0ffi (Nil an hour a day!
tion requires at least two sig- Without start and stop bits,
nals, data and clock, while c d
timing would become in-
asynchronous communication RIBBON
creasingly critical with in-
requires only a data signal. CABLE creases in message length.
Synchronous connections LEADS Ultimately, even the most pre-
operate on a simple principle: A cise timing devices known
data bit is valid only at an in- would be unable to maintain
stant in time defined by some synchronization.
feature of the clock signal. The 1111 Now that you know how these
two forms of communication
rest of the time, the receiver can work, understanding the down-
ignore the data signal. In the
case of the EEPROM, the data
line is valid only on the rising
edge of the clock signal; that is,
411 load process is easy. The PIC is
programmed to receive data at
1200 bits per second (bps). At m
when the clock line is changing startup, if the PIC detects a se-
from a logic 0 to a 1. (The rial port connection, it waits for C)

EEPROM also has a chip select

(cs) line. When this line is 0, the
20-CONDUCTOR
RIBBON CABLE
111111t a start bit. When one arrives,
the PIC waits 11/2 bit times 5

EEPROM effectively discon- e f (1.5(1/120o) = 1.25 milliseconds) m

nects itself from the circuit. to receive the first data bit. By m
FIG. 6- HOW TO MAKE THE WAND. Drill
(This is a standard feature of 16 holes for the LEDs down the center of
waiting until the middle of the
devices that are intended to a wooden yardstick starting at the 1 -inch first data bit, it gains a little ex- -4

share a bus, not a part of syn- mark (see text). tra safeguard against timing er-
chronous communication.) rors. After the first bit, it re-
Synchronous communica- it does not require the addi- ceives the remaining seven data 0
tion has three virtues: First, it tional start and stop bits associ- bits at 1 -bit -time intervals (833
can be implemented with sim- ated with asynchronous com- microseconds).
ple edge -triggered flip-flops. munication (described below). During the stop bit that fol-
Second, it is independent of The primary disadvantage of lows each byte, the PIC stores
time. Bits can arrive at intervals synchronous communication is the received data in its own
of a microsecond or a week; only the need for a clock signal. In RAM. Every second byte, it syn- up
(.0
the state of the clock line deter- many cases, such as in this chronously writes a 16 -bit word
mines when a bit is valid. Third, EEPROM, it just means one ex- consisting of the last two re- 81
 ceived bytes to the EEPROM.
Because the synchronous con- PIC CERAMIC OSCILLATqN
nection with the EEPROM is
very fast, the PIC can send all 16
bits (plus 3 bits of instruction
code and an 8 -bit address) in
less than the time required for
the stop bit. As a visual check of
the progress of a download, the
PIC also writes the 16 bits of
data to ports RB and RC, caus-
ing the LEDs to flash in the pat-
terns of the incoming data.
When the PIC has received
512 bytes of data from the PC
and stored them as 256 16 -bit
words in the EEPROM, it stops
"listening" to the serial port and
switches to the display mode.
The operation of the major
components of the wand have
been explained, but what about
the "bit players?" Diode DI has
a small but important role: its FIG. 7-COMPLETED PC BOARD. The board can be Installed In a case of left as -Is.
forward voltage drop of approxi-
mately 0.7 volts reduces the 6
volts from the battery pack to
around 5.3 volts to supply the
PIC and EEPROM. Since these
devices will operate from volt-
ages ranging from 4.5 to 5.5
volts, a well -regulated supply
isn't required.
The rapid switching of the
LEDs and the lack of voltage reg-
ulation subject the ICs to noise
on the power -supply rails. Ca-
pacitors Cl, C2, and C3 filter
this noise.
Finally, OSC1, a ceramic reso-
nator, sets IC2's internal clock CATHODE LEADS
to 4 MHz. Since IC2 executes an
instruction every fourth clock FIG. 8-A WOODEN YARDSTICK forms the body of the wand.
cycle, in this circuit it executes 1
million instructions per sec- can program the PIC yourself. diately, and either substitute a
ond. Ceramic resonators are The program source code (writ- higher value resistor (found by
similar to crystal resonators, ten in Parallax format) is avail- experimentation) or a different
but they are generally cheaper, able from the Electronics Now LED.
less fragile, and less accurate. BBS (516-293-2283, V.32, After you have obtained the
The unit specified here is accu- V.42bis) as part of the file parts, you can either make a
rate to better than 1%, which is WAND. ZIP. The downloading printed circuit board from the
good enough to receive 1200 - programs, as .EXE files and in foil pattern provided, purchase
bps serial data reliably. QBASIC format, are also part of one from the source given in the
the ZIP file. Parts List, or point-to-point
Construction You can substitute practically wire the circuit on perforated
Begin by obtaining the com- any standard, inexpensive construction board. The LEDs
ponents in the Parts List. Be LEDs for the green ones used in on the wand section must be
sure that IC1 is a 93LC66 man- the prototype. Since LEDs are hand -wired, so hand wiring the
ufactured by Microchip Inc. commodity items these days, rest of the circuitry shouldn't be
There are subtle differences in you should briefly connect a a problem.
other manufacturers' parts sample LED to 6 volts DC If you use a PC board. mount
with the same part number that through a 47 -ohm resistor. If it the components as shown in
make them unusable in this cir- is initially bright, then seems to Fig. 3. The order of installation
cuit. If you have the necessary fade, it is probably overheating. isn't critical. Use sockets for IC1
programming hardware, you Disconnect the power imme- and IC2. Don't forget to install
the single jumper wire near the hole with its cathode (the flat ends of the ribbon cable to the
top end of IC2. Leave IC1 and side of the reflector) facing one cathodes of each LED. The col-
IC2 out of their sockets on the side of the stick (b). TYim the ored wire goes to the LED at the
controller board for the time leads to a length of approxi- end of the yardstick (LED16 at
being. Install them during the mately 3/8 -inch and bend them the 1 -inch mark), and each suc-
checkout and final assembly into a "U" shape, and push the cessively shorter lead goes to the
steps given below. ends into the wood (c). Connect cathode of the next LED. Solder
Figure 4 shows how to assem- all of the anodes together by sol- all four of the remaining wires
ble the serial downloading ca- dering them to a piece of solid to the middle of the wire that
ble. This allows you to transfer 22 AWG wire (d). Next, starting connects the anodes of the
new light patterns to the Picture at the colored stripe, separate LEDs. Secure the ribbon cable
Stick from your PC. A DB-25 the first 16 conductors of a piece to the yardstick with duct tape,
male connector is attached to of 20 -conductor ribbon cable to nylon wire ties, or other suitable
one end of this assembly, and a a length of about 2 feet (e). (The fasteners.
4 -pin female header plug is at- last four conductors remain at- Now solder the stripped wires
tached to the other end (two tached, and the stripped ends at the other end of the ribbon
pins of this plug are not used). are twisted together at the yard- cable to the PC board. Start by
The plug connects to the 4 -pin stick end to form one heavier soldering the colored wire (it
header (J1) on the circuit board. gage wire for the return cur- goes to LED16) to the pad that
Instructions for wiring the bat- rent.) connects to R21 (it's the pad on
tery holder are given in Fig. 5. Leave the colored wire full- the lower -right side of the
Figure 6 shows how to make length, and trim each suc- board). Solder the remaining
the wand. Start by drilling 16 cessive lead 1 inch shorter than wires to the pads in order, work-
'3/84- or 1/4 -inch holes down the the previous one. 'frim about 8 ing toward the top of the board.
center of a wooden yardstick, inches off the four wires that Four pads are provided for the
starting at the 1 -inch mark, and remain connected together. four wires that are to be sol-
ending at the 16 -inch mark (Fig. Strip and tin the ends of all 20 dered together at the wand end.
6-a). Push each LED into each wires. Solder the staggered Figure 7 shows the completed
PC board, and Fig. 8 shows a
section of the wand.
PARTS LIST

All resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5%, un- PL1, PL2-4-contact IDC female Checkout
header plug With both IC1 and IC2 out of
less otherwise indicated. their sockets, connect the bat-
R1, R5-1000 ohms PL3-Female DB-9 connector (PC/
R2-10,000 ohms ATs and later) or male DB-25 teries to the power input. Strip
R3-47,000 ohms (PC -XTs) both ends of a short length of
R4-22,000 ohms Miscellaneous: Battery holder (4 solid hookup wire, and insert
R6 -R21--47 ohms (alternately, you C- or D -cells), PC board, one 8 - one end into pin 1 of IC2's 28 -
can use two 16 -pin, 47 -ohm DIP pin IC socket, one 28 -pin IC sock- pin socket. lbuch the other end
resistor networks) et, 9 feet of 20 -conductor ribbon of the wire to pin 10 of the same
Capacitors cable, solder, hookup wire, inex- socket to determine if LED16
C1, C2-0.1 i.LF, 50 volts, ceramic pensive wooden yardstick, duct (the one at the end of the wand)
disk or monolithic tape. lights. Move the pin -10 end of
C3-10 ILF, 16 volts, electrolytic Note: The following items are the wire to pins 11 through 25.
Semiconductors available from Scott Edwards, The LEDs should light up in se-
IC1-93LC66 512 -byte serial 964 Cactus Wren Lane, Sierra quence. If any of the LEDs fails
EEPROM (Microchip-do not Vista, AZ 85635: to light, recheck your work and
use the same part from a different Pre-programmed PIC16C55 correct any errors.
manufacturer) microcontroller (IC2) and ce-
ramic oscillator (OSC1)-$20
After you have confirmed that
IC2-PIC16C55 microcontroller, all LEDs work, disconnect the
programmed with wand firmware 93LC66 EEPROM with pre -
loaded images (1C1)-$7 power from the circuit and in-
(Microchip) stall IC2 (the 28 -pin PIC). Leave
IC3, IC4-ULN2803A Darlington 31/2 -inch PC compatible disk
inverter/driver with the downloading software IC1 out of its socket for now. Re-
OSC1-PX400 4 -MHz ceramic res- (51/4 -inch disks not available)-. apply power to the circuit. The
onator with integral capacitors $7 LEDs should light up. Dim the
(Panasonic) A kit consisting of IC1-1C4, lights and wave the wand
D1 -1N4004 diode OSC1, the disk, and a PC around carefully. The LEDs
LED1-LED16-T 13/4 LEDs (the board-$42 should appear as a ribbon of
color choice is yours) All prices are postpaid; check or dots. If the LEDs don't light, or
Other components money order only. if there are breaks in the dot
S1-Momentary-contact pushbut- Tools for programming PIC pattern, bridge pins 8 and 4 of
ton switch (Digi-Key P8034S microcontroliers are available ICI's socket and try again. If this
mounts directly to circuit board) from Parallax Inc, 3805 Ather- doesn't correct the problem, re-
J1, J2 -4 -pin single -row male ton Road, Rocklin, CA, move the power from the circuit
header 916-624-8333. and recheck your wiring. Once
you have the test pattern work- 1r volatile EEPROM storage.
ing properly, bridge pins 4 and 5 2 ti
t ', , f tor +"tif
I- f +
+
Whenever you power up the
of IC1's socket. Now the LEDs 46 L 4- ,... 4_ r+ 1- 4- 4.
4-

-4-
4.

-4- + wand from now on, you'll see

should all be off. + 4....Nt 4- +
A F
.1.-

-4 4.40.7, + + + + 4+ +
+ 4- + 4- -LW r
INrin the downloaded images.
Disconnect power and install 64
tee". i. 1- 4- ++ 4
4011-4
'.
I- +
When the controller is work-
IC1 in its socket. If IC1 is pur- 128 t 41"4- 1. 4 4 ++++ i- i
+7 - 4-
ing properly. finish the assem-
+ + + 4- -4- -+
chased pre-programmed (from ++++ bly for a neat appearance. The
the source in the Parts List), 21
4
f + i 1. t 4" t+ +4- t+ + + 4- + -
wand can be encapsulated in
you can power up the wand and HIi
- + 4- + 'A+ i I-

+++ r if
al.
+

+++-
+ 1- -

clear acrylic plastic or covered

check out the preprogrammed 32
- + + + +it
1- + + + ++*++
+ t t 4- +
with a large -diameter length of
images. If not, you must down- 64
128- +++ -I
, ,
.i clear heat -shrink tubing. You
load some images, as described Al1iel-1141111_
:

DATA FOR THE PATTERN SHOWN:

. ....
can also leave everything as -is.
further on. Designing your own images is
To observe the pre-pro- 0,1,128,1,64,1,32,1,16,255,8,128,4,128,2,128,1.128.2,
128.4,128,6128.16,255.32.1,64,1,128,1,0,1 fun and creatively satisfying. It's
grammed images, take the PROCEDURE: a great project for kids. If you
wand, controller, and batteries 1. MARK THE SQUARES THAT MAKE UP YOUR have a VGA monitor, make use
to a place you can dim the lights PATTERN.
2. FOR THE FIRST COLUMN. ADD UP THE W ROW of the graphical editor (WAND).
and swing the wand around NUMBERS CORRESPONDING TO THE MARKED Move a cursor around a grid of
without danger of damaging SQUARES. RECORD THIS NUMBER. DO THE SAME
FOR THE Tr ROWS. VALID NUMBERS WILL BE dots with the keypad arrow
property or hurting anyone. Ap- BETWEEN 0 AND 255.
3. REPEAT THIS PROCEDURE FOR EACH OF 17 keys, and toggle individual dots
ply power to the controller and COLUMNS. WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH A PATTERN,
on and off with the spacebar.
swing the wand back -and - YOU SHOULD HAVE 34 NUMBERS.
4. REPEAT THIS PROCESS FOR AS MANY Preparing data for the man-
forth. If the image appears com- PATTERNS AS YOU DESIGN
6. USING A TEXT EDITOR (LIKE EDIT THAT COMES ual downloader (WAND-NO) is
pressed horizontally, swing the WITH DOSS AND LATER) OR WORD PROCESSOR
CAPABLE OF SAVING A PLAIN TEXT FILE. TYPE IN more complicated, but educa-
wand a little faster. lb change THE NUMBERS SEPARATED BY COMMAS.
EXAMPLE: 193,265,0,17.111_ YOU MAY BREAK THE
tional. Work out your patterns
images, press and release Si. Tb DATA INTO MULTIPLE LINES. BUT DON'T END A on graph paper, calculate the
switch rapidly, hold S1 down. If LINE WITH A COMMA.
S. IF YOU HAVE ENTERED FEWER THAN 610 numeric values, and enter them
you are demonstrating the NUMBERS (15 PATTERNS), PAD THE FILE WITH
ZEROS (0.0.0.0,0...) UNTIL YOU HAVE 510 NUMBERS into a text file. The process is
wand to someone else, you will OR MORE. (THE DOWNLOADER IGNORES EXTRA shown in Fig. 9.
find that you can monitor the ENTRIES.)
7. SAVE THE FILE. You may have noticed that all
images from the back of the IL RUN THE PROGRAM WANO_NO AND FOLLOW
THE PROMPTS TO DOWNLOAD YOUR PATTERNS of the sample images are sym-
wand (some light from the LEDs TO THE WAND. IF YOU HAVE BLANK PATTERNS.
BE SURE TO ENTER THE HIGHEST FILLED -IN metrical left to right; stars, cir-
can be seen from the back). (FRAME) NUMBER WHEN THE PROGRAM cles, arrows, etc. That allows
The batteries and controller PROMPTS YOU TO. FRAMES ARE NUMBERED 0 TO
15 you to swing the wand left -to -
are kept separate to keep the right and right -to -left and get
wand as lightweight as possible FIG. 9-TO PREPARE DATA for the man-
the same image.
for safety reasons. Use common ual downloader, work out your patterns
on graph paper, calculate the corre- If you choose to create asym-
sense; carelessly swinging the sponding numeric values, and enter metrical pictures, you must use
wand around in the dark could them into a text file. a different technique to display
hurt someone. Supervise chil- them. Swing the wand rapidly
dren using the wand. (No sword ler. Connect the download cable in one direction, then slowly re-
fights! No running!) to the COM1 port on your com- turn it to the starting point.
puter with the computer off. This will prevent viewers from
Downloading images Then turn the computer on. seeing a reversed afterimage of
lb download images to the Connect PL1 to the J1 header on your picture. Remember, you
controller, you'll need the soft- the controller board. are the mechanical part of the
ware from the source given in Boot the downloading soft- display. If you find this inconve-
the Parts List or from the Elec- ware (WAND for those with VGA nient, you could modify the
tronics Now BBS. The program monitors; WAND-NO for those wand as follows: Wire a nor-
comes in two flavors: One is without) and load the included mally closed pushbutton be-
graphical and allows you to edit, image file SAMPLE.WND. Now tween the controller and the
save, and download pictures apply power to the controller. LED anodes. Be sure the switch
simply and easily. The other is a The LEDs should remain dark. you select can handle current
bare -bones downloading pro- Follow the on -screen instruc- pulses of nearly 11/2 amperes.
gram that requires that you cal- tions to perform a download. With this switch in line, you can
culate the data manually and The LEDs will flash brightly; swing the wand to display your
enter it into a text file. The they are displaying each incom- images, and press the button to
graphical version requires a ing pair of data bytes. Down- blank the display while you pre-
VGA monitor; the manual ver- loading takes a little more than pare for another swing.
sion works in a pure text mode, 4 seconds; after that, the wand Another possible modifica-
and it has no special require- will be active in its normal dis- tion would be to make a contin-
ments. play mode. Remove power from uous display of the wand's
Downloading is simple, but it the wand and remove the down- images by mounting the LEDs
requires a specific sequence. loading connector. The images on a large rotating wheel, or by
Remove power from the control - are now programmed into non- building a pendulum.
 ri 1E4

Double the frequency of any CMOS or TTL clock

signal with this easy -to -build doubler circuit.
A UNIVERSAL FREQUENCY-DOU- JOHN J. YACONO propagation delays, settling
bling circuit will come in handy time, or incorrect processing.
in your home shop or on the job. Of course, you must dis-
The subject of this article is the edge of the clock pulse each tinguish between those three
construction of a simple circuit time a clock pulse arrives. If you causes to correct them. A digital
that will double the frequency of set the analyzer to latch data on frequency -doubler that can pro-
a digital clock input and be in- the rising edge of a clock pulse, vide clock pulses for either ris-
dependent of input frequency. the plot of the clock data will ing or falling clock pulses (and
The entire circuit is based on show a constant high. However, still remain an -step) would be
a quad EXCLUSIVE -OR (XOR) gate if you set the analyzer to latch invaluable.
whose output is 1 (logic high) if data on falling transitions, the
any but not more than one of its clock data will appear continu- Operational theory
inputs is 1. The output is 0 if ously low. Unfortunately, after Propagation delay, a key
more than one input is 1 or if all you select the desired edge for characteristic of logic gates. is
inputs are 0. You can make a triggering, you can view only significant in any logic applica-
doubler circuit based on either half of the circuit activity and tion. It is the time required for a
the CMOS CD4070B or the TTL none of the clock transitions. change of logic at the input of a
74386 because these quad XOR It is easy to see that under cer- gate to affect the logic at its out-
devices are pin -for -pin compati- tain circumstances the logic put. The longer the propagation
ble. A 14 -pin socket will permit analyzer would be useless. This delays of transistors in a signal
the devices to be interchanged. situation could occur when path, the longer it takes to pro-
Before discussing con- troubleshooting a micro- duce a usable result. It follows
struction, some background in- processor or microcontroller cir- that integrated circuit design-
formation on a practical ap- cuit whose data is latched on ers are always trying to mini-
plication for the frequency one clock transition, processed, mize propagation delays.
doubler should be helpful, and and then transmitted on the op- Ironically, a delayed clock sig-
its theory of operation will be posite clock transition. nal can be useful in this fre-
explained. If you were to view only data quency -doubler circuit. The
Consider this situation: You collected as it is presented for output of an XOR gate is low
are troubleshooting a digital cir- input or output, it would be im- when its inputs are equal, and
cuit with a digital logic analyzer possible to determine if a mal- high when its inputs are une-
and you see that the logic ana- function were caused by signal - qual. Consider what would hap-
lyzer latches data on the same path propagation delays, device pen if both a clock pulse and a
 ORIGINAL
CLOCK
CD4070B or equivalent in a
SIGNAL faster CMOS family (HC/HCT.
DELAYED
HCS/HCTS, or ACL (FACT)) or a
CLOCK 74386 or its equivalent in faster
SIGNAL TTL logic families (AS, LS, ALS,
XOR FAST). Your selection will deter-
PULSES mine the propagation delay of
the gates. The delay is impor-
FIG. 1.-IF A PULSE TRAIN (top) Is delayed to produce a second pulse train tant because it determines the
(middle) and both trains are passed into an XOR gate, a pulse train with variable -
width pulses will be produced (bottom). maximum input frequency that
the circuit can handle and the
slightly delayed version of the logic -voltage levels. This is nec- maximum pulse width it can
same pulse are applied to the essary for testing CMOS logic generate.
inputs of an XOR gate. The plot because of the wide range of op- Maximum input frequency
of pulses in Fig. 1 shows the erating voltages and logic levels. will limit the circuitry with
original clock pules at the top In Fig. 2, IC1-a is the pulse - which the doubler will be effec-
and a delayed pulse below it. producing gate, and IC1-b, IC -c, tive. Maximum pulse width will
The output of the XOR gate will and IC1-d form a variable -delay permit the circuit to work with
appear like the lower waveform network. Each gate in the net- the slowest test equipment. (Ad-
in Fig. 1. Thus, the XOR gate work adds its phase delay to the ditional gates can be added to
generates one pulse for each signal it receives. Thus, IC1-b the delay network to increase
clock transition. As a result, the delays the clock by one phase the output pulse width for the
gate produces output pulses at delay period, IC1-c delays it for slowest equipment.) To max-
twice the clock frequency, but an equal period, and IC1-d adds imize the doubler's versatility,
they remain synchronized with yet another delay. select a quad XOR with the high-
the clock, as shown in the upper The gates are arranged so est maximum frequency that is
waveform. that both the phase delay and compatible with your test
The lower XOR waveform illus- the width of the output pulses equipment.
trates another important can be selected by making wire Table 1 provides information
characteristic: the width of the changes on a header that car- to help you select the optimum
XOR pulses equals the delay in- ries the delayed signal to IC1-a. TTL family for your needs. The
troduced to the clock signal or That feature has two functions: propagation delays are typical
the difference between the rise 1) it extends the duration of the values obtained from data
times of the pules in the top and output pulses for slower test books, but devices from dif-
middle waveforms. equipment, and 2) decreases ferent manufacturers might
The XOR pulse width will re- the pulse width for testing very have different typical values.
spond to the delay time re- fast circuits. The maximum output pulse
gardless of frequency with one As stated earlier, you have a widths given in the table were
condition: the delay introduced choice of quad XOR IC: a CMOS obtained by multiplying the
to the clock signal (the middle
waveform) must be shorter than TABLE 1-TTL PROPATATION DELAYS VS. DOUBLER FREQUENCY LIMITS
both the high and low times of
the clock. Thus, the clock Maxcimum Longest
should be delayed by less than Typical Input Output
180 electrical degrees if the dou- TTL Family Delay Frequency Pulse
Lr)
bler is to work properly. (ns) (Hz) (ns)
cn This sets the criteria for a cir-
cuit that will double clock Advanced Schottky 1.5 166,667 4.5
t pulses, but the circuit requires Fast Schottky
Schottky
2 125,000 6
a delayed clock pulse. Because 3 83,333 9
an XOR gate can be configured as Advanced Low -power TTL 6 41,667 18
Low -Power Schottky 9 27,778 27
a buffer by grounding one of its Standard TTL 10
o inputs, and it has an inherent 25,000 30
Low -Power TTL 33 7,576 99
4 phase delay, the gate will func-
cc
tion as delay line to stall clock
L,Li pulses before they reach a sec- +V oJ3
ond XOR gate. J1 0
CLOCK J2
10
(11
INPUT 12 DOUBLED
;I<- The circuit 11
CLOCK
13
The frequency doubler circuit = OUTPUT
42 is shown in Fig. 2. It is powered
cY by the DUT. This eliminates the 1C1 SHOULD BE A 4070 FOR CMOS OPERATION
8 need for additional circuitry OR A 74388 FOR TTL OPERATION
and also "configures" the dou- FIG. 2.-THE ACTIVE COMPONENT OF THE FREQUENCY DOUBLER is a quad ex-
86 bier to operate at appropriate clusive -or (XOR) gate.
 od-wire wrapping or point-to-
point wiring-keep all wires as
short as possible.) If you design
your own PC board, design in a
ground plane on the reverse
side.
Select a metal project case
with a metal cover that will pro-
vide good shielding. The pro-
totype is housed in an alumi-
num case measuring 51/4 x 3 x
21/flinches. Holes are drilled in
both ends of the metal case for
BNC jacks Jl and J2. Another
hole is cut in the case cover to
allow the power and ground
wires to exit.
In order to fit the circuit in
FIG. 3-COMPLETED FREQUENCY DOUBLER. The power leads are fitted with micro - such a small case. a 4 x 2 short-
clips and attached to two extra pins on the jumper blocc
ing header was used In place of
a triple -throw switch for Si. The
Si connections are then made
by moving a jumper. The two ex-
tra pins on the shorting jumper
have leads attached to them for
obtaining power and ground
from the DUT. (You can prevent
shorting between the closely -
spaced power and ground
jumper header pins with heat -
shrinkable tubing, if neces-
sary) If you can find a small tri-
ple -throw switch you can use
that, or use the header instead
(as we did) or use a larger switch
and bigger case.
Position the completed cir-
cuit board in the bottom of the
case and fasten it in place with
double -sided tape or RTV sil-
icone. Pass the power leads
through the hole in the cover
\lbe. '41
A JUMPER BLOCK was substituted for a triple -throw switch to conserve space.
and terminate them with micro -
clips. Figure 3 shows the as-
sembled frequency doubler
ready to be put to work.
propagation delay by a factor of the delay network).
3 (the number of delay gates in Deciding on a CMOS IC is Testing the doubler
easier because even the fastest lb test out the frequency dou-
CMOS ICs are slower than the bler, feed in a signal of known
PARTS LIST response times in most test frequency from a crystal -based
Semiconductor equipment. A device from the reference or function generator
ICI-quad XOR-gate, CMOS or high-speed HCT CMOS family is and measure the output fre-
TTL (see text) suitable for testing CMOS cir- quency with a frequency coun-
Other components cuits that are powered by 5 ter or oscilloscope. The doubler
J1, J2-BNC jacks, wail mount volts, b -at a standard 4000B se- will double the input frequency
J3 (S1)-four-pin header, PCB ries IC will be suitable for test- if it is functioning correctly.
mount (or triple -throw switch, see ing all other CMOS circuits. The details will not be de-
text) scribed in this article, but you
Miscellaneous: Project case (met- Doubler construction can increase the versatility of
al, see text), two BNC plugs, two The doubler circuit's 14 -pin the frequency doubler by fitting
microclips, 14 -pin IC socket (see IC is mounted in a 14 -pin DIP it with an analog front end. An
text), perforated construction socket on a rectangular piece of operational amplifier config-
board, heat -shrink tubing, insu- perforated construction board. ured as a Schmitt trigger will
lated hookup wire, solder. (Regardless of assembly meth- perform this function. it
 such as and, or, and exclusive -
or. Finally, four non -game

COMPUT ERIZED modes create sound effects and

light -pattern displays.
Circuitry
Figure 1 is the schematic of
the C -Game. The circuit is de-

GAME signed around IC3, an 80C31

ROMless, CMOS version of In-
tel's 8051 8 -bit microcontroller.
The 80C31 has four 8 -bit I/O
ports (0 to 3).
Port 1 is connected to 16
pushbuttons, organized as two
banks of eight (Bank -A and
Bank -B). The 16 1N914 diodes
(D1-D16) isolate each bank
from the other. Each bank has
one side of each pushbutton
connected in common to one
pin of Port 3 of the 80C31. These
two pins (12 and 13, P3-2 and
P3-3, respectively) enable the
switch banks separately so that
they can be periodically read un-
der software control.
Port 0 of the microcontroller
communicates with the
27C256 EPROM (IC1), where C -
Game's software is stored. The
address and data buses of the
microcontroller are multiplex-
Learn how electronic games work; then ed. A 74HCT573 8 -bit latch
(IC2) is first strobed with the
have fun playing one that you built. ALE (address latch enable) sig-
nal from the microcontroller,
ALTHOUGH PLAYING COMPUTER DAN RETZINGER and the low -order address data
games can be a lot of fun, oper- is latched for the EPROM. The
ating them teaches you very lit- game sound effects. high -order address for the
tle about how they work. A good EPROM is output by port 2, pins
way to learn how electronic Features 21 to 27. The EPROM is enabled
games work is to build your The games and functions of by the microcontroller's PSEN
own. This article shows you the C -Game are selected by (program store enable) line.
how to build the C -Game, a two - pressing one of the 16 pushbut- Port 0 also connects to IC4, a
player game with a dozen dif- tons after the device is reset. A 74HCT574 8 bit D -type flip-flop
ferent game modes. In addition new game can be selected at any that drives two banks of eight
to the 12 games, there are four time by pressing the reset LEDs. Port 3 (P3-0 and P3-1) en-
other modes that let you gener- switch followed by another ables each bank separately
= ate sound effects and light -pat - pushbutton. Once a game is se- through Q1 and Q2. Each bank
NC tern displays. lected, the operation of all push- is multiplexed under software
co The C -Game has 16 pushbut- buttons and LEDs are specific control and is turned on ap-
tons for player input, and it has to that game. proximately 50% of the time.
16 LEDs for display output. Of the twelve games, three are Port 3 bit -4 (pin 14) connects
Eight LEDs and pushbuttons reaction -time (who's quickest) to a transducer. Components
are arranged along each side of competitions. Four games in- R5, R6, and C8 provide a signal
the device, making it conve- volve skill and thought, and two through output jack J2 for con-
F, nient for two players to sit op - others are simple memory chal- nection to the line -level input of
x posite each other while playing lenges. The C -Game also has an external amplifier to produce
co a game. The pushbuttons are two binary arithmetic contests a louder sound output.
2 installed with the same spacing in which you must add, sub- At power up, C2 and R1 ini-
as found on a standard comput- tract, divide, and multiply two tialize the microcontroller. Re-
er keyboard, which makes them binary numbers. (It's not as dif- set switch S17 will reset the
Li-i comfortable to use. A ficult as it sounds!) Another circuit to power -up conditions
88 piezoelectric buzzer provides game performs logic functions at any time. An oscillator is
 20
+6V C8
VCC
D7
BAN(A BANK B
DO
.4r LED

0
7
.5V 05
07
...11501 a), '" 16
D4
LED.6
40
+6V
4
D3
02 06
OAD2,
V00 3 7") "0.S, LED
C2 DI
2
RESET
617
10F
25V
C3
60031
DO

OE
05
e,D3 O5rLED
0 13
e,
04
+5V -4-0 0 RESET P3.4
C4
18
XTAL 741,107574 16
614'.5r 12
03
..":. LED
30pF
414ANz
so LEN. "" 11,e

0
R1
XTAL1 02
10K
\-7..."; LED
119 XTAL
D7.
10

V 04 P27
30PF 27
P26
WR
(tuns. 0 CMG
23 (P3.6)
P26
+5V GND
P24 R4
P23
10 *R3
saa 300
128
P22
VCC cal
P21 P3.0 6146606
ICI 21
P20
270266
+5V P3.1
1
Vpp Al 4
16
A13 26 P3.6
17
P3.7
Al2
All 23 (0)
BANK A BANK B
21
A10 VCC
24 DI .21/ 016 Z18
A9 IC2 P17
8
-01-0 0- 126 126
25
A8 741107673
Pte
7
02 -TX 015 .."116
-.4-0 0-.54
D7 A7
3 19
07 D7
32
P07
P16
o- 84
18 De A8
4 18
06 06 P06
P14
03 SP
-04-o o- 34
014 .1114
0-46 32
17 17 05 4 34
D6 P06 4
P13
D4 MP 013 ..T.r3
16 04 A4
6 18
04 D4 PO4
P12 1 _44_0 0-4 16
--15. D3 A3
7 15
14
03 D3 P03
P11 1 -84-
06
.--416(-0 0-41 8
16 D12 .14112
-181-0
13 02 P02
D2 A2 02
--I DI Al 9 13
01 D1 P01
PIO
06 l
0-44 4
011 ..T111
.--1114.--0 0-0 4
_11 19 12
00 DO P00 010 ...11110
AO
D7 .117
-01-0 0-* 2 0-41 2
OE iv- OE LE
-.4-0 0-
os De SP
-01-o 41
GND
14 10
P3.2
101114 (x16)
13
PSEN P3.3
Vss J1
II av_gpi
07
AUX. 318
POWER 4 POWER m
0

FIG. 1-C -GAME SCHEMATIC. The circuit Is designed around an Intel 80C31 8 -bit m
microcontroller. 100 milliamperes extra. X
Second, the 80C31 is clocked
made up of a 4 -MHz crystal milliamperes or greater. by a 4 -MHz crystal. Although
(XTAL1) and two 30 pF capaci- Designing a battery -powered most 80C31 controllers can op- A
tors (C3 and C4). An circuit with this many LEDs erate at speeds up to 12 -MHz,
LM2931Z-5.0 low -dropout 5 - and coml. onents requires some the lower speed keeps power
volt regulator IC5 will tolerate a special considerations. All ICs consumption to a minimum.
reversed battery voltage of 15 (except the regulator) are CMOS Current drain is directly related
volts without damage. The cir- to conserve battery power-a to the clock speed in this CMOS
cuit is normally powered from a non-CMOS 74LS574 would re- microcontroller.
9 -volt battery, but power -input quire approximately 27 milli- Third, all LEDs in each bank
jack J1 can provide auxiliary amperes more current than the share one common -cathode re-
power to the C -Game with any CMOS version, and the non- sistor (R3 for Bank -A and R4 for
power adapter capable of sup- CMOS version of the 8031 mi- Bank -B), instead of one resistor
plying 6 to 9 volts DC at 100 crocontroller would need almost per LED. That results in less
 0.. A

..
. . .
.
.
5 OCHER
I PERM

COMPONENT SIDE OF THE PC BOARD. SOLDER SIDE OF THE PC BOARD.

B current per LED if many LEDs

SIDE are turned on, and more cur-
N1 rent per LED if fewer LEDs are
LED18
-e-
LED15 LED14 LED13 LED12 LED11 LED10 LED9
turned on. When only one or
two LEDs are on, current is lim-
ited by the 74HCT574. When

t"111114.
lit t
128 18 8 4 2
more LEDs turn on, current is
limited by R3 and R4. However,
161 s~ 1010 10 the change in brightness is
barely noticeable with a differ-
ing numbers of LEDs on.
get141141rtilli:
. .IMPtlat#1114,
' .1 4.r%Sre
411.
iLi4t1 4111,M1110,
*I'l'701111.1111.1111
IIA Sa WIN MS NM a 11
-'......,.4. jar. i . :17/12 Iti
:
The circuit draws an average
of 20 to 30 milliamperes, with a
maximum drain of 65 milliam-
peres with all LEDs on. A 9 -volt
_j i 'ABA PIZIL e017/7=:1,1:: I--VAT:
41 re14.101 liPi! ;77
it 1 41111
.".S.N i I.. emsasiesi I
".' alkaline battery will last an aver-
i.1.:=11krei
k;ijkwial,..4,;q.f .3 age of 8 to 10 hours and a nickel -
l--,11, z,, 1:..i.:Iiiii,iiiiki.1.,..1'4),b cadmium battery will last from
P. 5 to 8 hours. Avoid 9 -volt carbon
batteries; even a fresh one can't
deliver the C -Game's peak cur-
rent requirements. Supplying
power through jack J1 elimi-
E
nates the need for a battery.
This is recommended if the
game is played often.
U)
Construction
All of the necessary compo-
EE -1-211 64 32 nents including the PC board
a. are available from the source
LED1 LED2 LED3 LEDS given in the Parts List. Foil pat-
8 terns are provided if you want to
make your own PC board. Pre-
0 A programmed EPROMs are avail-
SIDE able from the source given in
W
90
FIG. 2-PARTS-PLACEMENT DIAGRAM. Solder the 1N914 diodes first, then the re - the Parts List, and the hex code
sistors and capacitors. is posted on the Electronics
 TABLE 1-GAME INSTRUCTIONS

ql cr.1

0 iv
..
Qr*
C..5 (.7
0 4.. a.
r.
Qom
$* 47
C.3
Cf co
c.iA.

rt cv C., AY

First player to press the key next to his lit LED gets a Point. X
Al X Who's Quickest #1
Most points out of 20 wins.
Most 'hits' (press key while LED on) out of 20 wins. X
A2 X Road Kill
Press a key to send a ball (LED) to your opponent. Fewest X
A4 X Tennis
misses (press key before time-out) out of 40 wins.
Test your reflex time. Press a key to shut off the LED. X
A8 X Reaction Timer
Gives an average time for 10 hits.
"A" player sends LED counterclockwise, "B" player clockwise. X
Al 6 X Race Around
If LED slips past you, other player gets a point.
A32 X Binary Math Use "A128" to enter your answer for add/sub/divide/multiply
on two 14 bit binary numbers. "B" LED's show progress.
A64 X Binary Logic Use key "A128" to enter your answer for and/or/xor/modulus
on two 4 bit binary numbers. "B" LED's show progress.
Use key "A128" to repeatedly add original number shown until X
A128 X Count to 64
you've counted to 64 or greater. "B" side keeps your time.
First player to press all lit keys gets a point. Best out of 20. X
B1 X Who's Quickest #2
B2 X Memory #1 A number will be shown. Use key "A128" to enter each number in
the "sequence" correctly. 10 total in sequence.
B4 X Memory #2 Alternate play. Two players build and copy a sequence. 10 total.
Move lit LED (press a key) toward Al, then toward 8128 any X
B8 X Last Player Wins
number of "jumps". Alternate play. Last player able to move
wins. Score is accumulative game to game.
B16 Special Effects Press any key or key combinations to generate steady tones.
B32 "A" key control pitch range, "B" keys control speed range
of randomly appearing LED's and tones.
B64
II
" Sixteen different sound effects, one per key.
. II Sixteen different sound and LED patterns, one per key.
B128
NOTE 1: Press RESET, then any key (left side of chart) to start a game.
NOTE 2: After a game terminates, pressing the key (other than RESET) will restart same game.

PARTS LIST FOR THE C -GAME

All resistors are Yewatt, 5%. IC4-74HCT574 octal D -type Miscellaneous: PC board, 9 volt
Al, R2-10,000 ohms CMOS flip-flop battery connectors (1 each, Key-
R3, R4-30 ohms IC5-LM2931Z-5.0 low -dropout 5 - stone No. 593 and No. 594), six
R5-100,000 ohms volt regulator stick -on rubber feet, two 20 -pin IC
R6-4700 ohms Dl -016-1N914 diode sockets, one 28 -pin socket, and
Capacitors LED1-LED16-green light -emitting one 40 -pin socket
C1-100 LLF, 16 volts, radial elec- diode Note: The following items are
trolytic 01, 02-2N3906, PNP transistor available from Silicon Sound,
C2-10 I.LF, 25 volts, radial elec- Other components PO Box 1694, Reseda, CA
trolytic S1-S17-PC-mount pushbutton 91337-1694 (818) 996-5073:
C3, C4-30 pF, 25 volts, ceramic switch Double -sided, silk screened
disc, 20% S18-SPST PC -mount slide switch PC board-$35.00
C5 -C7-0.1 p.F, 50 volts, ceramic, J1-DC power jack, PC mount, Programmed 27C256
axial, 20% 2.0mm pin EPROM-$15.00
C8 0.1 p.F, 50 volts, ceramic, radi- J2 -2 -pin molex header, 0.1 -inch Complete C -Game kit includ-
al, 20% spacing ing all parts-$79.00
Semiconductors XTAL1-4-MHz crystal, HC -18 met- Assembled and tested C-
IC1-27C256 CMOS EPROM al case Game-$99.00
IC2-74HCT573 octal D -type 81 -9 -volt alkaline battery Please add $3.50 for shipping
CMOS latch BZ1-piezo-alarm (murata-erie No. and handling. California resi-
IC3-80C31 CMOS microcontroller PKM22EPP-40) dents add 8.25% sales tax.

Now BBS (516-293-2283, V.32. ning with the 1N914 diodes, re- the ICs into their sockets until
V.42bis) as a file called sistors, and capacitors. Next, all other parts are installed.
CGAME.HEX. install the sixteen LEDs flush lb install the two battery con-
Using Fig. 2 as a guide, solder with the PC board. Follow with nectors, align them by first
the components in place begin- the IC sockets, but do not install snapping them onto a 9 -volt
 happens when power is applied,
( START check to see that + 5 volts is
present at the output of IC5.
Also check for -5 volts on each
ACTIVATE CONTROL LINES
FOR 'A' LEDS AND KEYS
} LINE 8 IC's power pin, and make sure
SET POINTER FOR WRITING LEDS LINE 9 each ground pin is at zero volts.
Verify that none of the address
or data lines are shorted.
READ 'A' KEYS LINE 10
Check to see that each of the
INVERT KEY VALUES LINE 11 16 pushbuttons work. To do
WRITE KEY VALUE TO LED BANK LINE 12 this, you need to press the reset
switch before pressing each
pushbutton. At this point,
don't try to play each game; just
see that every pushbutton
causes a distinct change in the
NO
LINE 13 game's behavior. (Note that you
will hear a similar start -tone se-
quence after each game is se-
lected, so wait long enough for a
YES few LEDs to turn on.)
'CLICK' THE PIEZO SPEAKER LINE 14 The games
MOVE KEY VALUE TO 'DL1'
SET 'DU' TO 4 (DELAY)
LINE 15
LINE 16
Table 1 shows a complete list
of the 16 game functions. Notice
the designations Al, A2, A4,
etc., on the left side of the chart,
which correspond to the key
designations shown in Fig. 2.
As an example of how a par-
ticular game is selected, if after
NO
LINE 17 pressing reset you press the "4"
key on the "A" side, you will start
the tennis game.
The second column from the
YES left in Table 1 shows the games
that require two players. Typical
play is with both players sitting
opposite each other, each with
NO YES LINE 18
both hands on the keys. Games
LINE 19 checked in the, third column
can be played by one player, or
alternately by Lwo or more.
Game titles are shown in the
fourth column, and how -to -play
FIG. 3-THIS FLOWCHART details the operations performed in Listing 1. instructions are shown in the
rn middle of the chart.
battery. Be sure the battery po- bottom side to keep the leads Be aware that the numbers in
larity is correct. While holding from scratching your fingers. the key designation (1, 2, 4, 8,
V)
the battery flush with the PC Cut it to the same size as the PC 16, 32, 64, 128) also correspond
board, solder the battery con- board and fasten it with ma- to the bit values df an 8 -bit bin-
nectors in place. Remove the chine screws and spacers. One - ary number. It is important to
battery after the clips are in sixteenth inch thick styrene or know this when playing games
place. Next, solder in the 16 black ABS plastic works well. A32, A64, and A128. Also, after
pushbuttons, the power switch Finish up by installing the four many games terminate, the
and jack, transducer, crystal, ICs. The completed game is score will be displayed in binary
and audio output jack.
czcz

2 shown on page. 88. on both sides of the board. For

re
Next install six rubber feet on example, if after a game ends,
the bottom of the printed circuit Checkout LEDs A8 and A4 are lit, the
6 board. These will keep the cut Connect a 9 -volt battery and score is 12 for the A side.
leads of the components from turn on the power switch. You Four of the single -player
damaging your table top while should first hear a short beep. games (A32, A64, A128, and B2)
you play the game. Optionally, then see the 16 LEDs light one require that you 'enter" an an-
you might want to mount a at a time in a repeating counter- swer. During tnose games,
92 sheet of plastic to the PC board's clockwise pattern. If nothing (Continued on page 108)
 Circuit Grab Bag
CHARLES D. RAKES
contacts, completing the
We're going to reach
circuit supplying gate cur-
into the circuit grab PARTS LIST FOR THE
rent to the SCR (SCR1) and
bag and bring forth a TURN -SIGNAL MONITOR (Fig. 1)
turning it on. The voltage at
number of simple, but, we
Di, D2 -1N914 silicon diode the cathode of the SCR
hope, useful circuits that BZI-Piezo buzzer goes positive, turning on
might fill a present or future Wire, solder. etc. the FET (Q2) and sounding
need. In any case sit back,
the horn. The horn will
make yourself comfortable,
go for the one that has the manner that places it in the sound until S2 is opened or
and we'll spend some time
loudest and most irritating open -circuit condition the battery goes dead. The
together looking over this
sound. when the cycle is resting on IRF511 FET is rated for about
circuit mix.
its kick stand. When the cy- 4 amps, which should be
DELAYED TURN -SIGNAL cle is moved to the upright good for a small, loud horn,
TURN -SIGNAL
MONITOR position, the mercury but if you opt for a higher
MONITOR
If you don't want to hear moves over the two switch current, super -loud horn
Our first circuit (see Fig. 1)
really makes a statement the piezo buzzer's irritating +12V
for simplicity when only sound each time you use (FROM BLINKERS)
three parts are used in a the turn signals, take a look LEFT RIGHT
turn -signal monitor. I'm sure at the time -delayed
you have had the experi- monitor circuit in Fig. 2. A D2
D1 1N914
ence of traveling down the simple RC time -delay circuit BZ1
1N914
highway, watching the driv- made up of R1 and C1
er ahead going for miles keeps the sounder from go-
with his or her left or right ing off until the turn signal 01
IRF511
has been on for a number
+12V
(FROM BLINKERS) of flashes. Varying potenti- C1
ometer R1 varies the 47
LEFT RIGHT
number of flashes before
the sounder is activated.
D1 D2 Here's how the delay cir- Fig. 2. To minimize driver irritation, a time delay can be added
114914 1N914
cuit operates. The DC to the turn -signal monitor.
voltage from the 12 -volt
BZ1 flasher goes through R1 and PARTS LIST FOR THE IMPROVED
either D1 or D2 to charge TURN -SIGNAL MONITOR (Fig. 2)
C1. When the voltage
Fig. I. With just three across C1 reaches the gate DI, D2 -1N914 silicon diode
components, this turn -signal turn -on voltage of Q1, that QI-IRF511 FET transistor
monitor could not be simpler. R1-1-megohm, potentiometer
IRF511 FET switches the R2-10-megohm, 1/4 -watt, 5% resistor
blinker flashing without a negative side of the piezo C1-47-muF, 16-WVDC, electrolytic capacitor
care in the world, or a clue buzzer to circuit ground, op- BZI-Piezo buzzer
to his or her next move. This erating the sounder. If you Wire, solder, etc.
simple turn -signal monitor would like a longer time
can help keep you from period before the sounder
becoming just such a high- goes off, increase the value
way flasher. of C1. To decrease the time
S1
A 1N914 signal diode is period, Just reduce the ca- MERCURY
connected from each of pacitor's value. SWITCH

the (left/right) directional

blinkers to supply power to BIKE ALARM
the piezo buzzer when ei- Our next item, shown in
ther turn signal is activated. Fig. 3, is a low-cost, no -frills
The piezo buzzer will sing motorcycle- or bicycle -
out as long as either turn alarm circuit. The sensor is a
signal is operating. When mercury switch that's
selecting the plezo buzzer, mounted to the cycle in a Fig. 3. Protect your bike with this simple alarm circuit.
 PARTS LIST FOR THE PARTS LIST FOR THE
SIMPLE ALARM (Fig. 3) DC FUSE MONITOR (Fig. 5)
QI-IRF511 FET transistor R1 -1000 -ohm, 1/4 -watt, 5%, resistor
SCR1--2N5064 or similar SCR BZI-Piezo sounder
R1 -2200 -ohm, 1/4 -watt. 510, resistor Fl-Fuse, sec text
R2-I000-ohm, 1/4 -watt, 5%, resistor Wire, solder, etc.
C1 -0.05-F, Mylar or ceramic -disc capacitor
SI-Mercury switch
S2-SPST switch, toggle or key switch +6 - +16 TO itor takes off the rough
Horn, wire, solder, etc. VOLTS CIRCUIT
edges. Resistor R1 should be
selected, with the fuse out
you should substitute a sounder, it is time to close of the circuit and the
IRF530 for Q2. That unit is the windows. equipment on, to just pro-
rated to handle up to 14 A standard 9 -volt tran- duce 12 volts across the
amps. sistor battery should RI BZ1
1K
sounder circuit.
operate the circuit for
RAIN DETECTOR about the shelf life of the SIMPLE FM
If you like to leave your battery. Of course, you'll Fig. 5. You'll know TRANSMITTER
windows open and breath need a monitor circuit for immediately when a fuse has
Our last entry this visit (see
the fresh air, our next entry each window that's open. blown in a DC circuit when
you use this fuse monitor. Fig. 7) is an FM home- or
might be just what you Always remove the grid office -monitoring transmit-
need to warn you when the from the wet area and tector, shown in Fig. 6, is ter circuit. By placing the
rain blows in. The rain de- clean it thoroughly be- designed to operate in transmitter inside your
tector, see Fig. 4, also uses tween uses. conjunction with 110 -volt AC home or office, you can
an FET and a piezo buzzer. circuits. A bridge -rectifier monitor what's going on In-
A grid made up of close - DC FUSE ALERT circuit, in series with a fixed side on your car or
spaced wires or traces on a Next up is a blown -fuse resistor, is connected across portable radio before en-
circuit board serves as the detector/alert circuit for DC the circuit's fuse, with the tering. That way, this simple
moisture sensor. circuits. As shown in Fig. 5, a bridge's DC output feeding circuit just might keep you
The string of the five 22- single resistor and a piezo the piezo buzzer. A 12 -volt out of harm's way.
megohm resistors keeps buzzer connect across the Zener diode limits the max- A 12 -volt DC plug-in sup-
Q1's gate voltage at zero fuse (F1) in the circuit you imum voltage feeding the ply powers the circuitry, and
and hence turned off with wish to monitor. As long as sounder and a filter capac- (Continued on page 102)
no current flow through the the fuse remains intact, no
piezo buzzer. When a rain voltage is supplied to the 110 VAC
110 VAC OUT
drop hits the sensor grid, a sounder. If the fuse goes, IN (TO CIRCUIT)
small current flows between the piezo buzzer receives
the grid contacts, raising o 0
current through R1 and the
the voltage at the gate of monitored circuit to alert
the FET sufficiently to turn it you of a problem.
on and operate the sound- The circuit can be used
er. When you hear the to monitor fuses operating Ws.
at higher DC voltages by R1
10K TO 100K*
increasing the value of R1.
+9V
The resistor should be se-
lected to allow the piezo
buzzer's rated voltage to D5
C1
WATER BZ1C) appear across it when the 'SEE TEXT 12V
47
SENSOR
fuse is removed from the
circuit. BZ1
Q1
IRF511
AC FUSE ALERT Fig. 6. To monitor the fuse in an AC circuit. you will have to use
R1 Our next blown -fuse de - this AC version.
22MEG

22MEG
R2
PARTS LIST FOR THE
R3 R4 R5 WATER ALERT (Fig. 4)
22MEG 22MEG 22MEG
-411/1r-AAAr-Wro Q1-1121511 EFT transistor
R1-R5-22-megohm, -watt. 5%, resistor
Fig. 4. You can prevent BZI-Piezo buzzer
damage from the rain with Water sensor (see text), wire. solder. etc.
this water -detector circuit.
TOD T. TEMPLIN
BUILD THE
RETRO-
REMOTE

Add remote -control capability to

anything that doesn't have it already with the Retro-Remote.
ONE MAJOR FEATURE THAT SEPA- added to the device that you The training transmitter cir-
rates most consumer elec- want to operate remotely. The cuit is battery operated for
tronics from home -built gear is second board is an infrared portability and convenience. It
remote -control capability. Even "training transmitter." Its pur- is built on a small PC board that
pose is to train a commercially contains a pair of DIP switches
some of the most inexpensive to select the address (1 of 256)
commercially manufactured available universal "learning"
electronics is equipped with a remote control transmitter. The and command codes (0 through
wireless remote control. Hob- universal remote can then oper- 15). It also contains the encoder
byists have been unable to in- ate your equipment. IC, a modulator circuit, and the
clude remote controls in their The universal remote control infrared transmitter diode. In
projects simply because there is that you purchase will undoubt- practice, the training transmit-
edly be smaller and more attrac- ter is placed next to the learning
no "off the shelf' circuitry avail- remote in an "eye to eye" fash-
able to do the job. That's not tive than anything you could
build easily. Learning remote ion. An address and data com-
true any longer! mand code are selected with the
The Retro-Remote Control controls have the added advan-
presented in this article is de- tage of being able to learn the DIP switches, and then the
commands of multiple devices, learning remote is "taught" up
signed for maximum interfac- to 16 commands. If more than
ing flexibility. The versatile cir- thereby consolidating the func-
cuit can be configured to re- tions of many separate remotes 16 commands are required. a
motely control the operation of into one. You might already own second receiver board set to a
a learning remote, as they are different address can be built
home and automotive enter- for those commands.
tainment systems, home and included with many brands of
auto security alarms, robotics, TVs, VCRs, and stereo re- The receiver/decoder board
and almost any other project ceivers. If you don't own a learn- contains a pre -built and aligned
ing remote, one can be pur- infrared receiver module. It also
that might benefit from the ad- has address and data decoding
dition of wireless remote con- chased from a consumer -elec-
trol. So, whether you want to tronics store for as little as $20. circuits that match those of the
The author used a Radio Shack training transmitter, and inter-
add remote -control capability to facing circuits to connect it to
an older device that lacks it, or Model 150 learning remote that
can store codes for controlling the device that you want to con-
have shelved an idea for a great trol. The module can be self -
stereo project because it up to four devices (TV, VCR,
wouldn't be as convenient to op- AUX 1, and AUX 2). powered or power can be pro-
The training transmitter en- vided by the device it serves.
erate as a store-bought unit, The board can decode 16 com-
then the Retro-Remote is the sures that you can select unique
codes for controlling "retro" de- mand codes at any one of 256
perfect solution. possible addresses, for a total of
vices that never had remote -
control capability. You must be 4096 available codes. Com-
Description mands 0 through 11 are user -
The remote -control system sure that the newly assigned
codes will not interfere with definable. That is, they decode
consists of two separate circuit to simple TTL-level signals
boards. One board contains an those in use by your existing re-
mote -controlled devices. which are selected by the user to
infrared receiver/decoder. It is
 -II B1
II+ 00 in Fig. 3, greatly simplifies the
construction and reliability of
R3
9V
TRANSMIT
IRLED1
LT1029 1K this part of the circuit. The IR
S3 module contains an infrared -
GND VCC
sensitive photodiode, followed
by a high -gain preamplifier, a
S1
ADDRESS
R2
2
TRS I65C2 DIS limiter circuit, a 32 -kilohertz
1013(1
Au R4 bandpass filter, a demodulator,
AO VCC
18 OUT THS 22K
311.18,
an integrator, and a Schmitt
D.OUT
17
RST 32kHz
trigger.
CV
A
R1 The 12 -bit serial signal that is
OSC
1.5MEG sent from MOD1 when it re-
ceives transmitted pulses is
OSC buffered and inverted by Q1 and
A4
TE
S2
applied to the input of the
IC1 DATA
C1 HT -12D decoder IC, which inter-
A5
HT -12E .01
prets the first eight bits of the
D3
13
word as address and the last
AS four bits as data. The HT -12D
2
checks three consecutive sam-
A
ples of the received 16 -bit word
I0-* against the address selected by
9
r - GND DO DIP -switch Si. If all three sam-
C2
001
ples match, the VALID TRANSMIS-
K
SION (VT) output goes high and
the four -bit data word is latched
FIG. 1-TRAINING TRANSMITTER SCHEMATIC. The heart of the circuit is an HT -12E onto its output pins. Resistor
remote control encoder manufactured by Holtek Microelectronics. R8 sets the internal clock fre-
quency of the HT -12D to about
be either latched or momentary, A 555 timer (IC2) modulates 150 kilohertz. Note that the os-
and high or low, as needed. The the encoded data onto a carrier cillator in the decoder IC must
12 decoded commands are wave and also drives the in- run approximately 50 times
brought out to a header for con- frared LED transmitter diode faster than the oscillator in the
nection to external circuits. The (IRLED1). An infrared modula- encoder IC.
four remaining commands (12, tion frequency of 32 kilohertz Although the data on the out-
13,14, and 15) are hard wired on was chosen to be compatible put pins of ICI remains valid
the decoder board to relays that with the receiver module. Data until a new word is decoded, the
operate a motorized potentiom- from pin 17 of ICI is routed di- v -r signal stays high only as long
eter for volume -up and volume- rectly to pin 4 (RESET) of IC2, as the actual decoding is being
down controls and for power on/ which is configured as an asta- performed. Thus, v -r acts like a
off and mute on/off controls. ble multivibrator with a free - momentary -contact signal be-
running frequency of about 32 cause it is active only as long as
Transmitter circuitry kilohertz. This is determined by a button is pressed on the re-
Figure 1 is the schematic for R3, R4, and C2. Data going into mote transmitter. The v -r output
the training transmitter. The pin 4 of IC2 effectively turns it is applied to Q2 which drives
heart of the circuit is an HT -12E on and off in -step with its high relay RYI. The relay provides a
g remote control encoder (IC1) or low value, thereby presenting
- manufactured by Holtek Micro-
connection to ground to light
a series of 32 -kilohertz pulses the VT RECEIVED indicator
electronics. The HT -12E en- that match the data stream to (LED1), and also provides the
co
codes 12 bits of information the infrared LED. Resistor R2 ground return for the motorized
into a serial stream of data. limits the current provided by volume -control circuit through
Eight bits select the system ad- IC2 to a safe value for the LED. RY2 and RY3 (volume up and
dress while the remaining four volume down, respectively). The
bits select the data code. Both Receiver circuitry momentary ground closure is
the address and data are binary- Figure 2 is the schematic of also brought out to the output
t.u- coded decimal (BCD). The en - the receiver circuit. The circuit header pins (HEADER1) for
1J coded serialized data stream ap- consists of the IR receiver mod- custom user applications that
E pears at pin 17 of ICI whenever ule (MOD!), the HT -12D decoder might require it. Note that vr is
?. pin 14 (TE, or TRANSMIT ENABLE) (ICI), a BCD -to -decimal decoder also routed to IC6, a 7473 dual
is held low. Note that TE is
1.1.1
O
(IC2). and various driver ICs JK flip-flop, and used as a clock
A grounded at all times, and and relay circuits that interface signal.
transmit switch S13 enables the Retro-Remote to the outside The latched four -bit BCD data
the entire circuit. Resistor RI world. With its clean and stable from decoder IC1 is presented to
Lifl sets ICI's internal oscillator fre- output, the IR receiver module, the four -bit input of IC2, a
96 quency to about 3 kilohertz. whose block diagram is shown 74154 BCD -to -decimal decoder
 12V
TO HEADER 0-
R2
1K

MODI
2 RI
1K
RYI
VT
4700Ra

RY2
3 IC7
7805 II-.
LTV 8834 VOL. UP 2
01 Cl
C2
Vt2222

13
14

13
)1X+ 1000F

148
-crwo--J
sf
AO 75K
OSC 01
9 LEDI 9
1N4001
S2
Al
15 7 7 8 0 04
OSC R3
18 1K to -0 AC IN
VDB +5V C3 VOL.
111

S3 17, 74XX
VT MOTOR
14t (SEE TEXT)
S4
0-4 24 1 1 2
D2
1N4001
D. IN VDD 05 RY3

23 2 3 4 VOL. DOWN
S5 D3 D3 o 0 0
O DC IN
22 3 5 8
-cero-i.
S6
A5 D2 D2 o o 14 8 TO I5V

21 4 13 13
D1 DI 0 0 0
9-0"..0-- A6
S7 5 11
DO Do a O
6
-crrS8 A7
EN1
6 9 8
0 0

8 POS DECODE 1-8

IC2
*DIP SW.
VSS 74154 +5V IC4
ICI 74XX
HT -12D 4t (SEE TEXT)

7 1 2 0
EN2 0
ADDRESS 8 3
SELECT O 0 0
9 5
o 0
15 10 13
0 0

14 1 11
TO TO O O

Vss 12 0
11 9

+5V

14
+5V

14

CKLR
n 13

0--
12
4 11 (Tim
VOC OND C)
5 10
CLK K
6
CLR
7 8
IC6 m
7473 -1)
m
-1111111111cLK

z
tri
FIG. 2-RECEIVER/DECODER SCHEMATIC. The circuit consists of the IR receiver Cli
module (MOD1), an HT -12D decoder, a BCD -to -decimal decoder (IC2), and various
driver ICs and relay circuits.

41-

LIMITER OEMODULATOR INTEGRATOR

BAND PASS
FILTER co
(C)
FIG. 3-THE IR MODULE (MOD1) simplifies the construction and Improves the re- CTI

liability of the circuit. 97

 which has active -low outputs. hex non -inverting buffer driver. tive-high TTL output signals.
The first 12 outputs of IC2 (0 Both of those ICs have open -col- Depending on your needs, you
through 11) are connected to in- lector outputs which are rated might want IC3 and IC4 to be
verters IC3 and IC4. The par- for about 40 milliamperes and different ICs-one inverting
ticular inverters selected for IC3 up to 30 volts. The inverter you and one non -inverting. The out-
and IC4 should depend on your select should depend on puts of IC3 and IC4 are brought
requirements. but they must be whether you want active -high out to HEADER1 along with vr,
either hex inverters or hex buff- (7406) or active -low (7407) out- ground. and a power -supply bus
er drivers. It is possible to drive puts. If you want to interface which can be jumpered to either
LEDs or small relays directly by with additional TTL or CMOS 5 or 12 volts, as required.
selecting either the 7406 hex in- circuits, obtain a 7404 hex in- Outputs 12 through 15 of IC2
verting buffer driver or the 7407 verter. That IC will provide ac- are reserved for four circuits on
the receiver board. These are
power on/off, mute on/off, and
S1
volume up/down. The volume
-a - R3 up/down feature requires a
motor -driven potentiometer.
-c-
b

-d- -R1- IC2

R4 Outputs 12 and 13 of IC2 are
S3
-e-
-1- I Cl
-a inverted by IC5 before they turn
-9-
-h-
-R2- on Q3 and Q4, which are the
C11 1C2 drivers for RY2 and RY3, respec-
S2
tively. Those relays are cross
connected in a DPDT arrange-
FIG. 4-TRANSMITTER PARTS -PLACEMENT. The small board makes a nice handheld ment so that the output taken
unit. at their wipers changes polarity

MOD1
2 ICI
3
RY4
---- OUT

RY5
Lr) 102
cr) IC3 OUT
a)
cc RY3 C
2
2
CI)

0
0
co

IC4

fru)
w AC
J
z IN
J

w
0 1 2 G 3 4 5 6 7 8 G 9 1011 r
a 1
a.
HEADER BLOCK EXTRA
L1.1
IC
0)
J
cc
TO
VOLUME
w MOTOR
FIG. 5-RECEIVER PARTS -PLACEMENT. The single -sided boards can be made from
98 the foil patterns provided here.
 PARTS LIST-TRANSMITTER
All resistors are 14 -watt, 5%
R1-1.5 megohms
R2-100 ohms
R3-1000 ohms
R4-22,000 ohms
Capacitors
C1-0.01 polyester
C2-0.001 iLF, polyester
Semiconductors
IRLED1--LT1029 infrared LED
IC1-HT-12E remote control encoder
(Digi-Key part No. HT -12E -ND) RETRO TRANSMITTER FOIL PATTERN.
1
tC2-555 timer
Other components
S1 -8 -position DIP switch
S2 -4 -position DIP switch
S3-normally-open push button
Miscellaneous: 18 -pin IC socket, 8 pin
IC socket, 9 -volt battery and connector,
PC board
PARTS LIST-RECEIVER
All resistors are' -watt, 5%
R1-R7-1000 ohms
R8-75,000 ohms
R9-470 ohms
Capacitors
t o+
C1-1000 p.F, 25 volts, radial electrolytic
C2-0.1 Mylar
Semiconductors
Dl, D2 -1N4001 diode
LED1-red generic light -emitting diode
IC1-HT-12D remote control decoder o9 0
(Digi-Key part No. HT -12D -ND) o 0 0
IC2-74154 4- to 16 -line decoder O 0 0 0 0
O 0 0 0 0
IC3, IC4-7404 or similar hex inverter O 0 0 0 0
(see text) O 0 0 0
IC5-7404 hex inverter ra 0a
IC6-7473 dual J -K flip-flop
IC7-7805 5 -volt regulator
Q1-06-PN2222 NPN transistor 0
Other components
RY1, RY4, RY5-HE721A0510 SPST
DIP relay, N.O. (Hamlin 5 -volt 700 se-
ries, see text)

1 Ir
RY2, RY3-HE721C0510 SPDT DIP re-
lay, N.O. (Hamlin 5 -volt 700 series, see
text)
S1 -8 -position DIP switch
rn)
MOD1-32-kHz infrared remote -control (3
receiver module (Digi-Key part No.
LT1033-ND or equivalent)
Miscellaneous: 11 x 4 header -pin
II 91
m
block; 2-, 3-, 4-, and 6 -pin headers; 24 -
pin IC socket; 18 -pin IC socket; 16 -pin IC
socket; three 14 -pin IC sockets; PC
3 7/8 INCHES
board; solder
ORDERING INFORMATION 14
Note: The following items are RETRO RECEIVER FOIL PATTERN.
available from T3 Research, Inc.,
5329 N. Navajo Ave., Glendale, WI. depending on which relay it decoded a new command.
53217-5036:
Training Transmitter PC board-
closes. The potentiometer Output 14 (pin 16) of IC2-the
motor will rotate clockwise with speaker mute function-is in-
$6.00 verted by IC5 and connected to
Receiver/decoder PC board- one polarity and counterclock-
$12.00 wise with the opposite polarity. one half of IC6, a dual J -K flip-
ltaining Transmitter electronic Part The ground return of the vol- flop. The flip-flop is wired as an
Kit-$8.00 ume -control circuit must be alternating latch that is clocked
Receiver/Decoder electronic Part routed through the rr relay so by the vr signal. The first time
Kit-$29.50 that the motor will run only dur- IC2 decodes decimal 14 (when
Motor driven pots (specify 50K or
100K)-$11.25 each. ing the reception of a valid com- the mute button is pressed on
Add $2.00 S&H to any order. Wiscon- mand. Otherwise, the latched the remote control), pin 16 goes
sin residents must add 51/2% sates data of ICI would cause the to a logic low, presenting a logic
tax. Visa and MasterCard accepted. motor to run continuously until high at the clear input (cLR) of
 for IC7 is recommended if your
power source is 12 volts or more.
Figures 6 and 7 show the com-
pleted boards.
It is not necessary to mount
the IR module on the receiver/
decoder PC board. If you prefer.
cut an appropriate length of
shielded, balanced microphone
cable and attach a pair of three-
pin female header sockets to
make a jumper cable. Then
mount the IR module in a suit-
able location, and mount the de-
FIG. 6-COMPLETED RECEIVER board can be mounted in its own case or Inside the coder board wherever it's conve-
device you want to control remotely. nient or out of the way. The IR
module need not be in the same
the flip-flop via IC5. Simulta- with IC6 entirely by using self - room as the decoder PC board-
neously, v -r presents a logic high latch ing relays. Select compo- the author installed a Retro-Re-
to the clock input. Because the nents which suit your par- mote receiver board in the
J and K inputs are always set ticular needs. trunk of his car to operate stereo
high, the Q output goes high. A 7805 5 -volt regulator, IC7, equipment. The IR module is
That, in turn, switches on 96 provides the necessary 5 volts to discretely hidden behind an air
and closes relay RY5. If the mute power the standard TTL de- conditioning vent grill on the
button is pressed a second time, vices, the IR receiver module, dashboard. To be sure that the
pin 16 of IC2 remains low, but a and the HT -12D decoder IC. Retro-Remote is receiving prop-
new vr is received by the flip- erly, mount the valid transmis-
flop. That clocks IC6, causing Construction sion -received LED away from
the 9 output to go low and open Building the Retro-Remote is the circuit board in a visible lo-
the relay. Note, however, that easy. The parts are installed in cation.
once latched, pressing any valid the training transmitter and re-
key on the remote control will ceiver boards as shown in the Interfacing
cause a vr signal to clock [C6 parts -placement diagrams of The small DIP relays specified
into the opposite state. The cir- Figs. 4 and 5. The single -sided for this project are not intended
cuit is wired that way so that an boards are easy to make yourself to switch either high voltage or
"unmute" occurs whenever a from the foil patterns provided high currents. If you want to
function such as volume up/ here, or you can purchase switch 120 -volts AC power for a
down or a channel change is re- finished boards from the source TV set or any other AC load, use
quested. given in the Parts List. Work the DIP relay on the Retro-Re-
The power on/off function is carefully with a fine -tipped sol- mote to actuate a relay with a
almost identical to the mute dering iron and watch out for higher power rating capable of
function except that the relay inadvertent solder bridges. handling the load.
drive signal is taken from the 6 lb allow for customizing, the If you are working with TTL or
output (pin 13) of latch IC6-b. In receiver board has space for an CMOS circuits, as might be
the absence of valid decoded extra relay, two extra ICs, and found in robotic and security
data, pin 13 of IC6 is high. many extra pads in the interface systems. then it is only neces-
SI which causes the power on/off area. The DIP relays specified in sary to select appropriate buff-
relay to close. The power circuit the Parts List have built-in pro- er/driver lCs for IC3 and IC4 to
operates the same as the mute tection diodes. If the relays you get the proper logic. If you need
(?) circuit except that the first re- use don't have these diodes, to use relays in your project, as
ceived and decoded power -on there are pads on the PC board will most often be the case, then
g command turns the power off. at each relay location where you use a pair of 7404 hex inverter
i) That might seem backwards can add them, but they will have ICs for IC3 and IC4 followed by a
I only until you have cycled the to be mounted on the solder side 1K resistor and a general-pur-
power circuit once. After that it of the board. Not all DIP relays pose NPN transistor to drive a
will appear to function nor- have the same pinouts. Be sure relay. Wire the relay as RY2 is
mally. The advantage of doing it to use relays with pinouts that wired in Fig. 2.
ff, this way is that pressing any match those shown.
D -x
valid key on the remote will Any power source with an Programming notes
oc.) switch the power on, but press- output between 8 and 15 volts Begin programming by select-
ing the power key is the only that can supply a least 250 milli- ing an address on the training
way to switch the circuit amperes is suitable for the re- transmitter. If you have only one
W
off.Builders can wire the flip - ceiver. Diodes DI and D2 are Retro-Remote system, select ad-
flop differently. select a different necessary only if your power dress 256 by leaving all eight ad-
100 style flip flop IC latch, or do away source is AC. A clip -on heatsink (Continued on page 110)
 (TO RIGHT
phone input of the other. TURN (I)
MOTORCYCLE The microphones are elec-
MOTORCYCLE
BATTERY) LIGHT
Continued from page 73 fret elements and the tRIGHT)0
earphones can be of the 0 S1
LEFT
In -ear type.
TURN G)
ever feel threatened. LEFT LIGHT
The IRF511 N -channel FET Both amplifiers in the cir-
D2
(Q1) will handle currents up cuit operate at a minimum R1 D1
1N4002
10K 1 N4002
to 4 amps. If you need a gain of 20 dB. That helps to
higher -current device, an keep the wind and road
IRF530, which is rated at 14 noise to a minimum. How- C1
LED1
.1
amps, can be substituted. ever, that also means that
the microphone must be
TWO-WAY INTERCOM located close to the mouth.
A simple "passenger -to -
pilot' intercom circuit is TURN -SIGNAL SYSTEM
shown in Fig. 5. Two LM386 Our final motorcycle U1 -b
7
U1 -c
8

IC's are connected In a gadget (see Fig. 6) is a 1/64049 1/64049

low -gain amplifier circuit complete turn -signal sys- R3 62
250K
with the headphone output 4.7
of one paired to the micro - (TO
MOTORCYCLE Fig. 6 Tired of making hand signals? Build this simple turn -
BATTERY) signal system and keep your hands on the handlebars.
R4
4.70 indicator LED.
cr'ro-t+ tem. It can be added to an
R1 SI older bike or used as a The directional switch, S1,
2.2K replacement for a non- is a center -off switch; when
C4
working existing system. the switch is in the center
47 Two sections of a 4049 position, no power reaches
IE inverting hex buffer, U1, are the circuitry. When S1 is
c2 connected in a very -low - switched to either the leff or
22 R2
2.2K
frequency oscillator circuit. right position, power for the
VV* oscillator circuit passes
R5 The output at pin 2 of the
10K inverter U1 -b drives the re- through either D1 or D2,
maining inverter stages; the and the power for the turn -
M ICI
C1 output of inverter U1 -c signal lamps flows through
co .22
1000 drives the gate of the FET the switch contacts.
transistor, which in turn op- The flashing rate of the
erates the turn -signal lamps is set by R3. Again,
Z1 R8
10K lamps. Also, the oscillator's the IRF511 FET (Q1) can only
MIC2 output at pin 2 drives the handle up to 4 amps. For
three remaining inverters, more current, use an
. which flash the turn -signal IRF530.

Fig. 5. Why yell at your passenger when you can talk? Use this
two-way intercom to make communicating a lot easier. PARTS LIST FOR TURN -SIGNAL SYSTEM (Fig. 6) m
0
SEMICONDUCTORS 0z
PARTS UST FOR TWO-WAY INTERCOM (Fig. 5) U1-4049 hex inverting buffer, integrated circuit
DI, D2 -1N4002 silicon diode m
RESISTORS QI-IRF511 FET transistor rn
(All fixed resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5% units, unless otherwise noted.) LED1-Light-emitting diode
RI, R2 -2200 -ohm m

R3, R4 -4.7 -ohm, 1/2 -watt RESISTORS

R5, R6 -10,000 -ohm, potentiometer (All fixed resistors are 1/4 -watt, 5% units.) m
R1 -10,000 -ohm co

CAPACITORS R2 -220 -ohm

Mylar z
CI, R3 -250,000 -ohm, potentiometer 0
C3, C4-47 iLF, 25-WVDC, electrolytic
CS, C6 -1000-X, 25-WVDC, electrolytic CAPACITORS
C1 -0.1-F, ceramic -disc C.1)

ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS 25-WVDC, electrolytic

UI, U2-LM386, power audio amplifier, integrated circuit
MIC1, MIC2-Electret microphone element ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS
Z1, Z2-Stereo or mono headphones SI-SPDT, center -off switch (see text) CD
CD

Wire, solder, knobs, etc. Wire, solder, IC socket, etc. CJ1

101
 CIRCUIT CRAB BAG PARTS LIST FOR THE
Continued from page 94 AC FUSE MONITOR (Fig. 6)
DI -D4 -1N4004 silicon diode
D5 -12 -volt. 1 -watt, Zener diode
R1 ANT
R1-10,000- to 100,000 -ohm, 1/2 -watt, 5ch resistor, sec text
2.2K 10K
R4
CI --47-F, 16-WVDC, electrolytic capacitor
BZ1-Piezo buzzer
Q2
2N3904
Fl-Fuse, see text
Wire, solder, etc.
C5
15pF
around a 1/4 -inch diameter Keep the circuitry wiring
L1'
plastic form. The tap is one neat and compact. Make
pMIC1 turn up from the cold end all of the component leads
R5 C3
5-35C6pF .1 of the coil (that's the end connecting to 01 as short
4.7K
) that connects to the and stable as possible. The
positive power source). antenna should be kept
The trimmer capacitor, short to cover a small
12VDC U1 C6, may be any value with range.
{110 VAC
100mA 781.09 a maximum capacitance To set up the transmitter,
PLUG-IN
POWER SUPPLY C7
of no more than 40 pF If tune your FM -broadcast re-
470 you cannot locate a suit- ceiver to a quiet frequency
'SEE TEXT able trimmer capacitor, and adjust C6 until you
connect a fixed 33-pF ca- hear a quieting sound. If, for
Fig. 7. This simple FM transmitter makes a great monitor circuit pacitor in its place and some reason you can not
that can keep you out of harm's way.
tune to the desired fre- get the transmitter to cover
quency by spreading Ll's the desired frequency
a 78L09 9 -volt regulator IC base of 02 frequency - windings. That tuning meth- range, spread Ll's windings
helps to keep the transmit- modulates the oscillator's od will work, but makes to increase the transmitter's
ter's frequency stable. frequency. R7 determines setting the transmitter to an frequency.
Transistor 01 amplifies the FM modulation level. exact frequency difficult.
audio signal from the elec- Coil Ll is homemade. It
fret mike and feeds it to the consists of about 6 inches
base of the oscillator tran- of number -20 enamel -cov-
sistor, 02. The audio at the ered copper wire wound PARTS LIST FOR THE
SIMPLE FM TRANSMITTER (Fig. 7)
SEMICONDUCTORS
"At any age, Q1 -2N2222 NPN transistor
Q2 -2N3904 NPN transistor
there are dozens C1-781,09 9 -volt regulator, integrated circuit
of things you can do to RESISTORS
(All fixed resistors are 1/4-xatt. 5((- units.)
stay healthy, active and R1 -2200 -ohm
R2---220,000-ohm
0)
0)
have a great time. R3-------1000-ohm
w Contact your R4--10.000-ohm
R5----4700-ohm
Cr)
Dick
Van Patten recreation and park R6----370-ohm
R7 -2500 -ohm, potentiometer
department today."
CAPACITORS
\ C1-U.2-F. Mylar
co C2. C3 -0.1-F, ceramic -disc
S.
C4-680-pE ceramic -disc
C.5---15-pF, ceramic -disc
C6-5- to 35-pF, trimmer
EE
16-WVDC, electrolytic
ADDITIONAL PARTS AND MATERIALS
co

2
MICI-Filectret microphone
0 1.1 --See text
WITS:NAL INCINIMON
12 -volt 100-mA plug-in poser suppl. coil form. magnet %%ire.
AND ROM ASSOCIATION wire, solder. etc.
102
1 9 9 0 was a
Great Year for Popular Electronics
rr he twelve 1990 issues
1 of Popular Electronics TOPICS FROM THE PAST
reveal many fascinating ar- Selected Projects External Drive for Laptop, June
Audio Ambiance Ditherizer, April First Electric Motor Project, October
ticles. There's a bonanza of Bit Grabber for Parallel I/O Testing, December Ground Fault Technology, November
build -it project plans, infor- Car -Radio Silencer, October Keeping Up with Pacemakers, July
Living with Lightning, October
mative theory articles and Cordless Test Probes, January
CW and SSB, Add to a SW Receiver, May Make Your Own Iron -on PC Patterns, July
timeless feature stories. Digital Entry Switch, November Old-time Radio Circuits, March
Check out the partial list of Economy Portable SW Receiver, August Oliver Lodge: Radio's Forgotten Pioneer, July
Exhaust Monitor for Car, June Restoring a Classic SW Receiver, April
titles packed into the 1990
Experimental AC Hum Sniffer, September Solar Power, Experimenting with, June.
issues and you'll agree that Game Reaction Timer, April St. Elmo's Fire, September
1990 was a banner year. If Headphone Output for Your CD Player, July Surface Mount Technology, November
Television Night, a Look Back, July
you see an article about a Hot -Wire Glass Bottle Cutter, December
Indoor Burglar Alarm, December Tune -in to Satellite Radio, May
project, theory topic or IR-Triggered Sound -Effects Generator, October Using Appliances Overseas, January
newsworthy feature, you can Lie Detector, Simple, January
Theory for Everyone
have that article, with the en- Microphone Preamp, Simplest, March
3 -Terminal Voltage Regulators, May
Mobile Battery Charger, March
tire issue for only $6.50. To NiCd Battery Tester, August
200,000 -volt van de Graaff Generator, October
All About Batteries, August
get your 1990 issue(s) of Plasma Display, Custom, February
All About Thermistors, December
Popylar Electronics, place Receiver Circuits You Can Build, March
CCTV Installation Guide, November
Remote -Control FAX Switch, August
a it in the box that indicates Connect Anything to Your Computer, August
Serial Cable Tester, January Designing Power -supply Circuits, February
the month you want and Telephone Toll Totalizer, August
Digital Electronics Introduction, April
complete the coupon below. Tesla's Lightning Generators, September
Experiments in Electrophotography, March
The Lepton Candle, October
Note that ordering six or Ultrasonic Morse -Code Transceivers, July
Fiber -Optic Communications, April
Galvanometer, Build and Learn, September
more copies reduces the Universal 3 -Terminal Power Supply, November
Lasers, All About, September
price per issue! Tear out this Video Titler, Super Simple, September
Printer Technology, October
Vision System for Robotic Toys, March
page, or make a photo copy VLF Receiver and Transmitter, July
Signal Generator Circuits Cookbook, November
Stepping Motors Introduction, March
of it, and mail or FAX it Water Leak Alarm, January
Troubleshooting Computer Disk Drives, May
today! Just follow the direc- Special Features Troubleshooting Your Printer, December
tions below. Antenna Installation, September Typing Practice Program, August
Capacitors, Choosing and Using, June Sideband Amplifiers, January
Classic Amateur Receivers, November WiMshurst Machine, December
WW1 Long Island Spy Station, December m
Drying Out Flood -Damaged Equipment, January
hpular Electronics Early Radio Transmitters, May 0

1990 Issues
March April May June July August Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. m
January February
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m
/Check the issue(s) you want. Visa 1:1 MasterCard 0 USA Bank Check 0 US or Internnational Money Order
How to Determine Cost per Copy m
rri
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Price per copy
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103
 MICRO -LIGHTS coat pocket and wear the board
on your lapel. CREATING CHAOS
Continued from page 31 Applying power to Micro - Continued from page 71
Lights always causes routine 1
to start. Pressing the select
and direction of spin will de- pushbutton always advances with wood screws, making sure
pend on the sounds in the the operating routine to the the assembly is securely fas-
room. next one. Howevei, if power is tened and rigid.
Cycle through the routines by applied and the select pushbut- Mount the solenoid on the
pressing the select pushbutton ton is not pressed, Micro -Lights post with the two screws pro-
and check to see that sound, will automatically increment vided. Fasten the circuit board
and the absence of sound, af- through all the routines, spend- to the shelf of the post with two
fects each of the eight Micro - ing about 51/2 minutes on each. flathead wood screws. If the
Lights routines. Perform the The whole cycle repeats after ap- wire connections between the
checkout in a quiet room. proximately 45 minutes. solenoid and circuit board are
too long, this is the time to un-
solder, trim, and resolder them.
Assemble the ball -spring and
solenoid shaft adapter block
(Details A and B of Fig. 5) by
inserting the coiled end of the
wire in the drilled holes of the
block and threading it through
the holes. Snap the completed
VOLTAGE assembly over the shaft of the
REGULATOR PIC
MICROCONTROLLER
solenoid. The Bonker is now
ready to give you hours Of relief
MICROPHONE
SELECT BUTTON from those monotonous rou-
tines of life.

FIG. 8-THE COMPLETED MICRO -LIGHTS BOARD. The board is designed so that It
does not need a case.
Troubleshooting
Fun!
If nothing happens when Although the circuit draws
power is applied, use a volt- fairly low current, consider an
meter to check for + 5 -volts DC AC -to -DC adapter for powering
at the output of the regulator, on Micro -Lights, especially if you
pin 8 of the op -amp, and pins 4 want it to operate continuously.
and 14 of the PIC16C71. Verify The circuit draws an average of
that ground is present where it 15 milliamperes-about that of
should be on both ICs. If you a small transistor radio. Expect
have an oscilloscope, check for 15 to 20 hours of operation from
an audio waveform (in the pres- a fresh alkaline battery.
ence of sound) at the op -amp's The circuit has no sensitivity
output at pin 1. The voltage control. The author believed the
should swing from ground to addition of one would detract
about 3.6 volts. from the simplicity and ele-
lb verify the circuit's overall gance of this project. A little ex- "There's your trouble. You're going to
current consumption, connect perimentation with placement laugh when you see all the mistakes
a multimeter (set on the 200 - will resolve any problems related you made assembling that unit."
milliampere DC scale) in series to noisy environments. In loca-
with the 9 -volt battery. A read- tions where there is con- Now that you have read
ing of 5 to 35 milliamperes, de- sistently loud noise, a small all of the directions,
pending on how many LEDs are piece of tape placed over the mi- go back to line
lit, is a normal measurement. crophone will reduce the cir- one and start.
cuit's sensitivity. Check out the
LI Operation effect of music as well as voice
Operate Micro -lights in a di- on the sound routines.
?<-
Lu
mly lit room to obtain the most Micro -Lights might not be as
a) striking effects. A desk top, cof- spectacular as the Northern
o fee table, or bookcase is a good Lights, or a fourth of July fire-
location. If the battery cable is works show, but it will provide
lengthened by several inches, you with your own miniature
w the circuit board can be worn. light show-and an under-
104 luck the battery in your shirt or standing of microcontrollers.
 HurtAs YOUN OWN
TROUBLESH0011NG LASII, PRIM Vi RAY GL
AND REPAIRING ANIORRISSOMPACS161 BUM
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TOG 1- -
BUILD TOLI1 OWN ROBOT BUILDER'S
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coon MICE to Sktilfrt SAND, 99 MEXPENS1V1
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A Complete
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Course

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 VCR
NEW PRODUCTS
heads, stereo systems, Cross Reference
and servos.
Continued from page 7 The 100 Series wave- NOW Find the right Part
form monitor/os- for your VCR
taming sample designs and cilloscope/vectorscope
a tutorial on filters is priced has a base price of $1429.
at $275. CompuVideo, Inc.
Number One Systems 3861 Oceanview Avenue
1795 Granger Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11224
Los Altos, CA 94924 Phone: 212-213-6818
Phone/Fax: 415-968-9306 Fax: 718-714-9873

WAVEFORM MONITOR/OS- RELATIVE HUMIDITY MUL-

CILLOSCOPE/VECTOR- TIMETER ACCESSORY.The
SCOPE. The CompuVideo ARH1 from Fieldpiece In-
1100 series is a self-con- struments is an accessory
tained combination wave- that measures relative hu-
form monitor, 20 MHz dual - midity when coupled to a
trace oscilloscope, and digital multimeter.
vectorscope. The multi- The dielectric sensor of With the
functional instrument, de- the ARH1 is built into the ISCET VOZ
signed for NTSC or PAL head and protected by a
standards, is intended for plastic extension tube. Cir- OR055 REFERENCE
EFP/ENG operations, sat- cuitry in the body of the ac- This 270 -page reference contains
ellite communications, TV cessory head converts the both model and part -number cross-
and cable -TV stations, and signal from the sensor to references updated to include 1992
video editing. millivolts DC at a con- units.
version rate of 1 % RH per VCR's are made in a few factories
millivolt DC. from which hundreds of different
The head operates over brand names and model numbers
a temperature range of identify cosmetically -changed iden-
32F to 100F, and it mea- tical and near -identical manufactured
sures relative humidity units. Interchangeable parts are very
from 10 % to 100 %. common. An exact replacement part
may be available only a few minutes
away from you even though the
manufacturer supplier is out -of -stock.
You may be able to cannibalize scrap
units at no cost!

CIRCLE 27 ON FREE
The ISCET VCR Cross Reference
INFORMATION CARD is pre -punched for standard loose-
leaf binding. . .$38.00 plus $3.00 for
shipping for each Reference.
The 1100 Series sup- NMI MEI m
ports composite, compo- Claggk Inc. m

nent, and S -VHS video VCR CROSS REFERENCE OFFER 33

0
signals. Waveform overlays P.O. Box 4099
Farmingdale, New York 11735 5
and on -screen timing refer- m
Name
ences make measure- CIRCLE 28 ON FREE -0
INFORMATION CARD Business
ments easier. Included are
Address
differential gain and phase m
City
measurement and line -se- ARH1 pricing is: ARH1- m
Zip
lect for monitoring and ana- $99; ADL2 test leads- State

Phone
lyzing signals, as required $12.95; and an optional Enclose $38.00 for the Third Edition of the ISCET z
by FCC regulations. ANC2 nylon carrying VCR Cross Reference and $3.00 for shipping for each

The vectorscope/wave- case-$7.95. Reference.

The total amount of my order is $
form section offers display Fieldpiece Instruments, Inc. Check enclosed-do not send cash. (.1)
C
or please charge my credit card
lines 14 through 21 in fields 231 East Imperial Highway, 7 Visa [ MasterCard Exp. Date / 3
1 and 2. The built-in os- Suite 250 Card No.
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(CI
New York State residents must add applicable local
form signal analysis on Phone 714-992-1239 Lsales tax to total.
Cri

signals from video or audio Fax. 714-992-6541 107

 COMPUTERIZED GAME LISTING 1
Continued from page 92 1 ;EXAMPLE SOFTWARE LISTING FOR 80C31 C -GAME
2
3 0030 DL1 EQU 30H ;VARIABLE, INNER DELAY
4 0031 DL2 EQU 31H ;VARIABLE, OUTER LOOP
pushbutton A128 acts as an en- 5

ter key. First hold down a com- 6

7
0000 ORG 0000H ;SET ORIGIN OF PROGRAM
bination of A keys for your 8 0000 75BOCA START MOV P3,#OCAH ;ENABLE "A" KEY & LED BANKS
answer, then enter that answer 9
10
0003
0006
900000
E590 START2
MOV
MOV
DPTR,#0
A,P1
;SET ADDRESS FOR LEDS
;READ PUSHBUTTON KEYS
by pressing key A128. 11 0008 F4 CPL A ;MAKE LOWS TO HIGHS
In two games, A32 and A64, 12 0009 FO MOVX @DPTR,A ;WRITE TO LED'S
13 000A 60FA
two numbers will be shown in 14 000C B284
JZ START2
CPL P3.4
;GO BACK IF NO KEYS DOWN
;TOGGLE PIEZO (ONE "CLICK")
binary. The first number will be 15 000E F530 MOV DL1,A ;MOVE A TO DL1 VARIABLE
displayed with a corresponding 16
17
0010
0013
753104
D531FD
DELAY
DELAY2
MOV DL2,#04
DJNE DL2,DELAY2
;SET INNER LOOP TO 4
;INNER LOOP
"low" beep, followed by the sec- 18 0016 D530F7 DJNZ DL1,DELAY ;OUTER LOOP (KEY VALUE)
ond with a corresponding 19 0019 80E13 JM/0 START2 ;START OVER
"higher" beep, then a pause. 20 0018 END

The numbers keep repeating. Errors: None

Those are the two numbers you
need to work on in those games.
The object of game A32 (Binary the A -side keys and B-side keys time to decrement to zero, caus-
Math), for example, is to cor- each produce a separate tone; ing the overall range of frequen-
rectly add, subtract, divide, and the frequencies are dependent cies of the square waves to be
multiply (in any order) the two on the keys held down. Selec- lower.
4 -bit numbers shown. Each tion B32 lights LEDs in a ran-
time you enter a correct answer dom pattern, with the A -side
(enter with key A128), two B keys controlling the range of the
side LEDs light up. After all tones, and the B-side keys con-
eight B-side LEDs are lit, you trolling the overall cycling Telephone Titters
win and the game ends. speed.
In game B8 (Last Player Refer back to Table 1 for more
Wins), the game will prompt the details about operating all of the
player whose turn it is by mo- games and functions. Don't be
mentarily flashing all eight afraid to experiment and press
LEDs on that side. You then the keys in any order you wish-
must move an LED by pressing you can't harm anything.
a key next to a lit LED to move it
to an "empty" (non -lit) space. Going further
Either player can move any LED For readers who want to pro- Pfizoo, "
OsIves
(in his turn), as long as it is in gram their own custom applica-
"That's the radio . this is the phone!"
the direction of LED Al, and tions or games, a short assem-
then finally in the direction of bly software listing is given in
LED B128. The game won't let Listing 1. This program contin-
you make illegal moves. Once uously reads the A -side keys
there are no more unlit spaces and correspondingly lights the
toward B128, the game is over. A -side LEDs while producing a
The last player to fill an empty tone from the transducer. The
space wins. frequency of the square wave is
A few games are quite simple. directly dependent on the bin-
They require only that a key be ary value of the keys that are
pressed when that side's corre- pressed.
sponding LED lights. Games The flow chart, Fig. 3, details "Sorry, I can't play now, Larry . .

Al, A4, and A8 are three such the operations performed in I've got to stay in and show my Dad
how to use Our new computer."
games. When you are learning Listing 1. The line numbers in
the C -Game, it is suggested you the flow chart correspond to the
start with the games in the line numbers in the assembly
order shown in Table 1 (first Al, listing. 4 -
then A2, A3, etc.) as they are Notice line 16 in the listing.
organized by order of difficulty. The square wave's frequency is
The four "special effects" se- determined by the value placed
lections are included just for in the "inner loop" (refer to the
fun. When selected, C -Game flowchart and also lines 16 and
produces random and pre-pro- 17). By changing the value from
grammed LED displays and 4 to some larger value, for exam-
108 sound effects. In selection B16, ple, the loop would require more
"Herb and / couldn't possibly correct
the overheating problem 'till after lunch!"
 Hobbyist's Paperback Budget Books
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a brief introduction, cir- chokes and transform - , - " grade your PC and co rn- vanced-design receivers
cult description and spe- ers. Practically every patible. Also contains ,01!
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tical and useful operational amplifiers r"!!!!!` featured and include circuit diagram and !ro!i ,. is designed to be built on a "Verobloc"
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CONSTCJCI:CA A description, Veroboard or printed -circuit breadboard and is presented with a brief
chip is the heart of several easy -to -as- board layout and construction notes. The circuit description, circuit diagram, com-
semble projects covered in the book. text is divided into two parts. The first ponent layout diagram and components
The projects are divided into five cate- deals with many types of preamplifiers. list. Notes on construction and applica-
gories: audio projects, RF projects, test The second covers power amplifiers tions are provided. Wherever possible,
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0 BP266-Electronic E BP329-Electronic 0 BP319-Making 0 BP303-Under-

Modules and Systems Music Learning Pro- Makinq MS-DOS MS-DOS Work for You UNDERSTANDING standing PC Software
for Beginners...$7.25. jects...$6.25. A begin- Work For You -$6.50. What you need PC SOFTWARE
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modules, all suitable for phone, Gildaphone, that the reader can start ,A -A, they are used and their
battery operation, and all Melody Ranger, Cord- ,,,,.. anywhere in the text. S.11'.1 limitations. Each chapter
based on only 1 or 2 maker, Appealing Hand- :- This book is relevant to covers popular software
transistors or ICs. bells, Electronic Sol -Fa, -' all versions of both MS- and programs of a simi-
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jects...$5.50. In this book the author has 2,,,,1,-,-..,- Handbook... 55.75. The book eliminates Anfennas...55.50. Plans to build an -
considered practical antenna designs, in- the mysteries of the calculator and of- tennas that are simple and inexpensive
cluding active, loop and ferrite antennas fers unique ideas for the simplest to most to construct and perform well. From the
which perform well and are relatively sim- complex calculators. Covers the basic simple dipole to beam, triangle and even
pie and inexpensive to build. The corn- functions plus trigonometric, hyperbol- mini -rhombic types made from four TV
plex theory and mathematics of antenna ic, logarithms, square roots and powers. masts and about 400 feet of wire. After
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are construction details of a number of discounts, and mark up, currency con- complete set of dimension tables that
antenna accessories including a pre -se- - version, interest, binary and octal num- will help you "tune" an antenna on a par -
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 PHONE -CALL RESTRICTOR try to dial any number. You have to replace the EEPROM
should hear a tone after press- with a blank chip.
Continued from page 48 ing the first digit, and a busy The EEPROM has enough
signal will be placed on the line memory to hold 248 characters
prototype unit. Run the wires to prevent you from completing including the # sign which sep-
through the slots and assemble the call. If that does not occur, arates the telephone numbers.
the two halves of the case. the call restrictor is not operat- You can enter full 7- or 11 -dig-
ing properly. it numbers, or you can enter
Operation Make a list in advance of the partial numbers such as 786,
Locate a suitable phone jack telephone numbers that you and all numbers beginning
in your home or business and want to either block or allow. If with that prefix will be consid-
plug in the phone cord of the you want to add or remove num- ered part of the list. A prefix can
Telephone Call Restrictor. Put it bers, that list will come in be any length; entering 1-900
in a location that is not accessi- handy. When programming the will add all 900 numbers to the
ble to those whose phone access unit, LED1 will light imme- list, while entering 1-9 will add
you wish to control, and plug diately prior to the input of tele- all numbers beginning with 1-9
the wall adapter into an AC out- phone numbers and/or pass- (1-900, 1-976, 1-905, etc.).
let. word, indicating thatthe cur- At any time you can bypass
Refer to Table 1 for the set of cuit is in the programming the call restrictor from any
programming commands that mode and that a valid password phone on the line simply by
can be entered from your 'Much- has been entered (if applicable). pressing #, your password, and
lbne phone. Initially, before pro- Until you decide on a password then hanging up. The unit is
gramming, set the call restric- and have entered it into the then disabled until the next call
tor to the 'Allow Group" mode. EEPROM, omit this number is made, and is re -enabled upon
Because there have not been wherever it appears in the pro- completion of that call. With the
any numbers entered into the gramming sequence in Table 1. Telephone Call Restrictor you
EEPROM, all numbers that Be careful not to enter a pass- can finally gain complete con-
someone attempts to dial will be word and then forget the trol of your phone, and your bill,
blocked. Pick up the phone and number. If that occurs, you will whether at home or at work. f2

RETRO REMOTE on button, and press the trans-

mit button on the training
Continued from page 100 transmitter until the learning
remote indicates that it has re-
dress DIP switches open, ad- ceived the command. Next set
dress zero with all eight the mute function as decimal 14
switches closed, or anything in (1110), volume -up as decimal 13
between. Regardless of the ad- (1101), and volume -down as 12
dress you select, be sure to set (1100).
the same address on the re- How you program the remain-
ceiver/decoder board. ing 12 receiver command codes
Apply power to the receiver is your choice. You might want
and connect a 9 -volt battery to to map 0 through 9 to buttons 0
the transmitter. lest the train- through 9 on the remote. That
ing transmitter and receiver by still allows for two additional
aiming the transmitter at the commands. Don't forget to pro-
receiver and pressing the trans- gram all your other remote con-
mit switch. If the circuit is trols into the learning remote
working correctly, the valid too. f2
transmission LED on the re-
ceiver will light up as long as
you hold down the transmit
switch. The v -r LED should light
regardless of the settings of the FIG. 7-COMPLETED TRANSMITTER
BOARD. This board allows unique cod-
DATA DIP switches (S2 a-d). If ing that won't interfere with nearby re-
the LED does not light, find and mote -controlled equipment.
repair the mistake.
Follow the manufacturer's in- receiver as decimal 15. But, be-
structions for programming the cause the training transmitter
learning remote. Operate the understands only BCD, set all
training transmitter as you four data DIP switches at logic
would any other remote control. high (1111).
As discussed earlier, the power - Now activate the learning re- "It's made here. The manual is poorly
110 on command is decoded by the mote's learning mode, press the written as any Japanese product."
 NEW LITERATURE
imaging, three-dimensional
art, scientific visualization,
ADVERTISING
Continued from page 11 and the world of virtual real- SALES OFFICE
ity (VR).
your house or apartment These subjects are pre- Gernsback Publications, Inc.
sented in such diverse me- 500-B Bi-County Blvd.
for the installation of a Farmingdale, NY 11735
home theater system. dia as books, MAC and 1-(516) 293-3000
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