110 95 p

June IR 158p
(incl. VAT)
1984 $3.00
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74190 ISO 7415251 100 4425 060 17.5401 4 Up 1051301109 ISA £7 -El 10oia
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74122 200 4 2.00 1 25 41.770 Rea 141 111209 PPP 10p 678 MOUNTING
741701 300 7-02570 1.20 4003 048 31.727 G. 12p 0.1212 Ye ISO JUNIOR COMPUTER KIT ESE plus E1 p & p
307 7002530 100 130. RELAYS
7415.7.5 1.03 73128 Ye 14 7:L211 G. 129 All Junior Computer Extens,on Boards available
74190 1.40 02.5 200 090 7100:00.7,47 LTOSiR G 6,06 X0 ent
74191 1.40 090 0036 090
309 JUNIOR COMPUTER BOOK: 1 E4 2.3 & 1 E4.50 ea IP & p book 70p)
4.5%1 30501005 5POT:A24.0G
74792 1.40
4.5266
1_20 4097 2.90 120. AC £160 TV Games Extension boards available
-4733 1.40 100 0093 090 Di. 704 1409 1/4565861 570p
1.40 -05773 2.40 5003 090 01. 707 003 144 1,1.311 6089 12. DC 1000 ELEKTERMINAL KIT MO (plus Et p & p)
107 -4_ 715 1.75 4101 0.40 7703 707 G. 1409 171312.3 1159 SPOT 2A24, OC TELETEXT DECODER KIT £85 (plus Et p & pl
7,36 1.40 4.S-203 120 3537 060 _ 747 F4-, 2259 0021,7 1309 770. AC £150 (Decoding Board and Ke, 5 card £195707. Nov_ 811
-4737 140 -4_52E0 2.40 4533 060 -47 oi 225p 10330 1400
419e 250 5703 120 4504 090 3E7 120p 7753-61 2089
12. DC Reprint of Teletext 373.7'e0 El 28 iplus large SAE/
4:29 257 -4:5750 1.10 4505 403 5:0 900 EIARGRAPH
2703, c6 PROGRAMMED EPROMS
"7227 1_50 -7-0292 900 2253 SPDT 10471. OC
4S05 1.20 .:7077 909 MYERS 2716 Intetekt Chess
"7251 150 7.5.733 120 4507 045 7.747.3574 235. AL 1275 Junior Computer 2 ea £8
250 -4_22,45 2009 9.1X2 250p E8 2716TV Games
-72 59
1.0)
1.40 4543 1.60 2009 937: 3009 72. DC 2708 Basic £8
-5.70 900 4510 0.75 a 71301 Elelaerminai £7
-.273 2.70 1 50 4511 0.75 2009 U0'.' '2 320p NOR CD7 2716 Tape Management
-.776 3.50 22 250 1572 0.75 u C., r, 320p C.OT 2716 Prog_ Management E8 2716 Disco Lights £8
-2773 270 -21 3,00 4513 1.40 - -_ =775
92S23 Interface E5 82S23 Freq CaunterlIC 3C4 I ea 0
'2773 150 -4,3224 A 4514 130 *ATTENTION* £8
-.733 1.70 350 4515 OILREEDREIMIS 2716 Housekeeper £8 2716 Talkmg 13,ce
-5235 350 -...sass 250 45:6
1.30
035 ALL PRICES ARE PCBs for most Elektor Projects available
-1792
74:03
1.40 -475352
'4_5353
1.50 4517 2.03 SUBJECT TO CHANGE 271 SEE OUR FULL PAGE ADVERT IN THIS ISSUE FOR DETAILS ON
1.40 150 '4513 0 75 _
-4:23 225 74:9356 220 4519 a/5 WITHOUT NOTICE BBC COMPUTER PRINTERS etc.

PLEASE A DI) 341p p&p & Lionvvr

TFA .1 I N( I :DTI('. LTD ' (Export: so VAT, p&p at Cost)
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elektor june 1984

selektor 6-18
Lasers: light sources with a future.

portable distress signal 6-20

Wherever you may be in trouble, on the road, at sea, in the hills, this
unit may bring help quickly.

ZX extensions 6-24
Dedicated to the ZX computers, this article shows how you can carry out
a number of extensions yourself and at low cost.

disco drum 6-32

The drummer need no longer feel left out of the modern electronic group
with our presentation of the 'user-friendly' electronic drum.

daisywheel typewriter printer interface 6-34

This interface connects an electronic typewriter to a computer's Cen-
tronics output port to provide an inexpensive, high -quality printer. Our front cover this month
suggests two of the projects
maximum and minimum memory in this issue. The 'halo' is, of
6-39 course, a daisywheel similar
Suitable for storing positive and negative analogue voltages, this memory
can be used in a variety of applications. to that found in many high -
quality computer printers.
High -quality in this case
missing link 6-41 generally also means high
cost, but another, less
PC board pages 6-42 expensive, daisywheel 'user',
namely a certain type of
electronic typewriter, can
lead -acid battery charger 6-45 be used as a computer
Now lead -acid batteries are coming back into vogue, we present a design printer with very few
for fast charging such batteries without reducing their life. modifications. We have
designed a Centronics
wireless microphone 6-48 interface for a specific
Professional radio microphones are not cheap and we have therefore typewriter, the Smith
designed one which though inexpensive to build still meets the standards Corona EC1100, which re-
required by the Department of Trade and Industry. quires no actual hardware
changes. The interface is,
merging BASIC programs however, versatile enough
6-54 for it to be relatively easily
A single BASIC program can quite easily be formed by combining two
existing files as this article shows. Software is also included to enable the modified for other type-
JC to use the OS disk 2 routines. writers.
In front of the daisywheel is
echo sounder the portable distress signal
6-56 described on page 6-20. This
The season is almost upon us again when there are almost daily reports of
yachts having run aground: many such unfortunate accidents may be handy unit may bring help
prevented by this echo sounder. wherever you may need
this: stranded on some
country road in your car,
versatile audio peak meter 6-63 in trouble while rambling
A peak meter with LED display that may be used with any sound system in the hills, or off -shore
that has a power output between 400 mW and 250 W! with the rudder of your
yacht broken, and in many
market 6-67 other situations we hope
you'll never get into.
switchboard 6-71
Next month is our
appointments 6-78 double issue: 'Summer
Circuits 1984'. As in pre-
reader's services vious years, we will offer
6-80 you more than 100 practical
electronics projects for a
advertisers index 6-82 wide variety of applications.
It will be on sale from
Friday 15 June. Don't miss
it!

6-03
 elektor june 1984

Elektor Publishers Ltd., Elektor House, Volume 10 - Number 6 ISSN 0308-308X

10 Longport, Canterbury CT1 1PE, Kent, U.K.
Tel.: Canterbury (0227) 54430. Telex: 965504.
Office hours: 8.30 1230 and 13.30 - 16.30.
Editor: P.V. Holmes
Assistant editor: E.J.A. Krempelsauer
UK editorial staff: R.E. Day, G.P. McLoughlin, L. Seymour
Overseas editorial staff: P.H.M. Baggen, A. Dahmen, I. Gombos,
What is 10 n?
P.E.L. Kersemakers, R.P. Krings,
What is the EPS service?
P. v.d. Linden, D.R.S. Meyer, What is the TQ service?
G.C.P. Raedersdorf, J.F. van Rooij,
What is a missing link?
G.O.H. Scheil, M.J. Wijffels
Editorial secretariat: C.H. Smeets, G.W.P. Wijnen
Head of design: K.S.M. Walraven
Design staff: J. Barendrecht, G.H.K. Dam, K. Diedrich, Semiconductor types
G.H. Nachbar, A. Nachtmann, P.I.A. Theunissen A large number of equivalent
semiconductors and ICs exists
Publishing manager: A.J. Brialey with different type numbers.
Advertising manager: S. Brooks For this reason, 'universal'
Bankers: Midland Bank plc, Canterbury. Kent, sorting code type numbers are used in
40-16-11, a/c 11014587 Elektor wherever possible:
for instance, '741' stands for
Giro a/c no. 315-4254
pA741, LM 741, MC741,
MIC741, RM 741, SN 72741.
Elektor Electronics is published on the third Friday of the
month preceding cover date with a special 'Summer Circuits' and so on.
issue for JulyiAugust.
Type numbers 'BC 107B',
National advertising rates for the English -language edition of
Elektor Electronics and international rates for advertising in the 'BC 237B', 'BC 547B' all
Dutch, French, and German issues are available on request. refer to the same 'family'
of almost identical good -
quality silicon transistors.
Subscriptions: for rates and terms see subscription/order card In general, all members
opposite the back cover.
of the same family can be
interchanged.
Change of address: Please allow at least six weeks for change of
address. Include your old address, enclosing, if possible, an BC 107 (-8, -9) families (NPN):
address label from a recent issue. BC 107 (-8, -9),BC 147 (-8, -9).
BC 207 (-8, -91,BC 237 I-8. -9),
The circuits are for domestic use only. The submission of designs BC 317 (-8, -9),BC 347 (-8, -9),
or articles to Elektor implies permission to the publishers to alter BC 547 1.8, -9),BC 171 (-2, -3),
and translate the text and design, and to use the contents in other BC 182 I.3, -4),BC 382 (-3, -4),
Elektor publications and activities. The publishers cannot guaran- BC 437 1-8, -9),BC 414
tee to return any material submitted to them. All drawings,
photographs. printed circuit boards and articles published in
Elektor Electronics are copyright and may not be reproduced or BC 177 (-8, -9) families (PNP):
transmitted in any form or by any means, including photo- BC 177 (-8, -9),BC 157 (-8, -9),
copying and recording, in whole or in part without prior written BC 204 (-5, -6), BC 307 1-8, -9),
permission of the publishers. Such written permission must also BC 320 (-1, -2).BC 350 (-1, -2),
be obtained before any part of these publications is stored in a BC 557 (-8, -9),BC 251 (-2, -3),
retrieval system of any nature. BC 212 (-3, -4),BC 512 (-3, -4),
BC 261 (-2, -3),BC 416.
Patent protection may exist in respect of circuits, devices, com-
ponents etc. described in this magazine. The publishers do not
accept responsibility for failing to identify such patent or other Resistance and capacitance
protection. values
Decimal points and large
Elektor Electronics is also published in Dutch, French, German, numbers of zeros are avoided
Greek, Italian. Spanish, and Turkish. in values of resistors and
capacitors wherever possible.
Dutch edition: Elektuur B.V., Instead, the following prefixes
6190 AB Beek (L), the Netherlands. are used:
French edition: Elektor Sarl, Le Seau, 59270 Bailleul, France. p (pica-) = 10"3
n (nano-) = 10-9
German edition: Elektor Verlag GmbH,
5133 Gangelt, W -Germany. At(micro-) = 10-6
Elektor, Karaiskaki 14, Voula, Athens. m (milli-) = 10-3
Greek edition: k (kilo-) = 103
Indian edition: Elektor Electronics PVT Ltd., 3 Chunam Lane,
M (mega-) = 106
Bombay 400 007. G (gigs-) 109
=
Italian edition: Elektor, 20092 Cinisello B., Italy.
Spanish edition: Elektor, Av. Alfonso XIII, 141, Madrid 16.
Turkish edition: Elektor A.S., Refik Saydam cad. 89, Asian A few examples of resistance
Han kat 4, Sishane Istanbul. values:
2k7 = 2700 .11; 3M3 =
3,300,000 n; 820 = 820 si
Resistors used are''/. watt,
5% carbon types, unless
otherwise stated.
The DC working voltage of
capacitors (other than elec-
trolytic or tantalum types)
is normally assumed to be at
least 60 V. As a rule of thumb,
a safe value is usually ap-
proximately twice the DC
supply voltage.
Test voltages
DC test voltages shown are
measured with a 20 ki?./V in-
strument, unless otherwise
specified.
U, not V
Normally, the international
letter symbol 'U' instead of
the ambiguous 'V' is used
for voltage. 'V' is reserved
as an abbreviation for 'volts'.
For instance, Ub = 10 V,
not Vb = 10 V
Mains voltage
Mains (power line) voltages are
not given on Elektor circuits
as it is assumed that our
readers know what voltage
is standard in their part of
the world!
Readers living in areas which
use 60 Hz supplies should note
that Elektor circuits are
designed for operation from
50 Hz supplies. This will nor-
mally not be a problem, but
in cases where the mains fre-
quency is used for synchron-
isation, some modification to
the circuit may be required.
Missing links
Any important modifications
to, additions to, improve-
ments to, or corrections in.
Elektor circuits are generally
published under 'Missing
Link' at the earliest oppor-
tunity.
Services to readers.
Technical queries service
Software service
Front panel service
Back number service
Copy service
Printed circuit service
Book service
Details of all these can be
found on pages 80 and 81.

Distribution in U.K.: A few examples of capaci-

Seymour Press Ltd.. 334 Brixton Road, London SW9 7AG. tance values:
4p7 = 4.7 pF=
Copyright 01984 Elektor Publishers Ltd., Canterbury. 0.000 000 000 004 7 F;
10 n = 0.01 = 10-3 F=
Printed in the Netherlands.
ABC 10,000 pF

6-04
 advertisement elektor june 1984

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6-17
 elektor june 1984

lasers: light sources with a future only one colour, one wavelength) but between the conduction and the
it is also coherent This means that valence band.
The range of applications for lasers all light quanta emitted (photons) Having said all this, we still have no
continues to widen. The interactions are in step with each other: they laser light. Laser is an acronym for
between laser research and the recent have the same phase. This is illus- Light Amplification by Stimulated
surge of growth in modern communi- trated schematically in fig. 1. Emission of Radiation. Stimulated
cations, data -storage and consumer Coherence is an essential requirement emission occurs because the presence
systems are producing exciting re- for some laser applications, for of photons with a particular energy
sults, in which 'custom-built' lasers example in some optical -fibre com- causes the recombination of electron -
are playing a central part. munication systems. In other optical hole pairs that have a corresponding
In optical -fibre communications the communication systems it is better energy difference. The object is to
long -wave laser is indispensable. The to have less coherence, which means retain inside the structure as many
opto-electronic data -storage system that after travelling a short distance of these stimulating photons as
with DOR discs (DOR stands for the photons get out of step. To read possible. To keep this stimulated
digital optical recording) requires a out a Compact Disc, for example, emission going it is necessary to
laser of somewhat shorter wavelength coherent light is not absolutely ensure that enough electrons are
and relatively high power capable of necessary; what is required is light of 'pumped' into the conduction band
burning the information into the disc one particular wavelength, in a beam and holes into the valence bands.
in the form of small pits, as well as a that can be focused to form a very In the semiconductor laser this
laser of lower power for reading out small spot. pumping is achieved quite simply by
the information. New consumer sending an electric current through
equipment, such as the Compact Disc Pump action an appropriate semiconductor diode.
system and the Laser Vision video -disc The operation of a solid-state diode
system require inexpensive and rela- laser is very closely associated with PN junction
tively short-wave lasers. the properties of semiconductors, in When a layer of P -type material is
Lasers are going from strength to particular of two types. The first is applied on top of a layer of N -type
strength, not just in professional the N -type semiconductor, in which material (figure 3) a PN junction is
applications but very definitely in the electrical conduction is provided formed. Holes will now penetrate
consumer electronics as well. What is by electrons (negative charge). The
more, every application demands its other is the P -type semiconductor,
own type of laser. Philips Research in which there is a deficit of elec- 3
activities extend throughout the trons. The places that could be
range of laser applications. Research ocupied by an electron are called P
topics include custom-built lasers,
analysis of the properties of promis-
ing materials for laser manufacture,
'holes'; these are positively charged.
Like electrons, the holes can move,
and in the P -type material the con-
%
2
//
optimization of lasers, laser life and duction is primarily due to the
the development of appropriate movement of holes.
technologies. Some notes on semi- The energy state of the electrons and
conductor diode lasers follow. holes is very important here, and we Figure 3. Schematic representation of a
find that there are two kinds of PN junction. 1) Holes in the P -type region,
Monochromatic and coherent energy band: the conduction band 2) electrons in the N -type region, 3) the
transitional region, called the junction.
The intense and extremely fine with relatively high energy and the
From both sides, electrons and holes
beams of light required for the valence band with relatively low penetrate into the junction until a poten-
applications mentioned above can be energy (see figure 2). The electrons tial difference is built up that prevents
produced by lasers. The light from a responsible for conduction in the any further movement of charge carriers.
laser has a very special quality: it is N -type material are situated at the
not only monochromatic (i.e. it has bottom of the conduction band.
When an electron falls into a hole (or from the P -type material into the
rather, when an electron and a hole N -type material and electrons will
1 penetrate from the N -type material
recombine), a photon can be pro-
duced. The energy of the photon, into the P -type material. As a result
a and hence the wavelength of the light, the P -type material becomes slightly
12 depends on the energy difference negative in the neighbourhood of the
junction. A state of equilibrium
arises, because more electrons are
2 repelled by the negative side and
more holes by the positive side.
However, if an electric current is
jThsbe./-\ I passed through this junction, in the
direction indicated in figure 4,
° 00 02 additional electrons will be injected
Figure 1. Schematic representation of into the P -type layer and additional
waves of different wavelength and phase. holes into the N -type layer. On one
a) Different wavelengths 11, and 12, side of the junction there will now
different phase. Figure 2. Energy -level diagram in a semi-
conductor. Here 1) is the conduction band be extra electrons and on the other
b) Same wavelength I, different phase;
monochromatic. with freely moving electrons, and 2) is the side extra holes. In these areas, in
c) Same wavelength I, same phase; mono- valence band with holes, which are also the right circumstances, light amplifi-
chromatic and coherent. mobile. cation by stimulated emission can
now occur.
6-18
elektor June 1984
4 5
I
1
//../
N 2
Figure 4. Schematic representation of a
PN junction through which a current
passes.
1) Injection of holes and 2) injection of
electrons into the junction 3). 4) electric
current.
Sandwich
As we have said, enough stimulating
photons have to be kept trapped
inside the structure. Furthermore, in
a practical laser it is necessary to
make sure that electrons and holes
do not leak away from the structure,
since it is their recombination that
produces the photons. To meet these
requirements the double-heterojunc-
tion injection laser was designed. It
originated at Philips Research Labora- the active layer. The dimensions are approximately 250 x 300 x 80 pm. The laser
tories in Eindhoven (the Netherlands), light leaves the laser from the front and back through the partially reflecting mirror.
which patented a heterostructure
semiconductor laser in the late
sixties. ('Heterojunction' means that
there is a junction between materials
of different composition.) The basic
construction of such a laser is a sand-
wich structure. The active layer (in
which laser action can occur) is
coated on both sides with layers of
material of a slightly different
composition. The composition is
such that the refractive index of the
coating is lower than that of the
active layer. Laser light generated in
the active layer is then totally
internally reflected by the two
coating layers.
In addition, the differing com-
position ensures that electrons and
holes do not escape from the active
layer. The result is that sufficient
optical amplification takes place in
the active layer. Measures now
remain to be taken to keep part of
the generated photons functioning
as stimulating photons within the
structure, while another part leaves
the structure in the form of laser
light.
Cleavage planes of the crystal in
which the active layer is situated can
function as partially reflecting mir-
rors. A typical double heterojunction
injection laser structure is shown
schematically in figure 5.
Materials used
Depending on the required wave -
300pm
r3
GaAs (P)
AlGa As (Pl
-GaAs IP)
Al Ga As (N)
GaAs I P1
80pm
z
250pm
Figure 5. Typical structure of a double heterojunction injection laser with GaAs as
The light emitted at the back (not drawn) can be used as a signal for a feedback circuit
that regulates the current through the laser in such a way as to obtain a constant level
of luminous intensity.
I is the current through the laser. 1) substrate, 2) active layer, 3) partially reflecting
mirror, 4) stripe for current passage, 5) laser light.
length of the laser light, the materials application is in optical -fibre com-
used for such lasers are gallium munications.
arsenide (GaAs), aluminium gallium Many modifications can be made to
arsenide (AlGaAs) and indium the layer structure to optimize the
gallium arsenic phosphide (InGaAsP). laser for a particular application, so
The multilayer structure is usually that 'custom-built' lasers can be
produced by the technology known produced. Lasers for the Compact
as liquid -phase epitaxy (LPE). In this Disc, for example, should emit
technology a substrate (a crystal photons that become slightly out of
wafer on which the layers are grown) phase after travelling a couple of
is brought into contact with a hot centimetres; a laser beam reflected
saturated solution. As the solution from the surface of the disc will not
cools the dissolved substance crystal- then show interference with the
lises on the substrate. The substrate incoming laser signal. In telecom-
used for lasers of relatively short munication applications, on the
wavelength (780.900 nm; a nano - other hand, lasers are often used in
metre is one -thousand -millionth of a which the photons keep in phase
metre) is gallium arsenide. Epitaxial with each other over grater distances.
growth of the multilayer structure
(active layer plus sandwiching layers) Life
then takes place from a solution in When a laser diode, as described here,
which gallium is the solvent and is run continuously, some of its
aluminium and arsenic are the characteristics slowly change. Eventu-
solutes. ally the laser has to be replaced. No
The AIGaAs lasers producted in this complete explanation can yet be
way have an important application in given for this ageing effect, but
the playback of the Compact Disc. infrared and electron microscopy
For longer wavelengths (1300 nm give some idea of the kind of changes
and 1550 nm) InGaAsP lasers are in crystal structure that can occur.
generally used. Their active layer
consists of InGaAsP and the sand-
wiching layers of InP. Their primary Philips press release
6-19
portable distress signal
elektor june 1984

Photo 1. The plastic case

should be kept as small
as possible in the in-
terests of making the cir-
cuit portable. If it is to be
used in the car it might
not be a bad idea to add
a suitable length of cable
fitted with a plug for the
car's cigar lighter socket
or crocodile clips for con-
nection directly to the
battery.

portable distress signal

Who, on a clear summer night, has never been surprised to see a
very bright star winking in the distance? Generally it is not a star at
all (no, it's not a UFO either) but rather the high -power flashing light
indicating the presence of an airliner 20 or 30 miles away. In the field
of aeronautics it is taken for granted that the lights should be visible
at such distances but there is no reason why the same principle
cannot be applied to other applications.

a portable The flash light tube, which is also used in
stroboscopes, is capable of producing
'Mayday flare' very intense light, surpassed only by the
for the motorist laser. Unlike the laser, however, it has
quite a low energy consumption because,
with engine although the flashes are high intensity,
problems, the they are of very short duration. This fact
led to the idea of using it as the basis for
pleasure sailor a portable 'distress signal' that could be
in trouble, or used to attract the attention of anybody
who might be in the area.
the stranded
mountaineer General layout
The different functional sub -assemblies of
the circuit are clearly visible in the block
diagram of figure 1. Two different types of
supply can be used: either a 12 V lead -
6-20
acid car (or boat) battery or four 1.5 V dry
cells connected in series. The voltage
chosen is applied to a converter giving an
output of 220 V. This consists basically of
an astable power multivibrator and a
transformer with a centre -tapped primary
winding. This primary is, of course, fed
the low voltage and causes 220 V to be
output from the secondary. Note the pos-
itioning of the transformer which is typical
of this sort of application.
The next step is the voltage doubler, to
which the output of the transformer is fed.
The output of the doubler is fitted with a
preset that is used to vary the frequency
of the flashes. The other side of the preset
is connected to a pair of diacs in series
that limit the voltage threshold. A diac re-
mains switched off in the range from -30
to +30 volts and conducts as soon as the
voltage exceeds either the positive or
negative threshold. This produces a cur-
rent peak that triggers the thyristor in the
next block. When the thyristor is trig-
gered the high -voltage transformer con-
nected to it fires the strobe light. Further
information about how a strobe light
operates can be found in the article en-
titled 'strobe light control' published in
EleIctor no. 82, February 1982.
The circuit
The circuit diagram of figure 2 is almost
as simple as the block diagram we have
just been looking at. The voltage supplied
1 circuit can be powered
by the battery or the four dry cells is ap- portable distress signal
plied to the points Ub and 0. The elektor June 1984
multivibrator consisting of Ti and T2 con-
tains two RC networks, R7/C4 and R8/C5,
that determine its operating frequency
which, in this case, is about 80 Hz. The
output of the MMV feeds two symmetrical
branches.
The transformer (Tr2) cannot, of course, be
driven by Ti and T2 directly because their
collector currents are much too small, at
only a few milliamps. This explains the
presence of the power stages in the emit-
ter lines of T1 and T2. One stage is based
on T3 whose base current remains small
even when the transistor is conducting,
whereas its collector current is large.
There is a corresponding power stage, T4,
on the other side and the collector of
Figure 1. As the block
diagram here shows this
either from a car battery
or by four dry cells. Two
transformers are used,
one is a trigger
transformer for the xenon
tube and the other is a
220 V one with a second-
ary winding of either 12
or 6 V. In this case,
however, the low voltage
winding becomes the
primary so that 220 V is
available at the output of
the transformer.

trigger
ransformer

45 trigger
1.5 V circuit
dry cell

voltage threshold

6 V or 12 V
to 220 V
converter

S4066 - 1

6.21
portable distress signal
elektor june 1984
Figure 2. Virtually any
xenon tube will work in
this circuit provided it is
accompanied by the cor-
rect firing transformer.
Naturally, the higher the
power rating of the
strobe light the brighter
will be the flash.
6-22
each power switching transistor feeds half
of the primary winding of transformer Tr2.
The main purpose of resistor R5 is to limit
the base current of T3 to a reasonable
level while the transistor is conducting
and R9 permits this transistor to be
quickly switched off by Tl. As we will see
later, the power transistors do not need a
heat sink as they are unlikely to become
very warm.
Moving on to Tr2 now we see that the in-
ductance consisting of the primary win-
ding of this transformer is charged when
T3 conducts. This energy remains stored
when the transistor switches off but cur-
rent spikes are generated which would be
sufficient to destroy T3 were it not for the
presence of D5. While one half of the
primary winding of Tr2 is being charged
the other half transmits the energy it has
stored so that a square wave is induced
on the secondary winding.
This voltage is rectified by diodes Dl and
D2. The resistors in series with the diodes
(R2 and R3) prevent them from being
destroyed by an overdose of amps when
Cl and C2 are discharged. The combina-
tion of these two diodes and two
capacitors forms a voltage doubler with
the result that there is a potential dif-
ference of about 620 V between the
positive of Cl and the negative of C2.
The same voltage is present across flash
tube Lal and roughly half this value is
available at the Cl/C2/R1/R4 junction. The
charge on capacitor C3 is controlled by
preset PI and these two components form
a sort of time -base. A pair of diacs con-
nected in series after P1 present a very
high impedance when they are not con-
ducting. The charging time of C3
depends on the position of Pl. As soon as
the diacs' threshold level is reached
(ti 60 V for the pair) the thyristor is trig-
gered by the pulse arriving at its gate.
Capacitor C3 discharges abruptly via Thl
which causes a short pulse to be
2
Tr2
DI
1N4007
generated at the primary of transformer
Trl. This pulse appears at the secondary
of the transformer as a very high voltage,
more than 1 kV, which is sufficient to
cause the xenon tube to flash.
The gate current of thyristor Thl is limited
by resistor RI. By adjusting PI the flashing
frequency can be varied between 1 and
15 flashes per second. This frequency is
also, to a certain extent, dependent upon
the voltage supplied by the batteries.
Constructional details
This circuit can be constructed on the
printed circuit board shown in figure 3.
The various connection points for
transformer Tr2 are also clearly marked on
the component overlay. If the circuit is
powered by means of four 1.5 V dry cells
a 2 x 6 V/800 mA transformer is needed.
The 'automotive' version uses a 2 x 12 V/
400 mA transformer. Points X and Y are
connected to the secondary of Tr2 as
these are two 220 V points. The + and 0
points connect to the battery pack or the
poles of the car battery. Make sure when
fitting the strobe tube that its polarity is
correct; the anode is usually indicated by
a dot.
The great advantage of this circuit is that it
is very small and can be fitted into a
suitable small plastic case (plastic
because of the high voltage present!) and
is then truly portable. With the flash tube
mounted inside the case a hole will have
to be made to enable the light to shine
through (strangely enough). The
photograph at the start of this article
shows the end result. If the range of the
lamp must be increased this can be done
by the simple expedient of fitting a reflec-
tor behind it.
Applications
The operating life of this circuit is one of
its most important characteristics. If it is
R2
$4065 - 2
 portable distress signal
3 elektor june 1984

Parts list

Resistors:
R1 = 470 9/10 W
R2,R3 = 12 Q
R4 = 150 k
R5,R6 = 820 4 if Ub =
6 V or 1k8 if Ub = 12 V
R7,R8 = 47 k for Ub = 6 V
or 100 k for Ub = 12 V
R9,R10 = 1k8
R11 = 330 Q
P1 = 1 M preset

Capacitors:
C1,C2 = 8 ...10W350 V
electrolytic
C3 = 1p/100 V
C4,C5 = 100 n

Semiconductors:
D1,D2,D5,D6 = 1N4007
D3,D4 = BR 100 diac
T1,T2 = BC 54713
73,T4 = BD 139
Thl = TIC 106D

Miscellaneous:
La1 = xenon tube flash
lamp
Tr1 = trigger transformer
for La1
Tr2 = mains transformer,
2 x 6 V, 800 mA, for
Ub -- 6 V or 2 x 12 V,
400 mA for Ub = 12 V

Figure 3. The flash tube

powered by a car battery this should be
no cause for concern as some proverbial
knight is bound to fly to your assistance
long before the battery begins to suffer
(we hope!). If, on the other hand, four
1.5 V dry cells are connected in series a
continuous operation of four hours can be
expected. Adding an on/off switch im-
proves this considerably, of course. Then
the signal need only be started when
there is a chance that someone may see
it.
The applications for this circuit are many
and varied. Mountaineers or cavers could
include it in their pack under the motto of
being prepared. Another obvious use is in
the car especially as the flashes produced
are very bright but not ria771ing. Pleasure
sailors could likewise be glad to have the
circuit flashing an indication of their pos-
ition in the event of distress.
There is one important point to note about
the circuit, namely that there is a very
high voltage present, especially across
capacitors Cl and C2. On no account
should you start working on the circuit may be mounted on the
while this voltage is present. The printed circuit board
capacitors must be first allowed to shown here or it may be
discharge fully or they may be discharged mounted separately
depending on the type of
by shorting the two terminals with a very case chosen. To avoid
well insulated piece of wire. confusion when fitting
Everybody knows, of course, that there is the components it is im-
no possible reason for needing this cir- portant to remember that
the diacs do not have a
cuit; 'My car is properly maintained and polarity.
never breaks down' you say, or 'I never go
mountaineering just before the weather
unexpectedly deteriorates', or (this one is
asking for trouble) 'Murphy doesn't exist!'.
The trouble is that Murphy does exist and
is always just around the corner with some
new catastrophe. This circuit may just tip
the balance in your favour for a change. N
6-23
 ZX extensions One of the great attractions of the ZX computer (ZX-81, ZX-spectrum)
elektor june 1984
is its low price. However, if you want to extend it, things do not look
so good any more: ready-made extension modules are not exactly
cheap. This is, of course, not only the case with Sinclair computers.
At the same time, it is not necessary to spend a great deal of money
on more facilities: you can do a lot yourself and save money. This
article describes a number of extensions which you can carry out
yourself: memory extension, disk drive' inputs and outputs, video
output for improving the picture quality, and two joy -sticks for the
Spectrum.

ZX
more bytes,
more inputs,
more
outputs, . . .
SCART = Syndicat des
Constructeurs d'Appareds
Radiorecepteurs et
Televiseurs = (French)
Association of radio and
television receiver
manufacturers. This
association decided some
time ago to terminate
various inputs to, and
outputs from, TV receivers
into a 20 -pin socket. This is
becoming a European
standard.
ag pc hoard
83014
Figure 1. Block schematic
of the ZX81 extension.
The bus buffer board pro-
vides connection to the
Elektor bus board.
6-24
extensions
Before discussing the extensions in detail,
let us first see what we have to work with.
The data, address, and control buses are
not buffered at the edge connector of the
ZX 81. One of the first requirements in an
extension scheme is therefore a buffer
stage. It connects the computer via a con-
trol circuit and some interface logic to an
Elektor bus board, into which most other
extensions can then be connected (see
figure 1). The buffer cannot be used with
the ZX-Spectrum, as the memory extension
can be provided internally in this com-
puter, and the other extensions do not
really need a buffer.
1 is concerned, be connected to the VDU
ZX81
e.g. pc board
83082
51054 1
A TV interface in the ZX computer pro-
vides a suitable signal that is made
available at the video outputs. These out-
puts enable a monitor or TV receiver with
SCART or A/V output sockets to be con-
nected to the computer and so ensure
that a high -quality picture is produced.
Apart from the buffer circuit, we have not
designed any printed -circuit boards for
the extensions described. The reasons for
this are that the circuits are small and un-
complicated enough to be wired conven-
tionally and that many of you may not wish
to use all the driver stages. The circuit for
the video output may be small enough to
fit into the case of the computer.
The ZX 81 may, at least as far as hardware
card described in our September 1983
issue via the buffer stage and in that way
be provided with a high -quality video out-
put: 24 lines of 80 characters each. You
will have to write the necessary software
yourself. A further point before we come
to the details: we have not tested whether
the operational program of the ZX ROM
allows corresponding jumps but think it
probably will. To be able to tackle this ex-
tension. you need to know your way
around the ZX 81 ROM handbook and
Elektor's own Paperware 3 as the software
may prove quite challenging.
Buffer stage
By far the larger part of this circuit (see
figure 2) is self-evident. The address bus is
buffered by ICI and IC2, and most control
lines by ICS. These three ICs are type
74LS244 three -state line drivers. The
enable inputs, GI and G2 (Pins 1 and 19),
of the ICs are permanently connected to
earth so that the drivers are always active.
Pull-up resistor RI ensures that the BUSRQ
input of the computer (a CPU input) is
logic high unless taken low by some ex-
ternal circuit.
The data bus is buffered by a 74LS245 two-
way, three -state driver IC. The change of
direction is controlled by the RD signal of
the Z80 microprocessor in the ZX 81: this
signal is applied to the DIR input (pin 1) of
IC4 from the output (pin 3) of the control ZX extensions
bus buffer IC5. When the G (enable) input 2 elektor june 1984
of IC4 is logic high, all inputs and outputs
of the buffer become high impedance 5V -5 V
(the 'third state') and the data bus is
disabled. NAND gate N34 and IC3 form a -5 V

decoder for the lower 8 Kbyte block of

the ZX 81. This block contains the ZX
C2 (D 8
IC4
12,1

IC3 IC6
IC5
ROM. When the memory is accessed mon
000
(MREQ logic low), IC3 is enabled. If at the "0 16a
0V0 164 0v
same time the three highest address lines 32,
00
are logic 0 (= ROM range), the output 01 0
(pin 15) of IC3 becomes low, the output of
N34 goes high, and the data bus buffer is AO 0 2 2
0 AO
disabled. In all other cases, pin 15 is Al 0 17 3 26
O
254
logic I, when the external RAM or the I/O 420 4
15
NI NB 16
5 25a
0
A30
at address $ 2000 may be accessed. Apart A4 0 6 14 244
from these, about 250 I/O addresses are AS 0 13 7 24a
ICI 234
accessible via A0 ... A7 and IORQ as we .46 0
11
12
74LS244 9 234
.57 0
will see later.
lU 19
All this is true, provided switch SI is
closed, which ensures that the internal
RAM of the ZX 81 is disabled. This is AS 0 2 Is 22 411
necessary because the internal RAIvICS A9 0 17 3 22a
4 21
signal of the ZX is held logic high. If you 410 0
15
N9 N16 16
5 21
411 0 0
want to work with the internal RAM, Al2 0 6 14 204
switch S1 should be opened. When exter- 413 0 13 7 20
IC2 12 194
nal equipment is then connected to the A140
74LS244 19
O
A150 11
is
ZX, problems may arise during writing of
data owing to the incomplete internal 1V 1

8 C
decoding of the ZX 81. This must be borne 15 IC3
in mind when the addresses for the drive FiCvac40 C so
74LS138
connections are being fixed, so that the R 41.106
121 13 01 024 G28
computer can be used as a drive com- x
puter without the RAM extension.
Also because of the internal construction
V

L -1101r0- 5V
4
1
ZX RAM
of the ZX 81 - in this case relating to the 9
19
7c
O
video monitor - it is essential to combine DO 0
01 0 N17 N2-.
12 7a
0
DO

CPU signal M1 with the address line Al5 020 7 13 84

O
15
(the Ml signal in the ZX 81 has been 03 0
16 9
040 0
misused for monitor control). This has the 050 6 14 9
:
10.
disadvantage that only data may be loaded 060 3
2
IC4
17
18
D7 0 0
into the upper 32 Kbyte range, but no 74LS245 D7

commands. WAIT 0 0
Where the printed -circuit board shown in ISET 0 3 RESEt
figure 3 is used, construction of the buffer
13
stage should present no problems. The faIrMo 0 cram
pin connections of the extension plug are
15 IN25 N30 304
314
O inn
R00 O RD
shown in figure 4. The board and plug are 1,7ff 0
4 105 16
313
32a
O 51
best connected by a length of flat ribbon RFSH 0 0 RFSH
6 174LS244 14 184
O 0 BUSAK
cable. The connection to the bus board ITOW10 12 8 113
O EiSA75
(for instance, that described in our 11
N31 R1[1
December 1983 issue) may also be made 160
with flat ribbon cable. It is, however, N32 ... N34 =
simpler and better, though also more ex- %IC.6 = 74LS00 0
5V
84054-2
pensive, to fit a 64 -way female and male
connector to the buffer and bus boards
respectively: this enables the two cards to
be plugged into one another. Figure 2. The circuit of
Elektor Electronics is also planned to con- the bus buffer consists
basically of four bus
tain a new mains power supply for com- drivers.
Power supply puters. If, however, you plan to incor-
Although the stabilized +5 V as well as porate only some of the extensions, the
the unregulated +9 V supply in the ZX power supply shown in figure 5 will suf-
computer may be used for the extension fice: this can provide a constant current of
circuits, there is a limit to the additional up to 1 A. Capacitor Cl is a single 2200 IA
load that can be placed upon the internal electrolytic or two 1000 1.1 ones in parallel.
power supply. It may be best, particularly
if further extensions are to be added at a
later date, to build a new (additional)
mains power supply, for instance, that Memory extension for the ZX 81
described in our January 1983 issue. The This is probably the most needed exten-
forthcoming 'Summer Circuits' issue of sion for the ZX 81. It is based on the
6-25
 ZX extensions
elektor june 1984

0
WR O
ROO
RF -0-2H 32 0
10-04413 0 O
IVI °
443
O
O
sus -a -R[3
AD 0 O
Al 0 0 O
A2 4:11' 0 O
A3 0 0 0 O
COA4
OA B./
0 O
0 O
GAB 0 O
0A7 0 O
0 O
0 0000 O
O
0
°Al 2. 0 0
OA13 0 0
r 0 O
a 0 O
10 -6- 00
O
0
0 O
0 0 O
0 O
0 0
0 O
0 O
0 0
0 O
? 0
+5
000
Figure 3. The pc board of
the bus buffer makes an 'universal memory card' published in our We have no doubt that most of you will
uncomplicated and clean
construction possible. It March 1983 issue. Cards with a smaller start by using eight 6116 ICs to give a
may be plugged into the capacity do not make sense, as the one 16 Kbyte RAM. Only the second contact of
Elektor bus board. used may be completed piecemeal as re- the DIL switch (2) on the address decoder
quired. The '16 K dynamic RAM card' of the memory card is then closed. The
Parts list (Elektor April 1982), or the '64 K dynamic card is addressed from 8 ... 24 K
(only for buffer circuit) RAM card' (Elektor September 1983) may ($ 2000... 5FFF). The ROM lies in the
Resistors:
also be used, but you will have to modify range below that. This gives 8 Kbyte of
them yourself. The 'universal memory BASIC memory and 8 Kbyte of machine
R1 = 1 k card' has two real advantages: first, in con- code and data memory.
trast to dynamic RAM cards, it solves If you want to reserve an address range
Capacitors: timing problems of static RAMs, and, se- for I/O ports, for instance, for the switch
cond, it may be fitted with a mixture of outputs which are described below, put
Cl,C2 = 100 n RAMs and EPROMs. The latter makes it the card in the range 4000...7FFF. This
Semiconductors:
possible therefore to store games, control will make the range 2000...3FFF available
programs, or even the software for the for these ports when DIL switch '4' is
1C1,1C2,IC5 = 74LS244 VDU card. To enable EPROMs to be pro- closed. A general remark about the
IC3 = 74LS138 grammed, the 'Z80 EPROM programmer' decoding of the memory card: beause of
IC4 = 74LS245 as published in our January 1984 issue may the twos complement arrangement, the
IC6 = 74LS00 be fitted directly onto the universal four highest address bits must be inverted,
Miscellaneous:
memory card. As the card can be pro- as shown in table 1.
vided with 28 -way connectors, the The memory extension is tested by
PC Board 84054 5564/5565 8 Kbyte memory (static RAM) or reading the system -variable RAMTOP as
Flat ribbon cable the 2764 EPROM, or both, may also be described in chapter 26 of the BASIC
Plug and socket connector used. The relatively high price of the manual of the ZX 81. Be careful, however,
for ZX81 former ICs will no doubt be coming down
S1 = microswitch (optional) because with extensions above 32 Kbyte
64-iway female connector over the next 6 ... 12 months. It is (ROM range), RAMTOP does not change.
(optional) therefore seen that the card can provide a Evidently, Sinclair have not foreseen the
memory capacity of up to 64 Kbyte which possibility of such an extension to their
is more than the ZX 81 can address. operating system, and there is therefore
Table 1. The address no facility for testing the RAMTOP from
range in which the decimal 32767 downwards. This means
universal memory card Table 1
fitted with eight that with this extension the RAMTOP has
6116 RAMs is decoded by to be set every time after switch -on. If, for
the DIL switch on the Address range DIL switch RAMTOP instance, you have extended the memory
board. Other positions 8 4 2 1 (see text) to 48 Kbyte (8 Kbyte ROM, 8 Kbyte re-
are, of course possible, 8K . . 24 K 1 1 0 1 24 576 served for I/O, and 2 x 16 Kbyte RAM),
but the ones shown are 16 K . 32 K 0 32 768
the most important for
1 1 1
you have to write:
32 K 48 K 0 1 1 1 49 152
the ZX81. RAMTOP is 48 K _ . 64 K 0 0 1 1 65 536
111 POKE 16389.192
only a theoretical value MI NEW
here (see text). For other extensions these instructions will
6-26
have to be recalculated with the help of 4a ZX extensions
chapters 26, 27, and 28 of the BASIC elektor June 1984
handbook.
r 1
Memory extension for the ZX
Spectrum r -I All
AS 410
An external extension of the Spectrum t B USAK AB
FralCS
memory is not necessary as the main 2r, I

Al
RFSH
411
t -1 RFSH
44
board has already been prepared for this As RESET - A5
MI
12 V
(and in the 48 K Spectrum it has been 46 HUSRO AS 12 V
A7IIVAIT
completed during manufacture). Apart AS
A7 WAIT
RESET
from the eight TI 4532 or 3732 memory ICs AS 1'i it
ErL IMTI 158
(IC15 ... IC22), it is necessary to insert 410 RD
U RD
All 1080 IOREO
four ICs: IC23 (74LS32), IC24 (74LS00), 412 MREQ
V
MEMREQ
and IC25 and IC26 (both 74LS157 - NOT A13 HALT
V de. HALT
414 NMI
National Semiconductor). Al5 INT
V NMI
IOROGE INT
There is a point to note in respect of the 43 04 43 04
memory ICs mentioned: these are not, 42
Al
03
DS
42 03
strictly speaking, 32 Kbit memories, but Al 05
AO D6
AO 136
64 Kbit stores of which it has been found D2
CK 02
0V DI
during the final test in manufacture that 0v DO
Dv 01
Dv
one of the 32 Kbit sections is defect. An OoT
tat
DO
irot
addition to the type number indicates 9V RAl,ICS
9V
5V 07 5V
which of the two sections is usable so that 412
07
413
you must bear this in mind during the ad- 414 A15
dressing. The Spectrum board has a wire .1.2 5.
bridge close to the Z80 which must be L _J
connected to +5 V or earth, depending
upon which section can be used. This is Figure 4a. Pinout of the
certainly of great economical advantage to edge connector of the
As the bistable is biased by Cl, output Q ZX81..
Sinclair, because these ICs are very is logic 0 immediately after switch -on. You
cheap indeed, particularly when they are therefore leave the normal memory range Figure 4b. .. and of the
purchased in bulk. The individual Spec- with instruction OUT and reenter it with ZX Spectrum.
trum user does not have this advantage, instruction IN.
because these reject ICs are practically The extra 32 Kbytes may be used for
not available in the retail trade. Fortunately, machine language programmes or
there is another possibility: using the 4564 subroutines. There is at all times one
(= 2164. 3764, 4164, 4864, 8264, depending restriction: the system variable RAMTOP
upon the manufacturer) in its 200 ns ver- must be located below the switchable
sion. These ICs are of course readily range (how is described in the BASIC
available and probably at prices not much handbook of the Spectrum). If you
higher than those of 32 Kbit ICs. Where therefore want to make use of the full
the bridge is connected to in this case 2 x 32 Kbyte, you have only 16 Kbyte
does not matter as both sections may be available for the BASIC program. If you
addressed. locate RAMTOP so that 32 Kbyte remain
There is no need to worry about having to available for the BASIC program,
do without the other 32 Kbytes, because 2 x 16 Kbyte are retained in the switchable
we have designed a small circuit, 'soft range. As you may locate RAMTOP more
switch: which allows the Spectrum to use or less where you please (but, of course,
either half. not in the ROM range), it is possible to
The soft switch circuit is shown in choose the most beneficial memory divis-
figure 6. Gates N3 and N4 form a NOR ion for the particular program.
latch whose inputs are enabled by gates
Ni and N2 when address $ 0001 (= deci- Drive computer
mal 1) is selected on the address bus and If you want to actuate just one relay, or
the IORQ signal is active. The decoder
forms a wired OR connection. two relays alternately, the small extension
Figure 5. This simple
With the instruction shown in figure 7 may be used with the mains power supply, pro-
IN 1
ZX81. With the Spectrum, the address viding 5 V at 1 A, suffices
to power all extensions.
the address, the IORQ signal, and an RD
are generated and output 0 goes logic 5
low.
With the instruction 7805
5v
OUT 1, n (n is any number between 0 and
256) )11, t
the address, the IORQ signal, and the WR
signal are generated and output Q goes CI Cl. C21th C3:
logic high. 9 MW =MI
Point A in figure 6 is the centre of the wire saaci000 !22°°- 16V

bridge near the Z80 mentioned above. The 1

10 k resistor may be soldered on the Apo

8400$ S
Spectrum board instead of the relevant
section of the wire bridge.
6-27
 ZX extensions
elektor june 1984
Figure 6. The soft switch
circuit for the ZX Spec-
trum gives access to
32 Kbyte additional RAM
memory.
IOREO
A15
A14
Table 2. This small pro-
gram enables operation
of the circuit of figure 7.
6 -28
decoding has to be supplemented, for in- this sets or resets the NOR latch formed
stance as shown in figure 6. Only address by N3 and N4. Basically, this is the same
line Al must then be inverted by the free circuit as for the soft switch. The driver
inverter. The principle remains the same, stages switch the relays on or off under
however when the address decoder the control of the latch. The drivers con-
recognizes a valid address (the gates sist of a bias resistor, a Darlington tran-
below N6 in figure 7, together with R4, sistor, and a free -wheeling diode. If only
form a wired OR connection), the software resistive loads are switched by the tran-
causes a write or read pulse to be sistor. the free -wheeling diode is, of
generated (RD or WR goes logic low), and course, not necessary. The current
through the transistor may be 500 mA
maximum and the relays must therefore
6 be chosen accordingly.
Table 2 shows a small program for the
ZX81, which is self-evident from lines 80
and 90. If you want to include this pro-
gram in a larger one, the jump addresses
for the GOTO instructions must be
changed accordingly. The first line of the
composite program must contain a REM,
because the POKE instruction in this
range are for writing only.
The wired OR connection is retained even
after the supplementary address decoding
has been added. The program for the
Spectrum is reduced to a simple, single
line
OUT 3, Y
or
IN 3
where Y may be any decimal number be-
N1 ... N4 = 74LSO2 tween 0 and 256.
N5 ...N10 = 74LS05 It is important that in the Spectrum the
N11 ... N14 = 74LS33 IORQ signal is used and not, as in the
N15 ...N19=74LSO5
ZX81, the MREQ signal.
Figure 8 shows a further control circuit
which not only makes eight switched out-
puts, but also eight inputs on request,
available. The driver stages are similar to
those in figure 7, but here they are con-
trolled by latches (74LS374) instead of a
bistable. The level at the output of IC4 is
held until the 'computer writes a new
word onto data lines (DO ... D7).
The data can (also) be set by switches
Si ... S8 the levels of which (switch closed
= 0!) are sensed by IC5. Pull-up resistors
R9 ... R16 ensure an unambiguous input
84054.6 level into IC5. The actual function of the
eight switches depends on which of the
sections is controlled and on the program.
Output port IC4 is enabled by the output
(pin 11) of address decoder N11 and the
WR signal: both these signals are applied
to AND gate N12 (note that although this
Table 2 is, strictly speaking, an OR gate, it func-
tions as an AND gate because all signals
are active when low). The memory driver
10 REM switch control accepts the data word from the bus at the
20 POKE 16515,219 leading edge of the pulse at pin 11 of IC4.
30 POKE 16516,0
40 POKE 16517,201
The input port is likewise enabled by the
50 POKE 16518,211 address decoder, but in this case in con-
60 POKE 16519,0 junction with the RD signal. The AND gate
70 POKE 16520,201 is here formed by N13. The address
80 PRINT "IN (11 or OUT 12)" decoder is again constructed as a wired
90 INPUT X
100 IF X = 0 THEN GOTO 130 OR gate and decodes hex addresses 3FE0
110 IF X = 1 THEN GOTO 150 and 3FE1. These are used instead of the
120 GOTO /30 more obvious FFFF to prevent problems
130 LET Y = USR 16518 with incomplete decoding in the ZX81
140 GOTO 80
150 LET Y = USR 16515
when the internal ZX RAM is used. This is,
160 GOTO 80 of course, only so during reading when
both the input port and the internal RAM
are scanned: a typical case of double ad -
 ZX extensions
7 elektor june 1984
5V
0 O
ZX .37
R3

Fif
WR 13

2
/1*;
U0, 0X4
Re2

ATI
I: 5 EV

0
IOREO DI, 02
1N4148
AT
71 72 L2
A4 5V RI R2
A;5

AS IBC 517
dos
A4

SV 0

08
IC1 IC2
NI
N6
. N4 = ICI = 74LSO2
N1I = IC2= 74LSO5
OV 0
OS 0 cr)
Figure 7. This small con-
34052..7 trol output enables the
ZX81 or the ZX Spectrum
to switch two relays
alternately.
dressing. The addresses chosen can also Table 3
be decoded fairly simply and are located
below the RAM range in an unused inter-
nal section of the ZX81. This is, of course, IN KEY S = 5 IN 61486 data bit 4 : - Table 3. During scanning
only so if the internal RAM is used. When IN KEY S = 6 IN 61438 data bit 4 : of the cursor keys on the
a memory extension is added, make sure IN KEY $ = 7 IN 61438 data bit 3 : IN instruction, the ZX81
that these addresses remain available for IN KEY $ = 8 IN 61438 data bit 2 : uses two memory cells:
I/O operation: the extension must there- If the indicated bit is '0', the
61486 and 61438. Because
fore be located in the range starting at of this, it is not possible
indicated key is pressed. without some further
S 4000. The conversion of the addresses work to control the cur-
from hexadecimal to decimal is described sor with the joy -stick.
fully in the handbook, so that you can
Table 4
readily access the addresses mentioned
with PEEK and POKE instructions.
IN KEY $ = 1 IN 61486 data bit 0 - (1)
Joy -sticks for the Spectrum IN KEY S = 2 IN 61486 data bit 1 (1)
IN KEY $ = 3 IN 61486 data bit 2 1 (1)
The new ZX interface II offers the IN KEY $ = 4 IN 61486 data bit 3 I (11
possibility of connecting two joy -sticks to IN KEY S = 5 IN 61486 data bit 4 trig- (1) Table 4. This is how the
the Spectrum and read ROM modules ger two joy -sticks may be
(with games). However, at almost £30.00 (at IN KEY $ = 6 IN 61438 data bit 4 - 12) sensed with IN instruc-
least in the UK; prices are higher IN KEY $ = 7 IN 61438 data bit 3 - (2) tions. As the five data
IN KEY S = 8 IN 62438 data bit 2 1 (2) bits are detected
overseas) this is not exactly a cheap addit- IN KEY S = 9 IN 61438 data bit 1 1 (2) simultaneously, it is
ion. If you want to be able to read ROM IN KEY S = 0 IN 61438 data bit 0 trig- (2) possible to realize graphic
modules, this can be done without the ger functions relatively
Sinclair interface. and at the same time quickly.
you can connect the two joy -sticks be scanned with the instructions given in
directly. table 3. This can be tested with the pro-
Figure 9 shows a cross-section of the gram in table 5 which enables the writing
Spectrum board. The connections for the of horizontal OR vertical lines on the
keyboard are located directly under, and screen. Interface II uses the number keys
somewhat to the right of, the ASTEC for the joy -sticks (see table 4). The IN in-
modulator. Chapter 23 of the Spectrum struction has a great advantage in that
BASIC handbook gives some very import- various directions may be scanned
ant information about addressing the simultaneously. From a comparison of the
keyboard. two tables it becomes clear how the cur-
The cursor keys (arrow keys 5 ... 8) may sor may be controlled with a joy -stick and
6-29
ZX extensions
elektor june 1984 8 Els.. SPECTRUM
ZX-s1

I
5 ... 30 V
++
Al
2E3

25, A2
0
fti
01 DB
25a A3 1N4148
5V
24c A4 TI 78

24a AS
734 46
23. A7

22e AB
22a 63 5...30 V
21c A10.
1

21a A111, 500 mA

20c 4121
Ms 4131
1

19e 4141
1

19a 4151

31s WI

30e '09 80
5V e2

27c MRECI a
2X-51 B3
3 .z1 2_
4 5
6
Bs
8 IC4 9
13 74L5374 12
14 IS
BS
17 16
18 19
7c 00 OE .....
a e6
7a 01 tC l0
D2 a-
Es 03
57
Da
05
10c D6 3
El9
12. 07 5V

R9 916
'1141 Ro 9

18
151-7420
2
OFTIEEL
16
14 6
12 IC5 8 I

9 74LS244 11

13
15

Figure 8. The largest of

the extensions for the
ZX81 and ZX Spectrum N1... N6 = IC1 = 74LS05
10
17

I 4 4 411
N7 . N9 = IC2 = 74LS15
makes eight freely pro- N10 ... N13 = IC3 = 74LS32 94054
grammable output ports
SI se
and eight input ports
available.
also why Sinclair has not provided this therefore not possible this way because at
facility: the joy -sticks use the addresses all times only one of the common lines (1,
61486 and 61438. Most current joy -sticks 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, 7, 8, 9, 0) may be used: they
have only one (common) earth connection cannot be used simultaneously. At the
which must be used for selection. You can same time, the figure shows how you can
see from figure 9 that cursor control is connect two joy -sticks to the Spectrum
without using interface H. All you need to
Table 5
know is the plug pinout of the joy -stick.
Figure 10 shows the standard pinout, in
10 LET Z = 86 this case of the Atari joy -stick as used with
20 LET X = 127 the Sinclair interface II. If you use other
30 IF IN KEY $ 5 AND X > 0 LET X = types, check the pinout with an ohm-
40
-
IF IN KEYS= 6 AND Z >0 LET Z =
meter. Otherwise, the connections may be
Table 5. This simple pro- made as shown in figure 11 with, for in-
gram enables the drawing -
of vertical or horizontal 50 IF IN KEY $ = 7 AND S < 174 LET Z = stance, flat ribbon cable. The program of
lines on the screens with Z +1 table 5 may still be used by changing the
the cursors. With small 60 IF IN KEY S = 8 AND X < 254 LET X = key numbers accordingly.
modifications it may also X+
be used for trying out or 70 PLOT X, Z
testing the joy -sticks (see 80 GOTO 30 Video output
text). Normally, the ZX computer is connected
6-30
to the aerial input of a TV receiver. The 9 123 4 5 61890
ZX extensions
computer contains a UHF modulator gr. elektor june 1984
which converts the video signal into a ) 0000_1 1_0 0 0 0. 0 0 0
UHF signal similar to the one received - -- -
from the TV transmitter. The UHF signal is
demodulated in the TV receiver into a
video signal. For normal TV broadcasts :0fr
this is perfectly all right, but with a com- :j2ra 7
puter so close to the TV receiver this is,
from a technical point of view, a bad solut- :eci
ion, if only for the simple reason that
because of the double conversion there is
bound to be loss of quality. :p.
Nowadays, single -colour data monitors 84054-9
(green or amber) are available at attractive
prices, although normal colour versions Figure 9. The keyboard
remain pricey. Many modern colour TV 10 connections on the Spec-
receivers are provided with a SCART 01 -CI- trum board are located
socket or DIN A/V socket for connecting O2 underneath and to the
00 :4 3 2
00 O3 CI right of the ASTEC
a video recorder (the problem of some
loss of quality also arises with the video
0 9 8 7
0
6
04 .) modulator. They are used
for connecting the
06v-92.
recorder). However, these sockets make it o not cornscted 08cornmm joy -sticks.
possible to connect the video signal from 84054 10 Figure 10. Common
the computer directly to the video input pinout of a joy -stick.
of a monitor or TV receiver. With both
computers this is readily done by means 11 joystick joystick
of a small interface. The result is far better 2

definition and, in the case of the Spec-

trum, better colour reproduction.
In the Spectrum the video signal is 5
00
4 3 1

02 0
50 40 30 21

already available at the edge connector

(terminal 15 at the underside of the board, _9 7 6I 9 89 6 61'

see also figure 4b). If there is no signal

present, there is a wire bridge missing on
the board. This is located close to TC1
and TC2 and has been drawn in the com- amocclicim
bosrd X
ponent layout of the board. If necessary, a not conrocted ZX SPECTRUM 0
this wire bridge should be soldered in. 0 0 0 0 0 0
The signal amplitude is Vpp with a d.c.
1

offset of +2 V. The signal must be buf-

fered if a colour monitor or TV receiver is
used. This may be done, for instance, with r.
4
the video amplifier described in our
December 1983 issue. This amplifier is ad-
justed so that its output signal into 75 Q
(video input impedance of the TV
receiver) is also 1 Vpp.
Equally good results may be obtained 84060 11

from a simple emitter follower (see 9v Figure 11. Wiring layout

figure 12), in which the d.c. offset comes to of the joy -stick connec-
12 tions to the Spectrum. Be
good us& This circuit, as well as that of careful when removing
the video amplifier, may be used with the ribbon cable: this
both the Spectrum and the ZX81. As the SPECTRUM must not be bent!
Video
ZX81 provides a stronger video signal than
2X 81
the Spectrum (about 2 Vpp), it is advisable Video
to connect a 68 ohm resistor in series with Figure 12. This simple
/SPECTRUM
the output signal to give better matching VDP emitter follower makes it
2N2219 75
possible to connect the
with the 75 Q input. 2X 81
100P
1SV video signal of the ZX
The video signal of the ZX81 may be taken 160n computer to the video in-
from pin 16 of ICI, or from a point directly 84054-12 put of a monitor or TV
receiver.
connected to this and which is more ac-
cessible (for instance, D9 may be un- fered, make sure that a terminating
soldered and its anode connection used). resistor which may have been provided in
With a bit of luck it may be possible to fit the input of the buffer stage MUST be
the interface in the computer case. In the removed. In the video amplifier from
Spectrum you can then take the video Elektor No. 104 (December 1983) this is RI.
signal directly from the input of the Furthermore, in this and other amplifiers,
ASTEC modulator at the edge of the com- but not in the emitter follower, it is ad-
puter board. The connecting point is visable to add a coupling capacitor (to
situated in the centre of one of the shorter provide d.c. decoupling). In the Elektor
sides of the modulator and is in easy amplifier it is also beneficial, but not
reach. necessary, to change over the polarity of
Although the video signal is always buf- C2 because of the 2 V d.c. offset. $
6.31
disco drum
elektor june 1984 Contemporary music is quickly reaching the stage where it is the rule
rather than the exception to use computers, or at least synthesizers,
as 'instruments'. Many people see this as unnecessary but would like
a small degree of electronicization in their music. Guitarists have long
been familiar with phasers, flangers, echos, and so on but another
essential member of any group, the drummer, seems quite happy
with strictly mechanical drum sticks. Now, to throw the cat in among
the pigeons, we have designed an electronic drum for the drummer
to play with.

a choice of
rasta, funky, or
disco beats . . .
or would you
really prefer the
monotonous
'boom -boom' of
other drum
synthesizers?
Figure 1. The circuit of
the disco drum consists
mainly of an envelope
generator, triggered either
by calibrated pulses pro-
vided by another circuit
(such as a metronome) or
by the variable amplitude
pulse output from the
'drum' of figure 2, and a
frequency and amplitude
modulated sinusoidal
oscillator.
disco drum
Nobody could say that we neglect elec-
tronic music at Elektor. Admittedly, it has
been dormant for quite a while now but
we felt this was necessary to give readers
who are so inclined the time to come to
grips with our last major work, the preset
unit for the polyphonic synthesizer. The
project proposed here is a more modest
design; sort of a drum 'synthesizer'.
The drum sound is relatively easy to ob-
tain as it is simply a matter of generating a
sinusoidal audio signal and modulating
this with an envelope having a very steep
attack and an exponential decay. This
gives the effect of an apparent amplitude
modulation due to the fact that lower fre-
quencies have a greater 'impact' on the
ear than higher frequencies of the same
amplitude.
The 2206 again .
The circuit diagram of figure 1 shows a
design with two inputs and at least three
merits: it works well, it is easy to make,
and it doesn't costs a lot. The two inputs
could also be considered as a further
merit as they expand the range of -poss-
ible applications.
The heart of this circuit is the XR 2206
function generator (IC3) which provides
the sinusoidal signal. The frequency of
the signal output at pin 2 is proportional to
the current flowing between pin 7 and
ground. This current is controlled by tran-
sistor T1 as a function of the voltage ap-
plied to its base. We will see later how
this control voltage is derived. A 15 V
positive pulse applied to the CLK input
charges Cl almost instantaneously ..ria Dl.
The discharging time across D2, which
begins immediately after the falling edge
of the pulse, is determined by the position
of the wiper of Pl.
Impedance matcher IC2 is needed to pre-
vent the amplitude of the envelope curve,
derived from the charging and discharg-
ing of Cl, from being proportional to the
repetition frequency of the input pulses.
The envelope signal is fed to the voltage
to current converter, T1, (via R3, P2, and
R5) for the frequency modulation and to
pin 1 of IC3 for the amplitude modulation.
We were not satisfied with just the illusion
of amplitude modulation so even with no
trigger input the frequency of oscillator
IC3 is within the audible range. If this
were not the case envelopes with a small

1
15V
O
CLK
cal
0 C7 63 V

-1I-
477. 7

DI '3
3 a Cc C6

1N4148
02
C2
3130
Cr DI 00
2 oo'1 5 IC3
2206
1N4148

BC 547

R53 = 30,-
63 V
Ca C=
Ir 73
75056 1
0

6-32
2 disco drum
amplitude would not even be able to trig-
ger the oscillator, or, strictly speaking, to
make it rise above the sub -audio range.
The lowest frequency is set by biasing the
base of T1 with P3, the minimum ampli-
tude is decided by tuning preset P4 so
that no output signal is seen from IC3
after the envelope has decayed com-
pletely.
The two inputs
So far we have avoided mentioning the
source of the trigger pulses that are ap-
plied to the input. This could be a se-
quencer, a rhythm box, a synthesizer
keyboard, ... or any one of a long list of
equipment capable of providing the
(0 ... 15 V) positive pulse required by the
circuit. The pulse provided by the '0' or
'S' outputs of the metronome published in
the November 1983 issue of Elektor is
another suitable possibility. If this is used
the values of C2 and C3 in the metronome
must be increased to about 470 n to en-
sure that the pulses are long enough to
charge CI (in the disco drum) completely.
A drum would not be a drum without hav-
ing something to hit. With this in mind our
demon drum designer came up with the
piezo-percussion instrument shown in
figure 2. This consists of a disc of
plywood about 20 cm in diameter, a thick
sheet of rubber to cushion the blows, and
a piezo electric buzzer which in this case
acts as a pressure sensor. The buzzer sup-
plies pulses to ICI with an amplitude pro-
portional to the intensity of the blow. This
signal should only be used when a fre-
elektor june 1984
Figure 2. A 'drum pad'
can be made using a
piezo electric buzzer as a
pressure sensor (CI, an
ordinary sheet of
plywood (13). and a sheet
of thick rubber (Al. In
spite of its simplicity this
'instrument' is quite sen-
sitive to changes in the
intensity of the blow.
3
Figure 3. Just as the
calibrated pulses supplied
quency modulation proportional to the in- by a metronome, for
tensity of the blow is desired, as indicated example, provide
by the different envelopes in figure 3. A envelopes with a constant
3130 was chosen for IC1 because, at rest, amplitude, the pulses
the output of the amplifier must return to given by the drum pad in
figure 2 result in
zero to enable Cl to discharge. In the envelopes whose
same vein the leakage current of Cl is amplitudes are pro-
quite important; the smaller it is the better. portional to the intensity
For this reason a pair of 2 IF non - of the blows.
electrolytic capacitors in parallel are to be
favoured over a single 4.7 pF electrolytic.
When we finished our electronic drum we
decided that the best way to test it was to
ask some famous drummer to try it out.
No expense was spared (!) and we eventu-
ally managed to get hold of the resident
group at the Muppet Theater, Doctor
Teeth and his Electric Mayhem Orchestra.
The drummer. Animal, sat in front of the
drum and then it seemed as if all Hell
broke loose. A couple of hours later Doc-
tor Teeth came to talk to us. 'Hey, man, I'm
sorry about your drum but Animal says it
not only sounds good, it tastes good as
14
6-33
daisywheel typewriter Sooner or later every serious computer user feels the need for a
printer interface
elektor June 1984 printer. A look at the price and a quick check of the bank balance
generally causes a state of gloom to set in with a lot of programming
time being spent humming verses of Blaise Pascal's not -so -well-
known ode 'Oh, for a little printer'. Now, however, there is a cure for
this condition. Most electronic typewriters have a keyboard laid out
as a matrix which is controlled by means of software. All that is
an inexpensive needed, then, is to tap into the output of the matrix and feed in the
codes for the characters to be printed and the machine will recognize
high quality them just as if the same key has been pressed. The best part of all is
computer that this does not even require any drastic modifications to the
printer existing circuit.

daisywheel typewriter
printer interface
Certain electronic typewriters that have
appeared recently are equipped with an
interface for a computer (such as an
RS232C, Centronics, IEC, and so on).
These are of no interest to us as they do
not need any adapting, provided the inter-
face chosen is the right one. There are
others which, although electronic, are not
intended to be controlled by a micro com-
puter. Many of these, however, have a suf-
ficiently good quality to price ratio to
make them a sound proposition for
modification to a high -quality printer for a
computer system, even if it already has a
dot-matrix printer. First, of course, there is
the little matter of an interface, but that
need no longer be a worry. We have
designed a Centronics interface for a cer-
tain type of electronic typewriter and it is
versatile enough so that it could relatively
easily be modified for other types of
machines.
The machine we chose is the Smith
Corona EC1100 portable electronic type-
writer, mainly because it is a simple,
robust, machine with a good quality to
price ratio and it is quite freely available.
It is a daisywheel machine and, as we
have already made clear, it serves as a
reference here rather than being the only
Table 1. An example of
how the eight lowest ad- Table 1
dress lines of EPROM IC1
are encoded.
Matrix EPROM
Y7 Y6 Y5 Y4 Y3 Y2 Y1 YO
A3 A2 Al AO
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
I t 0 I 0 1 0 E
t ° 1 0 0 1
/ 0 1 0 0 0
0 B
0 0
1 1
typewriter for which this interface can be
used.
Simulating the matrix decoding
As figure 1 shows, the keys are arranged
in a matrix of 8 x 9 lines which the pro-
cessor in the typewriter (an 8039) will
decode by sweeping it with a 2 ms
positive pulse. When a key is pressed the
pulse applied to one of the input lines of
the matrix (columns YO ... Y8) reappears
at one of the output lines (rows AO ... A7)
and the cross-reference thus obtained tells
the processor which key was pressed.
Our modification must therefore place the
code corresponding to the character to
be printed on output lines A. To do this
the ASCII code for the character must be
combined with the input code to the
matrix (YO ... Y8) generated by the pro-
cessor to form an EPROM address con-
taining the exact same data that would be
present on lines AO ... A7 if the key for
the same character were pressed. This
means that the keyboard does not have to
be modified at all and can be used nor-
mally. An example of this procedure (for
the ASCII character 'P') is given in table 2
and we will return to this later.
Moving on to the circuit diagram of figure
2, we see that only a few ICs are needed.
The most essential one is. of course, IC1, a
2716 EPROM, whose data outputs are con-
nected to the A7 ... AO lines of the matrix.
The diodes, Dl ... D8. are included to en-
sure that the existing keyboard can still be
F
used when the interface is connected. Ad-
dress lines A10 ... A4 receive the seven -
D bit ASCII code for the character that is to
C be printed from the computer via its Cen-

0 A
tronics output (D6 ... DO). The four re-
0'0
1

1'0 0 0 1 9 maining address lines, A3 ... AO, receive

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 the code generated by IC8 (a 10 to 4 line
A7 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 Al AO BCD encoder). This is the BCD equivalent
of the input code to the matrix (Y7 ... YO)
6-34
Table 2 daisywheel typewriter
printer interface
elektor june 1984

EPROM IC1: addresses EPROM IC1: data

A10A9 A8 Al A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 Al AO D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 DO
101 1 0 1 0 0 0 0, 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Table 2. An example of
how the EPROM is ad-
ASCII code Y2 (OAHex) line A4 of the dressed for a given ASCII
50Hex (131 matrix is active code (for the character
'Pl. The address is 50HEx
and the data is 10HEx.
that is inverted by N5 ... N12 so that the register of the typewriter keyboard. Line
40147 will accept it. This conversion is in- KBII can only be activated by the pro-
dicated in table I, the left side of which cessor when line Y8 is active because of
contains the configuration of the matrix the presence of N3. This signal gives ac-
lines showing the positive pulse (the '1') cess to several special characters, further
sweeping the lines. The right side of the details of which can be found in the Smith Table 3
table is the resultant codes output from Corona user's manual.
IC8, which are, of course, in negative AO: 01
Al : 02
logic (so '1' is 0 V and '0' is +5 V). A A2: 04
specific example, outputting the code cor- Timing the signals A3: 08
responding to the character `P', is given in For the CR signal we must move on to the A4: 10
table 2. The key for this character is timing of the signals. We also have to start A5: 20
number 29 and when pressed it links Y5 A6: 40
by taking a step backwards to the moment A7: 80
to A4. The BCD code corresponding to when the data appeared at the Centronics
the matrix configuration when the pro- output of the micro computer. When the
cessor is scanning line Y5 is AHEx. Thus data is valid the processor outputs a Table 3. These are the
the EPROM address containing the data negative strobe pulse. This pulse triggers only matrix output codes
corresponding to the ASCII character 'P' monostable MMVI whose output pulse possible as only one line
at a time can be active.
is constituted by codes 50FiEx (ASCII `P') (set with P1) is about 100 ms. The BUSY
and AHEx. The data must be programmed line is then activated, via N2, preventing
such that line A4 in the matrix is activated; the micro computer from sending any
i.e. with 10HEX new data to the Centronics port. This
The second EPROM, IC2, is needed for a results in a printing speed of about nine
few specific functions: shift, keyboard II characters per second. Simultaneously
(KBII), and carriage return (CR). The SHIFT MMV2 produces a pulse of about 50 ms
A line is activated every time an ASCII which delays the enabling (OE) of IC1 so
code output by the micro computer cor- that the codes for SHIFT, KBII, and CR
responds to a character in the upper given by IC2 always appear a fraction of a
Figure 1. The keyboard
1 matrix is connected to
the main printed circuit
board of the Smith
Corona EC 1100 by means
of two connectors:
41)1.
85 5( I"( 85:20). 39 ' 28 112. CONE 2 where we find
the pulse that sweeps the
141: efel ef'fa es(3 '431 r 16
keyboard to detect any
key that is pressed, and
CONE 1 CONE 1 to which we

AD too
47° 411 ere fie 14: 4 Ft: T: apply a code simulating
the pressing of the key
Al 90 corresponding to the
A2 80 /111131/41; °SE( 0.5:10 (.1112 8 64 character to be printed.
A3 70 These two connectors are
Aa 6 easily located on the
AE 50 a'Cr.
7 46 151.7 44: ,2)7 1/211: 06: typewriter's printed cir-
AS 40
A7 30 cuit board.
5V 20 1419. 8.91: OS:83fr "16. d?1fr 411:3P0 Cele
LED I

dfie
W6lfi3 49 lefila 22 ac25 ff?2.
iN 33 AUX

62 4.1 11(1 atC2f: 17;?: PR: OPP 11)11:

W4e\'
\y
REPEAT -

840551

CONE 2 0000..0 .1 0

6-35
daisywheel typewriter
printer interface
elektor june 1984
Figure 2. The Centronics
interface is branched
parallel to the existing
keyboard and simulates a
key being pressed by ap-
second before those output by ICI.
The CR pulse poses a particular problem Construction and fitting
as no character may be either received or Building this project is greatly simplified
printed while the carriage is on the return by using the printed circuit board design
journey - unlike a printer the typewriter shown in figure 3. As usual, it is a good
is not bidirectional. This is why the CR idea to fit the wire links first to ensure that
signal resulting from the ODHEX code ap- they will not be forgotten. The EPROMs
plied to ICI and IC2 controls a third should be mounted in good quality
monostable to activate the BUSY line for sockets, especially if the typewriter used
the duration of the carriage return. is not the EC 1100 as these ICs will then
Capacitor C4 in the time base of IC7 probably have to be removed several
charges to a certain extent depending on times until the coding is fully correct. As
the time between two CR pulses so that the layout of the printed circuit board in-
the duration of the carriage return is pro- dicates, the mounting point have been
portional to the number of characters in provided to be compatible with the case
the line ended by the ODHEx code. of the typewriter. To connect the interface
The typewriter automatically performs a to the typewriter a pair of 10 and 12 pin
line feed (OFHEX) after a carriage return. male and female connectors will be
Computers generally follow a ODD (CR) needed, as shown in figure 4. These are
with a OFHEX (LF) which gives two line not strictly essential, however, as the cable
feeds instead of one unless the OFHEX could simply be soldered at the ap-
code is suppressed in EPROM ICI, as we propriate points on the Smith Corona's
have done. This saves the trouble of printed circuit board, marked CONE I
having to suppress it in the computer. As and CONE 2. The type of connection
we did not want to lose the line feed func- used for the Centronics input is left to
tion completely it is assigned the code your own initiative as it must be modified
OFHEX (CTL-O). to what is needed.
The RC network made up of R7 and CIO The supply voltage for the interface is
is used to convert the BUSY signal (active tapped from the typewriter itself (pin 2 of
logic high) to an ACK signal (active on the CONE 1 = +5 V). A ground connection
falling edge) which some Centronics inter- must be made between point '0' near C7
faces require. on the printed circuit board of figure 3
2
5V

plying the pulse that ap- Pt

pears at one of the input 470%

lines (YO WU of the iD

40t
matrix to one of the out- 10., M e.
put lines (AO ... A7). CI
2 4.0.8 19 R
_le,
la
- /T.

WW1 /09V2
Potentiometer P1 should .4704 3- -C 0 1.990/.
be adjusted to give the iR

maximum possible print-

ing speed without the STE

typewriter failing to print

any of the characters
properly.
The interferance
threshold can be greatly
improved by connecting
5(
154148 ®
lines DO... D6 in the 241
-L
5v 02H coNE,
Centronics socket to
earth via 10 k resistors. 9 04
22
AN_

The interface is then 'off'

72
4.3
IT
CO
"H I --T-Tra41
0_
CONE 2 05 u'1
when there are no signals -c 1 AS
4 6 S
_Ic
7
-07 53
1C1 E as
present. V 2716 Dm LS °
S
05
6-
70 ; 7 2C
34 .
"H
:0-174
:o "C -0147
4542
:/1

-01 -452VO

.70 .co C act_ 42.09

SV

44.6 77I2.20 O
sre De

et0 III!
5v

80
IC2
2716
ti3 IC7
7555

1C4 ICS ICE

T'
'toe (1) OCO 04
D.

141.11/1.1.9V2 = IC3 = 4098: 4528

5V NI 53=s.IC4 = 4093
_

13 3 N4._. 505117412 = ICS = 4049

154148 57._.510513= IC6 = 4049

6-36
 daisywheel typewriter
3 printer interface
elektor june 1984

Parts list
Resistors:
RI = 390k
R2 = 470k
R3,R7 = 10k
R4 = 1M2
R5 = 270k
R6 = 47k
P1 = 470k preset

Capacitors:
CI = 470n
C2 = 220n
C3,C5 = 10n
C4 = 4p7/16 V
C6 . C9 = 100n
C10 = 22n

Semiconductors:
Di ... Dli = 1N4148
IC1,1C2 = 2716
1C3 = 4098. 4528
1C4 = 4093
IC5,1C6 = 4049
IC7 = 7555
IC8 = 40147

Miscellaneous:
Smith Corona EC 1100
electronic daisywheel
typewriter
Optional:
2.5 mm connectors, one off
each male 10 pin, female
10 pin, male 12 pin, female
12 pin, such as Molex
5267-10a, 5264-10,
5267-12a, 5264-12.

Figure 3. The printed cir-

and the GND point near CONE 6 (the
supply connector). The current consump-
tion of the interface is about 150 mA,
which the existing supply can provide
without any problem.
When you pick up the EC 1100 to start to
modify it one of the first things you will
note is the lack of any type of screw
holding the two halves of the case
together. As with most such problems,
separating the halves of the case to get at
cuit board was carefully
designed so that it can be
mounted in the machine
beside the existing board,
so it simply has to be
fixed in position with
three screws. Links to
CONE 1 and CONE 2
could be made in the
manner indicated in
figure 4. Don't forget the
connection to ground.
the innards is easy once you know how.
The top part of the case is fitted with
several plastic clips which mate with
grooves in the bottom half so to separate
the two the sides of the top must be
pressed and lifted to release the clips.
Programming the EPROMs
We have purposely left the programming
of the EPROMs until last. This part of the
6-37
daisywheel typewriter
printer interface 4
elektor june 1984

existing
connectors

Figure 4. Connection to
the Centronics interface
is simplified by using the keyboard
same type of connectors
as the machine already new
uses for CONE 1 and connectors
CONE 2. The new con-
nectors are mounted on a
piece of veroboard to
which the cable for the
interface is also con- interface
nected. The diagram is
duplicated once with a
pair of 10 pin connectors
and once with 12 pin
connectors.
Table 4.
key rt-o. addtess 4.343 45 313E1 7 MF 10 43C 04 24 54C
40 9 3CF 8 36F 20 44C 02 26 55C
31 218
228 02 14 30E 9 37F 40 450 40 52 56C
Z3F ee 10 2E8 10 33F 83 46C 01 21 570
6
24F os 33 3FA 11 39E 01 47C TO 50 530
0
256 °a 5EF 088 20 488 01 25 a3C
58 46
40 40E 208 40 499 10 49 EA 0
26F
10 27F so 7 808 445 03
11 25E 01 4 OF9 31 585 40 464 CC

Ma 009 46 5DE 10 4CA Da

Table 4. The contents of 12 40
089 3 7CF 01 404 04
3 2AF 01
EPROM Mt 2BE 789 13 788 83 4E13 04
12 306 13 708 20 4F4 01
55 2CE
204 3 31F 32 7E9 01 504 10
Table 5. This is the data 30 20
0$ 4 32F 32 5C9 01 51D 01
57 288
stored in EPROM IC2. All 7FF 5 33f 36 Sill 02 52D 93
34f 53 428 02 530
addresses not mentioned 45 3A L., 20 6 TO

contain 01HEx.
Table 5.
0000 : 01 0106: 01 D200: 01 D300: 01 D408: 00 D500: 00 0600: 01 0700: 01
D010: 01 D110: 01 0210: 00 D310: 01 0410: 00 0510: 00 D610: 01 0710: 01
0026: 01 D120: 01 0220: 00 0320: 01 0426: 80 0520: 00 0620: 01 0720: 01
D630: 01 0130: 01 0230: 02 0330: 01 0438: 00 0530: 00 0630: 01 0730: 01
D040: 01 0146: 01 D240: 00 0346: 01 D440: 00 0540: 00 0640: 01 0740: 01
0050: 01 0150: 01 0250: 00 0350: 01 0450: 06 0550: 00 04'50: 01 0758-: 01
D0_0: 01 0160: 01 0260: 00 0360: 01 0466: 00 0560: 60 0660: 01 0760: 0 i
0070: 01 0170: 01 D270: 00 D370: 01 04713: 00 0570: 00 0670: 01 0770: 01
DOA@ : 01 D180: 131 D280 : 00 0380: 01 D480: 08 0580: 00 D680: 01 0780 : 01
00-7/0 : 01 0190: 01 0290: 00 0390: 01 0490: 00 0590: 08 D690: 01 0790: 01
00f:10 : 01 lAt.1 : 01 02P10 : 00 D3A0: 06 04A0: 00 D5A0 : 00 06140 : 01 D7A0 : 01
D080: 01 0180: 01 0280: 00 0380: 01 0486: 80 0580: 01 0680: 1 0780 : 00
DO C0: 01 D1CO: 01 D2CO: 81 03C0: 02 D4C0 : 00 D5C0 : 01 D6C0 : 81 0700:
0000: 0 01013: 01 0200: 61 0300: 01 0400: 00 0500: 01 0600: 1 0700: 01
DO E0 : 01 DlEO: 01 D2E0: 01 03E0: 62 04E0: 00 05E0: 00 06E0: 01 D7E0: 00
08F6: 01 D1F0: 01 D2FO: 06 D3FO: 00 D4FO: 00 D5FO: 01 06F0: 01 07F6: 01

5
E
* 1
11, 2 /3 S#
66
&< > Y4
3
=
BS
24 35 46 57 79 8 9 ti
"o 1 3 10 12 1443 18
66

R23 T24
18 19
[ 0. 21 E22 25 U28 27 026 29 30 E 31

67 13 1/3
A S37 D38 F G5, K43 L44
s 34 35 38 39 Hal J42 1 AS 48 2/3 32

0/
0

48 49
X
50
C V
52
B53 N
54
M55 57 thse 35 55
35
6790n,21,,

41 62 63 64 844P -A. 5

Figure 5. The keys have

the normal QWERTY
layout and some have
three functions, which
are dealt with in the
user's manual. The
numbering of the keys
corresponds to that in the
matrix of figure 1.
project may seem somewhat illogical due can be programmed by the user himself
to the layout of the keys and their pos- or may be purchased pre-programmed
itions in the matrix (as figure 5 shows). In from Technomatic Ltd.
EPROM IC2 only one sixteenth of the Finally, a quick recap of the commands
memory space is filled as the first four ad- recognised and executed by the machine:
dress lines are not used. The table cor- CTL-K (OBHEX) = VT, CTL-H (08HED =
responding to the contents of EPROM IC1 BS, DEL (7FHEX) = erase, and CTL-O
is arranged according to the ASCII codes (OFHEX) = LF instead of the usual CTL-J.
(which are not indicated). These EPROMs 14

6-38
The anemometer featured in our October 1983 issue contains a maximum and minimum
memory which stores the minimum and maximum windspeeds memory
elektor june 1984
measured in the form of positive analogue voltages. A simple
addition can make this memory store negative values also. The
resulting maximum and minimum memory is suitable for a number of
applications. As an example of these we describe an electronic
version of Six's famous thermometer; other possibilities are. left to
your own ingenuity and imagination.

maximum and minimum

memory
The amateur meteorologists among you our October 1983 issue. analogue
were no doubt delighted with the anem- The memory of the anemometer stores
ometer and wind direction indicator two voltages between 0 V and 1 V, of voltages
published in our October 1983 and which one represents the highest remembered . .
January 1984 issues respectively. Your recorded windspeed, and the other the
weather station can now be augmented lowest. As these values are continuously . digitally!
. .

with an electronic maximum and minimum
thermometer. Such a thermometer, using
alcohol instead of electronics, was in-
vented by the British physicist Six. It
enables the recording of both the highest
and the lowest temperatures reached
since the thermometer was set.
The circuit
Only a synopsis of the circuit is given
here as a detailed description appeared in
compared with the current windspeed,
they are always up to date. The attraction
and usefulness of such circuits is their
facility for retaining analogue values for a
long time. The actual storing takes place
in digital form in a binary counter. Before
the content of the store can be compared
with the current value, it is changed into
an analogue voltage by a digital to analog
converter. Whether the memory is up-
dated or not depends on the result of the
comparison.

.1

I-- T

5V® IS) IX.

Kr sal
ale VI CI
1.4 Lk

C., Figure 1. The circuit of

P3
1k the memory which is
almost identical to that of
the anemometer. The
R19
earth potential at pins 2
of IC9 and 3 of IC4
A6 = IC12 = 741
5V respectively is shifted by
8406.11 A6 which enables
negative voltages to be
processed.

6-39
maximum and minimum
memory
elektor june 1984
IC2
LM335
adj_ I I
IC2
LM335
Figure 2. The temperature
sensor in which P1 sets
the output voltage at 0 V
for 0 °C. The adjustment
terminal of the LM335 is
not used.
Figure 3. Only a few
modifications are necess-
ary to the printed -circuit
board: two breaks and
three extra connections.
The wire bridge along C9
and R16 should be
omitted.
6-40
2 The actual value preset by P3 is somewhat
05V
Ut
10 m1//'C
0 is a type LM335 which converts changes
R
IC1
84060-2
5V
The memory must, however, be expanded
to make it usable with negative input
voltages. The temperature sensing unit
can be calibrated to give an output
voltage of 0 V at an ambient temperature
of 0 °C. Temperatures above 0 °C result in
positive voltages, those below in negative
voltages. In the circuit described, the in-
put voltage range can be set between
-1V and +1 V.
The circuit of the augmented memory is
given in figure 1, which shows that the ad-
ditional stage consists of an operational
amplifier, A6, and associated components.
The opamp, which functions as a voltage
follower with unity gain, is powered by
the existing symmetrical ±5 V supply. The
values of R18, P3, and R19 are necessary to
3 the output of A6 lies between -1 V and
enable the output voltage of A6 to be
preset somewhere between 0 V and -1 V.
more negative than that representing the
lowest expected temperature. The func-
tion of A6 is to shift the earth potential of
the D/A converter IC9, current/voltage
converter A5, and the measuring instru-
ment to the preset value.
The other addition is, of course, the tem-
perature sensor, the circuit of which is
shown in figure 2. The sensing unit, IC2,
in temperature into voltage variations. Its
temperature/voltage slope is 10 mV/K in
the range -40 °C ... +100 'C. The output
of IC2 is fed to opamp IC1 which arranges
for the output voltage to be 0 V at an am-
bient temperature of 0 °C. Output voltage
Ut is then related to the ambient
temperature at 10 mV/°C provided that the
output of A6 can really go down to -1 V.
This is guaranteed as long as R4, R5 and
R6 are high -stability (1%) metal -film
resistors, and P3 has been adjusted
correctly.
Construction and calibration
The printed circuit used is identical to that
of the anemometer (EPS 83103-1), which is
constructed as described in the anemo-
meter article, with the exception of the
wire bridge alongside C9 and R16. Instead
of this, break the earth connections of pin
2 of IC9 and pin 3 of IC4 and wire these
pins, together with junction C9/R5, to the
output (pin 6) of ICl2. The circuit around
this opamp, and, for that matter, the one of
the temperature sensor, is so small that it
is best built on a small piece of wiring
(Vero) board.
Start the calibration by adjusting P3 so that
0 V as required; normally, this will be
-400 mV, corresponding to an ambient
temperature of -40 °C. Then adjust P2 to
give +1 V (+100 °C), measured with a
digital multimeter, at the junction
R16/R4/C9. It may be necessary to
enlarge R16 slightly to achieve this result.
The setting of P1 and the value of R17 are
both dependent on the measuring instru-
ment and its scale. They have to be
set/computed on the assumption that the
voltage at T is 10 mV/°C.
It is interesting to connect a digital multi -
meter between 'f and earth, because that
instrument can read negative voltages. A
temperature below 0 °C will therefore be
indicated as such. The same can, of
course, be achieved with a centre -zero
meter which has been calibrated from
-40 °C to +40 °C.
Finally, adjust PI in the sensing circuit to
give a voltage of 0 V at pin 6 of IC1 at an
ambient temperature of 0 °C. If you want
to avoid working with ice cubes, you may
adjust P1 to give a voltage of 2.730 V at its
wiper, measured with a digital voltmeter.
elektor June 1984

analytical video
display
(May 1984, page 5.31)
We regret that line - 15 has
fallen out of Table 2 on
page 5-35; this line reads:
15 10101 150 1 0 1 0 0 0 51 blue
Also, the end of line - 14
should read: 50 blue.

6-41
 elekior June 1984

DANGER! Ultra -violet light is harmful to your eyes, so

PC board pages when working with a mercury vapour lamp, wear some
form of effective eye protection.

The following pages contain the
mirror images of the track layout of
the pc boards relating to projects
featured in this issue to enable you to
etch your ovm boards. To do this, you
require an aerosol of 'ISOdraft'
transparentizer (distributors for the
UK: Cannon & Wrin, 68 High St.,
Chislehurst, Kent, 01 467 0935, who
will supply the name and address of
printed side onto the wet board.
Remove any air bubbles by carefully
'ironing' the cut-out with some tissue.
paper.
The whole can now be exposed to
ultra -violet light. Use a glass plate
for holding the layout in place only
for long exposure times, as normally
the spray ensures that the paper sticks
to the board. Bear in mind that normal
should normally be sufficient.
After exposure. remove the layout
sheet (which can be used again).
and rinse the board thoroughly under
running water.
After the photo -sensitive film has
been developed in a sodium hydrox-
ide solution (about 9 grammes of
caustic soda to one litre of water) for
no more than 2.2 . . 3 mins at 20-C,
.

your local stockist on request), a mer-
cury vapour lamp, sodium hydroxide
(caustic soda), ferric chloride, positive
photo -sensitive board material (which
can be either bought or home made by
applying a film of photo -copying
lacquer to normal board material).
Wet the photo -sensitive (track) side
of the board thoroughly with the
transparent spray.
Lay the layout cut from the relevant
page of this magazine with its
CN1
plate glass (but not crystal glass or
perspex) absorbs some of the ultra-
violet light so that the exposure time
has to be increased slightly.
The exposure time is dependent
upon the ultra -violet lamp used.
the distance of the lamp from the
board, and the photo -sensitive board.
If you use a 300 watt UV lamp at a
distance of about 40 cm from the
board and a sheet of perspex, an
exposure time of 4 . .. 8 minutes
the board can be etched in ferric
chloride (500 grammes of FeC13 to
one litre of water). Then rinse the
board (and your hands!) thoroughly
under running water. It is advisable to
wear rubber or plastic gloves when
working with caustic soda or ferric
chloride solutions.
Remove the photo -sensitive film
from the copper tracks with wire
wool and drill the holes.

0
CO

O
10

6-42
elektor June 1984

PC board pages

f.m. wireless microphone 84063 portable distress signal 84048

.\k -°;Q sie g -.%?CF

5 4 -r: Fs) I
.41
P-0

.. .. .... - of.
.. e
41141

_
0
ai
w we :w
S..
4101P.

: :
daisywheel typewriter
printer interface 84055

ZX extensions 84054

6.43
 elektor June 1984

PC board pages

6-44
 lead -acid battery charger
elektor june 1984

....
....
r
...... ... ..
-

lead -acid battery charger

The lead -acid battery has improved so much in recent years that it
can often be a good and less expensive substitute for the popular
NiCad battery. A special charger is required, however, as the lead -
acid battery must be charged at a constant voltage rather than
constant current. The charger described in this article uses one of
two charging voltages automatically selected depending on the
current flowing through the battery. In this way we get an optimal
compromise between short charging time and long battery life.

What springs to most people's minds
when the lead -acid battery is mentioned is
the automotive version. That is a heavy
box full of acid providing the energy to
start the car and needing occasional
maintenance to keep it healthy. Lead -acid
batteries are also used for a multitude of
other applications, such as large torches,
small cordless household appliances,
models, and, of course, as an emergency
supply for important equipment in case of
mains failure.
The modern lead -acid battery is available
in all shapes and sizes. There are even
gas -tight versions enabling the lead -acid
battery to be used in many applications as
a replacement for the commonly used
NiCad battery.
The lead -acid battery has a few important
advantages over its NiCad counterpart,
especially if the current requirement is
fairly high. Its energy capacity is much
greater than the NiCad's, and the same
can be said of its output. The lead -acid
battery's greatest strength is the large
number of charging and discharging
cycles possible relative to the low pur-
chase price (compared to the NiCad).
The lead -acid battery must be charged in
a completely different way than the NiCad
equivalent. The latter requires a constant a two -stage
charging current whereas the former
needs a constant voltage. The battery then design to
controls the charging current itself so that enable fast
the minimum of gases are generated. The
difference between these two methods of charging
charging is shown in figure 1. without
The charging voltage of a lead -acid bat-
tery is largely responsible for its lifespan. reducing the
It should be noted, in passing. that the life battery's
of a completely discharged lead -acid bat-
tery is only a few weeks, so it is a very lifespan
bad idea to simply leave a battery
discharged. Using a high charging voltage
gives a short charging time but also a
short lifespan, while a low charging
voltage results in a long charge time and
long lifespan. To give you an idea of the
values we are talking about here, a
General Electric gas -tight lead -acid bat-
tery has a lifespan of three years with a
`high' charging voltage of 2.45 V per cell.
It is then charged to 95% of nominal
capacity in eight hours. A 'low' voltage
charge at 2.30 V per cell increases the
lifespan to eight years (provided the bat-
tery is continuously connected to the
charger) but the time needed to charge is
then fifteen hours (see figure 2). The im-
portance of the charging voltage is ap-
6-45
lead -acid battery charger
elektor june 1984
Figure 1. Graph a shows
the curves for the
voltage, internal pressure
and temperature of a
lead -acid battery charged
at constant current. If a
constant voltage charge
is used (characteristic bl
the curves for pressure
and temperature are
much better as no over-
charging then occurs.
Figure 2. This graph clear-
ly shows the effect of
charging voltage on the
battery's lifespan.
6 -46
la2
4> --
2.6 .01
li
4
of Y>-4-
35 -4- S30
12 E. L A thyristor and a resistor (and a normally
. 23
Ie I.. ro I 00
oulaz aru8;ta Set .10.6 00C521
5,A,4 q CPMPS2
parent by the fact that the difference bet-
ween the two voltages is only 0.15 V.
The lead -acid battery charger must make
some sort of compromise between charg-
ing time and lifespan. The voltage at the
last part of the charging cycle is es-
pecially important for the battery's
lifespan. If the current is too large it will
cause a deterioration in the lead grid to
which the active pan of the battery is
fixed. A lower charging voltage will make
the current correspondingly smaller so
there will be less deterioration. This is
particularly important if the battery is
nearly always connected to the charger.
The solution for this is a charger that
adapts the voltage to the current flowing
through the battery. The lead -acid battery
charger described here uses a two -stage
system in which the charger itself
switches from high to low voltage when
the charging current falls below a
previously set value. The circuit is not
only suitable for normal charging but can
also be used for applications where the
battery is generally on stand-by.
The charger
Even though the operation may sound
somewhat complicated the circuit is quite
simple and. as figure 3 shows. only con-
tains 16 components. It is based on an
2 the other for a 6 V version of the circuit.
T
LM 317 voltage regulator (ICI) which en-
sures that the voltage at the output is con-
stant. This voltage is initially defined by
voltage divider R5/R6 + P2. The low
voltage that decides the current in the
second pan of the charging cycle is set
with preset P2.
closed push button) are connected
paiallel to R6 and P2. When the thyristor
conducts R4 is switched in parallel with
;CO
;30
R6 + P2 so that the output voltage drops
somewhat (this is the second part of the
84010-1.
charging cycle). The moment that Thl trig-
gers depends on the output current. This
is the reason why resistor R7 is connected
in the zero voltage line. The gate of the
thyristor is connected to the output
voltage of ICI via R2, Rl, and Pl. If the
charging current is fairly large the voltage
drop across R7 keeps the potential dif-
ference between gate and cathode too
64070-1 low to trigger the thyristor (the voltage
across R7 is negative with respect to that
across RI + P1 so the gate -cathode voltage
is URI + P1 - UR7)-
After a certain length of time the battery
is charged so far that the current has
fallen to the value set with Pl. The
thyristor is then triggered. R4 is con-
nected in parallel with R6 + P2, and the
output drops to the low voltage. As we
have already seen. the difference between
high and low voltage is quite small at
about 0.15 V per cell. When the output
voltage is the low value LED D3 will light.
In order to prevent the thyristor from be-
ing triggered as soon as the circuit is
powered up. but with the battery not yet
connected, a push button, SI. is included.
After connecting the mains supply and
the battery. SI is pressed causing the high
voltage to appear at the output and a
'large' current to flow through R7. The
push button is then released and Thl re-
mains off as long as the current through
R7 stays high enough.
The charging current can be measured by
connecting a meter in parallel with R7.
This is indicated with dotted lines in
figure 3.
Calibration and use
This circuit is easily constructed on a
piece of Veroboard. Some of the com-
ponents in the diagram have two values,
one of which (marked with an asterisk)
should be used for the 12 V version and
The IC must be mounted on a heatsink as
it tends to get rather warm. The value of
resistor R7 depends on the capacity of the
batteries that are to be charged. as we
will see shortly.
The circuit must be supplied with a rec-
tified and smoothed voltage of at least 3 V
more than the output voltage from the
regulator. The supply used must be able
to provide at least 1/10 of the current
capacity of the battery but this should not
be more than about 1.5 A as this is the
84010 2
value at which the LM 317's internal cur-
rent limiting comes into action. This cur -
 rent limiting does depend on the exact 3 lead -acid battery charger
type of regulator used; for the LM 317K or elektor June 1984
LM 317T it is 1.5 A but for LM 317H or LM 317T/
LM 317MP LM317H
LM 317M the current is limited at 0.5 A.
The value of resistor R7 is calculated from
the formula: R7 = 0.3 Wiswitching The
switching current (or, the current at which
the circuit switches from high to low
voltage charging - which seemed a bit
long to put in a formula) can be set to any
value. A good compromise would be a
current that is 1/10 or 1/20 of the nominal
battery capacity (see figure 4).
The circuit must now be calibrated with
the power switched on but without any
battery connected. If everything is work-
ing the thyristor will conduct and D3 light.
Connect an accurate, preferably digital,
meter onto the output and set P2 until the
meter reads exactly the number of cells
multiplied by 2.3 volts. Three cells need
6.90 V and six cells give a value of 13.8 V.
Press SI and keep it pressed. Now
measure the output voltage, which must
be the number of cells times 2.45 volts
(7.35 V for 3 cells and 14.7 V for 6 cells). If
the voltage is not close to this value the
resistance of R4 may have to be changed
and P2 then readjusted. The final adjust-
ment is to set the switching point with
preset P1. The most obvious method of TIC 106 84070-3
doing this is to connect a partly dis-
charged battery to the charger. Rotate the
wiper of PI completely towards RI and
then press SI to start high -voltage charg- Figure 3. The voltage out-
ing. Measure the current through the bat- put from the charger,
TO 0 A
whose circuit is shown
tery (by connecting a voltmeter across R7; here, is automatically set
I = U/R7) and check from time to time, *1.1.1t depending on the current
every half hour or so, whether the current G
flowing through the bat-
has dropped to the desired value. When tery that is being
charged. If M1 is in-
this point is reached PI must be trimmed cluded the 10 k preset
until the LED just lights. The charger is must be trimmed so that
then ready for use. M1 reads the same value
Using the circuit is very straightforward: as an ammeter connected
- Connect the supply to the charger and in either the '0' or
line to the battery under
switch on. The LED should light. charge.
- Connect the battery to the output of the
charger.
- If fast charging is desired press SI. The
LED is then not lit.
- After a certain length of time D3 lights
to indicate that the switching point has
been passed and that the charger is
charging at normal speed.
Finally, a note about the characteristics
shown in this article. In principle these
only apply for General Electric lead -acid

r 4
EDO
- 0.0.01,7

seo

ti

1.00 . stet C. C"..4f

FCP
z% %

X3

a
3 ?VC Figure 4. This gives an
batteries but most similar batteries have idea of the charging cur-
rent when a battery is
the same sort of characteristics. They are charged at a constant
only included in this article to indicate the voltage. The charger used
1 type of curves that can be expected. 1111
here had current limiting
'WE -.OAS set at 500 mA, which is
14070-4 Literature: The sealed lead battery hand- why the characteristic
book by General Electric begins where it does.

6-47
 To dispel any misgivings you may have had, we would like to start by
emphasizing that the design published here has little in common with
the 'wireless microphones' that are sometimes offered for sale. It is,
in fact, a substitute for a real professional wireless microphone. Its
miniature transmitter provides very good quality sound. The receiver
is simply a modified version of the 'personal FM' published in Elektor
in September 1983.

wireless
microphone
a high quality A wireless microphone may not seem like
a very unusual project for an electronics
FM transmitter magazine given that there are ready-made
versions fairly freely available. These are,
however, nothing more than toys, when
considering their stability and harmonic
suppression. Furthermore as they operate
in the broadcast FM band they are illegal.
Professional wireless microphones are a
completely different story, of course. They
transmit high quality sound over quite a
reasonable distance. Frequency stability,
harmonic attenuation, bandwidth, and all
other specifications are extremely good.
In Britain wireless microphones must be
licensed and have type approval from the
Department of Trade and Industry (whose
address is at the end of this article).
A wireless microphone needs a suitable
receiver and to simplify matters we used
an existing design, the 'personal FM'
radio. Admittedly, better receivers could
be imagined but the personal FM is, at
least. compact and its quality leaves little
to be desired.
The transmitter
Apart from the receiver, which is a
6-48
Specifications:
frequency range: 35 . 40 MHz
output power: 3 ... 10 mW
(E.R.P.: 0.5 . . 1.5 mW)
harmonic attenuation: 60 dB
spurious RF radiation: < -60 dB
frequency stability: better than 10 kHz
frequency sweep (bandwidth):-<;. 180 kHz
microphone signal: min. 1 mV, max. 200 mV
audio bandwidth: 40 Hz . . 15 kHz 1 ÷ 2 dB)
current consumption: 25 .. 30 mA
Rot LIR = 9 . 18 V)
separate unit, the wireless microphone
consists of two parts; a microphone cap-
sule and a transmitter. The transmitter is
often mounted within the case of a large
microphone, but an alternative is to mount
it in a separate case that fits into an inside
pocket. We chose to use this latter option.
Either electret or dynamic microphones
may be used as the microphone amplifier
is matched to different impedances by
changing only three resistors (as we will
see later).
Strictly speaking an FM transmitter needs
only an AF modulation stage, an oscillator,
an amplifier, and an output filter but we
 wireless microphone
1 elektor june 1984

Discrimi
XTO X nator LPF

455
snatching
VCO LPF
circuit

pre -
Figure 1. In order to keep
A
emphasis
the transmitter frequency
134.063-1
as stable as possible the
VCO is continuously ad-
justed by a crystal -
controlled AFC system.

have added a few extras, as the block wideband FM.

diagram of figure 1 shows. These are What this boils down to is that we must
necessary due to the fact that the fre- find some other solution. As figure 1 in-
quency deviation needed for Hi-Fi is dif- dicates we have still used a free -running
ficult to combine with the high frequency oscillator (VCO), which is modulated by
stability demanded - certainly in the case the microphone signal via an amplifier
of a miniature transmitter. A frequency and a pre -emphasis stage. This takes care
deviation of 100 or 200 kHz is easy to ar- of the frequency deviation but in order to
range with a free -running oscillator but attain 'crystal -like' stability a sort of AFC Figure 2. All the various
the stability that can then be achieved (Automatic Frequency Control) system has parts of the block
leaves a lot to be desired. If a crystal been included. This is done by putting diagram are easily
oscillator is used the opposite is the case: the oscillator into a frequency locked loop recognized in the circuit
here. The circuit can fit
the stability is then good but it is not so (FLL) in which the frequency of the VCO onto quite a small printed
easy to obtain the deviation needed for is controlled by a crystal oscillator (XTO). circuit board in spite of
its complexity.

2 9V

5V
0
R2
nl C131

4p7
63V BB 105
10n
2T3
al Li
BB 405 cto 1'3D3
C31 L7*
= RI IC16 LS 1.9

TGo
moo
BF
494
N
.111 L3* A. 8.0p
Ake, p

,-_, Li C2 * CS
4550
C29
LS

-I4-
35... i
,. "r1
GI S rim MEI 04 L.-
=IM
40 MHz
3'd OT
1
270 T3307 ['Tit
t"12-112
1
Os
2x
2x 1N4148
+I71N4148
-t 73= BF 905; BF 907; BF 981
72,74 = BF 900; BF 907; BF 981

G2

C23
1I

5V

*n. >xs

240. 5.12

6-49

3 elektor june 1984
The signals from both oscillators are fed
to a mixer (block X) and any differences
between them are noted by a frequency
discriminator from where a signal is fed
via a low-pass filter to the VCO to correct
its frequency.
The oscillator signal is then amplified,
filtered, and fed via a matching circuit to
the aerial.
The circuit
Having seen the block diagram the main
circuit diagram of figure 2 is easier to
follow. The division is roughly as follows:
the section around T5 ... T8 is for
microphone signal amplification and pre -
emphasis, T3 is the heart of the VCO, Ti is
connected as the crystal oscillator, T2
serves as the mixer, and T4 is the output
stage. As the diagram shows liberal use is
made of dual -gate MOSFETs. These have
excellent HF characteristics and a conve-
nient side -effect is that they require a
minimum of external components.
Starting with the VCO; the low capaci-
tances and small temperature rise of the
MOSFET used here give this oscillator.
even without AFC. a stability that would
never be possible with an ordinary bipolar
transistor. The oscillator circuit itself is a
modified Colpitts type circuit whereby the
condition for oscillation is that the source
of T3 is fed back to the first gate via a
capacitive tap from the L3/C8/C9 circuit.
The amplitude of the signal at this gate is
limited by diodes D6 and D7 in order to
prevent the frequency stability from being
affected by too high a voltage level.
6-50
wireless microphone
Figure 3. Small though it
is, this double -sided
printed circuit board will
not fit into most commer-
cial microphone cases.
We chose the alternative
of fitting it in a separate
case that can be carried
in a pocket. Both sides of
the board are shown on
the service pages in this
issue.
Part of the oscillator signal is fed via L4 to
gate 1 of mixer T2. The signal fed to the
other gate comes from the crystal
oscillator based on T1. This oscillator
works at a frequency 455 kHz lower than
Parts list
that of the VCO. The output signal from
the mixer should therefore have a constant - Transmitter
frequency of 455 kHz. If this is not the
case the VCO frequency has altered so it_ Resistors:
must be corrected by the AFC. To do this (all 1'8 WI
R1,R9,R14 = 47 k
the 455 kHz signal is fed to a frequency
discriminator consisting of filter FLI,
R2 = 3k3
R3,R4,R12,R17 = 10 k
diodes DI and D2, and resistors R3 and R5.137 = 100 k
R4. The frequency -dependent phase shift- R6= 220k
ing of the 455 kHz ceramic discriminator R8 = 6k8
RI0,R11,R16 = 1 k
filter is used to good effect. When the in- R13 = 12 k
put frequency differs from the ideal there R15 = 1k8
is a voltage difference across the diodes R18' = 4k7
which is converted to a control voltage by Pr = 1 M preset
means of low-pass filter R5/C7. This is Capacitors:
then used to drive varicap diode D3 in the C1` =5p6
oscillator circuit. C2* = 27 p
The output of the modulation amplifier is C3,C11 . . C14 = 10 n
also connected to the varicap. This ceramic
C4,C28 = 100 n
amplifier consists of two stages (T5, T6 C5 = 220p
and T7, T8) with pre -emphasis network C6 = 1n
R11/R12/C25 in between. The modulation C7 = 47 0/63 V
index is set by adjusting the amplification CEV.C17',C19' = 68 P
of the first stage with Pl, which is a low - C9' = 330 p
C10 = 3p9
noise preset. If the component values C15' = 20 p trimmer
given here are used the input is suitable C16`,C20* = 47 p
for (high impedance) electret micro- C18* = 15 p
phones. The values of R8. R18. and PI C21.,C22` = 80 p trimmer
must be changed for different microphone C23 = 1 0;10 V
C24 = 560 n
impedances. For a dynamic microphone C25 = 4n7
of about 500 ohm they are: R18 = 470 Q, C26,C27.C29 = 470 n
R8 = 680 2, and PI = 100 k. A limiter (C26,
C29, D4, D5) is included between the
microphone amplifier and the varicap as a
 wireless microphone
elektor june 1984

II 00 GO

*0

w ale
4

Figure 4. The screen seen

in the prototype here.
between the HF and AF
sections, can be made of
tin or copper. Its position
is indicated by a dotted
line on the printed circuit
board.

safety measure to prevent the frequency ness. Construction is simplified by mount-

swing from exceeding the maximum per- ing many of the components vertically. A
mitted value. small metal screen (indicated by the dot-
The modulated output signal from the ted line) is needed between the HF and
VCO is taken from the source of T3 to AF sections of the circuit.
Inductors:
gate I of output amplifier T4. All the har- All the coils except L4 and L10 can simply
= 20-12
L2 = 470 pH
monics in the amplified signal are then be bought. One winding of L4, namely a,
L3 = VHF coil, MC 120 carefully removed by an extensive filter is 4 turns, and b is 2 turns, of enamelled
style, no. 100078 (Ambit) network before being passed, via match- copper wire 0.3 mm in diameter (SWG 31)
1.4: a 4 turns. b = 2 ing circuit LIO/C21/C22, to the aerial. A on a ferrite bead of about 3.5 x 3.5 mm.
turns, of SWG 31 (0.3 mml telescopic aerial should be used but a
CuL on a 3.5 x 3.5 mm Inductor LIO consists of 15 turns of
ferrite bead 1 metre length of cable is also suitable. If 0.8 ... 1 mm enamelled copper wire
L5 - 1 pH the output filter is correctly set up the (SWG 19 ... 21) wound on a normal round
L6 = 4pH7 3 ... 10 mW produced by T3 results in an pencil (which is then removed, of course).
L8,L9 = 0 H33 effective radiated power (E.R.P.) of about The tap off point that connects to L9 is on
L10 = 15 turns, with a tap
on the third turn from 1 mW. the third turn from earth.
ground, of SWG 19 ... 21 The MOSFETs used are available in
11 0.8 mm) CuL various different packages (see figure 2)
wound on a normal round and there could be some confusion about
pencil Other frequencies
the various pin designations. If possible,
Semiconductors: No doubt you have been wondering what we recommend that type 'c' should be
D1,02 = AA 119 is the meaning of all the asterisks in used as this is the only one whose pins
D3 = BB 405. BB 105 figure 2. Even though it is designed for cannot be mixed.
04 . D7 - 1N4148 one frequency band this transmitter can When choosing a crystal remember that
TI = 8F494 also be used for other frequencies. With
0 T2.T4 - BF 900, 8F 907. the values stated the circuit is set to its frequency must be 455 kHz lower than
BE 981
35 ... 40 MHz but by changing the com- the desired output frequency. A transmis-
T3 - BF 905. BF 907, sion frequency of 39.7 MHz requires a
BF 981 ponents marked with an asterisk it can
T5,T7 = BC 550C work at up to 90 MHz. For frequencies crystal frequency of 39.245 MHz. A third -
T6,78 - BC 547B within 20% of the 35 ... 40 MHz range harmonic crystal must be used and it must
IC1 -- 78105
either the capacitors or the inductors in be suitable for parallel mode with 10 pF
the filters must be changed, but for other parallel capacitance. A serial -mode crystal
Miscellaneous: could possibly be used (30 pF series
FL1 = 455 kHz ceramic frequencies the values of both must be
altered. capacitance) but as this gives a frequency
discriminator, e.g. 455D
from Toko of about 2.2 kHz higher in our design the
(Ambit) crystal frequency must be reduced ac-
S1 = switch. SPST cordingly; in the example just given it
X1' = third overtone Construction now becomes 39.243 MHz.
crystal, 35 . 40 MHz The double -sided printed circuit board
_
The case used must be metal but apart
Note: = see text shown in figure 3 is a model of compact- from that the only requirement in this
6-51
wireless microphone
elektor june 1984
regard is that the aerial connection be
kept as short as possible. The supply for
the transmitter may be between 9 and
18 volts so a 9 V battery is quite sufficient.
The receiver
As we dealt with the receiver in detail in
the September 1983 issue we will keep
this section as short as possible. Very few
modifications are needed to change the
frequency range from 87.5... 104 MHz to
about 33.5 ... 40.5 MHz. The changes are
clear from the circuit diagram of figure 6.
Only LI, L2, L3, R1, R2, and C2 are given
different values and an extra LF output
6 must be licensed and therefore require
AA 119
P)
Figure 6. This test circuit 20 kn:v
is needed to enable the O Directorate of radio technology.
transmitter to be
calibrated. The meter
840532
shown could simply be
an ordinary multimeter.
6-52
can be made via C24. The sensitivity of
the receiver is about 2µV and with a
50 cm aerial the microphone signal can be
received at distances of up to 100 metres.
The receiver's intermodulation
characteristics are not really good enough
for it to be used effectively with more
than one microphone at a time.
Calibration
The microphone is tested and calibrated
as follows:
1. Check that the crystal oscillator
operates. This is done by connecting
the test circuit of figure 7 as closely as
possible to Ll/C2. If the meter deflects
the crystal oscillator is working.
2. Check the VCO by connecting the test
circuit parallel to L3. Again the meter
should deflect.
3. Check the operation of the receiver. As
the 'personal FM' also receives at the
third harmonic of its VCO a few strong FM
broadcasts should be faintly audible.
4. Inductor L3 must be set by connecting
a high -impedance probe from a fre-
quency counter to gate 1 of T4 and trim-
ming the coil to the correct frequency.
Fine-tuning is possible by connecting the
counter to the aerial output and trimming
the core of L3 until the voltage measured
with a voltmeter connected across C7 is
as low as possible (0.000 V).
4b. Adjusting L3 without a frequency
counter. This is not recommended for
anybody with a weak heart or a quick
temper because it will put a strain
both. Connect a (20 kcl/V) voltmeter
across C7 and start by winding the core of
L3 out as far as possible. By slowly turning
the core in try to find the correct
discriminator point. This point is recog-
nized by the symmetrical change in the
voltage across C7 before and after the
point in question. If the adjustment is
wrong one voltage will have a much
steeper slope than the other.
5. Adjusting C15, C21 and C22. The test
circuit of figure 7 is connected across
C20 and C15 is then trimmed to give the
maximum meter deflection. Trimmers C21
and C22 can be adjusted with a field
strength meter after the aerial has been
connected. The receiver could possibly
be used as a field strength meter if
necessary.
Wireless microphones and the
law
The most important points to note are:
Wireless microphones for use in Britain
type approval. Two frequency bands are
strictly forbidden for this purpose:
26.1... 29.7 MHz and 88 ... 108 MHz. Ap-
plications for type approval should be ad-
dressed to: 14
Department of trade and industry.
Waterloo Bridge House,
Waterloo Road,
London SEI 8UA.
6 wireless microphone
elektor june 1984
heel.//
OIL) T2 R/0
BC

R2 10 *C11.1.C12I *C111.CILL RS 2
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1181301730737730700n7307200 p505
10
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11 12 15 171 Is 11 5
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C21 549C
TOY= BC
6
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4 I 1.3
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C24 IN=
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eat of CC4Yee, on baIrd

I
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6
P1 7
#3
P2
cis
I
220n
2
1C2
LM
386
5
C23

0
1005
1
Li

C .1I. 10C5
L.'
cil C6
=ft
2 4
*C20
C imm
TO n
8
10n Mrp Tn2 ics" TOn
16V

240/36

Figure 7. It is quite easy

Parts list to modify the 'personal
FM' to act as the receiver
- Receiver C6= 1 A/6 V T3,T4 = BC 549C
for the microphone. In
EPS No.: 83087 C7,C19 = 47 n ceramic IC1 = TDA 7000 this case, however, using
C8 = 2n2 manufacturer: Philips the headphone cable as
Resistors: C9,C12 = 3n3 supplier. Technomatic Ltd.
the aerial is not recom-
IC2 = LM 386 mended.The output can
R1* = 33k C10,C13 = 180 p ceramic
be taken from the aux-
R2` = 3k3 C11,C15 = 330 p ceramic
C14 = 100 n Inductors: iliary AF output that has
R3 = 2k2 been added or it can be
R4 = 47 k C16 = 220 p ceramic L1,L2 = 1pH5
C17 = 150 n made audible by in-
R5 = 68 k L3 = OpH82 cluding an extra amplifier
R6,R9 = 10 k C18 = 220n L4 = inductance made with
C21 = 10 p/6 V (such as an LM 386) and
R7 = 100 k copper tracks on the using a loudspeaker
R8 = 18 k C22 = 220 p/10 V printed circuit board
C23 = 100 p/6 V rather than headphones.
R10 = 10Q
P1 = 10 k ten turn pot C24' = 220 n Miscellaneous:
P2 = 22 k log. pot S1* = single pole toggle
Semiconductors:
switch
Capacitors: DI = BB 105
C1 = 68 p ceramic D2 = AA 119 Note: ' = components that
C2' = 6p8 ceramic T1 = BF 494 are changed.
C3 = 4n7 ceramic T2 = BC 640
C4,C5.C20 = 10 n ceramic

rr..
1111:. *So
...
SOO %

II" 111111111:
so 111111111

woe

6-53
merging BASIC programs As a programmer's skills grow there is more and more temptation to
elektor june 1984
use scraps from different programs to make a new one. This is an
interesting idea but it is not immediately obvious how it could be put
into practice. The program given here, however, was written to do
just this. It is a utility designed for the Junior Computer with DOS
that can be adapted for other systems as long as the DOS (or BASIC)
used has an input/output distributor that allows the memory to be
considered as a peripheral device, as the Junior does.

merging BASIC programs

a utility program The purpose of the program given here is
to merge different BASIC programs or to
to merge two place them one after the other. This alone
distinct basic makes it interesting and it is doubly so as
it uses an interesting property of the
programs and Junior Computer's DOS and BASIC;
making use of namely that the memory can be used as
an input/output device. This is a
utility software characteristic that the Junior shares with
from the OS the majority of modern personal
computers.
disk 2 The distributor is a software switch which,
when programmed accordingly, allows the
workspace memory to be equated to the
conventional peripheral devices (key-
board, VDU, parallel or serial printer, etc.)
and also to the main memory, and this is
the interesting point as fas as we are con-
cerned. In the 0565D DOS system the
number of the memory as an input/output
device is 5. For any system other than the
JC's it will be necessary to refer to the
user's manual to find the information
needed to modify the program.
The distributor is managed by the DOS
but it can be used directly in BASIC. The
LIST 5 instruction, for example, causes the
BASIC file to be transferred from the
workspace ($3A7E ...), where it is in com-
pact (tokenized) form, to $8000 and from
this address on it is found in intearal
ASCII format so that it can appear as eas-
ily on a VDU screen as on a printer. Ad-
dress $8000 is set by the DOS but this can
easily be changed by the user if he so
desires.
To understand this operation it is import-
ant to know that the file is compacted in
the interpreter's workspace. The BASIC in-
structions appear there in shortened form
as indicators (tokens) or markers rather
than as a series of ASCII codes cor-
responding to the letters making up the
reserved words of the instructions. In the
normal memory, on the other hand, we
find the file in the familiar form after the
LIST 5 instruction has been executed.
The I/O distributor allows the memory to
be used as an input device just as the
keyboard is. The merging program makes
abundant use of the possibilities this
opens up.
BASIC and merging
The program given here consists of a
machine -code section (table 2) and a
BASIC part, which is where we will now

Table 1. Unlike most of
our recent software offer-
ings this program is writ-
ten in BASIC, or at least
one part of it is. This
makes the job of adapt-
ing it for systems other
than the Junior Computer
that much easier.
2060 FOPy=1T024:FRINT:NE-T
2016 PRINTTAB, 10."
2020 PPINTTA810:.'-FILE MERGE UTILITY. -
2030 FFINTT,48. 101.°
20-16 PRINT:FRINT:PRINTT.4E. 16, "written bv A. Nachtmann
2650 PPINT:PPINTTAB( 19 "feb. 19. 1984
2060 PRINT:PPINT:FRINT
2070 PRINT'Be sure that both files to be linked ha -e different line numbers.
2080 PRINT'If both files have some common line numbers boot up your system
2090 PRINT'with the RSE0 utility to renumber the lines.
2100 PRINT:INPUT'In which drive are the files to be merged A7B/C/B':Bs
2116 &.S=LEFTS,.D5.1):O=A8e-D4):IF De.ASC('A') OR. O>ASC'O') THEN2600
2120 PPINT:INPUT'enter first file name -:Fs
2130 INPUT'enter second file name'ISS
2140 PRINT:INPUT'are you ready';IS
2150 IF LEFTS(IS.1).7.)'Y' THEN2140
2160 REM ---RESET MEMORY INPUT POINTER
2170 POKE9093.0:POKE9099,128
2130 DISK!"SE A':DISK!'CA E400=12.7': DISK!'SE '+DS:DISK!'130 E481'
2196 A1=8*16'3+11: A2=8*16'3+24i16+4
2206 REM --
2210 A=A1
2220 FORX=1 TO LEN(FS>
2230 POKE A.ASNMIDSCPS.X.1,):A=A+1
2240 NEXT
2250 REM ---
2260 A=A2
2270 FOR X=1TO LEN(5t)
2280 POYEA.ASUMIOS(SS,X.1));A=A+1
2290 NEXT
2300 POKE8993.16

6-54
 merging BASIC programs
elektor june 1984

HEXDUMP:

2408:
0 1
E480,E4FF
2 3
50 4F 48 45
4 5 6
38 39 39
7 8
33 2C
9ABCD2F
31 OD OA 80 OD 8A 44 POKE8993,1
E410: 49 53 48 21 22 4C 4F 20 28 20 20 28 20 20 22 3A ISK!'LO
E420: 4C 49 53 54 23 35 OD OA 44 49 53 49 21 22 4C 4F LIST#5..DISK!'LO
E438: 28 20 20 20 20 20 20 22 3A 4C 49 53 54 23 35 OD ':LIST#5.
E440: OA 44 49 53 48 21 22 47 4F 20 45 34 35 32 =2 OD .DISK! 60 E452'.
E458: 0A 80 AE 91 23 AD 92 23 SE 66 E4 SD 67 E4 A2 68
2460: SD 00 E4 Fe 18 SD FF FF EE 66 E4 DO 03 EE 67 E4
2470: AD 66 E4 SD 91 23 AD 67 E4 SD 92 23 ES DO El 60
E480: 60 A2 00 A9 80 8E 66 E4 SD 67 24 A2 OD DO DI FF
E490: 00 FF 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF 88 FF
E4A0: 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF
E480: 80 FF 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 84 SF
E4C0: 00 FF 00 FF 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF 80 FF 80 FF 00 FF
E4De: 80 FF 00 FF 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 88 FF 00 FF
24E0: 80 FF 08 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF 00 FF ee FF Table 2. The second part
24F8: 00 FF 00 FF 80 FF 00 FF 00 FF 08 FF 08 FF EE 21 of the MERGE utility is
2500: listed in this hexdump.
This complements the
BASIC program given in
table 1.

HEx:DUMP:

2200:
0
2200.2251
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 89ABCDEF
A9 01 SD 52 26 20 BC 26 A9 2A 85 FF 20 54 27 80
Table 3. Diskette 2 from
the set of 5 supplied with
2218: FE 20 07 29 AO BF 28 EC 22 FO 63 88 DO F8 SC 00 the Ohio Scientific DOS
2228: 23 20 AC 15 20 9E OF 20 94 15 20 73 20 OD BA 2D contains a utility, RSEQ,
2238: 2D 20 44 49 53 48 20 32 20 2D 2D OD OA OA 00 4C that can be used to
2240: E6 2A 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 28 20 20 20 renumber lines in a file.
2258: 20 51 The hexdump given here
lists the modifications
needed to adapt this for
the Junior.
begin. As soon as it knows the unit where distributor in its original form where the
the files can be found (D$) and their keyboard is the input device. Now the
names (F$ and 5$ are two arbitrary names BASIC editor loads files F$ and S$ into its
that must be in the directory of the unit workspace to form a single new file which
designated by D$ - lines 2000... 2160) it compacts and lists as it goes along.
the processor initializes the pointer in- When it arrives at the last numbered line
dicating the start address where the file in the second file it finds the POKE 8993,1
transferred to memory can be found. It instruction which it executes in direct
then loads a machine code program and a mode thus making the keyboard again the
look -up table at $E400 (from sector 7 of active input device.
track 12; this is part of the space after the If a LIST instruction is now given the
directory!). The machine language pro- display on the screen will show that the
gram is started by the GO instruction at workspace does, in fact, contain files F$
line 2180. This loads the series of instruc- and SS.
tions found in the right side of table 2 in
direct mode (Le. without line numbers) in- RSEQ
to the area from $8000 on. From line 2190 In order to be able to effectively merge
to line 2290 the BASIC program places the existing files it is essential to be able to
names of the files that are to be merged easily manipulate the numbering of the
(FS and 55) in direct mode after the two lines in both files and then later of the
LO instructions that have just been single file resulting from the merger. On
loaded. The instruction at line 2300 pro- disk 2 of the 5 supplied with the Ohio
grams the distributor to make the memory Scientific DOS is a utility program called
the input divice. The BASIC editor then RSEQ that could be used to perform this
receives the sequence of instructions task. Until now none of the myriad articles
starting at $8000 as if they were input one - on the various aspects of the Junior Com-
by -one via the keyboard and it then ex- puter have dealt with adapting disk 2 for
ecutes them one after the other. What this the Junior. The hexdump given in table 3
means is that it loads file F$, transfers it to does just that, enabling JC users to easily
$8000 (LIST 5), and then loads file S$ and change the line numbering of BASIC files,
transfers it, in turn, to the space after FS. It especially those that are to be merged.
then executes the DISK! "GO E452" in- The adaptation procedure is quite simple.
struction which is the last it receives in First copy the master diskette (this is
direct mode from the memory as an input always advisable as a safeguard) and then
device. load track 0 of disk 2 by means of the
The machine -code program at 5E452 TRACK 0 R/W UTILITY (RA200) at address
places a POKE 8993,1 instruction in direct $A200 (or elsewhere). The contents of this
mode after the two files loaded at address track must then be changed according to
$8000 and as this instruction has no line the hexdump in table 3 and the modified
number it will be executed as soon as the first page of track 0 is then reloaded to
interpreter meets it. The purpose of this the diskette (VVA200/2200,1). And that's all,
last command is to reestablish the input folks! 14

6.55
echo sounder
elektor june 1984

F. Kuhnke and
P.W. Putters

echo sounder Running a yacht aground does not necessarily mean its destruction,
or even that there is any damage, but no skipper is happy with it. At
best, it means a lot of effort to get the craft afloat again; at worst,
well that does not bear thinking about It can safely be said that
. . .

many such mishaps could have been prevented by the judicious use
of some sort of sounding apparatus!

sonar for yachts In the past, sounding. that is. measuring
the depth of the sea bed, was carried out
by a weighted line, the sounding -line.
sonar is an acronym of Nowadays, these are found almost ex-
sound navigation ranging clusively on board yachts only. They con-
sist of a ball of lead (the weight) and a
line that has been marked suitably at
regular intervals, so that when the lead
MMV = monostable touches the sea bed the depth can be
multivibrator
FF = flip-flop Ibistable read off the line. The big disadvantage of
multivibrator) such a sounding -line is that it can only be
used at low speeds and at shallow depths.
The echo sounder does not suffer from
Figure 2. The block these disadvantages and, moreover, its in-
schematic is self-evident: dicator may be mounted in the wheel-
the neon lamp has been house near the other navigational aids. An
replaced by a digital
display. Underwater echo sounder is a sonar system that
sound projector and measures the time interval between the
hydrophone are housed in transmission of a burst of ultrasonic
a common case, while energy and reception of the consequent
the transmitter and reflected waves. In this, a specially
receiver are contained in
one IC. Furthermore, a designed electro-acoustic transducer is
'shallow depth' alarm has used of which the transmitter is called an
been provided. underwater sound projector, while the
6-56
return echo is detected with a
hydrophone.
The usual configuration of an echo
sounder is shown in figure I. The sound
projector transmits a pulse in the frequen-
cy range 150... 200 kHz. This pulse is
reflected by the sea bed and detected by
the hydrophone. The hydrophone converts
the echo into an electrical signal which is
used to fire a small neon tube which is
motor -driven at uniform speed along a
concentric, calibrated disc. The neon
lamp thus fires at a scale division cor-
responding to the depth sounded. As the
pulse is transmitted at exactly the moment
the neon lamp passes through zero, the
depth can be read off directly. Experi-
enced skippers are also able to deduce
the type of sea bed. For instance. sandy
ground causes a narrow flash of light.
stony ground a wider one with a frayed
top, and soft ground an even wider one
with a frayed bottom.
The present design has a digital read-out
which, unfortunately, does not allow an in- t - 2d/va = d/750
dication as to the type of sea bed, but it 1
neon lamp where t is the travel time in
has the advantage of being somewhat s, d is the depth in m, and
smaller, and the depth can be read more va is the average speed of
accurately. It is also easier to build sound in water.
yourself as the block schematic in figure 2
motor
shows. An important simplification is also
that the sound projector and hydrophone permanent
are contained in one and the same hous- magnet
ing which is connected to one IC(9), type
LM 1812 manufactured by National
Semiconductor.

The circuit
The ultrasonic pulse travels a distance pulse generator
equal to twice the depth of the sea bed.
As the average speed of sound in water is
1500 m/s (at 20°C and salinity of 2 per amplifier
cent), the time taken to travel to and from
a depth of, say, 7.5 m is 10 ms. If therefore
the clock frequency for the counter in ICI
is 750 Hz and pulses are registered for
10 ms, it has effectively 'sounded' a depth
of 7.5 m. However, as the counter can only
cope with complete pulses, a depth of
7 m would be indicated. To provide a
more accurate indication of depth, the
clock frequency is increased to 7500 Hz
and this allows depths to be read in
decimetre steps.
The counter, backing store, and 7 -segment
decoder are contained in ICI. The counter
receives a stop pulse from IC9 when the hydrophone
echo is detected. The counter position is /
then passed to the decoder by the back- Figure 1. A common
method of depth sound -
ing store and indicated on a three -digit underwater ing: the underwater
display. sound sound projector transmits
A reset pulse from IC5 starts a new count projector a burst of ultrasonic
cycle. As ICS generates a pulse every energy which is reflected
200 ms, 1500 pulses can be counted. This and detected by the
hydrophone. The echo is
means that the circuit is usable for depths amplified and used to
up to 1500 decimetres = 150 m. The reset ,2, light a neon lamp which
signal serves two further functions: it starts - is motor -driven around a
the transmit pulse, and it sets off the alarm depth -calibrated disc.
via MMV4 and FF2. This means that the 1C3 Ica
output of FF2 generates a 'shallow depth'
oscillator
alarm if the output level of the MMV is ultrasonic
transmitter/
logic high at the moment the echo is receiver
_

detected. The alarm threshold can be set : 800

6 MHz ul tnon,c
between 1 m and 10 m with P1. ICA transducer

The various functional blocks of figure 2 ii

can be found back readily in figure 3. TSCO Ht

Monostable MMV3 ensures that the ICI

dock trop
display is switched off when no echo has IC5 290 ms
counter
been detected for some time: this time backing store
can be set with P2. When no echoes are AMV start 7 -segment display
rent
received, LED D2 also remains ex-
tinguished. The display remains switched
on until MMV2 changes state. When an
echo is detected, D2 starts to flash
immediately. I=1 1-1 CI
As IC9 is the heart of the circuit, it's m
worthwhile having a closer look at it. The LED display
individual stages contained in the IC are
shown in figure 4, together with the gin tf °tit

necessary peripheral elements. If IC5 pro-

vides a 0.5 s pulse to pin 8 of IC9 every MMV 4 FF2
0
200 ms, the on -chip modulator is actuated 'SHALLOW
and generates the pulse for the sound DEPTH'

projector, in this case at a frequency of ALARM

200 kHz. The modulator and 2nd h.f.

amplifier have tuned circuit L1/C14 in
common. During transmission, this circuit
6-57
echo sounder is connected to the modulator and during
elektor June 1984 reception to the amplifier. This has, of
course, the advantage that the transmit
and receive frequencies are identical and,
moreover, the absolute frequency is not
terribly important.
The 200 kHz pulse from the modulator is
amplified in the output stage and applied
Figure 3. The circuit of to the sound projector via driver T8 and
the echo sounder con- inductor L2. This inductor, together with
sists basically of the
ultrasonic transmit- the self -capacitance of the sound projec-
ter/receiver IC(9). clock tor and C22, forms a circuit which is
generator IC3/IC4, pulse tuned to 200 kHz.
generator IC5. counter/ In the interval between transmit pulses,
store/decoder IC1. and the echo is detected and evaluated. It is
the LED display. The
'shallow depth' alarm is applied to the 1st h.f. amplifier and then,
set with P1 and the alarm via P4, to the 2nd h.f. amplifier which is
is sounded by buzzer Bz.
3
12 V p,G
O
16 26 16
0 0
7
CLIS
ETT. I ®
now connected to Ll/C14. The poten-
tiometer enables setting the sensitivity of
the echo sounder. The output of the
selective amplifier is applied to a
threshold detector which only reacts to
signals which lie above a certain level.
Noise pulses on the signal are suppressed
by a combination of pulse recurrence
detector and integrator. If the pulse train
is interrupted, the pulse recurrence detec-
tor evaluates the received echo as
spurious and causes integrator capacitor
CI5 to discharge. If the received pulses
axe too short (as, for instance, noise
pulses). C15 does not charge fully and the
pulses are rejected as spurious. If the
detector is fed with a true echo, the
12
9
527
BE O 71211

IC3 14
IC4 BD
4060
-C C41-75 ClICE P3
40 02 1
vo
-11-0 JO .11 J2 A 34.15 .16 .17 1*
S 12 L 117 61011112 1 Icu R26 C23
11
=3
mim
5,0 220.,
R. 1265
220n
750314 171 14

C4 1g tO IC9
mIn 1.644
T eo 22P. L511812 C2I

1413L0'
3

1500
14005/
00
R24
MMV1,5451V2 IC6 = 4098
= 4538 P2uY UC12GNDD,G
140051
155

FF1.FF2 = IC8 = 4013 76

100 e. ONDA
622
Tt
12 VD R.C., 0 BC -1
5151V2 160 1

611 101,1
16V
TM TR
O
7

+I IC2 ,
0
V
7805

12 V p, C2a cs
IC5 3 mn,
IN GNI3p,,p nim
555
4148 a e 7644 470p1161/ 100n
2
7514 12 V ,pp
CV mi. 5V
CL C7 S'
GND R
9 T2
Dp2
T4 = BC 140
Dp4= 7760
;man Tor, 4
O C9
DS 6 DS
16
Dp2 Dp3 Op4
7..0 CLf 12
7 13
0 CLK 10
14 15
5 Le ICI 0
RA u .74C928
1
TR
MMV1
CI
2
Smit 0 II= =1 10
D0 "-
12 V ma 14 TAI 9. 141
91.7
12
13
11 TO

15

C10 T4
LM
TI4ALLOVI
DEP714 Op
4

12
O D-
FF1 1,TR 5151V3
3
0 TR 0
S
12 V pm 12 VA 12 V
13
23
ST IN a" O SI 0 0
GN0p,p a 4 48 .4. 633
125 03 12 V o C5
2 21
4
0 C21 1172S1 C261
02 S
54/4V4 ICS
ECHO 79 470,, T.1.75

9 165 16V

DND 0 GNI:10,p 540522

6-58
 4 echo sounder
display driver is switched on. A protection
circuit briefly switches the receiver off if
the display driver has been on too long.
This is effected by the charging of
capacitor C19 from the signal at the driver
stage; when C19 is charged, an on -chip
transistor is switched on.
Capacitor C9 ensures that the gain of the
2nd h.f. amplifier is low immediately after
a pulse has been transmitted to prevent
any ringing of the transducer being
evaluated as an echo. This causes the
minimum depth that can be sounded to
be around 2 m. If this is not acceptable,
the value of C9 may be reduced. Note that
the sensitivity in that case must also be
decreased.
Construction and assembly
The most important aspect is, of course,
the fitting of the transducer: some
possibilities are shown in figure 5. It is
essential that it is fitted perpendicular to a
line drawn through the length and to one
drawn through the width of the vessel. It
may be necessary to mount the transducer
onto a suitably shaped adapter as shown
in figure 5c. If the hull is of fibre -glass, the
whole assembly may be fitted in -board.
The cable from the transducer to the elec-
tronic pan of the echo sounder must not
be tied together with other cables, as this
might give rise to noise pulses which
would upset the proper operation. An im-
portant point here is NOT to shorten the
cable provided with the transducer!
If you already have an echo sounder,
there's no need to buy another transducer,
as the one you are using already is almost
certainly suitable for the present circuit.
eiektor june 1984
Figure 4. The block
The VDO Echo Sounder Modis 120 diagram of the ultrasonic
transmitter/receiver IC9 is
(operating on 200 kHz), or Spaceage, shown here to give a bet-
Euromarine, or Seafarer (all operating on ter idea of the operation
150 kHz) have transducers which can of the circuit. The
hardly be told apart. All these transducers receiver sensitivity is set
are available at most ship's chandlers or with P4. while P3 enables
a good measure of noise
marine electrical suppliers. suppression. Tuned circuit
Construction of the electronic part of the L1/C14 is common to the
echo sounder on the printed -circuit board transmitter and receiver.
shown in figure 6 is child's play compared Fine tuning of the circuit
is possible by means of
with the fitting of the transducer. Inductor
L2 must be hand -wound, but Ll may be
bought ready made.
The three -digit display is constructed on
the printed -circuit board shown in
figure 7. The voltage regulator and its heat
sink should be fitted at the track side of
the board onto suitable (insulated) spacers
or, properly insulated, at one of the side -
walls of the case. The two pc boards
should be screened from one another by
an earthed metal plate. Same -name ter-
minals on the two boards should be con-
nected to one another.
Warning! The earth connection of CL
(figure 7) is not at the same side of the
board as CL. Terminal DS on the same
board should be connected to earth with
a wire bridge, and DP should be wired to
+5 V.
The case should be plastic or metal and
- important - splash -proof. Spindles of
potentiometers and switches, LEDs, and
sockets, must be sealed during fitting. The
red perspex display window must be
fixed to the case with water -proof glue. Do
not forget the connections to the 12 V
± 2 V supply. Before fitting the boards
into the case, the circuits have to be
calibrated.
6-59
echo sounder
elektor june 1984
Figure 5. A number of
useful tips on positioning
the transducer (figure 5a).
Figure 5b shows how the
transducer may be flush -
fitted or otherwise.
Figure 5c shows how the
transducer may be
mounted in -board when
the vessel has a fibre-
glass hull.
i I
Photograph. The echo
sounder must be
calibrated such that the
received signal (second
pulse) on pin 1 of IC9 is
maximum for all true
echoes
scale division
vertical:
upper pulse (IC5 pin 3)
5 V/division (d.c.)
lower pulses (IC9 pin 1)
1 V/division (a.c.)
horizontal:
1 ms/division
6-60
5a Calibration
First, adjust P4 for maximum sensitivity of
the receiver. Next, place the transducer at
right angles, and at a distance of 0.5 m, to
a reflecting surface. If the transducer has
already been installed, place a reflecting
surface similarly in front of it. Then adjust
the core of inductor LI so that the display
indicates 2.3 (metres). This figure results
from the fact that in identical time inter-
vals sound in air travels only 0.217 as far as
it would in water. Since the simulated
water depth is 0.5 m, the circuit behaves
as if the depth were 0.5/0.217 =
2.3 metres. Then vary the distance be-
tween the transducer and the reflecting
surface: in air this lies approximately be-
tween 0.5 and 1 ... 1.5 m, corresponding
to a displayed depth of 2.3 to 4.6 ... 6.8 m.
The change in distance must be clearly
indicated by the display; if it does not, the
core of LI must be adjusted until the real
maximum sensitivity has been found.
If you have an oscilloscope available,
calibration is somewhat easier. But BE
CAREFUL with connecting a probe to IC9
because if any two pins of this IC are
short-circuited, it gives up the ghost. Let
our (unfortunate) experience be a warning
to you!
Connect the probe of the oscilloscope to
pin 1 of IC9 and trigger the oscilloscope
with the signal at pin 3 of IC5. Then adjust
the core of LI for maximum amplitude of
ase62 5a the echo which is visible a few milli-
seconds after the transmit pulse (see
b photograph).
The current consumption of the echo
sounder with the display on is about
200 mA or an average of 40 mA at 12 V.
Some final points
Rue Vass,
ri.,o8
Inductor L2 must be home-made on a
suitable pot core of about 18 mm diameter
wood and ottel and 11 mm height. The inductance of the
secondary winding, L2b, should be such
that the resonant frequency of the circuit
formed by it, the transducer self -capaci-
tance, and C22 is exactly the same as that
of the transducer. It may be calculated
from
f = I/2nV LC,
where f is the resonant frequency in Hz,
L is the inductance in H and C is the total
C
capacity in F.
al fil nq
011010
1111
r
01
45010.°11°
11,01101311 fibre glass
11111016,1011 hull
 echo sounder
elektor june 1984

Figure 6. Layout and track

Parts list side of the printed -circuit
C11 = 10#4/16 V for Inductors: board of the echo
Resistors: vertical mounting on pc L1 = 63014H = YAN 60033 sounder. The board
R9 = 10 M board (Toko) (available from should be housed in a
R10,R14,R21.R22 = 1 k C13 = 12 n MKT Ambit) splash -proof case.
R11 = 1k2 C15,C18 = 220 n L2 = see text la suitable
R12 = 470 k C19 = 680 n pot core, RM 10, which
R13,R15.1317 _ R20, C20 = 2n2 however does not quite fit
R25 = 10 k C21 = 150 p (400 V) the pc board, is available
R16,R23 = 100 k C22 = 1n5 (400 V) (see from Ambit)
R24 = 1M text)
R26.R27.R28,R31 = 5k6 C23 = 220 ji/25 V Miscellaneous:
R29,R30 = 100 Q C24 = 4700/16 V S1.S2 = SPST toggle
R32 = 10 Q C25= 100 11/.16 V X1 = quartz crystal. 6 MHz
R33 = 5Q6
Transducer. 150 kHz or
P1 = potentiometer, 1 M, Semiconductors: 200 kHz (available from
linear
D1,D3 = 1N4148 most ship's chandlers or
P2 = preset, 1 M D2 = LED red marine electrical suppliers
P3 = preset, 100 k T5.T7 = BC 5478 as spare for Seafarer,
P4 = potentiometer. 5 k, T6 = BC 160
linear
Euromarine, Spaceage,
78 = BD 140 VDO, and other echo
IC3 = 4060 sounders)
Capacitors: IC4 = 40102 Coaxial socket, panel
C4 = 10 p IC5 = 555 mounting (to receive the
C5 = 22p IC6 = 4098 for 4538 - see transducer cable)
C6 = 560 p text) Splash -proof case
C7 = 10 n IC7 = 4538 Socket, panel mounting, for
C8,C12,C16,C26 = 100 n IC8 = 4013 12 V supply cable
C9,C10,C14.C17 = 1 n (see IC9 = LM 1812 (National Piezo buzzer PB 2720
text for C14) Semiconductor) PC board 84062

6-61
echo sounder
elektor June 1984 7

Parts list

Resistors:
R1 . R7 22 Q
R8 = 82Q
Capacitors:
C1 = 10 p/10 V tantalum
C2a = 470 p/16 V
C3 = 100 n

Semiconductors:
DP2 .. DP4 = 77601D1
T2 . . T4 = BC 140
IC1 = 74C928
IC2 = 7805

Miscellaneous:
Heat sink for IC2
labout 5°C/WI
PC board 81105.1

Figure 7. The component

layout and track side of By transposition,
the printedcircuit board
for the display. The L = 1/4rt2f2C
voltage regulator, com- which with f = 200 kHz, C = 3n2 gives a
plete with its heat sink. value for L2b = 198µH
may be mounted onto The corresponding number of turns, N, is
one of the side -walls of calculated from
the case ion insulating
spacers if a metal case is N=
used/. where Ls is the specific inductance of the
pot core. If, for instance, Ls = 250 nH, the
number of turns works out at 28.
If the turns ratio, n, is chosen at 1 : 9, L2a
must be 3 turns.
When a pot core with different specific in-
ductance is used, the above calculation
for N must, of course, be redone; the
turns ratio may be kept at 1 : 9. Equally,
when a different transducer is used, the
inductance of L2 must be recalculated.
Furthermore, if the frequency is not
200 kHz, capacitor C14 should be
recalculated from C14 = 1/4n2f2L1, where f
is the new frequency and LI = 630 µH.
The depth at which the 'shallow depth'
alarm is actuated may be set with the aid
of the following formula
depth (m) = 9 x10-c(P1 +R16 +R17)
where PI, R16, and R17 are in ohms.
6.62
Where the transducer is not fitted at the
deepest part of the vessel, measure the
distance, Dk, between the underside of
the transducer and the lowest part of the
keel. Replace the 4098 in the IC6 position
by a 4538, change C9 to 12 n. and connect
a resistor Rk in series with R13. The value
of Rk is calculated from:
Dk = 9 x 10-XRk +10'),
where Dk is in metres and Rk in ohms.
Therefore. Rk = 10'Dk/9 - 10'
If, for instance, Dk = 1.5 m, the value of
Rk = 157 k. The display will then, of
course, indicate the depth between the
deepest point of the keel and the sea
bed, not that between the transducer and
the sea bed.
Warning! When setting and calibrating Pl,
Dk must, of course, be borne in mind.
 audio peak meter ...
nlektor june 1984 The display of this versatile audio
peak meter is formed by a row of Specification
LEDs and features a 'peak hold' Input shaping circuit
facility that can be used while the output,
normal signal levels are monitored. maximum: 11 V, 20 mA (d.c.)
rated: 10 V (d.c.)
The meter includes an input buffer input,
stage that can be switched to enable loudspeaker: 10 ... 250 W peak into
the monitoring of signals at loud- 8 ohms for rated output
line: 150 mV . . 5 V (d.c.) for
speaker level or at line output level. rated output
An optional variable -frequency band- calibration: 950 mV (corresponding to
10 W into 8 ohms)
A.B. Hill pass filter is also included. frequency bandwidth at -3 dB of rated
response: output better than 100 kHz
low-pass cut-off frequency 70 Hz
filter: slope -6 dB/octave
(-20 dBldecade)

audio
band-pass gain at centre frequency
filter: 0 dB
(optional) centre frequencies
200 Hz, 500 Hz, 1250 Hz,
3 kHz, 8 kHz
-3 dB points 125 Hz,

peak
320 Hz, 800 Hz, 2 kHz,
5 kHz, 12.5 kHz
slope -12 dB/octave
(-40 dB/decade)

Display driving circuit

meter.
LED switching thresholds (dB)
-40, -20, -10, -6, -3, 0, +2, +4, +6, +8.

. +10
typical corresponding peak power levels (WI
10', 10' , 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 25, 40, 60, 100
input voltage for +10 dB switching
threshold: 10 V (d.c.)

...with peak As the input sensitivity can be matched to

either line level or power amplifier output
hold facility level, the audio peak meter may be used
with virtually any sound system. Line level
inputs may lie between 150 mV and 5 V
while the power handling capability ex-
tends up to 250 W. Other characteristics
are shown in the box at the beginning of this
article. The display characteristics may be
tailored to provide a peak response or a
simulated VU response.
Like many circuits of this nature, the
present one can be broken down into
various stages as shown by the block diagram
of figure 1. The first stage is the input buffer
which includes gain adjustment for the input
level matching. The variable band-pass filter
is an optional stage that may be useful in
particular applications. The next stage
consists of a full -wave rectifier and provides
overall gain adjustment for the following
peak and buffer stage. Finally there is the
display decode section. The display is
formed by a row of LEDs with either
'dot' or 'bar' mode of operation.
Figure 1. This diagram
shows typical constituent 1
stages in an audio peak input buffer
meter.
0 peak
variable
band-pass
0 and
oo filter
gain adjustment
The circuit diagram
The input shaping circuit
The various inputs to be monitored are selec-
ted by switch Sla in the input buffer stage
of the circuit diagram shown in figure 2a.
Position 1 of Sla connects the input to earth
and this is therefore the 'off" position.
Position 2 selects a calibration signal input,
of which more later. The loudspeaker power
level input is selected by position 3 while
various line outputs are selected by positions
4, 5, and 6. This method allows the meter
to be used readily for monitoring in widely
differing situations. The gain of the input
amplifier is adjusted automatically by
switch S lb. The addition of suitable resistors
to positions 4, 5, and 6 enables the peak
meter to cater for a wide range of input
levels.
The next stage consists of a variable -fre-
quency band-pass filter which enables
selective metering of the signals as in a
real-time analyser. The stage has unity gain
and may be omitted as required by simply
connecting the output of input amplifier Al
full wave
rectifier sampling
and buffer
display

840E5-1

6-63
audio peak meter ... 12a
elektor june 1984

C7
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R14
ten
R15
Al ... A4 = IC1 = TL 084 18n
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A16 ...Ala= %ICS= LM 339 4n7 1111
N1 ... N4 = IC6= 4011
N5 ... N8 = IC7 = 4011 R12 C5
CIO
N9 ... N10.= `,41C8 =4011 4n7
RI7
N11 ...N14= IC10=4081 4n7
N15 ...NIB= IC11= 4081
N19 ... N20 = 'h.IC12= 4081 C4
Cl'
RII
N25 ... N30= IC13= 4049 In
R18
N31 ... N35 = IC14 = 4049
In 56k

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100n
LOUDSPEAKER Al
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84065.23

Figure 2a. The input signal

shaping circuit complete
with the optional band-
pass filter based on A2.
6-64
directly to the non -inverting input of op -
amp A4 with switch S2 in position 2. The
other positions of S2 select the required
filter response.
Position 1 provides a high-pass response
and constitutes a rumble filter. Position 3
connects the non -inverting input of A4 to
earth, which switches off the opamp. The
remaining positions, 4 ... 8, select various
frequency bands that are provided by a
Wien bridge band-pass filter constructed
around opamp A3.
The output of the variable band-pass filter
is passed to a precision full -wave rectifier
consisting of A4 and A5. Preset P2 in the
feedback loop of opamp A4 provides gain
adjustment applicable to all input levels: it
is adjusted at the appropriate calibration
input level. Operation of the rectifier is as
follows: opamp A4 increases the magnitude
of both positive and negative signals by the
forward voltage drop across diodes DI and
D2. The resultant signal is rectified by A5
and the consequent drop across D3 and D4
cancels that introduced by D1 and D2.
The rectifier is followed by a peak charging
stage, opamp A6. The peak sampling re-
sponse is selected by switch S3: it is effected
by the discharge of capacitor C15 via switch -
selected resistors R28 . . R30 in series with
. In the dot mode, the outputs of gates
R31 and/or R32.
In position 4 the discharge resistor has been
omitted: this results in a very slow dis-
charge rate which is only due to the input
currents of opamps A4 or A5 and the
reverse (leakage) current of diode D6.
In position 5, the charge and discharge rates
(via R32 and R33 respectively) are about
equal and produce a simulated VU response.
The final stage of the input shaping circuit
consists of an output buffer, opamp A7,
which adjusts the gain in the 'peak' and 'VU'
positions.
The display drive unit
The display (see figure 2c) consists of a row
of LEDs: the switching threshold for each
LED is determined by resistors R38 ... R61.
The reference voltages, Ur, fixed by these
resistors are applied to one of the inputs
of comparators A8 . A18, while the input
signal from A7 is fed to the other inputs.
Note that the polarity of the comparator
inputs depends on the input signal and on
Ur. When the level of the input signal
exceeds that of one of the thresholds, the
relevant comparator switches off and its
output is pulled up to +9 V.
Switch S4 selects a moving dot or bar
display. In the bar mode, the outputs of
gates N1 NIO are held high. When any
comparator switches off, the corresponding
AND gate, N11 . N20, receives a second
high input and thus provides a high output.
This results in the LED in that particular
channel being switched on.
N1 . N10 are dependent on the state of
the output of the next higher comparator.
When a given comparator output is high
while the next higher output is low, both in-
puts of the relevant AND gate, N11 ... N20,
are high so that the appropriate LED lights.
However, when a given comparator output is
 2b
R27
C>
high while the one above is also high, both
the NAND and AND gate outputs will be
low, and the LED will remain off. In the dot
mode, therefore, only the topmost compa-
rator with a high output causes an LED to
be switched on.
A further facility of the display is that of
'peak sampling', which means that the
highest LED that lights will remain on until
the 'peak display' function is disabled. The
four R -S latches of IC9 are controlled by
switches S5 and S6 and provide the peak
sampling. The latches are enabled when both
switches are closed and reset by the brief
opening of S6. Each latch reset is also con-
nected to the outputs of all higher latches
via diodes D7 ... D12. The latches are set
whenever their LED is switched on by the
display logic. However, the diodes effec-
tively provide an OR reset to the latches
with the result that only the uppermost
latch to be set will hold an LED on. The
operation of the normal dot or bar mode is
independent of the peak display and a
latched peak LED will therefore not hold
lower LEDs off. This means that a peak
level may be held while the normal dot or
bar mode continues to function.
Calibration
it will be patently obvious that any level
indicating mechanism is only as good as
its calibration, a fact any pilot who survived
a duff altimeter will tell you!
Initially, the calibration input level should
be set to suit the power levels to be moni-
tored: the one used here is 950 mV (d.c.)
which corresponds to 10 W (peak) into an
8 -ohm load. All preset potentiometers
should be set to the middle of their travel,
audio peak meter ...
elektor june 1984
135
9V
0
IC3 IC6 IC10
0
ICI IC13
IC2 IC14
165 1C8 1C12
9V
Figure 2h. The full -wave
rectifier, gain adjustment,
and peak charging stages.
and switches S1 ... S3 set to the following
positions:
Si - position 2 (calibration input)
S2 - position 2 (filter bypass)
S3 - position 2 (peak response)
Adjust P2 to the correct output from
opamp A7. It may be necessary to adjust
P3 if the reading cannot be achieved with P2
alone. The output may be monitored on a
DWI (digital voltmeter) or an LED display.
Next, move S3 to position 5 (VU mode) and
adjust P4 for the appropriate reading. The
loudspeaker input can now be calibrated by
setting S1 to position 3 and adjusting P2.
Calibration of the line inputs is more sub-
jective. If a line input is to be used with a
tape recorder, the recorder metering may be The 'normal' level used in
used for comparison, particularly if it audio engineering is 1 mW
responds to peaks. In that case, a steady into 600 n I= 775 mV
audio tone from a test record or oscillator across 600 in and is
conventionally designated
is required, but inter -station hiss replayed 0 d8m.
from tape is an alternative. It should be
noted that the line output should be used
when the recording level of a tape recorder
is monitored.
Where tape recorder metering is not used,
the line level may be calibrated to a direct
voltage derived from equipment specifi-
cations or by calculation. It may then be
necessary to multiply r.m.s. values by 1.414
(N,i) to get peak values. A line voltage
often used for 0 dB (the Dolby level) is
500 mV peak. Whatever method is used, P1
should be adjusted to obtain the appropriate
level at the output of opamp A7. Switch S1
must be set to one of the line inputs (4... 6)
while switches S2 and S3 should remain in
position 2 (filter bypass and peak response
respectively). 14
6-65
audio peak meter ...
elektor june 1984 2c
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R44 945 N28
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84045-2t
1=91
Figure 2c. The display
drive circuit is not nearly
as complicated to build as
it looks.

6-66
elektor june 1984

Miniature solid state relays poly -carbon monofluoride lithium batter-

Norbain Electra -Optics Ltd. has launched ies. To achieve mass production of the
a completely new range of switch -DIP 2.2 mm battery, dimension tolerance had
miniature solid state relays. Manufactured to be decreased to one -tenth of previous
models, in the drawing process of the
by MSI, the device range consists of three
d.c. and seven a.c. types covering a wide aluminium case and in the areas of plastic
range of voltage and current options moulding technology, seal packing and
with opto or transformer isolation and assembling technology of the battery.
synchronous or zero voltage switching. Features:
Housed in standard 14 and 16 pin sealed Requires little space in a product;
ceramic DIL packages to improve herme- keeps constant operating voltage when
charged.
maintains long shelf life,
three -volt battery is twice the voltage of
silver -oxide and mercury batteries,
capable of lighting LED,
superior temperature characteristics.
Panasonic U.K. Limited,
using a U.S. patented ringing test. It tests 300/318 Bath Road,
Slough,
transmission lines for distance to open or
Berkshire SL 1 6JB.
short circuits within feet and it will
Telephone: 0753 34522. (2970 M)
also test dielectric strength to 600 volts. It
ticity and aid the conduction of heat may also be used for high potential
energy, the devices employ thick -film
leakage tests up to 600 volts. The unit is
hybrid techniques to achieve a high power
already being successfully used in major
handling capability in a small package.
electronics companies giving broadcast,
Heading the new range is the E24E-2H T.V., and video engineers quick reliable DIP diode networks
16 pin package which has a 1A RMS results with a unique range of test func- Iskra has introduced a new range of DIP
rating and input to output isolation of tions. diode networks, the BD series. Developed
400 V RMS. The device switches at the Fieldtech Heathrow Limited, for logic circuit and similar applications
zero voltage point of the a.c. waveform, Huntavia House,
requiring densely packed arrays of diodes
requires an input signal of 8 mA at 5 V 420 Bath Road, or zeners, each network contains eight
and has a peak voltage rating on the out- Longford,
put switch of 600 V. Anti -parallel SCRs in
diodes mounted in a 16 -pin plastic DIP
Middlesex UB7 OL L measuring 21.5 mm x 8.5 mm x 4.6 mm
the power switch ensures enhanced DV/DT Telephone: 01 897 6446 (2963 M) tall (excluding pins). Pin spacing is the
surge current and thermal characteristics.
Other devices in the range include the standard dual -in -line pitch of 0.100" and
effective pin length is 3.2 mm. Diode
E40-1 capable of switchings a.c. and d.c.
currents to = 80 mA at I 60 V, the E41 -2H types to be offered in this package are,
rated at 1 A RMS a.c. with a triac output initially, the 1N4148 100 V, 75 mA
rated at 600 V, the E43-1 designed for d.c.
World's smallest lithium battery
switching current of 500 mA at 60 V and Matsushita Electric Industrial Company
E43-2 designed for 200 mA current Limited of Osaka, Japan, parent company
switching at 250 V d.c. of Panasonic U.K. Limited, announces
the introdustion of the world's smallest
Norhain Electra Optics Limited pin -type lithium battery. The 3 volt
Norbain House,
battery measures a mere 2.2 mm in diam-
Boulton Road, eter and 11 mm in length and initially
Reading,
will be marketed for use in ultra -small
Berkshire RG2 OLT fishing floats with LED for night time
Telephone: 0734 864411 (2961 Ml fishing. The battery is expected to be
widely adapted for use in small electronic
silicon planar epitaxial signal diode and
the BZY 88C 4V7 4.7 volt zener but
Capacitor and coil tester the manufacturer will shortly be offering
Fieldtech Heathrow has recently in- 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 a complete range of diodes in the DIP
troduced to the U.K. market a capacitor 1 1 1 package including rectifier, fast recovery
and inductance tester which is generating and zener types.
much interest in the electronics industry. The packages, which are encapsulated in
Designated the LC53 the unit provides the 'Crastin' 5 K 615 FR flame retardant
engineer with a range of test functions epoxy resin, are straightforward arrays,
never previously available in one unit. each diode being terminated separately
The unit is claimed to be unique because it with anodes brought out to pins on one
is the only tester on the market which will side of the DIP and cathodes brought
dynamically test capacitors, coils, SCRs products - wrist watches, calculators, out on the other side. The new packages
and TRIACs and will find an amazing 75% memory cards, memory back-ups, micro- offer the circuit designer advantages in
of defective capacitors which value -only phones, hearing aids and toys. component packing density, in production
meters will miss. Due to the rapid gains in IC, LSI and costs and in handling and storage. Ad-
The unit, which is fast with 100% auto- VLSI technology the trend has been ditionally, combinations of arrays of
matic ranging, tests capacitors for leakage towards miniaturization in electronic diodes, resistors and links can be supplied
current under full load, with up to 600 equipment, therefore small high per- in the same packages.
volts applied. It checks capacitor dielectric formance batteries have been in strong Iskra Limited,
absorbtion, and has the capability to demand. The new battery has been devel- Redlands,
reform electrolytics. It will check for oped through use of the maker's precision Coulsdon,
allcoil defects in or out of circuit, it production technology and accumulated Surrey CR3 2HT.
automatically tests coils for effective CI technological expertise in the field of Telephone: 01 668 7141. (2972 MI

6-67
 elektor june 1984

Multimeter incorporates
frequency meter
The model 1504 from Thurlby Electron-
ics is a bench DMM which offers the
bonus of a built-in frequency meter.
Frequencies up to 3,999.9 kHz can be
measured directly with a resolution
of 100 Hz. A hi9h accuracy figure of
± 0.0025% over 10.30-C is guaranteed by
the 6 MHz crystal timebase. Sensitivity
is typically 30 mV rms.
As a conventional multimeter it has a
4% digit liquid crystal display extending
to 7 32,000 counts. 32 ranges are provided
enabling measurement of a.c. and d.c.
voltage, resistance, diode test, and a.c. and
d.c. current up to 25 amps. The meter has
impressive sensitivity figures of 10
10 mn and 1 nA as well as an excellent
accuracy of 0.05%. All a.c.- ranges are
true R MS responding which enables
accurate measurements to be made on
non -sinusoidal waveforms, a feature essen-
tial for engineers who require power
related measurements on switching wave- even if the interfaces run at different regulations, it is supplied backed with a
forms. speeds. It is ideal for any computer high -temperature resistant adhesive which
with an RS232 port. bonds monolithically to all insulating
The 'Stringy Floppy' will be available in surfaces including plastic and paper. It
various forms: - a basic transport mech- solders simply without loss of integrity.
anism with read/write and motor control Copperfoil is used for circuit tracks,
circuit; a basic transport mechanism with burglar alarm systems, proximity switches,
read/write, motor control circuits and an moisture detection, bus bars and other
intelligent controiler capable of serving electronic applications. It is of particular
two transports; a completely freestanding value in the repair of printed circuit
unit packaged to include drive mechanism, boards and for production of prototype
read/write, motor control logic, RS232 boards. Widths available are 4,4.75,6, and
interface, PSU, integrating software and all 8 mm in 33 m rolls.
associated cabling. Astec's research and Copperfoil Enterprises,
development division is already working 141 Lyndhurst Drive,
The unit is housed in a newly designed high on variants of the device with storage Hornchurch,
impact ABS case which incorporates a capacities of 256 K/bytes per 50 feet of Essex RM11 1JP.
multi -position tilt-stand/handle. A carrying tape. Eventually it is anticipated that Telephone: 040 24 56697 (2960 MI
case is available for portable applications. capacities in excess of 1 megabyte will
The meter operates from internal batteries be obtained using dual track heads.
or from a.c. line power and weighs only Astec Europe Ltd., New extraction tool
2% lbs. Telephone: 0734 509411. (2971 M) A new extraction tool - the Model
Thurlby Electronics Ltd. 507M from EREM - for extracting
New Road, 14, 16 and 20 pin DIPs from printed
St lees, circuit boards, is now available from UK
Huntingdon, Copperfoil tape distributor Nietronix Ltd.
Cambridgeshire PE17 46.G. Cost savings of 90% over the cost of The 507M extracts the DIPs without
Telephone: 0480 63570 (2957 M) printed circuit boards can be achieved damaging the components and extraction
using a novel tape produced by Copperfoil can be done within close proximity of
Enterprises. It is produced from 99.999
The 'Stringy Floppy' fine copper. Tested and approved at 24 V,
Astec Europe Ltd has introduced a new 5 A d.c. and conforming to BS safety
concept in data storage, the 'Stringy
Floppy', which combines the low cost of
a simple cassette with the fast access
time of a floppy disk. The wafer cassette
measures approximately 6.5 cm x 4 cm
and can store up to 13 K bytes of for-
matted data on a 50 foot endless loop of
tape. The data is recorded at a tape speed
of 10 IPS at a rate of 21 K bps. A high
speed mode allows any data to be found
within a maximum of 35 seconds and
the cassette has been optimised for pre-
cision tape tracking at high speeds. An other components. The flat, steel head
'intelligent controller with a serial port is shaped so that tracks on the circuit
provides a high-level command structure board cannot be scratched or damaged.
and a flexible file management system. Nietronix Limited
The data is stored in a disk -like block Smith's Forge,
structure to allow maximum utilisation North End Road,
of the tape. Since the data format on the Yarton,
tape is standard, data interchangeability Avon BS19 4AU.
across different systems will be assured Telephone: 0934 838656 (2969 M)

6-68
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Z-EALER OSCARS 70%. ti:C E= Price El 441 VAT - 5166135
EUSI6ESS. SYSTEMS £150.. = F = DEW/ 45 SYSTEM,. AT eI Sera -m -7a,
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CAPCAT A.57,9-EAS
HE CAN ALSO SUPPLY PACPACES WITH COMPONENTS OF YOUR
OWN CHOICE PLEASE PHONE 1227,3) £12031 AND ASK FOR
HAMAYLIN UUGIIAL FOR A PRICE

ORDERING INFORMATION:

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DEPT. EK 28'29 BURNT MILL
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Tel. HARLOW 102791 443521 Telex 81'd894 AKHTER G We welcome callers. no parking problems.
 mretun -Massive range of components
for your hobby...insist on Maplin quality!
MAPLIN'S TOP TWENTY KITS
THIS LAST ORDER KIT DETAILS IN
MONTH DESCRIPTION OF KIT CODE PRICE PROJECT BOOK
1.
2.
(1)
(2)
M 75W Mosfet Amp Module
0 Modem
LW51F
LW99H
£12.95
£44.95
Best of E&MM
5 XAO5F
sop "`

1111-1:4$
Case also available: YK62S Price £9.95.
3. (4) Car Burglar Alarm LW78K £6.95 4 XAO4E
4. (5) Partylite LW93B £9.45 Best of E&MM
41t
5. (3) ZX81 I 0 Port LW76H £9.25 4 XAO4E
6. (19) Spectrum Keyboard LK29G £28.50 9 XAO9K
Also required: LK3OH £6.50; Case: XG35Q £4.95 - Total £39.95.
Also available complete ready -built: XG36P £44.95.
7. (9) Syntom Drum Synthesiser LW86T £11.95 Best of E&MM
8. (8) 0 VIC20 64 RS232 Interface LK11M E9.45 7 XAO7H
9. (7) 8W Amp Module LW36P £4.45 Catalogue
10. (10) M Harmony Generator LW91Y £17.95 Best of E&MM
11. (15) Logic Probe LK13P £9.95 8 XAO8J
12. (6) Keyboard for ZX81 LW72P £23.95 3 XAO3D
Case also available: XG17T £4.95. Complete ready -built: XG22Y £32.50
13. (14) Ultrasonic Intruder Detctor LW83E £10.95 4 XAO4E
14. (11) Spectrum RS232 Interface LK21X £17.95 8 XAO8J
15. (171 Hexadrum LW85G £19.95 Best of E&MM
16. I-) Noise Gate LK43W £9.95 Best of E&MM
17. (-) Guitar Tuner LW9OX £10.75 Best of E&MM
18. I-) Freq. Meter Adaptor LK2OW £8.99 9 XAO9K
19. (16) Car Battery Monitor LK42V £6.25 Best of E&MM
20. (20) M ZX81 Speech Synthesiser LK01B £16.95 6 XAO6G
Over 80 other kits also available. All kits supplied with instructions.
The desriptions above are necessarily short. Please ensure you know
exactly what the kit is and what it comprises before ordering, by checking the
appropriate Project Book mentioned in the list above.

MAPLIN'S FASCINATING PROJECTS BOOKS

Full details In our Project Books Red Intruder Detector Multimeter to Adder-Subtracter Syndrum's Inter-
F411:104 NiKPLEN. Frequency Meter Converter FM face Microphone Pre -Amp Limiter.
Price 70p each.
Radio needs no alignment Hi -Res In Book 10 (XA1OL) Cassette
In Book 1 (XAO1B) 120W rms Mosfet
Combo -Amplifier Universal Timer 111.41Wire... 01.4?.
Graphics for ZX81 Speech Synth- Easyload for ZX Spectrum 80m
with 18 program times and 4 outputs esiser for Oric 1 VIC20 Extendiboard Amateur Receiver Auto Waa-Waa
Temperature Gauge 6 Vero Projects. ZX81 Extend -RAM Dynamic Noise Effects Unit Oric 1 Modem Interface
In Book 2 (XAO2C) Home Security - 4 =M.. ...-01441.11 Limiter for Personal Cassette Players. 2.8kW Mains Power Controller
System Train Controller for 14 trains
- TTL Levels to RS232 Converter Extendiport for Dragon 32 12V Fluor-
on one circuit Stopwatch with Logic Pulser Pseudo -Stereo AM escent Tube Driver 32 -Line
multiple modes Miles -per -Gallon
Radio Ni-Cad Charger Timer Extension for Digi-Tel.
Meter. In Book 6 (XAO6G) Speech Synth
In Book 3 (XAO3D) ZX81 Keyboard esiser for ZX81 & VIC20 Module to
with electronics Stereo 25W Mosfet Bridge two of our Mosfet Amps to make
Amplifier Doppler Radar Intruder 350W Amp ZX81 Sound on your
1984 GREAT PROJECTS
Detector Remote Control for Train TV Scratch Filter Damp Meter CATALOGUE FROM E&MM
Controller. Four Simple Projects.
In Book 4 (XAO4E) Telephone In Book 7 (XAO7H) Modem (RS232) A massive 480 big pages of Our book "Best of E&MM
Exchange for 16 extensions Interface for ZX81 VIC2O Commodore description, pictures and data Projects Vol. 1" brings together
Frequency Counter 10Hz to 600MHz 64 Digital Enlarger TimerController and now with prices on the page. 21 fascinating and novel pro-
Ultrasonic Intruder Detector I 0 Port DXers Audio Processor Sweep The new Maplin catalogue is the jects from E&MM's first Year.
for ZX81 Car Burglar Alarm Oscillator CMOS Crystal Calibrator. one book no constructor should Projects include Harmony
Remote Control for 25W Stereo Amp. In Book 8 (XAO8J) Modem (RS232) be without. Now includes new Generator, Guitar Tuner, Hexa-
In Book 5 (XAO5F) 300 Baud Duplex Interface for Dragon 32 & Spectrum
Modem to European Standard 100W Synchime I 0 Ports for Dragon 32Heathkit section. On sale in all drum. Syntom. Auto Swell.
240VAC Inverter Sounds Generator Electronic Lock Minilab Power branches of W.H. Smith. Price Partylite, Car Aerial Booster.
for ZX81 Central Heating Controller Supply Logic Probe Doorbell for £1.35 - It's incredible value for MOS-FET Amp and other
Panic Button for Home Security the Deaf. money. Or send £1.65 (,ncluding musical, hi-fi and car projects.
System Model Train Projects In Book 9 (XAO9K) Keyboard with p & p) to our mail-order address. Order As XH61R. Price £1.
Timer for External Alarm. Electronics for ZX Spectrum Infra -

r ELECTRONIC
Post this coupon now for your copy of the 1984
catalogue. Price £1_35 - 30p post and packaging.
it you live outside the U.K. send £2.20 or 11
rninhx.iin SUPPLIES LTO
Mail Order. P.O. Box 3. Rayleigh, Essex SS6 8LR. Tel: Southend
International Reply Coupons. I enclose £1.65
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