SUMMER SPECIAL 1982

Projects, Designer Circuits & Tech Tips

for the Electronics Hobbyist

N
CIRCUITS FILE
Projects Designer Circuits
TEST DUAL BEAM ADAPTER . .. .... 4 TEST UNREGULATED POWER SUPPLY ... . . .. . 39
TEST REGULATED POWE.R SUPPLY . . . . . . . . . . . 39
PHOTO FLASH TRIGGER . . . . . . ...... 6 TEST TRANSISTOR TESTER ... . .... . . . . ..... 40
AUTO COURTESY LIGHT EXTENDER. 7 AUDIO TREBLE BOOSTER ....... . ........ . .. . 40
MUSIC BASS BOOSTER .. .... . . . .... 8 MUSIC METRONOME . . .. . . .. .. . . ....... . ... . 41
TEST MEASURING UNKNOWN CAPACITORS . 41
AUDIO GENERAL PURPOSE PREAMP 10 AUDIO STEREO SYNTHESIZER . ... .. .. ...... . . 42
AUDIO STEREO SIMULATOR ....... 11 MISC. LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATOR .. . . . . . . 42 .
AUTO ANTI THEFT AUTO ALARM .. 12 TEST CMOS LOGIC PROBE . . . ...... . . .. . . .. 43
HOME INSECT REPELLENT .. . ....... . .. . .. . . . 43
MUSIC ELECTRONIC BONGOS . .... 13 HOME FLASH SLAVE UNIT .. . . .....• . . . . . . . . . 44
HOME PUSH BUTTON DIMMER ... . 14 HOME HOME INTERCOM . . . . . ......... . .. .. . 44
HOME INTRUDER ALARM . . .. . . . . . 16 AUDIO STEREO PREAMP . .. .... . ..... . .. • .. . . 45
HOME GARDEN WATERING . . ..... 18 MISC. PHASE SHIFT OSCILLATOR ... . . .. . . . . . 45
TEST QUICK TRANSISTOR CHECKER ... . .... . 46
AUDIO GRAPHIC EQUALIZER ...... 20 TEST SINGLE IC POWER SUPPLY . .. . . . . . . . .. . 46
HOME TOUCH SWITCH . . . .. ... .. . 23 AUDIO TRANSISTOR POWER AMPLIFIER ... . .. . 47
AUDIO SIMPLE STEREO AMPLIFIER . 24 TEST LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE INDICATOR . . 47
HOME TWO TONE ALARM . . ...... . . . . .. . .. .. 48
HOME DRILL SPEED CONTROLLER .25 TEST ZENER DIODE TESTER . .. . .. . . .. ....... 48
TEST BASIC POWER SUPPLY .. .. . 27 HOME DOORBUZZER .. . ... .... . . .•• . . . ..... 49
TEST AUDIO FREQUENCY METER . 26 HOME LIE DETECTOR . .. ... ...... , . ... ...... 49
MISC. TOUCH SWITCH .. .......... ... . . . ... 50
MUSIC WAA WAA UNIT ........... 28 MISC. 555 IC MONOSTABLE TIMER .. . .... . . ... 50
AUTO HEADPHONE ADAPTOR . . . . 29 AUDIO SCRATCH AND RUMBLE FILTER . ... . .. . 51
AUTO HEADLIGHT REMINDER ... . 30 MUSIC VCF USING A CA3080 ...... . . . . ... . .. . 51
AUDIO SIMPLE AMPLIFIER . . .. .. . . ........... 52
HOME AUTO LUME ...... .. . . ... . 31 TEST FET VOLTMETER . . .. . . . . • . .. . . • . . . .. . 53
TEST MARKER GENERATOR . . . ... 32 AUDIO AUDIO LIMITER ..... ... ... ... . • . .. .. . 53
HOME LIGHT DIMMER . . ... . . .. . . 34 TEST AF MILLIVOLTMETER . .. .. ..... .. ..... 54
HOME BASIC BURGULAR ALARM .. . .. . • .... . 54
TEST RF ATTENUATOR ..... . . . .. 35 MISC. SOUND OPERATED SWITCH ..... . .. . .. 55

Tech Tips TEST

MISC.
M ISC.
M ISC.
METER PROTECTION ...... . . ...... .. 78
LOW CURRENT TOUCH SWITCH ...... 79
SPST SWITCH FLIP- FLOP . . . . . . .
SEQUENCE SWITCH . .... . ... ....... . 79
. . 79

AU DIO TAPE RECORDER CONTROLLER . . .. .. . 80

AUDIO BATTERY OPERATED VCO . ........... 63 HOME. DOOR BEll EXTENDER. . .80
AUDIO VLF SINE GENERATOR .... ... ... ... . . 63 M ISC. MULTI-ZENER . . . .... . . . . .81
AUDIO 5 WATT AUDIO AMP ... ............. 64 M ISC. INCREASING ZENER POWER . ....... . 81
AUDIO AlTERNATIVE 5 WATT AMP .. .. • .. ... 64 TEST OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION ... .... . 81
AUDIO MOVING COIL PREAMP ... ..... .... . . 65 COMPUTER PROGRAMMABLE GATE . ... .. .. .... . 82
AUDIO ONE CHIP PRE-AMP ... . .. . .. . . . . . .. 65 COMPUTER CHEAP DOWN COUNTER .. 82
MISC. BCD TONE GENERATOR ... . ... . . . . .. 66 HOME GEIGER COUNTER . . .............. 83
HOME GENTLE ALARM CLOCK ... ... ........ 66 TEST CAPACITY CHECKER ....... . ..... .. .. 83
MISC. 7400 SIREN ...... . . . .... . ......... . . 67 HOME TV GAME RESURECTION ... . ......... 84
AUDIO FIBRE OPTIC BASS GU ITAR . . . ... . . . .. 67 HOME AUTO SELECT FOR AY-3-8760 . . . ... . 84
AUDIO AUDIO DOUBLER .... . . . .. .. . 68 HOM E PORCH LIGHT CONTROLLER ... 85
AUDIO SIMPLE COMPRESSOR . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 AUD IO GUITALSUSTAIN UNIT ..... .. . ..... . 85
AUDIO 4 CHANNEL SYNTHESIZER .. . ...... ... 68 HOME DIGITAL BIKE SPEED ..... .. . ... . ... . 86
MISC. RECTIFYING WITH THE LM3900 ....... 69 AUTO CAR VOLTAGE REGULATOR . . . . ..... . 86
COMPUTER BCB TO ANALOGUE CONVERTER . .... 69 AUTO CAR LAMP FAILUP,E WARNING . . .87
AUDIO HIGH QUALITY TONE CONTROL ... ... 70 AUDIO ICE WARNING .. . .... .. .. . ..... . . . .. 87
AUDIO VARIBLE NOTCH FILTER ... . .. .. ... .. 70 AU D IO CAR LIGHTS REMINDER . . . . . .. 87
TEST BATTERY INDICATOR . .... . 71 COMPUTER SEVEN TO BINARY .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. 88
TEST SUPPLY TELLTALE . .... ......... . .71 COMPUTER 555 MICRO RESET ... . . ...... . ...... . 88
AUDIO STEREO BALANCE METER . . . . .... 72 HOME 2 CHIP DICE . . . .. ... .•• . . •. . ..•.. .. . 89
AUDIO SPEAKER POWER INDICATOR ...... . . 72 HOM E DIGITAl DIE. .... . 89
MISC. SLIDE SWITCH . . . . . . . . . . . . ' . . .. 73 HOME PASSION METER . .. 90
MISC. ELECTRONIC SWITCH . . . . . . 73 HOME HEADS OR·TAILS . . ....... ...... .. . . 90
HOME TRAIN CONTROLLER ..... .. . .. .. .... 74 COMPUTER EXOR AND EXNOR .... 91
HOME TRAIN CONTROLLER WITH INERTIA . .. 74 COM PUTER MEMORY CONNECTIONS . . . ....... . . 91
TEST ANTI-SURGE REGULATOR . . .... 75 TEST LOGIC PROBE . . .. 92
TEST SIMPLE DUAL POWER SUPPLY . .. . ... 75 TEST POCKET DFM . . . ... . . . . .. . .. •• ..... 92
MISC. MULTI-POWER INVERTER. . . . . . . . 75 TEST CMOS GATE IDENTIFIER ... 93
COMPUTER EXTERNA~ INPUT FOR MICROS . . . 76 TEST CMOS TEST BED . . . 93
COMPUTER SEVEN SEGMENT DECODER . . . . . . . . . 76 TEST BATTERY TESTER . . ..... . 93
COMPUTER KEYBOARD/DISPLAY CONVERTER . .... 76 COMPUTER DIGITAL PULSE COMPRESSOR. .. . 94
HOME TELEPHONE AMPLIFIER . . . . . ... 77 AU D IO SAMPLE AND HOLD .... . .... .. ... ... 94
AUDIO NOVEL SPEAKER CIRCUIT .. 77 HOME ELECTRONIC "SPIROGRAPH" . . ... .. 95
TEST NPN-PNPINDICATOR .. . .. . ... 78 AUD IO ANTI FEEDBACK . . . . . 96
TEST MEASURING METER RESISTANCE . . ... 78 TEST LED SPOTTING . 96
TEST MORE OHMS PER VOLT ..... 78 HOME TV ISOLATOR . 96
OSCILLOSCOPE HM 203·3
The new HM203 is a 20MHz bandwidth
general-purpose Dual Trace Oscilloscope.
The stable sweep triggering (to 30MHz) and
the relatively high measuring accuracy
( ± 3%) are particularly impressive. The
useful display area is approximately 8 X
10cm. With the aid of the electronic stabiliza-
tion of all operating voltages and the ther-
mically favorable arrangement of the drift-
sensitive components, an outstanding
display stability is obtained. The brightness
and display definition of the cathode-ray
tube are excellent.
LIST
Price includes two dual x1-x10 Probes
For further information on Scopes or Probes, call or write: $790
- - - - -.. • - -.. We service all makes of Oscilloscopes:
TEKTRONIX e HEWLETI·PACKARD e
From coast t~~~~~-· ~!~·us next time. 0 Rectangular CRT 0 Internal Graticule
0 Bandwidth DC-20 MHz 0 Dual Trace USCIIIIOS,COIJ81
980 Alness St., Unit 35, Downsview, 0 8 em X 10 em Display 0 Triggering up to 30 MHZ
Ontario (416) 661·5585 M3J 252

CIRCUITS FILE Is Published by:

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO ETI MAGAZINE
Electronics Today International $16.95 (one year), $29.95 {two years). For US add $3/yr., other
Editorial and Advertising Offices countries· add $5/yr. Please specify if subscription is new or a
Unit 6, 25 Overlea Boulevard, renewal.
Toronto, Ontari6, M4H 1 B1
Telephone (416) 423-3262 BACK ISSUES AND PHOTOCOPIES
Previous issues of ETI Canada are available direct from our
offices for $3.00 each; please specify by month, not by
feature you require.
Publisher and Editor: HalvorW. Moorshead We can supply photocopies of any article published in
Assistant Editor: Steve Rimmer ETI Canada; the charge is $2:00 per article, regardless of
Art Director: Terry Fletcher· length. Please specify both issue and article.
Production: Cindy Baker
Ann Rodrigues
Sarah Newman COPYRIGHT
Subscription Department: Bebe Lall All material is subject to worldwide copyright protection.
Nadia Marar
Accounts Department: Pirjo Dunphy LIABILITY .
Advertising Manager: Senga Harrison While every effort has been made to ensure that all con-
Advertising Representative: OmarVogt structional projects referred to in this publication will
Advertising Services: Carolyn Wyatt operate as indicated efficiently and properly and that all
necessary components are available, no responsibility what-
. soever is accepted in respect of the failure for any reason at
all of the project to operate efficiently or at all whether due
NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION: to any fault in the design or otherwise and no responsibility
Master Media, Oakville, Ontario
is accepted for the failure to obtain component parts in
respect of any such project. Further no responsibility is ac-
PRINTED BY: cepted in respect of any injury or damage caused by any
RBW, Owen Sound, Ontario fault in design of any such project as aforesaid.

2-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Beam
Adaptor
THE oscilloscope, next to the
multimeter, is perhaps the most useful
test instrument. Indeed, for any
serious experimental work an
oscilloscope is indispensable.
Unfortunately they are expensive
beasts, and whilst an experimenter
may well afford a simple,
low-frequency single-beam type, a
dual-beam version (4900 or more) is
usually beyond his means.
Nevertheless a dual-beam facility is
most convenient, for it allows
comparison of two different signals,
for wave-shape or timing, and makes
obvious differences which other wise
would not be discernable.
The simple dual-beam adaptor
described here, whilst not providing a//
the capabilities of an expensive
dual-beam 'scopes, will however, r - - - - - - - - H O W IT W O R K S - - - - - - - - ,
cover most experimenter's require-
ments. Switches SW2 and SW3 select de or kHz may be selected . The operation
ac coupling, or input shorted,. for is as follows.
It is a low cost unit which allows two
channel A and channel B inputs Integrated circuit ICl forms a
inputs of similar amplitude to be respectively. The signals are applied multi vibrator which can run at 60 Hz
displayed simultaneously on separate to the sensitivity potentiometers or 35 kHz, or be locked in A-high
traces. Frequency response of the unit RVl and RV2 and then passed to B-low , or A-low B-high output states.
is sufficient to allow observation of IC2/l and IC2/2 which select one of For example, if SWl selects -7 volts,
signals up to about 1 MHz. the signals as an input to source ICl pin 10 will be at +7, ICl pin 11
follower Ql. will be at -7, ICl pin 3 will be at +7
Transistor Ql is supplied with a and ICl pin 4 will be at -7 volts. The
constant current (approximately 2.7 CMOS switches of IC2 will be "on" if
SPECIFICATION rnA) by transistors Q2 and Q3 . the control voltage is at +7 volts and
Hence, there is about 3 volts across "off" if the control voltage is at -7
Input Level
RV3 and RV4, and this is unaffected volts. Thus when - 7 volts is selected
de ±4 volts max by changes in input signal level. by SWl, "A" will be at +7 volts, and
ac 2 volts RMS max These potentiometers therefore IC2/l and IC2/3 will select channel
de insula- provide a level-shift facility. When A. Similarly if +7 volts is selected by
tion on ac ± 400 volts max channel A is selected by IC2/l, IC2/3 SWl, IC2/2 and IC2/4 will select
de level shift ± 1.5 volts selects RV3, and when channel B is channel B.
selected by IC2/2, IC2/4 selects RV4. If C2 and R2 are selected by SWl
Frequency Response Thus as each signal has an the multivibrator will be free to run
- 3dB J"'Oint >
1 MHz independant level shift the two traces
may be separated when chopped.
at 60 Hz imd channels A and B will
be alternately selected at this
The CMOS gates of IC2 are driven frequency. Similarly if Cl and Rl are
Chopping Frequencies
by the outputs, A and B, the selected, channels A and B will be
A 60Hz circuitry associated with ICl. The alternately selected at 35 kHz.
B 35kHz drive circuit mode of operation is The power supply is a simple ·
selected by SWl, a four position full-wave bridge type which uses two
Input Impedance switch, such that channel A only, Zeners to provide the +7 and -7
100kHz channel B only, A and B chopped at volt supplies required.
60 Hz or, A and B chopped at 35

4-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 Fig. 2a Two signals, correctly displayed us-
ing the dual beam adaptor.
I\ /\
/ \ I \
'
\
..,
I
.' ' \
\
,_,
/ /~ .- \
\

I \
I
'
/ / '
Fig. 2b Use of incorrect chopping frequency '
for particular input signal (chop frequency a
harmonic of signal) results in the effect,
shown right. To cure use other chop fre-
quency.

Fig.1. Circuit di•gram of complete unit. USING THE ADAPTOR

Connect the output of the adaptor to
the input of the 'scope .. The two
adaptor inputs now become A and B
trace inputs to the 'scope. A trigger-
ing signal should be applied direct
to the trigger input of the 'scope as
otherwise the ·scope w.ill tend to
synchronize to the chop frequency
NOTE So and not to ejther input signal.
IC1 4001AE C•10S
IC2 4016AE CMOS It is preferable that the two input
-7V signals have approximately the same
amplitude as there is no input
amplifier or range selection provided
on the adaptor. However there is an
attenuator provided on each input so
that some adjustment may be made.
If only one input is to be applied it is
best to switch to that input only thus
eliminating the second trace and any
cross talk which may occur due to the
high input impedances.
Two chopping frequencies are used,
having widely different frequencies, so
that if the input signal is a harmonic of
the chopping frequency, choosing the
other chop mode will prevent the chop
frequency being visible.

Normally CHOP 1 would be used for

high frequency inputs, and CHOP 2
for low frequency inputs. An
-7V ALTERNATE mode has not been
included (entails obtaining an output
from the 'scope of unknown level
and availability) as the CHOP 1
mode is similar and almost as effec-
tive.
By means of the two shift controls
traces A and -s may be separated by up
to ± 1.5 volts. 0

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-5

Flash
Trigger
THIS device will set off any
standard electronic flash unit a
pre-determined time (adjustable
between five milli-seconds and 200
milli-seconds) after a sudden
change in ambient light or sound
The magnitude of the change
required to trigger the unit is also
adjustable.
The light triggering facility en-
ables the trigger unit to be used as a
slave flash .
To use the unit . in the sound
operated mode simply plug the
microphon e into the socket provid- Working from either a sound or light stimulus this easily constructed pro·
ed and connect the unit's fl ash lead ject should prove versatile enough to be of use to most photographers.
to the camera.
Switch on SW1 and adJUSt RV1
so that the flash is not triggered by Assume for example that you A test film is then shot using an
ambient noise, but will be triggered wanted to photograph a bottle at arbitrary setting of the ·delay in the
by the event to be recorded - ie the instant it is broken by a stone now darkened room . This is done by
gwn firing , hands clapping , glass from a catapult . The equipment , opening the shutter, firing the
breaking , etc. catapult and bottle are set up catapult and then closing the
In most circumstances the stop initially in the light and tested to shu.t ter before turning on the lights.
action photography must be done in confirrn correct function and (Although shooting a bottle in the
a dark room with the camera sh!Jtter sequence. dark may seem difficult - with a
open.

SW1 +9V

LDR1

TO FLASH
GUN
INPUT

ov

NOTE LDR1 CAN BE ANY LIGHT DEPENDENT RESISTOR

--c::n-
1N914
6- ETI CIRCUITS FILE
. - - - - - - - - - H O W IT W O R K S - - - - - - - - ,
Basically the microphone triggers the IC Transistor Ql is normally held on by
monostable circuit which subsequently trig- the current through RV2, and its collector is
gers an SCR, and hence the flash, after a high. little practice 1t is surprisingly easy.
time delay. This delay is adjustable - by When an audio signal from the But do wear eye protection) .
varying a monostable on-time - from 5 microphone produces at pin 3 a level ex- A run through the test film will
milliseconds to 200 milliseconds. ceeding that set on pin 2 by RVl; the IC will show whether the chosen delay was
Integrated circuit ICl is an LM301A. rapidly change state and its output will go correct. If too short, the bulb or
This is a DC differential amplifier with a high. bottle will be photographed before
high gain - typically 25,000. The output The front edge of this transition turns actual ly breaking up - if too late
swing of the IC with a 9 volt DC supply is off Ql via C3 . The collector of Ql will fall,
of the order of 6 volts, and this is obtained Dl becomes forward biased and pulls down the action will have progressed
with an input swing of only 24 microvolts. pin 2 to about one volt - the IC output is To use the unit as a slave flash
This makes the IC ideally suited for use as a maintained in its high state. simply unplug the microphone. This
comparator and is the mode of operation After a time - determined by the time automatically places the built-in
utilised in our circuit. comtant of C3 and RV2 - Ql turns on light sensor in circuit - adjust the
Due to the very high gain and the again allowing the IC to revert to its normal sensitivity so that the unit 1s
relatively large output signals normally en- low output. triggered out by the master flash
countered, the IC is almost always either The output signal from Ql is differen-
fully cut off or fully saturated. The linear tiated by C4 and RIO. The positive pulse when it is operated. In this particu-
region is very narrow and is not utilized in which occurs at the end of the delay period, lar application the delay should be
this circuit. triggers the SCR and fires the flash. set to minimum for use as a slave
The two inputs of the IC (pins 2 and 3) When the microphone is pulled out flash .
would be at the same potential were it not LDRl and Rl are placed in circuit. When Or some delay may be used to
for the bias current supplied through RVI. the light falling on the LDR suddenly in- obtain a time sequence exposure .
This raises the voltage at pin 2 of the IC by creases, the resistance of the LDR falls and Note that the minimum delay is 5ms
10 mV or more above pin 3 depending on the voltage across Rl increases. This in- and hence the unit cannot be used
the setting of RVI. The IC will therefore crease is passed via C2 to pin 3 of the IC as a slave flash for extremely fc:ist
normally be fully saturated and the output triggering it if it is above the voltage on pin
voltage will be low. 2. action without a double exposure-
occuring .O

Courtesy Car interior light stays on

briefly after the door is closed.

Light Ext~nd~r 15k

---HOW IT WORKS-....,. 01
In a car where the negative terminal of 1N4001
the battery is c:mnected to the chassis
the negative wire of the unit (emitter of
Q2) is connected to chassis and the
positive wire (case of 2N3055) is
connected to the wire going to the C1
switch. In a car having a positive earth 47uf
system this connection sequence is 18V
reversed.
When the switch closes (door open)
C1 is discharged via D1 to zero volts and -V~
when the switch opens C1 charges up via
R1 and R2. Transistors Q1 and Q2 are ALL MODERN CARS are fitted with after which the interior light
connected as an emitter follower (Q2 slowly dims being finally
just buffers Q 1) therefore the voltage door-switch operated courtesy lights.
across Q2 increases slowly as C1 charges. Useful devices, but not quite as useful extinguished after 10 or 12 seconds.
Hence Q2 acts like a low resistance in as they might be because they are so The unit is very simple to construct
parallel with the switch - keeping the arranged that the light is extinguished and once tested and properly insulated
lights on. it may be wired across one of the car
The value of C1 is choosen such that as soon as you close the door - just
a useful light level is obtained for about when you need light to find the door switches. In operation, after a
four seconds, thereafter the light ignition switch, do up your seat belt short delay the lights will gradually
decreases until in about 10 seconds it is etc. How much better if the internal di!ll until they are completely
out completely with different transistor
gains and with variation in current drain light stayed on for a few seconds after extinguished. There is no battery drain
due to a particular type of car the timing the door is closed. in the off-state as the unit only
may vary, but may be simply adjusted This little project does just that. It operates during the delay period after
by selecting C1. provides a four-second delay (approx) the door is closed.O
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-7
Bass Modify your hi-fi system to
provide some real bass
performance.

Booster
MANY ECONOMY hi-fi systems have
adequate mid-range and treble
Fig. 1. This filter circuit can be used with
an external amplifier.

response-but sound as if the bot-

tom has fallen out of the amplifier
when they come to some good solid
bass.
And when you calculate the
amplifier and speaker capacity re- R4
quired for realistic bass response you 470 LOW- PASS
FILTE R N ETWORK
begin to appreciate why. F ROM SPEAKE RS
OF MAIN AMPLI FIE R
But all is not lost -for here is a CONSTRUCTION
modification that will reproduce the In its simplest form, the combin- If the booster is used in its simplest
very deepest of bass, at levels prac- ing filter shown in Fig. 1 is connected form - using a separate amplifier -
tically guarant eed to infuriate your to any spare mono or stereo amplifier the filter should be constructed on a
neighbours for life! (rated at 20 Watts or more) and played small piece of perforated board or
Unlike the higher audio frequen- through a single speaker enclosure tage strips. The circuit is shown in
cies, bass is largely non-directional, that has a good bass response. Fig. 1. The layout is not at all critical.
and because of this, the positioning In another form the same ar- In the form shown in Fig. 2, the
of a bass speaker is not at all critical. rangement is used together with the amplifier and filter are constructed as
The bass booster described in speaker system specifically designed one unit. This complete unit may be
this project exploits this principle. for bass reproduction. mounted within the new bass speaker
While in no way affecting the normal But as few of us have spare high- enclosure (as we did with our pro-
output or stereo separation of the ex- powered amplifiers lying around totype unit) or located in any readily
isting system the booster effectively waiting for a project like this-we accessible place.
combines the bass signals from the have designed a very simple yet effec- When you are sure that all com-
left and right hand stereo channels . tive amplifier especially for this pro- ponents have been wired correctly,
and, following amplification, ject. Note, that for this latter arrange- set the wiper RV2 centre of its travel.
reproduces them through a common ment the design of the filter has been Do not connect the speakers at this
bass speaker. changed slightly. stage of the operation.
The system may be used in
+23V
several different ways.
Rll 05
lk '

Fig. 2. In this circuit the filter and

amplifier are combined as one unit

Rl
RI O
1.5k.
+
rC6
25"F 25V
c I
I 06
2N3055
'
470 R13
2.2k Tl
ll' MOUNTED
ON HEA TS INK
8
R V2
lk
12o--'VVV"--t-- --+--=...,_.-....J
LEFT
13 o---'\/'1/\/'o--'
RIGHT R4 R1 4
2.2k >
~
470
+
FROM SPEAKERS
OF MAIN AMP LI FI ER 3 g
a>N
- 1 UN
R1 6
4.7k
c I +
R15 1 07
NOTES: l.Sk 2N3055
D1-D3 ARE 1N4001 25VJ
D5-D6 ARE 100PIV, 1A6 R12
ZD1,ZD2 ARE 3V9, 400mW lk : - 07
Q1,Q2 ARE 2N3904
Ql IS 2N3905 06
Q41S 2N2905
QS IS 2N2222A - 23V
Q6,Q7 ARE 2N3055

8- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 Switch on the main 120 Volt sup-
ply and check terminals. This should
be less than 200 mV. If it is substan- 0.75" SO. CLEATS
AROUND ALL INSIDE EDGES
tially higher than this, switch off and
recheck all connections. (If a
voltmeter is not available, connect 0.75" VENEERED
one side of the speaker to c;:me side of PARTICLE BOARD SIDES,
TOP, BASE
the amplifier and momentarily touch
the second amplifier lead to the re- 0.75" PARTICLE BOARD
maining side of the speaker. If all is BACK AND FRONT

well the speaker should remain

prctically silent or al most produce a
slight 'click'. (If the speaker cone tries
to fly across the room- then switch
off at once and recheck all connec-
tions).
Next, if a milliammeter is
available, disconnect the lead to pin 2
and measure the current in this lead.
Adjust RV2 until the current approx.
40 mA. If n·o milliammeter is
available, leave RV2 in mid-position.
Connect the leads from the ex- 011\1£NSIUNS IN UHACKElS
AHE f1~ Mlllln.H:TRES
"CR I TICAL INTERNAL DIMENSIONS
THICKEH MATEHIA L MAY BE USED
Isting speakers to the filter input and BUT INSIUt SIZES MUST NOTAl H . H

connect the bass speaker to the

booster amplifier. The power may
now be switched on and the complete Fig. 4 Constructional details of recom-
mended speaker enclosure.
system checked out. Remember that
the sound from the bass booster will
be grossly distorted if this unit is us-
ed alone - but when mixed with the
sound from the existing two speakers
in your stereo system it sounds just
great.

BASS SPEAKER ENCLOSURE

The enclosure tested for use with this
system is shown in Figs 4 and 5. The
speakers used were two 8 ohm types
connected in parallel, thus having an
effective impedance of 4 ohms.
The inside of the speaker
enclosure was lined on at least three
non-facing surfaces (eg side, top and
rear) with absorbative material such
as felt.O Fig. 5. Exploded view of speaker
enclosure.

Fig. 6. How the speakers are intercon-

- - - H O W IT WORKS----•n-.ec-.te,.d_.- - - - - - - - - - .
The output from each channel of the ex- SO kHz. However with the input filter in-
isting stereo amplifier is combined by corporateQ, the frequency response of the
resistors Rl-R4. Resistors R6, R6 and RVl, amplifier is that of the filter-shown in Fig.
together with capacitors Cl, C2 and C3 3.
form a low pass filter that has a cut-off fre- The main voltage gain of the amplifier
quency around 200Hz and a final IS dB per
z
= octave slope.
Capacitor C4 provides a high pass
circuit is provided by ICl, Q2 and Q3. Q4
and QS provide the necessary current gain
to drive the output transistors Q6 and Q7.
filter of approximately 30 Hz to protect the Transistor Ql compensates Q4. 02 and 03
speakers from large transients and de levels. compensate QS and Q7.
(The filter shown in Fig. 1 - intended for Zener diodes ZOl and Z02 protect Q2
10 20 30 40 so use with separate amplifiers - has a 20 dB and Q3 by limiting the output voltage swing
attenuator incorporated before the output of the IC.
Fig. 3. This curve shows the frequency potentiometer - this protects the following The amplifier descrived in this project
response of the fi Iter. amplifier against overloads). may also be used - without the filter - as
The amplifier shown in Fig. 2 has a a straightforward 25 Watt mono
voltage gain of 23x(R9 + R7). a power out- amplifier-in this case diode 02 or 03 (but
R7 not both) should be removed from its loca-
put of approx. 25 Watts into four ohms and tion on the printed circuit board and
afrequency response from OHz to approx. relocated on the heat sink.

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-9

General PurP.QSe
Preamplifier.\\~~~~i;~,~\\\;..
A general purpose preamplifier using a
simple LM382 IC which can be used with
magnetic pickups, tape recorders or
microphones by changing a few com-
ponents.
THIS IS a simple preamplifier
module suitable for fitting into an
existing system. Many people re-
quire a module to amplify a
magnetic pickup, whilst others may
want a unit that can be used for a
tape recorder or microphone.
While these requirements
usually require different circuitry, a
preamplifier based on the LM382 IC
can be made to do any one of these
jobs simply by changing a few com-
ponents around the basic amplifier
circuit.
As a straight preamplifier the
frequency response extends to well
beyond 20 kHz and gains of 40, 50
and 80 dB can be selected by means
of simple components changes.

To use the preamplifier for your

application, select the appropriate
component values as detailed in
Table One.
The input cables must be
shielded as the signals at the input
are at very low levels. If trouble with
hum pickup is encountered it may
be necessary to mount the whole
preamplifier in a metal box to shield
..---HOW IT WORKS---:; it. 0
Not much can be said about how the
LM382 works as most of the circuitry is C2
contained within the IC. Most of the lOOn
frequency-determining components are on
the chip -only the capacitors are mounted
externally.
2GHT 11-----;
INPUT
The preamplifier may be pow-
ered by any de voltage between 10 and 40
volts, the output automatically biased to
about +6 ~olts. Due to this bias the output
must be decoupled from the following
stages and this is done by Cll, 12 and
R5,4.
The LM382 has the convenient
characteristic of rejecting ripple on the
supply line by about 100 dB, thus greatly
reducing the quality requirement for the
power supply. ,
Thus the power rails of the main
amplifier may be used.

10-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 +25

+20

+15
v V·::J .........
~,..,
+10 / !'TAPE NAB) RESPONSE

+5 f - - - PHONO RIA A RESc~~ .....

-5

-10
'
~
--
'
-15
-20
10 100
FREQUENCY
1000
"
10k
~
30k

Stereo ~Stvto ~
Ftilrtalabr
Simulator
Make more of poor old-1ashioned
monophonic sound with this design
to make use of both speakers in such
a way you'd never know the dif-
ference!

IF YOU ARE a member of that il.l ust- Connect up the stereo simulator to
rious band - the hi-fi enthusiast - your stereo amp and to a mono
read no further. The suggestions con- signal source. The effect of the cir-
tained below are not for your eyes. cuit can be modified by use of the
The stereo simulator is designed to amplifiers' tone controls (giving a
take a mono signal, from a mono sort of width control) and the
cassette recorder or, via an isolator balance control. 0
please, your TV set, and turn it into a SW1a
pseudo stereo signal.
It does this by splitting the input
into two signal paths and then
f iltering each signal. The high SK2
81
9V
frequencies are fed to the left input of
your stereo amplifier and the low
+ HlHTOU;T +
f requencies to the right hand channel. C4
4u7

r----HOW IT WORKS--..
Cl

The circuit is based on two second ICl =ll\1348

C3
order filters built around ICl(b) and
R11 10n A1 2
ICl(d). 39k 22k
ICl(b) is a low pass Itlter with
comptment values chosen to give a break
point of about 2kHz ICl(d) is a high pass SK3
Itlter with, again, a break point of 2kHz.
Thus the output at SK2 will consist + H!FTOUT
of the low frequency portion of the input C7
(bass) and SK3 's output will consist of the 4u7
high (treble) portion of the input signal.
The mono input from SKI is fed via
unity gain input buffers to each Itlter
element. This is to avoid loading the Itlters
which might degrade their performance.

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-11

Ant1~ t
Auto Alarm
THIS UNIT OPERATES from the
vehicle supply, and is a real deterrent
drawing on the relay. Relay contacts
RC1 close. The relay is then energised
closed, circuit point A is negative. But
with S1, S2 or S3 open, point A is
to the unauthorised opening or taking from circuit B (positive) through R5 positive via the lamp filament .)
away of the car to which it is fitted. and circuit C (chassis and negative) so EXTERNAL LEADS
This, in itself, can scare away an in- that the relay remains locked on even These are most .-eadily arranged by
truder as it is clear that some elect- if the door is closed, opening S2 or S3. using three separate cords-- a twin for
ronic means of protection is present . The second set of contacts RC2 com- the horn switch circuit, a twin for the
When this tone is heard, the owner pletes the circuit to the horn. master switch S4, and a 3-core for the
has a few seconds in which to operate If the door is closed before the circuits A, B and C. The latter is best
a master switch, the location of which relay locks on, the charging of C2 made from thin single bell wire, or
is known only to himself. A pre-set ceases, and the horn is not operated. line coloured wire, as this will result in
control allows this "delay" to be This is necessary in order that the
a thin cord which can be incon-
adjusted. If the master switch is not owner can get out of the car without
spicuously run up to the interior light.
operated, after this delay interval the starting the sequence.
vehicle horn is switched on -- and When S4 is opened , this prevents Black is best for A (negative). with red
closing the door, with the would-be the warning circuit working. The delay for B (positive) and green or some
thief either in the car or outside, will is adjustable, as mentioned, but RV1 other colour for chassis connection C.
not stop the horn. can be set to give about 5 seconds or Chassis connection C could be taken
The whole circuit is quite straight- so. S4 is placed in an inconspicuous to some other part of the vehicle
forward and for convenience car) be position, and it is unlikely that anyone chassis, but as it is available at S_l, it
divided into three sections. The whole could find this switch and operate it in is felt that the 3-core cord is more
circuit is shown in Fig. 1. the short time available. convenient .
RELAY
1. CAR WIRING The rectifier in the negative lead A This is bolted to the end of the case.
This is shown in thick lines in Fig. 1. is required because if the horn sounded Numerous other contacts will be found
The 12V battery supplies the interior when the owner entered the car, and on some relays, especially surplus ty-
light, which has its integral switch the doqr were closed opening S2 or S3, pes. Only two sets of "On" contacts
S1. The two door switches, S2 and and S4 were also opened, a path for are needed. These close when the relay
S3, are in parallel, and operate positive supply would then exist thro- is energised. It should pull on at a
automatically when a door is opened. ugh the interior light itself, holding on current of about 30-40mA or so.O
None of this wiring has to be disturbed the relay. (Eg., with S1, S2 or s~
in any way . . - - - - - - - - - - - - , Fig. 1 Complete circuit of the Auto Alarm
DOOR
2. TONE OSCILLATOR SWITCHES
SPEA KER
Apart from its deterrent effect, this 75R
warns the legitimate user that the
circuit is in operation . He can thus
remember to operate the master switch
S4 if he wishes to keep the door open,
or to use the interior light during
darkness. The tone also reminds him
that the circuit is in use, when getting
out of the car .
• 01 and 02 fQrm the tone oscillator,
operating a small speaker contained in
the case. When S2 or S3 are closed
by a door being open, 12V appear
across the interior Iight, and leads A
(negative) and B (positive) make this
avai Iable for the asci llator.

3. HORN SOUNDER
03 and 04 operate in this part of the
circuit. When the 12V supply is pre-
sent across A and B, C2 commences to
charge through R2 and RV1 . When
03 conducts, the base of 04 is moved
positive, causing 04 to conduct, and
12-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
are hideously expensive, one
can cheaply create single
the oscillation just stops and touch the a whole series of oscillators of
sounds, in this case, bongos! different frequencies . The circuit is
associated touch plate momentarily.
THE TOUCH plates may be made of totally symmetrical except for the
This should cause the circuit to pro-
any electrically conductive material capacitor values mentioned above,
duce a 'bong' sound which then decays so all you do to build up ha lf
- copper, brass, stainless steel,
away. Continue to adjust RV1 until circuits' - all connected to the
aluminum, etc. Size and shape is not a realisti c bongo sound is
critical - they need to be at least common battery -- and with their
reproduced .
50 mm across but they may be much outputs connected to the point on
Now repeat the operation for the the circuit which is the junction of
larger than this is desired -and round, second oscillator by adjusting RV3. R8 . R9 and R6.
square, triangular or whatever you Turn the amplitier up loud and
will! play away! It is also possible to build the
The finished unit may be circuit using a range of switched
The components specified will capacitors to provide the tonal
housed as you w ish in a box - result in frequencies of about 290
built into another instrument - or range you require .O
Hz and 400 Hz. These frequencies
even made up as a full-size or are determined by C1 , C2 and C4
miniature replica of a bongo drum .

r ~9V
But if you use a metal case you
must have the touch plates Ql, Q2 ARE MPS-Al8
R1 R4 R14
insulated from the case and spaced 1M lOk 1M
R8 R9
away from any metal surface by at lOk 10k

least 25 mm. ......I

Cl2
Potentiometers RV 1 and RV3 10~ +
are used only in the initial setting '
....L
up procedure - easy access is not
essential. Potentiometer RV2
Rl2 R15
controls the level of sound output 4k7 330k

and is required if the unit is to

drive an amplifier which has no
built-in volume control. If desired
Rl3
this potentiometer may be omitted l Ok R16
47k
from the board and replaced by a
larger rotary potentiomet er located OU TPUT C10

away from the circuit itself. If you

do this you ' ll need a 50k half watt
rotary device (logarithmic curve) .
Connect it as if you were using the TOUC H
PLATE
TOUCH
P LATE
original potentiometer :- except
that now you ' re domg 1t v1a th ree (for the left hand part of the circuit)
and the corresponding cg , C1 0
bits of wi re --HOW IT WORKS--
and C11 . The frequency produced
Setting up The circuit consists of two twin-T type
is inversely proportional to the sine-wave oscillators. Each is virtually
Connect the unit to a suitable values of these capacitors . Thus identical - there is one per touch plate.
amplifier and loudspeaker. Connect doubling their value will halve the Each oscillator has a filter in the
' bong ' frequency . If you change feedback loop. If the loop gain is greater
the battery and then switch on the than unit y the circuit will oscillate. In
amplifier - keeping the volum e the frequency maintain the same this application th~ gain is adj~ste~ to be
control at a low setting. approxima.t e ratios between just less than umty. Touchmg touch
Rotate RV 1 to minimum setting capacitor values . plate' force starts the oscillator but the
moment one's finger is removed from
and RV2 to about mid-way . If you are ingenious and I or t he touch plate oscillations will die aw~y .
Transistor 01 should now be oscil- have some knowledge of The rate of decay is of course a functiOn
lating and you should hear a sound electronics it is quite possible to of circuit gain and this is controlled by
RVl (and RV3).
the loudspeaker. Now turn RV1 until extend this circuit so that you have

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-13

Push
Button
Dimmer
Simple circuit allows light con-
trol from a number of loca- , .As. with
..- -------
HOW IT WORKS
----------,
most modern dimmers, we have used a phase-controlled triac for power control.
tions. The triac, which may be regarded as a switch, is turned on by a pulse at a pre-deter-
mined point in each half cycle, and automatically turns off at the end of each half cycle.
MANY CIRCUITS for light dimmers Most conventional dimmers use a simple RC and diac system to generate the trigger
pulse, but this dimmer is in effect voltage controlled. The 120 volt ac is rectified by D1·
have been published over the years D4. This full-wave rectified waveform is clipped at 12 volts by R7 and ZDI. As no filtering
(including some by us) which are of is used, this voltage will fall to zero over the last half millisecond of each half cycle.
very simple construction, and which To provide the correct timing, and the energy required to fri:e the triac, a program-
use a rotary potentiometer. While such mable unijunction transistor (P.U.T.) Q3 is used together with capacitor C3. A PUT also
acts like a switch in the following manner. ·If the anode (a) voltage is higher than the
circuits are adequate in most anode-gate voltage (ag), the anode to cathode (k) path becomes effectively a short circuit.
respects - especially in terms of cost, The voltage on the anode-gate, is set by RV2 and, will be between S and 10 volts.
there are some strong reasons for a Capacitor C3 is charged, via R6, and when the voltage across it exceeds that on terminal
more sophisticated dimming system. ag, the P.U.T. frres discharging C3 through the primary of pulse transformer Tl. This
induces a pulse in the secondary of T1 which gates on the triac.
The first objection to simple As the voltage supply to R6 is unsmoothed the rise of voltage on capacitor C3 will
dimmers is that they usually have an follow what is called a cosine modified ramp. This gives a more linear change in light level
unsightly knob by which light level is versus control voltage.
adjusted. A second objection is that Once C3 is discharged the P.U.T. may either stay on or turn off depending on the
individual device. If it turns off it may well frre again if C3 charges quickly enough, but
the I ight level can only be adjusted the operation of the dimmer is unaffected by either situation.
from the position where the dimmer is If C3 does not charge to the ag voltage before the end of-the half cycle, the ag voltage
mounted. will fall at the end of the cycle and the PUT will fire. This is an essential part of the oper-
The dimmer described in this project ation as it ensures synchronization of the timing to the AC. It is for this very reason that
the 12 volt supply is not filtered.
can be operated from one or more To control the charge rate of C3 (and hence the timing of the tum on of the triac
remote positions - e.g. doors on within each half cycle) an auxiliary timing network of RS and D6 is used. As the value
opposite sides of a room, top and of RS is much less than that of R6, C3 would charge much quicker via this path. If we set
bottom of a long flight of stairs, the input of RS at, say, S volts, the capacitor C3 would charge to about 4.5 volts quickly
and then at the slower rate set by R6. This is called a ramp and pedestal type of charging.
bedside tables - or even from a As a result of the initial start given by RS, the PUT would frre earlier, and the triac
control point beside your armchair. will turn on earlier, delivering more power to the load. Hence by controlling the voltage at
The unit has ari on/off switch and the input of RS we may control the output power.
two (or more) sets of push buttons, Capacitor C2 is used as a memory device. It can be discharged by R1 via PB1 (up)
or charged by R2 via PB2 (down). The capacitor C2 is connected from the positive side of
one of which causes t'he light level to the 12 volt supply and hence when the capacitor is discharged the voltage actually goes up
increase, smoothly from minimum to with respect to the zero volt line.
maximum in about three sees, and one Diode DS is used to prevent the voltage rising above that set by RVI. The capacitor
which does the reverse. The C2 is connected to the input of Q2 by R3. Transistor Q2 is a field effect transistor FET
which has a very high input impedance. Hence the input current is virtually zero and the
adjustment may be stopped at any source tracks the gate voltage but at several volts level. (The exact voltage difference de-
particular level, and that level will be pends on the individual FET).
maintained without change for periods Therefore if the gate voltage is changed, ie, the voltage on C2, the voltage applied
up to 24 hours. to RS will also vary. By pressing either PB1 or PB2 the capacitor voltage and. hence the
triac frring point and the power delivered to the load may be varied.
The dimmer will handle incandescent Upon releasing the push buttons the capacitor will 'hold' this voltage - EVEN WHEN
or fluorescent lamps up to 500 VA THE POWER IS SWITCHED OFF - for extended periods of time. The memory time is
with the specified heat sink but, with a dependent on a number of factors as listed below.
larger heat sink, may be used up to 1. A capacitor with a leakage resistance is excess of 100,000 megohm is required.
1000 VA. Use a good quality capacitor, preferably rated at 200 volts. If necessary try different
brands.
Wind the choke and transformer in 2. The pushbutton switch should be rated for 120 Vac operation. These types have
accordance with the details provided greater separation and hence insulation between the contacts. By physically disconnecting
in Tables 1 and 2. Be particularly the pushbutton it is easy to determine whether this is a cause of low memory times.
3. The FET itself does have a finite input resistance. We tried many FETs without
careful to provide adequate insulation finding any that would not work. Nevertheless do not overlook this possibility.
between the primary and secondary of The dimmer can be controlled from any number of stations simply by paralleling
the pulse transformers. sets of pushbuttons. No damage will result from pressing both up and down buttons at
A small piece of aluminum (30 mm the same time. However adding many stations increases the likelihood of leakage and
x 15 mm) bent at 900 in the centre of consequent loss of memory time. The dimmer should be mounted in a dry dust-free
position - as should the pushbutton. Do not try to use the dimmer or pushbuttons in a
bathroom or kitchen as moisture will render the memory virtually useless.

14- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 ~o.o---~--------~------------, Fig. 1. Circuit diagram of the dimmer.
SW1 LIVE
A2
C1
0.033,.F
• 630V
T~~TLT8t-nLEVEL IS PROGRAMMED BY A VOLTAGE LEVEL STORED
ON C2. A LEAKAGE RESISTANCE OF 10,000 MEG . OHM OR MORE IS
120V NECESSARY TO PREVENT NOTICABLE .CHANGE IN LIGHT LEVEL·
INPUT WITH TIMF .HENCE GOOD QUALITY PUSHBUTTONS MUST
BE USED AND THE PC BOARD MUST BE KEPT CLEAN AND DRY R6 R7
6M8 47k
All VOLTAGES AND WAVEFORMS GIVEN ARE REFERRED TO THE 1W
-VeSIDE OF THE DIODE BRIDGE 01 ·04

LOAD
SCOW +
MAX. RV1 ZD1
50k 12V
NEUTRAL
NEUTRALL-~.o~~~~--------~
~
"'~~X.
LIGHT RV2
50k
SET
MIN.
ALL PARTS OF THIS CIRCUIT LOW LIGHT +2V LIGHT
ARE CONNECTED TO THE LINES HIGH LIGHT +6V
AND MUST BE CONSIDERED
DANGEROUS. R2 C3 R9
1M 0.047"F 47k
USE PLASTIC TOOLS TO ADJUST
THE POTENTIOMETERS AND ANY D7
1N914
TEST EQUIPMENT MUST BE
ISOLATED FROM THE LINES AND
HANDLED WITH CARE.

Potentiometer RV2 should be

adjusted to obtain the desired
minimum light level setting, (with the
T ABLE I down button held). Adjust
CHOKE WINDING DATA potentiometer RV1 for maximum
CORE
light level (with the up button held) to
30mm long piece of (3/8 " dia.) just past the point where maximum
ferrite aerial rod . (see main text). light level is obtained.
WINDING If the lamp load is fluorescent more
40 turns 0.63mm dia (26 swg) care must be taken with these
wound as two layers, each 20 turns, adjustments. Additionally the setting
close wound using the centre 15 mm
of the core only.
up must be redone if the fluorescent
loading is changed.
INSULATION
Use two layers plastic insulation tape
When adjusting the maximum light
over complete winding. the long side, is used under the triac as point on a fluorescent load, slowly
a heatsink. The pulse transformer and increase the light level until the lights
MOUNTING
Use a rubber grommet (3/8" 1.0.) the choke are mounted by means of just start to flicker. Then turn RV 1
over each end and join to pc board rubber grommets and secu red by back until there is just a noticeable
using tinned copper wire in the holes tinned copper wire around the drop in light level. This increased
provided.
grommets and soldered into the hoies setting difficulty is due to the
TABLE II provided . inductive nature of fluorescent loads.
PULSE TRANSFORMER WINDING All setting up, adj.u stments should be If the required minimum light level
DATA cannot be obtained within the range of
made using plastic, or well insu Ia ted
T1 tools. This circuit is live at line poten- RV2, increasing R6 will provide lower
CORE tial and therefore dangerous to
30mm long piece of (3/8" dia.) light level range, and decreasing R6
ferrite aerial rod. handle. BE EXTRE M ELY CAREFUL. will provide a higher level range. 0
PRIMARY
30 turns 0.4mm dia (30 swg) close
wound on the centre 15 mm of the
core .
INSULATION
Use two layers p lastic insulation tape
over primary winding .
SECONDARY
30 turns 0.4mm dia (30 swg) close
wound on the centre 15 mm of the
core. Bring wire out on the opposite
side of the core to the primary .
INSULATION
Use two layers of plastic insulation
tape over complete winding.
MOUNTING
Use a rubber grommet (3/8" dia.)
over each end and join to pc board
using tinne_>t copper wire in the holes
provided.

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-15

Intruder
Alarm
A simple burglar alarm with
superior performance.

THE INCREASE in crime rate is have closed contacts when the door, or gas detector) wil l immediately
common to the entire western world, etc, is shut. All contacts are wired in a sound the alarm. Wire switch(s) across
and seems to be related to affluence series laop such that if any door or points F and D.
rather than to poverty as was window is opened , the loop will be The completed alarm 'unit should be
previously thought by many. broken activating the alarm. The series located in a reasonably well concealed
Hence, these days, the chances of loop should be wired between points position close to the 'silent entry'
your home being burgled are high A and E on the circuit. door.
indeed, and getting higher. Each
householder should therefore give The alarm bell is best located in a
serious consideration to protecting his SILENT ENTRY high, well concealed and not readily
home by an effective alarm system. This mode of operation allows the · accessible position. As very high
owner, when leaving the premises, 30 voltages are generated across the bell
In the ETI Alarm . the CMOS IC
has sufficiently low power drain (less seconds to open and close the front 'make and break' contacts it is
than 1 rnA) to make battery operation door before the alarm mode is preferable to use a separate bell
feasible. And by virtue of the high activated. Additionally it allows the battery of suitable voltage rather than
noise immunity of CMOS (half supply owner 30 seconds to disable the alarm to connect it across the main system
voltage) the unit is not susceptible to after entering through the front door. battery. 0
false alarms due to lightning flashes Thus the front door microswitch is not
etc. Add to this the inherent reliability included in the normal alarm loop but . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . .
of integrated circuits and you have the to its own 'silent entry' loop. The SPECIFICATIONS
basis of a very simple, but very silent entry switch should be wired Power requirements 12 volts
effective, system. between point B and E on the circuit. Current consumption 1 mA
Three modes of operation are built in Silent entry delay 30 seconds approx.
Alarm circuits Normall y closed
to the unit which functions as follows: Emergency circuits Normally open
EMERGENCY Alarm output Relay change over contacts
ALARM MODE
Microswitches or reed relays fitted to
In this mode, any contact closure
from a switch or sensor (eg fire, smoke ._------------------1
C4
O.l .uF RIO
22k

02
IN9 14

+ C1 SW1b
10JJ F EMERG.
16V RL1
..L 12V
N.c. ~P
M~~N
A U X. RE LAY
- I

CONTACT
N.D .
c

NORMA L NOTE
GUAR D LOOP PIN 14 OF ICl IS

t:J
Fig. 1. Circuit diagram CONN ECTED TO +12V
PIN 7 OF IC1 IS
CONNECTED TO OV

- 4001 (CMOS) ,.._

16-ETI CIRCUITS FI LE
 I
-HOW IT W O R K S , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
where ICl/3 output is low. activating the alarm. When the relay
The only way the flip-flop can be closes contacts RLI/1 cause it to
The alarm has three different inodes reversed is for the input to pin 6 to latch on, and only removing power
of operation as described in the text. go high. However during the first 30 by pressing PB 1 will reset it.
When power is first applied, i.e. seconds, as explained above, the If at any time the normal guard
normal alarm mode enabled, output of ICl/1 is low. Hence, loop l'!; broken, when the alarm is
capacitor C2 initially has no charge. opening or closing the silent entry activated, a "1" is presented to pin
This momentarily lifts the inputs of door during this time will not set the 1'3 of the IC1/4 causing the outp.u t to
IC1/1 to +12 volts. The capacitor flip-flop and activate. the alarm. go low and the relay to close.
then charges slowly via Rl and the :After this 30 second period, When the emergency switch is
voltage presented to ICl/1 falls opening the silent entry door will closed the base of Q 1 is taken to zero
exponentially to zero. The output of present a " 1" to pin 6 which will and the relay closes and latches. This
ICl/1 will be zero if the input is over cause the flip-flop to change state. action will take place regardless of
7 volts, and at + 12 volts if the input Closing the silent entry door will now whether the alarm is enabled or not.
is less than 5 volts. There is a small have no effect and the flip-flop will Diodes D1 and D2 discharge
linear region, around 6 volts, in remain set. capacitors C2 and .C6 respectively via
which the output changes from zero The high output of ICl/3 will allow SW1 when it is in the "off' position,
to + 12 volts. With the values given to C6 to charge slowly to + 12 volts via thus ensurmg that the 30 second
C2 and R1 a delay of 30 seconds is R9. When this voltage re.aches 6 volts delay is always obtained. Resistors
provided which may be altered, if (about 30 seconds) it will cause the R6, 7 and 12 protect the CMOS IC
required, by changing C2. During this output of ICl/4 to go low (jissuming against voltages in excess of the
delay opening or closing the silent the normal alarm loop is closed). The supply rails. Capacitors C3, 5, 7 and
entry door will not affect the level low output of IC1/4, via emitter 8 add. further protection against false
presented to pin 6 of ICl/2. follower Ql, pulls in relay RLl triggering due to lightning etc.
An RS flip-flop is formed by ICl/2
lllJd ICl/3 in which the control
inputs (pins 6 and 9) are normally
low (zero volts). On first switch-on
pin 9 is pulled up momentarily to INPUT OUTPUT
+12 volts by C4 before returning to
zero. This presents a "1" to the input A B TRUTH TABLE FOR
of ICl/3 and therefore its output will 2 INPUT NOR GATE
be low (see Table 1). Since pin 7 is at 0 0 1 4001 (CMOS)
-zero, and pin 5 is also at zero, 1 0 0 NOTES
(connected to pin 10) the output of INPUT
0 0
ICl/2 will be high. Since this is 1 means> 55% supply voltage
coupled to the input of !Cl/3 the 0 0 means <45% supply voltage
flip-flop will be locked into the state

COMING UP IN ETI MAGAZINE

(Features mentioned here are planned for the August to December 1982 issues of
Electronics Today International. Circumstances may well lead to changes in these
plans).
30 Years of Canadian TV DAC-ADC Circuits
Canadian Computer Store Directory Computer Terminal Project
Light Memory Intelligent Ni-cad Charger Project
Hex Notation Into Digital IC's: Series
TRS-80 Model Ill Review Game Playing Computers
High Performance Op Amps Circuits Solar Energy In Canada
Synthesizer Project Flat Screen TV
1-Ching Computer Project What is CP/M?
Semiconductor Tester Project Dolby C
Signal Tracer Project Voltage Controlled Pots Circuits
Technical Aspects of the Scope Solid State Reverb Project
Telidon-Where are we now? RPM Meter Project
Crossover Networks Heartbeat Monitor Project
MX-80 Printer Review Radio Astronomy
XR2206 Function Generator Chip- Satellite TV for Home Use
Circuits Microphones
150 Watt MOSFET Amp Project Josephson Junctions
Bodywork Checker Project 6500 CPUs
Sound Switch Project Junction FETs Circuits
Electronics In Cars Series 5000 Pre-amp Project
Particle Beam Fusion Hand Clap Synthesizer Project
Supercooled Magnetic Sensors Contrast Meter Project
History of Early Radio

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-17

Garden
Watering
Some methods of keeping things
blooming in your plots without really
trying!
THIS ARTICLE is really intended for the ground, a resistance reading will be measured at the same time. For
use by wives, to get their obtained. This resistance varies with example, comparatively thin wires,
electronically-oriented men out of the the dampness of the soil. However, about 18 gauge tinned copper, showed
workshop and into the garden! this is an over-simplification, as will be readings varying between 15 k and
The project provides an arrangement found if the ohmmeter connections 200 k for what appeared to be a
for checking comparative moisture are reversed almost inevitably a reasonable range of dampness in good,
levels in soil, and an arrangement different reading will be obtained. "imported" garden soil. The use of
responsive to a predetermined level of The situation becomes even more thin wires was found less reliable and
moisture. Further development allows interesting if a high impedance consistent than the use of flat
for automatic watering or sounding of voltmeter on a low range is connected electrodes or substantial rods.
an alarm. A particularly attractive to the wires, as a reading will usually Flat electrodes with effective surface
application takes the form of be obtained. This potential may arise areas of, say, 3-4 square centimetres in
automatic watering of valuable indoor in various ways or in a combination of similar conditions produced a range of
plants. ways. Stray currents will usually be 10 k to 25 k. In an open yard with a
The circuits are almost ridiculously found, particularly near dwellings, heavy clay sub-soil and little dirt on
simple, and yet provide considerable arising from ground returns of power top, two 8 gauge rods about 25' mm
interest in their preparation, reticulation systems, galvanic ac- apart gave readings of 800-2000 ohms
construction and use. tion at buried waterpipes, and so on. the day after a good rainstorm, and up
Furthermore, because the soil almost to 15 k (on average) after a few dry
certainly will not have a neutral pH days.
OPERATING PRINCIPLE balance, but will be either acidic or Indoor plants are a special case as
Soil conductivity varies with alkaline , two electrodes will they have only a finite amount of
moisture content, so that an absolute themselves produce a battery action. water available, that is, the soil being
or a comparative measurement of In addition to all this, soil restricted to a pot, cannot call up
conductivity can be translated into a characteristics vary a great deal. In the sub-surface moisture as happens in the
corresponding measurement of author's CiJSe, resistance (reciprocal of open garden. Potting soils can dry out
moisture content. Elaborate conductivity) readings which formed to produce quite high resistance
instrumentation has been used for part of a preliminary exercise to get values, say several hundred thousand
years in places like agricultural the "feel" of things varied ohms even when substantial electrodes
research stations to provide very
considerably in apparently similar soils are used. Of course this represents a
accurate' determination of soil
moisture content and to control plant
environments. However, intelligent usP ----0 - 9V
of a very simple arrangement providing
only comparative indications can be
very useful.
One arrangement to be described
generates a tone, the frequency of
which is dependent on soil
conductivity, that · is, on moisture
content. Another arrangement triggers
an external function when the soil
conductivity falls below a
predetermined level. The reader can
gain useful experience to facilitate use
of these arrangements by researching
his own soil conditions.
L,J
RL 1

SOIL CONDUCTIVITY +9V

If an ohmmeter is connected to two
wires pushed a few centimetres into
TO PROBE Fig . 2.
18- ETI CIRCUITS FILE
 circuit need to have the same relation-
ship. This ignores 01 base current,
which has fallen to a negligible value
near the triggering point.
Initially a range of 500-25,000
ohms across the probe terminals
was chosen as being correct for the
application intended, based on test
plus a margin. For the 500 ohm
case, therefore, 47k + 50 = 6.2x,
TOPROBE !e)

condition in which a plant will already THE WATER TRIGGER where x is the resistance 01 base to
have permanently wilted. The second device is shown in Fig. 2. supply negative. This produces x =
Its function is primarily the 7661 ohms. Similarly for the 25k
continuous monitoring of soil case, 47k + 25k = 6.2x, so that x =
THE PROBE moisture content responding to a fall 11613 ohms. this shows a variation
The probe can take a variety of below a predetermined level to initiate inxof11613- 7661 = 3952ohms.
forms, being basically two spaced an action. This circuit comprises a However, this is an awkward value,
electrodes inserted into the soil. simple trigger, which operates the the nearest reasonable value being
However, the most successful form relay R L for values of soil 5k. Then 11613 - 5k = 6613, the ob-
comprises at least two flat electrodes, conductivity below a level preset by vious choice for the fixed resistor
rather than wires, although wires the 5 k variable resistor. The soi! being 6.8k. Checking back then with
become more acceptable over 12 gauge conductivity is sensed by a probe these values, for 5k + 6.8k = 11.8k,
and merging int o rods. In either case a connected to the terminals shown. so that + 47k = 73.16k (11.8 x 6.2),
reasonably substantial exposed surface the circuit is very simple and so that the probe resistance is
area of, say, 3-4 square centimetres reliable, and will operate anywhere 73.16k - 47k = 26.16k. For 6.8k
produces acceptable operation in most between 6 and 12 volts or more, pro- alone and the 5k variable all out of
soils. vided the supply voltage provides circuit, the probe + 47k = 42.16k
For permanent insertion and for use sufficient energisation for the relay. (6.8 x 6.2), giving a negative value
with soft, friable soils, flat electrodes If a very low current relay is used, an for the probe resistance (42.16 - 47
will probably be found most appropriate limiting resistor can be = 4.84). Thus the chosen values pro-
attractive, whilst for portable use with inserted in' the common emitter vide for a probe variation of zero to
heavier soils, rod electrodes are leads of 02, 03. 26.16k ohms, slightly wider than re-
probably best. Whilst the details are The only point really requiring quired. Similar simple calculations
attention in this circuit is the base will provide values suitable for any
optional and dependent on the
circuit of 01, here comprising the other range of probe values.
constructor's workshop resources,
The electrodes should be made of probe terminals, two fixed resistors
material which will not corrode. Monel (47k and 6.8k) and a 5k variable WATER TRIGGER
metal or stainless steel are suitable. resistor. There are two possible ap- APPLICATIONS
Short term experiments with tin plate proaches. One can insert a large One of the circuits of Fig. 1, less the
are' fine, but something better is value of variable resistor (say 250k probe connections, can be con-
needed for long-term use. - 500k) in place of the 6.8k fixed nected into the circuit of Fig. 2 in
and 5k variable shown. This pro- place of the relay and protective
duces a circuit which will accept a diode. A resistor of about 1k would
wide range of values across the pro- also be needed. in the common emit-
THE MOISTURE MOOQ be terminals, but will in general ter lead of 02, 03 and Fig. 2. This
In rather light-hearted vein the first result in the adjustment of the combination draws about 8-10 mAin
arrangement to be described has been variable resistor being far too wide, the alarm condition.
given a fancy name to make up for the and all cramped at one end. The However the most important
fact that it really needs no description alternative is to decide the probable application of the trigger circuit is
at all! One example using junk-box range of values across the probe ter- as an automatic waterer. Consider
parts and two re-cycled 2N270 Ge pnp minals, based on tests of the kind the case of an indoor planter box.
transistors is seen from Fig.1 a to be a described earlier, and then select The probe will indicate water con-
simple multivibrator, with the addition values to suit. To see how this is tent in the soil and trigger the circuit
of a small speaker. Alternatively a low done, the author's case will be work- at a preset point. The relay is used
impedance ear plug could be used in ed through. to operate a low-voltage water
lieu of the speaker. The triggering point of the cir- pump, such as an aquarium pump,
With the probes in air, the circuit cuit is with about 1.25 volts at 01 to pump water from an available
delivers a continuous low-pitched base, but do not try to measure it supply into the plant container. If
tone, which then increases in pitch as with a low impedance voltmeter. the water is well distributed over the
the probe is inserted in the soil. The This voltage corresponds to a supp- surface, for example using a
higher the pit ch the higher the ly voltage division at 01 base of meandering tube with many small
moisture content. In cases of very high 1.25:7. 75, so that the voltage bet- holes, the soil moisture content will
soil conductivity the note may rise ween 01 base and the positive supp- be increased fairly evenly until the
above the level of hearing; in this case ly rail is 6.2 (7.5 + 1.25) times the probe decides the minimum level
increase the 0.22 mfd capacitor until voltage between 01 base and the has been left behind. At this stage
the highest audible pitch is obtained negative rai I. Therefore the the circuit resets and awaits further
with a saturated area of soil. resistances in the two parts of the transpiration and evaporation. 0

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-19

Graphic Equalizer
A unit that compensates for speaker and room deficiencies.
MANY audiophiles are discovering the
advantages of graphic equalizers in LED 1
SW3
domestic as well as professional sound POWER +15V
SWITCH R24
systems. Unfortunately the costs of

~] Ill
1.5k C18
such units have prevented them ZD1 Z5ur
Z5V,
becoming as popular as warranted by. + C17
15V
400mW
the many advantages they offer. 120V .:1
220uF ov
____;,-
INPUT ·63V
The advantages of an equalizer are
not generally well known but are as ZD2
15V
C19
Z5uF
follows. T1 400mW Z5V

Firstly an equalizer allows the 120/36V -15V

listener to correct deficiencies in the 0

linearity of either his speaker system l
":"
alone, or the combination of his
speaker system and his living room. Fig. 1. Circuit diagram of the equalizer power supply.
As we have pointed out many times
in the past, even the best speakers ...
available cannot give
reproduction in an inadequate room.
correct
....
..• I"~ I\ 1\ I {\
It is a sad fact that very few rooms are
ideal, and most of us put up with ...
.. v /
/ 1\
t\.
\ I \ I J-~
\I \
f\
"
~\ I \ II il \

" '
resonances and dips, sadly convinced
that this is something we have to live
.. ' ll
with.
Whilst the octave equalizer will not .. J
lJ
J ' ~ A
l
X
completely overcome such problems,
it is possible to minimize some
.. I 1\. /\ J
'"
~ \ ,,. \ .~
1\..
'(
\.
....
non-linearities of the combined
speaker/room system. I
'
/ / ro....
I'!"
I'- /'. /
...._
/·~ /
v
-2
In a concert hall it is also possible to \ ""\./ \ I I \
use the unit to put a notch at the ""' n
frequency where microphone feedback _, ~ ~ J ll l
occurs, thus allowing higher power -· I'.. \ \ I \ \ 1/ I
levels to be used.
Thirdly, for the serious audiophile, -·· '\ J I\ I ~ \ \ \ \ ~ I
I I \'\II \ I ' \ I 1\ I
an equa lizer is an exceedingly valuable
tool in evaluating the deficiences in a
particular system. One adjusts the
_,

-··_,, ~ ~ \I ~
\} J ' 1'-
I
v
20
equalizer to provide a uniform IOk

response, the settings of the

Individual filter responses for the unit. Boost at top and cut at bottom.

20-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 PLAYBACK 0----,
TAPE JIN
Ql, Q2, Q3 ARE 2N3904
RECORD

INPUT

+16V
OUT

OV

ov

NOTES:
ALL CAPACITANCE VALUES ARE
IN llf UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
ALL RESISTANCE VALUES ARE IN
OHMS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

SINGLE CHANNEL ONLY IS SHOWN

-15V

Fig. 2. Circuit diagram of one channel of the equalizer.

potentiometer knobs then graphically

display the areas where the speaker etc MEASURED PERFORMANCE (of Prototype)
is deficient.
There is a snag, however, one must Frequency Response
have an educated ear in order to Equalizer out Flat
properly equalize a system to a flat Equalizer in 10 Hz - 10 kHz ±% dB
response. It is not much use equalizing and all -controls at 1.5 Hz - 30 kHz + % - 3 dB
to your own preference of peaky bass zero
etc in order to evaluate a speaker.
Ideally, a graphic equalizer should Range Of Control
,have filter at 1/3 octave intervals, but
Individual filters ±13dB
except for sound studios and wealthy Level control + 14 -9dB
pop groups, the expense and size of
such units are too much for most Maximum Output Signal
people. at < 1% distortion > 6volts
Due to tolerances of resistors Maximum Input Voltage 3 volts
variations in Vbe of 02 and 03 etc,
the steady-state output of IC11 may be Distortion
anywhere within plus or minus one at 2 volts out, controls 100Hz 1 kHz 6.3 kHz
volt of zero. flat <0.1% <0.1% <0.1%
Hence it is desirable to determine the
polarity of the steady state voltage at Signal to Noise Ratio
pin 6 of IC1 in order to ·determine at 2 volts out (unweighted) 69dB
which way round C15 should be
inserted. If the output is positive insert Input Impedance 50k
as shown in Fig. 1. Alternatively C15
should be a non-polarized type. 0 Output Impedance 4.7 k

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-21

 HOW IT WORKS
amplifier, and 1 k between the two inputs the amplifier consists of ICI, Q2 and Q3.
of the amplifier. The amplifier, due to the The transistors help to reduce the effect of
feedback applied, will keep the potential the noise in the IC and add gain at the
between the two inputs at zero. Thus there high-frequency end. This additional gain is
GRAPHIC EQUALIZER is no current through RV A. The voltage on required because the negative feedback, due
The equalizer stage is a little unusual in the positive input to the amplifier is to the potentiometer between the two
that the fllter networks are arranged to vary therefore the same as the input voltage since inputs, causes high-frequency roll off. This
the negative feedback path around. the there is no current through, Qr voltage drop does not affect operation of the unit
amplifier. If we consider one filter section across resistor R a. provided the open-loop gain is above 60 dB
alone, with all others disconnected, the over the entire audio range. An overall
impedance of the LCR network will be 390 closed-loop gain of about 15 dB is
ohms ·at the resonant frequency of the
network. At either side of resonance the Ra
impedance will rise (with a slope dependant
on the Q of the network which is 2.5) due IN
to the uncancelled reactance. This will be
inductive above resonance and capacitive
below resonance. We can therefore represent
the equalizer stage by the equivalent circuit
below.

Fig. C

maintained by R20/R19 with the filter

The output of the amplifier in this case is potentiometer at mid position.
approximately the input signal times (3300 The output of the amplifier is decoupled
+ 390)/390 giving a gain of 19 dB. If the to the output of the unit via CIS, and
slider is at the other end of the C16/R22 provide a cutoff above 30kHz.
potentiometer, (Fig. B), the signal appearing The input signal is buffered by Ql because
at the positive input, and thus also the the equalizer stage requires a low impedance
Fig. A
- negative input, is about 0.11 (390/(3300 +
390) of the input. There will still be no
signal source for correct operation.
Potentiometer RVI provides level control
current in the potentiometer and in RC, with 0 to -23 dB range which, combined
It must be emphasized that this equivalent thus the output will be 0.11 of the input. with the equalizer characteristic, results in
circuit represents the condition with one That is, the gain will be -19 dB. an overall level range of+ 14 to -9 dB.
filter only, at its resonant frequency. If the wiper is midway, both the input The power supply used is a simple,
Additionally letters have been used to signal and the feedback signal are attenuated full-wave bridge ·filtered by C17. Plus and
designate resistors to avoid confusion with equally, and the stage will have unity gain. minus supplies are derived by means of two
components in the actual circuit. With all filter sections in circuit the 15 volt zeners in series fed via R24. The
With the slider of the potentiometer at the maximum cut and boost available is front-panel power indicator is an LED
top end (Fig. A) we have 390 ohms to the reduced, but ±14 dB is still available. connected in series with the dropping
OV line from the negative input of the Reverting back now to the actual circuit, resistor R24.

I ~ 'It \I "f. I/. 'W.1'E.<;'{\""-

CMa:..'.'.
,,.. '1-b WQ\114 N,\1~
f'ow ~ ~
eN~ ON~~
---- ~·.·.

--------- ~
___
·- __.-

,,

22-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Touch
Switch
New 120V design offers toggle
action and complete safety. ,-------,
I I
I I SIZE OF
IN THE TOUCH switch described in side is touched - the copper on the I I
I
this project, it was specified that the other side is connected to the control I

action of the switch should be touch-on circuit. I

I
touch-off, and that no actual contact L _____ ..JI
with the circuit be made (for safety CONSTRUCTION
reasons). These constraints led us to A touch switch may be constructed
use a capacitive circuit. The touch (and used) in many different ways. It
plate is in effect a capacitor. When this may be mounted within the base of a
TOUCH SURFACE
plate is touched, the input of the first lamp; fitted onto a conventional
stage is capacitively referenced to
ground, however as the supply rails to
the control circuit are floating at rec-
switch-plate to control overhead lights;
or mounted in a piece of electronic
equipment. It is however unlikely that
\ PC BOARD

b
tified 120Vac the 60Hz waveform ef- the switch would be used as a separate c=TOR1
fectively appears at the input of the unit and for that reason housing
control circuit and initiates the switch details have not been provided. We constructed our touch plate from a
50 mm square piece of printed-circuit board.
action. The actual contact plate is a As stated above the touch plate is The board was etched to leave a 25 mm
piece of single-sided printed-circuit constructed from a piece of square section of copper in the centre. See
board arranged so the the non-copper printed-circuit board as detailed in the text if different sized plate or long connecting
lead is to be used.

...--HOW IT W O R K S , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,
detector and over-drives the amplifier output of IC1c is normally low and
so that the output is a 60 Hz goes high and stays high whilst ever
sq uarewave. If the plate is not the plate is touched.
POWER SUPPLY touched the capacitance is very much
The 120 Vac is rectified by diodes lower and hence the output of the
D4 to D7. The output of the diode amplifier is very· much lower in level. FLIP FLOP
bridge is then reduced, smoothed and The sensitivity may be altered by To meet our mode of operation
regulated to 6 volts de by Rll, ZDl changing the value of R2 (lower value requirement the circuit needs to be
and CS. The load is connected after gives less sensitivity). held on after the finger is removed
the rectifier and has power switched
from the plate and only switched off
to it via the silicon-controlled
when the plate is touched a second
rectifier, SCR. Note particularly that
the load is supplied with pulsating de LEVEL SHIFTER time. Thus a toggle action is required
The output of ICla is centred about and this is obtained by incorporating
and therefore the type of load used
3 volts, and C1, R3 and IC1b are a flip flop formed by IC1d and IC1e.
with this circuit must be resistive, for
used to provide level shift such that Cross coupling of gates normally
example, an incandescent lamp. For
the output of IC1b is normally high provides an RS flip flop which may
inductive loads such as transformers
at +6 volts until the plate is touched. take up any state if both inputs are
etc, the load circuit must be modified taken high together. For this reason
as shown in the small diagram. When the plate is touched the output
of ICJh oscillates between +6V and the capacitors, resistors and diodes at
OV at a 60 Hz rate. The hex-inverter the inputs to the flip flop are used to
DETECTOR IC has diodes internally which provide steering logic to ensure that
connect each input to ground. Thus correct toggle action is obtained.
The detector is formed by one
section of a CMOS hex inverter, these diodes prevent the inputs from
ICla, in which the gain is set by the being driven below -0.6 volts. BUFFER
ratio of R2/Rl. The touch plate is To prevent loading the flip flop,
connected to the input of the and because a spare section of the
detector and· touching it effectively PULSE STRETCHER hex inverter is available, a buffer
adds a capacitor to ground. However The 60 Hz output from IC1b is not amplifier is inserted between the flip
the '0' volt line (due to the diodes D4 in a convenient form and must be flop and the SCR. The SCR used is a
to D7) when referenced to ground is converted into a signal which is only C106D which is a sensitive gate type.
effectively 60 Hz 120 volt rectified. high and stays high whilst the plate is This particular SCR will operate
The touch pia te capacitance touched. This is performed by a pulse reliably with the 1 rnA gate current
introduced therefore couples this stretcher and inverter consisting of provided. The SCR specified will be
waveform into the input of the IC1c together with R4 and C2. The used - don't try substitutes.

ETI CtRCUITS' FtLE-23

 Fig. 1 The complete circuit. R11 LOAD
1001<
' CS
22JJ F
10V

+6V
R12
4.7k

ov
NOTES
01-03 IN914
04-07 IN4004
ZDl 6.2V 400mh1
ICl 4009, 4049 Jr 4449 (CMOS)
SCR1 C106D
THE +EN IS REFERENCED TO THE
OV . BOTH THE +6V AND OV ARE
AT A POTENTIAL OF UP TO 120V
ABOVE GROUND.

R11 DB
+6V
47k
All PARTS OF THIS CIRCUIT ZD1 1W 1N4004
ARE CONNECTED TO THE LINES 6V
AND MUST BE CONSIDERED
cs
DANGEROUS
22,u f
10V a 04
ANY TEST EQUIPMENT USED
MUST BE ISOLATED FROM THE
CIRCUIT IF INDUCTIVE LOADS SCR
ARE TO BE USED. NOTE THAT C1060 N
LINES TO PREVENT DAMAGE
THE LOAD MUST BE IN THE g
AND PERSONAL INJURY. NEUTRAL LEAD FOR PROPER
OPERATION OF THE SWITCH.
R12
4.7k
05
jrawing. The touch-plate need not be stray capacitance to ground may be ov
exactly as shown but can be any sufficient to prevent the switch
convenient shape or size. However operating. If the lead is more than
make sure that the copper surface of about 50 mm long shielded cable to drive resistive loads (such as light
the plate cannot touch any of the should be used (shield connected to '0' bulbs) only. If an inducive load must
external metal surfaces and that it volts not to ground). If a large plate is ·be supplied the slightly more complex
cannot be touched by the fingers. If used the gain of the first stage should alternative circuit (sholllll1 in the insert)
the unit is to built into a lamp that has be reduced by changing the value of must be used. In this circuit the load
a plastic base a piece of aluminium foil R2. (Try 3.3 M first and if this is 11ot must be inserted in the neutral lead if
may be glued to the inner surface of effective try 1 M). the switch is to operate correctly.
the base to act as the pickup plate. The circuit given in the main circuit Thus it is essential to ensure that the
If the plate is too large or the lead diagram supplies the load with active and neutral are connected
connecting it to the circuit too long, pulsating de and is therefore suitCible correctly. 0

Simple RVlA
TONE
HoM

on
SPEAKER

Stereo RV11:!
8!!
SPEAKER

Amplifier
TONE
25M

Ideal beginner's amplifier

suits simple record players.
"~]
INPUT

o--------/
*4.5,10.11,12 COMMON
THIS SIMPLE stereo amplifier uses
two LM380 IC's and a minimum
of external ' components, it can SPECIFICATIONS
easilv be assembled in only one ICl and IC2 AR E LM380 Input Sensitivity: 200mV
Input Impedance: lSOk
or two evenings. It is designed to output power:
Distortion:
2.5W RMS/channel
0.2%
match the crystal cartridges found Bandwidth: 100kHz (tone
on most simple record players and control flat)
Loudspeaker Impedance: 8 ohm or 15
gives surprisingly good results. 0 ohm

24- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Drill Speed VA~
Controller
Variable speed control maintains constant
(adjustable) speed regardless of load.
MOST HANDYMEN own a power cable clamp · with a metal screw However as load is applied the speed
drill. through the side of the plastic box. This wi11 smooth out.
There are tens of millions of them in screw must be grounded, along with When using the drill at less than fu II
use around the world - and they the lid and the ground terminal of the speed the cooling of the motor will be
continue to be used for an ever greater output socket. The ground wire should considerably reduced (as the cooling
variety of tasks. be continuous that is, it should go from fan is on the armature shaft and also
Despite their popularity, many one ground point through to the next runs slower). Hence the drill will get
power drills have one major drawback and not be separate links. Two ground hotter when used at low speeds, and
and this is that their speed is often too wires may be soldered to one ground extended periods of use in this mode
high for many applications. lug. But under no account should two should be avoided. 0
This is so even with dual-speed wires be secured under a single screw.
models where 'even the slow speed, With some SCRs it may be found
....---HOW IT WORKS---.
A universal motor, when running,
typically 300-750 RPM, is too fast for that the trigger current supplied by R 1 produces a voltage which opposes the
such jobs as drilling masonry or using and R2 is insufficient. If this is the supply. This voltage, called the back EMF,
fly-cutters on sheet metal etc. case an additional 10 k resistor should is proportional to the speed of the motor.
The SCR drill speed controller makes use
The speed cont1·oller described here be placed in parallel with each resistor. of this effect to provide a certain amount
allows infinite var iation of speeds from of speed versus-load compensation.
zero to about 75% of full speed, and is This controller uses an SCR (silicon
R1
controlled rectifier) to gate half-wave
provided with a switch to allo w 10k
1W power to the drill motor. The SCR will
normal full-speed operation without conduct only when a) anode (terminal A)
disconnecting the drill from the is positive with respect to the cathode
controller. The controller has built in (terminal K), b) when the gate (terminal
120V '·'·
INPUT G) is at least 0.6 volts positive with respect
compensation to maintain to the cathode, and. c) when about 10 rnA
substantially constant speed reg<Jrd less gate terminal. By controlling the level of
of changes in load . the voltage waveform to the gate we
effectively control the time at which the
SCR turns on in each forward half cycle.
By this means we effectively control the
CONSTRUCTION amount of power delivered to the drill.
It must be emphas ized that the Resistor R1 , R2 and potentiometer
controller is connected directly to the RV1 form a voltage divider which provides
a half wave voltage of adjustable
lines without the use of an isolating USING THE CONTROLLER amplitude to the gate of the SCR. If the
transformer. Care must therefore be Plug the controller into the wall and motor is stationary the cathode of the
taken with the construction to ensure the drill Into the controller. Select SCR will be at zero volts and the SCR
that there is no likelihood of any will turn on almost fully. As the drill
either full speed . or variable as speed increases, a voltage develops across
dangerous conditions arising. required. Note that . there is no the drill thus reducing the effective
The SCR used is a stud mountin-g ON/OFF switch provided on the unit gate-cathode voltage. Thus as the motor
type and is mounted by using the and the normal switch on the drill is speeds up, the power delivered decreases
solder lug, supplied with it, soldered until the motor stabilizes at a speed
used for this purpose. When full speed determined by the setting of RVl.
onto the centre lug of the sw itch. For is selected the drill will run normally Should a load be placed on the drill,
loads up to 3 amps no other and the speed control on the the drill will tend to slow down, but as the
heat-sinking is required . If a controller will have no effect. voltage across the drill also drops, more
power is delivered to the motor since the
plastic-pack SCR is used a hole may be At very low speeds it may be found SCR firing-time is automatically advanced.
drilled through the switch lug and the that drill runs jerkily under no load. Hence the speed, once set, is maintained
SCR bolted directly to it. However in When variable speed is selected, the relatively-constant regardless of load.
this case it is advisable to insert a piece Diode D2 is used to halve the power
control will adjust the speed anywhere dissipated in R1, R2 and RV1 by limiting
of aluminum (about 25 mm x 15 mm) between zero and about 75% of full the current through them to positive
between the SCR and switch lug to act speed. There may be a dead zone at half-cycles only. Diode D 1 protects the
as a heatsink. both low speed and high speed ends of SCR gate against excessive reverse voltage.
Remember that, since the unit In the full speed position the SCR is
the control. This is entirely normal simply shorted out by SWl. Thus RV1
operates at 120 Vac all external parts and is due to different drill loses control and full power is applied to
must be grounded. We used a plastic characteristics and component the drill.
box with a metal lid. But we also used a tolerances within the controller.

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-25

Audio
Freguency
Meter ·
Simple unit measures frequencies from 50 Hz to 10 kHz.
ON MANY occasions it is useful to be ±20% and hence our front panel To use the meter, couple the audio
able to determine the frequency of an drawing may not be correct for your signal into the input terminals and
audio signal. Often, the accuracy and potentiometer. adjust RV2 to a point where the signal
expense of a commercial frequency If an oscillator is not available, but drops off. Adjust RV1 to . increase the
meter is not justified. you do have an ohm-meter, then null and .RV2 again for the final
This little circuit, using only a few calibration may be carried out by setting. The frequency of the incoming
components will provide an indication measuring the · settings of RV2 signal is then read from the front scale.
of frequencies from 50Hz to 1OkHz (disconnected from the circuit) and What could be simpler? 0
with· an accuracy primarily determined marking the scale as shown in Table I.
by the calibration of the instrument.
The audio signal - of which the
frequency is to be established -is fed INPUT

into the input terminals of the unit

and the calibrated dial adjusted until a
'null' is obtained whilst listening to the
signal through a pair of headphones, or
even a single crystal earpiece. RV1
lk
We suggest that the components be
mounted in one of the small
aluminum miniboxes which are
available readily at low cost. Our
prototype unit had a 4" x 2'1.." front INPUT
panel, but a larger box will enable a
larger frequency scale to be used hence
providing better resolution. Apart
from this a larger box will allow input
terminals and output socket to be FREQUENCY
mounted on the front panel together
with the frequency -null controls. 500 350 250 NULL
Note that the dual potentiometer is a
logarithmic type and is wired such that
the frequency scale increases with
1\~\ \ IJ VOLUME

anti-clockwise rotation. This results in

a more linear scale (less cramped at the
high end) than if wired conventionally.
Any type of earpiece or headphone
1.2k'
1.5k~

2k-
0 0
may be used to detect the null but
best efficiency will be obtained with 3.5k .........
..,..
those having an impedance of around 5k'/
one thousand ohms. 10k
The best way to calibrate your meter
is to compare it with a good quality Fig. 3 Front panel of our meter shown for information
oscillator and mark your scale to suit. only - calibration may not suit all potentiometers
Remember .that most potentiometers
have a manufacturing tolerance of
26-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
 HOW IT WORKS same phase angle. The signal at point
The circuit is that of a Wien bridge B will therefore be in phase with the
which when used for frequency input level, but attenuated to 1/3 of
measurement has the form shown that level. If Rb = 2Ra the signal at A
below :- will also be attenuated to 1/3 of the
lf Cx = Cso Rx = R8 and R·., - ~ input. Thus the bridge is balanced
then 1 106 and the signals at A and B will be
f = 2" Cs Rs or, Rx = R5 = 0.628 f equal in amplitude and phase and a
null will occur at that frequency.
where Cx = C5 = 0.1¢. Our At any other setting of the
calibration chart was calculated from potentiometer the phase angle and
this last formula. amplitudes will be· such that an
At the frequency where the increased output is obtained.
reactance of C5 equals R5 and also Cx The respective sections of the dual
= Rx, the series network has an gang potentiometer never track each
impedance of 1.414R and phase other perfectly and hence RVl has
angle of 45%. The parallel network been included to obtain best null at
has an impedance of 0.707R and the any point on the scale.

Basic Simple regulated supply provides 4.5-12 volts at 400 rnA maximum.

Power
Supply
THIS little power supply provides a
range of switch selectable output
regulated voltages from 4.5 to 12
volts, selectable by a switch. The
supply will provide up to 400 mA
ZOl + r&..F
and the output can withstand a short 16V
circuit without damage. It is there- C13
(13V, 400mW)
fore ideal for the experimenter or for
use with high drain appliances. 0
+

o--<)bll
Cl OUTPUT
~F

12V INPUT : II
o---o II
SWl Tl
Rl
lk

R6
1.5
•02
2N3055
- - - - - - - - - - - - - H O W IT W O R K S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .
The 120V line voltage is reduced negative rail is the one that is varied. Thus the regulator loses control and the
to 15 volts by transformer T1, and this T.ransistor Q3 is an emitter fol- output voltage falls, limiting the current to
. secondary voltage is then fullwave lower where the output (emitter) is about 400 rnA. As the power dissipated in Q2
rectified by rectifier bridge D1-D4. 0.6 V higher (more positive) than the base. under short-circuit conditions is around 10
The output of the bridge rectifier is The base voltage is selected by SW2 from watts, Q2 must be fitted to a heatsink.
filtered by C1 to provide approximately one of the tappings on the Additionally, resistor R 7 limits the current
20 volts de. reference-voltage divider. Since Q3 cannot supplied by Q3 to a safe value (for Q3)
The series combination, of Zener handle the required output current, it under short circuit conditions.
diode ZD1 fed by resistor R1, provides a drives Q2, a power transistor, which can If a fully variable supply is required,
stabilized voltage of around 13 volts which handle the required load. a 10 k potentiometer should be used in
is applied across the voltage divider R2, When the load exceeds 400 rnA place of the voltage divider. The wiper of
R3, R4 and RS. Thus a series of reference (approximately), the voltage drop across the potentiometer is then fed directly
voltages are generated for the regulator, R6 forward biases Q1 which turns on and to the base of Q3.
where the positive rail is fixed and the shunts current away from the base of Q2.

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-27

Waa
Waa
Unit that the device operates best with an
PERHAPS THE MOST used of all the BACK PEDALLING
various guitar . effects is that of the Since our design was to be for the input of around 10- 20mV . Signals
'Waa-Waa' unit. The sound of this · home constructor, we decided against much highP.r will cause the stage to
circuit has been screaming from speak- the use of a pedal, and instead we have distort the incoming signal. If you
er stacks for many a decibel-ridden substituted two foot switches . These wish to cause distortion of course,
year now, and no doubt will continue are much cheaper and should be easy then go ahead (did someone mutter
to do so for a while yet. to gei: hold of. . 'Fuzz to you too'?) If not then a vol-
Our unit described here will , we By avoiding the pedal, we created ume control of at least 2k is a yood
hope, contribute to this longevity! a problems for ourselves, in that we idea if the input exceeds 50mV. Out-
Basically the characteristic sound of a could no longer operate the filter with put impedance is low and will match
Waa-Waa unit is produced by sweep· a variable resistor. Instead it is made to any amplifier.
ing a band-pass filter across the audio sweep across the range by the switch -
spectrum of a guitar, a frequency ing into circuit of three capacitors, USE AND ABUSE
range of approx. 70Hz-6kHz. This which alters the resonant frequency of Using the unit should pose no real
the filter. problems, and there is no setting up to
can be done in various ways, but is be done. Operating the single switch
usually tailored to be operated by a will result in a 'waa' on the next note
ON THE LEVELS
foot pedal. However, these pieces of The input impedance of the un1t 1s played through the circuit. It is best
hardware are both expensive and hard about 2k and the first stage gain such not to hold the switch closed, but to
to obtain other than full of
electronics.
+9V

SW1
SW2

+9V TR 2,3,4,6,7 ARE MPSA6515

Q·l,Q5 ARE MPSA18
Q2,3,4,6,7 AR E MPSA6515

1k

R1 2

C16

Q6 Q7

28- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 . - - - - - - - - - H O W IT W O R K S - - - - - - - - - .
L and C4 form a band-pass filter when Q4 switches on. Upon releas-
release it quickly. After a short while with resonant frequency equal to ing the switch the electrolytics dis-
it becomes easy (relatively!) to add _1_ charge through the I OOk resistors
the effect to any required note or f=2nv'L.N to ground, switching off the
chord. Depressing the auto switch With the values shown here this transiston.
couples the filter to the oscillator, value is about 6kHz. The R-C net- Automatic switching is provided
and thus produces a ·waa-Waa· sound works RS-C6 R6-C8 R7-Cl0 act by the multivibrator, the freq-
independent of the input, at a rate set as time delays to switch on Q2,3,4 uency of which is set by R Vl.
by RV1, for as long as the switch is respectively in sequence following When the 'auto' switch,SWl, is
held down. the depression of SW2. depressed a slow square wave of
With no controls operated, the This switches CS, C7, C9 across about 8V is applied to the charg-
section of the filter which remains in the filter in turn, pulling the re- ing resistors. Thus the transistors
circuit means that a 'treble boost' sonance point across the audio are pulsed on and off. C 13 is to
occurs on the signal. If you don't want band. The time constants are such decouple the supply to the osc-
this effect, then a third switch wired that the order of s~itch on is Q2, illator to prevent problems with
to take the signal away from the waa- Q3 and Q4. variations as the oscillator switches
waa is needed, and should not be diffi- This resonance changes from state.
cult to add. 0 6kHz-2k7Hz-950Hz-to 400Hz

Most headphone connectors take away

Headphone damping from the phones by inserting

resistors of around a few hundreds of
ohms in value. By use of a ten ohm
source this unit restores damping and

Adaptor · improves sound quality.

HEADPHON ES have impedances

which range from 8 ohms to 2 k ohms
or . more and handle a typical
maximum power of 500 mW. To limit
the power that may be delivered into
the 8 ohm types, commercial amplifiers
generally supply the headphones from
the amplifier output via series resistors
LE(F}T------------------~-o~T
SW1B
of around 220 ohms.
Although this technique allows the RIGHT
use of practically any type of
headphones without fear of damage
the series resistor drastically reduces a:
LU (/)
the amount of damping the amplifier u.. a:
(/) ::::i (/)LLJ
can apply to the phones. 1- 0.. 1-::,.:
:::> :2 =>-t
A further problem with headphone 0.. LU
~ <t 1- 0..
:::> (/)
listening is that the stereo separation is :2
unnatural in that there is little right 0 oo
a: 1-
channel information fed to the left ear u..
Fig. 1 The headphone
and vice versa. adaptor circuit
This simple little adaptor is inserted diagram. Note that the
between the amplifier and the leads to "live connections only
the speakers. It restores damping, by are shown to head-
supplying the phones from a 10 ohm phones themselves. The
COMMON COMMON ground comes from the
source, and has a blend control by
RIGHT RIGHT amplifier earth connec-
which the separation between channels
o--------~----------~0 tions.
can be varied to obtain a more natural COMMON COMMON
sound. 0
NOTE
SW1A AND SW1B ARE PART OF THE
SOCKET USED FOR THE HEADPHONES

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-29

Headlight
Reminder
Electronic 1 reminder' safeguards
against flat 'batteries.
A CAR'S headlights cost very little to
run while in use. Until you forget to
turn them off.
Then you are up for recharging
the battery, tow starting, apologising
to the managing director who has just
waited two hours to discuss your
future with the company, placating
uptight parents whose daughter - - - - - - - - H O W IT W O R K S - - - - - - - - .
you've returned just after they realis· Normally capacitor Cl is discharged via Rl tion a ground will be extended to the audi-
ed it was now daylight, or whatever and the closed switch contacts of an ac- ble alarm device via the now closed contacts
combination of circumstances are cessory wired via the ignition switch. If the of RLA (2) and the closed door light switch.
least favourable to your immediate ignition is now switched off, Cl will charge The audible warning will cease im-
rapidly via R2 thus producing a negative mediately the door is reclosed. Qi will of
situation. going pulse at the base of transistor Q1. course be cut off and the relay reset when
To avoid such predicaments is If the vehicle's headlights (or side and the lifhts are turned off (thus removing the
relatively simple and a number of cir· tail lights) were switched on at this time, positive voltage from the emitter of Ql).
cuits have been published that pro- this pulse will turn on Ql, and close RLA. If at any time it is requd to disable the
vide an audible warning if the ignition The relay contacts RLA (l) and RLA alarm circuit all that is necessary is - hav-
is switched off while the headlights (2) now close and contacts RLA (1) connect ing first switched off the ignition - to
or sidelights are still burning. the base of Ql to ground via R2 and R3 switch the lights off and then on again. The
These circuits are simple and ef- thus causing the relay to 'latch on' . circuit will revert to the status quo next time
fective but invariably fail to cater to If either front door of the vehicle is the ignition is switched on.
those occasions when one requires opened with the relay in the latched condi-
light to be on while the ignition is
switched off.
Here then is a slightly more com-
plex circuit that provides a 'headlight
on - ignition off' warning as the
driver opens a door to leave the vehi-
cle. The alarm ceases as soon as the
driver closes the door.
As shown in Fig. 1, the circuit is Fig. 1 The basic circuit.
suitable for vehicles with a negative TAILLIGHT
+12V CIRCUIT
ground electrical system. To convert RLA - 100R min.
the circuit for use with positive
ground vehicles replace the 2N3905
by a 2N3904 (the connections are the
same) and reverse the diodes and the
25 uF capacitor.
Figure 2 shows how the basic cir-
cuit is wired into the car's electrical 01
system. The alarm unit may be a 2N3905
buzzer, bell or even a flashing light.
The existing door-operated interior
light is used to extend a ground to the
relay thus obviating the necessity to
instal any additional switches.

30- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Fig. 2 The warning circuit Is wired Into the TAIL LIGHT
vehicle's electrical system. CIRCUIT

-----, 12V
ALAR lVI

The lead marked 'tail light cir- EXISTING

cuit' should be connected to the live INTERIOR
side of the tail light wiring. (If a LIGHT(S)
TO SOME
headlight only warning is required, ACCESSORY 1
CONTROLLED 1
this lead should be connected to the BY IGN. 1
1 RELAY
live side of one of the headlights). SWITCH :
I OUTPUT
Further leads connect the unit to GROUND
ground, the 12V vehicle supply and
tot he live side of any accessory that EXISTING DOOR
is wired through the ignition switchO SWITCHES

Auto
·Lume
THIS UNIT is automatically operated tacts on the relay close to bring R5 equipped with a 6V 3 watt or similar
by the level of general illumination, or into circuit, providing additional bulb. By changing the connections to
the strength of light falling upon it. current through the winding. This T1 secondary, 3V or 8V may be
The most frequent uses of such a means that the relay release current obtained instead, if required.
device include operating a child's night through 02 is lower than the pull-on To switch on a 110 Volt lamp, it
light, or switching on a light in a room, current, and avoids vibration or flick- is necessary either to use a line
when darkness falls, as a deterrent to Fig. 1. The circuit. R4
burglars, when leaving the house
unoccupied.
The unit is operated from the 120V/12V
Centre
a.c. lines and is adjustable to Tapped
operate over a wide range of light in- Dl T1
tensities. It switches on an external Cl +
circuit when light fades below a set
level, as in the evening and switches 1000"F
R2
Ill
off this circuit when light increases, 1511 +
C2
as with the arrival of morning. 1000"F

AUTO-LUME CIRCUIT LOR has light resistance of 100k, dark

This is shown in Fig. 1. The resistance resistance of 10 Meg. AC
of the light-dependent resistor LOR ing on and off of the relay when dark-
rises as the illumination reaching it ness slowly comes and light has fallen
falls. This allows the base of 01 to to a level where the unit is about to
move positive so that it conducts. 01 operate. voltage relay here, or to employ the
emitter and 02 l;>ase also move posi- A bell transformer or similar extension circuit to control a relay
tive, so that 02 collector current rises. transformer T1 provides current, and which in turn switches on the AC
This current flows through the relay the operating voltage is not very powered equipment. Normally,
windings, closing the relay contacts. critical. The second set of relay con- however, a 3 watt or 6 watt low
RV 1 is the sensitivity control, so tacts result in 5V a.c. being available voltage lamp will provide enough
that the device can be set to work at at the extension sockets EX, which light for the purposes for which the
the desired light intensity. Spare con- does well for a child's night light unit will be used. 0

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-31

Marker
Employing an easily obtained 4 MHz crystal this
unit forms an invaluable tool to those with calibra-
tion troubles.

Generator
--------:..------------===::;;iiiiii
A LIMITATION of most low priced
communications receivers and ~
conventional radios is that tuning
accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This
means that when waiting for a
short-wave station to come on the air
we may well miss the beginning of the
transmission because we have been
tuned to the wrong frequency. The
traditional method of overcoming th.is
problem has been to use a marker
generator or crystal calibrator. Such
instruments generate a series of
accurately known and harmonically
related signals which are tuned by the
receiver in order to determine the
accuracy of the dial. The marker
generator may also be used to perform
the periodic calibration and alignment
required by most sensitive receivers.
Using the Generator
Say for example, that we wish to
tune a signal that we know to be on
13 250kHz. First select 4 MHz on the
marker gent;rator and connect its
output to the aerial socket of the The Crystal Calibration
receiver. Tune the receiver to the Crystals are supplied to work within The marker will be sufficiently
marker which will be found at 12 MHz specified tolerances. The tighter the accurate for most people with C2 set
(third harmonic of 4 MHz). Once tolerances the more expensive the to half value. For those who want
located confirm that it is indeed crystal. However the crystal oscillator greater accuracy the generator must be
coming from the marker generator by may be placed exactly on frequency calibrated against a signal of known
switching it on and off. Now switch to (within small limits) by varying the accuracy.
the 1 MHz markers and tune the amount of capacitance in parallel with The generator may be aligned
receiver upwards to locate the 13th it. against one of these frequencies by
harmonic at 13 MHz. Now select When purchasing a crystal you must the zero-beating technique. First
100kHz markers and tune upwards tell the manufacturer what capacitance tune In the signal and t hen connect
through two markers to locate it will be working with and he will _the generator. A whistle will now be
13.2 MHz. Finally select the 10kHz grind YO!Jr crystal to be within the heard and C2 should be tuned to the
markers and tune up through a further specified limits when it is used with point where the beat frequency has
five markers to locate 13 250 kHz. that particular capacitance. This dropped so low that It cannot be
Note that if this tuning procedure is marker generator has been designed to heard. The generator Is now spot on
carefully carried out it is quite simple work with crystals that are ground for frequency and it should be no.ted
to locate any position on the dial with 30 pF capacitance. that this calibration Is Independent
great accuracy. of the generator. 0

r - - - - - - - - - - - - - H O W IT W O R K S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .
The marker generator is a is used to tune the oscillator exactly to A further dual division by 10 is
constant-frequency oscillator driving into frequency as explained in the text. The provided by IC3 which therefore provides
a CMOS divider chain. Switchable outputs resistor R2 adds extra phase shift but also outputs of 100kHz and 10kHz.
from the divider chain are selected to drive reduces the gain. Thus if the oscillator is The required output is selected
a pulse generator. slow in starting reducing R2 may help. by SW1 and applied to CS and R3 which
The oscillator is IC1a in which The output of the oscillator is buffered differentiate the squarewave output of the
R 1 biases the IC into linear operation. from the resfof the circuit by IC1/b. divider. The waveform is then amplified
The crystal determines the basic frequency IC2 is a CMOS dual type D flip flop and squared by IC1/c to provide an output
of operation at 4 MHz in conjunction with that divides the 4 MHz by four to provide train of narrow pulses, the amplitude of
C1, 2, 3 and 4 which appear to the crystal an output of 1 MHz, the 2 MHz also being which may be varied by means of RV1.
as one parallel capacitor. The capacitor C2 brought out.

32-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 Now NRI takes you inside the
new TRS-80 Model Ill microcomputer
to train you at home as the
new breed specialist!
NRI teams up with Radio Shack
advanced technology to teach
you how to use, program and
service state-of-the-art
microcomputers ...
It's no longer enough to be
just a programmer or a technician.
With microcomputers moving
into the fabric of our lives (over
250,000 of the TRS-SOTM alone have
been sold), interdisciplinary skills
are demanded. And NRI can prepare
you with the first course of its kind,
more effective programs. And, with ad- and gain greater understanding of the
covering the complete world of the
vanced programming skills, the techni- information. Both microcomputer and
microcomputer.
cian can test and debug systems quickly equipment come as part of your training
Learn At Home and easily. for you to use and keep.
in Your Spare Time
Only NRI gives you both kinds of Rush Card
With NRI training, the program-
training with the convenience of home for Free Catalog
mer gains practical knowledge of hard-
study. No classroom pressures, no night - Get all the details on this exciting
ware, enabling him to design simpler,
school, no gasoline wasted. You learn course in NRI's free, 100-page catalog.
at your convenience, at your own pace. It shows all equipment, lesson outlines,
Yet you're always backed by the NRI and facts on other electronics courses
staff and your instructor, answering such as Complete Communications with
questions, giving you guidance, and CB, TV/Audio and Video, Digital Elec-
available for special help if you need it. tronics, and more. Keep up with the
You Get Your Own Computer latest technology as you learn on the
to Learn On and Keep latest model of the world's most
NRI training is hands-on train- popular computer. If card has been
ing, wit9 practical experiments and used, write to:
demonstrations as the very foundation
of your knowledge. You don't just pro-
MD~ ~~r~~~i~1~ontinuing
~~:~ Education Center
gram your computer, you go inside
it. ..watch how circuits interact. ..inter-
face with other systems ... gain a real t":J • '- 330 Progress Avenue
insight into its nature. •• nI• Scarborough, Ontario MlP 225
You also work with an advanced or telephone 416-293-1911
Training Includes new TRS-80 Model III micro- liquid crystal display hand-held multi- We'll give you tomorrow.
computer, 6-functlon LCD Beckman multimeter, meter and the NRI Discovery Lab, per-
and the NRI Discovery Lab with hundreds of
tests and experiments. forming over 60 separate-experiments.
(TRS-80 is a trademark of the Radio Shack division of Tandy Corp.) You learn troubleshooting procedures
 13,1

R1
4M7

~2 - ·~v
_r--<> ~
C4
_l_ ~0. 1
150p
T +12V

.Lc1100c> .,.
--1,_ BATTERY

•
I
-L-

NOTES
IC1 140071 PINS 7,4 AND 9 ARE GROUND
IC2 140131 PINS 6,4.1,10 AND 1 ARE GROUND
1Cl146181 PINS 8.7 AND 15 ARE GROUND
IC1 PINS 14,2 AND 11 ARE .+12V
IC2 PIN 14, IS +12V
ICl PINS 2,10 AND 16 ARE +12V
Circuit diagram for the marker generator.

Light
Dimmer
The circuit for a light dimmer is the light will be controlled.
not complex, as will be seen from same arrangement also makes it poss-
Fig. 1, nor are the components all that ible to control only one light, leaving
expensive. The circuit overcomes a others unaffected.
drawback in many of the commer- The unit will handle 500W as
cial models: the Triac is protected shown, but with some modifications
against line transients. Many ver- can easily be adapted to control 1kW.
sions do not come on until the con-
trol is rotated over half way, yet cur-
rent is still being drawn; in our cir-
__
The choke L 1 is made up from a
_,........
LOAD
Fig. 1 The circuit o f the dimmi!r.
R2 3.3k

cuit the light comes on almost at A B

I
minimum setting.
An unusual facility is also incorp- R4 _j>
390k <>
orated in the design which some NOTES:
(see text)<>
IC1 (4007) 7.4 AND 9 ARE GROUND
readers !llight wish to take advantage
of. A light dimmer is perfect for use
IC2 (40131 PINS 6,4,8,10 AND 7 ARE GROUND
ICJ (4518) PINS 8,7, AND 15 ARE GROUND C1 ~
0.033
with a TV set as neither viewing in IC1 PINS 14, 2 AND 11 ARE +12V
GOOV
IC2 PIN 14, IS + 12V
full light or complete darkness is very ICJ PINS 2, 10 AND 16 ARE + 12V
pleasant. The circuit is so arranged
that the switch can also handle a load
C2 C4
which is not controlled by the dimmer 0.033 0 .1f.Jf
circuitry. Thus, the TV can be GOOV GOOV
switched on using the unit, but on ly D

34-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 HOW IT WORKS
piece of ferrite rod, 1/4" diameter testing on the bench, using a table As with practically all modern dimmer
and 1%" long, wound with 55 turns lamp as a load. Connect this as circuits, this one makes use of a Triac for
the power control.
of 28 s.w.g. enamelled copper wire, follows. Terminal A: power live, Ter- A Triac can be regarded as an
wound tightly and secured at each minals B and C:· load, Terminal 0: electronic switch that is turned on by a
end by a strip of adhesive tape. power neutral. pulse at a predetermined time in each half
For those wishing to use the unit If all is well, the unit can be fitted cycle and turns off automatically at the
end of the half cycle.
at 1kW it is necessary, for safety in place of a modern switch fitted in a Control of the Triac is of the simple
reasons, to use a separate switch from box. In very shallow boxes, there resistor/capacitor and diac system. By
that in the pot. A suitable heatsink may not be room for the unit but varying the resistance of potentiometer
will also be necessary on the Triac and extension mouldings are available RV1, the time constant of RV1/C4
change the phase.
the wire gauge on L 1 should be slightly from the same people who supply the The pulse at the junction RV1/
heavier: 24 or 26 s.w.g. The greatest switch plate itself. C4 is passed to the Diac through limiting
drawback when using the higher power If the facility for switching an resistor R3. The Diac is connected to the
uncontrolled load is not required (i.e. gate of the Triac and as the Diac is in fact
is that RFI can be annoying. When a bi-directional diode, both the positive
used with a lower load, the radio using it conventionally), a jumper and negative pulses are applied to the
interference is very low and could not wire should be fitted between Term- gate.
be detected 12" from the prototype, inals B and C and the two wires Capacitor C1 and choke L1 are for
suppressing RFI while R1 and C2 are used
even with the radio's ferrite rod in which normally connect to the switch for transient suppression.
line with the choke. that the dimmer replaces can be con- Resistor R4 is fitted so as to allow
Before fitting the unit, it is worth nect.ed to A and D. 0 full control of light while using RVl. The
ideal value for RV1 is 150k ohms but as
this value is virtually impossible to obtain,
it is paralleled by R4 to give effectively
this value.

15 OHM
Table
ATTENUATION ' R' ACCURATE ACCURATE CLOSEST
VALUES VALUES PREFERRED
760HM SO OHM VALUE 50 0HM

R1 1304 869.5 820

1 dB R2 8.6 5.8 5.6

RF ,.
R3 1304 669.5 B20

R4 654 436 470

2 dB R5 17.4 11.6 12

ldB <dB
t.JS \,d, 4dB
R6

R7
RB
R9
654

331 .5
35.B
0
436

221
23.9
0
470

220
12 + 12
0
R10 331 .5 221 220

A11 174.2 11 6 120

8dB A12 79.3 52.8 27 + 27
A13 174.2 116 120

Attenuator
A 14 103.2 68.8 68
16dB A15 230.7 154 150
A16 103.2 68.8 88
• Allvalun in ohms.

HOW IT WORKS------~~----------------....
This RF attenuator works by switching characteristic shape that has led to the use and 20 log 0.5 equals -6.02 dB. (the
· al h d of the name 'pi network' for this minus sign indicating attenuation).
in to t h e stgn pat a se1ecte network or attenuator sectt'on. The use o f d ect'b e1s is very convenient as
k
group of networ s that reduces the signal Tl!e steps of attenuation are expressed in it allows the combined value of two or
strength by known amounts. The dectbels. The voltage attenuation in more attenuators to be found by simply
networks are specially designed so that decibels is equal to 20 log V 1 . Where V 1 adding their separate values rather than by
they do not disturb the characteristic multiplying the separate attenuation
impedance of the line. That is, they appear V2 ratios.
appear to both the source and the load as Each succeeding attenuator is chosen to
a signal parallel resistor equal in value to equals the input voltage and V2 equals be twice that of the one previous. This
h · 1 d d binary form allows us to obtain a range of
t e respecttve source or oa impe ance. he output voltage. Thus if the output is 0 to 31 dB in 32, steps with only five
In our case networks have be4n calculated half the input voltage then V2 equals 0.5 switches. Thus for example if we require 5
to provide matching to 75 ohm dB we depress SW1 and SW3 to give us
impedance. V1 1+4=5 dB.

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-35

 TRS-80
SOFTWARE
Fully supported software for the Radio Shack computer
TRS-80. Available for models 1,11,111 and coming soon for
the Colour Computer. Games as well as serious
business programs. Examples listed below. Over 100
programs available for now but more are being written
all the time!! All programs are written in England and
are distributed exclusively by J. & J. Electronics Ltd.
······~·······························
*Time Machine Adventure*Asteroids*Space In·
vaders• AJEDIT*Golden Baton Adventure*lnstant Sort
Search*Kubik*Loan*Arrow of Death Adven·
ture*lndex*Dark Void*Cube Hunt* Accel 2-Com·
piler*Level I in Level II*Quagmire *Sort*Pascai*Space
Shuttle*Nuclear, War* Morse Code Communicator* Data
Base Management*Reference Basic*Submarine
Chase *Wonder-land Adventure • Protex t •p rodata
*Prozap*Yi·Ching*PLUS MANY MORE
**************************************
All software distributed In England by Mollmerx Ltd. and distributed ex·
elusively In Canada by J . & J . Electronics Ltd. For prices and more Inform&·
lion contact us at the address below. Dealer Inquiries Invited.

J. & J. Electronics Ltd.

P.O. Box 1437, Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 2Z4 Phone 943-6916

.• * ***** ***
* * * * *
* * * * *
* * **** * * PARTY HA T C IR C UI T
* * * * *
* * * * *
*** * ***

That's how Vero began and many of you started.

Twenty years ago Vero introduced Veroboard to t he designer
and hobbyist market .
It w as then unique in its concept and is still one of the basic
boards f or the electronics industry. Such is t he influence that
Veroboard has had, and is still having, that the very name has
become part of general vocabulary. Twenty years is·a long time
in a new indust ry and Vero have been in the forefront with their
standards, quality control and customer service throughout that
time. After the Halloween party, put the Versatile Lamp Con·
From Veroboard through Card Frames to Vero Cases, w e are troller (VLC) chip Into an advanced 4-channel colour organ
proud to be of service and hope t hat you will agree that sales or lamp sequencer. It's a powerful one-chip microcomputer
of millions of Veroboards is a suitable cause to celebrate our
twent ieth birthday . with custom application software In ROM. Just jumper the
Inputs for the lighting effects you want. Control1000 watt
lamps with simple additional circuitry.

~ Electronic Packaging Systems Ltd.

P 0 BOX 481, KINGSTON, ONTARIO, K7L 4W5
PHONE (613) 384 1142 TELEX 066-3243
For data, more circuits, and other information, send SASE
to: FIRELIGHT ELECTRONICS
P.O. BOX 729, STATION LA CITE
MONTREAL, QUEBEC H2W 2P3
 START WITH OR ION FOR
ORIO"
Electronic Supplies Inc.
A NEW ERA IN THE WORLD
OF ELECTRONICS
We have the most complete selection
rlECTRO~IC DISTRIBUTOR
of electronic components.
INDUSTRIAL- EDUCATIONAL- COMMERCIAL- HOBBYIST Full line of TTL, CMOS, Linear, for our
flyer on Interact
ICs, Computer Interface, Support Chips Computer D
/1. powrertul microeomputer with • tun stllnct.rd 53 key typetn'1ter
and CPUs. styli! keybolrd 1nd built-in ussena recorder for UH in entlfinc
a1d storinc prc11r•rns. Utitizinc the versatile Intel 80IOA micro-

ROll~
. liii
processor, the lntl!!fKt computer Ms 16K ot RAM and 2K of ROM
at its disposal. Output is in color on your own TV screen. Sound
What can you is also pnerated throuth your TV set and can consist of e•·
hil~ratlfll computer beept or two full octaves of music. This is

m
:~~':"'~a~~.!: ;~::,-~~.~~b:'~or~:ean~;:;in:U:
cmMAC D \ !!I!!Jc honestly expect educatlonll stimulus (eqmples: Star Track, Chess, Concentra·
tion, etc.). The Interact computer otters the ldut opportunity to
D\ ! ?4"'" from an :S': as~s~.~~~~~:~': 1t~~t':!,':'~":u'!t~
learn at your own pace.
Authorizcd distributor for RCA, COS MAC VIP interactive data INITAUATION1 Attich to antennt terminals of your color TV
set and plutlnto 120 VAC Will outlet. Computlf Includes bultt·ln

terminal that RF modulator, FCC approved and ULand CSA listed.

PIOQitAMIHI1 Most Micro-computers start you off with an
abtweYiat.cl 4K BASIC. and then Iatif you hwe to r.lurn ttM
costs only $475.95 :"~~~~i ~~~~c:=n~~1~~~J:~~~ri:~
Well, to begin with, color graphics. =.~~~ M;.~~u:,ta~h ":!:"P~~~~~~~~
RCA's VP·3301 has unique c.olor,.lnt,kloM ::m~o;. E~ce?l:>:~examples.
a 20 pece boot! of
':t~a\~,r~~:e, ~~=~::.
~m
gives you sharp, jitter-free color g
characters. and
Plus much more: M lcroprocessor control. Resident and AKII Keyboer&l Fully-encoded. 1
programmable character set. Reverse video. State-of-the· alphanumenc keyboard. 58 hght touch keys 12 user de·
• art LSI video control. 20 and 40 character formats. RS232C ..""IJ!III!!II!!II!!II~O.o~ed~l~-S~e-lectable~ "Upper·Case·O~" $ 1Q9 •7S
• =4-W¥·. . @f
and 20 mA current loop. Six baud rates. Eight data for·
mats. ASCII encoding, Light-touch flexlble-mef11brane key
switches for reliability and long life. CMOS circuitry and a • • ·
.. ':::.;~~.;.-~· ;.-
..&.U-~
c . ....... ASCOI
Keyboard •den!lcal to VP·601 plus
16 k.ey numenc entrv keyboard lor
spill-proof, dust-proof keyboard for hostile environments.
easoer env·1 ol ~.umbers VP-61 1 ....•••••.••••••• · $149.75
The VP-3301 can be used with a 525-llne color or C•bte: ASCII K..,IMMnl• to YP· 711 Flat nbbon cable. 24 1n. •engtl'l. tor eM·
monochrome monitor or a standard TV set through an RF fll!l:;!lng VP·60l or VP·61 1 antt VP-71 1 . Includes matChll"lg connect()( on both ends
modulator. • • It serves a wide variety of Industrial, educa· YP·620 ....................................... · $27.50
C•bfe: ASCII K..,bo•rft Flat ribbcn cable. 36 in. len91h Wltl"' mar•ng conn& tor
tlonal, business and Individual applications Including
communication with time sharing and data base networks ~rp~~;jl. ~r. ~~~~1·1• ~~:~~:~s." -~~~~~. ~~~ :s.~~~~-~~~~~~~~ •.. $27
NewiVP111
Microcomputer····
$139·50 Assembled" and tested.
such as those provided by Dow Jones News/Retrieval Ser·
vice, CompuServe and Source.
All this-for the low price of $475.95. And It's made by
Fe;Jtures. RCA. RCA PRICE LIST
• RCA 1~2 M!Ctoprocessor • Video outplA to monitor or modulator.
• ~ K Bytes statiC RAM • cassette Interface -100 Bytes/sec VP-3501 VIdeotex Data Terminal 58-Key Typewriter Format for Alphanumeric Entry
EKpandable on-board to ·lK • Instruction Manual wrth 5 VIdeo For time sharing applications via telephone. Connects to VP-601 · B·blt parallel output $109.75
Expai'IC'f·ble to '32 K Bytes total list•ngs, schematiCS. CHIP-8. standard TV set for display. Built-In 300 baud direct connect VP-606 ·Asynchronous serial output 139.75
• 512 Hyte ROM operattn:;~ system ldeaiiO" low-cost control appllcahons modem, Includes: numeric keypad, color graphics, tone and
• CHiP -S ll"lterpretrve language or Expandable to fuM VIP capability wrth noise generator, RF and video/audio outputs, expansion In· 58·Key Typewriter Format Plus Separate 16-Key
mach•ne lr.:"lguage programmabte. VP-114K~. terface, resident and user-definable character sets, cursor Celcutator-Type Keypad for Fast Numeric Entry
• Hexldec•mal keypad ·use~ need OOy connect cables (oncludf!<IJ. a control, reverse video, plus many other features. (Includes VP-611 · B·blt parallel output , $149.75
• AudiO tone genefator S-vOII p:)wef supply. and speaker connecting cables.) VP-616· Asynchronous serial output 159.87
• 'ilr"'Qie S~vott ooerattOn VP-3301 ·Video output & built In audio 475.95
VP-3303 Interactive Data Terminal (RF & Video/Audio) VP-3303 ·Connects directly to TV set 498.95
General terminal. Similar to the VP-3501. Does not VP-3501 . With built In modem & RF modulator 549.95
numeric keypad. Six switch selectable
RS·232C and 20 mA current loop Inter·

r1181 Computer
ASSEMBLED $159.95
Kit $109.95
The ZX81's advanced
capability. to eight' decimal places.
The ZX81 uses the same fast •Graph-drawing and
microprocessor (ZBOA), but in· display facifities. •
corporates a new, more power- dimensional string
ful BK BASIC ROM - the numeric arrays. • Up· to
"trained intelligence" of the FOR/NEXT loops. • Randomize
computer. This chip works in function. •programmable in
decimals, handles logs and machine code. •cassette
trig, allows you to plot graphs, LOAD and SAVE with named
and builds up animated programs. • 1K-byte RAM ex· $39.95
displays. And the ZX81 incor· pandable to 16K. •Full editing 19.95
porat es other operation facilities. • Able to drive the 19.95
refinements - the facility to new Sinclair ZX Printer (to be t--=::--=-::-:=-~~~"'!'~------------1 29.95
load and save named programs available shortly). 13.95
on cassette, or to select a pro· If you own a ZXBO ..• 29.95
gram off a cassette through The new BK BASIC ROM as 19.95
the keyboard. ed in the ZX81 is available as
drop-in replacement chip. MEMOTECH 64K MEMOPAK
New, Improved specification. (Complete with new keyboard The Memopak Is a 64K RAM pack which extends the t-:::::~::;:-:-;:;;;----~~7~=:---::-:-::-=---1
·unique 'one-touch' key word template and operating memory of the ZX81 by a further 56K. Designed to be In Not only 30 programs for the ZX81 - $18.95
entry: eliminates a great deal manual). With the exception of the price range expected by Sinclair owners. Plugs Understanding your ZX81 ROM -23.95
of tiresome typing. Key words animated graphics, all the ad· directly Into the back of the ZX81 and does not Inhibit Getting acquainted with your ZX81 - 16.95
(PRINT, LIST, RUN, etc.) have vanced features of the ZX81 !he use of the printer or other.add·on boards. There Is no The explorers guide to the ZX81 - 18.95
their own single-key entry. are now available on your ZXBO need for additional power supply or cables. The The gateway guide for the ZX81 & ZXBO - 18.95
· unique syntax-check and - including the ability to drive · Memopack together with the ZX81 gives a full 64K, Mastering machine code on your ZX81 - 24.95
report codes I the Sinclair ZX Printer. which Is neither switched nor paged, and Is directly ad·I-T""h""e""ZX;;.;8..1.;P;.;o;.;;c;.;.ke;.;t;;;b,;,oo;.;k;_
- .1.;,;8;.9;;,;!5;..._ _ _ _ _ _ -l
dressable. The unit ·Is user transparent, and accepts
mlng errors
?f
i
mathe1matical such basic commands such as 10DIM A(9000).
With the Memopak extension the ZX81 is transformed
or·ton El ct .
e rontC upp le$ nc.
s I ,.
Into a powerful computer, suitable for business leisure 40 Lancaster Street West
and educational use, at a fraction of the cost 'of com·
parable systems. Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4S9
Machine Language Software (519) 576-9902
ZXAS Machine Code Assembler. A full specification zso Master Charge & Visa, COD, Cheque
assembler. Standard mnenonlcs are written directly into ~oney 9rders accepted. COD's, ship:
$13.85 pmg & msurance extra. Write for our
Perfect complement to FREE FLYER.
string search, block
Prices subject to change without notice.
UNREGULATED POWER SUPPLY NOTE:
D1-4 ARE 1N4001
A single rail power supply is shown in the
diagram above. It has three separate sec-
tions, the power transformer, the full 120V
AC +Ve
wave bridge rectifier and the smoothing
capacitor. For safety, the fuse should be + 8V4
put in the live wire path to the (on load)
transformer. The voltages quoted are AC
voltages measured in Volts RMS. This is
the equivalent "DC heating" voltage and
is equal to 0.707Vp.
TO ANY
The output of the transformer is 6V D-----------4>----+- EXPOSED METALWORK
RMS and this is the voltage level "on
load". When the transformer is not load- Typical Line Voltages
ed this voltage may increase by about
25%.
The difference between the loaded 170V
and unloaded output voltage is known as (VPEAKI
the "regulation" of the transformer. (VROOT MEAN SQUARE)
Transformers have power ratings ex-
pressed in terms of VA. A 1 OVA
transformer will be able to supply 10
watts of power from its secondary out- RIPPLE RULE OF THUMB:
put. The AC voltage from the trans-
former secondary is full wave rectified
by the diode bridge D1 to 4 and then 340V
Vrip j_
t
rrY\ RIPPLE

Vrip -::
lload
-c-
_
x (7x10 ~
(V PEAK TO PEAK)
smoothed by capacitor C1. With no load
on the power supply the output (DC)
SO IF THE LOAD CURRENT (I load) IS 100mA,
voltage will be approximately 11V. But
THEN Vrip IS 0 · 1 x ] x 10 - 3 = 700mV
when a resistive load is presented to it, 10-3
the voltage drops and a ripple voltage
appears, this being caused by the load
discharging the capacitor. e

AC

REGULATED POWER SUPPLY

Two transistors and a voltage reference
can be used to make a regulated power + +9V
supply. Transistor Q1 is used as the R2
C1 2k7
power control element and so must be 1000u
mounted on a heat sink. Q2 provides 25V
negative feeback and so helps to iron out
any changes at the output due to fluc- RV1 + C2 OUTPUT
tuating load conditions or variations in 1k0 10u
the unregulated rail. The circuit opera- 16V
tion is as follows. A current flows
through Q2 and D5 and so sets up a R4
voltage of 5V1 across D5. The base of Q2 Note:
4k7
is connected to the output by a set of Ql Is TlP31
Q2 IS 2N2926 ov
resistors, R2, 3, 4 and RV1 . If the output 01-4 are 1N4001
voltage rises, then more current will flow 05 Is 5Vl Zener
through Q2. This causes the' voltage at
the base of Q1 to fall, which in turn voltage would instantly rise to that of
reduces the voltage at the output. Thus the unregulated rail. To prevent this R3
the output voltage is regulated . . RV1 is provides a permanent DC path to the
used to set up the output voltage to base of Q2. Capacitor C2 helps to im-
+ 9V. If the wiper of RV1 should ac- prove the regulation when the load con-
cidentally lift off, then the output ditions change rapidly .•
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-39
TRANSISTOR TESTER
P.N.P
This very simple transistor tester
measures DC current gain in three
ranges, with full scale values of 10, 100
and 1 000. It will also show whether or
not the device under test has a high
leakage current.
The basic tests for a transistor are +
T
I
very simple and in order to test for high I
.I
leakage, it is merely necessary to con- j 9V
I
nect a voltage across the emitter and I
-L-
collector terminals of the test device,
and then measure the current flow. In
this circuit 9V is the voltage source, and
ME1 reeisters the current flow. R4 is a
current limiting resistor which protects
ME1 and the test device from passing an
excessive current.
Silicon devices have extremely low
leakage currents, and if there is any .___ _ _ ___, SW2~

deflection of ME1 when testing a silicon

transistor, it certainly means that device
is not functional (or is oonnected incor- gain is equal to the collector current current gain give a proportionately lower
rectly) . Germanium devices have divided by the base current. If SW2 is meter reading. With SW1 in the "100"
somewhat higher leakage currents, and a depressed, a base current will be provid- and "1 000" positions, the base current is
very small deflection of ME1 is accep- ed to the test device by whichever reduced to 100 uA and 10 uA respective-
table when testing this type of transistor. resistor (R1 to R3) is selected by SW1. ly, giving the correspondingly high full
The test for DC current gain (Hfe) is With SW1 in the "10" position, a scale gain values.
basically the same as for leakage testing, nominal base current of 1 rnA is fed to PNP and NPN transistors require op-
except that a current is fed into the base the test device, and it must have a cur- posite supply polarities, and SW3 is used
terminal of the test device. This causes a r~nt gain of 10 in order to produce a col- to switch the supply polarity to suit the
larger current to flow in the collector cir- lector current of 10 rnA and give full type being tested and to connect ME1
cuit of the transistor, and the current scale deflection of ME1. Lower levels of with the correct polarity .•

TREBLE BOOSTER
A treble booster circuit can be used with amp (IC1) used in the non-inverting required nsmg respo nse. Feedback
an electric guitar (and also electronic in- amplifier mode. The non-inverting input through C1 at high treble frequencies
struments) to boost the higher order har- is biased by R4 and RS via a decoupling causes the response to fall away above
monics and give a more "brilliant" network which is comprised of R3 and about S.SkH.z, and prevents the very high
sound. A circuit of this type gives a fairly C3. C4 and CS give DC blocking at the in- frequency harmonics from being ex-
flat response at bass and most middle put and output respectively. With SW1 cessively emphasised.
audio frequencies, with the upper- open there . is virtually 100% negative As the unit has unity gain at fre-
middle and lower treble frequencies be- feedback through R 1. R2 and C1, giving quencies where boost is not applied it
ing given a substantial amount of boost. the circuit unity gain and a flat response. can simply be connected between the in-
It is normal to give only a modest Closing SW1 brings C2 into circuit, and strument and the amplifier.e
amount of emphasis to the upper-treble this decouples some of the feedback
in order to give good stability and a low through R1 and R2 at frequencies of
noise level, and this also prevents the more than a few hundred Hz giving the.
output from sounding too harsh. The fre-

108
quency response of this treble booster is
741C TOP VIEW ..----~------..-<1' o-<> +Ve
shown in the accompanying graph. SW2
ON/OFF
The circuit is basically just an op
25
+
4 5
20 ft
\
15 j

I THE FREQUENCY RESPONSE· OUT

"' "'
OF THE TREBLE BOOSTER
10

/'v ~
_....,
0
......... v
0.2 ' 0.4 0.8 1 kHz 2 4 8 10 15 20

40-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

ELECTRONIC METRONOME
WITH SYNTHESISED TICK lOCK TICK TOCK TICK

~
An electronic metronome needs three
sections, a variable rate beat generator,
a sound synthesiser to produce the tick
tock noises and a small audio amplifier.
First the beat generator, IC1. This circuit
is a schmitt trigger and an "integrator"
all in one. The positive feedback via R1,
2 produces the schmitt action and the
'integrator' is made up out of RV1, RS, ~2926
C1. Imagine the output of IC1 is low at
about + 2V. The non-inverting terminal
of IC1 will t hen be at +4V75. The
positive end of C1 will be discharged via
RV1 plus RS towards + 2V, unit it
reaches + 4V75. When this happens the
schmitt trigger makes the output of IC1
snap into its 1igh state, Now the voltage
on the non-inverting terminal is + 1 OV25
and C1 is charged up towards this
voltage. When t his voltage is reached by
C1 the schmitt t rigger snaps back into its
low state.
Thus square wave oscillations are
produced, the frequency of which is INPUT

determined by RV1, RS, C1.. The o-f C5

squarewave is fed into IC2 (via C4), 100n
which is a bandpass filter with a relative-
ly high Q. The edges of the squarewave
+VC~~CONNECT:0 +15V
'excite' the filter which rings producing a
percussive, waveform. The pitch of the
741 CONNECTIONS
percussive waveforms is controlled by - + TOP VIEW
R7, 8 but R8 is only turned on by Q1 I 4
LS1
35 ohm
when the output of IC1 is high. Therefore - VCC CONNECT TO OV L-------~~----~~O~V------~----~
two percussive notes are produced, a
low note when IC1 output is low and a
higher note when IC1 output is high. This shorting out C4 or connecting a Sk pot just such an amplifier. The gain is set by
double pitch percussive waveform across it! R13, R10. If more gain is required, then
sounds just like a. 'tick tock' sound. If The tick-tock waveform can then be increase R13, if less, then decrease it.e
you want some really crazy sounds, try fed into a small audio amplifier. IC3 is

+9V
MEASURING UNKNOWN
CAPACITORS
This simple circuit will enable you to will be the same and nothing will be
find out the value of an unknown heard in the earpiece.
capacitor, it makes use of the 'Bridge' Assume now that our unknown
principle. The interesting part of the capacitor is half that of our known. A
operation is to the right of T1, the rest of larger amount of the signal will pass
the circuit, including Q1 is simply an through our known component, the
audio oscillator. T1 is a small transistor bridge is upset and a signal will be heard
output transformer approx. 500R CT to in our earpiece. However, if x-y is twice
SR. Connected as shown, the circuit is y-z, balance will once again be achieved
known as a Hartley oscillator C2 con- and nothing will be heard. It follows that
verts the primary of the transformer into if a pointer knob of RV1 is marked in Note:
Ql Is 2N3904 etc
a tuned circu it operating in the audio ratios, we will be able to calculate the ov
range while C1 feeds back part of the value of almost any capacitor as long as
signal to keep oscillation going. The ef- we use our reference component one
fect of all this is to generate an audio that is between ten times and one-tenth
signal into the secondary of T1. of the unknown; this is because it is only
Let us take a case where the two practical to mark out ratios of 10 to 1. 100n (0.1 uF) and 10uF. However, measur-
capacitors are the same value and the This is not as much of a problem as may· ing low capacitance is likely to be inac-
resistance in RV1 between x-y and y-z is first be imagined as values between 1 p curate due to strays in the circuit and
the same; in that case the voltage at y and 100uF can be checked using four note that electrolytic capacitors are not
and at the junction.of the two capacitors standards - these are 10p, 1 n (100pF), normally close tolerance components. e
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-41
Stereo Synthesiser
There are two common methods of pro- The two filters are formed by R4 emitter stage with 100% negative feed-
ducing a pseudo stereo effect from a and C3 (low pass), and C6 plus R8 (high back (and unity voltage gain) due to R11.
mono signal; playing the mono signal pass). A high roll-off rate is by no means It also provides a 180° phase shift so that
from the two speakers in antiphase and essential in this application and the 6 dB the two output signals are in anti-phase.
the use of frequency selective techni- per octave attenuation rate of simple RC An in-phase relationship is needed to
ques. The latter normally consists of filters such as these is perfectly ade- give a good central stereo image and the
directing lower frequency signals into quate. The -3 dB point of each filter is use of anti-phase signals t ends to give an
one channel and higher frequency at approximately 800 Hz and the com- impression of increased channel separa-
signals into the other. This circuit uses bined outpu.t of the filter, therefore, tion.
the second technique, but can addi- gives a virtually flat response with no In a stereo orchestral recording it is
tionally give antiphase signals which can significant peaks or troughs. normal for the violins to come from the
give a better effect, especially when us- Q2 is connected as ·an emitter left hand channel, with the cellos and
ing headphones. follower buffer stage and this ensures basses from the right hand channel.

,..----~~----~~----~------1-------t---------~~----------~~--~o
SW1 0
+9V
ON/OFF
R10
2k2
01
Ql-Q3 are 2N3904, MPSA18

R2
1M2

L.H.
OUT
Ve

Q1 is used as an emitter follower that there is minimal loading on the low Therefore, the high frequency signals arL
buffer stage which ensures that the two pass filter. Q3 similarly ensures that fed to the left channel and the low fre-
filter networks fed from its output are there is minimal loading on the high pass quency signals are fed to t he right chan-
driven from a low impedance source. If filter, but this device is used as a phase nel so that the unit provides a similar ef-
these were driven direct from the input, splitter. With SW2 switched to take the fect (although it will obviously function
it is quite possible that they would be fed output from Q3's emitter, Q3 effectively properly with the outputs connected
from a source impedance of a few operates as an emitter follower and gives either way).
kilohms or more, which would be quite no phase inversion. With SW2 switched - The current consumption of the cir-
sufficient to alter their effective
characteristics.
to take the output from Q3's collector, cuit is about 3 rnA. e
Q3 then effectively acts as a common

A LOW FREQUENCY

f1Jl
C1
OSCILLATOR 1u0 NON-POLARISED +10V

IC1 is a MOSFET op-amp. Thus its input R3

bias current is very low, typically 10 pA +12V 100k -10V

as compared with 100 nA for a 741

(10 000 times larger!). This allows very
low current designs to be produced. The 1uA = 10· 6 A
circuit above shows an integrator (IC1) 1nA = 10· 9 A
1pA= 10· 12 A
and a Schmitt trigger (IC2). Imagine that
the output of the Schmitt is high ( + 10 R4
V). The voltage at the junction of R4, R5 100k

is approximately + 1 V. This pushes a ICl IS CA3140

current of 1 uA through R1 which then IC2 IS 741
R1
charges C1. Thus C1 (the output of IC1) 1MO
ramps down at a rate of 1/C which is in
this case 1 V/Sec. When this voltage
reaches -5 V , the Schmitt trigger flips V (the upper hysteresis level of the
over into its low state ( -10 V). Now the Schmitt). The Schmitt trigger then jumps V) output. Using the components shown
current through R1 flows the other way, to its high output and so the process the period is 20 seconds. To get 200
and so the output of IC1 ramps up at 1 repeats itself. The circuit produces a seconds make R1 = 10M. To get 2,000
V/Sec. this continues until it reaches + 5 square wave (±10 V) and a triangle(± 5 seconds make R1 =10M, R5 =1R. e
42-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
CMOS LOGIC PROBE
A logic probe is a device which is used duty cycle of the input signal is very high about half a second whenever the
when testing digital circuits, and it shows this may result in one indicator lighting monostable is triggered, regardless of
the logic state at the selected test point. up very brightly while the other does not how brief the triggering "input pulse hap-
In common with most designs this one visibly glow at all. In order to give a pens to be. Therefore a pulsing input will
can indicate four input states, as follows: more reliable indication of a pulsed in- be clearly indicated by 03 switching on.
1. Input high (logic 1 ). put gat~s 2 to 4 are connected as buf- The various OtJtputs will be:
2. Input low (logic 0). fered output monos table mu ltivibrator. Floating input ..,... all L.E .O.s off. Logic 0
3. Input pulsing. The purpose of this circuit is to produce input - 02 switched on (03 will briefly
4. Input floating. an output pulse of predetermined length flash on).
The circu it uses the four 2 input (about half a second in this case) Logic 1 input - 01 switched on.
NOR gates contained within the 4001 whenever it receives a positive going in- Pulsing input - 03 switched on. or puls-
CMOS device, and is primarily intended put pulse. ing in the case of a low frequency input
for testing CMOS circuits. The probe The length of the input pulse has no signal (one or both of the other in-
derives its power from the supply of the significant effect on the output pulse. 03 dicators will switch on, showing if one in-
circuit being tested. The first gate has its is connected at the output of the put state prodominates). e
inputs tied together so that it operates as monostable, and is switched on for
an inverter, and it is biased by R1 so that r--------------------r------------------------~----.---~O+Ve
roughly half the supply potential ap-
NOTES
pears at its output. A similar voltage ap- IC1 = 4001
14 PIN 141S +Ve
pears at the junction of R4 and RS, and PIN 7 IS OVe
so no significant. voltage will be
developed across 01 and 02 which are RJ
lkB
connected between this junction and R4
gate 1's output. Thus under quiescent 1k5

conditions, or if the probe is connected

to a floating test point, neither 01 or 02 C2
lOOn
will light up. If the input is taken to a
high logic point, gate 1 output will go
,, ~~&19
"HIGH"
low and switche on 01, giving a "high" 1014
indication. If the input is taken to a low
test point, gate 1 output will go high and 7 8
R5
02 will be switched onto indicate the 4001 TOP VIEW LE02 lkB
"low" input state. TIL209

A pulsed input will contain both L-----~-------------------------------------------+--~-o-ve

logic states, causing both 01 and 02 to
switch on alternately. However, if the

INSECT REPELLENT
The title of t his circuit may at first ap- oscillator whose frequency of operation ...-----------...-----~----crSW1~ •9" 81
pear to belong more in the pages of a can be varied over a wide range, in fact
RV1
biology or a chemistry book, but we are from about 500Hz to 10kHz and this will lOOk
not joking. It is possible to make life un- take in the range of all the common
comfortable for certain types of bugs us- bugs. The circwit is -a straightforward
ing electronics. The theory is quite com- multivibrator with RV1 altering the audio
plex though it is possible to give a rough frequency. This produces a square wave
outline of what happens. which is applied across the small crystal
It seems that mosquitoes only mate earpiece connected between the collec-
at certain times and except for these tor of Q2 and the negative line. Crystal
CRYSTAL
times the two sexes are most unfriendly, earpieces have a very high impedance EARPIECE
in fact they stay well away from each and it will in no way affect the operation
other. It has also been reliably establish- of the circuit. Pretty well any transistors
ed that it is only the female of the can be used in this simple· circuit but if L------------+-------4----Q -9V
species that actually bites. The third fact PNP types are used the battery supply
that we need to know is that the male should be reversed. The values of the
mosquito (and this applies to other bugs capacitors are not too critical either and
as well) beats its wings at a slightly dif- if others are used and it is fou11d that the be large and the unit can be built in a
ferent rate than the female - this is one frequency range is not adequate, R1 can small box to fit into a jacket pocket
way that they identify each other. From be altered to bring it back to the right
with the components arranged so that
these gems of information it will be seen sort of range. The current consumption is
that if one electronically simulates the the earpiece is external. The preset
low at 2-3mA. This varies slightly with
sound of a male mosquito, the females RV1 should be a small skeleton preset
the frequency, but a 9V transistor bat-
will steer well clear. We are mentioning with a facility for" adjusting from out-
tery will last quite a while; after all the
mosquitoes here but the same factors side.
unit will have to be left on for long As to adjusting for the right frequen-
also apply to other bugs.
The circuit shown is a simple audio
periods. None of the components need cy this is a matter of trial and error. e
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-43
Flash Slave Unit r---------~----------------~~------+-----~ 0 0
SW1 +9V
The photocell used in this circuit is a ON/OFF

photo-Darlington transistor. This gives a Ql is 2N5777

fairly fast operating speed and high sen- Q2, Q3 are 2N3904
sitivity. In fact the sensitivity is rather
too high, making it likely that the cell
would saturate in only moderately I ight =.t
conditions. Its base terminal is,
C1 + FLASH
10u SOCKET
therefore, connected to the negative
supply rail to give a suitable reduction in
sensitivity. R1 and RV1 form the collec-
tor load resistance for photocell Q1 and -Ve
RV1 acts as a sensitivity control. With
RV1 at a low resistance, the increase in ty. The sensitivity of the unit should be ter follower buffer stage which is used to
the current passed by Q1 when it picks so high that it will trigger reliably even if drive the gate of SCR1 from Q2's collec-
up the pulse of light from the primary the primary flashgun and Q1 are aimed tor. The quiescent voltage at Q3's emit-
flashgun will produce a fairly small in opposite directions. When used out- ter is insufficient to activate the
voltage spike across the load resistance. side in bright conditions it would be ad- thyristor, but when Q2 receives the
With RV1 set at a )ligh resistance, a visable to back off RV1 and the aim of negative voltage spike from Q1 it swit-
similar current pulse would produce a Q1 and the flashgun will inevitably be ches off and the emitter potential of Q3
much larger voltage spike across the more critical (there will probably be less rises to a high enough level to trigger
load and high sensitivity is obtained. reflected light to trigger the unit in addi- SCR1 and fire the second flashgun. R4 is
One problem with equipment of tion to the reduction in sensitivity). a current limiting resistor which prevents
this type is that under bright conditions C2 couples the output from Q1's Q3 from passing an excessive current.
the photocell can saturate, preventing collector to the input of a common emit- The current consumpt ion of the cir-
the circuit from functioning. When used ter amplifier using Q2. This is biased by cuit is about 2 rnA. Note that the flash
indoors, saturation is unlikely to occur R2 so that there is a quiescent collector lead must be connected to SCR1 with the
even with RV1 set for maximum sensitivi- voltage of only about 1V. Q3 is an emit- correct polarity or the unit will not
operate. e

HOME INTERCOM

C1
This intercom uses a straightforward 100u
three transistor amplifier which gives 10V
quite a good quality output (by intercom
standards) and an adequate output
power of a few tens of milliwatts .
As is normal practice with intercom
designs, the loudspeaker in each station
also doubles as a sort of moving coi l
microphone when 'sending'. The position
of SW2 determines whether the slave r--
unit is 'sending' and the master station is 1
receiving, or vice versa. Ideally this I
should be a spring loaded switch which I SWl
automatically returns to the ' receive' : Call ~ ,
MASTER UNIT
position when released. This enables the I .:!:l_
remote unit to call the master one if the LS1'
I Bl T 35-80 ohm
operator closes SW1 so as to connect I 9':_L
I
power from B1 to the amplifier, and then I I
talks into the microphone in order to at- I
L _______
!REMOTE
..J UNIT
tract the at tention of the person at the
master station. If SW1 is not a spring
loaded switch, it could be left in the this gives a low input impedance. This is the circuit and this aids stability. It c an
'send' mode, preventing the remote sta- des ireable as it minimises stray pick-up also help to prevent RF breakthrough.
tion from calling the main one. SW3 is of line hum and radio interference in the The prototype was tried with con-
the ordinary on/off switch at the master connecting cable, and it also gives a necting cables up to about 10 metres or
station. good match to the microphones. The so long, and gave perfectly good results.
The amplifier is a three stage unit following two stages are both straightfor- It should work with considerably longer
capacitive coupling between stages. A ward common emitter amplifiers. C4 connecting cables if necessary.· A three
commor;J base input stage (Q1) is used as rolls off the high frequency response of conductor connecting cable is requirede

44-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

RIAA STEREO PREAMPLIFIER
There are two types of record player
pickups, ceramic and magnetic. The first
type is the cheapest and generally gives
a larg~ output voltage (0.5V). This type
of pickup does not usually require any C3
1u0
frequency response correction, but the
sound quality produced is not as good as >-----...-+~IJ-o
that which can be achieved with a LEFT OUTPUT
magnetic pickup. Records are cut with a
frequency response such that when they
are replayed with a magnetic pickup and
a' preamplifier with a RIAA equalisation
(Recording Industry Association of
America) the reproduced sound will be
as similar to the original as possible.

PLAYBACK RESPONSE
(RIAA EQUALISATION)
+30
+20
.........
iii +10 C8
+ 1u0
'
~
z
:;;:
0
-10
~"'-..... >------1H 1---o
"' -20
t'\. RIGHT OUTPUT

-30
10Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 100kHz
FREQUENCY

The disc is cut at constant BIAS: SET PIN 8

TO +4V5
amplitude, except from 500 Hz to 2120
Hz where it is cut at constant velocity.
When this disc is replayed with a
magnetic pickup, the relative output
voltage rises with frequency, this being
due to the fact that the magnetically
generated voltage is proportional to the is · tailored accurately to fit the cutting ductor. A DC bias control is included
velocity of the stylus as it moves and replay processes. The signal level (RV1 , 2), and the f eedback components
sideways in the groove. To restore the from a magnetic pickup is low, generally generate the RIAA curve. Use screened
original sound quality, a preamplifier 20mV pp and so a low noise preamplifier cable for the wiring to the pickup, keep
with a frequency response that gives is needed. the circuit away from transformers (and
decreasing output with increasing fre- The circuit shows a realisation of the pickup and its wiring) and connect all
quency is req uired . This response curve this requirement. The low noise amplifier the grounds shown 1in the circuit diagram
is known as the RIAA equalisation and it is the LM381 made by National Semicon- together, near the I C.e

PHASE SHIFT
OSCILLATOR
A single transi stor can be used to make a
simple phase shift oscillator. The output
MJ 250Hz
OUTPUT

is a sinewave with a 'lump' in it, which

means that the distortion content is
rather high, ~bout 1 00,0. This is not always
a problem, quite often when generating
audio ton es a high harmonic content will
make a more interesting sound. The sine
wave purity can be increased by putting
a variable resistor (25 ohms) ;n the emit-
ter lead of Q1 (x). The resistor is adjusted
so that the circuit is only just osci ll ating,
then the sinewave is relatively pure. 2, 3. Making C1,2,3 equal to 1OOnF
However, if the power supply level will halve the operating frequency . Also
varies, th e oscillation may ceas e Also, the operating frequency can be
altogether. The operating frequency may voltage controlled by a FET in series
be varied by putting a 1 Ok variable resis- with R3, or optically controlled by an
tor in series w ith R3, or by changing C1, LDR in series with R3.e
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-45
 D---<l +9V

.._.___.._,
COMPLEMENTARY sw1
QUICK TRANSISTOR CHECKER / OUTPUTS ON/OFF
This very simple and inexpensive circuit
is not designed to measure any transistor
performance figures, but is intended for ,
quick testing to show whether or not the
test device is functional. The basic c
method of testing a transistor is to first
~ C2
connect a supply to its emitter and col- PNP ~~~~~ISTOR 100u
lector terminals and check that no TEST
4001 AND 40t1
significant current flows. If the base ter- TOP VIEW IC1 =4001 OR 4011
minal is then given a small forward bias,
this will be amplified in the form of a
1014 PIN 71SOV
PIN 1415 +Ve
R2
12k

large collector-emitter current. 7 8

This circuit is based on a CMOS L---------------------~E
quad 2 input NAND or NOR gate IC. L-----------------------------------------~----~-Ve
Either type is suitable as each gate has output via R2. If we assume that an NPN so when testing one of these it is 02 that
its two inputs connected together so that device is being tested, when gate 2 out- should switch on, and 01 which should
it acts as an inverter. The f irst two in- put is positive and · the other output is remain off.
verters are used in conjunction with R1 negative, the transistor will not be for-
and C1 as a conventional CMOS ward biased by R2 (it will be reverse bias-
oscillator operating at a frequency of a ed in fact) and it should pass no signifi- summary
few hundred Hz. The other two inverters cant collector current. If it is a short cir- One LED on =functional device, type
are connected in parallel, and fed from cuit device and does pass such a current, (ie PNP/NPN) as indicated.
the output of the oscillator so that they this will pass through 02 which will light Both LEOs on = short circuited device.
provide a complementary butput. In up and indicate the fault. When the out- No LEOs on = open circuit or very low
other words, one output will be positive puts are in the opposite states, the tran- gain device.
and the other will be negative except sistor will be forward biased by R2 and Diode or rectifier testing (anode to col-
during the brief periods when the out- should conduct heavily, causing 01 to lector, cathode to emitter).
puts change state. pass a current and light up. Failure of 01 01 on = functional device.
The collector and emitter of the to come on indicates an open circuit or 02 on =connected with wrong polarity.
transistor are fed from the outputs via very low gain device. PNP devices Both LEOs on = short circuited device.
01 and 02, and the base is fed from one operate with the opposite polarity, and No LEOs on= open circuit device.e

SINGLE IC POWER SUPPLY

Although variable voltage power sup- MAX VOLTAG E
plies having good regulation and elec-
tronic overload protection used to be
OUT
IC1
I
uA78MGUIC RVl
fairly complex pieces of equipment, us- 1------~~ 5k0
ing modern circuitry it is possible to CONT lin

build such a unit using just one IC and a COM

few passive components. The unit
described here has an output voltage
which is variable from 5 to 15 volts, and ' +
a maximum output current of 500mA, R1
C3 2k2
can be provided. The output is extremely lOu
well stabilised and the output noise is 25V

well below 1mV.

The line supply is connected to the
primary winding of isolation and step- track the output will be stabilised at 5 potential set using RV1, but only at out-
down transformer T1 through on/off volts. A higher voltage would take the put levels up to about 15 volts. Above
switch SW1 . The centre tapped secon- "CONT" terminal (which is directly con- this level, at high output currents, there
dary of T1 feeds a standing fullwave rec- nected to the output) above 5 volts, will be insufficient input voltage from
tifier and smoothing circuit which uses causing the error to be sensed and cor- the rectifier and smoothing circuit to
01, 02 and C1 . rected. Similarly, a lower voltage would properly maintain the output voltage.
IC1 is the voltage regulator chip, take the "CONT" terminal below 5 volts, The regulator device has built-in
and this has four terminals. the causing the output to swing more foldback current limiting which prevents
unregulated input voltage is applied to positive and correct the error. the output from much exceeding 500 rnA
th'e "IN" and "COM" terminals, while If RV1 slider is moved down its in the event of a minor overload .
the stabilised output is taken from the track, the voltage fed to the " CONT" ter- Stronger overloads resu lt in decreased
"OUT" and "COM" terminals. The minal will decrease, sending the output output current, the short circuit current
fourth terminal is the " CONT" one, and higher in order to return this potential to being only about 200 rnA!
if this is fed from the output via a poten- 5 volts. Thus RV1 can be used to vary the Decoupling capacitors C2 and C3
tial divider, a negative feedback action output voltage, with a maximum poten- should be mounted physically close to
will stabilise the voltage at this terminal tial of about 16 volts or so appearing at IC1. IC1 must be mounted on a substan-
at a nominal level of 5 volts. In this case the output when RV1 slider is at the bot- tial heatsink which can be the metal
the potential divider is formed by RV1 tom of its track. The feedback action ac-
and R1 . If RV1 slider is at the top of its curately stabilises the output at the
case of the unit. e
46-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
TRANSISTOR POWER
AMPLIFIER SW1
Most of the Hi Fi amplifiers in use are
based on circuitry similar to this design,
although they are much more LS1
sophisticated. The circuit uses a 'com- R5 3RO
plementary' output stage, with one NPN 1k0
and one PNP power transistor, which
eliminates the need for an output +
transformer found in old amplifier T
designs. R1 + + 81 :
68R 9V I
Output power is close to 1W, with I
reasonably low distortion. The input C3 _J.._
100u
signal is passed through the volume con- 12V
trol RV1 and then via C1 to the base of
Q1. The collector load for Q1 is compos-
ed of R1, RS and the loudspeaker and the
R2
voltage at the collector will be about 1MO
half the supply voltage, i.e. 4V5. The INPUT
bases of Q2 and Q3 are also at the same
voltage (very nearly) as the collector of
Q1 because the value of R1 is so low Notes:
(68R) Ql is 2N3904
Q2 IS 2N2430
At the junction of the emitters of Q3 is 2N2706
Q2 and Q3 the voltage will also be very
nearly 4V5, R3 and R4 and very low
value resistors to limit the current
through Q2 and Q3. When the amplified and passed to the loudspeaker through diodes to prevent thermal runaway'
input signal is less than 4V5, Q2 is turned the large electrolytic capacitor C2. Smal l which can destroy the output pair.
off (as the base will be at a lower voltage values of C2 result in a poor low frequen- A disadvantage is the DC coupling
than its emitter), but Q3 will conduct the cy response. Negative feedback is pro- of the transistors, if one transistor alters
signal. When Q1 amplifies the signal to vided by RS and R2, these ensure stabili- its characteristics the result can be
above 4V5 the reverse happens, Q2 con- ty by reducing the gain slightly. R1 is in- catastrophic! For this reason, the output
ducts and Q3 is turned off. · cluded to provide a small amount of pair should be a 'matched pair', other
The signal s are combined at the the base bias for 02 and 03; more types can be tried as long as they are
common emitter junction of Q2 and Q3, sophisticated designs use thermistors or also " matched pairs". e
0
LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE IN- +Ve
8211 TOP VIEW
DICATOR
This circuit can be used to monitor a sup-
ply voltage of between about 5 and 25
>~ R1
47k
r-- - -- -- -----= -- -- --- --,
8

IC1 8211 ., ,_
volts (30 V absolute maximum) and will
switch on a w arning light if the supply - -....;:
01
TIL209
falls below some predetermined
threshold level. <
~
3 COMPARATOR
Although only five components are VR1 7mA

~
used, the circuit is actually quite
470k
? CONSTANT
CURRENT
4

sophisticated, giving good reliability and F

- SOURCE

precision. This is due to the use of an ln-

tersil 8211 voltage detector IC. A com- +
parator forms the heart of the device, :;;~
C1
and a highly stable internally generated 1u0
____________ _j
reference voltage is fed to the inverting
(-) input of the comparator. Its non-
L -- ----- - 5
inverting ( +) input is available at pin 3,
and in this circuit it is fed from the supp- -Ve
ly lines via the potential divider circuit
which consists of R1 and RV1. The out- the reference level, the output then goes D1 to be switched on. A tall in supply
put of the comparator is available at pin low and power is applied to D1. The con- voltage below the threshold level then
4, but is obtained by way of a constant stant current source limits the LED cur- takes the non-inverting input below the
current generator which limits the out- rent to a suitable level. In practice RV1 is reference voltage and switches on the
put current to a nominal figure of 7 rnA. adjusted so that with the supply voltage warning light. C1 decouples any stray
If the vol t age at the non-inverting at its minimum acceptable level the non- pick-up which could otherwise cause
input exceeds the reference voltage, the inverting input is at a potential just spurious triggering .of the circuit. The
output assumes the high state and LED marginally higher than the re.f erence quiescent current consumption is
indicator D1 is not switched on. If the voltage. In other words it is adjusted for typically only about 50 uA. e
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-47
 +9-12V

TWO TONE ALARM

Audio alarm generators are needed in a
number of applications, such as fire and
burglar alarm systems. This circuit
generates a penetrating two tone alarm
signal having an output power of bet-
01
IN4148

'-------1
L.S.l
8.SOR

ween about 250 mW and 4 W RMS +

depending on the speaker impedance 01
VN66AF C3
and supply voltage used. For low power 220u
applications a 9 volt supply and a 16V

speaker impedance of about 64 to 80

R4
ohms will give a nominal output power 39k
of 250 to 300 mW for a current consump-
tion of around 55 to 70 rnA. Where high
volume is needed, a 12 volt supply and 8
ohm speaker will give an output power
of about 4 W RMS at a mean current -Ve

consumption of about 700 rnA. goes low, causing C2 to discharge which ensures that once IC1b output
The circuit is based on two of the through R9 until the inverting input cur- starts to change polarity it rapidly and
four Norton amplifiers contained in the rent becomes less than that flowing into rei iablv switches from one state to the
LM3900N IC. A Norton amplifier is in the non-inverting input. IC1 b output then other.
many ways similar to an ordinary opera- goes high, and the procedures starts The squarewave output of IC1 b is at
tional amplifier, but it is the comparative again from the beginning, giving con- quite a high impedance, and so the
input currents rather than the input tinuous oscillation. Note that when IC1 b loudspeaker is driven by way of a com-
voltages that determine the output output went from the high to the low mon source amplifier using VMOS tran-
voltage. IC1b is used in a type of relaxa- state this resulted in R8 draining off sistor Q1. IC1 a is used in a second
tion oscillator which generates the audio some of the non-inverting input bias cur- oscillator circuit, but this has component
tone. Initially the bias current flowing in- rent where it had previously added to it. values which give oscillation at a fre-
to the non-inverting input takes the out- This makes it necessary for C2 to con- quency of only a few Hertz. Its output is
put high, and C2 begins to charge via R9. siderably discharge before the current in- loosely coupled to C2 by R5, and it fre-
This causes the current flowing irito the to the inverting input drops below that quency modulates the tone generator to
inverting input through R6 to gradually applied to the non-inverting input. This produce a sort of warbling effect. This
increase as the voltage on C2 builds up, effect is a form of "hysteresis", and is gives a much more noticeable and less
until it exceeds the non-inverting input essential to the operation of the circuit. easi ly masked signal than a straight for-
bias current. The output of IC1 b then R8 also provides positive feedback ward audio tone. e

ZENER DIODE TESTER

This . circuit is an add-on unit for a
multimeter having a sensitivity of 20k/V
or better, and it enables a rough check to
be made on zener diodes having
1

4
0 8

5
555TOPVIEW

01
1N4004
R3
10k
--J"\A "' " - -
SW2
0

PUSH TO
TEST
0 +9V

operating voltages of up to about 33 T1

volts . The unit operates from a standard +
·=
9 volt battery no I ine supply· or special C1

f.
high voltage battery being required. 220u
10V
In order to obtain a suitably high +
TO
voltage for this application from an or- ZENER MU TIMETER
UNDER
dinary 9 volt DC supply it is necessary to TEST
have a · voltage step-up circuit of some
kind. In this case, an audio oscillator us-
ing IC1 -is used to drive the primary win-
ding of step-up transformer T1 , giving
about 50 V AC from the secondary win-
ding. T1 is actually intended for use as a upon the voltage of the zener under test) as a lower value current limiting resistor
step-down transformer in transistor is fed to the test device through current (R3) is then switched into ci rcuit. If the
amplifier output stages, but it provides limiting resistor R4, when SW2 is test device is fully functional this should
satisfactory results when employed in operated and power is applied to the cir- cause on ly a very small increase in the
reverse to give a voltage step-up. The cuit. The multimeter, which is switched meter reading and there may well be no
output from T1 is halfwave rectified and to an appropriate DC voltage range, is noticeable change in the meter reading
smoothed by D1 and D3 to give to give connected in parallel with the test at all.
an unloaded DC supply of about 75 to 80 device and registers its zener voltage. T1 can be virtually any type of
volts (about 40 to 50 when loaded). Switching SW1 to the 'high' position small transistor output transformer. A
With SW1 at the 'low' position, a causes about double the previous cur- 500R CT to 8R type will work fine.e
current of about 1 to 2 rnA (depending rent to flow through the zener under test,

48-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 +9V

DOOR BUZZER r---~----~----------------------------~~--------------~~--~

SW1
BELL PUSH
This unit is a two-tone doorbuzzer of the
type that produces an initial tone for
about one second, followed by a tone of RJ
820k
lower pitch. The effect is similar to a Rl
lOOk
conventional two-tone doorbell. RS
100k
The audio tone is generated by IC2 +
R4
which is an LM380N audio power 47k
Ql
amplifier. It is made to oscillate by ap- 2N3904 LS1
8-40R
plying positive feedback between its out-
put and non-inverting input; and the fre-
10V
quency of oscillation is governed by the
values of R6, R8, and C3. The specified
values give an operating frequency of when a negative trigger pulse is applied by the output pulse from IC1, and it
about 500Hz. The output from IC2 is fed to its pin 2. Such a pulse is produced at therefore effectively connects the series
to a loudspeaker via DC blocking switch on, since C2 will initially be un- resistance of RS and R7 in parallel with
capacitor C4, and an output power of charged and will take pin 2 of IC1 to the R8. This increases the operating frequen-
nearly 1 watt RMS is obtained using an 8 negative supply potential. C2 rapidly cy of the oscillator by an amount that is
ohm speaker. This falls to only about 200 charges by way of R1 though, so that the controlled by RS. At the end of the pulse
mW RMS with a 40 ohm speaker, trigger input is quickly taken positive, from IC1, the oscillator operates at its
although this should still provide ade- and does not remain negative at the end normal, lower frequency, giving the re-
quate volume for most situations. of the output pulse (this would have the quired two-tone effect. RS is adjusted to
The two-tone effect is obtained by effect of lengthening the output pulse). give two tones that give a pleasant ef-
the inclusion of IC1 and its associated When power is removed from the circuit, fect.
components. This is a 555 IC connected R2 rapidly discharges C2 so that the The current consumption of the cir-
in the monostable mode, and it produces monostable is triggered when the device cuit varies from just over 100mA with an
a positive output pulse of just under one is operated again. 8 ohm speaker down to about 40mA with
second in duration (set by R3 and C1) Q1 is biased hard into conduction a 40 ohm type. e

LIE DETECTOR "amplify" the resistance and secondly

It is well known that a person perspires we place this in a bridge circuit. When ~
under tension; what is less well known is this is in balance the meter will ony read
R2
22k
R1
4k7

RV1
zh,
-
that this effect is a gradual one and that changes in the resistance. 15k :
I
a small amount of perspiration takes lmA
When the probes are held, one in
place, especially in the palms of the
hands, even under slight pressure. In the
each hand, the body resistance, in con- 01
BC108 I
junction with R2, provides the bias for
normal course of events this is rarely the transistor. The body resistance varies
noticed but this effect can be shown enormously from person to person as
electronically. well as with their emotional state but a
When a person is embarrassed or typical value could be taken as 100k
tells a lie there is a very small, but ohms. R2 is included solely as a safety
noticeable, increase in the sweat on the resistor and will prevent damage to the shown on the meter. The size of the
palms of the hands. Perspiration is device if the probes are touched directly deflection will indicate by how much
reasonably conductive; holding the pro- together. The current passing through the body resistance has fallen.
bes of a testmeter in the hands will this transistor the through R1 will depend Although the probes are held in the
show a resistance reading, albeit at a upon the value of the resistance between hand, there is no danger as only a 9V bat-
high level. It will therefore be seen that the collector and emitter. As the current tery is being used. RV1 will have to be
by measuring the resistance across a per- varies, so will the voltage at the collec- adjusted for each individual and even
son's hands that we should be able to see tor. for each set of readings with the same
an indication of whether they are telling For setting up the circuit the probes person.
the truth or not. let us say straight away should be held in the hands. This will The effect is quite remarkable and
that this test is far from perfect and it has give a particular voltage al}d RV1 is ad- also surprisingly rapid; within a very
little serious use but it does illustrate an justed so that the voltage at the slider is short while (one or two seconds) the
interesting phenomenon and makes for a the same as that at the collector of the meter will show a deflection. There may
little experimenting. transistor. As the voltages are the same, be a small amount of wandering of the
The change in the body resistance is no current will be flowing 'through the needle but this will be small compared
quite small when shown as a percentage meter coil and no reading will be to normal readings.
- about 5 or 10 percent and showing registered. As we have said, the results should
this change directly on a meter leaves If the body resistance now falls, Q1 not be taken too seriously but very
something to be desired. For this reason will conduct more and the voltage at the definite readings are given when the per-
we make use first of a transistor to collector will also fall and a reading will be son being tested is under stress. e

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-49

 TOUCH SWITCH filter in conjunction with the input state, the coupling through R3 provides a
This touch switch is designed to provide capacitance of the circuit, and this at- triggering action which ensures a rapid
on/off switching for 9 volt battery tenuates high frequency noise which change.
operated equipment having a current may be present on the 60Hz line signal. IC2 is a 14 stage binary (divide by 2)
consumption of up to 100mA. It has a The output from gate 1 still contains counter, and Q1 is driven from the out-
single touch contact which is briefly significant noise products, and also has a put of the seventh stage via current limit
touched in order to change from on to rise time which is inadequate to drive the resistor R5. C2 and R4 provide a positive
off or vice versa. The circuit is operated final stage of the circuit. This is over- reset pulse to the counter at switch on so
by stray pick-up of line hum which is come by using the trigger circuit based that the outputs are all low, and Q1 is
coupled to the input of gate 1 (which like on gates 2 and 3. R3 tends to hold gate 2 switched off. 'The control led equipment
the other three gates employed in the input in the same state as gate 3 output, forms the load for Q1 , and obviously
unit is connected to act as an inverter) resisting any change in logic state caus- receives no significant power. If the
via R1 when the input contact is touch- ed by gate 1 output due to the coupling touch contact is operated, a 60 Hz signal
' ed. As IC1 is a CMOS device it has a very through R2. This resistance to change is is fed to IC2 and the 7th stage output
high input impedance, and the input termed !hysteresis'. R2 has a lower value changes state every 64 pulses. As this
signal will be capable of switching gate 1 than R3, and so gate 1 can operate the output goes high and low t he load is swit-
input from one logic state to the other. trigger circuit if its output signal is of ched on and off. In practice the contact
The input impedance of the circuit is so adequate amplitude. The 60Hz signal is touched just until the unit switches to
high that the reverse resistance of 01 is will be strong enough, but the noise the desired state (which one tends to do
used to t ie the input to ground under spikes will not, and are thus eliminated automatically). ·
quiescent conditions, so as to prevent from the output of the trigger. Once the The unit con sumes only about 1 uA
spurious operation. R1 acts as a low pass output of the trigger does start to change in the " off" mode and approximately
3mA in the "on" state.e
+9V

+
R3
33k

IC1 • 4001 OR
IC1 7 4011

t-------------~----------------------------~------4---------------~---o -ve

555 IC MONOSTABLE TIMER SW2

In the monostable multivibrator mode
the 555 IC requires a trigger pulse whi ch
takes the trigger input below YJ of t\'le
VR 1 J
1MO '>-....--.
lin <>
ON/OFF

supply vo ltage. The normally low output TIME < -

<
~ R1
then goes high for a period determined 8

by a C-R network, the pulse length being ~ 10k

2 ,.....--......- - - - . , +
t-----l,......_--6-1 -T
approximately 1.1 CR seconds. The • BY1:
device is a retriggerable type, and the + •IC1 3 9V I
___.__
I
:;;~
L2.. 555
output therefore stays high until the trig-
ger pulse ceases, if the latter is longer
than the pul se given by the C-R timing
C1
100u
10V
+
:;;~
I~ SW1
I ~ 5
START ~;:-----......;;1._____-r-___j
? ~:k 1
·1
circuit. ·
The circuit is a timer having a 1 to
100 second range, and suitable for use as
C2
100u
10V
(Tantl
l
<~> 1MO
CALIBRATE RLA
185n
6V . _ _
~
~ ~01
1N4148

1k
R3
an enlarger timer, for example. It is trig-
. gered by depressing SW1 so as to ~I
generate a brief negative pulse as C3
charges via R2. This makes it impossible
to prolong the output pulse and produce
a false output period by keeping SW1
depressed. C3 is quickly discharged by
R3 when SW1 is released , rendering the inclusion of R4. Normally the output extend or shorten ( respectivelt) the
tri gger circuit ready for the next opera- pulse ends when the charge on the tim- output pulse, as necessary to obtain the
tion. ing capacitor reaches 2/l V + (it is held appriate timing range. The output pulse
The tolerance of timing com- uncharged until the circuit is triggered at pin 3 is used to operate the controll-
ponents RV1, R1 , and C2 make it im- and is discharged when the 2/l charge
possible to obtain a highly predictable ed equipment by way of a relay, and 01
level is reached). R4 can be used to raise
time ran ge, and this is overcome by the or lower the threshold voltage so as to is simply a protective diode. e

50-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

SCRATCH AND RUMBLE FILTER
Scratch and rumble filtering is a fectively forming a second high pass the high pass filter components. C2 then
valuable feature in a hi fi amplifier, but filter network. This eliminates the slow maintains DC blocking at the input. SW2
is one which is absent from many initial roll off rate (in fact there is a small can be used to bypass the low pass filter
designs, or if th is filtering is present it and insignificant peak of about O.SdB components when only high pass filter-
may well be in the form of a relatively in- above the cut off frequency) and speeds ing is required.
effective 6dB per octave type filter. This up the attenuation rate to a nominal With the specified component
circuit is a 12dB per octave add-on 12dB per octave. values the rumble filter response falls
scratch and rumble filter which can be The low pass filter works in much below unity at approximately 45Hz,
connected into the tape monitor or some the same way as the high pass one, ex- reaches the -6 dB point just above 30Hz,
similar facility o f the amplifier. cept of course, the R and C filter and then falls away at a nominal 12dB
This is a conventional second order elements have been transposed so as to per octave. The scratch filter response
filter circuit having passive high pass give the correct filter action. crosses the unity gain point at about
filter formed by the series capacitance RUMBLE SCRATCH

'"'1
C3 and C4, plus the parallel resistance of
R2 and R3 (the latter also being used to
bias emitter follower transistor Q1). A
passive filter of this type gives only a
very slow initial roll off, and an ultimate
attenuation rate of only 6dB per octave.
'j"
A bootstrapping resistor is therefore used I
to improve performance. Above the cut- + B1 :
9V I
off frequency where the gain of the cir- C2 C3 I
2u2 220n I
I
cuit would otherwise fall off somewhat, C1
100u --'--
R1 has the effect of reinforcing the input
signal from the output of the buffer
amplifier based on Q1. Well below the
cut off frequency, losses through C4
result in the signal level at Q1 emitter be-
ing well below t hat at the junction of C3
and C4. This results in some of the signal
6.5kHz, reaches the -6dB point at approx-
at the junction of C3 and C4 being tap- If only low pass filtering is required, imately 10kHz, and then falls away at a
ped off through R1, with C3 and R1 ef- SW1 can be used effectively to bypass nominal12dB per octave. e
VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER rtiNPUT
USING A CA3080 R2
2k7
The CA3080 is an Operational Transcon- C1 R4
2n2 1MO
ductance Amplifier. What this means is
R3
that it is an amp I ifier whose 'gain can be 1W.O

1
controlled. Thus the CA3080 finds lots of
uses in circuits where something has to
be varied electronically, one such exam- OUTPUT
ple being a voltage controlled filter. MAX CURRENT
A bandpass filter is constructed us- IS 1MA

ing IC2, R4, C1, C2. This is known as a R5

VC BANDPASS Fll TER
68k
multiple feedback bandpass filter and
normally there is another resistor which
RV1
is connected from ground to the junction 47k back around and IC and this turns the
of the two capacitors. By varying this network into a current controlled
other' resistor, the resonant frequency resistor. By increasing the current, the ef-
of the filter can be changed. The CA3080 fective resistance is reduced, which in
"AUTO SWEEP"
and R1, R2 is this 'other' resistor. By vary- * INCREASE R11 TO turn alters the resonant frequency of the
GET SLOWER SWEEPS
ing the current into pin 5 of IC1 it is filter.
possible to control the gain of the CONNECT R9 It is possible to provide a varying
TOX 1MO
device. R1, R2 provides negative feed- control current using the circuit involv-
ing IC3. This is a low frequency
squarewave oscillator. The oscillation
VR1AT
MIN
VR1 AT frequency is determined by C11, RS. The
·~
OUTPUT MAX
squarewave is heavily filtered by R6, R7,
~
INPUT
~~~ rrh RB and C3, C4, to produce a smoothly
modulating current drive to IC1. This
causes the centre frequency of the filter
400Hz 1kHz to be swept up and down. The
autosweep can be used as an effect for
FREOUENCV electric guitar or for electronic music
processing. e
ETI CIRC,UITS ~ILE-51
SIMPLE AMPLIFIER
The term amp I ifier covers a very wide The tone control comprises C2 and should be selected as being the lowest
range from a one transistor preamp to an RV2 which are connected between the which is compatible with good quality. If
ultra sophisticated high power H i-Fi collector and base of Q1. At high a multimeter is available this should be
system. There is no doubt that the latter resistance settings of RV2 this has little wired in series with the supply voltage
is much more pleasant to listen to but for effect but on minimum settings the 100n and R3 should be selected so that the
many applications high quality is of little feeds back the high frequencies out of quiescent current, this is the current
importance and simplicity is required. phase, thus cancelling them. flowing with no input signal, is reading
There is little doubt that the circuit For this circuit to work properly R3 20 mA.
shown here is very simple. The output is must be selected with great care. The It is very important that Q2 is fitted
in the order 250 mW - which is quite value shown here of 39 ohms is <mly a with a heatsink as it will get very hot and
sufficient for most purposes and is com- typical one and although it may be used will probably go into thermal runaway
parable to that of the average transistor for initial setting up to ensure the circuit without it.
radio. The distortion level is rather high, is operating, the value should be found The speaker impedance is not all
being about 5%.
Ql is 2N3904
The amp I ifier is also reasonably sen-

1
Q2 Is 2N2706
sitive and will give full output with an in-
put of about 50 mV. Input impedance is
R2 R3
about SOk. A simple tone control is in- 470k 39R
cluded though as since this is an active 02
control, rather than a passive one, the
T
range is quite sufficient. I
I
The slider from the volume control B1 I
9V:
is connected to the base of Q1 via a DC I
INPUT C3 I
blocking capacitor. Q1 is connected as a 100u ___t__

pretty conventional common emitter 10V

RV1
amp I ifier with R2 providing the base bias 25k
and R3 acting as the collector load. This
stage is directly connected to the second
transistor which is a PNP type. In this
way the current passing through Q1 pro-
vides the bias for the second transistor.
Because of the values used, the output
of the second transistor is connected
directly to the speech coil of the
loudspeaker. This is not normally good
practice since the standing current in the by experiment. If it is too low there will that critical and in the prototype
output transistor continually biases the be severe distortion at the higher volume speakers with an impedance as low as 8
coil either slightly in or out from its usual settings. If it is too high the current drain ohms and as high as 80 ohms all worked
operating point. However if a large will be excessive even though the quality well although changing the speaker im-
speaker is used, as it should be, this has of repreduction will be good. pedance will also necessitate a change
very little effect and since we are not There are two ways of finding the in the value of R3 . e
aiming at Hi-Fi, it does not matter. value. Without a multimeter the value

IMAGINATION is all you need. Our grow- CLASS-A Amplifiers, S ~ E.A . Equalizer
ing inventory includes any_thing we can fit Preamp with cabinet, Parametric
into the store. Bargain prices on all kinds of Equalizer, Electronic Speaker Protector,
manufacturers surplus just waiting for your Colourful LED Meters, Power Supplies,
ideas! FOREST CITY SURPLUS, Lon- FM Mic, Digital Clocks, Electronic Shock,
don, Ontario. 519-438-0233, open Mosquito Repeller, Battery Fluorescent
Tues.-Sat. Light, Electronic Roulette with Sound and
Much More. Send $2.00 for your Catalog
DIGITAL Multimeter, hand held, 3.5 and Future Special Flyers. CLASS-A
digits, LCD, autoranging, autozero, ENTERPRISES, INC. P .O. Box 2424,
autopolarity, 10 megohm input impedance, New Westminister, B.C. V3L 5B6.
vinyl case, 20 amp current shunt, model
AVAILABLE Now LNA's Microwave DM-2350 @$149.00 plus $3.00 shipping
associates 120° 50 db noise 4 GHZ
amplifiers for satellite TV $825.00.
DRYDEN COMMUNITY T.V. LTD., 61A
King St., Dryden, Ont. P8N 1B7. Phone
plus 70/o PST in Ontario . .. . . WSI
RADIO, 18 Sheldon Avenue, Kitchener,
Ontario N2H 3M2. Give...
0
(807) 223-5525. SPECIAL! 1000 pieces for $10 + $2 handl-
J&J ELECTRONICS LTD., P .O. Box ing. Choke - capacitor -transformer -diode -
1437E, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 2Z4. hardware - insulator - rectifier -relay
Surplus and Semiconductor Specialists. Do -resistor - transistor - speaker -switch -
you get our bargain flyer? Send $1.00 to zener - etc. All new material. Money-back
receive the current literature and specials guarantee. Free flyer. SURPLUS ELEC-
and to be placed on the mailing list for TRO QUEBEC 2264 Montee Gagnon, THE
future publications. Blainville, P.Q. J7E-4H5. HEART FUND
52-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
 R1 TO R3 ARE CLOSE TOLERANCE TYPES
FET VOLTMETER o----Q +9V
SW3
Although an ordinary multimeter is ON/OFF
Notes:
suitable for most DC voltage measure- Ql, Q2 IS 2N5457
ment it can occasionally prove. to be in-
adequate. This is the case when making 01
1N4148
measurements on high impedance cir- +
INPUT
cuits which cannot supply the current re-
C1
quired to operate even a sensitive mov- 100n
ing coil meter of the type normally
employed in a multimeter. The loading
effect of the meter then causes the
voltage at the test point to substantially
fall, giving a misleading reading.
The problem is overcome by this
FET voltmeter circuit which has six
ranges from O.SV to 100V FSD with an in- 'X1' position of SW2, or 1 V in its 'X2' against serious overloading.
put impedance of a I ittle over 11 meg on ,position. R1 and R8 respectively are ad- An input attenuator can be used to
all ranges. This gives a sensitivity of over justed to give the circuit the correct FSD reduce the basic sensitivity by a factor of
22 meg/Von the O.SV range dropping to values. There is a small quiescent output 10 or 100, giving FSD values of OVS, SV
a little over 110k/V on _the 100V range voltage from the buffer stage and so a and SOV with SW2 in the 'X1 ' position, or
(most multimeters have a sensitivity of bridge circuit is used to give zero quies- 1V, 10V and 100V if it is set to the 'X1'
20k/V). cent voltage across the meter circuitry. position.
A FET unity voltage gain buffer To give good stability another source The circuit does not have to be built
amplifier based on Q1 is used to give the follower is used to form the other section as a complete instrument in its own right,
necessary high input impedance, which of the bridge and this results in no and it makes an excellent add-on unit for
is an inherent feature of a FET. A simple noticeable meter drift. RV1 is used to any multimeter which has a SOuA range.e
voltmeter circuit is fed from its output, electrically zero the meter. 01 and 02
and this has a FSD value of O.SV in the simply protect the mete·r movement

Dl, 02 are 1N34

AUDIO LIMITER Ql Q2 are 2N3904
When making t ape recordings, especial-
ly of "live" performances, it can be very • •v

difficult to set the correct recording R2 R6

7.20R
560k
level. This can easily lead to an excessive
recording level and consequent distor- C1
fv
tion occurring unless the recording level
control is kept well backed off. The price
u470n
II
IN
\b
' 01

.. 03
fv
\..!)
02
+
;; C5

_rI .,
100•
lOV
c~r
R5
one then has to pay is a low recording R1 10.. +
2k2
33k
level and subsequent low signal to noise
ratio. The normal way of overcoming '--- R3 R4
~J~
U C3
~~~-02
: ;:C4
470n
this problem is to use an audio limiter :::: PCCI '"'
circuit ahead of the tape deck. This ~.,: RPY58A

TIL209
device normally passes the signal
straight through to the recorder, but if
'-- I - V•

the input exceeds a preset threshold

level it attenuates the signal so that the
output level is not sufficient to overload
the recorder.
In this circuit the input signal is ap- ficiently strong, the positive bias produc- top of its track) and increasing the input
plied to an attenuator which is formed ed by the circuit will be adequate to level to 4 volts RMS causes the output to
by R1 and PCC1. Normally PCC1 is in switch. on Q2 and light emitting diode 01 rise to only about 320 mV. Higher
total darkness and exhibits a very high which is connected in its collector cir- threshold levels can be obtained with
resistance (typically a few megohms) cuit. The light output from 01 is aimed R4's slider adjusted down its track to the
causing minimal losses through the at- at the sensitive surface of PCC1 (the sur- appropriate point. The attack and decay
tenuator. This stage feeds into the high face to which the leadout wires do not times of the circuit are both quite short
input impedan~e of the emitter follower connect) and this causes a large reduc- so that the unit quickly responds to
buffer stage formed by Q1 and its tion in the resistance of PCC1. This gives changes in signal level and is not normal-
associated components, and this ensures the required attenuation of the signal. ly conspicuous in operation.
little loss of signal level. Thus the input The larger the input signal is made, the Construction of the unit should be
signal is normally fed straight through to more strongly 01 glows, and the greater quite straightforward, but the unit must
the output socket with only a marginal the reduction in circuit gain. This process of course be housed in a light proof box
loss of amplitude. has the effect of preventing the output so that PCC1 is shielded from the am-
Some of the output signal is fed level from rising far above the level at bient lighting. 01 and PCC1 are mounted
from the slider of R4 to a rectifier and which 01 begins to initially switch on. as close together as possible. The current
smoothing circuit which is comprised of On the prototype this threshold level is consumption of the circuit is only about
02, 03, and C4. If the input signal is suf- at about 230 mV (with R4's slider at the 1 ·to 5 rnA depending on the input level.e

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-53

 Notes:
A. F. MILLIVOLT Dl-05 are 1N34
Qlls 2N5457
METER
This simple and inexpensive millivolt SW2
meter has three measuring ranges of IN
ON/OFF

10mV, 100mV, and 1V. RMS full scale

sensitivity. The frequency response has
-1 dB points at about 20 Hz and 75kHz.
The instrument is suitable for making
+
audio noise, frequency response, and
I
gain measurements, and would be useful I
I
to any beginner interested in the. field of
+ !
I 81 '
audio I 9V
The unit uses a conventional ar- C1 ipp3
100u I
10V I
rangement with a non-inverting op-amp I
--L-
R8
circuit feeding a meter via a bridge rec-
tifier. The negative feedback loop is '08 18k

taken to the inverting input by way of

the rectifier and meter circuit rather than
direct from IC1 output. With low
voltages applied to the rectifiers they
4 5
CA3140E
TOP VIEW
C4r
1llllu
10V +
RV1
220n

have a high forward resistance, but this

results in little feedback and the ot the correct sensitivity and DS protects compensation as it is in a low impedance
amplifier having a high level of gain. the meter against severe overloads. part of the circuit.
Thus small input signal amplitudes Q1 is used as a low noise source To calibrate the unit it is switched
which would otherwise produce no follower buffer amplifier which gives the to the 1V range, RV1 is set at maximum
meter deflection due to the high rectifier circuit a high input impedance of about resistance, and with a 1V RMS audio
resistance are boosted to the point 1 Meg. This ensures that the instrument source connected to the input, RV1 is ad-
where they give the appropriate meter imposes little loading on the equipment justed for full scale deflection of the
reading. Therefore, although the rectifier under test. An attenuator is incorporated meter. The 1V audio source can be pro-
is inherently non-linear, it produces op- at the output of the buffer stage, and this vided by an AF signal generator set to
posing non-linear feedback which com- can be used to reduce the basic 10 mV the correct output level with the aid of a
pensates for this and gives the unit linear sensitivity to 100mV or 1V FSD. The at- multimeter switched to a low AC volts
scaling. RV1 is used to adjust the circuit tenuator does not need any frequency range.e

oo----<:o +9-12V
BASIC BURGLAR ALARM
SWl
ON/OFF
(KEY SWITCH)
A burglar alarm circuit can be very sim-
ple if non-essential facilities such as en-
try and exit delays are omitted, and such GA
a circuit is shown here. It can be used in
C2
conjunction with normally open (NO) or lOOn..----,
normally closed (NC) contacts which can
be the usual door and window switches, RLAl GK
R4
trigger mats, etc. A lOOk
SCR 1 is a silicon controlled switch
(SCS) which is an NPN/PNP integrated ..__...._"?"+-"?"--~ GK SCRl GA SCS EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT
3N83
pair of transistors connected to form a
highly sensitive thyristor. As the circuit K TO ALARM 3No3 (GE) GA A
CIRCUIT (BASE VIEW) ~
stands, R1 ties the CK terminal to the
negative supply and prevents SCR 1 from GK~K
triggering. The relay will not be energis-
ed and the alarm will not sound. If one or
~----------~--------~------------~---------0 -Vo
more of the NC contacts should open, cuit can only be reset by switching off SCR 1 and the negative supply rail. C1,
SCR 1 will be switched on by the gate using SW1 . The current through SCR 1 C2, and R4 are needed to prevent
current it receives through R2, since R1 is then falls to zero and the latcing action spurious operation due to stray pick~up
then switched out of circuit. Even if the is defeated so that the circuit is ready to of noise spikes or noise pulses on the
contacts should close again, SCR 1 will commence operation once again when supply lines. 01 is a protective diode
remain in the on state because it has a SW1 is closed. which suppresses the high back EMF
built-in latching action. Thus the relav Although only two sets of NC con- developed across the relay coil as it de
will be activated and its contacts con- tacts are shown, any number of contacts energises.
nect power to the alarm generator. The connected in series can be used. Similar- The standby current consumption
circuit can also be triggered by one or ly, any number of NO contacts con- of the unit is only about 1 uA and so the
more of the NO contacts closing, as R3 nected in parallel can be utilized. If no unit can be economically run from or-
then provides an adequate gate bias to
switch on SCR 1 . Once triggered the cir-
NC contacts are used, R1 should still be dinary dry cell batteries if desired. e
included between the GK terminal of

54-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

SOUND OPERATED
SWITCH
Sound activated switches are used in at low collector currents in order to give ing up this component to an adequ at e
many applications, some typical ex- a low noise level and quiescent current level to switch on Q4 and th e rel ay. A
amples being voice operated tape consumption. C3 rolls off the high fre- pair of relay contacts are used to contro l
recorders, baby alarms, burglar alarm quency response of the circuit and aids the supply to the slave equipment.
systems, and VOX (voice operated swit- good stability. C4 charges via the fairl y low im-
ching) systems of radio transmit- The output from Q2 is coupled to a pedance of Q3 and R9, givin g the c ircu it
ting/receiving installations. The simple third common emitter stage by C5. This a fairly fast attack time. C4's di sc harge
circuit shown here will operate at a third stage is based on Q3, and is biased path is through the relativel y hi gh im-
distance of up to about 2 or 3 metres by R6 and R7 to a point where Q3 is vir- pedance of Q4' s base emitter j unction
from a voice of average volume (slightly tually cut off . There is thus very little giving a decay time of a seco nd o r two.

c--o +9V
SW1
ON / OFF

Ql, Q3 are 2N3904

04 Q2 , Q4 are 2N3905

+
C1 +
100u
C7
100u
10V
10V

c
'i 0
Ve

less if the xtal microphone insert is voltage developed across load resistor Thus the circuit responds rapidl y w hen a
replaced by a medium or high im- R8, and the input voltage fed to Q4 via signal is initially received , but the relay
pedance dynamic type). 01 is insufficient to switch on this device does not cut out during the bri ef pa uses
Signals produced by the and activate the relay which forms its that occur during normal speech.
microphone are amplified by a high gain collector load. However, when sounds The quiescent current con sumption
amplifier which uses two stages .of com- are received by the microphone, a strong of the circuit is only about 250 uA, bu t
mon emitter amplification . These two signal is received at Q3's base, causing it this rises to about 35mA wh en th e re lay
stages are based on Q1 and Q2 and use a to conduct heavily on positive going in- is activated .•
straight forward capacitively coupled ar- put half cycles. This produces a series of
rangement. Both transistors are operated strong negative pulses across C4, charg-

QUICK TRANSISTOR CHECK

These diagrams illustrate a handy method of checking any
transistor with a multimeter switched to a low Ohms range . LEAKAGE
TEST
Hear Ve! NOTE: Battery{+) positive on most multi meters is the BLACK
lead - NOT the REO lead.
\
1GH RESISTANCE
REAOJNG

Hear¥ NPN
BASE -

EMITTER ~1t<OLLECT OR
TRANSISTORS

tJ
We need volunteers +

Give your local

RED CROSS PNP
acall. TRANSISTORS

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-55

 BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
DESIGNING MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEMS TAB No.574 . $16.45
~~ ~~
Computer programming is an increasingly attract1ve f1~ld to
POOCH AND CHATTERGY the individual, however many people seem to overlook 1t _as a
This book provides both hobbyists and electronic engine~ rs career. The material in this book has been developed m a
with the background information necessary to bu lid logical sequence, from the basic steps to machine language.
microcomputer systems. It discusses the hardware_aspects of
microcomputer systems. Timing devices are prov1ded to ex- USING MICROCOMPUTERS IN BUSINESS
plain sequences of operations in detail. Then, t_he book goes
on to desCribe three of the most popular microcomputer VEIT $14.45
families: the Intel 8080. Zilog Z·80. and Motorola 6800. Also ~~O:ssential background briefing for any purc~aser
of
covered are designs of interfaces for peripheral devices,_and microcomputer systems or software. In a fast·movmg sty!~,
(HARDWARE) information on building microcomputer systems from k1ts. without the usual buzz words and technical jargon, Ve1t
answers the most often asked questions.
§.100 BUS HANDBOOK
COMPUTER DICTIONARY AND SPEL~9~45 HB19: $22.75 BASIC FROM THE GROUND UP
must for anyone just startin~ out in th~ field of computing,
be they a businessman, hobby 1st or buddmg computenst. The
~r~S~Y a comprehensive book that exclusively discusses ~~~N $17.00
S-100 bus computer systems and how they are organized. The Here's a BASIC text for high school students 3nd hobbyists
book presents and defines over 15,000 computer terms and
book covers computer fundamentals, basic electronics, and that explores computers and the BASIC language in a simple
·acronyms and makes for great browsing.
the parts of the computer. Individual chapters d!scuss the direct way, without relying on a heavy mathematical
CPU, memory, input/output, bulk-memory d_ev~ees, and backbround on the reader's part. All the features of BASIC
A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO COMPUTERS AND specialized peripheral controllers. _It explams all the are included as well as some of the inside workings of a com-
MICROPROCESSORS - WITH PROJECTS. operating details of common ly available S-100 systems. puter. The book covers one version of eac~ eJ:f the BA~IC
TAB No.1015 $13.45 Schematic drawings. statements and points out some of the .vanatlons,_leavtng
Here's a plain English introduction to the ~orld of microcom-
readers well prepared to write programs m any vers1on they
puters - it's capabilities, parts and funct•ons .. and h?w BASIC MICROPROCESSORS AND THE 6800 encounter. A selection of exercises and six worked out pro-
can use one. Numerous projects demonstrate operatmg H~ WM blems round out the reader's experience. A glossary and a
and lead to the construction of an actual working Provides two books in one: a basic guide to microprocessors summary of BASIC statements are included at the end of the .
capab le of performing many useful functions. for the beginner, and a complete description of the M6800 book for quick reference.
system for the engineer. .
BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MICROPROCESSORS Each chapter is followed by a problem sect1on.
COMPUTING BASIC COMPUTER PROGRAMS FOR BUSINESS:
E.F. SCOTT, M.Sc., C.Eng. DIGITAL INTERFACING WITH AN ANALOG WORLD STERNBERG (Vol. 1)
As indicated by the title, this book is intende_d as an ~ntrod~c­ TAB No.1070 $14.45 ~3 ~~

tion to t he basic theory and concepts of bmary anthmet1c, You've bought a computer, but now you can't make it do A must for small businesses utilizing micros as well as for en-
microprocessor operation and machine language programm· anything useful. This book will tell you how to convert real trepreneurs, volume provides a wealth of pr~ctical bu~in~ss
world quantities such as temperature, pressure, force and so applications. Each program is documented w1th a descnpt1on
ing. There are occasions in the text where some background on into binary represent;~tion of its functions and operation, a listing in BASIC, a symbol
information might be helpful and a Glossary is included at table, sample data, and one or more samples.
MICROPROCESSOR INTERFACING HANDBOOK: AID &
the end of the book. DIA / BP86: AN INTRODUCTION TO BASIC PROGRAMMING
TAB No.1271 $14.45 TECHNIQUES $8.25
BP72: A MICROPROCESSOR PRIMER : A useful handbook for computerists interested in using their
~~~~~~:::e~·~~·~~~~Et~~~i~·~-:~~s to be overwhelmed when
machines in linear applications. Topics discussed include
voltage references, op-amps for data conversion. analogue
~h~~~~k is based on the author's own experience in learning
BASIC and in helping others, mostly beginners, to program
first confronted with articles or books on microprocessors. In switching and multiplexing and more.
an attempt to give a painless approach to computing, this and understand the language. Also included are a program
small book will start by designing a simple computer and l ibrary contai ning various programs, that the author he~:s ac-
COMPUTER TECHNICIAN'S HANDBOOK tually written and run . These are for bior.hy~hms, plottm_g a
because of its simplicity and logical structure, the language TAB No.554 graph of Y against . X, standard d ev1at1on, regression,
is hopefully easy to learn and understand: In this way,_ such · Whether you're looking for a career, or you are a service
tdeas as Relative Addressing, Index Registers etc. will be generating a musical note sequence and a ca~d gam~. T~e
technician, computer repair is an opportunity you shou ld be book is complemented by a number of appendices wh1ch m-
and it is hoped that these will be seen as logical looking at. The author covers al l aspects of ~igital and C?m -
progressions rather than arbitrary things to be accepted but clude test questions and answers on each chapter and a
puter electronics as well as the mathematical and log1cal glossary.
not understood. concepts involved.
BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MICROPROCESSORS HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT AND REPAIR MICROCOM· THE BASIC COOKBOOK.
TAB No.995 $10.45 PUlERS TAB No.1055 $9.45
If you aren't sure exactly what a miCroprocessor is, then this AB013 BASIC is a surprisingly powerful language .. if you
is the book for you. The book takes the beginner from the learn how to find the cause of a problem or malfunction in understand it comp letely. This book, picks up where most
basic theories and history of these essential devices, right up the central or peripheral unit of any microcomputer and then manufacturers' documentation gives up. With it, any com-
to some real world hardware applications. repair it. The tips and techniques in this guide can be applied puter owner can develop programs to make the most out of
to any equipment that uses the microprocessor as the his or her machine.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN WORKING MICROCOM· primary control e lement.
PUTER PET BASIC - TRAINING YOUR PET COMPUTER
TAB No.1200 $16.45 TROUBLESHOOTING MICROPROCESSORS AND DIGfTAL AB014 $16.45
Ari excellent reference or how-to manua l on building your LOGIC Officially ' approved by Commodore, this is _the ideal
own m icrocomputer. All aspects of hardware and software TAB No.1183 $13.45 reference book for long time PET owners or nov1ces . In an
are developed as well as many practical circuits. The influence of digital techniques on commercial and home easy to read and humorous style, this book describes techni-
equipment is enormous and increasing yearly. ~his b_ook ques and experiments, all designed t o provide a strong
BP78: PRACTICAL COMPUTER EXPERIMENTS discusses digital theory and looks at hGw to serv•ce V1deo understanding of this versati le machine.
PARR, B.Sc., C.Eng., M .I.E.E. Cassette Recorders, microprocessors and more.
most published material on the microprocessor PROGRAMMING IN BASIC FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS
of two sorts, the first treats the microprocessor as HOW TO DEBUG YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER AB015 $10.45
and deals at length with programming and using AB012 $10.45 This book emphasizes the sort of analytical thinking that lets
t" The second type of book deals with the social When you feel like reach ing for a sledge hammer to reduce you use a specific tool - the BASIC language - ~o
of these books deal with the background to the your computer to fiberglass and epoxy dust, don' t . Reach for transform your own ideas into workable programs. The t~xt IS
this is a shame as the basic ideas are both in- this book instead and learn al l about program bug tracking, designed to help you to intelligently ana lyse and destgn a
and simple. recognition and elimination techniques. wide diversity of useful and interesting programs.
book aims to fill in the background to the
COMPUTER PROGRAMS IN BASIC
mic: roorc•cessor by constructing typical computer circuits _in
and it is hoped that this will form a useful m-
devices such as adders, memories, etc. as well
COMPUTERS AB001 $14.45
A catalogue of over 1,600 fully indexed BASIC computer pro-
source book of logic circuits. (SOFTWARE) grams w ith applications in Business, Math, Games a_n d more.
This book lists avai lable software, what it does, w here to get
HANDBOOK OF MICROPROCESSOR APPLICATIONS it, and how to adapt it to your machine.
AB No.1203 $14.45 HOW TO PROFIT FROM YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER:
Highly recommended read ing for those who are interested in PROFESSIONAL, BUSINESS, AND HOME APPLICATIONS PET GAMES AND RECREATION
microprocessors as a means of a accomplishing a specific LEWIS AB002 $12.45
task. The author discusses two individual mic roprocessors, HB01 A variety of interesting games designed to a_muse and
the 1802 and the 6800, and how they can be put t o use in real Describes the uses of personal computers in common educate. Games include such names as Capture, T1c Tac Toe,
world applications. busin ess applications, such as accounting, managing, inven- Watchperson, ,Motie, Sinners, Martian Hunt and more.
tOry, sorting mailing lists, and many others. The di scuss ion in-
MICROPROCESSOR/MICROPROGRAMMING HANDBOOK c ludes terms, notations, and techniques commonly used by BRAIN TICKLERS
TAB No.785 $14.45 programmers . A full glossary o f terms, AB005 $8.00
A comprehensive guide to microprocessor hardware and pro- If the usual games such as Bug Stomp and Invaders From the
gramming. Techniques discussed inc lude subroutines, handl· PROGRAMS FOR BEGINNERS ON THE TRS-80 Time Warp are starting to pale, then this is the book for you.
ing interrupts dnd program loops BLECHMAN The authors have put together dozenS of stimulating puzzles
HB02 $13.05 to show you just how cha llenging computing can be.
BP102: THE 6809 COMPANION A va lu able book of practical and interesting programs for
M. JAMES home use that can be understood and used immediately by PASCAL
The 6809 microprocessor's history, architecture, addressing the beginner in personal computer programming. You ' ll learn TAB No.1205 $16.45
modes and the instruction set {fully commented) are covered. step·by-step how 21 samp le TRS·80 programs work . Program Aimed specifica lly at TRS-80 users, this book d.iscusses how
addition there are c hapters on converting programs from techniques are describe4~ne-l::w- Hne within the programs, to load, use and write PASCAL programs. Graph1c techniques
6800, p rogramming sty le, interrupt handling and ~bout and a unique Martri-Dex matrix index will enable you to are discussed and numerous programs are presented.
6809 hardware and software available. locate other pr.ograms using the same BASIC commands and
statem ents. PASCAL PROGRAMMING FOR THE APPLE
AB008 $16.45
THE JOY OF MINIS AND MICROS: DATA A great book to upgrad e your programming skills to the
WITH SMALL COMPUTERS UCSD Pascal as implemented on the Apple II . Statements
STEIN AND SHAPIRO and techniques are discussed and there are many pra ctical
guide to the use of integrated circuits pro· HBOJ $15.85 and ready to run programs . •
for the underlying hardware actions of A collection of pieces covering technical ~nd management
or<>Rram"'""" statements. Emphasis is p laced on how digital aspects of the use of small computers for business or science. APPLE MACHINE LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING
compares with analog circuitry. Begins with the It emphasizes the use of common sense and good syst ems AB009 $16.45
gates and timers, then introduces the fundamental design for every computer project. Because a strong The best way to learn machine language programming the
ICs. detailing the benefits and pitfalls of major IC t ec hnica l background is not necessa ry, the book is easy to Apple II in no time at a iL The book combines colour,
, and continues with coverage of the ultimate in in- read and understand. Considerable m aterial is d evoted to the graphics, and sound generation together with c lear .'ut
complexity - the microprocessor. question of what size computer should be used for a par- demonstrations to help the user learn quickly and effective·
ticular job, and how to choose the right machine for you. ly.

ALL PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING

Z80 USERS MANUAL
AB010 $14.45 BP33: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR USERS 110 IC TIMER PROJECTs
The ZBO MPU can be found in many machines and is general- HANDBOOK $4.25 GILDER
ly acknowledged to be one of the most powerful 8 bit chips M.H. BABANI, B.Sc.(Eng.) HB25 $10.25
around. This book provides an excellent 'right hand' for An invaluable book for all calculator users whatever their This sourcebook maps out applications for the 555 timer I C.
anyone involved in the application of this popular processor. age or occupation, or whether they have the simplest or most It covers the operation of the IC itself to aid you in learning
sophisticated of calcu lators. Presents formulae, data, how to design your own circuits with the IC. There are ap-
HOW TO PROGRAM YOUR PROGRAMMABLE methods of calculation, conversion factors, etc., with the plication chapters for timer~based instruments, automotive
CALCULATOR calculator user especially in mind, often illustrated with sim- applications, alarm and control circuits, and power supply
AB006 $10.45 ple examples. Includes the way to calculate using only a sim- and converter applications.
Calculator programming, by its very nature, often is an ple four function calculator: Trigonometric Functions (Sin,
obstacle to effective use. This book endeavours to show how Cos. Tan): Hyperbolic Functions (Sinh, Cosh. Tanh)
to use a programmable calculator to its full capabilities. The Logarithms, Square Roots and Powers. 110 THYRISTOR PROJECTS USING SCRs AND TRIACS
Tl 57 and the HP 33E calculators are discussed although the MARSTON
principles extend to similar models. THE MOST POPULAR SUBROUTINES IN BASIC HB22 $12.05
TAB No.1050 $10.45 A grab bag of challenging and useful semiconductor projects
Z-80 AND 8080 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING An understandable guide to BASIC subroutines which for the hobbyist, experimenter, and student. The projects
SPRACKLEN enables the reader to avoid tedium, economise on computer range from simple burglar, fire, and water level alarms to
HB05 $14.25 time and makes programs run faster. It is a practical rather sophisticated power control devices for electric tools and
Provides just about everything the applications programmer than a theoretical manual. trains . Integrated circuits are incorporated wherever their use
needs to know for Z-80 and 8080 processors. Programming reduces project costs.
techniques are presented along with the instructions. Exer-
cises and answers included with each chapter. 110 CMOS DIGITAL IC PROJECTS
MARSTON
BASIC COMPUTER PROGRAMS IN SCIENCE AND
ENGINEERING
GILDER
PROJECTS HB23 $11.75
Outlines the operating characteristics of CMOS digital ICs
and then presents and discusses 110 CMOS digitaiiC circuits
HBOB $15.85 ranging from inverter gate and logic circuits to electronic
Save time and money with this collection of 114 ready-to-run alarm circuits. Ideal for amateurs, students and professional
BASIC programs for t he hobbyist and engineer. The(e are engineers.
programs to do such statistical operations as means, stan- BP4B: ELECTRONIC PROJECTS FOR BEGINNERS $5.90
dard deviation averages, curve-fitting, and interpolation. F.G. RAYER, T.Eng.(CEI), Assoc.IERE BP76: POWER SUPPLY PROJECTS $7.30
There are programs that design antennas, filters, attenuators, Another book written by the very experienced author - Mr. R.A. PENFOLD
matching networks, plotting, and histogram programs. F. G. Rayer - and in it the newcomer to electronics, will find Line power supplies are an essential part of many electronics
a wide range of easily made projects. Also, there are a con- projects. The purpose of this book is to give a number of
GAME PLAYING WITH COMPUTERS SECOND EDITION siderable number of actual component and wiring layouts, to power supply designs, including simple unstabilised types.
SPENCER aid the beginner. fixed voltage regulated types, and variable voltage stabilised
HB11 $31 .25 Furthermore, a number of projects have been arranged designs, the latter being primarily intended for use as bench
Now you can sharpen programming skills through a relaxed so that they can be constructed without any need for solder- supplies for the electronics workshop. The designs provided
approach. Completely devoted to computerized game play- ing and, thus, avoid the need for a soldering iron. are all low voltage types for semiconductor circuits.
ing, this volume presents over 70 games, puzzles, and Also, many of the later projects can be built along the There are other types of power supply and a number of
mathematical recreations for a digital computer. It's fully il- lines as those in the 'No Soldering' section so this may con- these are dealt with in the final chapter, including a cassette
lustrated and includes more that 25 game-playing programs siderably increase the scope of projects which the newcomer power supply, Ni-Cad battery charger. voltage step up circuit
in FORTRAN or BASIC complete with descriptions, can build and use. and a simple inverter.
flowcharts, and output.
221: 28 TESTED TRANSISTOR PROJECTS BP84: DIGITAL IC PROJECTS $8.10
MICROCOMPUTERS AND THE 3 R'S R.TORRENS $5.50 F.G. RAYER, T.Eng.(CEI),Assoc.IERE
DOERR Mr. Richard Torrens is a well experienced electronics This book contains both simple and more advanced projects
HB09 $14.25 development engineer and has designed, developed, built and it is hoped that these will be found of help to the reader
This book educates educators on the various ways com- and tested the many useful and interesting circuits included developing a knowledge of the workings of digital circuits.
puters, especially microcomputers, can be used in the in this book. The projects themselves can be split down into To help the newcomer to the hobby the author has included
classroom. It describes microcomputers, how to organize a simpler building blocks. which are shown separated by boxes a number of board layouts and wiring diagrams. Also the
computer-based program, the five instructional application in the circuits for ease of description, and also to enable any more ambitious projects can be built and tested section by
types (with examples from subjects such as the hard sciences, reader who wishes to combine boxes from different projects section and this should help avoid or correct faults that
life sciences, English, history, and government) and to realise ideas of his own. could otherwise be troublesome. An ideal book for both
resources listings of today's products. The book includes beginner and more advanced enthusiast alike.
preprogrammed examples to start up a microcomputer pro- BP49: POPULAR ELECTRONIC PROJECTS $6.25
gram; while chapters on resources and products direct the R.A. PENFOLD . BP67: COUNTER DRIVER AND NUMERAL DISPLAY
reader to useful additional information. All programs are Includes a collection of the most popular types of circuits PROJECTS $7.55
written in the BASIC language. and projects which, we feel sure, will provide a number of F.G. RAYER, T.Eng.(CEI), Assoc. JERE
designs to interest most electronics constructors . The pro- Numeral indicating devices have come very much to the
GAME PLAYING WITH BASIC jects selected cover a very wide range and are divided into forefront in recent years and will. undoubtedly, find increas-
SPENCER four basic types: Radio Projects, Audio Projects, Household ing applications in all sorts of equipment. W ith present day
HB10 Projects and Test Equipment. integrated circuits, it is easy to count, divide and display
The writing is nontechnical, allowing almost anyone to numerically the electrical pulses obtained from a great range
understand computerized game playing. The book includes EXPERIMENTER'S GUIDE TO SOLID STATE ELECTRONIC of driver circuits.
the rules of each game, how each game works, illustrative PROJECTS In this book many applications and projects using
flowcharts, diagrams, and the output produced by each pro- AB007 $9.45 various types of numeral displays, popular counter and
gram. The last chapter contains 26 games for reader solution. An ideal sourcebook of Solid State circuits and techniques driver IC's etc. are considered.
with many practical circuits. Also included are many useful
SARGON: A COMPUTER CHESS PROGRAM types of experimenter gear. 213: ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS FOR MODEL
SPRACKLEN RAILWAYS $4.50
HB12 $25.00 BP71: ELECTRONIC HOUSEHOLD PROJECTS $7.70 M.H. BABANI, B.Sc.(E"ll.)
"I must rate this chess program an excellent buy for anyone R. A. PENFOLD The reader is given constructinal details of how to build a
who loves the game." Kilobaud. Some of the most useful and popular electronic construction simple model train controller; controller with simulated iner-
Here is the computer chess program that won first place projects are those that can be used in or around the home. tia and a high power controller. A signal system and lighting
in the first chess tournament at the 1978 West Coast Com- The circuits range from such things as '2 Tone Door Buzzer'. for model trains is discussed as is the suppression of RF in-
puter Fa ire. It is written in Z-80 assembly language, using the Intercom, through Smoke or Cas Detectors to Baby and terference from ode! railways. The construction of an elec-
TDl macro assembler. It comes complete with block Freezer Alarms. tronic steam whistle and a model train chuffer is also
diagram and sample printouts. covered.
BP94: ELECTRONIC PROJECTS FOR CARS AND BOATS$8.10
A CONSUMER'S GUIDE TO PERSONAL COMPUTING AND R.A. PENFOLD BP73: REMOTE CONTROL PROJECTS $8.60
MICROCOMPUTERS, SECOND EDITION Projects. fifteen in all, which use a 12V supply are the basis OWEN BISHOP
FREIBERGER AND CHEW of this book. Included are projects on Windscreen Wiper This book is aimed primarily at the electronics enthusiast
HB14 $14.45 Control, Courtesy Light Delay, Battery Monitor, Cassette who wishes to experiment with remote control. Full explana-
The first edition was chosen by library journal as one of the Power Supply, Lights Timer, Vehicle lmmobiliser, Gas and tions have been given so that the reader can fully understand
100 outstanding s~i-tech books of 1978. Now, there's an up- Smoke Alarm, Depth Warning and Shaver Inverter. how the circuits work and can more easily see how to modify
dated second edition! them for other purposes, depending on personal re-
Besides offering an introduction to the principles of quirements. Not only afe radio control systems cons idered
microcomputers that '!Ssumes no previous knowledge on the BP69: ELECTRONIC GAMES $7.55 but also infra-red, visible light and u ltrasonic systems as are
reader's part, this second edition updates prices, the latest R.A. PENFOLD the use of Logic ICs and Pulse position modulation etc.
developments in microcomputer technology, and a review of In this book Mr. R. A. Penfold has designed and developed a
over 100 microcomputer products from over 60 manufac- number of interesting electronic game projects using modern BP99: MINI-MATRIX BOARD PROJECTS $8.10
turers. integrated circuits . The text is divided into two sections, the R.A. PENFOLD
first dealing with simple games and the latter dealing with Twenty useful projects which can all be built on a 24 x 10
THE BASIC CONVERSIONS HANDBOOK FOR APPLE, more complex ci rcuits. hole matrix board with copper strips. Includes Doorbuzzer.
TRS-80, AND PET USERS Low-voltage Alarm, AM Radio, Signal Generator, Projector
BRAIN BANK Timer, Guitar Headphone Amp, Transistor Checker and
BP95: MODEL RAILWAY PROJECTS $8.10
HB17 $11.75 more.
Electronic projects for model railways are fairly recent and
Convert a BASIC program for the TRS·80, Apple II, or PET to
have made possible an amazing degree of realism. The pro-
the form of BASIC used by any other one of those machines.
This is a complete guide to converting Apple II and PET-
programs to TRS-80. TRS·80 and PET programs to Apple II,
jects covered include controllers, signals and sound effects:
striboard layouts are provided for each project. CIRCUITS
TRS-80 and Apple II programs to PET. Equivalent commands
are listed for TRS·80 BASIC (Model I. Level II). Applesoft BP98: POPULAR ELECTRONIC CIRCUIU, BOOK 2 $9.35
BP93: ELECTRONIC TIMER PROJECTS $8.10 R.A. PENFOLD
BASIC and PET BASIC, as well as variations for the TRS·80 F.G. RAYER
Modell II and Apple Integer BASIC. 70 plus circuits based on modern components aimed at those
Windscreen wiper delay, darkroom timer and metronome with some experience.
projects are included. Some of the more complex circuits are
SPEAKING PASCAL made up from simpler sub-circuits which are dealt with in-
BOWEN dividually. BPBO: POPULAR ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS -
HB16 BOOK 1 $8.25
An excellent introduction to programming in the Pascal R.A. PENFOLD
language! Written in clear, concise, non-mathematical 110 OP·AMP PROJECTS Another book by the very popular author, Mr. R.A. Penfold,
language, the text requires no technical background or MARSTON who has designed and developed a large number of various
previous programming experience on the reader's behalf. HB24 $11.75 circuits. These are grouped under the following general
Top-down structured analysis and key examples illustrate This handbook outlines the characteristics of the op-amp and headings; Aud io Circuits, Radio Circuits. Test Gear Circuits,
each new idea and the reader is encouraged to construct pro- present 110 highly useful projects-ranging from simple Music Project Ci rcuits, Household Project Circuits and
grams in an organized manner. amplifiers to sophisticated instrumentation circuits. Miscellaneous Circuits.

SEE ORDER FORM ON PAGE 61

 IC ARRAY COOKBOOK BP35: HANDBOOK OF IC AUDIO PRE-AMPLIFIER AND
POWER AMPLIFIER CONSTRUCTION $5.50

...... baall
The GIANT HANDBOOK OF ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
JUNG
HB26 $14.25
A practical handbook aimed at solving electronic circuit ap-
plication problems by using IC arrays. An IC array, unlike
F.G.RAVER, T.EnJ.(CEI),Auoc.IERE
This book is divided into three parts: Part I, understanding
audio IC's, Part II , Pre-amplifiers, Mixers and Tone Controls,
TAB No.1300 $24.45 specific-purpose ICs, is made up of uncommitted IC active Part Ill Power Amplifiers and Supplies. Includes practical
About as twice as thick as the Webster's dictionary, and hav· devices, such as transistors , resistors , etc . This book covers constructional details of pure IC and Hybrid IC and • Tran-
ing many more circuit diagrams, this book is idea l for any ex- the basic types of such ICs and illustrates with examples how sistor designs from about 250mW to 100W output.
perimenter who wants to keep amused for several cen turies . to design with them. Circuit examples are included, as well as
If there isn't a ci rcuit for it in here, you shou ld have no dif- general design information useful in applying arrays. BP47: MOBIU DISCOTHEQUE HANDBOOK $5.90
ficulty convincing yourself you don't really want to build it. COLIN CARSON
BPSO: IC LM3900 PROJECTS $5.90 The vast majority of people who start up "Mobile Discos"
BP39: 50 (FET) FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR H.KYBETT,B.Sc., C.Eng. know very little about their equipment or even what to buy.
PROJECTS $5.50 The purpose of this book is to introduce the lM3900 to the Many people have wasted a "small fortune" on poor, un-
F.G. RAVER, T.Eng.(CEI),Assoc.IERE Technic ian, Experimenter and the Hobbyist. It provides the necessary or badly matched apparatus .
Field effect transistors (FETs), find application in a wide groundwork for both simple and more advanced uses, and is The aim of this book is to give you enough information
variety of c ircuits. The projects described here include radio more than just a collection of simple circuits or projects. to enable you to have a better understanding of many
frequency amplifiers and conve rters, test equipment and Simple basic working circuits are used to introduce this aspects of " disco" gear.
receiver aids, tuners , receivers, mixers and tone controls, as I C. The LM3900 can do much more than is shown here, this is
well as various miscellaneous devices which are useful in the just an introduction. Imagination is the only limitation with HOW TO BUILD A SMALL BUDGET RECORDING STUDIO
home. this useful and versatile device. But first the reader must FROM SCRATCH •.•
This book contains something of particular interest for know the basics and that is what this book is all about. TAB No.1166 $16.45
every class of enthusiast - short wave listener, radio The author, F. Alton Everest, has gotten studios together
amateur, experimenter or audio devotee. 223: 50 PROJECTS USING IC CA3130 $5.50 several times, and presents twelve complete, tested designs
R.A.PENFOLD for a wide variety of applications . If all you own is a mono
BP87: SIMPLE L.E.D. CIRCUITS $5.90 In this book, the author has designed and developed a cassette recorder, you don't need this book. If you don't want
R.N. SOAR number of interesting and useful projects which are divided your new four track to wind up sounding like one, though
Since it first appeared in 1977, Mr. R.N. Soar's book has prov· into five general categories: I - Audio Projects II - R.F. you shouldn't be without it.
ed very popular. The author has developed a further range of Projects I l l - Test Equipment IV- Household Projects V
circuits and these are inc luded in Book 2. Projects include a - Miscellaneous Projects. BP51: ELECTRONIC MUSIC AND CREATIVE TAPE
Transistor Tester, Various Vo ltage Regulators, Testers and so RECORDING $5.50
224: 50 CMOS IC PROJECTS $4.25 M .K. BERRY
R.A . PENFOLD Electronic music is the new music of the Twentieth Century.
BP42: 50 SIMPU L.E.D. CIRCUITS $3.55 CMOS IC's are probably the most versatile range of digital It plays a large part in " pop" and " rock " music and, in fact,
R.N. SOAR devices for use by the amateur enthusiast. They are suitable there is s'c arcely a group without some sort of synthesiser or
The author of this book, Mr. R.N. Soar, has compiled 50 in- for an extraordinary wide range of applications and are also other effects generator.
teresting and useful circuits and applications, covering many some of the most inexpensive and easily available types of This book sets out to show how electronic music can be
different branches of electronics, using one of the most inex- IC. made at home with the simplest and most inexpensive of
pensive and freely available components - the light Emit- Mr. R.A. Penfold has designed and developed a number equipment. It then describes how the sounds are generated
ting Diode (l.E.D.). A useful book for the library of both of interesting and useful projects which are divided into four and how these may be recorded to build up the final com-
beginner and more advanced enthusiast alike. general categories: I - Multivibrators II - Amplifiers and position .
Oscillators Ill - Trigger Devices IV - Special Devices.
BP82: ELECTRONIC PROJECTS USING BP74: ELECTRONIC MUSIC PROJECTS $7.70
SOLAR CELLS $8.10 THE ACTIVE FILTER HANDBOOK R.A . PENFOLD
OWEN BISHOP TAB No.1133 $11.45 Although one of the more recent branches of amateur elec·
The book contains simple circuits, almost all of which Whatever your field - computing, communications, audio, tronics , electronic music has now become extremely popular
at low vo ltage and low cu rrents, making them electronic music or whatever - you will find this book the and there are many projects which fall into this category. The
for being powered by a small array of silicon cells. ideal reference for active filter design . purpose of this book is to provide the constructor with $I
projects cover a wide range from a bicyle speedometer The book introduces filters and their uses . The basic number of practical circuits for the less complex items of
to a novelty 'Duck Shoot'; a number of power supply circuits math is discussed so that the reader can tell where all design electronic music equipment, including such things as a Fuzz
are included. equations come from . The book also presents many practical Box, Waa-Waa Pedal, Sustain Unit, Reverberation and
circuits including a graphic equalizer, computer tape inter- Phaser-Units, Tremelo Generator etc.
BP37: 50 PROJECTS USING RELAYS, face and more.
SCR's & TRIACS $5.50 BP81 : ELECTRONIC SYNTHESISER PROJECTS $7.30
F.G.RAVER, T.Eng.(CEI),Assoc.IERE DIGITAL ICS - HOW THEY WORK AND HOW TO USE M.K. BERRY
Relays, silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR's) and bi-directional THEM One of the most fascinating and rewarding applications of
triodes {TRIACs) have a wide range of applications in elec- AB004 $10.45 electronics is i'n electronic music and there is hardly a group
tronics today. This book gives tried and practical working cir- An excellent primer on the fundamentals of digital elec- today without some sort of synthesiser or effects generator.
cuits which should present the minimum of difficulty for the tronics. This book discusses the nature of gates and related Although an electronic synthesiser is quite a complex piece
enthusiast to construct. In most of the circuits there is a wide concepts and also deals with the problems inherent to prac- of electronic equipment, it can be broken down into much
latitude in component values and types, allowing easy tical digital circuits. simpler units which may be built individually and these can
modification of circuits or ready adaptation of them to in- then be used or assembled together to make a complete in-
dividual needs. MASTER HANDBOOK OF 1001 PRACTICAL CIRCUITS strument.
TAB No.BOO $20.45
BP44: IC 555 PROJECTS $7.55 MASTER HANDBOOK OF 1001 MORE PRACTICAL CIR· ELECTRONIC MUSIC SYNTHESIZERS
E.A. PARR, B.Sc.,C.Eng., M.I.E.E. . CUlTS TAB No.1167 $10.45
Every so often a device appears that is so useful that one TAB No.804 $19.45 If you're fascinated by the potential of electronics in the
wonders how life went on before without it. The 555 timer is Here are transistor and IC circuits for just about any applica- field of music, then this is the book for you. Included is data
such a device. Included in this book are Basic and General tion you might have. An jdeal source book for the engineer, on synthesizers in general as well as particular models. There
Circuits, Motor Car and Model Railway Circuits, Alarms and technician or hobbyist. Circuits are classified according to is also a chapter on the various accessories that are
Noise Makers as well as a section on the 556, 558 and 559 function , and all sections appear in alphabetical order. available.
timers.
THE MASTER IC COOKBOOK
BP24: 50 PROJECTS USING IC741 $4.25 TAB No.1199 $16.45
RUDI & UWE REDMER
This book. o ri ginally published in Germ any by TOPP, has
achieved phenomenal sales on t he Continent and Babani
If you've ever tried to find specs for a so called 's tandard'
chip, then you'll appreciate this book. C.L. Hallmark has
compiled specs and pinout f o r most types of ICs that you'd
TEST EQUIPMENT
decided, in view of the fact that the integrated ci rcuit used in ever want to use.
this book is inexpensive to buy, to make this unique book BP75: ELECTRONIC TEST EQUIPMENT
available to the Engl ish speaking reader. Translated from the ELECTRONIC DESIGN WITH OFF THE SHELF INTEGRATED CONSTRUCTION $7.30
original German with copious notes, data and circuitry, a CIRCUITS F.G. RAVER, T.Eng. (CEI), Assoc. IERE
" must" for everyone whatever their interest in electronics. ~M6 ~~~ This book covers in detail the construction of a wide range of
This practical handbook enables you to take advantage of test equipment for both the Electronics Hobbyists and Radio
BP83: VMOS PROJECTS the vast range of applications made possible by integrated Amateur. Included are projects ranging from an FET
R.A. PENFOLD circuits. The book tells how, in step by step fashion, to select Amplified Voltmeter and Resistance , Bridge to a Field
Although modern bipo lar power transistors give excellent components and how to combine them into functional elec- Strength Indicator and Heterodyne Frequency Meter. Not on-
results in a wide range of applications, they are not without tronic systems. If you want to stop being a "cookbook hob- ly can the home constructor enjoy building the equipment
their drawbacks br limitations. This book will primarily be byist", then this is the book for you. but the finished projects can also be usefully utilised in the
concerned with VMOS power FETs although power furtherance of his hobby.
MOSFETs will be dealt with in the chapter on audio circuits.
A number of va ried and interesting projects are cove red
under the main headings of: Audio Circuits, Sound
Generator Circuits, DC Control Circuits and Signal Control
AUDIO 99 TEST EQUIPMENT PROJECTS YOU CAN BUilD
TAB No.B05 $14.45
An excellent source book for the hobbyist who wants to build
Circuits. BP90: AUDIO PROJECTS up his work bench inexpensively. Projects range from a sim-
F.G. RAVER ple signal trace r to a SOMHz frequency counter. There are
BP65: SINGLE IC PROJECTS Covers in detail the construction of a wide range of audio circuits to measure just about any electrical quantity:
R.A.PENFOLD projects. The text has been divided into preamplifiers and voltage, current, capacitance, impedance and more. The
There is now a vast range of \Cs available to the amateur mixers, power amplifiers, tone controls and matching and variety is endless and includes just about anything you could
market, the majority of which are not necessarily designed miscellaneous projects. wish for!
for use in a single application and can offer unlimited
possibi lities. All the projects conta ined in this book are sim- HOW TO DESIGN, BUILD, AND TEST COMPUTE SPEAKER
ple to construct and are based on a single I C. A few projects SYSTEMS. HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF LOW COST TEST EQUIP·
employ one or two transistors in addition to an IC but in most TAB No.1064 $13.45 MENT
cases the IC is the only active device used. By far the greatest savings in assembling an audio system can AB017 $9.45
be realized from the construction of speakers. This book con- Whether you want to get your vintage 1960 'TestRite's ignal
tains information to build a variety of speakers as well as in- geneFator working, or you've got something to measure with
structions on how to design your own. nothing to measure it with, this is the book for you. The
power sl)pplies, radio, audio, osci llators, timers and author discusses how to maximize the usefulness of cheap
switches. Aimed at the less experien ced reader, the com- 205: FIRST BOOK OF HI-FI LOUDSPEAKER test gear, how to upgrade old equipment, and effective test
ponents used are popular and inexpensive. ENCLOSURES set ups.
B.B. BABANI
This book gives data for building most types of loudspeaker THE POWER SUPPLY HANDBOOK
enclosure. Includes corner reflex, bass reflex, exponential TAB No.806 $16.45
horn, folded horn, tuned port, klipschorn labyrinth, tuned A complete one stop reference for hobbyists and engineers.
column, loaded port and multi speaker panoramic. Many Contains high and low voltage power supplies of every con-
clear diagrams for every construction showing the dimen- ceivable type as well mobile and portable units.
sions necessary.

ALL PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING

BP70: TRANSISTOR RADIO FAULT-FINDING CHART $2.40 BP46: RADIO CIRCUITS USING IC'o $5.90
CHAS. E. MILLER
Across the top of the chart will be found four rectangles con-
taining brief descriptions of various faults; vis: - sound
~B.DANCE, M.Sc.
This book describes integrated circuits and how they can be
employed in receivers for the reception of either amplitude
MISCELLANEOUS
weak but undistorted; set dead; sound low or distorted and or frequency modulated signals. The chapter on amplitude
background noises. One then selects the most appropriate of modulated (a.m.) receivers will be of most interest to those BP68: CHOOSING AND USING YOUR HI-FI $7.25
these and following the arrows, carries out the suggested who wish to receive distant stations at only moderate audio MAURICE L. JAY
checks in sequence until the fault is cleared. quality, while the chapter on frequency modulation (f.m.) The main aim of this book is to provide the reader with the
r~ceivers will appeal to those who desire high fideli.ty recep- fundamental informatiCJn necessary to erlable him to make a
ELECTRONIC TROUBLESHOOTING HANDBOOK
AB019 $9.45
tion. ~~i~:a~~~~~~h~c~~~k~. the extensive range of hi·fi equi~
This workbench guide can show you how to pinpoint circuit Hel~ i~ given to ~he re~der in understanding the equi~
troubles in minutes, how to test anything electronic, and how ment h~ 1~ mterested 1~ ~uy1ng and the author also gives his
to get the most out of low cost test equipment. You can use
any and all of the tim.,.saving shortcuts to rapidly locate and
repair all types of electronic equipment malfunctions.
REFERENCE own op1n1on of the mm1mum standards and specifications
one should look for. The book also offers helpful advice on
how to use your hi·fi properly so as to realise its potential. A
Glossary of terms is also included.
COMPLETE GUIDE TO READING SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS THE BEGINNER'S HANDBOOK OF ELECTRONICS
AB018 $9.45
A complete guide on how to read and understand schematic
AB003 S9.45 ~~~~~E~~':'RTO IDENTIFY UNMARKED IC'S $1.70
An excellent textbook for those interested in the fundamen·
diagrams. The book teaches how to recognize basic circuits tals of Electronics. This book covers all major aspects of Originally publi.shed as a feature in 'Radio Ele<tronics', this
and identify component functions. Useful for technicians power supplies, amplifiers, oscillators, radio, television and chart shows ~ow to record the particular signatu~e of an un·
and hobbyists who want to avoid a lot of headscratching. mark~d IC usmg a test meter, this information can then be us·
more.
ed w1th manufacturer's data to establish the application.
ELEMENTS OF ELECTRONICS - AN ON-GOING SERIES

RADIO AND F.A. WILSON, C.C.I.A., C.Ens.,

BP62: BOOK 1. The Simple Electronic Circuit
and Components $8.95
SIMPLIFIED TRANSISTOR THEORY
TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. AND LEVINE
BP63: BOOK 2. Alternatins Current HB20 $10.25
COMMUNICATION Theory
BP64: BOOK 3. Semiconductor
$8.95 This book is designed to provide thorough comprehension of
~e physical theory and basic operating principles of tran·
Technolosy ·$8.95 s1stors and transistor circuits. The book assumes no previous
BP77: BOOK 4. Microproceosins Systems knowledge of the subject other than an understanding of
8P79: RADIO CONTROL FOR BEGINNERS $7.30 basic electricity.
F.C. RAVER, T.Ens.(CEI),Asooc.IERE. And Circuits $12.30
BP89: BOOK 5. Communication $12.30 The information is presented in a series of brief
The aim of this book is to act as an introduction to Radio logically-developed steps, or frames -over 400 in all. A con:
Control for beginners to the hobby. The book will commence The aim of this series of books can be stated quite simply -
it is to provide an inexpensive introduction to modern elec- eluding summary section provides both a concise review and
by dealing with the conditions that are allowable for such a convenient reference source for future use.
things as frequency and power of transmission. This is follow· tronics so that the reader will start on the right road by
ed by a "block" explanation of how control·device and thoroughly understanding the fundamental princiPles involv·
ed. BASIC TELEPHONE SWITCHING SYSTEMS
transmitter operate and receiver and actuator{s) produce mo- TALLEY
tion in a model. Although written especially for readers with no more
than ordinary arithmetical skills, the use of mathematics is HB27 $15.25
Details are then given of actual solicf'state transmitting The Revised Second Edition of this book, for trainee and
equipment which the reader can build. Plain and loaded not avoided, and all the mathematics required is taught as
the reader progresses. engineer alike, includes updated statistical data on
aerials are then discussed and so is the field"5trength meter to teleph~ne ~tations, ~nd new and improved signaling methods
help with proper setting up. Each book is a complete treatise of a particular branch
of the subject and, therefore, can be used on its own with one and sw1tchmg techmques. It also includes E & M signaling in·
The radio receiving equipment is then dealt with which terface for electronic central offices and automatic number
includes a simple receiver and also a crystal controlled proviso, that the later books do not duplicate material from
their predecessors, thus a working knowledge of the subjects identification methods used in step-by~step, panel and
superhet. The book ends with the electro-mechanical means crossbar central offices.
of obtaining movement of the controls of the model. covered by the earlier books is assumed.
BOOK 1: This book contains all the fundamental theory
necessary to lead to a full understanding of the simple elec· INTERRELATED INTEGRATED ELECTRONICS CIRCUITS
BP96: CB PROJECTS
tronic circuit and its main components. ~~.~:HE RADIO AMATEUR, TECHNICIAN, HOBBYIST AND
R.A. PENFOLD
Projects include speech processor, aerial booster, cordless BOOK 2: This book continues with alternating current
theory without which there can be no comprehension of MENDELSON
mike, aerial and.harmonic filters, field strength meter, power HB29 $11.35
supply, CB rece1ver and more. speech, music, radio, television or even the electricity
utilities. This book provides a variety of appealing projects that can
BOOK 3: Follows on semiconductor t·>chnology, be constructed by anyone from the hobbyist to the engineer.
BP91: AN INTRODUCTION TO RADIO DXins $8.10 Con.stru~tion de.tail~. layouts, and photographs are provided
This book is divided into two main sections one to amateur leading up to transistors and integrated circuits.
BOOK 4: A complete description of the internal work· to s1mphfy duplicatiOn. While most of the circuits are shown
band reception, the other to broadcast bands. Advice is given on prin.ted circuit boards, every one can be duplicated on
to suitable equipment and techniques. A number of related ings of microprocessor.
BOOK 5: A book covering the whole communication hand-w~red, perforated boards. Each project is related to
constructional projects are described. a.nother projects so that several may be combined into a
scene.
~mgle package. Th~ projects, divided into five major groups,
SHORTWAVE CIRCUITS a. GEAR FOR EXPERIMENTERS a. BP85: INTERNATIONAL TRANSISTOR EQUIVALENTS mclude CMOS aud1o modules, passive devices tohelp in ben·
RADIO HAMS chwork, test instruments, and g4mes.
No. 215 $3.70 GUIDE $12.25
Covers constructional details of a number of projects for the ADRIAN MICHAELS
This book will help the reader to find possible substitutes for BASIC CARRIER TELEPHONY, THIRD EDITION
shortwave enthusiast and radio "Ham". Included are: an add· TALLEY
in crystal filter, adding an "S" meter in your receiver; crystal a popular user-orientated selection of modern transistors.
Also shown are the material type, polarity, manufacturer HB28. $14.45
locked H.F. Receiver; AM tuner using phase locked loop; A bas1c course in the principles and applications of carrier
coverter for 2MHz, 40 to BOO MHz RF amplifier, Aerials for selection of modern transistors. Also shown are the material
type, polarity, manufacturer and use. The Equivalents are telephon.y and its place in the overall communications pic·
the 52, 144MHz bands, Solid State Crystal Frequency ture. It IS abundantly illustrated, with questions and pro-
Calibrator, etc. sutH:Jivided into European, American and japanese. The pro-
ducts of over 100 manufacturers are included. An essential blems throughout, and requires a minimum of mathematics.
BP92: ELECTRONICS SIMPLIFIED-CRYSTAL SET addition to the library of all those interested in electronics,
CONSTRUCTION be they technicians, designers, engineers or hobbyists. Fan-
F.A. WILSON tastic value for the amount of information it contains.
Aimed at those who want to get into construction without
much theoretical study. Homewound coils are used and all
projects are very inexpensive to build.
BP1: FIRST BOOK OF TRANSISTOR EQUIVALENTS AND
SUBSTITUTES $2.80
ROBOTICS
B.B. BABANI
This guide covers many thousands of transistors showing THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK OF ROBOTICS
AND VIDEO I NTERFERENCE CURES possible alternatives and equivalents. Covers transistors TAB No.1071 $13.45
made in Great Britain, USA, Japan, Germany, France, Europe, All the information you need to build a walking, talking
$9.05 Hong Kong, and includes types produced by more than 120
work about interference causes and cures that af· mechanical friend appears in this book. Your robot can take
different manufacturers. many forms and various options - light, sound, and proximi·
io, hi·fi, CB, .and other devices. Provides all the in-
needed to stop interference. Schematic wiring ty sensors - are covered in depth.
of filters for all types of receivers and transmitters BP14: SECOND BOOK OF TRANSISTOR EQUIVALENTS
luded. Also, it supplies simple filter diagrams to AND SUBSTITUTES $4.80 HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN SELF PROGRAMMING
radio and TV interference caused by noisy home B.B. BAliANI ROBOT
neon lights, motors, etc. The "First Book of Transistor Equivalents" has had to be TAB No.1241 $13.45
reprinted 15 times. The "Second Book" produced in the same A practical guide on how to build a robot capable of learning
style as the first book, in no way duplicates any of the data how to adapt to a changing enviroment. The creature
developed in the .book, Rodney, is fully self programming,
Book presented in it. The "Second Book" contains only additional
material and the two books complement each other and can develop theor1es to deal with situations and apply those
Of The make available some of the most complete and extensive in-
f'>r":'ation in this field. The interchangeability data covers
theories in future circumstances.

MOnth s~m1conductors manufactured in Great Britain, USA, Ger- BUILD YOUR OWN WORKING ROBOT
TAB No.841 $11.45
r.1any, France, Poland, Italy, East Germany, Belgium, Austria,
Netherlands and many other countries. Contains complete plans - mechanical, schematics, logic
Crystal Set Construction :.............BP92 ..............$7.30 diagrams and wiring diagrams - for building Buster. Buster
TOWER'S INTERNATIONAL OP·AMP LINEAR IC SELECTOR is a sophisticated experiment in cybernetics you can build in
How often have you leaned back from your twelve TAB No.1216 $13.45 stages. There are two phases involved: first Buster is leash
glga-dollar microcomputer, switched off your 10,000 This book con.tains a wealth of useful data on over 5,000 Op- led, dependent on his creator for guidance; the second phase
watt national debt stereo, told the robot to go kill amps and linear ICs - both pinouts and essential n:ake~ Buster more independent and able to get out of tough
compact cars and thought how long It's been since c~ar~cteristic.s. A comprehensive series of appendices con· s1tuat1ons.
you've built a crystal radio? Not very often, right? tam mformat1on on specs, manufacturers, case outlines and
You need thla book. lt'l therapeutic, practical and, so on.
at the very leaat,lt will help you build aomethlng you
can actually undel'8tand. CMOS DATABOOK ALL PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING
TAB No.984 $14.45
This book 11 Ideal for both the beginner Just getting There ate several books around with this title but most are

-• • -•
Into elactronlca and the experienced soldering Iron j~st collections o~ manufa~turers' data sheet~. This one, by
cavalier who just wants to atop alaylng IC's for a Bill Hunter, explams all the mtricacies of this useful family of
while. All the aspects of crystal sets ara covered, logic devices . . . the missing link in getting your own
from simple circuits to multlband seta, plus their designs working properly. Highly recommended to anyone
history and some radio theory. Slmpla, easy to get working with digital circuits.
parts are specified throughout.

SEE ORDER FORM ON PAGE 61

February 1977 July 1980
Features: CN Tower, Biqrythm Calculator, Fe~tures: CMOS 555 Circuits, Capadtpi~• t<f>rm·<Hrto Tape and Tape Recor-
VCT;' 555 Timer Applications, Yamaha 81 ElectroniCs in the.. studio, Testa Controversy;' a Micro, Holograms, Wein
Review, Scope Test Your Car. Projects: Hebot Robot (pt.1), Photographic 55 Circuits>
Projects: SW Stereo Amp, Phillps Speaker Timer, Analogue. Frequency Meter, Accen- Alarm, Bem;h PSU, Wired
System, Reaction Tester, Patch Detector, tuated Beat Metronome.
Heads or Tart, SCR Tester.
August 1980
December 1978 Features: S100 Bus System, Introduction Circuits, A lopkat CPJM,
Features: Designing Oscillators, Ham Spec- Test Gear, Designer Circuits, FET Special, loops, Ex-OR1Gates.
trum Chart, Principles of Video, Getting into Out There? Meter, Rus.~ian Roulette,
Video. Projects: 300W AMp, Hebot ( ~mergensy light Unit.
Projects: Digital Anemometer, Tape Noise T!f~ter, Passionni\'l:ter,
1981.. .w
Eliminator, EPROM Programmer. 'November 1980 F•,••"""'" ,ScopeSurvey, , Graphic g,q ualizer
February 1979
Features: Des Design, 1/0 pevices, Dolby c.,
Black Hole
Decks and Theory.
Features: Quarks, Op·Amps, Binary to Daedalus, Projects: Tape Optimizer, Antenn.a Extender,
Decimal and Back. Projects: Guitar Win Indicator, Pulse Generator,.
Projects: SW Radio, Phasemeter, light Chaser. Infra-Red Remote
April1979 December 1980
Features: Designing Audio Amps, Solar Features: Transducers in Audio, Floppy Disks,
RF Chokes, What Quad terms '1 0 Simple Transistor Circuits, Electric <;~rs;SI
PrO'jects:· Differential To,.,..n.,.,,., Units. · , '
Audio Compressor, W Digital Test Meter, RIAA Preamp,
I Game.

June 1979 "

Features: Op-Amps, Ultrasonic 'ts.
Computer Catalogue, Projects: 4-Way loudspeaker, Movement
Projects: Easy Colour Organ, LCD Ther- Alarm, Temp\!rature Controfled Iron.
mometer, Light Show Colour Sequencer, VHF
Antenna (pt.2), Bip Beacon. February 1982 '
features: soprcuits, A TOM Review, Elec-
August 1979 tron!<:: Stgns,'' ,,Industrial J~obots; Amplifier
Features: Casing Su Class, d8x; SW Aerials. &<
Antennas, Reed !;w.·HrliA< , Rr.ojects: flash .i;Sequencer, !i'J:lla,rger <Timer,
Audio Amp, Industrial Sound Bender. · ·
Projects: Audio Power
March 1982
Wet Plant Waterer
Fea.tures: Printers, Ni-Cads, 2iX81 Review,
Perfect Sou9d, Gluons, CMOS Circui.ts.
Project$: Mu$ic Processor, Crystal Marker, Ni-
Cad Charger, Reaction Tester.
April

November 1979 Generator!, "~uper Dice,

Features: Kit Survey, Ultra, Fidelity (pt.2), Us·
ing UARTS, ,
Projects: 60W Amplifier, Model Train Cone 19~ A A 0
troller, Scope Curve Tracer. Fei\tures: Fibre Optics, Lasers in Hi-fi, Lep-
tons, Xerox Computer Review, Hertz, 50 More
December 1979 Circuits.
Features: LMiO-the Basies, Police Rada'r ''
Speed Meters, Guide to TRIACS, Fluorescent
Displays.
Projects: High Performance Stereo
Development Timer, logic;,,. Trigger.

May 1980
Features: Delay Lines, Standing ,Waves, Project Galileo, .Story Behi.nd
Microwave Cooking, Artificial Intelligence. Stereo, Solder, Computerese.
Projects: Click Eliminator, Soil Moisture In- Projects: 1573A VCA, High Speed Cassette II)'
dicator, Fuel Level Monitor, ]6k RAM Card. .~erface, Double Dice, Bicycle Speedometer.
June 1980 July 1981
Features: Electronic Wprtare, PLL Synthesis, Features: LM3914 Circuits, How to Solder,
CA3130 Circuits, Canadian Sound Archives; > Faraday, Auto Sound Survey Pro).e<:t F.ault·
Magnetic PoweJ Control, CUP. Finding. ' '· ·
Projects: Funct1on Generator, Dynamic Noise, Projects: Universal Timer, Bargraph Car
Filter, Overspeed Alarm. Voltmeter, Engineer's Stethosco.pe, Computer
Motherboard.
 I

THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE OF ~~ ;)i i (\) \J I) :ij \) i') \J01

1 BACK ISSUES: Please circle issues desired.
YOUR ISSUE EACH MONTH I 1977 February July
1978 June August September
I November December
1 1979 January February March April May June
August September October November December
I 1980 January February March May June July
1 August _ . October November December

I 1981 January February March April June

August September October November December
July

I 1982 January February March April May June

I QTY.
....... Back issues
ITEM
$3 (mark choice a~ove)
@
AMOUNT
$. ... ....
I • • More Circuits @ $4.95
• 0 ••• $...... . .
I . . . . . . . Hobby Projects @ $3.95 $.. . .. ...

I . . . . . . . Electronic Circuit Design @ $3.95

Projects Book No. 2 @ $3.95
$.. .... . .
$........
I
• 0 • ••••

. . . . . . . Circuits File @ $3.95 $...... ..

I
BOOKS, BACK ISSUES I ....... Subscriptions @ $16.95/$29.95 $.. .. . ...
ETI T-shirts @ $5.50 $... . ....
BINDERS-SEE RIGHT I
• 0 ••• • •

Small ( ) Medium ( ) Large ( )

I . . . . . . . ETI Binders @ $8.00 $ ........
Q) Ontario residents add 7% PST except for subscriptions.
a.i 0:
c: ell
~
0 u; D
0
a.....:
w I
(.)
Q) >- ~
.c. U)-
Q)l{) a:
(.) .~
a: Code Title Price
.,..:
Q)
(Jl
0>-o
N"O
~ell
<t I (e.g. BP12) (Short-form is O.K.)
al
ctS
Q)
a=
rn rn
Q)
:>·-
Q)
0
1- I $ ..

w
..,.
:I:
:::!!:
C'·
....J
<X:
rn.!:;
rn c
·- :J UJ z I $ ...
$
.2
~
s
UJ
~0
~()
c
0
~
1-
<!
1-
U)
N
<t I $ ....• . •.• . . . • .

0
'E z
UJ
·- .r::.
0.0
Q)
i:iJ
()
i.l:!
:J
0
<t I . . . . ..... . . $

cr:
0
'E 0
-~ D z
> UJ
tiim
c-
en ell
::!E
1-
I $ .......... . ..
$ .. .
e0 .0('")
iji~
0 1-
<!
·- 0
U)~
en I
0::
0.. o. a: $ .. .
...: ~"
1-
-c:i
0 ell"O
(!)ell
>-m
0.
X
UJ
Li:
a: I $ ... ... .. ... .... . .

0
>
iii C'·
z
o rn
:s: ell
~---~
::>
0
I $ ....... . .. ... . . . .

$ ........ .. ...... .

I
Ill
Q)

:»> ~i=
0 o ':"
U)~
>
a: I $ ..

0 QJC..
-;::a:
a>::J
.o~
,....o .r::.
0
LL.
I $.
U)
N ~() ~- rn en I $ ..... . ... . ..... .

- 0(/) ~-o ell $ .............. .

<D ~Q)
() ~
·c:
;:::)
Ecn
,_:::>
O(/)
:>"0
rn :>
rn-
"c
Q)
w
w I $ ... . ... ... . ..

ai
c:
:s
:::lUJ
·-
N-~
Srn
() rn
1-
00
'
3:
00
I $
$ ..... ... .. .
·;::;
Ill
Cl
oz
;;: o
gell
·-"
U)
U)
>-
1-
0
zz
()
o-
I
co
I $

Q)
-o
Ill
:::!!: Q) ••
(J)CI)
§.~
~ell UJ
UJ
0:: z
s0 UJ
0
o<!
<llC>
(/)
Q)

ci
3: I $
~()
0
()
>-
Ill
"C
0
ctSZ
~0 .co
:>-
:::!
<!
z
0
0
<! 1-
0
() .2~Z
g~~
~
0
...I
...I
I ...........
$ .......... ...... .

$ ...... . ... .. .
1-
IJ)
C..j::
0~
men
~ c
ell·-
m-
<ll,l!:<!
<ll rn ell
<t
w
I Total Enclosed $ .•........
()
·c: a: >-"
c
:> ell rn
en
e 1%:() g~~

•
ell
UJC/) Q)
<t If we cannot complete REMEMBER TO PUT
ti
Q)
em
I%::> 0-o
o;
c.r::. .r::.--
Oiiiiii w
...J I your order would you like YOUR NAME & ADDRESS
iii QCI)
. DOD Q.
I a refund D
or held for a backorder D
ON THIS FORM.
BaHery Operated VCO
R. Zaman .
By using the LM 3900N quad-op-
amp, a simple portable battery
operated VCO can be made very
cheaply . A 1 forms an integrator, the
ramp rate depending on the vo ltage Vi
and capacitor C. This ramp is fed to a
Schmidt trigger which switches at
about 5V8, making A1 ramp down,
generating a triangular wave of about
OV85 .
The Schmidt trigger feeds a tran-
sistor switch and an emitter follower .
The triangular wave is then fed to
A3 which 3cts as an inverting amp- 02 - 0 1 1
lifier, and the outp!Jt is fed to A4
which is an exponential integrator set Q1,2 ARE 2N3804
at a pseudo-ground of 4V5 . The bias 01·11 ARE SIGNAL 22k
DIODES
and gain pots must be adjusted to
give the best sine waveform.
Vi can be any positive voltage from range of about 1 :1 00 . Capacitor C and the outputs have a low distortion
+0 .5 ~+ 1 5 .0 V, giving a frequency can be any value from 1 On to 4 7n up to about 20 kHz. e

Vlf Sine Generator +20V

G . Loveday

Generating very low frequency sine

waves (i .e. less than 0 . 1 Hz) presents
several problems . Timing capacitors
usually have to be large value elec-
tro!ytics , any amplifier used must be
D.C . coupled , and the amplifier's in- AMPLITUDE)
put impedance must be very high .
One standard method is to first
generate low frequency square
waves , and then to shape these into
Cl
1u5
.C2
1u5
NOTE:
an approximation of a sine wave by Q1 IS 2N3818
the use of several non linear devices, Q21S 2N3105
such as· diodes. The circ11it shown in
Fig . 1 is a relatively simple approach
based on the familiarWien bridge .An R5
10M
n-channel FET and a PNP transistor
are arranged in a DC coupled circuit
and the voltage gain is determ ined by
the negative feedback R3 and R4. Since R 1 can be a high value res- low harmonic distortion and to be
The gain need only be about three , istor the value of the capacitor is only about 1 OV peak to peak. As expected ,
thus if the bias required by the FET is 1 u5 for sine wave outputs of 0 .01 Hz . with this Wien bridge circuit.
3V the output level will be This capacitor is available in poly- frequency stability is good with
approximately half the supply vol- carbonate. The amplitude of the out- changes in both supply voltage and
tage . put can be adjusted by RV 1 to give temperature. e

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-63

5 WaH Audio Amplifier The high frequency response of the directly to the volume control RV1 . If,
circuit is affected by the value of C5. however, the input does not have a
A circuit for the TBABOO IC audio When the value of this capacitor is mean potential equal to the ground
amplifier which requires a minimum 270p, the response is level to ± 3dB potential, a capacitor of about 220n
number of external components is from about 40Hz to 20kHz. If, how- should be placed in series with the
shown here . The mean output voltage ever, C5 is increased to 4 70p, the input . The input impedance of the
at pin 1 2 of the device is about half of upper 3dB point is about 1OkHz. TBABOO is typically 5MO (minimum
the positive supply poten t ial and Feedback is taken from the output value 1 MO for any TBABOO); how-
therefore a capacitor C4 must be via a 7k0 intern al resistor to a point ever, a resistor not exceeding about
employed in series with the speaker to which is connected to pin 6 . The 1 OOk must always be present bet-
prevent a steady current from flowing feedback voltage is developed across ween pin 8 and the negative line.
through the latter. If the value of this R 1; if the value of this resistor is C1 should be soldered close to pin
capacitor is reduced, the bass res- increased , the gain will fall owing to 1 . It provides good decoupling of the
ponse will be reduce<:! . the increased amount of feedback . power supply lines at high frequen-
The bootstrap connection to pin 4 However, the value of R 1 also affects cies, whilst C2 provides good low
of the device is obtained from the the frequency response. frequency decoupling . Capacitor C7
junction of C4 and the loudspeaker. The input is shown as being fed and resistor R2 help to prevent in-
stability.
+24V
A method of connecting a heatsink
is shown below . The tabs and the
external heatsink are soldered
together into a common hole and are
earthed . The maximum output with-
out a heatsink is limited to about
2.3W. e

+24V
Alternative Circuit
In this circuit, the capacitor C9 pro-
vides a bootstrap between the output
of the device and pin 4 . This enables a
performance similar to that of .the
circuit above to be obtained when one
side of the loudspeaker is grounded.
If the supply voltage is low (up to
14V), a 1 50R resistor should be con-
nected between pin 4 and the positive
supply line. A capacitor CB may be
connected between pin 7 and ground
to prevent hum from the power supply
line being present at an appreciable
amplitude at the output of the device .
The value of CB may be 1 Ou to 1 OOu, R1
25V. 56R
The distortion rises rapidly with
power output at high power levels .
When a 24V supply is employed with about 0 . 5 per cent at output levels up
a 16R load, the distortion introduced . to 3W. At 4W it rises to about 2-4 per
by the circuit shown here at 1kHz is cent and at 5W to 1 0 per cent . e
64-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
Moving Coil Cartridge Preamp.
J. Macauley
Although moving coil cartridges un-
doubtedly give better reproduction
from disc they usually require an ex-
pensive step up transformer to en-
able them to be used with conven-
tional RIAA equalisation.
The reason for this is that most
cartridges of this type have outputs of
60-1 50uV and like to 'see' an input
impedance between 60-330R .
NOTE:
The circuit shown was developed Q1 IS MPS6515
Q2,3 ARE 2N3806
to cater for a particular cartridge of "SEE TEXT
this. type although by modifying the
value of one component, R 1, it is
possible to cater for the complete
range of inputs detailed above .
emitter mode. Heavy local AC and DC and 03 , output signals being taken
Input signals are coupled to the feedback is introduced by R5 and this from across R7, R8 . ,
base of 01 via t he isolating capacitor defines the gain of the stage at 20dB . R 1 should be determined by ex-
C 1. R 1 damps the input impedance to To minimise noise an MPS6515 is used periment but can be initially found by
the correct value to match the parti- here operated with a low collector using a 4 70R preset in the R 1 possi-
cular cartridge in use. R2 and R3 bias current, 50uA. The output stage of tion and adjusting this for optimum
01 which .is em ployed in the common this amplifier is the darlington pair 02 sound quality by ear. e

One Chip Preamplifier

J . P. Macaulay

R13 +9 - 30V
100k
R14
100k

~C1 4u7
R1
47k
+1~~~
RVJ
10k 0/P
11)9

RV2
100k
lin

R6
100R

+
l100u

The circuit shown utilises the four damping for the cartridge . are employed for each channel. This
Norton op amps contained within an R5 and R6 define the midband not · only reduces crosstalk between
LM3900 to produce a high quality gain of the stage whilst the network channels but also works out cheaper
stereo preamp, catering for magnetic R3 , R4, C2 and C3 provide the req - in that only two single gang poten-
cartridges. uired RIAA equalisation . From here tiometers are used .
IC1 is used in the inverting mode . the equalised sign a l i s fed to a Performance is good with overall
Signals from the cartridge are fed via standard Baxendall tone control net- d istortion below 0 . 1% and a S I N
the blocking capacitor and R 1 to the work built around IC2 . This requires ratio of -67db unweighted, ref 500
inverting input. R 1 defines the input little comment although it should be mVout.e
impedance and provides the right noted that individual volume controls
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-65
 NOTE CODE !BINARY)
No. HGFE DCBA
1 0000 0001
2 0000 0010
0000 0011
0000 0100
0000 0101
6 0110
BCD Tone Generator DATA 7 0000 0111
INPUTS 8 0000 1000
0000 1001
10 0001 0000
A
P. Bailey 11 0010 0000
B 12 0011 0000
13 0100 0000
When one of the binary codes in the c 14 P101 0000
table is set up on the data inputs, a 0 15 0110 0000
16 0111 0000
corresponding preset connected to 17 1000 0000
IC 1 and 2 will be grounded, and the 18 1001 0000
unijunction will start to oscillate, the
frequency· of oscillation depending on
which output of the ICs is grounded.
If the 1 8 presets are tuned to form
a chromatic scale and the inputs in-
terfaced to your MPU data bus- hey
presto you have a simple MPU con- A
trolled organ' e B
c·
NOTE;
0 ICl, 2 ARE 74141

Gentle Clock Alarm There are gentler ways to wake up . usual trauma . The three multivibra-
This circuit provides an alarm which tors in cascade provide a signal like
builds up from being inaudible to loud the sound of a warbler telephone . As
I . Hill-Smith over about one minute. As a result you C slowly charges through R a larger
are always woken by the minimum fraction of the signal is amplified by
RING I RING I BUZZ I This is 0 L T volume required to wake you; a far the op amp pr'oducing a louder out-
CLANG ! PIP PIP PIP' more comfortable experience than the put . e

<>--<>
- 12V

12k lJOk 130k 12k 22k 22k

LSI
HIGH
IMPEDANCE

OV

66-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

7400 Siren
The siren consists of tVI(o oscillators
which generate the tones. A third osc-
illator is used to switch the others on
and off alternately, giving the two
tone effect
By changing the capacitor values
different tones can be produced. e
14UU

IN I Vee
PIN TsOV
PIN 14"s +5V
IN IN
ov
OUT IN

IN OUT

IN IN

OUT IN

GNO OUT

fibre Optic Bass Guitar

J. Smith .
FLASHLIGHT BULB
a REFLECTOR

l This item is in effect a simple musical

instrument. It consists of a number
of short lengths of plastic monofila-
ment fibre optic material arranged in
such a way that when a fibre is
touched then released it vibrates at
its own natural resonant frequency
TO BATTERY (like a ruler twanged on the edge of a
desk) . When in a light beam sup-
plied from a flashlight battery the
vibrating end sends sine wave im·
pulses along the fibre. At the fixed
end there is a photodiode which with
PHOTODIODES
1N2175 suitable circuitry feeds a signal to a
r------.------.------.----------------0+12V normal audio amplifier. The sound
produced is similar to that obtained
using a tea chest, piece of string and
broom handle; remember those
days? Thickness of the fibres and
length are not critical and it is best to
experiment to obtain the sound that
pleases the c9nstructor. The fibres
need be no longer than about
ONE METHOD OF
CONNECTING DIODES 60 mm. Remember the shorter they
TO AMPLIFIER are the higher the note produced. e

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-67

Audio Doubler
Audio frequencies may be doubled by
this circuit which relies on the non-
linear characteristic of a transistor to OUTPUT
provide half-wave rec,tification. R 1 is a
feedback control and is adjusted to INPUT
obtain a pure output waveform . e

Simple Compressor
470k
This simple compressor is very effec- INo---4---------JV~~------------~~--oQUT
tive when tape recording from the
speaker terminals of a receiver.
Input can vary anywhere from
200mV to six volts and the output will
remain very close to five millivolts.
Attack time is approximately three
milliseconds and release time is
approximately one hundred
milliseconds. The diodes should be
high back resistance types; 1 N 914s
should be suitable. e ..

4 Channel Synthesizer This circuit will synthesize two ·rear 180° our of phase, added to a pro-
channels for ' quadraphonic' sound portion of the right hand channel (also
T. Huffinley when fed with a stereo signal. The out of phase). The right hand rear
rear output for the left channel, is a output is obtained in a similar way. e
cqmbination of the left channel input

LEFT
IN

NOTE:
IC1 ,2 IS LM324N
IC31S LF353
ALL RESISTORS 100k

RI G HT
IN

68- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 Precision Rectifying with the
RJ
LM3900 2M2
R4
100k

A. Winsor

The LM3900 is different from most

1 IN o---i t-.J\/'1/V'---'--t
C1
op-amps in that it is current differen- 100n

cing and operates from a single sup-

R5
ply rail, which mean that the inputs 560k
bias at one base-emitter voltage above
ground . Hence standard techniques
are not applicable as the diode would
Vee
always be forward-biased. Two feed- NOTE'
IC1 IS y. LM3900
back paths are therefore provided:- D1 IS ANY GENERAL PURPOSE
R3 for DC stability, and R4 for the AC DIODE

signal after C2 and R5 have filtered

out the DC bias. When R2 =. 2 X R3 made very much smaller than R3 . C1 ments .
point A will be at Vcc/2, allowing the and C3 are DC blocking capacitors This circuit has obvious potential,
diode to be reversed at will. For large and determine the low frequency roll- especially in portable equipment
positive input returned to ground. off. Component values quoted are where the 4 amps . in one package
input impedance equals R1, and vol- those used on the prototype and may and single supply rail yield a more
tage gain equals- R4/ R 1 since R4 is be altered to suit individual require- compact. more convenient unit . e

BCD to Analogue Converter

C. R. Poole

POSITIVE
SUPPLY

10k

16
·o·

15
'1'

8
2'

3 '? '
9

6 t3
'4'

74141 This circuit will convert four-bit BCD

BCD INPUT
into a variable voltage from 0-9V in
7 14 1 volt steps. Only two ICs are used,
'5'
both are readily available.
The SN74141 is a 'Nixie' driver, and
4 11 has ten open-collector outputs. These
'6 '
are used to ground a selected point in
the divider chain, determined by the
10 BCD code at the input, and so produce
'7'
a corresponding voltage at the output.
The accuracy of the circuit depends
on the tolerance of the resistors and
'8'
also the accuracy of the reference
voltage. · However, presets can be
used in the divider chain, 'with correct
2
'9' calibration. The 741 is used as a
buffer. e

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-69

I
 general have a poor slew rate, fairly With the controls flat the unit pro-
High QualHy Tone Control vides unity gain, so the stage can be
high distortion and high noise when
used in this application. switched in or out.
P. Mills The design is suitable for inputs
The circuit shown is based on an
inverting op amp using discrete tran- between 100 mV and 1VO. and pro-
When designing a high quality pre- vides a good 'overload margin at low
amp, the author was faced with the sistors to overcome the above pro-
blems. The output stage is driven by a distortion for the accurate reproduc-
problem of designing a suitable tone
constant current source, biased by a tion of transients. The usual screening
control stage . Op amps such as the
green LED to provide temperature precautions against hum should be
741 are commonly used, but in
compensation. carried out. e

P
1

100n
390R
lOOk LED1
lin 68k 1Sk GREEN
10k BASS 10k

2N3106

3k9

MPS4i515

4k7

Variable Notch Filter

P. McChesney Vout

NOTCH
In electronic music circuits there is DEPTH

need for an all -pass notch filter

possess i ng a movable notch
10k 1k0 ..
,
frequency. The circuit shown is cap-
able of moving the reject frequency
over a 1 0 kHz range throughout the
full range of audio frequencies , the
position of the notch being dependent Vin

on the voltage applied to the control

input.
IC 1 and IC2 are both all-pass filters
possessing a flat frequency response
well beyond the audio range , but
having a phase difference between 4 k7 CONTROL

input and output signals of 0 . 5 / CR .

This phase difference becomes 1 80 as an all -pass notch filter , letting and Q3, 4 act as voltage controlled
degrees, so that if the output and through all frequencies except at resistors which allow the notch
input are mixed , signal cancellation 0.5 / CR . frequency to be moved when the
occurs i.e . the circuit is now working The two transistor networks Q 1 , 2 control voltage is changed . e

70- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Battery Charge/Discharge
Indicator
A. A. C. Mcinnes

This circuit is intended to monitor car

battery voltage. It differs from other
circuits in that it provides indication of
the nominal supply voltage as well as
low or high voltage. This makes it
particularly useful for indicating de-
viation of the supply voltage from the
nominal.
Three LEDs are used - red, yellow r--....----t--p--""T"-""T"-E~ +5-11V

and green. Yellow indicates the

nominal voltage and red and green
indicate low and high values nispec-
tively. RV1 and RV2 adjust the point
at which the red/yellow and yellow/
green LEDs are on or off. Therefore, a
wide supply voltage may be moni- '"
tored.
The prototype has been installed in
a car and set so that the red LED AV2
comes on at 11 V 7 and the green '"'
LED at 12V8. The yellow LED is on
between these values. e ...
DISCH... RGE

+ve
Supply Telltale
D. Shorthouse
ZD 2
BZY88
6V8
LED 3
II
Here is an idea for supply voltage POWER
monitoring, in the form of a voltage ON
monitor for 1 2V supplies, indicating 1N4001
both over or under tolerance voltages.
Using three LED ' s the user can see at
a glance whether power is on, over-
voltage or under-voltage.
This is achieved by means of a
balanced bridge that uses zener 560
diodes ZD1 and ZD2 in the bridge's
opposite arms and back-to-back LEDs
between the mid-points of the bridge
-ve
arms, if the input voltage does not
exceed the two zener breakdown the input voltage increases to the LED2 is turned on, with resistor 1 OOR
voltages (2 x 6V8 = 13V6) LED 1 extent that at the junc:;tion of ZD 2, it limiting the current through the LED.
lights but above 1 3V6 LED 1 becomes exceeds the zener voltage of ZD 1 . Note total drain of unit is about
reverse biased and remains off. When plus the LED voltage of 1 . 6V, then 50mA.e

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-71

Stereo Balance Meter LEDs to extinguish at extremes of both LED 's are equally illuminated.
the IC's voltage swings. The amplifier can now be switched back
To use the indicator, switch the into stereo mode and will be found to
JP Macaul8y amplifier into the mono mode and be in perfect balance. e
adjust the the balance control until

One of the more irritating aspects

of owning a stereo system is the need
to keep both channels in balance.
What often sounds right when adjust·
ing the controls turns out wrong R4 04
. 100k 1N4001
when resuming one's normal listening
position.
This circuit offers a solution to this C1 01 R1
L 10u+ OA91 10k
problem provided that one's equipment
is fitted with a stereo/mono mode o..--, 6
switch.
IC1, a 741 op amp, is used as a
differential ampl ifier. L and R signals
are t;~ken from across the speaker C2 02 R:i
10u OA91
terminals. D1 and D2 rectify these 10k
and the resulting de voltages are 05
applied to the inputs of the IC. 1N4001
The output voltage from the IC1 +
C3
is applied to the LEDs D3 and D6 10u
via the current limiting resistors R7
and R8, and the diodes D4 and D5. ov
These latter components allow the

Speaker Power Indicator Z02

R2 NOTE
33V 1k 01-04 ar" 1N914
IC1 is 741 •
J . Macauley LE01 is 0•2" LEO

This circuit w ill indicate the peak level

of an input signal applied to a
speaker. It is primarily intended as a
fail safe device when connected to an
amplifier of higher power rating than
the speaker.
The circu it is unique in that no
separate DC power supply is required
since the circuitry operates from the
input voltage to the speaker.
RS isolates the amplifier' s output
stage from possible fault conditions in
the circuit . D 1 to D4 full wave rectify
the input signal and the resulting DC
is used to supply the op amp . · low due to the output being unable to required for this component for dif-
The 741 is used as a comparator a go less than 1.5V above ground under ferent input powers across an 8 ohm
reference voltage being obtained from these circumstances. ZD2 defines the load . If different load values are to be
across ZD3 and fed into the inverting upper limit of the op amp 's supply used for the speaker the value of R3
input of the op-amp. The non inver- voltage in the presence of large tran- can be determined from the equation ,
ting input samples the rectified input sients whilst R2 is the current limit
signal. When a peak is fed into the resistor. It should be obvious that the
circuit the IC's outr>ut goes high.and level at which the led lights is depen-
the led flashes. ZD 1 prevents the LED dent upon the value of R3 . The P=Pout
turn in~ on when the output of IC 1 is accompanying table shows the value R=load inO e

72-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Slide Switch Each analogue switch is only
turned on when the comparators
C. Jordan driving the respective EX-OR gate are
in opposite states, i.e. when the vol-
tage on the slider wiper is between the
appropriate two preset voltages .
One of the disadvantages of slide pots The example · is a 4-way, 1-pole
is the unavailability of matching slide switch with off but any-way, any-pole
switches, as with rotary switches and switches can be made, using 741 s as
pots, but slide pots can be given comparators if economic . A little
switching action by the use of this mechanical ingenuity can provide
circuit. click stops, if required. e
VAH1AtlU IUSIS TOH S 1!. I' R[ S E TS
A:IIY VALUE. F ROM ABOU T !>Ok !JIJU~

+12V

; :! :::I
' 23 4 5 i !o hz ~-- --....
I
I
I
01

----2
- · -·360THER I
::.·:::·:~~~~ES r··---~ J a~------------ - ---)----- - -
:::~~ r-r·-- ~\ ! -~ CLK_ ! -- I
~~----· IC4b l"l-·t---~K 0~-----f '\ ~
L___.._-::-..-------l~C:. . p- ---
1
- -! ......... ~'

ov

NOTE:
+SV
01-1 TO SUIT RELAYS
08,10 ARE 2NS804
IC1 IS Yt 7413
IC21S 7480
IC31S 7442
IC41S 7400
IC51S 7430
IC81S 7447
DISPLAY IS DL707

ov

Electronic Switch SW1 iS depressed unril the number of the Schmitt trigger IC 1 will oscillate
the load appears on the 7-scgment and clock the 4-bit counter . This
S. Yacu
display The decimal ~0 i nt then indi- drives the 7 -segment decoder I driver
cates whether or not the load is ener- and the BCD decoder. The outputs
This circuit provides remote switch ing gised . To change the state of the from the BCD decoder are inverted
of up to eight loads , and uses only two load . SW2 is depressed (pressing and fed to the J -K flip-flops. When
switches for selection. One sw1tch is SW2 again w ill change the loads state SW2 is pressed and released , a pulse
used to select the load to be control- .again) will occur at the collector of Q 1 0. The
led, the second controls whether the The circu1t IS based on a 7442 , pulse will clock the sel.ected flip-flop
load 1s energ ised or not. If the state of BCD-to-decimal decoder and a 7 490 and activate or deactivate the relevant
one of the loads needs to be changed . binary counter . When SW1 is closed , relay driver transistor (Q 1-8). e
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-73
Controller For Model Trains
E. Parr

R9
470R
+6V voltage set by RV 1 . The output volt-
age will thus ramp up or down at
POINT a OV OV a constant rate until it is equal m
magnitude (but opposite in sign) to
-6V
the voltage on RV1 . This is summar-
-1-6V
ised on the waveform drawing.
Voltage b drives buffer amplifiers
POINT h OV IC3 and IC4 to give a push pull 12 V
- 6V
drive to the motor for forwards and
reverse. Note that the feedback resis-
tors R5 and ·R7 are taken from the
Most model railway controllers have in this description are referenced to transistor emitters to compensate for
the unfortunate characteristics of the 6V centre tap. IC1 and IC2 the transistor Vb• drops. The motor
giving instant starts and stops to the together form a unity gain inverting should have some current cut-out or
train which would be very unnerving amplifier, with the gain determined by limit connected in series with it to
for the model passengers. The circuit R 1 and R2 . The slope of IC2's output. protect the transistors.
described gives a steady acceleration is determined by C1 and R3/RV2. In use RV1 sets the speed , and
or deceleration on speed changes. The output of IC 1 will thus take up RV2 the acceleration. ll gives a very
and the speed and acceleration con- one of three states : + 6 V (hard realistic train conlrol, although much
trols do not interact. positive). 0 V (balanced), -6 V (hard more skill is needed to stop a train
The power supply is 12V split by negative) dependent on the output accurately at a station platform . In this
R8 and R9 so it appears to the op voltage being more positive that respect it is very close to driving a real
amps as a ::±: 6 V supply . Voltages equal to, or more negative than the train .e

+Ve

r----- ------------,I
I

+ Cl
~~
SOu
25V

OUTPUT

Train Controller with Inertia Switch S 1 switches in the inertia output and provides 'short-circuit pro-
and Brake simulator (comprising D1 , RV1 , R2 tection . When a short occurs, LED 1
and C2). S2 switches in the brake, the lights up and the current into 01 is
M . Bright action of which is altered by RV3 . reduced. Hence, the output is
RV2 controls the amount of inertia. so reduced . Two 1W resistors are used
that the train can take as lorig as ten for R3.4 rather than a wirewound
D 2-5 full wave rectifies the AC ar.d C 1 seconds before even moving . 01.2 V2W resistor, wliich would cost more.
smooths the output. RV 1 acts as a act as a Darlington pair, supplying S3 simply reverses the polarity and
regulator controlling train speed. current to the output. 03 monitors the hem::e the train . e
74-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
Anti-surge Voltage Regulator to charge without causing excessive
collector current in the output tran-
A. Wey sistors.
This high gain voltage regulator with Typical regulator output impedance .-------------------~----ov1
36V
only two transistors has characteristics is 0.1 ohm.
superior to those of the commonly Output voltage is expressed by:
used compound emitter-follower type. Vo=Vz-VBE1
· The circuit was used in a 30 watt Output voltage rise time is expressed
stereo amplifier which not only required by:
a well regulated supply but also an out- T=RsC11n(1-Vz/VI) ~------~---o: vo
put voltage that would rise slowly from Some digital systems require a preset -:
zero volts when the system was first turn on sequence for their power sup- :.:: ZL

turned on. This slow application (about ~:·

plies. By setting appropriate Rs/C1
2 seconds) to the power amplifiers values, the circuit's output rise time can
allowed the 2000pF output capacitors be s~t to provide this sequence or delay.e

Simple Dual Power Supply ~----~------------------~~------~----~J +VIN

-2-
+VIN
L Swann
15u
+
This circuit offers a cheap and simple 16V
way of obtaining a split power supply
(for op-amps etc .), utilising the
R1
quasi-complementary output stage of 1M V OUT
the popular LM380 audio power IC. LIN 8 ov
The device is internally biased so
that with no input the output is held
mid-way between the supply rails. 15u
+
R 1. which should be initially set to 16V
mid-travel, is used to nullify any inba-
lance in the output. Regulation of V 0u1 -Ve
depends upon the circuit feeding the C~---4~----~----------~~----~~----~ --VIN
2-
LM380. but the positive and negative
outputs will track accurately irrespec- over 1 watt, and so extra cooling may ceeded . current limiting occurs if the
tive of input regulation and unba- be required. The device is fully pro- output current exceeds 1 A3.
lanced loads. tected and will go into thermal shut- The input voltage should not ex-
The free-ai r dissipation is a little down if its rated dissipation is ex- ceed 20 V. e

Many home-grown projects require a

MiDI-power Inverter high voltage, low current source . The
simplest and safest means of pro-
J. S. B. Dick viding this is by an inverter. The
circuit described here is versatile,
.-----------!~---'-----------------..0+5 + 15 VOLTS
efficient and easily capable of pro-
viding power for portable Geiger
counters, dosimeter charge rs. high
resistance meters, etc .
The 555 timer IC is used in its

"'
"'
111

"'
"'
C 'V

0/P

#V
multivibrator mode, the frequency
being adjusted to optimise the trans-
former characteristics . When the out-
put of the IC is high, current flows
through the limiting resistor and the
primary coil to charge C3 . When the
output goes low, the current is
reversed . With a suitable choice of
frequency and C3 a good symmetrical
~------~~~--~--_.--------~GND output is obtained.e

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-75

P. F. Tilsley Yap Sue-Ken

This simple circuit provides a micro As not all of the possible seven segment
with an 8 bit switch I external signal codes are used, only 5 I ines are required
input port. The state of the switches to define the ten numerals without
controls the byte read by the micro , ambiguity. The logic circuitry required
but any totem pole TTL signal applied to recover the other two segments are as
to the external input socket over-rides shown in the figure.
the signal from the corresponding In the case of microprocessor controll-
switch. The value of the resistor is not ed displays this can save two valuable
as critical. The circuit is shown for 1/ 0 pins.e
only one bit . e INPUT OUTPUT
SEGMENTS SEGMEN TS
DECIMA
•SV
DIGIT a b e f g c d
EXTERNA L
INPU T 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
1 0 1 0 .o 0 1 0 NOR GATE = CD4001 OR SN7402
NAND GATE = CD4011 OR SN7400
2 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 POSITIVE LOGIC: '1' =ON
3 1 1 0 0 1 1 1
TO STANDA RD 4 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
GENERA L PU RPOSE
5 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 c=e .f .
INP UT PORT
6 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 d = (g+e) + (a+b)
7 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
OV
9 1 1 0 1 1 1 1

Keyboard/ display sound con- WOAD 2 WORD 1

verter
K G . Reid

This circuit can be used in several

modes . It can provide quantized
feedback (a distinct improvement
over the normal singie ' bleep ') from
the key actions made on a calculator-
type keyboard : It can be used to give a
sound translation of a digital display ,
LSI
or completely replace the display
when sound would be a better com-
munication medium .
The keyboard or display informa -
tion (a maximum of 1 6 bits with one ov
1 6-lin e 7 41 50 multiplexer) is trans-
lated into a series of 1 6 high or low
frequency tone pulses . corresponding Th.e 1 5 bits are latched on to thE J or K and thus operating one of the
to the ' high ' or ' low ' logic state of the inputs of the 741 50 multiplexer . Pre- two reed relays . As a count of 1111
1 6 bits . · se.ntation of the enable pulse results in appears from the counter, the output
The circuit illustrated was used in a logic · 1 · appearing at the output of ofF drops low, resetting the latch and
conjunction with a digital multimeter , gate B . .allowing clock pulses to pass counter . The operation of either relay
requiring three 4-bit words for the via gates A and H to the 7493 results in a tone appearing at the
digits and three additional bits for counter . Gates B, E, D and C form a loudspeaker (or earpiece), the tone
over-range . negative and decimal Jatch which remains ' set' until all 1 5 frequencies being set ( 1 .2 kHz maY.i-
point Thus . 1 5 lines only were req- bits have been sampled . As each bit is mum) by the 1 megohm pots. The
uired , the 16th being used for reset- sampled , the inverse state appears at tone pulse length is governed by the
tinq the multiplexer output. opening gate clock rate .e
76-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
Telephone Amplifier
r------------,r-----------~------------o+18~
J . P. Macaulay
02
2N2297
One of the most frustrating things in
life must be to wait in line whilst one's
wife converses (nags?) on the phone.
What makes the matter worse is that
only one side of the conversation is
heard . The circuit here will at least
enable you to hear what's going on at R2
the other end of the line. 470k

The signals are picked up by the

coil L 1. a 5 mH RF choke taped to the
+ +
side of the set. 01 operates in the
Q3
common base mode with the output C1 2N4037
100u
signal appearing across the collector
resistor, R4 . The output stage con-
sists of two complementary transis- R3 + C2
47k 100u
tors fed from the output of IC1 and
included in its feedback loop.
The gain provided by the IC is
made variable by the inclusion of R6
and this should be adjusted for a
comfortable output level. D 1 , D2 in
conjunction with R7 provides the
small but necessary bias required by
the output pair. C5 defines the upper frequency limit Quiescent current consumption is less
The interstage capacitor provides a of the circuit at 3 kHz, the best band- than 5 mA so the circuit can be easi-
13db point in the bass end at 300Hz. width for maximum intelligibility . ly run from a pair of 9V batteries in
series. e

Novel loudspeaker result in a heavy switch-on surge, as across C 1 (if C 1 and C2 are equal); so
the capacitor charges up. as the supply voltage builds up, the
Coupling Circuit An alternative approach, which is DC voltage across the speaker will
worthy of experiment, is shown in the, remain zero, eliminating the switch-
P. Mills diagram here. The ground side of the on surge. C1 and C2 will also provide
speaker is connected to the junction of supply smoothing. The circuit is
two equal high value capacitors shown with the LM380, but could be
In most amplifier designs the speaker (1 OOOu is typical) across the supply. applied to any amplifier circuit. pro-
is fed by a high value capacitor to The amplifier output voltage will be viding that the DC voltage at the
provide DC blocking, but this may at V +I 2, and so will the voltage output is half the supply voltage .e

IC11S LM 380
2

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-77

NPN-PNP Indicator the transistor under test. the emitter will always be near OV.
The signal applied to the base of the The -last two inverters detect which
transistor is always in phase with the terminal is held at OV and drive the
FRead collector so the transistor, whether PNP appropriate LED via the current limit·
The first 2 inverters IC1a and IC1b form or NPN, will always be turned fully on ing resistors R4 and R5. ·
a multivibrator running at approximate· eyery half cycle. The six inverters needed are all con·
ly 2 kHz . The next two inverters buff· When an NPN transistor is being tested tained in a ~inyle IC package · the
er the multivibrator outputs, which the collector will always be near OV and SN7404.e
then go to the collector and emitter of when a PNP tra-nsistor is being tested

10

R3

....+
1k
NOTE:
IC1 IS TO PIN 14. IC1 +Ve
SN7404 !sv
E c I
-'--

Measuring Micro-ammeter Resistance

Meter Protection
When it is required to measure the With Zener
unknown resistance of a micro·
ammeter, then an ordinary multimeter A zener diode may be used to protect

...
on the necessary ohms range will send a meter from overloads without
too much current through the meter greatly reducing its accuracy. The
coil, with the chance of causing dam- zener is connected in parallel with the
tV I meter and under normal circum-
age. To avoid this, set up VR1 to ORMORE_L
give full scale deflection on the meter. stances has such a high impedance
Then shunt the meter with VR2 and that the accuracy of the meter is not
adjust so that the meter reads exactly affected. If the meter is overloaded,
half scale. Remove the measure VR2, the diode breaks down and the meter
which, to a good degree of accuracy, is shunted by about 1 0 ohms, pre-
will be equal to the meter resistance.e venting damage to the bearings and .
pointer of the movement.
Breakdown voltage of the zener
should be about 1 . 5 to three times the
full scale deflection voltage of the
More Ohms Per Volt meter.
R. Soar ~ The zener also prevents the meter
This circuit is designed to improve ON/OFF from reading on reversed voltages ·
the performance of a low cost 1 k / volt and thus gives dual protection. e
multimeter on the 0.5V DC range. 01

The 2N3904 emitter follower pro·

vides an impedance transformation +
with a gain of 250 or more, so that the INPUT R
effective input impedance of the mul- 0 - 5V +
timeter is now 250k / volt . The LED
SET
provides a fixed reference voltage for -ZERO 0118 2N3t04 METER
the set zero control , which compen- LED1 IS TIL 201
10k
sates for the voltage drop across the lin ov
transistor. e

78-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Low Current Touch Switch , Improved SPST Switch Flip-Flop
D. lan D. J. Manford ·
.,.. 4049

+5V-15V

20k

TOUCH
CONTACTS NOTE:
Q1 ,2 ARE 2N3104
IC1 IS 4011 INPUl
ov
0

The cost of many CMOS ICs is now This circuit has the advantage it can be
is almost negligible and battery life is
lower than a mechanical on I off hardly affected. driven by an input referred to earth -
switch. Using only one half of a 4011 , logic outputs or push buttons.
plus a couple of general purpose Touching the 'on' contacts with a When the input to the 4016 goes high
transistors, a touch operated switch finger brings pin 3 high, turning on it connects together the input to A , and
can be constructed which is ideal for the darlington pair and supplying C. This 'flips' the latch .
many battery powered projects . power to the load (transistor radio The 20k resistor between the output
Assuming t hat the inputs to the etc). Q 1 must be a high gain trans is- of invertor 8 and the input of A is
remaining half of the 4011 are tied . tor, and 02 chosen for the current needed as the 4016 cannot pull the out·
low, the current drawn in the off state e
required by the load circuit . e
put of _inverter B down directly .

+12V

Sequence Switch IRESET

120k

B. Willis .

The circuit right was designed to

enable three relays to be individually
switched by their appropriate but-
tons but such that only one relay can
be energised at any one time . When
any one relay has been energised the
corresponding collector falls to near
zero volts , which is connected to the
base of the remaining two transis-
tors ; now if another relay is 120k

attempted to be energ ised the base

of its transistor will remain bot-
tomed and keep the relay off The
reset button must be pressed before
,another relay can be energised.
The diodes ensure that each transis-
tor is kept off until the voltage OV
applied to the base exceeds 0 .6 V.
ALL DIODES 1 N4001
The flip-flops and push buttons can Q1 ,2,3 2N2222A
of course be replaced with standard N1-N4 CD40111
.... 'hCD40111
switches if momentary action is not RELAYS t20R OR ABOVE
required .
The circuit was used to control sw1tched on at the same time. l he inputs into an amplifier where it can
three radio transmitters where it was circuit lends itself to further applica- replace the self-cancelling selector
important that two should not be tions ; for example, switching various buttons . e
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-79
Tape Recorder Controller When the clock contacts close, imately 5 · seconds. As the clock
R LA is operated via 02 and 03, contacts re-open C1 charges through
applying power to the receiver and 01, operating R LB opening the
P. B. Cordes recorder. At the same time C1 is normally closed stop contacts for a
discharged, and C2 applies a negative short period, stopping the recorder.
pulse to pin 2 of the timer, wtiich After the 5 second delay has elapsed,
The circuit shown enables a solenoid triggers, discharging C4. The out- R LA opens, removing power from the
operated tape recorder to be left to put of the timer goes high for one equipment. .
record a programme unattended. It minute, allowing time for the . re- R LB and R LC may have light con-
was originally designed to be used on corder and receiver to warm up. tacts, but R LA must be a heavy duty
a Revox A77, in conjunction with As the timer output goes low, C4 AC rated type . .Ideally the digital clock
a digital clock based on the CT7001, charges through 04 momentarily, should be crystal controlled, to
but could be adapted for other operating R LC which starts the eliminate short term AC frequency
recorders, clocks, or mechanical recorder. fluctuations. The numbers shown in
time switches. The clock is set to At the end of the preset time the brackets are the appropriate pin con-
switch on one minute before the pro- clock contacts open, discharging C2
nections on the 10 way remote control
gramme starts, and switch off as it through 02 and 03 which delays
finishes. ' R LA from dropping out by approx-
plug of a Revox A77. e

(1)------.
(21----

10u
555

REC
RLC0 (5)
(b)
C5
10n PLAY
ALL DIODES
'lLc:"' (J\
1N4148 OR SIMILAR
(4\

. . . . - - - - - - TO AC CIRCUIT
RLA1 OF RECEIVER AND
._.,...;.:.::.:.:..._ _ TAPE RECORDER

~~~------------------------ot2V
Unijunction Pulse Stretcher PUSH Ll
Door Bell Extender lUTTON r'l
D . Wedlake lk
CI03YY
The circuit presented is a practical
monostable timer which was de-
S6qR
signed to extend the ringing time of a
door bell. It can be useful in cases
when the bell push button might not
be engaged long enough to attract Rl
attention , though it could be used in 680k
many other applications. lu
When the push button is dosed the
thyristor will switch on delive ring TO. IELL
power to the unijunction transistor CIRCUIT
timing circuit and energising the IN4001
relay, the contacts of which are used Cl
to control the bell circuit . At the same lOu
time, capacitor C2 quickly charges to
the load voltage potential via R 3 . L---+-------------~~----~~--------------oov
After a ti~e interval given the cathode of the thyristor via C2 will
dpproximately by O.R C 1 R 1 (about 6 put the tnyristor in reverse bias
seconds in this case) the unijunction switching it off. With these values the
transistor will fire and the correspon- relay will become energised for at
ding output pulse which is coupled to least 6 seconds. e
80-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
The Multi-zener operation of the switches is 3, 3+6, series 24 V and another S.P.S.T. switch
3+12 etc. ie. 3,6,9,12,15,18,21 volts the range is 3,6,9, 12, 15,18,21 ,24,27,
R.N. Soar By the addition of the · next in the 30,33,36,39,42,45 volts. e
This is an application of zener diodes
based on the binary system. In the
example shown three zener diodes are
used 3 V, 6 V and 12 V (ie. 3.0 V,
6.2 V and 12 V) plus three S.P.S.T.
switches. In the "on" position of a
switch the diode is short circuit. In the
'off' position the diode is in circuit.
Thus the effective diode by suitable EFFECTIVE ZENER

Increasing Power Rating of exceeds 30, then across the

Zener Diodes collector-emitter terminals the device
will behave as a Zener diode. ZENER DIODE POWER BOOSTEt<

If the original diode is a 250 mW +

device then the power dissipation of

I
There are occasions when a higher
power Zener diode is required and one the system will be 30 x 250 mW = 7.5
ZDl
is not readily available. Here is a watts. It should be noted that the
circuit which with the aid of a power Zener voltage thus obtained will be 0.7
V, = 6.8V + 0 .7V
transistor can increase the power V higher than the diode rating. = 7.5V
rating of any Zener diode. Thus if originally a 6.8 V diode was I
By simply shunting the base-collector

l
used then the new voltage will be 6.8
junction of the transistor by a low V + 0.7 V = 7.5 V. Thus for a power
power Zener and if the gain of the of 7.5 W, the maximum permissible .
transistor at the operating current current will be 7.5 W/7.5 V = 1A. e

Overvoltage Protection for

Logic
E. Parr FS I

Q)

2N 3702

ZD I ,, LED I TO LOGIC CIRCUIT

FROM P S.U
UNDER PO'M:R.

Rl R4
3 30R 220R
With the introduction of integrated
circuit voltage regulators it is very
easy to make power supplies for logic
circuits. Unfortunately it is only too
easy to blast a board of TTL by letting
the voltage rise above 7V as could
happen if the common line came off a 1 0 TTL chips . required to operate continuously in
regulator IC or the sense lines came Zener diode ZD 1 senses the sup- the event of failure . Its current rating
off a commercial power supply. ply , and should the supply rise above obviously has to be in excess of the
The described circuit was designed 6V Q 1 will turn on . In turn Q2 con- source supply . If the source supply is
by the author as a " last ditch .. d e· ducts clamping the rail. likely to shut down, LED 1 should be
fence after a disconnected sense lin e Subsequent events depend on the add ed to indi c at e th e c ircuit has
allowed a commercial 5V supply to source supply . It wil l ei th er shut operat ed .
rise to 9V and blast 50 TTL chips . The down, go into current limit or blow its Th e circ uit will oper ate in
circuit is simple to add onto any power supply fuse . None of these will approximately 500 nS space . so it will
supply, and it is the author 's intention damage the TTL chips . also protect the logic from transient
to build it " on board " with any future The rating Q2 depe nds on th e spik es which a norm a l regulator
system containing more than about source supply , and whether it will be would not block . e
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-81
Programmable Gate A
P. Mead

The Programmable Gate is a gate which

converts an AND gate to an OR gate by
applying a logic '1' on the function
input.
The logic design uses 8 x 2 input
NAND gates. The number of gCJtes may
be reduced by replacing the 5 NAND
gates enclosed by the dotted line, with
a 2 input exclusive OR, such as the
TTL 7486 . •
INPUTS
FUNCTION OUTPUT
INPUT A B

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
lAND
FUNCTION

OR
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 1 I FUNCTION
1 1 1 1

Cheap Down Counter

AF .Bush
IC1a-d

A0------1~------.----------0 QA This circuit, when presented with a 4 bit

binary number in the range 0000-1001
will present the nines complement of
that number at the output.
Connecting the circuit between a
7490 and a 7447, will, instead of the
usual up count, provide a display which
counts down from nine.
This provides a useful alternative to
the expensive 74192 when only a down
01 count is required. e

oo-----=~__,.--1

07

IC1&SN7404
D1...:.9=1N4148

BCD INPUTS OUTPUTS COMPL-

COUNT D C B A QD Qc QB QA EMENT
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 9
1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 8
2 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 7
3 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 6
4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 5
5 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 4
6 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 3
7 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 2
8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
9 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

82-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Geiger Counter associated components. The trans- and C5 . This also rect ifies it and
former is a low current 120V 505 smooths it. It is very important that
A Wheatley and is connected in reverse The C4 and especially C5 are of good
secondary is connected into a Hartley qual ity and have low leakage. RV1
Although the circuit is inexpensive oscillator , the base bias being pro- should be set so that each cl ick heard
and simple it is just as sensitive as vided by R 1 . RV 1 is connected to is a nice clean one because over a
many commercial devices. The control the voltage to the Geiger tube. certain voltage all 'that will be heard is
important part is the geiger tube and A device to double the voltage is a continuous buzz . The high voltage
this will probably cost about $15. It included because otherwise the vol- section is perfectly safe although if
needs a high voltage supply which , in tage would still be insufficient to drive touched it wil: give a slight shock . This
this case consists of Q 1 and its the tube . This comprises D 1, 02 , C4 is unpleasan-t but quite ha rm less e

SW1 +9V
SPST
D2
NOTE:
011S 2N2926
D1&2 ARE BV100

C3
50n
+ANODE

+ R1
C1 10k C2
50u 50n GEIGER TUBE
12V
+

D1 C5
500n CATHODE
soov
CRYSTAL
01 EARPIECE

- 9V

Capacity checker

D. Chivers.
This bridge was originally designed to
find values for odd, unmarked or un-
decipherable capacitors. While not being
of great accuracy, it does give a very
good indication as to the value of the
capacitor.
A known value component is placed
. across terminals A-A, polarity is not
important, but polarised capacitors
must not be used, and cannot be tested.
The capacitor under test is inserted in
8 - 8, the unit is switched on and VR1 M1 = 100uA
1:1 L
rotated until a maximum value reading X
01 - 4 = 1N4001
10n R1 = 25k
is obtained on meter M1. At this point, VR1 = 10k Lin
100n X X
a reading is taken from the calibration T1•240V / JV - 0 - JV
1u X
scale on the pot which initially must be
calibrated in ratios, ie:
1000:1, 100:1, 10:1, 1:1, 1:10,1:100 To increase the range of the circuit another source were used, driving an
etc. The unknown value is then cal- switch SW1 has been included to bypass audio output transformer, the versatility
culated from this reading. Original cal- R 1. Since the frequency used is 60 Hz of the unit would then be further in-
ibration is from known values. from the AC line, ranges are limited; if creased . •
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-83
TV Game Resurrection time . The circuit is an oscillator clock-
ing at about one cycle per 4 ,seconds.
This switches the ball angle "ran-
S. Rice
domly" making the game unpredict-
able and difficult. Also this prevents
Now that the novelty of TV games has the ball from getting stuck and, boun-
worn thin and most of the units are cing back and forth from the bats and
gathering dust in the corner reserved boundaries . Do not use B suffix
for other five-minute wonders, here's CMOS except for Schmidt trigger
a chance to add new spice to leisure and gates. e

CHANGE
NOTE: BALL ANGLE
IC = CD4001A

4011
PIN 14

SELECT

+7.8V

8
8760
POWER AY.3 8760
SUPPLY

555

4011
PIN 7

and panel space. In this circuit. three ponents form a pulse generator of
tuto Select for AY 3-8760 Stunt of those switches are made redundant period approx. 1 second . This pulse is
Cycle in a novel game selection method. applied to the input of the 401 7 de-
The only switch required is a push cade counter. Every pulse received
S.D. Lang switch now entitled 'game select'. advances the high output by one, so
Upon depression of this switch, all · the high pin is 3,2.4, 7 in that order.
four games are displayed upon the Wh.en pin 10 becomes high, the reset
Constructors of the Stunt Cycle TV screen , one a time . When the circuitry is operated . If the sel ect
game may wish to economise on playfield of the required game is dis- switch is open, the output of all the
switches and panel space by trying played, the game select switch is -NAND gates is high , so the game is
this circuit for game selection . Or- released and play continues . played. When the select switch is
iginally, game selection was by The circuit works from the power · closed , the selection ci rcuitry may
grounding the relevant game select supply of the AY 3-8760. Circuit now operate, and the outputs of the
pins. This requires four push operation is straightforward, as fol - NAND gates go low in turn , selecting
switches; extravagant on switches llows: the 555 and associated com- the appropriate game.e
84_:_ ETI CIRCUITS FILE
Porch Ught Controller
R. Johnson
the morning it would switch off again. The LOR is connected to a dif-
This circuit controls a light bulb, so The dimmer consists of Q 1, TH 1 ferential amplifier whose output vol-
that its brightness is approximately and their associated components . Q2 tage rises when the resistance of the
inversely proportional to the surroun- provides synchronisation pulses . RV 1 LOR is above about 600 kilohms
ding lighting conditions . This may be effectively alters the time of day at (corresponding to dusk) and reaches a
useful for a porch light, which would which the light switches on and RV2 maximum when the resistance is
begin to switch on at dusk, reaching alters the maximum brightness of the about six megohms (corresponding to
full brightness late i n the evening . In bulb. complete darkness) .e

1:1011

220R
AC ~
LDA1

1ZV
'ZV7

UOA
NOTE:
Q1 IS 2N3106
Q21S 2N3104
TH1 IS 200V, 4A SCR
01-1 ARE 1N4002
T1 IS 120112.0.12
L1 IS 30 TURNS 21 rwg ON
1" PIECE OF FERRITE
L21S 15 TURNS 38 rwg ON
1" PIECE OF FERRITE

Guitar Sustain Unit guitars and has a maximum effect circuit are that. unlike many such
with the guitar pick-up volume full devices. it does not use opto-
up . coupling which draws too much
S. D. Maistre
The principle employed is that of current for battery powered equip-
an AGC, whereby the circuit output ment; it produces no audible distor-
The sustain to be described here is monitored by a DC voltage fol- tion; components are easily obtained
holds the output at a constant level lower which controls the gain of the - and cost is low .
over a wide range of input levels. It VCA through which the signal Construction method is not criti-
was designed for use with electric passes . The advantages of this cal.e

~0/P
lOOn

NOTE:
01,2 ARE 2Na11
QS,4,5 ARE MPIII11
D1181NM
IC118 MCJMI
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-85
Digital Bike Speed
B. Lemming

This unit provides push-bike speed

measurement between zero and
100 km/hr or 100 mph! The circuit 4 8 I

88
is based on the Smtel MOS counter 7 3 LATCH I
I
block. whi·ch counts the pulses from I
the photo transistor 01 . I
These pulses are provided by I
Vp
L _______
fixing 18 aluminium ' barriers' to the SINTEL
D2 IC1
wheels.O 1 was an unmarked type in MOS 2 DIGIT
LATCHED COUNTER
the prototype. in a TO 18 package.
This mounts in an old felt-tip pen · v~~/G CLOCK¢

case opposite the lamp so that the

barriers interrupt the beam in opera-
tion . The counter operates whilst
PB 1 is pressed. but latches after .a
timedeterminedbyRV1 orRV2.1C1
and associated components. IC 1
forms a square-wave oscillator with
NOTE
variable mark-space ratio. The time IC1 i~ 555
for which pin 3 is taken low is deter- D1, 2 il~ 1N914 R31MD
01 i~2N5777
mined by RV 1 I RV2 - this enables
the counter.
The speedo accuracy is deter-
mined by the accuracy of setting of
controls RV1 and / or RV2.e

Car Voltage Regulator

C. Gibbons
This circuit provides solid state
control of battery charging . The field 05
AJ JOA/SOV
winding of the dynamo is initially 4k7
energized via the ignition light as in a
conventional system. Current flowing IC1 IS 741
Q1 IS MJE3066
down the WL lead passes through 01 Q21STIP32A
to the F lead then to the field coil. Q3182N3105
Once the engine has started . current D1, 3 ARE 1N4001

from the dynamo passes through 02

to 01 . The ignition light goes out
because the WL lead rises in voltage
to that of the battery. Current also
passes through 05 to the battery. The
battery voltage is sensed by IC 1 • stant. The battery voltage is adjusted (Typically 20 amps) 0 .6 volts is de-
whiCh IS w1red as a comparator. once by RV1 to approximately 13.5 volts. veloped a'cross it. this then turns on
the voltage of the non inverting input. 03 . When 03 turns on current flows
rises above that of the inverting input Under cold weather starting the from the power rail through R2 to the
(Held at 4. 6 volts by 04) the output battery voltage drops very low. Once base of 02 turning it on. which in
goes high . Current then flows through the engine has started the internal turn , turns off 01 and cuts off current
03 and R2 to the base of 02 turning it resistance of the battery is also very to the field winding. The output from
on . This then pulls down the base of low. which would draw excessive the dynamo then drops.
01 turning it off and cutting off the current from the dynamo causing No changes have to be made to the
current to the field winding . The out- possible damage. To limit the current existing wiring . The circuit can be
put from the dynamo then drops R4 is inserted in the main power lead housed in an old regulator box. 01 .
bringing down the battery voltage . from the dynamo. the resistance of R4 02 and 05 should be mounted on a
This holds the battery voltage con- is chosen so that.at maximum current heat sink.e
86-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
Car Lamp Failure Warning
A. Taylor

Many lamp failure warning circuits

--Gd
BRAKE 24swt~
indicate only when both bulbs are SWITCH WIRE OR

-_,;. .SI~MI</1~./I:o/'-. .- -
working or only when the lamps are TO IGNITION
SWITCH+ 12V
on. The circuit shown solves this and
-.,-
has the added effect of not dimming
the lamps as some failure circuits do.
SPOT REED LIGHTS
A suitable gauge enamelled copper SWITCH
wire is wound around an SPOT reed
switch until a certain number of turns PUSH TO LAMP
I RIAl( FAIL THYRISTOR • 4A 100V
is found that will only open the con-· RESET I OR SIMILAR
'--~--­
tacts when both lamps are working. If TEST
LAMP
either or both of the lamps should fail,
the contacts remain closed and the
thyristor is triggered, illuminating the
lamp failure indicator until the ignition
switch is turned off or the circuit is
reset.e

Ice Warning and Lights Reminder

D. Chivers
This simple device will tell a driver
if his lights should be on and will warn
him if the outside temperature is
nearing zero, by lighting a LED and
sounding a buzzer.
The units action is self explanatory;
V R 1 adjusts sensitivity for temp-
erature, VR2 for light. Both thermistor.
and LOR should be well protected.
Most high gain NPN transistors will THERMISTOR
work and the experimenter's junk NTC
box will almost certainly hold some .e

Car Lights Reminder o. J. Rayner.

Many circuits to warn motorists that however as C2 discharges, this action is Power for the circuit is provided by
they have left their headlights on after inhibited. This occurs after ~bout ten R3 and ZD1 from the vehicle's 12 V
switching the engine off have appeared seconds. rail.e
in the past. I feel this circuit is an
improvement over many of these in
that it requires no switches, and it is
only necessary to make three connect·
ions to the car's electrical system.
If the ignition is switched off while
the lights are pn, an audible warning
is sounded for about ten seconds. This
tone is produced by NAND gates IC1 / 2,
IC1 /3 and IC1 /4. Operation of this
oscillator is inhibited by an '0' on the
gating input of ICl/2. This in turn
· corresponds to a logic '1' present at
the input to ICl /1 while the ignition
switch is on, supplying a high logic
level to IC1 /1, the oscillator is thus
disabled.
When the ignition is switched off, the
output of IC1/1 goes high, enabling the R2
oscillator. At this stage C2, which has 470R
until now been charged up via 01, NOTE:
R4 Q1 - 2N3804
begins to discharge via R4. While the 2k7 D1 - 1N4001
voltage on C2 is high, the gating input IC1 • 7400
of IC1 /4 allows oscillator operation, '
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-87
Seven to binary with a special bit!
T. Nash. a a b ii c c e e f f g g

This circuit, which uses only four TTL tt-t=f===ff==Nr=!=f==i~~~

or CMOS ICs, converts a seven segment
digit to binary, with indication of the
'special' characters : minus, E (exponent
or overfl'ow). and optionally blank. aig
Both types of 6, 7 & 9 can be handled,
and for ease of manipulation blank is
encoded as binary zero.
For a calculator - microprocessor ag
interface the 'X' output should be fed
to the sign position for ease of testing:
this method is more economical in time C=aeg+ig+bc
and memory space than testing for a
specific binary value . The extra bits
needed for the equivalent ASCII
character could also be added at the
interface.
a

=e+ig+c

The segment identification shown X= 'ii"+"C orb+ c + g

above is the standard seven segment
COMPONENTS:
lettering system and so should be 1 x 7400/4011 FIRST VARIATION SETS X FOR
special
familiar to most constructors . 1 x 7410/4023 BLANK. SECOND DOES NOT.
The letters also refer in this case. to 1 X 7420/4012
1 x 7427/4025/4000 (4000 SHOWN)
the circuit diagram and the truth
table given below on the right hand • FOR TTL AND 4025 VERSIONS, use 3 input nor.
side of the page .
No power supply .connections are
shown for the circuit as this depends
on which version, TTL or CMOS is
constructed .e
SEE DIAGRAM
555 Micro Input Reset TRUTH TABLE

P Davidson 7-SEG a b c d e f 9 D c B A X
When dealing with a microprocessor
system, there are several features BLANK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *
which place requirements on the 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
duration of their input leg reset . These
I 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
signals are usually negative (in the
author's experience) and so, with the
2 1 1 0 1 1 Q 1 0 0 1 0 0
use of a 555 , these requirements can 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0
be filled reliably (as opposed to the y 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
normal flip-flop debounce circuit). 5 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
The circuit saves on logic used to b 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0
invert the normal 555 monostable 6 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0
action .e
l 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0
8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
q 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0
g 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0
- 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1
E ,1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1
88-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
2 Chip Electronic Dice

P. Adams
This electronic dice produces a true - . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . _ +SV

· dice display using only two ICs - a +C1

74132 and a 7495. The 7495 is a
4-bit parallel-access shift register. It
lov
47u
tant
R3- 6

can either operate as a shift-register or R2

ICl IS 74132

be parallel (broadside) loaded at in- 2k0

puts A-D. Control over these two

functions is by a mode control unput.
When the mode is high data is loaded
into Oa - Qd from inputs A- D on the
next negative-going clock edge.
When the mode is low data is shifted
on Oa - Qd on the next negative-
going clock edge.
By connecting the mode control to

I~,
Oa so that the register alternates bet- IC1d

ween load and shift and making the 47u

LED DISPLAY
input w.o rd a function of the existing
Be A e C
output word, with some simple logic, o ••• o
the register can be made to execute a c. eB
count that will drive LEOs in a dice ov
display. Note LEOs are lit when out-
puts are low. IC1a is connected as a TRUTH TABLE
conventional Schmitt oscillator pro- No. MODE OA 08 ac ao
1 LOAD 0
viding clock pulses to the register 2 SHIFT 1
1
0
1
1
1
1
SW 1 stops the oscillator and halts the 3
4
LOAD
SHIFT
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
1
count. On switch-on the register may 5
6
LOAD
SHIFT
0
1
0 0 1
0 0 0
start on an invalid count, but in a 1 LOAD 0 1 1 1.
ETC
couple of clock cycles it will. produce a
valid count and then remain in that
sequence.e

Digital Die
A. Slimming

NOTE :
•vs
Rl IC1 IS 7400
lk IC2 IS 7490
IC3 IS 7402
IC4· ts 7447
OV TO IC1,1CJ Pll'll7 COMMON
4V5 TO IC1,1C2 PIN14 ANODE
A4-l0
7 16 47R
A

ov

IC1a and IC1b form an oscillator run- as a dice the display must read 1 -6 output of 000 from IC2 to 11 0 (b).
ning at a few kilohertz. The output is and not 0-5, when the output of the IC4 is a BCD to 7-segment decoder
fed to a 7490 binary counter which is 7490 is all 'O's, the display must which drives the display through the
wired to produce an output of 0 to 5 in 1be made to show 6. IC1c, d and IC3 current limit resistors R4-R 1 o.e
BCD. So that the display is the same perform this task, and convert an
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-89
Passionometer
D. Geary
CONTACTS

This device is , to say the least . fun at

parties Ill
The unit relies on skin resistance.
NOTE:
picked up by 1 and 2. which form a R1·R5 ARE 10R
Darlington Pair. The output of the 01 IS MPS6515
02 IS MP$6515
amplifier is fed to a bloc buffer via a IC1 IS 7417
resistor network. LED1 - LED 8 ARE TIL209
At each stage if the threshold vol- or similar
tage is reached , the associated LED
will light . Previous stages will also
light .
It may be found useful to t1t a 2 5k
pot in series with the base of Q 1 . The
higher the ratings the better!!! e

is released C1 produces a gradually

Heads Or Tails decreasing voltase into the emitter
Steven Snook junction of Q 1 . This produces a slow
drop in frequency of oscillation, the
oscillation ceases when C1 is completely
This circuit differs from previous Heads discharged. The output of the oscillator
or Tails circuits in that when the switch is fed into an inverter, 02, then into
is released the LEOs will the 7472 flip flop. The 470R preset
13 12
continue to flash at a continually · must be adjusted to give equal chances
decreasing speed. until eventually of each LED . A novel, untested, modifi·
they stop and one or the other will cation would be to omit the red LED
remain on . When SW1 is depressed C1 and drive another 7472, this would give
charges via the 2k resistor, when SW1 four combinations instead of two. e

PUSH SWITCH o-<)

150R •9V
SW2 PPJ

1k0

14

12 5V1 ZENER 14

IC1
6

GRE_EN

NOTES:
~
IC1 IS 7472 FLIP FLOP
OV

Q1 ANY OP UNIJUNCTION
EO Tll43
02 2N3804 OR SIMILAR

90-ETI CIRCUITS FILE

Exclusive OR and NOR gates When constructing logic circuits of NAND or NOR gates can produce
which need either an exclusive OR or the required results. The circuits can
D. S. Smith exclusive NOR gate, and one is not be constructed using standard TTL or
available, the following arrangement CMOS gates.e

ICi -QUAD 2 INPUT NAND GATE IC2- QUAD 2 INPUT NOR GATE
A A

c c

B B
TRUTH TABLE TRUTH TABLE
A B c A B c
0 0 0 0 0 1

0 1 1 0 1 0
1 0 1 1 0 0
1 1 0 1 1 1

vaa
2604

J ..
Vas

,,
i110
2604

..,,
vss

..
L. 2604
J
..______
'---
'----
~
~
- cs
IN
Voo
CE
~
L..__

- r-- OUT NC~

,, ~
I-
,,"'
o2
..
,,
...--- 1- Vee AIWf- r- ~

'

I 21 CONNECTIONS 9 CONNECTIONS 21 CONNECTIONS

Minimising Memory Connections

M. T. Clarke
I e:b. Anyone who has connected together
memory ICs may well be appalled at the
number of connections, especially those
~ which simply parallel the iC pins.
<::::>
oc=> Realizing that the address pin

:~
designations are purely notional means
that address lines can be rearranged
before they reach an IC, as convenient.
o:o.:
".... This eases considerably PCB design .
-Jr' An example is shown where connect-
ion of 4k dynamic RAMs (2604) was
1-"'''~ undertaken on Vera-board. The copper
tracks provide all address . connections
for every alternate IC without any
wiring from the surrounding ICs (this
saved almost 100 connections on a
4K x 16 board) .
Dynamic RAMs require segregating
the row and column addresses, but
within each they can be freely mixed .•
ETI CIRCUITS FILE-91
Simple Logic Probe
David Bareham
~------...-------- ~c'-~vTO
This simple piece of test equ1pment
can be built using w idely available
components for little more than £1 .
If the probe is connected to an IC
pin which is at logic 0 , Q 1 will be
turned on , lighting 01 . If, however ,
the pin is at logic 1, 02 will be turned
1k0
on , lighting 02. In the case of a
damaged IC there may be no connec-
tion to the pin . If this is so , both D 1 PROBE
and 02 will light together . 1k0
The author used a 2N3905 and
2N3904 for 01 and 02 respectively,
but any NPN or PN P transistors will
do . Similarly , 01 , 2 can be any LEDs.e

lkO

4 7M '1. 7400

IC4
13 ICM 7208

Z01

5V 1

40p lOp
lkO
lOOk

A Pocket Digital frequency

Meter 4045 PIN 7

S. J . Barlow ·- -
.
t 'h SEC
'
·

The circuit uses only five ICs and 1 3

4045 PIN 8 ~-~n~,----~n~---~n~----~2
1/32 SEC
passive components . It is designed to
fit into the casing of a pocket calcula- ICM·7208 PIN 13
(INHIBIT)
tor and makes use of the calculator 's
seven segment display .
It has a single range measuring up
to 10 MHz. The display is updated
with a reading every two seconds. ICM-7208 PIN 14
(RESETI
1-- - - -- - - - - -
The preceding frequency count is held
in the display during this period, thus
avoiding a flashing display during the
sampling interval. ICM07208PIN 11
!STROBEl
1-- - - - - - - - ,
The 7805 provides the 5V supply
for the logic . The 4045 and the crystal
form an oscillator and 21 stage binary pulse (waveform 3). Waveforms 2 with a 5V 1 zener diode providing a
counter producing 1 I 3 2 second and 3 are NANDed into pin 14 of the clamp and discharge path . The dif-
pulses at 1 sec intervals as shown in ICM 7208s counter chip to produce ferentiated waveform (5) gates the
waveforms 1 and 2. The 7473 flip- the RESET signal. Waveform 3 is also new frequency reading into the dis-
flop produces the one second gating inverted before driving a differentiator play.e
92-ETI CIRCUITS FILE
CMOS Gate Identifier
C. Ching

This circuit can be used to dis-

tinguish four types of dual input
gates- AND, OR, NAND, NOR- it
is also a quick method of checking IC
function . If an AND gate is inserted
into the socket, an A appears on the
LED. An 0 denotes an OR gate. The
decimal point is used to denote in-
verted function, i .e .. A is an NAND
gate . e

Versatile CMOS Test bed lOOn

V cc (+9V)

J. Anderson
It is a cheap and easily con- I

structed transistor tester utilising

inexpensive and readily available D--+---~14
CMOS ICs.
It not only carries out the normal
2k2
GO/NO-GO test but will differen-
13
tiate between PNP & NPN type as
well as identifying their base leads .
SUGG,E STED LED/ SOCKET
Use of the tester is simple and is ARRANGEMENT FOR FRONT
as follows: PANEL OF TESTER .
•
1) GO I NO-GO -If the transistor is • 150R
''a dud", either all the LEOs will
come on or they will all go out. base lead is identified by the ·· odd the transistor socket in this case the
2) PNP/NPN ditterentation- LED out''. (ie the one LED that is anode of the diode is identified by
a) PNP only one of· the LEOs will on with the other two out or the one the LED associated with its lead
come on. that is out with the other two on) . going out The device also tests and
b) NPN one of the LEOs will go out. The unit will also test diodes by identifies the gates of JUGFETs ,
3) base lead identification: -the the use of only two of the sockets of SCRs & TRIACS. e

Improved CMOS Test Bed

G. Scott
Battery Tester
this circuit, with the addition of R.N. Soar.
Having made Mr Anderson's CMOS three, one transistor amplifiers, the This circuit was designed ..s a simple
test bed I found that the LEOs were LEOs are easily viewed and the cur- tester for 1.5 and 9 volt batlt!ries.
barely bright enough to be seen. In rent drain is only 1 3 mA.e It uses a cheap 500pA recording
level me~er of the kind used in cassette
•9V
recorders, costing around BOp.
lOOn
Vee
The scale is as indicated in the diagram
and can be interpreted as follows-
BLACK-Replace battery
D--~-~14 RED-Weak battery
GREEN-Good battery
IC2 A new battery should give a full scale
4011
2k;;: deflection.e

TrtA.NSiSTQI-~
SOCKET

150R BLACK RED GREEN

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-93

Digital Pulse Compressor
N.C. Hall

ICla IClb IC2b ICld

PULSE WIDTH
REDUCTION Cl
JmS SuO
SmS 4u0
NOTE: 9mS luO
Whilst constructing a digital ICl IS 7400 9.5mS 470n
IC2 IS 7413 9.9mS lOOn
frequency meter the author found it
necessary to be able to accurately trim
the width of a gate pulse. The circuit
shown uses only two ICs and can
reduce the width of a pulse applied at
its input by up to a few milliseconds .
The table shows the reduction
achieved by using different values of
C1 e I
i

i
i
Sample And Hold For r
Music Synthesizers
L. Robinson t
Sample and hold is a useful effect for
use with music synthesizers and consists
of 'sampling' an input voltage function
such as a waveform for a very short time
and then 'holding' it at this selected
Cl
voltage level for the duration of the lu
clock period. This voltage is then used
to control the frequency of a voltage ICl = 4011
controlled oscillator, filter etc. +7V2 OV - 7V2 IC2 = 4016
It is therefore possible to produce ICJ = CA3140
,.
random or repeating sound patterns by
varying the input waveform and fre-
quency, pink noise can be. used as a
sample source to create authentic
random voltages.
The circuit shown is much simpler
than previously designed sample and
hold circuits, this is possible by the
use of CMOS technology. The clock voltage input is therefore sampled and OUTPUT
oscillator is a standard CMOS square the value of the amplitude at this point FROM HOLD
wave oscillator as found in RCA of the waveform is remembered by the
application notes, and this is used to high input impedance (1012 Ohms)
provide a variable frequency rate from CA3140 voltage follower. This output is
0 .2 Hz to 45 Hz. The output then goes th en used to control th e VCO etc. The
to the synthesizer envelope shaper oscillator and monostable can be
which should be of the ADSR type for constructed from either a CMOS 4001 If a F ET was used as the gate, it would
maximum effect. The clock output or 4069, ensuring that unused pins are only respond to negative voltages, so
also goes into a monostable which connected to the high or low power the more expensive analogue switch is
produces an output pulse of approx - supply line via a 1 k resistor. The inpvt used for this reason. The total cost of
imately 20 mS which opens th e 4016 waveform to the analogue switch can the circuit, including the ± 7V rail, is
analogu e gat e for thi s period. Th e have an amplitude of ± 7 V maximum . less than $3. e
94- ETI CIRCUITS FILE
 SINE WAVE
90' PHASE
OSCILLATOR FIXED SHIFTER
(150Hz)
Electronic 'Spirograph'

A. Sharp.

The circuit will generate 'Spirograph'

patterns on a conventional oscilloscope.
The circuit consists of two sinewave
''"' ~~ - -- ---- - - - - ---- -- - - - -
- - -
SW1b

generators followed by allpass filters

which we use to phase shift the input RVla <:> TO v,INPUT TO x INPUT
RV1b
signals by goo. Applying a sinewave to
the y input gives a circular trace. If a
250k ; .. L~ _________________ J < 250k

second set of sin and cos signals are

mixed in, a 'Spirograph' pattern is SINE WAVE
obtained. A block diagram of the
system is shown in Fig 1.
OSCILLATOR
VARIABLE
90' PHASE
SHIFTER -
150Hz-1 .5kHz
RV1 is a balance control which varies
the contribution of each oscillator to Fig. 1. Block diagram of the 'spirograph'
the pattern without affecting the size,
so that once set up there is no need to
readjust the gain controls on the oscill-
oscope.This type of control can only be
used if the oscillators have a low
impedance output.
SW1 is a reversing switch which has
the effect of turning the pattern inside
out.
An existing sinewave oscillator can
of course be used and the 60 Hz line
could be employed (attenuated to about
2 V RMS from a low voltage trans-
former secondary) as the fixed oscill-
ator. However flickering is a problem
with lower frequencies (complex
patterns requiring four or more cycles Fig_ 2 (a) suitable oscillator for the 'spiro- Fig. 2 (b) Arrangement to give fine control
to complete will flicker at about 10 Hz graph' of the frequency of the oscillator shown in
Fig. 2 (a). For 150 Hz fixed frequency use
using the mains frequency as an oscill- Rf• = Rh= 10k
ator). I found 150 Hz to be a good
compromise (higher frequencies require
more critical tuning).
The allpass filter is recommended
for phase splitting as it has a unity gain
for all frequencies and settings of RV5.
First connect the y input of the
scope to the output of an oscillator and
adjust RV2 · until a two volt RMS
sinewave is obtained, repeat for second
oscillator. Then connect up the x andy
inputs as shown in Fig 1, turn the ov
balance control to one end so as to look
at the output of the fixed oscillator Fig_ 3. Phase shifter circuit for use in 'spirograph· circuit.
then adjust the 100 k pot until a circle
is obtained (with suitable x andy gains).
Now put the balance control in the
middle and adjust the frequency
controls until a stable pattern is pro-
duced. SW1 and RV1 the balance
control can be used to alter the nature
of the pattern without affecting its
overall size, stability or symmetry Ad-
just RV5, the phase control (following
the variable oscillator) for symmetry.
-Have fun! e ·' Fig. 4_ PSU for 'Spirograph'

ETI CIRCUITS FILE-95

Anti - Acoustic Feedback the risk of feedback from this speaker is Simulated stereo is possible from
negligible. Typically there is at least monophonic programme material by
System For Group Or Disco 26 dB reduction in microphone signal connecting a capacitor (about 2n2)
G.T.Edwards
voltage between the input to amplifier between point ·z·and ground; another
'A' and the input to amplifier 'B'. capacitor (about 1nO) being connected
The directional properties of Line- The circuit is easily adapted to other in series at 'W'.
Source Loudspeakers are best for signal levels and impedances by modify- An inherent advantage of the system
minimising acoustic feedback ("Howl- ing component values on a proportional is that a "music" output is obtained
Round"); unfortunately their bass re- basis; a more elaborate "active" system even if one of the power amplifiers, or
sponse is usually inadequate for the full is possible using virtual-earth summing one of the loudspeakerS, should go
musical range. The ideal system would amplifier stages. faulty during a performance. e
consist of a completely separated
amplifier system for microphone inputs MIC.INPUT
(20mV INTO 50k)
terminating in line-source loudspeakers,
LINE SOURCE
the "music" being amplified indepen- (MIC. & MUSIC)
dently and fed at- suitable power levels
to · less-directional full-range loudspea-
kers. However, as ·this is costly and
increases transportation problems, a
system was evolved in which · a full·
range non-directional loudspeaker MUSIC INPUT 1

would respond to "music" inputs only, ~~~~~ ~1~~ ~Okl t >o....--< t M\JSIC INPUT 2
(25mV INTO 20k)
MUSIC GAIN 2
a line-source being used at the same
time responding to both "music" and
"mic." inputs.
The principle has been proved in
practice using the passive network
shown in the diagram. As the micro- FULL - RANGE
(MUSIC ONLY)
phone input is attenuated _successively
by three potential dividers before reach- 5mV
ing the full-range loudspeaker system, INTO 100k

LED SpoHing A simple way to avoid this is to use

the following technique
A. Kenny If the LED is held up to the light,
the structure can be clearly seen.
Since the leadout on LEOs v~ries There is a "'cup"' and an " arm" car- 'ARM'
according to the manufacturers pre- rying a fine wire to the LED itself,
ference, leadout diagrams are not which is in the " basin "' of the cup
always worthy of the trust placed in (see drawing).
them . In some cases a reverse con- The -lead with the cup is the
nection will destroy the device being cathode, and the other is the anode (of a k
used . ' course) .e '

Television Optoisolator photocell , placed a fraction of an inch

away. A small current is produced,
A. P. Hiley proportional to light intensity, which
+Ve SUPPLY '(+Vt)
produces a PO across the load resis-
The problem of how to connect a tape tor, which is a replica of the original
recorder, or amplifier, to a television signa I.e
set is not an easy one to solve, be- 50..
cause most televisions , having no
·~
TO ANODE OF
SOUND OUTPUT VALVE
mains transformer, have the chassis (USUALLY PCL82 OR PCL86)
connected directly to the mains. The
easiest, and simplest solution is to 2u0

incorporate some form of optoisola- ,----~·n--o TO LOUDSPEAKER

OF TV
tion between the television and the
external equipment. This particular
design is simple, has a very low noise 1kO• OUTPUT "<10mA
level. and introduces negligible
distortion .
The LED or neon is brightness
modulated by .the output of the R (in kohms) • ~
television sound channel. The light is •CAN BE ALTERED
FOR MINIMUM
picked up by a small , cheap silicon DISTORTION

96- ETI CIRCUITS FILE

 TTL DIGITAL IC's
7400 7401 7402 7404
QUADRUPLE 2-INPUT POSITIVE- QUADRUPLE 2-INPUT POSITIVE- QUADRUPLE 2-INPUT HEX INVERTERS
NAND GATES NAND GATES WITH OPEN- POSITIVE-NOR GATES
COLLECTOR OUTPUTS

7405 7408 7410 7413

HEX INVERTERS QUADR.UPLE 2-INPUT TRIPLE 3-INPUT DUAL 4-INPUT
WI TH OPEN-COLLECTOR OUTPUTS POSITIVE-AND GATES POSITIVE-NAND GATES POSITIVE-NAND
SCHMITT TRIGGERS

7414 7420 7430 7437

HEX SCHMITT-TRIGGER DUAL 4-INPUT 8-INPUT QUADRUPLE 2-INPUT
INVERTERS POSITIVE-NAND GATES POSITIVE-NAND GATES POSITIVE-NAND BUFFERS

7447 7453 7454 7474

BCD-TO-SEVEN SEGMENT EXPANDABLE 4-WIDE 4-WIOE DUAL D-TYPE POSITIVE-EDGE
DECODER / DRIVER AND-OR-INVERT GATES AND-OR-INVERT GATES TRIGGERED FLIP-FLOPS WITH
PRESET AND CLEAR

7475 7486 749U 7491

4-BIT BISTABLE LATCHES QUADRUPLE 2-INPUT
EXCLUSIVE-OR GATES DECADE COUNTER 8-BIT SHIFT REGISTERS
' '

Subscribe to
ETI
Magazine,
Canada's largest
selling Electronics
publication and
Save up to
36°/o on the
newsstand
price
SEE ORDER CARD INSIDE