Elektor Electronics USA 1992 05

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
FOR RECREATIONAL ELECTRONICS
¡LEER
MAY 1992 $3.00 S
CANADA $4' DO
ELECTRONICSj
USA
Special 200th Issue
Digital Short-Range Radio
1,3GHz Prescaler
NICAM Decoder
GAL Programmer
Z80 Card
Audio-Video Processor
IMUSIMMIE lin1111111
WorldRadioHistory
OCEAN STATE ELECTRONICS
PROFESSIONAL, AMATEUR, OR COMMERCIAL - WE'RE YOUR ONE STOP ELECTRONIC SOURCE
CALL OR WRITE FOR OUR FREE 112 PAGE CATALOG 1-401-596-3080
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Plain enamel Solid bare copper 13.8 VDC OUTPUT DIALS CHASSIS
ii For winding coils. transformers and
Perfect for ham equipment, CB's, ta, steoreo's and ALUMINUM
toroids Prices for 1/4 lb spools.
other 138 VDC items LED on indicator. short circuit Uses 4machine screws.
MW14 3.25 MW24 3.70 MW34 4.80 Protection Binding post output Amp ratings are V3112 '3 2 Diameter 0-10 Marking $8.25 supplied Gray baked enamel
MW16 3.30 MW26 3.75 MW36 4.90 continuous 110V input
VD' '2 ,00 •1,2- Diameter 0-100 Marking $9.25
MW18 3.35 MW28 3.85 MW38 4.95 PART SIZE (IN.)
38-383 3AMP $31.50 VD2 2- Diameter 0100 Marking $10.25
MW20 3.55 MW30 4.00 MW40 5.10 NO. L W H PRICE
38-384 4AMP $39.50
MW22 3.65 MW32 4.40 1411B 27 22 16 446
38-386 6 AMP $46.50 200 WATT INVERTER
1411C 3.2 22 11 4.78
38-381 10 AMP $79.50 Plugs into your lighter and runs
TOROIDS •Ham Equipment 14110 3.2 22 16 4.90
38-382 20 AMP $119.50
IRON FERRITE •Lights 1411F 4.0 22 27 5.66
XP-72525 AMP $129.50
•Soldenng Iron 1411G 4.0 2.2 16 5.04
T-25-2 40 FT37-43 60
•Computer 1411H 4.0 22 22 5.47
T-25-6 40 F137-61 60 DELUX CODE KEY •Power Tools 1411K 5.0 22 22 5.82
7-37-8 45 FT37-77 60 Adjustable. heavy duty brass base well •Shaver 1411L 50 40 3.0 7.53
ball bearing pivots Designed le hard •13" TV vetri VCR 8.02
T-37-12 45 FT50-43 75 1411M 6.0 30 30
usage 3i16 plated contacts •MUCH MORE
T-50-2 55 FT50-61 75 1411N 5.0 30 21 6.30
70-378 $11.75 Model: POW 200 1411P 60 50 40 9.86
T-50-3 55 FT50-77 75 Input rotors volts DC 14110 7.0 50 30 9.27
T50-8 55 FT82-43 1.00 BUZZER Output: 115 volts AC true RAS
1411R 8.0 60 35 1228
Produces steady high frequency signal Power 400 Watts peak POW-200
768-0 75 FT82-67 1.00 1411S 80 40 30 15.63
Excellent for code practice. 200 Watts for 5minutes
768-2 75 FT82-68 1.00 $119.95 1411T 10.0 22 16 8.68
Screw control for adjusting pitch ¡ leg 140 Watts conunously
1411U 10.0 60 35 15.31
168-6 75 FT114-61 ....2.15 Uses standard 11r2V battery <5 Size 5" x26" x 7"
Weight. 15 ounces 1411W 12.0 30 22 11.15
780-2 85 FT140-43 . .4.10 70-375 $4.99 1411X 12.0 70 4.0 18.62
Warranty 3year
7200-2 4.00 FT240-61 ....8.00 1411Z 17.0 50 40 20.10
WE STOCK A COMPLETE LINE OF SWITCHING/GP DIODES
DIGITAL MULTIMETER IC SOCKETS - LOW PROFILE
TOROIDS AND BEADS. 1N914 75V PRV 10MA .07
19 RANGES
1N4148 75V PRV 10MA .07 LP-8 8 PIN .10 LP-22 22 PIN .23
31/2 DIGIT LCD DISPLAY
RECTIFIER DIODES LP-14 14 PIN .11 LP-24 24 PIN .25
DVC 1000
ACV -750 GERMANIUM DIODES LP-16 16 PIN .12 LP-28 28 PIN .30
1N4001 1AMP 50 PRV .09 LP-18 18 PIN .17 LP-40 40 PIN .43
DCA -10A 1N34A 100V PRV 200MA .20
1N4002 1AMP 100 PRV .09 DM301 LP-20 20 PIN .21
RAS 2MEG 1N3600 50V PRV 200MA .25
1N4003 1AMP 200 PRV .10
DIODE CHECK $27.95
1N4004 1AMP 400 PRV .10
944005 1AMP 600 PRV .12 MINIATURE COPPER CLAD
1N4006 1AMP 800 PRV .15 TOGGLE SWITCHES PC BOARDS
1N4007 1AMP 1000 PRV .17 3A 125V Solder Terminals
0-DOPE
1N5403 3AMP 50 PRV .20
Solution of pure polystyrene in solvents Ones
1N5401 3AMP 100 PRV .20 last and leaves adear, protective coating on PC4X6DS ....4" DOUBLE SIDED $.99
1N5402 3AMP 200 PRV .20 toriods. cods and transformers, with no or PC3X6DS ....3 1/4 06 3/4 DOUBLE SIDED 89
3AMP 400 PRV .25 minimal effect on inductive values May also
1N5404
1N54C6 3AMP 600 PRV .25 be used as acement for molded or fabricated
44 PC6X6SS....6 1/2 x6 SINGLE SIDED 1.25
items made of polystyrene 11-201 SPDT $1.25 PC5X7SS .7 x5 SINGLE SIDED 1.50
1N5407 3AMP 800 PRV .25
1N5408 3AMP 1000 PRV .25 10-3702 (Bortle with Brush 2fl oz 59 $3.75 11-202 DPDT $1.50 PC8X7SS ....8 x7 SINGLE SIDED 2.00
3/8" SQUARE TOP ADJUST TRIM POTS 23/8" FULL VIEW PANEL METER CERAMIC DISC CAPACITORS 50V ±20%
OFA12 1000 OFA24 201(0 Designed for modernistic equipment Beautiful appearance, easy to read.
PART NO. CAPie PRICE PART NO. CAPµF PRICE
D'Arsonval type movement. accuracy within 2% Will mount in panels up
OFA52 5000 OFA54 SOKO to 3/a thick, has zero adjustment screw Size 23/13 - x113/16x 11/4" CD10-5 10PF 12 CD180.5 180PF 14
OFA13 1K.0 OFA15 100K11 deep. including terminals and will mount into 1112" hole CD12-5 12PF 12 CD220-5 220PF 14
OFA23 2K0 OFA25 2001(0 CD15-5 ISPF 12 CO270-5 270PF 14
PART NO. METER READING PRICE CD18-5 18PF .12 CD300-5 300PF 15
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INTERCHANGEABLE VERSATILITY'
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TO ORDER
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PN2222A .05 MAX232CPE 4.05
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0.4338K 4.49 27C010(15Ons) 9.85
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WorldRadioHistory
u
May 1992
CONTENTS Volume 2
Number 7
In next month's issue

(among others): AUDIO & HI-FI
• I
2C display*
• Plant warmer 43 PROJECT: Audio-Video Processor

An ELV Design
• Review of Analyser Ill
• Medical laser technology
• Dealing with noise and
interference 55 PROJECT: GAL Programmer
• Cellphones explained Design by M. Nosswitz
• Opto-card for multi-
purpose bus
COMPUTERS & MICROPROCESSORS
• 8051/8032 assembler 14 PROJECT: Multi-Purpose Z80 Card—Part 1
course Part 4 Design by A. Rietjens Multi-purpose Z80 card —p. 14
• It is regretted that, owing to GENERAL INTEREST

circumstances beyond our con-
26 Elements of Passive Electronic Components—
trol, this article has had to be
Part 1
postponed to our next issue.
by Steve Knight
POWER SUPPLIES & BATTERY CHARGERS
21 PROJECT: Compact Mains Power Supply

Front cover
Design by A. Rossrucker
Stereo TV is with us in the
shape of NICAM, asystem
RADIO, TELEVISION & COMMUNICATIONS
developed by the BBC and
now also adopted in several 29 The NICAM System
other countries. Moreover, it by our Technical Editor Compact mains power supply -p. 21
is incorporated in adraft 34 PROJECT: NICAM Decoder
Design by Rob Krijgsman, PE1CHY
CCIR recommendation. In
43 PROJECT: Audio-Video Processor
this issue, we give you the
an ELV Design
background of the system
50 PROJECT: FM Tuner—Part 3
and also apractical NICAM
Design by H. Reelsen
decoder. The decoder is
suitable for PAL B/I/G
formats and can be built as a
46 Digital Short-Range Radio
stand-alone unit or be
by Brian P. McArdle
incorporated in an existing
TV receiver.
24 PROJECT: 1.3GHz Prescaler

Design by P. Esser Audio-video processor —p. 43
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Electronics Scene 9-12; New Books 13; Letters 60-62;

Readers Services' 61; Terms of Business 62;
Advertisers' Index 63; Classifieds 63
ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA te.x

(US ISSN 1051-5690) is published monthly
except August at $28 per year; $50 for two
years by Audio Amateur Publications, Inc.,
305 Union St., Peterborough NH 03458 USA. /
Second class postage paid at Peterborough
NH and an additional mailing office.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes

to Elektor Electronics USA, Caller
Box 876, Peterborough NH 03458-0876. GAL programmer —p. 55
WorldRadioHistory
ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA MAY 1992
SAY YOU SAW IT IN ELEKTOR!
4
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MENTION ELEKTOR WHEN ORDERING!
814/ rt„
O_N"`"t4C
.._
ottyEs
•••••
THE WILLIAMSON AMPLIFIER THE AUDIO GLOSSARY

D.T.N. Williamson J. Gordon Holt
In April 1947, Williamson's power amplifier, using Authored by the founder of Stereophile magazine,
excellent-quality push/pull output tubes, a special this new best seller is acomprehensive overview of
output transformer, and a highly filtered power over 1,900 technical and subjective audio terms
supply, became an overnight success. The author explained in precise yet at times humorous fashion.
takes the reader deep into his design considerations, by VANCE DICKASON Three editions: Softcover (S); Hardcover with Dust
Evnythog you need to bald the louispeake, uyarem you hee always
offering practical advice on how to build the units Jacket (H); and Limited, Autographed Hardcover
rarcireOeZolp eorr rtinteelteeemy E t
rite71.e
d'
plus concise instructions on setting up the new amp. nuas, to »our new seed. loodspcal. system Proven oeuerts worte
to boy low con pang aod how to too the run& for yaoself with Gold-Embossed Binding and Dust Jacket (L).
A cult classic.
Year 1990 Pages 152
Year 1947, 1990 Pages 40 0-9624-1914-1(S) Softcover 51
/4 x 71
/
2 $9.95
0-9624-1918-4 Softcover 81
2 x 11
/ $4.95 0-9624-1914-1(H) Hardcover 53 /
4 x8 $17.95
THE LOUDSPEAKER DESIGN 0-9624-1914-1(L) Limited 53
/
4 x8 $30.00
COOKBOOK
AUDIO AMATEUR LOUDSPEAKER Vance Dickason
PROJECTS This new fourth edition of speaker designing's 'bi- BULLOCK ON BOXES
Audio Amateur Magazine ble is twice as big as its predecessors and features Robert M. Bullock III, with Robert White
A collection of the 25 best speaker articles from brand new chapters on how loudspeakers work and An easy-to-read guide to designing and building
Audio Amateur during the decade of the 1970s, loudspeaker design software. Other chapters cover vented-box systems based on Thiele/Small models,
proof that great designs are never out-of-date, arich closed and vented boxes, passive radiators, transmis- this book is a collection of Dr. Bullock's Speaker
source of both theory and practice as well as design. sion-line systems, cabinet construction, drivers, Builder magazine articles. Includes theory, model
The electrostatic and transmission-line pieces are crossovers, and loudspeaker testing, plus acomplete descriptions, plus related information from numer-
particularly interesting and useful. resources listing. By far, the best-selling book in the ous sources, especially computer modeling from the
field. authors' BOXRESPONSE and BOXMODEL pro
Year 1985 Pages 135
grams.
0-8338-0193-7 Softcover 81
2 x 11
/ $20.00 Year 1991 Pages 152
0-9624-1917-6 Softcover 8½x 11 $29.95 Year 1991 Pages 72
0-9624-1915-X Softcover 8½x 11 $10.95
HARD-TO-FIND
AUDIO BOOKS-
AND MORE!
LOUDSPEAKERS: THE WHY AND AUDIO ANTHOLOGIES, VOLS. 1-4:

HOW OF GOOD REPRODUCTION WHEN AUDIO WAS YOUNG
GA. Briggs C.G. McProud, editor
This easy-to-read classic, last revised in 1949, intro- These are the outstanding articles from Audio Engi-
duces the reader to concepts such as impedance, neering magazine during 1947-1957. Amps, pre-
phone and decibels, frequency response, response amps, tuners, speakers, and more. Vol. 1 covers
curves, volume and watts, resonance and vibration, 1947-50 and 38 articles. 2: 1950-1952, 45. 3: 1952-
cabinets and baffles, horns, room acoustics, tran- 1955, 43. 4. 1955-1957, 34.
sients, crossovers, negative feedback, Doppler and Year 1950, 1987 Pages 124
phase effects, and much more. A provocative survey 0-8338-0195-3 Vol. 1Softcover 81
2 x 11
/ $16.95
of the right questions about sound reproduction.
Year 1952, 1989 Pages 124
Year 1949, 1990 Pages 88 0-8338-0197-X Vol. 2 Softcover 81
2 x 11
/ $16.95
0-9624-1913-3 Softcover 51
2 x 81
/ /
2 $6.95
Year 1955, 1990 Pages 124
0-9624-1911-7 Vol. 3Softcover 81
2 x 11
/ $16.95
KILLER CAR STEREO ON A Year 1957, 1991 Pages 144
BUDGET: AN EASY CURE FOR OASK TODAY FOR YOUR FREE 0-9624-1919-2 Vol. 4 Softcover 81
2 x 11
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HO-HUM AUTO SOUND CATALOG OF KITS, COMPONENTS,
Daniel L Ferguson CABLE, SOFTWARE AND TEST CDs!
Providing quick and tested methods for upgrading +MC/VISA WELCOME!
your car's sound, this manual provides an excellent,
easy-to-understand, hands-on treatment of the cost-
effective design and installation of high-quality vehi- OLD COLONY SOUND LAB
cle sound systems. Included are Getting Started; PO BOX 243, DEPT. E92
Sedan, Hatchback, and Pickup Truck Systems;
PETERBOROUGH, NH 03458
Speaker Cabinet Design; Filter Crossovers; and In-
stallation.
24-HOUR LINES:
Year 1989 Pages 118
TEL (603) 924-6371
0-96241910-9 Spiralbound 51
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WorldRadioHistory
MENTION YOU SAW IT IN ELEKTOR!
6
THE HAGUE HOLLAND
EUROPE'S
HOTTEST KITS
NOW AVAILABLE
IN
NORTH AMERICA!
IBM PC SERVICE CARD PLOTTER MARK-II

This card was developed for assi- completely reworked version: see Elektor Electronics March 1990.
stance in the field of service,
development and test. The card is • Max. width 50 cm.
used as a bus-extension to reach the
measurement points very easy. It is • All mechanical parts supplied ready-drilled, filed and tapped, so get
also possible to change cards without oing at once.
having a "hanging computer". • Complete kit, including 2stepper motors, 3pen lift solenoids, HPGL software
on disk (IBM), stepper motor control board
Ready Assembled Module
$145 1
oo.loo $275
IC TESTER FOR IBM-PC- COLOUR TEST PATTERN GENERATOR MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED

XT/AT FREQUENCY METER
A PAL-compatible colour video source that
supplies a number of test patterns for A professional grade multi-purpose fre-
With the ELV IC tester logic func-
aligning television sets. quency meter, designed by Elektor Elec-
tion tests can be carried out on
tronics, that can be build by many at
nearly all CMOS and TTL stan- A test pattern generator is virtually indispens- affordable cost. Described in Elektor Elec-
dard components, accommo- able for troubleshooting in television sets tronics December 1984, January & February
dated in DIL packages up to 20 because it supplies a video signal that is 1985. U6658-based prescaler.
pin. The tester is designed as an known to be stable, and thus easily
insertion card for IBM-PC-XT/AT displayed and synchronized on an • Frequency meter:
and compatibles. A small ZIF test oscilloscope. 0.01 Hz to 1.2 Ghz.
socket PCB is connected via a Inc. case and front 100.111 $175 • Pulse duration meter:
0.1 to 100 s.
flat band cable. Over 500 stan-
• Pulse counter:
derd components can be tes-
0to 10 9 pulses
ted using the accompanying • Period meter:
comprehensive test software. 10 ns to 100 ns
Complete Kit including Textool • Sensitivity:
sokket, connectors, sockets. Flat Input A: 10 mV (Z =2KM»;
band cable, PCB. Software. !
• Input B: TTL or ¿Ros compatible
(Z , =25 kW;
Ready Assembled Module • Input C: prescaler input:
10 mV rms (Z in =50 n).
• Auto-ranging and completely menu-
driven.
• 6or 7digit accuracy.
ELEKTOR P.C. i/o card

Kit includes power supply,
$200 •
220 007 $175 prescaler and enclosure 100.112 $300
WorldRadioHistory
MENTION ELEKTOR WIIEN ORDERING!
BASIC COMPUTER S-VHS/CVBS-TO-RGB CONVERTER
K
With Intel 8052AH-BASIC
100.117• •_
$160 x
e'
—
(I)
ELECTRONICS
,
41 THE HAGUE HOLLAND
• * I —
%rev
ANALOG MODULE Following last month sintroduction into the

eps 880162 100 113 $80 main characteristics of the Super-VHS system, AVAILABLE FROM:
we close off the article with details of a
DIGITAL MODULE practical converter circuit that allows an S- OLD COLONY
eps 880163 100.114 $55 VHS-VRC or camcorder to be connected to
the RGB inputs of a colour TV or monitor. The SOUND LAB
ADRESSDECODER circuit presented here forms a state-of-the-art
eps 880159 100.115 $45 approach to all-analogue picture standard PO Box 243, Dept E92
Peterborough, NH 03458 USA
conversion, and is based on the latest in IC
24-Hour Lines:
technology available for this purpose.
Tel. (603) 924-6371 FAX (603) 924-9467
220.039$150 • Check, money order, MCNISA

accepted.
• Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
• SHIPPING: Airmail shipping to USA
included in price. Others: Please
inquire.
• CUSTOMS: USA residents may be
required to pay 5-10% customs
duty. Others may vary.
MULTIFUNCTION MEASUREMENT MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE MAIN FEATURES
CARDS FOR PCs
•8Internal lines
• Iexternal line
The high-performance insertion card de- The telephone exchange presented here .memory for 10 numbers
scribed in this article allows your IBM PC-XT, allows up to eight pulse-dialling telephone .Internal through connections
PC-AT or 100 % compatible to measure direct sets to be connected, and has an option for •versatile computer control
•automatic hold tor external line
voltage at 12-bit accuracy, as well as fre- connecting calls to or from an external •simple-to-extend
quency and a host of other parameters (trunk) telephone line. The unit is controlled •can be interfaced to o PC
related to pulse-shaped signals. The accu- by the popular 8052-based BASIC computer •selective external cat
acceptance
racy and versatility afforded by the card are we introduced a few years ago. •shortcut dial codes for external
of a level associated with much more ex- number
pensive, industrially rated products. The 220.057 $190 •works with pulse-dialling tele-
phone sets
menu-driven control software developed for •one optinal relay for extra
this exciting project allows you to keep tabs switching function
on up to eight voltages quasi-simultaneously,
while up to eight remaining inputs can be
used for time-related measurements includ-
ing frequency, duty factor and pulse dur-
ation, not forgetting the event counter.
Connected to the sensors and timing de- MAIN SPECIFICATIONS
vices of your choice, this card turns a PC
•Mode: Single
into a powerful central controller in a com- •one adjustable power supply
plex measurement and control system. with current an voltage
controls
•Output 0 40Vat 0 -5A
220.040$225
•Mode: independent
-two identical, electrically
separated, power supplies
-Outputs
2xO 40 y at 2xO 5A
•Mode: Tracking
-two indentical. series connec-
SPECIAL PARTS SERVICE ted, power supplies
-Outputs -±0 -I40 V at 0 -5A
We are the no. 1suppliers of hard-to-find 0- 80Vaf 0- 5A
voltage and current of slave
components for Elektor Electronics pro- 400-WATT LABORATORY POWER follow master
jects.Always contact us first if you see an SUPPLY •Mode: parallel
unfamiliar component. Items include -two idenfical, parallel con-
analogue & digital ICs (HCT, SMD), preci- nected. power supplies
Here is an all-purpose d.c. power supply for •Outputs 06 -39 4V at 0 -10 A
sion resistors (1%. 0,1%), capacitors
symmetrical as well as asymmetrical use,
(MKT/styroflex), inductors (Neosid, Toko), •Maximum output voltage:
transducers, enclosures (Telet, OKW) and and capable of supplying high output cur- -40 (at full load)
rents and voltages. An all-analogue design 48 V (no load)
quartz crystals.
based on discrete parts only, this 400-watt •Maximum output current:: 5A
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PSU deserves a prominent place on your •Rippie: 10 mV (no load)
work bench. 50 mV (at full load)
PLEASE SEND A BUSINESS-SIZE
•Voltage difference in
SASE TO OLD COLONY SOUND LAB tracking mode: 50 mV
(ADDRESS ABOVE), ATTN: MEEK IT. ex. case 220.036 $525
WorldRadioHistory ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA MAY 1992
SAY YOU SAW rr IN ELEKTOR!
Courteous Service • Discount Prices • Fast Shipping i ELECTRONIC ENCLOSURES

ALL ELEcirrionics CORP.
P.O. Box 567 -Van Nu s, CA 91408 Everything to complete your project -
INFRARED Remote A.C. SWITCH From initial concept to finished product!
This infrared remote control device lets you turn on/off lamps,
appliances or other 120 Vac devices using an IR transmitter
similar to the one on your TV or VCR. Originally designed for
. use with a hydromassage unit, these transmitters and receiv-
ers will apparently operate most A.C. devices with 2prong
non -polarized plugs. Not recommended for use with heaters.
Requires a 9volt battery (not included).
Rack Mount Universal Split Case

UV "Invisible "INK
I Complete line of Enclosures in Aluminum, Steel or ABS,

When the ink dries the writing of these felt tip pens is
Hardware, Silkscreening, Tools, Custom Fabricating
CAT# RC -1
visible only under aUV "black light. Originally for marking
Call for our FREE Full Color Catalog
$9 95
era ch
personal belongings in case of theft, these pens might
aiso be used for writing secret messages or marking mer- (800) 800-3321 or (216) 425-8888 (216) 425-1228 Fax
2 or $171-
10 chandise for inventory control. Large quantities available.
CATI UVP 3for $1.00 - 100 for $25.00
PC BOARD WITH RF MODULATOR

(and lots of other parts)
We recently received a load of these PC
' n_ rno'fril Linear
boards which contain, among other things, Knobs & Parts
a RF modulator. With alittle desoldering
you should be able to liberate aworking r
?'
-.--,."-I-F
— }.---
1 emill Cage &Preamp
unit from the board. Also contains 7805T : 7=_
-.1 e
., ':1=
Enclosures
voltage regulator with acouple of healsinks, lfl - . - .C.3,
r—1E1 r—:, --- .
INMWW.I. .
20 ICs, capacitors, resistors, diodes and
connectors.
co No hook-up information available
I "n
'---,H
L- r- ,l.
,
7
e
ABS
on the modulator. CAT* VMB-1 $2.75 each
Electroluminescent
Electret MIKE
High efficiency. BACKLIGHTS 'Project Prop
omni-directional,
II
miniature electret
condenser microphone element.
1710 ENTERPRISE PKWY. TWINSBURG, 01110 44087
Low current drain, good signal I,
to noise ratio, operates on 2to
10 Vdc. Ideal for telephones, 0 0 a
tape recorders, noise-activatedl
alarms and other applications.
0.39" dia X 0.31" high. At last! A low cost elect oluminescent glow strip and RECOMMENDED SOURCES FOR
CAT* MIKE-10 85e each inverter. These brand-new units were designed to
200 pcs $150.00 (75e each) backlight small LCD TVs made by the Citizen Watch ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA
company. The inverter circuit changes 3or 6Vdc to
Surface Mount approximately 100 Vac, the voltage required to light
EUROPEAN PARTS
the glowstnp. Luminescent surface area is 1.7' X
Green LED 2.25*. The strip is asalmon color in its off state, and
Surface mount glows white when energized. The circuit board is 2.2"
LED chip. X 1". Glow strip and circuitry can be removed easily Borbely Audio EasyTech, Inc.
Clear when off, from plastic housing. Ideal for special lighting effects
Emo Borbely 2917 Bayview Dr.
green when lit, and backlighting. Two models available:
Melchior Fanger Strasse 34A Fremont, CA 94538
Very tiny -whole unit is 0.115" Citizen* 91TA operates on 3Vdc CAT* BLU-91
3 50
X 0.055" X 0.05" thick. lrrrn Citizen* 92TA operates on 3-6 Vdc CAT* BLU-92 8031 Neu-Gilching Tel (800) 582-4044
(0.04") lens diameter. Gold-plated LARGE Germany FAX (800) 582-1255
mounting surfaces for superior QUANTITY $
conductivity. CAT* SMLED-2 Tel 49-8105-5291
20 for $1.00 • 100 for $18.00 AVAILABLE each FAX 49-8105-24605 (24H) ELV France
1000 for $140.03 10 for $32.00 •100 for $275.00
BP 40
6 VOLT D.C. MOTOR ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER Bull Electrical F-57480 Sierck-les-Bains
250 Portland Road France

Johnson Motor* HC613LO
Ratings at 6 Vdc (no load): • • Panasonic (Matsushita)* Hove Tel 33-82-83-72-13
EPA RCBK40K54 FAX 33-82-83-81-80
8,617 RPM, 084 amps,
a Sussex BN3 5QT
34.06 oz. in. . •••• . An ultrasonic microphone
torque
1.46" dia. X 2.24" long.
consisting of abimorph type United Kingdom
0.125' dia. shaft. Threaded
piezo electric ceramic vibrator. Tel 44-0273-203500 Meek It Electronics
mounting holes in front Nom. Freq. 40 kHz. Max input volts: 20 Volts.
on 0.982" centers. 15/16" diameter X 3/8" high. 5/8" long leads. FAX 44-0273-23077 Rob Planken
CAT* UST-1 $1.00 each Paveljoensgracht 35A
CAT* DCM-29 $3.50 each
C-I Electronics 2515 BL Den Haag
TOLL FREE ORDER LINES PO Box 22089 The Netherlands
1-800_826-5432 6360 AB Nuth

The Netherlands
Tel 31-70-609554
FAX 31-70-397-9707
FAX 31-45-241877
CHARGE ORDERS to Visa, MasterCard or Discover
Technomatic
TERMS: Minimum order St0.00.Shipping and handling For the 48 continental U.S A. $3.50
OIL Elektronika Technohouse
per order All others including AK, HI, PR or Canada must pay lull shOping. All orders
Jan Ligthartstraat 59-61 486 Church Lane
delivered in CAL FORNIA must include state sales tax (7.25, 7.5, 7.75, 8.25 or 8.5%).
3083 AL Rotterdam London NW9 8UF
Quantities Limited NO C0.0. Prices subject to change without notice.
The Netherlands United Kingdom
CALL OR WRITE FOR OUR FREE 64 PAGE CATALOG
FAX 31-10-4841150 Tel 44-081-205-9558
ALL ELECTRONICS CORPORATION FAX 44-081-205-0190
P.O. Box 567 •Van Nuys, CA •91408
ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA MAY 1992 WorldRadioHistory

MENTION ELEKTOR WHEN ORDERING!
BASIC COMPUTER S-VHS/CVBS-TO-RGB CONVERTER

With Intel 8052AH BASIC
100 117
f
et
$160
Orà
•e 41
ELECTRONICS
r ttt.' m c
e ;!
41
THE HAGUE HOLLAND

• - \ !
et
, 1 1
I
411101. 1
ANALOG MODULE Following last month sintroduction into the

eps 880162 wo.113 $80 main characteristics of the Super-VHS system, AVAILABLE FROM:
we close off the article with details of a
DIGITAL MODULE practical converter circuit that allows an S- OLD COLONY
eps 880163 100.114 $55 VHS-VRC or camcorder to be connected to
the RGB inputs of a colour TV or monitor. The SOUND LAB
ADRESSDECODER circuit presented here forms a state-of-the-art
eps 880159 100.115 $45 approach to all-analogue picture standard PO Box 243, Dept E92
Peterborough, NH 03458 USA
conversion, and is based on the latest in IC
24-Hour Lines:
technology available for this purpose.
Tel. (603) 924-6371 FAX (603) 924-9467
220.039$150 • Check, money order, MCNISA

accepted.
• Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
• SNIPPING: Airmail shipping to USA
included in price. Others: Please
inquire.
• CUSTOMS: USA residents may be
required to pay 5-10% customs
duty. Others may vary.
MULTIFUNCTION MEASUREMENT MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE MAIN FEATURES
CARDS FOR PCs
•8Internal lines
• Iexternal line
The high-performance insertion card de- The telephone exchange presented here •memory for 10 numbers
scribed in this article allows your IBM PC-XT, allows up to eight pulse-dialling telephone •Internal through connections
PC-AT or 100 % compatible to measure direct sets to be connected, and has an option for •versatile computer control
•automatic hold for external line
voltage at 12-bit accuracy, as well as fre- connecting calls to or from an external •simple-to-extend
quency and a host of other parameters (trunk) telephone line. The unit is controlled •can be interfaced to o PC
related to pulse-shaped signals. The accu- by the popular 8052-based BASIC computer •selective external call
acceptance
racy and versatility afforded by the card are we introduced a few years ago. •shortcut dial codes for external
of a level associated with much more ex- number
pensive. industrially rated products. The 220.057 $190 •works with pulse-dialling reie
phone sets
menu-driven control software developed for •one optinal relay for extra
this exciting project allows you to keep tabs switching function
on up to eight voltages quasi-simultaneously,
while up to eight remaining inputs can be
used for time-related measurements includ-
in9 frequency, duty factor and pulse dur-
ation, not forgetting the event counter.
Connected to the sensors and timing de- MAIN SPECIFICATIONS
vices of your choice, this card turns a PC
•Mode: Single
into a powerful central controller in a com- one adjustable power supply
plex measurement and control system. with current on voltage
controls
•Output 0- 40Vat 0-5A
220.040$225
•Mode: independent
-two identical, electrically
separated. power supplies
-Outputs
2xO• 40Vat 2x0- 5A
•Mode: Tracking
SPECIAL PARTS SERVICE -two indentical, series connec-
ted. power supplies
-Outputs ±0-±40 V ot 0 5A
We are the no. 1suppliers of hard-to-find 0 -80 V at 0-5A
-Voltage and current of slave
components for Elektor Electronics pro- 400-WATT LABORATORY POWER follow master
jects.Always contact us first if you see an SUPPLY •Mode: parallel
unfamiliar component. Items include two identical, parallel con-
analogue & digital ICs (HCT, SMD), preci- nected, power supplies
sion resistors (1%, 0,1%), capacitors Here is an all-purpose d.c. power supply for -Outputs 06 39 4V ot 0-10 A
(MKT/styroflex), inductors (Neosid, Toko), symmetrical as well as asymmetrical use, •Maximum output voltage:
transducers, enclosures (Telet, OKW) and and capable of supplying high output cur- O -40 V (at full laod)
rents and voltages. An all-analogue design 48 V (no load)
quartz crystals.
based on discrete parts only, this 400-watt •Maximum output current:: 5A
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PSU deserves a prominent place on your •Rippie: 10 mV (no load)
work bench. 50 mV (at full load)
PLEASE SEND A BUSINESS-SIZE
•Volta9e difference in
SASE TO OLD COLONY SOUND LAB tracking mode: 50 mV
(ADDRESS ABOVE), ATTN: MEEK IT. ex. case 220.036 $525
SAY YOU SAW IT IN ELEKTOR!
Courteous Service • Discount Prices • Fast Shipping ,

niLL ELECTROIMICS CORP.
ELECTRONIC ENCLOSURES
P.O. Box 567 -Van Nu s, CA 91408 Everything to complete your project -

INFRARED Remote A.C. SWITCH From initial concept to finished product!
This infrared remote control device lets you turn on/off lamps,
appliances or other 120 Vac devices using an IR transmitter
similar to the one on your TV or VCR. Originally designed for
use with ahydromassage unit, these transmitters and receiv-
- ers will apparently operate most &C. devices with 2prong g
non -polarized plugs. Not recommended for use with heaters.
L„i...... Requires a9volt battery (not included).
i Rack Mount Universal Split Case
UV "Invisible "INK
) Complete line of Enclosures in Aluminum, Steel or ABS,

When the ink dries the writing of these felt tip pens is
Hardware, Silkscreening, Tools, Custom Fabricating
CAT* RC-1
visible only under aUV "black light". Originally for marking
Call for our FREE Full Color Catalog
$9 95
*inch
personal belongings in case of theft, these pens might
also be used for writing secret messages or marking mer- (800) 800-3321 or (216) 425-8888 (216) 425-1228 Fax
2 tor St 7.00 chandise for inventory control. Large quantities available.
CAT* UVP 3for $1.00 - 100 for $25.00
PC BOARD WITH RF MODULATOR

(and lots of other parts)
We recently received a load of these PC ri- .-n------
- ---r o
- .
i n_ai low61:1 111 Linear
boards which contain, among Cher things, É
, LI - Knobs & Parts
—• i %Wpm
aRF modulator. With alittle desoldering . -2 1f7r•,11--- F.-;"-- e Cage & Preamp
you should be able to liberate aworking r
unit from the board. Also contains 7805T l ç.
i
,-.1
.. , M Enclosures
voltage regulator with acouple of heatsinks, l11 - ° t=, worm we
20 ICs, capacitors, resistors, diodes and
connectors. No hook-up information available L ,-— r- .
-'•
- ,-----li ., ABS
on the modulator. CAT* VMB-1 $2.75 each 1
1_21- 1-11
17 7 !' I
Electroluminescent
Electret MIKE
High efficiency, BACKLIGHTS (Project Prop
omni-directional,
miniature electret
1710 ENTERPRISE PKWY. TWINSBURG, OHIO 44087
condenser microphone element.
Low current drain, good signal
to noise ratio, operates on 2to
°
10 Vdc. Ideal for telephones, çj 0
tape recorders, noise-activated •
alarms and other applications.
0.39" dia X 0.31" high. At last IA low cost electroluminescent glow strip and RECOMMENDED SOURCES FOR
CAT* MIKE-10 85e each inverter. These brand-new units were designed to
200 pcs $150.00 (75e each) backlight small LCD TVs made by the Citizen Watch ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA
company. The inverter circuit changes 3or 6Vdc to
Surface Mount approximately 100 Vac, the voltage required to light EUROPEAN PARTS
the glowstrip. Luminescent surface area is 1.T X
Green LED 2.25". The strip is asalmon color in its off state, and
Surface mount glows white when energized. The circuit board is 2.2'
LED chip. X 1". Glow strip and circuitry can be removed easily Borbely Audio EasyTech, Inc.
Clear when off, from plastic housing. Ideal for special lighting effects
Erno Borbely 2917 Bayview Dr.
green when lit, and backlighting. Two models available:
Melchior Fanger Strasse 34A Fremont, CA 94538
Very tiny-whole unit is 0.115' Citizen* 91TA operates on 3Vdc CAT* BLU-91
Tel (800) 582-4044
50
X 0.055" X 0.05" thick. lmrn Citizen* 92TA operates on 3-6 Vdc CAT* BLU-92 8031 Neu-Gilching
LARGE
3 FAX (800) 582-1255
(0.04") lens diameter. Gold-plated
Germany
mounting surfaces for superior QUANTITY $
conductivity. CAT* SMLED•2 Tel 49-8105-5291
20 for 91.00 • 100 for 918.00 AVAILABLE each FAX 49-8105-24605 (24H) ELV France
1000 for $140.00 10 for $32.00 •100 for $275.00
BP 40
6 VOLT D. C. MOTOR ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER Bull Electrical F-57480 Sierck-les-Bains
250 Portland Road France
Johnson Motor# HC613/G
Ratings at 6Vdc (no load): Panasonic (Matsushita)1 Hove Tel 33-82-83-72-13
8,617 RPM, 0.84 arnps, EFR RCBK40K54 FAX 33-82-83-81-80
An ultrasonic microphone Sussex BN3 5QT
34.06 oz. in. torque.
1.46" dia. X 2.24* long, consisting of abimorph type United Kingdom
0.125' dia. shah. Threaded piezo electric ceramic vibrator. Tel 44-0273-203500 Meek It Electronics
mounting holes in front `---.. ,..,..,
‘,.___mir
> j Nom. Freq. 40 Id-12. Max input volts: 20 Volts.
FAX 44-0273-23077
15/16' diameter X 3/8" high. 5/8" long leads. Rob Planken
on 0.982' centers.
CAT* UST-1 91.00 each Paveljoensgracht 35A
CAT* DCM-29 $3.50 each
C-I Electronics 2515 BL Den Haag
TOLL FREE ORDER LINES PO Box 22089 The Netherlands
1-800-826-5432 6360 AB Nuth Tel 31-70-609554

mm. The Netherlands FAX 31-70-397-9707
FAX 31-45-241877
CHARGE ORDERS to Visa, MasterCard or Discover
Technomatic
TERMS: Minimum order $10.00.Shpping and ha ndlIng for the 08 continental USA $3 50
DIL Elektronika Technohouse
per order. All others including AK, HI, PR or Canada must pay full sheiping. All orders 486 Church Lane
Jan Ligthartstraat 59-61
delivered in CAL FORMA must thclude state sales tax (7.25, 7.5, 775, 8.25 or 8.5%).
3083 AL Rotterdam London NW9 8UF
Quantities Limited. NO C.O.D. Prices subject to change without notice.
The Netherlands United Kingdom
CALL OR WRITE FOR OUR FREE 64 PAGE CATALOG
FAX 31-10-4841150 Tel 44-081-205-9558
ALL ELECTRONICS CORPORATION FAX 44-081-205-0190
P.O. Box 567 •Van Nuys, CA •91408

I MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS ELECTRONICS SCENE DIGITAL SNAP-AROUNDS
Analog Devices adds the AD1866 complete A. W. Sperry Instruments Inc., marketer
stereo 16-bit PCM audio DAC that operates of portable electrical and electronic test
from asingle +5V supply for portable, low-
power, and computer audio (multimedia) ap- I PRO PCBs EN MASSE
equipment, announces its new, economical
line of DIGISNAPTM Digital Snap-Arounds:
plications. It requires few external compo- PCBoards now offers aCAM driver ($49) models DSA-400, -400A, -440, -440T, and
nents to achieve rated performance, thereby for Gerber and ExcelIon output. With it, you DSA-450 TRUE RMS. Features include lim-
reducing system complexity and cost. This can send your PCB art, created with the ited lifetime warranty, AC current, AC and
complete IC is comprised of two precision PCBoards layout program, directly to the DC voltage, resistance, diode test, continu-
references, output amplifiers, and 16-bit con- Gerber format and then to a circuit board ity buzzer, frequency and temperature
verters. DC bias pins that position the out- house for production, either by modem or ranges, meeting IEC-348 Class H standards,
put signal at 2.5V midscale (1.5V-3.5V swing) disk. Bound manuals are available with the data hold and data peak. Prices range from
eliminate the need for false-ground circuitry. purchase of the CAM driver or $8 separately. $64.95-$ 129.95.
The AD1866 is characterized to the EIAJ Contact PCBoards, 2110 14th Avenue Contact A. W. Sperry Instruments Inc.,
CF-307 test standards and is packaged in South, Birmingham, AL 35205, (205) 245 Marcus Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788,
16-pin plastic DIPs or SOICs. It costs $10.50 933-1122. (516) 231-7050. _
in groups of 100.
I
Contact Analog Devices, Inc., 181 Ballard-
ville St., Wilmington, MA 01887, (617) 937- FREE SPICE WITH OP AMPS
1428, FAX (617) 821-4273 for literature. Analog Devices' dual OP-282 and quad
OP-482 are 4MHz unity gain bandwidth op-
erational amplifiers that cost less then 55t
per channel. Each amplifier draws amaxi-
mum supply current of only 250µA and their
slew rate exceeds 7V/µs, with asettling time
of 1.6µs to 0.01%. Offset voltage is only
3mV, for the dual OP-282 and 4mV, for the
I
quad OP-482.
PATTERN-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE These devices offer abalanced set of guar-
Teranet IA, Inc. has released anew version anteed AC and DC specifications and feature
of ModelWare—Version 1.1, amodeling or acommon-mode input range that includes
pattern-recognition software program with apositive power supply and output swing
avariety of applications and support. Solve to within 1.5V of each power rail. They are
complex problems using quality control in well-suited for power-restricted or battery-
manufacturing, advanced fault detection, operated applications. Each model includes
customer retention analysis, financial predic- complete SPICE models and both are avail-
tion, and industrial signal validation. A demo able in chip form. In aplastic DIP, the dual
version is available for $45, which can be OP-282 costs $1.05 and the quad OP-482
credited against the purchase price. costs $1.72 (thousands).
Contact Teranet IA, Inc., 1615 Bowen Rd., Contact Steve Sockolov, Analog Devices,
Nanaimo, BC, Canada, V9S 1G5, (604) 754- Inc., PMI Division, 1500 Space Park Dr.,
4223, FAX (604) 754-2388. Santa Clara, CA 95052-8020, (408) 562-7456.
Published by Audio Amateur Publications, Inc. European Offices: HUNGARY PORTUGAL

Elektuur BV Elektor Elektronikai folyoirat Ferreira á Bento Lda.
Editor/publisher Edward T. Dell, Jr.
Postbus 75 1015 Budapest R.D. Estef-83-ni, 32-1°
Editorial Offices:
6190 AB BEEK Batthyany U. 13. 1000 LISBOA
305 Union St., P.O. Box 876
The Netherlands Editor: Lakatos Andras Editor: Jeremias Sequeira
Peterborough, NH 03458-0876 USA
Telephone: 011 31 4638 9444
Telephone: 603-924-9464 (National) INDIA SPAIN
Telex: 56617 (elekt nI)
or +1 (603) 924-9464 (International) Elektor Electronics PVT Ltd Resistor Electronica Aplicada
FAX 011 31 4637 0161
FAX: (603) 924-9467 (National) Chhotani Building Calle Maudes 15 Entio C.
Managing Director M.M.J. Landman
or +1 (603) 924-9467 (International) 52C, Proctor Road, Grant Road (E) 28003 MADRID
Advertising: Maureen E. McHugh BOMBAY 400 007 Editor: Agustin Gonzales Buelta
Overseas Editions Editor: Surendra lyer
Telephone: (603) 358-3756
FRANCE SWEDEN
FAX (603) 924-9467 ISRAEL
Elektor sarl Electronic Press AB
Subscriptions: Katharine Gadwah Elektorcal
Les Trois Tilleuis Box 5505
Elektor Electronics USA P 0 Box 41096
B.P. 59; 59850 NIEPPE 14105 HUDDINGE
Post Office Box 876, TEL AVIV 61410
Editors: D.R.S. Meyer Editor: Bill Cedrum
Peterborough, New Hampshire 03458 Publisher M Avraham
G.C.P. Raedersdorf
Subscriptions to Elektor Electronics USA are UNITED KINGDOM
NETHERLANDS
available ONLY in the fifty United States. GERMANY Elektor Electronics (Publishing)
Elektuur BV
Canada, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Elektor \farlag GmbH P.O. Box 1414
Peter Treckpoelstraat 2-4
those Pacific territories administered by the Susterfeld Strasse 25 Dorchester DT2 8YH
6191 VK BEEK
United States of America. 5100 AACHEN England
Editor: P.E.L. Kersemakers
International Advertising: Editor: E.J.A. Krempelsauer Editor/Publisher: Len Seymour
Uitgeversmaatschappi; Elektuur b.v. PAKISTAN
P.O. Box 75 GREECE Electro-shop
6190 AB BEEK Elektor EPE 35 Naseem Plaza
The Netherlands Kariskaki 14 Lasbella Chawk Printed in the United States of America.
Telephone: +31 46 38 94 44 16673 Voula—Athena KARACHI 5
FAX: +31 46 37 01 61 Editor: E. Xanthoulis Editor: Zain Ahmed ISSN 051-5690
WorldRadioHistory
I ANTENNA GAIN ELECTRONICS SCENE
MFJ Enterprises announces the MFJ-1750,
/
58 wave, ground plane, 2M band antenna.
Features include Rapid Tune Radi at
or TM
with aspin-to-tune concept; handles 300W

Errors Corrected
and covers an entire 2M band with SWR
The headline in the first item of Elec-
below one and one-half over the full 4MHz
tronics Scene (EEUSA 1/92, p. 12) should
range. A shunt-fed matching network is in- have read LOW-COST MIDI STARTER
cluded for lower SWR and discharging of un- SET. On the same page, StarPC Instru-
wanted static charges. ments' PROGRAMMABLE COUNTER
should have included mention that it was
I
Contact MFJ Enterprises, Inc., PO Box
also a SIGNAL GENERATOR. The sec-
494, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (601) READ-CHANNEL IC
ond paragraph of that item should have
323-5869, FAX (601) 323-6551. read "variable pulse width output." Our Analog Devices has released the AD899, a
apologies to PAJA Electronics Inc., StarPC hard-disk-drive read channel combined into
Instruments, and to our readers. asingle +5V, 52-pin IC. It reduces space re-
quirements, power consumption, and cost
I
compared to other multiple chip solutions.
CLASSIC REPRINT By supporting data rates up to 32Mbits/s, the
Professional Audio Journals, Inc., an- AD899 provides signal conditioning, data
nounces Acoustical Engineering by Harry F. qualification, data synchronization, and RLL
Olson, the first in aseries of audio classics 1,7 data encoding/decoding with aminimum
reprinted due to demand. With more than of components.
700 pages and 500 illustrations, this new edi- The AD899 is available in a52-lead PQFP
tion is printed on acid-free paper, has an in- package and is priced at $10 in OEM quan-
troduction by Jesse Klapholz, an updated tities. Contact Analog Devices, Inc., 804
biography on Olson, and abibliography of Woburn St., Wilmington, MA 01887, (617)
Olson's selected articles published between 937-2210.
1957 and 1980.
Coverage includes loudspeakers and micro-
phones, measurements, sound reproduction,
communication systems, underwater sound,
I BIG CATALOG
and ultrasonics. Reviewers claim solutions
to electroacoustical problems; audio profes-
Newark Electronics publishes a1,200-page sionals will find it avaluable reference.
catalog that contains detailed, technical in- The reprint costs $49.95, plus shipping and
formation and dimensions on over 100,000 handling; $4 US, $8 international. Contact
products from 250 manufacturers. Catalog Professional Audio Journals, Inc., PO Box
112 features an additional 20 manufacturers 31718, Philadelphia, PA 19147-7718, (215)
and more than 15,000 new products. To ob- 465-1975, FAX (215) 336-7743.
tain your free copy, contact Newark Elec-
tronics, 4801 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago,
IL 60640-4496, or call (800) 367-3573.
I DIGITAL THERMO-HYGROMETER I POWER FILM RESISTOR
A. W. Sperry Instruments announces the Caddock Electronics announces the Type
Model DTH-1A, apocket-sized digital ther- MP850 Kool-Pak Power Film Resistor which
CAPITAL ACQUISITION mo-hygrometer with mini/max memory. Its uses its proven Micronox® resistance film
Capital Electro-Circuits, manufacturer of ranges include 0-50°C, 32-122°F, and system in an all-molded TO-220 Power Pack-
multi-layer and double-sided PC boards, an- 2-98%RH with afeature that measures both age to provide a50W heatsink mountable re-
nounces the addition of a GerbToo1/386 humidity and temperature in degrees Cen- sistor. The noninductive design makes this
CAM Station and an Everett/Charles Kry- tigrade and Fahrenheit simultaneously. resistor ideal in power switching circuits
terion 500, bare-board electrical tester. The Model DTH-1A is equipped with two The Model MP850, 10f1 at 2%, is 10,000
The CAM station can accept any Gerber 1.5V-button type batteries, case, and oper- pieces/$1.99 each. Contact Caddock Elec-
output from customers and perform design ating instructions for $49.95. Contact A. W. tronics, Applications Engineering, 17271 N.
rule checks, modifications and other im- Sperry Instruments, Inc., 245 Hauppauge, Umpqua Hwy., Roseburg, OR 97470, (503)
provements to circuit boards before plots are NY 11788, (516) 231-7050. 496-0700, FAX (503) 496-0408.
generated.
The Kryterion 500 can test up to 38,000,
through-hole or surface-mount, test points
on panel sizes of up to 18 x 24". Both ac-
quisitions result in higher quality at less cost.
Contact Capital Electro-Circuits, Inc.,
7845J Airpark Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20879,
(301) 977-0303.

ELECTRONICS SCENE
I NEW VIDEO STANDARD

The Work Group on Studio Video Standards
for the Society of Motion Picture and Televi-
sion Engineers has determined that the ser-
ial digital interface, for component and com-
I I
posite video signals, is an effective interface
EXPORTABLE RADIO for digital equipment in television environ- IN-CIRCUIT EMULATOR
Harris Corporation's RF Communications ments. If approved, the proposed standard, HiTech Equipment Corporation has
Group introduces the multiband VHF/UHF 259M, will be published in the SMPTEJour- added the DryICE TM Plus in-circuit emulator
radio transceiver designed to meet the multi- nal along with related documents. system to its DryICE family of low-cost 8051
mission, multi-waveform requirements of For further details, contact the Society of emulators. The emulator unit ($299) has its
international military defense forces. The Motion Picture and Television Engineers, own power supply, control circuitry, 48K of
AN/PRC-11'7D(E) is designed specifically for 595 West Hartsdale Ave., White Plains, NY user program memory, and an RS-232 inter-
export, combines bands in one compact, and 10607, (914) 761-1100. face to connect with the host computer. You
light-weight manpack radio set. This pro- choose an interchangeable emulation pod
vides flexibility for ground-to-air, ship-to- ($149) from alist that includes Oki, Signetics,
ship, ship-to-shore, and ground-to-ground Siemens, and Intel. An 18" pod cable is in-
communications. The unit is interoperable cluded to plug into the user's target system
with most tactile radios and with fielded in place of the target microprocessor. The
AN/PRC-117A and AN/VRC-94A(V) series DryICE accepts user code in Intel Hex format.
radios. When used with the built-in RF-3995 Contact HiTech Equipment Corp., 9400
digital encryption option, which pseudoran- Activity Rd., San Diego, CA 92126, (619)
domly generates algorithms with up to 10 52 566-1892, FAX (619) 530-1458.
possible combinations, the AN/PRC-117d(E)
provides advanced communications secur-
I
I
ity in data and voice modes. WAVEFORM ANALYZER
Contact Harris Corporation, RF Commu- PACE LINE Sencore Electronics announces the SC3080
nications Group, 1680 University Ave., Techni-Tool, supplier of avariety of tools, Waveform Analyzer that automates every
Rochester, NY 14610, (716) 244-5830. now offers the full line of PACE ® Products: conventional scope measurement for faster
the MBT-250 Solder Station, De-Solder Sta- and more accurate waveform analysis. This
tion, PRC-151 Bench-top Rework and Repair includes adigital readout on both channels
Center, ST-50 & ST 50-V, SMR-25/SMR-20 for PPV, DCV, and frequency. All measure-
"Pulse Heat" SMD Reflow System, ments are made through one probe, elimi-
MBT-201, SMR-20 SMD Reflow System, nating any time-consuming hookup. Delta
SMR-25/SMR-20 Handpieces, MP-1 Portable features include PPV, time, and 1/Time mea-
Desoldering Station, PFP-40 Fuseset System, surement capabilities for both input chan-
the HS-150 Hotspot, and more. nels. Further, Sencore guarantees that if the
For a free catalog, contact Techni-Tool, added speed and accuracy of the SC3080
5Apollo Rd., PO Box 368, Plymouth Meet- Waveform Analyzer do not at least double
I CROWN PREAMP MODULE

ing, PA 19462, (215) 941-2400, FAX (215)
828-5623.
your testing and troubleshooting productiv-
ity during the first 30 days, the instrument
Crown International, Inc. offers the may be returned for afull refund, including
P.I.P.-PA preamplifier module intended for
use with P.I.P.-compatible amplifiers such as I FREE 'SCOPE SEMINARS
freight, both ways.
For information, contact Sencore Electron-
the Crown Macro-Tech and Corn-Tech. Be- Tektronix is offering free seminars to teach ics, 3200 Sencore Dr., Sioux Falls, SD 57107,
cause it can be plugged directly into the back the latest oscilloscope measurement tech- (800) SENCORE.
of the amplifier, the module saves rack space. niques. A one day training session, struc-
It provides switchable, balanced low-imped- tured around common applications, consist-
ance mike input and balanced line-level in- ing of formal presentations and hands-on lab
put on each amplifier channel. One feature work. The seminar is directed at engineer-
prevents overdriving. Another which en- ing managers, test engineers, analog and
hances the P.I.P.-PA's flexibility is an op- digital designers, electronic service techni-
tional 6dB/octave bass rolloff at 150Hz. De- cians and researchers. Oscilloscopes ranging
signed for small systems, it is an alternative from low-cost portables to sophisticated lab-
for outboard mixers and signal processors. oratory instruments with sampling rates to
Contact Crown International, Inc., 1718 2GS/sec will be discussed and demonstrated.
Mishawaka Rd., Elkhart, IN 46517, (616) Call Tektronix, (800) 426-2200, ext. 579,
695-5948, FAX (616) 695-7623. to find the training center nearest you.

II IMAGING BOOK
Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineers (SMPTE) announces a 250-page
book published from papers given at the
ELECTRONICS SCENE
ir
26th Annual Advanced Television and Elec-
tronic Imaging Conference held last Febru- I CHIP TEST ADAPTER
ary in San Francisco. It is available for $20 Antona Corporation offers the Model
to members; $25 to nonmembers. Contact ANC-4028, which enables the circuit de-
SMPTE, 595 West Hartsdale Ave., White signer to test and monitor socketed 28-pin
Plains, NY 10607. plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) type com-
ponents. Complete with two LED status cir-
I
cuits, modular construction, easily reconfig-
TECHNICAL NOTES urable to accommodate pin grid array (PGA)
ARX Systems is publishing a series of ap- or leadless chip carrier (LCC), the test adapter
plication notes, the first of which is about
DI-6S, aversatile signal processing and rout-
is available in 52- 68-, and 84-pin versions.
Each unit costs $117. Optional pluggable test I HI-RES STICK OMM
Fieldpiece has developed the HS24 Digital
ing device. While the notes are primarily in- adapters are $24 each.
tended for users of ARX Systems' products, Contact Antona Corp., 1643 1
2 Westwood
/ Multimeter (DMM) to add ranges needed to
the technical information they contain is ap- Blvd., West Los Angeles, CA 90024, (310) display resolution to 0.1A AC and 0.1° using
plicable to other products of asimilar nature. 473-8995, FAX (310) 473-7112. AC current (amp) clamps and temperature
Available at no charge to those who send a converters. This small, heavy-duty unit com-
self-addressed stamped envelope, the combines adigital multimeter, voltage checker,
pany expects to release one set of applica- capacitance meter, continuity checker, and
tion notes a month. current clamp meter in afully sealed, drop-
Contact ARX Systems, PO Box 842, proof, contamination-resistant Valox hous-
Silverado, CA 92676-0842, (714) 649-2346. ing. Jacks emerge from the top to accept
probe tips, test leads, alligator clips, or an
I TECHNI-TOOL CATALOG
accessory current clamp head.
The HS24 adds a200mV AC and a200mV
Over 18,000 items from more than 850 manu- DC range to the meters for 0.1mV resolution
facturers are featured in the new Techni-Tool from converters that deliver lmV AC or DC
Catalog. Their inventory of items include: per unit of measure. Available either assem-
electro -mechanical and assembly devices, bled ($99) or as akit (HS24K11 for $159); the
aerospace production, computer mainte- kit includes a customized leather tool belt.
nance, surface-mount technology, electronic, Contact Fieldpiece Instruments, Inc.,
telecommunication, field service tool kits, 8322B Artesia Blvd Buena Park, CA 90621,
static control and clean room items.
For details, contact Techni-Tool, 5Apollo I BETTER BRAIN WAVES
Phone and FAX —(714) 992-1239.
I
Rd., PO Box 368, Plymouth Meeting, PA Synetic Systems, Inc., releases the Syner-
19462. gizer, ahardware/software combination that MINSO SOFTWARE UPGRADE
turns the IBM PC/XT/AT/386/486 or clone MicroMath Scientific Software has lis-
I INTELLIGENT SCANNING
into alaboratory-grade brain-wave entrain-
ment synchronizer. You can create sessions
tened to user input when re-engineering
MINSQ, a system-modeling program for
Future Scanning Systems has released the of almost any length and complexity, set eye electronic, mechanical, and chemical appli-
software program SCAN, Version 2, for the and ear pulse rates independently, channel cations. MINSQ II, 400% faster than its pre-
AMIGA computer. This program performs sound frequencies left and right. Multiple decessor, takes general equations and de-
intelligent scanning and controls Icom radio time ramps and sound light levels (300) can rives parameter estimations to reflect how
receivers that support Icom's CI-V port. be included in one program session. a system reacts to different forces.
Some of the programs features are: fully The Synergizer ($495) requires DOS 3.0 or The new interface includes aspreadsheet,
automated scanning, logging and receiving above, 512K of RAM, a mouse, and a hard pull-down menus and optional mouse sup-
control, maximum scanning speed of over drive. An external control is an additional port. Objects and text can both be manipu-
2,000 channels per minute, and remote con- $95. Contact Synetic Systems, Inc., 3822 lated for faster editing. Three new plot types
trol tape recording. The control algorithms Stone Way N., Seattle, WA 98103, (206) include polar, box, and step. Additional fea-
remove dead-tape time, the built-in mouse 632-1722. tures include: multiple x and y axes (five),
can edit channel parameters and the high- on-line context sensitive help, expansion of
resolution graphics displays scan activity. printer drivers, and eight plot export for-
SCAN is fully multi-tasking and generates mats. Files can also be imported and ex-
ASCII frequency files. It requires 1Mb of ported to Lotus, Quattro Pro, Excel, Dbase,
RAM and is Workbench-2 compatible. The DIF and ASCII. Upgrade cost is $99.
single radio version is $149; dual version is Contact MicroMath Scientific Software,
$199. Shipping outside the US, include $15. PO Box 21550, Salt Lake City, UT 84121,
Contact Future Scanning Systems, PO Box VOICE (801) 943-0290, FAX (801) 943-0299,
654, Bartlesville, OK 74005, (918) 333-7474. BBS (801) 943-0397.
WorldRadioHistory
tri
NEW BOOKS
theory and practice of linear and circular po- discussion of the main topics of linear state-
INTRODUCING DIGITAL AUDIO larization, asubject from microwave theory space system theory in both the continuous-
by Ian R. Sinclair on which little has been published to date. time case and the discrete-time case and also
ISBN 1-870-775-22-8 A minor criticism of the book is that it the I/O description of linear systems.
Price $10.95 + $2 S/H (soft cover) gives very little attention to scrambling sys- The work is self-contained: four mathe-
The second edition of this book, aimed at en- tems other than the Videocrypt System and matical appendices develop the many spe-
thusiasts, technicians, and students, de- Eurocrypt for MAC. This is surprising, be- cialized mathematical results needed in the
scribes digital audio methods and circuits cause analog scrambling systems are still main text. In the development of Linear Sys-
that are alien to the technician or keen am- being used on many satellite TV channels tem Theory, emphasis is placed on careful
ateur who has previously worked only with (at least those that are received in Europe). and precise exposition of fundamental con-
analog audio circuits. Principles and meth- Swift Television Publications cepts and results.
ods are explained, but the mathematical 17 Pittsfield The main topics of Linear System Theory
background and theory are avoided other Cricklade SN6 6AN are treated systematically: the dynamics of
than to discuss the end product. England linear time-varying and time-invariant sys-
New material includes Sony's Mini Disc, United Kingdom tems, stability, controllability and observa-
the Philips Digital Compact Cassette, and bility, realizations, linear feedback and es-
R-DAT, which is finding ever wider accept- timation, linear quadratic optimal control,
ance in professional recording studios. More- and unity-feedback MIMO systems. At var-
over, the CD section now includes coverage ious suitable places, basic computational is-
of MASH and bitstream methods, and a sues and robustness issues are discussed.
THE LASER GUIDEBOOK 2nd Ed. Springer-Verlag (New York), Inc.
glossary of terms.
by Jeff Hecht
Old Colony Sound Lab 175 Fifth Avenue
ISBN 0-07-027-737-0
PO Box 243 New York, NY 10010
Price $44.95
Peterborough, NH 03458 18001 777-4643
Several good textbooks exist on the physics
Tel (603) 924-6371
of lasers, but The Laser Guidebook is aimed
FAX (603) 924-9467
at meeting the needs of the laser user. Con-
sequently, the book concentrates on lasers
that are available commercially or are other- DIGITAL SYSTEMS
wise important to laser users. REFERENCE BOOK
THE SATELLITE BOOK 2nd Ed. Starting with aconcise introduction review- Edited by B. Holdsworth and G. R. Martin
Edited by John Breeds ing the fundamentals of lasers and optics, the ISBN 0-7506-1008-5
ISBN 1-872567-02-9 book goes on to offer up-to-date, practical in- Price $250 (hard cover)
Price $48.95 (soft cover) formation on all major types of laser. For This monumental reference book (which
The second edition of this popular book has easy reference, chapters on each laser share weighs six pounds) provides acomprehen-
been completely revised and updated, with acommon structure that includes basic phys- sive coverage of the field of digital systems
new sections on the up-and-coming IF dis- ics and optics, internal workings, beam char- in aconcise and authoritative form. Concise
tribution systems, Eurocrypt technology, acteristics and efficiency, operating require- as it may be, this reviewer and many of his
D2Mac, and an easy-to-follow troubleshoot- ments, reliability and maintenance, safety engineering acquaintances, could not find
ing guide for both established installers and considerations, applications, and commer- anything missing that might be required dur-
newcomers to the satellite business. cial availability. Each chapter is followed by ing anormal day's work in the laboratory,
Written by over 20 specialists in the field an annotated bibliography and reference list. college, or (technical writer's) office.
of satellite TV reception, the book has are- McGraw-Hill Inc. The work is divided into five parts: fun-
markably large scope, covering just about 11 West 19th St. damentals, devices for digital systems, sys-
everything you need to know from geosta- New York, NY 10011 tem design and techniques, system develop-
tionary satellite positioning theory to the (212) 337-5025 ment, and applications. Each part contains
connection of a SCART cable. Its compre- several self-contained chapters, each of
hensiveness and excellent subject presenta- which has been written by an acknowledged
tion make this one of the better books on expert from industry or academia.
satellite TV reception. As an up-to-date, authoritative, and com-
Chapters of particular interest include LINEAR SYSTEM THEORY prehensive reference work, this book should
those on practical equipment installation, by F.M. Cahier & C.A. Desoer meet the needs of everyone working in the
customer care, and the MAC transmission ISBN 3-540-97573—X digital field, including engineers, academics,
standard. The latter chapter is written by Price $59.50 and scientists.
Paul Gardiner (formerly of the then IBA), This book is intended for engineers in re- Butterworth Publishers
who has been known for years as an author- search and development and applied math- 80 Montvale Ave.
ity on that topic. ematicians, but will also prove useful for Stoneham, MA 02180-2422
Interestingly, the book also has achapter graduate students in linear systems with an (617) 438-8464
on ferrite polar selectors, which discusses interest in control. It provides asystematic FAX (617) 438-1479
WorldRadioHistory
14
MULTI-PURPOSE Z80 CARD

PART 1: SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
1
MAIN SPECIFICATIONS
Hardware:
Although microcontrollers are now firmly established, we
• Z80B-CPU running at 5MHz
are pretty sure that the present Z80 processor card will
• 32 I/O lines, min. 8and max. 16
appeal to many of you. Easy to use in combination with for internal use
such options as a liquid crystal display and an infra-red • 4timers
remote control, and supported by a BIOS that takes the • Up to 64 Kbyte RAM and
hassle out of I/O programming, this is the nineties-style 64 Kbyte ROM or EPROM
way of dealing with an 'evergreen' 8-bit microprocessor. • 8-bit A-DID-A converter

• Standardized RS232 serial
interface; all standard baud
Design by A. Rietjens rates between 50 and 38,400
• Centronics-compatible parallel
printer interface
T HIS Z80 card is easy to use for awide

range of applications thanks to its solid
Block diagram • Two connections for 'universal
I/O interface' extension cards
base formed by anumber of Z80-family ICs. As may be expected, asystem as outlined
Remarkably, the multi-purpose character of above requires quite abit of electronics. To • On-board watchdog
the card is not compromised in any way by keep you from losing track at this point al- • Input device: PC/XT keyboard or
the I/O options available. These options pro- ready, have alook at the block diagram in RC5 infra-red receiver
vide functions that normally call for the sol- Fig. 1. The Z80-CPU is used alongside two
• Connection for LC display with
dering iron to be switched on because you Z80-PIOs and one Z80-CTC. Together with
have to build them yourself, not even men- up to 2x40 characters
the memory, these ICs form the heart of the
tioning the effort that goes into writing suit- Z80 card, which is completed with the usual • On-board battery backup
able control software. The hardware and I/O decoding and memory addressing logic.
software proposed here ensures, in the best The latter supports the use of bank switch- Software:
possible way, that non-used functions do not ing, so that up to 128 Kbyte may be ad- • BIOS available to control and
interfere with the ones that are used, or can dressed.
test all card functions
be adapted easily for other purposes. An As you can see in the block diagram,
example of this is a PC-XT keyboard that there is no shortage of I/O and interfacing • BIOS is MSX-compatible
may be used as an input device with the capacity: RS232, aparallel printer and adis- • Built-in test routines
present card. play are all catered for. The card receives
WorldRadioHistory
MULTI-PURPOSE Z80 CARD MI
Fig. 1. This block diagram clearly shows the structure of the Z80 card. The Z80-CPU is supported by two Z80-PlOs and one Z80-CTC.
Together with the memory, these four ICs form the heart of the system.
data either from a terminal via the RS232 to signal power supply failures. When such RAM. One EPROM contains the application
link, or more directly via an XT-compatible afailure occurs, it arranges for the 'current program, the other the system BIOS (basic
keyboard or any RC-5 compatible infra-red state of affairs' to be stored in time by issuing input/output system). The basic software
remote control. Apart from the digital inter- a non-maskable interrupt (NMI). It also available in the system allows an application
faces, the card also offers an analogue inter- serves to re-initialize the card by means of a program (stored in the first EPROM) to be
face in the form of an 8-bit ADC /DAC. reset after asoftware crash, and to switch be- started automatically. The other memory
Those of you who require even more I/O tween the battery and the power supply to configurations allow the BIOS to be com-
capacity will be pleased to find two univer- prevent data loss when the system is bined with user software run from a27128,
sal buses that carry the (buffered) databus, a switched on and off. 27256 or a27512, with a64-KByte RAM in
select line and two address lines. This exten- parallel. Further information on the exact
sion bus is readily connected to any periph- memory and address allocations for each
Memory structure
eral device or card that does not require configuration may be found in Figs. 2a and
more than four addresses in the I/O range. To operate the Z80 requires an external 2b.
Examples of cards that can be connected are memory in the form of an EPROM or aRAM.
the relay card for the universal bus (Ref. 1) As shown in the block diagram, the present
The Z80 BIOS
and the opto interface card for the universal card offers four memory configurations. The
bus, to be published in afuture issue. standard system configuration consists of A BIOS is basically aprogram structure that
The Z80 card has awatchdog that serves two 16-KByte PROMs and one 32-KByte enables the basic hardware and software in a
WorldRadioHistory
16 COMPUTERS AND MICROPROCESSORS
CONO 0 1 0 1 OFFFFH 1FFFFH

CON1 0 0 1 1
32K ROM 16K ROM 32K ROM 32K ROM
BANKO
32K RAM 32K RAM 32K RAM 32K RAM 08000H 18000H
32K RAM 32K RAM 32K RAM 07FFFH 17FFFH
BANK1
32K ROM
27128 27128 00000H -03FFFH
1C1 27256 00000H -07FFFH 04000H

27512 1/2 00000H -07FFFH 03FFFH
27512 1/2 18000H -1FFFFH
27128 04000H -07FFFH

1C2
43256 43256 43256 10000H -17FFFH 00000H 10000H
1C3 43256 43256 43256 43256 08000H -OFFFFH BANK 0 BANK 1
920002-1-13
920002-1-14
Fig. 2. (left) The memory configuration is determined by the position of jumpers CON1 and CON2, and the associated ICs. (right) Bank
switching is used to enable the processor to address up to 128 Kbyte of memory.
ory. Hence, two bits are required to imple-

ment bank switching — each bit selects two
0059H blocks of 32 Kbyte. When switching such a
;name: ldirmv
bit, we must take care not to switch off the
;function: load increment repeat into memory from video block currently used by the CPU. Fortu-
nately, the BIOS contains routines that make
;input: BC=length, DE=ram address bank switching smooth and easy, as re-
HL=display character pointer
;output: none
quired, for instance, to access the RAM
;changes: AF, BC, DE 'alongside' the BIOS EPROM in configura-
tions 1,2 and 3. The bank switching informa-
tion is stored in alatch that can be written to
920002-1-15 via I/0 addressing.
PlOs: parallel I/O

Fig. 3. Example of BIOS routine documentation. The Z80 card has two PIO (parallel
input/output) ICs, each of which contains
microprocessor system to be upgraded with- Memory and I/O address two 8-bit ports. The PlOs are initialized to bit
out having to scrap or rewrite existing soft- input/output mode, which means that each
decoders
ware. In most cases, the BIOS is alist of start bit may be used individually as an input or
addresses that are the same for each version The selection signals of the main compo- an output. PIO1 is partly used for internal
of the software. A specific function of the nents in the Z80 system must be decoded to functions, while PI02 is available to the user,
system may be called by calling such astart realize different memory configurations and is programmed as an input (this can be
address. The start address contains ajump to while avoiding conflicts. The configuration changed as required via the BIOS).
the real address of the subroutine required. chosen and the bank switching information One port of PIC» is used for internal sig-
Thus, the BIOS user must keep in mind: together affect the memory addressing. The nals, and the other to decode the signals sup-
- the function of the subroutine; configuration is selected before the system is plied by the infra-red receiver. When the IR
- the call address; started, and the bank switching is arranged receiver is not used, the port is, of course,
- the variables required, i.e., the use and by software. However, provision is made in free for other applications. Among the func-
content of certain registers; ahardware to ensure that bank switching is tions of the other port in PIO1 are Centronics
how the registers contents are changed possible only if allowed in the configuration handshaking, decoding the PC-XT key-
upon returning from the subroutine. used. board, and detecting interrupt signals issued
For those of you who do not know what by the RS232 interface. Evidently, these port
Only when all these features are known, the bank switching is all about, the following ex- functions can not be redefined via the BIOS.
BIOS becomes 'transparent', and the user planation. Since the Z80 can only address
need not have adetailed knowledge of the 64 Kbytes of memory, certain provisions
exact operation of the subroutine. must be made if we want it to access alarger
CTC: four timers
A BIOS subroutine may be described as memory. In this case, we wish to address The Z80-CTC on the present card contains
shown in Fig. 3. This definition provides all 128 KByte, divided into blocks of 32 Kbyte three counters/timers. Of these, timer 3 is
the data on the subroutine required to use it each. This means that there are four possi- used to generate interrupts at 10-ms inter-
without knowing exactly how it works. bilities to select atotal of 64 Kbytes of mem- vals during which time-dependent functions

MULTI-PURPOSE Z80 CARD cm
can be completed. A software 'hook' is pro- Keyboard and IR control communication with aterminal (or aPC run-
vided to extend this interrupt routine with ning communication software). The inter-
your own software. A hook is the software Parallel input to the Z80 card is furnished face gives the Z80 card the function of DCE
equivalent of aroad diversion. The system either by aPC-XT keyboard or the RC-5 code (data communication equipment) which
area of the memory contains addresses that infra-red receiver described in Ref. 2. The PC means, among others, that the Z80 card will
are filled with return instructions after the keyboard is connected to the board via its only 'do' something via the RS232 if so re-
card is switched on. A number of BIOS rou- curly cord and 5-way DIN plug. The Z80 quested. The software contains routines that
tines start with a call to one of these ad- card automatically detects the parallel input allow parts of the memory to be read or writ-
dresses. Normally, this address contains a device at power-on. ten via the RS232 interface. It is also possible
'return' instruction to the BIOS routine. Any type of RC-5 compatible IR transmit- to adapt the baud rate and the transmission
However, by replacing this return with acall ter may be used. The push-button with the format. The interface supports all standard
to a user routine, the program can be number '1' on it is defined as the escape baud rates between 50 and 38,400.
diverted to an extension of the BIOS routine, (ESC) key, while the other buttons are as-
which is thus 'hooked' to the basic one. Five signed an ASCII value equal to their code
addresses are available for each hook, which plus 32. The key definitions are stored in Watchdog and battery
is sufficient to place acall and areturn. If a RAM, which allows them to be readily backup
jump instruction is used at the hook address, changed. The jumper marked REM was orig-
the extension subroutine does not return to ibnally designed into the circuit to select As already mentioned, the watchdog has a
the hook and the basic BIOS routine, which remote control data tables. Its function has number of functions on the Z80 card. To
is then simply not executed. The diskette been scrapped, however, leaving it free for begin with, it ensures the minimum required
supplied with this project (order code your own programming experiments. length of the CPU reset pulse when the card
ESS 1711) contains an example of the use of is switched on. In addition, the watchdog
ahook. monitors the unregulated and the regulated
Returning to the functions of the timers,
RS232 and Centronics supply voltages, and arranges the switching
the interrupt routine for Timer 3 counts interfaces between the 5-V supply and the battery, and
down the 'on' time of the on-board buzzer, vice versa. The watchdog has an input that
so that the software need not wait for this. The RS232 and Centronics interfaces on the continually checks if the card has not
Timer 0, Timer 1and Timer 2in the CTC are Z80 card enable it to be controlled from adis- 'crashed'. If a crash occurs, the watchdog
free for your own use. tance, and to print data respectively. The resets the card. The latter function of the
RS232 interface is suitable for full-duplex watchdog will be particularly valued with
WorldRadioHistory
el COMPUTERS AND MICROPROCESSORS
5V DV
JP3
ROM RAM
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5V® 0 (:) o
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106 100lb. II
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28 28
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HALT 18
HALT AI AllRAl
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ST A4 A4 ICI 00
• 1C2 A3 1C3
24 35 5 As
WAIT A5 DI or A4 DI
As 02
A6 02 AS Al 02
EPROM
1C4
A7 O3 RAM/ A6 AR RAM 03
MI 27
MI A8 DA e, EPROM A7 A7 04
/ MREO 19 • 19/"\A91 As A CH
1.111E0 A9 05 * AS ao
/ REFSH 28 43256
RE ESO A10 A ,0 06
D6 A9 06
MFrT 26
RESET
1
All A II 07 O7 AIO
2. IOREO
Al2
All
07
AIR Ala
2 27 A ,. CS
WR AIR Al3
2
AIS
_L AIs
TR3 A14
CS 41.0E VPP OE ...TEVPP

14 DO
USAK DO DJ: 22 22 14 27
=H\
.
DI
Z80B-CPU le ss,
CUT 8 DI \
CLK 03
\ Le\ Vanre;),eeeee;lezzzezeeee
- C
74 \
04
5V 9 D5 \ JP,
05 1C18d
• - I
76\
De 'Pl 9C55713
=e \
D7
'PR
JP2
BS170 BS17 0
o
MIN
5V ROM RAM
RESET
ZZ=22=722222
5V(J. RIO Oil
5V
V 5V 059
5V
100 n o o
0 C23
K3 0
o
2
ÉR1 13 II
10011
25 00/ o
DO
2 23 0 26 26
o CLKTRGO DI
O3 ZCIO0 D2
27 02/
G
O4 212
CLKIRG1 03
28 D3/ o6 15
PLO DO
19 00/
PAD DO
IR 00/
2CTO1 04
o 14
Pal DI
20 01/ 14 A ,
Dl
20 01/
3 I 132/ I 02/
6 21 2 135/ PAZ 02 10 o I PAZ 02
CLKTFIG2 05 12 40 03/ 40 03/
7 9 O 06/ o PA3 03 o 12 PA3 133
o ZCTO2 06 10 10 39 114/ lO 5V
20 o PA4 04 o ID Pill 04
o CLKTRG3 D7 11 18 05/ 11 38 05/
O9 o PA5 05 0 PAS 05
105 0 12 3 06/ 12 3 06/ 12
10 13 PA6 106 06 0 PM 1C7 06
2 1:17,- 2 07
II 1E0 PAl 07 PA) 07
1E0
18
16 CTC \ ARO? AMY
Z80B-CTC
6 22 22
\ RESET 17 14 ASTE 1E0 Rim 16 AST0 1E0
RESET Ml
24 24 MI 1E1
CLK 15 280B-P10 1E1 28013.1.10 1E1
CLK TFO
23 NT 23 err
\ ¡ORO 10 PRO err ,21- POO ¡if
IORO CSO
N1
P, NI CSI
PI31 28 P81
PI02 1NTSER 29
2 60
414 ,5
3K F) DIS171
/- P82
PB3 7F13-
1080 KCL=
/—I P82
Pea 1ORO
37 Pe.
PB5 511
KflAl 71
32
25 CLK 'ÎPS"la P8' 5V
R16 Re POR CLK
-11=211--R-1=t 211--
9 BUS1
PRO
o
5 Al / 21 s8
P 2,
As
1C18a 1C18b 1C18c BROT cE CO
4 6 AO
5 ELK BSTB BAT rire RA
616
11
C4
13C54713
eeeee,,f
ZUZZZ=ZSOZZ=Z Z=ZZZ2
r 05V
5V
PO 9
o oo ce
o
2
o
2 Pl
K9 K9 *
0 BO AO O 9, DI
02
IC16 DI
02
0 O
o Do
82
I Cil "I 03 03 O
A.
Al
1C14
O
AZ
92 04 74 re 1C19a
0
o 6 I
\MEMSL
LK
83 a3 O• 03 os HCT os
P6
84 74 A4 O Ra 74 A4 06 574 Ds
O R os HCT As O Rl HCT P7 12
07 D7
1 245 245 AK \RESET
O T(t CLK
11 17/
07 Al 07 Al
111 PAN 10
12 131
1 19
0.20
Er.
11 I6J 0/
0 II YO
0.22
• o VI 1C17
4 F1-1
5
2_0
-
16 ire 0 _13 Y2 A2
17 B Y3 43
0 18 BWR\
o " o 04 74 A4
EXT1
_
,7 61 T2/
..
O 5V R19 12
Y5
Y6
HCT
541
As
6 BST /
5V
o" •
11
Y7 A7
I! GI 02
19
Fig. 4. Complete circuit diagram of the Z80 card. Among the advantages of using Z80-family components is their downright simple connection
WorldRadioHistory
MULTI-PURPOSE Z80 CARD
19
measurement and control applications that

run unattended.
Osv
5V C22
e
111 Liquid crystal display
É124
WAIT
,c14 IC15 IC16 IC17 IC18 IC19 eWr 80 The Z80 card offers the possibility of con-
RESET 5
ITT???
FIÉTÉT
necting aliquid crystal display (LCD) of the
RANGE
CLK 21
CLK
WE 15
1C1 1 00U'r normal or back-lighted type. Although
17
IC 3147
20
LCDs with up to 80 characters are sup-
IC18 74HCTO4
IC19 74HC774
*see loll
O80 ported, the preferred type has 2x40 charac-
ters. However, one-line and four-line LCDs
Del AD7569
O152
may be connected also. Nearly all of these in-

23
5V O83
084
085 AGNOD
telligent LCDs are based on the HD44780
086 AGNDA
display controller from Hitachi, and have ba-
01117
VSS
3
DONO
12
sically the same connections, albeit that the
•
pins are sometimes arranged differently.
Mau
Circuit description
K13
lEO
oo
After arather lengthy tour along the various
functions shown in the block diagram of the
0 6 RUSH
if 09
0 0
020 Z80 card, it is time to see how these functions
rel 9 0 0..j0
IORO 11 o • 12 AIRED
take on their practical shape.
WE 13 O 14 71:13
The circuit diagram is given in Fig. 4. In
RESET 15
\ A9 17 o 0 18 AI / the upper left-hand corner of the diagram we

▪ .•.,
./e///////e,
\A11
\A7
19
21
o
00
o 20
22
AI
• /
/
find the Z80B-CPU. A 6-MHz processor is
‘4SK/ee.
22z 0 24 A11/ used here because the system clock fre-
Ala 25 O 26 AI /
quency is 5.0688 MHz. This frequency is
0
\Al 27 0 0 28 A /
\ A3 29 0 0 30 A2/
used by the serial interface circuit to derive
\ A5 31 32 114_."-
DI 33 o o 34DO the standard baud rate series, starting at

A, 0
03
05
35
37 o
O
0
36
38
02
04
50 bits/s.
A4 IC8
-
;;:,
E
18
17
EXT2/
PI01/
D7 39 0
- 0
- 40 06 The memory and I/O components are
41 - 42 CLK
seen to the right of the Z80B-CPU and below
0
0
A5 DEC 1 PI 02 IX 0102/
AU
GA
45 • 0.26
it respectively. The I/O ICs are, of course,
A7 161/LB 5100 °'50
01 oai
MEMSL/
5V «L0 0 _5
-0 also B-versions because of the system clock
ORO 6
Imo INTR.
12
; frequency. The advantages of using Z80
WE 11 80/
family I/O components are basically that

5V 5V R2
10V 5V
they are inexpensive, widely available, and
CONO 5V 5V
0.0 extremely easy to implement. Essentially,
C21 °
WISER
la loo 101 K11 once all the system and data lines of the com-
16V
ponents are connected, only the 'select' lines
RS23
100n D
2 Do *if v.
0
(Connocted•
ROE)
CI
DI remain. Further, we must give some thought
CORO CS1
p.,ilo
02 IC12
3r_ CI-
IC13
to the priority level assigned to each source

C°N' IC9 CS ' IR TUN 14 ROD 3
K13 o
that can generate an interrupt. This is ar-

SELO 3 TI OUT
SELO ffl 16
CON1 CTS COOT PTO 4
SEL1 4 IRJ 0
05 R1IN
SE " DEC 2 Pie
MICO 5
PARES UT,
IN\fiD, DR
COM81 16 12
R2OUT
R2IN
13 TED
CTS
5
6
0
ranged via the 1E0 (interrupt enable output)
\AI5 6 0
T2OUT
and the IEI (interrupt enable input) termi-
AIS GAL 1A14 07 C17 19 10
RIS T2IN
L,
AIR 16V8 13 1415/
SER 3 rs-
Al ANA
11
ANA
ireo
—
rF)
MAX232 nals, which are connected into achain. The
u7-1-
AO INTR. co
.6
3
;. CLK 13 cLA.
o. 10_0 priority order is defined as follows: (1) 10
C7 16'V
' (PIO1 for internal use); (2) IC6 (P102 for ex-
—ID
/zee/ ze.eze 10
zz , ternal use); IC5 (CTC).

==ZZIZZIe 0
10V
In the basic software, only P011 and the
CTC generate interrupts. The PIO interrupts
5V originate from the RS232 port and/or the
PC/XT keyboard. The CTC generates an in-
terrupt every 10 ms, during which, among
Vi 5V K10 others, the IR keyboard is checked. Without
the pull-up resistor at pin 8, the keyboard
IC20
0
2 0
buffer would be filled with random charac-

1N4001 7805
e; 922 Al
03 iI
AO
ters if the IR remote control is not used. Re-
10011 sistor R23 has a similar function, and
K2
04 o
5V
prevents unwanted interrupts if IC12 is not
0 0 o
IC21 lo fitted.
5V
The connection of the EPROM(s) and the
O
\DO
7805
\DS 12
O * ,3 RAM(s) is not entirely straightforward be-
I
1 °6
>
119124125126 127
C14 I 135
113
L'__ __SI \I))
00700700r7:00700n
cause of the different memory configura-
5V6 15
o
tions that are allowed. Position IC2 can hold
700n
f!, o
either aRAM or an EPROM, which requires

101/ LCD •
920002•I•Il
R21 MI
4te7 jumpers JP1 to JP5 to be set accordingly. The

circuit diagram shows the jumpers set to the
'EPROM' positions (memory configura-
tion '0').
and low cost. Position IC1 accommodates one of three
WorldRadioHistory
20 COMPUTERS AND MICROPROCESSORS
EPROM types: the 27128, 27256 or 27512, so ranges the handshaking protocol on the ser-
Memory select SELO SEL1 ial link, which does away with the need for
that address lines A14 and A15 need to be
given their appropriate level. These lines are any software equivalents. The step-up con-
00000H -07FFFH
controlled by the memory address decoder verters contained in the MAX232 ensure
located in IC9, aGAL Type 16V8. The con- 08000H -OFFFFH RS232 signal levels of +10 V and —10 V,
figuration is determined directly by the set- 10000H -17FFFH which will work in most, if not all, applica-
ting of connectors CONO and CON1. These tions. Connector Kul is wired such that the
18000H -1FFFFH O
are pre-set to give the memory configuration Z80 card forms a DCE that is readily con-
shown in Fig. 2a, and determine whether or 920002-1-17 nected to aDIE (data terminal equipment; a
not address lines A14 and A15 are passed. computer in most cases) via a 9-way flat-
The GAL also arranges the selection of the Fig. 5. Memory selection by means of the cable.
three memory components, which, apart SELO and SEL1 lines. At this point we have nearly completed
from A14 and A15, also depends on the our tour along the main components in the
memory configuration and the SELO and circuit diagram. Connector K12 serves to
SEL1 signals furnished by 109. SELO and I/O addresses hook up aPC /XT keyboard. Such keyboards
SEL1 allow you to switch between BANKO are widely available at very low prices from
and BANK1 in blocks of 32 KByte (see EXT1 OFCH -OFFH PC surplus outlets. If you happen to have a
Fig. 5). PC XT/ AT type with automatic switching,
EXT2 OF8H -OFBH
Transistors Ti and 12, and resistors R5 the Z80 card ensures that it is set to PC XT
and R6, ensure that the RAMs do not remain P101 OF4H -OF7H mode. The keyboard is reset by software fol-
selected at power-down, so that their data is P102 OFOH -OF3H lowing a hardware reset. This is done via
available again when the system is switched transistor T5.
CTC OECH -OEFH
on. The power supply connections of IC2 and The contrast of the LCD connected to Km
IC3 are connected to pin 1 of IC10, which D1SP 0E8H -OEBH is controlled via preset Pi. A back-lighted
takes care of the battery backup switch-over RS232 0E6H -0E7H display may be used in low ambient light
function. conditions. Because of the possible need for
PAN 0E5H
The MAX690 watchdog (ICIo) switches a back-light supply, and to keep display
between 5V and the battery voltage, Ubatt, as ANALOG 0E4H multiplexing noise away from the processor,
soon as the voltage at pin 2 drops below the LCD is powered separately by IC2i,
—MEMSEL OEOH -0E3H
(Ubat t-50 mV), or rises above (Ubatt+70 mV). while the rest of the circuit is powered by
Further, watchdog types MAX690 and 920002-1-18 IC20. The back-light supply depends on the
MAX694 generate areset if the supply volt- LCD type used. There are types that require
age drops below 4.65 V. Those of you who Fig. 6. Addresses of the I/O components asupply voltage of 5V (replace R21 with a
want awider margin are advised to use the that are realized with the aid of GALs. wire link), and types that require acertain
MAX692, which issues a reset at 4.4 V. Fi- current (in which case R21 must be given an
nally, the watchdog supplies adefined reset was chosen because it is simple to interface, appropriate value). The back-light connec-
pulse at power-on (MAX690 and MAX692: and reasonably fast: the D-to-A and A-to-D tions are pins 15 and 16 of connector K10. The
50 ms; MAX694: 200 ms). The input voltage conversion times are 1its and 2Its respec- jumper marked 'LCD' provides a simple
to the card is monitored with the aid of R7 tively. Since the BUSY signal (which is low way of switching the back-light on and off.
and Rs. If the voltage at pin 4of the watch- during the A-to-D conversion) is connected The printer datalines are furnished by
dog drops below 1.3 V, output PFO goes to the WAIT terminal of the CPU, the ADC latch 106, while the control signals to and
low. Provided the NMI jumper is installed, can be read simply with an IN instruction. from K9 and K9' are buffered by 107. This IC
this low level can trigger anon-maskable in- Hence, the instruction also buffers the control signals to the two ex-
terrupt that allows the current situation to be ternal bus connections. The databases are
saved before the supply voltage drops below IN A,(ANALOG) buffered by 104 and 105. The pinning of
4.65 V, and ICio resets the card. This option connectors K7 and Ks is compatible with the
is supported only by a software hook directly provides the input voltage as ahex- universal bus (Ref. 1).
coupled to the NMI. adecimal value in the accumulator (pro-
Apart from monitoring the supply volt- vided, of course, that ANALOG equals the That concludes the description of the Z80
ages, the watchdog is also capable of check- I/0 address of the A-DID-A converter), card as far as its concept is concerned. Next
ing if the Z80 card is still running. The without the need to arrange the timing for month we will tackle the construction and
watchdog timer monitors the WDI input, to this read operation. Writing to the DAC is testing of the card, as well as making use of
which asignal must be applied that changes equally simple: instruction the associated test software contained in the
at least every 1.6 ms. If this signal fails, the BIOS EPROM.
watchdog resets the card. The WDI input OUT ANALOG,A
may be connected to the selection signal of References:
IC7 via jumper PI01. Since, if the BIOS is puts the desired voltage on the output. 1. "Relay Card for Universal I/O Interface."
used, the CTC generates an interrupt every Depending on whether the range input is Elektor Electronics USA, November 1991.
10 ms, and the associated subroutine ad- high or low, the input and output voltage 2. "Universal RC5-code Infra-red Receiver."
range is from 0V to 2.5 V, or 0V to 1.25 V. Elektor Electronics USA, January 1992.
dresses IC7, the presence of the selection sig-
nal is a good sign that the card is still The range input is held high via R24, and can
running. be made low by connecting pin 3of Ki to
A second GAL, ICs, contains the address ground.
decoding logic for the I/O circuits. Here, the The RS232 interface consists of two ICs: a
advantage of aGAL is adrastic reduction of 20-pin UART (universal asynchronous re-
the chip count for an address decoder that ceiver/transmitter) Type COM81C17, and a
allows the I/O ICs to be addressed fully and level converter Type MAX232. The
without 'image' areas elsewhere in the mem- COM81C17 contains everything to set up a
ory. An address overview of the I/O compo- serial interface quite easily. The system clock
nents is given in Fig. 6. frequency used enables all standard baud
The analogue interface is built around an rates between 50 bits/s and 38,400 bits/s to
AD7569 8-bit A-DID-A converter. This IC be programmed. In addition, the UART ar-
WorldRadioHistory
Ell
COMPACT MAINS POWER SUPPLY
Design by A. RoBrucker
THE proposed mains power supply is aver-

satile unit for use where astable voltage,
medium power and good parameters are re-
quired. The quality of its output is easily
comparable to that of good-quality commer-
cial products, but it is considerably less ex-
pensive than those units.
The circuit
The circuit of the supply is just as compact
as its mechanical design: atransformer, a
rectifier, two ICs and some additional pas-
sive components are all that is required. The
design is based on ICi, a5-pin, voltage reg-
ulator Type L200 with integral, presettable
current limiting and thermal overload pro-
tection.
To ensure correct regulation of the output
voltage, the device has an internal 2.75 V ref-
erence source. The voltage at pin 4is com- Virtually all electronic circuits need some sort of power
pared with the reference voltage to enable
supply, often ahigh-quality one. For the latter, if an output
the correct level of output voltage, U., to be
set with potential divider R3-R4-P 1.With val- current of not more than 1.5 A and an output voltage of 5-20 V
ues as shown in Fig. 1, the output voltage are required, the supply described here is ideal. Its design is
can be set between 5V and 26 V with P1.
compact: even the transformer and heat sink are housed on
It should be borne in mind that the max-
the printed-circuit board. It provides overload indication,
imum input voltage to ICi is 40 V and the
maximum difference between its input and current limiting and protection against short-circuits.
output voltage is 32 V. That means that the
secondary voltage of the mains transformer
must not exceed 24 V. This gives an un-
regulated voltage input into ICi of 32 V,
resulting in amaximum output voltage of
24 V. To set P1 for an output voltage >24 V
would not be agood idea, because the reg-
ulation at fairly high output currents would
then no longer function correctly, owing to
the inadequate voltage reserve. The result
would be an unacceptable 100 Hz ripple
on the output.
To enable correct functioning of the inte-
gral current limiting, the voltage drop across
R2,connected between pins 2and 5is moni-
tored; when it reaches 450 mV, current limit-
ing begins. The maximum output current,
/0,is therefore given by
=450 /R2 (mA).
With R2 =0.22 Ias in the diagram, the max-

imum output current is thus 2A.
Voltage monitoring
The voltage monitoring circuit is based on IC 2
When the load draws too high acurrent, the
current limiting in ICi operates, resulting in
adrop in the output voltage. This reduction
is detected by IC 2 ,which then causes D3 to
light. Even very brief drops in the output
voltage are indicated by this LED for aperiod,
t, that depends on the capacitance of C5 and
may be calculated from
Fig. 1. Circuit diagram of the compact mains power supply.
WorldRadioHistory
ea POWER SUPPLIES & BATTERY CHARGERS
Fig. 2. Printed circuit board for the compact mains power supply.
WorldRadioHistory
COMPACT MAINS POWER SUPPLY El
t=0.013C 5, of output voltage is, or will be, required. It windings are often more easily available. For
would not make much sense to fit a24 V instance, a12 V /2A supply would work
where tis in seconds and C5 in µF. With transformer and then set Pl permanently for perfectly well with 2x12 V /1.4 A secondary
C5= 10 µF as in the diagram, the LED will light 5V output. The consequent dissipation in windings, which are then connected in par-
for 0.13 s. If alonger period is required, the ICi would be high, whereupon load currents allel. Provision for this is already made on
value of C5 must be increased. of up to 2A would not be available, since the PCB (K 4 and K5 in Fig. 1and Fig. 2).
In normal operation, the potential at pin the integral thermal protection circuit would Obviously, atransformer with 2x6 V /2.8 A
7of IC 2 is 4.55 V. When that voltage drops limit the output current. Component values secondaries would also be fine: the secon-
below this value, D3 lights. The level of the differing from those in the parts list and on daries are then connected in series.
output voltage at which 133 begins to light is the diagram are, therefore, given below for
determined by voltage divider R3-P 2.With the most usually required output voltages.
Construction and testing
component values as in Fig. 1, the output volt-
age can be set to 4.55-26 V with P2. il 5V: When all the components have been selected
Since IC 2 was originally designed for use Tri =8V secondary; Ri =wire link; Di is not and bought, construction can be started. Begin
in computers, it also causes D3 to light briefly required; Ci =16 V. with the resistors and terminal strips, followed
when the supply is switched on. Also be- • 6V: by the fuse holder, capacitors, diodes, recti-
cause of its origins, the device must not op- Tri =8V secondary; Ri =wire link; Di is not fier and the two ICs. The transformer comes
erate with voltages above 18 V; that is why required; Ci =16 V. last. Make sure that the enamel has been re-
Ri-Di limits the voltage to 15 V. That volt- M9 V: moved from the ends of the wires that are
age results from transformer secondary volt- Tri =9V secondary; Ri =wire link; Di is not inserted into the terminal strips.
ages of 12 V= and higher. If, therefore, atrans- required; Ci =25 V. Regulator ICi must be fitted on to aheat
former is used with a12 V secondary, Di • 12 V: sink without insulating washer but with some
may be omitted and Ri replaced by awire link. Tri = 12 V secondary; Ri =wire link; Di is heat conducting paste. The heat sink will be
Diode D2 and series resistor R5 serve purely not required; Cl =25 V. at earth potential, since the housing of ICi is
to indicate whether the supply is switched on. I1115 V: internally connected to pin 3.
If neither voltage monitoring nor supply- Tri =15 V secondary; Ri =220 f2; Ci =25 V. When the board is finished, set P2 to max-
on indication is required, IC 2,13 1-D 3,Ri, • 18 V: imum resistance, that is, fully anti-clockwise,
R5-R8, C4 and C5 may be omitted. The supply Tri =18 V secondary; Ri =330 n, 1/2W; Ci = as aprecaution to prevent the potential at
functions perfectly satisfactorily without these 40 V. pin 7of IC 2 exceeding the maximum per-
circuits. missible level of 10 V.
It should be borne in mind when order- Connect the mains supply to the board,
ing the transformer that the alternating sec- whereupon D2 should light permanently and
Transformer
ondary current should be about x1.4 the de- 03 briefly. The output voltage can then be
Before the components for the mains supply sired direct output current. At the same time, set to the desired value with the aid of Pi.
are bought, it should be decided what level the value of R2, the rating of Ci and the cur- The voltage monitoring circuit is preset
rent rating of Bi should be considered. by first turning P2 until D3 Pie lights and
Component values and ratings differing from then turning it till D3 just goes out. Because
PARTS LIST those stated in the parts list or on the circuit of the time-constant, P2 should be turned
Resistors: diagram for anumber of load currents are very slowly.
R1 =200 S .2* given below. If the transformer hums and the fuse blows,
R2 =0.22 1 -2* either Ci is connected with incorrect polar-
R3, R5, R8 = 1.2 kû • 500 mA: ity or the two secondary windings of Tri
R4 =820 f2 Tr i=700 mA; R2 =0.82 f2, 1W; Ci =1000 µF; have been connected in anti-parallel instead
R6 =2.2 kf2 Bi =B40C1000. of parallel.
R7 = 100 Ic(.2 II 650 mA: If there is no output voltage, it is likely
P1 = 10 kû multi-turn preset Tri = 1A; R2 = 0.68 L 2, 1W; Ci = 2200 µF;
- that the two secondary windings of Tri that
P2 = 10 kû preset for PCB mounting • =B40C1000. should have been connected in series are, in
III 800 mA: fact, linked in anti-series.
Capacitors: Tri = 1.2 A; R2 =0.56 a, 1W; Ci =2200 µF; Do not connect two of these power sup-
Cl =4700 RF, 40 V* • =B40C1500. plies in parallel. However, connecting them
C2-C4 = 100 nF • 950 mA: in series to obtain ahigher output voltage is
C5 = 10 ¡IF, 25 V, horizontal Tri = 1.5 A; R2 =0.47 a, 1W; Ci =2200 je; perfectly all right. It is also possible to use
Bi =B40C2200/1500. two power supplies to construct asymmet-
Semiconductors: Il 1.15 A: rical supply.
B1 = 64003200/2200* Tri = 1.7 A; R2 =0.39 n, 1W; Ci =2200 µF;
D1 =zener diode 15 V, 1W* • =B40C3200 /2200.
D2 =LED, green 1111.35 A:
D3 = LED, red Tri = 2A; R2 = 0.33 f2, 5W; Ci = 4700 µF;
IC1 = L200, Pentawatt housing 13 1 =1340C3200 /2200.
IC2 =TL7705 •1.5 A:
Tri =2.2 A; R2 =0.27 IX 5W; Ci =4700 ¡IF;
Miscellaneous: Bi =1340C3200/2200.
K1-K5 =2-way terminal block, 7.5 mm
grid It is, of course, important that the trans-
F1 =500 mA fuse, slow acting former fits on to the PCB, which has been
Fuse holder for PCB mounting designed for atoroidal type. Apart from caus-
Tri =toroidal transformer* ing little or no interaction with adjacent com-
Heat sink for IC1 ponents and circuits, this type of transformer
PCB Type 920021 fits more readily on to aPCB.
It is not necessary for the transformer to
*See text have only one secondary winding; indeed,
toroidal transformers with two secondary
24
1.3 GHZ PRESCALER

put of the cascaded threesome is thus asig-
nal of frequency f5:1000.
The other part of the input signal is applied
via L1 and C2 to T1, which, connected as an
common-emitter circuit, behaves exactly like
Design by P. Esser an inverting opamp. The voltage amplifi-
cation of the stage is roughly the same as the
open-loop amplification of the transistor, but
Not only do the majority of frequency counters found in it is dependent on the source impedance.
smaller workshops and laboratories not operate above Diode D1 limits the negative half of the sig-
10 MHz, but usually they cannot be modified to work at higher nal to not more than -700 mV.
The output of the stage is taken from the
frequencies either. To overcome that problem, here is a
collector of T1 and then further amplified in
prescaler that delivers aclean rectangular signal at TTL level T2, which is also connected as acommon-emit-
at frequencies up to 1.3 GHz and which can be used with ter circuit. It is then taken from the collector
of T2 and applied to NAND Schmitt trigger
virtually any frequency counter.
ICib, which, with the other three NAND gates,
ensures clean edges and correct gating of the
T
HE prescaler proposed here offers several jump link are not required. two signals. When switch S1is open, the orig-
advantages. Firstly, it increases the mea- The measured signal (frequency fs:64) is inal signal (fs)is available at the output; when
surement range of the frequency counter to available at pin 6, from where it is applied to it is closed, the scaled down signal (fs:1000)
which it is linked and, secondly, it makes it potential divider R7-R4-P 1. From there it is fed is at the output socket.
possible to use amuch shorter cable between to amplifier T3, whose output is applied to the
counter and instrument on test—see Fig. 1. first of three cascaded Type 74LS90 decade
Construction
A disadvantage is, of course, that, to see the counters, IC 4,IC 5,and IC 2.
selected metering range, you must look at both Each of these counters divides its input sig- Populating the printed-circuit board shown
the counter and the prescaler. nal by 2.5. This somewhat unusual scaling fac- in Fig. 4is straightforward, but greater care
tor comes about as follows. The upper half than usual is required around the input socket
Scaler ICs of the IC divides by 5. For every five input where surface-mount components are used.
pulses, the Q8 output goes high twice; in Inductor L1must be wound by the construc-
A first scaling down of the input signal is ef- other words, the (2 1,output delivers an out- tor. It consists of 2-3 turns enamelled copper
fected by achip specially designed for this put pulse for every 2.5 input pulses. The out- wire (dia. 0.4 mm) on asmall ferrite core.
purpose. This can be either the Telefunken
Type U664B or the Siemens Type SDA4211.
Block diagrams of these circuits are shown
in Fig. 2.
The U664B was originally developed for
use in the frequency synthesizer of atelevi-
sion receiver. Without any additional com-
ponents, it divides by 64. In the absence of
an input signal, it operates in the highest fre-
quency range. Normally, the only external com-
ponents required are two small capacitors.
The SDA4211 offers two scaling factors:
64 or 256, depending on the potential at pin 5.
If that pin is at +5 V, the input signal is di-
vided by 64; when the pin is at earth, scaling
is by 256. On the PCB,—see Fig. 4— this se-
lection is facilitated by a3-way terminal strip
and ajump link. Fig. 1. Measuring set-up of counter, prescaler and probe.
The two circuits are fully interchangeable
as regards pinout and function, but not, of
course, in scaling factor.
Two paths
The measured signal (frequency JO is split
into two immediately after the input socket—
see Fig. 3. One part is fed to the prescaler
proper (lower part of the diagram) via C4,
while the other is taken to aprocessing and
amplifying section (upper part of the dia-
gram) via L1.
Anti-parallel connected diodes D2 and D3
limit the level of the input signal to not more
than ±700 mV. The signal is then applied to
pin 2of IC 3.The symmetrical input of this
circuit is connected asymmetrically, since
the second input, pin 3, is connected to ground
via C11 .Jumper JP 1 is the earlier mentioned
scaling selector if the SDA4211 is used. If the
U664B is used, the 3-way terminal strip and Fig. 2. Circuit diagram of the U664B (left) and the SDA4211 (right).
WorldRadioHistory
1.3 GHZ PRESCAI,ER
The input socket is aBNC type for PCB JP1 should connect the +5 V line to pin 5of
mounting; this obviates the need of screened IC 2.If the U664B is used, the jumper should Brief specification
cable at the input. not be used. Nothing more can go wrong
If the SDA4211 is used (IC 3), the link at here than the scaling factor. • Two switchable measurement ranges:
1:1000
• Upper frequency limit 1.3 GHz
• Input sensitivity <100 mV
• Compact, economical design
• Power supply 5V
• Single board construction
Clock 74LS90 ouputs
QA QD Qc Q13
0 0 0 0 0
I 0 0 0 1
/ 0 0 1 0
3 0 0 1 I
4 0 1 0 0
5 1 0 0 0
6 1 0 0 1
7 1 0 1 0
8 1 0 1 1
9 1 1 0 0
Fig. 3. Circuit diagram of the 1.3 GHz prescaler.

PARTS LIST
Resistors:
R1, R3 = 1kS2
R2, R4 = 47 kS2
R5 = 390 S2
R6 = 560 S2
R7 = 150 S2
R8 = 2.2 kS2
R9 = 330 12
P1 = 10 k1-
2preset, horizontal
Capacitors:
Cl = 10 ¡IF, 16 V
C2, C3 = 1¡,iF
04 = 120 pF, surface mount
C5 = 1nF, surface mount
C6—C10 = 10 nF
C11 = 820 pF, surface mount
Semiconductors:
D1 1N4148
D2, D3 = BAT81, BAT82 or BAT83
Ti, T2 .= 2N918
T3 = BF324
IC1 =74LS132
IC2, IC4, IC5 = 74LS90
103 = U664B or SDA4211
Miscellaneous:
L1 = see text
Si = single-pole on/off switch
K1 = BNC socket for PCB mounting
JP1 = 3-way terminal strip
PCB 914059
Fig. 4. Printed circuit board for the 1.3 GHz prescaler.

26
ELEMENTS OF PASSIVE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
PART 1: THE INDUCTOR
by Steve Knight, B.Sc.
I Fyou don't ponder things too deeply, it denly come to astop with nowhere to go. its characteristic pattern. Like the bar mag-
might appear as if the whole edifice of The direction in which the magnetic force net, too, the field around acurrent-carrying
electronics is supported solely by the tran- would act on an isolated north pole placed coil exhibits anorth and asouth pole; these
sistor and the chip, just as once it was sup- within the field is indicated by the arrowheads; poles change place when the current in the
ported by the thermionic valve. But afat lot this direction reverses if the current in the con- coil is reversed. The field vanishes when the
of good these dynamic components would ductor is reversed. Keep in mind, of course, current flow ceases.
be if it weren't for the passive Cinderellas that the concept of lines is aconventional It is the appearance—and the disappear-
of resistance, capacitance and inductance. ance—of the field established around acur-
In other words, astick of carbon, two pieces rent-carrying conductor that determines the
2
of metal separated by some sort of dielectric whole phenomenon of electrical inductance.
and alength of wire fashioned into ahelix.
Not an impressive picture in terms of the
Self inductance
actual make-up of these components, to be
sure, but their physical behaviour, when ex- So, what do we mean by inductance, anyway?
amined carefully, more than makes up for their Well, let us return to Fig. 2. If the magnetic
apparently simple physical construction. flux caused by the current in asingle loop of
Let us look particularly at the humble in- wire is looked at closely, it is seen that every
ductor, amuch neglected component on the line must pass through the loop somewhere
electronics scene, and see what properties it or, put into other words, every line must
possesses to make it just as important as its fiction; areal field does not have barren 'link' with the loop. The number of lines
often more glamourized partners. spaces between the lines. We simply use enclosing the loop in this way are referred
When an electric current flows in awire, them as aconvenient way of representing mag- to as the flux linkages and in this basic ex-
one of its most important manifestations is netic field densities and nowadays these are ample the number of such linkages must be
the establishment of amagnetic field in the not measured in lines (as they once were) the same as the number of flux lines.
immediate vicinity of the wire. This field is but in terms of the electromagnetic effect Now, thinking about the flux associated
composed of so-called lines of magnetic the field will produce. with the solenoid of Fig. 3, we see that the
force or magnetic flux, which takes the form If the wire carrying the current is formed majority of the lines link with every turn of
of concentric circles around the wire that lie into aloop, rather as shown in Fig. 2, the the coil, although there are those that link with
both within and outside the conductor. Figure 1 lines of force all pass through the loop in the afew of the turns only.
shows the kind of field set up and how the same direction. A conventional coil of wire, If we consider each turn separately, the
directions of current and lines of force are or solenoid as it is usually called, is nothing total linkages with the coil consist of the
related. Strictly, of course, the concentric more than anumber of continuous loops, summation of the number of lines linking each
circles are concentric tubes and the field is and acurrent flowing in such acoil establishes
at its most intense, that is, has its greatest the lines of force in alengthwise direction 3
flux density, at the surface of the conductor. through the centre of the coil, emerging from
This intensity falls off as the distance from the end and completing their circuits through
the conductor increases, which is indicated the surrounding medium. Figure 3shows how
on amagnetic field diagram by the varia- the concentric loops merge together to give
tions in line spacing. We notice, too, that lines aresultant field of considerable intensity,
of force always form closed loops whatever rather as the field surrounding apermanent
the situation. A magnetic line doesn't sud- bar magnet (of iron filings memory!) displays
1 direction of current
direction
of lines of force
right
hand
direction
of lines of force direction of current
920058-
1-11
WorldRadioHistory
ELEMENTS OF PASSIVE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
duced that whenever flux linkages between up and sweeps outwards from the turns of
4
the two circuits were changing, acurrent the coil; in doing this, it must induce avolt-
flowed in the circuit of the secondary wind- age in any conductors situated within the field
ing., and this in turn implied that an e.m.f. and that includes the coil which is produc-
must be acting on it. On top of this, the meter ing the changing field. Hence, as the link-
deflections were in opposite directions ac- ages are increasing in the coil after the switch
cording as switch S was being closed or is closed, the induced e.m.f. acts so as to op-
opened; that is, the current flowed (and the pose the increase, that is, it opposes the e.m.f.
e.m.f. acted) in opposite sense according as of the battery which is endeavouring to send
920058d-14 the flux linkages between the coils were in- current through the coil. This effect is known
creasing or decreasing. as the back-e.m.f. of self-induction: as one
turn and it is now evident that this total is much This little bit of electrical history, easy to of my teachers put it many years ago, all in-
greater than the number of flux lines. Flux appreciate in retrospect, illustrates the phe- ductors have suicidal tendencies. Thus, the
linkage, then, is simply the flux multiplied nomenon of electromagnetic induction: the current in an inductive circuit does not as-
by some constant that itself depends upon current in the secondary winding is an induced sume instantaneously the value it would
the shape, the closeness of the turns and the current and the e.m.f. producing it is an in- have if this were calculated by Ohm's law,
physical dimensions of the circuit, that is, duced e.m.f. A changing field always sets that is, on the basis of the resistance of the
the opportunities that exist for the flux to up an e.m.f. in any conductor situated within inductor. This must not be confused with in-
link with as much of the circuit as possible. the field. ductance.
Since the total flux is proportional to the On this basis, the question naturally arises Similarly, when the switch is opened, on
current, so also will be the total flux link- as to whether any corresponding effect oc- an Ohm's law calculation, the current should
ages; hence, we can say that the ratio flux- curs when the magnetic field associated with fall immediately to zero, but this does not hap-
linkage to current is constant for any given the secondary winding, set up by the induced pen. As the current falls, the magnetic en-
circuit arrangement. This constant is the current, interacts with the primary winding. ergy stored in the field must decrease pro-
self-inductance of the circuit and is symbol- We have seen that the direction of the induced portionally, and an e.m.f. is induced in the coil
ized by the letter L. e.m.f. depends on whether the change in the that this time tends to prevent the reduction
Now, abold statement of this sort is likely mutual flux linkages is increasing or de- in flux linkages. The manner in which the cur-
to leave the majority of us abit frustrated. creasing. The current induced in the sec- rent changes in the circuit for both switch-
So, to get our teeth into the problem; let us ondary winding will set up amagnetic field on and switch-off is illustrated in Fig. 5,
have abrief look at the work of Michael of its own and this will provide linkages which also shows the corresponding changes
Faraday and see what effect the electromag- with the primary winding. These linkages may in acircuit containing pure resistance only.
netic field associated with asolenoid has on either increase or reduce the total linkage
its surroundings. between the coils according to the direction Conservation of energy
of the secondary current. Now, it is found
that when the mutual flux linkages caused The effects of inductance accord with the prin-
Mutual inductance
by the primary current are increasing (S ciples of the conservation of energy. Nature
Faraday used acircuit rather like that shown being closed), the secondary current flows never gives us something for nothing: every
in Fig. 4. Here we have the coil of Fig. 3in in that direction which reduces the total mu- bit of energy in asystem has to be accounted
acircuit consisting of aswitch Sand asource tual linkages. Conversely, when the current for in one way or another. In the coil, the
of e.m.f., battery B. We call this coil the pri- in the primary winding is falling (S being magnetic energy is caused by the current
mary winding. In close proximity to this pri- opened), the direction of the secondary cur- and that current in turn is derived from the
mary winding there is another coil, the ter- rent is such that the mutual linkage is increased. chemical energy stored in the battery. While
minals of which are connected to acurrent We can interpret this as an attempt by the the current is steady, the magnetic field and
sensing meter, G. This coil is the secondary current in the secondary coil to keep the flux hence the magnetic energy stored in the field
winding. Faraday noticed that as long as a linkage constant, whether the current in the will remain constant and the only energy
steady current was maintained in the pri- primary is increasing or decreasing. drawn from the battery is that of heat en-
mary winding, that is, as long as the field So, what we have in effect is akind of elec- ergy, which is dissipated in the resistance of
surrounding this coil remained constant, trical inertia; both arise and afall in the cir- the coil. If the battery voltage is increased, the
there was no deflection on the meter. When, cuit current are resisted by the appearance current, in accordance with Ohm's law, should
however, switch Swas opened or closed, there of an induced voltage that works to main- increase in proportion. This involves an in-
was atransient deflection, amomentary flick tain the existing conditions. crease in magnetic energy, but while this
of the pointer that returned quickly to zero What about asingle coil on its own? Does transformation from chemical to magnetic en-
as the field either established itself to acon- the same thing happen there? Consider the ergy is taking place, all the chemical energy
stant value (switch closed) or collapsed from primary coil of Fig. 4 to be on its own. As cannot change immediately into heat en-
avalue to zero (switch open). Faraday de- soon as Sis closed, the magnetic field builds ergy. Thus, the current cannot change im-
mediately to anew level as dictated by Ohm's
Current law, that is, on the grounds that all the en-
5 ergy supplied by the battery is converted to
heat. The back-e.m.f. is consequently the
EJR
effect that limits the current to asmaller
C
1 Current waveform
urrent waveform with pure resistive value; once the magnetic field is established
circuit
with inductive at its new level, the current reaches its great-
circuit
est value and the back-e.m.f. vanishes.
Time In the same way, when the current is switched
Induced Induced
e.m.f 4— e.m.f off, it should, in accordance with Ohm's law,
fall immediately to zero, since no more en-
ergy is being supplied from the battery. But,
as the current falls, the energy stored in the
field must also fall proportionally, that is, it
must be transformed into another form. This
transformation is actually to heat energy in
920058-1-15 the circuit conductors and takes the form of

28 GENERAL INTEREST
an e.m.f. that tends to maintain the current iron core is the low-frequency transformer. stricting the currents to small and isolated
flow and permit the conversion to heat to This may use the conventional laminated stack regions of the core.
take place. of iron or be wound on atoroid or 'anchor' In the years leading up to the Second
It should be obvious that the greater the ring circuit. World War, the tuning of circuits at radio
time rate at which the current changes, the frequencies was carried out almost univer-
more rapidly the corresponding changes in 7 sally by fixed inductors and variable capac-
magnetic energy must occur and the greater itors. Owing to eddy current and other losses,
the induced e.m.f. will be. This is embodied 0,09
it was then not practicable to use iron-cored
11111...111. X=2to3
in Faraday's law which states that the induced inductors at high frequencies, although audio
e.m.f. is equal to the product of inductance 0,08 UMW
frequency range transformers were avail-
Multiplying
and rate of change of current. The unit of in- factor Y
X=1to2 able with very thin 'radio metal' lamina-
0,07
ductance is the henry, H, named after Joseph tions and sectionalized windings. Low-loss
Henry (1797-1878), the American physi- cores, the so-called ferrites or 'dust-iron' cores,
0,06
cist and pioneer of electromagnetism, who have since been developed and are now com-
X=0 to 1
was acontemporary of Faraday. Sub-units are 0,05
monplace as tuning slugs, which make it
the millihenry, mH, and the microhenry, possible not only to adjust the inductance, but
A circuit has aself-inductance of 1H when 0,04 also lead to very compact forms of r.f. tun-
the current through it changes at the rate of ing coil.
1A sec -1 and causes an induced e.m.f. of 0,03
1V.
Winding inductors
0,02
Types of inductance Unless there is an inductance bridge avail-

0,01 able, winding an inductor to aspecified value
Broadly speaking, inductances as found in of inductance is abit of ahit-and-miss af-
general electronics may be classified as (a) fair. Inductance is proportional to the square
0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0
coils that have very large inductance values of the number of turns, N2,so that, if the
in the minimum of space and reasonably Shape factor X= —
number of turns is doubled, the inductance
_11›, I+D
large current-carrying capacity—these types increases four-fold. Other factors that affect
920058-1-17
usually have iron cores and take the forms the inductance are the length and diameter
of power transformer or choke, or armature of the winding, the spacing of the turns,
and field coil in motors and generators; (b) whether the coil is asingle-layer or multi-
coils used in circuits of radio and television As in the case of Faraday's experiment, layer type, and the core material.
receivers, small transmitters and general transformers depend for their action on mu- Provided the coil is air-cored, it is not
amplifier systems. The latter types gener- tual inductance. Two coils are wound in difficult to estimate with reasonable accuracy
ally consist of relatively small windings close proximity on acommon core as shown the inductance of acoil that is close-wound
wound on non-ferrous supports such as pax- in Fig. 6. If acurrent flows in the primary in asingle or multiple layer. This is where
olin or polystyrene tubing or, in some cases, winding, some of the lines of flux estab- the curves of Fig. 7come in. These graphs
as self-supporting coils in air. They have in- lished in the core will link with the turns of take care of the factors relating to coil length
ductances of at most afew hundred milli- the secondary winding. The actual linkages and radius as well as the depth of the wind-
henries and normally carry only small radio- between the coils will depend on the current ing or the diameter of the wire. Figure 8
frequency currents. in the primary winding and the positions of shows these measurements made with respect
In the case of air-cored inductors, the in- the two coils relative to each other. Because to asingle-layer coil at (a) and amulti-lay-
ductance for agiven configuration will be of the closed iron core, the linkages are very ered one at (b).
constant since the field is set up in anon- high and the field is confined closely to the To find the inductance of such coils, first
ferrous region, which cannot be 'overloaded' iron circuit. The number of linkages with of all work out the ratio R: (I +D), where R
or saturated with magnetism. For coils wound the secondary winding caused by the cur- is the radius of the coil, /is the length of the
on iron cores, the inductance is roughly con- rent in the primary winding is thus amutual winding, and D is the diameter of the wire
stant for small values of direct current, but function of the two circuits. (single layer) or the depth of the winding
beyond acertain point, the iron saturates Circuits of this sort have amutual induc- (multi-layer). Whether you use metric or
and there is no further increase in the field tance of 1H if the e.m.f. induced in one of imperial measures is not important, since
intensity with an increase in the magnetiz- them is 1V when the current in the other is we are only seeking aratio; nevertheless, met-
ing force. The inductance of iron-cored chokes changing at the rate of 1A sec-1 . ric is probably more practical. Call the ratio
is usually stated at aspecified level of cur- Iron cores act as conducting paths as far X. Look up X along the horizontal SHAPE
rent, for instance, 10 H at 100 mA. as the magnetic fields set up in the coils are axis of the graph and read off the corre-
The other commonplace coil with aclosed concerned: hence, an e.m.f. is induced in sponding value for the MULTIPLYING FACTOR
the core material of achoke or transformer Yon the vertical axis. The inductance can then
6 whenever it is operating from an alternat- be calculated from the formula
ing current, a.c., supply. This causes random
(eddy) currents to circulate within the core, L=N2 RY (pH).
which in turn creates heating and, there-
fore, aloss of efficiency. Such currents are Next month's instalment will deal with the
reduced by laminating the cores and re- iron-cored transformer.
Lenght of winding I
Mean radius of winding R
Wire diameter D
920058-1-18a 920058-1-18b
WorldRadioHistory
29
THE NICAM SYSTEM

produce the stereo sound image. Some sys-
Stereo TV sound has finally come of age with the tems also require de-emphasis and/or de-
companding to improve the signal-to-noise
progressive introduction over the past few years of a ratio and the dynamic range.
digital system called NICAM. This article aims at The dual-carrier system is basically
analogue, and offers quite reasonable
providing a background to the operation of the NICAM
sound quality. However, in this day and
(near-instantaneously companded audio multiplex) age of digital sound, it is not surprising that
system, which is now in use in most of the UK, alternatives have been sought, based on the
technology already familiar from CD
Scandinavia, Belgium and Spain. NICAM-728, with players and the sound transmission stand-
subversions for PAL systems BIG and I, is also ard developed for the MAC system. In par-
ticular the channel separation offered by
recommended by the EBU as the system for NICAM is much higher than that achieved
multi-channel sound transmission with terrestrial by any form of analogue dual-carrier sys-
television. It has been adopted for use in several tem. Overall, the sound quality of a
NICAM broadcast is so close to that of a
countries, including the UK, and now forms part of adraft compact disk that it is hard to tell the dif-
CCIR recommendation. ference by just listening.
NICAM-728 digital sound

transmission
By J. Buiting, technical editor. forced the designers of analogue stereo TV
sound systems to drop some of their target Strictly speaking, the NICAM-728 system
specifications, and agree on certain com- should be classified as adual-carrier sys-
W HEN we talk about different televi- promises that reduce the quality that could tem, because asecond sound signal is in-
sion standards, the discussion is have been achieved in theory. Analogue troduced in the baseband spectrum (see
usually about different ways of conveying stereo sound systems can be made down- Fig. 1). The spectrum shown is for PAL
the picture to the viewer. Up to ten years ward compatible in two ways: system-I as used in the UK, with the main
ago, the sound was taken for granted, sound carrier at 6.0 MHz above the vision
which is remarkable because the stereo age by modifying the audio signal before it carrier, and a total channel bandwidth of
was well under way at that time. Following is modulated on to the carrier (single- about 8MHz. Most other European coun-
aGerman initiative, some European coun- carrier principle); tries use PAL system B or G, where the
tries introduced stereo TV sound based on by adding a second sound carrier just main sound channel is at +5.5 MHz, and
an auxiliary subcarrier above the main above or below the existing (mono) the channel bandwidth is about 7MHz.
(mono) FM carrier. Although this works, sound carrier (dual-carrier principle). The NICAM signal is recovered from a
the NICAM system offers superior sound QPSK (quadrature phase shift keying)
quality at a roughly equal bandwidth re- In both cases, adecoder matrix is required spectrum with a bandwidth of about
quirement. Originally developed by the to separate the left and right channels, and 600 kHz. The centre frequency of this
BBC, the NICAM-728 specification has
been formally approved by the Department
of Trade and Industry as the United King- vision carrier
dom standard for two-channel digital
sound with terrestrial television broad-
casts. analogue FM
sound carrier (-10 dB)
A brief history of stereo TV NICAM

e, digital sound
sound signal (-20 dB)
Since 1979, anumber of stereo TV sound

systems have been introduced that were
aimed at downward compatibility with the
existing mono sound systems. Among the
requirements for the new sound systems
were:
1/I It
2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 I 7 8MHz
- minimum interference and crosstalk
between the channels;
quality of existing (main) mono chan-
1. 25 MI-Iz 6.552 MHz
nel must not be affected;
equipment to upgrade transmitters and
receivers must remain as simple as 8 MHz
possible. channel
920076 -16
The need of maintaining downward com-

patibility, as well as the limited bandwidth Fig. 1. The frequency band occupied by the NICAM-728 digital sound signal in relation to
available for the new sound systems, have the picture and mono (analogue FM) sound signal components in the TV baseband.
WorldRadioHistory
30 RADIO AND TELEVISION
'molehill' (that is what it looks like on a

spectrum analyser) is +6.552 MHz (system 11 Additional Data Bits 704 bits of interleaved sound data
FAW 5 Control Bits
I), or +5.850 MHz (system BIG). The level (Co— C4) (AD6 — AD10)
16 bits
is about —20 dB with respect to the vision
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 9,10,11,12,13 14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24 2
.5,69,113157 68-5
carrier. In the rest of this article, we will 26,70,114 686
refer to the UK standard (PAL system-I) 44 bits
27,71,115 687
28,72,116 688
only. comprising
4 x 11-bit
Contrary to the analogue dual-carrier companded samples
systems, the NICAM signal contains all the
information necessary to reproduce the two 68,112,156 728
stereo channels, i.e., it is completely inde-

pendent of the main FM carrier at 920076 -11
+6.0 MHz (except for the fixed frequency

and phase relation), which is currently Fig. 2. Each frame consists of four groups of bits, each with its own function.
transmitted only to ensure downward com-
patibility with existing TV sets.
728 bits lors
Sound multiplex and sound a assignment of sixty-four 11 - bit sound t parity words
(D i o D64 ) to A and 8 channels
coding methods fi
A31 B31 A32
To understand how the NICAM system Olt 1
B 30 6 32
works, we will take alook at the structure

of the serial data stream at the transmitter
side.
frame alignment additional data
word
Frame structure and bit interleaving Colt,IC21C31Cs
As shown in Figs. 2and 3, the data consists frame flag-bit

▪ application eeeee ve sound
of 728-bit frames which are transmitted control bits switching flog
continuously without gaps. One frame is

transmitted every millisecond, so the over-
all bit-rate is 728 Kbit/s, whence the sys-
tem designation NICAM-728.
The 720 bits that follow the frame align- 728 bits • ims
ment word (FAW) have a structure that L...assignment of sixty four el- bit sound parity words
closely resembles that of the first-level FI:), to 064) to companding blocks n and n+ 1
protected, companded sound signal blocks

in the systems of the MAC family. After bit1
n32
the control bits and the additional data bits

follows ablock of 704 interleaved sound
data bits. The interleaving pattern relocates
data bits which are adjacent in the frame frame alignment additional data
structure of Fig. 2 to positions at least word
16 clock periods apart in the transmitted

data stream. frame flag- ▪
bit application
control bits
reserve sound
switching flog
Energy dispersal scrambling

The transmitted bit stream is scrambled for
spectrum-shaping purposes (remember the Fig. 3. (a) Structure of a 728-bit frame containing a stereo sound signal (before interleav-
ing); (b) the same for a mono sound signal (also before interleaving).
restrictions as regards the baseband band-
width). The scrambling operates synchron-
ously to the multiplex frame. The FAW is Thus, with reference to Fig. 2, the se- channel.
not scrambled, and used to synchronise the quence starts: The function of the three application
pseudo-random sequence generator used 0000 0111 1011 1110 0010. control bits, C1, C2 and C3, is to define the
for descrambling in the receiver. Figure 4 current application of the last 704 bits in
shows the general layout of the scrambler. FAW and control information block each frame, which may be used to convey
The following parameters apply: The FAW is 01001110, which is aseries of either sound samples or data. The available
the bit that follows the FAW is the first bits transmitted in that order. The control options are shown in Table 1. When a
scrambled bit, and is added modulo- information converged to the receiver con- change to a new application is required,
two to the first bit of the pseudo-ran- sists of aframe flag bit, Co, three applica- these control bits change (to define the new
dom sequence; tion control bits, C1, C2 and C3, and a application) on Frame 1 of the last 16-
reserve sound switching flag, C4 (see frame sequence of the current application.
- the bit that precedes the FAW is the last
scrambled bit; Fig. 3). The frame flag bit, Co, is set to '
1' The 704-bit sound/data blocks change to
for eight successive frames, and to '0' for the new application on Frame 1of the fol-
scrambling takes place immediately
after interleaving (and descrambling is the next eight frames. The frames are num- lowing 16-frame sequence.
therefore prior to de-interleaving in the bered within the sequence as follows: the The reserve sound switching flag, C4,
receiver); first frame (Frame 1) of the sequence is contained in the control information block
the pseudo-random sequence is defined defined as the first of the eight frames in is used to switch back to the output of the
by agenerator polynomial which Co=1. Hence, the last frame conventional FM demodulator when the
x9 + x4 +1 (Frame 16) of the sequence is the last of the digital sound decoding system fails. This
and an initialisation word ('seed') eight frames in which Co=0. This frame se- is, of course, acceptable only if the FM
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1. quence is used to synchronise changes in sound channel carries the same programme
the type of information being carried in the as the failing digital channel. The means to
WorldRadioHistory
HIE NICAM SYSTEM 111
Table 1. Applications pf 704-bit sound/data blocks. Table 2. Coding/protection range selec-

tion.
Application control bits Scale factor

Contents of 704-bit sound/data block Coding Protection value
Ci C2 C3 * range range
R2 111 1 Ro
stereo signal comprising alternate A-channel and
0 0 0
B-channel samples 1st 1st 1 1 1
two independent mono sound signals 2nd 2nd 1 1 0

0 1 0 (designated M1 and M2) transmitted in alternate
frames. 3rd 3rd 1 0 1
4th 4th 0 1 1
one mono signal and one 352-kBit/s transparent
1 0 0
data channel transmitted in alternate frames. 5th 5th 1 0 0
1 1 0 one 704-Kbit/s transparent data channel. 5th 6th 0 1 0
* C3=1 provides for signalling additional sound or data coding options. When C3=1, decoders 5th 7th 0 0 1
not equipped for these additional options should provide no sound output.
5th 7th 0 0 0
inhibit such switching is incorporated in per sample. Near-instantaneous compan- sound sample to check the six most-signi-
the control information. Control bit C4 is ding is used to reduce the number of bits ficant bits for the presence of errors. The
Set to I' when the FM channel carries the per sample from 14 to 10, and one parity bit parity group so formed is even the
same sound programme as the digital ste- is added to each 10-bit sample word for modulo-2 sum of the six protected sample
reo signal or the digital, mono signal error detection and scale-factor signalling bits and the parity bit equals 0). Sub-
(where two digital mono signals are trans- purposes. sequently, the parity bits are modified to
mitted, this refers to the M1 signal only). The companding process forms the 14- signal the 3-bit scale factor word associ-
When the FM channel is not carrying the bit digital samples corresponding to each ated with each sound signal block.
same programme as the digital sound chan- of the sound signals into blocks of 32. All In addition to signalling the coding
nel, C4 is set to '0'. In this state, it can be of the samples in each 1-ms block are sub- range, the scale factor signals seven protec-
used to prevent switching to the FM sound. sequently coded, using a 10-bit 2's com- tion ranges. This information may be used
Finally, Cit has no meaning in the case of plement code, to an accuracy determined in the receiver to provide extra protection
data transmission. by the magnitude of the largest sample in for the most significant bits of the samples.
the block, and ascale factor code is formed Table 2shows the coding ranges and pro-
Additional data and the sound/data to convey the degree of compression to the tection ranges associated with each 3-bit
block receiver. Figure 5illustrates the coding of scale factor word. The five coding ranges
Data bits ADO to ADIO (see Fig. 3) are companded sound signals. indicate the degree of compression to
reserved for future applications yet to be Prior to compression, apre-emphasis to which the block of samples has been sub-
defined. CCITT recommendation J17 (Ref. 2) is ap- jected for the near-instantaneous compan-
The last 704 bits in any frame form a plied to the sound signals, either by using ding process. The 3-bit scale factor
block of either sound or data (the two types analogue pre-emphasis networks before di- R2-R1-R0 associated with each 32-sample
of information are not mixed within one gitisation, or by using digital filters with sound block is conveyed by modification
frame). One frame contains 64 sound the digital signals. of the parity bits (see Fig. 5).
samples (D1 to D64). The structures of a For stereo transmissions, the signals of When a stereo sound signal is being
stereo sound frame and a mono sound the left and right sound channels are sam- transmitted, FE! (facteur échelle; scale
frame are shown in Figs. 3a and 3b respec- pled simultaneously. The Channel-A factor) is the scale-factor word R2A-1( I A-
tively. samples convey the left-hand (L) sound ROA associated with the 'A' samples, and
In stereo mode (AC: CI=C2=C3=0), the signal, and the Channel-B samples the FE2 the scale-factor word R-I3-R B-RoB
odd-numbered samples convey the A- right-hand (R) sound signal. associated with the `13' samples. If Pi is the
channel, and the even-numbered samples One parity bit is added to each 10-bit parity bit of the ith sample, this is modified
the B-channel. Thus, 32 samples of each
channel are transmitted in every frame.
If two independent mono sound chan-
nels, MI and M2, are transmitted (AC:
C1=0; C2=1; C3=0), MI is transmitted in
odd-numbered frames, and M2 in even-
numbered frames.
If one mono sound channel is trans-
mitted (AC: C1=1; C2=0; C3=0), it is con-
tained in odd-numbered frames, and data
are transmitted in even-numbered frames.
Thus, for mono sound signals, each
frame with sound information in it contains
64 consecutive sound samples, which will
span two complete companding blocks,
shown as blocks nand (n+1) in Fig. 3. No
format has yet been defined for data infor-
mation.
Sound &gnals
Sound signals are sampled at 32 kHz, and Fig. 4. Pseudo-random sequence generator (PRSG) for spectrum shaping ,
.:energy disper
coded initially with aresolution of 14 bits sal scrambling).

El RADIO AND TELEVISION
to Pi, by modulo-2 addition of one bit of

one of the scale-factor words according to
MSB 2's complement coding LSB
the following relationship:
loll It It 111111111111 1111
P'
;=P;
e R2A for i= 1,7,13,19,25,31,37,43,49 1 1 I I 1 1 1 I 1
1 I 1 1 1 1
• e RIA for i=3,9,15,21,27,33,39,45,51 1 1 1 1 1
P',=13, Rim for i=5,11,17,23,29,35,41,47,53 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OLI O 0 0
'—' o 2
0 0I 1X X X X X X X X X X X 2
• R2g for i=2,8,14,20,26,32,38,44,50 0 011X X X X X X Xe—r(tX X 3 3

e
i=1); RIB for i=4,10,16,22,28,34,40,46,52 0 0 0 OLX X X X X X XXIX o 4 4
0 0 0 0 0 1 XXXXXX XX o 5
P'1=P1
e Rog for i=6,12,18,24,30,36,42,48,54
0 0 0 0 0 0 1X X X X X XX o o 6
0 0 0 0 0 0 01X X X X XX
When amono signal is being sent, FE1 is 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
the scale-factor word R2 n-Ri n-120,, associ- 0 0 0 00 00X X X X X X X
ated with the first block of 32 samples in 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5
the frame, and FE2 is the scale-factor word 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
R2n+ I -RI n+l -ROn+1 associated with the 1 11 11 11X X XX X XX
second block of 32 samples in the frame. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 11 110X X X X XX
As in the case of stereo sound, the parity bit
1 1 1 11 10X X X X X XX o o 6
of the i th sample, Pi, is modified to Pi by
5
1 1 1 1 1 0 X X XX XX XX o o
modulo-2 addition of one bit of one of the X X X X XXX o 4 4
1 1 1 1 OX X
scale-factor words. However, in the mono 1 1 1 OX X X X X X X X x x o 3 3
case, the modification of the parity bits re- 1 1 0X x XXX X XX XXX o 2 2
lates to the block structure of the mono sig- 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
nal, as follows: 1 1 1
P'i=13;
ED R2,, for i= 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25 1 110101 0 0101010 010 0 o o 01
P';=PPEE1Rin for i=2,5,8,11,14,17,20,23,26 Xis 1or 0
P';=P;(1) Ro
n for i=3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27 scale factor
bits used for coding range
companded code L-1
• R2. +1for i=28,31,34,37,40,43,46,49,52 protection range
• R1
u+1 for i=29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53
• Ro n+i for i=30,33,36,39,42,45,48,51,54 920076 -14
It should be noted that some of the scale- Fig. 5. Coding of companded sound signals.
factor information in the second block of
samples is conveyed in the parity coding of modulation system in which each change
samples 28 to 32, which are in the first of state conveys two data bits. The input a
block. This conforms with the specifica- data stream at the modulator is differen-
tions for the MAC/Packet family of trans- tially encoded. This is done in two steps:
mission standards drawn up by the EBU (1) serial to two-bit parallel conversion,
(Ref. 1) and (2) coding of the transmitted phase
90° 90°
The scale-factor coding range and pro- changes. The amounts of the changes of
tection range information are extracted at carrier phase which correspond to the four
the decoder by majority decision logic. possible values of the input bit pairs (As- 90° 90"
Subsequently, the original parity is re- B„) are shown in Table 3.
stored for the purpose of error conceal-
ment. Table 3. DOPSK carrier state changes. V
The control information described in
Section 6.2.3 of Ref. 1(Chapter 3, Part 3) Input bit-pair Amount by which
is not used. However, other information the carrier changes
could be transmitted by the same means, An Br, phase
input bit stream
i.e., two information bits such that one (bit pairs)
00 10 11 01
modifies samples 55 to 59, and the other 0 0 0° (no change)

samples 60 to 64. NICAM receivers should 0 1 -90°
be designed to take account of this facility. transmitted
1 0 -270° ° -270 ° -180' - 90 °
phase changes
1 -180°
Modulation parameters ›
rest states*
The characteristics of the AM vision (ves-
of carrier
tigial sideband) and FM sound are defined Thus, the carrier phase can be at one of
phase
in the UK specification for PAL system-I four rest-states which are spaced at inter-
transmissions (Ref. 3), with the exception vals of 90° apart (Fig. 6a). An input bit-
that the FM sound carrier power is 10 dB pair will shift the carrier phase into a
down with respect to the vision carrier, in- different rest-state by the amount of phase
*the carrier phase
stead of 7dB. In the case of PAL system- change assigned to that particular value of
is assumed to be
BIG transmissions, the definitions given in bit-pair. The transmitted phase-changes initially in rest state 1
CCIR Report 624-3 apply. and resulting carrier rest-states for the
The NICAM signal in the baseband is input bit-pair sequence 00, 01, 11 and 01
classified as differentially encoded quad- 920076-15
are illustrated in Fig. 6b. In the receiver,
rature phase shift keying (DQPSK or 4- the transmitted datastream may be unam-
phase DPSK). This is a four-state phase biguously recovered by determining the Fig 6. DQPSK modulation principle.

THE NICAM SYSTEM El
18432 MHz 18.432 MHz
DOUT
AUXDIN
Sound DAC I
AUXIN
IF
Video
Surface Sound -9 MHz
carrier
Tuner sF
Itage Wave IF MOP S Bus AMU S Bus ACP DAC2
Filter Mixer 2400 2481 2371
Audio TVIN AUXOUT
PILOTIN
BP
IM Bus
Video IF
J
CCU
920076 -17
Fig. 7. NICAM decoder concept proposed by ITT Semiconductors.
phase-changes between one bit-pair and

the next.
It was already mentioned that spectrum-
shaping techniques are applied to keep the Deloou. te MAS7A 101
bandwidth of the NICAM signal in the

1.1-TOR
baseband within limits. For best perfor- OPSK
mance in the presence of random noise, the OPSK

DEMOIDL,
LATOR
BAND PASS
amplitude-frequency response of data FLTER
6.522 MHz (UK)
spectrum-shaping filters at the receiver

DUAL 5.84 MHz
TUNER SAW MAS7D102
FILTER
should be identical to that at the transmit-
ter. The target amplitude frequency re- SINGLE CHIP
NICAM
sponse, HT(/), is given by DECODER
DAC OR
VIDEO
f tf 1 VIDEO orGiTAL
SIGNAL -10 AMPLIFIER OVERSAMP
PROCESSING
LING
cos 2 if 0>
≤f1≤—
— ts FIR-FILTER
HT(I) =
O f
ts
1
where t
s— s
364,000
920076-18
and the filter has aconstant group delay for

all frequencies ≤ lit,. The filter made on
the basis of the above transfer charac- Fig. 8. NICAM decoder concept proposed by Micronas Inc.
teristic has a100% cosine rol-off (for PAL
systems B and G afilter with 40% cosine the ITT approach. Apart from the tional way of computer control.
roll-off is required). MSP2400 or MSP2410, two additional ICs
In the UK, the NICAM subcarrier is lo- are required, the AMU2481 and the Sources:
cated at 6.552 MHz above the frequency of ACP2371. Remarkably, the MSP2400 has (1) NICAM-728: specification for two ad-
the vision carrier (see Fig. 1). This fre- adigital filter to extract the NICAM infor- ditional digital sound channels with Sys-
quency is obtained by multiplying the mation from the baseband spectrum (0 to tem-I television.
transmitted bit-rate (728 Kbit/s) by 9. In 9MHz). This is in contrast to the Micronas (2) Document SPB 424, 3rd revised edi-
countries where PAL system-B or -G is circuit (Fig. 8), which uses aconventional tion, European Broadcasting Union.
used, the subcarrier frequency is L-C bandpass filter tuned to 5.84 MHz
+5.850 MHz. (PAL system B/G) or 6.552 MHz (PAL References:
system I). The ITT circuit has anumber of 1. Specification of the system of the
interesting options such as multistandard MAC/Packet family. European Broadcast-
NICAM decoder concepts sound processing and automatic standard ing Union (EBU) Technical Document
Among the IC manufacturers that have de- recognition and switching. The configura- 3285 (1986).
veloped NICAM processors for use in tion as shown in Fig. 7is capable of hand- 2. CCITT Red Book, Volume III, Fascicle
commercial-grade receivers are ITT Semi- ling mono FM, stereo FM (the German 111.4: Transmission of sound-programme
conductors of Germany, and Micronas, dual-carrier system) and all NICAM and television signals, recommendation
Inc. of Finland. A decoder based on ICs modes (a special version of the ACP2371 J.17 'Pre-emphasis used on sound-pro-
from the latter manufacturer is described is available for satellite TV sound). The gramme circuits'.
elsewhere in this issue. disadvantage of the ITT circuit is, how- 3. Specification of Television Standards for
In Semiconductors have integrated ever, that it can not work without control 625-line System-I transmissions in the
their NICAM processors, the MSP2400 software, and this is where the Micronas United Kingdom. Department of Trade and
and MSP2410, into the Digit 2000 TV sys- system has the edge on the ITT system: it Industry, Radio Regulatory Division, Lon-
tem. Figure 7 shows the block diagram of can work 'stand alone', and offers an op- don, 1984.

34
NICAM DECODER
The decoder described here is aimed at the experienced
radio and TV enthusiast who wants to upgrade an existing
TV set or video recorder with NICAM digital stereo sound.
Suitable for PAL TV systems 'I' (UK) and `BIG' (Scandinavia,
Belgium, Spain and others), the decoder is acompact and
simple to control circuit that can either be built as aset-top
extension, or incorporated into aTV set.
Design by Rob Krijgsman (system BIG) or 6.552 MHz (system I). The
PE1CHY insertion loss of the band-pass filter is com-
pensated by an amplifier.
T
HIS decoder is based on aNICAM chip MAS7A101 QPSK demodulator
set developed by Micronas Inc. of Fin- The NICAM signal is applied to the
land. The set consists of the MAS7A101 MAS7A101 QPSK demodulator IC. This is a
QPSK demodulator, the MAS7D102 NICAM pretty complex integrated circuit, whose in-
decoder, and the MAS7A103 dual D-A con- ternal architecture is given in Fig. 2. The
verter. The chip set allows two high-quality QPSK signal at the input is buffered before it
audio channels (stereo or dual-language is applied to amultiplier circuit which con-
mode) to be recovered from aNICAM signal sists of analogue switches. The switches are
at 5.85 MHz or 6.552 MHz (if broadcast, and opened and closed by asignal derived from
depending on the PAL system used) in the aphase-controlled quartz crystal oscillator.
TV baseband spectrum. All that is needed to The crystal frequency equals four times the taken through aswitchable low-pass filter,
be compatible with either of the two PAL NICAM subcarrier frequency, i.e., and subsequently split into two.
systems is to fit the correct input filter, ajum- One signal is sent to asecond PLL which
per and aquartz crystal for the demodulator 5.850 x4=23.400 MHz serves to recover the 728-kHz NICAM bit
clock. clock from the demodulated signal. The
for PAL systems Band G, or crystal-controlled VCO in this PLL operates
at eight times the NICAM bit clock, or
Three ICs
6.552 x4=26.208 MHz 5.824 MHz. This VCO also provides the cen-
As shown by the block diagram in Fig. 1, the tral clock signal for the other ICs in the
upper part (say, above 5 MHz) of the TV for PAL system I. The quartz oscillator is decoder.
baseband spectrum is first filtered to extract locked to the received NICAM signal by The other demodulated signal is sent to a
the NICAM signal centred around 5.85 MHz means of aPLL. The demodulated signal is slicer circuit where it is converted into abi-
Fig. 1. Block diagram of the decoder.

NICAM DECODER El
nary digital signal. The recovered clock sig-

nal and the binary signal are available at the
corresponding outputs of the MAS7A101.
MAS7D102 NICAM decoder

The MAS7D102 NICAM decoder (Fig. 3)
uses the recovered NICAM bit clock to tackle
the decoding proper of the bitstream sup-
plied by the QPSK demodulator. The decod-
ing process involves quite a lot:
descrambling, de-interleaving, error detec-
tion and correction, and reconstruction of
the original 14-bit sound samples in both
channels. The MAS7D102 can be pro-
grammed or wired to supply digital output
signals suitable for one of three different bus
systems: the I 2S-bus (Philips), the S-bus
(ITT), or the DAC-bus (Toshiba). Many func-
tions of the IC can be controlled either via an
IC link, or by means of external hardware.
2
The latter option is exploited here, and has

the advantage of obviating amicrocontroller
and adedicated control program.
With reference to the IC architecture
shown in Fig. 3, it is seen that the digital sig-
nal supplied by the QPSK demodulator is
split into two. One signal is fed to a syn-
chronisation logic section where the FAW
(frame alignment word) is detected and ex-
tracted. The FAW is never scrambled. The
other copy of the digital signal is sent to the
descrambler circuit, which serves to counter- Fig. 2. MAS7A101 QPSK demodulator architecture and pinning.
act the energy dispersal (spectrum-shaping)
scrambling applied at the transmitter. When
the decoder chip is first switched on, it uses
the standard descrambling initialisation
word '11111111', which enables reception of
non-encrypted NICAM broadcasts. External
hardware is required to be able to change the
initialisation word (or 'seed') 'on the fly'
when the system is used for reception of Pay-
TV transmissions using encrypted NICAM
audio.
Returning to the operation of the
MAS7D102, the control information bits C1-
C2-C3-C 4 are extracted from the datastream.
These bits enable the receiver to determine
the type of programme material: i.e., dual-
language or stereo. The decoded control bits
are available in an I 2C register as well as on
an output port. The latter allows asimple
display to be connected that indicates the re-
ceiver mode. The sound samples are fed to
the de-interleaver, and from there to the
error detection/correction circuit. Finally,
they are de-companded to their original 14-
bit resolution, and fed to the output of the IC
according to the selected signal format (I 2S-
bus, S-bus or DAC-bus). The format selec-
tion is effected via the I 2C bus, or via logic
levels applied to the configuration (CON-
FIGx) pins, which in addition allow you to
select between mono-A or mono-B during
dual-language broadcasts. The functions of
all registers contained in the MAS7D102, and Fig. 3. MAS7D102 NICAM decoder architecture and pinning.
the configuration options that can be set in
hardware, are given on page 41. the decoder IC is multiplexed, the first task voltages, so that two external opamps are re-
of the DAC is to extract and separate the in- quired to obtain audio signals that can be fed
MAS7A103 dual DAC formation that belongs with each channel. to an amplifier. Before that can be done,
This IC converts the 14-bit sound samples Next, the two digital signals are converted however, the audio signals need to be taken
furnished by the decoder into two analogue into analogue ones by R-2R ladder networks. through a15-kHz low-pass filter to remove
audio signals. Since the output datastream of These supply output currents rather than the residue of the 32-kHz sampling signal.
WorldRadioHistory
36
RADIO AND TELEVISION
MONO, 2 STEREO
o 12V
•
w a, R43 É 144
1 11:145
I J..' ICI 0
50
v v
I R42 Rin
138 D9
MDX 0 13
0 IC8 15
2 On I
1184 4
7
4051
G 6
Display I Power
Jo Board I Supply
DS
IC9 3
03 3
13
•12V
05 KR2204
12V® 0r1 012V
06 IR
07 17
5‘10'; c)5v
lioaa 110
,SIo
IC5 ICO IC7
100n
W
S' ha
7 0„
012 D13 D14
•
MONO 2 MONO, MONO 1/2
X X X
D12...D14.1N4148 o
o_ o 0 0 j
°a 0 —07
— —
57.= DONO =AGNO
0 0
15V 5V
R32 C30
50 C26 823
C28
R19 — I I-- EMI 47, R31 4n7
21,2
R21 2,12 16V
Ell C32
6-1=211-41
IC3
R30
C22 .à25 2 R27 2,2 1X33
CIB1 VDD
40 MIM IC6a F12 Ell
39 IC5a A2SSBLV•5085N Ida
CIBO OUATE 7/On ZOOn
3 38 •
TSTI AGATE
g j 57718 9
TST2 MAD
38
DSCLK CO
R20 A29
DSDATA CO 21 2 2
34
DATA STEREO
o
06 R16 8 33
SCIE MONO, C4
2
32
BCLK MONO2
o ,L1L3 31 1 i l
ONO VDO •-- VDO VDA
R37 C3I
30 2 OCIE
RES OCIE R101
BAT85 ID 29
MUTE1 DOA TA DDATA REFOUT
13 28
XMUTE2 OCI1AN 4 OCEAN REF1N
.JL1, 31
lo
SDA ERROR MODI 102
—'165
26
SCL MUTE MOD2 L101
25 R28
CONFG1 PCO VOS VSA
17 24 FI3
CONFG2 PRO
A258BLV•5085N
la 23
CONFG3 PA1
MAS7A103
22
CONFG4 PAD 1 ,2177151718 9
o lL 21
ONO TST3
All R18
C2I C23
MAS7D102
TOOn
100n
RESET
50
BCLK RIS
SCLK
DATA
120 ° JP,
IC5, IC6, IC7 = NE5532
7X1n
BATOS
C13 C19
100n
Co 24 23 22 16 [1 11
1- 12 "75121 13 2
OPSK 5 FO 1F1 Q Q OF0 OF) NORM
10n RI I VV
12V
*44.4 lox, XIR D VI
Re
C11 C18
R3
IC2
MIN
33n MAS7A101
unh114.0 lodes:
Fil 10 112 II IC
• RI 4701! 002
TH316130M•2013000AF B G) On
H316BOM•21100DAF(1) R9 0010 Toll REF M TEST VX2I VX 812
OPSKI:>1 ICI
I
s 6 9 4 10 19
CI RI CD
3 X2
K1
47n OPSK ElPF 10n

C9 CIO C16 C17
4 2
M1M
In RIO
NE592 1r" "
4 ii
1004
C4
* C7 1411•4 * 10 C12 * C14 * C15
5 3 4 PI
M1M MMI
00 00 265
2 1F31 D2 T IBP 788 2 IF).
111.23.4511-14113 G) 0245.824M114
X1.26 208M1.11) 920035 •IS
01.04 BB405
Fig. 4. Circuit diagram of the NICAM decoder.

NICAM DECODER
Main
Stereo Stereo Jumper
Country TV system sound QPSK filter FI1 Quartz X1
sound subcarrier JP1
subcarrier
--- - ,-
Digital;
Scandinavia PAL BIG 5.5 MHz 5.850 MHz TH316BQM-2080QDAF 23.400 MHz A
NICAM-B
United Digital
PAL I 6.0 MHz 6.552 MHz TH316BQM-2110QDAF 26.208 MHz B
Kingdom NICAM-I
Germany;
Switzerland; PAL BIG Analogue 5.5 MHz 5.740 MHz — —
Benelux
Digital;
Italy; Spain PAL B/G 5.5 MHz 5.850 MHz TH316BQM-2080QDAF 23.400 MHz A
NICAM-B
Table 1. The choice of two components in the NICAM decoder, and the position of a jumper, depends on the country you live in.
This filter takes us back to the block diagram agram. The Type TDA2541 demodulator IC, NICAM signal, and the 5.824-MHz system
in Fig. 1, with the final remark that J17 de- for instance, has an output impedance of clock to the decoder, IC3. An R-C network,
emphasis is applied on the audio signals. about 100 O. The bandpass filter used is a R16-C21, resets the demodulator and the
ready-made, pre-aligned module from Toko decoder ICs at power-on.
(note that different types are required for Mode selection is effected with configu-
Practical circuit systems BIG and system I). Its insertion loss ration bits configl and config2. The available
After studying some of the background the- lies between 8dB and 16 dB. This is compen- options are mono-2, mono-1 and mono-1/2
ory on NICAM (to be found elsewhere in this sated by amplifier ICi, whose gain can be set (dual language mode). The logic bit combi-
issue), and having acquired samples and da- as required with the aid of preset Pi to give a nations required for these settings are sup-
tasheets of the NICAM chip set, the author signal level of 200 to 800 mV pp at the input of plied by IC8, IC9 and three push-buttons, Si,
set out to work, and was able to design and the QPSK demodulator, IC2. S2 and S3. The combination of these parts
build a simple NICAM decoder that was As indicated in the diagram, the fre- forms akind of three-position flip-flop with
tested with the aid of NICAM broadcasts re- quency of quartz crystal Xi is determined by abuilt-in latch function, adebounce circuit
ceived from the Belgian national TV station the PAL TV system used in your country. and an indication (on five LEDs). Capacitor
BRT (these broadcasts were experimental at Jumper JP 1should also be fitted in accord- C25 ensures that the 'mono-2' mode is auto-
the time, and are currently regular). The BRT ance with the system used, to select the ap- matically selected at power-on.
transmits NICAM-728 according to PAL propriate low-pass characteristic in the Diodes D12, D13 and D14 provide the re-
standard BIG. Initially, the application cir- demodulator. Information on the options in quired logic levels at the CONFIG inputs of
cuits suggested by Micronas were built, and the circuit depending on the TV system used the decoder IC. LEDs Dio and Dii indicate
from there on further experiments evolved is summarized in Table 1. the currently transmitted mode: dual-lan-
to produce arepeatable decoder. Depending on the characteristics of the guage (mono-1/2) or stereo. This indication
The final result is an uncluttered circuit crystals used in positions Xi and X2, the exact can not be changed by pressing the MODE
shown in Fig. 4. The unfiltered video signal values of 0-Cs and C14-05 may have to be switches.
taken from asuitable point in the TV tuner changed from those shown in the circuit di- Like the QPSK demodulator IC, the
(more about this further on) is applied to the agram. Given that the quartz crystals prob- NICAM decoder, IC3, is used in astandard
input of afour-section bandpass filter tuned ably have to be cut to order (the frequencies application circuit as suggested by the
to 5.85 MHz (6.552 MHz for the UK system- being non-standard as far as we have been manufacturer. Similarly, few surprises are
I). The input impedance of the decoder is able to find out), some experimenting may found in the link to the dual DAC, IC4, and
about 900 Q. To ensure that the input of the be required to obtain the correct oscillator the subsequent two-stage opamp-based cur-
bandpass filter is correctly terminated, the frequencies. rent-to-voltage converters/amplifiers. It will
sum of the source impedance and resistor Ri The demodulator, IC2, supplies the re- be noted, though, that the opamps work
must be 470 f/, as indicated in the circuit di- covered 728-kHz bit clock, the digital from asymmetrical (+12 V/-15 V) supply.
The gain of IC6a and IC7a in the right (R) out-
put channel is set such that the loss intro-
duced by the 15-kHz low-pass filter, F12, is
overcome whilst ensuring an audio output
level that is compatible with other equip-
ment driving a amplifier 'line' input. The
same goes, of course, for the corresponding
components in the left (L) channel. The low-
pass filters are, again, ready-made pre-
aligned modules from Toko. Here, we are
dealing with two A258BLV-5085N three-sec-
tion L-C filters (the designer apologizes for
the type numbers). Finally, the J17 de-em-
phasis networks in the right and left audio
channels are formed by R32-C.30 and R37-C31
respectively. The outputs of the NICAM
decoder are capable of driving amplifier
'line' inputs.
Construction
First, cut the printed circuit board (Fig. 5)
A look into the completed prototype of the decoder. into three to separate the power supply
WorldRadioHistory
o o
o 0 /ill:: Y
o\ i
n .: 1o e -el e e
rfr
lls 050 0 C47
•••• K4
C42
0o
1
-->\.:.
::
__±01 0+>
Ok
e l2V
o
C44 15V
)03-,
920035
oio
K2
o
«zoo
2.5
0,00110.01
1 0
Fig. 5. Track layout and component mounting plan of the single-sided PCB for the NICAM decoder.

39
NICAM DECODER
board, the decoder board and the keyboard. COMPONENTS LIST

The population of these boards is entirely
straightforward, and should not present Semiconductors:
Resistors:
problems. It is recommended to use IC 4 BB405 DI
-D4
1 374e (see text) R1
sockets. The voltage regulators are bolted 2 BAT85 05;D6
1 49952 1% R2
straight to the power supply board, and do R3;R4;R21;R22 5 LED red 3mm D7-D11
4 21(02
not need heat-sinks. The fuse is fitted in a R5;R6;R9;1312;R17; 3 1N4148 D12;D13;D14
12 10k11
holder with aprotective plastic cap. On the 1:118;R24:R26;R32; 1 B80C1500 B1
decoder board, the section with the blue (or R37;R39.R40 1 NE592 IC1
red) core in the QPSK bandpass filter, Fli, is 4 1000 R7;R8;R33;R38 1 MAS7A101 1C2
at the side of the NICAM decoder chip, IC2. 3 100k.t2 R10;R13;R16 1 MASID102 IC3
The keyboard/display section of the 1 82kO R11 1 MAS7A103 1C4
printed circuit board has on it three Digitast 1 6801(1-2 R14 3 NE5532AN IC5;1C6:1C7
press-keys with a built-in LED. The front 3 202 R15;R19;R20 1 4051 IC8
panel of the enclosure for the NICAM 2 27k.O R23;R25 1 XR2204 or ULN2004 IC9
decoder (if used) must be cut and drilled to 2 3k.Q3 R27;R28 1 7805 IC10
allow the push-buttons and the two LEDs to 2 4k.Q53 1% R29;R34 1 7812 IC11
the right of the board to protrude—more 2 12Itül 1% R30;R35 1 7915 IC12
about this further on. 2 68k1-
.1 R31;R36
For an initial test, the completed boards 2 15011 R41;R42 Miscellaneous:
are interconnected. Switch on, and check the 3 4702 R43;R44:R45 1 3-way pin header
presence of the correct supply voltages at a 1 1512 R46 with jumper JP 1
number of points. Press the keys and see if 1 21c05 preset H P1 3 RCA (phono) socket Kl;K2;K3
the associated LEDs light. If this works all 1 2-way PCB terminal block;
right, stop, and start thinking very hard Capacitors: pitch=7.5mm K4
about 5 47nF ceramic Cl ;C49-052 3 Digitast push-button (narrow)
2 1OnF ceramic C2;C6 with integral LED S1 ;52;S3
20 100nF C3;C4;C5;C12;C13; 1 mains transformer 2>15V
Finding the input signal C19-C25;C34; 0 4.5VA; Monacor (Monarch)
C36-C41;C43 type VTR-4215 Tri
The present NICAM decoder is intended as
4 18pF C7;C8;C14;C15 1 TH316BQM-2080QDAF * Fll
an upgrade for existing TV sets, set-top TV 1 TH316BQM-2110QDAF ** Fll
4 1nF ceramic C9;C10:C16;C17
tuners or video recorders. In nearly all cases, 2 À258BLV-5085NF12;F13
/ 33nF C11
this equipment will have to be opened or 1 Quartz crystal 23.400 MHz X1
2nF2 C18;C26:C27
modified to find or create apoint where the 1 Quartz crystal 26.208 MHz ** X1
2 47µF 16V radial C28;C29
NICAM signal can be 'tapped' and fed to the 1 Quartz crystal 5.824 MHz X2
2 4nF7 C30;C31
decoder. The following points should be 1 Fuse 50mA slow; with PCB
2 2µF2 50V solid MKT C32;C33
taken into account: mount holder and cap Fl
I 10nF C35
Printed circuit board 910035
1 100.F 10V C42
1. Opening your TV set or VCR in most cases 1 Front panel foil 910035-F
1 2201.1F 16V C44
voids your warranty on this equipment. 1 Metal enclosure Telet 55205
2 101.1F 25V C45;C46
2. The chassis of most older TV sets is con- 1 2200aF 25V C47
nected direct to the mains. Never work on •PAL TV system B or G
1 220p.F 25V C443
such a TV set without using an isolating ** PAL TV system I
transformer.
3. Make sure you have the service documen-
tation (or at least acircuit diagram) of the
equipment.
The intrepid among you should be looking CF'
for afor apoint at the input of the sound de- Sauna IF

Sound I, 1,5 MK, (6.0 MHz)
32.3...33.5 MHz 5.4...6.6 MHz

modulator where a signal is available that Ma in
FMS DETECTOR
o'"dChan"el
contains as little video information as

possible. In most cases, the input signal of X) /2V
the main FM demodulator (5.5 MHz for sys-
tem-B/G, or 6.0 MHz for system-I) is taken
SAW2 JP1
through aceramic band-pass filter to sup- pin 8
011
press the components in the video spectrum. CN5 5.74 MHz

pin 1 4 FM 0e,ectcr
In general, it is best to 'tap' the signal ahead
of this filter. The minimum level of the signal
to be fed to the NICAM decoder is about ICF2
50 mV. In all cases, the load presented by the from Tuner 01

LP 5.74 Mn,
•
input of the NICAM decoder should be as ip
SAW1 ft
NIC
NICAM
small as possible. This may require an emit- Video JET
Decoder
rn
ter follower to be fitted as discussed below. 34...39 MHz .61

A little more complex, but certainly more
CCT
convenient as far as the filtering is con- CC: CCT
3.28 3.30 3.32
cerned, is aTV set or aVCR with aso-called
quasi-parallel sound demodulator system. 020035 -16
The designer used his HR-S5000E video re-

corder from JVC to supply the NICAM sig-
nal. After studying the service Fig. 6. This drawing illustrates how a sui:able decoder input signal was found in the JVC
documentation that came with the VCR, it HR -S5000 E video recorde:
WorldRadioHistory
Micronas Inc. Representatives and

Distributors
Austria Shinjuku-Ku
EPI Obereder KG Tokyo, ZIP 162
Bünkerstrasse 58 Tel. (03) 2686655
9800 Spittal/Drau Fax (03) 2353663
Tel. (04762) 5451
Fax (04762) 4022 Korea
Kyung II Corp.
Belgium 701 Hosung Bldg., yeido-Dong
ny Arcobel Yeaungdeungpo-Ku
Terlindenhofstraat 36 Seoul 100-628
2170 Antwerpen-Merksen Tel. (02) 7851445
Tel. (03) 646 70 48 Fax (02) 7851447
Fax (03) 646 45 12
The Netherlands
Denmark Arcobel b.v.
Delco AS Gliekenweg 25
Hejrevang 13 5342 PX Oss
3450 Allerod Tel. (04120) 30335
Tel. (042) 277733 Fax (04120) 30635
Fax (042) 277770
Spain
France SeIco S.A.
ASAP Paseo de la Habana 190
2 Avenue des Chaumes 28036 Madrid
78180 Montigny le Bretonneux Tel. (01) 3264213
Tel. (16-1) 30438233 Fax. (01) 2592284
Fax (16-1) 30570719
Switzerland
Germany Anatec A.G.
Advanced Semiconductor Prod. Sumpfstrasse 7
Kapellenstrasse 9 6300 Zug
Fig. 7. Emitter followers for NICAM sig-
Unterhaching /München Tel. (042) 412441
nals on a relatively small d.c. component
Tel. (089) 619076 Fax (042) 413124
(7a), and NICAM signals on a d.c. component
so large that a.c. coupling is required (7b).
Fax (089) 619070
United Kingdom and Ireland
Hong Kong Microcall Ltd.
was decided to try the output signal of an
ESTCO Theme Park Road
emitter follower located between the 'sound
A4, 11iF., Block A Thame
IF' output and the input of the 5.74 MHz ce-
26 Kai Cheung Road Oxfordshire OX9 3XD
ramic filter fitted for the German 'dual-lan-
Kowloon Bay, Kowloon Tel. (0844) 261939
guage' demodulator. The search for this
TeL (852) 7548520 Fax (0844) 261678
emitter follower, Q11, was complicated by
Fax (852)7986669
the fact that it happened to 'reside' between
All other countries
three pretty large circuit diagrams. Figure 6 Italy please contact the head office:
shows essentially what has been added to Eurelettronica S.p.A.
the VCR: one resistor, acoupling capacitor Via E. Fermi 8 Micronas Inc.
and a'phono' socket do aperfect job. 20094 Assago (MI) Kamreerintie 2
As already mentioned, an emitter fol- Tel. (02) 4880022 SF-02770 Espoo
lower may have to be used to prevent the Fax (02) 4880275 FINLAND
input signal of the sound demodulator dis- Telephone: +358 0 80521
appearing when the NICAM decoder is con- Japan Fax: +358 0 8053213
nected. One of the circuits shown in Fig. 7 Global Industries Corp.
will be adequate. The first, Fig. 7a, may be 33 Nando Cho
used when the signal is superimposed on a
d.c. level between 0.3 and 0.7 times the sup-
ply voltage. The other, Fig. 7b, has an input cables of either type will cause reflections cases, ordinary screened cable as used with
coupling capacitor, and is used in all other and serious mismatches, resulting in attenu- audio equipment, or car radio coax cable (if
cases. Remember, you are dealing with sig- ation of the NICAM subcarrier. If you can you can get it), is the best alternative. In any
nals of 5MHz and higher here, so keep com- not go round the use of a relatively long, case, do not fit BNC or similar low-imped-
ponent wires as short as possible. low-impedance, coax cable between the TV ance RF sockets at the TV side and the
set and the NICAM decoder, be sure to fit a decoder input. On the prototype we used an
terminating resistor across socket Ki. This insulated 'phono' (RCA-style) socket for
Testing
resistor prevents reflection and high-fre- chassis mounting. An insulated socket is re-
[he input impedance of the NICAM decoder quency loss to some extent. When a 50-Q quired to prevent an earth loop between the
is fairly high: about 900 Q. This means that cable is used, fit a 52.9-Q terminating resis- analogue and digital ground rails.
conventional coax cable with an impedance tor, and change Ri into 444 Q. Similarly,
of 50 Q or 75 Q can not be used unless its when a75-Q cable is used, terminate it with Demodulator input level
length remains below 50 cm or so. Longer 81.8 Q, and change Ri into 431 Q. In some Switch on the NICAM decoder, and tune the

NICAM DECODER
41
PROGRAMMING THE MAS7D102 NICAM DECODER

The bus format can be selected either by applying logic levels The function of the Da, Db and Dc control bits is to define
to pins Config4 and Config3, or by programming control bits external ports Pa, Pb and Pc as inputs or outputs, as shown
Config4 and Config3 via the I
2C microprocessor interface. below.
Config 4 Config3 DAC bus format r Da Db Dc Pal Pa0 Pb0 Pc0
o o High-Z 0 0 0 out out out out
O S-bus 0 o 1 out out out in
o I
2S bus o 1 0 out out in out
1 1 Toshiba DAC bus o 1 1 out out in in
1 0 0 in in out out
The pins Stereo, Mono1 and Mono2 are active-low outputs that
indicate the current NICAM transmission mode. 1 0 1 in in out in
-------------------------- 1 1 0 in in in out
Stereo Mono1 Mono2 Type of transmission 1 1 1 1 in in in in
Stereo signal
The status registers of the MAS7D102 have the following
1 o 1 Dual language trartsmision
structure:
One mono sound channel
1 1 I o and 352 Kbit/s data channel
Status
No sound signal. reg is- D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 DO
Transparent 704 Kbit/s data
1 1 ter
transmission, or no NICAM
encoded transmission 1
Osn C11 CIO CO 1
1
2 Sert 0 Ser9 Mute TestS Pal Pa0 Pb0 Pc0
During dual-language transmissions, the main language selec-
tion is controlled by input pins Config2 and Config1. 3 Ser8 Ser7 Ser4 Ser3 Ser2 Seri 1
1.1111111101›.
-The Osn status bit goes high when the 'decoder is not syn-
Config2 Config1 DAC bus Sound sample order
chronised.
o I
2S/Toshiba M1 M1 -CIO and C11 are the two Cl bits extracted from each NICAM
frame.
o 1
2S/Toshiba M1 M2
-C4-CO are the C bits associated with the current NICAM
o 1
2S/Toshiba M2 Ml transmission, and they indicate the mode as shown below.
1
2S/Toshiba M2 M2
o ITT M1 M1 Ml M1 Cl C2 C3 NICAM transmission mode

o
ITT M1 M1 M2 M2 O o o Stereo transmission
ITT M2 M2 Mi Ml o o Dual language transmission
ITT M2 M2 M2 M2 o o One mono channel plus data transmission
O One 704 Kbit/s data channel

The decoder has two addresses on the I 2C bus. Address 4E
(hex) is for writing to the decoder, and address 4F (hex) for -CO is the Frame Flag bit that indicates the super frame pattern
reading from the decoder. of the NICAM transmission.
There are three status registers (read) and three control reg- -C4 is the Reserve Sound Switching flag, which goes high
isters (write) that can be accessed. The three control registerswhen the FM mono signal carries the same programme as
can be addressed individually by the two most significant bits the digital stereo signal.
of each control word. The three status registers can be ad- -The Mute status bit goes high to indicate that the decoder has
dressed as a complete set only. been muted for some reason.
-TestS is a test status indication
bit reserved for test purposes.
Control D1 DO -Pal and PaO, Pb0 and Pc0 indi-
D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 02
register cate the status of the correspond-
ing external pins, when they are
1 Testl Test2 MuteS MuteA Reset
configured as input ports.
2 o 1 Config4 CorMg3 Configl -The Ser1O-Sen1 bits show the
Db Dc Pal Pa0 Pc0
value contained in the sample
3 Da
error counter. This counter is in-
cremented whenever an erro-
-Test1 and Test2 are reserved for test purposes, and must be
neous sample is detected. The control processor can read
set low. the error count at suitable time intervals, and take decisions
-The MuteS control bit mutes sound output. Active high.
depending on the error rate.
-The MuteA control bit mutes sound output and resets the
synchronisation of the decoder completely. Active high.
-The Reset control bit resets the decoder completely. Active
high.
WorldRadioHistory
TV set or the VCR to astation transmitting stand-offs are used to fit the PCB at the right
NICAM sound. Use an oscilloscope to check distance behind the front panel.
the signal level at pin 3 of the QPSK de- The rear panel is drilled to hold the mains
modulator, IC2. The level should be between socket, the NICAM input socket and the two
200 mV pp and 800 mV pp .If necessary, adjust audio output sockets.
preset Pi to achieve a level of about
500 mV pp .
Conclusion
QPSK demodulator PLL adjustment The NICAM decoder described here has
Connect the scope to pin 11 of the QPSK de- been in use for some time now, and provides
modulator IC. You should see a so-called excellent stereo sound on broadcasts re-
'eyes' waveform (which may be very diffi- ceived from BRT1 and BRT2. Regrettably,
cult for the scope to trigger on). Adjust Pi so the unit could not be tested in the UK, al-
that the tops of the waveform are just below Fig. 8. The Toko OPSK bandpass filter though suitable components (a 6.552-MHz
the supply voltage; i.e., they are just not (either for system Ior BIG) and the 15-kHz QPSK bandpass filter and a 26.208 MHz
clipped. This gives a signal level of about low-pass filter used in the decoder. quartz crystal) were available.
5V. Move on to pin 7of IC2. This supplies Although the construction and adjust-
the error voltage of the demodulator PLL. It controlling the first PLL. If the second PLL ment of the unit are fairly simple, finding a
is afairly 'messy' signal superimposed on a frequency is correct, pin 23 of the demodula- suitable input signal may be daunting if you
direct voltage, which will look like abroad tor IC supplies a clock signal of 728 Id-lz, have little experience in TV and VCR tech-
band on the scope. Tune to anon-NICAM which is easily measured with afrequency nology. We feel, therefore, that it is fair to
station, and back to the NICAM station meter. warn beginners not to undertake this project
again, to see how the PLL responds by lock- until a dedicated TV tuner is available,
ing on to the NICAM signal. For best perfor- That completes the adjustment of the which will be described in afuture issue of
mance of the PLL, the d.c. component in the NICAM decoder. If you have not already Elektor Electronics.
error signal should be at about half the sup- done so, connect astereo amplifier to the out-
ply voltage, i.e., 2.5 V. When it is too close to puts, and enjoy the programme!
either 0V or +5 V, change the crystal match- Postscript for advanced
ing capacitors, C7 and C8, until the centre of
Finishing touch users
the band is at about 2.5 V. Increase the capa-
citor values (to 22 pF or 27 pF) when the d.c. Some of you may want to fit the decoder per- As already mentioned, the MAS7D102
component is too low, and decrease them (to manently inside aTV set, while others may NICAM decoder has optional I 2C control,
15 pF or 12 pF) when the d.c. component is want to use it as aself-contained unit. which may be used to access most of the in-
too high. Try to get as close to 2.5 V as you The prototype of the decoder was housed ternal registers. The SDA and SCL inputs of
can. The exact oscillator frequency will be in an aluminium enclosure Type 55205 from this IC are TTL-compatible, and may be con-
very difficult to measure at pin 5of IC2 be- Telet. The decoder and supply boards were nected to an I 2C bus via appropriate inter-
cause the impedance is high locally. This fitted on aperspex plate that could be slid faces. If you have aPC available fitted with
means that any capacitive load, however horizontally into the railings provided along an I C interface (Ref. 1), you may use the in-
2
small, formed by atest probe will detune the the inside of the front and rear panels. formation given in the MAS7D102 inset to
crystal oscillator to some extent. The keyboard PCB and the mains switch implement software control on the NICAM
are fitted on to the front panel, for which a decoder.
Clock recovery PLL adjustment ready-made self-adhesive foil is available. The descrambler on board the
The 5.824-MHz PLL for the NICAM clock This foil is used as atemplate to determine MAS7D102 can be loaded with adescram-
signal recovery is adjusted in asimilar man- the locations of the holes to be cut in the front bling key other than the standard 'seed' used
ner to the QPSK PLL as discussed above. panel. A jig-saw is used to cut the rectangu- for non-encrypted NICAM broadcasts.
Connect the scope to pin 18 of IC2, and check lar clearances for the mains switch and the Changes to the scrambling keys must occur
that the error voltage has ad.c. component of three push-buttons. synchronously at the transmitter and the re-
about 2.5 V. If not, change the values of C14 The keyboard PCB is mounted on four ceiver(s). The NICAM decoder IC provides a
and C15. It will be found that this error volt- screws of which the (countersunk) heads are serial data input, Dsdata (pin 6), and aclock
age is much 'cleaner' than the one used for glued to the inside of the front panel. Plastic input, Dsclk (pin 5) to access an internal shift
register. This register contains the descram-
bler key that is loaded in parallel into the de-
scrambler one per frame. The shift register
contents can be updated at any time with a
maximum clock rate of 5MHz. The time in-
terval between the falling edge of the Ngate
signal (pin 39) and the rising edge of the
Agate signal (pin 38) is not allowed for de-
scrambler key updating. During this inter-
val, Dsclk (pin 5) must be held static. Output
signals CO (pin 35), Agate and Ngate may be
useful for synchronisation purposes.
Happy listening! •
The co-operation of Mr. Matti Antman of

Micronas Inc., Mr. Peter de Vroome of Arco-
bel b.v., and our photo model Miss Diony
Erven is gratefully acknowledged.
Reference:
1. "PC Interface for PCs." Elektor Elec-
Fig. 9. Completed printed circuit boards: main decoder board, keyboard and PSU. tronics USA, February 1992.
WorldRadioHistory
43
AUDIO-VIDEO PROCESSOR
TYPE AVP300 PART 1
An ELY design
T HE audio-video processor is best com-

pared to the control amplifier in an audio
system. That, too, gives achoice of input sig-
nals. Where required, the signal standard
may be changed. The quality of the signal
can be modified in amanner comparable to
tone control. Finally, the signal is output in a
number of ways (as in tape and line outputs).
The design of the processor can be seen
in the block diagram in Fig. 1. In the first in-
stance, this diagram will be analysed stage
by stage; this will at the same time give a
sort of user instruction. The technical aspects
will follow naturally when the various cir-
cuit diagrams are discussed.
Inputs and outputs

At the rear of the processor are no fewer than
16 different connectors—see Fig. 2. Which of
these are required in any given situation de-
pends on the type of termination of the rele-
vant cable and on the available signal.
The Type AVP300 audio-video processor is a multi-standard
Video 1/6 is an input with dual function via equipment that can be used almost anywhere in the world. It
aSCART* connector (also called Eurocon- can translate between the three television standards (PAL,
nector). When used as Video 1input, it is
NTSC, and SECAM), hop from one type of signal to another
fed with aCVBS (Chroma, Video, Blanking,
Synchronization) signal, which is sometimes (S-VHS, Hi-8, RGB, CVBS), and enables audio and video
just called composite video signal. signals to be modified: video signals as regards colour
When used as Video 6input, it accepts saturation, contrast, brightness and the balance between
signals from an S-VHS recorder or camera.
These signals consist of two components:
red, green and bue, and audio signal(s) in respect of tone,
chroma for colour information and VBS (black- balance and volume. Moreover, it has a (limited) facility
and-white) for brightness. for mixing signals.
The audio signals associated with these in-
puts are also applied via the Euroconnector.
then provide the CVBS signal, whether NTSC, putting CVBS or S-VHS signals: which one is
Video 2is aSCART* input for CVBS and RGB SECAM or PAL, to the processor. The proces- determined by aswitch adjacent to the socket.
(Red, Green, Blue) signals; selection of either sor translates this signal into an RGB signal If the socket is used for S-VHS signals, noth-
is effected by aslide switch. When the switch and sends it to the TV receiver. At the same ing must be connected to Video 7, because of
is in position CVBS, it is possible, with the aid time,the blanking line is switched to arrange the terminating impedance of the S-VHS out-
of acomputer and agenlock, to mix CVBS the TV receiver displaying the signal at the RGB put. If arecorder or TV receiver is connected
and RGB signals. It is planned to publish the inputs, that is, the converted signal, instead of to Video 7, Video 8may be used as aCVBS
design of agenlock later this year. that from its integral tuner. There is only one output only.
but: not all TV receivers, particularly older mod-
Video 3is aBNC input for aCVBS signal. The els, have RGB inputs on the SCART socket. Audio 1-8 are the audio inputs and outputs
associated audio signal is input via the two associated with the correspondingly num-
audio sockets next to the BNC socket. Video 5is amini DIN socket for inputting bered video inputs and outputs.
S-VHS signals. The associated audio signals are
Video 4is asecond SCART* socket that can also fed to the processor via audio sockets. Audio 9(two sockets) is intended for feeding
be used to input aCVBS signal. Moreover, it independent audio signals to the processor.
provides CVBS and RGB output signals. This Video 7is amini DIN socket for outputting These signals can either be mixed with the
arrangement is intended primarily for the stan- S-VHS signals. Again, the associated audio original sound or replace it.
dards conversion. To that end, the socket should signals are output via standard audio sockets.
be linked to the SCART socket on the televi- Audio 10 (3.5 mm jack socket) is astereo mi-
sion receiver. The tuner of the receiver will Video 8is another SCART* socket for out- crophone input.
Named after the French organization that proposed this 21-way connector in the early 1980s: Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils
Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs. The connector has since become aEuropean standard.
WorldRadioHistory
44 RADIO, TELEVISION AND COMMUNICATIONS
Audio 11 is aheadphone output via which can convert each of the signal formats S-VHS, CVBS to S-VHS: CVBS signals may be input
the signals before and after the control ampli- RGB and CVBS to either of the other two. This via Video 1, Video 2or Video 3. The converted
fier can be heard. is largely amatter of choosing the correct input signal is available at Video 7or Video 8.
and output connectors. Note that the CVBS/
Port is an 8-way DIN socket, via which exter- RGB-in switch (next to the Video 2input) must CVBS to RGB: CVBS signals may be input
nal equipment can be used to control various be set to CVBS if an S-VHS or CVBS signal is via Video 1, Video 2or Video 3. The converted
functions of the processor. It will enable, for input, irrespective of to which socket. signal is available at output Video 4; the asso-
instance, the inputting of yet-to-be-developed ciated switch must be set to RGB.
video effects in the future without any further S-VHS to RGB: S-VHS signals can be input
work on the processor. via the Video 5or Video 6sockets; the input Quality of converted formats
switch must be set accordingly. The RGB sig- Retention of quality during the conversion
Standards conversion nal is available at output Video 4: the CVBS/ from one format to another is ensured by spe-
RGB-out slide switch must be set to RGB. cial stages similar to those found in modem tele-
The processor can handle video signals of the vision receivers. However, in the case of con-
following standards: PAL, SECAM, NTSC S-VHS to CVBS: S-VHS signals are input via version of CVBS signals. there may be aslight
3.58 MHz and NTSC 4.43 MHz. It is able to the Video 5or Video 6sockets. The output loss of quality This is because the stripping of
recognize these standards automatically and may be taken from Video 4or Video 8; both of the chroma information from the signal tends
modify the chroma-VBS separation filter ac- these may be used simultaneously. The asso- to be troublesome: this, together with the lim-
cordingly. Which standard is recognized is in- ciated switch near these outputs must be set ited bandwidth of standard VHS recorders, is
dicated by LEDs. Selection of positive or neg- to CVBS. the reason that the chroma and VBS compo-
ative video signals is effected manually by a nents of the signal are kept separated in S-VHS
switch at the rear of the processor. RGB to SVHS: RGB signals are input via Video 2. recorders. In the conversion to aCVBS signal,
Also at the rear panel are the switches for The corresponding RGB/CVBS switch must be there is no loss of quality. This assumes, of
setting the standard of the output signal, which set to RGB. If this switch is in position CVBS, course, that the TV receiver and recorder con-
is PAL or NTSC. In the case of NTSC, afur- it may be changed over to RGB by applying a nected to the processor are of good quality.
ther selection must be made of the colour car- voltage of 1-3 V to pin 16 (blanking). The
rier (3.58 MHz or 4.43 MHz). In the case of S-VHS signal may be taken from Video 7or
Controls
PAL, the switch must be set to 4.43 MHz. Video 8(not simultaneously). The switch as-
Furthermore, the processor can be used to sociated with Video 8must be set to S-VHS. A close look at the block diagram in Fig. 2
transform aconventional TV receiver into a shows that the processor resembles amodem
multi-standard model (for relevant connections, RGB to CVBS: RGB signals are input via Video 2. multi-standard television receiver less the RF
see under Video 4). The CVBS signal may be taken from Video 4 and CRT sections. The video section is the
or Video 8; both of these may be used simul- largest and most interesting part of the pro-
Formats conversion taneously. The switches at both the outputs must cessor. Input signals follow two paths to the
be set to CVBS. video colour controller. RGB signals from Video 2
Apart from video standards, the processor are fed directly to this stage, but S-VHS and
Fig. 1. Block diagram of the Type AVP300 audio video processor.

WorldRadioHistory
AUDIO VIDEO PROCESSOR 45
video colour controller—the heart of the audio

video processor. Although the colour infor-
mation has not been completely decoded at this
stage, the video colour controller correctly
converts the colour-difference signals to RGB
(bear in mind that the controller is just one
IC). The recaptured RGB signal is applied to the
RGB switch of the video colour controller. This
electronic switch enables the selection of either
the S-VHS/ CVBS signal or the RGB signal. It
is so fast that it is suitable for mixing the
S-VHS/CVBS signal with the RGB signal.
Although this requires external effects equi-
ment, the actual mixing takes place in the video
colour controller.
After the RGB signal has passed the RGB
selector, the video colour controller lives up to
its name: it enables changing the depth of each
of the three colours (red, green and blue) by
up to ±40%; it also has controls for adjusting
the brightness, contrast and colour saturation.
After it has been processed in the video
colour controller, the RGB signal must be re-
vamped for transmission. That is simple if an
RGB output is wanted: only acomposite sig-
nal then needs to be added to it. If an S-VHS
or CVBS is required, amodulator is needed:
in Fig. 1, this is called PAL /NTSC encoder. That
Fig. 2. Rear view of the audio video processor showing the 16 input sockets and the name already indicates that both PAL and
various switches. NTSC signals can be provided. The standard
of the output signals is determined with a
CVBS signals must be decoded first. Switching the Video 2input. Sandcastle pulses indicate switch. If that is set to NTSC, asecond switch
between the decoded signals and RGB signals the various stages of the line, field and blank- allows setting either of two frequencies for
is carried out electronically in the decoder. ing pulses by voltage levels. the chroma sub-carrier.
The control signal for that is the RGB blank- The sandcastle pulse is also applied to the The audio section is arranged in asimilar
ing signal. If the CVBS/RGB switch is set to video colour decoder, the multi-standard de- manner, but contains far fewer components.
position RGB, the output signals of the decoder and the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) Audio signals are also input via switches, which
coder relating to S-VHS and CVBS compo- delay line to ensure that these stages perform are operated together with those for the video
nents are switched off by the controller. This their functions at the right moment. signals. In that way, the audio signal at the
is why it was emphasized earlier on that this The sync pulse and sandcastle pulse gen- master potentiometer is always associated
switch must be set to CVBS. erator also provides acomposite sync (BS or with the present video signal.
S-VHS and CVBS signals are first applied Blanking/Synchronization) signal. This is used There are also two inputs for independent
to an input selector, an electronic switch that to re-render the picture signal, after it has been audio signals that can be mixed with the orig-
is operated by press button MODE on the pro- processed, into aVBS or CVBS signal, and also inal sound. If the master potentiometer is turned
cessor. S-VHS signals are taken from the switch serves as sync signal for the RGB output. off, the audio signals at these inputs can be used
directly to the chroma-VBS separation filter. The black-and-white signal is applied not as anew sound for the present picture.
CVBS signals are first passed through aswitch- only to the sync pulse and sandcastle pulse gen- One of the two inputs is for line signals,
able inverter to enable positive as well as neg- erator, but also to the video colour controller. the other for microphone signals. Microphone
ative video signals to be processed. Normally, In its path there is adelay line that prevents it signals are first amplified to the same level as
the switch is set to negative. arriving too early at the controller: the chroma other audio signals.
Readers may well ask why S-VHS signals signal is also delayed during decoding. After the audio signals have been mixed with
are applied to the chroma-VBS separation fil- The chroma signal is fed to the multi-stan- the aid of the three slide potentiometers, they
ter, since these components are already sepa- darddecoder,whereitisdemodulated (stripped are applied to the control amplifier. A fader
rated in this format. That is, of course, so and of the 4.43 MHz or 3.58 MHz sub-carrier) and allows the volume of the mixed audio signals
with S-VHS signals the filter therefore serves split into two colour-difference signals. To give to be altered gradually.
as abuffer only. If, however, aCVBS signal is the correct colour to the colour-difference sig- The control amplifier also has controls for
applied, the filter separates the sub-carrier nals, the decoder needs areference, and this is high and low tones and balance, as well aa
and colour signal from the black-and-white provided by the NTSC phase preset. That con- mono/stereo selector.
(VBS) signal. The filter has two settings: one trol is not required with PAL or SECAM, be- Audio signals can be listened to with head-
for PAL, SECAM and NTSC with acolour sub- cause signals in those formats already contain phones. These signals may be taken either
carrier of 4.43 MHz and the other for NTSC with areference. With NTSC signals, the preset from the input or from the output of the con-
acolour sub-carrier of 3.58 MHz. The setting needs to be adjusted until the colours appear trol amplifier: selection is by means of aswitch.
is determined by the multi-standard decoder natural or as natural as possible. This enables the audio input to be monitored
as soon as this stage has detected which TV stan- From the multi-standard decoder, the two with the fader 'off'.
dard is used. At the same time, the type of colour-difference signals are applied to aCCD
standard is indicated by LEDs. delay line. There, the incoming picture line is Next month's instalment will describe the circuit of
Following the filter, the chroma and VBS sig- compared with the previous picture line stored the video section.
nals follow separate paths. To begin with, the in the delay line. This arrangement enables
VBS signal is applied to the sync pulse and sand- the removal of any errors in the colour-differ-
castle pulse generator, which derives new sync ence signals.
pulses from it. Separate line and field sync The input signals have then been processed
pulses, as well as sandcastle pulses, are fed to to the stage where they can be applied to the
WorldRadioHistory
46
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DIGITAL SHORT-RANGE RADIO
by Brian P. McArdle
1. Introduction spectrum. In assigning channels to users, there is insufficient spec-

trum for every user to have his own channel. That means that a
An interim standard for Digital Short Range Radio (DSRR) has number of users must share the same channel. This, in turn, causes
been approved recently by the European Telecommunications Standards anuisance effect and loss of confidentiality since every message on
Institute (ETSI). The institute was established by the European achannel is detected by every receiver irrespective of the intended
Community to assist with the harmonization of equipment specifi- destination. Tone control, like EEA or ZVEI, can be used to mini-
cation and frequency allocations in member countries. The DSRR mize this effect. At the start of amessage atransmitter sends aspe-
interim standard is one of its first radio specifications. It will go for- cific sequence of tones. Only the intended receiver can identify the
ward for public enquiry and, in due course, become astandard ap- sequence and is activated from the point of the operator. If an incorrect
plicable in every community state. There could be modifications, sequence, that is, asequence for adifferent receiver, is detected, the
but the interim standard will probably remain the basis of the final receiver remains deactivated. Unfortunately, this process does not
specification. After the standard has been finalized, no modifica- solve the problem of channel sharing. A common occurrence is that
2
tions can be introduced by individual states. In time, DSRR should two users wish to use the channel at the same time. Therefore, each
become atrue European radiocommunications system. user must monitor the channel to ascertain that it is free before he
DSRR is amajor advancement in business radio and should re- can commence operation. Queues often occur despite the fact that
duce many of the present problems. There are explained further in many channels are regularly idle. DSRR should reduce this prob-
Section 2. The interim standard has anumber of requirements in re- lem by making more efficient use of the spectrum. It should also
gard to control signalling and protocols which, at present, are not in improve user confidentiality without the need of secrecy opera-
general use. Because of developments in digital signal processing, tions, that is, encryption procedures.
these should not create major problems for manufacturers in the
various countries. However, it also proposes the use of two fre-
3. DSRR frequency bands
quency bands of 888-890 MHz and 933-935 MHz, known as the Low
Band (LB) and the High Band (HB) respectively. The significance There are two bands of 2MHz in which channels are assigned with
of two separate bands is explained in Section 3. This could result in 25 kHz channel spacing as follows.
difficulties, because EC countries are still far away from true fre-
quency harmonization. Since the EC is committed to harmonization Channel High band Low band
and the removal of trade barriers, it is considering adirective to all
member states that, in order to reduce any problems in the introduction 01 933.025 MHz 888.025 MHz
of DSRR, priority should be given to DSRR over other services in 02 933.050 MHz 888.050 MHz
the proposed bands. At present, DSRR appears to be on target for 03 933.075 Mhz 888.075 MHz
wide use within afew years.
77 934.92.5 MHz 889.925 MHz
2. PMR channels 78 934.950 MHz 889.950 MHz
79 934.975 MHz 889.975 MHz
The channels are usually assigned for dual frequency operation, which
means that aunit transmits and receives on different frequencies as
in Fig. I. If abase station hasfc andfras its transmit and receive fre- Channels 01 and 79 are used as control channels for selective 2
quencies, amobile station operating to the base station must have fr. signalling (SSC) and cannot be used to transmit or receive voice or
andfcas its transmit and receive frequencies respectively. In the United data. The traffic channels are 02 to 78 inclusive: the usual type of
Kingdom, equipment for this service must conform to the Performance operation illustrated in Fig. 2. Two units, A and B, operate to each
Specification MPT1326. This is afundamental specification and other through arepeater or master unit. This is dual-frequency op-
DSRR units must meet asimilar specification—see Appendix 5. eration with repeaters and master units transmitting in the High
The difference is the method of operation and the use of the chan- Band and receiving in the Low Band. Units (mobiles) transmit in
nels. the Low Band and receive in the High Band. If A and B want to op-
In the PMR (Private Mobile Radio) service, the main barrier to erate directly to each other, single frequency operation would be used.
further development is the method of using the radio frequency In this method, the units transmit and receive on the same channel
in the same band: High Band.
1 In operation, aunit will scan and identify afree traffic channel
which is subsequently used for voice or data. The number of the
Low Band Master Unit or Repeaterl Low Band

Base Station Mobile Station
Transmit Frequency l
c Transmit Frequency t
r
High
Receive Frequency f
r Receive Frequency I
c
Band
user A user B
920057 •11 920057-12
WorldRadioHistory
DIGITAL SHORT-RANGE RADIO 47
particular traffic channel plus certain control signals are transmitted b) Frame synchronization of 16 bits to establish code word framing
to the intended receiver on the control channels. In order to avoid in the decoder of the receiver.
congestion, where anumber of units would be considering the same c) Code word of 88 bits.
traffic channel, there is aspecific algorithm for channel spacing:
b) and c) are transmitted three times as in Fig. 3.
M.= (N.
s
J- + 1) mod 77 +2 [Eq.11
3
for j>0 where Ar0 is the seed. Thus, the mathematical
operation is an additive congruence generator where Preamble Frame Synchronizati. 1 Code Word Frame Synchronization 2 Code Word Frame Synchronization 3 Code Word'
256
Ni will only take values between 2and 78 inclusive. 16 88 16 88 16 88
The two control channels, 01 and 79, will be excluded 920057 13

automatically. If adifferent seed is used by different
units, the chances of two or more units identifying and choosing the The code word in c) is sub-divided further as follows.
same channel would be greatly reduced. On switch-on, the seed is
the least significant 7bits of the call code (refer SSC). For succes- SSC number 1
sive seeds, the least significant 7bits of the 16 check bits of the pre- Traffic channel code 7
vious SSC is used. This is discussed in more detail in Section 5. First call code 24
Command code 4
4. DSRR modes of operation Reserved 2
Code word counter 2
There are three main modes of operation. Manufacturer's code 8
a) In the standby mode aunit monitors 2control channels for the Second call code 24
appropriate control signals. It does not transmit or receive voice Cyclic redundancy check 16 72 bits
or data.
b) In call set-up mode aunit transmits and receives control signals The 16 check bits are generated from the 72 other bits by a(88,72)
but no voice or data. cyclic code which has as its generator polynomial
c) In communication mode aunit is in full operation, that is, trans-
mitting and receiving voice or data. Control signals are also x16 +x 14 +x 12 4-x 11 -1-x9-1-x 8+x7+x4+x+1.
transmitted and received in this mode.
This should be afactor of (x88 +1) as per the mathematical condi-
Consider an example where user A wishes to contact user B in tions for cyclic codes. Refer to Appendix 1for the various factors
single-frequency operation. The main steps can be summarized by and other information. The code is supposed to have aMinimum
the following procedure, in which it has been assumed that A has Distance of 6which will permit detection of up to five errors per word.
just been switched on and is in the standby mode. This is the minimum number if differences in any two code words
i) A enters call set-up mode. The traffic channels are scanned to of 88 bits and is explained further in Appendix 2. The encoding op-
find afree channel. If no channel is available, the unit will return eration can be summarized in the following steps.
to standby mode.
ii) A transmits an SSC on the control channel to B. This code in- 1) Code word (d72 (171 670 d3d2d1)before the check bits are gen-
cludes identifiers for A and B, number of proposed traffic chan- erated.
nel, and soon. The format of the code words is discussed in Section 5. 2) Code word
A switches to receive mode on the control channel.
iii)B transmits an ACK to A on the control channel and switches to 88 87 86 ... 19 18 17 16 15 14 ... 32 1
receive mode on the traffic channels specified in the SSC from A. * * * ***
d72 &to • ••d3 d2 d
On receipt of the ACK from B, A switches to the traffic channel.
If no ACK or another SSC different from ii) is received by A, a Data bits Check bits
set of retry procedures is implemented.
iv)A transmits the call set-up SSC as in ii) on the traffic channel to 3) Code word can be written as apolynomial over GF(2) as fol-
B. B sends an ACK and both units enter communication mode. If lows:
no voice or data is transmitted after 10 seconds, or if the traffic tin x87 d7i x86+ d3x18 +d 2x17 +dix 16
channel has become busy between ii) and iv), or the SSC or ACK with the check bits taken to be zero in each of the terms from x15
is not received, both units revert to standby mode. to x0 .
I") In communication mode, all transmissions are preceded by afull 4) Polynomial in 3) is divided by the generator polynomial and the
SSC. There is alimit of three minutes to the time in communica- remainder, which is apolynomial of degree 15 with terms from
tion mode in order to avoid congestion. In addition, if no valid x15 down to xo, is added back to the original polynomial in 3) to
voice or data is received after acertain period (5 seconds, or 10 produce the new revised polynomial of the final code word The
if the unit has just entered the mode), both units return to the standby *in each location from 1to 16 has now been replaced by a'1' or
mode. '0' as appropriate.
5) The final check bit corresponding to the coefficient of xo is in-
This is asimplified description and the reader should consult the verted in order to give protection against misframing in the de-
official standard for aproper explanation. For operation through re- coding operation.
peaters or master units, the procedure must be varied. However, the
entire operation is amajor change from the present method for The format for the ACK signal is exactly the same as for the
PMR. The digital signal processing as in the SSC and ACK control SSC, but there are some variations. For example, the First Call
signals is central to the system. Code for the SSC becomes the Second Call Code for the corresponding
ACK signal.
5. Selective signalling code
6. Speech codec
The selective signalling code (SSC) is ablock of 568 bits which is
fundamental to DSRR operation in all mode. It is sub-divided into Each speech frame of 20 ms is encoded into 76 speech parameters
the following blocks. and this in turn is processed as ablock of 260 bits. It should be
a) Preamble of 256 bits of 1010.. .,etc. (bit reversal) for bit syn- noted that these bits are not of equal value. However, there is no
chronization of the decoder in the receiver. need to examine this point.The codec is similar to that for the GSM
WorldRadioHistory
48 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(Groupe Special Mobile formed by CEPT in 1982 to write aPan 7. Summary

European Digital Cellular Telephone Standard).
The 34 significant bits, known as Class 1bits, from the 260 bit The overall situation can be summarized in the following points.
block are expanded to 39 by the addition of five parity bits. A cyclic (1) DSRR is more efficient in the use of spectrum since High
code with generator polynomial (x5 +x2 +1) produces the addi- Band and Low Band require atotal of 4MHz.
tional bits. The procedure is exactly the same as in Section 5with (2) DSRR provides ahigher level of confidentiality and protec-
the exception that the block size is 39. The generator polynomial tion for the average user. In business radio, each user is li-
should be afactor of (X39 + 1) as per the mathematical requirements. censed for aspecific channel that must be shared with other
Refer to Appendix 1for the various factors and additional informa- users. A channel could be unintentionally or deliberately
tion. The check bits represent the lower powers of the new polyno- blocked by an unmodulated carried. Te Co-channel Rejection
mial for x4 down to xo. Test in MPT 1326 (which was not in the previous specifica-
tion MPT 1301) does reduce, but not eliminate, this problem.
4 In addition, users can obtain low-cost scanning equipment to
monitor messages to and from competitors. however, in
DSRR, auser does not actually know the traffic channel that
Location Location Location
43 39 5 LSB is chosen automatically by ascanning algorithm.
Tail Bits (4) Data Bits (34) Check Bits (5) (3) The DSRR Standard has no requirement for an encryption fa-
cility as in the GSM. The method of encryption for the GSM
920057-14
has not been made public, but is believed to be astream cryp-
tosystem. A pseudo-random binary sequence is generated by
The 39 bit block is again expanded to 43 by four tail bits that are an arrangement of shift registers and applied to the sequence
set to '0'. The positions are shown in Fig. 4. This new 43-bit block of data bits in an addition modulo 2operation. For the DSRR,
is re-ordered by apermutation operation as follows: there is no reason that an encryption device, such as ascram-
bler, cannot be added, but this is not required to meet the stan-
position (n) position (17+n) for n= 1to 5; dard.
position (n) position (n/2-2) for n=6, 8, 10, 12 ... 38; (4) DSRR has scope for further development and expansion. In
position (n) position [42—(n-1)/2] for n=7, 9, 11 ... 39. business radio, areduction in the channel spacing to 61/ 4 kHz
would provide more channels, but would not be considered

The positions in the actual standard are numbered from 0to 42 and an improvement.
0represents the least significant location. The data bits are given as (5) The encoding operation for data other than voice transmis-
d(0) to d(33) with d(33) corresponding to the term x38 of the poly- sion is left to the manufacturer. The decoding operation for con-
nomial. Refer to Appendix 3for the complete table. trol signals, voice and data is also left to the manufacturers.
The 43-bit block is expanded to 86 with aconvolutional code as

follows:
43-bit block (43 da2 dal •

••d3 d2 di) Appendix 1
The following factors were obtained using MATHEMATICA by
86-bit block (b86 b85 b84 •
••b3 b2 b1) Stephen Wolfram.
b2n = (dn +dn_3 +dn_4) mod 2
b2m .
1 =(d n +dn_i + du-3 + dn-4) mod 2 (x88 + 1) =(x + 1) 8 (x 10 +x9 +x8 +x7 +x6 +x5 +x4 +x3 +x2 +x+
+ 1) 8.
forn= 1to 43 andd„,=Oforni≤ O.
(x16 +x14 + xI2 + x11 +X9 +.X8 +X7 -FX4 +X+ 1)=
= (X+ 0 2 (X7 +16 +X 3 +X+ 1) (X7 +X6 +X5 +X4 +X3 +X2 + 1).
5
Location Location
(x39 + 1). (x+ 1) (x2 +x+ 1) (x 12 +x10 +x9 +x8 +x7 +x3 +X2 +X
312 86 LSB
+ 1) (x12 + x11 + x10 + x9 + x5 + x4 + x3 + x2 + 1) (xI2 + x11 + x10 +
Class 2 Bits (226) Convoluted Block
X9 +X 8 +X7 +.0 +X5 +X4 +X3 +X2 +X+ 1).
920057- 15
(x5 +12 + 1) has no real factors.
A new 312-bit block is formed by the 86 bits and the unused 226
bits, known as Class 2bits, from the original block as in Fig. 5. The interim standard does not include an analysis of the genera-
tor polynomials and, consequently, the choice of the factors in each
of the two cases is not known.
6
Location
320 319 318 317 316 315 314 313
Location
312
Location
86
Appendix 2.
LSB
1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 Class 2 Bits (226)
Synchronization Bits (8) Consider asimple 3-bit word that has an additional bit for even par-
ity. Any two code words differ in at least one position in order to
920057- 16
have distinct code word. When the parity bit on
the right in the table is included, the minimum
A new block of 320 bits is generated as in Fig. 6by the addition 0000 variation becomes 2. To correct asingle error per
of eight synchronization bits. The bits are re-ordered according to 00 11 word, the minimum variation would have to be 3.
the equation 0 10 1 This is know as the Minimum Distance. A typical
0 1 10 example is the (7, 4) Hamming Code, which has
position n= position [16 (k mod 20) +INTEGER /(20 + 1)] 10 0 1 four data and three check bits. A code of Mini-
10 10 mum Distance 5would be able to detect up to four
for k=0to 319. nrefers to the position in the new block. The first 1 10 0 errors per word or be capable of correcting up to
bit (n = 1) is transmitted first. 1111 two errors per word.

DIGITAL SHORT-RANGE RADIO 49
Appendix 3. Appendix 4.
Permutation 1 Permutation 2
Position Nev position Notation in 1)S121-2 Standard Position k 16(k mod 20) Integer (k/20) New position (n)
1 18 0 p(0) 17 1 o o o 1
2 19 1 p(1) 18 2 1 16 o 17
3 20 2 p(2) 19 3 2 32 O 33
4 21 3 p(3) 20 •••
5 22 4 p(4) 21 20 19 304 o 305
6 I 5 d(0) 0 21 20 2
7 39 6 d(1) 38 22 21 16 18
8 2 7 d(2) 1
9 38 8 d(3) 37 40 39 3
-04 1 306
10 3 9 d(4) 2 41 40 o 2 3
Il 37 10 d(5) 36 42 41 16 2 19
12 4 11 d(6) 3
13 36 12 d(7) 35 319 318 288 15 304
14 5 I3 d(8) 4 320 319 304 15 320
15 35 14 d(9) 34
16 6 15 d(10) 5
17 34 16 d(11) 33
18 7 17 d(12) 6
19 33 18 d(13) 32 Appendix 5.
20 8 19 d(14) 7
21 32 20 d(15) 31
22 9 21 d(16) 8 Radio frequency characteristics
23 31 22 d(17) 30
24 10 23 d(18) 9 Transmitter
25 30 24 d(19) 29 Frequency error ±2.5 kHz (maximum)
26 11 25 d(20) 10 Carrier power 4watts (maximum)
27 29 26 d(21) 28 Adjacent channel power ≥70 dB below carrier power or
28 12 27 d(22) 11 0.2 µW (maximum)
29 28 28 d(23) 27 Spurious emissions 0.25 µW (maximum)
30 13 29 d(24) 12 2nW (maximum) in standby mode
31 27 30 d(25) 26 Intermodulation attenuation ≥40 dB for any component
32 14 31 d(26) 13
33 26 32 d(27) 25 Receiver
34 15 33 d(28) 14 Sensitivity 6dB µV e.m.f. (maximum) for a
35 25 34 d(29) 24 bit error rate of 10-2
36 16 35 d(30) 15 Co-channel rejection -18 dB (minimum)
37 24 36 d(31) 23 Adjacent channel selectivity 50 dB (minimum)
38 17 37 d(32) 16 Intermodulation response 55 dB (minimum)
39 23 38 d(33) 22 Spurious response rejection 60 dB (minimum)
40 40 39 ) Blocking 84 dB (minimum)
41 41 40 ) tail bits set to '0' Spurious radiations 2nW (maximum)
42 42 41 )
43 43 42 ) For the actual methods of measurement, the reader should consult
the standard.
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WorldRadioHistory
50
FM TUNER
PART 3: SYNTHESIZER (CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION)
AND POWER SUPPLY (CONSTRUCTION)
The greater part of this

month's instalment is
devoted to the operation of
the microprocessor-
controlled synthesizer
used to tune the RF board,
and to program and
memorize station presets.
When it comes to designing atuning system

for ahigh-quality FM receiver, we are faced
with the choice between two evils: syn-
thesizer tuning or variable capacitor tuning.
The first is for ever and aday tied up with the
problem of digital noise, the second with the
problem of component availability, complex
adjustment and repeatability. Bear in mind
that a single tuning capacitor will not do and interfaces) over asystem with external
here; what we require is atype with, say, six (E)PROM and peripheral ICs are fairly ob-
synchronized sections. Moreover, imple- inductors to adjust. What's more, the syn- vious. The only problem with mask-pro-
menting astation preset facility on atuner thesizer concept proposed here can work grammed microcontrollers is that they are
with amulti-section synchronized tuning ca- without any adjustment whatsoever. As to produced in large quantities only. Hence, an
pacitor is something that (we fear) is best left tuning noise and phase jitter, this will not alternative is used here in the form of a
to instrument engineers. Also, most of you pose limitations in modern synthesizer con- 80C32 microcontroller combined with an ex-
will not like the noise such apreset produces cepts, by virtue of the high working fre- ternal EPROM that contains the control soft-
when astation is selected: it rather throws up quency of today's synthesizer ICs, and the ware. This has two advantages: first, the
memories of radios and TV sets used in the use of high-performance phase detectors. 80C32 is alow-power, inexpensive, and eas-
sixties and early seventies. A possibly more serious problem, par- ily programmable device (witness our as-
So, asynthesizer it will be. Although this ticularly in home-made receivers, is formed sembler course). Second, the external
does require special integrated circuits, these by the noise generated by the digital compo- EPROM allows you to make changes to the
are by no means as costly and difficult to ob- nents in asynthesizer. Given the fact that the control software should you so desire.
tain as asix-way synchronized tuning capa- digital noise level is determined to alarge ex- This leaves us with the problem of digital
citor. Since the tuner module used on the RF tent by the number and length of printed-cir- noise generated by the synthesizer. Unfortu-
board is tuned by variable capacitance cuit board tracks, the advantages of a nately, such noise is hard to suppress com-
diodes (varicaps), there are no capacitors or microcontroller (with on-chip ROM, RAM pletely, even when all the rules of RF
screening are strictly observed. The solution
to the problem is fairly drastic: switch off the
source of the interference, i.e., the microcon-
troller, when it is not needed. This can be
done with impunity because the microcon-
troller is active for very short periods as it
changes or stores frequencies. During nor-
mal reception, the microcontroller is
switched to the 'sleep' state, which also dis-
ables its clock oscillator.
Functions
Although asingle-chip solution is not feas-
ible because of the above aspects, the circuit
of the synthesizer (Fig. 11) is fairly simple.
The main components of the synthesizer are
acontrol loop amplifier (opamp IC412, atype
TL082), a prescaler (ICtio, a Type SP8795),
and a synthesizer proper (IC409, a Type
NJ8821). All other ICs in the circuit form part
WorldRadioHistory
FM TUNER -PART 3 111
IC411C
IC4 10
1C4110
DV 5V
0401 R402
154148
5V®
DO 11
0130
.0 1 F -. 28 001
11:18 . L.101
5V IC405
020 002
0214
ZiOn 003
o
/ 13
74HC245 0 00
r D
7 - 1:
42 005
\AO 10 00 26 li
AO CS2 POO 004
I0402 It,
\AI 38 01/07 IS
At 001
Atl CO
"' 2 4 IS 16 II
3,42
. 8 IC403
A2 AS PO 2
\ 43 7 3fi≥t/
3 .
03 46 EPROM POS
\IA II .30CPED
•7 P0.4 a, 08
\AS 74HC573
‘k•
•S 48 27C256 PO
5,24 4 400
RAM PO 5
41. IC4134
\ 47 3 00 A2l/1- .06
Ai PO7
\ AO 25
6264
5,04 24 404
AS
\MO 21
410 ,14 TaD
lo R410
\Alt 31
All IS
\All 2 ---41 ALES 237
.12 2
3
e \m4J20 . 1: 22
13C547
24 27 11.032
10 IC410
PI ITiX
11 IS SP8795
P1.2 IC409
12
IC4076 80C32 P1.3
11 14
PI 4
IS
P1.5
I04074 IC407c 13 16 NJ8821 73 E406
'
PI
12 17
0°, 1 IC4070 PI 7
2} 2
5V IC406
o
R404
IC4080
12 C405
74HC1313:
20 E j11
: 1. 32V
6 SP_
IC408c
C403 C402 C408 C407 5415
330 103e .7
IC408b
X402 t 200051Na
411
IC407 = 741-1CO2
104081
IC408 7411C04
10411 7411C00 R416 C410

IC4110
10408e
5V 10
R414 IC412
5l/ 3 4 Is 5V
UN
Ton
64111.
247 TL 081
20 20 16 14 14
C4 4 1416 1417 1418 . 1â410 1420 jà42I
IC.4084 R420 R413
10403 IC405 10406 IC407 IC408 10411 RES C40. C412
n TDOn rOn TOOn TOOn
210? ?Îîîy 413
I 0
320005 0
Fig. 11. Circuit diagram of the synthesizer board. The brains' of the receiver are formed by a 80C32-based microcontroller circuit.
of the microcontroller system, and serve to function requires an output current of 5mA the RAM is powered by a lithium battery,
control the synthesizer, which offers amicro- to be supplied at the logic 'high' as well as which ensures that stored frequencies re-
controller interface via its pins 9to 17. These the logic 'low' level. Figure 11 shows that main intact for at least 10 years. The software
pins convey the tuning frequency from the this port is formed by a74HC245 (IC405). The allows you to enter up to 99 presets, which is
microcontroller to the synthesizer. This in- address decoder of the display is actuated by more than the maximum number of stations
formation is presented in binary form as the IORW signal. The display driving func- that can be contained by the entire FM band,
eight datawords of four bits each. The function has priority over the keyboard scanning even if a250-kHz raster were used.
tion of the microcontroller is to gather all the function. Hence, if akey is pressed while the To make sure that the RAM is timely dis-
data required to build these datawords, and display is being updated, the 1 -ka resistors abled when the supply voltage drops, RAM
.• also to store and display them. in the keyboard matrix function as pull-up input CS2 (pin 26) is held at aslightly lower
One source for the tuning data gathered resistors only. voltage with the aid of resistors R401 and
by the microcontroller is a 15-key keypad, R402. This prevents the microcontroller writ-
which will be described in next month's in- ing random data into the RAM when the re-
Enter the 80C32 SBC ceiver is switched off.
stalment. This keyboard is located on the
single-sided 'controls' PCB, and is constantly The microcontroller system used here is ba- IC4o6 decodes the address ranges for the
scanned for activity. It has 10 numeric keys sically astripped-down version of the 80C32 RAM, and address 0E0OH for the I/O port,
for direct entry of afrequency or astation single-board computer (Ref. 1) used for writ- letos. The NOR gates contained in IC407
preset number, as well as ENTER, STORE ing and testing the control software for the form the address decoder for the EPROM.
and EXECUTE keys to enter, store and call present FM tuner. The 80C32 is the ROM- Circuit IC4o3 demultiplexes the lower 8ad-
up station frequencies. The other two keys, less, CMOS, version of the 8052. One reason dress bits and the datalines.
UP and DOWN, allow the receiver to be for using the 80C32 here is that it can be The inverters contained in IC4os allow a
tuned up or down in 50-kHz steps. switched to a'sleep' mode, which is necess- serial interface (RS232) to be connected, if
The station frequency and preset number ary to prevent digital noise in the RF sections this can work with avoltage swing of 5V.
are indicated on alarge, bright, 7-digit, LED of the receiver. The external EPROM, IC4o2, The interface may be modified as follows
display that is also accommodated on the is a32-KByte type divided into two 16-KByte when it is to be connected to adevice that
'controls' board. memory areas starting at 0000H and 8000H. works with ±12 V swings: fit a3.3-ka resis-
A single bisectional 8-bit port is used to The static CMOS RAM, IC4m, is aType tor in series with the Rx line. Together with
scan the keys and drive the displays. This 6264LP-2. When the receiver is switched off, the 2.7-1d1 resistor in array R420, this forms a
WorldRadioHistory
1:1 RADIO AND TELEVISION
DATA SELECT OUTPUTS \_/

PON E 20 CH
DSO DST DS2 RB CH
E RB
ioC MC
• TO
PROGRAM I LATCH SELECT
• INTERNAL
ENABLE (PE) T LOGIC SIN E 17 D DS2
LATCHES
SAMPLE
& HOLD OSI
PD A Vss E
PHASE
—I 1
— DETECTOR
Vey E. D DSO
REFERENCE
DPE
OSC IN COUNTER 2
(11 BITS) OSC IIIE
OSC OUT I
Itt FREQUENCY
PHASE
r f—PDEI
i OSC OUT E NC
E
( LATCH LATCH LATCH
7 DETECTOR DO 03
DG20
4
{DO I
i
E 02
DP20
., I LOCK DETECT
DATA 0 1 , •
)L D)
INPUT 020 .8 •
92005 - -13
031 r;V
I
LATCH LATCH LATCH LATCH LATCH

l 4 5 3
Fig. 13. NJ8821 pinning (courtesy Plessey
I 1It1 tit I 1tt1 Semiconductors).
A
Fln COUNTER COUNTER FO
(7 BITS) ('0 BITS)
Reference counter and prescaler

MODULUS
CONTROL
The reference frequency, fR, is derived from
CONTROL LOGIC
OUTPUT
Ipac)
the reference oscillator frequency by apro-
VU VDD grammable 11-bit counter (divider), whose
92005 -II -12 divisor can be set between 6 and 4,094 in
steps of 2. A binary (+2) scaler is connected
Fig. 12. Internal architecture of the NJ8821 synthesizer IC (courtesy Plessey Semiconduc- to the output of the reference counter to
tors). achieve an output signal with a 50%
mark/space ratio. This means that the total
voltage divider that changes +12 V to +5 V. marked by a high-performance, high-fre- divisor is two times the programmed divi-
To convert the negative (-12 V) level at the quency, phase detector, and low current con- sor.
Rx input into (approximately) 0V, connect a sumption (3.5 inA typ.). In aPLL circuit, this The oscillator signal, which is to be com-
diode Type 1N4148 between the Rx line and IC allows excellent phase stability and low pared to the reference signal, is supplied by
ground. The cathode goes to Rx, the anode to noise to be achieved. the VCO in the FD12 tuner, and fed to the
ground. Each PLL-based synthesizer consists of synthesizer input, FIN (pin 4), via aPlessey
The two interrupt inputs, INTO and INTL four basic components, whose function and Type SP8795 prescaler. The prescaler output
respond to logic 'high' signals, provided, of materialization are discussed below. is divided by two programmable dividers in
course, that interrupts are enabled (in soft- the NJ8821: a7-bit divider, 'A', and a10-bit
ware). Voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) divider, 'M'. Both are connected to the pres-
The processor is reset by applying alogic This is contained in the FD12 tuner module caler via the 'MC' signal at pin 18. The 'MC'
'low' level to the RESET input of the syn- on the RF board. Its output frequency is sup- signal is low at the start of acounter cycle,
thesizer board. R-C network 12418-C413 supplied to the prescaler in the synthesizer via and remains low until counter 'A' has com-
plies the reset pulse at power-on. the UOSC socket on the module. pleted one cycle. Next, MC goes high, and re-
The control software for the synthesizer mains high until counter 'M' has completed
is all machine code, and fast enough to scan Reference oscillator its cycle. Next, both counters are reset. The
the keyboard as apart of the normal pro- As shown in Fig. 2, this is contained in the resulting divide ratio is
gram. Hence, an interrupt request is not re- NJ8821. The oscillator works with an exter-
quired when akey is pressed. nal 2-MHz quartz crystal, which is con- MxN+ A
nected to the OSC IN and OSC OUT pins of
the IC. The crystal operates in parallel-reson- where N and N +1 are the divisors of the
The synthesizer
ance mode, and is 'flanked' by the usual par- prescaler controlled by the 'MC' signal.
The heart of the synthesizer is formed by the allel capacitors to ground. The divisors that can be programmed are
NJ8821, aCMOS IC from Plessey. This IC is 0to 127 for counter 'A', and 3to 1,023 for
counter 'M'. For this so-called modulo-2
counting principle to operate correctly, divi-
sor M must always be greater than divisor A.
Port 1of the 80C32 is used to program the
CONTROL INPUT E1 8 0cc 1
OUTPUT 0112 E2 7 REF OECOUPLING

SP8795
OUTPUT 3 6 INTERNAI BIAS DECOUPTING
011 (05') E4 5 j INPUT
DP8, MP8
92005 -II -15
Fig. 14. Block diagram of the SP8795 prescaler (courtesy Plessey Semiconductors). The Fig. 15. SP8795 pinning (courtesy Plessey
control input of the IC allows the divisor to be switched between 32 and 33. Semiconductors).
WorldRadioHistory
FM TUNER -PART 3 121
Fig. 16. Track layout (mirror image) and component overlay of the PCB for the power supply unit.
WorldRadioHistory
such that the divider output frequency, fv, the comparator output signals are deter-
equals the reference frequency, fR/2 (behind mined by the time constant formed by the
the binary scaler), given the desired oscilla- feedback circuit, and apassive low-pass fil-
Resistors:
tor frequency after prescaling at pin FIN. ter, R417-C412, at the output of the opamp.
1 150kil 1% R301
The opamp output signal is the synthesizer-
1 31d257 1% R302
Phase comparator generated tuning voltage for the FD12 tuner
The fR/2 and f; signals are compared in a module on the RF board.
Capacitors:
phase comparator, which is actually atwo-
2 470µF 63V radial C301 ;C302
stage phase detector. The first stage is adigi-
2 1000µF 16V -adial C303;C304 Prescaler
3 220nF C305;C307;C308
tal phase/frequency detector, which enables
the PLL to lock fast by supplying a'coarse' It will be recalled that the FD12 tuner mo-
Semiconductors:
error signal that can signal one of three con- dule is basically asuperheterodyne receiver,
8 1N4001 D301-D308 ditions: output PDB supplies positive-going in which the local oscillator (= VCO) fre-
1 LM317 IC301 pulses when the tuner oscillator frequency is quency is 10.7 MHz higher than the receive
1 7805 IC302 too high (fv >fR/2); negative-going pulses frequency. This means that the VCO fre-
when the tuner oscillator frequency is too quency range must be 98.7 MHz to
Miscellaneous: low (f; <fR/2); or no signal (FOB switched to 118.7 MHz to cover the entire FM band
Mains transformer 2x7.5V high impedance) when the two frequencies (88 MHz to 108 MHz). However, the syn-
@ 18VA, e.g., are equal or sufficiently close. In the latter thesizer IC can handle frequencies up to
Block VR7,5/2/18 Tri case, the MOSFET at the LOCK output about 15 MHz only, whence the need for a
1 Mains transfcrmer 1x7.5V (pin 3) starts to conduct. Consequently, tran- prescaler that reduces the VCO frequency to
@ 8VA, e.g., Block sistor Ti conducts also, and causes aLED to under 10 MHz.
VR7,5/1/8 Tr2 light, indicating that the PLL is locked. The Figures 14 and 15 show the block diag-
3 3-way PCB terMnai block K1;FQ;K3 inverted 'lock' signal may also be used to ram and the pinning respectively of the
2 Fuse 100mA F1;F2 mute the receiver when the PLL is out of SP8795 prescaler, whose input frequency
2 Fuseholder for PCB mounting,
lock. range extends from 20 MHz to about
with plastic cap
As soon as the FOB output of the digital 225 MHz. This prescaler is marked by high
2 Heat-sink SK104 (Fischer)
phase comparator is at high impedance, an sensitivity (200 mV) and low current con-
1 Printed circuit board 920005-2
analogue sample-and-hold starts to work on sumption (approx. 5mA). An on-board volt-
the fine tuning. Its output signal, PDA age regulator enables the IC to be used with
(pin 1) is at about half the supply voltage supply voltages between 6.5 V and 9.5 V. Al-
when the PLL is locked. Starting at that level, ternatively, 5-V operation is possible by not
counters. As shown in Fig. 12, a4-bit data- the voltage rises when the phase offR/2lags using the on-board regulator. This option is
word is applied to inputs DO to 03 (pins 9to that of fy, and drops when f; lags fR/ 2. The used in the present circuit: pins 7and 8are
12 of the NJ8821). A dataword is copied into linear range of the output voltage is deter- connected direct to the supply voltage
a counter latch when a logic 'high' strobe mined by an external resistor, R404, con- (pin 2).
pulse is applied to the PE (program enable) nected to the RB terminal (pin 19). The RB A special feature of the SP8795 when
input. The three data select inputs DSO, DS1 output controls the amplification of the used in combination with the NJ8821 is the
and DS2 are used to select the latch to which sample-and-hold comparator. The value of modulo-2 divider, which can switch be-
the dataword is written (DSO, DS1 and DS2 R404 is determined by the reference fre- tween divisors N and N +1, where N equals
are erroneously marked as outputs in the quency used. The 'hold' capacitor is con- 32, and is selected by alogic 'high' level at
block diagram, Fig. 12, which is reproduced nected between the 'CH' terminal (pin 20) pin 1. When a'low' level is applied, the IC
here from an original supplied by Plessey). and ground. divides by 33. Here, this means that the fre-
To program the synthesizer, eight latches The output voltages of the two phase quency range of the synthesizer input signal
must be loaded successively with a4-bit da- comparators are added by two resistors at is about 3MHz to 3.7 MHz.
taword. The transfer of all data from alatch the inverting input of the control loop ampli-
to the associated counter occurs simulta- fier, opamp IC412. The opamp is wired in a
Power supply board
neously with the loading of latch 1. This so-called pi-configuration, and its non-in-
means that latch 1is addressed as the last verting input is held at a well-decoupled The power supply circuit discussed last
one when adifferent counter state (= tuning level of +2.5 V, i.e., half the supply voltage. month (Fig. 10) is constructed on the printed
frequency) is required. The speed of the control loop and the sup- circuit board shown in Fig. 16. The fuses on
The counters are always programmed pression of high-frequency components in this board are inserted into the mains lines,
which requires plastic caps to be fitted on the
holders. A double-pole mains on/off switch
is connected between the mains inputs of the
PSU board and the appliance socket on the
rear panel of the tuner case.
To prevent confusion, note again that the
+32-V output voltage at connector K3 of the
PSU unit powers the entire RF board. This
means that it is not required to connect sep-
arate wires from the PSU to the '+' and
'UABST' (tuning voltage) pins of the RF
board. Instead, interconnect these two pins
at the RF board, and run asingle wire from
K3 on the PSU board to the '+' pin on the RF
board. The 5-V output of the PSU board is
used to power the synthesizer circuit.
Next month we will tackle the construction of the

synthesizer, and discuss the operation of the 'con-
trols' board.

GAL PROGRAMMER
MAIN SPECIFICATIONS
Software:
• Programs 16V8, 20V8, 16V8A,
20V8A
• Protection against wrong GAL
selection
• Simple to control
• Menu driven
• For XT/AT and compatible PCs
• Reads and writes normalized
JEDEC-Files
• In colour
• Integrated line editor
• Hard copy of cell matrix on
printer
• Configuration file to adapt
software to personal needs
• Opal Junior im EON-to-JEDEC
converter and GAL
programming utilities supplied
'Grab yer gal and hit the floor' is sure to take on a free of charge with control
completely new meaning before long. Now while gals in software ESS1701
the more traditional sense of the word are often pretty Hardware:
difficult to control, let alone to be forced into 'tailor-made' • Eurocard PCB 160 x100 mm
behaviour (which adds considerably to their charm), the • Communication via 5 lines on
Centronics port
electronic versions we are dealing with here (identified by
• Internal power supply
three capital letters, GAL) are admittedly less exciting,
• Only one ZIF socket required
but much more easy-going. The GAL programmer
• Based on standard components
described in this article offers everything needed to burn only
complex logic functions into today's most popular GALs.
GAL:
The software used to control the programmer is
• Electrically erasable and
menu-driven, and can be run on all IBM PCs and reprogrammable logic
compatibles. • Maximum flexibility for complex
logic design
• Read protection
Design by M. Nosswitz The operation of the programmer de- • Electronic signature
scribed here is strictly controlled via the Cen-
• Speed: 1Ons maximum
tronics port of an MS-DOS compatible
r OLLOWING last month's introductory computer running the software developed
propagation delay (A-Types)
article on features and functions of GALs for the programmer. The control software • Inexpensive
(general array logic) we now take more a was developed with the aid of Turbo Pascal
practical look at things with the description 6.0, and is capable of programming GAL
of apowerful, low-cost, GAL programmer Types 16V8, 20V8, 16V8A and 20V8A. The
for use with PCs. control software is available ready-pro- The hardware
The advantages of GALs over discrete grammed, and comes on adiskette supplied
logic circuits are significant. At reasonable through the Readers Services. Just like almost any other electrically pro-
cost, you obtain a piece of programmable The programmer and the computer com- grammable component, aGAL needs apro-
logic that can be erased, too! Apart from their municate via the Centronics port, using a gramming voltage that is higher than the
remarkable flexibility, GALs offer the possi- serial format to exchange data and com- normal supply voltage. As shown in the cir-
bility to 'stamp' them electronically with an mands. Remarkably, only five lines are re- cuit diagram (Fig. 1), this has been taken into
identification code, as well as to protect them quired to handle all functions. At the account in the design of the power supply of
from being read out (and copied). Further, programmer side, ashift register is used to the programmer, which caters for the normal
GALs are pretty fast, A-versions achieving convert the serial data into parallel. Despite board supply voltage of 5V as well for an
propagation delays of the order of 10 ns this converter, the total circuit of the pro- auxiliary voltage of 16.5 V. Preset Pi serves
only. grammer is not too complex. to adjust the latter voltage accurately. Fortu-
WorldRadioHistory
56 GENERAL INTEREST
IC7
16V5 5V 5V
D3...D8 n 184001 e
Cl n 74HCTO4
° J)1 13 (1 12 J)19
je (:) je°
IC2 n 74HCT125
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C2 IC1 IC2 IC3 IC4 IC5
IC3 n 4555 220p
16V 926 TOOn TOOn TIOOn p 700n
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• 5V
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C5
MIM Mal R15
470 47p loon 5
lk
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IC1c1 76
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BC5478
IC6
7805 5V 8C369
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916
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13 ele 17
C4 C6 IC1e IC3b ai Ito 5 16V5

02
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r=1 D9 „, 1,
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16V 8 917
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99
10k
12
BC327
R7 10k
A 00 10
912
B 01
5V IC3a 6 BC547B
*set 8441 93 R4 IC11 02 15
5V 31 7 R10
03
10
YI5 13 919
BC327
OE 925
IC2c
01
5 BC547B
K1 M1M
° IC4 02
6
Centronics STR 03
7
04
14
00 IC2d 0
3 13
01 2 11 CLK "94 065 920
07
12
o 24
11 3
D3 08
02
o
2
os as 1N4148 o
21 923
IC1b o SUB
5 92
3 o o 10k
6
5V 10k o
7 8
10k 92 o
8 ZIF- 17
15 o o
9 Socket 16
OE o
10 15
01 o o
5 11 te
IC5
o o
6 12 13
SIR 03 o o
7
14
3 13
12
07
08
j IC2a
9 10
R02,
, 9
78 432
IC1a 11 1
11I
MIM
4 920030 -11
IC2b
Fig. 1. Circuit diagram of the GAL programmer. The programmer communicates with the computer via the Centronics port using a serial
protocol.
nately, the current consumption of the pro- (output enable) inputs are tied to +5 V. The read mode. R1, R19 and R29 are the pull-
grammer is low, so that asmall (4-VA) mains 16 databits at the parallel outputs Q0-Q8 of down resistors needed for the programming
transformer may be used, while the two IC4 and IC5 determine the operation of the mode. Diode Dz protects output Q8 of 1C4
regulators can make do without heat-sinks. rest of the circuit. against the programming voltage.
The control signals needed for shift regis- One half of a dual 2-of-4 decoder, IC3b, The computer can read the GAL data ma-
ters IC4 and IC5 are supplied via three of the switches the supply voltage via transistors trix via Centronics handshaking line ACK.
eight data lines on the Centronics interface. T6 and T7. The other half, IC3a, controls the This requires aselection operation via the se-
Dataline DO carries the serial data, while D1 presence of the programming voltage at the lect (SLCT) signal. By virtue of SLCT, the
and D3 supply the shift register clock and respective pins of the GAL socket, via tran- software is capable of checking if the pro-
strobe signal respectively. Pull-up resistors sistor pairs T2-T4 and T3-T5. This is possible grammer hardware is connected, and if a
R2, R3 and R4 ensure correct signal levels only if the decoder outputs have been en- GAL is fitted. If desired, this function may be
during the data exchange. The two shift reg- abled beforehand by alow level at the EN- switched off by modifying the file GAL.CFG
isters are connected in series via the serial ABLE (E) inputs. (Fig. 6). If hardware checking is not required,
output QS (pin 9of IC4) and the data input Resistors R2O-R25 reduce the short-circuit the SLCT line may be omitted.
(pin 2of IC5). The three-state outputs of IC4 currents at the register and GAL outputs to The GAL is fitted into a zero-insertion
and IC5 are always active because the OE safe values when these are switched to the force (ZIF) socket. Finally, LED D9 lights
WorldRadioHistory
GAL PROGRAMMER Eg
Fig. 2. Track layout (mirror image) and component mounting plan of the single-sided PCB for the GAL programmer.
WorldRadioHistory 1.1.1.:KTOR 11.1.:CTRONIUS USA NIAV 1992

58 GENERAL INTEREST
documentation file GALDEMOLDOC

(Fig. 5), and the associated JEDEC file, GAL-
DEMOLJED (Fig. 4). The JEDEC file pro-
GAL Start/End MM duced with the aid of EQN2JED contains all
information on the cells contained in the
1
GAL, and serves to actually program the de-
Show/Edit Gal type
Output to LPT1 vice.
Copy protect
I Fill IBulk erase
The software
Read Program
After starting the control program,
JEDEC- Verify GAL651AE.EXE, the screen shows the start
File Cell-Matrix
and end indicators. Further, the screen
Write Load
graphics indicate three blocks: the JEDEC
file, the matrix memory and the GAL's hard-
Checksum: 0000 1,0 $0378 ware environment. The command names are
shown in between the blocks, and can be se-
lected by typing the highlighted letter. Com-
<Esc> <Direction keys> <Return> mand abbreviations may also be used. An
End
error 'beep' sounds when you enter anon-
Command >g
existing command.
The GAL TYPE command allows you to
select the device type to be handled. This se-
lection must be completed before the GAL is
inserted into the ZIF socket on the pro-
grammer board. While executing the GAL
commands, the software automatically
when the programmer is active, and Di file, and may serve as an example. Basically, checks if the right GAL type is being used.
when the GAL receives its supply voltage. It variables are assigned to the inputs and out- The READ command is used to transfer
is recommended to insert the GAL only puts, and the logic function is described by a the JEDEC file into the matrix memory. After
when Di is out. Boolean equation. If desired, an 8-bit identi- entering '1' and areturn, the listing is dis-
fication code ('signature') can be burned into played of the JEDEC file in the selected sub-
the chip. directory. Alternatively, you may enter the
Software development for Next, run acheck on the program syntax. full path and file name. After requesting a
GALs This requires an auxiliary program such as file list (for instance, A:*.*), the screen shows
'EQN2JED' included in the Opal Junior TM all JEDEC files found. The desired file is se-
To begin with, use any ASCII-compatible GAL programming software package from lected by moving to it using the PageUp and
word processor to produce an equations file National Semiconductor (this package is PageDown keys and the arrow keys. The re-
that describes the desired function of the supplied free of charge with your GAL pro- turn key activates the selected command,
GAL. 'GALDEMO.EQN' (Fig. 3) contained grammer software, how's that?). When no which then operates on the selected file.
on the disk supplied for this project is such a errors are detected, EQN2JED generates the The use of the WRITE command is simi-
lar to that of the READ command described
above. An 'overwrite?' alert is shown if you
COMPONENTS LIST save afile under aname that is already in use
in the selected (sub-) directory. All file names
Resistors:
are automatically saved with the 'JED' ex-
2 BC369 T6;T7
19 101<il R1 ;R5;R7-R12;
tension appended.
1 74HCTO4 IC1
R15-R25 Selecting PROGRAM from the menu
1 74HCT125 IC2
3 4k07 R2;R3;R4 1 4555 IC3
1 560E R6 2 4094 1C4; 105
2 11(Q5 R13;R14 1 7805 IC6
1 21<Q7 R26 1 LM317 IC7 title Basic gate
1 270E R27 1 24-way ZIF socket • IC8 pattern GATES
1 390Q R28 revision A
author Nosswitz
1 7-way 101<i2 SIL R29 Miscellaneous: Date 05.02.92
1 11(Q preset H P1 1 36-way Centronics socket
chip GATES GAL16V8
for PCB mounting K1
Capacitors: 1 3-way PCB terminal block K2 ;pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10
CDFG NP IX GND
8 100nF Cl ;C6;C8;C9-C13 1 Mains transformer 2x6V ;pin 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
2 220µF 16V C2;C3 @4VA, e.g., Monacor JX KX L RX o HE A VCC
1 1000e 16V C4 (Monarch) FTR46 Tri
SUES MB123456
1 4701.1F 25V C5 1 Fuse 630mA slow, with
PCB mount holder and cap Fl equations
1 471a F 16V C7 B = /A
1 Printed circuit board 920030 E = C * D
1 Control software package ESS1701 H = F + G
Semiconductors:
L = /IX + /.7X + /OC
1 LED 3mm red DI 0 = /M * /N
• Aries Electronics. Distributor info from RX= P * /Q + /P * Q
1 1N4148 D2
Aries Electronics (Europe), Unit 3, Furtho
6 1N4001 D3-D8
Court, Towcester Road, Old Stratford, Milton ; end of GATES
1 LED 3mm green D9
Keynes MK19 6AQ. Tel. (0908) 260007, Fax
3 BC547B Tl;T2;T3
(0908) 260008.
2 BC327 T4;T5
Fig. 3. Example of a GAL equation file.

GAL PROGRAMMER
59
The COPY PROTECT command may be

GAL16V8 used to actuate the copy protection ('security
EQN2JED - Boolean Equations to JEDEC file assembler (Version V003)
Copyright (R) National Semiconductor Corporation 1990,1991 bit') in the GAL. When the security bit is set,
Assembled from "galdemol.eqn". Date: 2-19-92 it is impossible to read anything from the
title Basic gate GAL except the identification code and the
pattern GATES
revision A GAL configuration.
author Nosswitz The BULK ERASE command may also
Date 05.02.92 be used on its own, i.e., not as part of apro-
QF2194*QP20*F0* gramming sequence, to clear the contents of
L0256 aGAL. This obviates the need for an erase
11111110111111111111111111111111*
operation before programming.
L0512
01011111111111111111111111111111* OUTPUT TO LPT1: directs the matrix
L0768 contents to aprinter connected to the LPT1:
11110111111111111111111111111111
output of the PC. Needless to say that hard
11111111011111111111111111111111*
L1024 copy of the matrix contents may be very use-
11111111111110111011111111111111* ful for documentation purposes.
L1280
11111111111111111111011110111111
The SHOW/EDIT command allows you
11111111111111111111101101111111* to examine, on the screen, the content of the
L1536 selected location. If aspecific cell is selected,
11111111111111111111111111111011
11111111111111111111111111111110
the cursor starts to flash at this location. At
11111111111111111111111111101111* the same time, the identification code, if
L2048 given in the source code, is shown in hexade-
01111110*
L2056 cimal as well as ASCII notation.
0100110101000010001100010011001000110011001101000011010100110110* The F10 key takes you to the edit mode,
L2120
which makes it possible to change the cell
10000001*
L2128 contents with the aid of the cursor keys. The
0000000010000000100000001100000010000000110000001110000000000000* 'Fill' function may be used to fill ablock in
L2192
the GAL with ones or zeroes.
10*
C2B31* Selecting the Program, Verify or Load
0000 commands causes the number of pro-
grammed cells, the GAL manufacturer, and
Fig. 4. JEDEC output file produced by the EQN2JED utility from National Semiconductor. the checksum to be shown in the GAL sym-
bol on the screen.
sets off asequence of activities. First, a'bulk The function of the End command will be
EQN2JED Boolean Logic to JEDEC
file assembler (Version 1.00) erase' operation is performed. Next, the de- obvious.
Copyright (R) National Semiconductor vice is programmed. Finally, the contents of Finally, any command entered may be
Corporation 1990
the GAL are verified against the program terminated with the aid of the ESC (escape)
Document file for galdemol.txt file. If an error is found, the relevant cell in key.
Device: 16V8
the GAL is indicated, along with the relevant
data in the GAL and in the file.
Pin Label Type
----
1 C corn input
2 D corn input
3 F corn input
4 G corn input GAL.CFG
5 M corn input (licence number}
6 N corn input (user number)
7 P con input $378 Adress of Centronics port for GAL data exchange
8 Q corn input
2000 error display time in ms
9 IX corn input
10 GND ground pin 2000 error beep frequency in Hz
11 JX corn input 75 beep length in me
12 KX corn input 1 Check if GAL hardware accessible no=0 yes=1
13 L pos,com output O Switch for general RESET (EPROM, PROM, GAL) no=0 yes=1
14 RX pos,com output 1 Basic GAL type selection 16V8=1, 20V8=2, 16V8A=3, 20V8A=4
15 0 pos,com output 1 Background colour: Text (blue)
16 H pos,com output 7 Foreground colour: Text (bright grey)
17 E pos,com output 5 Background colour: Error reports (magenta)
18 B pos,com output
7 Foreground colour: Error reports (bright grey)
19 A corn input
20 VCC power pin 5 Background colour: Letters (magenta)
15 Foreground colour: Figures (white)
EQN2JED Boolean Logic to JEDEC 7 Background colour: Selection window (bright grey)
file assembler (Version 1.00) 1 Foreground colour: Selection window (blue)
Copyright (R) National Semiconductor 5 Background colour: Selection bar (magenta)
Corporation 1990
14 Foreground colour: Selection bar (yellow)
4 Background colour: Changed cells (red)
Chip diagram (DIP)
7 Foreground colour: Changed cells (bright grey)
12 Line distance to upper paper edge (printing)
\ / 12 Line distance between page 1 and page 2 (printing)
1 20 VCC 20 Empty lines after page 2 (printing)
D 2 19 A 8 Character distance from left-hand paper edge (printing)
3 18
G 4 17 E Addresses of Centronics ports
5 16 H
LPT2: 278H
6 15 0
7 LPT1: 378H
14 RX
8 13 LPT1: 3BCH (on Hercules-compatible card)
IX 9 12 KX
GND 10 11 JE
Fig. 6. The control program for the GAL programmer reads 25 parameters from a configu-
ration file called GAL.CFG. This file can be produced or edited with any simple word
Fig. 5. Example of a documentation file processor, such as EDLIN or the one in PCTools. All 25 parameters must be present in the
produced by EQN2JED. order shown here. The meaning of the values is apparent from the comment in each line.
WorldRadioHistory
60
LETTERS
tion and drawings supplied by Mr. Cutts
ELE CTR ON I
C CO NTR O L O F have already been forwarded to Mr. Dearden.
AS TRON O MI CA L I
NS TR UMENT S
In response to S. J. Dearden's letter CALLI NG TI -99 USER GROUPS

(Readers Corner, EEUK 2/92), let him
know that Terry Brooks of Cambridge the telescope to track the sky, limit We, the TIUP (Texas Instruments TI-99
University Press is writing a book on switches and hall effect positioning sen- Users of Perth) are celebrating our 10th
CCD cameras with PCBs available. sors. The compact unit houses the power Anniversary. We already exchange our
supplies for the system. Software has group's newsletter, TIUP Tit Bits with
G. Ginn been developed to run on an IBM PC. other TI-99 User Groups in Australia and
Cambridge, UK We have high quality documentation the USA, but would be interested to hear
generated by aCAD system plus com- from other TI-99/4A User Groups
plete technical information. A similar anywhere in the world.
FO R ASTR O NO M ICA L US E system has also been used in the depart- Our compliments on the continuing
ment for an X-Y translation table for high standard of your publication and on
We are writing in response to your in- astronomical use. the interesting articles it contains.
quiry in Readers' Corner (EEUK 2/92)
concerning an accurate telescope control John Cutts Geoff Warner, Sec.
system operated by a remotely located Head of the Electronic Workshop TI-99 Users of Perth Inc.
microcomputer. We have developed such Department of Physics PO Box 8083
a system from your "Universal Stepper University of Queensland Perth, Stirling St.
Motor Controller" (EEUK 1/87). On a Brisbane, Australia Western Australia 6849
single PCB we have incorporated the
capability to drive two stepper motors to Editor replies: Editor replies:
control the two axes of the telescope.
The board also incorporates atem- We thank both Mr. Ginn and Mr. Cutts for Any readers or clubs anywhere interested in
perature-controlled oscillator to enable their information and interest. The informa- contacting TIUP, please use above address.
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61
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The following Elektor books are currently avail- EPROMSIPALS/MICROCONTROLLERS
able from Old Colony Sound: DISKETTES A-D/D-A and I/O for 1671 13.00 3/92
PROJECT No. Price Issue I1C bus
301 Circuits $12.50 PROJECT No. Price issue
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922
4/90
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Databook 4 $17.95
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Microprocessor Data Book $17.90 (1 x 2764) 4/90 Teletext decoder PROJECT No, Price
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00 89
5-6/88
8 8
(1 x 27128) FEBRUARY 1992
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(holds 6 issues) $6.00
for I.T.S. (1 x 8748H) 11 C interface for PCs 910131-1 24.50
WALL CHART BBC-B Measurement amplifier 910144 23.00
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PC Connectors (1/92) (1 x 8748H) EPROM simulator 129 11.50 12/89 Mini squarewave generator 910151 9.00
$3 postpaid; 2/$5; 5/$10 Microcontroller-driven 702 95.00 5,6,9/88 RAM extension for 910073 4.00
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FRONT PANEL FOILS power supply mini Z80 system
Centronics ADC/DAC 1421 11.50 5/90
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PROJECT No. Price Issue Transistor 1431 13.00 5/90
Autonomous I/O 704 95.00 12/88
conVoller (1 x8751) characteristic plot-
Video mixer 87304-F 33.00 1-4/90 MARCH 1992
ting (Atari ST b/w)
The complete 890169-F 15.00 3/91 Video mixer (1 x2764) 5861 20.00 1-4/90 8751 emulator 920019 20.50
ROM-copy for BASIC 1441 13.00 9/90
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All solid-state 890170-F1 33.50 12/89 sunshine recorder Multifunction 1461 13.00 2/91
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LF/HF signal 890183-F 18.50 12/89 for PCs Centronics line booster 910133 10.00
µP-controlled 5941 26.00 10/90
tracer 8751 programmer 1471 13.00 11/90 FM tuner 920005 36.00
telephone exchange
0 meter 900031-F 23.00 4/90 (1 x 27128) PT100 thermometer 1481 13.00 11/90 LC meter 920012 15.00
Budget sweep/ 900040-F 20.00 5/90 MIDI optical link 920014 10.50
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changer (1 x 2764) software, incl. GAL
High current 900078-F 28.00 2/91
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400W lab 900082-F 35.00 10-11/90
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meter MAY 1992
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Timecode 910055-F 15.00 9/91 (1) (1 x 16L8) 914059 8.50
Timecode interface 1611 13.00 9/91 Compact mains supply 920021 12.50
interface 8751 emulator incl. 6051 50.00 3/92
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Economy PSU 910111-F 18.00 12/91 Connect 4 6081 26.00 12/91 24-bit color extension 1631 19.00 11/91 GAL programmer 920030 19.00
CD player 910146-F 20.50 1/92 (1 x 27C64) for video digitizer NICAM decoder 920035 25.50
WorldRadioHistory
62
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Telephone orders are welcome between the hours of be shipped outside North America, add 20% to the
9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. EDT, Monday-Friday. Orders SHIPPING total order to cover shipping. No returns. According
for parts are to be made on the ORDER FORM pro- Unless noted, freight is prepaid by Old Colony. to the Connecticut Dept. of Revenue Services, Regula-
vided. Payment for telephone orders is by MC/VISA All orders shipped USPS first class mail or by UPS. tion #27, Section 12-426-27, in order to sell software
only. Our TELEPHONE ORDER NUMBER IS (603) Allow two to three weeks for delivery. Please inquire to residents of Connecticut, we must register with the
924-6371 or 924-6526. Our answering machine for about appropriate funds for special handling (UPS department as well as collect taxes for the state from
MC/VISA orders during non-business hours is (603) next day or second day). UPS requires astreet ad- the purchaser. We regret to inform customers that we
924-6371. FAX: (603) 924-9467 (24 hours). dress. If you cannot receive UPS delivery, please in- will not sell software to anyone from Connecticut. •
BOOKS FROM ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA

301 CIRCUITS MICROPROCESSOR DATA BOOK
This book follows the theme of the first in this series, 300 Circuits (now out of print). It con- This book has come about because of aneed by Elektor Electronics engineers, technicians,
tains over 300 assorted circuits first published in the 1979, 1980, 1981 summer issues of and editorial staff of a ready reference work on the most important microprocessors. This
Elektor Electronics. implies that it does not only contain information on the latest devices, such as the transputer,
The circuits range from the simple to the more complex and are described and explained but also on older, well-established types, such as the Z80 and the 6800.
in straightforward language. The book is acomprehensive source of ideas and construction A general description, hardware block schematic, software structure, DC characteristics,
projects for anyone interested in electronics. and instruction sets are given for over 70 microprocessors. To prevent the book from becom-
ISBN 0-905705-12-2 ing unwieldy (and to keep costs down), timing diagrams and AC characteristics have, however,
BKAA11 Price $12.50 been omitted. The detailed information on all manufacturers mentioned will, however, enable
any additional information to be obtained quite readily.
302 CIRCUITS Included in the book are, among others, the 68000 series; the 6502 family; the Z80, 8080,
The popularity of this book is shown by its having been reprinted no fewer than three times. and 8085; Intel's 8086, 80186, 80188, 80286, and 80386; the NS32XXX series, and the IN-
It offers aselection of the most interesting articles from the 1982, 1983, 1984 summer issues MOS transputers.
of Elektor Electronics. ISBN 0-905705-28-9
In it you will find circuits for audio and video; car, cycle, and motorcycle; home and garden; BKAA18 Price $17.90
receivers and aerials; hobbies and games; measuring and testing; oscillators and generators;
current sources and power supplies; microcomputers and music electronics; and amiscellany DATABOOK 4: PERIPHERAL CHIPS II
of other interesting subjects. This further volume in Elektor Electronics' Microprocessor Data Book series deals with general
ISBN 0-905705-25-4 peripheral chips that, at least as far as their type-coding is concerned, do not belong to a
BKAA12 Price $12.50 specific family of microprocessors. There are so many of these, however, that only aportion
of them can be dealt with in one book. Those contained in this collection have been chosen
303 CIRCUITS carefully on the basis of their practical application and frequency of use. Complete data are
given for coprocessors from the 80 series (AMO, Cyrix, ITT, Intel, Weitek); real-time clocks
Like its predecessors, 303 CIRCUITS offers a comprehensive collection of practical ideas,
from MEM, OKI, Statek, National Semiconductor, and Dallas Semiconductor; transmitters
concepts, and developments in the gamut of electronics. Unlike its predecessors, the book
and receivers of serial interfaces RS232, 422, 423, 485 from Motorola, Newport Components,
is arranged in 11 subject sections to make it easier for the reader to find that long-sought circuit.
Maxim, Texas Instruments, National Semiconductor, Dallas Semiconductor, and Linear
In well over 300 pages, the book offers 32 Audio and Hi-Fi projects; 14 circuits for Car Technology; UARTS, DUARTS, and QUARTS (i.e., programmable ICs intended for data
and Bicycles; 43 Computer & Microprocessor circuits; 11 Electrophonic projects; 24 HF and
transfer); and the CS8221 set of ICs from Chips & Technology that are used in agreat number
VHF circuits; 16 circuits for a number of hobbies and pastimes; 54 projects for Home and of PC mother boards (also included is the data sheet of associated software LIM 4.0 for the
Garden; 29 Power Supply circuits; 29 circuits for Test and Measurement equipment; nine management of the Extended Memory System).
TV and Video projects; as well as 42 Design Ideas.
Apart from the actual data, the book contains much other useful information, such as com-
ISBN 0-90570542-2
parisons between and second sources for all important IC families; addresses of manufac-
BKAA13 Price $15.90
turers and their representatives; and overviews of all peripheral chips (including many that
could not be included in this book) that are available from various manufacturers.
304 CIRCUITS ISBN 0-905705-32-7
The latest in Elektor's famous "300" series, BKAA18 contains 304 innovative circuits and BKAA17 Price $17.95
descriptions broken down as follows: 36 audio/video, 19 high frequency, 36 hobby, 36 home
and garden, 9 music/electrophonics, 32 computer/microprocessor, 19 generator/oscillator, DATABOOK 5: APPLICATION NOTES
33 test and measurement, 30 power supply, 13 car electronics, and 41 miscellaneous. Ar-
This book presents aseries of application notes and design briefs that cover awide variety
ranged by subject for ease of use.
of subjects. Apart from a number of applications related to specific components, the book
ISBN 0-905705-34-3
also includes articles on basic design theory and the practical use of certain components.
BKAA18 Price $19.95
For example, there is an article reprint from Advanced Micro Devices that provides informa-
tion on programming the motion of a stepper motor with the aid of a PAL (programmable
DATA SHEET BOOK 2 array logic). Similarly, an article reprint from Motorola presents an overview of protocols and
Like its predecessor (now out of print), this book offers concise, relevant, and rapidly ac- conventions used for serial communication between computers.
cessible information, which is both practical (e.g., the pin-out of a device) and informative. The application notes complement the theoretical sections by discussing the use of com-
The book contains data on integrated circuits as well as on discrete transistors and diodes. ponents related to current electronics technology. In a number of cases, this technology is
Moreover, it gives an introduction to fast (HCMOS) devices and a review of the new sym- ahead of the practical application, and the product is so new that an application note has
bolic logic as laid down in British Standard BS3939: Section 21 (IEC Standard 617-12). not yet been published by the manufacturer—for examples, Analog Devices' description of
The final part of the book deals with anumber of computer chips, such as memory devices a Continuous Edge Graphics (CEG) digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and that of a NICAM
(including programming information for these) and I/O circuits. This section also includes data (near instantaneous companding audio multiplex) decoder chip developed by Micronas of
on a number of non-digital discrete and integrated devices, such as op amps, as well as Finland. Given the complexity of the practical circuits that could be developed on the basis
on some microprocessor peripherals (e.g., the 6522 VIA, the 6580 ACIA, and the FLIF.5A PPD. of these ICs, all the relevant data sheets are included for easy reference. The book also
ISBN 0-905705-27-0 includes a short list of manufacturers' logos that should be helpful in identifying unknown
BICAA14 Price $18.513 components, as well as a worldwide address list of manufacturers and distributors/repre-
sentatives for the products which are discussed.
DATABOOK 3: PERIPHERAL CHIPS ISBN 0-905705-33-5
BKAA24 Price $17.95
This book lists the most important design data of peripheral chips whose type numbers and
functions relate them unambiguously to amicroprocessor in the same family. All listed devices
form part of families based on widely used microprocessors or microcontrollers. Their most
evident application will therefore be in conjunction with the assoriated microprocessor. This SPECIALS!
should, however, not be taken to mean that aperipheral cannot be used in another application.
Far from it, as witness the familiar type MC146818A real-time clock and the type MC6845 BKAAZI1 BKAA11, 12, 13, 18: all 4 for $49.00 (Save $11.85!)
cathode-ray tube controller. It deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone concerned with BKAA7J2 BKAA14, 15, 16, 17, 24: all 5 for $74.95 (Save $13.30!)
the design, maintenance and servicing of microprocessor-controlled electronic equipment.
ISBN 0-905705-30-0 BKAAZJS Complete Elektor library: all 9 for $114.95 (Save $34.15!)
BKAA15 Price $17.95
These books are all available direct from Elektor Electronics USA through the Readers Services, from a number of bookshops and electronics retailers in the US and
Canada, and from selected bookshops throughout the world. Special prices are those of EEUSA only.

MEMPHIS AREA AUDIO SOCIETY being formed. Ser-
TRADE CLASSIFIEDS
ious audiophiles contact J.J. McBride, 8182 Wind Valley
Cove, Memphis, TN 38125, (901) 756-6831.
NEW JERSEY AUDIO SOCIETY meets monthly. Em-
VCR REPAIR FOR PROFIT. The professionals' training PIEDMONT AUDIO SOCIETY Audio club in the Raleigh phasis is on construction and modification of electronics
course. Specially modified VCR training unit, marketing Durham-Chapel Hill area is meeting monthly to listen to and speakers. Dues includes monthly newsletter with
plan, manual, all brands, $290. Details, PETER KARATA music, demonstrate owner-built and modified equipment, high-end news, construction articles, analysis of commer-
PhD., 165 Ithaca Rd., Horseheads, NY 14845. 16/92 and exchange views and ideas on electronics and speaker cial circuits, etc. Meetings are devoted to listening to
construction. Tube and solid state electronics are of in- records and CDs, comparing and A-B-ing equipment. New
PC BOARDS etched and drilled for .70 square inch.
terest and all levels of experience are welcome. Kevin members welcome. Contact Bill DonnaIly, (201) 334-9412,
JM ELECTRONICS, Box 150454, Altamonte Springs, FL
Carter, 1004 Olive Chapel Rd., Apex, NC 27502, (919) RD2, Box 69D, Miller Dr., Boonton, NJ 07005; or contact
32715-0454, (407) 767-8196. 15/92
387-0911. Bob Young, (908) 381-6269, or Bob Clark, (908)647-0194.
KITS, sound, light effects and high tech. JM ELECTRON-
ICS, Box 150454, Altamonte Springs, FL 32715-0454.
T/592
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
CLUBS All Electronics Corporation

Capital Electro-Circuits
Deco Industries
8
49
49
ARX Systems
A.W.Sperry Instruments, Inc.
Caddock Electronics
9
12
10
10
CONNECTICUT AUDIO SOCIETY is an active and grow- Kelvin Electronics 60 Capital Electro-Circuits, Inc. 10
ing club with activities covering many facets of audio— Meadowlake Corporation 60 Crown International, Inc. 11
including construction, subjective testing, and tours of Ocean State Electronics Corporation ...CV II Fieldpiece Instruments, Inc. 12
local manufacturers. New members are always welcome. OLD COLONY SOUND LAB Future Scanning Systems 12
For acopy of our current newsletter and an invitation to Books 5 61, 62 Harris Corporation/RF Communications
our next meeting, write to: Richard Thompson, 129 New-
EPROMS, Etc 61 Group 11
gate Rd., E. Granby, CT 06026, (203) 653-7873.
Front Panel Foils 61 HiTech Equipment Corporation 11
Meek-It Kits 6, 7 MFJ Enterprises 10
Parts Sources 8 MicroMath Scientific Software 12
For Advertising Information,
Printed Circuit Boards 61 Newark Electronics 10
call Maureen McHugh at
Software 61 PC Boards 9
(603) 358-3756 Project Pro 8 Professional Audio Journals, Inc 10
Radio Shack CV IV Sencore Electronics 11
or write
SM PTE 11, 12
ELEICTOR ELECTRONICS ELECTRONICS SCENE/NEW PRODUCTS Synetic Systems, Inc. 12
Audio Amateur Publishing Group Analog Devices, Inc. 9, 10 Tech ni -Tool 11, 12
PO Box 876 Analog Devices, Inc./PMI Division 9 Tektronix 11
Peterborough, NH 03458 Antona Corporation 12 Teranet IA, Inc 9
ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS CLASSIFIED ORDER FORM

RATES HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR AO
75 cents per word Deduct 10% for a 6x contract. $10.00 minimum for Type or print your ad clearly on form. Check the category you wish your
charge card orders classified to appear under. Indicate number of insertions. Enclose check
with order or include credit card number and expiration date.
HOW TO COUNT WORLDS
Definition of aword: A series of letters with aspace before and after. Count Mail to:
words, not letters. Hyphenated words count as one word (i.e. first-rate). Elektor Electronics, Classifieds, PO Box 876, Peterborough, NH 03458.
No ads wil be taken over the telephone. No questions taken over the phone. Prepayment must accompany ad. No Billing.
Categories (please check just one)
DOODLOID
CIOLOOLO
Computer Hardware For Sale Optoclectronics

CI Audio for Sale Plans & Schematics
• clubs
Computer Software For Sale
11) Books & Periodicals
Computer Systems For Sale Professional Services • wanted To Buy
CI Business Oppportunitics
Education Radio Communications
Ads in these two categories are
free to subscribers. Attach your
1)1 Cable & Satellite
Home Automation Security
mailing label to form for verifica-
• Conferences, Fairs, Seminars Kits Test Equipment tion. Limit 50 words.
• Components, Parts & Supplies video
Miscellaneous
2 3 4 5 8 7 8 10
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 so
MC/VISA EXP. DATE

Please run this ad times.
Advertisement will be Inserted in first NAME COMPANY
available issue.
STREET
D Check/Money order enclosed
CITY ST ZIP
• Please charge to my Master Card/Visa
PHONE NUMBER
WorldRadioHistory
RADIO SHACK
THE PARTS PLACE"

Your Radio Shack store stocks over 1000 electronic components, and another
15,000 dams are available fast from our Special-Order warehouse. Selection
includes ICs transistors and diodes, tubes, crystals, phono cartridges and
styli, all sorts of accessories, SAMS service manuals and MUCH more. You
pay no postage—we send your order direct to your nearby Radio Shack.
(1) Poriable Shortwave Antenna. DX grabber! Clips to potable's rod an-

tenna. 23-ft. wire element stores on pocket-size reel. #2784374 .... 8.95
(2) Dial Cord Repair Kit. Radio Shack exclusive! Includes six feet of high-
strength dial cord and three tension springs. #274-435 99e
(3) 3" Illrushless 12VDC Fan. Exclusive! Brush less design ard DC operation
make it a great choice for cooling mobile equipment and circuits that are
sensitive to hum or noise. 27 CFM airflow. #273-243 14.95
(4) UtAlecognized Power Transformer. Exclusive! 120VAC primary.
Center-:apped secondary provides 12VAC at '2A #273-1352 5 99
(1)
(2)
(2)
Micromini Toggle Switches. Reli- (1) Double-Shielded, 4 Conduc- (1) 1N914/4148 Switching Diodes. (1) Thermal Fuses. 128° C., #270-132I. 141°C.
ability at low cost. Rated 3A at tor Cable. For data or audio. The Popular silicon type. Rated 75 Ply. #270-1320 228° C., #270-1322 .... Each 1.19
125VAC. 1 / "-dia. stem.
4 best! 30 ft #278-777 7 95 #276-1122 Pkg. of 10/995 (2) Thermistor. Resistance is propor-
SPST. #274-624 2 29 (2) Coiled Mike Cable. Replace (2) 1N34 Germanium Diodes. tional to temperature. #271-110 ... 1.99
SPDT. #274-625 2 39 CB, ham, marine radio cords. 4con- Hard-to-find signal diodes. Rated (3) Surface-Mount Resistors. 200
ductors. 5ft. #278-358 2 99 60 Ply. #276-1123, Pkg. of 10/995 pieces, 15 popular values! Rated Ve watt,
DPDT. #274-626 .. .. 2.59
5%. #271-313 Set 4.99
=1(1) Iii4miesemereusi,
imeçlj>"
1121
(1) (3* (Ilk i

2t I tVli
4 l (8 t
(1) TO-220 Heat Sink. Ideal for PC (1) 11 / to 3VDC Motor. Use in solar
2 (1) Coiled 6-Ft, Test Leads. Why put IC Inserter/Extractor Kit. Why
board use. #276-1363 896 power demos. #273-223 996 up with tangles? #278-750 Set/4.99 risk bending or breaking pins on
(2) TO-3 Mounting Hardware. Com- (2) Electret Element. #270-092, 2.99 (2) Posts to BNC. #274-715 8.95 expensive chips? This kit makes it
plete kit. #276-1371 99e (3) 12VDC Magnetic Buzzer. A more (3) Posts to Bananas. #274-716, 4.95 easy to install and remove any DIP-
TO-220 Mtg. Kit. #276-1373 995 pleasing tone! #273-026 219 (4) Stackable Dual lnline Banana style IC from 6to 40 pins. Both tools
(3) Heat Sink Grease. Assures maxi- (4) "Ding -Dong" Chime. Classy entry Plug. Versatile! #274-717 299 are groundable to prevent static
mum heat transfer. #276-1372 .. 1.59 alert. 6to 1BVDC #273-071 8.99 (5) 6-Ft. BNC-to-BNC. #278-964,5.99 "zaps". #276-1581 6 95
UL-Listed DVM. Micronta' makes Right-Angle D-Sub 25 Female

electronics testing a snap! PC/XT Experimenter's Circuit Card. This premium-quality prototyping Connector. Ideal for use with PC/
Autoranging, V2" LCD digits, bar board fits acomputer's XT expansion bus connector. Features durable epoxy XT circuit card at left. Radio Shack
graph to spot peaks, data hold to glass construction and plated-through holes on standard 0.100" centers. also stocks abig selection of D-sub
freeze display, continuity sounder, Accepts D-sub connector shown at right. 37/e x10 1/ie x Vie and IDC-type connectors for com-
diode-check. #22-186 69.95 #276-1598 29.95 puter hookups. #276-1504 .. 2.49
Since 1921 Radio Shack has been the place to obtain up-to-date electronic parts
as well as quality tools, test equipment and accessories at /ow prices. Nearly 7000
locations are ready to serve you —NOBODY COMPARES
Prices apply al panic rating Radio Shai kstores and dealers Radio Shack is a(hymen of 'faddy Corporation
Radio /hack
AMERICA'S TECHNOLOGY STORE
SINCE 1921
s"
WorldRadioHistory

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THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

FOR RECREATIONAL ELECTRONICS

Digital Short-Range Radio

MAGNET WIRE REGULATED POWER SUPPLIES VERNIER TWO PIECE

In next month's issue

• Plant warmer 43 PROJECT: Audio-Video Processor

• It is regretted that, owing to GENERAL INTEREST

POWER SUPPLIES & BATTERY CHARGERS

21 PROJECT: Compact Mains Power Supply

24 PROJECT: 1.3GHz Prescaler

Electronics Scene 9-12; New Books 13; Letters 60-62;

ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA te.x

POSTMASTER: Send address changes

WOULD YOU LIKE TO... Peterborough, NH

Fill in the appropriate sections below. For NAME

faster service use your mailing label and

D 2 years at $50 [j Charge MC/VISA MCNISA ESP

D CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS? MY NEW ADDRESS:

Fill in your new address to the

CITY S' ZIP

STREET & NO STREET & NO

CITY ST ZIP CITY ST ZIP

ED COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? YOU CAN CALL US

THE WILLIAMSON AMPLIFIER THE AUDIO GLOSSARY

LOUDSPEAKERS: THE WHY AND AUDIO ANTHOLOGIES, VOLS. 1-4:

THE HAGUE HOLLAND

IBM PC SERVICE CARD PLOTTER MARK-II

IC TESTER FOR IBM-PC- COLOUR TEST PATTERN GENERATOR MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED

ELEKTOR P.C. i/o card

BASIC COMPUTER S-VHS/CVBS-TO-RGB CONVERTER

ANALOG MODULE Following last month sintroduction into the

220.039$150 • Check, money order, MCNISA

MULTIFUNCTION MEASUREMENT MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED

Courteous Service • Discount Prices • Fast Shipping i ELECTRONIC ENCLOSURES

Rack Mount Universal Split Case

I Complete line of Enclosures in Aluminum, Steel or ABS,

PC BOARD WITH RF MODULATOR

6 VOLT D.C. MOTOR ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER Bull Electrical F-57480 Sierck-les-Bains

250 Portland Road France

TOLL FREE ORDER LINES PO Box 22089 The Netherlands

1-800_826-5432 6360 AB Nuth

ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA MAY 1992 WorldRadioHistory

BASIC COMPUTER S-VHS/CVBS-TO-RGB CONVERTER

THE HAGUE HOLLAND

ANALOG MODULE Following last month sintroduction into the

220.039$150 • Check, money order, MCNISA

MULTIFUNCTION MEASUREMENT MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED

Courteous Service • Discount Prices • Fast Shipping ,

P.O. Box 567 -Van Nu s, CA 91408 Everything to complete your project -

) Complete line of Enclosures in Aluminum, Steel or ABS,

PC BOARD WITH RF MODULATOR

TOLL FREE ORDER LINES PO Box 22089 The Netherlands

1-800-826-5432 6360 AB Nuth Tel 31-70-609554

ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA MAY 1992 WorldRadioHistory

Published by Audio Amateur Publications, Inc. European Offices: HUNGARY PORTUGAL

with aspin-to-tune concept; handles 300W

ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS USA MAY 1992 WorldRadioHistory

I NEW VIDEO STANDARD

I CROWN PREAMP MODULE