Electronics Now articles from April 1994

Electronics Now archives from April 1994

Elenco Electronics SM-220K Decision Maker. (Equipment Reports) (Column)
April 1, 1994... The typical electronics hobbyist today builds circuits with leaded components--the kind with leads attached that pass through holes drilled in a PC board. Surface-mount components, by contrast, seem to be dreaded by hobbyists because their small...

Why build a tachometer? (Drawing Board) (Column)
April 1, 1994... Advances in technology can be good and bad. They're good because they can lead to the development of really neat gadgets that can make our lives easier, and the gadgets continue to get better and cheaper with each passing day. However,...

The new age of satellite TV.
April 1, 1994... A new, high-power direct-broadcast satellite promises to change the way America looks at TV. BEGINNING THIS APRIL, CONSUMERS IN THE U.S. will have another option for receiving television programming. A new direct-broadcast satellite, now in...

Build the audio wizard test generator.
April 1, 1994... Build a professional looking function generator for your electronics workbench. EVERY TEST BENCH NEEDS A FUNCTION generator--without one, the bench is incomplete. This article describes the construction of the Audio Wizard, an inexpensive...

Add a bootable RAM drive to your PC. (random access memory)
April 1, 1994... AS IN MOVIES, SO IN ELECTRONICS. This article is a sequel that details the construction of a PC expansion card called the SRAM Drive II. In case you missed it, the original (Radio-Electronics, July and August 1990) provided an innovative...

PC-based RF signal generator. (radio frequency)
April 1, 1994... Let's build a 2-GHz RF signal generator. LAST MONTH, THE DESIGN OF A 2-GHZ SIGNAL GENERATOR was described. The article concludes here with construction tips and a Parts List. Because of the complexity and expense of the TG2000, construction...

Power amplifiers.
April 1, 1994... Learn about audio power amplifiers and apply this knowledge to your circuit designs and experiments. AN AUDIO POWER AMPLIFIER CAN boost weak signals from a tuner, CD player, or tape deck to fill a room with sound. This article focuses on the...

Catch an April fool! Sometimes the simplest electronic projects are the most fun.
April 1, 1994... Sometimes the simplest electronic projects are the most fun. ELECTRONIC PROJECTS DON'T ALways have to be serious. While most projects turn out to be a useful item when they are completed, they might be attractive only to those who find them...

National Electronics Technicians Day. (includes directory of Certified Electronics Technicians examination administrators)
April 1, 1994... International Electronics Technician's Day is the right time to join the ranks of the Certified Service Professionals ELECTRONICS IS EXPANDING INTO all walks of human activity at a near explosive rate--nobody is immune to its influence. You...

Hardware hacker. (Column)
April 1, 1994... Useful auction magazines, a classic oscilloscope book, new cogeneration resources, and the fundamentals of SCSI communication I finally got a closer look at a new book by Stan Griffiths entitled Oscilloscopes: Selecting and Restoring a Classic....

Collecting old audio. (Audio Update) (Column)
April 1, 1994... I've been wondering about my preoccupation with old equipment. I have a small accumulation of "antique" test instruments and technical books, and only self-restraint (and my wife) keeps me from adding tons of old audio components to my collection...

1993 in review. (Computer Connections) (Column)
April 1, 1994... It was a very good year, 1993, for the computer industry. Although it lacked epoch-making events, the year nonetheless saw numerous incremental improvements in operating systems, networking, CPUs, software, portable computers, and strategic...