Electronics Now articles from December 1998

Electronics Now archives from December 1998

A New Year's resolution. (Year 2000 computing problem)(Editorial)
December 1, 1998... It's hard to believe that another year is almost gone. I don't know how you feel about that, but I definitely have mixed feelings. One is good riddance. In a lot of ways, 1998 was a real stinker. Lousy weather, Y2K jitters, lousy politics,...

Going mobile. (mobile communications)
December 1, 1998... While planning a recent family vacation to a remote area, I promised my wife I wouldn't bring my laptop. I didn't say anything about my pilot, however. I didn't want to do any real work, but I did want to keep in e-mail contact. No problem,...

Equipment report. (Checkpoint Laser Tools' SA-S Pro laser level)(Evaluation)
December 1, 1998... CHECKPOINT LASER TOOLS SA-S PRO LASER LEVEL Get perfect speaker placement the way professionals have done for years with the SA-S Pro laser level. Most people probably set up a pair of stereo speakers where they look fight and then...

New process lights the way for optical computing.
December 1, 1998... The future for optical computers looks bright, thanks to a process discovered at Purdue University to stabilize the surface of porous silicon, a light-emitting material that offers great promise for combining light and electronics. Porous...

Environmental monitoring system. (Environmental Systems Management Analysis and Reporting neTwork)
December 1, 1998... A revolutionary environmental monitoring and analysis system that promises to reduce the time and costs involved in analyzing contaminants was designed by a team of researchers that includes Georgia Institute of Technology engineers. They...

Servicing monitors.
December 1, 1998... WITH THIS ARTICLE WE BEGIN A SERIES ON SERVICING CRT-BASED MONITORS. MOSTLY, THIS REFERS TO COMPUTER MONITORS BUT THE INFORMATION APPLIES TO STUDIO VIDEO (RGB AND NTSC/PAL/SECAM) AND CCTV TYPES AS WELL. Monitor technology has advanced...

A microcontrolled-based precision pulse generator.
December 1, 1998... Here's a benchtop pulse generator with crystal-controlled timing. What's more, it's built around a PIC microcontroller! Whether you're developing analog or digital circuits, one of the handiest pieces of test equipment anyone can have is a...

Solid-state soldering gun switch.
December 1, 1998... Replace that stiff switch on your soldering gun with this space-age tactile sensor! The switch on a large soldering gun can require a lot of force to operate. Some soldering gun switches require over four pounds of force before they will...

Designing integrated circuits.
December 1, 1998... While they are literally everywhere, and usually taken granted, the path an IC takes from concept to finished product is far from simple. It almost goes without saying that if an item is electronic in nature, it uses integrated circuits. But...

Alternate energy sources for your home.
December 1, 1998... The deregulation of America's utility companies could someday change the way they supply electric power to their customers. That's because deregulation will require utilities to become more competitive by being more innovative and serving the...

Check for live AC wires with this electrostatic voltage probe.
December 1, 1998... Determine if terminals, sockets, or extension cords are hot without connecting a voltmeter. How many times have you wanted to know if a wall socket, lamp, or some other electrical device that you are getting ready to repair is still...

Experimenting with rail guns, and more.
December 1, 1998... THIS MONTH I THOUGHT WE JUST MIGHT TAKE A LOOK INTO TWO WILDLY DIFFERENT TOPICS. EACH WITH ITS OWN SET OF PROBLEMS AND UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES. Rail Guns Michael Faraday once ran a rather profound experiment. It went something like what is...