Electronics Now articles from February 1996

Electronics Now archives from February 1996

Heathkit's Individual Learning System.(Equipment Reports)(Evaluation)
February 1, 1996... Self-study has long been a route to knowledge and success, particularly for the those who was unable to attend classes in subjects of interest or classroom instruction in those subjects is not available locally. Correspondence schools and...

Instant Unix.
February 1, 1996... This book is intended for those who want or need to learn about the UNIX multi-tasking, multi-user 32-bit operating system. UNIX has a reputation as an operating system that is difficult to use. Nevertheless, despite competition from other...

Computing in the Information Age, 2d ed.
February 1, 1996... This second edition of a book on computers can serve as a self-teaching or classroom introductory text. It explains how computer work, store information and solve problems. Essentially non-technical, the book explains why certain hardware and...

Step Into Virtual Reality.
February 1, 1996... Iovine's book on virtual reality (VR) not only explains the subject and describes how the reader can build a complete VR system economically based on a personal computer and standard off-the shelf software. The complete system is not available...

Troubleshooting horizontal start-up circuits.
February 1, 1996... When a TV receiver comes into your service center and the customer bringing it in describes the problem as "dead" - no picture, no raster, no sound - one possible cause could be a problem in the horizontal circuits. Before you can repair the set...

A better processor than Pentium?
February 1, 1996... Finally, intel has some serious competition. In October 1995, Cyrix Corporation introduced its 6x86 CPU, formerly known as the M1. Early benchmarks (By Ziff-Davis) show that a 100-MHz 6x86 outperforms a 133-MHz Pentium. Predictions are that it...

Build this theremin. (includes related article on Lev Termen and Clara Reisenberg)
February 1, 1996... Build Theremax, a theremin for the 90s! Since it's introduction to the general public in the late 1920s, the image and tone of the theremin has captured the imagination. Eyes widened at the sight of a musician producing sound using only a...

Electromagnetic levitator.
February 1, 1996... Build this electromagnetic levitator, and you can defy gravity and make objects float in mid air! Magnetism and a closed-loop control system are the secrets to the stunning presentation produced by this electromagnetic levitator. An...

Build the party line. (phone-line simulator)(includes related article on ordering of components)
February 1, 1996... Construction and configuration details for a super-slick phone-line simulator. Last time we presented an overview of Party Line, an inexpensive phone-line simulator that provides authentic dial, ring, and busy signals, supports Caller ID and...

Low-cost software for PC-board design. (printed circuit) (Software Review)
February 1, 1996... You can design professional-quality printed-circuit boards on your desktop PC. Last month, we looked at low-cost software solutions for creating printed-circuit boards on your PC. We continue this month with packages that link the...

EPROM emulator. (erasable programmable read-only memory)
February 1, 1996... Build a 2764 fake EPROM project for the IBM PC. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes, however, convenience is. This article describes an EPROM emulator for an IBM PC. When you're designing a new project, you can save a...

Reverse engineering.(Hardware Hacker)
February 1, 1996... Plus Invention marketing firms, and exploring a bilateral switch telephone network interface Several helpline callers have asked me what I thought of certain invention-marketing firms. Well, I firmly believe that if you have to ask, your...

Hum and noise in professional audio systems. (includes glossary of audio terms)
February 1, 1996... The presence of hum and noise can be a real problem in virtually any audio system. Sometimes you might get lucky and find that the fix is an easy one - a connecting cable might have come loose or broken, for example. The problem can be solved...