Electronics Now articles from February 1999

Electronics Now archives from February 1999

Portable embedded C.
February 1, 1999... It seems that whenever the C programming language bumps up against the world of embedded systems, something grotesque usually emerges. All sorts of nonstandard language extensions appear, which has several effects. First, any hope of...

These batteries are included.(miniature batteries)
February 1, 1999... While small batteries, called microbatteries, are not new in electrical engineering, a new version, developed by engineers at Brigham Young University (BYU), is unprecedented in size and power - they are as thin as a human hair, yet 100 times...

R2-D2 and C3PO - 21st century surgeons?(medical robots)
February 1, 1999... Picture the operating room of the future: Before the first incision, the surgeon uses a customized computer-generated model to make a diagnosis, evaluate treatment options, and rehearse a personalized surgical plan. As surgery starts, a...

Unbreakable code?(quantum cryptographic keys)
February 1, 1999... Scientists at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory have achieved a breakthrough in transmitting secure communications to and from satellites. based on randomly generated characteristics of individual photons, the encryption...

Quantum computer calculations.(molecular computing)
February 1, 1999... Scientists have manipulated the atomic spin of molecules to demonstrate that reliable calculations can be made by a quantum computer. A report was published in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters (PRL) on the first experimental use of...

Monitor power-supply problems.
February 1, 1999... This month we'll begin our discussion of actual monitor failures by dealing with problems with the low-voltage power supply. Unfortunately, there are so many variations in monitor designs and potential problems that this series can touch on...

Micro 2000 Centurion Year-2000 solution for the PC.
February 1, 1999... Unless you've been in hibernation, you've likely heard of the "year 2000" or "Y2K" problem. In a nutshell, it is that most software running on mainframe computers was written decades ago, is poorly documented, and suffers from a fatal flaw....

The real McTube.(two-stage non-inverting preamplifier)
February 1, 1999... Give your music a real "retro" sound with this vacuum-tube based preamplifier. With the phenomenon of the "retro" movement in music electronics, there has been renewed interest in the vacuum tube. Several manufacturers are again building...

Build the Q-Sort.(bipolar transistor tester)
February 1, 1999... What do you do when you need to test and sort your ever-growing collection of bipolar-junction transistors (BJTs) or a newly-purchased "economy assortment?" To make matters worse, that "economy assortment" might have (horror of horrors!)...

Iris recognition systems.
February 1, 1999... Each commuter quickly looks into a box containing a video camera and within seconds each passes through the turnstile and onto the subway train without using coins, tokens or tickets. A woman walks up to the ATM and then walks away, cash in...

An AC proportional voltage controller for your PC.(includes related articles on triacs and parallel ports)
February 1, 1999... While it is easy to control appliances from a PC, that type of control usually has one of two conditions: on or off. There are many applications where it would be desirable to proportionally control the voltage level of an appliance that uses...

A stamp of approval.(radio commemorative stamps)
February 1, 1999... The history of the world can be seen through postage stamps, and that includes nearly every significant event and individual involved in radio. Ever since England issued the first postage stamp over 150 years ago, postmaster generals from...

Measuring luminosity, hydrogen absurdities exposed, and a remote control for your cat.
February 1, 1999... We seem to have a wild mix of topics this month, so let us just jump right in. We might start our quest by looking at . . . . Visual Luminosity Light is electromagnetic radiation at incredibly high frequencies. It occupies just under...