Electronics Now articles from January 1999

Electronics Now archives from January 1999

Holy cow.(implant that allows paralyzed persons to communicate with computers using brain impulses)(Editorial)
January 1, 1999... You know, by now you'd think that in the realm of science and technology, very little would surprise us. After all, we've seen virtually every off-the-wall, they'll-never-be-able-to-do-that piece of sci-fi technology and gadgetry from our - and...

Hard disk upgrades.
January 1, 1999... Consider the following situation: low disk space and lagging performance on a 180-mhz pentium pro system with 64 mb of ram. The system is used primarily for software development under a variety of operating systems, including DOS 6.2, Windows...

Protek Scope Card 220 PC-based oscilloscope.(Evaluation)
January 1, 1999... As any regular reader of Electronics Now could tell you, an oscilloscope is one of the most important pieces of test gear one can have. That's why many readers of this magazine already own an oscilloscope. For those who don't, the chief reason...

Wearable computer helps detectives collect all the evidence.(Xybernaut Corp's Mobile Assistant computer)
January 1, 1999... Computers are playing an ever increasing role in law enforcement. One new application is to increase the efficiency and accuracy in collecting, identifying, tagging, and storing evidence at the scene of a crime. Researchers at the Department of...

Chaos-based computing paradigm.(computing technique utilizing a network of chaotic elements to determine answers)
January 1, 1999... A revolutionary computing technique uses a network of chaotic elements to "evolve" its answers. This "dynamics-based computation" may be well suited for optical computing. "This is a glimpse of how we can make common dynamic systems work for us...

Monitor safety, CRTs, and adjustments.(cathode ray tubes)
January 1, 1999... This month we will continue our discussion of computer and video monitors. First off, we'll cover the extremely important safety information and warnings. While you have probably seen a set of guidelines similar to these in our series on...

The airport buddy.(airport communications receiver)
January 1, 1999... If you find yourself spending a lot of time at airports waiting for an outgoing or incoming flight, or if you have an interest in aviation in general, you've probably wondered about the type of communication that occurs between the pilots and...

The video palette II: a low-cost video-effects device.
January 1, 1999... Fascinated by video effects but can't afford the equipment or time to learn how to use it? Now you can create some basic special effects with this low-cost unit. Often in homevideo work, some type of special effects would be useful to...

Working with mixers.(mixer circuits)
January 1, 1999... As long as you follow some basic rules, mixer circuits are easy to understand and use. Mixer circuits are designed to operate as frequency translators. They are nonlinear circuits that produce an output frequency spectrum that includes...

A garage-door keypad.
January 1, 1999... Operate a garage-door opener without having to find the remote transmitter How many times have you been working in the front yard and wanted to open the garage door - except that the remote control for the garage door is in the car...In...

'Heads-up' digital VOM.(Triplett Corp's VisuaEYEzer VOM display system)
January 1, 1999... Designed for industrial and residential electricians, the VisualEYEzer uses "heads-up" technology to project the VOM display in front of the users right eye. Always in sight--no need to look away to get a reading--this display feature allows...

Optical rangefinding, the right way to measure AC power, and more.
January 1, 1999... From the number of infopack queries I get on the topic, an ability to exactly measure short distances is very much in demand. As it turns out, there is one highly effective, eminently usable, and little-known static optical rangefinding DX...