Electronics Now articles from November 1994

Electronics Now archives from November 1994

The TextGrabber. (equipment for downloading text of a closed-captioned television program from television broadcast signals)
November 1, 1994... Make transcripts of your favorite television programs and download them to your PC. HAVE YOU EVER WANTED A HARD copy of the script from your favorite television program? Do you wish you could receive transcripts of important news programs...

Frequency doubler.
November 1, 1994... Double the frequency of any CMOS or TTL clock signal with this easy-to-build doubler circuit. A UNIVERSAL FREQUENCY-DOUbling circuit will come in handy in your home shop or on the job. The subject of this article is the construction of a...

Creating chaos. (the Bonker device)
November 1, 1994... Build this fascinating device whose moving ball can hypnotize and captivate you with its random (chaotic) motion. DO YOU WANT RELIEF FROM THE MOnotonony of routine activities that get you down--daily commuting, your job, or those pesky chores...

Simple test for transformers. (power transformers)
November 1, 1994... Here's an easy way to test transformer windings, coils, chokes, and motor--almost any device containing a winding. ONE COMPONENT THAT PRESENTS perplexing troubleshooting problems is the ordinary power transformer. It is particularly difficult...

Environmental semiconductor testing.
November 1, 1994... Learn about the testing performed on semiconductor devices to ensure that they work as intended under environmental stresses. A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE CAN function perfectly under optimum conditions at room temperature, sea-level air pressure,...

Build a solid-state Tesla coil.
November 1, 1994... Build a solid-state version of Tesla's famous coil. It is easier to build and safer to operate. NICOLA TESLA'S COIL, IS ALIVE AND well today, living in school labs and hobbyist's workshops as a tool for learning and experimentation. The...

Phase-locked loops.
November 1, 1994... Learn more about designing with phase-locked loop circuits in this continuation of last month's article THIS IS THE THIRD ARTICLE IN A SEries on phase-locked loop and related circuits. It focuses on the monolithic NE565 phase-locked loop and...

More on dowsing, reprints and standards .... (Hardware Hacker) (Column)
November 1, 1994... There sure were a lot of readers who responded to our recent dowsing contest. Several revealed detailed information on new controlled studies, all with highly negative results. Several others genuinely and truly believed in dowsing, but presented...

Directional hearing: new data indicate that sensing the source of a sound isn't a psychoacoustically simple exercise. (Audio Update) (Column)
November 1, 1994... I think we can credit Darwin's natural-selection process for our sense of aural directionality. The ability of our remote ancestors to detect the precise direction from which a saber-toothed tiger was coming (as a guide to the direction they...

Completing the tachometer's spark-counter section. (Drawing Board) (Column)
November 1, 1994... You always have to make compromises between theoretical circuit performance and practical circuit construction. That's what happened last month when I was working out the details of the spark counters. While more bits mean more accuracy, they...

What is an operating system? (Computer Connections)
November 1, 1994... What is an operating system? What is the difference between "system software" and "application software"? Where do utilities fit? Are there definite boundaries separating the three categories? Does it matter whether there are boundaries at all,...