Electronics Now articles from September 1996

Electronics Now archives from September 1996

A TV-tuner card for your PC from Philips Professional Solutions.
September 1, 1996... Keep track of important news while you work, easily store video images on your bard disk, and more, when you turn your PC into a cable-ready TV set. At first glance, you might wonder why anyone would go to the trouble of adding a TV function...

Build this hobby spectrum analyzer. (Cover Story)
September 1, 1996... At less than $100 to build, this spectrum analyzer is a must for every hobbyist! The project described in this article was inspired by a need to analyze the radio-frequency spectrum far hobby applications related to radio-controlled (R/C)...

Build this executive decision support system. (electronic random-number generator to help in decision-making)
September 1, 1996... Here's a great gift for anyone who makes major decisions. Let's face it - the world is getting more and more complicated every day. At the grocery store, it's aisles of breakfast cereals. For investors, there are more mutual funds than stocks...

All about removable media drives.
September 1, 1996... Whether for data backup or exchange, removable-media-drive technology is evolving to meet the needs of today's - and tomorrow's - user. Like a good entree, each ingredient of a computer has to blend with the others if it's to work properly. If...

The coming revolution in shortwave broadcasting.
September 1, 1996... Planning and common-sense scheduling unchoke the shortwave broadcast bands. If you've noticed that shortwave radio reception is better than it has been for recent years, it is probably due to the work of a group of broadcasting experts who...

Tonal voltmeter.
September 1, 1996... Most voltmeters have a digital or analog moving-needle display to indicate the voltage being measured. However, the tonal voltmeter, or TVM presented here emits a tone that changes in pitch according to changes in the voltage being measured....

A glossary of DSO test terms. (digital storage oscilloscope)
September 1, 1996... Finding your way, through the maze of terminology in today s test environments can be a confusing experience for even the more experienced users - pity the newcomer. If you are a former analog oscilloscope user or a new digital storage...

An introduction to vectors, earth-field magnetometry, new flux-gate sensors and ICs, and more.
September 1, 1996... We have a new magnetic sensor this month that sure appears reasonably priced and extremely easy to use, especially for compass and navigation applications. But first, I thought we might go over a fundamental or two, so let's get right to it....

Java and the DLB. (Java programming language; Dumb Little Box which is easily configured, maintained and upgraded by remote control through the network)
September 1, 1996... A friend and I were talking the other day about how Java, the internet, and internet terminals are changing the world. You may find portions of our discussion interesting. But I'm not going to tell you which of us played the straight man, and...

Lasers in security systems.
September 1, 1996... One area where lasers can be extremely valuable is in security. There are a variety of ways to use them to monitor property and deliver some peace of mind to the property owner. But, before we can use lasers in such applications, we need some...