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Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus. Editor Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Robert Flynn Darren Yates, B.Sc. Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Sharon Macdonald Advertising Enquiries Leo Simpson Phone (02) 979 5644 Mobile phone (018) 28 5532 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Garry Cratt, VK2YBX Marque Crozman, VK2ZLZ John Hill Jim Lawler, MTETIA Bryan Maher, M.E., B.Sc. Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Jim Yalden, VK2YGY Bob Young Photography Stuart Bryce SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 003 205 490. All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Macquarie Print, Dubbo, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $49 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 34, 1-3 Jubilee Avenue, Warrie­ wood, NSW 2102. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 979 5644. Fax (02) 979 6503. PUBLISHER'S LETTER We must reject any move to reduce our mains voltage to 230V. You may recall that month I discussed the move to reduce our mains voltage from a nominal 240V to 230VAC. The main advan­ tage to Australia is supposed to “improve the opportunities for the electrical equipment we produce, opening up the world to our industry”. I pointed out that Australians would pay a very high price for this in terms of higher electricity distribution costs and so on. Well this month, I felt I should return to the topic in case some people thought that it was an “April Fool” story or that it would not affect them directly. It certainly will. Con­sider, for example, that any heating appliance which you present­ly have will not get as hot on 230 volts and the difference will be quite noticeable. Your stove hotplates will be noticeably less hot and there will be a consequent increase in cooking times. The same applies to your microwave oven, convection oven, even your toaster, electric iron and so on. All of these heating appliances will either take longer to come up to a selected temperature or in the case of appliances which aren’t thermostatically con­trolled, they just won’t get as hot. Nor will your lights be as bright and you will find the need to replace all light bulbs with new ones rated for 230V AC if you want the same brilliance as you had before. That is bad enough but if you are using 12V halogen lamps which need to run at close to their rated voltage to work properly, then they will be noticeably dimmer - they will no longer sparkle at all. Again, the only solution may be to change all halogen lamps or worse, change the 12V transformers. If you have fluorescent lights, they will take noticeably longer to start, particularly on cold mornings - so you’ll have more of that annoying flick-flick-flickering each time you turn them on. And when they do come on, they won’t be as bright eith­er. Nor will your refrigerator and freezer work as well and they will cost more to run. Still not convinced? What about that old colour TV you’ve had for many years? It’s been working fine and you don’t have any real reason to update at this stage. Well, when you run it from 230 volts AC, you will no doubt find that its picture will shrink and that will certainly take the gloss off its performance. New TV sets will not be affected at all by this change because their power supplies can cope with a large range of mains voltages but people who can’t afford to update their equipment are going to be disadvantaged. No, the more I think about this proposal to reduce our mains voltage to 230 volts AC, the more I think it is harebrained. If you agree, don’t just nod your head and turn the page. Either write to us or write to the Minister for Energy in your state. It’s likely they haven’t heard of the proposal yet. Get them to nip it in the bud! Leo Simpson ISSN 1030-2662 WARNING! SILICON CHIP magazine regularly describes projects which employ a mains power supply or produce high voltage. All such projects should be considered dangerous or even lethal if not used safely. Readers are warned that high voltage wiring should be carried out according to the instructions in the articles. When working on these projects use extreme care to ensure that you do not accidentally come into contact with mains AC voltages or high voltage DC. If you are not confident about working with projects employing mains voltages or other high voltages, you are advised not to attempt work on them. Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd disclaims any liability for damages should anyone be killed or injured while working on a project or circuit described in any issue of SILICON CHIP magazine. Devices or circuits described in SILICON CHIP may be covered by patents. SILICON CHIP disclaims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the manufacturing or selling of any such equipment. SILICON CHIP also disclaims any liability for projects which are used in such a way as to infringe relevant government regulations and by-laws. Advertisers are warned that they are responsible for the content of all advertisements and that they must conform to the Trade Practices Act 1974 or as subsequently amended and to any governmental regulations which are applicable. 2  Silicon Chip