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PRODUCT SHOWCASE Review: Philips P65 UHF CB radio Radios of all kinds continue to get smaller & CB radios are too, as is shown by this latest offering from Philips. Small enough to fit in your pocket, it has plenty of power & more features than most people will ever use. The first thing that strikes you about the new Philips P65 UHF CB transceiver is its size. At only 300 grams, it is tiny and very comfortable to hold but has features you would expect from larger radios. Styled in black with a stubby "rubber ducky" antenna, it has two scanning modes, a facility for repeater operation and a back-lit LCD. It has two knobs on the top, on/off volume and channel selection. The squelch control is also on the top but does not protrude, to avoid accidental adjustment. The digital display shows the current channel number and function settings, while a 14-segment bar­graph serves as both a transmit and receive signal strength indicator. The push-to-talk switch is on the lefthand side of the case, making it easy for right or left-handed opera­tion. The FUNC switch immediately above the push-to-talk switch accesses the control settings. The triangular buttons to the left of the display are pressed in conjunction with FUNC to adjust the output power, the scanning options and the backlight for the LCD. The radio covers all 40 channels of the UHF CB band from 476.425MHz to 477.400MHz in 25kHz steps. There are a further eight channels (41-48) that operate with offsets for repeater use. Scanning modes can either tog­gle between all 48 channels or a group of user programmed channels. While scanning, the unit can also be instructed to stop at busy channels until the carrier disappears or to pause for five seconds before resuming. Scan­ ning modes are indicated on the LCD by a 80  Silicon Chip flashing hyphen between the CH and the channel number. Four different battery packs are available for the P65. The battery packs slide into the bottom of the case and lock into place. A 7.2V 700mAh nicad pack is standard while a 12V 600mAh nicad pack, for higher power, is optional. There are also two other op­tional packs that accept indi­ vidual cells; a dry cell pack (six AA cells) and a pack that takes six AA nicad cells. The last pack has a charging socket to charge the individual cells in situ. The radio comes with a trickle charger plug pack for the 7.2V pack. This will fully recharge the battery in 14 hours, with the battery still connected to the radio or sepa­rately, via a small socket in the bottom of the pack. The optional 12V nicad pack has a separate match­ing trickle charger that will also re­charge it in 14 hours. A desktop fast charger is also available that will recharge nicad battery packs in one hour and shut off automatically. It has dual slots to allow charging of two batteries simultaneously. Another worthwhile accessory is a speaker-microphone that plugs into a socket adjacent to the antenna. This allows you to leave the radio in your pocket or clipped onto your belt while it is in use. Nominal output power with a 12V pack is 5 watts for the high power setting and 1 watt for the low. This reduces to 2.5 watts (high) and 1 watt (low) using the 7.2V pack. When you power up, the output power is always initially set to low, to conserve the battery. The P65's size (60 x 32 x 142mm) and smoothly sculpted edges make it very comfortable to hold and operate. The LCD is large enough to read at a glance and in low light conditions, the greenish backlight is very effec­tive. To save power, the backlight turns off after five seconds, giving you just enough time to find out what channel you're on and the power setting you're using. If you want to use the various scanning modes and functions, you must read the manual first, as they certainly are not self-evident. The need to press the FUNC button to access each feature is a double-edged sword. It does mean that you can't accidentally change any of the set­tings whilst handling but means you have to go through a complicated set of steps to modify any function. This aside, the P65 performs well and from signal reports, has good audio quality. It a comes with a vinyl case that has a clear window for the display. With its neat styling, transmitter capable of 5 watts output, a receiver that is surprisingly sensitive and a price tag of $599, it is an attractive package. (M.C.) PC-mount toroidal transformers now available PC-mount transformers have been widely used in industry for many years but up till now, toroidal transformers have not been available in PC-mounting form. Now they are. This new range of toroidal transformers is fully encapsulated and each has a threaded 4mm insert for securing it to the PC board. They are available in seven power ratings – 1.6, 3.2, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 25VA – and all have class A insulation (105°C). There is a choice of secondary voltages – 2 x 7V, 2 x 9V, 2 x 12V, 2 x 15V, 2 x 18V and 2 x 22V – and the two secondary windings may be con­nected in series or parallel. For further information, contact the Australian distributors, Tortech Pty Ltd, 24/31 Wentworth Street, Greenacre, NSW 2190. Phone (OZ) 642 6003 or Fax (OZ) 642 6127. Universal drill has collet chuck Pictured is one of two drills available for a range of hobby work. The Model O400 has coilets to take drills ranging from 0.3 to 3.2mm. The unit can be powered from a model train controller or battery charger with an output of 12-18V DC and a current capacity of at least one amp. Depending on the input voltage, the no-load chuck speed ranges from 12,000 to 20,000 RPM. It is priced at $56.00. Also available is the larger model 0600 which has a quick change chuck and thrust ball bearing for long life. PC COMPUTERS (08) 364 0902 (08) 332 6513 36 Regent St, Kensington, South Australia High Power 2.5 Watt Transmitter Kit FMTX1 $69 This kit uses a single transistor to provide up to 2.5 watts into a 50-ohm load. It can be set on the FM band from 88-108MHz. Audio is 500mV P-P with Australian pre-emphasis. Power supply from 12-24 volts DC. Range up to 100 miles. Leaky coax distribution can be used with any of our transmitters, terminate up to 2km of coax with a 50-ohm resistor and no radiation occurs. Use a 150-ohm WW pot and you can set the level of radiation up to 300 metres from the coax. You can use this method to comply with DOTC schedule 3. XTAL Locked 30mW Transmitter (The best quality kit transmitter in Australia) FMTX2B $49 This transmitter is XTAL-locked on 100MHz (XTAL supplied) and is the most stable kit transmitter on the market. It features a 3-stage design with only two tuned circuits and a clean output. This design can be used as the basis of a station exciter. Digital Stereo Coder (All Digital Design With Australian Pre-emphasis) FMTX2A $49 This is a universal stereo coder able to be used with all of our transmitter designs and many others. Its performance is superior to domestic encoder single chip designs. Dozens have been sold to FM stations as a standby stereo coder or with the FMTX2B as an exciter. Both FMTX2A and FMTX2B on 1 PCB as a complete stereo transmit­ter FMTX5 $99 MAX I/O Board for PCs (Talk To The Outside World) $169 This kit features 7 relays, ADC, DAC, stepper motor driver with sample software in Basic and connects to a PC’s parallel port. Now also available I/O bits software for MS Windows so you can program functions without being a programmer. Call relays by a name like stop relay, assign its own icon - uses a simple VISUAL interface to make your own PLC. Full developer’s version has DOS runtime so you do not require Windows and optional sup­port for LCD displays. Data logging ADC and DAC boards and more. MAX version $169. FM Band Linear Amplifier Kits (All Imported Kits) New 30mW to 1 watt linear coming in September 1994 (advance orders taken) 500mW to 5 or 10 watts $199 250mW to 25 watts 15 watts to 110 watts $599 40 watts to 300 watts Power supplies and heatsinks not included in short form kit price. $99 $249 $999 Other kits available. Call for a list or see Silicon Chip April-June 1994 or the Silicon Chip Model Railway Book. August 1994  81 SATELLITE SUPPLIES Aussat systems from under $850 SATELLITE RECEIVERS FROM .$280 LNB’s Ku FROM ..............................$229 LNB’s C FROM .................................$330 FEEDHORNS Ku BAND FROM ......$45 FEEDHORNS C.BAND FROM .........$95 DISHES 60m to 3.7m FROM ...........$130 Baby stereo mixer from Jaycar This little mixer is designed to mix up to four stereo sources and a microphone input. The stereo in­puts all accept line levels with two switchable to accept phono signals from turntables. A crossfader permits fading between these two channels. A talkover switch adjacent to the microphone input drops the music level to allow announce­ments to be made. With the aid of a set of headphones, individual channels may be cued, prior to being added to the output mix. Headphone LOTS OF OTHER ITEMS FROM COAXIAL CABLE, DECODERS, ANGLE METERS, IN-LINE COAX AMPS, PAY-TV DECODER FOR JAPANESE, NTSC TO PAL TRANSCODERS, E-PAL DECODERS, PLUS MANY MORE For a free catalogue, fill in & mail or fax this coupon. ✍     Please send me a free catalog on your satellite systems. Name:____________________________ Street:____________________________ Suburb:_________________________ P/code________Phone_____________ L&M Satellite Supplies 33-35 Wickham Rd, Moorabin 3189 Ph (03) 553 1763; Fax (03) 532 2957 82  Silicon Chip levels are adjustable too. Two 5-segment LED VU meters above the input sliders display the output levels of the mixer. RCA sockets are used for all inputs and outputs except for the microphone input and record output which use 6.5mm jack sockets. The case is steel finished in black crinkle enamel and with moulded plastic side panels. Power to the unit is via a 3.5mm jack socket on the rear panel and a 12V AC plugpack is supplied. Priced at $159, themixer is available from all Jaycar Electronics stores and dealers. (Cat AM-4212). The chuck will take drills from 0.4 to 3.5mm and has a no-load speed the same as above. It is priced at $77.00. Both drills are available in carrying cases with 11 tool bits. For further information, contact Anton's Trains, Cnr Prince & Mary Sts, North Parramatta, NSW 2151. Phone (02) 683 3858. Micron soldering station from Altronics This temperature controlled soldering station has a 40 watt ceramic heater element and a stainless steel barrel. The iron-clad tip is chrome plated and has a large thermal inertia to improve temperature stability. The tem­perature dial on the front panel selects tip temperatures from 250430°C while a LED indicates when the heat­ing element is on. Instead of the usual step-down transformer, this soldering station uses zero voltage switching circuitry to cy­cle the element on and off. At the same time, the insulation between the heating element and the grounded tip is quoted at greater than 100MW, so tip voltages are very low. The soldering station is priced at $129 and is available from Altronics, 174 Roe St, Perth, WA 6000. Phone 1800 999 007 (toll free). Tiny B/W CCD camera on a PC board Now available: the complete index to all SILICON CHIP articles since the first issue in November 1987. The Floppy Index comes with a handy file viewer that lets you look at the index line by line or page by page for quick browsing, or you can use the search function. All commands are listed on the screen, so you’ll always know what to do next. Notes & Errata also now available: this file lets you quickly check out the Notes & Errata (if any) for all articles published in SILICON CHIP. Not an index but a complete copy of all Notes & Errata text (diagrams not included). The file viewer is included in the price, so that you can quickly locate the item of interest. The Floppy Index and Notes & Errata files are supplied in ASCII format on a 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch floppy disc to suit PC-compatible computers. Note: the File Viewer requires MSDOS 3.3 or above. ORDER FORM PRICE ❏ Floppy Index (incl. file viewer): $A7 ❏ Notes & Errata (incl. file viewer): $A7 ❏ Alphanumeric LCD Demo Board Software (May 1993): $A7 ❏ Stepper Motor Controller Software (January 1994): $A7 ❏ Gamesbvm.bas /obj /exe (Nicad Battery Monitor, June 1994): $A7 ❏ Diskinfo.exe (Identifies IDE Hard Disc Parameters, August 1995): $A7 ❏ Computer Controlled Power Supply Software (Jan/Feb. 1997): $A7 ❏ Spacewri.exe & Spacewri.bas (for Spacewriter, May 1997): $A7 ❏ I/O Card (July 1997) + Stepper Motor Software (1997 series): $A7 POSTAGE & PACKING: Aust. & NZ add $A3 per order; elsewhere $A5 Disc size required:    ❏ 3.5-inch disc   ❏ 5.25-inch disc TOTAL $A Enclosed is my cheque/money order for $­A__________ or please debit my ❏ Bankcard   ❏ Visa Card   ❏ MasterCard Card No. Signature­­­­­­­­­­­­_______________________________ Card expiry date______/______ Name ___________________________________________________________ PLEASE PRINT Street ___________________________________________________________ Suburb/town ________________________________ Postcode______________ Send your order to: SILICON CHIP, PO Box 139, Collaroy, NSW 2097; or fax your order to (02) 9979 6503; or ring (02) 9979 5644 and quote your credit card number (Bankcard, Visa Card or MasterCard). ✂ It's amazing what you can find on a PC board these days. This tiny PC board, which measures just 70 x 46mm, is actually a complete black and white (B&W) CCIR video camera. It has only three connections: +12VDC, video out and ground. The video output is CCIR 50Hz standard, which means that it's compatible with any PAL VCR. All you do is hook up the power supply and connect the video output from the camera to the video input of th,e VCR, and you are ready to record. The charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor has 320,000 pixels (picture elements) and 400 TV lines and the picture is excellent for something so small. It also has auto-iris control so that you don't need to set the light level. The automatic shutter can vary between 1/50th to 1/32,000th second speed. The wide-angle lens has a lens cover and a grub screw to lock the current focus into place. This can be loosened and the lens focused either on infinity or as close as 4mm! Minimum re­quired luminance is quoted as 0.1 Lux. Six infrared LEDs provide extra light for low-light applications. The output signal is composite video with 1V p-p amplitude and 750 impedance. Power requirements are 11V to 15VDC but it will run down to around 9VDC. The supply current requirement is quoted at less than 200mA (the supply current for the sample pictured above measured 130mA). The price of this camera is just $239 and it is available from Oatley Elec­tronics, PO Box 89, Oatley, NSW 2223. Phone (02) 579 4985 or fax (02) 570 7910. (D.Y.) SILICON CHIP SOFTWARE August 1994  83