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PRODUCT SHOWCASE 600W Digital power amplifier modules available in Australia While we have yet to see many digital amplifier products, these digital modules are available right now. To look at the module with its modest board dimensions of 85 x 53mm, you would be justified in thinking that it was rated at around 60W or thereabouts. Wrong! This LC Audio Technology ZP0200 module is rated at up to 200W into 8Ω loads, up to 400W into 4Ω and up to 600W into 2Ω. When you consider the power ratings, the size and wire gauge of the air-cored 80 microhenry output choke no longer seems excessive. This choke is inside the negative feedback loop to ensure stability with any capacitive load but it also leads to a variable high frequency cut-off depending on the load impedance. Quoted frequency response figures are DC – 91kHz for 8W, DC – 45.5kHz for 4W loads and 20Hz to 22.5kHz for 2W loads. Supply voltage requirements are from ±30V up to ±60V, depending on the desired power output. Efficiency at 200W into 8Ω is quoted at better than 90%. When multiple modules are operated, the are run in synchronous mode, with all running on the same pulse width modulation (PWM) frequency. Signal to noise ratio is quoted as 105dB A-weighted while total harmonic distortion is .07% at 200W into 8Ω at 1kHz. These are pretty impressive ratings. The ZP0200 modules are priced at $375 each. You can find out more information at http://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/LCAudio/LC_Audio_ ZAPpulse.htm Australian electric glass furnace A new design electric glass melting furnace has been introduced by B & L Tetlow of Blackburn, Vic, Australia. The process is based on initially preheating the raw glass material to the point where it becomes electrically conductive. Power then “shorts” through the glass, raising temperatures up to 1650°C. Furnace operation is controlled from a remote main control cubicle which contains full instrumentation — including three main temperature controllers/programmers, two over temperature controllers, three SCR power controllers (one specially designed to control the booster www.siliconchip.com.au electrodes) plus other ancillary equipment and components. Contact: B&L Tetlow Ph: (03) 9877 4188 Fax: (03) 9894 1974 Website: www.tetlow.com.au Contact: Soundlabs Group Ph: (02) 9660 1228 or (03) 9859 0338 Website: www.soundlabsgroup.com.au Matrix Multimedia bonus PIC CDs UK-based Matrix Multimedia have announced that all Version 2 Development Boards will now include free Lite/shareware versions of their best-selling range of PIC mciro CD ROMs, including C for PICmicros Lite, Assembly for PICmicro microcontrollers Lite and Flowcode for PICmicros Lite All three products are compressed onto a single CD ROM which also includes the PPP programming utility and other PICmicro related resources. Contact: Matrix Multimedia Ltd The Factory, Emscote St South, Halifax, UK HX12AN Ph: 0011 44 870 700 1831 Web: www.matrixmultimedia.co.uk October 2002  69 IP65-rated cases from Altronics To further complement their already comprehensive range of enclosures, Altronic Distributors now stock a range of cost-effective ABS enclosures suitable for direct mounting to a wall or switchboard. Consisting of five different sizes all models include integral mounting ears for easy fixing to walls, recessed front and rear panel to accept Lexan panels, plus moulded stand offs for accepting PC boards. All are moulded from UL94 ABS material. Sizes available: 80L x 60W x 40Hmm 125L x 80W x 50Hmm Contact: 125L x 100W x 60Hmm Altronic Distributors 175L x 125W x 70Hmm Ph: 1300 780 999 200L x 150W x 70Hmm Website: www.altronics.com Microgam’s new USB range Microgram Computers have introduced several new USB dervices into their range. Included is are external cases with a USB 2.0 interface for IDE drives, CDROMs etc. They are available for 2.5-inch (Cat No. 6710-7; rrp $149.00); 3.5-inch (Cat No. 6711-7; rrp $209.00); and 5.25(Cat No. 6689-7; rrp $259.00) drives and are backwards compatible with USB 1.1 ports. There is also a USB Print Server, which avoids the need for a computer just to operate as a printer server. Or you can avoid slowing down a work station when a print job is running by installing this printer server. It will host two USB printers and one parallel printer and connects by attaching a UTP cable to the nearest hub. It supports pretty well all operating systems, including Windows 95/98/98SE/ME/ NT 4.0/2000/XP, Mac OS 8.1 or higher, UNIX/Linux, NetWare (Bindery/NDS). Its Cat No. is 11362-7 and has a rrp of $399.00. Finally, there is a USB Magnetic Card Readern (Cat No. 1008001-7; rrp $299.00) which is programmable to extract the segment of the data you require. While the physical interface is USB, it can be programmed to operate as a keyboard wedge or alternatively as a serial device. More information, including product data sheets, are available from the Microgram website. Contact: Microgram Computers Unit 1, 14 Bon Mace Close,    Berkeley Vale NSW 2261 Ph: (02) 4389 8444 Fax: 1800 625 777 Website: www.mgram.com.au AA-battery powered soldering iron from Electus Electus Distribution has released a handy battery powered soldering iron that operates on just 3 x 1.5V AA batteries. The lightweight, Japanese made 6W soldering iron solves many of your tricky soldering applications, enabling you to solder almost anywhere. It is a delight to use, heats to soldering temperature within ten seconds and boasts an approximate 60 minute run time. A slide switch engages the iron and a momentary push button activates the heat which is also indicated by a high-brightness LED. Tip temperature is around 500°C. 70  Silicon Chip With a recommended retail price of $74.95, the Cat No TS-1286 is serious tool for the professional on the go. Contact: Electus Distribution Locked Bag 45, Silverwater NSW 1811 Ph 1300 738 555 Fax 1300 738 500 Web: www.electusdistribution.com.au New software integrates design models and measurements Mathematica Link for LabVIEW bridges National Instruments LabVIEW graphical development environment and Wolfram Research Mathem-atica technical computing software to help engineers and scientists more easily acquire and analyze measurements throughout all phases of the design process. Mathematica Link for LabVIEW combines the data acquisition, analysis, and graphical user interface capabilities of LabVIEW and the modeling and analysis algorithms of Mathem-atica to speed development of custom applications in hundreds of industries, from quantum mechanics to automotive. With this software, engineers can control a LabVIEW application (Virtual Instrument or VI) from Mathem-atica or access Mathematica from within a LabVIEW VI. Mathematica Link for LabVIEW features built-in, high-level functions for creating a communication path between LabVIEW and Mathematica to achieve seamless integration throughout the design flow, from the first mathematical model to validating the final design. Contact: National Instruments Australia PO Box 466, Ringwood Vic 3143 Ph (03) 9879 5166 Fax (03) 9879 6277 Website: www.ni.com/australia Special price on a Fluke+ki Fluke Corporation has announced a limited time offer of its 179 Fluke true-rms digital multimeter and ToolPak magnetic hanging kit for a special price. The Fluke 179 is designed for industrial professionals who require accuracy and the ability to withstand on-the-job rigorous use. Made by Fluke in the U.S., the 179 is built to the world’s toughest safety and durability standards. The Fluke ToolPak meter hanging kit provides the accessories necessary to hang the Fluke 179 meter almost anywhere, including a universal hanger, a magnet and a 23cm www.siliconchip.com.au it Aussie controller for world markets SPLat is an Australian developed user- programmable embedded controller that is being successfully marketed world-wide. There are SPLats assisting disk drive manufacturing in Malaysia and controlling turn-stiles at a famous mansion in the US. A US pharmaceutical research company is planning to use SPLat to control crystal growth experiments on the Space Shuttle. The SL99 is a second-generation SPLat controller designed for applications with modest I/O requirements. It features 16 digital I/O points plus 2 analog I/O. A simple add-on board can provide up to 6 more analog or digital special purpose I/O points such as temperature measurement or fluid level switching. An expansion connector allows digital I/O expansion up to 48 points. The SPLat programming language is extremely easy to use for simple timing and sequencing tasks but has the sophistication to allow complex control applications of several thousand instructions. All I/O points include real-world interface circuitry. The inputs are designed to interface switch contacts or NPN sensors, while the outputs are low-side Darlington switches rated up to 400mA. All I/O points have indica- “hook-and-loop” hanger strap. The universal hanger fits into a special module on the back of the meter, allowing users to hang the meter on a nail, hook or other object. The hook and loop strap is used with Fluke’s universal hanger to wrap around and connect to a pipe, beam or any other convenient support structure. The strong magnet attaches to an electrical panel, metal door jamb or any other ferrous-type metal. Contact: Fluke Australia Ph: (02) 8850 3333 Fax (02)8850 3300 Website: www.fluke.com www.siliconchip.com.au TOROIDAL POWER TRANSFORMERS Manufactured in Australia Comprehensive data available Harbuch Electronics Pty Ltd tor LEDs. Plug-in connectors simplify installation in OEM applications. An RS232 port is used for programming and communications. SPLat’s LiveData protocol gives access to I/O and RAM during program execution, and is available as an ActiveX control to simplify development of supervisory and telemetry applications. The SL99 will be officially released 9/40 Leighton Pl. HORNSBY 2077 Ph (02) 9476-5854 Fx (02) 9476-3231 at Austronics 2002 (Melbourne Convention Centre, October 15-17th). Contact: SPLat Controls 2/12 Peninsula Bvde, Seaford Vic 3198 Ph: (03) 9773 5082 Website: www.splatco.com.au Fast new digital camera from Ricoh Elsewhere in this issue we look at the very up-market Canon EOS D-60 digital camera. Here’s another to choose from - but this one is not only priced way under stratospheric levels, it’s also claimed to be the fastest shooting camera in its class. While the resolution of the new $799 Ricoh Caplio RR30 is a fairly typical 3.34 megapixels, it’s the shooting response time which sets it apart. At just 0.22 seconds it allows reliable capture of action shots so that what you see is what you get. Many digitals can take a second or so from the time you push the button to the time the shutter actually fires. In addition the Caplio RR30 offers three different continuous shooting modes that capture up to 16 shots in 2 seconds – perfect for analysing that golf or tennis swing! The Caplio RR30 features a ‘One Touch Review’ mode that allows the user to instantly review the last shot taken on the bright LCD screen without having to change to playback mode. This facility means that shots can be reviewed and deleted if not wanted immediately. Ultimately this makes the whole digital process much more efficient as unwanted shots can use up valuable memory space if not deleted. Ricoh has addressed the problem battery life of digital cameras with the Caplio RR30 featuring the longest genuine rechargeable battery life currently on the market. Using the li-ion battery included with purchase, it can take up to 350 shots between charges with normal usage and up to 3,500 shots can be taken when operating with minimum power consumption. For improved versatility, the Caplio RR30 is also compatible with universally available conventional or rechargeable SC AA batteries Contact: Ricoh Australia Ph: 1300 363 741 Website: www.ricoh.com.au October 2002  71