Rack Mounting 300 Watt Amplifier

148 Pages·2017·14.18 MB·English

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HiFi, Radii' Computers

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1
0 0 JULY, 1980 ST $1.60*
_'t% N-Z- -$-1..7 0
oJ
WHY THE
PACE SHUTTLE
WILL COST
$8.7 BILLION
A
o
Rack Mounting 300 Watt Amplifier
Electronic Tuning Standard Rumble Filter
EPROM Programmer for TRS-80, Sorcerer
Dick proves
you don't have
to pay through the
f1
nose to get
.
good tape
Consider the evidence:
- Our tape comes from a substantial manufacturer of bulk magnetic
tape. This manufacturer is virtually unknown (compared to the big
guys) but he turns out a tape of great quality and consistency. The
tape is sold to companies all around the world.
- We take this tape on 'webs' (large rolls) to our overseas factory.
There it is tested, slit and assembled into cassette shells manufactured
to our exact specifications. The product is tested again, packaged,
sealed against dust and moisture and sent to us in Australia
- But the crazy thing is, despite the similar quality, we land the tape
here for less than we can buy the big name tapes -either here or in
Japan!
-
After much head scratching we figured it out. The glossy colour ads
(like this one -our first and only one) that use expensive models with
big boobs in expensive magazines.An excercise revealed that the
marketing costs for the big guys tape were staggering!
-
At last we had it. But do we have to do the same thing before you
believe us!
Do you want us to waste your money like that?
When you buy 10 or more Dick Smith cassette
"The Inside StFoREEr*y t aopn eCs aysosue ttwesil"l r-e cneoirvme alFlyR EpEri cae dc oapty 5 0o¢f . DTihciks 's
booklet is very informative and will give newcomers and the old
hands a new insight into cassettes.
.7)h
fore .i2s ,.
j@
CIO
es further evidence
.
C01-911
The Dick Smith cassette tape is available as a high quality low noise tape
for all audio purposes and the fantastic Extended Dynamic Range (EDR)
cassette tape for top quality hi fi recordings.
DicDk SmRith C6OLN Pay only $1.50 each for 1-9
$1.00
10 or more each. Cat C-3350
$2.00
a C9OLN Pay only each for 1-9
10 or more $1.20 each. Cat C-3352
C90EDR Pay only $2.75 each for 1-9
$1.90
10 or more each. Cat. C-3354
DICK SMITH .ELECTRONICS bankcard
.
welcome here
NSW 111246572 YHPoaurmcki feic S HtrHeigeight.hw waay,y , SCGYOHDRUNEL LEOYH.RI LAL.. PPPhhh 264943029 385393721721 OVLICD 163695696 LBLoorigndasgnde a RlReo oaSaddt.r, e et. RBMUIECRLHABMNOODUNAR.DN .E . PPPhhh 6439721 8 91686231434 3 (SSHaOtuPrdSa yO: PE9Na m9 AtMill to1 25 .3n0oPonM)
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263 Keira Street, WOLLONGONG. Ph 28 3800 SA 60 Wright Street. ADELAIDE. Ph 212 1962 APPROVED APPLICANTS ONLY
MAIL 6O13R PDrinEceRs HCighEwNay,T BRLAEKE:PHUORS BT ox (O32pe1n, inNgO SRoTonH RWYDAE N4S1W4 W21ill1ia3m. SPthr e8e8t,8 3P2E0R0T.H .P ACK B PPh O3S2T8 E6X94T4R A. RPER -OSDEULLCETRSS INO FM DOISCTK ASRMEIATSH O. F AUSTRALIA.
15
L5
Volume 42 No. 3 July, 1980
0 Australia's largest selling electronics magazine
Tunin°g Stand ard for FEATURES
musical instruments SHUTTLE SETBACKS Unexpected problems increase costs and delay the launch 10
SIROTEM An award winning prospecting instrument from the CSIRO 18
COMPUTER CONTROLLED BUS SERVICE In Wunstorf the bus is never late... 24
ANTENNAS Care and feeding of TV/FM antennas 74
Y,/YC4 01 NYtUtdl N("j WHAT'S INSIDE A HANDHELD HAIRDRYER? Basic electronics 83
O 'lb M,
TI º **NNII HIFI TOPICS AND REVIEWS
AUDIO ELECTRONICS Technics responds to loudspeaker problems 32
NEW PRODUCTS FROM M.R. ACOUSTICS 37
Our crystal -locked musical tone HIFI REVIEW: TECHNICS SL -10 TURNTABLE 38
generator has a built-in audio amplifier
and frequency comparator and is
suitable for tuning both electronic and PROJECTS AND CIRCUITS
acoustic instruments. See p42 for details.
MUSICAL TONE GENERATOR Crystal- locked tuning standard 42
PLAYMASTER 300W AMPLIFIER PART 3 Case, power supply, and cooling 52
INFRASONIC RUMBLE FILTER Low cost filter improves record reproduction 58
EPROM PROGRAMMER For use with popular microcomputers 62
EPROM Programmer
MICROCOMPUTERS
SIGMA DATA Showing the way to the electronic office 112
. EPR-M. _P-R-p-R--A:M MEA MDAICTRAO 8C0O EMxhPibUitiTonE Ran d NseEmWinaSrs & PRODUCTS New developments in computing 112115
ra
AMATEUR RADIO, CB SCENE, DX
r.
AMATEUR RADIO Royal Navy radio society, AMSAT launch failure 87
CB SCENE Submission to the Minister by the NCRA 90
Write your own software into EPROMs
with our versatile progammer. This SHORTWAVE SCENE Reception from Bhutan 92
month we give full details of a version
for use with the TRS-80, and next month,
a version for the Exidy Sorcerer. See p62. COLUMNS
-
FORUM Fires in TV receivers what about lightning strikes? 26
THE SERVICEMAN There's a signal somewhere in them thar ills 76
RECORD REVIEWS Classical, popular and special interest 102
On the cover
An artist's impression of the Space Shut-
tle launch. Boosters supply the initial DEPARTM-E NTS - -
thrust, after which the Shuttle will orbit
and land under pilot control, trip after EDITORIAL 3 NEWS HIGHLIGHT-S 4 CIRCUIT & DESIGN- I DEAS 80
trip. LETTERS TO THE- EDITOR 84 NEW PRODUC-T S 94 BOOKS &
L-IT ERATURE 100 INFORMATION CENTRE 130 MARKETPLACE 134
(Cover by Garry Lightfoot.) NOTES AND ERRATA 100
ELECTRONICS Australia, July 1980
1
TOMORROW'S TECHNOLOGY
IN OUR HANDS.
IS
-
ONE PHONE CALL PUTS IT IN YOURS.
Whatever you want in the field of electronics, no doubt Spacers, Terminals -feedthrough-stand-offs
you want it to happen fast. Heatsinks PCB type and extrusion
That, quite simply, is what GES isallabout. We have ceramic Caanpda fcilitmo rs - solid tantalum - tag tants -
11" the range. And we have the names. . E- Z Hooks and Test Leads, Circuit Hardware
No problem is too large or too small. (And Fuses and Fuse Holders
the same applies to orders). Crystal Oscillators, Crystal Ovens, Crystals, Monolithic
1 Wbaec k-huapv,e own-olirnlde wstiodcek tceocnhtnroicl,a l ACnrytestnanl aFsilt e- rMs icLro.Ew.Da. vDei splays
Amplifiers, Attenuafors, Oscillators, Transistors
an in-house engineer who is only too Double Balance Mixers, Power Splitter Combines
happy to offer technical advice and Frequency Doublers, R/F Transformers, Coxial
fast service on indent orders. Microwave Switches and
Team this with large stocks on major lines and twefn ty EMWIa-RvFeIg Suhidieel dSinwgit cmheaste rial,
ya.e..a. r,s.. .o.:f.. kb.u...s..in e...s.,.s.. .,ea xepffeicriieennct ed eaanlde ry ion u have L.C.D. Connectors
tomorrow's technology. GES. , 439 2488
Prime Agencies
Robinson Nugent Union Carbide 11_ `tirC -
- Kemet Capacitors Rockwell ?t
- Microprocessors E.F. Johnson
Avantek Redpoint
Masterlte Industries Harwin Engineers C
E -Z Hook Berk-Tek Continental Specialties Electrolube
Erg Lee Green Precision Instruments Mini -Circuits
Plezo Technology Tecknit Transco Products Elu Elektro -
Union GMBH Compas Microsystems OPCOA
Components Usting
Microprocessors, Integrated Circuits
I.C. Sockets - Production - MIL -SPEC Gold & Tin
Ribbon Cable and Cable Connectors, Edge Connectors General Electronic Services Pty. Ltd.
Kyna/Tefzel Wire 30 AWG, 26 AWG, 24 AWG, - 10 colours
D.I.L. Switches colour coded. Keys ritches and Keyboards 99 Alexander Street, Crows Nest. NSW. 2065.
GES/001/CWA
2 ELECTRONICS Australia, July, 1980
ditorial Viewpoint
Hit drink/driving at its source
Recently, there has been discussion in the media about the desirability of an elec-
tronic device to prevent people affected by alcohol from driving. The idea involves
the fitting of an ignition disabling circuit which would prevent starting of the car until
the driver blew into a sensor. If the driver was sober, the car could be started. If the
EDITOR -IN -CHIEF driver was not sober, he/she would turn the key in vain.
Neville Williams The device would not be installed in all vehicles, so the argument goes, but would
M.I.R.E.E. (Aust.) (VK2XV) be fitted, by court order, to vehicles belonging to drivers convicted of drink -driving
offences.
TECHNICAL EDITOR The concept has apparently been supported in a recent confidential report by the
Leo Simpson NSW Traffic Accident Research Unit.
ASSISTANT EDITOR Personally, I am far from convinced. Anybody who is handy with a soldering iron
Greg Swain, B.Sc. (Hons, Sydney) and screwdriver could disable or bypass such an installation without too much has-
sle. Most such devices can be circumvented by one means or another, given the will
TECHNICAL PROJECTS to do so.
Ron de Jong, B.E. (Hons, NSW), B.Sc. Anyone who thinks otherwise is surely just whistling in the wind. In saying this, find
John Clarke, B.E. (Elect., NSWIT) ample precedent in the widespread tampering with anti -pollution devices on I late-
Ian Pogson (VK2AZN/T) model cars. And the chances of being caught are fairly remote.
Peter Vernon, B.A. L.L.B. (NSW) Even if it was not possible to physically disable such a device easily, what is to stop
Gerald Cohn a "drunken" driver from asking a sober mate to blow into the sensor and then drive
GRAPHICS away, however erratically? Or, more simply, what is to stop the potentially drunken
Robert Flynn driver from obtaining a hand -operated "puffer" from a child's toy horn to do the job?
Or, as an even more direct solution, what is to stop the potentially drunken driver
PRODUCTION from using a vehicle other than his own?
Danny Hooper In my opinion the idea just won't work. Nor will some of these more exotic
systems using a keyboard on the dash. These ideas are yet another example of the
ADVERTISING MANAGER belief that technology will solve all social problems. And this is a social problem!
Selwyn Sayers If we as a society are really concerned about the problem of drunken driving and
the deaths and untold misery it causes, we would pressure our politicians for the im-
CIRCULATION MANAGER mediate introduction of random breathalyser tests. Of course, to be really effective,
Alan Parker "random" breath tests would have to be performed outside licensed clubs,
restaurants and hotels.
Furthermore, penalties for these offences should be made much stiffer and be
more rigidly enforced by the courts.
COVER PRICE
We're sorry that we've had to add another Finally, we must knock alcohol off its pedestal. It is a dangerous drug and, as with
10c to our cover price. We tried to keep it other dangerous drugs, we must learn to regulate its use.
down to $1.50 but rising costs, right Technology will not and cannot solve the problem!
across the board, have dictated otherwise.
Leo Simpson
- -
Registered for posting as a publication Adelaide Charles F. Brown & Associates Ltd, Sungravure Pty Ltd, 454 Murray Street, Perth; in
CPraintetegdo ryb yB .M agazine Printers Pty Ltd, of Regent R25e4p rMese-elb notautrinveé 'SSat,n Ndyo rtShh aAwd,e l(a0i8d)e 2 56070 64 433. QTausemenasnliaan dby bIyn gGleo rdDoisnt riabnudto Grso, tc9h3 (MA'aacsqiau)a Lrited ; SItn,
Street, Sydney and Masterprint Pty Ltd of Dubbo, Perth 454 Murray Street, Perth 6000 Hobart; in New Zealand by Gordon and Gotch (NZ)
NSW. for Sungravure Pty Ltd, of Regent St, Representative: Ashley Croft. (09) 21 8217. Ltd, Adelaide Rd, Wellington.
Sydney. Subscriptions
Editorial Office SBouxb sc5r0i6p,t ioSny Ddneepyt, J2o0h0n1 . Fairfax 8 Sons Ltd, GPO Copyright. All rights reserved
57 Regent St, Sydney 2008. Enquiries: Phone [phone]. ext 2589. Devices or arrangements shown or described
PRPASPoehhydspdoovtrnnneaeeeerls t y ieAs(( 00nid-n22tdag) )r t e5-i66vOs799e s 99f:Rf: i ce33NPe66gsaO22e r22 ncB ti soToTSxee t l.leP e1xSxi m6 y322ed.55 nn00Bte22eey77la. c2o0n0s8f. ield 2014. C2PDDR1heiii ssrogcttMnerruiienobbla truu (lteStt0ioieyo2t.dn )n A S O6viny6ef d3,f in cNR3eeS9yo W1;s 1ei n.b beVyr yic,S toSuryniadg nrbaeyvy u Sr2eu0 n1gP8rt ya vuLrted , P5ty7 wehnmmbneeiisaivt trhhtneeeeauloidondscu p ccteotmro w. ip amEiptytlshCpe r,oac eeoputnmnrjhtuoit eborndidotbriocie ducgssyte ribp Aoa yopnpu nashsfsot tsaeri r ban aailtlsirsinaeptt.yd a a f mooItsnerftpuoh fnpoebre utrdmr m b,mi ilttaritsciaeta gaitdodethu nidrotsi rnasaeei ls.t s m ssafuuAteunhbsdrdlel-t-
Melbourne 392 Little Collins St, Melbourne Ltd, 392 Little Collins Street, Melbourne; in South sender's risk, and responsibility for loss cannot be
3000. Phone [phone] Australia by Sungravure Pty Ltd, 101-105 accepted by Electronics Australia.
Representative: Janice Wallace Weymouth St, Adelaide; in Western Australia by 'Recommended and maximum price only.
ELECTRONICS Australia, July, 1980 3
News Highlights
it
.r
. ..r.
-a
OTEC promising
renewable energy resource
.,
- Pod
,`
US engineers working on one of the about the same as present nuclear
most p-ro mising renewable energy power stations, and the ocean power
sources ocea-n thermal energy con- plants have other advantages such as a
version (OTEC) are expecting two ma- long operating life and absence of
jor developments this year. The first will dangerous waste products. It has been
be in July when a 1MW experimental rig predicted that efficiencies of 10% will be
called OTEC-1 is floated out of a ship- possible by the year 2000, by which time
yard in Washington state to Hawaii for the US could have 10,000MW plants in
operational trials. Secondly, the US operation.
government budget for the technology is However, significant problems must be
to be doubled this year, to $80 million, overcome. The ocean gene-r ating plants
paving the way for a 40MW demonstra- are very large structures a 400MW-
tion plant in 1984. plant could displace 75,000 tonnes
The OTEC technique uses the tem- and they must be moored in depths of
perature differences between the ocean well over 1000m, requiring new types of
surface and depths of 1000m or more to mooring cables and anchors and new
extract energy. Cold water is drawn up a ways of using them.
massive pipe and used to condense a In addition, the most crucial com-
working fluid (ammonia is the current ponent of the system, the cold water
favourite). Warm water at the surface is pipe, poses engineering problems that
used to evaporate the fluid. By pumping have yet to be solved. In OTEC-1 cold OTEC uses warm water to vaporise li-
the ammonia around a closed circuit the water is drawn up through a cluster of quid ammonia, which drives the turbine
latent heat given off from the change three pipes, 670m long and 1.3m in generators. The ammonia is then con-
from gas to liquid can be extracted diameter. The cold water pipe for a densed back to a liquid by cold water
through heat exchangers and used to 400MW plant would be' 1000m long and so the cycle continues.
produce steam to drive electric and 30m in diameter, and would pump
generators. water at a rate of four million litres per OTEC is considered a form of solar
Even at low levels of efficiency (5% is second. The pipes must be strong power, but has important advantages
the best so far achieved) the costs of enough to support their own weight and over other solar energy processes in that
OTEC generating stations will be in th-e to withstand the massive pumping it continues to work after the Sun goes
region of $2000-$2500 per kilowatt press-ures . down.
Particle beam weapons how close? pulse (56 jourles instead of 100
million); the time each pulse lasts
(1.5us instead of 100us); and the rate
The developm-e nt of a particle accelerators used in high energy at which they can produce pulses (50
beam weapon a device which physics provide a guide to what is re- per second instead of 100).
would project extremely h-i gh-energy quired. Working backwards from the Even if it does prove possible to
beams of atomic particles could run known amount of energy necessary develop a satisfactory accelerator
into insurmountable problems, accor- to damage a missile, the MIT resear- there are still problems to be over-
ding to a team of researchers at the chers calculated that a particle beam come in operation. For example, if
Massachusetts Institute of Tech- weapon would require -a n accelerator the weapon was placed in orbit
nology. operating at 1000MeV which is well around Earth, interference with the
The MIT team examined the within the range of existing communications between the
possibility of using beams of accelerators. satellite and the controlling ground
energetic particles, either fired from However, existing accelerators pro- station could prevent its use. In addi-
the ground or from orbiting satellites, vide this energy at low current. They tion, if the particles in the beam were
to shoot down ICBMs or military produce a beam of particles with a energetic neutral hydrogen atoms, a
satellites, and concluded that no current -a measure of the- number of thin later of air would be a good
presently available machine has all particles within the beam of around shield. The air would strip the elec-
the attributes needed for such a .025A, which is far short of the 1000A trons from the hydrogen atoms, leav-
weapon. required for a weapon. Other short- ing a beam of protons, which would
The heart of the weapon would be comings of present accelerators are break up as the protons repel each
its particle accelerator, and existing the low amount of energy in each other.
4 ELECTRONICS Australia, July, 1980
JVC readies Electronic speedometer has memory & LCD
VHD videodisc
JVC's VHD (Video High Density)
videodisc system was demonstrated in
production prototype form at a Tokyo
press conference recently. The system
Liquid crystal
uses a grooveless, capacitive pickup, and
displays and a
each 30cm disc contains two hours of non-volatile
colour programs with sound. With the
memory system
addition of a PCM (Pulse Code Modula- combine to give
tion) decoder the system can also play
this new electronic
high fidelity stereo sound recordings.
speedometer from
The videodisc player provides a variety National J
of special effects such as still, slow- Semiconductor.
motion and fast -motion, forward and 1
reverse operation and a fast search .a
mode. In addition there is a random ac-
cess capability, so that a pre -selected
single "track" can be located and played
back automatically. National Semiconductor Corporation generated by a speed sensor and pro-
Picture and sound information are has developed an electronic odometer grams one bit of the PROM for each in-
recorded as pits on the disc surface with a non-volatile memory that can re- crement of the mileage total. The con-
without grooves to guide the pickup tain a vehicle's total mileage under all troller can also use the pulses to deter-
stylus. Video information and tracking conditions, including loss of power in the mine the speed of the vehicle. Either
signals are simultaneously picked up as vehicle. The system is designed into Na- total mileage or the distance covered on
capacitive variations between the disc tional's intelligent instrument panel, and a particular trip can be displayed at the
surface and an electrode on the stylus. uses a fusible link bipolar PROM for user's option, and odometer and
The discs are made of conductive PVC mileage storage and a low-cost COP420L speedometer information can be
material and rotate at 900rpm (twice the four -bit microcontroller. displayed in either Imperial or metric
speed of the RCA disc and half the speed The microcontroller counts pulses units.
of the Philips/MCA disc). Disp life is
approximately 10,000 replays, and the
stylus is made from sapphire and has a
life of around 2000 hours. JVC plans to Britain expands nuclear power program
commence production next year, and
the system is expected to sell for about
$500. Confirmation of Britain's decision to go to allow greater access for inspection
ahead with the building of two more ad- and repair and a bigger core to ensure
vanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) nuclear that power is maintained without corro-
power stations was given on April 14 by sion problems.
Energy Secretary Mr David Howell. The Approval has also been given for the
Russia closing two 1320 megawatt stations, which are design and manufacture of equipment
the "technology gap" likely to cost more than $4000 million, for a third new nuclear power plant.
were originally given the go-ahead by Unlike the other two, this will use a
the previous government in 1978, and pressurised water reactor (PWR) built
The American government is afraid work on preparing the sites has already under licence from American West-
that the Soviet Union is closing the started. inghouse.
"technology gap" by clandestinely ob- Since the current AGR program was an- Although the new station will use
taining high-technology products such as nounced in 1964, two stations have technology incorporated in the PWR sta-
computers, laser components and been brought into service and three tion involved in the accident at Three
equipment for manufacturing electronic more are now under construction. The Mile Island, it is believed that strict safe-
components, in spite of President new AGR reactors are expected to be a guards will prevent a similar incident in
Carter's ban on the export of such equip- modified version of those already Britain. Construction is planned to start
ment to Russia. operating, with a bigger pressure vessel in 1982.
A US Senate subcommittee has been
investigating reports that powerful com-
puters have reached Russia after they Huge impact seen for cable television
had been sold to another country.
Although the United States is still about
five years ahead of the Soviet Union in Technological developments in the and was first introduced there 20 years
microelectronics, the gap is narrowing. television industry in the 1980s will bring ago as a means of relaying normal chan-
Part of the problem is that a computer about major changes to current pro- nels to areas of poor reception. Pro-
is a general purpose machine. For exam- gramming and regulatory practices, ac- grams are transmitted to the television
ple, a computer sold with a package of cording to Mr Bruce Gyngell, the former receiver by underground cable from a
programs for developing, say, synthetic chairman of the Australian Broadcasting central point, and subscribers pay to join
fibres, can be later re -programmed to do Tribunal. the network and for the programs they
stress calculations for the design of a Speaking at a television seminar watch. Current US prices are $15 for the
supersonic bomber. While a computer organised by the Australian Association initial connection and $8 a month on
might be sold with a package of in- of National Advertisers, Mr Gyngell said average, with a new movie costing $2 to
nocuous software, there is nothing to that the effect of cable television, in par- $3.
prevent the purchaser from reselling the ticular, will be shattering.
Some industry sources believe that
computer with software that can be ap- Cable television is at present serving 16
plied to military uses. million households in the United States, (continued on p7)
ELECTRONICS Australia, July, 1980 5
-
'
_
he _c e ma
,
y use...
. .,
I of Test Equiptwl«
at £7
-yineerTng '.
!
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ta++o'
0
51c
1
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A.M.
'
... 4.°""'
John Shillabeer's department is involved in the maintenance, line, the bright clear trace makes it an easy scope for operators
calibration and servicing of all test equipment used within to use.
S.T.C. We asked him why S.T.C. used Trio CS1560A scopes. "Over the past three or four years, S. T.C. has bought 8 Trio
"My department gets involved with all test gear purchases. 1560s and we've had virtually no trouble from them. Any
As a general purpose scope we've found that the Trio provides minor services have been easy to carry out. As you can see we
sxcellent performance for its price. Being easy to trigger we even use one in our department in the development of our
Find staff can readily get it up and going. On the production own digital test equipment."
15MHz Trio CS1560AI I Dual Trace 30MHz Trio CS1577 Dual Trace
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ito
PARAMETERS %
"Perfection in Measurement"
Sydney 439 3288 Melbourne 90 7444
Available from selected dealers
N.S.W. Sydney Dick Smith Stores 888 3200; George Brown & Co 519 5855; Radio Despatch Service 211 0191. Newcastle D.G.E. Systems 69 1625;
Elektron 2000 26 2644. Wollongong Hundell Engineering 74 0278; Macelec 29 1455; A.C.T. Canberra Electronic Components 80 4654.
QII D Brisbane Audiotronics 44 7566; L.E. Boughen 36 1277; N.S. Electronics 36 5061. VIC Melbourne Browntronics 419 3986; Douglas Radio
211 1698; J.H. Magrath 663 3731; Radio Parts 329 7888; Tech Rentals 267 5877; G.B. Telespares 328 4301. Geelong Teleparts 21 7288. S.A. Adelaide
K.D. Fisher & Co 269 2544; Gerard & Goodman 223 2222; Trio Electrix 516718. W.A. Perth Hinco Engineering 381 4477; W.J. Montcrieff 325 5722;
Rablec Engineering 381 2866. TAS Hobart Imbros Surpat h Systems 23 2892. Launceston W & G Genders 31 2511.
6 ELECTRONICS Australia, July, 1980
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Dishwasher cleans
circuit boards
:
-I
1111KOS,
BPO aims for Prestel expansion
The British Post Office is planning a ma- Britain, providing facts and services rang-
jor marketing campaign to increase the ing from accounting, agriculture and air
number of subscribers to its Prestel ser- travel to wines and yoga lessons. In addi-
vices. Although at present the system tion, an international Prestel service is
has only 2400 subscribers, the Post Of- now undergoing tests. --
fice hopes to boost this by "tens of New development will allow full col- !
thousands" in 1980, and manufacturers our photographs to be included on . 'ph1i:t.: t
producing the television sets that receive Prestel pages. The new feature will have
Prestel say that by the end of April, 1980 obvious advantages for mail order 1i ]
=.--,
they will be producing hundreds of sets businesses, who already use Prestel ex-
each week. tensively and for customers placing
Prestel is a system which links a televi- advertisements. Picture Prestel, as it is
sion set to an ordinary domestic phone called, is scheduled to be in use by the
telephone line to bring information from late 1980s, but this addition to existing
a central computer bank direct to the facilities will require adaptation or When engineers at Lockheed Missiles
television screen. More than 150,000 replacement of the present generation and Space Corporation discovered that
"pages" of information are now on call in of receiving sets. the solvents used in customary cleaning
processes were harmful to new materials
... but consumers offer resistance used in electronic circuit boards, they
had a problem. A thorough search was
made for industrial cleaning equipment
A recently published book on teletext systems will be among business and pro- using a water- detergent process, but
and viewdata systems says that "the fessional users, who are accustomed to none of the available devices were
established habit of watching TV as a paying a premium for information suitable.
pastime, for entertainment only", is a delivered quickly. Then someone realised that what the
major obstacle to the growth of video- The book describes the notion of a Corporation was actually looking for was
text services. These systems will need to home information/entertainment centre a dishwasher with special controls. It
overcome serious user resistance to new containing a large variety of entertain- didn't take long before engineers
ways of using the television set if they ment and information retrieval facilities developed a programmable control unit
are to succeed on a large scale, the book as a "science fiction concept". In reality and attached it to a commercial
states. consumers will be selective, the author dishwasher, creating a simple circuit
The book, "Videotext: the Coming asserts, buying one type of device, eg a board cleaning unit, and the most
Revolution in Home/Office Information video recorder, rather than another, sophisticated dishwasher in th' e world.
Retrieval" is edited by Efram Sigel, of such as a teletext decoder.
Knowledge Industry Publications in New The book notes that in the first two
York, and contains first hand accounts years of Ceefax service by the BBC in Historic film
on the BBC's Ceefax service, the British London, only 15,000 sets equipped to found in America
Post Office's Prestel project, and various receive the transmissions were sold. It
ttehAsatmts ootnhf geth etihsneeit iasaly ustthmeomars'rsk emtca odnfeoc rliu ns vitohienews dUaaSrt. ae mtciaealp ytn tuvaimkdeeb oemtre axontf y s peyerevoaicprsele s b. aerfeo rere aad syu btos taanc-- tpurAroe d p"uercipntiitoc "no fm otah-fd e e " oFinno rlAy utshsitelre anlitTa e mr-mo t thioeon f 1 9pH2ici7s-
Natural Life" has been found in the
... United States and given to the National
Cable television ctd from p5 Library of Australia. At the time it was
made, the film was the longest, most ex-
cable television will be introduced to come the problem, but predicts that the pensive, and one of the most successful
Australia in as little as five years, initially short style of commercial used today will products of Australia's young film
with a 30 channel system. Competition not exist in 1990. One of the alternatives industry.
for access is likely to be fierce, given the open to advertisers could be to package The print was found by the American
profitability of the system in the United programs which feature the advertiser's Film Institute in Washington. Although it
States. products as an integral part of the plot, is of a shortened version made for the
One change predicted by Mr Gyngell is as has already been done overseas. American market, it will enable the
that cable television will remove the The Australian Broadcasting Tribunal Library to reconstruct an almost com-
pressure from all stations to present pro- will conduct an inquiry into the issues in- plete copy of the full-length work, using
grams of particular social value, such as volved in cable television in July, after an incomplete print that the Library has
children's programs or Australian -made the Tribunal's new chairman, Mr David been holding for 15 years.
programs, which he sees as being best Jones, takes office. Two of the major Based on Marcus Clark's novel about
provided by cable services. Whéther issues scheduled for discussion are an Englishman wrongly convicted of
they will in fact be provided remains to whether Australia can afford cable televi- murder and transported to the Tasma-
be seen. sion (the cost of supplying Sydney alone nian penal colony of Port Arthur, "For
Cable television will also cause with cable TV would be in the vicinity of the Term of His Natural Life" was made
changes in the approach of advertisers. $200 million), and whether overseas by Australasian Films Ltd. It cost £60,000,
Cable TV does not normally carry adver- capital investment would be allowed took six months to produce, and was
tising, as the cost of the service is paid and if so how much. The demand for the filmed in Sydney and Newcastle and at
directly by the subscribers. Mr Gyngell system by Australian television viewers Port Arthur and other locations in
expects advertisers and agencies to over- will also have to be determined. Tasmania.
ELECTRONICS Australia, July, 1980 7
jobs, using relatively old-fashioned com-
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS puter techniques. They were also expen-
sive, costing up to $80,000 each.
Unimation's Puma is the first com-
mercial robot that can carry out intricate
jobs with the precision of a human
TI, IBM ready "sighted" robots worker. The Puma is also relatively
cheap, costing from $30,000 to $40,000.
At lea-s t two major electronics com-- -vi sion systems for robots, and Unimation Regardless of the problems posed by
panies Texas Instruments and IBM the world's biggest robot firm-, which large-scale automation, it seems that
are on the verge of producing industrial claims 70% of the World market is also market forces will demand that manu-
robots. Declining productivity has working on the problem. facturing industries turn to robots in the
stimulated interest in robots among US Unimation recently announced an im- same way that other businesses have
manufacturers, and industry sources say portant development in the robot field. adopted computerised information pro-
that major efforts will be made in the A small, lightweight robot called Puma, cessing. The social changes needed to
1980s to put robot manufacture on a developed by Unimation in conjunction accommodate a robot -based economy
commercial basis. with General Motors, is expected to start are vast, but it appears that investigation
Robots currently under development work in one of General Motors' factories of the technological aspects of robotics
by IBM and Texas Instruments mark a soon. Until recently, most robots, as well are proceeding at a much faster pace
new stage in robot design because they as being blind, were big and clumsy than enquiry into the human factors
are equipped with TV cameras which machines that did ' fairly rudimentary involved.
enable them to see and operate on ob- -
j-e cts in their vicinity. Imaging processing
the conversion of camera images into Alcohol fuels counting the cost
codes which -c an be used to control a
manipulator is a very complex aspect
of computer programming, but it seems The fact that modern farming methods ratio o-f the energy output to the energy
that considerable progress is being consume very large amounts of energy input depends on what fuel is used in
made. makes it difficult to see how agriculture the conversion plant.
Texas Instruments has built sighted can contribute much to the energy If the conversion plant is powered by
robots to help make calculators at its needs of industrialised countries by pro- fossil fuels, the net energy balance is 0.9,
Lubbock, Texas, production plant, and ducing alcohol. Researchers at the Loui- which means that more energy goes into
IBM makes similar robots that help in siana State University have just com- the plant than comes out of it as alcohol
making printed circuit boards for IBM pleted a "net energy analysis" of alcohol fuel. If, however, waste from the cane
computers, in heat -treating components, production from sugar cane, and their fields, known as bagasse, is used as fúel
and in testing. These developments have findings indicate that the process may be to raise steam the system can produce
been shrouded in secrecy, but sources in unprofitable. 1.8 times as much energy as it con-
the US expect that both firms will an- C. S. Hopkins and J. W. Day, of the sumes, although some of it is in the form
nounce plans later this year to sell the University's Coastal Ecology Laboratory, of steam.
type of robots that they have so far calculated how much energy is consum-
manufactured for their own use. ed in the fuel and chemicals needed to However the US does not appear to be
TI and IBM are not the only companies grow surgar cane and added this to taking this more economical route. Ac-
trying to produce robots that can "see". estimates of the amount of energy need- cording to Hopkins and Day, plants cur-
Brown Boveri of Switzerland and Philips ed to turn the cane into alcohol. -T hey rently under design will use a 50/50 mix-
of Holland are also experimenting with found that the net energy balance the ture of fossil fuels and bagasse to power
the conversion process. The resulting net
energy balance would be 1.2, indicating
that alcohol production from crops will
Business Briefs: not make a significant contribution to
the country's energy needs.
Western Australian based electronics components distributor and Lester Brown, president of the World -
wholesaler Reserve Electronics Pty Ltd has been appointed Fairchild watch Institute, points out further pro-
distributor for Western Australia. The agreement became effective blems of power alcohol production in
on February 1 1980, and initial orders for over 200,000 devices have his paper "Food or Fuel: New Competi-
been placed. Reserve Electronics is located at 5 Bookham St, tion for the World's Cropland" (World
-
Morley, WA 6002. watch Paper 35). He states that the
developed nations' hunt for new spurces
A Melbourne based Australian company, Antenna Engineering of fuel, including alcohol production
Australia Pty Ltd, has been awarded a $2.3 million contract for the from crops, is a serious threat to food
design, manufacture, supply, and commission of a high frequency production which may drive apart the
antenna network for the Royal Australian Navy at Humpty Doo in the rich and poor as nothing else before has
Northern Territory. The contract is believed to be the largest order for done. The price of oil may soon set the
antennas ever placed with an Australian company. price of food, he writes.
Vicom's New Zealand operation has moved to larger and better In January of this year President Carter
positioned premises. The new address is 84 Whites Line East, Lower announced that the US would aim to
Hutt, NZ. produce 2275 million litres of fuel
ethanol by 1981 and 910 thousancj
OTC recen-taly announced the opening of a Brisbane bureau for million litres by the mid -1980s. Brown
Overseasfax service providing fast transmission of facsimiles of points out that the goal of 2275 million
documents and other printed information between Australia and litres would require the output of almost
overseas. a million hectares of farmland, or five
The new bureau ís located in OTC's Brisbane office, 380 Queen St, million tonnes of maize, which re-
Brisbane. presents approximately 5% of projected
US maize exports in 1980.
8 ELECTRONICS Australia, July, 1980