Wireless World 1990 03

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PC oscilloscope
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Displaced radar
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APPLICATIONS
Current conveyor
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INTELLIGENCE o
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9 770266 324014
PROFESSIONAL LOGIC ANALYSIS
FOR UNDER £400
,,
In recent years, the personal computer has become an integral
part of the modern electronics laboratory. The Logic Analyser is now
as necessary to design, development, test and maintenance
departments as a multimeter or an oscilloscope.
Flight Electronics' range of PC based Logic Analysers offers the
advantages of low cost and high specification while saving the
bench space normally occupied by stand alone alternatives.
Being PC based allows great flexibility in permanent storage of
_
_
data and set ups, either to disk for recall at a later date, or for hard
copy.
The Flight Electronics range of Logic Analyser cards has internal
clock speeds of up to 200MHz and are suitable for use with XT, AT,
monochrome and colour PCs.
Data acquisition can be displayed in both timing and state
formats. Presentation of information is clear and uncluttered.The soft
key controls mean simplicity of operation, making the products
particularly suitable for both industrial and educational use.
Flight Electronics offers a choice of five models, ranging from a
unit suitable for the first time student user to the complex
rk
requirements of the design and development laboratory.
We also supply a range of PAL/EPROM programmers for your PC.
Call our sales office for a free copy of the Flight Electronics catalogue.
FEATURES
Wide choice of specifications
.,
High specification at low cost
Up to 200MHz internal clock
Up to 3 independent clocks with 12 qualifiers
24 signal input channels
Up to 16K memory depth
16 level sequential triggering
(models 27200 & 27100)
VO4 í'
.
Pre and post triggering
State listing in Binary, Hex and ASCII kto-
Timing display of all channels simultaneously tií
,b 1.
User specified channel labelling
Auto and conditional repeat
Data save to and load from disc
We can even supply suitable PCs. Call our sales office for a quote.
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Model Frequency Threshold External Max Input

Channel Memory Impedance Trigger Quality
Voltage clock Max Input
Bandwidth
200MHz Channel0-5 16K 1Míí 2lndependent 3Channels 16 Levels
CLK 27200 12 Channels = 150V 100MHz
250Hzto50MHz Channel0-23 4K ,5pF settings -8to14V 0-50MHz "0",'1","x"
250Hz to 100MHz Channel0-5 16K 1Mí! 2lndependent 3Channels 16Levels
CLK-27100 12 Channels = 150V 100MHz
250Hzto50MHz Channel0-23 4K <5pF settings -8 to 14V 0-50MHz "0",'1',"x"
100MHz Channel 0-5 4K 12Kít Setting
CLK 2400 1 1Channels 1Level 0 , , x 1 1 Channel - 25V 25MHz
25KHzto25MHz Channel0-23 1K <15pF -lOVto 10V 0-25MHz 100MHz '0", "1" only -1'
100MHz Channel0-11 2K 1Mí2
CLK-12100
25KHz to 50MHz Channel 0-23 1K ; 5 pF
TTL 0-50MHz 1 Level 0, 1, x NO = 10V 50MHz
CLK-2450 25KHz to 50MHz Channel 0-23 1K M ít TTL 0-50MHz Level 0

1
1 , 1 , x NO - 10V 50MHz
Flight Electronics Ltd. ORDERING INFORMATION (Excl. VAT. P&P £7.00)

Flight House, Ascupart Street Description Part No Price £
Southampton SO LU. U.K. 1 1
CLK-2450 PC Logic Analyser 655-001 399.00

Telephone: Southampton CLK-12100 PC Logic Analyser 655-002 499.00
(0703) 227721 (6 lines) CLK-2400 PC Logic Analyser 655-003 799.00
Telex: 477389 FLIGHT G CLK-27100 PC Logic Analyser 655-004 999.00
Fax: (0703) 330039 CLK-27200 PC Logic Analyser 655-005 1599.00
CALL US NOW ON 0703-227721

CI RO E NO. WI ON REI'I 1 CARD
CONTENTS FEATURES
NEURAL NETWORKS RIDING THE SOLAR STORM 220
Conventional computers require description of a prob- There are still plenty of gaps in our knowledge about
lem before they can begin to work on the solution. the causes and effects of solar magnetic storms.
Neural based machines are able to define the problem Anthony Hopwood discusses simple equipment which
for themselves. They achieve this by exploring connec- will measure the relative intensity of magnetic storms
tions within a problem and reinforce those which tend precisely.
towards a useful result.
REVIEW - PC VOLTMETER
LIVING COMPUTERS... 186 BOARD 224
Neural networks operate in a manner not clearly An add -in voltmeter can turn a standard PC into a four
understood yet, in spite of this limitation, can solve real channel, 61 digit voltmeter.
problems.
DISPLACE[) RADAR 226
ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS .... 191 Separating the transmitter and receiver may offer
Tom Ivall reports on a recent IEEE conference which advantages in separating ground clutter, while provid-
reflected the learning and training aspect of artificial ing a greater degree of integrity. By Henry Hislop.
intelligence.
SHORT RANGE RADAR 231
DUMB INTELLIGENCE 194 The development of short range radar demo equipment
Wilfred James argues the case that intelligence is turns up unusual design problems. Resolving centi-
nothing more than pattern recognition. He proposes a metre sized objects over just a few tens of metres calls
new generation of highly parallel machines based on for transmission pulse widths down to Ins.
memory rather than distributed processing.
MINIATURE HF ANTENNA 253
KILLING FIELDS - THE MICROWAVE Bryan Wells reports on further development and
HEALTH HAZARD 208 experiments with the barrel shaped crossed -field anten-
The UK microwave exposure limits were originally na first discussed in the March 1989 issue.
determined by irradiating a body to the point where
thermal tissue damage occurred, then backing off the REVIEW - PC OSCILLOSCOPE
power by a factor of ten. Our standards for safe BOARD 257
exposure are still determined by this crude test. Amplicon's PC99 oscilloscope hoard plugs into the
Meanwhile, a number of associative studies have linked hack of a standard PC AT -alike converting the compu-
cancer and blindness to microwaves exposure at power ter to a digital storage scope and function generator.
levels orders of magnitude lower. By Simon Best. How good, how efficiently?
REGU L A R,S
COMMENT 179 NEW PRODUCT CLASSIFIED 242

Shock to the system. Is the Energy Secretary putting Round -up of new products at -a -glance.
political expediency before public health?
APPLICATIONS 246
RESEARCH NOTES 181 Audio current conveyor allows op -amp type circuit
Superconducting wire, radio earthquakes, watched configurations without the global negative feedback
pots, stormy propagation and all optical repeaters. associated with transient intermodulation distortion.
Plus a low noise audio pre -amp chip.
UPDATE 202
Telepoint isn't going to be the unmitigated marketing
In next month's issue. Every-
disaster which most people are expecting...says a
Telepoint consortium. Plus a round -up of news from
thing you need to knov. about
silicc.n speech: h.);% it is pro-
ELECTRONICS
around the industry.
gran-med. synthesized and WORLD
recognized. Also the ch mce to + WIRELESS WORLD
CIRCUIT IDEAS 213
win a "I exas Instraments
An electronic compass, DC to DC step-up convertor,
speech development hoard.
optical fibre data link, programmable timer, etc. -1110111,
We are offering Ill boards as At,

Moslel po er
prizes in a competitioa based a.,, Iii ice
LETTERS 234
on applications ingenuity.
The trouble with relative FSK, clash of symbols, mass New series
confusion, tuned Vauxhalls, audio power and total
Computers ani signail pro-
cessing do mix. We begin a
signal Interlace
, slne C
-
disgust are just a few of the criticisms levelled at us.
major ney series entitl_d 'Sig-
Wm a speech
nal processing with C..
PIONEERS 239 development
system
Alessandro Volta invented both a primary battery and
a unit of electricity: One Volta = 13 350V!
III1IIIIii.
March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD 177

UNBEATABLE PRICES
GROUP
GREAT OFFERS ON TRIED AND
TESTED USED EQUIPMENT
TELECOMMUNICATIONS TEST SIGNAL GENERATORS (Cont)
Anritsu ME520A Digital Transmission £ 5,000 HP 3325A 21HMz Synthesiser/Function £ Z250
Analyser Generator, with options 001 and 002
HP 8903A Audio Analyser £ 2, 250 HP 8161A Pulse Generator £ 5,000
Marconi 2380/82 400HMz Spectrum £11, 750 HP 8340A Synthesised Sweep Generator, £15,000
Analyser & Display 26.5GHz
Marconi 2955 Radio Communication Test £ 4,575 Marconi 2017 AM/FM Signal Generator, £ 4,000
Set 1024MHz
W & G PF -1 Bit Error Measuring Set £ 1,000 Marconi 2022 RF Signal Generator, 1GHz £ 2,150
W & G PS-30 Level Generator £ 950 COUNTERS
DATACOMMUNICATIONS TEST HP 5328A Universal Counter £ 850
ARC 4600 Protocol Analyser £ 2,500 Marconi 2432 Frequency Meter, 560MHz £ 250
HP 4953A Protocol Analyser £ 4,500 Marconi 2435 Timer Counter £ 950 ,
Marconi 2871 Datacommunications Analyser £ 3,000 Philips PM6654 Programmable Timer £ 950 s
Tektronix 1503 TDR Cable Tester £ Z950 Counter, 120MHz
LOGIC ANALYSERS Philips PM6659 Counter, 1.1GHz £ 695
HP 1630D 43 channels, 100MHz, with £ 1,750 POWER METERS
disc drive HP 436A Digital Power Meter, 18GHz £ 1,150
HP 1630G 65 channels, 100MHz £ 3,650 Marconi 6960 Digital Power Meter, £ 850
Tektronix 1240 72 channels, 100MHz £ 995 26.5GHz
MICROPROCESSOR DEVELOPMENT Marconi 8938 AF Power Meter, 35kHz £ 350
HP 64100-0pt04 Development Station, £ 950 POWER SUPPLIES
all pods available Emerson 1500W Voltage Conditioner £ 650
Microtek 2S-80286 In -circuit Emulator £ 6,250 Fame!! AP60-50 1kW Power Supply, £ 825
Stag PPZ Universal Programming Station £ 1,450 60V/50A
with Zm2000 module POWER LINE RECORDERS
OSCILLOSCOPES BMI 4800 Power Line Disturbance Analyser f 4,000
Hitachi VC6050 60MHz Storage Scope, £ 1,850 Franklin 3600 Single & 3-Phase Power £ 1,950
40MS/s, 'MINT' Line Disturbance Monitor
Philips PM3055 50MHz Dual Timebase £ 650 Sension DPR-2 Demand Profile Recorder £ 395
'Smart Scope' Sension Hawk Energy Audit System £ 1,150
_º Philips PM3219 50MHz Analogue Storage
Scope
£ 950 RECORDERS
Philips PM8154B Graphic Plotter with £ 500
Philips PM3256 75MHz Ruggedised £ 750 GPIB Interface
Oscilloscope Racal Store 14 14 channel Instrument £ 4,000
Philips PM3295 350MHz Oscilloscope £ 1,850 Tape Recorder
Philips PM3320 200MHz Digital Storage £ 3,950 Solan'ron 3530A Orion Data Logger with £ 2,400
Scope, 250MS/s 35301A Reed Relay Selector
Tektronix 2235 100MHz Dual Trace £ 850 COMPUTERS & PERIPHERALS
Oscilloscope Epson FX1000 Centronics Printer £ 225
Tektronix 2440 300MHz Digital Storage £ 7,000 HP 2225A ThinkJet Printer, HPIB Interface £ 255
Scope, 500MS/s MEASUREMENT
LCR
SIGNAL GENERATORS HP 4192A LF Impedance Analylser £ 7,000
HP 214b-001 Pulse Generator £ 1, 950 HP 4274A LCR Meter £ 3,250
79""4"»~
All prices advertised are exclusive of carriage and VAT.
All equipment sold subject to availability.
Warranty period 12 months on all equipment (except computers MOS -3 months).
WE BUY TOP QUALITY TEST EQUIPMENT

M
For further information telephone

LONDON 0753 580000
CIRCLE NO. 146 ON REPLY CARD
COMMENT
Shock to the system

CONSULTING EDITOR Secretary of State for Energy, John compensation and building control at
Philip Darlington Wakeham, has some explaining to do. the very least.
01-6618632
If he declines, then resignation seems Suppression of such a report, purely
EDITOR the appropriate action for a Minister of on political grounds, if proven, must
Frank Ogden the Crown who allows his department, result in the Minister's resignation.
01-661.3128 or the agents of his department, to put One can't help but make comparsion
ILLUSTRATION political expediency before public with the Government's attitude to the
Roger Goodman health. samonella-in-eggs affair. In that
In March 1988, the CEGB began a instance it acted swiftly against the egg
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Alan Kerr
research programme investigating the producers and terminally against
possible health effects associated with hundreds of thousands of hens. It
EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATION power frequency electric and magnetic dispossessed nuns and inspired a flock
Lindsey Gardner fields. Part of the research involved a of EEC directives. All this happened in
01-6613614
commissioned 6000 person study into defending us from a few gippy tummies
ADVER FISEMENT MANAGER adult leukaemia following on from an on just the merest shred of evidence.
Paid Kitchen earlier, smaller one looking at the Power line fields are implicated with
01-661 3130 childhood disease. a number of very serious diseases and
DISPL \1' SALES MANAGER
the associated evidence, already to
In September 1989, the CEGB issued
Shona Finnic an interim statement which concluded
hand even without the current CEGB
01-661 86411
that the results of the adult health study, is far more damning than ever
was the case with infected eggs.
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION inquiry would he published at "the end
Una Russ of 1989". The conclusions of this study, The weight of evidence about the
01-6618649
which sets out to examine the public effects of power line fields was
health implications of power line fields, presented in last month's issue. It is
PUBLISHER sufficient to note that the US Congress
.Susan Downer have yet to be published even though
01 -6618452 -
Chief Medical Officer at the CEGB, Dr Office of Technology Assessment
Robin Cox, admits to possessing the concluded that "electric and magnetic
FACSIMILE fields produced by electric power
01-661 8939 preliminary findings. Furthermore, Dr
systems may pose public health
Cox is not prepared to give any further
commitment on the publication date in hazards." The report accepts that "even
weak electric and magnetic fields can
marked contrast to the earlier CEGB
written statement. effect living cells." Asa result, eight US
states have implemented rights of way
f
W REED BUSINESS
r PUBLISHING
`r GROUP
It seems legitimate to ask for a
reason. Dr Cox says that the results
"must await initial publication in a
along major power lines excluding
human habitation. People affected by
the building of power lines in these
learned journal". This argument states are entitled to compensation.
doesn't hold much water. The CEGB Compare this with the apparent
was certain enough of the publication obfuscation in the UK.
timetable just a few months ago. It We would be the first to say that more
seems logical to look for other motives. research is needed and that the links
Given the weight of evidence between power lines and disease have
Irons, IP..rld u5n/n, 11 II/ 1,1 t. puhh.hcd month', L Sl'51..7Uu
11y 1....t. current n.ue L ? 5. t.a.! n.ue.11t 11. .ula1.kl t_ 511 ()Mee and
2-
connecting power line fields and disease et to be established definitively.
p.,y nunt. t,. M II l In Iro.01u , 110111 11',re/n, 11 or/d. Uuadrent 110114... he
Quadrant. Sutton. Sune, ShI? SAS ( heyue. .hould he pa.ahle to
I
derived from similar studies in the US, However, there is enough evidence to
Reed Iíu.me.. Publishing Ltd Edituri.d R Ad.rrtl.ing ortice.: I 1191
Quadrant Ilou.e. Ihe VuadSant. Su11on Susie. SSI-2 <AS Telephones: one might surmise that the CEGB study state that the public interest is best
Idnonal
So2uS4 RI
111-1.111
ID BP (1
11114 Aeherti.ing
IEI PI
111-1,1d
F.re.fm11e:
1It11
111-1w.1
ul-r.nl SRO/ Tries:
noln lon.up. II A Illy also casts suspicion on power line fields. served by a moratorium on house
Sr,stradr ()uadlant 1'u1.h.h,ng Scrstce. N. Ill -1.111 12411 Sulscrip.
lion rates: Year (mnmal rate) 1.151 UK and L)< outside I'K Publication would most certainly building under power lines, and that
Sulecripthm.: Quadrant Subscription Ser.ue.. Dalheld llouye. Pctr.-
mount Road. Loh :ads Ileath. Su..e, RIII11 11)11 Irlephone lult
I
interfere with the forthcoming public warnings should be issued to
441212 Please mint, a ehange ut addre.. I SA: SI In 111 airmail Reed
Business Publishing II SA I Suhsenpnon. Office. 2115 1- 42nd Street. privatisation scheduled for the end of users of certain electrical products. Any
NY 111117 u.erra. ad.rrtl.h.g agent..: Frunce and Belgium: Pierre
Slu..a,d. 15-211 Place de la Madeleine. Part, 7511e. l'nitrd Starr. of
Ama a: Lt. emrnan. Reed Bu.mc.. Publishing 11.1. ?11< East 42nd
I
this year. After all, the public outcry other course should be unacceptable.
StreetNr.. YorA. NS 111117 telephone 1`1?Irn'.?51.It IeIe.2_35.?7
I5A maiting agents: hle'IeuS. .4ntrotht International I td. Inc 11111.1
following a proven link between There is no room for politics in public
.
1 neleha,d Aye. A.ene1 N J nnMll _nJ .la.. puntees paid .n Rah,a.

NJ Poo master send .ddrr..to the .SM.. e
electricity and cancer would demand health.
(yReedrRu.me.. Publishing I Id 1090 ISSN 11?rr.??44 Frank Ogden
March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD+ WIRELESS WORLD 179

USERS MANUAL
68000 -DOCUMENTATION -
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24 I/O LINES BIT COUNTER/TIMER
BUS 24
SOCKETS RAM TO 128KB
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CIRCLE NO, 119ON HEPL >CARD
180 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990 t

RESEARCH NOTES
Watched pot
Superconducting wire by CVD never boils
reactor, thus eliminating the need for
Using a new chemical vapour deposi-
tion (CVD) process to coat flexible
fibres within a thin film of high -
complex controls. During a 5-30
minute period, the team fed between 2
official!
A recent experiment by Wayne Itano et
temperature superconducting material, and 10 grams of powder into the
al at the National Institute of Standards
researchers at the Georgia Institute of reactor.
and Technology in Boulder, Colorado
Technology have increased deposition Thus far, the technique has mostly
provides the first clear evidence of one
rates considerably while achieving been demonstrated using rectangular,
single -crystal magnesium -oxide sub-
of the strangest predictions of quantum
promising critical temperatures and
theory - that you can influence the
maximum current capacity. Existing strates, but several types of flexible,
behaviour of a system merely by
CVD technology for thin-film super- thin fibres also have been coated.
observing it.
conductors yields a coating just one or Ultimately, the team plans to coat
A recent report (Science, Vol. 246,
two microns thick during a one -hour inexpensive, commercially -available
888) describes how the NIST scientists
deposition run. The new process yields
took a special magnetic "pot", in which
50 to 210 microns per hour, depending
they trapped several thousand ions of
on production conditions.
beryllium -9, all initially in the ground
In the past, carrier gas has been used
state, level 1. By switching on an RF
to transport metal sources into a CVD
heater for just 256ms, the experimen-
reactor. Since the flow rate, tempera-
ters raised all the ions to a higher
ture and pressure must be controlled
energy state, level 2.
for each vaporizer the process has
That, at least, is what happened if no
often been delicate and time- t
observations were made during the
consuming. To make matters even heating period. On the other hand, if
more difficult, reagent sources for the
Dr Jack Lackey with CVD equip-ment the scientists took a peek at the beryl-
commonly -used 1-2-3 superconductor lium while it was on the boil, a signifi-
(yttrium, barium and copper) provide ceramic or metal fibres, possibly made
cant proportion of the ions failed to
low vapour pressure. If heat levels are of aluminium oxide and/or silicon diox-
make it to level 2. If the experimenters
increased to speed vaporization, these ide. Other possible substrate materials
looked 64 times, almost no beryllium
metal sources undergo chemical reac- include silicon carbide and carbon
ions changed state.
tions and form unwanted compounds. coated with a layer of an oxidation -
According to quantum theory, the
To improve this situation, Principal protective material. A coating barrier
Research scientist Jack Lackey repla- between the fibre and the supercon-
-
very act of looking at the ions done,
incidentally, using ultra -short pulses of
ced the vaporizers with a powder feed- ductor should eliminate any undesir-
laser light - causes energy to be lost,
er. A combination of finely -ground able chemical reactions.
thus returning them to a lower energy
yttrium, barium and copper metal- Meanwhile, Lackey has designed a
state. This, to be precise, only happens
organic powders are mixed with argon continuous fibre coater and hopes to
if the ions are in a transition state
gas before flowing into the horizontal commercialize the product.
between levels 1 and 2. After 256ms
they are safely in level 2 and hence
remain unaffected. On the other hand,
Tune in for the big one if the ions are watched every 4ms, then
Earthquake prediction has always been Three hours before the actual disaster fewer than 1% of them will ever
something of an inexact science, rarely there was an even greater peak of VLF migrate to the upper level.
offering better than a 50% probability radio noise, quite unlike anything pre- This finding that a watched (quan-
of a big 'quake in any one decade. viously observed. tum) pot never boils is the first unambi-
And, while any warning is arguably Coincidence perhaps? While many guous confirmation of an effect noted in
better than no warning, there's little US seismologists are impressed by the the late 1970s by experimenters at the
prospect of people being able to take remarkable fit between the radio emis- University of Texas. The recent suc-
any useful preventive action unless sions and the subsequent ground move- cess, however, is the result of choosing
prediction improves greatly in accura- ment. Fraser -Smith himself cautions an atomic process that proceeds slowly
cy. It's intriguing therefore to speculate that there's no proof of a causal link. enough for the experimenters to ob-
on a finding presented by Stanford On the other hand, nothing similar was serve it often enough to reduce signifi-
University electrical engineers at a previously observed during the two cantly the probability of it taking place!
recent meeting of the American years the experiment had been run- A logical question arising from this
Geophysical Union. ning; nor has any alternative natural or experiment is whether or not regular
Antony Fraser-Smith and his col- artificial explanation been offered. observation could arrest other quan-
leagues were using very low frequency Now the US Geological Survey is to tum processes such as radioactive
radio receivers set up under a US Navy consider setting up similar VLF moni- decay. In theory the answer is yes but,
contract to explore new ways of detect- toring rystems in other parts of Califor- in practice, radioactive decay happens
ing submarines. Recordings, when sub- nia. And if the same VLF emission is far too quickly for repeated observa-
sequently analysed, showed that in the observed prior to the next big earth- tion. As Itano notes, any observation
first few days of October - just prior to quake, the coincidence would be too takes a finite time and there will always
the big earth quake on October 17th - much to explain away. Why ground be gaps between observations when an
there was a sudden increase in the level movement might generate VLF radio atom' can secretly decay without being
of otherwise steady background noise. waves remains a mystery. noticed. Pity!

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182 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

..1111
Ballistic electrons
for high-speed
switching
IBM researchers have demonstrated
for the first time that fast-moving bal-
listic electrons can be focussed and
steered as they travel at very low
temperatures through gallium arseni-
de. The finding is the latest from a
team led by Dr Mordehai Heiblum at
the Thomas J. Watson Research Cen-
ter in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. This
group previously showed that ballistic
.' °
electrons can travel through ultra -thin
layers of gallium arsenide at speeds
I. =
considerably greater than 106 kilo- 5~, "

metres per hour.
Under normal conditions, electrons
moving through a semiconductor travel
only a short distance (the mean free
path) before colliding with atoms,
Stormy future for
other electrons, or impurities in the
semiconductor and scattering. In the
process they lose energy and change
EHF satellite channels?
direct ion. As t.,e currently exploited microwave One of the functions of ESA's ad-
In these experiments, however, the frequencies are beginning to fill up vanced technology communications
mean free path is lengthened, so the with an ever-growing volume of traffic. satellite Olympus. launched in July last
electrons can travel across the semicon- experimenters are paying increasing year, is to send out test signals on 12.5,
ductor ballistically, that is, without attention to parts of the spectrum 20 and 30 GHz to enable researchers to
scattering. At around 5K, the normal beyond 20GHz. Until recently these monitor the effects of the weather on
motion of atoms inside the semicon- wide-open spaces have remained the propagation.
ductor material is greatly reduced, les- province of specialist users, mainly Here in Britain a group at the
sening the chance of collision with the because of the high cost of low -noise Rutherford Appleton Laboratory -
electrons as they speed past. As a receiving equipment and efficient high - who incidentally were closely involved
result, at that low temperature, the power satellite -borne transmitters. in designing the satellite itself - are in
mean free path can exceed 1micron, There are, however, other constraints. the process of commissioning three
providing room for the insertion of a not least the problems of absorption by experimental propagation receivers,
tiny focusing device. the atmosphere. At frequencies where one for each of the Olympus beacons.
In their experiments, Heiblum and the wavelength is of the order of Icm, The 30 GHz receiver, already working,
his team injected high-energy electrons raindrops behave like dielectric spher- demonstrated within a few days of
on one side of a region of semiconduc- es that either absorb or scatter the switch -on just how severe can be the
tor material 2 microns across and col- signal in a random and unpredictable attenuation due to rainfall.
lected them at the other. The electrons manner. Dr John Norbury, who is responsible
travelled ballistically though a region for the project. says that attenuation of
free of the impurities that might cause Above; installing the 12.5GHz dish at 30dB or more is relatively infrequent,
energy -wasting collisions. That region, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. but must be allowed for in any future
known as a two dimensional electron First major recorded rain event on commercial systems. Experiments on
gas, can be created at the interface Olympus 30GHz beacon on August 10, counter-measures are part of a parallel
between a single -crystal layer of gal- 1989at RAL. programme at RAL.
lium arsenide and another of alumi- As these words appear in print, the
Loss of lock
nium gallium arsenide. 30 GHz receiver and its 12.5GHz coun-
To demonstrate that the path of 30 terpart will be fully operational. to be
travel of the ballistic electrons could be 60cm dish with phase followed by the 20GHz system some-
controlled, the team applied a differen- lock -loop receiver time in the middle of the year.
tial voltage across tiny metal gates as 20 The 12.5GHz system, as well as
they injected the electrons into the studying propagation, will be used to
semiconductor. They found they could receive information for a satellite data
steer the electrons about 60 degrees off 10 transfer experiment to he undertaken
the original path over a distance as by Dr John Burrell and his colleagues
great as two microns. This will, it's at RAL's Advanced Communications
hoped, allow new types of extremely Research Unit, together with collabor-
fast electronic switching devices and Baseline -zero fade level ators at the University of Buckingham
circuits to be made that use directed 5-30 6-30 7-30 and at Graz in Austria and Pisa, Italy.
electron beams. Time Results will he awaited with interest.
March 1990 ELECTRON ICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD 183

RESEARCH NOTES
Record Quantum varactors for millimetre waves

Swedish researchers at the Chalmers tical quintupler could be made with
magnetic University of Technology at Goteborg

have proposed the use of a new device,
only a single idler (for the third harmo-
nic).
the quantum harrier varactor diode The Swedish team have calculated
storage density (QBV), as an efficient source of milli-
metre waves. They say (Electronics
the optimum device parameters for
most efficient conversion, which could
A team at the IBM Almaden Research Letters Vol. 25 No 25) that, because the exceed 60% at an output level of
Centre in San Jose claims to have set a QBV diode is a symmetrical device, it around 40mW at 105GHz. Output
world record in magnetic data storage could replace conventional Schottky power is limited mainly by avalanche
density by successfully storing a gigabit varactor multiplier diodes with higher breakdown (in either direction) due to
of information on a single square inch efficiency and much simplified circuit- the RF voltage swing across the diode.
of disk surface. This is 15 to 30 times ry. The main diode characteristics are
greater than t hat of current hard disks. Conventional varactor diodes are shown below.
To achieve gigabit storage density. reasonably efficient at generating over
the IBM researchers combined a num- 1(X)GHz by multiplication from lower 100
ber of advanced components, including 30
frequencies. Thus a conventional
experimental thin-film recording heads
varactor could multiply an input fre- 20 80
and disks with advanced electronics.
quency of 35GHz by three with an
The demonstration was performed on a 10
efficiency of around 30%. The only 60
precision test apparatus, though all of 4 0 Current
problem is that, because a Schottky w
the critical hardware components were E
varactor isfsymmetrical, it yields even 40
made by conventional manufacturing -10
harmonics which need to he terminated
processes. Nevertheless, say the group,
several more years of development will
reactively to avoid loss. A tripler there- -20 Capacitance - 20
fore requires an "idler" circuit resonant
be required before gigabit technology -30
at the second harmonic. A quintupler 0
could be incorporated into everyday -60 -40 -20
would require three such idlers - 0 20 40 60
commercial products. V
mechanically impossible and probably
The experimental dual -element,
very lossy even if they could he imple-
thin-film recording head used in the
mented. Authors E. Kollberg and A. Rydberg
demonstration features an inductive
Enter the QBV diode with its natural conclude that, because of the consider-
"write" element and a magnetoresis-
property of generating only odd har- able simplification in circuitry, the
tive (MR) "read" element. Both ele-
monics. A tripler based on this device QBV should prove a potentially very
ments operate while the head flies over
would require no idler at all (there competitive device for millimetre wave
the disk at a height of less than 0.05
being no second harmonic) and a prac- generation.
microns - so narrow a gap that even
light can't pass through.
The electrical resistance of materials
that exhibit the MR effect changes
Towards practical all -optical repeaters
according to the strength of any mag- Erbium (Er3+) doped fibre amplifiers peak power of 85mW is obtainable at a
netic field present. By monitoring the are an extremely attractive prospect for current of 150mA. The researchers say
rapid resistance changes that occur as optical repeaters because they operate that at a reduced power of 30mW their
an MR head passes over recorded at a wavelength of 1.5µm. This is a laser diode shows good long-term sta-
magnetic bits. it's possible to detect wavelength most commonly used for bility with no marked deterioration of
hits too small for a conventional all - long -haul optical communications. If output. Further study, they say, is now
inductive head to recognise. In addi- an erbium -fibre amplifier were practi- under way to improve stability and
tion, since the strength of the signal cal enough to put down manholes or to cure the drop in efficiency at full
produced by an MR head does not sink to the seabed, it would neatly power.
reduce with reducing disk velocity, an avoid the present need to convert Even before this further develop-
MR head has the advantage of provid- optical signals to electrical signals and ment began the NTT team were
ing an identical performance regardless then convert them back again. The already testing their lasers in conjunc-
of disk size and speed. problem is that, to work efficiently. tion with an erbium fibre amplifier.
The aluminium disk used in the tests erbium -doped fibre amplifiers need to Two lasers with their outputs optically
is coated with a thin film of magnetic be pumped at a wavelength of around combined were used to pump such an
cobalt alloy designed for very high bit 0.98µm, for which no practical semi- amplifier at a wavelength of 1.536µm.
density and very low magnetic noise -a conductor lasers are available. Maximum gain was reported to be
critical advantage in reading the The development of such a laser by a 37.811B, which represents .9dB forI
recorded bits. A thin coating of a hard team at the NTT Optoelectronics every milliwatt of pumping power - an
material protects the alloy film from Laboratory in Japan is therefore a excellent figure. On this basis a practi-
contact with the recording head. significant, step towards all -optical cal all -optical semiconductor laser -
In the gigabit demonstration, hits repeaters. The team, led by M. pumped erbium -doped fibre amplifier
were stored at a linear density of Okayasu, report (Electronics Letters can't be very far away. That in turn
62,000 bit/cm along concentric tracks Vol. 25 No 23) laboratory experiments should greatly increase the reliability
spaced at 2500/radial centimetre. Each in which they created a strained -layer and the bandwidth of long-haul fibres
data bit measures only 0.16 microns gallium -indium -arsenide quantum well that employ such devices.
long by 4 microns wide - comparable in structure using MOCVD epitaxy. Research Notes are by John Wilson of
area to current optical -storage bit cells. Output wavelength is 0.97µm and a the BBC Norld Service science unit.
184 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WI RELESS WORLD March 1990

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ttempts to imitate natural Douglas Clarkson introduces develop life forms with more highly
neural network systems developed nervous systems. Of course
bring into focus the neural networks, which man prides himself in being the apex of
essentially different operate in a manner not yet cerebral achievement, but throughout
.approaches of serial digi- clearly understood, but nature there are many marvellous
tal computing and the operation of the which nonetheless are examples of various species with highly
brain, in which each element is con- developed sensory mechanisms. It is
nected to many others. But these are capable of producing specific widely realised that if man tries to
early days in the process; the develop- answers to specific problems imitate nature, then initially his neural
ment of the relevant computing techni- network creations will he vastly
ques is a hare 50 years old, while inferior, even if to him they appear
natural networks have been around superbly clever.
slightly longer. The human brain has been referred
The first man-made computers were to as "the neural network which
111JIL 49 -10~..-
essentially fast adding machines. While already works". Figure 1 shows a
there have been vast improvements in magnetic -resonance image of the
processing speeds, memory capacity human brain, superbly indicating even
and programming methods, the pattern fine structures such as the optic nerve
of machine instructions being handled and the pineal gland; it is a superbly
serially by a complex processing unit developed connectionist system. There
has largely persisted.
In the forward march of evolution
there has been a consistent initiative to
t. i,
lul11fl1111111N11
&AL
is therefore no highly localized site of
processing power, although nerve bun-
dles provide important functions for
the routeing of information. For those
who wish to know more about the
function and structure of the brain, the
work of Angevine and CotmanI is
highly recommended reading.
y.. 1
Networks - natural
and otherwise
1 The basic building block in the brain is
the neuron, which can vary consider -
Spectrogram of speech resulting from

representation of speech applied to neu-
ral nets, shown in lower half of screen.
Picture by courtesy of British Telecom
and the University of East Anglia.
. C Pattern recognition being performed by

the WISARD system, developed by
0 Professor Igor Aleksander at Imperial
College.
1

NEURAL NETWORKS
Fig. 1. Magnetic -resonance image of the

human brain showing entry of the spinal O1
. ..
01
t
column into the mid-brain and associated ,,t 001 0.+4
details of the cerebral hemisphere and
cerebellum. Picture courtesy IGE. M
rtCLLt, 1dsT
P PS
ably in type and function but can be TP t -1oe
represented as shown in Fig. 2.

sIrr,LE
Neurons communicate across synapses M.Tt
U
rW
z
Aüit ¿Z!6
c. -M
and receive inputs over larger axon TN
t
t 3
re:.: t 4
connections.
inGS
This collective functioning is deter- 1 Tin( 10E1011«
mined largely by the way in which
neural units are connected physically G[IEPit ELECTPI
together and also in the relative
strengths of the interactions across the
links. The mechanisms whereby cell -
based networks can organize them-
selves to implement such intelligent
functions are as yet very poorly under-
stood. Contributing to the poor under-
standing is the overwhelming complex-
ity of natural neural systems. The
human brain, for example, may have as
many as 109 neurons, each with around
1000 synaptic connections to other
neurons.
Various mathematical models of
neural units which could interact col-
lectively were developed as long ago as Cell body
the 1940s. The role of McCulloch and
Pitts2 was to establish the early formal
rules for abstract connectionist sys-
tems. Later, Hehh3 was to introduce
Synaptic connection
the concept of neurons in the brain
which were fired repeatedly or consis-
tently together, influencing each
other's metabolism and response to
stimuli.
A simple and fairly widely adopted
logical unit of a neural network is
shown in Fig. 3, where the inputs A, B
and C take the values 0 or 1. The
values -2, +2.5, and +1 are the so- --Dendrites
called weighting values of the inputs;
so that the sum of inputs into the unit A xon
has value A(-2) +B(+2.5) + C(+1). (Longer distance connection)
If this value is greater than or equal to
2, then the value of the output is 1;
otherwise it remains 0 as outlined in
the table.
Fig. 2. Building blocks of Nature's neural
A B C sum output networks - neurons. Connections are
0 0 0 0 0 made across short-range synaptic links or Inputs Output
0 0 1 1 0 over longer axons. Although only a few
0 1 0 2.5 1 links are shown in the figure. typical
0 1 1 3.5 1 neurons can have around 11)00 links to
1 0 0 -2 o other neurons
1 0 1 -1 o
1 1 0 0.5 o Fig. 3. Simple neural unit consisting of
1.5 0 Note that, to simplify the modelling of three inputs and an output. The unit sums
1 1 1
such systems. each layer only feeds the inputs (0 or 1) and incorporates a
Such logical units form building blocks forward to the next. It is thus relatively specific weighting factor for each input
of much more complex structures. simple to design such network topolo- (-2, +2.5 and +I). The unit's output is
Figure 4a shows a simple two -layer gies, but as the number of units therefore of value I when the summed
association of units, while the system in increases, so too does the number of value is greater than or equal to its
Fig. 4h has a so-called hidden layer. weighting connections. Figure 5 indi- threshold value (2)
ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD 187

March 1990
NEURAL NETWORKS
Outputs the training process is termed "anneal-

ing".
The field of neural network research
now reveals a diversification of net-
work models and associated training
methods. Work at Imperial College
London has, for example, developed
Inputs ram -based network models, where the
output value of the ram neuron is a
`
Outputs look -up value corresponding to the
address data presented to the input 10 20 30 W 50 60 MOO 90
lines of the unit. Nor* o,foseff.
1' frfil%
/iilj4
Hidden layer
+,+'i!
As the field develops, a particular
model and training method which once
provided a solution to a specific prob-
lem can he replaced by a more efficient
Fig. 5. For the configuration of Fig. 4(b),
the graph shows the rapid increase in the
number of network connections with the
number of input stages. Systems to he
model/training algorithm. As networks
simulated must therefore be kept to a
Inputs become more complex and contain
sensible size.
more weighting values for estimation,
Fig. 4. Simple. trio -layer forward -feed the emphasis on speed of network
network at (a) and at (b) a three -layer analysis will become even more criti-
network with a "hidden" middle layer. cal. Neural networks, however, will being undertaken at the University of
Some complex problems can only he not be used to duplicate what present- York.
solved by the inclusion of such layers day silicon circuitry already does well. Other associated application areas
Exact numerical representation and include classification of aircraft radar
cates the number of weights required manipulation will remain the remit of signals and automatic guidance systems
for anetwork for the configuration of conventional digital computers. It is for road vehicles. The ALVINN vehi-
Fig. 4b as a function of the number of very clear, however, that digital com- cle at Carnegie-Mellon University,
input units. Neural networks which are puters are an essential tool for the aided by three Sun computers. can as
more complex can undertake more implementation of neural network yet only achieve a maximum driverless
sophisticated tasks, though this is com- solutions, both through their use to speed of 0.5m/s, but that may change.
pensated for by the much higher num- determine weighting factors and also to All these examples represent only a
ber of weighting values which have to undertake simulations. One of the very small range of applications which
be calculated. limiting factors in the current develop- are being developed in this one area.
This process of selecting weighting ment of parallel, connectionist neural
values so that a network performs well networks is indeed the availability of Speech recognition. Significant work
defined tasks, translating input values sufficiently powerful serial digital com- has also been undertaken in the field of
to output values, is called "training". puters; solutions which take a Sun speech recognition -
an area which
The significant recent advance in neu- workstation several hours would poses perhaps one of the greatest chal-
ral networks has undoubtedly been the occupy a PC for days on end. There is a lenges to neural network technology.
development of general-purpose train- finite level of complexity, however, Various researchers are undertaking
ing algorithms. beyond which even the mightiest com- what could be described as an incre-
One of the first training algorithms puter grinds to a halt. mental approach, where each advance
was the hack -propagation method. in performance brings the ultimate
Typically, all the weighting values Applying neural networks solution closer, though each improve-
would be set initially to random values, Neural networks are being widely ment does not yet yield a practical
a specific weighting element then being investigated in the area of pattern solution.
selected and the errors between recognition, one obvious form of which An interesting project staged by the
desired and observed outputs determi- being that of recognition of human Carnegie-Mellon University and ATR
ned for an input training set. The value faces. This highlights the fact that Research Laboratories in Osaka high-
of weighting value selected would he conventional digital computers have lights one promising way forward in
that which gave minimum error not yet proved entirely satisfactory in offering a solution for efficient real-
between the desired output and the solving such problems. time speech -decoding facilities. The
observed output. Now software pro- Neural network technology is being frequency spectrum of speech is dyna-
ducts such as NeuralWare's set of used, for example. in the validation of mically analysed at lOms intervals over
neural -network -configured programs written signatures. the recognition of 16 separate frequency bands, so that
are available for use with an IBM PC. character patterns in the postal service the input to the network is a rapidly
A range of public -domain software and even in the recognition of star changing window of sampled data.
offerings is also available. patterns for on -board satellite naviga- Using this system, a range of networks
Networks usually converge with tion. The WISARD pattern recogni- was developed to differentiate Japane-
training to a stable solution. Often it is tion system developed further at Impe- se consonants. The approach of solving
relevant to introduce random noise rial College under the direction of more difficult tasks just by implement-
into the weighting values to "bounce" Professor Igor Aleksander has been ing more complex networks proved
the network out of a less than optimal developed using their specific ram somewhat counter -productive. In
solution. This process of introducing model of the neural unit. Pattern rec- going from a conventional network to
noise and reducing its amplitude during ognition involving ram -based nets is recognise G, D and B to one to

NEURAL NETWORKS
recognise B, D, G, P, T and K, the size

Vdd Vdd
of the network increased from 6000
connections to 000; training
18 VVdd
TIk
required some 18 of supercompu-
days Buffer
ter time. A modular construction. Synaptic RC discharge 14-
however, which identified consonant weight Ilk
I
groupings and then specific consonants
within a grouping proved more effi-
cient, leading eventually to the dyna-
mic identification of all 16 Japanese
consonant sounds for a single control-
Presynaptic
led speaker. The skill of problem
state VI
design is therefore of paramount
importance when tackling more com- Bias voltage
plex network problems and this modu-
lar approach will doubtless be a feature
of other application areas.
Considerable interest is being shown
ín the useof voice recognition systems Fig. 6. Neural unit, where incoming pulse comparisons between conventional
by telecommunications companies, no train is width modulated by weighting expert systems and connective equiva-
doubt in order to allow a patient, non- voltage. Output voltage of the unit is lents. One relevant exception, howev-
human listening service to differentiate stored in charge held on output stage er, is that of a specific system for
between "yes" and "no" and other forecasting solar flare activity at Col-
responses not remotely like either. undertaken by Fujitsu on speech pro- orado University. Using an identical
Several projects in British Telecom's duction, indicates how much the subject data set, the performance of
CONNEX neural network initiative has advanced in a relatively short time.
THEONET. a neural -network imple-
relate to voice recognition. Specific neural topologies whose inputs mentation, was found to be at least as
It is not surprising, therefore, that and outputs are not simply 0 or are
1
good as a previous expert -system solu-
there is significant interest from the life selected to learn analogue data more
tion called THEO. While the perform-
sciences in discovering the ways in accurately and a more efficient training ance of the two systems may have been
which natural networks implement algorithm than hack -projection allows similar, the connective solution was
highly complex tasks. This confirms more stable solutions to be derived. implemented in less than a week, while
that research in neural networks has The NETtalk system was a signifi-
THEO had required more than a man
expanded far beyond the narrow con- cant initial demonstration of the ability
year of work to implement. The poten-
fines of computer science. The emer- of neural networks to respond to a tial, therefore, for developing connec-
gent subject of cognitive science is a training set. Progressive training of a tive expert systems is being taken very
much more wide-ranging discipline and NETtalk configuration could he
seriously.
employs the skills of mathematicians, demonstrated as a transition from the
neurohiologists, neurophysiologists, initial babbling of the untrained net-
psychologists and electronics work through to the highly recognis- Hardware
engineers. able speech obtained after extensive To date, most functioning neural -
Another area of significant activity is training of the system. Also, NETtalk network systems exist as software
the use of neural networks to reprodu- indicated the essential resilience of a simulations on a variety of digital com-
ce speech from text, for which there neural network. If, for example, cer- puter systems. This represents a major
are applications such as the quoting of tain weighting connections were given gap between theory and application,
stock market prices over the telephone random values, the performance of the though hardware implementation of
and also in improved man/machine network could be heard to have been neural network topologies has as a
dialogue in industry and commerce. degraded, although it was not rendered result become a major area of
Speech continues to be an amalgam inoperative; with additional training, endeavour.
of well established rules and a large the system was heard to recover its Part of the problem of implementing
number of exceptions and special performance. hardware -based networks lies in the
cases. Numerous systems using con- conflicting demands of massive connec-
ventional digital computers and phon- Expert systems. The role of neural tivity between neural elements and the
eme reconstruction methods have of networks as a means of implementing degree of resolution required in the
course already been developed. On a expert systems is one which has caused setting of values of weighting links.
base of the initial work by developers considerable interest, some annoyance Many networks, for example, require
of NETtalk at Johns Hopkins Universi- and a certain amount of confusion. The at least a l0bit resolution in weighting
ty, work is being undertaken using ability of a neural network to solve a values to implement training algor-
neural networks at a number of cen- specific problem, producing as it were ithms effectively. Also, development
tres, no doubt to produce the ultimate a black -box solution where the mode of has largely been directed towards solu-
human voice beloved of science fiction producing answers is not clearly under- tions which can be dynamically
writers who have perhaps prepared us stood, goes against the traditional atti- updated, in contrast to systems which
for the prospect of failing to differenti- tude of scientists who are used to have, for example, fixed -value laser -
ate between natural and synthesized understanding the tools and methods trimmed resistive networks.
speech. they use. Hardware implementation of ram -
Work in progress, such as that being It is usually difficult to make valid based models has an immediate advan-
189
March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD
NEURAL NETWORKS
tage in terms of availability of VLSI ing to develop adaptive hardware net- References
chip -fabrication facilities. Greatest works, which will embody learning I. J.B. Angevinc and C.W. Colman, Princi-
effort is being expended in developing facilities to train their neural set dyna- ples of Neuroanatomy. Oxford University
Press. 1981
systems which use analogue circuit mically. This will not only allow such 2. W. McCulloch and W. Pitts. A logical calcu-
elements. The approach adopted by systems to become much more self lus of the ideas immanent in nervous activity.
several groups, including those at contained, but it should be possible to Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics, 1943: 5:
Edinburgh University and AT & T train them significantly faster than I15-133
Laboratories, is the use of mos charge equivalent software simulations. 3. D.O. l-lehh, The organisation of
storage as the means of dynamically The work is spread from the one- behaviour, Wiley, New York. 1949
updating individual weighting values or man -and -his -PC type of activity up to Further reading
storing the outputs of individual ana- the extensive R and D facilities of large D.E. Rumelhan, G.E. Hinton and R.J. Wil-
logue neurons. Innovative analogue corporations. The major developments liams, Learning internal representations by
circuit designers are therefore at a have to date, however, largely origin- error propagation. in Parallel Distributed Pro-
premium in this field at present. ated from the outstanding work of cessing: Explorations in the Microstructures of
In the Edinburgh group's approach, individuals infused with original ideas. Cognition. Volume I. MIT Press, pp318-362.
1986
voltage weighting values are imple- In the UK, several large companies T.J. Sejnowski and C.R. Rosenberg, Parallel
mented by off-chip D -to-A converters have recently offered support for a networks that learn to pronounce english text
and used to width -modulated incoming Technology Club, founded by Univer- (NETtalk), Complex Systems, I. 1987, 145-168
pulses. Input pulses and modulated sity College, London and the software A. Waibel, Consonant recognition by modular
pulses are integrated with opposite houses Logica and SD to promote the construction of large phonemic time -delay
sense at an output charge -retaining implementation of neural -network neural networks, in Advances in Neural Infor-
mation Processing Systems 1: editor D.S.
stage, so that for weighting voltages of technology. Also, the Annie project in Touretzky, pp232-239. Morgan Kaufmann,
around 2V the output voltage remains neural networks is being funded as part 1988
stable when the unit receives trains of of the European esprit initiative. T. Kohonen, The neural phonetic typewriter,
input pulses. For values between 2 and Computer, 21, 11-22, 1988
3V output neural voltage increases, A.F. Murray, A. Hamilton and L. Taras-
while for between I and 2V it senko, Programmable analogue pulse firing
neural networks, in Advances in Neural Infor-
decreases. Such a neural unit is illus- mation Processing Systems I: editor D.S.
trated in Fig. 6. Touretzky. pp671-677. Morgan Kaufmann,
Numerous researchers are also seek- 1988
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ARTIFICIAL
Tom IvaII reports on
the IEEE conference,
which reflected the
NEU AL
connectionist
approach to Al
The artificial neural network -
NET ORKS Fa
c,* o
an electronic system of inter-
a m O C:i ZObCaórl
,-'23 f ...
connected elements proces- '
Cl
:: .. :.ú
sing information in parallel - ó
°-w. 11:1 clo
t. -
r_ r
-
may yet prove to be a solution ,
in search of real problems. After more .,o

P
than four decades of research and the
publication of what must be thousands
7 2 R1 14111,
of papers, not to mention dozens of ñ} ',t;7 i`j
-
.
rtilr
books, this so-called `connectionist' `
br-
o,: '
computing technique doesn't seem to

have found an application niche where
its performance is clearly superior to Mtcaz9 t°t .2 .g +wiC 11.11:5
those of conventional analogue or digi- r .7''+'. °. 3l i7 J 7 1.1 Cc3 14 11. a ? ©r
tal processing methods. M M 121 a1 VS ffi
9.1,4V11`13 M1-43123=# b
A recent IEE international confer-
`:«,f
ence on ANNs, as they are known, 0
, .,`1?, =i9i b(
,,.
1111.
added a further 90 papers to the existing

uwasa
swollen corpus of literature. And this
after about the same number had been
. 7;:1+4iWITAI
i gnu Mr
ti? 11,
" `
rejected. But the philosopher's stone .
has not yet been discovered.
,
.
t'.41i,. +
,
49
n4;ngl6g
In spite of endless permutations of

network topologies, interconnections,
element characterstics, training algor-
, wezn
ithms and so on, the magic formula - of

a really useful technique -did not reveal
itself. That's not to say it won't appear automatic speech recognition on the 1(a). This is the multilayer perception,
eventually. audio side and various visual tasks such an analogue network derived from the
Charles Goodyear discovered how to as optical character recognition, robot original Rosenblatt single -layer percep-
vulcanize rubber not by science but just control, tracking human face move- tron of 1959. Its input terminals receive
dogged experimentation. This could ments and identifying features of land- signals in parallel which are features of
happen with the neural network. scapes. Essentially the signal processing the subject being analysed such as filter-
These remarks are prompted by the functions needed are discrimination bank outputs in speech recognition and
many conference papers devoted to and classification. This also applies to pixel values from two-dimensional
'toy' problems -originated in the labor- pattern recognition tasks not working image sources. The outputs give para-
atory rather than the outside world. on sense data but on other electrical llel data which is some function of the
They came largely from the 22 British signals. Examples include radar, elec- inputs and is meaningful as an interpre-
and 16 foreign universities making con- tromyograph, digital telecoms, naviga- tation of the input pattern.
tributions. Industrial R&D labs were in tional hearing and non-destructive test- Between inputs and outputs are seve-
a minority. Of course, some of these ing signals. ral layers of interconnected computing
'toy' problems could have been dis- elements or `neurons'. The output of
guised versions of military require- every neuron element ín a layer is
ments, as an MoD man hinted. Network topologies connected through adjustable weight-
Pattern recognition seems to he the A network topology used in many of the ing (multiplying) circuits to the inputs of
most promising field. This encompasses reported experiments is shown in Fig. all the neurons in the next layer. Each
191
Learning and training The multilayer perceptron is an
But a highly important feature of this example of a so-called 'feedforward'
kind of network (and others) is that the network. Other ANNs discussed at the
adjustable weights may be used to make conference have 'feedback' topologies.
it 'learn' a required relationship of the Here the output of each neuron is fed
output to the input. In speech recogni- back to all other neurons via the synap-
tion, for example, it can learn to pro- tic weighting circuits. The I lopfield
duce an output digital code represent- feedback network operates on binary
ing a text word when a particular audio input signals and has stimulated a lot of
signal spectral pattern is applied to the recent work, especially in VLSI imple-
The philosopher's inputs. mentation. It can be used as an associa-
tive or content-addressable memory. in
stone is still to be To achieve this, 'training' is neces-
sary, with back propagation of error, in which storage locations are identified
discovered... the current ANN jargon. With input by their content rather than by their
physical address. Thus the input signals
signals applied and arbitrary initial
weight settings, the resulting output can be an incomplete or noise -
computing element Fig. 1(b) is an elec- corrupted binary pattern to be recog-
tronic circuit which sums the weighted signals are compared with the desired
output signals for that relationship. The nised, and the network uses this infor-
input voltages. applies a threshold and mation to address the storage location
passes the result through a non linearity error between them is measured and
used to adjust automatically the weight to which the correct, complete pattern
to give an output voltage which is one of
settings so that the mean squared error has been supplied.
two states (on or off). Depending on the
function is minimised. A learning algorithm can be used on
sum of the weighted inputs, it either this feedback network in much the same
'fires' or doesn't, rather like a biological This is achieved step by step (itera-
tively) with repeated applications of the way as outlined above for the feedfor-
neuron responding to excitatory and ward multilayer perceptron. Such a net-
inhibitory stimuli at its synapses. input signals. When there are no further
changes in the neuron outputs the sys- work tends to find stable configurations
Thus the network maps the array of of taught patterns from incomplete
inputs on the array of outputs. The tem has completely converged and the
desired overall input-output relation- inputs of such patterns.
actual input-output relationship is A third kind of ANN topography is
encoded in the various adjustable ship is established.
called the self -organizing feature map.
weights in the interconnections. With Here the 'map' is a two-dimensional
enough neurons any input-output rela- array of neurons. It organizes itself -
tionship can he achieved by suitable Fig. I. Principle of multilayer perception without the supervised learning descri-
choice of these synaptic weights. A is shown at (a). Numbers of layers, bed above - so that clusters of neurons
visual labelling network developed by neurons in a layer and values of weights in particular neighbourhoods of the
British Aerospace, for example, has 89 are all variable. Each neuron (b) in this array are activated in response to parti-
neurons in the input layer, 16 in the network computes the sum of the cular features of the input data. Thus
middle, hidden layer, and two neurons weighted inputs, applies a threshold and for speech recognition the network
in the output layer. gives a two -state output signal. could end up with a fixed relationship
between a particular input phoneme
and a physical localized area in the two-
OUTPUTS dimensional array.
This is comparable to what happens
IIAny number) when sensory stimuli activate biological
Output layer
neurons in the cortex of the brain. For
Adjustable example, individual audio frequencies
weights evoke responses in neurons at particu-
lar anatomical locations. Thus the self -
Hidden layer
organizing feature map can be used for
classification on the basis of the spatial
positions of clusters of firing neurons.
Professor T. Kohonen of Helsinki
Input layer University. the originator of this techni-
que, showed a video demonstrating an
experiment on speech recognition. As
each word was spoken into a micropho-
ne, a wriggly bright trace weaved briefly
COMPUTING among the corresponding letters of the
Non -linearity
4 4 4 4 'NEURON' Threshold
Sum of weighted inputs
alphabet displayed in two dimensions
Inputs
on a CRT screen.
ta) Apart from their topology, ANNs
-(multipliers)
A.wis.
can be categorised in several other
ways: analogue or digital input: super-
IAny number of inputs) vised (trained) or unsupervised learn-
lb) ing; and the characteristics of the elec-
tronic neurons.

Their performance varies too. It
emerged at the conference that multi - Holograms
layer percept rons have a rapid response
in operation but need a lot of training iPhotodetector
time. Many of the systems described array
have not been built in hardware but ,Modulator array
merely simulated on conventional
Modulators
sequential (Von Neumann) computers. `Hologram 'array
Here the modelling process takes a
great deal of time, especially for train- Thin light beams
ing, but research at University College
Swansea showed how it could be
speeded up by using a parallel array of
transputers (at least seven) for simula-
Photodetectors
tion.
One class of networks which seems to
stand out operates digitally and makes
use of standard, commercial logic chips.
In this it has the edge on simulations and Fig.2. Optical interconnection of two In such a pulse stream the width of
special VLSI still under development. VLSI layers of CMOS neurons aims to each pulse is multiplied by a fraction.
An early British example was the achieve high network integration densi- representing the weight value, stored as
Wisard optical pattern recognition ty and connectivity. an analogue voltage on a capacitor. This
machine devised at Brunel University in weight voltage is refreshed from an off -
1981. This uses simple rams as the claimed to he faster than in the back - chip via a D -to -A converter and is
computing elements, which are con- propagation method. Also, with this therefore programmable.
nected to provide discrimination in a kind of neuron, rather than the Wisard Definitely a blue-sky project is a
parallel, neural -like network. one, the typical characteristics of multi - proposal to interconnect VLSI network
In each ram 'neuron' the address layer perceptrons and other established layers optically, by multiple thin light
terminals form the multiple inputs while topologies are said to he obtainable. beams, rather than by conventional
the data output terminal provides the And there is the advantage of being able conductors. STC Technology and Edin-
output. Before training these rams pro- to use off -the -shelf digital logic devices burgh University reported some experi-
duce only logical Os, then logical is as as components. mental work on this hybrid of semicon-
the system learns to recognize optical But apart from this use of standard ductor and optoelectronic technology.
patterns. Operating on 512 - 512 pixel chips, the business of constructing Figure.2 shows the basic principle of
images in 1/25th second and using ANNs emerged largely as a matter of interconnecting two ANN layers of sili-
250,01111 neurons, the Wisard has been designing special VLSI devices. Several con VLSI neurons. In each layer an
built into commercial vision systems by universities are working on integrated external incident light source is modula-
Computer Recognition Systems of mosfet technology to mimic neurons ted by liquid -crystal cells driven by the
Wokingham, Berks. But topologically and synapses and produce analogue outputs of CMOS neurons.
this device does not resemble the multi - adders. multipliers, threshold detectors The reflected light from the modula-
layer perceptron of Hopfield ANNs and storage elements. Multiplication tor is split and deflected into multiple
previously mentioned. for weighting is a real problem because thin beams by a hologram to produce a
A recent development from this it needs a lot of transistors and therefore fan -out as shown. These interconnec-
logic -based approach is a new form of silicon area. tion beams fall onto photodiode detec-
neuron element called a probabilistic tors in the next layer. The outputs of the
logic node. As explained by Professor I. Not conventional photodetectors are then amplified to
Aleksander of Imperial College, Lon- An unusual solution reported by A.F. form input signals to the CMOS
don, this kind of neuron makes possible Murray of Edinburgh University is to neurons in that layer.
weightless ANNs. Essentially it is prob- use streams of pulses to represent infor-
The idea is to get a large number of
abilistic in function. mation instead of the conventional ana- neurons on a single chip - 256 on lcm2 is
The ram, instead of storing just a 0 or logue or digital voltage levels. The pulse suggested - and also achieve high con-
l output in response to each input signal repetition frequency is varied, rather nectivity between layers. This is possi-
pattern, stores an n -bit number which like the variable firing rate in biological ble because the necessary summing for
represents the probability of that neurons. each neuron and the multiplication for
neuron's firing. For example, if the weighting the neuron inputs is done
number of hits n x 3, then a range of through the light beams themselves. So
there is no need for adders and multi-
(decimal) probability values between 0
and 7 can he stored in a ram location. So
T he ram is off to see pliers integrated on the chip, and silicon
area is saved.
if value 4 is stored, the probability of the Wisard... Two light intensities are added when
firing is 4/7 or, more conventionally,
0.57. the two beams fall on the same photo-
ANNs built from such neurons can be detctor. Multiplication is achieved
trained. Here, the progressive weight when the same light beam is consecu-
adjustment in perceptrons is replaced tively reflected off two liquid crystal
by updating the contents of the ram modulators: the reflection coefficients
neurons. Learning from errors is of the two modulators are multiplied.
19_
March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD+ WIRELESS WORLD
I
c .. c aim
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ar 45, ra .
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IV ,v3:1
studying methods of reproduc-

n r un 0s n ro.
ii-
ing the way the human brain
works, using conventional com-
25% .
puter hardware components, my i$ 1@16bl-1 1C 96 10
philosophy has been to try to ,,?{bl1M 1By/+
arrange a series of look -up tables which
';MYaiL /,Ml7yR}c¡s
mown
tS AN{ilr`
3C
act at progressively higher levels until
::+2FtEti ;B;§
the desired result has been obtained.
' % as i° .
r ..4G`
..°31.1a Si6 Qi I'rr3 55
The result of my efforts has not yet
7,;
.
SF. ' l.C1 t4s 14 MY q`

been a reproduction of the human
brain in hardware, but a hypothesis of 4S3XJ,; Y4 0
how it operates. I have never come :. ' 311,,9lrt '1C7b.;,
across a hypothesis which answers as 111%11 tá
3C ' 15 `C ta
many questions (to me at least) so I V.!$C~ 19J3C,Cq 1521313I ..
offer my thoughts on the subject for .:1 iic at2t

comment and criticism.
One way of studying how the human
brain works is to see how it evolved.
Here, I will attempt to give a summary
of the stages which led to its evolution.
Development of the brain

All animals, from the simplest to the
most complex, must eat to live. The
I
first simple animals discriminated
EL
between food and non-food items with Wilfred James propounds his view that
their primitive digestive systems. The
next stage of development enabled the intelligence can be reduced to the two
simple animal to discriminate between
food and non-food before it was ing-
faculties of pattern recognition and
ested and to do this, the primitive memory, as a prelude to modelling the
animal had to he able to remember the
difference. This type of animal had the process in hardware.
first external sensor coupled to an
internal memory unit. Further evolu- The simplest memory system which tures of the previous stage. Pointers
tion resulted in progressive enhance- could be developed would be one along the way include the use of
ments of the sensor and memory unit which is directly linked to the sensors camouflage by zebras and the eye
combination because they were advan- themselves; there is no advantage in markings on butterfly wings: both fea-
tageous. Each enhancement enabled separating the sensor and memory tures evolved to counter a predator's
the animal to find food more easily so functions more than is necessary. If ability to recognise visual patterns.
that it could grow more rapidly and one considers the first life -form which Wherever you look you will see that
have more offspring. was able to recognise a shape or a the animal world relies on patterns.
The first sensor would have been a pattern, it is safe to assume that its eye
chemical discriminator which develo- sensors were linked to a set of memory Intelligence
ped over time to become a sense of cells which were an extension of the In this very brief survey of the evolu-
smell; where one sensor provided an eye itself. These pattern -memory cells tion of the brain I have not mentioned
evolutionary advantage, two were even would be linked in turn to a group of intelligence. I have tried to work out
better. Detection of light was possibly cells which were associated with the where, in the path of evolution, one
the next stage in evolution and, as with experience memory. A pattern match could say that intelligence originated
the development of smell, each step could have either a good (food) or a and have come to the conclusion that
resulted in an improvement in the bad (predator) association and could there was no point when it provided an
sensor and a corresponding increase in he as simple as a sudden change in light evolutionary advantage. Since evolu-
the number of memory cells needed to level or the outline of a particular tion exploits advantageous develop-
identify and remember what the sensor shape. ments, intelligence has never develo-
detected. An advantage is gained if the The rest of the stages of evolution of ped.
animal can learn from experience - a the brain itself do not need much Obviously, there is something which
process which requires even more description. Each stage of develop- everyone calls intelligence, or the word
memory. ment has incorporated the best fea- would never have been coined in hun-
194
ELECTRON ICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990
NEURAL NETWORKS
dreds of languages. If we take a step or subtractions of combinations of 0 to 9

three back along the evolutionary path, and the concept of the carry. With
we can identify two advantageous faci- these patterns memorized, it is possible
lities- pattern recognition and mem- 63 to learn the rest of the rule patterns of
ory. I think I can show that what is data arithmetic.
lines Algebra is just a method of showing
called intelligence is only a combina-
tion of these two facilities. arithmetical patterns by alternative
generalized patterns. Since mathema-
Patterns and language tics operates under strict fixed rules
(patterns), advancement in maths
The ability to read is based on being Fig. 1. Optical character recogniser depends on learning a wide vocabulary
able to recognise word patterns; to input unit; typical arrangement for a 7 of algebraic patterns which can be
learn a foreign language, one has to x 9matrix. Each photocell connected recalled for use when needed. Every
learn the patterns of the foreign words. step in any calculation is based on the
separately. Optical fibre could be used
As one becomes more proficient in a use of patterns, ranging from the sim-
to link photocells to image plane.
foreign language, one learns more ple multiplication table to the concepts
expressions which are not directly of calculus. We cannot calculate with-
translatable between two languages, the person concerned has recorded
out using look -up table methods and
but relate to abstract patterns associ- many patterns, then he is thought of as
our digital computers are programmed
ated with the language. Some of these being highly intelligent. If, on the other
to use the same methods to do calcula-
non -translatable patterns become hand, pattern association is not well tions.
transferred - glasnost, reggae, hambur- developed or the person has not
ger, savoir faire, le weekend - the learned a wide range of patterns, he is
patterns relating to the region where regarded as being mentally subnormal. Artificial intelligence
they occur most often. Language is The process by which a pattern is If there isn't such a thing as human
only a part of pattern recognition, but learned is mysterious, or education intelligence, there can't be such a thing
it is a tool which has developed to would be simplified. However, there
as artificial intelligence. Even so, since
enable the concept of a pattern to be are several points which are worthy of
pattern -association ability is called
transmitted in an abstract form from note: firstly, a pattern is learned intelligence in humans, the same thing
one human to another. through necessity if one's life depends must be true for machines. Von
It is said that a picture is worth a on it; secondly, a pattern is learned Neumann serial processing machines
thousand words. Here, it is even easier through repeated exposure to it; third- cannot provide a practical basis for any
to see what concept is being dealt with ly, a pattern is learned if it fills an form of "real" artificial intelligence
without the need for an abstract obvious gap or solves a mystery; four- because they do not have a large-scale
description. Until the advent of photo- thly, a pattern is more easily learned if
pattern -recognition capability. A
graphy just over 100 years ago there it is associated in some way with machine which emulates the way a
was no way of showing what something pleasure. (All teachers should remem-
human brain works must therefore
looked like except by a drawing, paint- ber this!)
operate in a parallel manner.
ing or statue. But most of us are quite Associative links between patterns Much of what is called parallel pro-
happy to accept outline drawings as depend firstly on the number of pat- cessing is, in fact, a number of sections
representations of things. A good car- terns learned and secondly on the of a serial process being dealt with
toonist can capture the look of a person connectiveness of the memory cells,
simultaneously. True parallel proces-
so that the drawing is instantly recog- which may be inherited or acquired.
sing is used in neural networks and a
nisable; the amount of detail shown is For most people, there is some link
few other specialized machines, but it
only a very small amount of that which between the pleasure centre and the
has been given much less exposure
would be contained in a photograph. "gap filling" aspect of learning -pattern
than serial processing in the technical
Even if the shape is very distorted it linking. The extent to which this link-
press.
can still he recognisable. ing operates is a guide to the motiva-
A parallel processor can handle a
We obviously have an advanced tion of the person concerned; the very large number of simultaneous
pattern -recognition and storage sys- popularity of puzzles indicates that pattern inputs and produce a secondary
tem, which uses the minimum of mem- most of us enjoy filling in gaps. If the
set of patterns which relate to the
ory to record the main features of gap -filling pattern offered matches
inputs. In turn, these secondary pat-
whatever is represented. This in itself existing patterns, it is accepted as being terns can he processed again to pro-
must he an evolutionary advantage; the valid and true - if it does not, it is taken
duce tertiary patterns and so on. After
more compactly data can be stored, the to be false.
several stages, the complex set of pat-
more can be stored within a limited terns will be resolved as one pattern,
space. The creature which can record Humans cannot calculate which will he recognised as being the
and recall the greatest number of pat- Wherever one looks, every so-called logical conclusion. This final pattern
terns is evolutionarily superior. intelligent function can be explained by could be a demand for more input or a
pattern linking. It is impossible for the prompt for an action.
Pattern association human brain to perform the simplest There have been several attempts to
The next step is a secondary memory calculation. Every so-called calculation devise neural networks which can per-
process to associate one pattern with is a series of look -ups of memorized form the recognition function. Most of
another, which has to be developed if a patterns. Learning multiplication these have been based on the intercon-
person is to show any signs of intelli- tables by rote follows the memoriza- nection of a relatively limited number
gence. If it is very well developed and tion of other patterns - additions and of memory cells and cross -linking cells.
195
NEURAL NETWORKS
reduces 33 bits to 24 bits, a fourth stage

22 bits to 16 hits and a fifth stage also
reduces 22 bits to 16 bits; the "lost" hits
in the mapping of some stages to lower
stages can be picked up in the later
stages. The final result is 16 bits, eight
of which identify the character; the
other eight bits can he used to indicate
vertical or lateral displacement, type
face, size, and the reliability of the
recognition process.
Everyone who has some knowledge
of maths will immediately ask: "Where
has all the lost information gone?" The
answer is that nothing has been lost
because it wasn't there in the first
place. Although 63 bits represent an
incredibly huge number in binary
terms, (9.2233720418), in practical
terms they can only represent a few
hundred generally recognisable pat-
terns. If we look at the way the chips
are programmed in each stage, we will
be able to see that the problem is not
losing information, but sorting out the
difference between valid information
and that which is useless.
Assume that each of the first set of
chips is programmed with the numbers
0 to 255 in sequence for 2(148 bytes.
The hit pattern repeats eight times in
each chip. It is therefore possible to
have eight different inputs on each chip
which could give the same desired
output. This duplication problem
In an effort to avoid the problem of Fig. 1. Recogniser input stage mapping repeats itself at each stage until it
making a complex network of such to suit a 7 x 9 optical unit. Timing reaches the final stage, which is prog-
cells from discrete components, I have controlled by serial processor to enable rammed with what is being "seen", so a
tried to use ordinary memory chips. successive pairs of'stages. Each chip
letter A would he programmed to he
01(10 (1001 (41H) and a letter a would
My resources have not yet enabled me programmed with arbitrary sequence
be 0110 (MXII (61H). Because of numer-
to produce a working machine, but I ofnumbers and always in "read "stale.
think 1 have worked out the principles Inputs are address lines - outputs data ous duplications of numbers in the
which will enable such a machine to be lines. lower stages, there will be thousands of
produced. combinations which will also produce
I will attempt to explain these in
the same output. These unwanted com-
roman characters and arabic numbers binations cannot he identified easily in
terms which are familiar to those who
can he achieved with a 7 x 9 matrix; advance, so a secondary process is
have worked with the standard chips
such a matrix is made up of 63 pixels. A needed to ensure that they have no
which make up a microprocessor com-
machine which will instantly recognise effect; this process is, in essence, the
puter. Please note that I have used the a character shown by such a display
ASCII code only because most readers reverse of the input process. The
must therefore have 63 inputs, one for desired output is used to drive rams/
will be familiar with it. Any other
each pixel. Recognition of the charac- roms to reproduce the matrix, which
arbitrary numbering system is equally ter can be signified by the generation of
valid. I refer to a 2K x 8bit chip like should cause the desired output.
the equivalent ASCII code for the This reproduced matrix is compared
the 6116 for the same reason. Readers
character. with the input matrix on a bit -by -bit
may like to imagine other memory
Only a few hundred different charac- basis. A 100% match is obviously
structures using any feasible type of ters are needed. so a mapping process
static ram chip. desirable, but in the real world, a 90%
which will transform 63 inputs to eight match is likely to be more than suffi-
outputs would be suitable. This could cient to identify a wanted pattern. The
Character recognition be done with 2K static ram/rom chips ratios of the bits and the 0 bits in the
1
The dot-matrix system is now so widely in stages. Six such chips have a total of two matrices are compared and the
used that it needs no, explanation; its 66 address lines and 48 data lines reliability of the recognition is express-
most common use is in printers and between them, which would enable 63 ed as the proportion of bits which are
video displays. Quality of the display bits to he mapped down to 48 bits. A correct. (63 true And gates are
depends on the number of dots used, second stage could use four chips to required, i.e. 0.0=1, 1.1=I, 0.1=0,
but a satisfactory representation of reduce 44 bits to 32 bits; a third stage 1.0=0.)

NEURAL NETWORKS
It can he seen that it is also possible N

4/
to use precisely the same process for

progressively larger numbers of "mis-
c
O
o
Z
V
PV1
U
2-26 4-16
t 5- 13
6-11
sing" bits in the reference matrix. For S

í.L)3 Ñ
E
example, it is fairly easy for a human to C_43 .,.n,..
recognise letters printed on a dot- A_41 29D0820E2D3 6-0-6 -0-61
matrix printer which doesn't print on P_50 3-7 4-6
S_53 5-5 7 4
one of its pins. It would he pointless to
make a character recogniser which
14 3i5 -31
would reject a character which was
D_44 1-10 6 4
N_4E 106744 3-6 4-5
printed with this fault because it would A_41 2-?
only have limited usefulness. This 10 5-0-4 -- 51 5-4
method of character recognition can be S_53
D_44 7-3
extended to cover larger matrices to R_52 579F4A 253 2-6 3-5
allow larger, smaller and displaced 0_4F 4-4
letters to be recognised. An 18 x 14 W_57 6-3
matrix would permit a 50% displace- A 2i3 -21 2-5 3-4
'Roget
F_46 5-3 numbers
ment of a 9 x 7 character within its 0_4F 27C6
field of view in any direction, or deal 7 4i2 - 41 4-3
with characters which are twice the size E_45 1-5 2-4 7-2
of the original. N_4E 9926745 3-3
The basic programming of such a
I _49 6-2
L _4C 1-4 5-2
character recognition unit would be 2 1-0-1 -11 2-3
4-2
done manually, but the rest of the A _41 41
variations - dots missing, size and 3-2
displacement - could be handled by a E
2-2
microprocessor. As soon as one of U 7-1
,nv 6-1
these units has been made and prog- 4-1 5-1
C 3-1 8-20
rammed, the contents of the various
ram chips can he copied into eproms or E
CP
O
á
tv 2-I
O O
roms for the mass production of char- Word recognisers for
"- a;0,
acter recognisers. Ú N words of 1-20 characters
Cognic processing
áóE>
>
O c
This is the term I have coined to refer 1/6in rectangle, a whole line of typewri- Fig. 4. Word recogniser identifies word
to a processing method which uses an ter type could be read at once. If a endings by followingspaces. Here, 7-bit
input system based on the principles of ASCII codes produce numbers to
character recogniser identifies a letter
the character recogniser I have just
with sufficient accuracy, it can produce represent words. Logic unit identifies
described. For simplicity, I will con- word length and position on line,
an output hit which flags this fact and a
tinue to assume that the patterns to be group of adjacent recognisers which selecting next word recogniser available
recognised are characters, but any type which matches word length.
have set flags are assumed to have
of meaningful input pattern can be identified a word; a recogniser which
used, including sound patterns. position number of a word's terminat-
identifies a blank area will set a "no
ing space character, which simplifies
character" space flag instead. In the
Word recognition assumption that ASCII code is being
the switching needed to connect a
If a row of 80 character recognisers was group of character recogniser outputs
used to identify the characters, a word
made so that they covered an 8in x to a word recogniser input. The process
will consist of a number which is made
of reducing a large binary number to a
up of the ASCII codes of its letters. A
smaller one which has a pre -defined
Typeface etc. word could be of any length, but the
Optical meaning has been covered in the
63 to 16 8 number of positions on the line is
input
63 Bits Mapper character-recognition process.
63 8 limited to 80, one of which must be a
pixels ASCII No. space for a word end to be identified. It
63 is therefore assumed that a word can Meanings of words
Bits have from to 79 letters. The recogni-
1 There is no universally agreed way of
tion of words uses a similar process to classifying words in order except alpha-
Comparator
that which is used for letters; all the betically, but this order has no meaning
Recognition Reliable
words on a line will he recognised and is purely arbitrary. One meaning-
63 } signal
Bits simultaneously. ful method of word classification is the
In an 80 -letter line there can he no one used in Roget's Thesaurus. For the
8 Bits ASCII
more than 40 single -letter words, since purpose of explanation, Roget's num-
8 t 63 Mapper
Fig. 3. Character recogniser unit, with
a word must he terminated by a space.
In practice, provision would be made
bers will be used.
There are just over 1000 classifica-
reverse mapping to produce recognition for up to 20 words on a line. The word tions of words. Within each of these
signal. Reverse mapping can be used to recogniser used for any word is classifications all words which have
identify any pattern input. selected by the relative value of the similar or related meanings are listed,

NEURAL NETWORKS
Flags and
values Values Values their meaning in the context of the
1 Noun 1 Relative 1 Roget other concepts, which are part of the
2 Verb 2 Time 2 Number even larger concept pattern which will
3 Adjective 3 Seen 3 A be conveyed by the article.
4 Conjunction 4 4
5 Article 5 5 The article can only be understood if
6 Adverb 6 6 the various concepts it contains overlay
7 Name 7 7
8 Number 8 8 each other in a logical manner. Since it
9 Acronym 1 Roget class 9 is in print, it has the advantage that the
10 Abbreviation 2 Top weighting 10 reader can re -read it if some vital point
11 Intersection 3 1 Roget
12 1 Roget number 1 Roget section 2 Number has been missed.
13 2 1-1024 2 Top weighting 3 B These comments are a description of
14 3 3 4 a pattern which can be duplicated by
15 4 Roget class 5
16 5
1
2 Second weighting 6 using a further extension of the charac-

17 6 3 7 ter and word recognition processes.
18 7 1 Roget section 8
19 8 2 Second weighting 9
20 9 3 10 In context
21 10 1 Roget class 1 Probability The key aspect of this type of pattern is
22 1 W12ghting 2 Third weighting 2 Of
23 2 3 3 Identification time; the meaning of the later parts of
24 3 1 Roget section 4 this article is based on what was written
25 4 2 Third weighting 5 0-127 previously. Parallel input to the recog-
26 5 3 6
27 6 1 Concept number 7 niser I have described must be flagged
28 7 2 In this Context number
1 with the time the information
29 8 3 Text 2 In this
appeared. Concepts of begin, read,
30 1 Ref. number 4 3 Text
31 2 1-8 5 1 Refer to store, continue, until and end are
32 3 6 2 Context already incorporated in existing com-
33 1 Part of phrase 7 3 Number
puter languages. It is therefore logical
Word identification Concept/meaning Context identification to use a serial processor to control the
identification
parallel recognition unit.
words within each classification varying Fig. 5. Stages in "understanding"an The higher level of recognition is
in quality and degree. By some arbit- input. First stage classifies word by based on a context comparison
rary method, each word can be given a grammatical type, "Roget"number, between text which is currently input
weighting number which indicates the weighting within Roget class and and that which has been seen previous-
sort of classification which is appropri- arbitrary reference number. Flag ly. Since every context can (by defini-
ate. A typical list might be: indicates het her part ofphrase or tion) be defined in words, a context
freezing -9 stuffy +1 compound. Second stage records time number can be generated. Each change
icy -8 warming +2 marker and three Roget classes which or development of context will also be
cold -7 warm +4 include ward. Concept in which word flagged with its chronological position.
chilly -5 tropical +6 occurs given number to mark position As each context is identified it can be
-4 hot +7 in text. Third stage identities two Roget used to refer back to previous inputs to
cool
cooling -2 scorching +8 class numbers which create suitable revise individual word meanings which
temperate 0 searing +9 context identification number when could not be unambiguously recog-
comhined. Probability ofcorrect nised when they were first seen. Con-
There may be some argument about identification allocated and context text recognition can use the same cues
which numbers are allocated to certain sequence number generated. Reference as we ourselves use when reading a
words but the numbers have allocated
1
to related context in text included. text. Titles and headings are two exam-
will show the principle. It is therefore Number ofbits used in each stage ples of such context cues.
possible to convert groups of letters depends on application.
into a set of agreed numbers which Final stage
represent word meanings.
pattern structure, which can be either I hope that the vague terms in which
It is at this point that the next stage
parallel or serial. This text was serially the previous section was expressed
of recognition becomes harder to produced but it could be reproduced by conveyed the idea of developing
define. There is already a system in use
the parallel method of photography. meaning/idea/concept from a collection
which gives words meaning: every
However, the pages on which it is of lesser concepts. The final in-built
computer which uses a high-level lan-
written are each an entity which cannot command of the cognic processor is to
guage has an interpreter to convert
be defined in a serial manner. The compare the knowledge gained, if any,
character sequences into computer with existing data. In the naive state,
meaning of the text can only be arrived
operations. This principle has been
at serially, while the medium on which all input is new to the processor, so it is
extended in computer -based dictionar-
it appears has no meaning at all. automatically stored. As time progres-
ies for foreign languages. An arbitrary
If I have written my description ses, new input will either reinforce
numbering system is used to link pairs
correctly, the reader will have stored a existing information or negate it. Stor-
or groups of letter sequences.
sort of summary of the abstract con- ed information will thereby become
cepts which are contained in it; each more refined and reliable as a refer-
The meanings of patterns concept is a recognisable pattern which ence.
Individual patterns can only have has been described by the words I have At a mature stage, the processor will
meaning if they are part of a larger used. These concepts have most of be able to note that some new input is
198 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 19,X)

NEURAL NETWORKS
very similar to existing data, so only

the differences need to he stored. If the
Forward mapping '^" Forward mapping Forward mapping
data is exactly the same, only the facts
that it has been seen again and when it C
was seen are stored. If the same data is H M C
A
repeated many times, only the first R
E 0
Reverse A Reverse N
A R
occurrence, the times of the first and N Command T
0
C mapping mapping I
mapping
last occurrences and the number of T output R
E check D check check XE
A
repeats are stored. Gradually the rec- R R
G
G
ogniser will need to store less and less E R R
r E
R
as it becomes more knowledgeable.
C E Existing
E Compar 0 Compar C Compar data S
C -ator -ator -ator 0 Y
The difference in meaning between 0 unmoor
output Ñ output G output G S
command and data information is dealt G N N -ator
N E
with at an early stage, but the later I
I
M
E S S
i
stages of context analysis can alter the S R E E
E Sound Data
interpretation of what is a command R A-- D S
R
for
and what is data. The processor will S (if regd.l storage
learn by experience.
Thinking
A machine which can think is almost Jt n
unthinkable, but the cognic processor
described can be made to emulate
thinking. The input devices can be Serial processor/controller
made to operate much faster than a
human can; in consequence it is likely
that the machine will have periods Si.. Timing and control
llf Pseudo input(when otherwise inactive)
when no new input is available. A
random number generator controlled
by the serial (control) processor can Fig. 6. Cognic processor. Each stage is produced in, say, a is sample can be
then select pseudo inputs from diffe- a mapping unit which functions as analysed in the same way as has been
rent parts of the memory for compari- parallel look -up table. Serial processor described for character and word pat-
son. Where common patterns are disc- only controls timing and pseudo input terns. There is no particular need to
overed, these are labelled with cross generation for "thinking"process; it "know" how it is done; a cognic proces-
references to each other in a concord- does not perform input processing. sor simply needs to be read to aloud at
ance, the cross references including the Only new data is stored. the same time as it "sees" the text. Its
degree of matching and the contexts in-built cross-referencing system would
involved in the two sources. If the enable it to relate one input to the
common pattern is well defined, a could read text printed at 6 lines/in, other and it would quickly learn the
search can he started for more occurr- (and act on the input) at the rate of rules of pronunciation for itself so that
1.315 mile/s. A typical 50 000 word it could read to you or understand any
ences of the same pattern, which can
he added to the concordance list. The book could be read and "understood" spoken commands within minutes.
possibilities for such a machine are in 8.3ms. The system I have attempted to
almost endless. A biological version of
If custom chips are designed to describe would deal with the equiva-
reduce the number of steps needed, the lent of a line of type in 2µs. A fast
such a machine has been used to write
processing time would be correspond- human reader could read the same type
this article.
ingly faster. A cognic processor which in about a second. Such a machine
could read 1 000 000 pixels in less than could "learn" at least 500 000 times as
Notes on possibilities a microsecond is conceivable.
fast as a human, if not faster. It would
One line of 80 character recognisers, Sound data is also formed in patterns have to have the Asimovian Laws of
which each cover a 14 X 18 matrix, which are received serially but proces- Robotics built into it.
produces 80 x 18 x 14 = 20 160 pixels sed after short-term storage in parallel
or 2.5Kbyte. Using 2K types, about 32 chunks. Spoken language relies on the The author
chips would be needed to cover an 18 listener's ability to relate current input After serving in the RAF until he was
x 14 matrix in the way I have descri- to that which has been received pre- 27, the author worked for various
bed. The word and context recognisers viously and our ability to understand a electronics companies until starting a
would use far fewer chips per stage, written text relies on the same proces- degree course in computing and
since they would have fewer bits to sing system. This is why it is impossible German at Hatfield Polytechnic,
handle; about 500 chips would be to listen to one thing and read another graduating in 1983 aged 50. He has
needed to make a one -line reader/ at the same time, but it is easy to follow been developing the ideas in this article
processor. A cognic processor made on a written version of the spoken word for over 20 years, having become
this basis would produce an output even in another language (if you know involved in the subject while designing
from an 80 -character input in less than both languages). artificial limbs using myoelectric input;
21..ts using 120ns chips. This speed Since A -to -D sampling methods pro- at that time, he developed a novel type
would be unaltered for all sizes of. vide a satisfactory way of converting of memory using extremely fine glass
processor. A one -line cognic processor sound for digital storage, the data fibres. He now works for Neosid.

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UPDATE
Telepoint firm hits back

One of the four Telepoint consortiums common workable technical standard. marketable service to use CT2 and
has hit back at claims that Telepoint is He said: "Telepoint will he the first pointed out that the next CT2
doomed because of the competing mass -market mobile communication development after Telepoint is the
threat of personal communication system and the CAI will be the wireless PBX.
networks (PCN). technical standard which underpins its He added: "The general belief
BYPS, a combination of Barclays, successful development. CAI will allow among operators, manufacturers and
Philips and Shell, claims that the manufacturers and consumers to get opinion leading prospective users
decision by European PTTs to support the hest from the cost-effective mobile seems to be that CT2 technology will
the Common Air Interface (CAI) as communication which Telepoint can really take off when it is used in the
the leading technical standard for offer." office and business environment."
Telepoint will be a boost to the UK's An independent report from CMA
fledgling Telepoint industry. Research suggests that CT2 cordless
Peter Wright, BYPS' managing telephone technology has a future that
director, said: "There has been a lot of is not as bleak as some industry
comment in the press about the observers believe. Interviews
importance of PCN. Much of it has conducted last year among potential
been confused and has led to the users of Telepoint and CT2 found a
perception that the Telepoint industry high degree of confidence in CT2.
will not flourish. Telepoint exists now. Carl Morris, Chairman of CMA,
PCN is still a long way off." It took five said: "The key to understanding the
years for the Common Air Interface future prospects of CT2 technology is
(CAI) standard to reach its current to appreciate that Telepoint should not
position and it will take at least another he considered the main thrust of CT2."
five years for PCN to establish a He said that Telepoint is just the first ..-1001,01)
`
Hopefully rendered obsolete by the new politics: millimetre wave seeker for the - -
SI a°
Maverick air -to -surface missile. Millimetre wave radar, with its small system size
and high resolution, makes autonomous target detection, acquisition and tracking
possible in a missile -size package. This 9.6in diameter seeker was designed and
built by Hughes to he evaluated by the US Air Force in captive and free -flight tests. Computer shielding
The demonstration programme is being managed at the Elgin Air Force base in Ugly metal shields to protect computer
Florida. terminals from electromagnetic
interference can be a blot on the
landscape of a plush office complex.
A Kent firm may have the answer.
Magnetic Shields has built a shield
made of Mumetal sandwiched between
two pieces of teak. As well as looking
attractive, it cuts out crosstalk between
adjacent terminals.
United Friendly Insurance in
London is using them to block out
electromagnetic interference from a
.I nearby electricity substation. It can
also help to stop rivals spying by
remotely reading the data from the
computer screen. Michael Eastland
from Magnetic Shields said: "It does
assist in stopping security tapping, but
/ it does not stop it. It will make it more
t rÌV
difficult."
-_ The firm makes two sizes, the largest
of which will hold most sizes of
4 I/
terminal, but the firm plans to extend
the range to five in the near future. A
space at the hack of the shield allows
t access to sockets and ensures a free

flow of air.
202 ELECTRONICS WORLD+ WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

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UPDATE
Optical chip doubles capacity Beware the ides

A photonic IC has been developed initial results show that the optical of April
with what is claimed to be the highest switching energy per device is 2.5pJ. April could he a record month for
capacity in the world. Such devices use Holding power is 210n W per beam or nervous breakdowns among computer
photons as well as electrons to process I m W for the entire array.
managers. A Friday the Thirteenth
information. Prototypes of the new chip are being following so soon after Fool's Day is an
The device, from AT&T Bell made and it is expected that it will he ideal environment for computer viruses
Laboratories, can process 2Khit of used in future optical computers and to flourish. The perpetuators of these
optical information in parallel. twice other optical systems. Edward Labuda, software -wrecking bugs are unlikely to
that of other photonic ICs. it is a single an AT&T executive director, said: miss such a glorious opportunity.
GaAs chip with 2K elements. Each "We're exploring the use of these ICs. The National Computing Centre has
element is symmetric self electro - We're a long way from development responded by putting out a fact sheet
optic effect device. (S -SEED), and delivery of whole systems using giving advice on prevention as well as
invented at Bell in 1987. An S -SEED technology, but there is a lot of telling you what to do if affected. Tony
can act as a logic gate, memory cell or interest. We're happy to work with Elbra from the NCC's security
switch. developers in other companies to department said: "The best way out of
An S -SEED is cascadable and design it into their systems." all viruses is by using back-ups."
operates as a three -terminal device; it The chips are 2mm square and come But, if you haven't already started
uses differential inputs and outputs. in a 32 x 64 element array in an open regular back-ups, it may he too late.
Switching speed is less than ns and
1 24 -pin package. The time -bomb viruses that are likely
to hit in April may have been lying
dormant for up to a year. Any back-up
Laser diode for fast opticalcommunication taken since the virus arrived will itself
have the virus.
Averyfast I nGaAsPlaserdiodefor The Philips CQF60 has an LC The golden rule if you are affected is
high bit -rate optical -fibre compensation network that not to panic. Do not switch the system
communicationsincorporatesinternal counteracts the effects of the off. Do not try using different data or
elect ricalcompensationforoperation inductanceandcapacitanceofthe different machines; this may just
at up to 2.4Gbit/s, claimed to be a encapsulation and feed -through spread the virus. Contact a help desk
record for a dil-packaged device. connections, providesperfect 5(0 for professional assistance. Some
impedance matching and avoids viruses can he easily cured if you know
electricalreflections.ltcomesina 14- what you are doing.
pindi pratherthantheconventional Elbra said: "Most viruses are
butterfly -style encapsulations. innocent. They are just a nuisance,
Thediodeisoneofafamilycovering such as a bouncing ball on the bottom
1.3 and 1.551.1.m wavelengths that of the screen. They are generally
d includesdeviceswithmultimodeand written by clever people with a warped
single-modefihrepigtailsandoutput sense of humour."
powerlevelsfrom l00µWtol .5mW.
Lasers with FP and DFP hetero-
junct ion structures are available Fastest PNP transistor
and some devices have integral TE Scientists have produced PNP
cooling. transistors capable of switching at
25GHz, more than three times the
speed of present generation PNP
Patent grant for science students products, claims IBM.
Developed for supercomputer
The British Technology Group is to grant will improve its links with the applications, the new device
sponsor a course on intellectual college, whose intellectual property technology will allow complementary
property law for science and law unit is highly regarded for teaching high-speed silicon technology rather
technology graduates. and researching patent, copyright, than the all-NPN arrangements
The £2000 scholarship will beat trademark and information law in the currently used at high switching rates.
London University's Queen Mary and UK. BTG has one of Britain's largest This will enable semiconductor makers
Westfield College and it has been patenting departments. to build low power chips without speed
introduced as a response to a growth in sacrifice. Although the advantage has
British -generated technology. Betronex, Hertfordshire based yet to be demonstrated, the advent of
An MSc in intellectual property law CAD/CAE system maker, has complementary bipolar circuits "may
does not fall in the academic fields for announced a scholarship programme revolutionize logic design in the same
which postgraduate research funding is for students of computer -aided way that the combination of nmos and
generally available and often students electronic engineering. It will award pmos devices in c-mos produced
have to finance their own studies. The two students £ I000 grants towards dramatic advances in mos technology".
college will decide which applicants tuition costs at a college or university This will lead to larger, more complex
receive the BTG grant. BTG hopes the of their choice. IC systems, says IBM.

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UPDATE
ATs get chip set boost RSGB frets over proposed

EMC law
Intel has announced two chip sets The set brings down the total logic
and TTL chip count for AT compatible A European Community directive and
based on the 386 SX and 386 DX a DTI consultative document have
microprocessors for use on IBM ATs computer systems to less than six
components, compared to sometimes been produced as a prelude to
and compatibles. They are claimed to legislation on electromagnetic
be the only 16bit two or three more than 25 components in
comparable systems. compatibility planned for mid -1991.
component solution for the entire price The directive tries to set standards
and performance range of 32bit 386 Samples are available now and
production quantities are expected for all marketed products covering
microprocessor architecture. radiation and immunity. Radiation
They are called 82340 SX and DX within three months.
refers to unwanted signals from
and Young Sohn, an Intel marketing equipment including toy trains, X-ray
manager based in Santa Clara, said it Sevenoaks based distributor Jermyn
has announced ex -stock availability of equipment, telephone exchanges and
"is the most flexible and cost effective home computers. Immunity covers the
solution for 386 PC AT systems Intel 80486 processors. They have
previously been available to selected ability of products to ignore the
available today, from entry level to radiation from other devices.
high-performance computers." customers only.
The Radio Society of Great Britain
is producing a response to the
proposals and is seeking input from
Superchip can perform 200Mflops radio amateurs, short-wave listeners,
Motorola and TRW have built a multi- possible to work around the inevitable amateur radio suppliers and associated
million device superchip called flaws that occur during fabrication. bodies.
CPUAX. It contains four million Also they enable the CPUAX to repair One of the RSGB's worries is that it
0.51.tm c-mos devices and can perform itself should any failures occur on the could cost a company £5000 in testing
200 million floating-point operations a chip during operation." before it could sell anything. Such a
second. It is intended to function as the figure could be disastrous for small
Dr Thomas Zimmerman, a TRW central brain of an advanced digital companies. Buyers of kits and second-
director, said: "The CPUAX is the signal processing system in various air, hand equipment of all kind - not only
computational equivalent of some ground and space based systems. amateur radio-could be badly hit,
supercomputers that fill an entire since it is proposed that this type of
room, require elaborate refrigeration Motorola has announced an 88000 - apparatus shall be covered by the
systems and weigh several tons." based risc CPU that will power a high- legislation.
The CPUAX measures 2.1 in square performance multi-user system, from
and weighs 1.5 ounces. When used Norway -based Dolphin Server
with a TRW -Motorola 36K -device Technology. Motorola and Dolphin
Flat year for industry
satellite chip that can test, monitor and have a technology agreement which Little growth is expected in the
configure the on -chip assets of the gives Dolphin access to the 88000 electronics industry this year, but 1991
CPUAX, the CPUAX can repair itself. instruction set and gives Motorola is looking good, according to a
Zimmerman explained: "The self - access to Dolphin's processor Dataquest survey commissioned by
repair abilities of the CPUAX make it technology. Semiconductor Equipment &
Materials International (SEMI).
The survey adds that worldwide
semiconductor production is expected
BT has obscene headache to double in the next four years from
One in five telephone customers general of telecommunications, said: "I $60 billion in 1990 to $120 billion in
believe they get fairly or very bad value have asked BT to carry out a review of 1994. To meet this, more than 100 new
for money from British Telecom, its procedures to deal with nuisance wafer fabrication facilities are planned
according to a survey carried out by calls. I expect BT to be proactive in its for the next two years, half of them in
Oftel at the end of last year. Though efforts to protect customers from these North America.
bad, it is a slight improvement on the calls, using the facilities provided by Paul Davis, SEMI's European
figures for 1988. While the figure for modern technology to the full." director, said: "To support the
very bad value for money stayed the Another problem is the number of expected increase in production,
same at 4 per cent there was an unsolicited telephone sales calls being capital spending will have to increase
improvement from 18 to 16 percent made, which has been rising steadily simultaneously." And he added that
who rated it fairly bad. over the years. In a similar survey in Europe looks a likely target for
The best figures, though, were on 1985,46 per cent said they had
received such calls. The figure last year expansion by Japanese semiconductor
customer satisfaction. Those who were makers.
fairly or very dissatisfied dropped from was a staggering 72 per cent. Sir Bryan
15 to 9 per cent. said: "Telephone selling is extremely Significantly, equipment suppliers
One of the main problems is the unpopular with telephone customers are expecting a 7% growth this year
number of obscene telephone calls on the whole." compared with only 3% for
made to women, which is estimated at The good news is that in May last semiconductor device sales. Davis said:
being more than ten million a year and year BT hít íts target of 95 per cent of "This is very good news for our
there is evidence of substantial call boxes in working order and this member companies which produce
numbers of other types of nuisance level has been maintained. capital equipment for the
calls. Sir Bryan Carsberg, director semiconductor industry."
206 ELECTRON ICS WORLD + WI RELESS WORLD March 1990

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CIRCLE NO. 142 ON REPI) C ARC) CIRCLE NO. 145 ON REPLY CARO
NON IONIZING RADIATION
ity and morbidity of all Moscow

Embassy personnel and dependants
11
from 1953 to 1976 and matched them

with a control group of US personnel
who had been stationed in other East
European embassies, none of which
had reported irradiation.
The analysis of the medical records
of some 3100 Moscow personnel and
1 2336 dependants, 1468 of them chil-

dren, yielded some provocative results.
Although overall mortality favoured
the Moscow group, females in the
group showed a non -significant but
The microwave health hazard higher than average death -rate from
malignant neoplasms.
However, Moscow males showed a
definitely significant raised rate of pro-
The UK microwave exposure limits were tozoal intestinal diseases, benign neo-
plasms, and diseases of the nerves and
originally determined by irradiating a body peripheral ganglia. Moscow females
to the point where thermal tissue damage had a significantly higher rate of pro-
tozoal intestinal disease also, as well as
occurred, then backing off the power by a complications of pregnancy and child-
factor of ten. Our standards for safe birth.
As a group, Moscow personnel suf-
exposure are still derived from this crude fered significantly more eye problems,
psoriasis and other skin conditions, as
test. Meanwhile a number of associative well as depression, irritability, loss of
studies have linked cancer and blindness to appetite and difficulty in concentrat-
ing. And in the children four diseases -
microwave exposure at power levels orders mumps, anaemic blood diseases, heart
disease and respiratory infections -
of magnitude lower. By Simon Best. occured in significantly higher
numbers.°
Although the evidence of a health
hazard was very strong. the US State
Epidemiological studies of RF/ at the strongest point of the beam. Department has continued to deny a
MW exposure are far less in Other beams appeared in due course, radiation effect or liability, though it
number than those of exposure boosting the intensity at times to 18 did try to appease by re -grading the
to ELF power frequency µW/cm The irradiation stopped alto-
. Moscow post to carry a 20% extra
fields, perhaps for obvious gether in January 1979 but reappeared salary. Three US ambassadors who
reasons. Far less of the general popula- briefly in 1983 and again in 1988, when served during the period have died of
tion are directly exposed to such fields, a frequency in the 9-11 GHz range was cancer and some former staff are still
at least at levels that current safety reported producing power levels of filing claims against the US Govern-
guidelines would lead one to think 0.01 µW/cmZ inside the building. ment.
might be harmful, although some can Some of the health studies and If the microwave irradiation did
be exposed to high fields occupational- results are difficult to evaluate and wholly or partly cause the increased
ly. tended to he deemed inconclusive.2 incidence of disease observed, then it
Thus, some of the earliest studies One study of lymphocytes used 350 was doing so at levels way below the
have been of individuals exposed Moscow personnel, two-thirds of them IOmW/cmZ safety guideline then (and
through a military or similar situation. male, and a group of some 100(1 foreign still) in force, but at levels around the
Between 1953 and 1977 the Russians service personnel resident in the US as Russian standard at the time of 10
irradiated the US Embassy in Moscow controls. Although mean lymphocyte µW/cmZ.
on a more or less continuous basis, but counts among Moscow personnel were US Navy personnel exposed to radar
at levels so far below the US MW 41% higher than the control group's, during the Korean War were studied
exposure safety guideline of 10mW/cm2 they were present equally among those by Robinette and colleagues5 and
that the Americans could not believe personnel who had arrived afterwards. Silverman6 but no differences reaching
they could he harmful. They showed a sharp and sustained significance were found between the
A US Senate Report was finally drop-off after August 1977, when they high and low exposure groups for
produced on the irradiation', in which reverted to the control group's levels.3 malignant neoplasms as the cause of
it detailed the irradiation and health The most extensive epidemiological hospitalization and/or death. But when
studies performed during and after- study of ex -Moscow Embassy person- the high -exposure group was divided
wards. For example, from August 1963 nel was completed in 1978 by Dr into three sub -groups to provide a
to May 1975 the frequency of the beam Abraham Lilienfeld at John Hopkins gradient of potential exposure, a trend
ranged from 2.56 to 4.1GHz and the University's School of Hygiene and did appear for increased number of
intensity remained at about 5µW/cm2 Public Health.4 It assessed the mortal- malignant neoplasms in the sub-group

rated as most highly exposed. * The highest risk factor of cancer densities.
Recently. Dr Stanislaw Szmigielski. morbidity related to occupational exp- In a recent communication on his
of the Centre for Radiohiology and osure to MW/RFs appeared for sub- current prospective study of the same
Radioprotection in Warsaw, Poland, jects at the age of 40-49 who had a 5-15 population from 1986-90. Szmigielski
internationally known for his work on year period of exposure. reports that an analysis of the data to
RF/MW radiation effects on the * Morbidity rates of neoplasms in the end of 1988 'supports our earlier
immune system. has reported on a five- personnel exposed occupationally to results from retrospective studies,
year retrospective study of Polish mili- MW/RFs showed strong correlation although the differences between the
tary personnel exposed to RF/MW with the period of exposure. exposed and non -exposed groups are
radiation over the period 1971-80 and * Neoplasms of the same localization somewhat smaller (although still highly
their incidence of cancer. Typical expo- and/or type developed earlier (by statistically significant) than those
sure levels were estimated as 4-8 hours about 10 years) in personnel exposed found for the decade of 1971-1980'.8
daily below 0.2mW/cm2 (the Polish occupationally to MW/RFs than in Preliminary results apparently indi-
'safety zone.). although some. defying those not working in the MW/RF cated a doubling of the incidence of all
the safety rules, reported brief expo- environment.' forms of cancer among those exposed
sures to levels up to 20 mW/cm2. Referring to immunological effects, to RF/MW radiation.
Szmigielski summarised his findings in Szmigielski and his co-workers feel that Studies of those occupationally
his contribution to the magnum opus research to date suggests that the exposed in a non-military situation
Modern Bioelectricity (a hook of over immune system exhibits a 'hi -phasic' have also reported health effects.
101111 pages, with 48 contributors on reaction to RF/MW radiation. with Vagero and Olin, in a study of cancer
virtually every area of hio electro initial exposure stimulating the whole in the Swedish electronics industry,
magnetics'. as follows: system. followed by a gradual suppres- found a number of elevated incidences:
* The risk of developing clinically sion of the whole immunity with for example. the relative risk for naso-
detectable neoplastic disease was about increasing exposure and/or power pharyngeal cancers in the radio and TV
three times higher for personnel industry was 3.7 (CI 95% 1.0-13.5).9
exposed occupationally to MW/RF Milham, in a follow-up of a previous
radiations. The highest risk appeared ...Lester and Moore... reported an ele- finding. found that a sample of 2,485
for malignancies originating from the vated risk of cancer close to (airport) amateur radio operators showed a sig-
haematolymphatic systems (morbidity radar installations. They observed that nificant excess of deaths due to acute
about seven times higher). Other more the highest cancer incidence tended to myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma
frequent neoplasms were located in the occur on leading terrain crests in the and non -Hodgkins lymphomas.
alimentary tract and in skin (including path of transmissions with the lowest Zaret has observed a particular type
melanomas). occurring in the vallevs... of posterior, suhcapsular cataract
"Me, _...
r -unuuuufnnun
III III
r~%
3 y-'4 -
lalr I
Lufthansa
..r
11
¡11 á
...111111.111.1.11111an
A uu11u
1
uu~- 41-11
esa- ,
March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD+ WI RELESS WORLD 209

(PSC) in microwave -exposed person- ated is that the various scanning sys-
nel, first identified in 1964 while study- tems for the radar beams will produce
ing radar maintenance men for the US ELF modulation of the microwaves.
Air Force." Further studies12, includ- Such modulation, using 2.45GHz, has
ing air traffic controllers'3. led Zaret to One study of recently been shown to act as a co -
carcinogen in cells also exposed to a
describe a 'microwave cataract' which
originates in the elastic membrane or lymphocytes used chemical cancer promoter.21.
In a very recent report, Chinese
capsule that surrounds the lens, as
opposed to the other types of cataract
350 personnel and a researchers compared 1170 students
(hereditary, metabolic and senile) that group of some 1000 and soldiers living near radio antennae
originate in the lens. According to
Zaret, exposure to either thermal or controls Mean... and radar installations for a minimum
of one year with 689 non -exposed
non -thermal radiation can cause micro-
wave cataracts, which can remain
lymphocyte counts controls of the same grade, age, sex
and education level, using field mea-
latent for months or years. Others have were 41 per cent surements and psychological and phy-
confirmed his findings, for example, siological tests. 2 Visual reaction time
Hollows and Douglas, who found a
higher than among was delayed in the groups exposed to
significant increase of PSCs in a sample the control power densities from 10-4211W/cm2,
of Australian radiolinemen versus
controls.14 group... significantly so in the group of male
soldiers exposed to 10-15µW/cm2. The
Studies such as the above led to the same groups also had significantly low-
formation, in the States in 1976, of the er scores in the memory function tests,
Radar Victims Network, comprising a although the scores of the boys and
group (as many as 150 at its peak) of girls in the low -intensity group (0-
mainly ex -Forces personnel in Fra- 4µW/cm2) were higher than those of
mington, Mass., which helped each their control groups. Phagocytosis (the
other to obtain treatment and sue for again in the US, reported an elevated ability of white blood cells to destroy
damages for heath problems allegedly risk of cancer with residence close to bacteria, and thus a measure of
due to their employment. Out -of -court radar installations." They mapped the immune function) was significantly
settlements were achieved, though the geographical incidence of cancer mor- impared in the highest exposure group
group is smaller and less active since tality and morbidity between 1975-9 in (13-42µW/cm2) and significantly
the death of its founder, Joe Towne, in Wichita, Kansas, against line -of -sight increased at the lowest exposure level.
1985. projections of radars from the local For those exposed to AM radio fre-
Here, in Britain, considerable con- Mid -Continent Airport and McConnell quencies, phagocytosis tended to
cern has been shown in the five deaths Air Base. Cancer morbidity was found increase in those exposed to relatively
that have occurred at the Royal Signals to be significantly related to the degree low levels (3-11V/m), while decreasing
Research Establishment at Malvern, of radar exposure. They also observed in the highest exposed group (22-23
all from brain tumours, giving an inci- that the highest cancer incidence V/m).
dence rate 6.4 times the national tended to occur on leading terrain The Chinese findings seem to sup-
average.] 5 crests in the path of radar transmis- port Szmigielski's conclusion that the
The Ministry of Defence has not sions, with the lowest occuring in the immune system exhibits a bi-phasic
indicated what, if any, research it is valleys, shielded from the radar beams. response to RF/MW irradiation, initial
doing on RF/MW irradiation; by con- They cited one residential building very low exposure acting as a stimulus,
trast, Georgia Institute of Technology with 1(X) occupants, situated so that the with higher intensities suppressing
in the States is working with the US Air upper levels were directly exposed to immune function. This bi-phasic
Force on a study of long-term pulsed both beams, whose cancer morbidity response may also explain the results of
MW irradiation of mice. rate was over six times that for a the memory tests. The Chinese obser-
Another US occupational study has sample of six nursing homes in the city. vations indicate that the cut-off level
looked at the levels of exposure experi- In the second study, the researchers for this difference in reaction occurs at
enced by surgeons. Simulating a nor- analysed the cancer mortality rates around 10µW/cm2, the Russian MW
mal operation, Paz and his colleagues from 1950 to 1969 in areas surrounding exposure safety standard at the time of
found that surgeons using electrosurgi- 92 US Air Force bases containing the irradiation of the US Embassy in
cal units (ESU5), for cutting and sea- radar, (18) using as controls the nearest Moscow and 1(X)0 times below the
ling tissues, were being exposed to county within the State having the most current ANSI standard of IOmW/cm2.
extremely high levels of RF radiation, similar population size but lacking an The latter has been in the process of
especially around their eyes and fore- Air Force base. They found that the revision almost since its adoption in
heads which registered electric and former had a significantly higher inci- 1982.23 It is based on limiting the
magnetic fields as high as 9 000 000 dence of cancer mortality for the wholebody average specific absorption
V/m and 3.5A/m respectively, far period in question, though they con- rate (SAR) to 0.4W per kilogram of
about the current ANSI standard of ceded that other factors, such as noise, body weight for both public and occu-
4000 V/m and 0.0025A/m for frequen- may have contributed to this finding. pational exposure. Reducing the max-
cies between 30 and 200 MHz.' An Their results were criticised as being imum SAR to 0.04W/kg or below
ESU may be used up to 100 times due to incorrectly assembled data'', (equivalent to a power density of 100
depending on the operation per- but the authors showed that this was 1.(W/cm2 or lower) has been suggested
formed. not the case and that re -analysis con- and debate continues over the evidence
Turning to public exposure to RF/ firmed their original association.20 for thermal and non -thermal effects
MW radiation, Lester and Moore, A further threat for those so irradi- and their implications for introducing

different standards for different fre- Reference. Ophthalm. 1977:6L-380.4. (See also Zaret M. Electromagnetic
quency hands. I. US Senate. Microwave Irradiation of the US Embassy in energy and cataract,. In: Marino A (see ref. 7), pp. 839-59.)
Moscow. US Committee on Commerce, Science and Trans- 14. Hollows, F, Douglas J. Microwave cataract in radioline-
In the UK, the NRPB published its portation, Washington, DC.. 1979. men and controls. Lancet, 1084;i 1;406-7.
exposure guidance for frequencies up 2. Smith C, Best S. Electromagnetic Man: heath and hazard 15. Exposure levels under scrutiny. Electronics Times. 1989.
in the electrical environment, London: Dent & Sons, 1989. Sept. 14, p.19.
to 300 GHz in May 198924, although See Chapter 10. 16. Paz J et al. Potential ocular damage from microwave
this is due for revision in 1990 accord- 3. US Senate. op. cit.

4. Lilienfeld AM et al. Foreign Service Health Status Study,
exposure during clectro-surgery: dosimetric survey. .1 Occ
Med. 1987;29:580;1
ing to its author, Dr John Dennis. For Dept of Epidemiology, The John Hopkins University, Balti- 17. Lester 1, Moore D. Cancer incidence and electromagnetic
frequencies above 30 MHz the NRPB more. 1978. radiation. J Bioelectricity. 1982;1:59-76.
5. Robinette CD et al. Effects upon health of occupational 18. Lester J, Moore D. Cancer mortality and air force bases. I
recommends 1, 2.5 x f (GHz), and 5 exposure to microwave radiation (radar), AM 1 Epid. Bmelectricity, 1982;1:77-82.
mW/cm2 for the ranges 30-400MHz, 1980:112:39-53. 19. Poison P. Memtt J. Cancer mortality and air force bases: a
6. Silverman C. Epidemiologic studies of microwave effects. reevaluation.) Bioelectricity, 1985:4:121-7.
0.4-2.0GHz, and 2-300GHz, respec- Proc. IEEE, 1980;68:78.84. 20. Lester J, Moore D. Reply to 'Cancer mortality and air
tively. At its lowest the NRPB guide 7. Szmigielski S et al. Immunologic and cancer -related
aspects of exposure to low-level microwave and radiofrequen-
force bases: a reevaluation'. J Bioelectricity, 1985:4:129.32.
21. Balcer-Kubiceie E, Harrison G. Search for neoplaslic
line is still 10 times above the 10011W/ cy fields. In: Marino A (ed), Modern Bioelectricity, New transformation in vitro following pulsed 2.45 Gllz microwa-
cm2 level being considered by the York: Marcel Dekker, pp861-925. (Cost: £150) ves. Paper presorted at the 11th Annual Meeting of the
8. Polish Epi study continues to show RF/MW cancer fink. Bioelectromagneties Society, Tucson, AZ, June 1989.
ANSI revision subcommittee and Microwave News(USA). 1989. July/August, p14. 22. Chiang H et a . Health effects of environmental electro-
approximately 100 times above the 9. Vageor D, Olin, R, Incidence of cancer in the electronics
industry: using the new Swedish Cancer Environment Registry
magnetic fields. J Noe lectricity, 1989:8:127-31.
23. ANSI, American national standards safety levels with
levels at which the above Chinese study as a screening instrument Br 1 Ind. Med. 1983:40:188-92. respect to human exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic
observed significant differences in 10. Milham S. Increased mortality in amateur radio operators
due to lymphatic and hematopoietic malignancies. Am 1 Epid.
fields. 300 kHz to 100 GHz. IEEE. New York. NY 10017,
ANSI C95-1-1982,1982.
those chronically exposed to micro 1988:127:50-4. 24. NRPB. Guidance as to Restrictions on Exposures to Time
waves. II. Zaret M. An experimental study of the cataractogenic Varying Electromagnetic Fields and the 1988 Recommenda-
effects of microwave radiation, US Air Force, Technical tions of the International Non -Ionizing Radiation Committee.
The Ministry of Defence also pub- Document Report No. RADC-TDR-64-273, 1964. D.dcot,Oxon. Ma 1989(6511. HMSO).
lished its guide to the safe use of RF 12. Zaret M. Ophthalmic hazards of microwave and laser 25. MoD. Guide to the Practical Safety Aspects of the Use of
environments. Proc. Aero. Med. Assoc. Ann. Meeting, Radiofrequency Energy. DEF STAN 05-74/I. January 1989.
energy (from 10kHz to 300GHz) in 1964:29-33 Available free from: MoD, Directorate of Standardization.
1989.5 While not attempting to set any 13. Zaret M, Snyder W. Cataracts and avionic radiations. Br 1 Kent igern House, t.5 Brown Street, Glasgow G2 8E X.
numerical limits, the MoD document

summarily dismisses non -thermal RF
effects in three sentences, without any
discussion of specific studies, and
endorses the ANSI 10 mW/cm2 stan-
dard without giving any indication of i
the debate and revision currently in
progress. Thus, its grossly biassed pre- 11+411 f1
sentation of the state of research find-
ings and debate conceals more than it
reveals and gives the impression that
there is no need even to research the
health status for Forces personnel
exposed to RF/MW radiation.
It is to be hoped that when the
and MW sources in the environment
from radio and microwave communi-
cation systems, radar, cellular
- -`' f '
1114
_"
NRPB revises its Guidance this year a phone systems and increasing
more positive and informed attitude satellite TV `footprints', and tV--
prevails and that due consideration is their complex possible interac-
given not only to all the accumulated tions - that a large part of the
evidence, epidemiological, animal and population is now increasingly and
cellular, but also to the growing RF chronically exposed to.
Simon Best is a medical journalist specialising in the biological effects

of electric fields and co-author of the book 'Electromagnetic Man'
together with Dr Cyril Smith. Simon Best holds a degree in psychology.
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CIRCUIT IDEAS
Observing short pulses at low PRF

While setting software time constants priced oscilloscopes are useless for 300baud. This circuit, using a 4528 c-
in a microprocessor-based system, it observing input -port enable pulses of mos dual-monostable IC, should help.
became apparent that low to mid- lµs or less at a repetition of 30Hz or MV1 produces ms pulses, while
1
MV2 produces 5ms pulses. As the 4528

is retriggerable, the Q output of MV2
+V
stays high at an input pulse rate of
R3 150k 200Hz or above. Below 200Hz, the Q
Cl
output of MV2 produces a 5ms pulse
100n waveform with a mark/space ratio that
T1 T2 varies with decreasing frequency. This
R4 waveform is integrated by R4 and C2 to
A 4528 O
produce a varying DC, which is applied
10k
B via DI to auxiliary timing resistor R5.
R2 100k C2 .T.33N
Above 200Hz or 2000baud, R5 is in
parallel with R6 and the output pulse
D1
from MV1 is 200. Between 200 and
1N914 60Hz, the output of MV1 varies from
+V 20µs to ms. Below 60Hz, MV1 pro-
1
duces ms pulses.
1
R6 2M2 The unit can be powered by two

R5 miniature alkaline cells (3V) or three
Fin'n
27k
miniature button NiCd cells (3.6V).
T 72 The NiCd cells can be charged by
Input R1
A 4528 a
Output applying 12V DC to the input connec-
10k tor.
>200Hz Output. 20ps
B Darren Yates
- -.3V 100
--
= 30
75 = 250
French's Forest
1
<60 = 1ms New South wales
Low voltage switch E+ 2.5 to 10V
This switch for high -power applications Tr2

has the advantages of a simple drive
circuit, absence of simultaneous con- 4, v KT817
>Trl®
KT 363
duction, and a VCetm¡I of 0.9V. It
operates on 2.6V.
Transistors Try and Tr3 work as KT301
comparators, Tr2 and Tr4 as regulators
and Tr5 and Tr6 as power switches.
Transistors Tr1 and Tr3 are equivalent
IC K 561
Cmos -- Rfb
12k
Out
T
04V
to Russian part numbers KT301, Tr2 f=30kHz 3

and Tr3 as KT363, Tr5 as KT817, and
Tr6 a KT814. It should be acceptable to KT363
Tr6
use standard p -n -p transistor equiva- Tr4
lents.
Serge Khazanov K1301 KT814
Leningrad
USSR

CIRCUIT IDEAS
40W step-up DC/DC converter

This circuit lets a 12V car battery
supply equipment requiring a higher
10 to 14V
voltage. It is a switch -mode design with
a fixed frequency of 35kHz and uses a
1k
PWM method of providing regulation.
Input is 10-14V; output from Vin to 50u122í 20swgl
5 121 13
24V using resistors shown.
As the output voltage is adjusted,
the maximum available output current
2
Vcc
INV i/p
S
CA
03524
CE
I
5050.060
will vary to keep the output power
product about 40W. Output regulation
--%/\/\/"--
9k1
Vref
16
EA
11
BUZ71
14 1000u
was about one per cent but there is a 220u Eg
T
35kHz ripple at full load of 200mV. 50k
Most of the lost power is given up as r--

7
C INVi/p
heat in the mosfet switch and the GND COMP
36k
output diode, so adequate heat sinking B 9
of the BUZ71 is needed. 1""10n 1p I1Ok
Care should he taken to make sure 3k9T 10k
the core for the inductor L1 can cope 10k
with the switching currents and the L1 Core material Molypermalloy normal perm N=125
required output without saturation. Arnold magnetics part no A-930157-2
The current limit facilities of the 157m11/1000 turns Dim 26-9mm QD
SG3524 have not been used because of 14-7 - I.D.
11.1 HT.
the variable output voltage. But if a
fixed output voltage is needed this can
be brought into use by sampling the using the current limit sense circuits on Nirad
current in the drain of the BUZ71 and pins 4 and 5 of the IC. Antrim
comparing it to a reference voltage Anton Forte Northern Ireland
Electronic compass helps the blind

This circuit produces an audible output pended needle. This though is unsuit- for measuring small fields such as the
with a varying pitch depending on its able if the sense of touch is impaired. earth's since the drift is comparable
orientation to the earth's magnetic The heart of the device is the UGN- with the signal. To overcome this, a
field. The accuracy is not high but it 3501M Hall effect sensor ICI which has flux concentrator in the form of a 6cm
can be used as a hand-held compass by a monolithic Hall cell and a linear by 9mm ferrite rod is glued to each face
blind people. There are already com- differential amplifier with differential of the IC.
mercially available compasses for the emitter follower outputs. Typical sensi- The two outputs are fed into a
blind based on the traditional sus - tivity is I .4mV/gauss. It is unsuitable differential amplifier IC2. The output
voltage for zero input can be adjusted
by R3. C1 inhibits parasitic oscillations.
The output of IC2 is fed into a voltage -
to -frequency converter based on the
555 timer IC3. Its output drives the
transistor in the grounded emitter con-
figuration with R12 used as a current
limiting resistor. An audible note is
produced from the loudspeaker. The
circuit draws a total current of about
1C1
50mA.
1111UGN-3501M R3 acts as a pitch control giving an
output of about 1kHz. In the circuit
shown the pitch varies by an octave as
the orientation is changed from north
to south.
W. Gough
Department of Physics
University of Wales
Cardiff

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THERMAL ANALYSIS MADE EASY
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t
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focus on elec- difficult combi-
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2 Heat Sink tions, you can vection, con-
3 Circuit Brd build a complex duction and
4 hate 3D thermal radiation.
model in just
INTERRUPT
Fl Window minutes. y
F2 Backup
F3 Setup
F4 help
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F6 Toolbox
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FS Root Menu
In keeping with Those Engineer's circuit simulation

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KESTREL V SIGNAL ANALYSIS

on a PC
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CIRCLE NO. 124 ON REPLY CARD CIRCLE NO. 120 ON REPL CARD

CIRCUIT IDEAS
TTL. compatible optical fibre data link

Off-the -shelf components can be used
to make this 100hit/s to 40Mbit/s TTL- +SV
compatible optical fibre data link much
cheaper than commercially available
S56 1100n
products. 100
1W Z.
,
The optical transmitter is based on
TTL
the 74F38 quad open collector NAND in
buffer. Gate 1 reshapes and buffers the
TTL data input and gates 2 and 3
fl
LED
2
4
TTL
out
connected in parallel drive the led. The
74 F 38
1'SV
0k T100n
(a) lb)
through a 2201/ resistor, bypassed by a reduce the effect of common -mode

47µF capacitor to ground to balance noise and its differential output pro-
the amplifier input bias currents and vides the TTL data and data signals.
voltages. Successful operation through 1km of
The differential output of the receiv- optical fibre (200µm PCS) has been
er is AC coupled to an LM360 compa- demonstrated at 40 Mbit/s giving a
rator via the IµF-10k(1 capacitor- better than 10-9 bit error rate.
resistor combination, allowing for a Z. Ghassemlooy
parallel design reduces each gate's out- minimum bit rate operation of 40bit/s. City Polytechnic
put current by half. It also gives a faster The use of a 0.1µF disc ceramic capaci- Sheffield; and
led turn-off time because it halves the tor across the IµF tantalums stabilizes I. Darwazeh
impedance that the led junction capaci- the high -frequency operation. The UMIST
tor has to discharge through. comparator is driven differentially to Manchester
Using a low power led, the launched
optical power in a 200µm PCS step -
index fibre was about 60µW, giving
about -12dBm. This was with a pull-
LC oscillator
up resistor of 56(1 and an led pumping Maintaining a wide tuning range in an
current of 60mA. Optical rise and fall LC oscillator needs some control to 6V
times were less than 6ns. stop the output clipping. This circuit
The optical receiver front end is has no series capacitance but the
made using a pin diode detector and a approximate 30pF input capacitance of
differential I/O video amplifier NE592 the emitter follower increases mini-
with an adjustable differential voltage mum capacitance.
gain from 0 to 400. The pin -compatible With l(H)pF coupling the tuned cir-
MC 1733 amp can also be used. cuit to the emitter follower, the effec-
The photocurrent from the incident tive tuning ratio is about 1:4 rather
light on the pin diode flows in the 200(1 than the theoretical 1:7. Reducing the
resistor, generating a voltage at the coupling capacitor to 22pF increases
amplifier input which is amplified with the ratio to 1:5.
a gain of 100. Photodiode responsive- The circuit works from 2 to 10MHz
ness is 0.5A/W giving an overall optical with essentially constant amplitude.
power to voltage conversion ratio of The amplitude does, though, drop
5500V/W single ended. slightly at the end of the range. Replac- D1,2 -1N4153
Using the transmitter, the measured ing the first transistor by a decent RF
rise and fall times at the video amplifier device would improve the tuning range
output were 11.5ns, indicating a band- further.
width of 30MHz and allowing digital Frantisek Michele
transmission up to 40Mbit/s. The other Brno
input of the video amp is connected Czechoslovakia

CIRCUIT IDEAS
Programmable timer
This 0 to 10min timer circuit was over -ride this zero count on starting a
devised to control exposure times in a new count, a 74123 monostable pulls
printed circuit process and its main briefly the reset line high. This is Don't waste ideas
advantage is that the time can be pre- triggered from the start pulse gener- We prefer circuit ideas contributions
set and, by pressing two switches. re- ated from the start button. When oper- with neat drawings and widely -spaced
entered and started. ating the pre-set switch this pulse lets typescripts but we would rather have
The tens of seconds digit will count. the counters be pre-set and the clock scribbles on the back of an envelope
from 0 to 5 using a 74157 data selector gate enabled. The other half of the than let good ideas be wasted.
which either loads in the BCD switch 74123 generates a buzzer enable signal We pay for all published circuit
value at pre-set or when a count is to indicate timeout. ideas. You can expect a minimum of
started. A fixed value of 6 is loaded at a A simple toggle using two NAND £15, increasing to £40 for the best
count of 9 by decoding the outputs of gates is used for pre-set and start and ones.
the 74192 presettahle up/down counter the NOR gate allows either pre-set or
and loading the value 6 using Pin 11. fixed values to he loaded in the tens of
The minutes and seconds count (1 seconds counter.
through 9 and are only pre-set for start
purposes. C.C. Clarke
Diodes detect zero count and ICic Kenilworth
prevents further clocking down. To Warwickshire
+5V
+330
1~1=
12
0-9 0-5 0-9

BCD BCD BCD
switch switch switch
14 e 5 2 10 3
8
13
74157
1C3a
12 9 7 4 1St
7402
16 9 10 1 15 9 10 1 15 9 10 15
4 74192
7-1
13
4
74192
11
1
4
74192 11
11
1C1í IC2b 6 lC1d
3
10 9 8 131_14
1C2c 7400
41 5
r OM'
'
6
3 5
213 IC2a 6
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DATE
SCIENCE
THE SO A R
Solar magnetic storms are the precursor of

auroral ionization and deeply affect radio
propagation. Although severe storms can
induce power surges which have enough
energy to knock out circuit breakers, we still
have gaps in our knowledge about their
origins and behaviour. Anthony Hopwood
looks at the development of simple
equipment which will measure the relative
intensity of magnetic storms precisely.
sensitive compass (magne- flow in the early earth -return telegraph

Atometer) will display the lines. At times the current flowing
normal diurnal magnetic between the earth plates along the
variation as a very small telegraph line was strong enough to
shift around zero, peaking work the system without a battery!
to the west about 1300 UT, and to the Barlow's original observations were
east about 0700. enlarged by the Rev. Lloyd who car-
Unfortunately sensitive magneto- ried out a detailed analysis of the
meters do not tolerate normal domestic diurnal and sporadic variations of cur-
activity and react alarmingly to any rent in telegraph lines between Rugby
nearby ferrous movement or domestic and Derby and Derby to Birmingham.
electrical activity. His conclusions were published in
A less pernickety detector of the the Proceedings of the Royal Irish
magnetic storm triggering an aurora is Academy in 1861-2. In them he notes
an earth -current monitor. The varia- the correspondence between line cur-
tion of current.in long wires earthed at rent disturbances and deviations of the
both ends was noted as early as 1848 magnetic compass at the Dublin Obser-
when Barlow presented a paper to the vatory.
Royal Society on spontaneous current He also mentions that the French
220
SCIENCE
False colour 30nm wavelength ultra-

o
violet image of the solar disc showing a
tuge solar prominence as recorded by
Skylab in 1973. Courtesy NASA/
Science Photo Library.
I:hysicist De la Rive "ascribes the

current variations to a direct electrical
action emanating from the sun" - a
f ypothesis which he attempts to
cemolish in his own work. To date I
have not yet pinpointed De la Rive's
original reference which may well be
the earliest intimation of what we now
o
now to be the true origin of magnetic
1.
storm phenomena recorded over 120

years ago.
D
Updated monitor
To measure accurately earth currents,
the whole system must be isolated from
the local mains earth, otherwise leak-
age, transients and voltage drops from
local domestic and industrial consum-
ers will obscure the relatively small
long period natural changes. It is possi-
hie to use a fet input DC opamp system
running off batteries, carefully isolated
from the mains, which will not intro-
duce spurious mains borne signals. I
. ried another way ..
A sensitive galvanometer will detect
-he effect without amplification. I used
i 10mA FSD recording microammeter
is a totally non -electronic earth current
-ecording system. This, like the Victo-
-ian telegraph sys:..-ns is totally float-
ng and isolatq dote the local mains.
Text book9 jest that the theoreti-
-o_ earth cut-nr aD is at least 1volt-
- .ilometer Pn ' NS axis. An activity
--api _'-'ráwn in Fig.1 (by R. Saun-
..'ers). In fact using 6 x 2in copper foil
electrodes buried on an EW and NS
axis some 30m apart, currents of 1.5
i and 4µA respectively were recorded
between the pairs of plates once the
chemical battery effects had been
exhausted by shunting each couple
with a permanent 2kí2 resistor.
The diurnal variation was very slight,
being less than 0.1µA on the NS axis.
There was one surprise - persistent
long period wavetrains sometimes
appeared on both input channels and
to a lesser extent on the reference
mechanical zero channel - they turned
out to be the long secondary waves
from distant earthquakes, recorded
electrically and confirmed mechanical-
ly thanks to the inherent seismic sensi-
.
tivity of the 6in long printing pointer on
the galvo!
The plates did indicate magnetic
storms too - when the recording was
checked against RSGB reported auror-
221
SCIENCE
r
al events - but at such a low sensitivity Upper curveEarth current activity during the day on 20MHz.
that the record was not very useful. Eq during periods of
electromagnetic storms Two features of the earth current
The problem was insufficient dis- Lower curve Earth current activity Eq recording which excited my curiosity
tance between the plates which were during quiescent periods
5 were the large transients at 2(N)OBST
restricted to the boundaries of my 3 on 20.10.89 and 1915 on 21.10.89. The
2
garden. spacing seemed oddly coincident so a
10,000
Not wishing to forgo the simplicity 5 watch was kept on the earth current
and reliability of the recording galvo Sunspot max
1 3
2 Sunspot¡ recording around 1830 on 22.10.89.
decided to tap an unorthodox hut mm. This also showed a smaller but distinct
1,000
accessible distant earth for the NS Sunspot
max. isolated transient, with an even weaker
5
signal axis at the Upton -on -Severn but still distinct event around 1745 on
-
telephone exchange so I wrote to BT
loo 23.10.89.
Engineering at Worcester .. .
A check back on the week's record-
5
They readily consented when they 3 ing before the storm showed no earlier
learned that I only wanted a few BT 2
similar events, so what mechanism
microamperes from the earth return 10 Sunspot min.
I/
I
caused them?
5
line, and that there would he no mains 3
Sufficient data It was time to consult an astronomer.
not available
earth link. 2
I asked Michael Guest ERAS if the
l
A line was strung from the junction t
0 10
I I I
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
I I 11 I
moon might have blocked the particle
box on the house gable to the lab, and Geomagnetic latitude (degrees) stream from the sun at those times?
a 22k52 resistor was fitted in the box to r
Equatorial
1
Central
.1-e -t
Auroral Polar
- Ùnlikely' he said 'it was nearly at right
set the earth current at about 3µA. The
zone zone zone cap angles to the Sun - Earth axis and it has
original earth plates were then linked no magnetic field'. The consistent 23.3
Fig.]. Activity graph of earth current
together to make a distributed local hour interval between successive tran-
levels with latitude.
earth to complete the circuit via the sients certainly suggested a cyclic origin
recorder. - Earth current recording -but how?
The first magnetic storm logged by 700 -20/21 October 1989
The prime suspect was the moon,
the system started about 1300BST on 600 _N/S electrodes I= 2.5µA but this seemed even less likely when
20 October 1989 when the earth cur- tables showed the lunar/terrestrial
500
rents started to carry an intermittent period to deviate more than two hours
wave of 15/20 minute period, and the 400
every 24 from the observed transient
magnetometer showed a slight devia-
tion.
300 - 2-0.10.89
)
21
I it 20
t
19
l 11
18
1[ 1
17 16
period.
The precession of the earth current
At 20(X) a large
earth current tran- BST transient from true rotation period is
sient occurred (Fig. 2) accompanied by Fig.2. Evidence of the magnetosphere more likely to be due to the compress-
an initial westward swing of the magne- rebounding after a solar shock? ion and recovery of the sun -facing
tometer followed by a rapid excursion magnetosphere and its internal shock
to the East. -
700 - Earth current recording
20/21 October 1989 wave structure in response to the
A check on the short wave showed _N/S electrodes I=2.5µA incoming solar emissions. In that case
an HF fadeout extending down to 600 the transient time may provide a rough
14MHz. 500 indicator of the strength and velocity of
The night-time earth currents 400 the solar blast wave from a flare.
remained disturbed with an easterly
deviation on the magnetometer of 1.5
divisions (6mm). Cloud prevented any
300
it
21.10.89
21
11
20
l
19
I i
18
I i I
17
it
16
In any event it seems likely that any
inagnetospheric shock or standing
wave effect that is big enough to induce
visual auroral observation. BST
surface earth current transients during
Next morning HF propagation Fig.3. A subsequent transient was a magnetic storm will have already
remained poor with normally audible
recorded with regular period on follow- been regularly observed by orbiting
transatlantic stations blacked out.
ing days. spacecraft, so we may not have to wait
At 0830 BST, the magnetometer and long for a full explanation of this
earth current recorder showed extent as to be unintelligible! This
effect is due to the multiple additional intriguing observation.
increased activity, with vigorous cur-
rent and magnetometer swings propagation paths caused by auroral
ionisation which play ducks and drakes REFERENCES:
reaching a maximum Eastward devia- BARLOW. "On the Spontaneous Electrical Currents
tion of 2.5 divisions (10mm) at 11(H). with the signal on its short journey to observed in the Wires of the Electric Telegraph"
Instability continued all day, with a my aerial ...
The magnetometer and paper to Royal Society. 1848.
Res. II. LLOYD 1)1). "On Earth Currents, and their
further sudden large magnetometer earth currents remained disturbed until
Connexion with the Phenomena of Terrestrial Mag-
and current excursion at 1915. (Fig. 3). 01(10. netism." Paper to Royal Irish Academy Nov 11 1861.
Still being under cloud, I decided to Transient excitement Rev. II. LLOYD DD. "On the probable causes of
Earth Currents" Paper to Royal Irish Academy June
check for radio auroral activity. My Next day there was still a slight 2.5mm. 23 1862.
own standard 'test' for this is the BBC Eastward 'hangover' on the magneto- MURRAY DRIVER. Dynamics of the Magnetospher-
World Service transmitter on the 49m ic Shod, Solar Blast Wave Interaction. Space
meter (which decays over several days Research VIII. COSPAR LONDON 1967.
band which comes in at S9 on the after any magnetic storm). My test for DAV II) BRUCE NEWMAN. Space Vehicle Electro-
meter. During auroral conditions, the the 'end' of the storm is when the nics. pp. 67.1). Van Nostrand 1964.
signal stays at S9 but acquires rapid magnetometer returns to zero, and R. SAUNDERS. "Geomagnetic and Geoelectric Activ-
ity as a Function of Magnetic Latitude." ARS Journal
auroral echo and flutter to such an W W V from Colorado can he heard October1961.
222 ELECTRONICS WORLD +WIRELESS WORLD March 199(1

4
The most powerful.microprocessor in.the°world using concurrent processing,
ir
The system is supplied wth everything you need including:
Interlace card - takes a 'short slot' in the PC and provides
link in/out and control lines.
Cable - links It interace card to the Transputer Module.
Transputer Module -complete T414 based subsystem,

supplied in its own sturdy case.
Power supply - ndependant power to transputer if required.
-
Development Software folding editor, OCCAM compiler,
downlooder, terminal e rulator and utilities, hosted on the PC.
c , c,r Example programs - no less than 28 fully worked examples.

On Screen Tutonals - learn how to use the system 'an-screen'.
Hardware Manual - fill circuit diagrams, timing diagrams
aid circuit description;.
TDS User Guide - sell contained tutorial guide to using the
State of the art technology! development software.
With major computer companies 'designing -in" the TOS User Manual - the reference manual for the development
Transputer, it is imperative that todays technology software.
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In short the Transputer Training System gives you OCCAM.
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Unpack, plug in and start learning. Everything you C012 Engineering Data - full specifications for the Link
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The Transputer Module houses a 15 MHz T414 with 256K
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accessable. The module includes a wealth of test points, 14
The complete system costs just £995.00 status LEDs, 16 I/C lines, EVENT input, independant
computer.
1
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.,
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for multi-transputer applications. Simply plug
Now with 1/2 price course option additional Transputer Modules into the spare link
Attend our special 3 day course for just £200 `'° connectors using the cables supplied. In this way networks
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The unique Transputer Training System has been I/O system.
designed specifically for education and is therefore ideal The I/O connector links directly to our Applications Board,
for use in colleges and universities. The excellent self -teach which enables the Transputer to control DC motor speed
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REVIEW
given for setting the hoard's base

address and for selecting 50 or 6(1Hz
mains frequency.
The program's functions and menus
are well described as are the connec-
tions to and from the hoard and the
commands that can be used. In fact the
documentation told me things about
my PC that are not covered in its own
VOLT ETER user manual! For instance I did not

know that the IBM I/O address map
contains a reserved area for prototype
boards starting at address 300hex.
Although I did not need this informa-
BOARD tion, as the AC5(05 comes with a

default address of 300hex preselected,
it's still nice to know.
The converter is shipped separately
from the mother board and needs to be
plugged -in. This is simple enough but
antistatic handling precautions should
he observed. As mentioned, the base
address of the board is factory set to
300hex but can he altered using the
John Martin looks at Software which is a joy to use
completes the icing on the
DIP switches on the board. Once
installed, this setting can be changed
an add -in board cake. The cake? An evaluation using the supplied software.
board which turns a standard The jumper link which selects 50 or
which can turn a PC PC into a high resolution volt- 60Hz was factory set to 60Hz and so
into a four channel meter. The kit comprises the
AD t 175K 22bit A/D converter module
was changed to 50Hz. This is necessary
61/2 digit voltmeter mounted on the AC5005 evaluation

mother board which plugs directly in The converter is a high accuracy, auto -
the backplane of an IBM PC/XT/AT or zeroing 22bit module using a mutislope
compatible. integration technique to provide 16 conver-
sions a second, or 20 a second with a 60Hz
The 51/4in disk contains a colourful
mains supply. It has a high impedance
menu -driven program which exercises differential input with a nominal range of
the functions of the converter. It lets ±5V. The digital inputs and outputs are
the user view the voltages on the LSTTL compatible for direct interfacing
analogue input ports and change some with a microprocessor bus. Its power
of the system's configurations like gain requirements are +5 and ± 15V.
The mother board accepts the AD1175K
and offset. Any changes to the con-
module which simply plugs into the board. it
figuration can be stored in the internal contains necessary address decoding logic,
non-volatile RAM. a four -channel analogue input multiplexer,
The disc also contains: the same a 5 to ± 15V converter and links and switches
program in Basic; the Basic program to select the base address of the unit and
listing; a simpler Basic program to do whether a 50 or 60Hz mains supply is used.
The board fits easily into an expansion slot
conversions; and a help -screen file for of an IBM-compatible PC and provides the
use with the executable programs. A user with two 15 -pin D -type connectors.
screen -shot of the main menu of the The male connector is for the analogue
program is in Fig. 1. inputs but also provides access to the ±15V
The user guide is well written and supplies and the internally generated refer-
presented, containing absolutely every- ence voltage of +6.95V. The female con-
nector provides an 8bit I/O port with flags
thing that a user could wish to know for use in interfacing with external equip-
about the internal and external opera- ment for control applications and so on.
tion of the converter and its evaluation Conversion may also be triggered using a
board including circuit diagrams and pin on this connector.
board layout. Clear explanations are
224 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 199(1

REVIEW
]
rti'LDRIOr thn
i
.1
. o ol7"i411(!
MnIH MTMI (1)nlwct MI Iwtt..r) 914Iml, Mr1'a rK .hlt 6-.iw omen. D-1TIt.1 wr.,)
R. 19.LECT hr,.HH', OD(Rrx? 122Zifill~71I I wrjdl
R. DO O W.riRf. Rr:ET TO POR 11P DETMII.T 1:ETTINI.:: h. b Erf1H
0. WORM WITI 9119LOC PORT (THE 01DI1'P,1
D. WORM WITI DICITAD PORT
x. Ci(I TO DOSI
7. 117101 T2
R. E/'.r011.1.ND.PIM
9.
THE
:jlfmADIL'. DI:TIAYED
1YNRM1
f'. I
H. IMIpfuI I wet arwation Screen
Ik. (9i to tossie dlnpl.j of v.nvrtlon, results
n :O.f:Lr. Il
)ISm11N
I p t 22 input 113 Input 11
N NNPMfT,f 1.571997 9.99999R
TLjI'URIOC th., fe.,HN. I ---- -EST )R1UC tlN. RG5095
DICITAL MD111 for h 1 t M In nnrru, or O ,u lay nén,t 9119204 MENU (or hit IRLe sew., or P-Iglt.l nee.)
I .
2. TET PORT
SET PORT FOR
FOR
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10116.) (AITPIITR,
licrwrity
1íL;:R.)=IHrtIT'.
N.
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1. SET PORT FOR II-R1T (MTThIT 2. IIE{Kf' 7. 11P)01TE THE 14011R4M
1 /
8ET(11/
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I,. URITE 9-RIT WORD TO PORT IATPM (PUTTS to ., M,rtl 4. news g. /r1oDE; DIWIAYED
v
7. RFAD PORT MID 1'l.. IM PIM .
Use (9) to t.osgle f1eFI.9 .f conversion results
J nE::::r4,k:. -WW2 ;
I I,put 11 i.put rt input r1 Input 14

-4 121729 9 NNNK7 T.5711M 4199999/
PORT PIIC: LAM real +s 7'i, Char III 4 FLAG-. IM PIN I
IICrewent OR DEr-ewo.Yt the hA IM or ':E OFFT b1 6-255
I ILYTERI The wlua Fi:la., (9 or 'inter) =) no tMrry.)
-- 1 f OMnr.flb o I cOMMmdfD 4 I II
'ran, cm, rü - .-.-
Fig. I. Main menu and selection of menu screens associated with the evaluation boara. The software includes a Basic source
code listing for customisation to individual specifications. There is also a help screen file for use with .EXE code, and a
conversion program.
to ensure maximum supply -frequency Similar fluctuations occurred in the analogue front -ends to overcome this
rejection by the converter. The board readings of channels #1 and#3. This problem and provide input scaling.
fitted easily into the expansion slot of noise is probably due to the electrically The software was excellent and the
an Amstrad PC1640. leaving the D - noisy environment inside the computer supplied routines, with the documen-
type user connectors readily accessible and the connections between the D - tary support, provide the basis of a
at the side of the computer. Unfortun- type connectors and the ADC module useful instrumentation system for the
ately, no mating connectors were sup- are PCB tracks of some length, also display of voltages and their incorpora-
plied but they are common enough. containing an analogue multiplexer. tion into PC -based data logging and
For testing, analogue channel #1 The noise quoted on the manufacturers control applications. Software snobs
was connected to a variable power data sheet is 51rV peak to peak. who abhor Basic are reminded that the
supply with a nominal output voltage A simple test of linearity Lsed one conversion time of 40ms should allow
of -4V; channel #2 was wired short- channel of the system to measure the even the most unstructured and sloppy
circuit and earthed; channel #3 was voltages of three constant -temperature program to make full use of the 16
connected to an alkaline cell of 1.5V alkaline cells, first individually conversions a second!
nominal voltage 1.5V; and channel #4 and then in series. The error between OEMs who wish to incorporate the
was also wired as short-circuit and the arithmetic sum of the individual AD1175K converter into a laboratory
earthed. The evaluation program voltages and the actual series voltage instrument are supplied with all the
"AC50115.EXE" was run with the sim- was 0.001295%. information necessary to access the
ple command "AC5005" and the Although the analogue inputs are ADC's 16 registers and interface the
"Work with analog port" option described as true differential, it should data to a microprocessor bus. Analog
selected from the main menu. The be noted that the cold leg of the Devices are to he congratulated on
results can be seen in the "messages" differential pair is for remote ground producing such a user-friendly pack-
box in the screen -shot of the analogue sensing and should be within ±100mV age, whict- is as important as producing
menu in Fig. 2. of the analogue ground. This restricts a good product.
Inputs #2 and #4 should have been the use of the kit if non ground - The AC5005 including software costs £350
OV but showed varying readings from referenced voltages are to be mea- plus VAT and the AD1175K £754 plus VAT.
OV to as much as +7µV shortly after sured, or if the kit is to be used with Both are available from Analog Devices,
switch -on, reducing to a maximum of shunts for current measurement. Station Atenue, Walton -on -Thames, Surrey
+5µV after a 45min warm-up period. However, OEMs may wish to design KT12 1 PF. Telephone: 0932 253320.

RADAR
DISPLACED
DAR A
Gift of second sight?

Separating transmitter and receiver avoids PRF anomalies
and ground clutter and is more secure than monostatic
types. Henry Hislop describes the advantages and
disadvantages of the process.
,ost radars use the same the radar, a more accurate display can
antenna to transmit and he obtained by using a computer to
receive. Only a small part determine where the transmitted beam
of the energy reflected by A
.
intersects the ellipse on which the .
- -an aircraft is returned to aircraft is known to he. The accuracy

that antenna; the rest is scattered in will depend on the angle at which the
other directions. This energy can be transmitted beam intersects the ellipse.
.
\
received by other antennas in other It is greatest at long ranges and zero on
places so that, in areas where radars a line joining the transmitter to the
are already operating, aircraft can be receiver. This problem can he over- ,
detected with no more than a receiver, come. as will be explained later. f
in an arrangement known as histatic
Sensitivity compensation III q
,1111:..
radar. 111
Figure. 1 shows how radio amateurs Other things being equal, there is no r
living near Heathrow airport are able
to locate an aircraft with nothing more
reason why a remote receiver should
he any less sensitive than one co-
1 1
` r n'a
than a simple receiver and a small .,.,
located with the transmitter. If, how-
omni-directional antenna. First, by ever, the antenna of a remote receiver
measuring the time delay between a is smaller or has a wider beamwidth
signal received directly from the radar than that of the radar, then the gain of
and the same signal received after that antenna will he less and the range
reflection from the aircraft, they can at which aircraft can he detected with
plot an ellipse on which that aircraft that antenna will he correspondingly
must lie. Then, by noting how the reduced. If the simplest possible omni-
amplitude of the direct signal varies directional antenna is used with the
with time as the radar antenna rotates, remote receiver - so that there is no
they can estimate the position of the need for the receiving antenna to scan
beam when the maximum signal is - then the sensitivity of the remote -
reflected from the aircraft. As long as receiving system is likely to he about
the radar antenna is rotating at a 30dB less than that of a typical air The antenna of a modern surveillance
constant speed, these two measure- surveillance radar. This will reduce the
ments provide all the information
radar, which serves both transmitter
maximum range at which aircraft can and receiver. Picture by courtesy of
needed to determine the aircraft's posi- he detected by a factor of 5.6; typically
tion. Plessey Radar.
from 250 miles to less than 50.
If the receiver is relatively close to The maximum range at which air- accommodate the angular errors
the radar, the approximate position of craft can be detected with a remote caused by parallax and lack of syn-
aircraft detected in this way can he receiver can he increased by designing chronism. Very conveniently. the
displayed on a plan position indicator the receiving antenna to be omni- effect of parallax is greatest at short
by rotating the hearing line in syn- directional in azimuth but with the ranges where there is the least need for
chronism with the radar antenna and beam shaped in elevation to match that high antenna gain.
using the pulses received directly from of the radar antenna. Further improve- An interesting way of compensating
the radar to trigger the radial timehase. ments can be obtained by rotating the for the lower gain of an antenna with a
Such a display makes no allowance for receiving antenna broadly in synchron- wide beam in azimuth is to reduce its
parallax. ism with the radar antenna and using a beamwidth in elevation and use several
If the receiver is some distance from beamwidth no wider than is needed to narrower beams to cover the same total

RADAR
elevation angle. If each of these beams

is connected to a separate receiver, not
only is the sensitivity improved but the
remote receiver can determine the
Ellipses of equal delay
height of an aircraft; a facility that may from transmitter B
not he available at the main radar.
Bistatic by design
I.
At this point, the perceptive reader will
realise that a simple idea that formed
the basis of an amusing toy is now Ellipses of equal delay Transmitter'B
from transmitter A
leading us towards an ingenious type of
sensor with many valuable features. So
far, for example, we have assumed no
co-operation from the primary radar
Transmitter A Receiver //
and that it is detecting aircraft with its
own receiver in its own way and in its
own time. Much more can be achieved
if the radar is designed from the outset
to work with its transmitter and receiv- Fig. 2. Two transmitters form two sets Keeping a low profile
er in different places. of ellipses, crossing points locating air-
craft more accurately. Without prior knowledge of the posi-
Removing the restraints of co - tion of a receive -only station, it is
location gives a new degree of free- unlikely to be the victim of high -
dom. Cynics have said that the inven- which an aircraft can be located in this intensity jamming which, by definition,
tion of the T/R cell (which made it way is limited only by the range resolu- is concentrated in a particular direc-
possible for a radar transmitter and tion. Pairs of receivers can locate self-
tion of the system and can he much
receiver to share the same antenna) screening jammers by triangulation so
higher than is possible with a conven-
delayed the development of air sur-
tional radar. that they can be engaged at the earliest
veillance by forty years.
A conventional radar distinguishes opportunity.
If more than one transmitter is used between aircraft and ground "clutter" The antenna of a conventional sur-
with the same receiver, there is no veillance radar presents a prime target
by detecting the phase change between
need to depend on a narrow beam to
successive returns. The returns from a for anti -radiation missiles. These rela-
determine the exact position of an tively crude weapons steer themselves
fixed object bear a constant phase
aircraft. From each transmitter, the towards a radar transmitter just as a
relationship to the transmitted signal;
signals reflected by an aircraft will be moth heads for a light. A radar with its
the returns from an aircraft moving
delayed by an amount which defines an transmitter and receiver in different
radially vary with time. With a conven-
ellipse on which the aircraft lies. From places can be protected against these
tional radar, therefore, it is difficult to
two transmitters, for example, the sig- weapons by reversing the roles of the
distinguish between clutter and aircraft
nals reflected by an aircraft will define
that are moving tangentially, but a antennas, so that the large directional
two ellipses on which the aircraft lies, receiver associated with two transmit- antenna is used at the receiver where it
and the exact position of that aircraft will not attract attention by radiating
ters can detect aircraft moving in any
must be where those ellipses intersect,
direction. and the omni-directional antenna is
as shown in Fig. 2. The accuracy with
With a conventional radar, problems used at the transmitter where it can be
arise if the interval between successive made very small and robust. The whole
pulses is less than the time for a pulse system then presents a much more
to return from an aircraft at maximum difficult target. Moreover, with this
range. A conventional receiver cannot arrangement, the transmitter power
Radar beam distinguish between a pulse that has can be increased to offset entirely the
rotating at
Ellipses of - constant rate been reflected from an aircraft at long lower gain of the smaller antenna.
equalidelay range and another pulse that has been
transmitted later and reflected by an
aircraft at short range. Both will arrive
Compromises
at the same time. All design is compromise. The design
These ambiguities can he resolved if of a bistatic radar is no exception.
the transmitter and receiver are sepa- For most applications, the receiving
rated, because the returns from aircraft antenna should be as large as possible;
at long range are not received at the a large antenna captures more of the
same azimuth angle as those from energy reflected by aircraft and its
aircraft at short range. Freedom to use narrow beamwidth minimizes the
a higher pulse -repetition frequency returns from clutter and power from
Fig. I. Position of an aircraft can be makes it easier to distinguish between offset jammers.
determined using a simple receiver. aircraft and ground clutter (for reasons If a bistatic radar with a narrow
Lines of equal time difference between that are beyond the scope of this receiving beam has a long baseline and
reception of signal reflected from air- article). Freedom to use a higher duty transmits with a low duty cycle then,
craft and that from transmitter form cycle makes it easier to transmit more for maximum efficiency, the receiving
ellipses, on which aircraft lie. power. beam must be moved to follow each

RADAR
transmitted pulse as it propagates out- REACTION FROM THE INDUSTRY receiver in response to changes in the
wards. This will demand that the Comments from a radar manufacturer do electronic environment. The speed
receiving beam is steered electronical- not totally support the ideas put forward in with which this can be done will be
ly. If the radar transmits with a high this article. limited by the delay introduced by the
duty cycle, or if more than one trans- It is pointed out that the advantages of link hut, for most applications, a delay
mitter is used, it may be better to use a bistatic operation are only realised when of less than a millisecond is negligible.
the distance between transmitter and
set of fixed receiving beams, each with receiver is long - perhaps 100km -which Opinions differ on the value of a faster
its own receiver and signal processor. rules out simple synchronization of rota- response.
Either arrangement is likely to be tion, except at reduced gain. Compensation The cost and complexity of an effi-
expensive. for lost antenna gain by increasing trans- cient bistatic radar system will usually
Whether or not the receiving beam is mitter power is hardly attractive; 10dB of be more than that of a monostatic
moved to follow each transmitted lost gain is equivalent to ten times the radar. For air-traffic control and strate-
power.
pulse, the receiver must be synchro- The increasing complexity of radar wave-
gic air defence, the important question
nized with the transmitter to an accur- forms, which is a response to the threat of is whether that extra cost is justified by
acy that depends on the range resolu- jamming, Nould render synchronization dif- the greater resistance to radiation hom-
tion. This can be done by receiving the ficult. ing, directional jamming and "stealth".
radar transmissions directly, by passing The view is expressed that, although the For shorter range applications, the
idea of bistatic radar is not new and has still
timing signals via a wide -hand link or losses caused by transmitting a broad
not found widespread use, there might be
by synchronizing both the transmitter an application for it in defence, for the
beam may be offset by the advantages
and the receiver with some external reasons expressed in the article. of being able to use covert, low -
reference. Whichever method is used consumption sensors.
must be protected against interference. The possibilities are endless.
A two-way link will enable the delay Perhaps one day we shall see a national
caused by the link to be measured and network of radar stations; some receiv-
compensated but, unless precautions position of the transmitter being ing, some transmitting and maybe
are taken, this may reveal the position changed in a pseudo -random sequence some doing both, but all co-operating
of the radar receiver. that is known to the receiver but to extract the maximum possible infor-
Given some method of synchroniza- cannot easily be predicted by a jam- mation about movements in the sky.
tion, there is nothing to prevent the mer. A two-way link will allow diffe- For how much longer will the transmit-
frequency, modulation, timing or beam rent sequences to be selected by the ters be earthbound?
z
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LETTERS
Relative FSK the noise power unchanged. Finally, why do you still although the abstract claims that
That is why Connor's hypothesis accept that DSB-SC and PSK the system can approach the
The profession of will not work. are difficult to demodulate. You Shannon capacity, the equation
telecommunication engineer E. Richards don't yet realise the real C Wblog2 ] 1 + K2F(S/N)] bids
exists because there is noise. Hitchin importance of my circuit idea indicates that the limit can be
Without noise there is no Herts "DSB-SC detector" (EW-WW exceeded by an arbitrary factor
telecommunication problem. August 1987) which is not just a just by increasing KF, the gain of
F. R. Connor in December mere idea. I have been using it the feedback path.
In Hypothesis (EW+ WW
EW+ WW is undermining the for eight years in my personal The system transmits the
profession. Noise is a paper December 1989), the statement
"noise voltages in the two links for privacy (the suppressed same FSK signal in two adjacent
tiger, he seems to claim. carrier at each transmitteris channels. After filtering, the
Telecommunication engineers
channels are correlated prior to
the detector" must be revised deliberately vibrating). receiver multiplies the contents
always have overlooked how I will not be surprised to read of the two channels together.
carefully. In the real world, they
easy it is to defeat this enemy. one day on your pages the name The signals labelled sum and
You just have to transmit your
aren't. But if they could, many
other systems could be designed of a company or person who will difference in Fig. 3, normalized
information signal twice, once as adopt it as happened a few years to unit amplitude are:
to reduce or even eliminate the
an upper sideband signal and ago to my little idea "Voltage Sum signal = cos (two +
probability of error due to such
once as a lower sideband signal, regulator", (WW October 1983) Ou(t) + O1(t)]
noise. To tell the truth, I fell
using the same carrier when it was seen again in Difference signal = cos l2wtt
into this trap ten years ago.
frequency. At the receiver you November 1986 by Siliconix + Ou(t) x O1(t)]
Also the statement
make a sum signal and a with a different output where Ou(t) and Ø1(t) are
"amplitude noise is removed by
difference signal. The sum signal transistor. respectively the phase noises in
amplitude limiting" is not
contains the information signal It is not easy to be the upper and lower channels
plus noise. However, the
complete. The limiting process
in actual circuits introduces a professional without being also and wt = w, for logic 1 and wt
difference signal is just noise! So practical and vice versa. = 0 for logic(' in the information
time (phase) delay which
apply the principle of negative Kerim Fahme stream.
feedback to cancel the input
depends on the input amplitude,
even for a step signal. So the Aleppo The idea is that the sum signal
noise and there you are! which contains only noise can be
Mr Connor even modifies
amplitude noise at a límiter's Syria
input (e.g. comparator) will be fed back to remove the noise on
what he calls Shannon's famous the incoming signal at the
transferred to some degree to The first thing that struck ne
equation. Famous, yes! But about the "Relative frequency second IF. The problem is that
phase noise at the output,
understood? How can he think shift keying" article in the feeding back any amount of the
especially at relatively low input
that he can change a property of December issue was that, sum O(t) and O1(t) will not
levels.
the channel, called channel
capacity, with the construction
-
cancel (Mt) O,(t) which is
the phase noise on the signal
of his receiver?
The editors of EW+ WW are Clash of symbols component (difference signal).
There is no possibility of
to blame. Let's forget this I am sure that Michael symbols' which was referring to improving the signal-to-noise
'perpetuum mobile' of data McLoughlin and I (EW+WW IEEE 91 but they stated that ratio in this way, so Shannon's
transmission theory as soon as December 1989) are really in 'the shape of the symbols is not capacity theorem lives to fight
possible. close agreement. I do agree with significant'. Perhaps they have another day!
P. van der Wurf him that an international not yet updated all their data William Harrold
Geldrop language, at least for circuit sheets but they do not appear to Harlow
The Netherlands. symbols, would be good. The be totally convinced by the logic
trouble is that the natives keep of their own arguments. Philips, The paper (EW+WW
on speaking their own dialects. a good European company, uses December 1989) by F. R.
I would like to make a point
The great and the good oft he rectangular resistors and non - Connor is based upon a
about F.R. Connor's article International Electrotechnical square gates in their current completely fallacious argument.
"Relative frequency shift Commission designed the data books-so much for the The reference to relativity is
keying" (EW+WW, language which comes to us in common language. irrelevant and that to Shannon,
December). the shape of BS3939: do we or The Zener diode symbol unhelpful.
Take stereo radio. The do we not try to speak it? I'm symbol (BS05-02-03), referred The basis of the fallacy is the
originating signals are L (left) afraid that the answer is no, we to by McLoughlin, represents a implied assumption that noise,
and R (right). These are prefer our own tribal versions. 'unidirectional breakdown as referred to a receiver's input,
combined to produce L+R and Event he standards effect'. Whether the American is correlated about a central
L- R. The received signals are committees themselves sway in symbol was based upon the frequency point. In particular,
L+R+N and L-R+N where N the wind. The 'wiggly resistor' is characteristic of the Zener I that noise in one band, say
is the added noise. in BS3939 although it is non - don't know but the BS/IEC below the given point, is
Decoding these signals gives preferred form; the use of 'other version (05-02-04) represents a identical to that in another band
2L + 2N and 2R, that is the right symbols' for logic elements is 'bidirectional breakdown spaced symmetrically above that
hand channel is noiseless mono not in contradiction with BS3939 effect', both interpretations are same point. This assumption is
from a stereo broadcast if L= R. although again not the preferred I suggest as sensible as the not true, except for low
So what is wrong with this way. American one. frequency noises which
theory? In 1985 Texas Instruments L.P. Best modulate carriers and/or local
N (left) and N (right) are not published an interesting Fleet oscillators.
'Explanation of new logic I lampshire
phase coherent and their Thus the common noise,
subtraction or addition leaves consisting of the addition of two

EFFICIENCY
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update
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DEVELOPMENT BOOKS
Optoelectronic line transmission, by
Radar antenna Lt. Col. R.L. Tricker. The book is sub-
Target titled Introduction to Fibre Optics and,
positioning as that implies, is not confined to
system communications. A first chapter
Radar transmitter Target
Rotating Pulsed introducing optical -fibre
table
RF antenna RF signa communications and devices in a
Oscillator
Modulator l
general way is followed by a chapter
Pulsed1 pedestal
IRF signal Target entitled Theory, which is somewhat
L ontroller overstating the case in that it is almost
Pulse entirely descriptive.
generator Radar The next section describes the types
L J receiver and manufacturing processes of glass
Demodulated fibres and two further chapters are
Synchronization signal devoted to transmitting and receiving
Radar
synchronizer
Antenna
Motor feedback
pulses
r Dual -channel
Sampled 0
sampler
1
Oscilloscope
A -scope
devices- leds, lasers, PIN diodes and
avalanche photodiodes-again a little
on the cursory side; the section on
receiving photodiodes only occupies
Azmuth information signal display
controller Motor control signal five pages. A piece on waveguides,
Signal couplers, connectors and repeaters
Motor processor completes the hardware section of the
power and book, which then goes on to
indicator
communication systems, listing and
Antenna describing several established
Power
motor installations.
supply driver As its sub -title indicates, this is a
purely introductory text and in this, it
Fig.2. Short range radar system block diagram. A 10GHz source operates at a succeeds. It is well illustrated and
peak power of 2mW in either CW or pulse mode providing a variety of display indexed. Perhaps Lt. Col. Tricker will
types up to 30m range. follow it with a more detailed and
exhaustive text. Heinemann
Professional Publishing, 161 pages,
channels of the radar receiver in time. Fig. lc shows the same signal stretched
£12.95.
A repetitive pulse signal can be stretch- in time using a larger number of sam-
ed in time by taking samples of this ples. This considerably increases the Designing with linear ICs, by G.C.
signal at different points of successive pulse width of the stretched -in -time Loveday. Number 3 in the series The
cycles, holding the value of each sam- signal (the time scales of (h) and (c) are Successful Design of Electronic
ple until the next one is taken. not the same), and improves the Hardware is concerned with the much
Figure lb shows an example of the resemblance of this signal to the origi- curtailed, but still vital field of
signal that could be obtained by nal pulse signal. analogue design.
By increasing the width of a pulse An introductory chapter deals with
stretching in time the pulse signal the classification, application and
shown in Fig. la. In this example, the signal, the time -stretching process design of analogue circuitry in general,
stretched -in -time signal is only a rough causes the bandwidth of this signal to computer methods of design being
approximation of the original pulse be considerably reduced. briefly described. The three following
signal because a small number of sam- chapters consider operational
ples are taken to reconstruct it. Never- Safety amplifiers, comparators and timing
theless, the pulse width of the To protect people working with micro-
circuits, worked design problems
stretched -in -time signal is much greater forming a fifth section.
waves, various standards exist concern- The book leans towards the
than that of the original pulse signal. ing the maximum microwave radiation practical, with many design examples.
-.-
levels considered to he safe. The stan- The Benchmark Book Company,
dards are usually expressed in units of 184 pages.
1000
ANSA
R PA
--- power density (Watts per unit area) at
Newnes Radio and Electronics
100 I
a given frequency. The power density
HWMC Engineer's Pocket Book, by Keith
of electromagnetic waves is equal to
10
the emitted power per unit cross- Brindley. The 18th edition of a book
that has been around since 1940
sectional area normal to the direction
manages to contain most of the factual
1
At horn,CW mode
of propagation. Figure 3 shows three information that any radio -oriented
0.1
different safety standards and the pow- electronics engineer needs and often
0.01 At
parabolic reflector,
er density levels associated with this cannot remember. Who can hold in
0.001 CW mode training system: the maximum transmit their heads all the 7400 series numbers,
At horn,
power is fixed at 2mW. The aperture of for example, or the frequencies in the
0.0001 the horn is 25cm2 and the area of the microwave K band and in all four of
pulsed mode
antenna reflector is 490cm2. In pulsed the designation systems? About a
0.00001 At parabolic reflector, hundred subjects are covered in
pulsed mode mode, the maximum pulse width is
0.000001 impressive detail, including a 24-page
50, and the maximum PRF is 288x glossary of electronics terms and a
10-' 100 10 102 103 104 103 106 1024Hz.
Frequency (MHz) comprehensive section depicting BS
In CW mode, Power density at horn symbols used on drawings and
Fig.3. Power density for different oper- = radiated power/area equipment. Heinemann Professional
ational modes with safety standard = 2x10 -3W/25 cm2 = 0.08mW/cm2 Publishing, hard back, 325 pages,
comparisons. which is within the most stringent limit. £9.95.

DEVELOPMENT
he short range and high

resolution required for oper-
ation inside a classroom or
laboratory creates significant
problems. A 15cm resolution
requires a radar pulse width of Ins and
this, in turn, implies bandwidths in the
Short range
gigahertz range. With high-speed elec-
tronics, the whole radar could theoreti-
cally operate with large bandwidths,
but the cost would be astronomical.
At this point two major decisions
were taken. The first was to design the
radar
receiver for direct baseband (homo -
dyne) conversion. This eliminated the
costly IF components and did not The development of short Such a pulse signal has an extremely
significantly reduce the instructional large bandwidth. Therefore, the band-
attractiveness of the system.
range radar demo width of the circuitry involved in the
The second decision was to use a equipment turns up processing of this pulse signal must also
bandwidth reduction technique, similar unusual design problems. be extremely large. According to a rule
to the one used in high-speed sampling Resolving the position of of thumb currently used, the approxi-
oscilloscopes. The transmitted wave- mate bandwidth B required to process
form is designed to repeat a certain
centimetre sized objects a pulse signal is equal to the reciprocal
number of times for each 'apparent' over just a few tens of of the pulse width t of this signal. This
RF pulse transmitted. The bandwidth metres calls for is written
of the received signal reduces to a transmission pulse widths B = lit
value where normal signal processing
down to 1 ns. Lab -Volt has Therefore, the bandwidth of the
circuitry can operate. It was felt that circuitry required to process the pulse
this difference from a real radar would developed a pulse signals from the I and Q channels of
not affect the training potential of the multiplication system the radar receiver would have to be
system. which reduces the approximately 1GHz. Such processing
The T/R switch or duplexer design bandwidth requirements. circuitry would be complex and costly.
also caused problems. The ultra -short In the radar training system (Fig. 2),
pulses involved did not permit conven- this problem is avoided by stretching
tional switching of the antenna the pulse signals from the I and Q
between transmitter and receiver. A
ferrite duplexer was selected to solve
this problem. It couples the outgoing Fig.]. Nanosecond pulses provide the
and incoming signals while reducing short-distance resolution while a pulse
mutual interference. sampling technique reduces the subse-
quent signal processing bandwidth
Sampling technique requirements.
Pulsed radars transmit an RF signal in
short bursts, at a constant rate. The (a) Demodulated pulse signal
shorter the duration of these bursts,
the better the range resolution of the f -A4-71
pulsed radar. Since the radar training
system operates over ranges of only a
few metres, the duration of the RF
signal bursts must be ill the order of Ins
to obtain all adequate range resolution.
Once received by the antenna, the
RF signal bursts are demodulated in
the receiver to extract their envelope.
A repetitive pulse signal is therefore
produced at the receiver output. Fig.
_1_77
(b) Demodulated pulse signal stretched in time using a small number of samples
shows an example of what the pulse
signal from the I or Q channel of the
radar receiver might resemble. The
duration of each pulse can be as short
as Ins. ( c) Demodulated pulse signal stretched in time using a large number of samples

LETTERS
uncorrelated packets of noise, version of the force equation

which states that force = mass x
can not cancel each separate one
of these packets in their isolated Disgusted - Australia acceleration.
upper and lower carrier forms. I was surprised to receive an about computer busses and news The proper relativistically
If the assumption were true, offer to resuhscribe to your items about selling solar invariant equation states that
communication over infinite formerly excellent publication powered megabytes to force = rate of change of
ranges with infinitely small after letting my subscription Botswanaland. momentum. The mass of a free
powers would be possible. lapse earlier this year. can only
1 I suppose some grey -suited
particle is a scalar constant, that
Given uncorrelated noises, the hope that such an offer has been marketing boffin has dictated is its value is the same whatever
performance will he limited by a promoted by many lost that this type of magazine is the particle velocity.
near unity ratio of signal to noise subscriptions following the rape appropriate to the times we live Okun said that while ideas
power in the information band. and engulfing of WW by EW. in. One can only hope that such as those of transverse and
H.W. Hawkes Wireless World was an someone else will emerge with a longitudinal mass are in effect
Winchcombe institution tome for more than journal that concerns itself with anachronisms, the idea of a mass
Glos 20 years and I and many others the elegant art rather than the which changes with particle
have learnt a lot from authors of state of the industry. velocity, widely used in teaching
the calibre of John Linsley Hood M. S. Odell relativity physics, is in
Cross -field antenna relativistic terms neither fish,
and innumerable others. It's North Balwyn
The CFA antenna (EW+WW probably unavoidable progress Australia flesh, nor fowl.
March 1989) is not a that our beloved WW has You forgot to say if you want to He particularly objected to
fundamental alternative to become a trade rag with articles resubscribe - Ed the use of the equation 'E =
dipoles and loops as implied in mc2' which purports to relate the
EW+WW November 1989. It total energy of a free particle to
consists of two separately fed its velocity dependent 'mass'.
aerials. One aerial is a short (including the feed gap between contacted as well as signal The correct equation is the
dipole with electric currents, the the two dipole halves. However, reports for the more usual superficially similar E. = mc2.
other consists of a loop with because the feed is common, no antennas. In the same vein, However, in this equation m
magnetic currents (i.e. a extra tuning benefits are "almost as good" doesn't represents the invariant mass,
horizontal circular slot). Both obtainable. support antenna performance while E. is the rest energy, that
are vertically polarized. The above explanation based either. Worse, measurements is the total energy of the particle
Each aerial generates its own upon conventional aerial were made with a flashlamp and in a frame at rest. Pauli bears
separate combination of distant coupling is preferable to that of a neon bulb. Doesn't Wells own some responsibility for '
radiated, local inductive and interacting Poynting vectors. a field -strength meter? propagating the notion of a
local capacitive fields as Such interaction is not in the Its performance remains in velocity dependent mass, but in
described in standard text classic exposition of Maxwell's doubt until we have some a 1921 encyclopaedia article,
hooks. Both aerials have the equations for transmission in a quantitative data aswell as the when special relativity was only
same polar diagram, coincident homogeneous medium. Indeed, construction detailson the 16 years old, and Pauli himself
phase centres and can be fed if true there would be balun, transmatch and was only 21. In most respects
differentially in respect of phase implications far beyond the multiband tuner used in Wells' that article has worn extremely
and amplitude. The strong aerial art as pointed out with research. well.
coupling, occasioned by the clarity and impact in EW+WW I'm very disappointed that C. F. Coleman
common phase centre, can cause Letters. you published such an article Grove
feeding difficulties but can be July 1989. without any experimental details Oxfordshire
exploited by an adjustment of H.W. Hawkes and without quantitative
phase and amplitude of each Winchcombe supporting evidence. After this
feed so as to tune and match the Glos editorial lapse, I cannot take
composite aerial. you seriously.
Tuned Vauxhall
It is advantageous for the J.R. Smallwood The new car (a Vauxhall Carlton
tuning and matching to be via I was most disappointed by C. Milford -Opel Omega) had its
the aerial structure rather than Byron Well's article, "The cross - USA broadcast receiving aerial
externally in a smaller volume field antenna in practice," in the bonded to the windscreen and 1
which could produce greater November 1989 issue. This wondered if it might be possible
ohmic losses. A reduction of drivel does little to clear up the
Mass confusion to drive part of a car body as an
feed plus matching losses is of mystery that surrounds this . Though John Ferguson aerial, as in aircraft practice.
importance as a short dipole, antenna. (December letters) quotes The whole body shell might
with a given diameter, can then Wells claims a number of correctly from an article in the resonate as a cavity, with
start to approach the successful contacts with British, June 1989 issue of Physics radiation leaking out through
effectiveness of a larger one; Irish, and European stations. Today by Lev Okun of the the windows. Rough calculation
although the same level cannot How does he define successful? Moscow Institute of Theoretical showed this possible, and
he reached because of the Likewise, he says that, and Experimental Physics.. he experiment confirmed the
inherent larger I2R surface ...results were almost as does so in a totally misleading preliminary estimates.
losses. good as both my double zepp context. In fact Okun's article The body shell (see diagram)
A dipole (particularly if of and an 82M circumference was a strong affirmation of is tuned to resonance by a
diameter comparable to the vertical loop .. . special relativity. W hat he capacitor between the centre of
CFA) can also be resolved into Let's have some quantitative criticised were confused the roof (point a, the rear of the
electric plus magneticcurrents data here! I'd like to have signal concepts of mass resulting from sunroof frame) and the
that flow over the aerial surface reports from the stations he the use of the restricted classical transmission tunnel below it

LETTERS
(point b). For 27.8MHz, C = between the front seats can be a explanations it would seem just Television Club (founded in
1pF. Due the high Q, around
1 nuisance, but one soon gets used as reasonable to support new 1949 incidentally) are trying to
100 at 27.8MHz, a simple J to it. hypotheses by the introduction save some of it. Could I ask
match connected between points T.S. Christian of anything from magical dust to anyone in a position to dispose
x and b provides a good match North Walsham divine intervention! of industrial CCTV cameras
to 509. Over 27.6 to 28MHz, Norfolk Jennisons' work relied on more than 20 years old to get in
SWR remains below 1.5 if set at down to earth theoretical touch with me? We can arrange
minimum (no perceptible meter Inertia reasoning involving known laws carriage, possibly even modest
reading) in the centre of the of physics. It would be payment! Many thanks.
band. Polarization is vertical, of Peter Graneaus' account of the
interesting to have his views and Andrew Emmerson
course. Assis theory of inertia (EW+ to hear whether he has 71 Falcutt Way
WW, January) is interesting but
The J match section C -a can developed and/or changed his Northampton NN2 8PH
be replaced by a small inductor,
it is surprising that there is no
approach to the origin of inertia (0604 844130).
about 100nH, and the whole mention of the work of Prof. during the intervening years.
Jennison; see for example the
arrangement housed under the M.G.T. Hewlett Audio power
plastic console between the article "What is an Electron", Midhurst
front seats. WW, June 1979. In the latter J.L.L. Hood's article on
W. Sussex
Jennison presents an elegant evolutionary audio is good, but
theory which, inter alia, has three important errors.
accounts for the intertial CCTV for BATC Referring to Fig. 9 (November),
property of matter while The November 1968 issue of Hood says the compound
avoiding the need to invoke Wireless World contained a emitter follower connection
hypothetical interactions such as survey of closed-circuit gives better quiescent current
those which support the various television equipment. Of the 21 temperature stability than the
ideas presented in Peter manufacturers included only conventional Darlington
Graneaus' article. two-one British and one connection. This is incorrect,
If any theory depends on the Japanese- are still actively based on a false assumption that
Despite the low effective introduction of presently involved in CCTV, and many of with the output transistor's base/
height, performance is unknown forces, fields, the 'great' British names have emitter junction outside the
comparable with that of a instantaneous interactions and left the market place. inner bias loop the circuit is less
normal external aerial, certainly soon then, at least, it is 1am not aware of any temperature dependent.
within 6dB. At 4W drive, the incumbent upon the theorist to museum which has saved any of Simple intuitive analysis of
power density in the body is less explain what these are, where this interesting but obsolete the circuit proves that the
than that adjacent to the aerial they come from and why they equipment, but some members compound connection has the
of a hand-held Tx, for which no are there. In the absence of such of the British Amateur same temperature stability as
health -hazard has been reported the Darlington. The
at these frequencies and powers. temperature stability of any
Due to the high Q, the voltage More audio? compound connection is directly
across the resonating capacitor related to the g,,, of the circuit,
I find articles somewhat you didn't need a Towers guide
is high. Thus a wide spacing all things being equal, and if the
between capacitor plates is removed from mainstream to sort out one transistor from g0, is the same, then the
necessary. For the same reason, electronics and radio (such as another. (I'm not that old, just temperature stability will he the
the internal vertical rod a -b the continuing Einstein debate) halfway to my three score and same. Considering the
needs to be insulated. all that more interesting just ten.) Darlington circuit, the total bias
Although SWR is affected by because they are so removed. Can we also continue to have voltage would be 4x Vbe and
passengers and driver this is only Long may EW+ WW continue to articles on audio and hi -ti? The would have a 4 x -2mV/°C
a problem for distances of less he a forum in which the more article by Barry Fox was most temperature co -efficient, thus
than about 15cm. heretical elements in welcome. I believe there is a matching the total output and
Since the length a -b is less engineering can air their views. growing disbelief in the drivers against ambient changes.
than the 165cm specified in the The only thing on which I subjective approach to hi-fi, but Ignoring ambient changes or
CB licence schedule, the disagree with you is the dissidents are effectively thermal tracking and
arrangement is presumably magazine title. muzzled by the hi-fi press who considering the stability of a
legal. Electronics World + Wireless seem unwilling or unable to discrete Darlington circuit on its
The arrangement is also World is a bit of a mouthful and criticise the more esoteric and own with a fixed bias, for every
useful for HF reception, being I assume it is only a matter of not -so -esoteric offerings of hi-fi degree rise in either driver or
tunable across most of the 3 to time before the + Wireless manufacturers. Yours is the only output device junction there will
30MHz hand with a single World bit is dropped. A title magazine open to us disbelievers he a 2mV increase in potential
capacitor. Maximum useful that has lasted 80 odd years will with enough street cred to take across the emitter resistor,
frequency depends on the car, then disappear, presumably on the hi-fi mags. Hopefully we increasing driver and output
but is unlikely to exceed 40M Hz forever. That I find distasteful. I can expect more articles like emitter current and junction
even fora mini. know I'm old fashioned but Barry's and indeed more by J. dissipation accordingly.
'Interference from the car couldn't you leave the Wireless Linsley Hood and others of like Therefore the rate of increase of
electrics in the case of the World bit in the magazine title, mind and ability. Iq with temperature is due to
Carlton was found to be no even if it's only on the inside Philip Cadman transconductance, which for Re
greater than for an external title page; just as a sweetener to Dudley as 0.22íi would be SAN.
antenna, and perfectly us old 'uns who remember when West Midlands Compare this to the first
acceptable. The internal rod a -b derivative from the Darlington

LETTERS
connection shown as Fig. 2, with distortion. The compound transconductance which also on a belief that nothing can
the quiescent current Ve set the connection has the advantage improves linearity, and use travel faster than light which is
same as before. Ve + Vbe will that, with the circuit of Fig. 2, extremely fast output devices also constant, that zero is
appear across R2. Since Ie and I adding an additional resistor biased in class A and hence absolute and, worst of all, the
for the driver are virtually equal from Tri emitter to ground will eliminate the need for red shifted light of distant
then Ve + Vbe also appears give some voltage gain. This compensation capacitors. The galaxies proves that the more
across Rt I, is now a constant -
. allows for lower overall swing potential then exists for slew distant an object is from Earth,
current generator feeding into requirements on the preceding rates at least 20 times that of the the faster it is receding.
R2. As I,, is considerably greater driver stages, allowing lower Hood designs. I'm not saying the theory is
than Tr2 base current, V across voltage faster transistors to be Les Sage wrong, I just want to caution
R2 can be considered a voltage used (with the disadvantage of Sage Audio Electronics against assuming our limited
source to Tr2. Every degree higher distortion and output Bingley, Yorks experience in one tiny corner of
temperature rise in Tr2 will impedance). the universe holds good at the
cause 2mV increase in Ve. A further disadvantage is that outer reaches.
Similarly, for every degree rise at clipping the driver saturates, Geocentric physics Take the red shift. It works on
for the driver, VRt, VR2 and Ve leaving an operational output Ifound your December issue Earth and can be demonstrated
will all increase by 2mV. So the device working as a grounded particularly rich in thought and used as a valuable yardstick
circuit has exactly the same emitter rather than a follower. provoking matter on the true in near space, but can we be
temperature stability as the Thus phase reversal occurs, basis and purpose of scientific certain that light coming from a
Darlington. The only difference giving a step at the clipping theory. Not only were there galaxy thousands of light years
being the saturation voltage is point and some HF instability. challenging letters from away is not frequency shifted
now 2 x V R2 plus Vbe (driver) This is termed by Hood as latch Harrison and Lerwill, but there over such immense distances.
compared to just VRt plus Vbe up; his suggestion of adding was a nice speculative dose of Why shouldn't the speed of light
for the Darlington. driver base resistors does not scientific puzzling over the vary with the age of the
Short circuiting R1 and totally solve the problem; the origin and nature of pulsars. universe?
moving R,, to the collector true answer is to ensure the The laws that govern physics Take the pulsars in Research
(Fig.3) as in Hood's circuit will output device saturates before and appear to control the Notes - it's conveniently
reduce the saturation voltage to the driver using the Fig. 2 cosmos are the distillation of assumed that a pulsar emits two
that of the Darlington. With Iq circuit. millions of scientific beams of radiation as it
set as before, every degree rise The third false assumption observations reduced to a spins ... why should it? We
in Tr2 will cause its Vbe to fall by relates to slew rate, Hood thinks convenient shorthand for don't expect an oscillator to
2mV, giving rise to a potentially slewrate is limited by the class A practical use. This is fine with rotate to throw off
large increase in Iq, again as driver's collector current. This is something like the speed of electromagnetic waves. Why
before. As = le the increased false. It is simple to prove that, light, because it can be shouldn't a pulsar oscillate
Iq will appear across Re thus provided the driver 1. is greater demonstrated in a large number between different diameters,
subtracting from the bias, giving than the differential input stage of ways or even realised as one throwing off the surplus mass
stability. tail current, then, for any given of Grace Hopper's pieces of that makes it unstable as
Even though Tr2 collector stability phase margin, slew rate wire! The problems start when radiation? That would explain
effectively bootstraps Tr1 is a direct function of input stage we try to explain fundamental how the frequency decays with
emitter, the ',stability is still the tail current and forces like gravity and time until the pulsar turns into a
same as the Darlington. The transconductance only and magnetism. neutron star, black hole or even
transconductance (g,,,) of the independent of C compensation. The complexity of particle a white dwarf- take your pick!
circuit is the same hence Once t his is appreciated it can physics leads to a myopic view of The truth is we are only
temperature dependance of Iq is be realised that the reason for the universe, which is reinforced making educated guesses, but
also the same. asymmetrical slewing is not as by our own terrestial prejudices. our guesses maybe too much
However, Hood has missed Hood thinks but totally due to Einstein and Newton conditioned by earthbound
the most salient difference of the mismatch of the differential produced basic laws to help experience. One thing is certain
two circuits. The Darlington input stages collector currents explain things. We are now told - the true scientist keeps an
connection is used more (provided I driver is greater than I they are so full of errors they open mind.
extensively in commercial 181). The way to improve slew wouldn't pass the Trades Anthony Hopwood
amplifiers because it is faster rate (as in the Supermos Descriptions Act! At the same Upton -on -Severn
than the compound pair, and amplifiers) is to operate the time the entire state of the Worcester
has better HF stability and lower input stage with a very low universe continues to be based

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PIONEERS
t is well known that Volta

invented the primary battery and
in so doing moved electrical sci-
ence into an age of electrodyna-
mics. What is less well known is
that he proposed a fundamental unit of
PIONEERS
electric tension some years before that
invention, when scientists were still
deep in the age of electrostatics. It is
perfectly appropriate then that the unit Alessandro Volta: The electrophore was probably the
most significant electrical invention
for electromotive force (a term he
introduced) is named after him. We
the man who made since the Leyden Jar capacitor. After
considerable experimentation, in June
may be thankful, though, that his electricity portable 1775, he announced his "elettroforo
perpetuo". It was an inductive device
original unit was never accepted; it is
roughly equal to 13 350 volts! for repeatedly charging a tin -foil
Volta was already an established covered shield which, in turn, was used
scientist with a reputation for experi- to build up a large charge on a Leyden
mental work when he announced the Jar capacitor. Whilst others had come
invention of the "Pile", the first electric close, only Volta produced a sturdy
battery. The importance of the inven- and usable instrument.
tion was instantly recognised as being Alessandro Volta; interpreter and emu- In 1776, he briefly turned to the
of the first rank and it opened new lator ofNature. study of gases and discovered a new gas
avenues of enquiry, including elec- which we know as methane. "Inflamm-
trochemistry and electrodynamics. It able air" (hydrogen) had been isolated
quickly led to experimental electric chemically ten years earlier and was
light and industrial electroplating. known to exist naturally. Volta became
Volta was born in Como in the duchy intrigued by the "different kinds of air"
of Milan in Northern Italy on the 18th and searched the countryside for the
February 1745 and died there 82 years telltale bubbles until he found a new
later on the 5th March 1827. On his gas at Lake Maggiore. Hydrogen,
mother's side he came from a family however, was more explosive and it
with a leaning towards the law; his was hydrogen and air (oxygen), not
father's family was devoted to the methane, that Volta used in an
church. One of his three paternal "inflammable air pistol" which was
uncles was a Dominican, one a canon, fired by an electric spark. The pistol
and the third an archdeacon. fired a lead ball, denting wood at 15
Alessandro, the youngest, was an feet. From related experiments he con-
active Roman Catholic and chose many cluded that about 20% of common air
clerics as close friends. His religion was was oxygen. He narrowly missed synth-
important to him and he sought theolo- esizing water, but his method was
gical advice before his marriage in successfully used later by Lavoisier,
1794. He was a large, vigorous man Laplace and Monge in France.
whom a friend once described as tricity. Boldly, he wrote to leading His discovery of methane obviously
understanding "a lot about the electric- scientists to discuss problems he enhanced his scientific reputation and
ity of women". encountered. One, Beccaria, recom- his reward was a travel grant, which
He was seven when his father died. mended his own writings and also told took him to Switzerland and Alsace.
When he was 12 one of his uncles took Volta to experiment. So Volta began to The grant came from the Austrian
charge of his education, which began at develop his gift for making inexpensive government which then ruled Northern
a Jesuit college and nearly led to him but effective instruments. Italy. Then came Volta's appointment
becoming a Jesuit. His uncles decided Slowly, from the mid -1760's he to the professorship of experimental
they did not want that and so his learned the science and practice of physics at the University of Pavia; his
education continued elsewhere. It was electricity and in october 1774 he popular professorship there ran for
a wealthy friend, Giulio Cesare Gatto- received his first academic appoint- nearly 40 years. In 1781/82 he visited
ni, who provided the hooks and equipment, at the Gymnasium in Como. The France and England; and in 1784 he
ment which helped him to begin study- next year he was appointed professor went to Germany. On such state -
ing electricity. of experimental physics. About the financed trips he bought new equip-
The uncles had by now chosen his same time he made his first important ment for the laboratory at Pavia. Most
future career: the law. Somehow he invention, the electrophorus, and follo- of the instruments he built up were
avoided this path and continued to wed that with the discovery of metha- destroyed in a fire in 1899.1
study what he termed his genius: elec- ne. Politically, Volta had much to be

PIONEERS
thankful for to the Austrians, but in animal electricity, an explanation

1796 they were driven out of Northern which Volta firmly rejected. Volta was
Italy by the French, led by Napoleon. led to believe that the current flow was
Volta was chosen in May of that year as caused by the contact of two different
one of a delegation to represent Como metals. In that he too was wrong. It
in honouring Napoleon. Later, he was another Italian, G.V. Fabroni, Volta's "crown of cups" - pairs of
became an official of the new Govern- who got the right explanation by point- dissimilar metals with each end dipped
ment of Como but it was a position ing to a chemical action between the into goblets containing brine.
from which he soon resigned; his lin- liquid, which always seemed to be
gering loyalty to the Austrians, the present in both Galvani's and Volta's
damage done to his laboratory by work, and the two different metals.
French troops and his coldness towards Volta repeated Sulzer's as well as doubtless astonish you." The con-
the French led to his expulsion from Galvani's work. In one experiment he tinuous current almost appeared as
pavia for a while. It did him no harm, brought insulated zinc and copper discs perpetual motion, "but it is nonethe-
less true and real, and can he touched,
however, when the Austrians retook into contact and found that they were
the country in 1799: though they closed as it were, with the hands."
charged on separation. By experiment
the university, Volta remained free. he found that zinc and silver discs best Volta's pile, "as high as can hold
Thirteen months later the French suited his purpose and eventually he itself without falling," consisted of 30,
were hack. The university was reope- arranged pairs of them in a pile. Each 40, or 60 cells. From such primitive
ned, Volta was once again a professor pair was separated from neighbouring origins grew today's huge international
and accepted his status as a citizen of pairs by a piece of cardboard soaked in industry. As an alternative to the pile,
the new republic. A trip to Paris to water or brine to provide, as he Volta also used pairs of metals solder-
express the university's thanks to believed, a conducting path between ed together with each end dipping into
Napoleon became a triumph for Volta. the pairs. Letting all pairs touch one water or brine contained in goblets;
The primary battery was by then well another, he knew, provided only the this arrangement he called the crown of
known and its chemical power had same effect as a single pair of discs. cups. Again, 30 or more cells could he
made scientific headlines. Even Napo- The finished pile of discs and card- arranged to produce a battery of cells.
leon attended his demonstrations at the board multiplied the effects of a single The word battery had, of course, been
French Academy and Volta was pair many times and he was able to used earlier, not only for a battery of
awarded a gold medal. receive a shock from his pile similar to guns but for a battery of charged
In many ways Volta's discoveries that from a charged Leyden Jar capaci- Leyden Jars.
captured Napoleon's heart and he con- tor. The vital differences were that Improvements were soon made by
tinued to be an admirer. A prize of Volta's pile did not need to be immedi- others. For greater voltages more cells
60,000 francs was announced for "who- ately recharged and could give a con- were needed in the pile, which
ever by his experiments and discoveries tinuous current. increased the weight and squeezed out
makes a contribution to electricity and News of the invention was the electrolyte from the cardboard
galvanism comparable to Franklin's announced in a letter to the Royal discs. In Germany, J.W. Ritter turned
and Volta's". Volta was later given a Society in London: "The apparatus of up the edges of his metal discs and
pension, and made a count and a which I speak," wrote Volta, "will obtained batteries which lasted for two
senator in the kingdom of Italy. weeks! A horizontal wooden trough
Voltaic pile from the Wellcome Collec- provided an even better battery: zinc
tion. This one appeared in the 1899 plates, for example, could be fixed
Volta's pile vertically to a support and lowered into
exhibition at Como and may have been
The roots of Volta's invention go back the trough between vertical plates of
used by Volta himself.
to the discovery by his fellow Italian, the other metal. This trough arrange-
Luigi Galvani, of frog legs fame. A full ment has been suggested as the origin
account was published in 1791 and of our circuit symbol for the battery.
caused great excitement amongst both Volta received many honours in his
physicists and the medical fraternity. lifetime, including recognition by
The latter wondered if the "vital princi- learned societies in London, Paris and
ple" had at last been found and pon- Berlin. His financial rewards from his
dered the possibilities for new treat- university salary were boosted in 1805
ments. Galvani was the second to by the annuity he received from Napo-
report what we would now recognise as leon and, in 1809, by his senatorial
an electrochemical effect, the Swiss salary. For the last two decades of his
J.G. Sulzer having noted in 1762 that life "he liad the income of a wealthy
two dissimilar metals placed on the man."t
tongue gave a sensation of taste.
At first, Volta dismissed Galvani's Reference
reports as unbelievable. Pressed by I . Dictionary of Scientific Biography.
colleagues, he at last investigated the
phenomenon and, by the April 1791,
1
The volt was formally proposed as a unit of
EMF in 1863 by a committee of the British
had begun the series of careful step-by-
5 Association for the Advancement of Scien-
step experiments which led him to the ce, although it may already have acquired
electric battery. some usage amongst practical telegraph
Galvani explained the excitation of engineers. It was adopted internationally in
the dead frog's legs as being caused by 1881.
240
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NEW PRODUCTS CLASSIFIED
incorporates an on -board clock doubler.
ACTIV Power consumption is 700mW. New PLD

architecture has been used to improve
performance over other PLD-based state
machines. Production quantities will be ..
Asic available next quarter. Ambar Cascom,
C-mos production process. ECPD-12 is 0296 434141.
the name of ES2's 1.2 micron dual-layer
metal c-mos process, developed to offer Discrete active devices
die -size reductions for manufacturers V
Barrier diodes. Hi-Rel Ill -V GaAs planar
wanting to integrate high complexity doped diodes, obtainable from Marconi,
designson a single chip in excess of offer high pulse burn -out resistance, low 12 V
100mm2. Asic designs prototyped by ES2 local oscillator drive requirements, high
can be transferred for manufacture by tangential sensitivity, together with
Philips. European Silicon Structures, 0344 improved 1/f side-band noise performance.
525252. These combine to give good detection
sensitivity and temperature stability.
High density c-mos. 26 000 and 47 000 Marconi Electronic Devices, 0522 500500.
gates with over 70% utilisation are offered
by Motorola's HDCO26 and 027 high density High performance semiconductors.
c-mos micron arrays. The channel -less sea - Siliconix 9120 SMPS chip operates at sources. Model 7160 produces emission at
Lower noise, better linearity, higher
of -gates architecture gives 300ps I/O mains input voltages; 9112 is intended 1300nm. 7170 emits at 1550nm. Units are
transition frequencies or reduced
delays, with a fan-out of 2. The 026 has 168 capacitance are the operational goals of
for low voltage transverting. Siliconix -
portable weighing 12Ibs-held in water-
I/O pins and the 047, 212. Slew rate control Siemens latest RF silicon transistors. Its
0635309050 tight heavy-duty militarised cases. Power is
macros provide two choices of output slew BFQ 82 noise level is less than 1.6dB (at from internal 12V batteries. Features
three parallel ports, two serial ports.
rate. Motorola, 0296 395252. 800MHz) with a gain of 17dB (at 1 GHz) include adjustable level setting. Lambda
Optional maths co -processor. Wordsworth
while its BAT 64 Schottky diode draws Photometrics, 05827 64334.
Technology, 0732 866988.
A-to -D and DtoA converters 200mA forward current, and has an overall
capacitance of 6pF. Siemens, 0932 752323. Processor. Primarily designed as a serial Triac optocoupler. Siemens says its IL
Digital to analogue. The DAC-8228 has a
I/O module, the BVME775 6U VME card can 428 is the first optocoupled triac delivering
voltage output and is a direct replacement
Mesfet for telecoms. Toshiba has be used as a general purpose CPU card or 2A at 55°C without additional cooling.
for Celdis' AD7528/7628. It is a single -chip
announced a new mesfet designed to stand-alone single board computer. Its CPU Sensitivity is said to be so high that an input
dual 8 -bit c-mos device designed for
produce extra power for high frequency is a 68000 or 68010 running at 12.5MHz of less than 8mA (typically 4mA) is enough
outputs of 0V to + 10V. Features include
operations. JS8856-AS provides a power and it has eight RS232/RS422 serial to switch up to 2A. A safety factor greater
two integral output DACs, matched to 0.1%;
output of 33.5 Om at 14.5GHz with a gain channels. It can be configured up to 0.5MB than 2 is promised with Operation on 230V
8 -bit endpoint linearity; a write time of 50ns;
of 5.5dB. The 1002 micron device has a of 15Ons dual port static ram accessible to AC systems. Siemens, 0932 752323.
and low power consumption. Available in
thermal resistance of 9°C/W. Dimensions local bus and VMEbus. BVM, 0703 270770.
20 -pin Cerdip and plastic packages. Celdis,
0734 585171. are 2.1 mm by 0.53mm and Toshiba has Oscillators and crystals
increased the thickness of the chip to 70 Linear integrated circuits Miniature oscillator. The Ball-Efratom FRS
micron. Toshiba Electronics (UK), 0276 Op amp. AD843 is said to be the fastest
Development and time base oscillator, available from Racal -
694600. FET-input monolithic unit on the market. Dana, offers long term accuracy of 1 in I0-9
evaluation 135ns settling time of 10V steps to within per year. Its dimensions are 2 x 3 x 4in and
State machine. The 125MHz CY7C361 General microprocessors ± 0.01%, 34 MHz gain -bandwidth. The it may be Installed directly on instruments
high speed state machine sold by Ambar manufacturer also claims low cost and low or systems. The unit uses IOW at 24V DC
STD multiprocessing. ZT8832 single
Cascom allows EPLO based logic design for power use as two of its features. Available in and will warm up to the above accuracy in 6
board STD bus multiprocessing computer
systems with clock rates up to 66MHz. It five temperature performance grades and min. Standard output is a 10MHz sine wave
with DOS extension can enhance
also to Mil -Std 8836. Analog Devices, 0932 delivering 0.5V RMS into 50 ohms, with
performance, control, modularity and
development facilities within control 253320. options. Racal -Dana, 0703843265
Sony 3 -port video ram can store an 8 -bit applications. 8MHz V40 chip ICP uses its
picture with two chips. Hakuto 0992 own resources, not the system's. 800k on-
Operational amplifier. Optimised for a Power semiconductors
769090 gain of 5, the Harris HA -2548 from Theme
board memory. SBX expansion socket, Easy mounting transistors. Low on-
Components has a gain bandwidth product
resistance transistors in an industrial plastic
of 150MHz, a slew rate of 120V/s, a loop
package offering easier mounting can now
gain of 130d8 and 300 V offset voltage.
be obtained from Siliconix. Nine devices are
Settling time is 200ns to 0.01% (10V step).
included in the range, based on the popular
Available from stock in 8-pin cerdip and 8-
TO -220 package, and they do not suffer
pin can packages. Theme Components,
from the size disadvantages of the larger
0844 261188.
TO-3 packages. The devices also run cooler
!J/, with greater reliability. Siliconix, 0635
Memory
r/f C-mos eeprom. Seiko Epson has
30905.
introduced a 512 bit device working at just

frffii
L
Q
ógy9 1-.
¿0s6
Op
0.9V, obtainable from Hero Electronics. The
SPM28C51 series is available In 8 -pin SOP
or DIP packages. They operate from 0.9V to
5.5V at the read stage with a supply current
PASSIVE
down to 40 A maximum at 1.5V. Design is Miniature potentiometer. 10mm square,
10 000 erase/write cycles per bit and a ten over 750 000 combinations all with
year bit retention time. Hero Electronics, conductive plastic elements to ensure low
noise, the miniature Wilbrecht Electronics
0525 405015.
potentiometer can now be obtained from
Radiation. The model 400 has eight
Optical devices standard tapers and can be supplied in
Laser light sources. Two environment single or dual gang configurations. It is
resistant lasers are now available from sealed for wave soldering. Radiatron
Lambda. Both are stabilised sirgle mode Components, 0276 26466.
242 ELECTRONICS WORLD +WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

C`. -;
C
.
i>
. ;
-CB
c
Gt
_---L -
_
MM.
- -- -- - .
High frequency capacitors. The
r .. _-
equivalent series resistance of Siemens'
g m._ -
B45177 (axial lead) and B45187 (radial lead)
tantalum electrolytic capacitors has been
cut by over 50%. It now ranges between 45
_t a . 1
_
and 330 mohms to meet the requirements
- k"
of switched -mode power supplies. r
Capacitance values are 4.7µ to 330µF with
current ratings of 1.1A to 4.6A. RMS. -
Siemens, 0932 752323.
Connectors and cabling

Cable ends. Contelec has extended its
range of insulated cable ends to include
types for use with stranded conductors
from 0.25 up to 70mm2 cross section.
Standard and long versions can be supplied
in all sizes and short and intermediate
versions are available for most commonly Hitachi digital storage scope uses an IC Instrumentation time sampling or sequential sampling can
used sizes of cables. Contelec Supplies, memory card with in-built data be selected. Grundig Electronic.
retention of up to three years. Reltech Power surges. Elgal's modular system for
0902 366556.
testing power surges can now be obtained Battery dual trace oscilloscope. Hitachi's
048063570
from Dielec. The E M 101 A is a transient V209 mini portable unit is now available
Cables and hoods. Thomas & Betts 300
generator system: 1044A series plug-in
series fully screened flat and round cables Filters units provide test wave forms simuating
from IR Group. The DC-20MHz bandwidth
and associated hoods are being offered by instrument measures 215 x 110 x 350mm,
Hex filter. MA6882 hex filter designed to lightning; 1011A .md 10I 2A EXP series
Highland Distribution. Cable used is 28AWG weighs 5.3kg, and offers a sensivity of I mV/
consolidate filtering requirements in the dc provide powerful pulses with fast rise time
stranded. Screening is with PVC -coated div at 10MHz and sweep times of 50ns/div.
to 8kHz range in multi-channel analog and exponential cecay; 1020 provide
aluminium tape with additional braiding of It has a built-in TV sync separation circuit
signals systems. Two 7th order lowpass damped sinusoid Dielec, 0793 783137. with selectable TV -v and TV -h modes. IR
tinned copper wire. External coating is filters, two 6th order bandpass filters and
flexible PVC. Eight versions are available. Group, 0753 580000.
two 6th order notch filters a -e included on
Highland Electronics, 0444 245021. Function generator. The 5MHz GFG-8050
one monolithic cmos chip. All filters include
from Flight Electronics combines duality Digital phase meter. Feedback meter type
anti aliasing circuits. Marconi Electronic
construction with low cost. The unt's DPM 609 will display the difference in
Displays Devices, 0522 500500. degrees between two signals of the same
frequency range spans 0.5Hz to 5t 1Hz and
Rackable monitors. Use in hostile Hardware it has multi -function output, sweep and gate frequency. 3.5 digit fluorescent display will
burst operation. Waveforms incluoe sine, show 0° to 180° in 0.1° steps. Its frequency
environments is the aim of this range of Eurocard backplanes. Double -sided
triangle, square, pulse and ramp. There are range is 10Hz to 100kHz. Two symmetrical
19in rack mounting units, supporting all the uncommitted backplanes with four voltage
six other units in She range. Flight channels accept signals from 10mV to 10V
common graphics standards including EGA rails, and jumper pins to allow any signal line
RMS -sine- or IV to 30V plc-1)k for 'logic'
and VGA, in colour and monochrome. All are to be committed to any voltage rail are now Electronics, 0703 227721.
waveforms. Resolution 0.1°. STC
encased in nickel -plated mild steel with a part of the Bicc-Vero Eurocard range. Power
6mm-thick Perspex screen to protect the Intruments, 0279641641.
connections can be M3 studs or 6.33mm Digital storage oscilloscope. Grundig's
monitor. Prices start at f480 for the mono Faston tabs. Five sizes are available. Bicc-
version. Blue Chip Technology 0244 Vero, 0703 266300.
SO 50 and SO 100 oscilloscopes have Literature
digital and analogue bandwidths of 50MHz
520222. Power supplies. 1990 catalogue now
Data logger offers five basic recording and 100MHz reliectivey. Scanning
available. 76 pages covering linear supplies,
modes across 12 channels with frequencies up to 40Ms/s with storage
Small VGA colour monitor. 9in VGA capacities up to 4K produce optimum
switched mode supplies, eurocassette
interchangeable data pods. Alpha
screen units for mains -use with a maximum recording of signals in the digital mode. Real supplies, DC -DC converters and laboratory
Electronics 0942872434
current consumption of 0.7A are available bum -in supplies. Companies represented
from Components Bureau. The Sony include Computer Products, Danica, Elco,
Trinitron tube used has a short persistence Electronic Measurements, HC Power,
B22 phosphor, with high resolution to 640 x International Power and Schafer
400 on a display area of 140 x 100mm with Electronics. XP, 0734 508179.
a dot pitch of 0.26mm. Dimensions are
164 x 210 x 310mm. 5.2kg. Components Materials
Bureau, 0223 214949. Ferrite cores. Steward's soft magnetic
4!,
type 28 material is the basis for a range of
LED displays. A range of single digit seven - ferrite cores now offered by Ramp
segment numeric LED displays from Electronics. It is particularly suitable where
7.62mm to 177.8mm, manufactured by
applications involve frequencies of I kHz or
Everlight Electronics, can now be obtained greater. Cores may be specified to meet
from HB Electronics. Colours Include a intended functions of wound components.
choice of reds, green, yellow and orange. Configurations include E or U shapes for
Each is equipped with a decimal point. HB power applications. Ramp Electronics, 0703
Electronics, 0204 25544. 260161
Colour terminal. ELF colour 14E terminal 4100 Production equipment

has Ví220/VT320 compatibility with r '
additional VT52, VT 100, M2200 and Removal of surface mount components.

Viewdata emulations as standard. All keys _.- CPE's system 1000 portable rework station
are programmable. Its high resolution i can desolder and resolder using directed
screen has 0.31 mm dot pitch and offers 16 hot air blowers. Though designed for
colours. Graphics and character sets can be surface mount components it can also
defined. Easydata says it is designed to be a remove 0.3in (6-20 pin), 0.4in (22 pin), 0.6in
low cost display, DEC compatible. J (24 pin) DIL components and now PGAs.
Boards up to 24 x l6in can be
Monotype Easydata, 0784 244277. {
March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS`RLD 243

accommodated. Circuit Plating Equipment, Electric strength is 1KV for 1 minute. Arrow - requires half the board needed by some PC -based network management. CMS
0635 33656. Hart (Europe), 0752 701155. other SIL relays. Switches are rated at IOW Nucleus 200 is network software for PC/XT/
200V and 0.5A maximum. 5V, 50011 and AT PS2 and compatibles which RacalMilgo
Component preformer. French Light load relays. Standard and high 12V 1000t1 coils are available. Pickering says offers the benefits of mini-computer
manufactured Loupot CK machine, sensitivity relays have been made available Electronics, 0255 428141. systems, but at lower cost. It will control up
introduced to the UK by John Minister, is by Devlin In its M3 series for PCB mounting. to 512 devices. Operator training is
suitable for preforming axial components at At resistive load the contacts maximum Transducers and sensors minimised through mouse control and
-
up to 20,000/hr ideal for small to medium switching current is IA AC/DC. Maximum windows/menus. Facilities include
batch runs. It can handle most bandoliered
Photodetector. Centronic's 0S135 series of
switching power Is 30W DC 60VA AC with monitoring, testing and database
devices has a photodiode mounted
forms and cutting and banding is adjustable maximum switching voltage of 60V DC
together with an amplifier in an hermetically management. Racal-Milgo, 0256 763911.
within 0.1 mm. Compact design produces 120V AC. Devlin Electronics, 0256 467367.
sealed 108 package with a low profile cap.
easy changeover and low set up times. John PCB design. Cadstar Professional, running
Minister Automation 0303 56816/7. Simplified system design should be possible
on PC AT, PS/2, Compaq 386 or
SIL relays. A relay 3.7mm wide, 15.1 mm through elimination of a head amplifier.
long and 6.6mm high, claimed to be the compatibles, will help with design of large,
Wire twister. Rush's model WT20 is an Four versions: uy (250-400nm); visible (400-
smallest currently available, has been complex, multilayer PCBs encompassing
improved version of its WT 12 and 900nm); IR (600.1100nm) and eye response
introduced by Pickering. Its series 109 surface mount and fine line technologies.
incorporates an LCD pre-settable read-out are available. Centronic, 0689 42 12 1.
This enhanced version of the standard
and special wire clamping mechanism. It is Cadstar package will cope with 5400
particularly useful for twisted pairs and can connections and over 50,000 segments. It
twist two or more wires, up to 16AWG, of
COMPUTER
has blind and buried via capabilities over all
any length up to a speed of five twists/sec. 16 permitted layers. Racal-Redac (UK) 0684
Rush Wire Strippers, 0264 51347. 294161.
Back-up utility. Sit Back from Roalan is a
Power supplies Data communications coefficients will enable matchirg of national memory resident utility especially useful for
Compact supply. Acdc's JF201 2000W standards. Power consumption is maximum
products 5mW for both channels in power -down
users who forget to back up their files. At
switchable power supply, from Astec UK, defined intervals SitBack will backup
provides 2 or 5V DC output at 400A, with mode. Siemens, 0932 752323.
Communications controller. Celdis has created or changed files without disturbing
other outputs of 12, 15, 24, 28 and 48V DC. normal use of the PC, and without user
extended its range of Zilog microcontrollers
Dimensions are 5x8x loin -a power with its type 16C30-delivering 4x
Software intervention. Uses 13k system memory and
density of 5W/in3. 208/230V AC or 300V DC PCB design. RUN Electronic Design costs £99. Roalan International, 0202
transmission rate of current 2 -channel
input with full output at typical efficiencies System for the Apple Macintosh, can deal 861512.
industry standard SCCs. It operates at a
of 80%. Switching is at 100kHz. Two forward with surface mounted devices cn a
data rate of 10MB/s which Celdis says is
converters are used. Astec UK, 0246 the fastest available. Bus bandwidth has multilayer board, and PCBs up to 32 x 32in Interfaces
455946. been improved to 12.5MB/s. The device with up to 50 layers can be created with an
Parallel DMA link. Ikon 10092 card
can operate two protocols simultaneously. internal resolution of 0.0005in. Autoroute
provides a high speed parallel DMA port
Capacitor charging unit Series 5000 algorithms included, and up to 24 signal and
Celdis, 0734 585171. between Versatec or Centronics -type hard
modular power supply is a low profile 1 9in power layers. Prices from $1000 to $9500.
rack mount with a charging rate of 600J/s. copy devices and IBM compatibles. It can
Signal processing codec fitter. Siemens Formula GmbH.
be used in any AT -compatible or with a
Voltags are 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 30kV with
SICOFI-2 for ISDN switching systems can peripheral device adapter such as that
regulation and resolution figures of 0.5%. Image processing. Real time display, full
process two channels on one chip. An provided with Apollo DN3000/4000
Maximum repetition rate is I0 pulse/s image set-up, acquisition and analysis
10M-2 Interface should avoid compatibility workstations. Taking up a single AT slot it
though other voltages and rates are prolems and programmable filter control are the features of MetraByte's MV-
allows a 6MHz PC/AT system to transfer
available. Hartley Measurements, 0752 RMAC designed for use with PC1)(T/ATs and
data at up to 425 kB/s. GMT Electronic
344606. compatibles. Systems must be equipped
Systems, 0372 373603.
with MetraByte's MV1 frame/line grabber
Selectable requirements. Astec MS ICP series of dedicated onboard eprom board. Menu selection should allow
DMA parallel interface. Compatible with
series supplies from Thame Power are rated programmers. Stag Microelectronics inexperienced users to access all features.
DE DRVI1-WA, Q -bus, MicroCax II and 18 -
at 1200W and can provide any combination 0707332148 Keithley Instruments, 0734 861287.
bit and 22 -bit backplanes, the GT370 DMA
of 5, 12, 15, 24 or 48V outputs.
board features 16-bit input and output
Configurable AM PSS modules can be
factory or customer selected for particular ports, used to transfer parallel data to and
requirements. Overall efficiency is 75%, with from the Q -bus under program control or
DMA. For heavily driven I/O or DMA driven
a 500kHz switching frequency. Dimensions
are 8 x 5 x 11 in. Thame Power, 0494 the unit contains a jumper throttle allowing
442266. selectable interleaving on and off the bus.
Lighthouse Electronics, 0825 68849.
Dual laboratory power supplies. The
I/O controller. The 10186/070 analogue
Twinpack power supply 4000/2 from Weir
gives a total of 120W from two identical, and digital I/O board for Multibus systems
I I
isolated, 0-30V, 0-2A sections. True manufactured by Concurrent Technologies

is available through Rapid Silicon. It has a
constant current/constant voltage
10M Hz 80186 CPU, six analogue outputs
operation and output protection diodes
allow series/parallel connection, also giving (employing 12 -bit D/A converters and
amplifiers), 16 single ended or eight
0-30V, 0.4A and 0-60V, 0-2A. Simultaneous
monitoring of each rail is possible. Weir differential analogue inputs (0 to + 10V and
Oto -10V) and 48 digital I/O lines. Rapid
Electronics, 0243 865991.
Silicon, 0494 457267.
Switches and relays
In -circuit emulator. Reduced program
Sub -miniature switches. LIMA A6 series
switches are designed for surface mounting
-
download time typically 4s for a 16k
object and symbol tile- is one of the
and are fully sealed to allow wave and flow
advantages of Nohau's 68HC11 emulator.
soldering. Resistive ratings with silver
Nohau claims this is the first emulator to be
contacts are 250V AC at 2A, 125V AC at 5A.
PC resident rather than stand alone. High
Gold Contacts give 5V AC/DC and 10 A
sample rate, through eradication of the
minimum or 20V AC/DC at 0.4VA maximum.
usual serial link, is another plus. Nohau UK,
Insulation resistance is at least I000Mtt.
0962 733140.
244 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WI RELESS WORLD March 199(1

PHONE
0474 560521 P. M. COMPONENTS LTD TELEX
966371
FAX SELECTRON HOUSE, SPRINGHEAD ENTERPRISE PARK
SPRINGHEAD RD, GRAVESEND, KENT DA11 8HD TOS -PM
0474 333762
483? 35.00 68W7 1.10 6W4GT 1.95 7500613 2.95 i;,19 315.00
KT67 9.00 3500 595.00 W21 4.50
0135
'.:1
A selection from our 0177
0181
010 14.95
7.00
00101 5 19.50
00103 I? 7.95
W61
W77
4.50
5.00
46076
.1816
1.75
1.95
68/6
68/7
2.50
2.95
6960
6029
3.95
1.00
?51601
7911
1.75
19.50 7040
25.00
25.00
stock of branded valves 4(28 25.00 6(4 1.95 604 1.50 79006 6.50 .1506 5.95
0188 USA 12.95 00103 70 35.00 W8IM 4.50
4(35 145.00 6(5 2.50 6X561 1.00 30(15 0.50 Z050W 6.50
K188 00106 40 45.00 W739 1.50
4217H
4057500 285.00 6(6 3.50 6086 2.25 30(17 0.46 250.00
430 Selectroe 15.00 00902 6 19.50 X24 4.50
A1714 24.50 EABC 80 1.95 11 731 6Y6G 1.50 30118 1.48 4471 35.00
KTW61 2.50 0000310 5.50 041 4.50 4X(1251 6(86 2.50
A1834 7.50 2.50 EF 737 4.50 7AU7 1.50 46874 9.50
EA(9. K1W62 2.50 00403 13 066/X65 4.95 IIMA( 150.00 6(9 4.95 30012 1.35
62087 11.50 1.20 1F800 11.00 786 3.50 0.95 5544 79.50
EA142 MULLARD 15.00 XBI 6.00 4102508 45.00 6(A4 4.95 301112
14.95 EF8045 19.50 KTW63 2.00
A2134 1834 1.50 4(X2508M 6(Al 3.50 767 2.50 301113 1.10 5559 55.00
118055 25.00 01/63 2.50 00V03 20 25.00 x(24 1.50
A2793 6.50 E841 3.95 6(65 3.95 7D8 4.50 301114 1.25 5636 5.50
1E37 70 95.00 00906 404 x(25 0.50 65.00
A2426 29.50 1091 0.85 08065 25.00
4C%750K 6186 2.50 717 530 3011 0.45 5642 9.50
11812 0.65 1598 6.95 27.50 XfW47 1.50
67549 37.50 EBC33 2.50 (NA( 115.00 6( 0606 4.50 7K1 7.50 30115 0.60 5643 930
A2197 27.50 14700 1.50 M579 65.00 00V06 40A %FW50 1.50
(BC 41 3.50 4CX750R 6(16 1.95 75 1.50 30117 0.60 5651 2.50
42900 11.50 EFP60 3.50 MS143 155.00 MUILARD 39.50 061 2500 75.00
EBC81 1.50 AMPEREX 6167 4.50 707 4.50 30P4MR 1.00 5654 1.95
A3283 24.00 [H90 0.72 M51W 295.00 00007 SJ 55.00 0162817 7.50
794
EB(90 1.95 125.00 6(106 6.95 2.50 30P12 1.00 5670 3.25
A3343 35.95 EK90 1.50 M8079 6.00 00103 20 4230 xNPI2 2.50
2.50
EBC91 1.95 4103508 100.00 6(16 3.25 8138 30P18 0.60 5617 4.50
ACSP36. 4.95 1137 0.95 M8082 7.50 00/06 40 45.00 011/16000
8810 2.50 28.00
EBF80 0.95 4(XI(0x)A 6(186 2.95 30P19 1.00 5675
M8083 3.25 0575 70 1.50 49 50
A(/S2PEN 8.50 EL33 7.95 8805 1.95 2.50 5678 7.50
18183 0.95
M8091 7.50 0595110 4.85 XRI 371709 425.00 6(M7 2.95 3091
A(972 59.75 18089 0.95 4(X15008 6156 0.75 8(W5 1.50 30P1 13 0.60 5687 4.50
M8096 3.00 0SI08/45 4.00 79.50
AH221 39.00 1134 MULLARD 88888 1.50 1.75 5696 4.50
EBF93 0.95 6.95 001 6400A 475.00 6(S1 0.95 300114
66238 39.00 P08 M8098 5.50 05150i15
EBL1 7.50 4(X50008 6(W4 9.00 8007 1.95 311S6( 5.S0 5702 3.50
A(60 6.00 U3.1 M80W 5.00 05150/30 1.15 149.50
ECS? 0.75 1000.00 6(X8 3.95 007 1.25 33AI158M 19.50 5704 3.50
SIEM 7.95 M8100 5.50 00150/40 7.00 Y65 6.95
AN1 14.00 ODE 7 2.50 3563 3.95 5718 6.15
EC 70 1.75
2.50 M8136 7.00 051705 3.95 101100 75.00 4021,4 125A 60(6 2.35
ARP17 2.50 1136 0008 2.50 430 2.50
E(81 7.95 85.00 6118 1.35 3565 5715
ARP34 1.25 EL36 MBI31 7.95 001213 5.00 411060 265.00
EC86 1.95 4032 125.00 6018 0188 1.95 35( 5 4.50 5726 2.50
MULLARD 3.95 M8161 6.50 0U37 9.50 411020 42.50
ARP35 2.00 OE W7 2.95 35166T 2.00 5727 250
EC88 1.95 M8167 5.50 00031? 6.50 411060 195.00 4E27A 125.00 SPECIAL 3.50
A/11 4.50 E138 9.00 1091 1.95 2.50
1(90 1.95 4657 2.25 6DK6 1.50 3513 1.95 5749
85716 35.00 1141 3.50 M8163 5.50 0905 25 3.50 411070 195.00
EC91 5.50 4607 2.25 6005 8.S0 OGK6 1.95 35/501 3.50 5750 185
55.00 1142 2.00 M8190 4.50 0V06 20 29.50 411071 195.00
8158 1.50 60068 2.S0 0104 2.50 38HE7 5.95 5751 2.95
EC93 M/3195 6.50 0908 ICOB 411290 65.00 4166 2.95
BT17 25.00 1171 4.50
EC95 7.00 120 4016 1.50 6DT6A 1.50 1E3 55.00 40006 5.50 5763 6.50
05113 35.00 1181 6.95 M8I 96 5.50 145.00 177
1C97 1.10 4185P 150.00 60W48 3.50 193 5.50 42 6.95 5814A 3.25
(1K 27.50 E183 7.50 M8704 5.50 093 125 85.00 /3001 6.00
EC8010 12.00 4%150A 35.00 6E5 3.95 246 3.95 47 6.00 5823 9.50
C3M 17.95 1184 0.95 M8223 4.50 044 25(105.00 /302( 12.00
1CC32 3.50 401500 55.00 6567 2.50 2AD6 2.50 5065 1.50 5879WA 6.50
(1149/1 195.00 M8224 2.00 094-400110.00 1359 9.00
ECC33 3.50 4.00 17000 9.50 405004 350.00 6168 2.50 2616 5.50 SOBS 1.95 5840 3.50
C1150/I 135.00 MULLARD 4.50 M8775 3.95 RIO
EC(35 3.50 918 2.50 1759 15.00 5A/1020 9.50 6E08 3.50 266701 4.95 50(5 0.95 5842 11.00
(1534 32.00 E184 ME1400 3.50
Eá(81 130 5015264 9.00 6117 0.85 7615 1.00 50(D6G 1.95 5847 10.95
(CA 3.50 SIEMENS 2.50 ME1401 19.50 RGI 2406 14.50 18030 18.95
ECCBÍSPECIAL 003 2506 6.50 56163K 10.00 61M5 2.50 2016 1.75 501145 1.50 5863 95.00
0074 6.50 ELM 4.50 ME 1402 29.50 /01000 12.50
QUALITY 2.95 1750A 35.00 1.50 56170K 6.25 61M7 2.50 7617 1.50 50146 2.95 5879 9.50
CK1006 3.50 8186 1.75 MIEL D6 4.00 1103 101001
ELL81_ 0.61_ 5A 180M 9.00 6E08 1.75 7617WA 2.50 53KU 4.50 5886 13.95
CK5676 6.50 1190 1.75 MP2S 195.00 RR3 250 15.00 /MI001 12.00
E((82 RR3 1250 35.00 1M1Ú05 8.00 56 2060 10.00 6EV7 2.95 76136 130 75131 3.50 5894 39.50
(V Nos PRICES EL91 4.50 MS4B 5.50
PHILIPS 1.95 511E12 38.00 Z191020 8.50 50 I10M 10.00 6EW6 1.50 2607 0.85 75( I 4.50 5899 4.50
ON REQUEST EL95 1.75 MU14 3.50
EC(8. 58-254M 11.50 6F 2.00 2AV6 1.95 80 4.50 5963 1.75
D3A 27.50 11152 15.00 N37 12.50 5104 21( 10.00 /M1021 8.00 1
14.50 615 5.50 2AV7 2.50 83 8.S0 5965 2.15

1.20 N78 9.85 S( I/130) 6.00 /M1023 7.95 SB 255M
D63 NEW 11.360 6.75 2604018 2.50 730 6057 3.75
062 1.50 SP6I 3.50 /M1041 14.00 58 256M 15.00 617 5.50 8361
DA41 22.50 EL 500 1.95 2.50
1C(83 SPECIAL 51V280,40 11.95 /M1082 9.00 58 2S7M 15.00 6113 3.00 2AX7 0.95 8561 6.50 6058
,Q42 17.SQ E1504 1.95 082WA 2.50
low cross TB2 5/33095.00 1M1084 10.00 58758M 14.50 6114 1.00 2607W0 2.50 8562 2.95 6060 2.25
DOO 4.50 EL509 5.25 0A3 2.50
Couphng TB2 30C 195.00 1192175 6.50 S(22 125.00 6F17 2.75 2AX7S 7.95 DOAV 17.50 6072 6.95
DAF91 0.95 11.509 MULLARD 082 1.50
230 T83 75( 115.00 /MI177 9.00 51186 2.50 6123 0.60 2647 3.95 DO( I 3.50 6080 8.50
DAF96 0.95 7.50 087WA
Low nose
0(3 2.50 183 7000 /M1201 55.00 51180E 1150.00 6124 1.25 2046 4.50 90(0 17.50 6080WA 9.50
D( 70 1.75 (1519 6.95
2.50 450.00 /M1263 4.00 5118 2.95 6025 1.25 2066 2.50 9001 17.50 6132 10.50
D(90 3.50 11802 3.65 OD3
Low microphony 11112 300 395.00 A3 4.50 5R4GB 5.50 6126 115 213E6 1.95 DI AG 9.00 6136 2.50
DCX 4 5000 E1821 6.95 0M4 2.50
1817 500 495.00 614 3.50 5R4GY 4.95 6F32 1.25 10117A 4.95 92AG 25.00 61460 9.50
25.00 11877 12.95 0M5B 300
(3.50 OM6 1.75 1003 IC./D/1.1 002 3.50 5R4WGY 5.95 6133 10.50 28L6 1.75 97AV 75.00 6146W 12.50
DE716 28.50 11180 22.50
35.00 872 10.00 514 5.95 6F HS 8.50 2BR3 1.95 9561 6.50 6155 72.00
D9118 28.50 EM34 12.50 ORP43 2.50
E1C83 7115 45.00 827 55.00 STBA 1.95 61148 15.00 28416 3.50 0011 50.001 6156 125.00
DET70 2.50 EM83 1.65 ORP50 3.95
BRIMAR 2.15 TT21 45.00 8301 1.95 51140 4.50 61(2 4.50 218 2.50 08(1 2.50' 6157 2.50
DET21 1.65 P61 2.50
29.50 ECC 83
EM84
4.50 6107 4.50 1CA5 1.95 5082 6.50 6158 3.20
3.95 P41 2.50 1122 45.00 8356 45.00 511400
DE 123 35.00 1M85 7(X6 1.95 SOCIO 9.00
PHILIPS 1.95 PABC80 0.95 11100 69.00 K3 2.50 5V4G 2.50 60E5 3.95 6189 4.50
DET24 27.00 EM87 2.50
1((83 P(86 0.75 142.1256 105.00 N5GT 2.50 5W4 4.95 60H8Á 2.50 10068 3.50 5002 2 50 6701 6.45
DE 125 22.00 1931 15.00 2DW4A 3.50
SIEMENS 2.50 148 600W P28 25.00 5%4 4.95 6017 0.85 soca 2.50 6350 3.50
DE 129 32.00 1091 2.25 P(88 0.75
E(C85 1.50 P(97 1.10 365.00 RS 1.50 5Y3GT 3.50 6DK6 3.95 i2D/6 3.95 8501 1.50 6360 4.50
DF91 1.50 EN92 4.50 19.50
EC( 86 2.75 0(900 1.25 U19 9.50 55 1.50 5/3 4.50 6GM6 2.65 2E1 211 25.00 6386 14.50
DF92 1.50 E451 0.80 30.00
KC 88 1.35 P((84 0.40 U76 0.90 T4 1.50 5146 2.50 6657 21.5 2E14 2300 15.00 6442 75.00
1970 7.50
DE 96 1.25
EC(89 1.50
1481 2.35 PCC85 0.55 U35 3.50 134 1.75 ID.651-7 O.Ib 6608 0.95 2DIY 1.95 2310 15.00 6463 7.50
DF97 1.25 66/703K 9.00 6GW8 2.50 2007 5.50 150.00
1((91 2.00 PC(88 0.70 037 9.00 135 1.50 750111 6550 0.95
DG10A 8.50 (Y82 1.15
6A7 4.95 6GY5 4.95 76117 3.95 307 5.00
ECC189 2.50 PC(89 0.70 U41 6.95 x25 2.50 65500 GE 13.95
DH63 1.50 8183 1.50 3.95
10.1015 6.95 2A3 16.50 668 2.50 6096 2.50 21561 3286 15.00 6870 11.50
DH77 5.95 P((189 0.70 U50 3.00
1.50 E((8035 6.95
E9854
11.50 6487 4.50 6H1 9.50 21701 3.50 5728 49.00 68838 9.95
0.65 P(C805 0.70 1182 3.00 2AS15A
DK9I 120 L46'87 6/1( NM 2.00 6H6G1 2.50 7118 2.95 7056 12.50 59/4 8.95 n
EC(804 0.60 P((806 0.80 U191 0.70 287 4.50
DK97 1.50 1488 0.95 1.50 7015 2.50
E(C7000 7.95 P(187 0.80 1.00 2872 69.50 6AGS 2.50 67037 1.95 7KG1 713A 25.00
01.35 2.50 1591 530 11192
6A01 2084 1.95 723A/B 75.00 7025S 6.95
fC180 1.15 P(980 0.65 U193 1.00 7(36 70.00 2.50 6108 3.50
D163 1.50 E95006 2.95 275.00 7027A 10.00
ECF87 1.50 P(F82 0.60 0751 2.50 3(39A 32.50 6AH6 3.50 6HM5 230 20117 1.95 7248
D170 2.50 14807 0.70 1.50 /114 9.00
ECF86 1.70 P(884 0.65 3.50 7(3913A 39.50 6614 3.50 61105 3.50 25701 7156 275.00
D173 2.50 1135 1.00 0801 7189 5.50
ECF200 1.85 P(186 1.20 UA13(80 1.00 2(40 37.19 6617 2.00 6HS6 4.95 7S8701 1.95 726A 75.00
19191 3.95 1140 3.50 4.75 7199 7.50
1(F707 1.85 2142 29.50 6605 1.95 6HS8 2.95 2507 8016 15.00
0192 1.50 1141 330 P(187 1.25 UAF42 1.95 7247 8.50
E(F80I 0.85 2(43 60.00 6AK6 2.50 6H/6 3.50 1507 1.95 803 14.95
1.50 1/80 P(1700 1.80 UB(41 3.95 7475 5.00
05(93 1175 64(5 0.85 7517 1.50
1(F804 6.50 PCF70I 1.80 U8C81 1.50 7(51 2.S0 614 2.15 805 59.00
D1510 13.50 7487, 155.00
1(F805 2.50 2(45 1.50 6AM4 3.25 61562 2.50 250761 1.85 801 150
D(516 10.00 LSO PCf801 1.35 138880 0.95 7527 125.00
1(0806 10.25 2021 2.25 64645 4.50 616 2.00 'SW/ 3.50 811 11.00
5.25 1W4 800 4.50 P(F807 0.85 UBF89 1.00 7551 8.50
DM70 6AM6 2597 4.50
E(H3 4.50 PCF80S 1.25 UBL21 2.95 2021W 3.15 1.95 617 4.15 8126 24.00 7581A 11.95
DM160 6.50 G55 IK 9.00
Eu14 4.50 1.00 7122 49.00 6AN5 4.50 6170 4.15 704 1.95 813 Plnlpc 7586
DOD 006 79.50 GI 80/7M 6.95 P(1806 UC92 2.50 15.00
EtH35 3.50 F808 115 0.70 2E16 7.95 66984 4.50 61066 10.95 307 3.10 35.00 7587 19.50
DY51 1.50 6740,20 9.00 PC UCC84
E(H42 1.50 2155 295.00 6605 1.75 61E61 10.95 30E7 2.50 813 27.50
0.85_ GC108 17.50 P(11700 1.S0 UCC85 1.00 7591A 8.95
D986/87 1(,81 6408 10.95 3DR7 2.95
1.75
P(1,1,0.85 2025 59.00 1.50 61M6 8198 22.50 7815 59.50
)lV801 -0.85 E(H83 1.50
G(100 17.50 U(180 1.00
66R5 8.95 311 145.00 95.00
(SOL 49.50 G(10.18 17.50 PCI-83 -2.50 U(H21 2.50 2026 95.00 I 6.0186 2.S0
3.50
8336 1868 8.50
1(1184 1.00 P(184 0.75 2079 250.00 6605 1.50 6156C 10.95 31M7 845 40.00 7895 17.50
E80CC 19.50 0(13 41 17.50 U(H41 2.50
486 450
101700 1.50 P(185 0.80 7K48 140.00 6AS6 2.50 667G 2.00 8660 8.50 8156 9.95
f80(F 12.50 G(I148 17.50 U(H4? 3.95
66570 4.50 491 3.50
1(L80 0.60 p11,13.167...411: 1.95 2056 250.00 6K8G 3.00 8724 70.00 8417 10.95
1801 18.50 G086W 6.00 UCH81 5.50
1(187 1.00 P(18 2020 5.00 6A T6 1.95 6606 12.50 5E
813 60.00 58950 10.50
1801 29.50 GOT 170M 5.00 U(I82 1.75
6603
EC183 2.50 PD500 5.95 38,1070 12.00 6618 1.75 60666 6.95 1.95
954 1.00 18042 10.50
181(C 5.50 054 8.50 U(l83 2.50
6695 2.95
E(l84 1.00 PfN25 2.00 34/1088 9.00 6AU4G1 2.95 611 2.50 955 1.00 9007 6.S0
1811 12.00 GN10 15.00 5041 2.25
11185 0.95 11.00 6611561 4.S0 61611 3.50 61 0.40 9003 8.50
4.50 4.00 PEN40D 3.00 2.25 3811098
187(C GRIOG 1.1142
61601 1150 -9.50 0.40
jC186 I.SO P0N45 3.00 1.75 38 1108 12.00 6AU6 1.50 61
f83CC 4.50 05100 16.50 U880 1A8 3.50
1(TFITTS 0.95 PEN450D 3.00 301416 11.50 6AV6 1.95 61661 3.50 Valve Test Room Servlre
1830
186(
5.50
9.50
1137A 2.50
051011
GS170
12.00
12.00 016146 2.00
UF85
UF89
1.20
2.00 3A/1461 7.50 6AW8A 3.50 61.7 3.50 160 1016 1.95
/BD 2.50
8 matching of power values - add
EF72 3.50 38/1471 7.50 6A0401 1.95 6115 3.15 E1 per valve.
9.50 10.00
E88(
E88(C
7.95
3.50
EF39
E140
1.50
4.50
GT1C
01170 35.00 P136 __LIS
0141
U144 3.50 34/167M 10.00
3.95
66436
650/8
1.95
4.50
6119
6118
3.95
2.50
7DW48
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APPLICATIONS
Audio current conveyor

A recently introduced integrated cir- scheme to optimise the transient reference (cold end of the load) can be
cuit could be the answer to the harsh- response and stability of these mirrors, independent, signals can be level
ness in sound that has been a common and an output mirror arrangement to shifted between any two voltages in the
criticism of compact disc players. The improve output impedance. common mode range. This could he
device uses a current conveyor con- used to isolate two grounds in a system
figuration to give low -distortion and The nature of the high impedance
while still retaining DC coupling. In
wide -bandwidth functions such as gain current output allows for some
audio systems this could help eliminate
blocks, inverters and virtual ground interesting applications. Since the
noise caused by ground loop circulating
inputs without the global negative input reference (ground) and output
currents.
feedback required by most other cir-
cuits such as operational amplifiers. It Conveyor
is therefore inherently free of dynami-
cally induced distortion.
Global feedback techniques can
introduce dynamic distortion such as
transient intermodulation (TIM) and
slewing induced distortion (SID).
Many audio signals are hand limited
and therefore may not contain the fast
edges needed to generate this type of
distortion but there are notable excep-
tions. For example, the dynamic char-
acteristics of op-amps in the D -to -A
stages of digital recording and compact
disc equipment must be considered
carefully to eliminate distortion.
The new IC could be the answer. It
comes in two versions, PA630 and
PA630A, and each has two unity gain
buffer amplifiers, a current mirror, and
a current conveyor block. The PA630 Mirror
is a 16 -pin device and the PA630A has
two extra pins to give more flexibility
in interfacing. Fig. 1. Functional schematic of the PA630
Each unity gain buffer amplifier
(Fig. 1) consists of four emitter follow- 12V 11
ers and two current sources. The quies-
cent operating point of each can be set
independently with an external resis-
tor. This arrangement produces a fast
Conveyor
unity gain buffer that uses only the 15
local feedback inherent in the emitter

follower configuraton.
The current conveyor consists of two
complementary cross -coupled current 10 14 12 4
mirrors and an output transistor. This Buffer 11 Buffer
arrangement produces a virtual ground 7' Out
without the global negative feedback
needed in op -amp type circuits. One
mirror can set up an opposing refer-
k
I
ence current to define a net output lref
13
current of zero at one of the pins for 2mA
any desired input current. This com-
Mirror
bination of a current conveyor and
opposing current mirror lets many use- D -to -a
ful function blocks be realised. converter
IDA 1540 1
The on -chip circuitry consists of a
connection of Wilson current mirrors,
an emitter degeneration compensation Fig. 2. The output from the CD player
246
ELECTRONICS WORLD+ WIRELESS WORLD March 1990
SPECTRUM ANALYSERS
HP 1827'85588 0 1.1500MHz
HP141T 85576/85538 110MHz
HP85666 325GHz GPIB
HP8568B 1500MHz GPIB
MARCONI 2370 110MHz
MARCONI 2380,82 400MHz GPIB
,.,
.,
.
TAKEOA RIKEN TR9305 FF7' audio GPIB

TAKEDA RIKEN TR4110 10kHz-1700MHz
I W A TEL( SM2100 dual charm audio
MARCONI INSTRUMENTS
"%
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£2950
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EST.
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YEARS
£3500
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TEST & MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT

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I
ADRET 711108 uP-controlled signal gen' 0 3-550MHz

AMBER multi purpose audio test set
-1
I,r9
£1950
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ANRITSU M53118,1. MH323B/1. MH3478/1 video signal gen 1000
ANRITSU MS349E video signal analyser
AVO CBI54/5 electrolytic & tact 'cap bridge
AVO RM 160/3 megohmmeter
£000
£375
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£295
HA2 SDB
11
114-IEWLETT
116028 transistor fixture

8733A pin modulator
529A Logic comparator
.- 7r
"MI ...2:. 1
10529A/10526T Logic troubleshooter

38:A(P) P-band attenuator 0-50db
41!E swr meter
65 6A power supplies 0-38V 6mA
70-168(07) 2 -pen XV plotter high-speed
8018A(01) serial data generator
50' T logic troubleshooting kit complete
1
40HFL mV -meter
8115A function 1 MHz-50MHz
PACKARD
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£395
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£1000 AVO (BPL) RM215 ac/dc breakdown tester to 126V 35/fl A AF wave analyser
2356 2357 level oscillator/level meter AVO (BPL) RM215L-1 ac/dc breakdown tester to 12kV £395 £950
£500 8553B 110MHz spectrum analyser plug -ir
6460/6422 microwave power meter/head BRANDENBURG Alpha II 0.5kV £300 807R 0-306V £500 £250
£375 7563A log voltmeter/amplifier
6551 FM signal generator 1400-1700MHz BRUEL & KJAER 4416 response test unit C550 £3.000
67008 sweeper t -2G & 12 4.18G plug-ms £3000 5423A structural dynamics analyser
BRUEL& KJAER 1405 noise generator £450 8405A vector voltmeter £1.000
OA2805A PCM regenerator test set £750 £2250
£450 BRUEL & KJAER 2307 level recorder. 25 5 50db pots 86406/001 phase -locked signal generator £2.250
TF 1245A/1246 0 -Meter and oscillator £350
£250 BRUEL & KJAER 2425 voltmeter 11710 down convener (10kHz) for 86408 £750
TM4520 inductor set IWATSU SM21008 duel -channel spectrum analyser 100kHz C2000 141T/8552/8553B 110MHz spectrum analyser £2950
TF2013 FM signal generator 800-960MHz £350 £195
£200
NATIONAL VP -9690A noise meter 4294A decade oscillator £125
TF2300 modulation meter NATIONAL VP -7702C auto distortion meter (0 01%) £450 £3250
£300 4275A digital LCR meter
TF2300A modulation meter PHILIPS PM:3543 logic scope £450 £1250
TF2300B modulation meter £500 £1550 8614A signal generator 0 9-4GHz
PHILIPS PM5390S 1GHz synthesized signal generator 86408,002 signal generator £2850
TF2304 modulation meter. automatic £400 PHILIPS PM5534 standard pattern generator NTSC £2500
£3750 85688 1 5GHz spectrum analyser £15000
TF2305 modulation meter. digital PHILIPS P615539 TV colour analyser £1250 £150
£500 £1000 5382A 225MHz Irequency counter
2435 2GHz counter. Xtal oven option PHILIPS PM5545 colour encoder PAL £5000
TF2501 power meter 0 3W fsd DC-1GHz £150 PM5597 VHF modulators £250, PM5598 UHF £500 5352B 406Hz Irequency counter option 010
PHILIPS
TF2600 millivolmeter AF 1mV-300V fsd £75 PHILIPS PM5190 synthesized function generator £750
TF2600B video voltmeter 1mV-300V Isd £175 PHILIPS PM5560 TV demodulator PM5548 level meter
TF2604 electronic multi -meter £150 PHILIPS PM5580 I F modulator £1000 ADDITIONAL EX -STOCK T & M KIT
TF2807A PCM multiplex tester £400 PHILIPS PM6668 1GHz Hi -res' counter TCXO opt £295
£1.500 PHILIPS PM8043 XYT plotter A4 size £150 ROHDE & SCHWARZ SWOF III videoskop £4000
2828A/2829 digital simulator/analyser £850
£275 RACAL 9081 signal generator 5.520MHz £950 ROHDE & SCHWARZ PUC instrument computer
2833 digital in -line monitor £250
TF2908 blanking & sync mixer £250 RACAL 9083 2 -Tone signal generator £250 ROHDE & SCHWARZ SKTU noise generator
£495 RACAL 9084 synthesized signal generator to 104MHz £750 ROHDE & SCHWARZ SMS 1GHz signal generator £2000
6460,6420 power meter/microwave head
TF893A audio power meter 1mW-LOW fsd £75 RACAL 9300 RUS voltmeter 80db to 50 C'95 SHIBASOKU 9250/2 PAL colour video noise meter £650
£500 SOUND TECHNOLOGY 17008 distortion system £850
2092C noise receiver, many filters available WANTED Top quality high -end test equipment for stock or 1000A FM stereo sig gen Band II £500
£750 SOUND TECHNOLOGY
2091 2092A noise gen/receiver & filters will sell cn commission Please call, post o1 Fax list. any TAKEDA RIKEN TR9305 audio spectrum analyser FFT 00025Hz-
6600A 6646 sweeper 8.12 4GHz £750
12.250 quannly Signal generators. spectrum analysers etc urgently IHOkHz GPIB option £3950
2018 synthesized signal generator 80kHz-520MHz required for waiting customers TAKEDA RIKEN TR4110/4113AL RF spectrum analyser 10kHz-
60568 signal source 2-4GHz £850 £2950
1 7GHz
TF2011 FM signal generator 130-180MHz £195
TEKTRONIX 7633/7B53N7A26 100MHz storage scope £1250
T F 2012 FM signal generator 400-520MHz £195 ALL OUR EQUIPMENT IS SOLD IN EXCELLENT, FULLY TEKTRONIX 335 (Sony/Tek) 35MHz portable scope £600
2438 1303.0 520MHz universal counter -timer £500 FUNCTIONAL CONDITION AND GUARANTEED FOR 90 GAYS. (2950
TEKTRONIX 576 transistor curve tracer
TF2303 rrindulalion meter £325 MAIL ORDERS AND EXPORT ENQUIRIES WELCOMED. PLEASE TEKTRONIX S0502 oscillator. DC508 1GHz counter. DM502
2019 synthesized signal generator 0.08-1040MHZ £2.500 TELEPHONE FOR CARRIAGE QUOTE. ALL INSTRUMENTS ARE DMM. SC504 80MHz o'sCope, feted in 761505 main frame £1500
TF2700 RCL component bridge £250 AVAILABLE EXSTOCK AS AT COPY DATE. GOOD QUALITY TEST TIME ELECTRONICS 404S milli -volt source £ 100
TF21635 UHF attenuator 0-14200 £325 EQUIPMENT ALWAYS WANTED FOR STOCK. PRICES QUOTED TDA PM -30R RF VOLT -METER r BMV-10V IsO £250
TF2370 spectrum analyser 110MHz £3500 ARE SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL VAT. MIL IRON 610C sweep generator 4-18 5GHz £3500
Business Integrated Test Systems FULL SPE RUM

Unit 1, Holmside, Harrow Rd. East MONITORING
Dorking, Surrey, RB4 2AU
P
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SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
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Power drawn from Device Under Test communications receiver with continuous all mode, super widebond range
Low power consumption (30mA typ). of OOKHz to 1999.8MHz and a unique CRT display that shows frequencies,
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Intelligent PC software to load revolutionary IC -R9000 features IF Shift, IF Notch, a fully adjustable noise
Binary, Intel format files etc. blanker and more. The Direct Digital Synthesiser assures the widest range,
lowest noise and rapid scanning. 1000 multi -function memories store
Software includes a full function frequencies, modes, tuning steps and operator notes. Eight scanning modes
include programmable limits, automatic frequency and time -mark storage
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Oscanning priority channel watch, voice -sense scanning and a
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- Business Integrated Test Systems
27513
Job Title: Tel:
Post to Icons (UK) Ltd Dept. W W, FREEPOST, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 8BR

APPLICATIONS
Vcc11
16 8
Buffer (a) Inverter (b) In phase 1c)
Fig. 2 shows the PA630 used in a

typical compact disc player where the
current output of a D -to -A converter, vcc 13 - - vcc 11
which must drive into a virtual ground,
is opposed by a 2mA current to estab- 112
lish the zero reference for the audio
signal. The current conveyor together
with a buffer section provides the
virtual ground and performs the Ito V
conversion with a high frequency roll 10
2N 5462
off. The filter is a Salen and Key
second order linear phase based Out Out
around a buffer connected as a unity
gain op -amp.
In
Rt -
7= 5
101
2 N 5459
Operation
Each unity gain buffer amplifier con-
sists of four emitter followers and two R3 R3 19
current sources as shown in (a). The
quiescent operating point of each can
be set independently with an external
resistor (Rset) connected as indicated. Vee
8
K2:1 Vee
Pin and pin 3 may be left open to save

1 Jfet output (d) Rectifier le)
e
current if this buffer is not required,

but since the other buffer provides
internal bias, it must be powered up Conveyor configurations: (a) butter; (b) Inverter; (c) in phase; (d) jfet output; and
with an output stage current of no less (e) rectifier.
than one tenth of the conveyor quies-
cent current. As the current sources order, equal currents are sourced into By using both the conveyor and the
are actually Wilson mirrors (2 Vbe), the ground and pin 10. Of particular current mirror, the inverting gain block
and the output devices are five times interest is the fact that pin 7 will be of (b) is produced. Since pin 7 is a
larger than the input transistors, the driven to a virtual ground potential, virtual ground, and the mirror is a
quiescent current in the output stage regardless of rile current levels being Wilson (2 Vt1e), R3 sets up a quiescent
can be calculated as: sourced. Conversely, pin 10 becomes a current around the loop equal to:
-
5 [Vee+ Vee 2.8VJ/Rse1. high impedance output. Current is EVee- 1.4VJ/R3.
The current conveyor block consists therefore conveyed from pin 7 to pin 10 If VIN is left open or connected to
basically of two complementary cross - unaltered, except for impedance level. ground, pin 10 will also be at ground,
coupled current mirrors and an output This arrangement produces a virtual since all currents balance. The gain of
transistor. Referring to (b) if pins 5 and ground without the global negative this block is R2/RI and it is bi-
6 are shorted to ground, and current is feedback required in op-amp type cir- directional up to the level of current set
sourced from pin 7, then to a first cuits. by R3. It should be noted that both the
248 ELECTRON ICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 199(

Toumazou & Lidgey
on
Introduction to
Analog Design
Franca & O'Leary
on
28 March - 4 April 1990
Mixed -Mode
System -Level Design
25 - 27 April 1990
Spence & Soin
on
Tolerance
Design
9, 10 July 1990
Phillip Allen
on
CMOS Aralog Integrated

Circuit Design_ & CAD
Techniques Barry Gilbert
on
16 - 20 July 1990
Advanced Bipolar
Analog Design
24 - 28 September 1990
Courses to satisfy the demand for vital but scarce skills in
ANALOG CIRCUIT DESIGN

Continuing Education Courses at Imperial College, London, England
Further details from: Peter Combey, Continuing Education Centre, Imperial College,
London SW7 2AZ, U.K. Call (44)-1-589-5111 Ext 3033/4 or FAX (44)-1-584-7596
APPLICATIONS
input and output are actually currents as before. By making R4=R1 and R5= The precision rectifier circuit (e) pro-
that are converted to voltages by resis- R3, transistor output impedance errors vides glitch free performance up to 1
tors R1 and R2 respectively. By elimi- are minimized. MHz due to the diodes being current
nating one or both for these resistors, The additional pins on the PA630A driven and no feedback. Even fast
many current mode applications can be can he used to interface with two exter- opamps (30 V/µs. 20 MHz) will produce
addressed. nal jfets which buffer the output, as distortion spikes well below 100 kHz
A non -inverting configuration of the shown in (11). This provides high output when used as precision rectifiers, due to
circuit is shown in (c). The gain is R2/ impedance, improved accuracy. and the slew rate limitations from having the
RI and R3 sets up the quiescent current lower distortion. diodes inside the feedback loop.
Tape head amplifier

The voltage level at the output of the ratio of R4 and R5. Open loop AC gain achieved by adding frequency -selective
playback heads is too small to be useful can be regained by adding a shunt AC feedback as shown in Fig. 3.
without a large amount of low -noise capacitor across R5. The low frequency Resistors R4 and R5 select the DC
preamplification. The preamp should 3dB corner is then defined by the gain. Lower corner frequency 0.159/
have enough open loop gain so that the capacitor -resistor break point. (C4 x R4) gives a C4 of 0.(X)47µF.
correct equalisation curves can be pro- Design of a preamplifier starts by The upper corner frequency is simi-
duced in the feedback networks of the determining the gain and output signal larly fixed by the reactance of C4 and
amplifier. amplitudes in reference to the standard R7 and is equal to 0.159/(C4 x R7).
The NE542 dual amplifier provides a 8(X)µV input signal level. The NE542 is Midband gain is fixed by (R6 + R7)/
matched pair of gain blocks that mini- used to achieve a 1OOmV output at R6. Solving for the 1kHz gain of 42dB
mise amplifier noise and maximise the IkHz following a 7.5in/s equalisation gives a value of 8851 for R6. The final
signal-to-noise ratio. Each of the two curve. The closed loop gain becomes calculation of the low frequency cut-off
amplifiers is independent with indi- 32dB at the highest frequency. of the preamp determines the size of
vidual internal power supply The NAB equalisation curve is C2 from C2 equal to 0.159(fá,,, x R6).
decoupler-regulator. Open loop gain is
104dB from two stages of voltage gain vCC
and one stage of current gain. 12V
1µF
When designing low noise devices 1.8 6
special care must be focussed on the
input stage. If different topography is 4.5
used, the stage should be designed so
that one of the differential transistors is
turned off. This reduces the noise by a R1
200k
factor of 1.4 since only one transistor is
producing noise. Current sources and Z2 R4 R6
mirrors cannot be used for biasing 88 C4
loads because active elements will con- 0.0047µF
C2
tribute more noise. The first gain stage 90µF
of the NE542 allowsthis(see Fig. 1).
Although the differential input con- 5
figuration degrades the noise perform- NOTE:
All resistor values are in 11
ance slightly, using differential inputs
has the advantage of higher input Fig. 2. Differential input biasing NES42. Fig. 3. NAB response amplifier.
impedance letting smaller capacitors VCC
and larger resistors be used.
The second stage, also shown in Fig.
1, is a common -emitter amplifier Qs
with a current source load Q6. The
Darlington emitter -follower Q3-04
provides level shifting and current gain
to Q5 and the output current sink Q7.
The voltage gain of the second stage is
about 20(X) making the total gain of the
amplifier typically 160 (l(X) in the differ-
ential input configuration.
The non -inverting input has been
internally biased from a 1.4V internal
voltage source. From the zero differen-
tial rule, the output voltage will be set
by the R4 and R5 resistor feedback
network in Fig. 2. The base of Q2
needs 0.5µA bias current. Hence R5
should pass at least 5µA for stability.
DC amplifier gain is defined by the Fig. 1. Equivalent schematic of the NE542.

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RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
EXPERIMENTS
of the barrel -shaped CFA. (Previously
major difference between
this article and its prede-
Bryan Wells* reports 1 had obtained some very doubtful
cessor in the November results, suggesting a very high radiation
issue is that, as an amateur
on further resistance and of course a substantial
radio group, we have Xe.) Eventually, repeated measure-
become convinced, since that article experience with the ments suggested that the impedance
was written, that the CFA does indeed for both plates and cylinders in the R +
work effectively. We are now con- barrel -shaped jx form was of the order of 1052 and
cerned with its performance and the 10011. Because of the difficulty of
potential for further development. crossed -field antenna making accurate low -value resistance
The question of whether the theory measurements with the noise bridge,
expressed in the original article by these figures were checked by substi-
Hately, Kabbary and Stewart in the tuting with 1% 8-1212 carbon resistors.
March 1989 issue is the correct expla- It seemed that the resistance values
nation for the practical results we have might be overstated, but only slightly.
experienced, we must leave to others An obvious way, neglecting react-
better qualified to judge. However, we ance effects, of matching 1211 to 5012
feel that whatever opinion may be co -ax. seemed to be a one -to-four,
expressed in this context, the authors balanced -to-unbalanced transmission -
have produced what appears to be line transformer that could be effective
some entirely original thinking which over the range 3-30MHz. I constructed
ought to he acknowledged as such. *G3MND representing an amateur this transformer along the lines shown
radio experimenter's group. in Fig. 1, only to find that although it
Matching the feed behaved perfectly well with a pure
Since my previous article, I have made resistance load, its transformation ratio
efforts to achieve a matched feed sys- varied widely with even a slightly com-
tem for the CFA - for two reasons. plex load and did not provide even a
Firstly, a matched system with more or 4Ztoad Ztoad reasonable match for the transceiver. I
unbalanced 7 bi filar turns balanced
less "flat" lines might avoid the critic- put this down to its inability to cope
ism that all we have been doing is using with the inherently high capacitive
the combination of the feed lines, the b.t.
reactance of the CFA, together with
CFA and a matching unit to create a /7
my use of ferrite core material of
resonant system in which most of the unknown specification. Attempts to
radiation is from the feed lines. T b. t. cancel out the reactance with a conju-
The second and more important gate inductive element did not achieve
practical reason for a reasonably the desired result.
matched system is to obtain correct
phasing; Hately confirmed that the Fig. 1. Impedance matching to 500 Series -section matching. My next
required phasing between the plates line. A 1:4 balun by Goanella. taken thought was to try series -section
and cylinders of the CFA is the 90° from Transmission Line Transformers, matching and wrote a simple Basic
shown by our experiments. published by ARRL. Each element programme so that I could vary the
The next step was to use a noise wound on 0.5in diameter ferrite rod of line -impedance values to see which
bridge to check as carefully as possible Ql material. It is reputed to give 4:1 combination could provide a match
the approximate impedance of the pla- ratio from 500 unbalanced to 10-15(1 and also be of the shortest possible
tes and cylinders of the present version balanced over 1.8-IS4,I11z. length. I eventually settled on the

March 1990
Connect to CFA To discs 200

cylinders
1 metre 300 R ribbon 1 metre 30011 ~4111»

ribbon 'rotate
15 bi filar turns cylinder 230
R10-100Jx 16EN on 1'dia
plastic tube 111111
0 plates 4111~ 80
250dia. 101"... 80 700
Series section
50dia. -.Iw. 80
trans ormer _ 42 5011 coax y42 50 R coax

R10-100Jx to R50 230
for 40m 7.07MHz
15 300(1 twin 15' 300 Cl twin Balanced feeders 30011

N. ribbon (metre long
Dimensions in mm
R50 50 tl coax (any length)
'
Fig. 3. Dimensions of CFA.

RF voltmeter RF voltmeter
5012 load for the transceiver.
Ci 3Y 375p receiving To check this possibility I used a
capacitor Phasing unit
5011 coax with RF voltmeters for checking PL259 T connector to submit the plate
50:50 power split and cylinder series -section "matched
S PC lines" directly to the transceiver with-
matching unit (With SWR meter)
out any other intervention; the result -
a perfect match and 1:1 SWR.
5011. coax
Further measurements showed an
To transceiver
impedance at the end of each line of
100f2 and a small inductive reactance.
Reintroducing the phasing circuit made
no difference to the 1:1 SWR once it
rather clumsy and complicated looking Fig. 2. Series-section matching. Phasing was correctly adjusted to give equal RF
system indicated in Fig. 2. A lm length unit design appeared in CQ August voltage readings in the two feed lines to
of 3(11I9 ribbon makes the balanced 1989, p. 30. the CFA. I think it is important to
connections to the CFA, and is stress that a perfect match was avail-
immediately followed by a bifilar- able without any additional tuning or
wound line transformer in the form of a works well and has produced the best matching unit over the whole 40m
sortabalun. (A balun of this kind is CFA results so far on 40m, for which band, so the series-section match was
intended to provide a transition from the series -section matching was working, but in an unpredicted way.
balance to unbalance without necessar- designed. Without altering the match-
ily forcing balance to earth). ing sections, the system also gives
A second series of impedance mea- acceptable results on 20m - I managed Transceiver CFA
input C1 input +45°
surements was now required at the a contact in Western Connecticut in
transceiver side of the sortabaluns for relatively poor conditions, using 350W
use in the final series -section calcula- PEP to maintain a Q5 signal. The CFA
tions. The sortabaluns did not appear is located about 25 feet above ground,
to affect the resistance values, but their inside the roof space of my house.
inherent inductive element counterba- Perhaps the most surprising and puz-
lanced some of the CFA capacitive zling results of all with this 40m match-
reactance. The impedance finally used ing arrangement is that it has produced
for the series -section calculations was even better results on the 80m band,
R= l0 and X,=100 with 50f2 co -ax. as where it has, at times, equalled the
the main line and 30012 ribbon as the 272ft-circumference horizontal loop at
series -section. Mixing balanced and 35 feet that I normally use.
unbalanced lines in this way is not very These results on 80 and 20m caused CFA input 5011 dummy load 20W
or more dissipation
elegant, but seemed to be the only me to question exactly what was hap-
practical way to achieve the required pening in the series -section matching.
transformation. Figure 2 also includes It seems that one way of interpreting Fig. 4. Alternative 90° phasing method,
a very simple and effective phasing Fig. 2 is that it places plate and cylinder adapted from ARRL Antenna Compen-
system drawn from a recent article in lines in parallel at the phasing unit, dium Vol. 1, p. 67. LI consists of 7
CQ Magazine, August 1989. which suggests that the matching sys- bililar turns of 32 -strand insulated wire
Operating experience with this system has fortuitously provided a trans- on Amidon T200 Red Mix iron powder
tem has shown that the phasing method formation to 10012 on each line and a toroid.
254 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 199(

Hybrid combiners. Meanwhile, my The question of why I failed to All the effort with the series -section
attention had been drawn to an article produce the designed 5051 transforma- experiment had been useful experience
in the ARRL Antenna Compendium, tion with the series section intrigued and did provide matching of a kind
Volume 1, p.67, on phasing four 40m me; running the computer programme which, so far as I could measure,
vertical antennas by means of hybrid again, I discovered that I had been eliminated most feeder radiation.
combiners. The initial combiner, a working at the limits of what a 6:1 In making all the measurements that
four -port device - all ports presented series -section combination could have been described, resistance values
with 5052 loads - produces two of its achieve. of somewhere between 7 and 1252 have
outputs at ±45°. If my matching to 5052 been encountered from the CFA at
had not been shown to be flawed, this Slotted 30052 ribbon. If the CFA impe- 7.07MHz. These values are much lar-
would have been a more or less ideal dance had a resistance of less than ger than any DC resistance values,
way to provide single -band phasing for about 852, the series section would not even if the circuits were closed. Does
the CFA, particularly since it was a work. In fact, its length approaches the this confirm that the CFA does create a
broad -band device. length of the main line and the total radiation resistance element as
The "Twisted -wire Hybrid Combin- becomes more than a half wavelength. required for antenna operation? If not,
er" was not difficult to construct as This made me think that I might try out where does' this apparent resistance
illustrated in Fig.3. Despite the mis- an electrical half -wave length of slotted come from?
match with 10052 plate and cylinder 30052 ribbon as the feeder to plates and
lines, I was delighted to find it worked cylinders. On 40m this would mean The crossec -field antenna was described by
well over the whole 40 metre band with that whatever impedance existed at the F.M. Kabba-y, M.C. Hateiy and B.G. Stewart
a direct match to the transceiver and an antenna would be repeated at the in the March, 1989 issue of Electronics and
opposite end for any measurement Wireless World. It is intended to synthesize
SWR of about 1.1.3 without a match-
directly the Poynting vector S=E.H from
ing unit. It may be slightly down, less purposes. I could also use the two
separately stimulated E and H fields and
than an S point, in comparison with the sortabaluns to provide balance transi- one result )f the development is an extre-
tuned phasing system. Again the hyb- tion from the transceiver end of the mely small and compact design which is
rid is supposed to exhibit heavy dissipa- 30052 ribbon and use the CQ tuned independent of the radiated wavelength.
tion in the dummy load if not presented phasing system and a final matching There haie been criticisms of the design,
unit for the transceiver's 5052 needs. some correspondents saying that it cannot
with the correct 5052 to each port. This
possibly be practicable, but Bryan Wells has
did not seem to amount to as much as This arrangement would also provide
made models which appaar to work well. He
SW: probably accounted for by, at least multiband operation. This arrange- described some initial experiments in the
the two antenna lines are about equal ment is now in use and works well on November .989 issue.
at 10052. 80, 40 and 20 metres.
Bryan Wells' original CFA developed from an original and patented idea by Hately and Kabbary.
w
------ -
! /
- Y-
7
1-lj`__
i
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- '
ti , ..

TEL: 0709 850002
ELBA ELECTRONICS LTD
82/90 OLDGATE LANE, THRYBERGH.
FAX: 0709 851912
TELEX. 547938
ROTHERHAM, STH. YORKS. S65 4JN
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CIRCLE NO. ISJI 155 ON REPI Y CARD

REVIEW
Oscilloscope
Allen Brown reviews
an IBM compatible
add -in
backplane card which
converts a personal
computer into a
25MHz sampling
digital oscilloscope.
BM PC architecture is hosting an
ever growing variety of 1/O
expansion cards. The PC99 card
from Amplicon converts a typical
business machine into a dual
function instrument: it acts as a 25MHz
sampling oscilloscope with storage and,
secondly, it provides a two channel Hor :12AA.II ns/div ZS 11 MS/; 111Mü . Vertical 16P.P nU/Div
waveform generator. Trigger: Ch A I,eIz Load. Dot.
level Digital Storage Stop hove S ve Grtl
The electronics takes the form of a SN %
pretrigger 19 %1 Se ect wave lieay
pl to Start Print Dar M ,R,
full length card with an 8 -bit ISA bus
1.1
node auto Press key to stox, Ire a C,r r tuft

which can also be accommodated in an
IBM AT (clone) or 386 based machine.
The PC99 can produce two output
analogue signals as well as sample two
input analogue signals. To make the
card convenient to use, there is an t t
additional module which fits into the D

connector of the card providing two +'y,}
t ,aiti
input BNCs, two output BNCs and a
i' Ú
HI'
fifth BNC fora trigger signal. ii 9r 1
A set of software drivers accompany 1111 %I l d I:I'

(,
the card and produce a rather attrac-
tive mouse driven screen display. It will
run under the Hercules. EGA and
VGA display formats. However when
used with a VGA on an OPUS VI, the n
results were a little disappointing -
1111 11 1 ill -1111 11 {11111 13111 1111 0
only two thirds of the screen was

Hor r iM Bjis%d'v L,H t1 ks/UM-s''f rert'cat : 3214.P n_Div
Lon in toils Mpl 9%.SIIN nU Cyclet con tineo,s 'lie Ip load Dots
occupied by the display. Sine's shot Offr. 4.ÁN11 U How Sev eiratl
S,nr Square e. Print Dlr Menu
The input waveforms can be frozen - 11/.r1NH kite Synr+ 1.L %t Z
and stored to disc for recall and display

Pulse Triangle' base 11.11111 Place wane in iras Curcr Qa,t
at a later time. When operating in its

E DISC Ei ev & B3 J SERIES
Engineering I/O Cards for IBM PC/XT/AT & Compatibles
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM SERIAL & PARALLEL CARDS
8088 16 Bit System LCD Display -- PC Serial/ParalleVCard
PC Twin Serial/ Parallel Card
£35
£45
ROM/RAM DISK CARD PC Serial RS -232 Card (COM1 or COM2) £29
PC Dual RS -232 £35
= 360K/1.2Mb PC EPROM/SRAM Memory Cartridge PC 4 Port Multi -Serial RS -232 Card elb
£75
PC 8 Port Multi -Serial RS -232 Card £169
INDUSTRIAL CONTROL CARDS t
.....l '1=
16 Channel Opto InpuVRelay Output u..... RS -422 CARDS
Amplifier and Multiplexer ....
mV/mA Signal Conditioner Card . . PC Serial RS -422 Card £55
.. h PC Dual Serial RS -422 Card bee
8 Channel SSR Drive Card AC (280V/3A) DC R £65
kñ PC Dual Port RS-422/RS-485 Card
(60V/3A)
ti - J::e'í INH15
PC 4 Port Serial RS -422 Card
£129
£279
DATA INTERFACE TEST SETS wrs-HayNs PC 8 Port Serial RS -422 Card £499
- Parallel Tester .3.. IEEE -488 CARD
RS -232 (Single/Dual States/Mini) Tester £49
RS -232 Break Out 48 programmable I/O lines PC IEEE -488 £139
RS -232 Jumper Box Turbo Pascal, C & Quick Basic Support Package £45
Tri-States Tester 3 independent 16 bit counter
Loopback Tester
Interlace Problem Check Test Set DIGITAL O CARD
16 LED VO display I
192 Line 8255 Digital I/O Card £159

COMMUNICATIONS Port address selectable
3270 Eli -Sync Emulation Card ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERSION
- PC Modem Net (4 x1400 BPS) CARDS
- PC Fax Card (Telecom Approved) Complete range of
E Bit AD/DA * Digital I/O Card £149
INDUSTRIAL COMPUTERS SUB SYSTEMS
Industrial PC AT (80286 8/12MHz) Motherboard
PC-LabCard s
L.b a Enpyrwerinp Add-on'. for PCJx1/A1
12 Bit AD/DA Card
14 Bit AD/DA Card
£85
£165
- Industrial Computer Chassis (19' Rack Mountable)

PC -BUS Card Cage
INTERFACE CONVERTERS
8 Accessories Serial to Parallel Interface £45
Parallel to Serial Interface
- EPROM/PAL/SINGLE CHIP RS-232/RS-422 Bi-Directional Interlace
£45
£59
- PROGRAMMERS & TESTERS FOR PC RS-232/RS-485 BI -Directional Interlace £99
osco
XT AT RS-232/20mA Current Loop Bi-Directional £79
PC RS -232 Repeater £39
1/4//}/16 Gang E(E)PROM Programmers (16K -1024K)
- PAL Programmer
Il
- 8748 8751 Series Programmer ú PROTOTYPE CARDS
Digital & Memory Tester
- Universal Device Programmer ELECTRONICS rD PC Universal Card
PC Extension Card 3 Slot Board
£59
£59
- MISCELLANEOUS 289 Birchfield Road PC System Design Tool /£259
PC Talk (8K Bit/Sec 8 Bit Linear Sampling Rate) Perry Barr Birmingham Tel: 021-344 3228
PC TV Video -Picture Framestore
B20 3DD Fax: 021-356 3828 Write in number 42
iiL
IZI H JUL CCIDIC.OUSED HPS:ECTRUM ANAL tm I '''^Â IGKrHZ 15GHZlEEE £1,750
Electronic Design Software OSCILLOSCOPES-IN THE COUNTRY TEKTRONIX OSCILLOSCOPE 2235 Dual Tree 100 HZ 0-arl
TEKTRONIX 2445A Four Trace 15088, Dual TB As new Sweep t73Ó
a Marl lures guarantee b Feb 91 I £1.700 PHILIPS OSCILLOSCOPE PM3217 Dual Trace SOMHZ DewyY
Dem.
ptJto úo
omaril3
TEXTRONIX 2225 Du4I Trace 50MHz
TEKTRONIX 475 Dual Trace 200MH,
Dewy Sweep
DPI., Sweep
£575
£650
Sweep
GOULD OS3000,oLoscope Dual Trace 20MHZ -
ü0Ó
£250
®e911120©ú .e.m TEKTRONIX 465 Dual Tree 100MHZ Dewy Sweep (450 GOULD 1421 D.gnd Storage Due Tree 20MHZ
TMANDARTA2080 Lou Analyser 20MHZ Channel
£750
00 TEKTRONIX 7403 four Trace 5088,
TEKTRONIX 4S4 Dual Traee 150MHz Dewy Sweep
Dewy Sweep
£400
1400
THURL10 PL3200M0 D300 28 Torre Quad Mode
Metes
L375
Dag
£200
76.061100 Dual Tree 100 Hz Delay Sweep £500 FEEDBACK FSG646 Sweep Function Gen 001141-IMMZ(P&P£71
HITACHI V1050F Dual Trace I00MHz Dewy Sweep £550
PHILIPS P513262 Dual Trace 100844 Dewy Sweep £450
II=Z TELEQUIPMENT 083 Dual Tree 5088, Delay Sweep £300
SOLARTRON 7045 Mullrneter 41/2 mgt LED 30 ranges Auto/Manual
P&P £71 £125
TELEQUIPVE HT D755 Dual Tree 50681 Dewy Sweep £275 LOGIC PROBE et,,qqee 33Ó0877L/Cmds(PAP(31 L18
GOULD 250A Due Tree 10880 TV Tog £140 TEKTRONIX 18501 worn SG5O3 Leveled Senewave Gen 250KHZ.
HP 1740A Dual Trace 100MM, Dee, Sweep Tr .g £500 250MHZ L1.000
HP 12208 put Tree (OVA, L175 RAS MOBILE RADIO TEST SET SMFP0.4.520MBZ £2000
GOULD/ADVANCE 051100 Dual Trace 2088, £210 WAYNE KERR 8605AutoCompanere BreO, LCD £450
aaMilLatIE?I e I
1 GOULD ADVANCE 00255 Dual Trace l5MHz
COSSOR CDU I5Ó Due Trace 3584, Delay
SE LABS 5M 111 Dual Trace 18MMz
£180
£150
£130
WAYNE KERR B424COmponent Mete wail CAI LCD
SCHAFFNER NSG200c
NSG223
*II
InlMerence Gen
£1200
NSG222
L125
and
:,á
.'H TEKTRONIX 647A Dual Trace I00M8, Delay Sweep (250 ELECTRO METRICS Interference MaSser EMCIO 254, 5064,
£500
LEi GOULD' ADVANCE 053000A Dual Trace 40MHz Dee, Sweep L300
TRIOCS1556A MP Tree 2061Hz (250 AVO VALVE HARACEER RC METER CVM 163 £350
File Edit Type Layout Scale Spacing SPAT SOT Pad GOULD 0540000 gnat Storage Daa Tree 10882
Eh u t a Sample- m'ary Othe r, 2.arwbk
L350 ..- HP
6255APSU )4. IV
---e - --
1'A to
- - -
£175
II
-
TEK'F pu Trace
15 ELMS, Sweep Delay 045 Manta
11,
`«' fEial Lbry 88 8001 Man Frame wtn 8803
IL
it '
Fr'Co.er Wave Generator 2ÓH,
V/I;1 IE nn
180n. N--¡1 -eDw4te Lua
`1 3276
Ion Pouch £500 2088: HM10.302 Function Genea! r 011MHz Sne S5IoRamgQle.
'
H V 3 35 and NM 01. D.1a Mu4nrreler4 ONLYLJ75
90 270 n.3 MARLIN t £650
d
',
M e Rado Test Set TF2950
I
i°Or
'I
BOO A'.'5 2 rDA Pow., lap RHODE A SCHWARZ Vdeoscope a with Sdeband Adaptor
* 105Ó0M8, Output 45W £61

MARCONI SANDERS 56 Solute 60588 812 5MM,
£500
£650
ü50 FERROGRAPH RIS2RecorderTesl Set
POA
L275
... aaa1 ... MARCONI 162008 AÁ11,81068/ 51041Ht 5.4 Gen

MARCONI TF20IS AM/FM 1052Ó88t 5'4 Gen wan Synrnrarser
1F2171
MARCOS TF2015 w (Tool SyncMeuser TF2171
L450
£300
WOELKE Wow A Flutter Meier MEl08
LEADERLMVI86A Two Channel MAbvolmeter 562-500KHZ ID0,0-
3000 £100
- £100
11 MARCONI if
2011 AY FM 1068, 1208Hz with S ncKra sec £400 TRIOSG402 AN 54 Gen 1006HZ 30MHZ Un used - - £50
MARCONI a OD 1 EVERS TF2300. 7[23006.1F23Ó8 from L100 LEVELL OSCILLAT ORSTG152/7G2Ó0 Sens tram £75
Sr, MARCONIATTENUATORSTF21620G1841600 ohm 0-111c83 (PEP
'Iooó l .
lllllo °
MARCONI TF2016 o.lhpul hrarser TF173
DOMAR 1525 AM FM 01.184MM, Sig Gen
HP620E1 S5gna Generator 7 I TCH,
HP618C Signal Generator 38765117
£250
£200
£400
Lapp
HATFIELD- ATTENUATORS 50onm DC 250MHZ
(MIMIC (Nevi Price £1351IP4P£41
0100780600
£35
oSee
ONLY L50
HP616B Signal Generator 183258, £400 TELEQUIPMENT Mt Fr "1 TRACER C171 £250
LEADERLSG216 Sig Gen AN FM 0130448,. 7511581U Burl in FM
Stereo 804,41,0 £575
li`-.EO TIP
El-roTY WAVETEK 157 Programmable Waveform Synlhesrser 100 Mrcr08, HANES OSCILLOSCOPE HM1005 Toole Trace 100MHZ Delay
I MHz Sine/Se/To 001 Acc £300 TenebaSe £726
FI FEEDBACK FG601 S.g Gen 0001Ní I MHz SoolSg/Trr. L150 HAMEG OSCILLOSCOPE HM604 Dual Tree 60MHZ Delay Sweep
MARCONI Automat< 0,6107on Meter 1623378 4(08, or KHz
V, r-&"'
Measures down 10001% £100
L
HAMEG OSCILLOSCOPE HM2036 Dual Tree 20MHZ COrrpaen

£575
PHILIPS PM5132 Furptron, Gen CHIN 2MHt £450 Tester £314
- . ° o AVO MULTIMETE RS (PAPLIO all

al Wlh Batterre,Aleadslrom
Unit
HAMEG OSCILLOSCOPE HM2052 Dal Trace 20MHZ 0r, t.r
Storage L527
Another modelava ate- alloscdl,copes swerved wth 2probes
!"! o Am 8595 ar,d Ministry Vers
TEST LEADS tar Aoos Red A Back wroth 2 cror CIps A 2
LSO
prods (PAP BLACK STAR EQUIPMENT (PAP all wts£5)
APOLLO 10 100M11., Ratio/Period/Teo ,lerva III L222
B*0S EVER READY Cate la Awe Un used (P&P£4) £15 APOLLO 1001013MHz(As abovewth marelachom) £295
BATTERIES 5.ndsü each IOHa £15 (PAP e.va) METEOR 100 FREQQU(NCY COUNTER 100842 £99
METEOR 600 IREpUENCY COUNTER 6006912 £126
Schematic Capture ROO TRANSSTOR ANALYSER Mkt 01446 w1ü.ea ripe With METEOR I000F111FEEQuENCY COUNTERIGHZ
1UPITOR500 FUNCTION GEN O IHZá00KHZ Sine/So/in
- £178
.L110
McC,^
Renews d opera/ ng mbu-fras 0 'IL Y£Yy(PAPL7)
PCB Design MARCONI AT Power Meter 71893820141-35KHZ 20rw IOW With
Manual ONLY£2s(piP0)
ORION COLOUR BAR GENERATOR Pal TV/Video
Ali other Black Star E7.c prenl avatable
L209
MARCONI RI Power Meter TE1152A I DC SOOMHZ0525W 50 ohm

Gerber-
el
Wth Manual ONLY L3Ó (PIPIT)
HUNG CHANG DMM 7Ó3031R 7igt Hand held 28 ranges XFCIudiP 10
Amp AC DC 011 Arc 071.P LAI £3950
Electronic Design Software View/Translator FARNELL 0scrllatnrLFM31082 IONIHCS ne SQu
RACAL 9915freo Cm_. rer 109 -190. -9 la Oven
£200
LI50
As above86010025%
Carryrraore I.nabo.e
£3350
£3.00 ea
e.-t }6drrnrd Support

RACAL 9900 Ser.esUrr.ersal Cr ur ter Tnen born £150 OSCILLOSCOPES PR n BESS*tohed Xl XI0(p&p£31 £11
13a For Software This Is a very small sample of stock SAE or telephone for UST of OVER 700 ITEMS. Please check availability before
ordering. CARRIAGE all units £16. VAT to be added to total of goods and carriage
contact:-
1 ComputersKeith Harris Tel: 0734 68041
Computers l STEWART OF READING Fax: 0734 351696
lLimitedI>tr on 0202 - 876300 110 WYKEHAM ROAD, READING, BERKS RG6 1PL
Callers welcome 9am to 5.30pm. MON-FRI. (UNTIL 8pm. THURS)
InsA

REVIEW
storage mode, the PC99 can display up Waveform generator

to seven waveforms at any one time,
five recalled from storage and the two
The second mode of operation of the PC99 costs £699 plus VAT and consists of
PC99 is for waveform generation (see the card, manual and software. an adv-
live inputs. as seen from Fig. 1, the anced wave processing software package
Fig. 2). Four types of waveforms can
display is well laid out and the seven is now available, for an additional £195
be generated, sine, square, triangle
different colour attributes of each plus VAT, which enables further mathema-
waveform adds to display clarity. (with adjustable symmetry) and pulse tical manipulation, such as spectrum
The use of the mouse contributes to (single or continuous). Once the wave- analysis, integration, differentiation and
form has been specified by the user statistical operations.
the usefulness of the package and this
enables easy switching between wave- then it can be channelled through one The package is obtainable from Ampli-
of the digital to analogue converter cori Liveline Limited, Centenary Industrial
forms, triggering levels and the instru- Estate, Hughes Road, Brighton, East Sus-
ment options shown on the bottom outputs.
sex BN2 4AW. Telephone 0273 570220.
right of the display. Two independent waveforms can be
produced simultaneously by the PC99
card ano these can also he displayed on
Oscilloscope the screen. This feature is attractive,
The PC99 signal inputs pass through but does not offer anything more than
anti-aliasing filters and lead to separate a standard waveform generator apart
conventional instrumentation, their
value must be questionable. I can see
ADCs. The ADCs are 8 -bit devices from two independent outputs. It is a
with sampling frequencies of 20MHz. no benefit of having the PC99 installed
great shame that this facility is so
in a PC when the service provided by a
The effective bandwidth of each chan- limited, since this type of unit could
nel, is therefore at best 10MHz. When modest priced scope and signal gener-
offer extensive options for waveform
operating as a 'scope, in its storage ator is considerably better. The PC99
synthesis, for example five tone wave-
mode, the two channels can be display- cannot be recommended as a practical,
forms or FSK signal generation with
ed with a maximum time base setting of varying degrees of added noise. general purpose 'scope because of the
25MHz. severe limitations it imposes upon the
input waveforms. This limits potential
Despite the attractive screen presen- The final analysis
tation. the PC99 has three outstanding applications to very tightly specified
It's all very well having I/O expansion input conditions. It may be useful for
oversights in its design. Firstly, it is
cards for PCs but unless they offer highly sanitised demonstration purpo-
unable to cope with input waveforms
with negative voltages. When an AC
distinct features and advantages over ses.
waveform is fed into the card, the
negative half cycles are chopped off.
An extraordinary characteristic for any
oscilloscope, it could conceivably be Amplicon says it is well aware of the limitation on input
useful for looking at the unbiased mentioned by ow- reviewer, but points out that the package
outputs from square law detectors. was designed primarily for, and in consultation with
Secondly, the user has no screen educational establishments, who are prepared to use their own
control over the input signal gain. This input signal conditioning with a view to keeping the price of
deficiency necessitates external atte- the package as low as possible.
nuators or amplifiers on the input Nevertheless, the company has plans to produce a signal -
signals. conditioning package to provide a more flexible input
Thirdly. the input voltage range is requirement.
limited to between 0V and 2.5V.
Although these specifications are
laid out in the rather poor user manual,
they render the board as almost useless
as a general purpose oscilloscope.
However if there is a requirement to
analyse only positive waveforms, not
exceeding 2.5V which are band limited
to below 10MHz, then the PC99 will
serve the purpose well.
ir
^
,
ya
Operating environment
PC99 takes the form of a card for use with
an IBM AT or clone, or a 386 -based ;+1 J
..
computer. Software drivers are provided
to allow the use of a mouse and the
display format can be Hercules, EGA or
VGA.
An additional module provides five I - _
extra BNC connectors for input and out-
put and the user is expected to provide
h c
.
his own oscilloscope probes with BNC

connectors.
March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD+ WIRELESS 5, LD 259

A INTMENTS 01-661 8640
DISPLAY APPOINTMENTS
£29 per single col. centimetre (min. 3cm). 1/4 page £693
1/2 page £1271
Full page £2311 2nd colour £275
Full colour £400
Cheques and Postal Orders payable to REED BUSINESS PUBLISHING GROUP LTD and crossed.
RADIO OFFICER Wanted urgently

Practical people for the
A CAREER WITH
A DIFFERENCE
Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) are specialists in all
aspects of communications and as a RADIO OFFICER you would be trained
Third World.
to undertake wide ranging duties covering the complete radiocommunications Many people want to help the Third World.
spectrum from DC to light. But relatively few can offer the kind of help
Not only do we offer Comprehensive training but also:- wanted most: the handing on of skills and
Good Career Prospects Generous Leave Allowances professions which lead to self-reliance.
Competitive Salaries Job Security You could make this priceless contribution
Varied Work (opportunities for Non -Contributory Pension Scheme
by working with VSO.
moves within UK and Overseas) and much more!
We have a wide range of jobs for qualified
QUALIFICATIONS electricians and electronics technicians in
a. You need to hold or hope to obtain a BTEC National Diploma many countries including Kenya, Malawi,
(or HNC/HND) in a Telecommunications, Electronics
Engineering or similar discipline. Special consideration will be
Zimbabwe, Nepal and Egypt. Among these
given to applicants holding an MRGC Certificate. The C&G jobs are some specialist ones, including
777 (Advanced) or other qualification incorporating morse technicians for:
skills would be advantageous but not essential.
or
Audiology El Radio and TV
b. Have a minimum of 2 years recent relevant radio
servicing
operating experience. Preference will be given
Secondary
to those capable of reading morse at 20 wpm.
school Electricians
Preferred Age Range 18 to 45 years. equipment for domestic
installation
e1' SALARIES (Reviewed Annually)
After a residential training course of between 29
Medical
equipment
and workshop
ínstructíon
5
-
and 52 weeks depending on background For more details, please complete and return
-
experience the Radio Officer Pay Scale
to: Enquiries Unit, VSO, 317 Putney Bridge
ranges from £12,678 to £18,431 over 5 years
with prospects for further promotion. Road, London, SW15 2PN. Tel. 01-7801331.
(Salaries include an allowance for shift and Conditions cf work: Pay based on local rates Posts
weekend work). are for a minimum of 2 years Many employers
APPLICANTS MUST BE BRITISH NATIONALS will grant leave of absence.
I'm interested. I have the following training/experience:
For further information and application form contact:-
Recruitment Office, Room A/1108, GCHQ, Priors Road, CHELTENHAM,
.. mm
.
Glos GL52 5AJ or Telephone (0242) 232912 or 232913.
NIIIIIIIWIN41 \tea
raCHQ,
Name
Address
EWW1N0
REPRINTS
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A PARTICULAR ARTICLE/SPECIAL FEATURE OR
ADVERTISEMENT IN OUR JOURNAL WHY NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR
Helping the Third World help itself.
REPRINT SERVICE.
REPRINTS CAN BE OBTAINED AT A REASONABLE COST, TO YOUR OWN

INDIVIDUAL SPECIFICATIONS PROVIDING AN ATTRACTIVE AND VALUABLE
20p stamp ap¡y .,..ted Chanty no. 313757.
J
ADDITION TO YOUR OWN PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL.
Please mention RF & MICROWAVE!
FOR EXAMPLE, A TWO PAGE ARTICLE CAN BE REPRODUCED AS A FOUR
PAGE FOLDER WITH ADDITIONAL WORDING ON THE FRONT PAGE
AS AN Electronics IDesign & Test Engineers seeking'
top positions. from satcomms to
INTRODUCTION. & Wireless World ' CT2 should contact the specialists I
FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT:
when replying to GARIBALDI RECRUITMENT
0494 773918 1
CLARE HAMPTON ON 01-661 8672 adverts 1 160 Bellingdon Road Chesham HP5 2HF t
260
ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990
£7,064 rising to
.15,000
Aged
le) 18-24
1-
,
i' 1
` II
.
1111rItillaat
C
BTec
HNC
HND
Each year, there are over three million) aircraft
Train to movements within UK_airspace.

As you might imagine, Air Traffic Controllers
tcly on a wide range of highly advanced systems
become an fri,m radars and radio beacons through to the

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Air The planning, corimissioning, installation, cali-

bration and maintenance of all these tecluologies is
the responsibility of Air Traffic Engineers.
Traffic Arguably the most highly trained and well

supported 'practical engineer in Europe
Engineer Regardless of your experience to date, the

process of becoming part of the team begins with a
6 month residential course at' our ow n College of
Telecommunications Engineering in Ru:kingham-
`shire. Here you'll he introduced to advanced radio
telephony, aircraft nasigation aids, specialised
computer systems for the processing of radar and
comms information, and high power primary and
secondary surveillan_e radars.
Following a further 7 months on -job experience,
Mull become an A IrE based at one of our centres
which are spread from Scotland to Cornwall.
Typically, as an experienced engineer, you could
expect to earn over 120,/1(10.
As your careen develops -
and promotions are
based entirely on merit -
ono swill periodically
return to college to keep abreast of new techniques
and you'll be encouraged to study For higher
technical' qualifications. We are very proud of the
fact that many of the CAA's senior managers began
their careers from where you are now.
To join us, you will need a minimum qualiti-
cation of a ItTFC National Diploma or HNC in
Electrical and Electronic Engineering (or the
SCOVEC equivalent) and he aged 18-2i as of (sr
April 1990.
These roles are open equally to both mer and
women, Si) to apply please write to the following
address giving your personal details (including a
contact telephone nt_mber), your qualiti:.scion, and
It
= experience and tell ins why you think )ru could
into our team. Alternatively, call 01-832 5871) (21
hours) for an application torro.
IYrite to: CAA, Engineer Recruitment (ICIY'I). Room TI223, CAA House. -15-59 Kingsuav, to ndo., W'C2B FTF.
The closing dale for receipt of applications is 1st March.
The selection programme will take p/ace at the College of Te/ecommuuications Engineering during Amit and May

Radio Investigation Service
Keeping The Wavelengths Clear
Assistant Telecommunications
Technical Officers
up to £14,335
The Radio Investigation Service is part of the Department of Trade and Industry's
-
Radiocommunications Division. Its brief is simple to keep the wavelengths clear of interference
and illegal operators. We have vacancies in LONDON & WORCESTER.
You will be responsible for the routine inspection of licensed operators, ensuring that they
comply with the relevant regulations. You will assist in the detection of illegal operators, collecting
and presenting evidence for prosecution. In addition you will assist in the investigation of inter-
ference to authorised radio and TV services, and advise on remedial action.
Candidates must be qualified in radio telecommunication subjects to BTEC/SCOTEC
standard and have at least 2 years' experience in the field of radio technology.
Starting salaries depend on experience, qualifications and location. A clean driving licence
is essential. Relocation expenses may be available up to £5,000.
For further details and application form please contact Sue Mulvaney, (PM/PRTU) on
01-215 0066, quoting reference PR/ATTO (D). The closing date for receipt of applications is 9th
March 1990.
The Civil Service is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
ffir7c7Ee7ffit7r7e1ffir7t7ffl
dt
the department for Enterprise
TO
1990 Radio Technician
CAREER
DECISION ADVERTISE RADIO TECHNICIAN for Wood Street Police Building London
EC2.
YEAR The appointed person who must be able to work with the
minimum of supervision, will have had experience in the areas of
Irrespective of your career

YOUR installation, repair and maintenance of Fixed Mobile and Hand
Portable VHF/UHF Radio Telephone equipment. Closed Circuit
objectives - financial or geo- Television, Audio Visual Equipment and should be the holder of a
graphical - let Cadmus put City and Guilds Telecommunications Technician's Certificate, or
direction into your search and its equivalent.
eliminate the stress. If you are VACANCIES Experience in Police Communications and computer and
a qualified engineer, you may
be eligible for inclusion in our
electronics advantageous but not essential.
monthly register which will Hours 8.00 a.m. to 3.45 p.m. Monday to Friday.
give you discrete access to Salary between £12,624 - £14,178 p.a. inclusive.
over 3,000 UK companies. PLEASE CALL Optional contributory Pension Scheme, canteen facilities, 20
Phone 0603 761220 (24 hrs) days holiday plus 5 concessionary days, interest free season
for a registration form or send ticket loan scheme.
your C.V. together with your
career objectives to: Application form and job description available from Civilian
CLASSIFIED Personnel Office, City of London Police, 26, Old Jewry, London
EC2.
Telephone: 601 2233/34.
04,17 DEPARTMENT
ON
L ADMUS-
PERSONNEL LIMITED CITY OF 2 LONDON
Freepost. Sackville Place
44-48 Magdalen Street
Norwich NR3 IBR
01-6618640 City of London Police
OfflEffiffiffiffiffifflEffifflE
CLASSIFIED 01-661 8640
CLASSIFIED DISPLAY: £29 per single column centimetre (min 3cm).
LINE ADVERTISEMENTS (run on): £6.00 per line, minimum £48 (pre payable).
(Please add on 15% V.A.T. for prepaid advertisements).
BOX NUMBERS: £15.00 extra. (Replies should be addressed to the box number in the advertisement, Co Quadrant House, The Quadrant,
Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS).
Cheques and Postal Orders payable to REED BUSINESS PUBLISHING GROUP LrD and crossed.
ARTICLES FOR SALE

TO MANUFACTURERS, WHOLESALERS,
BULK BUYERS, ETC.
Cooke International
USED ELECTRONIC TEST INSTRUMENTS
LARGE QUANTITIES OF RADIO, TV AND
Adret AP401 Programmable Attenuator 0-99db
H.P. 608C or 608D VHF Signal Generators 10-420MHz
£75.00 ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS FOR DISPOSAL
£120.00
H.P. 612A UHF Signal Generators 45OMHz-1.2GHz £180.00 SEMICONDUCTORS. all type;. INTEGRATED CIRCUITS. TRANSISTORS. DIODES.
H.P. 8410A Microwave Network Analyser Main Frame with 8411A Harmonic RECTIFIERS. THYRISTORS. etc. RESISTORS, C/F. M/F. W/W, etc. CAPACITORS.
Frequency Convertor, 8412A Phase Magnitude Display, 8413A Phase SILVER MICA. POLYSTYRENE, C280, C296. DISC CERAMICS. PLATE CERAMICS. etc.
Gain Indicator and 8414A Polar Display £2500.00
H.P. 5345A Timer/Counter 11 digits, 500Mhz, HPIB £2200.00 ELECTROLYTIC CONDENSERS. SPEAKERS. CONNECTING WIRE, CABLES. SCREENED
R8S SMCI Signal Generator 4.8-12GHz (As New) £1500.00 WIRE. SCREWS. NUTS. CHOKES, TRANSFORMERS. etc. ALL AT KNOCKOUT PRICES
Solartron Model 1172 Frequency Response Analyser (ex ATE) £550.00 - Come and pay us a visit ALADDIN'S CAVE.
Systron Donner 6152 Timer/Counter 512MHz £275.00
WIDE RANGE OF ITEMS AVAILABLE SEND FOR LISTS
SURPLUS STOCK ALWAYS WANTED TO PURCHASE
TELEPHONE: 445 0749/445 2713
R. HENSON LTD.
Contact: Cooke International, Unit Four, Fordingbridge Site,
Main Road, Barnham, Bognor Regis, West Sussex P022 OEB. 21 Lodge Lane, North Finchley, London N12.
Tel: 0243 545111. Fax: 0243 542457 I5 minute Ir 1, (. rner) 161.
BLUE
SURFACE MOUNT
tcuet ibutil Field Electric Ltd. Tel:01.953 6009. 3 Shenley Road,
Borenamwood. Hens WD6 1 AA. Fax: 01-207 6375, 0836 640328
ROSE DEVICES
ELECTRONICS en,eeer.
range SMD R's. C's. Transistors and IC's

SO JJ
""Full
Telephone or S.A.E. for new stock list for
SMD'Starter Kit' a 0.5W AF Amp £6.80 Protoboard í1.p5
SMD Assembly Jig £16.50. A 15 page catalogue 8 kit list £1.00.
Monitors: Disk Drives: Hard Disk Drives:
BRE, 538, Liverpool Rd Great Sankey. Warrington WAS 3LU.
Mail Order. Callers by app. Tel: 0925 72 7848
Keyboards: Computers: Printers: Test &
Measurement Equipment: Diecast Ali Boxes:
Fans: Power Supplies: Telephone
NEW SURPLUS: Equipment: Audio Equipment:
FIGOLLEDGEI
1000 HM6264AP-12 rams £2.50 ea
Transformers: Microwave Equipment.
206 Bulgin PS80/110 IEC sockets
51 Bulgin PS620/1/3A mains filters
30p
£3
ea
ea IEL EC TRONIC
98 IR 2KB820 rectifiers (used) 15p ea
QUARTZ CRYSTALS OSCILLA- We would like the opportunity to tender for suplus equipment
116 NMC27C16Q-55 Eproms í2 ea OMrodl 0rders'Overseas Entu,ras Welcome Order by phone or post Open 6 days Postal rates apply U k mainland only
127 C074MCT373E 25p ea
TORS AND FILTERS of all types. Al test equipment carries warranty All rices include 15% VAT unless stated Phone your order for quick delivery
Large stocks of standard items. Spe- Access Arne. Diners Visa accepted We can supply telephone and some audio equipment electrical and aerial
100 CD74MC175E 20p ea equipment mach more than is shown in our ad Please ring
cials supplied to order. Personal and
500 TLD62CP 25p ea
export orders welcomed - SAE for lists
100 MEF4012BP 10p ea please. OEM support thru: design
150 TL072CP top ea advice, prototype quantities. produc-
tion schedules. Golledge Electronics. - VALVES FOR, AUDIO, INDUSTRY
Any quantity Merriott, Somerset TAI6 5NS. Tel: RECEIVINGI& TRANSMITTING
39)
0460 73718. 124721
RARE AND 5BSOLETE TYPES A SPECIALITY!
Lindos: 0394 380307 ONE MILLION VALVES IN STOCK
SPECIAL PRIDES FOR WHOLESALE QUANTITIES
ORDERS FROM GVTDEPTS, PLC's, OVERSEAS ETC. WELCOME
ALSO CRT, .Cs, KLYSTRONS, MAGNETRONS,
TO ADVERTISE TR.\NSISTORS, USA VALVES.
FAX/PHONE FOR IMMEDIATE QUOTE!
IN THE CLASSIFIED SECTION
PLEASE PHONE BILLINnds GTHoONm. SVAIL3
VES
01-661 8640 Callers by appointment only Mon -Fri 9am-5 30pm
Phone 0403 210729 Fax a103 40214 Telex 87271 Visa 8 Access accepted
ARTICLES WANTED
30 Days Guarantee. Please add VAT.
STEWART OF READING
110 WYKEHAM ROAD.
WANTED Check availabilty 8 Carriage costs.
Marconi 26005 milliyoltmeter AF
Marconi 3(41 AM Generator 10
- 3001
IFFY
- 480MHt
FSD (60
(110
READING RG6 PL. 1 Receivers, Transmitters, Test Equipment, Components, Wayne Ken Al Generator 10H1 - 120111: U5
Bradley 4110 Test Meter
TEL: 0734 68041. Cable and Electronic .Scrap. Boxes, PCB's, Plugs and
(40
Marconi HF Test Set 2603 (1S
FAX: 0734 351696
Scokets, Computers, Edge Connectors. Tektronix6418 Dual Trace Scope (All Mods)
Marconi Wave Analyser 112110
OSO
TOP PRICES PAID FOR ALL Marconi Generator 200243 10KHt 8814Hz AMIM -
(ISO
(lis
TYPES OF SURPLUS TEST TOP PRICES PAID FOR ALL TYPES OF ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT Marconi Generator 1008 IOKHz -
S10MHz All FM 1425
EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER telequipment Dual Trace 155 Scope SOMNz (2SO
EQUIPMENT, COMPONENTS A.R. Sinclair, Electronics, Stockholders, Phdlpc PM3211 Dual Irate SOMHz Scope 025
etc. ANY QUANTITY. 103 2 Normans Lane, Rabley Heath, Welwyn, Herts (oscor CD4150 Dual Trace 35MHz Scope
AY08 Complete horn US MKS 0S
(140
AL6 9TO. Telephone: 0438 812 193. A. WOOD NORTH WEST

94 WORSLEY ROAD, FARNWORTH
Mobile: 0860 214302. Fax: 0438 812 387 780 TEL: BOLTON (02041 71795
March 1990 ELECTRON ICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORI-I) 263

720K 3.5 INCH DRIVE DAISYWHEEL PRINTER
Olivetti DY200. Modern, office quality, bidirectional daisywheel printer. Complete
NEW LOW PRICE TO CLEAR WAREHOUSE with manual, daisywheel, ribbon and standard Centronics interface. Prints at 25
cps, variable pitch, 132 characters in 12 pitch, proportional sppacing. Sprocket and
Japanese made, modern, low sheet feed options, p.o.a. Full IBM and Diablo emulations. £99.50 (carr. £6.50).
component, cast chassis drive. Surface Carbon, ribbons £2.79 each (carr. 75p). £2.39 each for ten or more (cart. £2.50).
mount design with industry standard
interface. Removed from almost new FACIT ULTRA FAST DOT MATRIX PRINTER
systems, these are top quality drives in Prints at up to a maximum of 500 CPS. Made to a high standard for heavy duty
excellent condition. Boxed and with a full
use. Compact slimline desktop model (only 26 inches wide). Ideal for Universities,
six month guarantee. 80 track double large mailing lists, or any serious application £349.00 (cart. £25).
sided 1 megabyte unformatted; £34.50
(cart. £3); £30 ten or more. Cradle to fit drive in a 5.25' slot e.g. IBM PC £4.95 12" FAMOUS NAME COLOUR MONITORS
(carr. £1.00; free with drive). Power and data connectors to suit £0.99p (carr. Quality analogue RG8 input, high definition, suitable for Amiga, Atari, BBC etc.
free). Box of 10 3.5' discs £9.95 (carr. £1). Easy fit adaptors saves changing
connectors £3.49 (carr. free). £99.50 (carr. £6.50).
N,B. Drives work with virtually all computers including Amstrads, IBM XT and AT QUALITY VGA CARD
compatibles BBC's etc. Special easy-fit kit available Up to 800 x 600.
for Amstrad 1512/1640, IBM XT, including adaptor Fully compatible, 256K £115 (carr. £3).
board £8.49. i
HITACHI PROFESSIONAL CAD COLOUR MONITORS
RACAL V22 MODEM MPS1222
CM1686A 16' ultra high resolution in two CAD frequencies: 48 KHz £325 (carr.
Microprocessor based modem providing full duplex
£25), 64 KHz £395 (carr. £25).
communication at 1200, 600 and 300 baud to the
* CM2086A1E 20' ultra high resolution CAD 48 KHz. £495 (carr. £35).
CCITT V22 standard. Features include: Can be
used on standard phone line (PSTN) and private
HITACHI CDR2500 CD ROM DRIVE
circuit (PC) Auto answer but needs telephone to dial * 1200, 600 and 300
*
baud * Very high quality construction * BT approved * Self tests and loop tests Full height 5.25' 550 megabyte, high sierra spec., including IBM controller card
* MS-DOS extension, and manual £265 (carr. £4).
(V54) Comprehensive manual included. Uncased card £19.95 seven cards in
rack £195 (carr. one £3.50; seven £15)
STC SCRIBE KEYBOARDS
HARD DISC DRIVES Keyboards as supplied with Scribe wordprocessors. These are serial units but no
20 MByte 3.5 inch (Kyocera, Lapine and Titan) in 5.25 inch chassis, and 20 MByte data is available. £5.95 (carr. £3).
5.25 inch (NEC and Seagate) £125; with controller card £149; 20MByte hardcard
£159. 30 MByte equivalents; £145; with controller card £179; hard card £179. 35
MByte CDC with nonstandard Finch, NRZ interface, £39 (carriage on hard drives
£5.00).
SOUND EQUIPMENT all second-hand.
Speakers, amps, mikes etc. regularly in stock
Studio speakers expected in soon.
- please ring for current details.
5.25 INCH FLOPPY DISC DRIVES !STOP PRESS! 360K 5.25 inch half height disc drive, new at £34.95 AT computer
Teac 1.2 megabyte IBM AT style drive £49.95 (carr. £3.50). 360K ex -equipment with lmeg RAM and 1.2 Meg floppy drive -'phone for details and our usual pace-
half height drives £29.95 (carr. £3.50). FLOPPY DRIVES constantly in and out of setting price.
stock -'phone for details.
POWER SUPPLIES
N.B.
-
Farnell N180 cased 180 Watt PSU + 5V at 20A, + 12V at 2A, 12V at 2A, +24V
at 5A and - 5V at 1A. Very high quality British unit. £26.95 (carr. £3). ASTEC
* VAT and carriage must be added to all items.
AC9231 cased 50 Watt PSU + 5V at 6A, + 12V at 2.5A, 5V at 0.5A (float) and * Everything new unless stated otherwise.
12V at 0.5A £15.95 (carr. £3). * Access and Visa telephone service.
VIS4
EZII
Visa & Access
accepted 24 hour
phone service
potmos Matmos Ltd., Unit 11, The Enterprise Part, Lewes Road, Llndfleld,
West Sussex RH18 21.X.
Telephone: (04447) 2091 and (04447) 3830 Fax: (04447) 4258
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Appointments Vacant Advertisement appear on pages 260-262

PAGE PAGE PAGE
ABI Electronics IBC G H Systems 207 Number One Systems 212
Anchor Surplus 203 I R Group 178 PM Components 245
Antex Electronics 205 Ian P. Kinlock 207 Practical Computing 251
Audio Electronics 205 ICOM (UK) 247 R Henson 230
Betronex UK 207 Imperial College 249 Radioplan 216
Byte Computers 258 Integrex 185 Ralfe Electronics 247
Blue Chip Technology 203 JAV Electronics 182 Reed Exhibition Company .. 233
Business Integrated Johns Radio 238 Roscoe 258
Test Systems 247 Kestrel Electronic South Midlands
Cadsoft (UK) 190 Components 216 Communications 238
Clark Masts L J Technical Systems 228 Stewart of Reading 258
(Technical Services) 229 Lab Centre 251 Strumech Engineering 238
Display Electronics 252 Lab -Volt (UK) OBC Television Magazine 182
Electrovalue 241 Langrex Supplies 238 Those Engineers 215,251
Ellmax Electronics 230 Laplace Instruments 229 Thurlby Thandar 216,241
Entran Limited 182 M & B Radio (Leeds) 241
Flight Electronics MQP Electronics 230
223,229,180,IFC Matmos 264
OVERSEAS ADVERTISEMENT AGENTS

France and Belgium: Pierre Mussard, 18-20 Place de la Madeleine, Paris 75008.
United States of America: Jay Feinman, Reed Business Ltd., 205 East 42nd Street, New York. NV 10017 - Telephone (212) 867 2080 - Telex 23827.
Printed in Great Britain by SPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Limited, Caxton Road, Newtown Trading Estate, Carlisle, Cumbria CA2 7NR, and typeset by Grathac Typesetting, 8181/191
Garth Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 4LL, for the proprietors. Reed Business Publishing Ltd, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. 10 Reed Business Publishing Ltd 1989.
Electronics and Wireless World can be obtained from the following: AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND; Gordon & Gotch Ltd, INDIA: A.H. Wheeler & Co. CANADA: The Wm Dawson Subscription
Service Ltd., Gordon & Gotch Ltd. SOUTH AFRICA: Central News Agency Ltd; William Dawson & Sons (SA.) Ltd. UNITED STATES: Worldwide Media Services Inc., 115 East 23rd Street, NEW
YORK, N.Y. 10010. USA. Electronics & Wireless World $5.95 (74513)

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N,":;.-.9,1/4
t r.,Y9
'«::.
tT:.
Affordable, standalone,
PCB fault -diagnosis
equipment.
The most economical way yet to improve the speed and efficiency of PCB
servicing and manufacturing defects analysis.
24 and 40 pin Variants. Manufacturing Defects Analysis.
Providing a host of features for rapidly Rapic access to circuit information to
testing digital ICs in circuit. locate production faults.
Save and Compare. Out of Circuit Testing.

Data from a known good PCBcan be ZIF sockets make the units ideal for
saved enabling a suspect board to be good; inward inspection and checking a
compared in minutes without circuit device is functional before soldering.
documentation.
AC.
ABI ELECTRONICS LTD
FREEPOST
\lax Nat Plaits m non
n
Inju.tnel Part
l
Automatic Circuit Compensation.
An IC is tested in the way it is connected.
No need to program each tes:.
Search Mode.
Phone for your data and
information pack now!
Barnsley ti.,utlt
Tel 0126 350145
Telex 5479381 XPEIZT.,
Fax (1216 TSO483
1ixkhw S74 9012
To identify unmarked ICs and give an
equivalent for replacement.
0226 350145
CIRCI f NO. 102 O,\ KEPI T ( IMO
Telecommunications Training
from fuñdámeñtátstó state -of -the -4n technology
Lab -Volt offersa comprehensive range of telecom-
munications training equipment that covers basic RADAR SYSTEMS
electronics, analogue and digital communications
circuits-and_systems, fibre optics,_and_mjcrowave
\ 7_
and radar technologies. -- MICROWAVE SYSTEMS
--
Our equipment is:

modular and easy to upgrade
industry relevant
engineered for educational purposes. ADVANCED DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS'
TDM BOPSK/APK/QAM
T1 /CEPT MULTIPLEX DPSK/DOPSK
Lab -Volt closely relates its telecommunications
training equipment to operational systems found in
industry, with educational enhancements such as
fault insertion switches in many of the modules, DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONSSYSTEMS
labelled and easily -accessible test points, short- PAM/PPM/PWM ASK/FSK/PSK
PCM/DPCM/DELTA
circuit protection, silk-screened component identifi-
cation; and full -signal compatibility for system -level
modules. We supply student and instructor manuals
that are written specifically for the equipment; they
if
I
ANALOG COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
provide practical hands-on technical training with AM/DSB/SSB FM/PM
step-by-step exercises, laboratory experiments, and
troubleshooting activities.
FUNCTIONAL ANALOGUE FUNCTIONAL DIGITAL

COMMUNICATIONS CIRCUITS o
COMMUNICATIONS CIRCUITS
I MULTIPLEX FM FREQUENCY SYNTHESIS TELEPHONY FIBRE OPTICS PCM/DELTA
COMMUNICATIONS FOM SSB PLL ASK/FSK/PSK PAM/PPM/PWM
1
WINIEK
RF COMMUNICATIONS CIRCUITS
DIGITAL ELECTRONICS
AM/FM
For more information about our 'telecommunications AF COMMUNICATIONS
training equipment, please contact:

UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Lab -Volt (U.K.) Ltd.
4A Harding Way ELECTRICITY/ELECTRONICS FUNDAMENTALS
Industrial Estate
St. Ives
Cambridgeshire
PE17 4WR
Or Call: 0480 300695
ab- olt®

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+ WIRELESS WO L1D.' .

Model Frequency Threshold External Max Input

CLK-2450 25KHz to 50MHz Channel 0-23 1K M ít TTL 0-50MHz Level 0

Flight Electronics Ltd. ORDERING INFORMATION (Excl. VAT. P&P £7.00)

CLK-2450 PC Logic Analyser 655-001 399.00

CALL US NOW ON 0703-227721

COMMENT 179 NEW PRODUCT CLASSIFIED 242

We are offering Ill boards as At,

March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD 177

WE BUY TOP QUALITY TEST EQUIPMENT

For further information telephone

Shock to the system

1 neleha,d Aye. A.ene1 N J nnMll _nJ .la.. puntees paid .n Rah,a.

March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD+ WIRELESS WORLD 179

NaL::;;t;::.-;a:tttn -.,^ "4.

FLIGHT ELECTRONICS House, Ascupart

180 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990 t

March 1990 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD 181

PROTEL TRAXSTAR at £807.50* is a

Entran 's products have taken an integral part in many high

182 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

considerably greater than 106 kilo- 5~, "

March 1990 ELECTRON ICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD 183

Record Quantum varactors for millimetre waves

magnetic University of Technology at Goteborg

184 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WI RELESS WORLD March 1990

* Near Photographic Quality

PUBLIC SECTOR CUSTOMERS:

TEL: (0283) 215432 TELEX: 341727 FAX: (0283) 550325

{,l,t re 1.1 .7.11

Spectrogram of speech resulting from

. C Pattern recognition being performed by

186 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

Fig. 1. Magnetic -resonance image of the

represented as shown in Fig. 2.

ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD 187

Outputs the training process is termed "anneal-

188 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

recognise B, D, G, P, T and K, the size

* RATSNEST, RIPUP, RUBBERBAND, CUT & PASTE FUNCTIONS

* COMPONENT & USER -SPECIFIC MACRO LIBRARIES

designed by you! 11_.i.

190 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

may yet prove to be a solution ,

in search of real problems. After more .,o

computing technique doesn't seem to

added a further 90 papers to the existing

In spite of endless permutations of

ithms and so on, the magic formula - of

192 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

studying methods of reproduc-

SF. ' l.C1 t4s 14 MY q`

offer my thoughts on the subject for .:1 iic at2t

Development of the brain

dreds of languages. If we take a step or subtractions of combinations of 0 to 9

reduces 33 bits to 24 bits, a fourth stage

196 ELECTRONICS WORLD + WIRELESS WORLD March 1990

It can he seen that it is also possible N

to use precisely the same process for