June 1999 Issue Articles and Columns   Select Year and Month to View Other Issues

ARTICLES

THREE-AXIS CHOPPER, STEP MOTOR CONTROLLER FOR COMPUTER NUMERICAL CONTROL (CNC) APPLICATIONS — PART 2 - Dan Mauch
This month, we build our three-axis, two-amp driver and do initial check-out so the controls are ready for our machine to be converted to CNC.

SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY - D.P. Roberts
Find a simple solution to vehicular power-supply problems with this modular switching regulator that provides safe, steady five volts from your vehicle’s 12-volt system.

THE “OPTO” IN OPTOELECTRONICS — PART 4 - Ray Marston
The basic operating principles of LEDs and lasers are described in this final installment of the series.

A WOLF IN PIC’S CLOTHING? - Al Williams
Discover a new microprocessor that is compatible with a PIC, but has even more features, not to mention it is low-cost and can run about as fast as a PIC with a 200-MHz clock!

OUT OF SIGHT HIGH-FREQUENCY ANTENNAS - Gordon West
Getting onto the high-frequency bands requires big antennas. And, with Technican class operators anticipating their new General class privileges (due to the FCC restructuring of test requirements), manufacturers are ready with the right kinds of equipment.

SWITCHING VOLTAGE REGULATOR BASICS — PART 2 - TJ Byers
Weighing the Options: See how the industry deals with converting 110 VAC into 5 volts, 12 volts into 1,000 volts, and +5 volts into -5 volts; design rules and typical applications are provided.

MAKING RS-232 INTERFACES WORK - Gerald Roylance
Although the RS-232 interface is one of the most common ways of getting information into and out of computers, misunderstanding about the RS-232 have buried users in a profusion of swapped pins, gender changers, breakout boxes, and hydra-head cables.

COLUMNS

AMATEUR ROBOTICS NOTEBOOK - Robert Nansel
Giving Breadbot some modest navigation and obstacle avoidance abilities, plus a robotics book-of-the-month choice on the future of AI.

ELECTRONICS Q & A - TJ Byers

OPEN CHANNEL - Joe Carr
That upcoming science fair: miscellaneous tips for entries and judges.

RESOURCE BIN - Don Lancaster
The hydrogen scene: It’s a gas.

STAMP APPLICATIONS - Lon Glazner
Dual digital power supply — Part 1.

THE COMPUTER-CONTROLLER WORLD - Ryan Sheldon
Video for Windows: Watch 16 video sources simultaneously in a Windows 98 window.