LUC & SAM Electronics

How to start a simple AM Radio Station

2010-03-13T14:45:00.004+08:00

Have you ever dream of running your very own broadcast station? With today current technology, everyone can run or start their private radio station using simple to install Am transmitter. All you ever need is an audio mixer, Computer with application especially made for online or radio broadcast such as OTS and others. I still consider simplicity is the best. Below are a brief explaination of AM transmitter named Procaster, which I considered to be one of the best in the market today.

Overview

The Procaster™ system comprises an outdoor weatherproof transmitter with side-mounted 102 inch long, 3-section aluminum antenna (the lower part of the antenna can be seen in the above picture), and a Studio Interface that accepts any audio from sources such as iPod™, computer, mixer, tape deck etc.

Audio sources connect via a standard 3.5mm stereo jack and power for the entire system is provided by an AC wall adapter or other 12 volt power source. For remote locations, the entire system can be run from a small solar installation where no power is available.

Sturdy construction

Welded steel weatherproof enclosure with stainless steel hardware for long life. The side-mounted 102 inch aluminum antenna is lightweight and sturdy thanks to its dual mounting system and stays vertical even in strong winds for optimum transmission. The Procaster™ system is a quality product designed, manufactured and supported in North America and is built to last.

Great performance

Low distortion, hi-fi audio frequency response delivers excellent low bass response and BIG sound just like commercial broadcast stations. Performance exceeds most AM radio receivers.

Built-in Audio Processor

No need to purchase additional complicated and expensive audio processors and signal conditioners - the Procaster™ includes built-in audio processing and limiting, saving you hundreds in additional equipment costs and saving you install space. Sound dynamics can be easily tailored to suit your listening preference and best of all, it's simple to set up with no technical knowledge required.

System Includes

• Procaster™ Transmitter

• Studio Interface

• 50ft shielded 4-conductor connecting cable

• AC wall adapter

• Tuning tool

• Mounting hardware

• Easy to follow instructions

Well, having said that, what really important is the desire, the interest to start and run radio station and let not think too much about the technology because the technology is here to stay. What you want is the content, what you want to provide to your listener. If you provide crap content, chances are you will not going to make it and very soon you will lose listener and end up going no way...believe me...the cost below US$700.00

5 IN 1 AUTORANGE DIGITAL MULTIMETER

2010-03-13T08:35:00.000+08:00

MS8209 5 IN 1 AUTORANGE DIGITAL MULTIMETER

FEATURES

•	Secondary injection molding case
•	Auto range
•	Data hold
•	Relative measurement
•	Back light
•	Auto power off
•	DC Voltage: 0.4/4/40/400/600V ± 0.7%
•	AC Voltage: 4/40/400/600V ± 0.8%
•	Resistance: 400/4K/40K/400K/4M Ω± 1.2% 40M Ω± 2.0%
•	Capacitance: 4n/40n/400n/4μ/40μ/200μF ±3.0%
•	Frequency: 10/100/1K/10K/100KHz ±2.0%
•	Duty cycle: 0.1%-99.9% ±3.0%
•	Temperature: -20°C-400°C ±3.0% (0.1°C) -20°C-1000°C ±3.0% (1°C)
•	Humidity: 30% - 95%RH ±5.0%
•	Light: 4000Lux/40000Lux ±5.0%
•	Sound level: 35 - 100dB ± 4dB
•	Continuity test
•	Diode test
•	Power: 1.5V(LR44) x 2 Having a good , accurate and reliable measuring test gear is important since it will determine the proper functionality of the electronic project that we working on. If the reading or measurement is unreliable so do the outcome of the circuit we have designed. This test gear is impressive in term of it features but when I go through the manual, I am disappointed to find out how little info provided in the manual. The manufacturer should have provided more info. Here are one example of one of the features that I considered important : 21 SOUND LEVEL (dB) MEASURING WARNING To avoid damage to the meter, input plug can not connect with any electric signal. 4.21.1 Set the transform switch at the dB range position. 4.21.2 Move the sensor in front of the meter to the sound source in a horizontal position. 4.21.3 The ‘LCD’ display will show the current sound level (dB). NOTE: •The Fast response is suitable to measure sudden bursts and peak values from sound source. • Strong wind (over 10m/sec.) striking the microphone call cause misreading for measurement in windy locations, a windscreen should be used in front of microphone.

Passive Microphone Mixer

2010-02-18T07:32:00.002+08:00

I figured out this circuit when a friend of mine was asking how to connect 2 microphones into a single channel small audio mixer (behringer Small Mixer). Basically what the circuit does is to combine both microphone signal (unbalanced input) and feed them into single (unbalanced) output. I’m not sure whether this will work and whether it is necessary to join A and B with 10K resistor (will it short circuit the output?) but, hey, you can only know when you try them. Guess what? Yes or No. In actual fact, it doesn't short circuit, the circuit has been tested and currently in used at the Government Radio Station.

PORTABLE MINI GUITAR AMPLIFIER

2010-02-16T19:27:00.003+08:00

METEO -45MP

This is the big brother of the tiny guitar amplifier (previously posted at LucnSam Electronics) designed, made and supply by LucnSam Eletronics. It measured 4" x 2" x 1.6" and sound almost 3db louder than the tiny amp. It still use 9V battery to operate and headphone socket is features in this model so you can practice in peace and also a DC external 9v supply input.

The next model to come very soon will have 3 Band EQ to add spice to amp as well as effect processor such flanger, Metal, Reverb and chorus.

Humanoid Robot

2010-02-12T16:00:00.002+08:00

The new Japanese humanoid robot HRP-4C displays a range of emotions (good luck discerning what they are) during a press conference in suburban Tokyo this week. Naturally, plenty of paparazzi were on hand.
(Credit: AFP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno)

This is very impressive. The HRP-4C is designed to look and move like human. The robot can performs more than basic human movement. The robot is being designed as 5-foot (ish), dark-haired creation to look like an average Japanese woman between the ages of 19 and 29. HRP-4C has 30 motors in her body that allow her to walk and move its arms and 8 facial motors for blinking, smiling, and expressing emotions akin to anger and surprise. The Robot is for now has limited usage except talk, smile, move, walk, look pretty. The robot is not yet ready to help with daily chores. So, if you are thinking to hire or buy this robot to help you do your work, just forget about it.

DIY TINY GUITAR AMPLIFIER

2010-02-07T21:43:00.006+08:00

METEO - 45SP

This is the first product produced and designed by LucnSam Electronics. It is a Small mini Guitar Amplifier (3.3" x 2.1" x 1.1"). It has one volume control, 1/4 mono jack, LED power on/off, 1.6" speakers and powered by one 9V battery. This product will be on sale soon at http://lucnsam.blogspot.com.

Free Portable Audio Editor

2010-01-28T07:40:00.005+08:00

I have been using Audacity since 2003 and it has been going through several updates and the latest version can be downloaded at . However I kind of annoyed by the functionality of the latest version of Audacity. It somehow difficult to install and it required some plug in which is quite troublesome to get it installed properly. Even though you managed to get through it keeps asking for other plug in or it prompted you something like “your plug in has expired, please download latest version”. To be honest with you I can’t be bother.
DOWNLOAD THE AUDACITY PORTABLE

Then, the Audacity Portable version emerged. I have little doubt about this version but what the heck, I will give it a go. I am impressed, it is more than I have expected. It is one of the best version of Audacity I have ever used before. It is very handy, full fledge audio editor packaged as a portable app which give you the convenient to take your audio files along with everything you need to edit and record on the go. Since it is portable you can saved it in a thumbdrive, USB Flash drive, IPod, portable HD, CD, DVD. It is basically self content app which you can use on any computer without leaving any personal information behind.

Some of the features of Audacity Portable are:

• Record live audio.

• Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.

• Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files.

• Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together.

• Change the speed or pitch of a recording.

Again, I am truly impress with it functionality as a portable app and best of all, it FREE. What more can you ask for. Now you can bring along your Audio Editor with you everywhere you go.

Visit Nasa City

2010-01-26T13:56:00.000+08:00

This is very interesting site. It about a city where most of the items or technology used is of NASA technology or space technology. You can rotate the city by clicking the direction arrow and click on the specific building such as grocery, medical and it will zoom into the building and show you all the items, equipment or instrument using or somehow related to technology used by Nasa. Amazing...

Which Shure Microphone Type suit you best?

2010-01-22T17:29:00.000+08:00

This is quite informative site especially for those want to know more about the type of Shure microphone they intend to buy. Basically this site uses an interactive tool where you have the option to choose and compare between microphones and best of all it comes with audio sample captured by the microphones.

It is a complete reference for the current shure series of microphones. You can even print out the specific specifications of your chosen microphones. Unlike other microphones site I have visited, nothing compare to Shure site in terms of convenient, descriptive and completeness of information. Well done Shure.

Most Affordable Sound Engineering School

2009-04-28T11:18:00.001+08:00

Today music industry are becoming more complex to handle due to the advancement in recording/PA equipment used in studio and on stage (live performance). That being the case, it even harder to acquire the right knowledge and know how in order to be able to operate such an equipment and hence produce state of the art sound or professional sound. Most audio engineering schools are full time and the tuition cost is beyond the reach of most students. For those who are keen or wish to become a sound engineer but can not afford to pay the high tuition fees, look no further.

Because AIA (Audio Institute of America) is available to everyone interested to pursue their career in sound engineering. The subjects taught are relevant and practical (applicable in real life situation). Apart form the affordable tuition fees (less than US$500), the other aspect that differentiate AIA from the others is it instructor.

The chief instructor and founder of our school is the legendary Peter Miller who is in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Peter toured extensively with The Beatles and the Rolling Stones during the sixties prior to building his own home studio and becoming a successful songwriter. His next venture was to establish one of the world's first independent record labels before opening up a recording studio in San Francisco. The studio was the genesis for the course since so many musicians asked Peter to give lessons on how he got such great sounds.

The complete Master Course is - Details US$299 Contains both the Master Recording Course and the Advanced Course in one package -- a $200 savings off the regular price. You will receive 25 Lessons plus 30 Video lessons and 60 Audio lessons. Your FREE Triple Bonus is shipped immediately including the three Recording Magazines, Audio Dictionary and Mixing Console Poster. (This Triple Bonus is included only with the COMPLETE Master Recording Course)
The AIA Difference Is Your Instructor – Legendary Peter Miller.

He has also been a voting member for The Grammys (The Recording Academy) for the past 20 years so you konow he knows what he's talking about! He is still actively working as a Recording Engineer, Music Producer and a Recording Artist. Peter is ready to share a lifetime of experience with you and welcome you to the exciting and rewarding world of recording! You are about to enter an incredible new world!

For the sake of comparison, take a look at the chart below. AIA is the most affordable sound Engineering School available today.

Experimental 2 seater Small Electric Driven Vehicle

2009-04-27T08:41:00.001+08:00

via videosift.com

Fascinating Small Vehicle. You can get more info by visiting : PROJECTPUMA

I won't mind driving one of this around town. It looks very simple and convenient to use (I hope). Does it come with signal for turning left and right and what about break light and horn? It is good to have them around to lessen air pollution which contribute to the earth’s global warming and to avoid serious accident due to collision. Obviously, this vehicle does have their pros and cons so do all vehicles.

Affordable Radio Automation System broadcast straight from Home

2009-03-25T17:01:00.000+08:00

Today it is possible for someone to run his own online radio station from home. However care should be taken not to infringe song or audio copyright. In other words, you are not allowed to simply broadcast copyright material such as song or audio without prior consent from the publisher or owner.

For those who are interested to setup their own Radio Station why not try the following software especially made for online radio broadcast.

Apart from a well functioning computer with semi professional audio card and broadband line with fix IP, all you need are these two softwares (stationplaylist Studio and Creator):

These radio automation software has been around for few years now and are used by over 2000 commercial and non commercial AM & FM radio stations worldwide. Furthermore it is very affordable and powerful radio broadcasting software solution for terrestrial radio and internet streaming / webcasting.

a) StationPlaylist Studio is a simple to use on-air broadcast automation playout software for the studio and/or DJ. You are able to manually or automatically plays all the media files. Some of the features worth mentioning here are as follows:

i) Automatic crossfading.
ii) Play jingles, Commercials, songs, live streaming, live input from soundcard, satellite feeds and many more.
iii) Built in Internet Stream Encoder, Voice Track/song ramp overlapping, Mic input and button with music fade plus many live assist features such as 96 cart slots for instant jingles.

The site also provides a demonstration playlist to show off some of Studio's features. It includes voice tracks and several songs truncated to 30 seconds for legal reasons. You are allowed to download and install the playlist. The trial edition of Studio will detect the playlist and load it automatically.

b) StationPlaylist is Creator a simple to use, yet powerful spot and music scheduler. Gain complete control over your station format using rotations of music categories and spot groups (jingles, advertisements, etc).

Generate sophisticated daily or weekly playlists in seconds. Includes a simple scheduler utility for budget automation with free audio players. Also includes a Playlist Editor, Voice Tracking / recording, and many more.

So now, what next? Go a head try the demo and you will know what I mean.

Get your Beam Robot parts from Dead Electronics

2009-03-08T13:47:00.000+08:00

You have to stock up parts such as Motors, Resistors, ICs, Capacitors to use later to build your dream robot. You can either get the parts from dead electronics or you can shop around and buy what you need at your local electronic shop. But it would be fun if you can extract most of your parts from dead electronic such as dead tape recorder, VCR player, Walkman, Mini Tape recorder, CD player, DVD Player and so on. Keep an eye oh these items other people may consider trash. Listed below are some of the things that worth watching for:

a) Tape recorders such as walkman, Mini tape recorders, CD players, DVD players, Computer Mouse, Portable Cassette Player, Car’s tape players: You can scavenge items such as Motors(big and small), gears ratio, belts, Pulleys, Pinch Rollers, Springs, Switches, Toggle Switches, couple of wires, LED lights and a few Battery, Light Detectos, compartment ( AA type battery).

b) Pagers (Vibrate Type), Mobile phones, Electronic Devices with Vibration Options: This is where the small Vibrate motor comes from. The vibration effects comes from a tiny motor spins an eccentric weight (attached to it spindle). These motors are normally used to build Mobile BEAM critters.

c) Spoilt laser printer Cartridges: You can extract quality Metal rods and plastic sheets.

d) Mechanisms that move slowly: This indicates that there are mechanical parts such as gear head motors (gear motor) presence. Gear motor turn slowly depending on the ratio of the gear box. The gear ratio provides the torque necessary to move, turn or lift load. It basically gives the motor a additional strength.

Therefore keep an eye of those dead electronic people throw away in their trash bin.

Robotics DC Motor

2009-03-04T17:48:00.000+08:00

DC motor is the most common component used in building a small functioning moving robot. Apart from the motor's performance, the type of motor, as well as the physical size is of great important to consider when you design a robot. To understand how these motors function is very crucial as it will affect the overall performance of the robot. You can learn the basic function of motor and other related subjects at DC Motor.

Audiocity Audio Recording

2009-03-01T16:48:00.000+08:00

If you are in a Music Band, then it is useful to get to know and use this piece of Sound Editor Application named Audacity. It has many advantages where you can simply create, edit, cut and paste, modify the sound and many more with great ease. Unlike other sound editor I have used before, audacity by far the most convenient tools for me to edit sound. Now it is in it latest version, Audacity 1.3.7 (Beta) for windows, Mac and Linux/Unix. I have use the version 1.2.3 long before this version came out. I used it to create sound effects during live stage presentation for the school where my wife works as a teacher. It was fantastic; the shows came alive with all the sound effect goes along with their stage act.

This version have significant improvement compare to the previous version since most of the former bug has been fix, basically it is a bug-fix release. It significantly improves stability and usability, especially on Mac OS X, but incorporates some new features too.

a) Cross-Platform Bug Fixes
b)Platform-specific Bug Fixes
c) New Features and other changes:
-F11 Full Screen mode, high-quality "Sliding Time Scale/Pitch Shift" effect, Audio Contrast Analyzer
-Windows: sound devices can now be opened using the more efficient DirectSound API
-As a first step towards improving latency correction, a fixed rather than variable correction is now applied

However because it is still in beta version, it has not complete with complete documentation just yet and it meant for advanced users. But for those who want to follow the manual/complete documentation go for the Audacity 1.2.6. This version is more stable, complete and fully documented. You can have Audacity 1.2.6 and 1.3.7 installed on the same machine.

Simple Mini Guitar Practice Amp

2009-02-26T08:43:00.000+08:00

Looking at the circuit diagram, it is simple enough to understand how this tiny circuitry provides an amplifier suitable for guitar practicing.
List of components used as follows:

a) LM386
b) Electrolyte capacitors – 4.7uF, 100uF, 10uF ( prefer if Varicap), 470uF
c) Mono Jack (J1 and J2)
d) 9V battery
e) A couple of wires
f) Breadboard
g) Toggle Switch (S1)

However there are still more rooms for improvement i.e. additional features such as external power adaptor (if you runs out of battery during practice), one or two band EQ, Variable gain control instead of fix gain ( 20/200), buit-in guitar tuner, effect, . Hope to build this amp soon.

Intelligent and effective vacuuming robot

2009-02-21T21:23:00.000+08:00

Nowadays people are more accustomed to adapt technology in their life especially if it help them clean their house. one good example is the robot vacuum.This particular robot keeps your floor clean throughout the day. unlike human maid, this little robot prefers to clean than complain. This is just the begining, in a few years time, a more multitasking robot will be invented to replace human maid.
This particular robot vacuum is called Roomba. It is an intelligent and effective vacuuming robot. It main component is the unique AWARE™ Robot Intelligence Systems. AWARE uses dozens of sensors to monitor Roomba's environment, and adjusts Roomba's behavior up to 67 times per second, ensuring that Roomba cleans effectively, intelligently and safely.

To see how some of Roomba's features work, please click: ROOMBA

ROOMBA main features are as follows:

a) A powerful vacuum -A smart and powerful vacuum Roomba picks up an amazing amount of dirt, dust, pet hair, dander, cat litter, crumbs, leaves and other debris as it autonomously navigates throughout your home. Roomba automatically adjusts from carpets to hard floors and cleans everywhere you want while avoiding off-limit areas.

b) Hard-to-reach places -Cleans hard-to-reach places Roomba’s compact shape allows it to vacuum beneath beds, couches and other hard-to-reach places while the innovative, spinning side brush removes accumulated debris along kickboards, cabinet edges and corners

c) Carpets to hard floors -Transitions from carpets to hard floors Roomba automatically transitions from one surface to the next, effectively lifting dirt, dust and debris from carpets, rugs, tile, linoleum and hardwood floors.

d) Avoids drop-offs -Avoids stairs and drop-offs Roomba knows when it’s approaching stairs and other drop-offs, cleans up to the edge then automatically and safely changes direction to avoid going over edges.

e) Detects dirt -Spends more time on dirtier areas Roomba detects dirtier areas and responds by increasing its vacuuming intensity and cleaning pattern to ensure deeper, concentrated cleaning in that area.

f) Won't get stuck -Won't get stuck Specially designed technology and suspension allow Roomba to maneuver over cords and effectively extract itself from fringe and tassels.

g) Light-touch bumper -Light-touch bumper Roomba identifies furniture and other obstacles, slow its approach then lightly and gently touch the obstacle with its bumper and changes direction.

h) Automatically recharges -Automatically recharges Roomba automatically locates and returns to its Home Base™ to dock and recharge between cleaning cycles and when the battery is running low.

i) Avoids off-limit areas -Avoids off-limit areas Virtual Walls create invisible barriers to off-limit areas that Roomba will not cross.

j) Lighthouse -Efficient room-to-room cleaning A Virtual Wall Lighthouse directs Roomba to completely vacuum one room before moving on to the next and creates an invisible barrier to off-limit areas that Roomba will not cross.

k) Modular Design -Modularity New modular design provides simpler cleaning, maintenance, part replacement and feature upgrades.

EXP-1 : Beam Robotic Part 2

2009-02-09T19:30:00.000+08:00

As planned, we have successfully completed the whole circuit which include the Battery ON Indicator and reverse mechanism. The additional circuit (reversal mode) is mainly consists of the transistor 3904, one resistor, one electrolyte capacitor, toggle switch, relay and couple of wires.
Refering to EXP-1 part 1: the robot is constructed in stages based on the diagram shown below:

The circuit arrangement is a bit messy and wires are crisscross to one another. However, the circuit works fine as expected. During the experiment we found out that it is important to interpret the circuits diagram properly especially the connectivity of the relay. Anyway, the exp-1 is now has been completed. Next, we are going to house the whole circuit into a computer mouse casing, to make it look like a mouse. Rendy will be doing the circuit arrangement i.e. to squeeze the whole circuit into the tiny computer mouse casing.

Latest Humanoid Robot

2009-02-08T00:56:00.001+08:00

Waseda University in Tokyo unveiled its updated humanoid robot, named Twendy-One, showcasing the robot's ability to pick up even the most difficult of objects.

Microbot swimming through human bloodstream

2009-02-08T00:40:00.000+08:00

The Researchers from Monash University are working on microbot motors designed to swim through the human bloodstream. This tiny motor would be able to power a probe swimming through blood vessels.The Proteus is 2.5mm long and utilizes a dual-action action piezoelectric motor to drive a small fan that pushes the unit forward. This med-sub sailed through the blood stream to tackle the clot in the brain. The Proteus’s speed would be 6 centimeters per second.

The Smallest Robot

2009-02-06T22:37:00.000+08:00

Not really the world smallest mini robot but it is tiny.

EXP-1 Beam Robotic

2009-02-01T16:55:00.001+08:00

This is our first attempt to construct the herbie Robot(Originally invented by Randy Sargent, Herbie was built from spare parts as an entry for a robot competition), we (myself and my friend Rendy) called ours the EXP-1.

We used the same circuit as the original herbie Robot. We come up this simple approach; we used a vero board as the chassis, Motors, Resistors, Variable resistor, Two LDR and the heart of the robot, an audio amplifier. Below are the complete schematic diagram of the Herbie's Robot Seeking Light.

This robot used the following component:
a) Two unit 5V DC motors
b) One unit 47K Resistor
c) One variable 100K resistor
d) Two unit LDR (light Detector Resistor)
e) One unit LM 386 Audio power Amplifier
f) One unit Vero Board

The robot operates as expected but we have some difficulty in controlling the sensitivity of these LDR. We are thinking of fine-tuning the circuit again by adding variable resistor in replace of the fixed resistor to both LDR. We are so fascinated to see it became alive and kicking. The EXP-1 is attracted to light source. So, whenever you shone the left/right LDR with a torch light, it move to the left/right respectively. We are looking forward to the next experiment i.e. to modify the circuit and add in more features.

You can try experimenting and build your own herbie by clicking this link :http://www.scribd.com/doc/6666573/Mouse-Robot

MOBILE ROBOT BASE

2009-01-21T22:28:00.000+08:00

A mobile robot base that I invented during my final year ( BEng in Electrical & Electronic ) at the University of East London, UK and sadly to say that it not fully complete yet till today, even though it was made in 1993. This Robot is as complicated as BEAM robot. It main components are Light to frequency shaft encoder and Pulse Width Modulator motor Drive control System. Despite the lack of information, ideas and others at that particular of time, I was lucky enough to secure a B + for this project.

Electronic Components for BEAM Robots

2009-01-21T21:47:00.000+08:00

B.E.A.M stands for Biology Electronics Aesthetics Mechanics. The founder of B.E.A.M robotic is none other than Dr.Mark Tilden. He chose the word BEAM to summarize the concept he thought were the most important in building a self guiding robot. You can find a lot more detail of BEAM robot by reading the following book:

JunkBots, Bugbots & Bots on Wheels by Dave Hrynkiw and Mark W. Tilden.

Anyway, I won’t be discussing what each letter mean, However I will be going through the important components used in building the BEAM robotic instead.

Apart from using the usual resistors and capacitors, below are the most commonly used transistors to build BEAM robot:

a) 2N3904 (NPN) or 2N3906 (PNP),
b) PN2222 (NPN) or 2N2907 (PNP)

Both of these transistors can drive some small DC Motors (we will be discussing the DC Motors later on). To fully utilize their usages, it’s important to read and understand the functionality of these transistors (by referring the Data Sheet supplied by the manufacturer of the transistor).

The other most useful and frequently used component is the integrated Circuit or IC. The project we plan to do later in building BEAM robots will use the following ICs:

a) 74(AC/ACT/H/HC/HCT/LC) 240 – Octal Buffer Inverter Chips.
b) 74(AC/ACT/H/HC/HCT/LC) 14 – Hex Schmitt Inverter Chips.
c) 74(AC/ACT/H/HC/HCT/LC) 245 – Octal Driver Chips.
d) 555 – Multipurpose Timer.
e) LM386 – Audio Power Amplifier.
f) LM 324 – Quadruple Operation Amplifier.
g) 7805 – Positive 5V Voltage Regulator.

Caution: Be very careful not to subject the above ICs directly to 9V battery, otherwise it may cause damage to the IC.

Again, it is advisable to read and understand the functions of each of the above ICs by reading their respective Data Sheet. You can search for electronic data sheets at http://www.cytron.com.my/

For now, let us start familiarize these components.

Top 10 Malware

2008-06-04T17:29:00.000+08:00

List for April Dominated by Malware Packers
Friday, May 09, 2008

BitDefender’s April 2008 Top 10 malware list includes:

1. Packer.Malware.NSAnti.AD 33.71%
2. Win32.Netsky.P@mm 7.48%
3. Win32.Worm.Sohanad.NAW 4.56%
4. Packer.Malware.NSAnti.AG 2.86%
5. Trojan.Loader.N 2.25%
6. Trojan.Dropper.Cutwail.F 2.04%
7. Win32.Netsky.AA@mm 1.98%
8. Win32.NetSky.D@mm 1.98%
9. Packer.Malware.NSAnti.Z 1.87%
10. Win32.Nyxem.E@mm 1.65%
11. OTHERS 39.62%

The World’s smallest Projector

2008-06-03T10:24:00.000+08:00

Everything now a days going toward miniaturize. From watches to cars and now the projector. Even though projector technology has undergone rapid changes in the last few years which produce projector with better brightness, contrast and colour than before, the size still remains an issue for those looking for a truly portable device

The projector is almost the size of a mobile phone. It can easily be carried around into any pocket.

A projector of this size is surely benefits those always on the go for presentation. Going bulky is no longer tolerable.

So let us take a close look at the upcoming device in details at The World’s smallest Projector

Weight Does Matter

2008-06-02T12:28:00.000+08:00

Actually I am referring to the weight of the laptop (the current small laptop weight roughly between 1.4kg to 2kg for a 12.1" screen). The nature of today working environment involve massive use of computer technology, be it banking, engineering, or even blogging, everybody use computer. Therefore one must be aware that going mobile is of paramount important to keep in touch with client, office or even managing your blog. However carrying one of these mobile devices around is not as convenient as it may seem since you have to endure the weight and sometime may dislocate you shoulder while carrying them around.

Laptop is very convenient and it meant for mobility. Some may not matter too much of the weight. What matter them most is the performance of the devices. They will carry them via back pac (It seems like a trend nowadays even for the executive). I see many of them carrying laptop using back pac and so far none of them complaining (for now). To me I preferred to go light and small. I have tried using a palm TX, which have a quite big little screen and enough for me to edit and bring along my word doc using an application named doc to go.

The palm TX is very light and small. In spite of it sizes, you can’t have both world. What I mean was, the palm TX is small and light but it has it disadvantages as well and the most prominent is when you open word application and trying to edit them. It is not as convenient and easy when you compare to using a laptop. Hence you still need the bulky, heavy, big screen and the feel of a laptop to be able to write and edit word doc comfortably.

I owned a small Asus laptop model Eee PC with the following specification:

Model Name
Eee PC 4G
Display 7"
Intel CPU & Chipset
Operating System : GNU Linux : Windows XP compatible
Color : Galaxy black
Ethernet Communication
WLAN
Memory : 512 MB (DDR2)
S.S.D. Storage (Solid-State Disk) :4G
Camera
Audio : Hi-Definition audio : Stereo speaker : Microphone
Battery : 4 Cells, 2.8~3.5hrs*
Weight : 0.92 kg

The Asus EeePC is a full fledge PC and it much lighter as compare to the current laptop available in the market. Eventhough the screen is only 7" but it still gives me enough room to edit word document. Yes, to me it makes a lot of different especially when it come to weight.

USB vs Firewire

2008-05-31T01:13:00.000+08:00

By CC-Staff

Introduction:

USB 2 is the next generation of the Universal Serial Bus, which the first USB products trickled out back in the Pentium days. USB 1.1 is, for the most part, available on the majority of today's computers. USB is a port that allowed users to be able to plug and unplug devices from their computer without having to reboot it.

USB 1.1 is still a widely accepted standard, but now, it is getting updated. With current gadgets out there, USB 1.1's standard is too slow to stay up with current demands. USB 1.1 had a speed of 12mbps, which is just a fraction of what today's USB 2 standard which boasts speeds of up to 480mbps, or 40 times faster than USB 1.1.

USB is the answer to replacing the "old" ports such as PS/2 , parallel and serial ports. With the availability of keyboards and mice that use this standard, people are slowly moving away from ps/2 devices. I personally still use PS/2, and those who threw out their ps/2 devices, might wish they haven't.

When something goes wrong with your computer and you can't boot into your operating system, well those who use USB are out of luck because PS/2 devices do not need drivers to be able to function, while usb keyboards and mice do.

What is Firewire?

Firewire aka IEEE 1394, has been out for quite a few years, only recently, it has become increasingly popular for PC users. Firewire has been available for Mac users for a while. Firewire is a tad slower than USB2; it's only 400mbps compared to USB2's 480mbps. Firewire does basically the same as USB, it allows you to swap devices "hotswapping" without turning off your computer and turning it back on.

There is one major diffence that benefits Firewire users is that it is isosynchronus. That means that if you have for example 3 devices, that all 3 would get 480mbps bandwidth to use, while USB2 is shared between devices. This is the ugly side of using USB2.

How do I get Firewire or USB 2 ?

Your motherboard might have already built in USB2 or Firewire ports or both respectively if your motherboard is under 2 years old. USB 2 and Firewire ports are being included more with the newer motherboards, but read the manual to see if you already have it.

If you don't have one or the other, there is an easy way of installing USB2 or Firewire or both in your computer, and that is by buying a PCI card. There are quite a few manufacturers that make these cards. You have the option of getting a PCI card with just USB2 ports, just Firewire and cards that have both. I personally would recommend getting a card that has both for future device purchases. It might cost a bit more, but then why buy another card? I would advise that you read the specs on the card before buying, but you shouldn't have a problem if you run Win98se and up.

Some insight on USB 1.1 products on usb2 ports

Some people might get confused with this but I will explain it nice and short. USB 2 devices will work on USB 1.1, it may not work great since there is a significant speed decrease. The device will not work as fast as it would if it was connect to a USB 2.0 port.

Second, devices that are designed for USB 1.1 will work on USB 2 ports, but there will be no speed increase. That device will continue to operate as if its being used on a USB 1.1 port.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, Firewire and USB2 has both its disadvantges, and its advantages. I would personally choose Firewire over USB2 because it has been used a lot longer than USB2. There also seems to be a lot more multimedia devices, such as DV Cameras, that use the Firewire port compared to USB2, and there are harddrive that also tend to use Firewire as its connection than USB2.

But, for those who do not have either USB2 or Firewire and need one of them, to be on the safe side, I would personally buy a card that supports both, for the simple fact as stated above, you would have both areas covered.

Article provided by:

Canadian Content Staff
Email: technology @ canadiancontent.net
http://www.canadiancontent.net/tech/

Email Backup

2008-05-31T01:10:00.000+08:00

By Alexandru Marias

Introduction:

This article will explain how one can create an Outlook Express Backup copy ( as Outlook Express lacks a backup function ). This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today. While using Outlook Express is fairly easy, finding and backing up the emails can be a little more complicated. Since there are a large number of files and folders on a computer running Windows, the first problem is to find the files containing the emails. Outlook Express stores emails in .dbx files and there might be several different dbx files depending on how many email folders you have created in Outlook Express. If you are using Windows 98, you can probably locate your emails somewhere in the Windows directory. In Windows 2000 and XP, emails are usually stored somewhere in the user data or application data folder.

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents, pictures, emails and other files!

Most home computer users don't need an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with important documents and pictures to a CD-RW from time to time; this ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back.

Together with documents and pictures, it's a critical operation to save the emails, attachments, address book and other important data from within the email client; otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails. Unfortunately many people actually start to do backup copies only after they lose data.

The easiest way to find out exactly where your emails are stored is to start Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu, and open the Options dialog box. In the Options dialog box, select the Maintenance page and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails. To open the folder, copy the path and paste in the address field of the Windows File Manager. You should see a number of .dbx files and possibly some other files, too.

After locating the email folder, you can simply select all the files and press Ctrl-C. Then open the folder where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer, and press Ctrl-V.

Backing up your address book: Steps

Select Tools | Address Book... from the menu in Outlook Express.

Choose File | Export | Other Address Book... from the address book's menu.

Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) as the export format.

Click Export.

Select the location you want to export your address book to using the browse... button.

Give your backup copy a meaningful name.

Click Next.

Select the fields you want to include in your backup.

Finally, select Finish.

Click OK.

Click Close to end the process (successfully, I hope).

Additionally, there are several email backup utilities which can make the backup operation much easier. Outlook Express Backup Genie is one piece of software that can offer peace of mind by creating compact backup copies of emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules and settings periodically. The difference between using a automatic email backup utility and manual backups, is that the first can be scheduled to create backups quiet in the background at specified time intervals, and that it will include all email information ( signatures, blocked list, etc. ) which otherwise would be more difficult to save. Also if ever the backup is needed, the application will ensure that the restore process is made smoothly. And, it works with top 9 popular email clients. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 20-30 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are ofcourse, free.

Conclusion:

The conclusion is that either manual or automatic, backing up emails is a critical operation for every computer user that would regret losing them.

A trial copy of Outlook Express Backup Genie can be found at: Amic Utilities.

Article provided by:

Canadian Content Staff
Email: technology @ canadiancontent.net
http://www.canadiancontent.net/tech/

Distance learning Broadcast Engineering course

2008-05-30T17:15:00.000+08:00

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS : distance learning Broadcast Engineering course was designed to provide the specialized knowledge required for a career as a broadcast engineering technician at an AM or FM radio station or at a TV station. This course is also valuable for the cable television technician who must maintain and repair studio equipment.

Broadcast Engineering explores important theories and principles related specifically to broadcasting, but because it does not contain any laboratory work, it is best suited to those students who already have some previous education or practical experience in electronics.

What You Will Learn:

Broadcast Engineering (course 2) starts with the basics of electronics and then moves on to more advanced topics that include:

AC and DC circuit theory.
Identifying components.
Working with printed circuit boards.
Systematic troubleshooting.
Antennas and wave propagation.
Audio signals in broadcast systems.
The television system.
Video tape and disk recorders
FM stereo.
Programmable controllers.
Digital data communications.
Fiber optics and more.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers Certification

Broadcast Engineering graduates are eligible to earn a Certified Broadcast Technologist certification (CBT) from the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). SBE is the only organization devoted to the advancement of all levels and types of broadcast engineering.

Thirst Aid Pouch

2008-05-27T16:38:00.001+08:00

Basically we don't drink direct from the tap here in Malaysia. We are suppose to really boil the water so it is safe to consume. However what if you have no other choice and really desperate for water. Would you drink any water you could find? If you don't drink you die and if you drink you also die or perhaps live if you are lucky. But with this thirst aid pouch, you could possible drink just about any water i.e from drainage ditch or muddy puddle to a standpipe. The thirst aid is equipped with advanced water filtration technology that is capable of removing contaminants with a unique filter that strips out pathogens, bacteria and also viruses.

Beside that it also remove other harmful items such as sediment while heavy metal are reduce to leave the water odourless and palatable.

The thirst Aid Pouch features a durable fabric known as Amour Weave that can withstand a 2.5 tonne Landrover being driven over it repeatedly without breaking.

This is perfect for travellers, since you are able to get clean and safe water anytime, anywhere without having to resort to bottled water that is rather expensive in some countries.

www.bwtechnologies.com

Flying Man @ Rocketman

2008-05-27T16:31:00.000+08:00

Former swiss military pilot, Yves Rossy, also known as Fusion man flies in the sky like a rocketeer in Southern Swiss Alps near Bex. Rossy is the first man to successfully fly with wings, powered by four engines on his back.

Unbelieveable you may say. But that man really fly. Amazing really.....

Robots inspired by animals

2008-05-27T15:57:00.000+08:00

Robotics researchers are increasingly turning to nature for inspiration. Watch a robotic salamander, a water strider robot, mechanical cockroaches and some...

For more info please visit their site at : http://technology.newscient...

Cyborg insects

2008-05-27T15:47:00.000+08:00

Watch some cyborg insects that are being developed and see a robot controlled by a moth.

For more info please visit their site at : http://technology.newscient...

How to avoid permanent hearing loss

2008-01-13T22:22:00.000+08:00

Exposure to extremely high noise levels especially during live music concert or music rehearsal before the actual concert may cause permanent hearing loss. Remember, a deaf sound engineer is a useless engineer. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufficiently intense noise for a period of time.

According to OSHA ( Occupational Safety and Health Administration , USA), any expose in excess of these permissible noise level ( refer below) for a period of time could result in some hearing loss.

Therefore, to ensure against potentially dangerous exposure to high sound pressure levels, it is recommended that all persons exposed to equipment capable of producing high sound pressure levels use hearing protectors while the equipment is in operation.

Ear plugs or protectors in the ear canals or over the ears must be worn when operating the equipment in order to prevent hearing loss if exposure is in excess of the permissible noise level set by OSHA.

Reference : http://www.mackie.com/products/cfx12mkii/#DOCUMENTS

THE VOODOO WORLD OF EQUALIZER (EQ)

2007-12-22T20:14:00.001+08:00

How many of us get confuse, I mean really confuse in attempt to use the EQ to improve the vocal and may be, if you are lucky, to make it sound professional? By simply adjusting the EQ without knowing its outcome is not a good idea. You may end up getting the vocal too much EQ, which make it, sound terrible and may even cause feedback.

In this article, I shall be touching the basic concept of equalization and how it may affect the vocal as well as the music. How does EQ affect the sound? How do we make use of EQ to alter the sounds? Is EQ necessary for vocal and music? Why do things sound muddy? Why are some vocal sound blurred? Having difficulty to understand what the person is saying? These are the few question that we normally hear in regards to P.A. system or sound reinforcement system. Hope it will bring some light to the voodoo world of EQ.

Vocals
The vocal spectrum falls into three main frequency bands corresponding to the speech components known as:
Fundamentals:
a) Fundamentals: Speech fundamentals normally have a bandwidth between about 125Hz to 250Hz. To understand this range is important if one have to use EQ to alter the vocal frequency spectrum. The fundamental region is important in that it allows us to tell who is speaking, and its clear transmission is therefore essential as far as voice quality is concerned
b) Vowels: Vowels give the power of the voice and occurring over the range of 350Hz to 2000Hz
c) Consonants: Consonants occurring over the range of 1500Hz to 4000Hz contain little energy but are essential to intelligibility

For example, the frequency range from 63 to 500Hz carries 60% of the power of the voice and yet contributes only 5% to the intelligibility. The 500Hz to 1KHz region produces 35% of the intelligibility, while the range from 1 to 8KHz produces just 5% of the power but 60% of the intelligibility.

“ By rolling off the low frequencies and accentuating the range from 1 to 5KHz, the intelligibility and clarity can be improved ”

The effect of EQ on intelligibility:

a) Boosting the low frequencies from 100 to 250Hz makes a vocal boomy or chesty.
b) A cut in the 150 to 500Hz area will make it boxy, hollow, or tube like
c) Dips around 500 to 1Khz produce hardness
d) while peaks about 1 and 3Khz produce a hard metallic nasal quality
e) Dips around 2 to 5KHz reduce intelligibility and make vocals woolly and lifeless
f) Peaks in the 4 to 10KHz produce sibilance and a gritty quality

Effects of Equalization on Vocals:

For the best control over any audio signal, fully parametric EQ's are the best way to go.

The important of EQ to vocal intelligibility:

a) Too much boost between 2 and 4KHz
b) Can mask certain vocal sounds such as 'm', 'b', 'v'.
c) Too much boost between 1KHz and 4KHz can produce 'listening fatigue'.
d) Vocals can be highlighted at the 3KHz area.

Accentuation of vocals:
The range from 1.25 to 8K governs the clarity of vocals.
Too much in the area of 5 to 16K can cause sibilance.

Reference : Internet Sound Institute (www.soundinstitute.com)

B.E.A.M Walking Robot

2007-11-22T09:02:00.000+08:00

Walker Ver5.3

This is extracted from a guy who is good in designing a BEAM robot; four legs walking robot ( using five motors). He claimed that this particular robot is his third generation five motor walker and he had fine tune the system.

He said that this walker is absolutely incredible to watch and it pushed him through the barrier between building BEAM toys and building a true robotics research platform. Look at that wires use for the experiment. As I have said earlier, you have to be really interested and have the patience to go through this time consuming experiment and don't give up. The good thing about this experiment is that you learnt a lot by doing rather than just reading i.e. theory.

Very interesting isn't it. To know more of his Beam creation Robot walker, kindly visit his site at :

Beam Walker

The "Whack-it" Technique to Desolder

2007-11-21T18:01:00.000+08:00

Tools for desoldering?

I've read an articles from the net about the subject desoldering. This guy was having difficulty in desoldering despite using all the necessary gadgets such as solder pump and copper wick. Well, there are many factors that affect desoldering, one of them is the solder iron it self. If the tips of the soldering iron is not clean prior to using it, you will for sure face difficulty. The soldering bit will not properly melt. One way to clean the bit is by rubbing it with a damp sponge. You will notice the clean shining surface once the bit is clean. The solder will melt fast and make it easier for the solder pump to suck it.

Another way is to use the technique "Whack-it". However please be extra caution.

First of all, you must apply safety precaution such as:

Wear safety glasses.
Your work surface must be prepare to accept slight abuse.
You should not do anything that might injure other people nearby when using this technique.

now lets start, heat up the solder iron and heat the solder connection, then rapidly smack it down against the work surface ( did you read the second requirement above? just to make sure you understand what I meant).

The molten solder will fly out, hit the surface and harden into a metallic splatter mark. Never do it directly in front of your face - hold it off at an angle so that there is no chance that back splash might come back at you. Although this is leathal, it sure the quickiest way to get rid of that stubbond solder out of the PCB. Anyway use it as your last resort if you get really annoyed or you feel impatient. But again please be careful. You are free to use this technique at your own risk. No one to be blame if you injured yourself except you yourself.

ROBOT USING BEAM TECHNOLOGY:

2007-11-21T16:48:00.000+08:00

For those of you (robot builder) out there who need more information or perhaps a complete documentation to help you build a Robot using beam technology, kindly visit the following link below:

SOLARBOTICS

Apart from those useful document, the site also provide you with plenty of parts, spare part for building simple to advance robot. For the beginners, it may take you a while and plenty of experiment to fully able to understand the mechanism or how the all system works together as a complete functioning robotic that can move, jump, sprint, crawl and so on and so forth. Building robot does not require you to have a formal education in electronic engineering. What important is that you must like robot and always want to know more about robot, be it simple or advance robot. Be willing to spend your time to read, study, experiment, and most importantly build them yourself. There are plenty of books, info, articles in robotic, in the net you can find thousand of documentation, in fact some site give a free tutorial with pictures, to show you step by step on how to build yourself your very own robot.

Until you have successfully build your own robot, you will not know the feeling of excitement and the feeling of deep self satisfaction, as if you have given a life to these miniture mechanical creatures. Robot have always and will always facinate me ever since I was a boy.

Scavenge Robot Parts

2007-07-08T09:43:00.000+08:00

You can scavenge robot parts via faulty,damage,broken,dead electronic devices that people may consider trash. The parts that you are mosly interested are listed as follows:

Motors - DC motors, Stepper Motors but very rare AC Motors (not very common in building a small robots), vibrating Motors( Mobile phone or pager)

Switches - micro switches, ON/OFF switches,Flip switches..

Capacitors - Electrolytic, monolithic, tantalum capacitors.

diodes

resistors

integrated circuits - 555 timers,PN2222,2N3904,PN2907,...etc

Pinch rollers, pulleys, gears,belts,..

Metal rods ( toner catridges), Plastic Sheets.

Gear headmotors - mechnaisms that move slowly.

Always be polite when it comes to asking for somebody else's electronic trash. Be very sure to ask whether it's garbage.
Gear motors are GOLD or very useful in robot building. The best gear motors are made by Micro-Mo,Maxon,Mabuchi,Nihon and Namiki (to name a few).

TIPS:

Never expose an IC to more than 6 Volts, unless you're darn sure it can handle it. This means no hooking your circuit up to 9 Volt battery without a way of reducing the voltage!
Never sit on an IC especially if it's pins up otherwise you will have a nasty jump which leave a very embarrasing set of bite marks. Those pins are quite sharp. Every now and then the pins manage to poke into my finger if Im not careful.