Elektor #388 - April 2009

88 Pages·2009·14.86 MB·English

www.elektor.com April 2009 AUS$ 12.90 - NZ$ 15.50 - SAR 88.70 £ 4.10
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0904_elektor_adv_UK.indd 2 26-02-2009 12:26:26
0904_elektor_adv_UK.indd 3 26-02-2009 12:29:00
e-China Automatic Running-in Bench
If you want to understand electron-
ics, you read Elektor, and if you
want to understand the electronics
market, you have to visit China.
Over the New Year, I was in Shen-
zhen for the testing of the new batch
of Elektor SMD ovens. If you really
want to know how the electronics
market is developing, not only in
China but also in the rest of the
world, there’s no substitute for being
there, looking around, and talking to
the people.
Everything that the world has to offer
in the way of way of electronics is
available in Shenzhen, as well as
everything that China supplies to the
rest of the world. In our March issue,
our lab manager Antoine Authier
described his impressions during
a visit to this hotbed of electron-
ics, such as thousands of people
working and (literally) living amidst
boxes, stacks, and whole floors full
of electronic components and other Come see us at
hardware. You can see the same
picture in the electronics high street
of Shanghai. Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley, San Jose USA,
March 30—April 3, 2009.
However, the electronics market
is more than just hardware and
components. To make a deal work,
especially in China, you need a
good knowledge of the culture,
banking matters, transportation,
and logistics. Doing business in
China takes a completely different
approach. It works well if you know
how to do it right, but otherwise you
34 Automotive CANtroller
shouldn’t try.
The people who have joined us on
the China tours organised by Elektor
in the past years can say a thing
or two about this. In order to form
a realistic picture of the possibili-
ties, you have to see the factories
from the inside, shake hands with
the people there, and discover that
they share your fascination with the
electronics market. Things can go so
fast there that some of our tour par- This universal
ticipants managed to put together microcontroller
specific business deals during their board was
visit.
designed, in the first
instance, for use by students
Elektor’s next ‘get acquainted’ tour
studying automotive
to China is scheduled for the 3rd to
the 11th of April. For more informa- technologies, but it can
tion, surf to www.elektor.com/china also be used for other
. applications, of course.
The heart of this board is
Wisse Hettinga
an Atmel AT90CAN32
International Editor
with a fast RISC core.
CONTENTS Volume 35
April 2009
no. 388
Automatic Running-in Bench
projects
24 Automatic Running-in
Bench
While an electric motor can be used at full power 34 Automotive CANtroller
24
immediately it is brought into service, an internal
46 The 32-bit Machine
combustion engine needs a period of running in
before it is capable of delivering its maximum 52 C Display
power. The idea of the project described here is
55 FM Stereo Decoder
to automate this important operation.
58 Get a Grip on LED Drivers
62 Scoping with the ATM18
68 Rocket Engine Test Rig
72 Design Tips:
Macros for AVR programming
Protection for voltage regulators
Maybe soon, owning
a supercomputer at
home will no longer
be just a dream.
technology
Indeed, inventive
solutions enabling a
20 Fully Automated
wider public to have
access to enormous
40 A Supercomputer
computing powers do
on your Desk
already exist…
40 A Supercomputer on your Desk
info & market
6 Colophon
8 Mailbox
10 News & New Products
18 okisec: multiplayer online
46 The 32-bit Machine robohockey
33 See your project in print
73 New Annual DVD 2008
These pages will familiarise 80 Elektor SHOP
you with the tools required
for programming and 84 Coming Attractions
debugging the R32/C111
micro. Those of you already
familiar with the R8C/13
from Renesas will recognise infotainment
plenty of similarity in the
way all this is handled. 74 Hexadoku
76 Retronics:
An old radio
brought back to life
elektor electronics worldwide
elektor international media
Elektor International Media provides a multimedia and interactive platform for everyone interested in electronics.
From professionals passionate about their work to enthusiasts with professional ambitions.
From beginner to diehard, from student to lecturer. Information, education, inspiration and entertainment.
Analogue and digital; practical and theoretical; software and hardware.
English
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Volume 35, Number 388, April 2009 ISSN 1757-0875 Elektor is also published in French, Spanish, German and Dutch. Together with franchised Editorial secretariat: Hedwig Hennekens ([email protected])
editions the magazine is on circulation in more than 50 countries.
Elektor aims at inspiring people to master electronics at any personal level by Graphic design / DTP: Giel Dols, Mart Schroijen
presenting construction projects and spotting developments in electronics and
information technology. International Editor: Managing Director / Publisher: Paul Snakkers
Wisse Hettinga ([email protected])
Publishers: Elektor International Media, Regus Brentford, Marketing: Carlo van Nistelrooy
Editor: Jan Buiting ([email protected])
1000 Great West Road, Brentford TW8 9HH, England. Tel. [phone]
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The magazine is available from newsagents, bookshops and electronics retail Regus Brentford, 1000 Great West Road, Brentford TW8 9HH, England.
outlets, or on subscription. Design staff: Antoine Authier (Head), Ton Giesberts, Tel. [phone], fax: [phone]
Elektor is published 11 times a year with a double issue for July & August. Luc Lemmens, Daniel Rodrigues, Jan Visser, Christian Vossen Internet: www.elektor.com/subs
 elektor - 4/2009
Visit China with Elektor
combine electronics
and culture
Elektor’s third Study Trip to China is planned for
During this 9-day trip we will visit the China
3–11 April 2009. And you can join us! Check Electronics Fair in Shenzhen, a professional
industrial electronics fair with an area of no
your diary today and visit the Elektor website for
less than 60,000 m². We will also pay at
more detailed information. least one visit to the well-known ‘electronics
high street’ in Shanghai. As the name
suggests, this street is entirely dedicated to
electronics shops, each vying to be the
largest. In addition, a variety of interesting
company visits are on the itinerary (with a
tour of the production department). We are
also organising a business conference
where you can obtain a wealth of infor-
mation about doing business (and how not
to do business) in China. Naturally, there’s
also time for culture. We will visit the Bund,
French Confession and the Shanghai TV
tower. There’s also a Shanghai sights eeing
tour planned.
REGISTER NOW!
Places are strictly limited
More info, programme and registration at
www.elektor.com/china-trip
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] publication is stored in a retrieval system of any nature. Patent protection may ex-
Rates and terms are given on the Subscription Order Form. Internet: www.husonmedia.com ist in respect of circuits, devices, components etc. described in this magazine. The
Advertising rates and terms available on request. Publisher does not accept responsibility for failing to identify such patent(s) or other
Head Office: Elektor International Media b.v. protection. The submission of designs or articles implies permission to the Publisher
P.O. Box 11 NL-6114-ZG Susteren The Netherlands to alter the text and design, and to use the contents in other Elektor International
Telephone: [phone], Fax: [phone] Copyright Notice Media publications and activities. The Publisher cannot guarantee to return any mate-
The circuits described in this magazine are for domestic use only. All drawings, photo-
rial submitted to them.
Distribution: Seymour, 2 East Poultry Street, London EC1A, England graphs, printed circuit board layouts, programmed integrated circuits, disks, CD-ROMs,
Telephone:[phone] software carriers and article texts published in our books and magazines (other than
Disclaimer
third-party advertisements) are copyright Elektor International Media b.v. and may
Prices and descriptions of publication-related items subject to change.
UK Advertising: Huson International Media, Cambridge House, not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopy- Errors and omissions excluded.
Gogmore Lane, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9AP, England. ing, scanning an recording, in whole or in part without prior written permission from
Telephone: [phone], Fax: [phone] the Publisher. Such written permission must also be obtained before any part of this © Elektor International Media b.v. 2009 Printed in the Netherlands
4/2009 - elektor 
ELEK UK0903 China s7.indd Sec1:7 28-01-2009 22:04:48
info & market mailbox
A boxful of Dekatrons and the hunt for ‘Trochotron’
In response to the publication of our article ‘The Dekatron decimal counter valve” in
Elektor March 2008, Mr Roger Ellis of London, UK, kindly offered to send some of these
rare counter tubes to the author of the article, Mr Jean Herman in Belgium.
The shipment was arranged to go by way of Elektor and your Editor took the liberty
of photographing the contents of the
box for all readers to admire. Thanks
are due to both correspondents for
allowing us to publish about these rare
components dating back to the dawn of
digital electronics.
Apart from ZM1020 tubes and a dozen
unused sockets (originally intended for
the Belgian national railway Authority
SNCB), the box also contained an
interesting leaflet from a French compo-
nent distributor. It lists Decatron types
Z303C, Z502S, the E1T (also covered
in Retronics) and a device called Tro-
chotron ET51 which immediately aroused our curiosity. Can anyone help with further
information, aiming of course, at a short article for the Retronics section in Elektor? Does
anyone have real life specimens of Trochotrons lurking in a drawer or a lab cabinet?
Replacement type for when I worked as a designer brochure for this kit, which has US clock speaks German
BB112 500-pF varicap and member of the editorial a picture of a class with sev- Dear Editor — I am a new
diode staff of Elektor (April 1976 to eral students including Karel subscriber to Elektor USA and
Dear Editor — an alternative July 1979). and myself. I would like to find someone
to the BB112, which is no to help with a project. I was
longer readily available, is the To the best of my knowledge, However, the Games Com- particularity interested in
1SV149, which is compatible the picture of the little train at puter was not the first article the articles on the Tri-state
and has similar specifications. the top of page 76 is one of involving microprocessors to Time and the Model Railway
The BB112 has a capacity my creations. It was a nice appear in Elektor. It was pre- Car Lighting Decoder in the
range of 20 to 500 pF and is design – ahead of its time ceded by a series of articles 2/2009 issue of Elektor.
mainly used in tuned circuits actually – but I think it was on the SC/MP computer – 30
for the low and medium a bit on the expensive side years ago now – to which I
short-wave bands, such as the for the hobbyists of that time, also made a major contribu-
automatically tuned preselector especially the younger ones. tion. I don’t know whether you
for the DRM receiver described have already mentioned it
in the November 2004 issue under this topic, since I don’t
of Elektor Electronics. The see every issue of Elektor.
1SV149 is available from
www.ak-modul-bus.de. The If not, I hope it will appear
direct link is: www.ak-modul- sometime. I still have a pristine
bus.de/stat/kapazitaetsdi- example of the SC/MP, the
ode_1sv149.html. first Elektor computer, which is
Burkhard Kainka available for taking photos if
(Germany) desired. I also have one of the
I maintained many contacts blue ‘gramophone records’ for
with the technical specialists the SC/MP. It wasn’t especially
at Philips at that time, and reliable, but it did work!
Games Computer in there may be someone on your André Pauptit (France)
Retronics editorial team who can still Back in the early 80s I worked
Dear Jan — I would like to remember this. During those It’s nice to hear from a former for Diehl Research Center in
comment on the Retronics days I attended a course on colleague, and it’s especially Stamford. I am now a retired
instalment on the Games the 2650 microprocessor at rewarding to be able to publish electronic engineer. This com-
Computer in the October Philips, along with one of my this in our Mailbox. As regards pany was part of Diehl GmbH
2008 issue of the magazine. co-workers, Karel Walraven. the SC/MP, I already described based in Nürnberg, Germany.
I found it especially interest- We used a 2650 development it Retronics, April 2005; other- The director and I went to the
ing because it was one of my kit in the course, the ‘Instructor wise I would be pleased to German Language School in
main jobs during the period 50’. I still have the marketing accept your offer. Westport to learn German.
 elektor - 4/2009
I can understand more than 2003 by Dr. Gyora Benedek, proposal received. The author
speaking as my parents were Avi Olti, Shai Seger and of the Spinning Top project was
German. Robert Fuhrer. (US Pat. no. not aware of the inventor or his
We used a book called Deut- 7037169). Itop was and patent(s).
sch 2000 and on page 156 still is sold worldwide with a The US patent mentioned by Dr
they have “Die Uhrzeit” (the new model coming soon. The Benedek was awarded in 2006
Time of Day). At the time I was design presented in the article and has a very broad content.
working for a clock company looks like a perfect copy of our We were unable to find details
and said why not put this into product except for the double of practical circuit implementati-
digital format. I did make a row of LEDs. ons or indeed control software,
prototype which is still working Our group together and which, from our experience, is
to this day. This prototype is a separately invented and devel- the crux of the development. The
done the old fashioned way by oped several hit games such patent does however describe
wiring the hardware counters, as Lights Out (video game), the operating principle of a
CD4029s since they can count When SMD was young Hidato (www.hidato.com), spinning top with a rotating LED
up and down. Dear Editor — I have been an KenKen (www.kenken.com). bar, as well as synchronization
enthusiastic reader of Elektor I hope you will find a way to by detection of a magnetic field
I would to make a new version for about 30 years and I correctly attribute this toy and (as an example, the earth’s mag-
using a microprocessor and eagerly await the new edition mention us in your next issue. netic field is mentioned) using
perhaps a VF display. I would every month. I have built a fair Dr Gyora Benedek (Israel) “rotation data measuring means
like to find someone who number of your projects. I par- www.doo-bee-toys.com including an induction coil.”
would like to do a program ticularly like the mix of unortho-
and help make this a joint dox ways to tackle problems,
project for Elektor. I could give circuit development and the
hardware support and the odd page of nostalgia.
other person could write the Prompted by your articles on
write a program and together the SMD Oven in the October
we could build a sample. 2008 issue I’d like to add
My prototype has two digits a little something to the
for the minute, two digits for above theme: a photo-
the hours and four indicators copy of an article from
lights for the words “nach, vor, Siemens Component
viertel, and halb”, but this new Information, edition
version could be a 16-digit VF 1968, and an origi-
display. nal SMD integrated
circuit from the early
There could be a lot of poten- 1970s.
tial for this. As a learning tool I wish your team every
we could combine it with an success.
analog clock so the ‘viertel Fritz Lackner (Germany)
vor’, ‘viertel nach’, ‘vor halb’,
and ‘nach halb’ fit in. I have Many thanks for responding
mine next to an analog clock. Fritz and for the rare example of Dr. Benedek’s
Perhaps in a German class it an antediluvian SMD chip from email was copied to the Ger-
would be useful. Siemens. It proves that the con- man author and editors respon- MailBox Terms
I have my prototype with LED cept of SMD is older than some sible for the ‘Messaging Spin
digits and HP light bars for readers complaining about the Top’ project.
• Publication of reader’s orrespondence
the words. A 16-digit vacuum technology being used in DIY
is at the discretion of the Editor.
fluorescent display might be projects. In reply, they would certainly
• Viewpoints expressed by
nice, as the digits and words have mentioned Dr. Gyora
correspondents are not necessarily
are all in line. Benedek, Avi Olti, Shai Seger,
those of the Editor or Publisher.
Robert Fuhrer and the relevant
• Correspondence may be
I hope you can put me in touch LED Spinning Top patent(s) if such information had
translated or edited for length, clarity
with a programmer who would Dear Editor — I was very been available to them. When
and style.
like this project. Maybe we can pleased to see the ‘Messaging publishing contributions about
• When replying to Mailbox
get a company to produce it. spin Top’ article in the 2008 developments in electronics, a
correspondence,
George Fischer (USA) December issue of Elektor (pp trade journal like Elektor has
please quote Issue number.
16-21). no legal obligation to identify
• Please send your MailBox
A cordial welcome to the Elektor However, when I read the arti- patent(s) or other protection
correspondence to:
experience, George and hope cle I was very disappointed to describing similar approaches

you continue to enjoy Elektor’s find out that the original inven- (see also the Copyright Notice
[email protected] or
new USA edition. tors of this ‘striking gadget’ on page 7). In practice, it is
Elektor, The Editor,
Anyone willing and able to help were not mentioned. impossible for the Elektor team
1000 Great West Road,
George, please contact the Please note that iTop was to do extensive patent research
Brentford TW8 9HH, England.
Editor. invented and patented in work for every circuit or article
4/2009 - elektor 
Peak: more distributors
Peak Electronic Design have has also come on board with Peak.
recently expanded their sales net- JPR Electronics Ltd in Dunstable
work with the appointment of five offer the full range of Peak prod-
new distribution partners. ucts as well as many other prod-
Now the famous Peak Atlas range ucts aimed at hobbyists, education
of automatic component identifi- and industry.
cation and measurement tools are To find your nearest distributor in
easier to get hold of in Australia, the UK or overseas, simply visit the
Holland, Germany, USA and the website below and click on the dis-
UK. This is in addition to a world- tributors tab. If you can’t find a dis-
wide network of established dis- tributor near you then you can of
tributors, so buying Peak products course order from Peak directly.
is even faster and easier.
To assist with the UK hobbyist mar- www.peakelec.co.uk
ket, a new UK distribution partner (081108-IX)
Montavista: Google Android support
MontaVista® Software, Inc. recently Embedded Technology 2008 in handsets, MontaVista Linux: Semiconductor, Intel, Texas Instru-
announced that it will support Yokohama, Japan. • is the only Linux to demonstrate ments and others
developers running MontaVista support of and integration with • was awarded ‘Best Software
Linux for use with the Google MontaVista’s advanced power all major Linux mobile software Innovation of the Year” for 2007
Android platform. The company management, fast startup, and stacks by EDN.
demonstrated the Android mobile advanced connectivity provide the • is the only mobile Linux certified
platform running on a TI OMAP3 features mobile device manufac- as being ready for IPv6 www.mvista.com
processor, one of the processors tures require. In addition to pow- • provides support for new mobile (081108-X)
supported by MontaVista Linux at ering a majority of today’s Linux device processors from Freescale
16-bit micro draws 400 nano-amps
Maxim Integrated Products intro- ity of its life inactive, only waking power-saving operating modes. needs of the application, the inte-
duces the MAXQ2010, a 16- up once every few minutes to take A key feature of the device is grated LCD controller and real time
bit mixed-signal microcontrol- measurements. Typical examples its industry-leading stop mode, clock (RTC) can optionally remain
ler with a unique power-saving include many types of sensors, which allows the microcontroller active during stop mode.
stop mode. Stop mode reduces data acquisition systems, or envi- to reduce power consumption to
power consumption to 370 nA ronmental data-loggers. less than 400 nA (typ.) by halting For additional power savings,
typical and 6.5 µA maximum The MAXQ2010 offers multiple code execution. Depending on the the MAXQ2010 consumes only
at +85°C, thus extending the 3.1mA (typical) at 10 MHz oper-
life of battery-powered devices. ation in active mode.
Designed on a RISC architecture,
the MAXQ2010 balances high- The MAXQ2010 provides addi-
speed execution (up to 10 MIPS tional features critical for portable,
at 10 MHz) and data sampling battery-powered applications. For
(up to 312 ksps ADC conver- a user interface, an integrated LCD
sion at 12 bits) with a low-power controller can drive up to 160 seg-
active-mode current (3.1 mA, typ- ments directly in a ¼-muxed con-
ical, at 10 MHz). An integrated figuration. A supply-voltage moni-
regulator allows direct operation tor measures the power supply
from a single lithium coin cell at against a programmable threshold
2.7 V to 3.6 V. from 2.7 V to 3.5 V in 0.1 V incre-
ments, enabling an application to
With its many integrated analogue detect low power and notify the
and digital capabilities and its user to replace the battery.
multiple power-saving modes, the
MAXQ2010 is an optimised sin- For rapid application development,
gle-chip solution for battery-pow- a MAXQ2010 evaluation (EV) kit
ered data acquisition applications. is available.
The device’s low-power stop mode
makes it especially valuable in www.maxim-ic.com
equipment that spends the major- (081028-VI)
10 elektor - 4/2009