Silicon Chip №4 2019.pdf

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Contents
Vol.32, No.4; April 2019
SILICON
CHIP
www.siliconchip.com.au
Features & Reviews
14 Big Brother may be
IS
watching you: Facial Recognition!
If you’ve ever had the feeling that you’re being watched, you are! From social
media apps to law enforcement, from banks to airports, facial recognition is used
to identify YOU and plot wherever you go – by Dr David Maddison
32 Introducing the iCEstick: an easy way to program FPGAs
This compact PCB which plugs into your computer’s USB port takes the mystery
out of programming field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). In fact, we regard
the iCEstick and its software as “beginner friendly” – by Tim Blythman
70 Review: Altium Designer 19
The latest version of this world-wide (Aussie!) PCB design software (and the one
we use here at S
ILICON
C
HIP
) is more evolutionary than revolutionary but it has
some great new features to make designers’ lives much easier – by Tim Blythman
Like it or not, you’re now being
watched and identified most of the
time. Facial recognition is now said
to be able to ID anyone – even in a
crowd! – Page 14
Constructional Projects
22 Flip-dot Message Display
You’ve seen them on buses, in airports, etc – those mechanical message boards
with huge, clear letters. Now you can make your own with this project – there’s
virtually no limit to the length of the message you can make – by Tim Blythman
You can build a flip-dot
display: we make it
easy for you with the
coils etched on the
PCB! – Page 22
38 Ultra low noise remote controlled stereo preamp – Part 2
We continue the description – and importantly, construction – of our new ultra low
noise and distortion stereo preamplifier. It works with just about any power amp
and offers infrared remote control and bass/treble adjustments – by John Clarke
iCEstick: the easy way to program
FPGAs, even for beginners.
– Page 32
And we use
the iCEstick to produce VGA
graphics in this “retro” project –
Page 58
58 iCEstick VGA Terminal
Want a project to have that “early PC” look? We take the iCEstick FPGA USB stick
and IceStudio software to make a modern monitor look like it’s displaying old-style
VGA text – by Tim Blythman
80 Arduino Seismograph revisited – improving sensitivity
A reader has suggested adding a “geophone” to further improve the sensitivity
of our Arduino-based Seismograph (April 2018). We tried it – and it works!
Construction is so simple it can fit on a stripboard – by Tim Blythman
Your Favourite Columns
53 Serviceman’s Log
A laptop, spilled tea and a crack – by Dave Thompson
76 Circuit Notebook
(1) Simple zener diode tester fits inside a DMM
(2) Automatic sleep timer for TVs
We conclude our
magnificent new ultra
low noise remote
controlled stereo
preamplifier; here’s how to build it!
– Page 38
84 Vintage Radio
Healing 404B Aussie compact – by Ian Batty
Everything Else!
2 Editorial Viewpoint
4 Mailbag – Your Feedback
siliconchip.com.au
88 S
ILICON
C
HIP
O
NLINE
S
HOP
90 Product Showcase
91 Ask S
ILICON
C
HIP
95 Market Centre
Australia’s electronics magazine
96 Advertising Index
96 Notes and Errata
A new year brings a new Altium
Designer – the world’s most wide-
ly used PCB software. Here’s what
version 19 offers – Page 70
19
1
A
pril
2019
www.facebook.com/siliconchipmagazine
SILICON
CHIP
Publisher/Editor
Nicholas Vinen
www.siliconchip.com.au
Editorial Viewpoint
Nannies want to stop you
building mains-powered projects
Just before this issue went to press, I received a prod-
uct safety complaint via NSW Fair Trading, alleging
that S
ILICON
C
HIP
magazine is unsafe. Apparently, this
is because we explain how to build mains-powered de-
vices, such as the Touch & IR Remote Control Dimmer
featured in February and March this year.
We take many steps to ensure that our readers, and
anyone who builds these projects, is fully aware of the hazards and also the
steps to be taken in order to safely build, test and operate those devices.
If you read last month’s construction article for the Touch & IR Dimmer,
you will see that right up front we point out that you need a licensed electri-
cian to wire up the dimmer. Be it on your own head if you ignore that advice!
And we provide numerous safety warnings when circuits are directly pow-
ered from mains or involve high voltages, including a general warning pub-
lished in every issue of the magazine, on the second-to-last page.
Critically, we also provide detailed instructions explaining how to safely
build and test these devices. If you follow those instructions carefully, you
will be fine. We design our projects to comply with the relevant Australian
Design Rules, so assuming you follow our instructions and don’t skip any
steps, the finished product will be safe.
These steps include Earthing metal chassis, properly insulating and an-
choring all mains conductors and adding extra insulation where necessary.
Our Technical Editor has a great deal of knowledge and experience with
Australian electrical standards and he will scream in my ear if he thinks any-
thing we’re planning to publish is sub-par or illegal.
He points out that the history of publishing mains-powered designs for the
general public to build goes back nearly 100 years to the early days of Wire-
less Weekly. Radio, TV & Hobbies and Electronics Australia continued that
tradition; and for nearly 32 years now, so has S
ILICON
C
HIP
.
We are not aware of anyone being injured due to an electrical shock from
any S
ILICON
C
HIP
design, although we are aware of a Coroner’s Court finding
related to a project in another magazine which resulted in a death because a
reader took short-cuts in a mains powered project.
While I am a very risk-averse person, I have no qualms designing, building
and testing mains-powered devices, simply because I use common sense. I keep
all parts of my body well away from all conductors when powering up mains
devices, and I make sure they are unplugged and capacitors have discharged
before working on them again. I have never received an accidental shock.
But if the nannies get their way, we may not be able to present mains-based
designs in the magazine any more, meaning you will not have a chance to read
about them or build them. I don’t know about you but that makes me angry.
Mains power is dangerous. It can easily kill you if you manage to connect
your body between Active and Neutral or Active and Earth. But it isn’t that
hard to stay safe. Read our articles carefully, follow our advice, use common
sense and you will be fine.
We do things which can kill us every day: cross the road, drive to work, eat
a sandwich, lift weights, climb a ladder etc. We accept these minimal risks
and we do what we can to reduce them. Why should building mains-powered
electronics projects be any different?
Do you think S
ILICON
C
HIP
magazine is really “unsafe”? Hint: don’t try to
swallow it. You might choke.
Editor Emeritus
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Technical Editor
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Technical Staff
Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc
Bao Smith, B.Sc
Tim Blythman, B.E., B.Sc
Technical Contributor
Duraid Madina, B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD
Art Director & Production Manager
Ross Tester
Reader Services
Ann Morris
Advertising Enquiries
Glyn Smith
Phone (02) 9939 3295
Mobile 0431 792 293
glyn@siliconchip.com.au
Regular Contributors
Dave Thompson
David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1),
PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov.
Geoff Graham
Associate Professor Graham Parslow
Ian Batty
Cartoonist
Brendan Akhurst
S
ilicon
c
hip
is published 12 times
a year by Silicon Chip Publications
Pty Ltd. ACN 626 922 870. ABN 20
880 526 923. All material is copy-
right ©. No part of this publication
may be reproduced without the written
consent of the publisher.
Subscription rates: $105.00 per year,
post paid, in Australia.
For overseas rates, see our website
or email
silicon@siliconchip.com.au
Editorial office:
Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Harbord Rd,
Brookvale, NSW 2100.
Postal address: PO Box 139,
Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097.
Phone (02) 9939 3295.
E-mail: silicon@siliconchip.com.au
ISSN 1030-2662
*
Recommended & maximum price only.
Printing and Distribution:
Derby Street, Silverwater, NSW 2148.
Nicholas Vinen
Australia’s electronics magazine
siliconchip.com.au
2
S
ilicon
c
hip
siliconchip.com.au
Australia’s electronics magazine
A
pril
2019
3

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