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BAEC Archive Newsletter Index: AUG74, DEC90, MAR92, JUL92, DEC93, DEC94, MAR98, JUN98, SEP98, DEC98, MAR99, JUN99, SEP99, DEC99, JAN00, APR00, JUL00, OCT00, DEC00, AUG01, MAY02.
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  • No. 35 October 1974 Newsletter
    • The Proposed BAEC Computer with Core Memory and Tele-printer. From correspondence between M. Lord & P. Hinchcliffe, and T. Clarke & P. Hinchcliffe. Re-Uploaded Jun06


  • No. 98 December 1990 Newsletter - Complete Edition
    • Editorial by Mr. H. F. Howard - analyse of member profiles.
    • Points from Letters- about electronic component suppliers service.
    • The B.A.E.C. Membership Questionnaire - 62 replies about interests and experience, magazines and equipment owned.
    • Car Alarm? by B. Sandle - using LM3909 LED flasher IC as a warning device in a car.
    • Calling all creatures great and small? by E.A. Matthews - about projects that use the 555 timer, CMOS 40106 IC, x2 BD135 Transistor (NPN) and x2 BD136 Transistor (PNP).
    • Corrections and Additions - indenting Pin 1 of an IC and a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) Layout for etching a Function Generator circuit.
    • News and Views - about 'Practical Electronics' magazine and details about Electronic Component Suppliers.
    • Low-Ohm Meter - construction details, circuit diagrams and PCB Layout. Range: 10 ohms - 2 Mega-ohms.
    • Unijunction Transistors (UJT) by Matthew H. Williams - goes into great detail about how they work including diagrams, graphs and equations.
    • Component Handling Precautions - lists minimal damaging voltages for different devices. Can be as low as 30V for VMOS, generally 250V, but 1000V for a Schottky TTL IC (used among other things to debounce buttons various voltage shifts caused by it's spring). ALLOWS WEAR AN ANTI-STATIC WRISTBAND WHEN DEALING WITH IC'S OR OPEN COMPUTERS! PLUG IT INTO EARTH AND TEST IF POSSIBLE. Or your circuit or computer will be irretrievable damaged!
    • Envoi - advice for using Christmas leftovers for Electronics tasks.

  • No. 104 BAEC July 1992 Newsletter
    • Electronics Teach-in Part 6: Regulators 1 by M. A. Stracey Eng. Tech. (AMIEIE) G7LKJ. With Fig. 1 - 7 diagrams detailing Zenor Diode Regulator Circuits and Diode Characteristics. With 1, 2, or 3 transistor gain using the 'Darlington connection' method.
    • In-Circuit Transistor Tester by Alan Willcox. Using the obicuous 555 timer, a 4 Diode Bridge... Plus Components List, PCB track layout (for etching your own PCB), component layout, and Test conditions and results table.
  • No. 103 March 1992 Newsletter
    • Book Review: Servicing TV and Video equipment by Mark Robinson.
    • Electronics Teach-In Part 5: Power Supplies by M.A. Stracey. 240V ±10% (with EU 230V range) 50Hz A.C. (Alternating Current) -> 6V D.C. (Direct Current). Has diagrams of:
      1. Transformer which steps a Voltage down, at a ratio of 40:1 in this case, depending on how many wire turns each side has, from 'primary' side to 'secondary' side. Current goes down from 1A -> 1/40A or 25mA in an 'ideal' 100% efficient circuit. In actual fact 20% of current is wasted as heat in the conversion process.
      2. Bridge Rectifier Circuit which converts A.C. -> D.C. using a network of 4 diodes giving a 'ripple current'. Obiwan posts to EPE ChatZone on Thursday, 15 June: "Diodes have ratings, I select a diode for it's application if it isn't already in my box of 'goodies'. A 1N4001 that I might use in a simple power supply, say 100 mA, I will not use in one that delivers 10 Amps."
      3. This has to be 'smoothed' using a Electrolytic Smoothing Capacitor which is connected from Vcc output to Gnd. Obiwan continues: "The value will depend on the current rating you are dealing with. A 5V power supply that supplies 10 mA will have a MUCH smaller capacitor than a supply that supplies 5V @100A."
      4. A Regulator 3-pin IC is used to give a steady output voltage. Typically: LM7805 -> 5V; LM7812 -> 12V ; LM317 ...
      5. A Neon light or LED can be used to show the output is live.
    • Adjustable Power Supply by John Wilkinson. "This power unit will deliver a current from zero to about 4.25A at a voltage from zero to about 23V." Used for repairing CB radios.
    • Doorbell for the Deaf by S. R. Wooding. Built using x4 2-input NOR Gates, a 10-line decade counter, and an opto-Triac which isolates the low voltage logic from the mains, while allowing it to trigger a 25W mains driven lamp. Plus some discrete components. With circuit diagram.
    • Additional Chip Power Supplies: 5V TTL and 12V CMOS (can be in range 3V-15V).
    • Additional From single Transistors to VSLI (> 1,000,000 Transistors on one chip) and beyond ; plus Intel processors.

  • No. 110 December 1993 Newsletter
  • No. 114 BAEC December 1994 Newsletter
    • Designers Notes 11: 7217 Presettable U/D Counter IC driving x4 7-Segment Displays with x4 BCB Thumbwheels input. By Alf Dension.
    • Beginner's Notebook 3 - switching the Mains using low voltage circuits. By Alf Denison.
    • Microcomputer Interfacing 2 by Dave Rowntree. Uses an example Zilog Z80 Processor to:
      • Input from a 16 Key keypad.
      • Drive a Binary-to-7-Segment-Display Decoder Chip like the CMOS 4511.
      • Drive the much more advanced 8255 PIA (Perihpheral Interface Adapter) which has three 8-bit Ports.

  • No. 127 March 1998 Newsletter - Complete Edition
  • No. 128 June 1998 Newsletter - Complete Edition
    • Editorial by G.E. Burton
    • Experiences constructing the "Diotran" Radio Receiver Kit by John Davies and Philip Miller Tate. With Order of Construction, List of Components, Schematic Diagram, and Component Layout Diagram.
    • Why I like Transistors by Philip Miller Tate
    • Obituary: An appreciation of Alf Denison by Herbert Howard
    • Details Micro Gas Flowmeters using thermistors by John Burton. Application: Aviation. With COSIM Rate of Climb meter Pipe Connections diagram, and Constant Temperature Thermistor Bridge Circuit Diagram.
    • Book Review "Fault Finding Electronic Projects by R. Penfold" by Herbert Howard. Four chapters:
      1. Fixing Mechanical Faults.
      2. Location of faults in linear circuits such as amplifiers, and indicates the need for a multimeter. Advantages and disadvantages of analogue and digital meters are explained - provides a design for a simple bench amplifier/signal tracer, with full constructional details and advice on how to use it.
      3. Testing of logic circuits, and after emphasising the need for a logic tester in this work, a design for this item is provided and its use explained.
      4. Component testing and includes circuits for testing operational amplifiers, thyristors and triacs, and FETS. A design for a CMOS tester which can cope with most CMOS ICs is also included.
    • "Doing it Digital" by John Burton. Includes Block Diagram for the design of a Digital Temperature Controller.
    • Trading Page compiled by Herbert Howard
    • An Introduction to SCART by David Vere. Also known as a Peritel Connector or Euro Connector. Invented by the French! It was always there but hardly ever used. Pre-Digital Boxes!
      Comments: "What the article doesn't tell you is that you still need the RF lead between the VHS/DVD recorder and the TV, in order to record programmes while you're out. This leads to numerous signal dropouts if you have digital TV or a set top box. It's frustrating to be watching a programme then suddenly be confronted with a blank screen and a notice 'Weak or missing signal'. The aerial lead must go straight to the TV or set top box: routing it via a VHS/DVD recorder seems to weaken the signal: at least this is my experience (in London)".
      "Think how much electricity digital boxes use up and the effect on the environment when they generally are left on stand by all through the night."
      "Going back a few years ago now when I was into repairing TV sets there was a wild rumour about, that our TV sets consume more electricity when in stand bye than when you are watching them."
    • Upgrade your PC for FREE by Keith Law. Tips to make Windows 95 go faster and better....
  • No. 129 September 1998 Newsletter
    • [Updated Jun06] Introduction to the Internet Part 1 - Getting Connected - using Dial-up!
      • [Jul98-2000] -> [Jul98-Jun06] Changes registered using tracker (much more detail in Article).
      • Netscape 48.8% -> 17.51%
      • MSIE 46.41% -> 81.03%
      • Other 4.77% -> 1.45%
  • No. 130 December 1998 Newsletter
  • No. 131 March 1999 Newsletter
  • No. 132 June 1999 Newsletter
  • [Uploaded Sep08] No. 133 September 1999 Newsletter
  • [Uploaded Sep08] No. 134 December 1999 Newsletter
  • No. 134 January 2000 Newsletter
  • [Uploaded Sep08] No. 135 April 2000 Newsletter
  • [Uploaded Dec10] No. 136 July 2000 Newsletter
  • [Uploaded Sep08] No. 137 October 2000 Newsletter
  • [Uploaded Dec10] No. 138 December 2000 Newsletter
  • No. 140 August 2001 Newsletter New
    • Video Fader Box by Mohammed Bashir (aged 17 when written). With Analogue Circuit Diagram. Powered by a 9V battery with coax input and output.
    • How to get started in PIC Programming by Eric Edwards GW8LJJ. About the PIC 16F84. First details a digital circuit to count in binary on LEDs using a 555 Timer and CMOS 4024 7-bit (÷128) Ripple Counter Chip plus 2 resistors, 3 capacitors and 7 LEDs. Constructed on plugboard, no soldering. Then shows how a PIC can do the exact same thing using only one IC (Integrated Circuit) with only 2 resistors, a capacitor and again off course 7 LEDs. The PIC is programmed using a PIC BASIC compiler (PBC) to produce HEX (Hexadecimal, base 16: 0-9 + A-F) code. So no need to know about op-codes, assembler, the accumulator, status register (flags: zero, carry, division-by-zero error...), stack, ALU (Arithmetic and Logic Unit, does logic and addition) fetch-execute cycle... Then goes on to show how the PIC can be re-programmed to do a different task. Impossible for the digital circuit! Less components and more functions.
  • [Uploaded Dec10] No. 142 May 2002 Newsletter
  • It would be a great help if any one with a Scanner could scan in diagrams from, and type up old BAEC Newsletters in an ASCII format so we can start building up an archive. I'm sure younger members would be very interested to know what electronics was like many years ago, and it might bring back memories for older members.