Reader Feedback
Dear Nuts & Volts:
Just a quick request that your
magazine publish more articles
describing projects for the PIC
Microcontroller that DO NOT involve
robotics and that DO NOT require
STAMP programming. A program in
PIC Basic that would involve, say,
model railroad block control circuitry
or block detection or a Christmas
light display would be nice.
Jim Cavanaugh
via Internet
Dear Nuts & Volts:
Your December 2004 column
“Open Communication” about ham
radio is great. I was interested in just
that receiver kit when the issue
arrived. It cleared up many of the
questions I could not find on the
website. I can’t wait until the February
issue is here for the transmitter kit!
Gene Arnold
via Internet
Dear Nuts & Volts:
Please feature more analog "how-to-circuits" such as op-amps and
transistor circuits. I know electronics
is constantly changing, but there are
still plenty of technicians around who
have worked with these types of
circuits. There is a real void now that
Radio Electronics and Electronics
Now are gone.
Frank Pohs
via Internet
Dear Nuts & Volts:
This is my last year in college
(engineering) and your last four
magazines were and still are
extremely helpful for my senior
project class in school. However, I still
need some help on building my
project (a portable microcontroller-
based electrocardiograph recorder).
I'm looking for a way to be able to
store the collected data into a USB
Flash drive (or USB memory sticks)
that can be plugged into the device.
Wilber Hernandez
via Internet
Dear Nuts & Volts:
While catching up on my
magazine reading, I came to the nice
"Just for Starters" article on counters
by Mark Balch in your October 2004
issue. Mark mentioned the problem of
spurious clocking due to switch
contact bounce.
A few years ago, while working
on a project with several push-buttons, I looked for a low parts-count
solution and discovered a chip that
some of your readers may not know
about and may find as useful as I did.
It is the MC14490 hex contact
bounce eliminator. It is a CMOS
device in a 16-pin DIP. Each of the six
circuits takes an input signal from a
bouncing contact and generates a
clean digital signal four clock periods
after the input has stabilized. The
clock frequency (bounce delay) of
the built-in clock is set by a single
external capacitor. You can get this
device from Digi-Key for $5.12 each,
or $4.10 each if you want 25 of them
( www.digikey.com).
Bob E. Baker
via Internet
F
o
r
E
l
e
c
t
r
o
n
i
c
s
NUTS & VOLTS
E
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
n
g
by J. Shuman
6
Published Monthly By
T & L Publications, Inc.
430 Princeland Ct., Corona, CA 92879-1300
(951) 371-8497
FAX (951) 371-3052
www.nutsvolts.com
Subscription Order ONLY Line
1-800-783-4624
FOUNDER/ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Jack Lemieux
PUBLISHER
Larry Lemieux
publisher@nutsvolts.com
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/
VP OF SALES/MARKETING
Robin Lemieux
robin@nutsvolts.com
MANAGING/TECHNICAL EDITOR
Dan Danknick
dan@nutsvolts.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR/
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Alexandra Lindstrom
alexa@nutsvolts.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Gerard Fonte TJ Byers
Peter Best Jon Williams
Richard Panosh Mark Dobrosielski
Keith Jack Aaron Dahlen
Robert Schnyder Ed Driscoll
Paul Verhage James Antonakos
Jeff Eckert
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Mary Descaro
subscribe@nutsvolts.com
SHOW COORDINATOR
Audrey Lemieux
WEB CONTENT/NV STORE
Michael Kaudze
michael@nutsvolts.com
PRODUCTION/GRAPHICS
Shannon Lemieux
STAFF
Kristan Rutz
Dawn Saladino
INTERN
Mandy Garcia
Copyright 2005 by T & L Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
All advertising is subject to publisher's approval. We
are not responsible for mistakes, misprints, or
typographical errors. Nuts & Volts Magazine assumes
no responsibility for the availability or condition of
advertised items or for the honesty of the
advertiser. The publisher makes no claims for the
legality of any item advertised in Nuts & Volts. This is
the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Advertisers
and their agencies agree to indemnify and protect
the publisher from any and all claims, action, or
expense arising from advertising placed in Nuts &
Volts. Please send all subscription orders,
correspondence, UPS, overnight mail, and artwork
to: 430 Princeland Court, Corona, CA 92879.
JANUARY 2005