Welcome to:

This is P1 of a 4-page newsletter  P2   P3   P4

Talking Electronics
PO Box 486
Cheltenham 3192
Victoria  Australia


Tel:  0417 329 788
        +61 417 329 788

Mobile: 0417 329 788

To place an order, simply send
an email to:
talking@tpg.com.au    and mention the things you want to buy.
Include your address.
You will get a reply with the cost, postage and how to pay.


- Colin Mitchell


This website is constantly being updated and new projects are being added all he time. They are included in the index on the left, in alphabetical order as this is the quickest way to find things. We only understand two ways to sort things: numerical and alphabetical.
The site now contains over 50Meg of files and it is available on CD for $9.95 (posted).
The website also contains a Basic Electronics Course and PIC Programming course that is constantly being updated. You can subscribe for $19.95 and this gives you lifetime access and a FREE CD.

I am quite sure you will not know where to start. . . so many topics are covered and there's so much to know in electronics. But if you read just 3 pages a day you will eventually get through the 2,500 pages on the site.


The latest pages and projects :

Starting new ebook "200 Transistor Circuits"  6-10-2008
Added  "Data Book 1"  27/9/08   4MB .pdf   e-book. Nearly 100 pages of info etc

Added more to  27MHz Transmitters - make your own 27 or 303MHz link   21/9/2008
Added more to page 8 of: "Spot the Mistake"  13/9/08
Added more to Discussions  The biggest fraud in the world. Read about it. 12/9/08
A 5 minute video by Bre Pettis on building circuits on breadboard.

Added 27MHz Transmitters - make your own 27MHz link   6/9/2008
Hundreds of Test Questions can be found at this site.
Free Electronics Magazine - see below
Added Wind-up Torch/Radio mistake to Spot the Mistake P8   2/08/08
Added Fundamentals of Electricity and Electronics - 23Meg .zip file  -   an
      invaluable presentation of over 1,000 pages of information. Everyone should
      download this file and learn the fundamentals of electronics!
Added 15x7 Display 10/6/08 A great project using the PIC16F628 micro

Added more to page 7 of: "Spot the Mistake"  2/2/08
Added a lot more to Elektor, EPE, Silicon Chip section  1/2/08
Added more to Library of sub-routines for PIC12F629  27/1/08
Added more to Solar Light   26/12/07
Added more to page 7 of: "Spot the Mistake"  26/12/07
Added Steam Engine Simulator 9/11/07
Added another Hearing Aid circuit 7/11/07
Added FM Bug 7/11/07
Added Earwig (Spy Bug) 7/11/07
Added more to page 7 of: "Spot the Mistake"  4/11/07

Added  to Prototyping Boards 4/11/07
Added  to Circuit Tricks 10/10/07
50 of the bests sites on the internet. These will keep you occupied for hours.
Lots of new information on programming the PIC12F629 micro and new projects
Added more to: Power Supply - The  12/9/07
Article: Spy Circuits  FM Transmitters (and more to come)
YouTube has some fantastic videos on soldering Surface-Mount Components.
Article: Touch Switch Circuits added 20/8/07
More added to P3 of 555 article (subscription section)
Added more symbols to Circuit Symbols  12/8/07
Added Energy Discussion to Discussions 12/8/07
Added 1.5v LED Flasher to Flasher Circuits 12/8/07
Added pages to Circuit Tricks 10/8/07

The Inductor - more added to P3   21/6/07
Added more items to page 6 of: "Spot the Mistake"  6/6/07
Added OP-AMP links to links page.     5/6/07

Discussion  P11 - more jokes added 3/6/07
Added CD 4017  animation to Chip Data eBook  1/6/07

Added more items to page 5 of: "Spot the Mistake"  1/6/07
Infinity Bug   Modifications added 11/5/07
Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine - get a subscription to this interesting business magazine.
T- Rays  - the ray of the future - added 12/12/06
US Navy Electronics Course - added 7/12/06
White LED Drive Circuits

Electronics Index - from A to Z - extremely valuable resource - added 27/11/06
Electronic projects from Make Magazine
Make Magazine - lots of projects
A Free Downloadable eBook on Electronics called: "Fundamentals of Electronics"
Oled website - the latest in displays  - added 17-10-2006
New article: Diesel Sound    added15-10-2006
New article: Tunnel Stretcher  added10-10-2006
New article: Level Crossing Lights  added10-10-2006
New article: Charging NiMH Cells
New project: Logic Pulser - ideal for testing digital circuits
New project: Battery Charger 12v SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) - added 22/09/06  
4049 and 4069 added to Chip Data eBook   added 8/9/06
New project: Wireless Doorbell - added 5/09/06  

Article on OIL added to:  Discussion  P15 - added 4/09/06
PCB123 Lead Free PC Boards  - that's "Pb" free on the solder lands
Two new links on our left-hand index:
ElectronicsTeacher 
                                                      Electronics for Beginners

New Project. PIR Camera. A digital camera takes photos when movement is
       detected by a PIR. - added 23/07/06
New
Article: Discussion  P15 - added 4/05/06
New
Article: The Power Supply 5/2/06 - Includes the new 97% efficient "7805"
A new Printed Circuit Board program has been released by:

Download Now

New project: Stress Meter - added 11/01/06    A PIC12F629 project

Robot Links (see: Articles by Other Authors) - 0ver 1,000 links
Articles by Other Authors  An amazing collection of very interesting articles.
New project: Power Supply 5v Solar - added 24/12/05
New Surface Mount Board  - added 23/12/05
Basic Electronics Course -  P79  P80 (subscription needed) - added 23/12/05
Spot the Mistake   P4  - new item added 22/12/05

Library of sub-routines for PIC12F629 microcontroller  -  added 22/12/05
Resistors Made Easy - added link-resistor (zero ohms) 22/12/05
Circuit Symbols - new symbols added 19/12/05
Start Here with PIC12F629 microcontroller - added 15/12/05
Circuit Symbols - new symbols added 12/12/05
Spot the Mistake   P4  - new item added 5/12/05
The Inductor - Table of Inductance values - added 4/12/05
Bug Detector - Detects FM Transmitters - added 3/12/05
P67 of BEC course - added Timer delay circuit  2/12/05
Solar Light  -  Solar Garden Light article added 2/12/05
Surface Mount - all about surface mount devices.   Added 16/11/05
Infinity Bug   Project added 14/11/05
Transistor Data  Page added 10/11/05
Discussion  P11 - additional comment
Spot the Mistake   P4  - new item added
Discussion  P14   - the art of soldering the new lead-free (Pb-free) way.
Spot the Mistake   P1  diagram 9
Cracking a PIC Chip
Diagram 11 on Page 12 of PIC Theory. Resistors have been increased to 120R
2-Input Alarm - uses a PIC chip P1
Basic Electronics Course -  P79  P80 (subscription needed for access)
Newsletter  P4
Discussion  P12 
Discussion  P13   - the art of learning a subject 
Flasher Circuits - Start with the simplest circuit: A LED Flasher
PCB Survey - Pad2Pad manufacturers PC boards. Do you make your own PCB's?
Spot the Mistake P4
Chip Data eBook has been updated from 470KB to 570KB. Download the eBook.


Hundreds of "Test Questions:"
This site provides hundreds of test questions on electronics:

http://openbookproject.net//books/socratic/doc/topical.html



Free Electronics Magazine
A fantastic electronics magazine is available for download and the past issues are FREE!
A subscription is available for future issues and the website is:
http://www.theiet.org/education/supportteachers/electronicseducation/

Here is a list of the past issues and the file size:

"
Electronics Education" Magazine:

Get a free email subscription to Electronics Design News:
Click HERE for the FREE subscription. You'll get:

* The first take on news & events in the electronics industry.
* All the latest technical articles, design ideas, news & opinions from EDN.
* Resources and exclusive kit review and ratings.


Pad2Pad Printed Circuit Board Poll Results:
We have had lots of replies.
Many hobbyists have paid for a professional PCB and been very satisfied with the end-result.
But there's one thing you must remember.
If the project is fairly complex, you may need to modify the circuit, add components, change the layout or alter the tracks. And this means your first effort may need a second or third board.
If you think you can go from a circuit diagram to a PC board, and everything will work, you are kidding yourself. Unless you have made lots of projects and know exactly what you are doing, most circuits will not work the first time.
There are lots of things that will prevent it from working - depending on the complexity and the frequency of operation.
Things creep in like stray capacitance or positioning of components and you may need a second or even a third prototype, before you are satisfied with the performance. And will add considerably to the cost of the project.
To reduce the costs, I suggest the use of one of our Matrix Boards, such as the one shown below:


It has the order No: PK-MB2450 and by simply placing the components on the top side and connecting the pads with very fine tinned copper wire, you will produce a very neat layout. Don't forget to place the IC's in sockets so they are not damaged. You can even re-use the board and the components, although many of the parts will have very short leads, so the additional cost of prototyping will be very low. 
Once you are satisfied with the operation of the circuit, you can copy the layout using the CAD program provided by Pad2Pad and you will have a much greater chance of the circuit working perfectly the first time.
Even if you are not in the need of a board at the moment, go to the site and download the program to create some artwork to get an idea of how to use it.
All packages take a while to learn and it's best to get some experience before you need make a board - so you don't get frustrated when the pressure is on.
Try it as soon as you can, you will be impressed with the features. 

PERPETUAL MOTION
Do I believe in Perpetual Motion? Yes.
Do I believe it is here? No.
There has not been any scientific evidence that any device can rotate indefinitely without any input-energy or produce any output without any input-energy.
We have got very close (even to the extent of 99.9%) but that magical figure of 100% has not been obtained.
That doesn't mean we should not keep trying, but as a practical person I prefer to explore the potentials of using the vast amount of energy that already surrounds us.
The sun provides 1kw per square metre on a brightly-lit day, the wind provides considerable energy in a windy location and the tide, waves and streams provide enormous potential for harnessing energy.
So, to get down to practicalities, let's consider the energy from the sun in the form of solar-cell voltage production and heat via solar-heat collection. (You will need to go to other websites for solar-heat production as we are very interested in this area but it does not involve electronics.)
Some of the new projects we are working on include charging storage cells via a solar panel and using an inverter to provide charging when the panel is not producing a high output. See our solar projects in the index on the left side of the site and these will include links to other projects .

Invention-assistance FRAUD
I almost got caught by the Davison Invention assistance company. I have a number of products that need development and Davison had sent me emails as to how they had assisted so many inventors with their inventions.
It all sounded "so easy."
I sent them an outline of the idea. It was an electronic module for greeting cards. When you open the card, it contains a game such as a Reaction Timer to test your reaction. Two pressure-sensitive buttons and a 7-segment display tested the players timing. The 7-segment display was made from LEDs and was low-profile.
The module needed to be made in tens of thousands to keep the price low.
Davison looked at the idea and gave it the "go ahead."
Then they phoned me with the spiel that they needed to do a patent search for $685.
I said I could do that myself, and anyway these ideas cannot be found in any greeting cards.
Davison said it was imperative that they do the search before taking on the idea.
I told them that anyone taking on my invention would need to do their own "due diligence" and anything I provided would have to be verified by them.
That was not good enough for Davison.
I said I had absolutely no intention of parting with $685 for a search.
Davison then hung up the phone on me.
I then thought I would Google "Davison."
What a surprise!
A whole website has been set up, exposing the fraudulent behavior of this company. Some inventors have parted with $10,000 and more, developing prototypes and packaging so Davison can show a photo of all the products they have "developed." None of these products have actually reached the shop shelves. They are all prototypes in prototype packaging and some inventors have been strung along for 2 years!
In this world, there are only two things you can rely on. And they are on the end of your own two arms.
Getting an invention to market is not easy and is fraught with dangers and high costs. It certainly does not need a "Davison FRAUD" company to enter the picture.
Even getting a thing produced overseas is not easy as most manufacturers have a range of products and they are not really equipped to produce something new.
If you can find a company that produces something similar to yours, you have a slim chance that they can help, but most of the components in a product are made by other, smaller, companies and you will never be able to actually reach the manufacturer.
Secondly, companies do not have the money to develop any of your ideas and the cost of development is very high.
This means you will not make a cent out of the first 10,000 items and that's why you need to look at very large quantities.
I don't want to put you off, but don't think any of the items in a $2.00 store have appeared overnight. Everything is a lot of work and even the packaging and labeling needs a considerable amount of attention.
If you have any "electronic idea" that you want mass-produced, let me know as I have now found reliable contacts in China and the modules are getting organized.


Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
How do you know if a "Get-Rich-Quick Scheme" is a FRAUD?
It's simple. They are ALL FRAUD.
I am constantly being bombarded with emails on: "how to get rich quick."
They are all either fraud or simply a business designed to "rope-in" your friends and family.
Many of them are a "Pyramid Scheme" in which you get a commission when you get 5 or 10 friends to join.
I have asked 3 promoters of "million dollar" schemes to fax me a copy of their Tax Return (the only true indication of their wealth). I have never received a reply.
Before you join any "scheme," ask to see the Tax Return for the business. A non-reply will answer all your questions.
The latest is a revised version of the "Nigerian Money Scam." It asks for assistance in transferring money into your account. If you see an email with "$1,000,000" on it, delete it immediately. This is the quickest way to get rid or your junk emails. I get hundreds like this EVERY DAY!

Our latest email:

Hi,
Just sent in my order for the Pic Lab 1 and the Multi Programmer.
FYI, I attend Burning Man every year and there is a whole range of amazing projects out there. Go to: Cubatron if you want an example of one.
Many projects use LED's, EL wire and other electronics to achieve interesting effects. This past summer I built two four foot long geckos out of conduit and cyclone fence wire based on a 6" beaded wire gecko sculpture I have at home, a very cute art piece.
I used a PIC-driven RGB color wash board to illuminate the eyeballs of the two geckos, and I strung 400-500 colored LED's on the ribs to form a beautiful animated skin on the pieces.
It came out pretty well. My ambition and goal is to make similar creatures that are solar powered and animated by PIC chips and LED's. The Cubatron illustrates what can be done with network addressable LED's. I'm hoping to work my way up to doing something like that on my pieces.
Thanks. Looking forward to getting the kit and getting started.
Todd
Todd@infoasis.com

An email from a constructor:

Two years ago I purchased a pre-made PIC-lab 1 and multi-chip programmer. It has been one of the greatest investments I have made. I have since taught my self how to program PICs and developed many ideas into working breadboard prototypes. All of this was possible due to the amazing wealth of information on the site and CD. Not only have I been so pleased with the hardware, which is still my only programmer I use but also with the support I have received since my purchase so long ago. Thanks for such a great experience Talking Electronics.

Jim
Chicago, il USA



Another email from a constructor:

Good day Colin: 
I have just completed another kit I purchased from you (my second PIC LICK).  Excellent kit as usual!
 I usually use my own solder when soldering but this time I used the one in the kit.
I found this solder to be excellent - far superior to the Kester type I am using.
Could you to tell me what brand and where I can purchase it?
For your information I have also built a couple of kits from Germany (KENO kits).
They are complete junk!  If I didn't need them for a client I would have thrown them
in the garbage.  Your kits are by far the best I have ever built, followed by CANAKIT
and then by Quasar in England.
 
Best regards, 
Rodney Luck

We are the first kit manufacturer in Australia to provide solder with all kits. It is 0.71mm diameter with 5 cores of flux. It improves the quality of your soldering by at least 200% and makes you look like a professional. The secret is its fineness. You will not believe how it will improve your soldering. Try it. I did and I have never used thick solder since.
- Colin

And from another constructor:

T
hanks for publishing your 5x7 LED matrix project. I doubled the size of the display to 7x10 and designed the board in Proteus 7.1   I made the project and it works fine.  I changed the programs so the logic is inverted. In my design the port sees 0v when a button is pushed.  The photo below shows the final design:


7x10 Matrix from one of our readers


Gustavo - from Columbia

This is exactly what we want you to do.
It's only when you change something and it works, can you say you really understand what you are doing. This is a perfect example of "going further!"
-Colin



Any subscribers who have/had a subscription to
POPTRONICS Interactive
will be entitled to receive a lifetime entry to TALKING ELECTRONICS Interactive
(this site) by contacting (Colin Mitchell).
 All subscriptions entitle you to a lifetime entry to the site -  not just a "one year"  or "one month" entry!


POPTRONICS
It was sad to see the demise of POPTRONICS. The magazine had a history of more than 50 years of publishing with its forerunners going back to the days of  electricity and crystal sets.
It was one of the editions (under a previous name) that presented the world's first computer in kit-form. Even though it did almost nothing (compared to today's standards), it started a revolution that is today's "miracle of electronics."
Don't be fooled. It was not the corporate enterprises that created the interest in computers. It was the back-yard hobbyist. It was the enthusiasm of programmers that turned the computer from a number-crunching scientific monster to a household, user-friendly, product.
And for this you can thank brilliant hobbyists/programmers. They were all phenomenally clever - even thinking of the @ sign for an email address is brilliant!
Computers were originally the size of a room and cost $1,000,000. After spending a year or more on simplifying the design and reducing the size, IBM came up with a $15,000 desk-top product that was enormously complex and almost impossible for the average user to get operational. It flopped totally.
It was the kit (mentioned above) and lots of hobbyists that changed the whole picture. They produced software and games that absolutely exploded the capabilities of the computer.
The two things that accelerated this was the concept of exchanging programs AT NO COST and COMPUTER SWAP-MEETS - these concepts are completely foreign to "industry."
Exactly the same explosion took place with the internet, to make it the most valuable technological introduction of the past 20 years.
Again, you can thank the "hobbyist."
It is undeniable that an enormous amount of capability lies in the hands of "you" and "me," the hobbyist. That's why we are so important. That's why it is such a pity that we have not banded together to create an electronics hobbyist's magazine for the "paper-formatted" market. Unfortunately this hasn't happened and it was sad to see POPTRONICS go.

This site
is produced by Colin Mitchell and the approach is completely different to anything you have seen before. We answer your emails and help you with anything within our capability. We are here to help you achieve a goal. This must be of an electronics nature - as this is our only field of expertise. We have been active in this field for the past 30 years and are fully conversant with the basics.

THE AMAZING WEB
I have always said the web is the most amazing "product, item  or thing" to be invented in the 20th Century, and this has been confirmed by a recent email.
It said the majority of Americans spend more time on the internet than watching television!
It went on the say 160,000 new customers are signing up for the internet each week.
You can multiply this figure many-fold when you include world-wide subscriptions and as new features are added to search engines, you will find it much easier to reach the type of sites you are looking for.
You may not realize it, but the Internet started in 1963 as ARPAnet - an Advanced Research Program of the US Military.   
It was designed to get messages through, no matter what happened or which computers (& areas) were no longer accessible. Over time their suppliers were added in, then the Universities & Libraries, and eventually the world.   
There were no graphics then - everything was done in UNIX commands.
By the 80's, users could visit the CERN labs in Switzerland, Chiba University in Japan, and the archives of the University of New South Wales in Australia and download the info ... all with a 2400-baud dial-up modem!
But things rapidly improved.
In 1994 the "Internet" was replaced with the "World Wide Web."
Suddenly we were thrust into an arena of brilliant graphics, flashing text & a whole lot of really great designs. In the 12 years since then, everything has evolved. No one could foresee how HTML would evolve, languages like PHP and Java would enter, modems would go from 2400 baud to broadband - or the rise of entities like Yahoo! and Google.
It's SO different we really shouldn't even refer to it as the Internet any more.    Everything since 1994 has just been incremental - little steps that constantly upgraded the users experience. Overall they had a major impact, but not any one step itself.  The next MAJOR change is already underway, though really just taking it's first steps.
This year, 2006, will see the first real strides in converting the Web to an audio-video universe - complete with infomercials.
We've all seen small videos online, and audio is becoming more prevalent every day. But as of the end of 2005, half of all American Internet connections are broadband, using either cable or phone lines for the most part. And numbers are similar in many parts of the world.
This will enable full-screen recorded video or live streaming video sites to come.
We are in the process of producing small videos of our kits and products to show  how they operate.
Keep watching for more news about this.

We have added two pages of links we found very interesting and they can be found here:  P1 links   P2 Links

JUNK EMAILS
Just when I thought the internet was going to provide us with better communications, we find scammers and junk email clogging up the works.
I thought the time was ripe for a global network of technical information to be introduced via this amazing medium.
No only would it arrive instantly, but it could be presented in full color, at almost no cost and consist of text, photos, animations and audio links.
By combining the output from universities, R&D departments, technical journals, Patents Office and other technical resources, we could have the most up-to-date information at our fingertips each day.
Technology is advancing and changing so rapidly that some technical electronics journals are now being printed every 2 weeks -  as an indication of the need for immediate information.
Imagine the savings in paper, printing and postage, to have the "magazine" sent to each subscriber via the internet!
I wonder why it hasn't happened?
Maybe the number of subscribers with internet access (or regular use of the internet) is smaller than we think?
Maybe I'm thinking too far into the future.
I know it will happen.
It's the future and it's a brilliant concept.
Can you imagine getting all the latest articles, journals, projects and releases from around the world, each day?
Each newsletter would consist of thumbnail photo's, a brief description and a link.
By clicking the link you would be taken to the full article.
Surely this is not too difficult?  It's just a matter of getting all the separate sectors to combine.
I had hoped the technology sector would have done this by now, rather than junk email operators filling up the internet, sending me phony emails to say I had won $2,000,000 in a lottery, or $500 cash from a casino!
Not only am I receiving 95% junk but they are all fraud!
Even low interest loans or $2,000 cash into your account, are either deceptive or  fraud. They all have to be deleted. But you need to be careful not to mix them up with an email from a legitimate source.
"Scam Software" or any form of filtering is useless as it cannot differentiate between a request and a scam . . .unfortunately I have to laboriously go through every email!
The filtering networks consider the short note I send to subscribers as "SPAM!" This proves filtering is absurd!  What word or combination of words could I possibly use in a short note to infer you don't want to receive my message?
And the most stupid part is, university teachers apply the filter to my emails and don't get my messages!  What can I say?
How can we reduce junk emails and increase technical thru-put?
The big problem is the technology sector does not provide enough funding to keep the internet profitable. It takes fraudsters to keep it operating!
What a distorted world!

A CAREER
It doesn't matter if you want to sell electronic items, design them; or build them, you will need to "talk" like you know the subject. This "talk" is called "jargon." It uses correct terminology as well as short words such as "micky" for microfarad, "puff" for picofarad and bezel for the covering over a globe (not benzel or beeeezel), to name a few. This is the sort of thing we will be teaching you, as well as the basics of electronics and how to program microcontrollers.
The site contains two sections - the FREE section and the subscription section containing the Basic Electronics Course and PIC Microcontroller Course.
There are hundreds of pages of theory, notes and projects for the beginner-to-electronics as well as the hobbyist. You need to go to FREE projects and Subscription Index to see the content and go through the pages methodically, to prevent missing anything. The web is the medium of the future. Printing costs are zero, the pages are endless and color can be added at no extra expense. But unlike a book, you cannot see how much is available as it is "hidden" on our server. That's why you have to go though things slowly.
Once you get the "hang of things," it will prove to be everything you have ever wanted.
To make sure you are kept up to date with the latest additions to the site, sign up for
FREE projects
You will not be bombarded with advertisements but the cost of the site will have to be covered and that's why our back-up features including the sale of kits, CD's, subscriptions to the PIC Programming Course and Basic Electronics Course will be promoted throughout the pages.
Hopefully, other contributors will be adding to the site. Some schools have informed me they will be presenting their material on the web and I will let you know as soon as this is available. It has been 12 months now and nothing has been received!
This site has over 400 pages. Rather than download the 30Meg of material, our CD is a convenient way to peruse it.
At the moment we are the only interactive site on the web and the feedback we are getting is enormous. Readers are saying they are starting to understand electronics in a way they have never experienced before. With a little bit of effort, you can learn too.

THE SITE:

The layout of this site is exactly like our CD with frames to make everything easy to navigate. The CD of the site is available to subscribers and non-subscribers by clicking the "FREE CD" or "Buy CD" link on the left. If you are a subscriber to TALKING ELECTRONICS Interactive
(this site), the CD is FREE. If you are not a subscriber, the cost is $9.95 posted. (All prices on this website are
US$)
The emphasis is to TEACH ELECTRONICS and not merely "present an item." Everything is backed by a kit of components and a professionally-made PC board with overlay (legend), tinned-lands and solder mask.
The author of the site is Colin Mitchell. He has produced over 25 books and sold over 750,000 copies, spanning some 20 years.
All his knowledge has now been channeled into this website and you will find his approach is completely revolutionary. Some say it's "Mitchellism," some say it is "reverse-learning" and others liken it to being "thrown in at the deep end."
In essence, the thrust is to get you to start putting projects together as soon as possible and go to the theory sections as the need arises.
This has proven to be a much faster way of learning as enthusiasm is maintained, and the act of handling components cements your understanding.
That's what this site is all about.
It's designed to make electronics fun.
It offers a wide range of projects , from a simple "Light the LED" design to a microcontroller project - and lots of ideas between.
The site offers two main courses. BASIC ELECTRONICS and PIC MICROCONTROLLER PROGRAMMING. In these courses, mathematics has been kept to a minimum as there are plenty of text books to weigh you down with formulas.
Our aim is to "shoot you ahead" as fast as possible and show that once you get an "interest in electronics" - you can be heading for a career-path. 
We have a number of letters and articles on the site, from readers who have made a career-path along the lines we are promoting. You will see these as you work your way through the material.


CD PROBLEMS
Some readers are having trouble opening TALKING ELECTRONICS Interactive CD. Here are some solutions: (these are included with the CD as a readme.txt)

If the front page of TALKING ELECTRONICS Interactive flashes on the
screen and disappears, the fault may lie in the settings on your computer.
We have located a problem with Windows 95 and Windows 98 as follows:

1. Load INTERNET EXPLORER. Go to TEXT OPTIONS at the top of screen.
2. CLICK TOOLS, then INTERNET OPTIONS
           (a dialog box will open: INTERNET OPTIONS)
3. Click on the top tab: ADVANCED.
4. Scroll down to the heading (HTTP 1.1 settings)
5. Make sure a tick is in the option: use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections
6. Click (APPLY) and then (OK).      Close INTERNET EXPLORER
7. Restart "START.HTML" so that it opens in a new INTERNET EXPLORER.


Here is another solution as found by Derek Vane    derekvane@iprimus.com.au

I found my problem with the opening page on the CD, flashing on and off.
I was running W98 with internet explorer 5. I fixed the problem as soon as I
installed Internet Explorer 6.
I hope that this might help others with the same trouble.

From: Zolkafli [zolarius@tm.net.my]

I managed to make the CD work after installing the programs/browsers/ie6 and ie6setup that came with the CD. I have also tried with Windows ME with no problem.


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Newsletter continued:  Page 2
1-2-08