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TECHFORUM<br />

This is a READER-TO-READER Column.<br />

All questions AND answers are submitted by <strong>Nuts</strong> & <strong>Volts</strong> readers and are intended to promote the exchange of ideas and provide assistance<br />

for solving problems of a technical nature. Questions are subject to editing and will be published on a space available basis if deemed suitable<br />

by the publisher. Answers are submitted by readers and NO GUARANTEES WHATSOEVER are made by the publisher. The implementation of<br />

any answer printed in this column may require varying degrees of technical experience and should only be attempted by qualified individuals.<br />

Always use common sense and good judgement!<br />

All questions and answers should<br />

be sent by email to forum@nuts<br />

volts.com All diagrams should be<br />

computer generated and sent with your<br />

submission as an attachment.<br />

QUESTIONS<br />

To be considered, all questions should relate<br />

to one or more of the following:<br />

❶ Circuit Design<br />

❷ Electronic Theory<br />

❸ Problem Solving<br />

❹ Other Similar Topics<br />

■ Be brief but include all pertinent information.<br />

If no one knows what you're asking, you<br />

won't get any response (and we probably<br />

won't print it either).<br />

■ Include your Name, Address, Phone Number,<br />

and email. Only your Name, City, and<br />

State will be published with the question,<br />

but we may need to contact you.<br />

■ No questions will be accepted that offer<br />

equipment for sale or equipment wanted to<br />

buy.<br />

■ Selected questions will be printed one<br />

time on a space available basis.<br />

■ Questions are subject to editing.<br />

ANSWERS<br />

■ Include in the subject line of your email,<br />

the question number that appears directly<br />

below the question you are responding to.<br />

■ Payment of $25.00 will be sent if your answer<br />

is printed. Be sure to include your mailing<br />

address or we cannot send payment.<br />

■ Only your Name, City, and State, will be<br />

printed, unless you say otherwise. If you<br />

want your email address included, indicate<br />

to that effect.<br />

■ Comments regarding answers printed in<br />

this column may be printed in the Reader<br />

Feedback section if space allows.<br />

102 April 2006<br />

>>> QUESTIONS<br />

I need some help interfacing<br />

the Pocket Watch B with the<br />

BASIC Stamp and using the pocket<br />

watch to turn some stepper<br />

motors at specified times.<br />

#4061 Damian Katz<br />

via Internet<br />

I recently purchased a Flash<br />

card player. The power unit that<br />

came with it is an AC to DC supply<br />

rated at 5V @ 1.5A. While playing,<br />

it actually is using 620mA.<br />

I wanted to connect to 12V<br />

automobile power by replacing the<br />

AC to DC unit with a 12V to 5V. I<br />

measured the amperage and it too<br />

was 600mA. The problem now<br />

is that the 12V to 5V regulator<br />

overheats and eventually will fail.<br />

What is going on?<br />

#4062 Emery Pudder<br />

via Internet<br />

Does anyone have a circuit to<br />

convert s-video to composite<br />

video (RCA output)?<br />

#4063 Mike Dimatteo<br />

via Internet<br />

My mother is disabled and<br />

can't hear well; one thing she likes<br />

to do is go to the mail box. I built<br />

a device that signals her from<br />

inside the house when the mail<br />

has come, so she does not have<br />

to watch for the postal carrier.<br />

Now, I want to take it a bit further<br />

and connect the device to the TV<br />

and have it send both a message<br />

and a video flag in one corner<br />

while she watches TV. Can someone<br />

help or point me to a device<br />

that can do this? I would welcome<br />

any ideas.<br />

#4064 Anonymous<br />

via Internet<br />

As a police officer who works<br />

one-third of the time on the midnight<br />

shift, I've taken to playing a<br />

CD with a single, large file containing<br />

pink noise to drown out the<br />

daytime noises allowing me a<br />

better period of sleep. While it<br />

works, the reset noise — as the<br />

file is again queued — is annoying.<br />

Pink noise seems to work better<br />

than white in masking sounds.<br />

Simply detuning a receiver<br />

works for white noise, until the<br />

taxi cab or bus transmits right outside<br />

my house. I'm looking for a<br />

way to generate noise, preferably<br />

pink noise, without a radio.<br />

#4065 Steve Wolf, W8IZ<br />

North Olmsted, OH<br />

I would like to hear my TV<br />

audio at a remote location through<br />

external speakers or earphones.

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