Nuts & Volts
Nuts & Volts
Nuts & Volts
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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 />
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but we may need to contact you.<br />
■ No questions will be accepted that offer<br />
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ANSWERS<br />
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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.