May 2025

A short history of Sinclair’s handheld calculators

We revisit the 1970s world of Sinclair Radionics and the world-beating Sinclair calculators that took the market by storm.  A fascinating reminder of how Clive Sinclair’s British-designed calculators forged the way ahead.

Skill Tester 9000 Buzz Wire game

This is a 21^st century take on the old ‘buzz wire’ dexterity game that’s been popular for decades. Its sectional construction adds a variety of features and novelties that enhances the fun factor: there are timers, lights, sound effects and competition between players. It’s built on a single board using classic 4000 CMOS chips and there’s plenty for old and young constructors alike to tackle and enjoy. Part 1 this month describes the circuitry, with construction details following next month.

Techno Talk

Max muses about some of the very latest developments in technology that may be heading our way.

Circuit Surgery

Continuing an intensive primer on the complex topic of digital-signal processing – looking at high-pass, band-pass and band-stop filters this month.

Raspberry Pi 5

A review of the latest offering from the Raspberry Pi range of single-board computers. We take one for a test drive and you can find out what we think about the Raspberry Pi 5 in this month’s article.

USB-C Serial Adaptor

While USB-C to Serial adaptors are commonly available, many of them are not compliant with the USB-C standard and they may also suffer from Windows compatibility problems.  This projects employs a PIC micro and supports rates up to 3Mbaud. It’s built on a double-sided board measuring just 16 x 22mm and will offer no concerns about Windows drivers failing to run.

A kit ref SC6652, AU$20 is available from Silicon Chip – see magazine for details.

Weird & Wonderful Arduino Projects
(Part 5: creating and optimising display algorithms)

More advancements on the retro games console currently under discussion, Max this month delves into the details of coding for colour in this exceptionally insightful instalment.

DC Supply Protectors

These simple circuits are inexpensive to build and will offer over-voltage and reverse-voltage protection for your low-voltage projects. We offer three variants for through-hole and surface-mount fans. Kits are available from Silicon Chip, ref. SC6948/49/50

Adding solar charging to an electric van

Our enterprising contributor from Australia sets about powering a Renault Kangoo ZE van from a solar panel array, kitting it out with an inverter. The results are very surprising! Lots of technical, hands-on expertise is laid bare in this highly intriguing article.

Precision Electronics
Part 5: Noise

Continuing this excellent primer on developing precision circuitry, the thorny problem of noise is addressed this month.

Audio Out

Our analogue audio expert suggests a switchable Class-A/ class-(A)B amplifier that can be built on protoboard.

The Fox Report

Barry Fox explains what’s gone wrong with the world of internet radio receivers, and how many such radios are being ‘bricked’ when the aggregator service they depend on closes down. This article might make you think twice before investing!

The History of Electronics:
Inventors and their Inventions

This highly readable and engaging series continues by listing significant developments and inventions that cannot be attributed to an individual. This month, they are described in chronological order, starting with the year 2750BCE and continuing to cover satellites, computers, calculators and plenty more besides.  Amply illustrated with a multitude of photographs, and a must-read!

Next month

Dual Hybrid Power Supply; The ‘Styloclone’ stylus musical instrument; Dual Mini LED Dice. Contents may be subject to change.