ISSN 0970-3993 coe aa mom (> kes ome - electronics PROJECTS: © 6502 TRACER © LF/HF SIGNAL TRACER © INTEGRATED-CIRCUIT TESTER © LOUDSPEAKER PEAK INDICATOR CUMULATIVE INDEX - 1989Volume —8 Number ~1 January 1990 Publisher: CA. Chandarana Edtor: Surendra tyer CCreulation: advertising: J- Dhas Preduetion : C.N. Mithagari Address’ ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS PVT. LID. 52, € Proctor Road, Bormbay-800 007 INDIA Tolox: (011) 76681 ELEK IN (OVERSEAS EDITIONS Eloktot Eleewonies (eabtaning! Down Hove, room Road, CONDON Swe. Eelitor: Len Seymour tor sar Route Naonale; Lx Seu; BPS Sezr0 Ballou! France Exitoras D'S Mover: Ge Raedaredor liao Veiag Gro Soetoro Strabo 25 ‘tan Aschen = Wert Germany Eahor: A Krorpelzeuer Elotor FE Years Vows — Athens - Greece aor: Xanthoule Eloauvr 8. Feter Treckpeetstast 2-4 (8 iBank the Nethelanes Editor: PEL Korserrakers Se Naseem Pozo Unsbela Chak Keracti§—Patstan {000 Usbow orca ior: Jormics Sequeira Ipgelek 5 Pita Repubica Ecuador ‘2eanoie Macrié Spar, Editor: AM Ferrer Electronic Pross A ox 808 a Tato Huscingo ~ Sweden tit Bil Coarurs Urbis pan ore even Sas ior We me Printed at : Trupti Offset Bombay - 400 013 Copyright © 1990 Eloktuur B.V, CONTENTS Special Features ELECRAMA-90 Asia's biggest fair Cumulative Index for 1989 Audio & Hifi PROJECT: Loudspeaker peak indicator .... ‘Components PROJECT: 6502 Tracer Computers PROJECT: 8096 Evaluation board PROJECT: Hard disk monitor General Interest PROJECT: The digital model train (Part 9) Introduction to digital signal processing .... Test & Measurement PROJECT; LF/HF signal tracer PROJECT: Integrated circuit tester PROJECT: Transistor curve tracer Information News .. Guide lines index of Advertisers... Classified ads ... 1.08 1.36 1.56 157 143 1.48 . 1.88 1.20 1.37 129 1.86 1.86 ‘We thank all our readers for c continued support and wish you all A Prosperous and Peaceful New Year! eir ‘ketone jomiany 1980 1.03LF/HF SIGNAL TRACER Second in our series of budget test equipment, the signal tracer presented here is a versatile instrument that offers a signal generator, a tracing amplifier, a millivolt meter and an AF monitor amplifier with loudspeaker output in a single, compact enclosure. These functions make the instrument particularly suited to testing, servicing and aligning a wide range of electronic equipment. One particularly useful feature of the present sinal tracer is that every one o' functions mentioned above i available separately. For instance, the preamplifier with accurately defined, selectable, gain may be used as a ‘drop-in’ amplifier which is often required for measurements at low signal levels. Similarly, the sine- wave oscillator, the millivolt meter and the monitor amplifier may be used on their own. Input circuit The signal tracer has two inputs —see the circuit diagram in Fig. 1. The LF (low fre- quency) input socket is connected direct to a high-impedance (1 MQ) resistor lad- 1,20 creeorin onary 1080Fig. 1. der network. The HF inputalso feeds this network via a germanium diode, Di, and a coupling capacitor, C). The LF input socket is used for all alternating-voltage nyeasurements. The HF input is intended for tracing amplitude-modulated (AM) high-frequency signals in receiver cir- cuits, The diode and the coupling capaci- tor form an AM demodulator whose output signal is fed to the resistor ladder network. Next, level selection switch St passes the signal to the input of ICi. The AM demodulator is particularly suited to repair work on receivers and communica- tions equipment, and enables amplitude- modulated audio and video signals at intermediate frequencies to be traced. Double-pole rotary switch Si functions as a range selector (Sie) and an on/olf switch Si») The voltage range of both inputs is 0 V to 100 V, as determined by the relevant rating of the input capacitor. In theory, the Iowest setting of the range switch (contact 6 of Sia) creates a 1,000 V range. Apart from being far outside the voltage rating of the input capacitor, such a range has no practical use in combination with a milli- volt meter having a dB (decibel) read-out. Switch positions 1 (10 mV) through 5 Circuit diagram of the versatile signal tracer. (100 V) form the normal ranges, divided into decades. The instrument is turned off by selecting position 6 The 100 V range should be ample for most applications’ afterall, a peak voltage 100 V, supplied by an AF amplifier with 4 output impedance, corresponds to a power output of no less than 1,250 W. Diodes D7 and Ds protect the high-im- pedance input amplifier, ICi, against volt- age peaks greater than about 100 V. Resistor Rio and the two diodes can not, however, afford protection against con- tinuous overvoltage. The input may be givena higher maximum input voltage by increasing Rie, but only at the cost of a significant bandwidth reduction The high input impedance (1 MQ) of the signal tracer is inevitably coupled to a relatively large, negative, effect of stray capacitance associated with the resistors and the rotary switch. Capacitors C2 through Cs are provided to compensate this capacitance, and result ina3 dB band- width of about 350 kiiz. ‘A low-power CMOS opamp Type ‘TLC271 is used as the input amplifier be cause it offers high input impedance and bandwidth when powered from a single supply rail. The required drive margin is ensured with potential divider Re-Rs, which holds the + input of the opamp at about half the supply voltage. The high value of these resistors, 22 MQ, ensures that the resistor ladder network is only lightly loaded. Tracing amplifier The output signal of the input amplifier, IG, fs applied to a linear potentiometer, Pi, before it arrives at the input of the ‘measurement amplifier, a discrete circuit around Ti and Ts. Preset P2 allows the range of P' ta be set to about 20 6B, comre- sponding to the ranges of S). The poten- tiometer serves as 8 variable attenuator that enables a particular reference level to be set on the moving-coil meter. If, for instance, the reference level is set 100 dB, the -3 dB and ~6 dB levels are easily read from the meter scale. The measurement amplifier has a bandwidth of about 800 KHz, The lower cutoff frequency isset to16 Hz by Cis, the decoupling capacitor with feedback resis- tor Rut. A lower cut-off frequency would be achievable by a increasing C's. This is not recoramended, however, since it leng- thens the stabilization period of the in- trina arvry 190 1.21dl tI Fig. 2. strument at power-on. With Cis at the given value, this stabilization period takes about 1 s, Feedback network Ru-Ri7 is dimensioned for a voltage amplification of 100 (40 dB). ‘The power stage of the measurement amplifier has an output impedance of about 6002, as determined by Rx-Ro The output signal is fed to socket Ks via Cis, to the moving-coil meter circuit via Crs, and to a small monitor amplifier via Cr, Sunimarizing the above, the circuit be- tween the LF input socket and the 600.0 output is a calibrated amplifier with high bandwidth, having a gain range of ~40 dB to +40 dB in 20 UB steps, and an addi tional, continuously variable, 20 dB atte- nuator, The meter circuit The passive rectifier with germanium diodes D2 ~ Ds and moving-coil meter M: 1.22 eto in offers a relatively high bandwidth and a slightly logarithmic’ behaviour inthe lower part of the meter range, which allows a dB scale to be made that is easily read (see the scale design in Fig. 3) The Type AAZI8 diodes drop only 0.15 Vata forward current of 50 WA, and hardly affect the linearity in thelower part ‘of the meter scale. Although other, sin lar, germanium diodes may be used, it should be noted that these may have slightly different characteristics, requir- ing the given meter scale to be modified. ‘The value of electrolytic eapacitor Cis connected across the meter terminals has been chosen to stabilize the indication at relatively low frequencies without slow- ing down the average value conversio Silicon diode Ds protects the meter coil against voltages greater than about 0.6 V The meter circuit is simple to align controls Pi and Si are set to 0-dB, and preset Ps is adjusted for full-scale deflec- tion (F sd.) when an alternating voltage of The printed-circuit board is geared to tho front-penel foll to give a compact and simple-lo-bulld tost instrument. 1 Vins is applied to the LF input. The fs, values in the other decade ranges of S: are 10 mV (40 dB), 100 mV (-20 dB), 10 V (420 dB) and 100 V (440 dB). The meter may, of course, be provided witha voltage scale, provided this is corrected a5 Te- quired by the non-linear indication at small deflections. ‘The meter used for the prototype has a double scale, which was found particular- ly useful for AF measurements, The upper scale indicates dBs relative to 1 mW into 6002, and has a 0 4B indication corre- sponding to 0.775 V. The f..d. value of 1V is reached at an AF signal level slightly higher than +2 dB. On the lower 4B scale, the 0 dB indication at £s.d. is defined at a voltage level of 1 V Monitor amplifier The monitor amplifier, ICs, receives the ‘output signal of the measurement ampli- fier via coupling capacitor Cis. The lanlr= 1M0: 1% Fe = 100k; 1% Fa = 104 1% HO; 195 Fe = 1000 1% Fe = 1193; 1% (E96) Fr 665 1% (E96) ‘oe = 22M Fra= 78k Riise = 2208 ReaihisiR17 Ras = 10k “Rea 1000 : | Aie3ig | Rise 1200. Rise « 470 | Renfes = the eats Aa = 100k esas = 4k7 Ps = 10k ingar potentiometer 2\Pa = 10k preset H B4,P5 = {0k iogailimic potentiometer. Capacitors: Gr = 10n ceramic r= ape a= i009 GarSaucrs = 100 5G 10n Gace = 100 r= 8200 Con 82n Gas= 110; mer aioe = 220); 10 Gro 220n CiniGie = YOu: 10 Gee0r = 10; 10 Gis = 1004; 6V3 Gi 47H 10V Gis = 6340 70 Gsa= 820 GzGse- 224; 10 V zi = 470 Gecwe- 4701; 10 Gz = 1004. 16 Ga ara Gx: = 10) 16 V; racial es) C31 10u; 10Viraciat Cx =2%p ore Ds Dis» N48 TiTeTa= 805506 Ts= 805600 ‘To=BFO56A sorice=Tucert ico=LMg86 {G4 7808 or 7809 Miscollancous: Si = PCB-mount dua-pole -vay roy switch. ‘S2=miriature SPDT switch. ffi = 50 uA moving-coll meter. e.94.Mona Cor Tp PA. ore co 2 68 = 8.0; 0.5 W loudspeaker. KEI = oaled BNC ook, fe, Monacot order code $4.1880 Enclosure: e.g, Tele! LC-850 (C:l Electro: PCB Type 690783 Front-panel fol Type 890183-F iai Type LM386 AF amplifier chip is used ina standard application circuit with a Bouicherot network, Cais, a its output The input signal for the amplifier is duced by Ret to a level where full drive coincides with fd. on the meter, This level results in an output voltage of about 8 Vop (22 Vim), oF 0.56 W into a load re- sistance of 8 ©. The outpitt signal is made available on the front panel of the instru tent to enable an external loudspenker or 2 pair of headphones to be connected. Sine-wave oscillator A high-quality sine-wave oscillators pro- vided to locate faulty AF circuits by means of the audible distortion they introduce. The oscillator consists of a Type TLC271 opamp with a Wien-bridge feedback cir- cuit, Cot-Res and C2s-Rey, to achieve ampli- tude stabilization. Feedback circuit Rui-Rv-Ts determines the closed-loop am- plification of the oscillator. The drain- Source junction of the FET forms resistor whose value is a function of the output voltage rectified by Dit and fed back tothe gate. Resistor Rs determines the mini- mum amplification when the FET is turned off completely, and at the same time linearizes the control characteristic. The test oscillator has a_distortion lower than 0.05% at a second harmonic level of ~75 dB. The output frequency is about 1 kHz, and the output signal level is adjustable between 0 Vand 1.8 Vins. Power supply The on-board § V regulator allows an ine expensive mains adapter to be used with fan output voltage of about 12 V. The BY regulator, ICs, may be replaced by a 9 V Type 7808. It is also possible to power the instrument from a single 9 V battery, or a battery pack Consisting of six 1.5 V mone- cells, When a battery is used, ICt is omitted, and a wire is fitted to connect the holes provided for ils input and output terminals. Current consumption of the signal tracer depends mainly on the drive ap- plied to the monitor amplifier. At relative- ly low volumes, the instrument draws 15 mA to 18 mA from a9 V baitery. Construction The printed-circuit board (Fig. 2) and the front-panel foil (Fig. 3) are both available ready-made, and make the signal tracer « simple-to-build project by reducing the wiring toa minimum. All sockets and car trols are mounted direct on to the printed- circuit board, which is fitted vertically behind the front panel. The distance be- tween the front panel and the printed-cir- cuit board is determined by the length of the spindle of the rotary switch. The rear panel of the enclosure holds the supply socket, the loudspeaker and the battery holder, if used, © Fig. 3. LLay-out of the front-panel foll, which is available ready-made (shown at 60%4). stor ns jamary 190 1.23,THE DIGITAL MODEL TRAIN PART 9: KEYBOARDS by T. Wigmore The keyboards used in the Elektor Electronics Digital Train System can each control eight turnouts (points) or signals or a mixture of these. They also enable other switching functions to be carried out (there are 16 impulse contacts or eight make/break contacts, depending on the decoder). In principle, any number of keyboards may be connected to the main board. In essence, the system allows signals to be controlled in two different ways, in addi- tion to the traditional one of using discrete ‘switches. The most obvious one is with the aid of Keyboards, Each of the turnouts (points) and signals then has its own switch that may be incorporated in a switchboard whose layout resembles that of the track, Each Keyboard (wihich can not be used with the Marklin system) contains 16 switches that enable eight turnouts or sig- nals (each with two solenoids) or 16 sic ings or loops (or seven turnouts and two sidings or loops, and so on) to be con- tolled. This is, of course , true only if the associated turnout and signal decoders or universal switching decoders are provided fon the track. Any number of keyboards may simply be interconnected. ‘The RS232 interface (which will be the subject of next month's article) is the other way of controlling signals and turnouts, particularly when the track is an extensive ‘one. It can, of course, only be used in con- junction with a computer. ‘The LEDs on the keyboards indicate the actual position of the signals and turn- outs, irrespective of whether these are switched via the keyboard or via the RS232 interface. The keyboards may be deactu ed by a suitable program via the interface to enable fully automatic operation. Circuit description It will be seen that the circuit diagram in Fig. 57 consists of two identical parts above and below connectors K; and Ky: in fact, it shows the cireuit for two keyboards. This is also the case with the printed-cir- cuit board: Fig. 59 thus holds two key- board circuits. Operation will be descri- bed on the basis of the top half of Fig, 57. Connectors K, and K; form the parallel Keyboard bus; all their terminals bar one are interconnected. The exception is pin 10, ‘which is the line that indicates whether a key is depressed. Circuit [Cy is a digital multiplexer. The eight switches on all connected keyboards are scanned simultaneously via lines A, 1.24 stern jamin 1980 B,C and Enable) from the mother board (Gee Fig. 50 ~ Part 8), When a key is depres- sed, the associated input of IC, is logic high. When that input is selected, the Y ‘output (pin 6) will go low, which is passed on to the mother board via gates Nz and Nj, The yellow LED on that board then lights. All other keys are deactuated at that instant, because the associated switching instruction is be processed first. When the Y ouput (pin 5) becomes active, the keyboard address buffer, ICs, is enabled. The keyboard address (81 possi ble combinations, set with the aid of jumpers) is then placed on to the keyboard aderess bus. This address enables the sys- fem t0 deduce to which corresponding decoder the switching instruction must be sent The associated turnout sub-aceress that dletermines which ofthe eight decoder out- pus has to become active is derived from the combined signals A, Band C with Which the relevant depressed key was found. When a key is pressed, a switching truction is placed on to the zails four ws; when it is released, a reset instruc- Sion is sent four times to the same decoder address Circuits IC; (addressable bistables) and IC; (address comparator) provide a visual Indication of the actual position ofthe sig- nal or turnout When the system carries ont a switeh- ing instruction (at most a few milliseconds after the key has been pressed), the switch- es ere temporarily disabled and the micro- processor places the address just read on to the keyboard address bus. At the same lime, an enable signal is given to the adress comparator Only that keyboard of which a key was depressed will recognize its own address oon the keyboard adelress bus via the Q- inputs of IC, The address is present also at the P-inputs of IC. Output P= Q of IC, will go low and set or reset one of the four used bistables in IC;, which causes the rel ‘evant LED connected at the output to just light or to just go out. The address comparator, ICy is neces- sary to enable the LEDS to be deiven when no key is pressed. This makes it possible for the new position of the turnout to be shown on the keyboard when the switch- ing instruction for that turnout is given via the RS232 interface. Each LED is associated with two switches and indicates the (normally bi- stable) position of the turnout, ‘The LEDs are energized via D5 by the rectified but unregulated voltage to pre- vent an overload of the power rail for the logic circuits, which ean occur when a Jarge number of keyboards is used, Gates N and N3 serve as priority selec- tors, Normally, both Do (data out ~ pin 10 of K,) and Di (data in ~ pin 10 of K,) are high. When a key is pressed, Do at the rele- vant keyboard! will become low to prevent, via Ny, other keyboards from placing addresses on to the keyboard address bus (Gee Fig. 58). The ‘key active’ signal is passed to all keyboards between the mother board and the keyboard at which the switching takes place via gates N, and N,, I, however, a Key with the same number is pressed on a preceding keyboard, this will deactuate the original Keyboard, but that does not mat ter: the address has already heen read, The original switching instruction is thus pro- cessed before the circuit reacts to the sec- ond key impression. Construction Since the double-sided PCB (see Fig. 59) is not through-plated, greater accuracy than usual is required in populating the board, A number of through-connexions. are ‘made by pins of the ICs. These circuits are therefore not fitted in sockets so that their pins can be soldered at both sides of the board Relevant holes may be through-plated conveniently by fitting M3 screws in the fixing holes and then to place the board on the screwheads on a flat surface. The boarei will hen “floay’ about 1 5-2 mm above the surface. Fit short lengths of bare wire through the appropriate holes, cut them at equal height above the board surface and solder them to the holes. Reverse the boardFig. 57. The dlagram shown here consists of two keyboard circults: one above and one below connectors Ky and Kp. 9001.25and solder the lengths of wire at the other side of the board. Make sure that the through-contacts under the switches are short, otherwise the switches will be seat- ed askew. Once this preliminary work has been one, the components may be mounted. Allof them, except the switches, the LEDS and the jumpers, are soldered at both sides of the board. Note that since Ry-Rs, RR, T,-Ty and the LEDS are to be fitted under- neath the switch hoods, they must be ‘mounted before the switches. Fit the transistors close to the board so that there is no likelihood of their being touched when a switeh is pressed. Resistor arrays Ry and Ry may be replaced by vertically mounted discrete resistors (see Fig. 51 ~ Part 8). The common ‘earth connexion of these resistors is at the underside of the bearel marked by a dot. Reducing the cost If you have no intention of ever controlling the keyboards from the mother board via ‘an R5232 interface, the cost of the present circuit may be reduced by replacing IC, and IC, by wire links A andl A’ respective ly. Through-contacts must then be made where otherwise the pins of these ICs ‘would be. Connectors K, and K; enable a number of keyboards to be connected in parallel: K, is then linked by a suitable cable to K on the next keyboard. Connector K; on he last (extreme righ) keyboard is connected to the mother board. If the keyboards are intended to be located in a fixed position, for instance, on a control panel, the (fairly expensive) con- nectors may be replaced by wire links (6tandard half-inch staples are excellent for this purpose’). Locating addresses Since each keyboard can control two deco- ders, two addresses have to be located on. it. These addresses may be placed with the aid of jumpers (wire links). Jumpers 1-8 pertain to the upper keyboard and links Y-8' to the lower keyboard. Setting the addiresses is greatly facilitated with the aid of Table 7. Ibis, of course, essential that the ad- dresses on the keyboard and the associated decoder are identical If Marklin decoders are used, the num- ber of each jumper in the table is identical with that of the closed contact of the DIL. addiress location switch, ‘The numbers of the points (turnouts) in the table are important if turnout switch- ing instructions are given via'an RS232 interlace. Since only 256 turnouts (num- bers 0-255) can be controlled via this inter- face, a number of decoders (shaded in the table) ean be controlled only via the key- boards, Testing Connect the keyboard to the mother board alter making sure that the power supply is, not switched on. Verify that jumper A on the mother board is fitted to ensure that the LEDs on the keyboard will be pow= ered. Switch on the power supply with S, on the mother board permanently depressed (this will initiate the service routine as des- cribed in Part 8). IF ICy and IC, are used, D-D, and Dg-D, respectively should light alternately in the same rhythm as the yel- Jow LED on the mother board. Verify that at pin 11 of IC, and ICs a 1 Hz signal exists; at pin 10a 05 Hz signal and at pin 9 a 0.25 Hz signal. When the service routine is disabled, all LEDs on the keyboards must go out. In the stop condition (green LED on the mother board does not light), the keyboard is deactuated. Only when the co instruc- tion is given via S; on the mother board or the RS232 interface will the keyboard be actuated. As long as one of the Keys is then depressed, the yellow LED on the mother board should light to indicate that the rele- slate : iSite feist EEE Sete Esicn| v0.08 te booster goa, (SSselected ‘a, Ymacorase spies by heyooars WE scart up ateaton ‘2s voted by ayete {echo of ass 1) Fig. §8. Timing diagram when a key (here S,) is pressed. Control takes place from the mother board, 2B stein nda nrcry 190vant decoder output is active. The remain der of the keys can not be operated. When the key is released, the relevant decoder ‘output becomes inactive. Special cases In standard form, the keyboard is intended for the control of eight bistable devices containing two solenoids, such as normal turnouts (points) and signals, and also the universal signals and switching decoder described in Part 4 (May 1989), which has four bistable outputs, Each standard turnout or signal is con trolled by two switches and monitored by one (red) LED to indicate its position, In model railways there are also devices that have an odd number of solenoids, such as sidings or passing loops with only one solenoid, or signals with three posi tions: stop-go-slow, ‘The number of switches required on the keyboard is the same as the number of solenoids to be controlled. Therefore, a three-position signal is controlled by S), 53 and §,;$; is then not used and, for safety’s sake, better not fitted. If two sidings or passing loops are controlled by, say, S; and Ports list Resistors: FisRe = SIL any Bx47K Re-Risjhr-Rio = 4700. Rin =47k Copacitors: 6-Ce= 1000 ‘Semiconductors: ‘Di-De:De-Da-= LED (In keyboard switch) Ds:Dio = 14148 Ti-Te = BOSA7 1o1)0e= 74HiC%51 (CaO; = 74HC244 1Gs:10o= 4099 ICa0s = 7440688 Ge 1010 = 7441600 Miscollanoous: (ee sowey Sit PCS honde, angie Ka = 20-way Sil PCB socke, angie ‘S:SoSsS7SeS1SisSi5= MW data Swit (seres 61) wah Wide keycap, Type 8110204000 *. SxSeSeSaSi9S:7S1.500 = TW dats switch with wide Keycap and integral LED, Typo 61-10404010", iy. 8: vay pin headers (0och raster, and max. 8 juoers for keyboard programm S¢, the associated LED (D,) is better not i ted (to obviate the thought that there is a connection between the two), Parallel control If the same address is located on two dif- ferent keyboards, the boards are electrical- ly coupled. If on one of them a switch is operated, the LEDs on the other will react (provided that IC, and ICy are used), Tf the track has a small marshalling, yard far away from the main control cen- ire, it may be useful to give that yard a local control unit in parallel with the cen- tral control panel. For this, a keyboard with the same address as set at the central control may be used. It should be placed close to the yard and he connected to K the extreme left-hand keyboard via an 18- way (preferably flat) cable (18-way is suffi cient since only single earth and ++ sup- ply lines are needed), Track layout on control panel Bven in model railway systems, exgono- mics take on a more and more prominent role, For instance, if the track is extensive the operating switches are nowadays often located on the central control panel in positions that correspond with the actual beer fee Fig. 59. The printed-ircuit board has provision for building two keyboards. or eaonuar 1000 1.27Fig. 60, Arts’s impression ofthe control unit with a track layout provided on its front panel. track layout. This may also be done in the present system. The PCBs for the key- Doards are then housed somewhere under the control panel. If many keyboards are used, it is advisable to fit them as sand- wiches as shown in Fig. 60. In that case, use straight instead of angled connectors and fit these alternately on the component and track sides of the boards. Threaded rods and appropriate spacers give the ‘whole sufficient mechanical rigidity. Switches and LEDS ave connected tothe Cis with discrete wires switches with Spring loaded make contacts are used (as opposed to the change-over contacts on the orginal switches), pulciown resistors as shown in Fig. 60 are needed. Better are Springdloaded postion miniaiure toggle Setehies. These have two make conacts and can assume the function of two data Sortehes forthe contol of one turnout or one signal Fig. 61. 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Up 10 256 turnouts or signals (numbers 0-285) may be controlled via an AS222 inter- face; the remainder (shaded portion) can be controlled only via the keyboards.TRANSISTOR CURVE TRACER T. Wigmore With so many transistors used in today’s equipment, a good tester for these devices is a must in every electronics workshop. And yet, most of us use a multimeter to check transistors. Although sucha test is usually adequate for a quick o.k./faulty test, it fails to pro ie information on the characteristics of the device under test. The curve tracer presented here works in conjunction with an oscilloscope, and is capable of performing a stepped current amplification test on pnp as well as on npn transistors. The instrument so allows unknown or unmarked types to be matched to known ones, which is a frequent requirement in fault-finding and repair work. The so-called output curve is among the most important tran- sister characteristics. The curve shows how the collector current (on the Y-axis) depends on the collector-emitter voltage (on the X-axis), with base current for the relevant bias setting as a par- ameter. By stepping up the base current within the. permissible range, characteristic curves of different edge steepness are ob: tained on an oscilloscopeor plot- ter. These curves indicate whether the transistor is good or faulty, and also allow its current amplification to be estimated. Furthermore, & useful indication is provided of the linearity and the resistance characteristic in the saturation range. Finally, since the tester can landle both npn and pap transistors, the cur- ves allow matching, com- plementary devices to be selected from available batches, Digital and analogue ‘Two quite different test signals. are required to write the output characteristic of a transistor: the base current must be switched in steps, while the collector voltage must have a continuous range of OV to the maximum value. Not surprisingly, therefore, the base current is controlled digitally, and the col- lector voltage by an analogue circuit. The Tatter also has @ controlling function on the base current generator to prevent this stepping up or down while a curve is being written The collector voltage is supplied by triangular generator consisting of a Schmitt-trigger and an integrator (see Fig, 1). The Schmitt-trigger is composed of a L45-times amplifier and a compara- tor. The amplifier supplies the reference level for the comparator. To ensure the the transistor under test The triangular signal is fair- ly simple to convert into a rec~ tangular one, which is used to clock the digital part of the cir~ cuit, As the collector-emitter vollage starts to rise (from 0 V with npn transistors, and from =8V with pnp types),a counter, and with it the base current, is incremented by one step. The counter drives a discrete digi tal-to-analogue(D-A) converter that translates the 3-bit counter value into base current steps of LA. Switch $2 allows the D-A converter to be driven by two instead of three bits to select be- tween four or eight displayed characteristic curves. ‘Although in theory not quite correct for the relevant test on the transistor, an emitter resis tor is used to translate current into voltage. This arrangement was preferred aver a collector resistor because most oscillos- cope inputs have ane grounded terminal Finally, a current limiter has been added on the integrator output stage to eliminate the risk of the test circuit being. overloaded by a faulty transis: tor. Detailed operation required thresholds and hysteresis, the reference level, in turn, depends on the output level of the Schmith-trigger. Diodes between the amplifier and the comparator allow the two switching thresholds of the Schmitt-trigger to be set to0 Vand 8 V, or OV and -8 V, as required for npn or pnp transistors respectively. The combination of the Schmitt-trigger and the integrator results in a triangular-wave generator whose output voltage varies between 0 V and 8 V, of 0 V and -8 V. This signal is ‘used ag the collector-emitter voltage for ‘The power supply — see the circuit diag. ram of Fig. 2 — inclusive of the mains transformer is accommodated on the printed-cireuit. board. The secondary transformer voltage is rectified to give a symmetrical direct voltage. Under 'no- load conditions, there is about 14 V on C2 and C3. Since single-phase rectification is used, the supply voltage has a relatively high ripple, and falls a few volts when a ‘good transistor with high current ampliti cation is being tested. Under this condi- tsar na aruary 180 1.29Fig. 1. Block diagram of the 9017-11 ‘ounter| 4 curves state ee see el oor] a0 | 2s. 010 so] 014 75] -100 | 75_| 109 07s 00 a 25_| 50.925 10 0 00 in| 0 [as [8 | are base current la (HAD Table 1. Digital current control. tion, the transformer's secondary voltage will also drop to its nominal (loaded sec- ondary) value. The unregulated supply voltage is used to power the analogue part of the circuit. This voltage is too high to power counter ICi. Also, the supply volt- age of the counter must be regulated be- cause it determines the base current for the transistor under test. Zener diodes are, therefore, used to stabilize the IC supply voltage at +5.6 V. The symmetrical supply enables the counter outputs to switch be- tween positive and negative voltages relative to ground, corresponding to a logic 1 and a logic 0 respectively. These 7.012 = INAN48 Fig, 2. Circuit diagram of the curve tracer, which is a combin. 1.30 wita @l|~ @\\v | Fig. 3. Component mounting plan of the single-sided printed-circult board for the transi tor curve tracer. Jevels enable the D-A converter to be kept simple but still capable of generating the required positive and negative base cur rents. The D-A converter consists of resistors Ru-Re and diodes Dr-Di2. The latter parts separate the positive and negative half periods of the currents that may be carried ‘by the resistors. The value and direction, (sign) of the currents depend on the counter value, and the positions of St and 2, which are in accordance with the tran- sistor type. Table 1 summarizes all condi- tions that apply when « transistor is connected for testing. The analogue part of the circuit closely follows the block diagram. What is not so apparent, however, is how the operation of theanalogue circuit remains largely un- affected by the unregulated supply volt age. For opamp A, this is relatively easy to understand because the output voltage of this amplifier simply follows the input voltage with practically no effect of the supply voltage. This is not so with com= parator Az, since here the input voltage determines how the output voltage shuts as far as possible towards one of the sup: ply voltages, which are subject to consic- erable variation, Clearly, if a fluctuating, input voltage were applied to the integra tor around As, the circuit would be inea- pable of generating a well-defined triangular output voltage. Note that this, in principle, need not be a problem: the only requirement is that the output volt= age swings between two extremes The comparator, however, serves to clock the counter, which has a lower sup: ply voltage. Clamping diodes are con. nected to the clock input of the counter as a protection against too high voltages. Together with current limiter Ro, the diodes ensure a stable rectangular voltage fof about 6 Vpp at the input of the counter ‘and, therefore, at the input of the integra- Riis = 470k a= 680K Ris = 1000 Ris = 447 Rir= 102 Capacitors: Gi = 104; 16 V5 radial GeiCa = 1000u; 25 V; racial G+= 1000, Cs= ind Ge=220n, Semiconductors: DysDe = 1N400t ‘DaiDe= zener diode 58; 400 mW Ds- Di2= 1N4148, Dis: = BATES Ty = BD139 Ta= BD140 er = 4024 2 = TLoss Miscellaneous 1 - miniature double-pole toggle (DPDT) switeh 'S2= miniature omotf (SPST) switeh Tet = POB mount transformer 9 V@ 7.5VA KiiKe = BNC socket (e.9. POB-mount type UG-1084/UP from Monacor). Ka = 2-way screw terminal block, pitch 10 mm. Heat-sinks for Ts and Enclosure 150x80x50 mm, e.g. Bopla type E4aovt. PCB Type 890177 tor. The result of the clamping and regu- lation cireuitisa triangular output voltage Whose rate of rise is practically inde- pendent of the supply voltage The stabilized rectangular voltage also enables Ai to supply a reference level for comparator Az that is hardly affected by the supply voltage. Hence, the inflection points of the triangular voltage occur at accurately defined and stable voltage le- vels. In order to be able to test medium- and high-power transistors also, the integra: tor opamp is followed by two transistors that are protected against short-circuits by the circuit around Dis, Dis and As. The two Schottky diodes type BATES have a Unteshold voltage of about 0.4 V. They conduct when the voltage on Ri (e400 mA) exceeds the threshold, and cause A‘ to shift the voltage at the + input of integrator As to a level where the inte- gration operation stops. The + input is very 3990 1.31be soma‘ Uce. anviaiv wor 13 Fig. 4 normally at 0 V. When actuated, the pro- tection circuit causes the oscilloscope to show only a fixed bright spot instead of four or eight traces. Building the tracer The complete circuit is accommodated on the printed-circuit board shown in Fig. 3 Populating the board is straightforward and should not cause any difficulty. ‘The enclosure stated in the parts list requires the four squares at the corners of the PCB to be cut off. Great attention should be paid to safety as the mains volt- age is applied direct to the board via a 2-way screw terminal block Although the board is designed to ac commodate PCB-mount BNC sockets, standard types may also be used with short lengths of screened wire. Connect switch St to terminals a, b,¢, a’, b’ and c’, which are at different locations on the board. Be sure not to mix up points a and Use short, flexible wires terminated in ‘small crocodile clips to connect the tran- sistor to the tester. Do not make these fying leads longer than about 10 cm on penalty of creating stray capacitance that may affect the test results. Finally, insert a small rubber cabinet foot between the facing metal tabs of T: and Te to eliminate any risk of a short-cir- cuit. Using the curve tracer Before discussing the practical use of the transistor curve tracer, itis worth while to havea look at Fig. 4. This shows the print- ‘out on paper (screendump) obtained with a Hewlett-Packard digital oscilloscope ‘and associated plotter. The signals on the upper two traces, Te and Uce, are com- bined with the aid of the X-Y mode of the oscilloscope. The resulting graphs form the output characteristics of the transistor under test. It should be noted that each graph is written two times: first with Use rising, and then with Uce falling, This re- sults in the ‘chopped’ upper ic curve. The output characteristics were obtained with a transistor Type BC141-10. Connect the curve tracer to the oscillos- ‘cope via two short coax cables. Initially, set the scope to X-Y mode, 10 mV/div. on the Y channel, and 1 V/div. on the X chan nel. Since the collector current is measured via a1 Q resistor, the Y-axis indicates the voltage in volts and the cur- rent in ampbres, obviating calculations. For pnp transistors, the characteristic must be inverted. This is achieved with the mvvERT control provided on most oscil- loscopes. ‘The photographs of Fig. 5 show a few transistor characteristics obtained with the curve tracer. Figure 5a shows the char- acteristic of a BC547A. By comparison, a BC57B (Fig. 5b) has a higher current am- ‘Sreendump provided by a Hewlett-Packard digital oscilloscope to illustrate the operation of the transistor curve tracer. plification, buta quite different rateof rise of the top three curves. The curves in Fig. 5c belong to a BC550, and are even straighter than those in Fig. 5b, indicating better linearity than the previous two transistors. In addition, the BC550 has very little noise, which makes it eminent for application as and audio preamplifier. Care should be taken when testing a high current gain transistor such as the BCS50C (Fig. 5d). The current amplifica- tion is so high that there exists a real danger of the maximum permissible col- lector current or dissipation being ex- ceeded (note that three of the eight curves run off the oscilloscope screen). If necess- ary, use S2 to reduce the number of curves from eight to four. This setting also re- duces the maximum base current from 7S UA to a safer 75 mA The curve tracer is also fine for select- ing a replacement type for an unknown transistor that has been found to be faulty. Fortunately, much consumer equipment has a number of identical transistors. Remove one with the same type number as the faulty transistor, and connect it to the curve tracer. The resulting charac- teristic on the scope will, in many cases, enable you to find a near equivalent tran- sistor of known type and make from an available lot. Fig. 5. Examples of curves obtained with some commonly used transistors. From the left to the right: BCS47A, BC547B, BC5S0, BC5S0C. 1.32 oeicrinaa january 1099| Dynamic range processor SSM2120/2122 Get off the bus with TAXI chip devices Voice recorder from Texas Instruments 388 ECENEG BRSBAREIESASE BB 4-channal mixer ‘simple VOX Balance indicator” Bucket brigade delay tine Clase: amplifier Becading ts for CO piayars : microphone preamplifier MOSFET HLH power amplfer Recording control en - Sound lovel altenuaior Tracking ster Tuneable band-pass filter Tweeter proteclOC mute Pitch control for CO players” [Far180 Fest power ampitfier (Fal par Galsad, 2 loudspesker design package Hor loading revisited war Vice bend finer Be Aetive loudspeaker crossover titer Sound effects generator sioeercpepecueuosees Car alarm. Gar headlight contrai Gar lights monitor Car service module Energy control for battery. Improved low-fuel indicator i Improving automotive wiring systems Psychological car lock si Rear window wiper couple! Rear wash wipe contro! SeunsNeagy arges ‘closer look at the transputer : A few generation of anlogue swiighas Ase nferacontraiers BICMOS integrated circuits ee EMS switees for audio applications Fast unity gain opamp veer LincMO$ creuits : More applications for ihe 838 Practical iter do BESS 3, Practical filter design (5) Practical filter design (6) Practical filter design (7) Practical filter design (8) Practical filter design (9) Practical filter design, ‘Semiconductor diodes: Background to E-PROMs Logie families compared Beeoupling power rails, F-2R resistance network in SMT A closer look at the transputer ae 6.40 ‘A low-cost development system for Mé8O5 mic procassors| 1 ier eae 2.39 Analogue-to-digital conversion techniques 1080 ‘Autonomous 1/0 controller (2) Centronics monitor CUMULATIVE INDEX 1989 Centronics-compatible printer buffer Ghild-proof reset switch nen Code converter for Centronies-cor rinters BY Inding A232 monitor VO friendly keyboard z Monitoring temperatura with the MSX EPROM Qpen systems ‘a8 tone ganeraior 3 Personal computer decisions Printer reset Reset for the PCTSAG Reset protection i Speeding up the computer Bus interface for high resolution ligui crystal screens (part 2) a.m Autonomous input/output controler part i Composite to TTL adaptor for monachrom fonitors a nate ee fomputer eye Bulse skipper coo Daylight Resistant optocouple RS232 interlace for One or two MBIT Eprom prod Small 10 Card. cre ‘Automatic printer starting ee Des es | Zoeeeeaa Be Counter without counter nj 4.43 New circuit protection devices for loudspeaker systems. ener 536 Protecting asynchronous motors 12:36 Electrophonics Guitar compressor senna Universal MIDI keyboard interface Variable low-pass filter Vocal BON es MIDI split control MIDI Signal redistribution MIDI interface for Amigo Break-jack adaptor Moduler guitar amplifier : Unwversal MIBL keyboard interac (2) seBRao ees EaeneT Automatic switeh DC-AC power converiér DE-DE power converter EPROM conircifed time switch Four-quadrant dimmers. . Headfall lights for model railway Heating timer Z High-volume alain Infra-red microphone Intruder alarm cr Mains-faiture in Mi $s is Sau eEee seeesaneue tee gvervoltage protection Power booster for the 74 Programmable switch Sensor switch and clock Simple temperature indicat Singlo-chip melody generator Stereo Viewer serene 1.34 ior nai jrwary 950The digital model train (1 The digital mode! train (2 ‘The digital model train (3) The aigital mode! train (8 3) rd The digital model train ( ‘The digital model train The digital model train The digital model train (8) Timer with audible warning Thyristor speed control ponsitdoonn. Tal Sn XY plotter interface fee Looking back: updates appiication and Fraprovements fr recently published projects UCB Tuxmeter eee Electronic nulsaiice sn ee Desling with electromagnetic interference Darkroom sensitive light switch Glow plug modulator wenn Sound level meter Flashing Hight control npn ical poreh light Q FPISSRSRSHS 2EaRR BSS R BLESS ReSsesasssaseRpeesea sae: Improved eeprom Inging pruner EEPOR Or LED Vonmetar'in SMT Differential emplifer = Autornatic charger add-on unit Smoke detector nn Tiguid-level monitor ues ‘Gh indicator for gas operated fridges Automate fog nor Slide fader update Fime-delayed flash Light f$) our? Dgnald duck generator Resonance meter Telephone bell : 16 Channel running light Automatic outdoor light i ETIES S.volt supply FBroemonntor Sass Achigh-grade power unit ‘Battery low’ indicator... Energy control for battery charges High:power zener diode Low disipadian regulator imple variable power supply Switeh-mode vohage regulator Small step-up convertor. Power supply with EEPOT { Symmetrical power supply Reference-voltage source with indicator Maximumiminimum voltage indicator SSSSBRSBsrVaVs SEE cowwooepsoo io & Television 2-metre transmitter meenoere ‘Amateur communication receivers: still a Challenge? wenn ae Call-tone generator s Communication receiver front-end filtaring Computer-controlied Teletext system Fast envelope sampler... High precision DLF-basad froaueicyroference Hybrid VHF/UHF wideband amplifiers... Radio beacon converter RGB-to CVBS converter Travelling-wave tubes UAE channel trap Universal squaich a Video recording ampiifier Guiding those waves... Golour test pattern generator Bacording playback empliler VFO stabiliser for up to 100 Mriz Headphone amplifer with scart plug ‘Advanced implant system for VLSI fabrication... 11.37 Big strides in molecular electronics resoarch 545 Forecasting flickers in the field... 6.34 | Voltage tracer in'Si Intelligence, intentionality and self-awareness Recognizing speech in noise east Software without tears. nnn ‘The versatile cable that tells 3 tale The efficient alternative to large power station: PELLETRON An island of physics Video and Television whieh \s better? Computer-aided test oquipment. Industrial Electronics & High Tech Electronics on the rails ang wheels ae Tandon: The head drive behind computer world Computer causes a seachange in Custom house ences Telecom a must is eisetion manifesto The bugging story of information. =. Microfttends macto growth Plucking the fruits of robot The Invisible invader ELCOM stems it Al Transplant siveszecns ‘The changing réie of public télacom operat Medical slectronics trom L&T Finding faults no problem ‘The weather man speaks Project Aristotle Computers an anti-view Seepe video units in trouble Mega computer off@F wenn cre International telecom connections, Garnet for copy, asy care floppies ARPAIAGMIG iis nosrsnscoce Super sur-storm management Robots for satellite ropairs Video phones & HOTY Banking Computers FISSIUSRASSBRSSSEISaSa Dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) decoder Duplex audio HM enn ene Power line modern Facsimile interface ic 3¥-digit SMD voltmeter 12.25 8 dai frequency meter 726 43 Miz CMOS oscillator 9159 ABS/RMS/LOG convertor 9.56 Analogue multimeter w..cnc0 6.26 ‘Analogue-to-digital conversion technique: 1150 HCMOS square wave generator In-circuit transitor tester the LiC'sine-wave oscillator Meter scale magnifier Noise generator... HP inductance metar Shunt for multimeter : Simple transmission-line experiments Sound level Mater reese snes s Test & measuring equipment review (13) — Supplies (1)... init ‘Test pattern generator Tracking tester... TTL supply monitor wc. Voliage-controlled oscillator HF probe for oscilloscope Crystal tester SEBS INSSE RSBISVSS! Digital trigger for oscil rr ‘Autonomous /O controller (1) Colour tast-pattern generator PA‘T50:a fest power amplifier Bitch control for CD players he diatal modet train {1 reamplifier for purists Macrovision decoder blanker Gar services module z Seenasun is jor 19801.35INTEGRATED-CIRCUIT TESTER This IC tester, designed by ELV GmbH, comes as an inser in card for IBM PC-XT/AT and compatibles. The card and the associated ZIF socket allow logic function tests to be carried out on a wide range of CMOS and TTL integrated circuits housed in DIL packages with up to 20 pins. The article also describes the menu-driven control program for the IC tester, which makes use of a user-definable library to test tis often necessary to check the operation of standard ICs, whether these are new or used. Testing small-scale integration (SSI) circuits with relatively few gates can be done without too much trouble. However, as the ICs become more complex, check- ing them with the aid of simple tools such fas switches and LEDs becomes much more difficult. In such cases, the IC in question must be removed irom the cir- uit for a separate test, which can be very time-consuming as its pinning and oper- ation have to be studied in detail to arrive at a suitabe test procedure This IC tester has been developed to ‘enable rapid and simple functional tests to bbe carried out on these standard compo- nents. ‘Nearly all components in the standard TTL and CMOS range, up to 20-pin DIL package sie, can be tested. Integrated cir- Cults tobe tested are simply inserted into the 20-pin ZIF (zero-insertion force) test socket. The notchless short side of the IC is always aligned with pins 10 and 11 of the test socket. Any remaining pins of the socket are not used The test system is also suitable for the telated 15, TIC and HCT families. Only voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) and PLL devices such as the CD4046, the 74624, and others can not be tested. These parts would have increased the complexity of the tester considerably as they require several supply voltages and over 500 standard components. analogue input signals, ‘A special multiplexer cireuit is used in the tester to check monostable multivibra- tors, This connects the required resistors and capacitors for the time constants to the appropriate pins. ‘The IC tester thoroughly checks the logic behaviour of the components under test, and provides an almost instant ‘good /faulty indication on the computer ‘screen. The signal or voltage on any ZIF socket pin depends on the IC to be tested, The possibilities are supply voltage +5 V supply voltage ground Jogie output 'H’ or ‘L? ‘open collector output . we veut ow case Soci bes ee a Seiesresy ao Seed Fig. 1 Block diagram of the intograted-circult teste stewing awary 198 1.3713 0 8 eee 2 ot __ L, v oR z es OB : 3 en FE Gm . ao ; pas 19 9M} oe m pg ee EE we ase yee? cba Pin designation Signal | signat rome: (eee eee | noon rack a tide cn | Bot nor | aide woe | 07 os | 0s nos [0s 05 | 0a aos | 03 [aor | be OF e941 2991 yaso0 pet iciae igen a2 x08 apres © O——onter fes@l 8 i eo pm 7+ gand =a 6S bee ot 5 ot 10%: pe ¢ gout a.seca Fig. 2. + three-state output + data or control input On selection of a particular IC from the data library, the necesary pin configura- tion conditions are set up automatically by the IC tester. Since the software can not search for a particular IC if the user does not know its name, itis possible for the supply voltage to be applied to different pins in identical packages. This could re- Sultinan intact IC being destroyed during the search process ifthe supply voltage is correct but applied to the wrong pins. The circuit The cireuit consists of two parts. Figure 2 shows the complete address decoder and 1,38 isir net aywary 1000 Circult diagram of tho PC addross decoder section. Fig. 4 the actual driver circuit for the ICs tobe tested The address decoder has two basic functions: buffering the eight data lines, and selecting the storage device and buff. ce, which is described below. Bidirectional bus driver IC, a Type 7ALS245, takes care of the data buffering, while I/O read line TOR determines the direction of data flow. The driver is en- abled by addzess decoder ICis, a Type TALS68S, The IC tester requires continuous 1/O address range of 16 bytes. The individual addresses are selected via AO to A3, and the main address by Ad to A9, which are fed to the comparator ICis. The address range can be preset by wire links Bri to Bre. Table 1. PC expansion slot pinning. When the main address is sent by the ‘CPU in the PC, a low level appears at output pin 19 of 8-bit comparator ICs. Depening on the state of address lines AZ and A3 of the PC bus, one of the four outputs of CB, QU to QB, goes low. Out puts QO and OF then select either one of two PIOs (parallel input/outpu) devices IC or ICz. Output OZ of ICu, together with I/O write line IOW, enables [Cuus, a 7ALS139, via OR gate ICisc, Outputs 00, QL and @ then clock data into the appro- priate latch, ICs, ICy or ICio. ‘Address lines AO and Ai are buffered by OR gates ICina and ICise. The reset signal, DRV, is inverted by ICias before it is fed to the MT inputs of PIOs IC; and IC2. NAND gates [Cit and ICi2c combine 1/O write and read lines TOR and IOW to proFig. 3. This section of the circuit performs the actual testing of logle Integrated circuits.vide 1/O access signal JOR ‘The IC tester consists of several, separ- ate, logic units. These are: + voltage supply for the IC under test + logic condition simulator + R-C combination for monostable multi- vibrators, + oad circuit for the drivers ‘The positive supply voltage for the ICs is selected with the aid of decoder [Cs, and applied the appropriate pins on the ZIF test socket via Ree to Ru, and Ts to Two. If one of the six supply voltage lines for the IC is switched on, one of the diodes D: to Ds causes the red LED adjacent to the test socket to light via buffer Tn. While this LED lights, the IC to be tested must not be removed or inserted to avoid it being damaged by voltage transients. The post tive supply voltage (+5.1 V) is supplied by voltage regulator ICs, an 78L05, The regu- Iator is a safety measure against short cir- cuits in the [C under test causing the intemal 5 V supply voltage of the com- puter to break down with all the costly consequences for the PC. Voltage regula- tor IC Timits the maximum short-cirewit current to a safe value of about 100 mA. The negative supply voltage, ie., the ground potential for the IC under test, is Connected to the appropriate pin of the test socket via one of four transistors Ti to T The two Z80-PIOs, ICi and ICs, form the heart of the circuit, These ICs from the well-known 280 family have the great ad- vantage that their 1/O lines are bit-pro- grammable to function as inputs or uutpuls. In this way it is possible to have, for example, pin 1 on the test function as an input, pin 2.as an output. etc. Obvious: ly, this is an indispensable requirement for an IC tester. Current limiting resistors Ri to Ra» protect the PIOs in case of a short-circuit when testing ICs, To test monostables, the required R- combinations can be connected to the ap- propriate pins of the device under test. This is achieved with the aid of analogue multiplexers Type CD4051_ in. positions ICs, ICs and IC%. The values of Cs and Re Gefine the time constants, and have been chosen to enable a great many monosta- bles to be checked. The R-C combination can be switched on with control line INH, which is connected to pin 6 of all three multiplexers. The binary codeon the three channel selection inpus, pins9, 10and 11, allows one of seven connection modes for the R-C combination to be used When testing open-collector (OC) and three-state outputs, its necessary to load these with a high-value resistor. The out- puts of latches ICs, ICs and ICio are con- trolled by the logic Tevel at pin 1 OE; output enable). 1 OB is low, the 20 out. puts of ICs, ICe and ICto supply the pre- viously latched data word. The logie levels that form the dataword are fed to the corresponding pins of the test socket via load resistors Riv to Ris, The ‘response’ of the IC under test to the applied test levels is then transferred to the control software via Ri to Rio and the inputs of the wo PIO circuits Control software The extensive control program supplied with the kit is menu-driven and has a number of data libraries. The program is, supplied on a 51-inch 360 Kbyte floppy disk. The READMEIC file, found on it gives a complete description of the pro- gram and explains how to install it into a hard disk. Hard copy of this file is con- veniently obtained by entering COPY README.IC LPT 1: The complete test software is menu guided and therefore easy to operate. To start the program, ICTEST The instructions on the screen are self-ex- planatory. A help function is available at Any time by pressing function key FI. The software is compatible with Monochrome (MDA), Hercules and EGA video cards, which are automatically recognized dur ing initialization, ‘The I/O base address for the IC tester is normally at 3001), Ifthe card is to occupy another range, the program must be started with ICTEST

035 | 0. ee fF ) ease q Fig. 4, Flatribbon cable construction. 1.40 hor rao 890 Fig. 5. Cutting and drilling det sof the support bracket atthe rear side of the PC cardwhere

is entered in hexadect mal ‘The software package is capable of se- lecting and testing over 500 IC types. In addition, ICs which are not included in VO Address Function 000%-00F# _DMA-Contoller (8237A-5) 0201-021 Interrupt Controller (259-5) 401-0494 TimerfCountor (8253-5) 601-063 Syetom Ragistor (2554-5) ‘080-083: DMA-Side Register (7415670) QAQH-OBF _NMLinterupt Register OCOH-OFFH Reserved 400K-1FFH Front Panel Contollr 200H-20FH For Computer Games {Game For) 2i0m-217% —Adltional Unit 2e0m-26FH Reserved | z7e1-27F% Second Printer ‘2FBH-2FFH — Second Serial Interface 200i-31FH Protolype Card ‘S20K-32F1 Hard Disk Controller 9784-37FH Printer interface (parallel) 380H-38FH SOLC-Interace ‘SB0N-2AFN Reserved 3BOH-2BFH Monochrome Adaptor and printer bb EEE 0 scor-sch Reserved ° = rT cet Genre HT --_N 3FOH-SF7# Floppy Controller SFBH-GFFA Serial Intortace Table 2. PC I/O address assignment. Base address V0 Camponent +0 PIO 1 Por A Data +t PIO 1 Pon B Data 22 PIO 1 Port A Control +3 FIO 4 Port B Contra! [+4 PIO2 Pon A Data “5 PIO 2 Por B Data +6 PIO2 Port A Control 47 PIO 2 Port B Control +8 ‘Latch 0 Load Pin 1 ~8 +9 Latch 1 Load Pin 9~ 12 +A Latch 2 Load Pin 13-20 4B | ae +0 +E +F Table 3. Address map ofthe IC tester. Fig. 6. Component mounting plans of the main board and the test socket board. star oti arury 1891.4100m. fi PCB mounting pane! or PO. af the standard library may be added at a later stage. How the user can accomplish this is explained at length in the file README.IC The software will also function with- out the associated IC test card heing in- serted. This means that the program may serve asa reference to look up IC pin-outs, because a connection picture appears on the screen for every IC that can be tested, Construction ‘The IC tester consists of two printed cir- cuit boards, which are connected via a 25-way flat ribbon cable. The main control circuit is accommodated on a double- sided, through-plated PCB (size: 235x110 mm). A 25-way sub-D socket on the back panel bracket provides the con- nection to the auxiliary PCB. (size: 46x24 mm), which accommodates the way ZIF socket, Both PCBs aze populated in the normal way. Refer to the parts list and the board layout when fitting the passive and then the active components on to the PCB. As all components are accommodated on the two PCBs, assembly is relatively simple. Care should be taken to mount the com- 4.42 sion infra 900 ponents at the lowest possible height to avoid contact with the PCB in the adjacent PC slot. Sockets are, therefore, not used for the ICs, ‘There are only three components on the smaller board: pin header Sti, 20-way Textool socket Ski and LED D7. The board is so small as to obviate an enclosure. Clamp the 25-pin sub-D plug and the 26-pin IDC socket on to the ends of the flat-ribbon cable (Fig. 4). The coloured wire at one side of the flat-ribbon cable is at the side of pin 1, both of the sub-D connector and the IDC connector. The Iat= fer has one non-used pin, and is plugged conto the header with the coloured wire at the side of the socket lever. ‘One of the empty PCB support brac- kels on the rear panel of the computer is removed and cut as shown in Fig. 5 to ‘enable the 25-way socket on the PCB to be fitted Address selection Solder the I/O address wires in place be- fore taking the board into operation. ‘Table 2 gives a detailed description of the available I/O address range. In order to explain the setting of the 1/O address decoder, which consists of Bri to Bro, address 300s is considered the base address for the IC tester. As the sys tem requires a continuous I/O address range of 16 bytes, the I/O base address need be decoded only once, Since the base address isa multiple of 16, its last address digit is always 0, The first digit of the [/O address can not be higher than 3, as the 16 bit I/O address range of the IBM-PC is decoded with 10 bits only, corresponding toa maximum of 400x This 3 is set in binary form by means of wire links Bes and Brs. The second digit can take a value between O and F, and is set as a binary code using Bri to Bri. For 1/0 base address 3001, wire links Bri to Bri must be installed (3), while Brs and Bre remain open (00). Table 3 shows the distribution of the 16 I/O addresses over the components on the IC tester card. Alter carefully checking the construc. tion a second time, the IC tester is ready to be taken into operation Practical use After inserting the card into the appropri- ate slot in the PC, connect the small PCB with the flat-ribbon cable, and close the case of the PC. Switch on the computer and wait for its normal initialization to complete. Load and start the control pro- gram for the IC tester by selecting the appropriate floppy disk drive and typing ICTEST Every IC to be tested must be inserted such that its notch is to the side of the lever on the test socket. Ifthe IC has less than 20 pins, it is inserted as shown in Fig. 7. ‘The software consists of various mo- dules. The actual program is an inter- preter, which reads the pin configurations and test conditions of individual ICs from a number of data files. The user is, there- fore, in a position to add new ICs as they become available. The library editing functions can be accomplished with al- most any word processor as explained in the READMELIC file. To shorten the load- ing time of the disk, the complete program should be transferred to and started from the hard disk. The program, menus and documentation files are in English, Fig. 7. Cs to be tested must always be plugged into the ZIF socket as shown hero.8098 EVALUATION BOARD CONSTRUCTION & TESTING In Fig! 8b, IC; is the 8098 micro-controller; crystal X, and capacitors C, and C, are connected to the on-chip oscillator to con- trol the frequency of operation. The un- Both IC; and IC, are accessed as two 16 K banks and use two M10 output bits to perform the bank selection function by J.M. Wald Circuit IG, is a vio device that provides 16 1/0 lines and a number of system con trol functions. Resistor arrays RM, and used 1/0 lines of the 8998 are connected to CN» with resistor array RM, providing a paid loge aw fesuseesied ae te 8098 Evaluation Board — Component List plexed with the lower eight address bits. The octal three-state latch, IC uses the signal ADV to store the lower eight bits of pace ao ae aes the address at the start of every memory esleiots Oey REntee NCTS yee Circuit ICy is an octal, three-state, B14 22 lor nto P8098 ircctional buffer that is used to buffer the | R29 By G2 270820271262 dala bus. The buffer is enabled for writes | 4 tk (63 8225815 0r 271282 0272562 at all times except during read cycles: the PSE 4708 (oe s23s68 xo lines used to con rection. 33k on a Hoot te ieee 9, 12 100k cB T4HCTST3: Rio tou oy 7aHCToNS Circuit IC, is a dual 20-4 line decoder | fA om ots that provides three memory chip-select | fino ISL eee signals and four 1/0 chip-select signals. Be too MCMse9 The ADW signal is used as a strobe to ensure ict TaHtcoe that the chip-select signals are asserted | Capacitors On theta ‘only during Valid memory or 1/0 cycles, 2,9 oAg ee my EU C1,8,9, 23 100} 16V radial olectrolytic 201 SV Zener ‘The1/o enable signal on pin tof Cpis | ©25,8,7 11, 100n 8V com das 202 6V21 30 Zener connected to the ReaD mput of the 8996to | {25 24" th 4 ; iseoianeous force wait states into all 1/O cycles. The | G3.4 a arcntae ies 1/o cycles are limited to two waitstates by | G13,14,15 Stop is earome dee Swi SPSTpushto make PCB swten the value programmed into the ccp. The | €10,21,22,27 &7op isVcerame de Xi 73726MHe esta three unused 1/0 select lines, C55, C86 and | 025 Zen ievradaleloaroyts <8) _—‘Fiezo buzzer €57 are connected to connector CN. oe Sn7 16Venramie die Fi Fusectpx2 ‘ Connectors Circuit IC; is the monitor EPROM that is OB, 10 sockos, hovel ins enabled for all addresses below 4000 hex. Ni BS9525 male IDC 40-way strt Skt +5V, +9V, -8V power supply, A ene BS9525 male IDC 16-way str ckt JA quick-blow fuse Circuit ICy isa static ram that is | cn Beet ae Ge ey arta enabled from 8000 hex to BFFF hex. ona, 7p POS DIN socket oe 5 pin PC DIN socet Circuit IC, is either a static xamoran | ONT way power connector trom that is enabled from C000 hex to FFF hex. 90138 a et T ree See iE : WryTd 50136 160 Fig. 68, Power connexons. ssn ingajarury 190 1.43,