Contents

Colophon
Who's who at Elektor magazine.

News & New Products
A monthly roundup of all the latest in electronics land.

The Five Rules... when Choosing a DSO
Factors to consider when you think it's time to move from a CRT to a digital 'scope.

Non-Contact Temperature Measurement
Things to pay attention to when buying or using an infra-red thermometer.

Pico С
As opposed to most DMMs and other С meters this low cost instrument is totally at ease with capacitances below 10pF.

Wireless OBD-II
Here's a car diagnostics interface with Bluetooth orZigbee — that's right, it's all cordless.

Asteroids & E-Blocks
Here we look at how Microchip's 16-bit dsPICfrom can be persuaded to run the classic game of Asteroids.

Guitar Input for Multi-Effects Unit
Showing how the Elektor Multi-Effects Unit can be matched to an electric guitar, with an overdrive effect added.

E-Labs Inside: Here comes the bus (4)
This month we discuss some reader feedback received forthe project. The level is surprisingly high.

E-Labs Inside: A quick temperature measurement...
Pitfalls and other things to watch out forwhen doing IR-gun temperature measurements.

3 GHz Frequency and Signal Level Meter
A sophisticated instrument capable of measuring frequencies from 50 MHz to 3 GHz with an accuracy of 10 ppm and signal levels between -40 dBm and +10 dBm.

Altimeterfor Micro-Rockets
Ultra lightweight, this circuit has a data recorder logging atmospheric pressure every 25 ms, with a memory capacity of 16 Kvalues.

GPIB-to-USB Converter
Just when you thought Hewlett-Packard's GPIB bus reached 'vintage' status, watch how it gets retrofitted with a USB interface.

MIDI Step Sequencer
A low-cost but extremely versatile back beat generator that responds to MIDI commands from your sound processing equipment.

ATM18 Catches the RS-485 Bus
Apparently there's no end to what the Elektor ATM18 module is capable of doing. This month it takes the RS-485 bus.

Hexadoku
Elektor's monthly puzzle with an electronics touch.

Retronics: 137 Years of Solid-state Electronics
Regularfeature on electronics 'odd & ancient'. Series Editor: Jan Buiting

Coming Attractions
Next month in Elektor magazine.