Popular Electronics Build a Subwoofer Let Your Home Theater Roar and Rumble
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PRIMESTAR. THE DBS ALTERNATIVE Popular Electronics Build A Subwoofer Let your home theater roar and rumble The Truth About Speaker Cables What's really inside those expensive audiophile cables? Designing Speaker Crossovers Create your own great -sounding speakers d SBk'BDCCH.xux.xx 5-DIGIT 60506 Random -at Image k6O506C+HM997GA006M FEB96 P73 Make 3 -D images that pop o ROBERT RAHM RESP of your computer's screen 116 997 GRAND AUE AURORA IL 60506 -2513 $3.50: U.S. $3.95 CAN. FrJEL1t;Aricarí www.americanradiohistory.comAmericanRadioHistory.Com MIXED-MODE POWER Design & Verify Faster with Electronics Workbench® More Power s Simulate bigger and more Electronic complex circuits. Faster. On average, Electronics Analog, Digital & e nch Workbench Version 4 is o rb more than 5 times faster l compbner Mixed Circuits in a lab than Version 3. Electronics Workbench" The electronics Version 4 is a fully integrated schematic capture, simulator and graphical waveform More Parts generator. 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CompuServe: 71333,3435 BBS: 416 -977 -3540 INTERACTIVE Trademarks are property of their respective holders. 'Offer is in U.S. dollar. and valid only in the Urited States and Canada. Ausual'ra:2-5t9 - 933 Bra7il:11453558S Cypnri:262- I0Xí:i I eimtai ::33-250109 Nitwit!: 0-297-5033 Frame: 14-Xkiitl1 0 (ìt 1 iiht 11 -62- k) Greece: I -52í- Yi1 Flungury: I- 215-6bí2 India: I I í 11-13,i3 Israel: 3647 -5(313 Italy: t1- 337 -554) Japan: 33382 -3136 Malaysia: ì-".í -21ía Mexi x.i(P,5 Netherlands: tsom-766 i' w l.ealnd 9.267 -1756 Norway: 2- 1([7045 Iiautl;.0: txl t-da M) Singapoi :462.0006 Slovenia:6 1- 3 1 743311 Souci Africk: 33114430)9 South Korea: 2 -2 -222 -3431 Spain: l- 553-3234 Sri L tnka: 1 86 -597n Sweden:S740-551X) Thailand 6(.2-3áìL952 UK: 21rá.23 -3216 CIRCLE 114 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD www.americanradiohistory.comAmericanRadioHistory.Com JULY 1995 Popular Electronics Vol. 12, No. 7 A GERNSBACK PUBLICATION C O N S T R U C T I O N 43 Build a Subwoofer Is something missing from your home -theater or audio system? Give it the bass oomph it needs to make music and movies really rumble and roll - William R. Hoffman 60 Build a Telephone- Wiring Tester Test all types of telephone cable, jacks, and more; you can even test items while they are still connected to the telephone system - Christopher Zguris Page 9 63 Build the Galviamp It's two valuable test aids -a galvanometer and a variable -gain amplifier -in one handy device -Joseph J. Carr F E A T U R E S 37 Designing Loudspeaker Crossovers Create your own great- sounding speaker designs with these easy - to -use computer programs - William R. Hoffman 46 The Truth about Speaker Cables Page 43 What's inside those expensive audiophile cables that makes them cost so much? Are they worth the money? Learn the answer to the first question in this article, and use that information to answer the second one for yourself- William R. Hoffman 49 Fun with Random -Dot Images Make them yourself on a PC, but don't go blind! -Marc Spiwak 54 ... And The Bananas were Green: The Early Days of Color TV The road to the color TV we enjoy today was far from smooth - Page 49 James P. Rybak POPULAR ELECTRONICS (ISSN 1042-170-X) Published monthly by Gernsback Publications. Inc 500 -B Bi- County Boulevard. Farmingdale, NY 11735. Second - Class postage paid at Farmingdale, NY and at DdditionaI mailing offices. One -year, twelve issues, subscription rate US. and possessions $2195, Canada $2884 (includes G.S.T Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. R125166280}, all other countries $29.45. Subscription orders payable in U.S funds only, International Postal Money Order or check drawn on a U.S bank. U.S. single copy price $3.50. Copyright 1995 by Gensback Publications, Inc All rights reserved. Hands -on Electronics and Gizmo trademarks are registered in U.S. and Canada by Gernsback Publications, Inc. Popular Electronics trade- mark is registered in U.S. and Canada by Electronics Technology Today. Inc. and is licensed to Gernsback Publications. Inc. Printed in U S.A. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Popular Electronics, Subscription Dept., P.O. Box 338, Mount Morris. IL 61054 -9932 A stamped self- addressed envelope must accompany all submitted manuscripts and /or artwork or photographs if their return is desired should they be rejected. We disclaim any responsibility for the loss or damage of manuscripts and /or artwork or photographs while in our possession or otherwise. As a service to readers, Popular Electronics publishes available plans or information relating to newsworthy products, techniques and scientific and techno- logical developments. Because of possible variances in the quality and condition of materials and workmanship used by readers, Popula- Electronics dis- claims any responsibility for the safe and proper functioning of reader -built projects based upon or from plans or information published in this magazine. 1 www.americanradiohistory.comAmericanRadioHistory.Com J U L Y 1 9 9 5 Larry Steckler, EHF, CET, P R D U C T R E V I E S O W editor -in -chief and publisher 9 Gizmo EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Carl Caron, editor A look at the Primestar DBS system, plus BeeperKid child- monitor- Dan Karagiannis, associate editor Plus Radio Shack ing system, WinNet internet- access software, Teri Scaduto, assistant editor Personal Emergency Phone Dialer, and lots more Evelyn Rose, editorial assistant Marc Spiwak, editorial associate Joseph J. Corr, K4IPV, 28 Hands -On- Report contributing editor Media Vision Reno portable CD -ROM player Marc Ellis, contributing editor Jeffrey K. Holtzman, contributing editor C O L U M N S Don Jensen, contributing editor Charles D. Rakes, contributing editor 24 Multimedia Watch Marc Saxon, contributing editor Two big games, and more -Marc Spiwak John Yacono, contributing editor PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT 30 Think Tank Ruby M. Yee, production director More comments from our readers Yacono -John Karen S. Brown, production manager 68 Antique Radio Kathy Campbell, production assistant Putting the Minerva Tropicmaster back together -Marc Ellis ART DEPARTMENT 74 Computer Bits Andre Duzant, art director Russell C. Truelson, illustrator Soldering irons and cyber circuits -Jeff Holtzman Jacqueline P. Cheeseboro, 78 Circuit Circus circulation director Using a voice -storage chip- Charles D. Rakes Michele Torrillo, POPULAR ELECTRONICS bookstore 82 DX Listening BUSINESS AND EDITORIAL Fun in the summertime -Don Jensen OFFICES Gernsback Publications, Inc 500 -8 Bi- County Blvd, 84 Ham Radio Farmingdale. NY 11735 All about selectivity- Joseph J Carr 1 -516- 293 -3000 FAX: 1 -516- 293 -3115 President: Larry Steckler 86 Scanner Scene SUBSCRIPTION Up in the air -Marc Saxon CUSTOMER SERVICE/ ORDER ENTRY 1- 800 -827 -0383 AM - PM EST D E P A R T M E N T S 7:30 8:30 Advertising Sales Offices listed on page 134 3 Editorial Composition by Motes Graphics 4 Letters Cover by Loewy Design 6 New Products Cover Illustration by Tim McGarvey 76 Electronics Market Place ABC AUDITED 88 Electronics Library Since some of the equipment and circuit- ry described in POPULAR ELECTRONICS 95 Popular Electronics Market Center may relate to or be covered by U S. patents, POPULAR ELECTRONICS dis- 134 Advertiser's Index claims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the making, using, or selling of such equipment or circuitry, 135 Free Information Card and suggests that anyone interested in such projects consult a potent attorney. 2 www.americanradiohistory.comAmericanRadioHistory.Com E A R N Y O U R EDITORIAL B.S. DEGREE IN A DBS ALTERNATIVE COMPUTERS OR Regular readers of my editorials might recall that earlier this year I dumped my cable service in favor of the DSS direct - ELECTRONICS broadcast satellite (DBS) system (see Editorial, February and March 1995).