Circuit Cellar
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EDITOR’S English: INK The Forgotten Language? Ken Davidson I s the English language really so obscure that people have should have been caught early on. However, since he didn’t seem given up trying to use it correctly altogether? Granted, English is to be able to find anything else wrong, I think two bad words out one of the more difficult languages to learn due to its endless of the thousands in the issue isn’t half bad. He could have a field exceptions to rules. It’s usually more important to get your idea day with some other publications I see on the newsstand each across than to get all the parts of the language correct. My month. frustration stems from my recent observations of some so-called I don’t expect our authors to be able to write prize-winning “editors” that can’t even catch a spelling mistake let alone bad articles; I certainly can’t. I also don’t want to discourage anyone punctuation or grammar. from submitting an article because they don’t think it’s good Werecently started the search for additional staff editors. All enough; it can be massaged into something we can all be proud that we’re asking of these people is that they be able to read a raw of. What I would like to encourage, though, is that when writing manuscript; fix spelling, punctuation, and grammar; and convert a piece, have someone else look at it to see if it even makes sense. any “engineerese” into readable English. As part of the interview Run it through the spelling checker on your word processor for process, we’ve been giving each applicant a test consisting of two obvious blunders. The more subtle things can be fixed later. of the new product releases being used in this issue, and asking them to fix any mistakes they find. In addition to the problems A FAREWELL already contained in them, I doctored each release with some specific mistakes that I was interested in. The results have been, Why are we hiring new editors? The answer is twofold: we frankly, disappointing. need someone to help an already overworked staff, and we Most of the applicants had some form of English degree and recently lost our editor-in-chief, Curt Franklin, to another experience in at least technical writing; many had some editing (noncompeting) publication. Curt came to us three years ago background. Virtually everyone missed one or more blatant when CIRCUIT CELLAR INK looked like something a bunch of spelling mistakes, and the vast majority of them missed many of engineers had thrown together (because that’s what it was). With the planted punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes. There his guidance, CIRCUIT CELLAR INK has developed into a highly were even typos in some of the resumes and cover letters we regarded journal read and enjoyed both by engineers in some of received (we didn’t call those people back). Luckily, we had a the finest companies all over the world and by those who simply handful of people that did fairly well, so we should be in good have a love of tinkering with computers. Curt will be sorely shape when it comes time to make some offers. missed, but life goes on, and we plan to continue to bring you a I learned a long time ago while corresponding on computer- first-class publication destined for the reference shelf after being ized conferencing systems that, regardless of what someone had read cover to cover. to say, if the message looked like hell-full of spelling and punctuation mistakes-that person came across looking less intelligent than he probably was. We see it all the time on the Circuit Cellar BBS, though no one corrects anybody since we are more interested in what people have to say than in how they say it. We also, unfortunately, see it in article manuscripts as well, where it is more important. That’s why we need the editor-one who can fix the things that very few of the applicants have been able to fix-in the first place! I’ll be the first to admit that there are mistakes between the covers of every issue of CIRcurr CELLAR INK. No matter how many pairs of eyes look at each article, something always slips by. We just received a diatribe from an irate reader pointing out two mistakes in a recent issue. One was in usage, the other in capitali- zation. I was, of course, embarrassed when I saw them, since they October/November 199 1 1 FOUNDER/ EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Steve Ciarcia MANAGING EDITOR THE COMPUTER Ken Davidson ENGINEERING STAFF APPLICATIONS Jeff Bachiochi Ed Nisley JOURNAL CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Tom Can trell Chris Garcia NEW PRODUCTS EDITOR A Video Editing Control System-Part 1 Harv Weiner 16 The Hardware EDITORIAL ASSISTANT 0 by William J. Kressbach Lucy Tralongo The key to a successful video editing session is coordinating the two tape decks. Part 1 of this controller project describes the hardware end of doing just that. ART DIRECTOR Lisa Ferry Computer Graphics and the World of PRODUCTION MANAGER Scientific Visualization Mark Vereb 026 by Chris Ciarcia The days of wading through reamsof printed data are fading fast. Chris Ciarcia STAFF RESEARCHERS: shows us the basics of putting those stuffy numbers into motion. Northeast John Dybowski Midwest Add a Video Display to Your 8031 Microcontroller Jon E/son Graphics and Color Liven Up Any Output Tim McDonough 40 by Larry Duarie West Coast q Tired of hard-to-read, cryptic LCD displays? Find out how to easily add video to Frank Kuechmann your next controller project. Circun Cellar BBS-24 Hrs. ZOO/ 12W2400 bps, 8 bii. no parity, 1 stop bii. (203) 871-1988; 9600 bps HST (203) 87 1 Gd9 ISDN (S/T) Interface-Part 2 Design Example of a PC Plug-in Board All programs and schematics 46 in CircuR Cellar INK have been 0 by Seven E. Strauss & P.K. Govind corefuliy reviewed to ensure that We finish up our ISDN Interface description with a sample implementation. their performonce is in accor- dancewiththerpe&iiotLLnsde- scribed. and programs are posted on the Circuit Cellar BBS forelectronictromferbywbscrib- ws. Circuti Celbr INK maker no warranties and assumes no re- sponsibility or liabilii of any kind for erron in these programs or schematics or for the conse- quences of any such errors. Fur- OrCAD Schematic Design Tools thermore. because of the pos- sible vatiin in the qualii and A Working Engineer’s Impression condition of rnateriik and work- 60 manship of reader-assembled 0 by Bruce Webb projects. Circuit Cellor INK ds- Schematic capture software is quickly becoming a necessity in any design claims any resporwiblii for the engineer’s toolbox. Find out what one engineer thinks of OrCAD as he uses it in safe and proper function of reader-assembled projects his everyday labors. based upon or from plans, de- scriptions, or information pub- lirhed in Circuit Cellor INK. Entire contents copyright Q 1991 by Circuit Cellar Incorpo- Schematic Capture with Schema rated. All rights resewed. Repro- duction of this publication in by Ken Davidson whole or in part without written Schema Is another schematic package that has been around for a number of consent from Circuil Cellor Inc. is prohibited. years. Managing Editor Ken Davidson has been using the software in his own design work and fills us in on his opinions about It. Cover Illustration by Robert Tinney 2 CIRCUIT CELLAR INK PUBLlBHER Daniel Rodrigues Editor’s INK PUBLISHER’S English: The Forgotten language? ABSlSTANl 1 Susan McGill q by Ken Davktson CIRCULANON COORDINATOR Rose Manse/la Reader’s INK-Letters to the Editor ClRCUlATlON ASSlSTANT Barbara Males&i ClRCUlATlON CONSULTANT Gregory Spitzfaden NEWroductNews BUSINESS MANAGER Jeannette Walters ADVERTlSlNG COORDINATOR Firmware Furnace Dan Go&y 70 (Re-) Starting C cl by Ed Nisley HAJAR ASSOCIATES NANONAL ADVERTlSlNG REPRESENTATIVES From the Bench NORTHEAST Redefining Remote Control Debra Andersen Now You See ‘em-Beep-Now You Don’t (6 17) 769-8950 Fax: (617) 769-8982 by Jeff Bachiochi MID-ATLANTIC Barbara Best (908) 74 1-7744 Silicon Update Fax: (908) 74 l-6823 86 Nuts About RISC SOUTHEAST cl Go on CY low-Fat Acorn Diet Christa Collins by Tom Cantrell (305) 966-3939 Fax: (305) 985-8457 MIDWEST Nanette Traetow Practical Algorithms (708) 789-3080 Measuring Subjective Sound levels Fax: i708j 789-3082 by Chartes P. Boegli WEST COAST Barbara Jones & Shelley Rainey (7 14) !540-3554 ConnecTime-Excerpts from the Circuit Cellar BBS Fax: (714) 540-7103 Conducted by Ken Davidson CIRCUIICELLARINK0SSNO89~ 8985) ls publkhed bimonthty by CircuBCelbrlncorporated.*Pork Street. Suiie20,Vernon.C1060&5 (203) 875-2751. Second-clos~ Steve’s Own INK posfage paid at Vernon. CT and cddiiinol offiies. One-year (6 The Circuit (Storm) Cellar inues)subscriptionroteU.S.Aand by Steve Ciarcia possessix& 7.95.canodo/Mex- ice $21.95. 011 other countries $32.95. Allsubscrtptiinorderspoy- ableinU.S.fundsonh/.viointemo- tionol postal money order or checkdrcnvnonU.S.bcmk Direct subscription ordento Circuit Cel- lar INK. Subrrtptiora. P.O. 6oX 305&C. Southeastern, PA 19398 Advertiser’s Index 0rco11(215)63&1914. POSTMASTER: Please send 97 cddrerschangesto CircultCelbr l-l INK, Circulotiin Dept.. P.O. Box 305GC. Southeastern, PA 19398. October/November 199 1 3 1 READER’S 1 INK -1 Letters to the Editor STANDARDS HOTBEDS extension is then called at its entry point just after this signature to perform initialization. The POST can’t mark a I seldom write a letter like this, but Steve’s editorial in ROM, nor change any location in an extension it finds.