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alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt FAQ Version 20 (modified 06/18/97)

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Mark Sokos

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Feb 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM2/23/98

Archive-name: homebuilt-comp-FAQ
Posting-Frequency: Every two weeks

WELCOME TO ALT.COMP.HARDWARE.HOMEBUILT(v.20 Modified 6/18/97)

This file contains frequently asked questions (FAQ) and general information
pertaining to the newsgroup alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt. It is maintained
by Mark Sokos (mso...@gl.umbc.edu). It is posted every two weeks to the
newsgroup alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt. The latest version may also be
obtained by sending an e-mail request to the above address.

This file is available via FTP from

* ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt

A DOS text version is available from:

* ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/di/dibald/FAQS Dave Baldwin's FTP site
* ftp://ftp.psyber.com/tcj/faqs The Computer Journal (TCJ FTP)

An HTML version is available online at:

* http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~msokos1

This file is (C) copyright 1996, 1997 by Mark Sokos. It may be freely
copied and distributed as long as this notice remains intact and the file
is not modified, and no fee is charged for its duplication.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contents:

1.0 What the group is about

1.1 What the group is about
1.2 How to deal with the Cancelbot
1.3 Who is PRR?

2.0 Questions
2.1 Can I post ads on the newsgroup?
2.2 Can I post questions involving hardware problems?
2.3 What's this about a new homebuilt newsgroup?
2.4 What is a "Wally"? (and other terms specific to this newsgroup)
2.5 Where can I get an EEPROM/PLD programmer?
2.6 How can I make my own SIMMS?
2.7 How do I interface to an IBM Clone?
2.8 How do I interface to a Mac?
2.9 Where can I find bus timing and information?
2.10 Where can I get hard drive specs and interfacing info?
2.11 Where can I find MIDI and other musical interfacing information?
2.12 How can I make my own circuit boards?
2.13 What is the Net Station?
2.14 How do I homebrew an LCD controller?
2.15 How do I make good front panels/cover plates?
2.16 What are PDF and Acrobat files?
2.17 Where can I get technical information about Game Boy?
2.18 How can I build a POST code reader for my PC?
2.19 Where can I find information on IR standards?
2.20 How can I make a mouse serial/ps2 or ps2/serial adapter?
2.21 How can I convert video formats?
2.22 Where can I find caller ID information?
2.23 Where can I find information about projects?
2.24 Where can I find standards for multi-processors?
2.25 How do I make loop-back plugs?
2.26 How do I make a null modem/laplink cable?
2.27 Where can I get schematic drawing, circuit simulators, schematic
capture programs, and PCB layout software?
2.28 Where can I get software developement tools?
2.29 Where can I find operating system information?
2.30 How do I interface to DRAM/SIMMS?
2.31 How do I turn myself into a cyborg?
2.32 Who makes kits?

3.0 Where to get more information
3.1 Semiconductor Manufacturers
3.2 Vendors
3.3 Internet Resources
3.4 BBS Numbers
3.5 Book/Magazine List
3.6 CD Rom

4.0 Misc.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.0 What the group is about

1.1 What the group is about

This group was formed for the discussion of homebuilt computer hardware, as
the name implies. The term "homebuilt" or alternately, "homebrew", refers
to the hobby of building electronics at home, generally with a soldering
iron or wire wrap. No knowledge or experience is required for posting to
this group. Postings may deal with real hardware, or absract concepts, and
are not restricted to any specific cpu or architecture. Topics may also
include homebuilt peripherals added to existing off the shelf systems, or
hardware hacks to existing systems/accessories.

Please note: Unfortunately, the term "homebuilt" causes a great deal of
confusion amongst IBM clone builders, which leads to a large number of
inappropriate posts on this newsgroup. This group, as a general rule, is
not for discussion of IBM related hardware, unless there is some aspect of
home built electronics involved, such as connecting your own device to an
IBM serial/parallel/game port, etc. or using IBM clone hardware as part of
a homebuilt design (non-IBM design). Common IBM clone hardware hacks, such
as overclocking and changing the UART chip, are best discussed in one of
the IBM related newsgroups. An IBM clone hardware questions pointer is
posted frequently on news.answers, and due to its length the information
within it will not be repeated here.

Warning: Any post that may be considered an "alt.fix.my.pc" post is likely
to draw flames or intentionally misleading advice from the regulars at
a.c.h.h. Following such advice for a "fix my PC" type post may be damaging
to your computer. You have been warned.

1.2 How to Deal With the Cancelbot

Because of excessive noise (mostly involving off topic "fix my PC" type
questions) a cancelbot has been set up on this newsgroup. Failing to inform
the cancelbot that you have read the posting rules may result in your post
being automatically cancelled. To let the cancelbot know that you are aware
of the posting rules, you must add the letters "PRR" (without the quotes)
somewhere in your first post. PRR stands for "Posting Rules Read". These
letters do not need to be included on subsequent posts.

Questions or comments about the cancelbot should be directed to
ach...@mmc.et.tudelft.nl.

1.3 Who is "PRR"?

See the previous section. Some people mistakenly add PRR to every post
(only your first new thread needs these letters). Some people have mistaken
it for a signature. Because the letters may be included anywhere in the
post, some people have taken to creative uses of the letters, which include
the fabrication of information about a mythical person with the initials
PRR. At the time of this writing, PRR has been in the hospital, and is
known to have an affection for Milk Duds. New readers are free to
contribute to this on-going "story".

2.0 Questions

Answers to specific questions are included in this section. Many of the
answers are only pointers to more information, so that large volumes of
information are not duplicated unnecessarily.

2.1 Can I post ads on the newsgroup?

As a general rule, alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt is not a forsale group and
thus does not allow advertising. An exception is made for advertising that
is directed specifically for electronics homebuilders, and is not otherwise
available on the net in general. Examples of this are device programmers
and electronics parts. Trading between homebuilders is encouraged.
Items that fit well into other existing forsale newsgroups should not be
advertised here. PC related advertising, such as hard drives, motherboards,
and other standard PC clone parts, is not permitted. While CPU
advertisements in general are permitted, CPU advertisements for the common
PC clone CPU's (such as 486 and Pentium chips) are not permitted because of
the existing PC clone forsale groups that already provide plenty of
coverage for these parts.

2.2 Can I post questions involving hardware problems?

This question was asked to the group in general, and the overwhelming
response was NO! The only exception would be if you are having a hardware
problem with your homebuilt hardware, not pre-fab hardware. As Andrew noted
in an early version of the FAQ:

"Since EVERY SINGLE ONE of the replies I got re: the FAQ said "no, this is
not the appropriate place for questiongs about PC building and pre-made
parts and compatibility between them, the answer obviously is a very strong
NO. This is not to say that you should not post questions, but only post
questions about homebuilt computers, not computers built from pre-made
parts. The difference should be very clear. If you post here about your
hard drive that you want to slave, i doubt if people will have much mercy.
It is getting on peoples nerves."

Replies to PC hardware problems are also strongly discouraged. Such replies
should either be posted on the appropriate groups or should be done via
private e-mail.

2.3 What's this about a new homebuilt newsgroup?

It has been suggested at times (often sarcastically) that a new newsgroup
should be made up with some name other than alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt, so
that the group would not be plagued with off topic pc-clone related posts.

A newsgroup specifically for "homebuilding" in the PC clone sense of the
word (alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt) has been created. All PC questions
should go to that newsgroup.

alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned was created in an attempt to provide a low
noise alternative to this group. It has since been abandoned.

2.4 What is a "Wally" (and other terms specific to this newsgroup)

* A/D - Analog to Digital (converter)
* ACHH - Alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt
* a.c.h.pc-h. - alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
* ACK - Acknowledge
* ALU - Arithmetic Logic Unit
* ASIC - Application Specific Integrated Circuit
* ATA - AT Attachment (aka IDE)
* Basic Stamp - a processor that is programmed using Basic, manufactured
by Parallax.
* BCD - Binary Coded Decimal
* BIT - Binary Digit
* BJT - Bipolar Junction Transistor
* Bug - [1] A hardware or software error [2] An Integrated Circuit (the
black plastic and silver "legs" look a little like an insect)
* CAD - Computer Aided Design
* CAE - Computer Aided Engineering
* CCD - Charge Coupled Device
* CISC - Complex Instruction Set Computer
* CLK - A common abbreviation for clock (signal).
* CMOS - Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
* CRT - Cathode Ray Tube
* D/A - Digital to Analog (converter)
* Dead Bug - Non-functioning IC chip
* DEBUG - Remove errors from hardware or software
* DED - Dark Emitting Diode (a burnt out LED)
* DIP - Dual Inline Package
* DMA - Direct Memory Acccess
* DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory
* DSP - Digital Signal Processor
* (E)EPROM - (Electrically) Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
* EISA - Extended Industry Standard Architecture
* EPLD - Electronically Programmable Logic Device
* ESD - Electro-Static Discharge
* FD, FDD - Floppy Disk Drive
* FDC - Floppy Disk Controller
* FET - Field Effect Transistor
* FP - [1] Floating Point [2] Flat Pack
* FPGA - Field Programmable Gate Array
* .h - An abbreviation for alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt generally used in
conjunction with .pc-h
* FPU - Floating Point Unit
* GAL - Generic Array Logic
* GaAs - Gallium Arsenide
* GND - Ground (signal return).
* GPIB - General Purpose Interface Bus
* HD, HDD - Hard Disk Drive
* HDC - Hard Disk Controller
* HDLC - High level Data Link Control (ISO standard)
* Homebrew - referes to the art of designing and building electronics at
home, and has nothing at all to do with alcohol (usually).
* IC - Integrated Circuit
* IDE - [1] Integrated Drive Electronics [2] Integrated Developement
Environment
* IIC, I2C, I(squared)C - often written as such since a superscript 2
(meaning squared) cannot be displayed on an ASCII terminal.
* I/O - Input/Output
* IRQ - Interrupt Request
* ISA - [1] Industry Standard Architecture [2] Instrument Society of
America
* ISO - International Standards Organization
* JFET - Junction Field Effect Transistor
* KBD - Keyboard
* LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
* LED - Light Emitting Diode
* LSI - Large Scale Integration
* Midnight Engineering - refers to designing and building devices at
home. Anyone who has stayed up till the wee hours of the morning
trying to get something to work knows the origins of this term all too
well.
* MIPS - Millions of Instructions Per Second
* MOS - Metal Oxide Semiconductor
* MOSFET - Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
* MMU - Memory Management Unit
* MPGA - Mask Programmable Gate Array
* MUX - Multiplexor
* NTSC - National Television Systems Committee (Joke: Never the Same
Color)
* PAL - Programmable Array Logic
* PC - [1] Program Counter [2] IBM Personal Computer (or clone).
* .pc-h - Alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
* PCB - Printed Circuit Board
* PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
* PEEL - Programmable Electrically-Erasable Logic (ICT, inc)
* PGA - Pin Grid Array
* PIC - [1] a microcontroller, manufactured by Microchip. [2]
Programmable/Priority Interrupt Controller
* PIT - Programmable Interval Timer
* PLA - Programmable Logic Array
* PLD - Programmable Logic Device
* PROM - Programmable Read Only Memory
* PSU - Power Supply Unit
* PSW - Program (or Processor) Status Word
* PWB - Printed Wiring Board
* QFP - Quad Flat Pack
* R & D - Research and Developement
* RAM - Random Access Memory
* RISC - Reduced Instruction Set Computer
* ROM - Read Only Memory
* RX - Receiver. Often used with TX.
* SBC - Single Board Computer
* SCR - Silicon Controlled Rectifier
* SDLC - Synchronous Data Link Control (IBM protocol)
* SECAM - Sequential Color and Memory
* Si - Silicon
* SIMM - Single Inline Memory Module
* SiO2 - Silicon Dioxide
* SIP - Single Inline Package
* SRAM - Static Random Access Memory
* TEC - Thermo-Electric Cooler (Peltier Device)
* TTL - Transistor-Transistor Logic
* TX - Transmitter. Often used with RX, as in TX/RX for
transmit/receive.
* UART (USART) - Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (Universal
Synchronous/Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter)
* UJT - Unijunction Transistor
* UV - Ultraviolet. Typically used in reference to PROMs that are erased
using UV light. May also refer to the erasing equipment.
* V+/V- - Supply voltages (positive and negative)
* Vcc -
* Vdd -
* VLB - VESA Local Bus
* VLSI - Very Large Scale Integration
* VT - Video Terminal
* Wally - someone who posts off topic noise to the group. No offense to
real persons named Wally is intended (the term apparantly comes from
the TV show "Leave It To Beaver"). "Getting rid of the wallies" is a
common thread on the newsgroup.

2.5 Where can I get an EPROM/PLD programmer?

* Advin Systems 1050-L East Duane St. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 1-408-736-2503
* Alta Engineering http://www.gutbang.com/alta/
* Andromeda Research, PO Box 222, Milford, OH 45150 1-513-831-9708
* BP Microsystems
* DATA I/0 (http://www.data-io.com)
* Dataman Programmers ( http://www.dataman.com)
* Digikey 1-800-344-4539 http://www.digikey.com
* General Device Instruments, (408) 241-7376
408-241-7376 Sales 408-241-6375 FAX
408-983-1234 BBS All software to demo free
e-mail:ICDE...@ix.netcom.com
e-mail: icde...@best.com
http://www.generaldevice.com
* Intronics, 612 Newton Street, Edwardsville, Kansas 66111
(913) 422-2094
1-800-339-5152 (sales only)
http://www.intronics.com
* Jason-Ranheim Company, 3105 Gayle Lane, Auburn, California 95603.
(800) 421-7731 Orders Toll Free (800) 421-7748 From California
(916) 878-0785.
* JDR Microdevices Orders: 1-800-538-5000 Cust. Service: 1-800-538-5001
1850 South 10th Street, San Jose CA 95112-4108
* Logical Devices, 130 Capitol Drive, Golden, CO 80401 1-303-279-6868
1-800-315-7766, tech support (in Flordia) 1-305-428-6868
http://www.logicaldevices.com
* M2L Electronics 3526 Jasmine #4 Los Angeles, CA 90034
310 837-7818 (9am-5pm)
BBS/FAX: 310 841 6050
lov...@cs.ucla.edu
http://www.cs.ucla.edu/csd-grads-gs3/loving/www/m2l.html
* Microchip Technology Inc 602 786 7200
2355 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler AZ 85224
http://www.ultranet.com/biz/mchip/
* Mouser Electronics 1-800-346-6873 http://www.mouser.com
* Needham's Electronics 1-916-924-8037 Fax: (916) 924-8065
4630 Beloit Drive, Suite #20, Sacramento, CA 95838
BBS: (916) 924-8094
http://www.needhams.com/
* Stag Micro Systems. 1600 Wyatt Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95054
1-408-988-1118
* System General
* XELTEK unipro Universl Programmer that programs: Eproms, EEProms,
Bipolar, Epld, Flash, Gal, Pal, and some Microcontrollers. Also tests
TTL, CMOS, DRAM & SRAMS.
3563 Ryder St. Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 524-1929 (voice)
(408) 245-7084 (fax)
(408) 245-7082 (bbs)
http://www.xeltek.com/
* http://www.proaxis.com/~iguanalabs/micropro.htm
* http://www.isc-durant.com/nolan
* Lists of available programmers:
o http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/HTML/FAQ/BODY/F_Eprom_pr.html
o http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/HTML/LINK/F_pal_gal.html

Plans for making your own can be found at:

FTP sites:

* ftp.paranoia.com/pub/users/defiant
* ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/goo/PLD/
* ftp://ftp.ix.de/pub/elrad/060/
* ftp://rasi.lr.ttu.ee/pub/sis/CAD/DIY/BITMAPS/com84.zip

WWW pages:

* http://www.demon.co.uk/paulmax/stegen/hwsw.htm
* http://www.man.ac.uk/~mbhstdj/files
* http://www.www.ts.umu.se/~johan/project.html
* A HREF=" http://www.bos.nl/homes/waklos/">
http://www.bos.nl/homes/waklos/

PIC Programmers

* http://www.man.ac.uk/~mbhstdj/piclinks.html
* http://rasi.lr.ttu.ee/~sis/mirror/robin/picpro.html
* ftp://ftp.mcc.ac.uk/pub/micro-controllers/PIC/
* http://www.lancs.ac.uk/people/cpaame/pic/pic.htm
* http://www.spies.com/~eric/pic/
* http://robotics.com/pic.html

PAL/GAL Programmers:

* ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cae
* ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/goo/PLD/pal2docs.zip
* ftp://ftp.ix.de/pub/elrad/60/

A simple eprom emulator circuit and DOS software can be found at
http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jfrohwei/

* Popular Electronics, in the July 1982 issue
* "Popular Electronics", Feb 1978, page 41
* "Build This PLD Programmer" by Robert G. Brown
Electronics Now (magazine), May 1994
* Various kits and software are available from R.G. Brown, 30 Wicks
Road, E. Northport, NY 11731
* "Project: GAL programmer" by Manfred Nosswitz.
Elektor Electronics (magazine), May 1992
* "Project: GAL Programmer Upgrade" by M. Nosswitz
Elektor Electronics, June 1993
The software and PC boards are available through the Elektor
publishers/franchises in various countries.

Old Colony Sound Lab
P.O. Box 243, Peterborough, NH 03458
(603) 924-6371 or -6526 Fax (603) 924-9467
In the UK
Elektor Electronics (Publishing)
P. O. Box 1414, Dorchester DT2 8YH, England

* The June '96 Elektor Electronics (UK edition). has an EPROM programmer
and emulator
* "Generic Array Logic (GAL)" D. Gembris
Elektor Electronics, April 1992
* "EPLD programmer design" John Cromie
Electronics & Wireless World, February 1989
* "Create Your Own IC's", Bill Green
Popular Electronics, January 1990
* If you have a Linux system you can design for Xilinx X3000 FPGA in a
subset of VHDL. There is a free package named Alliance. It is
available from www.mit.edu, or similar sites. Fire up your search
engine and search for ALLIANCE.
* "A PAL Programmer" and "Getting Started with PALS" , Robert A.
Freedman
Byte, January 1987

2.6 How can I make my own SIMMS?

September 1995 issue of "Electronics Now" starting on page 35 has plans for
30 pin SIMMs

SIMM blanks may be obtained from:
In the US:

* AutoTime Corporation
6605 SW MacAdam Avenue, Portland, OR 97201
(503) 452-8577
* Memory Conversion Products, m...@peak.org
428 N.W. 9th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97330-6133
tel: 541 754-5000, fax: 541 752-8009
1-800-809-1379
http://www.peak.org/~mcp
* JMS Technologies, 4217C S Mellen Dr. Mountain Home, ID 83648
FAX (208) 832-7897

In Germany:

* eMedia GmbH, Postbox 61 01 06, 30601 Hannover, Germany
* http://www.linefeed.com/linefeed/hcs/index.html There are several
versions of blank SIMM boards available from the UK including 1x1 ZIP,
1x1 DIP, 1x4 SOJ and 1x1 SOJ.
* http://www.dircon.co.uk/linefeed/hcs/mempcb.html Web page offering a
number of unpopulated PCBs for making 30 and 72 pin SIMMs.

SIMM pinouts are available at http://www.cistron.nl/~nctnico

Motorola's data book - Dynamic RAMs and Memory Modules

2.7 How do I interface to an IBM clone?

* http://cal003109.student.utwente.nl/stefan has info on various ports
(parallel, serial, keyboard, etc.)
* The comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.* FAQ (posted on news.answers and
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc, available via ftp from
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc) contains
connector/bus pinouts and other useful information.
* http://www.hut.fi/~then/electronics/computer.html#pchardware IBM,
Technical Reference, Personal Computer AT, 1984
* "The IBM Personal Computer, from the Inside Out" by Sargent and
Shoemaker (published by Addison-Wesley) provides a lot of information
about interfacing an IBM type PC to various things.
* Talking to a floppy control from NC4000:
ftp://ftp.hal.com/pub/elvey/floppy.txt
* Using a non-DOS machine to talk to a DOS disk
ftp://ftp.hal.com/pub/elvey/disk.txt
* http://www-techdoc.intel.com and www.national.com Look up the
datasheets for their super-IO parts, which have Paralell Port, Serial
Port, RTC, Floppy Controller, all in one chip.
* http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~ih/doc/adc_dac/
* 16- and 32-bit DLLs for port I/O may be found at: http://www.lvr.com
* WINio.Dll and WIN32io for Windows 95 http://www.ping.be/~ping0751
* Accessing PC I/O ports in Windows http://www.rain.org/~pra
* EDE300 Application Note #1: Device Control via the PC
http://www.netins.net/showcase/elab In the 'Integrated Circuits'
section under 'EDE300'

Also, see each sub-section below.

The section "Recommended books/magazines" lists several books that may also
be helpful.

2.7a Parallel/Serial/Game Ports

Parallel Port:

* ftp://ftp.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/cookbook/comp/ibm/pport094.doc.Z
* ftp://ftp.armory.com/pub/user/rstevew the filenames are: *lpt.faq;
ibmlpt.faq, tomlpt.faq, and krislpt.faq. each meets different skill levels
and needs.
* PC Magazine,. Oct 27, 1992 pages 367-376
* http://www.mailbag.com/users/jaxelson/parport.htm
* http://www.fapo.com/ieee1284.htm
* http://weber.u.washington.edu/~pfloyd/ee/text/para-port.html
* http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~donmck/pipex.html
* http://www.fapo.com/1284int.htm
* http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~ih/doc/par/
* http://www.lvr.com/ibmlpt.txt
* http://www.lvr.com/parport.htm
* http://www.nmsu.edu/~ET/ETTI/review/phajun96
* http://www.hut.fi/~iisakkil/stuff.html
* http://www.access.digex.net/~pha
* http://homepages.together.net/~tking/parport.zip
* http://www.ens-lyon.fr/~jmfriedt/parport.faq
* A web search for IEEE1284 (using the search engine of your choice, such
as Alta Vista) will provide numerous links.

Serial Port/Mouse:

* "Using a serial port for discrete I/O operations" September/October
issue of MicroComputer Journal.
* Dallas Semiconductor has a PDF document on RS-232. http://dalsemi.com
(home page) App Note 83 Fundamentals of RS-232 Serial Communications
http://www.dalsemi.com/DocControl/PDFs/appindex.html (App Notes page)
* National Semiconducor http://www.national.com AN-681: PC Mouse
Implementation Using COP800
* http://www.hut.fi/~then/mytexts/mouse.html
* http://www.hut.fi/~then/electronics/pc.html#pc_mouse
* http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/4qd
* http://www.bb-elec.com/bb-elec/literature/.bab_newsletters/newsltr2.pdf
* http://www.ee.washington.edu/eeca/circuits/serialpower.txt
* http://www.hut.fi/~then/circuits/rspower.html
* http://www.ee.washington.edu/eeca/circuits/serialpower.txt
* http://www.airborn.com.au/rs232.html --Schematic diagrams showing how
to wire up RS232 connectors with handshaking and without, loopback
plugs and null modem
* http://www.strangecreations.com/strange/library/hardware/index.htm
* MicroChip has a very nice app note on rolling your own mouse. Both the
Microsoft and Mouse Systems versions are covered. You might have to
read a little PIC code to find what you want, but its there. The app
note can probably be obtained from the microchip web site. App # is
AN519.

Joystick Port:

* http://www.hut.fi/~then/circuits/joystick.html
* http://www.oz.net/~wottenad/wheel2.htm
* http://meritbbs.rulimburg.nl/Fun/pedals/pedals.htm
* http://www.suncominc.com:80/technical/technical.html
* http://www.nomius.com:80/~biggun/faq.htm

2.7b Keyboards

* Articles about XT and AT type keyboards can be found in April/May 1995
issues of Circuit Cellar Ink.
* An early copy of Micro Cornucopia ( March-April 1990 ) has the details
about standards, interface chips etc
* John Voth has keyboard interfacing information at:
http://nyquist.ee.ualberta.ca/~jdv/
* http://www.enterprise.ca/~jbilous/kybrd03.htm
* http://www.hello.co.uk/altek/scan_doc.html
* A PC Keyboard FAQ has been written by Mark Schultz. Send e-mail to
mch...@wctc.net for details.
* Go to the Aminet site (eg. ftp.netnet.net) and go to hard/hack, there
you'll find 2 or more files for PC keyboard interfaces to Amiga. There
is some documentation for the AT keyboard protocol.
* Check out the Philips site. There is supposed to be an app note for PC
keyboard to serial format.

2.7c BIOS code

* Annabooks sell a 'bioskit' that is a complete BIOS, written mostly in
C, with source. http://www.annabooks.com
* Assembler source for a V20 BIOS has been published by c't magazine
(http://www01.ix.de). The disk with the code and the burnt EPROM is
still for sale.

2.8 How do I interface to a Mac?

* Brian A. Cole's (t...@cs.wisc.edu) Repository of Macintosh Information
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~tuc/mac/
* ftp://ftp.support.apple.com or http://www.apple.com (Hardware
Descriptions and Technical Notes)
* http://web.de, follow the links "computer" "apple" "loeten am mac".
Has information about interfaces, including a mac to VGA adaptor.
Note: This site is in German.

2.9 Where can I find bus specs and interfacing information?

* The VMEbus FAQ is at http://www.ee.ualberta.ca/archive/vmefaq.html or
http://www.oritools.com/info
* The I2C FAQ is available from: ftp.uni.paderborn.de/elrad
* Universal Serial Bus home page: http://www.teleport.com/~USB
* ISA pinouts can be found at http://www.cistron.nl/~nctnico/index.htm
* ISA, EISA, VLB, and PCI pinouts, signal descriptions, and timing
information can be found at http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~msokos1
* "AT Bus Design, IEEE P996 Compatible", by Edward Solari ISBN
0-929392-08-6
* Official standard for the EISA bus are available from BCPR services
(Texas) Tel: 1-713-251-4770
* Standards for the EISA bus are available from Global Engineering
Documents, Englewood, Colorado USA at phone: (800)854-7179,
fax:(303)397-7935
* The PC/104 Consortium has a page at http://www.controlled.com/pc104/
Request a resource guide and spec document.
* The PCI specification may be obtained from: PCI Special Interest Group
(SIG)
P.O. Box 14070, Portland, OR 97214
(800) 433-5177 (503) 797-4207 FAX: 234-6762
(503) 797 4297
http://www.pcisig.com/
* Other PCI information:
o http://www.teleport.com/~pc2/pcisigindex.html
o http://www.vchips.com/products/pcicores.htm
o http://www.altera.com/html/new/pressrel.old/pr_pcipack.html
o http://www.cypress.com/cypressprodgate/apps/ultralogic.html
o http://www.xilinx.com/apps/pci.htm
o ftp://fission.dt.wdc.com/pub/otherdocs/pc_systems/how_it_works
* AMCC makes a chip which provides an interface to PCI on one side and a
fairly simple generic interface on the other side. AMCC is in San
Diego, California. Their telephone number is (619)450-9333. The part
number for the PCI interface chip is S5933.
* Ziatech, http://www.ziatech.com has the CompactPCI spec in Acrobat.
CompactPCI uses the PCI timing and pinout with a eurocard format and
connector.
* D Prutchi, "Hot Swapping on the PC - An Active Extender Card for the
16-bit PC-ISA bus", Circuit Cellar Ink, Issue #62, 62-71, September
1995.
* PCMCIA specs are available from http://www.pc-card.com/ (not free) The
PCMCIA association lists manufacturers with links to webpages, also
links to books.

2.10 Where can I get hard/floppy drive specs and interfacing info?

(IDE is also known as ATA)

* Information on ATA 1,2,3 can be found at
ftp://ftp.symbios.com/pub/standards/io
Technical information about Seagate drives may be found at
http://www.seagate.com.
Western Digital technical support 1-800-275-4932
ftp://fission.dt.wdc.com/pub/standards/ata/
* http://www.itutech.com
ftp://iglou.com/members/ITU/pc-int.
See the ATAr4c.txt and ide-tech.txt files for more info.
* "Yet Another Enhanced IDE/Fast-ATA/ATA-2 FAQ" is posted on
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage and .misc. It is also available,
together with related material, by FTP from

ftp.aimnet.com:/pub/users/clau/ide_ata/
ftp.rahul.net:/pub/lps/hard-disk/
ftp.wi.leidenuniv.nl:/pub/faqs/
and by WWW from:

http://www.wi.leidenuniv.nl/ata/
http://www.seagate.com/techsuppt/faq/faqlist.html

* Enhanced IDE FAQ
http://thef-nym.sci.kun.nl/~pieterh/storage.html
* For a complete treatment of IDE interfacing to 8-bit CPUs
(particularly the Z80 family), check out issues 56, 63, 64, and 66 of
The Computer Journal.
* There is a simple IDE interface for the Z80 called GIDE (Generic IDE).
It should be possible to adapt it to other 8-bit processors. There is
an article about it on the TCJ Web Page. Click on 'GIDE'.
* Connecting IDE devices to 8 bit machines:
http://www.blkbox.com/~jdb8042/SmallSys/8bitIDE.html
* http://nimitz.mcs.kent.edu/~clisowsk/8bit/ide8bit.html
* SCSI:
o http://www.symbios.com/ftp/pub/standards/io/scsi2
o http://www.abekrd.co.uk/SCSI2/SCSI2-index.html
o ftp://ftp.compusult.nf.ca:/pub/sunos/scsi-doc/scsi1.17b.gz
o ftp://ftp.loria.fr:/pub7/obi/Standards/scsi/
o ftp://unix.hensa.ac.uk:/mirrors/yggdrasil.fall95/disk1/usr/doc/scsi-1/
o ftp://ftp.funet.fi:/pub/doc/SCSI/SCSI1-docs.tar.gz
o ftp://romeo-klive.nvg.unit.no:/pub/hardware/scsi-3/x3t10/drafts/scsi1
o ftp://ftp.nau.edu:/pub/info/hardware/scsi/
o ftp://relay.cs.toronto.edu:/doc/scsi/
o ftp://sunsite.unc.edu:/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-8/fromnichols/scsi1-17b.zip
o ftp://ftp.compusult.nf.ca:/pub/sunos/scsi-doc/scsi1.17b.gz
o ftp://ftp.tu-clausthal.de:/docs/comp-allg/scsi2doc.zip
o ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de:/pub3/docs+papers/scsi2
o ftp://ftp.funet.fi:/pub/doc/SCSI/SCSI2-docs.tar.gz
o ftp://romeo-klive.nvg.unit.no:/pub/hardware/scsi-3/x3t10/drafts/scsi2
* The specification for ATAPI (IDE) CDROM drives can be obtained from:
ftp://fission.dt.wdc.com/pub/standards/atapi/spec/SFF8020-r1.2/sff8020.ps
In here you will find the complete command set detailing how to play
audio tracks (among other things). The file is in postscript format.
* Floppy drive information can be found in the data sheets for many FD
controller chips.
o 82078 (from http://www.intel.com),
o 82C710 (from ftp://ftp.chips.com/pub/pdf)
o FDC37C665 (from http://www.smc.com).
o PC8477B (from National Semiconductor, http://www.natsemi.com)

Intel's Embedded controller handbooks also contain some info.
* Dave Brooks has interfaced a FDC37C665IR floppy controller to a Zilog
Z80182. You can find some details at: http://www.iinet.net.au/~daveb.
Follow the "P112" links.

2.11 Where can I find Midi and other musical interfacing information?

* http://daemon.apana.org.au/~ghansper/MidiAxis.html
* http://harmony-central.mit.edu
* http://louie.udel.edu/pub/midi/software/mac/mac-midi
* ftp://cher.media.mit.edu/pub/mainboard/mac
* http://www.ee.ualberta.ca/~charro/cookbook/comp/ibm/midi1.asc
* ftp://ftp.digex.net/pub/access/rdd/pdp/synth DEC PDPs and Music/Sound
Synthesis Summary

2.12 How do I make my own circuit boards?

There are several methods available. Most involve etching, where a mask is
drawn or transferred onto copper clad board, and the board is immersed or
sprayed by an etching solution. Boards and etchant can be purchased at most
electronics hobby stores, and various manufacturers products are available
via mail order. Some methods use iron-on transfers, and others use a
photo-etching process. There is even a method using conductive ink and
laser printers. Some people have reported good results using Vector wire
and Verowire (UK). These methods are more similar to wire wrapping than PCB
fabrication.

PCB FAQ written by Vincent Himpe
(vincen...@ping.be) at http://www.ping.be/~ping0751

PCB FAQ:
http://cal003109.student.utwente.nl/stefan/elin the PCB section.

DynaArt Designs, 3535 Stillmeadow Lane, Lancaster, CA 93536
Voice: (805) 943-4746, FAX: (805) 943-3776
E-Mail: dyn...@netport.com
Web Site http://www.dynaart.com
Home of the "Toner Transfer System"

Coffman Enterprises, http://www.cdh.net/scoff
Email: scoff @cdh.net. PerfectBoard purple paper process to make printed
circuit boards.

Electrolube : Photo Resist, developer, Lacquer , Nickel spray, Etchant
Electrolube Limited,Blakes Road,Wargrave,Berkshire,RG10 8AW U.K.
Tel. +44 1734 404031 Fax + 44 1734 403084

Isel: Etchant ,plating solution etching equipment etc.
Isel Automation, 6419 Eiterfeld 1,Germany

Sifco : Plating Pen, 5708 Schaaf Rd. Cleveland OH 44131 USA
Tel +1 216 524 0099 Fax +1 216 524 6331

Vero Electronics can be contacted in the US on 1-800-242-2863.

Circuit Works Conductive Pen is available from Ocean State Electronics,
(800) 866-6626.
The catalog number is CW2200

Also see the section entitled "Where can I get schematic drawing, circuit
simulators, schematic capture programs, and PCB layout software?". Some of
the software packages are designed to allow the user to enter a schematic,
test the circuit, and provide an output that can then be used to directly
fabricate the PCB (either an electronic format or an actual printout that
can be used for etching).

2.13 What is the Net Station?

The Net Station was a project whose goal was to create a computer
architecture and operating system that would be freely distributed on the
net. An agreement on the architecture, etc. was never reached, and the
project seems to have been abandoned. The thread does see occasional
revival, but little practical progress has been reported lately (to the
group, at least). There are unconfirmed reports that the project is still
being worked on, but details are presently unavailable.

2.14 How do I homebrew an LCD controller?

LCD FAQs can be found at the following locations:

* http://cal003109.student.utwente.nl/stefan or
http://cal003102.student.utwente.nl
An LCD FAQ is in the misc section, file lcd_faq.htm
* http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg
* ftp://ftp.ee.ualberta.ca pub/cookbook
* http://livewire.ee.latrobe.edu.au/~sjm/tools/lcd.faq
* http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~hirsch/LCD.html
* http://www.pobox.com/~lcd_info

2.15 How do I make good front panels/cover plates?

"K-SUN"'s "Letter Quick" Electronic Lettering and Labeling System. American
Draftsource, 1152 Marina Blvd. San Leandro, CA 94577 (510) 352-8688

Toner Transfer System by DynaArt Designs is a wet method for transferring
laser prints for making printed circuit boards. The maker claims it can
also be used for decals and faceplates. This material can be obtained from
All Electronics, (818) 904-0524.

"Copi-Tak" is a peel and stick plastic sheet that you first print on with a
laser printer. You can cut it to fit your panel shape and then peel &
stick.
Fidelity Products Co.
5601 Intl. Prkwy. P.O. Box 155 Minneapolis, Mn. 55440-0155

3M Dynamark II system uses a photo-sensitive label material is exposed to
UV light - through your negative - in much the same way as you produce
prototype PCB's. It is then developed and produces a very nice professional
label.
3M House, 28 Great Jackson Street, MANCHESTER. M15 4PA. Tel: 0161-237-6142
Fax: 0181-237-9320 3M Specialty Marking Systems Project St. Paul, MN
55144-1000

2.16 What are PDF and Acrobat files?

Most semiconductor manufacturers use this format for data sheets. A PDF
viewer (Acrobat Reader) may be obtained from http://www.adobe.com. Many
semiconductor manufacturers either link to Adobe or have local copies of
the viewer on their own sites.

A freeware pdf viewer for Xwindows systems is also available, do a search
for xpdf. This is useable for systems they haven't ported acrobat to, even
homebuilt ones.

2.17 Where can I get technical information about Game Boy?

Jeff Frohwein's Gameboy technical page, http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jfrohwei/
Follow the links for Technical Information and Gameboy.

2.18 How can I build a POST code reader for my PC?

Aug. 1993 Electronics Now magazine, page 31 "Post Code Reader For Your PC".
It is idendical to the card sold by JDR.

July 1993 issue of Popular Electronics

2.19 Where can I find information on IR standards?

* http://falcon.arts.cornell.edu/~dnegro/IR/IR.html
* http://www.hut.fi/~then/electronics.html#irremote
* http://149.170.200.3/Physics/Acorn/About.html For a linux driver, see
http://www.thp.uni-koeln.de/~rjkm/lirc/lirc.tar.gz
* computer controlled IR remote control:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/6552
* There's an application note entitled "IrDA-Compliant Transmitter/
Receiver," with lots of detail about the standard, at the SHARP web
site, http://www.sharpmeg.com/datasheets/rf-ir/#0 and data sheets at
http://www.sharpmeg.com/datasheets/rf-ir/#4
* http://www.irda.org/ The home of the IRDA standards organisation,
somewhat messy, but they do provide the standards free for
downloading.
* ftp://ftp.armory.com./pub/user/rstevew/IR/
* http://www.misty.com/~don/irfilter.html

2.20 How can I make a mouse serial/ps2 or ps2/serial adapter?

Serial mice and ps2 mice do not use the same type of communication. Some
mice can detect which type of port they are connected to, and adapters for
these are not standard. Consult your specific mouse manufacturer to find
out if an adapter is possible, and the necessary pinouts.

Microsoft and Logitech have produced mice useable in serial and PS2 ports.
Connecting diagrams/details may be found at http://asustek.asus.com.tw

2.21 How can I convert video formats?

* http://www.hut.fi/~then/circuits/vga2tv.html
* http://www.hut.fi/~then/electronics/video.html#chips
* http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/HTML/REPAIR/ (in the USA)
http://ftp.cised.unina.it/pub/electronics/REPAIR/ (better for Non-USA)
* http://www.hut.fi/~then/circuits/vga2rgbs.html It has the schematic
and drivers for VGA to TV adapter. That adapter is for TVs which have
RGB inputs, but can be connected to an external RGB-NTSC chip.
* Raytheon TMC2360 - Documentation is unavailable via the web, but the
faxback system (415-988-2123) has it as document number 1129.

The following links provide information how to use workstation monitors on
PCs:

* http://madison.tdsnet.com/video/
* http://rugmd0.chem.rug.nl/~everdij/con.txt
* http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/HTML/REPAIR/F_Sync_Green.html
* SVGA-Sun
ftp://ftp.cs.unc.edu/pub/users/mueller/sun.faq

2.22 Where can I find caller ID information?

http://www.hut.fi/~then/docs/caller_id.html http://www.zilog.com/app.html

ITU Technologies, makes a Caller ID to PC interface kit
http://www.itutech.com

2.23 Where can I find information about projects?

* Hilary D. Jones, Building a Computer from Scratch, BYTE, Nov. 1977.
* Ingo Cyliax from Indiana University made a good project wich mixes a
68030 and a VGA card on a ISA bus. Schematics and info are at:
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/hyplan/cyliax/ws030.html
* A free MC68K hardware/software design is available (they also sell the
computers complete)
For further information send mail to wal...@mct.mct.de
* Z80 project:
http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~donmck/z80.html
* Instructions for building an 8051 sbc may be found at:
http://www.ece.orst.edu/~paul/8051-goodies/goodies-index.html
* ftp://ftp.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/cookbook
* STM, a 32 bit RISC processor, designed in an HDL.
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~uf8e-itu
* http://www.isr.com/~chuck/segasix.txt how to interface to the six
button Sega Genesis joypad controller
* Simplex III, an all TTL homebuilt computer.
http://www.iinet.net.au/~daveb/simplex/simplex.html
* http://www.eece.unm.edu/staff/ahvezda/hardware/homebuilt.html links to
homebuilt CPU's
* There are schematics and other info of 8255 based 84 line I/O card for
PC ISA bus at http://www.cs.tut.fi/~pam
* There is an ASCII schematic of an ISA parallel port adapter card at
ftp://ftp.armory.com:/pub/user/rstevew/LPT/ filenames
lptskmtc.asc/.unx/.wid
* PCIO and PCUC projects (ISA interface)
http://home.t-online.de/home/akugel/projects.htm More detailed info
and schematics are on the German page
http://home.t-online.de/home/akugel/projekte.htm
* Parralel port ide interface:
http://www.edu.lahti.fi/~memon/projects.html Texts of the circuit are
in Finnish and there was no driver when last checked.
* There is a zip-file with schematics and PCB-layout for a parallel port
IDE interface at http://www.edu.lahti.fi/~memon/projects.html.
* http://www.torque.net/linux-pp.html - It's a linux driver site, but
has a lot of technical info about 20 or so different implementations
of the LPT to IDE hack
* D-BOX, is an 8031 based device which controls up to 8 SONY LANC
devices, and provides a simple ASCII command set to the computer via
standard serial port. There is some information on the LANC commands
etc. in the documentation. http://www.dunfield.com Look for
DBOXKIT.ZIP in the file area

* ISA "backplane" box:
"Interfacing to the IBM Personal Computer" second edition by Lewis C.
Eggebrecht. Chapter 9 goes over two designs, one for a four slot
expansion of up to three feet and the other is for a ten slot
expansion of up to eight feet.

* Homebuilt PDA: http://www.mauve.demon.co.uk/
* http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/~fachat/csa/gecko/index.html - CS/A 6502
Gecko Computer, a small self-designed and self-built computer based on
the 6502 CPU. Circuit diagrams and software.
* Wally'sWorld of Driving Simulators - Build your own Wheel and Pedals
http://www.oz.net/~wottenad/wheel2.htm

2.24 Where can I find information about multi-processing standards?

http://stdsbbs.ieee.org/products/oui/tutorials/sci.html
http://www.ifi.uio.no/English/Research.html#COMP

Intel's FTP site has information on the intel SMP spec, in the event that
you would wish to build a multi-processor computer that is compatible with
this specificiation. (ftp://ftp.intel.com)

2.25 How do I make loop-back plugs?

Norton Diagnostics uses these:

9 Pin Serial - DB9S Connector (Female)

2 3 7 8 1 4 6 9
|__| |__| |__|__|__|

25 Pin Serial - DB25S Connector (Female)

2 3 4 5 6 8 20 22
|__| |__| |__|__|__|

25 Pin Parallel - DB25P Connector (Male)

2 15 3 13 4 12 5 10 6 11
|__| |__| |__| |__| |__|

http://www.airborn.com.au/rs232.html --Schematic diagrams showing how to
wire up RS232 connectors with handshaking and without, loopback plugs and
null modem

2.26 How do I make a null modem/laplink cable?

Pinouts for most IBM cables (laplink serial/parallel, etc) can be found in
the comp.sys.ibm.hardware.* FAQ, which may be obtained via ftp from:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.sys.ibm.hardware.misc

http://www.airborn.com.au/rs232.html --Schematic diagrams showing how to
wire up RS232 connectors with handshaking and without, loopback plugs and
null modem

2.27 Where can I get schematic drawing, circuit simulators, schematic
capture programs, and PCB layout software?

* AIM-Spice (student version available free)
http://fulton.seas.virginia.edu/~ty2n/aimspice.html
* Deutsch Research: DR SPICE
http://www.deutsch.com
* Microsim PSpice
http://www.microsim.com
* PADS software PowerPCB, WIN95 and Unix
http://www.pads.com
* Spectrum Software: Micro-CAP V (SPICE, PSpice compatible)
http://www.spectrum-soft.com
* SynaptiCAD: WaveFormer Pro
http://www/syncad.com
* Simetrix From Newbury tech
http://www.newburytech.co.uk/index.html
* http://home.aol.com/drvgb Home Page for DrVGB
* http://home.aol.com/drvgb Intusoft - WWW Directory Listing
* Intusoft are releasing their schematic editor for Windows 95 and NT as
freeware; the beta version can be downloaded from
http://www.intusoft.com
It is about 5Mbyte of code, installed. The much smaller Circad package
is available as a not-too-seriously crippled demonstrator from
http://www.holophase.com
* http://http.ee.queensu.ca:8000/www/dept/courses/elec221/pspice.htm
PSPICE Links
* http://www.ece.uwaterloo.ca/~pwr_elec/spice.html Unofficial List of
SPICE Resources
* http://ftp.heise.de/pub/elrad/051/
* Logysis is part of the simtel archives at ftp://oak.oakland.edu (and
other mirror sites)
* TurboSIM
http://www.islandlogix.com
* http://www.blackbelt.com/blackbelt/bx_home.html
* Windraft from Ivex (shareware CAD schematic editor) and Winboard (PC
board layout tool) Both can be obtained at ftp.ivex.com . Ivex also
has a webpage at http://www.ivex.com
* There is some free pcb layout software offered by Protel, at
ftp://ftp.protel.com http://www.protel.com
* http://www.bestproto.com/ftpsite
* Go to the FreeBSD homepage (http://www.freebsd.org) and follow the
links to the "cad" group of "ports". Look for "pcb" for PCB layout and
"chipmunk" for schematic capture. Also, there is a digital schematic
tool called 'diglog', and an analog version called 'analog'.
ftp://freebsd.cdrom.com/pub/FreeBSD/ports-current/cad For general
information on FreeBSD ports:
http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/handbook24.html#26
* Niche Software's PCB Designer (Windows based PCB CAD program) A
fully-functional (except for printout) demo is available from
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/ibmpc/win3/apps/pcbdemo/pcbdemo.zip

2.28 Where can I get software developement tools?

http://www.psyber.com/~tcj/ PALASM 4 v1.5 from AMD,
http://www.amd.com/html/products/pld/software/palasm.html
http://www.mpage.demon.co.uk http://www.xnet.com/~blatura/linapps.shtml
Texas Instruments offers a free copy of CUPL for windows. The manual in
word 6 format. http://www.ti.com/

2.29 Where can I find operating system information?

* Linux:
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu
* Free BSD:
http://www.freebsd.org
* NetBSD:
http://www.netbsd.org
* OpenBSD:
http://www.openbsd.org
* SCO Unix:
http://www.sco.com
* Forth:
See the newsgroup comp.lang.forth. Their FAQ is archived at
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.lang.forth
* CP/M:
On Sept 10, 1996, Caldera, the company that bought all of the Digital
Research assets from Novell, announced that they are going to release all
of the source code for those products including CP/M and DR-DOS. See
http://www.caldera.com for details.
* Minix:
See the newsgroup comp.os.minix. Their FAQ is archived at
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.os.minix

2.30 How do I interface to DRAM/SIMMS?

Tim Olmstead has written a paper on interfacing to DRAMs
http://www.psyber.com/~tcj (look in the section titled "On-Line articles")
http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~msokos1/ The paper can be viewed on-line, as an
HTML document, at: http://www.randomc.com/~llama/dram

2.31 How do I turn myself into a cyborg?

Wearable computers and virtual reality (VR) equipment are also discussed on
the newsgroup sci.virtual-worlds.

2.32 Who makes kits?

* Heathkit is still in business, but unfortunately now makes educational
products and not the kits that the used to make.
* DIY Electronics has a list of kit manufacturers on their web page.
http://www.hk.super.net/~diykit
* Personal PBX: PCB with parts placement diagram, printed schematics and
source code on diskette. Eprom also available. email:
p...@phoneswitch.com

3.0 Where to get more information

3.1 Semiconductor Manufacturers

* Acapella http://www.acapella.co.uk
e-mail: oco...@acapella.co.uk
* Actel: http://www.actel.com
* Adaptec: http://www.adaptec.com
* Advanced Hardware Architectures (AHA): http://www.aha.com
* Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) http://www.amd.com
* Literature distribution by Telephone is at 800-222-9323 which is also
a fax-back number, or at Tel. 408-749-5703. 408-732-2400
Facts-On-Demand. 1-800-222-9323 Option #1
* Advanced RISC Machines (ARM): http://www.arm.com
e-mail: in...@armltd.co.uk
* AKM Semiconductor: http://www.akm.com
* Altera (800) 5-ALTERA
http://www.altera.com
ftp.altera.com e-mail: lit...@altera.com
Literature Dept: 408-894-7144
BBS: 408-954-0104
* AMCC: http://www.amcc.com
* Analog Devices: http://www.analog.com
* Austria Mikro Systeme (AMS): http://www.ams.co.at
* Advanced RISC Machines (ARM): http://www.arm.com
* Altera: http://www.altera.com
* Atmel
1-800-365-3375 Fax 408-436-4300 Faxback: 1-800-292-8635
email: tana...@atmel.com
* AT&T Microelectronics: http://www.att.com/micro
* Benchmarq: http://www.benchmarq.com
* Brooktree: http://www.brooktree.com
* Chips and Technologies
http://www.chips.com
ftp.chips.com/pub/pdf
2950 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95134
(408) 434-0600
* Chrontel: http://www.docwriter.com/chrontel/prod.html
* Cirrus Logic: http://www.cirrus.com
* Cypress Semiconductor: http://www.cypress.com 3901 North First Street,
San Jose, CA 95134
* Cyrix: http://www.cyrix.com
* Dallas Semiconductor: http://www.dalsemi.com
e-mail: micro....@dalsemi.com
FTP archive is at ftp://ftp.dalsemi.com
Fax-Back (214) 450-0441
* Digital Equipment Corp. 1-800-332-2717
* http://www.digital.com, ftp.dec.com
* Elantec: http://www.elantec.com
* EXAR: http://www.exar.com
* Fujitsu Microelectronics, IC Division

http://www.fujitsu.com
1-800-642-7616, fax 408-954-0616.

* Harris Semiconductor

http://www.semi.harris.com
e-mail: cen...@harris.com
(407) 729-4984, fax (407) 729-5321.

* Hewlett Packard: http://www.hp.com
* Hitachi Semiconductor: http://www.hitachi.com
* IBM Semiconductor Division: http://www.chips.ibm.com
* Integrated Circuit Systems (ICS): http://www.icsinc.com
* ICT, Inc: http://www.ictpld.com
2123 Ringwood Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131 (408) 434-0678
* Integrated Device Technology, Inc.: http://www.idt.com
* Intel: http://www.intel.com

800-548-4725, 800-468-8118.
Fax 800-628-2283, 916-356-3105.
PO Box 58130, Santa Clara CA 95052-8130

* Lansdale Semiconductor: http://www.syspac.com/~lansdale
* Latice: http://www.latice.com
* Linear Technology: http://www.linear-tech.com
* Logic Devices: http://www.logicdevices.com
* LSI Logic: http://www.lsilogic.com
* Matsushita Electric: http://www.mei.co.jp
* Maxim

http://www.maxim-ic.com
http://www.mxim.com/

* Microchip Technology

http://www.ultranet.com/biz/mchip
http://www.mchip.com/microchip

* Micro Linear: http://memec.com/selector/MicroLinear
* Micron: http://www.micron.com
* Mips Technologies, Inc.: http://www.mips.com

800-998-6477, 415-933-6477.
Fax back: 800-446-6477, 415-688-4321.

* Mitel Semiconductor: http://www.semicon.mitel.com
* Mitsubishi Electronics America: 408-730-5900
* Mosel Vitelic: http://www.moselvitelic.com
* Motorola 1-512-928-6800, 1-800-441-2447

Motorola Literature Distribution
PO Box 20912, Phoenix, AZ 85036
automatic fax-back information: 602/244-6609
regular fax: 602/994-6430
BBS: 512-891-3733 9600 V32 8N1
European Literature Center, 88 Tanners Drive
Blakelands, Milton Keynes, MK14 5BP, England
http://www.mot.com

* Music Semiconductors: http://www.music.com
* National Semiconductor 1-408-721-5000

2900 Semiconductor Drive, PO Box 58090 Santa Clara, CA 95052
http://www.natsemi.com
http://www.nsc.com

* NEC

1-415-960-6000
401 Ellis St, PO Box 7241, Moutain View CA 94039
http://www.nec.com
http://www.nectech.com

* Oki Semiconductor, Inc.: http://www.oki.com

408-720-1900, 800-654-6388
Fax: 408-720-1918.

* Orbit Semiconductor: http://www.orbitsemi.com
* Paradigm: http://www.gist-erd.com/PRDGM.site/Product.html
* Pericom Semiconductor: http://www.pericom.com
* Philips Semiconductor

http://www.semiconductors.philips.com/ps
800-447-1500, Fax.708-635-8493
Faxback 800-282-2000.

* Ramtron: http://www.csn.net/ramtron
* Raytheon

http://www.raytheon.com
webm...@raytheon.com

* Samsung: http://www.samsung.com
* SGS-Thomson Microelectronics: http://www.st.com
* 602-867-6100, Fax 602-867-6200
* Sharp: http://www.sharpmeg.com/products.html
* Siemens AG: http://www.siemens.de
* Silicon Engineering, Inc (SEI): http://www.sei.com
* Simtek: http://www.csn.net/simtek
* SMC: http://www.smc.com
* Sony Semiconductor: http://www.sel.sony.com/semi
* Standard Technologies Co
* P.O. BOX 325 Canonsburg, PA 15317
PHONE:(412) 746-8696
FAX :(412) 745-8596
* Synergy Semiconductor: http://www.synergysemi.com
* TEMIC Semiconductors, Inc.

408-988-8000, 800-554-5565
Faxback. 408-970-5600.

* Texas Instruments, Inc. 800-477-8924.

PO Box 655012 MS 308, Dallas TX 75265
http://www.ti.com, ftp://ftp.ti.com
Product Info Ctr: (214) 644-5580

* Toshiba: http://www.toshiba.com
* 714-455-2000.
* USAR systems: http://www.usar.com
* Via Systems: http://www.via.com
* Western Digital: http://www.wdc.com/products/iop
* The Western Design Center, Inc.

TEL:602-962-4545 FAX:602-835-6442
EMAIL:wdes...@indirect.com
http://www.eg3.com/wdcxwwwx.htm

* Winbond: http://www.winbond.com.tw
* Xicor

http://www.xicor.com
e-mail: in...@smtpgate.xicor.com
e-mail: liter...@smtpgate.xicor.com
Tel. 408-432-8888, Fax. 408-432-0640
Faxback. 408-954-1627,
BBS. 800-258-8864, 408-943-0655.

* Xilinx: http://www.xilinx.com
* Zilog:

http://www.zilog.com
e-mail: in...@zilog.com
1-408-370-8000, Fax 408-370-8056.
technical center 1-215-653-0230

Links to manufacturer's data sheets:
http://www.crhc.uiuc.edu/~dburke/databookshelf.html

Semiconductor manufacturer websites
http://www.scruznet.com/~gcreager/hello5.htm

If you are interested in just the programmable logic suppliers, and
subsequent links to the Web pages, you can also point your browser to:
http://www.netcom.com/~optmagic

3.2 Vendor List

Electronics Resource Center:
http://www.digitalmarket.com/resource.html (links to distributers and
manufacturers web pages)

US:

* Active Electronics
* 11 Cummings Park, Woburn MA 01801
237 Hymus Blvd, Pointe Claire, Quebec H9R 5C7 1-800-677-8899
(US/Canada)
1-514-630-7410 (International)
* All Electronics
1-800-826-5432
PO Box 567 Van Nuys, CA 91408
E-mail: all...@allcorp.com
http://www.allcorp.com/allcorp
* Allied Electronics 1-800-433-5700 1-817-595-3500
FAX: 1-817-595-6444 Modem: 1-800-433-5003
http://www.allied.avnet.com
7410 Pebble Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76118
* Alltronics 1-408-943-9773
2300 Zanker Road, San Jose CA 95131
http://www.alltronics.com
* Almost All Digital Electronics
aa...@ix.netcom.com
* AM Research
http://www.amresearch.com
SBC's, parts, embedded controllers, software
* American Science and Surplus 1-708-982-0870.
3605 Howard Street, Skokie, IL 60076
* Arrow Electronics 1-800-93 ARROW
1860 Smithtown Ave, Ronkonkoma NY 11779
Catalog Division: 25 Hub Drive, Melville, NY 11747-9828
* B.G.Micro 800/276-2206, FAX 214/271-2462
P.O.Box 280298, Dallas, TX, U.S.A. 75228
bgm...@ix.netcom.com.
* Circuit Specialists Inc 1-800-528-1417 1-602-464-2485
PO Box 3047 Scottsdale AZ 85271
http://www.cir.com
* Computer Component Source 1-800-356-1227.
* Dalbani
1-800-325-2264 Fax: 1-305-594-6588. Int. Voice: 1-305-716-0947. Int.
Fax: 1-305-716-9719.
* Dan's Small Parts
Box 3634 Missoula, Montana 59806-3634
(406) 258-2782
http://www.fix.net/dans.html
* DC Electronics 1-800-423-0070 (orders) 1-602-945-7736
PO Box 3203 Scottsdale AZ 85271
* Digi-Key 1-800-344-4539 (1-800-DIGI-KEY)
701 Brooks Ave South, Thief River Falls, MN 56701
http://www.digikey.com
* Electronic Goldmine (602) 451-7454
PO Box 5408, Scottsdale AZ 85261
* Eric Electronics (408) 432-1111
2210 Lundy Ave, San Jose, CA 95131
http://www.ericnet.com
e-mail: e...@ericnet.com
* Fry's Electronics (310) 364-3797
3600 Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
* Gateway Electronics 1-800-669-5810
http://www.gatewayelex.com
* Gateway Products Corp. (954) 974-6864
PO Box 93-6397, Margate FL 33093
* Heath (Heathkit) 1-616-925-5899
Benton Harbor, MI 49022 1-800-253-0570
1-800-44-HEATH (US/Canada)
1-800-444-3284 (Canada)
* H&R Company 1-800-848-8001, 1-215-788-5583
* 18 Canal Street, PO Box 122, Bristol PA 19007-0122
* Hosfelt Electronics 1-800-524-6464.
2700 Sunset Blvd, Stuebenville, OH 43952
* Images Company (718) 698-8305
* International Components Corp 1-800-325-0101 US/CANADA, 1-503-336-4400
* 1803 W. Lincoln Way, Toledo OR 97391
* Intronics
* Box 13723/612 Newton St, Edwardsville, KS 66113
* ITU Technologies
(513) 574-7523 E-Mail: sa...@itutech.com OR itu...@aol.com
ftp://itutech.com www.itutech.com
kits and electronic products
* J&M Microtek, Inc. (201) 325-1892
83 Seaman Rd, W Orange, NJ 07052
PIC programmers, 68hc11 dev. systems, eprom emulators, etc.
* Jameco (components) 1-800-831-4242 Fax 1-800-237-6948
1355 Shoreway Road, Belmont, CA 94002-4100
* Jason-Ranheim Company
3105 Gayle Lane, Auburn, California 95603.
1805 Industrial Drive, Auburn, Ca. 95603
(916) 823-3284 Technical Support
(916) 823-3285 & Outside The USA (800) 421-7731 Orders Toll Free (800)
421-7748 From California
* JDR Microdevices Orders: 1-800-538-5000 Cust. Service: 1-800-538-5001
1850 South 10th Street, San Jose CA 95112-4108
http://www.jdr.com
International Sales 1-408-494-1400
* Kelvin Electronics 1-800-645-9212, 1-516-349-7620
7 Fairchild Ave, Plainsview NY 11803
* M2L Electronics 3526 Jasmine #4 Los Angeles, CA 90034
310 837-7818 (9am-5pm)
BBS/FAX: 310 841 6050
lov...@cs.ucla.edu
http://www.cs.ucla.edu/csd-grads-gs3/loving/www/m2l.html
* Marshall Industries 1-818-307-6000 Fax: 1-818-307-6187
9320 Telstar Ave, El Monte, CA 91731-2895
http://www.marshall.com
* MCM Electronics 1-800-543-4330, 1-800-824-TECH
650 Congress Park Drive, Centersville OH 45459
* MECI (Mendelson's Electronics) 1-800-344-4465
340 E. First St. Dayton, OH 45402 http://www.meci.com
* Mountain Instruments 1-770-413-6016 (free catalog)
* Mouser Electronics 1-800-346-6873, 1-800-992-9943
958 N. Main Street, Mansfield TX 76063
http://www.mouser.com
* Newark Electronics 1-312-784-5100
4801 N.Ravenswood Ave, Chicago IL 60640 (Attn: Catalog Dept)
Canada: 1625 Trinity Drive, Mississuaga, Ont L5T 1K4 (800) 463-9275
International: Export Dept, 500 North Pulaski Rd, Chicago IL 60624
1-416-673-7799 1-312-784-5100
* NTE Electronics, Inc 201-748-5089
44 Farand St. Bloomfield, NJ 07003
* Ocean State Electronics 1-800-866-6626 (orders), 1-401-596-3080
* PO Box 1458, Westerly RI 02891
* Parallax, Inc., 3805 Atherton Rd. 102, Rocklin, CA 95765
(916)624-8333 Fax: (916)624-8003 BBS: (916)624-7101
email: in...@parallaxinc.com
(Basic Stamp)
* Parts Express 1-800-338-0531, 1-513-222-0173
340 E. First St, Dayton OH 45402
* Powell Electronics 1-800-235-7800 (Call for local office)
http://www.powell.com
e-mail: in...@powell.com
* Scott Edwards Electronics
PO Box 160, Sierra Vista, AZ 85636-0160
Phone : 520-459-4802, Fax : 520-459-0623
e-mail: 72037...@compuserve.com
* Small Parts, Inc 1-305-557-8222 orders 1-305-558-1255 catalog
13980 NW 58th Court, PO Box 4650, Miami Lakes, FL 33014
Mechanical parts - good for the home builder
* Technological Arts
voice & fax number is: (416) 963-8996 (Toronto)
309 Aragona Blvd. Suite 102-418, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
1644 Bayview Ave. Suite 1704, Toronto, Ontario, M4G 3C2
http://www.io.org/~techart/
email address is: tec...@io.org
Microcontroller modules, socket adapters, other products
* Zebra Systems, Inc.
http://www.users.interport.net/~zebra/ts/ 1,000 ZX81 computer kits and
books for sale in the US and Canada.

The Electronic Source Book is a publication that lists component
manufactures by brand names, and type, their original locations, and their
local sources. The book is regional, you purchase one for your region in
U.S. or Canada. It is published by Interec, at (800) 217-3372, or (913)
967-1719.

Canada:

* Accelerated Data
http://www.wpg.ramp.net/~acceldat/product.html
* Active Electronic
800-363-7601 Canada outside Quebec
800-363-6592 in Quebec
* Global Semiconductors
800-668-8776 tel
800-387-6980 fax
* ECG Canada Inc.
1928 St. Regis Boulevard
Dorval, Quebec H9P 1H6
(in USA known as Phillips ECG)
sorry no phone, try 411 or white page. They have regional offices.
* Electrosonic
416-494-1555 order desk
416-494-1666 general office
416-496-3030 fax
* Future Electronics
237 Hymus Blvd, Montreal (Pointe Claire) Quebec H9R 5C7
* Powell Electronics Canada
3100 Guenette Street, St Laurent, Quebec H4S 1W5 http://www.powell.com

UK:

* Anzac Components Ltd., 822 Yeovil Road, Slough, SL1 4JA.
Tel. 01628 604411. Fax 01628 660662.
* Arrow Electronics (UK) Ltd, Cambridge Road, Bedford, MK42 0LH. Tel.
01234 270027. Fax 01234 214674.
* B.E.C. Distribution (used to be called BONEX) 12 Elder Way, Langley
Business Park, SLOUGH. Berks SL3 6EP Tel: (01753) 549502 Fax: (01753)
543812
* Bull Electrical, 250 Portland Road, Hove, Sussex, BN3 5QT Tel 01273
203500. Fax 01273 323077
http://www.pavilion.co.uk/bull-electical/
* Chelmer Valve Company, 130 New London Road, Chelmsford, Essex. CM2
0RG.
Tel. 01245 355296 or 265865. Fax 01245 490064. Valves (Vacuum tubes),
RF power transistor specialists.
* Colomor Electronics Ltd., 170 Goldhawk Road, London, W12 8HJ. Tel.
0181 743 0899. Fax 0181 749 3934.
Valves (vacuum tubes) and semiconductor specialists.
* The CR Supply Co., 127 Chesterfield Rd., Sheffield S8 0RN. Tel. 0114
255 7771
* Cirkit Distribution Ltd., Park Lane, Broxbourne, Herts. EN10 7NQ Tel
01992 448899 (Sales Desk); 01992 444111 (Schools, colleges, account
holders).
Fax 01992 471314.
* CPC plc, Component House, Faraday Drive, Fulwood, Preston, Lancs. PR2
4PP.
Tel. 01772 654455.
* Cricklewood Electronics Ltd., 40-42 Cricklewood Broadway, LONDON NW2
3ET
Tel. 0181 450 0995 and 0181 452 0161. Fax 0181 208 1441
* Display Electronics, 32 Biggin Way, Upper Norwood, LONDON SE19 3XF Tel
0181 679 4414. Fax 0181 679 1927
* Dubilier, Hewgate House, Rabands Lane, Aylesbury, Bucks. HP19 3RT.
Tel. 01296 393233Yorks.HG2 8QT
Tel 01423 879787. Fax 01423 879030
Distributors of new and surplus electronic components.
* ElectroValue Ltd., Unit 3, Central Trading Estate, Staines, TW18 4UX.
Tel 01784 442253 Fax 01784 460320
Suppliers of quality components to industry & constructors since 1965.
Exceptional range of SIEMENS inductors and ferrites, also test
equipment, tools and other components. Shops in Manchester and Egham,
Surrey.
* Electromail Ltd., P.O. Box 33, Corby, Northants. NN17 9EL. Tel. 01536
204555. Fax 01536 405555.
* ElectroSpeed Ltd. Boyatt Wood, Eastleigh, Hants. SO50 4ZY. Tel. 01703
644555 (Sales). 01703 641111 (Technical). Fax 01703 610282.
* ESR Electronic Components, Station Road, Cullercoats, North Shields,
Tyne & Wear NE30 4PQ
Tel. 0191 251 4363. Fax 0191 252 2296.
Variety of discrete components, i.c.s, transistors, p.c.b. materials
etc.
* Farnell Electronic Components Ltd., Canal Road, Leeds, LS12 2TU. Tel.
0113 263 6311 (sales); 0113 279 9123 (Technical Support); 0113 231
0160 (Data line).
Fax 0113 263 3411
* Flint Distribution, Walker Road, Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leics. LE67
1TU.
Tel. 01530 510333. Fax 0153 051 0275.
Large range of surface mount components.
* GMS Sperry-Sun (UK) Limited Phone:+44-1242/265534-544
* Fax : +44-1242/221336 E-mail:aiacc...@sperry-sun.co.uk
* Gothic Crellon Ltd., 3, The Business Centre, Molly Millars Lane,
Wokingham, Berks. RG11 2EY.
Tel. 01734 787848. Fax 01734 776095.
* Genalog Ltd.,Gills Green, Cranbrook, TN18 5ET. Tel. 01580 753754.
* Greenweld Electronic Components Ltd., 27D Park Road, Southampton, SO15
3UQ.
Tel 01703 236363 (Sales & General Enquiries). Fax 01703 236307 Surplus
electronic boards, new components, test equipment, video & audio
accessories etc.
http://www.herald.co.uk/clients/G/Greenweld/greenweld.html
* HB Electronics, Lever Street, Bolton, Lancs. BL3 6BJ. Tel. 01204
525544. Fax 01204 384911.
* IQD (01460) 74433, Fax: (01460) 72578.
* John Birkitt +44 522 520767 1, The Strait, Lincoln
* Keytronics, P.O. Box 634, Bishop's Stortford, Herts. CM23 2RX. Tel.
01279 505543. Fax 01279 757656.
* The Macro Group, Burnham Lane, Slough, SL1 6LN. Tel. 01628 604383. Fax
01628 666873/ 668071.
* Magenta Electronics Ltd., 135 Hunter Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffs.
DE14 2ST.
Tel. 01283 565435. Fax 01283 546932.
Well known range of kits from UK magazine projects, also other kits,
test equipment etc.
* Maplin Electronic Supplies Ltd., P.O. Box 3, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 8LR
Tel. 01702 554161 (Sales Orders); +44 1702 554000 (International
Enquiries & Orders); 01702 552911 (Non-Technical Enquiries); 01702
556001 (Technical Enquiries, p.m. only); Fax 01702 553935.
sa...@maplin.demon.co.uk (sales)
da...@maplin.demon.co.uk (technical)
* MPS (see Maplin)
* N R Bardwell +44 742 552886 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield
* Omni Electronics, 174, Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5DX. Tel. 0131
667 2611
A wide range of components aimed at the hobbyist constructor.
* Polar Electronics Ltd., Cherrycourt Way, Leighton Buzzard, Beds. LU7
8YY.
Tel.01525 377093. Fax 01525 378367.
Franchised component distributors. Famed for its Microchip PIC Owner's
Club.
* Rapid Electronics, Heckworth Close, Severalls Industrial Estate,
Colchester, Essex, CO4 4TB.
Tel. 01206 751166. Fax 01206 751188.
* RS Components Ltd., P.O. Box 99, Corby, Northants, NN17 9RS. Tel.
01536 201201 (National orders). 01536-402888 (Technical help). Cash
with Order or credit card customers should refer to Electromail Ltd.
* Tandy (UK) Ltd., Head Office, 5, Bilston Road, Wednesbury, W.
Midlands, WS10 7JL.
Tel. 0121 556 0786.
* Verospeed: (01703) 644555

Other:

* DIY Electronics
PO Box 88458, Sham Shui Po, HONG KONG
http://www.hk.super.net/~diykit
Email diy...@hk.super.net
Voice: 852 2720 0255. Fax: 852 2725 0610
* Farnell Components
72 Ferndale Street, Chester Hill, NSW 2162, Australia Tel (02) 645
8888
* Oatley Electronics
* RS Components GmbH - Nordenstrasse 72-76, Postfacht 1365, 64528
Morfelden- Walldorf - Germany
Phone 061 05 401 234 Fax 061 05 401
* RS Components A/S
Rugvaenget 21 , 2630 Tastrup, Denmark
phone 38 33 33 11 fax 38 34 22 32

3.3 Internet Resources

FTP Sites:

* ftp://ftp.ee.ualberta.ca U of Alberta (Canada) Electrical Engineering
archive, (electronics cookbook, m68k FAQ, etc)
* cherupakha.media.mit.edu (cher.media.mit.edu) E&L FTP server robotics,
Mini-Board, and other projects
* freeware.aus.sps.mot.com - Motorola, fuzzy, risc, etc.
* ftp.armory.com /pub/user/rstevew - FAQ's, Tutorials, Great Internet IC
Masterbator (GIICM), PIC, Basic Stamp
* ftp://ftp.epemag.wimborne.co.uk Everyday Practical Electronics
Magazine
* ftp.funet.fi - Microprocessor, PIC info
* ftp://gaitlab1.uwaterloo.ca/pub/circuits/ -Circuit Search Database
* ftp.industry.net/pub/sharewar/circuits -IndustryNet FTP Archive
* ftp.intel.com - Intel's FTP site
* ftp://itutech.com - ITU Technologies
* ftp://members.aol.com/schematix
* ftp://ftp.mcc.ac.uk/pub/micro-controllers/PIC
* ftp.mv.com /pub/ddj - Dr. Dobbs Journal FTP site
* ftp.natinst.com - National Instruments
* ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/di/dibald/ Dave Baldwin's (dib...@netcom.com)
ftp site for schematics for simple basic circuits. Single 'A' size
pages and in GIF format.
Various FAQs and information about The Computer Journal are also
included.
* ftp.oak.oakland.edu - SimTel mirror site
* ftp.parallaxinc.com - ftp site of Parallax (Basic Stamp)
* ftp.picarefy.com/pub/Sun-Hardware-Ref Information about Sun parts,
etc.
* ftp.sics.se /pub/mchipsoft contains numerous .zip files
* ftp.syd.dit.csiro.au/pub/ken/zcc095.zip - Small C (subset of C)
developement system for Z80 microprocessors
* ftp.texas.net/pub/users/diana/electron/
* ftp://ftp.ti.com - Texas Instruments FTP site
* ftp://ftp.unina.it /pub/electronics/ FAQs, cookbook, repair, etc.
* ftp://ftp.zilker.net /pub/philips - Philips "mini ftp site" set up by
Phil Wood of Philips, 8051, i2c FAQs
* ftp://gaitlab1.uwaterloo.ca/pub/circuits/ Circuit Search Database
* ftp://ftp.iglou.com/members/ITU
* ftp://mistress.informatik.unibw-muenchen.de/pub/xproz/
* nctuccca.edu.tw - mirror of ftp.intel.com
* nyquist.ee.ualberta.ca - U of Alberta EE archive
m68k, spice, cookbook (schematics)
* rtfm.mit.edu - Usenet FAQs
* wpi.wpi.edu - basic stamp information

WEB Pages:

Mailing Lists, E-Mail, etc:
http://www.neosoft.com/internet/paml Index of Publicly Accessable Mailing
Lists

* Homebuilt-L has been established as a new outlet for the
alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt. This is a forum for the exchange of
ideas, opinions and information among computer builders interested in
the above subject. To subscribe to homebuilt-l, send the following in
the body (not the subject line) of an email message to
"Majo...@teleport.com": "subscribe homebuilt-l" If you wish to
subscribe another address instead (such as a local redistribution
list), you can use a command of the form: "subscribe homebuilt-l
other-address@your_site.your_net" (Without the quotes, of course)
* "Hotwired" mailing list: (information courtesy of John West) Hotwired
(the name is not my fault) is a mailing list for people interested in
home-built processors - anything from software simulations to piles of
TTL to FPGAs to custom silicon. The address is list...@gu.uwa.edu.au
and the message to send to it is: subscribe hotwired <your name>
http://www.eece.unm.edu/staff/ahvezda/hardware/hotwired.html archive
of mail to the hotwired mailing list.
* PIC mailing list Administrative requests should go the the listserver
at address "list...@mitvma.mit.edu". You may join the list at any
time by sending a "SUB PICLIST" command via e-mail to the above
address.
* The PIC-1 mailing list is available to all users and other interested
parties of ITU Technologies' low-cost PIC-1 programmer for the
Microchip PIC16C6x/7x/8x family of microcontrollers. This list is
designed to keep users up-to-date on issues relating to the PIC-1
programmer and PIC microcontrollers, such as new software revision
notices, web and ftp site updates, application examples, and new
product announcements. To sign yourself up to the PIC-1 mailing list,
simply send a message to: PIC-1-lis...@itutech.com To remove
yourself from the PIC-1 mailing list, simply send a message to:
PIC-1-li...@itutech.com
* in...@circellar.com - Email (not ftp) send Email to get information
file on services available All Circuit Cellar INK and BYTE related
files available

3.4 BBS Numbers

* Circuit Cellar, Inc. (203) 871-1988
* Diamond's BBS: (408) 325-7080 (2400bps)
(408) 325-7175 (9600+bps)
* EDN magazine (617) 558-4241
* Electronics Now (516) 293-2283
* General Device Instruments (408) 983-1234
* Intel American Marketing Applications Support Bulletin Board System
(916) 356-3600
* Intel's BBS +44-(0)1793-496340 2400,n,8,1
* Parallax Inc. (916) 624-7101
* Motorola (Austin Texas) BBS (512) 891-3733 (Austin, Texas)
* Munich, Germany: 49-89-92103-111 (2400 baud)
* Stuttgart, Germany: 49-7031-275496 (19200 baud)
* San Diego, California: (619) 279-3907
* Toronto, Ontario, Canada: (416) 497-8989
* Philips Semiconductor (parent company of Signetics)
(800) 451-6644 or (408) 991-2406
Netherlands: +31-40-721102

3.5 Recommended books/magazines

Books:

* "AT Bus Design", By Ed Solari, Published by Annabooks ISBN
0-929392-08-6
* "The Art of Digital Design" by Prosser & Winkel ISBN 0-13-046607-7
* "The Art of Electronics, 2nd ed." by Horowitz and Hill. ISBN
0-521-37095-7 (Also, "Student Manual for The Art of Electronics," by
Thomas C. Hayes and Paul Horowitz ISBN 0-521-37709-9)
* "A Beginner's Guide to Computers and Microprocessors - with projects"
by Charles K. Adams, from TAB books
* "The Best of Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar" ISBN 0-07-011025-5
* "Best of Interface Age, Volume 1: Software in BASIC" Carl D. Warren
(ed.), dilithium Press, 1979, ISBN 0-918398-36-3
* "Bit Slice Microprocessor Design" by Mick and Brick ISBN 0-07-041781-4
* "Bit Slice Design:Controllers and ALU's" by Donnamaie E. White ISBN
0-8240-7103-4
* "The Book of SCSI" by Peter M. Ridge ISBN# 1-886411-02-6
* "Build Your Own Low-Cost Data Acquisition and Display Devices" by
Jeffrey H. Johnson ISBN 0-8306-4348-6
* "Build you own Universal Computer Interface" Covers a lot about serial
interfacing and designing circuitry. ISBN #: 0-8306-3122-4
* "Build Your Own Z80 Computer: Design Guidelines and Application Notes"
by Steve Ciarcia. ISBN 0-07-010962-1.
* "The Compact Disc Handbook" (second edition) By Ken C. Pohlmann. ISBN
0-89579-301-6
* "Computer Architecture, a Quantitative Approach" by Hennessy and
Patterson
* "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples" by Bell and Newell
* "Controlling the world with your parallel port" Jamco Electronics
* "Controlling the World with your PC" by Paul Bergsman
* "Design of oscillator and other harmonic oscillators " by Benjamin
Parzen (Published by John Wiley and Sons) ISBN 0-471-08819-6
* "The Design and Drafting of printed circuits," Darryl Lindsey; Bishop
Graphics, Inc.
* "Designing Cards and Drivers for Macintosh II and Macintosh SE" ISBN
0-201-19256-X.
* "Designing with Programmable Array Logic", Tech. Staff of Monolithic
Memories, McGraw-Hill, 1981
* "Design with Microcontrollers", John B. Peatman
* "Digital Design with Standard MSI and LSI, 2nd ed." by T. R.
Blakeslee.
* "Digital Design Principles and Practices" by John F. Wakerly Published
by Prentice Hall ISBN 0-13-212838
* "Electronic Drafting and Printed Circuit Board Design," 2nd ed., by
James M. Kirkpatrick; Delmar Publishers
* "Electronic Prototype Construction," Kasten, Stephen D. Originally
published by Howard W. Sams, Inc.

* "Handbook of software and hardware interfacing for IBM PCs", By
Jeffrey P. Royer, Published by Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-381849-7
* "High Frequency Switching Power Suplies:Theory and Design" by George
Chryssis.
* "High-Speed Digital Design, a Handbook of Black Magic" by Johnson and
Graham, PTR Prentice Hall, 1993
* "How to Design, Build & Program Your Own Working Computer System"
Robert P. Haviland, 1979, TAB Books, ISBN 0-8306-9810-8 (0-8306-1111-8
paperback)
* "How to program the Z80" by Rodnay Zaks
* "The IBM Personal Computer, from the Inside Out" by Sargent and
Shoemaker (published by Addison-Wesley) provides a lot of information
about interfacing an IBM type PC to various things. ISBN 0-201-06918-0
* "The Indispensable PC Hardware Book".
* "Inside the EISA Computers", By Tony Dowden
* "Interface your microcomputer to virtually anything" by Joseph A. Carr
ISBN 0-8306-0890-7 ISBN 0-8306-1890-2 (paperback)
* "Interfacing to the IBM PC" by Lewis C. Eggebrecht. Signals, timing
diagrams, example circuits, etc. ISBN 0-672-22722-3
* "Interfacing to the PowerPC Microprocessor" Ron Rahmel and Don Rahmel,
SAMS Publishing
* "ISA & EISA: Theory and Operation" by Edward Solari (great info and
timing of the bus hardware -- essential for HW design)
* "Making Printed Circuit Boards" by Jan Axelson, Tab Books, 1993 ISBN
0-8306-3950-0 (hard) 0-8306-3951-9 (paper)
* "Mastering Serial Communications" by Peter W. Gofton ISBN
0-7821-1202-1
* "The Microcomputer Builder's Bible" by Chris Johnston, Tab Books, 1982
(hard back cover)
* "Microcontrolers. Architecture, Implementation, & Programming" by
Kenneth Hintz and Daniel Tabak ISBN 0-07-028977-8
* "The Microcontroller Idea Book" Jan Axelson
* "Microelectronic Circuits" by Sedra and Smith
* "Microprogramming" by Husson
* "Microprocessor Based Design" by Michael Slater, Prentice Hall, 1989
* "Microprocessor Logic Design, The Flow Chart Method" by Nick
Tredennick
* "Microprocessor Systems Design" (68000 Hardware, Software, and
Interfacing) by Alan Clements. ISBN 0-87150-095-7
* "Musical Applications of Microprocessors" by Hal Chamberlin ISBN
0-8104-5753-9
* "Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic systems" Ott, Henry W. ISBN
0-471-65726-3
* "The PC Handbook" available from Annabooks
* "PC Programmer's Handbook" by Sanchez and Canton (code examples of
programming the DMA chip)
* "PCI, Hardware and Software" Edward Solari,George Wilson ISBN
0-929392-28-0
* "The PCI Handbook," Brian Dipert ISBN 0-929392-25-6 - "PCMCIA System
Architechure" Don Anderson and Tom Shanley
* "The PowerPC Architecture" IBM book number SR28-5124-00
* "Programmer's Problem Solver for the IBM PC, XT and AT", By Robert
Jourdain, Brady Book, ISBN 0-89303-787-7 info on timer, keyboard,
video, disk, parallel and serial port hardware resources, and software
interfacing.
* "PS/2 and PC BIOS Interface Technical Reference: Second Edition"
* "Single- and Multiple-Chip Microcomputer Interfacing" G.J. Lipovski
ISBN 0-13-810557-X (Prentice-Hall Edition) ISBN 0-13-810573-1
(Motorola Edition)
* "The SCSI Bus and IDE Interface" by Friedhelm Schmidt. ISBN
0-201-42284-0
* "Stack Computers, the new wave" by Philip J. Koopman Jr. Published by
John Wiley (Halstead Press) ISBN 0-470-21467-8
* "TTL Cookbook" written by Don Lancaster
* "The XT-AT Handbook" by Choisser and Foster
* "Z-80 Microcomputer Design Projects" by William Barden Jr. ISBN
0-672-21682-5, published by Howard W. Sams & Co. Inc
* "The Z80 Microcomputer Handbook" William Barden, Jr,
* "The 8088 Project Book" by Robert Grossblatt. 1989 Tab Books - ISBN
0-8306-0271-1

Technical Book Vendors:

* Annabooks: http://www.annabooks.com
* PROMPT Publications, a division of Howard W. Sams & Company. Free
catalog (800) 428-7267 or e-mail (including a shipping address) to
cdr...@in.net.
* Tab/McGraw-Hill(1-800-822-8158)

Magazines:

* The Computer Applications Journal (Circuit Cellar Ink) PO Box 7694,
Riverton, NJ 08077-8784 (609) 786-0409 http://www.circellar.com
* The Computer Journal (916) 722-4970 1-800-424-8825 FAX: 916-722-7480
BBS: 916-722-5799 P.O. Box 3900, Citrus Heights, CA 95611-3900
t...@psyber.com http://www.psyber.com/~tcj/
* Computer Design (508) 692-0700 One Technology Park Drive, P.O. Box
990, Westford, MA 01886
* Dr. Dobbs Journal (415) 358-9500 411 Borel Ave., San Mateo, CA 94402
ftp site - ftp.mv.com/pub/ddj www site - http://www.ddj.com BBS -
415-358-8857
* EE Times (516) 562-5000 600 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030
Electronics design http://www.ednmag.com/
* Electronic Engineering Times (516) 293-3000 500-B Bi-County Boulevard,
Farmingdale, NY 11735
* ELECTRONICS AUSTRALIA
* Electronics Now (computer/electonics/hobbyists magazine) 800-999-7139
Reader Service Dept PO Box 5192 Pittsfield MA 01203-9989
* Electronique Pratique http://www.eprat.com
* Elektor Electronics (603) 924-6371, 924-6526 Old Colony Sound Lab,
P.O. Box 243, Peterborough, NH 03458 World Wide Subscription Service
Ltd Unit 4, Gibbs Reed Farm, Pashley Road, Ticehurst TN5 7HE, England
http://www.elektor.ac-net.de
* Everyday With Practical Electronics +44 1202 881749 EPE Subscrptions
Department, Wimborne Publishing Ltd. Allen House, East Borough,
Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1PF http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk Editorial
E-mail: edit...@epemag.wimborne.co.uk
* Historically Brewed Historical Computer Society, 10928 Ted Williams
Place El Paso, TX 79934
* Microcomputer Journal (formerly Computer Craft) 76 N. Broadway,
Hicksville, NY 11801
* Nuts and Volts 1-800-783-4624, 909-371-8497 fax 909-371-3052
* Popular Electronics (800) 435 - 0715 Subscription Dept, PO Box 338,
Mt. Morris, IL 61054-9935

3.6 CD-Rom

CD -ROM from D.A.T.A. Digest
1-303-799-0381 1-800-447-4666
fax 1-303-700-4082
Over 1.25 million active devices from more than 1000 manufacturers. These
cover trnasistors, linear, diodes, optoelectronics, digital and
microprocessors.

CD dedicated to microcontrollers - Equinox Technologies
sa...@equintec.demon.co.uk Tel: 01204 491110

Farnell Components UK have released a semiconductor CD-rom.
http://www.farnell.co.uk

Lattice (http://www.latticesemi.com) has a CD-ROM available, which includes
full documentation on the Synario package, ABEL-HDL, schematic entry, and
all of the Lattice devices.

4.0 Misc.

Special thanks to Andrew for the first version of this FAQ. Thanks also to
the following for numerous corrections and additional information (in no
particular order): Robert Boys, Todd Parker, Howard Matthews, David Wilkie,
xian the desk lisard, Sandy Harris, Hai Pham, Alan Winstanley, Dwight
Elvey, Gareth Attrill, Gilad Barak, Jan-Derk Bakker, Ian Blythe, Jean-Marc
Calvez, Dave Baldwin, Frank Miller, Roethig Gerd, Joakim Ogren, Alan Ogden,
Douglas Beattie Jr, Nico Coesel, R. D. Davis, Mike Loving, Paul West, Ian
Stirling, John D. Baker, Jeff Sampson, and my sincere apologies if anyone
was accidentally left off this list.

I attempt to make sure that all information in this FAQ is current and
correct, but I'm only human. If you find a mistake, please let me know.

Your comments/suggestions/contributions are welcome. E-mail to
mso...@gl.umbc.edu

Version 20 (modified 6/18/97)

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