Tag Archives: Customer Projects

Parental Control V-Chip – What is it and how does it work?

Parents are concerned over the type of programs their children watch on the television and would like to exercise their control. They do not want their children watching programs with excessive violence or sexual content. Since it is not possible to be always present when the children are watching TV, it is best to have a device automatically detecting the type of program coming through, and blocking it if it is objectionable.

All television sets made and sold in the US after 1999 have a special electronic chip built in and this is the V-chip. This allows parents to select the level of violent programs, which children can watch in the home. This also means that all TV programs contain a rating transmitted along with the program, which the V-chip can detect.

The FCC defines the ratings as –

TV-Y – Suitable for all children, with no violence and no sexual content
TV-Y7 – Suitable for children aged seven and over
TV-G – Suitable for general audiences, with no violence, no sex and inappropriate language
TV-PG – Parents to exercise their own discretion
TV-14 – Suitable for children above 14 only, with some violence and sex
TV-MA – Suitable for mature audiences only and may contain sexual situations and/or graphic violence

A parent can program the V-chip with a specific rating, and the chip will block all programs or shows above that rating. For example, if you have programmed a V-chip for a TV-G rating, it will allow all programs with a rating of TV-G, TV-Y7 and TV-Y, and will block all the rest.

All television programs transmit synchronizing signals, which allow a proper build-up of the picture on the screen. The electron beam painting the picture on the screen starts to sweep from the top left corner to the right edge of the screen, turns itself off, retraces itself to the left edge and sweeps again to the right edge, moving down a tiny bit in the process, until it has covered the entire height of the screen. The beam then returns from the bottom right hand corner of the screen to the top left hand corner and the whole process repeats. The vertical and horizontal retrace signals transmitted along with the TV program control all this.

As the signal returns from the bottom of the screen to the top, it follows a number of horizontal retrace lines. The twenty-first line of the horizontal retraces has data embedded in it as specified by the XDS standard. This includes captioning information, time of the day, ratings information and many others.

The V-chip is capable of reading this line 21 data, extracts the rating’s information and compares it with the parent’s allowed rating. Accordingly, the chip lets the signal pass through or blocks it.

The V-chip in the television works in conjunction with the cable box and/or the VCR. You can either utilize the V-chip or turn it off.

Anti-static electronic component storage bins!

ESD Protection Bins

Great deal alert! We’re parting with some of our static dissipative stacking bins – taking them out of service in our warehouse. There’s still plenty of life available in these bins so grab them while you can at 60% off the price of new bins.

The bins are perfect for storing all your sensitive electronic components and supplies. Also ideal for a warehouse environment where you need some ESD protection.

Here are the larger size bins: Large Anti-Static Stacking Bin

And here are the medium size bins: Medium Anti-Static Stacking Bin

The price on these bins when new are $26 for the medium size and over $30 for the large size. Both sizes are stackable with an open hopper on the front side for easy access to the contents of the storage bin. Limited availability – only about 200 left.

New radial electrolytic capacitor assortment available!

Radial Electrolytic Capacitor Assortment

By popular request we’ve added an additional radial electrolytic capacitor assortment to our lineup of available products. Like our other capacitor kits, this assortment has a big range of capacitances and voltages supported. And like our other assortments, every value is individually bagged and labeled.

But here’s where this kit differs from our other previous kits – we are now able to provide a list of manufacturers and temperature ratings for this assortment so you can be sure that the capacitors in this assortment meet your needs. We’ve designed this assortment to be perfect for anyone’s workbench or ideal in a classroom setting.

Capacitor values range from 0.22uF 50V to 6800uF 10V. There are about 245 radial electrolytic capacitors included spanning 27 different values. Some of the included manufacturers are Taicon, Paccom, Sprague, NIC, Nippon, Marcon and Panasonic.

How to wipe a hard drive clean

If you are donating, disposing of or selling anything that contains a hard drive, chances are that drive should be wiped clean before it leaves your hands. Even if the hard drive has failed, special equipment can read a hard drive which could expose your private and confidential information to the next owner.

So what should you do before your dispose of your equipment with a hard drive? There are several methods that are recommended by the experts. Here is an explanation of two of them:

1 – Destruction:
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-88, “Destruction of media is the ultimate form of sanitization.” Some methods to destroy a hard drive include pulverization, incineration, melting, and shredding however it should be noted that it is recommended that you never burn a hard drive, put a hard drive in a microwave, or pour acid on it in an effort to destroy it. Those methods should be avoided. What IS recommended is that you drive a nail through the hard drive, being sure to pierce the hard drive platter. This can be accomplished with a hammer and nails or even a drill. If you use this method to destroy the hard drive, drive several nails through or drill through it several times. Another method is to remove the hard drive platter and sand it to erase the data.

Destroying the hard drive ensures that you or anyone else will never be able to use the hard drive again. Should you want someone to be able to use the hard drive again, you might consider another option which is data destruction software.

2 – Data Destruction Software:
Sometimes called hard drive eraser software or disk wipe software, data destruction software is a way to remove your personal data off of a drive without permanently destroying the drive. While not a fool proof method (user error comes into play here), it is the easiest way to wipe a drive clean. Data destruction software overwrites a hard drive in a particular way to make extracting data from it very difficult, if not impossible. Most computer users should be able to safely wipe their hard drive clean using this type of software.

There are other methods available however they are generally expensive. Either of the two methods outlined above should suffice for the average computer user that would just like to wipe a drive clean before disposing of it.

Solder Sucker for Desoldering – New product alert!

Solder Sucker

We’re always adding new electronic components, parts and supplies to our inventory. This week, one of our new products is a solder sucker, which is a ‘must have’ for anyone that works with electronics and solder.

Crafted in Germany by Amax, this solder sucker is a pump style solder remover. Use it on heated solder to remove the solder from your boards and components. It comes in the original manufacturer’s packaging with instructions for the use and care of your solder sucker.

Here are some basic desoldering instructions:
1. Heat your soldering iron. Push down on the plunger until it clicks to arm the soldering iron.
2. Clean your soldering tip. Place the soldering tip on the side of the old joint. Apply some fresh solder on the old joint to help the old solder soften.
3. Set the plunger on the solder sucker. Place the tip of the solder sucker on the old joint as close as possible to the soldering tip.
4. Release the plunger by pressing the button.
5. Repeat until much of the old solder is gone.
6. If any of the old solder is left in PCB holes, you can heat the old joint again and using the soldering tip on one side and a miniature flat screwdriver on the other, gently rock the joint back and forth lightly to loosen up the tiny leads on the components.
7. You may need to repeat this process again when there is a stubborn joint.
9. Remove your component carefully; taking care to not damage the board.

What are breadboards?

Breadboards are a simple solution for circuit building, especially when you need to prototype or test a circuit. Constructed of plastic, a solderless breadboard contains hundreds of spring-loaded connection sockets (also called tie points) which connect the leads for through-hole electronic components and 22 AWG wire to form an electronic circuit. One key feature of breadboards is that they require no solder to connect your components making testing or prototyping a circuit very quick and painless.

How do breadboards work?

A breadboard is constructed on hundreds of holes arranged in vertical and horizontal rows. The outer rows which run lengthwise across the circuit board are generally reserved for the circuit’s power supply. The interior rows of holes are where the electronic components are inserted. Each row of holes forms a node; that is, any components that reside on the same node will be connected when they are inserted into a hole in that same row, or node. This is because under each row is a copper plate that connects the holes to each other.

Solar energy can help sell your home

Anyone who is trying to sell a house knows that some improvements like adding a new bathroom or a complete kitchen renovation may increase the value of a home however most people might not consider that an investment in solar panels or other renewable energy sources may be another positive investment in their home.

According to a study that was recently published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), solar photovoltaic (PV) panels added on average between 3 percent and 4 percent to the value of a home. This study, which examined homes in California, suggests that homeowners might fully recover their costs of purchasing and installing solar panels when they sell their home. Since solar panels require very little maintenance and are becoming increasingly more affordable to buy and install, this is another way to increase the resale value and marketability of your home. Some of the most common installations in homes are for water heaters, pool heaters and outdoor lighting. As the technology improves and the cost of solar panels continues to drop, more and more homeowners (and potential buyers!) will be looking for solar energy systems for their homes.

West Florida Components in the community making LED Throwies

West Florida Components was recently invited to participate in a science experiments fair held in conjunction with the USF Education Department.

Each business staffed a booth where elementary school aged kids along with their families could conduct science experiments. The community event was an opportunity for families to enjoy and see the benefits of science in a fun atmosphere. The West Florida Components station was one of about 18 stations at which participants could interact and have fun with science. The event met a significant need identified at the national, state and local levels which is to increase the scientific literacy of students as a way to improve the local, state and global competitive status of our communities and our country.

The staff from West Florida Components made LED Throwies with the fair attendees. Each family member was given an LED, a 3V battery, a magnet and some tape to put their LED Throwie together. Once the Throwies were assembled, they could toss their Throwie at a metal board to earn points. The families learned the science behind the Throwie and were given additional LEDS to take home to so they could rebuild their throwies and experiment further.

If you’d like the instructions to make the LED Throwies, you can visit our web site where we give full instructions with pictures.

Survey finds that web users are sloppy with passwords

A new survey commissioned by Webroot confirms that web users are still putting their identities at risk by not employing some simple strategies for password safety and protection.

So what did the survey reveal about web users and why are these findings an issue?

40% have shared passwords with at least one person in the past year

Sharing passwords with a trusted friend or family member may seem like a non-issue because you trust the person you’re sharing it with, but they may leave it lying around where someone not so trustworthy may pick it up.

About 40% of people use the same password to log into multiple sites

Using a password on multiple sites can create a problem because if your password is compromised on one site, the potential exists that multiple accounts could be in jeopardy.

Nearly 50% never use special characters (e.g. ! ? & #) in their passwords

Adding a special character is a simple step that can be used to make it that much harder for someone to guess your password. Another easy to use technique is to substitute numbers or characters to spell out words.

redridinghood becomes r3dr!d!ngh00d

For example changing the ‘e’ ‘i’ and ‘o’ in “red riding hood” to numbers and characters makes it virtually impossible for someone to guess at it even if they know the name of your favorite childhood book.

20% have used a significant date, such as a birth date, or a pet’s name as a password

In the past, that may have made it easy for only people that knew you to use that information but today that information is often publicly visible on social networks where it can be accessed by almost anyone.

Besides the above tips, it is recommended that you change your passwords periodically and don’t allow your browsers to store passwords for you.

Following these recommendations can save you time and save you money should someone try to hack your accounts.

When Does A Small Business Need A Server?

If your small business uses more than one computer to manage its business, you may be ready to upgrade to a small server to efficiently run your business.

Keep in mind that adding a server to your business is not a huge expense – in fact you can get started by putting an unused desktop computer to work, but the rewards go beyond the financial concerns.

Here’s how to recognize the signs that it’s time for you to invest in a server for your small business.

– Has your business grown beyond a few desktop computers, laptops and other data collectors including PDA’s?
– Is the thought of losing the company data that is stored on different computers making you uneasy? In fact, have you experienced a loss of data or incurred costs associated with the recovery of lost data?
– Do multiple employees need to access the same programs and documents?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are your business is ready for a server.

Some of the benefits are that your business can use the server as a security gateway to regulate the different levels of access to your data, particularly for your employees. It is also possible to host your website on your company’s server but if your site has a reasonable amount of traffic, you might want to leave that alone.