A perfect complement to the SDN-C Series

SolaHD’s DC UPS features DIN Rail mounting capabilities, high MTBF, UL 508, CE and FCC compliance. Battery performance is degraded by over and undercharging. For enhanced reliability, the SDU-series is fitted with a microprocessor brain that enables the unit’s power charger to maintain the 24-volt charge needed for maximum battery life.
Heat is another enemy of battery performance.
The DC UPS enclosure was designed to protect the battery in operating temperatures as high as +50°C. Modular, rugged industrial grade design Microprocessor-based controls Automatic self-test feature for UPS function and battery management check

VIEW21 VV107ZRH32W online access and wireless watching

DISTINGUISHING YOUR Freeview recorder from the crowd is not easy, so View21 (a brand from Goodmans maker, Harvard International) has made the VV107ZRH32W  unusually small, crammed in a twin-tuner recording HD Freeview receiver with a 320GB hard drive (or 500GB for £20 more), and added streaming TV via Wi-fi to apps on your phone or tablet.
This is the second streaming Freeview recorder in the View21 stable, after the WV11FVRHF50 and it’s both better and cheaper.

Build and connectivity
The recorder is very slim and as deep as it is wide. All black, with only the power button/light on the front, it’s a lot prettier than  its predecessor.
Around the back is the aerial input and loopthrough output. An HDMI port is partnered with a coax S/PDIF digital audio output and the only other connections are a USB socket for software updates and an
Ethernet to link to your network and the internet (Wi-fi is built in).
The remote control is reasonably classy looking; a decent size, and not over busy with buttons, it has a nice shiny black front and chrome trim around the arrow key cluster.
It sits in the hand comfortably and is slim enough to operate one handed. There are some anomalies in the layout; the mute button is almost uniquely at the bottom of the button array and the playback controls are strewn around the cursor cluster (which is not very positive in action), while the section access buttons (Menu, Library, Guide, Back, Exit) are huddled together where it’s less easy to stab at the right one.
However, you soon get to know the handset’s foibles and using the View21 is not seriously aff ected.

Setup
This receiver is almost plug-and-play. A wizard leads you through the process in a couple of minutes.
Alarmingly, the onscreen message warns the channel search will take eight minutes, but we found that it actually took only about 2.5 minutes to fi ll its Freeview channel list.
The View21 detects a wired Ethernet connection and the DHCP automatic settings take care of initialising the network, otherwise Wi-fi setup is started. Either way, you’re up and running in seconds (although entering the Wi-fi security code could be a less tedious process).

Basic use
The View21 is simple in everydayuse.  Not only is there an excellent Sky-like information banner and pop-up synopsis panel, with which you can browse what’s on the channels, but it also provides a decent Guide (EPG) and Library (for recordings and online content).
There is no simple channel list –and you don’t really miss it.
The channel order in the EPG cannot be altered, but the format can. You can have three, seven or 11 channels on the grid, with a synopsis displayed with the seven-channel option and available as a pop up on the others. The Guide button cycles through the formats and the default can be set elsewhere.

Top three box control apps

These handy free companion apps let you schedule recordings on your set-top box and more besides

1 SKY+ APP –Operate your Sky+ on the move
AVAILABLE FOR iOS and compatible Android mobiles and tablets, Sky+ owners can use this app to control their box and schedule recordings. They can also instigate downloads from On Demand, browse the TV guide, search and more.

2 VIRGIN TV– Got TiVo? You’ll probably be wanting this then
THIS APP for iOS and (selected) Android devices  can act as a remote for TiVo boxes, lets you schedule recordings and browse the guide up to  14 days ahead. On certain devices you can also stream live TV.

3 FREESAT APP– Freesat’s Freetime in the palm of your hand
CURRENTLY FOR iOS devices only, if you have a  Freetime box you can use this app as a remote control and to manage or schedule recordings.
The Freetime EPG and an On Demand section are included.

Simple DTT network tuner for summer

ENCAPSULATING THE appeal of the soon-to-be released Simple.TV (a network tuner box that can be used to record as well as distribute Freeview programmes),Mark Ely CEO and founder of US company Simple.TV told Wotsat:“The way our service works – which is diff erent from most DVRs – is rather than just having a standalone box that you control with the remote,this is really a video capture source
and a server”.

It connects to your router/home network via Ethernet and has two tuners that can be used to record two high-defi  nition or standard-defi nition channels at the same time by adding a USB drive (support for NAS drives is in the offi ng).
It can also be used to distribute live and recorded TV serving fi ve  diff erent connected devices at once including via the internet while  out of the home. Users can timeshift,schedule recordings and download them to certain devices.
A 14-day EPG for Freeview channels with metadata provided by Gracenote can be used for scheduling recordings.
As well as watching on PCs and Macs with a web browser, you can watch on iOS (iPad and iPhone) or Android(phones and tablets) devices with a Simple.TV app installed, Roku streamersusing a Simple.TV channel and Apple TV.
Support for Google’s Chromecast is promised with plans to accommodate Amazon Fire TV and potentially smart TVs (Ely hopes the service could  one day beintegrated into TVs) in the future.

Cloud-based
Streaming outside of the home,downloading and automatic series recording will require a ‘Premier Service’subscription, with pricing  that is expected to cost £2.99/month.
A possibly subscription-based,cloud-based storage option for recordings “is something we’re looking at in the next 12 months,” says European sales and marketing director David Burton.
Due for release this summer, the price of the box is yet to be confi rmed (“anywhere between £99 and £149, we don’t know exactly where it’s going to wind up” says Ely). There are also plans to release a satellite version at some point in the near future.

Buy & Keep download service for Sky+HD

SKY+ HD owners can now purchase movies from its Sky Store service as well as renting them.
The ‘Buy & Keep’ option entitles customers to download the film to connected boxes and also receive a DVD copy in the post 3-5 days afterwards.

It includes brand new titles such as recent additions The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Turbo with pricing ranging from £7.99 to £13.99. A Sky subscription is required to watch downloaded fi lms.
Sky said that over the next year it will enable customers to watch fi lms they’ve bought on smartphones and tablets.
It is planning to introduce a ‘Buy & Keep’ option for TV box sets in future and enable non-Sky customers to buy content through the Sky Store website.
It is also trialling a service that enables customers to use its Twitter tweets to set recordings on their Sky+HD box and jump to watching live TV available on Sky Go on compatible devices. A #WatchOnSky tool featured across its Twitter feeds including for @SkyHD and @SkyAtlantic for “key shows, sporting events and movies ” has selectable buttons for both features labelled Watch and Record.
A Sky iD is required and Sky+ boxes must be linked to this to enable the recording feature. The Sky+ app has also been updated with a new Homepage and highlights carousel and the ability to turn Sky+HD boxes on or off .
Sky is currently rolling out a new Homepage for Sky+HD boxes with further updates planned for later in the year including a “new and smarter approach to recommendations, based on Sky+ Planner recordings and downloads”.

OPPO BDP-105D Audiocom Signature player

The first rule of hot-rodding is “start from a good base.”
Working with an already excellent donor product gives
one a canvas upon which great things can be based.
Sadly, that maxim seems entirely lost on a neighbour’s son,
who seems intent on ‘pimping up’ a clapped-out
Vauxhall Nova, but Audiocom has taken the idea to heart.
The company takes the very well respected OPPO multistandard disc platform and uses it as a
basis for its own transformations, in this  case creating the OPPO BDP-105D Audiocom Signature.
This is not unheard of, but Audiocom plays it very honestly.
The company does not try to hoodwink people by rebadging and repackaging the OPPO player, and it definitely doesn’t  try to pass off limited modifications as major changes.
Bigger brands than Audiocom have been caught playing that game before, and it ends badly.
Instead, Audiocom has been extremely honest about what it does  to the OPPO model upon which the mods are based.
This is also Audiocom’s top of the range disc player. All of Audiocom’s players are now geared as much for video as  they are for audio: a reflection of the changes in the audio market away from physical digital media.
Despite reports to the contrary, CD and SACD are not ‘dead,’ but sales of players are in the doldrums and new music-only players are a rare sight. In such a marketplace, OPPO is one of the exceptions.
Fortunately for end users, OPPO make a truly universal platform that delivers both audio and video to a very high quality  right out of the box.
And fortunately for companies using this as a base of operations,  there’s still untappedperformance in the OPPO platform that can be extracted, if you think it an audiophile device and develop important sections.
These improvements are not the kind of upgrades OPPO would put on its  own devices per se, because they would significantly increase the price of  the player, but this gives high-end brands and modding companies like Audiocom some room for manoeuvre.
Describing the base OPPO’s performance is either extremely simple, or extremely long-winded. The simple version is ‘it plays virtually every digital audio or video format you can think of (except maybe LaserDisc), and does most of them extremely well’. The long-winded version is just a list of those
audio and video formats. It’s best to think of the OPPO as a complete digital hub device, with a disc drawer on the front panel and loads of digital inputs on the back panel, plus space for a Wi-Fi dongle. It’s also highly consistent in performance, turning in top-class performance as much when playing DVDAudio
discs as it does with upscaling Blu-ray to 4K. For the record, the ‘D’ suffix in the name is short for Darbee Visual image enhancement. The one weak point in OPPO’s content wrangling is the handling of files streamed through Ethernet. The good news is current models now include gapless replay, but
the MediaControl iOS or Android app for controlling the player is still arguably something of a weak link in an otherwise very strong chain, and other apps (such as PlugPlayer) have more powerful UPnP/DLNA control. However, this is more a ‘room for improvement’ criticism, than a ‘it can’t be done’ gripe, and I
suspect that as UPnP streaming becomes more universally and internationally adopted, the BDP-105D will have firmware and app upgrades. Audiocom takes this already fine platform, and adds significant upgrades.
These include replacing the standard PSU with a custom designed linear power supply, with multiple regulated supply taps, improved mains purification (using the kind of filtration seen in Quantum boxes), the replacement of the two main clocks in the system (the main processing circuit now sports Audiocom’s
77 Femtosecond Reference clock, while the analogue audio stages feature the company’s new 37 Femtosecond Reference Audio clock to drive the ESS9018 Sabre DACs in the OPPO circuit). Audiocom also uses selected audio-grade components in the important parts of the analogue audio stage
and finally improves the mechanical and electrical isolation between stages, which is useful because the inside of a Blu-ray player competes with the inside of a computer as one of the most EMI-polluted places to deliver audio.

There’s several GHz of stray EMI floating round a typical player: OPPO does a good job in keeping this in check as standard (part of the reason OPPO players are so well liked), but Audiocom improves on this.
The net result is outstanding, almost regardless of how you choose to play your music. Starting with CD, the overall sound is dynamic, possessed of powerful bass, very clean through the midband, and expressive in the treble. It’s only when you begin to focus on how dynamic, how good that bass is,
how clean that midrange, and how expressive that treble that you begin to see just what Audiocom has on its hands. Traditionally, the CD replay of OPPO players has been on a par with good dedicated models in the £1,000-£1,500 mark. Audiocom uprates that by an order of magnitude, and suddenly it’s going
toe-to-toe with £10k-£15k players. The reason for the improvement is that where standard OPPO players seem to have the ‘texture’ of high-end players but not the resolution, this now has both in good measure. The plain-wrapper OPPO makes a sound that is exquisite and entertaining, but not the last word in analysis: this
is often better than the more common detail hound player that sounds musically bereft. But thanks to Audiocom’s hot-rod skills, it shifts up a gear or three in the detail stakes too. That puts it in among the big boys of digital audio. And best  of all, the further up the digital resolution scale you go, you just get more of the same.
Good SACDs and DVD-Audio discs (remember them?) sound better than CD versions of the same
(although this meant having to dig out old Randy Newman, Yes, Pink Floyd and Rolling Stones
albums for comparison purposes), but there is no great shift in tone, texture or detail  between the formats.
Interestingly though, arguably the most fascinating sound from the whole player came
from playing .
WAV versions of Red Book CD tracks ripped to a USB stick. Comparing .WAV vs. CD versions of Nick Cave on ‘Higgs Boson Blues’ [Push The Sky Away CD, Bad Seed Ltd] showed the USB input to offer a temporal correctness and precision that spinning disc lacked. In fairness, you need to go very far up the CD transport ladder to find anything better.
There are specific places where other players score higher points. The Audiocom
OPPO is going to sound a touch insipid compared to a good Naim CD player in an all-
Naim system, for example. Moreover, if you are trying to find a cheap version of a dCS Vivaldi
stack, there isn’t one. Instead, the breathedupon OPPO just adds another fine voice in the
£10,000-£15,000 player market. Someone just forgot to multiply the price by about five, and
we get the benefit.

The problem for a magazine like Hi-Fi+ is that many of Audiocom’s improvements to the OPPO are on the video side. Which means we need to cross the audiophile Rubicon and discuss picture quality. Fortunately, that can be expressed in short order, because what it does to audio, it also does to video. There’s
greater depth and detail to the picture, presenting strongly saturated colours when called upon to do so and more muted shades with equal aplomb. It’s not fazed by fast moving action sequences and the bête noir of any digital player (a field of grass blowing in the wind can turn into a field of green squares
moving around a screen) is handled as if there is processing to spare. In truth, the performance of the base OPPO exceeds the picture quality scope of my Sony Bravia (we are talking upscaling to 4K with ease, and my screen is not a 4K screen), but even here the improvements over ordinary Blu-ray players was
easy to spot. Upscaling DVD was particular strong, as it is in the base model. Audiocom has nowhere to hide. It supplies standard-issue OPPO BDP- 105D models, and provides performance-enhancement kits to bring existing OPPO owners products up to Signature standard, as well as supplying the
Signature as a complete package. If the improvements weren’t both audible and visible on a fairly deep level, Audiocom’s customer base would rumble this quickly. Fortunately, the Signature improvements take that already good OPPO platform and transform it into a truly world-class player. In a good system, the
Audiocom Signature version of the OPPO BDP-105D offers picture and sound quality on a par with a very lofty peer group. Highly recommended

Technical Specifications
Type: Solid-state universal/Blu-ray disc
player and DAC.
Disc Types: BD-Video and Blu-ray 3D
(BD Profile BD-ROM version 2.5), DVDVideo,
DVD-Audio, AVCHD, SACD, CD,
HDCD, Kodak Picture CD, CD-R/RW,
DVD±R/RW, DVD±R DL, BD-R/RE
Internal Storage: 1GB
Digital Inputs: Two S/PDIF inputs (one
coaxial, one optical), three USB
2.0 inputs, two HDMI inputs, three
dedicated DAC inputs (one coaxial,
one optical, and one asynchronous
USB), one Ethernet port (RJ-45), one Wi-
Fi port (via USB dongle).
Analogue Outputs: One 7.1-channel
analogue audio output (via RCA
jacks), two stereo analogue audio
outputs (one set balanced via XLRs,
one set single-ended via RCA jacks),
one headphone output (via 6.35mm
headphone jack).
Digital Outputs: Two digital audio
outputs (one coaxial, one optical), two
HDMI outputs.
DAC Resolution: (USB Audio) two
channels @ DSD 26/128 (5.6448MHz)
Frequency response: 26Hz – 30kHz
Distortion: <0.0003% (1kHz at 48k/24b,
0dBFS, 20kHz LPF), <0.0017% (1kHz at
44.1k/16b, 0dBFS, 20kHz LPF, <0.01%
into 600 Ohms (1kHz at 48k/24b, 0dBFS,
20kHz LPF, Headphone Amplifier)
Signal to Noise Ratio: >115dB
Dimensions (HxWxD): 123 x 430 x 311mm
Weight: 7.9kg
Price: £1,099 (std), £3,399 (modified)
Original Manufacturer/UK Distributor:
Oppo BD UK, Ltd.
URL: www.oppo-bluray.co.uk

Audiovector Si 3 Signature Active Discreet loudspeakers

We’ve come a long way in a very short time. A few years ago, the audio world
was relatively stable; you bought a CD player and an amplifier, wired these to
some loudspeakers, and you were away.
Computer audio changed all that, but the real depth of that change is only just becoming
realised with products like the Active Discreet system, from Audiovector.
Audiovector supplied us with a pair of Si 3 Signature floorstanders with the Active Discreet
modules and the little plastic hub that goes with it. The Si 3 Signature is something
of a known product to the magazine; we’ve tested the Si 3, and discussed the company’s
unique upgrade path from basic Si 3 to top-notch Si 3 Avantgarde Arreté. Which means
the Signature model (mid-way in the five-step upgrade path) is a good platform upon which
to work up the Active Discreet system. However, the wireless active system can be fitted
(or retrofitted) to any one of more than 30 models in the Audiovector catalogue.

all the benefits of active drive, without the need to plug the speakers into the
mains AC power. Audiovector went with low voltage power modules inside the
loudspeakers, meaning the Active Discreet modules are driven by a bell-wire
sized connection cable between hub module and loudspeakers, which sends
both power and data. All you have to do is assign left and right channels, by
flipping a switch at the back of the loudspeaker, and everything else configures
almost automatically. The only big user adjustments involve setting the volume
ceiling for a given room and whether you want the Bluetooth pairing process to
be protected or open. Either way, you cannot have two competing Bluetooth
devices paired at once, for obvious clashing reasons.
You can control this hub through a range of remote handsets and it has
a learning function, but in most cases, given the ease of connection through
Airplay and Bluetooth means it’s probably going to be controlled from the
phone, tablet, or computer that is driving it in most cases. Functionality without
a remote, the hub is fairly basic; just one multi-colour LED to denote source.
While the combination of Bluetooth and Class D might bring some
audiophiles out in a case of hives, those of us who listen to stuff instead of
judge it on specifications alone will find much to like here. In some respects,
once you set aside the amp and Wi-Fi prejudices, Audiovector’s system is
more like a scaled-down version of the Linn Exakt concept without the hoop-la
and the high price. And, in fairness, without the room correction options, too.
This had to be one of the least fussy installations around. Once the
speakers were in place, the cables connected up, and the Si 3s learned whether
they were left or right loudspeakers, we were streaming from a phone in under
a minute. And the sound was actually damn good. You could definitely hear
the typical Audiovector strengths of precision, focus, good rhythmic properties,
a tight bass and an ability to play loud without strain, and the active speaker
wasn’t giving much away next to the passive version in a good system. There is
some upper mid graininess and a slight tendency toward leanness shown here
more than with the passive versions, but the overall effect is mild.
I found the Discreet to be remarkably good at picking up a wireless
signal of any sort. It was also good at holding it. Dropouts were rare even in
an environment shown to be typically hostile to wireless signals. Pushing it
to the limit, trying to get Bluetooth to work at the limits of reception still did
well, until the inevitable Dalek-like sonic freezes took over. Nevertheless, by
comparison to most wireless connections used in audio, Discreet is militarygrade
in its reliability.
OK, so the further you get from the absolute pinnacle of well-massaged
digital high-res files squirted along wired channels directly into the hub, the
further you get from the absolute benchmark of sound, but what’s surprising
is even the worst case possible (streaming a live feed through a relatively lowpower
3G phone signal with 128kbps MP3 from a Deezer mobile account
through regular Bluetooth, because the iPhone doesn’t do AptX) isn’t
anywhere near as bad as we’ve been led to believe. Yes, freshly squeezed,
organically-grown, super-sized digits made by craggy-faced craftsmen are
more listenable over the long term, but I could call on the entire canon of
modern music from my mobile phone and more than enjoy the experience

 

 I guess a dose of reality is necessary. In its native Denmark, Audiovector

has traditionally enjoyed a close association with Naim: for good reason – the
two go well together. No-one already using a Naim system would upgrade to
the Active Discreet, because it doesn’t have the drive, the energy, and the sheer
grip of good Naim equipment. That’s not exclusive to Naim, and good though
the Discreet system is, realistically those driving Audiovectors with muscular
electronics are very liable to stay with the muscular electronics. However, part of
this reticence to give up old paradigms comes down to familiarity.
The other side of the story is there’s an increasing move away from lots
of components, even among audiophiles, and the Discreet takes that to the
limit. The system is just one small box about the size of a paperback (to future
generations, a ‘paperback’ is a Kindle played on period instruments), designed
for hiding. The rest is loudspeakers, and tiny wires that are also easily hidden. I
can see these speakers flanking many a TV set.
There’s a move to add active circuitry to systems (compare this with the
ELAC Air-X system also in this issue), but this doesn’t quite fit that bill. Every
other active system I’ve encountered relies on the loudspeaker having two sets
of cable, one of which is a power cord. That locks the speaker into parts of
the room where there are power outlets, and in some brick-built buildings, just
adding another couple of sockets is no easy task. These more conventional
active designs might have a slight edge when it comes to sheer grunt, but you
lose in terms of flexibility next to Discreet.
A loudspeaker company might seem an unlikely agent for change in the way we
access our music from today’s sources,but if any brand were likely to drive change
in the market, it would be Audiovector.
No other brand can take people through a range of systematic upgrades in the same
loudspeaker cabinet, so the idea of making the next step and upgrading the way the
sound arrives to that loudspeaker is a natural one.
While the concept is not for everyone,the Active Discreet modules are an exciting
adjunct to a fine line of loudspeakers. This is how tomorrow sounds.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Type: 3-way, three-driver, floorstanding
speaker with active drive and separate
control module.
Driver complement: One 30mm 3rd
generation Evotech low compression
Audiovector soft dome, two 165mm
carbon sandwich composite long
throw mid/bass drivers.
Inputs: analogue line RCA and 2x S/
PDIF connections, plus Ethernet, USB
and Bluetooth/Airplay wireless on Hub.
2x 4mm speaker terminal connections
on hub and speakers
Crossover frequencies: 210Hz, 3kHz
Frequency response: 27Hz – 27kHz
Impedance: N/A
Sensitivity: N/A (3x 70W Class D
amplifiers driving loudspeakers)
Dimensions (HxWxD): 1030 x 190 x 330mm
Weight: 21kg/each
Finishes: Cherry, maple, walnut, rosewood,
black ash, gloss white, gloss black.
Price: £6,750/pair
Manufacturer: Audiovector
URL: www.audiovector.com

TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio

Unfasten that heart-rate monitor from your chest,you, TomTom’s new fitness watch has one built right into the back. That’s not all it can do, either.

 In fact, the Xperia Z2’s 1200x1920 touchscreen is about the only element of
Sony’s tablet that hasn’t been updated.
That’s no problem, as packed with Triluminos, X-Reality and Live Colour HD
tech from Sony’s telly division, it is one of the best looking tablet screens around.
Just like the Z2 phone, Sony’s own user interface sits on top of Android’s KitKat
operating system. While we’re not big fans of this UI on its
little brother – we find it intrusive, taking up too much screen space – spread across
the tablet’s 10.1-inch display it’s far more palatable, allowing you to set your own themes.
Navigation is slick, too, powered by a 2.3GHz quadcore chip.
Other features include an IR blaster, which enables it to be used as a telly remote, and Stamina Mode, which switches off all non-essential applications and stretches the battery life to two full days of use.
The Z2 smartphone might have slipped behind Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8, but Sony’s managed to make the best 10.1-inch Android tablet on the market, which
 is a fair feat

Sporty and smart, Samsung’s Gear Fit

Sporty and smart, Samsung’s Gear Fit is aiming to appeal to
all by combining smartwatch features with fitness tracking
and a heart-rate monitor to boot. But is this wrist hybrid a hero?

 Well, the 1.84-inch curved AMOLED screen is certainly striking, with a selection of watch
faces available and a home button that can be assigned to take you straight to your favourite
apps. It’s arguably better looking and more functional than its pure smartwatch cousin,
the Samsung Gear 2 (review on p115).
As well as the heart-rate tracker on the screen’s rear, which measures your pulse
pretty accurately using LEDs trained at
your veins, the Fit also sports a pedometer,sleep tracker and accelerometer for total
movement analysis. Without built-in GPS,though, the latter’s uses are limited to the
basic S-Health app – want to use fitness apps like Endomondo (right) and you’ll need to keep
your phone close by for now. There is useful, if basic, smartwatch functionality, such as SMS,
calls and email alerts, plus music controls,although they only work with Samsung’s own
software, so forget controlling Spotify playlists.
The Gear Fit battery lasts a solid four days and Bluetooth 4.0 syncing is oh-so simple, but
it currently only pairs with Samsung phones,which gives you a choice of 18 Android devices
but is far from comprehensive.
Is this the perfect mix of sport and smarts? Not quite, butit’s a strong option
in the wake of FuelBand’s farewell, and a personal best for Samsung.

LOUD AND CLEAR FLAT PANEL TV

LG SOUND
PLATE LAP 340
`31,388
SPECS:
4.1-channel speaker,
dual subwoofers,
120W RMS, Dolby
Digital, 3D sound
processor, Bluetooth
connectivity, optical
audio port, Sound
Sync, can support
weight of up to a 55-
inch TV.

FLAT PANEL TVs are getting sleek and stylish. Now companies
have started looking at speakers that complement these TVs. Looking
beyond home theatre speakers,sound bars gained some popularity.
And now companies are looking at slap-shaped speakers that can be
placed under the HDTV. That’s what LG’s Sound Plate is.
Compatible with HDTVs measuring 32 inch to 55 inch, the LAP 340 is
a flat sound system with just 35mm height. It has got a simple design
with speaker grills on the front and rounded corners gels with most of
the TVs. It has got an LED at the front,which changes colours that indicate
different modes. LG has kept the looks neat by placing all the connections
and control buttons at the back.
The Sound Plate offers both – wired and wireless connections. For wired
connectivity, it has an optical port and can be paired with TVs supporting
the same. It also has Bluetooth connectivity that comes handy while
pairing it with smartphones, tablets or laptops for streaming music. It
can also connect to a few LG TVs wirelessly using its proprietary Sound
Sync technology.
The SoundPlate has dual speakers and dual subwoofers built-in that
delivers clear vocals and bass.
While watching movies, one can switch to the cinema mode, which boosts bass
and vocals further. The sound quality of the Sound Plate is impressive for a
small or a medium room setup

Trimble UX5 Unmanned Craft Captures Images, Maps

Trimble’s UX5 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is an aerial imaging and mapping tool
 with particular application in precision agriculture, open-pit mining, and construction. The
UX5 enables users to capture aerial images for a wide range of purposes: surveying,
crop and livestock management, and generating topographic maps and models for land
leveling and drainage applications. It combines a GPS receiver, radio, photogrammetry,
 remote sensors, a lithium ion battery, plus an electric motor to propel itself.
A hand-torqued cable launcher deploys it on a pre-programmed flight plan.
The UX5 flies at 80 kilometers/hour (50 mph) and is stable in significant crosswinds and
even light rain. In a single 50-minute flight, the UX5 can cover a two-square-kilometer
area at five-centimeter image resolution. It comes with a camera modified to capture the
near-infrared spectrum, which helps in deducing vegetation indexes for crop health
assessment.
The UX5 can capture a variety of images to be processed post flight, through the Trimble
Business Center. The output of a single flight provides geo-referenced precision images,
a digital surface model showing elevations as a color image,and a dense 3D point cloud
that includes elevations.

KVH Inertial Aboard UAVs via Geodetics, NovAtel

KVH Industries, Inc., has entered into a strategic partnership with Geodetics,
Inc., to provide high-performance positioning and navigation products
for commercial applications requiring high levels of precision, from unmanned
platforms to terrestrial navigation.
Geodetics is integrating the KVH1750 inertial measurement unit (IMU) into two
solutions: Geo-iNAV Advanced, a GPSaided inertial navigation system; and
Geo-RelNAV, a high-accuracy relative navigation, positioning, and orientation
system.
Also, NovAtel, Inc., has added the-KVH1750 as an IMU option in its SPAN
GNSS/INS line of positioning products.
The IMU-KVH1750 is a highperformance commercial off-the-shelf
(COTS) sensor that offers bias stability and repeatability, KVH said. The GeoiNAV
Advanced system is available for commercial applications such as
manned and unmanned aircraft and control, security platforms on land, air
and sea, surface or subsea unmanned vehicles, mobile mapping systems,
and photogrammetry and terrestrial navigation.
The KVH 1750 IMU incorporates KVH’s DSP-1750 fiber-optic gyro with very lownoise
MEMS accelerometers, providing six-degrees-of-freedom angular rate and
acceleration data.
For collision avoidance and vehicle-tovehicle navigation and communication
(V2V), the Geodetics Geo-RelNAV system offers a real-time relative positioning and
orientation solution that uses single- or dual-frequency GPS receivers and the
KVH 1750 IMU. The Geo-RelNAV provides precise relative position and orientation
between moving platforms such as manned or unmanned air, marine, and
ground vehicles. Relative position data is used for autonomous aerial refueling,
autonomous landing, and collision avoidance.
For NovAtel, the IMU-KVH1750 integrates with its OEM6 series of
receivers to provide a tightly coupled 3D navigation solution, the company
said. Offering customers continuous position, velocity and attitude (roll, pitchand azimuth)
measurements, a SPAN system is stable and available even
through periods when satellite signals are blocked or unavailable; it is designed
for mobile and airborne mapping applications as well as hydrographic survey

Simple capacitance meter bins surface-mount parts

This Design Idea describes a simple two-chip CMOS
circuit that can sort capacitors into 20 bins over a wide range
(100 pF to 1 ?F), using 10 LEDs to display the value range. The
circuit is power efficient and can be run using two CR2032 cells.
As such, it can be built into a handheld probe.
The heart of the circuit is the RS flip-flop using 4093 NAN D
gates along with transistors Q1 and Q2, which discharge the
reference and test capacitors respectively. The reference capacitor
(CREF) and the test capacitor (CX) are charged from zero
volts, followed by a reset pulse applied to the bases of Q1 and
Q2. Depending on the values of the capacitors and their respective
series resistors, either CX or CREF reaches the gates’ VT
before the other; accordingly the outputs of the RS flip-flop are
set/reset. The outputs are so wired such that when CREF reaches
VT before CX, a clock pulse is applied to the CD4017 counter,
whose outputs (Q0-Q9) charge CREF through one of 10 different
series resistor values (R0-R9).
The master clock that runs the circuit is derived using a single

4093 Schmitt NAN D gate.
This steps the 4017 decoded decade counter, the flip-flop
“comparing” the voltage ramps across CX and CREF
while charging CREF through the different values. When CX
reaches VT before CREF, then 4017 is not clocked, and the
appropriate LED starts flashing indefinitely. Depress the
reset switch to take another reading, which resets the
4017 and selects the minimum resistor value, R0. There
are two ranges, each divided into 10 sections, which cover
100 pF-10 nF and 10 nF-1 ?F. The range is selected by an
SPDT switch which connects a CREF of either 100 pF or 10
nF.
A particular flashing LED indicates that the value of the
test capacitor lies in the range between it and the next lower
LED. Q3 takes care of lighting the LED in the appropriate
phase of the master clock. The anodes of the 10 LEDs
are connected to the outputs (Q0-Q9) of the CD4017. It
seems that lower values of charging resistors can result in
more reliable readings due to smaller errors in the charging
current (contributed mainly by reverse conduction in all the
diodes). R0-R9 can be scaled appropriately, together with an
inverse scaling of the master clock frequency.

Accelerate CAN-bus debugging with CAN-dbc symbolic triggering and decoding

Debugging the Controller Area Network (CAN) buses used in today’s automotive
systems usually requires investigating both the logical and physical layers. Dedicated
CAN bus analyzers exist for debugging at the logical level, but the oscilloscope is the
primary measurement tool for testing and debugging the physical layer. The electrical
environment in automobiles is naturally harsh with lots of noise and often unexpected
transients. The core competence of an oscilloscope is its ability to capture and
display details of the noise and infrequent transients that could be producing CAN bus
errors.

Using a scope to capture data on the CAN bus
To assist in synchronizing on and identifying specific CAN frames (packets of data),
most of today’s mid-range and higherperformance oscilloscopes have the ability
to trigger on and decode the CAN bus in a hexadecimal and/or binary format

In this example, the oscilloscope has been set up to trigger on frame ID 0x201(HEX).
In addition to decoding the frame ID, the oscilloscope also decoded the 8-byte
data field as “0B A8 00 00 27 10 00 00.” The measurement capture is successful,
but it leaves the engineer with the task of abstracting the result to a result that is
meaningful within the context of the application.

Elevating the conversation to humanspeak with CAN-dbc
The new CAN-dbc symbolic trigger and decode capability in Agilent InfiniiVision 4000
X-Series scopes offer the best of both approaches: the high-level symbolic perspective
of a dedicated CAN bus debugger and the physical layer investigation capabilities
of a high-performance oscilloscope

 shows the same measurement but now triggering on and decoding the
CAN bus symbolically using the enhanced CAN-dbc symbolic trigger and decode
capability. Instead of attempting to manually interpret cryptic hexadecimal codes,
the oscilloscope symbolically decodes it in “human language.”
In this example, the oscilloscope is decoding a message named “Brake_Torque.”
In addition, the oscilloscope translates raw bits into signed variables with units
as well as encoded states. For instance, Total_Torque = 131.064 kft-lbs, as opposed
to 0B A8.
In order for the oscilloscope to decode the CAN bus symbolically, you’ll need to import
that particular vehicle’s .dbc file (“data base CAN”) into the scope. All automotive
makers have created .dbc files for their vehicles’ CAN buses. However, these files are
proprietary and top secret, so if you don’t have access to one, you’ll need to create it.
The most common tool used today is Vector Informatik GmbH’s CANdb++ software.
Once the .dbc has been imported into the oscilloscope, you have the option of triggering
on and decoding the bus in low-level hexadecimal format, high-level symbolic
format, or both. This makes testing and debugging the CAN bus quicker and more
intuitive.

How to reduce your water-cooling pump voltage

Mostwater-cooling systems don't need their pumps continuously on
full power. Antony Leather shows you how to slow them down

As with case fans, you can reduce the noise and vibrations
from your water-cooling pump by dropping its voltage.
Although variable speed pumps, such as Laing's D5 Vario.
are available, they're also expensive, but there's a much-cheaper way
to reduce your pump's voltage. By rewiring it to specific cables on a
Molex connector, you can reduce the voltage from 12V to 7V.
This can reduce noise and vibration to the point where the pump is
inaudible. but with enough power to still keep coolant flowing round a
loop and, in most cases, with a negligible effect on temperatures. We'll
also look at using a 3-pin-to-Molex adaptor to convert a 4-pin Molex
pump so it can be used with a fan controller. We're using an adaptor to
keep our pump in new condition, but you can apply the same method
directly to your pump cables for a neater job.

Tools you'll need

Molex extractor/ cable modding kit	Soldering iron and    solder
Insulating tape	Cheap fan with 3-pin connector and molex to 3-pin adaptor
Wire stripper or pliers

1 / IDENTIFY CABLES You need to insert your current pump cables mo the outer cable (7V) slots on a 4-pin Molex plug The flat side of the plug usually shows that the sockets are numbered 1-4 - most Molex- powered pumps have two cables a black or ground wire in socket 2 and a 12V wire at the edge in socket 1	2 / REMOVE MOLEX PIN Use a Molex pin extractor to remove the ground (2) cable from your pump. On our Laing DDC pump, the cable is black. rather than red. Push the extractor all the way in and pull on the cable from the other end - it might need a couple of attempts but It will eventually pop out.
3 / INSERT PIN INTO OUTER SOCKET lnsert the black cable into the outer socket (4). The metal flanges on the pin may need to be bent outwards again to allow the pin to lock into place. Your pump will now run at 7V. You can also run it at 5V, but we don't recommend it as some pumps won't start at such a low voltage.	4 / OBTAIN FEMALE 3-PIN CONNECTOR You can also convert a3-pin adaptor, which are included With many fans. so vou can connect your pump to a fan controller. Cut a 3-pin female connector off a spare fan. as the control cables on fan controllers are male. You'll only need the red and black cables.
5 / CUT OFF 3-PIN CONNECTOR Now you need to cut off the male 3 - pin connector from your adaptor cable,noting the order of the cables so that you can attach the new connector cables in the right order. Cut it near  the connector so you have plenty of cable to work with	6 / STRIP THE CABLES Use a wire stripper pliers to strip 5mm or so off each length of cable so you can solder them. Once you're done, twist the ends slightly so they don't fray. which will make soldering difficult.
7 / SOLDER 3-PIN CONNECTOR It can help to use a clamp or Helping Hand  magnifier to hold the two cables together while you solder them. Apply a small amount of solder and allow it to run into the joint securing the cables together	8/ INSULATE WITH TAPE You'll need lo insulate the joints completely - insulating tape can work well. or you can use liquid electrical tape, which looks neater but takes a while to dry.
9 / TEST PUMP whether you modded the Molex cable or converted it to a3-pin pump and hooked it up to a fan controller, you need to make sure it works before you pop the side panel back on your PC. You can also use a multimeter to check that the voltage is correct

How to clean your water-cooling loop

Give your water-cooling system a spring clean. Antony leather shows you
how to use mayhems new blitz system cleaners

water-cooling loops might generally be maintenance-free
but, after a year or so, deposits and oxidation eventually
build lp inside you waterblocks and radiators. This can
affect their performance. and even the best Coolants won't eliminate
the issue. Plasticisers used ‘in the tubing. and materials from other
components In the loop. come tree over time and leak into the coolant
Thankfully, Mayhems has sent us an exclusive early sample of its
new Blitz two-pat cleaning system. which promises to clean the
hard-to-reach areas of your loop. You can clean individual radiators
and even add it to a working loop to clean all the parts in one go. You'll
need to set aside a day for this job. and adhere to the instructions. as
some of the chemicals can be dangerous if not handled properly
   
 Tools you'll need

Mayhems’ Blitz Pro Cleaning System	Measuring jug
ATX jumper/   bridglng plug	Deionised water  G1/4in caps

1 / USE GLOVES Some of the chemicals used in the cleaners shouldn't come into contact with your skin, so make sure you use the gloves and goggles that are included with the Mayhems kit for protection. Use an old work surface, preferably outside. when you're filling or draining too.	2 /MIX PART 1 CLEANER WITH DEIONISED WATER Follow the instructions to create the Part 1 cleaner by mixing the concentrate with deionised water. The first part deals with the radiator. so a higher concentration will be used. Be warned that the mixture may mark the jug, so don't use one from your parents’ kitchen.
3 /EMPTY RADIATOR AND FILL WITH MIXTURE Disconnect your radiator from your loop, drain it and fill it with the cleaner to the brim. Fill both ports to make sure the entire radiator is filled with cleaner. The cleaner shouldn't be used with aluminium core radiators though - only brass or copper models. The manufacturer's website detail the materials.	4 / CAP-OFF AND BLEED RADIATOR Insert G1/4in caps to seal the radiator. If you don't have any, they're available for about 50p. and are definitely a necessity. If your radiator has additional ports, tilt it to one side to see if you can fit my more cleaner inside.
5 / SHAKE RADIATOR You need the cleaner to make contact with the entire inside of the radiator, so shake it thoroughly and tilt it the other way several times during a two- hour period. making sure there are no leaks.	6 /EMPTY WASTE MIXTURE Leave the cleaner in the radiator for no longer than two hours. You can then empty the radiator from one port at a time to limit spills. Yod'll likely see the cleaner has turned a dull grey colour, especially with old radiators. which means it‘ s worked.
7 / FLUSH WITH DEIONISED WATER Thoroughly flush out the cleaner using plenty of deionised water, fill the radiator several times and drain it. Normal coolant has a pH of between 6.7 and 7.4, so use the included pH meter to check the drainage -you’ll be fine as long as you're not more than a point or two outside this range.	8 / REINSERT RADIATOR IN COOLING LOOP Once you've flushed the radiator, connect it back up into your water-cooling system again and disconnect all the power connectors from your hardware. This enables you to only power on the pump for the cleaning stage.
9 /DRAIN OTHER COMPONENTS Drain the other components in the loop, such as reservoirs and waterblocks. either by disconnecting them and draining them separately. or by tilting the system to drain out the old coolant. The Part 2 cleaner needs to comes into contact with all areas, so it can't be hampered by old coolant in the loop.	10/ MIX PART 2 CLEANER WITH DEIONISED WATER Mix the Part 2 cleaner as per the instructions. This is a pH-neutral solution that can stay in the system for a 24-hour period, cleaning your entire loop.
11 / USE ATX JUMPER TO POWER PSU AND PUMP An ATX jumper can be used to power on the PSU without connecting any power cables to your motherboard. if anything leaks, it will just be a case of drying it out. Use the jumper when cleaning the system, using the PSU’s power switch or the mains wall switch to turn the PSU and pump on and off.	12 / ADD TO SYSTEM AND BLEED AIR As you can see, the mixture foams quite a bit, so you need to add it slowly and check the reservoir doesn't start to overflow with bubbles. If it overflows. turn off the pump and wait for it to calm down. Eventually you should mainly see liquid going round the loop with a few bubbles in it.
13 / RUN FOR 24 HOURS AND CHECK FILTERS Leave the pump on for 24 hours to allow the cleaner to do its job.if you have any filters, check them periodically in case any debris dislodged in the cleaning has become trapped, meaning the filter needs cleaning.	14 / FLUSH WITH DEIONISED WATER Once you're done, drain the system as best you can, then begin to flush the entire loop with deionised water. It can help to connect the pump inlet to a supply of clean water and, at the other end of the loop, disconnect a hose joint so you can flush the system in one go.
15 /CHECK pH LEVELS The included pH sensor can help to check when your system is back to normal. The pH levels will have been quite low in the Part 1 mix, but you're now looking for a pH level within a point or two of between 6.7-7.4. You can then discard the cleaner down a normal outside draln.