Here’s a handy gadget that allows the user to turn speaker systems on and off with a TV or laptop computer. It can also be used to turn on lamps and other electric appliances. The gadget is environmentally green, since it uses a unique Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) voltage regulator to reduce standby power consumption to only a few milliwatts.
The SCR regulator is much more energy efficient and robust against damage from power surges than the zener diode regulator that would normally be used in this type of circuit. The gadget also uses a triac to switch the load instead of a mechanical relay, for a more compact size, lower power consumption, and improved reliability.
The editors of Design News have handpicked your favorite Gadget Freak cases from over the years, bringing them together in a dynamic digital edition, complete with videos, which you can view here!
If you google SCR, the term Selective Catalytic Reduction occurs right after the Wikipedia article on Silicon Controlled Rectifier. I suppose the term Selective Catalytic Reduction sounded cooler.
Looks like a very nice design! I was going to make my own using a hall effect sensor, a PICAXE micro, and a relay. The use of a MPU gives a bit more flexibility in programming the current sensing sensitivity and delayable on-off period.
No, I created the original version of this gadget back in 1973 entirely on my own. The updated version is also entirely my work. Up until I saw a Sears unit for power tools in 2003, I had never seen or heard of such a thing before. I have already emailed the editor about the SCR mistake. I don't know where he got that from. I took for granted that everyone who would be interested in building the gadget would know what an SCR was.
It would indeed be very unique if it actually used a "Selective Catalytic Reduction" voltage regulator. With better editing, I think the article would have stated more correctly that it uses a Silicon Controlled Rectifier voltage regulator.
I use a similar circuit to turn on a shopvac whenever any woodworking tools are turned on for dust collection. It was built from an 30 year old Radio or Popular or Elementary Electronics magazine article (was that yours?.) Is that a Klipsch in the background?
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
7 
