Well, the printer did it again. I got yet another price for doing the May issue. (That sentance sure looks familiar) Furthermore they mispaged it, but they ran it again at no charge. I am not really complaining because their cost is significantly less than any alternative.
This month starts an active summer for me. I am scheduled to leave for Guatamala a few days after this issue is mailed. There I am to teach а short course in power supplies. I will take a computer with me and make use of a remarkable program called Micro-Cap II. It allows you to draw a circuit diagram on the screen and then to show an oscilloscope like picture of up to four waveforms on another screen. I will use it to show the effect of filters on the dc output and to emphasize the effect of transformer and rectifier characteristics on the regulation curve of a power supply.
Unfortunately the only one of our computers on which the program will run is the QL with MSDOS adapter. Because I do not have one, I am not sure that it will run even then. The program says that it will, but I have had many disappointing experiences with computer hardware and software. This program is no exception. It is great for teaching electronics, but it will not run on the MSDOS (IBM) computers which my laboratory has. The company which wrote the program says that they are sorry, it runs on the model (different) that they have, but they are working on а new improved version and do not have the time to debug this version.
By the way, I have had a number of problems with these IBM computers. I am beginning to think that they are not compatible. If any reader has a MSDOS QL computer, write me and I will try to arrange for you to test this program.
Disaster almost struck last weekend. The savings and loan organization, in which all the QZX funds аге kept, closed. Fortunately the account was insured. I expect all the funds to be recovered this week. In the meantime my funds will keep QZХ going. Remember this when somebody complains about the cost of bailing them out.