We cut one of these balls apart so you needn’t destroy yours to get a look at its internals. If you’ve ever attended a trade show, you might have seen a booth give-away item that consisted of a see-through bouncing ball with a flashing LED or two inside and sometimes a noise maker. Top, a version of the ball containing a noise maker with the speaker port visible. … [Read More...]
FROM THE EDITORS
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Aimee Kalnoskas
93% efficient 120-W/240-W DIN rail supplies have narrow width, long field life -
Bill Schweber
Gravity-assist “Slingshot,” Part 2: Application -
Lee Teschler
Current sense chips comes in 0603 and 0805 sizes -
Scott Thornton
3D NAND Flash memory: Making HDDs obsolete in a data-centric economy
Sponsored Content
Superposition vs. True-Balanced: What’s Required for Your Signal Integrity Application
Signal integrity applications commonly utilize balanced/differential transmission lines that are typically characterized using vector network analyzers (VNAs). This white paper offers guidance to … [Read More...]
Podcasts
The Future Car: A Siemens Podcast Gernot Spiegelberg on Musk, the migration to MaaS
Episode Info Gernot Spiegelberg: "There is only one person who's dealt with this chicken and egg problem...it's Elon Musk." Dr. Spiegelberg, a researcher in Siemens AG Corporate … [Listen...]
PODCAST: Sujit Banerjee: Lab to fab to energy efficient Silicon Carbide semis
Dr. Sujit Banerjee arrived in the U.S. from India wanting to make a difference. Years later, the self-proclaimed “non-marketing guy” approached a fab with not much more than a dollar in his … [Listen...]
PODCAST: Damon de Laszlo: a Renaissance chairMan embraces a world of interconnections
The more you learn about Harwin Plc CEO Damon de Laszlo, the more you recognize that crossing multiple disciplines with an intensity of fascination, emotion, and dedication is not only his … [Listen...]
FAQs
Gravity-assist “Slingshot,” Part 2: Application
A graduate student worked out the principles of using a planet’s mass to accelerate and adjust the voyage of spacecraft traversing our solar system; without it, the voyages of interplanetary probes would be impractically long. Part 1 of this FAQ scoped out the basic problem of completing interplanetary missions within a manageable time, and how […]
Gravity-assist “Slingshot,” Part 1: Background and principle
A graduate student worked out the principles of using a planet’s mass to accelerate and adjust the voyage of spacecraft traversing our solar system; without it, the voyages of interplanetary probes would be impractically long. If you follow the news about the various interplanetary probes launched by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and others […]
Programming AVR microcontrollers and Arduinos using the Arduino ISP
All microcontrollers (MCUs) require some sort of mechanism to program them, even if they only get programmed once. Typically, program code is written on a host computer, then it is compiled or translated, and object (machine-readable) code is downloaded to the MCU (“the target”) from the PC (“the host”) using a cable (usually USB or […]
Power management ICs, part 2: PMIC implementations
The power management IC (PMIC) is often a vital part of the lower-voltage DC subsystem, as circuits have multiple power rails with tight individual specifications as well as mandated relationships among them. Part 1 of this FAQ discussed the need for, PMICs and their general characteristics. Part 2 now looks at specific ICs which implement […]
Wheatstone bridge, Part 2: Additional considerations
Part 1 of this FAQ explained the basic principle of the Wheatstone bridge. This part will take the bridge configuration into modern applications and go beyond basic resistance measurements. Q: All this measurement via changing resistance or by measuring current seems very slow or static; how does it fit into today’s electronics? A: Frist, many […]
Choosing the right encoder – open-collector, push-pull or differential output?
Position encoders are widely used in motion control applications and many different types are available. To choose the optimum device for a given application, engineers must decide between absolute, incremental or commutation encoders, which present data in various formats such as quadrature, motor-pole or a serial protocol. The resolution required, as well as dimensions and […]
Safety guidelines for hipot testing and setting up a safe testing area
A few simple steps ensure testing takes place safely when potentially lethal voltages and currents are involved in the testing process. . Kevin Clark, Vitrek Inc. Hipot testing has long been a standard procedure for assuring the electrical safety compliance of electronic equipment. Early commercial hipot testers were actually not much more than a variac-driven […]
Power Management ICs, part 1: PMIC functions
The power management IC (PMIC) is often a vital part of the lower-voltage DC subsystem, as circuits have multiple power rails with tight individual specifications as well as mandated relationships among them. It’s one thing to develop needed low-voltage DC rails via DC/DC converters or regulators, but there’s also a need to manage these power […]
Wheatstone bridge, Part 1: Principles and basic applications
Although the electronics industry is relentlessly driven by advances in materials, components, and architectures, the “new” obviously also builds on the “old” and often still uses it, albeit in new guises. There’s still a viable place and need for old devices such as the transformer, solenoid, relay, and Wheatstone bridge. This FAQ will look at […]
Analog ICs
Electomagnetic simulation software now includes 5G antenna array design features
Remcom announces 5G antenna array design features in the latest release of XFdtd 3D EM Simulation Software, including workflow enhancements for modeling complex devices at millimeter wave … [Read More...]
Removable lid spring pin socket handles DDR memory
A new BGA socket addresses high-performance requirements for DDR. Called the CBT-BGA-6081, the contactor is a stamped spring pin with 31-g actuation force per pin and cycle life of 125,000 insertions. … [Read More...]
High-gain broadband RF amp covers 600 to 4,200 MHz band
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. introduced its new F0424 high-gain broadband RF amplifier, which offers configurable high linearity performance at the lowest possible power consumption for a … [Read More...]
Focus on Microcontrollers
Next-gen 10 Gbps automotive Ethernet includes network traffic prioritization, system scalability and security
Molex announced today the next evolution of its 10 Gbps Automotive Ethernet Network Platform designed to support OEMs in the development and design of autonomous vehicles. The solution offers a … [Read More...]
FPGA burst-mode receiver enables 10G PON in SFP and XFP footprints
While most current optical line terminal (OLT) implementations are in central office formats with large port counts in huge chassis configurations, there is growing demand amongst system architects, … [Read More...]
Pre-certified LTE-M/NB-IoT SiP module opens up cellular IoT access
Nordic Semiconductor announces that the first nRF9160 System-in-Package (SiP) member of its nRF91 Series of cellular IoT modules will be available to all customers via its global distribution network … [Read More...]
Focus on Power Electronics
93% efficient 120-W/240-W DIN rail supplies have narrow width, long field life
TDK Corporation announces the introduction of 120W and 240W rated models to the DRB series of AC-DC DIN rail mount power supplies. Their narrow width allows additional devices to be installed on the rail, saving cabinet space. The high 93% efficiency … [Read More...]
High-frequency wire wound transformers target discontinuous mode flyback circuits
Pulse Electronics’ Power Business Unit introduces its new series of PA4470.XXXNL high-frequency wire wound transformers. Designed to deliver high reliability and performance, the PA4470.XXXNL is a low-power transformer for use in a … [Read More...]
Current sense chips comes in 0603 and 0805 sizes
Ultra precision current-sensing chip resistors, the CSS Series, offer precision tolerances as tight as 0.5% and TCR as low as 15 ppm. Recently, Stackpole extended the value range for the 0603 size adding a 4 mΩ value and the 0805 size adding a 3 … [Read More...]
Wireless
Rutronik now offering Ethertronics embedded antenna
Rutronik, Inc. has announced that Ethertronics has released the 1002289 antenna, which provides design engineers with the ability to cover many wireless technologies with a single device. The Ethertronics 1002289 antenna features broadband tuning, … [Read More...]
High-impedance laminates help reduce antenna size
Rogers Corporation has introduced MAGTREX 555 Laminates, the first product in a new platform of high-impedance laminates featuring a high permeability and permittivity. These high-impedance laminates enable antenna designers to expand the trade-space … [Read More...]
0.45µm GaN power process for current and future 5G applications
WIN Semiconductors Corp has expanded its gallium nitride (GaN) process capabilities to include a 0.45µm-gate technology that supports current and future 5G applications. The NP45-11 GaN-on-SiC process allows customers to design hybrid Doherty power … [Read More...]
Automotive Applications
SiC FETs come in TO-247-4L 4-pin Kelvin Sense packages
UnitedSiC, a manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, expands its UF3C FAST Series product offering by introducing an additional range of 650 V and 1200 V high-performance silicon carbide FETs in a TO-247-4L 4-pin Kelvin Sense … [Read More...]
Lockstep monitor supports any processor architecture or subsystem
UltraSoC has launched the UltraSoC Lockstep Monitor, a hardware-based, scalable solution that helps functional safety significantly by checking that the cores at the heart of a critical system are operating reliably, safely and securely. UltraSoC’s … [Read More...]
The Future Car: A Siemens Podcast Gernot Spiegelberg on Musk, the migration to MaaS
Episode Info Gernot Spiegelberg: "There is only one person who's dealt with this chicken and egg problem...it's Elon Musk." Dr. Spiegelberg, a researcher in Siemens AG Corporate Technology, joins Ed to discuss the move from manufacturing to … [Read More...]
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