There are many ways to implement the automatic gain control function, which is critical to the proper performance of many wireless and other links. The automatic gain control function has been embedded in radio links since the earliest days of wireless technology, but the need for AGC is not limited solely to that application. Along […]
Cars powered solely by solar energy? Sure…but with a very big “but”
Lately, I’m seeing a lot of cases where solar power is posited as the energy solution for “everything.” And why not? It’s free and ubiquitous, and it feels good to say you are using it. I recently read a column by someone (sorry, I couldn’t find it afterward) about the easy practicality of cars powered […]
The “engineering” TV series I’d really like to see
Could a show dramatizing real engineering-project challenges have a chance? It’s not news that the television schedule of shows is heavily loaded with shows focused on lawyers, police, and doctors, in addition to so-called “situation comedies” (sitcoms). Let’s be honest: they have drama, personalities, action, and conflict, which are among the elements that supposedly make […]
Can I park in one of your Lagrange points?: Part 3
Analysis and insight from an 18th-century mathematician were used to place the James Webb Space Telescope in a “parking spot” optimally suited for its imaging, communication, and solar-power needs. There’s more to the n-body story and Lagrange’s work. All planets orbit the Sun in an oval, as characterized by Kepler’s Laws, so there is a […]
Can I park in one of your Lagrange points?: Part 2
Analysis and insight from an 18th-century mathematician were used to place the James Webb Space Telescope in a “parking spot” optimally suited for its imaging, communication, and solar-power needs. Lagrange’s analysis was an analysis of the three-body problem and provided insight into the conditions under which it could be solved analytically. The five Lagrange points, […]
Can I park in one of your Lagrange points?: Part 1
Analysis and insight from an 18th-century mathematician were used to place the James Webb Space Telescope in a “parking spot” optimally suited for its imaging, communication, and solar-power needs. You’ve undoubtedly followed the stunning success of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in December 2021 (Figure 1). It is now about 1.5 million kilometers […]
The Wright brothers: engineers, scientists, and yes, bicycle mechanics, Part 2
There are many facets to the Wright brothers and their persistence, commitment, and dedication to their “project.” As their understanding advanced, they used large kites controlled from the ground by thin ropes to test the performance of wing shapes and airfoils. They then used those results to build large gliders (again, controlled from the ground) […]
The Wright brothers: engineers, scientists, and yes, even bicycle mechanics, Pt 1
You may have read about the passing in August of the prolific historian and two-time Pulitzer-prize winner David McCullough. He wrote biographies of political and historical figures such as John Adams. Still, I was especially drawn to his works on major engineering feats such as the Panama Canal (“The Path Between the Seas”) and the […]
RF over fiber: overcoming an inherent transmission-line problem, part 1
Optical fiber can carry analog RF signals from antenna to receiver with far less loss than coaxial cables.
Smoke detectors and alarms, Part 4
The low-cost, reliable, ubiquitous smoke detector is an example of complex physics and optics made real by semiconductors. Technology is always improving and adding features to existing products, and that’s true of smoke detectors and alarms. At the same time, the “protection” world is very cautious about adding features and frills which may detract, impede, […]