A new BGA socket design uses high-performance elastomer capable of 75 GHz while providing a low inductance and handling wide temperature ranges. The GT-BGA-2027 socket from Ironwood Electronics is designed for a 21×21-mm package and adds less than 1 dB of insertion loss. The socket is designed to dissipate few watts using aluminum components and […]
Advanced Circuits now has offshore division
PCB quick-turn manufacturer Advanced Circuits has created an offshore PCB sourcing division. The firm also has three U.S.-based manufacturing facilities offering flexible PCB quick-turn options and advanced capabilities along with in-house prototype assembly services. “Providing an offshore manufacturing solution for our customers is simply the affirmation of the processes we have built in-house over many […]
IoT power calculator helps predict battery life
Premier Farnell has created an IoT Power Calculator that helps developers of IoT (Internet of Things) projects understand the expected battery life of IoT devices and experiment with different strategies to determine their impact on battery life. Users enter basic parameters about their hardware – including different types of microcontroller and batteries – and their […]
Better Testing for Better M2M, D2D and IoT Devices
New instrumentation simplifies the task of examining how wireless applications behave during periods of both high and low power consumption. Tom Bifiato, Rohde & Schwarz America Countless devices use cellular platforms to connect and exchange data. Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and device-to-device (D2D) communication systems all use cellular networks via GSM and GPRS. M2M and D2D communication […]
Better testing with well-controlled ac power
Modern ac power supplies are adept at cleaning up line conditions that can lead to garbled electrical test results. STEVE BOEGLE BEHLMAN ELECTRONICS, INC. IF you plug your product’s power cord into any unregulated standard factory ac main, there is a possibility that the power you are using could corrupt any testing you do. The […]
Safer Testing with Dynamic Power Supplies
It can be easier to use programmable auto-ranging power supplies as alternatives to fuel-cell power sources that would otherwise force the installation of safety and compliance equipment just to run a few characterization tests. ERIC TURNER INTEPRO SYSTEMS ONE of the most challenging aspects of configuring a test system is that the test rig must […]
Simplifying signal generation using arbitrary waveform generators
New instruments excel at constructing super-complicated waveforms that once took a lot of time to create. CHRISTOPHER SKACH, SAHAND NOORIZADEH TEKTRONIX IT’S hard to beat arbitrary waveform generators (AWG) for convenience and flexibility when it comes to generating signals for test applications. If a waveform can be defined or captured, chances are good that an […]
The case for dc power integrity measurements
Modern electronic systems with their numerous supply voltages need a careful analysis of their power distribution scheme to avoid problems with noise, jitter, and transients. KENNY JOHNSON KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. WITH the continual rise in circuit density and performance of modern electronics there has been a proportional increase in the scrutiny applied to the dc […]
How to reduce oscilloscope noise during measurements
Several tricks can help reveal small signals that are obscured by measurement system noise. KENNY JOHNSON KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. THERE is a need to observe small signal details in many modern applications. Transducers, biomedical sensors, high energy physics, power integrity, and high-speed digital designs are examples of situations where details can be obscured by measurement […]
No, you can’t detect ghosts with a gauss meter
Leland Teschler – Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @DW_LeeTeschler WE’D like to think that the average viewer who tunes into a TV show on the SciFy channel called Ghost Hunters might get a laugh out watching investigators prowl around places that are reported to be haunted. But the show participants seem to be completely serious […]