A pure musical note from a tuning fork is a basic sine wave. The same note played on a trumpet will look like a saw-tooth wave when displayed on an oscilloscope. The same note from a flute will be a triangular wave. But the same note from a clarinet may appear to be closer to […]
FAQ
4 free PCB design tools every PCB engineer should use
by Ken Ghadia, Production Manager, TechnoTronix PCB manufacturing process is quite expensive and needs a diligent design tool to be used. There are several PCB designs tools available in the industry for free download. It’s always suggested to use the latest tools available in the market, and the free tool should be simple to use […]
Talk of EV fires still smolders
Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler The latest figures from the National Fire Protection Association show that only about 20% of all vehicle fires arise from problems in the vehicle electrical system—most fires have something to do with the fuel system. Seeing as electric vehicles will do away with problematic petrol, […]
The PC-board atomic clock, Part 3: The CSAC cesium physics cell
Atomic clocks have shrunk from room-sized assemblies down to PC-board mountable modules, admittedly with lower performance than their big siblings but still far better than crystal-based timing alternatives. Every engineer knows that developing a viable design and product is not just a matter of theorizing a design, identifying the constituent components, or building a single […]
Here’s a rundown on free layout/PCB software
There are dozens of free PCB-layout and schematic packages available on the Web. Often they are stripped-down versions of more complex packages available for licensing. Often, the process of upgrading from freeware to more sophisticated versions is pretty easy. If your circuit needs are generally confined to relatively straightforward two-layer boards, here are a few […]
The PC-board atomic clock, Part 2: The CSAC design
Atomic clocks have shrunk from room-sized assemblies down to PC-board mountable modules, admittedly with lower performance than their big siblings but still far better than crystal-based timing alternatives. Engineering is largely about tradeoffs and constraints, and atomic clocks are no exception to this situation. As these clocks are being designed into smaller packages through innovations, […]
The PC-board atomic clock, Part 1: Primary and secondary standards
Atomic clocks have shrunk from room-sized assemblies to PC-board mountable modules, admittedly with lower performance than their big siblings but still far better than crystal-based timing alternatives. Atomic clocks are based on the transitions of energy states of specific elements such as cesium, ytterbium, rubidium, and others under specific and tightly controlled conditions. They are […]
Catch that glitch: Finding race conditions
Among the problems circuit designers have to contend with in their fast and complex electronic environment are race conditions. The term used to be exclusively applied to electronic logic problems but has now been adopted by software engineers working on multithreaded programs. Briefly, software race conditions arise in multithreaded software when multiple threads attempt to […]
Battery safety standards and testing
Lithium-ion battery (LIB) safety is a major concern for designers. LIBs are generally safe to use if they have been properly manufactured and are integrated correctly into systems. However, the use of sub-standard materials and the possibility of manufacturing or design defects can result in hazardous conditions. As a result, there are many global safety […]
What is EMI and how can you prevent it?
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is an electromagnetic emission that causes a disturbance in another piece of electrical equipment. EMI can be attributed to a wide span of the electromagnetic spectrum including radio, DC and even microwave frequencies. Because anything that carries rapidly changing electrical currents gives off electromagnetic emissions, it is quite common for one object’s […]