The five basic connector contact termination styles include solder, press-fit, clamp, crimp, and insulation displacement (IDC). In some cases, there are variations. This FAQ focuses on the termination of electrical signals, not fiber optic termination styles. Selecting the best termination style is important since the terminations provide stable electrical and mechanical connections and need to […]
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Keeping a simple product simple
It’s a natural temptation to add more functionality to a design, but often, offering less is better. Most designers are familiar with the concept and reality of “feature creep” in new-product implementation. Whether spurred on by the engineering team itself (“Hey, we can add that, and it won’t cost anything”) or marketing (“Let’s add these […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 3.
The abilities of robots continue to advance with highly capable products performing a variety of tasks, looking almost humanlike as they speak, and even garnering appearances in movies. Perhaps less attractive but equally or even more useful, creeping or crawling robots bring drones down to earth and, in fact, inside the earth. Unlike the micro […]
Open RAN: Interoperability is not plug-and-play
EE World spoke with Adam Smith of LitePoint about the progress and challenges of Open RAN interoperability and testing.
What role does sensing play in a flying car?
Will your first or perhaps your next sports car be capable of flying? If you are looking for the cool factor, the Samson Sky Switchblade Flying Car is certainly worth checking out. Completing its first flight on Nov. 9, 2023, after 14 years of design and rigorous testing, the flight test data will enable the […]
Managing design complexity and global collaboration with IP-centric design
Semiconductor design complexity has increased exponentially in recent years, and this challenge is exacerbated by the need to collaborate and scale across multiple, globally distributed teams while accelerating time to market. On top of these elements, the industry has been confronted with a major obstacle: the current talent shortage. There is no quick fix to […]
How does artificial intelligence relate to immersive audio?
Tools like neural networks (NNs), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) are being applied to hard problems related to immersive audio. This FAQ will examine how NNs and ML are being used to up-mix audio tracks into their original constituent parts, how NNs are being used to produce personalized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and […]
Free drivers connect Tektronix instruments to Python
Tektronix announced an open-source Python instrument driver package for the company’s test instruments. Available at no cost, the package provides you with a native Python user experience for instrument automation. With integration into daily workflows and utilizing it with a preferred Integrated Development Environment (IDE), engineers use features such as auto-complete, precise type hinting, comprehensive […]
FAQ on magnetos for power and ignition, Part 2
This simple, mechanically driven power source is nearly 200 years old and still has a well-defined, albeit limited, role in today’s systems. Most of the historical and present-day applications for magnetos are for spark-plug ignition systems. This part looks at that aspect in more detail. Q: What’s the structure and operation of a basic magneto-based […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 2
While flying drones are common in military, consumer, and even commercial applications, there are a few intriguing, much smaller and less familiar flying drones in development. Called a micro air vehicle (MAV), or micro aerial vehicle, this class of very small flying drones have applications in agriculture, disaster relief, by both military and enterprise users, […]
