The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. Just as both the time domain and frequency domain are two legitimate ways of looking at a signal from different perspectives linked by the Fourier transform, the constellation diagram has a time-domain complement called the eye diagram or eye […]
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What is “orthogonal”? (Part 3): signal constellations
The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. We can look at orthogonal signals in multiple ways: in the time domain, the frequency domain, as a constellation – a presentation which is widely used in the broad discipline referred to as signal processing, and as an eye […]
What is the common impedance of a twisted pair?
Understanding impedance in twisted-pair cables help you avoid signal problems.
What is “orthogonal”? (Part 2): signal space
The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. The formal definition of orthogonal signals does not necessarily mean that they are unrelated or uncorrelated, although that is how the term is often used in casual “engineering speak.” Formally, two vectors are orthogonal if their dot product is […]
Nalu Medical’s mIPG is focus of Episode 7 of R&D 100 – The Podcast
Our co-hosts Paul Heney and Aimee Kalnoskas are talking pain in this episode — that’s some serious chronic pain. They investigate one of the most interesting recent inventions for treating this debilitating condition, something that many of us will deal with at some point in our lives. Paul and Aimee hear from Lee Hartley and Jonathan Ruais […]
What is “orthogonal”? (Part 1): mechanical design
The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. I was chatting the other day with a non-technical friend and said something like, “Oh, that won’t happen. Those two things are orthogonal.” My friend looked at me and replied with a “huh?” and he was right to do […]
Coaxial cable myths and misunderstandings
In this age of misinformation, you can add coaxial cable to the list of items for which it is easy to get steered wrong based on internet searches. Much of the bogus online commentary about coax relates to cable loss, cable impedance, and standing waves. Here are a few basics that may help sort the […]
How does a precision rectifier work?
A precision rectifier, sometimes called a super diode, is an op amp circuit designed to behave like an ideal diode and is used in high-precision signal processing applications. It’s not a synchronous rectifier. The op-amp-based precision rectifier should not be confused with power MOSFET-based synchronous rectification. Because there is no diode voltage drop between the […]
Brooklyn 6G: Sustainability is the goal
NYU brought its wireless symposium back to life, now called Brooklyn 6G. This 2½ hour virtual symposium focused on sustainability as the most important topic in next-generation networks.
What’s the difference between equalizers?
Equalizers are used to alter the performance of signal chains. In some cases, that means linearizing signal chain performance. In other cases, equalizers are used to introduce nonlinearities. As a result, equalizer designs vary widely from simple passive circuits to complex multi-stage designs and active circuits. This FAQ reviews equalizer basics, looks at equalizers for […]