I have faced the problems of component obsolescence from my very early experiences of electronics design. In some cases it can be trivial — a transistor being discontinued and a suitable alternative easy to find. However, that is not always the case. Even a simple transistor replacement could result in PCB changes being necessary if […]
Choosing a reference voltage for an ADC
Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) need a reference voltage (VREF) input in order to operate properly. ADCs convert analog inputs that can vary from zero volts on up to a maximum voltage level that is called the reference voltage. The reference voltage determines the ceiling of what the ADC can convert, and is essentially the yardstick against […]
Difference between fixed and floating point
Various types of processors (DSPs, MCUs, etc.) have the ability to do math using floating point numbers, but what exactly does this mean? In general, floating point math offers a wider range of numbers and more precision than fixed point math. Knowing the difference, and when to use which type of math can make a […]
Eye and Constellation Diagrams, Pt 2
Part 1 looked at the eye diagram, a simple yet powerful visual tool which reveals many specifics about the quality of a recovered bit stream. Part 2 looks at the constellation diagram, another powerful visual tool which is used to show the signal space of complex encoding schemes and relationship among the symbols. Q: Why […]
Learning SMPS the hard way
By Tahmid, EDAboard.com forum member SMPS is the toughest section in power electronics. For this subject, you require additional knowledge for choosing the active and passive parts used in SMPS circuits. The special type of parts often required in power electronics (i.e. for low-frequency applications) may not be suitable in the case of SMPS. When […]
Top power electronics threads on EDAboard.com – August
(editor’s note: Intrigued by these power electronics problems? Have a question or another solution? Then click the “Read more” link and follow the conversation on EDAboard.com or log in to EDAboard and participate in the power electronics forum threads.) Power MOSFET forensics – I need your help to investigate a recent MOSFET death. It was […]
Top microcontroller threads on EDAboard.com – August
(editor’s note: Intrigued by the problem? Have a similar challenge? Have a question or another solution? Then click the “Read more” link and follow the conversation on EDAboard.com or log in to EDAboard and participate in the microcontroller forums.) PWM using Controller – I working on one project which requires the following condition: Analog voltage and PWM […]
Impedance matching and the Smith Chart, Part 2
Part 1 looked at impedance matching and the need for a complex conjugate impedance at the load, compared to the source impedance. Once the need for an impedance-matching network is determined – and it is very likely needed – the next challenge is defining and creating this network. It may seem that doing a few […]
Getting started in electronics: core components
By “Spec“, Electro-Tech-Online forum member Often newbies ask, ‘How can I get started in electronics?‘ This is a big question, but the very short answer is, ‘Learn the two fundamental electronics laws (Kirchoff, Ohm), get a good book about electronics theory and practical, build some circuits, and make some measurements.’ Follow-on questions are, ‘What electronic […]
Impedance matching and the Smith chart, Part 1
In circuit designs spanning low-frequency audio through high-frequency RF, there’s considerable discussion about impedance matching between components or subcircuits, with various tools such as the Smith chart with is used to facilitate the matching. Q: What is impedance matching? A: Impedance matching means that a signal source sees a load impedance which is the complex […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 21
- Next Page »
