by Craig Lombard, Electrical Engineering Manager, CET Technology The intent of this write-up is to provide engineers with an understanding of how a few of their most useful equations are derived. Most engineers are familiar with Faraday’s Law of Induction and from this law some of their most important and well-used equations are created. The […]
The ABCs of functional verification techniques
By Aijaz Fatima of Mentor, a Siemens business Functional verification is the process of demonstrating the functional correctness of a design with respect to the design specifications. Functional verification does not confirm the correctness of the design specification and assumes that the design specification is correct. It is one of the most challenging steps of […]
Integrating absolute encoders – An overview of SPI, RS-485, and SSI protocols
Opportunities for electrically-propelled autonomous mobility and advanced automation continue to multiply in the quest for greater industrial productivity, smarter living, and increased energy efficiency. Encoders can play a large part in these applications as motors require precisely tracked position and motion. However, with multiple encoder types and communication protocols on the market, what are the […]
Vacuum tubes we still (have to) use: The traveling wave tube, Part 1
The previous parts of this article explored the photomultiplier tube (Part 1 and Part 2), which is based on a simple, fairly clear physics principle, although building a high-performance PMT is an art and requires various skills, of course. This part looks at a microwave/mm-wave amplifier called the traveling wave tube (TWT – often pronounced […]
Vacuum tubes we still (have to) use: The traveling wave tube, Part 2
We live in a world of solid-state active devices that have made most vacuum tubes obsolete, but a few types remain as they are still indispensable. The previous part of this article introduced the traveling wave tube and its basic operation, along with some attributes. This part delves into some related issues. Q: What’s the […]
Vacuum tubes we still (have to) use: The photomultiplier tube, Part 2
We live in a world of solid-state active devices that have made most vacuum tubes obsolete, but a few types remain as they are still indispensable. Part 1 of this article explained the basics of the photomultiplier tube. This part looks into other PMT characteristics. Q: Are there solid-state functional equivalents to the PMT? A: […]
Vacuum tubes we still (have to) use: The photomultiplier tube, Part 1
Maybe we can’t live with them, but we can’t live without them, at least not yet: the photomultiplier tube and the traveling wave tube are two vacuum electron-tube devices that are still viable and needed in our solid-state world.) It’s widely accepted conventional wisdom that almost “everything” has gone solid state and that vacuum tubes […]
What are the applications and measurements of S-parameters? (Part 2)
Part 1 of this FAQ was a basic introduction to the context and concept of s-parameters. Part 2 looks at their measurement and application and relationship to the time domain. Q: How do you actually measure s-parameters? A: In general, except for approximate measurements, you cannot use a spectrum analyzer alone for this frequency-domain test. […]
What are the functions and principles of S-parameters (Part 1)?
As design frequencies now routinely go into the hundreds of MHz and tens of GHz range, conventional voltage and current measurements are not useful, but scattering (s) parameters can fully characterize the RF component or path performance. For engineers with experience focused from DC to several hundred megahertz, it is usually sufficient to characterize components […]
Fluxgate compasses, Part 2 – Issues and enhancements
Part 1 of this FAQ examined the underlying context of fluxgate compasses and navigation, as well as the basic principles of the fluxgate design. This part looks at additional fluxgate-compass issues and advances in their implementation. The fluxgate compass is fairly simple in principle. However, as with all things related to magnetism in general and […]
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