|
Today in Science History -
 Whenever I post any of these Radio Data
Sheets from vintage electronics magazines, I attempt to find photos of actual
units. Drawings are good, but actually seeing a for-real example is the best
option. This
Admiral Model 6RT44-7B1 phonograph appears on the Radio Attic's Archive
website. As mentioned previously, electronics service shops relied heavily on
these Radio Data Sheets that were printed in monthly magazines like Radio-Craft,
Radio News, and Radio & Television News. The alternative was purchasing service
documentation from the manufacturer (often only available to factory-authorized
shops), from Sam's Photofacts, or some other third-party supplier. Of course
experience and intuitiveness could substitute for documentation, but as many
episodes of John T. Frye's series of "Mac's Radio Service Shop" illustrates,
quirky variations in circuits...
 "A new type of graphene amplifier could offer
researchers a unique way to access the electromagnetic spectrum. Engineers from
Loughborough University have designed an optical transistor out of graphene and
a high-temperature superconductor that can
amplify terahertz frequencies, and could unlock a whole new field of potential
technologies. Terahertz waves (THz) have long fascinated scientists, but unfortunately,
their use has been limited by their weak signals. Without an added boost of power,
the wavelengths have been too weak for researchers to harness their potential power
- until now, that is. The amplifier is deceptively simple, made up of two layers
of graphene and the superconductor..."
 "There's a tricky question asked at Google
and Amazon interviews that is bound to stump you. However, worry not as YouTuber
Zach Star is here with the solution in this fun video. The question goes like this:
let's say you have a stick that you will randomly cut in three pieces.
What are the odds that the three pieces created can form a triangle? If the
three pieces are about equal in size, you can make a triangle. If, however, you
have two much smaller pieces, you can not. It should also be known that for a triangle
to be made, the two shortest lengths combined need to be bigger than the third.
How does that relate to our question? Well, you have to watch the video for that..."
 Z-Communications, Inc., announces a new
RoHS compliant VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator) model
SMV0912B-LF.
The SMV0912B-LF operates from 865 to 960 MHz within a tuning voltage range
of 0 to 2.5 Vdc. This low cost VCO features very clean spectral purity performance
of -100 dBc/Hz @10 kHz offset and covers the frequency range with an average
sensitivity of 80 MHz/V. The SMV0912B-LF is designed to deliver 3±3 dBm
of output power into a 50 ohms load while operating over the industrial temperature
range of -40 to 85°C. This high performance VCO is further enhanced by saving precious
energy. It consumes a mere 6 mA of current while operating off a 3.0 Vdc
supply. The SMV0912B-LF features a typical 2nd harmonic suppression of -10 dBc...
 Question: According to the legend on this
graphic, how many confirmed cases of coronavirus do the gray-colored areas have
(answer below)? Look at this "Countries
with Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus" map used in an MSN.com news story. According
to graphic creator Tara, it was provided by the World Health Organization. This
is an example of why the news media should not be unquestioningly believed when
presenting data. Its reporters are for the most part very scientifically and mathematically
ignorant (and some are plain stupid). They do not know how to assimilate and present
numerical information, while pompously demanding that everyone listen to the scientists.
Answer: Exactly 100. Do you understand why?
 Withwave manufactures an extensive line of
metrology quality coaxial test cable assemblies, connectors (wave-, end-, vertical-launch,
board edge, panel mount), calibration kits (SOLT), a
fully automated 4-port vector network analyzer
(VNA) calibrator, between- and in-series connector adaptors, attenuators, terminations,
DC blocks, torque wrenches, test probes & probe positioner. Special test fixtures
for calibration and multicoax cable assemblies. Frequency ranges from DC through
110 GHz. Please contact Withwave today to see how they can help your project
succeed.
 Working crossword puzzles can be contagious.
This April 5, 2020,
tech-themed crossword puzzle may even go viral. It contains only clues and terms
associated with engineering, science, physical, astronomy, mathematics, chemistry,
etc., which I have personally built over nearly two decades. That includes the cause
for our planet's current dilemma. Many new words and company names have been added
that had not even been created when I started in the year 2002. You will never find
a word taxing your knowledge of a numbnut soap opera star or the name of some obscure
village in the Andes mountains. You might, however, encounter the name of a movie
star like Hedy Lamarr or a geographical location like Tunguska, Russia, for reasons
which, if you don't already know, might surprise you...
 Comics in modern magazines are a rather
rare phenomenon for some reason, but they were fairly regular features up until
a couple decades ago. This set of
comics from the July 1963 edition of Popular Electronics deals with
high fidelity (Hi-Fi) stereo equipment, which was considered somewhat exotic and
high-end for many people's budgets in the day. Inexplicably (not), that is about
the time that increases in hearing losses among younger people were first being
noticed in audiograms.
 Skyworks Solutions is empowering the wireless
networking revolution. Skyworks is pleased to launch the
SKY66404-11, a 2.4 GHz front-end module (FEM) designed for Zigbee®, Thread,
and Bluetooth® (including Low Energy) ultra-low power IoT applications spanning
sensors, beacons, smart meters and thermostats, wireless cameras, smoke and CO detectors,
and wearables including medical devices. Featuring high-performance in a compact
form factor, SKY66404-11 provides increased efficiency, and more than 4X range extension
over previous models. The integrated module includes a power amplifier, low-noise
amplifier, low-loss bypass path, transmit and receive switches, and digital controls
compatible with 1.7 to 3.6 V CMOS levels...
 $5,000 in 1956 currency is equivalent to
about $46,000 in 2020, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' "Inflation Calculator."
That is the value of the amateur radio equipment used by
Mrs. Mary Burke in her work handling "an average of 3000 messages per month,
principally for service personnel overseas." For her tireless wireless efforts,
she was the first woman to win the coveted Edison Award Cup (sponsored by General
Electric). Most of Mrs. Burke's communications was via Morse code, where she restrained
herself to "about 30 words a minute to maintain accuracy". Way to go, Mary!
 "Researchers at the University of California
San Diego developed a wearable technology that can
hide its wearer from heat-detecting sensors such as night vision goggles, even
when the ambient temperature changes. It's a feat that current state of the art
technology cannot match. The new technology can adapt to temperature changes in
just a few minutes, while keeping the wearer comfortable. The device, which is at
the proof-of-concept stage, has a surface that quickly cools down or heats up to
match ambient temperatures, camouflaging the wearer's body heat. The surface can
go from 10 to 38°C in less than a minute. Meanwhile, the inside remains at the same
temperature as human skin, making it comfortable for the wearer. The wireless device..."
 Electronic Design's 2019 Salary & Career
Survey asked readers, among other topics, what their attitudes were regarding
continuing education. The main question in that sections was, "What are some
of the ways in which you continue your engineering education?" I could not find
the total number of respondents to the survey, but of those who did, 87% held a
Bachelor's degree or higher. Among resources used to maintain currency in their
professions, 60% say they use printed engineering & technology publications
while 57% use similar websites. 60% use seminars and webcasts and 65% read whitepapers.
13% attend in-classroom instruction while 31% use online courses. About 45% of employers
reimburse costs for seminars and trade shows, 32% pay for college courses, and 23%
cover nothing at all. Click the link above for the full report, as well as to access
the
Job Satisfaction section from last week.
 TotalTemp Technologies has more than 40 years
of combined experience providing thermal platforms.
Thermal Platforms are
available to provide temperatures between −100°C and +200°C for cryogenic cooling,
recirculating circulating coolers, temperature chambers and temperature controllers,
thermal range safety controllers, space simulation chambers, hybrid benchtop chambers,
custom systems and platforms. Manual and automated configurations for laboratory
and production environments. Please contact TotalTemp Technologies today to learn
how they can help your project.
 This installment of the multi-month series
of articles on antenna principles covers
directional
arrays for 300 MHz and higher. Keep in mind that in 1947 when this appeared
in Radio-Craft magazine, wavelengths of a meter or less were considered
to be at the upper end of the operational range. Parabolic reflector antennas were
the domain primarily of ground-based installations due to the physical size and
weight being prohibitive in airborne platforms, and even then they were rarely used
at the time. Most ground and airborne installations were composed of dipole antennas
with various configurations of reflector and director elements for desired gain
and directivity characteristics. Special applications like for direction finding
and longer wavelength radio communications used loop and long wire antennas, respectively.
Highly directive dipole...
 Withwave offers
ANSYS HFSS 3D EM(Electromagnetic) Simulation Model of board connectors and panel
type connectors for customer design. These 3D models allows RF designers and engineers
to simulate the RF performance of these connectors which is launched on various
types of high frequency PCB. They can reduce time to assemble the connectors and
verify the performance prior to placing an order. we hope to make a commitment to
give customers better testing & Simulation environment. Design Assistance for
ANSYS HFSS Models (version 17.0 or newer) for 3D EM Simulation and 3D Model for
Mechanical Layout (STEP file)...
 Echo 1 launched in August of 1960, finally
allowing America to participate in the Space Race, which until then was roundly
being won by the USSR. Electronics magazines of the day were filled with prognostications
of the future of
space communications. Electronics World dedicated most of their November issue
to satellite Earth stations and advancements being made in ultra sensitive receivers
and powerful transmitters. Since the earliest satellites were literally metallic
balls for reflecting radio signals, it was necessary to optimize both ends of the
communications path since there were no circuits onboard the satellite to perform
signal processing and re-transmission. Bell Labs, of course, was at the forefront
of the technology. In fact a famously serendipitous discovery was made by a couple
scientists in 1964 using the very antenna featured in this advertisement...
 Manufacturing
of all our products continues to operate at full capacity as part of the "Essential
Business" community. Professional high frequency TSA89 series of RF
test cables with performance to 40 GHz. Connector choices include; SMA, Type-N,
3.5mm, 2.92mm, & 2.4mm. Key features: High-frequency point to point cable, light
weight rugged flexible cable, low loss <0.68 dB/ft @ 40 GHz, low VSWR <
1.35:1 (Typical < 1.25:1), RF leakage >-100 dB to 18 GHz, temperature
rated from -55ºC to 125ºC. Cables are in stock and available immediately from Digi−Key.
Here is an interview with ConductRF founder
Dean Gammell.
 "Transistors in computer chips work electrically,
but data can be transmitted more quickly with light. Researchers have therefore
been looking for a way to integrate a laser directly into silicon chips for a long
time. A team of physicists at the Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies
(C2N), in collaboration with researchers at Germany's Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ)
and STMicroelectronics, have implemented a new material engineering method to fabricate
a laser microdisk in a
strained germanium-tin (GeSn) alloy. They have demonstrated the laser device
with a group IV compound, compatible with Silicon, operating with ultra-low threshold
and under continuous-wave excitation. Optical data transmission enables significantly
higher data rates and ranges than conventional electronic processes, while using
less energy. In data centers, optical cables of a length of around 1 meter are therefore
standard..."
 Wakeup call to everyone: By Ana Swanson in
the March 11, 2020 edition of
The New York Times newspaper, "While the United States remains a global leader
in drug discovery, much of the manufacturing has moved offshore. The last American
plant to make key ingredients for penicillin announced it would close its doors
in 2004. Chinese pharmaceutical companies have supplied more than 90% of U.S. antibiotics,
vitamin C, ibuprofen and hydrocortisone, as well as 70% of acetaminophen and 40
to 45% of heparin in recent years, according to Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow
for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations..."
|
-
