These archive pages are provided in order to make it easier for you to find items
that you remember seeing on the RF Cafe homepage. Of course probably the easiest
way to find anything on the website is to use the "Search
RF Cafe" box at the top of every page.
About RF Cafe.
Crosley Radios, Cars,
Appliances, &
Proximity Fuses
If
you have any interest in vintage radios, you undoubtedly are familiar
with Crosley
products. They were very different from today's
Crosley
products in terms of quality. My
experience
with
Crosley was while restoring a 1929 floor model that was given
to me by my sister. It was constructed of solid wood and a nice
mahogany laminate. The face plate, dial, and knobs were heavy gauge
metal. Following the success of their radios,
Crosley
ventured into the
automobile
market from 1939 through 1952. Little known even amongst Crosley
fans is that they built
proximity fuses during World War II. "Crosley's involvement
began in late October 1941 when
they
were contacted by the Bureau of Ordnance and told that they would
be contacted later that month concerning a 'top secret, top priority'
project." A Crosley VT (variable time) fuse was credited with the
downing its first Japanese dive bomber in 1943. The Brits used them
against German V-1 Buzz Bombs. Thanks to RF Cafe visitor Kevin A.
for the tip.
November 2012 Magazine
Articles Available
Some
of the RF & microwave magazines have updated their online editions
for November, so here are a few you might like to check out. A lot
of the articles end up being way over my head in theoretical applications,
so I tend to stick with practical stuff that most of us can use.
You be your own judge, though.
•
Recovery Time of the Schottky-PIN Limiter, by Chin Leong Lim
•
How to Automate Testing of Military Avionics Devices, by William
Wargo
•
Modular Instruments: Do They Have Any Limitations?
Larry
Desjardin
•
Playing with Antennas - Part 2, by Kenneth Wyatt
•
Finding Fault with Traditional Test Pattern Types, by Ron Press
•
Selecting a Handheld RF Analyzer for Tough Conditions, by Wilkie
Yu
How RCA Lost the LCD
Did
you know that RCA invented the LCD as an electronic display device?
If I did, I don't remember it. RCA had a research center in nearby
Princeton University. In 1962, RCA researcher Richard Williams figured
out that he could use electrical signals to coax liquid crystals
into proper alignment for creating an opaque or clear medium. By
1967, the invention was ready for prime time. Quite a lot of effort
was expended in publicizing and promoting the
LCD display, but ultimately
infighting between company divisions on issues of management, manufacturing
, and engineering killed a potential windfall for RCA. Eventually,
Japanese firms developed their own superior LCDs and because of
process improvements were able to sell them at a lower cost. An
article in the November 2012 issue of IEEE's
Spectrum magazine goes into all the gory detail.
Notable Quote
"So
the curious thing is that in the last century, broadcast was all
wireless and personal communication all wired; now it is exactly
the reverse..." -
Robert W. Lucky, November 2012 Spectrum.
Thanks to Skyworks Solutions
for Long-Time
Support
Skyworks
Solutions, Inc. is an innovator of high reliability analog and mixed
signal semiconductors enabling a broad range of end markets. Skyworks'
product portfolio includes: Handset, Infrastructure, Automotive,
CATV / Satcom, Smart Energy Solutions / Wireless Home, Medical,
Military, RFID, Test Measurement, WLAN / WiMAX / WiFi
Webinar: Passive Components
Dividers, Couplers,
Combiners
Passive
Components: Dividers, Couplers, Combiners, Tuesday, November
20, 11 AM ET. Presented by: Besser Associates. Power Dividers 2-way,
3-way and N-way. Isolation and loss Phase relationships. Uneven
power division. Combining RF power. Directional Couplers Properties.
Coupling, Isolation, and Directivity. Power Splitters and Resistive
Dividers
DARPA's Pet-Proto Humaniod
Maneuvers in
Tight Quarters
You
might recall seeing the video of Boston Dynamics' "Big Dog" robot
that is part of a DARPA project developing battlefield automatons
capable of carrying heavy loads at a swift pace over rugged terrain.
Their newest humanoid, called "Pet-Proto,"
is enough to give you nightmares. Add a few lowpass filters on the
joint mechanics and this boy would look like it came straight out
of the Transformers or Terminator movies. One big hurdle that has
to be overcome is the power source. Big Dog has an internal combustion
engine driving a hydraulic pump (electronics probably work on batteries),
and this Pet-Proto dude has hydraulic lines from an external supply.
The robots are capable of autonomous decision making and are guided
and motivated by GPS, LIDAR, ground sensors, gyroscopes, and other
supersophisticated devices.
Please Visit BRL Test in
Appreciation of
Their Support
BRL
Test is a leading dealer of new and reconditioned test and measurement
equipment. We buy, sell, rent, lease, repair and calibrate all types
of general purpose test and measurement equipment.
BRL Test is
your one stop source for over fifty different manufacturers and
thousands of different models – specializing in Agilent, HP, Tektronix,
Fluke, Anritsu, and Rohde & Schwarz. All equipment is calibrated
per order at an ISO9001:2000 Registered and A2LA Accredited facility.
Please Welcome WOKEN
Technology as New Sponsor!
Established
in November 1999,
WOKEN is a
Taiwan-based company that specializes in Microwave/RF coaxial connectors,
cables, cable assemblies, Microwave/RF antennas and RF accessories.
With the experienced R&D engineers & technicians, active
marketing staff, up-to-date production equipment and measuring instruments,
WOKEN designs its own RF / Microwave products for meeting all kinds
of requirements demanded by its customers at communication markets.
Science & Engineering Theme
Crossword
for 11/18/2012
For
the sake of avid cruciverbalists, each week I create a new
crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics,
chemistry, physics, and other technical words. You will never be
asked the name of a movie star unless he/she was involved in a technical
endeavor (e.g., Hedy Lamar).
DIY Coffee-Can Radar
"Build
a Small Radar System Capable of Sensing Range, Doppler, and Synthetic
Aperture Radar Imaging." That is the title of a course offered
by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory.
It is a 3-week class in the design, fabrication, and test of a
laptop-based radar sensor
capable of measuring Doppler, range, and forming synthetic aperture
radar (SAR) images. Teams of three students will receive a radar
kit and will attend a total of 5 sessions spanning topics from the
fundamentals of radar to SAR imaging. A final SAR imaging contest
will test your ability to form a SAR image of a target scene of
your choice from around campus; the most detailed and most creative
image wins. However, it is not necessary to attend the class to
build the radar because all of the material is available online
for garage (or basement, attic, closet, etc.) experimenters.
David Schneider did just that and wrote an article about
his experience for the November 2012 edition of IEEE's Spectrum
magazine. Trekkies will appreciate the reference therein.
Sherlock Ohms: The Dodge
Truck Was a Magnetized
Mess
Sherlock
Ohms is a regular feature of Design News that presents submissions
from readers about troubleshooting challenges and how they were
solved. This one is titled "The
Dodge Truck Was a Magnetized Mess." This is a troubleshooting
problem that separates the men from the boys. It is quite amazing
that Bob Humphreys had the tenacity and knowledge to find the culprit.
Many Thanks to American
Microwave for Support
American
Microwave Corporation (AMC) uses a state-of-the-art clean room to
manufacture all of it's products, as well as a fully automated machine
shop. AMC is a leader in the design and manufacturing of DC to 40 GHz
solid state control components for commercial and military grades.
Solid state switches & attenuators, phase invariant digital
programmable attenuators, detector log video amplifiers (DLVAs)
in active and passive RF / microwave components and assemblies.
2012 AWR Design Forum and
German Users Group
Meeting
AWR
Corporation, the innovation leader in high-frequency EDA software,
announces the agenda for the AWR Design Forum and 2012 German Users
Group Meeting being held November 28, 2012 in Munich, Germany. The
ADF/German Users Group Meeting is a free, one-day event that provides
an opportunity to view presentations of interesting and informative
papers from customers and partners working in the microwave &
RF industry, as well as from research and educational institutions.
It also provides an excellent opportunity to network and collaborate
on industry issues and trends.
RFMD Intros FEM for Smart
Metering/Energy
and ISM Band
RF Micro
Devices announces the availability of the
RFFM6903 front end module (FEM) that meets or exceeds the system
requirements for AMI/AMR smart meter applications operating in the
868–960 MHz frequency band. The FEM supports multiple applications,
including Smart Energy/advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), portable
battery-powered equipment, and general 868/915 MHz ISM band
systems. The feature-rich
RFFM6903 integrates a +30.5 dBm power amplifier (PA) with
a Tx harmonic output filter in the transmit path, a Tx path bypass
mode with harmonic filter, and a low-noise amplifier.
Thanks to PMI for Their
Continued Support!
Planar
Monolithics Industries has been set up to manufacture and market
various MIC/MMIC Components, Supercomponents, and Subsystems for
applications in Telecommunications, Terrestrial, Satellite, and
Mobile-Radio Communications, Defense (ECM, ECCM, ESM, Radars, and
Electronic Warfare), Cable-TV, Navigation and Marine Electronics,
FAA/DOT-Avionics, Ground Based Systems, and Microwave Landing Systems.
Technalogix Looking for a
Senior RF PA Design
Engineer
Technalogix
is a leading provider of cost-effective and ultra-reliable wireless
components, assemblies, and turn-key systems. They specialize in
broadcast, broadband, industrial, scientific, and medical applications.
As a member of our Industrial, Scientific, and Medical amplifier
division, you will work on the
design of high power amplifier pallets and associated RF components
and technologies. You will be responsible for designing, building
and debugging amplifier chains capable of handling rugged RF power
conditions for unique applications in the range of 25 to 1,000 MHz.
Individual amplifier pallets will be combined into multi-kilowatt
power systems and paired with RF designs to protect against high
and continuous reflected power, in pulsed, CW, or other modulations.
Radio Corporation of America
(RCA) Advertisement
Most
Ham radio operators know that Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an order
during World War II that effectively suspended the hobby
of amateur radio for the duration of the war. Many guys sold or
donated equipment to the military and/or civil defense organizations
out of a sense of patriotism. The
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) gave a symbolic tip of the
hat to them in this advertisement that I scanned from the back cover
of my copy of the April 1945 QST magazine. Of course RCA
pitched the ruggedness of its vacuum tubes in the process. By this
edition's printing, there was a general sense that the war was nearing
an end and eager Hams would not have to wait much longer to re-engage
in their beloved hobby. Indeed, the next month Germany...
Please Visit Triad RF Systems
in Appreciation
of Support
Triad
RF Systems was formed with the objective of solving the problem
of high power amplifiers (HPAs) being the Achilles heel in most
RF radios. We have solutions for integrating high performance HPAs
into sophisticated RF systems and subsystems without sacrificing
efficiency and linearity. They serve all areas of the RF and microwave
industries including military, satellite and commercial communications,
operating from 10 MHz to 14 GHz.
WWII Era Delco Radio
Advertisement
Here
is an advertisement for
Delco radios that I scanned from page 91 of my copy of the April
1945 QST magazine. "'Control the Air' has a new meaning
today," that's the tag line referring to the need to dominate wireless
communications in the effort to conduct effective warfare. Radio
certainly wasn't a new science in 1945, but secure communications
- including spread spectrum techniques - was a vital technique both
for transmitting and receiving messages and for jamming the communication
of our enemies. Delco, as was common in the World War II
era, encouraged citizens to buy War Bonds.
Death of the ITC?
(International Trade Commission)
Expert
witnesses play a big role in most of the court cases that get reported
here.
IMS ExpertServices is a law firm specializing in expert witnesses.
Every month or so they send me an article about specific court cases
that could be of interest to RF Cafe visitors. This particular installment
is titled, "Death of the ITC?," and deals with a recent editorial
in the National Law Journal that was written by a trade
policy analyst who challenged the propriety of the U.S. International
Trade Commission (ITC) in the U.S. patent law system.
A Sad State of Affairs
Over
five thousand years ago, Moses said to the children of Israel, "Pick
up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you
to the Promised Land." Nearly 75 years ago, Roosevelt said, "Lay
down your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a Camel, this
is the Promised Land." Today, the Government has stolen your shovel,
taxed your asses, raised the price of Camels and mortgaged the Promised
Land! I was so depressed last night thinking about Health Care,
the economy, the wars, lost jobs, savings, Social Security, retirement
funds... that I called a Suicide Hotline. I had to press 1 for English.
I was connected to a call center in Pakistan. I told them I was
suicidal. They got excited and asked, "Can you drive a truck?"
Webinar: RF Module Design
Using Amalfi CMOS
PA
RF
PA Design Series P4: RF Module Design Using Amalfi CMOS PA,
Thursday, November 15, 1 pm ET. Designing CMOS RF Power Amplifiers
is a complex task, which requires various simulation technologies.
In this webcast, we will present a comprehensive CMOS Power Amplifier
design methodology based on a real world example: Amalfi’s dual
band PA module, AM7802. You will learn how CMOS Power Amplifiers
ICs are modeled with X-parameters, how to model laminates and packages
with advanced EM simulation technologies, and how to integrate all
of these results for complete module design verification.
Thanks to Comdel for
Continued Support!
Comdel
designs and manufactures RF and DC power supplies and process instruments
for the semiconductor, solar cell/photovoltaics, flat panel, and
industrial heating industries. Comdel products are in use worldwide
by the industry’s major equipment and IC fab manufacturers.
Comdel
is
ISO 9001:2000 certified.
RFMD Announces Acquisition
of Amalfi Semiconductor
RF
Micro Devices announced today a definitive agreement to acquire
Amalfi Semiconductor, a leading fabless semiconductor company
specializing in cost effective, high performance RF and mixed-signal
ICs for the rapidly growing entry-level smartphone market. RFMD
intends to significantly accelerate the market adoption of Amalfi’s
RF CMOS and mixed-signal ICs by combining Amalfi's targeted product
portfolio and proprietary RF CMOS and mixed-signal expertise with
RFMD’s deep customer relationships, broad product portfolio, extensive
in-house manufacturing scale, and robust global supply chain.
Petition to Require Free Access
to Gov't-Funded
Research
The
White House website has a
Petition area where anyone can start a petition for any cause,
and then try to get the 25,000 signatures required for it to be
brought to the attention of White House officials... who then subsequently
officially ignore it. This particular one showed up on a
science website, but I figured I'd link directly to the source
website rather than to a story about it. In part the petition reads,
"We believe in the power of the Internet to foster innovation, research,
and education. Requiring the published results of taxpayer-funded
research to be posted on the Internet in human and machine readable
form would provide access to patients and caregivers, students and
their teachers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other taxpayers
who paid for the research..." As of this writing the tally is 36,194
- which exceeds the triggering threshold. I'm sure we'll be seeing
action on it within days.
Spraytect™ Pepper Spray
iPhone Case
Be
the first in your office to own an iPhone case with a built-in pepper
spray dispenser. For just $39.95 you can own a
weapon of
personal destruction. A 3-step firing process helps prevent
accidental triggering. "Spraytect's pepper spray is a proprietary
blend that uses habanero pepper, one of the hottest peppers available,
as the main ingredient. This blend is the same formulation used
by organizations like Homeland Security, US Military, FBI offices,
Police Departments across the country as well as Corrections Officers.
" For the ladies, the
Spraytect
iPhone pepper spray case comes in four colors, including
pink
which will go perfectly with your pink Ruger® 380 LCP.
RFMD Intros High-Power GaN
HEMT Power Amplifiers
RFMD's
new
RFHA104x series of high-power GaN broadband power transistors
(BPTs) are optimized for military communications, commercial wireless
infrastructure, and general purpose applications. Using an advanced
65 V high power density GaN semiconductor process optimized
for high peak-to-average ratio applications, these high-performance
amplifiers achieve high power with high efficiency and flat gain
over a broad frequency range in a single amplifier design.
Hittite's Cellular Transceiver
RFICs for
WB Infrastructure
Hittite
has released a new receiver and transmitter RFIC chipset which is
ideal for frequency conversion applications in wireless infrastructure
equipment such as base transceiver stations, remote radio units,
small cells and repeaters from 700-3500 MHz. The
HMC1190LP6GE is a high linearity dual channel downconverter
with integrated PLL/VCO which operates from 700 to 3500 MHz. The
HMC1190LP6GE RF and LO inputs are single-ended while an enable/disable
pin makes it possible to reduce power consumption dynamically as
conditions allow.
Veteran's Day
11th Month, 11 Day, 11th Hour
Veterans
Day, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, whatever your country calls
it, this is the time we have chosen to honor our countries' veterans
for the service given to help maintain our own freedoms and to gain
and protect the freedoms of those in other parts of the world. This
music video by Canadian Terry Kelly, titled "A
Pittance of Time," is one of the best tributes and conscience
grabbers available. Freedom is hard won and easily lost. The world
will soon feel effects of a selfish, ignorant populace's decision.
RF Engineering Theme
Crossword for 11/11/2012
For
the sake of avid cruciverbalists, each week I create a new
crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics,
chemistry, physics, and other technical words. You will never be
asked the name of a movie star unless he/she was involved in a technical
endeavor (e.g., Hedy Lamar).
Audio Spectrum Analyzer
Uses 256-Point FFT
This
FFT development board from RHDC Services features a fully functional
audio
band spectrum analyzer for just £59.95 ($95.35). An ultra low
power Sharp 96x96-pixel display and judicious selection of processor
and peripheral components yields a module that consumes only 3 μA
in a static state and 1.3 mA while FFT'ing. Per their website,
"The FFTD1A can typically display an image and maintain a
real
time clock using less than 10µW. Assuming a CR2032 coin-cell
delivers 200mAh, that's around 6 years battery life."
FFT Designer
software together with the FFTD1A development board allows users
to develop application software that performs Fourier analysis with
a 12-bit, 200 ksps input and a 50 dB SFDR. Add a simple mixer,
LO, and filter to extend the useful range to just about any frequency
band. RHDC Services also provides RF R&D and communication systems
engineering services.
PMI Intros 10 kHz-40 MHz
Low Noise
Amplifier
PMI
Model No.
PEC-60-10K40M-3R5-14-12-SFF is a low noise amplifier that operates
from 10 kHz to 40 MHz. This amplifier provides over 60 dB
of gain and offers a low noise figure of 3.5 dB maximum. The
output power at 1 dB gain compression is +14 dBm minimum.
Will It Blend? iPhone 5 vs.
Samsung Galaxy S3
As
you might expect, the BlendTec blender guy couldn't resist an opportunity
to see how Apple's new iPhone 5 would fare when put up against his
company's Total Blender. But wait, this time the
"Will It Blend" contest isn't limited to just the Total Blender
and a single challenger. Adding to the excitement is a third contender
- the Samsung Galaxy S3. The question before Tom the blender guy
is which phone will succumb to the ravages of the blender's mighty
cutters the soonest? I was not surprised at the outcome when considering,
present company excluded of course, the typical Apple product user
versus the rest of us. Let's just say Siri lost her soothing voice
early in the game. I hope that last comment didn't spoil the suspense.
Tales from the Cube: Don’t
Underestimate
Stealth Variable
EDN
has a troubleshooting story-telling feature called Tales from
the Cube similar to the Sherlock Ohms feature by Design
News. This one, titled "Don't Underestimate
Stealth Variable." This one really reaches back into another
era when terms like "cordwood" meant something other than fireplace
fodder to electronics techs and engineers. The lesson, though, is
still applicable today.
AWR App Note on Improved
Design Flow Models
This
application note reveals the benefit of combining Modelithics Global
Models™ for passive RLC components with
AWR’s Microwave Office™ high-frequency design software. The
improved design flow solution maps the impact that individual components
have on sub-system performance such that trade-offs can be made
with regard to component values and tolerance, enabling lower manufacturing
costs and improved yield. The solution requires accurate passive
component models that enable yield analysis by means of a tolerance
setting, something that is nearly impossible with commonly used
S-parameter file-based component representations.
RFMD® Intros New 3V LTE
Linear PA Modules
The
parts in RFMD’s new
RF73xx series of high-power, high-efficiency linear power amplifiers
are designed for use as the final amplification stage in 3 V,
50 Ω LTE mobile cellular equipment developed for E-UTRAN\LTE
band operation. These parts are developed for 5 MHz to 20 MHz
LTE channel bandwidths. Each has two digital control pins to select
one of three power bias states to optimize performance and current
drain at lower power levels. Each also has an integrated directional
coupler which eliminates the need for an external discrete coupler
at the output.