Switches for Personal Devices
Skyworks is pleased to unveil five LTE Tx/Rx switches
for smartphones and tablets. The
SKY13414-485LF,
SKY13415-485LF,
SKY13416-485LF,
SKY13417-485LF
and SKY13418-485LF main/diversity antenna switches cover SP4T through
SP8T, and allow up to eight bands of WCDMA/LTE. The high linearity and low
insertion loss achieved by this suite of devices make them ideal for switching applications
commonly used in LTE-based handsets, data cards and tablets. Their symmetric
design and higher power handling also provide flexibility in signal routing for
higher power TD-SCDMA / TDD-LTE, WCDMA / FDD and LTE transmit/receive functions.
Vintage Electronics Humor
Here is another installment of "Hobnobbing with Harbaugh," this time with the theme "The Office
Monster." 1962 was still the era of large computer mainframes and dumb terminal
workstations. The concept of computers in the workplace was a novelty and beyond
the comprehension of most people. This would be the equivalent of iPad humor today.
for Supporting RF Cafe
JFW Industries designs and manufactures a wide range of attenuators,
RF switches,
ppower dividers, test accessories
and RF systems within an ISO 9001:2008 certified quality system. These products
meet or exceed the requirements of the most demanding applications. All JFW
products are designed to the most exacting standards to provide innovative, high
quality and cost effective solutions in a wide variety of global applications. JFW offers
custom designs at catalog prices, fast delivery and no NREs!
Earns Top Smart Grid Award
NV Energy, a Sensus
smart grid customer serving the state of Nevada, has received a top industry award
from Pennwell for Smart Metering Project of the Year. NV Energy has deployed the
Sensus
FlexNet™ communication network and 1.3 million smart endpoints
to date. The utility was honored today at the
DistribuTECH
Conference in San Diego, California. Sensus is presenting a full complement of products
and services in booth #1817 at DistribuTECH. "We took a very measured approach with
our NVEnergize project," said Gary Smith, director of customer energy solutions.
"What makes our project unique is that it covers virtually the entire state and
once complete will bring operational benefits to our company and energy management
benefits to 1.3 million customers statewide."
Called for a Debugging
Sherlock Ohms is a regular feature
of Design News that presents submissions from readers about troubleshooting
challenges and how they were solved. This particular adventure reminds me of a very
recent experience I had when troubleshooting a 1970s
vintage
Snoopy telephone
that I bought on eBay. The listing stated that it wasn't working, but I figured
it wouldn't be too hard to fix. It turns out that the problem was not due to a bug
- click on the thumbnail to see how it relates to the story "Beeping Oven Called for a Debugging."
OK, class, put you books away and take out
a pencil. Spread your chairs out because we're going to have a quiz today. A collective
sigh permeates the room. Remember those days? I still have nightmares over those
moments, and they were decades ago for me. At least this "Electronic Noise Quiz" from the August 1962 edition of Popular
Electronics won't affect your GPA. Sometimes PE's quiz illustrations are kind
of hard to interpret, but this one does a pretty good job (except item 'E', but
I'm not telling what it is since nobody helped me). You will need a fairly diverse
background in consumer type electronics to do well, and having a few white hairs
will probably help as well. Good luck. BTW, my score was 80%.
RF Verify Flow for PCB Design
AWR Corporation, together with
Zuken, a leading provider of electrical and electronic engineering software
solutions, today announce
AWR
Connected for Zuken™. This RF printed circuit board (PCB) verification flow
simplifies the PCB design process and therefore shortens design cycles by enabling
users to quickly and easily simulate and verify embedded RF functionality. AWR Connected
for Zuken provides a pathway from Zuken's
CR-8000 Design Force PCB design software into AWR's
Microwave Office® high-frequency
simulation software. The new interface enables an intelligent, collaborative design
flow for RF design and verification on the PCB.
A Log of dBs
Ham or not, this
amateur radio quiz will provide a nice break from the workaday
routine and might even challenge you a bit. Sez the
ARRL: "If there is a
single unit of measurement beyond volts and amps that can be considered nearly ubiquitous
in ham radio, it would have to be our friend, the dee-bee or dB. Key to computing
values in dB is the logarithm, so this quiz also combines the two -- are you ready?
If dBs aren't your cup of tea, the ARRL website contains a
tutorial on decibels that may help you out."
Antenna for Ultra Fast MIMO
Cobham Antenna Systems and Microwave Antennas
developed a new
Multi-Beam Hub Base Station antenna for ultra fast MIMO. . Model number
MBA6-3.5DS45/2045 enables MIMO (multiple input multiple output)
radio system operators to meet their goal of 1Gbps/km2 anywhere within a cell. Designed
for high speed MIMO 4G (and beyond) urban access for backhaul, this was originally
a European Union funded project that has become a finished and available Multi-beam
antenna with additional Military and Security beneficial applications. It provides
an essential component enabling an improvement to the overall infrastructure capacity
density of the current mobile network by an order of magnitude.
Electric Air Flow Approval
EBTEC Corporation has announced it has been recently
approved by General Electric for
Airflow Testing per Specification E50TF217. EBTEC joins only three other high
energy beam service providers with this successful approval to the GE Airflow Specification
- E50TF217. Manufacturing components that contain many small diameter holes in aerospace
materials can be a cumbersome and time-consuming task. Measuring and inspecting
these holes can be even more cumbersome. Complex aerospace and ground-based turbine
engines rely on special types of materials with small hole sizes, and hole population
densities...
Get Used to Them
The drone, aka Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV)
and
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), has been mainstreamed in the last
few years. Although drones have been around since the end of World War I, in
use for target practice and eventually for reconnaissance, they have evolved from
fairly crude platforms that require intensive human interaction to fully autonomous
systems that can be programmed with a full mission profile then launched, modified
for mission changes en route and in situ if necessary, and finally retrieved
and reused. GPS, inertial guidance (gyroscopes), radar, lidar, and other complex
sensors allow the craft to monitor and correct its flight course and attitude. For
many dangerous missions - especially highly dangerous ones - drones have virtually
eliminated the need to have a human pilot in the cockpit. The USAF envisioned decades
ago that this would be the case, and further sees the day when even dogfights (aka
air-to-air combat) will be conducted between drones of opposing militaries. I remember
reading futuristic articles on such scenarios in publications like Popular Science
as a teenager back in the 1970s. Today, a third of all aircraft in the U.S. military's
inventory are drones. No longer the exclusive realm of militaries...
2.5-6 GHz Smart Amplifier
Empower model
BBM5K8CKT (SKU
1191) is a 2500 to 6000 MHz amplifier which is guaranteed to deliver 100W output
power and related RF performance under all specified temperature and environmental
conditions. The amplifier module is 8.0” x 6.5” x 1.0”. This amplifier is suitable
for broadband jamming and high power linear applications in the S / C bands. This
module utilizes high power GaN on SiC transistors and also features built in control
and monitoring, with protection functions. The control system core has a built–in
non-volatile memory for event recording and factory setup recovery features.
for Continued Support
everything RF is a search engine for RF & Microwave Components.
everything RF lists complete catalogs from various RF & Microwave component manufacturers
and enables engineers to search through them by specification. There are over
60,000 Components listed from more than 150 Manufacturers. Download datasheets,
Request Quotes or Contact the Suppliers for more information via everything RF.
Its Fast & Easy!
Fundamentals and New Apps
Signal Generator Fundamentals and New Applications,
January 30, 1:00 PM ET. Presenter: Erik Diez, Senior Product Manager Microwave and
Communications Division, Agilent Technologies. Abstract: Signal generators are a
fundamental test tool that engineers use for a wide variety of RF and microwave
measurements. This presentation will cover the basic architecture and theory of
operation of modern signal generators, analog and digital modulation fundamentals,
and sources of uncertainty that can limit measurement performance. We will also
discuss how current signal generators can be used in various measurement applications
ranging from device test and receiver test to signal simulation.
A
few weeks ago there were photos circulating showing the grand magnitude of
Google's server warehouses that crunch through trillions of bytes
of data every day and store practically all the knowledge on Earth. Even though
enormous high tech buildings, laboratories, and machines are so commonplace nowadays
that we barely manage a feeble "wow" no matter the level of accomplishment, even
at something like a million square feet of computers all wired into a massive network
to do searches, draw maps, and serve YouTube videos. It made me think of the pictures
on The National
Museum of Computing in Bletchley Park,
U.K., where the number of valve (vacuum
tube) switches in an entire rack of computer circuitry (that broke German and Japanese
code during WWII) is less than that contained in a single USB driver IC in
just one of Google's computers. We've come a long way, baby, but it is nothing compared
to where we're headed in the next couple decades.
Long-Time Support
Anatech Electronics designs and manufactures the industry's widest range of RF
and microwave filters at frequencies up to 40 GHz, as well as power dividers,
directional couplers, and many other product types. We specialize in standard and
custom designs for commercial wireless, public safety, satcom, and defense applications,
and we can meet stringent military environmental specifications.
- Key to World-Wide TV
In 1960, futurists were predicting that within
10 years it would be possible to beam television signals between continents and
directly into homes. It was the eve of Project Echo, which boosted a 100-foot-diameter
inflatable metallized plastic ball into low Earth orbit to reflect signals efficiently
back through the atmosphere. Engineers and scientists were already planning the
next best thing - a satellite that not only reflected, but also amplified, possibly
frequency converted, and would even steer signals that impinge upon it. Envisioned
in this article is hundreds of satellites being available for relaying signals between
all regions of the Earth on then-standard VHF channels. We now have successful
satellite television systems, but they operate at Ku-band due
to bandwidth requirements and need special converters to interface with a television.
Modulator Driver Product Line
Hittite Microwave has released a compact dual
channel 32 Gbps Mach-Zehnder Optical Modulator Driver to further expand its
fiber optics portfolio to support the next generation of 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps
Metro and Long-haul applications. The
HMC6620BG is the first dual channel modulator driver in a compact
BGA package with excellent channel-to-channel isolation of >30 dB up to
30 GHz and optional top or bottom cooling capability to ease space constrained
module designs.
Amazon.com? Not Quite...
Philippe Dubost, Web Product Manager, hit
a home run with his idea to create a page on his website that looks like an
Amazon.com listing. Even knowing
that this is a spoof (albeit a serious resume effort), the page contains all of
the familiar features of an Amazon.com product page: an Add to Cart button, a Product Details
and Product Description area, a Frequently Bought Together set of products, and
even a 5-star rating by product reviewers. Take a look. Maybe you could try doing
an eBay or Etsy resume. Craigslist wouldn't be advised, though since it is often
associated with scams.
2-Way Power Divider
Model APD-2-0518-YR1 is a
2-Way Power Divider / Combiner that operates over the frequency
range of 500 MHz to 18 GHz. This model offers low loss of 3.5 dB
typical (over 3 dB theoretical) with a VSWR of 1.5:1 typical into a 50 ohm
impedance. The average isolation is 20 dB. This model offers a typical amplitude
balance of ±0.45 dB and a typical phase balance of ±5 degrees. This model can
handle input power levels of up to 25 watts into a load VSWR of 1.2:1.
There once was a
Miss Fanny Bright
Whose speed was much
greater than light
She set out one day
In a relative way
And arrived the previous night
Albert Einstein published his paper on Special Relativity in 1905 and on General
Relativity in 1916. Since that time, many experiments have been performed worldwide
by scientists intent on both proving and disproving Mr. Einstein.
Laser and nuclear based timepieces have been improved for precision
and calculations refined to aid in the task. Nearly 100 years later, General Relativity
stands. Even the rigors of quantum mechanics has not toppled its precepts.
for Helping Deliver RF Cafe
VidaRF provides solutions for defense, multimedia, medical, datacom/telecom and
industrial markets. RF connectors, cable assemblies, power dividers, adapters, terminations,
attenuators, baluns, surge protectors.
Crossword for 1/27/2013
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).
This particular puzzle has lots of abbreviations and acronyms.
as Our Newest New Advertiser
Nortec RF has more than 22 years of experience designing medium and high gain
RF amplifiers,
power combiners &
dividers, directional
couplers, 90° Hybrid
Couplers, and RF/microwave
filters. A wide range of configurations for power level, frequency range, connector
type, number of ports, etc., is available depending on the product. Their research
and development group and engineering team constantly introduces new, top of the
line products into their product line.
The first recorded successful parachute jump
was made from a hot air balloon in 1797 by Frenchman André-Jacques Garnerin. His
performance elicited "a scream of terror" from the crowd below and even caused women
to faint at the sight of his basket swinging wildly beneath the canopy. Many brave
souls met with less success before and after that jump. By World War II the
state of the art for parachutes had managed to cure the wild swing problem, but
reliability still left a lot to be desired, especially when the 'chutes were packed
by paratroopers with only a few weeks of experience. Control during the descent
was rather limited due to the original round configuration with directional commands
effected by pulling on the shroud lines on one side or the other. Getting to the
ground safely with a field pack and a rifle strapped to you involved a lot of luck.
It required even more luck to land with tube-powered radio gear of any sort. Bulky
and heavy was the norm, particularly if any amount of battle ruggedness was built
in. Massive high voltage transformers and lead-acid batteries pushed the limit of
the definition of 'portable.' The 'Para-Talkie'
was designed...
Polyphase Microwave
Many thanks to Polyphase Microwave for resuming their advertising on RF Cafe.
Polyphase Microwave has a wide selection of stocked specialty
frequency conversion
products including quadrature (I&Q) modulators and demodulators, single-sideband
modulators, image-reject mixers, including models in a caseless configuration. Download
QMSIM,
their free quadrature modulator simulation tool.
"It's really boring when all the measurements
and theory agree with each other." -
Chad Orzel, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Union
College, on discovery that size of proton might be smaller than originally believed.
Handbook of RF and Microwave Power Amplifiers, by John L. B. Walker.
Whether you are an
RF transistor designer, an amplifier designer or a system designer,
this is your one-stop guide to RF and microwave transistor power amplifiers. A team
of expert authors brings you up to speed on every topic, including: devices (Si
LDMOS and VDMOS, GaAs FETs, GaN HEMTs), circuit and amplifier design (discrete,
hybrid and monolithic), CAD, thermal design, reliability, and system applications
/ requirements for RF and microwave transistor amplifiers. Covering state-of-the-art
developments and emphasizing practical communications applications, this is the
complete professional reference on the subject.
Articles Available
2013 Magazines Archives
Microwave Product Digest:
-
Manufacturing Friendly
Circulator with Low Insertion
Loss, by Brian Hartnett
-
The Battle for Spectrum, by
Maj. Christopher S. Tsirlis,
U.S. Marine Corps
Microwave Journal:
-
MIMO Radar: Demystified,
by Eli Brookner
-
Spiral Antenna Design
Considerations, by
T. Lam, R. Bidwell, S. Blee
-
Conformal Antenna Array
Design on a Missile Platform
by K. Labowski, Christopher
P. & J. Stack, Jr.
Triggered T165 Laser Pulser
The
T165
Laser Pulser incorporates an edge triggered pulse generator with 150 picoseconds
nominal rise and fall times into a butterfly or TO-packaged laser. The 2" by 2"
design connects directly to standard 0.1" pin-pitch butterfly laser packages, making
it ideal for OEM use in laser systems. Laser current, bias, and pulse widths are
settable with onboard trimpots or by external analog inputs. Built-in edge-triggered
pulse generator is adjustable from 200 picoseconds to 2 nanoseconds. Pulsed laser
current adjustable up to 750mA with heat sinking required above 400mA.
Pinpoint Laser Systems
Pinpoint Laser Systems is the newest company to advertise on RF Cafe. Since 1992,
Pinpoint has been manufacturing a broad line of easy-to-use products that incorporate
lasers, optics, electronics, and solidly built mechanical features. Manufacturing
customers in many industries as diverse as semiconductor equipment to pet food,
use these products which deliver measuring resolution of 0.0001 inch and work over
distances of 200 feet, for both routine and complex measuring and alignment tasks.
Pinpoint's laser measuring equipment is actively used in aerospace, power
generation, machine shops, paper and textile mills, shipbuilding, plastic and film
production as well as electronic assembly, to name a few.
Author Saunder Harris wrote in this 1959 edition
Popular Electronics that the concept of atoms has been around for more than 2,500
years since Greek philosopher Democritus suggested that a particle existed which
was basic to all matter. It has only been in the last century and a half that we
have learned that even the atom itself is made up of even more basic particles -
the electron, proton, and neutron (J.J. Thompson found the electron in 1897,
which was postulated by G. Johnstone Stoney in 1947). It wasn't until the
1930s that even those three entities were thought to be constructed of yet more
fundamental particles - quarks, bosons, and leptons. Modern science believes it
has fully defined the set of
subatomic particles, particularly with the Higgs boson having
been finally seen in the Large Hadron Collider (well, maybe). Does anyone really
believe this is the final word on fundamental particles after have been proved wrong
so many times?
Pinpoint Laser Systems® has introduced the
Microgage Spindle Alignment Kit, a unique new
laser alignment
and measurement system for lathes, turning equipment, spindles, and related
machinery. The spindle alignment kit is turnkey, easy to use, and easily transportable
to the factory floor. Ideal applications include aligning lathes and turning centers,
adjusting boring mills, setting up spindles, aligning drive shafts, adjusting barfeeders,
and many other industrial applications. This new Microgage system provides information
on runout, centerline offset, parallelism, concentricity and other useful parameters
that can guide machinery back to optimal alignment and improved profits
AWR Corporation announces RFP™, an innovative new frequency planning
wizard within Visual System Simulator™ (VSS) that enables engineers to effortlessly
and efficiently determine spurious free bandwidths when designing complex radio
communications systems. Whether developing satellite communication, cellular, or
military radio links, RFP is an essential part of the design process in that it
provides greater insight into unwanted signals or spurs generated in a specified
bandwidth. As well as analyzing spurs generated by a lineup of mixers, RFP analyzes
the entire RF lineup of common components (amplifiers, mixers, filters, etc.) found
in radio communication links.
Strap Grounds Field Failures
Sherlock Ohms is a regular feature
of Design News that presents submissions from readers about troubleshooting
challenges and how they were solved. "Strap Grounds Field Failures" is the adventure of a design engineer
dealing with a customer who's undisclosed design change caused debilitating
electrostatic
discharges in a load cell circuit.
A guy
called yesterday from nearby Altoona, PA, I think just to talk to a fellow electrical
engineer again. He said he has been without an engineering job for so long that
he has given up looking. Such stories are very common these days. You wouldn't know
it from the soaring stock market, though. Any correlation between Wall Street and
Main Street seems to have disappeared.
Here are a few headlines pertaining to the job market.
• New College Grads Seek Annual Salary Increases Over Healthcare Benefits
• 6 of 10 Top Paying Majors in Engineering
• IEEE: Early Signs Show Tech Jobs Doing Well
• 5 Ways to Show You are a Leader in a Job Interview
• Starting Salaries Jump 3.4% for Graduates Earning Bachelor's Degrees
with Heterogeneous Networks
Moving forward to LTE-Advanced with Heterogeneous
Networks January 24, 2013; 10:00 AM PT/ 1:00 PM ET/ 6 PM UTC Presenter: Jung-ik
Suh, Wireless Marketing Program Manager, Agilent Technologies Abstract Wireless
technologies have evolved to provide mobile users higher data rates on wireless
networks with seamless connection anytime and anywhere. Commercial HSPA+ and LTE
networks serve the Smartphone and tablet users with faster wireless data communication,
and upcoming LTE-Advanced technology targets even faster speeds, with up to 1 Gbps
and maximum downlink data rates. To achieve this dramatically faster wireless data
communication, Carrier Aggregation, with the wider transmission bandwidths up to
100 MHz, enhanced Multi Input and Multi Output (MIMO) with up to 8x8 signal processing,
and other advanced technologies, will play an important role. In addition, Heterogeneous
Network (HetNet) will provide new and advanced network topology, which moves wireless
networks closer to mobile devices with various approaches including lower power
small cells and relay nodes. Remote Radio Heads, Distributed Antenna System and
Wi-Fi can also be part of a HetNet, improving coverage, spectrum efficiency and
data rates of the overall wireless service.
Methodology Innovations
Freescale's Power Amplifier Design Methodology.
January 10, 1:00 PM ET. This presentation provides an overview of a CAD-based design
approach for high-power RF/Microwave power transistors. These packaged transistors
are typically constructed using several LDMOS die each with total gate peripheries
up to 150 mm, metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors, arrays of bondwires, and
are all placed within a metal-ceramic or plastic package. In this presentation,
we will review aspects of the designer use-model where trade-offs between accuracy
and simulation time must often be considered.
Vendor Listings
Nortec
RF, located in Mount Laurel, NJ,is a high technology company, specialized in
RF and microwave products.
They have more than 22 years of experience designing power combiners/dividers, directional
couplers, hybrid couplers, filters, and power amplifiers. Their research and development
group and engineering team constantly introduces new, top of the line products into
the product line. Nortec RF constantly works on introducing more products to the
market and strive to bring the best quality, high reliability to our customers.
They are always adding new products to their product line and request customers
to constantly check their web site for new products. 856-793-9255
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
Government-designed
idealized planned worker villages of the future - and today. Many
politicians
and bureaucrats in the U.S. love this vision for the rest of us, but not for
themselves. No garages in sight (no need since no cars),
but each unit has a bicycle rack. This is a new development in China. Surely there's
a Wal-Mart in there somewhere. Are those wind turbines lining the ridge in the background?
Locked Loop Synthesizer
Z-Communications announces a new RoHS compliant
Fixed Frequency Synthesizer model
SFS0924C-LF
for indoor basestations. The SFS0924C-LF is a single frequency synthesizer that
is phase locked at 924 MHz while using a 10 MHz reference. This coaxial
resonator PLL features remarkable phase noise of -118 dBc/Hz @ 10 kHz
offset and typical sideband spurs of -70 dBc.
Appreciation of Their Support
Bittele Electronics is a
one-stop PCB assembly services including PCB fabrication, parts procurement and
final circuit board assembly. Expertise in DFM (Design for Manufacturing) checking
for your every order. Ideal service for PCB prototyping and low/high volume production
runs. They will answer all your questions and solve all your problems in PCB design &
layout, turnkey PCB assembly,
PCB fabrication, prototype PCB assembly, and PCB component sourcing.
to Design Environment
AWR Corporation has announced
AWR Design Environment™ V10.04, its first new software release
in 2013, which includes many new features and enhancements to Microwave Office®/Analog
Office® circuit design software and Visual System Simulator™ (VSS) system design
software, as well as AXIEM® 3D planar electromagnetic (EM) software and Analyst™
3D finite element method (FEM) EM software. A full list of the more than 120 “What's
New” items in AWR V10.04 can be found within the software's online documentation.
Measurements in the Field
Techniques for Precise Time Domain Measurements
in the Field, by Agilent, Wednesday, January 23, 1:00 PM ET. This webcast introduces
time domain and distance-to-fault measurement techniques for identifying the location
and types of discontinuities while operating in the field. It will describe the
relationship between frequency domain measurements and time domain transforms and
their relationships to time resolution and range. It will discuss the proper techniques
for characterizing band-limited devices, such as couplers, filters, antennas and
waveguide components, and wideband devices, such as cables and connectors.
Good Phone Lines
This Tales from the Cube installment
is a tale of an attempt to exploit the miles of electrified fencing on rural farms
for telephone communications. It would be far cheaper to clip a special
phone to the fence lines than to set new poles and string new lines for a relative
few customers. It would have been easier to install a radio-based switching station
for the remote farmers. 20 years later they finally have one - cellphones.
Magazine Advertisements
Skyworks Solutions has been a leader in the RF/microwave
integrated circuit business for over a decade, having been known even before that
as Conexant (for those of us who have been around long enough to remember).
Sometimes you see a particular item in a print ad and then have a hard time remembering
what it was that interested you when you need it. Well, it just so happens that
I have a collection of Skyworks magazine ads here in JPG format that you can look
through to jog the memory.
everything RF, along with being a very extensive resource and dedicated search
engine for electronics components, has a nice collection of online RF calculators
that you will want to add to your shortcut list:
- Attenuator Calculator
- Microstrip Impedance Calculator
- Coax Impedance Calculator
-
Cascaded Noise Figure Calculator
- Skin Depth Calculator
- Wavelength Calculator
- dBm to Watt Calculator
- Watt to dBm Calculator
Ceramic Notch Filter
Networks International Corporation (NIC) introduces
a high performance
Ceramic Notch Filter in the 900 MHz band. This band rejection
filter is suitable for applications ranging from commercial wireless to military.
Custom designs are available upon request.
Yeah, a lot of people are not particularly
fond of snow. I love it, and so do a lot of native Erieites. We have had a dearth
of the white stuff thus far this season, so waking to a winter wonderland outside
was a nice sight. There is about 8" out there now, with double that forecasted over
the next 24 hours.
- In Germany - In U.S.A.
Believe it or not, cathode ray tubes (CRTs)
are still manufactured for specialty products and for replacement parts. Even with
a high level of automation, there are still steps in the manufacturing process that
require human handling. A comparison between
CRT plants in the USA and Germany show the similarity but distinctly
different processes in a Sylvania and Telefunken operations, respectively. The photos
shown are from an article in a 1958 edition of Popular Electronics. At the bottom
of the screen are videos of a modern CRT manufacturing process and a CRT recycling
effort. As you will see, properly recycling a CRT is about as manually intensive
as manufacturing one (but with no quality control and functionality concerns). I
am not sure where the profit is in recycling unless inflation over the 10-20 years
since manufacturing makes the value of materials worth the effort. A très cool documentary
film on the designing and manufacturing process of
RCA Victor television sets is at the very bottom of the page.
Chases Cosmic Rays
Here are a few tech headlines from the 1957
Popular Electronics.
Sky-High Radar by Sikorsky is a new high-powered airborne
search radar. The electronic Trial & Error Machine has some properties
that would make it the perfect - it "differentiates between right and wrong decisions
and profits from its own mistakes." Lab Aloft Chases Cosmic Rays uses a
KC-97 UASF tanker for researching those mysterious and ubiquitous high energy entities.
This Brain That Squirts reports on Bendix's prototype carburetor that uses
an electronically controlled "electrojector" to inject fuel directly into the cylinder.
for Continuing Their Support
Phase Matrix designs and manufactures RF and microwave T&M instruments and
components and is a subsidiary of National Instruments. They manufacture within
their own facility a wide variety of proprietary microwave hybrid components for
use in its instruments, including state-of-the-art samplers, mixers, high-performance
YIG-tuned filters, multipliers, microwave subassemblies, VCOs, PLLs, frequency multipliers,
and custom products up to 50 GHz.
3-D Smith Chart
3-D Smith Chart software inventor Andrei Muller
has been working overtime to demonstrate the unique capabilities of his brainchild
to the engineering world, with the latest effort being a presentation at the
Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference
in December 2012 (see also IEEE June 2011
MWCL and the July 2012
Microwave Journal articles). Having begun as part of his
doctoral thesis, the original 3-D Smith Chart program capabilities are being extended to make
direct application to real-world RF design tasks more convenient. Examples are provided
on Andrei's website that include amplifier stability circles, and complex matching
of lossy lines. The primary advantage of the
3-D Smith Chart
is its ability to display both the entire reflection coefficient and impedance planes,
something even an extended 2-D Smith Chart cannot do. Access to the 3-D Smith Chart
is free now, but a donation will be appreciated. I suspect it will not be long before
you see the high-end simulators incorporating this tool.
Crossword for 1/20/2013
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).
This particular puzzle has lots of abbreviations and acronyms.
IEEE Radio Wireless Week 2013
AWR Corporation, the innovation leader in high-frequency EDA software,
will showcase in Booth #7 at IEEE Radio Wireless Week 2013 the latest version of its AWR Design
Environment™ with many new features and enhancements specifically developed for
high-frequency wireless design. This latest version includes updates and innovative
new technologies for Microwave Office®/Analog Office® circuit design software and
Visual System Simulator™ system design software, as well as AXIEM® 3D planar electromagnetic
(EM) software and Analyst™ 3D FEM software. AWR will also be partnering with parent
company National Instruments to demonstrate joint hardware/software solutions in
NI's Booth #8. In addition to exhibition activities, AWR's software piracy expert
Ted Miracco will participate on a conference panel examining, “Should Design Engineers
Really Care About Software Piracy?”
Martin Rowe Strikes Back
Test & Measurement World's crooning
engineer Martin Rowe introduced his latest ode to the underappreciated and overworked
members of society known as engineers. "'Red Eye Jedi' is a song for the engineers and technicians who
have spent weekends on the road fixing problems. All too often, these trips come
up at the last minute, ruining weekend plans. The inspiration for the song came
from when I worked for a company that made measurement-and-control systems. One
Friday afternoon, a call came in from an ice cream company that used one of your
systems to monitor freezer temperature. The customer said in a voice kind of like
Darth Vader,
'This factory must run.' ... The 'red eye' part of the song comes from the fact
that I have flown many a red-eye flight from California to Boston over the years.
FEM for Smart Energy/ISM Band
RFMD's single-chip
RFFM6403 FEM delivers industry-leading performance, reduces customer
design time and speeds customer time-to-market in Smart Energy/AMI applications
operating in the 405MHz–475 MHz frequency range, as well as for portable battery
powered equipment and general 433/470 MHz ISM band systems. The feature-rich
RFFM6403 integrates a transmit high power path with a +30.5 dBm
PA and Tx harmonic output filtering, a transmit bypass thru path with Tx harmonic
output filtering, and a receive path with a low noise amplifier (LNA) with bypass
mode. The FEM also features a low insertion loss/high isolation SP3T switch and
separate Rx/Tx 50 Ω ports.
to Work For (2013)
Fortune
magazine just published their 2013 list of the
best 100 companies
to work for. Criteria included job satisfaction, pay, work environment, hiring,
job security - the standard fare. Here are some of the results that are of greatest
significance to us. {full list}:
* We shop there all the time
This chart from the January 2013 edition of
IEEE's Spectrum magazine illustrates the devolution of
Internet data rate speeds in
the U.S. over the last decade and a half. Speeds increased nearly logarithmically
(linearly on a log scale) beginning around 1992, then by 2001-2002
started falling below the straight line. We should be at around 10 Tbps rather
than the 100 Mbps where we are today - a factor of 100. Demand for data bandwidth
has far outpaced the ability to provide it. Don't expect big improvements anytime
soon. A lot of money that could go into research and implementation is redirected
for providing mandated free phones, computers, and service both here and in 'developing'
countries - a hidden tax for people who pay their own bills. The story incorrectly
says the trend began with the '2001'
tech bubble
burst, but the bubble actually burst in the spring of 2000 when NASDAQ and the
DOW fell hard six months ahead of the fall election. The September 11, 2001 terrorist
attack was the knife in the back for any near term infrastructure improvement as
priorities shifted elsewhere. We are expected to forget that.
•
5 Ways to Network
Purposefully to Create
LLifetime "Career Insurance"
•
7 Tips for Recent College
Grads
•
The Inexact Science of
Persuasion
Semiconductors
By John R. Platt Statistically speaking, quite a few of the people reading this
article are probably doing so on new
tablet computers
that they picked up or received over the holidays. Those tablets — which didn't
exist just a few years ago — would not be possible without the semiconductor industry.
At the same time, the growth of the modern semiconductor industry has been fueled
by the rapid development of new technologies — tablets, smartphones, and hundreds
of other connected devices — that can be found in almost every facet of our daily
lives. After an off year in 2012, the semiconductor industry is expected to
grow 4.5% in 2013 to $303 billion, according to recent projections
from World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS). With that growth the industry
also has a tremendous need for new employees. According to the Semiconductor Industry
Association, nearly a
quarter of a million people in the U.S. alone are employed by
the semiconductor industry, and that number is growing three times faster than the
rest of the U.S. economy.
Electro Static Discharge: Understand, Simulate, and Fix ESD Problems, by Michel
Mardiguian. Recognizing its methodic, step-by-step attack of the
ESD problem,
the initial release of this book was quoted by specialists as "the most thorough
and concise treatment of the broad ESD continuum that is available." The book begins
with the basics of ESD for humans and objects, and goes on to cover: Effects of
ESD coupled to electronics Principal ESD specifications
ESD diagnostics and testing Design for ESD immunity To help with
troubleshooting, many ESD case histories are given along with their successful fixes.
Electrostatic Discharge is essential reading for all designers who want to avoid
component failures, no trouble found incidents, and random errors.
Z-Communications, Inc. announces a new RoHS compliant
Phase Lock
Loop Synthesizer model PCA0495B-LF for satellite modem equipment. The PCA0495B-LF
is a low powered frequency synthesizer that operates from 470 to 520 MHz with
a 100 kHz step size in a package measuring only 0.50 in. x 0.50 in. x 0.13
in. This miniature PLL provides phase noise of -97 dBc/Hz @ 10 kHz offset
and can be quickly and easily programmed through a 3-wire serial interface.
A Bridge to Alaska
Communications links are so ubiquitous these
days that we pretty much take for granted the ability to connect to the Internet
and to other people. How many times have you been in public and heard someone have
a fit because she couldn't get a good enough signal to make a call? It requires
the person to get up and walk a few feet or maybe turn her chair in another direction
to get an extra bar on the iPhone. How inconvenient. Even when placing a call to
Hawaii or Alaska the expectation is that things just work. In 1963 when this
tropospheric scattering network was installed for linking Alaska
to the lower 48 states, satellite communications was still in its infancy and coverage
was not even close to global. Even radio relay towers were relatively scarce across
the landscape. We've come a long way, baby.
a New Banner Advertiser
Dow-Key Microwave is the world's largest manufacturer of
electro-mechanical RF switches.
We are AS9100/ISO-9001 certified and committed to providing unparalleled customer
service, competitive pricing, on-time delivery and products that are distinguished
by quality and reliability. Dow-Key offers the largest switch product line in the
world with over 10,000 unique configurations. They now occupy the 160x600-pixel
banner slot in the right page border.
"The boy and his father had just witnessed
a demonstration of one of the most promising and fastest developing technological
devices ever conceived by man - the laser. In only three whirlwind years, the laser
- which gets its name from the initials of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission
of Radiation - has moved out of the theory stage, out of the laboratory curiosity
category, and into a whole new, exciting world of applications." That's the opening
of an article in the July 1963 edition of Popular Electronics. I remember
when ruby lasers were the the rule rather than the exception for lasers. Power levels
were measured in units of 'Gillettes' in reference in the number of razor blades
they could cut through. Next came chemical lasers with power levels in the megawatts
and now even gigawatts that can take out ICBM warheads as they reenter the atmosphere
and fry orbiting satellites. At the same time the realm of semiconductors and microcircuits
was turning out devices on the opposite scale for use in communications, inertial
navigation, and boardroom presentation pointers. This article is an extensive recounting
in layman's terms the state of the art in 1963.
Computer Preferring Leather
Sherlock Ohms is a regular feature of Design
News that presents submissions from readers about troubleshooting challenges and
how they were solved.
Computer Shuts Down Unless You're Wearing Leather reminds us of
how far we have come with ESD protection. I remember how back in the 1980s, on a mission
to demonstrate the vulnerability to non-believers, a group of techs (me included)
would scuff our shoes on carpet and touch our fingers to
IBM
XT keyboards causing them to glitch or shut down. Then, we'd remark on how the
IBM
Selectric typewriter on the adjoining desk would never do that. No, I don't
long for the return of the typewriter.
Ongoing Underwriting
Electro-Photonics provides high frequency components and design services. We offer wire bondable
passive components, coaxial products, printed antennas and very useful test boards
for evaluating RF/Microwave components. Custom-design passive components and offer
high frequency packaging services. The Electro-Photonics team can support your small
R&D design requirements and save you valuable design and characterization time.
1709–2171 MHz LC Diplexer
NIC introduces a high performance 823–961 MHz/ 1709–2171 MHz LC Diplexer for use
in receiver-transmitter systems operating in the GSM, ISM, DCS and PCS frequency
bands. This Diplexer offers low Insertion loss & high Isolation and is capable
of handling CW power up to 50 W. Custom designs and different package
configurations are available upon request.
Continuing Their Support
Please visit the Marvelous Microwave in appreciation of their helping to deliver
this website. Marvelous Microwave is a professional supplier of
Microwave/RF components, for WiFi,
Cellular, Bluetooth, GPS, DVB-T/S/C, Satellite Communication and related fields.
A strong global channel and design group devoted to development and innovation to
meet various changeable market needs. We strive for low cost, fast service, best
prices, highest quality and "marvelous" service.
In the November 2012 edition of Popular
Mechanics, über entrepreneur and multi-billionaire
Elon Musk (PayPal founder),
in an article titled "Musk Will Save the Planet - And Then Leave It Behind," ended
an interview this way. Q: "So you've said many times that you imagine retiring on
Mars." A: "Yeah. I just want to retire before I go senile because if I don't retire
before I go senile, then I'll do more damage than good at that point.
But I think it would be great to be born on Earth and die on Mars."
Absorptive, Solid-State Switch
PMI Model No.
P1T-26D532D5-90-1212-292FF is an absorptive, single pole, single
throw, solid-state switch that operates over the frequency range of 26.5 to 32.5 GHz.
This model provides a minimum isolation of 90 dB and maintains low insertion
loss of 5.0 dB maximum. The VSWR is 2.0:1 maximum into 50 ohms impedance
and offers switching speeds of 25 nsec maximum and 15 nsec typical. This
switch is designed to handle input power levels up to +23 dBm CW.
Charles Pritt Checks In
Fellow USAF radar technician
Charles Pritt just checked in with a plethora of info and photographs
about his time in the 3rd MOB
(aka 3CCG or 3rd Combat Communications Group).
Charles sent me the following note in January of 2013. "Here is my [service] info,
the best I can recall. I enlisted for 6 years, 1973-1979. I had a job description
of ATC Radar Repairman Repairman, 30351.
(lots of
radar photos)
- 1973 – training,
Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS
- 1973 – 1976 Yokota AB,
Japan - 1837th EIS, 1956th Communication Group
- 1976 – 1979 Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City, OK -
3rd MOB
the Right Connector
David Cianciolo of Fischer Connectors has
an primer on
connector selection. "When it comes to reliable system operation,
choosing the right connector is key. The right connector can make your system smaller,
lighter, and easier for the user to handle. It's not a place to take shortcuts,
as the right connector system can help avoid the high price of recalls, repairs,
and lost customers. Conducting adequate research on the connectors and cables must
be done at the beginning of a systems design process to produce the optimal design.
Follow these 10 steps to research the
ideal connector
early in the design phase and you can positively impact the design, usability, and
cost structure of your entire device."
for Long-Time Support
Since 1994, leading wireless electronics companies have relied on 3Gmetalworx
to deliver cutting edge solutions for advanced
RF/EMI PCB-level shielding
requirements. From prototyping and design services to JIT manufacturing supply,
our clients depend on us to provide a seamless service pathway supporting entire
product lifecycle. Basic shielding cans meant for permanent installation,
single-cavity shield sets and multi-cavity shield sets where cover can be removed
and re-installed. RoHS / WEE Compliant.
for High-Speed A/D Converters
Z-Communications intros a new RoHS compliant VCO
model CRO1200A-LF for high speed analog to digital converters. The CRO1200A-LF is
designed to operate at 1200 MHz within a tuning voltage range of 0.5 to 4.5 Vdc.
This VCO features phase noise of -119 dBc/Hz @ 10 kHz offset and a typical tuning
sensitivity of 2 MHz/V. The robust CRO1200A-LF provides the end user typical output
power of -3.0 dBm into a 50 Ω load while operating off a 5 Vdc supply
and drawing 20 mA, typically, over the temperature range of -40 to 85º C.
This VCO features typical second harmonic suppression of -25 dBc and comes
in Z-Comm's standard MINI-16-SM package measuring 0.5 in. x 0.5 in. x 0.22 in.
802.11ac Notebook and Mobile
RFMD intros the highly-integrated
RFFM4501E FEM for 802.11ac notebook and mobile equipment applications.
RFMD's newest WiFi FEM meets or exceeds the system requirements for 802.11ac connectivity
in the 5.150–5.850 GHz frequency band and is optimized to support multiple
applications, including notebooks, mobile routers, and low-power customer premises
systems. The RFFM4501E integrates a +17.5dBm PA at 3.3V, a low insertion loss/high
isolation SP2T switch, harmonic filtering, and an LNA with bypass mode.
Are Not True
The IEEE has begun a new series of articles
that claim to debunk long-held beliefs and set the record straight on topics ranging
from the 'real' origin of 'SOS' as an internationally recognizable distress signal*
and true burial place of frequency master
Heinrich Hertz. Oh, and
if you think Ham radio operators in the U.S. actually received signals from the
sinking Titanic, well...
read on.
* A man-on-the-street interview in the U.S. would probably find half the
people don't know about SOS at all.
Crossword for 1/13/2013
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).
This particular puzzle has lots of abbreviations and acronyms.
This
Electronics Current Quiz from the October 1963 edition of Popular
Electronics is recent enough (if you can consider 50 years ago) that it uses both
transistors as well as vacuum tubes in the example circuits. I have to admit to
only scoring 60% on it, which is pretty lame. You will probably do better, especially
if you are my age or older.
for the Courtroom?
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.
A Scientific Weapon for the Courtroom? considers the
importance of body language when attempting to sell a jury on your credibility.
Ms. Tamburro emphasizes the importance of using every trick in the book to win juries
and judges, particularly in high dollar cases like those that involve patent infringement.
Practicing ahead of the trial is key to maintaining an edge under pressure. The
same tactic can be employed for technical presentations in the boardroom, in front
of potential investors, and even in your weekly project status meetings.
Engineering and Technology
Project Management for Business Engineering and
Technology, by John Nicholas and Herman Steyn. There is an ever-growing need
for better project management within the disciplines of engineering, business
and technology and this new edition is a direct response to that need. By emphasizing
practical applications, this book targets the ultimate purpose of project management;
to unify and integrate the interests, resources and work efforts of many stakeholders
to accomplish the overall project goal. The book encompasses the essential background
material required, from philosophy to methodology, before presenting concepts and
techniques for practical application on topics including: project initiation and
proposals scope and task definition scheduling budgeting risk analysis.
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 were first being noticed in audiograms.
Their Continued Support
RF Micro Devices is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance
semiconductor components. RFMD's products enable worldwide mobility, provide enhanced
connectivity and support advanced functionality in the cellular handset, wireless infrastructure, WLAN, CATV/broadband
and aerospace and defense markets. RFMD is recognized for its diverse portfolio
of semiconductor technologies and RF systems expertise and is a preferred supplier
to the world's leading mobile device, customer premises and communications equipment
providers.
Listing Added
Excalibur Engineering
of Irvine, CA is your one-stop shop to buy, sell, and rent new and used electronic
test equipment. They offer the best prices and the best warranty in the industry.
They also provide repairs and calibration for your electronic test equipment in
our ISO-17025 accredited laboratory.
70 MHz Notch Filter
Networks International Corporation (NIC) introduces
a high performance
70 MHz crystal notch filter operating in the VHF frequency
range. This filter offers a narrow band notch attenuation of 25dB min and low passband
insertion loss, making it suitable to select closely spaced adjacent channels in
receiver applications. Custom designs are available up to 250 MHz.
WiFi PA Modules
RFMD's new RFPA520x series of three-stage WiFi
PA modules are designed for 802.11b/g/n applications. Each is a high-performance,
highly integrated solution with minimal external components, eliminating the need
for any external matching components and greatly reducing layout area, BOM, and
manufacturing costs for the customer application. Built with an advanced InGaP HBT
process, these PAs have high linear output power while maintaining excellent power
added efficiency (PAE).
RFPA5200 comes in a 4mm x 4mm x 1mm package, while
RFPA5201 comes in 14-pin, 7mm x 7mm.
'Handie-Talkie' was the name given to early walkie-talkies
used in the field by military communications troops. Having been written during
World War II, the author of this QST article just assumed that any reader would
be familiar with the WERS acronym - it stands for War Emergency Radio Service. Per
the Wikipedia entry: "At the start of the Second World War the United States
Congress had suspended all amateur radio activity throughout the country. WERS was
established by the Federal Communications Commission in June 1942 at the insistence
of the American Radio Relay League. WERS would remain in operation in through the
end of the Second World War in 1945. WERS was to provide communications in connection
with air raid protection, and communications during times of natural disaster. WERS
licenses were given to communities and not individuals. One of the requirements
for individuals to participate in the WERS was to hold an Amateur radio license."
-
The Science Behind
Persuading People
-
Want a Tech Career? 7
Core Skills You'll Need
-
What's a Good Job, and Why
Aren't There More of Them?
Methodology Innovations
Freescale's Power Amplifier Design Methodology.
January 10, 1:00 PM ET. This presentation provides an overview of a CAD-based design
approach for high-power RF/Microwave power transistors. These packaged transistors
are typically constructed using several LDMOS die each with total gate peripheries
up to 150 mm, metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors, arrays of bondwires, and
are all placed within a metal-ceramic or plastic package. In this presentation,
we will review aspects of the designer use-model where trade-offs between accuracy
and simulation time must often be considered.
'Quiz' Banner Ads
Companies pay a lot of hard-earned money for advertisement
in order to grab the attention of potential customers. Some ads are business-only
while others rely on a clever presentation, and still others use a mix of the two.
Regardless of the tactic, the ads must be interesting enough to compel readers to
seek out more information, which in the case of Internet ads is usually by visiting
the company's website. The reality is that no matter how well an ad is designed,
it will never appeal to everyone because of differences in taste and culture. Some
people (me) prefer traditional furniture design while others (not me) prefer neo
modern. Still, I will consider an advertisement with neo modern furniture in it
if the product or service being pitched is compelling enough by itself to override
the natural utter repulsion I have to neo modern furniture...
Appreciation of Their Support
JyeBao is a connector, cable, cable assembly and passive components manufacturer.
Synergies and large stock keep lead times to a minimum and allow us to offer customers
an unparalleled flexibility. Innovation is pivotal and we are constantly developing
new products. JyeBao's product line includes
RF Connectors,
RF Adapters,
RF Cables,
RF Cable Assemblies,
RF Components,
and RF Test
Cables.
Contract for Tx-Antenna Group
Cobham
has been awarded a $31.7 million contract from the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems
Command (NAVAIR) to manufacture the
AN/ALQ-99 Low Band Transmitter-Antenna Group for Navy and Marine
Corps EA-6B and EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft. The contract funds the sixth
full-rate production lot, and includes the first installment of two-part procurement
for a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to undisclosed customers. This award brings the
total number of production orders to 314 of 337 required transmitters and, to date,
230 transmitters have been delivered.
Most Powerful Laser
This thumbnail looks like a hornet's nest,
but it is actually the target chamber of the world's most powerful laser which
resides in the National Ignition Facility test facility at
Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory in California (something the government
does right). The laser recently achieved a 500 TW pulse, which for a brief
moment is more power than the entire U.S. uses at any instant. I look at the photos
of all the machinery and electronics involved and, as with the Large Hadron Collider
and similar installations, am in awe of the people who design, build, and operate
them. Many of those people spend all their waking hours creating and exploiting
their contraptions while often sacrificing relationships, health, and other opportunities.
The world has been built on the backs of hard workers of all disciplines. We
(yes, I include myself) are the 50%.
Flash RAM Lifetime
The main obstacle preventing
solid state hard
drives (SSHD) for computers is the fragility of the high-speed PCRAM structure.
After about 10,000 read/write cycles the insulator in the storage cell is wasted.
Engineers at
Macronix knew that annealing the IC at high temperature for many
hours eliminates the problem, but the process would be prohibitively expensive.
In a stroke of collective genius, they tried effecting a resistive element in each
cell's gate region that could heat the area to 800 °C for a few milliseconds,
thereby annealing on demand. It worked. Power consumption is kept to a minimum by
selectively heating only cells that exhibit degradation or that according to a logging
record are approaching their normal lifetime limit. Tests thus far have indicated
essentially unlimited lifetimes. Right now the memory time is that which is used
in Flash drives (aka thumb drives) and some personal electronics, but the industry
will soon be scheming to finally replace forever the magnetic spinning HDDs we now
use.
This is
pretty cool. If I owned a good receiver, I would definitely give it a try. In 1970
when this Popular Electronics article was written, a lot of Hams were still using
tube receivers so the recommendation to let the equipment warm up for several hours
prior to making the fine frequency adjustments was good advice. Nowadays the warm-up
time and stability of receivers should permit 30 minutes or so to suffice (even
ovenized frequency references need time to stabilize when first powered up). Unless
I missed it, the author does not explicitly state that the frequency change measured
over time is due to
gravity acting on the mass of the crystal reference, but I suspect
that is his intention since part of the experiment involves disconnecting the antenna
and shielding the receiver from outside interferers. Over a lunar month period (29.5
days) we experience a leap tide and a neap tide which maximizes and minimizes, respectively,
the vector sum of gravity and therefore should result in the greatest excursions.
Maybe with a super-stable source, a larger scale phenomenon such as a planetary
syzygy could be detected (but I doubt it).
Antenna Breaks Chip Barrier
Adding the MicroSplatch™ to your design is simple—the
only things needed are a footprint for the antenna and associated proximity ground
plane. Using advanced simulation tools, Linx designed the MicroSplatch™ with performance
similar to our standard
Splatch antenna, but only uses one third of the critical board
space. The MicroSplatch™ is available in the 403 MHz, 418 MHz, 433 MHz, 868
MHz, 916 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands. Custom designs within the 400 MHz–3 GHz range are
available. "We designed the MicroSplatch™ specifically as a chip buster aimed
at high volume customer applications, where lowest cost is a leading consideration."
The December 2012 edition of IEEE's
Spectrum magazine had this setup from
Datamancer Enterprises. BTW,
the suffix 'mancer' means prophet or fortune teller. From their website:
The Clacker is a full PC suite
including keyboard, mouse (made from a telegraph key), mouse pad (ancient map image),
PC, LCD, speakers (vintage Atwater-Kent speakers which have been modernized), and
a classic table and matching chair. The PC features a powered, spinning brass mechanical
display reminiscent of Charles Babbage's 'Analytical Engine' and 'Difference
Engine', which were giant brass mechanical calculators invented in the early
1900s whose functions influenced the design of modern computers.
The Clacker ships with a 'Marquis' keyboard. The LCD also
features an antique video projector built into the back which is powered and spins
custom brass film reels while LED lighting flickers in a custom projection box,
to give the impression that the image is being projected onto the LCD through the
back. Spectrum says the price is $15k-25k. If you buy yourself one, please
have a second sent to me. Thank-you in advance.
Executive Promotions
Empower RF Systems Announcement - Executive Chairman
role and CEO transition The Board of Directors of Empower RF Systems has approved
the creation of a new role, Executive Chairman of the Board, and the appointment
of a new CEO, effective, January 1, 2013. Barry Phelps, current CEO, will be transitioning
to the role of Executive CoB, remaining active and involved with the Company and
leading the management / oversight of Board responsibilities. Barry joined the BofD
in 2007 and moved into a full time role as CEO in 2009. Jon Jacocks has been promoted
to President and CEO of Empower RF Systems. Jon joined Empower in November 2007
as the company's first VP of Sales and he has served in that capacity for the past
five years.
Seasonal Computer Crash
Sherlock Ohms is a regular feature of Design
News that presents submissions from readers about troubleshooting challenges and
how they were solved.
The Case of the Seasonal Computer Crash is a bit hard to believe,
but back in the early days of PCs, the equipment was pretty vulnerable. Not much
thought was give to power line conditioning.
Victor and General Electric
Here is are advertisements by Radio Corporation
of America (RCA) Victor and General Electric (GE) from the November 6, 1948, edition of the The Saturday
Evening Post. A lot of the radio, television, and phonograph models seen here
can still be bought on eBay in either 'needs fix'n' or fully restored
condition. If you see something you would really like but it is not
on eBay yet, do a Saved Search and they will
send you an e-mail when one appears.
Technology for Support!
Guided Wave Technology is a microwave filter R&D company, specialized in
development and production of passive filter prototypes and series. Guided Wave
Technology's Filter & Coupling
Matrix Synthesis (CMS) tool facilitates synthesis of N+2 coupling matrices for
Chebyshev bandpass filtering functions, with
arbitrary finite-position transmission zeroes.
30 W RF Limiter
PMI Model LM-6D7G7D9G-30W-SFF is a
RF Limiter that operates in the 6.7 to 7.9 GHz frequency range.
This limiter can handle 30 watts CW input power and provides a maximum leakage of
+18 dBm. This model has a low insertion loss of 1.1 dB maximum and a recovery time
of 10 µsec maximum.
Absorptive, Solid-State Switch
PMI Model No. P4T-10G40G-60-T-GPO is a
single pole, four throw, absorptive, solid-state switch that operated
over the frequency range of 10 to 40 GHz. This model provides over 60 dB of isolation
and has an insertion loss of 6 dB maximum. The VSWR is better than 2.0:1 into a
50 ohm impedance. This model is designed to handle operating input power levels
up to 200 mW (+23 dBm CW) and has a maximum switching speed of 30nsec typical.
Advertisement
I have to admit to not remembering (or
ever knowing) that Radio Corporation of America (RCA) manufactured
electrical test equipment, so seeing this full-page advertisement in a 1963 edition
of Popular Electronics was a surprise. RCA made a few types of analog multimeter
kits, some project and experimenter kits, and even an oscilloscope kit. A little
more thumbing through other Popular Electronics editions revealed the
RCA Institutes, which was a mail order electronics training program
similar to the ITT Institute and National Radio Institute (NRI, from whom
I took a course many moons ago). Knowing that if you wait long enough, just
about everything shows up on eBay, I did a quick check and found a few vintage RCA
Institutes items, including an RCA Institutes Ham Radio Signal Generator Kit...
Duct-Taped to Seat
How many times have you been flying to/from
a business
trip and wanted to do this to the person sitting next to you
(and get away with it)?? "A drunken passenger
on a New York-bound flight from Iceland was duct-taped to his seat by fellow passengers
after attacking one woman, spitting on other passengers and screaming the plane
was going to crash. A friend of one of the observing passengers, Andy Ellwood of
New York, posted a picture of the subdued flyer to his Tumblr with an account of
the incident. The 'passenger drank all of his duty free liquor on the flight
from Iceland to JFK yesterday,' Ellwood wrote." Who just happens to have
a roll of duct tape on an airplane? Was
Red Green on the flight?
Crossword for 1/6/2013
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).
This particular puzzle has lots of abbreviations and acronyms.
Acceleration Lawsuit
Website visitor Michael L. sent me a note
about the settlement of the class action
lawsuit against
Toyota for the claim that some of their cars accelerated unintentionally when
the drivers ostensibly hit the brake pedal. It was an out-of-court deal to avoid
a judge and jury debacle. Keep in mind when you read the following excerpt from
the FAQ page that
Class Members will receive a whopping
37 to 125 dollars each
for payment or have an electronic control module modification installed. "How will the lawyers be paid? Class
Counsel will ask the Court for
Attorneys' Fees not to exceed
$200 million, plus up to an additional $27
million in costs and expenses. These fees and expenses will
go to the multiple plaintiffs' firms and approximately
85 attorneys who worked
on the litigation." Ah, what a bunch of Good Samaritans those guys are.
"Kirt, I just found your website while looking
for an explanation of the purpose of a device that a friend of my owns. It is an
iris shutter for a 24" naval searchlight. Your site and description of the
searchlight helped to figure out the mystery of this thing!" Thanks to Tim
P. for this note. It validates yet again why I go to the trouble of posting this
old material.
Appreciation of Their Support
AWR is a leading supplier of high-frequency EDA products for the design of wireless
telecom equipment, semiconductors, high-speed computers, networking systems, automotive
mobility systems, and a variety of other products. Familiar to the RF and microwave
research and development community are
Microwave
Office, Analog Office,
Visual System Simulator,
APLAC, and
Axiem.
Reseller MicroBee Systems
NuWaves Engineering, an international RF and embedded systems solutions provider, announced today that
the company has added MicroBee
Systems as its first domestic value-added reseller. Specializing in integrated
tracking solutions – such as GPS, Wireless, and Time, Space, Position, Information
systems – MicroBee will increase exposure of NuWaves' commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)
RF module-level products in the DoD test and training range market. NuWaves' products
will be offered both independently and as part of higher-level integrated system
solutions by MicroBee for flight test telemetry, vehicle tracking, and remote systems
monitoring and control applications.
by Wireless Control
OK, so it's an R/C model, but calling
it 'wireless' qualifies for being featured on RF Cafe. This twin turbine
model Concord SST flew at Panoramaflugtag 2012 in Ohlsdorf, Germany. German aeromodelers
build and fly many giant scale aircraft.
Winner Selected
Congratulations to Tyler R., of Escondido, CA, for being the December 2012 book
winner. Tyler chose
Handbook of Dielectric and Thermal Properties of Materials at Microwave
Frequencies.
Graciously provided by
Artech House
LC Bandpass Filter
NIC introduces a wide-band
LC Bandpass Filter centered at 3600 MHz with an operating BW of
133%.This filter is capable of passing signals between L & C bands offering
low Insertion loss, while rejecting any signals in the UHF and X bands. Custom designs
and different package configurations are available upon request.
Most of these matches of the devices and its
inventor are pretty easy for people who have been around electronics for any length
of time (well, not if the length of time is a day or two), but a couple just might
stump you. This
Electronics Inventors Quiz appeared in a 1963 edition of Popular
Electronics, so you won't be challenged with knowing the inventors of the LCD
or MEMS devices, but neither will you have to know who came up with the abacus or
the Archimedes screw :-)
- Those Happy Happy Hams
Here is a little electronics hobbyist humor
in the form a comic series titled "Hobnobbing with Harbaugh," compliments of Popular Electronics.
For the non-Ham, QSL is the Q-code for "'I confirm that I received your
transmission." You don't need to be an amateur radio operator to appreciate
these comic strips, though. Note that with it being 1963, the husband and wife are
shown sleeping in separate beds - just like in the TV shows of the era like
The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy.
as a New Banner Advertiser
NIC is a leading manufacturer of custom RF & microwave filters, amplifiers, frequency sources, assemblies
for military, commercial & space. Lumped, ceramic, crystal, cavity, combline &
interdigital filters. Filter/amplifiers, filter/limiters, switched filter banks.
For over 20 years, NIC has been a trusted partner for military, commercial &
space solutions. NIC headquarters is located in Overland Park, KS with additional
sales and manufacturing operations in Washington, DC and India.
Drawing Prize List
Introduction to RF Design Using EM Simulators,
by Hiroaki and Yoshie Kogure, and James Rautio (graciously
provided by Artech House).
Richly illustrated and written in an easy-to-comprehend style, this highly accessible
resource provides novice engineers and engineering students with a solid introduction
to the use of electromagnetics (EM) simulation in RF design. Engineers learn
how to use EM software to design microwave circuits and to conduct signal integrity
analysis of high-speed digital circuits. This authoritative book describes exactly
how microwave and high-speed digital circuits operate, offering practitioners clear
troubleshooting guidance for their work with these circuits. Professionals and students
also benefit from a thorough overview of the wide range of high-frequency circuits
and related EM tools (Sonnet) being utilized in the field today. DVD is included!
for Their Long-Time Support
RFtronics develops both
turnkey and custom solutions for the RF telecom equipment designers and manufacturers.
Currently, our product line includes high power couplers, splitters/combiners and filters between 1
MHz and 3 GHz. They have a tight relationship with a local, ISO certified manufacturer
with a 25 000 sq. ft. facility and more than 20 years experience in the RF/microwave
design and manufacture. This gives them the best of both worlds, the agility of
a small company and the production capabilities of a larger-sized, high-volume manufacture.
Laureate an Aeromodeler
As you might know if you have been an RF Cafe
visitor for a while, my life-long hobby has been model aviation. Many notable people
have similarly been aeromodelers from a young age, including aircraft designer Burt
Rutan, Space Shuttle astronaut Robert "Hoot" Gibson, radio personality
Paul Harvey, actor and WWII bomber pilot Jimmy Stewart, Olympiad Bruce Jenner, catamaran
and surfboard designer Hobart "Hobie" Alter, to name a few. Physicist
Dr. David (Dave) Wineland has just been added to the list since
he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in December 2012 for his work on quantum computing.
The Academy of Model Aeronautics' (AMA) monthly magazine Model Aviation
printed an interview with Dr. Wineland in the January 2013 edition, where he discusses
his history with model airplanes and his work at the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. Model Model Aviation editor
Jay Smith granted permission for me to reprint the article here on RF Cafe since
it will likely be of interest to engineers and scientists who visit the website.
Drawing Prize List
The Micro-Doppler Effect
in Radar, by Victor C. Chen (graciously provided
by Artech House).
The Doppler Effect can be thought of as the change in frequency of a wave for an
observer moving relative to the source of the wave. In radar, it is used to measure
the velocity of detected objects. This highly practical resource provides thorough
working knowledge of the micro-Doppler effect in radar, including its principles, applications
and implementation with MATLAB codes. The book presents code for simulating radar
backscattering from targets with various motions, generating micro-Doppler signatures,
and analyzing the characteristics of targets.
Winner Selected!
Tyler R.
of Escondido, CA, is a winner of the December 2012 book drawing. Tyler selected
Handbook of Dielectric and Thermal Properties of Materials at Microwave Frequencies.
for Helping Deliver RF Cafe
NoiseWave designs and manufactures standard and custom noise test solutions to
meet commercial and military wireless applications. Noise diodes in TO-8, DIP, or
SM pin packages. Calibrated broadband sources ideal for NF measurement & BIT.
There is a website called
MorseFusion.com that presents
a new way to learn Morse Code.
Rather than learning to interpret each character as a series of dots and dashes,
it helps train your brain to respond to a familiar sequence of characters. According
to the authors, it has been proven to be a more natural way of learning. The old
school method of listening for dits and dahs was fine for receiving encrypted messages
that had no logical or predictable pattern (after all, that is the goal of
encryption). The Morse Fusion method uses novels like Moby Dick and
A Tale of Two Cities, and begins with only oral pronunciation of each character
and word for practice writing what is heard. Then, you select characters that should
be sent as code rather than spoken characters, ranging from 0 (spoken characters
only) to all 26 plus numbers and punctuation. You might be surprised at how confusing
it can be to write down even the spoken letters at 15 wpm, and forget 30 wpm until
after some practice. Free samples and practice are available, but there is a modest
subscription fee for anyone wanting to really take advantage of the course. .. /
.-- --- ..- .-.. -.. / ... ..- -... ... -.-. .-. .. -... . / .. ..-. / .. / ....
.- -.. / -- --- .-. . / - .. -- . .-.-.- (thanks to the
Morse Code
Translator)
Long-Time Support!
Fotofab is a supplier of custom-made thin metal parts. Chemical etching, metal
stamping, RF shielding, or any custom part made out of metal.
RF/EMI shielding, metal stamping,
lead frames, filter screens. They are pleased to send you some sample parts, design
guide and more information regarding our quality custom parts, short lead-times
and low cost services.
RF Cafe visitor Jim L. requested that I post
this
Build Your Own Vibrato article from the December 1957
edition of Popular Electronics. "Make like Elvis with an 'electronic'
throbbing guitar," is the pitch line. Vibrato, for the non-musically inclined,
is the 'wa-wa' sound of an instrument as it smoothly wavers in pitch about
a central note. This circuit is for use with an electric guitar, but acoustical
stringed instruments like the violin and cello are routinely played with vibrato
effect by rocking the finger up and down the length of the string. In typical 1950s
style, the project is built with point-to-point wiring rather than using a printed
circuit board.
