Please click here to view November 2014 homepage archive
page 2.
Electronics-Themed Comics
Here is a batch of
electronics-themed comics that appeared in the January 1945 edition
of Radio News - a little light reading for you on a Friday afternoon. The
editors must have been frisky and into the holiday spirit(s) when choosing comics
that month. You'll see what I mean. There is a list of other comics at the bottom
of the page.
Dan Bobyn Engineering
Dan Bobyn, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
wrote asking to be listed on the "Technical Services & Consulting" page of RF
Cafe. Dan is an experienced engineer offering RF design consulting or contract expertise
to small and large organizations across North America. Clients range from companies
who don't have a full time RF design engineer, those who simply want an additional
opinion on the RF design aspects of a particular project, to those who need additional
hardware development resources to complete RF based projects outside their usual
design engineering capabilities. Please call him today at 403-819-8464 if you have
the need.
Pasternack Intro New Digitally
Programmable Attenuators
Pasternack Enterprises announces the release of
their new 5 Bit, 8 Bit and 10 Bit broadband PIN diode digital step attenuators with
performance up to 40 GHz depending on the configuration. These programmable, variable
step attenuators are commonly used in electronic warfare, military and space communication
systems, radar and test and measurement
Klystron: Tube of the Future
So much time
has passed since an average home garage mechanic could service his car or truck
with standard tools - combination wrenches, screwdrivers, socket sets, timing light,
and a multimeter - that asking "remember when?" is passé. That era pretty much ended
in the late 1980s as computerized cars were becoming the industry norm. A good percentage
of people nowadays have never and will never service their own vehicles. In the
mid 1940s, the electronics world was lamenting a similar situation with diminishing
ability to build and modify
electronic components like coils
…
Rich vs. Poor
I've never considered
myself to be a class warfare guy, but facts are hard to ignore or deny when they
are staring you in the face. Take this recent headline, for instance: "The 85 Richest People on the Planet Now Have
as Much Money as the Poorest 3.5B." There are an estimated 7.2B people on Earth
today, so that calculates to 0.0000012% of the people have as much combined wealth
as 49% of the rest of the people. In engineering terms, that's 12 picopopulations
vs. 490 millipopulations. We know the names of those top 85: Mexican communications
magnate Carlos Slim Helu tops the list, …
Perks That Work
Expectations and compliance
willingness of employees and employers, respectively, have changed a lot since I
first entered the workforce in the 1970s. At the time, at least for the companies
I worked for as an electrician, the boss told you what to do and you did it. You
showed up for work at a dictated time, worked hard all day with strictly prescribed
break and lunch times, and quit at the end of your shift. Production line and office
workers pretty much followed the same routine. I assumed everyone existed by the
same rules. It wasn't until after I got out of the U.S. Air Force in 1982 and went
to work for Westinghouse as an electronics
technician that I witnessed the difference between the way
…
Introducing The Expert Institute
Joe O'Neill
wrote to request a listing for The Expert Institute on RF Cafe's "Expert Witnesses" services
page. I agreed, and also, after perusing his company's website, I asked for and
received permission to reproduce some of the short articles they have on topics
relevant to RF Cafe visitors (that includes you). Stay tuned - the
first of them will appear very soon. As with the articles written by IMS ExpertServices,
I find case studies very interesting and informative since they represent real-world
instances
New Magazine Articles
It's
been almost two weeks since posting some good RF & microwave engineering magazine
article links. I've only include the ones that will be of interest to you ;-)
The History Channel Presents The Best of Modern Marvels. These
would make a good gift for your kids as inspiration to pursue careers in high tech
- maybe even engineering. Did you see my recent post on the survey done on
lifetime
earnings expectations for various college degree majors? If the lad or lass
doesn't plan to be a doctor or lawyer, engineering is definitely a good choice.
The videos make a good gift for yourself as well, so start dropping hints in time
for the Christmas shoppers.
Electronics at Redstone Arsenal
"The fact
that every part of this ship was built by the lowest bidder." That, according to
Gene Kranz (NASA Flight Director during the Gemini and Apollo missions),
was Alan Shepard's reply when asked what he thought about as he sat atop the
Mercury Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff. That fact that the
boost vehicle, the Redstone, was originally designed as an expendable ballistic
missile and not for safely launching humans into space might have had something
to do with it, too. This 1957 vintage article
…
Skyworks Reports
Record Q4 FY14 Results
Skyworks Solutions today reported Q4 and year-end
results for the period ending October 3, 2014. Revenue for Q4 was $718.2 million,
up 51% y-o-y and 22% sequentially, consistent with the updated outlook provided
on October 14, 2014 and exceeding the Company's original guidance midpoint of $680
million. On a non-GAAP basis, operating income for Q4 FY2014 was up 81% from $130.3
million in Q4 FY2013. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for Q4 FY2014 was $1.12,
including a $0.03 fiscal year-end tax benefit, compared to $0.64 for the prior year
Q4.
Microphones Explained
for Beginners
Carbon
button microphones were used in Alexander Graham Bell's first production model telephones.
He bought the patent from inventor Emile Berliner because they were superior to
Bell's own liquid element microphones.
Condenser microphones followed, whose transducer element includes
an integral variable capacitor. Interestingly, even though we in the U.S don't refer
to capacitors as 'condensers' anymore, the name has persisted. Ribbon microphones
are inexpensive
…
Notable Quote
"Sometimes, only one person is missing,
and the whole world seems depopulated." - Alphonse de Lamartine,
L'Isolement(a translation of 7th stanza), Méditations
Poétiques (1820) -- to the families of fallen service members.
Veterans / Remembrance Day
11 month, 11th day, 11th hour
This Veterans Day(Remembrance Day in Canada and
Australia)
tribute is by Canadian citizen Terry Kelly. A Pittance of
Time was written after an experience he had on Veterans Day in 1999.
Terry went blind at an early
age, but has excelled as an athlete and a musician. It is done in the finest Celtic
tradition … and, of course, Lee Greenwood's- God Bless the
USA , written 7 years before 9/11.
"Take two minutes, would you mind?
It's a pittance of time, For the boys and the girls who go over. In peacetime our
best still don battle dress, And lay their lives on the line. It's a pittance of
time."
College Degree Lifetime
Earnings Report: 2014
Not many people would
argue that earning a college degree does not statistically portend higher lifetime
earnings, and that the more degrees you have, the higher your income is likely to
be. Sure, lots of people become very successful with little more than a high school
diploma, but almost without exception they do it by starting their own business
and figure out how to exploit their natural talents in a big way. You don't need
a college degree to open a chain of auto lube stations, an electrical or plumbing
contracting business, a lawn maintenance empire, or a few pizza parlors. Some do
…
Theory and Application of UHF
Not having a
full collection of magazines is a real disadvantage when multiple part stories are
published and some editions are missing. Such is the case here with Milton Kiver's
series on electronics design. I do have other parts of the series, but they have
not been posted on RF Cafe yet. However, each installment is pretty much independent
of the others. This month's topic is on the fundamental
theory of electrical potential and force. The name 'Maxwell' is
mentioned, but not in the way that strikes fear in the heart of engineering students
being introduced to the integral and differential forms of his eponymous equations
(I know first-hand), so it's safe to keep reading. First semester physics
books cover the same
…
Orbel EMI/RFI Solutions Made
Possible by 3D CAD Systems
The arrival of 3D CAD programs has revolutionized
the way the electronics industry is able to detect areas that have static interference
within product parts. Backed by today's newest 3D software, advanced
EMI/RFI shielding solutions by
Orbel provide the protection required to successfully operate a piece of electronic
equipment to FCC regulations.
Funnies from The Good Life
October 2014
The Good Life is a
free publication printed in northern Michigan. Along with advertisements and stories
from local interests, every edition is chock full of humorous quips and jokes. These (mostly) tech-related items are from the October 2014 edition.
Sample: "There is a huge spider in my kitchen so I will be tweeting from on top
of this table for whatever the life span of this species is."
3 Adverts from the April 1945
Radio News
What more could a company ask for than that
someone would like his advertisements enough to reproduce them without collecting
a fee and even encourage others to look at them? It's too late for my promotions
to do the companies any good since most have long been out of business. World War II
era ads stand out as a reflection on a largely unified country with a common goal
of preserving its history and continuing its traditions (rather than that
of a foreign conqueror) into the future. These ads from
Bliley,
Eastern Amplifier, and
United Electronics are great examples.
RF Engineering Crossword Puzzle
Take a break and work
this week's RF engineering themed crossword puzzle. All the words are pulled from
a hand-built list of terms, names, and abbreviations that have only to do with science,
mathematics, and engineering. If you want a crossword with names of movie stars
and obscure countries, try the local newspaper. If you want to exercise your nerd
knowledge, this is the one for you.
Radio Service Data Sheets
This week's
additions to the collection of radio service data sheets are the
Arvin Model 6 and the
Emerson Model AZ-196(Chassis AZ). Both appeared
in the August 1938 edition of Radio Craft. As back in the era, similar schematic
and service info was available for purchase from sources such as
SAMS Photofacts, but these
printings were a no-cost bonus for readers.
Television - As I See It
Now that the inestimable
Bob Pease is no longer with us to enlighten and entertain, is there a contemporary
and immediately recognizable electronics technology name you see on a magazine article,
book, or presentation? Maybe my tech literary world is pretty small, but nobody
come to mind as I write this (apologies to the many great authors I am forgetting).
In the early part of the last century, you can be sure that when the names Edison,
de Forest, Tesla, Marconi, Bell, and Morse were
…
Free Engineering Magazine
Subscriptions
Many
of your favorite magazines offer
free
subscriptions to qualified applicants. Qualified usually means that you are
currently employed in a field related to the primary theme of the magazine, and
often you also need to be a decision maker for buying products represented within
the pages. Technical magazines, like RF Cafe, get paid by advertisers and therefore
need the public to support those companies by purchasing their products and/or
…
R&S Intros High Def O-Scopes
w/16-Bit Resolution
The high definition (HD) mode increases the vertical
resolution of the Rhode & Schwarz RTO and RTE oscilloscopes to up to 16 bits
- a 256-fold improvement over 8-bit resolution. Waveforms are sharper and show signal
details that would otherwise be masked by noise. Input sensitivity of the oscilloscopes
has been increased to 500 µV/div. Users benefit from even more precise analysis
results.
At the 1929 Radio World's Fair
You've heard
of the World's Fairs, the most familiar probably being the 1933 Chicago World's
Fair where the theme was "A Century of Progress." World's Fairs have been held in
various cities worldwide since the late 1790s. In 1929, the World's Fair was held
in the United Kingdom, but the "Radio World's Fair," which began its annual run in 1924, was held
in New York City. Surprisingly little exists on the Internet about the events. It
was more of a trade show to introduce new products than it was a fair, as can be
seen
…
Radio Robot Plane
Radio-controlled flying
drones are commonplace today - so much so that the FAA has enacted
legislation to strictly limit who can fly them, where they can be flown, how big
they can be, what type of payloads can be carried, how far from the pilot they can
be flown, etc. - the typical kind of overreaching and overregulating that governments
promulgate (especially in the last few years). Sport model airplane
flying has suffered loss of freedoms because of it by getting lumped in with
multirotor drones. The military, of course, has been using
…
Fairview Microwave's New eCommerce Website
Fairview Microwave Inc., a supplier of on-demand
microwave and RF components, has launched its all new
RF/Microwave eCommerce
website featuring a powerful specification-based navigation, enhanced site search
capabilities and a newly designed user interface. Fairview's redesigned website
allows users to easily navigate through more than 30 RF product categories with
its unique specification
Congrats to the October Book Drawing Winners!
Congratulations go out to
Larry L. of Loogootee, IN, and Anthony P. of Russellville, AR, for being winners
in the October
RF Cafe Book Drawing. Not surprisingly, both guys chose to receive a free subscription
to the Conquer Radio Frequency
online course, by Dr. Francesco Fornetti. Graciously provided by
Explore RF.
New Transmitter for Amateur Radio
Hams like
members of the Mogollon Rim Collins Collectors Club (K0CXX), play an
important role in the preservation of vintage radio equipment. They own a nice example
of a
Collins model 30K-5 medium power (250 W) AM
transmitter that is the subject of this 1946 article in Radio News. At
5½ feet tall and weighing 350 pounds, the 30K is many times the volume and weight
of a modern solid state transmitter (transceiver + PA) having the same
capability. Its advertised price in 1946 was
…
Electrocution: Placebos and Nocebos
Electrocution is no laughing matter,
but I have to chuckle every time I look at the picture on my page that lists the
human body's response to various levels of electrical current. The table shows that
perceptible pain begins at around 10 mA and death can occur at 100 mA,
which came to mind while reading an article in the July/August edition of Discover
magazine titled "Why N0thing
Works." Author Erik Vance reports on research being done on the effects of placebos
(Latin for "I shall please") and nocebos ("I shall harm")
in healing and pain suppression. Typically
…
The Career Guide Book for Engineers
The Career Guide Book for Engineers, by John A. Hoschette. Currently,
John is a technical director with Lockheed Martin in Eagan, Minnesota working on
mission computers. His work encompasses developing the next generation mission computers
for the F-35,P-3, F-16 and F-22 jet fighter aircraft. Building super computers that
fly. His area of technical expertise is optical data networking.
Career and Job Hunting Advice - November 5, 2014
This week's collection
of employment and career related stories is a real mixed bag. Topics range from
whether getting a Bachelor's degree is worth the time and expanse to when might
be the best time in her career for a woman to have a baby. That just goes to show
that there is an 'expert' on everything who is ready to give advice. My standard
caveat stands: Just because someone managed to get an article published doesn't
mean the advice is applicable you or anyone other than the writer.
The Kilocycle Kops
Except under special
circumstances, the FCC does not conduct much frequency monitoring activity. I know
first-hand that even when a report of
radio frequency interference is made to them, you will be told
to figure out the source on your own and then get back to them. There have been
a lot of news items lately where the FCC has levied heavy fines on Ham operators
found to be in violation of the regs, and usually not because of independent complaints.
This article from a 1956 edition of Popular Electronics relates some of
the cases experienced by guys
…
Anatech Intros 3 New Duplexer Filter Designs
Anatech Electronics has released three new duplexer
filter designs, one is a SAW duplexer covering the 1850.5-1909.5 MHz / 1930.5-1989.5
MHz bands, another is a cavity duplexer covering the 1164-1301 MHz / 1525-1612
MHz bands, and the last is a ceramic duplexer covering the 1190-1270 MHz /
1545-1625 MHz bands. All can be ordered directly through their
AMCrf web store.
Notable Quote re Stupid People
"The trouble
with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt."
- Bertrand Russell, in his autobiography, c1969
Carl and Jerry: The Crazy Clock Caper
Before
there were clocks that synchronized themselves to a wireless low frequency
(LF) time standard emanating from one of NIST's broadcast towers, a different
method was used to keep all the clocks in a building reading the same time. Many
of the AC-powered mechanical master-slave clock systems are still in use today.
This episode of
Carl and Jerry has them teaming with a contract repairman to figure
out why seemingly random clocks in their high school failed to synch with the master
overnight. Author John T. Frye provides a pretty thorough overview of how the
system operates using a
power line carrier scheme. Of course the boys' keen
…
FADA Radio and Electric Company Ad
FADA Radio and
Electric Company, of Long Island, New York, had a unique message for veterans
returning from the throes of World War II. Rather than focus on the potential
loss of 'innocence' caused by exposure both to the horrors of war and the excitement
and splendor of foreign cities, it appealed to a desire to forget about the glitz
and glitter and come back home to help America convert its amazing technical and
manufacturing base, borne out of desperate wartime need, into a thriving postwar,
commercial economy. Many
…
Edwin H. Armstrong: The Rest of the Story
One of my favorite old-time
radio personalities, Paul Harvey, had a trademarked feature titled The
Rest of the Story. For those of you not familiar with the format, Mr. Harvey
would begin his story talking about particular life aspects of a person that, while
remarkable, usually had no connection with the person's eventual claim to fame.
The listener's challenge was to guess who the person was before it was revealed
at the very end, followed by, "... now you know --- the rest of the story."
As far as I know the story of FM radio inventor
Edwin H.
Armstrong was never a subject, although it certainly met the criterion. I've
already let the figurative cat out of the bag, so...
Relating Some High Points in Photocell Progress
Edward Weston was a
pioneer in the photoelectric cell field. His 'photronic' cell was one of the first successful devices for commercial
use. Just like with early battery cells, photoelectric cells of the era required
a liquid medium to facilitate electron transfer and thereby generate electric current.
The lead nitrate compound used by Weston is now considered a possible human carcinogen.
Mr. Brooke Clark has a web page with extensive data on the history of Weston's photoelectric
sensors, meters, test data, patents, and history of his
…
Engineering Book Authors Crossword Puzzle
As promised last week, this crossword
puzzle's theme is engineering book authors. If you follow contemporary technical
books on amplifier and filter design, radar systems and component design, then there's
a good chance you will recognize these guys. There are no gals in the list; however,
there is one very famous lady who is credited with giving birth to the concept of
broadband frequency hopping spread spectrum communications. Ooooh (smacks
own forehead) ... will the phrasing of that last sentence have me sleeping
on the couch tonight, figuratively? (doh!, did it again)
RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling
2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed
formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit
design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at
the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps
while tying up your telephone line, and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail"
when a new message arrived...
Copyright 1996 - 2026
All trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other rights of ownership to images
and text used on the RF Cafe website are hereby acknowledged.
Pasternack Enterprises announces the release of
their new 5 Bit, 8 Bit and 10 Bit broadband PIN diode digital step attenuators with
performance up to 40 GHz depending on the configuration. These programmable, variable
step attenuators are commonly used in electronic warfare, military and space communication
systems, radar and test and measurement 
Joe O'Neill
wrote to request a listing for 
Skyworks Solutions today reported Q4 and year-end
results for the period ending October 3, 2014. Revenue for Q4 was $718.2 million,
up 51% y-o-y and 22% sequentially, consistent with the updated outlook provided
on October 14, 2014 and exceeding the Company's original guidance midpoint of $680
million. On a non-GAAP basis, operating income for Q4 FY2014 was up 81% from $130.3
million in Q4 FY2013. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for Q4 FY2014 was $1.12,
including a $0.03 fiscal year-end tax benefit, compared to $0.64 for the prior year
Q4.
The arrival of 3D CAD programs has revolutionized
the way the electronics industry is able to detect areas that have static interference
within product parts. Backed by today's newest 3D software, advanced
The Good Life
Take a break and work
this week's RF engineering themed crossword puzzle. All the words are pulled from
a hand-built list of terms, names, and abbreviations that have only to do with science,
mathematics, and engineering. If you want a crossword with names of movie stars
and obscure countries, try the local newspaper. If you want to exercise your nerd
knowledge, this is the one for you.
The high definition (HD) mode increases the vertical
resolution of the Rhode & Schwarz RTO and RTE oscilloscopes to up to 16 bits
- a 256-fold improvement over 8-bit resolution. Waveforms are sharper and show signal
details that would otherwise be masked by noise. Input sensitivity of the oscilloscopes
has been increased to 500 µV/div. Users benefit from even more precise analysis
results. 
Fairview Microwave Inc., a supplier of on-demand
microwave and RF components, has launched its all new
Electrocution
Anatech Electronics has released three new duplexer
filter designs, one is a SAW duplexer covering the 1850.5-1909.5 MHz / 1930.5-1989.5
MHz bands, another is a cavity duplexer covering the 1164-1301 MHz / 1525-1612
MHz bands, and the last is a ceramic duplexer covering the 1190-1270 MHz /
1545-1625 MHz bands. All can be ordered directly through their
"The trouble
with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt."
- Bertrand Russell, in his autobiography, c1969
FADA Radio and
Electric Company
As promised last week, this crossword
puzzle's theme is engineering book authors. If you follow contemporary technical
books on amplifier and filter design, radar systems and component design, then there's
a good chance you will recognize these guys. There are no gals in the list; however,
there is one very famous lady who is credited with giving birth to the concept of
broadband frequency hopping spread spectrum communications. Ooooh 