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Click for Page 2 of
the July 2015 homepage archives.
 Lots of great new articles have been posted
by our industries' top magazine publishers since my last update in June. As mentioned
in the past, the advent of the Internet has made it possible for many more articles
to be made available than what can be printed on paper because of press and mailing
costs. Some magazines have been printing an abbreviated version of
...
- 5 Things You Should Know About
5G Cellular, L. Frenzel
-
RF/Microwave EDA Supporting IoT
Design, ANSYS
-
GaN Technology and the Potential
for EMI, K. Wyatt
-
Understanding Mixers and Their
Parameters, C. DeMartino <more>
Per Vices, a revolutionary hardware and solution provider, is pleased to announce
the robust wideband RF front end and powerful digital back end of
Crimson, the company's
latest Software Defined Radio. Crimson features a high stability internal reference
clock with stability of ±5ppb. "The successful incorporation of our ultra-low phase
noise and low-jitter performance oscillators in the
Per Vices Crimson
software defined radio means that the Crimson software defined radio is capable
of supporting the most demanding radio applications," said Anthony Mastropole, president
of Crystek Corporation. Crimson's accuracy...
 In this episode of John T. Frye's "Carl & Jerry" series, the intrepid pair of teenage electronics
hobbyists and Ham radio operators are experimenting with an audio amplifier rig
that uses a parabolic dish for concentrating sound waves at a focal point where
they have a microphone mounted. Aside from picking up bird noises and a neighbor
lady scolding her husband for not properly washing the windows during a round of
Spring cleaning, Carl imposes upon Jerry for a lesson in
feedback techniques - both positive and negative - and the reasons
one is preferred over the other. The story winds up with a clever double entendre
comment referring to "osculation..."
 RFMW
Ltd. and Qorvo, Inc. have
announced a worldwide distribution agreement effective immediately. Qorvo, a leading
provider of core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure and aerospace/defense
applications, was created through the merger of TriQuint and RFMD. RFMW is a specialized
distributor providing customers and suppliers with focused distribution of RF and
microwave components as well as specialized component-engineering support. Under
the agreement, RFMW is franchised worldwide for all Qorvo Infrastructure and Defense
Products RF and microwave devices. Qorvo provides standard and custom...
 Advanced Computational Electromagnetic Methods
and Applications, by Wenhua Yu, Wenxing Li, Atef Elsherbeni, and Yahya Rahmat-Samii.
It's not surprising that four people were needed to write this book! My eyes roll
back in my head just before passing out over the equations and program snippets
included therein. "This new resource covers the latest developments in computational
electromagnetic methods, with emphasis on cutting-edge applications. This book is
designed to extend existing literature to the latest development in computational
electromagnetic methods, which are of interest to readers in both academic and industrial
areas. The topics include advanced techniques in MoM, FEM and FDTD, spectral domain
method...
 Bird Technologies, a leading provider of RF components,
subsystems, test equipment, and services, today introduced the
Channel Power Monitor, a compact rack-mount system that in conjunction
with Bird sensors monitors each radio, power combiner, transmission line, and antenna
in an analog or digital land-mobile radio system operating between 144 MHz and 960
MHz. It alerts users to out-of-spec conditions via the Web or Bird's Android smartphone
app and can monitor 16 channels with the ability to expand as needed to accommodate
a radio system of any size. The
Model 3141 Channel Power Monitor simultaneously monitors both
the individual radios of a system as...
 IMS ExpertServices periodically sends me e-mails that highlight
recent key court cases that can significantly affect the effectiveness of expert
testimony, both for the plaintiff and for the defendant. You need only scan the
headlines I post daily to know the importance of effective legal representation
when IP is being contested. This article by
Annie Dike, writing for
IMS ExpertServices, discusses relatively recent issues caused
by the ubiquitous presence of Internet-connected mobile devices and the difficulty
with preventing jurors from accessing online resources while listening to evidence
and deliberating a decision. Even with being informed that seeking out information
sources outside of the evidence introduced during trial proceedings is forbidden
- and outright illegal - legal teams are constantly fighting a battle...
 The
New Horizons planetary probe launched from Cape Canaveral on January
19, 2006. 3,463 days later we are treated to the world's first close-up images and
physics data of our solar system's most distant [minor] planet. The craft passed
by Pluto this morning at 7:49 am EDT at a distance of a mere 7,800 miles
(12.5 km) while traveling at a whopping 30,800 mph (49,600 kph).
Interestingly, once past the planet, New Horizons stops communications with Earth
while its antenna is used to collect science data.
22 hours later, that info then begins its 4½ hour trip
back home. Also noteworthy is that the cremated remains of Pluto discoverer
Clyde Tombaugh are in a flask aboard New Horizons; that makes
him the first human to travel out of the solar system - "boldly go[ing] where no man has gone before." Congrats
to the New Horizons team !
 Since deciding to discontinue the hosting
of private advertising on RF Cafe, I have had many requests to resume the program.
Serving between 7,000 and 9,000 pages each weekday provides a valuable amount of
exposure to people like you - serious engineers, technicians, students, and hobbyists.
While I do not plan to reconstitute private advertising anytime soon, there remains
a very easy - and FREE - way for you to get your company's products and services
in front of RF Cafe visitors:
Press Releases. If your company makes products that I deem relevant to my readership,
I will gladly post your press release, company news...
 Peregrine Semiconductor has an immediate opening
for a Staff-Level RF / Analog / Mixed-Signal Design Engineer. This position is responsible
for ensuring success of Peregrine's Global 1 platform in the cellular market.
Specify, design, analyze, and debug analog/mixed-signal circuits to support programmable
precision performance of RF PAs. Simulate circuits to support the design process.
Perform and direct layout of circuits. Measure circuits on lab bench to prove
performance. Debug failures at all levels, support products during the entire product
life cycle...
 Fuel economy today is a concern not as a matter
of availability, but as a matter of ecological stewardship. In the mid 1970s, however,
the worldwide Arab oil embargo during 1973 and 1974 and the attendant gas shortage
was fresh in everyone's minds. I vividly recall sitting in a gas station line in
the family car when there was a government mandated limit of 10 gallons per car.
Per one source, in May 1973 the average gasoline price was 38.5¢ per gallons
($2.06 in 2015 dollars per BLS Inflation Calculator).
By June 1974, it had risen to 55 cents¢ ($2.95 in 2015.). Incidentally, per
the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the average gas price in the U.S. today...
 "The
saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society
gathers wisdom." - Isaac Asimov,
Isaac Asimov's Book of Science and Nature Quotations
 NI (formerly AWR Corporation) announces the release
of its version 12 Analyst-MP™ 3D multiphysics finite element method (FEM) electromagnetic
(EM) analysis software. This latest version delivers up to 10X improvement in speed
from the previous version, making it even faster for analyzing extremely complex
high-frequency, multiphysics structures like the X- and L-band accelerators designed
by Japan's High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK). Analyst-MP leverages the same
capabilities within NI AWR Design Environment™ V12 - Analyst™ software but adds
to it additional features and functionality that tailor it to large, multiphysics..."
 These schematics, tuning instructions, and
other data are reproduced from my collection of vintage radio and electronics magazines.
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.
-
International Radio Corp. Model 90
-
Belmont Model 578 Series A
-
Firestone-Stewart-Warner R1332
-
Fairbanks-Morse "Farm" Set
-
Crosley Model 555 (A.F.M.)
-
Crosley Model 515 (Fiver)
-
Crosley Model 425 (Travo)
 In 2015 we would hardly think of electromagnetic
radiation in the 5 cm wavelength realm as being "quasi-optical" as far as circuit-based manipulation is concerned.
Optical wavelengths begin at around 6,300 Å for red light, which is 6.3x10-5 cm,
or 630 nm. The 5 cm wavelength used an example in a 1932 article in
Short Wave Craft magazine is equivalent to 6 GHz. 6 GHz was an
extraordinarily high frequency to be using for communications back then, and the
author did not intend to liken it to anywhere near visible light. Instead, his terming
its properties as "quasi-optical" referred to how the waves interacted with physical
objects; e.g., reflection, refraction, absorption, and scattering. Barkhausen
oscillations were a popular subject of the era...
 For the sake of avid cruciverbalists amongst
us, 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).
Enjoy!
Peregrine Semiconductor has an immediate opening
for a Senior RFIC Design Engineer. This position is responsible for development
of advanced power amplifier products. This includes device characterization, PA
design and characterization, prototype development, system testing, demonstrations,
characterization, production support. The candidate will interact with other essential
disciplines including substrate design, marketing, process technology development,
modeling, test engineering and manufacturing...
 PMI Model No.
PMOD-PWR-1030M-ATN-SFF is a power detector module. The operating
frequency is 1030 MHz ±0.01 MHz. Two pairs of forward and reverse
signals are input allowing for a 12 bit linear digital output proportional to the
input power. A GUI is provided to interface through Ethernet and allow MCU programming,
unit calibration and setting of the variable attenuators...
 This free seminar will discuss the new features
included in
Keysight's EEsof EDA simulation tools and how the software helps
engineers, focused on high-speed digital electronics, solve their toughest design
challenges. The seminar will look at all stages of the pre-layout, post-layout and
measurement design flow. Tools featured in the seminar include: ADS, ADS Controlled
Impedance Line Designer, SI S-Parameter analysis tools, and the ADS PCIe and USB
Test Benches used with Keysight real-time oscilloscope certified Test Compliance
software...
 MECA offers a new compact 2 watt (2 kW peak),
4.1/9.5 (Mini-DIN) Male 50 ohm load optimized for Wireless bands
covering up to 4 GHz. VSWRs of 1.10:1 typical up to 2 GHZ and 1.20:1 typical up
to 4GHz. Made in the USA and carries MECA's industry leading 36 month manufacturing
warranty...
 What better way is there to resuscitate
a challenging work day than to kick back and enjoy these electronics-themed comics
from a vintage edition of Radio & Television News magazine? Seeing
a comic panel in any modern technical magazine these days is rare, if for no other
reason than a fear amongst publishers (and their lawyers) that somebody, somewhere
might be offended. You have my invitation to create a good-humored cartoon about
me or RF Cafe anytime you wish, and I promise not to sue you. I'll even post it
here on the website if you like. BTW, these comics make great fodder for the front
page of your technical presentations - a good way to soften the edge going into
a meeting, especially if you are not good at delivering jokes...
 Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT) will showcase its new, high-performance
Cobalt vector network analyzer (VNA) series during
European Microwave Week (EuMW)
in Paris, taking place September 6-11. In stand 268 at Palais Des Congrès, the company
will also demonstrate affordable, lab-grade instruments from each of its product
lines. And, as part of the show's technical program, the company will share highly
useful VNA-based information with attendees inside the MicroApps Auditorium...
 Pasternack, a leading manufacturer and supplier
of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, unveils a brand new family of instrumentation
grade
directional waveguide couplers boasting accurate performance up
to 110 GHz. These Pasternack-mm-Wave-Directional-Waveguide-Couplers-7-9-2015.htm" >ultra-high
frequency waveguide couplers are commonly used for signal sampling and other general
purpose applications in wireless transmit / receive systems, test benches, satellite
communications, radar systems, point-to-point backhaul and telecom. In this latest
release of waveguide directional couplers from Pasternack are 28 unique models spanning
a frequency range of 18 GHz to 110 GHz in seven popular frequency bands
including K, Ka, Q, U, V, E...
 Whoa, it's a good thing I read these articles
prior to publishing them, lest some uninitiated soul be lead to the wrong conclusion!
Keep in mind that this article was written in 1932, prior to the development of
the quantum mechanical model of the atom, but on the other hand, Ernest Rutherford
and Niels Bohr developed their model in 1913, so the information was available.
The
Rutherford-Bohr model of the atom suggested a nucleus comprised
of positive masses called protons, each of which carries a charge of +1 unit, and
neutrons with no net charge. Surrounding the nucleus were orbiting masses called
electrons, each of which carries a charge of -1 units. Accordingly, the net charge
of an atom was the sum of protons and electrons, with unionized atoms having a net...
 The
R&S FSW85 from Rohde & Schwarz is the company's latest
addition to its successful family of high-end signal and spectrum analyzers. It
is ideal for demanding research and development applications. Thanks to its easy
handling, the Rohde-Schwarz-FSW85-Analyze-Broadband-Pulsed-Signal-85-GHz-7-9-2015.htm" >R&S
FSW85 simplifies complex measurement tasks in the fields of automotive radar, 5G
and other wireless communications standards or aerospace and defense. The new R&S
FSW85 high-end signal and spectrum analyzer is the only instrument on the market
to cover the frequency range from 2 Hz to 85 GHz in a single sweep...
 Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., founder of RF
SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer of advanced
RF solutions, announces the
UltraCMOS® 11 platform, the industry's first RF SOI technology
built on GLOBALFOUNDRIES' 130 nm 300 mm RF technology platform. By moving to a 300
mm wafer, Peregrine opens the door to new enhancements and advanced features in
future generations of the technology platform, which can leverage GLOBALFOUNDRIES'
300 mm production-proven design enablement and manufacturing expertise and scale.
"As an industry first, the new RF SOI technology reaffirms our commitment to the
RF market, and is another...
American Function Materials, located in San Diego, CA, is RF Cafe's newest private
advertiser. AFM designs, develops, manufactures and markets
RF/microwave multilayer
capacitors, high power & high current multilayer, and high temperature &
high voltage multilayer capacitors, GBBL high-K substrates for single layer capacitors,
and ultra-low-fire dielectric powder for multilayer capacitors. Sizes range from
0201 to 13560, with operating voltages from 25 to 20,000 volts. AFM operates a state
of the art MLCC manufacturing line including ceramic slip casting, automated tight-tolerance
printing-stacking, iso-static pressing, automated termination, automated test and
sorting process, and plating process. AFM has a full complement of test tools. Please
visit the
AFM Microelectronics' website to see whether they can be of assistance
on your project.
 This article was written in 1932, before
anyone had in-situ empirical measurements of the
ionosphere, since suitable instrumented sounding rockets were
not yet available. It had only been 30 years since Oliver Heaviside and Arthur Kennelly
first proposed their theory of the ionized layer that encompasses the Earth. It
turned out that the ionosphere is composed of multiple layers of ionized regions
whose intensities are dependent on solar surface activity, time of day and night,
time of year, and even on terrestrial events like large volcanoes. Large network
communications have been built so as not to be held hostage by atmospheric conditions
by utilizing...
 Planar
Monolithics Industries (PMI) has introduced two single-pole,
single-throw PIN diode RF switches with coaxial connectors.P1T-DC40G-65-T-292MF-1NS-OPT27 is an absorptive, single pole,
single throw PIN diode switch that operates from DC to 27 GHz. This model incorporates
a TTL compatible driver for easy system integration.
Model No. P2T-6G18G-40-R-570-TFF-1D6KW is a 6.0-18.0 GHz
SPDT solid-state switch capable of handling input power levels up to 1.6 kW
peak having a duty cycle of 8% and a pulse width of 250 us. This switch offers
low loss of 2.2 dB maximum and 40 dB of isolation with a switching speed
of 200 ns...
Peregrine Semiconductor has an immediate opening
for a Senior RFIC Characterization Engineer. The successful candidate will be responsible
for the characterization & product development of RF ICs in Peregrine's UltraCMOS
technology for space and military as well as commercial/industrial applications.
A successful candidate will enjoy being part of the product development team, taking
industry leading product designs and readying them for mass production. The job
will require expertise in RF and analog measurements combined with disciplined project
planning to ensure only the highest quality products are released. As part of a
cross-functional product development team, the...
 RFMW, Ltd. announces the availability of a
LTE Band Definition Chart outlining frequency designations and bandwidths for
LTE bands 1 through 44. Both uplink and downlink information is provided along with
duplex spacing information. Applicable usage areas for each band are highlighted.
If you've ever had confusion or questions regarding the multitude of LTE bands,
this chart from RFMW provides a concise resource for your desktop or design bench...
 Lockheed Martin has an need for a Staff Level
Application Engineer at their Meridian, Mississippi location. The successful candidate
will be a subject matter expert for manufacturing automation technology who identifies
opportunities to deploy latest manufacturing technologies at LM-Aero C-130 feeder
plants. He/she will also develop understanding of Meridian, MS manufacturing processes
and be a liaison with LM-Aero Manufacturing Technology departments. Perform initial
trouble analysis on automation issues and coordinates resolution with Facilities,
Tooling, Manufacturing Technology and vendors. Apply today...
 Distributed Power Amplifiers for RF and Microwave
Communications, authored by Narendra Kumar and published by Artech House. This
new resource presents readers with all relevant information and comprehensive design
methodology of wideband amplifiers. This book specifically focuses on distributed
amplifiers and their main components, and presents numerous RF and microwave applications
including well-known historical and recent architectures, theoretical approaches,
circuit simulation, and practical implementation techniques. A great resource for
practicing designers and engineers, this book contains numerous well-known and novel...
Peregrine Semiconductor has an immediate opening
for a Staff Engineer in the Mobile Wireless area of Test Engineering. This position
is responsible for designing and developing production and characterization ATE
solutions for integrated circuits. Acts as the technical lead for projects and has
a solid understanding of RF principles, software development and IC test development
practices. This position works closely with Management, Engineers, Program Management,
and Manufacturing to ensure that the team is delivering the highest quality level
of tested products. The position will also be required to plan, prioritize, technically
support and manage the implementation and release of production test solutions...
 Atomic energy research came to the forefront
of public awareness in 1945 following the detonation of the world's first nuclear
bombs. X-rays had been studied for decades and uses had been developed for medical
and industrial inspection purposes, but the harmful effects of low level exposure
over long periods of time were still largely undetermined. Some people, like the
author of this report from a 1949 edition of Radio & Television News
magazine, believed "man's life is shortened by exposure to any amount of radioactivity."
That was a rather extreme and alarmist statement to make in an article whose purpose
was ostensibly to encourage engineers, scientists, and technicians to seek careers
in the
radio-electronics-nucleonics field...
 Narda Safety
Test Solutions has expanded the features of its
Interference and
Direction Analyzer: Spectrograms with a time resolution of as fine as 1 μs now
allow insights into signal structures that were otherwise only possible with large
scale lab equipment. This means that interference and hidden transmitters with rapidly
changing frequencies can also be analyzed and then localized with subsequent operating
steps. In the IDA 2's new high resolution spectrogram display mode, the type of
signal, i.e. its "fingerprint", can be identified. The instrument writes the spectrums
line by line, with levels indicated by different colors. In this way the time and
spectral ...
 Infographics are the "in" thing with this
week's collection of career advice articles. If a picture is still worth 1,000 words
in today's economy, then there are at least 2,000-worth here, and maybe as many
as 21,000 if you count individual graphics within the infographics. I like the allusion
in one of the titles to Mark Twain's famous quote following a domestic absence during
an extended trip to Europe. The other
...
-
Economists Offer Career Tips for
Today's Graduates
-
The Death of the Cover Letter:
Greatly Exaggerated?
-
The Impact of Bad Bosses in the
Workplace [Infographic]
<more>
Notable Tech Quote: Steve ant
Andrea
 "The great thing about reactances being imaginary
is the the -j1590 Ω of capacitive reactance can be neutralized by adding
+j1590 Ω of inductive reactance. Cool, huh? Add ohms to ohms and get fewer
ohms! You can't do that with resistors!" - Steve ant Andrea (AG1YK), June 2014
QST magazine.
 MECA is pleased to announce its latest addition
to our extensive line of
Power Dividers
with (80X-X-3.250WWP); broad band models covering UHF through ISM bands. Available
in; 2, 4, 8 & 16-Way, 30 W Wilkinson Power Dividers, optimized for excellent
performance with industry leading specifications from 500 MHz – 6.00 GHz.
Offering typical VSWR's ranging from 1.20:1 to 1.30:1, Isolation of 17-20 dB
minimum while offering phase and amplitude balance typically only seen in narrower/octave
band models. Also available in a variety of connector styles such as Type N...
 Cobham Antenna Systems, a market-leading supplier of antennas,
is proud to announce the sponsorship of the Liverpool University Unmanned Aircraft
Systems (UAS) team taking part in IMechE's UAS Challenge 2015. Cobham has supplied
antennas, cables, connectors and has provided its expertise to the Liverpool Team.
First test reports, from the team, showed exceptional results with operational range
more than doubled when compared with the standard "off the shelf" antennas. This
improvement in range was prior to installation of a ground plane for the antenna...
 GeAs was the semiconductor substrate material
of choice long before the III-V series like GaN and GaAs came along. GeAs would
be considered a III-IV semiconductor since Ge is in group IV of the periodic
table (Ga is group III, As is group V). It is actually know simply as germanium.
1954, when this advertisement from Bell Telephone Laboratories appeared in Radio &
Television News magazine, was the same year that Texas Instruments (TI) introduced
the world's first commercially available silicon (Si) transistor. The GeAs boule
photo in the ad was printed "life size," which makes it around 2" in diameter. Compare
that to 12" diameter wafers standard today for Si. Gallium nitride
GaN), a more...
 Planar Monolithic Industries (PMI) announces two
successive detection log video amplifiers (SDLVA). PMI Model No.
SDLVA-418-65-16MV-12DBM operates between the 4.0 GHz to 18.0 GHz
frequency range. It has a dynamic range of 65 dB, a nominal log slope of 16.7mV / dB.
PMI Model No.
SDLVA-100M18G-CW-70-MAH is a CW-Immune, Successive Detection Log
Video Amplifier operating in the 100 MHz to 18.0 GHz frequency band. It
features an SPST on the RF output which allows for the RF to be turned off
when the RF signal is below the adjustable threshold setting...
 The June 2014 edition of QST
(pp38-40) has an article by Joel Hallas
(W1ZR) reporting on an updated version of the venerable
Transmission
Line Program for Windows (TLW), by Mr. R.
Dean Straw (N6BV). The previous version was last released
in 2006. Owners of the ARRL Antenna Handbook receive the program on the
included CD/DVD, and are eligible for a free upgrade if you have a previous version.
The Zip file can be downloaded from the ARRL website. If you are not eligible but
would like to read the user's manual, download the Zip file and extract just the
PDF file since the one available elsewhere on the Web is for the 2006 version. According
to Joel's review, the main changes in TLW are refinements in the manufacturer's
data used for curve fitting and in the electrical parameter calculations...
2.4 GHz is a major part of our lives. We see it everywhere: in our homes, offices,
schools, vehicles, and we see it globally. In response to this, Linx Technologies
announces the addition of 2.4 GHz to its already popular permanent-mount
PML Series half-wave dipole antennas. This new design adds yet
more options for antenna design in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. With multiple standards
operating at 2.4 GHz, such as Bluetooth, Thread, Wi-Fi, ZigBee and others, the vast
growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving the added need for more options
to antenna design. Where permanent mount design is needed, the PML...
 Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., founder of RF
SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer of advanced
RF solutions, announces availability of the first product from the MPAC product
family, the
UltraCMOS® PE46120. Covering a frequency range of 1.8 to 2.2 GHz,
the PE46120 integrates a 90-degree hybrid splitter, phase shifters, digital step
attenuator and a digital serial interface on a single die. Ideal for optimizing
dual-path dynamically load-modulated amplifier architectures such as Doherty power
amplifiers, the monolithic RF controller offers high linearity, high isolation,
high power handling and maximum...
 NI (formerly AWR Corporation) announces that a
new 2015 edition of the eBook,
RF Electronics: Design and Simulation, is now available free of
charge to students, graduates, professors and industry professionals through its
Professors
in Partnership web portal. The Professors in Partnership program is designed
to provide engineering students, faculty and graduates with access to ongoing microwave
and RF educational content that enhances and promotes the use of NI AWR software
solutions through e-books, textbooks, and...
 Benjamin Franklin is famous for his kite-flying
experiment whereby he "discovered" not electricity (as many
people believe), but that lightning is a form of electricity
(most people thought it was a jet of gas). A lesser
known fact about Mr. Franklin is that he invented the
lightning rod after realizing the electrical nature of lightning.
His understanding of electric fields facilitated a implementation whereby hefty
iron cabling interconnected a tall, pointed rod installed at the tallest point on
a building and a spike driven into the ground. Lightning typically strikes the object
that is the shortest distance (in terms of electrical field
strength) from it because the discharge can begin at the lowest voltage.
The presence of the grounded lightning rod above the highest point on a structure
effectively brings that point all the...
 After
recently reading a few articles on
ferromagnetic materials for both power supply and RF balun use,
I did a little research to find some good sources for information. This table of
parameters on common soft magnetic materials is derived from a page in a whitepaper
on the
Magnetics website. The paper contrasts properties of powdered
magnetics, which are composed almost totally of ferrous metal (iron, nickel, cobalt,
manganese, et al), versus ferrites, which are a mix of ferrous metal...
 Congratulations to June 2015
Book Drawing
winner Mendez A., of Lansdale, PA. Mendez wisely selected
Electronic Warfare Receivers, and Receiving Systems, by Richard
A. Poisel. Each month I randomly choose one or two names from the list of people
who have ordered my modest array of software products like
RF Stencils for Visio,
RF & EE Symbols for Word, and
RF Cascade Workbook. Most of the books are graciously provided
by Artech House
and Cambridge University
Press, but occasionally
McGraw Hill or a private publisher like
Explore RF will sponsor the
drawing.
 Mouser Electronics is teaming up with celebrity
engineer
Grant Imahara and a group of visionaries in the home and factory
automation industry, including Insteon, AiroCorp, TE Connectivity, and Factory Automation
Systems, to announce an exciting new Home and Factory Automation Series. The new
Home and Factory Automation series is part of the Empowering Innovation Together™
program and is available only on Mouser.com. It focuses on innovative automation
technologies that were once only seen in science fiction movies or TV shows like
The Jetsons. It highlights some of the companies that are making these technologies
a reality. Filmed on location inside the Insteon smart...
 As with most things of consumer, commercial,
and industrial nature, the battery - more correctly 'cell' - science has come a
long way in a relatively short time.
Alessandro Volta invented the eponymous voltaic pile in 1799;
it consisted of zinc and copper electrodes immersed in a sulfuric acid electrolyte,
thereby being a wet cell. The first dry cell was the zinc-carbon type invented by
Guiseppe Zamboni (not the guy who invented the ice rink resurfacer) in 1812. Rechargeable
dry cells of the NiCad variety hit the scene in 1899. Then, it wasn't until 1991
- a century later - that Sony commercialized the Li-Ion cell (and varieties thereof)
that now dominates portable electronic markets...
 Potassium sodium tartrate (Rochelle salt) was used in commercial speakers for a while in
place of electromagnetic driver coils. The relatively large mechanical deformation
produced when subject to an electric field made them attractive as coil alternatives
because a separate energization circuit was not required. The drawback, at least
early on, was unavailability of crystals large enough to drive anything other than
a headphone size speaker cone. This article tells of the time when a process was
created to grow large crystals from a seed, similar to how silicon, gallium-arsenide,
and other modern semiconductors are grown...
 Backscattering from Multiscale Rough Surfaces
with Application to Wind Scatterometry, by Adrian K. Fung. "This resource explains
and demonstrates the backscattering properties of multiscale rough surfaces, and
illustrates their application to establish the geophysical model function (GMF)
needed in wind scatterometry. This book also explains how the mechanisms of backscattering
change with frequency and the incident angle on a multiscale surface and how to
recognize single scale versus multiscale surfaces - very useful information for
those wanting to...
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