See Page 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 | of the August 2023 homepage archives.
 Radio-Electronics magazine editor Hugo
Gernsback was renowned as a visionary in many technical fields. He regularly presented
ideas, and sometimes his own
inventions, in the pages of his many publications; so many, in fact, that he
numbers them. While perusing many hundreds of vintage technical magazines, over
the last couple decades, I have seen many full-page advertisements by companies
offering to file patent paperwork for readers' inventions. I have also seen many
articles warning people off of those companies because they were often run by shyster
lawyers that exploited the sincere hopes of laymen who had good ideas but didn't
know how to go about securing patent protection. A lot of ideas were reportedly
stolen by those companies, who registered patents in their own names while ruining
the lives of trusting clients. Some would say good 22 oz. framing hammer to
the cranium is justified in instances like that, similar to with mass spammers.
Anyway, in this editorial are many suggestions for a broad range of topics like
computers, radar, aviation and missiles, electronics components and systems...
 "The next generation of 2D semiconductor
materials doesn't like what it sees when it looks in the mirror. Current synthesizing
approaches to make single-layer nanosheets of semiconducting material for atomically
thin electronics develop a peculiar
'mirror twin' defect when the material is deposited on single-crystal substrates
like sapphire. The synthesized nanosheet contains grain boundaries that act as a
mirror, with the arrangement of atoms on each side organized in reflected opposition
to one another. This is a problem, according to researchers from the Penn State's
Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium-Materials Innovation Platform (2DCC-MIP) and
their collaborators. Electrons scatter when they hit the boundary, reducing the
performance of devices like transistors. This is a bottleneck, the researchers said,
for the advancement of next-generation electronics for applications such as Internet
of Things and artificial intelligence..."
 If the technology futurists of the 1970s
had been correct, by now we would be reading historical articles on the early days
of holographic television. I have read, though, that any day now a battery-powered
flying car with a holographic dashboard / instrument panel display is going on sale.
Not. The Sadly, the Ercoupe is still the closest thing to "an airplane in every
garage." But, I digress. This story from a 1953 issue of Radio & Television
News magazine reports on the roll-out of the country's first
color television system: The field sequential system (aka the CBS system). It
was a fine system, but unfortunately the modulated signal format was not backward
compatible with the existing black and white (B&W) system. That meant separate
receivers for B&W and color televisions. Even as CBS TV sets were being produced,
the National Television System Committee (NTSC) was working on a replacement system
that permits co-existence of B&W and color signals. Note the mention of how
the DPA...
 TotalTemp Technologies, a worldwide leading
provider of research laboratory and production temperature chambers and thermal
platform equipment, introduces their model
C230 Cryogenically Cooled Temperature Chamber, also known as an environmental
test chamber, which performs thermal tests through the use of forced air convection.
Employing a temperature controller sensing the air temperature with a setpoint of
the desired temperature, temperature stability at various points can be achieved.
Heat is removed by directly injecting cryogenic liquid into the chamber or heat
is added by resistance heaters in the airstream. A full set of options and accessories
to customize your setup...
 Electronics-themed comics are usually saved
for Fridays, but what the hey; maybe you need some humor on Monday this week. They
appeared in a 1965 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. At least three of these
antenna-based comics required a harder look to determine what was happening and
why it is humorous. One of those even requires a little technical insight to "get
it." To see my take on the comics, highlight the text below: 1)
Ox being used to rotate the radar antenna. 2)
Boat's direction finding radio antenna being used to
locate lost truck. 3) Simple "rabbit ears" antenna
amidst a sea of high gain multi-element antennas. 4)
Tunnel overhead clearance limits 1/4-wave antenna height
to ~12 feet...
 Banner Ads are rotated in all locations
on the page! RF Cafe typically receives 8,000-15,000 visits each
weekday. RF Cafe
is a favorite of engineers, technicians, hobbyists, and students all over the world.
With more than 17,000 pages in the Google search index, RF Cafe returns in
favorable positions on many types of key searches, both for text and images.
Your 728x90-px and 160x600-px Banner Ads are displayed on average 225,000 times
per year! New content is added on a daily basis, which keeps the major search
engines interested enough to spider it multiple times each day. Items added on the
homepage often can be found in a Google search within a few hours of being posted. If you need your company news to
be seen, RF Cafe is the place to be...
 Axiom Test Equipment allows you to
rent or
buy test equipment,
repair
test equipment, or sell or trade test equipment. They are committed to providing
superior customer service and high quality electronic test equipment. Axiom offers
customers several practical, efficient, and cost effective solutions for their projects'
TE needs and is committed to providing superior customer service and high quality
electronic test equipment. For anyone seeking a way to offload surplus or obsolete
equipment, they offer a trade-in program or they will buy the equipment from you.
Some vintage items are available fully calibrated. Please check out Axiom Test Equipment
today - and don't miss the blog articles!
Sunday the 13th
 The newest release of RF Cafe's spreadsheet
(Excel) based engineering and science calculator is now available -
Espresso Engineering Workbook™. Among other additions, it now has an extensive
coaxial cable parameter calculator. Since 2002, the original Calculator Workbook
has been available as a free download. Continuing the tradition, RF Cafe
Espresso Engineering Workbook™ is also
provided at no cost, compliments of my generous sponsors.
The original calculators are included, but with a vastly expanded and improved user
interface. Error-trapped user input cells help prevent entry of invalid values.
An extensive use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) functions now do most of
the heavy lifting with calculations, and facilitates a wide user-selectable choice
of units for voltage, frequency, speed, temperature, power, wavelength, weight,
etc. In fact, a full page of units conversion calculators is included. A particularly
handy feature is the ability to specify the the number of significant digits to
display. Drop-down menus are provided for convenience. Now that a more expandable
basis has been created, I plan to add new calculators on a regular basis...
 This custom RF Cafe
electronics-themed crossword puzzle for August 13th contains words and clues
which pertain exclusively to the subjects of electronics, science, physics, mechanics,
engineering, power distribution, astronomy, chemistry, etc. If you do see names
of people or places, they are intimately related to the aforementioned areas of
study. Being that "M" is the 13th letter of the alphabet, it is used as the first
and/or last letter of many words in today's crossword puzzle - as well as in-between.
Those clues are marked with an asterisk (*). As always, you will find no references
to numbnut movie stars or fashion designers. Need more crossword RF Cafe puzzles?
A list at the bottom of the page links to hundreds of them dating back to the year
2000. Enjoy...
 Centric RF is a company offering from stock
various RF and
Microwave coaxial components, including attenuators, adapters, cable assemblies,
terminations, power dividers, and more. We believe in offering high performance
parts from stock at a reasonable cost. Frequency ranges of 0-110 GHz at power
levels from 0.5-500 watts are available off the shelf. We have >500,000 RF and
Microwave passive components we can ship you today! We offer Quality Precision Parts,
Competitive Pricing, Easy Shopping, Fast Delivery. We're happy to provide custom
parts, such as custom cables and adapters, to fit your needs. Centric RF is currently
seeking distributors, so please contact us if interested. Visit Centric RF today.
Centric RF is a company offering from stock
various RF and
Microwave coaxial components, including attenuators, adapters, cable assemblies,
terminations, power dividers, and more. We believe in offering high performance
parts from stock at a reasonable cost. Frequency ranges of 0-110 GHz at power
levels from 0.5-500 watts are available off the shelf. We have >500,000 RF and
Microwave passive components we can ship you today! We offer Quality Precision Parts,
Competitive Pricing, Easy Shopping, Fast Delivery. We're happy to provide custom
parts, such as custom cables and adapters, to fit your needs. Centric RF is currently
seeking distributors, so please contact us if interested. Visit Centric RF today.
Friday the 11th
 This scheme from a 1939 issue of Popular
Science magazine gives a whole new perspective of a "cloud warmer" radio antenna.
For the most part, the portion of a transmitted radio wave that is directed within
about 45-90° relative to horizon is generally considered a waste of transmitter
power since the angle of incidence of ionosphere layers is too great for "skip"
type broadcasts, and there are no receivers "up there" to intercept the signal.
Exceeding the critical angle causes the energy to continue into space rather than
to be reflected back toward the ground for long distance communications (DX). There
is a sector of the amateur radio community that exploits vertically directed beams,
called NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave), for local communications, but that's
not the intent of the extensive array of antennas described in this "Moonlight
from Radio Waves" article. Basically, it is a proposal for illuminating America's
highways at night with an artificial aurora, triggered by blasting the upper atmosphere
with electromagnetic energy. I've got an idea - how about installing lamps along
the roadway. It would be a lot cheaper, simpler, and you'd be able to listen to
your car's AM radio to boot...
 Just as vinyl records have made a comeback
in the last decade, so, too, have
vacuum tube amplifiers
and radios. Many vintage vinyl albums from the pre-CD (compact disc) era, as well
as from groups in the 1990s and early 2000s, are being pressed again. In fact, companies
are having a hard time keeping up with demand. Melanie and I have a respectable
collection of original 45 rpm Singles and 33-1/3 rpm LPs records from
groups in the 1960s through early 1980s, that is to say, up through our tweens and
early twenties ... but I digress. With 3.5mm AUX input and 3.5mm headphone jack
output, can be used as a headphone amp and a stereo preamp, compatible with most
audio source such as MP3, iPod, phone, tablet, computer, CD player etc. and output
can connect headphone, amplifier, active speaker etc. to greatly improve the sound
quality. Adopting classic 6N3 vacuum tube to effectively eliminate the harsh digital
sound, providing HiFi clear, soft and smooth, warm and sweet tube sound. The sound
field is wide, especially suitable for vocals, strings, light music, classical music,
etc. Adopting solid state design, preamp part uses vacuum tube for amplification
to make the input audio signal more natural with high dynamic range, and amp part
uses NE5532P op amp to ensure the speed and power of audio signal transmission...
 Most of us here in America recognize the
Packard Bell name from the line of personal computers (PCs) they sold in the 1980s
and 1990s. I owned three of them, beginning with an Intel 80286 model, then an 80486,
and finally a Pentium model. They were in the "pizza box" format that sat on the
desk with the CRT monitor on top; I always preferred that configuration over the
tower type. Before Packard Bell made personal computers, they made personal radios
for the desktop beginning back in the 1930s. That explains why Mr. J.T. Goode, an
engineer with Packard Bell, would write an article in 1947 regarding a method to
tune antennas using light bulbs. His example is for the 10-meter amateur radio
band at 28.00 MHz to 29.69 MHz. If you do not have a SWR meter and are
confident that the antenna and transmission line feeder are pretty close to spec,
then this method serves as a good way to fine tune the antenna. Although not explicitly
mentioned in the text, I assume that judging the relative brightness of the bulbs,
especially since they are located on the antenna elements, requires performing the
procedure in low ambient light level conditions, like at night...
 "Up to a few years ago, 'flying cars' -
vehicles that could transition seamlessly between ground and air modes - were receiving
lots of attention. That hype-cycle seems to have faded, as have many of the companies
developing such projects. It turns out that the needs and priorities of a car and
those of an aircraft differ significantly in so many ways that it is difficult to
overcome the gap. Now, it's electric vertical take-off/landing (eVTOL) vehicles,
popularly called 'air taxis,' which are getting attention, with at least a dozen
startups vying to have the first successful and certified model (see References).
These eVTOLs are intended to ferry a very small number of passengers over a modest
distance using rooftops or small VTOL 'heliports' (okay, getting the needed ground-support
facilities in place is another significant barrier, but we'll ignore that aspect
for now)..."
 It is hard to imagine anyone who has not
heard of the
Dolby noise reduction process, even if he/she has no idea what it is. Dr. Ray
Dolby developed his process in 1965, although it was not patented until 1969 - the
year this article appeared in Radio-Electronics magazine. At the time, "Dolbyized"
audio systems were not available in the consumer marketplace because the price was
prohibitively high - $1,495* for a basic A301 system. Only about 25 units per month
were being produced, primarily for recording studios and reproduction factories.
Dolby's magic that can reduce noise by 15 dB works on the companding (portmanteau
of compression and expansion) principle, thereby eliminating or greatly suppressing
the discernable "hiss." Dolby B is still the most common version in use after
nearly half a century...
 With more than 1000
custom-built symbols, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Symbols available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic
drawings! Every object has been built to fit proportionally on the provided
A-, B- and C-size drawing page templates (or can use your own). Symbols are provided
for equipment racks and test equipment, system block diagrams, conceptual drawings,
and schematics. Unlike previous versions, these are NOT Stencils, but instead are
all contained on tabbed pages within a single Visio document. That puts everything
in front of you in its full glory. Just copy and paste what you need on your drawing.
The file format is XML so everything plays nicely with Visio 2013 and later...
 TotalTemp Technologies, a long-time supporter
of RF Cafe, has a very nicely done new website design. As do all modern websites
wishing to get Google's "Mobile Friendly" blessing, it features robust "adaptive"
coding which ensures an optimal display on a variety of displays. The most elaborate
layout is the one shown in the thumbnail image here, targeting traditional desktop
computers. As the screen size is reduced, the location of items shift to best fit
the available space. If you are one a desktop, drag the edge of your browser to
narrow the window to watch how everything changes. All of TotalTemp Technologies'
top notch thermal testing platforms can be easily located regardless of your screen
size. TotalTemp Technologies has more than 40 years of combined experience providing
thermal platforms. Thermal Platforms are available to provide temperatures between
-100°C and +200°C for cryogenic cooling, recirculating & circulating coolers,
temperature chambers and temperature controllers, thermal range safety controllers,
space simulation chambers, hybrid benchtop chambers, custom systems and platforms.
Manual and automated configurations for laboratory and production environments.
Thursday the 10th
 A few weeks ago, a stack of about 60 issues
of vintage Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, and Popular
Science magazines were discovered at an estate sale for $20. An equivalent
cache on eBay would cost around $120-$150 plus shipping. Although a lot of the content
does not pertain to electronics, it is all technology related and I figure a much
will be of interest to RF Cafe visitors. This piece from the August 1937 issue
of Popular Mechanics is a prime example. It was the intricacy and complexity
of the line drawings that caught my attention. Shown is the very extensive scheme
devised to supply New York City with an abundant water supply. The
Delaware Aqueduct, when complete, would supply 1.5 billion gallons of water
to residents and businesses. The anticipated cost was $272 million, which in
2023 money is equivalent to $5.736 billion (2100% inflation in 86 years). That's
probably about what a similar current-day project would cost. What is really profound
about the undertaking is the scale of everything and that such huge holes and tunnels
could be excavated back then, as well as the enormousness of the water control valves,
and the machines needed to control them. The point where supply pipes enter the
city are 500 feet below sea level, running under the Hudson River. Keep in mind
the people who achieved this...
 Anatech Electronics offers the industry's
largest portfolio of high-performance standard and customized
RF and microwave filters and filter-related products for military, commercial,
aerospace and defense, and industrial applications up to 40 GHz. Three new
filters have been announced: a 1250 MHz suspended stripline highpass filter
with <1.5 dB inband insertion loss, an 8000 MHz suspended stripline
highpass filter with <1.5 dB inband insertion loss, and a 10500 MHz
suspended stripline highpass filter with <1.6 dB inband insertion loss.
All have SMA connectors. Custom RF power filter and directional couplers designs
can be designed and produced with required connector types when a standard cannot
be found, or the requirements are such that a custom approach is necessary...
 The 1933 "Century
of Progress" World's Fair, held in Chicago, was a big deal on many fronts. Life
in America and around the world was changing rapidly due to the widespread introduction
into homes a decade earlier of electrical and telephone service, indoor plumbing,
and associated appliances. The state of the art was a modern wonder. Transportation
had been made affordable to many families, and leisure time was becoming more abundant.
If it were not for the advent of the stock market crash in 1929, economies would
be thriving because there was so much cool stuff to be had. Many people had taken
up the hobby and/or profession of wireless communications, so a display was included
for the craft. An interesting consequence of a combination of noisy (electrically)
electromechanical wonders being promoted and the desire to demonstrate working amateur
radio equipment was a necessity to locate the two as far apart as possible to prevent
interference...
 China has launched its first communications
satellite bearing an
ultra-thin flexible solar wing as it tests technologies for the country's planned
13,000-satellite broadband megaconstellation in low-Earth orbit to rival SpaceX's
Starlink. The Lingxi-03, developed by the Beijing-based start-up GalaxySpace, lifted
off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province in central China
on top of a Long March 2D rocket at 10.50am on Sunday. The Lingxi-03's bendable
solar panel measures about 1 mm thick - similar to a credit card and only 5%
of the thickness of a traditional solar panel - according to state broadcaster CCTV.
When folded inside a rocket, the solar array is 5 cm (2 inches) thick, and
it expands to 9 m long and 2.5 m wide (29.5' by 8.2') once operational
in orbit...
 I found this
Bridge Circuit Quiz in my stack of vintage Popular Electronics magazines.
I just ordered another batch of Popular Electronics on eBay, so that will
provide a dozen or so more quizzes. Your challenge here, compliments of Robert P.
Balin, is to decide what the main function of each type of bridge circuit is. Most
bridge circuits are designed such that a component of unknown value is inserted
into one of its four branches, and then one or more variable components of known
values are adjusted to balance the bridge and thereby create a minimum (null) between
opposite (circuit-wise) nodes. Admittedly, I did not fare well, but it is because
I do not recall having the names associated with many of these bridge circuits.
Of course nearly everyone is familiar with the Wheatstone, Kelvin, and Wien bridges.
Hyperlinks are provided to information on the bridge circuit theory...
With more than 1000
custom-built symbols, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Symbols available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic
drawings! Every object has been built to fit proportionally on the provided
A-, B- and C-size drawing page templates (or can use your own). Symbols are provided
for equipment racks and test equipment, system block diagrams, conceptual drawings,
and schematics. Unlike previous versions, these are NOT Stencils, but instead are
all contained on tabbed pages within a single Visio document. That puts everything
in front of you in its full glory. Just copy and paste what you need on your drawing.
The file format is XML so everything plays nicely with Visio 2013 and later...
 ConductRF is continually innovating and
developing new and improved solutions for RF Interconnect needs. See the latest
TESTeCON RF Test
Cables for labs. ConductRF makes production and test coax cable assemblies for
amplitude and phased matched VNA applications as well as standard & precision
RF connectors. Over 1,000 solutions for low PIM in-building to choose from in the
iBwave component library. They also provide custom coax solutions for applications
where some standard just won't do. A partnership with Newark assures fast, reliable
access. Please visit ConductRF today to see how they can help your project!
Wednesday the 9th
 If Phillip H. Smith, an engineer notable
for his varied and complex qualities, was around today, he would undoubtedly be
known as "Mr. Impedance,"
although his humble character would resist the admittance of stardom into his biography.
Anyone as adept at designing impedance matches, calculating phase changes along
a transmission line, and determining capacitances and inductances, surely has, during
routine tasks of his workday, calculated optimal ratios of inner and outer conductor
diameters which result in minimum antiresonant impedance (∞ Ω), maximum antiresonant
impedance (32.9 Ω), minimum attenuation, maximum breakdown voltage (59.93 Ω),
minimum temperature rise (36.38 Ω), maximum power carrying (29.94 Ω),
and, duh, minimum resistance (0 Ω). Graphics, plots, and even a nomograph are
included...
 "Scientists
have developed a device that can break the principles of
Kirchhoff's law of thermal radiation, disrupting the traditional relationship
between absorption and emission efficiencies in an object. This novel approach could
enhance the efficiency of energy-harvesting systems and affect camouflage technologies.
If you take an object and set it out in the sun, it will begin to warm up. This
is because it is absorbing energy from the sun's rays and converting that energy
to heat. If you leave that object outside it will continue getting warmer, but only
to a point. A sunbather lying on a beach won't catch fire, after all. As objects
(or people) absorb energy (light from the sun), they also emit energy (infrared
radiation, or heat). This is something you may have experienced while walking past
a block wall on a summer afternoon and feeling heat emanating from it..."
 Competition amongst countries and businesses
existed long before the advent of radio receivers. Here is an interesting story
which demonstrates how international politics and corporate policies has been part
of the electronics industry since its inception. In order to circumvent what were
considered to be outlandish patent licensing fees, Danish engineer Carl Arne Scheimann
Jensen developed a new "gridless" type of vacuum tube (aka valve) which was called
the "Renode."
Rather than using a screen grid in the path between the cathode and plate, the Renode
employed two sets of beam concentrator and deflector plates on either side of the
electron beam's path to modulate the conduction. According to measurements it provided
a slight improvement in both linearity and selectivity. The article's author hints
at the possibility that further manipulations and back-room deals might eventually
scuttle the effort to bring Renodes to the mass market...
 The Werbel Microwave's C-1182 family of
wideband directional couplers offers exceptional performance across a wide frequency
range, spanning from 2 to 18 GHz. These couplers, available in models with
10, 15, 20, and 30 dB coupling, provide excellent coupling flatness with a
typical deviation of ±0.4 dB. With a power handling capability of up to 20 W,
they can handle high-power signals effectively. Whether for lab testing applications
or power monitoring across wide frequency bands, the C-1182 couplers are versatile
and reliable components. Their wideband coverage, excellent coupling flatness, and
robust power handling make them an ideal choice for various applications. The
Werbel Microwave
C-1182-30 wideband directional coupler offers exceptional performance across
a wide 2 to 18 GHz frequency range...
 Do you know what a "gimmick"
is in the RF circuit world? If you have ever had the occasion to repair or recondition
inductors (coils, chokes, etc.), then you have probably seen one and probably didn't
know what it was. Read on to learn about a gimmick capacitor (they yield about 1 pF/inch,
see Stackpole ad to the left and twisted pair impedance calculator). Working with
the tiny wires on those old coils can be a real challenge. Words you hadn't uttered
in a long time tend to move to the forefront of your memory in the process. Having
struggled with a few multi-layered RF coils from old radios, I am familiar with
the intricacies of trying to use fat fingers to wind and splice 40-gauge enameled
wire in spaces 1/8-inch wide. Many of those older coils are wound in thin, tall
rings whose wires have a tendency to slide off the sides during manipulation. A
useful trick not covered in this article is to make thin wood (I use balsa, but
pine or thick cardboard will work) forms to press against the sides and keep everything
in place. There are lots of great tips here...
 It was a lot of work, but I finally finished
a version of the "RF & Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols"" that
works well with Microsoft Office™ programs Word™, Excel™, and Power Point™.
This is an equivalent of the extensive set of amplifier, mixer, filter, switch,
connector, waveguide, digital, analog, antenna, and other commonly used symbols
for system block diagrams and schematics created for Visio™. Each of the 1,000 or
so symbols was exported individually from Visio in the EMF file format, then imported
into Word on a Drawing Canvas. The EMF format allows an image to be scaled up or
down without becoming pixelated, so all the shapes can be resized in a document
and still look good. The imported symbols can also be UnGrouped into their original
constituent parts for editing. Check them out!
 Copper Mountain Technologies develops innovative
and robust RF test and measurement solutions for engineers all over the world. Copper
Mountain's extensive line of unique form factor
Vector
Network Analyzers include an RF measurement module and a software application
which runs on any Windows PC, laptop or tablet, connecting to the measurement hardware
via USB interface. The result is a lower cost, faster, more effective test process
that fits into the modern workspace in lab, production, field and secure testing
environments. 50 Ω and 75 Ω models are available, along with
a full line of precision calibration and connector adaptors.
Tuesday the 8th
 This month's set of "What's Your EQ?" (EQ
= Electronics Quotient) turned out to be somewhat of a fail. I won't spoil your
efforts by identifying which problem turned out to not have a problem at all (not
that I could have proved it). One problem had received no potential solutions in
time for the answer to be published in the next issue (July 1961 Radio-Electronics
magazine). The third problem does actually have a solution. With that one, I got
a couple more possibilities than presented, but it includes outputs of zero volts.
No drawing was provided for the "Frequency-Divider Puzzle." Answers are at the bottom
of the page...
 What was considered in 1937 to be a breakthrough
feat for a full-size airplane is today accomplished regularly in model airplanes.
What took hundreds of pounds of generators, radio gear, sensors, and actuators to
perform the first-ever
fully automatic landing is now done with a few ounces of microminiaturized GPS
receiver, processor, MEMS sensors, servos, and a LiPo battery. The HobbyZone Sportsman
S+RTF (see video at bottom) is an example. Most modern commercial aircraft are capable
of landing themselves in an emergency situation. Just today there was a news report
of an American Airlines pilot that died in flight and the copilot took over to land
the airplane; however, that Airbus A320 could have handled the job if necessary...
 "Over
the last half-century, we've come to think of
Moore's Law - the roughly biennial
doubling of the number of transistors in a given area of silicon, the gains that
drive computing forward - as something that just happens, as though it were a natural,
inevitable process, akin to evolution or aging. The reality, of course, is much
different. Keeping pace with Moore's Law requires almost unimaginable expenditures
of time, energy, and human ingenuity - thousands of people on multiple continents
and endless acres of some of the most complex machinery on the planet. Perhaps the
most essential of these machines performs extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) photolithography.
EUV lithography, the product of decades of R&D, is now the driving technology
behind the past two generations..."
 Modulating a
light beam for secure communications was not a new concept is 1939 when Gerald
Mosteller invented his device, but doing so with inexpensive equipment, using "outside-the-box"
thinking, was new. Exploiting the relatively recently discovered physical phenomenon
of "skin effect," his system used a specific range of frequencies to modulate the
filament of a standard flashlight type incandescent light bulb that could effect
temperature changes - and therefore intensity changes - rapidly and of significant
amplitude to transmit information in the audio frequency range. Mr. Mosteller's
contraption evolved as the result of a college thesis project. There does not exist
a plethora of modern-day modulated light communications systems using incandescent
bulbs as the source, so it is safe to assume insurmountable physical and/or financial
obstacles prevented it from going mainstream. There are, of course, many modulated
light communication devices in use...
 With more than 1000
custom-built stencils, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Stencils available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic
drawings! Every stencil symbol has been built to fit proportionally on the included
A-, B-, and C-size drawing page templates (or use your own page if preferred). Components
are provided for system block diagrams, conceptual drawings, schematics, test equipment,
racks (EIA 19", ETSI 21"), and more. Test equipment and racks are built at a 1:1
scale so that measurements can be made directly using Visio built-in dimensioning
objects. Page templates are provided with a preset scale (changeable) for a good
presentation that can incorporate all provided symbols...
 RIGOL Technologies is transforming the Test
and Measurement Industry. Our premium line of products includes digital and mixed
signal oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, function / arbitrary waveform generators,
programmable power supplies and loads, digital multimeters, data acquisition systems,
and application software. Our test solutions combine uncompromised product performance,
quality, and advanced product features; all delivered at extremely attractive price
points. This combination provides our customers with unprecedented value for their
investment, reduces their overall cost of test, and helps speed time to completion
of their designs or projects.
These archive pages are provided in order to make it easier for you to find items
that you remember seeing on the RF Cafe homepage. Of course probably the easiest
way to find anything on the website is to use the "Search
RF Cafe" box at the top of every page.
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- Christmas-themed
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