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Today in Science History -
 Lots of old-time sci-fi movies and TV shows liked
to display
Lissajous patterns on oscilloscopes when an authentic high tech look was needed in
a scene. Every engineer, technician, and physicist in the world - me included - roll
his or her eyes at the sight of such a lame attempt to impress the public. Of course
the truth is the first time I saw a Lissajous pattern gyrating on an o-scope screen,
I was mesmerized. The need to crank on the signal generator knobs and take control of
the electroluminescent object d'art was overwhelming. Now, in the same manner that watching
the first couple Space Shuttle launches was a thrill not to be missed and then became
just another launch, so, too, is watching a live Lissajous pattern on a scope - it's
just another Lissajous. Except, well, that's not quite so - at least for me. I always
eagerly viewed Shuttle launches ...
 In the IoT world, time to market is essential
and developing a new product has enough hurdles as such. PulseLARSEN has therefore developed
the
IoTest™ kit (powered by Copper Mountain Technologies) to accelerate the process of
embedding antennas in your product, to evaluate your antenna performance, to compare
to existing PulseLARSEN antennas, and to consult experienced antenna professionals if
any further assistance is required. This kit is extremely mobile, easy-to-carry, and
becomes the ideal toolbox for technical sales or FAE on the field or engineers in tight
spaces. Self installing software is included and its user-friendly GUI will guide you
through the multiple possibilities this kit offers. View the webinar now ...
 Electronically steered phased arrays have largely
replaced
mechanically steered antennas in the last couple decades. In an effort to eliminate
the need for a waveguide rotary joint, which is both expensive and complex when built
for high reliability under harsh operating conditions, Japanese engineers developed an
alternative where a small subreflector is orbited about a central axis to produce a small
scanning angle. The measured half power bandwidth of the central beam was about 7.5°,
while the half power scan width about the main axis boresight appears per one of the
plots to be around 30° or so (if I interpret it correctly). I assume this scheme
was never pursued much beyond the experimental phase ...
 NuWaves Engineering, NuWaves Engineering, an international Radio
Frequency (RF) and Microwave solutions provider, announces the release of a new ruggedized,
high-performance low noise amplifier, the HILNA™ GPS C034. The
HILNA™ GPS
C034 is a broadband low noise amplifier designed to achieve high gain while maintaining
low noise and a high third order intercept point, and is specifically targeted for the
L1 (1575.43 MHz) and L2 (1227.6 MHz) GPS signals. This ruggedized, high-performance module
delivers 32 dB of gain across the frequency range of 1200 MHz to 1600 MHz with an OIP3
of +30 dBm and less than 1 dB of noise figure. The HILNA™ GPS ...
With expertise in PCB assembly, Asian Circuits has grown to become a one-stop
electronic contract manufacturer for complete PCB assembly services.
Corporate headquarters in Sacramento, CA, and manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen, China,
provides the most affordable prices for the procurement of high-quality electronic components
from local suppliers, and the manufacturing of Printed Circuit Boards through highly
efficient production processes. All its processes and operations are in accordance with
ISO9001 standards and in compliance with the IPC-A-600 and IPC-A-610 Acceptability of
Printed Boards Standards. A highly skilled workforce in PCB manufacturing and
circuit
card assembly has assured our continued growth and overall success
...
 "HP has unveiled the world's most advanced metals
3D printing platform. New 'Metal Jet' will make 3D printing of final parts cheaper and
faster. HP has launched a new commercial 3D printing platform called
'Metal Jet.' The platform was launched on September 10 at the 2018
International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). HP envisage their technology to be
used by commercial manufacturers to produce final parts. Metal Jet is already being deployed
by manufacturing leaders GKN Powder Metallurgy and Parmatech for the factory production
of final parts. Volkswagen, Wilo, Primo Medical Group and OKAY Industries are among GKN
clients ..."
 Citizens' Band (CB) radio began in 1945, just
after World War II, in order to provide common folks with a means of both fixed
and mobile radio communications that required only paying a fee to operate. Amateur radio
(Ham radio) did and still does require that the operator pass a written test to gain
transmitting privileges (anyone may receive a signal). CB was and is used for both fixed
base and mobile communications. Evidently, by 1964 there was enough use and misuse of
the airwaves that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found it necessary to publish
and enforce a new set of rules for users. CB radio began operations in the 460-470 MHz
UHF band, then moved to 27 MHz in 1958 since equipment could be manufactured in
a manner more affordable to a wider segment of the public ...
 Here is a very useful concept for providing accessible
test point in RF and microwave circuits - a 0 dB attenuator to insert between stages
for easy probing to a controlled impedance interface. "MMIC Die Testing Made Easy with Ultra-Wideband 0 dB Attenuator (Thru-line)
Dice," by Radha Setty of Mini-Circuits, appears in Microwave Digest magazine.
Sez Radha, "Microwave hybrid circuitry is generally built by integrating several discrete
dice via wire bonding. Circuit designers are faced with the task of predicting the performance
of hybrids, which comes with some specific challenges. Most RF/microwave MMIC dice are
built with 'ground-signal-ground' bonding pads at each of the RF ports to correspond
with the terminals of a die probe and allow accurate extraction of S-parameters ..."
 Saelig Company announces the availability of the
TekBox TBMDA3 and
TBMDA4 Modulated Wideband Power Amplifiers which have been specifically designed
to provide an economical signal source for immunity testing of electronic circuits and
products. While these amplifiers are intended to increase the output of a spectrum analyzer's
tracking generator, they are also useful as general purpose wideband RF signal amplifiers.
The TBMDA3 and TBMDA4 are ideal for driving near-field probes in order to find sensitive
spots on electronic circuits, or for creating strong electric fields of up to 550 V/m
when driving TEM Cells. With an input power range of -5 dBm to 0 dBm ...
 Here for your almost-Friday enjoyment is a collection
of
radio-themed comics from a 1964 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. The
scenario in the first comic is one that an owner of an antiques store told me happens
often with cunning customers. Now that eBay has been around for so long, shop owners,
yard/garage sale holders, Craigslist sellers, and even places like Goodwill know what
their items are really worth and price accordingly. In fact, about the only things you
can find at those venues anymore is utter junk or stuff too big to sell and ship on eBay
- like an area rug or a night stand. Every once in a while you'll come across a good
deal when the person is not Internet savvy, but not often. We hardly even look anymore ...
 Transient Specialists, a leader in EMC rentals
for over 30 years, announces that they will be offering additional rental inventories
of the complete automotive immunity test system components by EM Test. This complete
immunity setup includes the
VDS200N,
LD200N,
and UCS200N
providing testing to ISO 7637, SAE, GMW and many others. Transient Specialists conveniently
located in the mid-west offers a variety of EMC test equipment rentals to accommodate
your testing needs. Our rentals include technical support on the equipment, weekly and
monthly rentals, and 2 days each way of transit time free with each rental. With the
experience and equipment ...
 Reactel has become one of the industry leaders
in the design and manufacture of RF
and microwave filters, diplexers, and sub-assemblies. Through a continuous process
of research and development, they have established a full line of filters of all types
- lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandstop, diplexer, and more. They offer the generally
known tubular, LC, cavity, and waveguide designs, as well as state of the art high performance
suspended substrate models. Established in 1979. Please contact Reactel today to see
how they might help your project ...
 "Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS), the business division
of Cubic Corp., has received orders worth more than $55 million to deliver
its
inflatable satellite communication and networking systems to the U.S.
Army. These orders will satisfy the Army's upcoming fielding need for 1.2- and 2.4-meter
GATR systems, associated spares as well as training and sustainment support. Cubic's
GATR satellite communication and networking systems offer the transportability, high-bandwidth
capabilities and the ease of setup necessary for Army units to execute their mission.
The solution provides robust high-speed links that enable secure network communications,
sustainment support and mission command across the full spectrum ..."
 Pardon my gallows humor, but when I first saw this
photo from a 1965 issue of Electronics magazine of this manufacturing plant
being built in Hong Kong, my thought was that maybe those scaffolds in front of the windows
were actually there to prevent despondent, hopeless employees from
jumping onto the sidewalks below. These days, more stylish and socially acceptable
nets are used. The take-away from this story is that while it might seem the shifting
of manufacturing to and/or sourcing of foreign-made products by U.S. firms from China
is not a recent phenomenon. This was half a century ago before the fall of the Berlin
Wall, before the breakup of the U.S.S.R., the mowing down of student protestors in Tiananmen
Square, and other high profile ...
 Skyworks Solutions,
Inc. (NASDAQ: SWKS), an innovator of high performance analog semiconductors connecting
people, is pleased to introduce our newest family of compact, high performance
RF front-end solutions specifically designed for LPWAN and high-power Industrial,
Scientific, Medical (ISM) applications including the connected home, M2M, tracking and
other emerging IoT platforms. These highly integrated modules support LoRa®, SigFox and
other unlicensed band technologies, occupy minimal board space and are power efficient,
making them ideal for sensors, beacons, smart watches, thermostats, wireless cameras,
medical pendants and smoke and CO detectors ...
 "Three U.S. technology companies are helping U.S.
Air Force researchers develop new enabling technologies for next-generation electro-optical
(EO) and
radio-frequency (RF) sensors, communications, information processing,
imaging, and signals intelligence (SIGINT) applications. Officials of the Air Force Research
Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are working with Defense Engineering
Corp. in Beavercreek, Ohio; optX Imaging Systems LLC in Lorton, Va.; and Lockheed Martin
Space Systems in Louisville, Colo. on the Research and Development of Electro-Optical
and Radio Frequency Sensors (RADERS) project. Defense Engineering won a $3.9 million ..."
 Although less than a decade had passed since NASA
launched its first satellite (Explorer 1), planners there were already dreaming
of the day when direct satellite-to-home and
satellite-to-car signals would be broadcast on a commercial basis. This 1965 issue
of Electronics magazine notes an intention to begin with FM radio station airing akin
to what we know today as satellite radio. Then, by 1977 the country would be treated
to satellite-to-home television programming powered by a space-borne SNAP-8 (Space Nuclear
Auxiliary Power) generator. Sirius XM Radio made its debut in 2001, while home satellite
TV service began in 1976. Also mentioned is the USSR's fourth failed attempt to safely
land an instrument package (Luna 8, aka Lunik 8) on the Moon ...
 Electro-Photonics is a global supplier of
RF & Microwave components.
Their products include SMT hybrid and directional couplers, wire bondable passive components,
mounting tabs, filters, transmission lines, and very useful test boards for evaluating
components (spiral inductors, single-layer capacitors). The Electro-Photonics team can
support your small R&D design requirements with RF & Microwave test fixtures
and save you valuable design and characterization time. Please take a moment to visit
Electro-Photonics' website and see how your project might benefit
...
 "UL, a leading global safety science company, has
announced that UL Verification Services, Inc. is the first
Bluetooth Qualification Test Facility (BQTF) in the world to be recognized
by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) under the new qualification process. UL
helps manufacturers improve user experiences and minimize their return rates by testing
the market readiness of their Bluetooth products. Bluetooth is a global wireless standard
for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Nearly 4 billion Bluetooth devices are expected
to ship in 2018 across consumer, commercial, and industrial markets. From pairing a mobile
phone to a car's infotainment system to connecting headphones to a smart television,
consumers want ..."
 The introduction of
field-effect
transistors (FET's) into the electronics world was a major benefit to designers needing
lower power consumption and perhaps more importantly, high input impedances for active
circuits. The two most fundamentally distinct type of FET's are the metal-oxide-semiconductor
field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and the junction field-effect transistor (JFET). Both
FET types are voltage-controlled devices and do not require a bias current (hence the
high input impedance) like a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) does. Neither FET type
has a PN junction. A JFET uses a high resistance semiconductor channel region between
the source and drain with an ohmic contact to the gate, whereas the MOSFET has a insulative
oxide layer ...
Author:
Kirt
Blattenberger
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