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All the News Fit to Link™
-Archive-
Google Courts Developers for Modular Smartphone Project
BlackBerry's Meltdown Sparks Start-up Boom in Canada's Silicon Valley
New Type of Particle Discovered Using Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
LTE, Chinese Growth to Drive Smartphones to 1.24B Sales in 2014
(holy Toledo Batman!)
U.S. Mobile
Operators, Handset Makers Tackle Smartphone Theft
Security Holes in Power Grid Have Federal Officials Scrambling
All the Passwords You Need to Change Right Now Because of Heartbleed
Thales Shows off Airline Seat with NFC
Army Plans Its Largest Solar Array to Date (more funneling
of defense $$$ into unrelated eco projects)
The
Next Generation of Plastic Computers
Google, IBM Results Raise Questions About OtherTtech-Sector Companies
The Case for Rigid-Flex PCB Technology
66% of U.S. Mobile Broadband Connections by End of 2015 Will Be Tablets
Finding a Battery That Will Power the Future
Minimize Unknowns in ESD Tests
Iranian Cleric
Says Unhealthy Satellite Jamming Un-Islamic (but cutting
the infidel's throat isn't)
Diode Quiz
 Test
your diode switch analysis skills here with six circuits designed by Mr. Robert P. Balin in
the July 1961 issue of Popular Electronics. When evaluating the equivalent circuits
with the diodes biased on or off, don't make the job more difficult for yourself by considering
whether there is enough voltage or current to turn a particular diode on or not, just whether
the diode is forward or reverse biased. Doing so reduces everything to simple series and parallel
combinations. Redrawing each circuit either with a short for a forward biased diode and an
open for a reverse biased diode makes the task easier.
The Tube Family Tree (Part 3)
 Magnetron,
photomultiplier, traveling wave, compactron, klystron, backward wave, pencil, lighthouse,
cathode ray, indicator, nuvistor, acorn, peanut, T-R, electrostatic, cat's-eye, orithon, and
loctal, are just a few of the many types of
vacuum tubes that have been and in some cases still are in use in various types of electronic
equipment. Some you have heard of, others you probably have not. All are discussed in a series
of three articles published in Popular Electronics. This is part 3, which includes operational
descriptions of klystrons, magnetrons (in your microwave oven),
and traveling wave tubes...
Z-Comm Intros Ultra
Compact L-Band VCO
 Z-Communications
announces a new RoHS compliant VCO model
USSP1570-LF
in the L-band. The USSP1570-LF operates from 1540 to 1600 MHz with the narrow tuning
voltage range of 0.5 to 2.5 Vdc. This miniaturized VCO features phase noise of -90 dBc/Hz
@ 10 kHz offset while operating off a 2.7 Vdc supply and drawing a mere 6mA of current.
The USSP1570-LF provides the end user an output power of -1±3 dBm into a 50 Ω load
while operating over the industrial temperature range of -40 to 85º C...
PMI Dielectrically Stabilized
GaAs FET Oscillator @ 16.3 GHz
 PMI
Model No.
DRO-16D3G-CD-1 is a
dielectrically
stabilized GaAs FET oscillator with a center frequency of 16.3 GHz. This model
provides minimum output power of +11 dBm with all spurs held to -55 dBc and harmonics
held to -20dBc. The mechanical tuning frequency is ±25 MHz and the unit has
a phase noise of -70 dBc/Hz. The unit requires +15 VDC and 150 mA and measures
1.06" x 1.63" x 0.98"
Advanced Test Equipment
Rentals April 2014 Newsletter
 Advanced
Test Equipment Rentals just issued their TEC Talk newsletter for April 2014. It includes
hot topics in the tech news world, highlights of new or special function test equipment they
have available, and some electronics industry news.
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!!! FREE SMA Finger Wrench !!!
Courtesy Bracke Mfg.
 We
now have a source for those much-sought-after plastic
SMA
finger wrenches! Bracke Mfg manager Lawrence P. sent me an email today saying that
Bracke will be glad to mail anyone who requests them a sample of up to 5 of the SMA finger
wrenches - what a guy! I'm guessing he saw the plea posted here on RF Cafe and on various
forums for people looking desperately for the things. The
SMA
finger (thumb) wrench, known also by its Latin binomial nomenclature of 'digitus
divellit,' is a rare breed of tool for the RF / microwave engineer, and appears to be
indigenous to industry trade shows like MTT-S and European Microwave Conference...
New RF Cafe Quiz:
Microwave Circulator Design
 This
10-question quiz tests your knowledge about
microwave circulator
design. Circulator design has advanced significantly since the first edition of this book
was published 25 years ago. The objective of this second edition is to present theory, information,
and design procedures that will enable microwave engineers and technicians to design and build
circulators successfully. This resource contains a discussion of the various units used in
the circulator design computations, as well as covers the theory of operation. This book presents
numerous applications, giving microwave engineers new ideas about how to solve problems using
circulators.
Cover Sistemi Uses Microwave
Office to Design UWB Receiver
 Cover
Sistemi, an Italian electronics developer, used AWR software to
design a UWB
receiver from concept to final production in a single pass. Specifications were for a
complete design starting from the antenna through to the entire RF/baseband analog chain down
to the AD converter. Cover Sistemi used Microwave Office® for the circuit design and AXIEM®
for the EM simulation. The scope of work included all design phases, from high-level simulation
to circuit-level design and final verification of pre-layout and post-layout.
New Dilbert Book: I Sense
a Coldness to Your Mentoring
 You
can't go wrong with a good Dilbert book like
I Sense a Coldness to Your Mentoring, by Scott Adams. Dilbert is the most photocopied,
pinned-up, downloaded, faxed, and e-mailed comic strip in the world. Dubbed "the cartoon hero
of the workplace" by the San Francisco Examiner, Dilbert has been syndicated since 1989 and
now appears in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and 25 languages.
House Bill S.2206
Let Me Google That for You Act
 Question:
What do Google, LinkedIn, Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Bing, Verizon, Microsoft, Sprint,
etc., etc., etc., all have in common? Answer: They all willingly participate
with the NSA, FBI, CIA, DHS, ATF, etc., etc., etc., in collecting as much data as possible
about you and me. You might say the former group has become an unofficial branch of the later
group. Well, it is about to become official based on
House Bill S.2206
- Let Me Google That for You. It is just as well since the Google twins
(not really twins) already get discount military jet fuel purchases
and, along with other American royalty like Mr. Gates and Jeff Bezos, have open doors to the
White House any time they demand it. The Act is ostensibly a cost-cutting measure...
A Nostalgic Adventure: Midland
10-561 Shortwave Restoration
 Thanks
to Internet, there has never been a better opportunity to be able to step back in time and
reclaim some of your past indulgences. A lot of guys are using resources like eBay and specialty
website forums to search for items remembered from days of yore. Although I can't imagine
how it can be so based on my slacker personal habits as a teenager, there are still available
a fairly large number of hobby type items that I recall owning - many in like-new condition
and some even in their original, unopened packages. If you are about my age or even older,
chances are you have either done some of the same, or have considered doing so.
Bob Davis, an RF systems and circuits designer of many years, has submitted accounts of
a couple radio restoration projects he...
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123D Circuits
for Arduino Development
 If
you haven't yet heard about the
Arduino single board
computer (SBC) experimenter's platform, then either you have
been in a coma or you are just now entering the tech world. Think of Arduino as the electronic
version of the famous mechanical Erector Set that was popular beginning in the early 20th
century. Or, consider it the "grown-up" version of Lego's computerized Mindstorms building
sets. Per the official website, "Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform
based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers,
hobbyists and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments..."
After Class:
Explaining Tuned Circuits
 Fundamentals
of resonant
tank circuits has not changed since they were first investigated more than a century ago.
This "After Class" tutorial that ran in the May 1961 edition of Popular Electronics
is typical of the series where the author speaks as though he was giving an impromptu lesson
to a gathering of students after the scheduled classroom period was over or, in this instance
as though he was having a casual discussion with a friend who was perplexed by a particular
electronics phenomenon. Figures and equations are often drawn by hand to augment the informal
setting rather than being typeset. Here, "Larry" is amazed...
What to Do with a Tape
Recorder (until the hi-fi arrives)
 Remember
tape recorders? They began going the way of the typewriter about two decades ago when
solid state voice recorders hit the market, but now smartphones with sound recording have
made even those devices seem outdated. In fact, when my daughter's house burned down a few
weeks ago, all of the on-site conversations with the insurance adjuster, fire marshal, and
housing contractors were recorded to ensure an accurate account of what was said by all parties. Even
though I was 800 miles away at the time, I was still able to listen to the dialog. In North
Carolina, law does not require you to apprise other parties...
Anatech Intros Cavity BPF,
Ceramic BPF, & 13 dB Coupler
 Anatech
Electronics has released new designs for a
2,533 MHz cavity bandpass filter, a 749 MHz ceramic bandpass filter, and an 800-2,500
MHz 13 dB directional coupler. All can be ordered directly through their
AMCrf web store.
A New Round of RF
Magazine Articles
for April
 2014
is continuing to be a great year for magazine articles. These I have
 selected
from Microwaves & RF and Microwave Journal are fine examples.
•
Synthesizers: Looking
Beyond the Basics,
Alexander Chenakin
•
Software-Defined-Radio
Market Sees Increased
Growth, S.h Mangiola
•
Differential Drive Optimizes
Active Mixers, Q. Luu,
B. Sam
•
Modern High Efficiency
Amplifier Design: Envelope
Tracking, Doherty and
Outphasing, R. Pengelly,
Z. Wang, D. Holmes,
M. Acar, R. Wesson,
M.P. van der Heijden
•
Cost Effective 3D Glass
Microfabrication for
Advanced RF Packages,
J.H. Flemming, R. Cook,
S. Sibbet, C.F. Schmidt,
K. Dunn, J. Gouker
Radar & Radio Crossword
for April 13, 2014
 Take
a break from the drudgery by trying your hand at some of these goodies. Every word in the
RF Cafe crossword
puzzles is specifically related to engineering, mathematics, and science. There are no
generic backfill words like many other puzzles give you, so you'll never see a clue asking
for the name of a movie star or a mountain on the Russia-China border.
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Space Electronics:
Satellites and ET EM Waves
 Prior
to around 1960, the nature of electromagnetic radiation outside the Earth's atmosphere was
entirely a matter of scientific conjecture. As is evidenced by this 1961 article, at the time
it was still not known for certain whether
electromagnetic energy outside the bands transmitted through the ionosphere existed for
sure. There was of course no reason to believe that low frequency, long wavelength radio waves
were not present along with the rest of the spectrum, but experiments needed to be developed
that would launch satellites above the atmosphere to detect probable out-of-band signals and
then re-transmit them on frequencies known to easily penetrate the 'ether.' Many failures
occurred along the way, but persistence paid off...
An Interesting Experiment
in Weighing the Electron
 "We
might say almost, that all modern scientific investigation in the basic sciences, and a good
deal of all practical developments, are connected in some way or other with the electron."
So writes Dr. Irving J. Sax in 1932 regarding the incentive for determining as precisely
as possible the
mass and electrical
charge of an electron. The Bohr atomic model had just been introduced two decades earlier,
so the entire concept of particle physics was still in its infancy. As with most areas of
physics, experiments are conducted with particular biases and expectations such that often
the results are manipulated as needed to conform to preconceptions. Look no further than the
complex retrograde motion planetary models devised and perfected by early astronomers...
Many Thanks to ISOTEC
for Long-Time Support
 Since
our inception in 1996, ISOTEC has been a leading manufacturer of RF and microwave connectors
such as SMA, MCX, SSMB, Low PIM, N, 7/16 type, and RF components such as attenuators,
 terminations,
power dividers and more, for wireless service providers, and other RF systems designers. We
provide recognized and trusted products and service to our customers in more than 60 countries
worldwide. ISOTEC offers also an extensive product mix with RF Filters and Multiplexers and
others.
Please Visit Orbel in
Appreciation of Their Support
 Orbel
is the leading designer and manufacturer of
RF Shielding and EMI/RFI Isolation Products
for printed circuit boards and electronic
 enclosures.
Board level shielding, EMI contact strips and rings, BeCu finger-stock and metalized
fabric gaskets, connector gaskets. Orbel also specializes in thin gauge
Photo Etched Metal Parts
and Precision Metal Stampings
made from a wide variety of material options.
Notable Quote
April 14, 2014
 "Income
Equality to most politicians is taking from people who work for a living and giving it to
people who vote for a living." - Anon
Out of Order:
Of Pointy-Haired Bosses
 This
story, submitted by RF Cafe visitor Jerry L., of Cincinnati, OH, reminds me of a certain manager
in a popular engineering comic strip. Jerry writes: I worked in the defense electronics industry
for my entire career and it is hard to
 think
of a project in more than four decades that was not made infinitely more difficult due to
the 'helpful' input of project managers. One experience in particular comes to mind as a perfect
topic for your
Out of Order feature. In the mid 1970s I was a "fresh-out," as new engineering college
graduates were called at the time. Newly minted as a Masters degreed electrical engineer,
my aspirations were high and I was ready to set the mobile radio system world on fire...
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Kirt
