Homepage Archive - March 2017 (page 3)

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. About RF Cafe.

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Friday 31

The Du Mont Television System

The Du Mont Television System, April 1938 Radio-Craft - RF CafeThis story from the April 1938 issue of Radio-Craft reports on a ground-breaking (at the time) new television system, written by none other than the inventor himself - Allen B. Du Mont. Television in the era was still largely in the experimental phase with various schemes for transmitting, receiving, and displaying still vying for dominance as the national / international standard. The now-familiar NTSC standard, which ultimately passed over the Du Mont system, was adopted in 1941 ...

Webinar on Advanced Load Pull for Linear PA Design by NI AWR Software

Webinar on Advanced Load Pull for Linear PA Design Features NI AWR Software - RF CafeNI AWR Design Environment will be showcased in the upcoming "Advanced Load Pull for Linear Power Amplifier Design" webinar hosted by Microwave Journal on April 11, 2017. Presented by Andy Hughes, solutions architect at AWR Group, NI, this webinar will highlight recently-added capabilities within NI AWR software that deal with complex sets of load-pull data used for power amplifier design. These new features support digitally-modulated communication measurements such as adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR), error ...

ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces (ARRL)

ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces (ARRL) - RF CafeFully updated, the second edition of ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces is a valuable resource for radio amateurs who live in apartments, condominiums, or houses on small lots. Filled with practical advice, this book guides you to finding the right antenna design to fit whatever space you have available. In Small Antennas for Small Spaces you ll find ideas and projects that will get you on the air regardless of where you live ...

Electronic Cooling with Graphene

Electronic Cooling with Graphene - RF Cafe"All those tiny handheld devices we know and love are pretty great. The problem is that the smaller they get, the harder it is to keep all those components cool. Overheating of batteries is a serious concern that's led to numerous accidents and malfunctions. Scientists have been working on a way to cool all these electronic components - and now they may have finally found one. Researchers at Rutgers University have invented a way to keep electronics cool by using graphene ..."

Signetics Fully Encoded, 9046 x N, Random Access Write-Only Memory

Signetics Fully Encoded, 9046 x N, Random access Write-Only Memory - RF Cafe Cool ProductRF Cafe visitor Tony C., who is an engineer working for one of America's great, longtime manufacturers of green farm equipment, sent me a link to this unique memory IC released by Signetics on April 1, 1973. Being April 1, 2017, it seems to be an appropriate day to post the Signetics 25120 Fully Encoded, 9046 x N, Random access Write-Only Memory datasheet that per Wikipedia, "...was created 'as a lark' by Signetics engineer John G 'Jack' Curtis and was inspired by a fictitious and humorous vacuum tube datasheet from ..."

In-Mold Electronics Enable Innovative Functional Surfaces

In-Mold Electronics Enable Innovative Functional Surfaces - RF Cafe"Dutch-Belgian R&D powerhouse Holst Centre has presented a functional demonstrator for intuitive human-machine interfaces, based on the in-mold electronics (IME) technology developed there. The demonstrator, a center console for vehicles, illustrates the potential for the IME technology in automotive and consumer appliances - from shavers to cockpits, as Holst Centre advertises. Developed by a group of industry players led by Holst Centre, the demonstrator features ..."

Thursday 30

Optical Antenna Makes Fibres Sense X-Rays

Optical Antenna Makes Fibres Sense X-Rays - RF Cafe"X-rays have been sensed with high resolution using an optical antenna on the end of an optical fibre - which could offer another route to precision medical imaging. xray sensor Miguel Angel Suarez FEMTO-ST Institute 'We want to develop this technology so that it could be used in radiotherapy, for example,' said Thierry Grosjean of the FEMTO-ST Institute at France's National Centre for Scientific Research. 'Specifically, the sensor could allow ..."

Mac's Radio Service Shop: Bill Gets the Full Treatment

Mac's Radio Service Shop: Bill Gets the Full Treatment, December 1949 Radio & Television News - RF CafeThis is not the first time I have learned a new word when reading an episode of Mac's Radio Service Shop. "Calumny," is the word-du-jour for entry into my personal lexicon. It is not necessarily a technical word, but definitely one I shall attempt to incorporate in future writings. Calumny is "a misrepresentation intended to harm another's reputation" per Merriam-Webster. ...but I digress. A customer and fishing buddy of Mac's, each of whom is a small business owner, drops in at the repair shop to look for Christmas gifts for the family ...

50th Anniversary of TI's Cal-Tech Calculator

50th Anniversary of TI's Cal-Tech Calculator - RF CafeThomas Okon has a very nice article on the Electronic Design website detailing the development of the world's first pocket electronic calculator - the Cal-Tech, by Texas Instruments. Mr. Okon has photos and backstories of the ICs leading to the Cal-Tech's incarnation, TI Cal-Tech Breadboard - RF Cafewhich is Part I. This thumbnail shows the breadboard when designing the integrated circuit (Bob Pease famously built similar breadboards for his IC design). Part II, coming soon, promises to address the Cal-Tech calculator itself. Since Part I does not include an image of the actual calculator, I found this Cal-Tech on the Smithsonian Institution website ...

Manufacturing for 5G - The Testing Challenge

Manufacturing for 5G - The Testing Challenge - RF Cafe"As the industry ramps up for 5G deployments, there's a great deal of focus on technology features such as network slicing and massive MIMO. These features have been proven to work in various field tests, and the standards groups are starting to accelerate the release of 5G NR specifications. We've recently released a forecast that calls for more than a million 5G RRH units to be deployed over the next five years. So, now we turn our attention to practical matters. Here's an example: How will a million 5G radios be tested in production? This is not ..."

Self-Assembly Could Lead to Smaller Microchip Patterns

Self-Assembly Could Lead to Smaller Microchip Patterns - RF Cafe"For the last few decades, microchip manufacturers have been on a quest to find ways to make the patterns of wires and components in their microchips ever smaller, in order to fit more of them onto a single chip and thus continue the relentless progress toward faster and more powerful computers. That progress has become more difficult recently, as manufacturing processes bump up against fundamental limits involving, for example, the wavelengths of the light used to create the patterns ..."

Wednesday 29

IEEE 5G Summit to Co-Locate with the 2017 IMS Show

IEEE 5G Summit to Co-Locate with the 2017 IMS Show - RF CafeToday the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) in partnership with the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) is announcing their collaboration on a special 5G Summit to be held June 5-6, 2017. The summit will feature industry experts representing both the hardware/systems and networking/services aspects for the upcoming 5G standard. "5G is a leading topic in the industry right now and co-locating a summit with the world's largest RF & Microwave event is a great opportunity. IMS brings thought leaders from industry, academia ...

Ericsson, SoftBank 5G Trial in Tokyo to Include 28 GHz

Ericsson, SoftBank 5G Trial in Tokyo to Include 28 GHz - RF Cafe"The 5G race has been underway for a while, but now Ericsson and SoftBank are stepping it up a notch with a 28 GHz trial in Tokyo that will involve indoor and outdoor environments covering both device mobility and stationary tests. The two companies have already completed basic 5G trials using 15 GHz and 4.5 GHz spectrum bands. The 4.5 GHz and 28 GHz bands are among the leading candidates for 5G services in Japan. The trial will use Ericsson's mmWave 28 GHz 5G Test Bed solution, which includes base stations and device ..."

Efficient Wireless Signal Optimization Scheme for 5G Mobile Communications

Efficient Wireless Signal Optimization Scheme for 5G Mobile Communications - RF Cafe"One of the defining characteristics of the next generation of mobile communications will be the use of a multitude of lower-power antennas to maintain ubiquitous high-performance signal coverage. A team of researchers at KAUST recently developed a signal optimization algorithm for future networks that, for the first time, can deliver the full performance promised by 5G communications. According to the researchers, MIMO systems ..."

Walkie-Talkies: Something for Everyone

Walkie-Talkies: Something for Everyone, April 1974 Popular Electronics - RF CafeWhat stood out to me when reading this article on walkie-talkies is a statement made near the end where the author claims regarding loaded whip antennas, "Transmit losses are many times greater than receiver losses." The last time I checked, passive antennas are reciprocal devices, so gains or losses should be the same for transmit and receive. Methinks he either didn't know that, or he meant something else. My main reason for posting the article is because it pretty much completes the evolution cycle of walkie-talkies ...

NASA Space LASER to Provide 100x Faster Internet in 2 Years

NASA Space LASER to Provide 100x Faster Internet in 2 Years - RF Cafe"A powerful laser shining up into space will soon transmit data between the Earth and the International Space Station. NASA is hoping to establish laser links at a rate of over one gigabit per second - a speed most home broadband users could only dream of. This would pave the way for 3D video from space and enable high definition remote robotic exploration of other moons and planets. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will ..."

Anokiwave Seeking a Senior Product Engineer

Anokiwave Seeking a Senior Product Engineer- RF CafeAnokiwave is a fast growing fabless semiconductor company looking for an ambitious, conscientious, and thorough Senior Product Engineer to join the Anokiwave team. You will be responsible for coordinating with Engineering and Operations to productize highly-integrated microwave and millimeter-wave RFICs in state of the art technologies. Must have ability to manage and assist in product qualifications, perform material management in relation to NPI, be able to liaison with Marketing to verify product design is well suited ... 

NVIS Research Paper Available

NVIS Research Paper Available - RF Cafe"A thorough and fully annotated discussion of Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) is available in the research paper, 'Radio Communication via Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Propagation: An Overview,' by Ben A. Witvliet, PE5B/5R8DS, and Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès. First investigated in the 1920s, NVIS propagation was rediscovered during World War II as 'an essential means to establish communications in large war zones such as the D-Day invasion in Normandy,' the paper notes ..."

Tuesday 28

Nokia Tries to Get Ahead of the Game on 600 MHz

Nokia Tries to Get Ahead of the Game on 600 MHz - RF Cafe"Nokia has made a jump-start on the low-band 600 MHz spectrum, through completing the first pre-standard 600 MHz LTE call using commercially-available hardware. The 600 MHz is an attractive one to the FCC and operators primarily because of the range which it offers in terms of mobile broadband. When you look at the vast expanse of the US and the number of rural communities which are currently being underserved in an increasingly digital world, the band becomes even more attractive. The problem arises in the fact this band is already being used by traditional broadcasters ..."

Fairview Microwave Releases 8-Bit, 360° Phase Shifters

Fairview Microwave Releases 8-Bit Programmable Phase Shifters with 360 Degrees of Accurate Variable Phase Shift - RF CafeFairview Microwave, a supplier of on-demand microwave and RF components, has introduced a new series of 8-bit programmable phase shifters that are adjustable over a full 360° range. These three new models can produce a discrete set of phase states of up to 256 total steps in 1.4° increments with superior accuracy and minimal phase shift error. These digitally controlled analog phase shifters cover broadband microwave and millimeter wave frequencies. They are ideal ...

How to Make Custom Meters from Salvaged Parts

How to Make Custom Meters from Salvaged Parts, April 1974 Popular Electronics - RF CafeA major transition in the realm of test equipment readouts from analog to digital was occurring during the 1970s. Prior to then, what few digital displays existed used Nixie tubes, but the emergence of inexpensive LEDs, combined with equally inexpensive digital logic ICs, made the change an easy decision. D'Arsonval meter movements are prone to damage when even slightly overdriven or subject to physical impact. Analog meter movements still have their place in a few ...

Notable Quote: "I link the abbreviation LTE to the term Long Term Employment"

Mr. Andreas Roessler Notable Quote - RF CafeRF Cafe visitor Bob Davis in a recent e-mail alluded the quote, "LTE stands for Long Term Employment," which I have heard before. Based on a not-too-extensive Internet research, earliest published instance I can find is a December 2010 ECN piece by Mr. Andreas Roessler, of Rohde & Schwarz, where he states, "That's the reason why I link the abbreviation LTE to the term Long Term Employment."

Saelig Offers Vector Sigl Gen VSG6G1 Featured in YouTube Series

Saelig Offers Triarchy's Vector Signal Generator VSG6G1 Featured in YouTube Series - RF CafeTriarchy's VSG6G1 is a very cost effective USB vector signal generator. Its capabilities are comparable to the basic functions of a regular full size RF vector signal generator. VSG6G1 is miniature and portable equipment, but it has more features and functions than full size analog RF signal generators, with frequency range up to 6.2 GHz, frequency sweep, and frequency hopping using I&Q modulation with arbitrary signal ...

U.S. Army to Take Delivery of 'World Record' Laser Weapon

U.S. Army to Take Delivery of 'World Record' Laser Weapon - RF Cafe"In testing earlier this month, the laser - which has been developed for the U.S. Army - produced a single beam of 58 kW, representing a world record for a laser of this type. Lockheed is now is preparing to ship the system the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command / Army Forces Strategic Command in Huntsville, Alabama. The system is based on combined fibre laser technology, meaning that it brings together individual lasers, generated through fibre optics, to generate a single, intense laser beam ..."

Monday 27

Behold The Big Bend - the 'Longest Building in the World'

Behold The Big Bend - the 'Longest Building in the World' - RF CafeHow long will it be before someone flies an airplane through it? "The race to build the world's most spectacular skyscraper has reached new heights - and taken a turn in direction. Designs for 'The Big Bend', a slender tower that would transform Manhattan's skyline, have been unveiled. Described as the 'longest building in the world,' the project's concept drawings reveal a skyscraper reaching an apex then curving back down. And featuring an elevator system that can travel in curves, horizontally and in loops ..."

ConductRF Announces Distribution Agreement with Premier Farnell

ConductRF Announce New Global Distribution Agreement with Premier Farnell - RF CafePremier Farnell today announces a new global distribution agreement with EAM, a leading manufacturer of Precision RF & Microwave Interconnect Products. Under their ConductRF Brand, the company offers, innovative & reliable performance interconnect products operating from DC to 110 GHz. ConductRF's products are recognized for their excellent performance and cost effectiveness by engineers & technicians in numerous demanding industries including; Defense, Aerospace, Industrial, Medical Infrastructure, Instrumentation ...

New Portable Radio Takes Pictures

New Portable Radio Takes Pictures, December 1947 Radio-Craft - RF CafeThis Air-King Radio-Camera Model A410 might be the world's first production camera-phone. I suppose the primary purpose for developing the unit was for wartime field correspondents or forward reconnaissance. I found two examples on the Internet. The one with the reddish-brown case is from the EarlyPhotography.org website; it appears to be more for personal or commercial use. The on RadioMuseum.org is an green color that would have been best for military use. A schematic is posted on the RadioMuseum.org page ...

Less Radiation in Inner Van Allen Belt Than Previously Believed

Less Radiation in Inner Van Allen Belt Than Previously Believed - RF Cafe"The inner Van Allen belt has less radiation than previously believed, according to a recent study. Observations from NASA's Van Allen probes show the fastest, most energetic electrons in the inner radiation belt are actually much rarer and harder to find than scientists expected. This is good news for spacecraft that are orbiting in the region and can be damaged by high levels of radiation. The inner Van Allen belt has less radiation than previously believed, according to a recent study in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Observations from NASA's ..."

Anokiwave Looking for a Staff RFIC Design Engineer

Anokiwave Looking for a Staff RFIC Design Engineer- RF CafeAnokiwave is a fast growing fabless semiconductor company looking for an ambitious, conscientious, and thorough Staff RFIC Design Engineer to join the Anokiwave team. You will be responsible for designing highly-integrated microwave and millimeter-wave RFICs in state of the art technologies. You will work with an incredible team of IC design and test professionals developing state of the art products for 5G, SATCOM, and A&D markets. You will learn circuit ...

Anatech Electronics' March Newsletter Now Available

Anatech Electronics Newsletter for March 2017 - RF CafeAnatech Electronics, a manufacturer of RF and microwave filters, has published its February newsletter. As always, it includes both company news and some tidbits about relevant industry happenings. In it, Sam Benzacar discusses, among other topics, spectrum sharing, including the ISM bands and a DARPA program called Shared Spectrum Access for Radar and Communications (SSPARC) that has the goal of developing more advanced sharing technology so that radars and military and commercial communications systems can cooperate in near real time ...

Sunday 26

RF Cafe Engineering Crossword Puzzle w/Weekly Headlines March 26, 2017

RF Cafe Engineering Crossword Puzzle w/Weekly Headlines March 26, 2017For 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. Clues in this puzzle with an asterisk (*) are pulled from this past week's (3/20 - 3/24) "High Tech News" column on the RF Cafe homepage (see the Headline Archives page for help). Enjoy! ...

Friday 24

What Wives Think About Ham Radio

What Wives Think About Ham Radio, December 1966 QST - RFCafeWhen I first as the title of this article, I thought it was going to be a comical parody on how wives (YLs) of Ham radio operators (OMs) viewed their husbands' hobby. It turned out to be a report on a nationwide survey. Many of wives of Hams were themselves licensed operators which, at the time, required Morse code proficiency in addition to radio theory and regulations. In 1966 the average cost of a Ham shack layout was about $1,000, which is equivalent to $7,518 in 2017. As with most electronics ...

Craftsman Tools Sold to Stanley Black & Decker

Craftsman Tools Sold to Stanley Black & Decker - RF CafeAnother chapter in American tradition has come to an end. Sears Roebuck is likely going into bankruptcy and then disappear - thanks to poor management. Fortunately, the Craftsman tool line has been sold to Stanley Black & Decker, so at least part of the legacy will live on. Most of my tools are Craftsman - motivated mostly by tradition and a desire to support American companies. Plans call for establishing new Craftsman manufacturing facilities stateside. BTW, the Sears store here in Erie closed last November. Boscov's, a Reading, PA-based department store chain ...

VidaRF Announces RF Power Dividers

VidaRF Announces RF Power Dividers - RF CafeVidaRF offers a wide selection of 2-way through 64-way power divider/combiners, designed to cover 100 MHz to 20 GHz with average power handling of 30 watts for narrow, octave, dual and multi-octave band applications. Standard connector type: SMA female, other connectors available upon request. VidaRF is a North Carolina based company that is focused on being a solutions provider by building to customer specs and offering zero days lead time for custom parts through ...

Electrocrystallization: Breakthrough in Gold Nanoparticle Research

Electrocrystallization: Breakthrough in Gold Nanoparticle Research - RF Cafe"A research team as published a research study that demonstrates how it is possible to obtain very high quality crystals formed of gold nanoparticles. The research on gold nanoparticles is a field of both fundamental and applied importance" explains Academy Professor Kari Rissanen of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Jyväskylä. X-ray crystallography is the most powerful method for molecular-structure determination of these nanosystems, but obtaining good quality single crystals suitable for accurate X-ray ..."

IMS2017 Student Design Competition Winners to Be Gifted NI AWR Software

IMS2017 High-Efficiency Power Amplifier Student Design Competition Winners to Be Gifted NI AWR Software - RF CafeNI (formerly AWR Corporation) continues to proudly sponsor this year's 2017 IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS) thirteenth annual High-Efficiency Power Amplifier Student Design Competition (HEPA-SDC). The competition encourages student teams from around the world to design and construct a power amplifier (PA) and bring it to IMS in Honolulu, Hawaii, where industry experts will evaluate the performance of all entered PAs ...

Millimeter Wave Wireless Communications

Millimeter Wave Wireless Communications - RF CafeIn Millimeter Wave Wireless Communications, four of the field's pioneers, including Theodore S. Rappaport, Robert W. Heath, Robert C. Daniels, and James N. Murdock, draw on their vast experience to empower engineers at all levels to succeed with mmWave. They deliver fundamental, end-to-end coverage of all aspects of future mmWave wireless communications systems. The authors explain new multi-Gigabit per second products and applications, mmWave signal propagation, analog and digital circuit design, mmWave antenna designs ...

Chip Fabrication for Top Military Electronics

Chip Fabrication for Top Military Electronics - RF Cafe"U.S. military microelectronics experts are looking to GlobalFoundries U.S. 2 LLC in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., to continue providing foundry and electronic chip fabrication services for crucial U.S. military electronics systems. Officials of the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) in McClellan, Calif., announced a $99.8 million contract modification to GlobalFoundries on Friday for option year one for access to leading edge, current, and legacy microelectronics and trusted processes for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) ..."

Thursday 23

Anokiwave Needs a Senior Test Engineer

Anokiwave Needs a Senior Test Engineer - RF CafeAnokiwave is a fast growing fabless semiconductor company looking for an ambitious, conscientious, and thorough Senior Test Engineer to join the Anokiwave team in Billerica, MA. The ideal candidate should possess a strong working knowledge of mmW measurements, calibration methodologies, semiconductor probing, and python script language. You will play an instrumental role in the growth and excellence of Anokiwave and our commitment to satisfying our customers. The successful candidate should demonstrate proven ...

Triad RF Systems Intros 2.3 to 2.5 GHz, 25 W, Bidirectional Amplifier

Triad RF Systems Intros 2.3 to 2.5 GHz, 25 W, Bidirectional Amplifier - RF CafeThe TTRM1004-D01 LDMOS amplifier operates at a frequency range of 2300 MHz to 2500 MHz and has a power output of 25 watts, while still maintaining a compact form factor of 3.33 x 2.69 x 0.65 inches. This unit also features internal protection against over/under voltage and excessive temperature conditions, which coupled with its rugged construction, ensure fault-free operation in even the most extreme environments. This class AB LDMOS module is designed for both military ...

4G and 5G to Change the RF Front-End Industry Landscape

4G and 5G to Change the RF Front-End Industry Landscape - RF Cafe"According to a recent report by Yole Group of Companies, the RF front end modules and components market for cellphones is expected to grow from $10.1B in 2016 to approximately US $ 22.7B by 2022. The investigative report based on the front-end of the RF industry not only reports of a complex market that will more than double in six years but also states the growth to be un-evenly distributed and with something or the other for every market player. The group proposed two reports ..."

Therapeutic Radio, by Marek Klemes

Therapeutic Radio, by Marek Klemes, Kirt's Cogitations #282 - RF CafeIs this an über-cool homebuilt radio or what?

Proud Canadian and RF Cafe contributor Dr. Marek Klemes wrote to me a couple weeks ago regarding a quotation I had posted a while back. At the end of our communications, he casually made a comment about needing to engage in an electronics project that would be free of the rigors of his professional pursuits. Being a trained notable quote recognizer myself, I instantly realized that his statement was itself worthy of being quoted widely. He granted permission to post it here (with adornment of ...

Unexpected, Star-Spangled Find May Lead to Advanced Electronics

Unexpected, Star-Spangled Find May Lead to Advanced Electronics - RF Cafe"This tiny US flag - just a few nanometers wide and invisible to the naked eye - is arguably the world's smallest image of Old Glory, according to its creators at the University of Texas at Dallas. In an experiment, the nanoflag pattern emerged unexpectedly as sheets of the 'stripe' material - molybdenum ditelluride - were heated to about 450 degrees Celsius, at which point its atoms began to rearrange and form new structures - the 'stars' in this false-color image. Each star consists of six central ..."

everything RF Has Largest Database of Bias Tees on the Internet

everything RF Has Largest Database of Bias Tees on the Internet - RF Cafeeverything RF has created the largest database of Bias Tees on the internet. We have listed products from 28 of the leading manufacturers at the moment. We are currently working on adding more manufacturers. Product data from each company has been standardized and listed in a single database which can be searched by parameter. You can enter the frequency range of the Bias Tee you need, the voltage it must withstand, the insertion loss, impedance and connector type. Once you enter the required specification, everything RF scans the database ...

Startup Funding Gets Scarce As Investors Grow Cautious

Startup Funding Gets Scarce As Investors Grow Cautious - RF Cafe"Has the tech bubble peaked? Signs that the startup boom may be fizzling. Startups are beginning to run out of money and investors are becoming more discerning. How does this compare to the time leading up to the dotcom crash? If you were looking for an apartment in the Bay Area 18 months ago, realtors recommended you took your checkbook to viewings and were prepared to fork out for the deposit and first month's rent – that's $8,000 to $10,000 for a two-bedroom place in San Francisco – on the spot ..."

Wednesday 22

3D Insider - Resources for the 3D Printing Industry

3D Insider Printer Resources - RF Cafe3D Insider is all about giving you the tools and information to create whatever your heart desires with a 3D printer. If you are looking to make a MakerBot 3D Printer - RF Cafefull time career out of 3D printing or you are just looking for a new hobby, 3D Insider has it all for you. 3D printing has been growing at a tremendous pace and we love working in such a fast-paced industry. 3D Insider has been added to RF Cafe's 3D Printers and Fabrication resources page.

How Do We Hear?

How Do We Hear? Part II, June 1936 Radio-Craft - RF CafeA story in an electronics magazine on the physics and biology of the human ear is as relevant today as it was in 1936 when this appeared in Radio-Craft. Back then, creating sound in an efficient and effective manner for consumer, commercial, and military purposes was a relatively new science. Thomas Edison introduced his phonograph in 1877. While it did not feature an electrically driven speaker, research determined the shape, size, and material composition of the mechanism that converted minute vibrations ...

Facebook Seeking Top EE to Help It Cross into Consumer Electronics

Facebook Seeking Top EE to Help It Cross into Consumer Electronics - RF Cafe"Who's the next Jon Rubinstein? For millennials that name might not ring a bell. Rubinstein was the 'podfather': as head of hardware engineering at Apple he launched and ran the project that became the iPod, the product credited from turning Apple from a computer company into a consumer electronics company. Facebook, it seems, would very much like to make a similar leap into consumer hardware. So they need lots of good engineers - including an EE 'podfather.' Right ..."

Disruption of Satellite Navigation Systems Due to Northern Lights

Research Analyzes Disruption of Satellite Navigation Systems Due to the Northern Lights - RF Cafe"Researchers at the University of Bath have gained new insights into the mechanisms of the Northern Lights, providing an opportunity to develop better satellite technology that can nullify outages caused by the natural phenomenon. The research team from the University of Bath's Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering in collaboration with the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) observed the Northern Lights in Tromsø ..."

Bonding SMT Components via Inkjet Printing

Bonding SMT Components via Inkjet Printing - RF Cafe"Noting that today's additive manufacturing and roll-to-roll processes for flexible electronics still lack the adequate materials and level of precision to do without discrete surface mount devices (SMD), researchers from the University of Barcelona have investigated the possibility to replace the screen-printing of reflow solder pastes, epoxies or other conductive adhesives with direct inkjet printing of a silver-based ink. They describe their ..."

PMI Intros 10-Bit Programmable PIN Attenuator and a Bandpass Filter

Planar Monolithic Industries (PMI) Intros 10-Bit Programmable PIN Attenuator and a Bandpass Filter - RF CafePlanar Monolithic Industries (PMI) recently introduced two new products in their extensive line of RF and microwave components. One is a 10-bit programmable, 30 dB PIN diode attenuator covering 26.5 to 40 GHz. The other is a suspended substrate bandpass filter that offers a wide passband of 8 to 18 GHz. Contact PMI today for more information ...

Quantum Movement of Electrons in Atomic Layers

Quantum Movement of Electrons in Atomic Layers - RF Cafe"Common sense might dictate that for an object to move from one point to another, it must go through all the points on the path. Not so for electrons in the quantum world, which don't follow such common-sense rules for the most part. 'Electrons can show up on the first floor, then the third floor, without ever having been on the second floor,' Zhao said. 'In a sample made of three atomic layers, electrons in the top layer move ..."

Tuesday 21

$5.00 For Best Short-Wave Kink, June 1935 Short Wave Craft

$5.00 For Best Short-Wave Kink, June 1935 Short Wave Craft - RF CafeHere for radio hobbyists are eleven handy-dandy 'kinks,' otherwise known as tricks, shortcuts, or clever ideas, that could prove useful while working in the lab at work or in your shop at home. Admittedly, most of these ideas would not have much application with today's ready-made radios, antennas, power supplies, etc., but there are still people who build custom equipment and/or repair circuits. The most useful kink offered here that could come in handy for anybody is to clip off part of ...

Pasternack mm-Wave Tx Module for 60 GHz Global Unlicensed Spectrum

Pasternack Debuts Millimeter Wave Transmitter Module Covering the 60 GHz Global Unlicensed Frequency Spectrum - RF CafePasternack has released the PEM010, a complete millimeter wave transmitter module that is ideal for use in the development of multi-gigabit, high-speed, point-to-point wireless communication links. These communication links provide low-cost, gigabit wireless throughput for a variety of applications involving telecommunications 'last kilometer' distribution, telecommunications cellular backhaul, millimeter wave wireless gigabit Ethernet data communications, building-to ...

Job Search Advice Articles for March

Engineering Career and Job Hunting Advice for March 2017 - RF CafeThe vast majority of advice columns on job searches recommend strategies to job seekers while participating in an interview; however, "Choosing an Interview Style and Format," by Will Zimmerman of CareerCast, covers the other side of the interview. His article discusses ways you as an interviewer might consider to most effective tactic ...

- How to Negotiate Salary in

    Engineering Job Interviews

- Key Phrases to Use When You

    Talk to Your Boss

- Choosing an Interview Style

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Texas Symposium on Wireless and Microwave Circuits and Systems

Texas Symposium on Wireless and Microwave Circuits and Systems"The Texas Symposium on Wireless and Microwave Circuits and Systems conference committee invites paper submissions for the 2017 conference, to be held on the beautiful campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, on March 30-31, 2017. Authors from the industry and academia worldwide are invited to submit four-page papers of their original and previously unpublished work. Paper submissions in all areas of wireless and microwave circuits and systems are welcome. Topics of interest include: • RF and microwave circuits and systems ..."

Thanks to Antenna Test Lab Co for Continued Support!

Antenna Test Lab Co logoSince 2001, Antenna Test Lab Co has evaluated countless antennas and RF transmitter products. With a fully anechoic Antenna Test Lab Co Anechoic Chamber - RF Cafechamber, antennas can be quickly developed and RF products refined and deployed. Mounting surfaces like drywall, glass, wood, and even curved metal Antenna Test Lab Co 2D & 2D Patterns - RF Cafesimulated automobile available. The price for a standard resolution 2D or 3D field pattern plot is only $450 - for a passive or radiating antenna. That is an incredible deal!

Fractus Antennas Pitches New “Antenna-less” Smartphone Technology

Fractus Antennas Pitches New “Antenna-less” Smartphone Technology - RF Cafe"A tiny company based in Barcelona is promoting a new technology that it hopes can revolutionize smartphone antennas - by removing them altogether. The job of any smartphone antenna is to radiate a radiofrequency signal generated by the phone's transmitter out to the nearest cellular base station or Wi-Fi router. Now, Fractus Antennas wants to replace that antenna with a much smaller component called an antenna booster—a tiny lightweight cube ..."