Friday 12
 Out of the nearly half a hundred quizzes I have
posted from vintage Popular Electronics magazines, this
Semiconductor Quiz that appeared in a 1967 issue is the first I can remember that
was not created by Robert P. Balin. A fellow named Warren Todd made it. If you are younger
than maybe 50 years old, symbols B and I might stump you, but the rest are still pretty
common. Some of the labels (names) presented in the quiz are a little outdated so I have
identified the abbreviations for you. That will make things much easier. For example,
SBS is a silicon bidirectional switch. Bonne chance ...
 With more than 780 custom-built symbols,
this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Stencils
available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings! Every object has
been built from scratch to fit proportionally on the provided A- and B-size drawing page
templates (you can use your own page if preferred). Components
are provided for equipment racks (EIA and ETSI) and test
equipment, system block diagrams and conceptual drawings, and for schematics
...
 "ICANN has scheduled the
Root Zone Key Signing Key (KSK) Rollover for today, and it could
affect some DNS users all over the world. By Rolling the KSK, ICANN implies that a new
cryptographic public and private key pair will be generated and the private key will
be distributed to internet service providers, enterprise network administrators, and
Domain Name System (DNS) resolver operators. KSK Rollover operations began in October
2016 and were scheduled for October 2017. However, ICANN announced that the rollover
has been postponed due to the fact that 'a significant number of resolvers used by Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) and Network Operators are not yet ready for the Key Rollover ..."
 Copper Mountain Technologies' VNA software is now available for Linux
OS, specifically for Ubuntu and Mint distributions. The CMT VNA software for Linux includes
all the same features as our VNA software for Windows. Any CMT VNA can now operate in
a Linux environment, whether it is controlled manually or its operation is automated
using SCPI commands via TCP/IP sockets. A first in the industry, Copper Mountain Technologies'
USB VNAs operating in Linux OS extend the reach of engineers who can now incorporate
precision VNAs into their Linux test environment. Test
Drive Copper Mountain Technologies software without needing to have the physical hardware ...
 This advertisement for General Radio Company's
Recording Wave Analyzer caught my eye due to the chain-driven interface between the
upper Type 1900-A Wave Analyzer and lower Type 1521-B Graphic Level Recorder chassis.
Maybe that can be considered an early form of the GPIB - General
[Instruments] Physical Interface Bus. I wonder how
many neckties, a rigidly-enforced item of professional dress code of the era, got caught
in those exposed gears? ...or fingers for that matter? OSHA would condemn such a platform
these days. It is not apparent from the photograph whether there is also an electrical
interface. The quality of the printed chart output is phenomenally good for 1965 equipment
- and in color, no less. I also found it interesting that a reference was made to "M.
Fourier," as though maybe Fourier's first name began with an "M," but in fact his full
name is Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier (French) ...
 Rohde & Schwarz develops, produces and markets
test & measurement, information and communications technology.
Focus is on test and measurement, broadcast and media, cybersecurity, secure communications,
monitoring and network testing. Markets serviced are wireless, the automotive industry,
aerospace and defense, industrial electronics, research and education, broadcast and
media network operations, consumer electronics, cybersecurity for business and governments,
communications and security solutions for critical infrastructures and the armed forces,
reconnaissance equipment for homeland and external security, and much more ...
 "A satellite no bigger than a shoebox may one day
help. Small enough to fit inside a backpack, the aptly named
RainCube (Radar in a CubeSat) uses experimental technology to see
storms by detecting rain and snow with very small instruments. The people behind the
miniature mission celebrated after RainCube sent back its first images of a storm over
Mexico in a technology demonstration in August. Its second wave of images in September
caught the first rainfall of Hurricane Florence. The small satellite is a prototype for
a possible fleet of RainCubes that could one day help monitor severe storms, lead to
improving the accuracy of weather forecasts and track climate change over time ..."
Thursday 11
 Here is the second of a two-part article on
operational amplifiers (opamps). Part 1 appeared in the August 1971 issue of
Popular Electronics, which I have and will post soon (it still needs to be OCR'ed). Fortunately,
you don't need it to find Part 2 useful. Barely half a decade had passed since Bob
Widlar introduced his μA709 integrated circuit operational amplifier. Clunky attempts
at vacuum tube operational amplifiers were introduced in the 1950's, but they were not
overly popular. Early bipolar junction transistor opamps offered a significant reduction
in size, weight, and power consumption over tubes, but did not have as high of an input
impedance, had a lower gain-bandwidth product, and handled much lower power levels, which
relegated their use to IF and baseband circuits ...
 TotalTemp Technologies, leaders in thermal testing
solutions, offers an app note on
reprogramming bus controller software for automated test equipment
(ATE) when the time inevitably comes to replace older devices. It describes the methodology
used to transition from communicating with a Sigma temperature controller to Tidal Engineering's
Synergy line of temperature controllers of the type actually used by TotalTemp Technologies
for their products. The methodology presented can be applied to other equipment. Check
TotalTemp's blog for other articles ...
Notable Quote by Albert Bandura on Self-Efficacy
 "People with high assurance in their capabilities
approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided."
-
Albert Bandura, psychologist specializing in self-efficacy and observational
learning. For the record, I rarely find anything quotable from psychologists, but I found
this one recommended by "Aviation Through Aviation" editor Bill Pritchett, of the
Academy of Model Aviation's
Model Aviation magazine ...
 This is the electronics market prediction for
Italy, circa 1966. It was part of a comprehensive assessment by the editors of
Electronics magazine of the state of commercial, military, and consumer electronics
at the end of 1965. Computers, military communications, numerically controlled factory
automation, and consumer electronics drove the Italian markets, as was the case for every
first-world nation. A bigger concentration on exports was becoming an important part
of the equation. Unless you can find a news story on the state of the industry, detailed
reports must be purchased from research companies. Their websites have a lot of charts
on Italy's current electronics market showing revenue ...
 RF
Cascade Workbook 2018 is the next phase in the evolution of RF Cafe's long-running
series, RF Cascade Workbook. It is a full-featured RF system cascade parameter
and frequency planner that includes filters and mixers for a mere $45. Built in MS
Excel, using RF Cascade Workbook 2018 is a cinch and the format is entirely
customizable. It is significantly easier and faster than using a multi-thousand dollar
simulator when a high level system analysis is all that is needed. An intro video takes
you through the main features ...
  Please
take a few moments to visit the
everythingRF website to see how they can assist you with your project.
everythingRF is a product discovery platform for RF and microwave products and services.
They currently have 222,383 products from more than 1182 companies across 282 categories
in their database and enable engineers to search for them using their customized parametric
search tool. Please visit everythingRF today to see how they can help you ...
 "Through-silicon vias (TSVs) are the standard way to stack chips these
days. They're basically micrometer-scale vertical wires embedded in a sliver of silicon
that link one chip, such as a processor, to another, such as a memory chip, stacked atop
the first. That way signals don't have to travel very far between the two chips. Done
right, they should save time, energy, and space. But, at the moment, they don't add any
intelligence. Engineers in Germany want to change that by making TSVs smart. Their answer
is a 'through-silicon transistor,' and if they're right, it should let designers actively
control which signals are allowed to go from one chip to another. The implications aren't
just more intelligent control ..."
Wednesday 10
 This is part 4 of the "All About IC's" series that
appeared in Radio-Electronics magazine in 1969, where author Bob Hibberd discusses
the various types of integrate circuit (IC) families. He is not referring to TTL and
CMOS with divisions into small scale integration (SSI), medium scale integration (MSI),
large scale integration (LSI), and very large scale integration (VLSI) like we have today.
Back in 1969 the IC world was still evolving through basic circuit structures like diode-diode
logic (DDL), diode-transistor logic (DTL), resistor-transistor logic (RTL), direct-coupled
transistor logic (DCTL), etc. What seems obvious now needed to be learned and dealt with
then. It is like struggling with a homework problem and being able to look at the answer
worked out in the back of the book where the solution then looks obvious ...
 KP Performance Antennas, a manufacturer of wireless
network antennas, has debuted its new
ProLine
antennas, a series of high-performance parabolic and sector antennas that are perfectly
suited for high-density, point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and backhaul applications.
KP's new ProLine parabolic antennas are engineered to deliver high, stable gain over
wide bandwidths with side-lobe and back-lobe suppression for mitigating inter-sector
interference. These 5 GHz antennas are available in 1-foot and 2-foot diameters
with gain performance of 24 dBi and 29 dBi respectively. Single-band and dual-band
options are available in 2.3-2.7 GHz, 3.5-4.2 GHz and 4.9-6.4 GHz ...
Switzerland Electronics Market
 This is the electronics market prediction for
Switzerland, circa 1966. It was part of a comprehensive assessment by the editors
of Electronics magazine of the state of commercial, military, and consumer electronics
at the end of 1965. This statement was a bit unexpected: "Although the Swiss are renowned
for their precision work in watchmaking, machine tools and instruments, their country
is regarded as 'a bit backward' in electronics." Not many major national production companies
resided in Switzerland; IBM and RCA had a large presence, though. Unless you can find
a news story on the state of the industry, detailed reports must be purchased from research
companies ...
 QuinStar Technology designs and manufactures
mm-wave products
for communication, scientific, and test applications along with providing microelectronic
assembly, rapid prototyping, and mass customization. Amplifiers, Oscillators, Switches,
Attenuators, Circulators, Isolators, Filters, Waveguide, Antennas, Phase Shifters, Transceivers,
Mixers, Detectors. QuinStar specializes in cryogenic amplifiers,
circulators, and isolators. Please visit QuinStar today to see how they can help your
project ...
Satellite Operators Form C-Band Consortium
to Protect Existing Use of Spectrum
 "A group of global satellite operators today announced
the formation of an alliance to protect existing use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band while also
clearing a portion of the
C-Band spectrum for 5G wireless services. The C-Band Alliance, or
CBA, which is comprised of Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat, wants to wrest some control
over the process by which the C-Band will be freed up for terrestrial wireless use. In
July, the FCC voted unanimously to study and seek comment on ways to free up some or
all of the 500 MHz of mid-band spectrum for 5G. Options include an incentive auction-type
approach or a market-based auction by which incumbents would voluntarily ..."
Tuesday 9
 The
World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) is associated with the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU). It is hard to pin down exactly when the organization's
name official became the WARC since it is no longer a separate entity, and good luck
locating a definitive history on the WARC proper. The closest I could come to determining
a time when it was first referred to as the World Administrative Radio Conference was
from this list of all radio conferences on the ITU website. The Geneva 1967 WARC is it.
Previous events did not include the word "World" in them, from what I could find. Please
let me know if you have another authoritative source ...
 Empower RF is pleased to announce the release
of Model 2223, a single band solid state GaN system amplifier, capable
of delivering a minimum 150 W across its entire 0.6 to 6 GHz band. Equally
suited for the production floor, engineering lab, or anechoic chamber, the 2223 comes
complete with internal DDC, external forward and reverse sample ports, and an easy to
use web served GUI with dedicated features for simplifying integration into your test
application. For Machine to Machine (M2M) applications the 2223 utilizes TCP/IP or UDP
protocol sockets. In depth health monitoring with alarms visible on the front panel are
also pushed out the LAN port ...
 Take a look at this
ARRA (Antenna & Radome Research
Associates) attenuator advertisement that appeared in the September 2018 issue of
Microwaves & RF magazine a tell me if it reminds you of something
you might have seen in the 1960's through 1980's. That might not have been the intention,
but seeing it sure triggered my nostalgia mechanism. Even the tag line, "When it comes
to attenuators, nobody - but nobody - can fill our shoes," idiom, being somewhat dated,
conjures up memories of vintage company slogans. Of course the black and white motif
feeds the perception. Maybe I'm wrong, but if it appeals to me for any reason, the ad
designers have done their job ...
 This is the electronics market prediction for
West Germany, circa 1966. It was part of a comprehensive assessment by the editors
of Electronics magazine of the state of commercial, military, and consumer electronics
at the end of 1965. West Germany was intent on being a player in the Space Race with
Siemens and Telefunken providing expertise. Bochumer Verein was pushing the electronic
computer frontiers forward. The article states that only about 5% of West Germany's factories
including heavy industry have anything approaching the automation of American industry.
Factory automation was viewed as a threat to the German workers. Unless you can find
a news story on the state of the industry, detailed reports must be purchased from research
companies ...
 Transient Specialists, a leader in EMC rentals
for over 30 years, announces that they will be offering additional testing capabilities
for IEC 60601-1-2. The Compliance West MegaPulse in addition to the already existing
surge, EFT, ringwave, dips, automotive and conducted RF will continue to make Transient
Specialists a resource for
Medical EMC test equipment. 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
...
 "The prestigious award was given this year to
three physicists 'for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics.' The event
also marks the third time a woman wins the prize. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
announced today the winners of the
Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 'for groundbreaking inventions in the
field of laser physics.' The prestigious award was given with one half to Arthur Ashkin
and the other half jointly to Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland. Arthur Ashkin was recognized
for inventing "optical tweezers that grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living
cells with their laser beam fingers." Most notably in 1987, Ashkin used the novel
tweezers to capture living bacteria without causing harm to them ..."
Monday 8
 Empower RF Systems, Inc., is an industry-leading
provider of high power RF amplifiers. Founded in 1999 and located in Inglewood, CA, the
company designs and manufactures solid-state, high power amplifier systems and modules
for commercial and military customers worldwide. Our next generation technology is a
game changer in the market and we are seeking a well-connected and dynamic sales professional
to join our Sales Team to drive accelerated growth with these products. Position
Summary: This sales and leadership position is focused on driving business growth
and results from our key markets of EW, Communications, Radar, and Test & Measurement.
The RF Sales Account Executive has a technical background, strong credentials and contacts
in OEM's and Agencies, and a demonstrated track record of partnering, team building,
and strategic selling.
 Rohde & Schwarz has been publishing a series
of good old-fashioned printed (aka hard copy) Pocket Guides on RF test and measurement
topics. This latest one titled, "Key
Characteristics of Signal Generators and Modulation Methods: Pocket Guide," arrived
in my mailbox (the physical one at the curb, not Outlook). There are 116 pages chock
full of an amazing amount of descriptions, equations, tables, and graphs. The main topic
areas are analog, vector, and arbitrary (ARB) waveform generators, and analog and digital
modulation methods. It also reviews associated topics like phase noise, VSWR, intercept
points, etc. A sampling of them are reproduced below. You can get your own free copy
by filling out the form on the R&S website ...
 Anatech Electronics (AEI) manufactures and supplies
RF and microwave
filters for military and commercial communication systems, providing standard LP,
HP, BP, BS, notch, diplexer, and custom RF filters, and RF products. Standard RF filter
and cable assembly products are published in our website database for ease of procurement.
Custom RF filters designs are used when a standard cannot be found, or the requirements
dictate a custom approach. Please visit Anatech today to see how they can help your project
succeed ...
 According to authors Neal Jensen and Alexander
Burawa,
magnetic reed switches were developed as recently as 1940 at the Bell Telephone Laboratories
to replace the expensive and power-hungry traditional solenoid-based relays. Development
cost was reportedly $100 million ($750M in 2018 dollars). I would have guessed reed switches
were invented half a century earlier, given how fundamental their concept and construction
is. Maybe there was no perceived urgency back when power efficiency was not such a big
concern given the wattage used by vacuum tube circuits that often employed the relays.
As in increasing number of homes and businesses had telephones installed and party lines
(shared by two or more users) gave way to private lines, the physical ...
 This is the electronics market prediction for
United Kingdom, circa 1966. It was part of a comprehensive assessment by the editors
of Electronics magazine of the state of commercial, military, and consumer electronics
at the end of 1965. The British post office was investing in communications and automation,
while Thorn Electric was cranking out TV's. Ecko Electronics Plessey, and Marconi were
manufacturing defense electronics and dabbling in newfangled computers. Unless you can
find a news story on the state of the industry, detailed reports must be purchased from
research companies. Their websites have a lot of charts on the UK's current electronics
market ...
 Lotus
Communication Systems is a supplier of high performance connectorized
RF modular system components,
shielded project cases, and special purpose solutions up through 40 GHz. Lotus is
a privately owned company with mechanical and electronic design, manufacture, test controlled
from its Middlesex, MA, facility. They have multiple 4 axis CNC machines and LPKF circuit
plotters. Lotus can provide custom extension of our standard products, custom designs
for specific applications and prototyping for your new products ...
 "Chinese scientists are working on a
laser satellite device they hope will be able to detect the location
of a submerged submarine target located as far as 1,600 feet below the ocean surface
from space. The South China Morning Post reports. It is the latest addition to China's
expanding deep-sea surveillance program, and aside from targeting submarines - most submerged
submarines operate at a depth of less than 1,600 feet - it also could collect data on
the world's oceans. Project Guanlan, meaning 'watching the big waves,' officially was
launched in May at the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology ..."
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