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Friday the 31st
Thursday the 30th
Wednesday the 29th
Tuesday the 28th
Monday the 27th
Sunday the 26th
 This custom RF Cafe
electronics-themed crossword puzzle for March 26th 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. 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.
 Withwave manufactures an extensive line
of metrology quality coaxial test cable assemblies, connectors (wave-, end-, vertical-launch,
board edge, panel mount), calibration kits (SOLT), a
fully automated
4-port vector network analyzer (VNA) calibrator, between- and in-series connector
adaptors, attenuators, terminations, DC blocks, torque wrenches, test probes &
probe positioner. Special test fixtures for calibration and multicoax cable assemblies.
Frequency ranges from DC through 110 GHz. Please contact Withwave today to
see how they can help your project succeed.
Friday the 24th
 In the pre-VHS era, companies were vying
to create and set standards for the
home-based video recording and playback industry. The same sort of scenario
played out over color television standards a decade earlier, and over B&W television
a couple decades before that. Such battles for dominance in emerging technologies
were not new, and continue into the current time. Various schemes for Electronic
Video Recording systems were being used by commercial media, but creating devices
affordable to Harry and Harriet Homeowner was a challenge. Betamax, produced by
Sony, hit the store shelves in 1975, then VHS a year later. A sort of 8-track vs.
compact cassette battle ensued, but VHS clearly emerged as the winner - followed
by DVD and Blu-ray. Also reported was the world's most expensive - and feature-filled
- color TV, built by Philips, that was "more computer than television," being able
to operate on eleven different modulation standards...
 "Researchers at Tokyo University of Science
have proposed a novel method to fabricate
multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) wiring on a plastic film under ambient conditions
using a low-cost laser. The properties of Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) include high strength,
low weight, and excellent thermal and electrical conductivities. This makes them
suitable materials for applications including reinforcement materials, energy storage
and conversion devices, and electronics. Despite their potential, it has proven
challenging to incorporate them onto plastic substrates for fabricating flexible
CNT-based devices. The breakthrough from Japan involves coating a polypropylene
(PP) film with an MWNT film about 10μm thick and then exposing it to a mW UV laser.
The result is a conductive wiring made of a combination of MWNT and PP. The research
is detailed in Scientific Reports. This process enables the easy 'drawing' of wiring
and flexible devices for wearable sensors without the need for complex processes..."
 The
Belmont model 5D128 was a compact, inexpensive tabletop AM radio set. A schematic
and parts list for it appeared in the November 1946 issue of Radio News
magazine. There are still many people who restore and service these vintage radios,
and often it can be difficult or impossible to find schematics and/or tuning information,
so I scan and post them whenever they appear in magazines which I own. While researching
the Belmont 5D128 tabletop radio, I ran across an excellent video created by Mr. Paul
Carson, as part of his Mr. Carlson's Lab series (note how the setting looks like
he's in the ISS). Here is a great video of Mr. Carlson troubleshooting an intermittent
noise problem in a receiver. That "Carlson RF SuperProbe" he is using looks like
a must-have piece of test equipment The Belmont 5D128 was rebranded by other companies
such as Airline, Coronado, Lafayette...
 Innovative Power Products (IPP), with more
than 30 years of experience designing & manufacturing RF & microwave passive
components, Innovative Power Products introduces our model IPP-5014, a 100 watt
surface mount
single-ended transformer that operates from 30 to 1000 MHz. The IPP-5014
is a single-ended impedance transformer that operates from 30 to 1000 MHz with
a 4:1 transformation ratio and 100 watt average power rating. The IPP-5014
transforms impedance from 50 ohms at J1 to 12.5 ohms at J2. The insertion loss
is less than 0.75 dB from 30-50 MHz and less than 0.60 dB from 50-1000 MHz.
The VSWR is less than 1.43:1. Single-Ended Transformers are used to match devices
of differing impedances. Innovative Power Products can also customize our single-ended
transformers to fit your project...
 National Company, an early manufacturer
of electronics components for radio products, ran a series of unique advertisements
in the ARRL's QST magazine. Rather than using precious cash for directly
promoting specific products or product lines, company president John Millen occupied
full pages with text explaining why it makes the things it does and how they can
be used to solve problems or enhance performance. This article/ad on TMS condensers
(aka variable capacitors) was number 61 in the series, which means if they printed
one every preceding month, the first would have appeared in the March 1934 issue
of QST...
 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...
 Amplifier Solutions Corporation (ASC) is
a manufacturer of amplifiers for commercial & military markets. ASC designs
and manufactures hybrid, surface mount flange, open carrier and connectorized amplifiers
for low, medium and high power applications using Gallium Nitride (GaN), Gallium
Arsenide (GaAs) and Silicon (Si) transistor technologies. ASC's thick film designs
operate in the frequency range of 300 kHz to 6 GHz. ASC offers thin film
designs that operate up to 20 GHz. ASC is located in an 8,000 sq.ft. facility
in the town of Telford, PA. We offer excellent customer support and take pride in
the ability to quickly react to evolving system design requirements.
Thursday the 23rd
 Lots of interesting topics were reported
in
News Briefs from the April 1960 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine.
One that is relevant even today is the assigning of new numeric prefixes tera for
a trillion; giga for a billion; nano for a billionth, and pica for a trillionth.
If you have read vintage science and engineering publications, you know that, for
instance, what is now called pica (a la pF, 10-12) used to be written
as micromicro (a la μμF, 10-6x10-6 = 10-12). Here
is an example of μμF being used. Less commonly seen was something like millimicroamperes,
which is 10-3x10-6 = 10-9, now known as a nanoamperes,
nA. A new television picture tube which used a solid state electron emitter in place
of a heated cathode was announced for portable TVs, potentially doubling battery
life. Did you know that in 1960, the South African government felt that TV would
be detrimental to children and "the less developed races," thereby justifying its
anti-TV policies? Following on the results of the International Geophysical Year
(IGY) discoveries, atmospheric ducts for radio signal transmission propagation were
being found worldwide...
 Engineers at Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation
(BNC) and AnaPico teamed up to write a paper entitled "Phase
and Timing-Accurate Multi-Channel Radar Signal Generation." It begins: "Engineers
testing radar require the ability to generate multi-pulse streams with each pulse
supporting dozens of parameters such as frequency, amplitude, phase, pulse width,
time position and intrapulse modulation or chirping. Table 1 summarizes the typical
parameter set describing a single radar pulse, known as a pulse descriptor word
(PDW). A list of PDWs will fully describe a radar pulse stream. Multi-patch radar
antenna arrays require additional parameters for full characterization. For these
arrays, inter-channel phase coherence, which addresses relative phase stability
becomes important. Phase-coherent switching, where the relative phase between channels
is stored in memory and inter-channel timing accuracy are also critical parameters..."
A version of this article also appears on the
MWJ website.
 "If you're not using transistors already,
chances are you'll consider them for amplifiers and oscillators in future circuits."
So says the line in an advertisement for General Electric
vacuum-sealed
transistors in a 1953 edition of QST magazine. To say the claim was
prescient is an understatement. A lot of people resisted the switch to transistors
for many years - especially hobbyists who had grown accustomed to working with vacuum
tubes. Maybe GE figured pitching the newfangled devices as being "vacuum-sealed"
would help the hardliners soften their opposition to them. Not mentioned in the
ad is that these three transistors - the 2N43, 2N44, and 2N45 - are all germanium-based.
It wasn't until May of 1954 that Texas Instruments (TI) announced the commercial
availability of grown-junction silicon transistors...
 Microwave Journal magazine has
a useful article posted entitled, "Innovations
in Pulse Fidelity for High-Power GaN Radar and EW Transmitters." Darren Miles
and George Bollendorf, of Empower RF Systems and Bob Buxton, of Boonton Electronics
team up to present a method for accurately measuring and compensating distortions
in pulses driving the output stage. It begins: "Radar and electronic warfare (EW)
have been the primary applications for extremely high-power transmitters, driving
the demand for specialized high-power traveling wave tubes (TWTs) and magnetrons.
Diminishing sources of TWT supplies, coupled with their poor reliability, inefficiency,
large size and high total lifetime cost of ownership are causing a migration away
from tubes. While improved pulse fidelity accompanies the shift to solid-state transmitters,
next-generation radar depends on further improvements in waveform fidelity and flexibility.
Next-generation radar systems utilize long pulse widths, which present specific
challenges. In response, Empower RF Systems has developed technology to reduce pulse
distortion as a development step towards pulse shape matching, allowing the reproduction
of the input pulse without distortion. The pulse correction is performed within
the amplifier in real-time. This is important because long pulse width radar is
especially vulnerable to over/undershoot and droop...
 "Smartphone spyware apps
that allow people to spy on each other are not only hard to notice and detect, they
also will easily leak the sensitive personal information they collect, says a team
of computer scientists from New York and San Diego. While publicly marketed as tools
to monitor underage children and employees using their employer's equipment, spyware
apps are also frequently used by abusers to covertly spy on a spouse or a partner.
These apps require little to no technical expertise from the abusers; offer detailed
installation instructions; and only need temporary access to a victim's device.
After installation, they covertly record the victim's device activities - including
any text messages, emails, photos, or voice calls - and allow abusers to remotely
review..."
 What the heck is an
Elkonode? That was my response to its mention in this Radio Service Data Sheet
for the
Galvin Motorola Model 61 Automotive Receiver. The Mallory-Elkon Elkonode was
an electromechanical vibrator device for DC-DC conversion. An oscillating circuit
opened and closed a set of contacts being fed with the automobile's DC supply, thereby
creating a chopped waveform which was applied to a step-up transformer, then rectified
and filtered to provide the high plate voltage for the radio's vacuum tubes. A Google
search turned up a datasheet on the Mallory Elkonode. Per the info, "The series
60, 70, and 80 Mallory Elkonodes are described as single-reed, full-wave inverters,
with self-contained synchronous rectifiers. These units within themselves supply
direct current, high voltage for radio receiver plate supply. No tube rectifiers
are required with these types." This 1932 Radio−Craft magazine article
recommends against attempting self-repair of Elkonodes (aka interrupters), so restoration
buffs will appreciate the instructions offered in the datasheet...
 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!
 The leading website for the PCB industry.
PCB Directory is the largest directory of
Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
Manufacturers, Assembly houses, and Design Services on the Internet. We have listed
the leading printed circuit board manufacturers around the world and made them searchable
by their capabilities - Number of laminates used, Board thicknesses supported, Number
of layers supported, Types of substrates (FR-4, Rogers, flexible, rigid), Geographical
location (U.S., China), kinds of services (manufacturing, fabrication, assembly,
prototype), and more. Fast turn-around on quotations for PCB fabrication and assembly.
Wednesday the 22nd
 It is kind of hard to believe that even
by 1966, when the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) met in Oslo, Norway,
that the world had not yet agreed in a common
transmission standard for color television. In January of 1967, Radio−Electronics
magazine editor Thomas Hasket interviewed two major players in the industry, George
Brown of Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and Frederick M. Remley, Jr. of Society
of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), regarding the stalemate that
was unarguably hampering the ramping up of color television set production. Consumers
were pining for them, but companies hesitated to invest engineering and manufacturing
resources when they couldn't be sure it would not be thwarted by a change in the
modulation scheme. A battle was being waged between the U.S. NTSC standard and the
European PAL system (and SÉCAM to a lesser sense). Both had strengths and weaknesses,
but history has shown, NTSC ultimately won. Possibly due to the impasse, color TV
sales in America did not surpass B&W sales until the early 1970s...
 Sam Benzacar of Anatech Electronics, an
RF and microwave filter company, has published his March 2023 newsletter that features
his short op−ed entitled "Healthcare
Industry IoT Security Under Threat," which discusses some of the issues compromising
not just healthcare privacy, but the whole Internet of Things (IoT) effort. The
fact is your healthcare records have been anything but secure and private for a
long time. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA),
which is responsible for the glass or Plexiglas barriers with the small transaction
opening installed at the reception desks at doctor and dentist offices, was supposed
to make people feel that their medical history was being protected against prying
eyes, physically and digitally. That has been as effective as requiring everyone
to wear a cloth facemask to protect them against a virus. My guess is that nearly
every form of personal information is available on the black market from databases
breached by not just outside black-hat operators, but by government and private
corporate employees seeking financial payouts. Information fences are fairly easily
contacted if you seek such information. Consider how prolifically your e-mail and
other non-medical information is made available to concerns with enough money to
buy it...
 Here are a four more
technology-related comics from magazines of the days of yore, this time from
a 1948 edition of Radio-Craft magazine. Readers would submit ideas for
funnies and then artist Frank Beaven would draw the comics. The page 37 comic is
an example. Evidently E.R. Donohue, of Walla Walla, Washington, had issues
with his phonograph featuring a record changer mechanism. My interest in rockets
makes me really appreciate the page 82 comic with the missile's flight being affected
by the musical "interference." In the early days of remote control, audio tones
modulated onto a carrier commanded tuning-fork-like (tuned) "reeds," which acted
as channel filters for separating and directing signals, in the airborne receiver
section to control surface actuators (see video). It is rare to find a comic in
a technical or hobby magazine these days. I don't know why that is...
  Long-time RF Cafe contributor
Bob Davis sent
me a link to this very interesting and entertaining story of one man's journey (Mr. Mike
Simpson) in his effort to determine whether "Making Money in Radio" is still
as guaranteed as the vintage electronics magazine advertisements enthusiastically
asserted. To find out, he, researched and purchased a couple vacuum tube radios,
then restored them to fine quality, and then put them up for sale on eBay. In some
cases minor component replacement or repair was required. Calculations were then
made of an estimated effective hourly wage for the effort. The result may (or may
not) surprise you. As you will see on his "Analog
Dial" website, Mike has collected and restored many old radios, both production
models, kits from the era, and homebrew radios. BTW, notice in the photos that he's
a model rocketeer as well.
A bit of good humor is mixed in with the stories and descriptions. Enjoy!
 According to Samuel Milbourne's "Battery
Types and Their Characteristics" article in Popular Electronics magazine,
in 1973 there were about 400 different battery types to choose from when deciding
what to buy for your automobile, electronic device, uninterruptible power supply,
flashlight, etc. I don't know what the number of types is today, but it must be
in the thousands. Nominal voltage, case size and shape, energy capacity (amp-hour
rating), current delivery capacity ("C" rating), environmental accommodation, connection
type (contact, solder, screw-on, or push-on terminals), chemistry, number of recharge
cycles (for secondary batteries), and a host of other choices are available nowadays.
Every time I need to order a new Li-Po battery pack for a model airplane or helicopter,
I spend quite a bit of time searching through mAh versus weight and physical size
specifications to identify the best - and most affordable - option. There will never
be a one-size-fits-all battery. If you are interested in vintage batteries...
RF Cascade Workbook is the next phase in the evolution of
RF Cafe's long-running series, RF Cascade Workbook. Chances are you have
never used a spreadsheet quite like this (click here for screen capture). 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...
 Empower RF Systems is the technological
leader in RF & microwave power amplifier solutions for EW, Radar, Satcom, Threat
Simulation, Communications, and Product Testing. Our air and liquid cooled amplifiers
incorporate the latest semiconductor and power combining technologies and with a
patented architecture we build the most sophisticated and flexible COTS system amplifiers
in the world. Solutions range from tens of watts to hundreds of kilowatts and includes
basic PA modules to scalable rack systems.
|
 We "Baby Boomers" remember a time when cell
towers did not present a ubiquitous (and, frankly, ugly) presence across the landscape.
Microwave relay towers for television and telephone links could be spotted sitting
atop hilltops and mountain ridges in some areas, and giant television and radio
station towers sat behind broadcast stations, and multi-element antennas dotted
house rooftops everywhere. Our grandparents (Millennials' great grandparents) remember
when even microwave relay towers were missing. This 1936 article reports on the
first microwave links spanning the English Channel to replace expensive and trouble-prone
submerged cable. Part of the impetus, not mentioned within, was the building inevitability
of war with Germany and the vulnerability of those communications links to being
compromised by Nazi submarines and divers...
 Given that this "Morse
Code Rhythm Patterns from A to Z" article (p58) appeared in the April issue
of QST magazine, I was careful to ascertain that it was not written for
fools. It seems authentic, but for the life of me I don't know how many people would
find the proposed Morse Code learning system to be a natural method. Author Bill
Cody (K3CDY) is a musician who is accustomed to reading music, so for him and other
talented musical types, maybe such a system facilitates the learning of code. To
people like me, it's like suggesting a method for more easily learning how to apply
a bandage by adapting brain surgery principles. Unfortunately, you'll need to be
an ARRL member for access to the online article, or maybe you can borrow a copy
of the magazine from a friend (but you'll still need to sign in for the music/code
sheets). I'm still trying to figure out which article is the April Fools bait. BTW,
I remember using one of those Isolate Pad Circuit-Board Construction tools when
making proto boards (p91).
 Don't let the title scare you away from
this "Electronic
Mathematic Quiz." It appeared in the June 1969 issue of Popular Electronics
magazine, and was created by quizmaster Robert Balin. There are no scary equations
to complete and no mental calculations to bend your brain. Instead, the "mathematics"
required is to recognize physical and electrical signal shapes which are described
by common mathematics terms. For instance, a cardioid approximates the electromagnetic
radiation pattern of many directional antennas, which may include a parabolic dish.
Differentiator and integrator circuits generate distinct waveforms. Phase angles
and critical angles are familiar to circuit designers and radio operators. Shape
letter "E" will likely be familiar according to its name, although you might not
know what it is in the world of electronics...
 Here are the schematics, chassis layout,
and service info for the
Howard Explorer Model W Deluxe 19 Tube All-Wave Superheterodyne console
style (sits on the floor) radio. The wooden cabinet format is somewhat unusual
in that the top is a flat surface rather than the having more typical curvaceous
lines that radios of the era sported. It looks a lot like the models with
built-in phonographs, where the top would tilt upward. The Radio Service Data
Sheets that were published in Radio-Craft usually seem to have more information
included than those published in other magazines, at least in the same era
(1940-ish). It might have to do with how much material is provided by the
manufacturer rather than a decision by the magazine editors. This one appeared
in the September 1934 issue. Believe it or not, there are still people searching
for such data. I could not find an example of a real surviving Howard Explorer
Model W radio...
Superception
Potentially Damaging Black Hole Mass Ejection Approaching Earth Orbit
June 1969 P-E, Kohler p40, Math Quiz p46, I/O Impedances p69
July 1969 P-E, B-Quiz p64
August 1969, Hobnobbing Harbaugh p68
September 1969, Bridge Quiz p68
October 1969, Op Amp Quiz p58
 New Scheme rotates
all Banners in all locations on the page! RF Cafe typically receives 8,000-15,000
website 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. 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. I also re-broadcast homepage items
on LinkedIn. If you need your company news to be seen, RF Cafe is the place
to be.
RF Cascade Workbook is the next phase in the evolution of
RF Cafe's long-running series, RF Cascade Workbook. Chances are you have
never used a spreadsheet quite like this (click here for screen capture). 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...
 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...
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!
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...
 This assortment of custom-designed themes
by RF Cafe includes T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Clocks, Tote Bags, Coffee Mugs and Steins,
Purses, Sweatshirts, and Baseball Caps. Choose from amazingly clever "We Are the World's Matchmakers"
Smith chart design or the "Engineer's Troubleshooting Flow Chart." My "Matchmaker's"
design has been ripped off by other people and used on their products, so please
be sure to purchase only official RF Cafe gear. My markup is only a paltry 50¢ per
item - Cafe Press gets the rest of your purchase price. These would make excellent
gifts for husbands, wives, kids, significant others, and for handing out at company
events or as rewards for excellent service. It's a great way to help support RF
Cafe. Thanks...
 RF
Cafe's raison d'être is and always has been to provide useful, quality content for
engineers, technicians, engineering managers, students, and hobbyists. Part of that
mission is offering to post applicable job openings. HR department employees and/or managers of hiring
companies are welcome to submit opportunities for posting at no charge. 3rd party
recruiters and temp agencies are not included so as to assure a high quality of
listings. Please read through the easy procedure to benefit from RF Cafe's high
quality visitors...
|
 "Currently, LCD screens are the most dominant
and popular display technology for televisions and monitors, but they are unlikely
to get significantly better in the future. Now a new study finds the kind of physics
that make microscopic 'invisibility
cloaks' possible may lead to next-generation 'metasurface' displays roughly
1/100 the thickness of the average human hair that could offer 10 times the resolution
and consume half as much energy as LCD screens. LCD technology depends on liquid
crystal cells that are constantly lit by a backlight. Polarizers in front and behind
the pixels filter light waves based on their polarity, or the direction in which
they vibrate, and the liquid crystal cells can rotate the way these filters are
oriented to switch light transmissions on and off. LCD screens do continue to see
advances by improving the liquid crystals, the display technology or the backlight.
'However, improvement on LCD technologies are now mostly just..."
 "Automakers need to rein in
electromagnetic interference before it pumps the brakes on in-vehicle connectivity
innovations. In early 1979, Ralph Liuzzi installed a mobile transmitter in his customer's
Cadillac Seville. However, Mr. Liuzzi found that whenever he attempted to transmit,
the car's engine would stall, resulting in a serious safety hazard for both driver
and pedestrians. At the time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) cited a 'lack of documentation on the effects of Electromagnetic Interference
(EMI) on automobile electronic engine control systems,' but reviewed the case and
eventually found that indeed EMI played a key role in the system malfunction. 'The
problem of EMI is a relatively new one in automotive technology since electronics
have only recently been introduced into usage in automobiles,' the NHTSA said in
its report. Now, more than 40 years later, the problem of EMI has only grown..."
 "IDTechEx, an independent market research
and business intelligence provider claims that 6G will arrive in 2028 at the earliest
in its recently published market research report, "6G
Market 2023-2043: Technology, Trends, Forecasts, Players". 6G, compared to its
predecessor, is expected to offer significantly better communication capabilities,
such as Tbps-level peak data rates, microsecond-level latency, and 99.99999% network
dependability. Although 6G promises a lot, it is unlikely that 6G will be in daily
life soon, despite the fact that several important companies and nations have already
begun 6G research, as shown in the figure below, the telecom industry needs to address
several issues before seeing the success of 6G. The difficulties are not only in
THz technology but also in identifying applications that will fuel 6G adoption.
IDTechEx has been researching 5G and 6G for years. This article will discuss some
of the hardware-related hurdles to 6G connectivity..."
 "Satellite powered by 48 AA batteries and
a $20 microprocessor shows a low-cost way to
reduce space junk. Common sense suggests that space missions can only happen
with multimillion-dollar budgets, materials built to withstand the unforgiving conditions
beyond Earth's atmosphere, and as a result of work done by highly trained specialists.
But a team of engineering students from Brown University has turned that assumption
on its head. They built a satellite on a shoestring budget and using off-the-shelf
supplies available at most hardware stores. They even sent the satellite - which
is powered by 48 Energizer AA batteries and a $20 microprocessor popular with robot
hobbyists - into space about 10 months ago, hitching a ride on Elon Musk's SpaceX
rocket..."
 "Physicists in the U.S. have observed an
effect known as
time reflection in an electromagnetic wave for the first time. They detected
the phenomenon - the temporal counterpart of familiar spatial reflection - by rapidly
switching a series of capacitors in a novel type of metamaterial. They say the result
could improve wireless communication and ultimately help bring about long-sought-after
optical computing. Everyday reflection involves the transformation of a wave packet
when it meets an interface in a distinct region of space. The process preserves
temporal ordering, so that the leading part of the incident wave remains ahead after
reflection. This means that objects further from a mirror look more distant in the
reflection, while sounds in an echo arrive back in the same order they were emitted.
Time reflection instead involves a wave packet being transformed as a result of
an abrupt change in time that applies equally throughout the medium it is traversing.
In other words, the material in question experiences a sudden shift in its properties..."
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