Featured Product Archive
The inventions and products featured on these pages were chosen either for their
uniqueness in the RF engineering realm, or are simply awesome (or ridiculous) enough
to warrant an appearance.
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 One
of the many benefits of running a website like RF Cafe is the opportunity to connect
with people of diverse backgrounds, but with something in common - otherwise they
would not be visiting. Take
Del Aitchison, for example. Del contacted me to get some old
CAD files translated, and returned the favor by sending me a copy of his band's
(Ferengata) latest
CD, Fire in the Heart.
It contains the Internet hit "Nerd," which, not to make rash judgments, will probably appeal
to a lot of others who visit RF Cafe.
8-14-2009
 The
imaginative minds of fiction writers have long been the impetus for real-world invention,
be it underwater exploration vehicles, space flight, or Dick Tracy's video conferencing
watch. Australian engineer Paul Gardner-Stevens has realized his fantasy device
in the form of a shoe phone - inspired by famous
CONTROL
agent Maxwell Smart. An embedded voice-dialing cellphone does away with the trademark
rotary dial, but it does retain the speaker and microphone in the sole. It also
has a Bluetooth headset capability for cases where talking into the show is undesirable
- like after stepping in a pile of dog doo.
7-17-2009
 HHF's
new
ProMic test probe falls under the category of, "Sure you could
easily do it yourself, but will you?" This 50 Ω probe is rated for DC-4 GHz at up
to 100 W. Keep in mind, though, that unlike a high-Z RF probe, this one puts an
additional 50 Ω in parallel with the circuit impedance. I used to make my own to
trace signals through a PCB, not to get accurate level readings (since you cannot).
Get the full
datasheet, complete with frequency response plots.
6-19-2009
 PowerEsim is an online resource
for calculating power supply circuits for many types of applications. Included are
switch mode power supply, circuit and transformer design, calculation, and simulation
for more than 100 circuits and topologies. It provides a virtual laboratory environment
for users to wind and place every single turn of a transformer, drawing from tens
of thousands real modeled components on the market. PowerELab calls it a Result
Oriented Design Approach.
8-21-2009
 For
the first time, I have documented confirmation of
RF Cascade Workbook running under the
Linux OS. RF Cafe visitor Graham
has provided extensive data on his experiments with multiple Linux environments
and spreadsheet programs. RFCW has been run under all versions of Windows beginning
with 95, as well as under the Mac OS, and now Linux. Looks like we've got your covered.
7-24-2009
 Now this is truly thinking outside the box.
The Wind Meter iPhone
app measures the volume of the wind on the phone's microphone and converts
it into a wind speed reading. Wind Meter supports multiple units of measure including mi/h,
knots, km/h, Beaufort, and more. Accuracy is not stated, but user testimonials give
it good ratings. For less than a cup of coffee (just 99¢), you can add this handy
function to your iPhone. If I had an iPhone, I'd buy it.
6-26-2009
 Back-to-school
time is upon us once again, and here is an opportunity to put your school spirit
on full display with an item nobody else will have - a custom-made quit. Campus
Quilt Company takes T-shirts and/or other printed items with school emblems, slogans,
club logos, or just about any printed fabric design to have them create a small
lap quilt or a huge king bed quilt. Pillows available too. This service can be used
for other themes as well, like for company or hobby promotion. Maybe send them all
your old 1970s era T-shirts and wax nostalgic.
8-28-2009
 "Turn
out the lights, please, I need to get a WiFi connection." You might be hearing that
if this new form of lighting sees widespread adoption.
Ceravision's Continuum
2.4 uses a 2.4 GHz source to turn a noble gas into a plasma, which then vaporizes
metal halide salts to generate extremely high quality white light. Unlike
CFL bulbs that use poisonous Hg as a catalyst, these light sources are safe
for your physical health. Of course, if they end up compromising your computer's
Internet connection, it could harm your mental health. Ceravision claims the emissions
are within regulation limits.
7-31-2009
 Boasting
6x more efficiency than using a wall charger, a 5-10x improvement in volumetric
energy density, and a 20-40x improvement in gravimetric energy density compared
to a Li-Ion battery,
Lilliputian Systems says its butane-powered mobile device charger
is a clear choice for users tired of battery power running out in the middle of
a meeting or flight. Approved for use on airlines, these units should be available
early next year.
7-3-2009
 The Bionic Man (at least part of him) is finally here. Researchers
are working on a wearable lens that augments the sight of profoundly - but not totally
- blind people. This initial version uses a single LED to provide visual cues. A
wireless controller feeds the signal, and eventually the power, to the contact lens.
Eventually, full-color arrays are envisioned (pun intended). Nice. Warning: don't
look too closely at this picture or it could make your eyes water.
9-4-2009
 My
mouse pad is plain gray, but that is because I am too cheap to buy a really cool
one. A company called IGC has more than 80 science and engineering design mouse
pads to satisfy the technophile nature in you. Colorful circuits, waveforms, 3-D
plots, and equations fill the pads. Maybe it is time to toss out that Dell mouse
pad or the one with the palm tree on the beach and make your nerd fashion statement.
Of course, you could get one of
these.
8-8-2009
 It had to happen sooner or later. The
Pomegranate mobile
phone must have a really good battery to support all its capabilities: GPS navigation,
movie projector, music player, language translator, camera, voice recorder, and
get this - a built-in instant coffee brewer and electric razor. This is the Swiss
Army Knife of phones. The Pomegranate hearkens from Nova Scotia, of all places.
Check it out.
7-10-2009
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