Microwave for Support
American Microwave Corporation (AMC) uses a state-of-the-art clean room to manufacture
all of it's products, as well as a fully automated machine shop. AMC is a leader
in the design and manufacturing of
DC to 40 GHz
solid state control components for commercial and military grades. Products
include PIN diode switches, PIN diode attenuators, detector log video amps (DLVAs),
tunnel diode amps, wideband detectors, power dividers & couplers, and bias "Ts."
Surface Barrier Transistor
According
to the Transistor Museum website, "The Philco
Surface Barrier Transistor (SBT) was the 'hottest'
transistor around until the late 1950s. This device performed very well at high
frequencies and was used extensively in radio and computer circuits. Hobbyists were
delighted to find such an inexpensive high frequency device... [Edwin] Bohr authored
many well-remembered transistor construction projects in the 1950s/60s." Many of
Bohr's construction articles featuring SBTs were published in Radio Electronics
magazine, and this was one of them from 1957. The manufacturing process is described
where jet streams of an electrolyte were shot at both sides of the germanium crystal
to etch it as required - Neanderthal in nature compared to today's...
for Continued Support
Please visit RFIC Solutions in appreciation of their helping to deliver RF Cafe.
RFIC Solutions offers RFIC/MMIC,
Analog, Mixed-Signal, Digital IC and module, RF system design services, RF prototype
board development and RF testing up to 60 GHz. The RFIC team of 40+ staff,
mostly engineers has delivered more than 30 million RF ICs for Wireless LAN, Cordless &
Cellular Phone & wireless apps. The RFIC team has extensive RF industry knowledge
with many years of background in designing and deploying Wireless Systems.
for VSAT, PtP & Radar Markets
Hittite Microwave Corporation, the world class
supplier of complete MMIC based solutions for communication & military markets,
has announced a new GaAs pHEMT MMIC power amplifier and an analog variable gain
amplifier that are ideal for Ka-band VSAT, high capacity microwave radio and radar
systems in the 27.5 to 31 GHz frequency range. The HMC7441 is a three-stage
GaAs pHEMT Power Amplifier which operates between 27.5 and 31 GHz.
The amplifier provides 23 dB of gain and +34 dBm of
saturated output power at 25% PAE from a 6 V supply and output IP3
of +38 dBm.
and Content Manager Needed
Pasternack
Enterprises is searching for a talented Copywriter with RF/Microwave knowledge and
industry experience to develop and maintain an extensive range of information for
the Company. Writing projects will be varied and challenging including the development
of content for the Company's website landing pages, product descriptions, marketing-related
emails, press releases and news pages as well as copy for technical reference materials
such as white papers and glossaries. Our successful candidate will become an integral
part of our professional team of RF engineers and marketers. This position requires
strong technical and product knowledge
NATO Nations
"Supreme
Headquarters Allied Powers Europe" - is that a cool sounding title or what? As an
aficionado of World War II movies and paraphernalia, such terms bring to mind
a consortium of countries and countrymen desperately working and sacrificing together
to fend off ruthless aggressors to preserve their cherished ways of life. The North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949, just a few
years after the end of WWII in order to formalize an agreement to basically cover
each other's butts. To attack any one member was to attack all members, thereby
reducing the chance of onslaught. Part of the strategy included developing and implementing
what would be the most
extensive radio communications in existence at the time. Because
of the great distances that needed to be covered, both over-the-horizon tropospheric
forward scatter and line-of-sight radio relay links were essential...
Product Line
Hittite Microwave Corporation, the world class
supplier of complete MMIC based solutions for communication & military markets,
announced a new Gallium Nitride (GaN) MMIC power amplifier product
which offers significant performance, size and durability advantages for communications,
test instrumentation and radar systems operating in the 6 to 18 GHz frequency range.
The HMC7149 is a 10 W GaN MMIC Power Amplifier which operates
between 6 and 18 GHz. The amplifier typically provides 20 dB of small
signal gain, +40 dBm of saturated output power.
Anatech Electronic
Anatech Electronics has published its November
2013 newsletter. As always, it includes both company news and some tidbits about
relevant industry events, regulations, and standards. This month Sam Benzacar offers
his takes on the subjects of analog voltage-tuned filters, legacy products, reverse microwaves, high-tech
feature phones.
for Long-Time Support!
Applied Computational Sciences has been supporting RF Cafe since 2008. ACS
designs, develops and sells Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software tools
for RF and microwave engineering applications. ACS's main product is the
LINC2 linear circuit simulator and RF Tools products.
Visual System Architect provides a block diagram level system simulator, and
AMP Pro simplifies amplifier design. Bundles on multiple packages
are available. All products run under Windows.
Kickstarter Project
Calculator watches stopped
being a sign of nerd chic a long time ago. If your wrist has been crying out for
a device that declares to the world, "I am a hopeless technophile... and proud of
it!," then this wearable o-scope-in-a-watch might be just the fashion statement
revolution you have been waiting for. For a $99 pledge, you can receive one of the
first prototype as part of Gabriel Anzziani's Kickstarter project (hurry -
only one left as of this writing). Per the website, "The Oscilloscope Watch
has all the features of a modern watch (time, calendar, alarm, etc...)
combined with all the features of the popular
Xprotolab (Oscilloscope, Waveform Generator, Logic Analyzer,
Protocol Sniffer, Frequency Counter). The $60k goal has been met and exceeded.
Its open source code...
Continues Support
TEC has been helping deliver RF Cafe since 2009. "Test Equipment Connection Corporation
is your single source test & measurement solution. We offer over 300 test equipment
manufacturers including Agilent, Tektronix, Anritsu, Rohde & Schwarz, Advantest
and Fluke, plus thousands of new, used, 2nd hand, and refurbished test equipment
products. We buy and sell bench top, general-purpose test and measurement equipment.
$2,000,000 is budgeted each month for the purchase of surplus equipment."
Auto Radio
In
1957, only a top-of-the-line automobile deserved a radio containing 13 discrete
transistors and four crystal diodes. Only buyers of such a top-of-the-line vehicle
could afford the luxury offered by an electronic marvel that promised instant-on
music with superior sensitivity and selectivity over the vacuum tube models that
lesser humans endured.
Delco's Model 7268085 was up to the task as it populated the dashboards
of Cadillac's Eldorado Brougham. Modern day radios use a single IC (e.g.,
NXP SAA7706H) for performing all reception, filtering, amplification, and
tuning functions, with superior performance compared to the Delco without all the
interstage tuning transformers, Rs, Ls, and Cs. Most of the rest of the circuitry
in your car radio is for microprocessor control of the user interface and that single
RFIC.
Software at MWE 2013
AWR Corporation, the innovation leader in high-frequency
EDA Software, will be exhibiting in Booth A505 at the 2013 Microwave Workshops and
Exhibition from November 27 to 29 in Yokohama, Japan. Software demonstrations of
the AWR Design Environment™ will inform and educate attendees about key features
and applications. AWR will participate in the
MWE Workshop #08 on Verification of Accuracy for Electromagnetic
Simulators for Canonical Problems on November 28th. AWR will present "Introduction
to Analyst, AWR's 3D FEM EM Simulator," on November 29th.
Linx Technologies!
Linx has been helping to deliver RF Cafe since 2008. Linx Technologies'
RF
modules, remote controls, evaluation kits and master development systems
feature straightforward hardware configuration and clear documentation, making it
simple for engineers and hobbyists to integrate wireless features without the hassle
and expense of engineering RF functionality from scratch. We also offer design services
including board layout assistance, programming, certification advice and packaging
design.
Buttons - Please Test
I
just added Twitter and LinkedIn buttons to RF Cafe in the horizontal bar underneath
the top menu area. By clicking on them, you activate your account and can automatically
send the page URL to your followers. If possible, I would appreciate your trying
one or both buttons to make sure they are working properly. For some reason they
do not seem to be incrementing even though I have sent out multiple Tweets and LinkedIn
messages when new items are posted on the homepage (like this one).
Each web page is supposed to have its own unique, independent set of counters, so
maybe also try at least one page other than the homepage. Thanks for your help!
Here is another
of the
Electronic Sticklers challenges from Popular Electronics
(see May
Electronic Sticklers). These are fairly basic circuit analysis
problems that often can be solved by inspection, but sometimes a pencil and paper
are necessary. Re-drawing the circuit in a different configuration to make the connections
more obvious often helps when solving total resistance, capacitance, inductance,
etc., as in question #1. In this case, though, you need to be able to recognize
a common configuration to be able to simplify the circuit; otherwise, you'll be
writing and solving mesh equations. #2 has a simple answer and a more elaborate
possibility. #3 and #4 are simple inspection problems.
Featured Book
Chances are if you are reading this, you don't really need
Electronics for Dummies. However, Christmas is coming and
you might considering picking up a copy to gift to a tech-challenged friend or boss,
or maybe to a relative, that always gets the tell-tale deer-in-the-headlights stare
whenever you start explaining what you do for a living or hobby. The "for Dummies"
series is well-known for helping to make complex concepts understandable for laymen.
Appreciation of Support
BRL Test, Inc. is a leading dealer of new and reconditioned
test and measurement equipment.
We buy, sell, rent, lease, repair and calibrate all types of general purpose test
and measurement equipment. BRL Test is your one stop source for over fifty different
manufacturers and thousands of different models – specializing in Agilent, HP, Tektronix,
Fluke, Anritsu, and Rohde & Schwarz. All equipment is calibrated per order at
an ISO9001:2000 Registered and A2LA Accredited facility (Z-540 & 17025),
so you have the added reassurance you are receiving high quality equipment ready
to work right out of the box.
Fluorescent Lamps
Before
there were CFL light bulbs with complicated electronic circuits for generating the
requisite high voltages without a transformer, there were just the familiar straight
fluorescent bulbs that use a simple ballast arrangement and a built-in switch in
the bulb base. As with compact fluorescent (CFL) lights, very few people
understood how they worked. Most knew that the 8-foot-long T-12 bulbs made a really
cool implosion sound when they broke - usually intentionally (by people like
me) since the glass tubes were amazingly tough. I remember many moons ago,
between high school and the time I enlisted in the USAF, while I was an apprentice
electrician working on a renovation job at a public school, a co-gofer and I spent
weeks wiring fluorescent fixtures all throughout the building. We worked atop a
tall scaffolding that was on wheels, pulling ourselves around the room by grabbing
the suspended ceiling grid. When the foreman wasn't around, we relieved our utter
boredom...
Active Limiter
PMI Model No. TD-30T-SHS-218-2G4G-PECL is a high
speed, LVPECL logic output
threshold detector designed to operate from 2.0 to 18.0 GHz,
but optimized for 2.0 to 4.0 GHz. This detector has a propagation delay of
15 ns max and has a LVPECL output.±15 Vdc supply, SMA connectors.
A lot of time can be wasted when performing Internet searches. With tens of thousands
of pages likely containing at least some reference to whatever it is you are looking
for, drilling down into data to retrieve relevant web pages can be difficult or
impossible. Fortunately, if you know about a few handy
special search formats,
you can increase your likelihood of success greatly. Here are a few I use quite
often. Search terms are not case sensitive, but note that the OR operator is. You
may combine any or all of these special operators as long as the syntax rules are
followed. If you don't want to remember all the special search formats, simply type
in "advanced search" to get a search page with all these options implemented. BTW,
one of the best tricks I've discovered...
Who Have Served !!!
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh
month - November 11th, at 11:00 am - that is when the armistice (cease fire)
began in 1918, unofficially ending World War I. This Veteran's Day tribute
is by Canadian citizen Terry Kelly. It was written after an experience he had on
Veterans Day in 1999. Terry went blind at an early age, but has excelled as an athlete
and a musician. "A Pittance of Time" is done in the finest Celtic tradition.
"Right
now, there are about a thousand satellites operating in space. Of those, just two
were designed to be serviced in orbit: the Hubble Space Telescope and the International
Space Station." -
Benjamin Reed, PM of NASA's Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office,
regarding work in progress to built automated robotic satellite service platforms
for repair and refueling satellites not originally designed to be serviced.
Analyzing Comms Signals
U.S. Coast Guard Office of Contract Operations
intends to award a non-competitive sole source purchase order to Rohde & Schwarz,
for
PR-100 portable receivers (with options) and
GX430 digital decoding software (with options). The
statutory authority permitting Other than Full and Open Competition is 10 U.S.C.
2304(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other
Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. Together, the products can
be used for capture, analysis, classification, demodulation and decoding of digital
and analog IF signals.
for Continued Support!
Since 1985, Apex Wireless has offered consulting, engineering, and design services focusing on high-performance,
cost-optimized products that employ wireless RF transmitters, receivers, and transceivers.
To complement our RF design expertise, we work with local experts in DSP, ultra
low power design, packaging, certification, and manufacturing. Apex Wireless handles
the complete design and production cycle, or any part of it - electrical, mechanical,
packaging, sourcing, certification, and management.
Satellite in Real-Time
The N2YO website provides
real-time mappings of many satellites, including the ESA's
Gravity
Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) platform,
which, as I write this, is deciding whose front lawn to fall onto. The only thing
about the satellite's destiny known for certain is that sometime between Sunday
afternoon and Monday morning, it will come plunging to Earth in a fiery re-entry,
hopefully burning up into small enough chunks to not cause any damage on the ground.
If you or anyone you know is hit by a piece of the debris, take comfort in knowing
that you can probably sue your country's government for damages. "Basically, governments
are responsible for their own spacecraft," explained...
Puzzle for November 10, 2013
This week's RF Engineering
crossword puzzle is a bit larger than normal, so you'll need to budget a little
more time in the corporate reading room to complete it. As usual, only words related
to engineering, science, mathematics, physics, etc., are used. If you want to de-throne
those folks in management and sale of a know-it-all attitude for being able to complete
the 'other' crosswords that use movie star and fashion designer names, leave a copy
of this puzzle in a strategic location in the men's and women's resting areas.
Simpson
Electric is a name most RF Cafe visitors are probably familiar with as being
the maker of high quality analog multimeters, with the Simpson 260 line being the
most famous (it is still manufactured today). Not as many people, however,
know that Simpson also used to make
oscilloscopes. This article from Popular Electronics was written
by a Simpson Electric engineer whose job was, in part, to respond to questions asked
by users. It covers basic operations like how to calibrate the display, adjust
the horizontal time base and vertical amplitude scales, and how
to synchronize the display with the input signal. Some explanation of how to interpret
periodic and pulse type waveforms is provided as well as tips on how to avoid overloading
and possibly...
Workshop in Brazil & Argentina
AWR Corporation, the innovation leader in high-frequency
EDA Software, is co-hosting with CST and National Instruments a complimentary series
on high-frequency design, simulation, and test workshops in Brazil
and Argentina this month. The workshop brings to South American designers hands-on
insight into the world of simulation for RF and microwave circuits and systems as
well as 3D electromagnetic analysis using AWR and CST software. Attendees will also
be introduced to the National Instruments' PXI platform for RF measurements.
Coupler & 3 New Filters
Anatech Electronics has released new designs for
a 800-2500 MHz 10 dB directional coupler, a 728 to 734 MHz cavity
bandpass filter, and a 1710 to 1785 MHz/1805 to 1880 MHz cavity duplexer,
and a 2412 MHz cavity bandpass filter for Wi-Fi Hotspots. All can be ordered
directly through their AMCrf
web store.
News & Tips
About once a month I scan the Internet
for useful articles on career news and tips. Here are a few new ones.
-
5 Branding Mistakes You
Didn't Know You Were
Making
-
Demand for Engineering
Jobs Grows in 2013
-
U.S. Investigating
"Onshoring" Firms for Visa
Misuse
- 5 Job Search Tips for
Engineers
-
Corporate Recruiters Insist
There Really Is a STEM
Worker Shortage
-
Tips to Use LinkedIn
Effectively for Job Hunting
-
10 Job Search Tips for
Introverts
-
How's the Engineering Job
Market? Depends on Whom
You Ask
Conquer Radio Frequency
Dr. Fornetti personally provided
the copy of
Conquer Radio Frequency that was used to create this quiz,
and has authorized me to include it in the monthly Book Drawing. His video to the
right provides a great introduction to the book and to the very well-done set of
instructional videos featured on the included DVD. AWR's Microwave Office software
is used throughout the tutorials. A live, narrated, step-by-step process is fully
captured on-screen so you see how to create the circuit schematic, set up the component
parameters for simulation and optimization, specify graph and table types and how
to designation input files, configure input stimulus, and how to interpret the results
of the simulation. It is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with where to
find everything in MWO's menu and toolbar structure...
Electron-coupled
oscillators (ECOs) were a real breakthrough in achieving frequency
stability in harsh environments that included mechanical vibration, temperature
excursions, power supply variations, and load changes. Use of vacuum tubes made
the task even more challenging. Such oscillators were necessarily very expensive
compared to less sophisticated designs. Henry E. Rice Jr., W9YZH, introduced his
"Rice Variarm" model (aka the Millen Model 90700) at a breakthrough
price of just $29.50, which in 2013 money equates to $469.89 per the U.S. BLS
Inflation Calculator. That is a lot of moola for amateur radio
operators even today. The arm sticking out of the case is for adjusting the frequency.
"The typical new car today generates 15 gigabytes
(109) of information per hour - a number that's
climbing as sensors proliferate. A little back-of-the-napkin figuring suggests that
250 million such vehicles would produce around 2000 exabytes (0.002 yottabyte)
per year, most of which never leave the car. But that's changing." So said Frank
Markus in the September 2013 edition of Motor Trend magazine. His article titled,
"You Car's Contribution to the 'Big
Data' Cloud," does a nice job in explaining the immense amount of digital data
generated by a new car's computer system. The numbers include everything from tire
pressure sensors sending metrics via Bluetooth to fuel injection and entertainment
systems. Smart headlights, auto-dimming rear view mirrors, self-parking algorithms
and gesture sensing make it easy to believe the numbers. Coming soon to a vehicle
near you is a personal health vital signs...
The late 1950s and
early 1960s were the dawn of the Space Age, beginning unofficially with the launch
of Sputnik. Popular Electronics put a lot of effort into educating the
public on advances in
space electronics, including not just the spaceborne platforms,
but also ground tracking and communicating equipment. Much hardware was launched
into orbit in the early years without giving much thought to the hazards or space
debris. Failures in the form of explosions scattered chunks widely, but fortunately
most were low enough to have their orbits degrade and re-enter the atmosphere. One
interesting tidbit reported in this article that I didn't know was that the TV camera
lens on the TIROS 2 weather satellite was defocused during launch (due
to positional shifting from vibration and G forces, I suppose) and crippled
the image quality severely.
w/Smartphone Manufacturers
Skyworks Solutions today announced that HTC and Samsung are ramping
SkyOne™, a highly customizable, fully optimized front-end solution,
in several of their recent smartphone launches. The SkyOne™ platform, which
integrates all RF and analog content between the transceiver and antenna, reduces
complexity, size and time-to-market for customers with demanding architectures for
advanced mobile applications. Utilizing Skyworks' full technology portfolio and
advanced multichip module capabilities including proprietary shielding and packaging,
SkyOne™ is the world's first semiconductor device to condense multiband power amplifiers
and high throw switches along with all associated filtering, duplexing and control
functionality into a single, ultra-compact package.
RF test
engineer Joe Cahak, owner of Sunshine Design Engineering Services, recently had
a photovoltaic panel system installed on his southern California
home. After much research and running through return on investment (RoI)
calculations, he made the decision to invest in a state-of-the-art system by Semper
Solaris in San Diego. If you have not looked into modern PV technology, you might
be surprised - as was I - to learn that rather than all the panels feeding their
DC outputs into a common AC inverter that handles phasing issues with the street
service, instead each panel has its own inverter and phase matching circuit so everything
simply feeds into a 2-pole circuit breaker. Doing so eliminates single point failures
and allows graceful degradation if necessary rather than taking down the entire
system. Joe has provided a very nicely done write-up on the system and its installation.
(RadioMap) Program
A project is underway
by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to provide a real-time
map (RadioMap)
of where over-the-air broadcasts are occurring. The idea is to create a Google Maps
type graphical interface where a network of 'sensors' that includes special purpose
and otherwise deployed devices will report to a central data collection point to
provide situational awareness for where and when (and by whom in some cases)
specific frequencies are being occupied. Proposals are being accepted for companies
wanting to contribute to the program, so this might be a great opportunity for makers
of software defined radios (SDR) to build functionality into systems
for accommodating such detection and reporting...
for Economical Solutions
Linx Technologies announces its launch of the
high performance, low cost
RM Global Positioning System receiver modules. Using the built-in
MediaTek MT3337 chipset, The RM module can simultaneously acquire on 66 channels
and track on up to 22 channels, providing standard NMEA data messages through a
UART interface. A simple serial command set can be used to configure optional features.
The RM receiver module is a cost-effective GPS solution. It offers no-frills, basic
operation in a compact 15 mm by 13 mm package.
RF Cafe Featured Product
No, this is not a phone or GPS device. It is a handheld digital oscilloscope
(DSO) with a 1 MHz bandwidth, 2.8" color LCD, max sample rate of 1 Msps
with 12 bits of resolution, and a USB interface (not needed for operation).
For a mere $70 you get the
DSO201 and a test probe. For $162 you can get a 4-channel version
(DSO203) with a 72 MHz analog bandwidth. Here is a
YouTube
video demonstrating both o-scopes' capabilities.
Electronic mail
did not start out as we know it today, whereby anyone with access to an Internet-connected
device can compose and send a typed message to a similarly equipped receiver. The
first electronic mail message was sent (and received) on November 1,
1960, between post offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Illinois. This article
from Popular Electronics takes you on a step-by-step tour of how the
Speed Mail system worked, including its dedicated shortwave radio
links between participating cities. Great care was taken in an attempt to assure
message confidentiality by having the letter opened and scanned automatically inside
a sealed machine on the transmit end and then printed and placed in a sealed envelope
on the receive end. Knowing what we know now about government snooping, you have
to wonder if a copy of each message was routed...
You Buy, Read, or Watch
An
RF Cafe visitor sent me a link to an article showing how most of what we buy at
a grocery store is under the auspices of a mere
16 conglomerates. It is amazing - and scary - just how much corporate
consolidation has occurred in the last couple decades. News reports mention all
the bankruptcies, buyouts, and mergers throughout each year, but unless you are
paying attention to such matters, it is easy to not notice what is happening. Did
you know, for instance, that Pepsico owns and therefore controls among other companies
Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut, Aunt Jemima and Cap'n Crunch, Doritos and
Ruffles, Dole and even - believe it or not - Pepsi. Proctor & Gamble owns Mr.
Clean and Bounty, Tide and Ivory, Cover Girl and Olay, Charmin and Old Spice. Kraft
controls Ritz and Planters, Jell-O and Cool Whip, Dr. Pepper and Sunkist, Certs
and Chiclets, Oscar Meyer and Honey Maid. The list goes on and on...
Engineering Opportunity
This opportunity is open to either new EE/EET electronics graduates, experienced
RF / wireless technicians with 1 year min experience seeking a full or part time
job, or current EE/EET students seeking a paid internship or a part time / co-op
job. The RF test and general engineering technician will work primarily in product
test where RF amplifiers are tested and tuned prior to shipment. No experience is
necessary and all training will be provided, however, it is necessary that the applicant
be proficient in basic electrical concepts and circuits. In addition to RF test
the job involves assisting design engineering with parts purchases, light electronic
assembly (prototyping) and engineering documentation and database update
tasks.
Appreciation of Their Support
Since our inception in 1996 in Korea, ISOTEC has been a leading manufacturer
of RF and Microwave Connectors
such as SMA, MCX, SSMB, etc., and RF Components such as Attenuators, Terminations,
etc., for wireless service providers, etc. We provide recognized and trusted products
and service to our customers in more than 30 countries worldwide. ISOTEC offers
also an extensive product mix with RF Filters and Multiplexers etc. ISOTEC is ISO9000
and ISO14000 certified factory.
"The Big Breaker Mistake"
Most of us have heard tell
of people sticking a penny in a
screw-in
glass fuse holder slot in an old fuse panel when either a replacement fuse is
not available or when the correct amperage fuse keeps blowing. Neither reason is
acceptable under any conditions, but the latter reason to avoid replacing a fuse
that keeps blowing is especially stupid. Fuses blow and circuit breakers trip usually
because something is wrong and needs attention. This installation of EDN's
"Tales from the Cube" feature shows how truly stupid people can thwart virtually
any measure of safety when it comes to electricity.
"Everyone
is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them." "I'm not a genius.
I'm just a tremendous bundle of experience."
- R. Buckminster Fuller
This
appeared in the November 2013 edition of
The Good Life,
a local newspaper of northern Michigan. Each monthly edition is chock full of not
just news and advertisements, but also scores of jokes and riddles. "Okay, I'm five-foot-three
and pleasingly plump. Recently, after I had a minor accident, my mother accompanied
me to the emergency room. The ER nurse asked for my height and weight, and I responded
in a serious tone, 'Five-foot-eight, 125 pounds.' While the nurse pondered this
information, my mother...
Bonus riddle: How do the guys in a close-knit group of technology refer to each
other?
Crossword for 11/3/2013
Every Sunday I
create a crossword puzzle using a word list that I personally created and added
to during over a decade of making puzzles. All of the words are related to engineering,
science, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, etc. There are no numbnut clues about
movie stars or clothing designers. Enjoy.
Resistances in Radio
You've
heard of 'Litz' wire, right? It's the twisted bundle of multiple enamel or
otherwise coated wire used for making couplers, antennas, and at frequencies up
to about a couple MHz. Congratulations, but did you know the full name for
it is 'Litzendraht?' Neither did I until after reading this article.
'Litzendraht' is the German word meaning 'braided wire' or 'woven wire.' Litz by
itself means braided or woven. So, technically if you call it Litzendraht wire,
you are being redundant since it is the same as saying woven wire wire. That might
save you some embarrassment one day if you happen to be working around a German
techie. Litzendraht is used in order to exploit the skin effect at high frequencies
where the majority of the current is conducted on the wire's surface. Using multiple
insulated wires enables greater current carrying capability than an equivalent diameter
single solid wire. While dispensing trivia, note also the use of the term 'B. &
S.' gauge for wire...
for the Experimenter
"Kink" is not
a word you hear very often anymore in reference to having a problem in a process
or task, but it turns up fairly regularly in hobby and do-it-yourself types of magazines
as "Hints and Kinks" columns. Having a kink in the neck or a kink
in the garden hose are more familiar uses of the word. "Kink" appears in QST, my
older model airplane magazines, in some of the Popular Electronics magazines, and
likely in many others. "Hints and Kinks" type columns typically are collections
of ideas submitted by readers explaining how they solved a particular problem or
how they came up with a new way of doing something. Some are outdated but many are
timeless in their application and usefulness. I put all the ones here in to the
latter category.
Smart Wig
"Wearable computing device,
comprising a wig that is adapted to cover at least a part of a head of a user, at
least one sensor for providing input data, a processing unit that is coupled to
the at least one sensor for processing said input data, and a communication interface
that is coupled to the processing unit for communicating with a second computing
device. The[sic] at least one sensor, the processing unit and the communication
interface are arranged in the wig and at least partly covered by the wig in order
to be visually hidden during use." That is the description of patent application
#20130311132 submitted to the USPTO by Sony Corporation on November 21st of this
year. Features include, but are not limited to, wireless communications from an
onboard microprocessor to...
Aug 1960 Popular Electronics
You have to be careful
when working this crossword puzzle from the August 1960 edition of Popular Electronics
because in one instance the name of a certain federal agency has changed since then,
and in another instance the element cited as being "commonly used" no longer is.
It will add to the challenge, which, honestly, is not all that great. I did not
have the magazine page with the solution available when posting this so I had to
work the puzzle myself to create a solution.
Many years have
passed since I sat in a college classroom to learn about
transistor fundamentals. The industry had long moved past germanium
transistors and was solidly into silicon. Having been formally introduced
to transistors in the USAF, I was familiar with their functionality from a technician's
perspective of checking for gain, proper bias (as indicated on "educated" schematics),
and determining go-no-go health by performing a front-to-back resistance measurement
using an ohmmeter. Holes, energy bands, gate widths, and doping levels were first
encountered in solid state physics class, however. This article does a nice job
of introducing the terms and concepts at a layman's level. I actually found the
vacuum tube circuits in our radar unit easier to troubleshoot than transistor circuits,
partially because I had a little experience with them prior to enlistment and also
because the point-to-point component mounting made it easy to isolate or remove
components...
Multiphysics FEM EM Solver
AWR Corporation, the innovation leader in high-frequency
EDA software, announces the release of v11 Analyst-MP™ -
multiphysics finite
element method (FEM) electromagnetic (EM) analysis software. Analyst-MP is an
application-specific product offering from AWR that leverages the capabilities within
its Analyst™ 3D FEM EM simulation and analysis software while targeting big, multiphysics
applications like particle accelerators. Analyst-MP's diverse and unique solver
technologies are the result of more than a decade of development in collaboration
with the U.S. DOD
1960 Popular Electronics
Like
a fool, many years ago I donated a perfectly fine
vacuum tube tester that had been given to me by an über-engineer/ham
I worked with during the time (nearly 30 years ago) I was restorating my first vintage
tube radio. Bad move. It was a really nice tester: a B&K Model 650 Dyna-Quik
Dynamic Mutual Conductance Tube & Transistor Tester. It was sold shortly after
I had also given away as a wedding gift the Crosley floor console radio that I restored.
Another bad move. Now, many moons later, I am working to restore yet another Crosley
tube radio and I sure wish I had held on to it. Similar tube testers are routinely
selling on eBay for $100-$200. At some point I'll buy another tube tester, maybe...
for Doppler Radar Systems
PMI Model No. PIFA-9D4G-1D8G-1 is an
integrated frequency down converter used within Doppler Radar
Systems. The RF Input is 9.4 GHz ±30 MHz with an input dynamic range
of 100 to 0dBm. The LO Input is 2.803 GHz ±15 MHz with a power
level of +5 to +7 dBm. The resulting IF Output Frequency is 1.8 GHz ±10 MHz. The
RF to IF gain is 10 dB to 13 dB. This module incorporates internal
RF, IF and LO filtering and amplification for optimum out of band rejection. Group
delay ripple from RF to IF Output is less than 0.1 ns over a 20 MHz bandwidth.
in Appreciation of Support
Vector Telecom has fully instrumented microwave, millimeterwave, antenna laboratories
and production facilities. A wide selection of
waveguide straight and curved
plumbing sections, couplers, dividers, attenuators, circulators, terminations,
and rotary joints are available. Their professional engineers have backgrounds from
telecommunications, electronics, space and aviation industries. Frequencies up to
50 GHz, at globally competitive prices. Custom designs available.
c2013
Unless you use
handheld calculators
on a regular basis, you might be inclined to wonder why someone wouldn't simply
use a computer, tablet, smartphone, etc., for routine calculations. After all, the
software available for and the computational power of even a nothing-special computer
greatly outperforms the most powerful handheld calculator, right? The simple answer
is that when you are working in a confined space as is often the case at a classroom
desk or in a research and development lab, finding a place to sit down and use a
notebook or tablet computer can be challenging. There is also an advantage in having
a device specially built with a custom ASIC and populated with optimized software
that covers a wide range of computational...
Step-Down Converter
Skyworks Solutions, Inc. introduces a µSwitcher™
step-down converter for space-constrained, portable applications including Bluetooth®
headsets, smartphones, digital cameras, hard-disk drives, portable media players
and other battery-operated handheld computers/peripherals. The SKY87250 is a highly
efficient, low-supply regulator with integrated inductor housed in a compact package.
Given its ultra-small footprint, integrated inductor and capacitance, the converter
is easy to design in and requires very little support.
Nonlinear RF Circuits and Nonlinear Vector Network Analyzers: Interactive
Measurement and Design Techniques, by Patrick Roblin. "With increasingly low-cost
and power-efficient RF electronics demanded by today's wireless communication systems,
it is essential to keep up to speed with new developments. This book presents key
advances in the field that you need to know about and emerging patterns in large-signal
measurement techniques, modeling and nonlinear circuit design theory supported by
practical examples. Topics covered include large-signal measurement techniques that
have become available with the introduction of NVNAs, direct extraction of device
models from large-signal RF dynamic load lines, X-parameters and more.
We have long
known that activity on our sun affects electromagnetic communications. Energetic
particles, primarily electrons, explode from the sun's surface (coronal mass ejections
and flares) and are hurled at blazing speeds towards the earth at an
average speed of around 424 km/s (263 mi/s). They begin affecting
our upper atmosphere about four days later by ionizing atoms, thereby altering electrical
conduction properties. This in turn determines how and whether electromagnetic signals
either pass through the atmosphere into space or get refracted (bent) back down
toward Earth. Long distance communications in particular are effected, but often
even local communications are impacted as well. Some events have little effect,
some cause minor...
for Continued Support!
For over 40 years KR Electronics has designed and manufactured high quality
RF and microwave filters for
the commercial and military markets. KR Electronics manufactures all filter
types and individually synthesizes filters for special applications. State
of the art computer synthesis, analysis and test methods are used to meet the most
challenging specifications for all standard filter types as well as linear phase,
constant group delay, video, sin(x)/x, root & full cosine, pulse & step
response, and nearly any custom requirement.
Handsomely from Student Loans
The Federal
Government profited $41.3 billion on student loans in fiscal year 2013, down $3.6
billion from 2012. That's good news, right, the government making a profit on something
for a change? Yes, except for one major fact: The
student loan
business was completely stolen by the Fed from private lending institutions
in 2010. Wouldn't it be nice if you could simply seize control over an already profitable
industry and claim it as your own? Venezuela has been doing that a lot lately. If
you or your child is a student who needs money for school, you now have one place
to go; that evil free market greed by companies harboring an evil
profit motive have been removed from the equation. Oh, wait... What is not factored
into those numbers...
from Space Station (ISS)
Is this a
cool photo or what? Shown are three student-built Cubesats being deployed from the
end of the International Space Station's (ISS) robotic arm. The shape of the launch
mechanism reminds me of a 3-pin, single row Molex or Amp (like used on you PC's
hard drive) power connector. "The
CubeSat Project is an international collaboration of over 40 universities,
high schools, and private firms developing picosatellites containing scientific,
private, and government payloads. A CubeSat is a 10 cm cube with a mass of up to
1.33 kg. Developers benefit from the sharing of information within the community.
Resources are available by communicating directly with other developers and attending
CubeSat workshops."
- Eugene Wigner -
"The
Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences" - title of article
by theoretical physicist and mathematician
Eugene Wigner. It is part of the title of his book (out of print),
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences, in Communications
in Pure and Applied Mathematics, vol. 13, No. I (February 1960),
John Wiley & Sons.
Some of these offerings are sample chapters from books while others are stand-alone
resources from
TradePub. I make a few pennies (literally) off each item you download. The price
you pay is giving them your e-mail, but to date I have never had a complaint. Thanks.
Resumes for Dummies, 6th Edition - Free Sample
Chapter
Cover Letters for Dummies, 3rd Edition - Free
Sample Chapter
Job Interviews for Dummies, 4th Edition -
Free Sample Chapter
10 Tips and Techniques For More Effective
Presentations
Photoshop CS6 Unlocked: 101 Tips, Tricks, &
Techniques - Free 61 Page Preview
Wiley's Career Book Bundle - A Free 207 Page
Sampler
Crossword Puzzle
For the sake of
avid cruciverbalists, each week I create a new crossword puzzle that has a theme
related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical words.
You will never be asked the name of a movie star unless he/she was involved in a
technical endeavor (e.g., Hedy Lamar). Enjoy!
If you are an audiophile,
you probably have spent a lot of effort setting up your home entertainment system,
car system, and maybe even your portable music player. You know all about how to
select speakers, where to place them, the kind of wire and connectors to use,
treble, midtone, and bass equalization. You know what you like, but the way you
perceive sounds is not the way many other people do. Even if your hearing follows
a 'normal' response curve per
standardized audio tests, personal preferences vary widely in
part because the way brains are wired (speed of sound processing, preferred musical
style, state of mind - maybe you're insane) and in part because of the impact of
sound waves upon your body (soft tissue and bone pressure wave conduction, clothing
worn). Pitch, timbre, tone, and loudness has been extensively studied and quantified.
While three of the four are purely objective measurements...
"The Store"
"My
husband wants a selenimum rectalfire, a silicode capasitator, and a 16 bome appleflyer."
That is the caption of one of the "Hobnobbing with Harbaugh," comics that appeared in the June 1962
edition of Popular Electronics magazine. "Hobnobbing with Harbaugh" was
a monthly feature for a couple years that dealt with stereotypical (pun intended)
behavior of technophiles and their often unwilling, often unwitting wives, girlfriends,
kids, parents, workmates, and neighbors.
Microwave for Support
Wenteq has helped deliver RF Cafe since 2009. "We provide a wide range of high
quality RF and microwave
products with quick delivery time at very competitive low prices. Our products
include coaxial connectors and adapters, circulators, isolators, low noise amplifiers,
power amplifiers, broadband amplifiers, terminations and more, covering the frequency
range of 100 MHz to 110 GHz. We also provide technical consulting services
and engineering contracts which include antenna design, electromagnetic structural
analysis, and low cost manufacturing of RF/microwave circuits and systems."
for November 2013
For your professional edification
and reading enjoyment, I suggest the following from MW&RF, EDN, and MPD Digest:
-
Check for Co-Existence
Between LTE and Radar,
by Greg Jue
-
So You Think You
Understand Transmission
Lines, by Eric Bogatin
-
Understanding
Measurement Uncertainties
in Spectrum Analysis,
by Bob Nelson
-
Evaluate EDA Software for
a Wireless World,
by Stephen Maas
-
Analyzing the Role of Local
Oscillator Phase Noise in
Reciprocal Mixing,
by Dale Henkes
-
Analog Fundamentals:
Instrumentation for
Impedance Measurement,
Rob Reeder
& Science Doodles
Do you remember seeing a cool
Doodle on the Google search page and would like to find it again? Would you like
to see not only the Doodle that piqued your interest, but ALL of the Doodles that
Google has ever published? You can do that, but what might be more useful would
a page full of all the technology- and science-related Doodles or some other specific
topic. Fortunately, there is an easy way to find what you want by going to the Google
website and typing "google
doodles" into the search box. Once you get there, enter the specific event that
interests you. Doodles have been created to commemorate, among other topics, Robert
Noyce's Birthday, the Large Hadron Collider, and the Invention of the First Laser.
Some, like the 25th Anniversary of the Buckyball, are animated. If you happen to
be interested in seeing the Google Doodle for Canada Day , Bruce Lee's 125th Birthday
, or Thanksgiving Day - all worthy Doodles - then add the name of your sought-after...
as an Advertiser !!!
Excel-Wireless is a solution provider with many years of experience in the
cellular amplification and
wireless communications industry, serving private companies, universities, military
and government agencies. Cellphone signal boosters, antennas, cable assemblies,
and WiFi/WLAN network equipment are among our offerings. We stand behind our products
offering full service warranty, return and replacement, and installation support.
We can produce up to 10,000 pieces of different cable assemblies every day.
Not many factories can do that!
for Continued Support!
Innovative Power Products has been with RF Cafe since early 2008. Innovative
Power Products has more than 25 years of experience designing and manufacturing
RF Passive Components. Our RF couplers,
combiners, resistors, and terminations incorporate the latest technology in
materials available, which equates to unrivaled product performance. Please call
1-631-563-0088 to speak to an experienced Design Engineer about your upcoming project.
Electromagnetic Radiations
You
cannot buy this amazing
Chart
of Electromagnetic Radiations anymore, but thanks to the folks at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, extremely high resolution image files of it have been placed
on the flickr website. The chart showed up in Popular Science magazine recently.
W.M. Welch Manufacturing Company originally sold the wall poster in 1944, so the
content does not reflect knowledge gained in the last seven decades, but its sheer
artistic beauty and amazing content is enough to bring a tear to a technophile's
normally staid eye. Even if you do not print out and hang it on your office wall,
you owe it to yourself to at look at the 10000x6958-pixel version...
from IEEE JobSite
This
time I have some items from the IEEE JobSite newsletter for you, in case you are
not a subscriber.
-
The No. 1 Reason
Employers Can't Find the
Right Talent
-
Work-Life Law Coming to
a
City Near You
-
How to Make Your Resume
or CV Age Anonymous
- Asia-Pacific – Open for
Business, and Tech Jobs
-
War for Talent Continues
for Engineers in Europe
Rectifiers Advertisement
I
have to admit that when I saw this large advertisement for the
Sarkes Tarzian company in Radio & TV News, I didn't
recall ever having heard of the company. According to Wikipedia, "Sarkes Tarzian
(1900-1987) was an American engineer, inventor, and broadcaster... He attended the
University of Pennsylvania and received an undergraduate degree in 1924 and a graduate
degree in 1927. Tarzian worked for the Atwater Kent company and then for RCA...
He founded the manufacturing company Sarkes Tarzian Enterprises in 1944, and was
involved in early experiments in VHF audio broadcasting in 1946... In 1949 he started
television station WTTV...
Microwave Technology !!!
Agile Microwave Technology is the newest company to join supporters of the RF
Cafe website. Without their backing, RF Cafe would not exist. Please show your appreciation
by taking a moment to visit Agile Microwave Technology's website to see whether
they might be of use to your project for RF amplifiers, switches, limiters, multipliers and mixers up to
40 GHz. "Our founders have over 100 man-years of experience designing, developing,
manufacturing, marketing and providing innovative solutions to the industry. Higher
Performance at Lower Cost through Innovative Engineering."
Apologies
to Ford and Chrysler aficionados for not having similar articles for your classic
automobiles, but this article from a 1957 edition of Radio & TV News
only covers
Chevrolet radios. Maybe someday I will acquire editions with other
models. Transistors were fairly recent newcomers on the portable radio scene (on
any radio scene for that matter), so you will please excuse the absence of them
in most radios of the era. In fact, as evidenced by a companion article in this
same edition titled "Delco's All-Transistor Auto Radio," such newfangled devices
like transistors were reserved for top-of-the-line models like Cadillac's Eldorado
Brougham. A move toward printed circuit boards, rather than the time-honored point-to-point
wiring, was well underway, and push-button tuning was being sold to the car buying
public as an indispensible safety feature - the "hands-free" feature of yesteryear.
Even though push button tuning with memory (albeit mechanical) for storing station
locations had been around for a long time in tabletop and floor model console home
radios...
today's engineer
Here
are a few worthwhile new news stories from the IEEE USA's today's engineer
newsletter.
- Federally Funded Research:
The Key to Unexpected
(and valuable) Discoveries
- Egos in Action: My Idea is
Way Better Than Yours!
- Why Do Managers Believe
a Skills Gap Exists?
- Science in Trouble?
-
Free Webinar: Career
Management
High-Frequency Module Design
AWR Corporation offers the second in a series
of white papers addressing RF/Microwave design flow issues. This latest offering,
"EDA
Software Design Flow Considerations for the RF/Microwave Module Designer," outlines
the steps for implementing an integrated design flow within the Microwave Office®
design suite for an MCM microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) design. This
white paper is a follow on to "RF/Microwave EDA Software Design Flow Considerations
for PA MMIC Design," which examines GaAs pHEMT PA design approach from a systems
perspective
The
Civil Air Patrol (CAP), being made primarily of volunteer, unpaid
airmen and officers, has been serving the country since World War II. Many
members use (or at one time used) their own aircraft and radio gear in the service
of the country. Per the CAP website, "In the late 1930s, more than 150,000 volunteers
with a love for aviation argued for an organization to put their planes and flying
skills to use in defense of their country. As a result, the Civil Air Patrol
was born one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thousands of volunteer
members answered America's call to national service and sacrifice by accepting and
performing critical wartime missions. Assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction
of the Army Air Corps, the contributions of Civil Air Patrol, including logging
more than...
Transistor Amplifiers
Fundamentals of RF and Microwave Transistor Amplifiers, by Inder
Bahl. "This book provides state-of-the-art coverage of RF and microwave transistor
amplifiers, including low-noise, narrowband, broadband, linear, high-power, high-efficiency,
and high-voltage. Topics covered include modeling, analysis, design, packaging,
and thermal and fabrication considerations. Through a unique integration of theory
and practice, readers will learn to solve amplifier-related design problems ranging
from matching networks to biasing and stability. More than 240 problems are included
to help readers test their basic amplifier and circuit design skills-and more than
half of the problems feature fully worked-out solutions...
This
electronics analogy quiz is a little easier than a few of the
others published in Popular Electronics because all of the electrical and
mechanical objects depicted here are very familiar. The concepts might seem trivial
to those of us who have been immersed in the science for decades, but I for one
can remember when first hearing these analogies how helpful they were. Not only
that, but I also recall during physics and mechanics courses in college being amazed
at the similarity of equations shared by electrical and mechanical processes.
A Carl and Jerry Adventure
In
"The River Sniffer," our intrepid sleuthing heroes
Carl and Jerry apply their electronics prowess and lessons remembered
from chemistry class in order to catch polluters who are dumping chemicals into
the river where they like to fish. I always like being reminded of something long
forgotten when reading an article, and this one did not disappoint. Do you recall
what 'pH' stands for as a measure acidity or alkalinity? It means 'potential
Hydrogen ion concentration.' Don't thank me if it jogged your memory
as well - thank Carl and Jerry.
"I
am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer -- born under
the second law of thermodynamics, steeped in the steam tables, in love with free-body
diagrams, transformed by Laplace, and propelled by compressible flow." -
Neil Armstrong
(I had forgotten about free-body diagrams in Statics class!)
from Your Military Unit
If you are getting
nostalgic in your old age and want to reclaim some of your past military duty history,
one possible venue is eBay. A fellow USAF radar shop technician recently wrote to
ask if I would be willing to part with one of my
5th Combat Communications
Group (aka 5th Mob) patches as displayed on my web page dedicated to the radar
shop at Robins AFB, Georgia. Since I only have one of each patch, I decided to look
on eBay to see what might be available, although admittedly with little expectation
that any of the patches would be show up. To my surprise, not only were patches
available, but other kinds of paraphernalia like basketball team jerseys (I didn't
know the 5th Mob had one), coffee cups, pens, hats, and other stuff. I had
no idea that there was an Association of Old Crows (AOC) patch for Robins Air Force
Base. If I can...
Crossword for 11/17/2013
Take a break
and work this week's microwave engineering themed crossword puzzle. All the words
are pulled from a hand-built list of terms, names, and abbreviations that have only
to do with science, mathematics, and engineering. If you want a crossword with names
of movie stars and obscure countries, try the local newspaper. If you want to exercise
your nerd knowledge, this is the one for you.
Almost without exception when there is a breaking
news story about some schmo being arrested for committing a crime, reporters find
neighbors who say they were taken totally by surprise because the accused is such
a nice guy and keeps to himself, volunteers at the food pantry, etc. There was never
any sign that the guy (or gal) might be on the verge of robbing a bank, embezzling
church funds, or kidnapping a couple neighborhood children. It has happened often
enough that I have adopted the philosophy that you can never really know someone
unless you live with him/her for a long time and are aware of all activities. Such
a surprise happened to Melanie and me a few days ago. The dentist we have...
RBO-2 Radio Restorations/p>
RF Cafe
visitor and occasional contributor Gary S. just sent me photos of two fine
looking vintage U.S. Navy radios that he restored to working order. The condition
of the front panels on both radios is amazingly good. Here is Gary's Tale of
Two Radios. "I thought I would share with you my latest refurbished WW-II Navy
receivers I acquired last spring. I say refurbished because I do what repairs are
needed to get them operational again and then clean them up a bit. I consider
a restoration to mean made to work and look like new again using original parts
if they are available. The first receiver is the
Hammarlund RBG-2 general coverage HF communications receiver.
It covers from 540 kc to 32 mc. They didn't use Hertz in those days. It is
basically an HQ-120X beefed up to Navy specs...
