Could this be the world's
first publically documented produced rack-mounted
AC power strip? The National Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts, which began life as the National Toy Company, ran
a long series of advertisements in QST and other electronics magazines that were heavy on text and light on pictures
- definitely not the norm in advertising. This one, number 62, from a 1939 issue describes, along with a reference frequency
oscillator, how their engineering team fabricated what we now call an AC power strip for use in an equipment rack. According
to the sketch provided, there does not appear to be an On/Off switch and almost certainly not any form of surge protection
as is common (maybe even required by UL) for modern power strips
...
My
first thought when seeing this headline was, 'as opposed to wired communications with the aircraft?' The story is referring
to en route traffic and weather data that requires a high-speed communications link heretofore not available to high speed
aircraft. "For the first time ever, a team of engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center conveyed aviation data - including
route options and weather information - to an airplane over a
wireless communication system for aircraft on the ground. The demonstration, which was conducted at
Glenn's Communications, Navigation and Surveillance
..."
If you like pictures of sehr cool-looking
devices involving vacuum-filled (an oxymoron?) glass enclosures, i.e., lamps and tubes, then
you will want to spend a few minutes perusing the personal collection of Giorgio Basile, of Nivelles, Belgium. Per the homepage
of his Lamps & Tubes website: "My collection consists
of more than 3,500 lamps and vacuum tubes. This is a wide area! In addition to well known incandescent lamps, radio tubes
and cathode ray tubes, it includes, among others: arc lamps, light sources for the laboratory, transmitting tubes, camera
tubes, flash lamps, microwave tubes, photocells, photomultipliers, radiation detectors, rectifiers, relays, thyratrons
..."
"An
international team of researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), ITMO University (St Petersburg),
and the Australian National University have demonstrated that silicon nanoparticles can significantly increase the intensity of the Raman effect. The results could
be a boon to nanoscale light emitters and nanoscale amplifiers used in fiber optic telecommunications. In the Raman
scattering effect, light interacts with certain materials to produce longer or shorter wavelengths, or different colors
..."
Notable Tech Quote: Sherry Hess
"When I am asked what I do for a living, I say 'my company makes the products that
allow you to use all the wireless gadgets you love.'" -
Sherry Hess, VP of Marketing,
National Instruments, AWR Group, in an interview with Chris DeMartino of Microwaves & RF magazine. For nearly
a decade, Sherry has been championing the extensive NI AWR Design
Environment™ software product portfolio of high-frequency design environments consisting of System simulation (Visual System Simulator™), Circuit simulation
(Microwave Office and
Analog Office), and Electromagnetic analysis
(AXIEM and
Analyst™).
"A
metallic quantum dot sandwiched between two superconductors – which functions as an
electronic turnstile, only permitting one electron through at a time – has been developed by researchers
in France, Russia and Finland. By driving an AC voltage through the device, the researchers can control the tunneling of
electrons into and out of the dot. While such turnstiles have been made before, this is the first where electrons at only
one quantum energy level are allowed to pass through. This, say the researchers, makes the device ideal for quantum-metrology
applications. The ability to control the flow of current
..."
Tech News: May 10
Significant % of Postdoc Researchers Eye Non-Academic Careers
Worldwide Smartphone Growth Goes Flat
As Chinese Vendors Churn the Top 5 List
Sequans' LTE Technology Selected for European Aviation Network In-Flight Connectivity
"Urgent!! Ericsson
Transmission Engineer--- Asian Prefered !!!" (hmm... racism?)
Designing COTS Connectors That Can Stand up to Military Environments
E-Compass Chip for Precision Dead-Reckoning Navigation
Electro-Photonics LLC is a global supplier of
RF & Microwave components. Their products include SMT
hybrid and
directional couplers, wire
bondable passive components, and very useful test boards for evaluating components. The Electro-Photonics team can support
your small R&D design requirements with RF & microwave test fixtures and save you valuable design and characterization
time. • SMT 90° hybrid & directional
couplers • evaluation test boards
• filters • microwave test fixtures
• spiral inductors • alumina transmission lines, and more ...
Authors Cohen and Hessinger warn
about the need to consider the capacitive loading effects of shielded and closely-space test leads when measuring other
than direct current or very low audio or line frequencies.
Lead capacitance is especially likely
to affect measured values when the frequency is high and/or the source and load impedances are high. As was common in the
day, capacitance units of μμfd (micro-micro farads = 10-6 x 10-6 = 10-12
F) are cited, which is equivalent to units of pF (10-12 F)
...
"An Ivy League professor says he was interrogated and
his flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse delayed because another passenger thought his cryptic writings, which turned out
to be mathematical equations, were suspicious, the Washington Post reports.
Guido Menzio, a 40-year-old professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Post
that he was doing work related to a talk he would be giving at Queens University in Ontario - Syracuse was a connecting
stop on the way to Canada - and the passenger next to him apparently became
..."
"Water molecules trapped in tiny channels
exist in a blurry
quantum superposition of six different configurations that bears little resemblance to the structure
of a free molecule. That is the finding of physicists in the U.S. and UK, who have used neutron scattering to map the locations
of hydrogen atoms in water molecules trapped in the mineral beryl – revealing that the atoms tunnel between the six configurations.
The researchers have also found evidence that, unlike normal water, a trapped molecule has a zero electric-dipole moment
..."
Wien bridge oscillators had
been around for a few years prior to this article in the January 1941 issue of QST magazine, but evidently they had not
been applied widely to amateur radio applications. In fact, Hewlett-Packard's very first product, the Model 200A audio oscillator,
employed a Wien bridge oscillator as its frequency determining circuit. U.S. patent 2268872 provides a detailed description
of its operation as well as the basic schematic. It was considered breakthrough design because its amplitude and frequency
stability rivaled that of the beat frequency oscillators of the day - at a small fraction of the cost, size, and weight.
The Model 200A quickly became a staple instrument on the benches of designers and launched HP into the Keysight
...
This is pretty big news, released on April 29, 2016: "'IEEE, the world's largest
technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, today announced the acquisition of GlobalSpec,
a leading source of news, data and analytics for the global engineering and technical community including the widely known
brand name Engineering360. The new for-profit subsidiary of IEEE has been renamed
IEEE GlobalSpec, Inc. and will significantly
complement IEEE's already broad offerings for engineers as well as its emerging position in research analytics, further
fueling the organization's value to industry ..."
"On Monday, you can watch Mercury sail across the sun. It's an astronomical event
known as the Mercury transit, and it occurs about a dozen times a century. During the trip, the planet will appear
as a black speck awash in the sun's light. You can track its celestial silhouette for about seven hours, starting around
7:12 a.m. Eastern and ending around 2:42 p.m. Depending on the weather, it should be visible from most parts of the world,
except for Australia, New Zealand and parts of East Asia. The best way to view it is through a telescope or on
several
live streams, but don't try to sneak a peak with your
..."
Tech News: May 9
Families Struggling with Teens'
Cellphone Addiction
Buckyball Pioneer Harold Kroto Dies at 76
Imec Honors Dr. Gordon Moore with 'Lifetime of Innovation Award' (Forbes says Moore's worth $6.3e9)
Rich and Powerful Warn Robots Are Coming For Your Jobs
Cupertino's Mayor Urges Apple to Pay More Tax ("pioneer in corporate tax
avoidance")
DISA Goes Commercial for milCloud 2.0
Centric RF is a company offering from stock various
RF and Microwave coaxial components, including attenuators, adapters,
cable assemblies, terminations, power 
dividers, and more. We believe in offering high
performance parts from stock at a reasonable cost. Their parts operate in the frequency ranges of 0-110 GHz, and at
power levels from 0.5-500 watts. Order today, ship today! Centric RF is currently looking for vendors to partner with them.
If interested please email expressing an interest to
sales@centricrf.com
After seven years and more than $7B, MUOS is ready to go. There's just one problem
with its Sicily station. Where there was once a cork forest, there is now just barren land. Nothing grows behind the tall
fences that mark the 410-acre perimeter around the U.S. Navy area in Niscemi, Sicily. Behind the fences, atop the only hill,
three huge satellite dishes dominate the panorama, standing 60 feet wide and as tall as a 10-story building. This is 1/4
of the most sophisticated military communication system
...
Skyworks is
pleased to introduce two new SPDT 75 Ohm switches that are ideal for set-top box and DVR applications. The
SKY13547-490LF and
SKY13548-385LF feature ultra-high linearity
and meet the rigorous requirements of DOCSIS 3.0/3.1 applications. They also boast very low insertion loss and high power
handling capability. Skyworks' new switches are fully integrated and internally matched, reducing bill of material costs
for customers. They are available in compact 1 x 1 x 0.45 and 2 x 2 x 0.55 mm packages, saving precious application board
space and cost for OEMs. These devices can also be used for terrestrial and cable set-top box, cable modem and home gateway
...
"Researchers from the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign have developed a
one-step, facile method to pattern graphene by using stencil mask and oxygen plasma reactive-ion etching,
and subsequent polymer-free direct transfer to flexible substrates. Graphene, a two-dimensional carbon allotrope, has received
immense scientific and technological interest. Combining exceptional mechanical properties, superior carrier mobility, high
thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity, and potentially low manufacturing cost, graphene provides a superior base material
for next generation bioelectrical, electromechanical, optoelectronic, and thermal
..."
The
Sr. Antenna Test Technician will perform all antenna, material and environmental testing of antennas to meet tasking
requirements utilizing a planar near field range, anechoic chamber and environmental test chamber. The Senior Antenna Test
Technician will also perform the following: Maintain electronic records library of test result data on completed customer
testing tasks. Support engineering tasks related to the repair, fabrication, assembly, production, installation and testing
of antennas and electronic hardware and systems. Utilize and interpret schematics, wiring diagrams, test manuals, test procedures
and performance specifications to
...
"Anybody who walks or drives past
new tracking billboards with a mobile phone in their pocket can be spied on without their knowledge or consent:
a potential invasion of privacy that US Senator Charles E. Schumer wants the US Federal Trace Commission (FTC) to investigate.
Schumer, a Democrat from New York, delivered a briefing in Times Square on Sunday, electronic billboards blinking and scrolling
behind him. These new 'spying' billboards raise serious questions about privacy, Schumer said
..."
Tech News: May 6
BT Reports 9% Rise in Profit, Will Invest
£6B in Fibre, 4G
FCC Proposes $51 Million in Penalties for Lifeline Program (aka Obamaphones)
Physicists Abuzz About Possible New Particle as CERN Revs up
No Need for Panic Regarding Synthetic Aperture Radars on 70 cm
Chip Sales Edge up Slightly
Instagram Hacked by 10-Year-Old Boy
"Researchers at two Chinese universities, the
Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University and the University of Bolton in the UK, have produced a so-called
memristor device made from egg proteins,
magnesium and tungsten. A memristor – sometimes simply called a non-volatile resistive memory – is a two-contact variable
device that not only controls the flow of electrical current, like a resistor, and does so as a function of its previous
history, a memory effect and hence the memristor name. Transient electronics and memristors have previously
..."
25 Highest Paying Companies in America for 2016
"According to Glassdoor's latest report revealing
the 25 Highest Paying
Companies in America for 2016, several companies are offering employees six figure paychecks. This report is based on
each company's median total compensation, compiled by looking at salary reports ..." Unfortunately, but not surprisingly,
companies likely to employ electrical and RF engineers and technicians are not well-represented.
#1: A.T. Kearney - $167,534
#3:
Juniper Networks - $157,000
#5:
Google - $153,750
#10 : Cadence EDA - $150,010
#12: Facebook - $150,000
#19: LinkedIn - $145,000
#22:
Microsoft - $141,000
#25: Broadcom - $140,000
"Lime Microsystems has launched a crowd-funding
campaign to bring its
LimeSDR software defined radio platform into full-scale production. The campaign, hosted on the Crowd
Supply platform, aims to raise $500,000 to fund the final stages of development and mass production of the LimeSDR platform.
The LimeSDR platform is a low cost application-enabled software defined radio (SDR) platform that can be programmed to support
virtually any type of wireless standard – including Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Bluetooth through to cellular standards such as UMTS,
LTE and GSM and to the emerging IoT
..."
We are accustomed these days with stores having "no questions asked" return policies
for just about anything. I once watched a guy successfully return a 4" PVC plumbing fitting that had clearly been smeared
with glue in the coupling areas. Another time a guy returned a painting drop cloth that was full of paint, declaring that
it wasn't what he wanted. The return counter bins of Walmart and other stores are always chock full of stuff. Such was not
always the case, though. This episode of
Mac's Radio Service Shop, mentions, among other thing, how busy he and sidekick Barney had been right after Christmas
doing troubleshooting and repair on various electronic equipment that had been received as gifts. Imagine receiving
...
"Since lasers were invented more than 50 years ago, they have transformed a diverse
swath of technology - from CD players to surgical instruments. Now researchers from France and Hungary have invented a way
to print lasers that's so cheap, easy and efficient they believe the core of the
laser could be disposed
of after each use. The team reports its findings in the Journal of Applied Physics, from AIP Publishing. 'The low-cost and
easiness of laser chip fabrication are the most significant aspects of our results,' said Sébastien Sanaur, an associate
professor ..."
Z-Comm announces a new fixed frequency phase locked
loop model
RFS5900A-LF in the C-band. The RFS5900A-LF is a fully integrated synthesizer operating at 5900 MHz
which is phase locked to a 10 MHz reference with a stability of ±2.5 ppm. This low cost PLL features a typical
phase noise of -80 dBc/Hz, -85 dBc/Hz, and -103 dBc/Hz at the 1 kHz, 10 kHz and 100 kHz offsets,
respectively. The RFS5900A-LF is designed to deliver an output power of 3۬±2 dBm while operating off a VCO voltage
supply of 5Vdc and drawing ...
"Among the expanding efforts to
transform the way the U.S. military develops and deploys new technologies based on models perfected by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs
is a new project designed to support what organizers call a cadre of 'military intrapreneurs.' The Athena Project convened last week in Silicon Valley to stage what amounted
to a project-pitching session. The idea is to develop new acquisition skills akin to technology startups that would eventually
allow the military services
..."
Keysight is dedicated
to meaningful collaboration with educators and researchers at every level around the world. This year's DVD has been updated
with almost 200 new items in 7 key focus areas relating to
education and research.
You will find timely application notes, white papers, case studies, informative videos, and webcasts, as well as additional
resources relative to Keysight solutions in these focus areas: • Software Design & Simulation Solutions • Communications
Technology • Test & Measurement Science • Nanotechnology & Material Measurement Classroom
...
"While there are
common elements to building and retaining a team regardless of experience level, there are some unique considerations involved
in recruiting and retaining your experienced team members. Here are some tips for recruiting and keeping your high value,
senior engineering talent: 1. It's Your First Level Network - An individual's personal network is not a thing that is built
overnight. It represents the value of your relationship with people over a period of years
..."
The
Sr. RF Engineer
will perform as a competent specialist, consultant, and/or advisor on assignments requiring advanced application of technical
or engineering principles relative to
Radio Frequency Engineering.
Assignments are generally complex in nature with considerable discretion given to work details and approaches utilized.
Specific responsibilities will include: •Provides support in the design, development, and testing of radio frequency (RF)
and/or microwave systems architecture, components, circuits or products. Efforts may include analog and digital circuits
or products, frequency synthesizers, amplifiers, transmitters and receivers, down converters, frequency multipliers, digital
logic ...
"Part of the issues that have held
laser defense systems back in the past is the incredible amount of power needed to operate the mechanisms, as well as their
operating inefficiencies. In theory, the technology has shown a lot of promise when it comes to defense integration, and
it would appear that Lockheed Martin has begin to overcome some of the previously limiting factors in the industry. Lockheed
Martin claims to have developed 'innovative fiber lasers, sophisticated beam control and auxiliary technologies,' pushing
the boundaries of what laser systems can do. Lasers can
..."
"Doing an apprenticeship is a great
way of having real-life work experience and getting a feel of what it's like to actually work in the industry. It is also
one of the ways to avoid going to university but still getting a career you desire. If this is something you'd be interested
in, continue reading! The following are top 10 tips that will help you find an apprenticeship: 1. Research is crucial! Read
about all the different areas of engineering you can potentially work in, which companies take more interns in, what skills
are necessary, etc. 2. Choose an area you are most interested
..."
"High-frequency antennas
transmit radio waves across vast distances and even over mountain ranges using very little energy, making them ideal for
military communications. These devices, however, have one big problem: They need to be huge to operate efficiently. Instead
of adding more bulk, University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers are working to increase the effective size
of antennas by turning the military vehicles that carry them into transmitters—using the structures that support the
antennas themselves to help broadcast signals. Troops in remote locations need to communicate by radio
..."
KR Electronics announces the availability
of an 8 Channel High Frequency Multiplexer,
part number 3225. The contiguous multiplexer has low input VSWR across the entire band and uses selective elliptic filters
for each band. Please contact KR Electronics for details
...
"Times Microwave Systems in Wallingford, Conn., is introducing the IPB
weatherproofing kits for RF and microwave connectors in long-term outdoor deployments and mission-critical
short term deployments. The IPB boots come in two different interface sizes (N and 7/16 DIN). The 'N' boots will cover anything
smaller than a mini DIN. Boots are sized for a particular cable and are available with either male or female threads. Boots
are available for LMR-400 and 600 as well as quarter-inch and half-inch helically corrugated cables, and half-inch and 7/8-inch
annularly corrugated cables. O-rings are
..."
James Clerk Maxwell on Education
"The aim of an experiment
of illustration is to throw light upon some scientific idea so that the student may be able to grasp it. ...The educational
value of such experiments is often inversely proportional to the complexity of the apparatus." - James Clerk Maxwell,
The Scientific Papers of James Clerk Maxwell - Vol. 2, p243, by W.D. Niven.
An old electrician's
saying goes "Ground is ground the world
around," implying that every point on Earth's surface is at the same potential - specifically 0 volts. We know, of course,
that it is not so. Maybe on average such a claim could be made, but just as 'sea level' is not the same at all points on
the ocean's surface (hence we speak of 'mean sea level'), neither is the voltage potential
the same everywhere. Further, just as the salinity of all points on the ocean surface do not have the same salinity
(and thereby conductivity), the conductivity of various places on dry land vary - often significantly.
Electric power systems are very concerned with soil electrical conductivity in the vicinity of power generation installations
...
The
Sr. Antenna
Test Engineer shall oversee and manage personnel and resources associated with supporting antenna testing and environmental
testing of systems on program. Additional duties shall include: • Act as technical resource regarding testing of antennas
on antenna ranges to include far field, spherical and planar near-field systems. • Develops and documents test procedures
and schedules associated with conducting antenna and material testing covering a wide frequency spectrum. Analyzes test
results and provides formal test reports to customer. • Develops and documents test procedures and schedules associated
with conducting environmental ...
"As of now,
graphene is too expensive to manufacture at an industrial scale, however, scientists are actively working on producing a
cheaper more viable method to apply it to devices. The new smartphone displayed at the convention still lacks the standard
image qualities set by LCD and OLED displays. Although the image quality may not be at par with current HD screens, the
new bendable
graphene touchscreen phone remains an exciting feature to look forward to when it will enable devices to be thinner,
lighter, and incredibly tougher. Let us know in the comments below what you think
..."
the Engineer,
a UK website, recently did a reader poll titled "Do Engineers Complain Too Much About Pay?" It was a big hit. "We've rarely had such an emphatic response
to a poll. Of the 591 readers who responded, 2/3 picked the option that engineers did not complain too much about pay and
were not paid enough. Unfortunately, we can't separate out whether respondents were agreeing with both parts of the statement
or only one. Of the remaining respondents, 15% thought that engineering
..."
"Two-dimensional phosphane, a material
known as phosphorene, has potential application as a material for semiconducting transistors in ever faster and
more powerful computers. But there's a hitch. Many of the useful properties of this material, like its ability to conduct
electrons, are anisotropic, meaning they vary depending on the orientation of the crystal. Now, a team including researchers
at RPI has developed a new method to quickly and accurately determine that orientation using the interactions between light
and electrons within phosphorene
..."
Pasternack, a leading provider of RF,
microwave and millimeter wave products, greatly expands their portfolio of in-stock solid state
PIN diode switches covering frequencies from 10 MHz to 67 GHz. 69 unique new models of 50 ohm PIN diode
switches are available in compact connectorized package styles and display impressive isolation, insertion loss, and switching
speed performance. Pasternack's new PIN diode switches offer a broad range of solutions in applications where fast switching
and long lifetime are ...
"Arrays containing as many
as 20,000 Josephson junctions have been created by physicists at CSIRO in Australia. The devices are made from a high-temperature
superconductor and operate at liquid-nitrogen temperatures. With further development, the devices could be used in a range
of applications, including magnetic-field sensing and as radio-frequency antennas. The devices are called
superconducting quantum interference filters (SQIFs), which are 2D arrays of superconducting interference
devices (SQUIDs). A SQUID is
..."
Presenting yourself or your company as being modeled after a person of great accomplishment
has been a common promotional tactic for as long as there has been print media. The John Hancock chose in this issue of
The Saturday Evening Post to suggest, albeit by an indirect approach, to elicit the admiration Americans had for
Thomas Edison's lust for innovation and desire to make people's lives better in hopes that readers would associate Edison
with the insurance company. While the juxtaposition is strained, I do like one line in particular, "He lured electricity
into a bottle and taught it to glow with good cheer." This short tribute to on of the world's greatest engineers is worth
your a few moments of your valuable time
...
